RoK reopens channel to receive seasonal workers from Vietnam

The Republic of Korea (RoK)s North Jeolla province on May 6 said it has recruited 52 Vietnamese seasonal workers to work on local farms, as they are facing a severe labour shortage.













Vietnamese workers at RoK's Incheon airport (Photo: VNA)

According to the provinces Jinan district authorities, in the first phase, the district received 27 workers and arranged jobs at 17 farms cultivating watermelon, red pepper, and sesame leaves.



The workers include relatives of Vietnamese who are married and living in the RoK. They were trained in agriculture and tested negative for COVID-19 upon entry.



On May 10, Jinan will welcome 25 more workers from Vietnam.



The RoK reopened its channel to receive seasonal workers from Vietnam following the Vietnamese Governments April 27 decision on allowing the continuation of a pilot programme on sending labourers to the RoK in the form of cooperation between the nations localities.
Bangladesh sending emergency medical supplies to Sri Lanka

Xinhua) 09:51, May 06, 2022

DHAKA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- In a spirit of friendship and good neighborly relations, Bangladesh Thursday sent emergency medical supplies to Sri Lanka.

At a token handover ceremony held at the State Guest House Padma here on Thursday, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister Zahid Maleque handed over a few boxes of medicines to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sudharshan D.S. Seneviratne.

Momen described the supply of the medicine as an expression of solidarity and friendship between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, at a time when the two countries are celebrating 50 years of their diplomatic relations.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh never hesitates to extend assistance to any nation in difficulties, in particular, to its neighbors for ensuring shared peace and prosperity in the South Asian region, he added.

For his part, Seneviratne said Sri Lanka values the friendly relationship with Bangladesh and is committed to further strengthening it.

He said the medical supplies demonstrated the bilateral relations are moving in the right direction.

Essential Drugs Company Limited, the only state-owned Pharmaceuticals Company in Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceuticals Industries, have each contributed medicines worth 100 million takas as gifts to Sri Lanka, said a statement of the Bangladesh foreign ministry.

It added that the medicine is expected to reach Sri Lanka in a few days.

Earlier, Bangladesh provided Sri Lanka with 200 million U.S. dollars in aid through currency swapping arrangements. (1 U.S. dollar equals about 88 takas)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
After BJP leader Tajinder Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his residence in the national capital early Friday morning, Delhi Police has filed a case of abduction against the move. Meanwhile, the Punjab Police team, which was taking Bagga for questioning to Mohali was stopped by the Haryana Police at Khanpur, Kurukshetra. Delhi Police today said that it was acting on a complaint filed by Bagga's father saying that some people barged inside their home and beat up the BJP leader. He also complained that Bagga wasn't even allowed to wear a turban. The Delhi Police has not mentioned any name in the main accused column of the FIR, but in the detailed report, the entire incident with Punjab Police has been mentioned. The FIR has been registered under Sections 452 (Housetrespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 365 (kidnapping with intent to be secretly confined), 342 (wrongful confinement), 392 (robbery), 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Bagga was arrested from his residence in Janakpuri here over a case filed in Punjab where the national secretary of the BJP's youth wing was accused by the Aam Aadmi Party of threatening Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP leader was taken to the Janakpuri Police Station outside which BJP workers gathered to stage a protest. Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta said that the "Hitler-like act will cost Kejriwal". "Tajinder Bagga has been illegally detained by the Punjab Police. They didn't allow him to even wear his turban. Complaint filed over manhandling of Tajindar Bagga by his father," he said. "Kejriwal's Hitler-like act will cost him. Punjab Police acting on directions of Kejriwal," he added. Meanwhile, Punjab Police said that they arrested leader Bagga from his residence in the national capital over charges of communal inflammatory statements, promoting religious enmity, and criminal intimidation. The Punjab police said that they had sent Bagga five notices to join the investigation but he "deliberately" chose not to do so. They further informed that an FIR was registered on May 1 by Punjab State Cyber Crime, SAS Nagar against Tajinder Bagga on the complaint of causing instigation, criminal intimidation to cause violence and imminent hurt by publishing false, and communal inflammatory statements on social media. This morning Bagga's father claimed that he was punched in his face while he attempted to capture a video on his mobile phone of police personnel detaining his son. Talking to ANI, he said, "This morning, 10-15 police personnel came to our home and dragged Tajinder out. When I picked up my mobile phone to record a video of the incident, police took me to another room and punched me in the face." (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Friday 'dismissed as withdrawn' the plea of several Delhi University students challenging the university's February 11 notice that sought direction for offline examination for the even semester to be held in May 2022. Justice Rekha Palli on Friday after noting down the submission of petitioners said, "This is not the right time to pass any order. However, the Court has given the liberty to petitioners to approach the court again if there is any change in the circumstances." The plea also sought the issuance of direction to conduct all examinations in open book mode for the current semesters. Eight students, including outstation students of Delhi University, stated that despite the February 9 order, the classes of the petitioners and other students of various colleges continued to be conducted through online mode and for that they were provided links from time to time on their respective mobile for attending their classes. The plea moved through Advocate Ajay Kumar Srivastava stated that in the present situation where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly and a large number of people are getting infected in Delhi, the University ought to reconsider its notice dated February 11. The petition further stated over 65 per cent of those who are pursuing their education at Delhi University are outstation students and they do not have their own conveyances to travel to their colleges. In the prevalent situation, it is not at all safe for them to use public conveyance to appear for their respective examination. The petitioners and other students who have completed their semester through online mode cannot be compelled to appear in the examination through physical mode, said the plea. The plea also said that due to the change in the COVID situation in Delhi, the Delhi University has taken a decision to continue its inaugural function of a yearlong celebration in virtual mode as such at the same time there is no justification for conducting the examination of even semester in May 2020 in the physical mode. (ANI)
The Central government rubbished the Aam Aadmi Party's allegation of "bulldozing temples", saying that the demolition is being done as per the procedure. In a series of tweets, Union Minister for Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to "rein in" Atishi for her comments. "Lies succeed in travelling halfway round the world before the truth is able to get up & tie its shoelaces. Recently AAP leader Atishi Ji absurdly suggested that Centre & its agencies were on the verge of bulldozing temples!" tweeted Puri. "A lie will remain a lie no matter how many times it is repeated. So if Atishi Ji continues to falsify the narrative further, the Hon'ble Delhi CM should rein in the MLA, failing which I will address a press conference to set the record straight", added Puri in another Tweet. Puri further attacked Atishi and said that she is "ill-informed" of her own AAP government's actions as she is manufacturing "fake narrative". "The Religious Committee under a senior official of Delhi Government has already met twice on 26 & 29 April. A joint inspection was carried out on 27 April under its directions. The MLA does not appear to be aware of her own government's actions as she manufactures a fake narrative," added Puri. "AAP leaders must know that urban rejuvenation is a serious subject. Efforts to make Delhi a world-class capital will need saner views, not such ill-informed fake narratives & 'rajneeti'. They should get their facts right to avoid such embarrassment," Puri tweeted on Thursday. On Tuesday, Atishi alleged that the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has sent "demolition notices" to four temples in Delhi's Sarojini Nagar area, warning that the people of Delhi would not "tolerate" such hooliganism of the BJP. Atishi had also alleged that the BJP-led Central government has served notices for the demolition of four temples without following the "due process" for the execution of such an action. Seven GPRA colonies at Srinivaspuri, Thyagraj Nagar, Kasturba Nagar, Mohammadpur, Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar and Sarojini Nagar are being developed by CPWD and NBCC respectively under MoHUA. As per the Supreme Court ruling in 2009, no unauthorised construction of any religious institution, namely Temple, Church, Mosque or Gurudwara etc shall be permitted on public streets or public space. The Delhi High Court, in 2015, in a case directed to demolish entire construction where idols are not installed or placed and GNCTD to explain as to why the Religious committee has not promptly dealt with the menace of unauthorised construction and encroachments in the name of religious structures. A detailed chronology of what transpired and has led to the demolition has been accessed exclusively by ANI. Sources in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs told ANI, "The first internal meeting of the Ministry was held on 9 April 2022 with all the stakeholders including senior officials... It was conveyed by representatives that religious committee would decide only about the shifting of idol or 'GarbhGrah' part of the religious structures, rest of the unauthorised part is to be got vacated by the land-owning agency itself." The sources further added, "For the redevelopment of these areas, removal of unauthorised jhuggies and 53 unauthorised religious structures ( including 51 Temples, 1 Mazar, 1 Gurudwara) encroaching prime Central government land was necessary. Notices have been served to all non-notified jhuggies in first week of April and all 53 religious structures on 13 April and 19 April as per procedure to let them know in advance that due procedure to be followed has been initiated and giving them sufficient time to shift on their own." "Simultaneously, reference was made in the prescribed format on April 6, 2022 and a reminder sent on April 20, 2022, to the Religious Committee constituted by Hon'ble LG, Delhi vide order dated February 18, 1991, under the directions of Hon'ble SC to deal with the demolition of religious structures on public lands which are in the nature of encroachments." Top officials in the ministry further said, "Thereafter, Home Department, GNCTD scheduled the Religious Committee meeting on April 26, 2022, at 5 pm. It is chaired by ACS Home, Delhi and Addl CP Special Branch and Jt CP range concerned and HoD of the land-owning agency. Any action regarding removal will be taken as per the decision of Delhi Government Religious Committee." Sources said that a Religious Committee meeting was held on April 26, 2022, at Delhi Secretariat chaired by ASC (Home), Government of NCT of Delhi, Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, IAS. "The Chairman of the Religious Committee asked for a joint survey to be done by a team comprising of Land and Development Office officials, Special Branch Police and Delhi Police and thereafter have a meeting again on February 29, 2022, at 5 P.M. at Delhi Secretariat. Joint Survey was conducted for all 53 unauthorised Religious structures on 27.4.2022. The last meeting of this committee took place on 29th April. This is a case of unauthorised land grabbing in the name of religious structures and as per the sources the final decision is in true court of GNCTD. Any decision in this regard is to be taken by GNCTD and the role of land-owning agency would come thereafter." (ANI)
The Police have arrested six persons and they have been charged with murder, rioting and assault.

Mehsana Police said Jaswantji Thakor died after being beaten for use of loudspeaker at a small 'Mataji' temple built near their house in Mehsana taluka. He died during treatment at the hospital.

The Police said that according to complaint received by them, Jaswantji Thakor and his elder brother Ajitji Thakor were playing devotional music in the temple in the evening.

They said a villager Sadaji Ravaji Thakor came and raised objection about the use of loudspeaker. He was told by the brothers that the volume of speaker was low but he got angry and called his aides. The complaint said that Sadaji Thakor and his aides beat up the two brothers with sticks.

The two brothers were taken to the Mehsana civil hospital and were referred to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for further treatment. Jaswantji Thakor died during treatment, the police said.

The other accused have been identified as Vishnuji Ravaji Thakor, Babuji Chelaji Thakor, Jyantiji Ravaji Thakor, Javanji Chelaji Thakor and Vinuji Chelaji Thakor. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the family of deceased Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Arjun Chowrasia at Kolkata's Kashipur on Friday. Chowrasia was found hanging in Kashipur today morning. The police have not found any suicide note near his body. MHA has taken cognizance of the "murder" of the BJYM leader and has sought a report from the West Bengal government. "BJP worker Arjun Chowrasia was politically murdered. BJP demands CBI inquiry into the incident. BJP neither fears nor believes in the politics of violence. TMC is conspiring to create an atmosphere of fear", said Shah during his visit to Kashipur. "According to his family, he was brutally murdered. Yesterday TMC government completed one year of its term and today political murders have started in the state. We have come across many examples of political violence, retaliatory killings and selective targeting of activists of the Opposition in Bengal", added Shah. Shah said that BJP condemns the murder of Arjun Chowrasia and it will ensure that the killer gets the harshest punishment. "In no other province of the country, so many cases have been handed over to the CBI, but in Bengal it did. This shows that even the court doesn't trust law and order and the police of West Bengal. Union Home Ministry has taken cognizance of the incident and has sought a report from the West Bengal government", added Shah. "I met the grieving family. His grandmother was also beaten", said Shah. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul termed the BJYM leader's death a "political killing". "Political Killings of BJP'S workers in West Bengal are not new and this has been happening for many years. A BJP worker was murdered when Union Home Minister Amit Shah is coming to Kolkata after one year. What message does CM Mamata Banerjee want to give to West Bengal? Whoever supports BJP, will they be killed?", said Agnimitra Paul. Meanwhile, Police removed protesters from the spot in Kashipur where BJP worker Arjun Chowrasia was found dead. The protesters were allegedly not allowing the body to be removed for postmortem. "When an unnatural death occurs, Police take the body for investigation and postmortem. It's a natural course of action. They have obstructed it with their bad intention of dirty politics. They've come from outside. So, we are strongly condemning it", said Atin Ghosh, TMC MLA from Kashipur. It's worth mentioning that this is Amit Shah's first visit to West Bengal after BJP lost the state Assembly polls in 2021. (ANI)
"Budgam Police along with Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 43 Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrested two OGWs of proscribed terror outfit Ansar Gazwat ul Hind in Huroo area of Budgam," said police.

The arrested OGWs have been identified as Amir Manzoor Budoo and Shahid Rasool Ganai.

According to the police, incriminating material of proscribed terror outfit AGuH, one hand grenade and 25 AK-47 rounds have been recovered from their possession.

A case under relevant sections of law has been registered at Police Station Budgam and an investigation taken up, said police.

Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Sidhu further asked to stop tarnishing the image of Punjab Police by politicising it.

"Tajinder Bagga could be from a different party, one could have ideological differences. But Political vendetta, of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, to settle personal scores through Punjab police is a cardinal sin... Stop tarnishing the image of Punjab Police by Politicising it..," Sidhu said in a tweet.

Bagga was arrested from his Delhi house on Friday morning by the Punjab Police, based on a complaint registered with its cyber cell. Bagga allegedly threatened Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet during a protest on March 30. The complainant also submitted statements and video clips of Bagga to the police.

After BJP leader Tajinder Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his residence in the national capital early Friday morning, Delhi Police filed a case of abduction against the move.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Police team, which was taking Bagga for questioning to Mohali was stopped by the Haryana Police at Khanpur, Kurukshetra.

Delhi Police today said that it was acting on a complaint filed by Bagga's father saying that some people barged inside their home and beat up the BJP leader. He also complained that Bagga wasn't even allowed to wear a turban. (ANI)
Late Major Raghunath Ahlawat, 34 was leading his team on a counter-infiltration operation based on reliable intelligence input.

"To identify a safe approach for the team he led from the front while carrying out reconnaissance on a route through a steep cliff. "Unfortunately, he slipped due to bad weather and slippery conditions and fell 60 meters into a ravine. Critically injured, he succumbed to his injuries enroute while being evacuated to the nearest Army Hospital," Indian Army officials said in a statement.

The Army paid tribute to the officer in a ceremony held in the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar led by Chinar Corps Commander Lieutenant General DP Pandey.

Major Ahlawat was commissioned into the Army in 2012 and hails from Dwarka, New Delhi and is survived by his wife and his parents.

The mortal remains of Late Maj Raghunath Ahlawat were taken for last rites to his native place, where he would be laid to rest with full military honours. (ANI)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday called the arrest of BJP leader Tajinder Bagga by Punjab Police "political" saying that it will create problems if enmity between different parties rises in this manner. Bagga was arrested today from his residence in Delhi's Janakpuri over a case filed in Punjab where the national secretary of the BJP's youth wing was accused by AAP of threatening Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "The procedure wasn't followed and it's a political issue as during polls Bagga had delivered speeches. Speeches normally include political content and blame against each other. If something happens, EC takes cognizance and then police look into it," Khattar told media persons here. He also said, "Political issues don't unfold like this. But forcing Punjab Police to pick up a political figure in this manner. There should at least be a little amiability. If enmity between political parties rises like this, there will be problems. This shouldn't have been done." The Chief Minister also said that it was the Haryana government's duty to stop Bagga in the state, adding that they acted on alert from Delhi Police. "Haryana Police became alert and stopped them in Kurukshetra, near Pipli. Since we had information from Delhi it was our duty to hand them over to Delhi Police. Amid this, they revealed their identity that they're Punjab Police and are taking him with them. We did our work," Khattar said. "Punjab Police said that they will approach the court, it is up to them. Ultimately, Haryana Police handed them over to Delhi Police. Both Punjab and Delhi Police can take it from there," he added. Delhi Police also filed a case of abduction against this arrest and said it was acting on a complaint filed by Bagga's father saying that some people barged inside their home and beat up the BJP leader. He also complained that Bagga wasn't even allowed to wear a turban. The FIR has been registered under Sections 452 (House trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 365 (kidnapping with intent to be secretly confined), 342 (wrongful confinement), 392 (robbery), 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In the FIR, Bagga's father, Preet Pal stated that he suspects that his son may be killed and requested that his life be saved as the group of men thrashed his family. (ANI)
"Punjab Police followed the procedure in taking Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga into custody and that the case remains pending in the court..." KS Sandhu, DSP(D), Mohali told media persons here.

Bagga was arrested from his Delhi house on Friday morning by the Punjab Police, based on a complaint registered with its cyber cell.

The BJP leader allegedly threatened Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet during a protest on March 30. The complainant also submitted statements and video clips of Bagga to the police.

After BJP leader Tajinder Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his residence in the national capital early Friday morning, Delhi Police filed a case of abduction against the move.

Delhi Police today said that it was acting on a complaint filed by Bagga's father saying that some people barged inside their home and beat up the BJP leader. He also complained that Bagga wasn't even allowed to wear a turban. (ANI)
Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday said that nearly 200 terrorists are waiting across the Line of Control (LoC) to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, adding that there are approximately 35 terrorist camps located near various military establishments with the conviance of the Pakistan army. "The number of terrorists staged across the Indo-Pak border is approximately 200. They are waiting across (LoC) to be launched to this side," he said on being asked about the security situation along the LoC and across the Jammu and Kashmir border. "There are approximately 6 major terrorist camps and 29 minor ones. Also, there are number of temporary launch pads which are generally co-located with various military establishments. So the complicity of the Pakistan army and other agencies cannot be denied", said Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi. "From February 2021, ceasefire understanding has been working very well with very limited CFEs in last 11-12 months, and only 2-3 exceptions. The current infiltration rate is fool-proof to a great extent" added Dwivedi in Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir. It needs adaptability of our troops to ever-changing battlefield environment as well as the adoption of innovative solutions to surprise adversary, gain ascendancy and be always a step ahead in cognitive, virtual and physical space, emphasized Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Northern Command at North Tech Symposium, 2022 in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur on Friday. "The valuable lessons of Operation Snow Leopard (against China) have been fully assimilated and are fused into our capacities with respect to swift mobilisation, appropriate force posturing, and infra development in synergy with other two services, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Civil Administration," he said while addressing the two-day Symposium. Meanwhile, An Indian Army Major lost his life after slipping into a ravine during a counter-infiltration operation in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Late Major Raghunath Ahlawat, 34 was leading his team on a counter-infiltration operation based on reliable intelligence input. BSF Jammu detected a cross-border tunnel on Wednesday (May 4) in the area of Border Out Post (BOP) Chak Faquira opposite the Samba area. "This tunnel, with a 2 feet opening, is freshly dug and is suspected to be about 150 meter long originating from the Pakistan side," the BSF said. As per a BSF official, tunnel detection is the result of rigorous and consistent efforts of BSF troops during a fortnight-long anti tunnelling exercise carried out in the area. (ANI)
Following incidents of violence in Rajasthan's Jodhpur, the curfew imposed in the city has been extended till May 8, said District Police Commissioner Rajkumar Chaudhary on Friday. "The curfew imposed in Jodhpur Commissionerate area on May 3 has been extended till midnight of May 8. Raikabagh Palace Bus Stand and Raikabagh Railway Station have been excluded from the curfew," read the order. The order further said, "Students and teachers appearing for examinations have been exempted from the curfew." Also, personnel engaged in medical services, bank officials, Judicial officers and media personnel are exempted from the curfew. As per the order, the newspaper hawkers will also be allowed to distribute the newspapers "In other special circumstances, if necessary, the concerned Assistant Commissioner of Police and the concerned Police Officer will be able to give permission to go out during the curfew," the order added. A total of 211 people have been arrested in connection with incidents of communal clashes in Rajasthan's Jodhpur ahead of Eid celebrations that left several people injured while 19 cases have been registered, said police. Of the 211, 191 have been arrested under section 151 of the India Penal Code (IPC). Earlier on Thursday, Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) ML Lather had said that the situation in Jodhpur is under control and ensured that steps are being taken to maintain law and order. "Situation in Jodhpur is under control. Police are taking all possible steps to maintain peace, law and order. A total of 211 persons have been arrested so far, and out of these 191 arrested were under section 151 and 20 persons in other cases," the Rajasthan DGP said. Tension gripped Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's hometown Jodhpur hours before Eid on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to suspend mobile internet services and impose a curfew in 10 police station areas of the city. There was agitation over putting up religious flags on the Jalori gate circle in Jodhpur, which led to stone-pelting in which five policemen were injured. Following the incident, Jodhpur Police issued orders imposing a curfew besides suspending mobile internet services to check the spread of rumours. The situation was brought under control in the early hours of Tuesday with heavy deployment of police but tension escalated again in the morning after prayers at an Eidgah. Shops, vehicles and houses were pelted with stones near the Jalori gate area. (ANI)
Hours after BJP leader Tajinder Bagga was arrested from his Delhi house on Friday by the Punjab Police, Kamaljeet Kaur, mother of Bagga, accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of using Punjab police for "hooliganism." Speaking to ANI, Kamaljeet Kaur raised the question," He (Arvind Kejriwal) filed a First Information Report (FIR) against him (Tajinder Bagga) that he is threatening to kill him. If Punjab Police is in his hands, will he do such hooliganism?" She further clarified Kejriwal's statement over the "threat" from Bagga saying that her son had asked AAP to apologise for 'mocking' the film Kashmir Files but as the party did not do so, Bagga warned that the BJP's youth wing won't let AAP leaders live peacefully. "We said it's not right to make fun of someone's anguish and to mock Kashmir Files and that they (AAP) should apologise. As they didn't seek an apology, he (Tajinder Bagga) said that Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) won't let them live peacefully," She added. Meanwhile, FIR was filed in Delhi's Janakpuri police station under sections 452, 365, 342, 392, 295 34, on the complaint of BJP's Tajinder Bagga's father, Preet Pal Singh Bagga, seeking urgent action into events before his son's arrest. FIR stated that a group of men, some of them carrying weapons barged into their house. Bagga was arrested from his Delhi house on Friday morning by the Punjab Police, based on a complaint registered with its cyber cell. Bagga allegedly threatened Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet during a protest on March 30. The complainant also submitted statements and video clips of Bagga to the police. After BJP leader Tajinder Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his residence in the national capital early Friday morning, Delhi Police filed a case of abduction against the move. Meanwhile, the Punjab Police team, which was taking Bagga for questioning to Mohali was stopped by the Haryana Police at Khanpur, Kurukshetra. Delhi Police today said that it was acting on a complaint filed by Bagga's father saying that some people barged inside their home and beat up the BJP leader. He also complained that Bagga wasn't even allowed to wear a turban. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday interacted with a 90-year-old woman in Kaziranga and assured her of all support from the government in the resolution of the problem. The 90-year-old woman came from Dergaon to meet the Chief Minister over an issue related to her son. "Interacted with a 90-year-old grandmother at Kaziranga today who came to see me from Dergaon regarding a personal issue related to her son. Assured her of all support from our government in the resolution of the problem. Also sought her blessings," said the Chief Minister. In a video, Sarma was seen warmly greeting the 90-year-old woman. Holding her hand, the Assam CM enquired about the elderly woman's health and asked if she is eating properly and if she is facing any issues. When the woman replied that she can't eat food from outside, the chief minister asked an official to arrange fruits for the old woman. The Chief Minister gave assurance that he will personally look into the matter and asked for the old woman's phone number. "How divine it feels to have the blessings from 90-year-old grandmother at Kaziranga today. She had very kindly come to see me from Dergaon regarding a personal issue related to her son. Assured her of all support from the government in the resolution of the problem," Sarma said in a tweet. (ANI)
Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party over the action of the Delhi Police after party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga's arrest, AAP leader Atishi called the BJP a 'party of goons' that can go to any extent to 'save rioters'. Atishi's remarks came after the Delhi Police filed a case of abduction after Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his residence in the national capital early Friday morning. Speaking to ANI, the AAP leader said, "The BJP is a party of goons and can go to any extent to save its goons and rioters." "BJP misusing the government machinery. When the Punjab Police came to arrest the Tajinder Bagga, the party misused Delhi Police and the Haryana Police took illegal action to save a goon and a rioter," Atishi said. Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police earlier today from Delhi. On their way to Mohali, the team was stopped by Haryana cops after the Delhi Police registered a kidnapping case based on a complaint by Bagga's father. Haryana Police surrounded the Punjab Police car carrying Bagga and escorted them off the highway to a police station in Kurukshetra. The Punjab cops were detained. At the same time, the Punjab and Haryana High Court turned down AAP-ruled Punjab's demand that Bagga remains in Haryana instead of being handed over to Delhi cops. Haryana Police acted on a request from the Delhi Police, which rushed to a court for a search warrant based on the kidnapping complaint. With the search warrant in hand, a team of Delhi police reached Kurukshetra and "rescued" Bagga and brought him back to the national capital. (ANI)
As many as six people were killed and three critically injured after the car they were sitting in hit an electric pole in Azim Nagar police station area of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, said police on Friday. "6 people died in this incident and the condition of 3 people is critical. There were two children in the vehicle who are completely safe," said Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar. The residents of Moradabad district were on their way to attend a marriage ceremony in Rampur in their car which rammed into an electric pole and then hit a roadside tree, he said. The SP further said that there were 11 people in the car of which six people died on the spot and the rest three are in critical condition. "The accident happened because the speed of the car was very fast and their car got imbalanced and hit the electric pole and uprooted the tree," he added. The SP, who rushed to the spot, said that a police team has been deployed there and the bodies are being sent for post-mortem. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, who was arrested by Punjab Police earlier in the day and later "rescued" by Delhi Police, was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in the national capital for a medical check-up. Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police earlier today from Delhi. On their way to Mohali, the team was stopped by Haryana cops after the Delhi Police registered a kidnapping case based on a complaint by Bagga's father. Haryana Police surrounded the Punjab Police car carrying Bagga and escorted them off the highway to a police station in Kurukshetra. The Punjab cops were detained. At the same time, the Punjab and Haryana High Court turned down AAP-ruled Punjab's demand that Bagga remains in Haryana instead of being handed over to Delhi cops. Haryana Police acted on a request from the Delhi Police, which rushed to a court for a search warrant based on the kidnapping complaint. With the search warrant in hand, a team of Delhi police reached Kurukshetra and "rescued" Bagga and brought him back to the national capital. The BJP leader allegedly threatened Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet during a protest on March 30. The complainant also submitted statements and video clips of Bagga to the police. Bagga was arrested for "provocative statements, promoting religious enmity and criminal intimidation" over his tweets against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (ANI)
Hours after BJP leader Tajinder Bagga was arrested from his Delhi house on Friday by the Punjab Police, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa slammed AAP led-Punjab government for choosing Mohali DSP Kuljinder Singh Sandhu to take action against Bagga. Bagga was arrested from his Delhi house on Friday morning by the Punjab Police, based on a complaint registered with its cyber cell. Taking to Twitter, Sirsa in his series of tweets alleged that KS Sandhu who came to pick Tajinder Bagga today has a notorious past. "Sensational Revelation: Changing the NAME doesn't change the past and notorious actions of a person. This KS Sandhu who came to pick Tajinder Bagga today is the same notorious Kuljinder Singh with an ill-famed past," he tweeted. "The government chose notorious cop Kuljinder Singh Sandhu who was posted as DSP (Detective), Mohali on the instructions of Bhola drug case main accused Sarabjit Singh, to carry out the illegal operation of picking up BJP spokesman Tajinder Baggafrom his home in Delhi," he said in a subsequent tweet. Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police earlier today from Delhi. On their way to Mohali, the team was stopped by Haryana cops after the Delhi Police registered a kidnapping case based on a complaint by Bagga's father. Haryana Police surrounded the Punjab Police car carrying Bagga and escorted them off the highway to a police station in Kurukshetra. The Punjab cops were detained. At the same time, the Punjab and Haryana High Court turned down AAP-ruled Punjab's demand that Bagga remains in Haryana instead of being handed over to Delhi cops. Haryana Police acted on a request from the Delhi Police, which rushed to a court for a search warrant based on the kidnapping complaint. With the search warrant in hand, a team of Delhi police reached Kurukshetra and "rescued" Bagga and brought him back to the national capital. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that the Kaziranga session is an opportunity to brainstorm on a series of schemes and the role of cabinet colleagues and legislators in the proper implementation of schemes as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' Ahead of the one-year completion of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government, a brainstorming session of the MLAs of the ruling BJP and its allied parties Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) was held at Kaziranga on Friday. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his cabinet colleagues, BJP MPs, Union Minister Rameswar Teli, Assam state BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, senior BJP leader Ajay Jamwal, AGP president Atul Bora, UPPL president Pramod Boro were present in the meeting. Sarma said, "Kaziranga session is an opportunity to brainstorm on the series of schemes which will be at the forefront of the Assam government's development plan and the role of cabinet colleagues and legislators in the proper implementation of schemes as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'." "As we complete one year of our government in Assam, it gives me immense pleasure to meet my Cabinet colleagues and legislatures of BJP and allied parties in a day-long session at Kaziranga," the Assam Chief Minister further said. Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government will be completing its first year in office on May 10 and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to attend a public rally at Guwahati and he will inaugurate several projects. The Union Home Minister will present President's Colours to Assam police on May 10 in Guwahati. The state government has a month-long programme lined up from May 11 to June 10 where all ministers including the Chief Minister will visit different parts of the state and will take part in various events. (ANI)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday said that directed the officials to give quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to the farmers through Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBK). While chairing the agriculture and horticulture departments meeting at his camp office in Tadepalli today, the Chief Minister said that the payment of farmers' assistance on May 16 and crop compensation in the first week of June. Further, the Chief Minister also took stock of the distribution of farm equipment to farmers on subsidy, Kharif preparation, Kisan drones, millet policy, and crop rotation. The government has also planning to distribute 3 thousand tractors, 4014 farm machinery equipment to the beneficiaries, and 402 harvesters to the community hiring centres in June To improve the efficiency of Rythu Bharosa Kendra (RBK), Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to introduce internships for agriculture university students. "During the internship, the students can identify any unseen issues and give us the comprehensive solutions to improve them," said the Chief Minister. Directing the officials to give more importance to RBKs and E-crop initiatives throughout the state, Reddy said, "Crop insurance should be given transparently. Department must come up with foolproof SOPs so that there will not be any fudging of data. Further, Crop Cultivator Rights Cards (CCRC) should be enforced without any flaws with more awareness so that it would help the tenant farmers with all government aids." Officials informed that impressed by the RBK initiative by Andhra Pradesh, the Joint Secretary (Fertilizer) of the Government of India visited one of the centres to know more about the concept. They told the Chief Minister that the Centre would set up a pilot project to connect manufacturers directly with RBKs and farmers. Reiterating that RBKs and E-crop initiatives are an integral part of the concept, the Chief Minister instructed the officials to upgrade the centre with computers and printers, village-level fertilizer stock points, and horticulture cold storage units. To train the farmers to use the drone facility, the officials informed the Chief Minister that educated farmers would be identified at RBKs. "Any farmer with a science degree can be trained, and we could use them as a Master Trainer to help all other farmers," officials said. Regarding the growth in agriculture products, officials informed that food products worth 165.07 lakh metric tonnes were produced in 2020-21, and it increased in the 2021-22 period with 171.7 lakh metric tonnes. They said that they are ready with 6 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizer from the district level to the RBK level. Officials informed that they are taking all possible measures to release water on time without any problem to the irrigation system. Earlier, the department of agriculture presented RBK momentum to the Chief Minister for getting nominated for Food Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) 'champion' award. (ANI)
The ministry has asked the state government to submit a report on the death of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker, who has been identified as Arjun Chowrasia (26), at the earliest.

The MHA move came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday visited the house of the deceased and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

The Bengal unit of the BJP has alleged that the BJYM worker was murdered and hanged by the ruling Trinamool Congress workers.

The incident also led to the cancellation of all the appointments of Shah, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal starting Thursday.

After meeting the family members of Chowrasia, the Shah said, "The Home Ministry is taking serious note of Chowrasia's death and has sought a report regarding it."

Demanding a CBI probe into the death of Chowrasia, Shah further said that "a culture of violence and fear psychosis is prevalent in Bengal, and no matter where I go in the state, I get reports of political violence, revenge attacks".

--IANS ams/arm

( 244 Words)

2022-05-06-19:46:04 (IANS)
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from Centre and State Governments on a plea seeking appropriate directions for artificial insemination of non-descript cows using semen from pure or descript indigenous breeds as opposed to 'Exotic' Foreign Breeds such as Holstein Friesian and Jersey. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana issued notice to Centre on a plea filed by A. Divya Reddy. "Cattle is considered to be one of the first animals to have been domesticated by man. Studies suggest that cows were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Currently, the two species of cattle used in India are the indigenous breeds which have existed in India for thousands of years and the Exotic/ Foreign Cattle [eg. Jersey. Holstein Friesian etc] which have been imported/ whose semen has been artificially inseminated into Indigenous Breeds in a bid to increase milk production, " the petitioner said. Reddy, in his plea filed through Advocate Krishna Dev Jagarlamudi, sought to issue direction to declare the action of the Respondents in promoting and encouraging artificial insemination of Non-Descript Cows using semen from 'Exotic' Foreign Breeds such as Holstein Friesian and Jersey, including through their Breeding Policies, as being arbitrary and not in consonance with Article 48 of the Constitution of India. The petitioner said that if this trend is further encouraged or even allowed to continue with no action from the Governments, we will be forced to face a day where India cannot proudly claim any breed of cattle as its own. Swift and decisive action in the short term, coupled with a sustainable long-term plan, is required from the Central and State Governments in order to sufficiently protect and promote the diminishing population of Indigenous Breeds in India. Milk from Indigenous Breeds has several health advantages over milk of Exotic / Cross Breeds, the petition said. The petitioner has sought to direct the respondents to take appropriate steps for the artificial insemination of Non-Descript Cows using the semen from Pure / Descript Indigenous Breeds as opposed to 'Exotic' Foreign Breeds. The petitioner also sought to direct the Respondents to make available and adequately distribute semen of Indigenous Breeds for the purpose of artificially inseminating Non-Descript Cattle. It also sought to direct the respondents to take appropriate steps for educating the farmers and livestock owners of the benefits of Indigenous Cattle and the long-term harmful effects and unsustainability of rearing Exotic/ Crossbred Cattle. According to petition, over the past few decades, India's single-minded pursuit of increasing milk production has resulted in a steady decline in the population of its Indigenous Breeds with a simultaneous manifold increase in the number of Exotic / Cross Breeds, as evidenced by a bare perusal of the various Livestock Censuses issued by the Central Government from time to time. (ANI)
The deceased jawan was identified as Raj Singh hailing from Bihar.

He was posted at the 155 Bn CRPF camp at Chungajan area along Assam-Nagaland border.

Trinayan Bhuyan, SDPO of Dhansiri Sub-Division of Golaghat district, told ANI that the incident occurred around 8-30 pm on Thursday and the CRPF jawan had allegeldy shot himself with his service INSAS rifle at the camp."

On hearing the gunshot, fellow jawans rushed to the spot and found the jawan lying dead.

Later, senior officials of police and CRPF also rushed to the spot and sent the body to hospital for post-mortem. (ANI)
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to give directions for appropriate steps to enable students who have returned from Ukraine to complete higher education in India. "I have written to @PMOIndia appreciating his sincere efforts in ensuring evacuation of Indian students trapped in Ukraine and urged him to give necessary direction to the concerned ministry to take appropriate steps enabling such students to complete higher education in India," Soren said in a tweet. In his letter, Soren said more than 180 students have returned to Jharkhand from Ukraine. "I would like to draw your kind attention towards the plight of students who have returned from Ukraine. Russian Invasion of Ukraine suddenly interrupted their studies and it was only due to your intervention that they could be rescued back home safely. More than 180 such students have returned to Jharkhand," Soren said. He said students have come back safely but "an uncertain future now seems to stare at them". "At present. there does not seem any possibility of the Ukraine war ending soon. There is thus no hope for them to return to Ukraine for pursuing their studies," he said. Soren said a large number of students pursuing higher studies in educational institutions of Ukraine were enrolled in courses of medical education and in the wake of the ongoing crisis "future of these students remains extremely uncertain". "This is causing immense mental hardship to such students and their family members. There have been demands that the government must take tangible steps to get them admitted in the medical colleges in India," he said. "I would urge you consider the plight of these students sympathetically and give necessary direction to the concerned Ministry to take appropriate steps enabling such students to complete their higher education in India," the letter said. (ANI)
Aluva First Class Judicial Magistrate Court on Friday has granted bail to Malayalam film director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan in a complaint related to alleged stalking by actor Manju Warrier. Elamakkara police in Kochi have taken Sanal into custody from Parassala in Thiruvananthapuram district on Thursday. Later, they have recorded his arrest in a case for stalking and harassment both physically and over social media by invoking IPC Section 354D of Indian Penal Code. However, the director denied stalking or harassing the actor. Last month, Sasidharan had made a Facebook post expressing fear that the actor's life was in danger and that she was being controlled by her aides based on what he claimed to be the experiences during the making of the film. Sasidharan recently took to social media to say he had written to the President of India and the Chief Justice of India over what he claimed was a breakdown of law and order in Kerala. He had been making disjointed remarks about being under threat. "I do not know if it was Manju Warrier who lodged this complaint. I still believe that Manju's life is in danger. I'm not sure if Manju is in control of anyone. I have posted a facebook post saying that she is in detention of some persons," said Sasidharan. "I said that I wrote a letter to the President of India and the Chief Justice of India. The letter said that the social fabric of Kerala has suffered a significant breakdown and law and order is being disrupted. The case came up the day after the letter was written," he added. "Before posting this issue on facebook, I have sent a message to Manju stating that her life was in danger. However, I did not get an answer from her and proceeded to post it. Our society has a responsibility to find out if she is in detention. My responsibility was to call it out. But still there was no response from anywhere," he stated. Further, he alleged, "the police did not call him on his phone, instead they traced my location as if I am a terrorist and was forcibly taken away. He further alleged that the police grabbed his phone while he was trying to go live on Facebook." "I did not harass Manju. I have posted this in facebook seven days ago. I texted her before I post. I have a fear that her life is in danger," he further stated. (ANI)
The passenger arrived from Johannesburg via Doha by Qatar Airways Flight No QR-500.

"The contraband was seized from a packet concealed in the false bottom of the bag.The passenger has been arrested and further investigation is on," an official said.

This is the fifth seizure of heroin at Hyderabad Airport in less than two weeks. The authorities have seized heroin, valued at over Rs 150 crore, in the five cases.

On May 4, Customs officials had announced that they seized heroin, valued at Rs 11.53 crore, from a Tanzanian national.

A Customs official said 1,389 grams of heroin was seized from the male passenger who arrived from Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi on April 26.

The passenger purged 108 capsules containing the contraband heroin over a period of six days.

Eight kg cocaine, valued at Rs 80 crore, was seized from two passengers by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on May 1.

The contraband was seized in two separate cases. A male Tanzanian national, travelling from Cape Town to Hyderabad on a business visa and a woman passenger from Angola, with itinerary Angola-Mozambique-Zambia- Dubai-Hyderabad on a tourist visa were arrested.

A total of 8 kg of cocaine, each passenger carrying 4 kg, were seized from the passengers from the packets concealed in the false bottom of their trolley bags.

Earlier, the Hyderabad Customs along with DRI had seized 1,157 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs 11.57 crore, from a Tanzanian national. The passenger had arrived at Hyderabad Airport from Johannesburg via Dubai on April 21.

A total of 79 ingested capsules were recovered over a period of 5 days.

--IANS ms/vd

( 306 Words)

2022-05-06-21:56:02 (IANS)
As per a study by Cornell University, an increasing decline in the population of birds is taking place across the globe. This study from multiple institutions was published today in the journal Annual Review of Environment and Resources. Loss and degradation of natural habitats and direct overexploitation of many species are cited as the key threats to avian biodiversity. Climate change is identified as an emerging driver of bird population declines. "We are now witnessing the first signs of a new wave of extinctions of continentally distributed bird species," says lead author Alexander Lees, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom and also a research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Avian diversity peaks globally in the tropics and it is there that we also find the highest number of threatened species." The study says approximately 48% of existing bird species worldwide are known or suspected to be undergoing population declines. Populations are stable for 39% of species. Only 6% are showing increasing population trends, and the status of 7% is still unknown. The study authors reviewed changes in avian biodiversity using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List" to reveal population changes among the world's 11,000 bird species. The findings mirror the results of a seminal 2019 study which determined that nearly 3 billion breeding birds have been lost during the past 50 years across the United States and Canada. The lead author of that study is also an author of this global status report. "After documenting the loss of nearly 3 billion birds in North America alone, it was dismaying to see the same patterns of population declines and extinction occurring globally," says conservation scientist Ken Rosenberg from the Cornell Lab, now retired. "Because birds are highly visible and sensitive indicators of environmental health, we know their loss signals a much wider loss of biodiversity and threats to human health and well-being." Despite their findings, study authors say there is hope for avian conservation efforts, but transformative change is needed. "The fate of bird populations is strongly dependent on stopping the loss and degradation of habitats," says Lees. "That is often driven by demand for resources. We need to better consider how commodity flows can contribute to biodiversity loss and try to reduce the human footprint on the natural world." "Fortunately, the global network of bird conservation organizations taking part in this study have the tools to prevent further loss of bird species and abundance," adds Rosenberg. "From land protection to policies supporting sustainable resource-use, it all depends on the will of governments and of society to live side by side with nature on our shared planet." Information is key, and the study authors point out that the growth of public participation in bird monitoring and the advent of easy-to-use tools, such as the Cornell Lab's eBird database, make continental-scale breeding bird surveys, distribution atlases, and abundance models possible and help inform conservation efforts. This study was conducted by scientists from Manchester Metropolitan University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdLife International, the University of Johannesburg, Pontifical Xavierian University, and the Nature Conservation Foundation. (ANI)
Speaking on the occasion of Israel Day, PM Modi said, "On behalf of the people of India, I extend my warm greetings to all our Israeli friends.

He also noted that this year India-Israel are celebrating 30 years of their diplomatic ties.

He continued saying, "Even though this chapter is new, the history of relations between our two countries is very old."

"I hope that in the coming years we will deepen our relationship further," he added.

India and Israel are strategic partners. India announced its recognition of Israel on September 17, 1950.

On June 14, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on assuming office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a historic first-ever visit to Israel by an Indian Prime Minister on July 4-6, 2017 during which the relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership. (ANI)
"Warm welcome to Foreign Minister of Italy @luigidimaio on his first visit to India. The visit will further strengthen our multifaceted partnership," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a tweet.

Di Maio is on an official visit to India. This is Di Maio's first visit to India and he is accompanied by a high-level official and business delegation.

The External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, will hold bilateral talks with the visiting Foreign Minister on May 6 and will review the progress in the implementation of the Action Plan 2020-24 launched at the Virtual Summit in November 2020.

They will also exchange views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Di Maio will also meet with Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal and co-chair a business round-table. Before reaching Delhi, he will visit Bengaluru where he will be meeting with the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai.

India and Italy enjoy long-standing, friendly relations which have witnessed a fresh momentum in recent years with the successful Virtual Summit in November 2020 and the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Italy in October 2021 where both countries announced a Strategic Partnership on Energy Transition.

The Foreign Minister's visit will provide an opportunity to discuss the entire gamut of the bilateral relations and further expand the close partnership between the two countries, especially in priority areas like trade and investment linkages, defence and security, and green energy. (ANI)
The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters' Union (SLRSMU) announced that they will participate in the nationwide strike on Friday. The All Ceylon Transport Workers Union (ACTWU) also said that they had asked all the employees of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) to join the nationwide strike tomorrow. The Railway Station Masters' Union said that the decision has been taken up by the central committee after holding the meeting yesterday, Daily Mirror reported on Thursday. Accordingly, the Union will refrain from all the services from today's midnight in view of their participation in the mass strike. General Secretary of ACTWU, Sepala Liyanage said that all the employees have been requested to participate in the strike to establish the people's government. He further said that the SLTB chairman and the Labour Department Commissioner General have also been notified about this, reported Daily Mirror. Meanwhile, the Inter-Provincial Private Bus Owners' Association (IPPBOA) refused to participate in the nationwide strike but has given the freedom to the bus owners to decide whether to join the strike or not. Referring to the nationwide strike, Additional Chairman said that there is no point in participating in such activities as the government has not yet decided to quit, as reported by Daily Mirror. "It is a waste of public money and their valuable time. The loss the country gains from such hartal has to be borne by us," the association said. "Therefore, we have given the freedom to all our members to engage with the hartal if they wish," he added. Meanwhile, a day earlier, S.P. Withanage, co-convener of the Railway Trade Union Alliance (RTUA) announced that a 24- hour countrywide railway trade union action will start from midnight, to show solidarity to the nationwide hartal on Friday. Reportedly, over 40 railway trade unions will join the strike while above 1000 trade unions will join the railway trade unions. In addition, there will be zero trains running in the island country during the strike as well, said the Co-Convener, reported Daily Mirror. Sri Lanka is struggling with acute food and electricity shortages, forcing the country to seek help from its neighbours. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas, while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well. The economic situation has led to huge protests with demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. (ANI)
Washington [US], May 6 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States must invest more in vital infrastructure and capabilities in the Arctic to keep up with Russian and Chinese developments in the region, US North Command (NORTHCOM) Commander Air Force General Glen VanHerck said during a virtual press briefing at the Pentagon. "Russia has developed significant infrastructure, infrastructure that candidly was dilapidated after the Cold War, they have invested back into that and we need to do the same," VanHerck said on Thursday. VanHerck said he has been working with Canada in their budgeting process to try to provide allies with some additional infrastructure in the Arctic. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) Commander Navy Admiral Charles Richard said in the press conference that Russia is strengthening its forces in the Arctic and Beijing's Polar Silk Road, which declares China as a near-Arctic state, are examples of the strategic challenges the United States needs to address in the region. The United States is dramatically behind Russia with respect to icebreakers, two and 55-plus respectively, but when combined with the capabilities of US allies and partners in the Arctic, collectively they are not far behind Russia, VanHerck said. He noted that the Coast Guard has funding for six new icebreakers that will be fielded in the next few years, but there's currently no funding for additional US infrastructure in the Arctic. VanHerck also said he needs US forces that are dedicated to an Arctic mission that is available to him on a day-to-day basis or at least episodically to operate in the stressful environment of the Arctic The United States needs the persistence to operate in the Arctic, which includes the need for additional fuel capabilities further north than Dutch Harbor in Alaska. He added that the United States also has to improve its communications capabilities in the region and is testing with a couple of companies such as SpaceX's Starlink and OneWeb. (ANI/Sputnik)
Three people were killed and four others left injured in central Israel's city of Elad on Thursday after an attack by two armed men carrying firearms and an axe, local media reported. Two suspects armed with an axe and firearms arrived at the city's square and then moved to a local park. One attacker opened fire, while another started to hack at the victims with an axe, Sputnik reported citing Israeli broadcaster Channel 13. As a result, three people were killed, and four more were injured, two of whom are in a serious condition, the report said. Earlier in the day, it was reported by Israel's Channel 12 that six people were left injured, many of them in critical condition after an attack by a man armed with an axe and a knife, Sputnik reported. It was also reported that the attacker was shot and killed by the authorities. The local government has asked residents to lock themselves in their homes while the police are searching for a car that fled the scene, the report said. "At this point, security crossings have been deployed on various roads, together with a helicopter, searching for a vehicle that was seen fleeing the scene," a police spokesperson told CNN. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Thursday's attack appears to be "the latest in a what has been a string of despicable terrorist attacks that have rocked Israel in recent weeks," CNN reported. "We saw them in advance of this holy period -- the confluence of Easter, of Passover, of Ramadan. We saw them in advance of the Negev Summit. And if this is what it appears to be, it is something that we would condemn in strongest terms," Price was quoted as saying. (ANI)
Amid a rising trend of curbs on rights in China, the country is intensifying its censorship of Hollywood movies to make them 'conform' to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideals, a media report said. The practice, which is almost 25-years old, has expanded in recent times even as producers make movies with an eye toward pleasing Beijing yet without isolating the global audience, Voice of America reported citing industry insiders. "Now it's kind of escalated in the sense that they're much more direct in banning films outright rather than just tampering or asking for scenes to be removed," Stanley Rosen, a University of Southern California political science professor who follows China's film industry was quoted as saying. As per the report, industry observers say censors are also asking that versions of movies for audiences outside China follow Beijing's script. It is unlikely that censors will allow the 2022 Marvel Studios movie "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" to be shown in China, the report said, citing a recent op-ed in the Chinese state-affiliated Global Times which said that the movie contains nods to Falun Gong, a spiritual movement Beijing has banned and labelled as a cult. "As a country under the rule of law, China regulates the film industry in accordance with the Film Administration regulations," Liu Pengyu, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Washington was quoted as saying. The China Film Administration, an oversight body for the USD 7.4 billion Chinese film industry market, banned Marvel Studios' 2021 superhero films "Eternals" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," which were released last year, the report said. The 2021 superhero film "Spider-Man: No Way Home" missed Chinese approval because authorities wanted Sony Pictures to remove images of the Statue of Liberty from the film, the report further said. "As the dragon gets bigger, its leverage gets bigger, and no one's pushed back yet," Chris Fenton, Hollywood executive and a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank was quoted as saying. According to James Tager, research director at the free-speech advocacy group PEN America, an increase in Sino-U.S. tensions since the administration of former US President Donald Trump may have exacerbated China's treatment of American movies. Refusal of a Chinese order to cut a scene would risk the studio's future business in China, such as the next Disney or Marvel film or other assets, Tager said. "You may get a reputation as someone who doesn't play ball, which could have even further knock-on effects, possibly for other films or possibly for other business relationships that large studios have in China," Tager said. Recently, the Philippines pushed back against Marvel Studio's attempt to woo China in the case of the 2022 American action movie "Uncharted." The Southeast Asian country's cinemas banned the movie at the request of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the report said. The department objected to a scene that showed Beijing's nine-dash line claim to the South China Sea, which Manila vigorously disputes. The nine dashes demarcate China's claim to about 90 per cent of the sea. Manila moved earlier to block the showing of "Abominable," a 2019 animated collaboration between the U.S. and a Chinese production company because the same nine-dash line was shown in the cartoon. Hollywood is slowly factoring in the "arbitrary" demands from China, Stanley Rosen said. One thing it has learned, he said, is to avoid making Chinese-themed films such as "Shang-Chi" because those can be better done in China, the report said. (ANI)
Ottawa [Canada], May 6 (ANI/Sputnik): Canada and Sweden are committed to strengthening bilateral ties and EU-NATO cooperation, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries said at the conclusion of a meeting in Ottawa. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde's first official visit to Canada on Thursday comes amid Stockholm's push to join NATO, a prospect that has been warmly received in Ottawa. "As close transatlantic partners and friends, Canada and Sweden are committed to strengthening our transatlantic relations further, as well as strengthening EU-NATO cooperation, which is key to our collective security and prosperity," the statement from Linde and Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly said on Thursday. The response to Russia's military operation in Ukraine has demonstrated the "importance of transatlantic unity and cooperation," the two diplomats said. Joly and Linde also vowed to double down on a pressure campaign on Tehran over the accidental downing of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752 (PS752), saying that Canada and Sweden will work to ensure that full reparations are paid out. Iran has announced compensation packages for victims and the affected parties, however, Western states, including Canada have deemed these measures insufficient. (ANI/Sputnik)
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley on Tuesday said that the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups are trying to regroup in Afghanistan, highlighting that although the groups are far from the US mainland, they still present a threat. The US General made the remarks during a Senate hearing in the presence of Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. "ISIS and other groups are trying to put themselves back together, they have not succeeded yet and they have not yet presented a threat to the US homeland but we are watching that very, very, closely and if they raise their head and do present a threat, we will take appropriate (action)," Milley said as quoted by Tolo News. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan, however, denied that ISIS, whose Afghanistan branch is called Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K), has been having an expanding presence in the country. "We have eliminated a lot of their sanctuaries so far. The presence of Daesh (ISIS-K) is very small. They have conducted some attacks on a school and mosques but have not accomplished anything significant. We are serious about our security and will not allow anyone to cause insecurity," Islamic Emirate's Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said. Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Kenneth McKenzie had said in March that ISIS-K continues to grow unabated in Afghanistan with the reigning Taliban regime finding it difficult to counter the threat. "We assess probably a couple thousand, more or less, ISIS fighters in Afghanistan. Of course, when the Taliban opened Pul-e-Charkhi and Parwan prisons, it infused new talent and new energy into ISIS, so they're now reaping the result of that very short-sighted decision," McKenzie said during a press briefing as quoted by Sputnik News Agency. In the past few weeks, a series of deadly blasts, many of them claimed by the ISIS-K and targetting minorities have hit Afghanistan, with the latest major blast targeted at a mosque last Friday in Kabul killing at least 30 people and injuring many others. The series of blasts and vulnerable security conditions, especially for the minorities has drawn worldwide condemnation, including from the United Nations (UN), the EU, US and others. (ANI)
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday said that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that has been administered to more than 18 million Americans can potentially cause "life-threatening blood clots", and thereby warranted "limiting the authorized use of the vaccine." "After conducting an updated analysis, evaluation and investigation of reported cases, the FDA has determined that the risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a syndrome of rare and potentially life-threatening blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets with onset of symptoms approximately one to two weeks following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, warrants limiting the authorized use of the vaccine," the FDA in a statement. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine was authorised for emergency use in February last year. "Our action reflects our updated analysis of the risk of TTS following administration of this vaccine and limits the use of the vaccine to certain individuals," Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency. Marks further said the FDA has been closely monitoring the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and the occurrence of TTS following its administration and has used updated information from its safety surveillance systems to revise the authorization. Through March 18 this year, the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified 60 confirmed TTS cases, including nine fatal cases, according to the FDA. In December last year, the CDC's vaccine advisory committee issued an updated recommendation on Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, saying it makes a "preferential recommendation for the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over the Janssen adenoviral-vectored COVID-19 vaccine in all persons aged >=18 years in the United States," CNN reported. Cases of TTS typically begin one or two weeks after vaccination. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms like headaches or blurred vision, or red spots just under the skin called petechiae beyond the site of vaccination. (ANI)
New York [US], May 6 (ANI/Sputnik): Russian envoy to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said during a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine that a world war is currently taking place at an economic level in light of the measures taken against Russia in response to its special military operation in Ukraine. "This is not a war in Ukraine, contrary to what you say, this is a proxy war of the collective West against the Russian Federation. It is as if you were eagerly awaiting this moment to unleash repression against Russia. And if we were to talk about world war then, without a doubt, it is being waged at the economic level today," Nebenzia said on Thursday. Judging by the speed with which the economic war against Russia was unleashed, the West has been preparing for it for a long time, Nebenzia said. The Russian envoy noted there are people and countries that have long dreamed of transforming Ukraine into a bridgehead for a battle with Russia and they have done everything possible to achieve this goal ever since Ukraine became independent 30 years ago. Nebenzia emphasized that Russia never had and does not have now any illusions about the plans by the West to make Ukraine a member of NATO as they set aside without consideration Russia's proposals and suggestions regarding Europe's security architecture. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent republics". The Russian Ministry of Defense said the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only. In response, Western nations imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia. (ANI/Sputnik)
Amid a mounting pressure on China, especially from the US to condemn the Russian actions in Ukraine, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that "sanctions only make the world economy worse". The Chinese spokesperson made the remarks during a press briefing when asked to comment on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently downgrading its 2022 global economic growth forecast to 3.6 per cent, Xinhua reported. "Facts have already proved that sanctions cannot bring peace but only make the world economy worse," Zhao said, adding, "the United States, as the world's largest economy, should do more that is conducive to the recovery of the global economy and the stability of the global supply chain." "China stands ready to work with all parties to contribute to stabilizing global industrial and supply chains, promoting world economic recovery, and boosting global confidence in development," Zhao said. "Facing a sluggish and fragile global economy, the United States and a handful of other countries are sticking to their own interests and blindly increasing unilateral sanctions," Zhao added. China has been under pressure from the Western countries, especially from the US, over its tactic support to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, continuing trade deals, and refusing to condemn the Russian actions. NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg a few days ago called on Beijing to "clearly condemn" Russia's war in Ukraine. "China should join the rest of the world in condemning, strongly, the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. China has an obligation as a member of the UN Security Council to actually support and uphold international law, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law," Stoltenberg reportedly said. (ANI)
Chinese authorities recently arrested another activist for speaking out against abuses committed by health and police authorities as the country continues adhering to its "zero-COVID" protocols despite criticism from global health experts. Ji Xiaolong was arrested at his Yanlord Riverside apartment in Shanghai's Pudong district, forcefully taking him and his wife into custody. According to local media, he was detained for three days and then released after strict and long hours of questioning. As China continues to face the impact of the resurgence of COVID cases in key cities, the country's top leadership has vowed to "win the war" against infection with its scientific and effective epidemic control policy that will stand the test of time. This message was conveyed by the top leadership at the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Xinhua news agency reported that China's much-publicized "zero-covid" strategy that the government credited for bringing the country out of the pandemic till recently is falling apart as the rapidly mounting cases are again forcing mass lockdowns like those seen in 2020. As the pandemic is still raging across the world and the coronavirus keeps mutating, there is a great deal of uncertainty concerning how the pandemic will develop, according to the meeting, which warned against any slackening in the control efforts. "Relaxation will undoubtedly lead to massive numbers of infections, critical cases and deaths, seriously impacting economic and social development and people's lives and health," the top leaders said in the meeting. They stressed the importance of unswervingly adhering to the zero-COVID policy and resolutely fighting any attempts to distort, question or dismiss China's COVID policy. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to France on May 4 and held discussions with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron on his way back from the 2nd India-Nordic Summit in Copenhagen. The two leaders discussed ways to work together in making the India-France Strategic Partnership a force for the global good. India and France agreed on deeper French involvement in 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' efforts in the defence sector. During the meeting between the leaders of the two countries, India- France reaffirmed their commitment to prepare for the future together by further deepening their cooperation, expanding it in new domains to meet emerging challenges and broadening their international partnership. India and France have built one of the premier strategic partnerships for advancing peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. They share a vision of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, based on commitment to international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, freedom of navigation and a region free from coercion, tensions and conflicts. The Indo-Pacific region featured prominently in the talks. Indo-Pacific partnership between the two countries encompasses defence and security, trade, investment, connectivity, health and sustainability. Besides bilateral cooperation, India and France will continue to develop new partnerships in various formats with like-minded countries in the region and within regional organisations. The first Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum held in Paris in February 2022 during the French presidency of the Council of the EU launched an ambitious agenda at the EU level based on the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo Pacific. India and France reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the India-EU Strategic Partnership and look forward to working closely together in the implementation of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership and the decisions made at the India-EU Leaders' Meeting in Porto in May 2021. They welcomed the recent launch of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council that will foster high-level coordination on strategic aspects of trade, technology and security as well as the restart of negotiations on India-EU Agreements on Trade, Investment and Geographical Indicators. The Prime Minister's visit to France displayed the strong friendship and goodwill not only between the two countries but also between the two leaders. It was a 'short yet substantive visit' in which PM Modi and French President Macron met in one-on-one and delegation-level formats in Paris. The two leaders held discussions on the entire range of bilateral issues, including cooperation in defence, space, blue economy, civil nuclear and people-to-people ties and also took stock of the regional and global security outlook. PM Modi also invited President Macron to visit India at the earliest opportunity. PM Modi had last visited France in August 2019. The two leaders have stayed in regular touch through calls and letters. They also met on the side-lines of the G20 Summit last year. India and France are strong strategic partners and the two leaders are also good friends. President Macron's renewed mandate and the conversations between him and PM Modi would build on existing strengths and deepen India-France strategic partnership and also lead to a blueprint for its next phase. The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on all the key areas of bilateral engagement, including in defence, space, civil nuclear cooperation and people-to-people linkages. They also discussed regional and global issues including developments in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific. India and France see each other as key partners in the Indo-Pacific. On Ukraine, there was a broad understanding of each other's position. The two leaders agreed that close coordination and engagement was important so that both India and France can play a constructive role in the evolving situation. India and France have been strategic partners since 1998. Their strategic partnership is anchored on the solid bedrock of deep and consistent mutual trust, abiding faith in strategic autonomy, unwavering commitment to international law; and belief in a multipolar world shaped by reformed and effective multilateralism. Both are committed to the shared values of democracy, fundamental freedoms, rule of law and respect for human rights. The two nations have a robust defence partnership, which extends to co-development, co-designing and co-manufacturing in sync with India's domestic policy of 'AtmaNirbhar Bharat'. India and France also share a strong partnership on environment conservation and climate action. India and France had launched the International Solar Alliance, to harness the permanent energy of the sun and as a very strong basis for climate action. PM Modi and President Macron discussed this alliance extensively on how the two countries can partner together in areas of environmentally friendly technologies. Prime Minister Modi invited President Macron to visit India at his earliest convenience to hold detailed discussions on the areas of cooperation outlined during the visit and to finalise the modalities of realising the goals thus identified. (ANI)
Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has accused his former aides Aleem Khan and Jahangir Khan Tareen of seeking illegal benefits from him during his tenure. "Aleem Khan expected me to legalise his 300-acre land near Ravi. I developed differences with him," said Khan in a podcast. In a further statement, talking about Jahangir Tareen, the PTI supremo said his problem was the sugar crisis on which a commission was also formed. "Tareen stood with those who are the biggest dacoits in the country. When I ordered a probe into the matter, differences developed with Tareen." As per local media reports, before coming to power, the then Pakistan's Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif held a secret meeting with Tareen and discussed the ouster of the Imran Khan government. Blaming his allies further, Khan said the beneficiaries of a corrupt system are sitting in the institutions and there are people in our institutions who support them. However, expressing his displeasure at being maltreated during the PTI regime in the province, Imran Khan's once-close confidant, Aleem Khan, too accused him of patronising corruption. Criticising the present government, the former prime minister said 60 per cent of the people in the cabinet are currently on bail, The News International reported. "Shahbaz Sharif's Rs 16 billion corruption reference is an open and shut case. Sharif's family is either on bail or convicted, they are now imposed on the nation." The PTI supremo also said that he has never interfered in the judiciary and courts are not taking action against those who overthrew the government with Rs 20-25 crores. While addressing a public gathering previously in March, Imran Khan has called former members of his party a 'clique of looters' who have united to protect their vested interests by creating hype about a no-trust motion against the government. (ANI)
He has also been charged with issuing financial bills and granting loans illegally, and concealing overseas bank deposits.

He's case has been filed with a Beijing court, Xinhua news agency reported.

Prosecutors have accused He of taking advantage of his positions to seek benefits for enterprises and individuals and accepting a huge amount of money and valuables in return.

He was also accused of issuing financial bills in serious violation of regulations and granting a huge amount of loans in violation of state regulations.

The top official also concealed large amounts of overseas bank deposits, according to Xinhua. (ANI)
Seven teachers have been imprisoned in the third-largest city of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as a crackdown on the community continues by the Chinese government. The seven imprisoned are among more than 10 teachers from the No. 8 High School in Ghulja (in Chinese, Yining) arrested in recent years amid the intensification of the Uyghur crisis. According to media reports, Ghulja's No. 8 High School has about 4,000 students, about half of whom are ethnic Uyghurs and the other half Han Chinese, and 200 staff members, including Uyghur, Kazakh and Chinese teachers. Radio Free Asia further reported in April that Dilmurat Abdurehim, the school's former principal who went missing nearly a year ago, was being detained in the city, according to municipal education officials and an Uyghur living in exile who provided information on the man's disappearance. Through calls to local police and school employees, RFA confirmed that at least seven of the 10 were currently in prison. Minorities like Tajiks, Kazakhs, and Uyghurs inside China's detention camps are constantly subjected to violence and constantly monitored, local media reported. A school security official told RFA that three Kazakh teachers had been taken to "re-education camps" but later were released and continued to work at the high school. "There are some Kazakh teachers who were taken to re-education. Qemer, Nurjan and Ewzel were taken to re-education and came back later," he said. Founded in 1934, the No. 8 High School was one of only two high schools in Ghulja at the time. After 1949, the school was renamed after Ehmetjan Qasimi, president of the Republic of East Turkistan which was established in the northern part of what is now the XUAR by Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups in 1944 with help from the former Soviet Union. Authorities have targeted teachers and intellectuals in Xinjiang because they are the brains of Uyghur society and the most significant means of passing on Uyghur culture and identity, Abdureshid Niyaz, an independent Uyghur researcher based in Turkey, told RFA in a 2021 report. More than 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities are believed to have been held in a network of detention camps in Xinjiang since 2017. Beijing has said that the camps are vocational training centres and has denied widespread and documented allegations that it has violated the human rights of Muslims living in the region. The Chinese government has publicly refuted any reports of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, however, China has been rebuked globally for the crackdown on Uyghur Muslims by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities, and sending members of the community to undergo forced indoctrination. (ANI)
Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang has accused the Biden administration of politicizing China-US business and trade ties and levying additional tariffs on Chinese goods. "Our trade and business relations have made remarkable achievements, benefiting the two countries and benefiting the world. We are natural partners, because our economies are highly complementary," Qin said during a recent interview with Forbes magazine, which was published on Thursday, as quoted by Xinhua news agency. According to Qin, many of the "uncertainties and instabilities" surrounding the China-US business and trade relations these years are caused by the US side. "The Section 301 tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration are still going on. And the United States is now defining China-US relations as intense competition. Under such circumstances, business and trade are being politicized," Qin said. "So we hope that the United States should stop politicizing our business cooperation and stop using trade as a tool, so that we could provide more stability and predictability to investors," he added. Speaking of the additional tariffs on Chinese imports imposed during the Trump administration, Qin said it "hasn't reduced the trade deficit of the United States. On the contrary, it brings more costs to American companies and American consumers." "I think it's time for the US administration to reconsider and to cancel it as early as possible," he said, adding "if the US side still wants to continue, I don't know if they are prepared for more losses. If they will continue, we have to live up to it." (ANI)
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Thursday criticized Punjab Governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema for inviting the Army Chief to interfere in the political matters of the country and described it as "Playing with the Constitution" during his last few days in the office, local media reported. "The governor has begun playing with the Constitution by taking an unconstitutional step of writing to the army chief to meddle in the Punjab politics where Hamza Shehbaz has taken oath as the chief minister after his win in the election held on the direction of the higher judiciary," PPP Parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Syed Hassan Murtaza said. He further said that the demand of the Governor from the Army to provide him with one subedar and four jawans to arrest the sworn-in Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz was an open violation of the constitution, Dawn newspaper reported. Murtaza said that the province Governor Cheema would be popular in history for being the one who repeatedly violate the constitution, law, and norms of democracy by refusing to administer the oath of the CM despite court orders. He further said that Governor keep on transgressing his powers by seeking a report from the Punjab Assembly secretary on the elections to the slot of the CM, and inviting the Establishment to interfere in political matters. PPP Parliamentary leader Murtaza said that Cheema should serve the Constitution, which is his prime responsibility instead of serving his party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. He also said that the PTI would soon be buried in the dustbin of history, reported Dawn. Meanwhile, former MPA (Members of Provincial Assembly) and PPP member Faiza Malik said in a statement that since Imran Khan was ousted from powers through a no-confidence motion, PTI was doing its best to hatch one conspiracy or another against the government. She also said that the PTI's social media network was abusing the state institutions for not coming to rescue Imran Khan as the prime minister, while its appointed governor Cheema was inviting a state institution to interfere in Punjab affairs. Malik said that on one hand, PTI is blaming the foreign conspiracy for his removal while on other hand, it was moving the UNO on flimsy grounds of victimization and thus exposing its double standards. Referring to Imran Khan's statement where he stated that the four years of PTI rule ended the era of slavery for the freedoms, PPP Information Secretary Shehzad Saeed Cheema asked Khan to tell the voters of Mianwali how much development work he had got done in the constituency while in power. He said "Imran Khan's spokesman" had nothing to say except to lie and slander. He said that the purpose of the 'puppet' Khan's call for a long march on Islamabad was nothing but to create chaos in the country. A day earlier, Punjab's Governor said that he had requested the President and Army Chief to discuss the situation in the province with him. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Cheema said that he had decided to take legal action against the judge after consultations with professionals over the last two days. He also termed the LHC Judge's verdict "illegal" and said that according to the honeycomb principle, no institution could "interfere" in the working of another institution. (ANI)
The Pakistan authorities have decided to begin legal proceedings against Farah who has been charged with corruption during Imran Khan's government, reported the Express Tribune. According to the authorities, since Farah acted as the "front person" of Imran Khan, they want to retrieve facts from her.

As per sources, the Pakistan authorities will check the banking records of ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan from the year 2013 to 2022 in lieu of foreign funding.

They added that Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) were provided with a huge sum of money. The records will hence disclose how much money Imran Khan borrowed and from whom, reported the Express Tribune.

They have also decided on penning a letter to the World Bank (WB) to find records of Imran Khan and PTI concerning "secret international bank accounts".

Further, sources revealed that the authorities were also planning on recovering the banking details of four PTI Central Secretariat employees, reported the Express Tribune. They include Mohammad Noman Afzal, Mohammad Rafiq, Tahir Iqbal, and Mohammad Arshad.

The amounts deposited in the accounts of the employees will be obtained while the authorities also sent cues of supposed arrests pertaining to the case.

Also, necessary actions will be taken by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) post the records are acquired, reported the Express Tribune.

Record of foreign bank accounts will be retrieved as well. Statements and incomes of Imran Khan will be scrutinized further.

Earlier, Farah Khan left Pakistan for Dubai amid corruption allegations. Meanwhile, a photograph of Farah Khan seen on a flight with a handbag that is claimed to costs USD 90,000, had gone viral on social media. (ANI)
The Prime Minister said the challenges faced by the Island States due to climate change are a key focus of India's efforts under the CDRI initiative, launched by PM Modi himself in 2019.

"Thank you President @SE_Rajoelina. The challenges faced by Island States due to climate change are a key focus of our efforts under the CDRI initiative to create resilient infrastructure," PM Modi tweeted.

President Rajoelina on Wednesday praised India's leadership in promoting climate and disaster resilience.

"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India's leadership in promoting climate and disaster resilience through this Coalition. I am convinced that our activities will be fruitful, with direct impacts on people's lives," he said in a tweet.

Lauding PM Modi for India's leadership in climate and disaster resilience, Rajoelina said it is crucial to invest in the resilience of infrastructure systems.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the 4th International CDRI, Rajoelina had said that his country has recently joined the CDRI and is honoured to be part of this global partnership.

Madagascar's Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato visited India between April 25-27 and held discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

During an interview, the Foreign Minister of Madagascar had said that Madagascar's President may visit India in June this year. (ANI)
Pakistan Opposition's letter to the United Nations accusing newly-appointed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah of being "an ally of terrorist groups," may not come as a surprise to those at the world body looking at security issues and militancy management and the world body. Most Interior Ministers of Pakistan in the last three decades have had deep ties with militant groups from where they have sourced personnel for fomenting and exporting terrorism. The letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is written by human rights minister Shireen Mazari, a security expert-turned-politician well known on the global circuit of security and foreign affairs conferences. As the saying goes, it appears to be a case of kettle calling the pot black. Although Mazari does not mention it, Rana Sanaullah, the current Interior Minister is known to have connections with UN-proscribed Lashkar-e-Toyaba (LeT) and Jamaat-Ud-Dawa (JuD) of Hafiz Saeed, who is currently in jail serving a 31-year sentence. The Imran Khan Government said that Mazari had served Brigadier (rtd) Ijaz Butt, a key officer of the Army's ISI. While in service, he had accepted he surrender of Mohammed Khalid Sheikh, one of the 9/11 masterminds and the killer of American journalist Daniel Pearl. Butt was supposed to have protected Sheikh through the years of trial, jail and conviction. The conviction has been overturned and Sheikh's whereabouts and the precise status whether he is in jail, or on bail, is not known. Imran Khan's last Interior Minister, Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed, was known to have links with the militants. Pakistan's Ministry of Interior, in Urdu Wazarat-e- dakhla (abbreviated as MoI) has been considered a key area. Earlier rulers, Field Marshal Ayub Khan and Z A Bhutto personally headed them till they found persons they could trust. Gen. Yahya Khan had as his Interior Minister Lt-Gen. Abdul Hamid Khan, one of the top serving corps commanders. Senior military officers, retired or in service, politicians with clout and top intelligence operatives have handled this portfolio in the past. Benazir Bhutto's Interior Minister Major General (rtd.) Naseerullah Babar facilitated the birth of the Taliban in Afghanistan when Pakistan decided to end the lawlessness that was rampant among the squabbling Mujahideen who took power after the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. One of the longest-serving Interior Ministers who served in the Zardari Government was Rahman Malik, the former Intelligence Bureau Chief. He held the office for five years. (ANI)
"Ambassador Abhay Kumar met M Rolland Ranjatoelina, Hon'ble Minister of Transport and #Meteorology of Madagascar today. They discussed the possibility of starting a direct flight between #Mumbai and #Antananarivo," Ambassador Abhay Kumar said in a tweet on Thursday.

Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot and has plants and animals which are not found elsewhere in the world.

Madagascar remains unexplored by Indian tourists, an island nation located just six hours away in the Indian Ocean next to Mauritius.

Visa is available for Indian tourists on arrival in Madagascar and there are many places to visit across the country from Baobab Alley to dancing lemurs to singing whales and pristine beaches.

Madagascar is a traveller's dream. It is well known for dark night skies for astro-tourism. All the major constellations visible from the Southern Hemisphere are visible in Madagascar.

A direct flight between India and Madagascar can help the people of Madagascar to avail world-class health, educational and financial services in India and can promote tourism between the two countries.

India is the fourth largest trade partner of Madagascar.

A direct flight between the two countries can promote trade and commerce and people-to-people relations between the two countries. Madagascar has a large Indian diaspora who have family roots in Gujarat. (ANI)
Despite repeated denial from China over plans to militarise the Solomon Islands, the security experts remain wary of Beijing's intentions. Soloman Islands and China last month signed the framework agreement on security cooperation that US and allies fear could be used to establish a military base in the Pacific island nation. Writing for the Geopolitica.info, di Valerio Fabbri said the details of the security pact alarmed countries around the world, in particular in New Zealand, Australia and the US, which went on high alert. They believe that China has much greater ambitions in the region. Although the Solomon Islands and China denied the establishment of a military base, the businessman behind this agreement had once tried to buy an entire island for China. "Some three years ago Xu Changyu, on behalf of State company China Sam Enterprise, which produces weapons, tried to broker a deal to lease the island of Tulagi for 75 years, securing exclusive development rights," said Fabbri. According to the writer, the deal shocked the residents and sent alarm bells ringing, claiming that it is hard to believe that Chinese lease the whole island without turning it into a military base. Fabbri highlighted how China has been slammed for establishing economic colonies with easy loans and huge investments in infrastructure and trade on the condition of severing ties with Taiwan. Experts say that this dual-use investment is often used for both civilian and military infrastructure. It has also been alleged that China is influencing local elections by buying-off politicians with bribes, thus making way for what is termed as debt-trap diplomacy. Further, Fabbri pointed out that China's role is relevant not only in the infrastructure and construction sector in these islands, but also in key service sectors such as telecommunication and seaport projects. "Under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China is constructing and has completed a number of infrastructural projects, including seaports, roads and railways in Mongolia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with the further goal of providing telecommunication services and transport logistics as well as establish factories along the route," he said. Moreover, Beijing is also heavily investing in private industries and diverting operations for developing military technology. "The Solomon-Islands situation is only the last case in point of the aforementioned policy," emphasized Fabbri. (ANI)
Rana Sanullah, the newly-appointed Federal Interior Minister of Pakistan, on Friday has decided to launch a crackdown against those people who are seen to be defaming people by spreading inappropriate and obscene videos on social media. According to a statement, Sanaullah the newly-elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the immediate arrest of those sharing immoral content on social media, reported The News International. "The prime minister has directed that such content cannot be tolerated and we will arrest those who spread immoral content on social media," Sanaullah stated. Further, the Pakistan Interior Minister announced that Pakistan will not allow social media to be used for defaming others. He warned that those people who might be involved in such criminal activities will be dealt with strictly, reported The News International. In addition, the Interior Minister said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other agencies have been assigned to do the same. Sanaullah also mentioned that incidents of defamation, where the content is used for blackmailing others will be curbed as well, reported the News International. "We will wipe out those who spread such filth, including immoral videos and pictures," said Rana Sanaullah. Meanwhile, the government's announcement came after ousted Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan stated that his opponents have hired companies which are harming his character. Earlier, Rana Sanaullah had slammed former prime minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) government and said it has wasted precious four years of the country. (ANI)
Wang, who is a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, will also be leading a delegation on a visit to Seoul upon receiving an invitation from the Republic of Korea (ROK) government, reported the China Global Television Network.

Both China and South Korea are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

According to Zhao Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson the two countries serve as close neighbours and important cooperative partners, reported the China Global Television Network.

Zhao further exuded confidence that the bilateral relations between China and South Korea will achieve greater developments in the future with the effort and cooperation of both nations.

Meanwhile, Yoon, who won the March 9th presidential election will succeed the present President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in on Monday, reported to the China Global Television Network. (ANI)
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that he never meddled in Pakistan Army's affairs and never wanted to bring his own army chief amid the reports of disagreement between him and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa. In a podcast, Khan spoke on reports of a disagreement between him and Bajwa, particularly related to the posting of the former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt General Faiz Hameed. "It is said that there was some unpleasantness over Gen Faiz's appointment and [they said] he wants to make Gen Faiz the army chief. This is where it started," Dawn newspaper quoted Khan as saying. "I have never had an issue with army because I have never interfered [in their matters]. I never wanted to bring my own army chief. I always wanted to make the institutions of army, police and judiciary strong," he said. Last year, reports had surfaced of an alleged standoff between the military and the government over the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new chief of the ISI, Dawn newspaper reported. The army had announced on October 6, 2021 that the former ISI chief, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, had been appointed the Peshawar corps commander, while Lt Gen Anjum was appointed in his place. But the country's Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had not issued an official notification of Lt Gen Anjum's appointment until three weeks later, leading to frenzied speculation of strains in civil-military relations, the Pakistani newspaper reported. After delays, Pakistan's PMO had eventually notified the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new ISI chief on October 26. According to experts in defence matters, the procedure for appointment of the ISI director general is neither mentioned in the Constitution nor the Army Act, and all previous appointments were made as per traditions under which the army chief proposes three names to the prime minister who then makes the final decision, Dawn newspaper reported. Imran Khan who was elected as the Prime Minister in 2018, was ousted through the no-trust motion by the opposition alliance last month. Notably, he is the first PM who was ousted through a no-confidence motion in the country's 75-year political history. Former Pakistan PM has blamed an "American conspiracy" for his exit. Army has rejected this claim, although it acknowledged there was an "interference" in Islamabad's internal affairs. Earlier, Pakistan former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry acknowledged a bitterness in the relationship between Imran Khan and the army. "The PTI would have been in power had our relations with the establishment were good," Chaudhry was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune citing his interview with Express News. (ANI)
"Shehbaz Sharif sahab, along with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and other friends, must be involved in this accident," Dawn newspaper quoted Gill as saying.

According to the Pakistani newspaper, Gill, donning a neck brace and an arm sling, said that he had given his lawyers the names of seven people that "want to get me killed" and who should be held responsible in case any harm came to him or former prime minister Imran Khan.

The PTI leader said the seven people had even threatened him over the phone and he had also provided their phone numbers to his lawyers.

On Thursday, Gill, along with three other people, had sustained injuries when a speeding vehicle struck his car near the Khanqah Dogran interchange, Sheikhupura.

Gill explained that he was not revealing the names as it would give the impression of "political point-scoring", Dawn newspaper reported.

Recalling the incident, the PTI leader said the driver of the car that hit his vehicle was twice given room to move past his car but he "deliberately did not overtake".

However, Pak PM ordered a probe into the incident, directing authorities to "ensure justice", the Pakistani newspaper reported. (ANI)
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday said that India looks forward to significant transformational and exponential growth in its trade with Italy. Co-chairing the India-Italy Business Roundtable with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio here, Goyal said there are several opportunities in sectors ranging from tourism, services, merchandise, goods to digital world, education and design. "Today's engagement is only the first in a series that we are planning between India and Italy. A world of 1.35 billion Indians awaits, and aspires for a better future. India offers the largest business opportunity anywhere in the world as we progress from a USD 3 trillion economy today to a USD 10 trillion economy in ten years to a USD 30 trillion economy in 20 odd years and to a USD 50 trillion economy, which I believe we all are committed to, particularly when we see that we still are at very, very initial stages of development in the country, - the large size of the market, the deep aspirations of the people of India and the talent and the world of opportunity that India provides, I hope, will businesses on both sides to strengthen their partnerships," said Goyal, in his opening remarks at the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, Luigi Di Maio said Italy and India are experiencing dynamic economic cooperation. The Italian Government is eager to reinforce cooperation between the two countries at the industry level as well as between entrepreneurs, he said. "Today's meeting is an important step forward in shaping our strategic partnership," said Luigi Di Maio, adding that many Italian companies, in their long term strategy, consider India as a key country whose market will drive growth on a global scale. Luigi Di Maio said bilateral trade between India and Italy reached a record Euro 10 Billion in 2020-21. "Over 600 Italian companies, mainly concentrated around Delhi and Mumbai, employ about 50,000 local staff with a global turnover of Euro 5 Billion," he said. According to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry's official statement, Goyal, earlier, had a very constructive discussion with Luigi Di Maio during their one-to-one meeting on multiple issues of bilateral interests such as enhancing trade and investment opportunities, India-EU FTA negotiations, cooperation in the framework of the WTO, Tech Summit on energy transition, resumption of direct commercial flights and promotion of SMEs' partnerships etc. Due to the active relationship between India and Italy and the regular resolution of issues, Goyal suggested evolving and expanding the fast track mechanism established between India and Italy to focus on enhancing economic cooperation and harnessing bilateral trade and investment potential to establish complementarities across focus sectors, the statement said. Both ministries reiterated the need and potential for closer industrial collaborations and further expand partnerships and establish trade and investment linkages across priority areas such as railways, defence and aviation, automotives and electric mobility, food processing, leather, textiles and fashion, infrastructure financing, fintech, green energy, telecom, energy transition, and space and technology cooperation, the statement added. (ANI)
Amidst several discussions in Afghanistan over the Taliban decree banning secondary schools for girls, the Nimroz education department has agreed to reinstate female teachers in the school. The Nimroz education department has confirmed that all the female Afghan teachers who lost their jobs after the fall of the Afghan government will once again be employed at schools in need, reported the Tolo news. "Soon the reappointment of 196 teachers may occur," said the director of the Nimroz education department, Mawlawi Yar Mohammad Haqyar. According to Nimroz school officials and teachers, they are facing a shortage of female teachers in the province, reported Tolo news. Reportedly, Afghan female teachers who lost their jobs sang praises to the Ministry of Education for their decision to re-employing female teachers. Further, Lima, one of the female teachers said that she was unable to pursue her profession, teaching for the previous eight months. Lima had also called upon local Afghan officials in Nimroz to give her and other fellow teachers work opportunities, reported Tolo news. "The Islamic Emirate has provided the opportunity for us to return to our duty without an exam. I am very happy and I ask the teachers who have left to come back," urged Lima. Meanwhile, the worldwide condemnation of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan had heightened after the Taliban decided to close all secondary schools for girls. Several activists and political parties have urged the Taliban to reconsider the ban on secondary schools for girls. However, the Taliban's Ministry of Education has assured that the schools for girls in grades 7-12 will be reopened in the near future. (ANI)
"The newly appointed Ambassador of India to Ukraine Harsh Kumar Jain handed over 7,725 kg of humanitarian aid comprising of essential medicines and medical equipment to H.E Oleksii Yaremenko, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine, in-charge of Humanitarian Aid and EU Integration," tweeted the Embassy of India in Kyiv, Ukraine.

India sent the first tranche of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine on March 1. As per MEA sources, the consignment comprised two tonnes of humanitarian aid including tents, blankets, surgical gloves, protective eye gear, water storage tanks, sleeping mats, tarpaulin and medicines and other relief material.

Later, on March 9, India's second tranche of humanitarian aid to Ukraine was sent to Romania by an IAF flight. It was handed over to Romanian authorities or onward transmission to Ukraine.

In March, India provided 90 tons of relief material to Ukraine and India focuses on supplying more medicines to Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said. (ANI)
Amid an ongoing power crunch in Pakistan, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has imposed a fine of Rs 50 million on the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) for an electricity shortfall in the country in the previous year of January. According to NEPRA, the 50 million fine on NTDC was imposed because of the latter's failure of supplying adequate electric power across Pakistan on 9th January, the previous year, reported Ary News. "The NTDC took 20 hours to fully restore electricity across the country," stated NEPRA. Further, NEPRA also announced that it has formed a body to probe the cause of NTDC's failure in electric supply. The inquiry report will lead to necessary actions that will be initiated by NEPRA since NTDC failed to submit any satisfactory response, reported Ary news. "The NTDC was given a show-cause notice and ample time to submit its response, however, it failed to submit a satisfactory response," as per the statement. Reportedly, the inquiry report revealed that if the Guddu Power Plant had taken necessary actions to resolve the power outage, Pakistan could have been saved from the massive power crunch, the country is currently facing, reported Ary news. Moreover, the Central Power Generation Company had suspended seven officials working at the Guddu Thermal Power Station owing to "negligence of duty" resulting in an acute "power failure" over the country, until further orders. The seven employees who were suspended include Sohail Ahmed, Adl. Plant Manager, Deedar, a Channa Junior Engineer, Ali Hassan Golo, a Foreman, Operators Ayyaz Hussain Dahar and Saeed Ahmed, and attendants Ilyas Ahmed and Siraj Ahmed Memom, reported Ary news. NEPRA will also consider a separate legal action against several other power plants in Pakistan in connection with the nationwide power breakdown. Meanwhile, the closure of several power plants in Pakistan due to lack of fuel and other technical pitfalls has caused an electricity shortfall resulting in power outages lasting up to 10 hours every day. Few powerplants received capacity payments post-shutdown as well. (ANI)
Foreign Affairs Minister of Italy, Luigi Di Maio announced that India and Italy will organize a tech summit in November this year. Addressing the India-Italy Business Roundtable with the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Maio said, "India and Italy will organize a tech-summit on energy transition and green economy in November." Maio said that India and Italy aim at creating an institutional, framework, photo strategic operational, which was launched by both the countries' Prime Ministers in Rome in October 2021. "And that promoting an effective dialogue between Indian and Italian institutions, Research centers, Universities, and companies," he added. The Italian Foreign Affairs Minister said that this summit will provide a platform to intensify the change of ideas, policy dialogues, business to business meetings and CEOs' interaction, and technological scientific collaboration. Luigi Di Maio said that Italy and India are experiencing dynamic economic cooperation. "The Italian Government is eager to reinforce cooperation with the Indian industrial level, but also in the industrial field in boarding Indian and Italian entrepreneurs," Maio added. Referring to today's meeting, Maio said that the meeting is an important step in shaping the strategic partnership. He further said that this is a concrete sign of the vibrant trade and industrial relations between the business communities. Luigi Di Maio said that the bilateral trade between India and Italy reached a record Euro 10 Billion in 2020-21. "After a decline in international trade by the pandemic, Italy and India have not only restored the bilateral trade volume achieved in 2019 but reached a new record of over 10 billion euros in 2021," he said. "Over 600 Italian companies, mainly concentrated around Delhi and Mumbai, employ about 50,000 local staff with a global turnover of Euro 5 billion," he added. Speaking on the occasion, Piyush Goyal earlier said that India looks forward to significant transformational and exponential growth in its trade with Italy. "Today's engagement is only the first in a series that we are planning between India and Italy. A world of 1.35 billion Indians awaits, and aspires for a better future. India offers the largest business opportunity anywhere in the world as we progress from a USD 3 Trillion economy today to a USD 10 Trillion economy in ten years to a USD 30 Trillion economy in 20 odd years and to a USD 50 Trillion economy, which I believe we all are committed to, particularly when we see that we still are at very, very initial stages of development in the country, - the large size of the market, the deep aspirations of the people of India and the talent and the world of opportunity that India provides, I hope, will businesses on both sides to strengthen their partnerships," said Goyal, in his opening remarks at the meeting. (ANI)
Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has claimed that he was aware of the alleged conspiracy against his government since July last year. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's chairman, Imran Khan spoke in a Pakistan podcast that fearing an imminent civil war in Afghanistan he decided to keep the intelligence chief intact, reported Geo news. But, according to Imran Khan, his decision was misinterpreted by the then Opposition leaders, "Yet, they created the impression that I wanted the former director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General Faiz to be the next army chief," he claimed. Further, the former Pakistan Prime Minister also claimed that the Pakistan Muslim League(PML-N) was keen on re-entering the government, the previous year, reported Geo news. "I had already learned about it in July last year that they had made a complete plan to overthrow the PTI-led government," stated Imran Khan. Pakistan's former Prime Minister further claimed that never once in his life did he deviate from his merit principles, reported Geo news. Yet, he expressed his dismay that there were rumors of him being biased over Faiz Hameed, Pakistan's chief of army staff. Imran Khan also stated that his former aides, Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan tried to harbour "illegal benefits" from him. Earlier, Imran Khan sent letters to President Arif Alvi and Umar Ata Bandial, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), demanding the constitution of a separate judicial commission to probe his "foreign conspiracy" allegations. The PTI has also staged several protests across the country against the United States for an alleged "foreign conspiracy" to oust the country's former Prime Minister Imran Khan from power who has been unseated after the no-confidence vote initiated by the Opposition was carried in the National Assembly. (ANI)
"A state of emergency will be declared by the President with effect from midnight today - PMD (President's Media Division)," Daily Mirror reported.

Earlier, President in a special meeting requested Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to step down from his power as a solution to the ongoing political crisis in the country.

In a special meeting between President and the cabinet ministers, PM Rajapaksa said that if the new government will solve the economic crisis and could bring an immediate solution, then he would give his blessing to the new government, Daily Mirror reported.

However, there is yet to be an official response on whether Mahinda Rajapaksa will tender his resignation or not.

Meanwhile, over 2,000 trade unions participated in today's nationwide hartal and strike against the President, Prime Minister, and the government, Colombo Page reported.

All Ceylon Transport Workers Union, Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters' Union (SLRSMU), the University students, and many other unions are protesting today against the Rajapaksa family.

Sri Lanka is struggling with acute food and electricity shortages, forcing the country to seek help from its neighbours. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas, while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well.

The economic situation has led to huge protests with demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. (ANI)
In a phone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan "strongly condemned" the attack, in which three civilians were killed and conveyed condolences to the victims' families, Lapid tweeted.

"We both expressed hope that days of peace and security will come soon for the people of Israel," he added.

On Thursday night, Israeli authorities said two Palestinians armed with axes attacked passers-by in the central Israeli city of Elad, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing the scene.

Israel condemned the killers as terrorists and has launched a manhunt for them. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack comes amid Israel's celebration of the 74th Independence Day and the spiraling Israeli-Palestinian tensions caused by a recent spate of deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis, Israeli raids in the West Bank and repeated clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. (ANI/Xinhua)
The explosion rocked Hotel Saratoga in the center of Cuba's capital of Havana, said the Cuban officials, reported CNN.

A preliminary investigation suggested that the explosion was caused by a "gas leak," according to the Cuban Presidency.

First responders - police and fire rescuers are combing through the rubble in search of survivors, reported CNN.

Witnesses at the scene said a "massive blast" had occurred, also destroying buses and cars outside the hotel.

Several people are offering to donate blood, the Cuban Presidency added.

Mexico's Foreign Minister on Friday tweeted his solidarity with victims in Cuba after a huge explosion destroyed Hotel Saratoga as well as nearby vehicles in the capital of Havana, leaving rescuers to comb through the rubble in search of survivors, reported CNN.

"Our solidarity to the victims and those affected as well as the people of that dear fraternal nation," tweeted Marcelo Ebrard.

Ebrard also confirmed that Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's visit to Cuba in the coming days will proceed as scheduled. (ANI)
India on Friday said that it remained deeply concerned about the worsening situation in Ukraine and reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of violence and end to the hostilities. Pratik Mathur, counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to United Nations, said, "We continue to remain deeply concerned at the worsening situation of Ukraine and reiterated the call for an immediate cessation of violence and end to the hostilities." He further said, "We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives. We have emphasized right from the beginning of the conflict that the path of diplomacy and dialogue should be the only viable option." Mathur said that India condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and supported the call for an independent investigation into the matter. Mathur, who spoke at the Security Council's Arria-formula meeting on Ukraine, said, "We welcome the visit by Secretary-General to Moscow & Kyiv & his engagement with the leadership in the Russian Federation and Ukraine." He further appreciated the efforts of the UN in evacuating the civilian population from Mariupol. Notably, Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unwarranted war. As a result of this, the western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow. (ANI)
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued the strongest warning yet against anyone who questions the country's zero-Covid policy. The move comes after many Shanghai residents have taken to social media to call for help and vent their anger over severe food shortages and lack of access to medical care over the past five weeks, reported CNN. At a meeting chaired by Xi on Thursday, the ruling Communist Party's supreme Politburo Standing Committee vowed to "unswervingly adhere to the general policy of 'dynamic zero-Covid,' and resolutely fight against any words and acts that distort, doubt or deny our country's epidemic prevention policies." This is the first time Xi, who according to state media made an "important speech" at the meeting, has made public remarks about China's battle against Covid since public furore erupted over the harsh lockdown in Shanghai. "Our prevention and control strategy is determined by the party's nature and mission, our policies can stand the test of history, our measures are scientific and effective," the seven-member committee said, according to government news agency Xinhua. "We have won the battle to defend Wuhan, and we will certainly be able to win the battle to defend Shanghai," it said. However, the stringent, frequent lockdowns are fuelling public discontent and dealing a devastating blow to the Chinese economy. Shanghai residents protested from their windows, banging pots and pans and shouting in frustration, others even clashed with police and health workers in the streets -- a rare scene in a country where dissent is routinely suppressed. But the latest statement from the country's top leaders has made it clear that the Chinese government is doubling down on its approach of relying on swift lockdowns, mass testing and quarantine to squash the highly transmissible Omicron variant for the foreseeable future, reported CNN. Xi has put his personal stamp on China's zero-Covid strategy, with state media often reporting that he has "personally commanded and made arrangements" for the country's fight against the pandemic. To analysts who have long observed Chinese politics, the stern warning is a sign that there has been internal pushback against Xi's zero-Covid policy from within the party, reported CNN. "This language should be read as a direct criticism of unspecified local CCP leaders who have questioned the policies at the center, or who have been insufficiently successful in applying them," wrote David Bandurski, co-director of the China Media Project. The grave economic fallout has also drawn concerns from economists and business executives, especially given Shanghai's role as the country's leading financial center and a major manufacturing and shipping hub. In April, China's services sector, which accounts for more than half of the nation's GDP and over 40 per cent of its employment, contracted at the second sharpest pace on record, while the manufacturing sector also shrunk, reported CNN. And as Omicron spreads in other parts of China, more local governments are imposing swift lockdowns in response to just a handful of cases. In Beijing, where more than 500 cases have been reported since April 20, many fear for a Shanghai-style lockdown as authorities roll out increasingly restrictions. (ANI)
The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Thursday claimed that the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government laid mines for the country's present government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif which is difficult to deal with, said a media report. President of an independent forum on the world economy, specially focusing Pakistan, PEW, Dr Murtaza Mughal said that the announcement of huge subsidy on electricity and oil by Imran Khan government is affecting the lives of people. "The PTI government deliberately planned to reduce oil and gas in the country to tarnish the image of the new government. Imran Khan government announced a huge subsidy on electricity and oil in its last days which is costing up to three billion rupees daily," Dr Murtaza said. Despite the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, the government was not ready to withdraw the oil subsidy as it would provoke a public backlash. For keeping fuel prices capped at current levels for the next fortnight, the cash-strapped government will have to pay Rs 72.33 per litre on diesel and Rs 30.31 per litre on petrol as price differential claim to the oil sector, denting the national kitty by another Rs 40 billion which is not affordable, The nation reported. Murtaza further said, "Any friendly country except China and no international lender including IMF and the World Bank, will lend to Pakistan unless the US wanted it." The report added that the investigation into the multi-billion rupee under-invoicing scam in which a prominent businessman linked to PTI will remain inconclusive, said Murtaza. "The investigation of the car import scandal is being carried out by the same institution which has helped the accused in the scam to make a windfall during the previous regime, If the govt wants to bring this tax evasion to a logical conclusion, then it should avoid departmental inquiries and a judicial inquiry should be ordered, Murtaza said. (ANI)
An envoy of Uzbekistan said that the country is not ready to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Ismatulla Irgashev, the Uzbek president's special representative for Afghanistan, in an interview with Voice of America (VOA), said it would be difficult for the new government in Kabul to qualify for international recognition any time soon, reported Tolo News. "We will not recognize them alone," he said. "When it happens, we want a collective voice and stand." While urging greater engagement with the Taliban, Irgashev said Tashkent is committed to moving ahead with formal recognition only in concert with the international community, reported Tolo News. The Center for European-Asian Studies and the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation held a meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Afghanistan. Envoys of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, while emphasizing the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, said terrorist activities in Afghanistan are threats to the region. "The rapid withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban has increased the threats against Russia and Central Asian countries, because it has been over eight months that the Taliban government has not fulfilled any of its commitments to the international community. Most importantly. After the political change in Afghanistan, neither women nor representatives of religious and ethnic minorities participate in the government," said Andrey Rusakov, Director of the Center for European-Asian Studies. "The Taliban have been a part of the Afghan people since the takeover and must respect religious freedom and equality, and it is clear that this freedom has grown equally in Uzbekistan and other countries over the past 30 years," the Uzbekistan envoy said. Most world governments cite three conditions for recognition of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan - the formation of an "inclusive" government, protection of the rights of women, and steps to ensure that Afghan territory will not become a base for international terrorists. (ANI)
Previously, it was noted that German authorities are replacing existing Afghan refugees from shelters to find space for those arriving from Ukraine.

Citing German news magazine Der Spiegel, Khaama Press reported that the German Ministry of Interior intends to admit no more than 5,000 Afghans annually.

As per the reports by SchengenVisaInfo.com, the idea to impose quotas was taken in order to keep the program functionally viable for relocating Afghans to Germany.

According to Info Migrants, the idea of restricting the number of Afghan nationals admitted to Germany each year has not been well-received, reported Khaama Press.

According to the aforementioned, such an idea had been subjected to criticism. As per a Green Party member of the Bundestag, organizations have assisted approximately 3,000 people and have reported tens of thousands of people who are still at risk.

Since the Taliban's takeover of power, as many as 18,800 Afghans have managed to enter Germany, according to the German Ministry of Interior.

However, according to Info Migrants, over 10,000 people who have been granted admission by German authorities remain in Afghanistan, reported the Khaama Press. (ANI)
(Adds Psaki comments)

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - Group of Seven (G7) leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a video call on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a show of unity the day before Russia marks its Victory Day holiday, the White House said.

Talks will focus on the latest developments in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, efforts to bolster the country and ways to demonstrate "continued G7 unity in our collective response, including by imposing severe costs for Putins war," a spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said on Monday.

The leaders of the G7 countries, which include the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy, will hold their virtual meeting with Zelenskiy on Sunday in the U.S. morning, the spokesperson added.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden flew to Ohio for the day, Psaki said the timing of the session was significant because it will take place a day before Putin participates in Victory Day. The holiday on Monday marks the end of World War Two and includes military parades across Russia.

"While he expected to be marching through the streets of Kyiv, that certainly is not going to happen," she said.

Psaki also said U.S. officials are discussing imposing more sanctions on Russian oligarchs and companies as well as taking steps to avoid Russians previously sanctioned from evading them.

The United States and its allies have previously united on a host of sweeping sanctions targeting Russian banks, officials and other entities aimed at punishing Moscow for its actions, including alleged war crimes. Russia characterizes its invasion as a special operation to demilitarizes and "denazify" Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Biden said he planned to discuss potential additional measures against Moscow for its continuing and intensifying war in neighboring Ukraine, adding that the United States was always open to more sanctions.

Story continues

"I'll be speaking with the members of the G7 this week about what we're going to do or not do," he told reporters this week, after the European Union proposed its toughest sanctions yet against Russia, including a phased oil embargo.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will participate in the call, is also scheduled to give a televised address to the German people on Sunday.

Victory Day takes on special meaning this year given that Ukraine and Russia -- both victims of Nazi Germany -- are now at war, a German government spokesperson said. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Steve Holland; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Katharine Jackson, Raissa Kasolowsky and Cynthia Osterman)
Most Nespresso users keep their machines around because they're good for a quick, economical pick-me-up. But if you were looking for a far stronger pick-me-up at much higher prices, you could have skipped the coffee pods and headed straight for the Nespresso plant in the Swiss town of Romont. Authorities there recently found about $50 million worth of cocaine.

Swiss police were called to the facility on Monday after workers "discovered an undetermined white substance while unloading bags of freshly delivered coffee beans," Fribourg police wrote in a report. In the end, over 1,100 pounds of cocaine (or 500 kilos if you prefer the street slang) was discovered across five shipping containers, all of which police said was delivered the same day by train. The search included the help of 20 customs officials.

A pile of Nespresso coffee capsules

Getty Images

After further analysis, authorities stated that they believed the shipment  which was more than 80 percent pure  came from Brazil and was likely destined for the European market where it would have an estimated street value of over $50 million.

"For Fribourg, it's definitely a big seizure; it's really quite exceptional. It's the first time we've had such a find," Marc Andrey, the town's head of security, said according to Euronews. "I think it's also one of the biggest seizures in Switzerland: not the biggest, but one of the biggest."

Meanwhile, Nespresso said the drugs had not contaminated production of their coffee capsules in a statement to the BBC, adding, "We want to reassure consumers that all our products are safe to consume."

Cocaine smuggling and food have an established history. Over the years, the illegal substance has been stashed in frozen onion rings, corn flakes, wine, frozen fish, pumpkins, and  yes  coffee has also been tried before. In fact, this isn't even the first time we've covered cocaine turning up at a major brand's facility: In 2016, millions of dollars worth of cocaine was discovered at a Coca-Cola plant in France.
Heavy rain and flooding has killed 22 people and injured 40, according to Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority. The heavy flooding also destroyed hundreds of homes and damaged crops in Afghanistan, which is already facing a humanitarian crisis, a disaster management official said on Thursday.

The Taliban government, struggling to cope with the disaster that has affected more than a third of its provinces, will approach international relief organization for help, officials said.

"Due to flooding and storms in 12 provinces, 22 people have died and 40 injured," said Hassibullah Shekhani, head of communications and information at Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

The rain and flooding was particularly severe in the western provinces of Badghis and Faryab and the northern province of Baghlan.

Afghanistan has been suffering from drought in recent years, possibly made worse by climate change, with low crop yields raising fears of serious food shortages. The weather has exacerbated problems of poverty caused by decades of war and then a drop in foreign aid and the freezing of assets abroad after the Taliban took over, and U.S.-led forces withdrew, in August.

TORNADOES CAUSE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE IN TEXAS, OKLAHOMA

Shekhani said 500 houses were destroyed, 2,000 damaged, 300 head of livestock killed and some 3,000 acres of crops damaged.

He said the International Committee of the Red Cross was helping and officials would approach other international organizations for help.

The international community is grappling with how to help the country of some 40 million people without benefiting the Taliban.

CHINA, AFGHANISTAN'S TALIBAN FORGING A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP, FORMER DIPLOMAT SAYS

On Thursday, Pakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif announced his support for the citizens in Afghanistan saying, "We are with the Afghan people in this difficult hour and will provide them every possible assistance."

Story continues

Prime minister Sharif also expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives and called upon the international community to provide emergency assistance to the Afghan people.

"I urge the international community to help the already suffering Afghan people on emergency basis. Pakistan will also extend its assistance to our Afghan brothers and sisters," he said on Twitter.

Reuters contributed to this post
Airbnb employees can choose to work from anywhere forever. Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images

Airbnb announced last week that staff can choose to work where they are the "most productive."

Staff will not suffer a pay cut if they work anywhere within their home country, the company added.

The company said its careers page was viewed more than 800,000 times after the announcement.

A deluge of jobseekers hit Airbnb's careers page after the company announced last Thursday that employees could live and work anywhere forever.

Airbnb CEO and founder Brian Chesky announced the benefit in an email to staff, saying the vast majority of them would be able to choose to work where they are the "most productive." According to the memo, there will not be a loss in compensation if staffers work in their home country.

Airbnb employees are also permitted to work for up to 90 days a year overseas, although they will still need a permanent address for tax and payroll purposes, Chesky said in the email. Airbnb is hoping to "open-source" a solution to complications surrounding taxes, payroll, and time zone availability, he added.

"The response internally was great, but even more impressive [was] the response externally because our career page was visited 800,000 times after that announcement," said Chesky in a Tuesday earnings call for Airbnb's first-quarter results, according to a transcript.

Publicly-listed Airbnb has more than 5,000 employees worldwide.

The company's new work-from-anywhere benefit came after two years of remote work for much of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chesky said in the earnings call that the pandemic spurred longer-term stays at properties listed on its platform. Long-term stays of 28 days or more remained Airbnb's fastest-growing category by trip length compared to 2019, the company said in its letter to shareholders. They accounted for one-fifth of nights booked in the first quarter, per the document.

"Right now, what's happened is that for millions of people, they don't need to go back to an office five days a week. And the vast majority of companies are not requiring employees to come back to an office," said Chesky.

"I don't think this is a temporary phenomenon. I think that the genie's out of the bottle, and flexibility is here to stay," he added.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Amazon has released its first Canadian true crime series, Prime Videos The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith, which investigates the death of a 22-year-old woman from the Oshawa, Ont., area who was killed in her home in 1974, with her 10-month-old daughter in the house.

I was gripped by the story right away and knew it had to be my next project, showrunner Nathalie Bibeau told Yahoo Canada.

The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith comes out with a number of twists and turns in the first two episodes alone, including through the information we hear from the key suspect in the case Alan Smith, who was the subject of an elaborate scheme by police who were convinced he was responsible for Beverlys death (yes they have the same name, no theyre not related).

Al has a volatile effect that invites a world of curiosity, Bibeau said. There are countless facets to his personality and his emotional experience as a human has been so complicated that it was difficult to know, on any one day, what facet would come to the table that day.

From a filmmaker standpoint, that is quite a gift to be able to work with someone like that, who is open and who is willing to share all of themselves, and he is an eccentric soul. Certainly, I think, his behaviour and his demeanour beg a lot of questions and we wanted to show that because he allowed us access to that part of himself. But he did surprise me, I would say, every single time I filmed with him.

Barbra and Beverly Brown as children, date unknown. 1960s. Barbra (Brown) and Beverly (Smith) were identical twins. Growing up, they were best friends until that fateful day when Barb felt a sharp pain in the back of her head that was so intense she needed to lay down. That was the night Beverly Lynn Smith was murdered. (Photo provided by Barbra Brown)

The connection between Beverly and her twin sister

The series also tells the story from the perspective of Beverly Lynn Smiths family, including her sisters and now grownup daughter. Her twin sister, Barbara, says at the outset of the series that the night of Beverlys death she felt a severe pain at the back of her head, before learning that her twin sister had been shot at the back of the head.

It was clear to me from the start that the family of Beverly Smith needed and deserved to be heard in this series, Nathalie Bibeau said. They have suffered from a lack of answers for so many decades,...that was always a touchstone for me, I kept coming back to it and it helped, I think, to make Beverly feel as if she was coming to life in the series.

Story continues

There are a lot of studies out there that talk about the bond of twins and that physical kinetic connection that they have,but what I found was so moving is that actually, her sisters too nodded to the fact that Barbara needed this solved and that Barbara was responsible for keeping on top of the police, keeping in touch with them, making sure they did not forget Beverly, even though many years would go by.

While some true crime documentaries can lean into a more sensational element of the crime, thats not the case in The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith, its much more grounded and cinematic.

The vision that I developed for the series was to shift the conversation on true crime and look at the emotional impact of crime, rather than descend into a cold forensic plot development, which is fine for some genres but it is not what we wanted to do, Bibeau said. This story is much too nuanced, much too emotional with too high stakes to treat it in that sensationalist and exploitive way.

So we chose to apply a cinematic treatment and metaphorical treatment to the story, so that we could tap into the universal themes that were present and do justice, actually, to all the nuances in the story.

When it comes to what Bibeau wants audiences to take away from the series, she hopes viewers ask themselves what they think is just.

One of the themes in this series is the long flawed arm of justice, she said. People always dehumanize justice but the truth is, justice is led and imagined by human beings, and human beings, as we know, are flawed.

How far should we be allowed to go in the name of justice? And how far would you want the police to go if it was your loved one who was murdered?
Bravo

Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker have been making some big changes to their home, and on the May 8 episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the couple finally shared a look at their new-and-improved indoor pool room. "I've changed this whole pool room," Todd said in an interview as before-and-after photos were shown. "Check the floors out: It's the black marble look. It's looking current. You know, before it was that tan, that old school [look]." Although the renovation had "kind of slowed down,"
The three Democrats running to represent the northern Iowa City District 90 in the state House of Representatives answered questions on key political issues from a small crowd Wednesday.

Andrew Dunn, Christy Wolfe and Adam Zabner participated in a League of Women Voters of Johnson County forum at The Center, making their pitch on why they should be the one to succeed state Rep. Christina Bohannan, who is running for Congress. Abortion, the environment, home rule and education were some of the main issues discussed.

The forum was moderated by LWV member Kelcey Patrick-Ferree. The LWV is a nonpartisan organization and regularly holds these forums before elections.

Iowa House District 90

Democratic voters will pick the winner of this race in the June 7 primary election. That candidate will likely go on to run unopposed in the Nov. 8 general election. A full video of the voter forum is available on the City Channel 4 YouTube and Facebook page.

More: Iowa US Senate candidates visit Johnson County ahead of June 7 primary

Abortion takes center stage after U.S. Supreme Court leak

Dunn, who is a legislative aide in the Iowa Senate and former national Democratic Party campaign staffer, started his opening statement with the recent leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. That would allow states to institute bans on abortion.

Dunn said, if this becomes law, millions of people will lose access to abortion and encouraged people to donate to organizations like Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City.

"Abortion access must be protected, and we need to support those on the front line in that fight," he said.

Andrew Dunn poses for a photo, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa.

Dunn later said much needs to be done with messaging and laws in the U.S. on abortion, despite polling that finds a large majority of Americans, and Iowans, support abortion being legal in some or most cases.

"We need to build bridges between urban and rural Iowa to get people on the right side of this issue, to get good Democrats elected across the state so that we can do what needs to be done, which is codify Roe v. Wade," he said.

Story continues

Wolfe clerks for her sister, Iowa state Rep. Mary Wolfe. She spoke about her experience in the 1990s as an escort at an Indiana abortion and women's healthcare clinic where the providers were receiving death threats.

"I'm kind of tired that 30 years later we're still fighting for this right," Wolfe said. "I'm tired of this argument. Women have the right to choose."

Wolfe added a personal anecdote of previous non-viable pregnancies she experienced. She said she has vivid memories of sitting at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and discussing options with her doctor.

"Three people needed to be part of that decision. Me, my doctor and my midwife. Nobody else's morals, nobody else's values, nobody else's religion. It was a medical appointment and that's the way it should be," she said.

Zabner, an Iowa City native and also a former national Democratic Party campaign staffer, said in his opening statement that, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court news, it is clear how important state legislatures will be.

Zabner said the Iowa Legislature needs to pass laws that legalize and protect abortion access.

"What we saw this week, unfortunately, is that the federal government is not going to do it for us. This is going to be a fight on the state level," Zabner said.

He said Democrats need to organize, win rural districts and explain to Iowans what is on the ballot. Zabner pointed out that all three Republican candidates running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne in 2022 said that all abortions should be illegal.

"It is extremist and it is wrong, and Democrats need to stand up and fight," he said.

More: If Roe v. Wade is overturned, here's how abortion laws in each state will stand

Candidates speak against Reynolds' private school bill

Each candidate was asked what they would do to address Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' plan to give $55 million in aid to the states private schools, using money that would normally go to public schools. This controversial proposal has halted the Iowa Legislature's current session as lawmakers debate whether to pass it.

Wolfe, who went to Catholic schools for 16 years, said Iowa City has a strong Catholic school system, but there are communities where private schools are "coded" so parents can remove their kids from elements that they do not like about public schools.

"There's no reason public dollars for public education should go to private schools," she said.

Christy Wolfe, Iowa House District 90 candidate, poses for a photo, Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Iowa City, Iowa.

Wolfe said it would be like if Iowa City funded someone's personal backyard pool, that no one else can swim in, while also funding the public pool at City Park. She also brought up education when asked about home rule and said Iowa's push to legislate on schools is taking power away from local school boards and alienating teachers.

Zabner recalled a moment when he was knocking on doors during a campaign he worked on in Plymouth County and found no one home because everyone was down the street attending a volleyball game at the local school.

"In rural Iowa, our schools are so so important, and in a lot of places they are the only thing communities have. And people there know that if they lose their school, they lose their community," he said.

Zabner said Democrats need to explain what is in this bill and how private schools have little oversight from the government.

Dunn said the first thing he would do is improve messaging to rural Iowa.

"Honest trust with people and communicating the actual numbers and cents of the deal is really what gets rural voters and even more moderate or conservative voters motivated into action," he said.

He said Iowa should elect more Democrats so Iowans don't have to worry about Republicans doing the right thing. He said organizing and strengthening the Democratic Party is key.

More: Lawmakers are fighting over private school funding. Here's how much Iowa already spends.

Wolfe, Zabner and Dunn debate Iowa clean energy solutions

Candidates fielded several questions dealing with the environment, including how to clean up Iowa's waterways, whether Iowa should reinstitute a solar tax credit and if Iowa should regulate industrial agriculture.

All three candidates signaled they would support a new solar tax credit and want Iowa to do more to incentivize solar energy use.

Zabner said it is important to get communities to run on renewable energy and electrify the economy. He said land-use practices needs to be changed and more funding needs to be given to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

"We have some of the worst water in the country here in Iowa," he said.

Adam Zabner, Iowa House District 90 candidate, poses for a photo, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in Iowa City, Iowa.

Zabner said the Iowa Legislature needs to take water quality and regulating industrial agriculture more seriously, and that he has been disappointed to see the lack of action by the state on these issues.

Wolfe said she's heard many people in her district say the state is "too beholden to big ag." But when she steps outside of Johnson County, the issue gets much more serious. She said many rural Iowans are protesting the use of farmland for large-scale solar panel farms because they believe strongly that Iowa farmland should be farmed.

"The people that are protesting are tied to the land and the importance of the land," she said.

She said education is key and that teaching children about the importance of sustainable agriculture could lead to change.

"I think that will be a way for us to break into that industrial complex of agriculture and work on a more sustainable agriculture," she said.

Dunn said the agricultural economy is very important in Iowa, but the current farming practices are not sustainable and won't last forever.

"It's extremely extractive, it destroys our water, destroys our soil and destroys our health," he said.

Dunn said he thinks the structure of Iowa's agricultural economy is chiefly a way to make sure rural Iowans don't live in poverty. He said that is important and the state needs to take care of them, but the state needs to transition away from the current system.

He said Iowa should diversify the crops that are grown in rural communities, import less food from out of state, create food hubs, and legalize recreational marijuana to improve outcomes for health, environment and a "sustainable agricultural economy." He said there should be a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations.

"The state has to be a partner, not an antagonist," he said.

More: Iowa company behind pipeline proposal joins North Dakota effort to develop $1B carbon storage project

More candidate forums planned before June 7 primary

LWV also hosted the Iowa House District 89 candidate forum.

Three more forums are scheduled over the next two weeks for contested races in the June 7 primary. Two are for the Democrats running for Senate District 45 and Johnson County Supervisor on May 9 in The Center. A third for House District 91 Republicans will be held on May 12 in the Clear Creek Amana Middle School cafeteria.

More information on the primary election, how to register to vote and how to vote early are available on the Johnson County Auditor's website: https://johnsoncountyiowa.gov/auditor/elections.

More: Former police officer sues Iowa City, alleging his resignation was coerced

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Democrats Andrew Dunn, Christy Wolfe and Adam Zabner debate issues
A federal appeals court has ruled that Florida can temporarily reinstate its restrictive voting law ahead of the midterm elections.

The Florida law, known as Senate Bill 90, added new restrictions on drop boxes, third-party voter registration, mail voting, and line warming activities like giving voters food and water while they wait in line to cast a ballot.

In March, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark Walker barred the state from enforcing parts of the law, declaring that certain provisions intentionally discriminates against Black voters and needlessly infringes on Floridian's voting rights.

He also ordered the state to submit to a process known as preclearance for certain election rule changes. Under Section 3(C) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, courts can force jurisdictions to get pre-approval on election laws changes.

The state appealed the ruling and asked the U.S. Circuit Court for a temporary stay on Walker's order. The appeals court granted the request on Friday, saying it is too close to an election for the lower court to make changes to voting rules.

The court also made clear they had issues with Walkers ruling, particularly his determination that parts of the legislation was intentionally discriminatory against Black voters.

Senate Bill 90 was first challenged last May in federal court by a group of voting rights advocates lead by the League of Women Voters of Florida, who have vowed to continue their fight.
Eric C. Conn, dubbed Mr. Social Security with celebrity status like Mick Jagger in eastern Kentucky, is the focus of the AppleTV+ documentary series The Big Conn, following his $550 million government fraud, one of the largest in U.S. history.

One of the producers we were working with on the project, Peter King, brought the idea of Eric to us and we kept looking into it," James Lee Hernandez told Yahoo Canada.

"[We] dove deeper and deeper, and just saw this larger than life wild attorney who is traveling the world and driving around in a Rolls Royce and multimillion dollar homes, and all of these crazy antics in a small town in eastern Kentucky."

Photo of Eric C. Conn in The Big Conn, premiering Friday, May 6 on Apple TV+.

The crux of Conns fraud was that he was having falsified disability claims in eastern Kentucky processed quickly.

Some call Conn a type of Robin Hood, who was frauding the U.S. government but ultimately, getting social security and disability payments to his community much faster than the two years it can take through the normal, legal channel. But that argument is a little hard to stomach when he was flaunting his wealth and living a life of flamboyant, opulent luxury on the back of these disability claims.

The Big Conn features interviews with Conns former employees, the whistleblowers who risked their safety to collect and disseminate the information on his fraud scheme, the reporter who broke the story and even a bizarre manifesto Conn wrote about his fraud.

They're almost like they're written like he was watching a movie, starring himself, co-writer/director Brian Lazarte told Yahoo Canada about Conns manifesto. A critical component of telling the story was that we'd actually have Eric's point of view.

In terms of getting Conns point of view, the series does also have direct recordings of the jailed fraudster, who ends up admitting that his actions were wrong.

I think time gave him a great deal of perspective on what he did, he's realizing the consequence of his actions, I don't think he realized when he was getting in bed with judges and doctors to pull off this crazy crime of defrauding the federal government out of the half a billion dollars, that he was going to cause as much harm as he did, Lazarte said.

Story continues

The real people that Conn harmed were the individuals who had legitimate disability claims, were reliant on that money, and it was completely taken away from them. The Big Conn reveals that not only caused financial hardship, but mental distress that led to several suicides in the community.

Its not easy when everyonethinks you are a liar and a cheatbecause youre a client of Eric Conn, one of his former clients says in the series.

Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith in The Big Conn, premiering Friday, May 6 on Apple TV+.

'Definite flaws within a system that this was allowed to go down'

The real heroes in this story are Sarah Carver, a former social security administration technician and Jennifer Griffith, a former master docket clerk, who were the whistleblowers in this story.

As we see in the series, the pair had collected information about how claims that came from Eric Conn were quickly signed off from specific judges, and all the claims looked the same. When people on Conn's side of the issue found out about the information they had, the women were followed by a private investigator and intimidated to the point where they feared for their safety, and their family's safety.

It was absolutely mind blowing the amount of information Sara and Jennifer had, James Lee Hernandez said. We ended up spending three straight days with them of nonstop information, they were just gushing at the seams with all this information, all the documentation to prove and backup everything that they were talking about.

[It] shows definite flaws within a system that this was allowed to go down.

The flaws in the system is also a core aspect of this story. Ultimately, if the logistics around these claims was more streamlined and efficient, there wouldnt be an incentive for people to go to Eric Conn to speed up and ease the process.

It is very easy to get lured in by Eric and his crazy antics,...and as we delve into the story more [we realize] that there are just these massive inherent flaws that allowed Eric to do what he did, Hernandez said. If it wasn't taking 18 months to two years for people to get benefits, Eric wouldn't have existed because people would be getting benefits in time.

Part of his selling point was the fact that he had peoples benefits in a month to two months when the rest of the people were waiting years
Oxygen

An Arizona mom who was allegedly gunned down by an ex-boyfriend she feared was able to call for help just before her shooting death. A 911 dispatcher who answered Maria Guadalupe Godinez Ramirez's call on the night of May 1 heard gunshots over the phone, Apache Junction Police spokesperson Al Bravo told KSAZ-TV. When police arrived in the area of Old West Highway and Colt Road a few minutes later, they discovered Ramirez, 28, gravely injured in her car. The victim had multiple gunshot wounds an
An Arizona woman convicted for casting a ballot in her dead mothers name will not face jail time, sparking debate over racial disparity in sentencing.

Tracey Kay McKee, a 64-year-old white Republican, was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay fines and do community service on Friday for voting in her mothers name in Arizonas November 2020 general election.

McKees mother died on Oct. 5, 2020.

Tracey Kay McKee will serve two years probation for voter fraud. (YouTube Screenshot/ News 11 Yuma)

A tearful McKee blamed her decision to perform the illegal act on grief and asked the judge for compassion on Friday. Even though prosecutors argued that McKee lied to investigators and should spend 30 days in jail, she was awarded the empathy that some said Black voters had not been afforded.

Your Honor, I would like to apologize, McKee told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Margaret LaBianca. I dont want to make the excuse for my behavior. What I did was wrong and Im prepared to accept the consequences handed down by the court.

McKee has now become the face of Republican voter fraud, a paradox after the months-long effort by former President Donald Trump to uncover widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

Arizonas Republican Party upheld the unfounded theory.

Arizona GOP Chairman Dr. Kelli Ward celebrated the thought of perp walks and prosecutions on April 6 when state Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that investigators found problematic system-wide issues with Arizonas early voting after a review of ballots. It turned out that Brnovichs office uncovered nine voting fraud cases, including McKee and six incarcerated people.

McKee herself also believed there was rampant voter fraud. A clip of her interview captured during the investigation reveals the ironic twist that still wasnt enough to persuade the judge.

The only way to prevent voter fraud is to physically go in and punch a ballot, McKee told the investigator. I mean, voter fraud is going to be prevalent as long as theres mail-in voting, for sure. I mean, theres no way to ensure a fair election.

Story continues

And I dont believe that this was a fair election, she continued. I do believe there was a lot of voter fraud.

The news of McKees verdict has also made her model for an unbalanced scale in sentencing. Many on social media are comparing McKee to two Black women sentenced to years in prison because of voting fraud and making her the poster woman for voting when white.

Im not saying SHE should be in jail. Im saying the Black people they almost die to arrest shouldnt be in jail either, wrote Twitter user Angela Brown-Vann.

Unlike McKee, who admitted wrongdoing, Pamela Moses and Crystal Mason said they voted illegally in error.

Moses, a Black Matter activist, was sentenced to six years and a day in prison in January for trying to register to vote in 2019.

Moses, who has prior felony convictions, was told her right to vote had been restored by Tennessee officials.

A Memphis judge said Moses tricked probation officials and had nothing but contempt for the law and acts as though she believes herself above the law. But, later emails uncovered by The Guardian revealed that a probation officer admitted to erroneously giving Moses the nod to register to vote.

While Moses was cleared of the charges late last month, Crystal Mason, a Black woman in Texas, is appealing a five-year sentence she was given for illegally casting a provisional ballot despite also insisting that she did not know she was ineligible to vote while on probation in 2016.

The system isnt brokenits working as intended, wrote Human Rights lawyer Qasim Rashid comparing Masons and McKees cases on Twitter.

Left: White Trump supporter in AZ Tracey Kay McKee voted in her dead mother's name

0 prison, 2 years probation



Right: Black woman in TX Crystal Mason filed a provisional ballot on the advice of a poll worker

5 years prison



The system isnt brokenits working as intended pic.twitter.com/Y7DfEgG9mw  Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) May 1, 2022

State laws determine criminal penalties, sentencing guidelines and judicial discretion, and they differ by state. Previous criminal convictions can also impact sentencing.

McKees defense attorney argued on Friday that no one in Arizona had ever served time for voter fraud.

Among the recent convictions in the state was Joseph John Marak, who pleaded guilty to voter fraud in March. Marak was convicted on 18 felony charges in 2011 and spent six years in prison. He admitted to illegally voting in six federal elections since 2016 and was sentenced to 30 months probation and fined.

Chad Armstrong, a white Wisconsin man, was still on probation when he voted in the 2018 election. He was sentenced to five days in jail after pleading down from a felony to a misdemeanor. Another white man Glen Tank lost his right to vote in 2016 but said he thought it was restored when he registered to vote in Iowa in 2012. He accepted a plea deal in 2016 and was subjected to a fine.

However, in Texas, Hervis Rogers could face up to 40 years in prison for voting in the 2020 general election while on parole. Democrats have linked Rogers case to another systemic issue, voter suppression.

The unwarranted criminalization of Hervis Rogers error is a grave miscarriage of justice. By casting his ballot in the 2020 primary, Hervis Rogers was simply attempting to fulfill his civic duty. Now he is potentially facing decades in prison, a coalition of Democratic attorneys general said in a July statement.

This prosecution is a clear attempt to intimidate voters, deter participation, and stoke fears of fictitious voter fraud.
An Artesia man suspected of robbing a bank in 2021 was sentenced to four years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Roman Andrew Poulsen, 40, pleaded guilty Jan. 7 and was sentenced May 4, read a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the bank robbery and for his part in hiding the proceeds of the theft.

Poulsen and Lori Crapo, 41, of Springville, Utah robbed the Washington Federal Bank at 602 West Texas Street in Artesia on July 15, 2021. He walked into the bank and used a note to demand money from bank tellers, according to court records.

More: Artesia couple charged with bank robbery

Poulsen left the bank with the money, and later Artesia Police officers located his vehicle at Fenns Country Market at 2001 West Main Street.

Police found Poulsen and Crapo in the store and arrested them. Surveillance video indicated Crapo placed the money behind a box of ice cream cones at the store.

Fenn's Country Market in Artesia on May 5, 2022. A couple suspected of robbing an Artesia bank in 2021 were accused of hiding stolen money behind a box of ice cream cones at the store.

Before entering the store, Artesia police suspected Poulsen took the money to a hotel where he and Crapo resided.

Police said the two attempted to burn evidence in a nearby trash dumpster. The fire was extinguished later.

Crapo pleaded guilty Jan. 4 to misprision of a felony. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison on April 26, per the U.S. Attorneys press release.

We are pleased that justice was served on these individuals and the case has come to a conclusion, said Artesia Police Cmdr. Pete Quinones.

More: Texas man gets probation for 2019 Carlsbad robberies and beating

He said New Mexico State Police and the FBI assisted Artesia Police with the arrest and investigation.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.

Sign up for our newsletter, the Daily Briefing, to get stories like this one delivered straight to your inbox every morning. https://profile.currentargus.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Artesia man gets four years in prison for 2021 bank robbery
A Baltimore woman was charged with a felony in Licking County after a man was dragged from her vehicle.

Chelsea L. Needles, 29, of Baltimore, was charged with one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, in Licking County Common Pleas Court.

According to a criminal complaint, Newark police were called to an apartment on North 10th Street on May 1 for an assault. Upon arrival, officers reported finding a man laying in the road, bleeding from his head. He was taken to Licking Memorial Hospital for his injuries.

What did the police report allege?

Police said witnesses reported he and Needles were arguing outside the apartment. Witnesses said Needles remained in her vehicle and the victim had leaned on the open driver's door with him arm around the window frame.

"At some point the defendant tried to close the door but (the victim) was in the way," the complaint stated. "The defendant then quickly accelerated while (the victim) was still on the door. (The victim) was dragged approximately 50 feet before he fell off the vehicle)."

Police said Needles allegedly drove away from the scene and didn't return.

A grand jury will review the case for possible indictment and possible additional charges. If convicted, Needles faces up to eight years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Baltimore woman charged in Licking County assault
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry on Friday accused Japan of exaggerating a perceived threat from Beijing as an excuse to boost its own military might, after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned the invasion of Ukraine could be replicated in East Asia.

Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also said that if Japan really wanted peace and stability in East Asia, it should immediately stop provoking confrontation between big powers.

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Writing by Martin Quin Pollard; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
President Biden will participate in a virtual meeting with Group of Seven (G-7) leaders on Sunday morning that will also include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

The virtual meeting will take place one day before Russias Victory Day, timing that Psaki emphasized on Friday when disclosing plans for the engagement in a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One.

The G-7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The leaders are expected to discuss the response to Russias war in Ukraine and potential additional sanctions on Moscow in response to the invasion.

Psaki wouldnt preview any actions on Friday, but said the administration was considering sanctions on additional individuals and companies as well as steps to prevent sanctions evasion.

She said the leaders during the virtual meeting would demonstrate the unity of Western countries against the Russian invasion.

The international community is closely watching Russias actions on Victory Day, the May 9 holiday marking the countrys victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Some have speculated that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the day to formally declare war on Ukraine; Putin has previously referred to the war only as a special military operation.

Biden administration officials have warned that Russia could try to annex more Ukrainian territory on May 9, which is Monday.

Psaki made a point to emphasize the U.S. view that Russia has failed in its war, alluding to Russias inability to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

While [Putin] expected to be marching through the streets of Kyiv, that obviously is not whats going to happen, Psaki said.

The U.S. has supplied Ukraine with millions in military equipment and other security assistance in the war. Biden recently asked Congress to authorize an additional $33 billion to help Ukraine fight the Russians in the coming months.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge speak to members of the press outside the West Wing of the White House after a meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on May 7, 2021 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images

A leaked draft opinion showed that the Supreme Court is set to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The landmark ruling gives Americans a constitutional right to an abortion.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said he has serious concerns about the economic impacts of overturning Roe.

On Monday, Politico published a bombshell leak: The Supreme Court was set to overturn landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. Since 1973, Americans have had a constitutional right to an abortion  something that could end as soon as this summer, when the Supreme Court is expected to rule on it.

The Supreme Court later confirmed that the leak was authentic, although the decision is still not final. The leaked draft opinion unleashed an immediate torrent of backlash.

"I have serious concerns about the economic impacts of Roe potentially being overturned," Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh told Insider in an interview about April's newly-released employment data.

"This will impact women individually, but also is going to impact our economy as a whole," Walsh said. "I don't think we could underscore the importance of what actions potentially could happen at the court."

Abortion would likely become illegal in 23 states if Roe was overturned, Insider's Hilary Brueck, Mia de Graaf, and Andrea Michelson report. There would be a cascade of economic ripple effects from that, with many disproportionately hitting some of the most marginalized and lowest-earning workers in the country.

"If Roe is overturned, abortion is going to become a function of class privilege," Kimberly Kelly, a Mississippi sociology professor studying abortion politics, told Insider's Oma Seddiq and Madison Hoff. "Affluent women who can travel, will travel. Only women with certain levels of economic resources will be able to travel."

Kelly said that the people who will lose access, then, "will be Black women, brown women, poor women, and young women."

Story continues

The University of California San Francisco conducted a five-year-long study of 1,000 women who had sought abortions, called the Turnaway Study. From their interviews, they found that women being denied an abortion dealt with significant financial blows  but having access to one "does not harm the health and wellbeing of women."

Instead, when women were turned away and then gave birth, they "experienced an increase in household poverty lasting at least four years relative to those who received an abortion." Getting turned away from an abortion meant women's credit scores went down, and their debt went up.

The financial repercussions are felt for years when a woman is denied an abortion, according to the study: "Years after an abortion denial, women were more likely to not have enough money to cover basic living expenses like food, housing and transportation."

And economic blows aren't restricted to just the women turned away from an abortion. Children who are born because of it "are more likely to live below the federal poverty level than children born from a subsequent pregnancy to women who received the abortion."

Meanwhile, if state-level abortion restrictions were lifted, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, 505,000 more women would join the labor force  and cumulatively earn over $3 billion every year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Associated Press

Yearbooks at a central Florida high school won't be distributed until images of students holding rainbow flags and a love is love sign while protesting the state's so-called Don't Say Gay law can be covered up. District officials said they don't want anyone thinking that the school supported the students' walkout. Lyman High School Principal Michael Hunter said in a statement Monday that pictures and descriptions" documenting a student walk-out in March in response to Florida's Parental Rights in Education law should have been caught earlier in the review process."
Last week, boaters on Lake Mead stumbled upon the remains of a human body in a barrel.

The body is believed to be a murder victim from the 1970s or 80s, which the Las Vegas Police Department assessed based on the individuals clothing.

But the sudden re-emergence of a decades-old crime wasnt the strangest part of the story  rather, it was that the barrel probably only surfaced because of the historically low water levels in the lake.

Water levels in Lake Mead, which pools behind the Hoover Dam along the border of Nevada and Arizona, are now at just 31 per cent of full capacity  a record low, and a result of the 20-year megadrought that has crippled the American west.

Drought in the western US has been exacerbated by the climate crisis and will likely get worse in the coming decades  in addition to all the melting ice, stronger storms, and intense heatwaves that the new climatic conditions will bring.

And around the world, these changing conditions are unearthing parts of the past that have been hidden for tens  if not thousands  of years.

Pallets note where human remains were recently found on the shore of Lake Mead as the water level drops to unprecedented lows, a result of years-long drought (AFP via Getty Images)

A plane crash in California

Last year, workers testing imaging equipment at Folsom Lake outside Sacramento stumbled upon an old plane at the bottom of waters.

While the plane was initially believed to be wreckage from a 1965 crash that killed four people, it was later determined to be the wreckage of a 1986 plane crash with no fatalities.

Its possible that these remnants became visible to the imaging equipment due to the lakes extraordinarily low water levels as a result of Californias ongoing drought  around the time the plane was spotted, the lake was at just 34 per cent of its total capacity.

Ancient objects in Mongolia

On the other side of the world, warmer temperatures are causing ice and snow to melt in Mongolia  revealing long-hidden remnants of distant eras.

Scientists have found rope, arrowheads and even leftover animals parts from long-passed hunts as the ice recedes. These artifacts can offer archaeologists new information about human life in these eras, but scientists also warn that as these items are exposed to the elements, valuable historic information could be lost.

Story continues

Ice Age wildlife

Its not just ancient human life coming to the surface as ice melts. As permafrost and glaciers melt, the remains of animals from the last Ice Age are also coming to light.

In Russia, people have found preserved parts of mammoths and wooly rhinos  two species extinct for thousands of years. And in northern Canada, researchers found the remains of a wolf pup who died around 57,000 years ago, near the end of the Pleistocene era.

Often, these long-gone animals are extraordinarily intact, having been frozen in time by the preservative effects of a deep freeze for thousands of years. The wolf pup, for example, still had clear fur and skin visible, along with teeth and bones.

Water intake pipe in Lake Mead

Back in Lake Mead, water levels dropped low enough last month to reveal an intake pipe for a pumping station supplying Las Vegas with water  leaving it unable to drain water to the city.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority, the local water agency, completed construction on a new pumping station in 2020  called the low lake level pumping station  with a much deeper intake pipe in anticipation of this scenario.

The new pumping station began operation last month as the higher valve emerged above the waters surface.

Missing people and relics in the Alps

As ice melts in Europes tallest peaks, people who disappeared in the mountains decades ago are being found.

In 2017, the remains of a Swiss couple who died in 1942 were discovered near a melting glacier. Newspapers, as well as potential human remains, from a mid-century plane crash have also been discovered near the melting Mont Blanc in the French Alps.

And in the Italian Alps, melting ice has revealed a long-lost cave filled with supplies used by Austrian soldiers in World War I.

Whats next?

As the climate crisis continues, water levels could continue to drop, and ice could continue to melt  meaning there may be more discoveries revealed in the future.

A few of these revelations might also be more dangerous than others. Some scientists are worried that as permafrost in the Arctic melts, it could release pathogens not seen for years, threatening both people and wildlife.

For example, in 2016, a heatwave may have been responsible for an anthrax outbreak in Siberia, as a decades-dead reindeer carcass unthawed and released the bacteria, killing one child and hospitalizing numerous others  as well as over 1,000 reindeer.

And in Lake Mead, officials suggested to KLAS-TV that the recent homicide victim discovery may not be the last homicide victim to reappear as water levels drop to unprecedented lows.
The Daily Beast

Lauderdale CountyCasey White, the dangerous murder inmate who bolted from an Alabama prison with his jailer, has told detectives that the lovebirds spent most of their time on the run holed up in a cheap Indiana motel and plotting where to go next.Casey White, 38, and Lauderdale County assistant director of corrections Vicky White, 56, were captured on Monday night after a dramatic police chase in Evansville, Indiana, just a five-hour drive from the Florence prison they absconded from 11 days ea
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Southwest Texas has been arrested and charged with assaulting and mistreating a juvenile in custody, the agency said Friday.

The agent based in the Del Rio area, along the border with Mexico, was arrested Monday by Texas Rangers, CBP said in a statement. A warrant was issued following an indictment on a charge of Official Oppression, the agency said.

The statement did not name the agent nor describe the alleged assault, including where or when it happened.

CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility and Texas Rangers  part of the Texas Department of Public Safety  are investigating the alleged assault and mistreatment of a juvenile in custody, it said.

A spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation. She directed The Associated Press to the Uvalde County District Attorneys Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for information. Neither office has responded to calls and written requests for additional details.

CBP stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission, and the overwhelming majority of CBP employees perform their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe, the CBP said in its statement.
A years-long Bossier City water system study spurred by the discovery of brain-eating amoeba in the water supply may once again be extended if the city council agrees. This time, the extension will cost $400,000 of the citys American Rescue Plan funds.

The purpose of the study is to determine if nanofiltration could eliminate enough organics from Bossier City water to use free chlorine in lieu of chloramines, according to the Bossier City Council ordinance that would allow the extension.

In Sept. 2018, a portion of the water system in South Bossier tested positive for brain-eating amoeba. The amoeba, naegleria fowleri, infects people by entering the nose then the brain, and was found to be present after a random test conducted by the Lousiana Department of Health.

The Council will vote on the $400,000 extension at their May 17 meeting. The study began in 2019.

If agreed upon, the extension will provide another nine months to conduct the study and will focus on manganese removal by studying enhanced sedimentation and process treatment techniques for organic removal, according to the aforementioned ordinance.

The inside of a water pipe in Shreveport photographed on November 24, 2021.

The Bossier City Council asked City Engineer Benjamin Rauschenbach about the study at the Council's Tuesday meeting.

"Those pressures that ruptured the membrane and got all the organics through, we want to study some different membranes that are tighter and stronger so that that wont happen, Rauschenbach said.

Councilman Chris Smith questioned if the filtration system would be for nothing once the water leaves the plant because during its journey through the citys 70-year-old pipes, it would assuredly pick up contaminants.

Would we be better served taking American Rescue Plan money - which is probably only going to happen once in our lifetimes - and invest that into underground infrastructure? Smith asked Rauschenbach.

More: Are race and class dynamics playing a part in the proposed bus route in Bossier City?

Story continues

Bossier City Councilman Chris Smith at Thursday's City Council meeting.

Rauschenbach assured Smith of the up-to-now success of nanofiltration.

We realize its a hard ask. This is not something that anybody in the state of Louisiana is doing," Rauschenbach said. "We feel passionate about it but it takes money and the reason were doing it is because we feel long term for Bossier its going to be best to get off chlorinated water and onto free chlorine water and to do that we have to have another mechanism in our process. So that in itself is a whole lot of time and energy is the best I can condense it for the council."

The extension was scheduled to be decided at the May 3 meeting, but the council voted to postpone after a motion to do so from Commissioner Brian Hammons. Two council members voted against that motion: Smith and council president Don Williams.

Bossier City Councilman Don Williams at Thursday's City Council meeting.

Later in the meeting, the Council voted to expand the city's contract with Rauschenbach's company Manchac so that the company is now paid $20,000 and will bring in another head engineer to serve for the city alongside Rauschenbach. They must vote to approve the contract at one more meeting before it becomes an official agreement.

Smith felt the Council should field more companies for their services before approving this contract with Manchac.

"You can go look but you will never find someone more passionate about this city's infrastructure than I am," Rauschenbach said.

More: Bossier City mayor names new police chief

Smith also felt the contract should include a clause allowing the city to exit the contract within 30 days of notice.

"It's a 66 percent increase and we're giving a 66 percent increase to any other city employee," Smith said. "We're seeing city employees leave left and right and I can't in good conscious give a 66 percent increase to any one department."

The contract was approved in a 4-2 vote. Smith and Hammons voted against it.

Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Bossier City may extend water study for brain-eating amoeba
The Daily Beast

GettyThe U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to dig his heels in in the war in Ukraine and let it drag on for some timeand along the way, Putin might start resorting to extreme measures to ensure Russia wins out in the end, top U.S. spies warned Tuesday.The next steps Putin might take could include escalating domestic measures that could contribute to the war effort, such as instituting martial law, the U.S. Director of National Intelligenc
One of the best things about Chinese food is the range of sauces. Some are sweet, some are tangy, some are salty and savory. However, many of them can be high in sodium and may contain artificial additives  but thats where Bowlcut comes in. The brands line of all-natural Asian American sauces is made in small batches in California with only real ingredients.

If youve never heard of Bowlcut, thats because its brand-spanking new. The founders, Crystal Ung, Adrian Ng and Will Kang, came up with the concept during the pandemic, at the height of AAPI hate crimes. However, they officially launched the brand on May 3, 2022.

Credit: Bowlcut

Crystal and Adrians parents ran small-town Chinese restaurants, and growing up in that environment, they saw how food can bridge cultures and bring people together. So, with the help of their parents recipes, they created their own line of sauces. Their goal: To re-shape the narrative by expanding the Asian American food category.

Bowlcut is currently offering three sauces: Chili Crisp, Spicy Chili Crisp and Char Siu. However, it has plans to add more sauces and condiments to its lineup in the future.

Credit: Bowlcut

Chili Crisp is essentially oil infused with deliciously fried chili peppers and contains a blend of red pepper flakes, garlic and onion. You can eat it on eggs, dumplings, pizza, avocado toast and more. The standard Chili Crisp is spicy, but according to the brand, not as spicy as Sriracha or Tabasco. If you want to kick up the heat, go for the Spicy Chili Crisp.

Credit: Bowlcut

Char Siu is a classic Chinese barbecue sauce that will make your burgers, meats, veggies and more taste like youve been cooking them over a fire. Its smoky, savory and a little bit sweet.

According to the brand, its Chili Crisp has 66% less sodium versus the traditional brand, while its Char Siu has 64% less. And, you can enjoy it knowing that there are no GMOs, no artificial additives and its locally made.

We invite you to cook and eat with us, to experience the flavors we love, to celebrate traditions and make new ones, Bowlcuts website reads. Try the sauces, consider the haircut

Story continues

If you liked this article, check out this best-selling jar opener  its the next best thing to having super strength.

The post Bowlcut is the all-natural Asian American sauce brand created by the kids of Chinese restaurant owners appeared first on In The Know.

More from In The Know:

TikTok users rave about this $20 skin care product you can buy at Target: 'It basically gives you baby-smooth skin 2 minutes after application'

Amazon shoppers swear by this $9.99 foot peel mask to transform dry, cracked feet: 'I am amazed'

Walmart shoppers love these stylish glass storage jars with bamboo lids: 'I haven't had anything that I put in so far become stale'

8 cute matching pajama sets worth spending a whole weekend in
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian federal police said on Friday it was still investigating the alleged rape and death of a 12-year-old Yanomami girl by illegal gold miners, but cast doubt on the truth of the allegations.

The police officer heading the investigation Daniel Ramos told reporters that interviews with community members of the village of Aracaca in the northern state of Roraima turned up contradictory information, raising doubts about the case.

"The nature of the complaint does not match the concrete and real facts," Ramos said at a news conference in state capital Boa Vista.

The report of rape and death made last week by the Yanomami health council Condisi, who said miners had abducted the girl, was followed by reports that the village was burned to the ground and its inhabitants had vanished.

Ramos said the Yanomami had moved to another village. Indigenous representatives said the villagers fled into the forest to get away from the gold miners after the girl died.

The Yanomami people live next to the border with Venezuela on Brazil's largest indigenous reservation that has been invaded by thousands of miners illegally prospecting for gold, causing pollution of rivers, shooting incidents and other abuses.

The mining boom has brought disease, violence and grave human rights violations on the Yanomami people, according to a recent study that blamed high gold prices and tacit government support.

The gold rush on protected Yanomami lands has increased under Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro who is backing legislation to allow commercial agriculture, mining and oil exploration on indigenous reservations.

The Federal Police said in a statement that while it was investigating the death of the Yanomami teenager, it destroyed nearby support infrastructure of the gold miners, including the burning of 17,000 liters (4,490 gallons) of fuel.

No arrests were made.

In Brasilia, human rights activists gathered outside the government's indigenous affairs agency Funai to protest the lack of state protection for the Yanomami people.

Story continues

Brazil's main indigenous umbrella organization APIB filed an injuction on Thursday before the Supreme Court seeking government action to protect the Yanomami from the gold miners.

The government's solicitor general did not reply to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Richard Chang)
(Reuters) - Russian forces in Ukraine's Mariupol continued their ground assault on the Azovstal steel plant for a second day, British military intelligence said in a tweet on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address on Thursday that Russian forces were still storming and shelling the Soviet-era Azovstal plant, where civilians and military forces are sheltering.

(Reporting by Tanvi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
The halt of Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria last week has left companies big and small scrambling as they fear cuts to deliveries and rising prices.

"We are already on the brink. We'll have to raise our prices further," said Valery Krastev, who owns a bread factory in the northern town of Montana.

"How will people pay for this bread?" he worried.

The government has insisted Bulgaria has "alternative choices" to Russian gas and won't reduce supplies to consumers, calling Moscow's move to halt deliveries "blackmail".

While natural gas supplies had escaped punishing European sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow sought to sow division among European nations by exploiting their dependence on its gas.

Russia demanded that Gazprom customers have to pay in rubles rather than US dollars or euros, which would be a violation of Western sanctions.

The Russian energy giant cut deliveries to Bulgaria and Poland on April 27.

Since then, Bulgaria's neighbours have stepped in, shoring up deliveries to the country, which has received more than 90 percent of its gas from Russia for decades.

- Diversification -

But the lack of a long-term solution to secure the Balkan EU member's annual needs of about 3.0 billion cubic metres of gas is keeping large industrial consumers as well as smaller businesses on tenterhooks.

Many people living in Sofia still remember January 2009 when a Russia-Ukraine gas spat cut deliveries to Europe for days on end, leaving their homes without heating in the dead of winter and prompting rationing for industry.

So far supplies to Sofia's municipal utility Toplofikacia are uninterrupted, according to its head Alexander Alexandrov.

The utility gets close to 40 percent of all gas in the country to supply 1.5 million people, or a fourth of Bulgaria's population, with heat and hot water.

"We cannot keep operating for more than 24 hours in the event of a complete cut in gas supply," Alexandrov told AFP in an interview, adding that switching back to using fuel oil if gas were cut would have a "grave environmental impact".

Story continues

"I am optimistic that there are enough options to secure gas by this autumn to guarantee a normal heating season."

Bulgaria already pays 10 percent more for its gas now, Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov confirmed after securing deliveries for May through an intermediary gas trading company.

"I can't believe that someone is trying to convince us that... this is good for us. No it is not," said Konstantin Stamenov, head of the BFIEC federation of industrial energy consumers and a senior executive at a steel manufacturer, on public radio BNR.

To keep prices contained and secure energy supplies, the government has vowed to diversify suppliers.

It plans to wrap up construction of another major pipeline linking its gas network with that of Greece by the end of June.

This will allow the state gas operator Bulgargaz to negotiate an increase of supplies on an existing contract with Azerbaijan to an annual 1.0 bcm and receive more gas from liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Greece.

Prime Minister Kiril Petkov also said that the government is in talks to buy LNG from the United States and Egypt.

Analysts say prices may even fall if the country manages to secure long-term contracts for LNG deliveries.

"We have here a huge opportunity to achieve stable diversification of gas deliveries," energy expert Martin Vladimirov from the Sofia-based think tank Centre for the Study of Democracy told AFP.

However, Open Society economist Georgy Angelov warned: "But that won't happen in a day."

- Business as usual -

For now, it's business as usual at a Bulgartransgaz compressor station near Ihtiman, where Russian natural gas is still flowing through the bright yellow pipes.

But Bulgargaz is no longer allowed to use any of this gas -- most of it being destined for Greece and North Macedonia.

For its own supply, Bulgaria is currently relying on swap operations with its neighbours, who supply it with Russian gas or LNG through reverse flow pipelines from Greece and Romania.

Expert Vladimirov cautioned, however, against a suspected scheme by Russia to abandon its direct contract with Bulgargaz and instead make the country buy gas at higher prices through intermediaries such as Hungarian gas trader MET, known to be close to Gazprom, which already helped secure the deliveries for May.

"This, in the end, might lead to higher dependency on Russia under worse contractual conditions," he warned.

ds/jza/raz


If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

When the 2019 movie Spinster starring Chelsea Peretti was released I thought, finally, a movie that celebrates my lifestyle. But after turning off the film at the conclusion of its perfect ~90-minute run time, I felt spinster-splained about choices Ive been making for pretty much my whole adult life. Spinsters target audience was clearly people to whom a child-free, non-partnered existence has to be justified and defended  while Therese Shechters documentary, My So-Called Selfish Life, takes a decidedly different approach.

More from SheKnows

I decided I didnt want kids about ten years ago, and while (usually older) people I met at the beginning of that period would express shock, the question has dwindled away over the years. Just take a look around: having kids in this climate is a bigger conundrum than its ever been. Its a philosophy shared by the majority of my friends, so much so that we laugh when the increasingly rare question pops up and that, when the odd friend is pregnant, it takes me a comically long time to pick up on it  its just not something thats on my radar.

Over the last decade, we as a society have started to progress past the point of needing to come out as child-free; If anything, the tables have turned so that having kids is the monumental life choice that requires careful thought in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to new generations. So, Shechters My So-Called Selfish Life comes at the perfect time: a moment when the argument could be made that having kids is the titular so-called selfish life choice, rather than it being lobbed as an insult at those who are child-free by choice.

Click here to read the full article.

Story continues

Throughout the film, Shechter doesnt defend the right to be child-free as a radical, controversial opinion: She takes care to portray the child-free and the child-having as two sides of the same reproductive rights coin. Her focus is on the child-free lives of a diverse cast of subjects, primarily women of color and queer people, whove historically come up against the most resistance when it comes to reproductive rights.

Im from the south and the expectation for women over 25 is that youre over the hill if youre not married and having babies, says Black artist Shanthony Exum in the film, who performs under the name Miss Eaves. (Go on, check out her stuff: I guarantee youll find your next affirmative anthem!) But not every woman depicted is acting in defiance of expected societal norms.

Interviewee Michelle, who spent many miserable years trying and failing to conceive until she embraced being child-free by choice, sums it up thusly: Not being able to control my own body in terms of not being able to have a baby is the flip side of not being able to control your own body when youre pregnant and dont want to be.

The fact that My So-Called Selfish Life is premiering now (though it has been in development for at least five years), when Roe v. Wade is at its most precarious, imbues the film with another layer of meaning  and proves that freedom of choice and bodily autonomy are vital issues whether or not someone hopes to become a parent.

Shechter ties the film together with a story from her own mother that provides yet another perspective of this most intimate, life-changing of choices. Shechters mother, a political refugee from Romania, had an abortion before Shechter was born, knowing she couldnt raise a child given the conditions of her life at the time she became pregnant. While she later went on to become a mother, shes always felt ambivalent about the decision, something Shechter doesnt begrudge  and says doesnt mean they love each other any less.

There is an assumption that if you regret being a mother then you hate your children, says author Orna Donath. All of the women who participated in my study said, I love my children. I hate being their mother.'

These days, we seem to be coming to a better understanding that motherhood isnt for everyone, and that its okay to want kids, not want kids, and even have kids and not be sure it was the right choice. This Mothers Day, there may be no better movie to watch than My So-Called Selfish Life to understand the true weight of what it means to become a mother  and appreciate those in your life who have taken it on.

My So-Called Selfish Life is streaming on Show and Tell May 6th  16th.

Best of SheKnows

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter.

For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Vicky Sue White, 56, assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, and capital murder suspect Casey Cole White, 38, disappeared on April 29. Soon after, an investigation revealed the escape plan must have been underway well before then.

Here are some key dates in the case:

'Convinced she orchestrated this': Vicky White flew under the radar before escape with Casey White

'Special relationship': Lauderdale officials: Jailer, escaped inmate had 'special relationship'

The lead-in

 April 18: Vicky White closes on the sale of her home in Lexington for some $95,000  a price said to have been below its market value.

 About a week before the escape, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said, Vicky White purchases a 2007 Ford Edge.

 April 28: Vicky White turns in paperwork for her retirement, with plans for April 29 to be her last day on the job after 17 years working in the jail.

 April 28: Vicky White spends the night at the Quality Inn, Singleton said, after stashing the Ford Edge in a parking lot within walking distance of the hotel. He didn't know the reason; he speculated to a reporter that she couldn't face her mother the next morning, knowing what she was going to do.

Lauderdale corrections officer, Vicky White, and capital murder suspect, Casey Cole White have been missing since Friday, April 29.

April 29

 8:47 a.m.: Transport Van 5 leaves the Lauderdale County Detention Center with seven inmates escorted by two deputies

 8:56 a.m.: Transport Van 2 leaves the detention center with five inmates escorted by two deputies

 9:20 a.m. Assistant Director Vicky White instructs corrections deputy to prepare inmate Casey White for transport to courthouse. Deputy removes White from his cell, takes him to booking and handcuffs him and shackles his legs.

 9:41 a.m.: Vicky White leaves detention center with Casey White en route to courthouse for mental health evaluation. Prior to leaving, she tells booking officer that she is the only deputy available who is firearms certified and she is dropping him off to the other deputies at the courthouse. Vicky White says shes then going to Med Plus from there because she isnt feeling well.

Story continues

 11:34 a.m.: A Florence Police Department officer spots the vehicle parked among other cars left on a lot that are for sale. The officer is unaware of the situation involving Vicky White and Casey White.

 1:50 p.m.: In Bethesda, Williamson County, Tennessee, someone reports an abandoned 2007 Ford Edge on the side of a road in a sparsely populated area.

 2:37 p.m.: The car, found locked with nothing inside, is towed to a lot and left there. At this point, Lauderdale County officials don't know that Vicky White and Casey White are missing, and have no description of a suspect vehicle.

 3:30 p.m.: The booking officer reports to administration that they have been trying to contact Vicky White to check on her, and that her phone is going directly to voice mail. Co-workers had planned a retirement party, complete with cake and gifts. The officer also advises that Casey White was not returned to the detention center with the other inmates.

The administrator immediately contacts the sheriffs office, and officers begin a search of the courthouse to determine if Casey White is still there.

Within several minutes, it is determined he is not there and that no court appearance or evaluation had been scheduled.

 5:30 p.m.: U.S. Marshals, FBI, ATF, Secret Service and ALEA join the investigation; word of the escape hits the news, and it has been a prominent story ever since.

The fallout

 May 1: U.S. Marshals offer a $10,000 reward for Casey White.

 May 2: The sale of Vicky White's home is reported, along with authorities' belief that she has "plenty of cash."

 May 3: U.S. Marshals announce a warrant has been issued for Vicky White for facilitating an escape, and a $5,000 reward offered. Singleton says investigators believe Vicky White had a "special relationship" with Casey White, revealing she contacted him by phone when he was in prison.

 May 3: Information about the 2007 Ford Escape is released to the media inadvertently, and reported widely. By that time, the vehicle had long been abandoned.

 May 5: In Williamson County, Tennessee, someone realizes the vehicle towed April 29 is the one sought in connection with the escape.

 May 6: The Williamson County Sheriff's Office tweets that the vehicle had been found in Bethesda the day the two went missing. It had been reported abandoned and not linked to the escape until Thursday evening.

 May 6: Singleton announces the discovery of the vehicle and speculates it was abandoned because of mechanical problems. He says the only two options he sees for the two was leaving the area on foot, or getting a ride with someone.

 May 6: Gov. Kay Ivey announced she is offering an additional $5,000 reward for both Vicky White and Casey White. The Lauderdale County District Attorney's office asked for the maximum reward available, and within an hour, the governor OK'd it. The reward is limited to private citizens who are not members of or employees of any government law enforcement agency or their relatives.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Escape: How a Lauderdale County jailer, inmate went on the run
Chelseas Christian Pulisic (left) and Thomas Tuchel have no problems, according to the Blues boss (PA) (PA Archive)

Thomas Tuchel insists there is zero problem between him and a very positive Christian Pulisic.

Pulisics father Mark posted, then deleted, a tweet on May 1 lamenting the USA forwards sad situation at Stamford Bridge.

Pulisic senior insisted the 23-year-old loves Chelsea, his team-mates and London, with any mention of Blues boss Tuchel conspicuous by its absence.

Chelsea manager Tuchel insisted there is no issue with Pulisic however, with the USA star looking lively in a string of cameos despite battling for starts.

Im not concerned if a father does not say that a player loves a manager, said Tuchel. Its a normal thing (for a player to be frustrated). But like every manager we have our reasons to choose a line-up and we have our reasons to go for players in the first XI.

And you will never see on this kind of level of competition happy faces from players who are not selected.

Between me and Christian exists zero problem. He had a fantastic training week so far.

(PA Wire)

He is in some matches a huge impact from the bench, and for him for everybody else theres absolutely nothing to do with any tweet or any reaction from agents or fathers or whatever.

I didnt even know about it because I didnt want to get affected by it, in my judgement, because it has nothing to do with it.

The players in the end are responsible to be in the team and stay in the team, I would do my very best to make the right judgement.

Am I always right? For sure not. Is it always fair? For sure not. But this is also what you sign up for in a club like Chelsea.

Between me and Christian exists zero problem

Thomas Tuchel

And I havent experienced the same reaction from Christian lately, it was actually the opposite: hes been very strong and very positive in the last weeks.

Chelsea will bid to bounce back from last weekends frustrating 1-0 loss at Everton when they host Wolves in Saturdays Premier League clash.

NGolo Kante and Jorginho will miss out through minor issues, with Callum Hudson-Odoi still sidelined through back trouble.

Story continues

Chelsea can stay on course for a third-placed finish with a win, with Tuchel demanding his players now get back to their best.

(PA Wire)

We need another reaction; thats where we are, said Tuchel.

We had a week to prepare which was nice, but not nice because we would prefer to play Champions League.

It was nice to have the team to have influence in training, to set the focus on the things we want to improve.

We want to meet our standards and we demand a lot from us.

I think there are a lot of reasons why it is maybe normal to drop in intensity and in the level of effort but as we are an elite sports team, we compete on the very highest level of this sport.

There is not much room for normal behaviour. We want elite behaviour. This includes me.

We need to step up, show another reaction and that we can play better, have more impact and effort in the matches and start from there tomorrow.
The woman was jailed for about three weeks before a judge released her on electronic monitoring

A Chicago woman is taking legal action against the Cook County states attorneys office for having her jailed for weeks after she failed to participate in trial prep against the man accused of killing her brother.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Latoya Wares brother was fatally shot nearly six years ago outside a house party on the west side of Chicago. The man charged in the killing, Eric Black, was also accused of wounding Emmanuel Fleming in the July 2016 shooting.

Ware, now 20, was present when her brother was slain and common practice in the Cook County criminal justice system is for prosecutors to prep witnesses for trial testimony. Those who dont comply are thrown in jail, as was the case with Ware.

A fence surrounds the Cook County jail complex on April 09, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Ware was subpoenaed to come to Leighton Criminal Court Building for trial prep on Aug. 20 last year. Per the report, the document warned: YOUR FAILURE TO APPEAR IN RESPONSE TO THIS SUBPOENA WILL SUBJECT YOU TO PUNISHMENT FOR CONTEMPT OF THIS COURT.

When she failed to show up as instructed, prosecutors requested that Judge Peggy Chiampas issue a no-bail warrant, which the judge did. Ware was arrested by Chicago police six months later on Feb. 22 and ordered held without bond on a charge of indirect criminal contempt. She was jailed for about three weeks before Judge Chiampas released her on electronic monitoring.

During this time, Ware received another trial prep subpoena from prosecutors but her legal team was successful in having it withdrawn. Wares original contempt charges were also dismissed.

In a March 4 hearing before Judge Chiampas, assistant public defender Douglas Stoll condemned the trial prep process and noted that Ware never refused to testify at the actual trial.

You can do a subpoena to require someone to appear in court, Stoll said. Trial prep is a completely other matter. My client has a right to not speak to anybody about this case except when sworn to testify before this court, before a jury, or a judicial hearing.

Story continues

At the hearing, it was noted that the issuance of trial prep subpoenas is a regular practice. Chiampas said the subpoena was valid and that Ware knew the consequences of not appearing as shed been informed of them multiple times.

All Ms. Latoya Ware had to do was get in contact with the state, give them a heads-up. She didnt do that, the judge said.

On Tuesday, Ware finally testified in Blacks murder trial. She filed a federal lawsuit against the Cook County states attorneys office the following day in U.S. District Court alleging that prosecutors have been systematically abusing the subpoena process by threatening witnesses with contempt and jail time if they fail to comply, per the Tribune.

Ware wants an order prohibiting trial prep subpoenas and/or barring the states attorneys office from effectuating arrests based on alleged noncompliance with such subpoenas. She is also seeking monetary damages.

(Ware) is not the only victim of the Cook County states attorneys illegal practice of issuing fake subpoenas for court dates that do not exist, the suit states, Rather, the practice is widespread and routine and has been for many years.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Chicago woman sues after being jailed for not prepping to testify against brothers suspected killer appeared first on TheGrio.
China's services trade up 25.8 pct in Q1

Xinhua) 10:07, May 06, 2022

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China's services trade value grew 25.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2022, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed on Thursday.

The total trade value stood at nearly 1.46 trillion yuan (about 221.86 billion U.S. dollars), according to the data.

Services exports expanded 30.8 percent year on year to 713.98 billion yuan, and services imports were 743.01 billion yuan, up 21.3 percent from a year ago.

The growth of services trade exports outpaced import growth by 9.5 percentage points, resulting in a 56.4 percent drop in the services trade deficit to 29.03 billion yuan from the same period last year.

Trade in knowledge-intensive services raked in 615.66 billion yuan, up 14.1 percent year on year, the data showed.

Knowledge-intensive services exports gained 16.3 percent to hit 350.06 billion yuan, led by categories such as computing and information services, as well as intellectual property royalties.

Imports of knowledge-intensive services climbed 11.4 percent to 265.6 billion yuan, driven by the 134.9 percent surge in insurance services, Thursday's data showed.

Travel services recovered during the period, as trade in the sector advanced 12.6 percent from last year to 215.55 billion yuan.

In March alone, China's services trade increased 14.1 percent year on year to 503.6 billion yuan, according to the ministry.

China has taken a slew of measures to expand the opening-up of the services industry and pledged to make more efforts to promote the opening-up of trade in services to a higher level.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Baristas at a Starbucks location in suburban La Grange voted against forming a union Friday, becoming the first in Illinois to do so after workers at stores in Peoria and Cary voted in favor of joining the union last week.

Advertisement

The 9-6 vote comes a few days after interim CEO Howard Schultz announced new pay raises and benefits that he said would not apply to employees at stores that have unionized or sought to do so. The company is raising pay for employees who have worked for the company for at least two years and significantly increased training time for new baristas and shift supervisors.

Starbucks Workers United, the Service Employees International Union affiliate representing Starbucks workers, has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. In a statement Wednesday, the group called Schultzs plan to exclude unionized stores from the benefits blatantly unlawful.

Advertisement

A Starbucks spokesperson Wednesday said the company lacks the right to unilaterally make these changes at stores where there is a union or union organizing.

Workers at the La Grange store, at 8 S. La Grange Road, filed for union representation in early January, organizers said. At the time, 13 employees at the store signed union authorization cards, said Grace Easterby, an organizer with the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United.

In a statement Friday, organizers said workers had been forced to undergo five months of aggressive, and quite possibly unlawful union-busting tactics as they waited to vote.

Organizers also pointed to Schultzs statements that unionization would prevent employees from accessing specific wage increases and benefits. Ballots were mailed out to La Grange employees on April 13 and were due May 4, Easterby said. May 4 was the day after Schultz announced new raises and changes in benefits.

Clearly, no Starbucks union election has been a fair election, the organizers said in a written statement Friday.

Chicago area partners are disappointed in todays result, but they will keep fighting and are more motivated than ever to overcome this adversity. This isnt the end of the movement, just the beginning, the statement read.

Advertisement

Employees at over 240 Starbucks locations have filed for union elections in 33 states, said Casey Moore, a barista on the Starbucks Workers United communications committee. Out of 66 stores that have had elections, 56 have voted to unionize, Moore said. The results of four elections were still undetermined.

Last week, workers at Starbucks locations in Cary and Peoria became the first in Illinois to win union elections. Employees at six city Starbucks have filed for union representation, with elections scheduled in May and June.

The Associated Press contributed.
Kevin Mazur/VF16

Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock have traded jokes about their on-stage attacks from recent weeks, with Rock slamming Will Smith as the softest n---- that ever rapped.

Two days after Chappelle was attacked during the Netflix Is a Joke festival on May 3, he appeared for a secret show at Los Angeles Comedy Store where he was joined on stage by Rock, who made his owned headlines for being on the receiving end of Smiths infamous Oscars slap.

At least you got smacked by someone of repute! Chappelle joked to Rock, according to The Hollywood Reporter. I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair.

Rock laughed and responded, I got smacked by the softest n----- that ever rapped.

Armed Man Arrested for Ambushing Chappelle Dropped a Rap Track About Him

Chappelle was attempting to leave the Hollywood Bowl stage after finishing his set Tuesday when Isaiah Lee, 23, allegedly tackled him to the floor while carrying a replica handgun with a knife blade in his backpack. The suspect was apprehended by venue security and eventually handed over to the LAPD.

The Daily Beast reported earlier this week that Lee, an aspiring rapper who performs under the name NoName Trapper, recorded a series of weird rap songs, including the 2020 track titled Dave Chappell.

Lees sister, Shawne Lee, who lives in Brooklyn, told The Daily Beast she was still processing the news and that the family was not ready to speak.

Isaiah Lee is transported into an ambulance after comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage. THEODORE NWAJEI/Reuters

At the Comedy Store on Thursday night, Chappelle revealed more details about what happened after he was allegedly ambushed by Lee. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Chappelle asked to speak with Lee while he was detained by Los Angeles police. Lee allegedly told Chappelle that he wanted raise awareness about gentrification after his grandmother was forced out of her Brooklyn neighborhood. Chappelle noted that Lee appeared to be mentally ill.

Lees grandmother, Mama Joy Chatel, lived at 227 Duffield St. in Brooklyn, which once served as a stop along the Underground Railroad. In 2007, New York City tried to condemn the building under eminent domain, seeking to replace it with a parking garage. But after a protracted court battle, the property was landmarked in 2021 by then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Story continues

At an arraignment on Friday, Chappelles lawyer called in to request a protective order, which the judge granted, meaning Lee must stay at least 100 yards away from Chappelle at all times.

Lee appeared in court with his arm in a sling and pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanor charges that the Los Angeles City Attorneys Office filed after the district attorney declined to pursue felony charges. His bail was set at $30,000 and will reappear in court on May 20.

BREAKING: City Attorney Mike Feuer announces charges against Dave Chappelles alleged attacker. pic.twitter.com/OiMh8ZWftX  The Office of Mike Feuer, L.A. City Attorney (@CityAttorneyLA) May 5, 2022

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuers office charged Lee with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance, and commission of an act that delays an event or interferes with a performer.

This alleged attack has got to have consequences, Feuer said in video footage posted to his offices official Twitter account.

Lee was initially charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon but the district attorney dropped it when it later emerged Lee never brandished the modified replica gun.

with additional reporting by Justin Rohrlich

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
A large section of the Pointe du Hoc cliffs has collapsed on France's northern coast, damaging the site of a daring vertical assault by US Army Rangers on D-Day in 1944.

"Part of the outcrop overlooking the English Channel collapsed" on Friday, the American Battle Monuments Commission, which has cared for the site since 1956, said in a statement.

"No one was injured in the landslide, which fell into the sea, and there is no risk for visitors," it added.

An AFP photographer saw around 100 tourists present on a sunny day at the site in Normandy in northern France.

A force of 225 rangers scaled the cliffs on June 6, 1944 to destroy German artillery emplacements that threatened the Allied amphibious landings.

Ascending the 25-metre (82-foot) cliff face in foul weather and under German fire, just 90 of the attackers escaped unharmed.

"The base of the cliffs has become increasingly fragile over time," said Scott Desjardins, superintendent of Normandy American cemetery and the Pointe du Hoc.

"We continue to study the situation in order to find ways to mitigate the risk and preserve the site," he added.

Normandy conservation official Regis Leymarie said that collapses had been expected at the site as "these cliffs have been eroding since they were created".

"About 12 years ago, we agreed with the Americans and the French state that reinforcing the foot of the cliff should aim to slow the erosion but never to stop it," he added, saying that already by then "the site was no longer as it was in 1944".

Around 500,000 people each year visit the Pointe du Hoc, one of the most famous sites of World War II's massive D-Day landings.

The arrivals were the first step to freeing France and western Europe from Nazi German occupation.

mas-clc/tgb/ech/jv
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia will offer a second coronavirus booster shot to people aged 50 and over, the government said on Friday.

Colombia has reported just under 6.1 million confirmed coronavirus infections and 139,809 deaths, according to the Health Ministry.

The decision on a second booster comes after the Andean country of around 50 million people hit its target of fully vaccinating 70% of its population, the government said.

A second booster shot "will be important to keep protecting ourselves, saving lives, and giving confidence to the population," President Ivan Duque said in a statement.

Second boosters will consist of either a half dose of the Moderna vaccine or a full dose of the Pfizer vaccine, he added.

Those eligible for the second booster can get it four months after receiving their first, the government said.

The government in March had started to offer second boosters to those with autoimmune conditions and those who had received organ transplants.

Almost 11.9 million people have received a first booster shot, according to Health Ministry figures, while just over 19,000 have had a second booster.

(Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Leslie Adler)
A Georgia couple are on the run after an investigation into a fire that killed their 10-year-old daughter revealed signs of cruelty and neglect, according to Gwinnett County police.

William Linn McCue, 47, and Carina Wisniewski McCue, 38, both of Loganville, face charges of first- and second-degree child cruelty and false imprisonment, police said in a May 6 news release.

William Linn McCue (left) and Carina Wisniewski McCue are wanted on child cruelty charges, according to Gwinnett County police.

Authorities have said the fire was intentionally set by the girls 15-year-old brother on Easter Sunday. He is charged with murder, police said, and will be tried as an adult.

The couples last known location was at an extended-stay hotel on North Brown Road in Lawrenceville, and they were last seen driving a 2017 white Honda Accord with Georgia tag number CHB7385, police said. Efforts to reach them have been unsuccessful.

While investigating the fatal house fire, detectives said they uncovered harrowing signs that the couples children might be victims of child cruelty, the released reads. This prompted a separate investigation into the McCues.

Investigators pointed to unsanitary and dangerous living conditions inside the home, including camping-style buckets that served as toilets and to the showers and bathtubs that didnt appear to be working, police said.

They located a makeshift bed with bedding in the bathtub in the bathroom where the (10-year-old) victim was found deceased, according to authorities. The kitchen sink had been re-plumbed for the water from the faucet to go into a five-gallon bucket sitting on the floor.

In an affidavit, state investigators previously wrote that the children  five in all  hadnt attended school in years and hadnt bathed in months, McClatchy News reported.

Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call Gwinnett County police detectives at 770-513-5300, or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).

Teen sibling charged in house fire that killed 10-year-old sister, Georgia police say
Malcolm Walker, from Kirkcaldy, was left unable to depart on a cruise after having issues with the COVID Passport app. (SWNS)

A pensioner lost nearly 4,000 on a cruise after he and his wife were refused permission to board because he could not access the NHS COVID app.

Malcolm Walker, 75, missed the 11-day cruise to Portugal, Spain and Gibraltar with his wife on 18 April because he couldn't access the NHS Scotland COVID Status app proving that they were both triple jabbed.

He said staff refused to let the couple board, leaving them around 3,800 out of pocket for the cruise, insurance, travel to and from Southampton from their home in Kirkcaldy, Fife, as well as hotels and parking.

Walker said the app had been working the day before they were due to set sail but when they tried to board, was undergoing a security update which meant he couldnt access his vaccination status.

He said: Two days before and the day before I checked the COVID-19 status on my mobile phone and all was well until we reached Southampton."

Walker, 75, said he missed the 11-day cruise to Portugal, Spain and Gibraltar with his wife on 18 April because of the NHS Scotland Covid Status app. (SWNS)

But he said on the day of their departure, NHS Scotland increased a "verification level" on its app - meaning users need to have updated their iOS operating system to a certain level - which left the couple unable to access it on their older phones.

"Preparing to board, we were astounded to find that we could not access the app, so we were denied access to the cruise," he said.

Read more: Rundown beach chalet for sale for 350,000 - with no indoor toilet

The 75-year-old said he had previously tried to obtain paper copies of his and his wife's vaccination status without success because he didn't have his wife's email address.

He said he got no reply from the helpline number, but was able to access the app and assumed it would work for the cruise.

"This affair has cost me a lot of money," he added. "We have been in touch with our insurance company, but feel it is unfair for them to recompense us when the fault lies with the Scotlands NHS department and government.

"I would like an apology.

Story continues

"This happened because they did not inform people of their intentions, but upgraded, and altered the app without thought or consideration as to the possible consequences."

Walker claims he is around 3,800 out of pocket for the cruise, insurance, travel to and from Southampton from his home in Kirkcaldy, Fife, hotels, and parking. (SWNS)

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear of Mr Walkers experience.

"In common with all apps available on the iStore, the NHS Scotland Covid Status App is only available on phones which receive vital security updates and works on all Apple phones released since 2015, providing the user has updated the operating system to at least iOS 13.1.

"A recent routine security update required by Apple removed unsupported operating systems from being able to support the app.

"Anyone unable to use the app can get a paper copy of their vaccination certificate online or via the Covid Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565.
Four day care workers  including the owner of the center  were arrested after deputies said for years they gave melatonin to children to make them sleep longer in Tennessee.

Jaime Clark, Kristin Clark, Jordan Darnell and Ethan Pulley were arrested on May 5, according to a news release from the Stewart County Sheriffs Office.

Deputies said the four individuals arrested worked at MiMis Daycare  including the owner  in Indian Mound, about 73 miles northwest of Nashville. Deputies did not say which of the four individuals was the owner.

The day care center could not be reached for comment by McClatchy News.

An investigation into MiMis Daycares practices started after several parents filed complaints, according to the release.

Deputies said the investigation revealed day care workers were giving melatonin to children to make them sleep longer.

For more than two years, authorities believe about 26 children, ranging from infants to 6-year-olds, were affected.

Investigators said workers gave children about double the average dose of the sleeping aid, WSMV reported.

When they would pick them up, they would sleep all the way home and sometimes reports of children staying up most of the night, so their sleeping habits are off, an investigator told the outlet.

Jaime Clark, Kristin Clark and Darnell were charged with child abuse and neglect.

Deputies said the investigation is ongoing.

Day care used unknown medications to calm kids at nap time, Missouri officials say

Caregiver sprayed disinfectant to restrict patient with disability, SC officials say

School maintenance worker stole student medicine from nurses office, IL officials say

ICU nurse stole fentanyl meant for Florida patients, replaced it with saline, feds say
DeKalb County police are on the scene of a shooting incident that left a Family Dollar store employee in serious condition with a gunshot wound.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police said they were called out to the store on the 2500 block of Bouldercrest Road around 7:30 p.m. for a report of a person shot. When officers arrived, they found the store employee who was shot in the leg. The employee was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in what police termed serious condition.

Investigators believe this all started when several people went into the store and may have been attempting to shoplift. They said the employee tried to confront them, and one of the suspects pulled out a gun and fired.

TRENDING STORIES:

Dekalb police said all of the suspects ran away from the store and they have been searching the area trying to find them.

Channel 2 has a crew on the scene getting updates, watch WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. for the latest information.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Two men were arrested for trafficking methamphetamines after a high-speed chase ended in Salisbury on Thursday, according to the Rowan County Sheriffs Office.

Frederick Bishop Brown, 28, and Yusif Kali Kelley, 18, both of Highpoint, face felony drug charges after their arrest, deputies say.

ALSO READ: Traffic stop in Catawba County leads to massive drug bust

Deputies said they attempted to stop a car driven by Brown when he drove off at speeds of more than 100 mph. Kelley was a passenger in the car.

Before Brown could reach Interstate 85, deputies deployed Stop Sticks to slow the car. As Brown drove on the highway the tires began to fail, deputies said.

He exited the interstate at exit 76 onto Innes Street where he came to a stop and both men were taken into custody, deputies said.

Brown faces four charges including conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, trafficking methamphetamine by transport, trafficking methamphetamine by sale and felony flee to elude. He received a $250,000 bon

Kelley was charged with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and given a $100,000 bond.

The sheriffs office said Salisbury police and Homeland Security assisted with the investigation.

(WATCH BELOW: Man faces charges after police find explosives, drug lab inside Albemarle home)
Im not trying to make pop music. Im not trying to be like Madonna or anything like that, musician Daniel Villarreal-Carrillo said about his new record, Panama 77. Blending elements of psych rock, funk and improvisational jazz, the record is an artistic and creative achievement for an artist used to eschewing the spotlight while collaborating with others.

Work on Panama 77 began in 2019. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Villarreal-Carrillo split his time between the West Coast and Chicago. Hed make trips to visit his daughters who live in San Diego, then drive an hour up to Los Angeles, play music and occasionally DJ. One time, Villarreal-Carrillo (who also plays drums for the celebrated rock band Dos Santos) booked a live session in the lobby of the Freehand Hotel in Los Angeles. The live, mainly improvised performances with collaborators like guitarist Jeff Parker, Elliot Bergman of Wild Belle and Bardo Martinez of Chicano Batman were recorded by bassist Kellen Harrison. According to Villarreal-Carrillo, those sessions were the beginning motivation for him to do something for himself.

Advertisement

However, part of that momentum was put on pause once the events of 2020 began to unfold. Its been good and bad, probably like a lot of people. I think the main thing is just the flow of work was gone, Villarreal-Carrillo said. And then as a creative person, you were left alone. I dont have my peers and my community to keep creating and keep contributing to social gatherings or creating music and recording.

Musician Daniel Villarreal-Carrillo has a new album, "Panama 77," and also plays drums for the band Dos Santos. He splits his time between Chicago and Los Angeles. (Ariana Lebedev photo / HANDOUT)

Villarreal-Carrillo said the experience made him a little bit sad, but the feeling was only temporary. As a longtime member of other bands like Dos Santos and a frequent collaborator, he was used to working with other people on different projects. Now, forced isolation led Villarreal-Carrillo back to his own creations, sparking the desire to nurture a collection of music he could call his own.

Advertisement

When Im part of a band, I contribute with my drumming, my percussion, and also arranging or composing things together with a specific style of music or a specific theme, he explained. But with my record, I just wanted it to be a free, open-minded canvas. I dont want to tell people what to play.

That open-mindedness brought Villarreal-Carrillo back to Los Angeles around October 2020, where he recorded four live, outdoor sessions of new music on the patio of the International Anthem label co-founder Scottie McNiece. To make it work, Villarreal-Carrillo drove from Chicago to Los Angeles during the height of the pandemic with his set of drums, taking two COVID-19 tests along the way. Some of his Los Angeles collaborators included Martinez of Chicano Batman and guitarist Parker. Most important for Villarreal is creating a diverse, melting pot of a band that reflects an eclectic, all-inclusive spirit and motivation for making music.

I think Im very community-based, Villarreal-Carrillo added about his dedication to working with others. For great musicians, even if youre the best mind or the best leader, you need a team. You need to work with people. I feel like you can have the greatest idea, but eventually, even if you do it all by yourself in your bedroom, youre going to play it live. Its kind of like giving birth to something.

For Panama 77, everything was recorded live, a feat Villarreal-Carrillo said was best accomplished through his love of improvisation. Part of the appeal, he said, is the ability to break the traditional song structure. What feels good in the moment? What can come alive without the boundaries of conventional music-making practices?

Improvisation brings room for a song to keep growing. It would never get old, Villarreal-Carrillo added. Later, he worked with sound engineer Dave Vettraino from International Anthem to sculpt the live recordings into more cohesive songs.

Panama 77 is a densely layered record of abundance, evident from the warm introduction of Bella Vista to the skintight grooves and bright notes peppered throughout the single In/On. Charismatic and unique, Panama 77 is a perfect introduction to Villarreal-Carrillos strong ethos of community and musicality.

Its kind of an arc. It can be a little bit eclectic or experimental, but also have elements that might sound familiar to you or to others, Villarreal-Carrillo said. I wanted to take people on a journey.

Panama 77 is out May 20 on International Anthem.

Advertisement

Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
Ferdinand

Manila  In 1986, the Philippines ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos after 21 years of his authoritarian rule. His reign was brought to an end by a four-day peaceful mass-uprising. The world watched in amazement as the extremes of the dictator and his family's opulent lifestyle were revealed.

Now his son is poised to usher the family right back into the nation's highest office when Filipinos head to the polls on Monday.

"In the 1980s, as children were dying of hunger, Marcos decides to give four buildings to his wife Imelda in New York," said Ruben Carranza, former commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Governance, the agency tasked with finding and reclaiming Marcos' ill-gotten wealth for the people of the Philippines.

The economy went into recession during Marcos' final years. Foreign debt ballooned to more than $26 billion from less than $1 billion in 1965. The Marcos family is estimated to have robbed the country of somewhere between $5 billion and $10 billion during his time in control.

President Ferdinand Marcos talks to journalists during his campaign in his northern home province of Ilocos Norte, Laoag, Philippines, in this December 17, 1985 file photo. / Credit: Willie Vicoy/REUTERS

"At least $3 billion-worth of assets have been recovered, so it is a realistic estimate," Carranza told CBS News.

For years, these were considered established facts. But Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the former dictator's son who goes by his childhood nickname of "Bongbong," is now leading in pre-election polls. Analysts say Sara Duterte, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte and the mayor of Davao City, is helping shore up support for Marcos Jr. by joining him on the ticket as his pick for vice president.

Marcos Jr.'s critics have sought to highlight his lack of any political track-record, or a detailed platform, but he also seems to be riding a wave of nostalgia that has swept across the Philippine electorate. A disillusioned segment of society looks back on the Marcos years as a golden era for the country.

"My mother would always be mindful of the time, because there was a curfew," Geraldine Co, who was born during a period of Martial Law across the Philippines, told CBS News. "I remember how disciplined people were."

Story continues

Ferdinand

Co acknowledged the corruption under Marcos Jr.'s father, but said she considers it par for the course. She said she'd been inspired by the younger Marcos' message of unity  and turned off by what she perceives as negative campaigning by current Vice President Leni Robredo, Marcos Jr.'s main rival.

"When she challenged Bongbong to a debate, she wanted to talk about Marcos-related issues and not platforms," Co said, echoing sentiments from an op-ed written by a pro-Marcos blogger.

Marcos Jr. has benefited heavily from campaigning via social media. An analysis by Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN News showed posts about the Marcoses had garnered more than 700 million interactions on Facebook since 2016. Marcos content has also gained mounting traction on YouTube and TikTok.

"Prior to losing [his bid for] the vice-presidency in 2016, the strategy of Marcos Jr. was to distance himself from his father. It didn't work, so now he's whitewashing that legacy for him to use," communications professor and digital media researcher Fatima Gaw told CBS News.

One of the more outlandish examples of the efforts to obscure the true origins of Marcos Sr.'s wealth, and even to use that wealth as an incentive for voters in this election, is the gold bar story: The Marcos family's backers have for years spread a rumor that the late president was paid for legal services he provided to a royal Filipino clan in hundreds of tons of gold bars. Now a rumor has spread  and is believed by many of his backers  that Marcos Jr. plans to distribute all that gold to people across the country if he's voted in.

While Marcos Jr. himself does not criticize Robredo, his supporters have targeted her with hateful, sometimes deceitful content. There's been considerably more push back in recent days, but it's likely come too late to make a difference in the Monday election.

"There's fact-checks from journalists, but whoever believes that fact-check content are more likely Robredo supporters already," said Gaw.

Philippine Vice President and opposition presidential candidate Leni Robredo speaks to workers during a Labour Day event in Manila on May 1, 2022. / Credit: MARIA TAN/AFP/Getty

Robredo, who has no qualms about openly calling Marcos Jr. a liar and a thief, has gained considerable ground since she announced her run. Her rallies have attracted huge crowds and her army of campaign volunteers, including Denise Lopez, have been doing the rounds at markets, transit terminals and within communities.

Lopez has been reprinting and selling her pro-Robredo artwork on bags to fund her campaign activities. Last weekend, she spoke to motorcycle taxi drivers in the capital.

"Turns out they had just received help from Robredo. They were very open to listening to what we had to say," she told CBS News.

Campaign volunteer Denise Lopez (left) is seen in a selfie with Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo at a political rally. / Credit: Denise Lopez

But despite her growing support, Robredo is undoubtedly fighting an uphill battle.

"We're talking about more than 60 million voters, so even the biggest rallies are still a fraction of the total voters. Grand rallies may be an indication of a surge, or maybe not," political analyst Richard Heydarian told CBS News.

One thing most analysts agree on is that another Marcos presidency could mean that whatever remains of the family's ill-gotten wealth, remains with the family.

"He will not immediately abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government," predicted Carranza, the former PCGG commissioner. "He can even try to use it as a cover for clawing back ill-gotten wealth already recovered by the government."

Three dead in stabbing attack in Israel

States with legal abortion prepare for influx of patients

Jen Psaki introduces Karine Jean-Pierre as the new White House press secretary
A man on Juliette Road in Monroe County called the law the evening of April 18 and said his uncle was making threats. A sheriffs deputy spoke to the apparent victim, a 30-year-old. The deputy asked him to elaborate, which the victim proceeded to do.

The victim said he had been working on a Jeep at his grandmothers house. He said when a hose was loosened antifreeze poured out, and as the deputys report noted, the suspect got agitated.

The suspect was the victims uncle, 58. The nephew said the spill was an accident, but that his uncle was too upset and stated that he was going to beat (the nephews) ass. The uncle reportedly went on to say the nephew was lucky that he did not grab his pistol and blow his brains out.

The uncle allegedly chased the nephew and made further mention of bashing the victims brains out. The uncle spoke to the deputy later and said, yes, there had been a heated argument over spilled antifreeze. The uncle, though, said he did not know anything about making threatening statements.

Even so, after another witness corroborated the nephews story, the uncle was jailed on a charge of making terroristic threats.

Dispatches: According to a Bibb County arrest warrant, a 44-year-old man was jailed the evening of April 28 after allegedly urinating on the building in front of customers at the Krispy Kreme on North Avenue in east Macon. . . . A 25-year-old Atlanta woman at a house on Thrasher Circle on the citys southwest side was involved in a dispute April 28. Her arrest warrant noted that a verbal altercation had escalated. The womans sister told a Bibb County sheriffs deputy that she had invited her Atlanta sister and her sisters girlfriend over for dinner. After their meal, the warrant stated, they all had drinks and the Atlanta sister accused her sister and her sisters boyfriend of flirting with her girlfriend. The Atlanta sister reportedly attacked the Macon sister by pulling her hair, the warrant said. Further fighting ensued and the Macon sisters boyfriends ankle was broken. The Atlanta sister was jailed on battery and property damage charges.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. (Photo: Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection)

Warning: This post contains big spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Move over, Superman: Charlize Theron has leaped from the Fast & Furious-verse to the Marvel multiverse in a single bound. The Oscar-winning actress makes her surprise Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in a brief scene that appears in the middle of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's credit scroll. Keeping Theron's appearance top secret was a magic trick that would impress even Benedict Cumberbatch's perpetually sarcastic sorcerer. But the rushed nature of the scene also leaves it a little unclear as to which MCU citizen the Mad Max: Fury Road star is playing... or what she means to Stephen Strange's future.

Here's how her appearance goes down: Having saved the Multiverse from a rageful Scarlet Witch aka Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), Doctor Strange is back on his New York City home turf when his afternoon stroll is interrupted by Theron's costumed magic-wielder. The newcomer tells Stephen that he's inadvertently caused an "incursion"  the collision of two or more other universes. "We need to fix it  unless you're afraid," Theron says, as she opens a portal to another dimension. After a beat, Strange replies, "Not in the least," and the duo leap together into the void.

With a serious incursion to fix, it's perhaps not surprising that Theron's sorcerer didn't have time to introduce herself. But the film's closing credits reveal that she's playing Clea, who has been a Marvel Comics staple almost as long as Strange himself. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Clea made her inaugural appearance in a 1964 issue of Strange Tales, one year after Doctor Strange debuted in that same comic.

Clea in her Marvel Comics debut in a 1964 issue of Strange Tales. (Photo: Marvel Comics)

Born to a Dark Dimension prince and the sister of Strange's frequent nemesis, Dormammu, Clea becomes the Sorcerer Supreme of her dark realm and battles those magical obligations with her growing feelings for Stephen. The two even get married at one point, and remain connected up through Strange's recent death, at which point Clea took over the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Story continues

Not for nothing, but Cumberbatch's Strange is currently single and ready to mingle, having watched his former girlfriend, Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), walk down the aisle with another man. He also couldn't tempt an alternate version of Christine from Earth-838 to abandon her universe for good ol' Earth-616 where he and the rest of the MCU's terrestrial heroes dwell. That means that romance could blossom between Stephen and Clea while they're dealing with this pesky incursion.

Although Theron is currently busy filming Fast X, it'll be a minute before we see Cumberbatch back in Doctor Strange's cape. Marvel's upcoming slate is dominated by the likes of Thor, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy, which means Stephen and Clea likely wouldn't return until 2025 at the earliest. And Marvel fans are already eagerly anticipating that possible love connection.

#MultiverseOfMadness SPOILER

-

-

-

-

-

-

Charlize Theron as Clea. I WON AGAIN  meg solo || multiverse of madness era (@thirteensharon) May 6, 2022

MAJOR dr strange spoilers ////

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

ok but having charlize theron as clea appear in the mid credits scene was the cherry on top of a near perfect sundae  gillian (@ahsokavaders) May 5, 2022

#DoctorStrange SPOILERS!!!



Charlize Theron is CLEA!!!!! THERON AND CUMBERBATCH IN THE MCU!!!!!   Nina (@bfraane1s) May 6, 2022

#MultiverseOfMadness SPOILER

-

-

-

-

-

-

Charlize Theron as Clea. I WON AGAIN  meg solo || multiverse of madness era (@thirteensharon) May 6, 2022

But Theron's cameo isn't the only surprise that Marvel's mad multiverse has in store  here are other Easter eggs from Sam Raimi's blockbuster sequel.

Professor X marks the spot

We had a feeling Sir Patrick Stewart was playing mind games with us when he professed ignorance about who Doctor Strange was a few months ago. And, as teased, the X-Men star returned as the version of Professor Charles Xavier who lives on Earth-838, the universe where much of the action in Multiverse of Madness plays out.

Here's Patrick Stewart with the perfect response to those #DoctorStrange rumors.  pic.twitter.com/oFsXvalKPJ  Ethan Alter (@ethanalter) February 24, 2022

It's worth noting that Xavier doesn't appear at his school for mutants in this corner of the multiverse. Instead, he's part of the Illuminati, a clandestine group of heroes who keep close tabs on their brethren and take action when they tip in a Dark Side direction. Joining the good professor on this council are a few other familiar Marvel faces in slightly different forms. Hayley Atwell's super-spy Peggy Carter is back in the super-powered form of Captain Carter, a character who made her first appearance on the Disney+ animated series, What If?.

Also present is Lashana Lynch's Maria Rambeau  friend of Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel  who in this reality became Captain Marvel herself. And then there's Anson Mount's Black Bolt, rescued from the obscurity of the little-watched (for good reason) TV series Inhumans and gifted with what can only be described as a lungbuster of a death scene.

But there's one face you haven't seen before... and it's the movie's second-biggest casting coup after Charlize Theron.

Threat Level Fantastic

Somewhere in the multiverse, there's an Earth where John Krasinski was Marvel's Captain America instead of Chris Evans. The Office star has often talked about his failed audition to play the star-spangled Avenger, which happened around the same time that his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, missed out on playing Black Widow. In recent years, MCU stans have taken to fancasting the couple as Reed Richards and Sue Storm, the leaders of Marvel's original super-team, the Fantastic Four.

Multiverse of Madness delivers on one-half of that promise as Krasinski appears alongside the rest of the Illuminati as Earth-838's Reed Richards. And, not surprisingly, people are already hoping this means he's confirmed for future adventures.

John Krasinski came a long way from The Office to #MultiverseOfMadness G.O.A.T pic.twitter.com/pyogeUAMhc    (@izelda23) May 6, 2022

Ive seen the John Krasinski/Reed Richards fan cast so much and for so long that I honestly forgot whether hed actually already played him #MultiverseOfMadness pic.twitter.com/9YIeD1c8aB  kayla (@justafan_321) May 6, 2022

Marvel needs to get John Krasinski to direct Fantastic Four & star as Reed Richards  Snow in the Multiverse of Madness (@SnowTheEnby) May 6, 2022

*****Spoiler Alert*****



I hope @MarvelStudios has @johnkrasinski continue as its main variant of Reed Richards.



That little bit we got of him in #MultiverseOfMadness was Fantastic and we need more.  Cowhead_87 (@GW020187) May 6, 2022

If Krasinki does suit up again, it won't be as the 838 Richards. That's because he and the rest of the Illuminati don't survive their encounter with the Scarlet Witch, who dispatches each of them in gleefully gruesome fashion. (For the record, this is Stewart's third Marvel death scene after Professor X was previously killed off in X-Men: The Last Stand and again in Logan.) In Mr. Fantastic's case, he's literally stretched past his breaking point and turned into fantastic ribbons. Where's Agent Michael Scarn when you need him?

Third Eye Blind

Doctor Strange's third eye opens. (Photo: Marvel Comics)

In the sorcerer game, three eyes are better than two. The comic book version of Doctor Strange has long had a third pupil courtesy of the Eye of Agamotto, a mystical relic with the power to cut through illusions. (The MCU version was previously seen in original Doctor Strange as a home for the Time Stone, the Infinity Stone that allows users to manipulate the timestream.) Now, his cinematic counterpart  two of them, in fact  open their own third eyes during the course of Multiverse of Madness.

Only one of these Stranges uses this power for good, though, and it's not the 616 version. En route to his final confrontation with Wanda, our Stephen crosses paths with a sinister counterpart from an incursion-destroyed world. Fueled by the Darkhold, a book overflowing with evil spells, this Strange is in the full throes of madness and lashes out with all the powers at his disposal, including a third eye.

Fortunately, the 616 Strange prevails in the ensuing battle, and subsequently uses the Darkhold to defeat the Scarlet Witch without any apparent consequences. But in the final shot of the film, his own third eye snaps open while he's walking down the street and he understandably freaks the hell out... along with the audience.

When the third eye popped up #DoctorStrange - pic.twitter.com/WoEf3x2tBc  Maha Chishtey (@mchishtey) May 6, 2022

i will be doctor strange and release my third eye in the middle of the street  eli (@elirinne) May 6, 2022

me whenever i see doctor stranges third eye pic.twitter.com/8RcOSPSp8l  stella (@sapphiclorna) May 6, 2022

Don't worry, though: Strange hasn't gone and broken bad. By the time Clea appears in the mid-credits scene, he's able to open that eye on command, suggesting that he's got it under control. For now, at least.

Hail to the Pizza Poppa, baby

It's not a Sam Raimi comic book movie without Bruce Campbell making life difficult for its central superhero. After repeatedly messing with Tobey Maguire's wall-crawler in Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, the director's Evil Dead leading man now sets his sights on Doctor Strange. Campbell appears in Multiverse of Madness as the Pizza Poppa, a street corner pizza ball vendor in Earth-838. While most street food is free in that universe, you gotta pay the Poppa to sample his wares, which Strange's traveling companion, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), learns the hard way when she and the sorcerer attempt to walk away without handing over any cash.

Understandably annoyed at the lack of compensation, the vendor starts berating the duo, leading Strange to cast a spell that turns the Pizza Poppa into the Punchdrunk Poppa as he's repeatedly hit in the face by his own fist. It's an homage to a classic gag from 1987's Evil Dead 2, and provides the film with a killer post-credits joke where the hex finally wears off. "It's over," Campbell says, referring to both the film and a callback 35 years in the making.

So when will the Pizza Poppa stand on the Avengers Campus at California Adventure open?  Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) May 6, 2022

Gonna dress up as Pizza Poppa for Halloween next year  Camalamadingdong (@DelawareSmashed) May 6, 2022

So happy it ended well for Pizza Poppa #BadAshGoodAsh  Stephanie Sunseri (@schmitttyschmit) May 6, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is playing in theaters now.
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Fiji authorities searching a yacht they seized on behalf of the United States as it presses Russia over the invasion of Ukraine have found documents implicating its suspected owner, Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, in breaking U.S. law, the FBI said.

The Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13, after an 18-day voyage from Mexico, and has since been the focus of a U.S. bid to seize it as part of U.S. sanctions against Russia.

Fiji police and FBI agents seized the Amadea at a wharf on Thursday, two days after a Fiji court granted a U.S. warrant that linked it to money laundering.

Fiji's High Court on Friday refused a stay application by the vessel's registered owner, Millemarin Investments, to stop U.S. authorities removing it from Fiji, Fiji's public prosecutor said in a statement.

The $300 million superyacht had been handed over to U.S. authorities, it said.

The FBI said in an affidavit attached to the U.S. seizure warrant that Fiji authorities had found documents on the Amadea showing breaches of U.S. law because Kerimov was sanctioned by the United States in 2018.

"There is probable cause to believe that Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit caused U.S. dollar transactions for the operation and maintenance of the Amadea to be sent through U.S. financial institutions, after a time which Kerimov was designated by the Treasury Department," the FBI said.

The vessel had running costs of $25 million to $30 million, it said.

Lawyers for its registered owner, Cayman Islands company Millemarin Investments, have denied it is owned by Kerimov. The vessel's lawyer, Feizal Haniff, declined to comment to Reuters on Friday.

The U.S. alleges Kerimov has beneficially owned the Amadea since August 2021 but evidence for this claim was redacted in the warrant.

The FBI said the Amadea had tried to avoid being seized "almost immediately" after Russian troops entered Ukraine.

Story continues

"Amadea turned off its automated information systems (AIS) on February 24, 2022, almost immediately after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," the FBI said.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.

The vessel's paperwork showed the next destination would be the Philippines but the FBI believed it was headed to the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok.

Many Russian oligarchs have attempted to move their yachts to Russia to escape U.S. sanctions since March, the FBI said.

The U.S. Justice Department's Taskforce KleptoCapture has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under strain in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, commenting on the seizure of the Amadea in Fiji, said in a statement: "The FBI, along with our international partners, will continue to seek out those individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russia's malign activities and ensure they are brought to justice, regardless of where, or how, they attempt to hide."

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham;Editing by Robert Birsel)
NEW YORK (AP)  A hit-and-run driver pleaded guilty Friday in a suburban New York a suburban New York crash that killed the father of Nicki Minaj and was promised a year or less in jail, disappointing prosecutors and the hip hop star's mother.

In state court in Long Island's Nassau County, businessman Charles Polevich admitted leaving the scene of the February 2021 accident that fatally injured Robert Maraj as he walked along a road in Mineola.

Polevich initially got out of his car and looked at the injured man on the ground, but then drove off, didn't call 911, garaged his car and covered it with a tarp, authorities said. Polevich pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence by concealing the car.

Maraj, 64, died at a hospital the next day.

Judge Howard Sturim said Polevich would get no more than one year in jail, along with community service and a suspended license. The 71-year-old is due to be sentenced Aug. 3.

The victim's widow, Carol Maraj, told reporters she was not happy with the planned sentence. The widow, who is suing Polevich, said seeing him in court left her shaking at the memory of her husband fighting for his life in the hospital.

Prosecutors, who sought a one-to-three-year prison sentence, also took issue with the planned penalty.

Given the severity of the defendants conduct, we disagree with the sentencing commitment from the court, Nassau County District Attorneys office spokesperson Brendan Brosh said in a statement.

Polevich's lawyer, Marc Gann, called the hit-and-run completely out of character for his client, who hails from Long Island but has a drilling and water purification business in Guam.

He does feel tremendous empathy for Mr. Maraj's family and tremendous remorse for any role he played in his death, Gann said by phone after court. He suggested that Polevich might have had a medical problem that made him not fully aware of what he was doing, while noting that it wasn't a legal justification.

Story continues

Messages were sent to representatives for Nicki Minaj, who called her father's death the most devastating loss of my life in a post on her website last year.

The platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated rapper  known for tracks including Anaconda, Starships and Super Bass  was born Onika Tanya Maraj.

In interviews years ago, she described a troubled relationship with her father. But she later said he had changed.

After his death, she wrote about wishing she could pick up the phone and talk to him.

"He was very loved & will be very missed, she wrote.
Hoops Hype

Will Jeanie Buss ever consider selling the Lakers? What do you think? "In terms of selling the team, I'm not going anywhere. This is exactly what my dad asked me to do," she said, adding, "The team is not for sale." She said it's about far more than ...
County Attorney Larry Roberts has served our community well for the 15 years hes been in office, collecting childcare payments and delinquent taxes, along with big cases such as the successful property tax fight with Walgreens that affected the entire state.

But in the past year, its become clear that its time for a change in this important role. Lexington is fortunate that an excellent candidate is ready to step into the role, and thats why the Herald Leader is endorsing attorney Angela Evans in the Democratic primary for County Attorney.

Roberts seems unwilling and unable to process a new era of race relations in a job in which they are crucial. He appears to be holding a grudge against two Lexington sisters, Sarah Williams and April Taylor, who organized and led Lexingtons largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protests for weeks in the summer of 2020. Thanks to their leadership, Lexington saw hardly any of the violence or property destruction of other cities; thanks to their thoughtful articulation of the issues, Lexington has started to adopt many of the ideas they championed. Near the end of the protests, the sisters were arrested and charged with inciting a riot, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, despite the fact there was were no riots.

In numerous other cities, prosecutors dropped charges against BLM protesters, but Roberts refused to extend the same grace in the sisters cases. Taylor accepted a plea deal and got probation; Williams is planning on a July trial facing charges of inciting a riot, disorderly conduct and disregarding traffic regulations, according to court records. A saga over jaywalking is now almost two years old, which is not a good use of taxpayer time or money.

In his interview with the editorial board, Roberts, 78, seemed angry that the sisters had set up a bail fund for anyone arrested during the protests. That is not the same as inciting a riot. He has also discussed details of Williams case in public forums, a breach of information he usually disdains. He appeared to dig his heels in further after editorials and a Black minister group appealed to him to drop the charges.

Story continues

When pressed about his views on racial justice, he talked about Black employees he has hired in his office. Roberts is very proud of his offices history of diversion, a practice he admirably practices to help defendants avoid jail time, but seemed unable to describe exactly what it entails.

Thats one reason Angela Evans believes his office needs a complete audit with results shared publicly so the community can understand exactly what the County Attorneys office does and how it spends a nearly $4 million annual budget.

Its a new era in criminal justice with the reforms that have been going on, Evans told the editorial board. We need transparency in finding out, what are the most common charges that people are entering guilty pleas to? We have diversion programs, so what are the charges that people are entering that qualify for those? We dont know who is afforded those opportunities to have their records remain clean, and how the money is used.

Evans, 46, has a rich and diverse legal background starting with her work as a law clerk for Judge Lewis Paisley. She was a public defender, then moved to Frankfort where she worked as legal counsel for the Secretary of State and as an assistant Attorney General who represented the states licensing boards. She returned to private practice and was appointed to Lexingtons Urban County Council. She left Lexington for a year at Princeton University earning a masters degree in public policy. She has a deep understanding of budgets and bureaucracies at state and local levels.

Kentucky was initially a pioneer on criminal justice reform, but it appears to be going backward on bail and bond, Evans pointed out. I want to be a voice to push forward the idea that there are new ways to do things, she said. Theres still an unfairness in the system that keeps people feeling that justice isnt really served.

Shes right. The job of County Attorney is too important to remain mired in traditions and crusty mindsets when it can be a bellwether in criminal justice policy. As Lexington takes its first steps forward into a new era, we believe that Angela Evans will be an excellent person to help it along as County Attorney.
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the Russian military's General Staff, September 13, 2021. Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ex-US officials said the Biden administration needs to "shut-up" about intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

This came after a NYT report said US intel was helping Ukraine kill Russian generals.

A veteran diplomat said discussing intelligence used for targeting would bolster Putin's propaganda about Russia being a victim.

Former US officials and diplomats in recent days have sharply criticized the Biden administration over a New York Times report based on conversations with senior officials that said US intelligence was helping Ukraine kill Russian generals.

"Shut up about it," John Sipher, a former CIA officer who served in Russia, said in a tweet on the Times report.

Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, in a tweet responding to Sipher said, "Exactly. No one should be talking to press about such things."

Striking a similar tone, former US diplomat Aaron David Miller tweeted that the "whole shift in tone" following Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to Ukraine is "worrisome."

"Weakening Russia; winning; and now stories @NYT about killing Russian generals. Why can't we just shut up?" Miller said.

The intel-sharing reports by the NYT and NBC News suggested, without specifying, that the US shared intelligence so precise  such as high-resolution images or transmissions made by radars or radios  that the Ukrainian military could use it to plan strikes. The NYT reported that the "White House finds some value in warning Russia that Ukraine has the weight of the United States and NATO behind it," but the Pentagon insisted that it doesn't provide the location of Russian generals to Ukraine and has no role in Ukrainian decisions about where to strike.

After a trip to Kyiv last month, Austin told reporters, "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."

Story continues

Austin's frank comments came a few weeks after President Joe Biden was accused of calling for regime change in Russia after he said Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power." The White House scrambled to clarify the Biden's remarks, stating, "The president's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia or regime change."

Following up on Austin's comments, a National Security Council spokesperson in a statement to CNN said, "We want Ukraine to win," adding, "One of our goals has been to limit Russia's ability to do something like this again, as Secretary Austin said. That's why we are arming the Ukrainians."

The Russian warship "Moskva" ("Moscow"), a Slava class guided missile cruiser, off the Black Sea shore in 2014. Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

On the heels of the bombshell Times story, a separate report from NBC News said that US intelligence also helped Ukraine sink the Moskva  a guided missile cruiser and the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet.

Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and president of the Council on Foreign Relations, in a tweet responding to reports on the Moskva said he couldn't "fathom why US officials are discussing US helping Ukraine sink Russian ships or kill its generals."

Haass warned that "this bolsters Putin's narrative that Russia is a victim" while distracting "attention from the reality of Russian aggression and its incompetence vs Ukraine."

The Biden administration has forcefully pushed back on the notion it has explicitly provided intelligence to Ukraine for the purpose of taking out specific people or targets.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson on Wednesday said the Times report was framed in an "irresponsible" way.

"The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country. We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals," Watson added.

Similarly, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby on Thursday said the US doesn't "provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military."

Kirby in a statement said the US didn't provide Ukraine "specific targeting information for the Moskva," per NBC.

"We were not involved in the Ukrainians' decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out," Kirby went on to say, adding, "We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's intent to target the ship. The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case."

The Biden administration said the reports on US intel sharing were a result of leaks. "Leaks like this and stories like this, they're unhelpful to the effort to help Ukraine defend itself," Kirby told CNN on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov seemed to brush off the reports on US intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

The Russian military is "well aware that the United States, Great Britain and NATO as a whole are constantly transmitting intelligence and other parameters to the Ukrainian armed forces," Peskov told reporters on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Peskov said that the intelligence sharing, combined with the weapons the West is giving Ukraine, doesn't "contribute to the quick completion" of Russia's war. But he added that it also won't hinder Russia's ability to achieve its goals in Ukraine.

Contrary to Peskov's claims, which were in line with Moscow's rosy propaganda on the war, the Russian military has struggled to make any significant gains in Ukraine since Putin ordered the invasion in late February. Russia is estimated to have lost up to 15,000 troops. After failing to take Kyiv, Russia has turned its attention to the eastern Donbas region.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg reportedly called the result "the best possible outcome in Australia"

Facebook deliberately used an over-zealous blocking system that took down the pages of Australian emergency services last year as a negotiating tactic, whistleblowers claim.

The social network moved to block all news outlets in Australia over a row about paying news providers.

But fire services and state health services were also blocked, during fire season and Australia's vaccine rollout.

Facebook says blocking other pages had been an honest mistake.

Former employees, backed by the Whistleblower Aid charity, say the company intentionally "over-blocked" Australian pages at a critical time to gain leverage over the Australian government.

"It was clear this was not us complying with the law, but a hit on civic institutions and emergency services in Australia," one employee who worked on the project said, in submissions to Australian and US authorities and reported first by The Wall Street Journal.

A 'crude' algorithm

The high-profile row kicked off in February last year, when lawmakers were in the middle of voting on a landmark bill that would have forced social networks to pay news organisations for the content they used on their platforms.

The day after the first vote, Facebook took down all news pages in Australia - and many that had nothing to do with news.

Within days, the government struck a deal with the tech giant and the ban was lifted.

Documents provided by whistleblowers to the Wall Street Journal reportedly show the company did not use its long-standing database of news organisations, but instead built a new "crude" algorithm that would label any page that shared 60% news content as a news provider.

Internal planning documents also allegedly showed that the takedown was pre-planned to be ready before an appeals process for errors - something that whistleblowers said was not a normal process.

Story continues

Employees raised concerns on internal messages, the documents show - worrying about "the damage this is doing to Facebook's reputation" and urging a "proactive" fix.

In response to another post on employee concerns, a product manager wrote: "guidance from the policy and legal team has been to be over-inclusive and refine as we get more information."

Australian users were greeted with this message for several days in February last year

The WSJ's documents also suggest that Facebook was making an effort to exclude government pages, and pages had their ban reversed within days.

After Australian officials agreed to change the law to effectively exempt Facebook from being forced to negotiate with individual publishers, the company's top officials congratulated staff, the WSJ reported.

Founder Mark Zuckerberg said it was "the best possible outcome in Australia", while senior executive Sheryl Sandberg praised the "precision of execution".

Facebook parent company Meta denies the substance of the whistleblowers' claims.

"The documents in question clearly show that we intended to exempt Australian government pages from restrictions in an effort to minimize the impact of this misguided and harmful legislation," a statement read.

"When we were unable to do so as intended due to a technical error, we apologised and worked to correct it. Any suggestion to the contrary is categorically and obviously false."

Whistleblower Aid's chief executive, Libby Liu, said that Facebook has "enormous power" over information.

In this case, they used that power in a way that threatened public safety during fire season and in the midst of a global pandemic," she said.

Whistleblower Aid also represented Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee who provided thousands of internal documents that formed the basis of a Wall Street Journal series on the social media giant last year.

The revelations led to Facebook executives and Haugen being called to testify before regulators and politicians worldwide.

Correction 9 May: This article has been amended to remove the incorrect assertion that the Wall Street Journal was in a partnership with Whistleblower Aid when it ran its series based on documents from Frances Haugen.
Riccardo Muti takes a bow after conducting members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as they performed Florence Price's Symphony No. 3. at Chicago Symphony Center on May 5, 2022. Price, an Arkansan who worked in Chicago and eventually retired downstate, was became the first Black woman to have a symphonic work performed by a major orchestra when the CSO played her Symphony No. 1 for the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair exposition. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Until Thursday, it had been nearly 90 years after Florence B. Price became the first Black woman to have a symphonic work performed by a major orchestra: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, her hometown ensemble.

Thats almost 90 years since the Chicago Daily News declared that piece, her Symphony No. 1, worthy of a place in the regular symphonic repertory. And nearly 60 since Prices daughter, writing to the CSO after her mothers death, implored them to reprise the symphony. According to musicologist Douglas Shadle  who is co-writing a Price biography with pianist and scholar Samantha Ege (Oxford University Press)  the orchestra passed on the opportunity.

Advertisement

The simplistic narrative of Price, unfortunately dominant, is that she was recently rediscovered alongside a cache of her scores moldering in her former St. Anne, Illinois summer home. But Price was never forgotten. Her work has long been celebrated in music programs at historically Black colleges and universities and by her fellow Chicago Black Renaissance luminaries. The same year Prices daughter petitioned the CSO, a Kenwood elementary school (now shuttered) was named in her mothers honor. Despite his own struggles to break into the white musical mainstream, William Grant Still  who grew up just a few blocks away from Prices family in Little Rock, Arkansas  also advocated for and arranged the elder composers music.

Advertisement

One wonders what Prices champions would have thought on Thursday, hearing her music and her Symphony No. 3 fill not just Orchestra Hall but the entire Symphony Center complex. Her string quartets, performed by Civic Orchestra fellows and young musicians from the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, resounded in the rotunda and upstairs ballroom before the concert. Before that, a preconcert panel of Price scholars and current CSO composer-in-residence Jessie Montgomery discussed the symphonists remarkable life and even more remarkable music.

From left, Dr. Toni-Marie Montgomery, Dr. Douglas W. Shadle, Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle and Jessie Montgomery, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Mead Composer-in-Residence, attend a discussion panel before members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Florence Price's Symphony No. 3., at the Chicago Symphony Center on May 5, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Civic Orchestra member Dylan Feldpausch performs in the Grainger Ballroom before members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Florence Price's Symphony No. 3., at the Chicago Symphony Center on May 5, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Music director Riccardo Muti addressed Prices and other Black composers long CSO caesura with an impassioned if frank statement from the stage, as he did when he last conducted Prices music in September.

Human beings are, many times, stupid, Muti told the crowd, to applause. We played last weeks music of (Jessie Montgomery) and this evenings composers because they have written  and wrote  very good music, not for other reasons.  The musicians of the Chicago Symphony believe in what they are playing.

And you could hear it. The CSO strings savored William Grant Stills Mother and Child, a tender seven-minute work originally composed for violin and piano and never before played by the orchestra. Singing lines and lush harmonies briefly give way to short, fitful solos by violin and viola, played with febrile intensity by concertmaster Robert Chen and guest principal violist Ben Ullery. After entrancing with its full bloom, the CSOs Mother and Child wafted into niente, led batonless  as was the whole evening  by Muti. The reverent silence which followed was, for many seconds, broken only by a smattering of approving hums from the audience.

In a rare doubleheader, the CSO pairs Prices symphony with one by Beethoven in these concerts: his Symphony No. 4, overlooked mostly for the misfortune of having been written between his Eroica and famous Fifth. The Fourth is subtle, smart, craftsmanly  a hard sell alongside its hummable, heaven-shaking siblings. The furrowed-brow Beethoven has always been easier to program, and Thursday saw plenty of that, too, with Muti and the CSO opening the concert with a dramatic, texturally rich Egmont Overture.

The Fourth which followed was characteristically unhurried, as is Mutis wont in Beethovens symphonies. Nonetheless, it reminded one anew of the underrated riches in that score: deft harmonic twists, unconventional French horn tags in its inner movements, and a special deference to the orchestras middle voices. (Ups to principal bassoonist Keith Buncke, who nailed the symphonys fleet, attentive writing for that instrument.) Strings handily volleyed the symphonys call-and-response motives in the first movement and kept things churning in the second with their dotted-rhythm motor. What slackness overcame the third-movement Minuet vanished before a very Sturm-und-Drang final movement, the CSO responding nicely to Mutis eager restlessness.

Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Florence Price's Symphony No. 3., at the Chicago Symphony Center on May 5, 2022 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Nor were Beethovens and Prices symphonies strange bedfellows. The two works are remarkably simpatico: Both are overshadowed by their creators more popular and explicitly programmatic symphonies but stand alone in their understated ingenuity. Prices symphonies all replace the third-movement minuet and trio sanctified by the European classical tradition with the rhythm of a patting juba, the stepping and slapping dance pioneered by captive Africans when their enslavers banned percussion instruments. Beethovens minuet riffs on the dance form by adding a second trio, and Price similarly inserts two sultry Andantino interludes for muted trumpet and xylophone (played redolently on Thursday by Esteban Batallan and Cynthia Yeh) in her own Juba.

Symphony and interpreters were similarly well-matched. Mutis affinity for Prices musical language was apparent even in her single-movement Andante moderato earlier this season. That only multiplied in his leadership of Prices Third, whose intricate details and thoughtful transitions often outshone the Philadelphia Orchestras recent Grammy-winning recording of the same work.

Advertisement

And Prices sumptuous but strong-boned orchestration spotlighted every section in the orchestra. CSO brass played the expansive chorale at symphonys beginning with the godlike growl of storm clouds, strings called back to the caramelized sweetness of Stills Mother and Child in the second-movement Andante, and an augmented percussion section spiritedly evoked the Jubas rhythmic complexity.

In perhaps her most obvious nod to symphonic convention, Price concludes with a brilliant, almost march-like fourth movement. Alongside the rest of the symphony, it could seem to be requisite pyrotechnics.

But something about it lodged in this reviewers throat, then sent their lower-balcony view of the orchestra swimming. Maybe it was the way the orchestras mighty declarations resounded off Orchestra Halls arches, this venue and ensemble Price knew so well. She should have been here to hear this. Were it not for the whims of others now also long gone, she could have.

But the fourth movement is defiant. It is determined. Its final chords had not finished echoing when all of Orchestra Hall  then, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra itself  stood for Florence Price.

Program repeats 8 p.m. Saturday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave, tickets $35-$275. For more information visit cso.org or call patron services at 312-294-3000.

Update: This story has been changed to revise the account of the CSOs correspondence with Prices daughter.

Advertisement

Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer.

The Rubin Institute for Music Criticism helps fund our classical music coverage. The Chicago Tribune maintains complete editorial control over assignments and content.
Associated Press

A Minnesota woman has been arrested and charged in the death of her newborn who was abandoned at a lake nearly 20 years ago, and in a criminal complaint acknowledged abandoning another newborn whose body was found in the Mississippi River years earlier, state and local officials said Monday. Investigators used advances in DNA technology and genealogical research to link the newborns to the woman, and community donations helped to pay for testing to resolve the cold case. Jennifer Matter, 50, of Red Wing, was charged with second-degree murder in the 2003 death of a newborn boy whose body was found in Frontenac on the shore of Lake Pepin, a body of water on the Mississippi River.
The FBI allegedly has been stripping employees of security clearances for attending then-president Donald Trumps Stop the Steal rally on January 6, 2021.

The claims were made public in a letter by Congressman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, to FBI director Christopher Wray, first obtained by the New York Post. The letter cites the claims of several whistleblowers, who had allegedly spoken to Republicans on the committee, and notes that the Department of Justice inspector general has opened an investigation into potential violations of civil-service laws. It was unclear whether the whistleblowers had spoken to the inspector general or to Jordan.

While FBI employees may not participate in partisan political campaigns, [they] do not give up their rights to engage in political speech activity, wrote Jordan. We have serious concerns that the FBI appears to be retaliating against employees for engaging in political speech disfavored by FBI leadership, he added.

The employees in question were said to have merely attended Trumps rally, while they were on official leave, and did not enter the U.S. Capitol, which was stormed by many attendees of that rally later that day. Jordan also mentioned the name of the primary whistleblower, though it was redacted in the publicly released document. The whistleblower is described as a 20-year veteran of the FBI and U.S. military.

Jordan noted that the FBIs actions could result in the administrative termination of the individuals employment, because the Bureau requires top-secret security clearances of most of its employees. He has asked the FBI to brief the committee on the matter by May 20.

For the past year, the FBI has been investigating the storming of the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the certification of Electoral College votes by Congress following the 2020 election. The incident occurred after Trump held a rally at the Ellipse, south of the White House, where he called on supporters to oppose the certification. Trump had claimed that the election had been stolen from him, though no evidence has emerged to support this claim. He was later impeached yet acquitted by Congress for his statements.

Story continues

Though Trump is not reported to be under investigation, several hundred of his supporters who entered the grounds have been charged with a variety of offenses, including criminal trespassing and vandalism.

More from National Review
U.S. Marshals

The getaway car Alabama prison guard Vicky White used to escape with a murder inmate has been found about 100 miles away in Tennessee, a small breakthrough in the escalating manhunt for the missing pair.

Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, who are not related, had developed a special relationship before she signed him out of lockup a week ago under the guise of taking him to a court appointment that actually did not exist.

Authorities say the two had unusual contact since 2020 that included her giving him extra food and privileges and the two of them talking on the phone while he was at another facility.

She sold her house recently and withdrew $90,000 in cash in the days before the extraordinary escape, the Lauderdale County District Attorney told ABC News. Investigators also received a tip from a car dealer that she recently bought a 2007 orange or copper-colored Ford Edge. After the pair left the Lauderdale County prison in Vickys patrol car, they drove about 10 minutes to a shopping mall, dumped the patrol car, and switched to the SUV, Sheriff Rick Singleton previously said.

U.S. Marshals

But Singleton feared they would dump that car as well after a local police department prematurely released a description of it before investigators could use license-plate readers and other techniques to try to track it down.

On Friday, he said the pair, who had a jailhouse romance, had actually ditched the car last Fridaybefore authorities even realized theyd abscondedbut it sat in a tow yard for a week before anyone realized.

It was found last Friday abandoned in a rural area off Interstate 65 near Bethesda, Tennessee, just a two-hour drive from the Alabama prison the Whites fled from. It was towed the same day but no one made the connection until Thursday night.

They found the car before we even knew they were gone, Singleton said.

Photos showing patches of the vehicle had been spray painted over, possibly to hide dings noted by authorities during public appeals for information.

Story continues

Lauderdale County Sheriffs Department

As the manhunt stretches into its second week, federal officials also released new photos that could be used to identify the Whites.

One set of pictures shows what Vicky White, who was set to retire as Lauderdale Countys deputy director of corrections on the day she vanished, might look like if she dyed her blond locks or wore a dark wig.

The other set contains photos of the tattoos all over the body of Casey White, 38, who was serving a 75-year sentence for a violent crime spree and awaiting trial after confessing to a 2015 murder.

The hulking escapees body art includes some tats linked to the white supremacist prison gang Southern Brotherhood, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

U.S. Marshals

Casey White, who stands 6-foot-9 to Vickys 5-foot-5, is considered extremely dangerous. Aside from having access to Vickys service firearm, Casey is also thought to have access to an AR-15 rifle and a shotgun.

Investigators have learned that during pre-sentence reporting in 2015 he made threats against his ex-girlfriend and her sister, warning that if he ever got out, he would kill them and that he wanted police to kill him, the Marshals said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
Filipino American group US Filipinos for Good Governance (USFGG) launched a website dedicated to exposing pro-Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. trolls on Facebook after the presidential candidate urged critics to find me one last week.



Aiming to fight disinformation in the Philippines, USFGG identified 102 troll accounts using artificial intelligence and public data.



The trolls purportedly coordinate with each other to spread disinformation about presidential candidate and current Vice President Leni Robredo.



Our country has become extremely polarized through vigorous troll activity, USFGG Washington D.C. coordinator Eric Lachica said. Trolls have found fertile ground in weakly regulated social media to saturate the public with disinformation. These lies have been allowed to spread through Facebook for years. Having the presidency decided based on lies that rewrite history and hide the fact that much of this troll activity is state-sponsored would be a tragedy.



Robredo has been the top target of disinformation, while Marcos, the son of former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is the top beneficiary of disinformation, according to experts.



In an interview with CNN Philippines released on April 26, Marcos denied using trolls to boost his campaign.



Find me one. Show me one. Just one. They dont exist, he said. You show me the place where there are hundreds of trolls sitting in front of a computer spreading fake news. It doesnt exist.



In their recently launched website TrollExposer.com, USFGG described the pro-Marcos trolls as sophisticated in comparison to the other trolls weve found in this election, adding that their accounts very often look and may be authentic.



USFGG determined the three troll activities to be distribution, commenting and filling up profiles or pages with pro-Marcos content. Distribution trolls share content from one page to multiple pages, while commenting trolls use propaganda images or short phrases.



Some of the accounts were revealed to be liking or following Marcos-related pages to create the illusion of real user profiles.



If we cant get social media platforms to enforce their own community standards, then we need to act ourselves. It is the right of every person to defend themselves from being manipulated by false information, USFGG national chair Loida Lewis said. Thats the reason we turned to Troll Exposer. The spread of harmful disinformation, manipulated narratives, and false propaganda needs to stop.



The group also called on Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to remove fake posts and disable the trolls accounts on Facebook before the May 9 elections.



In January, Twitter suspended more than 300 accounts linked to Marcos supporters for violating the companys platform manipulation and spam policy. Last month, Meta also suspended over 400 accounts, groups and pages to eliminate hate speech and misinformation ahead of the elections in the Philippines.







Featured image via Getty









Story continues

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Aftab Pureval makes history as Cincinnatis first Asian American mayor

China denies backing Russia in Ukraine, blames US instead for fueling the flame

Kim Jong-un sends rare praise to outgoing South Korean President Moon in 'letters of friendship' exchange

AAPI rally calls for Malden city councilor who dressed as Asian spa worker for Halloween to resign
Reuters

An Elon Musk tweet saying Japan would "eventually cease to exist" without a higher birthrate set off a flood of sarcasm and anger on Monday - though much of the angst was aimed at a Japanese government many said did little to address the issue. The comment hit a nerve among Japan watchers and in Japan, whose population peaked in 2008 and has declined since due to its low birthrate to about 125 million as of last year despite government warnings and sporadic attempts to grapple with the issue.
Five people were arrested Thursday in connection with an assault early Sunday that left one man injured, Turlock police said. Authorities said the attack was gang-related.

Turlock police officers responded to a reported assault just after 2 a.m. Sunday in the 400 block of East Main Street, according to a news release. Around this time, a second call came in from a Turlock resident saying he had been assaulted by a group of individuals.

The man had serious injuries to his hands and torso, and police determined the group attacked him unprovoked. Officers could not find any of the individuals when searching the area.

During the course of the investigation, officers discovered the crime was gang-related, police said. However, the victim was not part of the gang.

Turlock police detectives and investigators with the departments Special Investigations Unit identified possible suspects the next day and obtained arrest warrants.

Thursday, multiple agencies and SWAT teams assisted Turlock police in serving warrants at three homes in Turlock and one in Modesto.

The Turlock homes are located in the 900 block of North Olive Avenue, the 200 block of North Thor Street and the 1100 block of Bethany Avenue. The Modesto home is in the 2600 block of River Creek Circle, which is in the Ceres Police Departments jurisdiction.

Police and the Turlock Unified School District confirmed that Dutcher Middle and Wakefield Elementary schools were placed on soft lockdown while law enforcement was in the area. Turlock police said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution for school safety.

They arrested five people, including four who investigators believe were directly involved in the assault:

Jose Aguilar, 29, Turlock

Angelica Lopez, 33, Turlock

Arthur Peralta, 30, Turlock

Vincente Ruiz, 41, Modesto

The fifth suspect arrested, 25-year-old Adrian Peralta, of Turlock, is facing preliminary charges for evidence found during the search. Police do not believe he was directly part of the assault.

Police said the individuals are facing a range of preliminary felony charges, including assault by force likely to produce great bodily injury, battery causing serious bodily injury, conspiracy, participation in a criminal street gang, gang member or associate committing violent felony, committing a felony while out on bail, gang member in possession of a concealable firearm, possession of an undetectable firearm (also known as a ghost gun), prohibited person in possession of ammunition, violation of probation and felon in possession of a firearm.

Authorities ask anyone with information on the case to call investigator Jacob Young at 209-668-6575 or the Turlock Police Departments tip line at 209-668-5550, ext. 6780, or email tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
Florida authorities are seeking three men who shot and killed a man in his vehicle outside a shopping center last month.

The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office released surveillance footage Thursday showing the brutal ambush outside the Panda Kitchen & Bath at the Town n Country shopping center.

Three masked men with guns can be seen firing rounds into a car in broad daylight before getting into a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee and fleeing the scene.

ACCUSED SOUTH CAROLINA RAPIST'S LOVED ONES CALLED VICTIM'S FAMILY ASKING TO STOP CHATTER ABOUT CASE: SISTER

The shooting took place just before 5 p.m. on April 23. Police responded to the scene and found an adult male deceased in a car.

The sheriffs office described the killers as "brazen." Investigators said the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is being asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office at 813-247-8200 or report and share information anonymously by calling 1-800-873-8477.
A Florida middle school teacher is claiming that she was fired in March for discussing sexuality with her students.

Casey Scott, a first-year art teacher, told NBC affiliate WBBH-TV on Tuesday that the events that led to her termination started when students began asking questions about her sexuality. Scott, who is married to a man, said she told her students that she is pansexual, meaning that shes attracted to all genders.

She said LGBTQ students then began asking if they could create art expressing their own sexualities and identities, and that she hung it on her classroom door. Scott said she was told by school officials in Lee County  which is roughly 40 miles north of Naples  to remove the artwork. She said she was then sent home and fired over the phone.

A discussion happened in class and because of that, now Im fired, Scott told WBBH-TV.

The Lee County School District said in a statement to NBC News that Scott was fired because she "did not follow the state mandated curriculum." The district also shared complaints from parents who were concerned about the conversation and the artwork, according to the NBC affiliate.

Scott's firing comes amid a nationwide discussion over whether LGBTQ issues or identities should be discussed at school.

The debate was ignited earlier this year by the newly enacted Florida law, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Officially titled the Parental Rights in Education bill, the legislation bans teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law in late March, several days after Scott's firing. The law takes effect in July.

Proponents of the measure have contended that it gives parents more discretion over what their children learn in school and say LGBTQ issues are not age-appropriate for young students.

Story continues

Kevin Daly, who is the president-elect of the Teachers Association of Lee County, told WBBH-TV that the new bill could pose problems for educators and suggested it led to Scott's firing.

There is kind of a heightened state of where is the boundary? And what are employees supposed to do? Or allowed to do, when a topic comes up in discussion, he said.

LGBTQ teachers in Florida have previously told NBC News that they fear talking about their families or LGBTQ issues more broadly with the new law in place.

Beyond Florida, 19 other states have introduced similar legislation this year that would prohibit how educators can talk about or teach LGBTQ issues in school, according to the Movement Advancement Project, or MAP, an LGBTQ think tank that has been tracking the bills.

Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
A Washington sheriff called a private department line alleging a Black man was trying to break into his home and was threatening to kill him, triggering over 40 different officers from different local agencies to race toward the scene believing another badge was in trouble.

Sedrick interacting with officers who arrived after sheriff makes false claims (Bodycam Video Screenshot)

However, the suspect was not looking to harm the lawman but was a newspaper deliverer who the sheriff in fact was harassing. He now says the trauma has caused him anxiety and he cant sleep.

Local station KING 5 interviewed Sedrick Altheimer, who is speaking out for the first time since the early morning altercation with Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer Jr. that could have cost him his life.

On Jan. 27, 2021, the sheriff called for regional backup, stating four different times to the dispatcher that he was in grave danger as a man was following him and threatening to harm him.

Altheimers attorney, Vonda Sargent, says this is an example of racial and biased based profiling.

Its racism, she said. I mean, its just a system of racism.

According to Altheimers interview and a probable cause affidavit retrieved by Atlanta Black Star, Troyer was following the paper deliveryman around his predominantly white Tacoma neighborhood early in the morning while he made his daily paper run and threatened him.

The 26-year-old, who had been working his job for eight years, says he believes his rights were violated.

Its just not the same, Altheimer says as he gives the reason why he doesnt get out of the car in the area close to Troyers home, and sometimes takes a detour. Every time you drive in that neighborhood you look at that one spot and youre like, man, I almost lost my life.

While recalling the night, he remembered seeing headlights in his rearview mirror and noticing a white SUV following him on Vista View Drive. He said he stopped his car and approached the driver in an SUV. Reports marked the time at a little before 2 a.m.

I asked him three questions that night: Are you a cop? Are you following me? And is it because Im Black?

Story continues

According to the man, Troyer never identified himself as a police officer. However, the sheriff allegedly said his wife was Black. The complaint says Altheimer responded, Congratulations.

After that exchange, the sheriff called the delivery worker a porch pirate, someone who steals packages from outside of others homes.

After this encounter, which lasted only five minutes, Troyer continued following Altheimer until the Black man turned around in a cul-de-sac and stopped with his car facing Troyers in the middle of a street.

With the two mens vehicles about 50 feet apart, Troyer made his report on an officer line, activating the chain of events that Altheimer says haunts him until this day. The probable cause report claims The officer line bypasses the 911 telephone lines and rings directly to the 911 dispatch desk. Officers typically use this back channel phone line to make routine requests or seek information.

When on the line with a dispatcher, Troyer began, Im at 27th and Deidra, in Tacoma, North End, about two blocks from my house and I caught someone in my driveway who just threatened to kill me and I blocked him in. And hes here right now.

A recording to the dispatcher captures Troyer saying for the second time, And he knows who I am, and he threatened to kill me. Within approximately 4 minutes and 50 seconds, Troyer repeated that Altheimer was threatening to kill him four times.

The legal filing states, Moments after receiving information that had come from Troyer, over 40 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies rushed toward [his] location.

Troyer later identified the suspect as being possibly homeless and stated he blocked me in with his vehicle. He told the dispatcher he was being polite to the suspected homeless man but the suspect just says Im a racist. He wants to kill me. 

From his car, Troyer created a story saying Altheimer was pushing against my car and wasnt letting him leave. However, Altheimer was nowhere close to Troyer at the time.

Fourteen officers arrived at where Altheimer was and converged on him. He said his heart was just pounding. He said, You never know whats gonna happen with these guys. I had my hands in plain sight and I still almost got shot.

Officer Lawless was one of the officers to arrive on the scene and assessed that no more patrol cars needed to be sent, We dont need the whole world coming.

In a bodycam video, a clearly agitated Altheimer can be heard yelling to the officers, he was not doing anything wrong and that Troyer had been harassing him. He said, Is that what youre here for? Im suspicious right?

Adding, How many cops, for a f-ing newspaper carrier? You guys are some badasses.

I dont care what he called for. Hes following me! Go talk to him. I am working! Im a Black man in a White neighborhood and I am working!

Still, the officers on the scene made him get out of his car, frisked him, and asked him questions. He was asked if he threatened to kill the sheriff if he pushed against the sheriffs car and/or blocked him in. He responded in the negative for each allegation.

Four minutes later, a Tacoma officer named Officer Ventura revealed what Altheimer had been accused of, He just called saying that someone had threatened his life.

Yeah, I threatened his life because I walked up and asked why he was following me, Altheimer responded.

One officer is heard saying on the bodycam, Im gonna be 100% honest, the reason theres so many cops here is because hes the sheriff.

Another officer said it was obvious he was a newspaper carrier because of all the newspapers stacked in the backseat of his car, the document revealed.

The officers then went to Troyer to get his side of the story. When asked by Officer Lawless if the man brandished a weapon in a threatening manner, the sheriff said according to court documents, the man never threatened him and he did not observe Altheimer with any weapons.

He then said he saw Altheimer driving his vehicle in and out of driveways in the neighborhood and when he tried to talk with Altheimer it was clear to him he wanted to fight.

When Officer Lawless shared his observation about the man being a newspaper delivery person, the document says, Troyer advised that we should let him go if that was the case.

Altheimer was set free, but Troyer is now accused by the state of committing the crimes of false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.

Sargent believes Troyer did indeed commit a criminal act, that this man, the sheriff, the head of one of the largest organizations of police officers in our state could call and say no less than three times that his life had been threatened is unfathomable.

For the misuse of his power, she believes he should be fired, saying, I think the evidence supports that he did do these things. Accountability to me would be him being convicted and for him to resign. He absolutely should not be the sheriff of Pierce County. He shouldnt be in law enforcement.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has enlisted the attorney general to investigate. The Pierce County Council is also investigating the officer that has devoted over 38 years to the force.

Altheimer says despite continuing to work the same route, he cant be in the neighborhood too long. He now suffers from anxiety and says it impacts his ability to sleep.

Im quiet, I cant sleep, he said. I dont like to sleep because of the fact that I know that I could have been dead.
Thousands of Illinois students a year are receiving tickets at school for conduct that violates local laws, an investigation by the Tribune and ProPublica has found. The tickets often involve behavior as minor as littering, vaping, using offensive words or gestures, or getting into a hallway scuffle.

Ticketing students violates the intent of an Illinois law that prohibits schools from fining students as a form of discipline. Instead of issuing fines directly, school officials refer students to police, who write the tickets. The fines attached can be hundreds of dollars, an impossible burden for many families. An analysis also found Black students were ticketed at higher rates than their white peers.

Part 1: Schools and police punish students with costly fines

Blake, age 17, and his mother Jennifer Fee, left, attend a hearing at the Tazewell County Courthouse in March. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Reporters found more than 11,800 tickets were issued to students during the last three school years, even though the COVID-19 pandemic kept children out of school for much of that period.

One boy who had shoved his friend in the school cafeteria got ticketed for violating East Peorias municipal code forbidding assault, battery, and affray. He didnt know what that phrase meant; he was only 12.

He was wrong for what he did, but this is a bit extreme for the first time being in trouble. He isnt even a teenager yet, his mother said.

>>> Read the full story here

>>> Para leer en espanol, haga clic aqui

Advertisement

Part 2: Black students far more likely to be ticketed

Students walk outside Bloom Trail High School in April. Black students received nearly all of the tickets written recently at the school. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

This investigation also identified a pattern of racial disparities in ticketing. In the schools and districts where racial data was available, an analysis found that Black students were twice as likely to be ticketed than white students.

One school with a huge disparity in ticketing is Bloom Trail High School in south suburban Steger, where about 60% of the student body is Black but Black students got nearly all the tickets.

A mom of two boys who were ticketed there said her sons were treated too harshly. Theyre young Black men, she said. They stereotyped them.

>>> Read the full story here

>>> Para leer en espanol, haga clic aqui

Advertisement

Do police give students tickets in your Illinois school district?

Reporters documented ticketing in 141 high school districts and large K-12 districts. For some districts and schools, they also were able to analyze how many tickets went to different racial and ethnic groups.

>>> Search for a public school or district to see if reporters identified ticketing there

Advertisement

Impact: The states top education official responds

State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Hours after the first part of this investigation was published, Illinois top education official urged schools to stop working with police to ticket students for misbehavior.

In a strongly worded plea, State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala said the costly fines associated with the tickets can be immensely harmful to families and theres no evidence they improve students behavior. School officials who refer students to police for ticketing have abdicated their responsibility for student discipline to local law enforcement, she wrote.

>>> Read the full story here

Advertisement

How we reported on student ticketing

Neither the state of Illinois nor the federal government tracks how often police give tickets to students in public schools for violations of municipal ordinances.

To understand how frequently and for what reasons police cited students, reporters from the Tribune and ProPublica filed more than 500 requests for public records with schools and law enforcement agencies under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

>>> Read the full story here
BEIJING (Reuters) - A former vice president of China Development Bank (CDB), He Xingxiang, has been charged for taking bribes, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

He is also charged for issuing financial bills in violation of regulations, illegally issuing huge amounts of loans and concealing overseas deposits, Xinhua said.

He, born in 1963, worked at state lenders Bank of China and Agricultural Development Bank of China before serving as a member of the Communist Party Committee at policy bank CDB.

(Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Former President Donald J. Trump speaks about filing a class-action lawsuits targeting Facebook, Google and Twitter and their CEOs, escalating his long-running battle with the companies following their suspensions of his accounts, during a press conference at the Trump National Golf Club on Wednesday, July 07, 2021 in Bedminster, NJ. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images





A judge has dismissed Donald Trump's attempts to get back on Twitter after his permanent suspension.

Trump was suspended after the Jan. 6 riots "due to the risk of further incitement of violence."

A judge said his "complaint does not plausibly allege that Twitter acted as a government entity."

A judge dismissed a lawsuit Friday in which former president Donald Trump attempted to reclaim his access to Twitter after being barred from the platform the day after the January 6 insurrection.

Twitter said in a statement it "permanently suspended" Trump's account on January 7, 2021, "due to the risk of further incitement of violence."

Trump's complaint, filed in July 2021, alleged that the social media company "engaged in impermissible censorship" and thus rose "beyond that of a private company to that of a state actor."

San Francisco federal district court James Donato argued that the "complaint does not plausibly allege that Twitter acted as a government entity when it closed plaintiffs' accounts."

"Much of what plaintiffs challenge fits within the normal boundaries of a congressional investigation, as opposed to threats of punitive state action," the order read.

Trump and the other plaintiffs have until May 26 to amend their complaint though "further opportunities to amend are not likely to be granted."

Trump has since created his own Twitter alternative called Truth Social which launched in February.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Five Republican candidates are asking voters for support as they vie to represent Charlotte as City Council At-Large representatives.

Kyle Luebke, David Merrill, Charlie Mulligan, Carrie Olinski and David Michael Rice are on the primary election ballot. None have elected experience in the city.

The top four at-large candidates will move on to the General Election.

RELATED: VOTE 2022: Channel 9 Primary Election candidate guides

This week, the Poltical Beats Joe Bruno sat down with four of the candidates -- Luebke, Merrill, Mulligan and Olinski -- for a conversation on their aspirations if elected to serve the city.

I decided to get involved because I think that there are people whose voices are not being heard by our city council, said Luebke, a local lawyer. Our city council just doesnt understand what its like in the real world for those people,

A Republican candidate hasnt been elected to represent Charlotte in the At-Large position since 2009.

In Charlotte, we hear all the time that people are tired of constant culture war, you know, issues divide everybody up. What about the basics of good governance and in fixing things? said Mulligan, an entrepreneur who co-founded a Charlotte tech startup. So thats the very much the approach that were taking is. Lets start with our love for the city first, fix problems, and really just provide an option for people, when so many other things in our current government is really just, I say asleep at the wheel.

READ MORE: Channel 9 Primary Election Guide: Charlotte City Council At-Large candidates

Earlier this month, the Charlotte City Council unveiled its 2023 budget proposal. The four Republicans are the first candidates the Political Beat has spoken with whove been able to comment on the plan.

The big thing that I look at the budget is Im really happy to see the pay increase for city employees, said Merrill, a salesman for a software company. But I think a lot of those employees are going to see that as a thinly veiled bribe saying theres an election coming up. Theres just catalyst of change coming with this large Republican slate thats trying to change the status quo.

Story continues

In a city that leans heavy toward Democratic candidates, pulling unaffiliated, undecided or even Democrat voters across party lines is a focal point for the quartet.

We really want to take this role of city council and bring it back to what it was initially is being its a public service, Olinski, a physicians assistant, said. This is not necessarily glorification of us, this is bringing it back to see how we can serve Charlotte, how can we serve the people of Charlotte.

The Political Beat is interviewing all Charlotte City Council At-Large candidates ahead of the May 17 primary. Channel 9 is attempting to speak with the other candidate on the Republican ballot, David Michael Rice, ahead of election day.

>> In the video at the top of and inside this page, the Political Beats Joe Bruno sits down with four Republican candidates vying for at-large seats about their concerns for the city and what it will take to win come general election season.

(WATCH BELOW: 2022 Primary elections: Heres where you can vote early in North Carolina)
The King of Memphis radio, Bobby OJay, will be remembered next weekend.

A funeral service will take place at World Overcomers Church on Winchester Road on Saturday, May 14, iHeartRadio confirmed.

Other details of the service are still pending.

READ MORE: Legendary Memphis radio DJ Bobby OJay dies, official confirms

The Memphis icon passed away doing what he loved best. The WDIA DJ died Tuesday at the age of 68. His cause of death hasnt been released.

OJays career spanned nearly four decades on Americas first Black radio station, and he was one of the most familiar voices on the air in Memphis.

Just last year, his career took him to another level in history. In July, OJay was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

He was such a big voice to the community. You know Ive been thinking about it all day. WDIA, just a monster radio station, always has been, said long-time radio host Ron Olson of 104.5 The River.

Olson said Bobby OJay had a special connection with his listeners.

He loved radio, loved it, and nobody was more entertaining than that dude. He was so connected to every musician in the country and every record person. They all knew Bobby OJay.

Memphis reacts after death of legendary DJ Bobby OJay

PHOTOS: Legendary Memphis radio DJ Bobby OJay dies, official confirms

Memphis radio DJ Bobby OJay inducted into Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame

Renowned Radio Legend Bobby OJay Celebrates 35 Years with WDIA




May 6READE TOWNSHIP, Pa.  A Glasgow man was charged on Wednesday with aggravated assault, accused of stabbing a Reade Township man with a kitchen knife, sending him to UPMC Altoona with a leg wound, authorities said.

State police in Ebensburg charged Douglas Wayne Simington Sr., 62, of the 100 block of Sunset Boulevard, with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment.

According to a complaint affidavit, a dispute broke out at the residence at 5:07 p.m. Simington allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed a man in the leg, causing loss of feeling and blood.

The victim was taken by ambulance to UPMC Altoona. His condition was not available.

Simington said he snapped after the man had allegedly been badgering him all evening, the affidavit said.

Simington was arraigned by on-call District Judge Susan Gindlesperger, of Stonycreek Township, and released on $35,000 unsecured bond.
The Guardian

The Miami circuit may have been a letdown but F1s expansion strategy in the US appears to be firmly on track David Beckham, Maverick Carter, James Corden and LeBron James at a party in the lead-up to the Miami GP. Photograph: Startraks Photo/REX/Shutterstock Anytime a sporting event bills itself as the Super Bowl of its kind, the pressure to pay that off will be immense. But in terms of spectacle Formula 1s inaugural Miami Grand Prix more than lived up to the outsized billing. The fake marin
A farmer from Boone County, Indiana, who is accused of murdering his wife won a Republican primary election this week.

Andrew Wilhoite was arrested in March on charges of killing Elizabeth Nikki Wilhoite, who according to local news reports, had recently finished chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Wilhoite reportedly told investigators he hit her with a flower pot during a fight.

On Tuesday, Andrew Wilhoite, from jail, secured a spot on the ballot in Novembers general election for the Clinton Township Board. Three Republicans were running for three primary seats. Wilhoite received 60 votes.

Andrew Wilhoite was in March arrested for the murder of his wife, Elizabeth Nikki Wilhoite. (Photo: Boone County Sheriff's Office)

Andrew Wilhoite was in March arrested for the murder of his wife, Elizabeth Nikki Wilhoite. (Photo: Boone County Sheriff's Office)

Indiana State Police charged Wilhoite with murder after the body of his wife was found in a creek near their home, Boone County Sheriffs Office said in March. She had reportedly filed for divorce after discovering her husband had an affair.

His trial is slated to begin in August, per WTHR.

Despite his legal troubles, there is no legal reason Wilhoite cant be a candidate, Indiana election official Brad King told the Kokomo Tribune.

Under our system you are innocent until you are proven guilty, King said. If a person is convicted of a felony, then they are no longer eligible to be a candidate and are ineligible to hold office.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
A state Republican lawmaker was filmed screaming at abortion rights protesters from the steps of the New Hampshire State House on Thursday, calling them murderers and accusing them of killing babies.

Shame on all of you. Shame on you, killing babies, Rep. Susan DeLemus screamed in the footage shared by Colin Booth, legislative communications director for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

DeLemus also pointed to members of the crowd and yelled, Youre a murderer repeatedly.

Im a murderer. I murdered my own baby, she continued, apparently referring to an abortion she has spoken about in the past. In 2012, while arguing in favor of a bill that would require women to wait 24 hours before undergoing an abortion, DeLemus said shed had an abortion more than two decades earlier, and had murdered my baby.

She also spoke about the abortion earlier this year, while advocating for legislation that would give a biological father the right try to block a womans abortion in court.

The crowd at the State House had been chanting shame on you when the video began and DeLemus first started shouting.

Nothing quite like the tact and grace of an @NHGOP State Rep on the steps of the people's house. Say hello to @SusanDeLemus engaging peaceful protestors this morning. #NHPoliticspic.twitter.com/dtEW7o6dsL  Colin Booth (@ColinGBooth) May 5, 2022

Rep. DeLemus is not an anomaly in New Hampshire politics, Booth tweeted after sharing the video. There are dozens of @NHGOP elected officials just like her in New Hampshire. People like this actually decide public policy here.

Story continues

The incident occurred as protests erupt around the country amid uproar over the leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that gave women the right to access abortions.

State legislatures will likely serve as the main battlegrounds for abortion rights if Roe is overturned.

DeLemus defended her actions in an interview with a local newspaper later on Thursday.

Just because its legal, abortion doesnt mean that I did not kill another human being, and thats my stance, DeLemus told the Fosters Daily Democrat. That was what the yelling was about. I raised my voice and tried to be loud to be heard by the chanting crowd.

Her outburst drew criticism from abortion-rights groups and Democrats.

Its an embarrassment to Rochester, state Rep. Chuck Grassie told the Daily Democrat. She has no concern about the decorum and how a state representative should act.

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England told the newspaper No one should face threats, intimidation, or shame when accessing or advocating for health care, including safe and legal abortions.

DeLemus is married to Jerry DeLemus, an Oath Keepers associate who spent five years in prison for his role in the armed 2014 Bunkerville standoff between law enforcement and anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy in Nevada.

The couple unsuccessfully attempted to get a pardon for Jerry DeLemus from Donald Trump during the former presidents final days in office.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
May 6MITCHELL  Ethan native and

Dakota Wesleyan University

senior Jonathon Freeman can remember when he got his first real taste for performance and the theater. And coincidentally, it was at the same place he has spent the last four years of his college career.

"I was just singing in the choir in elementary school, things like that. But I think in fifth grade, on campus here, they did a production of 'Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat).' That would have been 2010 or 2011. And I got roped into that, singing in the kids' choir, and I was kind of hooked after that. The acting bug is real."

Hooked would be an appropriate term, as the 2018 graduate of

Ethan High School

continually found himself more involved with acting, singing and stagecraft throughout his high school career before he decided to pursue the practice in college at DWU. Now he is set to graduate with a degree in theater and music.

DWU's graduation is at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 8 at the Corn Palace. Baccalaureate will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Sherman Center on campus.

Since Freeman arrived on campus, it's been four years of stages, plays, performances, music and directing while balancing the responsibilities of college student life. And it's been a good four years, he said, full of new and career-building experiences that have helped him set his sights on the next phase of his life.

As high school graduation loomed in 2018, the prospect of developing his skills in a college environment was one that appealed to him.

"My high school didn't really have a lot for theater, just because it's such a small school. Just the one-act play and little tiny things, and I wanted bigger than that," Freeman said. "I just wanted to pursue it because they say do what makes you happy, and that's what makes me happy. That gives me the most joy  to provide entertainment and to share these unique stories and viewpoints from around the world."

Story continues

As students do, he explored the programs at various schools throughout the region, weighing his options and seeking the best fit for him. In the end, his familiarity with Dakota Wesleyan University, its close proximity to home and its warm and welcoming environment all appealed to him.

"I looked around. You have to. You have to keep your options open, because it's a big commitment," Freeman said. "I did look around the area, but ultimately DWU was home. There is just such a homey feel with the faculty and staff. They create such a welcoming and inspirational environment."

Freeman said that environment has allowed him to flourish as he developed skills in a variety of different areas. He has acted on stage, studied blocking and lighting and even directed a production at the school when he took the helm of a play called "The Cake."

It's both a joyous and daunting experience at times, he said. There is both an easy-going vibe and a seriousness brought to the table as he and fellow students in the program study and put their lessons into practice on every aspect of theater production. He and his fellow theater majors have a shared goal  to take the next step and become professionals in their field.

"From an academic standpoint, we're all majors, we're all focused, we're devoted and we're dedicated to the career. So it's a lot more serious (than high school) and everything is very important," Freeman said. "From the lighting design, making sure it's picture-perfect and precise and making sure every step has been meticulously planned out. At the college level, it's just a lot more serious because we're made of people who want to pursue this as a career."

The arrival of COVID-19 put the brakes on he and his fellow students' ambitions, but not permanently. While performances were canceled and even class gatherings were restricted for some time, it did not put out the fire that burned in them to perform. Now, as COVID-19 has waned for the most part, Freeman and his fellow students have been able to retake the stage to do what they love.

"It was looking really good and then COVID-19 hit. That 100% shut down the entertainment industry. Everywhere from film sets to stage productions, you can't have people sitting in there breathing each other's air," Freeman said. "So it came to a crashing halt right in front of our eyes."

From the end of his sophomore year until fall of last year, it was an odd time for the would-be performers. But when they returned to the stage, Freeman said he couldn't have been happier.

Freeman has also been extensively involved in the local community theater scene, taking part in a number of plays during his time in Mitchell, but he hasn't spent his entire four years at DWU on the stage. He also participates in numerous school musical groups, lending his tenor voice and trombone to various ensembles, and also serves as a resident assistant at his dorm. He gives campus tours to new incoming students. When he isn't on campus, he can sometimes be found working part-time at the Luxury 5 Cinemas or at KORN Radio.

But now, with graduation set for Sunday, he has his sights set on an eventual career, and he has a few plans already arranged. Following graduation, he and his DWU colleagues will travel to London, England for two weeks to take in a variety of shows in one of the birthplaces of modern theater. After that, he has a gig lined up at Disney World, where he will enroll in the Disney College Program and then take on roles and duties around the theme park.

As a Disney fan, he couldn't be more pleased, but there are many paths he can take thanks to the background he's cultivated at DWU.

"I'd really like to tour the country. Tons of tours and shows go all around the country  there's a tour at the Washington Pavilion right now. I love to travel and I love to see new parts of the world, so I think it would be really cool to do what I love and travel at the same time," Freeman said.

Come Sunday, Freeman will be one of the 211 graduates who will be receiving 148 bachelors degrees, two associates degrees and 60 masters degrees across a number of departments. All those graduates have a new path to follow in life, and Freeman said he wouldn't have the opportunities he has if it weren't for the programs at DWU.

After all, they've led him to the next stage of his life, he said.

"I would just like to thank everybody, of course my theater and music professors for their guidance and mentorship over the years. And I don't want to just thank them, but all the DWU staff from the janitors that clean our dorms who are super-friendly to the cafeteria staff that serve our food to us every day, to the Mitchell community that has supported the department, supported me, over the years," Freeman said. "We wouldn't be able to do any of it without their help."
Chicagoans line up at City Hall to purchase city stickers for their autos on July 15, 2014, the last day to purchase the stickers without risking a ticket. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

An Illinois appellate court ruled Friday that the city of Chicago unlawfully overcharged some residents who were ticketed for failing to have a vehicle sticker, which one car owner said led him to declare bankruptcy after he racked up thousands of dollars in fines.

Attorney Jacie Zolna, who represents three residents in a lawsuit that led to the ruling, said the decision sets the stage for a possible class-action lawsuit that could see hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket debt come under scrutiny.

Advertisement

The current mayor has admitted that the city is addicted to ticketing revenue, and that they use tickets to bolster their budget, he said. The problem is that its at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens.

Vehicle stickers are at the heart of the case. The city charges $95 annually for a passenger car sticker, with the money going toward road maintenance. Failing to display a sticker can mean a ticket.

Advertisement

State law sets the maximum penalty for such an offense at $250, but city attorneys argued that was a drafting error in the vehicle code, according to the appellate court ruling. They said the legislature intended the true ceiling to be $500 and the city charged accordingly, with a $200 ticket bringing an additional $200 fine if not paid within 25 days.

Zolna said that in some cases, the city also piled one ticket on top of another for the same violation, leading some residents to incur massive penalties.

Rodney Shelton, who lives in West Humboldt Park, said thats what happened to him. Speaking at a news conference at Zolnas office, he said a car he bought couldnt pass the emissions test, and without that he couldnt buy a city vehicle sticker.

Rodney Shelton, who said he filed for bankruptcy when he faced fines and penalties over his city sticker, speaks May 6, 2022, at the law office of Myron M. Cherry and Associates in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Even though he parked the car in a private lot, he said, the city ticketed him dozens of times for not having the sticker until the fees and penalties reached about $20,000. He had to declare bankruptcy before he could start paying it back, he said.

I look at it as the city being predators on the taxpayers, he said.

A spokeswoman for the citys Law Department did not immediately comment on the specifics of the appellate ruling.

The Law Department is reviewing the opinion, she said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned against the citys system of fines and fees, frequently criticizing the city for balancing its budget on the backs of taxpayers by exacting regressive penalties through tickets.

Advertisement

Within months of taking office in 2019, the mayor shepherded through the City Council a series of reforms to the citys fines-and-fees system that ended the practice of suspending the drivers licenses of people who havent paid parking tickets, reduced vehicle sticker penalties and created a six-month payment plan to give those with ticket debt more time to pay.

In 2020, however, Lightfoot pushed for the city to use speed cameras to ticket drivers going just 6 miles over the limit, drawing criticism that the city is continuing with unfair practices under her administration.

Bucktown resident Kyle Garchar, a plaintiff in the vehicle sticker case, said he was caught in a downward spiral after getting three of the tickets within a month.

Kyle Garchar speaks about Chicago city sticker fines and fees on on May 6, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

He said he was unable to pay the fines, which with late charges came to $1,200, and thus was prevented from working as a ride-share driver. The companies have a deal with City Hall to bar people with tickets from driving unless theyre in a repayment plan, he said.

It was just one thing after another, he said. Its pretty insane to me that theyre able to levy that much in tickets in such a short amount of time with little to no recourse.

He said he finally got in a repayment plan but is still paying it off four years later.

Advertisement

Chicago in 2019 changed its municipal code to make the late fee for a sticker violation $50, which keeps the total cost of the ticket at the $250 limit set by the state. Even so, city attorneys fighting the lawsuit pointed to a section of state law they said reflects the legislatures true intent to set a $500 limit.

The three-judge 1st District appellate court panel disagreed, saying the higher penalty is specified only for a few offenses, and that sticker violations arent one of them. It sent the case back to Cook County Circuit Court for further litigation.

Zolna said hes trying to secure refunds for people who paid excess fines and get their ticket-related debt wiped off the books, but he predicted the city would fight ferociously to preserve the status quo.

Theyre not going to do anything to change, he said. Theyre going to hire an army of lawyers funded by the taxpayers to try to fight tooth and nail to keep their golden goose, which is  ticketing poor people and putting them into bankruptcy.

jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

gpratt@chicagotribue.com
MOMBASA, Kenya (AP)  In a bid to protect coastal communities from climate change and encourage investment, African nations are increasingly turning to mangrove restoration projects, with Mozambique becoming the latest addition to the growing list of countries with large scale mangrove initiatives.

Mozambique follows efforts across the continent  including in Kenya, Madagascar, Gambia and Senegal  and is touted as the worlds largest coastal or marine ecosystem carbon storage project. Known as blue carbon, carbon captured by these ecosystems can sequester, or remove, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a faster rate than forests, despite being smaller in size.

Mozambiques mangrove restoration project  announced in February alongside its UAE-based partner Blue Forest Solutions  hopes to turn 185,000 hectares (457,100 acres) in the central Zambezia and southern Sofala provinces into a forest which could capture up to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide, according to project leaders.

Blue carbon can be utilized not only to sequester tons of carbon dioxide but to also improve the lives of coastal communities, Vahid Fotuhi, the Chief Executive officer of Blue Forest, told the Associated Press. There are around one million hectares of mangroves forests in Africa. Collectively they're able to sequester more carbon dioxide than the total annual emissions of a country like Croatia or Bolivia. He added these projects would create green jobs and promote biodiversity.

Africas major mangrove forests have been decimated in recent decades due to logging, fish farming, coastal development, and pollution, leading to increased blue carbon emissions and greater exposure of vulnerable coastal communities to flooding and other threats to livelihood.

But the continent's growing attention on mangrove restoration can be attributed in part to the successful Mikoko Pamoja project, initiated in 2013 in Kenya's Gazi Bay, which protected 117 hectares (289 acres) of mangrove forest and replanted 4,000 trees annually, spurring other countries to also address their damaged coastal land and recreate its success.

Story continues

Mikoko Pamoja, Swahili for mangroves together, centered its efforts around protecting the small communities in Gazi and Makongeni villages from coastal erosion, loss of fish and climate change. It was dubbed the "worlds first blue carbon project and earned the community of just 6,000 global fame, accolades, carbon cash and greater living standards.

Mikoko Pamoja has led to development of projects in the community, including installation of water, Iddi Bomani, the village chairperson of the Gazi community, said. Everyone has water available in their houses."

"It especially leads to improved livelihoods through job creation when done by communities, Laitani Suleiman, a committee member of the Mikoko Pamoja, added.

Several other projects have come to fruition since. In Senegal, 79 million replanted mangrove trees are projected to store 500,000 tons of carbon over the next 20 years. Neighboring Gambia launched its own reforestation effort in 2017, with Madagascar following suit with its own preservation project two years later. Egypt is planning its mangrove restoration project ahead of hosting the United Nations climate conference in November this year.

The projects have sparked a clamor for the sale of carbon credits, a type of permit that allows for a certain amount of emissions as remuneration for forest restoration or other carbon offset projects. Gabon was offered a recent pay package of $17 million through the Central African Forest Initiative due to its protection efforts, but complaints persist on the low prices offered to African governments.

Africa remains excluded from a lot of financing available under climate change," Jean Paul Adam, head of the climate division at the Economic Commission for Africa, said, adding that a lack of financing means nations on the continent are unable to build up their resilience to climate change.

He added that nature-based solutions and advocating for a fair development price of carbon would propel the African economy.

And the benefits of reforestation can be significant, according to Coral Reef Alliance's Marissa Stein.

Restoring and protecting our marine habitats plays a key role in maintaining the health of our planet, she said, adding that mangroves alone store up to four times more carbon per hectare than tropical rainforests. The Global Mangroves Alliance also estimates that mangroves reduce damages and flood risk for 15 million people and can prevent over $65 billion of property damage each year.

___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Three service members were injured Thursday after the military helicopter they were in made a hard landing at Fort Story in Virginia Beach.

The helicopter was conducting routine joint training at approximately 4:15 p.m. when the landing occurred, said Capt. Sarah Self-Kyler, spokesperson for Fleet Forces.

The three service members were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

As of Friday morning, one remained hospitalized.

The military branch or branches involved in the training was not released. However, spokespersons with the Naval Air Force Atlantic and the Fifth District Coast Guard Affairs confirmed the incident did not involve the Navy or Coast Guard.

In a hard landing, the pilot maintains at least partial control of the aircraft, whereas a crash is uncontrolled.

Caitlyn Burchett, 727-267-6059, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com
Associated Press

The son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte are the new leaders of the Philippines, an alliance that ushers in six years of governance that has some human rights activists concerned about the course their country may take with the pair in power. Here is a look at the new president and vice president of the Philippines, who ran in separate races for their posts. A former provincial governor, congressman and senator, the 64-year-old son who goes by his childhood nickname Bongbong has managed to return his family to the presidency 36 years after the People Power revolt ousted his father and sent him into exile for filching billions and mass human rights abuses.
A man in prison on charges of murdering his wife won a Boone County, Ind., town board primary election Thursday.

Farmer Andrew Wilhoite, who is accused of murdering his wife, Nikki Wilhoite, before dumping her dead body in a nearby creek, won 21.74 percent of the vote for Clinton Township Board representative, becoming one of three winners in the Republican primary.

Police told WXIN News that Nikki Wilhoites body was retrieved from the creek early Saturday morning and that Andrew Wilhoite is accused of hitting his wife over the head with a blunt object before throwing her in the body of water.

Nikki Wilhoite had just finished chemotherapy treatments for her cancer, according to her husbands social media accounts.

Nikki Wilhoite had filed for divorce weeks before the incident in March.

Andrew Wilhoite told police that he and his wife had gotten into a fight the night before her disappearance and police found blood in the master bedroom and bathroom.

Wilhoite told police that he hit his wife in the face with a cement flower pot after she physically attacked him and admitted that he put her in the back of his truck and threw her in the creek after being unsure what to do when she fell unconscious.

The Hill has reached out to Indiana State Police for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission.

New rumors from Taiwan say Intel is gearing up for an earlier-than-expected launch of its Arc Alchemist GPUs. The new GPUs are part of the companys desktop lineup and are expected to bring some pretty serious performance when they launch this year. Many suspected that Intel planned to release its real heavy hitters in the third quarter sometime. However, these new rumors point toward some of its desktop GPUs getting a release as early as the end of May.

Don't Miss: Fridays deals: $29 Roku, $5 smart plugs, $13 Beckham pillows, $45 coffee maker, more

Today's Top Deals

Intel Arc Alchemist GPUs may be here sooner than we thought

Intel Arc Alchemist GPUs

The graphics card market has been a really interesting place as of late. Weve seen a lot of fluctuations in current GPU prices, which is exciting for buyers looking to get a new card right now. Weve also seen some leaks about Nvidias next-gen GPUs, too. Those are expected to see some pivotal increases from the current RTX 30 series.

Now, though, a new rumor reported by Wccftech could give us more details about an imminent launch of Intels Arc Alchemist GPUs.

According to sources in Taiwan, Intels first three desktop GPUs, the A750, A580, and A380, should see release dates before July. These are just three of the Arc Alchemist GPUs the company plans to release. And, they arent even the top-of-the-line options that Intel plans to offer.

Many expect the Intel Arc A750 to compare to Nvidias current RTX 3060. That means the card will act as a solid mid-range performer. Additionally, the budget-entry A580 will compare to the RTX 3050, and the entry-level A380 will compare to Nvidias older GTX 1650.

Story continues

Wccftechs sources say that they expect the A750 to release sometime at the end of May or in early June. They expect the A580 to hit a July release. Finally, the entry-level Intel Arc Alchemist GPU, the A380, will arrive around the same time as the A750.

Establishing in a crowded market

AMD Gpu

None of these cards are bad, but its really all about establishing the brand in the marketplace. Currently, Nvidia and AMD dominate the PC graphics market. As such, Intel will need to make some big moves to get traction. One of those moves is going to include keeping its Arc Alchemist GPUs as close to MSRP as possible.

Right now, weve only seen one graphics card even come close to MSRP in the past two years. The market is stacked right now with high prices and a somewhat limited supply. Intel will be in a good spot if it can slash the prices of its new Alchemist GPUs. That would allow it to offer competitive prices that beat out Nvidia and AMD. Ultimately attracting more attention to its newfound endeavor.

For now, its a game of waiting and seeing how the Intel Arc Alchemist GPUs hold up. Weve already seen the first Intel Arc mobile GPUs. But now well need to see how these desktop options compare both price and performance-wise to other cards.

At least now we may get access to those cards a little bit earlier than expected. Most still expect the higher-end cards to release in the third quarter.

Click here to read the full article.

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
In a win for net neturality, ISPs agreed to end their legal challenge to a 2018 Californa law that bars providers from throttling service. Telecom groups and California Attorney General Rob Bonta today jointly agreed to dismiss the case, reported Reuters.

Its fair that say that luck hasnt exactly been on the telecom industrys side. Earlier this year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider its ruling that Californias law be upheld. And last year, the US DOJ dropped its own lawsuit over the net neutrality law, which the agency had filed during the Trump administration.

Following multiple defeats in court, internet service providers have finally abandoned an effort to block enforcement of CA's net neutrality law. This is a win for California and for a free and fair internet, wrote Bonta in a tweet.

After Trump-appointed FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai overturned the agency's net neutrality rules in 2017, Californias legislature decided to enact its own law. The states net neutrality law, which went into effect in August 2018, expanded on previous federal rules by banning the use of zero-rating by ISPs in an anti-competitive manner. Zero-rating occurs when an ISP exempts any of its affiliated services from eating away at a customers data caps. For example, AT&T Wireless once exempted HBO Max from the data caps of its internet customers. The company dropped this practice last year, and blamed the impact of Californias law. Digital rights groups like Electronic Frontier Foundation have argued that zero-rating is hostile to consumers, especially those from low-income households.

Federal net neutrality rules that were blocked under the Trump administration have yet to be restored by the FCC under President Joe Biden. Thats because the five-member panel is currently short one member, which theyll need in order to vote on net neutrality. The agency is awaiting the Senate confirmation of Gigi Sohn. But thanks to intense lobbying from telecom groups and a number of Republicans (and moderate Democrats) in Congress, Sohns confirmation is stalled at present.
Israeli medics at the scene of a stabbing attack in the ultra-Orthodox city of Elad (EPA)

At least three people have been killed in a stabbing attack near Tel Aviv, Israeli medics have claimed.

Police suspect the fatal stabbings were a militant attack and that the killer fled the scene in a vehicle.

Road blocks have been set up in the town of Elad where the attack occurred and reporters on the ground said a helicopter could be seen hovering over the scene.

According to the Magen David Adom emergency service, three people have been killed and another four have been wounded, two of whom are said to be in a serious condition.

The attack has been met with praise from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which it linked it to violence at a holy site in Jerusalem but did not claim responsibility for it.

The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque cant go unpunished, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said.

The heroic operation in Tel Aviv is a practical translation of what the resistance had warned against.

Thursdays attack arrived as Israel marked its Independence Day, a festive national holiday in which people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows.

A series of attacks in Israel, military operations in the occupied West Bank, and violence at the holy site in Jerusalem has seen simmering Israeli-Palestinian tensions reach boiling point in recent weeks.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam and is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

It lies at the emotional heart of the conflict, and Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed there repeatedly in recent weeks.

Scuffles broke out when the police went to arrest one of them. Police fired rubber-coated bullets on the sprawling esplanade as some Palestinians sheltered inside the mosque.

The police could later be seen just inside an entrance to the barricaded mosque.

The police said they responded to dozens of people who were shouting incitement and throwing stones, and that one police officer was slightly injured.

Story continues

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said two Palestinians were taken to a hospital after being struck with batons.

Unlike in previous confrontations, Palestinian witnesses said there was no rock-throwing initially.

Some of those who sheltered inside the mosque began throwing stones and other objects when police entered the building, witnesses said.

Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there.

In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighbouring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site.

The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it.

Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses the Islamic militant group Hamas of inciting the recent violence.

With additional reporting from the Press Association
Jack Grealish mised two gilt-edged opportunities in Man Citys Champions League semi-final second-leg defeat to Real Madrid (AFP via Getty Images)

Perhaps it is Ferland Mendys fault. Or maybe Thibaut Courtois is to blame. But for two remarkable interventions, Jack Grealish would surely now be the man who sealed Manchester Citys place in the Champions League final. His season would end in Paris. It could be deemed a qualified success.

Which feels unlikely now. An exceptional goal-line clearance by the left-back and a brilliant save from the goalkeeper prevented Grealish from doubling Citys lead in the Bernabeu, from forging a 6-3 aggregate advantage that even Real Madrid, those masters of the improbable comeback, would have struggled to cancel out in injury time.

Over 210 minutes, there are a multitude of reasons why City went out. There are others who were guilty of glaring misses, particularly Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez at the Etihad Stadium. Yet Grealishs striking shortcomings felt symbolic. His price tag is unavoidable and it confers pressure. He could have put the tie to bed. And, unlike Foden and Mahrez, who both scored in the tie, he has not delivered the seismic moments in major games to offset the occasional mishap.

Maybe Pep Guardiola, who argued recently that Grealish would be a stupid man if he was distracted by thinking of his meagre goal tally, will maintain that argument. Perhaps the managers fatalistic streak, seeming to think the Champions Leagues knockout rounds are beyond his control as football, cruel mistress she is, finds the most painful way of rejecting him, will feel it was fate that City found a way not to win.

The wider world may draw different conclusions. It may be rash to dismiss Grealish as the 100 million flop; a host of players, from Joao Cancelo to Bernardo Silva to Rodri to the aforementioned Mahrez, have improved dramatically in a second season under Guardiola. A tight title race in the Premier League could still afford a chance for a measure of salvation.

And yet, if Grealishs cost placed him first among equals in Citys sizeable band of attack-minded talents, his numbers place him last: he has been outscored by Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Silva and Ilkay Gundogan. Each of those seven has more assists, along with  improbably  centre-back Ruben Dias and Citys two playmaker left-backs, Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Grealishs tallies stand at five and three respectively and while he did at least score in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, it was in vain. The defining contributions have come from others.

Story continues

Jack Grealish was left to rue two missed chances against Real Madrid (AP)

The numbers have been unflattering. That is not entirely his fault; go by chances created and expected assists, statistics Citys analysts have shown to Grealish, and he has had a bigger impact; he is just unfortunate others have not taken the opportunities he has made. In any case, Guardiola invariably gives the impression he thinks goal totals are a simplistic measure of excellence.

But actions can speak louder than words. Grealish was a fixture in the side in the first third of the season but he has not started in the Champions League knockout stages. He began only one of the two Manchester derbies and one of the two league games with Liverpool, when he floundered as a false nine at Anfield. He and Romelu Lukaku have become the two costliest spectators in the history of English football. If Chelsea prefer to play without a target man, Grealish has a different problem: City seem to have better options in various roles.

Guardiola can have a rotating cast of creators, but they could be competing for one fewer position next season. If Erling Haaland arrives, the false nine may be axed and the striker reinstalled. Grealish is perhaps only Citys fourth-best false nine, even factoring Foden is often more of an actual striker. But the Mancunian has been their most compelling left winger this season, while Sterling has a history of proving prolific there. De Bruyne, Silva and Gundogan remain the three premier options for the two spots as No. 8s. Guardiola rarely uses Grealish on the right.

(Action Images via Reuters)

If winning the Champions League, De Bruyne argued, could change the narrative for City, a goal at the Bernabeu might have shifted perceptions of Grealish. Such occasions can define even players who have had troubled spells and struggled to justify lofty fees.

A decade earlier, Fernando Torres, whose 50 million price made him a British record at half of Grealishs eventual cost, streaked clear in the final minutes for Chelsea to eliminate Guardiolas Barcelona in another ludicrous semi-final. Ten years on, another expensive substitute got two shots at redemption. Somehow neither went in and the story of Grealishs debut year drew closer to an unhappy end.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday he intended to communicate closely with South Korea's incoming government to help bring bilateral ties to an even keel.

Relations between Japan and South Korea have been plagued with a territorial row and the legacy of Japan's 1910-45 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.

Hayashi made the comment to reporters ahead of his trip to South Korea next week to attend the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park, writing by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
Former President Donald Trump prepares to take the stage during a rally in Perry, Ga., on Sept. 25, 2021. Ben Gray/AP

Donald Trump will be fined $10K a day until he complies with a demand for documents by the NY AG.

NJ lawyer Eugene Banta is shocked his old case, Jackson v. NYC, is the precedent for Trump's fine.

"It's just amazing to me," he told Insider of the 35-year-old case he won just out of law school.

It was 3o years ago, and the ink was barely dry on his law degree when Eugene M. Banta argued his first-ever appellate case under the coffered wood ceilings of a Manhattan courtroom.

"I was happier than a pig in mud," he recalled of winning.

But Banta could never have imagined that his win in a minor personal-injury case would set an important precedent that would end up ensnaring a former president.

Donald Trump is being fined $10,000 a day for failing to comply with New York Attorney General Letitia James' demand that he turn over business documents. The fine reached $110,000 on Friday, and will keep accruing until Trump signs what's called a "Jackson affidavit," a sworn, detailed description of his failed search for the documents James wants.

That's Jackson, as in Banta's old personal-injury case, Jackson v. the City of New York.

"All I could think of was the butterfly effect  something completely random," Banta told Insider Friday, after learning of his inadvertent role in Trump's spiraling fine.

"Having an impact 30-something years later is just amazing to me," added Banta, 66, now a commercial collections attorney with Heitner & Breitstein in Marlboro, NJ.

Eugene M. Banta, whose 1987 case, Jackson vs. NYC, set a precedent that cost former President Donald Trump a $10,000-a-day fine Insider

Jackson v. NYC was named for Christophena Jackson, who was badly hurt at age 64 when a stairway collapsed in her city-owned South Bronx apartment building in 1984.

First as a change-of-career law student and then as a new lawyer, Banta helped his attorney father, also named Eugene M. Banta, go to bat for the woman. They fought the city's stonewalling for nearly a decade.

"It was just one stall after another," Banta remembered. "It was like pulling teeth to get documents."

Story continues

The city failed to turn over a single maintenance or inspection record for Jackson's building at 970 Prospect Avenue.

Instead, in 1990, it had a city employee sign a sworn affidavit stating in three brief paragraphs that she had looked in the "central files" and in the "archive files" and found nothing.

Banta argued that the city shouldn't just be allowed to say "we looked; there's nothing there," and that the city should face some sanction for failing to produce a single record.

The appellate court agreed.

"Here, after years of delay, the affidavit presented by the City made no showing as to where the subject records were likely to be kept, what efforts, if any, were made to preserve them, whether such records were routinely destroyed, or whether a search had been conducted in every location where the records were likely to be found," the appellate court said in its ruling.

"In short, the affidavit provided the court with no basis to find that the search had been a thorough one or that it had been conducted in a good faith effort to provide these necessary records to plaintiff."

The court ruled that any potential jury in the case would be told to assume that the city did indeed have advance notice of the dilapidated stairwell, and had failed to fix it.

And the 1992 decision became state case law that's now costing Trump $10,000 a day.

In scores of New York cases since Banta's win, whenever people or businesses or governments fail to turn over court-ordered documents, judges have demanded "Jackson affidavits"  sworn statements specifying where the records should have been, what was done to preserve them, and "whether a search had been conducted in every location where the records were likely to be found."

That's the kind of sworn statement that is now demanded of Trump, who is appealing the fine and the contempt-of-court finding.

"I thought I had a pretty good case," Banta said Friday. "But I had no idea that the Jackson affidavit was named after my Mrs. Jackson from 35 years ago. Almost 40 years now, that's been the standard, which is kind of funny."

Banta declined to talk about Trump or Trump's fine. But he was very happy to talk about Christophena Jackson, whom he still remembers fondly.

"She came into the office once or twice," he said. "A very nice, older woman. She was legitimately injured. She just wanted to be compensated for falling down the stairs."

He doesn't remember the settlement the city finally agreed to for Jackson in 1994, who was by then around 75 years old. "We haggled a little bit," he said with a laugh about his negotiations with the city.

"She reminded me of my grandmother," he added. "And I just thought she was a sweet old lady."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Even 15 years after the shooting death of Victoria Dysart  a young mother of two with a new job on the horizon  the wounds are still deep for her tightknit South Side family.

Advertisement

Dysarts mother, Tina Roberts, and her three daughters say they rallied around each other, consoling one another and helping care for her children, despite deep anger over the case remaining unsolved.

Dressed in white on Mothers Day Sunday, Roberts, her daughters and several others, including Dysarts daughter, joined other grieving mothers of slain children hosted by another South Side woman who knows their pain.

Advertisement

Lanette Denny, who lost her 16-year-old son Vincent Denny, raises her hands during an opening prayer at a Mother's Day event started by Warrior Moms, mothers who have lost children to gun violence, on May 8, 2022, in the Rosemoor neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Its a whole lot of crying and silence to be strong for her kids ... a whole lot of silent tears and praying, said Dysarts sister, Natoya Wilson, 35, alongside her mother and sisters and several other family members, including Dysarts daughter, Najariah, 14.

A whole lot of depression, sister Katina Allen interjected. When (the crime) is unanswered, it hurts more when youre walking around nearly 15 years later and you have to look at her children and you cant explain to them what happened to their mother because we dont know.

Despite the somber circumstances, the gathering of dozens of moms, relatives and friends in the 600 block of East 103rd Street was festive, with a DJ playing upbeat music and plenty to eat and drink.

The event was the brainchild of Octavia Mitchell, the mother of a young man fatally wounded by Chicago police officers on the South Side during a 2010 traffic stop  an event that made her stop celebrating Mothers Day altogether.

But in 2021 she decided to refocus her fight to clear her sons name after a decade of confronting city officials to prove her son was not firing a gun at police. She changed her focus to bringing life to the Heal Your Heart Foundation, a nonprofit she started in honor of her son Izael Jackson, then 18, who was a senior preparing to graduate from Hyde Park High School.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic making it harder for gatherings nationwide, she pulled off the first Mothers Day brunch in 2021 for other moms whod lost children to Chicago gun violence. Some of the mothers had brunch with women who were the rivals of their children, sometimes connected by gang activity to their childs slaying.

Advertisement

The meeting of the moms was successful, and they embraced and shed tears, realizing the assignment was now preventing other mothers from experiencing the same dreadful pain.

This Mothers Day, Mitchell and Dedra Morris are revamping the celebration to focus on trying to help the mothers healing process.

Host Dedra Morris, mother of Chicago rapper LA Capone who was killed in the Grand Crossing neighborhood, attends a Mother's Day event started by Warrior Moms, mothers who have lost children to gun violence, on May 8, 2022, in the Rosemoor neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

I hope to be able to bring more mothers, and to make it bigger and more special, Mitchell said near the anniversary of when her son was pronounced dead from his wounds, April 25. Last year I had a banner with all the deceased childrens names. It was too emotional and filled with pain so I dont want to do that again. Some moms had two and three kids on that banner. I was like, Wow, this mother has it worse than me.

Mitchell explained that her goal is to put a smile on each womans face.

Last year was Mitchells first time celebrating Mothers Day in years, she said.

I dont want it to be that long for any mom because you deprive your other children from celebrating their mom, she said. Although we are grieving, we cant be selfish.

Advertisement

Lately, Mitchell is fully involved with the Heal Your Heart Foundation and addressing the long-lasting grief mothers have to grapple with until their death.

Host Octavia Mitchell sets out cards with pictures of individuals who have lost their lives to gun violence at a Mother's Day event started by Warrior Moms, mothers who have lost children to gun violence, on May 8, 2022, in the Rosemoor neighborhood of Chicago. Mitchell lost her son Izael Jackson 11 years ago after he was fatally wounded by police. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Last year, an out-of-state attorney, Phillip Aaron, who agreed to take the Izael Jackson case for free, died of natural causes. Aaron had worked in Chicago representing young African American victims of sex abuse by priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago. He had said he felt a kinship with Mitchells case because it involved Black residents being abused by the system.

Miss Mitchell is a special person, Aaron said in a 2019 Tribune article. She was working through pain and tears at a time, in a way when most people would have given up. But she knew in her heart her son didnt do what they accused him of. Ive never really met anyone with that type of firm determination to go on no matter what the obstacles were.

Mitchell is still as determined in 2022, as she waits for the federal court to assign her a new attorney.

Advertisement

I dont fault people. I understand nobody wants to go behind someones mistake because its a problem someone else created, Mitchell said. I try to make negatives into a positive.

Since the Chicago Office of Police Accountability declined to open the case again because a laboratory ruled the DNA results inconclusive, Mitchell now wants to know the ingredients used in the testing to determine if another conclusion could have been reached.

The Illinois State Police refuse to speak with me, Kim Foxx wouldnt call me back, and Mayor (Lori) Lightfoot led me around for months until one day coldbloodedly her clerk said shes not meeting with you, Mitchell said. Am I not owed an explanation after my baby was shot in the back three times, and the DNA recovered at the scene went missing for years?

Tywana Jackson, left, dances with her mother, Shirley Craig, at a Mother's Day event started by Warrior Moms, mothers who have lost children to gun violence, on May 8, 2022, in the Rosemoor neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

This is your city, Mayor Lightfoot . Its your city and now its your problem, she said. Stop putting names in a bucket and having a lottery on who gets justice depending on where it happened.

Mitchell pointed to the multiple arrests of looters downtown following the civil unrest after George Floyds murder by a Minneapolis police officer.

Only clothes being stolen from downtown is more important than our babies being murdered, she said.

Advertisement

Tribune reporter William Lee contributed.

dawilliams@chicagotribune.com
Kayla Montgomery  the stepmother of missing 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery  walked out of a New Hampshire jail today following a judges decision to allow her bond in cases connected to the disappearance of the little girl.

The order allowing bond in the cases was issued Friday and follows a bail hearing on Thursday.

Kayla Montgomery was released from jail around 7:30 p.m., Friday.

Kayla Montgomery just walked out the Valley St. Jail in Manchester, covering her face, not saying a word. She walked (and we followed) for several blocks before she finally got in a car and rode away. #HarmonyMontgomery @boston25 pic.twitter.com/na7gwaxS2M  Jason Law (@JasonLawNews) May 6, 2022

In her ruling, Judge Amy Messer says Kayla should be released given her limited criminal history and close ties to New Hampshire.

The defendant has a limited criminal history and has no history of failing to appear for any court appearance, said Judge Messer in her order. She has also previously complied with Court-ordered conditions of a deferred sentence. The defendant was aware of the police investigation regarding H.M. for approximately ten days prior to her arrest on the initial welfare fraud charge and made no attempt to flee. Her contacts in the State are significant. The defendant is a nearly lifelong resident of New Hampshire and her children and extended family members are here. The defendant has also been participating in medically assisted treatment for substance use disorder while at the jail and intends to continue in treatment if released.

Kayla Montgomery is charged with one count of theft by deception (felony) and two counts of welfare fraud (misdemeanor) and two counts of receiving stolen property (felony).

Story continues

Her bail was previously set at $5,000 cash.

The defendant is indigent and has been unable to post the monetary bail as set, said the judge. Therefore, she has remained incarcerated since her arrest in early January.

The State argues that the defendants bail should continue in the amount of $5000 cash or corporate surety with conditions, arguing that the nature of the allegations support a finding that the defendant presents a risk of flight. wrote the judge. The bail statute states, however, that [t]he court shall not impose a financial condition that will result in the pretrial detention of a person solely as a result of that financial condition unless the court determines by clear and convincing evidence that the nature of the allegations presents a substantial risk that the person will not appear and that no reasonable alternative will assure the persons appearance. RSA 597:2, III (b)(4). The State has not met its burden here.

The 7-year-old New Hampshire girl has been missing since 2019.

The judges order on Friday also addressed a jailhouse call made by Kayla to Adam Montgomery, Harmonys father, who is also behind bars on charges connected to Harmonys disappearance.

Kayla Montgomery says I still love Adam in jailhouse phone call

The State argues that a recent recorded phone call from the jail with Adam Montgomerys father shows that the defendant violated the Courts no contact order with Adam Montgomery, wrote the judge. The Court does not, however, find that the statements, when viewed in the context of the entire conversation, are sufficient to overcome the States burden to show that there are no conditions that the Court can set to reasonably assure the defendants appearance, or that the defendant will not abide by Court orders. The Court does not minimize the prohibited conduct engaged in by the defendant but finds it is not sufficient grounds to deny her bail request altogether. The defendant is cautioned, however, that any further contact with Adam Montgomery, direct or indirect, or through a third party, may be cause for immediate revocation of her bail.

Based on the foregoing considerations, the defendants bail shall be set at $5000 unsecured appearance bond on each of the two dockets,said the judge.

The Court will also impose significant additional conditions. The defendant shall be required to check in daily in person at the Manchester Police Department. She shall continue to participate in substance use disorder treatment. She shall not travel outside the State of New Hampshire and shall sign a waiver of extradition before her NHJB-3054-Se (08/06/2019) release. She shall have no contact, direct or indirect, or through a third party, with Adam Montgomery. wrote Judge Messer.

Harmony Montgomery was placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families in in Massachusetts in 2014, when she was two months old.

She remained in the custody of DCF until February 2019, when Harmonys father, Adam Montgomery, was awarded custody by the Juvenile Court of Massachusetts.

On January 3, 2022, Mr. Montgomery was arrested and charged in New Hampshire with second-degree assault, interference with custody, and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the disappearance of Harmony.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate issued a damning report on the the states handling of the Harmony case.

Mass. DCF failed case of missing NH girl Harmony Montgomery and the risk she faced at home

You can watch the full video of Kayla Montgomerys release from jail on bond, below:

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

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
A judge set a $1 million bond Friday for fired Hampton County banker Russell Laffitte , who is accused of scheming with suspended attorneys Alex Murdaugh and Cory Fleming to defraud legal clients of settlement money.

Circuit Judge Alison Renee Lee set the bond at a virtual hearing in Richland County, requiring that Laffitte remain on house arrest in Hampton and not leave the state.

S.C. Attorney Generals Office prosecutor Creighton Waters urged Lee to set a high bond to make sure Laffitte, who owns shares in Palmetto State Bank, did not flee South Carolina. An attorney for victims of the alleged crimes, Justin Bamberg, also urged a high bond be set.

Laffittes lawyers said there was little chance he would flee South Carolina because he is a native of the state, has never lived anywhere else and had cooperated with authorities. Laffitte maintains he is innocent.

Murdaughs web of alleged financial crimes has continued to expand since it was revealed last September. The crimes have now captured former Palmetto State Bank Laffitte and suspended lawyer Cory Fleming, a longtime friend of Murdaughs.

A state grand jury indicted Laffitte on 21 charges Wednesday, alleging he assisted Murdaugh in defrauding his clients out of $1.8 million.

Laffitte was fired by his banks board of directors in early January, something the Island Packet, Beaufort Gazette, and The State newspapers learned about after inquiring about copies of subpoenas for records related to Laffitte discovered in Hampton County probate court.

Murdaugh had used Palmetto State Bank to launder money he is accused of stealing from his former law firms trust account, then funneling it to his own accounts, according to grand jury indictments.

In one case, Laffitte is accused of working with Murdaugh to misappropriate more than $350,000 held in trust for client, Natarsha Thomas. Laffitte is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent, conspiracy and computer crime, the newspapers reported this week. Another indictment accuses Laffitte and Murdaugh of working together to misappropriate $1.1 million from Palmetto State Bank.

Story continues

Fleming is also charged with breach of trust as attorney for Pamela Pinckney of $8,078 to take himself, Murdaugh and an unnamed attorney on a private plane to the 2021 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The unfolding case of alleged theft and misuse of money are part of a sensational story involving Alex Murdaugh that has drawn headlines nationally. Murdaugh has been in jail for months, unable to post a $7 million bond for a long list of charges against him.

Murdaughs wife and son were shot and killed nearly a year ago on their familys Lowcountry estate, Moselle. At the time, the son, Paul Murdaugh, was facing criminal charges as a result of a boating accident that killed a 19-year-old female friend who was in the boat.

In a bizarre twist after his wife and son died, Alex Murdaugh allegedly asked a former client to kill him so another son could collect on a $10 million insurance payment. Murdaugh was shot last fall but survived the shooting.

Alex Murdaugh is from a long line of prominent lawyers in Hampton County, a small county along the Georgia border between Aiken and Hilton Head Island. For generations, his family members were prosecutors and successful attorneys in Hampton County.

Murdaugh is now charged in 15 separate indictments containing 79 charges against him in schemes to steal some $8.4 million from various alleged victims.

When Laffitte was indicted, the state grand jury also added more charges against Fleming and Murdaugh.
Johnny Depps lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard continues to make public the private life of a former Hollywood couple, who were married from 2015 to 2017.

The defamation trial, which began on April 11 in Fairfax, Virginia, has been heavily covered by the press and commentators on social media. This follows a libel trial that took place in the U.K. in 2020 against the executive editor and publisher of The Sun covering some of the same issues.

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a Washington Post op-ed she wrote in December 2018 about being a survivor of sexual abuse. Heard wrote, Like many women, I had been harassed and sexually assaulted by the time I was of college age. But I kept quiet  I did not expect filing complaints to bring justice. And I didnt see myself as a victim.

Depp is not named in the op-ed, but Depps legal team wrote in a complaint the op-ed is a clear implication that Mr. Depp is a domestic abuser. When Heard filed for divorce in 2016, she also filed for a domestic violence restraining order, accusing Depp of violent and volatile behavior perpetrated under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Depp has denied allegations of domestic abuse: Never did I myself reach the point of striking Ms. Heard in any way nor have I ever struck any woman in my life, he said in his testimony.

Heards legal team has countersued for $100 million, accusing Depp of orchestrating a smear campaign. Heard has also denied allegations of abuse.

This is the latest in a publicized saga that began when Heard filed for divorce in 2016, and has spanned two lawsuits. To follow along, here is what to know about the former couple and how they got to this point.

2009: Heard and Depp meet

Heard and Depp met on the set of The Rum Diaries, a movie based on a novel by Hunter S. Thompson. Depp played a journalist named Paul Kemp; Heard was cast as Chenault, an engaged woman who Kemp falls for.

During his testimony, Depp described kissing Heard during a shower scene, and feeling something he said he should not be feeling. At the time, Depp was married to Vanessa Paradis, and Heard was in a relationship with photographer Tasya Van Ree.

Story continues

That moment, was, it was, it felt like something, it felt like something I should not be feeling, Depp said, explaining they were each in other relationships at the time. I think there was something in the kiss in the shower that was real.

In 2011, Heard told Vogue, Working with Johnny was torture. It was better than I ever imagined, which is really saying something.

2015 Toronto International Film Festival -

2012: Depp and Heard begin dating

Depp and Heard began dating in 2012. That same year, Depp amicably separated from Paradis, his partner of 14 years. They share two children: Lily-Rose, 21, and John Christopher III, 18.

2014: Depp and Heard get engaged

Heard was photographed wearing an engagement ring. Depp confirmed the engagement by pointing to his own diamond engagement ring. The fact that Im wearing a chicks ring on my finger is probably a dead giveaway. Not very subtle, Depp said at a press conference in Beijing while promoting the movie Transcendence.

2015: Depp and Heard get married

Heard and Depp were married on his private island in the Bahamas in February 2015. The ceremony, according to Depps testimony, had about 20 to 25 attendees. His daughter, Lily-Rose, was not among them. According to Depp, she and Heard were not on particularly great terms, for several reasons.

2016: Heard files for divorce

Heard filed for divorce on May 23, 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. Days later, on May 27, Heard filed for a restraining order, and claimed that Depp was abusive toward her. She appeared in court with a visible mark on her face.

Johnny has a long-held and widely-acknowledged public and private history of drug and alcohol abuse, she said in her filing, per People. He has a short fuse. He is often paranoid and his temper is extremely scary for me as it has proven many times to be physically dangerous and/or life-threatening to me.

The mark allegedly came from a fight on May 21, when Heard called the police on a domestic violence call. In deposition transcripts from the 2016 hearing, obtained by the Hollywood Reporter in 2019, Heard said that Depp had thrown a phone at her as hard as he could. Depp denied the allegations at the time.

However, LAPD officers who responded to Heards call testified at the defamation trial and said they saw signs of crying but saw no signs of visible injury, which were prominent in court days later.

2016: The divorce is settled

Depp and Heard reached a settlement out of court.

Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love, the pair said in a joint statement. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.

The 58th GRAMMY Awards - Backstage And Audience (John Shearer / WireImage)

Heard publicly said she was donating the $7 million settlement the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union, specifically to combat violence against women. Heard is listed as being an ACLU Ambassador for womens rights, with a focus on gender-based violence, on their website.

The divorce was finalized in 2017.

June 2018: Depp sues a British tabloid for libel

Depp sued the British tabloid The Sun for alleged libel over an April 2018 headline that reads, in full, Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be genuinely happy casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?

Depp sued for 200,000 in addition to legal fees.

December 2018: Heard publishes an op-ed in the Washington Post

In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Heard wrote about her experiences with domestic abuse. She wrote, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our cultures wrath for women who speak out.Depp was not mentioned by name in the article, but believes the op-ed is about him.

2019: Depp sues Heard for defamation

In March, Depp sued Heard for defamation regarding the Washington Post op-ed. The suit denies that Depp abused Heard and claims the article was part of an elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity for Heard. Heards legal team called the lawsuit an attempt to silence Heard.

2020: The lawsuit against the Sun begins

The three-week libel trial against the executive editor Dan Wootton and The Suns publisher News Group Newspapers began in July. During her testimony, Heard claimed Depp had been violent toward her on at least 14 occasions, Reuters reported. Depp, in his testimony, denied abusive behavior.

Ultimately, a high court judge said the papers allegations about Depps behavior were substantially true. Judge Andrew Nichol said in November 2020, I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard.

In a post on Instagram following the trial, Depp committed to his fight to tell the truth, and called the judgment surreal. He appealed in 2021.

2020: Depp loses his role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise

After losing the libel suit, Depp said Warner Bros. requested he resign from his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts movie series, the casting decision that prompted the initial Sun headline. Per the Hollywood Reporter, the decision was made by studios film chief Toby Emmerich. Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen; the movie came out in 2022.

I would be a real simpleton to not think that there was an effect on my career based on Ms. Heards words, whether they mentioned my name or not, he said during the trial.

2021: Depps appeal for libel case is denied

Depp and his legal team contested the 2020 ruling that said there was overwhelming evidence that he assaulted Heard. In March, Depps team brought forth fresh evidence regarding Heards alleged charity donations with the divorce settlement money, claiming that she did not complete the payments. Ultimately, Depp was denied permission to appeal to the ruling.

During the 2022 defamation trial, Terence Dougherty, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a deposition that Heard has donated $1.3 million of the pledged $3.5 million, and has not made a payment in three years. Dougherty said, We learned she was having financial difficulties.

Dougherty also testified that the ACLU believes Elon Musk, who dated Heard following her divorce from Depp, was behind a $500,000 donation payment.

2022: The defamation trial begins in Fairfax, Virginia

The defamation trial began in Fairfax, Virginia, where the Washington Posts online edition is published via servers. The trial is set to last six weeks.

Depp said his goal is the truth in the defamation lawsuit, which is against Heard directly, as opposed to the libel lawsuit in the U.K, which was against a publication. Since I knew there was no truth to it whatsoever, I felt it my responsibility to stand up not only for myself in that instance but stand up for my children, who at the time were 14 and 16, he said in his testimony.

Ahead of the trial, Heard posted a statement on Instagram. She wrote, hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny. I have always maintained a love for Johnny and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world.

2022: Details about their marriage emerge via courtroom testimony

During the trial, Depp has shared details about his yearlong marriage to Heard, often depicting Heard as an aggressor. It could begin with a slap, it could begin with a shove, it could begin with throwing a TV remote at my head, throwing a glass of wine in my face, Mr. Depp said of their interactions. He also said that he was struck with a roundhouse punch from Heard. Heard, in an audio recording played in court, admitted to hitting Depp.

Depp claimed that Heard severed his finger by throwing a vodka bottle at him, shattering his middle finger. Depp said that he wrote on the walls with his blood in the ensuing fight: The blood had dried  and so I stuck my finger into a can of paint and also mineral spirits to put my verbal messages onto the wall, he said. Heard has denied the claim that she injured Depps finger.

US-COURT-DEPP-HEARD (Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)

Jurors also saw text exchanges between Depp and his friends addressing his substance abuse and relationship with Heard, including a text sent to his friend, the actor Paul Bettany, in which he said he wanted to burn Heard.

Depp said he uses alcohol and drugs not for the party effect but to cope with trauma. The actor said Heards claims of his drug addiction were grossly embellished.

Finally, audio clips were played of the former couple talking. In a recording played on the last day of testimony, Heard sketches out what it might look like for Depp to come forward with allegations. Tell them, I, Johnny Depp, Im a victim of domestic abuse ... and see how many people believe or side with you. When asked by his lawyer whether he identified as a victim of domestic violence, Depp said, Yes. I am.

TOPSHOT-US-COURT-DEPP-HEARD (Evelyn Hockstein / AFP via Getty Images)

Other witnesses have included Depps older sister and personal manager, Christi Dembrowski, who backed up Depps claims of their abusive childhood home; talent agent Christian Carino; doorman Alejandro Romero; forensic psychologist Shannon Curry; the couples therapist Laurel Avis Anderson; and LAPD officers who responded to Heards call in 2016.

Heard's testimony began on May 4. In her testimony, Heard recalled instances of physical abuse from Depp. She said the first instance of physical violence came after Heard asked about Depp's tattoo, which reads "Wino Forever," and she laughed at his response.

He slapped me across the face, Heard said, per Reuters. I didnt know what was going on. I just stared at him. Depp replied, "You think its funny, b---? Heard said he later apologized for his actions.

Heard later alleged that Depp "threw a bottle" at her after the Met Gala in 2014, bruising her nose.

In another portion of testimony, Heard said Depp on Heard, accusing her of stealing drugs.

Cross-examination has yet to take place. The trial is ongoing.

CORRECTION (5/4/22 at 12:08 p.m.): The article has been updated to correctly state the length of Depp and Heard's marriage.
(Reuters) - The Kremlin on Friday declined to say whether President Vladimir Putin had apologised to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett following an assertion from Russia's foreign minister that Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins.

Israel lambasted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the comment, describing the remarks as an "unforgivable" falsehood that minimised the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.

Bennett said on Thursday that Putin had apologised for the remark, and that he, Bennett, had accepted the apology.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
A handful of local schools are among 150 in the state receiving grants to increase safety for students and staff.

The state announced $10 million in grant funding from the Competitive School Safety Grant Program, divided among 150 schools across Michigan.

Locally, Fennville Public Schools will receive $164,052 and South Olive Christian School in Holland was awarded $50,000. Faith Community Christian School in Belding received an $8,470 grant.

Fennville Public Schools was among 150 school in the state to receive grant funding from the Competitive School Safety Grant Program. The district received $164,052.

There were 336 applicants during this years grant cycle, with a total of $35 million in requested funding. Recipients have until July 1, 2023 to spend the grants.

Michigans students and educators deserve to feel safe in school, stated Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Im proud that this state-funded grant program helps schools make improvements to help keep students and educators safe by funding more secure learning environments.

The program has awarded a total of more than $66 million since 2015. Grants go toward the purchase of equipment and technology to improve safety and security of school buildings, students and staff.

These grant awards will provide the resources needed by many schools throughout our state to ensure students have a safe learning environment, stated Michigan State Police Director Joe Gasper. The review committee gave priority to proposals that sought to secure exterior access points at school buildings, as it is considered one of the best and most cost-effective ways to improve safety and security.

Whitmer has proposed increasing the program's funding to $51 million in her latest budget recommendation. She also recommended $15 million to implement cross-sector approaches to prevent mass violence through school, public safety and community partnerships.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Local schools receive school safety grant funding
The man who allegedly rushed the stage and tackled Dave Chappelle Tuesday night during a stand-up comedy set at the Hollywood Bowl will face multiple criminal charges, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Thursday.

In a video posted to Twitter, Feuer said the alleged attacker, who has been identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, will be charged with "battery, possession of a weapon with the intent to assault," and "charges relating to interfering with a performance." Feuer said his office filed the charges Thursday afternoon. "My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously, and we are going to vigorously prosecute this case," he concluded.

According to the Associated Press, Lee was in possession of a replica handgun that contained a real knife blade inside when he ran on stage during Chappelle's performance. The case was referred to Feuer's office after the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office determined that a crime occurred, but not one that constituted a felony.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Dave Chapelle attends the UK premiere of

Samir Hussein/WireImage Dave Chappelle

"The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has referred the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for misdemeanor filing consideration," a spokesperson said Thursday in statement provided to EW. "After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct. The District Attorney's Office does not prosecute misdemeanor crimes within the city of Los Angeles."

According to reports, the incident occurred while Chappelle was finishing a routine about comedians worrying about personal safety after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards in response to Rock making a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Chappelle didn't appear to be harmed, though the AP confirmed that the assailant was taken away in an ambulance for treatment of an unknown injury.

Story continues

After the attack, Chappelle's publicist, Carla Sims, praised the comedian for keeping his composure. "As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show," Sims said. "Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock helped calm the crowd with humor before Chappelle introduced the last and featured musical guests for the evening."

BREAKING: City Attorney Mike Feuer announces charges against Dave Chappelles alleged attacker. pic.twitter.com/OiMh8ZWftX  The Office of Mike Feuer, L.A. City Attorney (@CityAttorneyLA) May 5, 2022

Related content:
Then-Acting Secretary for Defense Mark Esper on June 26, 2019, photo, AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool, File

Mark Esper says Trump adviser Stephen Miller wanted to send 250,000 troops to the US-Mexico border.

The former defense secretary detailed the plan in an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes."

"We don't have 250,000 US troops to send to the border. And to do what? It's just ridiculous," Esper said.

Former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says he was "flabbergasted" by the Trump White House's "absurd" plan to send 250,000 active-duty troops to the US-Mexico border.

Esper, speaking to CBS' "60 Minutes" for an interview ahead of the Tuesday release of his tell-all memoir, says he first heard about the plan from then-senior adviser Stephen Miller, a hardline immigration hawk.

"He's behind me, and this voice just starts talking about 'caravans are coming, and we need to get troops to the border, and we need a quarter of a million troops, and I think he's joking," Esper told CBS' Norah O'Donnell. "And then I turn around and look at him, at these deadpan eyes, and clearly, he is not joking."

Esper says he countered Miller by stating that the Department of Homeland Security could handle any influxes of migrants. But Miller insisted on a major troop presence.

"I just turn squarely around to him, facing him, and say, 'I don't have a quarter of a million troops to send on some ridiculous mission to the border,'" Esper said.

Esper then relayed the conversation to Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to "check and make sure" such a plan wasn't actually in motion within the White House.

"Milley comes back days later, and the door opens up, and he's waving a document in his hands, and says something like, 'Secretary you're not going to believe this,'" Esper said.

"And that's when he explains to me that yes, they were working, that we had developed a plan, an initial concept of how this might happen, and I was just flabbergasted that not only was the idea proposed, but people in my department were working on it," he added.

Story continues

Esper called the idea "so absurd I can't even consider it."

"Again, we don't have 250,000 US troops to send to the border. And to do what? It's just ridiculous," Esper said.

Esper's memoir, "A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times," is due for release on May 10. In the book, Esper details his clashes with the Trump White House during his tenure as secretary and the tumult throughout 2020.

Other books published about the final year of the Trump administration reveal how Esper repeatedly clashed with Trump over both immigration and border security, and how the US military should respond to protests and riots over racial injustice in the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.

And, as a result of Trump's dissatisfaction with him, Esper was one of the first high-ranking officials on the chopping block after the 2020 election. Esper details in his book that Trump wanted to 'shoot' protesters in their legs, Axios previously reported.

The former defense secretary also reveals in his memoir that Trump asked whether the US could directly bomb drug labs in Mexico run by cartels, The New York Times reported on Thursday evening.

Read the original article on Business Insider
In a lengthy and caustic tirade Friday afternoon, Cook County Judge Stanley Sacks denied prosecutors bid to release one man from prison a year early, a preliminary test of the States Attorneys new initiative to push for resentencing longtime inmates in the interest of justice.

In ruling that Charles Miles should stay in prison, Sacks repeated that phrase often, in a derisive tone.

Advertisement

Its hardly in the interest of justice to reduce lawfully imposed sentences, he said. ... I am not a social worker. If Mr. Miles has some beef about the sentence, the remedy for Charles Miles is to ask the governor.

Prosecutors as well as Miles pro bono attorneys noted that part of the resentencing initiative involves intensive support and re-entry benefits that would be available for Miles  but only if Sacks agreed to the early release.

Advertisement

If you look at his background, Your Honor, incarceration has not worked, Assistant States Attorney Nancy Adduci said in court. Simply letting him go in a year with no means of support only risks further recidivism, she said.

I get it, its not easy, but sometimes we have to take certain chances or risks, Adduci said, saying this was a chance to something to support Mr. Miles, give him the tools he needs to build a road back.

Miles had a prior history of burglary convictions before he was found guilty in the 2010 and 2011 cases, for which he was sentenced to a combined 25 years. With expected day-for-day credit and some credit for participating in certain courses, he is slated for release in May 2023.

In a statement after court, the Cook County States Attorneys office said we are disappointed by the judges decision in the Miles case, but we understand that a judge must look at the facts and the defendant in each individual case and we hope to continue our work in future resentencing endeavors.

While in custody, Miles has participated in Narcotics Anonymous and taken educational courses, according to his attorneys.

Hes been through this before  were trying to set him up differently so when he is released, he does reenter society, he is successful, and hes ready to do that now, his attorney Michael Meneghini said in court.

Sacks scowled when Miles stood to speak on his own behalf.

25 years, I never did this type of time before, Miles said.

Advertisement

First time for everything, Sacks responded.

Im a different person, Im a better person, Miles continued.

When did you decide that? Sacks asked.

I decided that right after I had to accept Im doing this time, said Miles, who is incarcerated in Danville Correctional Center. ... Right now I just want to see a future, I want to move forward with my life. Things Ive done, I was convicted of, but now, you know what Im saying, I have a whole mindset to do better.

In a lengthy ruling, Sacks called Miles a congenital burglar, and scoffed at the educational courses he took in prison, saying they were hardly enough to show that he had been rehabilitated. And he was skeptical that Miles would take advantage of the re-entry programs if he were released early.

Miles could get out today and say  Im out, I dont need to do all this, he said.

Advertisement

Sacks also hinted heavily that he thought the statute allowing for prosecutor-initiated resentencing was unconstitutional, though he stopped short of making a formal finding from the bench.

Sacks ended the hearing by addressing Miles directly: Have a safe trip to Danville, he said.

A few moments later, as Miles was led back into custody, he gave the judge some parting words. You treat me like a murderer, he said.

After the hearing, Miless brother Cubby told reporters he wishes he could have addressed Sacks himself: If he gets out of line, Ill do the rest of the time, he would have said.

My brother was guilty, and I can accept that he was guilty, Cubby said. But I love him. Hes my little brother.

Miles got caught up in drugs and was running with a bad crowd, but now that he is sober, hes not at risk of reoffending, Cubby said, and the judge could have been a little more lenient.

Advertisement

I tell (Miles), you just gotta stay on your knees, pray to the Lord, he said.

Miles was one of three people initially identified by prosecutors as a candidate for resentencing under a new state law allowing prosecutors to proactively request more lenient sentences for people, though the ultimate decision is still up to a judge.

Of the first three petitions prosecutors filed, one was withdrawn after authorities learned the subject would actually be released within the next few days. Another petition is pending in the suburban Markham courthouse. Its next court date is set for June.

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
Despite the rainy and windy week, Mexican artisans from the state of Tlaxcala were committed to finishing two monumental stone carpets adorning Daley Plaza.

On Thursday afternoon the group finally completed the carpets after a month of planning and several setbacks because of the weather, said artisan Francisco Montiel. Each carpet was designed to depict the ties between Chicago and the people of Mexico.

The endeavor was a part of the first-ever Mexico Week, in which the consul general of Mexico in Chicago organized several events to celebrate Mexican culture and aim to challenge the stereotypical Cinco de Mayo celebrations taking place.

Other commemorations include a special dish created by chef Carlos Gaytan of Tzuco restaurant, the exhibition Images of Mexico, at the Mexican Consulate, the inauguration of the Wings of Mexico sculpture downtown and a ceremony to name the library of Instituto Cervantes after the Mexican writer Jose Emilio Pacheco.

On a rainy evening Mayor Lori Lightfoot gathered with Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil, congressman Jesus Chuy Garcia, and several other Mexican government officials to take a picture in front of the Wings of Mexico sculpture placed in the Plaza of the Americas on the Magnificent Mile.

The sculpture by Jorge Marin which will remain in the plaza until Oct. 1, celebrates Chicago as a welcoming city for immigrants and refugees. Behind the sculpture of the wings, there was another elaborate carpet.

Montiel and his team, he said, are honored to adorn some of Chicagos most emblematic places with the picturesque carpets traditional to his hometown of Huamantla, a city in Tlaxcala in Mexico.

Though the materials used for the carpets created in the city had to be adapted to fit Chicagos weather, the carpets are extremely similar to the ones he elaborated under team Arte Magico De Huamantla in Mexico, Montiel said. Rather than using sawdust, flowers and fruits, the carpets in Daley Plaza were made of stones.

Story continues

In Huamantla, the carpets are created on the streets to adorn the town every August as part of a religious tradition to honor La Virgen de la Caridad  Our Lady of Charity  and as a symbol of gratitude for health and a good harvest.

While creating the work, which features an image of The Bean and the Chicago flag, Montiel invited passersby to contribute by helping to add stones to the design or hearing the history of the carpets.

We wanted to make sure that we made this more interactive so that the people of Chicago can feel our warmth, Montiel said in Spanish.

An expert in carpet-making art, Montiel grew up in Huamantla, Tlaxcala, and learned the trade while growing up, he said. Over the past decade, he has taken his art to various parts of the world.

We always feel welcomed here, he said. I enjoyed the questions from people passing by asking us about the carpets because we got a chance to share our story and our art.

During the gathering at the Plaza of Americas, Lightfoot commended Torres Mendivil for her work in Chicago as the first woman to serve as the consul general in Chicago and said she was an asset to the Chicago area that is home to more than 1.5 million people of Mexican origin.

The Week of Mexico pays tribute to the long-standing strong ties between the city of Chicago and Mexico. It showcases the important contributions and influence that Mexico has had in every aspect of our city of Chicago, Lightfoot said.

While Chicago is home to migrants from all over the world, Mexican immigrants make up the largest group. Torres Mendivil said that events seek to also highlight the diverse backgrounds and traditions of the Mexican communities living in Chicago. Tlaxcala, for example, is the smallest state in Mexico and therefore, often overlooked.

Montiel said that having the opportunity to create their carpets in Chicago can open a new world for many people and invites everyone to visit Tlaxcala.

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com
Michelle Obama says the Obama Presidential Center thats being built will include a section honoring her mother, Marian Robinson.

I simply wouldnt be who I am today without my mom, Obama said in a Friday video that aired on ABCs Good Morning America.

And that is why this Mothers Day, I am so excited to announce that we will be dedicating a space at the Obama Presidential Center. Its an exhibit called Opening the White House, the 58-year-old former first lady said.

From an early age, my mom, Marian Robinson, taught me how to think for myself, use my own voice, and understand my own worth.



Ahead of #MothersDay, Im proud to announce that the Opening the White House exhibit at the Obama Presidential Center will be named after her.  pic.twitter.com/QDhSSRRet0  Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) May 6, 2022

The area inside the Obamas center in Chicago will include scale replicas of the East Room, the Blue Room and the South Lawn of the White House.

The exhibit, Obama said, will be infused with so many of the values that my mother instilled in me: community, family, bringing people in, creating a warm, welcoming space where everyone feels at home.

In her message, shared just ahead of Mothers Day on Sunday, Obama credited her mother with having fostered in me a deep sense of confidence in who I was, and who I could be, by teaching me how to think for myself, how to use my own voice and how to understand my own worth.

Robinson, 84, lived with the first family in the executive mansion throughout former President Obamas time in office.

The Obamas broke ground on their Windy City facility in November. The Obama Presidential Center is scheduled to open in 2025.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Mike Myers has something to share for his movie fans.

Durign a recent interview on SiriusXM radio, Myers teased fans on a potential fourth movie of the "Austin Powers" series being in the works.

"I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of such a project, should it exist or not exist," Myers said on "The Jess Cagle Podcast w/ Julia Cunningham."

Mike Myers has left the door open to the possibility of a fourth movie in the "Austin Powers" franchise. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

The comedian added he "would love" to work on a follow-up to "Austin Powers in Goldmember," which was released in 2002.

MIKE MYERS CHOKES UP REMEMBERING HIS AUSTIN POWERS CO-STAR VERNE TROYER

Myers refused to cave when the radio host pushed for specific confirmation of another movie.

"It was a nonconfirmed confirmation confirmation," Myers said.

The "Austin Powers" franchise has produced three movies. The original was released in 1997, with its sequel being released shortly after in 1999.

The actor shared during an interview he could neither "confirm nor deny" a fourth installment of the hit movie franchise. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Other celebrities who starred in the movies include Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Rob Lowe and Elizabeth Hurley.

Myers famously plays two roles in the original movie  Powers and his nemesis, Dr. Evil. In the third movie, released in 2002, Beyonce was cast and made her theatrical debut.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

If the franchise were to produce a fourth movie, it would be without one of the movies biggest stars  Verne Troyer.

In 2018, Myers publicly mourned his "Austin Powers" co-star, Troyer, who was born with achondroplasia dwarfism. He died in late April 2018, and his death was ruled a suicide.

Mike Myers and Verne Troyor star in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." Getty Images

Myers appeared on an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2018, just two weeks after Troyer died.

"Verne was a fantastic human being and  yeah," Myers said, becoming visibly choked up as the audience applauded for Troyer.

"I worked with him for a long time. Hes a great comedian. I always want to make that point. As written, Mini-Me is almost like a prop, but he brought it off the page and made it better than written, and we just ended up giving him more and more stuff to do. A great physical comedian and a great dancer, just a fantastic guy."
155-mm howitzers before loading on a US Air Force plane bound for Ukraine

NV: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Moscow will be destroying the convoys that bring Western military aid to Ukraine. Do you think that is why were seeing intensifying missile strikes deep into Ukrainian territory?

Zgurets: Russia is doing a number of things to try and stem the flow of Western weapons into Ukraine  from diplomatic protests, to active measures. But our logistics that facilitates these shipments and their deployment is rather sophisticated. Its not limited to railways, and the volume of incoming military aid is not decreasing, with other delivery and distribution methods remaining available.

Read also: After Russias war, a stronger Ukraine and West will emerge

Id say that Shoigu is simply following the overarching Russian strategy to intimidate. Missile strikes do have an influence, but they can never force the West to rethink their policy of ensuring that our army grows ever stronger.

NV: U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new aid package for Ukraine, worth $33 billion. What kind of weapons can we expect in it?

Zgurets: $33 billion really is a significant amount. $20 billion is explicitly dedicated to weapons. What kinds of weapons we need exactly is under constant review, in coordination with the Pentagon and all 40 countries that were present at the Ramstein meeting (U.S. Air Force base in Germany), where the framework for Western rearmament of Ukraine was agreed.

What we need is artillery, reconnaissance systems, long-range weapons, and ammunition  the full spectrum of these armaments is unlikely to drastically change, its important to focus instead on the volumes and pace of these shipments.

NV: Is Ukraine going to be getting these $20 billion, or are we going to have to share these funds with other Eastern European NATO countries?

Zgurets: I expect it will be mostly focused on Ukraine. Some schemes, though, rely on Eastern European countries giving us weapons, and then the United States compensating those transfers.

Story continues

NV: Recently, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that Ukraine is moving away from Soviet-era weapons and rearming with NATO-compatible equipment. How long could this transition take?

Read also: Ukraines Armed Forces to transition from Soviet weapons to NATO equipment, says Commander-in-chief Zaluzhnyi

Zgurets: It makes little sense to politicize those statements and try to impose some timeframes on them. As it stands, weve considerably expanded the size our army, established the Territorial Defense volunteer force, and created a reserve corps.

All those institutions need to be armed with some kind of weaponry  Soviet-made or NATO-supplied. We need to ensure all our forces have adequate firepower, protection, and mobility capabilities. In that sense, were going to use everything at our disposal, regardless of how modern the equipment may be.

Were running out of Soviet-era ammunition: its becoming increasingly difficult to procure it, since its production ceased a while ago.

Thats why, for example, it makes perfect sense to transition our artillery corps to 155mm guns, considering those are the systems and ammunition were currently getting from our partners. Our missile artillery, armor, and electronic warfare are in a similar position. Those are the systems were getting more and more of from NATO members, so we will gradually transition away from Soviet equipment as it wears down and gets decommissioned.

What Zaluzhnyi said makes perfect sense, given that we have state policies of modernizing our armed forces in accordance with NATO standards. We have already made the switch in terms of our command-and-control structure, methodological and organizational approaches. But since were at war, were fighting with every gun we can get our hands on, abandoning weapon systems once we run out of ammo for them.

Read also: Ukraines deputy defense minister on how Western arms supplies are safeguarded from Russian interference

NV: According to CNN, the Unites States has trained around 100 Ukrainian service members to use U.S.-made artillery. They will, in turn, train many more of their colleagues in Ukraine.

Zgurets: Thats one of the vectors of military training. Its ongoing, in parallel with military aid shipments.

A couple days ago, we got French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers. Similarly, our artillerists were trained by French specialists. I suspect the same will happen with the German artillery were getting. All this training is done abroad, in particular  in Poland.

Its all part of the general framework of Western military support of Ukraine.

NV: German newspaper Die Welt reported that Berlin has decided to give Ukraine seven howitzers, even though they have 40 of them in cold storage  the rest are, allegedly, in poor condition. Reportedly, this was a political decision, made despite opposition from Bundeswehr officials.

Zgurets: Germany has significant weapon stockpiles. Right now, they are maintaining that they have already supplied Ukraine with everything they could. The snag is that certain German weapons manufacturers  like Rheinmetall, which makes howitzers  have more arms at their warehouses that could be sent to Ukraine. And these German private companies are saying that the government can increase aid to Ukraine, because the German private sector has more weapons reserves than the Bundeswehr.

We expect to get not three, five, or seven German howitzers, but 50+. The United States gave us 90, other countries  around 300 units. Its near the number of artillery systems we had when the war started in 2014. Those were 152mm guns. Meaning that in real terms, were growing our artillery firepower. And on this scale, seven howitzers from Germany seem like a bit of a joke.

Read also: Invasion, stock, and barrel. Ukraines personal arms market is booming

NV: Would there even be any use from these German howitzers? Theres been so back-and-forth around them.

Zgurets: Lets unpack this into the guns themselves, and Germany.

Our problem is that Russia is currently relying on its overwhelming artillery firepower. There were times, when near Rubizhne (in Donbas), Russia had a 20 to 1 advantage in barrage intensity over our forces. Basically, for every shell we fire at them, the Russians would lob 20 shells back.

That means they have a numerical advantage in long-range firepower. Unlike Ukraine, they dont have to conserve their ammunition reserves. Artillery has become the dominant dimension in the current phase of the war, and we need to deploy significantly more guns on the battlefield, so we need all the help we can get there.

Second: range of these howitzers. All European 155mm howitzers have greater ranges than standard-issue Russian Msta-S and Msta-B systems, which can fire at targets 20 kilometers away. German guns are at least 30% more or even twice the range, compared to the Russian ones.

That means that well be able to destroy Russian artillery, while keeping ours intact, at a safe distance. French and German howitzers are also more accurate. High-precision munitions (like the U.S.-made Excalibur rounds) can destroy a target from 40 kilometers away with a single shell, with pinpoint accuracy. We would have to fire 560 rounds to achieve the same effect, using our current artillery systems.

In general, transitioning to NATO military tech  be it U.S., French, or German  drastically increases our range, and decreases the rate at which we exhaust our ammunition. Thats what were looking for in our cooperation with foreign weapons manufacturers.

Read also: Russia will say its fighting NATO to excuse defeat, says military expert

NV: Russia is actively supplying its forces in Ukraine from Crimea. Do we have any tools at all to try and disrupt this supply line?

Zgurets: As Crimea is itself dependent on supplies from Russia via the Crimea Bridge, everyone keeps saying we need to bring the bridge down. The problem is, it is some 280 kilometers away from Zaporizhzhya, from Mariupol  a little closer.

After Russia captured southern Ukraine, we no longer have missiles with enough range to threat the bridge over Kerch Strait. If we find a spot 280 kilometers away from it, we can try to do something with Neptune missiles, but I dont think that makes sense, given how few of them we have, and how unlikely the attack is to succeed.

I think the question (of destroying the bridge) could become more reasonable in due time, after we get long-range U.S. weapon systems, with plenty of missiles to spare. Even then, it will take a well-planned operation to get them in range first.

NV: Neptune missiles are the core of our naval deterrent.

Zgurets: Right, they were designed to strike at enemy ships. The warheads guidance and targeting systems are best suited for identifying naval targets.

NV: Theoretically, can they be used to strike at ground targets?

Zgurets: Yes, but every weapon still has an intended use. While its possible to destroy a bridge with anti-ship missiles, certain technical and tactical complications will have to be taken into account and properly managed. Besides Neptune missiles being capable of destroying a bridge in the first place, this particular bridge is under saturated anti-air defenses.

NV: Military experts point out that some of the cruise missiles Russia launches at us, are, technically, anti-ship missiles, being used against ground targets.

Zgurets: True. Russian Bastion launch systems were recently used to fire Onyx anti-ship missiles at Odesa. But given our situation, its prudent to save anti-ship weapons to sink enemy landing ships, because the threat of a naval landing is still very much a thing.

NV: The Kremlin continues to use their missiles rather liberally, without trying to conserve their stockpiles at all. Do they really have that many of them on hand?

Zgurets: They use a whole range of missiles: air-to-surface cruise missiles, guided ballistic missiles for their Iskander launchers, and long-range Kalibr cruise missiles, launched from ships and submarines. I assume they think theyre doing everything right.

Read also: Day 72 of Putin's war. Ukraine evacuates 500 people from AzovStal, 41 Ukrainians were released from Russian captivity

I estimated that Russia had around 900 Iskander-launched cruise missiles when it invaded Ukraine. They have 200 of them left, at most. Sea-launched Kalibrs have dwindled from 500 to 350. Their production capacities are rather low, so the stocks are growing thinner. Nevertheless, those 200, 300, or 400 missiles they still have, pose a serious threat to us. Thats why we have to keep improving our air and missiles defenses, however diminished Russian missile munitions might be. A single missile can still pose a critical threat.

NV: The escalating diplomatic row between Israel and Russia invites the discussion of Israeli weapons Ukraine could potentially use. Should we expect something like the Iron Dome?

Zgurets: We requested certain weapon types from Israel at the invasions onset, but they were declined. Israel does have a number of things we would find very useful indeed: loitering munitions, anti-air and anti-missile defense systems.

Germany is currently in talks with Israel, looking to procure a missile defense system that would protect Berlin from Russian Iskander and Kinzhal missiles  exactly the threat were facing.

However, the Israeli Iron Dome wont be of much use in Ukraine. That system is designed to intercept short-range missiles. The concentrated firepower of Russian MLRS on the battlefield would quickly overwhelm and exhaust an Iron Dome system.

I would suggest we should look into getting more powerful Israeli missile defense systems, loitering munitions, electronic warfare systems to jam Russian warplanes, and so on.

Israel is maintaining a balanced, neutral posture in this conflict. I would be very surprised if we can get any significant military aid from them.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican journalist was found dead in the northwestern state of Sinaloa on Thursday, authorities said, marking the ninth death of a media worker in a unprecedentedly bloody year for the country which has drawn international scrutiny.

Luis Enrique Ramirez, a veteran journalist and columnist at El Debate, was found dead on the side of a highway, the state's attorney general said on Twitter.

Ramirez's body was discovered by security forces in a black bag and wrapped in plastic, his employer said.

Ramirez was a recognized figure in Sinaloa and beyond, having worked at some of the country's largest papers across a 40-year career, according to El Debate.

Ramirez had previously been on the receiving end of "aggressions", Juan Vazquez of Article 19, a human rights organization dedicated to press freedom, told Reuters.

"I do feel the imminent danger that I am the one who follows, because there is a pattern [of murders], in which I fit," Ramirez said in an interview with local media several years ago.

Presidential spokesperson Jesus Cuevas said on Twitter Thursday afternoon that the federal government would work with state and local governments to investigate Ramirez's death and that they would "reinforce security measures for journalists."

Violence against the press has skyrocketed during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration, according to an Article 19 report published in April.

During his administration alone, 34 journalists have been killed, according to Article 19's count, including Ramirez.

United States Senators Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio called on the U.S. to urge Mexico to do more to protect journalists in February, criticizing Lopez Obrador for lashing out against his critics in the media.

(Reporting by Isabel Woodford, Raul Cortes, Adriana Barrera and Kylie Madry; Editing by Stephen Coates)
WASHINGTON  In an effort to address rising crime rates, 19 mostly moderate House Democrats are urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a vote soon on bipartisan legislation that would increase funding for police departments across the country.

As national crime rates increase, including homicides, car jackings, and assaults, now is the time to support local law enforcement through passage of bipartisan, bicameral commonsense legislation, the Democrats wrote Friday in a letter to Pelosi, D-Calif., that was first shared with NBC News.

The letter is the latest sign that Democrats, fighting to preserve their fragile majority this fall, are concerned about rising crime and the defund the police messaging from progressives that contributed to the partys loss of 13 House seats in the 2020 election.

Two vulnerable moderate Democrats  Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Cindy Axne of Iowa  spearheaded the letter, which was also addressed to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and the top Democrat and the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.

Cutting to the bone only weakens any profession; it pushes good people out, diminishes overall quality, and fuels a race to the bottom. Thats especially true in law enforcement, the lawmakers wrote. To make our communities safer, build a future with less crime, and save lives, we should not defund  instead, we must invest to protect.

Other Democrats who signed the letter include top GOP targets in the November midterms, such as Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.

It was also signed by Democratic Reps. Ed Case of Hawaii, Antonio Delgado of New York and Sanford Bishop of Georgia.

Pelosis office declined to comment on the letter, but a senior Democratic leadership aide noted that the fiscal 2022 government funding package, signed into law March 15, included $3.9 billion for state and local law enforcement grants, roughly $500 million more than last years levels.

Story continues

Democrats passed a historic amount of funding for state and local law enforcement in this years appropriations bill, which increased money for police departments to fight crime and improve public safety in communities across the country, the aide said. This money builds on top of the critical hundreds of millions of dollars for police and first responders that Democrats passed in the American Rescue Package, the $1.9 trillion Covid-relief bill President Joe Biden signed into law in March 2021.

House GOP leaders and their campaign arm have been hammering vulnerable Democrats, calling them soft on crime and sympathetic to defunding the police as cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York experience significant rises in property crimes and violent assaults.

In the Loop area of downtown Chicago, carjacking, robbery and aggravated assault rates are all significantly higher this year compared to 2021, according to police data obtained by NBC Chicago. In New York City, overall crime was up by 34 percent last month compared to a year ago, driven by big increases in robberies, burglaries and carjackings, police said. At the same time, murders were down by 38 percent and shootings fell by 29 percent in April.

The 19 Democrats pushed back against the GOP attacks in their letter, saying they are following Biden's lead. In his State of the Union address, the president declared: The answer is not to defund the police. Its to fund the police. Fund them. Fund them. Fund them with resources and training.

We strongly support the Presidents words and leadership and applaud the more than 10% increase in funding for State and local law enforcement in the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bill, the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

We write to request that the House bring legislation to the floor in the coming months to infuse our local police departments and their personnel with new resources to ensure our communities and officers are safe and secure and invest in our officers.

The Invest to Protect Act, authored by Gottheimer and Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., calls for creating a grant program to fund a variety of materials and services, including body-worn cameras and mental health resources, as well as training for de-escalation and domestic violence response. It has 55 co-sponsors, including 19 Republicans.

A companion bill has been introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; it is backed by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. Both are top GOP targets in November.
May 5During the cold winter months in areas east of the Rocky Mountains, it is not uncommon for strong, gusty winds to blow from the mountains down across the plains.

This meteorological phenomenon is called a Chinook wind, or a downslope windstorm.

It was this kind of wind that blew on Dec. 30, and the same kind of wind that would transport flames over 6,000 acres in less than 12 hours during the Marshall Fire.

Five months after the Marshall Fire, local, state, and federal officials, first responders, along with scientists from NOAA and members of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee, gathered at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder during a roundtable discussion to share agency perspectives, forecasting technologies, and to suggest mitigation tactics to prepare for future fire disasters.

"We know that what we're doing isn't enough," said Jennifer Mahoney, director of NOAA's Global Research Laboratory, to the group at large.

After the Marshall Fire, NOAA began developing a new technology to map potential locations of a fire start. The Hourly Wildfire Potential model gives 24 to 48 hour indications of where fires are likely to start, based on data temperature, winds and soil moisture data.

This new technology will be an essential tool in predicting future fire disasters, which may be more common along Colorado's Front Range than previously thought.

Michael Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, pointed out at the roundtable that there is a high potential for a fire similar to the Marshall Fire to occur in other communities.

"This was not your traditional wildland urban interface event. This was a grass fire that turned into an urban conflagration," Morgan said.

"While we sit here and say that was a fluke event  none of us have seen this in our careers  how many thousands of communities are there along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains coming down from Canada to the United States that are subject to Chinook winds?" Morgan asked.

Story continues

"This is not an anomaly. This is something we need to be thinking about and preparing for in the future. As much as we'd like to think that this will never happen again, I'm afraid it's going to," Morgan added.

Congressmen Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), and Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) both traveled to be at the roundtable as well. McNerney represents California's ninth district, of which the town of Paradise belongs. Paradise was almost destroyed in the 2018 Camp Fire, which remains California's most deadly and most destructive fire to date.

McNerney shared his experience with fire mitigation with the group, as well as asked for suggestions about how the government can help with disaster preparedness on the federal level.

"We need you to take climate action. This is going to continue to happen at a rate that is completely unacceptable," replied Louisville Mayor Ashley Stolzmann.

"We need more financial support," Stolzmann added.

"Why do we need more financial support? Because our insurance system is not structured in a way that protects homeowners and consumers. So at the end of the day, our federal government is paying because we have a system that doesn't protect consumers, and is paying for our inaction for working on reducing carbon emissions," Stolzmann said.

In addition to direct climate action, several members of the roundtable spoke about emergency notification alert systems in place.

After many Louisville and Superior residents reported not having received any emergency notification warnings on their phones before the Marshall Fire, Boulder County has been working to improve the wireless communication systems to reach people when disaster strikes.

However, a gap still remains between emergency notifications and disaster mitigation. Mike Chard, director of the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, suggested to the members of Congress at the table that narrowing down the areas receiving emergency evacuation alerts would be beneficial in future disasters.

"Being able to get those wireless alerts more to be geocentric so that we're reliable in the strategies for police and firefighters to make the decision to evacuate communities is helpful," Chard said.

Chard also said the current wireless communication system, which has been updated since the Marshall Fire and has been tested so far on three different grass fires, is "bleeding all over the county."

For instance, some residents reported having received wireless emergency alerts for the Table Mountain Fire on April 20, despite living outside the immediate incident area.

"Anything we can do to improve that system to narrow it down would be very helpful for local communities who are having to evacuate large areas," Chard added.

Another problem with issuing disaster warnings on a large scale is that it can lead to issues with evacuation.

"We have to be very strategic and balanced with those efforts. We don't have enough roads to move 30,000 out of communities. Mass communication leads to chaos in evacuation, and creates a challenge to strategically get people out of harm's way without creating gridlock," said Boulder County Sheriff's Office Division Chief Curtis Johnson.

Gov. Jared Polis concluded the roundtable by offering solutions the state has come up with to help diminish the effects of fires in the state, including increasing state funding for aerial response capabilities, improved dispatch, as well as for Colorado's State Wildland Inmate Fire Team.

"The sad reality is that we're really transitioning to prepare for year-round response, rather than fire season," Polis said.
gavel

While incarcerated in Marion County for attempting to kidnap and shoot his ex-wife in her Erie County home, Gerry Moore Sr. was convicted for plotting with his cellmate to kill her after blaming her for his imprisonment.

The Ohio Supreme Court announced Thursday of its decision in State v. Moore that the Marion County prison inmate cannot be tried for retaliation in Erie County for this plotting when all his actions occurred in Marion County.

This judgment affirms a prior ruling from the Sixth District Court of Appeals, where the court first overturned three convictions for the Marion County inmate regarding his plotting.

Moore's incarceration in Marion County was a result of pleading guilty to felonious assault, kidnapping, failure to comply and inducing panic after he snuck into the home of his ex-wife in 2015 just a month after she filed for divorce and held her at gunpoint, attempted to kidnap her and fired shots at her as she was trying to escape.

While he was serving his 8 years and 11 months prison sentence in Marion County for these crimes, Moore offered his cellmate, Richard Kiser, $50,000 to find her in a bar and "slip her a lethal dose of drugs to end her life," according to Kiser in the Supreme Court's report, State v. Moore, Slip Opinion No. 2022-Ohio-1460.

Kiser then turned the plot into authorities, and Moore was indicted in Erie County for retaliation, attempted aggravated murder and conspiracy in 2017.

After being tried in Erie County for these new charges, Moore was sentenced to 22 years in prison. He then appealed to the Sixth District Court of Appeals to challenge the venue, meaning the fact his crimes did not take place in Erie County. It was here the court reversed his convictions for the three charges.

Thursday's Supreme Court Announcement, the court upheld the judgment of the Sixth District Court of Appeals on the grounds the state failed to prove proper venue in Erie County. The court noted this does not qualify as an overall acquittal, but a dismissal of the convictions in Erie County on venue grounds.

Story continues

A call to clarify whether double-jeopardy protections would stop the state from retrying Moore in Marion County were raised by Ohio's Attorney General, but according the slip opinion, was an issue to be left "for another day."

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said he plans to contact Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter to discuss whether Moore is to be retried in Marion County in the future.

Story by: Sophia Veneziano (740) 564 - 5243 | sveneziano@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion County inmate can't be tried in Erie County for plot to kill ex
Illinois Democratic Party said Friday it will submit an application with the Democratic National Committee to become one of the first five states to hold a presidential primary election in 2024.

Democrats have to compete and win in the Midwest to win nationally. Illinois represents a true test of what presidential candidates will face across the nation and as an early primary state, Illinois can help strengthen the Democratic Partys presidential candidates in the primary and the general elections, said state Democratic Chair Robin Kelly in a letter to DNC Chair Jaime Harrison.

Advertisement

Illinois looks like America. No state matches Americas demographics like Illinois, wrote Kelly, a congresswoman from Matteson.

Illinois joins more than a dozen states, including several in the Midwest, in seeking an early spot in the Democratic Partys new presidential nominating calendar  one in which caucuses have been ruled out, ending Iowas traditional first-in-the-nation status unless it reforms a selection procedure that has become muddled in recent contests.

Advertisement

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson speaks at the Illinois Democratic County Chair's Association brunch in Springfield before Governor's Day at the Illinois State Fair on Aug. 18, 2021. Kelly is the state Democratic Party chair. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Democratic Party officials nationally are seeking to retune their traditional calendar to find states with greater ethnic, racial and geographical diversity to select the 2024 nominee, be it first-term President Joe Biden or another candidate if he chooses not to seek reelection.

New Hampshires first-in-the-nation primary, which traditionally followed the Iowa caucuses, appears likely to keep an early date in the new Democratic calendar, as do South Carolina and Nevada.

But all early dates are open and the DNC has said a number of states across the country have expressed interest in having an early influence on the primary season.

In her letter, Kelly said Illinois diversity makes it a competitive state for Democrats, noting Hillary Clinton defeated Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary by 2 percentage points, as well as a state the party shouldnt assume will remain automatically blue.

And while Illinois Democrats hold majorities today, the state has been competitive in statewide elections throughout the last decade, she wrote. With a growing population of Republican voters downstate and a partisan battle still present in the Chicago suburbs, Democrats take Illinois for granted at their own peril.

The letter touted legislation backing party values such as workers, reproductive and voting rights enacted under the states Democratic leadership. It also said the states proposal for an early primary has the unified support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, state Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park and House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch of Hillside.

Democrats, who control the legislature and the governors office, have the sole power to move Illinois primary date, as they did for this year when the traditional March date was pushed to June 28 due to delays in federal census results the party used to draw new redistricting maps. In 2008, Democrats moved the primary date up to Feb. 5 to help advance home-state Barack Obamas presidential candidacy.

Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.

Advertisement

But there are factors that compel the state to conform to the national partys primary schedule. The move by Illinois Democrats to push for an early date, coupled with their intent to bid on the 2024 presidential convention for Chicago, represent a desire by the organizations new leadership to play a more aggressive role in national party politics.

That was not a priority for the state partys former chairman, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who has been indicted in a federal corruption scandal involving Commonwealth Edison. Madigan has pleaded not guilty.

While the DNC, for regional purposes, may seek an early Midwest state for its calendar, Illinois has some factors that play against it  and not just the winter weather.

The DNC would prefer an early primary in potential presidential swing states, such as Minnesota and Michigan. In addition, Illinois, with expensive media markets in Chicago and St. Louis, as well as multiple downstate TV markets, could prove to be too costly for emerging presidential campaigns.

Letters of interest were required by the DNC on Friday, with a more formal application to follow next month. The DNC is expected to decide on its early 2024 calendar in early August.

The Republican National Committee has already decided to keep the current lineup of states for 2024: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

Advertisement

rap30@aol.com
Retired Sgt. Victor W. Butler, the last surviving Tuskegee Airman in Rhode Island, has made a simple request for his 100th birthday. The trailblazing veteran says he only wants birthday cards when he celebrates the milestone on May 21.

Its just another day. Thats all, Butler told WJAR, adding that he will read every single one of the cards.

The Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black pilots and airmen who fought in World War II, led the way for desegregation in the U.S. military. The group was featured in the film Red Tails.

Butler, who fixed planes while serving as a mechanic with the Tuskegee Airmen, said his initial plan was to join the Canadian Air Force with a friend.

But after I had signed up, my mother and father wouldnt approve of it, he said. So, I joined with the American Air Force.

The veteran persevered despite facing constant racism in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Being in Tuskegee, Alabama, it wasnt very acceptable to white people for Black soldiers to be walking around, he said.

Butler now spends much of his time at home, completing his puzzles. He says puzzles are great just to occupy the time.

Butlers advice to others is to just enjoy life as it is.

Im thankful that I have a nice wife, and a nice home to live in, he said.
Orlando police are investigating a fatal shooting on the west side of town.

Officers responded to a home on King Cole Blvd. near Willie Mays Park just before 10 p.m. Thursday for reports of shots fired.

READ: Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon announces retirement

They arrived to find the victim already dead on the scene. Hes only been identified as a man in his 30s.

Homicide detectives are still working to figure out what was happening before the shooting.

Police say theyre aware of a person of interest in the case who left the scene and hasnt been identified. They say theyre unsure what that persons involvement was, if any.

READ: Man convicted in 1973 murder-for-hire accused of using pocketknife to slash another man at Walmart

No information on a possible suspect has been released.

This story is developing. Please stay with WFTV as more information comes into our newsroom.

See a map of the area below:

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
TipRanks

A series of headwinds have inflamed worries lately, as investors try to find a path through geopolitical turmoil and the threat of recession in the mid-term. Worse are the stubborn inflationary pressures, rising prices that show no signs of slowing down. Taken all together, these factors are straining the economy and have pushed the S&P 500 well into correction territory this year, down by 15% so far. All of this has investors moving heavily into defensive stocks. Watching the market conditions
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday praised the draft opinion leaked earlier this week that signaled the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade, proclaiming "Roe must go."

Pence acknowledged the leaked draft opinion, published by Politico on Monday, at a speech in South Carolina and he noted that it is not final.

We will hope and pray that that draft opinion soon becomes the majority opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States, Pence said to applause at the Carolina Pregnancy Center gala in Spartanburg.

The Supreme Court acknowledged Tuesday that the leaked document was authentic but said it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.

Pence called the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that upheld abortion as a Constitutional right misguided and said the heartbreaking consequences of the Roe decision cannot be overstated.

He claimed that the decisions toll was unprecedented in the history of mankind, while referring to an abortion industry that he said profited from the suffering of unborn babies.

The leak of the draft opinion is unprecedented in the history of the high court. It suggests that the Supreme Court could overturn Roe in a Mississippi abortion law case.

Overturning Roe v. Wade has long been a conservative goal, and would create a landscape where access to legal abortion is a state-by-state issue.

Pence on Thursday used the prospect to encourage voters, saying "America needs pro-life majorities in the Congress and in every statehouse in the land.

If the Supreme Court returns this issue to the states and to the people, it will fall upon those that are serving in our statehouses to craft legislation to restore the sanctity of life, he said.

Pence, who has not closed the door on a 2024 White House bid, has long been opposed to abortion. He was the first sitting vice president to attend the March for Life in Washington in person in 2017.

A final Supreme Court opinion in the Mississippi case is not anticipated until June or July.
John Kirby Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Thursday downplayed the role U.S. intelligence is playing in Ukraine's military strikes against Russia, amid new reports that Ukraine has used U.S. information to kill a dozen Russian generals and sink Russia's Black Sea flagship Moskva.

"The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help Ukrainians defend their country," but "we do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military," Kirby said at a press briefing. "The Ukrainians have, quite frankly, a lot more information than we do," combining "information that we and other partners provide with the intelligence that they themselves are gathering on the battlefield, and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions."

"We do provide them useful intelligence, timely intelligence, that allows them to make decisions to better defend themselves against this invasion," Kirby added. "And I think the less said about that, honestly, the better."

Following a New York Times report Wednesday that Ukraine used U.S. intelligence to target and kill roughly a dozen Russian generals in Ukraine, U.S. officials told NBC News and several other news organizations Thursday that the U.S. also provided Ukraine critical information it used to sink the Moskva with two of its home-grown anti-ship missiles. The U.S. confirmed that the ship Ukraine had spotted was the Russian flagship and provided its coordinates, but the U.S. had "no prior awareness" of how Ukraine would use that information, an official told The Washington Post.

Still, "absent the intelligence from the United States, Ukraine would have struggled to target the warship with the confidence necessary to expend two valuable Neptune missiles, which were in short supply," the Post adds, citing U.S. officials

Story continues

NBC News reported in late April that Ukraine relied on near-real-time U.S. intelligence to repel Russia's first wave of invasion and move its own air defenses and aircraft out Russia's crosshairs. "The Russian military has literally been cratering empty fields where air defenses were once set up," one U.S. official said.

But the U.S. has also been careful to not cross certain lines that might ensnare the U.S. in a direct fight with Ukraine's nuclear-armed invader. "I think it's important not to forget this is a war the Russians started, and of course, they can end it tomorrow," Kirby noted Thursday.

You may also like

Pentagon says Russia's attempts to hit Western weapons flowing into Ukraine having 'no impact'

Shut NATO's door to Ukraine  permanently

Stephen Colbert's Late Show unmasks 'Pro-Life Spider-Man,' and Susan Collins is bound to be concerned
A Pierce County sheriffs deputy is being sought on an arrest warrant after being charged with a felony for allegedly causing extensive damage to his and his wifes Eatonville home.

On Wednesday, Pierce County prosecutors charged Michael Phipps with first-degree malicious mischief, and Superior Court Judge Edmund Murphy issued a warrant for Phipps arrest.

Authorities say Phipps did at least $50,000 in damage to the home. State law describes malicious mischief as physical damage done knowingly and maliciously to the property of another in an amount exceeding $5,000.

Phipps, 49, has been a Pierce County sheriffs deputy since November 2000.

Sheriffs Department spokesperson deputy Jeffrey Papen said Phipps has been on extended, authorized leave since June 2021. It wasnt immediately clear if that leave was paid or unpaid.

This whole matter is under administrative review, Papen told The News Tribune on Friday.

On Wednesday, the department issued Phipps a personnel order that said, should he return to work, he would be placed on administrative assignment, or desk duty.

Phipps wife sought a protection order against the deputy on March 14, records show.

In her petition to the court, she alleged substance abuse by her husband and threats of self-harm. At one point, she wrote, Phipps made a threat toward our adult child. He said he had a gun pointed at him and our neighbor from behind the front door. She also said he has grabbed her by the neck and pushed her.

In February, Phipps was involuntarily committed to a mental facility and in March left for treatment in California, the petition states. Phibbs told his wife he had lost his gun rights for six months following treatment, according to the petition, and that he was angry about it.

A Pierce County court commissioner granted a temporary order of protection March 14. It required Phipps to stay away at least 1,000 feet away from his wife and their home. That temporary order was re-issued in April, court records show.

Story continues

Law enforcement tried unsuccessfully to serve Phipps with the temporary order on numerous occasions, Eatonville Police Chief Jason Laliberte said in a police report.

On May 2, Eatonville police responded to the Phipps home when his wife, who was monitoring the houses surveillance system, apparently from off site, told police he was there. Public records show the couple purchased the home in 2000. Officers waited out of sight of the house for Phipps to drive away.

I decided we would attempt to serve the order on [Phipps] when he was away from the residence and in a public space where we could more easily control the scene, de-escalate, etc, a police report said.

Police served the protection order on Phipps in a nearby church parking lot after he left the home. His wife later asked them to do a security check of the house, and thats when they discovered the damage, according to court records.

At some point, Phipps allegedly destroyed a surveillance camera and used an ax to break water pipes throughout the home, which caused water to damage wall, ceiling, floors and furniture. Police later reported that water poured out of light fixtures and ceiling vents. Items in the garage were wet and water dripped from the ceiling.

The master bedroom was in complete disarray and multiple sinks, countertops, and other accouterments were smashed or broken. The upstairs guest bathroom toilet had been smashed and water was free to pour out from it. Most of the carpeted floors downstairs, the carpet and wood flooring surfaces upstairs, and the downstairs ceilings were completely water soaked with water, the police report said. The amount of flooding/water damage appeared to be consistent with the time frames in which [Phipps] arrived at and was present in the residence.

In requesting an arrest warrant, prosecutors said they were concerned about Phipps well being and the safety of his wife and the community, records show. Some of Phipps colleagues told police the deputy had told them hed fled to California, the records show.

Papen provided a statement on Phipps.

First off, its always hard to see someone you know going through a difficult time or making decisions that are unhealthy for themselves or others, he told The News Tribune. The sheriff department offers employee assistance programs to help our people in every way possible, but clearly accountability is important and necessary. We expect Michael Phipps to be held accountable like any other person would, whether through the judicial process or others.
UPDATE: Pittsburgh Police said that Henry Smith has been found safe.

Pittsburgh police are asking for the publics help finding a missing and vulnerable man.

Police said Henry W. Smith was last seen May 5 between 10 and 11 a.m. in Oakland.

Smith was wearing a black baseball cap, gray pants, black dress shoes, a dark green/blue/white plaid-striped shirt and a black Steelers jacket.

He is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with short salt-and-pepper hair and a mustache.

Smith drives a 2020 Red Dodge Journey and could be in the Penn Hills, Monroeville or Murrysville areas.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 412-323-7141.

UPDATE: Henry W. Smith has been safely located. Thank you to all for your assistance. MISSING: Pittsburgh Police... Posted by Pittsburgh Bureau of Police on Friday, May 6, 2022

TRENDING NOW:

9-year-old boy found dead in New Kensington identified, father arrested on separate charges 1 person taken to hospital after crash on Steubenville Pike Police investigating fatal shooting on Pittsburghs North Side VIDEO: Video from inside Port Authority bus shows part of how Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
An 18-year-old was arrested Thursday evening a day after stabbing two people and seriously injuring one of them, Cary Police said Thursday.

Noaah Carlson Speller, 18, of Raleigh, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

The stabbing occurred around 8:20 p.m. near 3803 NW Cary Parkway, in the western part of the town, according to a news release.

Officers arrived to find two victims. They were both taken to a hospital, police said. One has been released while the other remains in the hospital with serious injuries.

Speller fled on foot and police were actively searching the surrounding areas following the incident, according to the news release.

Police say the incident was domestic related and that Speller and the victims knew each other.
A Phoenix police vehicle.

Phoenix police arrested Rodrigo Zamora Valenzuela, 29, on suspicion of stabbing two people, killing one of them, Thursday afternoon.

Officers responded to reports of a stabbing near 27th Avenue and Jackson Street around noon, according to department spokesperson Sgt. Andy Williams.

They learned Zamora was suspected of attacking 46-year-old Jeffrey Matteson and a woman at a business, Williams said.

Another woman suffered a minor injury, but did not need hospital transport. Officers found and arrested Zamora quickly, Williams said.

Matteson and the woman were both taken to a hospital in critical condition. The woman was later in stable condition, but Matteson died at the hospital, Williams said.

Zamora was booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, Williams said.

Reach breaking news reporter Amaris Encinas at amaris.encinas@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @amarisencinas.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man arrested in stabbing that killed 1, injured 1 at Phoenix business
Air travelers, some with face masks and others without, line up for their flights on April 19, 2022 at Midway International Airport in Chicago. A federal judge overturned the CDC mask mandate for federal transportation including airplanes and trains. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago health officials announced Friday that indoor masking is once again strongly recommended  but not required  in the city as the risk of contracting COVID-19 in Cook County has increased.

Chicagos public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady made the advisory after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deemed Cook County is now in the medium risk level for community transmission. The metrics are based on a combination of new cases and hospitalizations, but the medium category is automatically reached if weekly cases surpass 200 positive tests per 100,000 residents.

Advertisement

Arwady stressed that even though the county was in the medium risk category the city is not near reinstating mandates on indoor masking or proof-of-vaccination, though Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Transit Authority also are encouraging indoor masking.

Chicago moving into the medium level does not mean a citywide mask mandate, restrictions on public gatherings, or reinstatement of vaccination requirements at this time, Arwady said in a statement. With the way the current COVID variants are behaving, those are measures we would consider if we reached the high COVID-19 community level  which we arent close to reaching in Chicago right now.

Advertisement

At CPS, employees and parents received a letter from CPS CEO Pedro Martinez stating that the district will continue strongly encouraging the use of masks in our schools, especially among unvaccinated students, but it will not restore the mask mandate it dropped in March. Martinez said in the letter that CPS will follow the recommendations of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Martinez noted the positivity rate of the districts in-school COVID-19 testing program is 0.68% while the citys positivity rate is 3.9%. The 0.68% positivity rate is the highest for the districts testing program since January, near the end of the highly contagious omicron variant. CPS case numbers have been rising since students returned from spring break last month.

Last month, Arwady suggested a medium level designation could lead to a reinstated mask mandate at CPS, but this week she said only at high risk will any form of a mask requirement be put in place.

Technically this past week, the city of Chicago stood at 195 new cases per 100,000 residents  just below the 200-case threshold. But Arwady said the city would follow Cook County if the county broke 200 cases per 100,000 first. Cook County is at 259 cases per 100,000 residents, according to CDC data. Still, COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU capacity remain low for both the city and the county.

The developments come one week after suburban Cook County areas reached the medium risk level, prompting officials to also recommend indoor masking, and as COVID-19 numbers climb across Illinois.

Statewide, health officials on Friday reported 7,709 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, a level not seen since early February. Over the past week, the state has averaged 4,376 new cases per day, up from an average of 1,426 daily cases just one month ago.

While the CDC only tracks its community levels on a county-by-county basis, Illinois as a whole has a weekly case rate of 240 per 100,000 residents. In addition to Cook County, all five collar counties and eight others in northern and central Illinois are now at medium level, where older residents and those with compromised immune systems are encouraged to wear masks indoors.

Still, Amaal Tokars, acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in statement Friday that the agency would stress this (is) not a cause for alarm.

Advertisement

Those at greater risk for severe outcomes from COVID should exercise caution, and everyone should make sure they are up to date on their vaccinations, she said.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, while still relatively low, also is increasing statewide.

As of Thursday night, there were 808 COVID-19 patients in hospitals statewide, up from 515 a month earlier. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 hit an all-time high of 7,380 on Jan. 12, the height of the winter surge driven by the omicron variant.

Deaths have remained low, with the state averaging seven per day over the past week, including seven reported Friday. In all, the statewide death toll stands at 33,660 since the pandemic began.

Chicago Tribunes Dan Petrella contributed.

ayin@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

tswartz@chicagotribune.com
Two Dayton area Walgreens reported being robbed Friday afternoon.

A sergeant with Montgomery County dispatch told us that they received a call at 1:25 p.m. from the Walgreens on Salem Avenue saying that a man tried to rob them.

In a 911 call, the caller told dispatchers that a man passed them a note saying its a robbery and requesting specific narcotics.

The caller described the man as wearing a black hoodie with a white mask and black pants with a red stripe down the side.

The man did not take any medications, according to the call.

>> UPDATE: Woman unaccounted for in Dayton fire; Cat killed

Later in the afternoon at around 3:15 p.m., dispatchers received a call from another Walgreens on Hoover Avenue of a similar robbery.

In the 911 call, the caller told dispatch that a man had passed the pharmacist a note.

The note, similar to the note passed in the Salem Ave robbery, had stated that this is a robbery and that he had a gun.

The man the caller described had many similarities to the suspect in the robbery attempt earlier that afternoon  a black hoodie and a white mask.

>> UPDATE: Woman unaccounted for in Dayton fire; Cat killed

But unlike the previous robbery, the caller said the man took a partial bottle of promethazine, a medication used to treat allergies, and a small bottle of the narcotic oxycodone.

The robberies are listed as associated in an incident report obtained by News Center 7.

We are working to learn if any suspects are in custody are what charges they face.




An argument between a shopper and a store clerk at a mall in the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo ended last month with police arresting customer David de los Santos.

Three days later, the 24-year-old was dead in hospital, after suffering catastrophic injuries during his detention.

The case has highlighted chronic police violence in the Dominican Republic -- an issue that appears linked to racial and class discrimination in the country.

The official police version of the events of April 27 is that de los Santos was the victim of a nervous breakdown in his cell and that he himself caused the injuries that lead to his death.

But an autopsy revealed that he was killed, having died from a head trauma.

"If they had the courage to assassinate him, let them show the courage to respond to the Dominican people about what happened to my son," de los Santos' father Cesar Ozuna told AFP at a protest against police abuse in Santo Domingo Tuesday.

Around 100 people demonstrated in the square at the shopping center where de los Santos was arrested late last month.

Protesters wore black, lit candles and held up signs demanding justice for the deceased physical education teacher, whose family claims he was tortured by police, including even burning his testicles.

His death was the third at the hands of authorities since April 5.

Dominican President Luis Abinader promised on Twitter that "none of these cases will remain unpunished."

National police authorities suspended the officers involved at the station located in the fashionable Naco neighborhood, and opened an investigation alongside the public ministry.

"It is about events that cause indignation, pain and shame," said Attorney General Miriam German Brito, whose office has recorded 41 deaths at the hands of police since October 2021.

"There is a certain pattern of behavior that we cannot allow," she added.

- 'Color, economic situation matter' -

Story continues

The Dominican Republic's National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) has recorded more than 4,000 deaths during clashes with police or security forces between 2010 and April 2021 -- though they say many such deaths are not reported due to a lack of faith in the judicial system.

CNDH president Manuel Maria Mercedes insists that "color and economic position have a huge influence" on whether someone is likely to suffer police violence in a country where almost a quarter of the population is poor.

"The fact that you come from a poor family, with scarce economic resources, is sufficient to determine the treatment you are given in this type of situation," Mercedes told AFP.

"If David had been the son of a wealthy person... his family would not be crying now."

In October, Abinader made moves to address policing culture in the country when he sacked the director of the national police force and ordered a reform of the institution.

The firing came after the killings of a pair of Evangelical pastors who were shot more than 20 times due to police "confusion" in March 2021, and the death of Leslie Rosado on October 2, who was chased by a police officer she allegedly struck with her car.

Just two weeks before de los Santos's death, another man, Jose Gregorio Custodio, died at the hands of security personnel in the southern town of San Jose de Ocoa.

A video shared by national media showed the moment police officers removed the 38-year-old prisoner from a health center, where police say he had been taken for medical attention.

The footage shows police throwing him onto the pavement and then kicking him repeatedly.

The police said he died on returning to his cell after a stint in hospital due to health problems.

Custodio's family accused them of torturing their son.

The colonel in charge of the police station was sacked during the investigation.

However, national police chief Claudio Peguero insisted on Wednesday that "there was no excess" force used in either case.

"No member (of the police) physically assaulted or physically hit either of these two people," he said.

In another case, 30-year-old Richard Baez died of blunt head trauma in a hospital on April 5 after he had been detained in the northern city of Santiago.

str-jt/mbj/dem/bc/caw/bfm
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised concerns about the ties Mehmet Oz, former President Trumps endorsed candidate in the Pennsylvania Senate race, has to Turkey in a press briefing arranged by Ozs chief opponent in the race.

Pompeo, whos supporting Ozs rival, Dave McCormick, in the Keystone State, held the briefing the same day Trump is expected to stump in Pennsylvania for Oz. The briefing was first advertised by the McCormick campaign.

The former secretary of State, who served under Trump, said McCormick is a patriot, unlike Oz, whom Pompeo accused of having ties to the Turkish government.

The briefing marks a notable escalation by Pompeo, who has fueled speculation in recent months that hes mulling a presidential run in 2024. Trump is also widely expected to mount another White House bid.

Dave would make an extraordinary United States senator, Pompeo said during the briefing.

We criticize American candidates all the time because they didnt vote, Pompeo said. This is different from that. Not only did he not engage in the American [process] but he engaged in the Turkish political process. That raises in my mind a lot of judgments about his priority.

ABC News first reported Wednesday that Oz, who holds Turkish citizenship, voted in Turkeys 2018 election despite previously saying he was never politically involved in the country in any capacity. His campaign spokesperson Brittany Yanick confirmed to ABC that Oz had voted in the election but denied that the vote amounted to political involvement.

Oz has claimed he has maintained his Turkish citizenship to care for his ailing mother, but has said he will renounce his Turkish citizenship if elected.

Pompeo said during the briefing that he wanted to answer peoples questions about concerns surrounding Ozs ties to Turkey, since if he were elected to Congress, he would receive a security clearance with much less scrutiny than civilians who apply for clearances.

Story continues

Maybe its all innocent, maybe its all straight up, but we and the people of Pennsylvania and the Americans who he will be representing as one of the 100 members of the United States Senate voting on important national security matters need to understand the scope and depth of his relationship with the Turkish government, Pompeo said.

Oz also owns property in Turkey and scored an endorsement contract with Turkish airlines, which Pompeo brought up during the briefing.

Turkeys government has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years, and its relationship with the U.S. soured as it became friendlier with Russia.

This isnt about whether its lawful, its about who is best suited to be the next United States senator from Pennsylvania thats been represented by a patriotic American conservative for an awfully long time, Pompeo said.

Ozs campaign shot back at the remarks, calling them pathetic and xenophobic.

These are pathetic and xenophobic attacks on Dr. Oz by David McCormick, who should be ashamed of himself, campaign communications director Brittany Yanick said in a statement. Now that he lost President Trumps endorsement, hes resorted to sad and desperate attacks that are no different than the tropes used against Catholics and Jews. Dr. Oz has already said when elected to the Senate he would renounce his citizenship. There is no security issue whatsoever, and David McCormick knows that Dr. Oz has maintained his dual citizenship to make it easier to help care for his mother who has Alzheimers and lives there.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Reuters) - Posters accusing some of the 20th century's most famous Swedes of supporting Nazism have appeared on Moscow's streets in a sign of worsening relations between Russia and Sweden as the Nordic country contemplates joining NATO.

Outside the Swedish embassy two posters affixed to a bus stop featured photographs of Swedish King Gustaf V, writer Astrid Lindgren, film director Ingmar Bergman and IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, and the message: "We are against Nazism, they are not."

Reuters saw a third poster featuring the Swedish figures, all of whom are now dead, on a major thoroughfare in central Moscow.

Asked about the posters, the press office of Sweden's foreign ministry said in a statement: "Sweden has no intention of engaging in a public polemic with the Russian organisation 'Our Victory', which is reportedly behind these posters."

"In Russia, accusations of 'Nazism' have repeatedly been deployed against countries and individuals who express justifiable criticism of Russia's actions," it added.

The Russian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Three Moscow commuters at the embassy bus stop told Reuters they were in favour of the anti-Swedish posters.

"I think the posters are timely in light of recent events," said 47-year-old Alexandra. "If Europeans consider themselves democratic countries, then I think it's entirely democratic to express an alternative point of view and show people a different opinion."

Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 have prompted Sweden and its neighbour Finland to rethink their security policies, with NATO membership looking increasingly likely.

Sweden's defence minister said last month that a NATO application could trigger a number of responses from Russia, including cyber attacks and hybrid measures such as propaganda campaigns.

Moscow says its military campaign in Ukraine is designed to demilitarize and "denazify" the country, something Kyiv and the West have dismissed as a baseless pretext to wage an unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign democratic state.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Prince Harry and Meghan, the duke and duchess of Sussex, will attend a celebration honoring Queen Elizabeth II in England next month.

The couple and their young children, Archie and Lilibet, will be among the revelers at a massive event marking the queens 70 years on the throne.

Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honoured to attend The Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children, a spokesperson for the couple told ITK on Friday.

The pair, who wed in 2018, stepped down as full-time working members of the royal family and moved to California in early 2020.

Last year, they ignited a media firestorm when they said during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that racism played a role in their decision to step back from their senior positions in the royal family.

The announcement that Harry and the former Suits star would attend his 96-year-old grandmothers jubilee came shortly after reports that they werent among those invited to join Elizabeth on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at a parade tied to the event.

Only members of the royal family carrying out official duties would be included in the traditional balcony appearance during the Trooping the Colour parade, CNN reported, citing a royal spokesperson.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Getty Images)

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two children will attend Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, a spokesperson for the couple has announced.

The familys attendance at the monarchs Platinum Jubilee celebrations next month will mark the first time that the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs daughter, Lilibet Lili Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, 11 months, will meet the Queen and other members of the royal family.

The visit will also mark the first time that the couples son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, three, has returned to the UK since the couple stepped down from their roles as senior royals and relocated to the US in 2020.

While Prince Harry, Meghan, and their children will attend the weekend of celebrations, they will not be appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour, as the Queen has limited the balcony appearance during her official birthday celebration to working members of the royal family only.

The decision also means that Prince Andrew will also not be present on the balcony during the Thursday 2 June celebration.

After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this years traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

The confirmation of the duke and duchesss attendance at the celebrations along with their children comes amid Prince Harrys case against the Home Office over police protection in the UK.

Harry brought a claim against the Home Office earlier this year to challenge the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which told him he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting from the US.

The duke and duchess recently returned to the UK together for the first time last month, when they made a surprise visit to the Queen at Windsor Castle before making their way to the Hague, Netherlands, for the Invictus Games.
Only working royals will join the Queen on the balcony at Trooping the Colour this year.

Non-working royals were previously allowed to attend the centuries-old event.

This year, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrew will be unable to attend.

Queen Elizabeth II broke a royal tradition by announcing that non-working royals will not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the Trooping the Colour parade in June.

The parade, which takes place every year for the monarch's birthday, will celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June, which marks her 70 years on the throne.

It is a tradition for the royal family to gather to watch a flyover by the Royal Air Force from the balcony, and in previous years non-working royals including Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have attended. But that will not be the case this year, according to a statement sent to Insider by Buckingham Palace on Friday.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex photographed at Trooping the Colour 2019. Samir Hussein/Getty Images

"After careful consideration, The Queen has decided this year's traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd June will be limited to Her Majesty and those Members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of The Queen," the statement reads.

The list of people invited to join the Queen on the balcony include the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, the Princess Royal and Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra, the statement added.

A palace spokesperson told Insider that the statement is "self explanatory" and that no further comment would be issued on the reasons behind the decision.

Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  who attended the parade before they quit royal duties in April 2020  will not appear on the balcony this year, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed to Insider that they will still celebrate the Jubilee in London. The Sussexes' visit marks the first time Queen Elizabeth will meet Harry and Markle's 11-month-old daughter, Lilibet Diana, who is named after her great-grandmother.

Story continues

Prince Andrew and his daughters Beatrice, Eugenie, and their children will also be missing from this year's event.

Trooping the Colour began 260 years ago, according to the royal family website. The Queen hosted her first Trooping the Colour as Princess Elizabeth in 1951, as she stood in for her father King George VI, who was unwell at the time, according to Town and Country.

Read the original article on Insider
After a recent string of Tri-City homicides, its no wonder citizens are feeling uneasy.

The tragic shooting at the Richland Fred Meyer in early February shocked the community, and at the time we said the crime had cast a shadow making the Tri-Cities feel less safe than before.

The tragedy felt too close to home  any one of us could have been in the wrong aisle at the wrong time.

But since that terrible day, theres been an unsettling flow of reported shootings and property crimes that have added to citizen concerns. There is a sense that the Tri-Cities is changing, and big-city issues like crime are becoming growing problems.

With five Kennewick homicides in two weeks and a skyrocketing number of car thefts plaguing the community, the past few months have become worrisome.

So its helpful to get a little perspective on what is likely going on.

First of all, this uptick in illegal activity is not unique to the Tri-Cities. Its happening all over Washington state and across the country.

On a national scale, gun deaths have climbed sharply in recent years, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2020, the reported 19,384 gun murders were the most since 1968.

Taking into account Americas growing population and looking at the statistics from a per capita basis, there were 13.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2020  the highest rate since the mid-1990s, the Pew report said.

In Eastern Washingtons largest city, the crime rate has spiked so high that Spokane officials are organizing a new task force to address the rise in gun violence and related crimes.

There were 40 shootings in Spokane in the first few months of 2022, according to the Spokesman Review.

To compare, there were 52 shootings in Spokane in all of 2019, and 91 shootings in 2020, the Spokesman said. But in 2021, there were 151 shootings, and Spokane officials fear that this year could be just as bad or worse.

Unfortunately, the Tri-Cities  particularly Kennewick  is also seeing troubling trends.

Story continues

While criminal activity fluctuates, the first quarter statistics in Kennewick show violent crime was nearly double an average year.

Property crimes jumped nearly 60% compared to the same period last year  driven by vehicle thefts along with increases in stolen property and vandalism.

Kennewick is the only Tri-City agency able to provide a quarterly update on crime statistics. And while Pasco and Benton County officials said they have not seen the same jump in violent crimes, they are being hit by a rash of stolen cars.

While Spokane is creating a new squad to handle its rise in certain crimes, the Kennewick Police Department wont have to start from scratch.

Its special task force has been around a long time  it just hasnt been able to function for several months.

Kennewick Lt. Jason Kiel told the Tri-City Herald that its Crime Apprehension Team (CAT) has been around for more than 15 years, but a shortage of officers has meant that members of that group have had to be pulled away for patrol duties.

But he said that in a matter of weeks there should be enough new officers on the force that the CAT will resume, however.

Kiel said that the bump in illegal activity likely isnt from a rise in new people committing crimes. It is likely chronic offenders  a small group breaking laws over and over again. Soon, though, CAT will be organized again and will be working to get these criminals off the street.

Legislative changes in how police can respond to certain crimes have been blamed, in part, for the increase in crime throughout Washington state. Some of those were fixed this past session, but there is still some that need to be worked through.

Even so, more officers on duty are bound to help. Its time to turn those rising crime rates around, and heres hoping programs like CAT and the new Spokane task force will make the difference.
Billionaire Ken Griffin has upped his investment in Aurora Mayor Richard Irvins Republican bid for governor, kicking in an additional $25 million to the campaign after seeding Irvins candidacy with an initial $20 million, state campaign finance records showed Thursday.

By doubling his financial commitment to Irvin, Griffin appears to be showing confidence in a campaign strategy that has been high in the use of TV ads and mailers while low in public contact and visibility.

Advertisement

Richard Irvin, Republican candidate for governor, arrives at the Illinois Board of Elections to file his campaign petitions in Springfield on March 7, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Griffin, founder and CEO of the Citadel hedge fund, is the states wealthiest person with a net worth of $26.7 billion, according to Forbes. He is an ardent foe of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and the nations wealthiest elected politician with a net worth estimated at $3.6 billion, according to Forbes.

Griffin gave Irvins campaign $20 million shortly after the Aurora mayor announced his candidacy in mid-January.

Advertisement

Recent campaign finance reports show Irvins outlay on advertising in the first quarter was about equal to Pritzkers.

The governor, who spent $171 million of his own money to defeat wealthy first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018, has put $125.5 million of his own money into his reelection campaign, including a $90 million deposit in January.

Griffin gave Rauner $11.5 million in his successful 2014 campaign for governor and another $22.5 million in his losing effort four years later. Griffin also spent $53.75 million to successfully fight Pritzkers proposed graduated-rate income tax constitutional amendment. Pritzker spent $58 million on that failed effort.

Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, in 2014. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Even before backing Irvin, Griffin had vowed to go all in against Pritzkers reelection. Irvin is among five major contenders for the GOP nomination in the June 28 primary, along with businessmen Gary Rabine of Bull Valley and Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.

Last month, Baileys campaign got a cash infusion of $2.5 million from another billionaire, conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein of the Uline office supply firm. Uihlein had previously given Bailey $1 million and has also given $1 million to an independent expenditure committee supporting Bailey and opposing Irvin.

rap30@aol.com

Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
(Getty Images)

In honour of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles son, Archie, turning three, members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, have celebrated the toddlers birthday on social media.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussexs eldest child celebrated his third birthday on Friday and received some sweet messages from his family in the UK on Twitter.

Queen Elizabeth IIs official Twitter account shared a photo of Archie that was taken days after he was born. In the image, Archie could be seen with his parents, great-grandmother, great-grandfather, Prince Phillip, and his grandmother Doria Ragland, Meghans mother. The duchess held her son, while the family looked down at the baby and smiled.

Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy third Birthday! the Royal Family account wrote in the caption.

Prince William and Kate Middleton also posted a family photo on social media that was taken during Archies christening in 2019.

Wishing Archie a very happy third Birthday today, they wrote in a post on their joint Twitter account.

The christening took place at Queen Elizabeths private chapel in Windsor Castle, and saw the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge among those in attendance.

 Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday!



 Chris Allerton pic.twitter.com/8Isiscee9D  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 6, 2022

Prince Charles and his wife Camila, the Duchess of Cornwall, retweeted the Queens post Friday and wrote: Happy Birthday Archie!

Prince Harry and Meghan returned to the UK for the first time together last month, during which they made a surprise visit to the Queen, before travelling to The Hague, Netherlands, for the Invictus Games.

Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today  pic.twitter.com/akikWvRfDh  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 6, 2022

During the Invictus Games, Prince Harry spoke with Todays Hoda Kotb about what he loves about being a father to Archie and his 11-month-old daughter, Lilibet. According to the duke, becoming a parent is something hes always wanted to do.

Story continues

I love every part of it, he said about fatherhood. Ive always wanted to be a dad. Ive always wanted to have my own kids, and now I have got two little people who Im responsible for.

He also opened up about his responsibilities as a father and said that he wanted to make the world a better place for the sake of his children.

My sort of mantra now every day, its a dangerous one, because I need to make sure that I dont have burnout, but its trying to make the world a better place for my kids, he added. Otherwise, whats the point in bringing kids into this world, right? Its a responsibility that I feel as a parent and that you probably feel as a parent as well.

The royal familys birthday messages come as the Sussexes confirm they will be travelling to the UK next month for the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations along with their children.

The trip will mark their daughters first visit to the UK and her first time meeting the Queen following her birth in 2021.
Russian Ambassador to France Alexei Meshkov said on Friday that his country had been snubbed from participating in commemorative World War II victory events in France slated to be held on Sunday, Russian news agency Tass reported.

On May 8, France will traditionally hold celebrations dedicated to the victory in World War II. Ambassadors and military attaches  first of the Soviet Union, then Russia, Belarus as countries that made a decisive contribution to the victory over fascism  were always invited, he said, according to the news outlet.

This year we there was no place on the podium, although the ambassadors of those countries that fought on the side of Nazi Germany will sit there.

May 8 is known as Victory in Europe Day, marking Germanys surrender during World War II. A separate Victory Day is celebrated in Russia on May 9.

There had been recent speculation that Russia would formally declare war on Ukraine on May 9, which Russia dismissed.

Russia has not formally recognized their invasion into Ukraine, now in its third month, as anything other than a special military operation.

But that conflict in Ukraine has sparked international condemnation, leading nations around the world to isolate the country socially, politically and economically in retaliation, including being snubbed from global events such as Frances World War II celebrations.

During Sundays events in Paris, a ceremony on the Champs Elysees will be led by French President Emmanuel Macron, according to Tass.

Under the Arc de Triomphes arches, the Eternal Flame will be lit in addition to other events including laying flowers at the Unknown Soldiers tomb. A wreath will also be laid on the monument to Gen. Charles de Gaulle.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This live blog is closed. For the latest updates please click here

Civilian evacuations from the Azovstal steel plant and surrounding areas in the Russia-occupied city of Mariupol continued Thursday night into Friday, with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announcing the safe passage of almost 500 people.

Russia has attacked the massive steel plant, where civilians and a group of soldiers have been barricaded since mid-April. Ukraine said Wednesday it lost contact with the troops amid heavy fighting.

Russia maintains its offensive in eastern Ukraine, where officials have said civilian centers are still the target of strikes. U.S. and E.U. support is still entering the country, with President Joe Biden on Friday authorizing the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine.

Intelligence sharing also remains a focus. NBC News reported Thursday that information shared by the U.S. helped Ukraine sink the Russian cruiser Moskva.

Read full coverage of the war here.
(Reuters) - The Russian foreign ministry said on Friday it had summoned Deborah Bronnert, Britain's ambassador to Russia, and strongly protested in relation to new UK sanctions on Russian media.

The ministry said in a statement Russia would continue react "harshly and decisively" to all sanctions imposed by London.

Britain imposed sanctions on individual journalists and media organisations earlier in May in its latest wave of measures designed to increase pressure on Moscow to stop what it calls "a special military operation" in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Reuters)
Amid the devastation wrought by Russias invasion of Ukraine, accusations are emerging that Russian soldiers are raping and sexually assaulting women and girls, according to multiple authorities.

This week Ukraine and United Nations officials addressed new information that men and boys are also reporting rape by Russian soldiers.

I have received reports, not yet verified ... about sexual violence cases [involving] men and boys in Ukraine, said Pramila Patten, United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict, at a press conference Tuesday in Kyiv.

She continued: Its hard for women and girls to report [rape] because of stigma amongst other reasons, but its often even harder for men and boys to report ... we have to create that safe space for all victims to report cases of sexual violence.

Pramila Patten, U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict, and Olha Stefanishyna, deputy Ukrainian prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, at a joint briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday. (Ukrinform/Shutterstock)

In some grim testimonies, victims have reported being assaulted at gunpoint, gang-raped or forced to be watched by their loved ones as the assault occurred.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based human rights lawyer and head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, spoke to Yahoo News about the allegations of rampant sexual violence, including rape, inflicted upon Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces. She said shes heard stories of rape from Ukrainian officials and from her own sources with the Euromaidan SOS civic initiative, which was created following the 2013 peaceful demonstrations and violent crackdown that eventually led to the ouster of former Russian-backed Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych.

Three days ago, one of our lawyers contacted me and [asked me] whether we have some special instruction for how to take testimonies from a man who was raped because he faced with this in his practice, and he wants to be prepared how to speak with people who suffered from sexual violence, and I provide these guidelines, she told Yahoo News in a Zoom interview on Thursday.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based human rights lawyer and head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties. (Yahoo News)

Mounting evidence is supporting reports of horrible crimes allegedly being committed by Russian soldiers.

Story continues

Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraines ombudsman for human rights, said she has documented around two dozen cases of women and teens raped in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb that Russian troops withdrew from.

About 25 girls and women aged 14 to 24 were systematically raped during the occupation in the basement of one house in Bucha. Nine of them are pregnant, she said, according to a BBC report.

Noting that they receive reports on support help lines and on the Telegram app, she added: A 25-year-old woman called to tell us her 16-year-old sister was raped in the street in front of her. She said they were screaming This will happen to every Nazi prostitute as they raped her sister.

Pro-Russian troops drive tanks near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 17. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Denisova told another terrifying story out of Bucha on her Facebook page. On April 8 she posted, A boy, 11, raped in front of his moms eyes - she was tied to a chair to watch. This is one of many updates she gives daily about children raped, stripped from their parents or killed.

Russia has denied the allegations of rape by its soldiers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said its a lie when asked about sexual crimes in Bucha.

Matviichuk described the difficulty of investigating this very specific crime of rape due to the ongoing conflict, lack of proper infrastructure, victims being stuck in occupied territories, and a reluctance on the part of victims to share their stories. She said they work with and refer sexual violence victims to the right organizations and try to supply them with the best information possible.

Sexual violence is the most hidden crime ... and survivors from sexual violence very often [dont] report to police, even after liberation of territory, and dont want to speak with human rights defenders about this horrible experience, she said.

In this memo, we put the contact of medical and psychological assist initiatives who can provide assistance in [a] confidential way, without having to report to the authorities, Matviichuk said, which is extremely important and has to be a priority first to provide assistance. She added that if victims do want to provide testimony, its best for them to have all of this information.

Ukraine Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova at a news briefing in Irpin, Ukraine, on Tuesday. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

In Ukraine, some authorities and experts allege Russian soldiers are using rape in a number of ways  as a scare tactic, as a way to occupy an area and as an act of genocide. As much as rape is an atrocity at the hands of an individual, it could have a different impact in times of war.

Ukraine Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said authorities are collecting information on war crimes, including rape and torture, by Russian forces. According to Reuters, when asked about rape as a Russian strategy in the war, she said, I am sure actually that it was a strategy.

This is, of course, to scare civil society ... to do everything to capitulate.

Matviichuk added: My estimation, as a human rights lawyer, sexual violence is used by Russian soldiers as a part of terror in order to quickly obtain and save the control over their occupied area.
American City Business Journals

An integral piece of Universal Orlando Resort's future Epic Universe theme park has arrived in Florida. The track of the rumored How To Train Your Dragon roller coaster arrived in Miami in late April, said documents uncovered by Orlando ParkStop, a theme park site focusing on the expansion. Shipping documents cited by the site show that the arrival of a shipment from Liechtenstein-based Intamin Amusement Rides including the word "P903" aligns with the project codename of the How to Train Your Dragon-area rumored to be planned for Epic Universe.
Californias Santa Ana is drafting a formal apology for the burning of its Chinatown in 1906.



Councilman Johnathan Ryan Hernandez, Planning Commissioner Alan Woo, Assistant City Manager Steven Mendoza and Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan are working on the apology for Chinese immigrants and their descendants for the systemic and institutional racism, xenophobia and discrimination of the past.



As part of their atonement, the city will be naming previous officials as responsible for the destruction, which they described as an act of fundamental injustice, terror, cruelty and brutality.



In the 1890s, about 200 Chinese residents lived in what was once Santa Anas Chinatown. The area now spans Busch Street, Third Street and Main Street.



By early 1906, only about 15 residents were left after officials declared the neighborhood a public hazard.



The city alleged that a male resident named Wong Woh Ye contracted leprosy and subsequently ordered the local fire department to burn Chinatown. More than 1,000 people attended to cheer on the firefighters tasked to burn the buildings down.



The destruction is seen as an effort to remove Chinese residents following the citys purchase of a lot around the area in 1904 to build a new city hall.



The peoples democracy was used against Chinese Americans, Woo told the Los Angeles Times. That deserves an apology. The lives of over 200 Chinese immigrants were affected by that decision.



The supportive council members are also planning to commemorate the history by allocating funds from the citys budget for an on-site memorial.



We just want to do whats right and recognize past wrongs, Thai Viet Phan, Santa Anas first Vietnamese American councilwoman, said. I felt it was really important to me as someone who is trying to do my best to revitalize our Asian American heritage in the city.







Feature Image via Jason Leung

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Story continues

Karen, Queen of Congee draws backlash over brand improving ancient Asian dish for the Western palate

Hundreds of Taiwanese reservists train for combat as Ukraine crisis stokes fear of Chinese invasion

Tokyo Olympics Organizers to Hand Out Free Condoms After the Games

Baltimore Restaurant Owners Drive 6 Hours to Surprise Dying Customer With Her Favorite Dish
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Three planes carrying 117 Yemeni prisoners held by the Saudi-led coalition landed Friday in the southern port city of Aden as a truce between the country's warring parties entered its second month, the Red Cross said.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen announced last week that it would release 163 prisoners to its rivals  the Iran-backed Houthi rebels  in support of a cease-fire agreement between the warring sides. The agreement, brokered by the United Nations, aims to pave the way to an end of Yemen's 8-year civil war.

The Houthis however, denied that most were war detainees. In a statement the rebels' prisoner affairs body said that only five of the group were prisoners of war. Among the returned were Yemeni fishermen and nine foreigners of African nationalities who had no affiliation with the Houthis, it added.

Abdel Malak al-Ajery, a member of the Houthi body known as the National Delegation, tweeted that the men who were returned were Yemeni laborers who were arrested while working in Saudi. He did not offer any evidence to back up his claim.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which facilitated the repatriation, said in a statement that it had interviewed the detainees before they traveled to verify their identities and confirm that their wish was to return to Yemen.

It was unclear how the prisoners would make their way from Aden back home, to rebel-held north Yemen. Aden, in the countrys south, is controlled by Yemen's internationally recognized government.

We are pleased to see that humanitarian considerations are being prioritized for the sake of the families," said Katharina Ritz, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, said in a statement.

Videos aired on the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel showed men dressed in white robes getting off a Red Cross airplane and holding flowers inside the Aden airport.

The truce, which went into effect on April 2, is the first nationwide cease-fire in Yemen in six years. It came amid concerted international and regional efforts to find a settlement to a conflict that has devastated the Arab worlds poorest country and pushed it to the brink of famine.

Story continues

But the full agreement has yet to be implemented. In late April, the warring sides failed to operate the first commercial flight in six years from the rebel-held capital of Sanaa as agreed under the truce. Houthi and coalition authorities have reported almost daily violations of the cease-fire, especially around the government-held central city of Marib, which the Houthis have attempted to seize for over a year.

The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, welcomed Friday's release of Houthi detainees by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as earlier detainee releases by the Houthis. However, he also called on both sides to make plans for a larger prisoner exchange stipulated under the cease-fire agreement.

Yemens conflicted erupted in 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized Sanaa, and forced the government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try restore the government to power.

The conflict has in recent years become a regional proxy war that has killed more than 150,000 people, including over 14,500 civilians. It has also created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
HKSAR chief executive sees off mainland medical workers supporting pandemic fight

Xinhua) 10:11, May 06, 2022

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam poses for a group photo with representatives of the mainland medical team members during an appreciation and farewell ceremony organized by the HKSAR government in south China's Hong Kong, May 5, 2022.(Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Thursday bade farewell to the last section of the mainland medical team departing Hong Kong during an appreciation and farewell ceremony organized by the HKSAR government.

To support Hong Kong's fight against the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the central government and the Guangdong provincial government earlier sent a mainland medical team to assist in the treatment of COVID-19 patients at the request of the HKSAR government. The medical team consisted of 391 healthcare professionals from different disciplines in 25 mainland medical institutions.

During their stay in Hong Kong, the mainland medical support team worked closely with the healthcare team of the Hospital Authority to enhance admission capacity of the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo within a short period of time, allowing more COVID-19 patients in need to receive appropriate treatment and accelerated the overall patient turnover, which in turn assisted the HKSAR government to fully implement the multi-tiered triage and treatment strategy.

Lam expressed in her speech the heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the HKSAR to the mainland medical team for joining the frontline of treating COVID-19 patients when the pandemic situation in Hong Kong was at its worst. She believed that Hong Kong will soon be out of the COVID-19 pandemic and welcomed the mainland medical team to re-visit Hong Kong as a tourist and to renew the friendship with medical comrades in Hong Kong.

He Jing, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said that the mainland medical team has demonstrated a very high level of professionalism and dedication, and has been widely praised by all sectors of the Hong Kong community.

"The current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong has improved significantly, which is inseparable from the contribution of the mainland medical team to Hong Kong, once again proving that the motherland is always the firmest backup for Hong Kong," He said.

Leader of the mainland medical team Chong Yutian said that the medical team members feel invigorated at the sight of vitality being restored in Hong Kong, adding that with the support of the central government and the concerted efforts of all Hong Kong people, the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been stabilized.

Chong said that the mainland medical team wishes Hong Kong compatriots to be healthy and safe, and welcomes further exchanges between medical workers in Hong Kong and the mainland in the future.

On Thursday, Hong Kong registered 148 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 173 additional cases through self-reported RATs, official data showed.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam (L) presents a souvenir to leader of the mainland medical team Chong Yutian during an appreciation and farewell ceremony organized by the HKSAR government in south China's Hong Kong, May 5, 2022.(Xinhua/Li Gang)

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam addresses an appreciation and farewell ceremony organized by the HKSAR government in south China's Hong Kong, May 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Members of the mainland medical team present a protective gear with signatures to Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam (3rd L) during an appreciation and farewell ceremony organized by the HKSAR government in south China's Hong Kong, May 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Nobel laureate Mo Yan read a special letter he wrote in a video for China's young people on how to tackle difficult situations in life.

The letter, titled "Don't be blown down by strong winds," tells two simple stories from Mo's own life. "Some young people asked me a few days ago on my WeChat blog about what they should do when they experience difficult times in their life? This really is an important question that we must face. I can't offer a one-size-fits-all answer, but I can share with you a couple of stories."

The first story was about a book  "Xinhua Dictionary." The 67-year-old writer said he felt extremely lonely after he had to drop out from school to herd cattle and cut grass, while his former schoolmates studied and played together. But at that time, he luckily received a copy of the dictionary, which is where he learned most of his Chinese characters rather than in school.

"During those years in the lonely and impoverished environment, it was this reference book that accompanied me through the hard times, and also laid the foundation for me to pick up a pen and write novels in later life," he revealed.

The other story was about a man  his grandfather. Mo recalled one time when he was little he went with his grandfather to cut grass, and they encountered a tornado on the way home. Mo was blown down to the ground by the wind and firmly grabbed hold of two clumps of goosegrass with deep roots to prevent himself being blown away.

But when he looked at his grandfather, he saw the old man tightly grasping the handlebars of the cart and standing firm against the wind, looking like a statue. "He didn't move forward, but he also didn't back down. The image is forever imprinted in my mind," Mo said, adding he felt they were winners somehow as his grandfather had stood firm against the wind.

Mo Yan hoped his simple but commonplace stories of his own experiences could help inspire young people, which they really did according to the later positive feedback and comments.

"An ancient saying goes, 'The road before us is long and winding. Depart now and we shall be arriving.' My young friends, when we encounter difficult times, don't be discouraged, don't be frustrated. As long as you work hard, you will be rewarded. Hope always arises in times of disappointment and even despair, and calls on us to regroup and move forward."

He concluded, "One may encounter defeats in life, but one cannot be destroyed by them."

The video was posted to Bilibili, a video streaming giant popular with young people. Bilibili, along with its media partners, releases a special video every Youth Day to inspire the country's young generation. This year, they invited Mo, whose video has attracted more than 3.25 million views and 280,000 likes on the website alone by Thursday since debuting on May 3.

The website also announced on May 1, Labor Day, that it will offer thousands of documentary films and series for free to viewers in the first week of May every year, for the benefit of young people and all China's workers.
"Home is Here," is an ongoing series that explores norteast Wisconsin's growing racial and ethnic diversity.

Opportunity.

It's a recurring theme when you ask people why they choose to live in northeastern Wisconsin.

Good jobs, affordable homes, quality schools and safe communities in which to raise families have drawn people to the region for generations and kept them anchored here.

Those same considerations are behind the eye-opening increase in the region's racial and ethnic diversity as documented in the 2020 U.S. Census.

For some, learning that minority populations significantly outgrew the white population over the past decade may have come as a surprise. For others, the census simply put numbers to something they'd already observed at work, in schools or at the store.

This year, we've been exploring the stories behind those numbers  what that growing diversity means to the region, why it's happening and how it's contributing to the vibrancy of our communities.

We've talked with Black, Asian, Indigenous and Hispanic business owners, workers, community advocates, parents, students and others to share their experiences, to hear from them about the opportunities they've found in northeast Wisconsin and also to understand the ongoing challenges of living in what remain predominantly white places.

Among the stories this ongoing series has explored:

The rise of the region's Hispanic population, the largest minority group in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties, which now accounts for 40% of the people living in some parts of Green Bay.

The role of churches, mosques and temples in anchoring communities and fostering a sense of place.

The journey of the Hmong people, who arrived as refugees from Southeast Asia following the war in Vietnam, and how they carved out lives in a new country.

Through our reporting we met fascinating people and heard uplifting stories of overcoming obstacles, building lives and communities, and working to create better, more inclusive places for the next generation.

Deacon Luis Sanchez is pictured at St. Willebrord Catholic Church in Green Bay. Sanchez moved to Green Bay from Mexico in 1980, a time when none of the area's churches regularly celebrated Mass in Spanish. He said "a lot of sacrifice" was made to get to the point where four Green Bay churches, as well as churches in other northeast Wisconsin communities, offer services in Spanish.

Here's a sampling of the more surprising or illuminating things we've learned so far:

Story continues

Hispanic people have been here longer than you might think

Spanish-speaking people likely arrived in Wisconsin even before it gained statehood, but the Hispanic communities we know today are rooted in the hard work of later arrivals  generations of migrant workers who came to the state each year to work in farm fields and other agricultural businesses.

Hispanic people began coming to Wisconsin in significant numbers in the 1920s, when farms and factories turned to Texas and Mexico for workers in the wake of restrictions on European immigration following World War I. The Great Depression ended that opportunity, but World War II brought a new need for workers, resulting in the Bracero guest-worker program. By the time it ended in the 1960s, the program brought more than 4 million Mexican workers to the country, and thousands to Wisconsin.

In the late 1940s, thats really when the Green Bay area, and the surrounding rural areas, has the first imprint of a Latino population, said Sergio Gonzalez, assistant professor of Latino Studies at Marquette University.

READ MORE: Latino people have a long history in Wisconsin. Here's how they've shaped the economy and found the American dream.

Mario and Jennifer Gonzales play with their 3-year-old daughter, Evelyn, at DeBroux Park in Green Bay. Evelyn, whose mother is white and whose father is Hispanic, is part of northeast Wisconsin's growing mulitracial and mulitethnic population.

We're way more multiracial, but that's because the census finally asked

According to the 2020 census, multiracial people are the fastest growing population in northeast Wisconsin and across the nation. In Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties, the number of people who identified in the census as multiracial grew 270% from 2010.

These aren't new residents. Instead, the stunning increase reflects a revised census format that allowed people to more fully express their ancestry.

Jesus Smith, an associate professor of ethnic studies at Lawrence University, points out that the census, since its inception in 1790, has been based on constructions of race that reflected each era's politics, social theories and moment in history. From that first tally of the nation's population, when only free white people, other free people and slaves were counted, the census pigeonholed people into categories that failed to reflect the reality of the nation's diversity and the intermingling of races.

"For so long, the census, a government-run agency, has forced people to identify in certain ways, and it would originally provide the categories and they would send out census enumerators to go determine what people's race was, which, if you are multiracial, how does that even make sense?" Smith said.

The change in format for the 2020 census allowed someone who is Black, Asian and Hispanic, for instance, to record that ancestral richness on their census form, and those responses shined a new light on diversity.

READ MORE: The census pushed people into strict racial categories for 200 years. A new approach reveals our region's racial complexity and diversity.

Resource teacher Tara Koji works with Youa Lor during a class at Oshkosh North High School.

More than 50 languages in a single school district

To catch a glimpse of how the region is changing and how it will look in the future, you need go no further than the area's schools.

The Oshkosh school district reported more than 50 languages other than English are spoken by the children of recent immigrants and refugees. In Appleton, 41 languages are spoken among students and families, and in Green Bay students speak 25 different languages.

The numbers reflect a diversity of backgrounds and cultures. The students and their families have come from around the world: Africa, Europe, Mexico and Central America, Asia.

Lacking staff who are able to speak each language, school districts use a mix of English learning classes and immersion in other classrooms to help students gain the language skills and confidence they need to succeed in school and in their lives.

Youa Lor's family moved to Oshkosh from Laos in 2019. She's a junior at Oshkosh North High School, where Tara Koji's classroom is a study hall of sorts for students who need one-on-one support. For Lor, it's become a comfortable place that has helped her learn English and find greater confidence.

"It feels like home," she said.

READ MORE: Five? A dozen? 30? Students in northeast Wisconsin schools speak more languages than you may guess

Israel Del Toro of Appleton knocks on doors to introduce himself while campaigning for election to the Common Council.

Wisconsin nice has a dark, racist side

Northeastern Wisconsin is making strides in becoming a more equitable and inclusive place that celebrates its growing diversity, but even so, racism continues to rear its ugly head.

Hmong residents we spoke with recounted a renewed wave of anti-Asian attitudes in the wake of the coronavirus, and recently elected Appleton Common Council member Israel Del Toro talked about how a house fire, apparently set intentionally by people who also left behind anti-Hispanic and anti-Semitic graffiti, spurred his desire to run for office.

Those episodes and many others point to the still difficult work ahead on diversity, equity and inclusion.

"Pardon the pun here, but it sort of lit a fire under me to really, really get going and say, 'No, I am here. I'm going to stay here. I'm going to make a difference in my community,'" said Del Toro, 36, an assistant professor of biology at Lawrence University.

READ MORE: 'It opens your eyes.' How Green Bay Packers leaders Mark Murphy, Marcia Anderson learned about the power of diversity

The price of freedom was often death

The first group of Hmong refugees arrived in Wisconsin in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.

Much of their history is well-documented. As allies of the U.S. in the war in Vietnam, they faced persecution and death as a result of the role they played fighting the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao in what came to be known as the Secret War.

Pao Lor

The stories we heard of how Hmong families fled Laos, first to refugee camps in Thailand and, later, to the United States and other countries, are a vivid reminder of the sacrifices they made, the hardships they endured and a tenacious will to build new lives in a foreign land.

Pao Lor, of Kimberly, recounted how his father was assassinated by communists and his mother drowned during a dangerous crossing of the Mekong River as the family fled Laos.

Lor was 5 years old.

He lived in refugee camps before arriving in California and then moving to Green Bay, where his uncle had settled, and began to learn to navigate the new land that had become his home.

"Many of us were 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 years old," he said. "So for many of us, America was really our home. We could say, 'This is going to be something where we're going to stay for a very long time.'"

Lor is now an education professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and is the author of Modern Jungles: A Hmong Refugees Childhood Story of Survival.

READ MORE: Living in Wisconsin: 'Hmong people are truly American, if not more American than most Americans'

Wisconsin had its own Cesar Chavez

Jesus Salas grew up in a family of migrant farm workers.

His parents and his grandparents came to from Texas to Wisconsin each year to work the fields west of Oshkosh.

Born in 1943, the third-generation American was given the opportunity to break free of migrant work by his parents, who settled in Wautoma in 1959 to stop the nomadic existence of farm work and allow their children to live in a place where they would be able to finish school and go to college.

Salas attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and found his calling when representatives of the state Department of Children and Families asked him to help start a child care program for migrant families.

The work led him, at 22, to became a founder of Obreros Unidos, a farmworkers union that organized protests and walkouts to demand better pay and improved working conditions at farms and factories.

Inspired by Cesar Chaves' work for migrant rights in California, Salas led a march in 1966 from Wautoma to Madison to raise awareness of working conditions on Wisconsin's farms. Three years later, he became executive director of United Migrant Opportunity Services, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit focused on improving employment, education, health and housing opportunities for migrants.

That work helped inspire Gov. Patrick Lucy to create a task force in 1971 to bolster upward mobility among members of the state's Spanish-speaking communities, which in turn set the stage for the state's bilingual-bicultural education law in 1991, the migrant labor law, and access to a network of social services.

UMOS later led an effort to encourage workers to leave the migrant stream, settle in Wisconsin and raise their children here. That work played a significant role in the rapid growth of urban Hispanic populations and the vibrant business communities that have followed.

Equity and inclusion is intentional

The 2020 census paints a picture of a changing region.

White populations shrank in Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh as more people moved to the surrounding counties. Meanwhile, minority populations surged as the region became home to a growing number of Black, Asian, Indigenous and Hispanic residents.

But numbers only tell part of the story  they're the cold facts that underscore the challenge of making communities welcoming places with equal opportunities for people of all races and backgrounds.

That takes an intentional effort on the part of individuals, local governments, businesses and schools.

During a discussion on the topic hosted by FoxValley365, as part of a NEW News Lab media collaboration with the Green Bay Press-Gazette and The Post-Crescent of Appleton, panelists stressed that hiring to improve diversity in workplaces is only a start. The important follow-up is to change culture to one that empowers all workers and draws fully on the unique perspectives of each person.

If theres diversity of thought in the room, then innovation starts happening and it completely has a huge effect on a business outcome, said Raiya Sankari-Diaz, diversity coordinator for the city of Green Bay.

That applies not just to workplaces and institutions, but to our personal lives as well.

In a recent interview, Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said social justice issues became clear and real for him as he listened to players discuss what life was like for them growing up, with routine incidents of discrimination that "as a white man I can't relate to."

He said those conversations are something to be valued, not feared.

"If you only surround yourself with people who look like you and think like you, you're really limiting yourself," Murphy said.

Contact Karl Ebert at (920) 431-8302 or kebert@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @karlwebert.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Census stories in Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh yield surprising insights
May 6SELINSGROVE  All week at the Snyder County Prison, corrections officers and staff have been treated to a daily luncheon to celebrate National Corrections Week.

"Corrections officers are sort of forgotten about," said Warden Scott Robinson who planned the daily lunches, including a sweets day and Cinco de Mayo-themed meal, to show his appreciation for the men and women who work at the prison.

Today, officers on all three shifts will get together for a barbecue at the facility, he said.

Robinson has been at the helm of the 134-bed prison since November and, along with Deputy Warden John Rissell and Associate Warden Rich Frampton, they've worked to improve morale by encouraging participation in policy development and teamwork.

"They're feeling good about the fact that they are playing a role in the changes," said Frampton.

The job is not for everyone, said Robinson, who called corrections work "a calling."

"We're letting them run the prison. It's all about ownership," he said, adding that management encourages employees to communicate and work together.

Corrections officers and staff say the effort is paying off and making them appreciate the jobs they do each day in a work environment that is not suitable for everyone.

"You feel you have a purpose," said one female officer who has worked at the prison for 10 years and for the first time said she "feels heard" when she talks with management. The Daily Item is not identifying the officers at the request of Robinson due to security concerns.

The officer stayed on the job because "every day is a new story," and is glad she did since the new leadership has improved the way longtime employees view and interact with one another.

"There was a time when I dreaded coming to work. Now I'm happy," said an office worker who started at the jail as an officer 23 years ago. "Staff is included in every day decisions."

Story continues

A recently hired corrections officer said he's learning quickly on the job.

Frampton said the prison has three vacant corrections officer positions.

Robinson has been providing training opportunities to officers who have jumped at the chance to network and learn a variety of topics, including improving security and identifying gangs. He aims to put their knowledge and skills to the test by seeking accreditation from the state Department of Corrections next year for the Snyder County Prison staff to offer its own training.

"It will give us clout and professional development to have the opportunity to teach others our methods," he said.
Social media posts shared hundreds of times claim it is "insane" that authorities in Australia are still encouraging Covid-19 vaccination given more vaccinated people than unvaccinated people died from the disease in the state of New South Wales on April 15, 2022. Although the posts shared genuine data from a single day in April, health experts told AFP vaccination is still critical to reducing the overall rate of death and severe illness from Covid-19. All of the deaths mentioned in the post were in people aged 60 or above, who experts said were at an increased risk of death from the disease.

"The insanity continues, if this is considered working imagine the results when they admit it's failed," reads an Instagram post published on April 15, 2022.

It was shared on an account called Rise Melbourne with more than 10,000 followers.

The post features a screenshot of a tweet -- also dated April 15 -- posted by a user with a corresponding account name.

The post reads: "The Insanity continues. NSW [New South Wales]. 16 Alleged Covid Deaths...Of which 14 were Fully Vaxxed..."

It goes on to state that five of those who died had received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine; eight people had received three doses, and one person had received four doses.

"That means 87.5 % of the Covid Deaths were Fully Vaxxed... And remember this is considered Working...." it concludes.

A screenshot of the misleading Instagram post, taken on April 28, 2022.

As of May 3, 2022, more than 95 percent of Australians aged 16 and over have been fully vaccinated.

An identical screenshot was also shared on Facebook here and here.

Although the statistics in the posts correspond with data provided by the New South Wales Ministry of Health (NSW Health) on April 15, it does not include the ages of the people who died after contracting Covid-19.

All of the deaths mentioned in the post were in people aged 60 or above.

"Two people were aged in their 60s, two people were aged in their 70s, seven people were aged in their 80s, and five people were aged in their 90s," the NSW Health update reads.

Story continues

It adds that, "Older age is a significant risk factor for serious illness and death for COVID-19, particularly when combined with significant underlying health conditions".

Health experts told AFP that the posts shared the vaccination data in a misleading context.

'Vaccines protect vast majority'

Kylie Quinn, a research fellow at RMIT University whose work focuses on cell-based immunotherapies, vaccines and ageing, told AFP that Covid-19 vaccination will "protect the vast majority of these people from severe disease".

"In a small group of people, often much older people or people with other conditions, their immune system doesn't work quite as well and they are both at very high risk of severe disease with Covid and the vaccine might not provide complete protection in those people," she said.

Nancy Baxter, the head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, told AFP that the misleading posts had misrepresented Covid death rates in Australia.

"Virtually all the people at most risk of dying of Covid are vaccinated so even though they are at considerably less risk of death than those who are unvaccinated, most deaths will occur in vaccinated folk," she said.

"Those that are unvaccinated tend to be younger and are at less risk of dying than those who are older."

AFP has previously debunked misleading claims about vaccinated people dying from Covid-19 here.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla.  A 230-foot SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket delivered dozens of Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Friday, just hours after astronauts returned from the International Space Station.

The 5:42 a.m. ET launch from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A marked the 45th dedicated flight for Starlink, a SpaceX-built network of satellites that deliver internet connectivity to users on the ground. The rocket's first stage, flying its 12th mission, was recovered by the Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship shortly after liftoff.

SpaceX has launched some 2,500 satellites for Starlink. Due to decaying orbits and malfunctions, however, the constellation stands at roughly 2,000 satellites.

A post-launch "jellyfish effect," caused by illumination of the rocket's exhaust plume high in the atmosphere, did form as expected but was not visible from some popular viewing locations due to thin layers of scattered clouds.

SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule return

Five hours before Falcon 9, meanwhile, four astronauts that launched from the same exact pad late last year safely returned to Earth in their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

NASA's Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, and the European Space Agency's Matthias Maurer touched down in the Gulf of Mexico at 12:43 a.m. ET after six months aboard the International Space Station. Their Crew-3 mission was the fourth crewed flight for SpaceX under contract by NASA.

After teams recovered the Crew Dragon capsule named "Endurance," the four astronauts were flown to the mainland via helicopter. Barron, Chari, and Marshburn hopped on a NASA jet destined for Houston, while Maurer caught a flight back to Europe.

The capsule splashed down into calm waters just off the coast of Tampa.

NASA looking at June for SLS test

NASA officials on Thursday, meanwhile, confirmed repair work on the Space Launch System moon rocket was proceeding as planned in KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building.

Story continues

If schedules hold, SLS could roll out to pad 39B a second time in the mid-to-late May timeframe, followed by more tests in early June. That timeline depends on figuring out two issues that impacted four previous attempts to fuel the rocket during the "wet dress rehearsal."

The WDR is essentially a mock countdown that includes all hands practicing roles and making sure the rocket can handle fueling. The first attempts at conducting the test were cut short due to a second stage valve issue and problems with getting enough nitrogen from Air Liquide, an industrial gas producer that operates a plant just south of KSC.

After the previous tests, NASA officials decided to roll SLS back to the VAB on April 26. The faulty helium valve was replaced, though officials noted a piece of rubber debris was found inside; teams are investigating its source.

William Shatner went to space: Here's how much it would cost you.

After plea to Elon Musk, Ukraine confirms arrival of Starlink satellite internet hardware

In the meantime, Air Liquide is beefing up its ability to provide nitrogen to pad 39B, a critical gas used to purge other gases from a specific area. Complicating the work is the fact that the company supplies nitrogen to the entire center along with neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

"Our system has a larger demand because of the size of the vehicle," Jim Free, NASA's associate administrator for exploration systems, told reporters during a teleconference. "I would say this is at the top of their priority list."

"They've never done anything that's affected a launch going all the way back through Apollo. I'm sure there's no group that feels more responsible than this for them and the folks at Kennedy that work with them," Free said.

If progress continues at its current pace, SLS could launch its debut mission  Artemis I  during a window that runs from August 23 to 29. Artemis I's Orion capsule will fly without a crew as it orbits the moon and returns to Earth. All subsequent missions will include astronauts.

NASA's Artemis program aims to put astronauts back on the moon by 2025.

Follow Emre Kelly on Twitter @EmreKelly.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launches Starlink mission after ISS astronauts' splashdown
When Igor Pavlosky decided to flee Ukraine with his youngest children after bombs began falling, his destination was clear -- Spain.

Like thousands of other Ukrainian youths, several of his daughters had spent yearly holidays with host families in Spain since the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Now these host families are helping to provide a safe haven from the war in Ukraine for these so-called "children of Chernobyl" and their parents.

Pavlosky, 46, says he only reluctantly took up the offer of help and left Kyiv at the end of February because he "had to protect" his children.

He piled into his car with his four youngest and drove across Europe to Gijon, northern Spain, where his daughters had spent holidays every summer.

"It was very trying, I will remember it my entire life," he says of the days-long road trip.

One of the daughters, Anastasia, was already in Gijon, having moved there three years ago. So was his wife Olena and another daughter who were visiting Anastasia when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Pavlosky left behind his oldest son Xenia, 26, who was banned from leaving Ukraine, as well as two other daughters -- Ana and Stanislava -- who decided to stay with their boyfriends.

- 'Strong relationship' -

His daughter Massa, 17, says she dreams of a Ukraine where she can "walk in the streets without bombs raining down, without being afraid of dying."

Her older sister Dasha, 19, says Russian soldiers "came and took over our homes, the places where we played with our friends".

It has been easier for her and her siblings to adapt than her parents because they already spoke Spanish, she adds.

"We came on holidays here, we already imagined ourselves living here. Mom and dad don't want to live here," she says.

Massa notes that before the war started she could talk and play with her dad, "But now he doesn't say what he feels anymore."

Story continues

After the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant, dozens of charities in Spain began staging yearly respite holidays for Ukrainian youths to give them a break from the lingering effects of the world's worst nuclear accident.

"There is a very strong relationship with the Ukrainians," says Jorge Gonzalez, the head of the Expoaccion charity which runs a homestay programme for Ukrainian children and who hosted Stanislava at his home for years.

He says he loves Stanislava as much as if she was his daughter and urged the Pavloskys to come to Gijon as soon as the war broke out.

- 'Welcome here' -

Expoaccion has provided clothes and food the Pavlosky family, who are living in a flat that has been temporarily lent to them.

Igor has found a job as a construction worker and the children are all in school.

Olena's face brightens and Igor gives a rare smile when they realise their son Xenia is calling from back home.

The entire family gathers behind the small screen to catch a glimpse of him. They blow kisses at each other and flash V for "victory" signs.

"Sometimes you wake up and you want to believe this was all a nightmare," says Olena.

Some 134,000 Ukrainians have moved to Spain since Russia's invasion, according to Spanish government figures, part of an exodus of nearly six million people.

In the southern port of Algeciras, Victoria Bielova, 18, is showing her nine-month-old daughter how to clap. They fled to the city from Ukraine a few weeks ago.

Bielova had been coming to Spain every year since she was six and she said she received messages from every host family in the country as soon as bombs began raining down on Ukraine.

"They said 'you are welcome here, come'," she says.

- 'Wait until war ends' -

She hesitated at first but set off on March 15 with her daughter, leaving behind her husband.

After travelling by bus for three days she settled in with the couple who hosted her during her last homestay in Spain, Francisco Perez and Cecilia Valencia.

They set up a guest room for her and her daughter with nappies, a crib and toys and invited her to stay "as long as the war lasts", says Bielova.

Her sister is staying with a former holiday host family in Algeciras as well while her cousins are in Seville.

Bielova calls her husband Andry two or three times a day. She says she tries "not to think too much" about the war because her daughter "understands everything".

She says she plans to return to Kyiv later this month if it is calm there, following in the footsteps of her sister-in-law and her nephew who have already returned to Ukraine from Spain.

But Perez, who takes Victoria and her daughter to the park every day, would like them to stay.

"I tell her to wait a little longer until the war end," he says.

mig/ds/mg/bp
Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool that Tottenham forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will pose a "massive" challenge for his quadruple-chasing team.

Klopp's side, one point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with four games left, can go top of the table if they beat Tottenham at Anfield on Saturday, with City facing Newcastle 24 hours later.

But fifth-placed Spurs are battling to finish in the top four and Reds boss Klopp is concerned about the potential damage that Kane and Son -- with 43 goals between them in all competitions this season -- could do.

"Tottenham have massive quality," he said Friday. "Especially away from home, they are not too bothered about having the ball all the time, stuff like this. They defend compact and then obviously they have some of the best counter-attacking players in the world.

"Up front they have speed like crazy -- Harry Kane, what a player, and obviously fits in that idea extremely well. Theres a blind understanding between them (Kane and Son) so Id say it's probably the biggest challenge for protection we face for a long time."

Liverpool are on a high after sealing their place in the Champions League final against Real Madrid by beating Villarreal this week.

In contrast, City were left reeling by Real's astonishing escape act in the other semi-final, eventually losing 6-5 on aggregate.

But Klopp is wary about writing off City too soon, expecting them to respond this weekend.

"City are good," he said. "It was a massive blow for them, that was really harsh. I've had nights like that. It's not cool, the next morning, not cool, but then there's a moment you have to focus. They will be ready for Newcastle on Sunday."

With the League Cup already in the trophy cabinet and an FA Cup final to come against Chelsea next weekend, Liverpool are in contention to become the first club to win all four major trophies in a single season.

Story continues

Yet Klopp does not believe Liverpool will be favourites when they face 13-time European champions Real on May 28 in a repeat of the 2018 final won by the Spaniards.

"They are now the massive favourites with all the experience they have and all these kind of things," said Klopp. "We are more experienced than we were, probably, but it's obviously not to compare.

"They got through against PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), Chelsea and City. If you knock out these three guys, then you definitely deserve to be in the final."

smg/jw/gj
Adam Flaherty / Getty Images/iStockphoto

While taxes make up the majority of each states general funding budget and are the most obvious source of state revenue, state governments also receive sizeable amounts of assistance from the federal government.

2022 Stimulus Checks: Is Your State Giving Out Money This Year?

Find: SNAP Benefits Available in Your State in 2022

The New York City-based financial tech company SmartAsset released the results of its third annual States Most Dependent on the Federal Government study, putting state financial health into context by analyzing and ranking all 50 states according to their dependence on the federal government.

To find the states in the U.S. that were most dependent on the federal government in 2022, SmartAsset used the following metrics: federal share of state government revenue, the ratio of federal funding to income taxes paid, the percentage of workers employed by the federal government and the ratio of median earnings for federal workers to median earnings for private workers.

According to the study, federal funding accounts for approximately 39% of state revenues, with the highest in Wyoming (56.43%) and the lowest in Hawaii (27.13%). Here are the top five (and bottom five) states most dependent on the federal government.

1. West Virginia

West Virginia ranks as the state the most dependent on the federal government. Its federal share of state revenue is the tenth most at 45.16%, but its revenue from federal funding to income taxes paid is the third highest at a ratio of 2.36 and it has 4.08% of its workers employed by the federal government. Its federal government employees earn nearly double (1.99) of what private, for-profit workers earn on average.

2. New Mexico

The southern Rocky Mountain state of New Mexico is the second most reliant on the federal government mainly due to its fifth-highest percentage of workers employed by the federal government, at 6.06%. It has a high federal share of state revenue (50.83%) and an average ratio of federal funding to income taxes paid (1.62).

Story continues

3. Mississippi

Mississippi receives 2.53-times more revenue from the federal government than its residents pay in income taxes, the second-highest ratio across the study. Its federal share of state revenue is a healthy 47.31% and its percentage of workers employed by the federal government is a higher than average 3.23%.

4. Alabama

The Yellowhammer State has the tenth-highest percentage of workers employed by the federal government (3.33%) and the tenth-highest ratio between federal funding and income taxes paid (1.25). 41.20% of its revenue comes from federal sources.

5. Alaska

Another state with a high percentage of federal government employees (6.83%), Alaska has an average ratio of federal funding to income taxes (1.62) but a high federal share of state revenue (50.83%).

According to SmartAssets data, the state that relies on the federal government the least is Connecticut (50). The southernmost New England-area state has the third-lowest percentage of federal government workers (1.47%) and the fourth-lowest ratio of federal funding to income taxes paid (0.38). The other states that make up the bottom five in their reliance on the federal government are New Jersey (49) federal share of state revenue: 28.56%, ratio of federal funding to income taxes paid: 0.35, percent of workers employed by the federal government: 1.71%), Massachusetts (48; 33.28%, 0.41, 1.61%), Minnesota (47; 31.49%, 0.58, 1.45%) and Wisconsin (46; 31.88%, 0.64, 1.33%).

POLL: Do You Think the Government Should Increase SNAP Benefits?

Child Tax Credit: Should More States Adopt the Program?

To find out how dependent your state is you can see the full report here.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These States Are the Most Dependent on the Federal Government  Is Yours One of Them?
The half hour before class is one of the most important times of the day for teacher David Beatty.

He picks current events to discuss with his high school students  on a recent Monday morning, its the war in Ukraine and the Grammy awards. He gathers books and materials for the day, loading it all into a cart to wheel from room to room.

Sign up here for The 74s daily newsletter. Donate here to support The 74's independent journalism.

But the most essential piece of the morning hangs on a bulletin board in the teachers lounge: an intake list of the teenagers brought to the Lancaster County Youth Services Center over the weekend.

On this early April Monday morning, there are three new names  three kids entering the juvenile detention center.

Every single day in detention is different, Beatty said. Theres no Groundhog Day here.

A Lincoln Public Schools teacher, Beatty is one of the five teachers in the Pathfinder Education Program, based in the Lancaster County Youth Services Center, tasked with educating Nebraska youth while theyre detained and awaiting court decisions.

Every year,hundreds of teens move through Nebraskas four juvenile detention centers in Douglas, Lancaster, Madison and Sarpy counties.

At all four detention centers, teachers like Beatty educate teens from 7th to 12th grade. Depending on their cases, they stay anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

The constantly changing group of kids bring different levels of trauma and learning challenges into the classroom.

Beatty and teachers like him at Nebraskas three other juvenile detention centers serve as one of the last lines of defense against that trauma and those learning challenges. Against sometimes long odds, they try to keep students learning.

A lot of our students have, for some reason or another, not had a successful school history, said Randall Farmer, educational director of the program. I have to get them to want to learn and love learning again, if thats not part of who they are already.

Story continues

Between swigs of coffee, Beatty reads each file for the new students brought in over the weekend, familiarizing himself with their academic and social emotional needs.

By 8 a.m., he gathers his books, projector and dry erase board and wheels them all to the first of four housing units he teaches.

Theres the quarantine unit, where the incoming teens spend 10 days secluded in rooms to prevent the spread of COVID-19 before being put in a housing unit. Beatty and his co-teacher hold lessons through closed glass doors.

Theres the high-security boys unit, where the boys come out of their rooms to sit at plastic desks spaced around the common area.

Theres the resource area, used by the two other lower security units. Its the part of the building that most resembles a classroom, complete with books, computers and posters on the walls.

Each unit is like a one-room schoolhouse. In a 50-minute class period, one student could be learning 7th-grade math while another works on a senior research paper. One student could be eager to earn school credit, while another struggles to crack a book.

Nearly 9 out of every 10 students enter juvenile detention with credits that put them below grade level, said Dave Collins, principal of the education department at the Douglas County Youth Center. Thus, credit recovery  trying to get students back on track to graduate  is a main focus for program teachers.

A lot of times, some of these kids were the unteachables, librarian Susan Helming said. People just pass them on because they can. When you see a senior that comes in here with a first-grade reading level, youre wondering, how did you get through 12 years of public school? How is that possible?

For many students, their time in a juvenile detention center could be the first time they get one-on-one attention from their teachers, she said. Its often the first time a teacher has focused specifically on that students learning challenges.

Helming became a teacher at the Douglas County Youth Center after six years working as a guard in the same units where she now teaches.

When teens need more individual attention, or time to focus and read in a quiet space, they get sent to her in the library.

Sometimes, that time isnt just for extra help with reading. When students are struggling to behave in class, one-on-one time with Helming in the library can help calm them down.

Some days, that time to cool down goes smoothly. Others, she ends up with ripped up books.

Some kids are angry, Collins said. Some are defiant. Some are mad at the police. And others are nearly silent.

A lot of them look scared, Collins said. Never been here before.

Helming has to count her pencils at the start and end of the day to make sure they arent being used as weapons. Teachers carry walkie talkies to communicate both with each other and detention officers. Kids in rival gangs cant be kept in the same unit, and moving students through the halls has to be timed to avoid encounters that could turn into fights.

But the classroom is a judgment-free zone, teachers said.

Ive been given a task by the state of Nebraska to teach them. And thats what Im going to do, Helming said. Some of the most respectful kids Ive worked with have been in here for murder.

In both the Lancaster and Douglas County detention centers, students come from all over. Their families have fled violence from countries like Sudan, Syria and El Salvador, ending up in Nebraska. Or theyre locals  some have never set foot west of 72nd Street in Omaha, Helming said.

If anything is going to link them together, its going to be survival, Helming said. Some kids are the parents of a family. Theyre the ones who are taking charge of their siblings. Theres a lot of survival going on.

Helming once had a student tell her his mother said shed wished shed gotten an abortion.

Well, Im glad youre here, she replied.

Another girl said she had to choose between staying home and getting raped by her mothers boyfriend, or running away and having the police called.

She just looked at me, and she says, I just didnt feel like getting raped, Helming said.

Pathfinders staff care for the kids year after year, but they all fall into a certain amount of compassion fatigue, Farmer said. To see a teen leave detention seemingly on the right path and excited about learning  only to have them return a year later  takes a toll on both students and teachers.

These kids are incredibly valuable, Beatty said. Theyre going to be productive members of society. But theyve hit a speed bump in their early life.

After teaching five classes and grading work, Beatty and his fellow teachers leave for the day. But it isnt unheard of to walk out to the parking lot and meet a former student, now a grown adult with a spouse and children, Farmer said.

Theyll say, I wanted to bring them back here to show them where I decided to change my life, and I wanted to thank all of you, Farmer said.

This originally appeared at The Flatwater Free Press and is published here in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Exchange.

Related: Sign up for The 74s newsletter
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish man has been detained in Iran, the Swedish foreign ministry said on Friday, just days after it advised against unnecessary travel to Iran, citing a deteriorating security situation.

Relations between Sweden and Iran are tense after Sweden detained and put on trial a former Iranian official on charges of war crimes for the mass execution and torture of political prisoners at an Iranian prison in the 1980s.

The trial, condemned by Iran, ended on Wednesday and the verdict is due in July.

"We are aware that a Swedish citizen, a man in his 30s, has recently been detained in Iran. The embassy in Tehran is seeking information on the case and is in contact with local authorities," the Swedish Foreign ministry said in an e-mailed statement, offering no further details.

According to Swedish daily Aftonbladet, citing unnamed sources, the man is a tourist traveling with other Swedes and was detained after a few days vacation.

There was no report of any such arrest on Iran's media and Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday, which is the weekend in the country.

Sweden amended its travel advice for Iran on April 28 as the trial of Hamid Noury, 61, was drawing to a close. Noury is accused of having played a leading role in the executions of political prisoners on government orders at the Gohardasht prison in Karaj, Iran, in 1988. He has denied the charges.

On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry summoned the Swedish envoy to protest "the baseless and fabricated accusations that the Swedish prosecutor made against Iran during Noury's court case," Iranian media reported.

Two days later Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency said a Swedish-Iranian national sentenced to death in Iran on charges of spying for Israel will be executed by May 21. Ahmadreza Djalali, a disaster medicine doctor and researcher, was arrested in 2016 while on an academic visit to Iran.

Story continues

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, mostly on espionage charges. Rights activists have accused Iran of using them as bargaining chips. Iran, which does not recognise dual nationality, denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.

However, Iran has exchanged several jailed foreigners and dual nationals with Iranians detained abroad.

(Reporting by Johan Ahlander in Stockholm, additional reporting by Dubai Newsroom, Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

After Jarvis Landry was released by the Browns in March, there was word that the team was interested in bringing him back on a different contract. The lack of a new deal over the last couple of months was a strong suggestion that conversations about such a deal were not fruitful and theres now a [more]
China will surely win the war against COVID-19 with its scientific and effective epidemic control policy that will stand the test of time, according to a meeting of the top leadership on Thursday.

The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee was chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The meeting analyzed the current epidemic prevention and control situation, studied priorities and made arrangements for relevant work.

The meeting said China has since March withstood the most challenging COVID-19 control test since the anti-epidemic battle of Wuhan, and has secured progress with nationwide concerted efforts.

As the pandemic is still raging across the world and the coronavirus keeps mutating, there is a great deal of uncertainty concerning how the pandemic will develop, according to the meeting, which warned against any slackening in the control efforts.

"Relaxation will undoubtedly lead to massive numbers of infections, critical cases and deaths, seriously impacting economic and social development and people's lives and health," the meeting said.

The meeting stressed the importance of unswervingly adhering to the dynamic zero-COVID policy and resolutely fighting any attempts to distort, question or dismiss China's anti-COVID policy.

COVID-19 control is at a crucial stage, the meeting said, calling on Party committees and governments at all levels to remain confident and promote the spirit of struggle to build a strong defense against the pandemic.

The meeting stressed the need to accelerate the pace of control work to deal with sporadic outbreaks, and the importance of strengthening capacity building, improving response measures in a timely manner, and accelerating research on virus mutation and the prevention of mutation.

The meeting also highlighted measures to ensure people's livelihoods and everyday supplies, meet the people's needs for medical services, and release information on a regular basis to address public concerns.

Party committees, governments and the whole society must guard against a lack of vigilance, fully mobilize the people, and take fast action to implement various COVID-19 control measures and policies in a concrete and meticulous manner.

The meeting also called for strengthened confidence and unity among officials and the people in fighting COVID-19.
General Views of Taipei Ahead of GDP Figures

People take photographs of the Taipei 101 building and other buildings illuminated at dusk in Taipei, Taiwan, on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Credit - I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Taipei is easing COVID-19 curbs even as its daily cases are rising, in a strategy radically different from Beijings zero-tolerance policy that has shut down many Chinese cities and sent the economy into a tailspin.

On May 5, Taiwan recorded more than 30,000 new COVID-19 infectionscrossing that daily threshold for the first time since the pandemic began. The current wave of infections looks to get worse for the island of 23 million, which has so far registered nearly 232,400 casessome 215,000 since Januaryand 886 fatalities.

Daily caseloads are expected to rise even further because of the Omicron variant. Health minister Chen Shih-chung said earlier that Taiwan was on track to record up to 100,000 new infections daily, much more than the initial projection of 45,000.

Yet, in the face of this spike, the government has signaled a shift in the pandemic strategy it has been following for two years, away from virus suppression characterized by draconian travel restrictions, mask-wearing mandates, and fastidious contact tracing. A month into the launch of a new Taiwanese model of COVID-19 containment, asymptomatic and mild cases are being isolated at home, save for infected children. Close contacts need only be quarantined for three days instead of the earlier 10. Quarantine for arrivals will be cut down from 10 to just seven days.

Read More: How Hong Kong Became Chinas Biggest COVID Problem

Premier Su Tseng-chang said this new approach isnt exactly living with COVID-19, as the virus would not be allowed to spread unchecked. But prevention of the virus from spreading is to be balanced with reopening the economy and allowing people to live normally, he emphasized. There would be no stringent lockdowns, Su told reporters on May 1. Health officials are to focus on minimizing severe cases and maintaining effective control of mild or asymptomatic ones.

Story continues

On the other side of the Taiwanese Strait, the zero-COVID policy has seen drastic restrictions on normal life. Entire cities in mainland China have been locked down for weeks. Ports and factories have had their operations suspended. Health apps on mobile phones govern access to transport and public facilities. Though curbs are now being loosened in Hong Kong, harsh travel restrictions over the past two years have temporarily reduced the proud aviation hub and freewheeling financial center to a shadow of its former self.

Experts say Taiwan must find its own approach given the highly transmissible nature of the Omicron variant. Any containment protocol has to be dynamically revised according to the situation of the epidemic or other characteristics of this virus, says Chen Chien-jen, who was Taiwans vice-president from 2016 to 2020 and is an epidemiologist by training.

Pedestrians wearing protective masks cross a street at a shopping district in Taipei, Taiwan, on Saturday, April 16, 2022. Lam Yik Fei/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Why Taiwan put off moving away from zero-COVID

Taiwan has successfully fended off COVID-19 outbreaks in the past. The island banned flights from across the strait in January 2020, immediately after the virus was detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Swift tracing of close contacts, mass testing, and a centralized mask distribution system helped Taiwan avoid a lockdown, save for some soft curbs a year ago to control an outbreak of the Alpha variant.

Last summer, Taiwans COVID-19 response was again put to the test in the face of hundreds of new infections. At the time, the island was struggling to source COVID-19 vaccines and only 3% of its eligible population was vaccinated. New arrivals were required to undergo a 14-day quarantine, and strict contact-tracing policies were imposed on restaurants, stores and other businesses. Taiwans COVID-19 cases ballooned to around 11,000 by June 2021 and more than 800 people died during the wave.

Taiwan also began rolling out its locally developed vaccines around the same time. Chen tells TIME that a high vaccination rate, and the availability of rapid testing and antiviral therapies, had to be in place before Taiwan could move away from its de facto zero-COVID policy. The island has now vaccinated 79% of its population, secured some 40 million test kits, and will have obtained 700,000 courses of Pfizers COVID-19 drug, Paxlovid, by June. Around 180,000 courses have already been distributed to hospitals and pharmacies.

Read More: Global Shortages Loom as China Lockdowns Continue

There has been some vaccine resistance among Taiwans elderly. There will still be groups who feel that since they had almost no chance of getting the virus when Taiwan had no cases, [they dont] need to get the vaccine now, says Wayne Soon, a history professor at Vassar College in New York, who studies medical ideas and practices in East Asia. But COVID-19 immunization among those aged 75 and above has now reached 72.5%, with nearly 60% in the same age group having received a booster.

In Hong Kong, by comparison, only around 25% of those aged 80 and above were vaccinated by January, just before a massive surge in infections. This led to many severe cases, overwhelming the health care system. Roughly 9,300 people have died of COVID in the territory, with 98% of those fatalities occurring in the latest, Omicron-driven outbreak. Over 95% of those who died were aged 60 and above.

Hong Kong, too, appears to be walking back its previous zero-COVID protocols, with curbs easing on businesses and travel. Huang Yanzhong, a global health policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations tells TIME that Hong Kong can likewise expect numbers to surge as regulations are loosened, but cases should be asymptomatic or mildas are 99% of the cases in Taiwans current wave of infection.

You cannot expect to move away from zero-COVID unless they experience this stage, this feature, this spike in cases, including the severe cases and also the mortality rate, Huang says. But that can be managed. That transition can be achieved [at] a manageable level.
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's air force scrambled on Friday to warn away 18 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone, Taiwan's defence ministry said, part of what is a regular pattern of incursions that has angered the government in Taipei.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has complained of repeated such missions by Chinese aircraft, which have become a common occurrence over the past two years or so.

Taiwan is currently in a heighten state of alert due to fears China could use Russia's invasion of Ukraine to make a similar military move on the island, though Taipei's government has not reported any signs Beijing is about to attack.

The number of aircraft involved was well off the last large-scale incursion, 39 Chinese aircraft on Jan. 23, and since then, such fly-bys have been with far fewer aircraft.

The ministry said the latest mission included six Chinese J-11 and six J-16 fighters as well as two H-6 bombers.

There was no immediate comment from China's Defence Ministry. China has described previous such missions as to defend the country's sovereignty and to counter "collusion" with foreign forces - a veiled reference to U.S. support for Taiwan.

The bombers, accompanied by a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew to the south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel which separates the island from the Philippines.

The other aircraft flew over an area to the northeast of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top end of the South China Sea, according to a ministry map.

Taiwanese fighters were sent up to warn the Chinese aircraft and air defence missiles were deployed to "monitor the activities", the ministry said, using standard wording for how Taiwan describes its response.

No shots have been fired and the Chinese aircraft have not been flying in Taiwan's air space, but in its Air Defence Identification Zone, a broader area Taiwan monitors and patrols that acts to give it more time to respond to any threats.

Story continues

Japan this week reported eight Chinese naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier, passed between islands in Japan's southern Okinawa chain, to the northeast of Taiwan.

Taiwan has also been carrying out pre-announced missile and other drills off its southern and southeastern coasts this week.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and the Taiwan Strait remains a potentially dangerous military flashpoint.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard;Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Tomasz Janowski)
Cherokee County sheriffs deputies arrested and confiscated a 15-year-old boys Sony PlayStation console and two cellular telephones after he made swatting calls to various residences.

In March, deputies responded to a residence on Gordon Circle in the Governors Preserve subdivision in Canton.

Deputies said 911 dispatchers received a call from an individual who said he lived at the Gordon Circle address and had just killed his mother and was about to kill his two sisters who were inside the home.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The caller told the dispatcher he was barricaded inside the home and threatened to kill any responding law enforcement officers.

As deputies surrounded the house, a male exited and was confused, officials said.

The deputies were able to get the male to go to their location outside the home and called other residents within the home to come outside.

TRENDING STORIES:

Deputies said it began to appear the incident was a swatting call.

After more than 30 officers responded to the scene, it was determined there was no emergency at the residence.

Cherokee County officials launched an extensive investigation and determined a 15-year-old male suspect was identified as the caller.

The suspect is from Harlem, Georgia, according to law enforcement officials and he was arrested and charged with terroristic threats, transmitting a false emergency and misuse of 911.

Deputies released him to the custody of his grandmother.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Further investigation showed the suspect made similar calls to North Carolina, Connecticut and Florida.

Those calls caused SWAT teams to enter two residences forcefully, deputies said.

The motivation for these calls? Online gaming disputes.

Story continues

The 15-year-olds voice was also captured in a recording in a Sony PlayStation party chat while making one of the swatting calls.

Deputies then executed a search warrant at his residence where his Sony PlayStation console and two cellular telephones were seized.

IN OTHER NEWS:
(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. is making plans to resume double shifts at its factory in Shanghai as soon as mid-May as it expects staffing and parts shortages to ease, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The U.S. electric carmakers China factory was shuttered for three weeks in April as Shanghai was plunged into lockdown in an attempt to halt community spread of Covid-19. The plant started up again in late April under a so-called closed loop system whereby workers live on site and are tested regularly. The workers in that system have been doing 12-hour shifts, six days a week.

Read more: Tesla Restarts Shanghai Factory With Strict Hygiene, Sleep Plans

Now Tesla is aiming to bring back more employees to keep factory lines running around the clock, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the details are private. Prior to the pandemic-inducted halt on March 28, Tesla workers in Shanghai were working three shifts covering 24 hours, seven days a week.

The Shanghai factorys management committee is trying to determine how feasible it is to bring more workers back, canvassing the willingness of staff to leave their residential compounds and collating address information to get a better picture of where in the city people are located, the people said.

Executives are also looking at daily door-to-door shuttle buses that would allow some workers to return home after their shift rather than sleep at the factory, they said.

A Tesla representative said there were no further updates as yet regarding the factorys status.

In the meantime, Teslas Shanghai factory, which in regular times pumps out around 2,100 cars a day, remains challenged by component shortages. Tesla only has inventory for just over two weeks based on its current closed-loop schedule, another person familiar with the matter said last month, and logistics are a major problem for many other parts.

Story continues

The companys China website shows new customers can expect a wait time of between 20 to 24 weeks for a Model 3, up from around four to six weeks normally.

Shanghai reported 4,024 local asymptomatic Covid cases and 245 confirmed infections Thursday. While cases have been coming down, the city has said it will continue to mass test citizens and only lift the lockdown once community transmission reaches zero.

Read more: Chinas Leaders Warn Against Questioning Covid Zero Policies

While officials are encouraging firms to restart production -- China said last month it will give assistance to more than 600 selected companies to help restart factory activities -- the reality on the ground may be more complex.

Some 63% of Japanese companies that own a plant in Shanghai say theyre still fully halting operations, the Nikkei reported Friday, citing the Shanghai Japanese Commerce & Industry Club.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
The Daily Beast

Russian authorities in Ukraines occupied city of Donetsk are tossing the bodies of their dead soldiers in a secret dump by the thousands and charging their loved ones money to find them.Thats according to a new audio recording released by Ukraines Security Service on Tuesday, which is purportedly an intercepted telephone conversation between two Russians discussing how one of their missing friends was finally found.In the two-and-a-half minute recording, an unidentified man tells his
A 60-year-old man named Van Brisbon has been shrouded in infamy after allegedly killing Lauren Juma, his girlfriends 16-year-old daughter.

NEW: Family members released this picture of 16-year old Lauren Juma. They confirm she was the Humble teenage girl allegedly shot and killed by her moms 60-yr-old boyfriend @KHOU Full report with more live at noon. pic.twitter.com/Lypm2esqul  Ugochi Iloka KHOU (@UgochiKHOU) April 29, 2022

The tragedy went down last week in Humble, Texas, part of Greater Houston.

At around 1 a.m. on April 29, Juma frantically FaceTimed her mother  who was out of town for work  shortly before she was killed.

My baby called me, FaceTimed me and she said, Mom, help me!' her mother, Laurie Young, recalled. Thats the last time I heard her voice.

While on the phone with Young, Juma  a sophomore at Nimitz High School  screamed Mom, he has a gun!

She also reached out to her older sister, Keryca Harmon.

She just wanted to get away, thats all she wanted, Harmon said. She just said he was being really weird and wanted me to pick her up.

NEW: Family members and supporters of 16-yr-old Lauren Juma just arrived at court. One of them made this tribute shirt with her picture on it @KHOU The Nimitz High sophomore was shot and killed Friday. pic.twitter.com/TxZr5Oyh7Y  Ugochi Iloka KHOU (@UgochiKHOU) May 2, 2022

Authorities were soon dispatched to the scene, though they heard gunshots as they neared the residence. Upon entering, officers found that the 16-year-old was already dead.

Story continues

Brisbon was then apprehended and taken into custody, though he was not cooperative with investigators, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Harmon was also on-scene when the gunshots rang out.

I was there for three minutes before I heard two gunshots go off, and I could just remember running up to the house and officers telling me to go back to my car, she recalled.

#BREAKING Judge Hazel B. Jones has increased 60-yr-old Van Brisbons bond from $1 million to $2 million. Hes charged with the murder of 16-yr-old Humble teen Lauren Juma @KHOU pic.twitter.com/cUAW1956Tp  Ugochi Iloka KHOU (@UgochiKHOU) May 2, 2022

Initially, Brisbon was held in Harris County Jail on $1M bond. However, this was eventually upped to $2M after a hearing earlier this week.

As further information about the matter came to light, it was revealed that officers suspected Juma was sexually assaulted prior to her death. He had also had prior run-ins with the law in both Phoenix and Chicago.

UPDATE: Were learning new horrific info. about the circumstances surrounding the Humble 16-yr-old girl sadly murdered Fri. Investigators say when 60-yr-old Van Brisbon walked out of the home where she was killed, they saw him pulling up his pants. On-air now with more on @KHOU pic.twitter.com/NOv4y2Fhwg  Ugochi Iloka KHOU (@UgochiKHOU) May 2, 2022

In response to the matter, Jumas mother  who had dated Brisbon for about 5 years  was left bereaved and perplexed.

He treated Lauren like she was his baby, Young said. I dont understand. He can rot in jail. He had no reason to take my babys life.

My daughter was a very wonderful loving caring person, Jumas father, Sajjad Juma, said. She loved everybody, and everybody loved her.

Brisbons niece also spoke on the situation.

I love my uncle to death, I swear I do, but I will never be able to understand how he did something like this to Lauren, his niece tearfully said.

Van Brisbons niece left the courtroom in tears, when she heard the gruesome case details in the death of 16-year-old Lauren Juma, a sophomore at Nimitz High School. More: https://t.co/9bNeq3tG13 pic.twitter.com/dBN9buNUeS  KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) May 2, 2022

The family set up a GoFundMe to help cover the 16-year-olds funeral expenses, though its now been closed after raising $21,000.
Former Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell was convicted by a jury on bribery charges on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston.

Cromwell, 55, of Attleboro, former chairman and president of the tribe's Gaming Authority, was convicted on two counts of accepting bribes as an agent of an Indian tribal government official, three counts of extortion under color of official right and one count of conspiring to commit extortion, according to a press release from the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's office.

Former Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell was convicted Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston on two counts of accepting bribes as an agent of an Indian tribal government official, among other charges. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times

David DeQuattro, 54 of Warwick, Rhode Island, and owner of the architecture and design firm Robinson Green Beretta Corp., which was under contract with the tribe to act as "owner's representative" for construction of First Light Resort and Casino in Taunton, was found guilty on one count of paying a bribe to an agent of an Indian tribal government.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9.

The indictment:Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council chairman indicted, removed from post

The pleas: Cromwell, DeQuattro plead not guilty to bribe, extortion, tax charges

'I think we are all disappointed in Cedric'

"I think we are all disappointed in Cedric," a message from current chairman Brian Weeden stated on the tribe's website. "We're disappointed that he abused the trust we placed in him as an elected official of our Tribal Nation. We're disappointed that he represents an unfortunate chapter in our history and that it has detracted from the great work we are doing socially, culturally, and politically to support our people. For our tribal leaders today, we will look forward and focus on healing our nation with the case behind us."

The jury found Cromwell guilty of accepting three bribes from DeQuattro in exchange for protecting the firm's contract for the casino project including $10,000 in November 2015, a Bowflex Revolution home gym in August 2016 and a weekend stay at an upscale Boston Seaport hotel in May 2017.

Story continues

The jury also found him guilty on charges of extortion under color of an official and conspiracy to commit extortion.

DeQuattro was found guilty of bribing Cromwell with the home gym and the weekend hotel stay.

More: 'This news is so welcome': Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe can retain reservation land

The jury acquitted both defendants of one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, according to the U.S. Attorney's office press release. DeQuattro was also found not guilty on one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and Cromwell was found not guilty on one count of extortion.

Cromwell faces four remaining charges of not reporting an income totaling nearly $176,193 to the IRS over three years, which will be addressed later, according to the press release.

During the trial, text messages between Cromwell and DeQuattro were placed into evidence, according to the press release.

"In May 2017, Cromwell texted DeQuattro: 'Hello Dave. I hope all is well. My Birthday is coming up this Friday May 19th and I wanted to spend Friday through Monday at a very nice hotel in Boston for my Birthday weekend. Is it possible that you can get me a nice hotel room at the Four Seasons or a suite at the Seaport Hotel? I am going to have a special guest with me. Please let me know and Thank You,' the press release says.

"DeQuattro forwarded the text to his business partner, writing, 'U cant think of this stuff..what is next?'" according to the press release.

DeQuattro and his business partner paid over $1,800 for Cromwell to stay in an Executive Suite King  Harbor View at the Seaport Boston Hotel for three nights, according to the release.

Cromwell asked DeQuattro for exercise equipment in August 2016. DeQuattro and his partner purchased a used Bowflex on Craigslist for $1,700 and had it delivered to Cromwell's home, according to the release.

Cromwell's tenure as chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council

Cromwell was elected chairman of the tribal council in 2009. He ran on a platform of restoring transparency and integrity to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe after former Chairman Glenn Marshall resigned in 2007 amid rumors of an embellished military career, a rape conviction and financial fraud.

David DeQuattro of Warwick, R.I., owner of an architecture and design firm under contract with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to act as "owner's representative" for construction of a resort and casino the tribe was building in Taunton, was found guilty Thursday in federal court in Boston on one count of paying a bribe to an agent of an Indian tribal government.

In 2009, Marshall was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of embezzlement, illegal campaign contributions, false tax returns and fraudulently receiving Social Security benefits while holding a full-time job.

In court documents, Marshall admitted to funneling $4 million given to the tribe from Detroit-based casino investor Herb Strather into an account to pay for illegal campaign contributions and personal expenses.

Many thought Cromwell's election was a chance for the tribe to turn over a new leaf.

"We are starting over again in a sense. We've had a chance to see what can happen. Now it's time to really involve the rest of the tribe in what's going on and give them a voice," tribe member Jim Peters told the Cape Cod Times in 2009.

Despite Cromwell's goals of transparency and integrity, his time as chairman from 2009 until his removal in 2020 was plagued with financial and conduct concerns from tribal members, particularly concerning the plans for a casino.

After his election, Cromwell immediately began working on securing approval for the tribe's casino plans, which had been sidelined by Marshall's resignation and financial mishandlings.

That same year, however, tribe members pushed for more financial transparency from Cromwell, asserting that financial reports given to members at monthly meetings stopped when Cromwell took over as chairman.

By Nov. 2011, Gov. Deval Patrick signed a deal that would license three resort casinos and one slot parlor in Massachusetts.

In 2012, the tribe announced their plans to build a casino in Taunton, and by July of that year a tribal-state contract was signed that gave the tribe a Massachusetts seal of approval on their casino plans.

While awaiting federal approval and considering financing options, in January of 2013 nine tribal members filed a suit in U.S. District Court asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to investigate the 2009 election that swept Cromwell into office.

They alleged that a tribal judge unlawfully allowed four shunned members to go back on voting the rolls and that improprieties during the election led to some voters failing to produce tribal identification.

After Cromwell was re-elected in Feb. 2013, Richard Oakley, challenged the results in tribal court, but they were upheld.

A federal judge dismissed the proposed investigation into the 2009 election in April 2014.

In Oct. 2014, tribal members Carelton Hendricks Jr. and Laura Etta Miranda expressed concerns at a tribal council meeting over the finances of the tribe, citing the $90 million debt racked up by the casino project.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Community and Government Center is on Great Neck Road South in Mashpee.

The Wampanoags' long road to ancestral land

As the tribe vied for rights to a casino, they were also fighting for long-awaited rights to reservation land.

In 1976, the Mashpee Wampanoag filed a suit in U.S. District Court staking claim to ancestral land in Mashpee and parts of Sandwich, Falmouth and Barnstable Under the Indian Intercourse Act of 1790. But a federal jury ruled the tribe was not a tribe and thus had no legal claim to the land.

In 1990, the Mashpee Wampanoag submitted a recognition petition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs requesting federal acknowledgment of the tribe.

On Feb. 16, 2007, seventeen years after their original petition, the Mashpee Wampanoag were recognized federally as a tribe. That decision was key for the tribe, which now had a stronger basis for land claims.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of the Interior approved the tribe's land request to make land in Taunton and Mashpee the tribe's initial reservation, which cleared the way for next steps in the casino project.

More: Timeline: Road to reservation for Mashpee Wampanoag

In Aug. 2020, a federal judge reversed the 2015 ruling on the tribe's reservation land, but by Dec. 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior overruled this decision, once again affirming the Mashpee Wampanoag's tribal rights to 321 acres in Mashpee and Taunton.

Contact Sarah Carlon at scarlon@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @sarcarlon.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Former Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cromwell convicted of bribery
Emmy-nominated actress, Thora Birch, is set to direct and co-star in Lifetimes movie called "The Gabby Petito Story."

According to Deadline, the film will be part of Lifetimes Stop Violence Against Women initiative, and it comes as the anniversary of Petitos disappearance approaches this fall.

The project will reportedly dive into Petito and her fiance Brian Laundries tumultuous relationship, which ultimately led to her disappearance and death.

The outlet reported that the movie will begin filming this summer in Utah and premiere later on in the year.

Emmy-nominated actress, Thora Birch, is set to direct and co-star in Lifetimes movie called "The Gabby Petito Story." Birch is pictured here in 2019. Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

GABBY PETITO'S REMAINS FOUND IN WYOMING, FBI CONFIRMS HOMICIDE

"The Walking Dead" star has been cast to star as Petitos mom, Nicole Schmidt.

Lifetime is launching a new initiative to share the stories of women who experienced similar violence as Petito, but did not receive as much attention on social media. These stories include Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, Adriane Fields, Beatrice Weston and more.

Birch is making her return to the network while simultaneously making her directorial debut. She starred in Lifetimes "The Liz Murray Story" in 2003 and earned an Emmy-nomination for her role. Birch then starred in "The Pregnancy Pact" in 2010.

The Petito case shocked the nation after the young girl and her 23-year-old fiance took part in a cross-country road trip, which Petito never finished.

The couple was traveling from New York to Oregon in a white 2012 Ford Transit van that they converted into a camper. Tipsters suggested the pair was last seen together in late August in Wyoming near Grand Teton National Park.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Petitos family reported her missing on Sept. 11, weeks after she last spoke with her mother in late August.

The FBI found the 22-year-olds remains in Teton-Bridger National Forest on Sept. 19.

Fox News Digital led the way as the story unfolded and was first to report a domestic violence call involving Laundrie and Petito in Moab, Utah, which took place on Aug. 12, as well as confronted Laundrie's parents in September following an Orlando road trip and more.

Story continues

Laundrie was considered a person of interest in Petitos disappearance, which became a murder probe after authorities announced Oct. 12 following an autopsy that the woman had died from strangulation.

A federal court in Wyoming issued a warrant for Laundries arrest Sept. 23, 10 days after he was last seen, based on Petitos parents allegations that he had "stolen" their daughters credit card. Authorities linked Laundrie to about $1,000 worth of purchases between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1.

On Oct. 21, the FBI confirmed they found Laundries remains in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida.
An inmate is on the run after escaping from police custody in Toombs County.

Robert Lee Presgraves, 39, was last seen driving a stolen Pineland 24-foot box truck (GA Tag number: EYV8388) on Old Kirkland Road headed towards Weyerhaeuser Road in Lyons, sheriffs deputies said.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Presgraves was last seen wearing dress pants with a light colored dress shirt and black tie, according to police.

Deputies said he was scheduled to be in court after arriving from rehab.

TRENDING STORIES:

The stolen vehicle was located Thursday afternoon, however, Presgraves is still at large.

He is a 5-foot-11 white male, 184 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Police are asking anyone who has any information regarding his whereabouts to contact them at (912)-526-6778.

IN OTHER NEWS:
In this March 16, 2011 file photo, a corrections official watches inmates file out of a prison bakery after working the morning shift at the Rikers Island jail in New York (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

There is only so much a statistic can show about the criminal justice system, and how to change it for the better. Many are well aware, and have been for years, of its racial biases, of its great financial costs to the government, of its deep reach into the lives of a huge proportion of Americans and their families.

We know what these systems are doing, Kendrick Davis of the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center told the audience on day two of the American Workforce and Justice Summit (AWJS) in Atlanta, and we know the roots of those systems in some of Americas ugliest biases. Now its about building the coalitions to change them.

Does there exist the collective political will to get it done? he said.

There was no lack of will inside the AWJS hall on Thursday, and there was plenty of novel research and analysis to help build that momentum in the wider culture. Its not the endpoint of the discussion, but a starting point to the work of movement building, the activists, advocates, and business leaders at the event argued.

Here are 12 of the most surprising facts and figures about the sprawling mass incarceration system in the US revealed at the conference, and the ways innovative activists are creating something better.

An 800 per cent increase in women incarcerated since the War on Drugs

Women are the fastest growing part of the prison population . 80 per cent of them are moms, and over 90 per cent are victims of sexual, domestic, or child abuse, according to Topeka Sam, of The Ladies of Hope Ministries, a New York-based nonprofit which provides housing and advocates for policies that support formerly incarcerated women.

Every 5 minutes, another person back in custody

Once people are released from prison, thats often only the beginning of the punishment that lies ahead of them.

One such challenge is the parole and criminal supervision system, which impacts an estimated 4.5 million in the US, according to Louis Reed of the Reform Alliance.

Story continues

Even minor infractions like running out late to pick up groceries can land people back in prison, and every five minutes, another person returns to custody, Mr Reed said on a panel hosted by The Independent.

$16 trillion lost to racism

Thats the price of GDP lost over the last 20 years because of racism, Mr Davis of USC said, because we didnt close gaps between Black and white individuals in wage earning, in access to capital for entrepreneurship and other ventures and all things we know from the economic undergirding our our individual lives and communities.

97 per cent facing conviction without full trial

That, on the other hand, is the percentage of convictions in the federal prison system that result from plea deals hashed out before a full trial determining true guilt or innocence can take place, according to Maha Jweied, of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. This puts people who cant afford a lawyer at a huge disadvantage, setting them for a potentially life-altering contact with the justice system.

If you dont have a lawyer advising you, youre really at the point of being able to lose your rights, whether or not youre guilty, she said.

10 times more likely to be homeless, and earning just 10 grand a year

People with prior contact with the justice system are 10 times more likely to be unhoused than the general public, and have a median wage of just above $10,000 in their first year after prison, added Terrica Ganzy of the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Thousands of official and unofficial policies around the country bar formerly incarcerated people from housing, employment, and professional licensing .

Combined, these barriers make living feel like a trap for people once they leave the prison gates, Ms Ganzy told the audience.

Over 800 children, locked up for life

An estimated 804 minors around the US are serving life sentences without parole, said Undrea Jones of the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth, who served 21 years in prison starting at age 16.

Its a system, she said, that convinces people, and rests on the principle, that some children are worthless.

A child believes everything an adult tells them, she said. And for children in the justice system, the government became our parent.

We believe the criminal justice mockery system when they convicted us to die in prison but we continued to live, she continued.

36 million records clear

One of the key policies backed by many at AWJS is clean slate, using government power to automatically clear old arrests and convictions from peoples records and giving them a better shot at reintegration.

Pennsylvania, one of the first states to pass clean slate, has gone on to wipe 36 millions records since.

Government can push a button and people that are eligible will automatically have their records cleared, Sheena Meade of the Clean Slate initiative said on the AWJS stage.

There is somebody around you who is impacted, she continued, noting the estimated 1 in 3 Americans with some kind of criminal record. You just may not know it yet.

Almost half of staff, formerly incarcerated

Daves Killer Bread, a bakery founded by the formerly incarcerated Dave Dahl, is now one of the top brands in the US, and its managed to do so while focusing on second-chance hiring, according to Genevieve Martin of the companys DKB Foundation.

Now, its staff is regularly made up of between 30 and 40 per cent justice-impacted people.

Were the leading company because we hire the best people for the job, she said.

4,300 new hires

Daves Killer Bread isnt the only one. Perhaps the complete opposite business from the organic bread baker is financial giant JP Morgan Chance, which has committed to similar second-chance efforts.

Roughly ten per cent of its new hires in the US, about 4,300 people, have prior contact with the system, said Nan Gibson, executive director of the companys policy center. The company achieved that through banning the box asking about criminal records on its job applications, as well as supporting local groups that offered job training and legal assistance to prospective hires from justice-impacted backgrounds.

$30m raised

When the pandemic struck, returning citizens were hit hard by job losses. Thats why the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) helped raised $30m to distribute cash grants to formerly incarcerated people of up to $2,700 dollars.

What we were seeing were big job losses since 2020, but so many people werent eligible for that, said CEO Christopher Watler.

$5,000 down payments on employee home purchases

As numerous panelists at AWJS attested, housing remains one of the biggest barriers to formerly incarcerated people.

Cincinattis Nehemiah Manufacturing owns its own housing complex that it rents at low rates to employees, and supports team members with up to $5,000 in matching funds to put a down payment on a house.

A 30-year policy revised

When Keilon Ratliff of staffing firm Kelly Services began working with Toyota factory to hire formerly incarcerated people, they ran into HR policies that were 30 years old barring such practices.

We were talking to executives. No one could tell you the genesis of the policy, he said. They started asking each other around the room, do you care about this?

Fast-forward to a pilot project at a Kentucky plant, and suddenly the automaker was seeing increased retention, diversity, and hiring options. Now, the policy changes implemented in Kentucky are companywide.

The American Workforce and Justice Summit 2022 is a two-day gathering of more than 150 business leaders, policy experts and campaign organizations focused on how corporations can meaningfully engage in justice issues and create change in the workplace and beyond. AWJ 2022, a project of the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 and 5 May. The Independent will be reporting from AWJ 2022 as media partner.
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam on Thursday bade farewell to the last section of the mainland medical team departing Hong Kong during an appreciation and farewell ceremony organized by the HKSAR government.

To support Hong Kong's fight against the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the central government and the Guangdong provincial government earlier sent a mainland medical team to assist in the treatment of COVID-19 patients at the request of the HKSAR government. The medical team consisted of 391 healthcare professionals from different disciplines in 25 mainland medical institutions.

During their stay in Hong Kong, the mainland medical support team worked closely with the healthcare team of the Hospital Authority to enhance admission capacity of the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo within a short period of time, allowing more COVID-19 patients in need to receive appropriate treatment and accelerated the overall patient turnover, which in turn assisted the HKSAR government to fully implement the multi-tiered triage and treatment strategy.

Lam expressed in her speech the heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the HKSAR to the mainland medical team for joining the frontline of treating COVID-19 patients when the pandemic situation in Hong Kong was at its worst. She believed that Hong Kong will soon be out of the COVID-19 pandemic and welcomed the mainland medical team to re-visit Hong Kong as a tourist and to renew the friendship with medical comrades in Hong Kong.

He Jing, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said that the mainland medical team has demonstrated a very high level of professionalism and dedication, and has been widely praised by all sectors of the Hong Kong community.

"The current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong has improved significantly, which is inseparable from the contribution of the mainland medical team to Hong Kong, once again proving that the motherland is always the firmest backup for Hong Kong," He said.

Leader of the mainland medical team Chong Yutian said that the medical team members feel invigorated at the sight of vitality being restored in Hong Kong, adding that with the support of the central government and the concerted efforts of all Hong Kong people, the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been stabilized.

Chong said that the mainland medical team wishes Hong Kong compatriots to be healthy and safe, and welcomes further exchanges between medical workers in Hong Kong and the mainland in the future.

On Thursday, Hong Kong registered 148 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 173 additional cases through self-reported RATs, official data showed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. announced Friday it is sanctioning North Korean digital currency mixing firm Blender.io, which the country allegedly uses to launder stolen virtual currency and support cyber crimes.

The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, are the first ever on a digital asset mixing service. The new sanctions also point to the growing use of digital assets to perpetuate illegal acts by state actors and individuals.

Mixing services combine various assets, including potentially illegally obtained funds and legitimately obtained funds, so that illegal actors can obscure the origin of stolen funds.

Blender is accused of helping Lazarus Group, a sanctioned North Korean cyber hacking group, to carry out a $620 million digital currency heist in March, the biggest of its kind to date.

Treasury says Blender helped process over $20.5 million in digital currency. Lazarus Group was designated in September 2019 as a state-sponsored cyber criminal group.

Four wallets, or virtual currency addresses, tied to Lazarus Group were also added to Treasury's list of sanctioned entities.

The United States remains committed to seeking diplomacy with the DPRK and calls on the DPRK to engage in dialogue, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in statement. At the same time, we will continue to address the DPRKs unlawful cyber activities, as well as violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

DPRK is an acronym for the countrys formal name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of North Korea.

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said virtual currency mixers that assist illicit transactions pose a threat to U.S. national security interests.

We are taking action against illicit financial activity by the DPRK and will not allow state-sponsored thievery and its money-laundering enablers to go unanswered," he said.

Last month, the U.S. imposed its first set of penalties against a cryptocurrency mining firm in relation to Russia's war on war. Digital currency firm Bitriver AG and 10 of its subsidiaries were included in a package of sanctions from Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Lawmakers and administration officials have voiced concerns about the use of cryptocurrency to engage in illicit acts.
The Avon and Somerset Police, a territorial law enforcement agency based in southwestern England, has been embroiled in scrutiny for its handling of an assault involving a Black 12-year-old with Autism.

The incident went down back on Mar. 26 by a lake near Bristol, England. As a group of adolescents were enjoying a day at the lake, an aggressive white woman proceeded to confront them and allegedly attacked one of the boys with a boat paddle.

The victim, a 12-year-old named Antwon Forrest, was the only Black child within the group, and he was left with a deep gash on his forehead.

She alleges the boys were throwing rocks at children. All the boys deny this. Antwon was the ONLY Black boy present and attacked by this woman. In this video she is seen being very aggressive towards the boys and intimidating! Yet @ASPolice claim she was acting in self defense 2/ pic.twitter.com/LACkLF8ay1  KingTriiciia  (@TRiiCiiAKANTREL) May 5, 2022

Law enforcement officials were soon notified of the situation. However, a couple of weeks later, they notified Antwons family that no further action would be taken in the case.

The case has been reviewed and, unfortunately, the decision has been made to take no further action in the case. The main reason for this is that, during the interview, the suspect raised the possibility for self-defense. By this, we mean that the suspect admitted [to] pushing Antwon and, when pushing him, she had the paddle in her hand and contacted this with his head, Avon and Somerset Police wrote.

The suspect claimed she pushed Antwon away because he challenged her, and she felt threatened by the surrounding group, the statement continued. Unfortunately, this has meant there is no realistic prospect of conviction should this matter go to court.

Story continues

Avon and Somerset police are taking no action against a woman who hit a 12-year-old boy with a boat paddle because she felt threatened and was acting in a self-defence. I repeat: a 12-year-old. Look at the bleeding gash in his head. https://t.co/QSmSWmeHot  Elizabeth Pears (@BizPears) May 6, 2022

Word of the matter soon began spreading like wildfire on social media, sparking outrage over law enforcement officials handling of the situation.

If it was me that had hit a white child, I would be in jail right now. I was devastated when I got the letter from the police saying they were taking no further action. I had to tell Antwon she was getting away with it, Antwons father, Tyran Forrest, noted.

He was so upset. Ive brought him up to be brave, so he tried to take it on the chin. Hes trying to get on with his day-to-day life, but hes affected, Tyran added. My son was standing there, blood pouring down his face.

In response to the backlash, the Avon and Somerset Police issued a public statement earlier today.

Were aware of posts about an incident in Bristol in which a 12-year-old child was injured. This incident was taken seriously at the time with officers attending, taking statements from the child and an adult family friend and interviewing the suspect at a police station, the agency wrote.

Officers believed the available evidence would not lead to a realistic prospect of conviction, and all parties were updated, the statement continued. After becoming aware of the concerns of the injured boys family, we got in touch and have initiated a review of the case.

Were aware of posts after a boy, 12, was injured #Bristol on 26 Mar.

Officers attended, investigated & interviewed a suspect, but believed there was no realistic prospect of conviction.

Were in touch with the family & reviewing the case.

If you can help call 101 ref 5222071897. pic.twitter.com/aDbk3CLC5v  Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) May 6, 2022

Authorities are currently reviewing the case and asking for the publics assistance in the matter.

The suspected assailant has not been publicly identified.
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko called on Friday for a complete international embargo on Russian oil and gas over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Marchenko told an online briefing that Ukraine was struggling to balance its budget after 10 weeks of war and said that, as finance minister, he could not be satisfied with the speed at which financial assistance was arriving from abroad.

Referring to what he called the "insufficiency of the sanctions that have been introduced", he said the high price of oil and natural gas meant Moscow had a budget surplus and "they feel quite comfortable".

"The main issue is a complete embargo on the purchase of gas and oil from the Russian Federation. This is something that needs to be worked on and that the Ukrainian authorities are actively working on," he said. "This will make it possible to remove the possibility of financing the war."

Economic measures from Washington and European allies have hobbled Russia's $1.8 trillion economy while billions of dollars worth of military aid has helped Ukraine frustrate the invasion.

In an apparent crack in Western unity, however, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday his country could not support the European Union's proposed new sanctions package, which includes an oil embargo, in its present form.

On the state budget, Marchenko said: "We are now practically not balancing the budget for the reason that our income at the moment, unfortunately, covers only 54% of our expenses excluding military spending."

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Russia's forces have performed far worse than anticipated and, 70 days after the start of the country's invasion of neighbor Ukraine, Ukraine's air force is still holding its own -- thanks, in part, to American military equipment supplying the country with anti-air defenses.

Ukraine's forces have destroyed at least 26 Russian planes and 39 helicopters since the beginning of the invasion, according to Oryx, an open-source intelligence blog that keeps tabs on Russian military losses.

That success led to media reports of a legendary flying ace dubbed "The Ghost of Kyiv," a mythical pilot whose supposed exploits downing dozens of Russian aircraft spread like wildfire in the early days of the campaign when Ukrainian forces were looking for signs of hope.

Read Next: Ukraine Repels Russian Attacks; Mariupol Plant Battle Rages

But after reports began to surface this week that the Ghost had been shot down and killed in combat, the country's air force was forced to confess that he was never real.

"The information about the death of the The Ghost of #Kyiv is incorrect," Ukraine's air force wrote on Twitter. "The #GhostOfKyiv is alive, it embodies the collective spirit of the highly qualified pilots of the Tactical Aviation Brigade who are successfully defending #Kyiv and the region."

Ukrainian Maj. Stepan Tarabalka was identified as the "Ghost of Kyiv'' by multiple media outlets last week, but the news was later clarified by the country's air force. He was a pilot who died in combat March 13 and was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine, but he was not the mythical flying ace.

But even without the Ghost, Ukraine's ability to hold its own against Russia's massive fleet has been notable.

One Ukrainian pilot interviewed by CNN on Wednesday, identified only by the call sign "Moonfish," told the news organization he believes Ukraine's pilots have had to get clever to push back against Russia's modern aircraft in the skies.

Story continues

"We're still operating freely in the airspace that we control and, even though they are a massive fleet of more advanced aircraft, we're able to keep them away from the area we maintain," the pilot told CNN. "We did learn a couple of tricks on how to fight with that technological advancement."

Russia has been touting its Sukhoi SU-57 stealth fighter jet and has more than 120 SU-34 bombers, 360 attack helicopters and hundreds more jets in its fleet, according to a report from CNA, a nonprofit research organization that tracks military strength for the U.S. Navy.

But Russia has not been utilizing its full force, focusing less on air-to-air warfare and opting for long-range missiles to attack stationary targets.

In part, this has to do with the surge of anti-aircraft weapons the U.S. has given to Ukraine to aid in its fight against Russia.

So far, weapons approved to send to Ukraine include more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, upward of 5,500 Javelin anti-tank missiles, 700 Switchblade drones, and more than 120 Phoenix Ghost tactical drones.

The war is shifting to a new phase, with tough fighting expected in the east of the country as Russia tries to solidify its claims to separatist regions. How Russia's air strategy will change isn't yet clear, but Ukrainians don't appear to be relying on myth anymore. Their pilots are seeing real-world success in what continues to be a brutal, hard-fought campaign.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Ukraine's Fighter Ace 'Ghost of Kyiv' May Be a Myth, But It's Lethal as War Morale
Ukrainian underground storage facilities can also store European gas

Read also: Gazprom cuts gas supplies to Bulgaria, Poland

"We have time until winter, which should be used to jointly purchase gas from alternative sources and pump it into storage," the minister said.

Read also: Russian energy embargo: Europe must stop financing Putins Ukraine war

"This includes the Ukrainian (storages), where we are able to reserve at least 15 billion cubic meters for our partners."

Halushchenko also called on European countries to minimize the use of gas for electricity production, using other means to generate power.

"Ukraine's energy system is now part of Europe's integrated energy system, and we can export electricity that is 70% produced from hydrocarbon-independent and renewable sources," he said.

Read also: France supports embargo on Russian energy

As of early April 2022, Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities, which have a total capacity of 31 billion cubic meters, contained about 9 billion cubic meters of gas.
US President Joe Biden announced another package of military assistance for Ukraine, as dozens of civilians were evacuated from Mariupol's besieged steelworks, the last pocket of resistance against Russian troops in the port city.

Worth $150 million, the latest security assistance would include artillery munitions and radars, Biden said, as the country braces for fresh bombardment by Moscow's forces ahead of May 9, the day Russia celebrates the Soviet victory over the Nazis in World War II.

A senior US official said the aid included counter-artillery radars used for detecting the source of enemy fire as well as electronic jamming equipment.

Friday's new batch brings the total value of US weaponry sent to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began to $3.8 billion.

The president urged Congress to further approve a huge $33 billion package, including $20 billion in military aid, "to strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield and at the negotiating table."

The Pentagon meanwhile denied reports it helped Ukrainian forces sink the Russian warship Moskva in the Black Sea last month.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US had "no prior knowledge" of the plan to strike the ship, which sank leaving a still-unclear number of Russian sailors dead or missing.

While providing Ukraine with military aid, the United States has sought to limit knowledge of the full extent of its assistance to avoid provoking Russia into a broader conflict beyond Ukraine.

Biden, other G7 leaders, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky are to meet virtually on Sunday to discuss Western support for Kyiv.

- Azovstal evacuation -

On Friday Zelensky said "diplomatic options" were also under way to rescue Ukrainian soldiers from the Mariupol steelworks, as civilian evacuations continued.

The Russian defence ministry said 50 people were evacuated from the site, including 11 children.

It added they were handed over to the UN and Red Cross, which are assisting in the operation, and that the "humanitarian operation" would continue on Saturday.

Story continues

About 200 civilians, including children, are estimated to still be trapped in the Soviet-era tunnels and bunkers beneath the sprawling Azovstal factory, along with a group of Ukrainian soldiers making their last stand.

Russia announced a daytime ceasefire at the plant for three days starting Thursday but the Ukrainian army said Russian "assault operations" had continued by ground and by air.

Ukraine's Azov battalion, leading the defence at Azovstal, said one Ukrainian fighter had been killed and six wounded when Russian forces opened fire during an attempt to evacuate people by car.

Azov battalion leader Andriy Biletsky wrote on Telegram that the situation at the plant was critical.

"The shelling does not stop. Every minute of waiting is costing the lives of civilians, soldiers, and the wounded."

- May 9 fears -

Ten weeks into a war that has killed thousands, destroyed cities and uprooted more than 13 million people, defeating the resistance at Azovstal and taking full control of strategically located Mariupol would be a major win for Moscow.

It would also be a symbolic success ahead of May 9, when Russia marks the anniversary of its 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.

Ukrainian officials believe Moscow is planning a May 9 military parade in Mariupol, though the Kremlin has denied any such plans.

Officials have also said they expect the anniversary will coincide with an escalation of the war throughout the country.

"In the coming days, there is a high probability of rocket fire in all regions of Ukraine," mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on social media.

"Be careful and follow the rules of security in wartime."

The eastern city of Odessa will also impose a longer curfew on May 8-9, its mayor said, as will Poltava in the country's centre.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that the G7 meeting will come a day before "Victory Day" and the leaders will demonstrate "unity in our collective response".

"While (Russian President Vladimir Putin) expected to be marching through the streets of Kyiv, that's obviously not what's going to happen," Psaki said.

- Russia to remain 'forever' -

Since failing to take Kyiv early on in the war, Russia has refocused its offensive on the south and east of Ukraine.

Taking full control of Mariupol would allow Moscow to create a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and separatist, pro-Russian regions in the east.

In those regions, separatists said they had removed Ukrainian and English language traffic signs for Mariupol and replaced them with Russian ones.

Locals want to see proof that "Russia has come back here forever," said Denis Pushilin, head of the breakaway region of Donetsk.

In neighbouring Lugansk, Ukrainian officials said on Friday that Russian forces had almost encircled Severodonetsk -- the easternmost city still held by Kyiv -- and are trying to storm it.

Kherson in the south remains the only significant city Russia has managed to capture since the war began.

A senior official from the Russian parliament visiting the city on Friday also emphasised that Russia would remain in southern Ukraine "forever."

"There should be no doubt about this. There will be no return to the past," Andrey Turchak said.

- 'Peaceful solution' -

On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted its first declaration on Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.

It backed Secretary General Antonio Guterres's efforts to find a "peaceful solution" to the war but stopped short of supporting a mediation effort led by him.

Russia then vetoed a resolution condemning the invasion and asking Moscow to move its army back to Russian soil.

Ukraine's Western allies have supported Kyiv with financial and military assistance, and have slapped unprecedented sanctions on Russia.

As European countries have sought to clamp down on Russian assets overseas, Italian authorities impounded a mega yacht as speculation swirled it might even belong to the Russian president.

"Scheherazade", worth an estimated $700 million, has been the subject of a probe into its ownership by Italy's financial police, which has helped "establish significant economic and business links" between the ship's owner and "eminent people in the Russian government".

Researchers at the anti-corruption foundation of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny have linked the yacht to Putin.

But the European Commission's proposal that all 27 EU members gradually ban Russian oil imports -- a move that would have been its toughest yet -- was dealt a blow on Friday when Hungary said it crossed a red line and should be sent back.

burs-lc-cl/oho/reb
A New York City man has pleaded guilty to charges for shooting a United Parcel Service worker while riding passenger in a stolen Mercedes-Benz, after the deliveryman took too long to parallel park his vehicle, officials announced.

Jahsheen Osbourne, a 21-year-old from Queens, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, among other charges, for the January 2020 "unprovoked shooting," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katzs office said in a press release Thursday.

Osbourne was sitting passenger inside the stolen car around 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2020 when he allegedly grew irate that the delivery man was taking too long to park, Katz said.

RAPPER KIDD CREOLE SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS FOR FATAL STABBING

"The worker was attempting to reverse and park the UPS truck when a driver in a white Mercedes began honking the car horn objecting to the truck preventing traffic from going forward," the release states. "The defendant, who was a passenger in the Mercedes, began to yell at the delivery worker and a verbal dispute ensued. As the Mercedes maneuvered pass the UPS truck, the defendant pulled out a black gun and shot the victim in the stomach."

The victim was rushed to a local hospital and needed surgery for extensive internal damage. Meanwhile, Osbourne was also charged separately for the stolen Mercedes, Katz said.

Osbourne also pleaded guilty to grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon. He is set to be sentenced on May 19, and is expected to face 17 years in prison.

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
The White House on Thursday declined to encourage abortion activists to avoid protesting at the private residences of Supreme Court justices as outrage over a leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade grows.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden understands and shares the outrage over the news that the Supreme Court may vote to undo Roe, which essentially legalized abortion nationwide.

"The president, for all those women, men, others who feel outraged, who feel scared, who feel concerned, he hears them, he shares that concern and that horror that he saw in that draft opinion," Psaki said.

Biden's message directly to anyone feeling outraged "is participating in peaceful protest," Psaki said. "Ensure it's peaceful. Have your voice heard peacefully. We should not be resorting to violence in any way, shape or form."

Workers assemble non-scalable fences around the Supreme Court building amid abortion-rights demonstrations on May 4, 2022, in Washington. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

Several heated protests have occurred in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., following the leak of Justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion that would undo Roe, prompting police to put up barriers around the building.

ROE V. WADE UNREST: DC POLICE ACTIVATE PROTEST UNITS AFTER SUPREME COURT ABORTION RULING LEAK

Fox News' Peter Doocy on Thursday brought up Biden's statements earlier this week calling the "MAGA crowd" the "most extreme political organization" in recent history. "Do you think the progressive activists that are now planning protests outside some of the justices' houses are extreme?" Doocy asked Psaki.

"Peaceful protest, no. Peaceful protest is not extreme," Psaki said. "We certainly encourage people to keep it peaceful and not resort to any level of violence."

Doocy pressed whether Biden viewed the posting of home addresses of justices, some of whom have young children, as a peaceful expression of protest.

"The president's view is that there's a lot of passion, a lot of fear, a lot of sadness, from many, many people across this country about what they saw in that leaked document," Psaki said.

Story continues

A pro-abortion group reportedly plans to protest at the Maryland and Virginia homes of some of the Supreme Court justices. In response to Doocy's question about whether the president cared about protests near justices' homes, Psaki declined to discourage any residential protests.

"I don't have an official U.S. government position on where people protest," Psaki said. "We want it of course to be peaceful, and certainly the president would want to people's privacy to be respected. But I think we shouldn't lose the point here. The reason people are protesting is because women across the country are worried about their fundamental rights that have been law for 50 years, their rights to make choices about their own bodies and their own health care, are at risk. That's why people are protesting  they're unhappy, they're scared."

BIDEN BRUTALIZED OVER INCOHERENT AND VILE CLAIM THAT ROE IS IN LINE WITH ALL BASIC MAINSTREAM RELIGIONS

Psaki again declined to state whether Biden supported any limits on abortion, even up until the moment of birth.

An activist organization called "Ruth Sent Us"  a reference to former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg  published the apparent home addresses of Justices Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, and encouraged peaceful demonstrations.

"Our 6-3 extremist Supreme Court routinely issues rulings that hurt women, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights," the group's website read. "We must rise up to force accountability using a diversity of tactics."

The leaked draft of the opinion on Dobbs vs Jackson Whole Women's Health was published by Politico Monday evening, and indicates that a majority of the court may vote to undo 50 years of precedent in Roe. However, the draft is not the final opinion, which is expected in late June or July, before the current Supreme Court term ends.

Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Over the past two months, the world has watched Ukrainians heroic resistance against Russias neo-imperialist evil.

During this time, the attitude of the free democratic world to this war has changed, from disbelief that Ukrainians could be capable of withstanding Russian aggression, to careful support for Ukrainian resistance, and finally to todays decisive and large-scale support.

Read also: After Russias war, a stronger Ukraine and West will emerge

The goals of international support to Ukraine have also changed. Initially, it was focused on supporting the eventual resistance movement in territories captured by the Russians; it followed into support in the defense of Kyiv; now it is evolving into a clear understanding that this is not only a Ukrainian war. As British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said, the war in Ukraine is our war  it is everyones war because Ukraines victory is a strategic imperative for all of us.

Ukrainians are grateful for this support, but it needs to be strengthened.

Russia has significantly more resources than Ukraine. It has many more fighter jets, tanks, missiles, warships, shells, bullets, and soldiers. Therefore, it will be difficult for Ukraine to resist this aggression without the support of the free world. Without this support, it will be even more difficult for Ukraine to achieve victory.

Neither Ukraine nor the rest of the world will be able to enjoy stability if the world aims only at achieving peace; even more so, if that peace is on Russian terms. The world must not only strive to enable Ukraine to withstand Russias aggression and deny Putin a victory but must indeed strive to ensure that Russia is defeated and that Ukraine wins this war, i.e. restores its full territorial integrity and liberates all Russian-occupied lands. This is important not only for Ukraine but also to restore civilized world order.

Today, the free democratic world has to say what Ukraine has been saying for a long time: the goal should be to ensure Russias defeat and to make any subsequent war and any future Russian military revenge impossible.

Story continues

The world must strive to bring all key figures from the Putinist regime and the Russian armed forces who are responsible for such heinous barbarism to justice for their crimes. This imperialist evil, which is in many aspects much worse than other imperialisms, must be finally condemned at an international tribunal. This will also bring back peace and territorial integrity not only for Ukraine, but also for Moldova and Georgia, and will create conditions for self-determination of the subjugated nations of Russia. This will also help liberate democratic societies (not only in Eastern Europe) from destructive Russian influence, which it achieves through international corruption and global propaganda.

This fight may be long, but the whole world needs this victory. There is an urgent need to open up a genuine second front against Russia, in which the biggest possible support of Ukraine will be part of the task. We call the international community:

to enhance sanctions against Russia to ensure that it cannot replenish its resources and capacities. There is an urgent need to close all possible loopholes in the sanctions regime, and to place an embargo on Russias energy trade, which brings it at least one billion dollars per day.

to continue and strengthen supplies of the modern weapons to Ukraine, and to ensure production of these weapons for Ukraines needs. Ukraine has to be able to defend itself on land, but also at sea and in the air, where Russia still holds the edge. We welcome the U.S. lend-lease decision, which can dramatically change the situation and create conditions for peace and the reconstruction of Ukraine. During World War II, Americas lend-lease program created real conditions for the victory of the technologically-backward Soviet Union over Nazi Germany.

to help Ukraine not only restore its territorial integrity within its 1991 borders, but also fully liberate itself from Russias military presence, in particular its military bases in Crimea from before the 2014 occupation.

to help Ukraine restore its navigation rights in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, which can be made possible only by removing Russias self-imposed hegemony in the international waters of these seas;

to continue the isolation of Russia, on all possible levels, from political and economic to cultural and sport. Only this can provoke discontent with the Putinist regime inside the Russian society and create conditions for at least some elements of resistance.

Read also: When will Europe deprive Putin's war machine of its fuel?

Ukraine has proven that it does not seek to outsource its defense against Russia to others. But todays war against Russia is a war not only for Ukraine. This is a war of civilization against barbarism, of dignity against depravity, and of freedom against slavery.

There is no reason why Ukraine should be left alone in this fight.

Ukraine is not calling for others to join it on the battlefield but is calling on the world to open the biggest possible second front: with economic measures, political actions, and military supplies.

The world has to say today: Ukraine will win this war. We will win together. And it must do everything possible to bring this victory closer.

This is an open letter of the "December First Initiative Group", signed by Olga Gnatyuk, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Yevgen Zakharov, Yosif Zissels, Igor Kozlovsky, Igor Yukhnovsky, Yaroslav Yatskiv.
Beijing is going all out to curb the COVID-19 outbreak while residents are adjusting to new situations in the battle against the Omicron variant of the disease.

On Thursday, the first workday after the five-day May Day holiday, many residents in Beijing cycled to work because of the impact on public transportation. Chen Miao, 32, who lives in Chaoyang district, cycled about 9 kilometers to the nearest station that is still open and took the subway to her workplace. Packing up her laptop and some working materials in the office, she will be working from home starting on Friday.

The city's traffic commission said more than 60 subway stations on 14 subway lines have been closed since Wednesday. Up to 389 bus stops were affected, since 63 bus lines have halted operations and 48 have changed routes to lower the risk of infection in locked-down and controlled zones in Chaoyang.

The Beijing municipal government wrote a letter of thanks to all residents in the capital on Thursday, saying that Beijing is now facing the most complicated and severe epidemic, and that people, including medical staff, community workers, police officers, volunteers and every resident, have shown their effort and support, and even sacrificed to halt the virus.

"The city government is confident of winning this battle against the outbreak," the letter said.

Chaoyang is the hardest-hit area in Beijing during the outbreak and reported 220 cases by 3 pm on Thursday. To help stop the spread of the disease, many people were asked to work from home.

"State-owned organizations, institutions and enterprises, as well as large-scale companies in Chaoyang and other lockdown, controlled and precautionary zones in the city, should keep more than half of their employees working from home," Tian Wei, an information officer, told a news conference on Thursday.

Other staff members in commercial and office buildings in the affected areas should all work from home, he added. Employees in urban operation, public service and epidemic control and prevention will continue their work.

Employees who work from home should not be paid lower than the standard of Beijing's minimum wage, he said. In addition, service companies, small and micro businesses, and individually owned businesses that rent State-owned property will be exempted from rent.

Beijing reported 39 new locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases between 3 pm on Wednesday and 3 pm on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections to 544 since April 22 across 15 districts, the latest case tally showed.

Of these, 38 were reported from controlled zones and one from universal community testing, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said on Thursday.
UPDATE: Virginia State Police on Friday identified a man killed in a motorcycle crash Thursday morning.

Christian N.W. Goff, 22, of Appomattox, died following the crash on Doss Road, just east of White Oak Road in Concord, according to a state police news release.

Goff was headed east on Doss Road when his 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle ran off the right side of the road, overcorrected, ran off the right side of the road again and came to rest in a ditch, according to the release.

He was wearing a helmet. The crash remains under investigation.

EARLIER: One person died after a motorcycle crash Thursday morning in Concord, police said.

Virginia State Police said they were alerted at 7:30 a.m. to the crash in the 800 Block of Doss Road, which is in Campbell County off U.S. 460.

Police confirmed the fatality but had no additional information to release.

 From staff reports
An advocacy group says the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights is investigating Liberty University following a Title IX complaint filed by the organization.

The Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP) said Wednesday that OCR is probing alleged LGBTQ+ rights violations at LU and five other schools. REAP, a project of the national nonprofit Soulforce, was formed to support LGBTQ students on religious campuses.

The complaint against LU was filed on behalf of a former student and on behalf of current LGBTQ+ students at the university, according to a May 4 letter to the Portland, Oregon-based law firm Paul Southwick Law, LLC, from Zorayda Moreira-Smith, an OCR supervisory attorney, that REAP posted on its website. Southwick is the director of REAP.

Neither the Department of Education nor Liberty University responded to messages from The News & Advance seeking comment for this story.

The letter states allegations that LU discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation specifically center on its policies and practices, including the Statement on Sexuality and Relationships in the student honor code and the role of an on-campus group called Armor Bearers.

REAP last year filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education seeking to nullify certain religious exemptions for colleges and universities. That suit says LU describes its Armor Bearers meeting group as helping male students struggling with same-sex attraction and sex addiction.

Students often share that groups like these are, in essence, conversion therapy programs, although they are often presented as support groups, Joe Baxter, a legal fellow with REAP, said in an email this past week to The News & Advance.

Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to change an individuals sexual orientation or gender identity. Virginia in 2020 banned its use on minors by state-licensed health care providers or counselors, and it is banned or admonished by a number of professional organizations, such as the American Medical Association.

OCR, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Education that primarily focuses on enforcing civil rights laws, enforces Title IX, part of federal legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity operated by a recipient of federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. LU is subject to Title IX as a recipient of financial assistance from the federal government.

The May 4 letter from OCR emphasizes the opening of an investigation in no way implies OCR has made a determination with regard to its merits. The letter also states OCR determined it will not investigate a second allegation from a former student that LU discriminated against him by maintaining a policy that behavior reflecting LGBT identity was in violation of the student honor code and by encouraging him to participate in conversion therapy to avoid punishment.

The student attended Liberty from August 2008 to May 2012, and OCR generally will take action only with respect to allegations filed within 180 days of the alleged discrimination unless a waiver is granted, the letter states. A waiver was requested, but ultimately not granted, based on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administrations policies and statements about religious exemptions to Title IX and a claim the school continues to discriminate against [the Student] and to promulgate policies and practices that discriminate against LGBTQ+ students, the letter states.

Luke Wilson, a former Liberty University student and current plaintiff in the class action lawsuit against the education department, said in a statement he is beyond delighted about the investigation.

As a survivor of Libertys one-on-one conversion therapy program and as one who went to one of the group conversion therapy meetings on campus, I have since worked to raise awareness about this heinous practice that has ravaged the lives of countless queer Liberty students, Wilson said in the statement.

Wilson is one of nearly three dozen people who, in the lawsuit, allege harmful homophobic culture at various religious institutions of higher education has affected them personally.

Filed in Oregon in spring 2021, the complaint holds colleges and universities are unlawfully allowed to harm sexual and gender minority students under the color of religious exemption and shouldnt have that protection from Title IX discrimination complaints.

Separately, LU officials told the Washington Post recently the Department of Education is investigating in the wake of complaints about how the school has handled sexual assault cases.

LU has faced complaints in recent months over its handling of sexual assault allegations, including last summer when a dozen women filed a suit alleging the school failed to help them after they reported assaults or sexual misconduct.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Central Virginia Planning District Commission announced its new executive director this week, naming Alec Brebner as the new leader effective June 1.

Brebner will replace Gary Christie, who is retiring after being executive director for the past 17 years. The commission works on regional initiatives affecting Lynchburg and the surrounding counties.

Its an honor to be selected to replace Gary Christie. His reputation proceeds him in the commonwealth, Brebner told The News & Advance on Thursday.

Ive come to know the region since Ive moved to Virginia and Im just really impressed and enamored with the region.

Brebner told The News & Advance the three most important things to him for the CVPDC will be transportation, economic development and environmental quality.

I think the most fascinating thing about PDCs is that they all have those core three functions, but then it comes down to how those are carried out in each region, Brebner said.

Each PDC is tailored to the areas needs ... which makes it a dynamic organization. But Im eager to learn the challenges that these localities struggle to meet on their own to help with that.

He also touched on the challenge of affordable housing, and how that ties into transportation in Central Virginia.

If youre in a rural area, your housing might be cheaper but your transportation will be a whole lot more expensive. I just paid 60-some dollars for a tank of gas, so were feeling that, he said.

But some of those in a city like Lynchburg might have the opportunity to ride a bike or a bus to work. So what affordable housing means in Lynchburg might be different from if you have access to options in transportation.

Another big project for the CVPDC is the Region 2000 landfill, which disposes solid waste for four localities: Appomattox, Campbell and Nelson counties, as well as Lynchburg.

In January 2021, a lawsuit arose in which Campbell and Lynchburg sought judgment on excess revenue of more than $2.5 million would be allocated to the localities.

Previously, Nelson and Appomattox worked to deny the two localities the excess revenue because officials there felt Lynchburg and Campbell already had been compensated fairly for that, which left the money in a stalemate.

Brebner, who will work with the Region 2000 Services Authority, said the first step for him will be to build those relationships with the localities.

The most basic thing a PDC does is convene communities, convene people, and convene leaders for conversations on regional challenges. And in this case, the landfill is a regional challenge, Brebner said.

Then well need to see what threats or challenges the leaders see in the way the landfill is being managed now, and what opportunities there are going forward.

Brebner comes from the Crater Planning District Commission, where he served as executive director. The district is based in Petersburg and serves four cities and seven counties from Chesterfield County to the southern state line.

He also has experience working with planning district commissions in Charleston, South Carolina, and worked in consulting before switching to a career planning.

The opportunity to lead the CVPDC for Brebner was what he called a fascinating opportunity due to the growth of Lynchburg, which he said isnt common in cities of similar size.

We talk about Lynchburg being a growing city; theres not that many cities in the country, really, where you have a city of 85,000 to 90,000 people thats thriving the way Lynchburg is, he said. Its exciting to be selected to be a part of that.

Treney Tweedy, chair of the commission board who also serves at large on Lynchburg City Council, said in a news release the commission is pleased to have a leader with Alecs experience and expertise join our regional organization.

He brings strong leadership along with community coordination and planning experience that will serve us all well.

With following in big footsteps such as Christies, Brebner stressed the importance of building connections and relationships with leaders from every member party on the PDC, and making sure all of their needs are addressed fairly.

To do that, he said the PDC will need to think regionally, think locally and then be a conduit of the relationships of the state and localities, as they plan to build a better Central Virginia region.

If you think about the regions economy, you might live in one community, work in another and shop in a third. We cant have one locality say, We have all these needs and need this service, Brebner said about ensuring attention is spread among localities.

If we think about these problems as an opportunity to work together and support our localities ... then I think well be able to manage it.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants state employees back in their offices under a new telework policy that will take effect July 5 to guide executive branch agencies out of workplace restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new policy, announced on Thursday will let state agencies determine which jobs will be eligible for remote work and how often employees will be allowed to perform their duties outside of their government offices.

Under the new policy, 55,000 employees in 65 executive branch agencies will be able to request to work some days remotely under agreements negotiated with their supervisors and adopted by June 30. Employees will be able to apply for telework agreements beginning Friday.

"After listening to the needs of Virginians, discussing solutions with agency heads across government, and closely monitoring the pandemic, we are excited to welcome our employees in-person this summer," Youngkin said in an announcement of the new policy.

"We know that creative, innovative, and effective solutions for all Virginians occur with regular, in-person interaction by our incredible workforce here in the commonwealth," the governor stated. "Embarking on a new path that values innovation and teamwork, we are updating Virginia's telework policy for the first time in more than a decade."

During the 26-month pandemic, COVID-19 killed at least 11 state employees - seven at the Department of Corrections, two at the Virginia Employment Commission and two at state hospitals run by the Departmental of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

State government employs almost 95,000 people full time, not including faculty at public colleges and universities, but the new policy will not apply to those who work for the General Assembly, state court system, or independent commissions and authorities that set their own policies.

For example, the Virginia Retirement System began returning employees to its offices last week under a hybrid work model that initially will allow them to choose to work in person one day a week, either Tuesday or Wednesday.

"Ultimately, employees will migrate to a hybrid work schedule late this summer where employees will work in the office Tuesdays and Wednesdays," said Jeanne Chenault, spokesperson for the retirement system, which has 347 full-time employees and 28 wage employees and will continue to allow its call center employees to work remotely.

Employees in some state workplaces, such as prisons and mental hospitals, have worked throughout the pandemic. Customer-services agencies, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, have gradually returned to in-person service after closing their offices or operating by appointment only for most of the pandemic.

The State Corporation Commission reopened its offices in the Tyler Building to the public on April 11 and has resumed walk-in service to the clerk's office for business filings. It will resume courtroom hearings in the building next week. Currently, about 130 of its 670 employees are working in their offices voluntarily, said spokesman Andy Farmer. "We're finalizing our plan for bringing people back."

Some agencies already have begun "inviting" employees back into their offices to work in-person on a voluntary basis, Secretary of Administration Lyn McDermid said in an interview on

Thursday. "People are already teleworking consistent with the new policy."

Under the policy, employees will be apply to work remotely on certain days, subject to approval by their supervisors and agencies, based on the nature and demands of the jobs.

"The people who understand the work will determine what will be the appropriate schedule - the supervisor and the employee," McDermid said.

The number of days of telework allowed each week will be based "on what's appropriate for the job they do and also what's appropriate for the agency," she said.

Youngkin has made clear that he wants employees - public and private - to return to their offices as much as possible as the pandemic appears to wane.

"People are coming back to work and we are on a path to normalcy," he said during a public appearance at Google's state headquarters in Reston last month.

The governor said then that his administration was working on a process to return state employees to their offices.

"And I think that's important," he said in response to a question by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I think it's important for collaboration. ... I think it's really important for Virginians, who pay for our state government, to that that we are all fully engaged, and will have a process for getting everybody back to work."

However, Youngkin also said he recognizes that telework "still has a place, and I think we can actually find a great, great kind of ... new work environment that really is focused around the office, but also acknowledges that there are needs and benefits from having telework."

In his announcement on Thursday, the governor promised policies that "balance the demands of government services with the needs of our public servants," but his administration also faces a challenge in balancing the desire to bring employees back into their offices against the danger of losing them to private companies that are willing to give their greater flexibility in where they work.

"The workforce dynamic has changed within the technology industry, especially for talented engineering and cyber security resources," said Jon Ozovek, former chief operating officer at the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, which is playing a key role in support the return of state employees to their offices. "That's an expectation now - flexibility and the ability to work remotely as long as outcomes are achieved."

"A lot of private sector companies are watching [the return of state employees] to potentially come in now and recruit top talent," said Ozovek, who resigned soon after Youngkin replaced Nelson Moe as chief information officer at the technology agency in January.

The VRS is mindful of those new expectations, Chenault said. "VRS has learned that flexibility has become more valued by the labor market and our intention is to maintain a hybrid work model as we move forward."

VITA has been part of four months of preparations for the new telework policy, which will require state offices to handle demands for technology to deal remotely with customers, such as ZOOM conferencing and video.

"We have taken our time," McDermid said. "We have analyzed the network and we have upgraded parts of the network. I think we're ready."
Nebraska National History Day held its 42nd annual state contest on April 9.

Two hundred and forty-nine students from across Nebraska representing 37 schools presented research projects on topics related to this years theme, Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, and Consequences. The event was held at Nebraska Wesleyan after two years of being virtual due to COVID-19.

Awards were given to 54 middle and high school students from 18 schools.

The award winners now have the opportunity to compete in the national contest, which will be held virtually in June.

Delegates from Nebraska can apply to have their entries included in showcases sponsored by prestigious institutions including the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the White House Historical Association.

This year, the National History Day program will also host virtual field trips open to all students and teachers who are registered for the national contest.

During the awards ceremony, several qualifying entries also received special awards or honorable mentions given by the Nebraska Press Association Foundation, NEBRASKALand Foundation, Nebraska Wesleyan University, the Michael Berg Memorial Award (sponsored by a private individual) and the Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies.

The theme for 2023 is Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.

Chadron State College, Metropolitan Community College, Hastings State College, Northeast Community College, Peru State College, Southeast Community College, and the University of Nebraska-Kearney sponsor the seven district contests held in February and March each year.

The state contest and statewide program are funded in part by Humanities Nebraska, the D. F. Dillon Foundation and Nebraska Wesleyan University.

2022 STATE CONTEST RESULTS

Bellevue

Victoria Bogatz  Junior Historical Paper, first place and Nebraska Press Foundation winner  The Annexation of Hawaii: Consequences into the 20th Century and Beyond
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Morocco and Spain resumed cooperation to facilitate the crossing of 3 million Moroccans living in Europe by sea during the summer.

The operation, dubbed Marhaba 2022, was halted for two years due to the pandemic amid tensions between the two countries that broke out last year.

A joint statement issued following the landmark visit of Spains Prime Minister to Morocco Pedro Sanchez early April has announced the resumption of the crossing through Spanish ports, in a boon for economic activity in southern Spain.

A meeting was held at the interior ministry between Moroccan and Spanish officials auguring the kick off of cooperation and preparations for the crossing of some 700,000 cars.

Spanish interior ministry said it will dedicate 16,000 policemen to facilitate the operation through different Spanish ports.

Spain and Morocco started a new phase in their bilateral ties, after Spain announced last March support for Moroccos territorial integrity and for the Sahara autonomy plan, ending a year of diplomatic tension and opening prospects for closer cooperation in economic, political and security areas.
China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has released a list of the six most-wanted fugitives for their involvement in major crimes of abduction and trafficking of women and children.

Police have encouraged the public to provide tip-offs, promising protection and rewards to those who provide useful information.

The list was released amid intensified efforts by the Chinese government to protect women and children. The MPS launched a 10-month nationwide operation, starting from March 1, to crack down on the abduction and trafficking of women and children to better protect these groups.
Moroccos competition council fined Switzerlands Sika Ag for its non-compliance with local competition law, the first sanction delivered by the regulator since its creation.

Sika Ag had acquired Dry Mix Solutions, both operating in the manufacturing of construction material, without informing or getting approval from the Moroccan competition council in advance.

The fine stood at 11,670,215 million dirhams, or $1.1 million, the council said, adding that Sika Ag had accepted to pay it to the treasury.

Moroccos competition council came under the spotlight in recent years amid demand to reinvigorate it as a watchdog of fair competition.
Algeria has reduced by 25% gas supplies to Spain, after the latter changed its stance to support Moroccos Sahara autonomy plan, Spanish media said.

The gas transiting through the Medgaz pipeline was down by a quarter since Spain edged closer to Morocco, confirming once more forecasts by analysts who had warned Spain of Algerias unreliability as a gas supplier.

Blinded by hostility towards Morocco, Algeria shutdown the Maghreb Europe gas pipeline which had a capacity of 13 cbm and maintained exports to Spain through the smaller Medgaz pipeline.

The drop in gas supplies vindicated analyses which warned of a diminishing Algerian gas export capacity in view of rising domestic consumption and depletion of reserves amid a lack of new discoveries.

The drop in supply will force Spain to reduce its dependence on Algerian gas in favor of US and Nigerian supplies which are already eating into the share of Algeria.
Russias top diplomat Serguei Lavrov has cancelled a trip to Tunisia initially planned for May 9-10, Tunisie Numerique has revealed.

A source aware of the cancellation has told the media that the Russian Foreign Minister will not visit the North African country as indicated, owing to current international crisis that is opposing Russia to Ukraine.

Echaab News, a local media close to Tunisias powerful labor union UGTT, late April announced Lavrovs visit and his meeting with the unions Secretary General Noureddine Taboubi.

The visit was reported to take place right after eid al Fitr celebration.

Tunisia and Russia enjoy good ties. Last week, Tunisias ambassador to Moscow announced a visit of President Kais Saied to Russia to attend the space trip of the first Tunisian astronaut.

We are currently working to organize the visit of the President of the Republic to Russia, the diplomat Tarak Ben Salem told Russian media.

The visit will aim to attend the first space trip of the Tunisian astronaut who will participate in a mission in the International Space Station, he added.

Last August, the Tunisian diplomat had commented that Russia, unlike some other countries, had not interfered into Tunisias internal affairs, referring to seizure by President Saied of all major powers, including the executive and legislative powers.

Russia is a key trade partner for Tunisia and sends hundreds of thousands of tourists to the North African country.
The Moroccan-Spanish permanent joint migration group met this Friday, May 6, 2022 in Rabat, for the first time in three years, to discuss ways to develop cooperation between the two countries on migration-related issues, a meeting translating that cooperation between the two countries is resuming for good.

Actually, after the meeting held at the Ministry of the Interior in Rabat Thursday, May 5, 2022, to prepare the Marhaba 2022 operation, another meeting gathered senior officials from the two countries this Friday to discuss the issue of migration.

The meeting, convened under the chairmanship of Khalid Zerouali, Director of Migration and Border Surveillance at the Ministry of Interior,took place as part of the implementation of the roadmap developed during the visit of President of the Spanish Government Pedro Sanchez to Morocco early April 2022.

Spain was represented at the meeting by Secretary of State for Migration Jesus Perea Cortijo, Secretary of State for Security Rafael Perez Ruiz, and Secretary of State for External and Global Affairs Angeles Moreno Bau.

During debates on migration partnership, the two sides welcomed the resumption of their migration meetings which have always enshrined trust and shared responsibility, a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said.

The Spanish side has thanked the Moroccan authorities for the extensive efforts deployed in the fight against illegal migration which have produced tangible results, the statement said, adding that given the shared challenges represented by the activities of migrant smuggling networks and the unstable regional environment, both parties decided to strengthen their coordination and information exchange mechanisms through renewed joint action arrangements at the level of police cooperation centers, liaison officers and joint patrols.

The two parties also expressed their willingness to continue providing agile and flexible responses in the fight against criminal migrant smuggling networks on the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean routes.

On border management, they stressed the need to articulate joint efforts in terms of technical and financial support to maximize resilience and operational efficiency.

In this sense, both parties give particular importance to the increased possibilities of financial support for Morocco under the new Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union, the joint statement said, adding that Spain, as a EU member state, will continue to highlight the role of Morocco as a strategic partner of the EU in all areas, including migration.

Regarding regular migration, the Joint Migration Group welcomed the positive record of the Moroccan-Spanish model of circular mobility and labor management, which is one of the most solid and successful examples recognized at the European and international level.

The two parties pledged to continue working in this direction to establish new paths where capacity building and reintegration are key components so as to strengthen the positive effects of migration in both Moroccan and Spanish societies.

They also reiterated their shared willingness to strengthen the prospects for cooperation to encourage controlled legal flows in coordination with all operators and stakeholders.

Recalling the contributions of the Moroccan community in Spain to the post-Covid economic recovery, Moroccan and Spanish officials pledged to work together with the aim of strengthening the integration of the communities of nationals of both countries in Spain and Morocco.

As to the issue of unaccompanied minors, the Moroccan side recalled the Royal high instructions for the repatriation of all Moroccan minors duly identified, the joint statement pointed out, noting that Morocco and Spain agreed to focus on the best interests of the minor.

On regional cooperation on migration, Morocco and Spain have committed to strengthening dialogue and close coordination during their respective presidencies of the Rabat Process in 2022 and 2023.

The two countries also agreed to convene, in June 2022, the various ad hoc joint subcommittees of the Migration Group to approve sectoral action plans.

Morocco, in the person of King Mohammed VI, is considered Leader of the African Union on migration issues. The Kingdom also hosts the headquarters of the African Observatory on Migration, a dedicated institution of the African Union, inaugurated in December 2020.
Joy radiated from her face and filled the room with sunshine as Gayle Reed talked about her retirement from the North Platte Police Department.

After 44 years, Reeds last day will be today. Now serving as an evidence technician, Reed began working at the age of 20 in 1978. A celebration is from 1 to 3 p.m. today in the conference room at the police department at 701 S. Jeffers St.

Ive always believed that if you can help someone and have that opportunity, God put you there for that reason, Reed said. Thats what youre supposed to do, youre supposed to help each other out.

Reed said she truly believes you have to treat people the way you want to be treated and she is satisfied with the work she has done toward that end.

Growing up in Grant, other law enforcement members influenced her to pursue criminal justice in college.

Through high school I kind of thought that sounds good, Reed said. I played volleyball in high school and I got a scholarship to McCook Community College.

There she studied in the criminal justice program for two years to get her associates degree.

When I graduated, I found out that North Platte Police had a cadet program, Reed said. I came up and applied.

She was hired in July following graduation at 20 years old.

You couldnt be an officer until you turned 21, Reed said. When I turned 21 in January 1978, there was an opening in April, so I applied for that and became a police officer at that point.

There were other women who did other things in the department, Reed said.

There was another gal at the department before I was, Reed said, but I think I was the only one that was considered a full sworn police officer.

In July 1980, there was an opening for what was called a police officer II at that time, similar to a corporal or investigator today.

I tested and I got promoted to that, Reed said. I worked as an investigator and on the street.

In 1985, a sergeant position came open and Reed was promoted.

I was the first woman to attain any rank in the department, Reed said. I ended up working with Mike Swain, who was the lieutenant at that time on that shift.

They worked together until 1993 when Reed left the department for a short time. Swain would later become police chief.

Reeds husband, Clifford Alan Reed, began to have health issues and she quit the department to help him run his business. They sold the business in 1995.

Then Mary Ann Agler called me in 1994. I had been gone maybe 16 months, Reed said. She said, were hiring dispatchers, would you think about coming back?

Reed talked it over with her husband and he thought it would be a good thing for her.

So I worked in the dispatch center until 2000 and they were developing an evidence technician position, Reed said. I thought that sounds like a really good job and Ive been doing that ever since, and it is a really good job.

She has a lot of fun memories of her time with the department.

Jim Ady was on light duty right after I started (as evidence technician), Reed said. Because I was evidence technician, they called me ET. He was like, well, I dont know, I dont like that.

Ady came up with a new nickname for Reed: Evidence Troll.

It was kind of a joke, Reed said. People around here were calling me Troll and I was like, I dont care.

She said one day somebody said, well, when you come upon a Troll dont you have to answer three questions.

I said, yes, and they go, what is it, Reed said. I said, did you seal it, did you tape it, did you initial it?

The department, she said, is like a big bunch of brothers and sisters constantly picking on each other and coming up with nicknames.

Thats what Im going to miss, Reed said, that camaraderie because everybodys always coming up with something.

She said shes got grandkids and great-grandkids to spoil and a rescue dog to keep her occupied. A few trips are in the planning along with rekindling some fun activities.

In high school I did some art projects and drawing and painting and I kind of want to get back into that, Reed said. I have a few ideas of stuff I want to do. Im a craft person, so I like to do that.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
UPDATE: Authorities say a former Alabama jail official has died and the murder suspect she is accused of helping escape from custody has been apprehended in Indiana after more than a week on the run.
Political action committees and Nebraska political figures have showed up in greater numbers in the last pre-primary campaign finance reports for three state-level west central Nebraska races.

Candidates had until May 2 to file their second primary reports with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Their third and final reports are due June 21, well after Tuesdays primary vote.

Voters Tuesday will eliminate one candidate apiece from the fields in Legislative District 42, the State Board of Education District 7 race and the Subdistrict 4 race for the Nebraska Public Power District board.

Appointed state Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte pulled into the financial lead in the three-way District 42 race, with $124,004 in donations through April 25 compared with $85,302 for Lincoln County Commissioner Chris Bruns of rural North Platte.

Jacobsons April fundraising pushed his donations past the $105,810 to former District 42 candidate Mel McNea, who withdrew after Jacobson entered the race.

McNea has donated a combined $875 in cash and in-kind items to Jacobsons campaign. Jacobson had donated $3,245 to McNeas campaign before Gov. Pete Ricketts named him Feb. 23 to succeed term-limited Sen. Mike Groene, who resigned two days earlier.

Six statewide PACs, representing bankers, real estate agents, accountants, insurance companies and the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have donated a combined $8,500 to Jacobsons 2-month-old campaign.

One of those, the Nebraska Realtors PAC, has donated $2,000 apiece to Bruns and Jacobson. Bruns received a $5,000 donation Nov. 2 from Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles W. Herbster of Falls City.

The third District 42 candidate, Brenda Fourtner of Maxwell, has yet to reach the minimum $5,000 in donations or spending required to file a campaign finance report.

Ricketts has donated a combined $20,000 since last year to North Plattes Elizabeth Tegtmeier as she challenges Gothenburg incumbent Robin Stevens for his District 7 seat on the State Board of Education.

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith of Gering and GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen of Columbus have donated $1,000 each to Tegtmeiers campaign.

Another $1,000 came from the Unicameral campaign committee of Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, who also has given Tegtmeier a personal $500 donation.

Former Gov. Dave Heineman of Fremont and current Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood have each donated $500 to Tegtmeier, who received a 2021 donation of $2,000 from the Protect Nebraska Children PAC.

Stevens has received a combined $5,000 from the Nebraska State Education Association and its own PAC as he seeks a second State Board of Education term.

Tegtmeier has received $82,665 in donations since declaring her candidacy last year, compared with $55,105 for Stevens.

The third District 7 candidate, Pat Moore of rural Litchfield, has filed campaign finance reports despite remaining under the $5,000 threshold. His donations through April 25 totaled just under $4,600, the majority coming from his own contributions.

In the NPPD race, challenger David Gale of North Platte had raised $22,500 through April 25, well ahead of the $6,951 reported by incumbent Bill Hoyt of McCook.

Hoyt didnt formally organize a campaign committee until May 2, according to the Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Larry Linstrom of North Platte, the third NPPD candidate, hasnt reached the $5,000 threshold requiring a report.

Hoyt donated all $6,951 reported by his committee through April 25 in cash or in-kind items, his report said.

Gales campaign finance report shows a $1,000 donation from Lincolns Bruning Law Group, led by former Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning.

His NPPD campaign also received $1,000 from Gales father, retired Nebraska Secretary of State and former North Platte lawyer John Gale.

Several candidates across the three regional races have put their own money into their campaigns, according to the Accountability and Disclosure Commission reports.

Besides Hoyts totally self-funded effort, Gale has loaned $14,350 and donated $2,500 to his NPPD campaign. His latest report showed an unpaid $9,350 loan balance through April 25.

Stevens has donated $26,600 since last year to his re-election bid for the state education board, nearly half its total income. Moore has given his own campaign almost $2,850.

State law requires candidates to detail campaign donations of $250 or more from individuals or entities. Tegtmeier doesnt appear in that group in her own report.

Jacobson has loaned $60,000 and donated $30,000 to his campaign. His latest report showed a $30,000 unpaid loan balance.

Bruns Unicameral campaign has received $1,000 from the candidate and nearly $3,032 from Bruns wife, Ashley, since he declared his candidacy in July 2021.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Telegraph staff reports

The murder trial for William H. Stanback, which was to begin in Lincoln County District Court on Tuesday, has been moved to the middle of July.

The 42-year-old Greeley, Colorado, man is accused of shooting his fiancee, Kimberly Emri, and disposing of her body in a retention pond in North Platte in March 2020.

The trial is now set to begin July 19, according to court records that were filed Wednesday.

In an April 22 motion, Stanbacks attorney, Amanda Speichert, asked for additional time for Stanback to undergo a pretrial evaluation.

The trial was initially scheduled to run four days.
The Nebraska State Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting in North Platte Friday, four days before the states 2022 primary election.

The board, which held committee meetings Thursday, will start its business meeting at 9 a.m. in the Sandhills Convention Center at Ramada by Wyndham, 2102 S. Jeffers St.

The meetings agenda, which includes a public comment period toward its end, may be found with supporting documents at meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Agenda/152?meeting=526523.

Robin Stevens of Gothenburg represents District 7 on the eight-member state education board. Its members meet at least once a year in western Nebraska.

Stevens is opposed for re-election in Tuesdays primary by Elizabeth Tegtmeier of North Platte and Pat Moore of Litchfield. The top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 8 general election.

Students from North Platte Public Schools will give a presentation at the start of Fridays meeting, according to the agenda.

Action items include several requests to approve or renew grants or contracts for a variety of services provided by local school districts and Nebraskas educational service units.

Board members will consider a $64,533 agreement with Three Pillars Media Inc. to create eight new virtual tours of career opportunities in Nebraska for use in classrooms.

The Lincoln firm has put together such tours for nine years in partnership with the Nebraska Departments of Labor and Economic Development, according to a board memorandum. Federal Perkins grants would pay for the new virtual tours.

The state education board also will decide whether to reappoint Ted DeTurk of Papillion as one of two educator representatives on the five-member State Committee for the Reorganization of School Districts.

State education standards of any type arent scheduled for action during Fridays board meeting. Members will review a report on mathematics standards as a discussion item.

All action items will be considered before the meetings official public comment period. Board members also will receive written comments filed with the board in advance of the meeting.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Gubernatorial candidate Charles W. Herbster does not plan to attend a deposition planned Friday at the Johnson County District Court in his legal fight with state Sen. Julie Slama, according to statements from his campaign.

Herbster's campaign spokesperson Emily Novotny said in a text message that scheduling the interview for Friday was "clearly intended to take Charles off the campaign trail just days before the May 10th primary election." She confirmed that Herbster, who heads Conklin Co. and other businesses, will be campaigning in western Nebraska Friday (Chadron, Alliance and McCook).

Herbster filed a defamation lawsuit against Slama last month, after the Nebraska Examiner reported allegations from eight women who said Herbster had groped them in recent years. Slama was the only named accuser at the time, but another accuser, Elizabeth Todsen, has come forward and used her name since.

Slama filed a counterclaim alleging battery. Court documents at the time showed she gave notice to depose Herbster on May 6.

As of Thursday morning, Slama's attorney Dave Lopez said that Herbster was "under a current legal obligation to appear at the Johnson County courthouse to testify under oath at 9 a.m. tomorrow" and that his lawyers hadn't taken any actions to change that. He was not immediately available for comment after The World-Herald received the Herbster campaign's statement.

In her statement, Novotny accused Lopez of "playing politics with a very serious matter" and pointed out that Lopez is listed on corporate documents for Jim Pillen for Governor. Slama has endorsed Pillen, a hog producer and University of Nebraska regent, and Herbster has framed the allegations  in public statements and a TV ad  as a political hit job devised by Pillen and his most prominent backer, Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Pillen and Herbster are among the top contenders for the Republican nomination.

"Charles W. Herbster looks forward to clearing his name through the appropriate legal venues at times agreed to by both sides, just like any other serious legal matter," Novotny said. "He will not play Mr. Lopez's political games."
Bessie Dragoun was 17 in the spring of 1910, when she left her job at an Omaha glue factory and ran away.

She wanted to see the world, she said after getting arrested in Sioux City.

The jailer asked: Then why come here?

Oh, the girl answered, to see Halleys Comet.

Eleven decades later, at her home near Minneapolis, Kathy Latuff read the short account at the bottom of an inside page in the Sioux City Journal -- and the grandmother shed never known came into even clearer focus.

For most of her 69 years, Latuff knew only what her mother -- who spent her first decade in an orphanage -- had known about Bessie Dragoun. Almost nothing.

She attempted suicide, Latuff said. And she got put away. End of story.

The story started getting longer, and more interesting, a few years ago. Latuff logged onto Ancestry.com to try to learn more about her grandmother, who she thought was named Elizabeth Gamble. She found nothing.

Last year, she visited Omahas Graceland Park Cemetery, where she knew other family was buried. And she found her grandmothers grave, but under the name Bessie Weatherby.

All of a sudden, I let out a yelp. There she was, in the ground.

Now Latuff and her niece, Valerie Young of Wisconsin, could start scouring the internet and working their phones and making Bessie Weatherby more three-dimensional.

Were able to get newspaper articles and follow her life and say, Wow, youre an amazing woman, strong and brave.

And adventurous. After trying to see some of the world in Sioux City, she went even farther, working as an elevator operator in Seattle, living with a naval officer in San Francisco, traveling by train around the West.

What a fascinating life she led. I think her problem was she was born 100 years too early. She wasnt going to be content living in Omaha.

She led a troubled life, too. A year after her arrest, she gave birth to her first daughter, Lucille, who was raised by family. In 1919, she had Latuffs mother, Evelyn, who ended up in an orphanage as an 11-month-old. All she would have of her mother was a photograph, and two pieces of jewelry.

The next year, the 27-year-old tried taking her life and was sent to the Nebraska Hospital for the Insane, now the Lincoln Regional Center.

She lived there for 15 years, not knowing her father was gunned down in a Chicago robbery, or her firstborn died at 22 from diphtheria, or heart failure had taken one of her sisters.

Bessie Weatherby, 41, died at the hospital in 1936.

Latuff and her niece were thorough in their research. Earlier this year, they contacted the Lincoln Regional Center to request Weatherbys records, and were so impressed with how they were treated they wanted to make a donation, said Rachel Johnson, the centers religious coordinator.

Johnson had an idea. How about using the donation to plant a tree of hope and recovery in the centers arboretum, dedicated to the centers past, present and future patients?

Recovery is grounded in hope. Sometimes hope is the only thing we have. I think that for what we do, hope is the foundation. Hope that people can get better, hope that people can leave, hope that theres a better life.

They also made arrangements for Latuff and Young to visit the 150-year-old, tree-filled campus on the southwest edge of Lincoln, to see where Weatherby had lived for more than a third of her life.

It was a sad time for Bessie and her life here, Young told a small crowd Thursday gathered in the arboretum. And it was painful to read that file, frankly. But what we decided was this can't define Bessie, this record alone, and we need to find out more about her life.

It made sense to visit during May, Mental Health Awareness Month, Latuff said. By telling their familys story, she wanted to let her grandmother know they feel no shame or embarrassment that she lived here, and she hoped other families would be encouraged to tell their stories, too.

Latuff and Young placed a small paving stone -- dedicated to the memory of Bessie Dragoun Weatherby -- at the base of the newly planted burr oak.

Were so happy that theyre allowing us to come here to honor her, celebrate her, Latuff told the crowd. And that shes not defined by the last chapter of her life.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSPeterSalter
You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person.



Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else.
Don't miss CoinDesk's Consensus 2022, the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12.

Good morning. Heres whats happening:

Prices: Bitcoin and other cryptos plummet.

Insights: Will Gucci's entry into the crypto world have staying power?

Technician's take: BTC is in danger of breaking below a short-term uptrend.

Catch the latest episodes of CoinDesk TV for insightful interviews with crypto industry leaders and analysis. And sign up for First Mover, our daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context.

Prices

Bitcoin (BTC): $36,515 -7.9%

Ether (ETH): $2,747 -6.5%

Biggest Gainers

There are no gainers in CoinDesk 20 today.

Biggest Losers

A rough day for cryptos

Bitcoin plunged. Equities swooned.

Wednesday's assets rally seemed like a distant memory as investors faced the cold reality of higher interest rates and a global economy that is shaking to its core.

The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization fell by as much as 10%, dropping below $36,000, its lowest level since January. Bitcoin was more recently trading just above $36,500, off about 8% over the past 24 hours. Ether, the second largest crypto, was trading at about $2,750, its lowest mark since March and down 6.5% from the previous day.

Other major altcoins fell significantly into the red a day after a relief rally that followed the Federal Reserve's long-awaited announcement of a half-point interest rate hike with ADA, AVAX and AXS down 10%, 11% and 12% respectively at one point.

On Wednesday, investors had piled into cryptos and other higher risk assets after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell highlighted the strength of the U.S. economy and said that the Fed wouldn't consider a three-quarter point increase at its next meeting. Powell's comments soothed investors, who have been fearful that the Fed's recent aggressiveness will send the U.S. economy into recession. Those fears returned with a vengeance on Thursday as companies weighed the impact of rising prices on the consumer spending that has fueled economic growth.

Story continues

Equity markets were hard-hit with the tech-focused Nasdaq plummeting over 1,000 points, its poorest performance since 2020. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each tumbled over 3%. Even gold, a usual comfort zone for risk-shy investors, dropped almost a percentage point.

"There was a complete loss of confidence on Wall Street," Oanda Americas senior market analyst Edward Moya told CoinDesk. "Yesterday's risk-on rally, which sent equities, cryptos and all risky assets higher as investors are starting to have doubts with the global economic recovery. There's a major, de-risking moment happening that's sending cryptos down sharply."

Moya said that Powell may have overplayed his hand in telegraphing the Fed's unwillingness to boost rates in larger increments. "He showed the markets that he might not be ready to fully fight inflation," Moya said, adding that bitcoin support at $33,000 will be key and that volatility similar to the past two days is likely to repeat.

"We should not be surprised if we continue to see those types of swings over the next several days," Moya said.

Markets

S&P 500: 4,146 -3.5%

DJIA: 32,997 -3.1%

Nasdaq: 12,317 -4.9%

Gold: $1,877 -0.8%

Insights

Will Gucci's latest crypto initiative work?

Gucci has announced that it plans to accept crypto at some stores around the U.S. The question is, how long will this endeavor last?

For Tesla (TSLA), it lasted just over three months before it decided to shutter the payment offering, citing environmental concerns. But the reality is, few people  if anyone  actually bought a Tesla with bitcoin because of the tax liability when liquidating the bitcoin and the administrative burden of new anti-money laundering filings required for any purchase of goods worth over $10,000.

Its not surprising then that most of the retail payment volume for merchants comes from cheaper goods. BitPay, which operates one of the larger crypto merchant services, reports that the majority of its volume comes from transactions involving prepaid or gift cards, internet services, virtual private networks or games. The company says it sees about 70,000 transactions per month and has processed $5 billion in transactions since its launch a decade ago. That might seem like a lot, but is scant considering crypto exchange Binance processes $18 billion in trades per day.

For a while, one of the few successful high-value industries that accepted crypto as a payment method was real estate in Thailand. Most new developments target foreign nationals, and developers saw this as a way to attract the crypto nouveau riche who wanted their own slice of the "land of smiles."

But Thai authorities werent comfortable with the arrangement. While Thailand has a reputation as a place to hide money from the law, local authorities have been working hard to update anti-money laundering laws and get the country off the U.S. State Departments list of countries of primary concern for money laundering.

Real estate has historically come up as a money-laundering vector with some high-profile names being targeted by Thai police. When the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission banned crypto as a payment method in March, this was undoubtedly on its mind.

Luxury goods like Gucci products are an even easier way to launder money than real estate. The Gucci brand is widely loved, and its goods are in demand worldwide creating a liquid market. Criminals have long used luxury items as a way to integrate dirty money back into the banking system because these goods can be bought and resold with relative ease while preserving their value.

So for Gucci, those who want to purchase goods worth over $10,000 will need to file paperwork reporting their purchase. Guccis compliance and risk analysis teams may have an even lower threshold for crypto transactions because of money-laundering concerns. This undoubtedly would create a friction point for consumers, and the more of these there are, the less attractive a payment method becomes.

Lets see how long Guccis crypto payment option lasts. Unlike Tesla, the company doesnt have a strong ESG (environmental, governance and social) mandate, and maintaining the crypto merchant services doesnt require much overhead. But how many people will actually make a transaction?

Technician's take

Bitcoin Dips Below $38K, Support at $30K-$32K

Bitcoin's daily price chart shows support/resistance with the 20-day moving average of trading volume below. (Damanick Dantes/CoinDesk, TradingView)

Bitcoin may break below a series of higher price lows that has formed a trend since Jan. 24, which could yield further downside toward the $30,000-$32,000 support zone.

Still, a daily close above $37,500 could signal short-term stabilization. For now, upside appears to be limited despite intraday price swings, evidenced by slowing momentum on the daily, weekly and monthly charts.

The slope of the 100-day moving average has flattened over the past few months, which indicates weakness in the relief phase since the Jan. 24 price low near $32,900. Immediate resistance is seen at $40,000, which could limit buying activity over the short term.

Additionally, selling volume isn't as extreme compared with previous down moves in price. That suggests further downside is likely before sellers capitulate.

The 20-day moving average of BTC's trading volume based on Coinbase exchange data provided by TradingView declined from February to April, reflecting weak buying pressure within the $35,000-$46,000 price range.

The uptick in volume since late April, although negligible, should be monitored for signs of heightened selling pressure, which could signal a brief price low of around $30,000.

Important events

Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report

9:30 a.m. HKT/SGT(1:30 a.m. UTC): Reserve Bank of Australia monetary policy statement

9:15 p.m. HKT/SGT(1:15 p.m. UTC): Speech by John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

CoinDesk TV

In case you missed it, here is the most recent episode of "First Mover" on CoinDesk TV:

Warren Buffetts Granddaughter, an NFT Artist, Reacts to His Crypto Comments, Market Outlook Following Fed Decision

NFT artist Nicole Buffett joined "First Mover" to discuss her projects. How would she explain them to her grandfather, crypto cynic Warren Buffett? Plus, Ben Emons of Medley Global Advisors provided crypto market analysis, and Michael Morisy of MuckRock discussed the future of document file storage. Preservation of media content has begun, but how does it work?

Headlines

India's Parliamentary Finance Body 'Chides' Crypto Industry in Meeting: Sources: The meeting was held in the Indian IT hub of Bengaluru and was the second time the finance committee has met representatives of the crypto industry.

Binance, Sequoia Among Investors Backing Musk's Takeover of Twitter: The crypto exchange commits $500 million to help fund the deal.

Solana Pay Adds Customized Transaction Requests for Merchants: Pay previously allowed only one-way transfers of Solana-supported assets between users.

Lindsey McInerney: The Metaverse and the 'DIC Punch': On building the Stoner Cats and Gimmicks NFT franchises. McInerney is a speaker at CoinDesk's Consensus festival in June.

Longer reads

Matt Taibbi, PayPal's Deplatforming and the Case for Crypto: The famed magazine writer wrote a story about alt media financial censorship. Oh, how deep the story goes.

Today's crypto explainer: How to Spend Your Crypto Using Bitrefills Gift Card Platform

Other voices: Newsom moves to regulate crypto industry in California

Said and heard

"Crypto is not a necessary tool for many people who use it but is often a way to signify a lifestyle or alignment with a certain movement or set of ideas. Cryptos users are often conspicuous consumers  sometimes by nature of blockchains being public records  and often concerned more with using the right application or the right coin." (CoinDesk columnist Daniel Kuhn) ... "When it comes to NFTs, what excites my grandfather the most is that its really giving artists a chance to share their work, make a living on their work and express themselves, she said. If theres anything thats going to open him up to the world of NFTs and crypto it is that. (Artist Nicole Buffett on CoinDesk TV) ... 'The market yesterday was a relief rally,' said Seema Shah, chief strategist at Principal Global Investors. By Thursday, she said, the realities of a more challenging environment for stocks were starting to settle in, including higher rates, difficult earnings comparisons and a stronger U.S. dollar that weighs on overseas earnings at multinational firms." (The Wall Street Journal)
The Auburn Police Department is mourning the loss of K9 Emily who passed away Friday after battling cancer.

Sgt. Charles Bud Nesmith was Emilys handler and partner for about six and a half years at the APD. Nesmith is the APD training sergeant, community service sergeant and SWAT team leader.

Emily retired from service in July 2021 and was able to spend her retirement at home with Nesmith and his family.

Throughout her career, Emily worked with local law enforcement agencies as well as state and federal operations, including with the United States Secret Service; Drug Enforcement Administration; CIA; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and United States Marshals Services Fugitive Taskforce.

She was also one of the bomb dogs that checked Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Emily was deployed to Iraq for two tours and to Afghanistan for one tour before becoming a K9 police dog for the APD. She assisted military personnel in improvised explosive devices and weapons cache sweeps, the release said.

We will be forever grateful for K9 Emily as she was devoted to serving the Auburn community, the State of Alabama and the United States military, Auburn Assistant Chief Clarence Stewart stated in a release.
happenings

Ouachita to host Called to Teach conference on July 22

Ouachita Baptist Universitys Huckabee School of Education will host its first Called to Teach conference Friday, July 22, in Walker Conference Center, 485 Campus Drive. The event is open to the public; registration costs $35 and includes lunch. Attendees can receive six hours of professional development credit through the Arkansas Department of Education.

Bruce Orr, assistant superintendent of Lakeside School District in Hot Springs, will be the keynote speaker. A 24-year veteran of public education as a teacher and administrator, Orr is a past recipient of the Arkansas MetLife Principal of the Year award.

The theme of the conference is Why We Teach and is intended to celebrate and encourage educators. Dr. Gail Hughes, director of graduate studies in education at Ouachita, said the goal is to honor, uplift and equip teachers for the coming school year.

Attendees may choose among 20 breakout sessions with topics such as classroom management, special education, poverty, church and state, work as worship and STEM.

To register for Called to Teach, sign up by June 30 at obu.edu/calledtoteach. For more information, contact Dr. Gail Hughes at hughesg@obu.edu or at (870) 245-5429. Learn about Ouachitas new Master of Education degree in curriculum and instruction at obu.edu/curriculum-instruction.
Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size

Article body

Auburn Universitys Urban Studio, a teaching and outreach program in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, or CADC, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary at a special ceremony at The Harbert Center in Birmingham.

CADC Acting Dean Karen Rogers, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Urban Studio Director Alex Krumdieck were among the speakers at the celebratory gathering, which took place on Tuesday, April 26. More than 100 guests attended the festive event to pay tribute to three decades of progress, collaboration and advancement.

Tonight, we come together to celebrate 30 years of Auburns Urban Studio and its impact on the people of Birmingham and Alabama as a center for teaching and outreach, Rogers said. The skills and training that students receive at Urban Studio is transformative. It has jump-started careers, changed lives and allowed young professionals to forge paths they hadnt known were possible.

At Urban Studioalso known as the Center for Architecture and Urban Studiesstudents are immersed in the extraordinarily rich laboratory of downtown Birmingham, where their work includes professional seminars and studio design projects that typically focus on community development and urban planning. Their projects include illustrative neighborhood and town master plans, public-use building design for locations with the potential for significant urban impact.

Im sure that many of you have stories of personal challenges and triumphs you could share about your time at Urban Studio, Rogers said. This evening is a celebration of those challenges and triumphs, an opportunity to reflect on how Urban Studio, under the leadership and guidance of Frank Setzer, Cheryl Morgan and Alex Krumdieck, has touched all of us who are together in this roomand so many others.

Over the past 30 years, the ideas generated and the work done in Urban Studio have made Birminghamand countless communities, neighborhoods and small towns across Alabamabetter places to live. Tonight, we celebrate that proud history and look forward to the future and to the rich possibilities and opportunities that that future holds for Urban Studios next 30 years.

The studio, located at 221 20th St. N., has become a fixture in the city of more than 200,000 people. The off-campus venue presents exceptional opportunities for advancement of CADCs commitment to outreach and engagement. The Urban Studios asset-based approach to community and neighborhood revitalization seeks out projects that can benefit Alabama and offer real-world investigations and learning challenges for students, faculty, interns and professional partners.

Former Urban Studio Director Cheryl Morgan lauded the inspired efforts of Urban Studio founder Frank Setzer during her remarks.

Frank loved Birmingham, Morgan said. He saw so much potential here, and he harnessed the power of studentsimagination, energy and their ability to dream bigto keep that potential on everyones radar, to keep discussions going, debated and visualized with project after project downtown and in particular along the railroad corridor.

I, for one, am convinced that it was that forum, those projects, that crucible that ultimately made RR Park seem like a real possibility. What a legacy for that generation of students, and what a gift to the city he loved. Let me end by thanking the professional community for inviting us to Birmingham 30 years ago, for taking a risk with us and our students.

Krumdieck revealed that Urban Studio will be moving to a new facility next year.

Now that youve heard all about our deep and strong roots here in Birmingham, we are extremely excited about our future here as well, he said. Auburn University has purchased the Hood McPherson Building next door to this building [The Harbert Center]. As you can see from the drawings around the room, the space is beautiful and will further revitalize this part of Birmingham.

Krumdieck also announced the creation of an endowment in honor of Urban Studio founder Frank Setzer, which was created by Auburn University Foundation Board Member Beth Stukes. The endowment features a $35,000 challenge gift from Stukes and Davis Architects and will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $35,000 over the next year. Those funds, coupled with initial funds, will generate nearly $100,000 to help the studio with its work in Birmingham.
Rosneft, the largest oil producer in Russia, will ship seven crude cargoes to Indias top refiner, Indian Oil Corporation, this month, traders with knowledge of the deals told Reuters on Friday. Since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, India  a price-sensitive crude buyer that has criticized OPEC and OPEC+ for keeping oil prices artificially high  has increased its purchases of Russian crude. Before the war, Indian refiners rarely bought oil from Russia at such a scale because of high freight costs.

Now, according to Reuters sources, Rosneft will load seven 100,000-ton cargoes of the Urals blend from Russias Baltic Sea ports in the second half of May.

Urals, Russias flagship crude blend, was typically sold in Europe before the war in Ukraine, due to the proximity to the Russian ports on the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. After the invasion of Ukraine, however, Western refiners and traders have started to shun Russian crude and are expected to continue to do so for years as the EU is considering the details of implementing a full embargo on all Russian oil imports.

Related: Brent Hits $113 As Oil Heads For Second Weekly Gain



Major international traders have already said they would either cut or phase out purchases of Russias crude in the coming weeks.

India, the worlds third-largest oil importer, is reportedly negotiating steep discounts for the Russian oil it is prepared to buy, asking for below $70 per barrel price to compensate for logistics, financing, and sanctions troubles for buying crude that is now toxic for most of the West.

Cheap Russian barrels currently appear irresistible to Indian refiners, despite warnings from the United States that buying Putins oil is not in New Delhis best interest.

Increased purchases of Russian crude in India could make tracking Europes embargo on Russias oil more complicated.

Earlier this week, Shells chief executive Ben van Beurden said there was no way to trace whether there is Russian crude oil or how much crude from Russia will go into the refined products market globally.

So therefore, diesel coming out of an Indian refinery that was fed with Russian crude is considered to be Indian diesel, Shells top executive added, highlighting the challenge the West faces in truly banning Russian oil from the market.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Declaring war on Ukraine, however, would confuse what is already a confusing war footing with unclear objectives: Is Putin attempting to annex Ukraines east and a land bridge that connects it to Crimea? Or, as some of his military generals seem to be pushing, is this really a war against NATO at large? Because of the disconnect emerging between Putin and various military/intelligence services with regard to ultimate objectives, we are inclined to lean towards a scenario in which Victory Day (and its runup) are largely characterized by a wildly intensified level of rhetoric, much of which is focused on selling the nuclear option idea

Next Monday, May 9th, is Victory Day in Russia - cause for a great amount of speculation (and fear) as to what Putin wants to prove by that deadline and what drastic measures he might take to cover losses in Ukraine. While this day in 1945 is celebrated as the day the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany, there is no cause for celebration in Moscow over Russias military advance in Ukraine, which is still referred to simply as a special military operation. But Putin needs some sort of victory here to parade before the public, and speculation tends to lean towards fear that he will use this opportunity to officially declare war on Ukraine. Others speculate that it will simply end up being a celebration packed with neo-Nazi propaganda, which in turn will be used to rally more recruits.

Russia-Ukraine War Briefing

Next Monday, May 9th, is Victory Day in Russia - cause for a great amount of speculation (and fear) as to what Putin wants to prove by that deadline and what drastic measures he might take to cover losses in Ukraine. While this day in 1945 is celebrated as the day the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany, there is no cause for celebration in Moscow over Russias military advance in Ukraine, which is still referred to simply as a special military operation. But Putin needs some sort of victory here to parade before the public, and speculation tends to lean towards fear that he will use this opportunity to officially declare war on Ukraine. Others speculate that it will simply end up being a celebration packed with neo-Nazi propaganda, which in turn will be used to rally more recruits.

Declaring war on Ukraine, however, would confuse what is already a confusing war footing with unclear objectives: Is Putin attempting to annex Ukraines east and a land bridge that connects it to Crimea? Or, as some of his military generals seem to be pushing, is this really a war against NATO at large? Because of the disconnect emerging between Putin and various military/intelligence services with regard to ultimate objectives, we are inclined to lean towards a scenario in which Victory Day (and its runup) are largely characterized by a wildly intensified level of rhetoric, much of which is focused on selling the nuclear option idea to the Russian public.

That rhetoric is likely to focus on NATO countries and nuclear threats. In fact, to a large extent, this is already unfolding this week, as Finland and Sweden gear up to jointly announce their intentions to join NATObids that could be approved in as quickly as two weeks by the military alliance.



Earlier this week, a brazen video mockup of a Russian nuclear attack aired on Russian state television, demonstrating a nuclear attack on Ireland and Britain. The attack mock-up, the brainchild of Putin propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov, specifically animates the explosion of a thermonuclear torpedo near the British coastline, causing a 500-meter-high tsunami wave carrying extreme radiation doses.



On Wednesday, the Russian military carried out simulated nuclear missile strikes in Kaliningrad (its western enclave that borders the EU). The simulation was of electronic launches of nuclear-capable Iskander mobile ballistic missile systems near the border with Poland and Lithuania.

Also on Wednesday, a Russian Mi-17 military helicopter entered Finnish airspace. This is the second time in less than a month such an event has occurred as Finland (and Sweden) prepares to join NATO. Last Friday, a Russian spy plane violated Swedish airspace, and prior to that, in March, four Russian fighter jets flew over Swedens Gotland Island.

Whether the nuclear option is bluster or a real threat is unknowable. Events of escalation - and a $33-billion American fund for Ukrainian defense is definitely one of them - will push us ever closer to the nuclear option.



The significance of Washingtons $33 billion in aid for Ukrainian defense is rarely mentioned in any real context, but what it means is that the U.S. has decided to embark on a path of destroying Russias military - at least to the extent that it would no longer be able to threaten something like the invasion of Ukraine that it launched in late February. Whether NATO as a whole will ultimately play along with this is still unclear - much as the European Unions proposal to ban Russian oil and unleash a string of very severe sanctions aimed at preventing Russia from seeking alternative markets remains uncertain. The EU and NATO are far from unified formations. However, the EU is set to meet Friday on the embargo plan and is expected to offer resistant countries a two-year extension. Still, the significance of Washingtons $33 billion should be compared to the Kremlins ~$66 billion defense budget. When viewed from that perspective, Ukraine is being empowered (weaponized) to continue the fight to preserve its territorial integrity. That is a major escalation point.


The state-owned company said it was conducting business with Russia in accordance with pre-signed contracts.

State-owned PetroChina will not buy up heavily discounted Russian oil and gas, Chinas biggest oil and gas refiner said Friday.

Chief Financial Officer Chai Shouping told an online earnings conference with analysts that PetroChina did not currently have any plans or arrangements to acquire cheap oil and gas from Russia, Nikkei Asia reported.

The state-owned company said it was conducting business with Russia in accordance with pre-signed contracts, and, unlike India, it was not looking to take advantage of Russian crude that has been heavily discounted since the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

PetroChina has, however, acknowledged that Western sanctions against Russia have impacted oil and gas deals.

"Previously, our oil and gas transactions with Russia were settled in U.S. dollars or euro, but due to sanctions and some other factors, the settlement was impacted to a certain extent, Nikkei Asia cited Chai as saying.

The idea of the petroyuan has gained more traction as an alternative to oil sales in dollars since Russias invasion of Ukraine, and Chai noted that Beijing would continue supporting further expansion of payments in national currencies, also hinting at the potential to use rubles.

The first shipments of Russian coal paid for in yuan was scheduled to arrive in China in late April, while the first shipment of Russian crude paid for in yuan was set to dock in May.

Citing unnamed Chinese officials, The Guardian reported earlier this week that Beijing had ordered a stress test study of the implications of potential Western sanctions on its own economy, which is being interpreted by some as Chinas attempt to study what the costs would be were it to materially support Russia in its war on Ukraine.

Two months ago, U.S. officials warned Beijing about providing material support for Russia, but earlier this week, Reuters cited senior U.S. officials as saying there were no indications that the Chinese were offering any military or economic support at this time.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
Reuters also reported the French environment and energy minister, Barbara Pompili, said she was confident European

The sanctions proposal, which needs unanimous backing by the 27 EU countries, also includes phasing out imports of Russian refined products by the end of 2022, and a ban on all shipping and insurance services for the transportation of Russian oil, according to Reuters.

Crude oil prices are up this week due primarily to the release of the European Unions plans for new sanctions against Russia, including an embargo on crude in six months.

This weeks American Petroleum Institute (API) and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly inventories report offered mixed results but they continued to highlight Europes strong demand for U.S. refined products, especially distillates.

Demand is still a concern due to Chinas COVID-related shutdowns, but conditions seem to be holding steady, which brings the country closer to gaining control of the situation and perhaps lifting restrictions sooner than expected. Nonetheless, the lockdowns have taken their toll on the economy, especially the services sector.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures are up over 3% for the week with most of the gains attributed to the European Commissions decision to place an embargo on Russian crude oil. This move is perceived as bullish because it lowers the available supply.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures are up over 3% for the week with most of the gains attributed to the European Commissions decision to place an embargo on Russian crude oil. This move is perceived as bullish because it lowers the available supply.

Demand is still a concern due to Chinas COVID-related shutdowns, but conditions seem to be holding steady, which brings the country closer to gaining control of the situation and perhaps lifting restrictions sooner than expected. Nonetheless, the lockdowns have taken their toll on the economy, especially the services sector.

This weeks American Petroleum Institute (API) and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly inventories report offered mixed results but they continued to highlight Europes strong demand for U.S. refined products, especially distillates.

Prices Underpinned by Supply Jitters

Crude oil prices are up this week due primarily to the release of the European Unions plans for new sanctions against Russia, including an embargo on crude in six months.

The sanctions proposal, which needs unanimous backing by the 27 EU countries, also includes phasing out imports of Russian refined products by the end of 2022, and a ban on all shipping and insurance services for the transportation of Russian oil, according to Reuters.

Reuters also reported the French environment and energy minister, Barbara Pompili, said she was confident European Union member states will reach a consensus on sanctions by the end of this week.

Chinas COVID-19 Lockdowns Weigh on Services Sector

China continues to lockdown parts of its economy as it battles an outbreak of COVID-19. Although there has been evidence of a slowdown in the spread of coronavirus, officials are keeping current restrictions in place.

Over the weekend, Chinas manufacturing PMI came in lower than expected. On Wednesday, a report showed Chinas services sector activity contracted at the second-steepest rate on record in April. Traders blamed tighter COVID curbs for the weakness in the industry that led to sharper reductions in new business and employment.

The combination of the two weak PMI reports is putting pressure on demand. The problem with this scenario is that no one knows when the lockdowns will end so trader worries are open-ended.

Mixed Energy Information Administration Report adds to Trader Confusion

Traders looking to get some guidance from the governments weekly inventories report were probably disappointed when the EIA reported U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose unexpectedly last week, while distillate and gasoline inventories dropped.

However, this outcome could be explained. U.S. crude supply likely rose because the government continued its release of oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As a result, crude stocks at the key Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub rose by 1.4 million barrels in the week, even as production held steady at 11.9 million bpd, the EIA said.

Meanwhile, distillate and gasoline inventories dropped again as refiners continue to boost fuel exports to a world in need of supply. Russias invasion of Ukraine, and subsequent moves by the United States and allies to curtail imports of Russian oil, has tightened supply worldwide. That has boosted interest in U.S. refined products exports.

OPEC+ Sticks to Modest Oil Output Hike Despite Price Rally

In fundamental news, OPEC+ agreed on Thursday to another modest monthly oil output increase, arguing that the producer group could not be blamed for disruptions to Russian supply and saying Chinas coronavirus lockdowns threatened the outlook for demand, Reuters reported.

Ignoring calls from Western nations for accelerating output hikes, the group agreed to raise its June production target by 432,000 barrels per day, in line with an existing plan to unwind curbs made in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hammered demand, according to Reuters.

The news was well-telegraphed and essentially shrugged off by traders.

Weekly Technical Analysis

Weekly June WTI Crude Oil

Trend Indicator Analysis

The main trend is up according to the weekly swing chart. The big change this week is that momentum shifted back to the upside after trending lower since the week ending March 11.

A trade through $121.17 will negate any bearishness in the market, while signaling a resumption of the uptrend. A move through $61.48 will change the main trend to down. This is highly unlikely, however.

The minor trend is up. The uptrend was reaffirmed when buyers took out $109.20 this week. A trade through $95.28 will change the minor trend to down. A move through the minor top at $113.51 will also be a sign of strength.

Retracement Level Analysis

The major resistance remains the longer-term retracement zone at $111.45 to $136.92.

The first minor range is $121.17 to $90.37. Traders are currently testing its retracement zone at $105.77 to $109.40. Overtaking $109.40 will put the market in a bullish position.

The second minor range is $90.37 to $113.51. Its 50% level at $101.94 is currently acting as support.

If $101.94 fails as support then we could see an acceleration to the downside with the retracement zone at $91.33 to $84.28 the next target.

The main range is $33.00 to $121.17. If $84.28 fails as support then look for the selling to extend into its retracement zone at $77.09 to $66.68.

Weekly Technical Forecast

The direction of the June WTI crude oil market the week-ending May 13 will be determined by trader reaction to $109.40.

Bullish Scenario

A sustained move over $109.40 will indicate the presence of buyers. If this move creates enough upside momentum then look for a retest of the minor top at $113.51. This is a potential trigger point for an acceleration into the contract high at $121.17.

Bearish Scenario

A sustained move under $109.40 will signal the presence of sellers. If this move creates enough downside momentum then look for a quick test of the 50% level at $105.77, followed by another 50% level at $101.94

A failure to hold $101.94 will indicate the selling pressure is getting stronger. This could trigger a break into a support cluster at $95.28, $92.60 and $90.37.

Taking out the minor bottom at $90.37 could trigger an acceleration into the Fibonacci level at $84.28.

Short-Term Outlook

The price action suggests that the EU moving closer to a ban of Russian oil is offsetting concerns over a loss of demand from China. The move is expected to tighten supply even further.

There is one million barrels a day of Russian crude off the system todayWe think that will probably double this month, when existing sanctions come into effect, BP Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney said earlier in the week.

This increase in the supply loss combined with the expected drop in demand from China is likely to keep prices underpinned over the near-term.

Meanwhile, the technical picture essentially indicates strength over $109.40 and weakness under $101.94.
Following the crude export drop in March, last month has seen resilient outflows of crude out of Russias ports, even though the differential of its main export grade Urals dropped below $30 per barrel vs Dated Brent.

Despite the recent drop in Russian crude production and differentials, coming on the back of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the countrys tax revenue will increase by 45% year-on-year to more than $180 billion, Rystad Energy forecasts.

With OPECs proprietary analysis showing that a further 432,000 b/d would keep markets balanced until October, there is an increasing threat that the oft-mooted NOPEC legislation will gain traction in the US Senate.

According to S&P Global Platts, there remain only two countries capable of bringing more idled production back  Saudi Arabia and the UAE  but even their spare capacity will be down to 1.6 million b/d by this July.

Brushing aside risks of Russian output plummeting, OPEC+ indicated that supply/demand indicators point to a balanced market, rubberstamping the decision in 13 minutes.

OPEC+ approved another 432,000 b/d increase in production quotas for June 2022, sticking to its conservative attitude despite falling output levels from one of the oil groups key member, Russia.

1. Disregarding Supply Shocks, OPEC+ Sticks to Conservative Policy

OPEC+ approved another 432,000 b/d increase in production quotas for June 2022, sticking to its conservative attitude despite falling output levels from one of the oil groups key member, Russia.

Brushing aside risks of Russian output plummeting, OPEC+ indicated that supply/demand indicators point to a balanced market, rubberstamping the decision in 13 minutes.

According to S&P Global Platts, there remain only two countries capable of bringing more idled production back  Saudi Arabia and the UAE  but even their spare capacity will be down to 1.6 million b/d by this July.

With OPECs proprietary analysis showing that a further 432,000 b/d would keep markets balanced until October, there is an increasing threat that the oft-mooted NOPEC legislation will gain traction in the US Senate.

2. Unprecedentedly Profitable, Russian Crude Production Faces Future Declines

Despite the recent drop in Russian crude production and differentials, coming on the back of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the countrys tax revenue will increase by 45% year-on-year to more than $180 billion, Rystad Energy forecasts.

Following the crude export drop in March, last month has seen resilient outflows of crude out of Russias ports, even though the differential of its main export grade Urals dropped below $30 per barrel vs Dated Brent.

As Russias storage capacity is limited, the countrys oil producers will be forced to curb production once the assumed EU sanctions take effect and will only start recovering in mid-2023.

With access to foreign technologies barred by EU/US sanctions, it will not be until 2026 that Russia returns to pre-conflict production rates, and even this will happen amidst a quicker-than-expected depletion of mature fields.

3. Big Oil Upstream Investment Is Still Not There Yet

Capital discipline has indeed turned out to be one of the main trends of 2022, with leading US oil companies reiterating their commitment to maximizing shareholders remuneration.

ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX) have ramped up their share buyback programs to 30 and 10 billion, respectively, stemming from their best quarterly results since at least 2014.

Whilst global upstream investment is assumed to surpass 400 billion for the first time in the post-pandemic period, it is still lower than 2019 levels and almost half of 2014 levels.

Shale pioneers Diamondback Energy and Devon Energy lifted their quarterly payouts by 17-27%, respectively, arguing that increasing geopolitical volatility makes it difficult to invest as they remain wary of commodity swings.

4. South African Coal Producers Face Export Constraints

With ICE Newcastle coal prices trending around $330 per metric ton, South Africas coal exporters are reportedly shunning rail tank cars for trucks as disruptions have become too frequent to cope with.

The logistics-driven disruptions have decreased the pace of South African coal exports, dropping to the lowest in seven months in April, at 4.8 million tons per month.

Transnet, the state-owned railway company of South Africa, declared force majeure last month on its coal contracts, arguing that lack of spare parts, theft, and vandalism have disrupted the companys operations.

Coal mining firms are already funding private security along the rail lines, with the utilization of drones demonstrably lowering cases of copper theft and vandalism.

5. US Gas Production Stalls Amidst Lagging Offtake Capacity

The largest gas producer globally, the United States might be soon facing a supply crunch as two key producing regions  the Appalachian and West Texas  are seeing growth rates slow down.

Since Russias invasion of Ukraine, Henry Hub gas futures have soared by more than 50%, currently trading around $8.8 per mmBtu, yet still, the LNG export pull is incentivizing exports.

US producers might be struggling to combine robust domestic demand and a strong LNG pull as transportation constraints loom large, namely little new offtake capacity happening in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Ever since the 8 billion Atlantic Coast pipeline project was canceled in 2020, there has been a dearth of new midstream projects with the $6.2 billion Mountain Valley line still not completed due to ongoing lawsuits.

6. Lagging Supply Looms Large Over Spiking Lithium Prices

Despite heightened volatility in the stock markets, lithium stocks have seen extraordinary growth over this week amidst fears of robust demand outpacing the realities of supply.

Lithium prices more than doubled this year to date after surging 280% last year, with LME lithium hydroxide assessments currently trading around $81.50 per kg.

Shares of US-based lithium producers Albemarle and Livent have increased by 20% and 30% respectively, on the news of both companies hiking their 2022 earnings guidance.

According to the International Energy Agency, demand for lithium will soar by 900% by 2030, with most analysts agreeing that supply will be lagging demand over the upcoming years, with the shortfall widening to as much as 100,000 tonnes by 2024-2025.

7. US Rolls Out SPR Buyback Plans for 2023

The US Department of Energy intends to buy back 60 million barrels of crude for its Strategic Petroleum Reserve at some point in H2 2023, following the record 180 million barrel stockdraw taking place this year.

In the first auction for 30 million barrels to be released from mid-May through June, buyers paid $105.60 per barrel on average, i.e. higher than WTI futures at the moment of bidding.

Nudging domestic producers to ramp up output, bidding for the 60-million-barrel buyback is expected to start this fall.

Thus far, Valero (NYSE:VLO) has been the most active buyer of US SPR barrels, taking in almost 7 million barrels in the first auction, followed by Motiva and ExxonMobil.
Oil prices were set for a second consecutive weekly increase early on Friday, as the EUs proposal to ban imports of all Russian crude and oil products by the end of the year trumped market concerns about slowing Chinese oil demand amid the harshest COVID restrictions since the initial wave of the pandemic.

Putting up in Asian trading overnight, WTI Crude was topping $110 per barrel and Brent Crude was over $113 a barrel (as of 7:50 a.m. EST), with both benchmarks pushed higher by several pieces of bullish news this week.

The European Commission on Wednesday officially proposed a full ban on Russian crude and oil product imports by the end of the year.

Let us be clear: it will not be easy. Some Member States are strongly dependent on Russian oil. But we simply have to work on it. We now propose a ban on Russian oil. This will be a complete import ban on all Russian oil, seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the European Parliament.

Some EU members, most notably Hungary, are pushing against a full embargo on Russian oil, and talks among member states continue as they look to reach a consensus since the Commissions proposal requires the approval of all 27 EU countries.

On Thursday, OPEC+ ended one of its shortest meetings on record with no changes to its production plan, aiming to boost crude oil production in June by 432,000 barrels per day (bpd), in a move widely expected by the market. While OPEC+ is sticking to its policy of modest monthly increases, many of its members are not pumping to their quotas and the group overall is estimated to be around 1.5 million bpd below its quota.

Lagging production is unlikely to change anytime soon, particularly given the weaker demand for Russian oil, which will eventually lead to output decreasing, ING strategists Warren Patterson and Wenyu Yao said on Friday, commenting on the OPEC+ meeting and expected production from the alliance going forward.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The PCK Schwedt refinery in Germany is facing a shortage of crude when the latest EU sanctions against Russia come into effect, the chief executive of Shell, which is a minority shareholder in PCK Schwedt, said.

According to a Reuters report, the refinery was majority-owned by Russias Rosneft before the German government moved to oust the Russian company last month. Although the process has not yet been completed, Germany has made it clear it does not want a Russian company to operate one of its biggest refineries.

The problem is that the refinery, which has a capacity of 233,000 bpd, operates on Russian oil, delivered via the Druzhba pipeline. Once the oil embargo takes effect, there will be effectively no raw material for the processing facility.

According to Germanys economy minister Robert Habeck, the country is in talks with Poland, although, "The Poles say, quite rightly, 'We don't want to bring Polish oil to Germany to keep Schwedt alive'.

"But we are speaking about a case where Germany supports Poland and Poland supports Germany in the event that Rosneft is no longer the operator of the refinery," he also said, as quoted by Reuters, in late April.

Commenting on the potential fallout of the embargo this week, Shells Ben van Beurden said that the embargo "will probably mean that that refinery will be turned down quite significantly because the incoming logistics are constrained and the refinery is not configured for anything else but Urals.

Schwedt is not the only refinery in Europe configured for the Russian blend. Lukoil Neftohim Burgas, Bulgarias single refinery and the largest processing facility on the Balkans, also uses Urals crude as feedstock, which makes its future uncertain in case of a blanket embargo on Russian oil in the EU. Bulgaria has asked for an exemption, however, alongside Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
The European Union is set to give some member states heavily dependent on Russian oil  such as Hungary and Slovakia  time until the end of 2024 to comply with the proposed embargo on oil imports from Russia, as the bloc is looking to keep a united front against Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, sources with knowledge of the discussions told Bloomberg on Friday.

The Czech Republic could also get an exemption until June 2024 under a proposed revision of the oil ban, Bloombergs sources said.

The European Commission on Wednesday officially proposed a full ban on Russian crude and oil product imports by the end of this year.

We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimises the impact on global markets. This is why we will phase out Russian supply of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the European Parliament on Wednesday.

However, while Germany has recently dropped its opposition to an embargo, EU member states with even higher dependence on Russian oil, including Hungary and Slovakia, have asked for revisions of the Commissions initial proposal.

Hungary and Slovakia receive Russian crude via the Druzhba oil pipeline, while the Commissions proposal needs the approval of all 27 EU member states.

Hungary said on Wednesday it cannot support a full block on Russian oil imports, with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto saying in a Facebook video that such a move would obliterate its energy security.

Hungary can only support these sanctions measures if crude oil carried in pipelines is exempted from the restrictions, the minister added.

On Friday, while the EU meets for another round of discussions about the details of the oil embargo, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary would not support the Commissions current proposal and that the country needed five years and huge investments in pipelines and refinery updates in order to phase out Russian oil.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
While the Kremlin has publicly stated that it wont be declaring war on Ukraine or announcing a military mobilization on Victory Day on May 9, the markets are jittery heading into the weekend, with speculation that Russian President Vladmir Putin will announce a doomsday scenario that indicates a war not just with Ukraine, but with NATO at large.

Russian Victory Day celebrations are high-level affairs commemorating the Soviet Unions victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. This year, the celebration is more important than ever for Putin, who is suffering mounting losses in Ukraine, where the objective has shifted to controlling the east and creating a land corridor to Crimea.

When asked on May 4 whether the celebration would be used to declare war on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov shrugged off the question as nonsense, RFE/RL reported.

Western media headlines are awash with notions that Putin will deliver a doomsday message when he hits the podium on Red Square.

The rhetoric has already been intensifying steadily, with Russian violations of Finnish and Swedish airspace as the two countries consider fast-tracking NATO membership, and with a simulated thermonuclear attack on Ireland aired on Russian public TV.

Against this backdrop, oil markets were threatening to close higher today for the second week in a row, as the threat to global supplies emanating from the Russia-Ukraine war gains momentum against threats to demand from Chinas COVID lockdowns.

While oil has been highly volatile, fluctuating back and forth between weak Chinese economic data, which is bearish for oil, and tight global supply amid sanctions and more sanctions, which is bullish for oilthe bulls are winning this week.

If Putin comes out with the high-level fear-mongering rhetoric that Western media is speculating for Victory Day, it could push oil further into bull territory on Monday.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A camera caught Mabior Mabior in the act of shooting two men in cold blood on a northeast Omaha street.

The only problem: The camera was filming from a distance and Omaha police needed confirmation that Mabior was the gunman.

Enter Mabior himself.

Days after the shooting, Omaha police conducted a traffic stop and found Mabior sitting in a car near a gun magazine that had bullets matching the ones that killed the two men.

After taking him to police headquarters, Omaha police detective Mike Young told Mabior that officials knew what had gone down.

Young explained to Mabior that what happened was captured on video from across the street  courtesy of cameras at Lothrop Elementary School, 24th and Emmet Streets.

Boxed into a corner  as prosecutors Corey Rothrock and Ann Miller described it  Mabior decided he had to explain himself. He acknowledged that the camera showed him stooping over the men.

Yes, you saw me touching them but someone else shot them  I was just looking for my cellphone, he told Young, according to prosecutors.

His explanation didnt fly. After a weeklong trial, a jury deliberated about 100 minutes Friday before finding Mabior, 25, guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and weapon use in the March 2021 killings of LokLok Thok, 27, and Duop Tang Deng, 24. Mabior will be sentenced July 20 to life in prison.

Miller gave jurors one measure of the senselessness of the crime: Mabior blamed Thok for taking his cellphone and the two got into an argument over it.

At one point in the grainy video, Thok opens his jacket to show Mabior that he has nothing inside. The next moment, a car passes, obstructing the cameras view of Mabiors actions: He pulled out a 9 mm handgun and shot Thok at point-blank range.

The camera, which had motion detectors on it, resumed filming as Thok crumpled to the ground. It then captured Mabior rushing after Deng  who had no part of the original argument  and shooting him several times.

Rothrock and Miller said Mabior did so to eliminate a witness.

Mabior couldnt eliminate the video. The footage further showed Mabiors friend, Goa Dat, 24, march over to Thok and fire again. That bullet went through Thoks head. Nine months later, Dat was shot and killed in Lincoln.

As for Mabiors motive, Miller said, prosecutors are at a loss. Miller told jurors that the argument over the cellphone, as dumb as it seems, could have been the motive. She also noted that Mabior and Thok had been in feuds before.

Heres how prosecutors found that out: During the autopsy, a coroners physician found a bullet that had been lodged in Thoks buttocks for some time. That bullet got there during a confrontation in which Mabior shot Thok when both men lived in Dallas two years ago.

Thok survived that shooting but had no chance this time. Testimony from a woman at the scene also corroborated the video.

Relatives of Thok and Deng wept during closing arguments. At one point, Miller displayed an autopsy photo of Thok on a big screen in the courtroom. An older relative of Thok stood up for a few minutes to get a closer look, then began praying.

She sat down and burst into tears, her sobs quieted only by the hugs of the women sitting next to her.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Tuesday, May 6, 1975, started out hot and hazy. The first signs of what was to come that day occurred near Pierce, Nebraska, about noon, according to meteorologist Jim Zoller.

By midafternoon, it started to rain. The churning in the sky that came later was caused by the lethal mixing of the hot, humid air with a new front of cool, dry air coming in from the north.

Anyone who lived in Omaha 47 years ago today probably still remembers where he or she was when the sirens began to wail and the terror touched down.

For those who found themselves in the midst of the storm's fury, the date holds even more memories and meaning.

Three people were killed that day, but a sizable number of people were spared.

It was estimated that 30,000 people lived, worked or went to school in the path of the deadly storm, which ripped a nine-mile scar into the heart of the city. They heeded the sirens and huddled in basements, under tables or wherever they could find cover.

At 4:14, the National Weather Service reported a possible tornado.

At 4:29, a resident reported a funnel cloud descending west of 96th and Harrison Streets, and the civil defense alarms sounded.

At 4:32, police reported a tornado on the ground, tearing the roofs off apartments at 96th and Q Streets.

The tornado was gone as quickly as it had come. Some 30 minutes later, perhaps as many as 300 people were injured, and 2,000 square blocks of Omaha were affected.

The EF4 tornado, which touched down in southwest Omaha and continued north on a route along 72nd Street, proved to be one of the nations costliest tornadoes. In 2015 dollars, damage exceeded $1 billion.

In all, about eight tornadoes touched down in eastern Nebraska that day. In addition to the Omaha twister, tornadoes were reported in the Nebraska communities of Winside, Pierce, Randolph and Magnet and in Beebeetown, Iowa.

The only deaths occurred in Omaha.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
LINCOLN  Two pieces of jewelry and a photograph.

Thats all Kathy Latuff had from her grandmother, Bessie (Dragoun) Weatherby.

Latuffs mother, Evelyn, was 11 months old in 1920 when Weatherby entered what is now known as the Lincoln Regional Center, where she lived until her death in 1936.

She was told that her mom attempted suicide and was put into a hospital, Latuff said. Thats all my mother knew. And when she died 20 years ago, thats all she knew.

On Thursday, Latuff visited the Lincoln Regional Center and brought that photo of her grandmother, which shows Weatherby wearing a hat that tied under her chin, with dark curls framing her face.

After months of research, Latuff now has a story to go with the face in the photo.

Latuff and Valerie Young, Weatherbys great-granddaughter, have combed through census records, local newspaper articles and eventually requested medical records from her time in the institution.

It was a sad time for Bessie in her life here, Young said Thursday. And it was painful to read that file, frankly. But what we decided was this cant define Bessie, this record alone, and we need to find out more about her life.

What they found was a woman ahead of her time, Young said. Weatherby was a free-spirited woman who followed her heart and wanted to see the world.

Weatherby was born in Omaha in 1893 to Bohemian immigrants, and was the fifth of 10 children.

In April 1910, the 17-year-old ran away from home to see Halleys Comet in Sioux City, Iowa. She later traveled by train to California, Washington, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.

In 1911, Weatherby gave birth to her first daughter, Lucille Gamble. In 1919, Weatherby gave birth to a second child, Evelyn Rose (Weatherby) Johnson, Latuffs mother and Youngs grandmother.

Also in 1919, Weatherbys favorite sister, Rose, died of heart failure at the age of 28.

A year later, at age 27, Weatherby entered the hospital.

While she was at the hospital, Weatherbys father was killed during a robbery in Chicago and her daughter, Lucille, died of diphtheria at age 22.

Young said Weatherby had some struggles that brought her to the hospital at a time when treatments for mental health problems could be harsh.

Time is healing. Time has evolved where treatments have been improved because of what has been learned here over the years, Young said. And for that, were very grateful.

On Thursday, Latuff and Young placed a paver in Weatherbys honor next to a newly planted tree at the Lincoln Regional Center.

We stand here with pride, Latuff said as the paver was placed at the base of the tree.

Latuff became emotional as she kneeled to touch the paver.

Im 69 years old, and its the very first time Ive ever been able to celebrate my grandma, Latuff said later. The very first time.

Weatherby is not buried at the Lincoln Regional Center, but about 700 former patients are buried at the facilitys two cemeteries. Most were buried with only a number or a blank stone to mark their place.

Those buried there in the 1880s through the start of the 20th century died at what was then called the Nebraska Hospital for the Insane.

By the 1950s, when burials ended, it had been renamed the Lincoln State Hospital. It was renamed the Lincoln Regional Center in 1969.

In 2009, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that families did not have to undertake an expensive legal battle to obtain information  then considered private  about ancestors who were patients at such state facilities.

The ruling was hailed as a great victory for human rights, and it eased the process of discovering whether a loved one had been buried in the nondescript graves.

In the years since that ruling, some family members have placed headstones to mark the graves and honor loved ones who died at the hospital.

Latuff and Young said Weatherby is not defined by the last chapter of her life. They encouraged families to find out more about their relatives and not be deterred if they encounter a history of mental illness.

We came here to use our voices to tell our story, Latuff said. And we hope that maybe another family will open up about their story without shame or embarrassment.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
'Seemed like goodbye': Mariupol defenders make their stand

LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian fighters at Mariupols pulverized steel plant are holding out against Russian troops in an increasingly desperate effort to keep Moscow from taking the strategic port city. The wife of one of the fighters said the troops would not surrender and her husband told her words of goodbye. Thursday's bloody battle came amid growing suspicions that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a major battlefield success in time for Victory Day on Monday, which marks the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany. Elsewhere, Ukraines military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other Russian attacks in the east. The Russians say they destroyed dozens of Ukrainian military targets.

Its Chief Justice Roberts' Court, but does he still lead?

WASHINGTON (AP)  John Roberts is heading a Supreme Court in crisis. The chief justice has already ordered an investigation into the unprecedented leak this week of a draft of a major abortion opinion. What comes next could further test Roberts leadership of a court. The addition of three conservative justices during Donald Trumps presidency means there are now five conservative justices to Roberts right who no longer need his vote, and perhaps his moderating influence, to prevail in a case. The abortion decision could be another example of that, with the courts other conservatives prepared to go further than Roberts. He's said repeatedly that he prefers decisions where the court comes to a broad agreement on narrow grounds.

FDA restricts J&J's COVID-19 vaccine due to blood clot risk

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. regulators are strictly limiting who can receive Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine due to a rare but serious risk of blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&Js vaccine. The decision is the latest restriction to hit the company's vaccine, which has long been overshadowed in the U.S. by the more effective shots from Pfizer and Moderna. In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended using the Moderna and Pfizer shots over J&Js because of its safety issues.

Police boss journal cites early angst in Ronald Greene death

The Louisiana State Police superintendent wrote himself an ominous note days after the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene: Realize there is a problem  must address immediately. Excerpts of a personal journal made public Thursday show Col. Kevin Reeves considered aggressive action after his troopers beat, stunned and dragged Greene. State police didnt launch an internal investigation for another 462 days. A legislative committee is now seeking to hold Reeves in contempt for refusing to turn over his full journals. His lawyer says Reeves is cooperating and the delays in the Greene case are not his doing.

Official: US gave intel before Ukraine sank Russian warship

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship. The incident was a high-profile failure for Russias military. An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet using its own anti-ship missiles. The official says that given Russias attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of those ships. NBC News first reported the U.S. role in the sinking of the ship.

Tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma, cause widespread damaged

SEMINOLE, Okla. (AP)  A storm system spawned several tornadoes that whipped through areas of Texas and Oklahoma, causing damage to a school, a marijuana farm and other structures. There were no reports of serious injuries following the Wednesday night tornadoes, but the system was causing flooding in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Significant damage was reported in the Oklahoma city of Seminole where Gov. Kevin Stitt said drones are being used to assess the damage and in the rural Texas community of Lockett. More stormy weather took place Thursday as a sheriff says a tornado damaged several campers and buildings at an East Texas RV park. The severe weather was to continue Friday in parts of the South.

3 Israelis killed in stabbing attack near Tel Aviv

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli officials say at least three people have been killed in a Palestinian stabbing attack near Tel Aviv. Israeli police say the assailants fled in a vehicle on Thursday night. Security forces set up roadblocks in the area of the attack, which took place in the town of Elad, and helicopters hovered overhead. The attack came as Israel marked its Independence Day, a festive holiday when people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows. Israeli-Palestinian tensions have soared in recent weeks. Earlier in the day, there was new Israeli-Palestinian unrest at a sensitive religious site in Jerusalem.

53 dead in China building collapse, search for trapped ends

BEIJING (AP)  Chinese state media say that 53 people died in a building collapse one week ago in central China and 10 were rescued. Authorities said Friday the search had ended for people trapped from the collapse. The last survivor was pulled out shortly after midnight on Thursday, 5  days after the residential and commercial building in the city of Changsha suddenly caved in on April 29. At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the collapse on suspicion of ignoring building codes or committing other violations. All of the survivors were reportedly in good condition after being treated in a hospital.

Marcos redux? Dictator's son may win Philippine presidency

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The presidential campaign of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is resonating in the Philippines. The son of the late dictator and his running mate, who is the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, are leading pre-election surveys despite his family's history. Their carefully choreographed appearances whitewash the past and are short on specifics about their vision for the future. Instead their campaign has deftly used social media, primarily TikTok and YouTube, to push the simple slogan of unity and framing them as beyond politics and disagreements. Marcos has taken advantage of the average age in the Philippines, which is 25 and leaves many voters with no personal memory of his father's brutal authoritarian rule which his son refuses to acknowledge.

Virus found in pig heart used in human transplant

Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a pig heart transplant have found the organ harbored an animal virus. But University of Maryland doctors cannot yet say if the virus played any role in the man's death. David Bennett Sr. died at age 57, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. His surgeon says DNA of a pig virus was later found in the heart but no signs that the bug caused an active infection. Still, a major worry about animal-to-human transplants is the risk of spreading new infections.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 Flash

China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations on Tuesday urged the organization's biggest contributor to fulfill its financial duties.

"The largest contributor has not well-fulfilled its financial obligations to the UN over the years. This is unfair to other countries," Dai Bing told the second part of the resumed session of the Fifth Committee of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, which deals with internal UN administrative and budgetary matters.

"Reform initiatives aimed at improving the financial situation of the UN should be strictly in line with the spirit of the UN Charter, adhere to the member states-driven principle, strengthen financial discipline, and improve comprehensive budgetary performance," said the envoy.

Dai urged the Secretariat to strengthen the comprehensive budgetary performance, improve internal control and rigorously enforce financial discipline, so as to "make sure that every penny from member states is well-spent, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations."

Talking about the UN's financial situation, the ambassador said "there will never be a real solution to the liquidity difficulty as long as the root cause remains unresolved."

"Any potential solution should not lead to additional financial burden for member states, especially developing countries," he said.

As the largest developing country, China has its own challenges, such as combating the pandemic, developing its economy and improving people's livelihood, Dai said. "However, we have still managed to actively fulfill our financial obligations, and recently contributed more than 200 million U.S. dollars to the UN."

"We call upon all member states, especially those with the paying capacity, to pay their assessed contributions as well as the outstanding arrears in full and on time, in order to support the UN in playing its central role in global governance," said the ambassador.
LIVONIA, Mich. (AP)  A Michigan lawmaker who pleaded guilty to driving drunk was sentenced to probation and fined Friday.

Rep. Mary Cavanagh, 30, received the recommended sentence of a $500 fine plus other fines, a 10-day work program, two years of probation and must appear for sobriety court.

The Redford Democrat pleaded guilty in April to operating while intoxicated following her Feb. 25 arrest in the Livonia area.

I just wanted to apologize to the court, to the community and also to myself for my decisions, Cavanagh told the judge. But I am looking forward to using this to become a better person, and I am seeing that there is another life, and its (a) sober life, and I am very much looking forward to that, given the opportunity to be granted into sobriety court.

It was Cavanaghs second time being arrested by Livonia police for drunken driving, the first time being in 2015. That time she pleaded down to a lesser impaired driving charge.

Sobriety court would require Cavanagh to receive treatment to get sober and would allow her to potentially get her license back with restrictions, including a required car breathalyzer.

Her lawyer, Todd Perkins, has said Cavanagh intends to utilize her time in sobriety court to educate others on the path to recovery.

Cavanaghs lawyer told WDIV-TV that she does not plan on resigning from her position in the Michigan House of Representatives.

On April 25, Livonia police said that Cavanagh was swerving on I-96 with two flat tires on the drivers side of the vehicle. An officer followed her onto a freeway, where she swerved between the right and center lanes.

During the traffic stop, the representative took a breathalyzer test and blew a 0.17, or more than twice the legal limit of 0.08. A later blood test showed Cavanaghs blood alcohol level was 0.20, officials said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador started a five-day tour to four Central American countries and Cuba on Thursday by lashing out at the U.S. government.

Lopez Obrador criticized American officials sharply for being quick to send billions to Ukraine, while dragging their feet on development aid to Central America.

On his first stop in neighboring Guatemala, Lopez Obrador demanded U.S. aid to stem the poverty and joblessness that sends tens of thousands of Guatemalans north to the U.S. border. The Mexican leader had been angered that the United States rebuffed his calls to help expand his tree-planting program to Central America.

They are different things and they shouldn't be compared categorically, but they have already approved $30 billion for the war in Ukraine, while we have been waiting since President Donald Trump, asking they donate $4 billion, and as of today, nothing, absolutely nothing, Lopez Obrador said.

Honestly, it seems inexplicable, he added. For our part, we are going to continue to respectfully insist on the need for the United States to collaborate.

Lopez Obrador's pet program, known as Planting Life, pays farmers a monthly wage to plant and care for fruit and lumber trees on their farms.

Mexico has asked the U.S. government to help fund the program, something that so far hasnt happened. Mexico is also touting another program that apprentices young people to companies. Critics say both programs lack accountability.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard wrote in his social media accounts that meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and other officials focused on development, migration and strengthening bilateral ties.

Ebrard said Mexico was starting the tree program in the Guatemalan province of Chimaltenango.

It is only be the third overseas trip in more than three years for Lopez Obrador, who is fond of saying that the best foreign policy is good domestic policy. The tour is an opportunity for Mexico to reassert itself as a leader in Latin America and will be welcomed by some leaders under pressure from the U.S. government and others for their alleged anti-democratic tendencies.

Both geographically and metaphorically, Mexico finds itself wedged between the United States and the rest of Latin America. Lopez Obrador has deflected criticism dating to the Trump administration that his government is doing Washingtons dirty work in trying to stop migrants before they reach the U.S. border.

Lopez Obrador will be received in Central America, in part, as an emissary of the United States when it comes to migration policy.

The U.S. government has been trying to build consensus ahead of the June Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to cement a regional approach to managing migration flows. In recent years large numbers of Central Americans, but also Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, Colombians and migrants arriving from other continents, have made their way up through the Americas.

The visit is an opportunity for Lopez Obrador to show some independence from the United States. Lopez Obrador has criticized the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba and he said that he told U.S. officials that no country should be excluded from the Summit of the Americas. The Biden administration has signaled that Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua would not be invited.

Giammattei, meanwhile, has been under pressure from the U.S. government for backsliding on the countrys fight against corruption  a campaign central to Lopez Obradors image in Mexico.

Lopez Obrador will continue on to El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has faced international condemnation since imposing a state of emergency after a surge in gang killings at the end of March.

A visit from Lopez Obrador, who prefers a hugs not bullets approach to security, is an opportunity to show hes not being isolated. El Salvadors security forces have arrested more than 24,000 suspected gang members in just over a month and human rights organizations say there have been many arbitrary arrests.

In Honduras, new President Xiomara Castro has forged a close relationship with the Biden administration. Last month, Honduras extradited former President Juan Orlando Hernandez to face drug and weapons charges in the U.S. Castro is desperate to activate the economy and create jobs, so could be open to Lopez Obradors proposals if there is money behind it.

The presidents agenda in Belize is less clear, but his final stop in Cuba will be the most symbolic. Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited Mexico for its independence celebrations last year.

Lopez Obrador has largely governed as a nationalist and populist, but he has positioned himself politically as a a devoted leftist.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russias invading forces.

Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March and called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through the end of September.

We are sending the weapons and equipment that Congress has authorized directly to the front lines of freedom in Ukraine, Biden said in a statement. U.S. support, together with the contributions of our Allies and partners, has been critical in helping Ukraine win the battle of Kyiv and hinder Putins war aims in Ukraine.

A U.S. official said the latest tranche of assistance includes 25,000 155mm artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, jamming equipment, field equipment and spare parts.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 50 more civilians rescued from besieged Mariupol steel plant

 UN council backs UN chiefs peace effort in its first action

 Europes farmers stir up biogas to offset Russian energy

 With Ukraines ports blocked, trains in Europe haul grain

 US seeks to downplay role in sinking of Russian warship

 Jill Biden brings thanks, ketchup to US troops in Romania

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted its first statement since Russias military action began Feb. 24, expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The short statement adopted at a brief meeting Friday does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it. Russia, which holds veto power in the council, has blocked all previous attempts to adopt a statement or resolution.

Instead, the statement expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

During recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv, Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and the Azovstal steel plant where the last Ukrainian forces are holding out along with hundreds of civilians in underground bunkers.

ROME  The Italian finance minister has adopted a decree that will impede a mega-yacht from sailing away from a Tuscan port, after investigation indicated the luxury vessel Scheherazade has links to prominent elements of the Russian government.

The finance ministry also said in statement Friday evening that the probe, carried out by Italys financial police corps, found significant economic business links of the beneficial owner of the Scheherazade as well to other subjects included in a list issued in 2014 as part of European Union measures prompted by Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

There have been fears that the 140-meter (459-foot) long yacht, which has been in dry dock in the port of Marina di Carrara, was preparing to sail out of Italian waters soon. Based on the Italian investigation, Minister Daniele Franco adopted a freezing decree regarding the yacht, which flies the flag of the Cayman Islands and which had long been under the attention of the authorities, the statement said.

A few weeks after Russias war against Ukraine began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech to Italian lawmakers, urged Italy to continue freezing assets of Russian oligarchs and officials. He cited by name the Scheherazade, which, according to some reports, belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Italian ministry statement didnt identify the boats owner nor specify who are the prominent elements of the Russian government. But it said the actual owner of the Scheherazade should be included in the 2014 EU sanctions list.

KYIV, Ukraine  The regional governor says one person was reported dead and three more were injured Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

Russia is killing civilians! On May 6, as a result of Russian shelling, one civilian of the Donbas was killed in Lyman. Three more people were injured, Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post.

The Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, encompasses the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Kyrylenkos claims could not be immediately verified.

KYIV, Ukraine  A top official from Ukraines interior ministry has warned against the activation of saboteurs and other criminal elements in the lead-up to Russias Victory Day on Monday.

Speaking to Ukraines state-run Ukrinform agency, First Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin said authorities were carrying out special operations in a number of Ukrainian cities to prevent possible provocations.

We receive information about the potential shelling of peaceful territories, and therefore I appeal to every Ukrainian, especially these days, not to ignore air raid sirens, he added.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

Fifty civilians were evacuated Friday from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.

In a statement, the Russian Interdepartmental Humanitarian Response Center says the 50 civilians include 11 children.

Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, also said 50 civilians left the plant without giving a breakdown of how many were children.

Both Vereshchuk and the Russian body said the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal will continue Saturday.

Ukrainian fighters holed up at the sprawling complex are making their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategic port city.

UNITED NATIONS  Members of the United Nations Security Council, including Russia, have agreed on a statement expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The council scheduled a meeting later Friday to adopt the brief statement, which would be the first approved by the U.N.s most powerful body since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

It does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it.

The statement, drafted by Norway and Mexico, expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and its last Ukrainian forces holdout at the Azovstal steel plant where hundreds of civilians are also still living in underground bunkers.

The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross have carried out two successful evacuations from Mariupol and surrounding areas so far and are currently trying to arrange a third from the steel plant.

Russian state agencies reported that two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Ukraines industrial east both appointed extraordinary ambassadors to Moscow on Friday.

Olga Makeeva, the deputy chair of the legislative assembly of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, was chosen by the territorys Russia-backed government as its representative. Her counterpart from the Luhansk Peoples Republic is Rodion Miroshnik, a foreign policy adviser to the separatist territorys leader.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman condemned the appointments, saying Makeeva and Miroshnik will likely face criminal punishment for high treason.

Its a country of crooked mirrors. Russia has created pseudo-republics. It appointed ambassadors, from itself to itself These diplomats will face the most severe responsibility. As will other traitors, Oleg Nykolenko wrote in a Telegram post Friday.

The Russian foreign ministry has released a statement congratulating Makeeva and Miroshnik on taking office, wishing them success in establishing and developing multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries.

KYIV, Ukraine  Officials from Ukraines national security council warned residents Friday against the increased risk of shelling on Sunday and Monday, coinciding with Russias Victory Day celebrations.

A Facebook post published on the profile of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, urged Ukrainians not to ignore air raid sirens.

Since Russian troops cannot boast of any significant achievements on the front by Victory Day, the risk of massive shelling of Ukrainian cities these days is increasing, the post said.

Separately on Friday, Kyivs mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said authorities will not be extending the curfew in Kyiv; one has already been introduced. But street patrols would be reinforced.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

AIR FORCE ONE  White House press secretary Jen Psaki says President Joe Biden will meet virtually with other Group of Seven leaders Sunday along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The virtual meeting will occur just before Russias Victory Day on Monday. Psaki says the date of the meeting is significant because it shows the unity of the allies ahead of a day when Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped to mark his victory over Ukraine. But Russia has been bogged down by Ukrainian forces and hampered by financial and trade sanctions.

Speaking Friday aboard Air Force One, Psaki says the G7 countries will discuss the war, its global impact, Ukraines future and building on the existing sanctions.

Psaki says she does not have any additional sanction details to share.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian army said Friday it had made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth.

As a result of the offensive by units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, control was restored over the settlements of Aleksandrovka, Fedorovka, Ukrainka, Shestakovo, Pobeda and part of the village of Cherkassky Tishki, said a Facebook post published Friday afternoon on the official profile of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A village in Russias southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, is being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, the regional governor said Friday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that as of Friday afternoon, fewer than 30 people remained in the village of Nekhoteevka, located directly next to a border crossing.

We have already taken most of the residents to a safe place, he said, adding that five houses had been damaged by shelling. His post featured two photos of what appeared to be the same damaged building.

The accuracy of Gladkovs claims could not be immediately verified, nor did his post specify the number of people currently living in Nekhoteevka. Russias 2010 census referenced the village as having 145 permanent residents.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region accused Russian troops Friday of terrorizing residents of a frontline city as they try to advance across the Seversky Donets River.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai said more than 3,500 residents of the city of Kreminna had found themselves in Russian-controlled territory.

The captured city is teeming with Russian military equipment. Fighting is going on in the vicinity, he wrote. The Russians are terrorizing the population in every possible way: from checking phones to forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots.  Almost every house has been looted.

He added that Kreminna suffered from food and electricity shortages and that mobile communications had been shut down.

The accuracy of his statements could not be immediately verified.

SONCHAMP, France  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

Theyll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce biogas. Its among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russias war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes arent  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the worlds breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europes energy dependence.

TURIN, Italy  Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestras upbeat, melodic entry for this months Eurovision Song Contest was written as a tribute to the frontmans mother.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland.

Stefania is the most-watched song on YouTube among the 35 national entries that are slated to compete when the Eurovision contest takes place next week in Turin, an industrial city in northern Italy.

While some oddsmakers and data analysts have predicted other contestants will win, the song by Kalush Orchestra is quickly becoming a sentimental favorite.

Ill always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed, Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote in the lyrics for Stefania.

His words have become more poignant as missiles pound Ukrainian cities and villages, forcing more than 11 million to flee since Russia invaded the country.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines deputy prime minister said Friday that 41 more Ukrainians were released that day in a prisoner swap with Russia.

Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram that the 41 people who've been returned include 28 military personnel and 13 civilians.

MOSCOW  Russia has no intention of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday, a day after Moscows top diplomat in the U.S. chided Western officials for targeting it with baseless accusations.

Russia firmly abides by the principle that there can be no victors in a nuclear war and it must not be unleashed, Alexey Zaitsev said. He added that Russian nuclear doctrine does not envisage any scenarios for potential strikes which would apply to Moscows military goals in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Zaitsev added that any provocations whatsoever can be expected from Ukraine and the West, and that Russia has to be ready for any development in the media space and directly on the ground.

His statement echoed remarks made by Russias ambassador in Washington on Thursday.

In an interview with Newsweek, Anatoly Antonov slammed what he called a flurry of blatant misrepresentation of Russian officials statements on our countrys nuclear policy. He accused top U.S. military leaders  including the Defense Secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff  of falsely blaming Moscow for escalating nuclear tensions, calling their claims baseless and part of a propaganda campaign against Russia in response to the steps taken to neutralize threats to our national security emanating from the Ukrainian territory.

He also blamed the wider Western bloc for what he called its irresponsible handling of the situation in Ukraine, implying that NATOs rhetoric and continuing support for Kyiv contributed to heightening nuclear tensions.

The current generation of NATO politicians clearly does not take the nuclear threat seriously, Antonov told Newsweek.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russias parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin both asserted this week that Moscow would not use nuclear weapons first.

A Russian senator said Friday that Russia will remain forever in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, whose capital has been occupied by Moscows troops since early March.

Andrey Turchak from the ruling United Russia party visited Kherson on Friday, meeting with its Russian-appointed governor Volodymyr Saldo.

I want to say once again - Russia is here forever. There should be no doubt about it, Turchak is heard saying in a video published by Russias state RIA Novosti agency.

We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich thanks to the people who live here, he added.

When asked about the future formal status of the Kherson region, Turchak cautioned against running too far ahead and said that in any case, the status is determined by the residents.

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has invited Germanys head of government and its head of state to visit Ukraine on May 9, the day Russia marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Western officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the Victory Day holiday to make an announcement about the war  either declaring a victory or escalating the conflict.

Germany is part of the Western alliance supporting Ukraine, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz has yet to make a solidarity visit to the country. Scholz has traded barbs with Ukrainian officials in recent weeks because of Kyivs refusal to invite Germanys head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whom Ukraine accuses of cozying up to Russia during his time as foreign minister.

Speaking at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Steinmeier and invited both him and Scholz to come to Kyiv.

He said Scholz can make this very powerful political step to come here on the 9th of May, to Kyiv.

There was no immediate word on whether the German politicians had agreed. German Parliament President Baerbel Bas is scheduled to visit Ukraine on Sunday and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is due to visit soon.

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country is providing Ukraine with all the support we can give and also take responsibility for in its war with Russia.

Speaking to business leaders in Hamburg on Friday, Scholz said Russia must not gain the upper hand in the conflict, which he described as a war of destruction waged by Moscow against Ukraine.

The German leader said that Russias position as a global power with a seat on the U.N. Security Council means that if (Vladimir) Putin gets away with it then theres a risk of international lawlessness.

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still open to negotiations with Russia, but he repeated his position that Moscow must withdraws its forces to their pre-invasion positions.

Zelenskyy told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday that regaining the situation as of the 23rd of February  the day before the invasion  is a prerequisite for talks.

He said in that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally, and Ukraine could use diplomatic channels to regain its territory.

The British government, a key ally of Ukraine, has said Russia must be driven from all of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Despite Russias intensified attack on Ukraines eastern Donbas region, Zelenskyy said there is still space for diplomacy. He said not all the bridges are yet destroyed, figuratively speaking.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of the besieged port city of Mariupol, Zelenskyy said: Mariupol will never fall. Im not talking about heroism or anything  There is nothing there to fall apart. It is already devastated.

BERLIN  Police in the German capital are bracing for possible confrontations between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters around the anniversary of the end of World War II.

Berlin police said Friday that security around 15 memorial sites across the city will be stepped up on May 8 and 9, and officers will crack down on any attempts to glorify Russias attack on Ukraine.

The Russian government has tried to portray the leadership in Kyiv as Nazis  a claim both Ukraine and Germany have ridiculed.

Berlins police chief Barbara Slowik said authorities have banned the use of Russian or Ukrainian flags, the playing of military music or the wearing of uniforms or the orange and black ribbon of St. George showing support for the Russian military anywhere near the memorial sites.

German news agency dpa quoted police saying that some 3,400 officers will be deployed throughout the city on both days.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
With just a few days left to instill their images in the minds of voters ahead of the primary election, the top three Republican contenders for Nebraska governor have kicked their campaigns into overdrive, announcing a stream of endorsements, releasing new poll results, and even promoting a second appearance (virtual, this time) by former President Donald Trump.

EndorsementsThe top three contenders for the Republican nomination all announced endorsements this week.

Conklin Co. CEO Charles W. Herbster announced the backing of former White House Director of Communications Mercedes Schlapp and State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion. In a statement, the senator said that Herbster, in supporting modernizing the states sales tax base, has demonstrated the political will to stand up to the establishment, the special interests, and the lobbyists to do what it takes to lower property taxes.

Two people who have gone on the record with the Nebraska Examiner as witnesses to Herbster allegedly groping women work for Briese, the senator confirmed with The World-Herald. And a former Briese staffer has also gone on the record accusing Herbster of groping her.

In all, eight women have accused Herbster of groping them. Two, including Sen. Julie Slama, have come forward using their names.

Although elected officials must be held to a high standard of conduct, allegations of past misdeeds are not disqualifying, Briese wrote in a text message. If being faultless was the litmus test for public service, we would have no public servants. These 11th hour allegations will be addressed in the legal system. They should not be used to torpedo the campaign of an otherwise qualified candidate.

Sen. Brett Lindstrom announced the support of Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, Alliance Mayor Mike Dafney, Gibbon Mayor Deb VanMatre, longtime Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. John Stinner of Gering, and former U.S. Rep. Doug Bereuter.

Rather than focusing on the political hot button issues, he stands out for his experience in actually addressing the real issues that are important in the governance and economic development of Nebraska to build our future, Bereuter said in a statement.

Hog producer and University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen announced endorsements from Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine early in the week, and from Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday.

Im proud to work alongside my fellow Republican governors to advance our conservative values, preserve individual freedoms, and hold the federal government accountable, Stitt said in a statement. Jim Pillen will be a great governor of Nebraska, and hell be a valued colleague in the fight.

A poll from Pillen

The Pillen campaign released a poll this week, conducted by WPA Intelligence April 30 through May 2, that showed Pillen with 31%, Herbster with 26%, Lindstrom with 16% and 19% of voters undecided. The pollster surveyed 500 Republican primary voters by phone. Its survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval, according to a polling memo.

Other recent polls, including one conducted by the same pollster for Pillen just a few days prior, have shown the race in a three-way dead heat. The poll commissioned by Pillens campaign for April 26-28 showed Pillen at 24%, Herbster at 23%, Lindstrom at 20%, and 24% of voters undecided. That survey included 505 Republican primary voters contacted via phone, and its margin of error was also plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Pillen campaign manager Kenny Zoeller said they wanted updated data following Trumps appearance at a rally on Herbsters behalf.

We are optimistic that voters are breaking for Pillen as the most conservative candidate in the race, Zoeller said.

Political science professors Elizabeth Theiss-Morse and Randall Adkins both looked at the polling memo and said these most recent results do hold good news for Pillen.

Momentum is important when we look at polling numbers, Theiss-Morse, who teaches at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, wrote in an email.

Among takeaways, she noted that it appeared undecided voters were starting to decide. She wasnt surprised Lindstroms numbers appeared to be slipping.

Primary voters tend to be more ideologically extreme (on the right for Republicans and on the left for Democrats), so the recent attacks on Lindstrom for being too liberal likely resonate negatively among primary-voting Republicans, Theiss-Morse wrote.

But she also cautioned that any given poll can be an outlier. In the polling memo, the pollster wrote that they used a recently built turnout model without explaining what it is. Theiss-Morse said that model would affect who was included and/or how they analyzed results. And, she said, people can refuse to take surveys and may not be honest.

A lot of polls got things wrong in 2016 and 2020 because of these problems, she wrote. If Herbster supporters are like Trump supporters, they might be less willing to take these polls and to indicate their sincere vote choice.

Adkins, who teaches at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, also offered a caveat: A poll is like a snapshot.

Rod Edwards, Herbsters deputy campaign manager, said that the top end of that poll does not line up with what were seeing. Lindstrom campaign spokesperson Pat Trueman cast doubt on the numbers:

After his own March and April polling showed him completely stagnant, Pillen expects us to believe he jumped seven points in two days? Clearly Gov. Ricketts doesnt believe it, he said, citing the governors donations and ties to political action committees that are behind Lindstrom attack ads.

Ricketts has given nearly $1.3 million to the PAC Conservative Nebraska, which Lindstroms campaign estimates has spent close to $1 million on anti-Lindstrom efforts.

Trumps on the phone

Fresh off of an in-person visit from Trump last weekend, Herbster was joined by the former president Thursday evening for a phone call billed as a tele-rally. During the roughly 10-minute phone call, Trump reiterated his support for Herbster and noted that the Falls City businessman has been a loyal supporter of his.

Herbsters campaign has been largely defined by his ties to and support from Trump.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Democratic Party submitted a letter of intent Thursday to the Democratic National Committee to enter Nebraska as one of the early states in the 2024 presidential nominating calendar.

The DNC is accepting applications from state parties wishing to be one of the first five states in the 2024 presidential primary lineup. It marks the first time in 50 years that the DNC is considering restructuring the primary schedule, according to Jane Kleeb, chair of the state party. Since 1972, Iowa has been the first contest, followed by New Hampshire.

If Nebraska is successful in its campaign, it would replace Iowa as the first state to represent the Midwestern district, but that would not necessarily put Nebraska first in the overall schedule. The DNC could change the order of what districts go first. It is expected to announce a decision later this summer.

Becoming one of the first primary states is a powerful position, as Kleeb said the earliest states often set the pace for the rest of the presidential primaries. According to Kleeb, Iowa stands a real chance of being ousted from its first position.

Democrats have criticized Iowas primary election system, particularly its full caucus, which Kleeb said can discourage voters from participating. She said people have also argued that Iowas Democratic Party is not diverse enough to be an accurate reflection of the rest of the party.

Nebraska has some competition in the fight. Kleeb said Michigan and Minnesota have also applied to take Iowas place. Kleeb described Nebraska as an underdog in the race. Michigan and Minnesota are more populous, battleground states with higher-ranking Democratic officials to pull for them. But she said there are multiple reasons why Nebraska would be the best choice.

We have a lot to sell, Kleeb said.

Kleeb said Nebraskas separated electoral districts differentiate it from its competitors. Nebraska and Maine are the only two states in the U.S. that award Electoral College votes by congressional district. While Nebraska as a whole heavily favors Republicans, its Omaha-centric 2nd Congressional District has awarded an electoral vote to a Democratic presidential candidate twice in recent years, including Joe Biden in 2020.

Within the state, Kleeb said there is a good mix of voters representing a range of demographics, including rural areas, military members, people of color and unions.

Though Nebraska has a smaller population, Kleeb said this could benefit the DNC, and increase the chance of Democrats winning in traditionally red states.

Beyond presidential politics, Democrats have struggled to win in Nebraska, where Republicans  with a few exceptions  have held a firm grip on statewide and congressional offices in recent years.

While state Democratic parties are jockeying to move up in the presidential primary calendar, Republicans are maintaining the status quo. The Republican National Committee opted to keep its calendar, ensuring Iowa will go first in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating contest, according to the Associated Press.

<&rule>

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
LINCOLN  Leaders of a medical marijuana petition drive announced plans Friday to mobilize supporters for an unprecedented all-volunteer signature-gathering effort.

State Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln, the petition drives co-chairwoman, said the shift in strategy was forced by the loss of two major donors, which left Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana without the $1 million needed for a more traditional signature-gathering effort.

But, in an online press conference, she said the volunteers and families who have been working on the effort refused to quit.

We have come too far and have too much support to give up, Wishart said. It will be unprecedented for a petition to be successful without a traditional paid signature drive, but if any campaign can do this, it is Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana.

We collected over 196,000 signatures in 2020 during a global pandemic, she said. We have an 80% approval rating across the state. I truly believe that where there is a will, there is a way.

The group hopes the way will be through tapping Nebraskans who want to see medical marijuana as an option in the state. The strategy will be to encourage registered voters to seek out places to sign petitions, as well as to volunteer to collect signatures themselves.

Wishart said petitions will be made available at some 100 businesses across the state for people to sign during regular hours. The businesses include a number of vape and CBD shops, as well as health food stores and others. A list and map of those businesses is available at: nebraskamarijuana.org/sign.

People also will be encouraged to set up local drive-through signing events, which could be as simple as a table at the end of a residential driveway. Or they can volunteer to collect signatures at public events, such as the College World Series or a local farmers market.

The last petition drive to make the ballot without paid circulators was a proposed constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage. The drive succeeded because of networks of church volunteers. The amendment passed in 2000 but has since been declared unconstitutional.

In late March, leaders of the medical marijuana petition drive announced the loss of two people who had been expected to make a major contribution to the current legalization campaign. One of those donors, who contributed to the groups last effort, died in a plane crash, Wishart said. A second person was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

At the time, Wishart expressed confidence the group could meet its $500,000 fundraising goal by May 1. But they reported donations of only $53,792 through April 25, with $14,467 given in the last month.

In 2020, the campaign raised about $2.5 million overall, securing more than 182,000 signatures  well above the number needed to put the issue on the ballot. Though it surpassed the requirement, it was disqualified by the Nebraska Supreme Court for containing more than one subject.

This time around, the campaign is proposing two petitions for new laws, which require valid signatures from 7% of registered voters by July 7 to make the ballot.

Based on May 3 voter registration figures, that means each needs nearly 87,000 valid signatures statewide. The total needs to include signatures from 5% of registered voters in 38 of Nebraskas 93 counties.

Crista Eggers, the statewide campaign coordinator and the mother of a child with drug-resistant epilepsy, said the group has collected about 25,000 signatures on each petition so far. That includes 1,213 gathered within the last 24 hours.

One petition would protect patients with serious health conditions from being arrested for possessing and using limited amounts of marijuana when recommended by health care providers. The second would create and regulate a system for producing and distributing cannabis for medical purposes.

The division of the two petitions is based on the legal issues outlined in the 2020 state high court decision.

Legalization efforts have faced opposition from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has called marijuana a dangerous drug. His office did not respond Friday to a message seeking comment about the petition drives announcement.

Earlier this year, the governor appeared in an ad sponsored by Smart Approaches to Marijuana Nebraska, a group that opposes legalization. In the ad, Ricketts argued that the only difference between medical and recreational marijuana is the terminology.

Representatives from two other major petition drives reported Friday that their respective signature-gathering efforts are going well. Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, a sponsor of Raise the Wage Nebraska, said he expects to have an update in a couple of weeks on the petition to increase the states minimum wage.

Roscoe Ricketts, an associate with the political consulting group Axiom Strategies, said the Citizens for Voter ID petition drive is on track for hitting its signature target. The petition seeks a constitutional amendment requiring people to show valid photo identification before voting. Roscoe Ricketts is the governors son.

<&rule>

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
IAA Credit Union announces quarter artist

BLOOMINGTON  The IAA Credit Union in Bloomington has announced Deanna Moore Schoolcraft as their artist of the quarter.

Schoolcraft grew up on a grain and dairy farm in McLean County. She has been drawing and painting Illinois prairie and farmscapes since she was a kid. She is also a member of Oil Painters of America.

For the past 15 years, Schoolcraft has been spending her time painting "en plein air," which is a French term meaning "in the open air." Many of the paintings in the collection began with a plein air study; a prize often hard-won, as she often struggled with wind, rain, humidity, heat and mosquitoes. She has witnessed some of nature's most amazing displays and many stories of encounters with deer, eagles, coyotes and curious bystanders. With each painting in the collection she is able to recall every detail of that day she spent trying to record what she saw.

Schoolcraft works hard to develop paintings that speak to both herself and others about the beauty that exists on Earth. Though there are no mountain vistas here, palm trees or beaches, there is sky and streams. schoolcraft aims for viewers to see the unique beauty of the Midwest.

Schoolcraft's work will be on display in the IAA Credit Union main lobby at 808 IAA Drive in Bloomington through May and June.

Visit deanamooreschoolcraft.com for more.

Heartland Theatre to return with "The Campout"

NORMAL  Heartland Theatre Company, 1110 Douglas St., One Normal Plaza, Community Activity Center, will return with their annual 10-minute play festival in June.

The winning plays were announced in April of 2020 and can now be staged in person. "The Campout" opens Thursday, June 2 with a pay-what-you-can preview performances and will continue through June 25.

The play is sponsored by Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell.

The eight 10-minute plays are directed by Robert Fulton, Dave Krostal, John D. Polling and Rich Tinaglia. The actors in the plays include Jason Cook, Pattie Geske, Lisa Howard, Kendall Katz, Douglas Malcolm, Jennifer Maloy, Natalia Maloy, Chuck Pettigrew, Lynda Rettick, Opal Virtue, Russ Wolf and Bill Zorn.

The winning plays include Big Bear Lake, Campfire Stories, Marshmallows and Old Flames, Rolling My Own, Stand Easy, Stanger, The Other Side, The Stream and Wandering Steps and Slow.

Performances will be June 2-4, 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. Matinees will be on Sunday, June 19 and Saturday, June 25 at 2 p.m. There will be two shows on June 25.

Tickets are $17 general admission, $15 for senior and military, and $7 for students. Email boxoffice@heartlandtheatre.org to book a reservation or book online.

All audience members are required to wear masks and be vaccinated.

Visit heartlandtheatre.org for more information.

Lincoln Presidential Library to present the minds behind "Stories of Survival"

SPRINGFIELD  The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will have Arielle Weininger and Jim Lommasson from "Stories of Survival" to explain why they took on the challenge and how they pulled it off during a special online event at 7 p.m. on May 5.

The event will be available to view on the ALPLM Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Weininger is the chief curator at Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which created "Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory." Lomasson is an award-winning photographer. Together they developed the exhibit for the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie.

"Stories of Survival focuses on objects that people took with them during the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia and Rwandan genocide. The objects  from teddy bears to typewriters to recipes  are displayed along with photos on which people have written their stories of survival.

Weininger and Lommasson will discuss how the project was inspired by an earlier Lommasson book, What We Carried: Fragments from the Cradle of Civilization, about Iraqi and Syrian refugees. Theyll explain the Holocaust Museums collection and the process of finding survivors (or their descendants) willing to share painful memories. Theyll also take questions from the online audience.

Their online presentation is part of the ALPLMs For the People series that puts the spotlight on bold thinkers with unique insights into the people of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The exhibit at the museum is available through January 22, 2023 and is included with regular admission price.

Visit PresidentLincolnIllinois.gov or ilholocaustmuseum.org for more information.
During and since my time as an active-duty officer in the Army, I have devoted much time and energy to protecting military service members from financial predators. Last year I focused on the passage of the Predatory Lending Prevention Act (PLPA), and the nationwide repeal of a Comptroller of the Currency rule that protected payday lenders using evasive schemes to get around state-imposed usury rate caps. While those efforts were successful, there is more to do.

Recently, I took notice of a bill in the Illinois Legislature, HB 4627, which would allow the owners of self-storage locker facilities to avoid altogether the required public notice of the auction of renters items when his or her belongings have been confiscated. Those auctions often take place without the knowledge of the renter, who might be overseas defending our country or assisting fellow citizens falling victim to natural disasters. Illinois law requires owners to notify renters of an auction only by sending notice to the renters last known address.

A deeper look into Illinois Self Storage Facility Act reveals a law that is astonishingly lopsided in favor of locker owners to the detriment of renters. It is a law in need of reform.

Whether the renter is active-duty military, our neighbors in the military Reserve or National Guard called to duty, a victim of eviction, or a victim of a house fire, every effort must be made to locate the renter before selling what could be their worldly belongings. Public notice in newspapers and their attendant websites helps.

California law requires owners to allow renters to submit the name and address of a second individual to whom all notices must be sent. In addition, California law also allows renters to formally object to an auction after which the owner must get a court's blessing before proceeding. Illinois law should do the same.

Locker rent increases and late fees should be examined. How many rent increases should a renter endure after their belongings are in storage? Active-duty military or reservists and Guardsmen called to duty might find it impossible to competitively shop or even receive notice once deployed. The current law should be viewed from the perspective of the transient and the vulnerable, not from only the point of view of owners.

I am all too familiar with real-life cases in which deployed service members have lost literally everything when storage facility owners sell off their possessions. I am sure that, given these difficult times, many other Illinoisans have suffered or will suffer the same.

There are several other changes in Illinois law that could help protect the renters of storage lockers. Many of those changes have been proposed by my colleagues, including the Woodstock Institute, Chicago Urban League, Housing Action Illinois, and Legal Action Chicago. Those changes include several provisions that would benefit renters and help provide a balance between the rights of renters and owners. I urge legislators to not only reject HB 4627 but to reform Illinois Self Storage Facility Act as soon as possible.

Retired Army Col. Paul Kantwill serves as founding executive director of the Rule of Law Institute at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He previously led the office of Servicemember Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He had a 25-year career as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Army and served in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
NORMAL  Illinois State University tuition will increase next year for the first time in three years. With fees increase, the cost for a full time undergraduate student, before financial aid, will be $26,335 a year.

The ISU Board of Trustees voted on the increase at their May board meeting on Friday.

This is never easy to do. I dont want to speak for the entire board but I believe everybody on this board is very cognizant of the cost of higher education today, and especially here at Illinois State. I tend to believe I am one of the more fiscally conservative members of this board (...) but I am going to support this resolution, Trustee Rocky Donahue said.

The total cost is increasing from $25,465 last year, an increase of 3.42%. That includes a 2.75% increase in both undergraduate and graduate tuition, a 3% increase in mandatory fees and the outreach fee and a 3% to 4.5% increase in room and board costs. Room and board increased by 3% last year.

Under state law, undergraduate students have their tuition locked in for four years, so most current students will not be affected by the tuition increase. They will, however, face higher fees.

This is the first time since 2016 the board has increased tuition and mandatory fees at the same time.

This is a very difficult decision on the part of all of us, we did not take this lightly, Board Secretary Kathryn Bohn said. We asked a lot of questions, we asked them to reform some things, that they did, and I appreciate the work that theyve done in answering our questions.

Speaking with reporters after the meeting, ISU President Terri Goss Kinzy said the increase will help cover increased costs of goods and services. Many institutions have not yet decided on tuition for next year but Kinzy said that from what she has seen, it looks like most will be increasing costs.

Room and board costs will go up by 4.5% increase for most campus housing and a 3% increase for the Cardinal Court Apartments. Semester rates vary from $2,871 per person for a multi-occupancy dorm room to $6,155 per person for a two-bed, two-bath Cardinal Court apartment with two residents.

Trustee Robert Navarro was the lone no vote. He indicated he would vote against the resolution during discussion, saying he appreciated the work university staff had put into changes to the proposal at the boards request, but that it had not gone far enough for him to support it.

New programs

The board gave its final approval for establishing a new College of Engineering with two departments, electrical and mechanical engineering. The move allows university staff to start recruiting for administrative positions, including the dean and two department chairs. The college received state approval from the Illinois Board of Higher Education in March.

Further votes from various bodies, including the Board of Trustees and IBHE, will be needed for specific degree programs. The university plans to offer three Bachelor of Science degrees, in general engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.

The board also approved spending up to $3 million on pre-construction fees for the new college's expected future space in the John Green Building, with some offices in the Carter Harris Administration Building. The buildings are just west of the intersection of Main and Gregory on the north end of campus.

The total renovation is expected to cost $50 million.

After the meeting, Kinzy said that she is not expecting major changes in the cost, in part due to the site selection. The John Green Building is largely storage with a few personnel located in it, and already has some helpful components, like loading docks.

The John Green Building is really a perfect place for a College of Engineering, she said.

Along with the College of Engineering, the board also approved three new masters degrees programs, in marketing analytics, public health and a STEM Master of Business Administration. The Master of Public Health will be an online program.

New housing and dining

The university will also be moving ahead with pre-construction services for a new housing project, replacing the former South Campus complex that was demolished in 2016. The board on Friday approved spending up to $8 million for the pre-construction services.

The new construction is expected to include 1,200 beds and a 700-seat dining center. Over the past 20 years, the university has lost more than 1,100 beds, accounting for 16% of its total capacity.

A similar project was in the works in 2019 but planning was put on hold in 2020 due to the pandemic. Then the plan had been for the project to be a public-private partnership. However, the new plan is for it to be completely university-owned, which is now expected to result in a lower total cost, the university said in a statement after the meeting.

The new building would primarily be used for providing space for more sophomores to live on campus, Vice President for Student Affairs Levester Johnson said. There is a requirement for all freshman and sophomores to live on campus, though exemptions are possible. More than 98% of freshman live on campus, but fewer than 80% of sophomores do.

Were essentially adding to our capacity just to meet our live-in requirement, Vice President for Finance and Planning Dan Stephens said.

The additional beds would also be valuable for transfer students, helping to ease their transition to the ISU campus, Kinzy said after the meeting. International students would similarly benefit.

The entire project is expected to cost $185 million, including $150 million for the residence hall and $35 million for the dining center. Funds would come from the Auxiliary Facility System.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated when fees last increased.

Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter:@connorkwood

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
SPRINGFIELD  Perhaps the biggest news affecting state government this week came not from Springfield but from Washington, D.C.

That news was an unprecedented leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision Roe v. Wade. That cases precedent protects access to abortion during the first two trimesters of pregnancy and gives states only limited authority to regulate it.

While the leaked draft isnt final and might not be for months, Illinois Democrats pointed out that, due to actions taken by lawmakers in the past five years, the law here is unlikely to immediately change should the decision be repealed.

The Reproductive Health Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2019, enshrined abortion as a fundamental right within state law. In December, he signed a repeal of a law that required abortion providers to notify the parents of a minor who will be undergoing the procedure.

Those followed a 2017 law signed by Republican former Gov. Bruce Rauner that allowed for state-funded Medicaid coverage of abortions and cemented abortion protections in the event Roe v. Wade is overturned.

The draft opinion would give regulatory authority of abortions back to the states, which means future legislatures could consider rolling back protections.

While its a longshot that the GOP would unseat enough supermajority Democrats in the General Assembly to have a chance at repealing some of the states recent abortion actions, its worth looking at the records of the GOP challengers vying in the June 28 primary for a one-on-one shot at Pritzker in November.

One noticeably silent candidate this week was the man in the money lead, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, whose running mate is one of the General Assemblys staunchest abortion foes.

The Irvin campaign, normally active with news releases daily, issued none on Tuesday in the wake of the Supreme Court leak. The campaign still hasnt addressed the draft decision, instead waiting until the court opinion is final, which could come after the primary election.

It did, however, receive another $25 million donation from former Rauner backer and GOP megadonor Ken Griffin, bringing its total received from Griffin to $45 million. From January to March, Irvin spent nearly $12 million and has maintained a constant presence on the airwaves since then.

Thats allowed him to reach the broader Illinois audience while remaining mum on most issues, including abortion. His campaign website lists only the issues of crime, taxes and corruption.

The clearest window into his abortion stance came when he told Fox Chicagos Mike Flannery in February he was Pro-life...You know, there are always exceptions: rape, incest, life of the mother. Amid a follow-up question from Flannery, Irvin ended the 15-minute interview which his campaign said had gone on longer than interviews with other TV stations.

His campaign said that stance has been consistent, but it didnt respond directly to questions Friday. He has also said publicly he would seek to reinstate the parental notice law that was repealed last year, which would require lawmaker action.

Further insight can be gained from the record of his running mate, Rep. Avery Bourne, a Republican from Morrisonville who has served in the General Assembly since 2015. She was a staunch and vocal no vote on all three of the abortion expansion measures mentioned above.

Two other candidates  Darren Bailey and Jesse Sullivan  issued Tuesday news releases that noted they would seek to roll back some of the recent state abortion measures, which would also require lawmaker action.

Sullivan, a venture capitalist from downstate Petersburg, attributed the potential Roe v. Wade decision to the power of prayer. He spent nearly $2.5 million from January through March and had $8 million cash on hand, which has allowed him to maintain a TV presence.

Our prayers, our persistence, and our patriotism could save millions of lives for generations to come, he said in a statement. We must put an end to late-term, partial birth abortions. We must put an end to taxpayer-funded abortions. We must bring back parental notification for minors.

His campaign didnt respond to questions asking for more specifics.

Bailey, a state senator from Xenia who gained notoriety for challenging Pritzkers pandemic executive orders in court, said in a statement on Twitter that he would continue to pray for life and our nation and would support policies and groups that help empower women with real options and save lives.

Of the three most recent abortion expansions, he was in office for two of them, voting no. His statement specifically mentioned rolling back taxpayer funded abortions and reinstating parental notice, which would again require lawmaker action.

His campaign pointed to an April appearance in Chicago, covered by the Chicago Sun-Times, in which Bailey said the mothers life is always important when asked if abortion should be allowed if the mother is in danger.

You know I dont personally consider that abortion, Bailey said, according to the Sun-Times. Many times, theres a medical procedure that has to take place and theres a choice of life. So, in those instances, I would always obviously lean towards the life of the mother.

He has received endorsement from anti-abortion groups Illinois Family Action, Illinois Federation for Right to Life and Illinois Citizens for Life. Hes also received $3.5 million from another major GOP donor, businessman Richard Uihlein, and spent about $1 million in the first quarter of 2022.

Gary Rabine, a Bull Valley businessman who owns a paving company and has engaged in anti-vaccine conspiracies, said on Twitter he is unapologetically pro-life, likening abortion to murder. My call to his campaign, which spent $314,000 in the first quarter, was not returned Friday.

Paul Schimpf, a former state senator from Waterloo, did not issue a statement or respond to questions. But he was in office for the Medicaid funding expansion and Reproductive Health Act passage, both of which he opposed. His campaign spent $130,000 in the first quarter.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Billionaire Ken Griffin has upped his investment in Aurora Mayor Richard Irvins Republican bid for governor, kicking in an additional $25 million to the campaign after seeding Irvins candidacy with an initial $20 million, state campaign finance records show.

By doubling his financial commitment to Irvin, Griffin appears to be showing confidence in a campaign strategy that has been high in the use of TV ads and mailers while low in public contact and visibility.

Griffin, founder and CEO of the Citadel hedge fund, is the states wealthiest person with a net worth of $26.7 billion, according to Forbes. He is an ardent foe of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and the nations wealthiest elected politician with a net worth estimated at $3.6 billion, according to Forbes.

Griffin gave Irvins campaign $20 million shortly after the Aurora mayor announced his candidacy in mid-January.

Recent campaign finance reports show Irvins outlay on advertising in the first quarter was about equal to Pritzkers.

The governor, who spent $171 million of his own money to defeat wealthy first-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018, has put $125.5 million of his own money into his reelection campaign, including a $90 million deposit in January.

Griffin gave Rauner $11.5 million in his successful 2014 campaign for governor and another $22.5 million in his losing effort four years later. Griffin also spent $53.75 million to successfully fight Pritzkers proposed graduated-rate income tax constitutional amendment. Pritzker spent $58 million on that failed effort.

Even before backing Irvin, Griffin had vowed to go all in against Pritzkers reelection. Irvin is among five major contenders for the GOP nomination in the June 28 primary, along with businessmen Gary Rabine of Bull Valley and Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.

Last month, Baileys campaign got a cash infusion of $2.5 million from another billionaire, conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein of the Uline office supply firm. Uihlein had previously given Bailey $1 million and has also given $1 million to an independent expenditure committee supporting Bailey and opposing Irvin.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
When Roe v. Wade is overturned by a Supreme Court filled with Republican appointees, there will still be abortions in the U.S., even in the states where abortion will become illegal.

Women of financial means have always had access to abortions even before Roe. They have the means to travel to where they can get a safe and legal abortion. For poor women, the only option will be illegal abortion.

By definition, there are no safety or medical restrictions on illegal abortions. Making abortion illegal does not stop it. Across the world, countries where there are more legal restrictions on abortion also tend to have higher unintended pregnancy rates and consequently abortion rates comparable to countries where there are fewer restrictions.

Roe was based upon the premise that people have a right to privacy in their personal decisions. To overturn Roe represents a slippery slope. Supreme Court decisions granting access to birth control, overturning state sodomy laws that made homosexual behavior illegal, and recognizing same sex marriage were all premised on a right to privacy inferred from the liberty clause of the 14th Amendment. To strike down Roe undermines all other decisions involving a right to privacy.

The irony is that the party that brags about being the defender of personal freedom is the party that orchestrated this assault on womens right to privacy. The Republican Party is the party of big lies. All of the Trump appointees claimed that they believed Roe to be settled law when asked about it in their confirmation hearings. They all lied. No new facts have come to light to force a reconsideration of Roe. Trump appointed them because he knew they would overturn Roe.

The leader of the Republican Party has no respect for womens rights for privacy, the constitution, or the truth.

John B. Pryor, Bloomington

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 1
EUREKA-On April 11, the Eureka Chapter of P.E.O International, a philanthropic education organization, held its first hybrid In-person/Zoom meeting. The gavel was passed from Susan Argo who maintained and strengthened this organization during the Covid pause to Marj Crowe the current president.Crowe agreed to discuss the past, present, and future aspirations of this organization.

What is P.E.O.?

P.E.O.s primary mission is to promote educational opportunities for women. We raise money for scholarships, grants, and loans, and we support Cottey College, a four-year womans school in Nevada, MO.

How long has P.E.O been an organization?

P.E.O. was founded on the Campus of Iowa Wesleyan College in 1869 making it one of the oldest womens organizations in the country. It was started by seven 14- through 18-year-old female students who had the gumption to begin their own society to maintain their strong friendship and assist others. Their first philanthropy was designed to help women continue their education at a time when only men were encouraged to go to college. Their spirit of sisterhood continues to this day as P.E.O. has expanded to 6,000 chapters in the US and Canada comprising over one-half million women. Given the young age of its founders, its remarkable how much this organization has grown. Our local chapter was founded in Eureka in 1954 by thirteen women, making this our 68th year.

How did your local chapter manage during the pandemic?

We received a lot of guidance from the International Chapter. Of course, P.E.O had already overcome substantial challenges during the 1918 pandemic and the two World Wars. P.E.O. International taught us how to embrace technology and created a lot of resources for us to draw upon. As a result, under our past presidents leadership, we emerged more resilient, productive, and connected than before.

Why do you feel the chapter is stronger today?

Well, for example, in the past few years we helped two Eureka High School women graduates receive Star Scholarships of $2,500 each; we helped a number of women obtain 2% educational loans; and we helped a recent graduate from an area school receive a scholarship to Cottey College.

We maintained contact with each other (we call each other sisters) through monthly zoom meetings and outdoor lunches and we made monthly drop-offs of goodies for the homebound. Many of our sisters had lost friends and family during this period, so we joined together for an online memorial service, after which there was a collective sigh.

Now that the pandemic is waning, what do you hope to do in the future?

Our theme this year is Raise the Bar to the Stars. We want to find more women that we can assist with P.E.O. financial aid for education. We want to recruit more women from diverse backgrounds to join us in our mission. We want to continue to train our members to use technology effectively, and to strengthen our own leadership skills so that we can benefit both P.E.O. and our community. We want to make ourselves know as an organization that is equipped to help our community.

How does P.E.O. support our community?

In addition to the Star Scholarship and Educational Loan Fund, P.E.O. has developed grants and scholarships designed to help women throughout all the stages in their lives. For example, we have a grant for women returning to school called the Program for Continuing Education, and a grant to support women from other countries to get their education in the US, called the International Peace Scholarship. The Illinois Chapter of P.E.O. makes funds available to help senior women who are trying to stay in their homes, and for people who have met an unexpected financial crisis. We are always looking for ways to help local organizations and people in our community.

Who should people contact if they would like more information?

They can call or email Marj Crowe, 309-645-5348, mothermarj7@gmail.com, or they can access the P.E.O. International website at https://www.peointernational.org.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The European Union has proposed to ban all oil imports from Russia by the end of the year and remove Russia's biggest bank, Sberbank, from the SWIFT international payments network.



Russia is the world's second-biggest crude oil exporter, and last year accounted for about 27% of EU oil imports. The United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia have already banned imports.



Speaking on Wednesday, May 4, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the measures would form part of a sixth round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.



"We now propose a ban on Russian oil," she said during a speech to the European Parliament.



"Let's be clear: it will not be easy. But we simply have to work on it. We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, to maximize pressure on Russia, while minimizing the impact on our own economies."



She added that Crude oil supply would be phased out within six months, and imports of refined oil products from Russia by the end of 2022.



News of the proposal, which still needs the approval of all EU member states, increased crude oil prices by more than 3.5% to $109 a barrel.



EU countries have already agreed to phase out importation of Russian coal but find it hard agreeing to phase out importation of oil despite weeks of talks.



Slovakia and Hungary reportedly want to exempted from any ban on Russian energy.



"We do not see any plans or guarantees on how a transition could be managed based on the current proposals, and how Hungary's energy security would be guaranteed," Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs posted on Twitter.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Elon Musk's decision to accept some foreign investors as part of his $44 billion buyout of Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) runs the risk of inviting the kind of regulatory scrutiny over U.S. national security that social media peer TikTok faced, legal experts say.



Musk disclosed on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and Binance, the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange founded by Chinese native Changpeng Zhao, were part of a group of investors that will help him fund the acquisition of Twitter. read more



This could give the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) an opening to scrutinize the deal for potential national security risks, six regulatory lawyers not involved in the transaction and interviewed by Reuters said. CFIUS is a panel of government agencies and departments that reviews mergers and acquisitions for potential threats to U.S. security.



"To the extent that Musk's proposed acquisition of Twitter includes foreign investment, it very well could fall under CFIUS jurisdiction," said Chris Griner, chair of law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP's national security practice.



A spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury Department, which chairs CFIUS, declined to comment on whether the national security panel planned to scrutinize Musk's Twitter deal.



Spokespeople for Musk, bin Talal, Qatar and Binance did not immediately respond to requests for comment.



Former President Donald Trump's administration turned to CFIUS in 2020 in a bid to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to divest the short video app. His successor Joe Biden abandoned that effort after ByteDance agreed to changes on how the data of U.S. users are stored and protected.



The regulatory lawyers interviewed by Reuters said the risk of CFIUS blocking Musk's deal is small because he will control Twitter under the proposed takeover and the foreign investors are acquiring relatively small stakes.



They added that their assessment would change were Musk to give the foreign investors influence over the company, through a seat on its board or other means.



The risk is not negligible, however, given that the business of handling personal data by social media companies such as Twitter is typically viewed as critical infrastructure by CFIUS, the lawyers said.



"One of the items that's considered sensitive personal data, is non-public electronic communications. So that would be email, messaging or chat communications between users. Twitter allows you to do that," law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP partner Richard Sofield said.



One area of potential scrutiny for CFIUS, the lawyers said, could be Musk's business dealings with foreign governments hostile to free speech or keen to overtake the United States technologically. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), the electric car maker he leads, relies heavily on China, for example, to manufacture and sell its vehicles.



China blocked Twitter in 2009 but many Chinese officials have been active on the social media platform. Some of them have complained that the company's efforts to restrict misinformation have targeted them unfairly.



"One of the considerations would be whether or not there will be an opportunity for China to leverage its business activity in order to achieve a desired outcome," Sofield added.



There is precedent for CFIUS shooting down a deal based on the risk that an acquirer's business ties could compromise them, the lawyers said. Trump blocked chip maker Broadcom Inc's (AVGO.O) $117 billion acquisition of U.S peer Qualcomm Inc 2018 after CFIUS raised concerns about the deal.



Broadcom was a publicly listed company with U.S. shareholders that was headquartered in Singapore, but the White House fretted that Broadcom's relationship with "third-party foreign entities" would set the U.S. back in its technology race with China.



Nevena Simidjiyska, a regulatory lawyer at law firm Fox Rothschild LLP, said it was possible CFIUS would look into whether Musk or other U.S. investors in the Twitter deal can be influenced by foreign entities in a similar way.



"CFIUS may determine that even U.S. investors in Twitter fall under CFIUS review if they are controlled by foreign parties," Simidjiyska said.



Musk's Twitter deal does not face the most common type of regulatory risk seen in mergers and acquisitions  pushback from antitrust regulators. The world's richest man has no media holdings, and regulatory experts have said they do not expect the deal to face significant antitrust scrutiny.

Source: REUTERS









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
U.S. Black doctors face discrimination based on race: report

Xinhua) 10:12, May 06, 2022

NEW YORK, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Black doctors across the United States commonly experience discrimination, ranging from micro-aggressions to career-threatening disciplinary actions, reported The Associated Press last week.

"Biases, conscious or not, can become magnified in the fiercely competitive hospital environment," said the report based on multiple interviews with Black medical professionals, noting that the underrepresentation of Black doctors can discourage them from speaking up.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Black doctors made up just 5 percent of active physicians in the United States in 2018. People who identified as Black alone represented 12.4 percent of the total U.S. population, according to the 2020 U.S. census.

For the 2021-2022 academic year, 8.1 percent of students enrolled in medical schools identified as Black alone. The medical school association and the National Medical Association in 2020 announced an initiative to address the scarcity of Black men in medicine.

The American Medical Association, the country's largest, most influential doctors' group, is also trying to attract Black students to medicine, working with historically Black colleges and universities and helping secure scholarships, according to its president Gerald Harmon.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Mr. Adraku Tawia Elijah, the overall best Electrical and Electronic Engineering student at the 14th Congregation of the Sunyani Technical University, is the latest recipient of Kasapreko's 'Student Leadership Awards.



Mr Adraku-Tawia was awarded a laptop, a commemorative plaque, a cash prize of GHC 2,000 and also a National Service opportunity with Kasapreko Company Limited.



The "Student Leadership Awards" scheme, instituted by one of Ghana's leading beverage manufacturers, aims at strengthening industry and academic collaboration thus offering students a practical platform through which they can apply skills acquired.



Speaking at the 14th congregation, Mr. Adraku Tawia lauded Kasapreko for their package, which he said would be an inspiration for him as he aspires to hit greater heights.



"I want to thank Kasapreko for their kind gesture and this package, which will inspire me as I strive to achieve excellence. I am hopeful of making the necessary as I step out into the world of work and contribute my quota to the development of Ghana, "he said.



Mr. Solomon Owusu Bonnah, Human Resources Manager at Kasapreko Company Limited, said that the scheme forms part of Corporate Social Responsibility and the quest to honour thriving students in the fields of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.



Dr. Samuel Wiafe, the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, was grateful to KCL for setting up the awards scheme to motivate students.



He, however, appealed to KCL to support the institution of a graduate school structure.



I want to thank Kasapreko for this laudable initiative, but I will entreat them to support the establishment of a graduate school structure that has been planned.



"I would also urge Adraku-Tawia to make good use of this opportunity offered by Kasapreko and make the necessary impact in the field of engineering.



KCL was established in 1989 by Dr. Kwabena Adjei to provide quality drinks at an affordable price to all Ghanaians and has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has underlined the role of faith in his upbringing and his professional life as a lawyer and politician.



According to him, his Christian faith has largely police how he has acted in professional fields which has, in turn, influenced heavily his vision for Ghana and Africas transformation.



He shared the role of religion and church-going while he was growing up and how he applied religious values, especially in his politics.



My own parents, as you can imagine, were staunch Presbyterians. I was baptised a Presbyterian, and became an Anglican, much to the vehement protests of my parents, as a result of the secondary school I attended in England.



Let us say I became enamoured with the rituals, daily Matins and Evensong, and the additional Sunday Eucharist, which were constant features of my four-year stay at school in Lancing, he narrated while delivering a lecture in the United States.



The specific event was the inaugural Africa lecture by the Museum of the Bible in Washington.



With respect to the role of religion in his legal practice, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said: often in law practice, things are not quite as cut and dried as they would seem or as one would wish.



"There would be times when no amount of experience or intellectual rigour would prepare you for the vicissitudes of the legal playground. On such occasions, it helps to be able to hark back to your faith and maybe the sound of your mother singing that ancient hymn: Who is on the Lords side? It helps to be on the Lords side when you purport to seek or arbitrate for justice among humans.



On the political landscape, he recounted the role of faith in keeping him resolute in seeking the high office of the land at a time it had become cliche that he was never going to ascend to that office.



It took three tries between 2008 and 2016 for me to get elected. By which time, the popular catchphrases of Akufo-Addo cannot be President, God does not want Akufo-Addo to be President, Akufo-Addo is short, and does not have the stature to be President, had become so prevalent, you had to be firmly rooted in your faith to have had the courage to persist.



He continued: I committed that third election campaign to God, and indicated to the Ghanaian people that The Battle is the Lords. By Gods grace, I won a famous victory against an incumbent President by a gap of nearly a million votes.



"The largest margin of victory for two decades. And, by the same Grace, I won re-election in the December 2020 elections, and I am now in my second and last term as President.



He added that his political struggles prior to 2016 were a testament to the Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 19 verse 26 which says: with man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has disagreed with lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloes description of Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, as a dishonest person.



Kpebu,was not happy that the two learned colleagues - a senior and junior - will be at each other's neck after they both argued legally before the Supreme Court Justice in the application for an injunction on the implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy.)



He said, Godfred Dame's description of the happenings in court as an embarrassing spectacle has become a cliche within the legal fraternity.



He noted that practicing lawyers are used to the AG's description because it is what we hear in court every day - as it has become the standard language and practice in court.



When I listened to the Attorney Generals words that they were embarrassing, as I have already told you, we say incompetent, hopeless, full of conjectures, it sounded more like what we hear in court every day, Martin Kpebu said.



To him, the lawyer for the applicants in the E-Levy injunction case, Edudzi Tamakloe's furious response to the AG was below par.



To be very frank...I thought that you should have stopped him because to say that the AG is dishonest, no, you should have stopped himThat went too far and even I thought that to the extent that the AGs comment had come earlier, if someone was coming to respond, you would guard against the very rules you are accusing the other person of breaching, Kpebu told Joy FM's Emefa Apawu on Top Story, Thursday, May 5.



The Attorney General had criticised the Minority in Parliament for failing to adduce evidence in court on Wednesday over the claim of the illegal passage of the E-Levy on March 29.



He said, You saw what happened in court today. It was an embarrassing spectacle. The lawyer clearly was not able to demonstrate any form of irregularities with proceedings in Parliament. The court asked him, so is there any record that indicates that X number of MPs walked out at a certain stage?



He obviously said no, there was no evidence indicating whether there was a headcount of a number of MPs present in Parliament who voted to support the bill. There was also nothing indicated by the lawyer which suggests there was a walkout of X number of MPs, so I think we should ignore all that propaganda, Godfred Dame told the press after court proceedings.



But reacting to the AGs comment on Joy FM's Top Story, Thursday, May 5, Edudzi Tamakloe said, I am also describing his conduct as a very dishonest Attorney General.



He contended that, For the Attorney-General to invite journalists to his office and set himself up with the view of attacking my person and my professional competence, to that extent, I am entitled to say this our Attorney General has no regard for candour and honesty.



Unfortunately, this is the Attorney General that we have to contend with. He sees himself as more of an NPP propagandist than the Minister of Justice. I am not going to take that from him and it will never happen with me.



The Supreme Court by a unanimous 7-0 decision on Wednesday dismissed the application for an injunction against the implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).



The court also ordered the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to keep accurate records of all e-levy deductions to enable a refund to payees if it is later determined that the law was passed unconstitutionally.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe has expressed his discontentment with some comments made by the Attorney General Godfred Dame which he believes are personal attacks on his person.



Godfred Dame after court proceedings on May 4 on the case involving three NDC MPs who were seeking an injunction on the implementation of the E-levy said the NDC lawyer [Edudzi Tamakloe] was an embarrassing spectacle on the day.



He also questioned the basis for the application saying that "you do not go to court with speculations and conjecture".



Both comments seem to have upset the NDC lawyer.



In an interview with Accra-based Joy FM, Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe accused the Attorney-General of having no regard for candour and honesty.



He said he was not going to take any attack from the AG while additionally describing him as an NPP propagandist than a minister for justice.



He filled an affidavit disposing to the fact that 266 MPs approved E-levy. Clearly, he knew that the exhibit AG that he submitted in court was corrected and that correction was accepted by Parliament on the 31st.



If he has any regard for due diligence if he has any regard for candour and honesty and he wanted the court to have a full appreciation of what transpired in Parliament he ought to have brought [the corrected vote and proceedings]and we did that.



I didnt want to comment on this whole injunction until he decided to descend into the gutters. Unfortunately, this is the Attorney General that we have to contend with.



He sees himself more of an NPP propagandist than the minister of justice. I am not going to take that from him, Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe said.



Citing the comments made by Godfred Dame on the injunction application against Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson, he [Edudzi Tamakloe] continued that the AG was found to engaging in merit review of cases when the substantive issue has not been determined.



What is it that he knows? Lawyer Tamakloe quizzed.



We have had Attorney Generals of this Republic [sic]. This low, we have never had it. And let the record reflect.meif he tries it on me, I will go for him [if he tries that], he added amidst interjections from the host.







Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has urged Ghanaians to stop being petty about the implementation of the controversial E-Levy.



The E-levy was passed on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Parliament.



On Sunday, May 1st, 2022, the deduction of the E-levy took effect.



It has been reported that mobile money transactions have dropped since the deduction of the E-levy started.



Speaking on Atinka TVs morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Nana Obiri Boahen said Ghanaians must be sincere and accept the E-levy irrespective of the party they are affiliated to.



He was of the firm belief that the collection of the money will help Government generate enough revenue to develop the nation, therefore encouraging the public to accept it and rather demand accountability from the government.



Whether foreign transactions are being deducted or not, its governments way of generating money. So, if we want to be sincere with our country Ghana, we should not be so petty about the E-levy. I do not accept it because I am NPP, I accept it because it is a way the government will collect money to develop the country, he said.



Meanwhile, he also encouraged Ghanaians to keep their monies on their MOMO wallet and transact business through momo, saying it was safer and secure.



When you send money through momo, it is safe and secure. Last three weeks, some women were going to Burkina Faso to purchase tomatoes, robbers attacked them and took their monies. Even though the E-Levy is tax, if you send money and they deduct you, it is still secure. Imagine taking about GHC10,000 and putting it on you from Kumasi to Accra, it is not safe, he said.





Source: atinkaonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Mr Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to address conflicts and challenges impeding trade integration.



He said although the bloc had emerged as one of the most vibrant in the African Sub-region, it fell behind in the realisation of trade integration and the elimination of conflicts.



The Deputy Minister was addressing the opening of a regional sensitization workshop on the ECOWAS protocols in Ho on Thursday.



He said member states must endeavor to pursue the implementation of the protocols and policies toward the maintenance of peace and security.



ECOWAS, being better integrated than other Regional Economic Communities in Africa, does not imply that it has achieved total peace nor has the best infrastructure in the Sub-region, he said.



Rather this means that despite other challenges, the ECOWAS Member States continuously strive to ensure the implementation, at the national level, of the various community protocols, programmes and policies needed to connect the citizenry while trading in the Sub-region.



Mr Sarpong said member states should exploit comparative advantages in integrating their economies towards more efficient use of resources.



He called on participants to discuss security instability within the bloc because regional integration was inextricably woven into the fabric of peace and security rather than just an economic issue.



Being fully aware that economic development cannot be achieved in the absence of peace and stability, conflict in our backyard should concern us and motivate us not only to find solutions but also to prevent its spread, the Deputy Minister said.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Media Response and the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, facilitated the workshop.



It was attended by security services, state actors, civil society groups, and religious and traditional leaders.



Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, shared concerns over the pace of development of the regional bloc and expressed the hope that the workshop and similar initiatives would help attain the integration objectives.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Government, as part of efforts to compile a detailed and all-inclusive report on the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has held a consultative meeting with youth and childrens groups in Accra.



The engagement was to solicit input into the final 2022 Voluntary National Review (VNR) report on the SDGs ahead of the countrys 2nd presentation in July 2022.



World leaders in 2015 adopted the SDGs to address the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals.



As part of the follow-up and review mechanism for the SDGs, member states are encouraged to conduct voluntary, regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels to share experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.



Speaking at the meeting, Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, Chief Executive Officer, National Youth Authority (NYA), said the VNR was essential to the attainment of the SDGs and was a veritable tool to track the progress made by countries.



Importantly, they provide glimpses into how other countries are addressing the major barriers to the attainment of these goals to provide insight for other countries on how to tackle these challenges so that no country is left behind, he said.



Mr Hadzide said, with over 70 per cent of the Ghanaian population made up of youth and children, it was imperative that they were involved in the attainment of the SDGs.



To harness the potential of what Ghanas youthful population presents, he said, the SDG framework demanded that increased investments were made to ensure access to quality education, proper nutrition, health and well-being, gender equality, good jobs among other goals.



This has been the foundation of several government flagship programmes including the Free SHS policy and the Agenda for Jobs which encompasses initiatives such as the YouSTART initiative, the One District One Factory project, Planting for Food and Jobs, he added.



Ghana is among 45 countries expected to present their VNR at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, in July 2022.



It will be the countrys second VNR presentation on the SDGs since the implementation commenced in 2016, after its maiden presentation in 2019.



The consultative meeting, organised by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and partners, was aimed at reviewing the draft report and building consensus on innovative actions for the attainment of the SDGs.



Mr Hadzide said; This action, especially following the forced hiatus that the pandemic triggered since our maiden report in 2019, does not only show that our institutional mechanism for implementing and tracking SDG progress is resilient, it also signifies the assurance that Ghanas post-Covid development will be effected within the framework of the SDGs.



He said the consultation would ensure that the 2022 VNR accurately reflected the status of Ghanaian children and youth as far as the SDGs were concerned.



Dr Afisah Zakariah, Chief Director, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in a speech read on her behalf by Mrs Florence Ayisi Quartey, Acting Director, Department of Children, said despite the progress made by the country in improving the status of Ghanaian children, there were challenges that hindered progress which needed to be overcome to accelerate the pace to attain the SDGs in the stipulated time.



She called for patriotism and commitment toward the fulfilment of the rights of children because they were the future of the nation.



Goal 17 of the SDGs calls for partnerships for the goals and this will require multisectoral interventions such that all stakeholders in child protection need to work together with concerted efforts in addressing issues of children which will have a positive impact towards the achievement of the sustainable development goals by 2030, she added.



Ms Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, said even though the country had made significant strides toward achieving the SDGs, more investments were required in certain areas such as water and sanitation and education, to scale up the attainment process of the 2030 agenda.



We also need to make further efforts to improve Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and to make it relevant to the labour market, she said.



In relation to SDG 1, on poverty reduction, and SDG 10, on reducing inequalities, Ms Dufay noted, that three out of four children were still multi-dimensionally poor and faced extreme deprivation, urging inclusive access to basic services to address the challenge.



Dr Agnes Kayitankore, Deputy Country Representative, UNFPA assured of the organisation's commitment to working with and empowering young Africans.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Deputy Minister of Finance and MP for Ejisu, John A. Kumah has denied the trending news that he said any businessman who refuses to accept mobile money transactions will be arrested.



According to him, I never said Business owners who refuse to accept MOMO because of E-Levy will be arrested.



The Deputy Ministers reaction follows some reports credited to him.



However, reacting to reports, Dr. Kumah urged Ghanaians to kindly ignore such media publications that quoted him saying, business owners who refuse to accept MOMO because of E-levy will be arrested.



The Ejisu MP further explained that This information is false and misleading since I never uttered the words that are being attributed to me.



This can only be the handiwork of people who are bent on creating public dissatisfaction towards the Government and the E-levy.



He, however, entreats the public to double-check and make sure they source their information from credible sources.







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.

Featured Video
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has offered customers within the Krobo District five years repayment period to clear all their indebtedness to the company instead of the initial two-year arrangement.



Mr Emmanuel Akinie, ECG Tema Regional General Manager who announced this at a stakeholders engagement at Krobo-Odumase explained that the new repayment arrangement was a result of a series of meetings and pleas from the indebted customers, Management decided to extend the payment period.



He added that ECG Management had ring-fenced the debt instead of running to 2014, now the Krobo customers who are in debt have up to 2017 to clear the debt.



Mr Akinie said the ECG Management also decided to set aside the migrating of the existing debt unto the prepaid meters as often done, as a special offer for the Krobo customers.



One of the protocols is to migrate existing debt on the post-paid meters unto the prepaid meter which is then used to manage the debt, however, this protocol has been waived for customers within the Krobo district that is to say that ECG management has decided not to use the prepaid meters to manage the payment of the debt in Krobo District, he said.



However after recent engagements which also involved National Security and others, ECG Management has decided to reschedule the debt from two years to a period of five years, it is therefore expected that all customers will visit our office for debt schedule arrangement outside the prepaid meter install meters, he stated.



Mr Akinie said. they would sit down with every customer to determine how much must be paid on a monthly or weekly basis depending on how flexible it would be for the customer and ECG.



He disclosed that the Company had been undergoing the process of replacing all post-paid meters with pre-paid in the Krobo district with a pre-installation survey on about 3,000 meters in the Kpong and Kporgunor area, adding that the exercise would be extended to the other areas.



We also started with the physical prepaid installation sometime last week. So far as Wednesday, May 04, 2022, we have been able to install 25 prepaid meters for residential and non-residential customers, the team is continuing with the installation, he revealed.



According to him, the first 25 customers who were now using pre-paid meters in the district could testify to the effect that they had been able to purchase power successfully, an indication that their prepaid meters were not being used to manage the debts from the post-paid meters.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Ghana National Fire Service has called on the media to intensify education on the roles of the service in saving lives and property.



Western Regional Commander, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO1) Frederick Ohemeng, argued that personnel of the service had sacrificed and deserved the maximum support of the public.



He made the call at the celebration of the fourth International Fire Fighters Day held at the Regional Command at Fijai near Sekondi.



As part of the event, Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO)11 Reverend Andzie Quaicoo and ADO11 Musah Alhassan, led the personnel to pray for the Chief Fire Officer, firefighters who had lost their lives and Ghana Household Manufacturing Company (GHUMCO) firefighters who fell victims in a gas explosion in Takoradi a few years back.



ACFO Ohemeng led other officers to lay memorial coins at the cenotaph in remembrance of the gallant fighters.



He urged the media to highlight the immeasurable contributions of the personnel in appreciation for their support and values.



Condemning the several mob attacks on firefighters, he stressed that they must be eschewed, stressing, "it would only take education, awareness creation and knowledge in the public sphere to end it.



He recalled that firemen in the Region had equally fought in explosions and fire outbreaks including that of GHUMCO in Takoradi, Appiatse in the Prestea- Huni Valley Municipality and Asemase in the Shama District.



"In this part of the world, our work seemed to be less recognized with attacks and even destruction of our property, but we shall never be discouraged as greater love has no one than this: that we lay our lives of such people in times of distress, the Fire Commander added.



He added: We don't deserve hooting, insults and other abuses, but rather social support, respect and above all recognition for the important roles we play in society".



He said the Command would continue to dedicate their lives to communities in diverse ways to be able to achieve the overriding objective of saving lives and properties.



The International Fire Fighters Day originally celebrated on January 4, each year, was switched to May 4, to fall in line with Saint Florian, the patriot saint of firefighters of the then Roman Empire, who also lost his life in the line of duty in 300AD.



The day was inspired by the sacrifices of five gallant firefighters in Victoria in Australia who tragically died while fighting a bush fire on December 2,1988.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The management of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) on Thursday said it was working to rectify some challenges with the Nuri prepayment system (one of ECGs smart-prepayment systems).



Customers are for some time now, unable to use that smart meter to purchase power leading to the automatic cut-off of supply to them.



The ECG Management in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency at Tema stated that we are currently experiencing a technical challenge with the Nuri prepayment system (one of ECGs Smart-Prepayment systems resulting in customers inability to purchase or top up their prepaid credit.



The ECG assured the affected customers that its ICT team was working around the clock to rectify the challenge and restore the prepayment system to normalcy by the close of May 5, 2022.



Management expressed regret at the inconvenience caused by the challenge to its customers.



Meanwhile, Ms Sakyiwaa Mensah, ECG Tema Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Tema expressed concern about the behaviour of some Ghanaians who burn substances quite close to ECG Poles.



She noted that the replacement of the wooding poles cost the company huge sums of money which otherwise would have been channelled into other initiatives the country could have benefitted from.



Ms Mensah said that the loss of one electricity wooden pole could affect a lot of people in a community as many people were connecting on a pole.



She, therefore, called for community watchdogs to help protect ECG installations including the wooden poles which served as transmission lines, If it is destroyed, we cannot transmit power to the residents.



Ms Mensah, also explained that any unscheduled interruption in power supplies affected both industrial and domestic customers negatively, given this, we must all police ECG properties within our communities at all times.



ECG urgently needs the public to serve as a watchdog to help prevent recalcitrant individuals from causing loss to the companys property, we must all be vigilant at all times and if in doubt challenge personalities around ECG installations.



She admitted that the customers were suffering and the work could not have been done alone by the company hence the need for the public to help protect the properties.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Three persons have been arrested by the Northern Regional Police Command with weapons at Kukuabila near Nasia in the west mamprusi municipality of the North East region.



The suspects Amadu Alhassan, a native of Tamale, Atito Godstime, and Seidu Ado Bala both Nigerian Nationals were arrested with a loaded Ak47 riffle, a foreign-made pistol and ammunition concealed in the vehicle that they were travelling with.



The Northern Region Crime Officer, Supt. Bernard Baba Ananga, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects to DGN Online said preliminary investigations suggested that they were planning a robbery.



According to him, the suspects are being investigated to ascertain reason why they were in possession on the firearms.



He also indicated that during their interrogation, the suspects mentioned some individuals who maybe linked to the case and that police will invite the individuals to assist in investigations.



However, the suspects have been arraigned before the Tamale Circuit court and have been remanded into police custody to reappear on May 20,2022.



They have been charged with illegal possession of firearm.





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.

Featured Video
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has revealed that during the Second World War, the Asante Kingdom bought two aircrafts for Britain in support of the Empire war effort.



Delivering a lecture on "Contemporary challenges in US and Africa relations" at the University of Memphis, in the United States of America Thursday evening [May 5, 2022], the Asantehene said Asanteman was able do that because of its financial power.



"The natural resources of our lands, in gold and timber, and the individual energy and drive of our people as they applied themselves to cocoa farming have been at the forefront of the economic development," he told his audience at the Rose Theatre of the University, which included academics, students, university administrators, and some members of the Ghana Community in Memphis.



Expansion



Expatiating on the power of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu said at its peak, it covered an area stretching to the Republic of Benin.



"Some of our people had migrated to the Ivory Coast, and now constitute about a quarter of the countrys population. That group produced the great man acknowledged as the Father of modern Ivory Coast, Felix Houphoet-Boigney and another former President Konan Bedie."



He said it is not difficult to appreciate why the Asante Kingdom was of strategic importance to the colonial powers who sought to control Africa .



He said the British tried to subdue Asante Kingdom " but we successfully fought off attempts at colonial conquest and remained fiercely independent until the beginning of the last century when King Prempeh I was taken into exile and Asanteman agreed to be integrated into the Gold Coast under British rule."



"We have been resolute and true to our integration into the new nation state which is now the Republic of Ghana and have been unflinching in our determination to ensure its continuing prosperity," he stated.



Tensions



Otumfuo Osei Tutu said on the onset of independence tensions arose between Asanteman and the leadership of the independence movement. "For a while they were as eager as any to welcome the dawn of freedom from foreign rule, the history and traditions of Asante obliged them to be more concerned about the institutional structure of the new state. "



He said Asantes had always been absolutely loyal to their king, as the British realised when King Prempeh was first detained. "Wherever he was kept within the Gold Coast or West Africa, his people were prepared to walk to try and rescue him. Eventually they had to send him across the oceans to the Island of Seychelles. Even then, the people waited for all the 25 years he was in exile until the British allowed him to return to Kumasi before they formally committed their loyalty to the Gold Coast."















Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has announced the shutdown of operations after aviation fuel reached an all-time high of N700 per litre.



Airline operations will be shut down across the country from Monday May 9, due to the skyrocketing cost of aviation fuel.



AON sympathized with passengers, adding that the current situation with Jet A1 has shot up the cost of operations to over 95 percent.



A letter written by AON President, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina, which was endorsed by the chief executives of all the domestic airlines and addressed to Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, read;



It is with a great sense of responsibility and patriotism that the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have carried on deploying and subsidizing their services to our highly esteemed Nigerian flying public in the last four months despite the steady and astronomical hike in the price of JetA1 and other operating costs.



Overtime, aviation fuel price (JetA1) has risen from N190 per litre to N700 currently. No airline in the world can absorb this kind of sudden shock from such an astronomical rise over a short period.



While aviation fuel worldwide is said to cost about 40% of an airlines operating cost globally, the present hike has shut up Nigerias operating cost to about 95%.



In the face of this, airlines have engaged the Federal Government, the National Assembly, NNPC and Oil Marketers with the view to bringing the cost of JetA1 down which has currently made the unit cost per seat for a one hour flight in Nigeria today to an average of N120,000.



The latter cannot be fully passed to passengers who are already experiencing a lot of difficulties.



While AON appreciates the efforts of the current government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure air transport in Nigeria grows, unfortunately, the cost of aviation fuel has continued to rise unabated thereby creating huge pressure on the sustainability of operations and financial viability of the airlines. This is unsustainable and the airlines can no longer absorb the pressure.



To this end therefore, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) hereby wishes to regrettably inform the general public that member airlines will discontinue operations nationwide with effect from Monday May 9, 2022 until further notice.



AON uses this medium to humbly state that we regret any inconveniences this very difficult decision might cause and appeal to travelers to kindly reconsider their travel itinerary and make alternative arrangements.

Source: LIB









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and majority leader of Parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, says he believes that his "Grand Pa" John Dramani Mahama won't scrap the E-levy policy as he captured in his "Ghana at Crossroads" lecture.



He explains that the former president will only continue to use the money for the development of the country as it is being started by President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he recounted how the NDC failed to cancel various money making policies that were introduced by the previous NPP government when they took power from them.



"It is captured in one of the parliamentary Hansard that the NDC was going to abolish the Communication Service Tax (CST) when they took power. But what did they do when they eventually won power?" he said.



According to him they increased it because they realized it was very beneficial to the development of the country.



"Like the developed countries, Ghana cannot be over dependent on other countries who are using tax to develop their country. We should find means to tax and use the money for the country's development. Whenever we go for cabinet meetings and other government functions, every body wants his or her road constructed whilst others demand for basic social amenities.



"How can we develop as a country when we always want to look to the west for money for the country's development. We should be self income generating country to be able to cater for our own infrastructural needs," he maintained.



As for my "Grand Pa" John Mahama, I am sure his insatiable quest to come to power is making him make promises he can't even fulfill, he said.



Watch video below





By a unanimous 7-0 decision, the Supreme Court has dismissed the application for an injunction against the implementation of the Electronic Transactions Levy (e-levy).The apex court has also directed the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to preserve the records generated since the levys implementation on May 1, 2022.In response to the ruling, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said he is satisfied with the Courts directive to the GRA until the substantive case is determined.The Tamale South MP described this part of the Supreme Courts ruling as refreshing and heartwarming.At least some people will not be in a rush to collateralize it until the substantive matter is determined. We raised this matter because it is of public interest, constitutional significance, he told the press after the ruling.

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
National Communication Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa wants Ghanaians to extend his partys tenure in government to another eight years.



He explains that Ghanas retrogress in national developments is due to inadequate time to oversee future developments.



This is what the NPP has been saying over the years. The maximum eight years in government is not enough, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie'.



According to Mr Buaben Asamoa, the NPP needs more time in government to ensure developments commenced by the Nana Addo-led administration will be fully completed by his successor.



Discussing former President Mahamas Ghana at Crossroads public lecture  the NPP National Communication Director said his party has been advocating for Crossroads in a positive way.



Ours is positive and not negative like what Mahama said, he told host Akwasi Aboagye.

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.

Featured Video
TV personality, Bridget Otoo, has jumped to the defence of the 2020 running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang amidst intensified calls for her to be changed in the 2024 general elections.



According to her, Professor Opoku-Agyemang is competent to fill the running mate slot.



She added that the former UCC Vice-Chancellor is also scandal-free  a situation she believes will inure to the electoral fortunes of the NDC should they field her again.



Bridget Otoo further stated that Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang courted support for John Mahama and the NDC thus any attempt to change her will be a disaster.



She was responding to a news item in which Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemangs said the running mate slot is not a preserve for only men.



I agree. But why would anyone want to change her? Shes an overqualified competent woman. Scandal free and has restored confidence and rallied women to believe in the NDC and increased the love for John Mahama. Any attempt to change her would be a disaster!



"Who doesnt want a scandal-free person?, Bridget Otoo posted on her Facebook timeline.





BackgroundDr. Obed Yao Asamoah in an interview with Accra-based Joy News said Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang did not help the NDCs fortunes in the Central Region, her home region.According to him, the former UCC Vice-Chancellor rather lost some Parliamentary seats.The lady [Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang] who is a running mate to Mahama lost the Central Region in the last election. Lost a whole constituency, he said.Dr. Obed Asamoah said it will be very disastrous for the NDC if NPP elects Alan Kyerematen as its candidate for the 2024 elections.This, he says, is because the current Trade and Industries Minister's maternal side hails from the Central region.Again pollster and managing editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Ben Ephson has advised former President John Dramani Mahama to change Professor Jane NaanaOpoku-Agyemang ahead of the 2024 elections if he wants to win.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Mr Stephen Harper, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada, says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is arguably the freest and most democratic society in Africa.



He explained that the NPP had enhanced the concept of free elections, rule of law, market orient to grow and Continental free trade in Africa.



"Since the advent of the fourth republic, Ghana has become a different and very kind of model for Africa one more in keeping with the international model of freedom and justice.



"Ghana is a safer, progressive and increasingly prosperous free democratic party under the NPP in particular," he said.



Mr Harper said this at a public lecture held in Accra by the Young Democrat Union of Africa (YDUA) themed: "Democracy and Geo-Politics: A Global Perspective on the Changing Dynamics of International Order."



He said political parties were the core infrastructure of democracy, as, without political parties, democracy was just a theory; adding that strong political parties turn broader into teams and turn ideas into platforms and policies and the NPP was doing just that.



"Any vibrant democracy has a strong centre-right party that is a strong party of conservatism which is arguably democracies of the philosophy," he said.



Mr Harper, who is also the Chairman of the International Democratic Union (IDU), said the organisation of the IDU and YDUA were vital in the development of political parties around the world.



He said Ghana was keeping the kind of law that IDU was founded on to defend and promote.



"The event by YDUA is one example of revitalisation of the Democratic Union Africa (DUA) that has been witnessed over the past seven years and Ghana's role in that revitalisation and the world should not be a surprise that Ghana is playing a leading role in Africa," he said.



According to Prime Minister Harper, as the first country to achieve independence in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana had served as an African Model since the days of Dr Kwame Nkurmah, Ghana's First Prime Minister.



He admitted that the theory of democracy had come under question in recent years due to technological and social changes, importantly the internet, smartphones and social media which had brought forth the true complexity of political opinion society.



"Also, consistent mistakes in public policy in western countries in recent years depriving working and middle-class citizens of some of the opportunities of previous generations," he said.



Mr Harper noted that the challenges of a democratic society were small and significantly they could be corrected through public debates, real changes in government and public policy.



"Indeed, we are on the path of change and what will be key if society produces a new generation of leaders. Leaders who will adopt the right and true values of conservative public policy and the challenges of our era," he said.



He, therefore, challenged African leaders to rejuvenate the youth to sustain the challenges and be free when times get tough and that challenges would be big, however, a free and democratic society was what ordinary people wanted given the choice.



Madam Louisa Atta-Agyemang, President of YDUA, said despite various failed regimes, the centre-right tradition had led Ghana for over two decades.



She said it had given time and room to build a series of tools that provided education, knowledge and information for crucial development and urged leaders to be reminded that their next political decision would affect the poor and marginalised in society.



"Let us be guided, let us remember that we have a continent to build with clear political dimensions," she said.



She advocated that the centre-right politics was the best alternative to building Africa.



Dr Holger Dix, Director of the Regional Programme Political Dialogue for Sub-Sahara Africa, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the centre-right was currently under threat following Ukraine and Russia's instability and that was exposing many threats to Africa, especially when Europe and Africa's relations would also be put to the test.



Dr Dix said the dialogue was timely to discuss the ongoing political conversation with and within Africa.



Mrs Akosua Frema Opare-Osei, Chief of Staff, Office of the President, said the NPP was making sure IDU values were passed on to the next generation of leaders through YDUA.



"With this, the capacity of African youth in democracy and the rule of law is built through a reference point as this lecture is serving," she said.



Mr Henry Nana Boakye, National Youth Organiser, NPP, called for youth capacity building to shape the global conversation of the youth.



He pledged NPP's continued commitment to playing an advocacy role toward a successful democratic process.



Mr John Boadu, General Secretary, NPP and the Deputy Chairman, DUA, lauded organisers for the theme said democracy and centre-right policies were at the heart of the union.



Economic inequalities, young people's participation in politics and the older generation mentoring the youth to lead were some of the leading discussions that the open forum centred around.



A youth Conference for members, an engagement with former President John Agyekum Kufour and stakeholders meeting with the Institute of Economic Affairs were some of the activities that preceded the lecture.



Participants came from Ghana, Tanzania, Cote D'Ivoire, Liberia, Morocco and Uganda.



The others were, Togo, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, and Namibia among others.



Citations were presented to Mrs Opare -Osei and Mr Harper for their efficient and effective leadership roles in their endeavours in an event that was supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the NPP.



YDUA is an alliance of centre-right political parties in Africa. Founded in Dakar, Senegal, in 1997, it is affiliated with the global IDU.



It has the primary aim of bringing together parties with similar objectives and political goals, such as the protection of democracy and individual liberty, from the whole of Africa, with its headquarters being found in Accra, Ghana.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Authoritarian Belarusian leader and Vladimir Putin's ally, Alexander Lukashenko, has defended the war in Ukraine but rallied against suggestions that Russia might use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.



Russian strongman, Vladimir Putin helped Lukashenko cling to power in 2020 after his widely disputed presidential re-election sparked mass protests in Belarus and Lukashenko returned the favor by backing Putin's invasion of Ukraine even allowing Russian forces use Belarus to launch the invasion into Ukranian territory.



In an interview with AP, published Thursday, May 5, Lukashenko said Russia's leader had no choice but to act because Ukraine was "provoking Russia".

"I am not immersed in this problem enough to say whether it goes according to plan, like the Russians say, or like I feel it.

"I want to stress one more time: I feel like this operation has dragged on."



Lukashenko said he wanted the war to end, claiming Belarus had "done and are doing everything" to stop it.



By calling it a war, Lukashenko refused to describe the invasion as a "special military operation", the term Moscow has used to describe its war effort.



When asked about possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Lukashenko said;



"It's unacceptable because it's right next to us", but added he did not know whether Russia intended to use them.



Belarus was already under Western sanctions following the 2020 election, and faces further sanctions from the West over its role in the conflict.



Out of the 193 UN member states, Belarus didn't join the 141 countries that condemned the war, with some major countries like China and India choosing to abstain.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kwabena Agyapong has said he does not think Ghana needs a new Constitution.



Some Ghanaians including members of the Economic Fighters League , have said the current constitution of Ghana is to blame for what they describe as, rot, suffering and ill-governance being experienced in the country, which according to them, gives life to retrogression and discrimination.



In a statement to mark Constitution Day, the Fighters said the 1992 Constitution was deliberately drafted, gazetted and adopted just to benefit a few elites.



The Fighters have been at the forefront of the demand for a new constitution saying the current one has put Ghanaians through 30 years of retrogressive governance, constitutional dictatorship, poverty and underdevelopment.



To buttress their demands, the Fighters said every constitution must be the foundation upon which freedoms are built which they say is unfortunately missing in Ghanas constitution.



But asked whether Ghana needs a new constitution while speaking on the GhOne television on Thursday May 5, he said No, I dont think so.



Recently, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said if required, the 1992 Constitution should be amended to meet the needs of contemporary and future times.



He said this in his address on the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Constitution on Thursday April 28.



The Constitution is a living document and so whenever circumstances require, we should be prepared to make the necessary amendments to affect the needs of contemporary and future times, he said.



Mr Akufo-Addo further said that there are persons who seek to cut short the democracy of Ghana by pronouncing coups.



He said such persons either do not respect the Ghanaian people or fear that they will be rejected in an election hence calling for overthrow of an elected government.



Mr Akufo-Addo urged all Ghanians to reject such persons.



Several attempts to take Ghana down the path of multiparty democracy was met with stiff opposition and cynical response.



They will rather have authoritarian rule foisted on the citizens claiming Ghana was underdeveloped and we needed to get things done in a hurry. They claimed that democracy was cumbersome and will divide Ghanaians along along tribal lines . However, the word was widespread and unanimous to have a decade-long ban on party political activities imposed in 1981 lifted and the return to multiparty democracy established. The Ghanaian people wanted a living condition of freedom where there was respect for individual liberty, he said.



He added Simply because they have no respect for the Ghanaian people , they are either unwilling to subject themselves to the open scrutiny of the Ghanaian people or because they know that that they will be rejected by the Ghanaian people. Thus seeking a short cut to office in power. Let us resist such persons for our common good.





Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Former President John Dramani Mahama has been told that he rushed in making a promise to repeal the e-levy if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wins the next elections.



Mr Mahama had indicated that a government of the NDC would abolish the e-levy following the commencement of the policy on Sunday May 1.



We in the NDC do not oppose taxation as a principle. We will not be pretentious and couch fanciful slogans to condemn the principle of taxation like the NPP did in the past. We are, however, implacably opposed to distortionary and burdensome taxes like the e-levy that only force Ghanaians to endure more suffering.



A new National Democratic Congress Government, God willing and with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana  in 2025  will repeal the E-Levy Act, he said while delivering an address titled Ghana at Crossroad on Monday May 2.



The controversial levy started amidst public outcry.



The NDC heavily opposed the introduction of the levy. In their view, it is punitive and amounts to double taxation. The bill was passed by Parliament on Tuesday March 29 after the Minority staged a walkout.



But a private legal practitioner, Mr Kwame Jantuah says Mr Mahama who was the presidential candidate for the NDC in the 2020 elections spoke as though the NDC will win the elections both the Presidential and Majority in Parliament.



I dont know whether he knows what 2024 elections is going to turn out to be. It is not an executive decision to repeal the e-levy, it is parliament. If you dont have majority in Parliament how do you repeal it?



In terms of his comments that they will repeal it, it depends on Parliament. He spoke a little too soon, Mr Jantuah said on the New Day on TV3 Friday May 6.







Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has attributed his victory in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections to Gods grace.



President Akufo-Addo was speaking on Thursday, 5 May 2022 at the Museum of the Bibles inaugural Africa lecture held in Washington, USA.



According to President Akufo-Addo, despite being in public office for the most part of his adult life, that could not qualify him to become president.



He indicated that becoming president, finally, was a vindication of Gods word.



President Akufo-Addo said: I have been in the maelstrom of public life in Ghana for 45 years, that is most of my adult life.



I had been dissatisfied with the condition of life of the majority of our people, and that is why I have struggled to get the opportunity to do something about it, he said.



The story of my struggles to become president of my country are well known, he recalled.



My experiences have been a testimony of Gods love and a vindication of the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, Chapter 19 verse 26



He continued: It took three tries between 2008 and 2016 for me to get elected, recalling: By which time, the popular catchphrases of Akufo-Addo cannot be president, God does not want Akufo-Addo to be president, Akufo-Addo is short, and does not have the stature to be president' were popular among his opponents.



He added: I committed that third election campaign to God, and indicated to the Ghanaian people that, The Battle is the Lords. By Gods grace, I won a famous victory against an incumbent president by a gap of nearly a million votes, the largest margin of victory for two decades.



And, by the same grace, I won re-election in the December 2020 elections, and I am now in my second and last term as president.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
It appears the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is lacing his boots to contest the next Presidential Primary of the ruling New Patriotic Party.



Even though he hasnt officially declared his stance, he appears to have dropped the hint on his radio station.



Appearing on Oman Fms Boiling Point on Thursday, he said when the time comes, I am waiting for anybody in the party who will tell me to step down. They will see.



The NPP fireband was visibly angry over seeming attacks by some individuals in the party accusing him of supporting Alan Kyerematen. Kennedy Agyapong hinted plans to join the Presidential race of the ruling party, for the 2024 general election.



He angrily explained that after promising to support every constituency with GHC10,000 for the constituency elections, some bigwigs in the party attacked him for pursuing the agenda of Alan Kyerematen.



He furiously replied, If am supporting Alan is Alan, not a human being? at the right time we will speak to the grassroots people I will not do general donations again, I will select those I want and support them.



The NPP Presidential race is being keenly contested by the Trade Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, with Agriculture Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto among others pretending to be in the race.





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.

Featured Video
Hamilton County Conservation District staff and volunteers survey the Cooper Creek in a pilot project to demonstrate that adding timber in select places upstream can create habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Credit: Michael Booth

Biologists at the University of Cincinnati are studying low-cost ways to improve water quality and wildlife habitat in urban creeks.

Like those found in many large cities, Cincinnati's streams are routinely affected by flash floods, sewage overflows, pollution and stormwater runoff.

UC biologists Stephen Matter and Michael Booth are examining whether water quality and wildlife habitat can be improved simply by adding a touch more of Mother Nature. With a team of volunteers, they placed fallen logs and branches in select parts of the upper Cooper Creek, a stream in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash that drains downstream into the larger Mill Creek and Ohio River.

The addition of fallen timber could help slow periodic floodwaters, create more standing pools for fish during droughts and reduce nutrients that could make their way downstream, researchers said.

"Cooper Creek typifies a lot of issues streams in Hamilton County face," said Booth, an assistant professor who studies fish and aquatic ecology across the country.

"We know wood plays an important role for creating wildlife habitat. Cooper Creek is a boring placelots of rocks but not much else," he said. "In creeks you'd like to see a variety of habitats, fallen logs, standing pools and flowing water."

A time-lapse video shows volunteers placing timber in Cooper Creek to improve habitat for aquatic wildlife. Credit: Michael Booth

The UC researchers presented the project in April to the Geological Society of America's sectional conference in Cincinnati. The project is supported by the Ohio Water Resources Center through a U.S. Geological Survey grant.

Greater Cincinnati has an extensive network of creeks feeding its major rivers.

"These streams really are the lifeblood of the natural system," said Matter, an associate professor of biology in UC's College of Arts and Sciences.

"Most of our creeks are these small headwater streams. If you walk through Cincinnati, you're going to run into one of these in every neighborhood," Matter said. "Often they're places we'd like to see nature."

But some Cincinnati creeks see raw sewage overflow during storms, which makes them a potential health risk, Matter said.

In Cincinnati, most creeks help divert standing water off roads, so they can turn from a trickle to a torrent after heavy rains. Fish and other aquatic life can be swept far downstream.

UC biology students Jayla Brown, left, and Peter Grap place transponders into heavy logs to see whether they remain in place during periodic flooding in Cooper Creek. Credit: Michael Booth

"There are lots of impervious surfaces. When it rains, you see a massive increase in stream flow. This leads to major changes in sediment and habitat available for aquatic life," Booth said.

As a result, while Ohio is home to 170 native freshwater fish, the upper section of Cooper Creek is home to just three species of fish today, Booth said.

"As we go downstream, we might add four or five more species," he said. That's a startling lack of biodiversity and a sign of an unhealthy ecosystem, he said.

"But we would definitely expect to see double the number of fish species if we had better habitat and better connectivity for fish to move back up into these sections," Booth said. "We're looking for a cost-effective solution to deploy to improve urban streams."

Adam Lehmann, stream conservation program manager for the Hamilton County Conservation District, is overseeing the demonstration project. He said the biggest challenge facing headwater streams in Ohio is they become bone dry between rainstorms.

Volunteers move heavy timber to Cooper Creek to create standing pools of water that will support aquatic life and improve the ecology of this urban stream. Credit: Michael Booth

"If a stream goes dry between rain events, the fish aren't going to care how polluted the water is," Lehmann said.

But by placing heavy logs in strategic places in the creek where flooding won't easily be able to wash them downstream, Lehmann said he hopes to use the rush of water to his advantage to create intermittent pools of water where fish and other aquatic life can survive between storms.

"Everybody understands that when a stream goes dry, fish are out of luck," he said. "If we jam one side of a log against a tree, we can force the flow of water under the log to scour out a depression that will hold water in dry times."

Lehmann said the logs should help to catch other flood-swept debris as well. Historically, fallen timber was removed from creeks to prevent it from clogging drainage culverts. Paradoxically, Lehmann said they expect to see less woody debris blocking drainage culverts by adding more heavy wood to the creek.

Restoring the natural hydrology of creeks can be expensive and labor-intensive, often requiring intrusive heavy equipment. Researchers are hoping to see similar benefits from less drastic efforts than bringing in backhoes.

University of Cincinnati biology student Jayla Brown seals a transponder in a log to track how well timber remains in place during periodic flooding in Cooper Creek. Credit: Michael Booth

"I like to focus on scalable solutions," Lehmann said. "You don't have to mow down the forest to get in there. You don't need to hire engineers or obtain Clean Water Act permits. And the wood is available free of charge."

To gauge the project's effectiveness, researchers plan to add little passive transponders to each log and return to see if the wood gets washed downstream or remains in place as they hope it will.

If the project is successful, it could demonstrate that relatively simple efforts can have profound benefits. Hamilton County is home to more than 1,000 headwater streams that feed its lakes and rivers, said Amanda Nurre, watershed specialist with the Great Parks of Hamilton County.

"We have a very impressive watershed in Hamilton County. There are small streams in every park. We're very interested in finding low-cost ways to improve our streams. I think it could be a useful tool," she said. "I'm optimistic to see if it can work."

Explore further Detecting Texas drought conditions with small fish
Photograph showing the splatometer positioned over a number plate. Credit: The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey: https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2022/05/Bugs-Matter-2021-National-Report.pdf

A team of researchers with the Buglife project, working with the Kent Wildlife Trust, has found evidence that suggests the number of flying insects in the U.K. has dropped significantly over the past several years. The group has posted a technical report on their findings.

Buglife is a British-based nature conservation charity organizationit focuses mainly on the preservation of pollinators and freshwater habitats. In this new effort, the group noted that most studies on flying insect numbers have been focused on distribution rather than total population. To learn more about the abundance of such creatures in the U.K., they created a smartphone app called Bugs Matter for use by ordinary citizens. Users were asked to clean their license plates before heading out on a journey in their vehicle and then to photograph and count the number of bugs they found splattered on the plates when they returned. Those records were then sent to the team at Buglife, and they unified the data into a count of bug splats over a given time period for the entire U.K.in this instance, from 2004 to 2021.

The researchers found the number of splats recorded dropped dramatically over the course of the studytotal numbers were 58.5% lower at the end of the study than at the beginning. Buglife spokesman Matt Shardlow described the findings to the press as "dramatic and alarming." He also noted that the survey shows flying bug totals declined by approximately 34% each decade.

Scientists have suspected that flying insect numbers have been dropping around the world for several years due to insecticide use, habitat and food loss and of course climate change. Prior work has suggested the worldwide population numbers for flying insects could be half of what they were just several decades ago. This new effort appears to back up such estimates.

The researchers are continuing their work on the project. Volunteers can download the Bugs Matter app and record data this summer from June 1 to the end of August.

Explore further Common insecticide linked to extreme decline in freshwater insects

More information: The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey: The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey: cdn.buglife.org.uk/2022/05/Bug  -National-Report.pdf

 2022 Science X Network
Credit: Olin Feuerbacher / USFWS

How the Devil's Hole pupfish has survived for centuries in a spalike cistern cloistered by a barren rock mountain in Death Valley National Park remains a biological mystery.

The world's rarest, most inbred fish clings to existence in the smallest geographic range of any vertebrate: the shallow end of an oxygen-deprived pool 10 feet wide, 70 feet long and more than 500 feet deep.

In early 2013, its numbers plunged to 35, and biologists feared the species long regarded as a symbol of the desert conservation movement would be gone within a year.

But since then, the fish has paddled back from the brink, reaching a total populationin the wild and in captivityof about 475 this spring, which is the height of the breeding season.

"It gives me goose bumps knowing that their numbers have risen," said Kevin Wilson, aquatic ecologist for Death Valley National Park. As he gazed into the exposed aquifer that has been their home since perhaps the end of the Ice Age, scores of the inch-long iridescent blue fish were browsing lazily, or nipping at each other's tails.

The ranks of Devil's Hole pupfish have swelled to numbers high enough, Wilson said, to attempt the previously unthinkable: collecting samples of gut contents, fin clippings and tissue from live specimens for DNA sequencing. That information could help boost survival rates with management strategies that take diseases and complex genetic traits into account.

Such procedures were out of the question when the population was spiraling toward extinction. As a result, laboratory studies relied on putrefied tissue samples obtained from dead pupfish collected by National Park Service staff.

The prospect of providing answers to old mysteries makes the bumper crop of pupfish even more gratifying, Wilson said.

Among basic questions that remain unresolved: Exactly how and when did the fish end up in the pool, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas?

With a lifespan of 12 months and the lowest genetic diversity ever documented in the wild, what are its chances of surviving continuing threats from flash floods, earthquakes and the Mojave Desert's changing climate?

Within 15 minutes of an earthquake somewhere in the world, waves as high as 6 feet tall wreak havoc upon the fish's isolated domain.

A 2015 genetic study led by Christopher Martin, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley specializing in the origins of biodiversity, referenced previous research suggesting that the probability of Devil's Hole pupfish extinction within 50 years exceeded 80%.

"It's exciting to see that this fish is doing well and not going to go extinct in a few years," Martin said.

"We want to know as much as we possibly can about them," he added. "So, as their numbers improve in the wild and in the facility, we can begin to think about raising a colony in the laboratory."

Michael Schwemm, a senior fish biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, agrees. A pupfish revival, he said, "allows more opportunity for study and to explore new management options."

Human interactions with wild Devil's Hole pupfish are restricted by a strategic management plan developed by wildlife authorities. Under it, intrusive research would only be allowed if the population reaches 300 or more for three consecutive years.

"It may be time to adjust those rules," Wilson said.

Despite a decadeslong rescue effort however, the Devil's Hole pupfish lives a solitary life in the turquoise waters of a subterranean fissure at the bottom of a limestone depression that makes protecting it a challenge.

An ancient 23-square-yard slab of rock that juts out into the pool, just a few feet below the surface, is key to its survival. The fish spawn on the slab, which is covered with its primary source of food, thin meadows of green algae.

Females lay their eggs in the geothermically heated pool that has been a constant 93 degrees, which is approaching the upper physiological limit for the species.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman had the unique fish and its pocket ecology added to Death Valley as a protective measure.

The Devil's Hole pupfish thrived until the late 1960s, when the water level and the numbers of fish began to fall precipitously because of irrigation pumping.

The population crash triggered a classic environmental clash between conservationists, who wanted to stop the pumping to save the fish, and locals who placed a higher value on economic growth.

Two popular bumper stickers at the time declared "Save the Pupfish" and "Kill the Pupfish."

The conflict culminated in a landmark 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming federal groundwater rights to the fish's fragile habitat.

Federal authorities tried to secure the fish's future by surrounding the hole with 10-foot fencing capped with barbed wire, surveillance cameras and radio antennas.

But the pupfish's troubles were far from over.

Subsequent decades saw a gradual decline in population and the pupfish crisis of Sept. 11, 2004: Empty fish traps had been stacked by researchers on dry land, but a flash flood sent them tumbling into the pool. The traps ended up on the shelf with 80 expired fish in them.

Later, a trespassing incident led to the arrests of three men on felony charges in connection with a drunken rampage at Devil's Hole, where a pupfish was found dead. They left behind plenty of evidence: beer cans, underwear, vomit, a cellphone and a wallet.

In 2013, a panic set in when it seemed extinction was imminent. Wildlife authorities installed clumps of aquarium plants where babies could hide from predatory adults.

In a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and the Nevada Department of Wildlife, biologists collected a batch of Devil's Hole pupfish eggs and took them to the newly constructed Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility nearby.

Their goal was to establish a captive colony of the fish in the facility, which includes laboratory aquariums and a $4.5 million 100,000-gallon tank built as a replica of the natural rock tub.

Now, "we're developing plans to breed large numbers of Devil's Hole pupfish," said Jennifer Gumm, manager of the facility.

In the meantime, Devil's Hole pupfish in the wild still face serious problems due to their precarious life cycle and the environmental extremes that visit their hellish habitat.

"If this fish went extinct on my watch," said Wilson, "I'd be haunted for the rest of my life by this question: 'What didn't I do?'"

Explore further Devils Hole pupfish found to be a lot younger than thought

2022 Los Angeles Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
For a new paper in the journal Science, Earth system scientists at UCI and other institutions tracked the greenhouse gas emissions embodied in the international trade of agricultural goods. They found a significant shift from 2004, when China was a net exporter of farm produce, to 2017, when that nation was the largest importer of Brazilian exports. Credit: Steven Davis / UCI

Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have drawn the clearest line yet connecting consumers of agricultural produce in wealthier countries in Asia, Europe and North America with a growth in greenhouse gas emissions in less-developed nations, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.

In a paper published today in Science, the researchers report that trade in land-use emissionswhich come from a combination of agriculture and land-use changeincreased from 5.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (when factoring in other greenhouse gas emissions such as nitrous oxide and methane) per year in 2004 to 5.8 gigatons in 2017.

In the paper, the scientists found that land-use changeincluding clearing of carbon-absorbing forests to create space for farms and pasturescontributed roughly three-quarters of the amount of greenhouse gases driven by the global trade of agricultural goods between 2004 and 2017.

"Roughly a quarter of all human greenhouse gas emissions are from land use," said co-author Steven Davis, UCI professor of Earth system science. "Our work shows that large shares of these emissions in lower-income countries are related to consumption in more developed countries."

The top sources of land-use-change emissions during the period studied were Brazil, where the practice of removing natural vegetation such as forests to make room for livestock pastures and farms has caused large transformation of land use in the country, and Indonesia, where ancient, carbon-storing peats have been burned or otherwise eliminated to enable the cultivation of plants to produce palm oil for export to wealthy countries.

About 22 percent of the world's crop and pastureland1 billion hectaresis used to cultivate products destined for overseas consumers, according to the researchers. Commodities such as rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, palm oil and other oil seeds occupy nearly one third of the land used for traded goods and contribute roughly half of traded greenhouse emissions.

The study showed shifts that took place in certain regions between 2004 and 2017: In the early phase, China was a net exporter of agricultural goods, but by 2017, it had become an importer of both goods and land-use emissions, in part from Brazil. At the same time, Brazil's exports to Europe and the United States, which had been the nation's largest trading partners in agricultural goods in 2004, declined.

In 2017, the last year the researchers examined, the largest source of export-related emissions was Brazil, followed by Argentina, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia and Australia. The largest net importers of products tied to such emissions were China, the U.S., Japan and Germany, with the U.K., Italy, South Korea and Saudi Arabia following.

In addition to adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, human land use practices have caused significant ecosystem disruption, degraded biodiversity, depleted water resources and introduced other types of pollution to local environments.

From an economic standpoint, the exporters producing the highest amounts of land use emissions are also heavily dependent on export agriculture as a contributor to gross domestic product.

Davis said, "We hope this study will raise awareness of the role of international trade in driving land-use emissions. In turn, importers can adopt 'buy clean' policies to reduce the most emissions-intensive imports and discourage regions from gaining an environmentally destructive trade advantage. We recognize that several regions, including Europe, the U.S., and China, have seen an increase in efforts taken to improve supply chain transparency in recent yearsa good sign indeed."

The project also included researchers from the University of California, San Diego; the University of California, Davis; Stanford University; China's Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Germany's Ludwig-Maximilian University.

Explore further Australia has power to lower CO2 emissions in Asia Pacific

More information: Chaopeng Hong et al, Land-use emissions embodied in international trade, Science (2022). Journal information: Science Chaopeng Hong et al, Land-use emissions embodied in international trade,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abj1572
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers have analyzed how Nigeria can achieve its target of producing 2.5 million metric tons of farmed fish annually, and believe their work could provide similar insights in other countries.

Experts from the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture (UK) used scenario analysis for the first time at a national scale for aquaculture in Africa to examine the changes required to meet Nigeria's target, set in 2017.

Fish is one of the cheapest sources of protein, and is already making a significant contribution to feeding Nigeria's growing population, yet the current production of farmed fish is around 300,000 metric tons per annum. The industry is often overlooked compared to agriculturethe mainstay of Nigeria's economyand its main export, crude oil, the researchers said.

Suleiman Yakubu, Ph.D. researcher at the Institute of Aquaculture, says that "Nigeria is the second largest producer of farmed fish in Africa after Egypt, yet we still have some way to go before we can achieve the 2.5m metric tons aquaculture potential estimated by the government. We wanted to answer the question, is this achievable by 2035? And if so, how can it be done in a sustainable way?"

Addressing barriers

The researchers began by using stakeholder interviews to identify four priority constraints: cost and availability of fish feed; land use; policy intersection and research investment.

They then used scenario analysisa mix of qualitative and quantitative modeling principlesto assess what combinations of factors would put Nigeria on track towards its target.

Mr Yakubu says that "Only one of the wide range of scenarios tested allowed Nigeria to achieve its potential in relation to the critical factors."

"Firstly, improving farmers' access to quality fish feed through the development of local feed resources is necessary. At the moment, more than half of fish feed is imported, which is prohibitively expensive and inefficient."

"Secondly, promoting aquaculture to be part of land use classification in Nigeria would allow the activity to be included in land use zoning plans, and to designate expansion areas for larger production systems. Currently, around 80 percent of fish farming in Nigeria is in small-scale ponds in urban and peri-urban areas, with no room for expansion, and no way of monitoring it."

"Thirdly, the aquaculture sector interacts with several other policy areassuch as import policy, land use, water use and poverty alleviationso those intersections must be incorporated into planning."

"Lastly, investment in research is essential to better link researchers with the aquaculture industry, in order to increase productivity and yield, while improving our understanding of the impacts of climate change. All of these would eventually reduce aquaculture production costs in the country."

Planning for change

Scenario analysis has been used to explore the potential of aquaculture on global and regional scales, but not yet on a national level in Africa, which the researchers say is more useful to understand and plan for the changes that need to happen.

"Our modeling shows that if things continue as they are, Nigeria will see only marginal development of its aquaculture sector in comparison to where it aspires to be," said Mr Yakubu.

Professor Trevor Telfer, Ph.D. supervisor on the research, says that "aquaculture is expanding rapidly, as is the world's population, and can offer a sustainable, low-input way of feeding people. Using data in this way to model scenarios offers an innovative method for governments and industry to plan collaboratively for the sustainable expansion of complex sectors such as aquaculture."

The paper is published in Aquaculture Reports.

Explore further Consuming small fish instead of farmed salmon could make seafood production more sustainable

More information: Suleiman O. Yakubu et al, Scenario analysis and land use change modelling reveal opportunities and challenges for sustainable expansion of aquaculture in Nigeria, Aquaculture Reports (2022). Suleiman O. Yakubu et al, Scenario analysis and land use change modelling reveal opportunities and challenges for sustainable expansion of aquaculture in Nigeria,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.aqrep.2022.101071
Corn Bunting, a grassland species found throughout Europe. Credit: Alex Lees

Staggering declines in bird populations are taking place around the world. So concludes a study from scientists at multiple institutions, published today in the journal Annual Review of Environment and Resources. Loss and degradation of natural habitats and direct overexploitation of many species are cited as the key threats to avian biodiversity. Climate change is identified as an emerging driver of bird population declines.

"We are now witnessing the first signs of a new wave of extinctions of continentally distributed bird species," says lead author Alexander Lees, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom and also a research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Avian diversity peaks globally in the tropics and it is there that we also find the highest number of threatened species."

The study says approximately 48% of existing bird species worldwide are known or suspected to be undergoing population declines. Populations are stable for 39% of species. Only 6% are showing increasing population trends, and the status of 7% is still unknown. The study authors reviewed changes in avian biodiversity using data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List" to reveal population changes among the world's 11,000 bird species.

The findings mirror the results of a seminal 2019 study which determined that nearly 3 billion breeding birds have been lost during the past 50 years across the United States and Canada. The lead author of that study is also an author on this global status report.

"After documenting the loss of nearly 3 billion birds in North America alone, it was dismaying to see the same patterns of population declines and extinction occurring globally," says conservation scientist Ken Rosenberg from the Cornell Lab, now retired. "Because birds are highly visible and sensitive indicators of environmental health, we know their loss signals a much wider loss of biodiversity and threats to human health and well-being."

Despite their findings, study authors say there is hope for avian conservation efforts, but transformative change is needed.

"The fate of bird populations is strongly dependent on stopping the loss and degradation of habitats," says Lees. "That is often driven by demand for resources. We need to better consider how commodity flows can contribute to biodiversity loss and try to reduce the human footprint on the natural world."

"Fortunately, the global network of bird conservation organizations taking part in this study have the tools to prevent further loss of bird species and abundance," adds Rosenberg. "From land protection to policies supporting sustainable resource-use, it all depends on the will of governments and of society to live side by side with nature on our shared planet."

Information is key, and study authors point out that the growth of public participation in bird monitoring and the advent of easy-to-use tools, such as the Cornell Lab's eBird database, make continental-scale breeding bird surveys, distribution atlases, and abundance models possible and help inform conservation efforts.

Explore further Bird populations in eastern Canada declining due to forest 'degradation,' research shows

More information: Alexander C. Lees et al, State of the World's Birds, Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2022). Alexander C. Lees et al, State of the World's Birds,(2022). DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-112420-014642
The southwestern tower of Zanzibar Fort, in which many of the ship graffiti are located. Credit: Alessandro Ghidoni

Historic graffiti of ships carved in an African fort were drawn by soldiers on guard duty watching the sea, University of Exeter experts believe.

The engravings, found in Tanzania's Zanzibar archipelago and made in the mid to late nineteenth century, open a window onto the ships that sailed on the western Indian Ocean at the time.

They were made when the area was the southern terminus of a trans-oceanic trade network that used the monsoon winds. Vessels anchored, beached and unloaded their cargoes along the length of the waterfront just outside the Old Fort, or Gereza, of Stone Town, Zanzibar's capital.

Although sometimes sketchy, the images suggest a number of vessel types, including a European-style frigate or frigate-built vessel and a number of settee-rigged ocean-going vessels often called 'dhows'. Some appear to have transom sterns, hinting at particular types of ship such as the baghla, ghanja, sanbuq or kotia. Two might also depict the prows of the elusive East African mtepea ship that was sewn together, rather than being nailed.

All of the graffiti depict ships that would have been easily visible from the ramparts of the fort itself or by stepping a few paces outside its door.

Dr Alessandro Ghidoni records a ship graffito in the southwestern tower of Zanzibar Fort. Credit: John P Cooper

In the eighteenth century, the rulers of Oman began to develop the Gereza as one of their main fortifications in the region. From it they oversaw and controlled the trade in raw materials and enslaved people from the African interior passing through Zanzibar. Having developed spice plantations on the archipelago, they subsequently shifted their political base from Arabia to Zanzibar. The fort was abandoned in the nineteenth century.

The most detailed and intriguing image among the graffiti is a rendition of a three-masted frigate or frigate-built vessel such as a corvette. Frigate-built and other square-rigged ships from Western powers visited Zanzibar during this time, but the Omani navy also had a number of their own.

The settee- or lateen-rigged vessels depicted in the graffiti may also represent Omani ocean-going merchant vessels participating in the monsoon-based trade, or non-Omani trading craft arriving from Yemen, the Arabian-Persian Gulf or India.

The drawings are unlike those found elsewhere in East Africa in that they are not set on the outside of a mosque or within domestic spaces. This suggests they didn't have a spiritual or religious function. Instead they were mostly set on the ramparts of the fort, suggesting that they were made by soldiers on guard duty.

A graffito in the southwestern tower of the fort showing a vessel with high quarter deck and settee rig, typical of Indian Ocean ships at the time. Credit: John P Cooper & Alessandro Ghidoni

The study, by John P. Cooper and Alessandro Ghidoni from the University of Exeter, is published in the journal Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa.

"Similar graffiti has been reported elsewhere in Oman, suggesting a relatively widespread practice of inscribing ship graffiti within Omani military buildings," Professor Cooper said. "Set within the fort, the Gereza graffiti were not for public consumption in the way that they might have been had they been on the fort's outer faces, where people flocking to the busy Soko Uku market under its walls might have seen them, as would the families of Arab and Indian merchants and notables who built their houses around the fort

"The graffiti must have been made for and by members of the community of the fort itself. Those in the southwest tower and the western ramparts of the Gereza must have been made by people with access to these more reserved upper reaches of the fort, probably Baluchi or slave soldiers garrisoned in the fort by Omani or Zanzibari sultans for much of the nineteenth century. They were probably made by people with time on their hands, soldiers on guard duty or spending their leisure time in the breezier upper reaches of the building. The Baluchi soldiers would themselves have arrived, and ultimately departed, by such ocean-going craft."

Explore further Fort Worth, Texas becomes first city government in the US to mine Bitcoin

More information: John P. Cooper et al, Ship graffiti at the Zanzibar Gereza (Old Fort), Stone Town, Unguja, Tanzania, Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa (2022). John P. Cooper et al, Ship graffiti at the Zanzibar Gereza (Old Fort), Stone Town, Unguja, Tanzania,(2022). DOI: 10.1080/0067270X.2022.2047526
A new study shows face-to-face conversation time is down in three English-speaking nations. Credit: Pexels

Jeffrey Hall is passionate about two things in particularfriendship and social mediaand he thinks the latter is too often mistaken as the enemy of the former.

His latest article reviews the best available evidence to debunk the "social displacement hypothesis" that holds that use of mobile and social media is the cause of decreased face-to-face (FtF) interaction. In doing so, he uncovered a worrisome trend: In the United States, Great Britain and Australia, there has been a steady, uniform decline in FtF time that began well before the rise of social media. This new analysis shows the decline continued through the stay-at-home orders and social distancing of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hall, a professor of communication studies and director of the Relationships and Technology Lab at the University of Kansas, and his co-author, Dong Liu of Renmin University in China, take on that notion in a new paper titled "Social media use, social displacement, and well-being" in the journal Current Opinion in Psychology.

"The social displacement hypothesis is probably the most well-known, long-lasting explanation for where time spent using new technologiesfrom the internet to texting, and now social mediacomes from," Hall said. "The social displacement argument says that new media cuts into our face-to-face time. The best available evidence suggests it's just not so."

Hall took data on FtF time from the U.S. Department of Labor's annual American Time Use Survey and from similar governmental studies in Australia and Great Britain between 1995 and 2021 and plotted them on a single chart. All three lines decline over time at a similar rate.

"Yes," Hall said, "it's the case that social media rates of consumption have grown across demographic groups and across the world. Yes, it's the case that face-to-face time has declined. However, it's not the case it takes from face-to-face time."

If the evidence doesn't support the social displacement theory, then where is the time for increased social media use coming from?

"We're seeing a transformation of where people are putting their attention," Hall said. Noting that TikTok and YouTube are increasingly popular outlets for watching streaming content, Hall suggested social media time is likely borrowing from time spent watching TV, which, for decades, has been a major place where Americans spend their time. "Social media time is also borrowing from time at work or doing household chores," Hall said.

And, Hall said, friendship and social media are not enemies.

"Social media can be used in many friendship-promoting ways, especially now that many people use messaging programs supported by social media platforms," he said.

"Social people are active both online and offline," the authors wrote.

The paper reported new analysis showing that FtF time has declined across three countries in a similar fashion.

"The fact that the U.K. data track U.S. data so tightly despite using slightly different methods in different years is surprising," Hall said.

This international trend of reduced time in face-to-face communication may reflect growing rates of loneliness, according to the authors.

Hall's analysis showed that these trends of declining face-to-face communication existed well before the pandemic, and the pandemic may have exacerbated some of them. When people had some time back because they weren't commuting to work or able to go out as much, they didn't turn to face-to-face communication.

"What's discouraging about that," Hall said, "is even when people have time, they don't seem to use it in a way that promotes their social health."

Noting the widespread evidence that FtF socialization is beneficial to well-being, "We're not on the right path to being able to reclaim that face-to-face time," Hall said, "at least in these three nations."

Why is FtF time declining?

"The best available evidence suggests face-to-face is in competition with hours spent at work and commuting," Hall said. In other words, people who work longer spend more of their leisure time alone. During the pandemic, when people got that time back from commuting, "They still spent it working virtually," Hall said. "They didn't spend it socializing with each other.

"It seems we live in a society that privileges working and media consumption over everything else," Hall said. "The decline in face-to-face time is a matter of priority and a matter of availability. And we are neither prioritizing face-to-face time, nor are we available to do so."

Explore further We understand that social media does not equal social interaction

More information: Jeffrey A. Hall et al, Social media use, social displacement, and well-being, Current Opinion in Psychology (2022). Jeffrey A. Hall et al, Social media use, social displacement, and well-being,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101339
Artistic interpretation of inversions in the human genome. Credit: Isabel Romero Calvo/EMBL

Researchers at EMBL Heidelberg found that inversions in the human genome are more common than previously thought, which impacts our understanding of certain genetic diseases.

Our DNA acts like a blueprint for the cellular machinery that lets cells, organs, and whole organisms function. Mutations in the DNA can result in genetic diseases. Such genetic variation can include point mutations at a single site, as well as deletions, duplications, and inversions.

The term "inversion" describes a piece of DNA flipping its orientation in the genome. Inversions are poorly understood because they are more difficult to analyze than other types of mutations. Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg, in collaboration with scientists at the University of Washington, U.S., and Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Germany, have now shown that inversions are one of the most common mutational processes in humans.

The researchers uncovered how inversions are formed and investigated in detail a set of 40 inversions that form recurrently in the genome, where the DNA sequence flips back and forth. These 'flip-flopping' inversions typically lie in regions linked to the development of certain human diseases called genomic disorders.

"We found that inversions form at a much higher rate than previously thought. In humans, at least 0.6% of the genome repeatedly changes direction, making inversion one of the fastest mutational processes in humans," said Jan Korbel, EMBL Senior Scientist and Head of Data Science. "At these sites, the genome is not stablethe direction of the DNA code continues to switch back and forth."

Many important human genes lie within these unstable regions. For scientists, this means they must consider this flipping behavior of genomic regions when they study aspects such as long-distance gene regulation or epigenetics.

Inversions are also relevant for the development of human diseases, such as developmental delays in children or neuropsychiatric disorders in adults. "Despite their importance, these regions have been very difficult to study before because of their complexity. Showing that these inversions indeed flip-flop back and forth required a new set of computational methods," said Tobias Marschall, Director of the Institute of Medical Biometry and Bioinformatics and the Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf. "We can now provide human geneticists with a new tool to understand the origin of disease in their patients."

Evan Eichler, group leader at the University of Washington, says that they "showed for the first time that inversions can be associated with rare genomic rearrangements found in pediatric autism, developmental delay and epilepsy. The question now is why? We hypothesize that certain configurations at the flanks of the inversions either predispose or protect individuals and their offspring from disease-associated rearrangements. This could have a practical application in the clinic, where it could be used to identify families at risk for developing these disorders."

The research was published in Cell.

Explore further Novel algorithm better assembles DNA sequences and detects genetic variation

More information: David Porubsky et al, Recurrent inversion polymorphisms in humans associate with genetic instability and genomic disorders, Cell (2022). Journal information: Cell David Porubsky et al, Recurrent inversion polymorphisms in humans associate with genetic instability and genomic disorders,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.017
A. Juvenile mystery monkey near Kampung Bilit, Kinabatangan, Sabah, groomed by adult female Trachypithecus cristatus (likely the mother) (photo by Ken Ching, June 19, 2017). B. Subadult mystery monkey, alone (photo by Ben Duncan Angkee, November 17, 2018). In this photo, the individual may appear younger, because the phone camera had an automatic softening filter activated. C. Subadult mystery monkey, alone, feeding (photo by Bob Shaw, November 17, 2018). D. Subadult mystery monkey with juvenile T. cristatus (in color change phase), adult female T. cristatus, and another T. cristatus individual while grooming (photo by Ken Ching, November 22, 2018). E. Adult male Nasalis larvatus mating with adult female T. cristatus in the same area (photo by Jean-Jay Mao, September 10, 2017). F. Adult putative hybrid now clearly identifiable as female with swollen breasts, holding an infant, which appears to be her offspring (photo by Nicole Lee, September 7, 2020). Credit: International Journal of Primatology (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00293-z

An international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests Malaysia's "mystery monkey" is a hybrid between a proboscis monkey and a silvery langur. In their paper published in the International Journal of Primatology, the group describes their analysis of pictures taken of the monkey and how they came to their assessment about its origins.

Back in 2017, scientists in Borneo began hearing of reports of a mystery monkey living in the forests of Malaysian Borneo, near the Kinabatangan River. At the time, the monkey was believed to be a juvenile. Suspecting that some interspecies mating may have occurred, the researchers began searching for mention of the monkey on social media sites, collecting pictures of the monkey as they went. Unfortunately, due to pandemic restrictions, they were not able to venture into the forest to have a look for themselves. Instead, they studied the pictures they were able to obtain.

The researchers noted that the monkey was living in an area where proboscis monkeys and silvery langurs shared space. Proboscis monkeys are quite well known for their large bulbous noses and pink faces. Less well known is the silvery langur, also known as the silvered leaf monkey. It has a much smaller nose and a black face. The two monkey types are distantly related but differ markedly in size. The proboscis grow to 76 cm and weigh on average 20 to 24 kg. The langur, on the other hand, grow to just 56 cm and weigh approximately 6.6 kg.

In looking at the photographs, the researchers found that the mystery monkey had a bulbous nose, but not nearly as large as is normally the case with the proboscis. She also had an oddly colored face, neither pink nor blackthey describe it as ashy. The researchers suggest that despite their differences, it appears that the mystery monkey is a cross between a male proboscis and a female langur. More surprising is that she appears to have produced offspringin one photograph, she can be seen cradling a baby and her breasts appear engorged suggesting she is its mother. Most offspring from crossbreeding are sterile.

The researchers suggest the crossbred monkey likely came about due to the two monkey groups being forced into an ever-smaller habitat due to oil plantation development.

Explore further Ecotourism is having a negative effect on primate behavior

More information: Stanislav Lhota et al, Is Malaysia's "mystery monkey" a hybrid between Nasalis larvatus and Trachypithecus cristatus? An assessment of photographs, International Journal of Primatology (2022). Journal information: International Journal of Primatology Stanislav Lhota et al, Is Malaysia's "mystery monkey" a hybrid between Nasalis larvatus and Trachypithecus cristatus? An assessment of photographs,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00293-z

 2022 Science X Network
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Policies and decisions made in the United States echo around the world and often have widespread implications. Take sexual and reproductive health, for example. Decisions made in the US have caused, and could cause, severe damage to progress in access to these services in developing countries.

The first US policy with implications for healthcare in other countries is the global gag rule, first enacted by Ronald Reagan in 1984. Under this policy, non-US organisations that receive US government funding cannot provide, refer for, or promote abortion as a method of family planning. Successive US presidents have decided whether to enact or revoke the policy. President Joe Biden set it aside when he took office in 2021.

The second is the decision before the US Supreme Court on the right of women to choose abortion. Recently leaked documents suggest the court may overturn the landmark 1973 decision, Roe v Wade, that gave American women this choice. The final decision is expected in a couple of months.

For countries that look to the US for guidance and for funding, the consequences will go beyond abortion. The striking down of Roe v Wade, coupled with the global gag rule (if and when it is reinstated by a Republican administration), empowers national and international opposition to sexual and reproductive health services such as family planning, abortion, and comprehensive sexuality education.

In African countries, where incremental gains are beginning to manifest in improved legislation and policies due to decades of advocacy and lobbying, this would be a devastating blow. For example, in 2020 we studied the impact of the global gag rule in Kenya. Our findings pointed to government officials using the US government position to restrict conversations around abortion in official meetings.

What happens in the US may effectively deny women their rights and set back the sustainable development agenda target of reducing maternal, neonatal, and child morbidity and mortality.

Global gag rule

In 2017, under President Donald Trump's administration, the US government reinstated and expanded the global gag rule. Republican administrations have typically reenacted the policy focusing on family planning assistance. But the Trump global gag rule expanded the scope to cover most categories of US government global health assistance instead of only family planning assistance.

Biden's administration has rescinded the policy. But the reverberations of its application between 2017 and 2021 are still being felt across the globe.

The US is one of the largest public health donors. Many African countries depend on external assistance for funding aspects of healthcare, including family planning and quality post-abortion care.

Roe v Wade

Roe v Wade stipulated that the US constitution protected a pregnant woman's right and freedom to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.

The leaked draft majority decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn this will set back gains made in sexual and reproductive rights and freedoms and improvements in maternal, neonatal, and child health indicators across the globe.

Increasingly, countries in Africa are moving towards liberalisation of abortion laws and, to some extent, decriminalisation of abortion. For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo is improving access to safe abortion. Many consider this as progress.

Even before the issue came before the Supreme Court, several US states had made laws that limit access to safe and legal abortion, allowing abortion for only up to six weeks of gestation. The US has strong institutions and systems to contest and possibly overcome such decisions. It could even codify legal abortion in the constitution.

But women in countries that look to the US for guidance and for funding may not have those options.

The right to choose

Evidence is clear that restricting abortion does not reduce the incidence of abortion. Instead, it makes abortion less safe. Women and girls who are denied access to safe procedures are forced to use unsafe methods and providers. Unsafe abortion can cause complications that range from moderate to life-threatening. More than 77% of abortions in Africa annually are unsafe.

Poorer and marginalized women and girls bear the heaviest burden when their right to choose is denied. Rich and powerful people can find a way to meet their needs. But poor people are forced to have more children than they can afford. The lack of family planning methods and safe and legal abortion is a danger to women's health. It also puts women and girls at risk of greater poverty.

US influence in African countries

US policies, particularly the impending Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, will permeate the international community. African governments that subscribe to conservative sexual and reproductive health norms may draw inspiration from such decisions.

The US ruling could lend support to African decision-makers who are against providing women with options. They might use it to deny women access to critical healthcare in contradiction of their rights.

Anti-choice civil society movements, too, will draw impetus and validation from such a ruling to oppose progressive actions and policies at the national and sub-regional levels.

Several sub-regional economic blocs in Africa are in the process of enacting sexual and reproductive health laws. For example, a sexual and reproductive health bill is currently at the East African Legislative Assembly. Reversal of Roe v Wade might stall or terminate such processes.

Explore further Access to safe abortions saves lives: WHO chief

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In high-poverty schools that were remote for more than half of 2021, the loss was about half of a school years worth of typical achievement growth, explained Thomas Kane, who heads up the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard. Credit: Rose Lincoln/Harvard file photo

A new report on pandemic learning loss found that high-poverty schools both spent more weeks in remote instruction during 202021 and suffered large losses in achievement when they did so. Districts that remained largely in-person, however, lost relatively little ground. Experts predict the results will foreshadow a widening in measures of the nation's racial and economic achievement gap.

The report was a joint effort of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research at the American Institutes for Research, and NWEA, a nonprofit research and educational services provider. It analyzed achievement data from 2.1 million students in 10,000 schools across 49 states and is the first in a series that will be tracking the impact of catch-up efforts over the next two years.

The Gazette spoke with economist Thomas Kane, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics at Harvard Graduate School of Education and center faculty director, about the findings. The interview was edited for length and clarity.

Q&A: Thomas Kane

GAZETTE: What is the magnitude of students' learning loss due to the pandemic? Which school districts have been the most affected?

KANE: We found that districts that spent more weeks in remote instruction lost more ground than districts that returned to in-person instruction sooner. Anyone who has been teaching by Zoom would not be surprised by that. The striking and important finding was that remote instruction had much more negative impacts in high-poverty schools. High-poverty schools were more likely to go remote and their students lost more when they did so. Both mattered, but the latter effect mattered more. To give you a sense of the magnitude: In high-poverty schools that were remote for more than half of 2021, the loss was about half of a school year's worth of typical achievement growth.

GAZETTE: What is the percentage of students who have experienced learning loss in the U.S.?

KANE: There are 50 million students in the U.S. About 40%, or 20 million students, nationally were in schools that conducted classes remotely for less than four weeks, and 30%, or 15 million students, remained in remote instruction for more than 16 weeks. In other words, about 40% spent less than a month in remote instruction, but about 30% spent more than four months in remote instruction. It is the dramatic growth in educational inequity in those districts that remained remote that should worry us.

GAZETTE: Are we at risk of losing the educational gains of the last three decades? How could this impact the racial achievement gap?

KANE: Over the last 30 years, there has been like a gradual closing in both the Black-white and Hispanic-white achievement gaps. The federal government has been administering an assessment to a nationally representative sample every couple of years, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Gaps have been narrowing for the last 30 years.

The latest assessment was conducted between January and March of 2022. Our results imply that when those results come out later this year (likely in October, before the midterm election) there will be a decline nationally, especially in states where schools remained remote, and gaps will widen sharply for the first time in a generation. What we should be focused on now is ensuring that the widening gaps do not become permanent. By helping students catch up over the next few years, I hope we can reduce the gaps again when the next NAEP assessment is collected in 2024.

Interestingly, gaps in math achievement by race and school poverty did not widen in school districts in states such as Texas and Florida and elsewhere that remained largely in-person. Where schools remained in-person, gaps did not widen. Where schools shifted to remote learning, gaps widened sharply. Shifting to remote instruction was like turning a switch on a critical piece of our social infrastructure that we had taken for granted. Our findings imply that public schools truly are the "balance wheel of the social machinery," as Horace Mann would say.

GAZETTE: In which ways can learning loss affect high school graduation and college application rates and students' life opportunities?

KANE: Some observers are going to say that we are too focused on the decline in test scores. However, given past relationships between test scores and other life outcomes, we would expect the achievement declines to translate into lower high school graduation rates (since students may not have the math or reading skills required for upper-level courses), lower college-going rates, and lower earnings. Recall that not every group of students saw the same declinehigh-poverty schools were more likely to go remote and suffered larger losses when they did so. To be more concrete, students in high-poverty schools that were remote for more than half of 202021 would be expected to see a 5% decline in average earnings over their career, given past relationships between test scores and earnings. That may not sound like much, but when calculating losses for all 50 million students in K-12 education in the U.S., it would amount to a $2 trillion decline in lifetime earnings. It's in that context that the $190 billion that the federal government has provided in supplemental aid for schools since the pandemic began sounds like a good investment, if it could be used to reduce the losses.

GAZETTE: What should school districts and states do to help students recover from their learning losses?

KANE: School districts need to start by assessing the magnitude of their losses and then assembling a package of interventions that is commensurate with their losses. Districts that remained remote during 202021especially the higher-poverty schools in those districtslost the most ground and will need to spend more of their federal aid on academic recovery. It's all about magnitudes. From prior to the pandemic, we have estimates of the impact of interventions such as high-dosage tutoring or summer school or double periods of math instruction. Each district should start this summer by taking the estimates of the impact of each of those interventions, multiply each by the share of students they plan to serve under each and make sure the sum of expected effects adds up to the size of the loss their students have suffered. That's going to be an eye-opening calculation for most districts, since most districts I see are planning intensive interventions for 10 or 15%t of their students, some voluntary summer schooland that's about it. A barely-more-than-normal recovery effort such as that is going to be nowhere near enough in many districts.

Here's an example. The students in high-poverty schools that were remote for most of 202021 lost about 0.45 standard deviations in math. There are very few educational interventions that have ever been shown to have an impact that large. One example is high-dosage tutoringwhich involves tutoring sessions two to three times per week in groups of one to four students with a trained tutor all year. Pre-pandemic research implied that such a program would generate about 0.38 standard deviations. In other words, a district could provide a high-quality tutor to every single one of the students in a high-poverty school and still not expect to make up the decline. Of course, given the inevitable problems of maintaining quality while scaling up such interventions, the expected impacts from pre-pandemic research are likely to be over-optimistic. But districts need to start with a plan, which is commensurate with their losses and then scale up or scale down as necessary over the next couple of years.

GAZETTE: The federal government gave $190 billion to schools across the country for academic recovery. Is that enough?

KANE: Based on our estimates, those dollars would be enough if school districts, especially the high-poverty school districts that were remote for much of 2021, were to spend nearly all of it on academic recovery. Unfortunately, a lot of those funds have been going to things that weren't necessarily related to academic recovery. That's why we're trying to sound the alarm now before those dollars are committed to other things.

School districts have never been through a disruption of this magnitude before. School districts have until the end of 2024 to spend the federal aid for academic recovery. Most of the district plans I have seen are undersized. Of course, districts will eventually learn that their efforts are not sufficient. However, the great danger is that they will realize that too lateafter they have committed the federal aid.

You wouldn't try to patch a hole without making sure that the patch was as big as the hole. Very few school districts have done the math to figure out if the effect sizes of the interventions that they're planning and the share of students to be served by each match the loss their students have endured. Troublingly, there's nothing about the federal process that requires that district plans are commensurate with their losses, even on paper.

It's worse than that. The American Rescue Planpassed in March 2021, before the magnitude of the losses were clearonly requires districts to spend 20% of the federal aid on academic recovery. Most districts seem to be following the federal guidance, and spending between 20 and 30% on academic recovery. That's not going to be nearly enough in the lower-income districts that spent much of 202021 in remote instruction. Local business leaders, parents, and school boards need to engage with their school districts and make sure that the district recovery plans are commensurate with the losses. If not, these achievement losses will become permanent.

Explore further Rural school districts swifter to return to in-person instruction than urban districts

This story is published courtesy of the Harvard Gazette, Harvard University's official newspaper. For additional university news, visit Harvard.edu.
FORT EDWARD  A Washington County Board of Supervisors committee on Tuesday decided to leave lights for the planned replacement bridge in Shushan in the contract and let members of the community and Shushan lighting district decide whether to turn them on.

The three lights are Victorian-style lamps that emit 5,000 lumens each, or more than three 100-watt incandescent bulbs.

The total cost of the lights is $24,000. The county is responsible for $1,200, or 5%.

The Shushan lighting district would pay for the electricity. Area residents have protested that the lights are too bright for the location, unnecessary, and would create light pollution.

Washington County Public Works Superintendent Deb Donohue said it wouldnt cost anything to remove the lights from the contract.

Salem Supervisor Sue Clary said the Shushan lighting district asked for the lights during the bridges design phase in 2019. Clary said she talked with Shushan residents recently and some thought lights could be helpful in an emergency such as a water rescue in the Batten Kill.

The Shushan Fire Department received 17 water rescue calls last year, Clary said. Other people at the committee meeting suggested the community might want to turn the lights on for special occasions, and it would be cheaper to install lights now than to add them later. Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff objected to the cost of adding an on-off switch.

Another member of the Public Works Committee said the lights will need a switch anyway so the power can be cut for maintenance.

The committee took no further action.

In other committee matters:

Delays in state funding for upgrades to a wastewater treatment plant capital project may require Washington County to borrow $2.5 million from itself until the expected financing comes through, sewer district executive director Jason Denno told the committee. The loan from the states Environmental Facilities Corp. revolving loan fund should have closed in February, Denno said. The state doesnt usually notify the county when a loan closes, and Denno assumed everything was in order until April, when state officials asked the sewer district for more information. In the meantime, the county had signed contracts with an engineering firm and construction contractors. Work has started, Denno said, although discovery of a ledge at the job site has delayed the project by four to six weeks. Denno said he expects a closing by June 1 to cover work done between March 1 and July 1, but wanted backup financing in case there are more delays. Hes explained the situation to the engineer and contractors. Everybody is working together, Denno said. The committee moved the request to the boards Finance Committee.

Matt Fuller, counsel to County Sewer District 1 in the Warren-Washington Industrial Park, said the district is negotiating with the town of Kingsbury to annex part of Kingsburys adjacent industrial park sewer district and take over the towns sewer infrastucture there. The agreement would allow the county water sewer district to adjust its rate structure so that all occupants of the county industrial park pay toward the wastewater system, not just those with buildings. The county sewer district would also be able to secure funding to address problems with infiltration and inflow, Fuller said. Infiltration and inflow of ground and storm water increase the volume in the system, which boosts the cost of pumping the water to the Glens Falls wastewater treatment plant and what Glens Falls charges the county for treatment. The proposal will have to go through environmental review and public hearings, Fuller said. If all goes well, he would like revised billing of the industrial park occupants to start in January.

Denno and the committee discussed Dennos interest in an intern program at the sewer district. Interns could identify district assets that need capital improvements so the the assets can be evaluated and put on a five-to-10-year plan for maintenance. They would be paid an hourly wage, Denno said. For the interns, the jobs would be a learning experience and may meet requirements for graduation, Denno said. He would like annual internships so the county can build relationships with area engineering schools and create a list of potential employees. Haff objected that its not the countys responsibility to help the engineering industry. Joe Brilling, an employee with the sewer district, countered that it may not be the countys responsibility, but its the countys problem. You cant find people to become sewer engineers, Brilling said. We need to get young people to understand that this is a viable career path. You can make a good living doing this. The committee told Denno to submit a budget request and talk to the Personnel Committee.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
ATLANTIC CITY  Residents, religious leaders and members of the community came together Thursday evening to pray.

The city marked National Day of Prayer, observed the first Thursday in May, with religious leaders spread across the citys 48 blocks leading residents in a five-minute prayer.

This is an important day, especially because of COVID and the extreme trauma our country has been going through, said Councilman Kaleem Shabazz, a practicing Muslim. There are so many different religions in Atlantic City, the more we come together, the better.

Shabazz led a group at Tennessee and Pacific avenues in the Al Fatiha, the opening prayer in the Koran.

Edbelinda Mimi Nambo, special events coordinator for the Mayors Office, led oraciones, or Spanish prayers, at Florida and Atlantic avenues.

Nambo said at least 43 people registered to participate in the event, although she expected more than 100, adding some residents arent technologically savvy and wouldnt register online.

Egg Harbor City man faces drug charges following search MAYS LANDING  An Egg Harbor City man was charged Wednesday with drug offenses following an 

Humanity has been through so much due to the hardship of the world pandemic, the war. It changed people mentally, physically, emotionally, said Nambo. The goal is to pray to your higher-up for peace, inner happiness, world peace and to pray for another. I just wanted to get everyone together to pray.

After posting her idea on Facebook and receiving an overwhelming number of messages of support from religious leaders and members of the community, Nambo took ownership of the event, with support from the city.

As many people were experiencing hardships during the pandemic, we figured an event like this was a nice way to bring our city together and reflect on that, said Mayors Office spokesperson Andrew Kramer.

This is the second year the city has marked National Day of Prayer, after receiving positive feedback from the community and religious leaders regarding last years event, Kramer said.

This year, those participating were encouraged to wear yellow so as to be recognizable.

Each person was able to say whatever prayer their religion called for, although organizers had prayers ready for their groups.

Atlantic City is a cultural, spiritual, extremely diverse community that welcomes all races and religions, said Mayor Marty Small Sr. This event allows us to pray for our community as a community, which, for me, makes it even more special. I hope through the power of prayer we can bring peace to all the great people of Atlantic City.

The event was brief but inclusive and powerful, something Shabazz said he wished he could see more often in the city.

Shabazz suggested different ways the National Day of Prayer can happen more frequently, like having a mass community prayer via Zoom, where people who dont use the technology could participate from their place of worship, work or even the comfort of their own home.

Even people who arent particularly religious appreciate and acknowledge that prayer is an important part of many peoples lives, Shabazz said.

Also in attendance were fire Chief Scott Evans; Bishop Robert Hargrove of Grace Family Church, who led the prayer group on Maine Avenue; and members of the Ministerio Cristiano Impacto de Dios religious organization.

Contact Selena Vazquez: 609-272-7225 svazquez@pressofac.com

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
CAPE MAY  With renewed statewide concern about the number of abandoned boats in New Jersey waterways, and a history of abandoned boats in its harbor, City Council may create a new volunteer position: harbor master.

On Tuesday, council members discussed an ordinance that could create the position. Officials said they did not have a specific person in mind but would be on the lookout for someone with marine experience. Ideally, the candidate would already be out in Cape May Harbor regularly.

Councilman Michael Yeager suggested the position would be an additional set of eyes on the harbor, but the harbor master would not have enforcement powers. The person would report any problems to the Coast Guard, the State Police Marine Services Bureau or the citys code enforcement officer.

City attorney Christopher Gillin-Schwartz compared the job to other city volunteers, or to a member of the Planning Board of the Historic Preservation Commission. For some towns, he said, the position of harbor master comes with more extensive responsibilities and a paycheck. The Cape May position is not planned that way.

He said there is a spectrum of how the title is handled throughout the state.

It ranges from the honorary harbor master and Heres your plaque. Put it over your fireplace but dont ever show up to City Hall, and then theres full Baywatch and you get the boat and the badge and $65K a year, Gillin-Schwartz said. What is before council is probably one tick above honorary. Youre still leaving enforcement to the appropriate officials.

Abandoned and derelict boats more than just eyesores A homeowner in Atlantic City paid a lot of money for a home on the back bay with a beautiful

Yeager described the position as harbor master lite.

If the position is created and ultimately filled, Gillin-Schwartz said, there may be times when the person contacts the owner of a vessel by phone or email, but would not be boarding vessels in the harbor.

The powers and duties are very limited, and its essentially desk duty, he said, consulting with other officials.

Council member Stacy Sheehan asked Gillin-Schwartz to contact the Joint Insurance Fund, which acts as the citys insurance provider, to explore any potential liability issues.

Cape May Harbor, set between Cape May Inlet leading to the Atlantic Ocean and the canal leading to the Delaware Bay, can be a busy place. Its home port to a large commercial fishing fleet and numerous sailboats, and the home port for Coast Guard cutters. It is also popular for sailing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboards.

The focus of the harbor master will be abandoned boats, at least based on the discussion during the council meeting. The ordinance was up for discussion but has not yet come up for a vote. It could be introduced at the next council meeting May 17, and would still require a public hearing and second vote before taking effect.

If approved then, the city could consider candidates for the job.

Boats abandoned in the harbor have been a problem for years. Whether they sank by accident or through neglect, there have been times when sailboat masts sticking up from sunken vessels dotted the harbor.

In the summer of 2009, the city introduced an ordinance allowing local officials to remove a boat and issue daily fines. At the time, Cape May was said to be the first city to take advantage of a new state law giving local control over abandoned boats.

The boats are technically a state responsibility, under the Motor Vehicle Commission. But abandoned boats remain an issue throughout New Jersey. A boat can be an expensive purchase, but salvaging a damaged boat often costs far more than the value of the boat, even if it can be repaired.

A sunk boat in the harbor is a navigational hazard. Its obviously a safety hazard. Its an environmental hazard, Yeager said at the council meeting.

Yeager cited a recent Press of Atlantic City story about abandoned boats during the council discussion Tuesday, saying it highlighted the problem around the state.

East Lynne proposes talking over historic AME Church in Cape May CAPE MAY  A proposal for the East Lynne Theater Company to use the historic Allen AME Churc

At one point, Yeager said, there were seven abandoned boats in Cape May Harbor.

A lot of thats been cleaned up. We still have a boat thats a little bit suspicious out there, he said.

Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
PLEASANTVILLE  Grave site markers for veterans have been stolen from a local cemetery.

The Atlantic City Cemetery off the Black Horse Pike is aware of nine bronze grave markers that are missing from its property. Each marker honors a military veteran who had been laid to rest at the cemetery.

Cemetery Office Manager Connie Edwards told The Press of Atlantic City that the cemetery first noticed the markers were gone April 21 and reported them as missing to police that same day.

She said families had ordered the markers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They include the veterans name, service branch and rank, as well as a list of wars in which they fought and their birth and death dates.

Whoever took the markers had wrested them off the concrete foundations onto which they were bolted. None has been recovered. There is not a history, Edwards said, of people stealing these kinds of markers at the cemetery.

Police issued a news release about the missing grave markers Thursday, asking for public assistance in relation to the theft.

Mayor Judy Ward said the apparent theft was egregious, noting the veteran status of those laid to rest at the sites that were targeted.

I think its sad that someone would stoop to that level, Ward said. Im so sorry that the families of the deceased have to go through this, especially after their loved ones have served our country.

Edwards said police had contacted her with a recovered marker honoring a veteran, although it did not belong to the Atlantic City Cemetery.

A photograph of a recovered marker for a veteran was attached to the police news release.

Michael Duffy a member of VFW Cardiff Memorial Post 8098 in Egg Harbor Township, decried the apparent thefts when reached by The Press.

Its a disgrace, Duffy said. These are people who have served your country.

Edwards said several family members of veterans had reached out concerned about the missing markers, although none was related to one of the veterans whose grave markers were stolen.

Those with information that could lead to the recovery of the grave markers can contact Detective Jamal Roy at jroy@pleasantvillepd.org or 609-641-6100, or email supervisor@pleasantvillepd.org. Anonymous tips also can be left at crimestoppersatlantic.com.

Contact Chris Doyle cdoyle@pressofac.com

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
OCEAN CITY  On an overcast spring morning, a lone fox kit peeked over a beachfront bulkhead keeping an eye on things while its siblings remained under cover in the nearby den.

When mom came back with breakfast after a hunt in the dunes, everyone came out to play.

Ocean City has been home to red foxes for decades at least. Often, they prowl neighborhoods, parks and the beach unnoticed, or possibly glimpsed in headlights late at night or seen crossing a quiet street after dawn. But in spring, when the young first appear outside their dens, the animals are at their most visible.

The young foxes are curious and relatively fearless. In this instance, five kits came out to cavort and play with the starling the adult fox brought back from the dunes.

In 2018, mange devastated the citys fox population. The highly contagious skin disease is the biggest killer of coyotes and foxes in New Jersey, according to state wildlife officials. In some instances, foxes had to be euthanized.

There is no way to be sure of the current number of foxes in Ocean City, but the numbers appear to be recovering. Seen through a zoom lens from a distance, the foxes seemed healthy and active, with one young kit zipping across the sand like a puppy with the zoomies.

Paleontologists find rare fossil of ancient dog species Paleontologists at the San Diego Natural History Museum recently found a rare and nearly complete fossilized skeleton of a long-extinct dog species.

Phil Bellucci, Ocean Citys animal control officer and a senior staff member with the Ocean City Humane Society, did not want to say much about the young foxes. He especially did not want to specify the location of the den, for fear too many people would arrive for a glimpse.

We know there are some local people whove been taking some great pictures of them, and theyre beautiful, Bellucci said. If people take pictures, dont post the address. That just draws attention to them, and then the more attention, the more people start feeding them.

There have been instances in which people regularly fed foxes, for instance near a well-visited Boardwalk doughnut shop. But however cute they are, foxes remain wild animals. Wildlife experts say doughnuts should definitely be off the menu.

If the animals get used to receiving food from human beings, they will lose their natural fear of people. That can be dangerous for the animals, and there are some people who are afraid of them. Wildlife experts say foxes are not dangerous to people, unless they have rabies, which is very rare.

On the recent morning, the fox family went about its business, seemingly unconcerned with the people passing nearby. While Bellucci does not want to call extra attention to the animals, in this case, they hardly went unnoticed, with several people mentioning how cute they were.

One woman remarked to a friend how the young ones were almost as big as the vixen now, in much the same tone someone might use for her neighbors kids or a family pet.

Fox chews through fence, kills 25 flamingos at National Zoo Zookeepers at the National Zoo made a macabre discovery this week, when they entered the outdoor enclosure that housed 74 flamingos. A wild fox from neighboring Rock Creek Park had apparently chewed a hole in the metal mesh fencing overnight and wreaked havoc, killing 25 flamingos and injuring three others. One Northern pintail duck was also killed. The birds, formally known as American or Caribbean flamingos, are instantly recognizable from their long stilted legs and distinctive pink hue. Those at the zoo have their wings clipped and could not fly away from the predator. The remaining flamingos have been moved to an indoor enclosure and the injured birds are being treated by the zoos veterinary staff.

Many in Ocean City correlate the drastic reduction in the fox population four years ago with a spike in wild rabbits around town. In some neighborhoods, there are rabbits on almost every lawn, and they breed like ... well, they breed quickly.

Hopefully with more fox there will be less rabbits in town, said Bellucci. He said Ocean City is home to a variety of wildlife. In addition to the very visible rabbits and squirrels, the island has raccoons, opossum and muskrats, and a wide variety of birds.

Expect diamondback terrapins to be seen in large numbers on lawns and roads when the bay water warms. Seals sometimes bask on the beaches in winter, and deer can occasionally be seen on the marsh.

As the kits mature and leave the den, they will be far less visible and probably far more cautious of human beings. But foxes hunt day and night, and will occasionally be seen throughout the year. For the most part, wildlife officials say, they should just be left alone. If there are signs of sickness or injury, or if a fox is acting strangely, call the Humane Society at 609-398-9500.

Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
WILLIAMSTOWN  The question of how the Holocaust could have taken place has haunted people of good conscience for generations.

How could a civilized nation, full of kind and ordinary people, be responsible for mass murder on a scale too horrible to contemplate?

The scariest thing to me is that what happened then is still happening, said a South Jersey man Thursday. He was one of the participants in an interactive session on the Holocaust.

People are still standing around watching and witnessing the atrocities throughout the world, and the rest of us saying its not our problem, he continued. Let somebody else fix it. The real message is that we cant do that anymore.

Law enforcement leaders from Havapai County, Arizona, a conservative area with few people and incredible scenery about 80 miles south of the main entrance to Grand Canyon National Park, struggled with a different question: How did the police allow it? How did the officers who should protect the innocent become part of a system that humiliated, intimidated and eventually murdered millions?

An interactive training program grew out of those questions. On Thursday evening, police officers, educators, clergy and community leaders participated in the last of a week of sessions presented at St. Matthews Church on Glassboro Road in Williamstown.

Called What You Do Matters, the three-hour program delved into the role of police officers, why individuals choose a career in law enforcement and the history of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

The prosecutors offices in Gloucester, Cape May, Salem and Cumberland counties joined together to present the program, which was created in consultation with the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. According to Christine Hoffman, the acting prosecutor for Gloucester County, the organization did not charge for the event, aside from travel expenses for the facilitators.

Participation was mandatory for some, said Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland, including detectives and assistant prosecutors in his office. Also participating over the course of the week were multiple other agencies, including members of the State Police, the FBI and municipal police departments, Hoffman said.

The Thursday presentation also included community members, as well as representatives of the Holocaust studies programs at Stockton University and Atlantic Cape Community College.

One of the elements of the program that stuck with Sutherland was the change in the oaths police officers took in Germany over time. What began as an oath of allegiance to the Kaiser and the constitution became an oath to the nation and the constitution during the years of the Weimar Republic.

Later, officers swore an oath to a single man: Hitler. The same went for teachers, civil servants, members of the military and many others.

Cumberland Jewish Federation to host Holocaust service, exhibit VINELAND  The Jewish Federation of Cumberland, Gloucester & Salem Counties will host a 

Over the course of the program, Elizabeth Burton Ortiz, executive director of the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys Advisory Council, and Todd Larson, director of the What You Do Matters Institute in Gilbert, Arizona, examined how the National Socialists, the Nazis, went from a banned extremist group with a jailed leader to absolute power.

They also discussed the racist laws that initially sought to disempower Jews and other groups, and eventually led to death camps.

There was extensive discussion throughout the program. Several speakers commented on the incremental nature of the first laws. An early law stated that Jews could not become lawyers.

Its very scary how people accepted it, one little step at a time, said one of the participants, who said he visited the death camps in Europe.

One of the things that got me was that these were ordinary people who did the killings, someone else said.

Ortiz said the program was not seeking to indicate there was any imminent danger of anything similar happening in the United States.

The presentation included questions about why people got involved in law enforcement. The answer was overwhelmingly that they wanted to help people and improve their communities, answers Larson said he has heard at events across the country.

Cheryl Davis Spaulding, public information officer with the Cape May County Prosecutors Office, said she wanted to be part of efforts to improve the image of law enforcement officers.

The presentation included images and videos. In one, an SS officer, a paramilitary officer answering to the Nazi Party, patrols with a Berlin police officer, a muzzled police dog between them.

Police were doing the same things that they did before the Nazis were in power, Ortiz said. That included some things police officers continue to do around the world. Although the basic police function never changed, the purpose of that function went from being protectors of the people to enforcers of Nazi ideology.

The program also sought to put the rise of the Nazis into context, including the devastating carnage of World War II, the economic ruin of the Great Depression and an unstable political situation in Germany that saw election after election and riots in the streets.

Again, each small step added up to monstrous consequences, from the invitation of President Paul von Hindenberg to Hitler to join the government as chancellor, to the emergency powers claimed  purportedly temporarily  after arson destroyed the German parliament, and a new system that allowed laws to be passed outside of parliament.

Municipal police officers saw the same small changes. There were still thefts and murders, bar fights and disruptions, but according to the presentation, officers were increasingly given other tasks.

Larson explored the dayto-day realities of Depression-era policing in German cities, where police were understaffed and poorly equipped. Suddenly, a new regime is pouring money into policing. Officers get raises, newfound respect and better gear, while there is money to hire additional staff and help from other agencies.

He asked a uniformed officer in the crowd if he felt like departments could use additional police now. Of course, was the reply.

The United States in 2022 is not Germany in the 1930s, Ortiz stressed. The politics, the society, even the technology are far different. Germans had democracy for less than a generation at that time, in a system imposed after the war, while the United States has centuries of democracy and a robust Constitution, including a Bill of Rights.

Still, there are lessons to be learned for a free society. The organizations website quoted Robert Jackson, the chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes trial in 1945: The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated.

Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A New Jersey doctor who authorities say described himself as Candy Man and El Chapo of Opioids has been sentenced to six years in prison for prescribing opioids without a legitimate medical purpose. Federal prosecutors say 48-year-old Robert Delagente, of Oakland, will also have to serve three years of supervised release once hes freed from prison under the sentence imposed Thursday. Authorities have said Delagente failed to monitor patients for addiction and ignored drug screening tests to determine whether certain patients were taking illicit drugs. They also say he allowed patients decide the strength and dosage for the drugs, and provided a dangerous drug combinations.
In the end, three years after he endured a torrent of scrutiny and pointed attacks from political opponents, Democratic power broker and businessman George E. Norcross III got his tax credits.

Conner Strong & Buckelew, the insurance brokerage Norcross leads as executive chairman, along with its two business partners in a Camden office tower, received their first installment of tax breaks in February for the nearly $245 million project.

The tax credit disbursements, which were quietly noted on a government website, came after the companies awards drew scrutiny from an investigative task force in 2019, fueling a heated political battle between Norcross and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

The companies and Camden officials have long argued that tax breaks for businesses moving to Camden are helping to add jobs and revitalize one of the states poorest cities.

Conner Strong, NFI and the Michaels Organization are proud to have moved their national headquarters to Camden and be part of the citys transformation from the countrys poorest, most violent city to a place that has dramatically safer, cleaner streets and neighborhoods, constantly improving schools and a growing jobs base, Norcross said in a statement. The award of the tax incentives was expected, as the firms far exceeded their collective commitment to bring new jobs to the city.

Progressive groups have criticized the corporate-incentives approach as costly and ineffective. Sue Altman, head of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and one of Norcross most vocal critics, called the awards deeply disappointing.

'COVID crushed us': Chronic absenteeism plagued N.J. schools during pandemic As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020-21 school year, thousands of Camden students wer

Insurance broker Conner Strong has built an entire empire on the backs of fleecing taxpayers, she said. Theyre now eating at the trough at both ends: When they charge local governments insurance premiums and when they get a free pass to avoid paying taxes.

Although the task force investigation consumed political and media attention in 2019, at this point theres some distance politically, said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.

Murphy is through his election to a second term, he said, as is Norcross ally and former State Senate president Steve Sweeney, who lost in an upset last November. I dont think its the front-burner political issue it once was, Rasmussen said of the tax credit awards. This is probably seen as a safe time to push them through.

The state granted an important approval to the three Camden tower companies in 2021, certifying that they had completed the building and relocation project agreed to with the Economic Development Authority in 2017.

But the certification last year was still shy of getting the actual tax credits, which are given out in annual installments over 10 years. Companies can use the credits to reduce their tax bills, or sell the credits for cash.

Notice of the issued tax credits was buried in a pair of Excel spreadsheets on the EDAs website, in a section that appears to have been updated sometime in the last three months.

New Jersey lawmakers react to Russia invading Ukraine Lawmakers are condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine. Below are some of their comments on t

The EDAs sign-off on the first round of tax credits for the Camden tower looked anything but certain in 2019. Thats when a Murphy-appointed task force came out with searing critiques of how the incentive programs were shaped and administered during Republican Chris Christies administration. The investigators allegations ranged from unregistered lobbying and misleading statements submitted by businesses to win tax credits, to lax regulatory oversight and a culture of getting to yes at the EDA.

In particular, the task force focused on how companies in Norcross orbit influenced and benefited from legislation that greatly expanded tax breaks in 2013. The law firm Parker McCay, headed by Philip Norcross, a brother of Georges, drafted passages of the 2013 law behind the scenes, the task force found, before the firm went on to represent companies applying for tax breaks, including Conner Strong.

The task force said there were clear red flags about claims on applications by Conner Strong and the Camden tower partners that they would seek office space in Philadelphia if they did not win approval for tax credits to build offices in New Jersey. It referred the three companies awards back to the EDA for further review.

The firms denied theyd done anything wrong, and Norcross and the companies sued the governor, arguing that Murphy created the task force unlawfully. They said they were falsely accused of misconduct after making an enormous investment in Camden. The suit was later dismissed, and it failed on appeal.

On Thursday, an EDA spokesperson said the agency had to take into account a recent court loss over tax credits it had withheld from another Camden company, Holtec International. The EDA has appealed this decision, the spokesperson said. After a careful analysis of the judges opinion, the EDA decided to issue the tax credits to the firms whose award issuances had been put on hold. The EDA has consistently reserved the right to recapture any awards in the event of new information regarding misrepresentations or fraud.

Norcross, in his statement, said the three companies at the tower, known as Triad1828 Centre, and their leaders have invested more than $300 million in the citys future, and are proud to have supported programs that benefit the community and its residents, including the Camden Works program that has led to the creation of hundreds of jobs for Camdenites.

The EDA issued Conner Strong $8,623,552 worth of tax credits for the 2020 installment of the firms $86.2 million total award. The firm, which previously had dual headquarters in Philadelphia and Marlton, reported creating 140 new jobs in Camden and retaining 157 jobs, with a median salary of $79,000.

NFI, a logistics company, was approved for $7,866,221 in annual tax credits on its $78.7 million total award and reported creating 78 new jobs while retaining 341, at a median salary of $77,235.

The Michaels Organization, a housing developer, received credits worth $7,555,853. The company reported 63 new jobs and 188 retained jobs in 2020, with a $134,997 median salary.

NFI and Michaels did not give additional comment.

Another Camden company scrutinized by the task force, Cooper Health System, where Norcross is board chair, started receiving its tax credits again last year, after its incentives had been placed on hold. The decision to resume issuing the credits was based on a thorough review of the applicable facts and the law, an EDA spokesperson told The Inquirer at the time.

Then, in late 2021, the EDA lost the court case over tax breaks it withheld from Holtec, an energy technology firm whose $260 million tax credit award to build a new facility in Camden was also cited by the task force.

In a section of its 2014 tax break application dealing with debarment, Holtec answered no and did not disclose that the company was debarred for 60 days in 2010 by the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federal entity.

The EDA did not pay out Holtecs 2018 tax credits while it reviewed the matter, and Holtec sued. During the legal fight, the EDA argued that Holtecs response was intentionally false, and Holtec maintained that its answer was not a misrepresentation because that part of the application was ambiguous.

On Dec. 30, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy ruled in Holtecs favor, agreeing that the debarment section was ambiguous and ordering the EDA to pay the $26 million annual installment.
CAMBRIDGE  A former Geneseo middle school science teacher was sentenced to seven years in prison on a Class X felony child pornography charge Thursday in Henry County Circuit Court.

Brian W. Duwe, 55, of Orion, was also sentenced to 18 months of mandatory supervised release. He must also pay a $1,000 fine and register as a sex offender upon his release.

Duwe pleaded guilty to the single felony count in February. Seven other counts of Class X child pornography and one count Class 3 felony child pornography were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

During Thursday's court proceeding, Duwe described having time on his hands during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and resorting to a phone app two or three nights a week in which gay men posted "anything and everything."

He said on Oct. 14, 2020, a 30-year-old man started chatting with him and asked him to send pornographic photos of young boys "to get him going." Duwe said he knew it was morally wrong, but he was aroused by the 30-year-old man so he forwarded the material to him.

Good decision-making played no part in this act, he said. I convinced myself it could not be illegal if (the online app) Kik allowed it to be posted.

He said he never looked at the video himself except for the starting frame.

I realize now how I was a teacher, I was a mandatory reporter of child abuse, he said. I never googled or searched the internet for child pornography.

He said after mid-November of 2020 he deleted his Kik phone application and was glad to be rid of it and glad to get back to my normal life again.

I know it was wrong, he said. I could never knowingly hurt a child in any way. I can't believe I was so stupid.

Henry County State's Attorney Catherine Runty sought a 10-year prison sentence.

In pronouncing his sentence, Judge James Cosby noted Duwe's "zero criminal history"  not even a speeding ticket  and said his conduct was caused by an unknown individual who became a part of Duwe's life.

Cosby noted that a psychologist found Duwe to be "not just a low risk to (re-offend), he scored Mr. Duwe as a very low risk to re-offend.

I don't think I've ever seen that, the judge said, adding Duwe struck him as being deeply ashamed.

Cosby said Duwe had lost his home, his job, his reputation and his friends as well as his teaching and education license.

He's basically hiding in his home at this point in time, Cosby said.

He also said had the case been in any way related to Duwe's teaching job, his decision might have been different, but from all pertinent information, it had nothing to do with his job.

So that's an important consideration as well, the judge concluded.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Calling all able-bodied, eager youth who want to earn a good salary with benefits: Illinois Quad-City fire departments are in need of firefighters and struggling to attract candidates, especially in East Moline.

The East Moline Fire Department has four positions open and is actively recruiting candidates, who must be between the ages of 21 and 35. The starting salary in 2023 will be $52,944 with health benefits and a pension.

Chief Robert DeFrance said he was accepting applications for the July 16 written test. Applicants have until July 1 to apply for the test, which will be administered at United Township High School. Applicants will have to take a candidate physical ability test (CPAT) as part of the application process. Candidates do not have to pass the CPAT before they apply, but they do have to pass the CPAT before they are hired.

DeFrance said times had changed dramatically in recent decades. Local fire departments received hundreds of applications in the 1980s and '90s.

"We had a hiring process last year, but we had very few applicants; we don't understand why," DeFrance said. "We are doing a much more concentrated effort now.

"It's really a great job, so we're at a loss as to why we're not getting applicants. We are definitely going to hire off our next eligibility list. Right now we can't even find qualified people who are interested in these positions. It's sort of a trend in fire departments across the nation struggling to hire career firefighters. It used to be every boy's dream to grow up and be a firefighter."

DeFrance said the department had an authorized strength of 36 personnel, including chief and administrative positions, that operated on three rotating 24-hour shifts.

"The minimum staff for each shift is nine personnel. When we're short  and they're working so much overtime as it is  sometimes we end up forcing overtime," DeFrance said. "If you do that repeatedly, we start to become concerned about fatigue. We just need to get people interested in being firefighters."

DeFrance said the department also had struggled with firefighters missing work because of COVID.

"When you add in injuries and family leave, we end up forcing people to work overtime," he said. "Because we are down the four-full time firefighters it doesn't leave us any cushion to fill in."

The department foots the cost of training for recruits at the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute, DeFrance said.

"The reward is worth it; it's a good starting salary and it's a very worthy and noble career. I think most people find it very rewarding. I think the reward is worth the extra steps."

Moline

Deputy Fire Chief Travis Noyd said the The Moline Fire Department was hiring two firefighters, with more openings to come.

Noyd said the starting wage for a new firefighter depended on their level of EMT license upon hire. An EMT-B would start as a Tier 1 firefighter earning $53,190; and an employee with an EMT-P or Paramedic license would make $58,190 as a Tier 2 employee.

The department is considered fully manned at 65 firefighters. There are 61 currently on staff with two new recruits beginning mid-May.

"We are aware of a couple impending retirements this year and the possibility of other job vacancies due to work-related injuries or departures," Noyd said. "We have had difficulties creating (eligibility) lists due to low numbers of applicants over the last two testing cycles, with our last list only having four eligible firefighters."

Noyd said the department was taking a proactive approach in its recruitment efforts.

"We have created, with the cooperation of Local 581, a recruitment team that has collaborated to try ideas to improve the number of applications we receive," he said. "This has included attending career fairs, visits to college campuses and meeting with specialized groups, working to better send our message out through social media and making testing more convenient.

"We are hoping these efforts will improve our number of applicants for the upcoming eligibility list."

Rock Island

Rock Island Fire Chief Jeff Yerkey said the department completed an examination process in late April where they added additional candidates to the current eligibility list.

Yerkey said the department was budgeted for 59 sworn members but had two vacancies.

"We also had another candidate accept an offer of employment and is expected to start later this month, which will bring us up to 58 members," he said. "Assistant Chief Robert Graff is currently contacting the remaining candidates on our list so as to bring us up to our full staff of 59."

Yerkey said the starting salary for a Rock Island firefighter was $55,278 plus an annual stipend of $2,800 for EMT-paramedic or pre-hospital RN (PHRN) pay.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Gsani N. Bogan was accused of shooting a man during a fight in the in the Genesis West emergency room lobby. She has pleaded guilty to two of the resulting charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
SPRINGFIELD  A group of lawmakers is calling for a joint hearing on the Pontiac and Vandalia prisons in response to Illinois Department of Corrections plans to drastically downsize the facilities.

In a letter released Friday, 13 lawmakers called for a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and House Appropriations-Public Safety Committees to find out what is actually happening with the Pontiac and Vandalia prisons.

In February, Lee Enterprises obtained a draft of an IDOC proposal that revealed plans for partial closures at both prisons.

According to the proposal, partial closures were necessary due to lower prison populations and costly maintenance at the facilities. At the time, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office characterized the document as a draft plan that had not received final approval.

IDOC director Rob Jeffreys later confirmed to lawmakers that the department plans to close the medium-security unit and the east and west cellhouses at the Pontiac prison, and 10 buildings at the Vandalia prison. The timeline for closure is between March and August, Jeffreys said.

The Pritzker administration has not been transparent or forthcoming about what if any long-term plans are in place for Illinois prisons, which is a major reason why this process needs legislative oversight, said state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, in a press release.

Lawmakers expressed concern that shuttering units at the Pontiac and Vandalia facilities will lead to job losses in the surrounding communities.

Any changes to these facilities could have absolutely devastating effects to the local economies, said state Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Vandalia.

According to the draft plan, operational capacity at Pontiac would drop from 1,740 to 642. At Vandalia, it would drop from 1,001 to 410.

The lawmakers say a joint hearing would require the governor's office and IDOC to discuss their plans on the Pontiac and Vandalia facilities publicly.

It is urgent that the governor provides the public with an explanation regarding these changes immediately, said state Rep. David Welter, R-Morris. If thousands of people could be impacted, the very least they deserve is open communication."

Legislators have scheduled a town hall meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Pontiac Township High School, 1100 E. Indiana Ave., where they said theyll provide updates to community members.

Editor's note: This date of the town hall has been corrected.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
LAKE PRESTON | Farmers in South Dakota says there's a reason for optimism as they head out to their fields to plant crops this spring.

Commodity markets are up 62% over the 10-year average.

Wayne Soren raises crops and cattle near Lake Preston.

This is probably one of the most exciting seasons to begin in, in quite some time because the prices of crops are so high, Soren tells South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Although hes optimistic as he drives his planter into his corn field, the third-generation farmer also has concerns, mainly about dry conditions.

Thats one of the dark clouds that sits above. Are we going to get enough rain to grow a crop this year? Soren said.

Soren is not alone in his concern. According to U.S. Drought Monitor data, 71% of South Dakota was in drought conditions at the end of April.

But recent rain provided some relief.

We got a large rain. Probably the biggest rain weve had in two years. Dams are completely full over the last three days. Yeah, were pretty much at max for soil moisture at the moment. I would say we got almost four inches I was cautiously optimistic last time and I am wholly optimistic at the moment, said Kimball farmer Adam Schindler.

Following the late-April rainstorms, the May 5 U.S. Drought Monitor data shows 69% of the state remains in drought conditions, mostly in western South Dakota and the southeast part of the state.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Law enforcement is asking the public for tips regarding a drive-by shooting in Pine Ridge that killed a young child Thursday.

According to the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, officers responded to a call at approximately 9 p.m. Thursday for a drive-by shooting at a home in the 2900 block of U.S. Highway 18. When officers arrived, they learned an occupant of a vehicle had shot at the home and fled the scene prior to police officers' arrival.

During the gunfire, a young child was shot and killed. The individuals involved and the child's name have not been identified.

A spokesperson with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said agents are currently investigating the shooting death and are seeking the public's help with information.

Anyone with information is urged to call the OSTDPS Dispatch Center at 605-867-5111 or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

 Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com 

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 5 Angry 4

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Rapid City police body camera footage appears to align with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigations report on the police shooting death of Barney Peoples, Jr., following an independent review of the video Thursday by members of the media.

Two officers shot Peoples in the afternoon of March 26 after responding to a burglary call at 720 James Warren Drive. Peoples, 51, died at the scene.

Two staff members of the Journal, along with media members from KNBN-TV and KOTA-TV/KVEN-TV, reviewed the footage from four different officers who responded to the scene. RCPD Police Chief Don Hedricks said this was the first time the media has been granted a viewing of any kind of footage from the Rapid City Police Department.

On March 26, a Rapid City homeowner noticed a broken window when he arrived home from being out of state for several days. He called 911, and Rapid City Police responded to the call.

A total of six officers, including one canine unit, ultimately responded to the home. The DCI report released on Wednesday details the incident that ended in Peoples being shot by two officers a total of six times.

In an effort to corroborate the DCI investigation of the shooting and further transparency with the public, RCPD allowed members of the media to review the footage on Thursday afternoon, RCPD Asst. Chief Scott Sitts said.

The family of Peoples also viewed the video footage on Wednesday, Sitts said.

Body cam footage showed police speaking with the homeowner, who told them he had guns in the three-level home located on a slope. The lowest level has a sliding glass door on the lower side of the hill.

Footage shows officers entering the home through the sliding door, announcing themselves loudly and asking anyone in the home to identify themselves multiple times. After moving through the first two levels of the home, an officer remarks that he can hear someone on the upper level.

After clearing the main level, the officer is joined by the K-9 unit and other officers inside the home. The two officers and the K-9 ascend the stairs, and the officer manning the K-9 loudly states, We will send the dog, several times. There was no response.

The leading officer then released his dog near the top of the stairs. The dog opened one door to the right of the stairs, and then the dog and leading officer opened the door to the master bedroom. The K-9 entered the room. Video shows Peoples was sitting on the floor holding a rifle with a scope. A freeze-frame of that particular moment shows the gun was pointed at the first officer.

Footage shows the leading officer move to the left of the doorway seeking cover while shouting for Peoples to drop the weapon, after which both officers begin firing.

According to DCIs report, a total of 15 rounds were fired and six hit Peoples. The time between the officer kicking the door open and the end of the gunfire is a matter of mere seconds. Sitts said its a very tense, high-tense situation.

We dont train to shoot to kill, and we dont train to shoot to wound. We train to shoot to stop the threat, Sitts said. They had no choice. Their hand was forced to defend themselves, and they did. As soon as that threat ceased to be a threat, the officers stopped.

Hedrick said the department previously interacted with Peoples, who was homeless according to Hedrick and family members. Hedrick said hes never known Peoples to carry weapons or a rifle but methamphetamine may have played a factor in the situation. The DCI report states that he had methamphetamine in his system and on the scene.

I think this incident speaks to a deeper issue that we have in our community, Hedrick said. Meth drives a lot of the violence we have here in Rapid City, and we have a need for more treatment options for folks to take advantage of.

Family and friends of Peoples held a press conference Thursday at Roosevelt Park in Rapid City to discuss what they feel was excessive use of force and outright murder. The family maintained that viewpoint after being shown the footage on Wednesday.

Canupa Gluha Mani, of Pine Ridge, acted as a spokesman for the family and challenged the officers actions.

This mans been on the streets, a homeless guy, like many of us on the reservation and outside, but does he deserve to get murdered that way at the discretion of Pennington County? Gluha Mani said.

Peoples sister, Trinity Peoples, said she didnt view the portion of the footage where her brother was shot, but she felt police could have used non-lethal methods.

I think that they could have tear-gassed him out. They could have backed off and tear-gassed him out, called him on the intercom instead of barging in there with guns ready to shoot like he was Bin Laden, Trinity said. There wasnt any de-escalating tactics. They used excessive force.

Hedrick said the call started as a routine burglary, and officers didnt have a real reason to believe theyd come across someone with a loaded gun. He said police gave Peoples many opportunities to surrender, but the opportunity wasnt taken.

This all happened very, very quickly. When the officers open this door, theyre immediately having a scoped rifle pointed at them, and at that point, theyre in a spot where they have to defend themselves, Hedrick said.

James Murphy, Peoples ex-brother-in-law, said he watched the footage and didnt feel it was necessary for him to be shot.

I believe it was excessive force, Murphy said. I have lived experience in pulling guns on officers, and I am here to tell my story. I wish they would have granted Barney the same respect. I did not see him pointing a gun at the officers, and there was no time allotted for de-escalation. They treated him like a problem to be exterminated, and our family has suffered a great loss.

The family questioned radio chatter they heard from the incident that mentioned a shotgun blast. The DCI report doesnt mention a shotgun being fired during the incident. Sitts said there was miscommunication in the initial radio traffic.

After the shooting, Sitts said police handed the scene over to the Pennington County Sheriffs Office, and DCI investigated the case. Hedrick said after the shooting, the officers were placed on administrative leave. He said officers cannot return to work until theyve been interviewed by DCI and cleared by the departments on-staff psychologist. The officers returned to work approximately two weeks after the shooting, Hedrick said.

 Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com 

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
B9 Creations, a 3D printer manufacturer based in Rapid City, hosted an event Friday to celebrate its 10-year anniversary and honor the partnerships that helped them reach it.

The event was hosted at the companys 18,000-square-foot facility on Plant Street, a far cry from the Economic Development Building on the South Dakota Mines campus where the company got its start a decade ago.

The company, founded by former U.S. Air Force pilot Mike Joyce, is what happens when brilliant mathematicians get bored, joked Qusi Al-Haj, West River Director for Sen. John Thune. Al-Haj was one of many government and business partners in attendance celebrating their partnerships with B9.

B9s story is of a technology company born in a Black Hills basement, said CEO Shon Anderson.

The company specializes in 3D printing solutions, from manufacturing, medical, and jewelry to aerospace, defense and dental. A counter strewn with 3D dental models, thin red plates and a model of a heart represent technology advanced far beyond home offices and fun models.

Recognized in 2015 as the Innovative Business of the Year by the Black Hills Economic Development Foundation, Anderson described the organization as always the underdog." They were competing with Silicon Valley, Boston and Europe. But they never wanted to leave South Dakota.

Its that South Dakota mindset, Anderson said.

The work ethic theyve experienced here has enabled them to grow and expand, he said, across the country, and now, across the globe.

We carve mountains, said Adam Kaemingk, West River Regional Director for Sen. Mike Rounds. We put a world class lab a mile underground. Thats just how [South Dakota does] things.

The changes B9 has seen over the past decade have ranged from their logo and address to annual revenue and the countries they operate in  totaling 66 and counting. The knowledge has also evolved, changing a once-intimidating technology into a customer base that is educated in how they can use 3D printing technology.

They can make little lizards and Star Wars helmets, which is really cool, said Andrea Serna, Foundation President at Black Hills Works, but now we're making devices that fit on wheelchairs that can adjust to one person. There are now things like that on the market.

B9s partnership with Black Hills Works, an organization that supports adults with disabilities, is one of many that has offered a meaningful collaboration with the company.

With our partnership, we are creating and developing these phenomenal life-changing devices," Serna said.

Fridays event was ultimately a celebration of those partnerships, from businesses and customers to the employees that make the magic happen.

I talked about those core values, Anderson said. They really don't mean anything without all the people.

Andersons favorite thing, he said, is seeing their employees accomplish things they didnt know they could. B9 Creations is an opportunity to bring the gifts and talents of their employees to the world around them, he said.

Just a few of those things include fitting a tooth into the mouth of a patient, or a stent in an artery or valve in a heart. Or a jewelry store being able to print a 3D prototype that a customer can approve in under 20 minutes.

When we create the fertile soil that helps people realize what their gifts and talents are, and then push them and challenge them to go use those to their fullest, amazing things happen, Anderson said.

Contact Laura Heckmann at lheckmann@rapidcityjournal.com

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Montanas Native American population needs better representation in Congress, say Democratic candidates for the states Eastern U.S. House District.

The Eastern District has five reservations with a 6th likely before the next Congress ends. Two out of 11 candidates running for U.S. House participated in this Zoom event.

Democrats Penny Ronning, a former Billings City Council member, and state legislator Mark Sweeney addressed several issues during an hour-long forum livestreamed by Western Native Voice. The nonpartisan group promotes voter engagement and self determination on Montanas seven Indian reservations.

Thursday was the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Both candidates have worked on MMIW issues. Ronning is a founder of the Yellowstone County Human Trafficking Task Force. Sweeney served in the Montana Legislature during the past two sessions as lawmakers advanced bills dealing the MMIW crisis.

Moderator Chase Comes At Night reminded the candidates that 60% of Montanas missing people are Indigenous and asked each what they would do to bring more of these people home safe and reduce the number of people missing.

It's really a blight on Montana, and reservations in particular, Sweeney said. "I think law enforcement needs to be bolstered and funded adequately so when this happens, when there's a report of a missing Indigenous person, that all resources go out and theres a sense of urgency that these people need to be found as quick as possible.

Ronning, said she worked on two proposals that eventually became law in 2019. Part of the challenge is getting government agencies to work together, from law enforcement agencies to the courts. The 2019 bills were just a start.

When we take a look at Montana, in 2017 the Urban Indian Health Institute out of Seattle did a good study. Montana's fifth in the nation, Billings is fifth in in the nation, in regard to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. So we've got a lot of work to do," Ronning said. "But I think that we're moving forward.

Other issues discussed included fair elections and energy issues particularly lowering electricity bills in Indian Country.

Our election system has been tested and tested again and proven to be safe and secure. But I would say that our voting system needs improvement, Ronning said. We have to fight against voter suppression. We have to fight against gerrymandering. We have to fight against those powers that would like to be able to control voting. And so, I think when we talk about safe and secure elections, I think those are part of the topics that we have to talk about, as well as the attempts to suppress, whether it be Native Americans, whether it be rural areas, whether it be marginalized areas in urban areas. We have to fight against anyone and any power that attempts to suppress the right for people to vote.

Specifically concerning the 2020 election, Sweeney said the elections went smoothly considering the challenges of the pandemic.

It didn't work well, so much for the Democratic Party, but oh, well, Sweeney said It's up to us to put forward good candidates and keep fighting the good fight. Now, it's particularly challenging on reservations, and we need to make sure everything is done possible to make sure each person has a right to cast their vote and every vote is counted. And again, just the rural nature of reservations makes that that difficult. So, we need to have more polling places open throughout the communities and, you know, ballot harvesting should be allowed so people can gather up a ballots that have been voted and are secure and deliver them, because a lot of people can't get to the polling places.

The energy question touched on the challenges of the tribal communities facing high electric bills, while also playing key roles in the production of Montana energy. The Crow Tribe is one of two tribes in the United States with the coal mineral rights and the best paying Crow jobs are in coal mining. The Northern Cheyenne are a significant part of the workforce at Colstrip Power Plant and the adjacent Rosebud Mine. In Western Montana, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have reclaimed their right to the Selis Ksanka Qlispe Project, previously known as Kerr Dam.

Tribal communities also face some of the biggest energy challenges. Colstrip is edging toward shutdown as Pacific Northwest utilities, with a 70% ownership in the plant, prepare for state bans on coal-by-wire electricity in Washington and Oregon. All but one of Montanas six coal mines has gone through bankruptcy in the last five years. Four of those mines were economic drivers for the Crow and Northern Cheyenne.

And on the Hi-Line, the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux, along with the Fort Belknap Gros Ventre and Assiniboine, struggled to be heard as federal and state governments geared up for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The tribes objected over concerns about drinking water contamination and potential harm to sacred lands. The pipeline project failed, while the tribes were litigating their grievances, but not because of them.

Coal has served us very well in, in the past. I worked on Colstrip (units) 3 and 4 when it was being built. Those provided a lot of employment to Native Americans on the Northern Cheyenne, and the Crow reservations. But that's going by the wayside, Sweeney said. People don't want carbon emissions emitted from electricity anymore.

Sweeney said the state needs to generate electricity from multiple sources, including a 275-megawatt wind farm proposed for Rosebud and Custer counties. Solar power has potential, he said noting that as a county commissioner in Deer Lodge County, he also approved a gas-fired power plant.

The more electricity we generate, then thats the best thing you can do to drive down the cost, have diverse resources.

Ronning focused on energy conservation, like lowering water usage, which in a round about way would lead to lower energy bills. She also backed development of renewable energy.

Some of the things that we can do within our state is to examine the different opportunities that we have for wind energy, solar energy, biofuels, all different types of renewable, renewable energy that we can bring into the state within the local communities, within our even rural communities, Ronning said.

Mail ballots go out next week. Sunday, there will be a final forum for Eastern U.S. House District candidates at the Art House Cinema and Pub in Billings. The 6 p.m. event, organized by Forward Montana, will feature 10 of the 11 candidates running in the Eastern District, Rosendale being the one candidate not to confirm attendance.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Henrico County leaders say theyll be the first in Virginia to use an amended law that becomes effective July 1 which allows localities to give surplus revenues from personal property taxes back to taxpayers.

In Henrico, thats an estimated $20.4 million.

County Manager John Vithoulkas announced Friday morning the countys proposals to help residents facing bigger personal property tax bills, thanks largely to record-high values on used cars, trucks and motorcycles. Henrico bills its citizens twice annually for personal property, with bills due on June 6 and Dec. 5 each year.

Henricos personal property tax rate  the lowest in the Richmond area  is $3.50 per $100 assessed value.

The proposal, which will be presented to the Board of Supervisors for consideration at its June 14 meeting, is to offer a one-time credit on the second tax bill, equal to roughly 52 cents  effectively reducing the countys personal property tax rate on eligible cars, trucks and motorcycles to $2.98 per $100 of assessed value for 2022.

A public hearing and board vote would follow at the boards July 12 meeting.

Additionally, Vithoulkas said he will recommend to the board that it approve an emergency ordinance that provides an extension on the due date for the first bill, from June 6 to Aug. 5. No penalties or interest will be added for those who pay on or before Aug. 5.

The board will consider the action at its meeting on Tuesday.

Vithoulkas said these initiatives are made possible by a law passed in 2005 but updated during this years General Assembly that allows localities to return real estate revenue surpluses to constituents. This years update to the law  which takes effect July 1  expanded it to allow localities to also return personal property tax revenue surplus.

He said Henrico will be the first locality to utilize the amendment.

County officials projected a year-over-year increase in personal property taxes of about 15% when the 2022-23 budget was drafted. In reality, its more like 35%  that additional 20% equals $20.4 million. While county officials say they wont know exact amounts until the current fiscal year closes on June 30, theyre preparing now to give the surplus back to residents.

The years first tax bills hit Henrico residents mailboxes about a week ago, at which time county officials said they immediately heard from residents.

Were giving it all back  every single penny, Vithoulkas said Friday, after offering a public thank you to residents who reached out to the county to alert them about their concerns. He said he and his team have been working to address the unprecedented market conditions that have created the spikes seen in tax revenues.

Throughout his career, Ive seen market disruptions and recessions [but] Ive absolutely never seen anything like what were experiencing, Vithoulkas said. Used cars are supposed to depreciate, he continued, so in forecasting the upcoming budget, our finance team never projected such a substantial increase in personal property tax revenues from vehicles.

But ultimately, when faced with real estate and now personal property surplus revenues, localities have two choices  they can keep the funds, or they can give them back, Vithoulkas said. This is not the countys money. The revenue ... belongs to our taxpayers.

Henrico Finance Director Sheila Minor echoed Vithoulkas, saying both of the initiatives highlight Henricos commitment to do whats right by our residents.

She also said theres an appeals process for anyone with vehicles with high mileage or damage beyond normal wear and tear and encouraged residents to use that process if they feel their vehicles assessment should be lowered.

With the proposed credit, someone who owns a car worth $12,000 would save just over $62, or 25% of their total annual personal property tax bill of $252. Someone with a vehicle valued at $25,000 would see a 22% credit, equal to about $130 on a $595 bill.

Vithoulkas noted that the personal property tax credits are on top of real estate tax relief approved by the board earlier this year. Called the 2+2 Plan, those efforts provided a 2-cent tax credit on real estate tax bills for residents, which effectively took tax rates from 87 cents per $100 assessed value to 85 cents. But the board didnt stop there. It voted to permanently reduce the countys tax rate to 85 cents.

The board also provided additional tax relief for the countys elderly and disabled residents. Vithoulkas said that with those three pieces  personal property tax relief, real estate credits and elderly/disabled relief  Henrico is returning $51 million to taxpayers.
In just her sixth year of teaching, Richmond Public Schools eighth-grade science teacher Kiara Thompson, 31, was chosen as the school systems Teacher of the Year for 2022.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, Superintendent Jason Kamras, members of the School Board and administrators broke the news to Thompson on Friday in her Thomas C. Boushall Middle School classroom. City leaders also held a surprise presentation for Thompson in the school media center.

A day earlier, Kamras visited Thompsons class in recognition of being selected as one of the five finalists for the title, but she didnt expect to be crowned the winner.

It means so much to me, Thompson said. I cant even describe in words how excited and how overjoyed I am by it. I will cherish it forever.

Over the course of the year, each school votes for its teacher of the year from a pool of candidates nominated by colleagues. Candidates send a district committee a portfolio detailing their work in their schools and reasons why they should be selected to receive the award.

Thompson grew up in Richmonds East End, attended Henrico County Public Schools and graduated from Varina High School. She went on to earn a bachelors degree in biology and a masters degree in public administration from Old Dominion University.

When Thompson decided she wanted to teach, she was determined to be a teacher at RPS. Her mother, Monique Thompson, said that was always the goal her daughter had in mind.

She doesnt want to teach anywhere else, Thompsons mother told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in an interview Friday. Im so proud of what shes accomplished.

Thompsons passion for teaching has shown in the love she has for her students and the love theyve shown toward her, Kamras told the audience Friday. When he visited her classroom, he knew straight away what an amazing teacher Thompson had become by the joy written on her students faces.

I could tell from the minute I walked into your classroom yesterday, and we saw again today, that you love your students and they love you, Kamras said to the audience of friends and faculty celebrating Thompsons achievement. At the end of the day, thats what its all about.

As humbled and appreciative as Thompson is for receiving this award, she said shes also motivated to continue to provide a safe space for students to feel comfortable and grow confident.

As an educator, Thompson said she hopes to give all her students an equitable education thats going to help them be successful not only in school but in life.

They deal with so much each and every day that are things beyond their control, Thompson said. Im just humbled and very appreciative of the fact that families trust us to educate their children, and Im just very, very excited.

Stoney said the past 2 years have been challenging for RPS parents, students and most certainly its teachers as they continue to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.

Stoney said throughout that time, RPS has been dependent on its teachers to show up, despite their own individual circumstances.

It has been a difficult last couple years with the pandemic and whatnot, Stoney said. For not only our children but also for our teachers as well, but theyve shown up each and every day to make sure our children get the best education possible in the city limits.

Thompson said giving students the tools they need to be successful is more than enough fuel to power her passion for teaching.

It feels amazing to be there for my community, specifically to be able to give back and educate our students, she said.
Chesterfield County police have arrested the girlfriend of a man who was left with life-threatening injuries Thursday evening after he was thrown from a moving vehicle driven by the girlfriend in the 5000 block of Hopkins Road.

Margareth Nelson Mejia, 27, of the 4900 block of Bryce Lane in Richmond, was charged with aggravated malicious wounding and driving without a license in connection with the incident, police said Friday.

Police did not immediately disclose what led to the incident.

Police said they responded about 6:20 p.m. after receiving multiple calls that a person was on the hood of a vehicle and yelling for someone to call 911 in the parking lot of the Walmart in the 5700 block of Hopkins Road.

Upon arrival, police say, officers were unable to locate the person.

Youngkin wants state workers to return to offices under policy effective July 5 Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants state employees back in their offices under a new telework policy that will take effect July 5 to guide executive br

Moments later, police received additional calls about a person that had been thrown from a moving vehicle in the 5000 block of Hopkins Road. Officers located a male victim with life-threatening injuries, and he was transported to an area hospital.

Police began looking for a black Honda CRV with Virginia license plates driven by a female, who was later identified as Nelson Mejia.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Chesterfield Police Department at (804) 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at (804) 748-0660 or through the P3 app for smartphones.
Friday was the first day of in-person early voting for Virginias June 21 congressional primaries.

Virginians do not register by party, so any registered voter in a district with a contest may cast a ballot.

The June 21 congressional primaries include the contest among six Republicans in the redrawn 7th Congressional District for the right to take on Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger.

The state Supreme Court has shifted the district from its base in suburban Richmond to Northern Virginia, where it is now based in Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.

The six GOP candidates are state Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania; Crystal Vanuch; Yesli Vega; Derrick Anderson; Gina Ciarcia; and David Ross.

Another marquee primary contest on June 21 is the Republican nomination fight in the 2nd District between state Sen. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach; Jarome Bell; Tommy Altman; and Andy Baan.

The winner will take on Rep. Elaine Luria, D-2nd, in a swing district based in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake that has become even more competitive in redistricting with the removal of Norfolk, a Democratic stronghold.

Elsewhere, two members of Congress on June 21 face what are likely longshot intraparty challenges.

In the 6th District, which climbs the states western spine from Roanoke to Winchester, fellow Republican Merritt Hale is taking on Rep. Ben Cline, R-6th, who has held the seat since 2019 after serving for 16 years in the House of Delegates.

In Northern Virginias 8th District, Victoria Virasingh is challenging Rep. Don Beyer, D-8th, a former two-term lieutenant governor who has held the U.S. House seat since 2014.

In some cases, political parties are using party-run processes to nominate candidates rather than a state-run primary. For instance, in the 10th District, based in Loudoun and Prince William counties, Republicans will use a May 21 party canvass to choose a nominee among 11 potential candidates. The winner will take on Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th.
Not since Democrat Mark Warner won a $1.4 billion tax increase in 2004 for schools, cops and the social safety net, has a governor with no previous experience in Richmond used the state budget to rewrite the tax law. But theres a big difference. In 2022, Republican Glenn Youngkin wants to cut taxes by $5.5 billion.

Their shared approach  weaving a tax scheme into the appropriations act  produced the same result near-term: a bitter standoff between the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, with the budget overdue and state agencies and local governments that depend on it helpless to plan for spending in the fast-approaching, new fiscal year. It begins July 1.

In 2004, when the legislatures annual session was supposed to run 60 days, it was 105 before it consented to the Warner tax proposal, at the heart of which was a half-percent sales tax increase. This year, the House and Senate worked 60 days, quitting March 12. In the roughly 55 days since adjournment, theres been no discernible progress on the budget.

When it comes to their respective rookie-dom and tax splashes, there is another difference between Warner and Youngkin, both of whom are multimillionaires who, in effect, told voters that because they know private business, managing the publics business would be easy.

Capitalizing on a split in a GOP General Assembly, Warner pulled off his tax win in the third year of his four-year term, having his head handed to him time and again in years one and two, when, losses notwithstanding, he tirelessly schmoozed the opposition  a trait that speaks to his supposed bipartisan cred.

A particularly stinging loss that preceded the Warner win: the snap adjournment of the House, preventing a tweak to a tax-hike referendum in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads that would have added school funding to the ballot, possibly improving chances voters would consent to the principal question: more money for transportation. They didnt.

Facing a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, Youngkin aims to win only months into his governorship, among other things, repeal of the grocery tax, a doubling of the standard deduction Virginians take on their income taxes, and a three-month rollback of the 26.2-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline.

Youngkin is gambling hell prevail with a bit of theater  ads and staged-for-TV events  and because of the supposed fear in both parties of resisting tax relief. But that was before Youngkin, essentially a stranger to the legislature, annoyed some Republicans by putting showmanship ahead of statesmanship and angered Democrats with gratuitous vetoes.

And Youngkin has advantages Warner could only dream about: Despite Youngkins claim its in a ditch, an economy strongly bouncing back from the pandemic, producing a record surplus of $2.6 billion; and billions more in federal coronavirus aid that, if the General Assembly completes the budget, means bigger appropriations for all sorts of services.

Warner pushed for higher taxes  hed been elected on a promise to never raise them  because the states finances were in shambles. The economy was in recession and the car-tax rollback of his GOP predecessor, Jim Gilmore, was far pricier than predicted. Its now nearly $1 billion a year. And that was after it was capped as part of the Warner tax gambit.

Driving the tax hike was a distinction Virginias had since the 1920s, when such grades were first issued by Wall Street: the highest-possible credit rating. It was imperiled because of growing holes in the state budget, one of the largest attributed to the car-tax program. Preserving the triple-A rating was something on which both parties agreed  supposedly.

Further, the car-tax rollback had done what Youngkins grocery-tax proposal will do: strip localities of a revenue source they control, forcing them to rely on the state for replacement dollars that would disappear if the gang at the state Capitol chose to spend them differently. This is one reason the House, Senate and Youngkin are at loggerheads.

And Warner did, as Youngkin does: Enlist public support with a very public publicity campaign. Warner conducted polls and ran commercials. He also made sure the interests that would benefit from the tax increase  colleges, law enforcement and welfare agencies  showered legislators with mail and showed up in big numbers at hearings and for floor votes.

Youngkin has done some of that, but it hasnt been sustained. Hes held town hall-type meetings, even posed for television cameras, pumping gas for drivers rankled by high prices. Youngkin could sell more than tax cuts. Theres record spending for higher ed that hes adopted as his own but was proposed by the Democrat he succeeded, Ralph Northam.

Another distinction in these parallel tax fights: Warners finance staff was made up of state government veterans known to, and respected by, legislators. Youngkins lead guy is a former financier whos said he has a lot to learn. Hes backed up by a couple of Richmond insiders, but theyre apparently kept on a very short leash.

All this  and who can take credit for luring Boeings headquarters from Chicago to Arlington  could make for interesting conversation between Warner and Youngkin.

Say, in 2026, when Warner, now a U.S. senator, will pitch to keep his job  and Youngkin will be looking for a new one.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin ended Public Service Recognition Week by announcing a new telework policy that confused and demoralized many state government employees who have survived the COVID-19 pandemic by working mostly from their homes.

Youngkin launched the new policy hurriedly on Thursday evening as details publicly emerged that appeared to contradict the message that the governor and his top staff had sought to deliver  a promise of flexibility for some 55,000 workers in 65 executive branch agencies in where and how they do their jobs.

Instead, state employees and agency heads say the policy reduces flexibility for agencies in allowing their employees to work remotely by requiring approval by a Cabinet secretary or the governors chief of staff for any employee to telework more than one day a week, beginning on July 5.

People think its ironic that this is how the governor chose to communicate with people in Public Service Week, said one state agency director, who asked to remain anonymous because of potential retaliation.

The new policy removes much of the flexibility and discretion that agency heads had in permitting employees to work remotely before the pandemic began more than 26 months ago, the director said, instead limiting their authority to grant no more than one day of telework to an employee each week.

I think it certainly makes us less competitive with the private sector, the director said. I dont think theres any doubt about it.

Youngkin and his top aides agree that the new policy will limit the latitude of state agency heads to depart from the new standards, which they say is necessary to improve the delivery of services to the public.

We want to standardize workplace policies and practices across executive agencies to enable customer-centric services, top-tier education, safety and security, and prosperity for Virginia, Chief of Staff Jeff Goettman said in a letter to employees on Thursday that included the actual policy, which the governors office had not distributed to the news media when it announced the initiative.

The new policy says all state employees must return to their offices by July 5, working in person five days a week unless they receive approval of a standard telework agreement. Employees could apply for telework permission under the agreements, beginning on Friday.

The administration plans to finish reviewing the applications by May 20 and approve them by June 3, although the news release announcing the initiative set an approval deadline of June 30.

Agency heads can approve one day of telework a week, or temporary telework of up to two weeks because of family illness, school closing or other unavoidable circumstances.

Goettman, a former private equity executive and investment banker who ran Youngkins successful gubernatorial campaign last year, would have the final word under the policy on whether an employee could work remotely for more than two days a week.

In response, a Concerned Commonwealth Employee sent the governors chief of staff an email message on Friday that denounced the new policy as counterproductive to government efficiency that the anonymous worker said had improved in a teleworking environment during the pandemic.

To reward the employees of the Commonwealth for finding new and better ways to do things, along with going against numerous research studies that demonstrate that companies that want to attract Millennials and Gen Z employees MUST offer teleworking and flexibility in a work environment, you spit in our faces, the employee said in the message, copied to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Millennials and Gen Z employees do not want to be gophers in cubicles and neither do state employees who have figured out better ways to accomplish their work, the message states.

Two other state employees who spoke to The Times-Dispatch on condition of anonymity said the new policy is too broad and inflexible for defining telework opportunities in more than five dozen agencies.

Its disappointing that such a broad brush would be painted with such a diverse workforce, said one employee, who noted that it would apply one standard to people who live in very different ways and work in very different ways.

Another employee, who has worked in two state agencies, said the new policy feels hostile to state employees and the relationships we have with our supervisors.

It is especially concerning to roll back telework flexibilities even further than pre-pandemic levels, especially given the lack of a vaccine mandate, the employee said in a text message after verifying state employment.

I am also not aware of any evidence that demonstrates productivity and service levels have declined since the state workforce became mostly remote, the person added. So this comes across as little more than a control-seeking solution in search of a problem.

Not all of the reaction to the policy was negative. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney welcomed it Friday as a way to return vitality to downtown, where the seat of government is a major source of business for retailers.

Thank you @GovernorVA for this decision, tweeted Stoney, a close ally of former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the Democrat whom Youngkin defeated in November. It will help bring more people back into downtown Richmond, supporting our local economy!

But two Richmond legislators expressed concern about the new policy and its effect on the many state employees who live in their districts.

Obviously, its a lot of micromanaging, said Del. Betsy Carr, D-Richmond, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, a Verizon lawyer who had been teleworking before the pandemic, called the policy ill-conceived and out of step with industry trends.

It just seems like a very bureaucratic and top-down approach that Im a little surprised about, she said.

McClellan said she is receiving phone calls and email messages from concerned state employees, including some who work at Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Medical Center, who arent sure if the policy applies to them.

Thats not clear, she said.

Employees at public colleges and universities often work for both the state and under outside grants, and higher education institutions enjoy varying levels of autonomy in setting policy.

Youngkin press secretary Macaulay Porter said application of the policy depends on the employee at the colleges and universities and whether they fall under the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management.

Independent state bodies  such as the Virginia Retirement System, State Corporation Commission, Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority and Lottery  are not required to but they can adopt our policy or a similar teleworking policy, Porter said.

McClellan acknowledged that there is little the General Assembly can do to change the policy, which doesnt apply to legislative or judicial agencies. This is a policy that applies to executive branch agencies.

The senator, a member of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, said telework policies should be decided by agency heads and team leaders.

Secretary of Administration Lyn McDermid said in a briefing of The Times-Dispatch on Thursday  before the policy itself became public  that decisions about teleworking will depend on the nature of the job and the needs of the agency.

But McDermid said, The people who understand the work will determine what will be the appropriate schedule  the supervisor and the employee.

McClellan said that sounds right, but added, Thats not what the policy says.
Dr. Shanthi Ramesh, chief medical officer with the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, saw patients in Richmond following news that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark law guaranteeing the right to abortion.

She answered their questions and tried to address concerns. One woman traveled across Virginia and was early in her second trimester of pregnancy.

The woman was terrified that she wouldnt be able to be seen, Ramesh said, and just very concerned that if she couldnt get this done today this was her last chance. So we did a lot of educating that she could absolutely get this done today and, even if she wasnt ready to do this today, that abortion was still legal certainly in Virginia and in the country.

The organizations and medical personnel who provide abortions anticipate that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 high court ruling guaranteeing it as a right, will be overturned by the Supreme Court this year. If Roe is overturned, states would each decide abortion policy and could choose to restrict or ban it.

Politico reported last Monday night that the Supreme Court, which will soon rule on a Mississippi law that would halt most abortions after 15 weeks, had voted in conference to overturn Roe v. Wade.

That is not a final decision and, even if the law is overturned, abortion would remain legal in Virginia unless the General Assembly acts to change that. Democrats hold a 21-19 edge in the state Senate, and Republicans hold a 52-48 edge in the House of Delegates. All 140 seats are up for election in 2023.

Medical providers said theyre working to educate women about where things stand, and help alleviate confusion.

Ive seen patients actually every day this week since the leak came out, Ramesh said. I did abortion care on Tuesday and several of those patients said, What does this mean? Is this final? Would I be able to access this in a year? 

Many patients are simply trying to access health care and arent thinking about the news, she said, and will be blindsided if the court overturns Roe.

Theyre not thinking of it at all like a right that they could lose because of a Supreme Court decision, she said.

Abortion is legal in Virginia through the second trimester of pregnancy, and is legal in the third trimester in limited cases in which three doctors approve. The state has 16 separate abortion providers.

And Virginia clinics are already seeing more patients traveling from states where abortion rights have been restricted.

One of them is Texas, where state lawmakers banned most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, starting on Sept. 1.

Ramesh said Planned Parenthoods clinics are seeing patients from Texas and other states with more restrictive abortion laws. Last week, she said, she saw a patient who drove over five hours from West Virginia. Ramesh said she worries about patients who may have trouble getting access to an abortion because of transportation and child care expenses or the ability to get time off work.

Every day, I see people who struggle to access it when its still fully legal, so I can only imagine, across the country, what thats going to look like for patients exactly like mine.

Rae Pickett, communications director with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said that if Roe is overturned, at least 26 states either have trigger laws that would ban abortion or have legislatures expected to quickly vote to ban abortion in those states.

That will mean even more of a role for Virginia, she said, and potentially new patients traveling from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi or Florida.

In Virginia, abortion is legal, she said. Providers are seeing patients every day, and they will continue to see patients every day no matter what.

Pickett said she spoke with a nurse who lives in Texas who flew to Virginia last year to get an abortion. The woman is in her 40s and has children, and she and her partner made the decision mutually, Pickett said. The nurse had ability to take time off and pay for a round-trip flight and hotel.

Tarina Keene, executive director of the organization Pro-Choice Virginia, also said abortion providers have told her theyre seeing patients from Texas here.

Its amazing that people have to travel so far to get the care that they need, Keene said.

We know on day one when Roe is overturned that we will see an influx of patients coming in from our border states  Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee  which will move almost immediately to ban abortion in their borders.

The number of abortions peaked in Virginia in 2008 (27,410) and in Richmond in 2004 (2,943), according to Virginia Department of Health statistics.

Virginia saw 15,167 abortions in 2020, down 45% from 2008. The number of abortions in Richmond in 2020 was 1,021, also down significantly from previous years.

pwilson@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6061 Twitter: @patrickmwilson Staff writer Sean McGoey contributed to this report.
Watch Richmond Times-Dispatch meteorologist Sean Sublette's latest update on Friday's storms.

Earlier livestreams

3 p.m. update: Tornado Watch in effect until 10 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Watch on Friday afternoon for 43 Virginia localities, including the Richmond area. The watch is in effect until 10 p.m.

Small showers and thunderstorms have started to develop in south central Virginia and across central North Carolina, and those storms will be moving toward and across metro Richmond late this afternoon and early evening. Be on the lookout for strong thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail, and potential tornadoes through 10 p.m. this evening.

ACROSS THE SKY PODCAST

In this third episode, the members of the Lee Weather team  Matt Holiner of Lee Enterprises' Midwest group in Chicago, Kirsten Lang of the Tulsa World in Oklahoma, Joe Martucci of the Press of Atlantic City, N.J., and Sean Sublette of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia  talk about covering and forecasting tornadoes as well as personal experiences living through extreme weather events.

WEATHER ARTICLES & GALLERIES

After-school activities canceled in Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover due to weather Potential severe weather Friday afternoon and into the evening, including tornado watches for the Richmond area through 10 p.m., has prompted 

Friday Cheers cancelled due to severe weather concerns Friday Cheers kickoff concert scheduled for tonight with Japanese Breakfast and Abby Huston has been canceled due to severe weather concerns.

Archive photos: Do you remember Virginia's biggest weather events of the 1980s? The 1980s: it was the first decade of around-the-clock weather on television, and the last time the heart of Richmond wasn't protected by a fl
RICHMOND  The family of Adam Oakes returned to a third-floor courtroom in downtown Richmond on Thursday to witness a plea hearing for another former member of the Delta Chi fraternity in connection to the death of their son.

Jason Mulgrew, the Virginia Commonwealth University chapter president, pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor hazing that led to Oakes death in February 2021. Circuit court judge Claire Cardwell found him guilty.

In accordance with a plea agreement, Mulgrew was sentenced to no jail time, 12 months probation, a meeting with the Oakes family known as restorative justice, 150 hours of community service and participation in 10 anti-hazing seminars.

Mulgrew, 22, said he thinks about Oakes every day, and he looks forward to working to prevent hazing.

I am so, so sorry for your loss, he told the Oakes family.

Oakes was a 19-year-old freshman at VCU when he died of alcohol poisoning following a Delta Chi big-little party. Oakes didnt have sufficient grades to officially join the fraternity, so Delta Chi welcomed him and two others as underground members.

As chapter president, Mulgrew specifically organized and managed the party where Oakes died, prosecutor Mike Hollomon said, alongside fraternity member Christian Rohrbach, who pleaded guilty to hazing last week.

The fraternity members instructed Oakes to chug his Jack Daniels and cola, and Mulgrew told the pledges he expected them to get f-ed up, Holloman said. Oakes had a blood alcohol content above 0.40, five times higher than the legal driving limit.

Had the case gone to trial, the defense would have presented conflicting evidence, defense attorney Wes Witmeyer said. But Witmeyer didnt explain what kind of evidence, and he declined to comment following the hearing.

Speaking in court, Mulgrew called the evening of Oakes death a dreadful night. Mulgrew is required to participate in 10 anti-hazing seminars led by the Oakes familys foundation, Live Like Adam.

The seminars can last up to eight hours each, and his statements there can be recorded for educational purposes. The recently passed Adams Law requires student organizations to participate in anti-hazing training.

What the foundation is doing is incredible, Mulgrew said.

By pleading no contest, Mulgrew declined to fight the charges against him, choosing a path that has the same effect as pleading guilty without actually doing so.

For the purposes of the plea agreement, the prosecution doesnt typically care if a defendant pleads guilty or no contest because the two pleas have the same effect, Hollomon said.

Mulgrew is the third former member of the Delta Chi fraternity to be found guilty of hazing. Andrew White, Oakes big brother in the fraternity, and Christian Rohrbach, described in court as the pledge master, pleaded guilty.

None received jail time. Because hazing is a misdemeanor, a person convicted in Virginia will serve no more than one year in prison. The Oakes family helped introduce a bill that would upgrade hazing to a felony punishable by no more than 10 years in prison, but the measure has faced opposition in the Senate.

The cases of the other eight defendants have not been resolved. At least three have requested trials.

Eric Oakes, Adams father, has said hes more concerned with saving the lives of students than imprisoning the members of Delta Chi. In a statement written by the Oakes family and read in court, the family said it hopes Mulgrew will educate others. The family doesnt forgive him yet, but forgiveness can be earned, they said.

Adam deserved better friends than you, the family said. Obviously brotherhood has a very different meaning to us than it does to you and the brothers of Delta Chi.

Had Mulgrew followed fraternity rules and not allowed Oakes to pledge, Oakes would still be alive, his mother, Linda Oakes, said in a statement.

Our 19-year-old son should have never been there in the first place, she said.

Eric Oakes said he and Linda have lived miserable and meaningless lives since their sons death. Adam was good at giving advice and sharing an honest opinion. Had someone called 911, he could have lived, Eric Oakes said. Now, they keep the door to his bedroom shut.
A plan to grow cannabis on about 5.1 acres alongside Highway 246 near the Good Samaritan Shelter in Lompoc got the green light after a neighbor withdrew his appeal of the permit approved the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department director.

Until the appeal was pulled, the County Planning Commission was prepared to hear the appeal filed by Sweeney Road resident Pierre La Barge of La Barge Vineyards LLC over the land use permit allowing ABL Partners LP to cultivate cannabis at the site, which has access from Sweeney Road.
Dennis Beaver Practices law in Bakersfield and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993, or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1@Gmail.com. Also, visit dennisbeaver.com.
You have permission to edit this collection.

Edit Close
" " Is the link you feel between the weather and your aching back all in your head? Nastasic/Getty Images

Your grandma may have sworn her arthritis was due to that storm a-brewing. Or perhaps you think your aching back is the fault of the cold weather you've been experiencing lately. But is this true?

Scientists have attempted to study this over the years and got conflicting results. A 2019 British study that ran 15 months (and was the largest of its kind) recruited 13,000 U.K. residents living with chronic pain, who used an app to record their pain level. Their GPS location was linked to weather data. Analyzing the data, the researchers found that days with higher humidity, lower pressure, and stronger winds are more likely associated with high pain days. (The participants were asked whether they believed there was a connection between weather and pain but found that belief did not affect the results, according to the study, which was published in Nature.)

Advertisement

"The analysis showed that on a damp and windy days with low pressure the chances of experiencing more pain, compared to an average day, was around 20 percent. This would mean that, if your chances of a painful day on an average weather day were 5 in 100, they would increase to 6 in 100 on a damp and windy day," said lead study author Will Dixon, professor of digital epidemiology at the University of Manchester in a press release.

On the other hand, in 2014, Australian researchers found that there was absolutely no relationship between body aches and the weather. When social media basically called them liars and hooligans, they replicated the findings in a pair of 2017 studies. Scientists from the George Institute for Global Health in Australia surveyed nearly 1,000 people dealing with lower back pain and 350 diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. Weather details from the date of pain onset, as well as a month and a week before the pain appeared, were all compared.

The studies showed zero relationship between those physical ailments and weather conditions like humidity, air pressure, temperature, precipitation or wind direction, reinforcing the results of the institute's 2014 study. According to professor Chris Maher, lead study author, people were simply more likely to remember events that were in line with their pre-existing beliefs. "Human beings are very susceptible so it's easy to see why we might only take note of pain on the days when it's cold and rainy outside, but discount the days when they have symptoms but the weather is mild and sunny," he explained in a press release.

While the scientists continue to debate this, many people living with joint pain swear that there is a connection. Changes in barometric pressure, rather than the barometric pressure itself, may be to blame. When the pressure is decreasing (a precusor to bad weather), there is less air pressure on our bodies which allows tissues to swell slightly, which may irritate joints, says the Cleveland Clinic. Or it might be that on cold or rainy days, people do less activity and joint pain is often improved by exercise. "If you combine results of the various studies, the general consensus is that cold, wet weather is the worst for inciting arthritis pain," says the American Arthritis Foundation in a blog post.

But we surely haven't heard the last of this debate.

Now That's Interesting Certain meteorological conditions can trigger migraines in people who are especially sensitive. This is because weather fluctuations can wreak havoc on brain chemicals, like serotonin.

Advertisement

Originally Published: Jan 18, 2017
FLORENCE, S.C.  Time is fast approaching when students will be out of school for the summer. Many of them, who rely on school breakfast and lunch programs during the school year, might face food insecurities in the summer if it were not for the Summer Food Service Program offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee.

Meals will be provided to all children without charge, according to the club.

The Boys & Girls of America website says one in six youths experienced food insecurity in 2021.

In 2000, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee began a partnership with the national Summer Food Service Program to provide snacks and lunches at sites throughout the area.

We serve about 1,300 kids per day for a total of about 50,000 over the summer, said Anja Benevento, director of philanthropy at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee. Benevento is spearheading the program for a second year.

The club has helped feed children in the Pee Dee for more than 20 years, Neal Zimmerman Jr. said. He is executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee,

Benevento said Pee Dee Food Service provides the meals, while she plans the menu so that it is both nutritional and appealing. During the summer meal planning, she said, nutritional guidelines are not as strict. Children are allowed to have hot dogs, pizza and hamburgers.

She said breakfast, lunch, and a p.m. snack are offered at most of the programs 13 locations.

This program means the children are going to have that (food) stability and not have to worry about being hungry during the summer, Benevento said.

She said the program provides food during the school year, too, at four of the six Boys & Girls Club sites it serves. That would be an afternoon snack/supper, she said.

Benevento said she is expecting the number of children participating this summer to reach pre-COVID numbers.

These meals are offered to children 18 and younger. Meals, dates and times vary from location to location.

There are eight sites in Florence: Antioch Fellowship Church, 1207 E. Howe Springs Road, June 6-July 29, serving breakfast from 7 to 8 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Florence Boys & Girls Club, 310 W. Roughfork St., June 2-July 22, closed July 1 and July 4, serving breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch 12 to 1 p.m.; Florence YMCA, 1700 Rutherford Drive, June 6-July 28, closed July 4, serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and snack from 3 to 3:30 p.m.; and Levy Park, 1405 E. Pine St., Maple Park, 915 Gregg Ave., Northwest Park, 801 Clement St., Barnes Street Activity Center, 513 Barnes St., and Dr. Iola Jones Park Community Center, 608 E. Maxwell St., June 6-July 15, closed June 19 and July 4, serving breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 12 to 1 p.m.;

In Hartsville: Hartsville Boys & Girls Club, 1103 S. Sixth St, May 27-July 22, closed July 1, July 4, serving breakfast from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 12 to 1 p.m. and Davis Youth & Family Development Center, 219 S. Sixth St., June 13-July 22, closed July 4, serving breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from 1 to 2 p.m.

In Pamplico: Hannah-Pamplico Boys & Girls Club, 2121 S. Pamplico Highway, June 6-July 1, serving breakfast from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

In Lake City: Lake City Boys & Girls Club, 131 Calhoun St., June 3-July 22, closed July 1, July 4, serving breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

In Hemingway: Rick and Susan Goings Boys & Girls Club, 51 Lewis Road, May 31-Aug. 5, closed July 1 and July 4, serving breakfast from 10 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 1 to 2 p.m.

In Timmonsville: Timmonsville Boys & Girls Club, 304 Kemper St., June 7-July 1, serving snacks from 3 to 4 p.m.

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee is to inspire and enable all young people from throughout the Pee Dee area, especially those who need us most, to become productive, responsible, and caring citizens.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
FLORENCE, S.C.  The tone of the first official Republican Party debate of candidates running for South Carolinas 7th Congressional District seat was set early.

When the five candidates came on stage and went to their places, someone in the back of the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center yelled Tom Rice is a traitor, which drew a round of applause and a smile from Rice.

Once the debate got underway, moderator Kent Ard said he hoped the candidates would focus on issues more than personal attacks on their opponents. He also said the candidates learned the issues to be discussed before the debate, but not the exact questions.

The debate was organized by the Florence County Republican Party with assistance from the South Carolina Republican Party.

Ard, a radio talk show host, is a former South Carolina lieutenant governor.

Ards first question also set the debates tone.

He asked Congressman Tom Rice to defend his vote to impeach then President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Then, Ard asked the other four candidates, who have publicly condemned Rices vote to impeach, to explain their opposition to his vote.

Rice, the incumbent congressman, discussed the attack at the U.S. Capitol.

He described the smell of tear gas, the bloodied and beaten Capitol police officers, the breaking of glass and being escorted to a safe room. He said he expected the president to get on television and attempt to calm the situation. Of course, Trump didnt. He watched the scene unfold on TV, but did nothing, Rice said.

About 20 minutes into the attack on the Capitol, Trump tweeted Mike Pence lacks courage, Rice said, adding he felt Trumps tweet encouraged the attackers to continue.

I saw everything I needed to see, Rice said. I took an oath and I never turned my back on you. What I did was protect your freedom by protecting the Constitution.

The four other candidates  Barbara Arthur, Dr. Garrett Barton, State Rep. Russell Fry and Ken Richardson  blasted Rice for turning on Trump in his last days in office.

Arthur charged Rice was hiding behind the Constitution, called the Jan. 6 riots a farce and accused Democrats of using communist tactics to start the riot.

Rices impeachment vote, Fry said, turned him into a weapon for the Democrats. He accused Rice of being a pawn for Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats.

If Rice retains office, and Trump is re-elected in 2024, the president wont answer a Rices call for help to improve the 7th District, Fry said. Rices vote is unforgivable.

Richardson also called Rices vote unforgivable.

You were hoping that people would forget and you were hoping people would forgive, he said. Im here to tell you tonight they have not forgotten and they have not forgiven.

Rice didnt reflect the views of his constituents when he voted to impeach, Barton said, adding Rice said the Constitution was fragile and democracy was fragile.

We dont need a fragile congressman, who is scared, Barton said. We need people up there that are going to fight and stand up for you and your family.

The 7th District voters dont need to send lifelong politicians to Congress to do the same thing over and over and over again.

Some issues  immigration and trade policies, the economy, education and infrastructure  were debate topics.

Fry, who received Trumps endorsement, called for building the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, a balanced budget amendment and said the America First movements primary goal is to build a Christian, conservative nation first.

He supports the construction of Interstate 73 that would connect the Grand Strand area with the South Carolinas interstate system. Fry pointed to recent votes at the State Capitol that supported a ban on the teaching of critical race thinking and one on allowing transgender athletes from competing in womens sports. He also supported the 2018 ban on sanctuary cities for undocumented aliens.

Rice reminded people of his record in Congress. He voted for Trump-backed bills more than 94 percent of the time. The bills he didnt support were spending bills that increased the national deficit, he said.

Rice explained foreign trade policy and supported the use of temporary tariffs to get Chinas attention and change its policies. However, Trumps temporary tariffs against China remain in place during the Biden administration. The Biden administration isnt negotiating trade policy with China and the tariffs are hurting the U.S. economy, he said.

Rice discussed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was developed before Trump was elected. The president would later take credit for the act after it passed Congress and was signed.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act supercharged the economy before COVID-19 hit, Rice said.

President Trump didnt do anything single-handedly. Congress had to pass laws, he said.

Richardson, who served as chairman of the Horry County School Board, told Rice and Fry they needed to listen to the people in the 7th District and not just businessmen and the Chamber of Commerce. The people dont want I-73, Richardson said.

Richardson called for the Department of Education to be dissolved. He also said he didnt want to go to Washington, D.C., to enact new laws. He wants to reduce the size of the federal government and its dictates to state, county and municipal government.

Arthur blasted the Biden administration, saying its socialist agenda is an effort to make the United States a communist nation. She accused Biden of working with secular Democrats to remove Christianity from America and accused the media of being trained in communist tactics by China. She also accused China of infiltrating American education through Confucius Institutes  nonprofit organizations funded by the Chinese government run out of American Universities. There is a Confucius Institute at the University of South Carolina, she said.

Barton focused on jobs, economic development and health care.

The Cheraw physician at one point in the debate said he wanted to other politicians to stop focusing on fluff and talk about issues and answers.

Economic development in Myrtle Beach is focused on the hospitality industry and construction. The people, neighborhood and community development are ignored, Barton said.

Barton also wants to close the border with Mexico to curtail illegal immigration, but its more than immigration, he said.

Its the drug part. Its the disease part. Its the sex trafficking part, he said. I get pretty worked up when I think about it because when we talk about our home District 7. We talk about Myrtle Beach. We look at I-20 and I-95. We have two hot spots for sex trafficking. That makes me sick, he said.

The Republican primary is June 14. To avoid a runoff, incumbent Rice will need to get a majority of the vote. Rice has $2 million to spend. Fry has $448,000 according to April fundraising reports. Richardson has $274,000. While the others face financial disadvantage.

With five candidates in the primary, it will be difficult for any candidate to avoid a runoff. The question is which two candidates will be in the runoff. Voters will decide on June 14.
CARTERSVILLE, S.C.  A fire Wednesday at a Cartersville winery reduced one building, the buildings contents and three cars to charred debris.

The fire started at Cartersville Country Winery  Crescent Moon Vineyards Inc. near Timmonsville about 2 a.m., said owner Tom Langston. He said a neighbor woke him at his home to tell him the winery was on fire.

More than 35 firefighters responded from several fire departments, including Sardis-Timmonsville, Darlington County, Olanta, and West Florence, said Sardis-Timmonsville Fire Chief Jeff Dennis.

He said they responded to a call at 2:47 a.m. and the fire was contained to the one building.

No injuries were reported, he said.

Dennis said he remembers responding to another call in 2018 at the winery, where another building went up in smoke. Langston said an RV stored in the winery caught fire.

As of Thursday morning, Langston said, he had no official word as to what caused the building to catch fire, but he thinks it could have been lightning. He said the fire started in the front of the building.

Susann Watson, who works at the winery, said one of the RV rental customers called and told her he heard a loud explosion before seeing flames coming out of the building.

Watson said last week the business had just completed renovating and expanding the tasting room in the building, which also housed the bottle room where labeling and corking machines were contained. The office where Watson worked also was in the building. She said everything was destroyed.

Langston said computers, labeling and corking machines were all destroyed. He said thank goodness the firefighters were able to save the equipment in the back.

Watson said the wine tanks and wine press survived.

Langston said he estimated his losses for this one building to be more than $100,000.

I didnt have insurance on this part, he said. It is just too expensive.

Watson said Langston works so hard and for this to happen it is just heartbreaking.

I just feel for Tom. He has put so much into this place, she said.

Watson said it was turning out to be a great year for the winery, and Langston was getting ready to take a vacation.

She is planning on starting a GoFundMe page to help the owner rebuild.

We were at the finish line with the building (expansion), she said. We will just have to go with it. I am relocating my office now. I have two graduation parties booked for this weekend and all of my tables and chairs burned. Tom is out looking for more.

The fire hasnt closed the winery.

We are still open, Langston said. The day-to-day operation of the winery has been turned over to Carlos Norton, the wine master and Langstons adopted son.

His current plans are to move the wine-tasting area into the party building for the time being. Langston said the vineyard was unharmed. They have about 18 acres on both sides of the Lamar Highway where they grow three different varieties of grapes  Carlos, Summit and Nobles, all Muscadine grapes.

They make 12 different flavors and eight fruit wines, which include blueberry, strawberry, peach and pomegranate.

The winery recently won a platinum medal from the Great American International Wine Competition for its peach wine. Watson said luckily they were caught up and have enough wine to fill their orders. Wine from the vineyard is sold in more than 200 stores in South Carolina.

Langston said they had a yard full of RVs the night of the fire. Watson said people have been calling to find out if they are still taking reservations. There is a small RV park with about 15 spots for travelers to hook up for the night. Langston said the RV park remains open.

Watson said the important thing was nobody was hurt. She said you can replace buildings and equipment but not people.

At the end of the day that is all that matters, she said.

Located at 571 Lamar Highway, the winery is a wedding destination and party event location as well as a winery and RV park. For more information about it, visit www.cartersvillecountrywinery.com or contact Susann Watson at 843-992-1870 or susan@cartersvillecountrywinery.com.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Henry Timrod Elementary School students  now seniors at Wilson High School  returned to where it all began Friday afternoon for a senior walk through the school.

And they brought their drum line with them.

The seniors, about 10 of them, lined up in the school's entryway and waited for the percussion section to pass them by and fell in behind.

Where they went in the school cheers followed. When they arrived in the breezeway they were met by cheering and screaming students, some of whom held signs of encouragement for the seniors.

"I'm so proud of them and their accomplishments," said Principal Elizabeth Jackson, all smiles, after she followed them through the school and watched a front-lawn performance.

"When they walk these halls its an inspiration to the students here now. I look at our sixth-graders, our kindergartners and our first-graders and I know they're going to do the same thing," Jackson said as she stood with senior Ka-Trica Owens.

"I have a lot of favorite students. They all are my favorite students. Ke-Trica is very special. It seems like just yesterday she was here," Jackson said.

"I enjoyed being at Timrod when I had the ability to come and learn, " Owens said. "I'm glad the teachers were nice and kind to help me when I needed help. They pushed me and I have improved a lot."

All the seniors were met with hugs and kind words from teachers, who insisted on photos as they gathered first in the school's media center and then in the entryway.

"It means a lot," said senior Jordan Eagleton. "I remember when we were younger and we'd see the kids come back and it was so much fun. Now, being able to come back and we don't know any of these kids, it was fun to come back and see all the teachers who helped us get where we are now."

"It speaks from the heart. It's nice to know that they feel like if we did it they can do it too," Eagleton said.

"It's definitely a nostalgia trip," said Matthew Wiggins. "I definitely wish for them to success. I definitely wish for them to have the opportunities that I have."

Timrod is usually one of the first elementary schools to play host to a senior walk and other schools will later in the month.

Digital Editor Matt Robertson is a veteran journalist who has fulfilled just about every role that a newspaper has and now serves as a key member of the Morning News' newsroom by maintaining SCNow.com and covering the occasional story and photo assignment.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
  4125.44 61% 47.45 417.6% 434.2 4143.6 9.9% 468.3 4660.1 19.53% 454.114 426.12 FIT HON TENG3059.2 1.69 A  742  mood  51296 60 200  544618.2%     24 59 4313     10%6%   14%  2%3.1% 
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  The United Nations raced Friday to rescue more civilians from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol and the city at large, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategic port.

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukraine has said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

Our colleagues are currently on the ground," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said of the latest evacuation effort. We are in an extremely delicate phase of this operation, working in close coordination with both the Ukrainian authorities and the Russian authorities.

He declined to share details "for the sake of the safety of those were trying to get out, and, of course, for our own staff, which are there.

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to save the fighters. She said they'd be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean filtration camps, prison, torture, and death.

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will stand to the end without surrender, she told The Associated Press on Friday as she and relatives of some of the other members of the regiment drove from Italy to Poland.

It could takes days to know whether the latest U.N. effort to evacuate civilians succeeded, since people escaping Mariupol typically have to pass through contested areas and many checkpoints before reaching relative safety in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) to the northwest.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Friday on the Telegram messaging app that another complex operation to evacuate people from Mariupol and Azovstal was conducted and that nearly 500 civilians were rescued. Two previous evacuations negotiated by the U.N. and the Red Cross brought roughly 500 people from the steel plant and elsewhere in Mariupol. It wasn't clear if Yermak was saying more people had since been rescued.

Some of the plant's evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled along with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. They need our help badly. We need to get them out.

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on Telegram that Russian troops fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plant's grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

Moscow didn't immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of Mariupol, aside from the steel plant, after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, which marks the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of over 400,000 but where perhaps 100,000 civilians remain with little food, water, electricity or heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings, workers repaired a model of a warship, and Russian flags were hoisted on utility poles.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: Mariupol will never fall. Im not talking about heroism or anything.

It is already devastated, he told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think tank. He also said he remains open to negotiations with Russia, but repeated that Moscow must withdraw its forces.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Ukrainian officials warned residents to be vigilant and heed air raid warnings, saying the risk of massive shelling had increased with Victory Day approaching. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

The British Defense Ministry said Russia may be struggling to execute its plan in the Donbas partly because it's bogged down at the plant in Mariupol. The fighting at the plant has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia, it said. "Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Avozstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas.

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth.

In other developments:

 A Ukrainian army brigade said it used an American Switchblade suicide drone against Russian forces in what was likely Ukraine's first recorded use of such weapon in combat.

 The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said more than 3,500 residents of the city of Kreminna found themselves in Russian-controlled territory as Russian forces were trying to cross the Seversky Donets River. Serhiy Haidai accused Russian troops of terrorizing the residents, from checking phones to forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots. His statements could not be immediately verified.

 The small village of Nekhoteevk, in Russias southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, was being evacuated Friday due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. His claims couldn't be immediately verified.

An earlier version of this story was corrected to show that it wasn't clear if a new group of civilians had been evacuated from the plant. ___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome, Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The yearbooks won't be distributed until images of students holding rainbow flags and a "love is love" sign while protesting the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law can be covered up.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri's Republican-led Legislature on Friday passed a roughly $48 billion state budget packed with extra funding for teacher pay, school busing, Medicaid and public colleges and universities.

The budget package earned largely bipartisan support, although some Republicans criticized spending so much money on government programs.

GOP heartburn over the uptick in spending was somewhat eased with a $500 million tax refund added to the budget Thursday.

Middle-income taxpayers are slated to get tax credits up to $1,000 for married couples filing jointly or $500 for single adults under the proposal, although the exact amount available per taxpayer is unclear and also depends on individuals' tax liability.

This is giving money back to taxpayers when were in a situation where we have too much of it, House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith said.

Under the program, refunds would go only to individuals earning less than $150,000 and couples making less than $300,000 annually. Refunds will be prorated, meaning taxpayers might not get the full amount if enough people qualify.

People must pay taxes to be eligible for a refund. In practice, people would receive a $1 refund for each $1 of tax owed until their tax bill reaches the refund limit of $500.

Other provisions in the budget include a new program to raise teacher pay to a minimum of $38,000 a year, with the state kicking in 70% of those costs if local school districts agree to pitch in the other 30%.

Parents and other caregivers could get up to $1,500 in grants or reimbursements to pay for tutoring and other resources to help K-12 students catch up after falling behind during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers bulked up funding to fully pay the state's share of public K-12 busing costs, which have been underfunded since 1991. The extra money could help prevent long walks to school for K-12 students and four-day weeks.

Additional transportation dollars from the state allows school leaders to shift local funds to other high-priority areas to further support students, teachers, and staff," Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said in a statement.

Public four-year colleges and universities are set to get a 5.5% funding increase, along with tens of millions more for construction projects at university and college campuses across the state.

Republican lawmakers caved and included money to pay for Medicaid expansion under the terms of the 2010 federal health care law signed by former President Barack Obama, as approved by Missouri taxpayers in 2020.

Despite voter approval, GOP lawmakers  who have cautioned against promising more people health care without knowing whether the state will be able to afford it  continued to fight the expansion, refusing to fund it last year.

They conceded after a judge last year ordered Republican Gov. Mike Parsons administration to allow newly eligible adults to enroll.

Republicans once again also banned any public funding from going to Planned Parenthood centers, including clinics that do not provide abortions.

Lawmakers were able to stop money from going to Planned Parenthood in the 2019 fiscal year by forgoing some federal funding to avoid requirements that the clinics be reimbursed if low-income patients go there for birth control, cancer screenings and other preventative care.

But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that lawmakers violated the constitution by making the policy change through the state budget, forcing the state to reimburse Planned Parenthood for health care provided to Medicaid patients.

Republicans have said they're hopeful this year will be different because they're working to pass laws outside the budget banning public funds for abortions. Democrats argued the effort is still unconstitutional.

Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, called on Democratic President Joe Biden's administration to step in and enforce federal Medicaid law, which provides for patient access to all willing Medicaid providers.

The Biden administration must put their words into action and enforce the law," she said in a statement.

An Associated Press request for comment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federal Medicaid program, was not immediately returned Friday.

Missouri lawmakers also set aside more money in the upcoming budget for in-home care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as $12 million more for opioid addiction treatment programs.

About $250 million in one-time federal funding will go to grants to expand high-speed internet, plus another $20 million to equip cell towers for broadband, particularly in underserved areas.

Associated Press writer David A. Lieb contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SONCHAMP, France (AP)  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

They'll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce biogas. It's among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russia's war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes aren't  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the world's breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europe's energy dependence.

The European Biogas Association says the European Union could quickly scale up the production of bio-methane, which is pumped into natural gas networks. An investment of 83 billion euros ($87.5 billion)  which, at current market prices, is less than the EU's 27 nations pay per year to Russia for piped natural gas  would produce a tenfold increase in bio-methane production by 2030 and could replace about a fifth of what the bloc imported from Russia last year, the group says.

The farmers around the Paris-region village of Sonchamp feel their new gas plant will do its bit to untie Europe from the Kremlin.

Its not coherent to go and buy gas from those people who are waging war on our friends, said Christophe Robin, one of the plant's six investors, who farms wheat, rapeseed, sugar beets and chickens.

If we want to consume green (energy) and to avoid the flows and contribution of Russian gas, we dont really have a choice. We have to find alternative solutions, he said.

Biogas is made by fermenting organic materials  generally crops and waste. Robin likened the process to food left too long in a container.

When you open it, it goes Poof. Only here, we dont open it. We collect the gas that comes from the fermentation, he said.

The gas from their plant could meet the needs of 2,000 homes. It will be purified into bio-methane and injected into a pipeline to the nearby town of Rambouillet, heating its hospital, swimming pool and homes.

Its cool, said Robin. The kids will benefit from local gas.

Like in the rest of Europe, the production of bio-methane in France is still small. But it is booming. Almost three bio-methane production sites are going online every week in France on average and their numbers have surged from just 44 at the end of 2017 to 365 last year. The volume of gas they produced for the national network almost doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year and was enough for 362,000 homes.

France's government has taken several steps to quicken bio-methane development since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The industry says bio-methane met almost 1% of France's needs in 2021 but that will increase to at least 2% this year and it could make up 20% of French gas consumption by 2030, which would be more gas than France imported last year from Russia.

The Sonchamp farmers took out 5 million euros ($5.3 million) in loans and received a 1-million-euro state subsidy to build their plant, Robin said. They signed a 15-year contract with utility firm Engie, with a fixed price for their gas. That will limit their ability to profit from high gas prices now but ensures them a stable income.

Were not going to be billionaires, said Robin.

Workers are finishing the construction and the plant is almost ready to be connected to the network. Piles of agricultural waste  wheat husks, pulped sugar beets, onion peelings, even chicken droppings  have been prepared to be fed into the giant bubble-like fermentation tanks.

Winter barley specially grown to make gas will make up about 80% of the 30 tons of organic material that will be fed each day into the plant.

Robin insists that the barley won't interfere with the growing of other crops for food, which critics worry about. Instead of one food crop per year, they'll now have three harvests every two years  with the barley as extra, sandwiched in between, Robin said.

In Germany, the biggest biogas producer in Europe, the government is cutting down on crop cultivation for fuels. The share of corn permitted in biogas facilities will be lowered from 40% to 30% by 2026. Financial incentives will be provided so operators use waste products such as manure and straw instead.

Germany is estimated to have over 9,500 plants, many of them small-scale units supplying rural villages with heat and electricity.

Andrea Horbelt, a spokeswoman for the German biogas association, said the production of bio-methane could be doubled in a matter of years but also wouldn't be cheap.

Using biogas for electricity is more expensive than solar and wind, and will always remain so, she said.

At the end of their gas-making process, the Sonchamp farmers will also get nitrogen- and potassium-rich wastes from the fermenters that they'll use to fertilize their fields, reducing their consumption of industrial fertilizer.

"Its a circular economy and its green. That pleases me, Robin said. Its a superb adventure.

Jordans reported from Berlin.

Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine,

Read AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
SIOUX CITY -- The minimum number of weekly flights SkyWest Airlines at Sioux Gateway Airport would be temporarily reduced from 12 to 7, starting July 1, under a proposed agreement between the city and the airline.

SkyWest, which flies connecting routes for United Airlines, announced in March it plans to leave Sioux City and 28 other small airports by this summer due to a shortage of pilots. Because SkyWest's flights at the city-owned Sioux Gateway are federally subsidized under the Essential Air Service program, the airline is required to continue serving those markets until the U.S. Department of Transportation selects a replacement carrier.

Carriers have until May 11 to submit proposals for the EAS markets. But Sioux City officials essentially have asked the DOT for permission to withdraw from that process and accept instead a negotiated agreement with SkyWest.

"I write on behalf of the city of Sioux City to request that DOT reduce the frequency of Essential Air Service ("EAS") flights from 12 to 7 weekly round trips between Sioux City and its preferred destination, effective July 1, 2022, until SkyWest is able to restore service to EAS minimums," Mike Collett, airport director and assistant city manager, said in a letter dated May 3 to the DOT.

"We request the reduced frequency end with the current contract period, but we look forward to partnering with SkyWest to restore frequencies as soon as possible."

SkyWest's three-year EAS contract at Sioux Gateway is scheduled to run through April 1, 2024.

On most days, SkyWest now offers two flights per day at Sioux Gateway -- one each to and from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Denver International Airport.

If the DOT accepts the city's request, the schedule would be reduced to just one round trip per day. That destination has not yet been determined, but Collett said Thursday the city would have input into the decision.

In his letter to the DOT, Collett said the city reached out to Daniel Belmont, SkyWest director of market development, "to see if there was any way to keep SkyWest flying to our community."

"It has an excellent track record and has grown our ridership since taking over the (EAS) contract," Collett said of SkyWest. "Mr. Belmont indicated that reducing weekly roundtrips from 12 to 7 per week would help make the service more viable through the current pilot challenge.

"This request, however, cannot be made by SkyWest but must come from the community. Our community fully endorses the reduced schedule to maintain SkyWest service and connectivity to the United code."

By accepting reduced service on a short-basis in return for future stability with a reliable carrier, the city hopes to avoid less favorable alternatives, Collett told the Journal.

The entire airline industry is struggling with pilot shortages, with major carriers cutting service even at airports with large hubs, he said. With 29 small airports all in need of an EAS replacement for SkyWest, Sioux City officials fear they could have ended up with another airline that flies much smaller aircraft than the 50-seat regional jets SkyWest operates at Sioux Gateway.

"I think there was a risk that it would be less than preferred services," Collett said.

SkyWest started at Sioux Gateway in October 2020 with its Denver service, and added flights to Chicago in April 2021 under the EAS contract.

In the first year, SkyWest received a subsidy of $2,045 per flight, or nearly $1.47 million. This year, the subsidy dropped to $880,418, and in the final year, it's scheduled to fall to $533,437, according to documents posted on regulations.gov.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa -- A woman charged with killing a Lake Park, Iowa, woman has chosen to have a judge rather than a jury decide her case.

Allison Decker on Wednesday waived her right to a jury trial. District Judge Shayne Mayer instead will determine if Decker is guilty or not guilty.

Decker, 27, of Sioux City, is scheduled to stand trial May 17 in Dickinson County District Court. She has pleaded not guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree theft and conspiracy to commit second-degree theft in connection with the Dec. 21, 2020, death of 25-year-old Angel Bastman, whose body was found the following day at her home at 104 Maple Ave. in Lake Park.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Decker would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

Decker and Justice Berntson were arrested in July after months of investigation. According to court documents, Bastman was killed at approximately 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Authorities have declined to comment on the cause of death.

Court documents filed Monday indicate that a woman who had conversations with Berntson after Bastman's death told authorities Berntson told her that he got into an altercation with Bastman and "didn't mean to" kill her. Berntson allegedly said he "couldn't do it all the way and this girl finished it," apparently in reference to Decker's role in Bastman's death.

Berntson has admitted that same fact to authorities under oath during a proffer and deposition, court documents said.

Berntson, 25, also was charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty in December to attempted murder. In exchange for his guilty plea, he has agreed to testify against Decker. He will be sentenced after Decker's case is resolved.

Four days after Bastman's body was found, police spotted Berntson driving her missing rental car in Sioux City. A vehicle pursuit ensued, and Berntson, who gave an Elk Point, South Dakota, address at the time, was arrested after crashing the car.

Court documents say Berntson and Decker both were found in possession of property belonging to Bastman and her family. Witnesses and electronic communications records showed that both Berntson and Decker made statements that they were involved in Bastman's death.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man has pleaded not guilty of assaulting a van driver before driving away with the vehicle and crashing it.

Joshue Tafolla, 37, entered his plea Friday in Woodbury County District Court to second-degree theft, first-degree harassment, second-degree criminal mischief and driving while license barred.

According to court documents, the driver had picked up Tafolla and three other men from work in an area employment services van in the early morning hours of April 21. After the other three men had been dropped off, Tafolla, seated in the passenger seat, punched and broke a window, punched the dashboard and threatened to kill and rape the driver and her son.

The driver entered northbound Interstate 29 from westbound U.S. Highway 20 and, while driving slowly, jumped out of the moving van. Tafolla got into the driver's seat and drove away.

The van was located a short time later crashed into a parked vehicle in the 2400 block of Clark Street, and the driver's purse and wallet were missing. Police found Tafolla walking near 14th and Jackson streets and arrested him.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Sioux City Council will be asked Monday to approve an agreement between the city and a limited liability company for management and operation of the climbing wall at Long Lines Family Rec Center. The wall took two years to complete and cost around $400,000
WASHINGTON  Karine Jean-Pierre is slated to step into her new role as the next White House press secretary within just a few weeks, the White House announced Thursday.

Jean-Pierre, 44, who currently serves as principal deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to the president, was promoted to the coveted position and will replace current press secretary Jen Psaki, officials said. Psaki's last day is May 13.

"Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people," President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Here are five things to know about the White House's next spokesperson:

Her promotion is a historic one

Jean-Pierre will become the first Black and openly gay woman to serve as White House press secretary.

Last May, she made history when she led her first full press briefing and fielded questions in the White House briefing room, becoming only the second Black woman to do so.

"It's a real honor to be standing here today," she said, according to NBC News. "Clearly the president believes that representation matters, and I appreciate him giving me this opportunity."

She's no stranger to politics or the White House

As a longtime adviser to Biden, Jean-Pierre has filled "senior communication and political roles" in the president's administration, worked on the Biden campaign and served under him when he was vice president in President Barack Obama's administration.

Additionally, she was the regional political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama-Biden administration, officials said, and served as deputy battleground states director during Obama's reelection bid in 2012, among other political roles.

She also served as chief of staff for then-vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris during the Biden campaign.

She's an immigrant

Jean-Pierre was born on the Caribbean island of Martinique after her parents fled Haiti, according to The Carnegie Corporation of New York, which named her the recipient of the Great Immigrants Award in 2021. Her family immigrated to New York City when she was 5 years old.

"That immigrant upbringing, growing up in New York, it shaped everything and anything that I'm about," she told PBS NewsHour. "My parents ... came here for the American dream that in many ways eluded them. They still live check to check, but in their eyes, because I made it to the White House ... they have received it."

She has worked with political advocacy groups

Jean-Pierre previously served as chief public affairs officer for MoveOn.org, which bills itself as "the largest independent progressive advocacy group in the country," according to the group's Facebook page.

She also provided commentary as a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC.

She's an author, speaker and mental health advocate

Jean-Pierre wrote her first book in 2019, a memoir titled "Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work and the Promise of America." She's also a speaker and lecturer at Columbia University, where she teaches a course in the School of International and Public Affairs.

The Columbia alumna is also an advocate for mental health and has been candid about her own struggles, which she detailed in her book.

"It's not easy to write those words," she wrote in a piece for MSNBC in 2019. "But it's also not easy to struggle with your mental health, especially in a world that continues to stigmatize it. We need to make it easier to talk about, because talking about your struggles is often the first step toward getting help."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Dozens more civilians rescued from Ukrainian steel plant

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Dozens more civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under the besieged steel plant where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol are making their last stand. The holdouts are trying to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategically important port city. Russian and Ukrainian officials said Friday that 50 people were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant and handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Russian military said the group included 11 children. Russian officials and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said evacuation efforts would continue Saturday.

'We're so sorry': Mariupol plant evacuees feel relief, grief

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  More than 100 civilians have finally emerged from the bombarded Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian holdout in the ruined city of Mariupol. Interviewed by The Associated Press, they offered the clearest picture yet of their two months living in the center of hell. It is a story of deprivation and fear deep under the earth; in the dank darkness, they felt themselves rot and watched others die. But it is also a tale of quiet heroism. Were so sorry, one evacuating family told civilians staying behind as they started toward the surface. Dont worry, the others replied. Well follow.

In abortion fight, conservatives push to end all exceptions

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Rape, incest and the health of the fetus or mother were once accepted reasons to obtain an abortion in even the most conservative Republican-led states. But now roughly 20 states have abortion bans in the works without some of those exceptions. The shift comes as the Supreme Court is expected to overturn the nationwide right to abortion this summer. Troy Newman with the national anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, says exceptions for rape and incest and to protect a pregnant woman's life were only included in previous legislation to appease centrists.

Nearly 1 million COVID-19 deaths: A look at the US numbers

The count of U.S. deaths from COVID-19 is nearing 1 million, and there's a wealth of data making clear which groups have been hit the hardest. More than 700,000 people 65 and older died. Men died at higher rates than women. White people made up most of the deaths overall. Yet an unequal burden fell on Black, Hispanic and Native American people considering the younger average age of minority communities. Racial gaps narrowed between surges then widened again with each new wave. Most deaths happened in urban counties, but rural areas paid a high price at times.

Rangers locate climber's body on Alaska's Denali

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  National park rangers in Alaska have located the body of the years first registered climber on North Americas tallest peak. Because its so early in the climbing season, 35-year-old Matthias Rimml was alone on the upper part of Denali. He was a professional mountain guide from Tirol, Austria. Denali National Park and Preserve officials say Rimml's body was spotted during a high elevation aerial search on Friday. A friend had contacted the park Tuesday after not receiving a periodic check from Rimml. Park officials say Rimml likely fell on a notoriously treacherous stretch of the West Buttress route. Officials say 13 climbers, including Rimml, have died in falls along that steep traverse.

Man gets life for killings in California, Texas

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A man who pleaded guilty to a series of Southern California robberies and attacks that killed five men and injured seven others has been given multiple life sentences. Ramon Escobar also was sentenced Friday in Los Angeles for killing his aunt and uncle in Texas just a week before he fled to California. Prosecutors say over the course of about two weeks in September 2018, Escobar bludgeoned sleeping men on the beach in Santa Monica or the streets of Los Angeles, mostly because they irritated him or to steal their money. All but one victim was homeless.

Explosion at luxury Havana hotel kills 22, injures dozens

HAVANA (AP)  A powerful explosion apparently caused by a natural gas leak has blown away outer walls from a five-star hotel in the heart of Cubas capital, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens. Havana Gov. Reinaldo Garcia Zapata told the Communist Party newspaper Granma that no tourists had been staying at the 96-room Hotel Saratoga because it was undergoing renovations. Officials say about a dozen people are missing and that searchers are hunting for people who may be trapped. Cuban state TV blamed the blast on a truck carrying natural gas that it was supplying to the hotel. The blast happened as Cuba tries to revive its tourism sector.

Feds accuse Starbucks of unfair labor practices in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)  Federal labor officials are accusing Starbucks of unfair labor practices at its stores in Buffalo, New York, including retaliation against pro-union employees. The National Labor Relations Boards Buffalo regional director filed a sweeping complaint Friday outlining a host of labor law violations and seeking reinstatement and backpay for the employees. The coffee chain called the allegations false and vowed to fight them at an upcoming hearing. Starbucks Workers United said the complaint confirms the extent and depravity of Starbucks conduct in Western New York for the better part of a year. The first votes in a nationwide Starbucks unionization push came in December at three stores in Buffalo.

Fire-ravaged New Mexico villages cling to faith, querencia

As the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. marches across northern New Mexico, residents have been guided by their faith and their connection to each other and the land. They've pleaded with God for intervention in the form of rain and calm winds, and protection for their neighbors they see as reflections of themselves. They've invoked the Virgin Mary and the patrons saints of firefighters and the various villages scattered across the landscape. The fire has burned hundreds of square miles, destroying dozens of homes in largely Hispanic working-class neighborhoods and forcing thousands to evacuate. Winds will be a major concern this weekend.

Palestinians facing eviction by Israel vow to stay on land

JINBA, West Bank (AP)  Residents of a cluster of Bedouin communities in the occupied West Bank have vowed to stick to their land and resist an order by Israel's top court to evict them. The order came after a more than a two-decade legal struggle by Palestinians to remain in their homes in Masafer Yatta. Israel has argued that the residents only use the area for seasonal agriculture and that they had already rejected compromise offers giving them occasional access to the land. The Palestinians say that if implemented, the Israeli Supreme Court's ruling opens the way for the eviction of all the 12 communities that have a population of 4,000 people.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
'Seemed like goodbye': Mariupol defenders make their stand

LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian fighters at Mariupols pulverized steel plant are holding out against Russian troops in an increasingly desperate effort to keep Moscow from taking the strategic port city. The wife of one of the fighters said the troops would not surrender and her husband told her words of goodbye. Thursday's bloody battle came amid growing suspicions that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a major battlefield success in time for Victory Day on Monday, which marks the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany. Elsewhere, Ukraines military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other Russian attacks in the east. The Russians say they destroyed dozens of Ukrainian military targets.

Its Chief Justice Roberts' Court, but does he still lead?

WASHINGTON (AP)  John Roberts is heading a Supreme Court in crisis. The chief justice has already ordered an investigation into the unprecedented leak this week of a draft of a major abortion opinion. What comes next could further test Roberts leadership of a court. The addition of three conservative justices during Donald Trumps presidency means there are now five conservative justices to Roberts right who no longer need his vote, and perhaps his moderating influence, to prevail in a case. The abortion decision could be another example of that, with the courts other conservatives prepared to go further than Roberts. He's said repeatedly that he prefers decisions where the court comes to a broad agreement on narrow grounds.

FDA restricts J&J's COVID-19 vaccine due to blood clot risk

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. regulators are strictly limiting who can receive Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine due to a rare but serious risk of blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&Js vaccine. The decision is the latest restriction to hit the company's vaccine, which has long been overshadowed in the U.S. by the more effective shots from Pfizer and Moderna. In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended using the Moderna and Pfizer shots over J&Js because of its safety issues.

Police boss journal cites early angst in Ronald Greene death

The Louisiana State Police superintendent wrote himself an ominous note days after the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene: Realize there is a problem  must address immediately. Excerpts of a personal journal made public Thursday show Col. Kevin Reeves considered aggressive action after his troopers beat, stunned and dragged Greene. State police didnt launch an internal investigation for another 462 days. A legislative committee is now seeking to hold Reeves in contempt for refusing to turn over his full journals. His lawyer says Reeves is cooperating and the delays in the Greene case are not his doing.

Official: US gave intel before Ukraine sank Russian warship

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship. The incident was a high-profile failure for Russias military. An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet using its own anti-ship missiles. The official says that given Russias attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of those ships. NBC News first reported the U.S. role in the sinking of the ship.

Tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma, cause widespread damaged

SEMINOLE, Okla. (AP)  A storm system spawned several tornadoes that whipped through areas of Texas and Oklahoma, causing damage to a school, a marijuana farm and other structures. There were no reports of serious injuries following the Wednesday night tornadoes, but the system was causing flooding in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Significant damage was reported in the Oklahoma city of Seminole where Gov. Kevin Stitt said drones are being used to assess the damage and in the rural Texas community of Lockett. More stormy weather took place Thursday as a sheriff says a tornado damaged several campers and buildings at an East Texas RV park. The severe weather was to continue Friday in parts of the South.

3 Israelis killed in stabbing attack near Tel Aviv

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli officials say at least three people have been killed in a Palestinian stabbing attack near Tel Aviv. Israeli police say the assailants fled in a vehicle on Thursday night. Security forces set up roadblocks in the area of the attack, which took place in the town of Elad, and helicopters hovered overhead. The attack came as Israel marked its Independence Day, a festive holiday when people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows. Israeli-Palestinian tensions have soared in recent weeks. Earlier in the day, there was new Israeli-Palestinian unrest at a sensitive religious site in Jerusalem.

53 dead in China building collapse, search for trapped ends

BEIJING (AP)  Chinese state media say that 53 people died in a building collapse one week ago in central China and 10 were rescued. Authorities said Friday the search had ended for people trapped from the collapse. The last survivor was pulled out shortly after midnight on Thursday, 5  days after the residential and commercial building in the city of Changsha suddenly caved in on April 29. At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the collapse on suspicion of ignoring building codes or committing other violations. All of the survivors were reportedly in good condition after being treated in a hospital.

Marcos redux? Dictator's son may win Philippine presidency

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The presidential campaign of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is resonating in the Philippines. The son of the late dictator and his running mate, who is the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, are leading pre-election surveys despite his family's history. Their carefully choreographed appearances whitewash the past and are short on specifics about their vision for the future. Instead their campaign has deftly used social media, primarily TikTok and YouTube, to push the simple slogan of unity and framing them as beyond politics and disagreements. Marcos has taken advantage of the average age in the Philippines, which is 25 and leaves many voters with no personal memory of his father's brutal authoritarian rule which his son refuses to acknowledge.

Virus found in pig heart used in human transplant

Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a pig heart transplant have found the organ harbored an animal virus. But University of Maryland doctors cannot yet say if the virus played any role in the man's death. David Bennett Sr. died at age 57, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. His surgeon says DNA of a pig virus was later found in the heart but no signs that the bug caused an active infection. Still, a major worry about animal-to-human transplants is the risk of spreading new infections.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
DENVER  With wildfires becoming bigger and more destructive as the West dries out and heats up, agencies and officials tasked with preventing and battling the blazes could soon have a new tool to add to their arsenal of prescribed burns, pick axes, chain saws and aircraft.

The high-tech help could come way of an area not normally associated with fighting wildfires: artificial intelligence. And space.

Lockheed Martin Space, based in Jefferson County, is tapping decades of experience of managing satellites, exploring space and providing information for the U.S. military to offer more accurate data quicker to ground crews. They are talking to the U.S. Forest Service, university researchers and a Colorado state agency about how their their technology could help.

By generating more timely information about on-the-ground conditions and running computer programs to process massive amounts of data, Lockheed Martin representatives say they can map fire perimeters in minutes rather than the hours it can take now. They say the artificial intelligence, or AI, and machine learning the company has applied to military use can enhance predictions about a fire's direction and speed.

"The scenario that wildland fire operators and commanders work in is very similar to that of the organizations and folks who defend our homeland and allies. It's a dynamic environment across multiple activities and responsibilities," said Dan Lordan, senior manager for AI integration at Lockheed Martin's Artificial Intelligence Center.

Lockheed Martin aims to use its technology developed over years in other areas to reduce the time it takes to gather information and make decisions about wildfires, said Rich Carter, business development director for Lockheed Martin Space's Mission Solutions.

"The quicker you can react, hopefully then you can contain the fire faster and protect people's properties and lives," Carter said.

The concept of a regular fire season has all but vanished as drought and warmer temperatures make Western lands ripe for ignition. At the end of December, the Marshall fire burned 991 homes and killed two people in Boulder County, Colorado. The Denver area just experienced its third driest-ever April with only 0.06 of an inch of moisture, according to the National Weather Service.

Colorado had the highest number of fire-weather alerts in April than any other April in the past 15 years.

Since 2014, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control has flown planes equipped with infrared and color sensors to detect wildfires and provide the most up-to-date information possible to crews on the ground. The onboard equipment is integrated with the Colorado Wildfire Information System, a database that provides images and details to local fire managers.

"Last year we found almost 200 new fires that nobody knew anything about," said Bruce Dikken, unit chief for the agency's multi-mission aircraft program. "I don't know if any of those 200 fires would have become big fires. I know they didn't become big fires because we found them."

When the two Pilatus PC-12 airplanes began flying in 2014, Colorado was the only state with such a program conveying the information "in near real time," Dikken said. Lockheed Martin representatives have spent time in the air on the planes recently to see if its AI can speed up the process.

"We don't find every single fire that we fly over and it can certainly be faster if we could employ some kind of technology that might, for instance, automatically draw the fire perimeter," Dikken said. "Right now, it's very much a manual process."

Something like the 2020 Cameron Peak fire, which at 208,663 acres is Colorado's largest wildfire, could take hours to map, Dikken said.

And often the people on the planes are tracking several fires at the same time.

Dikken said the faster they can collect and process the data on a fire's perimeter, the faster they can move to the next fire. If it takes a couple of hours to map a fire, "what I drew at the beginning may be a little bit different now," he said.

Lordan said Lockheed Martin engineers who have flown with the state crews, using the video and images gathered on the flights, have been able to produce fire maps in as little as 15 minutes.

The company has talked to the state about possibly carrying an additional computer that could help "crunch all that information" and transmit the map of the fire while still in flight to crews on the ground, Dikken said. The agency is waiting to hear the results of Lockheed Martin's experiences aboard the aircraft and how the AI might help the state, he added.

'Actionable intelligence'

The company is also talking to researchers at the U.S. Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana. Mark Finney, a research forester, said it's early in discussions with Lockheed Martin.

"They have a strong interest in applying their skills and capabilities to the wildland fire problem, and I think that would be welcome," Finney said.

The lab in Missoula has been involved in fire research since 1960 and developed most of the fire-management tools used for operations and planning, Finney said. "We're pretty well situated to understand where new things and capabilities might be of use in the future and some of these things certainly might be."

However, Lockheed Martin is focused on technology and that's "not really been where the most effective use of our efforts would be," Finney said.

"Prevention and mitigation and preemptive kind of management activities are where the great opportunities are to change the trajectory we're on," Finney said. "Improving reactive management is unlikely to yield huge benefits because the underlying source of the problem is the fuel structure across large landscapes as well as climate change."

Logging and prescribed burns, or fires started under controlled conditions, are some of the management practices used to get rid of fuel sources or create a more diverse landscape. But those methods have sometimes met resistance, Finney said.

As bad as the Cameron Peak fire was, Finney said the prescribed burns the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests did through the years blunted the blaze's intensity and changed the flames' movement in spots.

"Unfortunately, they hadn't had time to finish their planned work," Finney said.

Lordan said the value of artificial intelligence, whether in preventing fires or responding to a fire, is producing accurate and timely information for fire managers, what he called "actionable intelligence."

One example, Lordan said, is information gathered and managed by federal agencies on the types and conditions of vegetation across the country. He said updates are done every two to three two years. Lockheed Martin uses data from satellites managed by the European Space Agency that updates the information about every five days.

Lockheed is working with Nvidia, a California software company, to produce a digital simulation of a wildfire based on an area's topography, condition of the vegetation, wind and weather to help forecast where and how it will burn. After the fact, the companies used the information about the Cameron Peak fire, plugging in the more timely satellite data on fuel conditions, and generated a video simulation that Lordan said was similar to the actual fire's behavior and movement.

While appreciating the help technology provides, both Dikken with the state of Colorado and Finney with the Forest Service said there will always be a need for "ground-truthing" by people.

Applying AI to fighting wildfires isn't about taking people out of the loop, Lockheed Martin spokesman Chip Eschenfelder said. "Somebody will always be in the loop, but people currently in the loop are besieged by so much data they can't sort through it fast enough. That's where this is coming from."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The escape vehicle used by Vicky White and Casey White, the missing former Alabama corrections officer and inmate, has been found, the US Marshals office said.

The orange 2007 Ford Edge SUV was found in a tow lot in Williamson County, Tennessee, about two hours north of Florence, Alabama, where the fugitive investigation began April 29.

The discovery came as investigators were sifting through hundreds of tips from "all four corners of the United States" about the whereabouts of the fugitive Alabama inmate and the officer who apparently helped him escape.

Authorities on Thursday released new information that may help the public identify the pair. Image renderings by the Marshals Service show what corrections officer Vicky White, 56, who was blonde when she disappeared a week ago, would look like if she altered her appearance to have darker hair or a shorter hairstyle.

Other photos show inmate Casey White's distinctive tattoos; he is 38. The two are not related.

To help the public identify the pair, the Marshals Service also released an image showing the height difference between the two, as well as their height compared to the Ford Edge SUV.

The "subjects should be considered dangerous and may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun," the agency said Thursday, adding there is a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the location of the officer and $10,000 for information leading to the capture of the inmate.

Casey White in 2015 threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and her sister and said he wanted police to kill him, the Marshals Service said. Authorities have advised his "potential targets" about his escape and the threats against them and have taken "appropriate protective actions," the agency said.

Investigators are frantically pursuing hundreds of tips from the public, some of which, they say, may have potential. More than 200 tips have come into the Marshals Service since Tuesday from across the country, said Chad Hunt, commander of its Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.

"We're seeing stuff coming in from the Northwest down to the Southwest to the Northeast and everything in between ... and we have to look at every single one because it's going to be that one small tip that we think might be irrelevant that really kind of breaks the case open," Hunt told CNN Thursday.

This investigation is unique, he said, because Vicky White helped the inmate escape.

"We were several hours behind. It wasn't a typical over-the-wall escape, so our investigation does look a little different than a typical manhunt where somebody jumped the fence," Hunt said.

Investigators are "following up on (tips) as aggressively as we can," Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN on Thursday. "Some of them do look promising, but it takes a time to follow through on those things. We're hoping that one of them will pan out for us, and we'll be able to locate them."

On the run for a week

Authorities continue to emphasize Casey White should be considered "extremely dangerous." He was in the Lauderdale County jail awaiting trial for the capital murder charges against him and was also serving a 75-year sentence for a series of crimes committed in 2015.

The officer and inmate left the Lauderdale County Detention Center on April 29 and have been on the run ever since. The pair may have had a romantic relationship and believe Vicky White likely willingly assisted in the inmate's escape, authorities have discovered during the week's investigation.

There is an active warrant out for the officer's arrest on charges of permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree. She is also no longer employed as assistant director of corrections by the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office, the office said in a statement Wednesday. While she was set to retire April 29, her papers were never finalized, he said.

Not 'the Vicky White we know,' sheriff says

Singleton has described the officer as an "exemplary employee" who had the respect of her colleagues and "an unblemished record." The sheriff could not provide a reason why the officer allegedly aided the escape, saying the behavior isn't "the Vicky White we know."

The officer had made some significant financial decisions leading up to April 29, including selling her home for well under market value. The house sold for $95,550, documents show, but county records list the current total parcel value of the property at $235,600.

Vicky White and Casey White's relationship can be traced to 2020, when the inmate was taken to Lauderdale County for arraignment on murder charges, according to the sheriff.

The pair had a "special relationship" that was confirmed, in part, by other inmates who told authorities Casey White "was getting extra food on his trays" and "was getting privileges no one else got. And this was all coming from her," Singleton said.

The pair kept communicating after Casey White was transferred back to the state prison, the sheriff said. Casey White returned to the Lauderdale County Detention Facility in February to attend court hearings in his capital murder case.

Then, on the morning of April 29, authorities say Vicky White asked that Casey White be prepared for transport. She said she would take him to the courthouse by herself, which was a violation of the department's policy requiring inmates be accompanied by two sworn deputies at all times, Singleton said.

Investigators have determined the two then drove to a shopping center parking lot, ditched the officer's patrol car and drove off in an orange or copper-colored 2007 Ford Edge SUV with minor damage to the rear left bumper, the Marshals Service said, noting it is not known whether the car has a license plate and what its number could be.

Investigators believe Vicky White purchased the escape vehicle in Rogersville, in Lauderdale County, and staged it in the parking lot the night before the pair fled, according to Singleton. It is likely they have since ditched the escape car because the description has been widely shared, he said.

***

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
TULSA, Okla.  The case against the main suspect in the 45-year-old murders of three Tulsa-area Girl Scouts is only growing stronger with time, authorities say, with DNA testing results recently made public pointing right at him again.

Gene Leroy Hart, who died in 1979 while in prison on unrelated charges, was acquitted for the slayings two years earlier of Lori Farmer, 8, Michele Guse, 9, and Denise Milner, 10, at Camp Scott near Locust Grove.

But over four decades later, the latest DNA testing in the case, although officially inconclusive, strongly suggests Harts involvement, officials say, while eliminating several other potential suspects.

Keep scrolling for our 7-part podcast series chronicling the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders in 1977

Mayes County Sheriff Mike Reed said, Unless something new comes up, something brought to light we are not aware of, I am convinced where Im sitting of Harts guilt and involvement in this case.

Reed said the results of the DNA tests have been known since 2019, part of an effort to raise private funds from Mayes County residents to have evidence reexamined.

He didnt go public with them, however, until asked to do so by the victims families as part of an upcoming ABC News documentary series about the case.

The four-part series, which will release on Hulu, is expected to premiere around the 45th anniversary of the crimes on June 13, although no official release date has been announced.

The Tulsa World also participated in the series.

Reed, who spoke at length to ABC, said the latest DNA testing resulted in several partial profiles of the killer.

No full DNA profile has ever been developed in the case, so officially the testing results are considered inconclusive.

But inconclusive does not mean unhelpful, Reed said, and partial profiles can be used to eliminate suspects.

Reed said authorities originally questioned over 130 potential suspects in the case, and other names have surfaced through the years.

Over time, DNA has been collected from potential suspects.

The latest testing was able to eliminate several who had not been previously eliminated, he said.

In fact, Reed added, at this point, Hart excepted, theres no suspect attached to this case that has not been excluded in one way or another, whether its DNA, whether its alibi, whether its polygraph test, whatever.

Meanwhile, significantly, the latest testing could not eliminate Hart, whose DNA matched the partial profiles, Reed said.

One previous DNA effort, in 1989, also produced a partial profile matching Hart.

Officials said at that time that only 1 in 7,700 Native American males would have matched the profile.

Reed said the latest DNA tests most likely are the last that will be done in the case, as testable evidence has been all but exhausted.

He said you can never rule out touch DNA  or DNA from skin cells left behind by human contact.

But evidence collection and preservation in the 1970s was not done with the care and precision that would make touch DNA valuable in this case, he said. Every piece of evidence likely has picked up skin cells from dozens of people over the years.

Reed said the only reason he decided to relook at the decades-old case was that the families asked him to after he was elected in 2012.

He shared the DNA results with them in 2019 and only recently decided to make them public at their request.

It was also at their request that Reed, who previously declined to do interviews on the case, participated in the ABC News series.

Even without DNA, he added, the case against Hart remains rock-solid.

Everything else that Ive been able to see and look at and dissect points to him, Reed said. And that actually carries more weight for me.

While satisfied of Harts guilt, he remains open to new information.

My ears are open, and I will listen to what anybody has to say.

CRIME BEAT CHRONICLES: THE OKLAHOMA GIRL SCOUT MURDERS

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
DENVER (AP)  A former Colorado police officer shown on body camera video roughly arresting a 73-year-old woman with dementia and later seen joking about it with colleagues was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.

Austin Hopp arrested Karen Garner in 2020 after she left a store without paying for about $14 worth of items in Loveland, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Denver. Police body camera video shows that after she turned away from him, he grabbed her arm and pushed her to the ground, still holding the wildflowers she had been picking as she walked through a field.

Hopp had faced anywhere from probation up to eight years behind bars after pleading guilty to second-degree assault in March under a deal with prosecutors that was opposed by Garner's family. He had faced a mandatory prison sentence of between 10 and 32 years under an original, more serious assault charge.

The footage shows that when Hopp had Garner pushed against the hood of his car, she tried to turn around and repeated that she was trying to go home. He then pushed her back against the car and moved her bent left arm up near her head, holding it, saying, Are you finished? Are you finished? We dont play this game.

A federal lawsuit that Garner filed claimed he dislocated her shoulder. The city settled the lawsuit for $3 million, money which her family has said will pay for the around-the-clock care she has required after her condition deteriorated following her arrest.

Police station surveillance video released by Garners lawyer showed Hopp and others talking and at times laughing or joking about the arrest as they watch the body camera footage with Garner in a holding cell nearby. At one point, Hopp told the others to listen for the pop during the part of footage when Garners shoulder was allegedly dislocated.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Australias defense minister says his nation wants to continue having a strong friendship and relationship with the Solomon Islands despite it signing a security pact with China. Peter Dutton says Solomon Island Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has been very clear that he is not going to allow a Chinese military base to be built in the South Pacific nation and Australia is taking him at his word. But Dutton added that the basis of the pact is to allow China to have a security presence on the Solomon Islands. Sogavare told lawmakers in Parliament this week that opponents of his new security pact have threatened his country and insulted it.
Macron announces 2-bln-USD aid for Ukraine

Xinhua) 10:15, May 06, 2022

PARIS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will offer a 2-billion-U.S.- dollar aid for Ukraine during the international donors conference held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, French presidential palace the Elysee announced.

In 2022, France has released a total of 1.7 billion U.S. dollars towards Ukraine, Macron said, adding that the country's support will be at 2 billion U.S. dollars, or an additional of 300 million U.S. dollars.

"France released 100 million euros for humanitarian aid, which is used in particular to finance international organizations and NGOs present in the field. Already, 800 tons of humanitarian and medical goods have been sent to Ukraine and to the countries of the region", Macron said.

"France will continue to act in a concerted manner within the framework of the European Union, with our European partners, also within the framework of the G7 and international financial institutions", he noted.

The international donors conference for the support towards Ukraine was held on Thursday hosted by Poland and Sweden, gathering heads of state and government, the European Union and international organizations amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

More than 6 billion euros ( 6.3 billion U.S. dollars) were gathered at the international donors conference in support towards Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the press. (1 euro = 1.06 U.S. dollars)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Elections officials in some West Virginia counties were ordered Thursday to disregard votes for a state Senate candidate even as she appeals a ruling that she is ineligible to run over a residency requirement.

Andrea Garrett Kiessling filed to run in next Tuesday's Republican primary in a Senate district spanning five counties. On Wednesday a Kanawha County judge ruled in a voter's challenge that Kiessling could not seek office because she has not been a resident of the state for the required five years.

Attorneys for Kiessling appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court on Thursday. Among their arguments for a temporary stay of the circuit court ruling, her attorneys argued that the order will almost certainly resulted in the disenfranchisement of voters" who already cast ballots in the Eighth District.

Early voting for the primary started April 27 and runs through Saturday. Secretary of State spokesman Mike Queen said hundreds of people have already voted in the district.

I have worked too hard and too many people have helped and supported me to back down now, Kiessling said in a video posted on social media.

After holding an emergency meeting Thursday, the state Election Commission ordered Secretary of State Mac Warner to work with officials in Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Putnam and Roane counties to refrain from tallying votes cast for Kiessling.

In addition, clerks in those counties were directed by Warner to immediately post signs on polling place doors stating that Kiessling is not an eligible candidate and that votes cast for her will not be counted.

Three other Republican candidates are running in the Senate district primary: Former Delegate Joshua Higginbotham, ex-Democratic Delegate Mark Hunt and Mark Mitchem. Democrat Sen. Richard Lindsay is running unopposed.

This version corrects the district to the Senate Eighth District.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  New Hampshire Republicans on Thursday thwarted attempts by Democrats to respond to this weeks leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft by enshrining the right to an abortion in state law.

New Hampshire has outlawed abortion after 24 weeks gestation since Jan. 1, thanks to a budget provision Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law last year. Anticipating the Supreme Court action, Democrats have sought to enshrine abortion rights into state law and the state constitution, only to have the bills tabled in the House earlier this year.

In both the House and Senate, they tried Thursday to amend other bills to add abortion protections to state law but were turned back.

In the House, Republican Majority Leader Jason Osborne, of Auburn, accused Democrats of grandstanding over the outrage du jour and said taking up the bill was just a waste of our time.

Nearly seven hours later, the Senate voted down a similar amendment. Instead, it approved the underlying bill, which would eliminate the safety zone that keeps protesters at least 25 feet (7.5 meters) away from abortion clinics.

Democrats pointed to other states in arguing in favor of enshrining abortion rights into law. Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, of Portsmouth, noted that Oklahomas governor on Tuesday signed a bill prohibiting doctors from performing an abortion after fetal activity is detected in the embryo.

For years, Ive heard we dont need this in New Hampshire, and for many years that was indeed the case, she said. Times have changed, we do need these protections now. ... The writing isnt just on the wall, it is published and confirmed.

But Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, said the amendment was unnecessary because theres been no rush by New Hampshire Republicans to enact further restrictions or ban abortion outright in response to the leaked draft opinion, and abortion will remain legal in the state up to 24 weeks.

Not one thing has happened. Why? Because when we passed this, we were careful, and we were deliberative. Thats the New Hampshire way, she said. We are not impulsive.

Since enacting the 24-week ban, the Legislature has approved adding an exception for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with abnormalities incompatible with life, and Sununu plans to sign it. He described that bill Tuesday as a bipartisan measure to expand access" to abortion without mentioning his role in restricting it.

The draft opinion leaked this week suggests the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion throughout the country, sending the abortion fight to the states.

At least eight GOP-led states have already passed new restrictions this year, expecting change from the conservative majority on the high court. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law, and several states moved to expand or strengthen those protections this year.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
On May 4, NASA shared audio coming from the black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster. This comes on the same week they held "Bla
Sometimes you can find some real treasures while thrifting. A Texas woman recently came across what may be one of the most precious.

Laura Young, an antique dealer, found a neat-looking all-white marble sculpture at a Goodwill in Austin in 2018. For only $34.99, the 50-pound piece seemed like a deal, and Young was quick to snag the item and bring it home.

Hoping to find out more information about the sculpture, Matt Largey of KUT reports that Young contacted an auction house in London. She was able to confirm that the portrait bust is likely of a popular Roman general named Drusus Germanicus, and was told the sculpture was more than 2,000-years-old, according to KUT.

Leila Amineddoleh, a lawyer in New York who specializes in international art law, said that while some reports claim that the sculpture could be of Roman military leader Sextus Pompey, a majority believe it to be a portrait of Drusus. "Of course, that could be incorrect, but I believe most experts have identified the work as Drusus Germanicus," Amineddoleh said.

Its last known whereabouts were at a museum built by German King Ludwig the First called the Pompejanum built in the 1840s in the German city of Aschaffenburg.

During World War II, a battle was fought in Aschaffenburg in the spring of 1945 and the museum was hit by bombs and heavily damaged. Stephennie Mulder, an art history professor at UT Austin, told KUT that many of the museum's objects were either destroyed or looted, so it's likely the bust suffered the same fate.

"So unfortunately in this case, it might have been a U.S. soldier who either looted it himself or purchased it from someone who had looted the object," Mulder said.

The item was considered lost or destroyed until its discovery in Austin. Young told KUT that she knew she couldn't keep the looted artifact so she hired Amineddoleh to negotiate how to get it back to Germany. While negotiations took place over several years, a process further delayed by the pandemic, Young kept the bust in her home and even named it Dennis Reynolds after the narcissist character from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," KUT reports.

"He was attractive, he was cold, he was aloof," Young told KUT. "I couldn't really have him. He was difficult. So, yeah, my nickname for him was 'Dennis.'"

It has been decided that German authorities will take the bust back, but first it will enjoy a one-year exhibition alongside artifacts in the Roman antique collection at the San Antonio Museum of Art. It will remain on display there until next summer when the statue will be returned to Germany, according to KUT

Young has since made a half-size 3D-printed replica of "Dennis" to keep for herself. "I do have a collection of busts at home," she told KUT. "So he's with my other heads."

(c)2022 the Houston Chronicle Visit the Houston Chronicle at www.chron.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
SpaceX has returned four astronauts from the International Space Station with a midnight splashdown off the Florida coast. Friday's homecoming for the three Americans and one German caps the busiest month yet for Elon Musk's space taxi service. The astronauts rode back to Earth in the same capsule that delivered them to the space station last November. They departed the orbiting lab Thursday, after spending nearly a week with their replacements. Barely five hours after splashdown, the company founded by SpaceX in 2002 launched a fresh batch of internet satellites from Cape Canaveral.
LAKE PRESTON, S.D. (AP)  Farmers in South Dakota says there's a reason for optimism as they head out to their fields to plant crops this spring.

Commodity markets are up 62% over the 10-year average.

Wayne Soren raises crops and cattle near Lake Preston.

This is probably one of the most exciting seasons to begin in, in quite some time because the prices of crops are so high, Soren tells South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Although hes optimistic as he drives his planter into his corn field, the third-generation farmer also has concerns, mainly about dry conditions.

Thats one of the dark clouds that sits above. Are we going to get enough rain to grow a crop this year?  Soren says.

Soren is not alone in his concern. According to U.S. Drought Monitor data, 71% of South Dakota was in drought conditions at the end of April.

But recent rain provided some relief.

We got a large rain. Probably the biggest rain weve had in two years. Dams are completely full over the last three days. Yeah, were pretty much at max for soil moisture at the moment. I would say we got almost four inches I was cautiously optimistic last time and I am wholly optimistic at the moment, said Kimball farmer Adam Schindler.

Following the late-April rainstorms, the May 5th U.S. Drought Monitor data shows 69% of the state remains in drought conditions.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
DES MOINES -- Ever a somber event, Fridays annual Iowa Peace Officer Memorial ceremony carried an even heavier weight as the state honored two troopers who lost their lives on duty in 2021.

Both from the Iowa Highway Patrols District 10 post in Oelwein, Trooper Ted Benda of rural Decorah and Sgt. Jim K. Smith of Independence were honored during the ceremony by remarks from Gov. Kim Reynolds and state public safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens.

Bendas and Smiths family members attended the ceremony, which was conducted at the Iowa Peace Officers Memorial in Des Moines, in the shadow of the state Capitol.

We're grateful for those willing to put their lives on the line to preserve our quality of life. And we grieve when any one of them is lost in the line of duty, Reynolds said. Today by etching the names of these men in granite, we honor them and their families. Jim Smith and Ted Benda are a testament to the fact that behind every badge is a brave and generous heart, one toughened in the trenches yet softened by compassion.

Our two honorees gave their lives in one of the noblest causes there is, one defined by an unrelenting determination to put others above self.

Smith, 51, died April 9, 2021, after being shot by a suspect who had been accused of assaulting and disarming another law enforcement officer during a traffic stop near Grundy Center.

Benda, 37, died Oct. 20, 2021, as the result of injuries he suffered when his car crashed after he swerved to avoid a deer while responding to a call for assistance from Clayton County in apprehending a suspect.

Our hearts remain heavy from the unspeakable loss of these brave men. But make no mistake: our resolve is steadfast, Bayens said.

Smith had served with the Iowa State Patrol for 27 years. He is survived by a wife and two children. Benda had worked for the Iowa State Patrol for 15 years. He is survived by a wife and four children.

Iowa will remember their service and sacrifice with enduring gratitude, Reynolds said.

The names of Benda and Smith were carved into the memorial,

The ceremony included the playing of Amazing Grace and Taps, and a 21-gun salute.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Bizarre. Baffling. Shameful. Garbage. Those were some of the words members of Miamis planning board recently used to describe a new law that has reinstated the citys parking requirements.

Strong language for an amendment to the zoning code? Yesunless you realize how hard a reform-minded group of architects, planners and developers have tried to encourage walkable urban development in the city. In 2015, Miami decided to exempt developers of small buildings from onerous parking mandates. Townhouses and small apartment buildings cropped up on vacant lots across the city. A separate provision allows parking-free development downtown, and builders there have found buyers are happy to invest in buildings without parking as well. The vision that was coming in to focus, one planner told me, was less Houston, more Paris.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Local lawmakers have picked the Houston route. In March, the city commission voted to end Miamis experiment in old-school urban development, and they did so in peculiar fashion: There was no study, no official rationale, and no sponsor who wanted to take credit. After the planning boards 9-2 advisory vote to maintain the status quo, commissioners disregarded their advice in favor of the mystery bill. No one at City Hall will own up to it, the Miami Herald wrote in February.

Nevertheless, the five-member city commission voted 4-1 to require that buildings include parking again. Theres no room to park in the streets, said Commissioner Joe Carollo. What we cant have is this free-for-all were having right now.

Advertisement

The decision will likely mark the end of Miamis boomlet of missing middle housingthe small buildings on small lots by small developers that have begun to densify and enliven the citys core neighborhoodsand provide a cheaper alternative to most new construction. The vast majority of these small-scale projects will stop, said Andrew Frey, the developer who lobbied for the original ordinance in 2015.

Back then, Frey was trying to figure out why development in Miami seemed divided between either residential towers or suburban sprawl. I was thinking about neighborhoods I liked, and wondering why we didnt have more of those neighborhoods. [Bostons] Back Bay. Little Havana. [New York Citys] Greenwich Village. Requiring parking seemed to be the big obstacle.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, then a city commissioner, pushed for a parking exemption for buildings under 10,000 square feet. Freys firm Tecela built a row of four townhouses, with 16 units and zero parking spaces. Other builders got involvedslowly. It wasnt like there were a bunch of small developers waiting around, he noted.

Advertisement

Advertisement

By this February, however, when the ordinance appeared in the citys crosshairs, an ecosystem of architects, lawyers, contractors, and developers had begun to adopt the low-cost style of development made possible by relaxed parking rules. One after another they came to testify before the citys planning board. I feel like were developing around parking and not developing around housing, said Natalie Duran, who has built 10 small projects under the parking exemption. Parking is a luxury, and housing isnt.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The architect Ivo Fernandez, Jr. said he was designing a project with 17 units on a 5,000 square foot lot. If you remove the code, that lot will only accommodate six units with parking, he said. I can tell you that none of our tenants or clients are asking for more parking, said the contractor Andrew Lenehan. Theyre asking for more efficient buildings close to the urban core where they work, dine, and go to school.

Advertisement

Advertisement

It had taken Frey four years to turn his conversations with the Miami planning department into code reform. When the mystery law came up for a reading this spring, the city commission took just 10 minutes to vote to undo that policy. Each new Miami apartment will once again be required to come with 1.5 parking stalls, rounded up, whether residents want them or not. The cost of building those spaces, spread across fewer units, will wind up raising rentsif the law doesnt kill off projects altogether. As in many U.S. cities, housing prices have risen rapidly, and the county declared a housing emergency in April.

Advertisement

Weve got to protect our neighborhoods, our single-family houses, Commissioner Manolo Reyes told me, of the citys parking problem. You dont need a study. Go look around! Reyes view is that the developers are crying wolf. Developers are going to keep developing, he said. For now, he maintained, parking was a necessity in Miami, and the only way to permit parking-free development would be for the county to develop a comprehensive mass transit systeman idea he supports. Im very much for the environment, but Im pragmatic.

Advertisement

Advertisement

To understand how surreal the citys about-face feels to Miamis architects, contractors, planners, and developers, it helps to understand the context. Miami has been transformed in the past two decades by a burst of construction that has produced a whole new skyline. The terminus station of the countrys first new private passenger rail service in a century opened downtown in 2018, with 17 trains a day heading north to Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

Advertisement

In 2010, Miami became the first large U.S. city to adopt a form-based zoning codeessentially, replacing zonings old concern with separation of uses with a focus on regulating aesthetics and improving urban design. The idea was to streamline approvals for builders who planned urban, pedestrian-friendly projects. Parking rules were relaxed near transit. In November, a commission of experts charged with reviewing the code submitted a 160-page report. Among its recommendations to City Hall: require less parking.

That suggestion should have been welcome news to Miamians worried about traffic and parking, argued Juan Mullerat, a planner who served on the task force. If you increase parking, you reduce the ability to density, which means that small-scale developers cant do infill, which means no incentives to build around train stations in the urban core, which means development now will be in the outskirts, which means people will drive more and there will be more cars.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Parking is No. 1 predictor of residents car ownership and usemore important than access to transit, income, density, or any other attribute.

That idea is backed up by a litany of research on parking at residential buildings, which turns out to be the No. 1 predictor of its residents car ownership and usemore important than access to transit, income, density, or any other attribute. The more parking you provide at home, the more people will drive, and the more parking youll need everywhere else.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Needless to say, all that driving is also the nations No. 1 contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, which are melting the polar ice caps, elevating sea levels that will soon threaten Miamis very existence.

Miami is certainly bucking the trend on this issue, said Tony Jordan of the Parking Reform Network, which tracks the scores of jurisdictions that have abandoned parking requirements. The Miami City Commission doesnt know how much car parking a new building will need.

Advertisement

Could Miami have decided to require thousands more parking spaces simply on the basis of two commissioners complaining about people parking in front of their houses? Or because Commissioner Joe Carollo is in an ongoing feud with a missing-middle developer in Little Havana named Bill Fuller?

Either one of those explanations would be firmly in line with the citys political culture, several people I spoke to suggested. (Neither Carollos office nor Fullers responded to a request for comment.)

But theres one more reason Miamis City Commission might want to make zoning more complicated: Under the new system, any builder seeking to construct less parking must come before the city commission and plead their case. That gives the city commission new power, and creates an incentive for developers to make the right donations to grease the wheels of zoning exemptions.

Advertisement

In Miami, like in many cities, donations from real estate developers are a core element of political fundraising. Bigger developers who want exemptions may find its worthwhile to come and kiss the ring; parking is expensive, after all.

But for the smaller players whose projects filled in vacant lots in the citys core neighborhoods, the risk of waiting a year just to have an idea turned down may simply be too great. We cant enter into contracts without knowing what can actually go there, said one developer, who asked not to be quoted about the ordinance because he feared retribution from the City Commission. Well have to change our focus on where we look to develop.
A host of contemporary psychologists, philosophers, and scientists have argued convincingly this century that free will is an illusion. Sometimes I think theres no better proof than the inexorable cycles of consensus opinion in pop culture. Well take as our test subject the career arc of the prominent indie-rock-whatever-that-means band Arcade Fire. In fact, we have no other option, as the preset operation here is a review of their new album, called We.

The group, led by married couple Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, originated as a ramshackle ensemble in the early-2000s Montreal music scene, then burst out with its critically and fannishly adored first album, Funeral. Their live shows were renowned for their ecstasies of carnivalesque communion. In 2011, Arcade Fire won the Grammy for Album of the Year for the bands third album, The Suburbs, to which Butlers first reaction, like much of the general publics, was What the hell? For the balance of the 2010s, like many artists whove hit the zenith of their starting trajectory, Arcade Fire began exploring alternate sounds. First, on 2013s Reflektor, there was experimental dance-rock blended with idioms derived from Chassagnes Haitian roots; then, on 2017s Everything Now, a more 80s-ish synth-pop-disco fusion.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Especially with the latter record, most of the audience that once loved Arcade Fire seemed to really hate it. Their self-reflexive mood and half-baked critiques have landed all over the records grooves, tutted Pitchfork. It was unclear if people hated Everything Now itself so much as the ham-fistedly satirical publicity campaign for it. This barrage of fake press releases and websites and fidget spinners and other gambits was meant as social criticism around the time of Donald Trumps election. Perhaps unintentionally, it also read as the bands conflicted reaction to having transferred from independent label Merge to the major label Columbia Records, part of corporate behemoth Sony.

Even without that clumsy lead-in, though, Im not sure Everything Now would have drawn a better reception. As I argued then, the Arcade Fire of 2017 essentially could not win. They were the target of a mini-rerun of anti-disco backlash from listeners who thought theyd squandered what made them special. But had they stuck to the tried and true, they would have been kicked around for repeating themselves. Spin lamented that Arcade Fire once promised to be the natural successors to U2, while PopMatters mourned that they had become U2. Taking a step back, the moment was also the nadir of popular appetite for the whole concept of a rock band, which could not have seemed more outdated. What did the world want from Arcade Fire? It wanted them to go away. And for the next five years, mostly, they did.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

In comparison, in 2022, Arcade Fire can hardly seem to lose. Rock no longer seems like a dinosaur that refuses to die off, but a welcome throwback to bygone days. Witness the glowing response to the neo-post-punk charms of the young U.K. band Wet Leg, for example. Nostalgia for the early 2000s is well underway. Arcade Fire has regrouped (and to a lesser extent degrouped, as Win Butlers multi-instrumentalist brother Will recently amicably departed). The bands central couple spent the pandemic writing reams of new material at their New Orleans base, then reunited with their geographically dispersed comrades to record last year with producer Nigel Godrich, best known for his work with Radiohead among others. And We is being greeted with fanfares as a comeback.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

In reviews, the New Yorker declares that the band returns to [its] exhilarating anthems. A New York Times headline says Arcade Fire has found a way back. Pitchfork reports that the album reclaims the bands trademarks after a decade spent fighting against them. And Stereogum leads off its premature evaluation with the single-line paragraph, Now this is more like it.

My question is exactly what that it is. All of Arcade Fires albums are uneven. None since Funeral, including We, has focused primarily on the chant-along crowd exercises for which theyre best known. But neither have any been without such moments: Search out videos of their recent, still-ecstatic live performances, and hear how they incorporate material from Reflektor and Everything Now. (Butler introduced the title track of that album in London the other week by smirking, Fuck the haters.) We, meanwhile, includes plenty of continuations of the electronic sounds of those recordsmost blatantly on Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole) and on my favorite song on the album, Unconditional II (Race and Religion). Those textures persist elsewhere here, too, albeit folded into more classic-rock-forward structures, and thereby a bit domesticated.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Whats more, plenty of Butlers lyrics here carry on with the kind of kneejerk socio-technological critiques that drew so much scorn on Everything Now. His mix-and-match references to social media and phones can make it sound as if a Marshall McLuhan bot infected the timeline after your grandpa clicked on a bogus link.

Advertisement

On Everything Now, a few of the most dire examples came unfortunately early in the track list. But at least they passed by quickly and were part of interesting-failure sonic experiments. The worst offender on We, by contrast, is a nine-minute-and-17-second suite that forms a sinkhole in the middle of the album, End of the Empire I-IV. (That would be the American Empire, natch.) There, supposedly apocalyptic Beatles-meet-Bowie symphonic gestures meet the refrain, I unsubscribe. While thats not all there is to the song, patches of it sound at once like a tweet about Netflix, a discard from the songbook of the National, and the overreaching of a dad whos read one too many big idea bestsellers. Indeed, the meanest but funniest quip about Arcade Fire Ive seen lately was in a (positive!) show review by Dorian Lynskey in the Guardian, who said the combination of the effervescent Chassagne with the self-serious Butler is as if Robyn has formed a band with Jonathan Franzen.

Advertisement

Sign up for the Slate Culture Newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

None of this is meant to say We is a bad album. In fact, swap out that Empire twaddle for something elsefor instance, the B-side of the single version of The Lightning I, II, a protest song the band premiered in 2020 called Generation Aand Id happily declare it a fantastic one. By turns it thrills, challenges, transports, bops, and soothes. I simply cant hear it as innately superior or more authentically Arcade Fire than the album the world seemed to take such glee in trashing.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Neither am I exempting myself, claiming Im the only one liberated enough to hear the two records correctly. Im probably partly following another preprogrammed cultural reflex, i.e., being contrarian. On a more micro level, I am a Canadian whose social circles overlap somewhat with Arcade Fires. I have been following them since before Funeral was made. And unlike the majority of their fans and critics, Im a handful (maybe a fistful) of years older than the band members. So Ive always observed them as an outgrowth of a real-life community, rather than looked up to them as the generators of an imagined community to come. That viewpoint, not special aesthetic discernment, likely predetermines my reactions to their evolution.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

By contrast, Pitchforks Sam Sodomsky, in his perceptive and not uncritical We review, envisions Arcade Fire as the same empathetic songwriters who made you cry to your iPod in your childhood bedroom. To a large degree this seems to be the more like it that the comeback talk orbits around. On Funeral and The Suburbs, childhoods at risk of adult compromise and betrayal were a central theme, as they perhaps too often were in turn-of-the-millennium indie rock. On We, that topic resurfaces, but this time from a parental perspective, as on the lilting Unconditional I (Lookout Kid), a sweet musical letter to Butler and Chassagnes 9-year-old son about lifes necessary and ultimately rewarding trials. (The nod to Bob Dylans Subterranean Homesick Blues in the subtitle is one of many musical and verbal quotations these true music lovers plant along their way.)

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The groups core audience has moved past the stage of bristling at the bands seeming separation from what had been invested in them, and they are now ready to settle into a mutually mature homecoming. Its a commonplace oedipal dynamic between artists and fans that underlies many proclamations of the return to formits not that the artists stop changing, but that their listeners are ready to let them.

Advertisement

In some senses, We may see Arcade Fire themselves going through that cycle. Butler has framed it as an album in two parts, the first titled I, the initial songs of socio-technological critique, and the second called We, which focuses more on family and community. (The Lightning I, II pair is the transition between them, seeming mired at first rhythmically, and then breaking into an exhilarating, liberating dash.) Its ironic that Butler cites Yevgeny Zamyatins early-1920s Russian dystopian novel We (the album name is officially styled in all caps, as the books title often is) as an inspiration, because that book is an attack on the nascent anti-individualist conformism of the Soviet state. When Zamyatin writes,  We comes from God, I from the Devil, thats the oppressor speaking.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Arcade Fires take on that dichotomy here is comparatively incoherent, although thats fitting, since its a false dichotomy in the first place. Still, the problem when a panoramic rock band like Arcade Fire makes music about the all-seeing panopticon controlling society is that the scope of the sound inadvertently constructs a simulacrum of the panopticon and makes the listener feel subject to it. This was the dead end that progressive arena rock ran into in the first place, see for example Pink Floyds The Wall. But Arcade Fire also holds the escape code.

Advertisement

Zamyatin, like George Orwell after him in 1984, presents romantic love as a potential flight vector, as the subversive crack in what the state poses as an absolute contradiction between happiness and freedom. And Arcade Fire, which grows out of Butler and Chassagnes intimacy as well as other family bonds (chosen and otherwise), has always implicitly suggested that kind of love as an antidote to the deadening and distorting pressures of society. Its effective because the idea of the rock band itself, at least as far back as the Beatles, has served as a utopian allegory, a model of a voluntary, noncoercive union that enables the members to be part of a greater whole without giving up their selfhood.

Advertisement

Advertisement

In practice, as the behind-the-music stories of countless bands, including the Beatles, tell us, its a lot more complicated. But like free will, it may be an illusion humans cant do without, given the alternatives. Ultimately, we need the eggs. While Arcade Fire may not excel as sociological songwriters, the second half of We, like all their best music, shows they already know the way out of these cycles, which is to sing as openly as they can to and about each other. The rest will speak for itself. Well, that and: Please, at long last, could Regine sing lead on a few more songs per album? At those moments, I always readily surrender my will, as well as my wont.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has corralled a group of 19 billionaires, firms, and funds to invest more than $7 billion to finance his takeover of Twitter, which hes said he is pursuing in the name of free speech. Musk is on the hook for $44 billion to buy the platform, which he wont be able to afford unless he pledges his Tesla shares for a loan. With these new investors, though, hell only have to personally put up half that amount.

Advertisement

Musks purchase has been cheered by figures on the right and far right who insist that Twitter persecutes them out of political bias, and Muskwhose politics arent entirely clear-cuthasnt dissuaded the notion, and has even been criticizing the left for being too extreme. At the same time, his bid has worried researchers and users whod prefer that Twitter not roll back efforts to keep the worst of the worstNazis, QAnon boosters, extreme anti-vaxxersoff the platform. Musk hasnt gotten into many specifics about how hed change the companys policies. He also may not be able to dramatically change how moderation works on Twitter given restrictions like the European Unions forthcoming Digital Services Act, which will require social media sites to more forcefully regulate content.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

But his choice of co-owners may be telling. In addition to a fairly typical assortment of Silicon Valley venture-capital firms and heavyweight foreign investors, there are a number of prominent Donald Trump supporters as well as advocates for looser moderation policies on social media and a major crypto exchange, which is surely thrilled to be in businesses with the planets most prominent booster of Dogecoin. Maybe theyre all there to make a buck: Musk pitched these investors on ambitious plans to grow Twitter by cutting down on costs and monetizing tweets. Just as likely, they want to make Twitter the social network theyd like to see in the world. Heres a guide to the investors who may soon own a piece of Twitter.

Advertisement

Lawrence J. Ellison Revocable Trust

Larry Ellisonthe multibillionaire founder of Oracle and Donald Trump supporterpledged to invest $1 billion in Musks purchase. Ellison claims to be a close friend of Musks and joined Teslas board in 2018. Ellisons Oracle almost got to take over part of TikToks U.S. operations in what appeared to be a sweetheart deal during the Trump administration. It withered after Trump lost reelection, but now Ellison may get another bite at the social-media apple.

Advertisement

Sequoia Capital Fund

This Silicon Valley fund contributed $800 million to the cause. We see, as he [Musk] does, the opportunity to drive meaningful product innovation that will help unlock Twitters full potential as a global platform that connects the world, a spokesperson told the New York Times. The firm was an early investor in the likes of Google and Apple. Sequoia also co-led the Series C funding round for the Boring Company, Musks underground-tunnel venture. Musk previously recruited Roelof Botha, a partner at Sequoia, to be the chief financial officer of PayPal.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

VyCapital

This investment firm based in Dubai pledged $700 million. VyCapital has also invested in Musks Boring Company and Neuralink, the neurotechnology startup that recently faced allegations of abusing macaque monkeys in its experiments.

Binance

This cryptocurrency exchange platform invested $500 million, and reportedly contacted Musk directly for the privilege to do so. Musk has been a major booster of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin, and he has shown he has a tremendous influence over their prices. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao tweeted his support for Musks takeover.

A small contribution to the cause. https://t.co/xD9XZxOWfL  CZ  Binance (@cz_binance) May 5, 2022

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

If Binances inclusion is eye-raising, its for this reason: Musk has said he wants to purge spam bots from Twitter, where they remain a stubborn presence. Notably, many of those bots appear to pump crypto schemes.

Andreessen Horowitz

This venture capital fund, which invested $400 million, was founded by mega tech entrepreneurs Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. Andreesen has been a major critic of Twitters moderation policies, something he has been very, very, vocal about on Twitter since Musks stake in the company was announced. However, he also sits on the board of the rival social media company Meta, which may present some conflicts of interest. Horowitz also tweeted about the investment and praised Musks crusade against moderation on the platform.

Advertisement

Advertisement

3/While Twitter has great promise as a public square, it suffers from a myriad of difficult issues ranging from bots to abuse to censorship. Being a public company solely reliant on an advertising business model exacerbates all of these.  benahorowitz.eth (@bhorowitz) May 5, 2022

Advertisement

Qatar Holding

Qatars sovereign wealth fund invested $375 million.

Advertisement

Aliya Capital Partners

This Miami-based firm is investing $360 million. Aliya has also been an investor in SpaceX, Musks rocket company.

Fidelity Management & Research Company

This Boston-based company invested $316 million, and also owns about 1 percent of Tesla, making it one of the biggest investors.

Brookfield

The venture capital division of this Canada-based asset management company contributed $250 million. The company is working with Musk on his Boring Company and a sustainable housing development in Texas. Managing partner Josh Raffaelli recently wrote on his LinkedIn profile, We are thrilled we can once again support Elon and his mission of transforming the future through innovative and world class technologies. Funding secured. The last line is a reference to an infamous tweet Musk posted in 2018, in which he claimed to have funding secured to take Tesla private at $420 per share. That didnt quite turn out to be the case, and the SEC sued him in a lawsuit that resulted in a $40 million settlement.

Advertisement

Strauss Capital

This New Yorkbased investment firm pledged $150 million. Its founder, Tom Strauss, has held top positions at the likes of Barclays and Lehman Brothers.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

BAMCO

This subsidiary of Baron Capital is investing $100 million. CEO Ron Baron is one of Teslas largest shareholders, though he previously commented that Musks initial attempts to join Twitters board and become its largest shareholder were meaningless. Now that Musk is set on taking over the platform, hes become more optimistic. My guess 2-3x return or more next 4-5 years if successful, he told CNBC.

DFJ Growth IV Partners

This California-based venture capital firm is pitching in $100 million. The firm has investments in SpaceX, Tesla, the Boring Company, and SolarCity, Musks solar panel company. DFJ Growth also previously invested in Twitter.

Advertisement

Witkoff Capital

Founded by New York real estate mogul Steven Witkoff, this firm is investing $100 million. Witkoff is a friend and donor of Trumps and served as an informal adviser to the former president on issues like the pandemic and opioids.

Key Wealth Advisors LLC

This wealth management company is investing $30 million.

A.M. Management & Consulting

This New York private equity and consulting firm is investing $25 million.

Litani Ventures

This venture capital firm based in Chicago contributed $25 million. Litani is headed by Peter Rahal, who along with his co-founder sold their RxBar protein bar startup to Kellogg for $600 million in 2018.

Advertisement

Tresser Blvd 402 LLC (Cartenna)

This Connecticut hedge fund is contributing $8.5 million.

Advertisement

Honeycomb Asset Management LP

Founded by New York hedge fund manager David Fiszel, this firm is pitching in $5 million. Fiszel previously invested in tech companies like Twitter and Palantir before they went public while he was a manager at the hedge fund Point72.

Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud

This Saudi prince has pledged to purchase 34,948,975 shares, which is worth about $1.7 billion. Prince Alwaleed is already one of Twitters biggest investors and previously voiced his skepticism in April about Musks bid to take over the platform, asserting that the offer was too low. Just three weeks later, though, the prince appears to be trying to make nice with Musk.

Advertisement
After the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade leaked this week from the Supreme Court, I called up Dr. Mai Fleming, whos a family medicine physician at the Univeristy of California, San Francisco. She also works for a telehealth company called Hey Jane and is a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. In some ways Fleming was expecting this, but it didnt make it easier to hear. It still was very upsetting to see the words that were written by Justice Alito, Fleming said. While folks who have been working in reproductive health and access have been talking about this for a long time, Im hoping that the shock of this for not just us, but for everybody, really brings this issue into the mainstream.

Advertisement

On Fridays episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Fleming, a doctor who helps facilitate abortion via the internet. The pandemic changed the way abortion care could be provided online. So what happens now? Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Lizzie OLeary: Before the pandemic, if you wanted a medication abortion, where a pregnancy up to 10 weeks gestation is terminated using a two-pill regimen, you generally needed to get the first pill from a hospital or a clinic. With the exception of a small telehealth research program, FDA rules meant that a patient who wanted a medication abortion had to see a provider face to face. COVID changed that. First, when a judge briefly lifted the FDA restrictions in 2020, and then in April of last year, when the agency itself temporarily allowed patients to get the drugs by mail. That meant a huge opportunity for telehealth.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Mai Fleming: A lot of the care that weve been providing in person can be carried out just as well and just as safely over the phone or through virtual video visits. Abortion care was one of those things. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a huge study that came out of England, and the National Health Service there, that demonstrated over tens of thousands of people who obtained medication abortion via telehealth in Great Britain were able to do so very, very safely and actually with fewer complications than the previously published numbers on safety for medication abortion. So we were able to replicate a lot of those studies here in the United States, reconfirming and redemonstrating just how safe and effective medication abortion over the phone is.

Advertisement

Advertisement

I was really struck looking at that study. It compared groups of women whod had in-person appointments for a medication abortion, and theyd gotten a traditional appointment with a sonogram, and then groups who had gotten it via telehealth. And essentially the rates of complications were pretty much the same.

Right. I do want to quickly emphasize and stress that it is not only women who obtain abortion care. People of all genders who have a uterus and have the capability of becoming pregnant do seek and obtain abortion care, so I think its important to be inclusive in the language that we use.

Advertisement

Advertisement

But whether a person is prescribed medications from an in-person clinic or a telehealth clinic, or whether they order their own medications online, these medications in the abortion process are the exact same across the board and proven to be very, very safe.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Based on studies like this and data from its own temporary rule change, the FDA decided to permanently allow patients to get abortion medication in the mail at the end of last year. That means platforms like Hey Jane, where Mai Fleming works, are able to provide virtual services in states where telehealth abortion is legal. With a platform like Hey Jane, do you have conversations with people who are on the fence, or do most of the patients who you are talking with, do they know what they want?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Like any medical care, there is no one size fits all for a patient encounter in any field. Some people know exactly what they need and what they want, and we are happy to help facilitate that in a safe way. There are people who may not feel 100 percent certain at the time that they start engaging with us whether this is something that they want to proceed with, and we talk with folks through that.

Advertisement

Do you have a typical patient? I know thats a tough question. Theres a New York Times thing that they have resurfaced in the past day saying a typical patient already has children, is probably in their late 20s. I wonder if you have seen commonalities among your patients, particularly the ones who are doing this online.

Generally, I see a whole range of people coming from all different experiences and backgrounds. Some people are already parents, absolutely, and are making a decision that best fits what they need for their current families. Some folks are not parents and have never been parents. Some people have never had an abortion. Some people have had abortions before. There is not one abortion patient. There is not a typical abortion patient. A common statistic that folks reference is that 1 in 4 people of reproductive potential may need at least one abortion in their lifetime. So most people know somebody whos had an abortion regardless of who you are or what your circumstances are.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Where do your patients typically live? Obviously youre physically based in California, but youre licensed in a number of states, and Im wondering, are they in a rural part of the state and they cant physically get to a clinic because there isnt one near them?

Yeah, so that also ranges. Ive had patients from very remote areas where the nearest abortion provider might be three or more hours away, and patients who live in a big city where abortion might be accessible, but the wait times are weeks long.

I wonder if you could talk a little bit from your perspective as a provider of what its been like to have the internet as another tool in your practice. Youve been doing this work for a while, and I wonder if having the expanded reach of the internet has made you think about being able to reach people who you couldnt reach before. What has that been like?

Advertisement

For folks that have ready access to internet and phone, the ability to be able to provide care in the safety and comfort of a persons own home really means a lot to some people. And particularly when we talked about very stigmatized care, where a person doesnt have to travel for sometimes hours, sometimes days to access care. They may not have to get child care. They may not have to travel through angry protesters to try to reach their doctor or their health care provider in order to access this care. It has been a really important avenue.

Advertisement

Advertisement

[Read: The Most Unexpected Consequence of the Texas Abortion Ban]

Of course the digital divide means that people who dont have reliable internet access have a harder time getting telehealth abortion care.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Outside of the internet access piece, not everybody has access to a safe space in their own home or in their own situation in order to access care. Whether folks are victims of interpersonal or domestic violence, folks have been victims of trafficking, or dont feel safe disclosing the type of medical care that they need with their family or other people who live in their householdit is for those reasons, telehealth is not the answer. It doesnt actually address the root issue, which is the overall lack of accessibility in the first place, and is only accessible largely in the states with permissive abortion laws. We already know that many states already have, and if they dont already have, theyre working on it, legislation to restrict and eliminate abortion access via telehealth and for some just medication abortion in general.

Advertisement

Despite the FDA rules, 19 states restrict the use of telemedicine for abortion care. That can either mean an outright ban or requiring that a clinician is present when the pills used for medication abortion are administered, which in effect means telemedicine cant be used.

Advertisement

For the people who are in the states where they are not able to use telemedicine for medication abortion, if abortion is still accessible in those states, they may be traveling very far distances to obtain care. If not, they may be traveling to distant states in order to access care. Some people may be ordering their own pills online.

I think the biggest risk with folks self-managing their abortions at home is not the medical piece. Weve already well-established how safe these medications are for people, but its really the potential legal repercussions. Weve seen criminalization of folks who have self-managed their abortion, and even by extension, weve seen criminalization of people who are actually suffering a miscarriage, where a person who they have reached out to for help and for medical care have reported them for suspicion for self-managed abortion or self-induced abortion, when in fact its really a miscarriage.

Advertisement

Advertisement

So its not surprising that the folks who are most at risk of being criminalized are the same folks that are at highest risk of being criminalized in our country in generalfolks of color, folks who are undocumented, gender-diverse folks, folks who are in lower-income communities. And I worry about the state of increasing restrictive and punitive climate on the ways in which people on the ground may end up translating those restrictions and laws into criminalizing patients who are seeking medical care.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The internet has made meds easier to get, even if you are not talking to a board-certified doctor like yourself. I wonder if we are contemplating this post-Roe future, will those informal networks get bigger? Will the internet play an even larger role here?

Advertisement

We have a lot of experience of what a post-Roe world will look like in the state of Texas. There was a study that looked at how the demand and request for medications through aid access changed in Texas after the implementation of S.B. 8, and the number of requests, honestly, not only in Texas, but actually across the country, increased by a very significant degree, by multiple magnitudes. If thats any indication, I wouldnt be surprised if that would happen

Can you imagine a future where you are helping people in those states get medication over the internet?

Regardless of what the law is in any given state, there are always going to be people whose goal and mission is to help folks access safe care, whether that be through logistical means of helping folks travel across state lines if theyre able to, providing monetary and logistical support to do so, or helping get folks the information that they need to safely manage their own care where they are.

Read more of Slates coverage on abortion rights here.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
The city aims to preserve its current panorama, a new study shows.

Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled

Bratislava will follow new rules when it decides on the maximum height of new buildings to spring up in the future.

Drawn up by the Bratislava Metropolitan Institute (MIB) and the Bratislava City Hall, a new urban study, said to be considered when drafting changes to the city master plan, has been taken note of by councillors.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

An important principle of this new study is to preserve the panorama of Bratislava in regard to the Little Carpathians and well-known landmarks such as Kamzik Hill and Bratislava Castle, Annamaria Ondrejkova of the MIB explained to the TASR newswire.

Read also:

Read also: Bratislava's own 'mini-Pompidou Centre' gets a facelift Read more

The institute recommends that the city should see and accept as binding the regulation regarding maximum height and position of Bratislava landmarks within the city centre, the assessment criteria for high-rise buildings and the altitude levels for stabilised areas.

No more than 160 m

The maximum height for local landmarks [observable from less than 5 km] is determined in the study by the height of the inner courtyard of Bratislava Castle with an altitude of 226 m, which represents a relative height of 90 m.

The key to determining the maximum height of city-wide landmarks [observable from a distance of 10 to 15 km and part of the citys identity] is the silhouette of the Little Carpathians, and maintaining a view of the forested parts of the Carpathians, the MIB said. This means that the maximum altitude of the construction development line on the slopes of the Little Carpathians should serve as a basis on deciding how high future buildings with a city-wide impact can be. It averages 260 metres above sea level, which represents a relative height of 120 m.

A bird's view of Bratislava on May 26, 2021. (Source: TASR)

The height of city-wide landmarks is also influenced by the air traffic in the city. For Bratislava international airport, 309 metres above sea level, which is a relative height of 169 m, this represents a height that must not be surpassed in the city. Simultaneously, the study sets the maximum height of city-wide landmarks at 300 metres above sea level, a height ranging from 160 to 164 metres above sea level in the given area.

Where to build high buildings

The study also suggests where multi-storey buildings can be constructed.

For example, on the right bank of the Danube in the city centre, it will not be possible to exceed an altitude of 260 metres above sea level. When choosing a location, it is necessary to respect the dominant natural element, the institute said. In this case, a floodplain forest.

Read also:

Read also: A feast for developers? New construction law passed after almost 50 years Read more

As for the left bank of the river, the Chalupkova and Pribinova zones will serve as a guideline for the maximum height of buildings. Here, several high-rise buildings have been constructed or are under construction. The highest building in this area will measure 164.9 m. The MIB noted that this building exceeded the limits still applied in the area and increased the maximum height in the city to a new maximum.

In addition to the specific maximum heights for individual buildings, the study outlines five different height limits for urbanisable areas, ranging from 11 to 46 metres. Bratislava has not had such a plan to date.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
A Scotts Bluff County Court judge sentenced a former Minatare Police officer and Sioux County Sheriffs deputy on charges in connection with the theft of guns from the Minatare department.

The Nebraska State Patrol arrested Bryan Martinez, 32, of Gering in March. On Monday, he pleaded no contest to three counts of theft by unlawful taking, a Class II misdemeanor.

On three separate dates in 2021, according to court documents, Martinez pawned off a trio of guns he had stolen from the Minatare Police Department, including one which had been his own assigned weapon. The guns had been noticed as missing and reported stolen when a new police chief checked inventory.

Martinez pleaded no contest to the charges Monday and he was found guilty for stealing the weaponry. Judge Randin Roland immediately sentenced Martinez to one day in jail and fining him $1,000 on each of the three counts.

He was also ordered to pay $1,753.94 to Murdochs Ranch and Home Supply and $2,349.27 to the City of Minatare. According to the court records, Martinez also agreed to voluntarily relinquish his law enforcement certification.

Restitution to Murdochs Ranch and Home Supply involved Martinez initially also being charged in connection with knowingly writing an insufficient check to pay for a nearly $1,900 purchase of a gun and other items from Murdochs Ranch and Home Supply in Scottsbluff in December 2021. When contacted to pay the funds to cover the insufficient funds check, Martinez did not follow through, according to an arrest warrant. That charge was dismissed.

Martinez has been scheduled to next appear in court for a show cause hearing on Aug. 19.

The Nebraska Attorney Generals Office prosecuted the case.

Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The smell of pancakes and the sound of prayer filled the room as the leaders of Scottsbluff, Gering and Terrytown hosted the 37th Annual Mayors Prayer Breakfast at the Gering Civic Center Thursday, May 5.

The event celebrated the National Day of Prayer, which has been held on the first Thursday in May since 1988.

The breakfast began around 6:45 a.m., with speakers presenting from 7 to 8 a.m. As it was the mayors breakfast, they each played a crucial role and set the scene for the mornings events.

There are countries all over this world that are suffering and experiencing these religious persecutions every day. We get to have a prayer breakfast, and we can do it without fear ... we might not all go to the same building, but we have the freedoms to worship as we see fit, Gering Mayor Tony Kaufman said in his opening remarks.

The featured guest speaker at the breakfast was Pastor Bruce Peterson from Grace Chapel. Peterson was born in Paraguay and raised in Chicago; he became a pastor at Grace Chapel in 1992.

Peterson said the influencers and leaders at the breakfast had been given a calling by God to aid their communities. If you know it or not, you have accepted a job from God to help us thrive, he said. Your influences, your discussions, your decisions should be grounded in bringing real help to the community. You should regularly be asking questions like, How will this establish hope? How will this give people a leg up, a helping hand?

He said leaders were Gods servants and that they should do everything in their power to uplift the people they represent. God put it in them to help, he said, and if they do good, God will reward them for it.

Peterson concluded his presentation by summarizing the Old Testaments Book of Esther, where the titular heroine becomes the new wife of a king and has him stop an act of genocide planned by his advisor.

Mordecai says to Esther something like, Well, maybe, maybe its just for a time like this that you have become his wife. Maybe its for a time like this that youre the mayor, Peterson said. Theres always a time like this. Theres never a time thats not like this. Those are times we can't influence.

The mayors and other leaders, he said, are coworkers of God, who should help people thrive and build hope in the community.

If theres greed at the top, theres despair at the bottom and theres godlessness everywhere, Peterson said. ... Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

Other religious leaders who spoke included Pastor Andrew Griess of Zion Evangelical Church, Pastor Jeff Banks of Monument Bible Church and Pastor Logan McCourtney of Hope Church. They provided the invocation, benediction and a prayer for the community, nation and world, respectively.

We ask that you powerfully work in our lives to bring forward revival and renewal, McCourtney had told attendees during his prayer. ... Lord, just as you drove out the enemies of Israel, we want to pray that you, in very tangible ways, drive out drug addiction, poverty, family generational brokenness, alcoholism. We pray, Lord, that you would saturate the panhandle with the gospel and the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Each mayor also had a turn at the podium. While Kaufman had provided the opening remarks, Scottsbluffs Mayor Jeanne McKerrigan introduced Peterson.

Chris Perales, the Mayor of Terrytown, gave the events Scripture reading.

Perales said his clerk had originally thought he shouldnt attend because he had lost his mother just two weeks beforehand.

I almost didnt make it (to the breakfast), but my mother would tell me get off your butt, he said, before reading Colossians 2:6-7: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Hope I made Mom proud.

Members of the Scottsbluff High School Air Force ROTC posted the colors and led the attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance to start the breakfast. Musicians Gracie Batt and Joe Jackson from Summit Christian College performed on the piano and guitar, respectively.

Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Peoples Convoy, which bills itself as a non-partisan movement to lobbying for the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and other causes, is reportedly traveling through Nebraska over the weekend.

According to its website, the peoplesconvoy.org, the convoy is scheduled to travel Interstate 80. The website lists the convoy activity beginning on May 8, 7:30 a.m. and departure at 8 a.m., on May 8, at Gas N Go at 2310 W. Lincolnway in Cheyenne and having an overnight stop at Sapp Brothers Travel Center, 2914 Upland Parkway, Sidney.
Editors note: The Record & Landmark reached out to the candidates for the Iredell County Register of Deeds with a series of questions about their background, experience, as well as plans or priorities for a term in office.

Renee Holland

Education: Graduate of North Iredell High School Current employment: Executive officer and clerk to the board of health, Iredell County Health Department Government experience: I have worked in local government for the past nine years, experience of which I believe has equipped me with the skills and leadership qualities necessary to serve as the next Register of Deeds. In my current position, I have been involved with developing the budget, planning, organizing and leading various staff trainings as well as handling administrative tasks for the health director as well as the leadership team. I also have experience with vital records, safeguarding and protecting personal and private information which is also a very essential duty of the Register of Deeds office. I strongly believe that my years of experience working in local government combined with these qualities are beneficial to managing and leading a successful department. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the citizens of Iredell County as your next Register of Deeds. Family, civic associations: First and foremost, I was born and raised in Iredell County. I am happily married to my husband, Doug, and together we have raised our two children, Ethan and Emily, on our fourth-generation family dairy farm in northern Iredell County. I am an active member at South River Baptist Church and am involved in various community volunteer programs as well. I also serve on the NC Farm Bureau State Womens Leadership Committee where I am actively engaged in various community service projects promoting agriculture education and safety throughout the state of North Carolina.

Website, Facebook, Twitter, other social media handles: www.Renee-Holland.com and on Facebook with Renee Holland for Register of Deeds

Why are you running for office?

I have worked in office management positions in the healthcare industry serving citizens in Harmony, Statesville and Mooresville for almost 30 years and am passionate about helping and serving others. With that said, over the past two years working in public health, I have seen numerous changes set forth by federal and state government that I havent completely agreed with. For these reasons, I realized that it is my desire and passion to be in a position where I can utilize my skills to continue serving and helping others. I also knew that I wanted to remain in local government where I could be a voice for the citizens of Iredell County. It is for these reasons that I am running for the office of Register of Deeds so that I can continue serving the citizens of Iredell County and be a voice for my community where I was born and raised.

What part of your work does/will have the biggest effect on the public?

I believe once elected as Register of Deeds, to be most effective in this position, will be to make myself available and just be responsive to the needs of the citizens. I want to embrace the challenges and want the citizens to know that I am here to serve them. I want them to communicate with our office and share what works best as well as address areas that may need improvement so that as a team, we can better serve everyone who utilizes our services.

How do your politics influence your approach to this position?

I honestly dont consider myself a politician, but rather a public servant. Therefore, I dont see that my political views really have any influence on the position. In fact, the Register of Deeds election typically garners little attention as most citizens dont realize it is an elected position. The work done in the office is extremely important. Its where real estate transactions, legal documents and vital records are recorded as well as where marriage licenses are issued. I would like to add the work of this office is governed by the N.C. statutes, therefore, I dont feel that politics in general, play a huge part in influencing this position.

What is your biggest concern for your position going into the next few years?

My biggest concern over the next few years serving as Register of Deeds is recruitment and retention of current employees. If elected, it is my goal to work with the staff to ensure that we are all trained and have the necessary resources and tools to perform our duties to the best of our abilities while always making customer service our number one priority.

Maureen P. Purcell

Education: I graduated from the University of Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, with a degree in pastoral counseling/psychology with a minor in social work.

Current employment: Iredell County Register of Deeds

Government experience: My introduction to politics began in middle school when my father ran for constable in Pennsylvania. Our entire family worked his campaign and manned the polls. I continued in college when I spearheaded fellow students transportation to and from the voting polls. After moving to North Carolina in 2006, I volunteered with the Iredell County GOP. I have been precinct chair, area captain, secretary and executive committee member since 2011. Throughout this time, I have worked on many campaigns. For the Romney/Ryan campaign, I was part of a three-member team that knocked on 25,000 doors. I have volunteered and worked the polls for every general election, except one, since 2008. I initiated the first Tea-Party protest in Mooresville on April 15, 2009. As a Conservative Republican, I have worked and will continue to preserve conservative values in Iredell County. I have worked now in Government as the Register of Deeds for the last 15 months.

Family, civic associations: I am honored to call Iredell my home. I live in Mooresville with my wonderful husband, Kenneth, who has a thriving career in North Carolinas incredible race industry. We are blessed to have three amazing daughters we adopted from Latvia in 2016. We are active members of our church. I am a member of both the Statesville and Mooresville Chamber of Commerce. Since our adoption, I have scaled back my volunteer hours to be a mother.

Website, Facebook, Twitter, other social media handles: purcell4register.com and www.facebook.com/Purcell4Register

Why are you running for office?

I am running for re-election because I love my job as Register of Deeds, and it has been my honor to serve the citizens of Iredell County. I have experience in the office as the current Register. Since taking over as the Register of Deeds in February of 2021, I have worked diligently to establish and maintain a great relationship with the administration and staff. My conservative values have allowed me to increase the organizations efficiency, raise public awareness and develop cost-effective solutions that save the tax-paying citizens of Iredell County money while providing superior service and solutions. I have provided new services and revenue streams and will continue to do so.

What part of your work does/will have the biggest effect on the public?

The purpose of the Register of Deeds office is to protect and make readily available the citizens vital records. Throughout the state, the Registers offices greatly vary in size. Each countys needs are different; therefore, what works in one Registers office may not work in another. The effectiveness of the office is based on the Registers ability to lead and their understanding of the statutes that govern the office.

How do your politics influence your approach to this position?

The Register of Deeds is a unique elected position in that it has no part in policymaking. The office is charged with protecting the citizens vital records. The duties of the Register are a part of the most critical moments in the citizens lives. The issues that face the office are preserving the records while making them easily accessible to the public. My conservative views shine in how my spending principles. I view the taxpayers money as I do my own and spend as wisely as possible. I must adequately budget for the offices functions and unforeseen expenses but not fall into government wasteful spending habits. Lastly, I fully believe that each person has a right to make their own choices about their body, so I maintained an optional mask policy throughout the pandemic for the staff and the public.

What is your biggest concern for your position going into the next few years?

The rapid changes in technology can catch a Register off guard if they are not in tune with them. Registers must stay attuned to their communitys changing needs while understanding and advancing the technology in the office.

Follow Ben Gibson on Facebook and Twitter at @BenGibsonSRL

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Knights of Columbus Council No. 7152 and Catholic Daughters of Statesville hold yearly fundraisers. The profits from these fundraisers have been designated to be donated to GiGis Playhouse, Down Syndrome Achievement Center. On April 28, the Knights, along with the Catholic Daughters, presented a check for $1,500 to the playhouse.

GiGis Playhouse is a Down Syndrome Achievement Center in Charlotte. This center offers free educational and therapeutic programs for all ages, from infancy to adult career skills. GiGis is 99% volunteer run and wholly dependent upon donations. To get involved, visit gigisplayhouse.org/charlotte.

At GiGis Playhouse families are never alone. From a prenatal diagnosis to career skills, we make a lifetime commitment to remain by their side. Families are empowered with all the tools their child needs to succeed. We change lives through consistent delivery of free educational, therapeutic-based and career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the community.
Putin, Bennett discuss Ukraine over phone

by IANS |

Moscow, May 6 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to discuss the Ukrainian situation.



The leaders on Thursday paid special attention to humanitarian issues, including the evacuation of civilians "held by militants of nationalist battalions" from the Azovstal steel plant, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the Kremlin.



The Russian military is ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians, Putin said, adding that the Kiev authorities should order the remaining militants at the Azovstal plant to lay down arms.



"On the eve of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, which Russia and Israel celebrate on May 9, Putin and Bennett emphasised the special importance of this date for the people of both countries," the statement added.
During a recent trip to Wytheville, Wake Forest University Professor Dan Cohen stopped by Formato Fine Arts and struck up a conversation with business owner Lily Formato about how she came to open the gallery in late 2018.

What she said resonated with Cohen, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at WFU, and he asked Formato and her boyfriend, Simon Kleffner, also a businessman, to come speak his students.

A person with a 40-year career is impressive, but students dont relate to them, he said. Lily and Simon are both super-inspiring young people; we loved having them at Wake.

Formato, 21, spoke about her art gallery and Kleffner spoke about how he helped create Klick.works.

The primary objective of the speaker series is to bring in young entrepreneurs who are about the same age as the students for the simple reason that the students can relate to them, Cohen said.

The course is the most popular course at the university. According to Cohen, the average class size at Wake is 11 students per class. More than 200 students attend the entrepreneur class.

It fills up literally in one day, he said. There are all kinds of reasons. According to CNBC, 60 percent of current high school students want to become entrepreneurs. Its just growing by leaps and bounds  they want to make an impact, and they perceive working for a big corporation as not being able to make an impact. They are concerned about the cost of a college education and look at entrepreneurship as a way to live their life. They want to make an impact and move the needle, and as an entrepreneur, they can do that.

Wanting to help Wythevilles Main Street, Formato opened her art gallery soon after graduating from high school. During the presentation, she spoke about the highs and lows of owning a business and how she managed to survive the Covid pandemic.

During the pandemic, she faced some devastating losses: her beloved grandmother died and her best friend also died, as did her dog.

Covid hit and a lot of sad things happened in my life, she said. But, thankfully, Covid made me take a step back and think of the gallery differently than I had before. I changed the name and started working on social media; we have over 40,000 fans on Tic-Tok now. I repainted and revamped to be more than an Appalachian art gallery.

More than three years after opening, Formatos gallery offers budding artists a place to learn and grow, along with offering art and dance classes to people of all ages. The gallery showcases pieces by artists from all over the world. Her own oil paintings have sold for more than $1,500. She has provided her art and curated art across the south. She has also made influencer and product deals with businesses.

Formato, who hails from a family of artists, also discussed her persistence in pursing an art degree. Last year, she was turned down by six universities. So far this year, she has received acceptance letters from eight schools, including the Chicago Institute of Art, the Pratt Institute, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. She plans to attend one of the schools in the fall and has two employees who will manage the art gallery while she is gone.

I just talked about the journey and all of the things that have happened, the good stuff and the bad stuff, she said, adding that when she opened the gallery she really didnt know anyone in town because she had attended high school in Asheville, North Carolina.

I was struggling and working at Cracker Barrel and trying to figure out how I could make the most out of this town  One thing that Ive learned is that Im still learning, she said, adding that she advised the young entrepreneurs to ask for advice and help. I went to this little art show in Wytheville and handed out my crappy business cards and asked for help all of the time. Put yourself out there because you never know what the outcome will be.

For example, she wanted some antique furniture in her gallery, but couldnt afford to purchase any pieces.

I called 12 antique dealers and only got one yes, but now we have beautiful antique furniture in the gallery.

A native of Germany, Kleffner, 24, was a student one at of the countrys top business schools when he met Formato. In 2017, he visited her and impressed her father, local businessman Richard Formato. Two years later, in 2019, Kleffner returned to Wytheville to intern for Formato and explore the business world in the U.S.

Together, they started a company called Klick.works, which Kleffner helped build thanks to his youthful outlook, ability to understand social media and his technology skills. Klick offered services to Amazon customers who needed help assembling their services.

Workers could download a mobile app and be vetted so they could claim service jobs.

In the six months I was here, we built it from 20 techs to over 200 techs active on a given day and 5,000 total techs in 30 states, he said.

Eventually, Kleffner returned to Germany and finished his degree while also working for Klick.

I believed in it, and I felt it was something special, he said, adding that people at Amazon were impressed that Klick came out of nowhere and built a large data base on top of its platform.

When Covid hit and people were ordering more and more online, demand for techs outpaced the supply, so in early 2021, Formato and Kleffner sold the business to ANGI, formerly Angies List.

Kleffner eventually received a six-year visa and works with ANGI out of New York City, managing the accounts Klick brought to the company.

For the WFU students, he recounted his story.

I talked about the ups and downs and mistakes we made; we made more wrong decisions than right ones, but the right ones paid off more, he said.

What he and Formato offered was a youthful perspective to starting a business and how to go about doing it, Kleffner said.

We approached it like we were just where you are, he said. We gave them a perspective on what the immediate future can look like if you want to start a business.

To reach reporter Millie Rothrock, call 276-228-6611, ext. 576, or email mrothrock@wythenews.com
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.
A Longview man is charged after allegedly following and pointing a BB gun at a woman driving her 12-year-old child through Longview.

Seth Hilton Gale, 38, pleaded not guilty to four charges Thursday in Cowlitz County Superior Court.

Longview officers arrested Gale on April 20 after the alleged victim reported being followed by a man who pointed a gun out of his driver-side window twice at her vehicle, according to a police report. Gale tried to pull up next to the woman, but she blocked him by swerving to the middle of the road, the woman told police.

The 48-year-old from Longview allegedly asked her child to sit on the vehicles floorboard, away from the windows, for protection from possible passing bullets, the report states.

An officer approached Gale in the 3000 block of Dover Street after seeing him driving erratically from 30th Avenue, the report states. A box of wine was in the passenger seat and the BB pistol was on the floorboard, according to police.

The officer reports he could smell intoxicants and Gale slurred his words and couldnt balance. When asked how much he was drinking, Gale first said a lot, then immediately corrected himself and said a little, according to a police report.

The woman first saw Gale parked near the 300 block of Beech Street with a gun to his head, according to the report. As she called 911 from her vehicle, the woman allegedly noticed Gale was following her.

Gale is charged with two counts of second-degree assault, one count of third-degree assault and one count of driving under the influence.

His bail is set at $25,000, and he was in Cowlitz County Jail as of Thursday afternoon. Gales jury trial is scheduled for June 28.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Daily News Students in Need drive has reached $26,183.

The drive raises money for the Lower Columbia College Student Success Fund. The fund makes grants to help students overcome financial humps that might otherwise force them to drop out of school.

All proceeds from the fund go to the college because the newspaper absorbs all administrative costs.

This is the drives seventh year, and its fundraising goal is to raise $35,000 by May 31.

To donate online, go to www.tdn.com/students and click on the donate button.

Latest donations

$600: The Erdman family in loving memory of Sheldon Breytiny Emersun, and anonymous.

$200: Judy Jones.

$100: Roberta Bertie Tomlinson to help, anonymous, Daphne ONeill, Charolette Conklin in appreciation of education and teachers, Darlene and Jim Goodman in appreciation of nursing programs, Stephen Fuller, Beverly Coryell, and Shelley Palodichuk in appreciation of education for all.

$50: N.D. and R.A. Benjamin, John and Rose Janke in memory of past instructors, and Sheila Burgin.

$40: anonymous for helping people to a better life, anonymous and Bradley Robinson

$25: anonymous.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
NASA has recovered meteorite pieces from many areas. Those living in Mississippi have revealed how their houses were rattled, spreading panic.

Almost over a week ago, a meteorite rattled houses in the state of Mississippi and other neighbouring states in the US. Now, NASA has claimed to have located pieces and fragments of the meteorite. Bill Cooke from NASAs Meteoroid Environments Office, says the fireball in question was seen around 8:03 a.m. CT on Wednesday, 27 April 2022. He explained what this fireball was. Speaking to USA Today, Bill said that the fireball was nothing but a piece of an asteroid which weighed almost 80-90 pounds. However, he added that it was quite small, so small that it should not have created much panic in the public. The residents of the area however, asserted that their houses were shaking and the effect was quite shocking.

Further, NASA asserted that this fireball has produced a level of energy which is almost three tons of TNT. The fireball appeared to be brighter than even the full moon. However, this brightness disintegrated just 34 miles above Louisiana. The meteorite, in all its glory, was traveling at a speed of 35,000 miles per hour, not at the anticipated and previously reported 55,000 miles per hour. Adding to this, NASA has claimed to have found meteorites in various areas that include east of Natchez, Louisiana-Mississippi border.

Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here. Also read:

What is interesting to note here is that the U.S. Law states that any meteorite that crashes in someones private property then it belongs to the owner of the property. NASA, however, has asked the public to alert them in case they do find a meteorite.
Elon Musk is expected to serve as Twitter Inc's temporary chief executive officer for a few months after he completes his $44 billion acquisition.

Elon Musk is expected to serve as Twitter Inc's temporary chief executive officer for a few months after he completes his $44 billion acquisition of the social media firm, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing sources. Musk is also the CEO of Tesla Inc. Currently, Twitter CEO is Indian-origin Parag Agrawal. Notably, Agrawal stands to gain $42 million if he is sacked after Musk takes over Twitter. Agrawal took over from co-founder Jack Dorsey after he quit the company.

Elon Musk Turns to Billionaire Backers, Skeptics for Twitter Bid

(Bloomberg) Elon Musks $7.1 billion of new financing commitments to help him buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion come from the the highest rungs of global finance -- and some familiar faces from his other ventures.

Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here. Also read:

The Tesla Inc. co-founder won over the Saudi price who initially balked at his offer and brought aboard Larry Ellison, the 11th richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He also got a half-billion-dollar commitment from cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

Musk, 50, also got hundreds of millions of dollars from Sequoia Capital, a big backer of his Space Exploration Technologies Corp., and Vy Capital, which has previously invested in his Boring Co. and Neuralink.

There might be more money to come. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, whose stake is worth about $1 billion, is continuing to have discussions about keeping his holdings in the company, according to a Thursday regulatory filing.

Here are the large investors throwing big money behind Musks Twitter bid.

Saudi Arabia Prince Alwaleed bin Talal: $1.9 Billion

Alwaleed has pledged to roll over his nearly 35 million Twitter shares, according to Thursdays filing, which are worth about $1.9 billion at a price of $54.20 per share.

With a $16.4 billion fortune, hes the richest individual in Saudi Arabia, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Most of his wealth is derived from his 95% ownership of Kingdom Holding Co.

He initially rejected Musks bid, saying the deal didnt come close to the intrinsic value of the popular social-media platform. The move prompted a rapid retort from Musk, who asked how many shares the investor held in Twitter and the Kingdoms view on freedom of speech for journalists.

Larry Ellison: $1 Billion

Ellison has made a fortune from Tesla. His stake in the electric carmaker is worth more than $14 billion. He was already one of the worlds richest people after founding Oracle Corp. He has a $95.6 billion fortune, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Sequoia Capital: $800 Million

Sequoia Capital has been a major backer of Musks SpaceX and the links between the billionaire and some people at the firm go back a long time. Sequoia partner Roelof Botha was chief financial officer at PayPal Holdings Inc. when Musk was its CEO two decades ago.

Vy Capital: $700 Million

Vy Capital is a Dubai-based tech investment firm. Its website says it has a focus on category-defining technology companies with the potential to meaningfully impact humanity. It has previously invested in Musks ventures, including Neuralink and Boring Co.

Binance: $500 Million

This is the second high-profile investment in a media company for Binance, the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange. The firm, founded by billionaire Changpeng Zhao, has also invested in Forbes.

AH Capital Management: $400 Million

AH Capital is the investment advisor of A16Z and was co-founded by prominent venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Since Musk announced his plan to buy Twitter, Andreessen has encouraged the move, engaging with Musk on the social-media platform and even changing his biography to shadow crew, a jab at a Wall Street Journal article about those behind the scenes who encouraged the takeover.

Qatar Holding: $375 Million

Qatar, fittingly for Musk, is the worlds richest country per capita. It has a $450 billion sovereign-wealth fund that is seeking to diversify the countrys money by plowing into Asia and the U.S. after investing in Europe. The Qatar Investment Authority is the worlds ninth-largest sovereign-wealth fund, according to SWF Institute data.

Aliya Capital Partners: $360 Million

Miami-based Aliya, led by CEO Ari Shrage, has investments in companies it deems innovative and disruptive. Late last year, it was part of a $125 million Series B funding round for Kodiak Robotics, a self-driving truck startup.

Fidelity Management & Research: $316.14 Million

Musk is also getting backing from some large U.S. institutional investors. Boston-based Fidelity Investments, led by Chief Executive Officer Abigail Johnson, ended 2021 with $4.5 trillion of discretionary assets.

Brookfield: $250 Million

Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management oversees about $700 billion. CEO Bruce Flatt said recently in an interview with David Rubenstein that his key to success is to encourage employees to make small mistakes every day, just dont make any really large mistakes.

Strauss Capital: $150 Million

Strauss is a New York-based investment banking firm founded by Tom Strauss, a former co-head of the mergers and acquisitions group at Barclays Plcs U.S. investment-banking arm.

$100 Million or Less: BAMCO, DFJ Growth, Witkoff Capital, A.M. Management & Consulting, Honeycomb Asset Management, Key Wealth Advisers, Litani Ventures, Tresser Blvd 402

Musk secured investments from several other firms, in denominations of as little as $5 million.

Hes still looking for more investors. He will continue to have, discussions with certain existing holders of Common Stock (including Jack Dorsey) regarding the possibility of contributing such shares of Common Stock to Parent, at or immediately prior to the closing of the Merger, in order to retain an equity investment in Twitter following completion of the Merger, according to Thursdays filing.
A worker walks among pipelines that will carry gas toward the city of Rambouillet, outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europe's fight to free itself from Russian gas.

They'll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce "biogas." It's among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russia's war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes aren'tat least anytime soongoing to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing foodespecially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the world's breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europe's energy dependence.

The European Biogas Association says the European Union could quickly scale up the production of bio-methane, which is pumped into natural gas networks. An investment of 83 billion euros ($87.5 billion)which, at current market prices, is less than the EU's 27 nations pay per year to Russia for piped natural gaswould produce a tenfold increase in bio-methane production by 2030 and could replace about a fifth of what the bloc imported from Russia last year, the group says.

View of the gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

The farmers around the Paris-region village of Sonchamp feel their new gas plant will do its bit to untie Europe from the Kremlin.

"It's not coherent to go and buy gas from those people who are waging war on our friends," said Christophe Robin, one of the plant's six investors, who farms wheat, rapeseed, sugar beets and chickens.

"If we want to consume green (energy) and to avoid the flows and contribution of Russian gas, we don't really have a choice. We have to find alternative solutions," he said.

Biogas is made by fermenting organic materialsgenerally crops and waste. Robin likened the process to food left too long in a container.

"When you open it, it goes 'Poof.' Only here, we don't open it. We collect the gas that comes from the fermentation," he said.

The gas from their plant could meet the needs of 2,000 homes. It will be purified into bio-methane and injected into a pipeline to the nearby town of Rambouillet, heating its hospital, swimming pool and homes.

Farmers walk toward the gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

"It's cool," said Robin. "The kids will benefit from local gas."

Like in the rest of Europe, the production of bio-methane in France is still small. But it is booming. Almost three bio-methane production sites are going online every week in France on average and their numbers have surged from just 44 at the end of 2017 to 365 last year. The volume of gas they produced for the national network almost doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year and was enough for 362,000 homes.

France's government has taken several steps to quicken bio-methane development since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The industry says bio-methane met almost 1% of France's needs in 2021 but that will increase to at least 2% this year and it could make up 20% of French gas consumption by 2030, which would be more gas than France imported last year from Russia.

Framer Christophe Robin works on a computer in a gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

The Sonchamp farmers took out 5 million euros ($5.3 million) in loans and received a 1-million-euro state subsidy to build their plant, Robin said. They signed a 15-year contract with utility firm Engie, with a fixed price for their gas. That will limit their ability to profit from high gas prices now but ensures them a stable income.

"We're not going to be billionaires," said Robin.

Workers are finishing the construction and the plant is almost ready to be connected to the network. Piles of agricultural wastewheat husks, pulped sugar beets, onion peelings, even chicken droppingshave been prepared to be fed into the giant bubble-like fermentation tanks.

Winter barley specially grown to make gas will make up about 80% of the 30 tons of organic material that will be fed each day into the plant.

A worker stands on a scaffolding on the site of a gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

Robin insists that the barley won't interfere with the growing of other crops for food, which critics worry about. Instead of one food crop per year, they'll now have three harvests every two yearswith the barley as extra, sandwiched in between, Robin said.

In Germany, the biggest biogas producer in Europe, the government is cutting down on crop cultivation for fuels. The share of corn permitted in biogas facilities will be lowered from 40% to 30% by 2026. Financial incentives will be provided so operators use waste products such as manure and straw instead.

Germany is estimated to have over 9,500 plants, many of them small-scale units supplying rural villages with heat and electricity.

Andrea Horbelt, a spokeswoman for the German biogas association, said the production of bio-methane could be doubled in a matter of years but also wouldn't be cheap.

A pipeline carrying gas is seen on a gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

French farmers stand as they talk in a gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

Framer Christophe Robin gives a phone call in a gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

"Using biogas for electricity is more expensive than solar and wind, and will always remain so," she said.

At the end of their gas-making process, the Sonchamp farmers will also get nitrogen- and potassium-rich wastes from the fermenters that they'll use to fertilize their fields, reducing their consumption of industrial fertilizer.

"It's a circular economy and it's green. That pleases me," Robin said. "It's a superb adventure."

Explore further Producing ethylene from food waste without greenhouse gas emissions

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
An increasing number of people are falling victim to cryptocurrency scams on dating websites. Credit: Shutterstock

You meet an attractive stranger on a dating site. They live in your city and you hit it off right away. Soon, you're texting with them frequently and making plans to meet in person. You've been lonely and isolated amid lockdowns, and this person relieves the anguish, so you seem to be spending all your time chatting with them.

What's even better is that they're doing great, financially. They got into the crypto investment boom at the right time and have seen their savings balloon. You really like them, so when they encourage you to take the dip together and put your own savings into crypto assets, it feels natural.

Like thousands around the world, you have been scammed.

The crypto exchange you've put your money in is fake, a front set up by the same scammers who created the persona of your online partnerwho doesn't exist. You can go to the authorities, but the money cannot be traced. It now makes up part of the US$14 billion estimated to have been stolen this way during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online connections

During a period when social distancing became synonymous with personal and public safety, online technologies have facilitated connection with other people. In my ongoing research on how Haitian gay migrants in North America and Europe develop romantic relationships with partners in Haiti, I have seen how dating and messaging apps enable and support connections across borders.

The past few years have seen constant hype surrounding cryptocurrenciesnew forms of digital currency that promise to revolutionize the global economy through decentralization.

But their ease of use, together with a lack of government oversight and regulation, have created the perfect conditions for new kinds of cyber-financial crimes around the world. For example, the "pig-butchering" scam uses promises of love and financial gain to lure unsuspecting people into investing in bogus cryptocurrency trading platforms. And the number of victims is on the rise.

Mainstream media reports of people making vast overnight fortunes through cryptocurrencies are frequent. But this is only one side of the storythe media hype has drowned out stories about how cryptocurrencies have become the top form of payment for criminal activity thanks to their anonymity and privacy.

And criminal gangs have capitalized on the increased interest: posing online as successful crypto traders, they take advantage of their marks' lack of experience.

Keeping Canadians safe

Online scams have major emotional and financial consequences for their victims. Some of them have seen their entire life savings vanish, leaving them to deal with insurmountable debts in addition to symptoms arising from post-traumatic stress, as well as victim-blaming and shame.

Authorities are reacting, although late. The United Kingdom was the first country to introduce an Online Safety Bill to stop fraudsters using fake online adverts. To force institutions to tackle online scams, such as romance scams, the bill will make reimbursements mandatory to victims.

In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched media campaigns to increase awareness about sophisticated scams. In the same vein, Biden signed an executive order to regulate the cryptocurrency industry.

In 2018, India considered banning cryptocurrencies altogether, before imposing a tax as a form of regulation instead. And some banks and governmental institutions in France have sent out alerts to app users warning them about scams impersonating their organizations.

National regulation

Given the alarming number of victims of online dating scams in Canada, the federal government should include strengthened safeguards against online scams in its new commitment to keep Canadians safe online.

The new regulatory framework for online safety that the Canadian government is currently developing must include provisions to hold online services accountable. These services include cryptocurrency trading and exchange platforms, online banking, dating apps and social media.

As the government moves toward creating safer online experiences for Canadians, there should also be a concerted effort to combat growing dating and crypto investment scams.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The root locus plots of the seven linearized models at different equilibrium points: (a) 3O 2 deficient case, (b) 3O 2 rich case. Credit: SIBET

Researchers in China have recently applied control theory for the first time in analyzing the dynamics of the photochemical reactions in light therapies, and developed the first mathematical model of the light-induced singlet oxygen in treating fungal infections. The results were published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

Photodynamic therapies (PDT) are non-antibiotic alternatives for treating localized infectious diseases due to their rapid action and lack of drug resistance. Similar to PDT, blue light therapies that rely only on the endogenous pigments, i.e., porphyrins and flavins, of the pathogens are also effective and even safer to use.

Anti-fungal blue light (ABL) has been widely studied as a new treatment approach of fungal infections. Calculating the quantum yield of singlet oxygen is the key to determine the light dosage applied in both PDT and ABL.

In order to investigate the dynamics of the photosensitized oxidation reactions in PDT and ABL, and to develop an effective modeling approach, Dr. Dong Jianfei's team at the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology (SIBET) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has applied fundamental control theory to analyze these processes, and derived the linearization condition for the nonlinear first-principle PDT model.

The mechanism of the anti-fungal effect of PDT and ABL is light exciting either the exogenous photosensitizer in the former case or the endogenous pigments in the latter, which in turn produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) from triplet oxygen (3O 2 ) molecules.

ROS are highly reactive, and can cause cytotoxicity. Singlet oxygen (1O 2 ) usually accounts for 80% of all the ROS induced by light; while hydroxyl radicals and other types of ROS take the remaining 20%. Furthermore, singlet oxygen is a precursor of most other ROS.

Dong and his colleagues linearized the nonlinear first-principle PDT model at a set of equilibrium points along the trajectory of its dynamic response to light stimuli.

Fitting results of closed-form analytical model to the measured data. Credit: SIBET

This resulted in a set of linear-time-invariant (LTI) state-space models. These models are all of third order, and contain three poles and one zero. Among these, one pole is constantly located at the origin of the complex plane.

Further analysis showed that the zero can approximately cancel the pole at the origin, leading to second-order models containing two poles. The locations of these two remaining poles are highly related to the concentration of 3O 2 , i.e., the main ingredient to produce 1O 2 .

According to the researchers, when the concentration of 3O 2 is ample, the root loci at the different points are condensed to a much smaller cluster, than those in the oxygen-deficient case. This indicates that the local LTI systems in the oxygen-rich case are more identical to each other; and that is to say, the original nonlinear first-principle PDT model tends to be linear.

"This is an interesting observation," said Dong. In fact, the oxygen concentration in the blood is sufficient for photochemical reactions in most cases.

Inspired by this, the team further analyzed and solved the first-principle PDT model, and obtained a closed-form analytical solution under the oxygen-rich condition. The significance of this analytical solution is that it is a nonlinear algebraic equation with only four parameters, which can be easily fitted to experimental data.

They further proposed a data-driven modeling approach for the photochemical reaction process of light therapies. The model has achieved a good fitting result on the measured ABL experimental data.

It is the first attempt of applying control theory to analyze the photochemical reaction dynamics of light therapies in terms of their nonlinearity. The proposed modeling techniques also offer opportunities for determining the light dosages in treating fungal infection diseases, especially those on the surface tissues of human body.

Explore further Treating cancer with light-sensitive nanoscale biomaterials

More information: Tianfeng Wang et al, Analysis and data-based modeling of the photochemical reaction dynamics of the induced singlet oxygen in light therapies, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (2022). Journal information: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering Tianfeng Wang et al, Analysis and data-based modeling of the photochemical reaction dynamics of the induced singlet oxygen in light therapies,(2022). DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2022.3170541
People gather in the Nvidia booth at the Mobile World Congress mobile phone trade show Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. The Securities and Exchange Commission says it's settled charges against Nvidia, Friday, May 6, 2022, for inadequate disclosures" related to cryptomining's impact on its gaming business. The technology company will pay a $5.5 million penalty and has agreed to a cease-and-desist order. Credit: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File

Nvidia, a major tech company that has expanded aggressively into gaming, will pay a $5.5 million penalty for failing to disclose that cryptomining was a significant source of revenue growth from the sale of graphics processing units that were produced and marketed for gaming.

Cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday that the Santa Clara, California company did not disclose to investors in 2018 the potential future risks of such sales.

"Nvidia's disclosure failures deprived investors of critical information to evaluate the company's business in a key market," said Kristina Littman, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division's Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit.

The company has also agreed to a cease-and-desist order, the SEC said. Nvidia did not admit or deny the SEC's findings, and declined to comment Friday.

Cryptominers are compensated for verifying crypto transactions. As the crypto craze began to spread in 2017, Nvidia's graphics processing units that were designed and marketed for gaming were increasingly used by Nvidia's customers to mine cryptocurrency, according to the SEC.

The company reported material revenue growth in its gaming business in 2018 and knew those sales were "driven in significant part by cryptomining," but it did not disclose that in regulatory filings available to investors, the SEC said.

"These significant earnings and cash flow fluctuations related to a volatile business for investors to ascertain the likelihood that past performance was indicative of future performance," the SEC said.

Crypto currencies are a wildly volatile market. Price for bitcoin, a more stable cryptocurrency compared with a myriad of others, rocketed from about $35,000 each in January, to nearly $48,000 by March. That price by Friday had tumbled again to around $36,000.

The SEC said Nvidia's failures to disclose its impact of cryptocurrency on gaming sales were particularly misleading because the company did disclose that other parts of its business were thriving due to demand for crypto, "creating the impression that the company's gaming business was not significantly affected by cryptomining."

Nvidia Corp. reports first quarter earnings later this month.

Explore further Crypto market value tops $3 trillion for first time

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Cat-DEF Technology. Credit: Southwest Research Institute

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) demonstrated the effectiveness of its CAT-DEF technology during the WCX World Congress Experience in Detroit, which took place April 57. The advancement successfully reduced heavy-duty diesel engine nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions to meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2027 standards.

CAT-DEF, which stands for Catalyzed Diesel Exhaust Fluid, is an SwRI-developed catalyst- and surfactant-modified diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) solution. Today's diesel engines use selective catalytic reduction (SCR), an advanced emissions control system, to abate NO x emissions. DEF is injected into the exhaust stream and ideally decomposes to form ammonia, which reacts with NO x on the SCR catalyst to form N 2 and H 2 O.

Although the current process is relatively efficient at temperatures greater than 250C, at temperatures below 250C, urea-derived deposits form within the aftertreatment system. These deposits severely limit low-temperature NO x conversion and increase fuel consumption as high-temperature engine operations are required to remove the deposits.

SwRI's novel technology decreases NO x and carbon dioxide emissions for diesel engines by significantly reducing undesirable deposit formation in exhaust systems.

"Although DEF technology has been utilized for more than a decade, the highest emissions control efficiencies could never be realized due to DEF's tendency to create potentially harmful deposits in the exhaust system, particularly when the engine is operated at low loads and temperatures," said Dr. Charles E. Roberts Jr., director of SwRI's Commercial Vehicle Systems Department. "A combination of surface-active agents and heterogenous catalysts blended into CAT-DEF reduces deposits by 90% with potential reductions up to 98%."

SwRI engineers studied the technology's effectiveness for reducing NO x emissions at the new standards set by CARBknown for enacting stricter standards than the Environmental Protection Agencythrough a head-to-head comparison of diesel engines operated with and without CAT-DEF.

"We demonstrated that using CAT-DEF allowed an engine to meet or exceed upcoming CARB 2027 NO x requirements, while using standard DEF did not meet the new standard," said SwRI Research Scientist Dr. Grant Seuser, one of CAT-DEF's principal investigators, who, alongside his fellow researchers, shared the findings during a session on system integration and durability at WCX. "Our findings show that DEF can now be utilized over a much broader range of engine operation, decreasing overall NO x emissions."

SwRI's CAT-DEF technology is currently available to license. The novel innovation is backwards-compatible and can be used in existing engines as a deposit reduction solution. For future applications, which will be required to meet more stringent regulatory requirements, the award-winning CAT-DEF solution competes with higher-cost engine hardware modifications currently being considered by the diesel engine industry and DEF manufacturers.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Due to its zero carbon, safe storage, and high energy density, liquid ammonia is a promising marine fuel in the shipping industry.

However, ammonia is a common toxic gas that can cause irritation to the mucous membranes and respiratory system. Therefore, it's necessary to develop a real-time and accurate ammonia monitoring method for long-distance sea voyages.

Recently, a research group led by Prof. Feng Liang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Xu Minyi's group from Dalian Maritime University, developed a full-set wireless self-powered ammonia leakage monitor system for ammonia-energy ships.

The system includes a honeycomb triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)-based power generation system, a carbon nanotube doped polypyrrole (CNTs-PPy)-based ammonia detection system, and a signal collecting and transmitting system (Bluetooth).

This study was published in Nano Energy on April 11.

The researchers improved the electronic conduction efficiency via the synergistic effect between the carbon nanotubes and conductive polymers, which enhanced the sensing performance at room temperature. The sensor exhibited good performance with a low detection limit, short response time (about 90 s), high selectivity, good stability, and low cost.

Moreover, by using Bluetooth, the researchers realized wireless transmission from the detection module to the computer terminal.

By combining with the honeycomb structure TENG provided by Dalian Maritime University, the system could collect and covert the mechanical energy generated by the vibration of the ship's engine into electrical energy, realizing self-powering of the entire sensing system.

The researchers tested the system on the expedition ship. The entire sensing system worked smoothly in the low-level cabin of the ship with high temperature and high humidity, confirming its potential in practical applications.

"The self-powered wireless detection system can realize long-term maintenance-free monitoring of ammonia leakage during ocean voyages," said Prof. Feng. "It is expected to play an important role in the further application and promotion of ammonia energy."

Explore further Synergistic effect of surface hydride species and Ru clusters improves efficiency of ammonia synthesis

More information: Junyu Chang et al, A full-set and self-powered ammonia leakage monitor system based on CNTs-PPy and triboelectric nanogenerator for zero-carbon vessels, Nano Energy (2022). Journal information: Nano Energy Junyu Chang et al, A full-set and self-powered ammonia leakage monitor system based on CNTs-PPy and triboelectric nanogenerator for zero-carbon vessels,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2022.107271
Jiang Shijun (L), a nurse with the Chinese medical team, and Jacob Pitia, Physiotherapist in Juba Teaching Hospital, take part in an event on World Hand Hygiene Day in Juba, South Sudan, on May 5, 2022. South Sudanese medics and their Chinese counterparts on Thursday teamed up to popularize the importance of hand hygiene within health facilities in a bid to prevent and control infectious diseases. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)

JUBA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- South Sudanese medics and their Chinese counterparts on Thursday teamed up to popularize the importance of hand hygiene within health facilities in a bid to prevent and control infectious diseases.

The move coincided with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring World Hand Hygiene Day across the globe.

Mario Dumba, theater attendant in Juba Teaching Hospital, hailed members of the ninth batch of the Chinese medical team for using the day to sensitize medical staff and patients on the importance of hand washing,

"We have nowadays COVID-19 which is now affecting people, so if you don't wash your hands it means you cannot protect yourself, and for us in the theater before any operation is conducted you must wash your hands because without washing hands it means you cannot do any operation," he told Xinhua in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Jiang Shijun, a nurse with the Chinese medical team who oversaw the sensitization exercise in the main referral hospital, said the event was aimed at emphasizing to her South Sudanese colleagues on the importance of improving hand hygiene of medical staff and also preventing nosocomial infection.

"Hand hygiene has finally been recognized by global decision makers, medical managers, medical staff and the public, it has become the cornerstone of infection prevention and control," said Jiang.

Nosocomial infections, also called hospital-acquired infections, are a subset of infectious diseases acquired in a health care facility.

The World Hand Hygiene Day was initiated by the WHO in 2009 and this year's theme is focused on recognizing the culture of safety and quality through cleaning of hands.

WHO added that strong quality and safety culture will encourage people to clean hands at the right times and with the right products.

Jacob Pitia, Physiotherapist in Juba Teaching Hospital, said he recognizes the importance of hand hygiene, saying it has helped him prevent infecting his patients.

"When you touch anything or patients you have to wash your hands like now we are here working on a patient, hand washing is very important especially in a health facility since we get in contact with many patients on a daily basis," said Pitia.

Rose Achiro, laboratory technician, said they always maintain hand hygiene as safety precautions in the main laboratory of Juba Teaching Hospital.

"We are very grateful for the day and we thank the Chinese who came to introduce this to us because safety in the laboratory is a top priority, without safety we are going to do nothing in the laboratory," said Achiro.

The Chinese medical team also donated hand sanitizers and liquid soap to several departments within Juba Teaching Hospital.

A succession of Chinese medical doctors have been treating patients and also training local doctors over the years since the independence of South Sudan in 2011. 

Jiang Shijun (2nd L), a nurse with the Chinese medical team, shows the method of hand washing during a World Hand Hygiene Day event at Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan, on May 5, 2022. South Sudanese medics and their Chinese counterparts on Thursday teamed up to popularize the importance of hand hygiene within health facilities in a bid to prevent and control infectious diseases. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)
College Station is holding its first Walk to End Epilepsy at Wolf Pen Creek Park on Saturday, where families with children who have epilepsy can spread awareness and educate others.

For the last two years, the walk was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its been a long wait to be able to meet in person with people who have been affected by epilepsy, according to Jacoby Gantt, special events coordinator for sponsor Epilepsy Foundation of Texas.

The Epilepsy Foundation is really looking forward to working with the College Station community because we know there is a very close-knit community out there, he said. During last years virtual walk, College Station raised $13,833. The event is free to attend and we currently have 105 people registered, and we are hoping for a big turnout this year.

As of Thursday, the foundation has raised $10,600 from College Station families, Gantt said. All donations collected will go toward summer camps for children with epilepsy; each camp may have up to 200 children from around the United States, Gantt said.

The Epilepsy Foundation leads the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures and save lives, he said. As the largest camping program for people with epilepsy in the nation, more than 300 children and teens diagnosed with epilepsy are able to attend one of the Foundations three week-long residential summer camps.

Dozens of families are registered for the walk, including Ashley and Zach Holland of College Station, whose son Lincoln was diagnosed with epilepsy at 2 1/2.

Ashley said up until Lincolns first seizure, he was healthy and developing at an appropriate pace for his age.

On Jan. 19 of last year, my husband was out of town and I was getting Lincolns bath ready and I walked back into the room and he was having a seizure, she said. That was his very first seizure of many and at that time I didnt know he was having a seizure, and I didnt know what was going on.

Lincoln had uncontrolled seizures for 10 months, and has had more than 1,300 seizures since, his mother said. Currently, he has been without a seizure for six months with the help of monthly IVIG infusions, weekly therapies and continued specialized care, Ashley said.

Although his incredible neurologist has found a maintenance treatment that is working for him, there is no cure, she said. I am really thankful for the resources that the Epilepsy Foundation provides for seizure first-aid because I think it is such an amazing resource for others to have. One in 26 people will experience this and that is just too many. I am thankful that they provide resources to help others.

Zach said he and his family participated in the walk virtually last year, but they are grateful to meet other families in person who have experienced similar hardships and triumphs.

The resiliency of these children is amazing, Zach said. Just outside of the heartbreaking, heart-wrenching nature of having to sit on the sideline, and you are along for the ride just as much as they are. There is nothing you can physically do to help them, but to be there. Our son has gone through more in the last year than I have in my entire life. Nothing fazes him; if you met him, you would never know the difference.

Being able to let go and rely on the community, congregation and village surrounding them, has been the biggest help, Zach said. The Holland family said their faith has helped them get through every day.

The steadfast assurance that we have no matter how good or bad a day was, we are given strength and assurance knowing we can get through this, he said.

Ashley said they are looking forward to celebrating the epilepsy warriors as they walk with others on Saturday.

That is who we are there for, to celebrate their strength and their resilience and help people understand what they can do to help others with epilepsy, she said. It was heartbreaking to see our son like that and what he had to go through every single day. We are really proud of him. He is a brave little boy. All of this has been heartbreaking but also inspiring and I am looking forward to connect with all of the other families.

Bridget and Coulter Marriott, whose daughter Penelope was diagnosed with epilepsy at 4 years old, also will participate in the walk.

There is power in knowledge, and the Epilepsy Foundation was so helpful to us after our daughter was diagnosed. They really have people readily available to help and they give you so many tools to help through your journey after diagnosis, Bridget said. We encourage everyone to come out Saturday and be educated and learn and be loved on by this amazing community of epileptic children and families; it really is a sweet little community.

Residents can register online or in person before 8 a.m. Saturday. The mile-and-a-half walk will start at 9 a.m. at Wolf Creek Pen, followed by a dance party with face painting, a bounce house, giveaways and an award ceremony in the plaza. All participants will receive a Walk to End Epilepsy T-Shirt.

To register online visit: give.eftx.org/event/2022-college-station-walk/e389391.

For more information about epilepsy in children visit, epilepsy.com or childneurotx.com.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A multifaceted partnership between Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M universities was announced last week that aims to increase the opportunities of students and faculty at both campuses, according to Texas A&M Today.

Partnerships among Texas A&M Systems 11 universities and eight state agencies have been encouraged by Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp, according to Texas A&M Today. Officials from both universities told the publication that the partnership will focus on four key areas: faculty exchange, student programs, scholar exchange/support and community outreach.

The universities have previously established partnerships that include graduate education enhancement and joint research grants, according to Texas A&M Today. Prairie View A&M also has been assisted by Texas A&M AgriLife via Healthy South Texas, a project that targets chronic diseases in an effort to make a Healthy Houston equivalent, according to the Texas A&M Today news release.

The best opportunities, however, may arise from this partnership between Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M because they are both land-grant universities. I am pleased that the presidents of these institutions are pursuing this important effort, Sharp told Texas A&M Today.

Texas A&M President Dr. M. Katherine Banks said in the release that Sharp had a strong vision for the partnership between the institutions and is a powerful advocate for the universities within the Texas A&M System.

The leadership teams of Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M came together in October to explore innovative ways both schools could leverage each others strengths while providing new opportunities to benefit students and faculty at our institutions, Banks told Texas A&M Today.

Both universities were established under the Morrill Land Grant Act. Prairie View A&M is located in Prairie View, about 50 miles southeast of College Station and is an independent unit of the university system.

The opportunity afforded by the physical proximity of these two research universities speaks for itself, Prairie View A&M President Ruth Simmons told Texas A&M Today. Each has a historic mission that is amplified greatly by cooperative exchange with the other institution. This partnership between a leading AAU (Association of American Universities) institution and a leading HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) is without a doubt one of the most promising in the nation.

James Palmer, Prairie View A&M provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, will oversee the project and told Texas A&M Today that both universities are linked by their land-grant missions and traditions to advance knowledge, research and opportunity.

We are weaving ourselves together, more so than in the past, and doing so with hope and optimism, Palmer told Texas A&M Today. The differences between our universities offer opportunities for faculty and students from both institutions to learn about each others culture through the lenses of teaching and research, areas of mutual institutional importance. Our faculty have many similar academic interests, so our endeavors are promising, particularly in the areas of student learning and faculty collaborations.

Overseeing the project for Texas A&M is John T. Cooper Jr., assistant vice president in the Division of Academic and Strategic Collaborations.

This new partnership will leverage our collective resources and allow us to pursue our shared interests. Its an opportunity to expand the impact of Texas A&M, Prairie View A&M and The Texas A&M University System, Cooper said in the news release.

According to Texas A&M Today, students at both institutions have started collaborating on a project developing design concepts for a Juneteenth museum in Galveston.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Twelve students signed on to become apprentices at seven local companies at a special event held Thursday at Grand Island Public Schools Career Pathways Institute.

For those students signing, the skys the limit, said Dan Phillips, Director of Innovation for College & Career Readiness.

Its a great day for what were doing, he said. Its a great day to celebrate the students, and really that next step into a great opportunity right here in Grand Island.

Among those local companies signing on the young talent were Chief Buildings, Dramco Tool, Nebraska Truck Center and AGI.

Phillips celebrated the programs five-year history of connecting students with what were once rare placements in the traditionally hazardous occupations prior to being 18 years old.

He called it a great opportunity for our students.

It was the first such signing event hosted by GIPS since 2019. Previous ceremonies were paused due to the pandemic.

We went a whole year without any apprentices because we werent having school, Phillips said. We didnt know how the business would react. Even that second year, when we were back in person, there was still that feeling-out process of how were going to move this forward.

Superintendent Tawana Grover applauded the program, calling it a clear picture of where innovation and community came together to create a proven model that is propelling the future of workforce development.

Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, attending the event, congratulated GIPS and its leadership.

You saw the freight train that was coming at us. This tremendous challenge that was facing us as a state: workforce shortage, he said. Its here now. The freight train has arrived.

Though Nebraska boasts the lowest unemployment in the nations history, Foley said having a ready workforce will be crucial for the future.

Were going to be an old country competing against young countries with large workforces. What a challenge thats going to be, he said.

The way to achieve this, said Foley, is through such programs as the one at GIPS.

Weve got to keep our young talent here and tell these kids, you know what, we do grow a lot of corn in Nebraska, but theres a whole lot more going on here, he said. 100,000 Nebraskans went to work this morning in high-tech manufacturing. People dont know that.

D.W. Holley, Principal for the Academy of Technical Sciences, said these partnerships, which are continuing to grow, begin with local businesses.

Many start by having just one student onboard, said Holley.

For those of you who are newbies, youre going to want more, he said. Its been in the past where youve taken on one and really liked that student, can see how theyve benefitted you, and then you obviously want more and more.

He added, If we have the supply, the students, we want to provide that for you.

James Wightman, Nebraska State Director of Apprenticeships, congratulated the students on taking their first steps into their promising futures.

Wightman noted that in 2021 the average starting wage for a registered apprentice was $16.97 with completion wage of $31.47.

These are good paying jobs that young men and young women can learn as theyre earning a good salary and moving into a good career, he said. Thank you for taking that step forward, and I congratulate you on that smart move in joining registered apprenticeship and working in the trades. I dont think youll be disappointed.

John Albin, Nebraska Commissioner of Labor, recalled how he attended the first GIPS signing event with Foley in 2017, for Dramco, the programs first business partner.

Every employer is saying, how can we keep the kids here in our hometown working? he said. Well, the youth apprenticeship programs were celebrating here today are an excellent way, because that student is engaged in a career path in their hometown, one or two years before they even graduate. They get on that career path and they stay.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Lincoln Journal Star reaches out to candidates in contested local primary races and asks them to participate in our annual Voter's Guide b
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
by Tichaona Chifamba

HARARE, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Harare Office signed a project completion certificate on Friday for the Chinese government-established South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF) which sought to improve health delivery to pregnant women and newborn babies.

The project, whose cycle ran from Jan. 1, 2020, with UNICEF being the implementing agency, operationally closed on Dec. 30, 2021.

Zimbabwe is one of eight African countries to have benefited from the program, the others being the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Sudan.

Through the China-Africa collaboration to accelerate maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in the country, the aim of the project was to reduce the number of deaths of newborn babies, which is deemed to be too high.

While the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals target says that by 2030 every country should have a neonatal mortality rate of at least as low as 12 deaths per 1,000 live births, Zimbabwe's current rate is 32 per 1,000.

"As a country, Zimbabwe's current rate is 32 per 1,000 with disparities between and within provinces. At current levels, the number of babies that die in the first 28 days of life remains unacceptably high. Data captured by different surveys show that the neonatal mortality estimation has not changed much since 1988," a report issued at the end of the project says.

The overall objective of the project was therefore to accelerate improvements in availability, quality, and utilization of maternal, newborn and child health services.

"The specific objective of the project was to improve access to and quality of MNCH interventions in Zimbabwe towards achieving health SDGs by achieving maternal mortality reduction of 651/100,000 live births to 300/100,000 live births by 2021," the report says.

Targeted provinces were Matabeleland South and Mashonaland Central, with added support on essential equipment being provided to all provincial and central hospitals in the country.

Cumulatively, 1,741,251 people were reached with 57,176 pregnant women being referred to health facilities.

"For child health, a total of 447,138 children under five received growth monitoring, 5,216 children with diarrhea were appropriately treated by VHWs (village health workers) using ORS and Zinc at community level.

"Also, 216,722 women and children were reached with integrated maternal, neonatal, child health and nutrition services at outreach points and 1,020,215 families were reached with COVID-19 prevention messages during the reporting period," the report adds.

The report says that despite the impact of COVID-19 on utilization and access to services, great efforts were made to sustain continuity of services during the project period through integration of related MNCH services such as MNCH and the Extended Program on Immunization outreach integration.

During its subsistence, the project carried out capacity-building programs for pre-service tutors at training institutions, including nursing, midwifery and medical schools in effectively teaching topics around maternal and newborn health.

At least 58 nurse tutors or educators and university lecturers were oriented to new and improved teaching methodologies and technologies for competency-based training to improve the quality of pre-service education.

Health workers also received on-the-job training to raise their competency level in basic emergency obstetric and newborn care.

About 3,500 village health workers were also refreshed on community-based care initiatives including COVID-19 and health emergencies and were also provided with kits for the newborn care program such as weighing scales, respiratory timers, thermometers, medical supplies and bicycles.

A total of 600 bicycles procured with support from the Chinese government were distributed to village health workers residing more than 10 km from their reporting health facilities.

The bicycles helped them cover more ground, reaching a total of 384,465 households in the two provinces. 
CARBONDALE  Stix, a local bar that was opened in the 1980s, has reopened its doors under new management.

The Carbondale staple closed in August of 2019 and nearly two years later, on April 29, the bar reopened, according to Stixs Facebook. The bar has been long missed by many including William Lo, the Executive Director of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.

"Stix is a Carbondale staple. We all grew up going to Stix with their sticky floors and everything," Lo said. "I'm excited. I think there are not as many Carbondale bars as there used to be. It's important to have a different mix of businesses to cater to different students in different local communities with different needs. When we don't have bars that jive with people, then people tend to have house parties and get in trouble in other ways. So, I think Stix is a great place for students and local people to go enjoy having a drink. It's had a history of issues. I can't speak for the new owner, obviously, but I would assume that they will run a tight ship. We hope they'll have great success in Carbondale."

Several of Stixs issues occurred in late 2017 and early 2018.

In May 2018, Stix, under different leadership at the time, was one of a few bars where it was being debated if its liquor license would be renewed by the Carbondale Local Liquor Commission, according to previous reports by The Southern.

In a May meeting, the commission suspended Stixs liquor license for two weeks from June 18 to July 1 and fined the establishment more than $2,800 for two 17-year-old women who were in the bar and being over-occupancy on two nights in January.

The bar was also found guilty of having a 13-year-old inside the facility in October 2017.

In February, the bar was found guilty of having a 17-year-old man in the bar, and the punishment for that incident was a 24-hour suspension, which was appealed.

The commission had released the accepted quarterly alcohol arrests by the Carbondale Police Department from Jan. 1 to March 31 near the time of that May meeting.

Stix was found to have nine underage possession or consumption of alcohol violations in the first three months of 2018.

However, Lo said that underage drinking doesn't plague just one bar.

Underage drinking is an issue that every bar struggles with," Lo said. "Kids want to drink, and they get creative. You have to depend on your staff to keep an eye out and really do the due diligence. I think that's the real thing with any bar. We saw with TRAX that they had an issue a few weeks ago. I think it's all about due diligence. It's tough."

The Southern tried to reach Stix ownership three times including once over the phone where the line was disconnected and twice via messages on Facebook.

Stix has reopened up at 517 S Illinois Ave. in Carbondale; however, their hours of operation have not yet been posted on their Facebook page.

To keep up-to-date with events and other things at Stix, visit their page at https://www.facebook.com/stix.carbondale.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Earning a university degree as an international student is tough. Even more challenging is continuing that education for a masters degree.

Then, working a real-world job during pursuit of a doctoral degree all while serving as a sort of de-facto parent to a little brother with educational and communication delays is, in a word, impressive.

Fatoumata Saidou Hangadoumbo is that impressive. And then some.

Locally known as Fanta (pronounced Fawn-tah) Saidou, she will receive her doctoral degree in health education on Saturday.

She will be one of more than 1,800 SIU students honored during two days of commencement exercises Friday and Saturday at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

To those who have come to know her during her time at SIU, she continues to inspire.

Fanta is someone with a lot of grit and resilience. All along, shes been committed to doing some really good scientific work. Id say shes in the top 5% of the students Ive ever seen come through here, Justin McDaniel, associate professor in the SIU School of Human Sciences, said of Saidous graduate work. She got through the program in the normal time, despite all of the stuff swirling around in her life.

Originally from the West African nation of Niger, Saidou, 30, first came to Carbondale as a seven-year-old with her family in 1998 as her father studied at SIU.

Following her fathers brief post-graduation tenure of just more than a year in Virginia, the family returned to Niger. An older sister returned to Carbondale for studies several years later and Saidou followed in 2010 to pursue her own academic career at John A. Logan College and SIU.

Thinking back to when I was in high school and thinking about SIU, I came here because it was what I was familiar with, Saidou recalled. I just had memories of being on campus and I remember that even at a young age, I made some really impactful friendships.

Saidou earned a bachelors degree in biological sciences at SIU, but an analysis of acceptance rates for international students into medical schools led her to graduate work in public health and a graduate assistantship working with regional health care provider SIH.

Ive always had a passion for public health, Saidou, whose father is a public health consultant and physician at a rural clinic in Niger, said.

Throughout her studies, family has been a primary focus. As her older sister finished her work at SIU and moved out-of-state, Saidous younger sister enrolled at SIU, learning the culture and local ropes from Saidou.

In 2016, a brother  12 years younger than Saidou  joined the pair in Carbondale. He came for special educational programs offered in Southern Illinois but not in Niger.

Saidous parents made it clear that they trusted her and expected her to look out for her pre-teen brother.

Now a student at Carbondale Community High School, he has remained in her care for the past six years  for much of her masters and all of her doctoral work.

Saidou admits trying to balance academics, work and caring for her brother has been tough at times.

Its been stressful, she said. Just trying to navigate everything is hard and, honestly, sometimes I sit and think back, I dont know how I did that, and how did I fit that much stuff in one day or a single week? With all of the doctor visits and meetings with schools and always wondering if I was making the right decisions for him, its been hard.

Her dedication to her family and her studies has not gone unnoticed, however.

The thing that strikes me so much about Fanta over the years has been her consistency, said Mike Staff, a pastor at Carbondales Vine Church where Saidou is a member. Consistency in her faith, with the ability to manage a lot of things at the same time and with a lot of grace: working most of the time, going to school, doing most of the care for her brother and everything else. Shes just a pretty remarkable person and has done all of that without ever complaining.

Saidou, who is currently looking for a public health position with a desire to remain in the United States, said she finally has an opportunity to reflect on her years in Carbondale.

Sometimes I wonder what things would have looked like if my situation was different, she pondered. Could I have done this or that, I wonder, but then I have to bring myself back to the fact that this is my journey and then I realize I definitely wouldnt change it.

McDaniel, who chaired her doctoral dissertation committee, said he has been amazed at all Saidou has handled.

She has never complained. Shes told me that this is just what she is supposed to be doing  caring for her brother. She sees that as essentially her main responsibility. Its her purpose and meaning in life, even though it is hard. But at the same time, she has pursued that personal goal and desire to be a scientist, and she has done it all despite the challenges.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
For the last week of classes, Southern Illinois University Carbondale University Housing and the Office of Sustainability will be collecting donations from students for their annual Give Before You Go and Recycle Your Bicycle programs.

Volunteers from Rotary, Campus Ministries and Keep Carbondale Beautiful will be collecting donated items for Give Before You Go from students who live on campus on May 5-7 and May 9, starting at 8 a.m. each morning at Thompson Point. Bikes will be accepted through May 7 outside Lentz Dining Hall and between Mae-Smith and Rinella Field.

Give Before You Go will be accepting nonperishable food items, gently used clothing, household items including furniture, laundry supplies and more for distribution to the community. Recycle Your Bicycle will give away refurbished bicycles to future Salukis.

Give Before Your Go is sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, University Housing, Rotary and Campus Ministries. Recycle Your Bicycle is funded by Student Green Fee, sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, and managed by students, staff and professors in the School of Automotive. These programs has the dual benefit of diverting unwanted items from the landfill and distributing them to organizations for community benefit.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Three people who have filed to run for the Calhoun County District 1 seat left vacant by the death of former council chairman David Summers tout their leadership skills and love for the county in making them the best candidate for the seat.

Lynn B. Doster, Richard Carson and Gary Porth, all Republicans, are vying for the seat that was held by Summers, who died Feb. 26 and had served 41 years as chairman.

Filing for his seat ended March 26.

The Republican primary for the special election will be held Tuesday, May 17.

The primary runoff will be held Tuesday, May 31, if necessary. A runoff would be needed if the top two candidates do not receive 50% of the vote.

The special election for the seat will be held Tuesday, July 12.

Cameron, Creston, Lone Star, Midway and St. Matthews will be the precincts open on those election dates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, the Calhoun County Voter Registration and Election Office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located at 102 Courthouse Drive, Suite 115, in St. Matthews.

The office can be reached by phone at 803-874-2929 or 803-874-2435.

Lynn B. Doster

Doster has lived just outside of Cameron for the past 35 years with her husband, Doug. The couple has three adult children and two grandchildren.

"I consider Calhoun County home. After graduating from Camden High School and Columbia College, I found my career passion for business. Most of my work experience has been in various small businesses," Doster said.

"I worked as a buyer for Belk of Columbia and the factory outlets of South Carolina, have owned several specialty shops and, before retiring, spent my last nine years as office manager for Cameron Lumber Company. I currently help manage my familys business, including timberland in Lancaster County," she said.

Doster said she would make a good candidate for the Calhoun County District 1 seat.

"Although retired, I remain an active, energetic officer of many local organizations. I currently hold the office of treasurer on the board of the Calhoun Players theater group. I am a past regent and current corresponding secretary of the William Thomson Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. At Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cameron, I am a member of Church Council and serve as council secretary," Doster said.

"As a member of the Orangeburg Community Bible Study, I have been a group leader this past year. Active in the Calhoun County Republican Party, I have worked supporting my husband, Doug, as chairman. I have served as secretary for the 6th District Republicans and support the South Carolina GOP as a Silver Elephant Club member," she said.

Doster said while she has never run for or served in an elected public office, "my work experience and community service give me a unique perspective on the issues our county faces."

"I am a listener who seeks information on issues and will strive to balance this information to make good decisions," she said.

Doster said she is a strong supporter of Republican principles of "limited government, strong property rights and fiscal responsibility," which also makes her a good candidate.

"I realize the need for good local government to provide basic services. My guiding principles for Calhoun County are: protect our farming, outdoor life and family-oriented culture; support law enforcement, public safety and good government services for all our citizens; and balance desirable development, including new industries, while supporting our unique agricultural base," she said.

Along with great farmland and natural resources, Doster said the county has a "good county government and managed to keep taxes relatively low."

"My desire is to maintain the lifestyle that has developed here. We will be facing growth, especially near the lake area and the I-26 area. The county needs to control this development to the best advantage for our citizens," she said.

Doster said she would exercise the "good judgment and common sense" needed to be a good council member.

"A common sense conservative, I pledge to be accessible and to strive for the best services for everyone in the county. I have worked hard at my jobs and, if elected, will work hard for Calhoun County!" she said.

Richard Carson

A lifelong Calhoun County resident, Carson has been married to his wife, Tina, for 26 years, and they are the parents of two sons, Hunter and Kyle.

Carson is a Clemson University graduate who retired after working more than 33 years with the Food Lion Distribution Center in Elloree.

"During the last 33 years, I have been active in many local community organizations and served on various boards. I served as a board member of the Elloree Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, S.C. Pork Board and the S.C. State Cattlemen's Association. I am a past president of the Orangeburg Area Cattlemens Association and Calhoun County Farm Bureau," Carson said.

He said while he has not held a political office, "I have a lot of experience dealing with people due to my career and positions previously mentioned."

"The wide range of organizations I have been involved in, as well as the leadership roles I have held, will aid me in making the best decisions for Calhoun County," Carson said.

He is a lifelong member of Pine Grove Lutheran Church in Lone Star, where he has served on the church council, as well as Sunday School superintendent, a finance committee member and audit committee chairman.

Carson said he can work with anyone and believes that, if elected, he would be an effective leader on County Council.

"My experiences have prepared me for the opportunity to represent the people of District 1 and all of Calhoun County. Calhoun County has a rich history in agriculture and has continued to evolve over the years to attract other industries. If elected as the county councilman, I plan to listen to county residents, address issues that arise and set the county up for future growth and success," he said.

Gary Porth

A lifelong Calhoun County resident, Porth attended Calhoun County Public Schools and graduated from St. Matthews High School. He is a graduate of Clemson University and the Charleston School of Law.

He is employed by the City of Columbia as a construction procurement manager and currently serves on the Calhoun County School Board.

"I have represented District 1 on the Calhoun County School Board since 1996, and I have served as chairman of the school board since 2012. District 1 is comprised of the same area and the same people for both Calhoun County Council and the Calhoun County School District. So I am very familiar with the area and its people," Porth said.

He said the school board and Calhoun County Council work closely together on many issues because the council is responsible for approving the school board's budget.

"I have always had a very good working relationship with County Council in trying to make sure we have great schools and also being very mindful of the taxes and doing what I consider a very good job of keeping taxes in check for the people of Calhoun County.

"The school board worked very closely with County Council back in 2006 to embark on a major building program for our Calhoun County Schools, whereby we spent some $32 million. With councils help we did not raise taxes one bit," Porth said.

He touted his ability to work with the council in making him a good candidate for the council seat.

"We used a very creative financing approach by using 50% of our 8% borrowing capacity, along with councils help by providing some FILO (fee-in-lieu-of-taxes) to repay our new debt for the building program. Our schools are still reaping the benefits of this building program as our schools are very functional and have been well kept during the past 15 years," Porth said

He said he is proud of the relationship he has had with council.

"If I am elected to County Council, I look forward to continue working with the school board in a very positive manner for the benefit of all the citizens of Calhoun County," Porth said, noting that he loves the county and its people.

"I have served the people of District 1 on the Calhoun County School Board for a number of years, and I would love to continue to serve its people as the District 1 representative on County Council. David Summers, our former District 1 councilman, did a really great job of looking out for the people of Calhoun County," he said.

Porth continued, "Chairman Summers truly had the peoples interest at heart with his service as he worked hard with a vision towards the future to provide the services needed with a true mindset to keep taxes low. I would hope to continue in that vision of looking to the growth of the Calhoun County, but also keeping in mind the tax burden imposed on the citizens to provide these services."

If elected, said he would fight for "necessary things such as law enforcement, fire service, recruitment of good, clean industry, recreation for our citizens and providing for the public schools of the county."

"I also envision providing these services in a very cost-effective manner, which will keep taxes low for the citizens of Calhoun County. Calhoun County is what I often call a hidden jewel in the state of South Carolina. We have a very beautiful place to live and raise our families where people care about each other and taxes are some of the lowest in the state," Porth said.

He continued, "We have easy access with a short drive to our capital city of Columbia, to the ocean and all the things offered along our beautiful coastline, as well as the wonderful Upstate area with its mountains and all it has to offer.

"If I am blessed with being elected to the Calhoun County Council District 1 seat, I plan to continue to represent the citizens of this district as I would want to be represented, looking to maintain this wonderful place we live and call home and to do it in a manner that would keep taxes low and make everyone proud to call Calhoun County home."

Porth is married to the former Sallie Dent of St. Matthews and they are the parents of one son.

"My son and his wife have just given us our first grandchild, a grandson who was born in January of this year. We look forward to watching our grandson grow up in this wonderful community of Calhoun County," Porth said.

Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Orangeburg Department of Public Safety has been reaccredited for another three years.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies says the department has reached the gold standard for public safety agencies, according to ODPS Interim Chief Charles Austin.

I think it speaks volumes about this agency, this city, he said.

Austin discussed the achievement with Orangeburg City Council on Tuesday during the body's regularly scheduled meeting.

Austin thanked the city and ODPS staff for the work theyve done.

They are indicative of the level of commitment we receive on a daily basis to go above and beyond to ensure that we provide quality services for our community, he said.

CALEA accreditation is a continuous process and serves as a foundation for a successful, well-managed, transparent, community-focused public safety agency, Austin told council, reading about the recognition. To this end, an agency must maintain its accredited status by remaining in compliance with CALEA standards at all times.

Austin said this means, every day, 24/7, 365 days a year, our goal is to ensure that we represent this city at the highest standard.

Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler said, We want to accept this accreditation by our public safety department with pride and joy.

He thanked the individuals in the department for keeping us safe every day.

CALEA reaccredits the law enforcement division of ODPS. The ODPS fire division is accredited separately.

Assessors review records and interview agency personnel and community members. They review 458 standards for compliance.

According to CALEA, the accreditation process provides objective evidence of an agencys commitment to excellence in leadership, resource management and service delivery.

ODPS first became CALEA accredited in 2003 after several years of preparation. The agency is required to pass the intensive inspection every three years to maintain its accreditation.

City Administrator Sidney Evering thanked ODPS employees for their service to the city.

In other matters:

 Marc Wood of Sheheen, Hancock & Godwin said the city received about 38% of its projected revenues through March. Thats below the 50% optimal amount, as the city is about halfway through its fiscal year.

The fire contracts went out late and so I would expect April and May that the revenues should get more in line with the budget, Wood said.

Wood said the city's expenditures are about in line with where they should be, as the city has made about 54% of its budgeted expenditures.

Wood said the city has received about $9 million in revenues and has about $12.4 million in expenses.

The main reason that expenditures are more is that we already expended the money for the fire trucks that we are going to do a capital lease on, Wood said. Once that capital lease closes either by the end of this month or the first of June, we will have recouped about $2.9 million of that money back.

I just didn't want you all to be alarmed when you saw the negative number on the income statement, Wood continued.

The revenue will be coming in. It is just a timing difference. We had to pay for the fire trucks but financing, we have not received the money back yet, he said.

Wood said this will leave the city about $600,000 in the red, but he says a lot of that deficit is due to the fact that city's fire contracts went out late.

There was a delay in the fire contracts going out, Evering said. We changed software, changed systems, so there was a delay there, but fire contracts have gone out and collections have been coming in since April.

Wood said the April report should show a cut into the city's $600,000 deficit.

Wood said he will be providing a monthly report going forward.

Councilman Jerry Hannah asked that city council see the reports early so members can review them.

Councilman Bernard Haire asked where the city is in the process of hiring a finance director. Evering said he would discuss the matter in executive session since it is a personnel matter.

Haire asked if that means the city council will have to wait a couple more weeks before the matter can be put on the agenda. Evering said he would be glad to discuss the matter with Haire personally.

 Council unanimously voted to cancel its July 5 and July 19 regular council meetings due to budget workshops.

 Council tabled a resolution recognizing June 19 (Juneteenth) as an official city holiday. The matter was tabled in order to better determine the financial impact of the holiday on city operations.

Juneteenth National Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday last year.

 Council received as information the DPU budget calendar for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

Council will have a goal setting retreat with DPU from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, May 12, and a budget workshop from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, June 16. Both meetings will be held in the city gym.

The first reading of the budget will be held Aug. 2, the second reading and public hearing Aug. 16, and the third and final reading Sept. 6. The city's fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

 Council recognized honesty as the Community of Character trait for the month of May and asked all Orangeburg residents to instill the trait in their lives.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A former Bowman resident is accused of killing his grandmother and uncle in Kinston, North Carolina on Thursday.

Lawrence Richard Cox Jr., 34, of Kinston, is facing two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of Ruby Cox, 78, and Johnny Rouse, 57, according to a Kinston Police Department press release.

The fatal shooting occurred in the 600 block of East Highland Avenue at 1:33 p.m.

Ruby Cox and Rouse were dead when Lenoir County EMS arrived, according to the KPD.

Kinston police said they worked closely with citizens to identify Cox as the suspect.

At 9:30 p.m. Thursday, authorities took Cox into custody in Goldsboro, N.C. without incident.

Agencies that assisted in Coxs apprehension include the Goldsboro Police Department, the N.C. Bureau of Investigation and the KPD.

Cox is being held without bond at the Lenoir County Detention Center.

The Kinston Police Department would like the community to know that this is appears to be an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the community, the press release said.

Cox, a North Carolina native, formerly lived on Rail Street in Bowman.

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

Back in September 2017, Orangeburg Department of Public Safety officers charged Cox in a shooting incident that left one man injured. Prosecutors later dropped the Orangeburg charges.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 1

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
American Red Cross disaster-trained volunteers are assisting six people by providing financial assistance for immediate needs such as food, clothing and shelter, along with referrals to much-needed resources.
The burly schnauzer strains at its leash, front paws in the air and bearded mouth agape. Its shotgun-wielding handler holds on tight as the ebony-colored beast jerks forward and locks its gaze on an unseen foe in the distance.

The scene, captured in a crisp photo, is one of the few remaining traces of a shadowy plan to bring giant schnauzers into one of South Carolinas largest jails to keep order. Its discovery has sparked fresh questions about a former jail directors possible ties to the breeding and sale of these dogs, an Uncovered investigation has found.

The planned purchase of two trained schnauzers  for a whopping $25,000 each  recently came to light after Charleston County jail officials found invoices and a dossier on the dogs in the public email account of former Detention Chief Deputy Willis Beatty. Beatty ran the jail from 2013 until his ouster last year.

The 2015 sale never went through, and there is nothing in the agencys records to explain why.

But Sheriff Kristin Graziano and the jails new administrator, Abigail Duffy, said the deal was reportedly scuttled after a ranking dog handler at the Al Cannon Detention Center objected to the purchase on ethical grounds. The handler raised concerns that Beatty was trying to get the county to buy schnauzers that Beatty and his wife had bred through a private side business, they said.

Beatty had arranged to purchase the dogs from a company owned by Joseph Garcia, a controversial training consultant who earned hundreds of thousands of dollars through no-bid contracts at the jail on Beattys watch, Sheriffs Office records show.

Duffy said emails and information from jail staff indicate that Beatty and his wife Janene had privately enlisted Garcias help in buying a giant schnauzer they planned to breed with one of the consultants top dogs for future sales. The schnauzers reportedly mated in a secluded area on the fourth floor of the jail, Duffy said.

Graziano and Duffy said they suspect the two giant schnauzers Beatty planned to buy for the jail in 2015 came from these breeding efforts. Funding for the purchase was to come from a little-known pot of money controlled by top sheriffs officials outside of the county finance department's scrutiny, they said.

Al Cannon, who was sheriff at the time, told The Post and Courier that he knew nothing about the schnauzer sale. Nor was Cannon aware that Beatty and his wife had been coordinating with Garcia on the extracurricular breeding business.

Those dealings are contained in a number of internal jail emails the newspaper obtained as part of its Uncovered investigation, a statewide push to expose questionable conduct by government officials in South Carolina.

South Carolinas ethics law bars public officials from using their positions for personal financial gain, or to benefit their families or businesses they are associated with. Beattys emails indicate that he used his work email account and professional connections to further the interests of the dog breeding business run by his wife, and that he did so on county time.

Its just not appropriate, Duffy said.

Graziano agreed, saying this seems to be a clear conflict of interest. Its a little too incestuous for it not to be, she said.

The episode illustrates what can happen when professional and personal lines blur, particularly in tight-knit law enforcement communities that are often averse to outside scrutiny. It also calls attention to loopholes in county purchasing rules that can allow tens of thousands of dollars in expenses to slide through with little vetting.

Beatty did not respond to messages left with his family and current employer. He also didnt acknowledge letters sent to his home and workplace with a detailed list of questions about the breeding operation and the proposed schnauzer sale.

Garcia declined to answer questions when reached by email.

Beattys wife told The Post and Courier in 2020 that she never had a business relationship with Garcia or his companies. When contacted by the newspaper last month, Janene Prock-Beatty repeatedly questioned the relevance of this story and refused to answer questions.

Until you can explain it to me and why you need this information, we dont have anything to discuss, she said. She did not return subsequent phone calls.

Graziano booted Willis Beatty from his $123,718-a-year job at the jail when she took office in January 2021. He now works as a captain at the Dorchester County jail.

Garcia, meanwhile, has been under increasing scrutiny across the country for teaching tactics that critics decry as heavy-handed toward inmates. A use-of-force expert singled out Garcias company for criticism last year after examining training at the Charleston County jail. That followed the death of Jamal Sutherland, a 31-year-old mentally ill Black man who was pepper-sprayed, repeatedly shocked with a Taser and wrestled into submission by detention officers.

Reports issued by the 9th Circuit Solicitors Office stated that tactical officers were trained to use aggression and intimidation to control inmates, employing methods that violated the jails own use-of-force policies.

Graziano said she blames Garcias training for setting the stage for Sutherlands death, which led to the firing of two detention officers and a $10 million settlement for Sutherlands family. She blames Beatty for allowing Garcia to perpetuate problematic tactics at the jail, she said.

He permitted these violations of policy that allowed people to continue to be trained in a way that was not consistent with law, Graziano said.

Still, Garcia and his companies pulled in at least $647,807 between 2011 and 2018 while working under Beatty at the detention center, according to jail officials. A full tally of his earnings is unknown, Duffy said, due to incomplete and missing records.

A bold and valiant dog

Giant schnauzers surfaced in the Bavarian Alps in the mid-1800s as rugged working dogs adept at driving cattle from farms to market. People found them to be highly intelligent, obedient and fiercely protective of their homes and families, according to the American Kennel Club.

Over time, the muscular schnauzers  described by fanciers as a "bold and valiant figure of a dog  became favorites for police, military and search-and-rescue work, the AKC stated.

Joseph Garcia has prominently featured schnauzers in his promotional materials and on social media, at times showing them inside jails sporting specially fitted helmets and goggles. They are part of the military-style tactical training he and his companies have provided over the years to help jail and prison officers prepare for riots and other inmate violence.

Garcias approach seemed cutting edge when he arrived in Charleston County in 2008 with his company, U.S. Corrections Special Operations Group (U.S. C-SOG). A wiry man with close-cropped hair, Garcia cut a strapping figure in promotional photos, decked out in combat-style gear and wielding big guns and snarling schnauzers.

Jail officials saw promise in his use of dogs, weapons and technology to keep unruly inmates in check. Assaults on inmates and officers declined after the jail employed his methods, former Assistant Sheriff Mitch Lucas told The Post and Courier.

Particularly impressive was his command over his raven-haired giant schnauzer Max, who seemed laser-focused on Garcias movements and orders, officials said.

Beatty, who began working at the jail in 1990, had been promoted to major by the time Garcia arrived. In that role, he oversaw the jail's dealings with Garcia, Lucas said. Emails indicate the two men also developed a friendship. They dined together with their wives on at least one occasion in which Beattys wife brought dog treats for Max, emails show.

Janene Prock-Beatty also had ties to the detention center, working as an account manager for Georgia-based McDaniel Supply Co., which runs commissary sales for the jail, sheriff's officials said.

Word soon got around that Beatty and his wife, who previously bred pugs, had opted to start breeding giant schnauzers on the side, several present and former jail officials said.

Lucas and Cannon, the former sheriff, said they were aware of the Beattys breeding effort but didnt see any obvious problem with it. Beatty and his wife had always been enterprising individuals, they said.

They were always looking for something to do to make money, Cannon said.

Both men said they were not aware of any direct business dealings between the Beattys and Garcia. If they had, Cannon said, he likely would have consulted with an attorney on the ethical implications of such an arrangement.

Clues to those dealings were buried in Beattys emails  emails that suggest relationships that extended far beyond the jailhouse walls.

Breeding behind bars?

The first hints came in a July 2013 message Garcia sent to Beattys work email account, titled K9 info for wife. Garcia passed along the name of a German man known as a breeder and supplier of giant schnauzers.

A month later, in August 2013, Janene Prock-Beatty wrote to Garcia asking for details about the purchase of a 9-week-old female giant schnauzer that Garcia was arranging through a Kentucky source. Garcia sent her a video of the dog and said the source had set a firm price of $3,000.

They will give us this opportunity to buy her, Garcia wrote. She is a great deal!

Prock-Beatty asked for more time to discuss the price with her husband. But she agreed that the dog appeared to be a great investment and that it was just the type of animal they were looking for.

I need to ask you to make sure, she asked Garcia, you still want to go forward w/this venture w/me?

Garcias reply does not appear in the email string, which Prock-Beatty forwarded to her husbands work account at the jail. The email also does not specify exactly what the venture entailed.

The dog video that Garcia sent to Prock-Beatty came from a master dog trainer named David Harris in Frankfort, Ky. Harris told The Post and Courier he didnt recall many details of the 2013 sale. But he clearly remembered Garcia coming to him for guidance on raising and training giant schnauzers. Garcia explained that it was a lifelong dream of his to get into the field, Harris said.

I know he was desperately trying to breed giant schnauzers, Harris said. I don't know whether he ever had any success at that.

Duffy, the current jail administrator, said jail staffers have indicated that Beatty and his wife ultimately bought a female schnauzer. The schnauzer reportedly mated with one of Garcias dogs at the jail, but she has yet to find someone who actually witnessed the coupling, she said.

The following year, between May and July 2014, Beatty and his wife traded emails about people looking to buy puppies from a litter of a dozen giant schnauzers they had on hand.

Beatty also used his work email account to send Garcia a link to a new website for JPB Giant Schnauzer, a business that incorporated Janene Prock-Beattys initials in its logo. The website, which advertised dogs for corrections and private security, featured several photos and a video of Garcia, his schnauzers and training sessions. Several of the photos bear the logo of Garcias U.S. C-SOG company.

The man who built the website shares the same last name as Garcias former wife, and his LinkedIn account indicates he was working for Garcias company at the time. He did not return a call from The Post and Courier.

It was clear on that website that she was the breeder for Joseph Garcia, Duffy said. So I don't think there's any way for them to deny that they had a relationship. I mean, she had access to his photographs and his logo and all of his icons.

Schnauzers for sale

In August and September 2014, Beatty and Garcia traded emails again, this time about the proposed sale of a giant schnauzer named Koah to the jail. Beatty indicated in an email from his work account that he was finishing up with Mitch and sheriff about Koa and asked Garcia to send him more information about K-9s in jails.

U.S. C-SOGs paperwork stated that Koah was born in South Carolina in June 2013 but no information was given on the breeder. The dogs American Kennel Club registration offered no additional clues.

In December 2014, Beatty received an eight-page guide from Garcias company detailing the planned purchase of Koah and a second giant schnauzer, along with the dogs price, tributes and training. The guide listed Chief Beatty as the authorizing official and congratulated the jail on its dog purchase.

An accompanying invoice listed the price at $53,540, once equipment was factored in. The schnauzers were said to be able to handle everything from cell extractions and inmate escorts to riot control and drug searches.

Both dogs were said to be undergoing training in Kentucky and would arrive in the early fall of 2015, but the deal never went through. What happened to the dogs remains unclear.

Lucas, the former assistant sheriff, told The Post and Courier he never saw the paperwork and knew of no plans to buy dogs from Garcia or his companies. He speculated that Beatty may have been preparing to pitch the idea to the sheriff, only to have later discarded the plan.

Graziano and Duffy said they have learned that the purchase was abandoned after an officer tasked with retrieving the dogs refused to do so because he believed they had been bred by the Beattys. The sheriff and Duffy declined to publicly name the officer in question, and he would not agree to speak with The Post and Courier.

His response was literally You bred those dogs. Its not ethical for you to buy them and Im not going to go get them,  Duffy said.

Graziano and Duffy said they do not believe then-Sheriff Al Cannon had any inkling of the deal. Cannon confirmed that in an interview with The Post and Courier.

Cannon said he would have shot down the proposed purchase because he considers schnauzers to be too aggressive and intimidating for the jail.

That would have never flown, he said.

Cannon preferred Labradors, and thats what the Sheriffs Office ultimately settled on when they finally purchased two contraband-sniffing canines for the jail in 2016. They also bought a hound to serve as an explosive detection dog.

The cost for the three dogs: $23,327  less than half the cost of Garcias two schnauzers.

Ties deepen

In April 2016, Beatty used his jail email to reach out during the workday to a veteran Kentucky lawman and dog trainer named Dennis Clark. He told Clark that he was trying to determine if a giant schnauzer the trainer had featured on Facebook had come from a litter born to the Beattys dog Chai. Clarks dog Dash had earned much acclaim for its work as a police dog.

Clark told Beatty he got the dog from a man named Joe, but they had a falling out and Joe refused to give him paperwork on the dogs birth. Clark confirmed to The Post and Courier that he was referring to Joseph Garcia.

He was with a litter that joe had taken to a kennel in Frankfort ky to be trained, Clark wrote to Beatty. Frankfort was the city where Garcia had worked to arrange the 2013 schnauzer purchase for the Beattys.

Beatty shared the exchange with his wife, who agreed Dash had likely been part of a 12-puppy litter Chai gave birth to in April 2014. Beatty asked Clark for photos of Dash to feature on Janene Prock-Beattys website.

Clark told The Post and Courier that he later learned that the Beattys had turned over at least six puppies to Garcia to be trained for sale. Beatty could not determine where the dogs ended up, Clark said. He told Beatty that Garcia had sold at least one of the dogs for around $40,000, he said.

Its unclear how Beatty reacted to that information. But later that same year, Garcia approached Beatty about further solidifying his presence in Charleston.

Garcia sent Beatty a copy of a contract his company had with the Spartanburg County Sheriffs Office. He asked in an email if it could be transferred to Charleston, adding: This is strictly confidential.

The contract in Spartanburg called for the agency to pay Garcia $72,000 a year for a wide variety of corrections training, from cell extractions to dealing with mentally ill inmates. The contract, signed by the county administrator, also called for Garcia to be considered an honorary deputy with the rank of captain.

Records from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy confirm that Garcia underwent training and was certified as a detention officer in Spartanburg County between September and December 2016. His certification was later revoked at the request of Sheriff Chuck Wright, who told the academy Garcia had been found ineligible to have received the training. He did not specify why.

Lucas, the former assistant sheriff, said Garcia never held a rank or a sworn position within the Charleston County Sheriffs Office.

Questions swirl

Graziano began raising concerns about Beatty's involvement with Garcia while she was running for sheriff in 2020. Questions swirled around the Sheriffs Office's use of the jails inmate welfare fund to buy ammunition, gear and training for its special operations team at the detention center. That was the team that Garcia had helped outfit and train.

By that time, Garcia had moved on from the jail. Lucas said the relationship had run its course and Beatty decided to bring it to a close. Cannon added that officials had always intended for the training to eventually move in-house once staff became sufficiently skilled in the practices.

The 9th Circuit Solicitors Office had difficulty obtaining U.S. C-SOGs training materials while investigating the events that led up to inmate Jamal Sutherlands death in January 2021. The Sheriffs Office did not retain any of the training objectives or lesson plans. And Garcia claimed his training materials were classified, a report from the Solicitors Office states.

The report found that Garcias contract with the jail ended in late 2018 after four of the jails Special Operations Group deputies wrote complaints about his training methods. The deputies said Garcia was biased, did a poor job training new recruits, was inconsistent and used the deputies to make personal marketing materials. One senior tactical officer claimed Garcias dog had attacked jail personnel. His schnauzer Max also attacked another officers dog, according to an internal Sheriffs Office report.

Investigators also located a training video, likely from around 2011, in which two deputies were filmed being sprayed in the face repeatedly with full canisters of pepper spray while Garcia yelled questions at them.

Gary Raney, a correctional use-of-force expert hired by 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson, called the exercise ridiculous and said it served no legitimate purpose. He likened it to a hazing exercise.

Garcia has since run into problems elsewhere, as well. Dozens of inmates in York County, Pa., filed a class-action lawsuit against the county last year over its hiring of one of Garcias companies, Corrections Special Applications Unit. They alleged the move created a toxic culture of excessive and unjustified terror and violence at the county prison, according to the York Daily Record.

The paper also reported that a Colorado county paid $325,000 last year to settle a jail civil rights lawsuit and agreed to never again use Garcia or his company. And detention officers at New Yorks Rikers Island jail complained in 2016 about his companys unorthodox and combative methods, The New York Post reported.

The Charleston County detention center was among the first large jails in the country to hire Garcia for training. But Duffy said her staff has been unable to find any signed contracts between the Sheriffs Office and Garcias companies since taking over administration of the jail last year.

Duffy said she did find a letter from Garcia indicating that he had hired Beattys daughter, Danielle Prock-Beatty, to work part time for Corrections Special Applications Unit while she was also on the Sheriffs Office payroll in the warrants division. Duffy provided a copy of that letter to The Post and Courier in response to a records request.

In a brief conversation with The Post and Courier, Danielle Prock-Beatty repeatedly cursed at a reporter and denied working for Garcia, saying that is a straight (expletive) bold-faced lie.

I never worked for Garcia, she said. Get your facts straight.

Duffy said she was left to piece together a financial trail documenting payments to Garcia and his organizations. Funding came from the jails inmate welfare fund and another little-known pool of money the detention center receives each year from the telecommunications company that provides phone and video visitation services to inmates, she said.

Normally, Charleston County agencies need to get three competitive bids for any purchase over $10,000 or provide justification that only one source is available or suitable. But the countys procurement policies specifically exempt professional training from those bidding requirements.

Whats more, the money from the telecommunications company was paid directly from purchase orders submitted by the jails leaders, Duffy said. The money, which ranged from $50,000 to $100,000 annually, was supposed to go toward security upgrades and other improvements, but records show it also went to things like refreshments for administrative gatherings, iPads and Garcias training, she said.

Finance officials from the county procurement office and the Sheriffs Office werent even aware that pot of money existed until last year, Graziano and Duffy said. Changes have since been made to ensure greater transparency and accountability with this and other jail accounts, they said.

Lynne Teague, an open government advocate with the S.C. League of Women Voters, said she was troubled by the lack of financial oversight for these pots of money, the no-bid arrangements for training, and the blurring of professional and personal interests in this episode.

At the very least, (this episode) was handled very badly and it certainly lacks transparency and accountability, she said. It doesnt sound right and it doesnt smell good.

Lucas, the former assistant sheriff, sees it differently. The no-bid arrangement made sense because Garcia was the only one offering this training, and he gave the jail a break on his rates in exchange for hosting sessions for other agencies at the detention center, Lucas said. Even if Beatty did collaborate with Garcia on breeding dogs, Lucas said, Beatty still wasnt profiting directly from his work at the jail.

"It doesn't affect the jail in any way I see," Lucas said.

Cannon was less sure, saying he has always been sensitive to even the appearance of impropriety and would probably have sought a legal opinion on the arrangement.

What is for certain is that the jail no longer uses many of the tactics it paid Garcia to teach its officers. Nearly $648,000 later, the jail has little to show for its investment except for controversy, unused equipment and some snarling schnauzer photos in a bunch of old emails.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Dogs and puppies

 King, a 1-year-old black male Boxer-mix, needs the warm embrace of safety with you (case 0328).

 Cyndi Lou, a 3-year-old black-and-white female Lab-mix, is no Grinch to be around (case 0361).

 Ollie, a 1-year-old spotted white-and-black male Lab-mix, will only have eyes for you (case 0542).

 Nosey, 2-year-old tan female Shepherd-mix, needs someone to love just as much as she does (case 0001).

 Bandi, a 4-5 year-old white female Lab-mix, needs love she has never been shown (case 0051).

 Petunia, a 2-3 year-old brindle female Boxer-mix, will cuddle with you all day long (case 0137).

 Diesel, a 14-month-old black male Boston Terrier-mix, is that fire you need in life (case 0242).

 Rusty, a 9-month-old black-and-brown male Huskey/Rottweiler-mix, will make you feel brand new (case 0274).

 Rex, a 1-year-old brindle male Boxer-mix, is more than the average mans best friend (case 0261).

 Timmy, a 1-year-old tan male Mountain Curr-mix, needs someone to show him a loving touch (case 0159).

 Starlight, a 3-year-old gray female Lab/Boxer mix, will give you all of her love (case 0422).

 Sampson, a 2-year-old black male Boston Terrier-mix, is searching for his Delilah (case 0034).

 Dick, a 5-month-old gray brindle male Pointer-mix, wants a Batman for his Robin (case 0281).

 Smoke, a 11-month-old brindle male Boston Terrier-mix, will light a fire in your heart (case 0023).

 Max, a 7-month-old white-and-orange male Lab-mix, is the best track partner (case 0020).

 Bruce, a 16-month-old black male Lab, will always be there to save the day (case 0028).

 Sawyer, a 2-year-old white-and-orange male Lab-mix, needs a good country girl in his life (case 0026).

 Rambo, an 18-month-old white-and-black male Lab-mix, will go on any adventure with you (case 0014).

 Pugsley, a 5-month-old black male Boston Terrier-mix, needs your love to make sense of his life (case 0033).

 Lovegood, a 5-month-old black-and-white female Lab-mix, will catapult straight to your heart.

 Archer, a 4-year-old tan-and-white male Lab/Pointer-mix, will always point his love in your direction (case 0022).

 Apollo, a 3-month-old tan male Lab-mix, is like music to your ears (case 0036).

 Albert, a 1-year-old tan male Lab/Boxer-mix, will love you more than himself (case 0045).

 Mercedes, a 3-month-old gray-and-tan female Lab/Shepherd-mix, will make you feel like a million dollars (case 0039).

 Glimmer, a 4-month-old black female Boxer/Lab-mix, will bring sparkle into your life (case 0048).

 Shera, a 4-month-old red female Boxer/Lab-mix, will rescue you (case 0047).

 Beau, a 4-month-old white male Boxer/Lab mix, will mend any broken heart (case 0046).

 Fred, a 5-year-old white-and-tan male Carolina-mix, is patiently waiting for his Wilma (case 0052).

 Nugget, a 3-year-old tri-color male Sheltie-mix, is the little joy you need in your life (case 0067).

 Henry, a 6-month-old chocolate male Lab, would go to the end of the Earth for you (case 0068).

Cats and kittens

 Penelope, 2-year-old tabby female, will turn your sour in to sweet (case 0331).

 June, an 18-month-old black female Bombay-mix, who makes it feel like summer all year long (case 0178).

 Dotty, a 2-year-old tabby female DSH, will make your heart skip a beat (case 0548).

 Freda, an 11-year-old tri-color female calico, knows cuddles are the best medicine (case 0075).

 Missy, a 7-month-old female tortoise shell, who needs someone classy in her life (case 0229).

 Haley, an 11-month-old female tortoise shell, is out of this world fun (case 0218).

 Cynthia, a 1-year-old female diluted calico, is the best couch surfer (case 0132).

 Sunshine, an 18-month-old orange-and-white female tabby DSH, will show brighten your day (case 0185).

 Meow, an 11-month-old female tortoise shell, knows purrs are the way to your heart (case 0260).

 Gomez, a 6-month-old black male DSH, needs a Morticia in his life (case 0031).

 Mingo, a 2-year-old grey tabby male Persian-mix, is the handsome gentleman youve been searching for (case 0029).

The Orangeburg SPCA will be limiting the number of people inside its facility at this time. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays. The SPCA is located at 225 Ruf Road and the phone number is 803-536-3918. Check out available adoptions on the internet at orangeburgspca.petfinder.com, the interactive website at www.OrangeburgSPCA.org and Facebook page at Orangeburg SPCA. Email any questions to adopt@orangeburgspca.org.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition on the history of the Chinese youth movement has opened in Beijing to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC).

The special exhibition, which is being held at the Central School of the Communist Youth League of China, offers a panoramic view of the Chinese youth movement over the past century led by the Communist Party of China, according to the CYLC Central Committee.

Over 650 pictures, 230 pieces of cultural relics, documents and archives have been put on display to illustrate the magnificent journey of unremitting struggles for the realization of national rejuvenation by generations of young Chinese, said the organizer, adding that some of the items have been exhibited for the first time. 
Berlin N.H. - NH Civics and NHPR will conclude its series of candid community conversations on citizenship in Berlin on May 17th, from 6-7 PM at the Berlin City Hall. These civics programs have been held around New Hampshire this spring with a diverse panel of guest speakers hosted by Laura Knoy.

Attendees can opt to join in person or virtually for a live discussion about how New Hampshire's people and communities can act now to build back our civic strength. The programs are free online or in person, with prior registration. Sign up and find out more at NHPR.org/events.

Panelists for this event include:

Mallory Langkau, Groveton Middle High School teacher, DAR NH History Teacher of the Year, Mikva Challenge teacher leader

Casey McDermott, NHPR Investigative Data Reporter/Editor

Anthony Poore, NH Humanities former Executive Director

The event will be produced as a special hour-long broadcast slated to air on NHPR Thursday, May 26, at 2 PM.

Our hope is that through our collected civic initiatives we can inform and review how New Hampshire communities are dealing with the state of democracy today as we head into the upcoming midterm elections this fall, said Michael Brindley, NHPR Program Director.

Martha Madsen, Executive Director of NH Civics, said Weve been seeking out diverse ways to reconnect with the community, redefining what active citizenship looks like, and bringing people together to talk about crucial questions  how we live and problem-solve together.









About New Hampshire Public Radio

NHPR is New Hampshires only statewide radio news service and is broadcast from 14 different sites as well as online and on demand. NHPR is investing in multimedia capabilities, as well as producing podcasts and digital products. NHPRs award-winning team delivers local news, programs, and podcasts including The Folk Show, Outside/In, Civics 101, Document and N.H. News Recap. NHPR is the exclusive outlet for NPR News in the Granite State and broadcasts national weekly programs such as The Moth Radio Hour, Wait WaitDont Tell Me! and This American Life.

About NH Civics

NH Civics is the only organization in New Hampshire focused on teaching civics to all ages. Our free-of-charge programs and resources help people understand how democracy works, how to find the facts, and how to be good and active citizens. Committed to non-partisanship, we believe people from all zip codes and of varied perspectives and ages deserve high-quality information, experiential learning that lasts, and a confidence that their voice matters. In New Hampshire, we are proud of our role in the national political arena; NH Civics prepares NH residents to play their part.








ADEN, Yemen, May 6 (Xinhua) -- A plane carrying the first batch of freed prisoners of the Houthi group arrived on Friday in Yemeni southern port city of Aden as part of the two-month truce brokered by the United Nations, a government official told Xinhua.

"The plane of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) carrying 40 Houthi prisoners landed at Aden International Airport and two more flights will arrive later to transfer at least 108 prisoners freed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition," the local government source said on condition of anonymity.

The prisoners will be soon transferred by the ICRC to the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa, the source added, without revealing the exact date.

On Friday, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen announced releasing a group of Houthi prisoners in batches as part of the UN-brokered agreement and as an effort to end the years-long military conflict.

In late March, Yemen's Houthi militia announced that they were ready to swap 823 prisoners of the pro-government Yemeni forces, including 16 Saudis and three Sudanese, for 1,400 Houthi militants.

Around 15,000 prisoners of war and political prisoners were reportedly held in the Yemeni government and Houthi jails.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in the Yemeni civil war in an attempt to reinstate the Hadi government. 
The European Union on Wednesday proposed banning all imports of Russian oil within the next six months as part of a new suite of economic sanctions. That sort of a market shift could affect the drilling decisions made by oil producers in the U.S.

If the EU enacts such a ban, the bottom line is, it probably raises prices, said Rob Godby, an economics professor at the University of Wyoming. If Europe is going to restrict and accelerate the banning of Russian oil, then theres going to be more bidders in the market for the remaining sources of oil. And thats going to drive up prices worldwide.

Oil is a global commodity, and the higher its price, the more motivated U.S. companies are to produce more of it.

The price of oil surged after Russia invaded Ukraine and have remained high in the months that followed. While the increase proved to be the push many Wyoming companies needed to start actively trying to drill, that growth has been slowed by supply chain issues and labor shortages, which are delaying projects and driving up prices.

I think anything that would be seen as a sustained, profitable price for oil and gas producers in Wyoming is a good thing that will factor into the decisions that companies make, said Ryan McConnaughey, communications director for the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. But given that price is not the only deciding factor, well just have to see how those other constraints play out.

And if oil prices remain elevated, gasoline prices will, too: Regular gasoline averaged $4.18 per gallon across Wyoming on Thursday, breaking the states daily record yet again.

How it all plays out will depend in part on what the plan is, and then peoples perception of how likely it is to be carried out, Godby said.

Before any EU-wide ban can be enacted, the 27 member countries will have to agree on what, exactly, it will look like  no small feat, Godby said, especially when some countries would be hit much harder than others. He expects the deal to evolve as negotiations progress.

It will not be easy, because some member states are strongly dependent on Russian oil, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. But we simply have to do it.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
LARAMIE  In another step in a yearslong battle over the proposed Rail Tie Wind Project, some area residents are making their case to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

The Albany County District Court upheld a March 30 Albany County Commission to grant a permit to ConnectGen, the company leading the project. Known as a Wind Energy Conservation System (WECS) permit, the decision gives ConnectGen the go-ahead to move forward with its wind farm project, which is in planning and permitting stages with construction slated to begin in spring 2023.

About 45 people with interests against the wind farm have signed onto a second appeals process filed last week with the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Monaghan Farms Inc. also filed its own separate appeal.

The 500-megawatt project calls for up to 149 turbines on 26,000 acres of public and private land south of Laramie near Tie Siding. It will tie into the Ault-Craig 345-kilovolt transmission line, which runs through the southern part of the project area.

Noise, light pollution and impacts to wildlife and the natural beauty of the area are among the concerns brought by opponents, many of whom own property near the proposed area for the wind farm, which will be located on private and state lands along Highway 287 south of Laramie near Tie Siding.

Albany County residents felt strongly that their (county commissioners) decision was not based on protecting county residents or Albany Countys natural resources, but were rather motivated by quick tax revenue and political motives, said Paul Montoya, who is part of the appeals process. We feel confident the Wyoming Supreme Court will see the errors in the countys decision-making process and uphold our appeal.

The WECS permit includes nine conditions that are meant to address concerns for residents surrounding the wind farm, said Amanda Flores, manager for the project for ConnectGen.

These include installing fire suppression systems on the turbines; increasing the distance between turbines, residences and public roads; and installing an aircraft detection lighting system to reduce light pollution.

The project has already received necessary state permits and has completed an environmental impact statement. Final engineering and pre-construction planning will continue throughout this year, with construction set to begin next spring.

According to the schedule, the wind farm would be fully operational by the end of 2024.

This isnt about not in our backyard, its about respecting the safety of local residents, said Tie Siding homeowner Andrew Grant. Were here, were paying our taxes. We expect to be looked after.

Grant said that while he supports green energy, he has many concerns about the location of the wind project being in such close proximity to people who live nearby.

Living in the forest, Grant and other residents voiced concerns about increased fire danger and lighting strikes with the roughly 600-foot-tall turbines. While the turbines wont be visible from many houses in the area, residents will be forced to drive past them along Cherokee Park Road, the main route in and out of the area.

What they are trying to do is turn our trip to the grocery store into a game of Russian roulette, as far as were concerned, Grant said of the risk of ice shards falling from turbines.

Modern wind turbines are equipped with an ice detection system that causes the turbines to stop spinning if ice build-up is detected on the blades, according to the ConnectGen website.

In addition to quality-of-life concerns, some residents cited concerns with what they considered to be an insufficient public input process from the Albany County Commission.

Its been a frustrating experience to be given three minutes to verbally address something thats a complicated process, and then have not any questions asked back, said Al Minier, who owns a second home 8 miles south of Tie Siding. Part of this fight is based on the fact that I think the scrutiny given to wind projects is really not adequate.

Mitchell Edwards of Nicholas & Tangeman LLC is representing the opponents. He claims the county failed to follow its own regulations in gathering information on the Rail Tie project and didnt give adequate public notice before meetings in which the project was discussed.

I cant think of any point in this process where anyone from the project has reached out to me and asked for my concerns, Minier said.

The Albany County Attorneys Office did not respond to a request for comment on the appeal by press time.

We believe the District Court correctly concluded that the Albany County Commissioners properly granted the WECS permit in accordance with the applicable regulations and hope the Wyoming Supreme Court will reach the same conclusion, Flores said.

The court will have 120-180 days to issue a written decision on the appeal after undergoing a multi-step process of hearing arguments from both sides. Typically, the appeals process takes between a year and 18 months, Edwards said.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
A man incarcerated at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington died Friday, the Department of Corrections said.

David Russell Tarver was 61.

Tarver was serving an 18- to 20-year sentence after being convicted of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor in 2010 in Laramie County.

CBS Denver reported that he was later sentenced to an additional 88 years to life in Colorado on a 2012 conviction for sexually assaulting three children.

He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, according to the department.

The DOC conducts autopsies on those who die in its care, but does not release results or other protected health information to the public.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
SHERIDAN  A Wyoming GOP committee voted Friday to remove a clause from the state Republican Party bylaws that was being relied upon to fault certain counties for not following the rules.

The amendment unanimously passed in a voice vote. It will go into effect if the full body votes in favor of it Saturday.

The bylaw requires county Republican parties to provide notice to the county clerk of the county convention. Under the change, the bylaw would only requires county parties to notify by any means, physical or electronic, reasonably calculated to give actual notice to the electors in the county, no later than fifteen (15) days prior to the County Convention.

There is no requirement in statute, said Taylor Allred, a Lincoln County Republican, who brought the amendment. Why are we notifying the clerk? The clerk really doesnt have anything to do with it.

The move comes after Sheridan Republican Gail Symons filed a complaint with the state party stating that a handful of counties did not notify their clerk of the convention in time or at all. Symons complaint came in direct response to the Laramie County GOP being put at risk of losing almost all its state convention delegates for violating a different bylaw at their county convention. That violation spurred a formal complaint to the GOP and touched off a controversy over whether the GOP selectively enforces its rules.

Symons, Laramie GOP Chairwoman Dani Olsen and others felt as though Laramie County was being unfairly targeted because it has a history of clashing with state party leadership.

On Thursday, the GOPs credentials committee voted to recommend that Laramie County have only the minimum three of 36 delegates at the convention. That matter will be decided at the convention Saturday.

The counties included in Symons complaint  who tend to get along better with state party leadership  did not receive a recommendation from the credentials committee to lose their delegates.

Theyre ignoring the rule already so they may as well take it out, Symons said.

Jeb Hanson, who spoke against Laramie losing delegates, thinks that the amendment was a good move.

They tend to use some of the bylaws like booby traps, said Jeb Hanson, a Niobrara County Republican. The main thing is that people get notified. I dont think it hurts to get rid of it.

Fridays is the latest episode in a broader battle between traditional and hard-line elements within Wyomings Republican Party.

The number of delegates each county gets at the convention is based on population. Laramie is the most populous in the state, but would have four fewer delegates than the smallest county in the state  Niobrara has seven convention delegates.

Natrona County, the second most populous in Wyoming, has already lost most of its delegates over lack of dues payments. That county also regularly clashes with Wyoming Republican Party leadership.

The size of a countys delegation affects the number of votes it gets at the convention, and likewise, its influence on the broader policy discussions held at the convention, which includes votes on party platforms, resolutions and rules. The decisions made and adopted at the convention can influence the states politics, such as which bills are brought to the Wyoming Legislature.

Malcolm Ervin, president of the Wyoming County Clerks Association, did not immediately respond to request for comment. Crook County Clerk Linda Fritz said the bylaw change would not leave residents less informed.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
JACKSON (WNE)  As with face masks and other pandemic precautions, not everyone was a fan of the COVID-19 vaccine.

But in Teton County, 93% of residents are fully vaccinated, making it one of the top 10 most vaccinated counties in the country, according to a May 4 U.S. News report.

Public health officials are celebrating the statistic, even as they continue to give out shots. Jodie Pond, public health director for the Teton County Health Department, said her staff administered over 200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine just last week, including some first doses.

The department is also expecting results from its application for a National Association of Counties Achievement Award in the coming weeks. In that application, staff highlighted the extensive work of volunteers who helped Teton County achieve such a staggering vaccination rate.

For example, 133 volunteers worked a total of 2,064 hours in the call center alone, answering all manner of pandemic questions from community members trying to understand a rapidly evolving situation to keep their families safe and informed.

On the vaccine front, large-scale vaccination events at the Target building and the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole would not have been possible without an army of volunteers.

With coordination assistance from Team Rubicon, 57 administrative volunteers covered 387 shifts, working a total of 1,548 hours. Volunteer vaccinators numbered 365, serving a collective 7,918 hours.

Those efforts meant people who wanted a shot could typically get one as soon as they were eligible.

Teton County led the nation in per-capita COVID cases during the January omicron surge, but St. Johns Health wasnt overrun with patients, and only two reported deaths were linked to the virus at the time.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
AS INFLATION rates climb throughout the Caribbean, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Cleviston Haynes is cautious about wage adjustments to match it.

A wage adjustment to match inflation is really not the first best option for us, Haynes said at an inflation discussion hosted by the Central Bank of Barbados on Thursday night.
AFTER finding his wife in a hotel room with another man hiding under the bed, an Arima man n
Thirty-eight per cent of the murders committed in Trinidad and Tobago for the year thus far 
EU could approve vaccines adapted to target COVID-19 variants by September

Xinhua) 10:15, May 06, 2022

THE HAGUE, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Vaccines adapted to address COVID-19 variants such as Omicron could be approved by the European Union (EU) by September, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday.

These adapted vaccines will "match more closely Omicron and other variants that have emerged recently," said Marco Cavaleri, the EMA's head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy.

These vaccines could be administered to people both vaccinated or unvaccinated, he told a press conference.

Cavaleri said the adaptive vaccines could be "approved by September at the latest to be ready for the roll-out of new immunization campaigns in the EU in the autumn."

The EMA official said that although the COVID-19 situation has stabilized in the EU, infections are still in the millions worldwide.

"The pandemic is far from over. COVID-19 will continue to affect our lives," he said.

"We must remain vigilant and should be prepared for the appearance of a new variant and for a possible surge of COVID-19 cases in the coming winter," he said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Israeli security and rescue personnel work at the scene of an attack in Elad, Israel, on May 5, 2022.

Two Palestinians armed with axes attacked passers-by in central Israel on Thursday night, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing the scene, Israeli authorities said.

The attack took place in Elad, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

RAMALLAH/GAZA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday condemned a deadly ax attack in central Israel while the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) justified the attack as a response to Israel's recent violations against Palestinian sanctities.

"The killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians only leads to a further deterioration of the situation," Abbas was quoted by the official Palestinian news agency (WAFA) as saying.

Abbas warned that the incident would be used as an excuse "to carry out attacks and reactions against our Palestinian people."

On Thursday night, Israeli authorities said that two Palestinians armed with axes attacked passers-by in the central Israeli city of Elad, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing the scene.

Israel condemned the killers as terrorists, and has launched a manhunt for them. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Hamas and other Palestinian factions hailed the attack and said in separate statements that it is "a natural response to the endless Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem."

Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, on Thursday played down the Israeli threats to target Hamas leaders following the ax attack, adding that "Al-Aqsa is a red line that is not subject to any compromises."

The movement's politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a press statement on Thursday that the Israeli threats to assassinate Palestinian leaders "will not deter us from defending our land and our sanctity," and "the Palestinians will not keep silent when the sanctities, mainly the Al-Aqsa Mosque, are targeted."

The Elad attack came amid Israel's celebration of the 74th Independence Day and the rising Israeli-Palestinian tensions caused by a recent spate of deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis, fatal Israeli raids in the West Bank, and repeated clashes between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Since March, 18 Israelis have been killed in more than five shooting and stabbing attacks in northern, central, and southern Israel, according to the Israeli media, which said the attacks are the most deadly ones in seven years. 

Israeli security and rescue personnel work at the scene of an attack in Elad, Israel, on May 5, 2022.

Two Palestinians armed with axes attacked passers-by in central Israel on Thursday night, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing the scene, Israeli authorities said.

The attack took place in Elad, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli security personnel stand guard at the scene of an attack in Elad, Israel, on May 5, 2022.

Two Palestinians armed with axes attacked passers-by in central Israel on Thursday night, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing the scene, Israeli authorities said.

The attack took place in Elad, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

The scene of an attack is cordoned off in Elad, Israel, on May 5, 2022.

Two Palestinians armed with axes attacked passers-by in central Israel on Thursday night, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing the scene, Israeli authorities said.

The attack took place in Elad, a Jewish ultra-Orthodox city east of Tel Aviv. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)
The two separate cases of teenaged girls who went missing last week and were found in shacks
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon says the majority of Russian forces that had been around the port city of Mariupol have left and headed north, leaving roughly the equivalent of two battalion tactical groups there, or about 2,000 troops.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that even as Russian airstrikes continue to bombard Mariupol, Moscows forces are still making only plodding and incremental progress as the main fight presses on in the eastern Donbas region.

He said he has seen no change in Russian behavior or momentum as May 9 draws near.

Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9, the anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. There have been suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to tout a major victory in Ukraine when he makes his address during the traditional military parade on Red Square.

Kirby said the U.S. still assesses that Russia is behind schedule and not making the progress in the Donbas that it expected.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Seemed like goodbye: Mariupol defenders make their stand

 The AP Interview: Belarus admits Russias war drags on

 US shared intelligence about Moskva cruiser prior to the strike that sank it

 $6.5 billion raised at donors conference for Ukraine

 US announces seizure of superyacht owned by Russian oligarch

 Europeans weigh costs of cutting Russian energy over Ukraine

 Easy out from steel mill seen as unlikely for Ukraine troops

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

MARIUPOL, Ukraine -- A cleanup operation took place in the center of Mariupol even as Ukrainian fighters held out against Russian troops in the citys pulverized steel plant. The rest of the city is now under Russian control.

Municipal workers, as well as volunteers, were seen Thursday clearing debris near gutted, charred buildings, including the drama theater where hundreds died when the Russian military bombed it in March. Some workers hung a Russian flag on a tall utility pole.

One volunteer, who gave only his first name, Denis, said he was helping restore parks and war monuments so the city could celebrate Victory Day on Monday. Russia celebrates victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9.

KYIV, Ukraine  In his nightly video address Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described a catastrophic lack of access to medical services and medicine in areas of the country under Russian occupation.

In those areas, he said almost no treatment was available for those suffering from cancer and where insulin for diabetics was difficult to find or non-existent. He said antibiotics were in short supply.

Zelenskyy also said that during the course of the war, the Russian military has already fired 2,014 missiles on Ukraine, while 2,682 flights of Russian warplanes have been recorded in Ukrainian skies. He said the destroyed or damaged infrastructure includes nearly 400 hospitals and other medical facilities.

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush says he spoke Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Winston Churchill of our time.

I thanked the President for his leadership, his example, and his commitment to liberty, and I saluted the courage of the Ukrainian people, Bush said in a Twitter post, which included photos of the two men speaking by video link.

President Zelenskyy assured me that they will not waver in their fight against Putins barbarism and thuggery. Americans are inspired by their fortitude and resilience. We will continue to stand with Ukrainians as they stand up for their freedom.

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations says a third operation is underway to evacuate civilians from Mariupols besieged steel plant and the city, which is surrounded by Russian forces.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that a third evacuation is taking place and U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said its aim is to evacuate more civilians from Mariupol and the sprawling Azovstal steel plant.

Guterres said 101 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal plant along with 59 more from a neighboring area in the first operation that ended Tuesday. He said that in the second operation, which was completed Wednesday night, more than 320 civilians were evacuated from the city of Mariupol and surrounding areas.

The secretary-general negotiated the agreement for civilian evacuations from besieged areas including Mariupol with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine. Guterres expressed hope that continued cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the two governments will lead to more humanitarian pauses to allow civilians safe passage from the fighting and aid to reach those in critical need.

Griffiths told a U.N. pledging conference for Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland, earlier Thursday that a convoy left for Mariupol on Thursday and expects to arrive Friday morning and hopes to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant.

KYIV, Ukraine  The regional governor says a missile attack on the city of Kramatorsk in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region injured 25 people and inflicted wide-ranging damage.

In a Telegram post, Pavlo Kyrylenko says 810 apartments in 32 high-rise buildings sustained damage as the result of an air strike Thursday morning. The post featured photos of multiple buildings reduced to rubble.

Kyrylenko added that six private houses, two schools, a kindergarten and a medical institution were also damaged. He said he had not received reports of any fatalities.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian army says Russian troops made unsuccessful attempts to advance in the eastern Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

A Facebook post published Thursday afternoon on the official profile of the Ukrainian General Staff says the Russians also continue to launch missile strikes on transport facilities in order to prevent the movement of humanitarian cargo and military-technical assistance.

MOSCOW  The Russian military says its air force has destroyed 45 Ukrainian military facilities in the latest series of strikes.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the targets hit Thursday by the Russian air force included Ukrainian troops and weapons concentrations and an ammunition depot in the eastern Luhansk region.

Konashenkov said the Russian missile units hit a Ukrainian artillery battery at its firing positions near the settlement of Zarozhne, a battery of Uragan multiple rocket launchers near Mykolaiv and four other areas of concentration of military personnel and military hardware. He said the Russian artillery hit 152 Ukrainian troops strongholds and 38 artillery firing positions.

Konashenkovs claims could not be independently confirmed.

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the nation's foreign minister will soon travel to Ukraine on an official visit after the two countries resolved a diplomatic spat Thursday.

The German government had traded barbs with Ukraines ambassador in Berlin after Kyiv appeared to snub an offer to visit by Germanys president.

It was unclear when exactly Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will visit Kyiv, and whether she would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Speaking after a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Scholz also said Germany is working hard to build new infrastructure for energy imports along its northern coast to help replace gas and oil currently delivered from Russia by pipeline. He said Germany is willing to cooperate closely with those countries that dont have direct access to seaports.

ROME  The United Nations food aid agency is appealing for Black Sea ports in Ukraine to be open again to permit shipping of wheat and corn exports, which many poor nations depend on.

The Rome-based World Food Program noted in its appeal Thursday that before the war launched by Russia, 98% of Ukraines grain exports had moved through those ports.

It said in a statement that a month after the war began on Feb. 24, export prices for wheat had risen by 22% and maize by 20%  thats on top of already steep rises in 2021 and earlier this year.

The U.N. agency says the ports, in Ukraines south, which has suffered from heavy shelling, must resume operations to protect Ukrainian agricultural production and enable exports that are critical to Ukraines economy and global food security. It cited war-ravaged, impoverished Yemen, which imports more than half of its wheat from Ukraine or Russia, and which depends on shipping for its food imports.

JERUSALEM  Israels Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin over controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscows top diplomat.

There was no mention of an apology in the Russian statement on the call.

An Israeli statement says the two leaders spoke by phone Thursday and also discussed plans to evacuate civilians from a besieged steel plant in the port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine.

A statement from Bennetts office says Putin promised to allow the evacuation of civilians, including wounded civilians, through a U.N. and Red Cross humanitarian corridor.

Bennett spoke to Putin after a call on Wednesday with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the Israeli leader appeared to renew his role as a mediator in the conflict.

That role was thrown into doubt earlier this week when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested Ukraine could have Nazi elements even though Zelenskyy is Jewish, and then suggested Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins.

Israelis expressed shock and outrage at the remarks, which appeared to blame the Holocaust on Jews themselves, and the government summoned Russias ambassador in protest.

ROME  The Italian government is significantly stepping up its funding to help refugees from Ukraine who arrive in Italy.

Premier Mario Draghi told a high-level donors conference, being hosted in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday by Poland and Sweden, that Italy has already allocated some 500 million euros ($550 million) to help the refugees, but now it has increased that funding to more than 800 million euros.

As of this week, more than 107,000 people, most of them women or children, have fled the war in Ukraine for Italy. In addition to aid already earmarked for Ukraines general budget, Italy also plans to lend the war-ravaged country some 200 million euros more, Draghi said.

In addition, Italy has spent some 26 million euros on humanitarian aid such as tents, ambulances and medicine.

KYIV, Ukraine  The mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk urged local residents Thursday to leave for the countryside over the upcoming Russian Victory Day weekend. A municipal celebration set to take place from Friday to Sunday has also been canceled.

I ask, if possible, on May 7, 8 and 9, that ... all residents of Ivano-Frankivsk not gather in the city, on the lake, in the park and in other public places, Ruslan Martsinkiv said in a video message posted on his Telegram channel.

He claimed to have received reports that Russia is planning to continue carrying out missile strikes in the region.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia announced that a curfew will be in force between Sunday evening and Monday morning. Similar long curfews have been put in place in Ukrainian cities near front lines over security concerns.

KYIV, Ukraine  According to Ukrainian news agencies, a Ukrainian government body began Thursday to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan.

The Reforms Office, which operates under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, was cited as saying a working group mechanism was launched Thursday to analyze the current situation and develop proposals for the plan for the reconstruction and development of Ukraine. Earlier that day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the launch of a national fundraising platform called United24.

The moves came as an international donors conference was closing in Warsaw, Poland. According to remarks made Thursday by the Polish prime minister, $6.5 billion in humanitarian was raised at the event, attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from Europe and beyond.

BERLIN  German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday in an effort to resolve a diplomatic spat between the two countries.

German government officials, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, had expressed annoyance after Ukraine made clear last month it didnt want Steinmeier to visit because of his past dealings with Russia. Ukraines ambassador in Berlin, in turn, branded Scholz an offended liverwurst for saying the incident was a problem in the countries relations.

Steinmeiers office said the two presidents resolved irritations of the past during their call. Steinmeier expressed his solidarity, respect and support for the brave fight by the Ukrainian people against the Russian aggressor, it said.

It was unclear whether Steinmeier, whose position as head of state is largely ceremonial, would visit Kyiv soon. The President of parliament, Baerbel Bas, who is ranked after Steinmeier but before Scholz according to German political protocol, is expected to visit Ukraine on Sunday.

Separately, Scholz pledged at a Ukraine donors conference Thursday to provide the country with more than 600 million euros in additional humanitarian assistance, loans and development aid.

KYIV, Ukraine  A Ukrainian officer leading the defense of the last bulwark of the strategic city of Mariupol has urged the global community to pressure Russia to allow the evacuation of civilians and wounded soldiers.

Heavy fighting raged Thursday at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, as Russian forces attempted to finish off the citys last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port.

Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers are holed up in the steel mills underground bunkers, many of them wounded. Some civilians are with them, too.

Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of Ukraines Azov Regiment, said in a video statement from the steel mills bunkers Thursday that the wounded soldiers are dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment.

He urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to help ensure the evacuation of the wounded and civilians still in the bunkers.

Addressing the world community, Palamar denounced the Russians for refusing to observe any ethical norms and destroying people before the eyes of the world.

Videos shared online appeared to show the steel mill targeted by intense shelling at dawn Thursday. Data from NASA fire-tracking satellites corresponded to blazes being seen at the plant just after 6 a.m. Thursday.

Russia maintains that its forces are not entering the maze of tunnels at the steel plant, but Palamar said the Russian forces are fighting in the Azovstal mill.

Its been the third day that the enemy has broken through to the territory of Azovstal. Fierce bloody combat is ongoing, said Palamar.

The defenders of the city (Mariupol) have been fighting alone for 71 days with the overwhelming forces of the enemy and show such endurance and heroism that the country must know what it means to be loyal to the motherland, Palamar said on the Telegram messaging app.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Finland has decided to send more defense equipment to Ukraine, saying the war-torn country has requested assistance from the European Union and NATO member states.

We will increase the amount of defense materiel assistance that we send to Ukraine, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said in a statement.

On Thursday, Finlands president gave his approval to the Finnish governments proposal to send more defense hardware.

No details on what types of defense equipment will be sent were released.

Finland, a member of the EU but not of NATO, earlier sent Ukraine bulletproof vests, composite helmets, stretchers, as well as assault rifles, anti-tank weapons and combat ration packages.

MADRID  A judge in Spain on Thursday ordered the provisional release of Anatoly Shariy, a Ukrainian politician-blogger accused of treason in his home country.

Shariy was arrested on Wednesday in the coastal city of Tarragona on an international arrest warrant issued by Ukraine, according to Spains National Court. Court documents said Shariy is accused of high treason and incitement of hatred.

Shariy, who has reportedly lived in Spain since 2019, was ordered to turn in his passport and remain in the country. The court said officials in Ukraine now have 40 days to formally present a request for Shariys extradition.

His arrest was announced by Ukraines security services on Thursday, who said there was reason to believe Shariy was acting on behalf of foreign entities.

Shariy, the founder of a political party considered by many Ukrainians to be pro-Russian, has been a vocal and active critic of Ukraines government.

Ukrainian media reported that one of the members of the party said in February, prior to the start of the war, that Shariy had been granted asylum in the European Union.

WARSAW, Poland  Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says that $6.5 billion has been raised at an international donors conference in Warsaw to provide humanitarian help for war-torn Ukraine.

The conference on Thursday was co-hosted by Poland and Sweden and attended by prime ministers and ambassadors representing many European countries, as well as countries further afield and some businesses.

Much of the world has responded to the war in Ukraine with an outpouring of humanitarian support. But as the war drags on for weeks, the humanitarian needs in Ukraine have grown more acute. In addition to the thousands killed, millions of people have been displaced, and there are increasing reports of people being tortured and raped.

VILNIUS, Lithuania  A 500-million-euro ($530 million) Lithuanian-Polish natural gas transmission pipeline was inaugurated Thursday, completing another stage of regional independence from Russian energy sources.

The Gas Interconnection Poland-Lithuania pipeline that runs more than 500 kilometers (310 miles), comes at a time when Russia has once again tried to blackmail us using gas, Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the inauguration.

Lithuanias Prime Minister Ingridas Simonyte added that any reduction or disappearance of this source of funding would have a very significant impact on the Russian economy and the ability to continue financing the war in Ukraine.

The Lithuania-Poland leg is integrated with pipelines in the other two Baltic states  Estonia and Latvia  and Finland, and into the European Union gas transmission system. Before the pipeline was built, the four countries could only receive pipeline gas from Russia.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines government has launched a global fundraising platform so individuals can donate to help rebuild Ukraine, offer humanitarian aid, and raise money for demining.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the initiative, called United24, on Thursday.

The United States and Europe, among others, have offered billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress for $33 billion to bolster Ukraines fight against Russia.

Ukraines newest fundraising drive is intended to give individuals a way to donate on their own with a single click, Zelenskyy said.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said Thursday that Russia has decided to expel four diplomats with Denmarks Embassy in Moscow.

They have wrongfully become pieces in Putins cynical power play, Kofod said. It is a completely unjustified and deeply problematic decision, which underscores that Russia no longer wants real dialogue and diplomacy.

Moscow said seven Danish diplomats were expelled. Danish media said that those expelled included four diplomats and three others without diplomatic status. They must leave within two weeks.

Moscows tit-for-tat decision came after Denmark last month expelled 15 Russian intelligence officers who worked at Russias Embassy in Copenhagen. Several other European countries also expelled Russian intelligence officers.

SOFIA, Bulgaria  In anticipation of a European Union embargo on Russian crude oil Bulgaria says it's looking for an exemption due to its dependence on supplies from Russia.

Bulgaria's only oil refinery near the Black Sea port of Burgas is owned by Russias oil giant LUKOIL and is the main fuel supplier in the country.

Still, Deputy Prime Minister Assen Vassilev told reporters that the refinery is already processing up to 50% non-Russian crude and theoretically should be able to fully eliminate Russian crude.

Bulgaria, technologically, can do without Russian crude oil, but this would significantly increase fuel prices, Vassilev said. In case the European Commission weighs some exemptions, we would like to take advantage of it, because it will be in the best interest of Bulgarian consumers.

Slovakia and Hungary have already asked for such exemptions.

Russia stopped gas deliveries to Bulgaria last week in response to Sofias refusal to pay for it in rubles saying it violates existing contracts.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


U.S. regulators are strictly limiting who can receive Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine due to a rare but serious risk of blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&Js vaccine. The decision is the latest restriction to hit the company's vaccine, which has long been overshadowed in the U.S. by the more effective shots from Pfizer and Moderna. In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended using the Moderna and Pfizer shots over J&Js because of its safety issues.
A 7-month-old girl with a bright, shining personality has been selected as the 2022 Gerber Spokesbaby and Chief Growing Officer.

Isa Slish, from Edmond, Oklahoma, was born without a a femur or a fibula in her right leg. Her mom hopes she can bring awareness about limb differences.

The results are in: The newest Gerber baby melts hearts with her joyful giggle and loves to snuggle. https://t.co/7ZQhGYyrMk  TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 4, 2022

Gerber said Isa will work together with Gerber to help the next generation of babies grow and thrive.

"She will have the opportunity to serve as official Chief Taste Tester to taste and review new baby food products and provide the Gerber executive team advice about what babies need for the future.

Isas mom, Meredith, said her daughter is a strong amazing little girl

Her smile lights up the room and her laughter is irresistible.

Before she was born in September of 2021, we knew Isa was special, and she has shown us that every day since she came into our lives.

We found out when I was 18 weeks pregnant that Isa would be born without a femur or a fibula in her right leg. We hope Isas story can bring more awareness for limb differences and create greater inclusion for children like her. Because, just like Isa, they too can be or do anything they want!

Gerber said Isa enjoys spending her days her babbling to her older sister Temperance (age 4) and enjoying the breeze outside in the evening with her dad John. Her favorite foods include Gerber Sweet Potato Puffs and Gerber 1st Foods Butternut Squash. Isa is a super happy baby and really enjoys playing with her hippo and listening to soundtracks from her favorite movies.

Isa and her family will receive a cash prize of $25,000. A matching donation will be made by Gerber to the March of Dimes maternal and infant health programs.

Isa also will receive free Gerber product for up to one year, a CGO wardrobe valued at $1,000 provided by Gerber Childrenswear and a $1,000 gift card from ezpz for mealtime dishware and utensils.

Most popular baby names in the last 100 years Most popular baby names in the last 100 years #50. Jerry (boys) #50. Virginia (girls) #49. Dennis (boys) #49. Janet (girls) #48. Jack (boys) #48. Carolyn (girls) #47. Patrick (boys) #47. Rachel (girls) #46. Alexander (boys) #46. Debra (girls) #45. Raymond (boys) #44. Gregory (boys) #44. Christine (girls) #43. Frank (boys) #43. Ruth (girls) #42. Samuel (boys) #42. Emma (girls) #41. Benjamin (boys) #41. Katherine (girls) #40. Brandon (boys) #40. Samantha (girls) #39. Scott (boys) #39. Nicole (girls) #38. Justin (boys) #38. Pamela (girls) #37. Larry (boys) #37. Brenda (girls) #36. Stephen (boys) #36. Anna (girls) #35. Jonathan (boys) #35. Helen (girls) #34. Eric (boys) #34. Angela (girls) #33. Nicholas (boys) #33. Shirley (girls) #32. Gary (boys) #32. Amy (girls) #31. Jacob (boys) #31. Kathleen (girls) #30. Ryan (boys) #29. Jeffrey (boys) #29. Sharon (girls) #28. Jason (boys) #28. Laura (girls) #27. Timothy (boys) #27. Rebecca (girls) #26. Ronald (boys) #26. Stephanie (girls) #25. Edward (boys) #25. Deborah (girls) #24. George (boys) #24. Melissa (girls) #23. Brian (boys) #23. Amanda (girls) #22. Kevin (boys) #22. Carol (girls) #21. Joshua (boys) #21. Michelle (girls) #20. Kenneth (boys) #20. Donna (girls) #19. Andrew (boys) #19. Emily (girls) #18. Steven (boys) #18. Kimberly (girls) #17. Paul (boys) #17. Dorothy (girls) #16. Mark (boys) #16. Ashley (girls) #15. Donald (boys) #15. Sandra (girls) #14. Anthony (boys) #14. Betty (girls) #13. Matthew (boys) #13. Margaret (girls) #12. Daniel (boys) #12. Lisa (girls) #11. Christopher (boys) #11. Nancy (girls) #10. Charles (boys) #10. Karen (girls) #9. Thomas (boys) #9. Sarah (girls) #8. Joseph (boys) #8. Jessica (girls) #7. Richard (boys) #7. Susan (girls) #6. David (boys) #6. Barbara (girls) #5. William (boys) #5. Elizabeth (girls) #4. Michael (boys) #4. Linda (girls) #3. Robert (boys) #3. Jennifer (girls) #2. John (boys) #2. Patricia (girls) #1. James (boys) #1. Mary (girls)

2022 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit pennlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


The public will get another chance to comment on proposed Air Force changes to flight rules over 10 military airspaces across Arizona and New Mexico, including lower supersonic flights and longer nighttime flying hours.

The Air Force has extended until June 3 a public-comment period on scoping for a draft environmental impact statement on the proposed changes, after announcing in January the intent to publish a draft statement and initially accepting comments through a scoping period ended March 4.

Comments may be submitted online via the project web page, ArizonaRegionalAirspaceEIS.com, where full details also are available; or via mail to Arizona Regional Airspace EIS, c/o Cardno, 501 Butler Farm Road, Suite H, Hampton, VA 23666.

The Air Force said the comment period was extended in response to public and stakeholder input, including comments gathered at six in-person meetings held in affected communities in February.

The Air Force says the changes to the special-use airspaces called Military Operations Areas, or MOAs, are needed to optimize training conducted by units at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the Morris Air National Guard Base at Tucson International Airport and Luke Air Force base near Phoenix.

The proposed changes would affect the adjacent Sells, Ruby and Fuzzy MOAs, stretching southwest of Tucson from Interstate 19 to near Ajo; the Tombstone MOA, over the southeast corner of Arizona and southwest corner of New Mexico; the adjacent Bagdad and Gladden MOAs northwest of Phoenix; and the Outlaw, Jackal, Morenci and Reserve MOAs, which together stretch across a huge swath of east-central Arizona into New Mexico.

Besides allowing supersonic training flights at lower levels in five of the MOAs, the proposed changes include extending flying hours until midnight in several areas; lowering some flight floors; adding about 750 square miles to the Tombstone MOA and allowing the release of decoy metallic chaff there; and allowing flares to be launched at lower altitudes in some areas.

The Air Force is due to issue a draft environmental impact statement in fall 2023, and after further public comment and review, issue a final statement by summer 2024.

Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.



Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Tucson's first youth mariachi group, Los Changuitos Feos, has been a mainstay of the Tucson music scene since 1964.

In 1964, a group of Tucson boys gathered in the basement of the old All Saints Catholic Church on South Sixth Avenue to be part of a new youth group. Most were in high school but a couple of them were younger. They signed up, with their parents enthusiastic endorsement, to form a mariachi ensemble.

The group of seven boys was christened Los Changuitos Feos, the Ugly Little Monkeys.  Ernesto Portillo Jr.
The University of Arizona Veterans Education and Transition Services Center held a graduation ceremony on the UA campus on May 5, 2022. Sixty veteran students will graduate and those in attendance received a stole featuring the colors of the branch in which they served.
Nancy Bender hosted her first public event in nearly two years at her Whistle Stop Depot last weekend, a trial for having more community events at the 5,500-square-foot former warehouse.

Only a handful of people showed up to see the Brian Berggoetz Band on April 30, which Bender said was probably a good thing. The event, which was hardly advertised, gave Bender and her crew a chance to see what it will look like come fall when they begin hosting more events.

Before last weekend, Whistle Stop Depot had been mostly used for private affairs, from weddings to corporate parties. The full-service venue at 127 W. Fifth St., which had hosted everything from BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Art and Salvage) events and art shows since 2013, has a bar and catering facilities, a half-acre of outdoor space dotted with Chinese jujube fruit trees and concrete bench seating and plenty of parking on the adjacent half-acre dirt lot abutting what will soon be the citys Deck Plaza Park  part of the yearslong Downtown Links project.

But those are mere sales pitches on a rental agreement.

Whistle Stop Depot is an events venue with great bones and an even greater story that unfolds when you enter through the front doors  two heavy, 10-foot tall sections of a plane fuselage welded to metal bedframes. They are so heavy that sometimes they need to use a hand-operated pulley system to get them open.

Preserving the neighborhood

One of the first things Benders Dunbar/Spring neighbors asked her when she bought the old metal warehouse in 2008 was what she planned to do with it.

Beats her, she confessed.

But she knew what she didnt want to do.

She didnt want to build an expensive high-rise apartment complex or bring in a chain restaurant that would fill the quiet neighborhood with unwanted traffic.

First and foremost, she wanted to get in on the ground floor of what she saw as an inevitable: Downtown Tucson in 2007 was on the verge of incredible growth, which she was witnessing from her first downtown venture, a four-plex she bought in Armory Park.

She rents the units, all furnished, to traveling nurses, who pay the $1,400 a month rent to have somewhere nice to stay while they work for a few months at a stretch.

Bender admits she had an oddly immediate connection to the old warehouse when her realtor showed her the building, which she says was quite an eyesore. But here it sat in this historic neighborhood inhabited by artists and academics living in tidy little bungalow homes that dated back to early last century.

She could do something with that building that would do no harm to the neighborhoods character, something that would actually enhance it, she thought.

Problem was the city wanted to be rid of the eyesore. The original owner of the building, which dates to 1950 or so, never complied with any city building codes. The building had no running water, for example, and was uninhabitable by city standards.

I wanted to save the building, and I didnt want it to go into hands of a developer who would change the nature and character of the neighborhood, Bender said one day in early April as she walked around the historic Dunbar/Spring neighborhood, pointing out the ramshackle row houses at the end of her block and the small church across the street.

She motioned down the block to a small apartment building just past North Ninth Avenue where a developer has plans to build a six-story structure that will include retail on the first floor.

Bender said she worries that sort of development will change the nature of Dunbar/Spring, and she wants no role in that.

Her plan with Whistle Stop Depot was to enhance the neighborhoods sense of community.

It felt right, the 74-year-old retired California school teacher said. It felt like that building needed to be saved, and who knows what could become of it if the community got access to that acre of land downtown.

Reclaimed and repurposed

Saving the building was a nice sentiment, but actually doing it was a test of true patience.

A dozen years worth of patience, Bender guesses.

Thats how long it took her and her crew of mostly volunteer artisans and craftsmen, including Benders ex Carlton White, to reimagine and rebuild the old warehouse. A fire all but destroyed it on the very day Bender was closing escrow in 2008; fire officials later labeled it arson.

White was the architect of much of the welding work inside and out, including the wrought-iron fence that circles the half-acre lot. White welded together the fuselage for the front door and installed the door at the loading dock entrance, using one they salvaged from a DEA jail that was torn down in 2011 or 2012.

Everything used to bring Whistle Stop Depot back to life was reclaimed or salvaged, from the tin roof on the original building  its now the interior walls  to old metal shelves that White welded together to make moveable walls to divide the space as needed.

Off-white porcelain toilet tank tops are mounted to the wall leading to the restrooms. Doors from an old Sundance Equipment Rental Co. truck frame the metal bar; Bender said the doors were left outside her gate one day by someone who must have known she would put them to good use.

Beers, hard seltzers and other adult beverages are stored in a medical specimens refrigerator that Bender scored for $500.

But the centerpiece of the project is a 42-foot bell tower that eclipses the roof line and is visible from downtown.

Bender said the tower is not open to the public, although authorized personnel can access it from a metal platform attached to a metal staircase that White created to reach the piano loft on top of the restrooms.

The tower is mostly used for storage, but its primary purpose is as a solar chimney designed by the University of Arizona Department of Environmental Science to help cool the building. The chimney powers oversized swamp coolers to circulate hot air up the tower and out of the building, keeping the space 25 degrees cooler than the outside, Bender said.

Explore beyond the iron gates

Whistle Stop Depot is holding a few private events this month as it winds down for summer break; its too hot for any sort of sizable gathering in the summer months so Bender will use the time to tinker.

She is sure she can create something wonderful from the piles of metal car parts and discarded piano innards, metal work tables and oversized metal tire rims that fill a corner of the yard. Some will end up decorating the walls and some will be turned into inventive furniture, like her plans to turn a tailgate and bumper into a couch.

But all of that is mostly cosmetic.

Last month Bender brought on an event planner to help book bands and other public events at the Whistle Stop Depot. And once the weather turns less hot in the fall, she is planning a grand opening shindig for all those folks who have been curious about what lies beyond her wrought iron gates.

It is truly unique, she said. My gut levels, they are not money-based. They are community-based  and this is the anchor; it is the liaison between the commercial downtown area and Dunbar/Spring.

Photos: Whistle Stop Depot along the RR tracks in Tucson Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson, 2022 Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson Whistle Stop Depot, Tucson

Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.



Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
PHNOM PENH, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Projects under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have been greatly boosting Cambodia's economy and improving local people's livelihoods, Cambodian officials and experts said.

Large BRI projects in the Southeast Asian country include the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, hydropower plants, Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, new Siem Reap International Airport, Morodok Techo National Stadium, roads and bridges, hospitals, and rural water supply among others.

"These projects have provided and will continue to provide a lot of tangible benefits to the economy and people of Cambodia," Vasim Sorya, undersecretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, told Xinhua.

"The BRI projects here are sincere with no strings attached, and their aim is to help boost our socio-economic development and improve our people's livelihoods," he said.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all BRI projects in the kingdom have made headway steadily, Sorya said, giving an example of the construction work on the 2-billion-U.S. dollar Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway.

Begun in 2019, the project is expected to be fully finished on schedule this year, he said, adding that it has generated more than 3,000 jobs for Cambodians during the construction.

"The 190-km expressway is the largest project under the BRI in Cambodia, and it will add a new impetus to Cambodia's economic development since it links the capital Phnom Penh with the international deep-water seaport in Sihanoukville," he said.

The BRI, a reference to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was initiated by China in 2013 to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

Sorya said that all BRI projects have been built in an environment friendly manner.

Since its inception in 2013, the BRI has significantly boosted regional and global cooperation in terms of hard and soft infrastructures, economy, trades, investment opportunities, cultural exchange, and people to people connectivity, he said.

"Generally speaking, the BRI has provided tremendous opportunities and benefits to all participating countries around the world, helping to boost regional and global economies during and after the pandemic," Sorya said. "This initiative, in my view, is importantly contributing to building a community of shared future for mankind."

Ministry of Commerce's undersecretary of state and spokesman Penn Sovicheat said the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) is the a perfect example of a win-win cooperation under the BRI.

"The SSEZ has provided a lot of jobs to the workers and served as a role model for the cluster industries and as a base for exports," he told Xinhua.

According to an operator's report, the SSEZ recorded a surge of 42 percent year-on-year in the value of imports and exports, reaching 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

For the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, Sovicheat said the project is crucial to reducing travel time and transportation cost, improving the logistics connectivity, and increasing the import-export activities between Cambodia and the world, especially China.

Neak Chandarith, director of the Cambodia 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Research Center, said the BRI has been greatly contributing to Cambodia's development strategies, such as the Rectangular Strategy Phase IV, the Industrial Development Policy 2015-2025, the logistic system improvement master plan, and the multipurpose special economic zones in the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

"It will help Cambodia to achieve its ambitious goal of becoming an upper-middle income country by 2030 and a high income country in 2050," he told Xinhua. "The BRI projects will be the major contributors to Cambodia's economic growth in the post-pandemic era."

Mak Chamroeun, vice president of Phnom Penh-based online market Smile Shop, said the BRI is building a connected world with peace, harmony, common development and prosperity, and for Cambodia the BRI projects have delivered many potential benefits to businesses and local residents.

"China, ranked top among foreign investors in Cambodia, has various investments in Cambodia's backboned sectors such as special economic zones, transport infrastructure, energy, agriculture, telecommunication, and tourism among others," he told Xinhua.

"All these infrastructure projects have been playing a key role not only in improving people's daily lives, but also in promoting economic growth and modernizing rural areas," he said. 
Controversial Border Patrol teams that have investigated fellow agents in extreme use-of-force cases are being eliminated, according to a memo released today.

News that the teams were going to be disbanded was contained in a memo from Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus that was released Friday.

CBP will eliminate all Critical Incident Teams by Oct. 1, the end of the 2022 fiscal year. And Border Patrol personnel will no longer respond to critical incidents for scene processing or evidence collection, Fridays memo said.

Ensuring CBP has a robust and responsive critical incident response process is essential to maintaining the publics trust, the memo said.

Earlier this year, heads of Border Patrol and the Office of Professional Responsibility released guidance that directed any use of the teams happen under the direction of the Office of Professional Responsibility commander.

The Critical Incidents program was not a complete failure, Magnus told the Star, but he understands the concerns raised by critics.

Which is why were taking steps to assure theres the necessary oversight, that the right people are engaged in doing the work, and that everybody has consistent training, Magnus said. I think thats going to help address those concerns.

CBPs Office of Professional Responsibility will take over investigating critical incident response. That includes incidents of use-of-force by an agent, vehicular pursuits, incidents involving serious injury or death, detention standards and in-custody and other deaths. The office will be responsible for ensuring all reviews and investigations are conducted by personnel with appropriate expertise, training and oversight, the memo said.

The office will hire as many as 350 new personnel to carry out critical incident investigations. They will receive advanced training in use-of-force, sexual assault and death investigations as well as crime scene processing.

Critics of the soon-to-be-disbanded teams includes members of Congress. The teams have no authority to conduct investigations into agent conduct, lack transparency, go without a third-party investigation and have interfered with proper investigations, critics said.

In January, House and Senate committee and subcommittee chairs sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting a review of the Critical Incident Teams.

And the chairs of two of these committees  the House committees on Oversight and Reform and on Homeland Security  opened an investigation into the teams and sent a letter to Magnus, saying that Congress didnt provide Border Patrol with the authority to conduct investigations of its agents misconduct nor had the CBP Commissioner publicly delegated this authority.

The letter said the committees were investigating whether the teams have interfered with criminal, civil or administrative investigations of use-of-force by Border Patrol agents in order to protect the agents from being held accountable for potentially serious misconduct.

The Southern Border Communities Coalition, a humanitarian aid group that sent a letter raising alarms about the teams to Congressional committees in October, says they are grateful for the leadership Magnus has shown on the issue. Eliminating the teams is an important first step toward justice and accountability, the group said.

I think that theres also many families who dont have closure, dont feel that justice has been achieved, says Vicki Gaubeca, director of the coalition.

CBP should reopen cases where there is evidence of misconduct, provide documents requested by the committee about investigations and publicly explain the investigative authority of the Office of Professional Responsibility, Gaubeca says. Further, she said, former members of the agency teams should not be part of new investigations and should be charged with obstruction of justice where appropriate.

The core of the issue is how do we deliver justice and closure to these families who have lost loved ones or who have experienced abuse by CBP officials, she said.

Among local incidents that the Border Patrols Critical Incident Teams helped probe: The death of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was shot at least 10 times through a border fence in Nogales by Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz in 2012; and the June 2021 shooting of Marisol Garcia Alcantara, who survived being shot in the head by an agent while she sat in the back of a car.

The Nogales Police report on Garcias shooting says that Border Patrol provided little information to local police who arrived on the scene. Garcia says after two days in the hospital she was transferred to the Florence Correctional Center, where she spent 22 days before being deported.

During her incarceration, no officials ever got a statement from her or asked her what happened during the incident, she said during a virtual news conference May 3 that was hosted by the Southern Border Communities Coalition. The news conference occurred before the memo to eliminate the teams was issued.

Nearly a year after the incident, Garcia says she continues to feel the effects of her injury. Garcia says she has regular headaches, memory loss, dizziness and insomnia.

Im asking for justice for all of us who are in a similar situation or worse, she said in Spanish during the news conference. I dont know why Im alive because there are people who are not. It feels bad that Ive met family members who are fighting and not them. I would like that (authorities) pay attention to us and give us justice.

Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223 . On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.



Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
PHOENIX  Jewish residents have no legal right to block the state from executing inmates using the same gas that Nazis used to kill millions of Jews.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joan Sinclair pointed out that the Jewish Community Relations Council of Phoenix is not contesting the constitutionality of the death penalty. In fact, she said, the lawsuit the group filed along with two of its members does not even challenge the use of lethal gas by the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

Instead, Sinclair said, the only issue is the use of cyanide gas, called Zyklon B. The judge said thats not for her to decide.

The state constitution specifically allows for the use of lethal gas in death penalty cases, she wrote. And Sinclair said judges are required to give deference to state agencies in how to carry out the duties they are charged by state law with enforcing.

Moreover, plaintiffs are essentially requesting a change in the law to exclude cyanide gas, Sinclair continued. This is a policy decision better left to the Legislature.

Attorneys for challengers argued this isnt just an academic debate.

First, they argued psychological injury, charging that Jewish residents and taxpayers would effectively be forced to subsidize and relive unnecessarily the same form of cruelty used in World War II atrocities.

Many of these survivors are horrified at being taxed to implement the same machinery of cruelty that was used to murder their loved ones, the lawsuit states.

That, said Sinclair, is not sufficient grounds to sue.

This is not a distinct and palpable injury to those plaintiffs outside of an allegation of generalized harm that is shared alike by a large class of citizens, the judge wrote.

Sinclair was no more impressed by the financial arguments.

The lawsuit cited documents, obtained through public records requests, showing the department purchased a potassium cyanide brick for $1,529 in December 2020 and sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid days later for $687. Dropping the cyanide into the acid creates the lethal gas.

The state also has been spending an undetermined amount of money to test and make repairs to the gas chamber as it prepared for the possibility that someone on death row might opt to choose that method of execution instead of lethal injection.

Sinclair acknowledged that taxpayers are entitled to sue to stop the illegal expenditure of public funds.

But this is only true where the connection between the injury and the putatively illegal act is not too remote, she wrote.

Here, the connection is quite remote. Sinclair said. And the judge said at least some of that is there appears to be no immediate chance that the gas chamber is going to be used in the immediate future.

She pointed out that Arizona voters abolished the use of lethal gas in 1992, replacing it with lethal injections. That followed gruesome reports of the execution of Don Harding, who took 11 minutes to die.

But that 1992 constitutional amendment, approved by a ratio of more than 3-to-1, preserved that right for those already on death row to choose either option.

There are 17 now who qualify out of more than 100 who face death sentences. But Sinclair pointed out that hasnt happened.

One of those, Clarence Dixon, who is set to be executed next week for the murder of an Arizona State University student in 1978, failed to pick a method. That defaulted to lethal injection.

Frank Atwood, who is set to die June 8, has until May 19 to choose. He was convicted of the 1984 killing of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson, an 8-year-old Tucson girl who disappeared while riding her bicycle to mail a letter for her mother.

Sinclair also said the amount of money spent by the state so far on the chemicals is nominal.

There was no immediate response from attorneys for the plaintiffs.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


A new pop-up retail space coming to Tucson will give local and online retailers a chance to test-drive the downtown scene without committing to a long-term lease.

Krystal Popov is behind the flash retail store, dubbed 5th Avenue Pop-Up, which is expected to open on the corner of Congress Street and Fifth Avenue in September.

The project will allow emerging online brands and retail boutiques around the city the opportunity to lease space for a minimum of three months for a pop-up shop where they can build a customer base downtown.

The goal, according to Popov, is to help those retailers eventually move to a more permanent space downtown.

Our focus is to grow retail downtown, to support these small businesses that want to open up here but dont yet know if they want to sign that big lease, she said.

The vendors, which Popov said would likely be mid- to high-end retailers, would rent the space for anywhere from $800 a month for a 100-square-foot area to $1,750 monthly for a larger shop.

The retailer is also responsible for setting up their pop-up shop using temporary walls and furnishing it, Popov said.

Retailers could get some of the funds spent on set up back, however, as Rio Nuevo has approved providing up to $100,000 to reimburse those costs.

Popov anticipates that retailers will pull in an estimated $2,800 a month in sales with help from marketing provided by 5th Avenue Pop-Up.

To help ensure that retailers get the traffic needed to meet those expectations, the board also approved $25,000 for Popov to do pre-marketing.

5th Avenue Pop-Up will have a bar, and customers will be able to order food from Little Love Burger on the patio that connects behind the two spaces.

Other plans for the space, which would primarily be open only during high traffic periods, include setting up pop-up tables and vendor booths on the patio that would operate on a more short-term basis.

There will also be opportunities for hosting events like a girls night out or a bachelorette party, in which attendees would have access to discounts from the retailers, and possibly ticketed events for nonprofits in which a percentage of the retailers proceeds would benefit the organization.

There are lots of creative things that we can do within the space to drive people to this corner and make the space really nice, said Popov, who also owns The L Offices, a coworking space with locations in downtown and at River Road and Campbell Avenue.

This is not Popovs first run at pop-up retail concept.

She opened her coworking space last year, mid-pandemic, when many were still working from home.

When we were not getting people to rent office space, we dabbled in a little retail. We had the L Boutique, she said.

The opportunity not only made use of vacant space at the L Offices, but also helped vendors who had trouble transitioning to being completely online, Popov said.

We were very spaced out and we allowed people to come in and sell, she said. Despite having very little regular foot traffic, Popov said vendors were able to make nearly $2,000 a month in sales.

So, Ive had this vision in mind for a pop-up retail style in downtown Tucson, she said. Its happening all over the United States in major cities and I think Tucson is ready for this.

Rio Nuevo Chairman Fletcher McCusker said downtown Tucson is in desperate need of retail.

Hopefully all of these people will be so successful they cant wait to move into a bigger store, he said.

To learn more about the project, visit theloffices.com/retail.

Photos: Congress Street scenes, Tucson, ca. 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s Street scenes, Tucson, 1950s

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


Arizona students from immigrant families can be forced to leave the country because of migration enforcement, anti-immigration policies and economic hardship, interrupting their education. It has spurred research on both sides of the border to find ways to help children and families successfully make this often difficult transition.

Among those trying to adjust to school in another country was Martin, a high school student at the time he shared how having to return with his family to Mexico made him feel horrible.

Speaking in a video made by the Seminario Ninez Migrante, the teen talks about how his world was turned upside down and how all his future plans were changed, but he just had to accept it, as do many of those who migrate from the United States. The groups program out of the College of Sonora in Hermosillo researches and implements ways to ensure meaningful education for migrant children.

Martins testimony is followed by numerous schoolchildren who share their experiences in both English and Spanish about having to move suddenly from the the United States to Mexico and how it affected their education and future plans.

The elementary and high school students in the video talk about difficulty understanding the school work, challenges reading in Spanish, and even getting bullied for being different.

A teacher talks about not having help at her school for children returning from the U.S. who dont speak or read well in Spanish. Parents talk about schools not having space to enroll their child or not giving their child the help they need.

Both parents and teachers talked about needing tutoring and additional support to help the children coming from the U.S. assimilate and do well in their new educational environments.

The video is about a decade old, but the issue remains, and researchers from the Seminario and the University of Arizona continue to look for ways to help the children adapt to their new and unexpected situations.

Why they leave

An estimated 35,000 to 45,000 children and teens have left the U.S. for Sonora, Mexico, since 2008, 80% whom left Arizona, according to research from the Seminario Ninez Migrante. Across Mexico, its estimated that more than a million children have returned to Mexico from the U.S. in recent years, according to a 2019 academic study at The College of Mexico.

Many students and families expect to to return to the U.S. at some point, says Gloria Ciria Valdez, coordinator and researcher at the Seminario Ninez Migrante, who has been working for 15 years to help families in this situation.

And 88% of those students who leave Arizona have roots in Sonora  parents, grandparents or relatives who are from there, which makes this issue very important for the regional border perspective and the political, geographic, environmental and economic ties between Sonora and Arizona, Ciria says.

The Seminario Ninez Migrante, which loosely translates to the Migrant Childhood Seminar, has been working to help migrant children in Sonora since 2007, in a few different categories  children and teens who migrate back to Mexico after living in the U.S., children who are waiting to seek refuge or asylum in the U.S., and children seeking refuge in Sonora.

Over the years, the college has interviewed hundreds of children who returned to Sonora, especially to Nogales, Agua Prieta, San Luis Rio Colorado, Hermosillo, Puerto Penasco, Magdalena de Kino and Cajeme.

If a student doesnt respond to the questions the teacher asks or doesnt raise their hand or doesnt do their homework, its not because theyre lazy, Ciria says. Its because they dont understand Spanish.

The Seminario has trained over 1,000 general education public school teachers at the elementary and junior high level to better understand the challenges and strengths of these students.

In 2018, they started a program offering free classes and tutoring to give these children extra help in math, Spanish and social science, taught by teachers who speak English and Spanish.

What were doing is providing a service in the absence of a program here in Mexico, Ciria says. Since there isnt a program that transitions them from the school they came from in the U.S. or Central America to the school they come to here in Sonora, we are supporting that transition.

University of Arizona researcher Anna Ochoa OLeary is studying this demographic as well, interviewing students and parents in mixed-status families who returned to Sonora because of an enforcement action or economic barriers.

The problem is pervasive, says Ochoa, head of the Department of Mexican American Studies at the UA. A lot of families have returned to Mexico, but theres a lot in terms of not knowing what could be done to improve that experience once they return.

She and her colleague Nolvia Cortez, at the University of Sonora, are identifying challenges these students face to create guidelines to improve their transition and educational experience.

The study, funded with a Fulbright award, is looking at 15- to 17-year-old high school students and 18- to 24-year-old college, or recently graduated students.

These two age groups are in vulnerable stages in their lives where theyre making decisions about their future, making the disruption of having to move to a different country, often with little notice, even more substantial, Ochoa said. For some of the families, the move was thought out and planned, and for others it was prompted by something unexpected, such as an employer of an undocumented parent telling them there is something wrong with their social security number.

People facing that situation leave because they dont want to have any problems, Ochoa says. They dont want to be deported. They dont want to get picked up. And theyre risking family separation. . . . They often choose to return because they dont want to risk being separated.

For many older students, the cost of college tuition is totally out of reach, with a secondary issue being that their immigration status can minimize job prospects afterward.

In the U.S., regardless of immigration status, children have the right to attend public school, but after high school that is not the case. Foreign-born and undocumented students are not eligible for federal student aide programs.

Some states offer in-state tuition to undocumented students and those who qualify for DACA and grew up in that state. In Arizona those students dont qualify for in-state tuition and can end up paying more than three times what peers who graduated from Arizona high schools right along side them pay.

Nothing after high school is determined, so that means theyre okay only until the end of the senior year, Ochoa said. Weve done terrible by them, by offering them an illusion, a dream of maybe someday and then taking that out from under their feet.

A right to school

The UA study is looking at how these students aspirations and goal setting behaviors changed with the sudden move to Mexico, and what they need to overcome challenges.

One woman they interviewed, who had just graduated from the University of Sonora, had worked up the courage to tell her teacher that her writing skills in Spanish were not great. The teacher, who happened to be bilingual, told her she could write the assigned essay in English. Some other students overheard, and in the end, about half the class received permission to write their essay in English, Ochoa says.

Besides academic struggles, interviewees complained of being bullied and taunted for the way they speak Spanish and also that school administrators tell them there is no room for them to enroll.

The Seminario Ninez Migrante has also found that getting enrolled in school is one of the biggest challenges these children face along with invisibility in the classroom from not being able to confidently speak and write in Spanish.

The Seminario has helped more than a dozen children and teens from Arizona enroll in elementary and middle schools in Sonora after schools said they wouldnt admit them either because there wasnt room or the families didnt have the right paperwork, which in some cases they would only have if their children were born in Mexico.

Theyve also helped a dozen children from Central America who are asking for refuge to stay in Sonora and who were not immediately admitted into school.

Many migrants who are waiting, many times for months or longer, in border towns for a chance to seek asylum in the U.S. say they have trouble enrolling their children in school because they lack the paperwork the schools ask for. This is a demographic that Ciria, with the Seminario, says they are also trying to help have access to proper education.

Access to education for all children is protected in the Mexican constitution, state law in Sonora and standards outlined by the Secretary of Public Education in Mexico, which says that a lack of documentation cant hinder a childs ability to enroll in school, , Ciria says, adding that little is done to comply with those laws and standards.

With the law in hand, we go to the schools and tell the directors, this child has a right to go to school, she said. Here, weve established that everyone has the right to go to school independent of their nationality.

What is being done

As the existing laws have been insufficient to guarantee access to school for all children in Mexico, The Seminario is also involved in writing a new initiative, which passed through the Education Commission and is awaiting approval from the full legislative body in Sonora, Ciria says.

The initiative would guarantee the right to education for all returning migrant children and adolescents in the state of Sonora, regardless of where they were born, as well as children waiting in Sonora to seek refuge or asylum. And it would require the Secretary of Education and Culture of the state of Sonora to issue regulations that ensure those children have access to school.

In the UA study, OLeary and her colleagues will analyze the data theyre collecting about students and parents experiences and will put together a best practices guide for students returning to Mexico from Arizona. In the fall theyll meet with Mexican officials at the state and federal levels to create a plan to more widely distribute the guidelines they create.

While OLeary hopes her work will help these families, it doesnt fix what she sees as the larger problem.

A lot of the students shes interviewed were high achieving students in Arizona schools before returning to Mexico  class presidents, straight A students and students who earned prestigious scholarships that they then couldnt access due to their immigration status.

Can you imagine how wonderful it would be, if instead of throwing them out, we let them come to the university, offer them in-state tuition, and if possible, have state-level financial aid? she said. These are students who are ready to work, and theyre becoming educated and they want to contribute to society. Its our loss, Mexicos gain in many ways.

Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223 . On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.



Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Tucson Electric Power Co. says its got plenty of power to meet expected higher demand peaks and keep air conditioners humming this summer.

But planning to avoid blackouts is getting trickier amid a shift from coal-fired power plants to solar and wind resources, more extreme summer temperatures and a tight market for power in the West, TEP and other utilities told state regulators last week.

And by 2025, utilities across the Southwest wont be able to meet growing power demand if all their planned renewable-energy projects are not completed on schedule, according to a new study sponsored by TEP and other Southwest utilities.

In an annual summer preparedness workshop last week at the Arizona Corporation Commission, officials of TEP and sister rural utility UniSource Energy Services said they have sufficient generating capacity to meet summer demand peaks expected to rise above 2021 levels.

Our energy supplies are adequate and we feel as well-prepared as we can be for the high temperatures and high energy demands of summer, TEP spokesman Joe Barrios said. However, well keep a close eye on the weather and our regional energy market, and we have contingency plans in case any emergencies arrive.

Arizona Public Service Co., the states biggest power company, the self-governed Salt River Project and Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, which supplies the states rural electric co-ops, also told regulators theyve lined up enough power to meet expected summer demand.

Summertime reliability has become a major concern since August 2020, when power shortages during a historic heat wave across the West prompted Californias transmission system operator to impose rolling blackouts to avoid a collapse of the whole system.

Arizona managed to avoid blackouts, partly through measures including demand-response programs and customer conservation efforts, but the states ratepayers bore the cost of spiking regional power prices during the crisis.

Planning challenges

Regionwide, resource planning has become more difficult amid extreme summer temperatures and drought, constraints on power imports from California, and supply-chain and other factors affecting solar and storage projects, Lee Alter, resource planning director for TEP and UES, told regulators.

TEP and UES together are forecasting a 2.4% increase in summer peak demand, to 3,038 megawatts.

The utilities are going into the summer with a combined reserve margin  generating capacity beyond the forecast demand  of 16%, based on demand reflecting average summer temperatures, Alter said.

Reserve margins give utilities a cushion against higher than expected demand caused by extreme weather and disruptions to supplies like an unscheduled power-plant shutdown or wildfire damage to transmission lines.

The Western Electricity Coordinating Council said that for 2021, an annual reserve margin of 16% was needed to maintain adequate resources in the Desert Southwest region including Arizona.

Arizona Public Service Co. is forecasting a nearly 4% increase in peak demand, to 7,881 MW, and has planned a reserve margin of about 15%.

Tight power market

Alter said that amid the Wests tight power market, its harder to find enough supplemental energy resources, like firm contracts for future power deliveries, to expand reserve margins.

In the past, there was enough capacity in the region that if you wanted more, youd go get more, but the market has really tightened up, Alter told the Corporation Commission.

Alter also cited growing concerns that prolonged drought in the Colorado River Basin may halt hydroelectric production from the Glen Canyon Dam or Hoover Dam, while Californias grid operator has continued a policy adopted last year to limit power exports during emergency conditions.

Barrios said TEP and UES dont rely on hydro power from the Colorado River dams, but a loss of those resources would mean less available power capacity in the region and drive up scarcity and prices.

On the plus side, TEP last week began participating in the Western Energy Imbalance Market, a real-time wholesale power market of about 20 utilities managed by the California Independent System Operator.

While not adding generating capacity, Alter said the market will help TEP balance intermittent resources like solar and wind, prevent grid instability and improve system reliability.

Regional power pinch

TEP and other Southwest utilities are facing major challenges in meeting peak power demand as they transition away from coal-fired generation in the next few years, Alter said, citing a recent a study by Environmental + Energy Economics (E3).

Load growth and resource retirements are creating a significant and urgent need for new resources in the Southwest region, E3 said a report commissioned by TEP, Arizona Public Service Co., the Salt River Project, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, El Paso Electric Co. and Public Service Co. of New Mexico.

Maintaining regional reliability will hinge on whether utilities can add new resources quickly enough to meet this growing need and will require a pace of development largely unprecedented for the region, the study concluded.

Regionwide by 2025, the utilities face a shortfall of nearly 4 gigawatts of generating capacity with existing resources and plants now under development. A gigawatt, or 1,000 megawatts, of installed solar generating capacity is enough to power about 200,000 to 250,000 homes in TEP territory.

The Southwest utilities have prepared for the higher demand, with commitments for about 5 gigawatts of new generation and plans to add another 14.4 gigawatts by 2025, the report said.

But theres a real risk that any delays to the utilities buildout plans could lead to power shortages in the future, potentially elevating system reliability risks for a decade or more, the E3 report said.

While this risk might seem remote in normal times, supply chain disruptions, materials shortages and a tight labor market are already impacting project timelines across the country, the study said.

In 2021, TEP added 449 megawatts of new wind and solar resources, allowing the company to provide about 30% of its power from renewable resources.

TEP has one solar project under construction, the 15 MW Raptor Ridge photovoltaic solar project near East Valencia Road and Interstate 10, which is expected to go online later this year to supply power through a customer solar-subscription program, GoSolar Home.

In early April, TEP announced an all-sources request for proposals for up to 250MW of renewable and energy-efficiency resources, including solar and wind and demand-response programs that reduce usage during periods of high demand. TEP also is seeking up to 300MW of firm capacity resources, including energy storage systems providing at least four hours of power daily during the summer, or demand-response programs.

UES issued a call for bids for up to 170MW of renewable and energy efficiency resources and up to 150MW of firm-capacity resources.

TEP and UES want the new resources to go into service preferably by May 2024, but no later than May 2025.

TEP needs to move fast amid looming coal-plant retirements, including the planned June shutdown of the 170MW Unit 1 generator at the San Juan Generating Station in northwest New Mexico.

Barrios said maintaining adequate generating capacity is always a concern, but TEP is faring better than some of its regional neighbors.

He cited Public Service Co. of New Mexico, which told regulators it didnt have any capacity reserve margin for July or August.

Public Service Co. of New Mexico in February decided to keep the other remaining coal-fired generating unit at San Juan running until September, three months past its planned retirement date, to boost its summer reserve margin.

TEP has no current plans to delay any coal-plant retirements, Barrios said.

Dropping demand

TEP also is working on demand-response programs, in which customers allow the utility to cut their power usage during peak periods to avoid shortages, Barrios said.

The utility currently can now work with commercial and industrial customers to quickly reduce demand by up to 40MW, Barrios said, and has a new pilot program to allow some apartment dwellers to earn a $10 quarterly bill credit to shift their water-heater usage away from peak periods.

The utility is also working with Tucson Water on a new Beat the Peak campaign to urge customers to reduce energy usage during peak periods, typically from 3 to 7 p.m. in the summer, Barrios said.

The campaign will include messaging on social media and video, inviting customers to explore pricing plans and energy-efficiency options to help reduce usage during peak hours, he said.

Photos: Monsoon 2021 Rillito River after Tropical Storm Nora Storm Preparation Tropical storm Nora Storm Preparation Storm Preparation Storm Preparation Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon, 2021 Arizona Weather Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon lightning 2021 Monsoon lightning 2021 Monsoon lightning 2021 Monsoon lightning 2021 Monsoon lightning 2021 Monsoon lightning 2021 Monsoon lightning 2021 Monsoon, Sabino Creek Monsoon, Sabino Creek Monsoon, Sabino Creek Monsoon, Sabino Creek Monsoon, Sabino Creek Monsoon, Sabino Creek Monsoon, Sabino Creek Monsoon storm, July, 2021 Monsoon, Santa Cruz River Monsoon storm, July, 2021 Monsoon storm, July, 2021 Monsoon storm, July, 2021 Monsoon storm, July, 2021 Monsoon flooding, July 2021 Monsoon flooding, July 2021 Monsoon flooding, July 2021 Monsoon flooding, July 2021 Monsoon flooding, July 2021 Monsoon flooding, July 2021 Monsoon storm, July, 2021 Possible water rescue Possible water rescue Sandbag Sandbag Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon 2021, CDO Wash Monsoon 2021, CDO Wash Monsoon 2021, CDO Wash Monsoon 2021, CDO Wash Monsoon 2021, CDO Wash Monsoon 2021, CDO Wash Monsoon Monsoon, 2021 Monsoon, 2021 Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon, 2021 Monsoon, 2021 Monsoon, 2021 Monsoon, 2021 Monsoon, 2021 Monsoon 2021 Monsoon 2021 Monsoon 2021 Monsoon Monsoon Monsoon

Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.



Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Pima County Justice of the Peace Adam Watters is facing formal ethics charges surrounding his conduct in a February 2021 confrontation.

The Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct announced ethics charges against Watters for violating state judicial conduct rules and the Arizona Constitution in February 2021 when he fired a gun at the ground near Fei Qin, a plaintiff who previously appeared before the judge at court hearings. The charges also center around Watters conduct when he was served a subpoena.

In response to the charges, Watters said he fired a warning shot at Qin, after he suddenly lunged at him, and that Qin scattered trash around his Catalina Foothills home and stalked him and his family for weeks.

Watters was not criminally charged in the shooting after a review by the Pinal County Attorneys Office.

The commission also brought ethics charges against Watters for his interaction with a process server who served the judge with a subpoena to appear in court for Qins criminal case. According to the commissions statement of charges, Watters called the subpoena horse(expletive deleted) and used other expletives in reference to Qin and his attorney.

The judicial commission is an independent state agency that investigates judicial misconduct claims among Arizonas judges. Its made up of six judges, two attorneys and three public members.

The commission alleges Watters actions violated rules in the judicial code that state, A judge shall comply with the law, including the Code of Judicial Conduct. And that, a judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety or the appearance of impropriety.

The commission said Watters violated the state constitution, which forbids a judge to engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute, according to the statement.

Counsel for the commission requested a commission hearing panel find Watters in violation of the cited rules and statutes and recommend to the Supreme Court that the judge be censured, suspended or removed from judicial office. No date has been set for a formal hearing.

The judicial commission also mentions past discipline Watters has received for appearing in a photo on his law firms website wearing his judicial robe, using harsh language toward an attorney, posting inappropriate and misleading campaign material and transferring a civil matter to a judge in a different county in a back door manner, the statement said.

In a response to the statement of charges, Watters asked the commission to dismiss its statement and said it made errors and omissions. He denied the underlying incidents that caused the judges past discipline, except for the photo on the law firms website.

The question for this commission is simple: Is a judge entitled to less protection and less right to protect his or her family, home and person than anyone else? Watters response to the ethics charges said.

Watters is not running for reelection to the position. A court spokeswoman told the Star that Watters declined comment because its a pending legal matter.

Contact reporter Nicole Ludden at nludden@tucson.com

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.



Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Dozens more civilians rescued from Ukrainian steel plant

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Dozens more civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under the besieged steel plant where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol are making their last stand. The holdouts are trying to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategically important port city. Russian and Ukrainian officials said Friday that 50 people were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant and handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Russian military said the group included 11 children. Russian officials and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said evacuation efforts would continue Saturday.

'We're so sorry': Mariupol plant evacuees feel relief, grief

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  More than 100 civilians have finally emerged from the bombarded Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian holdout in the ruined city of Mariupol. Interviewed by The Associated Press, they offered the clearest picture yet of their two months living in the center of hell. It is a story of deprivation and fear deep under the earth; in the dank darkness, they felt themselves rot and watched others die. But it is also a tale of quiet heroism. Were so sorry, one evacuating family told civilians staying behind as they started toward the surface. Dont worry, the others replied. Well follow.

In abortion fight, conservatives push to end all exceptions

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Rape, incest and the health of the fetus or mother were once accepted reasons to obtain an abortion in even the most conservative Republican-led states. But now roughly 20 states have abortion bans in the works without some of those exceptions. The shift comes as the Supreme Court is expected to overturn the nationwide right to abortion this summer. Troy Newman with the national anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, says exceptions for rape and incest and to protect a pregnant woman's life were only included in previous legislation to appease centrists.

Nearly 1 million COVID-19 deaths: A look at the US numbers

The count of U.S. deaths from COVID-19 is nearing 1 million, and there's a wealth of data making clear which groups have been hit the hardest. More than 700,000 people 65 and older died. Men died at higher rates than women. White people made up most of the deaths overall. Yet an unequal burden fell on Black, Hispanic and Native American people considering the younger average age of minority communities. Racial gaps narrowed between surges then widened again with each new wave. Most deaths happened in urban counties, but rural areas paid a high price at times.

Rangers locate climber's body on Alaska's Denali

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  National park rangers in Alaska have located the body of the years first registered climber on North Americas tallest peak. Because its so early in the climbing season, 35-year-old Matthias Rimml was alone on the upper part of Denali. He was a professional mountain guide from Tirol, Austria. Denali National Park and Preserve officials say Rimml's body was spotted during a high elevation aerial search on Friday. A friend had contacted the park Tuesday after not receiving a periodic check from Rimml. Park officials say Rimml likely fell on a notoriously treacherous stretch of the West Buttress route. Officials say 13 climbers, including Rimml, have died in falls along that steep traverse.

Man gets life for killings in California, Texas

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A man who pleaded guilty to a series of Southern California robberies and attacks that killed five men and injured seven others has been given multiple life sentences. Ramon Escobar also was sentenced Friday in Los Angeles for killing his aunt and uncle in Texas just a week before he fled to California. Prosecutors say over the course of about two weeks in September 2018, Escobar bludgeoned sleeping men on the beach in Santa Monica or the streets of Los Angeles, mostly because they irritated him or to steal their money. All but one victim was homeless.

Explosion at luxury Havana hotel kills 22, injures dozens

HAVANA (AP)  A powerful explosion apparently caused by a natural gas leak has blown away outer walls from a five-star hotel in the heart of Cubas capital, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens. Havana Gov. Reinaldo Garcia Zapata told the Communist Party newspaper Granma that no tourists had been staying at the 96-room Hotel Saratoga because it was undergoing renovations. Officials say about a dozen people are missing and that searchers are hunting for people who may be trapped. Cuban state TV blamed the blast on a truck carrying natural gas that it was supplying to the hotel. The blast happened as Cuba tries to revive its tourism sector.

Feds accuse Starbucks of unfair labor practices in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)  Federal labor officials are accusing Starbucks of unfair labor practices at its stores in Buffalo, New York, including retaliation against pro-union employees. The National Labor Relations Boards Buffalo regional director filed a sweeping complaint Friday outlining a host of labor law violations and seeking reinstatement and backpay for the employees. The coffee chain called the allegations false and vowed to fight them at an upcoming hearing. Starbucks Workers United said the complaint confirms the extent and depravity of Starbucks conduct in Western New York for the better part of a year. The first votes in a nationwide Starbucks unionization push came in December at three stores in Buffalo.

Fire-ravaged New Mexico villages cling to faith, querencia

As the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. marches across northern New Mexico, residents have been guided by their faith and their connection to each other and the land. They've pleaded with God for intervention in the form of rain and calm winds, and protection for their neighbors they see as reflections of themselves. They've invoked the Virgin Mary and the patrons saints of firefighters and the various villages scattered across the landscape. The fire has burned hundreds of square miles, destroying dozens of homes in largely Hispanic working-class neighborhoods and forcing thousands to evacuate. Winds will be a major concern this weekend.

Palestinians facing eviction by Israel vow to stay on land

JINBA, West Bank (AP)  Residents of a cluster of Bedouin communities in the occupied West Bank have vowed to stick to their land and resist an order by Israel's top court to evict them. The order came after a more than a two-decade legal struggle by Palestinians to remain in their homes in Masafer Yatta. Israel has argued that the residents only use the area for seasonal agriculture and that they had already rejected compromise offers giving them occasional access to the land. The Palestinians say that if implemented, the Israeli Supreme Court's ruling opens the way for the eviction of all the 12 communities that have a population of 4,000 people.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


'Seemed like goodbye': Mariupol defenders make their stand

LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian fighters at Mariupols pulverized steel plant are holding out against Russian troops in an increasingly desperate effort to keep Moscow from taking the strategic port city. The wife of one of the fighters said the troops would not surrender and her husband told her words of goodbye. Thursday's bloody battle came amid growing suspicions that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a major battlefield success in time for Victory Day on Monday, which marks the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany. Elsewhere, Ukraines military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other Russian attacks in the east. The Russians say they destroyed dozens of Ukrainian military targets.

Its Chief Justice Roberts' Court, but does he still lead?

WASHINGTON (AP)  John Roberts is heading a Supreme Court in crisis. The chief justice has already ordered an investigation into the unprecedented leak this week of a draft of a major abortion opinion. What comes next could further test Roberts leadership of a court. The addition of three conservative justices during Donald Trumps presidency means there are now five conservative justices to Roberts right who no longer need his vote, and perhaps his moderating influence, to prevail in a case. The abortion decision could be another example of that, with the courts other conservatives prepared to go further than Roberts. He's said repeatedly that he prefers decisions where the court comes to a broad agreement on narrow grounds.

FDA restricts J&J's COVID-19 vaccine due to blood clot risk

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. regulators are strictly limiting who can receive Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine due to a rare but serious risk of blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&Js vaccine. The decision is the latest restriction to hit the company's vaccine, which has long been overshadowed in the U.S. by the more effective shots from Pfizer and Moderna. In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended using the Moderna and Pfizer shots over J&Js because of its safety issues.

Police boss journal cites early angst in Ronald Greene death

The Louisiana State Police superintendent wrote himself an ominous note days after the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene: Realize there is a problem  must address immediately. Excerpts of a personal journal made public Thursday show Col. Kevin Reeves considered aggressive action after his troopers beat, stunned and dragged Greene. State police didnt launch an internal investigation for another 462 days. A legislative committee is now seeking to hold Reeves in contempt for refusing to turn over his full journals. His lawyer says Reeves is cooperating and the delays in the Greene case are not his doing.

Official: US gave intel before Ukraine sank Russian warship

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship. The incident was a high-profile failure for Russias military. An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet using its own anti-ship missiles. The official says that given Russias attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of those ships. NBC News first reported the U.S. role in the sinking of the ship.

Tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma, cause widespread damaged

SEMINOLE, Okla. (AP)  A storm system spawned several tornadoes that whipped through areas of Texas and Oklahoma, causing damage to a school, a marijuana farm and other structures. There were no reports of serious injuries following the Wednesday night tornadoes, but the system was causing flooding in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Significant damage was reported in the Oklahoma city of Seminole where Gov. Kevin Stitt said drones are being used to assess the damage and in the rural Texas community of Lockett. More stormy weather took place Thursday as a sheriff says a tornado damaged several campers and buildings at an East Texas RV park. The severe weather was to continue Friday in parts of the South.

3 Israelis killed in stabbing attack near Tel Aviv

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli officials say at least three people have been killed in a Palestinian stabbing attack near Tel Aviv. Israeli police say the assailants fled in a vehicle on Thursday night. Security forces set up roadblocks in the area of the attack, which took place in the town of Elad, and helicopters hovered overhead. The attack came as Israel marked its Independence Day, a festive holiday when people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows. Israeli-Palestinian tensions have soared in recent weeks. Earlier in the day, there was new Israeli-Palestinian unrest at a sensitive religious site in Jerusalem.

53 dead in China building collapse, search for trapped ends

BEIJING (AP)  Chinese state media say that 53 people died in a building collapse one week ago in central China and 10 were rescued. Authorities said Friday the search had ended for people trapped from the collapse. The last survivor was pulled out shortly after midnight on Thursday, 5  days after the residential and commercial building in the city of Changsha suddenly caved in on April 29. At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the collapse on suspicion of ignoring building codes or committing other violations. All of the survivors were reportedly in good condition after being treated in a hospital.

Marcos redux? Dictator's son may win Philippine presidency

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The presidential campaign of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is resonating in the Philippines. The son of the late dictator and his running mate, who is the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, are leading pre-election surveys despite his family's history. Their carefully choreographed appearances whitewash the past and are short on specifics about their vision for the future. Instead their campaign has deftly used social media, primarily TikTok and YouTube, to push the simple slogan of unity and framing them as beyond politics and disagreements. Marcos has taken advantage of the average age in the Philippines, which is 25 and leaves many voters with no personal memory of his father's brutal authoritarian rule which his son refuses to acknowledge.

Virus found in pig heart used in human transplant

Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a pig heart transplant have found the organ harbored an animal virus. But University of Maryland doctors cannot yet say if the virus played any role in the man's death. David Bennett Sr. died at age 57, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. His surgeon says DNA of a pig virus was later found in the heart but no signs that the bug caused an active infection. Still, a major worry about animal-to-human transplants is the risk of spreading new infections.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  Patrick Lyoya, a Black man who was killed by a Michigan police officer, died from a gunshot to the back of his head, according to the official autopsy, which matched the conclusion of an expert hired by Lyoya's family.

The report from the Kent County medical examiner also said that Lyoya's blood-alcohol level was 0.29, more than three times over the legal limit for driving, when his car was stopped in Grand Rapids on April 4, the Detroit Free Press reported Friday.

Lyoya, 26, a refugee from Congo, was killed during a physical struggle with Officer Christopher Schurr shortly after 8 a.m.

Schurr, who is white, told Lyoya that he had stopped him because the license plate didn't match the vehicle, according to video.

Lyoya began to run after the officer asked for a driver's license. Schurr quickly caught him, but the pair continued to struggle across a front lawn in a residential neighborhood while Lyoya's passenger recorded the scene on a phone.

Lyoya was on the ground when Schurr shot him. He had demanded that Lyoya take his hand off the officers Taser, according to video.

Dr. Werner Spitz performed a separate autopsy at the request of the family and announced the findings on April 19. He, too, said a shot to the head killed Lyoya. He believes the gun was pressed against the head.

It's highly significant that Dr. Steve Cohle found the identical findings of Dr. Spitz, said Lyoya family attorney Ven Johnson, referring to the county medical examiner.

He said Lyoya's blood-alcohol level was irrelevant.

Drinking and driving isn't punishable by execution, Johnson told The Associated Press. We can all debate, assuming the results are correct, what effect it had on my client's behavior. But it had nothing to do with the cause and manner of his death.

State police investigating the shooting submitted a report last week to the Kent County prosecutor, who will decide if Schurr will face charges. Chris Becker said he still wanted reports about the officer's Taser and body-worn camera.

Lyoya's parents want the officer fired and charged. Schurr, who was placed on leave, hasn't responded to requests for comment.

Find the APs full coverage of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Lyoya: https://apnews.com/hub/patrick-lyoya

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


GANADO, Texas (AP)  Deputies found about 100 migrants in the back of a semitrailer that had broken down on a South Texas highway on Friday, but many of them fled, authorities said.

Deputies with the Jackson County Sheriffs Office found the semitrailer around 7 a.m. just north of Ganado, about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Houston.

When authorities opened the back of the vehicle, many of the occupants  whom authorities suspect illegally immigrated into the U.S.  jumped out and ran away into nearby brush and corn fields, the sheriffs office said.

Deputies took 64 people, including the semitrailer's driver, into custody. The individuals who are illegally in the country are being processed by the U.S. Border Patrol, said Jackson County Sheriff Kelly Janica. Authorities were still searching the area for about 40 other migrants who fled on foot.

Nine of the people detained were treated at Jackson County Hospital for dehydration, Janica said.

Authorities did not say how long the migrants were inside the tractor-trailer before they were discovered.

Various other agencies, including the Corpus Christi Fire Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, helped the sheriffs office search for and treat the migrants who were taken into custody.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


LUANDA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Southern African agricultural science experts met Thursday in Angola's Luanda to share experience in the implementation of the first phase of the Agricultural Productivity Program for Southern Africa (APPSA).

Olga Fafetine, the director-general of the Mozambican Agricultural Research Institute, said the project is a World Bank-funded initiative which seeks to improve technology generation and dissemination within and among participating southern African countries.

The program also aims to strengthen the capacity of national research and development systems, as well as strengthen regional collaboration.

The implementation of the first phase of APPSA held from 2013 to 2020, in Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia made it possible to improve agronomic techniques and, consequently, increase production in these countries, according to the experts.

The director of the Agriculture and Research Services of Malawi, Wilkson Maleumba, said that during that period, his country specialized in the cultivation of maize, while Mozambique specialized in the production of rice and Zambia led the culture of vegetables.

For the second phase, Angola will lead the technology of cassava cultivation, while Lesotho will focus on the production of vegetables.

In order to carry out the mission, the Angolan Government plans to build a Regional Center for Cassava Leadership, according to the country's Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock, Joao Cunha. 
DALLAS (AP)  Two Dallas police officers and one from the Dallas suburb of Garland were indicted Friday for aggravated assault for their actions during the 2020 protests following George Floyds killing by police in Minneapolis.

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzo announced Friday that Dallas officer Ryan Mabry faces six counts, former Dallas officer Melvin Williams faces four counts and Garland officer Joe Privitt faces one count after being indicted by a grand jury.

These indictments as returned by the Grand Jury are the result of almost 2 years of investigation by the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorneys Office, Creuzo said in a statement.

Garland Police Chief Jeff Byan said Privitt is a 32-year veteran officer who had no disciplinary actions taken against him.

I'm astonished and disappointed to learn that Officer Privett was indicted ... related to actions he took in assisting the Dallas Police Department during riots that occurred in Dallas almost two years ago," Brown said.

Bryan said Dallas police requested assistance and he authorized Privitt to join in controlling the protests that turned aggressive.

Bryan said protesters brandished weapons and threw bricks, rocks, frozen water bottles and bottles of urine at police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Friday that he hoped jurors who eventually hear these cases can look at it through the lens that the officers in those chaotic situations did."

Was every situation perfect? Absolutely not. There is no police chief that dealt with protests who could tell you everything they did was perfect," Garcia said. However, I can tell you that the intent of the officers was to protect the city, and Im not quite sure if there was criminal intent."

Mabry and Williams also face two counts of deadly conduct in addition to charges of official oppression announced in February.

Mabry and Privitt were placed on administrative leave while Williams was fired earlier this year for violating the departments use-of-force policy in a separate incident.

Attorneys for Mabry and Williams have called the charges a false narrative and said at least two of those injured provoked the officers. It was not immediately clear if Privitt has an attorney to speak in his behalf.

Dallas is not the only city under the spotlight. The tactics used by police nationwide during protests that swept the country after Floyd was killed have been the focus of reviews and lawsuits. Several police chiefs have resigned or been ousted as a result.

In February, a Texas grand jury indicted 19 Austin police officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In March, a jury ordered the city of Denver to pay $14 million to 12 protesters after finding police officers violated their constitutional rights by using excessive force during demonstrations.

In April 2021, a federal judge ruled that police in Columbus, Ohio, ran amok when responding to 2020 demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality and ordered officers to approach such scenarios differently.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


Take a look at trending topics for today, May 5.

Karine Jean-Pierre

Karine Jean-Pierre will become the new White House press secretary when Jen Psaki departs her role next week, President Joe Biden announced in a statement Thursday, becoming the first Black and out LGBTQ person to hold the position.

Jean-Pierre currently serves as the White House's principal deputy press secretary.

"Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people," Biden said in a statement, adding that "Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room." Get more info on Jean-Pierre here:

Cinco de Mayo

When it comes to Cinco de Mayo  the annual fiesta that gives Americans an excuse to load up on more tacos and margaritas than they usually do  people ask a lot of questions.

A WHOLE LOT of them. And many of these inquiries are, shall we say, rather obvious (or occasionally downright strange). It makes you wonder if some folks got into the tequila a little early. Here are some of the questions from 2021:

Amber Heard

Actor Amber Heard tearfully told jurors Thursday that Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle in an alcohol-fueled rage.

The March 2015 incident in Australia, where Depp was filming the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, is sharply disputed and has been a focal point of the four-week civil trial in Fairfax, Virginia.

The night ended with the tip of Depp's middle finger cut off, and him writing vulgar messages in blood on the walls of the house. Depp denies assaulting her in any way and says his finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him; Heard said she'd taken sleeping pills after she was attacked and was not awake when the finger was severed. Read more here:

Dolly Parton

Well, hello Dolly.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 inductees were announced Wednesday, and despite initially opting to "respectfully bow out" of the nomination process, Dolly Parton is part of this year's diverse class.

Some of the other inductees include Pat Benatar, Lionel Richie, Eminem, Carly Simon, Harry Belafonte, Duran Duran, Eurythmics and Judas Priest. Here's the full list of this year's inductees.

***

Get more trending topics here:

Avocado prices

Elizabeth Olsen

Wall Street

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Mehmet Ozs rivals in Pennsylvanias competitive Republican primary for U.S. Senate are escalating their attacks on the celebrity heart surgeons connections to his parents native country of Turkey, raising it as a possible national security issue.

Oz, best known as TV's Dr. Oz, has rejected any suggestions he is a threat to national security and accused an opponent, ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick, of making bigoted attacks. If elected, Oz would be the nation's first Muslim senator, although Oz has not campaigned on that milestone.

The criticism of Oz and his ties to Turkey has mushroomed in the weeks after Oz won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who remains popular with conservative voters. With the state's May 17 primary in sight, Trump held a rally with Oz in western Pennsylvania on Friday evening, coming off a big win in Ohio's Republican Senate primary for Trump's candidate, JD Vance.

Oz, who was born in the United States, holds Turkish citizenship, served in Turkeys military and voted in its 2018 election, but says he would renounce his dual citizenship in Turkey if he is elected.

Trumps former secretary of state and CIA director, Mike Pompeo, who endorsed McCormick in the race, told reporters Friday that Oz owes an explanation about the scope and the depth of his relationship with the Turkish government.

Americans should know if Oz is fit for duty," Pompeo said.

As CIA director, Pompeo served side-by-side in the Trump administration with Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security adviser who drew Justice Department scrutiny because of lucrative consulting work he and his firm did that benefited the Turkish government.

Oz has financial ties to Turkey, as well.

In his financial disclosure report to the Senate, Oz disclosed property that he owns in Turkey, assets from his late father's estate that are tied up in legal proceedings there and an endorsement agreement with Turkish Airlines, which is partly owned by the Turkish government.

In recent debates, McCormick  a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran of the Gulf War  has accused Oz of unnecessarily holding dual citizenship in Turkey and tried to contrast Oz's service in the Turkish military with McCormick's in the U.S. Army.

Another rival, Carla Sands, Trumps former ambassador to Denmark who inherited a commercial real estate fortune, has suggested Oz has dual loyalties, calling him Turkey First, as a play on Trumps America First governing philosophy.

Fending off McCormick's attacks in March, Oz suggested that his religion is being targeted, accusing McCormick of making bigoted attacks that are reminiscent of slurs made in the past about Catholics and Jews.

Oz has maintained that he served in Turkey's military as a young man to keep his dual citizenship. He keeps it to this day, he said, so he has legal power in Turkey to make health care decisions for his mother, who has Alzheimer's disease.

Oz voted in Turkey's 2018 election when he was at the consulate in New York for meetings about his humanitarian work on behalf of Syrian refugees in Turkey, his campaign said.

He voted against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his campaign said, noting that it is not unusual for Americans with dual citizenship to vote in elections in other countries.

Voting in an election is far different from being actively engaged in the political work of the Turkish government, which Dr. Oz has never been involved with," Oz's campaign said.

Senate historians have been unable to find a U.S. senator who maintained dual citizenship.

Trump, in an hourlong speech at Friday nights rally, attacked McCormick for the first time by name, saying he'd been with a company that managed money for communist China.

McCormick is, Trump said, the candidate of special interests and globalists and the Washington establishment spending millions of dollars to defeat Oz and ripping off the United States with bad trade deals and open borders.

Trump did not specifically mention attacks on Oz's ties to Turkey, but boosted Oz to the crowd as a "warrior" and a longtime friend who has the best chance of winning the battleground state seat in the fall general election.

David Laufman, the former chief of the counterintelligence section at the Department of Justices national security division, said he thinks of a national security concern as individuals and organizations that present terrorist threats, cybersecurity threats or economic security threats, or are involved in influence operations directed at the U.S. on behalf of foreign powers.

I think we need to be careful about categorizing any American as a national security risk simply because of their ties to a foreign country, Laufman said in an interview.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the nonprofit does not comment on specific campaigns.

But in general, he said, the organization has seen attacks on one aspect of a candidate  such as their place of birth  as a stand-in for a more obviously racist attack, such as on their race or religion.

Flynn  Trumps former national security adviser  was ousted in the first month of the Trump administration after the White House said he lied about his Russian contacts during the transition period.

He later admitted in a criminal case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that his filings to the Justice Department when he registered as a foreign agent for his Turkish work included false statements and omissions.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at twitter.com/ap_politics

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at twitter.com/timelywriter

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Las Vegas man pleaded not guilty Thursday to killing his girlfriends 4-year-old son and hiding the body in a freezer, where police found it in February after the boys sister gave notes to her teacher saying that her mother was being held captive at the mans home.

A prosecutor told a judge that a decision has yet to be made whether to seek the death penalty for Brandon Lee Toseland, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Toseland, 35, has been jailed since his arrest Feb. 22. He faces kidnapping, murder, child abuse and domestic battery by strangulation charges.

His attorney, Craig Mueller, was not immediately available for comment.

Police said the boys frozen body bore visible injuries of physical abuse. An indictment attributes his death to internal injuries, but the Clark County coroners office said Thursday that findings on a cause and manner of death are still pending.

The boys father died in January 2021. The mother told a grand jury that she and her two children moved into Toselands home two months later, that Toseland became possessive and controlling, and that she last saw the boy in December.

Authorities were alerted after the woman's daughter gave the notes to her teacher. Police said they found Toseland in a vehicle with the boys mother, and handcuffs in the car.

A lawyer who represented the mother alleged that she was physically, sexually and emotionally abused by Toseland.

The Associated Press is not naming the mother or children to avoid identifying a victim who alleges sexual abuse.

The woman filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Toseland in March. He responded last week with a counterclaim alleging the mother was aware the boy died in December and said she would help Toseland "preserve the body.

The woman is not facing criminal charges in the boys death. Her attorney in the lawsuit, Lisa Rasmussen, characterized Toselands claims on Thursday as fantastical.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.


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.
The city has selected a developer to design and build a Route 66 mixed-use development on two acres of city-owned land at the intersection of Southwest Boulevard and Riverside Drive.

If that sounds vaguely familiar, its because the city has been here before. In 2015, then-Mayor Dewey Bartlett announced that the Route 66 Alliance would build a $19.5 million Route 66 interpretive center on the site.

The Route 66 Experience never got off the ground due to a lack of funding. And after flirting briefly with building the project near 11th Street and Lewis Avenue, the city last year went looking for new development proposals that could be constructed at the original site along the Arkansas River, across the street from Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza.

Developer David Sharp was ready, and on Friday the city will formally announce that Sharp Development has been selected to do the project.

All of the proposals were excellent, and so we had a lot of great ideas to choose from, said City Attorney Jack Blair, who served on the selection committee while in his former role as the citys chief operating officer. But for the Sharp proposal, one, it is very eye-catching.

Nothing is more eye-catching about the proposed development than its multi-story classic car vending machine, which will stand in front of the hotel and interpretive center facing historic Route 66.

Visitors will be able to rent the classic cars to take them for a spin along historic Route 66.

The project is expected to open in mid-2026 to coincide with the Route 66 centennial.

Kimberly Honea, vice president of hospitality and development for Sharp Development, said the company focused on creating a sustainable project that would capture the hearts of travelers for generations to come.

With this in mind, we feel our Ride the Road experience is thinking outside the box, Honea said. We want our travelers to get their kicks on Route 66 (by) offering multiple classic car rentals in a neon lit glass tower.

Not only will it be a destination site unlike any other, but it will also be visually remarkable.

The exterior of the hotel and interpretive center will include neon and other classic Route 66 design elements, creating a large-scale illuminated facade.

Plans call for the second floor of the hotel and interpretive center to include 17,000 square feet of outdoor terrace and amphitheater space that will face the Arkansas River, along with restaurants and a glass-enclosed event center.

The first level will have themed retail, including bike rentals and other businesses.

The 40-room hotel is expected to be named Hotel Avery, after the Father of Route 66, Cyrus Avery. On the top three floors of the six-story building will be 55 apartments, including one-story, two-story and studio units.

The exterior and interior thematic elements of the entire project allow us to showcase the Route 66 portion of our city and state on a whole new exciting level, Honea said.

David Sharp has been building in Tulsa for decades. His work includes $4.5 million in projects along Route 66, and $15 million in buildings and land in the Riverview neighborhood where the Route 66 development will be constructed.

Blair said that experience  along with how the Selser Schaefer Architects-designed project took into account the needs and concerns of neighborhood residents  played a key role in the selection committees decision.

We paid a lot of attention to scale because we want to make sure this development fits in well with the neighborhood, he said. We didnt want to overwhelm the neighborhood, so that was an important consideration.

Honea said the Riverview neighborhood is near and dear to the Sharp Development team and that it is committed to working with all neighborhood residents and businesses to ensure that the project is a positive addition for everyone.

We live, work, have kiddos in the local school and are actively involved in the neighborhoods, she said. We will ensure our neighbors are heard in the process of this construction and after its opening.

The overall architectural design focus was to ensure the neighborhood was not cannibalized by the site, but still visually attractive to Route 66.

The selection committee included City Councilors Jeannie Cue  who also sits on the Route 66 Commission  and Kara Joy McKee, who represents the district in which the project will be built, as well as Dennis Whitaker with the Tulsa Planning Office and Casey Stowe with the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity.

The other developers to respond to the citys request for proposals (RFP) were Continental Overseas LLC, Ross Group Development and Hund Capital.

Proposals were scored on a 100-point system based on the following standards: Understands and represents the RFPs goals (maximum 30 points); developer qualifications and experience (maximum 30 points); financial resources (maximum 30 points); and conforms to submission requirements (maximum 10 points).

McKee said she is looking forward to discussing the project with her constituents.

Sharps creative ways to showcase Route 66 really rocked, she said. The other finalist (Hund Capital) was also excellent, and I want to see what they do next.

Sharps familiarity with the area and experience also gave me confidence that they will definitely go above and beyond to collaborate with the Riverview neighborhood.

Blair said Sharps proposal is based on reasonable financial assumptions that gave committee members confidence the project will get done. The city is contributing $5 million toward the project, funds Blair said would not be released until the city is sure the project will be built.

We wouldnt commit public funds or the property without commitments on the other side, he said.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Alaska lawmakers are running out of time this session to pass legislation aimed at resolving the annual debate over what size dividend should be paid to residents from the states oil wealth fund.

Legislative leaders have said they see resolving the divisive debate as critical. But lawmakers have yet to agree on what a new formula should look like or on what other elements should accompany it, such as taxes. A dividend bill in the Senate was bumped from the floor for further work Wednesday when it lacked the votes to pass, Senate President Peter Micciche said.

Recent high oil prices have prompted rosy revenue forecasts after years of deficits, complicating any talk of taxes as part of a long-range fiscal plan. A working group tasked with making fiscal policy recommendations last year included such things as a new dividend formula, constitutional certainty around a dividend, new revenues and revised spending limits as necessary parts of a comprehensive plan.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Begich, an Anchorage Democrat, said Thursday that he's a little less optimistic that we'll get a plan or even an element of a plan this year ... but I have not given up."

Less than two weeks remain in the session that began in January. All but one of the Legislature's 60 seats are up for election this year. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy is seeking reelection.

Micciche, a Soldotna Republican, said he will continue having discussions with colleagues to see if agreement can be reached on a dividend approach that could garner at least 11 votes, the minimum necessary for Senate passage.

Whether the bill resurfaces remains to be seen.

House Speaker Louise Stutes, a Kodiak Republican, told reporters last week that if a bill were to pass the Senate and be sent to the House, we will address it to our best ability in the time remaining in session.

Dividends traditionally have been paid using earnings from the oil wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund. For years, the dividend was calculated using a formula based on an average of fund income. But in 2016, amid deficits, then-Gov. Bill Walker vetoed a portion of the amount available for checks. The next year, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that absent a constitutional amendment, dividends must compete for annual funding like other state programs.

Lawmakers have been setting the amounts, which ranged from a low of $992 to a high of $1,606 between the years of 2017 and 2021.

In 2018, the Legislature began using fund earnings to help pay for government in a state that has long relied on oil revenues. Lawmakers sought to limit annual withdrawals for dividends and government, adding to tensions over how the money should be divided between the two. Withdrawal amounts are based on a percentage of the fund's market value. The limit for the upcoming fiscal year is about $3.4 billion.

Because of the 2017 court decision, some lawmakers contend the only way to resolve the dividend debate is with a constitutional amendment. Not all lawmakers think a dividend belongs in the constitution.

But without tying the dividend to the Constitution, youre really not doing anything. You just arent," said Senate Majority Leader Shelley Hughes, a Palmer Republican who was part of the working group.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who in 2018 ran in support of a dividend in line with the old formula, has urged splitting the yearly withdrawals 50/50 between dividends and government. That approach would mean checks of about $2,500 this year.

Dunleavy also has pushed for a supplemental divided of about $1,250 this year as a way to help Alaskans with high fuel and food costs.

The working group composed of members from along the political spectrum recommended lawmakers work towards" a formula that dedicates half the draw to dividends as part of a broader plan.

The Senate is expected to begin debate next week on a budget package that proposes a roughly $2,500 dividend this year, in line with a 50/50 approach. The budget that passed the House called for a roughly $1,250 dividend plus $1,300 as an energy relief payment.

While the total proposed amounts are similar, Stutes said a concern is whether lawmakers want to set a precedent in paying a dividend at the 50/50 level.

Senate Finance Committee Co-chair Bert Stedman said while oil prices currently are high, prices are volatile and the state has a wide range of obligations it has to meet.

The dividend bill that sputtered Wednesday called for 25% of the draw going toward dividends starting next year. It called for transitioning to 50% of the draw toward dividends in 2027 if the state revenue commissioner and Legislative Finance Division director by mid-December 2026 agreed that measures expected to generate at least $800 million in new annually recurring revenue had been enacted.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ADDIS ABABA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it has encountered a funding shortfall in meeting the needs of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) in conflict-hit northern Ethiopia.

"A full-scale humanitarian and protection crisis continues to unfold in and around Ethiopia's Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions since armed conflict broke out in early November 2020," the UNHCR said in its northern Ethiopia situation update issued late Thursday.

Over 1.1 million IDPs, refugees, returnees, and affected populations benefitted from UNHCR and partners' protection services since January 2022 in northern Ethiopia, it was noted.

"Of the 205.4 million U.S. dollars in financial requirements for the Ethiopia Emergency in 2022, UNHCR received only 31.2 million U.S. dollars (15 percent), with a funding gap reaching 174.2 million U.S. dollars," the UN refugee agency said.

While ensuring access to basic services, UNHCR also provided 142,886 displaced individuals with core relief items in Ethiopia's northern Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions since January 2022.

The humanitarian situation across northern Ethiopia is "deeply concerning", with 2.6 million IDPs, over 240,000 returnees and 97,421 refugees and asylum-seekers across the three affected regions, it said.

It stressed that "the overall security situation remains complex and fluid, hindering effective delivery of life-saving assistance to the most affected populations."

Humanitarian aid is recently heading to Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray region after the Ethiopian government and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed to a conditional cessation of hostilities and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid into the region.

The TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Force, backed by allied forces, have been engaged in an 18-month conflict that has reportedly left tens of thousands of people dead and millions of others in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. 
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content.

(THE CONVERSATION) On Jan. 3, 1865, the Kingdom of Hawaii, then a sovereign state, enacted An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy. Any person suspected of having the ancient disease  which is mentioned as far back as the Bible  would be inspected and, if deemed incurable, permanently exiled to a peninsula on the island of Molokai.

More than 8,000 people with leprosy fell victim to this policy of permanent segregation over the next century. Native Hawaiians renamed leprosy ma'i ho'oka'awale ohana: the sickness that separates family. Surrounded by steep cliffs and treacherous ocean, the peninsula served as a natural prison and soon gathered a reputation as a de facto death sentence.

But in the Catholic Church, May 10 commemorates the day one man moved to Molokai willingly: Father Damien. Born Jozef De Veuster in Belgium, he came to Hawaii as a young Catholic missionary and spent the last 16 years of his life voluntarily living in the leprosy colony, before contracting the disease himself and dying in 1889.

Canonized as a saint in 2009, Father Damien was designated the patron saint of people with leprosy, or Hansens disease.

My research focuses on how Christian theology views socially stigmatized diseases, such as leprosy. Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s, Damien has also become linked with the virus and inspired many Catholic groups that care for patients. His legacy illustrates the churchs complicated, often harmful views on HIV/AIDS  but has also helped people see those who suffer from stigmatized diseases with more agency and dignity.

Joining the community

Damien landed at Molokai on May 10, 1873. In a now famous letter to his brother, he wrote that he would make himself a leper with lepers, to gain all to Christ.

For over 2,000 years, care for people with leprosy has often been reduced to segregation. This was the case in Hawaii, where the Board of Health offered bounties to those who turned in suspected patients. The widespread belief that leprosy was an advanced stage of syphilis added an air of moral condemnation to the policy.

According to accounts such as Kaluapapa: A Collective Memory, which documents residents experiences in the colony, Damien employed his carpentry skills to build two chapels, new shelters for the residents, and a multitude of coffins. He provided rudimentary medical care, secured a fresh water supply, and established an orphanage. At a time when fear of being near people with leprosy was the norm, the priest also ate with residents from the same pot, and shared his pipe with them.

By the beginning of 1885, Damien began to show signs of having contracted leprosy, and in 1886 the priest formally became known as Admission #2886 to the settlements. Three years later, he succumbed to the disease.

Patron saint

Damiens ministry garnered an international audience, elevating him to something of a celebrity, and his death prompted an immediate response. The future king of England, Edward VII, proposed to erect a monument to Damien on Molokai, to establish a ward devoted to leprosy in a London medical institution and to fund research on leprosy in India. Damiens example inspired the creation of several other organizations devoted to the study and treatment of leprosy, from the U.S. and Belgium to Congo and Korea.

In 1967, the French journalist and humanitarian Raoul Follereau presented the pope with a petition signed by almost 33,000 leprosy patients, calling for the beatification of Father Damien. In 1977, Pope Paul VI declared Damien venerable, the first step toward canonization  which eventually occurred in 2009, under Pope Benedict XVI.

From leprosy to HIV/AIDS

But how did the patron saint of people living with leprosy become, informally, a patron saint of people living with HIV and AIDS? Given the Catholic Churchs traditional stances against homosexuality, condoms and extramarital sex, the notion can seem paradoxical.

Comparisons between the two diseases were made from the early days of the AIDS crisis: Both were considered mysterious and frightening and severely stigmatized, with sufferers often viewed as dirty or sinful. Many caregivers were afraid to even touch AIDS patients.

Invoking Father Damiens example became a way for religious organizations to legitimize their HIV/AIDS outreach in the eyes of the church and to emphasize their concern for patients social stigma  even if the Catholic Church itself was helping to perpetrate that stigma, and arguably the disease itself.

In 2003, for example, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, wrote that the use of condoms goes against human dignity. Condoms change the beautiful act of love into a selfish search for pleasure  while rejecting responsibility. Condoms do not guarantee protection against HIV/AIDS. Condoms may even be one of the main reasons for the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Even in 2009, the year Damien was canonized, Pope Benedict remarked that the AIDS epidemic cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms; on the contrary, they increase it  an attitude out of touch with most U.S. Catholics views, not to mention medical science. The popes statement provoked such outrage that the Belgian Parliament even condemned it.

But many in the Catholic Church responded to the AIDS crisis with empathy. In 1985, for example  just a few years after the disease had been identified  the New York Archdiocese opened a treatment facility at St. Clares Hospital, the states first specialized AIDS unit.

A number of ministries turned to Father Damien as inspiration for AIDS-related work, years before the church officially made him a saint. Likely the oldest is Damien Ministries, founded in 1987 to serve the poorest of the poor living with HIV and AIDS, as inspired by the life of the Blessed Father Damien. The Washington, D.C.-based ministry adopted a solidarity approach modeled after Damiens ministry on Molokai, citing parallels between leprosy and HIV/AIDS.

Damien serves as what religion historian Robert Orsi calls an articulatory pivot point: a way people  HIV/AIDS patients, in this case  can use their faith to reshape their experience and gain agency, even as that same religion stigmatizes them as powerless others.

As a canonized saint, Damien is embraced by the highest levels of the church. Yet as a man who embraced those the rest of society had rejected, joining them and even dying for them, he also represents people at the margins.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.

Licenced as Creative Commons - attribution, no derivatives.

Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. Error! There was a problem with reporting this article. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Report Abuse Log In to report

Subscribe to Daily Headlines Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
In this episode, Ginnie Graham and Bob Doucette note that the editorial board has not taken a stance on abortion, but that Oklahoma law needs to follow court guidance, or federal law. Other opinions are covered in columns and letters to the editor.
Come here, come here for a meal! I have good food for you all, Ut Chat purred as soon as her small, round boat left the Tra Bong Estuary for Hon Tra Island.

Hearing her voice, a troop of monkeys in the forest quickly gathered around her.

The excited chatter of the monkeys seemed to respond to Ut Chat, who has taken care of them over the past several years.

The troop of monkeys was afraid of people, until they felt the love of Nguyen Thi Chat, alias Ut Chat, aged 78, who resides in Son Tra Village, Binh Dong Commune in Quang Ngai Provinces Binh Son District.

78-year-old woman raises monkeys as children

Son Tra Village in Binh Dong Commune is near the Dung Quat Economic Zone. As trees and mountains were cleared to make room for economic development, natural habitats became rare for animals.

Nobody knew that the troop of monkeys emigrated to the island in the middle of the Tra Bong River to seek a safe shelter.

Many people said that they arrived from Binh Thanh Commune on the opposite bank of the river, while some thought that they migrated to the island from the forest in Binh Thuan Commune.

However, they knew that the seaside forests which used to be home to monkeys had been leveled to serve economic growth.

No shelter and food forced the monkeys to leave for a new 'home.'

A few years ago, while sailing a coracle [a small, round boat] offshore to fish, I saw some monkeys walking along the beach and swimming across the river to reach Hon Tra Island, the safest place for them, said Thanh, whose house is located near the island.

The island, with no human influence, is very small and lies next to the estuary, making life hard, especially finding food.

During their first days on the island, the monkeys cried out all night.

No one knew the reason for their cries, assuming that they were calling their friends.

However, everyone realized that the monkeys were short of food as they habitually cried out for help when seeing any coracle heading out to sea.

Ut Chat said that she often visits a pagoda to give votive offerings.

She once came to the pagoda when someone jokingly told her to provide the monkeys with food. As such, she recollected their cries and borrowed a coracle and rowed to Hon Tra Island.

At that time, the troop of monkeys ran away right after seeing me as they were afraid of people. It was possible they had earlier been driven away," Ut Chat recalled.

After that, I returned home and went to the market to buy some fruits and brought them to the island for the monkeys.

"This was a pathetic sight of hungry monkeys.

Seeing Ut Chat feed the monkeys, many people initially thought that she was standing on trifles and would give up soon.

However, each day, her neighbors witnessed her borrow a coracle to row to the island to feed them.

Now, no one is complaining about or discussing her actions. Instead, many have lent her a hand to rear the monkeys.

The residents there consider this action a beautiful image of the relationship between humans and animals.

As a result, many visitors across Vietnam travel to the village to enjoy the meaningful story and give money to Ut Chat so that she can buy more fruits for the monkeys.

Weird but true story

Ut Lien, owner of a beverage shop at the entrance to the village, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that whether it is sunny or rainy, Ut Chat always vends steamed glutinous rice and returns home with lots of fruit.

She must love the monkeys because she is completely wrapped up in this troop of monkeys.

Many vendors at the Binh Dong Market love her, thereby giving her some fairly shriveled fruits to feed the primates.

Normally, Ut Chat collects various fruits such as bananas, mangoes, dragon fruits, and watermelons weighing tens of kilograms, with most of them given by vendors.

Sometimes, she spends just VND50,000 (US$2.18) buying grapes to diversify food for them.

At the ripe old age of 78, Ut Chat is still healthy and strong enough to row your correspondent to Hon Tra Island.

One day, as soon as the coracle landed on island, the woman shouted out, Come here, come here! I bring good food for you all.

Responding to her call, the apes excitedly chattered to each other. However, they were hesitant to come due to the strangers.

Ut Chat buys fruits and receives some from donors to bring them to Hon Tra Island for the monkeys. Photo: Tran Mai / Tuoi Tre

As such, she constantly waved at them and repeated Come here! These guests came to visit you, not capture you. Dont be scared.

After they took a step backward, the primates gathered around Ut Chat and enjoyed their meal.

Gently smiling at them, Ut Chat carefully counted the number of monkeys there.

Counting the apes while giving food to them every day has become a habit.

During a storm in late 2021, no one lent her a coracle to head for the island due to danger.

Nearly a month later, when the weather improved, she hurriedly brought food to the island and discovered two monkeys going missing after counting.

At that time, she asked, Where are the two monkeys? I will be mad at you and will not feed you unless you appear.

After that, the leader and two other monkeys ran into the forest, held two skulls, and put them into my bag, which is used to contain food.

"I understood that they had died of hunger and coldness.

Ut Chat was telling the story honestly, which seemed to be fictional, but her sincere love for the primates made your correspondent believe it was true.

Sitting in the last glow of sunset, Ut Chat said that she did not remember how long she had been raising the monkeys, but she knew that they had borne three more babies.

That made her overjoyed. The monkeys appeared to feel her love.

On her first visit to the island after the storm last year, she brought food to the monkeys and whispered, Who will feed you if I pass away?

The fear of leaving the monkeys behind was reflected in her eyes while she was telling the story.

I treat them as my children. I wish there were fruits and food on Hon Tra Island, she said sadly.

When they were full, she patted a baby monkey on the head and said, I must go home. I will bring fruit for you tomorrow.

The troop of monkeys stood on a rock and their eyes followed her after she got on the coracle back home.

They are so pitiful and lovely, so I do not have the heart to abandon them. I will continue feeding them until I die," Ut Chat said.

Perhaps, it will become a monkey island in the future, and someone will plant fruit trees on the island for the monkeys.

Though her action comes from love, she has inadvertently become a role model for wild animal protection and helped many people realize that the apes need love and care.

Residents of the Son Tra fishing village have pledged that they will help her take care of the primates.

Since we saw what she has done, the commune has created the most favorable conditions so that she can rear the monkeys, said Huynh Minh Thai, vice-chairman of the Binh Dong Commune Peoples Council.

Ut Chat has helped better the ecosystem in the commune.

"However, we are worried about her old age and wonder who would look after and feed the monkeys after she dies.

"We really appreciate her love for the apes.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Over 500 kg (1,102 lb) of cocaine estimated to be worth more than 50 million Swiss francs ($50.65 million) have been found in a container of coffee bean bags for Nestle's Nespresso factory in Romont in western Switzerland, the cantonal police said on Thursday.

Police were informed on Monday night by Nespresso that staff had found an undefined white substance while unloading bags of coffee beans that had just arrived from Brazil, the police said in a statement.

Analyses showed the substance was cocaine.

"The substance in question did not come into contact with any of our products or production equipment used to make our products," Nespresso said in an emailed statement.

"As a police investigation is underway, we cannot share more details. We want to reassure consumers that all our products are safe to consume," the maker of single-serve coffee capsules said.

($1 = 0.9871 Swiss francs)
At least four people were seriously injured after an automobile crashed into 10 motorcycles in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday evening.

A preliminary investigation into the incident showed that a 40-year-old man had been driving a car on Kha Van Can Street in Thu Duc City at around 7:30 pm on Thursday.

The driver appeared to lose control of his vehicle as he took a right turn at the intersection of Kha Van Can and Duong Van Cam Streets, before slamming into a group of motorbikes.

The automobile then drove onto the sidewalk and hit a house before ramming several other motorbikes as it backed out to the roadway.

At least four people were seriously injured and about 10 motorcycles were damaged.

The car driver left his vehicle and fled the scene immediately following the crash.

A man talks with an injured victim on the sidewalk following the crash in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, May 5, 2022. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

The injured victims were provided with first aid before being taken to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

Police officers were stilling examining the crash site to facilitate their investigation as of 10:30 pm the same day.

Multiple motorcycles are damaged following the crash in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, May 5, 2022. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Medics provide first aid to an injured victim in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, May 5, 2022. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Officers examine the crash site in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, May 5, 2022. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Officers examine the crash site in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, May 5, 2022. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Officers examine the crash site in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, May 5, 2022. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Swiss customs have discovered fake Molnupiravir, a drug used to treat mild COVID-19 infections, bearing manufacturers labels from Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) said on Thursday.

The DAV received notifications of the discovery from the World Health Organizations office in Vietnam.

The fake Molnupiravir 400mg capsules were discovered in bottles of twenty capsules each, with each bottle bearing a label reading: Manufactured by Cong ty TNHH, Chi nhanh 1 so 40 dai, P. An Phu, Tx. Thuan An, Tinh Binh Duong, Vietnam (Manufactured by Co. Ltd., Branch 1 No. 40 dai, An Phu Ward, Thuan An Town, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam).

Test results showed the drugs contained no actual active ingredient Molnupiravir.

The DAV requested that health departments at province- and city-levels issue a direct warning to business establishments, medical facilities, and consumers about the counterfeit Molnupiravir 400mg drugs.

The health departments are also tasked with leveraging press and media agencies to warn against the trade and use of the drug.

The DAV proposes that relevant units collect reports on the bogus Molnupiravir drug from trading establishments and medical facilities and coordinate with authorities to trace its origin so that the situation can be handled in accordance with current regulations.

Molnupiravir, prescribed for patients who have been experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for five days or less, has been licensed for circulation and approved for emergency use in the treatment of the disease in many countries, such as the UK, the U.S., and Japan, according to the Vietnamese health ministry.

The DAV authorized three COVID-19 treatment drugs containing active ingredient Molnupiravir, namely Molravir 400mg made by Boston Vietnam Pharma, Movinavir 200mg manufactured by Mekophar Chemical Pharmaceutical, and Molnupiravir Stella 400mg produced by Stellapharm J.V Co. Ltd., on February 17.

These drugs are used to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 adult patients with at least one risk factor that could enhance the progression of the disease, according to the Vietnamese health ministry.

The drugs should not be used for pregnant women or those who are planning to become pregnant, nursing women, and children under 18 years old.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has required relevant units to apply measures to keep birds and other wild animals away from airports because as many as seven bird hits have led to aircraft maintenance in the last ten days.

Following a flight from Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong to Ho Chi Minh City on April 25, engineers found a dead bird inside an engine of the Airbus A321, according to the CAAV.

The next day, blood was found on the tip of a Boeing 787 that had just flown in from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

The captain of flight QR8972 from Doha, Qatar to Ho Chi Minh City also reported a collision with a bird on the runway on April 27.

Blood was found on several parts of the A321 on April 29 after it flew from Tuy Hoa City in south-central Phu Yen Province to Ho Chi Minh City.

The plane had to be grounded for maintenance.

On the next morning, flight VJ360 from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat was delayed for two minutes to wait for airport staff chasing swallows away from a runway.

On May 1, after another Airbus A321 carried passengers from the southern island of Phu Quoc off Kien Giang Province to Ho Chi Minh City, technicians also detected blood on its hull.

On May 3, blood was found on the hull of a plane after it traveled from Phu Quoc to Ho Chi Minh City, resulting in additional maintenance on the aircraft.

The CAAV said birds have been slamming into planes more often in recent months.

Airports that have frequently encountered such incidents include Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and those in Da Lat and Phu Quoc.

On Thursday, the civil aviation authority requested relevant units to chase birds and other wild animals away from airports, especially Hanois Noi Bai and Ho Chi Minh Citys Tan Son Nhat.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
NAIROBI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Humanitarian agencies on Friday jointly appealed for 39.5 million U.S. dollars to scale up humanitarian assistance in Eastern Africa as the worst drought in 40 years looms.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), the Kenya Red Cross, Ethiopia Red Cross and Somali Red Crescent said the funds will allow its volunteers and staff to assist 1.56 million people by scaling up their emergency and recovery activities and tackling the root causes of food insecurity.

IFRC secretary-general Jagan Chapagain who ended a three-day visit to Kenya called for a massive scale-up of humanitarian and long-term assistance to communities affected by the growing hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

"The situation is rapidly deteriorating. We need immediate humanitarian assistance to reach the most vulnerable. We also need long-term solutions that address the impact of climate change including investment in resilient livelihoods," Chapagain said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

He said Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are facing a large-scale, climate-induced, and protracted humanitarian crisis with over 14 million people food insecure and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance including at least 5.5 million children facing acute malnutrition.

According to IFRC, some 6.1 million people in Ethiopia and 4.1 million people in Somalia are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

In Kenya, it said, 3.5 million people are acutely food insecure, with eastern and northern Kenya's most arid and semi-arid lands experiencing critical drought conditions.

Chapagain said this silent disaster has been overshadowed and to a significant extent amplified by the Ukraine crisis.

"It isn't just food and water that people need here. In the background, there are unseen issues such as sexual and gender-based violence, and the profound impacts on mental health. An example given was of women walking over 40 km to reach potable water - what happens on the journey is unthinkable," he said.

Speaking at the end of a visit to northern Kenya's Marsabit, one of the country's areas that has been hardest hit by the effects of drought, Chapagain said he saw firsthand the level of suffering caused by drought in Marsabit.

Asha Mohammed, secretary-general of the Kenya Red Cross Society, who was also in Marsabit, said the fact that people in Marsabit have lost over 70 percent of their livestock, which is their main source of livelihood, means that it will be a long and slow path to recovery.

"Our teams are playing a central role in reducing the risks that families are facing. They have provided cash assistance, food assistance and improved water treatment practices, but the need to rehabilitate water systems remains urgent. We call all our partners and stakeholders to support our efforts," Mohammed said. 
A man from Vietnams Mekong Delta has been sentenced to eight years in prison for uploading nearly 190 Facebook posts to slander the peoples administration in 2020-21.

The Peoples Court in Tien Giang Province on Thursday handed down the eight-year jail term to Tran Hoang Huan, 34, for making, storing, or spreading information and documents aimed at opposing the state.

Huan will have to undergo a three-year compulsory probation as well.

From September 2020 to April 2021, Huan often logged onto websites with reactionary content as well as foreign newspapers and radio stations with hostile attitudes against the state of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, according to the indictment.

The man then used his Facebook account named Huan Tran to post anti-state information based on the material he had read.

From September 11, 2020 to April 7, 2021, Huan uploaded a total of 186 articles and statuses, all of which were set to public, with content that defamed the peoples administration and insulted the leaders of the Party and state.

At the trial, Huan pled guilty to all of his offenses.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Nguyen Thi Bich Lien, a resident of Hanoi who survived after spending a week lost in the wild, shared her story with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday in the hope of motivating others to maintain a sense of purpose in life and equip themselves with survival skills.

Welcoming a Tuoi Tre reporter into her home in Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi, the 59-year-old woman said that she would always remember the seven days she spent lost in the wild after falling down a 30-meter cliff at Dong Pagoda, part of the Yen Tu national relic on the namesake mountain in northern Quang Ninh Province.

Lien was visiting a friend in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province on April 27 when she made the spontaneous decision to come to Yen Tu.

My husband and I often go out for a few days at a time without telling each other, so I didnt think twice before leaving [for Yen Tu]," Lien said.

"I definitely didnt expect it to turn out the way it did."

Surviving on rice cakes, water, leaves, ferns

Lien took a bus from Ha Long to Yen Tu around the midday of April 27 and had lunch at the national relic site, before buying a cable car ticket to Dong Pagoda.

After praying, she began following a group of visitors down the mountain, but eventually stopped to take a break alone.

When she stood up again, she got dizzy, lost her balance, and fell down a 30-meter cliff.

When she finally recovered, she heard someones voice and tried to shout for help, but she fell further down the cliff.

Worried that trying to climb back up would be dangerous, Lien simply did her best to hang, but the weight of her body pulled her further down.

Nguyen Thi Bich Lien shows wounds on her arms at her house in Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi, May 4, 2022. Photo: Thanh Chung / Tuoi Tre

Eventually, she was able to grab a hold of some bamboo and pull herself over to a stone slab where she could rest and begin calling for help.

According to Lien, it was very rainy and foggy, with visibility only about two meters.

She was wet, cold, and utterly dirty.

Fortunately, she was able to use a rope to tie enough bamboo to the stone slab to protect herself from the rain.

She also used plastic bags to cover her head, body, arms, and legs.

For food and water, the woman was able to survive off the rice cakes and water that she had brought with her to the temple, as well as discarded water bottles that previous visitors had thrown down the cliff.

In addition to scavenging, I picked leaves and ferns to eat, Lien recalled.

By the third day, I was almost finished with my rice cakes and water.

"Luckily, just as I was going out to scavenge, someone heard my cries for help.

Nguyen Thi Bich Lien shows wounds on her arms and legs at her house in Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi, May 4, 2022. Photo: Thanh Chung / Tuoi Tre

Im not making this up'

Im still somewhat panicked thinking about the incident, Lien said.

At the boundary of life and death, I just tried to save myself and find ways to survive.

According to Lien, the only thing she could do was remind herself: Dont give up and Make it home to your husband and children.

Liens shouts were eventually heard by an officer managing the national relic on Tuesday morning.

The woman repeatedly affirmed that her story is true, and even has her cable car ticket from April 27 as proof.

The ticket and security camera footage prove my journey, Lien stated.

I didnt pick up the ticket to make up a story.

I dont have any motives to think up such a story to attract unwanted attention and thus to trade my familys peaceful life.

No one would make it up to put their family in crisis."

The woman added that she shared her survival story in the hope of motivating others to maintain a sense of purpose in life and equip themselves with survival skills.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Prosecutors in Ho Chi Minh City have issued an indictment for murder and abuse of people against 27-year-old Nguyen Vo Quynh Trang, who allegedly beat the daughter of her partner to death last December.

Trangs partner, Nguyen Kim Trung Thai, 37, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, was also indicted for abuse and concealment of crimes, the municipal Peoples Procuracy said on Wednesday in an indictment delivered to the local Peoples Court.

Trang, who hails from Gia Lai Province, was arrested on December 23 last year, one day after a city hospital released a report on the unusual death of N.T.V.A., Thais daughter.

Thai was detained eight days later.

Trang was initially charged solely with abuse, but prosecutors eventually pressed a murder charge against her.

The prosecution is currently building its case based on the case file, data extracted from a camera at the crime scene, relevant phone calls and text messages between Trang and Thai, the forensic examination of A.s body, and testimonies from both the couple and other witnesses.

According to a forensic report, A. died at the age of eight from acute pulmonary edema due to traumatic shock.

New lesions which appeared several hours before the victim passed were labeled as the primary cause of the death while older lesions were confirmed to be contributing factors to the fatality.

Trang and Thai allegedly began assaulting A. shortly after they moved in together in May 2020, one month after Thai divorced his wife.

Thai deleted security camera footage from his apartment immediately after A.s death, but police were still able to recover the footage.

He told investigators that his partner began rampantly abusing A. in October 2020 when the young girl shifted to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming that Trang brutally beat the little girl with tree limbs, iron tubing, plastic piping, and rattan.

Thai also admitted to having hit his daughter several times.

According to prosecutors, Trang and Thai began beating A. in the late evening on December 10, 2021 and continued until 2:00 am the following day, injuring the girls vital organs.

On December 22, 2021, Trang used a long wooden stick to hit the little girl in the buttocks, back, head, forehead, and chest from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Consequently, A. fell into a coma and was taken to the hospital.

She was found to have died from a cardiac arrest and apnea before arriving at the facility.

The girls unusual injuries prompted doctors to contact police, and an initial autopsy later determined the girl had suffered a hematoma under the skin of her forehead, a mild cerebral edema, and broken ribs.

Thais family had forbidden him from marrying Trang and he did not want to have more kids with her, according to investigators.

The situation, investigators said, created such resentment in Trang that she took to beating A., and refused to allow the girl to meet her mother.

After Trangs arrest, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh directed local police and authorities to strictly handle the case and prosecute all involved.

The case has drawn attention from UNICEF Vietnam, whose representative Rana Flowers on December 29, 2021 released a statement to express its deep sadness and concern over the recent violent death of a young girl at the hands of someone who she should have been able to trust, to protect her [sic].

Flowers emphasized that a strengthened protection system for women and children is urgently needed in Vietnam.

Such a system, the statement read, should consist of qualified professional social workers who can respond to the needs of children and women, should also include training for law enforcement and legal officials, such as judges, and should be centered on a zero-tolerance attitude toward violence.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
US comedy series Minx has been renewed for a second season.

Set in 1970s Los Angeles it centres around Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond), as a feminist who joins forces with a low-rent publisher (Jake Johnson) to create the first erotic magazine for women.

It also stars Idara Victor, Jessica Lowe, Lennon Parham, Michael Angarano and Oscar Montoya.

Creator and showrunner Ellen Rapoport said, All of us at Minx have been blown away by the passionate response from audiences across the world, who have mashed-up, TikTok-ed and fanfic-ed us into a renewal. We are so grateful to our partners at HBO Max and Lionsgate for being true champions of the show, and for the opportunity to continue on this journey. Heres to more chest hair, pussy bow blouses and tasteful nudes in season two.

Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max added, We are thrilled that the world of Minx has resonated in the way that it has. Showrunner and creator Ellen Rapoport, alongside the rest of our gifted creative team, masterfully deliver nuanced humor, with the cast executing her vision seamlessly. We cant wait for fans to see what medicine Doug and Joyce hide in peanut butter for season two.

Minx screens in Australia on Stan.

Source: Deadline
The South Australian Film Corporation has become the new host organisation for the Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network.

Previously hosted by the Australian Film and Television Radio School since its inception in 2017, the SDIN is a national network of broadcasters, screen funding agencies, business associations, guilds and industry-aligned education and training organisations who have committed to work together towards a more inclusive and diverse screen industry.

Members include Australian broadcasters and state and national screen agencies as well as FreeTV and AFTRS.

Among the SDINs initiatives is The Everyone Project, a measurement tool developed by South Australian organisation Screen Industry Innovation (SII), to capture the diversity of the talent and crews working in the screen industry.

AFTRS CEO Nell Greenwood said: AFTRS is really proud to have supported the incredible work the SDIN has done over the last five years, including the growth of the network itself and the implementation of The Everyone Project. Its the right time to be passing on the baton to another host agency and were delighted that Kate and the SAFC are taking on this really important role.

SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: As an agency committed to improving representation in screen content and inclusion and diversity in the screen industry, we at the SAFC are delighted to become the new host organisation for the SDIN. We look forward to working collaboratively with the new Project Officer to further our shared aims of boosting diversity and addressing barriers to inclusion in the sector.

SDIN Co-Chairs Kelrick Martin, Head of Indigenous at ABC TV and Michelle Cheng, Content Industry Diversity Manager at SBS said: The SDIN is delighted to welcome the SAFC as our new host organisation. We look forward to working together with the SAFC to build a more inclusive screen industry in 2022 and beyond.

As part of its new role as SDIN host organisation, the SAFC is now hiring for a new SDIN Project Officer.

The handover from AFTRS will occur in June with SAFC to take over from July 2022.
Waless First Minister Mark Drakeford and his wife Clare voted at St Catherines Hall in Pontcanna, Cardiff (Bronwen Weatherby/PA) (PA Wire)

Mark Drakeford has cast his vote in the local council elections.

Waless First Minister entered St Catherines Hall in Kings Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff, at 9am on Thursday.

Pontcanna is an area within Mr Drakefords Cardiff West constituency.

The Welsh Labour leader attended the polling station wearing a grey suit and red tie and greeted voters with a wave. His wife Clare wore a red top and jacket.

All polling stations have now opened for the 2022 local elections, with council seats in Wales, Scotland, London and many parts of England up for grabs, and Northern Ireland electing its new Assembly.

Millions of voters are expected to cast ballots to select the local representatives they want to run services in their area.

In Wales all 22 councils are also holding elections.

Polls close at 10pm, and most counts in the country will take place on Friday, with the first batch of results likely to be announced in the early evening.
Northampton, MA --News Direct-- Freeport-McMoRan

A new esplanade constructed with financial support from Minera El Abra will help provide economic opportunity in the El Loa Province in northern Chile.

The esplanade primarily will be used as a seafood market for the Tocopilla Fishers Union in the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta where Minera El Abra operates a copper mine. The esplanade also will host arts markets, food festivals, and other community and tourism activities. An area for food trucks was established; existing retail space was refurbished; and a 70-meter-long concrete wall and stabilizers were constructed with support from Minera El Abra, a Freeport-McMoRan company.

This initiative is part of a program that works with the Tocopilla Fishing Sector, which is financed by Minera El Abra and executed by the Development Corporation of the El Loa Province. The program involves the participation of 15 unions and organizations. The projects in the program are environmentally sustainable and involve marine reforestation and habitat protection, as well as business training and support for entrepreneurs.

To learn more about how Freeport-McMoRan works in partnership with local communities, please visit www.fcx.com/sustainability and read their 2021 Annual Report on Sustainability.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Freeport-McMoRan on 3blmedia.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/minera-el-abra-provides-support-for-local-seafood-market-437719021
NUR-SULTAN, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Oil-rich Kazakhstan has dreamt of building its petrochemical industry for decades. A Chinse firm is helping make the dream a reality.

In western Kazakhstan's Atyrau Region, the construction of the country's largest petrochemical complex built by the China National Chemical Engineering Group is in full swing.

Once completed, it will become a pilot project of the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Kazakh-proposed Bright Path economic policy.

As a key cooperation project between Kazakhstan and China, the complex will produce up to 500,000 tons of polypropylene per year, a raw material widely used in mechanical engineering, medicine and electrical engineering.

Over 65 different types of polypropylene will be produced, said Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries, which develops and operates the project, in a press release in April.

Some Kazakh industrial operators told local media that this project will open up new prospect for Kazakhstan's chemical industry and build up its industrial might.

With the contract worth some 1.79 billion U.S. dollars, the project began construction in 2018 and is about to enter the trial production stage.

Ma Jun, a manager on installation works, told Xinhua that when he first arrived at the construction site, he only saw endless barren alkali land, where only camel thorns grow.

Four years on, the project is well on its way in spite of COVID-19 woes.

Zhang Yuewei, the deputy project manager, said, "When the pandemic rampaged, everyone was sticking to the post while observing strict anti-pandemic measures under close-loop management."

Meanwhile, the Beijing headquarters have sent more than 1,000 Chinese workers back to Atyrau on chartered flights for the resumption of work.

Now the project has taken shape and is scheduled to be put into operation by the end of this year.

According to Zhang, by February 2022, the project has completed 180,000 cubic meters of concrete pouring, 30,000 tons of steel structure installation and 1,000 sets of equipment installation.

So far, over 40 local subcontractors have taken part in the project, providing over 3,000 local jobs, Ma said.

The Chinese team has cooperated closely with local partners, giving full play to their respective strengths. Chinese engineers also introduced Chinese technology knowhow and management concepts to their Kazakh colleagues. 
Forest Whitaker will receive the Honorary Palme dOr award at this year's Cannes Film Festival credit:Bang Showbiz

Forest Whitaker will receive the Honorary Palme dOr award at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The 60-year-old actor feels "incredibly honoured" about being presented with the prestigious gong at the upcoming spectacle, which will take place from May 17 to 28.

He said: "Thirty-four years ago, attending Cannes for the first time changed my life, and assured me that Id made the right decision to devote myself to finding connectivity in humanity through film.

"Its always a privilege to return to this beautiful festival to both screen my own work, and to be inspired by many of the worlds greatest artists - and I feel incredibly honoured to be celebrated as part of the Festivals momentous 75th anniversary."

The Honorary Palme dOr is awarded to those stars whose artistic careers are matched by their humanitarian commitments.

Previous winners have included Clint Eastwood, Jodie Foster, and Jane Fonda.

Pierre Lescure, Festival de Cannes President, added: "It is a tradition for the Festival de Cannes to honour those who made its history and Forest Whitaker is one of them.

"He is this young actor that Clint Eastwood revealed in Bird and that man who broadens his view of the world to offer it to those who suffer and those who fight.

"The full honours belong to Whitaker. This Palme dor is a gesture of gratitude from the world of cinema."

Whitaker won the Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival for his role as musician Charlie "Bird" Parker in Eastwood's 1988 movie 'Bird'.

The star is also known for appearing in movies 'Good Morning, Vietnam', 'Black Panther', 'The Butler', 'Panic Room' - opposite Foster - and 'The Last King of Scotland', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Waco police identified and charged a woman Thursday who they said fired a gun during a fight Wednesday in the 500 block of North 32nd Street.

Jaztiney Ladajia Bowens, 23, of Waco, was arraigned on four felony charges and a misdemeanor with bail set at around $85,000, records show.

Her charges include three second-degree felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one third-degree felony count of deadly conduct with a firearm and a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass with a deadly weapon, jail records show.

Waco police arrested Bowens on Wednesday evening in the Brookview neighborhood after she was accused of firing a handgun during a fight, Waco Police Department spokesperson Cierra Shipley said.

The shots fired call in the 500 block of North 32nd Street came in at 6:30 p.m., she said.

No one was identified as injured Wednesday in the altercation, or the firearm discharge, Shipley said.

Police found Bowens in the 2900 block of Sanger Avenue, where police said she was walking down the street. She was taken into custody without further incident.

Thursday evening, Bowens remained in the McLennan County Jail on the $85,000 bail, jail records show.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Connally Independent School District Superintendent Wesley Holt sighs when asked about Saturdays election where district voters will decide the fate of a $39 million bond issue to build a new elementary school.

The last of a series of open information meetings drew one person Wednesday night and previous meetings this spring saw larger, but still low turnouts. Few took up the districts open invitation to tour the current elementary school and see the conditions that district officials believe a new school would solve. Presentations intended to share information on how the bond project would impact voters pocketbook found more time spent in correcting misinformation circulating in the community.

I dont have a good feel for it. We know there is opposition out there, but we hope (supporters) are getting out and discussing the bond issue also, Holt said. (Voters) should vote off of factual information, and whats best for the kids.

It is the second time up for the bond issue, which would fund a new elementary school that Connally administrators say would solve the physical problems of an aging 60-year-old elementary school building while easing overcrowding at the districts primary and middle schools by taking in a grade level from each. Voters did not agree in November, defeating the proposition 466 votes to 402.

At the beginning of this year, school board members and district officials planned to reach residents unaware of the November vote or whose contact with the district was not as strong as families with Connally students. Town hall meetings were scheduled and informational pages added to the district website.

Then news of a jump of as much as 31% in McLennan County home property appraisals hit in February, launching a tsunami of taxpayer outrage.

Figures from the McLennan County Appraisal District show the average taxable value of a home in the Connally school district increased some 13.5%, from $141,776 in 2021 to $160,925, in 2022.

After the preliminary property value numbers came in, Connally school administrators reworked the tax rate needed to fund the bond issue, lowering it to 9.5 cents per $100 of property value, said James Slater, assistant superintendent for finance. For the owner of a house valued at $160,925, the tax increase translates into an extra $152.88 per year, or $12.74 per month.

That is lower than the cost cited last fall for the November election when the tax increase was estimated at 14.1 cents per $100. Using the 2021 valuation of $141,776, that tax rate increase would translate into $199.90 a year or $16.66 per month.

Slater said it could drop a little more in the weeks to come as the county valuations solidify. Homeowners also could see property tax relief if voters statewide approve an expansion of the homestead exemption for school district taxes from $25,000 to $40,000.

McLennan County Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt said that expanded homestead exemption, if approved Saturday, would go into effect almost immediately for qualifying homeowners. The impact of the another amendment up for a vote Saturday, which could limit school taxes for elderly and disabled homeowners, likely would not be felt until next year, Bobbitt said.

Connally officials soon found, however, that the potential good news that the bond issue would not lead to as significant an increase got drowned out by community alarm over property value hikes, an alarm that those opposing a tax hike for the bond issue were spreading.

In a Thursday letter to the Waco Tribune-Herald, Elm Mott resident Richard Wilshire said he and others had been passing out flyers in Connally neighborhoods recommending defeat of the bond issue and its tax increase. Yard signs opposing the bond issue have appeared in local yards, and anti-bond sentiment has been floating on social media.

With taxpayer concern also came misinformation, Holt said. People heard their taxes would go up 32% or that senior citizens would see higher taxes as well, statements that Connally officials said are demonstrably not true. Some felt that the district could simply repair the existing school building or pay for one out of the districts general budget, options that Holt and Slater said are fiscally unrealistic for a district with an annual budget slightly more than $25 million.

Have we received push back? Sure we have. I think that comes any time you are talking about a tax increase, Holt said.

Supporters of the bond issue point not to taxes or property valuations, but to the arguments for a new school. A new facility would replace one with ongoing plumbing, electrical, telecommunications and fire safety system problems. It also would bring cafeteria, gymnasium and library up to current Texas Education Agency size standards. Adding third and sixth grades to the new school would ease overcrowding at the districts primary and junior high schools, a benefit extending to multiple schools.

School officials hope the low turnout at the springs town halls, where bond supporters were ready to make those arguments and give tours if requested, does not translate into disinterest in Saturdays election.

A tally of early votes cast at the districts administration building indicates the opposite: 690 early votes cast, compared to slightly more than 800 total votes in the November election.

The Connally superintendent said he hopes voters on Saturday will look at what he says are the facts: what the bond issue will do for the district and its students.

They should vote off factual information and vote whats best for the kids, he said. Thats all Im asking people to do. Vote what you think is best for our kids.

Connally is conducting its own election, separate from other May 7 local city and school elections conducted by the county.

Connallys polling place, the Connally ISD Administration Building at 200 Cadet Way, will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A probable lightning strike during a midday thunderstorm Thursday burned a home's attic in the 12300 block of Micah Avenue in China Spring, a Waco Fire Department spokesperson said.

"The house had significant fire damage in the attic," Executive Deputy Chief Robby Bergerson said. "Two other homes in Waco were also struck by lightning Thursday, but did not burn."

The call for the attic fire came in at 11:45, Bergerson said. With eight units and 21 personnel responding, firefighters controlled the blaze within 15 minutes.

"Living areas of the house received significant water and smoke damage," he said. "So, three adults were displaced along with their pets, three cats and two dogs."

The Red Cross is providing them with assistance, Bergerson said.

No civilians, firefighters or pets received injuries during the fire and its aftermath, he said.

"One of the other houses hit by lighting was about a mile away from the one that burned," he said. The other was across the city in far west Waco.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
TOKYO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Japan Coast Guard and Self-Defense Forces continued searching for those unaccounted for in a tour boat sinking accident two weeks ago, local media reported Friday.

The 19-ton tour boat, Kazu I, was carrying 26 people including its crew when it went missing off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido on April 23 after making a distress call saying it was taking on water in rough seas, leaving 14 dead and 12 missing.

The tour boat departed from a port in Shari, Hokkaido, despite a bad weather warning being issued.

Patrol boats and aircraft are currently searching for the missing in the sea around the Shiretoko Peninsula where the vessel sank as well as the area near Kunashiri Island, one of the southern Kuril Islands disputed by Tokyo and Moscow, according to local sources.

The Russian coast guard has agreed to allow Japanese vessels into the area in line with the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, a bilateral accord on maritime accidents inked between the two countries.

The sunken tour boat was located on April 29 by sonar equipment. Following searches of the vessel using underwater cameras on Tuesday, no more bodies were found since three were discovered on April 28.

A salvage company has been requested to investigate the accident site, at the request of the coast guard, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported Friday.

The Kazu I had a history of issues with the vessel colliding with a floating object in May last year resulting in three passengers getting injured.

And in June, it ran aground in shallow waters shortly after leaving port, the transport ministry here said.

Noriyuki Toyoda, the 54-year-old captain, was referred to prosecutors over the second incident. 
A line of storms ahead of a cold front from the northwest brought much-needed rain to McLennan County on Thursday, though not enough to extinguish a monthslong drought.

Waco Regional Airport received 1.2 inches of rainfall between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and storms brought gusts of up to 62 mph at about noon, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds knocked down limbs and power lines, and lightning struck three houses in Waco, including one in China Spring that suffered an attic fire shortly before noon, Waco Fire Department officials said.

The National Weather Service Fort Worth office issued a tornado watch until 6 p.m. for 46 counties, including McLennan and surrounding counties, but no tornadoes were reported to touch down, National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Bishop said.

The rainfall provided widespread relief to drought-stricken McLennan County farmers and ranchers, though the rainfall amounts varied widely, county Agrilife Extension Agent Shane McLellan said.

Amounts ranged from about half an inch in Downsville southeast of Waco to 2 or more inches around Crawford and 2 to 3 inches around West, McLellan said. The heavy rains may not have had time to completely saturate the soil, but farmers and ranchers appreciate what they got, he said.

It will help, McLellan said. Well see stock tanks filled that have been low.  Were definitely better off than a month ago.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that as recently as Tuesday, Crawford and the western corner of the county has been in the most serious drought category, labeled exceptional. The rest of the county has been in extreme or severe drought, and McLennan County was among 174 Texas counties named disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, allowing farmers to qualify for emergency credit to offset drought losses.

Meanwhile, Lake Wacos water level Thursday remained at 456.9 feet above sea level, more than five feet below normal.

Based on Waco Regional Airport readings, Waco has received 6.36 inches of rain this year, a little more than half its normal year-to-date rainfall of 12.6 inches. The last significant rain was April 25, when 1.3 inches were recorded.

McLellan said that rain helped grazing pastures to rebound, as well as corn and sorghum fields, though more rain is still needed to recharge subsoil moisture.

The greening effect of the recent rain has also helped insulate McLennan County from wildfire, said Kiley Moran, McGregor-based wildland urban interface coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service. The agency has helped coordinate the response to fires that raged through southwestern Texas and up to Coryell, Bell and Bosque counties in March and April.

Though Thursdays rain largely missed Coryell County, it will promote more green growth in areas such as McLennan County, Moran said.

I think for our area its going to continue to help with the fire threat weve had, Moran said.

Last years heavy rains promoted heavy growth of grass and other vegetation in the area, he said.

Then we went into a drought and all that grass from last year is still hanging around, Moran said. Were waiting for the green-up to be significant to mitigate that dry fuel. So far a lot of McLennan County has greened up.

McLennan County Judge Scott Felton recently lifted the county burn ban, though bans remain in all adjacent counties except Bell, according to a Texas A&M Forest Service online map.

No significant rain chances are forecast in the next week, and starting Saturday a high-pressure ridge will keep temperatures unseasonably hot, said Bishop, the weather service meteorologist.

Saturday through Thursday, highs are expected to be in the mid to upper 90s, with lows mostly in the 70s, according to the weather service forecast for Waco.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Authorities say an 18-year-old student in Texas has died after he was stabbed during a fight at a high school and another student is in custody. Police say Jose Luis Ramirez Jr. died after he was stabbed Tuesday morning in a campus bathroom at Belton High School, which is about 60 miles north of Austin. Belton Police said Wednesday that Caysen Tyler Allison, an 18-year-old high school senior, was charged with murder in Ramirezs death. Authorities say that Allison ran out of the school after the stabbing and was taken into custody about 20 minutes later. Classes are canceled Wednesday at the school, which has about 2,500 students.
The insurer for the city of Cozad has agreed to pay $115,000 to settle a Lexington man's lawsuit over a police sergeant using a Taser on him as he sat in a swing in his sister's backyard.

On Friday, Cozad City Attorney Scott Trusdale told the Journal Star the city didn't admit liability and the settlement included no determination that the city had done anything wrong.

Trusdale also declined to comment on a new federal lawsuit filed earlier this week involving the actions of the same Cozad officer, John Peden, earlier this spring.

According to a change-in-status form filed with the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center, Peden resigned from the department April 22, "before initiation or completion of an internal affairs investigation into allegations that, if founded, could result in revocation."

The investigation is still ongoing and is believed to involve the allegations in the newly filed lawsuit.

In the earlier case, Hilario Velasquez and his sister, Sarah Garrett, sued over what happened at a graduation party May 28, 2020, at Garrett's house in Cozad. Velasquez had been in the backyard when Peden came up, demanding to know where his brother was, telling Garrett's young daughter to "get the hell out of here," their attorney, Maren Chaloupka, said in the complaint filed later that year.

She said Peden and at least one other officer came in the yard through a gate without permission.

A 50-second video clip showed what happened next.

When Peden told Velasquez he had to leave, Velasquez said they weren't looking for him, and he didn't have anything to do with it.

"Just get up and leave," Peden told Velasquez, Peden pointing a Taser at him.

"No, my son's in there," Velasquez said, motioning to the house, a second before Peden shocked him, then kept verbally pressing. "Get up."

Velasquez, visibly affected by the shock, said he couldn't.

"What the f---, man. What is wrong with you?" he asked the officer as he stood up and was put in handcuffs.

Chaloupka called it an assault.

The officers placed Velasquez and Garrett both in custody in front of their young children, accusing them of harboring a fugitive. They ended up ticketing Garrett and letting her go, but took Velasquez to jail.

Neither ultimately was charged.

In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Nebraska in North Platte, Chaloupka accused Peden of excessive force and the city of Cozad of failing to properly train its law enforcement staff in the proper, improper and abusive use of weapons such as Tasers.

The city's response alleged the officers had lawfully entered the yard "based on probable cause, in order to conduct the lawful police business of apprehending a fugitive."

Attorney Terrance Wait argued the city and Peden were immune from suit and that any injury to Velasquez and Garrett was the result of risks or dangers to which they voluntarily exposed themselves to by refusing to abide by lawful commands.

The case was settled before a judge heard the city's motion to dismiss.

In the new case filed in federal court in Lincoln on Monday, Chaloupka said the entire Cozad Police Department approached Chief Mark Montgomery in August 2020 saying they had no confidence in Peden and that "they were afraid that his decision-making was going to get them in trouble."

Peden was demoted from sergeant to officer but remained with the department.

In March 2021, months after he was sued for tasing Velasquez, Chaloupka said Peden used his Taser against an unarmed suicidal person.

Then, in early April, shortly after mediation led to the settlement of Velasquez's lawsuit, Peden arrested Veronica Sandoval, who had been the victim of a domestic assault, Chaloupka said in the new lawsuit.

The Dawson County Attorney didn't file charges against her.

And the next day, Peden went to Sandoval's house where a babysitter was watching her infant and went inside twice without a warrant looking for an iPhone.

Shen said when the babysitter expressed her confusion, Peden yelled "sit the f* down."

Chaloupka said Peden felt empowered to enter Sandoval's home without a warrant because the chief had created an informal policy and custom at the Cozad Police Department whereby he and other officers could violate citizens constitutional rights "without serious and meaningful consequence."

The suit seeks punitive damages.

Trusdale said the city hasn't yet been served with the lawsuit and declined to comment on pending litigation.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger
Putins use of even a small-yield tactical nuclear bomb in Ukraine would likely put the United States in a no-win position. The main stock indexes are likely to fall.

The bungled withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan has come back to haunt us and the entire globe. In contrast to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ashraf Ghani, the puppet Afghan president who fled Kabul shortly as the Taliban closed in on the capital, lacked the same tenacity. Neither Ghani nor Zelensky had the foresight to remark, I dont need a ride; I need additional ammo, as Zelensky did.

The Russians will see our faces, not our backs; Zelensky said, When the Russians come for us, they will see our faces. That was a guy, not a sissy like President Ghani.

Ghani, of course, had an explanation for his cowardice on his lips. He said he scuppered the operation to save Kabul. There was a real threat of a cataclysmic battle between them devastating the five-million-person metropolis and inflicting havoc on its residents, says the author.

Even Ashraf Ghanis vice president, Amrullah Saleh, was unconvinced by the presidents statement, which he described as disgraceful.

According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, with a population of 2.8 million people, may have said something as awful about the city. He, on the other hand, did not. He changed out of his business suit and into military fatigues to demonstrate that he was prepared to put his life on the line the way he had urged Ukrainian troops to do.

Since 2014, when Zelensky stood up to Putin, Ukraine has received a total of $6.4 billion in military assistance from the United States. More than 360 times the amount of money the United States spent on Ukraine at the time. Meanwhile, according to the Watson Institute at Brown University, the cumulative cost of the war in Afghanistan for the United States is $2.313 trillion.

In other words, the Afghan presidents had been on the payroll of the United States for so long and received so much money that they had effectively become our castrated puppets. Zelensky, on the other hand, was a Ukrainian television star who was not a puppet of the United States. He was chosen as the countrys new president due to his popularity. During his role as a Ukrainian high school teacher, his diatribe against government corruption went viral on social media. As a result of Zelenskys election as President of Ukraine, a life follows art moment occurred.

In my opinion, Ghanis ability to develop some leadership credentials against the Taliban would have required far more courage on the part of Zelensky to stand up to Russia.

For whatever reason, it didnt occur to Ghani to say anything like: When the Taliban comes for us, they will see our faces, not our backs. The United States has bred puppets that are as insincere as we are.

The key question we have to address in an honest and clear-eyed approach is: why werent the troops we trained, equipped, and backed for so many years able to stand up to the Taliban in a stronger and better way than they did? said NATO Secretary-General Jen Stoltenberg.

It is a characteristic of empires in decline that what Edward Gibbon referred to as public bravery curdles and crumbles to the ground. In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbons presents this perspective on individuals who have been seduced by riches and have abandoned the masculine spirit of freedom.

It was inconceivable that contemporary eyes would discover the underlying origins of disintegration and corruption in the public felicity, says the author. This protracted period of peace and the Romans continued leadership allowed a slow and secret poison to seep into the empires essential organs. Mens minds were gradually brought to the same level as womens brains, the spark of brilliance was extinguished, and even the military spirit was extinguished over time. The original peoples of Europe were tenacious and fearless warriors.

Spain, Gaul, Britain, and Illyricum provided the legions with superb soldiers, and these countries were the actual power of the monarchy. It was still possible to have personal courage. Still, they lacked the public courage that comes from a love of independence, a sense of national honor, the presence of risk, and the habit of being a leader in the community. They were granted laws and governors at the whim of their monarch, and they were defended by a mercenary army hired by the emperor. The descendants of their fiercest leaders were thrilled with their newfound position as citizens and subjects in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the most aspiring spirits turned to the emperors court or standard, and the abandoned provinces, deprived of political power or union, sunk insensibly into the laziness of private life.

Violence, death, and economic collapse are all part of the picture.

When our puppet administration in Afghanistan collapsed, we witnessed the symptoms of a slow and covert poison that was slowly but steadily making its way through the vitals of the empire. Notably, the shameful cowardice of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was the most egregious manifestation of this.

In our search for hints about our future, we are disappointed to discover that late antiquity was marked by bloodshed, death, and economic collapse, as we have seen in the past. See, for example, Bryan Ward-Perkins 2005 book, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization.

For ages, the disastrous end of the Roman Empire in the Western hemisphere has been held up as an example of political ineptitude by historians. At the same time, it might be hailed as proof that technical limits limited the amount of harm that could have been done by the twilight of hegemony in late antiquity, a fact that should be welcomed.

After a millennium and a half, we find ourselves in the dreadful position where technology has created the possibility that the Twilight of American hegemony could result in violence, death, and economic collapse on a scale that might mean the end of Civilization as we know it.

Vladimir Putin is a more grotesque figure than Odoacer, the leader of the Sciri tribe who rose to power and became the first barbarian ruler of Italy in the eighth century. He led his tribe members in an uprising against Orestes, the former secretary of Atilla the Hun, when Orestes ousted the final Western Emperor, Julius Nepos, with which Orestes was a collaborator.

Orestes had broken his pledge to the Sciri tribe chiefs that he would provide them with territory in Italy. However, it should be noted that Odoacer was demanding ownership of one-third of Italy, which was not an entirely reasonable demand.

By the forces under Odoacers command, he was declared king on August 23, 476. Orestes was arrested and killed in Placentia (now Piacenza), Italy, five days after he was seized. Odoacer subsequently ousted and banished Orestes 14-year-old son, the emperor Romulus Augustulus, due to the coup d'etat. The best evidence suggests that young Romulus was offered an extravagant pension of 6,000 gold solidis to go into exile.

Putin is not demanding one-third of Italy, but it remains to be seen if he would accept one-third of Ukraine as a trade-off for the rest of the country. Its an awful undercurrent to all of this that Putin does have technologies at his disposal that may spell the end of civilization.

Russias arsenal of 5,977 nuclear warheads as of 2022 could destroy civilization as we know it. And, at the absolute least, if it is deployed in Ukraine, it has the potential to demolish what is left of the global bull market in stock markets.

In my opinion, if Putin were to use even a low-yield tactical nuclear bomb in Ukraine, the United States would be forced into a losing scenario. Most likely, the main indexes would crash and burn. A direct response may result in an all-out nuclear war. But doing nothing would risk emboldening the bully Putin to kill many more innocent people.

And more than happened with the fall of Rome in late antiquity, you really could see violence, death, and economic collapse on a scale that could mean the end of Civilization.

In Strategic Investment, I only provide an impartial viewpoint. I studied philosophy at Oxford, which the University claims helped me think clearly. Even so, you have the same ability that I have. So only believe what makes sense to you.
PHOENIX (AP)  Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Friday limiting the ability of his successor to tap into the emergency powers that he used for more than two years in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measure, which won't take effect until Ducey leaves office, is one of several bills moving in the Legislature to prevent future state and local leaders from using some of the public health tools that enraged conservatives who thought Ducey went too far in restricting the rights of individuals and business owners.

Public health experts, on the other hand, complained that Ducey was far too timid in controlling the spread of the virus, ended restrictions abruptly and allowed disease cases and hospitalizations to skyrocket multiple times.

Ducey has described his management of the pandemic as a nuanced approach that angered people on both sides but limited the number of job losses.

The bill signed Friday put limits on the governors authority to declare a public health emergency, which opens broad powers to spend money and impose emergency restrictions on people and businesses. After 120 days, the governor would have to get approval from the Legislature to continue the emergency declaration, and lawmakers would have to approve its extension every 30 days.

Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a Scottsdale Republican who introduced the bill, has said Duceys emergency powers have been misused and abused.

Ducey last year signed a budget bill that included similar provisions, but they were later thrown out when the Arizona Supreme Court ruled lawmakers cant stuff the budget with policies unrelated to the states spending plan.

Duceys emergency declaration has been in place for nearly two years, though his restrictive orders have expired. Now, the emergency declaration allows him to prohibit local governments from closing businesses or enacting their own mask or vaccine mandates.

Another measure nearing a final vote in the Legislature would prohibit government agencies, including courts and schools, from requiring people to wear masks in their facilities. The only exceptions are institutions, such as Maricopa County's hospital, that have longstanding infection control measures unrelated to COVID-19.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
GULF OF MEXICO  Mission complete.

Raja Chari, a Cedar Falls native and 1995 graduate of Columbus High School in Waterloo, is back on planet Earth after embarking on his first spaceflight as an astronaut.

After launching from the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 10, SpaceX Dragon Endurance safely splashed down with the assistance of parachutes into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, on Thursday night at 11:43 p.m.

The landing came on National Astronaut Day, in honor of May 5, 1961, when Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

Chari now has his sights set on the moon. He is among 18 U.S. astronauts picked for NASAs Artemis moon-landing program in 2024  the first time the agency will have sent humans to the Moon since the last Apollo lunar mission in 1972.

Crew-3 included NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Tom Marshburn and Chari, who was the commander, as well as European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer.

The Americans were scheduled to reunite with loved ones at the Johnson Space Center in Houston later Friday.

That was a great ride, Chari told the Associated Press. As for his reintroduction to gravity, he noted: Only one complaint. These water bottles are super heavy.

All four traveled 75,060,792 miles during their mission, spent 175 days (nearly six months) aboard the space station and completed 2,832 orbits around Earth.

It was about a 24-hour trip back to Earth from the International Space Station, and NASA officials repeatedly said in a media teleconference that conditions were optimal for landing.

According to NASA, Crew-3 built on previous work investigating how fibers grow in microgravity, used hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth material, captured imagery of their retinas as part of an investigation that could detect eye changes of astronauts in space automatically in the future (and improving or preventing vision loss), and performed a demonstration of technology that provides measurements of biological indicators related to disease and infection, among many other scientific investigations.

We continue to use the space station as a test bed, as we look forward to exploration and going back to the moon and then eventually to Mars, said Joel Montalbano, NASA International Space Station program manager, during the teleconference.

The astronauts took hundreds of photos of Earth as part of the Crew Earth Observation investigation, one of the longest-running investigations aboard the space station, which NASA said helps track natural disasters and changes to the home planet.

Even though we are handing over International Space Station duties to NASA astronauts from Crew-4, science is still king during unpacking and packing. Fresh food is one of the things Im looking forward to when I am back on Earth, Chari wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.

Soon, the tech from experiments like XROOTS (looking at hydroponic and aeroponic nutrient delivery for plants) will help us have fresh food for the Moon, Mars, and beyond as part of NASA Artemis work. More importantly, it will help farmers on Earth use resources more efficiently and enable them to feed more people.

In addition to the Crew-3 astronauts contributing to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations, they conducted three spacewalks to perform station maintenance and upgrades outside the space station.

NASAs partnership with SpaceX has again empowered us to deliver a crew safely to the space station and back, enabling groundbreaking science that will help our astronauts travel farther out into the cosmos than ever before. This mission is just one more example that we are truly in the golden era of commercial spaceflight, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a press release. Kayla, Raja, Tom, and Matthias, thank you for your service and welcome home!

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti launched April 27 to the International Space Station as part of the SpaceX Crew-4 mission and will be up there until September.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
WATERLOO -- The Cedar Valley Woodworkers will meet Tuesday in Petersen Town Hall at the Waterloo Center for the Arts, 225 Commercial St.

The business meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., the speaker will be John Schroeder from the New Melleray Abbey. He will discuss managing the sustainability of forests and casket manufacturing.

Guests, friends and woodworkers of all skill levels may attend. For more information, call President Stephen Crouse at 319-230-3447.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
LAWLER - Three members of a Northeast Iowa family have been sentenced for their roles in crop loan and bankruptcy fraud schemes.

Aimee Lynn Rosenbaum, also known as Aimee Lynn Flatjord, 53, of Lawler, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison on charges of bankruptcy fraud and conversion of property pledged to a farm credit agency April 28.

She was also ordered to pay $165,592 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $4,796 in restitution to a bank and a $5,000 fine.

Donald Eugene Rosenbaum, 58, from Cresco, was sentenced to two years of probation May 2 on a charges of bankruptcy fraud. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Their son, Marshal Dillion Rosenbaum, 27, of Fredericksburg, was sentenced to three months in prison and three months of home confinement April 25 and ordered to pay $165,592 in restitution to the USDA. Marshal Rosenbaum pleaded to one count of conversion of property pledged to a farm credit agency. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.

Aimee Rosenbaum and Marshal Rosenbaum were released on bond and are to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on dates yet to be set.

Aimee and Donald Rosenbaum farmed land in Chickasaw County. According to prosecutors, in late 2014, Aimee told her son to apply for a crop loan with the USDA for the 2015 crop year on the pretense that Marshal would be taking over the farm due to purported health problems of Aimee and Donald.

After the son obtained $165,000 in loan proceeds and pledged the farms 2015 crop to the USDA, Aimee obtained more than $1.3 million in loans from a local bank with the understanding the couple would continue to farm the land that year.

The made the farms 2015 crop double-pledged with neither the USDA nor the bank knowing the other had an interest, according to prosecutors.

Aimee Rosenbaum applied for the bank loans on Donalds behalf using a power of attorney she had obtained from him.

The family eventually defaulted on both loans and sold the crop with little to no repayment of the loans, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. After the bank started foreclosure proceedings on the farm, the couple filed five bankruptcy petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa in a move to delay the banks attempts to obtain repayment for the loans, according to prosecutors.

During one telephone hearing in bankruptcy court in 2019, Aimee Rosenbaum pretended to be Donald, prosecutors allege. The district court also found that Aimee Rosenbaum submitted false evidence and testimony to the district court at her sentencing hearing.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
CEDAR FALLS  A purchase agreement has been signed for the final building that was formerly part of Central Rivers Area Education Agency offices.

The agencys board of directors Wednesday approved a resolution selling the facility at 3712 Cedar Heights Drive to Hope City Church for $850,000. The building had served as the AEAs conference center and most recently was part of the facilities that housed Lowell Elementary while a new school was under construction.

Earnest money of $100,000 is due within five days of the boards approval. Closing of the deal is set for June 15, when the rest of the money is due.

Through the generosity of our church, well be able to purchase it debt free, said the Rev. Quovadis Marshall, the congregations lead pastor. Architects have been hired to redesign the space, which will be used for weekend worship services. The church will keep its current location at 118 High St. in Waterloo, as well.

It will be one church in two locations  Hope City Cedar Heights and Hope City High Street, said Marshall.

Along with the sale of two adjacent buildings that made up the AEAs campus until 2017, the funds will help with early pay-off of the debt for the agencys current office at 1521 Technology Parkway.

The plan is to do that next, said Mike Kalvig, Central Rivers chief financial officer. I think its June of 2023 when were allowed to do that.

The total principle amount at that point will be $4.49 million. The original loan for the building purchase and improvements plus remodeling at the Clear Lake and Marshalltown buildings was $6.08 million, to be repaid over 10 years. Since signing the purchase agreement for Central Rivers current offices in December 2016, the agency has paid $475,343 in interest and principle annually.

Previously, the board approved sales of its two other buildings in November 2021 and February 2017. The building at 3706 Cedar Heights Drive was sold for $460,000 and 3722 Cedar Heights Drive was sold for $707,000.

The three building sales add up to just over $2 million. Additionally, the AEA has set aside $150,000 annually plus interest earned and lease revenue from its former office buildings.

Two of the buildings were leased to Waterloo Community Schools from early 2019 through the end of 2021 for Lowell Elementary. On the most recent lease, the school district paid $8,333 per month, or $100,000 annually.

Beth Strike, a spokeswoman for Central Rivers, noted the sale is a final piece of an effort to improve agency facilities. The AEA serves schools, educators and students in 18 northeast and central Iowa counties.

The sale of our conference center on Cedar Heights Drive closes the loop on the commitment we made in 2016 to expand professional learning capacity for the 5,000 educators we serve, increase efficiency by reducing long-term overhead costs, and advance efforts to integrate fundamental services by housing them under one roof, she said. This decision expanded seating for 500 participants in the main conference center as well as added contemporary work spaces that encourage collaboration between and among local educators and staff.

Marshall said his churchs decision to purchase the building is also about a need for expansion.

We have, for four years almost, been looking for a facility that would better allow us to serve the people who are gathering at our church, he explained. Weve outgrown our space, our building. Were grateful that we continue to reach thousands of people every month.

Church officials see the move as a strategic opportunity to continue their ministry, Marshall said, noting that the church draws people from across the area. About 35% are from Waterloo, 30% are from Cedar Falls and the remaining 35% are from surrounding rural communities.

We continue to have plans to be a presence in Waterloo and to continue the ministry out of our High Street location, he said. The High Street location will become our centralized outreach location, where we will continue to meet the needs of Waterloo and the greater Cedar Valley.

Existing ministries to the community will continue there. Initially, when the new building opens, weekend services will only be held there. At some point, they will be restarted in Waterloo, as well.

Marshall said the church is striving to remove the divide between Waterloo and Cedar Falls. The new building is near the border with Waterloo in an area sometime called Cedarloo.

Its not called Hope Waterloo, its Hope City for a reason, he said. We feel like we were made for the middle.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
SYDNEY, May 6 (Xinhua) -- After a three-year-old child was forgotten in her preschool bus for more than six hours in the Australian state of Queensland, disbelief and widespread calls for investigation have permeated the nation.

The young girl was found unconscious in a bus parked outside her preschool on a hot summer day in Rockhampton in Central Queensland, where temperatures topped out at just under 30 degrees centigrade.

The young girl was rushed to hospital, where she is now in a stable condition.

The child's grandmother Pamela Parker spoke out on Thursday, saying that the family had many questions that they have yet to be given answers for.

"There were procedures and protocols put in place by the Department of Education (to prevent incidents like this). Why weren't they followed?" said Parker to local news outlet ABC News.

Education Minister for Queensland Grace Grace expressed her disbelief and condolences to the family and the community in a statement.

"Families need to have peace of mind that when they send their children off to school, kindy or day care, they will come home safe ... This simply should not have happened."

She added that the Queensland Police Service had already launched an investigation into the incident.

Despite the incident seeming to many a one-off accident, the phenomenon has proven all too common in Australia.

Kidsafe Victoria, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of unintentional death and injury to children, estimated that every year as many as 5,000 children are rescued from unattended cars.

Expert in attention and memory from Queensland University's School of Psychology David Sewell said situations like this don't "necessarily happen through neglect or wickedness" on part of the parent or caretaker, but are rooted in capacity limits in our working memory.

"A lot of the research shows that people's ability to act on a future intention is remarkably poor. Particularly when we're trying to do something else at the time, and especially an attention demanding activity, like driving," he told Xinhua on Friday.

Sewell suggested doing something like placing a bag on the back seat of a car or bus so the driver is forced to turn around before exiting the vehicle.

"It can come down to just a few very simple steps to acknowledge that our memory, despite what our good intentions might be, is fallible, and will fail us at times." 
An Eldridge man awaits sentencing after accepting a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in a child pornography case.

Nicholas Robert Walker-Bennett, 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving and distributing child pornography, according to federal court records. As part of the plea agreement, a second charge of possessing child pornography will be dropped by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Iowa when he is sentenced.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 29, according to court records.

Walker-Bennett was initially arrested by the Scott County Sheriffs Office in September and charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor- promotion and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor-possession first offense. His arrest was the result of an investigation that began after the sheriffs office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The Eldridge Police Department assisted Scott County deputies during the investigation.

Federal records state Bennett was indicted on Dec. 8 and Scott County records state the local case against him was dropped Dec. 9.

Between May 27, 2010, and May 25, 2021, Bennett knowingly received and distributed and attempted to receive and distribute a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to the federal indictment.

The allegations underlying the possession charge state that on or about Sept. 13, 2021, Bennett knowingly had one and more items containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to the indictment. Those items had been transported in interstate and foreign commerce.

He pleaded guilty on April 14, according to federal court records.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
DES MOINES  Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds does not expect any abortion-related legislation to be passed during the current legislative session, which is nearly at its end.

Reynolds told reporters Thursday that the plan instead is to wait for the U.S. Supreme Courts official ruling on an abortion-related case, and then determine a path forward in Iowa.

Earlier this week, Politico reported that the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that protects a womans right to an abortion.

But the Politico report was based on a draft ruling, and Chief Justice John Roberts said it does not necessarily indicate how the court will officially rule.

Some states have passed so-called trigger laws, which would enact abortion restrictions or bans if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Such legislation exists in Iowa, but House File 2289 did not receive any legislative action this session.

Speaking to reporters after appearing at an event at the Iowa Capitol on Thursday, Reynolds said she will wait for the final Supreme Court ruling before signing any legislation.

Im hoping the ruling that was released, I hope that thats accurate. I dont think that will come as any surprise, Reynolds said. Well wait until thats final and then move forward.

There is no hard deadline for the Iowa Legislature to finish its 2022 session, but state lawmakers are near the end. All that remains are the bills that set spending for the next state budget, and an impasse over legislation that would create taxpayer-funded scholarships for private school tuition assistance.

The Supreme Courts ruling will arrive by the end of June, when the current session ends.

When asked if she would call a special session to return state lawmakers to Des Moines to pass abortion restrictions, Reynolds did not answer directly.

Reynolds noted the multiple abortion-related matters pending before the Iowa Supreme Court. The state court in February heard oral arguments on a 2020 bill that would require a one-day waiting period before a woman could have an abortion; and Iowa Republicans filed briefs asking the court to overturn its 2019 ruling that struck down a ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat could be detected, in doing so declaring that having an abortion is a protected, fundamental right.

Also, Republican lawmakers have started the process of proposing an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that would declare the document does not guarantee the right to an abortion. That could be put to Iowa voters in 2024.

Lets get this (legislative session) wrapped up first, Reynolds said. Were not where we need to be yet, so lets take one thing at a time. We dont know when the final (U.S. Supreme Court) ruling is going to come through. Were working on a constitutional amendment. 

There are a lot of things that are already in the works. Lets see where some of those end up, and then well do what we need to.

Iowa Rep. Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Orange City who introduced Iowas trigger bill, said Republicans stand ready to act if emboldened by the U.S. Supreme Courts pending ruling.

The Iowa Supreme Court is preventing the protection of unborn life in Iowa. We will address that with the Protect Life Amendment if they do not correct it themselves this summer, Wheeler said.

A majority of Iowans  57 percent  believe abortion should be legal, according to the most recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll to ask the question, this past September. That was an increase of 8 percentage points from the previous year.

Just 38 percent of Iowans said abortion should be illegal in most or all cases, according to the September poll results.

There were 4,058 abortions performed in Iowa in 2020, a 14 percent increase from the previous year, according to the most recent data from the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The enemy has broken through: The Azov Nazis blocked at Azovstal write about heavy battles. Part of the territory of the plant is already under the control of the troops of Russia and the DPR.

Azov militants and the Kyiv media continue to refute the lies of propagandist Arestovich, who said that Russian troops were driven back.

WtR
Important !information: a chatbot for ukrainian servicemen and collecting information about crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Many subscribers to our video about propaganda leaflets saw the address of the chatbot for Ukrainian servicemen who want to surrender, their families, as well as for reporting information about the crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After the publication of the video, the number of requests increased dramatically, so we duplicate these leaflets in close-up and share a link to this chatbot: https://t.me/ogroup_bot

WtR
 An Orthodox priest Father Parfeniy (Parthnenis), the head of the church in Mikhailovka, who gained renown for his humanitarian efforts as well as sheltering refugees, was killed in a shelling by the Ukrainian Army.

A caring and pious ecclesiastic, he died from a shrapnel wound while the settlement was under fire from Ukranian MLRS on May 3.

This is what he told the media in an interview not long before his demise 

 Apparently, they [Ukrainian military and nationalists] intended not to defend the city, but to destroy it.

And they did so deliberately, with quite the success.

There is simply no other explanation.

They were shelling the city from Metyolkino. There were no Russian troops or any Lugansk militia there at the time.

So the shelling can be regarded as a sort of gunning down the entire city.

I think their priority is to destroy the infrastructure, so thats why theyre targeting schools.

#See4Yourself & #Think4Yourself

WtR
The Russian Federations Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response, in co-operation with the authorised federal executive authorities, continues to carefully record the continuing egregious facts of the inhumane treatment of civilians by the authorities in Kiev, including the use of medical facilities for military purposes by AFU units:

in Kharkov, artillery and ammunition storage facilities have been located on the territory of city hospital No 8, and the hospital staff and all civilians, including the seriously ill, have been forced to leave the medical facility under threat of reprisals;

in Slavyansk, heavy military equipment has been placed on the territory of the railway hospital on Malogorodetskaya Street and a stronghold with an ammunition depot has been equipped in the building;

in Odessa, AFU command post has been set up in the building of the regional clinical hospital on Akademika Zabolotnyi Street, while armoured vehicles, artillery and MLRS are located in the adjoining territory;

in Lisichansk, a stronghold of nationalist battalion fighters has been deployed on the territory of a child health centre.

These and other similar facts, despite our repeated statements, have to date been ignored by the World Health Organisation.

Once again, we call on all international organisations, especially the World Health Organisation, to influence official Kiev and take effective measures to prevent the use of medical infrastructure for military purposes.

Despite all the difficulties and obstacles posed by Kiev, over the past 24 hours, without the involvement of the Ukrainian authorities, 15,637 people, including 2,002 children, have been evacuated from dangerous areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics and Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, a total of 1,129,955 people have been evacuated, including 201,350 children. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 146,642 personal vehicles including 2,051 per day.

More than 9,500 temporary accommodation centres continue to operate in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and are fully equipped with recreational facilities and hot meals. The refugees are dealt with on an individual basis and are promptly assisted with various pressing issues relating to onward accommodation, employment assistance, places for children in kindergartens and educational institutions, and the provision of entitlements to social benefits.

A significant part of the population forcibly held by radicals in Ukrainian cities is still looking for any opportunities to evacuate to Russia, as evidenced by numerous appeals of citizens through various channels to the official structures of the Russian Federation. Over the past 24 hours, the hotline of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and various NGOs received 123 requests from foreign and Ukrainian citizens to evacuate to Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics, as well as to the Russian Armed Forces-controlled areas of Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions. In total there are 2,754,677 such appeals from 2,133 locations in Ukraine in the database.

In addition, 75 foreign vessels from 17 countries remain blocked in 7 Ukrainian ports (Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa, Yuzhniy and Mariupol). The threat of shelling and high mine danger created by official Kiev in its internal waters and territorial sea prevents vessels from safely leaving the ports and reaching the open sea.

In confirmation of this, the Russian Federation is opening daily from 08:00 to 19:00 (Moscow time) a humanitarian corridor, which is a safe lane south-west of Ukraines territorial sea, 80 nautical miles long and 3 nautical miles wide.

Detailed information in English and Russian on the modus operandi of the maritime humanitarian corridor is broadcast daily every 15 minutes on VHF radio on 14 and 16 international channels in English and Russian.

At the same time, the Kiev authorities continue to avoid engaging with representatives of states and ship-owning companies to resolve the issue of ensuring the safe passage of foreign vessels to the assembly area.

The danger to navigation from Ukrainian mines drifting off their anchors along the coasts of Black Sea states remains.

The Russian Federation is taking a full range of comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of civilian navigation in the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Federal executive authorities, together with the subjects of the Russian Federation, various public organizations, patriotic movements, continue to accumulate humanitarian aid.

The greatest contributors to the relief effort were:

Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography, Federal Maritime and River Transport Agency, Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Federal Agency for Nationalities, Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation;

Bashkortostan, Buryatia, Dagestan, Crimea, Tatarstan and Chechen republics, Altai and Krasnodar territories, Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Leningrad, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Tula regions and Moscow city;

Among political parties and non-profit organisations: United Russia, the Peoples Front All-Russian Public Movement, the All-Russian Public Organisation of Veterans Battle Brotherhood, the Russian Humanitarian Mission, the Russian Union of Russian Women, the Almaz-Antey Military Defence Concern, and interregional public organisation Federation of Military Tactical Games.

More than 23,000 tonnes of basic necessities and food kits, including baby food and life-saving medicines, have been prepared at collection points.

Since March 2, 17,737 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 971 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 4 actions in Kherson region, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republic, during which 169.4 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

On May 5, 7 humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Kharkov and Zaporozye regions, in Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics, during which 308.6 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.

WtR
May 6, 2022 by Oleg Karpovich, Pro-Rector of the Foreign Ministrys Diplomatic Academy; Mikhail Troyansky, Pro-Rector of the Foreign Ministry

With the start of Russias special military operation in Ukraine, media coverage of the problems of Nazism and ultra-right forces in that country changed dramatically in the US and Europe. The Wests concern over the Nazification of Ukraines society and authorities is giving way to assertions that Nazis, in fact, play a limited role due to their low electoral support.

Above all, the Jewish roots of President Vladimir Zelensky are cited to prove that Ukrainian society is healthy, and it is claimed that the Azov and Aidar battalions incorporated into the National Guards cannot even be considered far right. In his recent statement, Foreign Minister of Israel Yair Lapid gave a very strange interpretation of the Holocaust.

President of Latvia Egils Levits was also loose with his interpretation of the current events in Ukraine. All differing viewpoints are dismissed out of hand as Moscows relentless propaganda. How are we to make sense of all this? Is the West making friends with Nazis now?

As soon as Russia began to act contrary to the new US policy of whitewashing and legitimising the Ukrainian Nazis, President Vladimir Putin  who declared de-Nazification one of the two main goals of the special military operation  was accused of distorting history although he didnt say anything that had not already been said in the Western press many times before. In effect, he merely raised the same concerns that Washington and its allies had been expressing in the past few years. Was the collective West ever concerned over the plight of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics in the past eight years, during which their residents were subjected to merciless shelling and inhuman humiliation bordering on total destruction?

Incidentally, this is not the first time that the West has supported Nazism in the hope of using it against Russia. The seeds of this pernicious, misanthropic ideology were preserved and sown in Ukrainian soil after the end of the Great Patriotic War with the support of the US government, which was engaged in subversive activities against the USSR through the CIA and the pro-Nazi Ukrainian diaspora in the United States. This policy accelerated in 1991. People were told that they shouldnt use the Russian language, that Ukrainian culture was superior and that they ought to boost Ukrainian nationalism. It accelerated further after the 2014 coup when all the masks finally came down. Power was seized by people who stopped concealing their ideological principles; a big part of the countrys population was taken hostage and the authorities no longer tolerated dissent.

Today, Western journalists are stubbornly refusing to admit that the Ukrainian neo-Nazis, both living in the US and serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), remain an important asset of the US policy of hegemony. Owing to their genetic Russophobia, the current US administration trusts them more than any other political group in Ukraine (Joseph Biden and his son have significant business ties with Ukraine). Having funded and trained the Ukrainian nationalists, Washington expects them to play their historical role in the global war to cancel Russia.

Even the liberal American media, which is trying to hush up the problem, has to acknowledge from time to time the unwelcome spread of neo-Nazism in Ukraine and the growing political influence of the far right that openly declares allegiance to Nazi collaborators Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich and praises the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) that was involved in civilian massacres.

Some experts are denouncing the pivot of the US media towards glorifying ultranationalists as a betrayal of the journalistic creed to report the truth, calling it an attempt to bury information about a very radical movement whose existence should be shaping the policy of the collective West in response to events in Ukraine.

Against this background, the Wests attempts to elevate Vladimir Zelensky, the talking head of the nationalists, as a world leader are cynical and dangerous both for Europe, the midwife of Nazism, and the current US administration that wont be able to hush up or whitewash the criminal actions of its underlings for long.

Washington and the liberal media are actively lobbying for the corrupt Kiev regime, which is proud of its pro-Nazi orientation but toxic by the democratic Wests standards. These efforts may deal a considerable blow to the standing of the current US administration.

It is important to remember that it is not the first time that Western journalists have been charmed by murderers and proponents of misanthropic ideologies, whom the CIA trained to fight the Russians. Support for freedom fighters in Afghanistan led to the attack on the twin towers in New York in September 2001 and the protracted manhunt for Osama bin Laden that followed. The same is happening now with Ukrainian neo-Nazis. Their ideology of superiority leaves no doubt that eventually they will turn their weapons on their overseas masters. We are confident that it is only a matter of time.

WtR
MINSK, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Belarus will not participate in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press (AP).

Lukashenko said Belarus stands for peace and has repeatedly called for the end of the current Russia-Ukraine military conflict.

"We categorically do not accept any war. We have done and are doing everything now so that there isn't a war," Lukashenko told AP, adding that his country has advanced negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Washington's policy, he said, is the reason that Ukraine is not interested in negotiations, despite hostilities taking place on its territory.

The president said the use of nuclear weapons in the crisis was "unacceptable because it's right next to us -- we are not across the ocean like the United States."

"It is also unacceptable because it might knock our terrestrial ball flying off the orbit to who knows where," he said. "Whether or not Russia is capable of that -- is a question you need to ask the Russian leadership."

According to the Belarusian president, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have the best relations that can be between the heads of independent states.

Mentioning the sudden check of the Armed Forces of Belarus from Wednesday, Lukashenko said the combat readiness check in Belarus has been carried out in response to NATO exercises in the Baltic states and Poland on the border with Belarus.

The number of NATO troops deployed on the border with Belarus was about 3,000 a few years ago, but now it reached around 32,000, said Lukashenko. 
Getty Images

Maybe its temporary, maybe its permanent. But as of this moment, almost every aspect of being a consumer is topsy-turvy: Prices are soaring, hired help is hard to find, supplies are back-ordered, deliveries are delayed, and yet demand for goods and services  especially those related to your home  keeps going up and up. How do you get the home projects or work done that you want in such an environment, at a cost thats reasonable?



Here are some tips and approaches to help you find the right people to keep your home in tip-top shape during these challenging times.

Find the best home remodeler

Home remodeling has become even more of a challenge since the pandemic. Not only do remodelers face a labor shortage and high demand for their services (up roughly 25 percent since 2020 for Steve Cunningham, owner of Cunningham Contracting in Williamsburg, Virginia), but so do the subcontractors (electricians, carpenters, painters, tile specialists and so on) that remodelers bring to a job. Add to that supply-chain disruptions that can slow delivery of materials such as lumber, windows and appliances to a crawl. I just ordered a garage door for a job that will take 15 weeks to deliver, says Mike Williams, owner of Maryland Professional Contractors. Cabinets can take two months from some suppliers. All of this is boosting prices to eye-watering levels (lumber costs jumped 218 percent in just five months in early 2022, according to the National Association of Home Builders). Be patient, because finding an honest, experienced pro has never mattered more. Heres how.

Bias toward referrals. Remodelers are so busy that without a referral from a satisfied customer or another contractor, you may not even get an estimate, Williams says. My volume is up 40 percent, he says. So my business plan is to stick with referrals. If you know somebody who knows a contractor they liked, that will help you get an estimate.

Ask smart questions. When you talk with friends, neighbors and coworkers about contractors, be sure to ask the difficult questions: What part of the project didnt go as planned, suggests Sal Alfano, retired executive editor of Professional Remodeler magazine. Delays and budget changes are typical, but did the remodeler explain them honestly as soon as they cropped up? Did he give you excuses? Or did he constructively discuss options?

Find out wholl actually do the work. Will the guy you hired be on the job? Who are the subcontractors that will get used, and do they have required licenses and insurance? Ask a potential remodeler if he uses the same subcontractors on every job, and if he is sure they arent bogged down with backlogs, Cunningham suggests.

Look for connections. A remodeler with several years experience may have the supplier relationships and know-how to help get materials as quickly as possible, Cunningham says. Some have staffers who will go with you to pick out everything from paint and tile to washing machines and faucets.

Check their credentials. In ultra-busy times like these, less-than-reputable players emerge. Check online to see if your state requires contractors to have a home-improvement license or registration. If so, ask your remodeler for proof. Also ask for proof of insurance and certification by a professional organization, Alfano suggests. A contractor with extra certifications and credentials in specialty areas is someone who values ongoing, advanced training, Cunningham says.

Find the best real estate agent

Shocking fact: As of February, there were far more Realtors in America than homes for sale. This imbalance  the result of fewer homeowners looking to sell and a surge of workers changing careers to become real estate agents  means you have your pick of agents. To find the best one, you have to know how to get them to reveal their skill sets, says Ken H. Johnson, a real estate economist and associate dean at Florida Atlantic Universitys College of Business. What youre looking for, whether buying or selling: a great track record, intimate knowledge of the market, trustworthiness, and the ability to listen carefully and fully to your needs and concerns, says Clare Trapasso, deputy news editor for Realtor.com.

Start with word of mouth. Ask friends and neighbors who they used when they bought or sold a house locally. Did the agent really listen to their needs and concerns and work actively to show them houses that filled the bill? Or did they try to sell them the wrong properties? Then check online lists and ratings. If youre moving to an area where you dont know anyone local to ask, several websites list agents by neighborhood; consider Realtor.com, HomeLight.com or Zillow.com. 

Count recent transactions. Active and aggressive agents have lots of recent closings. Type the names of agents you are considering into the Agent Finder tool at Zillow.com to find out how many sales the agent has made in the past year and how far above or below the asking price.

And count years in business. This is a very Darwinian business  only the fittest survive. People with 10 or more years of experience, who sell real estate as their familys breadwinner, are your best bet, Johnson says. An experienced agent can also handle surprises that can crop up after youve reached an agreement to sell your home, he says. Theres something more than getting to the sales price. Theres the terms of the sale, getting to the close, he says. A seasoned agent knows how to deal with contract issues.

Be a tough interviewer. Treat this like a job interview because thats what it is, Trapasso says. If shopping for a home in a new area, tell the candidate what kind of town and neighborhood you are looking for, as well as things that are important to you, like schools, parks or a nearby bustling downtown. What areas would they recommend and why? Are they really hearing your needs, or are their comments scripted and tired? Dont sign up with someone right away.
ISTANBUL, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) was awarded the "Deal of the Year" in the Europe region by The Banker magazine, which evaluates the most valuable financial institutions around the world, the ICBC Turkey said in a press release on Friday.

The ICBC Turkey was granted the award for successfully coordinating the first syndicated loan for DenizBank to include an RMB-denominated tranche.

With this deal, the ICBC Turkey contributed to increasing "the settlement and clearing volume of RMB in import and export transactions between China and Turkey and the diversification of funding resources in Turkey," the release said.

Xiangyang Gao, chairman of the ICBC Turkey said that "being the solution partner of all institutions in Turkey and supporting the foreign trade finance needs are among the institution's most important goals."

Gao also pointed out that the ICBC Turkey will accelerate its efforts to establish stronger commercial, economic, and cultural ties between China and Turkey in the upcoming years.

Bora Bocugoz, group executive vice president of treasury, finance at private banking at DenizBank in Istanbul, told Xinhua in a recent interview that his bank sees more potential for financial cooperation between the two countries, considering their large volume of bilateral trade.

Denizbank was among the first banks in Turkey to extend loans in RMB after the signing of a bilateral currency swap agreement between the Turkish Central Bank and the People's Bank of China in 2019.

The ICBC is China's largest commercial lender, and its Turkish subsidiary was established after purchasing a majority of shares of Turkey's Tekstilbank in May 2015. 
Two recent incidents illustrate the disturbing lengths shoplifters will go to to secure a haul of stolen merchandise. One set fire to a Walmart Supercenter in Edgewood to create a distraction; the other tried to pocket ammunition, pulled out a Glock pistol with an extended magazine and laser attachments and pointed it at several employees of a Cabelas in Northeast Albuquerque before fleeing and getting shot in an exchange of gunfire with an off-duty officer.

More often than not, shoplifting is a fairly low-disturbance event with the perpetrators simply walking away with an armload or shopping cart full of stolen goods. That is egregious enough. But these two incidents were pure mayhem, creating a significant threat to public safety. The fire at the Walmart Supercenter in Edgewood sent employees and shoppers running amid torched aisles of merchandise. Needless to say, gunplay in a parking lot puts anyone in range of a stray bullet at risk of serious injury.

The good news is these brash incidents resulted in arrests. And the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, spearheaded by the Attorney Generals Office, has taken on the Sisyphean task of shutting down shoplifting rings and teamed up with law enforcement agencies and retail stores to aggressively target, arrest and prosecute repeat offenders. We say about time, thank you and please dont let up.

Candidates for public office are making much of Albuquerques crime problem as we head toward the June primary. They all say something needs to change. No argument there. Besides the most obvious fix  putting more officers on the street  lawmakers need to revive and pass legislation like House Bill 29 that specifically calls out these serial thieves and does not allow them to steal $499.99 over and over again and walk away with misdemeanor charges.

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.
Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who has helped the State Department negotiate for Americans detained abroad, may be facing his biggest challenge yet.

At the request of WNBA star Brittney Griners family, Richardson is actively working to get her out of Russia, where she has been detained since February.

Griner, a 6-foot, 9-inch player for the Phoenix Mercury, was taken into custody by Russian officials at a Moscow-area airport where they claim she was carrying vape cartridges with oil made from cannabis. She faces up to 10 years in prison, according to The New York Times.

The U.S. State Department just announced it considered Griner to be wrongfully detained in Russia. The designation affects how authorities handle her case.

Richardson, who is also a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, for years has been a key player in high-profile international hostage negotiations, and his most recent successful negotiation involved Russia. He and his Santa Fe-based Richardson Center helped secure the release of Trevor Reed, a former Marine held in Russia for two years on assault charges. The U.S. last week swapped a Russian pilot sentenced on cocaine trafficking charges for Reed, but only after Richardson flew to Russia to solidify the terms the day before Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Now, his mission regarding Griner is next-level difficult.

But his record of success leaves us hopeful. A few of the notable releases cited on the Richardson Center website include Laura Ling, held by North Korea; Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas; and journalist Paul Salopek and two of his colleagues, held by the government of Sudan.

To go with his proven negotiating skills, we wish him all the luck in the world.

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.
There is a television series called The Shield, which ran from 2002 to 2008. In one season, a police captain implements and vigorously pursues a civil forfeiture program. Any property associated with criminal activity is seized by the police, including cash, jewelry, cars and houses. The series presents the pros and cons of civil forfeiture programs.

New Mexico, like most other states, for many years allowed civil forfeiture by law enforcement. In 2015, however, the New Mexico Legislature essentially abolished the practice by the enactment of the Forfeiture Act, NMSA Sections 31-27-1 et seq.

At the time, our legislators and governor both were concerned about a process which let law enforcement agencies keep cash or property they seized, even if they never charged the owner with a crime, so long as they suspected that it was linked to criminal activity.

High-profile lawsuits and criticisms from activist groups, too, led to New Mexicos abolition of civil forfeiture. Opponents argued that civil forfeiture constituted a violation of due process. Furthermore, they argued the practice did not decrease crime and created an unacceptable profit motive for law enforcement to seize property. Policing for profit they called it.

On the other hand, proponents of civil forfeiture argued that crime would increase and arrests would drop if the assets seized from criminals became unavailable with which to bolster law enforcement efforts and resources.

The 2015 Forfeiture Act differs from civil forfeiture in two significant ways: 1) the various permissible methods of seizing property are monitored by judicial oversight; and, 2) the assets of seizure are deposited into New Mexicos general fund.

Some people believe erroneously that criminal forfeiture requires a criminal conviction. The Forfeiture Act has many moving parts, and a conviction is just one basis upon which property may be seized. There are many other grounds for seizure, but again, judicial oversight is involved in every situation.

Local governments eventually had to reconcile their civil forfeiture policies with New Mexicos Forfeiture Act. In 2018, for example, Albuquerque essentially ended its civil forfeiture programs.

A practice called federal equitable sharing, however, continued. It allowed state and local law enforcement to seize property locally and turn it over to federal prosecutors for forfeiture under federal law. The Institute for Justice reported that between 2000 and 2019, New Mexico law enforcement brought in $51.1 million in forfeiture revenue, with $50.8 million coming in through a federal equitable sharing program.

Interestingly, there is not much available data today, at least none I could find, showing how much in assets our Forfeiture Act is adding to the general fund. Nor are there any recent studies looking at any correlation between New Mexicos current forfeiture law and crime statistics.

The Institute for Justice concluded in a 2019 report that based upon an analysis of FBI data, there was no appreciable increase in crime or decrease in arrests in New Mexico following the abolition of civil forfeiture. Given what most New Mexicans currently perceive as a soaring crime rate in our state, perhaps our elected leaders should re-examine the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of forfeiture on the prevention of crime.

The other issue which our elected leaders might want to address is whether forfeiture assets should continue to be deposited into the states general fund, or whether it makes more sense to direct those assets to specific crime-related programs. For example, a separate fund and an oversight commission could be created for the purpose of directing one-third of seized assets to law enforcement, one-third to victims of crime, and one-third to drug and alcohol treatment programs.

New Mexicos current criminal forfeiture laws provide due process to individuals and necessary judicial oversight. The policing for profit motive has been eliminated. At this point, policymakers should closely monitor, modify as necessary and continue to utilize this tool. Even if the effect on crime rates is minimal  and that is certainly open to further study  seized assets associated with crime certainly could and should be used to provide restitution to crime victims and fund substance abuse treatment programs.

Judge Daniel Ramczyk is a judge of the Second Judicial District Court. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the judge individually and not those of the court.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

An Albuquerque man pleaded guilty Thursday and faces a life sentence for the 2019 beating death of his roommates 4-year-old son.

Zerrick Marquez, 28, pleaded guilty to child abuse, intentionally caused, resulting in the boys death on Dec. 10, 2019.

Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch said at a hearing Thursday that James Dunklees death was the result of multiple beatings over a period of months.

Marquez acted intentionally, which we would be able to prove with ongoing messages between him and his co-defendants, of long-term abuse to James Dunklee, Brandenburg-Koch told a judge during the plea hearing.

Marquez caused the boys death by beating him over a matter of months, and resulting in at least 50 different injuries to James Dunklee, she said.

Police say James and his mother were living with Marquez, his girlfriend and two children at an apartment in the 7200 block of Central SE when the boy was killed.

Detectives said Marquez was babysitting when he allegedly beat and killed the boy, according to a criminal complaint.

Marquez told police he accidentally fell on the boy, but an autopsy showed a skull fracture, lacerated internal organs and other injuries not consistent with his story.

An autopsy performed by the Office of the Medical Investigator found that James died as a result of blunt trauma to his head and body and ruled his death a homicide.

Detectives say they found text messages between Marquez and his girlfriend in which the couple discussed beating James and lying to his mother about a severe bruise on the boys leg.

The boys death has resulted in criminal charges against at least two others, including the boys mother, Krista Cruz, and Marquezs girlfriend, Pamela Esparza.

Esparza, 24, and Cruz, 25, are each charged with child abuse resulting in death. Both are scheduled for trial on Dec. 12 in 2nd Judicial District Court.

The boys injuries in the months before his death prompted the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department to develop a safety plan that prohibited Marquez from caring for the boy, court records show.

A CYFD investigation into the boys death, released in April, found at least four reports of physical abuse against James before his death. Those reports date to June 2019  six months before his death.

The boy told investigators during a safehouse interview in October 2019 that several perpetrators were responsible for his injuries, according to the report.

The safety plan devised by CYFD in October 2019 required James and his mother to reside at Joy Junction Shelter with care for the boy provided by Kids Castle.

The plan also prohibited Marquez and Esparza from being around the boy, the report said.

Cruz, the boys mother, reported on Oct. 24, 2019, that she had left Joy Junction and that James was staying with her sister, but Cruz refused to provide the caseworker with contact information for the boy, the report said.

A CYFD caseworker tried unsuccessfully to contact the sister in late October 2019, just over a month before James death. Cruz told the caseworker on Oct. 30, 2019, that she and James were living with an aunt in Arizona, the report said.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine  Dozens more civilians were rescued Friday from the tunnels under the besieged steel mill where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol have been making their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategically important port city.

Russian and Ukrainian officials said 50 people were evacuated from the Azovstal plant and handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Russian military said the group included 11 children.

Russian officials and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said evacuation efforts would continue Saturday. The latest evacuees were in addition to roughly 500 other civilians who got out of the plant and city in recent days.

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Mondays Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

As the holiday commemorating the Soviet Unions World War II victory over Nazi Germany approached, cities across Ukraine prepared for an expected increase in Russian attacks, and officials urged residents to heed air raid warnings.

These symbolic dates are to the Russian aggressor like red to a bull, said Ukraines first deputy interior minister, Yevhen Yenin. While the entire civilized world remembers the victims of terrible wars on these days, the Russian Federation wants parades and is preparing to dance over bones in Mariupol.

By Russias most recent estimate, roughly 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukrainian officials said before Fridays evacuations that a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to also spare the fighters. She said they would be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean filtration camps, prison, torture and death.

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will stand to the end without surrender, she told The Associated Press on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said influential states are involved in efforts to rescue the soldiers, although he did not mention any by name.

We are also working on diplomatic options to save our troops who are still at Azovstal, he said in his nightly video address.

U.N. officials have been tight-lipped about the civilian evacuation efforts, but it seemed likely that the latest evacuees would be taken to Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian-controlled city about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Mariupol where others who escaped the port city were brought.

Some of the plants previous evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. They need our help badly. We need to get them out.

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on the Telegram messaging app that Russian troops had fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plants grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

Moscow did not immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of the rest of Mariupol after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of more than 400,000. Perhaps 100,000 civilians remain there with scarce supplies of food, water electricity and heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris, and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings. Russian flags were hoisted.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port. It would also allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free some Russian troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Ukrainian officials said the risk of massive shelling increased ahead of Victory Day. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital. A curfew was going into effect in Ukraines southern Odesa region, which was the target of two missile attacks Friday.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas region and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia made no acknowledgement of the losses.

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth. Meanwhile, one person was reported dead and three more were wounded Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

In other developments Friday:

 A Ukrainian army brigade said it used an American Switchblade suicide drone against Russian forces in what was likely Ukraines first recorded use of such weapon in combat.

 U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems. Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March. He called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through September.

 The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said residents of the city of Kreminna were being terrorized by Russian troops trying to cross the Seversky Donets River. Serhiy Haidai accused Russian troops of checking phones and forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots. His statements could not be immediately verified.

 Haidia also said more than 15,000 people remain in Severodonetsk, a city in the Luhansk region thats seen as a key Russian target. He said he believes most residents wish to remain even though entire blocks of houses are on fire.

 The small village of Nekhoteevk, in Russias southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, was being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. His claims could not be immediately verified.

___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome, Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

A slight uptick in COVID-19 cases in New Mexico continued this week, and new hospitalizations also increased, according to weekly epidemiology reports.

In the reports dated Monday, the state noted 1,372 new cases in the prior week. That was up 23% from the week before, when 1,117 cases were reported.

There was also an increase in new hospital admissions. A total of 43 people with COVID were admitted to hospitals throughout the week, according to the most recent epidemiology report. That was up 39% from 31 hospitalizations the week before.

State health officials had cautioned previously that the state was set to see a rise in cases because of the new omicron subvariant that is spreading.

The state on Thursday reported 11 new deaths, pushing the statewide toll to 7,547 since the start of the pandemic. There were 53 people hospitalized with COVID throughout the state Thursday, according to the Health Departments website.

Vaccines are proving to be effective at preventing severe disease and death. In a recent four-week period, unvaccinated individuals accounted for 39.1% of new cases, 55.7% of hospitalizations and 45.5% of deaths.

Only 20% of New Mexican adults have not yet completed their primary vaccine series, according to the Health Departments website.
Firefighters put out a juniper that erupted along N.M. 283 near Las Vegas, Thursday May 5, 2022. Firefighters are trying to hold the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire at the road. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned fields and forest along N.M. 283 near Las Vegas, Thursday May 5, 2022. Firefighters are trying to hold the fire at the road. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) A juniper that erupted with flames along N.M. 283 near Las Vegas, Thursday May 5, 2022. Firefighters are trying to hold the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire at the road. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Jeff Franco, left, and other wildland firefighters from Apple Valley, Calif., mop up hot spots along N.M. 283 near Las Vegas, Thursday May 5, 2022. Firefighters are trying to hold the fire at the road. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Jared Andra, left, and James Amo, wildland firefighters from Stevensville Montana, park their rig outside the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Thursday May 5, 2022. They and other firefighters from around the country are staying at the historic hotel to help fight the Calf Canyon/ Hermit Peak Fire that has burned over 160,000 acres around near Las Vegas. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, center, along with Chase Coca, 10, left, and other volunteers, serves dinner at the evacuation center in the Memorial Middle School in Las Vegas, Thursday May 5, 2022. The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire has forced thousands of people to evacuate from their homes. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 6 Next

Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

LAS VEGAS, N.M.  Craig Malloy has been a wildland firefighter for more than 20 years.

He spends his work days lugging heavy gear across a landscape filled with flames and smoke.

But this is his first time working in New Mexico, as part of an all-hands-on-deck strategy to battle the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire. Hes from Apple Valley in Southern California.

Were used to the up all night, up all day and the hard work, Malloy said as he wiped away sweat and soot from his face. But being away from our families is hard.

Nearly 1,300 people are working directly on the fire in San Miguel and Mora counties. And, while they got a break in the weather on Thursday and are expecting the same for Friday, they are sounding the alarm for a series of systems moving into the area beginning Saturday.

Really, were looking at 96 to 120 straight hours of high-wind conditions, so please be very, very careful with any flames, grilling, anything that youre doing outside, fire behavior analyst Dan Pearson said during a Thursday evening briefing. We dont need any new starts.

John Pendergrast, the teams air resources adviser, warned the public to prepare for days of strong winds. Ive been a National Weather Service employee for 29 years  and I have never seen a forecast like this  anything close to it, he said.

The team is expecting sustained winds of 28 to 37 mph through Wednesday, with gusts up to 60 mph.

Its going to be a historic event because of the duration of the winds, Pendergrast said. Theres not going to be any letup in these winds. I would also ensure that your family and loved ones are aware of this weather system coming.

166,000 acres burned

Mindful of the brief reprieve from those extreme winds, fire crews are doing what they can to strengthen fire lines.

On Thursday, Malloys team helped out with a firing operation along N.M. 283 southwest of Las Vegas.

Crews started small, low-intensity fires in the Mineral Hill area to burn dry fuel.

Then, several teams came back to ensure the new fires were extinguished.

The back burn is an attempt to slow the main fires spread in case it jumps a containment line.

Were just picking up anything hot right off the road line, any smokers, Malloy said. Well put a bare hand on it to see if theres any heat in there. But, for the most part, once its done smoking, well move on up to the next line.

Las Vegas Mayor Louie Trujillo acknowledged the many firefighters from around the country who are working tirelessly around the clock to save our villages, our ranchitos, our casitas.

I, from the bottom of my heart, want to thank you, he said. If I see a fireman crossing the street, I stop my car and I tell them, thank you. 

The fire has burned more than 166,000 acres and is 20% contained.

Thousands of residents across northern New Mexico have evacuated and at least 166 homes have been destroyed.

Crews are counting on containment lines and firing operations to protect Las Vegas from the blaze if winds kick up as expected this weekend.

Mike De Fries, a spokesperson for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, said the next few days will be an extreme test.

We know whats coming, said Dave Bales, incident commander.

He said among the things theyre worried about is that the strong winds could topple fire-weakened trees, and even healthy ones, and those trees could block roadways.

You see youve lived through some of these wind events, he said, but have we lived through these wind events that last this long for four or five days straight?

Pendergrast urged property owners to look for small items that may blow around and prevent a quick escape.

Take time  to look for loose items around your property that can be blown about by the wind  small items that can impede your ability to move out of your property, he said.

More help needed

Favorable wind conditions enabled aircraft to drop water on Thursday.

The teams keep careful records of how much water they use, painfully aware that supply is scarce in arid New Mexico.

Thats whats great about the water bucket drops; if you see a helicopter flying overhead, theres a crew on the ground thats directing that helicopter in and thats going to be a targeted drop to cool a hot edge, a hot piece of fire, De Fries said.

Communities and fire crews have sought state and federal help to battle the blaze, and, on Wednesday, President Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state. The move opens up federal funding for individuals, even as the emergency continues.

But Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and other officials are asking the federal government to do much more to address the fires destruction.

The Hermits Peak Fire began as a U.S. Forest Service prescribed burn in early April.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., wrote a letter to Forest Service chief Randy Moore on Thursday, saying she is outraged by the agencys mistake.

The Las Vegas native expressed shock that officials chose to go through with the prescribed burn northwest of the city, despite a dry winter and a warm, windy spring.

New Mexicans will feel the damage from this fire for years and generations to come, Fernandez wrote. Many of these tight-knit communities and homes have existed for centuries, and may never be the same. The forests that have burnt to ashes are integral to the culture, history and economy of the communities embedded in them.

The congresswoman said the Forest Service needs to restore trust with the local community by investigating the prescribed burn and should consider updating protocols.

I look forward to working with you to ensure that another prescribed burn does not spark a large wildfire again, Fernandez wrote.

Lujan Grisham visited a Las Vegas shelter on Thursday to help serve meals and meet with people affected by the fire.

If you want to feel good about how people treat other people, show up at one of these shelters, she said. See all these New Mexicans who dont know when they can go home, and theyre cooking and taking meals, and telling people its going to be OK, and theyre working 20-hour shifts.

The governor said she is encouraged by the presidential disaster declaration that will open up funding for individuals.

No doubt, the federal government relief, which is critical to our success, will be hundreds of millions of dollars, Lujan Grisham said. It will not be enough to restore everyones home to the way in which they left it. The states going to have to step up and fill those gaps.

Outside the shelter, National Guardsmen moved truckloads of supplies donated from across the state.

Journal staff writer Olivier Uyttebrouck contributed to this report.
Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: Zelensky says Ukraine won't agree to "frozen conflict" with Russia

Xinhua) 10:16, May 06, 2022

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev will not agree to any deal that would lead to a "frozen conflict" with Russia, the Ukrinform news agency reported on Wednesday.

"We will not settle for a frozen conflict ... I am against it. We will definitely not have such a document," Zelensky said.

Zelensky said that the Minsk agreements, which had put an end to the intense military stage of the Donbass conflict several years ago, proved to be ineffective.

- - - -

The Russian military announced on Wednesday that it will open a humanitarian corridor from Thursday to Saturday for the evacuation of civilians from the blocked Azovstal plant in Ukraine's Mariupol.

The corridor will be effective from 08:00 to 18:00 Moscow time (0500 to 1500 GMT) in the three days, the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response said in a statement.

During this period, Russian troops and the forces of Donetsk will unilaterally cease hostilities and ensure the withdrawal of civilians both to Russia and to areas controlled by Ukraine, it added.

- - - -

Two villages in Russia's Belgorod Region were shelled from Ukrainian territory, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Thursday.

The shelling has now stopped. Several power lines were damaged along with five houses, said the governor, noting there were no civilian casualties.

- - - -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that his government has launched a global platform entitled United24 for collecting charitable donations in support of Ukraine.

According to the platform's official website, funds raised through the initiative will be transferred to the official accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine and allocated by assigned ministries to cover Ukraine's needs.

- - - -

Russia has announced the expulsion of seven Danish diplomats in a retaliatory move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The Ambassador of Denmark to Russia Carsten Sondergaard was summoned to the ministry in protest over Denmark's decision to declare 15 Russian employees working at the Russian Embassy in Denmark and the Russian Trade Representation in Copenhagen "personae non gratae" and Denmark's military support to Kiev, according to the ministry.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
BOARD MEETING NOTICE

April 27, 2022

Please be advised that the MFA Board of Directors (the Board) of the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA) will be holding its monthly Board Meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 . The meeting will be held at the offices of the MFA, 344 4th St. SW, Albuquerque, NM. The public can join the meeting in person or via webcast at http://housingnm.org/webcasts . A final agenda will be available to the public at least seventy-two hours prior to the meeting and may be obtained from the MFA website at www.housingnm.org . Please check the MFA website for any changes or cancelations to the MFA Board of Directors meeting.

MFAs Board is composed of Chair Angel Reyes, Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales, Attorney General Hector Balderas, State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg, Derek Valdo, Rebecca Wurzburger and Patricia Sullivan.

MFA Board meetings are open to the public. If you would like to participate but concerned with COVID-19, you are welcome to join us by webcast. If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the meeting, please contact the MFA at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the MFA if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed.

Should you have any questions, please call our office at (505) 843-6880.

Isidoro Hernandez

Executive Director

/sm

Journal: May 6, 2022
UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT

DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO

Case No. 19-10585-ja7

Chapter 7

In re:

EDWIN BACON HALL,

Debtor.



NOTICE TO PERSONS ASSERTING MEDICAL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE BY EDWIN BACON HALL

Edwin Bacon Hall (Hall) practiced psychiatric medicine in the State of New Mexico. In 2017 and 2018, the New Mexico Medical Board investigated Hall in connection with, inter alia, the use of Mr. Connell, an unlicensed person, to provide medical services in his medical practice. As a result of that investigation, Hall surrendered his license to practice medicine. On March 19, 2019, Hall filed a voluntary bankruptcy petition commencing the above-captioned case (the Bankruptcy Case).

On April 19, 2021, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico entered the Order Granting Motion for Approval of Medical Claims Settlement, Including Settlement Procedures, Channeling Injunction and Sale of Capson Policies Free and clear of liens, Claims and Interests (Doc. No. 279). Among other things, the Order approves the Future Claims Procedures.

Under the Future Claims Procedures, in order to be eligible for distributions from the Future Claims Trust, all former patients of Halls medical practice who assert damages resulting from Halls practice of medicine which (a) had not accrued prior to the filing of the Bankruptcy Case; or (b) were neither listed nor scheduled under Bankruptcy Code  521(a)(1), with the name and current address of the Claimant, in time to permit timely filing of a proof of claim, unless such Claimant had notice or actual knowledge of the Bankruptcy Case in time for such timely filing (Future Claimants) must complete a Consent and a Future Claim Form and deliver it to the Claims Administer at the address below no later than:

Date: October 19, 2022

You may obtain a copy of the Consent and the Future Claim Form by contacting the Claims Administrator at the address below.

Gregory W. Chase Claims Administrator 5901 Wyoming NE #J-284 Albuquerque, NM 87109 (505) 980-0287

DO NOT FILE YOUR CONSENT OR FUTURE CLAIM FORM WITH THE BANKRUPTCY COURT.

Any Future Claim received after the Future Claims Deadline shall not be eligible for distribution from the Future Claims Trust.

Journal: May 6, 13, 2022
JERUSALEM  Israel is set to advance plans for the construction of 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, the interior minister said Friday, drawing warnings of serious consequences from the Palestinian Authority.

If approved, it would be the biggest advancement of settlement plans since the Biden administration took office. The White House is opposed to settlement growth because it further erodes the possibility of an eventual two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, a staunch supporter of settlements, tweeted that a planning committee would convene next week to approve 4,000 homes, calling construction in the West Bank a basic, required and obvious thing.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the planned approvals would have serious consequences on the ground in an already tense West Bank. He did not say what those consequences might be, and the Palestinian Authority has no way of halting settlement building or any other Israeli measures.

Israels Haaretz newspaper reported that the Civil Administration, a military body, would meet Thursday to advance 1,452 units, and that another 2,536 units would be approved by Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

The Defense Ministry referred questions to COGAT, the military body in charge of civilian affairs in the occupied West Bank. COGAT did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters that the Biden administration has been clear on West Bank settlement expansion from the outset.

We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements which exacerbates tensions and undermines trust between the parties, she said. Israels program of expanding settlements deeply damages the prospects for a two-state solution.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built more than 130 settlements across the territory that are home to nearly 500,000 settlers. Nearly 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule.

Earlier this week, Israels Supreme Court upheld an expulsion order that would force at least 1,000 Palestinians out of an arid region in the southern West Bank where they say they have been living for decades. The military declared the area a firing zone in the early 1980s.

The Palestinians want the West Bank to form the main part of their future state. They view the expansion of settlements as a major obstacle to any future peace deal because they reduce and divide up the land on which such a state would be established. Most of the international community views the settlements as illegal.

All of these Israeli measures of demolition, eviction and settlement fall within the framework of the apartheid regime that the occupation applies to the Palestinians and their lands amid international silence, said Abu Rdeneh, Abbas spokesman.

Israels current government is split between parties that oppose and support settlements. As a compromise, it has ruled out any major peace initiative or any move to formally annex parts of the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a former leader of the main settler council, is opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Israel approved the construction of 3,000 settler homes in October despite a U.S. rebuke. Authorities have, however, paused some especially controversial projects in the wake of strong U.S. opposition.

Settlement construction can only be approved after a long bureaucratic process, and it was unclear how soon construction crews would be able to break ground on the 4,000 homes if they get a green light. The process also provides the opportunity for Israeli officials to pause or delay such projects.

___

Associated Press writers Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Tesla is covering travel costs for employees seeking out-of-state abortions, joining the ranks of major companies whove introduced a similar policy to benefit workers affected by new restrictions in the past few months.

The company said in its 2021  Impact Report  released Friday that it expanded its Safety Net program and health insurance offerings last year to include travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state.

The car maker officially moved its corporate headquarters last year from Silicon Valley to Texas, which passed a law banning abortions at roughly six weeks of pregnancy.

Other states have since introduced new restrictions, and a political firestorm was set off this week with the leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would abolish a nationwide right to an abortion.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are taking aim at corporations offering to help women seeking abortions in states with less restrictive laws.

Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, a Republican, has said he would propose legislation barring local governments in the state from doing business with any company that provides travel benefits for employees seeking abortions. Nationally, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit companies from claiming tax deductions for such costs.

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but he tweeted in September that he believes government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness. That said, I would prefer to stay out of politics.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California Democrats have accelerated their plan to make the nations most populous state a sanctuary for women seeking abortions, propelled by the release this week of an early draft of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has ignited a surge of activism among the states vast network of providers and advocacy groups.

The draft  which could change when a final ruling is issued, likely next month  would end nearly 50 years of federal abortion protections. Just hours after a leaked copy was published, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the states top legislative leaders said they would seek voter approval to make abortions a constitutional right in California, a move designed to shield the state from future court rulings and a potential federal abortion ban should Republicans win control of Congress.

On Thursday, Democrats in the state Legislature fast-tracked a bill that would block other states laws from imposing civil or criminal penalties on people who provide or aid abortions in California, setting up another likely prolonged legal fight over state sovereignty.

The California Legislative Womens Caucus has asked Newsom for $20 million to help pay for women from other states where abortion would be outlawed to come to California for the procedure  a sum the governor could announce in his revised budget proposal next week.

In just 48 hours after the draft ruling became public, Californias only statewide nonprofit that helps women travel to and within the state to get abortions raised $25,000  a quarter of its normal annual spending  while fielding a flood of calls from people volunteering to give free rides or a place to stay to women looking to end their pregnancies.

For Madilynne Hoffman, Californias preparations are comforting. The 22-year-old mother of two ended her pregnancy in December at an abortion clinic in the states Central Valley.

When she returned to a different clinic later for birth control, she said a protester followed her to her car. That experience, coupled with the draft court ruling, prompted her to look for volunteer opportunities at clinics.

Thats really saddening to think that women have to fight for their bodies, she said. It should just be an automatic right.

Californias legislative efforts represent the opening salvos in the next phase of the abortion rights battle, which will play out among state governments that are left to make and enforce their own rules if the federal protections are abolished. Already, Republican-led states like Oklahoma and Idaho have passed more restrictive abortion laws in anticipation of the courts ruling.

Democratic-led states like California, meanwhile, are passing laws to expand abortion access.

The Democrats who control all levers of power in state government have written 13 bills that would authorize more medical providers to perform abortions, create scholarships for reproductive care doctors, block other states from accessing some California medical records, and create a fund for taxpayer money to help pay for women in states where abortion is illegal to come to California to get the procedure. A measure that makes abortions cheaper by banning co-pays and deductibles has already been signed into law.

Meanwhile, abortion providers are busy hiring more doctors and adding space to receive a predicted surge in patients. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the nations largest Planned Parenthood affiliate, is renovating and building new facilities in Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, Visalia and Reno, Nevada. When theyre finished, it will boost their capacity from 200 to 500 patients per week.

Weve been preparing for it for over a year  and honestly since November 2016, when Republican Donald Trump was elected president, said Andrew Adams, Planned Parenthood Mar Montes chief of staff and head of strategic communications.

Anti-abortion advocates are getting ready, too, by bolstering staffing and support at crisis pregnancy centers. These centers, which often locate near abortion clinics and are religiously affiliated, seek to convince women to forego abortion for adoption or other options.

Some of these centers in conservative states receive tens of millions of dollars in public money. California has been hostile to these centers, passing a law requiring them to tell clients about abortion services. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that law in 2018.

We believe that is the way people of faith and the pro-life community can really help to put our money where our mouth is, said Jonathan Keller, president and CEO of the California Family Council, which opposes abortion. No woman should ever feel like abortion is the best option for them.

While abortion has been legal in every state, its not easily accessible everywhere, especially for people who live in poor or rural areas. Across the country, nearly 100 abortion funds exist to help these women pay for things like travel, lodging and child care they need to make their appointments.

Since Monday, a national digital fundraising platform for these groups has raised about $1 million, according to Sierra Harris, deputy director of network strategy for the National Network of Abortion Funds.

California has one statewide abortion fund, known as Access Reproductive Justice. The group helps roughly 500 women each year, about a third whom come from other states, according to Executive Director Jessica Pinckney. Each woman gets an average of $300 to $400 in assistance.

That doesnt pay for everything. To fill the gaps, the group relies on a set of 50 core volunteers who stand ready to give rides, places to stay and extra cash. Those volunteers include Harris, who lives in Oakland.

Since the pandemic, most of the assistance Harris gives is cash. The mother of two small children, Harris recalled a time when she pitched in to buy another woman a plane ticket so she could travel to get an abortion. The woman was also a mother, and later sent Harris a card calling her an angel.

The woman said her help made it possible for her to parent the child I have,' Harris said. I think about that all the time.
VIENNA  A train carrying 2,000 metric tons of Ukrainian corn arrived in Austria on Friday, part of European efforts to elude a Russian blockade of Ukraines ports that has prevented critical supplies of wheat, corn and other grains from getting to countries in Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia.

Standing in front of a rail car adorned with the Austrian and Ukrainian flags, Austrias farming minister, Elisabeth Koestinger, said the shipment marked the establishment of a green corridor for important cargo shipments between the two countries.

Grain and animal feed exports cant leave Ukraine via the sea route. Thats why we are creating green corridors, Koestinger said.

The shipment comes amid a wider struggle to cope with disruptions to global food supplies triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine, with both countries two of the worlds biggest suppliers of wheat, barley and sunflower oil. Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizers that farmers need to grow crops.

The potential loss of affordable grain supplies that millions around the world rely on for cheap bread and noodles has raised the risk of food shortages and political instability in countries where many people already were not getting enough to eat. With food prices already soaring, the high cost of fertilizers and cooking oils are further squeezing the global food chain.

To help ease the crunch in a small way, trains will carry up to 60,000 metric tons of grain from Ukraine to Austria every month, adding to similar shipments to Germany. Those exports circumvent Russias blockade of Odesa, Ukraines largest port, on the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Austria, Vasyl Khymynets, called the new land route an important symbol of Ukraines cooperation with its partners.

We are looking for routes to supply the world with food, he said.

Khymynets said 600,000 metric tons of Ukrainian grain could potentially be exported every month via various land routes  just a fraction of Ukraines export capacity of 25 million tons.

The initial Austrian shipment was purchased by animal feed producer in that country. Subsequent cargoes were expected to find their way to the global south, Koestinger said, with Ukrainian food supplies in demand in central Africa.

The load of corn left Ternopil province in western Ukraine, and Austrian Railways picked it up in the Slovakian border town of Cierna.

Other countries also have started setting up their own green corridor routes, Koestinger said. Such land routes have been used during the war to help civilians trying to flee the fighting.

Austrian Railways already has been carrying Ukrainian cargo three times a week to northern Germany via Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland on trains that can carry up to 2,000 metric tons.

Now, it will ramp up the frequency with daily trains to Brake, Germany, near Bremen, where a port specializes in shipping animal feed and grain.

The Austrian government estimates that due to the war, harvest losses might be as high as 30% to 50% compared with pre-war production.

___

AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Virgin Galactic announced another delay Thursday in its planned commercial flights to space, setting the start date for passenger service back from fall 2022 to winter 2023.

Supply-chain bottlenecks, plus difficulty hiring engineers and skilled labor as Virgin Galactic upgrades its current fleet of spaceships, forced the space-tourism company to extend, yet again, its ongoing flight hiatus to beyond its previous fall 2022 commercial launch target, CEO Michael Colglazier said in an earnings conference call with investors late Thursday afternoon.

Our teams are working hard to mitigate all the issues, but cumulatively, were seeing enough things happen that meant extending our time path, Colglazier told conference participants.

New timeline

The company said in February that its VSS Unity spaceship, which has flown to suborbit four times in recent years, would be ready to re-start test flights this summer, along with the mothership, VMS Eve, which carries the Unity part way to space before the rocket ship detaches from Eve and ignites its engines to shoot into suborbit.

Following the summer tests, Unity and Eve were expected to begin tourist flights at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico in late 2022, allowing up to six paying passengers to board joyrides to space where they can float for a few minutes in microgravity and enjoy spectacular views.

The companys second spaceship, VSS Imagine, was also expected to start test flights in New Mexico this fall, followed by commercial passenger service with that rocket ship in winter 2023. That would allow Virgin Galactic to begin offering up to three tourist flights per month.

However, under the new schedule announced Thursday, the Unity will now conduct only two test flights this fall, one where the spaceship detaches from Eve to just float back down to the spaceport, and then a second powered flight where it will fire up its rocket motors to blast into suborbit, Colglazier said.

That would pave the way for Unity to begin at least one commercial flight per month in early 2023, while Imagine simultaneously begins its test program.

But, as a new vehicle that has yet to fly to space, Imagine will need more testing than Unity before boarding paying passengers, setting back commercial service using both rockets until mid-2023.

With Imagine, well do a series of flight tests with more analysis, since it will be its first time flying, Colglazier said.

Public reaction

On Friday morning, Virgin Galactics stock price dropped 13%, from $7.46 per share on Thursday afternoon to $6.51. Thats down from a peak of $62.80 a share in February 2021.

Company shares, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange, began plummeting last fall, after the company announced its current flight hiatus to conduct upgrades on its ships before moving to commercial service. That hiatus has now been extended twice.

The company did capture global attention last July, after Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson successfully flew to suborbit from Spaceport America with other company crew members. To date, some 31 million people have watched the livestream and video clips of that history-making flight, according to the company.

But with Virgin Galactic now grounded for nearly 10 months and counting, public attention has largely shifted to rival space tourism company Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, said Rich Smith, a writer for the investor advisory service The Motley Fool who follows Virgin Galactic on the NYSE. Blue Origins New Shepard rocket has conducted four successful passenger flights to space from West Texas since last summer, the latest of which on March 31, allowing Bezos company to grab headlines and rack up experience to potentially expand its lead in the emerging space tourism business.

With nearly eight more months to go before Virgin Galactic begins its commercial flights, Blue Origin has more time to keep flying and increasing its competttive edge, Smith told the Journal. I think, at least for now, its making Virgin Galactic appear somewhat irrelevant.

Building out

Still, Virgin Galactic is using the hiatus to build a solid foundation for sustainable space tourism operations in New Mexico and other countries, laying the infrastructure and business framework for rapid manufacture of its next-generation Delta class rockets. That will allow the company to produce a fleet of spaceships that could begin weekly flights from Spaceport America by 2025.

Unlike its two current spaceships and the mothership Eve  which in-house engineers designed and built individually over time  the Delta class will be fully designed for assembly-line manufacturing using national aerospace suppliers to build the sub assemblies. Virgin Galactic will do final integration of the Delta ships as an in-house operation at a new facility it plans to open next year.

The company announced a few significant milestones in those efforts on Thursday, including the roll out of a new Digital Twin architecture platform that will weave all design and manufacturing processes together online from start-to-finish, said company Chief Financial Officer Doug Ahrens.

Its a suite of digital tools to enable higher quality and velocity throughout the production process, Ahrens told investors. It will provide a collaborative process all the way through to work seamlessly and much faster than we did before.

Thats critical as the company begins contracting suppliers for materials and subassemblies to build the Delta class ships.

The company held a suppliers conference in March in California, and it has since issued requests for information from companies to begin contracting, Colglazier said.

In-house engineers are also working to consolidate individual materials and components into single sub assemblies that can be built by contractors.

Were re-working designs for manufacturability to come together in fewer large assemblies, Colglazier said.

Meanwhile, in-house engineers are doing multiple modifications and maintenance on the existing ships to improve durability, reliability and predictability, which will reduce time spent on maintenance, testing and verification of craft for faster turnaround between flights when commercial service begins.

Those efforts, however, have been slowed by supply-chain constraints, and by tight labor markets as the company ramps up hiring for the design and engineering work now underway in preparation for Delta class manufacturing, leading to the new delay in commercial launch, Colglazier said.

The company has also signed up about 50 new customers since February, when it reopened sales for reservations on future spaceflights at $450,000 per seat. It now has a total of 800 passengers waiting to fly, with a goal of 1,000 by the time commercial launch begins next year.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

As New Mexico braces for several days of brutal weather on the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, firefighters and residents are stepping up to protect homes, feed and house families and offer comfort during the crisis.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a Friday briefing that the upcoming days are the worst possible set of conditions for this fire.

If youre under a mandatory evacuation order and youre still there, this is the time to reevaluate whether you can keep yourself safe in this situation, Lujan Grisham said.

About 16,000 homes in San Miguel and Mora counties have had to be evacuated.

Wind gusts of 60 mph and high temperatures could fuel spot fires this weekend, said operations section chief Todd Abel.

The extreme wind event could prevent aircraft from helping ground crews fight the fire.

No human can outrun fire that is going to move as rapidly as this is going to move the next few days, Abel said.

The nations largest fire has burned more than 168,000 acres and is 20% contained as of Friday evening.

San Miguel County Commissioner Max Trujillo spoke about his communitys resilience despite the widespread effects of the fire that has destroyed at least 170 homes.

We are Nortenos. We are of this land, Trujillo said. This place is present in every cell of our being. We will rise up and we are not alone in this journey.

Some people in mandatory evacuation zones have stayed behind to protect their properties.

San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez warned those residents that its time to go.

Dont take the chance, Lopez said. Its not worth a life.

About 1,300 firefighters are working on 290 miles of fire perimeter.

New Mexico officials are juggling the day-to-day firefight with supporting displaced residents.

At a Las Vegas shelter, supply donations have poured in from across the state.

Many volunteers, like Felicia Martinez, are also evacuees.

The social worker and her family left their Sapello home and are living in an RV while they wait to see how their community will fare.

We were getting a little stir-crazy, so we came down here to see what we could do to help, Martinez said.

All day long, locals stop by to get the latest information about the fire activity.

They stock up on supplies or check in with family and friends.

Sandie Orsa, field finance manager for World Central Kitchen, said that volunteers are providing a small sense of normalcy to residents in the worst time of their lives.

Ive been on the side of food insecurity, she said. I know what it feels like.

The global group recently provided meals for residents in Ukraine.

Now they are working with restaurants and Santa Fe Community College culinary students to serve more than 3,000 meals in Las Vegas, Glorieta, Santa Fe and the Mora area.

Food is hope, Orsa said. Seeing this response of volunteers from people who are evacuees themselves really restores our hope in the power of community.

United World College president Victoria Mora met with firefighters this week at the Montezuma Castle west of Las Vegas.

She thanked the crews working to keep flames away from the campus and surrounding homes.

I dont know of other professions that do that, that will put their lives on the line for something that doesnt benefit them, Mora said in a video posted to the schools Twitter account.

The fire is a long way from being extinguished.

President Bidens approval of a federal disaster declaration is an important step to opening up funding for individuals affected by the ongoing crisis.

Lujan Grisham said that federal agencies like FEMA are known for their expertise in returning residents to homes affected by disasters like floods and hurricanes.

Wildfires are a completely different animal in the context of the destruction of peoples properties and livestock, she said.

Residents affected by fires in Colfax, Lincoln, Mora, San Miguel and Valencia counties should register in order to qualify for benefits by going to DisasterAssistance.gov or calling 1-800-621-3362.

Individuals could start receiving payments of up to $500 as early as next week, the governor said.

The state is also considering how to provide manufactured housing units for residents who are currently in hotels or shelters.

Lujan Grisham said that the federal government will need to support New Mexicos forest and watershed restoration projects after the fire.

The governor has called on the U.S. Forest Service to rethink its prescribed burn policies and how it addresses overgrown forests.

The Hermits Peak Fire began as a prescribed burn on April 6.

We want back in these forests, the governor told the Journal on Thursday. We know how to be stewards, we need to take the fuel out, and we need to be paid to do that.

Cooks Peak Fire

In a silver lining on the wildfire front, the Cooks Peak Fire is now 97% contained.

Officials have lifted all Mora and Colfax county evacuations that were issued for the fire, which has burned more than 59,000 acres.

Lujan Grisham said that accomplishment will allow teams to direct more resources to other fires.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

As water managers brace for what could be another challenging summer on the Rio Grande, the states that share the river met Friday to review water and wildlife projects.

Colorado, New Mexico and Texas representatives of the Rio Grande Compact Commission gathered in Alamosa, Colorado, along with pueblo leaders and engineers.

New Mexico state engineer Mike Hamman said the region is grappling with a third consecutive year of very poor hydrologic conditions.

Theres a pall over all of us here, and thats the looming runoff situation, which were already seeing diminish, Hamman said.

Middle Rio Grande irrigators started this season on a staggered schedule to help deliver more water to Elephant Butte Reservoir and chip away at the states water debt.

New Mexico owes about 41 billion gallons of water to downstream users under the compact.

The state is also in a legal dispute with Texas over water deliveries.

States have agreed to continue mediation, which could prevent the case from going before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Since January, the parties have been actively engaged in settlement discussions, which is a really positive direction, Hamman said.

Texas commissioner Robert Bobby Skov agreed that the mediation process is complex, but is seeing some positive movement.

Texas supports allowing the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to store Rio Grande water in Abiquiu Reservoir for pueblo use while El Vado Dam is rebuilt.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to release a final decision soon on that proposal.

But Texas objects to native Rio Grande water being stored in Abiquiu for non-pueblo irrigators in central New Mexico.

All three states would have to agree in order for that change to be approved.

Skov said the amount of water owed to the Lone Star State is extremely concerning.

The commissioner said he also worries about irrigators losing water to evaporation at Caballo Reservoir.

We feel like more water should be held in Elephant Butte, Skov said.

Endangered species are also at risk as the river suffers from prolonged drought and aridification.

The agency released more than 208,000 Rio Grande silvery minnows into the middle Rio Grande last year.

But minnow densities  how biologists measure the number of fish in certain river stretches  are the lowest theyve been in four years, said Debra Hill, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist.

We are at the razors edge when it comes to the silvery minnow, Hill said. We know there arent going to be easy solutions, because every single one of us here knows the issues that we have with water.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2022  The American Chemical Society (ACS) Publications Division and ACS Central Science are proud to announce the winner of the ACS Central Science Disruptors & Innovators Prize: Clare Grey, D.Phil., FRS, of Cambridge University. Since 2020, the ACS Central Science Disruptors & Innovators Prize has recognized individuals who, through their innovative research, are advancing the central science of chemistry.

Im honored and excited to have won this award  a wonderful recognition of not just me, but also the students and postdocs who have worked with me in both the U.S. and the U.K. to make this happen, says Grey. It is also great to see my fundamental science being appreciated in this way.

Grey is the Geoffrey Moorhouse Gibson Professor of Chemistry at Cambridge University and is a fellow of Pembroke College Cambridge and the U.K.s Royal Society. She received a B.A. and D.Phil. in chemistry from Oxford University. She was the founding director of the Northeast Center for Chemical Energy Storage  an Energy Frontier Research Center of the U.S. Department of Energy  which she started while a professor at Stony Brook University. She is currently the director of the EPSRC Centre of Advanced Materials for Integrated Energy Systems and a principal investigator at the Faraday Institution. Grey is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Richard R. Ernst Prize in Magnetic Resonance, the Royal Societys Hughes Medal and the Korber European Science Prize for her contributions to the optimization of batteries using NMR spectroscopy. She is a foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her current research interests include the use of solid-state NMR and diffraction-based methods to determine structure-function relationships in materials for energy storage (batteries and supercapacitors) and conversion (fuel cells). She is a co-founder of the company Nyobolt, which seeks to develop batteries for fast-charge applications.

It is my tremendous honor to present the 2022 ACS Central Science Disruptors & Innovators Prize to Professor Clare Grey, in recognition of her pioneering work in fundamental studies of rechargeable battery materials using solid-state NMR methodology, says Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., editor in chief of ACS Central Science. Grey is an inspiration to the scientific community and her work perfectly embodies the power of chemistry as the central science.

I am delighted to congratulate Professor Grey on this tremendous achievement, says James Milne, Ph.D., president, ACS Publications. Her work is advancing the field of chemistry and with it, advancing technologies that will have a profound impact around the world. I, as well as the rest of the chemistry community, look forward to following her research discoveries.

Grey will accept the prize at an upcoming virtual symposium, during which she will present a Disruptors Lecture. More details can be found on the ACS Central Science Disruptors & Innovators Prize website.
ABP is celebrating its hundredth year of existence with a new campaign, named ABP 2022 centenary. The campaign was launched at Goafest 2022. It was in March 13, 1922 that Anandbazar Patrika, the flagship brand of ABP, was born, at the heights of the Indias independence movement. It was a four-page evening daily for a price of two paisa. Since then, it has grown into a formidable media entity, playing the important role of opinion maker not only in Bengal but also all over the country. After independence, the group grew further, launching English news daily The Telegraph, business newspaper Business Standard, and Sportsworld.

ABP 2022 centenary seeks to encapsulates the media brand seeks to convey about its hundred years of journey. Unsurprisingly, the ABP Groups brand articulation for its centenary year boils down to a simple three-word sentence. Curiosity questions answers. It is a provocative thought that drives home hat has always been a facet of the brands philosophy.

We completed 100 years today; we created a campaign which we launched in Goa Fest, now it will be rolled out in a B2B, B2C space. The campaign is centered around a thought which basically embodies the very essence of our journey over the last few years, and thats around the world of curiosity. We feel thats a very primal human need to know more and thats the tenant of any good journalism, whether in television or in print. A good journalist is curious to know and so we felt that is backdrop on which our journalism has been built on and that is what we have extended on various spots. Curiosity just does not stop at seeking answers for things you dont know; its also the extent of questioning answers and a good curious person should also question the answers which are coming and hence it is built around the thought and campaign tagline Curiousity Questions and the question mark is the motive on which we are building the campaign, said ABP COO Avinash Pandey.

Theres a human face embedded in the question mark and that face will change depending on the situation, depending on what we are asking for, this was the purpose of campaign, he added.

Regarding a different approach of ABP, ABP CEO Dhruba Mukherjee said: This is what we do every day; if you look at our newspapers or television channels, the kind of coverage we do. For example, we were the only channel for a good four five hours broadcasting the tragedy of people stuck in small pond near Dhanbad, Devgarh and all channels were busy covering the Ukraine-Russia War. There were around 40 people stuck. The Natural Disaster Authority could not save them; Army had to be called and it was a typical ropeway tragedy. If it had happened in California or anywhere it would have been a global news. But as it happened in Devgad, we were the only channel covering and later everybody picked up. So as far as a coverage is concerned, ABP is pioneer in the ground news. Even today, our coverage around the riots in different parts of India because of Ram Navmi processions is far superior than the competition, he added.

The kind of journalism is happening in country today is that if a question is asked, said Mukherjee, the answer is given and it ends there, whether the answer solves the question or not. Similarly in the field of reporting and journalism, it is this curiosity which leads to the possible right answer. This campaign is not about what you want to do now; its more about a reflection of what we have got over last 100 years. It is an underlying thread of a journey over the last 100 years and hopefully for next 100 years. We want to keep this thought alive in our journalism that we have to have a curious mind and keep on questioning. We have launched our campaign to celebrate our endeavours by a century logo and a film and we will do a lot of activities throughout the year. This is also the need of hour. It is not a logo change this is just for the campaign, said Mukherjee.

Regarding the kind of activities and programmes they plan to do for next one year, Dhruba Mukherjee said that the idea is to extend the celebration in the B2B and B2C space. We will be taking this campaign into the masses as well as our client and advertisers we will continue to connect with them. The whole campaign is designed by Agnello Dias on a freelance capacity as he is no longer with the Taproot. After he quit he was pretty much free, so we approached him because he has a wealth of experience and knowledge in this sector. So he collaborated at an individual level and he has built it up along with his chosen team, he said.

He added that neither the logo of ABP telegraph or ABP Network is changing. It is just a celebratory of centenary and it is a logo for that purpose.

The campaign will go on for a year. We started now. The centenary happened in March 2022. Anandrika Patrika was the first brand from ABP as a Bengali newspaper which started on Holi in March 1922. The whole paper was in red not because of holi but it was the colour of the protest against the British government which was ruling us. It came as a protest paper and we completed our 100 years this March 2022. So technically our centenary starts from March but we just decided to roll it out from this forum and then take it to next March. It is very dynamic and basic people-centred journalism, he said.
On the occasion of Mothers Day, Shoppers Stop, Indias leading premier fashion and beauty destination, has launched its digital campaign #CoolMoms. The campaign conceptualised by Contract Advertising, a Wunderman Thompson Group company and member of the WPP network, focuses on millennial mothers and highlights how mothers inspire and encourage their children to be their true self. It elaborates on the changing narrative of a mother, as she evolves from her traditional role to adopting liberal ways to connect better with todays generation.

The series of 3 digital films are based on multiple real-life situations that pushes the envelope in a fun way without getting into statement-making. It encapsulates the beautiful side of a relationship between a child and a mother and pays tribute to a mother for also being a friend, mentor, and guide. Whether it is accepting her childs tattoo or joining her son in playing late night video games, it leaves the child surprised with mothers friendly, light-hearted, and cheerful side.

Speaking on the campaign, Shwetal Basu, Customer Care Associate and Chief of Marketing and Communication, Shoppers Stop says, The unconditional love by mothers is irreplaceable and invaluable. While the core theme of the day resonates with love and affection, this year we wanted to take the campaign a notch higher. The campaign draws inspiration from real life stories of moms, who are embracing their kids with an open mind and trying their best to connect with the new generation. Motivated by real life situations, the Cool Moms campaign, brings out the progressive relationship between a mother and child that has evolved with time. While mothers have been the epitome of compassion and care since time immemorial; todays generation mothers are setting new benchmarks. They are empathetic, evolved, witty, and easy-going! All these are well-captured in the films conceptualized to showcase Cool Mom campaign.

Rahul Ghosh, SVP & ECD at Contract Advertising said, Shoppers Stop is a brand that has always been about contemporary conversations and relationships. And to celebrate Mothers Day, we decided to put the spotlight on this cool, refreshed avatar of motherhood. Ayan Chakraborty, EVP & GM, Contract Advertising said, Mothers are normally stereotyped as strict and tough. This campaign breaks that myth and shows the cool side of the mother and the modern-day relationship between a mother and her children

This Mothers Day, say cheers to your cool mom with a perfect gift across multiple categories at Shoppers Stop such as watches, fragrances, bags, beauty, apparel and more! Shop from the coolest gifting range at the nearest store or from www.shoppersstop.com.
Rebel Foods, the worlds largest internet restaurant company unveiled their new campaign Boring Hata, Faasos Manga for its flagship food brand Faasos. Over the years, the brand has always stood for breaking the monotony and has challenged dated stereotypes, be it in food or daily life. Through this campaign, the agency aptly captures the consumer insight and problems of indulging in the same bland food items repeatedly on multiple occasions, making them bored and hangry.

OTT stars Anchal Singh and Vihaan Samat take a stand against boring meals, making their frustration heard in the film. They are seen venting and switching to exciting Faasos wraps across fast-food situations like working lunch, house parties, and date nights at home. The advertisements aim to spread the message of breaking out of a routine and exploring interesting options offered by the brand.

Speaking about the campaign, Amit Akali, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Wondrlab said, For decades, some food items have become the default choice for certain occasions. Be it sandwiches for working lunch or pizza at house parties, eating the same food, again and again, has bored the consumer, who today, is constantly looking out for new and exciting options. Basis this insight, we took it upon ourselves to become the voice of the bored consumer and give them an exciting alternative in the form of Faasos. This strategy lends itself beautifully to the unique gesture of holding a Faasos wrap which is the same as holding a mike. Once the idea was cracked, in the writing, the team brought out the angst we all feel when we yet again see a stale piece of the same food. We have just voiced that angst!

Talking about the campaign, Indrajit Ghosh - Vice President, Marketing Communications at Rebel Foods said, Whats Your Problem has done a tremendously good job at coming up with a campaign which is so in tune with the world today. With life resuming its fast pace, this campaign has come at the right time and was very well the need of the hour. No one enjoys eating the same things repeatedly, especially when there are so many options out there to choose from. We are sure that everyone feels the same frustration with the repetition of food, we are just voicing it out on everyones behalf through this campaign. The vast variety of flavors and options that come with Faasos wraps is the perfect solution to this problem.

This campaign will be spread across various digital channels and platforms. This includes social media, OTT platforms and will be promoted through digital and influencer marketing as well to ensure that it reaches the target audiences.
Goafest 2022, Indias most definitive advertising, media and marketing symposium, returns after a two-year hiatus, featuring some of the industrys brightest minds along with prestigious industry awards felicitating notable creative thinkers from South Asia. The three-day festival kickstarted with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and the unveiling of AAAIs new logo. It also marks Goafests 15th edition. Marking it as a special year, it is the first time ever that the Abby Awards have collaborated with The One Show. With an underlying theme of celebrating The SuperPower Within, delegates at Goafest 2022 were welcomed with a champagne launch by Zoom TV and a live musical performance by Sukhbir - Prince of Bhangra.

AAAIs new logo, created by Tempest Advertisings art director, Lohidasu, was unveiled during the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. The agencys design was chosen amidst 200 entries. The logo effectively brought the past, the present and the future of both AAAI and advertising in unison. The official unveiling of the redesigned logo at the Goafest, was done by Rohit Ohri, Chairman and CEO of FCB Ulka and actress Yami Gautam.

Further, the Industry Conclave presented by ABP Group marked the beginning of the festival with the first session of the day, witnessing Yami Gautam in a one-on-one conversation with Rana Barua, Chairman, Abby Awards Governing Council 2022 & Vice President of The Ad Club. The two enthralled the audience by speaking about films, values and the need to imagine and build a life beyond numbers. This tete-a-tete was followed by a super talk from Vineeta Singh, Co-founder and CEO, SUGAR Cosmetics & Shark, Shark Tank India, who highlighted the importance of building a brand with quality products and content before focusing on advertising. She also emphasised on the power of empowering a team, which mirrors the ethos of SUGAR, passionately stating, Empower them and let them go rule the world!

The next session witnessed Ankush Sachdeva, Co-Founder & CEO, Sharechat & Moj, chatting with Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH at Madison World. The duo engaged in a meaningful conversation highlighting the mission that Sachdeva, a Messiah for the creator and influencer community, is on. He spoke about how short-form content is going to be the future of content consumption and while addressing the advertisers, he said, If you do not catch the attention of the consumer in 2 seconds, you have lost them. He also emphasised the advantage of reaching the mass audience using regional content.

Following this up was a knowledge session in partnership with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), wherein Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary (CA), Ministry of Consumer Affairs & Food Distribution spoke with Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Global Creative Ogilvy Worldwide & Executive Chairman, Ogilvy India, discussing the importance of consumer protection and its responsibility that we have as professionals. The session was moderated by Subhash Kamath, Chairman, ASCI & CEO, BBH, India, who asked poignant questions and received crucially important answers regarding brands promoting and marketing misleading information, bait advertising, and those compromising consumer interest. Rohit Kumar Singh ended on a high note stating, If we dont look after the interest of the consumer, who will?

Thereafter, another super-talk was given by Dr Kiran Bedi, Former Lt Governor Puducherry & Ex-IPS Officer, who highlighted the importance of leadership, emphasising, Leadership is internal  you start with yourself; if you cant lead yourself, you cant lead people. She also added that one must live by what they say and they automatically will have followers. She further shared her TEA Mantra, stating that a leader must be trustworthy, empowering, and accountable. The crowd roared and cheered as she launched her second book, Fearless Governance.

This year, for the first time ever, The Advertising Club collaborated with The One Show, taking the ABBY Awards to global standards of recognition. With the coming together of this partnership, participating agencies as well as jury chairs have shown immense enthusiasm towards it.

Speaking about Goafest 2022, Anupriya Acharya, President, Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), said, Its been a tough two years, and its great to be back on-ground not only in terms of organising the festival, but also where achievements are concerned. We are thrilled to have everyone back, bonding and celebrating this festival. With an enthusiasm-filled venue, we had a successful day one. And now, looking forward to a power packed day 2 and 3!

Jaideep Gandhi, Chairman, Goafest 2022 Organising Committee, said, Goafest has undoubtedly grown into one of the most prestigious conventions in South Asia, bringing together some of the most talented and brightest creative geniuses from all walks of life to celebrate the ad-land spirit. We are looking to keep the overall exuberance of this years festival about enjoyment, about people coming together to celebrate and connect. As a result, we will be able to understand the true essence of organising a festival after experiencing two major setbacks in the past. The Goafest festival gives young talent the chance to interact and learn from some of the industrys stalwarts. These people have played a crucial role in paving the way for them, making the event worthwhile. In addition to these benefits, it serves as a place where young people can engage and network cohesively with the entire media and advertising fraternity.

Discussing the ABBY Awards at Goafest 2022, Partha Sinha, President, The Advertising Club, said, 2022 is definitely a landmark year because of the collaboration of the ABBY Awards with The One Show, and this is a game-changing proposition. It gives a platform to a plethora of agencies, enabling it to become more global. We owe it to the industry to bring something of global standing especially when we are one large world.

Speaking about the ABBYs Awards, Rana Barua, Chairman, Abby Awards Governing Council 2022 & Vice President of The Ad Club, said, A staggering number of participants has been witnessed, surpassing all previous records. In addition to agencies that have participated since our inception, we have also seen those returning every year. Overall, the numbers are higher this month since we had to package everything together in one month. This year and henceforth, Goafest will be considerably bigger and more extravagant.

From an eclectic platter of knowledge sharing sessions and Masterclasses from renowned speakers across various fields to ABBYs digital presentations, Goafest 2022 presented by the The Advertising Club and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has once again raised the standards in recognising and appreciating excellence in creativity across mediums and categories.
Gupshup, a global leader in conversational engagement, along with two of Indias leading personal care brands, Livon (part of Marico Industries) and Vicco, today announced a new Instagram shopping experience for consumers. Gupshups smart chatbot will engage with followers of Vicco and Livon and help them easily discover products, checkout and pay as well as get service and support instantly on Instagram. Gupshup has partnered with Madison Media for the launch.

With e-commerce-like features such as product carousels, easy buy, and lead generation, Gupshups Instagram chatbot is one of the first such shopping applications in the industry to offer a complete, frictionless conversational commerce experience to customers.

Shopping is increasingly becoming conversational. Consumers want to be able to shop using rich interactive conversations with their brands on their favorite messaging channels and are looking for a personalized experience, said Ravi Sundararajan, COO, Gupshup. Livon and Vicco are iconic brands that millions of consumers use every day. Along with Madison Media, we are excited to help the two brands bring this conversational commerce solution on Instagram to Indian consumers.

The consumer journey is non-linear today. With more time spent on social media, we want to reassure our consumers that we are easily accessible and available with just a few clicks. The Instagram chatbot developed by Gupshup enables and simplifies the brand-consumer interaction process in a more seamless manner, said Devesh Pendharkar, Director, Vicco Laboratories. We plan to make it even more flawless for our consumers by providing an end-to-end solution. By partnering with Gupshup and Madison Media, we look forward to delivering a next-gen shopping experience to customers.

Vikram Sakhuja, Partner and Group CEO, Madison Media, said, Word of mouth has always been one of the most powerful marketing levers. Now integrating technology and ecommerce onto social media allows us to unleash the force of conversational commerce with scale - something we have had an opportunity to demonstrate on Livon and Vicco, in collaboration with Gupshup.

Jolene Solanki, COO, Madison Media Ultra, said Chatbots make the customer journey smoother. In todays digital ecosystem, consumers want everything at the click of a button. Its important we dont lose the consumer halfway through the engagement cycle. Partnering with Gupshup and Instagram has enabled us to successfully integrate the chatbot, enabling our brands Livon and Vicco to close the loop in the consumer journey.

Per Instagram, 90% of Instagram users follow a business on the app. According to Statista, as of January 2022, Instagrams total number of users in India were nearly 231 million, representing the largest Instagram audience base per country globally. With Instagrams popularity continuing to grow, it is poised to become the go-to platform for brands and consumers to interact with one another via conversational shopping experiences
Mothers are the epitome of selfless and unconditional love. They don many hats, be it that of a friend, a confidant, a teacher, a guide, and while navigating through these roles, they usually tend to overlook their own wellbeing. To mark the occasion of Mothers Day, Panasonic India, a leading diversified technology company, unveiled an insight based digital campaign - #HealthyMomsForHealthyHomes, which highlights that a mothers wellbeing is essential for a healthy and happy family.

According to a recent survey, 76 percent of parents are sleep deprived, with men losing an average of 13 minutes per night and women losing more than 60 minutes each night. Panasonics #HealthyMomsForHealthyHomes campaign builds on this insight and emphasizes the need of self-care for mothers. Chronic sleep deprivation has adverse health consequences; which may lead to parental burnout, and affect the physical and emotional health of both, the parents and the child. The campaign through its originally composed lullaby Neendein Bharna emphasizes on the importance of a good sleep for a mother, reflecting through the tale of a family ensuring that the new mother receives sufficient rest and uninterrupted sleep.

Talking about the campaign, Shirish Agarwal, Head- Brand & Marketing Communications, Panasonic India, said We all feel that our mothers have superpowers and they never tire. But the reality is that mothers are only human and need to recharge as well. Lack of sleep in mothers, especially in new mothers, is a prevalent concern yet less spoken about. Through our #HealthyMomsForHealthyHomes campaign we wanted to highlight the fact that mother care is a crucial part of child care. A good sleep plays an important part in ones wellbeing and by taking care of yourself, you only allow yourself to be a better parent. Panasonic as a brand believes that wellness begins at home and aims to create healthier homes utilizing our technologies to offer comfort and convenience as reflected in the campaign.

With the lullaby Neendein Bharna playing in the background, the film opens onto a room with a bassinet and all family members gently passing around it without making a sound - be it the mother-in-law silently keeping the milk bottle on the table or signaling her son not to make any noise. However, there is a commotion as the baby in the bassinet drops the rattle and the mother, who was asleep next to the baby, wakes up with the sound. The film then reveals that everyone was tip toeing around so as to let the mother have an undisturbed sleep. The husband reassures her that the baby is fine, and insists she goes back to sleep peacefully.

Panasonic has been focusing on making homes healthy with its air conditioners and this campaign reassures the definition of healthier homes as Panasonic ACs ensure safety and wellbeing for the whole family.
Elizabeth Bonker is raising her voice! Join us in celebrating her success with letterboarding and typing to share her brilliance and beauty with the world. From the Rollins College website: Raising Her Voice

###

May 05, 2022

By Elizabeth Bonker 22, as told to Stephanie Rizzo 09

Elizabeth Bonker 22 long struggled to communicate with a world that didnt always understand or accept her. Now, armed with her Rollins education, shes starting a nonprofit to bring communication assistance to those affected by non-speaking autism.

At 24 years old, Elizabeth Bonker 22 already has a resume to which most would only aspire. The social innovation major, English minor, and 2022 valedictorian is an author, activist, lyricist, and founder of the nonprofit Communication 4 ALL. Shes given a TEDMED talk, starred in a documentary, and helped countless others find their voices, all while graduating with honors from Rollins at the top of her class. And she did it all without speaking a word. Bonker is affected by non-speaking autism and communicates solely by typing, and she has a lot to say, especially about the ways people like her are perceived. Hear from Bonker in her own words about her trials and triumphs and the impact Rollins has had on her life.

I was born healthy and could speak as a toddler. Then, at 15 months old, my words were inexplicably taken from me. My parents took me to Yale Medical School, where I was diagnosed with autism. Despite what the doctors said, my parents never gave up on me. They recognized that I was a thinking person trapped in a silent cage.

It was only when my grandmother happened to see an episode of 60 Minutes that things started to change. The show aired a segment on Soma Mukhopadhyay, the creator of a system called the rapid prompting method (RPM) designed to help autistic non-speakers communicate. My mother reached out to her, and we were off to Texas. I was 6 years old, and we had found my Annie Sullivan.

Now, I communicate by typing on a keyboard. But when I first started, I spelled out words by pointing to letters on a letter board. People with non-speaking autism often have difficulty initiating movements, so learning to type is tedious. With months of practice, I made progress, and the world began to open up to me. I started writing poetry because it allowed me to say more in fewer words.



Please visit the Rollins website to read more about Elizabeth's inspiring journey- Raising Her Voice
For decades, the American left has furthered its agenda via leftists on U.S. courts. Thus, in order to get their way on a wide array of issues  abortion, marriage, LGBT issues, immigration, and the like  Democrats have not had to win elections. They merely needed control of the courts. With right-minded originalists replacing authoritarian leftists on courts throughout America, the left's hold on state and federal courts (much credit to President Trump!) has waned. This is especially true with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

Given their obsession with sex, among leftists no issues are held in higher regard than abortion and anything related to the perverse LGBTQMYNAMEISLEGION agenda. Sexual perversion has become a sacrament among the modern left, and tens of millions of the most helpless and defenseless among us have literally been sacrificed in the name of "Do as Thou Wilt" in the sexual realm. Because they've been unable to get it done legislatively, much of the American left's agenda accomplishments on these matters have happened via U.S. courts.

Thus, the American left's vitriolic reaction to the egregious leak of a supposed SCOTUS majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson  which would overturn Roe v. Wade  should surprise no one. The leak was almost certainly a political stunt intended to intimidate pro-life justices, politicians, and citizens alike. This is what those who have made a god of government do. The left should take note: what the government giveth, the government can take away.

When one makes a god of government, virtually everything gets politicized. When most everything is politicized, much gets perverted. To keep their evil agenda alive, the left must constantly distort, deceive, and demonize. This was on clear display after the Dobbs opinion leak.

After the leak was announced, Hillary Clinton tweeted that reversing Roe "will kill and subjugate women." President Biden wondered if the next move for conservatives (i.e., the "MAGA crowd") would be to make laws that prevent "children who are LGBT" from being in "classrooms with other children."

Vice President Kamala Harris used the tired argument that "opponents of Roe want to punish women and take away their rights to make decisions about their own bodies." Democrat representative Hakeem Jeffries added that the Dobbs opinion happened because the "radical right stole two seats on the Supreme Court." References to The Handmaid's Tale and the Dark Ages were rampant (thanks, Libs of TikTok!).

The idea that reversing Roe would end "access to abortion" in the U.S. was a common refrain among the hyperbolic left. As many on the right side of this issue have long pointed out, this is nowhere close to the truth. Even if Roe is finally overturned  because such a decision would merely return the matter to individual states  tragically, throughout much of America, abortion will remain as legal as it is today. Many Democrat-dominated states have been expanding their abortion laws in anticipation of the fall of Roe.

The anger on display by leftists after the Dobbs leak is revealing and scary. A recent Mollie Hemingway encounter at the Supreme Court was sadly not that uncommon:

Keep thinking about an abortion supporter I encountered the other night at the Supreme Court who screamed -- almost as if possessed -- "KILL THOSE F-CKING BABIES!" Such hate-filled extremism -- particularly compared to previous mantra of "safe, legal, RARE" https://t.co/H62fSM8hsY  Mollie (@MZHemingway) May 4, 2022

As now often is the case with the LGBTQMYNAMEISLEGION apologists (e.g., "Drag Queen Story Hour" and the like), pro-abortionists have become more brazen in their defense of their so-called "right" to kill the most helpless and defenseless among us. Demonic anger is frequently on display when dealing with pro-abortionists. Decades of silence by many Christians  most tellingly, even during church services  on these grave moral issues has emboldened those steeped in darkness. This must change!

The calls for violence after the Dobbs leak were not hard to find. This was well chronicled by Jordan Boyd at The Federalist. Shortly after the leak surfaced, Ian Millhiser, a senior correspondent at Vox, tweeted, "Seriously, shout out to whoever the hero was within the Supreme Court who said 'f--- it! Let's burn this place down.'"

Ms. Boyd also notes:

Other blue checkmarks on Twitter called for the nation, its institutions, and the highest court in the land to literally and figuratively burn to the ground.



Journalists were among the greatest offenders who publicly endorsed violence against justices who vote in favor of returning the abortion lawmaking back to the states. When conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey noted that "conservative justices will have their lives and the lives of their families threatened," The Nation's Washington D.C. Correspondent Aida Chavez replied "good." Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Laurie Garrett directly threatened Justice Samuel Alito, who reportedly authored the majority opinion, according to Politico. "OK, Alito, I'll call your 'enflamed debate' & 'deepened division' and raise you with millions of angry women in the streets. You #GOP folks want to play poker? Show your hand and watch what happens," she wrote.

Given the wicked Summer of Rage that we witnessed in 2020, none of this should be taken lightly. Additionally, the left is now directly threatening conservative Supreme Court justices. As Breitbart reports,

Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch are all targets by an organization called, "Ruth Sent Us." The organization has published the justices' supposed home addresses online for the radical protestors to locate[.] ... The website also asked protestors to "rise up May 8-15 and beyond[.] ... At the homes of the six extremist justices, three in Virginia and three in Maryland." The site says the main protest is scheduled for May 11.

Again, none of this should be taken lightly. We've seen the awful consequences of leftist policies on plain display for years now in the Democrat-dominated cities across America. Arson, thefts, assaults, murders, and the like have exploded where leftism rules and leftists abound. If given enough cover by their allies in the drive-by media and the Democrat party, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see violence visited upon conservative justices.

However  and let this be a lesson to you, John Roberts  this is not a time for weakness! The left cannot be appeased. It must be defeated  politically, spiritually, and so on. The best defense against leftists' rampant evil is the light of the truth, whatever consequences it brings.

Trevor Grant Thomas: At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.

www.trevorgrantthomas.com

Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America.

tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com

Image: Nogwater via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped).
On April 24, the grand imam of Islam's most prestigious institution, Al Azhar, delivered an address before the heads of state, with Egyptian president al-Sisi sitting in the front row, during state-level celebrations of Laylat al-Qadr (the "Night of Power"), which, in Islamic teaching, is the night when Allah first revealed the Koran to Muhammad.

Considering the occasion of the speech and the speech-deliverer himself, Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Islam was praised to the ceiling. Of especial interest, however, was al-Tayeb's rendition of history. At one point, he said:

In just a few years after the death of the prophet Muhammad (Allah pray on and grant him peace), the Islamic conquests [literally, "openings," futuhat] caused the two most powerful empires that divided and controlled every corner of the Middle East to collapse, and their lands in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and North Africa to become Islamic lands to this very day.

This is true. The two empires the sheikh refers to are the Eastern Roman Empire ("Byzantium") and the Sassanian Empire of Persia. Most of the lands cited by al-Tayeb  from Syria and Egypt in the east to Morocco and Algeria in the west  were Christian and governed by the Eastern Roman Empire. Only Iran and parts of Iraq were under Sassanian rule and Zoroastrian in religion. During the seventh century, the Muslims conquered and Islamized all of these lands.

As usual, however, when it comes to Islamic retellings, facts are quickly mingled with fiction. After making the above statement, al-Tayeb offered this:

These [Muslim] conquests were not conquests of colonization that rely on the methods of plunder, oppression, control, and the policies of domination and dependency, [all of which] leave nations in ruin.

He went on to condemn conquests of colonization that are about oppression and plunder  a swipe at Europe's historic colonization of the Middle East  before continuing:

Yes, the Islamic conquests [openings] were not like this  dominating peoples and controlling them with the arrogance of force and weapons; rather, they led to a new avalanche of life  full of knowledge, justice, freedom, and equality  which flowed in the veins of those [once] powerless people.

It is difficult to emphasize how utterly surreal such claims are for those familiar with Islam's true history. The conquests of all the Christian lands mentioned by the grand imam (from Syria in the east to Morocco in the west), as well as the lands of later Islamic conquests  ignored by al-Tayeb, as they were eventually overturned  in Spain, the Mediterranean islands, Asia Minor, the Balkans, etc.  featured bloodshed, massacres, terror, enslavement, plunder, and the oppression of the conquered and exploitation of their resources. Page after page of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West clearly document this, based on both Christian and Muslim sources.

Even more absurd is the grand imam's claim that the Christian and Zoroastrian peoples living under the Eastern Roman and Sassanian empires were happy to be "liberated" by the sword of Islam, and that  seeing that Islam was a religion of "knowledge, justice, freedom, and equality"  they eagerly responded by converting in droves.

As is well known, the supposedly "liberated" peoples  the ones to survive the initial massacres, anyway  who preferred to remain Christian, Zoroastrian, or Jewish could do so only by becoming dhimmis, second-class citizens who had to make regular tribute (jizya) payments and adhere to a host of humiliating social strictures (as captured in the "Conditions of Omar"). The desire not to be financially fleeced or treated inferiorly  or sporadically persecuted, as many dhimmis were, depending on whether the next ruler was "radical" or not  is what caused so many non-Muslims to convert to Islam over the centuries.

This was the only way they could experience "justice, freedom, or equality."

Especially ludicrous is that al-Tayeb depicts the Muslim conquests as somehow being more virtuous than European colonization of the Middle East. In reality, whereas jihads culminated in slavery, depopulation, and devastation  certain regions especially in North Africa, central Spain, and Anatolia never recovered  European colonialists abolished slavery and introduced their Muslim subjects to the boons of modernity, from scientific and medicinal advances to the radical concepts of democracy and religious freedom.

Although it is difficult to find an analogy from Western history that captures the lunacy of al-Tayeb's claims, consider for a moment whatever the worst point of American history might be  say, slavery. Now imagine a state ceremony, attended by the U.S. president, where a leading Christian delivers a speech about how the enslavement of blacks was a wonderful and altruistic thing  certainly not to be compared to the cruel enslavement practiced by those evil non-Christians  and that it culminated in bringing "knowledge, justice, freedom, and equality" to enslaved Africans.

That is the level of absurdity of al-Tayeb's claims.

But why all these lies? Here we come to the crux of the matter. To feel good about themselves and their religion, Muslims must maintain this happy fiction  that their non-Muslim ancestors were "liberated" by Islam and that they were only too eager to embrace it, at which point they began to enjoy "knowledge, justice, freedom, and equality."

The alternative, the truth  that their ancestors were Christians or other non-Muslims who were conquered and compelled to embrace Islam due to sporadic bouts of persecution and systemic discrimination  is not quite as satisfying, not to mention may get them thinking.

Hence the chronic chicanery of the grand imam of the Muslim world's most prestigious institution  not to mention Pope Francis's closest Muslim ally.

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 via Pxhere.
On April 21, 2022, Barack Obama spoke at a cyber symposium hosted by Stanford University. During that address, the former president attempted to redefine the meaning of free speech. Obama argued that in order to safeguard America from opinions he considers dangerous, government regulation of the First Amendment, via constitutional modification, was more than justified.

Fast forward two weeks, on May 3rd, after the news leaked that the U.S. Supreme Court is close to overturning the decision Justice Samuel Alito called egregiously wrong from the start, Barack, along with his wife Michelle, immediately responded by contradicting the argument he made at Stanford.

Barack Obama had just decreed that, among other things, questioning the 2020 election result threatens democratic ideals and must be silenced through federal rule. Then when the Roe v. Wade information leaked, the former president did a 180-degree about-face and issued directives that if the highest court in the land decides Roe v. Wade is bad law and throws abortion back to the states, public rejection of the decision is necessary as well as exercising the First Amendment right to protest.

Simply put, depending on the ideological leaning of the topic, one week, the right to free speech should be restricted and the flawed Constitution adjusted, and the next week, the right to free speech exercised and the sacred Constitution protected.

The couple explained why thats necessary in the following way:

Today, millions of Americans woke up fearing that their essential freedoms under the Constitution were at risk. If the Supreme Court ultimately decides to overturn the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, then it will not only reverse nearly 50 years of precedent  it will relegate the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues.

That rant should have begun by relegating intensely personal decisions to the before you participate in the procreative act column. Next, the statement could have explained to America why the precedent set by the First Amendment in 1791 is less of a pattern for freedom than a poorly thought-out decision made in 1973?

Please note, when addressing the need to oppose this controversy, both Biden and Obama coincidentally mentioned the word whims.

Nevertheless, what Barack and Michelle failed to acknowledge in their quickly released communique was that there are millions of [other] Americans whove also woken up every day for the last 50 years and who lament the 62 million lives snuffed out under [the auspices of a] Constitution established to protect both life and liberty, neither of which was meant to exclude one from the other. Those Americans are thankful that at least on the federal level, the essential freedoms under the Constitution will also apply to the 3,000 unborn Americans whose lives are at risk every single day.

What Obama shared, as if it was settled truth, was that despite 98% of all abortions being solely for conveniences sake, he and his wife believe the more than 60 million women who disposed of 20% of the current U.S. population did not approach the decision lightly. How he knows that statistic is anyones guess.

Ironically, Obama's statement also argued that ceasing federal support for abortion "pose[s] grave risks" to the health, fertility, and life of  wait for it  schoolgirls without cars and poor working women who choose abortion over the lives of their children.

Wait! Isnt the former president amongst those who insist federal control of gun ownership ensures the grave risks posed by guns would be eliminated? If thats true, and government equals safety and the assurance that illegal firearms will be impossible to access if gun laws are enacted, why then doesnt the same hold true when it comes to access to illegal abortion? If restricting guns saves American lives, so should restricting abortion.

Shelly and Barry reminded anyone who might disagree with whatever self-contradictory thing they think or say here:

A clear majority of Americans support Roe. Yet we recognize that while many are angry and frustrated by this report, some of those who support Roe may feel helpless and instinctively turn back to their work, or families, or daily tasks  telling themselves that because this outcome may have been predictable, theres nothing any of us can do.

Is trust in a clear majority why Obama feels comfortable floating a subliminal suggestion that anarchist types not turn back to their work but instead participate in Alinsky-style chaos on behalf of those who make up less than 2% of the annual abortion statistics  namely rape victims, and women who require medically-necessary abortions?

Fostering outrage as potential fuel for another summer of pre-election violence, the community agitator then recommended everyone, including women without transportation and money, exercise the freedom of speech he had called dangerous at Stanford, skip either school or work, and attend local pro-abortion protests and campaigns. And to "act," not just "think about these people," by "standing" with those like himself who have sounded the alarm for decades that the federally-funded butchery was in danger of being shut down.

In Born Alive Baracks sphere of influence, policy disagreement now translates into fascism and forced submission to subhuman government fiat is viewed as democracy. Thus, assured his convincing skills are sufficient, Obama must feel comfortable omitting data that explains who and why women have abortions and state as a fact that a clear majority of Americans consensus exists of people who without exception support the unfettered slaughter and incineration of living human beings.

Lets face it, radicals like Barack and Michelle despise the type of democracy they claim they want to preserve. Not once in that strongly written statement did the couple appeal to the opposing side, or advocate for personal accountability, express respect for human life, or call for a calm, measured response until the courts decision is finalized.

So, there you have it, the man who recently suggested the Supreme Court needs to revamp the Constitution and redefine the First Amendment is now contradicting his own convoluted argument by warning that the same court he hoped would revise the First Amendment, now be opposed with a heavy-handed outworking of free speech.

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannieology.us.
On Tuesday, in light of the leak from the Supreme Court on the possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade, Democrat Representative from California Eric Swalwell tweeted out this little gem. In said tweet he states, [Republicans] want to ban interracial marriage.

My first thought on this statement was that this is such a ridiculous thing to say that it does not even need to be addressed. Then I thought about how so many of these people actually believe it. For instance, about a month ago, I happened across a gaming websites political forum post about the same topic. This is a very left-leaning board that believes that CNN is Republican-controlled opposition, they are very comfortable being themselves here. Thus, no matter how ridiculous I or colleagues on the right might think it is for the other side to believe such things, it is worth taking notice of their beliefs.

To establish context, this claim that the Republicans want to ban interracial marriage comes from an interview wherein Indiana Republican senator Mike Braun allegedly stated that he thought it was a mistake for the Supreme Court to end southern anti-miscegenation laws in 1967. Simply looking at what Senator Braun actually said dismisses this notion. According to Slate.com, the exact exchange was:

So you would be O.K. with the Supreme Court leaving the question of interracial marriage to the states? a reporter asked.

Yes, Braun answered. I think that thats something that if youre not wanting the Supreme Court to weigh in on issues like that, youre not going to be able to have your cake and eat it too. I think thats hypocritical.

When looking at the full interview (which Slate does provide) it becomes quite clear (if it was not clear already) that Senator Braun was addressing judicial activism. In particular, he was addressing what the Right perceives as rampant Supreme Court overreach in matters that should be left alone. The interviewer was basically asking if it would be judicial activism should the Supreme Court overturn the right to abortion nationwide. Mike Braun replied that the ruling would simply return the right to choose the legal status of abortion to the states, which he viewed as a neutral position. The interviewer asked if the same position could be taken on interracial marriage with the Loving v. Virginia case. The senator replied that if the court ruling on abortion is judicial activism then the same would indeed be true with Loving. The senators response was that it would be hypocritical to think the Supreme Court can exercise its ability to make nationwide rulings in some cases and not others. Ergo, if one believes that the issue of abortion should not be opined on by the Supreme Court then the same standard applies to interracial marriage.

That is it. Simply put: If one believes that the states should have the right to one form of self-determination then they should have the right to the other. Nowhere in the interview did Mike Braun state that he wanted to end interracial marriage.

However, due to the fact that leftists think that Republicans are irredeemably racist, this was their natural conclusion.

Now to demonstrate the absurdity of the idea, let us pretend that Republican members of Congress wanted to ban interracial marriage. This would first require them to win both houses of Congress in such huge numbers that they would be capable of overturning Joe Bidens expected veto of any such fictional law. This is just not a thing that can happen in the upcoming race.

The obvious reasons for each justices humanity aside, several conservative members of the court would have personal reasons against such a law. First, if one were to look up Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Virginia, they might notice something about them. The couple is mixed race, Justice Thomas being black and Ginni being white. I personally doubt that Justice Thomas would uphold a law that would nullify his marriage.

Next is Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has seven children. Two of Justice Barretts children are adopted from Haiti, and they are black. It seems quite evident that Justice Barrett loves these children the same as her biological children. It seems dubious to believe that someone willing to adopt and raise children of a different race would despise that race enough to prohibit said children from marriage to members of different races.

There it is, assuming the other Republican-appointed judges wanted to uphold a ban on interracial marriage, there are at least two who would undoubtedly join the Democrat judges in striking down such a law. However, there is also no reason to assume that Justices Roberts, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, or Alito would even want to end interracial marriage.

And it bears repeating that there is no reason to assume Republicans want to end interracial marriage. In my searches, I could not find a single currently elected Republican who ever said that he wanted to do such a thing. Even if the issue were returned to the states, it is very unlikely that any state would want to make the effort to end so many marriages (as of 2015 it was nearly one-fifth of all marriages).

No, nobody is coming for interracial marriage, and there is no reason to think anyone will.

Breason Jacak is a pen name.

Image: Maekju
With all the thousands of studies bombarding the medical community, its helpful to set our microscope aside and look at the bigger picture. Its virtually certain that the virus was engineered in Wuhan with financial and technical assistance directed by that highly competent bureaucrat, Anthony Fauci. But that doesnt tell us what we should expect as the virus moves through society. For that, we must look at the science. And I dont mean I am science Fauci. I mean real scientific data, something with which Fauci has little acquaintance.

Perhaps we should start with that great scientist, Oprah Winfrey, who recently opined that ending the mask mandate on airliners was premature. As John Adams noted at the Boston Massacre Trial, Facts are stubborn things. They arent my truth or your truth. Facts dont care who you are or what you think. When we state facts, we are presenting a verbal picture of reality. And the fact is that public mask-wearing has never been demonstrated to have any public health benefit. The only time that mask-wearing does any good is when health care workers in high exposure environments wear properly fitted, donned, and disposed of N-95 or better respirators. Anything else is virtue signaling that denies the fact that public masking (a) doesnt work and (b) has serious downsides.

The next great scientist is Bill Gates, who recently opined that we are in for another COVID wave that is likely to be more transmissible (true) and more deadly (false). Every variant of COVID has followed Mullers Ratchet, becoming more contagious and less deadly. Even Delta was a bit less virulent than Alpha, but Omicron showed that more mutations encourage virus survival by infecting more people without killing them. This is the natural course of viruses, but anyone with a vested interest in vaccine profits or lockdown power simply cannot allow this fact to be known. And that brings us to Saint Fauci.

The Supreme Lord of NIAID popped up recently announcing that we might need more lockdowns to prevent the spread of some new variant. The experience of the last two years should have proved to everyone that lockdowns are bad. They kill people with other medical problems due to foregone care. As then-Governor Cuomo of New York learned, sixty percent of NYC cases were directly caused by lockdowns. When people are stuck in recirculated air with infected victims, they get sick, as the Kirkland, Washington, nursing home tragedy proved. But tyrants cant learn, and Cuomo multiplied New Yorks headstone count by sending COVID patients to assisted-living facilities to kill others. All that could have been avoided if our public health authorities had taken a few minutes to read the epidemiology literature. We knew that lockdowns were bad long before COVID was invented.

The occupant of the White House and the Chief Cackler are our next scientists. They both live in a protective bubble and are multiply vaccinated and boosted. They periodically opine that we may all need another booster. But Kamalas re-infections prove that the booster will not work. In fact, we now know that Canada, Israel, Gibraltar, and others have increased infection rates in vaccinated individuals. This appears to be true in the US as well, but the CDC is reluctant to release the data.

Image: COVID by freepik.

This vaccine failure is due in part to direct immune suppression by the shot. The military has made it clear to Senator Johnsons committee that not only does it not prevent infection, but it also triples the rate of breast cancer, with even higher multiples for other cancers. Yet that great scientist, SecDef Lord Austin, mandated that all military personnel get the Fauci Ouchy. He is oblivious to the fact that many highly trained (translation: expensive) warfighters such as Special Forces and pilots have been rendered unable to serve due to the mental and physical effects of the spike protein presented by the shots.

Another reason for vaccine failure is that the virus has mutated to forms that have spike proteins markedly different from the alpha variant in the vaccine. In short, theyre different diseases, just like flu is actually a host of different diseases. The vaccine and boosters dont have any meaningful benefit against the current ailment.

I could list a host of other scientific authorities who are making false claims, but all that would do is bore you. In particular, we should regard anything from the CDC or Big Pharma with great suspicion, since it is contradicted by most evidence. Ill simply leave you with a set of bullet points, all supported by large volumes of scientific data.

COVID-19 is a mild disease with almost zero mortality for people under age 55.

Serious co-existing disease is the best predictor of mortality in all age groups.

Public masking has zero effect on transmission of airborne diseases, including COVID.

The vaccines do not protect you from getting COVID or transmitting COVID. They do not lessen the severity of COVID when you get it. That is a result of the newer variants being less severe to start with. The vaccines and boosters are directed at a disease that doesnt exist anymore.

The vaccines reduce your immunity, making you more likely to catch symptomatic disease. This also makes it much easier for numerous cancers to grow.

Natural immunity from disease recovery is far better than any supposed benefit of shots. If you got the vaccine and then got sick, your immunity afterward is less than if you didnt get the shot at all.

Remdesivir (Fauci gets $$ when its used) does not improve survival and probably causes other problems.

Molnuvirapir, the new oral agent, isnt as effective as Ivermectin, which the CDC steadfastly refuses to support. If you do get sick, get immediate treatment with Ivermectin. If your illness is from a different virus, it will probably help against that as well.

Locales that opened up early generally have disease and death rates better than others.

The safest place is outdoors, where the sun destroys viruses and they are dispersed into infinity.

Im sure I left something out, but Ill leave you with a couple of key items. First, dont get the shot. It has no benefits and a host of bad effects I dont have space to talk about. Second, take vitamin D3 and zinc. They have been shown to reduce viral infections a lot. Third, get a stock of Ivermectin. If you do get sick, start it immediately on your way to your urgent care. And dont stop taking it even if they say to. They can lose their licenses if they agree with you taking it.

Government-based authorities are lying to us. I know thats strong, but its the truth. The version of COVID thats around now is a minor illness that is largely preventable and easily treated. That is a far better choice than getting a potentially deadly shot that a bunch of power brokers love. There will be many more variants, but the final variant is communism.

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.
Does anyone think it normal that the White House has refused to condemn the doxxing of six Supreme Court justices in the wake of the Court's likely overturn of Roe v. Wade? That's a full-blown invasion of personal privacy, quite unlike a protest at the Court members' workplace, with all its menacing implications. The White House, despite the fact that its officials are hardly exempt from the same kind of treatment from criminals, simply refused to do it.

White House spokesweasel Jen Psaki just danced around the topic before coming down squarely on the side of the doxxers.

According to Breitbart News:

The White House on Thursday resisted asking angry pro-abortion protesters not to descend on the homes of Supreme Court Justices after a draft judicial decision on Roe v. Wade was leaked to the press. "I don't have an official U.S. government position on where people protest," White House press secretary Jen Psaki replied when asked if the president condoned the actions of protesters sharing information on the home addresses of originalist Supreme Court justices. The protest group Ruth Sent Us announced plans to direct protests at the homes of six Supreme court justices  three in Virginia and three in Maryland. Psaki also resisted calling the actions of some protesters "extreme," despite reported violence and vandalism by some of the angry pro-abortion protesters. "We want it, of course, to be peaceful and certainly the president would want people's privacy to be protected," she said. Psaki expressed concern that people were more concerned about the nature of the protests rather than the threat the Supreme Court posed to Roe v. Wade. "I think we shouldn't lose the point here," she said.

Doocy: "These activists posted a map with the home addresses of the Supreme Court justices. Is that the sort of thing this President wants?"



Psaki: "I think the President's view is that there is a lot of passion."



Disgusting that the White House is refusing to condemn this. pic.twitter.com/i5ErEBZ25X  Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) May 5, 2022

What the heck was that about? The Court justices were doxxed, which puts them in a state of harrowing life conditions threatening them as they conduct their official duties. That's a crime right there. It may be even more than that like extreme danger. Doxxing and threatening have certainly happened in the past, such as the assassination attempt against House rep. Steve Scalia, who was shot by a deranged Bernie Sanderssupporter. Yet this administration says there's nothing to see here and it won't tell people where to protest?

A crime has been committed, and all we see is indifference. How hard is this to condemn? The Bidenites haven't condemned it.

Jonathan Turley had some decent observations:

......There are good-faith objections to this draft opinion. There are also good-faith questions of whether Congress can truly codify Roe. Those are worthy debates. Doxxing and harassing justices should have no place in such debates.  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 6, 2022

It's an appalling message from the Bidenites suggesting that they don't care whether the Court members live or die.

It raises the question that maybe this is their stance, too, since they'd be the ones to fill the Court positions if, God forbid, something should happen to the justices. Condemning the doxxing of judges would be easy for any practitioner of decency, but not for them. It's almost as if they want to replace them  by any means necessary. And scarily enough, the Bidenites are telegraphing this as a message to all the crazed leftists who plan to harass the justices in their homes. The Bidenites and their crazed leftist wing are all complicit now should anything happen to the judges, because this kind of condemnation is not hard.

Now the doxxing free-for-all is going on, with none of the lights on over at Camp Biden.

It's so bad that it makes one wonder if this travesty is there by design.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
Bravo to Justice Samuel Alito for drafting an opinion anyone can understand and that a majority will agree with. Alito confines himself to short words and simple sentences while conveying profound arguments. Perhaps the most profound statement he makes is his acknowledgment that abortion laws should be made at the state level.

It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives. The permissibility of abortion, and limitations, upon it, are to be resolved like most important questions in our democracy: by citizens trying to persuade one another and then voting. Cashed, 505 U. S. at 979 (Scalia, J., concurring in the judgement in part and dissenting in part). That is what the Constitution and the rule of law demand.

Humility in Washington is rarer than hens teeth and needed more than ever. Not only doesnt Alito tell the state what can and cannot be done, but he also looks to the case in question and almost seems annoyed that the bureaucracy would dare the court to reverse Roe and Casey.

The State of Mississippi asks us to uphold the constitutionality of a law that generally prohibits an abortion after the fifteenth week of pregnancy -- several weeks before the point at which a fetus is now regarded as viable outside the womb. In defending this law, the States primary argument is that we should reconsider and overrule Roe and Casey and once again allow each State to regulate abortion as its citizens with. On the other side, respondents and the solicitor general ask us to reaffirm Roe and Casey, and they contend that the Mississippi law cannot stand if we do so. Allowing Mississippi to prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, they argue, would be no different than overruling Casey and Roe entirely. They contend that no half-measures are available and that we must either reaffirm or overrule Roe and Casey.

Overruling looks to be fine to Alito, four other justices, and a growing number of Americans -- young and old. So far theres been few in the mainstream media that actually encourage Americans to read the opinion -- likely in part because they dont want Americans to understand that the Mississippi statute allows for first-term abortions. The Alito rule would allow the states to determine the rules. So, California, New York, and other states would likely have nary a restriction. Of course, the opposite would also be true.

But make no mistake -- the biggest earthquake in Washington isnt dumping Roe and Casey -- its questioning the administrative state. Again, the narrative will be dont read this ruling. Abortion has become the foundation that the establishment rests upon. Anyone who reads Alito, cant help but ask, If abortion isnt in the constitution and that means that its a state issue, couldnt that also apply to environmental law? Health care? Employment? Does the federal government really have the right to rule on every pond and puddle? Why does a bureaucrat decide the mileage and type of automobile I drive? In northern Michigan, our cold winters reduce battery life by half and well be forced to buy them? Wheres that in the Constitution?

We end this opinion where we began. Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives.

Go ahead -- replace Roe and Casey with, say, one of the hundreds of unconstitutional, intrusive federal rules and regulations we are forced to deal with daily. Notice how well they fit. Elon Musk is threatening the power of big tech to monopolize public debate -- and diminishing centralization. Maybe he and Alito have had a Vulcan mind meld of sorts.

Image: Fred Schilling, Supreme Court
It has been odd and alarming watching the powers-that-be relentlessly escalate the proxy war our government is waging against Russia. It's not just that we're sending billions of dollars of weapons into Ukraine, are calling Vladimir Putin a war criminal and issuing other fightin' words, are training Ukrainian troops, and are trying to effect Moscow's economic destruction. It's also that, senior American officials have now revealed, via intelligence aid, the U.S. has helped to:

kill Moscow's generals,

down a plane carrying Russian soldiers, and

sink one of Putin's warships.

The kicker: By revealing this publicly  perhaps as strikingly inappropriate as leaking a Supreme Court draft opinion  Biden administration officials appear to be bragging about these "exploits" and rubbing the Russians' noses in them. If you wanted to provoke a hot war, this is exactly how you'd do it.

But why would our officials seek conflict with the nation boasting the world's largest stockpile of nukes (6,000) in the name of thwarting aggression that, as I explained here and here, globalist policy invited and is none of our affair? It all has a Dr. Strangeloveesque quality about it.

But there may be a method to this madness. And, no, a mere desire to enrich weapons-manufacturer political donors doesn't explain it. There is one motivation that would, however: a serious conflict would provide the left an opportunity to seize complete domestic control, to cement its power  perhaps permanently.

For certain is that locking horns with Russia would be used to further curtail civil liberties.

We know this because major conflicts always are thus used. Abraham Lincoln arrested opposition journalists and publishers during the War between the States. WWI saw the passage of the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, the latter of which absolutely infringed upon freedom of speech. And Franklin Roosevelt is notorious for having interned U.S. citizens of Japanese and also of German descent and for persecuting some Italian-heritage Americans.

Civil rights' trampling would surely be worse under a major-war scenario today. Not only are we much farther down the rabbit hole of moral nihilism and wanton constitutional trespass, but Americans who even question our Ukraine policy are already labeled "stooges of Putin." Moreover, Democrats have already made crystal-clear what they want: complete power  by any means necessary.

This desire has manifested itself in politicians such as Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) calling for violence against political opponents and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) threatening SCOTUS justices who dare vote contrary to the left's agenda.

Heeding such calls, the Democrats' de facto storm troopers have effected hundreds of violent riots, more than 600 in 2020 alone. One Democrat operative, Scott Foval, was caught on hidden video in 2016 talking about inciting violence at Trump rallies and unabashedly said, "We're starting anarchy here."

This violence is again now being ratcheted up, just in time for the midterms, with news that the unconstitutional Roe v. Wade opinion could be overturned. This is attended by threats made against the "conservative" SCOTUS justices and the doxxing of them, with activists encouraging protests at their homes.

All the while that this violence is tacitly approved by Democrat leaders  and it is  conservatives are hung out to dry if they step even one inch out of line, as the January 6 martyrs' plight proves. In contrast, 2020's CHAZ, or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, takeover of part of Seattle was by definition an insurrection but was sloughed off. Why, its "warlord" leader, Raz Simone, was apparently never even charged with a crime.

This, not to mention that Nancy Pelosi called the longest ever occupation of an American government building  leftists' 2011 takeover of the Wisconsin Capitol  an "impressive show of democracy in action." This statement was as true as claiming that the stolen (and it was) 2020 presidential contest was "the most secure election in U.S. history."

Get the picture?

It's not pretty, and it adds up to this: a major war under Biden's handlers' watch would become a pretext for the greatest Big Brother seizure of control in U.S. history. The question is, however, would the radicals in charge be crazy enough, or desperate enough, to risk nuclear war for power's sake?

Note two matters when assessing this. First, being completely un-American and unpalatable, the Democrats have nothing to run on in the midterms aside from the just ginned up Roe v. Wade abortion controversy. Second, and as I often warn, these demagogues aren't normal. They're power-mongers.

Just as people can lust after food, sex, or money  motivations everyone can understand  so can they exhibit that rarer phenomenon: lust for power. And just as a man may endanger his marriage and career to indulge his prurient desires, megalomaniacs may assume great risk to satisfy their dark cravings.

For certain is that cementing total power requires something Marxist revolutionaries would call "crisis," the third stage of communist subversion. The first, "demoralization," is the undermining of the nation's moral foundation; Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenov said this was "more than complete" in the mid-'80s already. The second, "destabilization," is what we've seen with the violence, the toppling of statues, and the intensified attacks on our institutions over the last many years. Now, all we need is a crisis and what it facilitates: revolution  a final seizure of power.

A major war (along with food shortages) could certainly fit the bill. And while this may appear a crazy theory, the people in charge may just be crazy enough for it to be true.

Contact Selwyn Duke; follow him on MeWe, Gettr or Parler; or log on to SelwynDuke.com.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab (cropped).
Paul Krugman is a New York Times columnist who usually writes on economics. He won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2008. He attended the best schools (Yale and MIT) and taught economics at Stanford and the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton. He has authored 20 books and thousands of columns. He is, of course, liberal. And judging by a recent column on the Biden administration's response to the Russia-Ukraine War, he needs a history lesson.

The column, which appeared in the Times on April 28, is titled "America, Again the Arsenal of Democracy." Krugman claims that time is on Ukraine's side in the war with Russia and that "the balance of power seems set to keep shifting in Ukraine's favor." Had he been alive in 1812 as Moscow burned after being invaded by Napoleon's Grand Army, he could have written a similar column predicting the collapse of the Russian army. Had he been alive in the summer of 1941, as the German armies appeared poised to swiftly conquer the Russians, he might have confidently predicted a German victory (as many writers did).

Russian soldiers have been underrated before. And war in what author Timothy Snyder has called the "Bloodlands" has always been a nasty, messy, brutal, unpredictable affair. Russian soldiers don't give up easily.

But Krugman's need for a history lesson is greater when he takes to flights of fancy in characterizing President Joe Biden's arming of Ukraine as arguably doing "more to defend freedom, in substantive ways that go beyond mere words, than any president since Harry Truman." There are several things wrong with that statement. First, Harry Truman's record in defending freedom is mixed at best. Just ask the 1.4 billion Chinese people who have suffered and continue to suffer under communist rule since the Chinese Communist Party gained power there on Truman's watch. Just ask the people of North Korea, who had been briefly liberated from communist rule by Gen. Douglas MacArthur's armies until the United States settled for a draw in the Korean War  again on Truman's watch. Just ask the people of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, whose road to communist rule began on Truman's watch. Truman deserves credit for defending freedom in Western Europe, but his supporters tend to forget or ignore his dismal record in Asia.

Second, Krugman has skipped over a certain Republican president (no surprise there) named Ronald Reagan, whose policies in the 1980s brought down the Berlin Wall and liberated Eastern and Central Europe from communist rule. Krugman mentions Reagan's "tear down this wall" remarks at the Brandenburg Gate, as well as John Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" remarks, but dismisses these as nothing more than rhetoric. He is right about Kennedy, but Reagan's speech was the culmination of a successful strategy to undermine Soviet rule in Eastern Europe and elsewhere that had been laid out in national security directives as early as in 1982. Krugman should read the late liberal historian John Patrick Diggin's great book Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History, in which Diggins calls Reagan one of the three great liberating presidents in U.S. history (Lincoln and FDR are the two others, according to Diggins).

And Krugman should be mindful of one more historical fact. The things he is praising Biden for doing  arming Ukraine, signing "Lend-Lease" laws, and being the "arsenal of democracy"  were the lead-up to U.S. direct involvement in the Second World War. Only time will tell whether Biden deserves credit for arming the victorious Ukrainian forces or deserves blame for edging us closer to a wider European war and possibly a world war against a nuclear-armed power.

Image via Public Domain Pictures.
A few years ago, a late friend said something like this: abortion is terrible; Roe is worse. His point was that Roe was the most poisonous Supreme Court opinion ever written. It took abortion from the voters and left us with one of the most radical abortion standards. After all, most countries have regulations on abortion  12 weeks, for example. In the U.S., it's a woman's right whenever she wants to exercise it.

Over the last few days, we've heard so many lies about overturning Roe. A Wall Street Journal editorial puts in some perspective:

First, they ban abortion. Next will be a contraception ban. Then a ban on same-sex and even interracial marriage. Soon we will all be living in "The Handmaid's Tale." That's the parade of horribles that Democrats and the media are trying to sell Americans after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would repeal a constitutional right to abortion. If Roe v. Wade falls, it "would mean that every other decision related to the notion of privacy is thrown into question," President Biden warned Tuesday. "Does this mean that in Florida they can decide they're going to pass a law saying that same-sex marriage is not permissible?" If we can borrow a word he likes, the President is peddling disinformation. The press is full of similar pearl-clutching about which precedent the Supreme Court might strike down next. Is it Obergefell (2015), which enshrined gay marriage? Griswold (1965), which overturned a state law prohibiting married couples from buying contraceptives? What about even Loving v. Virginia (1967), which guaranteed interracial marriage? The correct answer is none of the above, as Justice Samuel Alito's draft takes pains to emphasize.

That's correct. None of the above.

What we will see is that a post-Roe world will allow unconditional abortion in blue states. The red states will allow abortion but with some regulations. Maybe a couple of states will ban the practice altogether. In other words, abortion is not going away for those women who really want to get one. Furthermore, an abortion tourism industry will flourish in California and even Canada. Go west, abortionist!

What we are watching is the kind of hysterical news coverage that confirms why Roe is at the core of our divisions. Overturn Roe, and we will see a lot of the poison flushed out of the well.

PS: Click for my videos and podcasts at Canto Talk.

Image: Elvert Barnes.
This is what sticks in my craw: billions of our taxpayer dollars being sent to fuel a war in which the U.S. has no national security interest. Even Obama said as much in 2016. All that money to buy weapons and pay the salaries and pensions of corrupt Ukrainian government officials. And to fight disinformation? While our own cities are decaying and millions of Americans are out of work? Are you kidding me? All for another proxy war to weaken Russia. And to fill the coffers of the Deep State war machine. And all the while, the Washington bureaucrats and their lapdogs in the media spout their lies and talking points as if they were Gospel. This war should be called "The Great American Propaganda War."

We have a Pentagon spokesperson (John Kirby, who allegedly served as an admiral in the U.S. Navy) crying at a press conference because of the suffering of the Ukrainian people due to this war  which the U.S. started and might not allow to end until the last Ukrainian (and even every last European?) soldier is dead.

Where were Kirby's tears the past eight years, when Ukrainian nationalists were bombing civilian towns and villages in Donbas and killing thousands of civilians, including children? Where were his tears on May 2, 2014, when a mob of Ukrainians chased a small group of peaceful anti-Kyiv protesters in Odesa into a building and then set fire to it and burned them alive? For that matter, where were his tears for the thousands of innocent civilians in Raqqa and Mosul who died when the U.S. carpet-bombed their cities in the so-called Global War on Terror? Where are his tears for the thousands of Yemeni children who are starving to death because of U.S. support for a regime change war by the Saudis?

How many Americans are even aware of any of this? How many Americans are aware that the U.S. engineered the 2014 overthrow of a duly elected president of Ukraine and installed a puppet government? How many Americans are aware that the U.S. has been arming and training neo-Nazis, for years, in blatant violation of the Leahy Law?

All the American people know is that Russia is Bad, and Zelensky is a Hero. That's an oligarch-backed comedian who won an election on a platform of Peace and then turned into a dictator.

In the present state of this war, calls to give peace a chance are falling on deaf ears.

I love my country  as it was founded. And I am distressed to see how much those founding principles have been corrupted by career politicians in Washington and their insatiable thirst for money and power, and their donors in a military-industrial complex that feeds off war and the suffering of others. These are the things that stick in my craw.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab (cropped).
(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 4 - North Korea's continued missile tests are concerning, Premier Mario Draghi said after talks in Rome Wednesday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"Italy, the European Union and Japan concur on the importance of stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

"We shared with Premier Kishida our concern for missile tests by the North Korean regime.

"We must continue to show a united and resolute front in defence of the international rules based order, also with reference to the Chinese Seas and the Strait". (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 6 - Italy is at Israel's side against terrorism, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said after a fresh attack Thursday in which three people were killed and four injured.

"A barbaric attack has struck Israel, on the say in which it celebrated its independence.

"My emotional thoughts go out to the victims of this unacceptable violence and their families.

"Italy is with Israel and its people in the fight against terrorism". (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, APR 20 - Premier Mario Draghi on Wednesday conferred by phone with Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco on energy cooperation amid the Ukraine war, the premier's office said.

The conversation took place in view of the mission to Luanda by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani to agree a deal to help Rome cut its reliance on Russian gas.

The conversation, the premier's office said, confirmed the common will to boost the bilateral partnership in all sectors of mutual interest, with particular regard to the energy ambit, the office said.

The two leaders voiced the hope they will meet in the near future. (ANSA).


Hungary says EU's Russia oil ban crosses 'red line' Orban blasted European Commission head

(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, MAY 6 - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blasted European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen Friday for "attacking" EU unity with a proposed Russian oil ban, saying it crosses a red line. "The European Commission president, intentionally or unintentionally, has attacked the European unity that had been worked out," Orban said on state radio. "From the first moment we made clear that there will be a red line, that is the energy embargo, they have crossed this red line." (ANSA-AFP).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
BEIRUT - Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it had released dozens of Yemeni Houthi fighters, the Saudi government-run news agency SPA reported.



The decision came as part of a truce underway for over a month in the war-torn country, which has suffered since 2015 from a war fought between local forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE on one side and Iran on the other.



The statement released by the Saudi government, which leads a coalition supporting Yemeni loyalist forces, called it a "humanitarian decision".



The truce came into force in early April and, according to the agreement, will last until the end of May. International negotiators are hoping that the parties to the conflict extend the truce.



A flight carrying about 40 Houthi prisoners released by the Saudi authorities landed on Friday morning in the Yemeni port city Aden, a stronghold of the loyalists and disputed by the insurgents that since 2014 have controlled the country's capital, Sanaa.



The war in Yemen has led to the death over the past seven years of about 400,000 people, according to UN statistics, and caused one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the planet, with millions of Yemenis forced to leave their homes.
Greece's Migration Minister hits back again over pushbacks Notis Mitarakis reiterates Greece's right to 'guard its borders'

(ANSA) - ATHEN, 06 MAG - Greece's Minister of Migration and Asylum Notis Mitarakis has rejected claims from neighboring Turkey and opposition party SYRIZA that the government is responsible for conducting alleged illegal pushbacks of migrants at its borders, following the recent resignation of FRONTEX director Fabrice Leggeri.



In the wake of Leggeri's departure on April 29, after years of accusations that the European Border Protection Agency mistreated migrants on the external frontiers of the bloc, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu condemned the handling of the migrant and refugee crisis by both FRONTEX and Greece.



Following the refusal of MEPs to approve the body's budget, Cavusoglu had commented that "Frontex is party to inhumane practices, and the refusal to approve the budget does not exonerate Frontex. Greece is responsible too. This is a humanitarian issue. Greece is also responsible for the deaths.



As it happens right in front of them, Frontex and by extension the European Union are responsible too." However, Mitarakis has reacted to those comments, and questions raised by opposition party SYRIZA in parliament, saying: "Greece will continue to guard its borders and prevent the illegal flows of undocumented migrants. It's our constitutional obligation and it protects human lives." He added: "FRONTEX's mission, role and mandate as the European Union's armed force to protect our external borders is to assist Member States in cases of threats to Europe's external borders. The crisis has changed on our eastern borders. Europe has received multiple hybrid threats in recent years related to immigration. (ANSA).




TEL AVIV - Three Israelis were killed on Thursday evening during Israel's Independence Day.



The attack was the 7th in a series that over the past month and a half has left 19 people dead.



This latest attack happened in Elad, a Jewish city with an Orthodox majority in the centre of the country not far from Petah Tikva and the line of demarkation with the West Bank.



In Gaza, Hamas praised the "heroes" who committed the act.



On Friday morning, Palestinian Authority (PA) chief Mahmoud Abbas instead condemned the attack.



The police say that there had been two armed attackers who used an axe or a machete to as well as firearms to target people out walking at the end of a holiday in two different places, one of which near the Elad amphitheater.



The attackers then fled.



On Friday, Israeli police arrested two young men suspected of having been behind the attack: aged 19 and 20, both were from the Rumana village near Jenin in the West Bank.



The three Israelis killed in the Orthodox city of Elad were rabbis.



Yonatan Habakuk , 40, was a member of the Breslav Orthodox sect and the father of five children. On Facebook his widow wrote that he had fought valiantly against the attackers and saved other human lives in so doing.
Italian FM says EU should fight for gas price limits 'Courage needed to protect families and businesses'

(ANSA) - ROMA, 06 MAG - Italy at the European level is pushing forward on the "battle for gas price limits", said Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Friday at the end of his mission in India.



On this issue, "the EU must be courageous and respond in a similar way to financial speculation", and thus adopt "a maximum limit for companies and families that are paying exorbitant prices for energy that are not sustainable".



Gas prices must be "calmed and we must do it at the European level. We are asking Europe to do its part in this battle as soon as possible", he added. (ANSA).




Italy at Israel's side against terrorism, says FM 'Thoughts with victims of unacceptable violence'

(ANSAmed) - ROMA, 06 MAG - "A barbarian attack hit Israel, on the day that it was celebrating its independence. My thoughts go out to the victims of this unacceptable violence and their families," Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio wrote in Italian on Friday on Twitter.



Di Maio is currently in India.



"Italy stands by the side of Israel and its population in their fight against terrorism," he said, in reference to the latest attack in Israel on Thursday, which led to three deaths and four injuries. (ANSAmed).




Spanish PM and Catalan region chief 'still talking' Sanchez says in reference to tensions over the Pegasus case

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, 06 MAG - "I want to continue to advance dialogue, in talks and in agreements," said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in addressing Catalan regional president Pere Aragones.



A political crisis is currently in place between Madrid and the Catalan capital, Barcelona, over the case of Pegasus spyware planted on officials' phones.



The case is also known as 'Catalan-Gate'.



Sanchez's words came at the beginning of his speech at an event organised in Barcelona by Catalan businessmen.



"This is my statement of intentions," the prime minister added.



Shortly before, Aragones had said that he had "zero" confidence in the Sanchez government.



The two leaders - as shown by photos and footage published by Spanish media - shook hands on arrival in Barcelona at an event organised by Catalan businessmen in which an award was given to European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen.



On Thursday, reports were leaked to the media that the Spanish secret services had monitored Aragones with judicial authorisation when he was the vice-president of the Catalan region.



This news had worsened an ongoing crisis between the regional and central government. (ANSAmed).




The SNP hailed a strong result in Edinburgh as it emerged as the local authoritys largest party.

The party will now be looking towards a coalition  similar to Edinburgh City Councils previous SNP/Labour administration which formed in 2017.

However, it was a depressing day for the Scottish Conservatives in the capital as they lost eight seats  winning just nine.

The SNP won 19 seats in Edinburgh  the same result achieved in 2017.

Adam McVey, SNP party leader in Edinburgh, was re-elected in the Leith ward.

He said: This is a fantastic result for the SNP. Im obviously really delighted and grateful to every single person who has put trust in me.

He added: Were seeing the SNP emerge as very clearly the largest party (in Edinburgh) in a very pluralistic council chamber and were going to have to work together just as we have in the last five years with other parties to make sure we can deliver on that positive progressive vision we have for Edinburgh and our communities.

Marco Biagi, a former Scottish Government minister, was elected as an SNP councillor in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward.

Miles Briggs, a Lothian Conservative MSP, attended the count to support local Tory candidates.

(PA Graphics)

He said the results were hugely disappointing and said protest votes and tactical voting had ultimately hurt the local Tories.

It is a vision reflected across Scotland as the Tories witness significant losses.

He said: The positive campaign weve tried to run has been eclipsed, sadly, by the partygate situation.

However, while voters were punishing local Tory candidates for Downing Street parties, he said it does not reflect badly on Scottish leader Douglas Ross.

He said: This election isnt about Douglas Ross. People have used this election to bring out their anger against the Prime Minister and partygate.

And there was cause for celebration for the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Greens as both parties made significant gains in the city.

Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Alex Cole-Hamilton (Fraser Bremner/Daily Mail/PA)

Alex Cole-Hamilton, Lib Dem leader, said his party was on the way to its revival across Scotland.

The party has doubled its seats in this election, winning 12 compared with just six in 2017.

And he is hopeful the Liberal Democrats can enter into coalition administrations with parties across Scotland.

Meanwhile, Lorna Slater, Scottish Greens co-leader, told the PA News agency: This is an absolute record result for the Greens and it really shows that people care about the climate, they care about their communities.

She added: We focused on local issues and I think that is paying of.

The party won 10 seats  an increase from seven in 2017. Labour won 13 seats  a gain of two from the previous election in 2017.

Cammy Day, Labours Edinburgh leader, also said he was pleased with the results as the party increased its seats tally.
Boris Johnson faced a backlash from local Tory leaders as his party lost a flagship London authority to Labour and suffered setbacks across England.

While Sir Keir Starmers party gained ground in the capital by taking the totemic Tory authority in Wandsworth, there was a mixed picture elsewhere with the loss of Hull to the Liberal Democrats but success in the new Cumberland authority.

As dozens of Tory councillors lost their seats against a backdrop of the row about lockdown-busting parties in No 10 and the cost-of-living crisis, local Conservative leaders criticised the Prime Minister.

Labour GAIN  Labour gains Wandsworth council. pic.twitter.com/NNW8ItSj2V  The Labour Party (@UKLabour) May 6, 2022

John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council which will be replaced by the new Cumberland authority, told the BBC: I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue.

Basically I just dont feel people any longer have the confidence that the Prime Minister can be relied upon to tell the truth.

Leader of portsmouth Simon Bosher blames Boris and national leadership for loss of four councillors. Says there is anger in the local party #LocalElections22 pic.twitter.com/RuVidpOU5M  Peter Henley (@Peter_Henley) May 6, 2022

In Portsmouth, where the Tories lost four seats, Simon Bosher the leader of the Conservative group said Mr Johnson should take a good, strong look in the mirror because those are people that are actually bearing the brunt on the doorstep of behaviour of whats been going on in Westminster.

Ravi Govindia, leader of the Wandsworth Tories, said: Lets not be coy about it, of course national issues were part of the dilemma people were facing.

After results were declared from 58 councils, the Tories had lost control of three authorities and were down 79 councillors, Labour had a net gain of two councils and 34 councillors, the Lib Dems had one extra authority and 34 more seats while the Greens had put on 19 councillors.

The loss of Wandsworth will be a significant blow because of its symbolic status in London.

It turned blue in 1978, a year before Margaret Thatchers election as prime minister and was reputedly her favourite council, renowned for its low taxes.

Boris Johnson losing Wandsworth is monumental. This was the Tories jewel in the crown, a Labour source said.

The Tories also lost control of Worcester to no overall control, with gains for the Greens and Labour.

Council seats are up for grabs in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England, while there are elections to Stormont in Northern Ireland.

But votes were only being counted in some of the English contests overnight, including key authorities in the capital.

As well as Wandsworth, Tories fear losses in Barnet and possibly Westminster on a difficult night for Mr Johnsons party in the city he used to run.

The leader of the Labour group in Barnet, Barry Rawlings, told the BBC: Ive been feeling confident for a while.

Count volunteers sort ballot papers at the Basildon Sporting Village, in Basildon, Essex (Nicholas T Ansell/PA)

The elections take place following the partygate scandal and with concerns about a cost-of-living crisis underlined by grim economic forecasts from the Bank of England on polling day.

Mid-term elections are always difficult for a governing party, although as many of the English seats were last contested in 2018 during Theresa Mays chaotic administration, opportunities for opposition parties to make further gains may be limited.

A Tory source conceded we expect these elections to be tough.

Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis insisted Mr Johnson remained the right person to lead the party, amid speculation that a bad set of election results  coupled with any further revelations about No 10 lockdown-busting parties  could see more Tory MPs submitting letters of no confidence.

The Northern Ireland Secretary told Sky News: I absolutely think we can win the next election, and I do think Boris Johnson is the right person to lead us into that.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse told the BBC: The further away you get from London, our sense is that the picture is better for us.

In Rutland, where there is not even an election, the Tories suffered a blow as county council leader Oliver Hemsley announced he was leaving the party, claiming the area had been ignored, side-lined and given no further improvements in our spending power from the Government.

Council Leader Oliver Hemsley has announced that he is leaving Rutland's Conservative Group with immediate effect. He will serve as an unaligned independent councillor, while continuing in his role as Leader of the Council. Read his full statement here: https://t.co/j4XUxdvWPs pic.twitter.com/c9bQdXIL7L  Rutland Council (@rutlandcouncil) May 5, 2022

Labours campaign has been hit by Tory calls for Durham Police to look into whether Sir Keir broke Covid rules while campaigning before the 2021 Hartlepool by-election  something he has dismissed as mudslinging.

The Tories have also complained about a secret pact between Labour and the Lib Dems to maximise Conservative pain in marginal seats, something denied by both opposition parties.

Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds acknowledged there would be ups and downs in the results but said she hoped they would show progress since the 2019 general election drubbing under Jeremy Corbyn.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth acknowledged there was a mountain to climb for the party following the 2019 general election.

Its climbable, but my god its a big mountain because we got an absolute hammering in 2019, the worst result since the 1930s, he told the BBC.

The Liberal Democrats focused on making further inroads in Tory heartlands  the Blue Wall in southern England  following recent Westminster by-election successes in North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham.

Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Party leader Sir Ed Davey said: I am optimistic that thanks to their hard work, the Liberal Democrats will gain ground in areas across the Blue Wall where voters are fed up of being taken for granted by the Conservatives.

But the Lib Dems secured victory in Hull in a straight fight with Labour for control of the authority.

In England, more than 4,000 councillors in 146 councils are standing for election in major cities including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and all 32 London boroughs.

All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 in Wales are also holding elections.

In Northern Ireland voters went to the polls across 18 constituencies to elect 90 MLAs.

The unionist DUP and republican Sinn Fein are vying for the top spot in the election, which comes with the entitlement to nominate the next first minister.

A unionist party has always been the biggest in the Assembly, and previously the Stormont Parliament, since the formation of the state in 1921.

While the office of the first and deputy first minister is an equal one with joint power, the allocation of the titles is regarded as symbolically important.
The Ukrainian president has said bridges with Russia are not yet destroyed, leaving the door open for future negotiations.

However, he said talks can only take place if Moscow withdraws to its pre-invasion positions, as of February 23, saying he was not elected to lead a mini-Ukraine of some kind.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank, Volodymyr Zelensky said arrangements were needed for discussions to stop the killing, with diplomatic channels used to regain Ukraines territories.

The prerequisite for this would be regaining the situation as of February 23, he said.

They have to fall back, he added.

In that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally.

He said that despite the fact that they are destroying all our bridges, I think not all the bridges are yet destroyed, figuratively speaking.

The Ukrainian president also invited German chancellor Olaf Scholz for talks in Kyiv, suggesting the visit could take place on Russias annual Victory Day on May 9.

He said the move would be a very powerful political step.

Asked whether Ukraine was satisfied with the support it was receiving, particularly from EU nations including Germany, and what he would say to Mr Scholz if he had the chance to speak to him, Mr Zelensky said: You cannot be slightly evil and slightly good.

With the right hand you impose sanctions, with the left hand you sign the Russian contracts. This is not right. This is hypocrisy.

He added: I think chancellor Scholz, for him, hes invited, the invitation is open, its been for some time now. Hes invited to come to Ukraine. He can make this very powerful political step to come here on May 9, to Kyiv.

Sometimes in history we have to make certain steps for unity, even if there is some kind of coldness in specific relations.

Meanwhile, western officials said they had been told Russia had made the unusual move of not inviting foreign leaders to celebrate Victory Day.

They said that the national holiday, which usually commemorates victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, may be used by Russian president Vladimir Putin to claim the attacks on Ukraine have been successful.

There could be a big announcement, they said, however it is unlikely to be a declaration of war, or mass mobilisation, which has been denied by the Kremlin, as officials have not seen any signs to indicate preparation is under way for either.

They also said they had not seen evidence that Mr Putin was unwell, but added they were not doctors.

In a separate briefing, asked what would happen after May 9, other western officials said the Russian president would inevitably claim a synthetic victory  perhaps the totemic status of Mariupol.
The British Virgin Islands has sworn in a new leader, replacing former premier Andrew Fahie who was arrested in the US on drug-smuggling charges last month.

Premier Natalio Wheatley became the territorys new leader after a vote of no confidence in Fahie was passed.

He said he hoped the day will be remembered as the day we began a new era of democratic governance.

Fahie, 51, was detained in Miami in April over an alleged conspiracy to import a controlled substance and money laundering in an operation led by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

The territorys director of ports, Oleanvine Maynard, was also arrested.

The string of islands inhabited by 35,000 people east of Puerto Rico is currently under a 2007 constitution giving it limited self-governance under a Governor who is the ultimate executive authority as the representative of the Queen.

An inquiry into corruption in the territory, led by retired judge Sir Gary Hickinbottom, found that the people of the British Virgin Islands have been badly served by its government and suggested the UK take direct control of the territory.

In the report, published on April 4, Sir Gary recommended the Governor take direct rule of the territory for two years, stating: Almost everywhere, the principles of good governance, such as openness, transparency and even the rule of law, are ignored.

The inquiry found that elected officials can and do make decisions  which expend huge sums of public money and affect the lives of all those who live in the BVI  as they wish, without applying any objective criteria, without giving any reasons and without fearing any comeback.

Well ensure governance standards in the British Virgin Islands are restored. @amandamilling will travel there immediately for talks. She will report back to me and well announce the way forward next week. We are committed to BVI & its people https://t.co/cANYO5jRPA  Liz Truss (@trussliz) April 29, 2022

In a statement made in April as acting premier, Mr Wheatley said he was very concerned about the recommendation.

Mr Wheatley said: What this would mean in real terms is that there would be no more elected representatives who represent the people of the districts and the territory in the House of Assembly where laws are made for our society.

After he was sworn in as the territorys new leader, Mr Wheatley said his governments main priority was the implementation of the reports recommendations within a framework of democratic governance.

I am well aware that a decision has not yet been made by the United Kingdom on the reports recommendation for a partial suspension of the constitution, he said.

Nonetheless, we will continue to engage the Governor on how best the National Unity Government can work in the best interest of the people of the Virgin Islands to deliver reform.

We are a willing partner and ready to take the process forward in partnership without delay.
Dave Chappelle does not want his assault to "overshadow" his historic performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

"The performances by Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl were epic and record-breaking and he refuses to allow [Tuesday's] incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment," his rep told The Hollywood Reporterin a statement. "Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl. This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70,000 fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival."

Chappelles rep added, "As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show," and praised Jamie Foxx and Chris Rock for helping to "calm the crowd with humor."

The comedian was attacked during his Dave Chappelle & Friends set. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo Entertainment that the suspect Isaiah Lee, 23, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon at 10:50 p.m. PT on May 3. Lee was armed with a replica gun that can eject a knife blade when discharged.

This photo combination provided by the Los Angeles Police Department shows the fake handgun with the real knife blade inside that was taken from the man who attacked comedian Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Security guards overpowered the attacker, Isaiah Lee, 23, who was detained and arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. Chappelle was able to continue his performance. (Photo: Los Angeles Police Dept. via AP)

Luckily, that didn't come to pass. After Lee ran onstage and tackled Chappelle, he ran behind a screen until security apprehended him. He was taken to the hospital with apparent injuries, and is now in L.A. County Jail with bail set at $30,000.

(Screenshot: Isaiah Lee/Los Angeles Sheriff's Department)

While Lee was booked on a felony charge, a Los Angeles District Attorney spokesperson said Thursday that the case is now being referred to the L.A. City Attorney for misdemeanor consideration.

"After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct," a spokesperson said.

Chappelle quickly recovered making jokes about his attacker. Rock, who performed earlier in the night, later came out and quipped, "Was that Will Smith?," referring to his infamous Oscars assault. Chappelle and Foxx also bantered about what went down.

Lee, an aspiring rapper whose verified NoName_Trapper Spotify account has 5,700 listeners, previously released a 2020 song titled "Dave Chappell" (sic). In the song, he seemingly references the famed L.A. venue where the attack took place, saying, "Walkin straight into da Bowl."

Netflix said in a statement, We care deeply about the safety of creators and we strongly defend the right of stand-up comedians to perform on stage without fear of violence," and a rep for the Hollywood Bowl said there is an investigation into the incident. However, it's yet another incident, following the Oscars drama, that has comedians on edge.

Howie Mandel told E! News's Daily Pop, "Not to comment on what happened at the Academy Awards, but I thought that that opened the flood gates. We're already as comedians being attacked as far as being canceled for something that you don't like, something that you find offensive, something that you think is too soon."

Mandel, who has been in the business for 45 years, said what happened at the Oscars "just triggers. Violence triggers violence. And I think this is the beginning of the end for comedy. I really believe that."

Here are some other reactions from performers, including Madonna, who was at the show and called the attack "disturbing":

Its says a lot that 2 of the greatest comedians who ever have been attacked on stage in the last month! #IToldYouSo#TeamDl  DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) May 4, 2022

Damn! So running on stage and assaulting comedians is a thing now?? #TeamDl  DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) May 4, 2022
Another reunion in the works. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to attend Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee, but the festivities will look a bit different than they have in the past.

Read article

After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this years traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said in a statement on Friday, May 6.

This means that the Duke of Sussex, 37, and the Suits alum, 40, wont stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the queen, 96, and other royals during the parade, which is held to honor the monarchs birthday. (Elizabeth had her own private celebration in April.)

David Fisher/Shutterstock

It wasnt initially clear whether the Invictus Games founder and his wife would travel to the U.K. for the jubilee, but on Friday, a rep for the duo confirmed that they will attend with their son Archie, 3, and daughter Lili, 11 months.

Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honoured to attend The Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children, a spokesperson for the couple told Us Weekly.

Read article

Archie has not been back to the U.K. since his parents attended their final event as senior working royals in March 2020, while Lili has never been. Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, made a quick stop in England last month while on their way to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands.

The occasion marked the first time the BetterUp CIO had returned since last June, when he traveled to his native country to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana, with his brother, Prince William. The Bench author, for her part, hadnt returned to the U.K. since March 2020.

Read article

It was great to see her, Harry told BBC One reporters last month of visiting his grandmother, adding that she sent plenty of messages for the athletes competing at the Invictus Games.

Dominic Lipinski/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

A source told Us at the time that the former military pilot and the California native were very excited to see the queen, but noted that William, 39, and Duchess Kate were not in attendance for the Windsor Castle reunion.

On Friday, the Duke of Cambridge and his wife, 40, shared their birthday wishes for Archie in a message shared via their official Instagram account. Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today, the duo wrote alongside a photo from the toddlers royal christening in 2019.

With reporting by Travis Cronin
Former asylum seeker Roza Salih said being elected a councillor in Scotlands largest city showed how the people of Glasgow have always welcomed me.

More than two decades after arriving in Scotland as a refugee, she was voted into office, as an SNP councillor for the Greater Pollok ward.

She was congratulated by SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said she was shedding a very happy tear at Ms Salihs election

Shedding a (very happy) tear at this result. From asylum seeker to @theSNP councillor. Congrats @RozaSalih https://t.co/qM5nvJnYK0  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 6, 2022

Ms Salih arrived in Scotland as a young girl, after her family fled Iraq, and as a teenager she became part of the Glasgow Girls campaign protesting against the dawn raids that were used to remove some failed asylum seekers.

She said she hoped her win on Friday will inspire other refugees to put themselves forward in future elections.

The Glasgow people have always welcomed me, Ms Salih told PA Scotland.

This just shows that. Ive never given up and now theyve trusted in me.

She added: I cant believe it. Twenty years ago I came to this country as a refugee, and to think back I would never have imagined to serve my city.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Gotham/GC Images/Getty

Ryan Reynolds gets by with a little help from wife Blake Lively.

In an exclusive clip from season 4 of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, Reynolds, 45, opens up about parenting his three daughters with Lively.

"You feed the crew," Letterman, 75, says to Reynolds as the Deadpool star seemingly puts together a meal for his family.

"Blake, full disclosure, really showed me how to do all this," Reynolds admits.

"Who runs the show here?" asks Letterman.

"Blake runs the show, I would kind of really phone things in if it wasn't for her," says Reynolds, who shares daughters James, 7, Inez, 5, and Betty, 2, with Lively.

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:Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's 'Healing' Love Was Meant To Be, Says Celeb Astrologer

Letterman then asks Reynolds if "anxiety would set in" if Lively was out of town visiting her family and he was left to care for the children on his own.

"I would, first off, never let her go visit her family," Reynolds teases, getting a laugh from the former-late night talk show host.

"If I was just with the girls, I think I would find it pretty exciting at first," he continues. "And then there would be, with three girls, so, that division of labor is very important."

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty

Lively, 34, and Reynolds, who co-chaired this year's Met Gala, first met on the set of Green Lantern in 2010 but did not develop a romantic relationship until a year later.

In October 2011, Lively and Reynolds sparked dating rumors when they were spotted outside an apartment in Boston, where Reynolds was filming the action film R.I.P.D.

A source confirmed their relationship to PEOPLE, saying, "They are very much a couple. They're really happy together."

In September 2012, the couple wed and in December 2014 they welcomed their first daughter, James.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman returns to Netflix on May 20.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Fifty more civilians, including 11 children, were rescued Friday from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol where Ukrainian fighters have been making their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategically important port city.

The Russian military said Friday that 11 children were among the 50 civilians who were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant and handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, confirmed that 50 women, children and elderly people managed to leave the sprawling complex, and she and Russia said evacuation efforts would continue Saturday. The new evacuees were in addition to roughly 500 civilians who the U.N. said were evacuated from the plant and city in recent days.

Elderly people wait to receive their pension from a postal delivery van that braved the fighting to reach the frontline as the sound of mortar fire continues in Mayaky, eastern Ukraine, on May 6, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.





Elderly people wait to receive their pension from a postal delivery van that braved the fighting to reach the frontline as the sound of mortar fire continues in Mayaky, eastern Ukraine, on May 6, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/)

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Mondays Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

As the holiday commemorating the Soviet Unions World War II victory over Nazi Germany approached, cities across Ukraine prepared for an expected increase in Russian attacks and officials urged residents to heed air raid warnings.

These symbolic dates are to the Russian aggressor like red to a bull, said Ukraines first deputy interior minister, Yevhen Yenin. While the entire civilized world remembers the victims of terrible wars on these days, the Russian Federation wants parades and is preparing to dance over bones in Mariupol.

A stray dog looks at a bus with local residents who left a shelter in the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal guarding by servicemen of Russian Army and Donetsk People's Republic militia in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Friday, May 6.





A stray dog looks at a bus with local residents who left a shelter in the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal guarding by servicemen of Russian Army and Donetsk People's Republic militia in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Friday, May 6. (Alexei Alexandrov/)

Roughly 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukrainian officials said before Fridays evacuations that a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to also spare the fighters. She said theyd be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean filtration camps, prison, torture, and death.

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will stand to the end without surrender, she told The Associated Press on Friday.

U.N. officials have been tightlipped about the evacuation efforts, but it seemed likely that the latest evacuees would be taken to Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian-controlled city about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Mariupol where others who escaped the port city were brought.

A woman covers her ears from the sound of mortar fire as people queue to collect pensions from a postal delivery van that reached the frontline despite the ongoing conflict in Mayaky, eastern Ukraine, on May 6, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.





A woman covers her ears from the sound of mortar fire as people queue to collect pensions from a postal delivery van that reached the frontline despite the ongoing conflict in Mayaky, eastern Ukraine, on May 6, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/)

Some of the plants previous evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. They need our help badly. We need to get them out.

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on Telegram that Russian troops had fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plants grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

Moscow didnt immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of Mariupol, aside from the steel plant, after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of more than 400,000 but where perhaps 100,000 civilians remain with little food, water, electricity or heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings as workers repaired a model of a warship and Russian flags were hoisted.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port. It would also allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, freeing some of its troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: Mariupol will never fall. Im not talking about heroism or anything.

It is already devastated, he told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think tank. He also said he remains open to negotiations with Russia, but repeated that Moscow must withdraw its forces.

We do not see the end of the war yet, he said, calling on Russia to allow safe passage out of the Mariupol steel plant to the Ukrainian troops who are there.

A woman holds up a baby as a family who fled from Enerhodar is reunited upon their arrival to a reception center for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Friday, May 6, 2022. Thousands of Ukrainian continue to leave Russian occupied areas.





A woman holds up a baby as a family who fled from Enerhodar is reunited upon their arrival to a reception center for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Friday, May 6, 2022. Thousands of Ukrainian continue to leave Russian occupied areas. (Francisco Seco/)

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Ukrainian officials warned residents to be vigilant and heed air raid warnings, saying the risk of massive shelling had increased with Victory Day approaching. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital. A curfew was also going into effect in Ukraines southern Odesa region, which was the target of two missile attacks Friday.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas region and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgment of those losses.

The British Defense Ministry said Russia might be struggling to execute its plan in the Donbas partly because its bogged down at the Mariupol plant, where the fighting has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia.

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth. Meanwhile, one person was reported dead and three more were injured Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region,
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday said his administration may challenge a Supreme Court ruling that states must provide free public education to all children, including undocumented immigrants.

Texas already long ago sued the federal government about having to incur the costs of the education program, in a case called Plyler versus Doe, the governor said on The Joe Pags Show.

He added that the Supreme Court ruled against us on the issue about denying, or lets say Texas having to bear that burden.

Plyler v. Doe is a 1982 Supreme Court case that rejected the denial of public education funding for children who are undocumented.

I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again, because the expenses are extraordinary and the times are different than when Plyler versus Doe was issued many decades ago, Abbott said.

The Hill has reached out to Abbott for comment.

Abbott has also been a leading opponent of the Biden administrations decision to lift Title 42, a Trump-era public health rule that prevented migrants from seeking asylum to stem the spread of COVID-19. Abbott sent a bus full of immigrants to Washington, D.C., last month, in what the White House called a publicity stunt.

The Texas governor, who is running for reelection this year, also temporarily ramped up border inspections for trucks crossing into Texas, creating logjams that cleared only when Mexican governors pledged to increase security measures on their side of the border.

Abbotts remarks follow the Monday night leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that established the right to an abortion in the U.S.

That report has prompted some activists and advocates to question what other Supreme Court precedents on basic rights could be overruled in the future.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Less than a year from now, the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision establishing a woman's right to an abortion would have celebrated its 50th anniversary of becoming the law of the land on Jan. 22, 1973. But as this weeks leak of Justice Samuel Alitos draft opinion revealed, Roe may not last another month.

The demise of Roe, supporters and critics of the original decision told Yahoo News, has been long in coming, but the battle over abortion will certainly not come to an end when the court rules on whether to overturn the 1973 decision.

The anti-abortion movement has been trying to strategically strip away the right to abortion for 50 years, Alesha Doan, professor of women, gender and sexuality studies at the University of Kansas and author of "Opposition and Intimidation: The Abortion Wars and Strategies of Political Harassment," told Yahoo News. Prior to the legalization of Roe, anti-abortion activists focused their energy at the state level, trying to prevent states from liberalizing their abortion laws. Immediately following Roe, the anti-abortion movement became a more organized, ideologically extreme national movement that also kept a local, grassroots focus.

Anti-abortion activists Lori Gordon, right, and Tammie Miller take part in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Advocates like Lauren Handy, director of activism at Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), have celebrated the prospect of Roes collapse.

When Roe v. Wade was first enacted, the pro-life movement didn't have a system set in place to take care of people who are in crisis pregnancies, who are seeking out abortions, she told Yahoo News. Whereas now, at this moment, we have more crisis pregnancy centers and more systems of care than there are abortion facilities out there.

Because of these advances, according to Handy, abortion in any form is unacceptable.

Abortion is violence, she said. It's been violence since the dawn of time, and it's violence now.

The effects of overturning Roe will be felt almost immediately. A 2017 study by the American Public Health Association found that roughly 1 in 4 women in the U.S. are expected to get an abortion at some point in their lives. If the ruling is overturned, 58% of U.S. women of reproductive age (from 12 to 51 years old) will live in the 26 states that are considered hostile to abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion-rights research organization.

Demonstrators in support of abortion rights at the University of Texas in Austin on Thursday. (Sergio Flores/Bloomberg)

While the ruling is likely to lead to the restriction of legal abortion in most Southern and conservative states, educators say not all women will fare equally. They argue that affluent women, for example, will be able to travel to states where abortion is legal, while impoverished women will suffer the most because they cant afford to seek help elsewhere  in extreme cases subjecting themselves to illegal abortions.

If abortion becomes an illicit market, poor women will more likely suffer from riskier procedures, Darren Hutchinson, a professor of law at Emory University and an expert on abortion and reproductive rights, told Yahoo News. Abortion prohibitions could [also] mean that poor women and teens are compelled to remain pregnant, exacerbating their poverty and greatly reducing opportunities for advancement. This, in turn, would worsen the intractable problem of intergenerational poverty.

According to Doan, the rolling back of abortion rights will ultimately turn back the clock in some regions of the United States to a time when unsafe abortions led to the death of many women.

Recriminalizing abortion will not curb the demand for it, she said. Prior to Roe, people experiencing an unwanted pregnancy sought out abortion services. However, the services available to people with few resources were unsafe and led to injury and death for thousands of people annually. We can expect to see similar patterns in 2022 if abortion is recriminalized.

The fight for Roe v. Wade

The truth is, abortions have always been a part of American society.

Until the late 1800s, abortion was legal across the U.S. until the point when a woman could feel the fetus moving, known as quickening, which usually came around the fourth month of pregnancy. Starting in the 1820s, early signs of regulations began to prohibit different kinds of drugs and pharmaceuticals advertised as a way to induce abortion.

The earliest major opposition came in the late 1850s when the newly established American Medical Association, made up at the time of a majority of white male doctors, called for abortion to be criminalized. The group, in part, wanted to eliminate competition from midwives and nurses.

By 1880, most states in the U.S. had laws to restrict abortions, with rare exceptions in some states where abortion meant the difference between life and death for the woman. For the next century, waves of stiffer criminalization, established mostly by male-dominated industries, targeted women and abortion.

The interior of a trailer used by Delmar James Frazier and his assistant, Mary Ellen Snyder, to perform 30 abortions in 1948. Frazier charged $350 per abortion, authorities said. (Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)

By 1910, abortion was made illegal in every state across the U.S., and only doctors, 95% of whom were male at the time, were permitted to make exceptions.

But abortions never stopped: They just went underground. In fact, in 1930, more than 2,700 women died from unsafe and illegal abortions, making up 18% of recorded maternal deaths that year, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The effects of this are still felt today.

It has been found that women who would like an abortion but are denied one face worse economic circumstances, which affect both their well-being, as well as the well-being of their families, Joelle Abramowitz, an assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, told Yahoo News. After a slew of campaigns that called for abortion law reform, thousands of women in the 1950s and 1960s were prescribed thalidomide to treat nausea in pregnancy. The drug was later found to cause severe birth defects, a discovery that increased support for reform of abortion laws.

A Phoenix woman in 1962 with pills containing thalidomide, which caused infant deformities. She said she was seeking a legal abortion because she inadvertently took such pills in the first weeks of a pregnancy. (Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)

Throughout the 1950s to 1960s, an estimated 200,000 to 1.2 million illegal abortions took place in the U.S. every year, according to Guttmacher. In 1962, for example, more than 1,500 women were admitted to Harlem Hospital Center in New York City after undergoing incomplete abortions.

Four years later, a group of nine doctors who eventually became known as the San Francisco Nine were sued by State Board of Medical Examiners for providing abortions to women who were exposed to rubella. The case was meant to deter doctors elsewhere from performing abortions for fear of being sued, but it eventually backfired. More than 200 doctors across the country, including every medical school dean in California, signed on to support the San Francisco Nine until the case was dropped. As a result, hospital committees in California could approve requests for abortion, resulting in one of the first abortion-reform cases in the country.

Shortly after that, in 1969, the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), the first national group created to fight for the legalization of abortion, was created, and in less than five years, Alaska, Hawaii, New York and Washington had repealed their bans on the procedure.

Pro-abortion-rights demonstrators march down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., in 1986 on the March for Women's Lives. (Ann E. Zelle/Getty Images)

At the top of the next decade, in May 1970, lawyers for a pregnant woman known only as Jane Roe filed a lawsuit in federal court in Dallas, challenging Texass abortion ban. The 22-year-old woman, whose real name was later revealed to be Norma McCorvey, was unmarried and had already given up for adoption a child she had had out of wedlock.

I was a woman alone with no place to go and no job, McCorvey later told the Southern Baptist Convention news service in 1973, according to the Washington Post. No one wanted to hire a pregnant woman. I felt there was no one in the world who could help me.

In the suit, McCorvey argued that Texass abortion restrictions were inadequate and cruel, according to court documents. An initial ruling that year struck down the ban, but an appeal later brought it before the Supreme Court.

Anti-abortion activists protest the Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion in 1984, 11 years after the ruling. (Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)

Then, on Jan. 22, 1973, the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade was passed, protecting abortion in all 50 states. The decision came after decades of political and legal advocacy on behalf of women and the supporters of womens rights. Others advocated with their lives.

In the roughly 100 years when abortion was illegal in the United States, women suffered and died from botched abortions, with as many as 5,000 women dying every year in the decades leading up to the ruling, Ranana Dine wrote in a piece for the Center for American Progress in 2013.

But soon after women gained the right to choose, the fight to strip that right away began.

Protesters at a 1971 lecture by abortion rights activist Bill Baird. (Peter L Gould/FPG/Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The fight to overturn Roe v. Wade

Three years after Roe was passed, Rep. Henry Hyde, a Republican congressman from Illinois, created the Hyde Amendment, which restricted the use of federal funds on government insurance programs, effectively preventing Medicaid from being used for abortion services.

I would certainly like to prevent, if I could legally, anybody having an abortion: a rich woman, a middle-class woman or a poor woman, Hyde said on the House floor at the time. Unfortunately, the only vehicle available is the [Medicaid] bill.

Over the next four decades, several cases seeking to criminalize abortion came before the court, including a 2007 case against Planned Parenthood, the pro-abortion-rights nonprofit and abortion provider, which reached the nations highest court. In each instance, Roe was upheld.

The movement initially targeted Congress to pass legislation that would criminalize abortion, Doan, the University of Kansas professor, said. Those efforts were unsuccessful, which prompted the movement to target abortion rights on three levels: local, state and national.

A rally for abortion rights on Capitol Hill in 2013. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Nearly a decade later, three conservative Supreme Court justices  Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, all appointees of President Donald Trump  were added to the bench, tipping the balance of the highest court in a more conservative direction and once again opening a space to repeal abortion laws.

States have also taken matters into their own hands in recent years.

Last May, Texas enacted the nations strictest abortion measure, banning abortions after six weeks, a devastating blow to womens right to choose in the state and across the country.

The life of every unborn child with a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of abortion, Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott said during the bills signing.

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas. (Lynda M. Gonzalez/The Dallas Morning News Pool)

Since the bill went into effect in September, at least 1,400 Texans have traveled out of state each month for abortions, according to an analysis by the University of Texas.

Its because of powerful social movements that supported a whole new philosophy of legal interpretation that enabled a set of reasons that would get rid of Roe, Bernadette Meyler, a constitutional law expert, told the Boston Globe. This social movement has been building since the decision in Roe.

For Doan, each anti-abortion legislative move was more calculated than the last.

At the state level, the anti-abortion movement has campaigned, lobbied and supported elected officials to push for enacting incremental abortion restrictions at the state level to eliminate access to abortion, Doan said. And at the national level, the movement has continued to lobby for national legislation that restricts access to abortion and contraception, and challenge abortion rights in the courts.

While many conservatives see abortion as murder, abortion rights advocates argue that not allowing women the right to terminate a pregnancy results in greater harm to society.

Public health research is clear that access to abortion is part of a full suite of reproductive health care, William Lopez, a clinical assistant professor of health behavior and health education at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, told Yahoo News. To force pregnancy in a country with no paid parental leave policy, no universal child care and clear racial disparities in maternal health outcomes is akin to purposefully harming the health and economic well-being of middle- and low-income communities and communities of color.

Pro-abortion-rights demonstrators outside the Supreme Court on Thursday. (Bryan Dozier/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Abortion rights advocates recall decades of stories of women who died trying to give birth, even with significant pregnancy issues.

Were going to find ourselves in the position we were in before 1973 when Roe was in place, where people were literally dying for the right to choose, Lauren Frazier, the director of communications and marketing for Planned Parenthood Southeast, told Yahoo News earlier this week. So it is just really disheartening that we are back in this same fight that our grandmothers fought so long ago.

Terrisa Bukovinac, founder and executive director of PAAU, the progressive anti-abortion group, argues that its more important to address the issues that motivate women to get abortions rather than the end result. She noted that a Guttmacher Institute study from 2005 found that most women cite financial constraints as the chief reason they want an abortion.

As progressives, we want to address the reasons why people are seeking abortion, and address the systems and structures that have been set in place, she said. [Otherwise] they're being pigeonholed into this choice. That's not a real choice.

Anti-abortion activists in front of the Supreme Court on Oct. 12, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A new precedent on precedent

The leak of the draft of the Supreme Courts impending decision on Roe is a signal to many critics that many other privacy rights could be at risk.

"Every other decision based on the notion of privacy is thrown into question," President Biden told reporters Tuesday. It's a fundamental shift in American jurisprudence."

President Biden. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

For Diana Z. OBrien, an associate professor of political science at Rice University, the fight over abortion rights is equivalent to the fight for womens rights. She notes that globally, around 45% of all abortions are unsafe, according to the World Health Organization. Mainly, she says, thats because women lack access to safe, affordable, timely and respectful abortion care.

We see time and again that banning abortions doesn't reduce the need for abortion care, OBrien told Yahoo News. Instead of taking away reproductive health care options from women via abortion restrictions, we should be making sure all women have access to more, better reproductive health care.

_____

Cover thumbnail photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
WASHINGTON  Former Vice President Mike Pence has leaned heavily into his role as an anti-abortion crusader since leaving the White House, making anti-abortion groups and Christian right audiences the centerpiece of his would-be campaign for president in 2024.

On Thursday night, Pence addressed a powerful Christian conservative group in the early-voting state of South Carolina, delivering the first extended remarks from a likely 2024 Republican contender since the draft Supreme Court opinion overturning federal abortion rights was leaked.

Now much has been made of the wrongness of that leak. And I welcome Chief Justice [John] Robertss commitment to get to the bottom of it, Pence said at a fundraiser for the Carolina Pregnancy Center. But we must remain steadfast. The decision is not final. I want to encourage you to keep praying to stand firm. Keep praying that those five justices would have the courage of their convictions.

Former Vice President Mike Pence at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in November 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

But the impact of that draft opinion, and the expectation that the courts conservative majority will formally overturn Roe v. Wade in about a month, is still being gauged by Republican operatives. Some see a wider opening for Pence to run in 2024, with a fired-up base of anti-abortion activists and Pences own anti-abortion bona fides on full display. Others say it will matter little in a 2024 field still handily dominated by former President Donald Trump.

I hope hes president, and I think, given his circumstances, hes going to run to be a player no matter what. And he will be significant no matter what happens, said an Indiana anti-abortion activist who has known Pence for years.

But abortion might not play in Pences favor, the activist said, noting that the left will likely be more energized by being on the losing side of this battle and that if the draft opinion holds, the fight will likely move from Washington to statehouses across the country  potentially defusing it as a key issue.

Meanwhile, Trump, the de facto frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024, spent the week basking in an Ohio U.S. Senate primary win by critic turned supporter J.D. Vance. The Vance win, built on Trumps endorsement and GOP megadonor Peter Thiels infusion of cash, was widely interpreted as a sign of Trumps still-firm grip on the party.

Whether the abortion issue propels Pence back to the White House or not, the former vice president has been addressing anti-abortion and Christian right groups in key early-voting states as part of the pre-run for president that he and almost a dozen other potential Republican contenders have been doing for more than a year.

Abortion rights advocates demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court on Wednesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

His first event since leaving the White House was a speech to the Palmetto Family Council, a conservative nonprofit based in Columbia, S.C., just three months after his life was threatened by pro-Trump rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A few months later his political group, Advancing American Freedom, submitted an amicus brief supporting the Mississippi abortion ban that landed at the Supreme Court and appears likely to spark the end of Roe v. Wade. And he has headlined fundraisers for Christian right and anti-abortion groups throughout the country since leaving office.

We may well be on the verge of an era when the Supreme Court sends Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history where it belongs, Pence said last November at a fundraiser for the anti-abortion group SBA List, held one day before the high court heard arguments in the Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson. We are asking the court, in no uncertain terms, to make history. We are asking the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade and restore the sanctity of human life to the center of American law.

On Thursday the Democratic National Committee started a series of press calls blasting potential 2024 Republican candidates on various positions, and it picked Pence for its first target.

We know that Pence is a full-card believer in what he believes, and what he believes is that women shouldnt have the right to control their bodies, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said Thursday in response to a question from Yahoo News ahead of Pences speech. Its going to be interesting to see this play out on the Republican side, but I can let you know that as Democrats we are going to do everything we can within [our] power to protect a womans right to choose.
Russian forces continue to strike the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, where the city's last fighters are holed up. (Associated Press)

Dozens of civilians were pulled to safety Friday from the besieged Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian soldiers sheltering in a maze of underground tunnels have prevented Russian forces from fully capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol.

As a furious bid was underway to rescue hundreds of Mariupol residents trapped inside the sprawling Soviet-era complex, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of "torturing to death" those still inside.

Later, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement that evacuation efforts were slow because of "fights and other provocations."

"The enemy was constantly violating the cease-fire," Vereshchuk said.

But at least 50 women, children and elderly people were rescued from the massive building, and Vereshchuk held out hopes of evacuating a few more.

"Hang in there!" she told those left behind, noting the effort would resume Saturday.

The rescue attempt  the third of its kind in the last week by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross  comes amid renewed ground assaults on the massive steel plant by Russian troops, despite earlier pledges that they would only seal it off.

At the same time, fighting continued in eastern Ukraine, where the Kremlin's forces have redoubled their efforts to capture the Donbas region, home to many ethnic Russians. Ukraine has battled against pro-Russia separatists in the area for eight years, and there are signs that Ukrainian soldiers are mounting a successful counteroffensive to push back Russian troops from around the key city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest.

According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War's latest assessment, Ukrainian troops stretching over a broad arc north and east of Kharkiv secured further settlements in the last 24 hours and could push Russians out of artillery range of the city in the next few days.

Meanwhile, the report said, Russian forces made no progress on the Izyum axis, about 70 miles southeast, and likely secured only minor gains on the outskirts of the eastern town of Severodonetsk.

The attacks on the Mariupol steel plant are believed to be intensifying in order to subdue the last remnant of armed resistance in the southern city before Monday's Victory Day celebrations in Russia marking the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The annual patriotic event is highlighted by a military parade in Moscow's Red Square and other cities, and the fall of Mariupol would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a symbolic victory at a time when most Western allies are uniting behind Ukraine.

In the latest show of such support, First Lady Jill Biden left the U.S. for a trip to Romania and Slovakia to visit U.S. troops and meet with Ukrainian refugees, whose ranks have swelled to more than 5.7 million since Russia invaded their homeland Feb. 24.

Its so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them, the first lady told reporters before departing.

The White House announced that President Biden will attend a virtual meeting with Zelensky and leaders from the Group of 7 countries on Sunday, a day ahead of Russias military parade.

Having this meeting and conversation on Sunday is an opportunity to not only show how unified the West is in confronting the aggression and the invasion by President Putin, but also to show that unity requires work," Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said aboard Air Force One.

Meanwhile, a new human rights report cited "compelling" evidence of atrocities against Ukrainian civilians by Russian troops when a region near the capital, Kyiv, was occupied during roughly the first month of the war. Amnesty International, in a report Friday, cited proof of abuses including execution-style killings and torture. Despite a trail of mutilated bodies left behind, Russia has said evidence uncovered by international investigators is phony.

In a visit to the Russian-occupied city of Kherson in the south of Ukraine, Andrei Turchak, a senior official in the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, told residents that Russia is here forever.

There should be no doubt about this, he added. There will be no return to the past.

At an online forum on Friday, Zelensky showed little willingness to compromise. When it came to ending the war, he suggested that nothing less than return of territory previously seized by Russia  Crimea and two separatist statelets in the east  would suffice.

I was elected as president of Ukraine, not as president of mini-Ukraine, he said at a forum by the British think tank Chatham House.

And without mentioning Putin by name, he telegraphed scorn for the Russian president.

I do not care what happens to some leaders and where they end up, he said. For me, what matters is Ukraines victory.

First Lady Jill Biden talks to reporters before heading to Romania and Slovakia to visit U.S. troops and Ukrainian refugees. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

On Friday, the Biden administration announced a fresh package of $150 million in security assistance to Ukraine to fund artillery munitions, radars and other equipment.

The United States has provided a historic amount of security assistance to Ukraine at rapid speed, Biden said in a statement.

However, he noted that his administration has nearly exhausted funding that can be used to send security assistance to Ukraine and urged Congress to move quickly to pass his request for an additional $33 billion.

Noting that the last few weeks had highlighted the intensity of conventional conflicts in the 21st century, William A. LaPlante, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters at a news briefing that the Defense Department had transferred nearly a third of the $3.5-billion funding approved by Congress in the Ukraine supplemental aid package to replenish stocks of Javelin and Stinger missiles.

In addition, the Defense Department would spend $17.8 million to produce and send Switchblade drones to Ukraine as part of the $300-million Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding passed in March, LaPlante said. Already, he said, the department has awarded $136.8 million to send unmanned aerial systems, tanks, advanced precision kill weapon systems, combat medical equipment and ready-to-eat meals to Ukraine.

The Western response to the war has been relatively unified, but a fresh crack appeared Friday when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country could not support a European Union proposal to ban Russian oil imports. Hungary, an EU member since 2004, relies on Russia for two-thirds of its oil supplies.

Orban said an embargo would be tantamount to dropping an "atomic bomb" on Hungary's economy. Slovakia, which is also heavily dependent on Russian oil, has also expressed reservations.

With Ukraine pleading for more military aid, Germany confirmed that it would send seven of its most advanced self-propelled howitzers  massive artillery guns mounted on tracked armored vehicles. The assistance comes after Germany last week lifted its policy of not sending heavy weapons to conflict zones after growing calls to do more to help Ukraine's defense.

Ukraine desperately needs the West to maintain pressure on Moscow now that fighting is concentrated in the east, where Russian forces and Russia-backed separatists aim to widen their hold after their failure to capture Kyiv.

On Thursday, a U.S. official told reporters that Washington has been sharing intelligence with Ukraine, including information that ultimately led to the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian missile cruiser struck and sunk in the Black Sea last month.

But Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby emphasized in a subsequent statement that the United States did not have prior knowledge of the strike on the vessel, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet.

Russias Defense Ministry said Friday that its forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the city of Kramatorsk and that its air defenses downed two Ukrainian warplanes in the Luhansk region in the Donbas. The claims could not be independently verified.

Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv on Friday afternoon and again in the early evening. The capital region, which had braced for an assault by a column of Russian tanks in the opening weeks of the war, has largely been spared attack recently.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko took to the messaging app Telegram on Friday to warn against public gatherings in the city over the weekend, in advance of the Russian holiday. Municipal authorities stopped short of a tighter curfew but reminded residents that mass events are prohibited.

Mariupol has been the focus of close attention because its capture would allow Russia to link its forces in the northeast and southeast and would help establish a land corridor along the southern coast to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014. Russian control of Mariupol's port would also choke off Ukraine's access to the Sea of Azov, an important shipping hub.

Relentless shelling has created a humanitarian disaster in the city, but nearly 500 civilians were rescued in two evacuations in the last week, according to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

As many as 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are believed to still be beneath the Azovstal complex, which has been pummeled by Russian munitions.

Despite dwindling food and ammunition, the defenders remain determined to continue fighting.

People stand in line at an aid distribution center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday. (Evgeniy Maloletka / Associated Press)

They wont surrender, Kateryna Prokopenko, the wife of a Ukrainian commander at the site, told the Associated Press. They only hope for a miracle.

Zelensky, speaking Friday to Chatham House, said of Mariupol: "The entire city has been destroyed."

Russia has denied entering the steel plant and says the refusal by Ukrainian soldiers to surrender is endangering the lives of the remaining civilians.

Ukrainian officials say Russian troops gained access to the plant with the help of an electrician who knew the layout of the factory complex.

He showed them the underground tunnels, which are leading to the factory, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraines Internal Affairs Ministry, said in a video posted Wednesday, according to the AP. Yesterday, the Russians started storming these tunnels, using the information they received from the betrayer.

King reported from Kyiv, Pierson from Singapore and Jarvie from Atlanta. Times staff writer Eli Stokols in Washington contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian fighters battling Russian forces in the tunnels beneath Mariupols immense steel plant refused to surrender in the face of relentless attacks, with the wife of one commander saying they had vowed to stand till the end.

The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold of the strategic port city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a battlefield triumph  or announce an escalation of the war  in time for Victory Day on Monday.

They wont surrender, Kateryna Prokopenko said Thursday after speaking by phone to her husband, a leader of the steel plant defenders. They only hope for a miracle.

She said her husband, Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko, told her he would love her forever. I am going mad from this. It seemed like words of goodbye, she said.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said Friday that "the blockade of units of the defense forces in the Azovstal area continues and that the Russians, with aviation support, had resumed assault operations to take control of the sprawling plant.

Monday's Victory Day is the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, marking the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany. But as long as Ukrainians resist the takeover of the plant, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas, the British Defense Ministry said in an assessment.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, were holed up in a maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks. A few hundred civilians were also believed trapped there.

Smoke rises from besieged steel plant in Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to finish off the city's last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port. (AP)

There are many wounded (fighters), but they are not surrendering, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. They are holding their positions.

Just imagine this hell! And there are children there, he said. More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.

The Russians managed to get inside the plant Wednesday with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraines Internal Affairs Ministry.

He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory, Gerashchenko said in a video.

Zelenskyy said the attack was preventing evacuation of the remaining civilians, even as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said another attempt was underway. "We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes, Guterres said.

The Kremlin denied its troops were storming the plant and has demanded the Ukrainians surrender. They have refused. Russia has also accused the fighters of preventing the civilians from leaving.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, pleaded on Ukrainian TV for the evacuation of civilians and wounded fighters from the steelworks, saying soldiers were dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment.

More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks over the weekend. But many previous attempts to open safe corridors from Mariupol have fallen through, with Ukraine blaming shelling and firing by the Russians.

Meanwhile, 10 weeks into the devastating war, Ukraines military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village.

The General Staff in Kyiv said Russian forces were conducting surveillance flights, and in the hard-hit areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukrainian forces repulsed 11 attacks and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only plodding progress in the Donbas.

There are growing suggestions that Ukraine might try to widen its push to seize more territory from Russia outside of Kharkiv, its second-largest city.

Ukrainian chief of defense, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said Thursday that a counteroffensive could begin to push Russian forces away from Kharkiv and Izyum, which has been a key node in Russias control of the eastern cauldron. Ukraine in recent days has driven Russian troops some 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Kharkiv, which has been repeatedly struck by Russian shelling.

Additional Ukrainian advances may spare the city from artillery strikes, as well as force Moscow to divert troops from other areas of the front line.

A man carries chairs out of an office on a ground floor of an apartment building destroyed by night shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Thursday, May 5, 2022. (AP)

On Thursday, an American official said the U.S. shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of a Russian flagship before the mid-April strike that sank it, one of Moscow's highest-profile failures in the war.

The U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of warships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision to target the missile cruiser Moskva was purely a Ukrainian decision.

Fearful of new attacks surrounding Victory Day, the mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk urged residents to leave for the countryside over the long weekend and warned them not to gather in public places.

And the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a key transit point for evacuees from Mariupol, announced a curfew from Sunday evening through Tuesday morning.

Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, has come to symbolize the misery inflicted by the war. The siege of the city has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat.

As the battle raged there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian bombardment Thursday hit dozens of Ukrainian military targets, including troop concentrations in the east, an artillery battery near the eastern settlement of Zarozhne and rocket launchers near the southern city of Mykolaiv.

The war has devastated Ukraine's medical infrastructure, Zelenskyy said in a video link to a charity event in the U.K. Nearly 400 health care facilities have been damaged or destroyed, he said.

There is simply a catastrophic situation regarding access to medical services and medicines, in areas occupied by Russian forces, he said. "Even the simplest drugs are lacking.

With the challenge of mine-clearing and rebuilding after the war in mind, Zelenskyy announced the launch of a global fundraising platform called United24.

At the same time, Poland hosted an international donor conference that raised $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid. The gathering was attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from many European countries, as well as representatives of other nations and some businesses.

In addition, a Ukrainian cabinet body began to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan, while Zelenskyy also urged Western allies to put forward a program similar to the post-World War II Marshall Plan plan to help Ukraine rebuild.
SLIAC/Slovakia (Reuters) - Germany will deliver seven self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, on top of five such artillery systems the Dutch government already pledged, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Friday.

Germany reversed its long-held policy of not sending heavy weapons to war zones last week following pressure at home and abroad for it to help Ukraine fend off Russian attacks.

The heavy weapons will come out of the Bundeswehr inventories and be delivered as soon as they emerge from maintenance over the next weeks, Lambrecht and her chief of defence, general Eberhard Zorn, told reporters in the Slovak town of Sliac.

The training of the first group of some 20 Ukrainian troops on the Panzerhaubitze 2000 is expected to kick off next week in the German town of Idar-Oberstein, Zorn said, adding that these troops had experience in operating Soviet-built howitzers.

Ukraine's pleas for heavy weapons have intensified since Moscow has turned its heaviest firepower on the country's east and south, after failing to take the capital Kyiv.

Berlin will also supply a first ammunition package for the howitzers built by German defence company KMW, Zorn said, with further ammunition purchases to be handled directly between Kyiv and the company.

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 is one of the most powerful artillery weapons in the Bundeswehr inventories and can hit targets at a distance of 40 kms (25 miles).

Last week, Berlin agreed for the first time to supply Kyiv with heavy weapons, in that case Gepard air-defence tanks, after critics accused Germany of dragging its heels on heavy weapons deliveries to Kyiv.

Most of the heavy weapons NATO countries have sent to Ukraine so far are Soviet-built arms still in the inventories of east European NATO member states, but the United States and some other allies have started to supply Kyiv with Western howitzers.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.

Lambrecht will meet her Dutch counterpart Kajsa Ollongren later in the day in Sliac where both countries have deployed Patriot air defence since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
LEBANON, Ind. (AP)  A central Indiana man charged with murder in connection with the March death of his wife is one of three candidates who advanced in a primary election this week for a township board.

Andrew Wilhoite, 40, of Lebanon received 60 of the 276 total votes Tuesday for Republicans for three positions on the Clinton Township Board, Boone County election results show.

Indiana township boards consist of three members, state officials said. The local Republican primary race drew only three candidates and no candidates filed for the Democratic primary ticket, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Wilhoite was arrested in late March in the death of 41-year-old Elizabeth Nikki Wilhoite. Hes been held since then in the Boone County Jail without bond.

Indiana State Police have said Andrew Wilhoite struck Nikki Wilhoite in the head with a blunt object, knocking her out. He then put her in a vehicle and drove to a creek a few miles from their home and dumped her body there, police said.

Police found Nikki Wilhoites body on March 26 partially submerged in about 3 feet (1 meter) of water.

Court records indicate Nikki Wilhoite filed for divorce on March 17. The couple had been married for 12 years.

Andrew Wilhoite's jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 29, online court records show.

If he is convicted of a felony before the Nov. 8 general election, he would automatically be removed from the ballot. No Democrats have filed for the Clinton Township Board.

Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty, said Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division.

A message seeking comment on the charges Wilhoite faces was left Friday by The Associated Press for Wilhoites attorney.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews stand behind police tape after a stabbing attack in the town of Elad, Israel, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Israeli medics say at least three people were killed in a stabbing attack near Tel Aviv on Thursday night. Israeli police said they suspect it was a militant attack. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli security forces were waging a massive manhunt Friday for two Palestinians suspected of carrying out a stabbing rampage near Tel Aviv that left three Israelis dead.

The stabbing on Thursday, Israel's Independence Day, was the latest in a series of deadly assaults deep inside the country in recent weeks. It came as Israeli-Palestinian tensions were already heightened by violence at a major holy site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims.

Police said they were searching for two suspects, 19 and 20 years old, from the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, which has re-emerged as a militant bastion in the latest wave of violence  the worst Israel has seen in years. Several attackers have come from in or around Jenin, and Israeli forces have launched arrest raids that have ignited gunbattles there.

We will get our hands on the terrorists and their supportive environment, and they will pay the price, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said after huddling with senior security officials late Thursday. Authorities said the attackers fled in a vehicle.

Medics described a horrific scene in Elad, an ultra-Orthodox town near Tel Aviv. In addition to the three killed, four others were wounded, one of them critically.

Israeli media identified those killed as Yonatan Havakuk, Boaz Gol and Oren Ben Yiftah, three fathers in their 30s and 40s who together are survived by 16 children. Funerals will be held on Friday.

Ben Yiftah, 35 years old and the father of six, was from the central city of Lod. The city's mayor, Yair Revivo, said our heart breaks into tiny pieces" in a Facebook post, calling it a great tragedy."

Israel marked its Independence Day on Thursday, a festive national holiday in which people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz extended a closure on the West Bank, imposed ahead of the holiday to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel, to remain in effect until Sunday.

In Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the horrific attack targeting innocent men and women.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government administers autonomous zones in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security, also condemned the attack.

The killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians leads only to more deterioration at a time when all of us try to achieve stability and prevent escalation, the official Wafa news agency quoted him as saying.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the attack and linked it to violence at the Jerusalem holy site.

The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque cant go unpunished, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said. The heroic operation in Tel Aviv is a practical translation of what the resistance had warned against.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam and is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It lies at the emotional heart of the conflict, and Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed there repeatedly in recent weeks.

Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it.

Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses Hamas of inciting the recent violence.

At least 18 Israelis have been killed in five attacks since March, including another stabbing rampage in southern Israel, two shootings in the Tel Aviv area, and a shooting last weekend in a West Bank settlement.

Nearly 30 Palestinians have died in violence  most of whom had carried out attacks or were involved in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank. But an unarmed woman and two apparent bystanders were also among those killed, and rights groups say Israel often uses excessive force.

Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war a year ago, fueled in large part by similar unrest in Jerusalem.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem  which includes Al-Aqsa and other major religious sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims  in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state. The last serious peace talks collapsed more than a decade ago.

___

Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada contributed.
A map of central L.A. neighborhoods shows where a pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus in Pico-Union

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus in Los Angeles' Pico-Union neighborhood late Thursday night, authorities said.

The crash occurred around 10:11 p.m. at the intersection of West Pico Boulevard and South Vermont Avenue, said Officer Drake Madison, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.

The pedestrian was declared dead at the scene, Madison said. Officers remained on scene late Thursday to investigate the crash.

Further information about the crash and the victim was not immediately available.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The death of David Bennett Sr., who received a pig heart in place of his own, may have been hastened by another thing he got from the pig: a common virus.

In Bennett's weakened state, the virus called pig cytomegalovirus, or CMV, might have been one of several factors that contributed to his eventual demise, according to Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, who co-led the University of Maryland Medicine team that performed the Jan. 7 transplant.

Bennett died two months after receiving the pig heart, which itself was a last-ditch effort to save his life.

Bennett's autopsy suggested that while the pig heart had been pumping well, scar tissue was building up in the organ, thickening it and preventing it from fully relaxing after pushing through the blood.

Examination also revealed the presence of pig cytomegalovirus, the porcine version of a very common human virus usually kept in check by the immune system. A PCR analysis of tissue from Bennett's heart showed some viral DNA, though researchers found no clear signs of infection.

The pig CMV clearly came from the transplant and was not something Bennett caught earlier, Mohiuddin said, although the pig had been checked for the virus using all available testing methods.

No scientific evidence suggests a pig CMV infection could cause the thickening seen in Bennett's heart, he said, but it can't entirely be ruled out.

Information about the presence of pig CMV was first reported by Technology Review, based on a presentation Mohiuddin's colleague gave at a scientific conference.

It was one of three or four factors that could have contributed to Bennett's death, Mohiuddin said, pointing particularly to the Maryland man's weakened state before, during and after the transplant surgery.

"All these things were going on and all contributed to his up and down condition," said Mohiuddin, whose team plans to publish its findings shortly in a scientific journal. "Whether all of them contributed a little bit (to his death) or one contributed more than another, that's the difficult part."

Before Bennett's experience, it wasn't clear whether the human body would immediately reject a pig heart, even one from a pig that had been gene-edited to reduce rejection risk.

Understanding precisely what led to Bennett's death will help the field avoid similar situations in the future, he said.

So-called xenotransplantation is being developed as an alternative to human-to-human transplantation, which is not readily available enough to meet the demand for new organs. More than 100,000 people sit on organ transplant wait lists and many, like Bennett, never qualify at all.

The only way to make xenotransplantation a viable alternative for people in dire need of new organs, Mohiuddin said, will be to keep trying the approach in volunteers like Bennett and to keep learning from them.

"This needs to continue," he said. "We may have some obstacles in our way, but we won't find out about them unless we do these kinds of experiments."

Dave Bennett Sr., left, and David Bennett Jr., right, are photographed on Jan. 12. Dave Bennett, 57, agreed to be the first to risk experimental surgery, the first time a gene-edited pig has been used as an organ donor.

Historic but risky procedure

Bennett had a rocky last five months.

He began experiencing severe chest pains and severe shortness of breath in October, which eventually led him to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

For 40 days, Bennett was kept alive by a machine that took over the function of both his heart and lungs. He was not considered a good candidate for a heart transplant because he hadn't always followed doctors' orders in the past.

Because of the scarcity of hearts available for transplant, only people likely to do well with the new organ are considered eligible. An irregular heartbeat also made him a poor candidate for an artificial heart pump.

So in late 2021, doctors at the University of Maryland approached him with a never-before-tried option. They could replace his heart with one from a pig that had been gene-edited to make it less likely to be rejected by the human body.

The procedure had been tested before in baboons but never in humans and, like most medical firsts, it was unlikely to buy him much more time, Bennett was told.

But Bennett, 57, who had spent time in prison for stabbing a man in a barroom brawl in the 1980s, decided to take one more shot at life.

Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin directs the program in cardiac xenotransplantation at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The Jan. 7 transplant procedure went well overall, but during the operation, his aorta, the body's main artery, began to come apart. Surgeons had to quickly implant a graft and a stent to shore it up.

That procedure might also have been a contributing factor to his eventual death.

For 49 days, though, the new heart, which had once beaten inside the chest of an genetically modified adolescent pig, seemed to be working just fine inside Bennett.

"He was sitting up in the chair, waving at us," said Mohiuddin.

Bennett got to watch one more Super Bowl, on Feb. 13, as the Rams beat the Bengals, singing along with "America the Beautiful."

His recovery to that point had seemed steady but was not perfect. Twice after the transplant, surgeons had to go into his abdomen to relieve an intestinal infection. They also reduced his immune-suppressing medication for a time worrying that a rampant infection might kill him and gave him antibodies to help him fight infection.

On day 49 after the surgery, he started to go downhill and spent his last days back on a heart-lung machine before dying on March 8.

David Bennett Jr., left, Dave Bennett Sr., center, and Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of the Program in Cardiac Xenotransplantation at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, are photographed on Jan. 12, 2022. Dave Bennett, 57, of Maryland, agreed to be the first to risk experimental surgery, the first time a gene-edited pig has been used as an organ donor.

Mohiuddin said there wasn't one obvious cause of Bennett's death. The fact that he was on a heart-lung machine for so long before the transplant clearly weakened him and could have contributed to his death. The aorta problem during surgery could also have been a factor, as could the reduction in anti-immune medication, along with the CMV, Mohiuddin said.

Animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the presence of the pig virus highlighted a long-term concern that using pig organs will transmit viruses to people.

"The public has little appetite for experimenters folly-prone, blind tinkering that wastes lives, time, and money, while potentially exposing the public to new viruses that mutate as they jump from species to species," PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a statement. "Xenotransplantation should be relegated to the garbage heap of arrogant, speciesist vanity projects that harm more than they help."

But Bennett's death did not discourage the field of xenotransplantation, Mohiuddin said.

"I'm more hopeful than ever before," he said.

Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA 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.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pig heart transplant: Pig virus may have had role in patient's death
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California Democrats have accelerated their plan to make the nations most populous state a sanctuary for women seeking abortions, propelled by the release this week of an early draft of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has ignited a surge of activism among the states vast network of providers and advocacy groups.

The draft  which could change when a final ruling is issued, likely next month  would end nearly 50 years of federal abortion protections. Just hours after a leaked copy was published, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the states top legislative leaders said they would seek voter approval to make abortions a constitutional right in California, a move designed to shield the state from future court rulings and a potential federal abortion ban should Republicans win control of Congress.

On Thursday, Democrats in the state Legislature fast-tracked a bill that would block other states laws from imposing civil or criminal penalties on people who provide or aid abortions in California, setting up another likely prolonged legal fight over state sovereignty.

The California Legislative Womens Caucus has asked Newsom for $20 million to help pay for women from other states where abortion would be outlawed to come to California for the procedure  a sum the governor could announce in his revised budget proposal next week.

In just 48 hours after the draft ruling became public, Californias only statewide nonprofit that helps women travel to and within the state to get abortions raised $25,000  a quarter of its normal annual spending  while fielding a flood of calls from people volunteering to give free rides or a place to stay to women looking to end their pregnancies.

For Madilynne Hoffman, Californias preparations are comforting. The 22-year-old mother of two ended her pregnancy in December at an abortion clinic in the state's Central Valley.

When she returned to a different clinic later for birth control, she said a protester followed her to her car. That experience, coupled with the draft court ruling, prompted her to look for volunteer opportunities at clinics.

Thats really saddening to think that women have to fight for their bodies, she said. It should just be an automatic right."

California's legislative efforts represent the opening salvos in the next phase of the abortion rights battle, which will play out among state governments that are left to make and enforce their own rules if the federal protections are abolished. Already, Republican-led states like Oklahoma and Idaho have passed more restrictive abortion laws in anticipation of the courts ruling.

Democratic-led states like California, meanwhile, are passing laws to expand abortion access.

The Democrats who control all levers of power in state government have written 13 bills that would authorize more medical providers to perform abortions, create scholarships for reproductive care doctors, block other states from accessing some California medical records, and create a fund for taxpayer money to help pay for women in states where abortion is illegal to come to California to get the procedure. A measure that makes abortions cheaper by banning co-pays and deductibles has already been signed into law.

Meanwhile, abortion providers are busy hiring more doctors and adding space to receive a predicted surge in patients. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the nations largest Planned Parenthood affiliate, is renovating and building new facilities in Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, Visalia and Reno, Nevada. When theyre finished, it will boost their capacity from 200 to 500 patients per week.

Weve been preparing for it for over a year  and honestly since November 2016, when Republican Donald Trump was elected president, said Andrew Adams, Planned Parenthood Mar Montes chief of staff and head of strategic communications.

Anti-abortion advocates are getting ready, too, by bolstering staffing and support at crisis pregnancy centers. These centers, which often locate near abortion clinics and are religiously affiliated, seek to convince women to forego abortion for adoption or other options.

Some of these centers in conservative states receive tens of millions of dollars in public money. California has been hostile to these centers, passing a law requiring them to tell clients about abortion services. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that law in 2018.

We believe that is the way people of faith and the pro-life community can really help to put our money where our mouth is, said Jonathan Keller, president and CEO of the California Family Council, which opposes abortion. No woman should ever feel like abortion is the best option for them.

While abortion has been legal in every state, its not easily accessible everywhere, especially for people who live in poor or rural areas. Across the country, nearly 100 abortion funds exist to help these women pay for things like travel, lodging and child care they need to make their appointments.

Since Monday, a national digital fundraising platform for these groups has raised about $1 million, according to Sierra Harris, deputy director of network strategy for the National Network of Abortion Funds.

California has one statewide abortion fund, known as Access Reproductive Justice. The group helps roughly 500 women each year, about a third whom come from other states, according to Executive Director Jessica Pinckney. Each woman gets an average of $300 to $400 in assistance.

That doesnt pay for everything. To fill the gaps, the group relies on a set of 50 core volunteers who stand ready to give rides, places to stay and extra cash. Those volunteers include Harris, who lives in Oakland.

Since the pandemic, most of the assistance Harris gives is cash. The mother of two small children, Harris recalled a time when she pitched in to buy another woman a plane ticket so she could travel to get an abortion. The woman was also a mother, and later sent Harris a card calling her an angel.

The woman said her help made it possible for her "to parent the child I have, Harris said. I think about that all the time.
Russian forces outside Mariupol Azovstal Steel Plant in southern Ukraine appear to have breached the perimeter. And they may be making a final attempt at taking control.

New video shows military vehicles inside and a series of explosions.

"Yet again, the Russians have broken their promise of truce and have made it impossible to evacuate," said Captain Sviatoslav Palamar, who's stationed inside the steel plant.

The development comes as a U.N. convoy moves closer in an attempt to help hundreds of civilians still trapped inside.

"Russia is showing absolutely no respect whatsoever to their lives," said Ukrainian Parliament Member Anastasia Radina.

According to an adviser to Ukraine's internal affairs ministry, an electrician who knew the plant's layout aided the Russians.

"He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory," he said.

The former head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service tells Newsy he's not optimistic for the besieged soldiers.

NEWSY'S JASON BELLINI: Do you think those soldiers and civilians who are down there will make it out alive?

MYKOLA MALOMUZH: They have a chance of surviving if we provide a special operation for their liberation. We proposed to President Zelenskyy that he organize several powerful counter-attacks at night, landing special forces in Mariupol, destroying Russian troops and liberating those people. Our political leaders still havent decided to do this. They should have done it two weeks ago.

Zelenskyy says more than 300 people were rescued over the past day.

He says efforts to free more are slow because people are trapped under debris.

He says he still hopes quote "everything will work out."

It appears there are about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters holed up under that steel plant.

They are the ones fighting back as Russian troops continue trying to force their way inside.

Despite video evidence proving otherwise, the Kremlin says its troops aren't storming the plant at all.
DALLAS (AP)  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday that the state bar association plans to sue him over his failed efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election based on bogus claims of fraud, raising yet another legal danger as the embattled Republican is locked in a primary runoff.

Since last summer, the State Bar of Texas has been investigating complaints over Paxton's petitioning of the U.S. Supreme Court to block President Joe Bidens victory over Donald Trump. The group has not publicly filed a suit against Paxton, but it asked an Austin-area court Friday to impose unspecified discipline on a member of his staff for alleged professional misconduct in the election suit.

Paxton's top deputy, Brent Webster, was dishonest and made false statements in petitioning the Supreme Court to overturn the election, according to the bar's complaint to a Williamson County court. Webster did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Paxton said he stood behind his challenge to the unconstitutional 2020 presidential election, as he blasted the bar and announced an investigation into a charitable group associated with it.

I am certain that the bar will not only lose but be fully exposed for what they are: a liberal activist group masquerading as a neutral professional association, Paxton said on Twitter.

The bar, which is a branch of the Texas Supreme Court, said in a statement that partisan political considerations play no role in its actions. State law prohibits it from discussing investigations unless a public complaint is filed and a spokesman declined to comment.

In bringing a court action against an attorney, the bar can seek punishment ranging from a written admonition to suspension or disbarment. The discipline process resembles a trial and could include both sides taking testimony and obtaining records through discovery.

The bar complaints against Paxton alleged that his petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 election was frivolous and unethical. The high court threw out the case and Trumps own Justice Department found no evidence of fraud that could have changed the elections outcome.

Paxton forecast the legal action against him during the final weeks of his Republican primary runoff against state Land Commissioner George P. Bush.

A two-term incumbent, Paxton drew an unusual number of primary challenges after eight of his top deputies told the FBI in 2020 that the attorney general had been using his office to benefit a wealthy donor. They accused him of bribery, abuse of office and other crimes prompting an ongoing federal investigation.

Paxton has denied wrongdoing and separately pleaded not guilty in a state securities fraud case that has languished since 2015. His defense lawyer, Philip Hilder, declined to comment.

Shortly after saying the bar plans to sue him, Paxton's office announced that it will be investigating the Texas Bar Foundation for its possibly aiding and abetting the mass influx of illegal aliens. The charitable group's board is partially appointed by the bar president.

In a one-page letter the attorney general's office said the foundation has been knowingly giving donations to entities that encourage, participate in, and fund illegal immigration at the Texas-Mexico border." The letter does not name the entities.

The Texas Bar Foundation chair-elect, Alistair Dawson, said in a statement that said she was extremely disappointed to learn of Paxton's investigation but will nonetheless cooperate.

Had AG Paxton taken the time to come and speak with us rather than issue a press release, I am confident that he would have found no wrongdoing on the part of the foundation, Dawson said.

Gary Ratner, an attorney with Lawyers Defending American Democracy, which brought one of the complaints against Paxton, declined to comment. Kevin Moran, a Democratic Party activist in Galveston, who brought another, did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
China opposes NATO's provocation of bloc confrontations around globe

Xinhua) 13:19, May 06, 2022

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China is firmly opposed to NATO provocating bloc confrontations around the world, a Chinese envoy to the United Nations said Thursday during the Security Council briefing on Ukraine.

"Clinging to the anachronistic doctrine of security and keen to provoke bloc confrontations and create tensions in Europe and even the Asia Pacific region and the wider world, such practices as harmful to others as they are deleterious to the perpetrators themselves, and deserve nothing less than China's firm opposition," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Talking about the lessons from the Ukraine crisis, Zhang said, "To base one country's security on the insecurity of other countries is neither reasonable nor operable. NATO's repeated eastward expansion after the Cold War has not only failed to make Europe any safer, but also sowed the seeds of conflict."

"Contrary to its claim to be an organization defensive in nature, NATO has wantonly launched wars against sovereign countries, causing colossal casualties and humanitarian disasters," he said.

On May 7, 1999, NATO fired a number of precision-guided missiles at the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists and injuring more than 20 Chinese diplomats.

"The Chinese people will never forget this barbaric atrocity, and will never allow such history to repeat itself. Now that the Cold War is behind us, NATO should naturally size up the situation and make necessary adjustments," Zhang stressed.

Zhang noted that the world does not need a new Cold War, and it cannot afford greater turmoil and division.

"China solemnly advocates that in order to solve the practical problems of the security for all humanity and seek long-term solution to world peace, all countries should reaffirm their commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, earnestly uphold the principle of indivisibility of security, forge synergy through consultations, and build together a balanced, effective and sustainable global and regional security architecture," he added.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with US Senator, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez during his working visit in Washington D.C., the foreign ministry said in a press release.

Member of the Committee, Senator Jim Risch also attended the meeting.

The sides touched upon the agenda of the Armenian-American relations, as well as the security situation around Armenia and Artsakh, and a number of issues relating to regional security.

The sides praised also the achievements registered in the Armenian-American diplomatic relations over the past 30 years. The Armenian FM highlighted the importance of the US support to Armenias ongoing reforms, strengthening of democracy, economy development, as well as touched upon the significance of the agreements reached during the visit.

At the meeting FM Mirzoyan also highly valued the contribution of Senator Menendez to the adoption of the Senate resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian FM also presented the humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh and the position of Armenia over the peaceful settlement of the NK conflict. In this context the impermissibility of provocation of tension by Azerbaijan was emphasized.

The sides stressed the necessity for repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives held in Azerbaijan.

Ararat Mirzoyan also presented the latest developments in the Armenia-Turkey normalization process.

Ararat Mirzoyan handed over the Friendship Order to Bob Menendez, who was awarded on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Armenia-US diplomatic relations, for his significant contributions to the development and strengthening of the Armenian-American friendly relations.
YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. During his visit to the United States the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with the International Republican Institutes (IRI) Regional Director for Eurasia Stephen Nix in Washington, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

FM Mirzoyan attached importance to the IRIs programs in Armenia that seek to support the reforms agenda in various areas of public administration.

Nix said that the IRI will continue its work aimed at support and development of capabilities of Armenias democratic institutions.

FM Mirzoyan said that strengthening of democracy and the rule of law and the continuous fight against corruption are among the priorities of the Armenian government. He added that Armenia is taking consistent steps to increase transparency and accountability of state bodies and human rights-based inclusive development.
YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. President Vahagn Khachaturyan held a meeting with Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan.

The presidency said in a statement that views were exchanged around issues relating to security matters.
Tirumurti reiterated that India 'remains on the side of peace and therefore believes that there will be no winning side in this conflict'

New Delhi: Indias permanent representative to the United Nations T.S. Tirumurti on Friday snubbed the Dutch envoy to Britain Mr Karel van Oosterom and asked him not to patronise India after he reportedly questioned Indias abstentions at the UN during the voting on resolutions to condemn Russia for its military offensive in Ukraine.

At a UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Ukraine in New York in the early hours of Friday (India time), Mr Tirumurti reiterated that India remains on the side of peace and therefore believes that there will be no winning side in this conflict.

Responding to the Dutch envoys comment, Mr Tirumurti tweeted on Friday, Kindly dont patronise us ambassador. We know what to do. India is currently a non-permanent member of the 15-nation UNSC. The spat comes amid Indias continuing discussions with Western particularly European nations recently on the Ukraine conflict, even as many in the West are upset over Indias refusal to condemn its time-tested friend Russia. Earlier this week, Indias new foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had said that India's position on the Ukraine conflict balances both New Delhis principles and interests.

In his statement at the UNSC, Mr Tirumurti said, Ever since the commencement of the conflict in Ukraine, India has been consistently calling for complete cessation of hostilities and for pursuing the path of dialogue and diplomacy as the only way out. However, the conflict has resulted in loss of lives and countless miseries for its people, particularly for women, children and elderly with millions becoming homeless and forced to take shelter in neighbouring countries.

Mr Tirumurti pointed out, India has strongly condemned killings of civilians in (Ukranian town) Bucha and supported the call for an independent investigation. We support all efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people of Ukraine. India remains on the side of peace and therefore believes that there will be no winning side in this conflict and while those impacted by this conflict will continue to suffer, diplomacy will be a lasting casualty.

He added, We agree that the immediate priority is of evacuation of innocent civilians from areas witnessing intense fighting... The conflict is having a destabilising effect with broader regional and global implications. Oil prices are sky-rocketing and there is a shortage of food grains and fertilisers. This has had a disproportionate impact on the global South and developing countries... Let me conclude by reaffirming that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.
Delhi police claimed that the Punjab cops did not inform the local police before arresting Mr Bagga from his residence in Delhi

Police personnel stand guard as BJP workers protest against arrest of party spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, at Janakpuri police station in New Delhi, Friday, May 6, 2022. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: A bitter slugfest between the BJP and the AAP ensued after the arrest of Delhi BJP spokesperson and the national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Tajinder Bagga by the Punjab police from his Delhi residence on Friday. Police forces from three states  Punjab, Delhi and Haryana  got embroiled in dramatic developments that befit a blockbuster thriller. It all started with the Punjab police arresting Mr Bagga from his home, only to be stopped at Kurukshetra by the Haryana police en route to Mohali and hours later brought back to the national capital by the Delhi police after it acted on a complaint of kidnapping by the BJP leaders father.

The drama, an outcome of a bitter political rivalry between the AAP and the BJP, began around 8am when over a dozen personnel of the Punjab police swooped down on Mr Bagga's residence in Jankapuri, West Delhi.

The news about the arrest of Mr Bagga by Punjab police became public after BJP leader Kapil Mishra posted about it on the social media. "Tajinder Bagga was arrested and taken away by 50 Punjab police personnel from his house," Mr Mishra wrote on Twitter.

Soon afterwards, Mr Baggas 67-year-old father Preetpal Singh Bagga, who Mr Mishra claimed was thrashed and punched by the Punjab police, lodged a complaint with the Delhi police. He claimed that some people came to his residence around 8am and took away his son and did not even allow his son to wear a turban.

The Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta accompanied Mr Singh when he went to the police stations to file an FIR. A case of kidnapping was registered at the Janakpuri police station.

The action then shifted to Kurukshetra, where around 2pm the convoy of the Punjab police was stopped by the Haryana police. Explaining their action, the Haryana police officials said they had received the information that Mr Bagga was forcibly picked up from his residence. We were altered by the Delhi Police about the abducted victim. We are duty bound to verify and crosscheck such developments, the officials added.

The drama climaxed with a Delhi police team reaching Kurukshetras Thana Sadar police station in Pipli and taking the custody' of Mr Bagga from the Punjab police. Mr Bagga was then brought back to Delhi by the police team that also included DCP (outer) Sameer Sharma and additional DCP (west) Prashant Gautam.

The Delhi police claimed that the Punjab cops did not inform the local police before arresting Mr Bagga from his residence in Delhi's Janakpuri.

DCP (west) Ghanshyam Bansal said that information was received from Mr Singh that his son has been abducted around 8.30am from his house by some unknown persons.

A wireless message was flashed and the said vehicle was intercepted by the Haryana police at Kurukshetra. A search warrant was obtained from the concerned Dwarka court based on which assistance of Kurukshetra district police was taken to trace and abducted victim was recovered. He will be brought to Delhi and will be produced before the concerned honourable court as per law, said the DCP.

As per the FIR, Mr Singh stated that on Friday, when he was at home along with his son, around 8.30am, someone knocked the door. When I opened the door, some persons entered home and manhandled me. Some of them had weapons and they started asking me where is Tajinder? When I asked them what they wanted from Tajinder, they slapped me. Later, my son came there and he too was beaten up. When I tried to intervene, they pushed me, the FIR reads.

When I took out my phone to make their video, they beat me up and snatched my mobile. Later, they forcefully took away my son who was not allowed to wear a turban and was dragged out of the house, the FIR further stated.

Following the arrest, the Punjab police, in a statement, said, "The accused was served five notices under Sections 41 A CrPC to come and join the investigation. The notices dated April 9, 11, 15, 22 and 28 were duly served upon. Despite that, the accused deliberately did not join the investigation."

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) defended the move by the Punjab police and claimed that the state police had registered a case against him last month after he, through his social media posts, tried to create communal tension and incite violence in the state.

The AAP also alleged that the Punjab police personnel were illegally detained by the Delhi police officials at Janakpuri police station when they had reached there to inform about their action.

Saurabh Bhardwaj, the AAP spokesperson, said that a case against Mr Bagga was filed last month after the BJP leader, through his social media posts, tried to create communal tension and incite violence in the state and because of such statements, the Punjab police lodged an FIR and now arrested Bagga.

Countering the arrest the BJP launched a full-blown attack on AAP. From sharing videos and photos of the incident, to alleging that Mr Baggas father was assaulted, tweets poured out on the social media website by the BJP leaders.

Delhi BJP leaders and workers headed by the partys state president staged a protest and raised slogans against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the Punjab police even as the Delhi police tried to stop them from moving to the AAP headquarters on DDU Marg.

Delhi BJP chief said a complaint has been lodged at the Janakpuri police station in the national capital over the Punjab police allegedly beating of Mr Bagga's father.

"FIR was lodged at Janakpuri police station over the Punjab police beating Tajinder Bagga's father. Sending 50-60 Punjab police personnel to the house of the young BJP leader, forcibly lifting him and getting his elderly father beaten up is proof of the dictatorial mindset of Arvind Kejriwal," Mr Gupta tweeted in Hindi.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that a Sikh, a reference to Mr Bagga, has been "insulted" despite Punjab having a Sikh chief minister in Bhagwant Mann.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the party strongly condemns the arrest of Mr Bagga. "It's highly shameful that Mr Kejriwal has started political misuse of power and the police in AAP-ruled Punjab to scare his opponents. Every citizen of Delhi stands with Mr Bagga and his family in this hour of crisis," he said.
The Life Insurance Company recently made its initial public offering. A corporate giant that is as old as the modern Indian state, the company is worth more than US$ 500 billion but only 3 per cent of the Indian population has life insurance.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  India's largest state-owned insurance company is going public. The Life Insurance Company (LIC) began offering shares this week with an initial public offering (IPO) worth US$ 2.75 billion, a 3.5 per cent stake in the business but also India's largest share sale.

Almost as old as the country, LIC was set up from the merger of 245 private insurance companies; it began issuing life insurance policies in 1956, with a monopoly until the early 2000s.

After 20 years of private competition, LICs market share now stands at 66 per cent. The company remains an insurance giant with an asset base that tops US$ 520 billion, more than the GDP of various countries thanks to nearly 280 million policies.

It makes massive investments in government bonds and in the stock market, but has grown thanks to direct sales, and a savings culture developed over the decades.

According to some estimates, out of 100 rupees saved by Indian families, 10 go to LIC. And between 2019 and 2021, its share of household financial savings was greater than that of bank deposits and pension funds.

However, only 3.3 per cent of Indias population has taken out life insurance. Even fewer, only 1 per cent in 2020, have coverage against damages.

In 2019, the difference between the insurance required and actually available was 83 per cent. Growth potential is there, and all insurance companies saw a gradual increase, all except LIC.

According to GlobalData, the state-owned company, despite its leading position, has lost ground to private groups. In 2016-2020, four major insurance companies (HDFC, SBI, ICICI Prudential, Max Life) recorded double-digit growth, LIC did no.

The main reason is the companys direct, door to door approach, whereas private companies rely more on online sales.

The opposition has criticised the government's decision to sell LIC shares, accusing it of giving away the family silverware; for millions, it is their social safety net.

The listing was actually postponed due to market volatility resulting from the war in Ukraine; experts believe in fact that LIC offer could have been higher had the timing been different.

Last month, the size of LICs offering, which was initially pegged at 5 per cent, was expected to raise US$ 8 billion to finance the governments debt.

However, certain analysts believe the current offer to be adequate considering that since October 2021 foreign investors have withdrawn nearly US$ 20 billion from India.

Due to rising energy costs and lower growth forecasts, Indian governments revenues are expected to shrink further. Thus, LICs decision to be listed is an attempt to counter the economys decline.

Still, although LICs growth potential remains high, it must try to keep up with the times in order not to lose more market share to its private sector rivals.
Today more than 30,000 Lebanese expatriates vote in Mideast countries, casting their ballots at Lebanese diplomatic missions. On Sunday, another 195,000 will vote elsewhere in the world, like in the United States and Australia. The countrys never-ending political and economic crises and the 2020 Port of Beirut explosion dominated the campaign.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  This morning thousands of Lebanese began to vote in the first stage of a process that will on 15 May. For analysts and experts, the poll is a crucial test for the countrys future.

About 31,000 Lebanese expats can vote today in 10 Mideast countries. On Sunday, another 195,000 can do the same elsewhere in the world, most notably in the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, the European Union and African nations. For the latter, this is an absolute first since they were excluded from the vote in the past.

In Lebanon itself, voters will be able to cast their ballot on 15 May to pick 128 new members of Parliament, the first election since the countrys economy started a downward spiral in October 2019 triggering nationwide mass protests and unrest.

The countrys politicians and government institutions stand accused of decades of corruption and mismanagement.

This is also the first election since the Port of Beirut was a hit by a massive explosion on 4 August 2020, which killed over 200 people and devastated large sections of the capital.

Many of the Lebanese voting abroad today and next Sunday left the country in the past two years because of its catastrophic state.

Many activists and members of the opposition are running to remove from office traditional parties and leaders who have been in power for ages.

However, anti-establishment groups are divided and struggling to come up with a united approach to trigger change from a position of strength.

Todays 30,929 registered voters live in places like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman and Egypt, with voting taking place in Lebanons diplomatic missions.

In Lebanon, general elections are held every four years. The last time was in 2018 and saw Hezbollah and its allies win a majority.

One of the countrys most prominent politicians, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, announced his retirement from politics and so will not be running, which could help Hezbollah's Sunni allies, and give a boost to the Shia-dominated party.

One of the first tasks the new parliament will have to tackle is elect a new president to succeed Michel Aoun.

Under the constitution, the seats in Lebanons parliament are equally divided between Christians and Muslims. The president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim.

At present, 70 per cent of Lebanons six million people live in conditions of poverty. The country also hosts millions of Syrian refugees.

According to the World Bank, the country is experiencing one of the worlds worst crises since 1850.
by Shafique Khokhar

Solemnly inaugurated by Archbishop Joseph Arshad, the church is located in Rawalpindi district, home to many industries, near the archaeological site of ancient Sirkap. Before, there was no church in Taxila, said Fr Shamaun, the new parish priest. It is a true miracle [. . .] after more than 25 years of battles. The church will draw locals but also pilgrims.

Taxila (AsiaNews)  On Monday, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, together with priests from his archdiocese, solemnly inaugurated and blessed the new Catholic church of St Thomas the Apostle, in Taxila Cantonment, Rawalpindi district, Punjab province.

According to tradition, Saint Thomas arrived in the area in 33 AD to preach the Gospel to the poor. Today, Taxila is known for its heavy industries in the defence and engineering sectors.

After blessing the doors and the altar, the archbishop led the Eucharistic celebration in the new church in the presence of a large number of nuns from different congregations, as well as catechists and worshippers.

Saint Thomas is considered the Apostle of Asia. Historical sources indicate that after the resurrection of Jesus he reached the area of present-day India and Pakistan where he worked as a builder and was greatly admired for his skills.

At that time, King Gondophares ruled the region from his capital, of Sirkap, which today is an archaeological site on the bank opposite the city of Taxila, 35 km from Islamabad.

For Fr James Shamaun, the new parish priest, the place where the church was built is close to where the apostle used to preach.

The inauguration of this beautiful church is a historic moment; previously, there was no church in Taxila. We all prayed and celebrated in the open air, he explained. It is a true miracle that God has given us this land and after more than 25 years of battles, the project was approved.

With the Church of St Thomas completed, Archbishop Arshad thanked Fr Shamaun for his dedication to getting it built for local Catholics and future pilgrims who will come from near and far.

We are grateful to Saint Thomas the Apostle for choosing this continent and harvesting the seeds of faith in our land, said the prelate. Today the completion of this church is a test of the faith of the people.
Anooshavan Avedian, who will be 60 years old tomorrow, will be deprived of "social rights" for another decade upon release from prison. Together with him two other believers, 45 year old Abbas Soori and 46 year old Maryam Mohammadi (both converts from Islam) will be sentenced. Prison confessions were extracted through "psychological torture".

Tehran (AsiaNews) - An Iranian Christian of Armenian origin is to serve 10 years in prison, following his conviction for professing the faith and promoting teaching to other co-religionists inside his home. According to the court, he was guilty of "propaganda contrary to and offensive to the holy religion of Islam". The sentence against Anooshavan Avedian, who tomorrow will be 60 years old in prison, dates back to last month but was released only in recent days by activists of Article18, a website specialized in documenting the repressions taking place in the country. Together with him, two members of the house church were sentenced: 45-year-old Abbas Soori and 46-year-old Maryam Mohammadi, both converts.

In addition to prison, once the terms are served the 60-year-old Armenian-Iranian Christian will be "deprived of social rights" for another 10 years. A further punishment that, among others, greatly restricts the possibilities of employment or job search in the Islamic Republic.

Soori and Mohammadi have avoided prison but, they too, are deprived of their rights for a decade and another two years, once the sentence is over, they will not be able to travel abroad, be part of political or social groups and will not be able to reside in Tehran or in the adjacent province. A hard blow for Maryam who runs a business in the capital and has a large local clientele. To this is added a fine of over 1,900 euros and the obligation to sign at the offices of the Ministry of Intelligence (Mois).

The affair of Anooshavan, Maryam and Abbas dates back to August 2020, when the first arrest took place, but has long remained under wraps. At least 30 intelligence agents raided the house in Narmak, northeast of the capital. At the time of the assault there were about 18 worshippers intent on praying and reading the readings. During the raid, copies of the Bible, personal belongings, cell phones and other computer equipment were confiscated, as well as passwords to smartphones and social networks. In the time between their arrest and conviction, they spent periods in the notorious Evin prison on the outskirts of Tehran, where they were subjected to interrogation, psychological torture and abuse.

The conviction of Anooshavan Avedian is the latest episode in a long series of arrests and convictions of Iranian Christians (and not), in an escalation that experts and activists call "worrying" violations of religious freedom. Local sources report blatant violations of the right to defense, with insults to their persons and to the faith professed during the trial. The only evidence used for the conviction was the report compiled by the intelligence service, which also included "confessions" extracted by force or deception during captivity.

In recent years, thousands of Christians belonging to domestic churches have been arrested by the authorities, and hundreds have been sentenced to prison on the charge of "acting against national security". These events contradict, in fact, the proclamations of Tehran and Iranian diplomatic representations around the world according to which Christians "continue to enjoy religious freedom, to carry out their activities of worship in their churches and to devote themselves to their own programs.
Francis told the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity that the war in Ukraine challenges the conscience of every Christian and every Church. Sadly, some countries saw certain egocentric revivals in certain Christian communities that have led them backwards. The pope hopes that the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025 will have an ecumenical dimension.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis met in the Consistory Hall with participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity,

In his address, the pontiff said that the war in Ukraine challenges the conscience of every Christian and every Church. For this reason, he said that no one should ignore the fact that divisions between Christians go in hand with conflict situations.

Taking advantage of the Councils first meeting in person after the pandemic, Francis noted that COVID-19 has offered the various confessions a chance to journey together.

Indeed, today, for a Christian, it is not possible or practicable to go alone [. . .]. [T]he awareness of ecumenism is such that one cannot think of journeying on the path of faith without the company of brothers and sisters from other Churches of ecclesial communities.

In some countries there are certain egocentric revivals  so to speak  of certain Christian communities that either go backwards, or cannot advance. Today, either we all walk together or we do not walk.

This issue is that more urgent because like conflicts in other parts of the world, Myanmar for example, the war in Ukraine, cruel and senseless like every war, has a greater dimension and threatens the entire world, and cannot but question the conscience of every Christian and every Church.

For this reason, We must ask ourselves: what have Churches done, and what can they do, to contribute to the development of a global community of fraternity based on the practice of social friendship on the part of peoples and nations.

In the last century, the awareness that the scandal of the division of Christians had historic relevance in generating the evil that poisoned the world with grief and injustice had moved communities of believers, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to desire the unity for which the Lord prayed and gave his life. Today, faced with the barbarism of war, this longing for unity must once again be nurtured.

Ignoring the divisions between Christians, out of habit or resignation, means tolerating that contamination of hearts that creates fertile ground for conflicts. The proclamation of the gospel of peace, that gospel that disarms hearts even before armies, will be more credible only if it is announced by Christians who are finally reconciled in Jesus, Prince of peace; Christians inspired by his message of universal love and fraternity, which transcends the boundaries of their own community and nation.

The pope also spoke about the ongoing discussions within the Pontifical Council on how to celebrate in an ecumenical way the first Council of Nicaea (325 AD) in 2025.

Despite the troubled events of its preparation and above all the subsequent long period of reception, the first ecumenical Council was an event of reconciliation for the Church, which in a synodal way reaffirmed its unity around the profession of its faith.

The style and the decisions of the Council of Nicaea should enlighten the current ecumenical journey and lead to practical steps towards the full reestablishment of Christian unity. Given that the 1700th anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea coincides with the Jubilee year, I hope that the celebration of the next Jubilee may have a relevant ecumenical dimension.

Francis also urged bishops conferences to listen to the brothers and sisters of other Christian confessions during the synodal process to which the Catholic Church has been called. If we truly want to listen to the voice of the Spirit, we must not fail to hear what he has said and is saying to all those who have been born again of water and the Spirit.

Last but not least, the pope noted that while It is true that theological work is very important, [. . .] we cannot wait for theologians to agree before we embark on the path of unity. Hence, Journey as brothers, in prayer together, in works of charity, in the search for truth. Like brothers. And this brotherhood is for all of us.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Industrialists call for the re-legalization of "patriot companies", corporate boxes that allow unrestricted access to market dynamics. The State should take over the debts of companies in difficulty. Russian banks ready to insure companies for 2 trillion rubles.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - A request from the business world in these days, when the weight of Western sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine is beginning to be felt, re-proposes in Russia the scenarios of the late 90s of last century, when the conversion to capitalist liberalism led to a severe economic crisis due to the collapse of the "financial pyramids". Entrepreneurs are now proposing to lift the ban on "firms-matrioske," the corporate boxes that allowed unrestricted access to market dynamics.

The authorities introduced the ban in 1995, when the perverse effects of the indiscriminate openings of three years earlier, with the drastic shift decided by Yeltsyn to the liberalist economy, were beginning to be noticed. In order to prevent possible fraud, the measure prevents company A from owning 100% of company B, which in turn owns 100% of company C. According to the Russian Union of Industrialists, such frauds would be impossible today, given the absolute control of state bodies over the entire economy.

The chairman of the Union of Industrialists, Aleksandr Sokhin, sent a letter to the chairman of the Duma Committee on Property Issues Sergey Gavrilov. He called for the extension of a rule approved in recent weeks at first reading, which allows the state to transfer 100% of shares to companies that in turn belong 100% to the Russian Federation. Currently, the state reserves a "golden share" in these companies, which is now being asked to be eliminated, and to extend the rule to all commercial companies.

In order to make these changes it will be necessary to introduce significant changes in the Civil Code and many other laws, bringing regulations back to a much more rudimentary level of state capitalism, which will in any case prevent a return to the open economy of the last two decades, with the participation of large international companies.

The main motivation for these demands is to prepare for the inevitable bankruptcy of many companies, due to market contractions caused by sanctions, and to restructure the whole economy in order to shelter under the protective wing of state structures. It will be an economy in some ways more similar to the Chinese one, where, however, the State has always maintained its own strength and control, as Gorbacev hoped to achieve in the "perestroika" which failed at the end of the 80s.

Overcoming the ban on "matrioske" will help firms precisely by forming "secondary" companies and leaving "bad companies" to the State, as Forward Legal's lawyer Julia Bunygina believes, skipping many bureaucratic steps. Issues between partners and heirs will also have to be resolved, and this too will be simplified by state intervention, which as an initial reaction to sanctions had increased taxes on companies, and is now gradually decreasing them precisely in view of restructuring.

The president of the Central Bank of Russia, Elvira Nabiullina, has assured that Russian banks are ready to offer major mortgages of up to 2 trillion rubles, a quarter more than last year. Her ability to govern these processes is why Putin confirmed her for another term, despite her criticism and skepticism about the future of the Russian economy after the war in Ukraine.
Today's headlines: sandstorms in Iraq provoke a health emergency, one victim and 5,000 hospitalizations; the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh receives the title of "friend of Buddhism"; Russia bombs Kiselevka destroying the historic Church of the Immaculate Conception; 53 official victims in the collapse of a squat in central China; in Israel the hunt for "terrorists" who killed three people yesterday, during Independence Day celebrations.

INDIA

India holds the record of deaths in the world for Covid-19. This is stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), which released an updated report on the pandemic. The victims would be more than 4.7 million, a figure almost 10 times higher than the official numbers provided so far by the government in Delhi. In addition, the country accounts for nearly one-third of Covid deaths globally.

IRAQ

One fatality and over 5,000 hospitalized for respiratory problems. The dust and sand storms in Iraq, now in their seventh episode in less than a month, are becoming a health emergency as well as an environmental one. The Ministry of Health records 2,000 cases of "suffocation" in Baghdad and province. People suffering from asthma and chronic diseases are advised to stay at home.

CAMBODIA

The Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, Msgr Olivier Schmitthaeusler, received the title of "Mohaoupasok" (great benefactor - and friend - of Buddhism) in the presence of the Minister of Worship and Religions Mohaoupasok and the Venerable Sao Daravy, advisor to the Supreme Patriarch. The leaders rewarded him for the support shown in recent years and the work in favor of dialogue.

CHINA

53 people have been killed in the collapse - on April 29 - of a building in central China, in a disaster that the authorities link to illegal constructions. This morning rescue operations ended in Changsha, at least 10 people were extracted alive. The last one was rescued shortly after midnight yesterday, after spending almost six days in the rubble.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

A manhunt is underway in Israel to capture the perpetrators of the latest attack in a long trail of bloodshed that has characterized the last few weeks. The latest episode occurred yesterday in Eland, in the center of the country. At least three victims and several wounded, in what the police defines as an "act of terrorism" that occurred during the celebrations of the Independence Day, Yom HaAtzmaut.

JAPAN - THAILAND

Tokyo has launched a trade platform in Bangkok to strengthen Japanese food exports to Thailand and promote Japanese cuisine. The creation of the Japan Food Export Platform coincides with the government's plan to increase annual exports of agricultural, forestry and fish products to reach 5 trillion yen (approximately 36 billion euros) by 2030.

RUSSIA - UKRAINE

The Jesuit run Church of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the village of Kiselevka, 55 km from Nikolaev, has been destroyed by Russian shooting and bombing. The stone building had been erected in the mid-19th century, and then passed through two world wars and the decades of the communist regime, remaining standing until now.
Man who stormed Capitol in caveman costume gets prison

A New York City judges son who stormed the U.S. Capitol wearing a furry caveman costume has been sentenced to eight months in prison
Dozens more civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under the besieged steel plant where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol are making their last stand
Share This: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) said in March 2021 it would invest $5 billion into potential electric vehicle battery cell manufacturing sites in North America.

CATL is now moving closer to locking in a plant in the U.S., according to an exclusive report from Reuters, which said the Chinese battery maker is now vetting sites in South Carolina and Kentucky.

CATL is now in talks to serve BMW AG and Ford Motor Company. BMW and Ford have assembly plants in North Carolina and Kentucky, which makes a potential partnership with CATL both likely and ideal, considering the location alone. Talks are currently ongoing, according to two anonymous sources.

The reports follow CATLs plans to spend $5 billion in North America to establish a massive cell plant capable of manufacturing 80 gigawatt-hours annually.

South Carolina would provide CATL with the quickest turnaround for battery cell production to begin, slated for 2026, if the Chinese battery maker chooses this location for the plant. CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun said the company was looking to localize production for the companies it supplies batteries for overseas.

CATL has started mass production of battery cells for customers in overseas markets, Yuqun said during the companys earnings call. The company is strategizing to lock in its reputation as a major battery supplier to automakers outside of China.

Localizing production would be advantageous to this narrative, but it could also help ease bottlenecks in logistics and raw materials output. The strategy could also be used to cut some costs, as CATL announced it would be raising prices in Q2.

CATL continues to ramp the output of EV battery cells as the demand for EVs globally continues to increase. Wood Mackenzie, a consulting firm, said CATL is on track to...
The Senate Transportation Committee will consider a bill to suspend Alaska's 8 cents-per-gallon gas tax through June 30, 2023.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy asked state lawmakers in March to amend House Bill 104, which would have increased the fuel tax from 8 cents to 16 cents per gallon. The gas tax, which is the lowest in the country, has not changed since 1970. The bill initially sought to raise the surcharge on refined fuels.

The House of Representatives approved the bill 36-2 on May 4.

Gas prices in Alaska are averaging $4.687 a gallon for regular unleaded across the state and are as high as $5.159 in some regions, according to AAA. Last year the cost for a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $3.243.

Revenue from oil makes up more than 50% of the state's unrestricted general fund. March revenue figures projected a $3.4 billion surplus because of higher oil prices, according to recent news. While the state is seeing a surplus, families are stuck with higher gas prices, according to the governor.

"The misery wrought from these worldwide events is, indirectly, propelling the revenues to Alaska's state government," Dunleavy wrote in a letter to lawmakers in March. "Oil prices are at record levels, and, unlike the high oil price environment of 2007-2014, this climb is occurring with concurrent increases in all costs of living."

If passed by the Senate and signed by the governor, the bill would take effect immediately.

We thank The Center Square for reprint permission.
Many of the worlds most famous, most expensive, and most impressive superyachts are currently in trouble due to their confirmed or supposed connections to sanctioned Russian oligarchs. Scheherazade, the 12th vessel in the world by size, is among them.

16 photos
And splashdown! Dragon has safely made it home with precious cargo aboard: four #Crew3 astronauts!



Now they wait for the recovery vehicle, which is named after Shannon Walker, mission specialist for the first crewed @SpaceX mission to the @Space_Station: pic.twitter.com/VDDXdsxkbH  NASA (@NASA) May 6, 2022

NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission is part of the Commercial Crew Program. Its return to Earth comes shortly after the Crew-4 launch , which arrived on the ISS on April 27.The Crew-3 mission was launched last year, on November 10, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Onboard the Crew Dragon were three NASA astronauts, Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, and a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, Matthias Maurer.The spacecraft docked with the space station a day later, marking the beginning of a new science expedition. During their six-month stay, the astronauts conducted new scientific research.Among many scientific investigations, the crew attempted to grow plants without soil, took images of their retinas as part of an investigation that focuses on identifying eye changes of astronauts in space, and "demonstrated technology that provides measurements of biological indicators related to disease and infection."The astronauts also monitored our planet from orbit as part of the Crew Earth Observation research (which is one of the longest-running investigations onboard the space station), and they performed three spacewalks.But their journey has come to an end. On May 5, Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer departed the space station and headed toward Earth. After almost a day, the SpaceX Crew Dragon landed with a splash off the coast of Florida.Recovery vessels carried the spacecraft, along with the team, to shore. The astronauts will head to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, while the spacecraft is set to return to SpaceX's Dragon Lair in Florida, where teams will analyze the data collected throughout the flight.
A glitch thats now hitting some Android Auto users, therefore, causes the app to be unable to play messages from Facebook Messenger.But oddly enough, the whole thing only affects the notification itself, as opening the Messenger app on Android Auto does allow the app to read the latest messages.At this point, the glitch doesnt appear to be very widespread, but a discussion thread on Googles forums puts the blame on a recent Android Auto update.All other notifications, like messages (text messages), work fine and can be played from the pop-up notification or from the notification page, seems like its only linked directly to Facebook Messenger. I have tried uninstalling/reinstalling Messenger, Facebook, Android Auto, and Google. I also checked to make sure Sync (Ford Truck) was updated, someone explains on the forums Without an official Google answer, its hard to tell whos to blame for the whole thing. But if a recent Android Auto update caused the notification struggle, the easiest way to undo this is by going back to an earlier version of the app.You can find additional information on how to manually install a specific version of Android Auto in our detailed guide here.Statistics provided by Apptopia revealed that back in 2021, Facebook and Facebook Messenger were two of the most popular apps on both Android and iPhone.Facebook itself was ranked third in the charts with no less than 416 million downloads (after TikTok and Instagram with 656 million and 545 million downloads, respectively). Facebook Messenger managed to secure the 8th place with 268 million downloads.At this point, its not yet clear if installing the recently released Android Auto 7.6 brings any improvements to the experience with Messenger notifications.
Bruno Senna, who has been joined at the hip with McLaren since 2015 , said that it was truly amazing to be able to push the Artura around this dynamic and free-flowing circuit in the heart of Miami. The McLaren Artura is a car that keeps on giving, especially on a track. Its predictable and fun, he added.Presented in February 2021, the plug-in supercar features a 120-degree V6 complemented by a pair of turbochargers. Care to guess what other high-performance automaker flaunts a 3.0-liter V6 with this angle between the cylinder banks? That would be Ferrari, which promises a whopping 819 horsepower (830 ps) and 546 pound-feet (740 Nm) of torque on full song.The Artura makes do with 671 horsepower (680 ps) and 531 pound-feet (720 Nm), which is alright for the British automakers entry-level model. Its predecessor, the internal combustion-only Sport Series, topped 612 horsepower (620 ps) and 457 pound-feet (620 Nm) in the 620R.The very first V6-engined McLaren also happens to be McLarens first application of the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture, which explains the dry weight of 1,395 kilograms (3,075 pounds). The 296 GTB features an aluminum chassis and tips the scales at 1,470 kilos (3,241 lbs).In perfect conditions, the Artura should reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in three seconds flat. Maximum speed? Make that 205 miles per hour (330 kilometers per hour). As for the Prancing Horse of Maranello, the worst nightmare of the Artura is quicker and faster as well.First deliveries are due in the third quarter of 2022, with prices starting at $225,000 before options compared to $321,400 for the Italian supercar.
EV

ICE

For years, we read stories about how Tesla would go bust as soon as bigger carmakers would put their strength behind building EVs. As funny as it seems now, theres no shortage of big carmakers trying not to wipe the floor with Tesla, but overtake it. And yet, this is proving more difficult than it is to get a free Ford F-150 Lightning GM is among the traditional carmakers with a more bullish stance toward overtaking Tesla. Speaking in a CBS interview in January , Mary Barra promised that GM will become theleader by mid-decade. This was before Tesla started operations in two new gigafactories (Berlin and Austin) and announced plans to double the Shanghai factory capacity. All in all, this means GM will need to build over two million EVs per year just to get to Teslas capacity. Would this be possible in less than three years?Mary Barra thinks it is, and in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance , she reiterated the plan, explaining how she wants to achieve this. Apparently, a key part of her plan is to lower the price of the EVs sold to the point of price parity withvehicles. This is great, but Tesla also promised something similar, only to switch plans when they saw people lined up in droves to buy their expensive EVs.Mary Barra somehow implies that the price is whats preventing carmakers from selling more EVs, not the limited production capacity, and she intends to fix this. A $30,000 electric car would surely do the trick, as she suggests.Remember, we're not necessarily just selling at the premium end, Mary Barra said on Monday to Yahoo Finance , taking a jab at Tesla, whose cheapest model sells now for $46,990. We're going to have electric vehicles affordable at $30,000.The problem is that GM already has a $30,000 EV, it's called Chevrolet Bolt EV. With a starting price of $31,500, the Bolt did not help GM very much in overtaking Tesla, despite being one time touted as a Tesla killer. And perhaps Mary Barra should watch more closely the GMC Hummer customers willing to pay as much as double the MSRP just to secure the electric truck. A lower price would certainly help attract more customers, but it is irrelevant as long as GM cannot fulfill existing orders in a timely manner.Mary Barra is confident that GM will close the gap on Tesla though. She thinks that more and more GM drivers will trade in their internal-combustion vehicles for electric ones in the coming years. And when they do, GM will have the vehicles ready. Mary Barra does admit this is a little bit longer game but she still remains confident of the "mid-decade" deadline.GM is not the only company going after Tesla as the leader of the EV market. Ford has pledged the same , although Fords plans seem a lot more realistic than GMs. The Dearborn company wants to get to a 600,000 per year EV production capacity by 2024, which is a lot less than the current Tesla production. On the other side of the Atlantic, Volkswagen is probably best positioned to fight Tesla, and yet we don't hear Herbert Diess promising Volkswagen will become the leader of the ERV market, certainly not in a couple of years.
In the world of custom Harley-Davidson makers, the Japanese from Bad Land sure take the passion for the color black, mostly, to the extreme. So much so, in fact, that oftentimes we get to see these dark two-wheelers photographed against equally as dark backgrounds, contributing to the menacing look they all get.The Harley we have here is called in Bad Land speak Dark Side . The reason behind the choice of name is more than obvious: a combination of gloss and matte black that wraps around the contraption, and is sure to make the machine invisible in the middle of the night, on some unlit street.But the paint job is not the only modification made to what once was a Sportster 48. Bad Land used the usual spells on the thing to upgrade it visually, but in some respects mechanically as well.The visual nips and tucks include the addition of a Rough Crafts-sourced headlight grille, riser, handlebar, lights all around, and even the seat. Those were paired with new, custom wheels front and rear, wrapped in fat rubber, a Bad Land-made fuel tank, and rear fender also made in-house.The stock engine of the Sportster was left untouched, except for the removal of the stock exhaust system and its replacement with something sourced from Bad Land itself. Thanks to it, the bike is probably far less inconspicuous when the engine is running in the same unlit street.The Dark Side is bike number 90 in the shops portfolio and first came into the spotlight back in 2017. Five years later, we have no info on its whereabouts, or how much it cost to be put together.
The Learmousine is one of the most amazing and ridiculous frankenvehicles out there, a Lear Jet modified into a road-legal car. Its not just any car, either: its a party limousine, decked with high-quality audio, light shows, and comfy couches where you can sip your glass of chilled Cristal knowing for a fact that no other multi-millionaire is able to top you in outrageousness. The Learmousine is also for sale  still. Since its public debut in 2018, not a year goes by without it popping up at auctions, but Jalopnik is now reporting that it has now moved into storage with a Chicago Mitsubishi dealership, where its quietly waiting for its next owner. The asking price is $3.8 million ($3,799,999, to be more precise). Considering when it was introduced to the public, the owners said they expected people to pay as much as $5 million on it, you could see this as a solid deal.The Learmousine is the work of Dan Harris and Frank DeAngelo and represents the culmination of 40,000 work hours spread over the course of 12 years. When they showed it off for the first time, they mentioned that it had cost $1 million to build, saying they regretted neither the money spent nor the time invested in the project because no one could brag about having a road-legal airplane-based limo.Bragging rights were never enough to sell the thing , but it sure sounds like the duo is not letting that faze them. Whoever gets the 42-foot (12.8-meter) monster of a custom limo will be happy to know that it comes ready to party. It also delivers quite an impressive performance despite its size and weight, thanks to the 400 hp 8.1-liter Chevrolet Vortec V8 engine that can take it as fast as 100 mph (161 kph).The rest of us poor folk or simply folk with enough common sense not to spend this much money on a custom vehicle thats impractical and bonkers, have the option to rent it. Or to admire it from afar, which doesnt cost any money.
Will there be a time when all conventional aircraft will be obsolete, and all military flyovers will be carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs ) in eerie demonstrations? The first step in that direction seems to indicate a potential future like that. Yesterday, May 5, Israel celebrated its Independence Day, which included a special IAF flyover that not only covered areas that hadnt been included before but also showed off military drones and fighter jets flying side by side.F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets are a common sight during these annual events, just like the Black Hawk, Sea Stallion, Panther, and Apache helicopters. According to The Times of Israel, they were joined by C-130 cargo planes, a Boeing refueling aircraft, and a Lavi training aircraft. But that wasnt all. For the first time ever, two UAVs were also included.Heron 1 and Heron TP, built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), have become one of the most important assets of the IAF. According to The Jerusalem Post , IAF has four drone squadrons based at Palmahim AFB, which account for 80% of all IAF flight hours. Also, a statement from the military highlighted that Israel is a leader in the field of remotely manned aircraft, and it has indeed deployed them successfully in ongoing conflicts.Heron TP is a long-range Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone that can carry out various missions from intelligence gathering to target acquisition. It boasts a mission endurance of more than 30 hours, cutting-edge communication systems, and the ability to withstand all weather conditions. The Heron 1 has an even greater mission endurance and is mostly used for surveillance tasks.
So, what about their Nismo sub-brand of performance machines? Funny you should ask, because the answer came directly from Guillaume Cartier, Nissans chairman of Europe, who spoke to Top Gear on the topic during the Formula E race in Monaco last weekend.Nismo is an asset that we have, and thats something we want to revitalize. And will we have some, lets say, cars with the derivative Nismo? The answer is yes, said Cartier. "The point is, its not a gimmick. To use an English expression, its not lipstick on a pig. So that requires some investment to make sure that you bring performance.But what kind of investment are they talking about, and what should we expect from future zero-emission cars featuring the Nismo suffix? Again, the answer came from the Nissan official, who added: Here its relatively easy to understand: specific suspension and powertrain. The point on Ariya , its a challenge because already we have a big battery with high performance. So we need to go higher than that.The Japanese company has a few aces up its sleeve when it comes to the development of its next-gen battery-electric vehicles that will add the Nismo name. For example, Nissan now owns e.dams , the company responsible for its Formula E team, with the reins held by Guillaume Cartier, Tommaso Volpe, global motorsports director, and the chief of Nismo, Takao Katagiri. Thus, like it or not, everything points to zero-emission Nismos in Nissan's future. But what kind of models would you want to become part of the performance sub-brand?
It has been a little while since I've talked about truck tires, but I've been DM-ed a couple of photos what are worth a thread.????



This is a Russian Grad launch truck with really old tires.????



1/ pic.twitter.com/OocLp4yazJ  Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) May 2, 2022

For those who don't know, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ceased to exist in December 1991. That means the tires in the pictures are long out of warranty, so to speak.Normally, tires have a lifespan of up to ten years, but not in Putin's Russia . Experts and manufacturers recommend that tires that reach their 10 year lifespan are subject to mandatory replacement, even if they appear to be intact and have not reached their wear limits.Not only does the fact that they have a "Made in USSR" mark, written in English, which suggests they were originally exported products, reveal their age, but also how they look. It can be seen quite clearly that there are cracks on the side walls.The BM-21 Grad is a Soviet truck-mounted 122 mm multiple rocket launcher that weighs 13.71 tonnes (30,225 lb) and is 3.09 meter (10 ft 2 in) height. This means that the importance of tires capable to support its weight during travel or during rocket launch is a primary requirement.Tires seem to be one of the vulnerable points of the Russian army in Ukraine. As the weather became warmer, the poor quality of the tires caused Russian vehicles to get stuck in the mud, slowing the advance of Putin's forces.With Russian armored vehicles getting stuck in the mud, Western officials believe Chinese tire imports into the country could be partially to blame for blocking the invasion of Ukraine. Corrupt Russian officers may have saved money on tires by opting for cheap Chinese alternatives, at the expense of quality.
Strom City M 2.0 is the manufacturers next urban wheeler designed with both affordability and feature richness in mind. Strom touts it as the future of commuting and while it looks quite similar in design to its predecessor, it does bring some upgrades to the table.When it comes to appearance, Strom guided itself by the expression if its not broken, dont fix it. That is why it chose to keep the elegant, urban look of the City 2.0. However, it did come up with a new addition: a carrier system with integrated lighting and a removable, one-click basket system. Strom designed the carrier with attention to detail, usability, and comfort in mind. It is lightweight (thanks to its aluminum construction) its easy to attach and remove, and can carry up to 15 kg (33 lb) of weight.Another notable upgrade of the City 2.0 is that it now offers two choices in terms of battery size: a standard 10.4 Ah battery that takes four hours to fully charge and offers up to 50 km (31 miles) on a charge, and a go further 14 Ah battery that claims to keep you in the saddle for up to 80 km (50 miles) per charge. The latter needs five hours to get to 100 percent.There are no changes performance-wise, with the City M 2.0 being able to hit a top speed of 32 kph (20 mph), just like the 2020 City bike.Stroms urban commuter also offers a clever anti-theft lighting system installed into the frame. The system gets activated by simply clicking on the handlebar.The e-bike comes with a 7-speed Shimano gear and Schwalbe tires, but other than that, pretty much all the components on it are custom-made by Strom, from the 250W motor to the fenders, lights, saddle, handlebar, and grips.You can soon order the Strom City M 2.0 e-bike for a still affordable price of approximately $1,050 (995). The bike will be available on Indiegogo , starting May 10.
If anybody imagined that the German environmentalist groups would just give up the moment Tesla would start operating the Giga Berlin factory, they were wrong. Just a couple of days ago, Green League has asked the Oder-Spree district to revoke Tesla Gigafactory Berlins operating license. The group used an earlier incident at the facilitys paint shop as a reason behind its request.According to rbb24 , about two to three liters of the paint mixture ran into an unpaved access road following the incident. The State of Brandenburg dismissed the Green Leagues request saying that it sees no danger to the groundwater due to the Giga Berlin incident, which had no impact beyond the premises of the plant. Tesla Giga Berlin is in the final stage of getting the full environmental approval, with 16 out of 18 requirements already being met. The remaining two would be checked in the coming weeks, as this requires the factory to reach full operation. A larger audit is scheduled from May 9 to May 20 to document full compliance with the requirements.Tesla does not worry about that, though, and is already planning to expand operations at Giga Berlin. The same rbb24 reports that Tesla seeks to purchase a massive 100 hectares (247 acres) of land near its production facility in Gruenheide. Tesla currently owns 300 hectares (741 acres) of land where the Giga Berlin stands. The additional land will be used to build a freight station and storage facilities while using the rest of the property to expand manufacturing operations in the future.Construction is not expected to start earlier than June 2023, and Tesla might face the same hurdles it experienced when it started building Giga Berlin. A lot can happen and we know the environmentalist groups can become very active, as the land is still in a water protection area. Theres also a pine forest growing on the land, which would further complicate things.
EV

Sneak peek!????These are the first sketches of our smaller e-models from #Skoda, #Cupra & #VW, which will be built in #Spain from 2025. These entry level electric vehicles make the access to #eMobility easier & push the country's future of mobility - for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/LX49mJPYB5  Volkswagen Group (@VWGroup) May 5, 2022

The rumor about Volkswagen reproving the concept emerged in February. That meant that another vehicle would be designed over the MEB Lite architecture. With the teaser released this May 5 on Twitter, that is pretty clear.The tweet confirms that all cars from the MEB Lite will be made in Spain and released starting in 2025. When you check the image with the Volkswagen logo, it is nothing like the ID. LIFE . To begin with, the vehicle does not reveal only its profile: we have a stylized three-quarters view of a much more rounded car than the ID. LIFE was. It reminds us a bit of the Polo or a smaller ID.3. Its final name may be ID.2 or ID.1.Skodas image shows an electric car with an apparently longer wheelbase. If it were not for the rear wheels pretty close to the end of the body and for the short rear overhang, wed say it could be a station wagon. The more square lines hint at some sort of crossover. The proposal seems to be to offer more room for the same money Volkswagen will charge for its. The Skoda may even be a little more affordable.Regarding the SEAT image, it is the same one that was published in May 2021. In March of that same year, Autovisie presented a more defined picture of the compact crossover that this sketch only suggests. It would be equivalent in size to the Arona. If it follows the dimensions of the Cupra UrbanRebel , it should be 4.19 m (165 in) long, 1.80 m (71 in) wide, and 1.44 m (56.7 in) tall. Theres no word on the wheelbase yet.The vehicles created over the MEB Lite should cost between 20,000 ($21,050 at the current exchange rate) and 25,000 ($26,313). May 2025 be a year in which pandemics and wars are already over and in which our main worry is to get electric cars at more affordable prices.
This year was supposed to be the greatest one so far for the Tulikettu racing team, gearing up to become the first Finnish sailing team in history to win the Baltic 600 race, a difficult offshore competition. It would achieve that with the help of a pioneering boat. Tulikettu was the first Infiniti 52 unit completed by Infiniti Yachts, earlier this year.While there are plenty of boats out there benefitting from modern foiling technology, this 52-foot yacht was special because it was designed around a foil system instead of adapting the technology to an already existing hull. This particular retracting lateral foil reduced drag and displacement while enabling the yacht to reach more than 30 knots (34.5 mph/55.5 kph) with a crew thats 50% smaller than the typical one required for this size category.Tulikettu seemed to be off to a great start in April during sea trials. By the end of the month, it was sailing from Cascais, Portugal, back to the Team Base in Gosport, in the UK, when it collided with a floating object that remains unidentified to this day. Fortunately, all the four crew members on board survived. But the boats fate was tragic.Throughout an entire week, search efforts using a high-powered tug and a spotter plane were carried out day and night. But the search was called off at the beginning of May. Tulikettu was gone forever in the Atlantic Ocean. The team was devastated, stating that the Infinity 52 has proven impeccable performance and great potential.Although baffling, the sudden loss of Tulikettu wont stop the racing team from continuing to fight for its dream. A Formula One team would not stop racing after crashing its new car in the winter tests, said Arto Linnervuo, Tulikettu Racing Team owner. Until a new Infiniti 52 is born, the team will continue training on its other boats.
EV

Thats not only 6 billion more than Volkswagen talked about in 2021. According to the German group, it is also the single largest industrial investment ever made in Spain. Portugal must be deeply disappointed to have lost such a massive investment: Spain's neighboring country was among the places that could have received it when that was still under discussion.It may seem that Volkswagen spending so much more on the plant does not make sense without an expansion in the production capacity (40 GWh per year). However, the explanation is simple: the German carmaker said these $10 billion are what the company and its partners will invest.In fact, Thomas Schmall said the company will spend more than 3 billion ($3.16 billion) on the plant. Supposing he means the 4 billion we already knew about, the other 6 billion were not clarified by the company.Reuters came to the rescue to explain that: Volkswagen will spend 3 billion on four Seat plants in the country and 1 billion ($1,05 billion) in Pamplona, which has another plant. Volkswagen said the investments would allowmanufacturing in Martorell and Pamplona. Thats 8 billion ($8.42 billion).According to Reuters , Iberdrola will invest 500 million ($526,26 million) in a solar park that will provide renewable energy to the cell factory. The other 1.5 billion must come from similar expenses from other partners and suppliers.The weird part is that construction will start in 2023, and operations should begin only in 2026. If you remember, the company disclosed on May 5 sketches of the entry-level EVs it wants to build in Spain, underpinned by the MEB Lite architecture . Production should start in 2025, one year earlier than the battery plant will be able to deliver its goods. Selling affordable EVs with batteries made elsewhere does not seem to match the price proposition, even if that is only for one year.
Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Army must put more money and effort into repairing poorly maintained and substandard base housing for military service members and their families, U.S. senators demanded Thursday, amid persistent reports that mold and other issues threaten troops' health.

One after another, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee pressed top Army leaders during a hearing to spend money on military housing in their states.

We have all heard the horror stories of substandard on base housing, military families across the country, living with black mold and collapsed ceilings and electrical and fire hazards and a lot of other substandard conditions, said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. We need to fix our shameful military housing problem, and we need to do it as quickly as possible.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth repeatedly told senators that housing is a priority, but that it competes for funding in the Army and defense budgets with other key needs, including equipment and weapons modernization and training. She said that due to the Army's vast size, it's impossible to get to all the problems in one year.

The Army, she said, is requesting nearly $2 billion for military housing in the 2023 proposed budget, and has a 10-year infrastructure plan. That plan would have the Army invest $27 billion in infrastructure over the next decade.

We have a very large footprint with a large number of bases. All of them have housing. And I would love nothing more than to be able to renovate all of the housing around the country that needs to be renovated in a single year. But we are not able to do that, she said.

The housing focus comes on the heels of a massive fraud case involving one of the largest providers of military housing in the United States. Balfour Beatty Communities LLC, which oversees about 1,700 homes at bases in Georgia and Texas, faced widespread claims of negligence and failure to do repairs. The company pleaded guilty in December to committing fraud against the United States from 2013 to 2019, was ordered to pay $65.4 million in fines and restitution and was placed under an independent compliance monitor for three years.

A Senate panel earlier this year found that the company continues to respond inadequately to mold and other structural problems.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., criticized Army leaders for not addressing problems at Fort Leonard Wood, saying he's been given conflicting reports on what, if any, housing replacements would be funded at the base in his state.

I was told last year there were $341 million that were going to be allocated towards replacing housing. Then I was told later only $50 million would be available to Fort Leonard Wood. And then I was told after that it would be zero, Hawley told Wormuth during the hearing. You can imagine Im not very happy about it.

Wormuth promised to nail down the correct answer, but again warned that repair money for the base may not be in the budget for fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

We try to look where the need is most pressing and sort of develop a schedule, she said. But Id be happy to look into it. And I understand that youre frustrated hearing different things at different times.

Officials noted that the Army submitted a separate request to Congress that outlined projects that aren't funded in the budget that would also be priorities, and thy include an additional $330 million for housing issues.

That additional money, said Warren, should be included in the Army's base budget, if, indeed, housing is a priority as leaders say. And she questioned why the $1.9 billion total for housing in the main budget request is 40% smaller than the current budget would provide.

According to the Army, the $1.9 billion budget request is actually a 12% increase over last year's request. Congress, however, voted to add nearly $1.5 billion in military construction funds to that request, resulting in a total of more than $3.2 billion for the year. Congress has not yet acted on the proposed budget, so has not added funds.

Gen. James McConville, the chief of staff of the Army, told senators the Army is doing all it can to ensure quality housing and other services for troops. When our soldiers get the call that its time to deploy, we want them laser focused on their mission, knowing that their families will be well taken care of at home, McConville said.
The Beaumont Police Department is investigating an aggravated assault after five people were shot through an apartment window.

A 30-year old Port Arthur woman is in critical condition and four other people have non-life threatening injuries from the shooting, police said in a Wednesday news release.

Officers received a call shortly before noon on Tuesday to Lamar Landing in the 3500 Block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard for reports of multiple gun shots and possible victims.

The officers located two people who had been shot on the scene. Three additional people showed up at Baptist Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries from the shooting, police said.

"Officers were advised that a group of people were inside an apartment when an unknown person(s) began shooting through the apartment window," police said.

Police do not believe the shooting occurred by chance.

"The preliminary investigation revealed one or more of the people in the apartment were possibly the target and the incident does not appear to be random," the release said. "Investigators are asking that residents at Lamar Landing and the surrounding areas, including E. Church St., check their surveillance cameras for activity that may be related to the incident."

Police are asking anyone who was in the area and witnessed anything or have information about the suspects to contact the Beaumont Police Department at 409-832-1234.

Police said those who wish to remain anonymous and be eligible for a possible cash reward may contact Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas at 409-833-8477. Those interested can also log on to 833TIPS.com or use the P3 TIPS app and submit a tip using a smartphone or tablet.

"All tips to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas will remain anonymous and you may qualify for a cash reward," the release said.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
DOVER, Del. (AP)  The Delaware House voted Thursday to approve a bill legalizing possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults for recreational use.

The legislation cleared the Democrat-led House on 26-14 vote and now goes to the Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats. Even if it were to pass both chambers, it faces a potential veto from Democratic Gov. John Carney, who has previously expressed doubts about legalizing recreational marijuana.

Under current law, possession of one ounce or less of marijuana by anyone 21 years of age or older carries a civil penalty of $100. That provision would be eliminated under the bill approved Thursday.

Possession of recreational marijuana by anyone under 21 would still result in a civil penalty, while possession of more than one ounce of marijuana and public consumption would remain misdemeanors.

The bill approved Thursday was introduced in late March as stand-alone legislation after a failed effort to pass broader legislation creating a state-regulated and taxed marijuana industry.

Delaware is more than capable of successfully enacting policies for safe and legal cannabis, chief bill sponsor Rep. Ed Osienski, a Newark Democrat, said in a statement after Thursdays vote. Im grateful to the House for passing this bill and look forward to continuing this effort until Delaware is poised to establish a new, legal industry in our state.

Passage of the legalization bill required only a simple majority, but legislation creating a state-licensed marijuana industry would require a three-fifths majority vote in each chamber because it would establish a new tax.

Legislation that would have both legalized recreational marijuana use by adults and establish a state-run pot industry was defeated in the House in March. Members voted 23-14 in favor the legislation, but it fell two votes short of a three-fifths majority. No Republicans voted in favor of that bill, and four lawmakers, including two Democrats, chose not to vote.

House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf of Rehoboth, a retired state trooper, was the only Democrat to vote against that bill. He also voted against the legalization bill on Thursday, along with fellow Democrat Bill Bush of Dover and 12 of the 15 GOP representatives.

Meanwhile, a separate bill sponsored by Osienski to create a state-run marijuana industry cleared the House Revenue and Finance Committee last month and is awaiting consideration by the Appropriations Committee.

Supporters of that legislation have argued that a state-controlled and licensed pot industry would curtail the black market while creating jobs and boosting Delawares tax coffers. The bill calls for the state to license and oversee a manufacturing and distribution industry and levy a 15% tax on retail sales. It would prohibit people from growing their own plants for personal consumption.

Opponents have argued that legalization would lead to increased marijuana use among teens and young adults, expose business owners to liability, and result in more traffic deaths and injuries. They also say it would do little to eliminate illegal sales.

The Associated Press reported in January that the legalization of marijuana in California had done little to discourage black market sales in that state, and that some California licensees are simultaneously participating in the black market  whose estimated value of $8 billion is roughly double the amount of legal sales  in order to make a profit.

Currently, recreational marijuana use is permitted in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
A Port Arthur man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal armed robbery at a Church's Chicken in 2021 where a bystander intervened.

Jefferson County Criminal District Attorney Bob Wortham announced Wednesday that Desmond Ingram Jr. was sentenced in Judge Raquel Wests 252nd Criminal District Court.

This violent robbery could have ended much worse," Prosecutor Luke Nichols stated. "Ingram and his accomplice threatened and terrorized the store employees and we are all grateful none of them were injured. The citizen who intervened likely saved their lives that night. A quick and thorough response by PAPD took another violent offender off the streets of Port Arthur.

Related: Bystander intervenes during armed robbery at Churchs Chicken in Port Arthur

Ingram and Ricardo Guient, who were armed, entered the Churchs Chicken restaurant on Jefferson Drive in Port Arthur and began to rob the store on October 1, 2021, the release said.

The men forced employees to the back of the business and removed cash from the safe. Then, the DA's Office said, a man in the drive through, who was a concealed handgun license holder, realized that an armed robbery was taking place.

The man took action.

He retrieved his personal weapon and fired several shots at the two robbers through the window, according to the release. Both men were struck by the bullets. Guient died at a local hospital shortly after, but Ingram fled the scene.

The man remained on the scene and was released after being interviewed by detectives.

Officers with the Port Arthur Police Department, which investigated the case, received a call for a gunshot victim at a local apartment complex shortly after the robbery. Police found Ingram wearing clothes that matched the robbery suspects and had a gunshot wound to his abdomen, the release said.

"Following a guilty plea to the aggravated robbery charge, Desmond Ingram Jr. was sentenced to 30 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice," the release said. "Ingram has several prior felony convictions, and was out on supervised release at the time of the offense for a federal firearms violation."

Police previously reported that they believe Guient may have been involved with another armed robbery at Jack-in-the-Box at 4100 Twin City Hwy. on Sept. 29. The armed suspect in that case demanded money from the restaurants employees, according to police. After receiving about $200, the suspect fled on foot.

PAPD said officers arrived minutes later but were unable to locate the suspect.

The specific items Guient was found wearing during the Churchs robbery matched the suspects clothing in the Jack-in-the-Box robbery, a previous PAPD news release said. The armed suspect in both robberies had on identical gloves with unique markings, the same hooded sweatshirt, and distinct facial features which were clearly viewed on surveillance video.

While Guient is believed to be the lone suspect in the Jack-in-the-Box case, a second person was arrested following the Churchs Chicken incident. They have been identified through PAPDs investigation as the driver of the getaway vehicle.

Justin Cunningham, 40, was stopped by the Nederland Police Department on a traffic stop a short time after the robbery and was arrested for an outstanding felony warrant issued from Hardin County.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
The special envoy to Myanmar for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations aims to visit the strife torn-country in coming weeks, he said Friday in a statement, after humanitarian relief talks with the U.N. and regional agencies.

The visit, specific dates for which have not been announced, would be the second trip to Myanmar by the ASEAN envoy, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, following a trip in March.

I look forward to my second visit to Myanmar in the next few weeks, the minister wrote on Facebook after hosting the Consultative Meeting on ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance to Myanmar.

The meeting addressed plans to deliver humanitarian aid and administer COVID-19 vaccines to Myanmar, Cambodia's foreign ministry said in statement.

The country of 54 million people, ASEAN's poorest per capita, has been engulfed in political turmoil as well as military conflict since the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi three months after her party won re-election by a landslide.

Today we are taking another step forward in our collective endeavor to ensure that the people of Myanmar will have access to humanitarian assistance without discrimination, Sokhonn wrote.

As the ASEAN Chairs Special Envoy, I remain optimistic that our persistent efforts will genuinely benefit the people of Myanmar, he added.

Cambodia is the current rotating chair of the 10-member ASEAN.

In a video conference on May 1, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen urged the Myanmar junta chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, to allow the special envoy to visit and meet deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and take other steps to implement a five-point agreement that the military leader had reached with leaders of ASEAN member-states at an emergency summit in Jakarta in April 2021.

Although the military regime in Naypyidaw agreed with ASEAN on humanitarian aid and the creation of the special envoy, little concrete progress has been made on more challenging parts of the five-point agreement, including an end to violence, talks among all parties in Myanmar, and mediation by the envoy.

On May 3, the junta poured cold water on calls from Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah last month for ASEAN talks with Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel, civilian administration formed of ousted lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyi's political party, prominent civil servants, and ethnic minority leaders.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper quoted the juntas foreign ministry as saying it protests and rejects the Malaysian foreign ministers remarks, because they could abet terrorism and violence in the country, hampering the Myanmar Governments anti-terrorism efforts and infringe international agreements related to combatting terrorism.

The junta has branded opponents of military rule as terrorists. The military regime has jailed Aung San Suu Kyi among thousands of political prisoners and killed 1,800 people, mostly anti-coup protesters.

The 76-year-old Nobel laureate has been sentence to 11 years in jail on various charges, and faces other charges that could land her in prison for more than a century. Her supporters and human rights groups reject the charges as baseless and designed to end her political career.

Reported by the Khmer Service of Radio Free Asia and produced by RFAs English News Service. BenarNews is affiliated with RFA.
Wat Arun (left) and the Grand Palace (right) are seen from the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, in Bangkok, April 29, 2020. One analyst said the Thai capital is lit up by Myanmars gas.

Russia will soon begin participating in Myanmars energy industry in place of international companies that quit, the Burmese junta said in response to the exit of three big Asian firms from a gas field in the coup-hit nation.

Since April 29, the Malaysian and Thai state-owned oil firms and a Japanese energy conglomerate have withdrawn from Myanmars Yetagun gas field, with all three citing commercial reasons for pulling out.

Japans ENEOS also mentioned Myanmars current situation, including the social issues as one of the reasons for quitting, apparently referring to human rights excesses by the military where nearly 1,800 civilians have been killed since the February 2020 coup.

The companies quit not because of political instability but because of declining economic benefits from the Yetagun project, Myanmars military spokesman told Radio Free Asia.

Our allies and friendly organizations are cooperating with us in the electricity and energy sectors. You will soon see Russias cooperation in the near future. We will expand our oil and gas operations as soon as possible, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun said on Thursday.

One political analyst said it would not be surprising if Russia entered Myanmars oil and gas industry.

When democratic countries sever relationships or slap sanctions against a military junta, countries that do not value human standards or rules and regulations will step in for their own benefit. This has happened in many countries, analyst Sai Kyi Zin Soe told RFA, the parent company of BenarNews.

There have been similar incidents in the history of Myanmar.

One economist, who requested anonymity, said it was unlikely that Myanmar could find a replacement so soon for the companies that have quit its energy sector.

Russia is a very powerful country in the oil world, the economist said.

[E]fforts could be made with them [the Russians] but a sudden replacement is not so easy. Its not going to work right away.

A logo of Petronas is seen at the Malaysian state-owned oil firms office in Kuala Lumpur, April 27, 2022. [Reuters]

Declining output

While it is true that ENEOS, Malaysias Petronas, and Thailands PTTEP withdrew from a depleting gas field, the political situation did not help, analysts told BenarNews.

Besides, said one Southeast Asia observer, the withdrawal of the firms representing two ASEAN nations, even from an unprofitable project, would have been a huge blow to the junta. It had bamboozled the regional bloc by reneging on a consensus among ASEAN members to put the country back on the democratic path.

The three firms packed up from the Yetagun project because gas output had plummeted, Readul Islam, a Singapore-based energy research analyst, told BenarNews.

The Yetagun project produced roughly 3 percent of Myanmars 2020 gas output, which already was a steep decline from the projects 6 percent of Myanmars 2019 output, said Islam, an analyst for Rystad Energy, an independent energy research company, about a field where experts say output had been declining since 2013.

[S]o, while the politics certainly dont help, the Yetagun exits appear to be purely economic decisions, Islam said.

BenarNews could not reach the chief executive of PTTEP for comment, nor did officials at Petronas immediately return phone calls or reply to emails.

Human and civil rights activists have been pressing corporations, especially oil and gas companies, to quit post-coup Myanmar.

Since the military took over, a slew of companies, not only oil firms, have left. They cited the coup or the subsequent abuses, and said they had also been hobbled by international sanctions imposed on the regime that makes it difficult to do business there.

Among the international firms that quit Myanmar are British American Tobacco, Chevron, Coca-Cola, Posco, Telenor, TotalEnergy, and Woodside Petroleum.

The ASEAN factor

The departures of Petronas and PTTEP from the Yetagun project should be viewed in this context, according to Southeast Asia analyst Zachary Abuza.

He agreed that Petronas and PTTEP may have left a dying field but, in his view  at least in the case of Malaysias Petronas  apart from the economics, others reasons motivated the decision.

My takeaway from this is that the Malaysians are frustrated and want to put pressure on the SAC, said Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, referring to the State Administration Council, the juntas official name.

It was different for Thailands PTTEP, which, in fact, announced they were taking over the stakes quit by Chevron and TotalEnergy in another Myanmar gas field, Yadana, Abuza acknowledged.

And yet, [i]t is a loss for the SAC. It doesnt look good when your key cash cow, the MOGE (the Ministry of Oil and Gas Enterprises) is losing key investors even if [the oil] fields are not profitable. The optics are bad.

What makes it worse for Myanmar, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc, is that state-owned firms from fellow member-states were the ones that quit, Abuza said.

These [Malaysian and Thai companies] are ASEAN partners. For the junta, it is probably not a huge surprise that Western oil firms have pulled back, but for ASEAN partners to do so, that has got to sting a bit more, Abuza said.

Symbolism matters for a regime that craves international recognition.

Meanwhile, activist group Justice for Myanmar told BenarNews that the withdrawal from the Yetagun gas project was a result of the sustained pressure from the people of Myanmar and activists around the world.

According to the group, more pressure is needed to stop all oil payments to the junta so it cannot deploy the funds to buy the arms and ammunition it uses to gun down civilians in its brutal nationwide campaign against anyone who opposes the generals rule.

PTTEP now must go further and suspend payments to the Myanmar military junta from the Yadana and Zawtika projects, or withdraw, Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for Justice For Myanmar, told Radio Free Asia by email.

These projects bankroll the Myanmar military junta, a terrorist organization, and PTTEPs continued involvement aids and abets the juntas  crimes. We call on the Thai government to change course and stop business with the junta.

The Myanmar Service of Radio Free Asia, Shailaja Neelakantan in Washington, and Subel Rai Bhandari and Nontarat Phaicharoen in Bangkok, contributed to this report.
An activist carries a sign denouncing Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the former Philippine dictator, during a demonstration in Manila, June 12, 2021.

When Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced last year that he was running for president, Helena Jimenez gave it little thought.

But with a few days to go before the Philippine general election, Jimenez, whose husband was taken and presumed killed by forces led by Marcos father back in the 1970s, now worries that the late dictators son and namesake will get a chance to occupy her countrys most powerful office.

I am afraid they will get back to me or silence us since we continue pushing for justice for my husband, the 70-year-old woman told BenarNews at a gathering for human rights defenders this week.

In 1978, her husband, Romeo, was taken from their home in San Francisco town, north of Manila, by men who introduced themselves as members of a Marcos military unit that was notorious for arresting anti-government activists. He has not been seen since and is believed to be among the thousands who died during the dark years of martial law imposed by then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Another survivor of martial law, Gloria Pullido, 64, said her father, George Maliwat, was arrested, jailed and tortured, adding he was freed but died from complications related to the torture.

My father was working at the farm when he was forcibly taken without any reason, she said.

I will not vote for the Marcos.

Government figures show that about 3,200 Filipinos were killed and more than 10,000 were tortured during the martial law years (1972-86) while thousands more remain missing and are presumed dead.

A peaceful people power revolt chased the dictator out of the country in 1986. The elder Marcos died three years later, while in exile in Hawaii.

The Marcos family has never acknowledged those sufferings even after a Hawaiian court ruled that victims of the patriarchs martial law be compensated. The family added to the general hardship of Filipinos by plundering billions of dollars from state coffers.

Marcos widow, Imelda, and their children were allowed to return home in 1991 and set out to regain political power. Daughter Imee Marcos is a senator, while Ferdinand Jr. served as a governor and a senator, but lost the vice presidential race in 2016 to Leni Robredo, the coalition oppositions candidate for president in the May 9 polls.

President Ferdinand Marcos (second from left) poses with his wife Imelda Marcos (center) and their children, Imelda (right), Ferdinand Junior (left), and Irene, in Manila, Jan. 18, 1972. [AP]

Romeo Ugaltig, a volunteer in Quezon City for Marcos Jr.s presidential campaign who is active on Facebook, said that despite accusations and hate messages against the candidate, he and others are conducting a professional online campaign.

I dont believe in the accusations hurled against our candidate, Ugaltig told BenarNews.

We work on unity. Nothing will happen to us if we continue divided [as a nation], he said.

If the latest local public opinion polls are to be believed, Marcos appears to heading toward victory in Mondays general election.

According to the last pre-election poll published by OCTA Research on Thursday, Marcos has the support of 58 percent of those surveyed compared with 25 percent for Robredo.

The latest results were similar to a Pulse Asia survey from April 16 to 21 when Marcos was supported by 56 percent compared with 23 percent for Robredo. Eight other candidates are on the presidential slate.

Forget about the past

In southern Mindanao island, Nur Misuari, a former Muslim guerrilla leader who had fought against the Marcos regime, recently endorsed Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.

I had very sad memories about the governance of the late President Marcos, not necessarily against the son. As I said time and again, the fault of the father cannot be inherited unnecessarily by the children or by the sons and daughters, Misuari told reporters on Thursday.

In my particular case, I always demand: Brother candidate, will you be kind enough to tell us in black and white what you intend to do once you have the power? We have to know that, and we will take them to account once they come into power, Misuari said.

His endorsement came about a month after Murad Ebrahim, the leader of the former insurgent group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said that he and others were concerned about a Marcos win.

While Marcos Jr. was not the one behind the atrocities, he carries his fathers name. And if Muslims hear that name, they also relive the pain of the dictatorship, said Murad (also known as Ahod Balawag Ebrahim), who was a leader of the MILF guerrilla forces fighting Marcos soldiers in the south.

Misuari countered by urging people to put the past behind them and move on. Murads group split from Misuaris in 1978 over differences in ideology.

So dont impute any blame on the son at this point in time. Forget about the past but look at who Bongbong Marcos is, Misuari said.

Polls across the Philippines will open at 6 a.m. at close at 7 p.m. Monday.

Dennis Jay Santos contributed to this report from Davao City, Philippines.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha confirmed Friday that he would travel to Washington for next weeks U.S.-ASEAN summit, but said Bangkok would not choose sides in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Meanwhile, Thai political commentators said Washington was pressing the Southeast Asian bloc to side with the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and with the U.S. over relations with China.

President Joe Biden will be hosting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at a special summit on May 12 and 13. It comes as Southeast Asia is coping with fallout from the war in Ukraine, the post-coup Myanmar crisis and simmering tensions in the South China Sea.

Re my traveling abroad, there is nothing as [people are] concerned. ... It is a typical meeting like ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-China. The ASEAN-U.S. meeting is just another one but it coincided with the war [in Ukraine], Prayuth told reporters.

[We] do not choose one side over another. We are going as ASEAN members [to discuss] the economy, trade, investment and the regional situation, like in the past meetings.

Prayuth said the meeting will discuss dozens of topics, and will not focus on just one dominant issue.

On Thursday, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the prime ministers U.S. trip will include supporting the U.S. role in the Southeast Asian region, among other issues.

Biden is expected to seek to strengthen relationships with ASEAN members as pushback against Chinas rising power in the contested South China Sea and to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to analysts.

ASEAN members hope the U.S. will play a constructive role in backing efforts for peace and regional stability along with cooperation among all parties in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, another official at the Thai foreign ministry said Thursday.

We are trying to use every summit, including this one, to reaffirm our stance that we respect territorial integrity and sovereignty and support a ceasefire and peaceful negotiation, said Chettaphan Maksamphan, head of the ministrys office for American and South Pacific affairs.

Furthermore, we emphasize humanitarian assistance, which we are working on with both the Ukrainian and Polish Red Cross.

Pressure on Prayuth

According to Thai political analysts, the Biden administration is pressing the 10-member regional bloc to side with the West.

Thailand is one of the countries that the U.S. is trying to make choose the U.S. side, not only on the current Ukraine crisis but also on China, said Naing Lin, a political science lecturer at Chiang Mai University.

I dont think Thai people would care which side Prayuth may support. But its all about what Thailand would get or lose from siding with the U.S. or remaining neutral, Naing told BenarNews on Friday.

However, he said, Prayuth and Thai officials must address domestic and international human rights issues.

Another political analyst said the summit could put pressure on Prayuth.

The prime minister expressed concerns that going to this special summit would expose or pressure Thailand to choose a side over the Ukraine War, Sutin Wannabovorn, a political commentator, wrote in his column in the Thai-language newspaper Naewna on Wednesday.

As an observer of Russo-Ukraine War  I want to remind the prime minister not to make a hasty decision because the war is way more complicated than ASEAN and Thailand could handle or help solve, he wrote.

ASEAN has come under pressure lately as members remain divided over critical issues including the forced takeover of the Myanmar government by the military in a February 2021 coup. Since then, government troops have used bombs and other force to quell resistance.

Burmese Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup, will not attend the summit even though his country is a member of ASEAN.

Similarly, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has tested ASEAN unity. In early March, ASEAN issued a statement calling for a ceasefire but without naming Russia or using the word invasion.

Last month, the Philippines joined Myanmar in voting to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council. Two members, Laos and Vietnam, voted against the resolution while six others abstained.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is pushing ASEAN to suspend dialogue relations with Russia, a Ukrainian diplomat said in the Philippines.

We believe its important to isolate Russia internationally. Russia should not be part of ASEAN strategic partnership, Ukrainian Ambassador to the Philippines Olexander Nechytaylo said in an interview on Thursday, according to the Philippine News Agency.

Kunnawut Boonreak in Chiang Mai, Thailand, contributed to this report.
Destroyed Russian tanks are seen in the Sumy region of Ukraine, March 7, 2022.

Russias arms sales to Southeast Asia have plummeted because of international sanctions imposed since the start of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 and the ongoing war will likely lead to a further decline, creating market opportunities for China and other countries, a new report says.

An article in the bulletin ISEAS Perspective published by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based research institution, has found that Russias defense industry has been hit hard, with export values reduced from U.S. $1.2 billion in 2014 to just $89 million in 2021.

Cumulatively Russia has been on top of the list of arms suppliers to Southeast Asia over the last two decades but the sales are likely to fall further and regional countries will look to divert their weapons contracts to other countries, the report says.

Data provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show that in 2021 alone, Russia slipped behind the United States and China.

According to the ISEAS Perspective articles author, academic Ian Storey, the biggest reason behind the fall is sanctions and export controls that the U.S. and Europe imposed on Russias defense industry since its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Those restrictions havent necessarily prevented Southeast Asian nations from buying Russian arms, but there is less on offer as Russian manufacturers face difficulties in conducting financial transactions and accessing technologies and critical components.

The conflict brought to an abrupt end longstanding and extensive cooperation between Ukrainian and Russian defense companies, especially in the production of engines for surface ships, helicopters and aircraft, Storey said.

Another factor is a pause in the military modernization program in Vietnam, Russias biggest customer in Southeast Asia. Hanoi began the program in the late 1990s and in the period 1995-2021, it bought weapons and military equipment valued at $7.4 billion from Russia. That accounted for more than 80 percent of Vietnams total arms imports.

Vietnamese military visitors observe a Russian T-90MS tank during the International Military Technical Forum Army-2020 outside Moscow, Aug. 23, 2020. [AP]

Vietnam has put the military modernization program on hold because of concerns over Moscows ability to fulfill orders but also due to an anti-corruption drive, Nguyen The Phuong, lecturer at the Faculty of International Relations, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, wrote in July 2021 research paper.

Hanoi will have to rely on Moscow to maintain and operate its Russian-made arsenal of six Kilo-class submarines, 36 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 aircraft, four Gepard 3.9 class frigates and two Bastion mobile coastal defense missile systems, but analysts said it has been on the look-out for alternative supply sources including Israel, Belarus, the U.S. and the Netherlands.

Downward trends

In the light of the Ukraine war, the report says will be difficult for Russias defense manufacturers to revive their sales because of the imposition of tighter sanctions and export controls by a number of countries, the reputational damage caused by the poor performance of Russias armed forces in Ukraine, and its need to replenish battlefield losses.

Storey pointed out that the current sanctions on Russian banks, and their exclusion from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) international payment network, will make it harder for the countrys defense industry to conduct financial transactions with overseas clients.

Export controls imposed on Russia will also restrict Russian manufacturers access to advanced technologies critical in modern military hardware and components that Russia doesnt possess.

As a consequence, foreign buyers may decide to switch to more reliable sources of military hardware.

Furthermore, losses suffered by Russian forces in Ukraine this year may have seriously damaged Moscows reputation as a military equipment powerhouse.

The problems facing Russias defense-industrial sector will create market opportunities in Southeast Asia for other countries, including China, the report said.

According to SIPRI data, Chinas arms exports to Southeast Asia in 2021 totaled $284 million, up from $53 million in 2020.

So far, China has refrained from condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine and as the war drags on Moscows dependence on Beijing may deepen.

In return, China will seek increased access to Russias most sensitive military technology and even pressure Moscow to reduce military sales to Vietnam, Storey said.

Visitors hold part of a medium range surface-to-air missile weapon system during the 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai city, Nov. 6, 2018. [AP]

Ukraines arms sales

That would be a blow for Russian exporters but also for Vietnam, which has competing claims against China in the South China Sea.

The situation in Ukraine also disrupted the Ukrainian arms supply to Hanoi which totaled $200 million during 2000-2021.

Ukraine was part of the Soviet and then Russian defense industries even after proclaiming independence. It has been a major supplier of aircraft and spare parts, as well as armored vehicles and munitions.

During 2009-2014, up until the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine was among worlds 10 largest arms exporters, according to SIPRI.

In 2012, it was in fact the fourth-largest arms exporter. Kyiv sold conventional arms valued at $1.3 billion that year. Ukraines state-owned exporter Ukrspecexport had contracts with nearly 80 countries.

In its heyday, the company ran 100 arms-producing plants and factories, and employed thousands of workers.

Besides Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar were big customers that spent $479 million and $111 million on Ukrainian weapons respectively during 2000-2021.

In 2011, Bangkok ordered 49 T-84 Oplot battle tanks and 236 BTR-3E armored vehicles from Ukraine. However the delayed deliveries of the Oplots because of the Crimea crisis forced Thailand to buy VT-4 main battle tanks from China instead.

Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia also bought weapons from Ukraine, though in lesser quantities.

Bangladesh retired Brig. Gen. Sakhawat Hossain, told BenarNews that the Bangladesh Air Force mainly uses Russian and Ukrainian MI helicopters and Antonov planes.

Many of the spare parts of the helicopters and planes are produced in Ukraine. The import of such spare parts and military hardware would now be stopped, Hossain said.

Another former Bangladesh officer, retired Air Commodore Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, said that the war in Ukraine would not create any problem in operating the aircraft in the short term.

But in the long run we may face problems as the Russian forces attacked the Antonov plant, he said.

Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka and Pimuk Rakkanam in Bangkok contributed to this report.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
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.
On Friday, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming Bill Gates owns the majority of Americas farmland and the investment firm BlackRock holds the majority of single family houses in the country.
The Biden administration sought Friday to downplay the role of American intelligence in the high-profile sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, distancing itself from any direct role in one of the greatest embarrassments for Russia since it attacked Ukraine
The county joined others in Massachusetts now listed at that status by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The advice now: Wear masks in public regardless of your vaccination status.
Give the Mothers Day gift, Boston health officials said Friday, that makes sure your presence at gatherings this Sunday wont keep on giving.

Giving exposure to COVID-19, that is.

By being tested first.

Both the Boston area and Berkshire County are back in what the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention terms high community levels of COVID-19.

Under that status, affixed to seven Massachusetts counties late this week, people are advised to wear masks in public places, regardless of their vaccination status.

Franklin and Worcester counties are also at the high status, with Hampshire and Hampden counties remaining at the CDCs medium level, where Berkshire County had been until this week.

Rising hospitalization is believed to be the reason many counties moved to high. The federal agency considers the number of hospital beds used, along with hospital admissions and the number of new cases in an area, in determining community risk.

As The Eagle reported Friday, the rising numbers in Berkshire County are linked to two new omicron sub-variants. Most of the country is seeing similar increases that are driving new hospitalizations. Cases are up in all but four states and U.S. territories.

So far, however, the case numbers are not proving to be as lethal as past surges.

Since were not seeing deaths yet from this, maybe its a less virulent strain, but it is certainly present, Dr. James Lederer, chief medical officer and chief quality officer at Berkshire Health Systems in Pittsfield, said Thursday.

Quote Were not done yet; were going to see increases in numbers." Dr. James Lederer, BMC

The new strains are highly transmissible and are infecting even people who have been vaccinated. Were not done yet; were going to see increases in numbers, Lederer said.

Berkshire Medical Center had nine inpatients with COVID-19 as of Friday, up from eight Thursday and seven Wednesday.

(tncms-inline)1522592028349059072[1](/tncms-inline)

In the past week, Berkshire County had 718 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, lifting the total during the pandemic from 24,526 to 25,244. As of Friday, 146 new daily cases were reported. Due to the availability of home testing, official numbers are no longer believed to provide a complete count of cases.

In the past week weeks, the county has been averaging 98 new cases daily, or 78 per 100,000 population. That is higher than the state as a whole, which has seen 45 new cases per 100,000 population, a tally thats risen 54 percent in two weeks, according to data provided by The New York Times.

The state Department of Public Health reported Friday that 567 people are hospitalized with the virus in Massachusetts.

The state saw 17 new deaths, pushing the pandemic total to 19,198. In Berkshire County, two deaths in the past week were linked to the virus, for a total of 377.
SHEFFIELD  Investigators are still working Friday at the edge of a cornfield near the Housatonic River as they continue to search for evidence in what the FBI says is an ongoing probe.

While the large law enforcement crew led by the FBI has dwindled since Thursday, a number of police vehicles and equipment are still present at this staging area near a cluster of trees in the 156-acre field owned by a local farmer.

On Thursday, police were using an excavator, grader and other machinery.

An FBI spokesperson on Friday again said they could not release information about the case. On Thursday, Kristen Setera of the FBIs Boston Division said the agency is trying to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation as it looks for specific evidence. She said there is no threat to public safety.

Local police and the Berkshire District Attorneys Office also would not comment and referred inquiries to the FBI.

Sheffield police late Thursday issued a statement saying the investigation is not connected to any other cases in Berkshire County.

The large police presence here at a rest area off Route 7 has sparked speculation in the community that it is related to the disappearance of Meghan Marohn, a New York state woman who went missing in late March after visiting Stockbridge. Residents had found her car parked at a South Lee trailhead, and police and family are continuing that search.

Sources familiar with that and the FBI investigation said the two cases are unrelated.
Chinese ambassador urges U.S. to stop politicizing business, trade ties with China

Xinhua) 13:25, May 06, 2022

WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang has urged the United States to stop politicizing China-U.S. business and trade ties and cancel the additional tariffs on Chinese goods that Washington still hasn't let go.

Qin made the remarks during a recent interview with Forbes magazine, which was conducted at the Chinese embassy in Washington on April 29 and was published on Thursday.

"Our trade and business relations have made remarkable achievements, benefiting the two countries and benefiting the world. We are natural partners, because our economies are highly complementary," Qin told the magazine's Shanghai bureau chief Russell Flannery.

Qin said many of the "uncertainties and instabilities" surrounding the China-U.S. business and trade relations these years are caused by the U.S. side. "The Section 301 tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration are still going on. And the United States is now defining China-U.S. relations as intense competition. Under such circumstances, business and trade are being politicized."

"So we hope that the United States should stop politicizing our business cooperation and stop using trade as a tool, so that we could provide more stability and predictability to investors," he said.

Speaking of the additional tariffs on Chinese imports imposed during the Trump administration, Qin said it "hasn't reduced the trade deficit of the United States. On the contrary, it brings more costs to American companies and American consumers."

"I think it's time for the U.S. administration to reconsider and to cancel it as early as possible," he said, adding "if the U.S. side still wants to continue, I don't know if they are prepared for more losses. If they will continue, we have to live up to it."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
New Delhi: In the talks at Elysee Palace in Paris till late Wednesday night (India time) between good friends Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron to prepare a blueprint for the next stage of their strategic partnership, the two nations decided to partner more strongly in the field of co-designing, co-development, co-production of different defence equipment in India. France strongly condemned the unlawful and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine by Russian forces, and the two strategic partners showed a broad understanding of each other's position on the Ukraine conflict, with both Mr Modi and President Macron agreeing that close coordination and engagement was important so that both India and France can play a constructive role in the evolving situation.

Mr Modi gave the French President a very elaborate understanding of the space from where the Indian position originated which calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities and the resolution to the ongoing situation through diplomacy and dialogue, foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told reporters at a special briefing in Paris early Thursday morning before Mr Modis departure for New Delhi.

The foreign secretary also said the the two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on all the key areas of bilateral engagement, including in defence, space, civil nuclear cooperation and people-to-people linkages, and also discussed regional and global issues, including developments in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific. Asked about the Rafale fighter jets that India has acquired from France, Kwatra indicated that the talks between the two leaders were in a format that is not necessarily focused on transactions or individual platforms. The two also discussed ways to work together in making the India-France Strategic Partnership a force for global good. Modi also congratulated President Macron on his recent re-election as President during the short yet, substantive visit that lasyed a few hours. He also invited the French President to visit India at the earliest opportunity.

A joint statement on Thursday said: India and France expressed serious concern at the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. They unequivocally condemned the civilian deaths in Ukraine and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to bring parties together to promote dialogue and diplomacy to find an immediate end to the suffering of the people. Both countries underlined the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. The two leaders discussed the regional and global implications of the conflict in Ukraine and agreed to intensify coordination on the issue.

The foreign secretary said: The two leaders also spoke very extensively, exchanged views very extensively on the cascading effect of the situation in Ukraine, in terms of global food shortages, shortages of commodities, such as fertiliser, and how the two countries can partner together in order to address some of these challenges, which are very real and felt on the ground As I mentioned earlier, there is a clear understanding of each others position and they did agree to stay in touch and coordinate very closely. So, as the situation evolves, they can both individually or together play a constructive role in this situation, so all these challenges, which I talked about, can be resolved.

On defence cooperation, the joint statement said: The six Scorpene submarines built at MDL in Mumbai illustrates the level of transfer of technology from France to India, in line with the Make in India initiative. As seen in the timely delivery of the Rafale jets despite the pandemic, the two sides enjoy synergy in the field of defence. Taking forward this momentum, and based on their mutual trust, both sides agreed to find creative ways for Frances deeper involvement in Atma Nirbhar Bharat efforts in advanced defence technology, manufacturing and exports, including through encouraging increased industry-to- industry partnerships.

Asked about talks on defence cooperation, the FS said: When the two strategic partners speak, it covers the discussions in a format which is not necessarily focused on transactions or individual platforms. India and France, as I said earlier, are very strong strategic partners and have a very strong defence partnership. The context of defence partnership is defined in case of our two countries by not just trade in different platforms, but it also extends to co-development, co-designing, co-manufacturing.

On Indo-Pacific cooperation, the statement said: India and France have built one of the premier strategic partnerships for advancing peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. They share a vision of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, based on commitment to international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, freedom of navigation and a region free from coercion, tensions and conflicts. The India-France ance Indo-Pacific partnership encompasses defence and security, trade, investment, connectivity, health and sustainability.
Judge John A. Agostini listens as Nick Carnevales parents speak in March about how the shooting has impacted their lives  and the life of their son. The man suspected of shooting Carnevale is expected to change his plea Friday during a court hearing  just days before his trial was about to begin.
Managing editor for innovation

Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service.
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.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is seen March 29 in the Trusteeship Chamber at United Nations headquarters.
SRINAGAR/New Delhi: The Union government on Thursday got the ball rolling for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after it published the gazette notification of the final delimitation order hours after the three-member Delimitation Commission submitted its report to the government. As per the order, which comes into effect from May 5, Jammu division will now have 43 assembly constituencies and Kashmir 47 in the 90-member house.

The commission, which was entrusted with the work of delimiting the assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of the 2011 census, recommended additional seats in the Assembly for Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons from the Pakistan occupied Jammu-Kashmir. Besides, there are five parliamentary constituencies in the UT, all with equal number of Assembly constituencies for the first time.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) sources said that it may take the poll panel three to four months to prepare the new J&K electoral roll as per the newly-delimited constituencies. The decision to hold Assembly elections in the state will be taken only after that.

It is speculated that the Assembly elections in J&K will be held along with those in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year. Though decision to this effect will be taken by the ECI at an appropriate time, keeping in view all pros and cons including the maintenance of law and order, weather and agricultural calendar, particularly the apple-growing season and in consultation with the Union home ministry and J&K administration.

The Delimitation Commission headed by the retired judge of the Supreme Court justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and comprising of chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra and J&K state election commissioner K.K. Sharma said, after consultation with associate members, representatives of political parties, citizens and civil society groups, it has been decided to reserve nine Assembly constituencies for scheduled tribes, out of which six will be in Jammu region and 3 in the valley. This is the first time in J&Ks legislative history that seats have been reserved for the STs.

After the increase in the number of Assembly constituencies in the UT from 83 to 90, all five parliamentary constituencies will have an equal number of Assembly seats for the first time.

Jammu and Kashmir has been treated as a single entity for the purpose of delimitation. One of the parliamentary constituencies has been carved out by combining the Anantnag region in the valley and the Rajouri and Poonch of the Jammu region. By this reorganisation, each parliamentary constituency will have an equal number of 18 Assembly constituencies each. Names of some ACs have also been changed keeping in view the demand of local representatives, a statement from ECI said.

The Delimitation Commission has also asked the government to nominate at least two members of Kashmiri migrants for the union territorys Legislative Assembly, one of which should be a woman. Provision of at least two members, one of them must be a female, from the community of Kashmiri migrants in the Legislative Assembly and such members may be given power at par with the power of nominated members of the Legislative Assembly of union territory of Puducherry. The Central government may consider giving the displaced persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir some representation in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly by way of nomination of representatives of the displaced persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the order said.

The Delimitation Commission set up on March 6, 2020 by a law ministry notification was initially asked to examine the issue of redrawing the Lok Sabha and Assembly constitutions simultaneously in J&K, Assam and some other northeastern states.

However, when the commission had already laid the groundwork to start the delimitation exercise, the government excluded Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland from its purview for the time being. The exclusion raised many eyebrows in J&K and beyond. The Union government also extended its term by one-year in March last year and on the completion of it for another two months.

Earlier this year, after putting the draft report in the public domain, the commission invited claims and suggestions between March 14 and 2 from all political parties, organizations and individuals.

The commission received a total of 408 suggestions and objections which were in addition to those submitted by five of its associate members including Union minister of state in the Prime Ministers Office Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma, both BJP MPs from Jammu division, and their counterparts from the Kashmir valley Farooq Abdullah, Mohammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference (NC).

Various Kashmir-centric political parties including the NC had termed the commissions proposal of six additional Assembly seats for Jammu region and one for the Kashmir valley while reserving nine constituencies for Scheduled Castes and seven for Scheduled Tribes and making changes in the Lok Sabha constituencies totally unacceptable. They accused the commission of allowing the political agenda of the BJP to dictate its recommendations by seeking to disempower the Muslim voters particularly of Kashmir valley and Pir Panjal region of the UT.

In February, Mr Abdullahs had rejected the draft report of the commission saying it "defies any and all logic" and no political, social and administrative reason can justify the recommendations.

The BJP, on their part, called the commission's proposal a path-breaking initiative and a defining moment for the political empowerment of marginalised segments of J&K.
Eight candidates are running in the Republican primary for governor of Idaho on May 17. Incumbent Gov. Brad Little and Janice McGeachin, the states current lieutenant governor, lead in fundraising and media attention.

Idaho is one of 17 states where the lieutenant governor is nominated in a separate primary and elected in a separate general election from the governor. According to the Idaho Presss Betsy Russell, an incumbent Idaho governor has not been challenged in a primary by the lieutenant governor since 1938.

The Idaho Statesmans Ryan Suppe said of Little and McGeachin, The two former allies  have had a tense relationship in recent years. Much of that tension has revolved around responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In two instances in 2021, McGeachin issued executive orders related to COVID-19 measures  the first, while Little was at a Republican Governors Association meeting, banning mask mandates, and the second, while Little was at the U.S.-Mexico border, expanding a prohibition against state entities requiring vaccination or testing. Little rescinded both orders the following day.

The Idaho Constitution says that if the governor is absent from the state, the duties of the office transfer to the lieutenant governor. McGeachin and Little disagreed on whether the Idaho Constitution transfers the duties of the governors office to the lieutenant governor in the event of the governors physical absence or effective absence.

Little is running on his record, saying that his first term was marked by historic tax relief, unparalleled red tape reduction, extraordinary economic growth, and unprecedented investments in education. He said, During my first term, together, we achieved billions in historic tax relief, record investments in transportation, and continued our strong support for education in Idaho. Little said, I am committed to continuing to lead Idaho with my goal for Idaho in mind to make Idaho the place where we all can have the opportunity to thrive, where our children and grandchildren choose to stay, and for the ones who have left to choose to return. The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund and the Idaho Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Little.

McGeachin said she is running for Governor to restore the principles that have Made Idaho Great  individual liberty, state sovereignty, and traditional conservative values. She said she is a proven conservative leader with an established track record of working with others to promote fiscal responsibility. McGeachin said, My campaign has been endorsed by President Trump because I stand for America First policies including individual liberty, election integrity, a strong and secure border, school choice, energy independence, reducing taxes and regulations, and supporting American businesses. Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed McGeachin in November 2021.

Also running in the primary are Steven Bradshaw, Ben Cannady, Ed Humphreys, Ashley Jackson, Lisa Marie and Cody Usabel.

Major independent observers rate the general election as Solid/Safe Republican. Republicans have had trifecta control of Idaho state government since 1995. The last time a Democrat was elected to statewide office in Idaho was for superintendent of public instruction in 2002.
LEWISTON - More than 6,000 Idaho students will qualify for the first Workforce Readiness and Career Technical Education diploma.

The 2021 Idaho State Legislature created the diploma to acknowledge how CTE programs enhance students high school experience and prepare them for the demands of todays employers. The class of 2022 is the first to earn this designation.

Of the estimated 6,000 students projected to receive the diplomas, 216 are from schools in the 5 local counties that are part of Region 2. Of those, The Lewiston School District has the highest projected number (64%) followed by Moscow (9%) and Kamiah (6%).

Idaho employers are increasingly seeking an educational system that better prepares students for the workforce, said Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls. Since most of our population does not graduate from college, it makes sense to focus on the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success in the workplace as part of high school graduation.

To earn the CTE diploma, juniors or seniors must complete all graduation requirements established by the Idaho State Board of Education. In addition, they must complete a capstone course for their CTE pathway, pass a technical skills assessment, pass a workplace readiness assessment, and earn all SkillStack microcertifications for their pathway or an approved industry certification.

This new diploma is an opportunity for students to explore high-skill, high-demand occupations in Idaho and earn college credit while still in high school, said Clay Long, state administrator for the Idaho Division of Career Technical Education. In the process, they earn employer-recognized certifications, develop technical and employability skills, demonstrate college and career readiness, and enter the world confident in their ability to meet their employers needs.

The Workforce Readiness and CTE diploma also helps employers identify candidates who possess the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace and reduce the time and money invested in training new employees.

This diploma is an example of how education is moving back to relevance and practical application, said Lent. Better preparing students for the transition to successful employment also significantly reduces employee turnover.

Long agrees the diploma benefits students and employers and notes it will help make CTE courses more attractive to students and parents. Through CTE, were training students for well-paying jobs they can find right here in Idaho, which helps employers address critical labor shortages, said Long.Its a win-win-win for the student, their employer, and the state of Idaho.

The Workforce Readiness and CTE diploma also helps employers identify candidates who possess the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace and reduce the time and money invested in training new employees.

This diploma is an example of how education is moving back to relevance and practical application, said Lent. Better preparing students for the transition to successful employment also significantly reduces employee turnover.

Long agrees the diploma benefits students and employers and notes it will help make CTE courses more attractive to students and parents. Through CTE, were training students for well-paying jobs they can find right here in Idaho, which helps employers address critical labor shortages, said Long.Its a win-win-win for the student, their employer, and the state of Idaho.
POCATELLO, ID - On Thursday, May 5, 2022 at approximately 1:40 a.m. officers with the Pocatello Police Department responded to a disturbance on the 900 block of E. Bridger in Pocatello, ID. According to a press release from the Pocatello PD, immediately upon the officers arrival a male subject, armed with an AR15, lifted and aimed the weapon at deputies, which resulted in an exchange of gunfire.

The exchange of gunfire between the officers and the suspect resulted in two officers being wounded, as well as the suspect. One officer was believed to be shot three times and the other officer once, according to Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei.

Other officers arriving on scene immediately began providing medical attention to the injured officers and took the suspect, who was identified as 45-year-old Todd V. Brewer, of Pocatello, into custody.

Both officers and Brewer were transported to a local medical facility. Brewer was taken via ambulance while the officers were transported via squad car by other officers on scene.

As of Thursday afternoon, Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei described the officers condition as "Stable."

The names of the officers involved has not been released. Both officers were wearing body cams.

Brewer will be transported to the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello upon his release from the medical facility.

The incident remains under investigation by the East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force. No motive is known at this time.

The Pocatello Prosecutor's Office say they anticipate charging Brewer with two counts of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer. Each count has a potential of up to 25 years in prison. In this case, each count also comes with a deadly weapon enhancement, which would add an additional 15 years per count. If convicted, Brewer would face up to a total of 80 years.
MECOSTA, OSCEOLA, LAKE COUNTIES  Fremont Area Community Foundation recently expanded their small business loan program through Michigan State University Federal Credit Union to support businesses in Newaygo, Lake, Mecosta and Osceola counties, according to a news release from the organization.

Through the partnership with MSUFCU, loans of up to $50,000 are available at a low interest rate.

For-profit and nonprofit businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees are eligible to apply. The business must be headquartered in Mecosta, Osceola, Lake or Newaygo counties.

Local small businesses are crucial to the economy in our region, said Shelly Kasprzycki, Community Foundation president and CEO. Through our partnership with MSUFCU, we are excited to increase our support of local businesses.

The Community Foundation created the Small Business Recovery Loan Program with MSUFCU in 2020 to help small businesses in Newaygo County impacted by the pandemic, the news release said.

Now, the Community Foundation is broadening that assistance to business start-ups and expansions as well as pandemic-related needs. Loans will also be available to businesses in the counties served by the Community Foundations three affiliate foundations.

MSUFCU recognizes the role small businesses play in communities  they create opportunities, energize the economic base, and cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurialism, said April Clobes, president and CEO of MSUFCU. We are pleased to partner with Fremont Area Community Foundation to provide small businesses access to affordable financing through this program.

To inquire about eligibility, start the application process, or get more information, contact Dan Wheat, community investment officer, at 231-924-7616 or email loan@facommunityfoundation.org.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, don't know much about history.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
J P Nadda President BJP with state President Bandi Sanjay , Tarun Chugh BJP incharge, union minister Kishen Reddy and Dr.K. Laxman BJP President OBC at public meeting in Mahbubnagar as part of Praja Sangrama Yatra on Thursday. (By Arrangement)

Hyderabad: The BJP on Thursday declared that it would do its best win power in Telangana in the next Assembly elections. Party president J.P. Nadda has said there was a clear desire for change in government in the state.

The BJP has in store for the Telangana Rashtra Samiti a bigger 'dhamaka' than what the TRS experienced in Dubbaka and in Huzurabad.

Nadda said, "I was speaking to Bandi and Etala Rajendar earlier. Dubbaka dhamaka kya hua, Huzurabad mein huzur gir gaye. Yeh saari ghatnane KCR sahib ko vichilit kardiya (the dhamaka in Dubbaka, and the fall of the leader in Huzurabad, have disturbed KCR).

The people in Telangana want a BJP government here. They want to see a double engine government, a Modi-led BJP government at the Centre and a BJP government in the state, Nadda said.

The BJP president was addressing a public meeting in Mahbubnagar as part of the state BJP president Bandi Sanjays padayatra.

This government of Chandrashekar Rao, this is one of the most corrupt governments. You should remember this. Kaleshwaram project has become a milch cow for Chandrashekar Rao. Its cost went up from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 1,20,000 crore. But, despite all these, not an inch of land has been irrigated by this project in the state, Nadda said.

This is living proof of KCRs corruption, he said, and asked the gathering to say if they agreed with his view on corruption in Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya, and even the Haritha Haram programmes.

Does the KCR government not support the land mafia, he asked, adding the people of Telangana know how to get their rights, and the day is set to come when the lotus will bloom in the state and the BJP comes to power.

Union minister Kishan Reddy called on the people to give the BJP a chance to govern the state and promised that the chief ministers Pragati Bhavan, to which AIMIM leaders have full access while no one else is allowed inside, will be turned into Telangana Pragati Bhavan after the BJP comes to power in the state.

A strange situation exists in Telangana. The last elections saw how worried the TRS was that it will lose power if the polls were to be held along with those for the Lok Sabha. So it called for early elections in the state but still lost eight seats to BJP and the Congress. The Dubbaka and the Huzurabad Assembly bypolls have taught the TRS a lesson, he said.

Now, KCR is worried about the elections next year. He is sitting in his farm house and worrying as to what if the TRS loses and his son does not become the chief minister, he said.

He added: It is because of this worry that the chief minister is trying to divert the attention of the people from his failures by criticising the BJP government at the Centre. Telangana Talli has been imprisoned by the Kalvakuntla and Owaisi families. KCR has been in power for eight years, dictating terms to the media and the police. He, along with Asaduddin Owaisi, is trying to poison the minds of the people. The AIMIM said no to Telangana and opposed its formation. Now the TRS is with it. The people of Telangana are enlightened. They will see through this and bring the BJP to power in the next elections, Kishan Reddy said.

Bandi Sanjay, on the second leg of his Praja Sangrama Yatra, and having received full support for his endeavour from Nadda and Kishan Reddy, called Chandrashekar Rao a Telangana drohi (betrayer). He wondered why KCR was unwilling to accept his challenge about seeing for himself how people were migrating from Palamuru region in search of livelihoods.

Sanjay also took aim at the government decision to conduct Group I job exams in Urdu, and said the government was trying to ensure that a select few who answer in that language passed. Their test papers will be corrected by a select few, they will get those jobs at the cost of others who truly deserve those jobs.

After the BJP comes to power, Sanjay said, we will remove everyone who gets a job after taking the tests in Urdu and ensure those jobs go to those who should deserved them.

He said the BJP has been warning the state government against any delay paddy procurement and that rains will spoil the crop, but the state has not done anything. He criticised the TRS government for not completing any irrigation project that would benefit the Palamuru region.

Among the other BJP leaders who addressed the meeting were Etala Rajender, AP Jithender Reddy, DK Aruna, Raghunandan Rao, and Dharmapuri Aravind.

Earlier in the day, addressing a meeting of party leaders at Mahbubnagar, Nadda told them not to worry over the importance given in the party to some leaders who came from other parties. There is no need for anyone to worry about losing their standing or status in the party when others join the BJP, he said.

The BJP is positioned well to come to power in Telangana and the present opportunity should not be squandered. Everyone in the party will be taken care of appropriately, Nadda said.

Naddas comments come in the wake of expectations that the BJP in Telangana will see an influx of all sorts of politicians from other parties; and that this could lead to some heartburn within the party among those expecting tickets to contest the next assembly elections.
The device has been installed at the hospitals respiratory medicine department

Fujifilm India has installed their first state-of-the-art Endobronchial Ultrasound System (EBUS) at ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Faridabad to assist doctors in carrying out advanced diagnosis pertaining to diseases of the lungs.

The inauguration was done by Bhupender Yadav, Union Cabinet Minister of Labour and Employment, and Krishna Pal Gujjar, Minister of State of Power and Heavy Industries.

Installed at the hospitals respiratory medicine department, the system was inaugurated by the Medical Commissioner of ESIC Dr Anshu Chhabra, Mukhmeet S Bhatia (Director General) and TL Yaden (Financial Commissioner).

The Endobronchial Ultrasound System (EBUS) is designed to support diagnosis and staging of various lung disorders. With its enhanced distal angulation and a slim design, this bronchoscope provides innovative ways for doctors to use in a range of procedures. The bronchoscopy aids doctors to diagnose lung disorders including inflammation, cancer or infections. Using a tube which goes from the patient's mouth to the windpipe and lungs, the EBUS scope uses a video camera and ultrasound probe to image the lungs and lymph nodes for accurate location and evaluation of the system.
NWU acting vice-chancellor receives international awards for outstanding research

The acting vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Prof Linda du Plessis, clearly sets the example after she was awarded her second doctorate in 2020, and has also been praised for the quality of her study by two international academic institutions and associations.

After she completed her doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) at the University of Bath in England, Emerald Publishing Limited  a scholarly publisher of academic journals and books in the fields of management, business, education, library studies, healthcare and engineering  awarded her the Emerald Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research in 2020. Emerald Publishing Limited considers candidates who completed their studies in the past three years for this award.



It is clear that Prof Du Plessiss research fills a gap in the literature by investigating how university executives meet the demand for legitimacy from internal and external stakeholders during unplanned radical change.



The exploration focuses on institutionalised practices that triggered radical change at South African public universities; the influence of legitimacy demands on universities ability to deal with radical change; and the identification and reconsideration of rational myths during radical change. Because of the complexity of the higher-education environment and the involvement of multiple resources and relationships with internal and external stakeholders, a single theory cannot cover all the aspects affected by the radical change, Du Plessis says.



The informed analysis of the sense-making of legitimacy during radical institutional change provides insight for future leaders on steering change in a complex environment, coupled with the multifaceted dynamics of highly institutionalised organisations, she says. Education is globally perceived as a key enabler in providing a better future for the youth and reducing inequality. Sustainable Development Goal Four of the United Nations (UN) calls for inclusive, equitable and quality education for all. The topic Prof Du Plessis covered, leadership during crisis, is important yet largely overlooked in higher-education studies.



What is the Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards all about?



Emerald partners with the Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL) to recognise and reward exceptional doctoral research. It offers two annual international awards: the Emerald Outstanding Doctoral Research Award, and the Emerald/Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association Education Outstanding Doctoral Research Award.



According to Emerald, their goal is to help find solutions to the disparities across the world by supporting researchers working in this area.



We are proud to support the global research community through an award programme that recognises exceptional doctoral research that addresses the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN. These goals are an urgent call for action by all countries to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, peace and justice.



The Richard and Shirley Mawditt Prize



As if these accomplishments were not enough, Du Plessis was also awarded the Richard and Shirley Mawditt Prize for outstanding performance on the DBA and notified about this on 28 April 2022.



It is my pleasure to let you know that  in addition to your doctorate in Business Administration qualification  you have been awarded this prize, which was conferred by a panel of the DBA academic team and approved by our Board of Studies, says Prof Dan Davies, director of the Higher Education Management Programmes of the University of Bath.



Receiving these awards is such a great honour for me. One often doubts ones abilities, but this topic was something close to my heart and was such an enriching experience. I would like to thank my study leader, Prof Hong Bui, for tremendous support and contributions towards this. The value of this DBA is multifaceted. I have new appreciation for the important role study leaders and promotors must fulfil in providing guidance and constructive academic advice. Furthermore, the networks established because of this study are invaluable, Du Plessis concludes.



It is clear that Prof Du Plessiss determined and sustained contributions towards raising the bar with regard to international academic excellence do not go unnoticed globally.




SA's leading trade event offers fresh insights for Africa's food value chain

[1]

[2]

[1]

[2]

Feeding a population of around 1.3 billion, the World Bank has predicted that Africas food and beverage (F&B) market will reach over US$1 trillion by 2030. While the industry has faced significant challenges since the onset of Covid, especially in terms of delivery and supply chain management, the crisis has also served as a catalyst for innovation.With international research forecasting a 7.99% compound annual growth rate for the African foodservice market over the next five years, Evan Schiff, portfolio director of food, hospitality and trade at dmg events says that the continents F&B industry has been quick to respond to changing consumer tastes and behaviour to ensure a robust and agile transformation.The top trends driving this transformation will be explored at this years Africas Big 7 retail-ready F&B trade show, running from 19-21 June 2022 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg. Co-located with Africas most established multi-sectoral trade show, SAITEX, and the Halal International Trade Expo, the three-day event typically welcomes around 5,000 visitors and will showcase over 250 of the best local, regional and international partners within the F&B business, with exhibitors hailing from 26 countries across the continent.Consumer-centric trends continue to drive F&B innovation, says Schiff, and food professionals at this years face-to-face event will benefit from our innovative programme curated by Africas Big 7s strong advisory board that promises strategic networking opportunities for buyers and brands, as well as expert insight and guidance on how to tap into these trends and unlock future growth opportunities.Below are some of the top trends shaping the F&B industry in 2022 which will be addressed at Africas Big 7. Studies show that consumer demand for sustainability within the F&B industry is gaining momentum. Displaying a marked shift to more sustainable shopping over the last few years, consumers are looking beyond eco-friendly packaging to other focus areas including solving the food waste challenge, health and nutrition, public hygiene and sanitation, as well as environment preservation.Accelerated by the pandemic, the market is also experiencing a growing demand for functional foods that deliver tangible benefits, such as immunity and stress management. Not only do consumers want products with purpose, but also food that offers greater diversity and transparency, which they feel should be aligned with their political, social and ethical values.The pandemic has expanded how and where consumers shop, resulting in rising demand for online shopping, meal-kits, and other delivery services. These shifting patterns in buying behaviour see retailers investing in omni-channel digital technologies, as well as influencer marketing and fulfilment strategies to solve their last-mile challenges.Other key topics to be covered over the event include tapping into the township economy and disrupted food channels and building supply chain resilience through technology.Two industry competitions return to the Africas Big 7 exhibition floor this year, both of which are open for public entry.In the National Burger Challenge , local and amateur cooks will compete for a R5,000 cash prize, while amateur and professional bakers alike will also have an opportunity to shine in one of the many baking competitions taking place under the SA Bakers Challenge A new, exclusive feature included in this event is the Innovation Workshop , where participants will learn how to take an idea to launch in just three months, with insider support from Real Innovatrs.In its 19th year, Africas Big 7 is a must-attend event for all F&B professionals, offering a unique opportunity to connect with buyers across the continent, to source new products, develop new partnerships and conclude export and import deals, says Schiff.Registration for Africas Big 7 is currently open. To register for the event, please visit: Africas Big 7 website
bp Southern Africa (bpSA) announced recently that it will be donating R8m to help support the flood relief efforts in KwaZulu-Natal. The donation will be made through its ongoing partnership with the Solidarity Fund. The parties are in the process of finalising the project plan and its monitoring and evaluation aspects.

People drag a carpet into the sun to dry after their home was flooded in the Dakota informal settlement in Isipingo Beach, Durban. Reuters/Rogan Ward

The donation will provide displaced flood victims with food, water, and other essential emergency supplies, bpSA said in a statement.The health, safety, and security of our people and our environment are core bp values and we are pleased to be able to provide meaningful and critical support towards the countrys collective stand to help those in need in the province. We are grateful for the exceptional leadership of our board chairperson, Advocate Thandi Orleyn, as her support has made this donation possible, says Taelo Mojapelo, bp Southern Africa CEO.We are pleased to also be supporting the communities where our employees live and work. We believe that this donation will make a meaningful difference in providing immediate and ongoing relief efforts in KwaZulu-Natal, Mojapelo said.
Freelance Mid-Senior Art Director

Remuneration: market-related Location: Johannesburg Education level: Diploma Job level: Mid/Senior Type: 3-6 months Reference: #AD/PR Company: Ogilvy Cape Town

Study products and services to decide the main selling feature

Create ideas for advertising and promotion, together with copywriters

Consult with clients to obtain a clear understanding of their visual communication requirements and develop design roughs (visual or sketches)

Produce advertisements for newspapers, radio, television, cinema screens, billboards, catalogues and for displays in shops  this involves using techniques such as photography, illustration and computer-generated imagery

Supervision of all production stages

A relevant qualification in art direction/design, preferably from an advertising school

At least three years' experience working on BTL, TTL and ATL campaigns in an agency environment

An indication of previously won awards

An up-to-date and blindingly genius portfolio is a must

The ability to work under extreme pressure and meet tight deadlines

Excellent communication and marketing skills and a proven ability to work well in teams

An observant and inquisitive approach to people and their environment

Insight into human behavior and motivational needs

Creativity and originality is an absolute must-have trait

A sense of colour and form that is second to none

At Ogilvy we celebrate diversity for the benefit of both our clients and employees. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we invite all applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for this position should you fit our criteria.The Talent Team at Ogilvy appreciates your interest in the agency and thanks you for your application. However due to high volumes of applications received we will only be able to contact candidates that have met the minimum recruitment criteria. If you have not heard from the Ogilvy Talent Acquisition Team within 6 weeks of application, please note that you were not shortlisted for this particular role and your application has been unsuccessful. Posted on 06 May 16:19, Closing date 5 Jul
Production Coordinator

Location: Cape Town, Rosenpark, Bellville Remote work: Not Applicable Education level: Matric Job level: Junior/Mid Own transport required: Yes Travel requirement: Occasional Type: Permanent Company: Christian Vision

Job description

Introducing people to Jesus; Mobilising Christians to evangelise; and Resourcing the Church with free digital content and knowledge.

To work alongside the Content Manager to create a well-crafted, missions-effective narrative and conceptual pieces that communicate the Gospel and further the vision of CV.

To interpret and execute creative brief documents.

To coordinate pre-production and post-production activities including the recording of production meetings, creating movement orders and call sheets, keeping the crew updated, scheduling reviews and recording review notes.

To coordinate shoots, including the booking of film equipment, vehicles, props and studios, crew and talent.

To coordinate the production on set.

To provide the Content Manager with budget estimations and ensuring post-shoot reconciliation of costs.

To troubleshoot production complications as they arise on set.

Other duties as delegated from time to time by the Content Manager.

To be available for personal and spiritual growth opportunities.

To pro-actively maintain a positive attitude.

To adhere to all regulations, CV policies, procedures and guidelines.

To undertake professional development as required.

To adhere to all occupational health and safety requirements of CV.

To keep confidential the affairs of CV and its employees.

To represent CV in a positive manner.

To keep abreast of the latest methods and technologies.

A keen understanding of online media and content that works well in the digital media context.

A consummate all-rounder with the drive and ability to take on a wide variety of projects.

Experience in the film, television industry or a creative agency or other digital media setting.

An eye for detail and the ability to assist in quality control.

Scriptwriting ability advantageous.

A valid drivers licence.

Excellent organizational skills.

Excellent communicator.

A willingness to travel into other African countries.

Africa & Middle EastCape Town, South AfricaChristian Vision (CV) is a global Christian charity with evangelism at our heart. Founded in 1988 by Lord Robert Edmiston, CVs strong desire is to serve and equip Christians, and the local church, in their evangelistic endeavors. To this end, we work to see impact in three key areas:The Production Coordinator for CV is a team player responsible for overseeing creative projects of engaging short and long format content within budget and to strict timelines from execution to delivery. The ideal candidate has excellent time management and multitasking skills with the ability to work under pressure facilitating the planning and execution of all aspects relating to pre-and-post production.Fulfil other duties, as common to all employees and as directed, within parameters outlined in both the mission and vision statements. This includes:Posted on 06 May 07:29, Closing date 5 Jul
In the geopolitical landscape that has shifted thanks to the war raging in Ukraine, India appears to have explained its stance of strategic neutrality better to European countries than it has to the US. It might appear contradictory that India  more deeply committed to its ties with the US now than ever before in history  is more in sync with European leaders at the moment, which is the impression gained from Prime Minister Narendra Modis whistle-stop trip to European capitals.

There was an inevitability to Ukraine being the key word in all bilateral talks since the countries Mr Modi visited have reasons to feel more threatened by the Russian invasion than the US. Indias stand vis-a-vis the war and Russia may reflect the wisdom of having no eternal allies or perpetual enemies but only serving interests that are eternal and perpetual. There may have been some explaining to do and Indias success lies in having achieved that satisfactorily.

It might have helped that many EU nations share a somewhat similar ambivalent outlook though their dependence has more to do with Russian gas and oil than Indias defence preparedness, which is so reliant on Russian military hardware and regardless of how efficient that may appear post the events since February 24 and the aggression against Ukraine. Indias position as a key player in any emerging India-Pacific scenario seems to have given it the heft in Germany, Denmark and France.

What may be of greater significance are the discussions on trade and actions to be taken regarding climate change in which Germanys commitment to an additional 10 bn euro for India to enhance its green and sustainable role in the Indo-German partnership was particularly important. Indias trade with the EU may be less than its trade with its three leading trade partners in the US, UAE and China but things may be changing with the strengthening of bilateral ties to encourage more trade so as to lessen everyones dependence on China in a post-Covid world.

The Prime Ministers high-profile engagements at a sensitive time in world affairs and his meetings with at least seven leaders of countries may have helped enhance ongoing and emerging areas of trade, technology, defence and strategic cooperation.
However, unnamed senior American officials in a bombshell New York Times report have said that intelligence sharing with the Ukrainians have helped take out some of the estimated 12 Russian generals that have died on the front lines since the Feb.24 invasion, an astonishingly high number given the rarity in any war of deaths from among highest officer ranks (and considering the war has been going for a little over two months at this point).

Image via The Independent

The intelligence sharing, which was previously vaguely acknowledged as happening by President Biden, is part of a broadly expansive US role in the conflict with the way being paved by unprecedented in size military aid packages and weapons shipments.

According to the limited details of intelligence provided to the Ukrainians, The New York Times reports that "The United States has focused on providing the location and other details about the Russian militarys mobile headquarters, which relocate frequently." Additionally, "Ukrainian officials have combined that geographic information with their own intelligence  including intercepted communications that alert the Ukrainian military to the presence of senior Russian officers  to conduct artillery strikes and other attacks that have killed Russian officers."

While US intelligence officials are seeking to deny that the purpose is an "intent to kill Russian generals" - as a National Security Council spokesperson told the Times as the story came out - the report implicitly acknowledges this marks a major escalation in terms of Washington's role:

The administration has sought to keep much of the battlefield intelligence secret, out of fear it will be seen as an escalation and provoke President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia into a wider war. American officials would not describe how they have acquired information on Russian troop headquarters, for fear of endangering their methods of collection. But throughout the war, the U.S. intelligence agencies have used a variety of sources, including classified and commercial satellites, to trace Russian troop movements.

This further involves tracking larger Russian troop and equipment movement which is seen as more perhaps 'routine' intelligence assistance utilizing satellites - such as occurred in the lead-up to the invasion as Russian forces mustered along the border and in Belarus. But now stepped up communications intercepts by US intel is clearly a big and expanding feature.

When Trump killed Soleimani, the press acted like WW3 was imminent.



When Biden kills Russian generals, they act like nothing could go wrong. pic.twitter.com/LTAmEF2qmD  Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) May 5, 2022

The following interesting, if not alarming for the prospect of direct near future Moscow-NATO escalation in the war, caveat is also introduced by the NY Times' reporting:

Not all the strikes have been carried out with American intelligence. A strike over the weekend at a location in eastern Ukraine where Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russias highest-ranking uniformed officer, had visited was not aided by American intelligence, according to multiple U.S. officials. The United States prohibits itself from providing intelligence about the most senior Russian leaders, officials said.

And it remains, "But American intelligence was critical in the deaths of other generals, officials acknowledged."

In some cases it's believed that Russian centralized military command structure and battlefield tactics leave top-ranking officers too exposed, and combined with "poor discipline" including in how communications are utilized, the presence of generals is easier to pinpoint when it occurs near the front lines for Ukraine's military and its US backers.

Without doubt, the fresh NYT report will be read in Moscow and viewed as an outrageous acknowledged escalation by Washington. The Kremlin earlier warned it would hold external countries supplying arms and other forms of assistance "responsible" - and that "decision-making" centers including Kiev would come under increased attack. Meanwhile, cruise missile strikes even as far west as Lviv do appear to be expanding this week.
The order was given because the 'west' has pushed the Ukrainian president to not make peace with Russia. The consequence will be the assured destruction of the Ukrainian military.

The Russian military forces are grinding down Ukrainian ground forces by extensive use of heavy artillery. The Ukrainian artillery has been destroyed or lacks ammunition.The Ukrainian forces have orders to stay in their position and to hold the line. That only makes sure that Russian artillery strikes will destroy them.

There are claims that the Russian progress in Ukraine has been slow or has even come to a halt:

The United States assessed last week that Russian troops were making slow and uneven progress in the Donbas, often of no more than several kilometers ... on any given day, just because they dont want to run out too far ahead of their logistics and sustainment lines, one senior U.S. official told journalists. But in its daily reports, the Institute for the Study of War noted that Russian forces made no confirmed ground attacks on Monday or Tuesday. It said a Ukrainian artillery strike April 30 on a Russian command headquarters near Izium has slowed the Russian push, and noted that, farther north, a Ukrainian counterattack Monday pushed Russian forces back 25 miles east of Kharkiv.

Those claims do not hold up to reality. As Clausewitz wrote about the Schwerpunkt in 'On War:

[N]o matter what the central feature of the enemys power may bethe point on which your efforts must convergethe defeat and destruction of his fighting force remains the best way to begin, and in every case will be a very significant feature of the campaign. Basing our comments on general experience, the acts we consider most important for the defeat of the enemy are the following: Destruction of his army, if it is at all significant. Seizure of his capital if it is not only the center of administration but also that of social, professional, and political activity. Delivery of an effective blow against his principal ally if that ally is more powerful than he.

Accordingly the Russian military is tasked with demilitarizing the Ukraine, Clausewitz task one, and that is what it is doing.

Russia is using the best available means to destroy the Ukrainian military. On the ground that means ruthless systematic mass use of artillery.

Reports about the high morale of the Ukrainian soldiers who halt Russian advances are copium when compared with the reality of the battlefield.

From the preface of the book King of Battle: Artillery in World War I (also here):

Artillery dominated the battlefields of World War I. That was seen in various ways, from wounding patterns and doctors clinical data, to memoirs, diaries, and letters, through to changed military doctrine after the war. No nation that had experienced significant ground combat would blithely assume morale could replace firepower. Artillery even holds the dubious distinction of causing a new diagnosis, shellshock.

Morale can not replace firepower. Morale gets destroyed when soldiers come under concentrated artillery fire. Russia has plenty of the later.

As I wrote a week ago after reading the Russian military report for that day:

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.

There were at that time few reports about the artillery situation at the frontline. I have now found three which have since come out. They convey what the power of artillery does to an army and confirm my previous take.

First a Politico piece that was published on the same day I wrote the above and was added to its update. The starkest quotes:

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, [First Lt. Ivan Skuratovsky] said via text.

...

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.

From an AFP piece, published on April 30, we have this:

Russian troops in Ukraines eastern Donbas region have shifted from a steamroller strategy to one of relentlessly chipping away at their opponents in the hope of grinding them down. Ukraines army has little option but to try to stall their larger and better-equipped enemy in the sprawling plains of Donbas, where artillery is king.

...

Pessimism about the chances of pushing back the Russians appears to be spreading.

...

Although they are holding their ground on the battlefield, many of Ukraines infantry soldiers admit to feeling overwhelmed. Viking, a 27-year-old staff sergeant who fought in Kreminna said his comrades are exhausted and waiting for the order to pull back. If it was a war between infantry forces, we would have a chance. But in this area, its first and foremost an artillery war and we dont have enough artillery, he says. For every 300 shells they fire, we fire three.

And from yesterdays Christian Science Monitor this:

The Ukrainian artillery team was moving into position in the northern Donbas region, along the front line near Izium. The soldiers did not even have time to orient their guns before they were found by a Russian drone. The first Russian 152 mm shells  fired by howitzers more than 10 miles away  landed near the Ukrainian guns. As the artillery team ran for safety, its vehicle was hit and set on fire. The driver, badly wounded, veered straight into bushes as shells rained down. The survivors escaped on foot, across open fields. Roman, a young artilleryman with a short patchy beard, recalled the events from a darkened military hospital room in Kramatorsk, his eyes glazed and an intravenous drip in his left arm, as he recovered from blast concussion. He gave only his first name, in keeping with Ukrainian military rules for wounded soldiers. The biggest surprise for him? That I am still alive here, after that shelling, he says listlessly, closing his eyes and lying back on his bed.

...

Russia has escalated its shelling in an apparent bid to advance on the eastern region both from the Izium axis in the north and up from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south. The pincers movement seeks to cut off some of Ukraines most battle-hardened forces ..

...

In Romans unit the driver is dead, the commander is in intensive care, another artilleryman has shrapnel wounds, and the rest are concussed, like Roman.

...

Their artillery never, never stops, says the deputy commander of Ukraines Donbas Battalion, a major who only gave the nickname Kot (Cat). He spoke in Sloviansk with a balaclava covering his face, as an air raid siren wailed across the city. They are changing their strategy, but it is still what we would expect from Russia, says Major Kot. There are no more long, vulnerable columns: They are sending recon units, then shell with artillery, and then send tanks, he says. If those tanks are destroyed, they send more tanks.

...

We really have a lack of heavy artillery, says Ukrainian Sgt. Viktor Davydov, still wired and speaking quickly of Ukraines needs, after returning to the town of Druzhkivka from the front, where he says Russian artillery strikes continue 24/7. When Russia sends incoming 200 shells, we send back 10 shells, says Sergeant Davydov, who wears sunglasses, a pistol on his thigh, and a skull shoulder patch in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag. His job is to take freshly mobilized men to the front to show them not to be afraid, and to teach them how to dig in and make very effective defensive positions to compensate for the firepower imbalance with Russia. I tell them that all they have to do is hold our line, and not retreat, says Sergeant Davydov. The cost can be high. The sergeant recalls 10 recruits in late April being sent to him one night at 11 p.m. By 6 a.m. two were dead and three wounded by Russian artillery.

The Ukrainian parliament recently change the law so that the Ukrainian territorial defense forces, comparable to the German Volkssturm, can now be used throughout the country. The locals in west Ukraine who volunteered for these units hoping to avoid being drafted into the army will now be send to the Donbas frontline where Russian artillery will eat them up.

The U.S. has send about 100 howitzer to Ukraine and a similar number of various artillery pieces will come from other NATO countries. There are several problems with these.

The first issue is training. Howitzer can not be used by newbies. How many Ukrainians with artillery experience are still alive?

Delivered to the west-Ukrainian border the guns will need to be transported 1,000 kilometer (600 miles) to the east. Their heavy ammunition, and artillery needs a lot, will have to come the same way.
The faux cover for advanced drones that can fly and hunt in packs is that they will be used in rescue operations. However, there is no technology in China that has not ultimately been used for warfare or suppression of their own citizens. These drones can be easily fitted with explosives or other weapons capable of disabling and/or killing their target.  TN Editor

Terrifying footage has emerged showing Chinese super drones hunting down humans in packs, sparking fears they could soon be primed to kill.

The breakthrough achievement has prompted concerns that they could put to sinister use.

A team from Zhejiang University in China released incredible footage of 10 lightweight drones filmed moving swiftly between trunks, uneven ground, weeds and tangled branches.

The impressive bit of hardware runs off an algorithm and charts surroundings in real-time meaning it can readjust its flight path in an instant, according to The Telegraph.

According to experts, these high-tech drones update every few milliseconds which means they can avoid colliding with other objects and can quickly regroup with others to flight with super efficiency.

And because they dont need GPS signal, they can be easily deployed in areas with poor satellite coverage.

Experts say the tech will make surveying remote wildlife or hunting for survivors in disaster zones much easier.

But in a chilling turn of events, the crew at Zhejiang University also trialled the drones on a man making his way through a cluster of trees.

The bots were also to keep focus even when the man hid behind objects to shield himself from the cameras.

Addressing the breakthrough in the journal Science Robotics, researchers said: The swarms capability of navigation and coordination in these films has attracted and inspired numerous researchers. Here, we take a step forward to such a future.

Dr Jonathan Aitken from Sheffield University hailed the development, telling New Scientist it was an excellent achievement.

To achieve a quality map, built from a distributed collection of robots, of the detail demonstrated is an excellent piece of engineering.

To couple this with the additional successful navigation and avoidance of obstacles, and critically other members of the swarm, is an excellent achievement.

Its not the first time Chinas tech developments have been a cause for concern.

Last year, Beijing unveiled a terrifying new war machine that can unleash swarms of suicide drones at troops and tanks.

A clip showed dozens of the deadly devices being launched from a weapons system mounted to the back of a truck and also being dropped from helicopters.

The China Academy of Electronics and Information Technologys video showed 48 attack weapons being launched with compressed air before using an electric propeller to fly towards and then overwhelm their targets.

Each carries highly-explosive charges designed to rip through tanks and annihilate armoured vehicles.
Elon Musk bought Twitter and promised to stop censorship on the platform.

Legacy corporate media, in reply to his ostensible effort to restore free speech, the foundation of the US Constitution, called Musk a fascist trying to control how people think.

MSNBC: Elon Musk can actually control how people think. Thats our job.

MSNBC: Elon Musk is trying to control how people think. Thats our job. pic.twitter.com/8ZWyY7qbE5  Market Rebellion (@MarketRebels) April 16, 2022

To compensate, they demanded a replacement for free speech  a peculiar new social engineering standard called equitable speech.

I previously wrote about two weaponized new designations for speech in the corporate state censorship arsenal called dangerous speech and malinformation.

Now we have equitable speech, pushed by purple-lipsticked MSNBC monstrosity Joy Reid and Anand Giridharadas, a 21st-century POC Fonzie replica.

(His leather jacket and greasy hair mean hes a rebel against The Man, not actually a former-McKinsey-consultant-turned-New-York-Times-columnist corporate fascist tool in disguise to hoodwink gullible boomers in the networks 65-year-old target viewership):

Edgy!

What does equitable speech entail, exactly? Given that social engineers conjured it out of thin air, theres no universal definition.

Joy Reid and her POC Fonzie goon never actually get around to clarifying exactly what theyre calling for  not defining the standard is a key feature of equitable speech, as with hatespeech and other such vagaries, that enables arbitrary enforcement. But we can be sure it means something like:

Domestic terrorists, something something, Russia, something something, problematic disinformation, something something, marginalized communities, something something, Our Values, something something, harm reduction, something something, diverse voices.

[Fill in the blanks with histrionic buzzword salad.]

Equitable speech and social media censorship is all about narrative control

If the epic implosion of CNN+ just one week following its launch  even after investors dumped hundreds of millions of wasted dollars into its development and promotion  proved anything, its that legacy media cant compete with actually popular online content on a level playing field.

Thats bad news for narrative control  the only way that the governing class can retain its grip on power.

As just one recent example of the power of narrative control, recent polling proved that corporate media rigged the 2020 election with its censorship regime:

 17 percent of Biden voters would not have voted for the Biden-Harris presidential ticket if they had known about at least one of the eight news stories that were suppressed by big tech and mainstream media outlets [including the Hunter Biden laptop story].

Without intimidating, throttling, and outright silencing dissenting voices, the corporate state  represented within the political system by the Democrats and in the media by CNN  has no possibility of remaining in power.

Hence the Department of Homeland Securitys Orwellian new Disinformation Governance Board.

Will the new DHS Disinformation Governance Board enforce equitable speech?

(By all appearances, the social engineers now intentionally mimic dystopian fiction terms in open mockery of the underclass they govern.)

Joe Bidens handlers rolled out an entirely new division of the domestic law enforcement agency Department of Homeland Security called the Disinformation Governance Board:

The Department of Homeland Security is setting up a Disinformation Governance Board to try to counter the spread of false information Misinformation on a number of other issues  from COVID-19 to the election  quickly spreads on social media.

The new bureaucracy is headed by a bad-faith, unhinged ideologue and self-described disinformation expert named Nina Jankowicz. (There are no objective credentials to earn the title of disinformation expert.)

(Jankowicz called the 100%-true Biden laptop story Russian disinformation, forcing the inevitable conclusion that she would have censored it in 2020 in her official capacity as information commissar.)

Here she is doing an uber-cringe partisan propaganda number directing citizens whom to vote for (hint: its not Donald Trump):

https://twitter.com/cwt_news/status/1520044670193127426?t=Bkk3m7Byq05GVbHgbrPuqg&s=03

When Rudy Giuliani shared bad intel from Ukraine. Or when TikTok influencers say COVID cant cause pain. Theyre laundering disinfo and we really should take note. And not support their lies with our wallet, voice or vote .

Public dollars are now paying the salary of a partisan demagogue to silence dissenting voices.



The initial selling point of these new government powers to police speech, as is often the case with such power grabs, is that they will be directed at human smugglers at the border and Russians. This tactic serves to disguise the true objective, to be revealed in good time, of actually targeting domestic dissidents.

With this initial framing, the security state will placate and provide rhetorical cover to GOP cucks in Congress who play tough on the border and national security, so that they wont face oppose it or face insurrection from enraged voters.

Its essentially the same tactic used to initially justify the post-9/11 creation of Department of Homeland Security in 2003 and the passage of the Orwellian PATRIOT Act.

That time, they used the boogeyman of evil brown people plotting evils deeds in Third World caves  a rouse which worked on gullible right wingers who ironically now find themselves in the crosshairs.

If You See Something, Say Something DHS campaign, circa 2010

Call it karma.

In the context of the Disinformation Governance Board, once a new war or pandemic grabs the headlines and the public looks the other way, DHS will quietly redirect its focus internally to target MAGA insurgents, white supremacists, domestic terrorists  misleading designations that merely mean anyone who disagrees with the ruling class.



Asked about the White House position on the new bureaucracy, Biden spokescreature Jen Psaki, who ostensibly represents the man in charge of the executive branch, claimed she had no authority to weigh in and said DHS was in charge of everything. (The president has direct authority over DHS):

Any hiring decisions are up to the Department of Homeland Security, but this is a person with extensive qualifications, Psaki said.

Unelected background Deep State figures make grave executive decisions with immense Constitutional implications now.

Thats what leadership is! Thats democracy! Those are Our Values!

Ben Bartee is a Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff via Armageddon Prose, Substack, Patreon, Gab, and Twitter. Please support his independent operations however you can.

Bitcoin public address: 14gU3aHBXkNq8bDqmibfnubV7kSJqfx5LX
Newly released evidence suggests that Omar al-Bayoumi (left) was being paid by Saudi intelligence. Bayoumi met two of the 9/11 hijackers before the attack, as well as Anwar al-Awlaki (right), an imam with ties to Al Qaeda. UK Metropolitan Police via Kreindler LLP; FBI; Insider

The evidence declassified by the British government also includes videos showing Bayoumi filming himself in San Diego.



The videos contain footage of Bayoumi with one of the two hijackers, and a local imam at the time who had ties to Al Qaeda.https://t.co/OrOJKx091C pic.twitter.com/UKP0Rpym9z  Insider News (@InsiderNews) May 6, 2022

For more than 20 years, successive US presidents have given Saudi Arabia a pass on the question of whether the kingdom's government had anything to do with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As the story goes, plenty of individual Saudis were involved  including 15 of the 19 hijackers and Osama bin Laden  but there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government itself was behind the attacks. That's more or less what the 9/11 Commission concluded, and the Saudi government continues to cite the commission's report in official statements as proof that "Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with this terrible crime."

In its report, the commission took particular pains not to implicate Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who met two of the 9/11 hijackers in Los Angeles shortly after they arrived in the US. Bayoumi then helped them move to San Diego, where he signed as the guarantor on an apartment they rented.

Bayoumi has long maintained that he met the hijackers by coincidence, a claim the commission did little to contradict. Instead, it painted a mostly innocuous portrait of Bayoumi's background, concluding that he was in the US "as a business student" and that he worked for the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. "I don't believe he was a 'Saudi government agent' working to help terrorists," wrote Philip Zelikow, the 9/11 Commission's executive director, in response to questions from a journalist in 2007.

But over the past several months, a raft of new documents released by the American and British governments suggest that the 9/11 Commission got it wrong. An FBI memo declassified in March, in response to an executive order by President Joe Biden, reported that Bayoumi was receiving a monthly stipend from Saudi intelligence. In other words, he was not a student but a spy. According to the FBI memo, dated June 14, 2017, Bayoumi was tasked with gathering information "on persons of interest in the Saudi community" and passing the intelligence to Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud, the Saudi ambassador at the time.

"Allegations of Albayoumi's involvement with Saudi intelligence were not confirmed at the time of the 9/11 Commission Report," writes the memo's author, an FBI special agent at the bureau's Washington field office, whose name is redacted. "The above information confirms those allegations."

A second declassified FBI memo shows that a confidential source told the FBI there was a "50/50 chance" that Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks and "assisted two of the hijackers while residing in San Diego."

The FBI declined to comment. But the revelations appear to undercut the Saudi government's claims that it had no ties to the 9/11 attacks. While US intelligence agencies have repeatedly concluded that the Saudi government as a whole had no advance knowledge of the 2001 plot, they have flagged specific Saudi agencies and members of the royal family as having ties to Al Qaeda. Last year, newly declassified FBI files complicated another crucial piece of Bayoumi's narrative, suggesting that his initial meeting with the two hijackers had been arranged by contacts at the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles.

Zelikow, the executive director of the 9/11 Commission, told Insider he's skeptical that Bayoumi knew about the plot, or that he was working for Saudi intelligence. Many high-ranking Saudis, Zelikow pointed out, were despised by bin Laden and opposed to his efforts. "The information that Bayoumi might have been a paid informant ... if it is true, actually tends to cut the other way," Zelikow said  suggesting that Bayoumi would have been working against the hijackers.

In an interview with Insider, Thomas Kean, the former New Jersey governor who chaired the 9/11 Commission, acknowledged that Bayoumi "was definitely involved" with the Saudi government. But he remains uncertain about what form that involvement took. "There's no question he was involved with Saudi..." Kean said, and did not complete that sentence before continuing. "It's difficult in Saudi Arabia to decide who's who  whether it's the royal family or Saudi intelligence." Kean also reiterated that the commission found no evidence to suggest that Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the attacks.

But a second raft of documents  released by the British government last week in response to a civil lawsuit against the Saudi government by the families of 9/11 victims  points to the possibility that Bayoumi knew about the attacks before they took place. Among Bayoumi's papers was a diagram depicting a plane descending toward a target on the horizon. Beside the diagram is a formula used to calculate the distance to the target.

The diagram was seized by British police in late 2001, but its existence wasn't noted until 2007  three years after the 9/11 commission issued its final report. It's hard to imagine an innocuous explanation for anyone possessing such a diagram shortly before the 9/11 attacks. "Sure looks suspicious  and sinister," said Philip Shenon, author of "The Commission," a history of the 9/11 report, which recounted dissent from some of the commission's staff regarding the extent of Saudi involvement. "Fair to wonder whether it suggests he knew in detail about the 9/11 plot."

Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent who worked as a liaison to the CIA's bin Laden unit, didn't believe the Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, which, he said, was limited to a small circle within Al Qaeda. But after reviewing the diagram, he changed his mind. "There's no question that guy was a Saudi agent," Rossini told Insider. "He lied. It's unequivocal."

Zelikow, for his part, remains skeptical. He suggested that the drawing and calculations might be related to Bayoumi's work with the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. "It is possible that someone working in civil aviation might have worked on such equations, for various reasons," he said.

Bayoumi, who has returned to Saudi Arabia, has given multiple interviews to law enforcement over the years, but the deposition he gave in the civil lawsuit brought by the families of 9/11 victims remains under seal. It's unclear whether he has been asked about the diagram but, it's hard to see how the core question of Saudi involvement in 9/11 can be resolved without a full and credible account of his actions.

The evidence declassified by the British government also includes videos showing Bayoumi filming himself and his circle during his time in San Diego. One shows him embracing Anwar al-Awlaki, a local imam at the time who had ties to Al Qaeda. Like Bayoumi, Awlaki was close to the hijackers. In 2011, he was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen. A second video shows Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the two San Diego hijackers, in the kitchen of the apartment that Bayoumi helped him rent.

The release of these new documents comes at an inconvenient time for the Biden administration. The US wants cheap oil, continued rights for military bases, and a revived nuclear deal with Iran. Saudi Arabia wants to end all discussion of the state-sponsored murder of Jamal Khashoggi and a free hand to pursue its brutal proxy war in Yemen. The last thing either country wants is a renewed debate over the Saudi role in 9/11. "The sad truth is that because of geopolitical issues, especially petroleum, we'll never go after the Saudis or hold them accountable," said Rossini, the former FBI agent.

For decades, the US has allowed its codependent relationship with the Saudi royal family to circumscribe what was supposed to be an exhaustive 9/11 investigation. The more the loose ends become public, the harder it will be to avoid taking a closer, more complete look at who supported the hijackers, and why. The reason we have new information about Bayoumi's ties to the Saudis, it's worth noting, is because Biden decided to declassify more documents related to 9/11  a much-needed step toward greater transparency.

"All of a sudden, all of this information is available," said Karen Greenberg, who directs the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. "Maybe we're finally coming to a sense as a country that we can look these facts in the face and tell the story of what happened."
American opposition to genetically engineered (GE) mosquitos continues to increase (see 1, 2). Experts also continue to question the effectiveness and safety of these mosquitoes. Nevertheless, in March 2022 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the release of billions more in California and Florida. Earlier this week, a Florida state agency also approved several billion more for release into the Florida Keys.

From Sustainable Pulse:

Florida Approves Release of Billions of GMO Mosquitoes

Overlooking potential public health risks, lingering scientific questions, and deficient public data, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) approved the extension of Oxitecs two-year field trial on Wednesday, which includes releasing several billion more genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes into the Florida Keys  one of Floridas most ecologically sensitive areas.

FDACS approval comes on the heels of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granting the British biotechnology company Oxitec a two-year extension for its Experimental Use Permit for the release of a GE version of the species Aedes aegypti across Monroe County, Florida.

FDACS should have required Oxitec to cease claiming as confidential business information their data on the human health and environmental effects of the release of the mosquitoes, said Jaydee Hanson, Policy Director at Center for Food Safety. In Spain, when Oxitec withheld the data, the Spanish government told Oxitec to make public the health and environmental safety effects of their genetically engineered insect. Florida should have done the same. Moreover, FDACS should not have allowed a second major release without making public the data from the first trial and having it reviewed by unbiased scientists in the field.

FDACS approval came despite unresolved public health and environmental concerns raised by scientists, public health experts and environmental groups about potential impacts of the release. The data from Floridas 2021 field trial release of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the Florida Keys still has not been made public or reviewed by independent scientists.

We should all be very concerned about an EPA that forgets its middle name, protection, with this approval. Our public trust is abused by Oxitecs lack of scientific transparency and no independent scientific investigation from EPA to show this experimental insect will not create infinitely more problems than it will solve, said Barry Wray, Director of Florida Keys Environmental Coalition. The EPA has behaved as if it is in partnership with Oxitec, disregarding the companys history of deception and allowing a lobbyist to meet with former EPA Administrator Pruitt. It is ethically repugnant to release these mosquitoes.

Oxitec claims its GE mosquito field trials are intended to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes  one species that can carry yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika. However, the potential public health impacts of GE mosquitoes could be problematic. A Yale University study in Brazil observed that the GE mosquitoes bred with local Aedes aegypti, resulting in hybrid mosquitoes in the wild that may be more aggressive, more difficult to eradicate and may increase the spread of mosquito-borne disease.

Unfortunately, the EPA did not publicly share its entire public health analysis, and data about allergenicity and toxicity were redacted from public documents. EPAs key environmental assessments were also insufficient and did not mandate scientific tests using caged trials ahead of environmental release.

Poorly done, secretive science and lack of transparency is once again being rewarded with a free pass by government officials who are ignoring the voices of concerned scientists and those most impacted. said Dana Perls, Emerging Technology Program Manager at Friends of the Earth. First in Brazil, and now in Florida, government agencies have missed the mark and promoted the interests of a private corporation over public health and ecosystem protection.

EPA also approved a new California field trial for Fresno, Tulare, San Bernadino and Stanislaus counties  major agricultural regions populated by farmworkers and vulnerable low-income communities. Californias Department of Pesticide Regulation is poised to decide whether to approve Oxitecs permit for an open-air experiment in Tulare County, California. If approved, billions of GE mosquitoes could be released over a two-year period in the Central Valley, beginning in 2022.

Activist Post reports regularly about the EPA, unsafe products, and unsafe technology. For more information, visit our archives.

Image: Pixabay
SDF's Media Center issued a statement about outcome of Turkish attacks during the month of April, which read:

" The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have a long history of violations and attacks against the regions and peoples of NE Syria, especially those related to ground and air attacks today, as international concern about the new conditions of the war in Ukraine, the Turkish occupation escalated its attacks on the region and used international preoccupation as an absolute mandate for further escalation".

The statement added, "The Turkish attacks on Syrian lands reveal the malicious goals of the occupation, especially those that aim to push more residents to leave their lands and homes." The occupation and its mercenaries also did not observe sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan, whereas the daily threat of bombing was another reason to multiply difficulties of obtaining the necessities of life.

The following is the outcome of the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries attacks during April 2022:

- The number of ground attacks with heavy weapons: 596 artillery, tank and mortar shells.

- Drone attacks: 13

- Suicide drone attacks: 2

- Guided missile attacks: 3

- Sniper Weapon Attacks: 19

- Other machine-gun attacks (Dushka, BKC): 122 times.

- The quantity of explosives dropped by the occupation during those attacks on civilian homes and farms: 23 tons of explosive materials.

- Affected houses: 36 houses.

- Affected civil institutions: 3 institutions ( electricity, school, and water).

-Number of civilian martyrs: 2

-Number of military martyrs: 5

- Number of civilians wounded: 23 civilians.

The statement stressed, "The peoples of northern and eastern Syria call on human rights organizations and the international community to hold Turkey and its mercenaries accountable for their crimes on the region during the last period."

A.K

ANHA
The White House cobbled up a defense why their new disinformation czar should not be booted after making statements that proved erroneous, which included Russian disinformation as related to the laptop of the first son 'Hunter.'

Many conservatives took issue with Nina Jankowicz as the new head of the disinformation body and a self-proclaimed expert on fake news.

Biden Appoints New Disinformation Czar

Early in the week, President Joe Biden said the agency, according to the White House, is fake news that includes the involvement of Russia in election interference and the special military operation of Russia in Ukraine; last is the opinions of anti-vaccination proponents, reported the Daily Telegraph.

Jankowicz had said that the censored story of Hunter Biden's laptop was fake, and her job was as the Minister of Truth.

When asked about the new appointee's qualifications, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki explained she was an online misinformation expert who already had substantial credentials and has appeared on such subjects before the US Congress, as well as the British and EU parliaments, cited the Daily Mail.

Psaki said earlier this week that she was unaware of the newly-appointed head of President Joe Biden's sinisterly-named new Disinformation Governance Board.

The spokeswoman evaded an inquiry regarding the appointment process and said it was solely up to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, on the other hand, professed to be unfamiliar with Jankowicz.

Jankowicz Denies Truth of Hunter Biden's Laptop

The new Disinformation Czar of the White House had a well-known stint on Tiktok that many found cringe-worthy; maybe worse than her Russian disinformation claim.

You can just call me the Mary Poppins of disinformation  https://t.co/eGV9lpctYn pic.twitter.com/WVQFA2bPmq  Nina Jankowicz  (@wiczipedia) February 17, 2021

Read Also: Donald Trump Children: What You Need to Know About the 5 Trump Kids

It seems the users of Twitter and TikTok are familiar with the Biden appointment compared to Mayorkas and Psaki.

Jankowicz's "Mary Poppins of disinformation" video, in which she tells viewers who they are and aren't allowed to believe in a spoof of the musical's iconic song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in a bad impersonation of Julie Andrews' aristocratic English accent has gone viral.

Rudy Giuliani delivered incorrect intel from Ukraine, and she sang in awful lyrics. Or when TikTok influencers claim COVID is painless. They're spreading false information, and we should pay attention. And we must not support their lies with our money, our voices, or our votes.

Jen Psaki deflected more inquiries regarding Jankowicz's obnoxious crooning and possible opposition to her appointment. She stated that the idea for the body was conceived during Donald Trump's presidency and that the Biden White House simply carried it out.

Oval Office Gets Flak on the Laptop Controversy

Another of Biden's appointments draws controversy and flak over the denial of the Hunter Biden Laptop or the laptop from hell that could ruin his presidency. She called it in 2020 simple Russian disinformation; that has her in hot water.

The New York Times and the Washington Post have recently confirmed the news, even though it was suppressed for nearly two years by the mainstream press.

In an interview in 2020, Jankowicz chastised then-President Donald Trump for charging the mainstream media with disseminating false news and remarked that the executive branch should not have the right to appoint any material "fake."

However, events appear to have changed, and under her supervision, the Disinformation Governance Board will proclaim certain information fake and combat it with officially accepted as true.

Related Article: Elon Musk Shuts Down AOC After Taking Over Twitter Causing Widespread Democrat Meltdown Over Losing Narrative Control

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Around 100 people gathered in Princess Park Thursday afternoon for one shared purpose: to honour missing and murdered Indigenous people in Canada.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

Around 100 people gathered in Princess Park Thursday afternoon for one shared purpose: to honour missing and murdered Indigenous people in Canada.

The special ceremony aligned with Red Dress Day, a date to recognize and raise awareness around the national crisis.

The Brandon group called on Canada to take greater action to address the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) and honour the memories of those who have been lost.

"I have daughters and Im an Indigenous woman myself, so this cause really matters to me, its close to my heart," said Julia Stoneman, a Misipawistik Cree Nation member who attended the gathering with her two daughters.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Brandon residents attend a ceremony at Princess Park on Red Dress Day Thursday afternoon to honour missing and murdered Indigenous people.

Stoneman exposed her daughters to the crisis from an early age to teach them about the danger Indigenous women and girls face.

She cited the 2014 murder of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine in Winnipeg. Fontaine was twice reported missing from a North End temporary youth shelter less than a month before her death. Her body was pulled from the Red River wrapped in a duvet cover on Aug. 17, 2014.

"They [my daughters] need to be aware of these things," Stoneman said. "They need to know how to be aware of themselves, aware of people around them and how to stay safe."

Its hard to describe the fear she feels as a mother of two daughters, but its important to teach them about the risks.

"Thats something that I have to weigh in my life. Do I want them to still have that innocence, or do I want them to be prepared?"

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Deborah Tacan (left), Barb Blind, Deidre Gregory and Debbie Huntinghawk sing the water song while drumming during a ceremony at Princess Park on Red Dress Day Thursday afternoon.

The number of MMIWG in Canada is around 4,000, according to the Native Womens Association of Canada, but incomplete data makes the true number difficult to determine. The RCMP reported in 2014 that more than 1,000 Indigenous women and girls were killed or went missing between 1980 and 2012.

Indigenous women represent 10 per cent of the total number of missing women in Canada between 1980 and 2014, according to the federal Department of Justice. Sixteen per cent of 6,849 police-reported female homicide cases were Indigenous women  a rate six times higher than non-Indigenous women in Canada.

"They need to start taking it seriously. There have already been reports done. Theres already been research done. Theyve already heard the stories; they know what needs to be done," Stoneman said.

Among the reports to which she referred is the "National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Reclaiming Power and Place," which includes calls for justice.

Norway House Cree Nation member Amanda Belfour painted a red handprint over her face for Thursdays ceremony. Its a symbol for the women and girls who have gone missing, or who have been murdered.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Naira and Shaynen Stoneman attend a ceremony at Princess Park on Red Dress Day Thursday afternoon.

There are systemic barriers to addressing the crisis, but she is hopeful for the future since the nationwide acknowledgment of unmarked gravesites at former residential schools is inspiring Canadians to learn more about their countrys dark history as well as Indigenous cultures and issues affecting Indigenous communities.

"I wish more people would come out," Belfour said. "We just need a lot more allies and people in the community understanding and being aware. We are getting there."

Thursdays event was meant to be a safe space for people to listen to stories from those affected by the MMIWG crisis, said Knowledge Keeper Barb Blind.

"I think everybody knows of somebody that has a sister, an auntie, a relative. It affects everybody," Blind said.

Addressing MMIWG will require conscience and societal change, she said, especially when it comes to the way men treat women.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Two people embrace during a ceremony at Princess Park on Red Dress Day Thursday afternoon.

It is a personal journey for many. Blind wants to inspire community members to take action and acknowledge how the justice system is failing to assist and protect Indigenous communities.

As an Indigenous woman, her first step is keeping herself and her family safe, but not everyone has the same privileges to stay on a good path, she said. The community needs to rally around vulnerable women and understand how something as simple as walking down the street can feel unsafe.

"A lot of time, we talk about the rape culture and how women shouldnt be wearing certain things and if something happens, its our fault," Blind said. "If the men didnt do it, then it wouldnt happen."

Events like Thursdays ceremony are important because they raise awareness of the crisis and give community members an opportunity to become involved, said Jason Gobeil, Brandon Friendship Centre president and Onitika/Ogichidaa (Warrior) wellness co-ordinator.

"This was community coming together and standing alongside each other for something thats really important, thats going not only across Canada but affects our own community of Manitoba  murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls," Gobeil said.

"This is open to all Canadians to start learning about so we can start walking that path together."

 ckemp@brandonsun.com, with files from The Brandon Sun

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
China's BRI projects greatly benefit Cambodian economy, people: officials, experts

Xinhua) 13:25, May 06, 2022

PHNOM PENH, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Projects under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have been greatly boosting Cambodia's economy and improving local people's livelihoods, Cambodian officials and experts said.

Large BRI projects in the Southeast Asian country include the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, hydropower plants, Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, new Siem Reap International Airport, Morodok Techo National Stadium, roads and bridges, hospitals, and rural water supply among others.

"These projects have provided and will continue to provide a lot of tangible benefits to the economy and people of Cambodia," Vasim Sorya, undersecretary of state and spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, told Xinhua.

"The BRI projects here are sincere with no strings attached, and their aim is to help boost our socio-economic development and improve our people's livelihoods," he said.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all BRI projects in the kingdom have made headway steadily, Sorya said, giving an example of the construction work on the 2-billion-U.S. dollar Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway.

Begun in 2019, the project is expected to be fully finished on schedule this year, he said, adding that it has generated more than 3,000 jobs for Cambodians during the construction.

"The 190-km expressway is the largest project under the BRI in Cambodia, and it will add a new impetus to Cambodia's economic development since it links the capital Phnom Penh with the international deep-water seaport in Sihanoukville," he said.

The BRI, a reference to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was initiated by China in 2013 to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

Sorya said that all BRI projects have been built in an environment friendly manner.

Since its inception in 2013, the BRI has significantly boosted regional and global cooperation in terms of hard and soft infrastructures, economy, trades, investment opportunities, cultural exchange, and people to people connectivity, he said.

"Generally speaking, the BRI has provided tremendous opportunities and benefits to all participating countries around the world, helping to boost regional and global economies during and after the pandemic," Sorya said. "This initiative, in my view, is importantly contributing to building a community of shared future for mankind."

Ministry of Commerce's undersecretary of state and spokesman Penn Sovicheat said the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) is the a perfect example of a win-win cooperation under the BRI.

"The SSEZ has provided a lot of jobs to the workers and served as a role model for the cluster industries and as a base for exports," he told Xinhua.

According to an operator's report, the SSEZ recorded a surge of 42 percent year-on-year in the value of imports and exports, reaching 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

For the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, Sovicheat said the project is crucial to reducing travel time and transportation cost, improving the logistics connectivity, and increasing the import-export activities between Cambodia and the world, especially China.

Neak Chandarith, director of the Cambodia 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Research Center, said the BRI has been greatly contributing to Cambodia's development strategies, such as the Rectangular Strategy Phase IV, the Industrial Development Policy 2015-2025, the logistic system improvement master plan, and the multipurpose special economic zones in the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

"It will help Cambodia to achieve its ambitious goal of becoming an upper-middle income country by 2030 and a high income country in 2050," he told Xinhua. "The BRI projects will be the major contributors to Cambodia's economic growth in the post-pandemic era."

Mak Chamroeun, vice president of Phnom Penh-based online market Smile Shop, said the BRI is building a connected world with peace, harmony, common development and prosperity, and for Cambodia the BRI projects have delivered many potential benefits to businesses and local residents.

"China, ranked top among foreign investors in Cambodia, has various investments in Cambodia's backboned sectors such as special economic zones, transport infrastructure, energy, agriculture, telecommunication, and tourism among others," he told Xinhua.

"All these infrastructure projects have been playing a key role not only in improving people's daily lives, but also in promoting economic growth and modernizing rural areas," he said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Azov-Nazis trapped in the Azovstal Plant moved out while the ceasefire was in effect, as reported by Russia. The neo-Nazi's attempts to find new positions are suppressed, said the Kremlin.

Putin Orders To Stop Direct Assault

Russian forces are not raiding the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. Many Ukrainian militaries and neo-Nazi Azov battalions have been cooped up for more than a month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked on Wednesday, reported RT.

The Russian official said their military abides by President Vladimir Putin's earlier order not to storm the plant. He went on to say that there was no attack. When militants get out to take over gun emplacements, there are flare-ups. These attempts are quickly thwarted, citing TASS.

Several Russian and Ukrainian media sites reported last Tuesday that combat had erupted at and around the massive steelworks compound after a few days of relative calm due to a ceasefire declared by Moscow to enable the evacuation of residents from the area.

The Azovstal factory was being targeted with artillery and aerial attacks based on reports. Unconfirmed social media footage appeared to support this, showing clouds of smoke pouring from the plant, noted the Press United.

Mariupol Seized, Russia Claims

Moscow claims that its forces now control the entire port city of Mariupol, except the Azovstal plant, which features an extensive network of fortified Cold War-era bunkers and tubes and has been used by Ukrainian troops and Azov-Nazis for more than a month.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Children: Does the Ukraine President Have Kids?

Fearing severe losses among Russian troops, Russian President Vladimir Putin called off an attempt to raid the steelworks last April 21. Instead, he commanded a total lockdown of the Ukrainian forces bottled up there.

Peskov was queried about the approach in Mariupol and also added a statement regarding Western media reports that President Putin might order a mass mobilization in Russia on May 9, the day the country commemorates its World War II victory.

The Kremlin spokesperson dismissed these allegations as "false," assuring the media that Putin has no intention of making war on Ukraine.

Mentioned and criticized the lack of progress in Russia-Ukraine talks, blaming Ukrainian leaders for continuously shifting their positions. He went on to say that Moscow was dubious whether the talks would yield results.

When asked about the sixth round of EU sanctions, which representatives from all 27 member states are expected to ratify later this week, Peskov argued they were a double-edged sword and that European citizens would have to pay the consequence.

The DPR Reacts

Donetsk People's Republic accused the Ukrainian military, and the neo-Nazi Azov battalion members holed up within the industrial property of abusing the evacuation truce and changing positions during the lull in the conflict.

Meanwhile, pro-Kyiv media denied the allegations as fake, stating that the location had been bombarded with heavy artillery and bombs overnight, with Russian troops trying to force their way into the complex.

Last Tuesday, a Sputnik news agency correspondent heard loud artillery bombardment and clouds of smoke rising from the plant. These reports are confirmed by a video obtained by an RT team on the ground.

Azov-Nazis in the Azovstal plant are getting a pounding after the release of people suspected as human shields used by the regiment to stop Russian forces, but they used the lull to more to other positions.

Related Article: Russian Defense Ministry Says Its Forces Score Major Victories Against Ukrainian Claims of Destroying Various Military Assets

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A woman accused of spraying another woman in the face was given a shot at bail Thursday morning.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

A woman accused of spraying another woman in the face was given a shot at bail Thursday morning.

Erin Mini is accused in the alleged April incident. The charges have not been proven in court and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

On April 23 at approximately 10:30 p.m., police officers responded to a report someone was assaulted with bear spray at a residence, Crown attorney Grant Hughes told the court.

When police arrived, they found a woman who had allegedly been sprayed, he said.

Another person at the house told police he was listening to the Brandon Wheat Kings game at the time when he heard a scream and the complainant came running through the kitchen, according to the Crown. A woman reportedly had bear mace in her hand and a smaller man followed her.

The woman kicked the complainants door, damaging the bottom of it, before allegedly grabbing his phone, Hughes said. The man told police the complainant was sprayed as soon as she opened the door.

The man didnt know their names, but thought he could pick them out in a photo lineup, Hughes said, adding the officer claimed the description matched Mini.

The reported witness didnt make an official selection in the lineup but said he was 70 per cent sure when he selected Minis photo, he said.

Police found Mini early the next morning, allegedly with bear spray.

On May 1, the complainant reportedly told police she saw Mini outside her house on the day of the incident, according to Hughes. Mini allegedly sprayed the woman in the face before she ran to her bedroom.

Hughes said the woman wasnt sure why Mini is alleged to have sprayed her. Police arrested her Wednesday evening.

The Crown opposed Mini being released on bail.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn said Minis background is the reason she is before the court. He said she was disadvantaged growing up and dealt with homelessness.

There are issues with the Crowns case, Synyshyn said, including with identification. He noted the alleged witness was not able to definitively pick Mini out of a lineup and the complainant could only identify her by a street name.

"There are concerning circumstances of the case. The charges are serious, but ultimately Im going to suggest the case is nowhere near complete," he said.

Judge John Combs said the allegations are serious but agreed to release Mini on bail. He noted Indigenous women make up a large portion of the women incarcerated in Canada.

Combs released her on bail, putting her on a daily curfew and banning her from owning weapons. She is next scheduled to appear in court later in May.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
LEOLA, Pa. (AP)  Clotheslines with billowing linens and long dresses are a common sight on the off-grid farms of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, home to the nation's largest Amish settlement. For many tourists they're as iconic a part of Amish Country's bucolic scenery as the rural lanes and wooden bridges.

Dale Ingraham, co-founder of the nonprofit Speaking Truth In Love Ministries, gives a talk, "What Does God Say About Abuse?" during a child abuse prevention seminar in Leola, Pa., on Friday, April 29, 2022. The conference also featured an exhibit that displayed articles of clothing from sexual assault survivors in Amish, Mennonite and other plain-dressing communities. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

LEOLA, Pa. (AP)  Clotheslines with billowing linens and long dresses are a common sight on the off-grid farms of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, home to the nation's largest Amish settlement. For many tourists they're as iconic a part of Amish Country's bucolic scenery as the rural lanes and wooden bridges.

But for two days in late April, a clothesline with a different purpose was strung in a small indoor exhibit here. Hanging from it were 13 outfits representing the trauma of sexual assault suffered by members of the Amish, Mennonite and similar groups, a reminder that the modest attire they require, particularly of women and girls, is no protection.

Each garment on display was either the actual one a survivor wore at the time they were assaulted or a replica assembled by volunteers to match the strict dress codes of the survivor's childhood church.

One was a long-sleeve, periwinkle blue Amish dress with a simple stand collar. The accompanying sign said, Survivor Age: 4 years old.

Next to it was a 5-year-old's heavy coat, hat and long, hunter green dress, displayed above sturdy black shoes. I was never safe and I was a child. He was an adult, a sign quoted the survivor as saying. No one helped me when I told them he hurt me.

There was also an infants onesie.

You feel rage when you get a tiny little outfit in the mail, said Ruth Ann Brubaker of Wayne County, Ohio, who helped put the exhibit together. I didnt know I could be so angry. Then you start crying.

The clothes on display represented various branches of the conservative Anabaptist tradition, which include Amish, Mennonite, Brethren and Charity. Often referred to as the Plain churches, they emphasize separation from mainstream society, church discipline, forgiveness and modest dress, including head coverings for women.

A Mennonite woman's head covering and dress hang on a clothesline as part of an exhibit showing the modest outfits worn by survivors at the time they were sexually abused, on Friday, April 29, 2022, in Leola, Pa. The display, which showcased 13 outfits, was part of a larger conference on sexual abuse awareness, with a focus on the plain churches. Similar exhibits held nationwide aim to shatter the myth that abuse is caused by a victim's clothing choice. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

It was part of a larger conference on awareness of sexual abuse in the Plain churches held April 29-30 at Forest Hills Mennonite Church in Leola and sponsored by two advocacy organizations: A Better Way, based in Zanesville, Ohio, and Safe Communities, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Hope Anne Dueck, the executive director of A Better Way and one of the exhibits organizers, said many survivors report being told things such as If you had been wearing your head covering, then you probably wouldnt have been assaulted, or You couldnt have been dressed modestly enough.

And as a survivor myself, Dueck said, "I knew that that was not the truth.

You can be harmed no matter what youre wearing, she said. Those who contributed to the exhibit were wearing what their parents and the church prescribed, and wearing them correctly, and were still assaulted.

The exhibit was based on similar ones that have been staged at college campuses and elsewhere in recent years called What Were You Wearing? They show a wide range of attire with the aim of shattering the myth that sexual assault can be blamed on what a victim had on.

Current and former members of plain-dressing religious communities  not just the Anabaptists but others such as Holiness, an offshoot of Methodism with an emphasis on piety  agreed last year that it was time to hold their own version.

At the end of the day, it was never about the clothes, said Mary Byler, a survivor of child sexual abuse in the Amish communities where she grew up. Byler, who founded the Colorado-based group The Misfit Amish to bridge cultural gaps between the Amish and the wider society, helped to organize the exhibit.

I hope it helps survivors know that theyre not alone," she said.

Survivors were invited to submit their outfits or descriptions of them. All but one provided children's attire, mostly girls and one boy, reflecting their age when they were assaulted. The lone adult outfit belonged to a woman who was raped by her husband shortly after giving birth, Dueck said.

Organizers plan to have high-quality photos made of the clothes to display online and in future exhibits.

Plain church leaders have acknowledged in recent years that sexual abuse is a problem in their communities and have held seminars to raise awareness.

But advocates say they need to do more, and that some leaders continue to treat abuse cases as matters of church discipline rather than as crimes to be reported to civil authorities.

Dozens of offenders from Plain church affiliations have been convicted of sexually abusing children in the past two decades, according to a review of court files in several states. Several church leaders have been convicted for failing to report abuse, including an Amish bishop in Lancaster County in 2020.

Researchers and organizers at the conference said they are surveying current and former Plain community members to gather concrete data on what they believe is a pervasive problem.

But the display made a powerful statement on its own, said Darlene Shirk, a Mennonite from Lancaster County.

We talk about statistics ... but when you have something physical here, and because the dress is from the Plain community, it shouts, Look, this is happening in our community! she said.

Advocates say that in the male-led Plain churches, where forgiveness is taught as a paramount virtue, people are often pressured to reconcile with their abusers or their children's abusers.

Byler said that in the 18 years since she reported her sexual assaults to civil authorities, she has heard more stories of abuse in the Plain churches than she can count. Survivors are often isolated from their communities and met with very victim-blaming statements, she said.

Child sexual assault and sexual assault is something that happens ... inside of communities from every walk and way of life, Byler said.

___

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.
Family of missing Australian woman fly to Mexico to bring toddler home

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
Multiple people charged and money seized during police raids across Melbourne

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
Prime Minister in Perth with plan to boost national security

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
Scientists believe that the moon could be siphoning water from the Earth, which explains the existence of moisture in the barren dust ball revolving around the planet.

According to a study, this has been going on for billions of years. It has been that asteroids and comets deposited them on Earth's satellite, but another unlikely source is considered.

Earth's Atmosphere as Lunar Water Source

The lunar body sucks water from the Earth's atmosphere, which the authors said is the least expected hypothesis, reported Science Alert.

According to researchers, hydrogen and oxygen ions escaping from our planet's upper atmosphere and mixing on the lunar surface might have generated up to 3,500 cubic kilometers (840 cubic miles) of surface frozen or beneath liquid water.

As the satellite passes through the Earth's magnetosphere's tail, a teardrop-shaped bubble encircling Earth impacted by its magnetic field, hydrogen and oxygen ions are propelled into the lunar surface. It occurs for five days in every lunar month, cited Space Ref.

As a result of the Sun's solar wind pushing on this bubble, some of Earth's magnetic field lines are broken, with only one end tethered to the planet.

When the moon collides with the tail of Earth's magnetosphere, some of these broken connections are repaired, causing hydrogen and oxygen ions that had previously fled Earth's atmosphere to rush to the satellite's surface.

Gunther Kletetschka, a geophysicist from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said this about the hypothesis. He added the moon is struck by water ions returning to Earth, but it is on the orbiting satellite, noted UAF.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth?

The lunar surface is in a shower of water ions coming back to Earth and falling on it, according to geophysicist Gunther Kletetschka from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

It lacks magnetosphere-like Earth that makes the ions strike the lunar landscape that builds up permafrost. Does explain that some of the frosts will affect the surface and go under it to create water in the reaction.

Scientists think these ions had slowly formed over billions of years since the Late Huge Bombardment when the young Earth and its lunar satellite were pummeled by massive strikes from other celestial bodies hurtling through space.

Gravitational information from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was applied to analyze the polar regions and many notable craters in considerable detail. The research showed discrepancies that could be generated by bedrock fractures capable of trapping permafrost.

Water Formed From Escaping Hydrogen, Oxygen Ions

Geological forms on the surface should be able to trap and result in large subsurface liquid water reservoirs, mentioned Nature.

An estimate over the last 3.5 billion years, thousands of cubic kilometers of water phase may have accumulated in the moon's subsurface.

While water on the lunar surface is thought to come from several sources, including hydrogen and oxygen interactions triggered by solar winds, experts claim that this is how a large portion of it came.

The estimated accretion would be enough to fill North America's Lake Huron. Craters and rock cracks could eventually provide necessary protection to keep the water from escaping back into space.

NASA is keen to build a colony on the moon, and for that to work, a nearby water source is required that will be helped by the study.

Related Article: Colossal Ancient Impact on the Moon Explains How the Near, Far Side Differs From Each Other

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The founder of a so-called Queensland Satanist temple is facing prosecution for allegedly lying to the Supreme Court in his fight for Satanists to teach religious instruction in state schools.

After the legal case failed on Friday, one of the so-called Satanists acknowledged it was never actually about teaching Satanism in schools, but rather challenging the right of church groups to deliver religious instruction to students.

However, that could now see temple founder Robin Bristow  aka Brother Samael Demo-Gorgon - prosecuted for lying under oath about his belief in Satan, while he was challenging the right of others to teach students to believe in God.

Noosa Temple of Satan (NTS) founder Robin Bristow, aka Brother Samael Demo-Gorgon.

The group known as the Noosa Temple of Satan had asked the Supreme Court to review the Department of Educations decision to refuse the temples application for Satanists to be allowed to teach religious instruction classes.
A batch of new restaurants and bars are opening up in Melbournes CBD, defying concerns about the revival of the city centre after the coronavirus pandemic.

While hospitality industry leaders warn more of central Melbournes hospitality venues will close in coming months as the impact of the pandemic continues to reverberate, entrepreneurs are seizing the moment.

Josh Stevens took a punt on the future of Melbournes CBD when he bought city bar Madame Brussels. Credit:Jason South

New hospitality openings in Melbournes CBD over the past few months include Her Melbourne, Connies Italian Diner, Elchi, Grill Americano, Yarra Botanica, Kata Kita, Warabi, Patsys, Pearl Diver, Pearl Oyster & Chablis bar, The Stolen Gem, Valhalla, Parcs, and Dame.

New restaurants Botswana Butchery and Cucina Povera are also to open in coming few weeks.
The head of the union movement, Sally McManus, has called on the government to consider sacking a Coalition appointed adviser to the industrial umpires wage panel after he weighed in on the ability of Labors promise to lift workers pay.

Labour economist Mark Wooden, who advises on the Fair Work Commissions annual minimum wage review, said Anthony Albaneses pledge to boost Australians pay packets were political games as a government had limited levers to pull, while also taking the opportunity to underscore the independence of the panels role.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus labelled Mark Woodens comments extraordinary. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

His comments drew criticism from the oppositions industrial relations spokesman, Tony Burke, who said he was deeply concerned that this intervention by an individual involved in deliberating on the minimum wage jeopardises the integrity of the wage review process.

The commission is in the midst of its annual minimum wage review, which will lock in a basic hourly rate for low-paid workers, currently sitting at $20.33, and affect the pay of other workers on higher industry awards.
Senator Jacqui Lambies favourite merchandise for her party features her as a bikini-wearing Princess Leia strangling a Clive Palmer-headed Jabba the Hutt with the chains he used to imprison her.

I just find it very empowering  there wouldnt be too many people who could put a chain around Clive Palmers throat, Lambie says with her gravelly laugh.

Senator Jacqui Lambie (right) shows off some of her merchandise with Senate candidate Tammy Tyrrell. Credit:Grant Wells

The painting by Lindsay Spears (you can buy the original for a cool $2.5 million, a print for $30, or a T-shirt for $35) reminds Lambie of her tough, early days in parliament as a senator for the Palmer United Party in 2014, when she was, she admits, a wrecking ball.

Lambie, who formed her own party, the Jacqui Lambie Network in 2015, was re-elected to the Senate in 2019. She is not standing in this months election but is campaigning on behalf of several Jacqui Lambie Network candidates she hopes will join her in Canberra after the election, including Tammy Tyrrell, who has worked for Lambie for six years.
Scott Morrison says he respects Malcolm Turnbull but doesnt share his view after his predecessor encouraged Australians to vote for independents if they reflect their values while Barnaby Joyce accused the former prime minister of throwing a tantrum.

Speaking in Perth on Friday, the prime minister also evaded questions over the fate of his leadership should Australia elect a hung parliament after emphatically shutting down the prospect of doing a deal with independents.

Scott Morrison says his fate is in the laps of the Australian people. Credit:James Brickwood

I have delivered from last election through to this election and Im putting myself forward to be able to continue to provide that strong leadership, Morrison told a press conference in a drone manufacturing facility in the seat of Cowan.

The decision for the Australian people is up to them and I put my trust in their good conscience.
It is our responsibility to cast our votes to help our country, the 64-year-old said, greeting supporters to chants of BBM! BBM!, the acronym taken from his nickname and surname. We are promising you we will work to the best of our ability so that we can rise again. Political campaign stops can more closely resemble pop concerts in the high-octane Philippines, with the crowd revved up between musical performances before anyone sees the candidates. Senators and congressmen often fulfil ultimate karaoke fantasies by taking to the microphone and belting out tunes themselves. The Marcos rallies in the lead-up to election day have been even more outsized and carefully choreographed affairs, part of the vote-wooing machinery that has careered him to frontrunner status. The most recent Pulse Asia survey in April had Marcos leading polling with 56 per cent, well ahead of the next closest contender, current vice president and opposition frontwoman Leni Robredo (24 per cent), who narrowly beat him in the VPs race six years ago.

Corruption nostalgia Ferdinand Marcos, with his wife Imelda at his side and Ferdinand Marcos jr, far right, gestures from the balcony of Malacanang Palace on February 25, 1986 in Manila, just after taking the oath of office as president of the Philippines. Credit:AP Victory this time around would complete the most astounding of rehabilitations for the Marcoses.

They are still being pursued for most of the $US10 billion ($14 billion) they were alleged to have plundered from the state before leaving in a hurry in 1986 when Ferdinand Marcos snr was deposed by the people power revolution. Marcos candidacy has for victims revived distressing memories of martial law under his father, a period during which groups say 34,000 people were tortured and more than 3000 were killed or disappeared. There have been attempts to have him disqualified from the race over a 1997 conviction for failing to file tax returns. But in a country whose startling inequality has been hammered home by the struggles endured during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marcos legacy has been anything but a hindrance to his chances if you listen to his supporters.

Arnold Napoles, 54, at the rally in Tagum City. Credit:Chris Barrett So many beautiful things happened before during the reign of his father, during martial law, said Arnold Napoles, 54, an attendee in Tagum on Thursday night. It was a good time, very progressive. I dont think bad things about martial law. I think Ferdinand Marcos Jr, he will rehabilitate all the bad things happening now in the Philippines. Michelle Jane Talaboc, a 20-year-old physical education student at the University of Mindanao and a first-time voter in this election, said she hadnt been taught about the era of Marcos Snrs rule when she was at school. Michelle Jane Talaboc with Mike Joy Leonar, both 20, turn out to see Marcos in Mindinao. Credit:Chris Barrett

But I really support [Marcos]. I feel that he is a good person, a good leader, she said. They [Marcos and Duterte] help a lot of us people here. She nominated poverty and education as the two biggest issues facing her region. Evidence of both was very noticeable at Marcos grand rally in Mindanao. When the son-in-law of the mayor turned up in a pick-up truck there to distribute bread rolls donated by sponsors, there was a mad rush. Many were teenagers and young adults, jumping on the Bongbong bandwagon after an excruciating two years in which schools and universities have been closed for face-to-face learning and for a long time children were ordered to stay indoors. Rock road ahead Experts believe there will be a devastating long-term impact for a whole generation across the country as a result.

Its not clear how Marcos would address that or myriad other social ills confronting the Philippines. Light on policy, the BBM bid for the presidency leans heavily on a picture of his fathers leadership as a heyday of economic prosperity and stability, whitewashing the rights abuses and corruption that marked his time in charge. Opponents and analysts have hit out what they say is a re-writing of history aided by a well-executed and sustained disinformation campaign on social media, which Filipinos use as much as just about any other population on the planet. While Duterte has not endorsed Marcos or any other of the contenders to succeed him, the current president has also played a role in the restoration of the familys image. Long after Marcos Snrs death in Hawaii in 1989, he permitted his burial at the Manila National Heroes Cemetery. Marcos has said previously that he cannot apologise for what somebody else has done. But after dodging media questions and skipping public debates in the run-up to the election, he used a rare interview last week to describe his father as a political genius. Richard Heydarian, a political scientist at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila, argues the Marcos camp has been trafficking in the politics of nostalgia, appealing to imagined glories of the past.

Sara Duterte had been the presidential frontrunner before deciding to vie for the vice-presidency instead. Credit:Bloomberg The TikTok campaign The TikTok soundbites and Facebook clips, coupled with the pact with Sara Duterte, appear to have worked. If the polls are right, Marcos is headed for an historic majority when as many as 67 million voters cast their ballots next week. Robredo, 57, will make a last push to upset him with a final rally of her own in Metro Manila on Saturday, shutting down a section of the metropolis in the expectation of a giant turnout of her own in pink, her adopted colour. Should Marcos prevail next week, though, Heydarian fears a further and long-lasting slide into the brand of populist authoritarianism that has characterised Dutertes constitutionally limited single six-year term.

I think the Philippines is moving in a very troubling, perilous direction, he said. President Duterte over the past six years has undermined all the foundations of the Philippines liberal democratic institutions but he hasnt had enough time or focus or discipline to really push it over the edge. Should the Marcoses win, I think theyll be in a position to do that. The urbane and westernised Marcos  he attended Oxford University, although there has been dispute over whether he graduated  is unlikely to shoot from the hip the way Duterte has, calling then United States President Barack Obama a son of a bitch and telling reporters they were not exempted from assassination. Marcos has also forecast a more targeted approach while continuing Dutertes war on drugs, which rights organisations estimate has led to as many as 30,000 extra-judicial killings, focusing on kingpins rather than street dealers. The Australian government will also be watching where he lands on dealing with China over territorial rows in the South China Sea, having indicated he has no other choice but to work with Beijing. But the election of Marcos would, for obvious reasons, almost certainly hinder the pursuit by Philippine authorities to recover more than $US6 billion in outstanding ill-gotten wealth from the Marcoses, be it from properties held abroad or cash in Swiss bank accounts.
Scott Kelly at the Phoenix launch of his brother, Mark Kelly's, U.S. Senate campaign at The Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is auctioning off more of his digital space art, with the proceeds going to a very worthy cause.

Kelly released his first NFT, a 3,333-piece art project called "Dreams Out Of This World," on Apr. 12, with the goal of inspiring people, introducing them to the burgeoning virtual realm known as the metaverse, and raising money to help the people of Ukraine deal with the ongoing Russian invasion.

Part two of "Dreams Out Of This World" will be auctioned off today for 48 hours, with all net proceeds going to Ukraine aid and relief work, Kelly told Space.com.

The second "Dreams Out Of This World" NFT drop includes a variety of eye-catching orbital views that would all brighten up a virtual home. One-piece, titled "Baby Blue," for example, depicts our ocean planet in a softer, lighter hue than we're used to seeing.

"Compass Cay, aka Compass Waters," another piece in the new NFT drop, depicts more brilliant blue - the various and dazzling shades found at a spot in The Bahamas, a function of the varying water depths there.

Kelly says in the voiceover that the Bahamas are "one of the most beautiful places to look from space on Earth," and that he has always would like to go over to the International Space Station's windows "and look out while we were flying over The Bahamas."

Kelly spent 340 days on the International Space Station in 2015 and 2016, setting an American record that stood until this spring, when NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei completed a 355-day stay on the orbiting lab.

Vande Hei returned to Earth on a Russian Soyuz capsule with two cosmonauts on March 30, demonstrating that not all of Russia's space partnerships have yet splintered in the aftermath of its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Kelly has been a vocal and outspoken critic of the invasion and the devastation it has caused in Ukraine. On Twitter, he frequently criticizes Russia's actions and refers to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a murderous dictator.

As a result, it's no wonder that the profits generated from the NFT auctions will be used to help Ukraine. The pinned tweet on Kelly's Twitter page features a new "Captain Ukraine" T-shirt depicting the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a superhero. That shirt is for sale, and all proceeds will benefit UNICEF Ukraine's relief efforts.

Both NFT projects "Dreams Out Of This World" debuted on significant dates in spaceflight history.

On Apr. 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin launched into Earth orbit aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, making history as the first human spaceflight. On May 5, NASA's Alan Shepard flew the first suborbital mission, making him the first American to reach the final frontier.
Nusli Wadia, chairman of Wadia group of companies, issued a public notice to warn customers of saying the luxury housing project is being built on disputed land.

The land parcel is valued at around Rs 1,800 crore to Rs 2,000 crore with development potential of upto Rs 15,000 crore.

Century Textiles, a company now managed by Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla group, recently sold apartments worth Rs 1,000 crore in Worli, Mumbai.

The project is coming up adjacent to Bombay Dyeing's headquarters and Wadia said the statement by Century that it owns 30 acres of land in Worli is "factually incorrect, unscrupulous, fraudulent and deceitful". The total parcel of land owned by Century is only 20 acres and not 30 acres, Wadia said in a public notice published in newspapers today.





The remaining 10 acres acres are owned by Wadia and are not available to Century for development, the notice says.

In a statement, said they have always maintained that Birla Niyaara is part of an integrated 14-acre development and consistently maintained in all our communication across mediums, including advertisements/ articles/brochures, etc.

"Overall, and Industries which independently and absolutely owns 30 plus acres of land at Worli across several locations is planning to develop the same over a period of time after taking requisite approvals," the statement said.

The land admeasuring approximately 10 Acres (the subject matter of advertisement) does not form part of the 30 plus acres of land and has no connection with the proposed development of 30 plus acres, the statement said.

Wadia has filed an eviction suit for eviction of Century from the premises before Small Causes court in Bombay. The court has restrained Century from dealing with the premises and structures therein, the notice said.

Century is misguiding and cheating the public at large. The public at large is cautioned not to deal with or enter into any agreement with Century or its subsidiaries for sale/transfer and of any project (Including Nayara), Wadia said.

If anyone enters into an agreement with Century then it will be at their cost, Wadia warned.
hospitality firm (IHCL) on Friday said it aims to raise women's participation in its workforce to 25 per cent by 2025, and support women-led businesses and partners.

The company, which launched 'She Remains the Taj' -- a framework for women-centric initiatives for all stakeholders, including guests, employees, partners and the community -- is also aiming to provide skill training to around 25,000 women in the next five years.

IHCL's Managing Director and CEO Puneet Chhatwal said the company has been championing the cause of women and enhancing their participation, both within and outside the organisation.

The campaign 'She Remains the Taj' reiterates the company's commitment to create customer-centric experiences for travellers considering the growing economic influence of women consumers.

Chhatwal said will introduce a series of initiatives and enabling policies to increase women's participation in its workforce to 25 per cent, from the current 18 per cent, over the next five years.

At present, has over 2.8 lakh employees.

Speaking about the initiatives taken up by the company to support women in the community, he said has continued to back the sari weavers in Varanasi and is also supporting women involved with the beer brewing industry in Bengaluru.

"We have taken several initiatives internally, but also with organisations like CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and we have done an agreement with them to skill people. So if I add all of those initiatives, with CII, our own internal what we've been doing in the past, it comes to one lakh people to be skilled over the next five years, of which again, 25,000 will be women," Chhatwal said.

For its women guests, IHCL has also developed a value proposition to include heightened levels of privacy, security, bespoke amenities and stay offerings based on extensive research, it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indias largest airline will make Behavioural Event Interviews a must for for upgrade and getting promoted to management positions.

According to an internal memo reviewed by Business Standard, the Behavioral Assessment Interviews (BEI) will be required for to get upgrades as captains from senior first officers and for all management positions in the flight operations department like Fleet Supervisors, trainers and auditors.

has developed the program with human resource consulting firm Aon Hewitt and will be the only airline in the world to have BEI mandatory for upgrades and leadership positions.

The inclusion of BEI as part of upgrade and promotion comes in the backdrop of a pilot unrest in the company, due to a delay in restoration of salary cuts which were induced in phase during two years of the pandemic.

The airline suspended five pilotsin what is the first case of action against organised labour protest the airline witnessed in its inception.

The attitude of its employees plays a pivotal role in shaping an organization. With our focus being on enhancing and shaping the right attitude for Pilots, inside and outside the cockpit, we move towards our next critical step in the Pilot Upgrade Project. I am confident that these behavioral interviews will help us choose and upgrade the right people for the right job which is a much required necessity for any organization to become world class, Ashim Mittra, senior vice president, flight operations at wrote in the memo.

In human resources terms, the objective of a BEI is to get very detailed behavioral descriptions of how a person will react under different conditions. In aviation, it is a crucial part of crew resource management, to choose the best-aligned candidates for the company and mitigate the future risks of pilot conflicts.





An IndiGo spokesperson said that while the BEI interviews will currently be rolled out for the flight operations department, gauging the impact and outcome of the same, it can be implemented across the departments.

A senior executive of the airline said that during the interview if a person fails, he will be handled and counselled by experts for six months after which he can reappear for the interview.

Inclusion of BEI is part of our long term plan to help align our to the companys culture and values by selecting the right attitude and the right behavior for the right work profile. It will identify and upgrade those pilots who are already aligned and guide those who need to be molded and polished, the executive said adding that while currently BEI will be used for upgrades & management positions it will soon be launched for newly inducted pilots too.

We need to identify leadership competencies in our pilots which are aligned to the core values of IndiGo and give our customers an enhanced experience of on-time, hassle free and courteous experience from the flight deck, he said.

The airline has also started a new process called culture training for its freshly inducted pilots under which they will spend time with other flight operations departments like rostering, scheduling to get acclimatised with their working.

Pilots salary has become a thorny issue for Indias largest airline as pilots are unhappy with their pre-Covid salary not yet being restored in full.

Despite a partial restoration of salary hike, pilots remain disgruntled as the airline is currently operating more than 1,600 flights per day which is higher than what it operated before COVID grounded travel.

However, senior executives of the airline pointed out that the number of flights is not an indicator that the airline has regained its financial health and utilisation of aircraft still remains low with high fuel price increasing cost of operations manifold.

A few unhappy pilots expressing unhappiness over salary cuts even used expletives on radio while operating aircraft, prompting an investigation by civil aviation regulator DGCA.
The European Union's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a warning on Thursday about heightened dangers to airlines as a result of the war in Ukraine, including civil planes being unintentionally attacked.

In a document published on the internet, EASA stated that "misidentification is easy in confused arenas of warfare," like what happened in wars in the past.

"The development of this risk is common to all combatants. If we add in the likelihood of jamming of electronic aids that may be involved with navigation and or...identification tools, then it is easy to see the potential for innocent aircraft being subject to missiles or radar laid weapons," the regulator noted.

However, EASA did not mention in its statement if the warning is related to Ukraine's airspace. It was generally about the dangers posed by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war to airplanes, per Reuters.

There were further concerns associated with a rise in the number of military activities utilizing civilian airports, as well as the possibility that "military drones and aircraft" operations in the conflict zone could "inadvertently infringe" neighboring civil airspace," according to the regulator.

Russian Troops Bombard Steel Factory In Mariupol

EASA's warning was issued as Russia is "trying to destroy" Ukraine's remaining troops in the Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

The Telegraph reported that "bloody battles" sparked in the massive factory as Russian invaders focused "on blocking and trying to destroy Ukrainian units," according to Kyiv's military statement.

A Russian-announced truce was set to start at the besieged facility, where hundreds of Ukrainian military and civilians have been trapped for weeks.

Late Wednesday, a commander of the Azov Brigade, which is in charge of Mariupol's defense, claimed that Russian soldiers had infiltrated the facility and that "bloody battles" were taking place.

Russian troops have broken into the steelworks enclosure for two days, Azov commander Denys Prokopenko said in a Telegram video. Despite the terrible circumstances, they continue to "execute the order to hold the defense," he added.

Read Also: EU Chief Pushes Ban On Russian Oil Imports But Some Member Countries Say It Won't Be Easy

Zelensky Seeks For Longer Ceasefire

As Russia intensifies its attack on the Azovstal steel factory, the final stronghold of Ukrainian forces there, Ukrainian President Zelensky has appealed for a prolonged ceasefire to evacuate more civilians from the devastated Mariupol city in southern Ukraine.

About 200 civilians, including children, are believed to be sheltering in the huge plant's subterranean bunkers, and Zelenskyy said it was crucial to keep "the silence" to get them all out.

In an early morning message on Thursday, Zelensky said that rescuing people from the site may be more challenging and needs "to be done by hand," as per an Al Jazeera report.

"It will take time simply to lift people out of those basements, out of those underground shelters. In the present conditions, we can not use heavy equipment to clear the rubble away," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader once again sought the assistance of the United Nations and Red Cross after the two organizations conducted evacuation measures for hundreds of people from Mariupol and other regions this week.

I am also grateful to the #ICRC for its role in the negotiations and the work of its teams in Mariupol. https://t.co/DDPjLRo3Vi    (@ZelenskyyUa) May 1, 2022

According to the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Osnat Lubrani, some 300 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol and other towns in southern Ukraine on Wednesday as part of a joint UN-Red Cross operation.

Related Article: Mariupol Mayor Loses Contact With Ukrainian Soldiers After Evacuees Escape Heavy Firefight in Azovstal

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The of Karnataka has given a breather to Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited by staying the April 29 order of the (ED) by which Rs 5551.27 crore of the company was seized under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act,1999.

The vacation bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar stayed the ED order on Thursday, while also issuing notices to the respondents including the Ministry of Finance and various officers of the ED.

Xiaomi India, the subsidiary of the Chinese firm Xiaomi Group can now operate its bank accounts for carrying out the day-to-day activities of the company, the ordered.

Xiaomi, which sells mobile phones in India under the brand name MI, is accused by the ED of violating Section 4 of the FEMA Act by transferring money in the name of 'Technology Royalty' to three outside India--two in the US and one in China.

ED had seized the sum of Rs 5551.27 crore in the bank accounts of the company and initiated action for alleged illegal remittances made by the company in February 2022.

This amount is claimed to be the royalties remitted to the said outside India located in the US and China. ED had claimed had not obtained any service from these three foreign .

Senior advocates S Ganesh and Sajan Poovayya appeared for Xiaomi before the and submitted there was no FEMA violation as the Income Tax department had allowed for deduction of the said payments.

They also submitted that ED could have seized the amount under Section 37A of FEMA only if it was lying in bank accounts in foreign locations.

The Technology Royalty payments were being made from 2016 onwards and other mobile phone manufacturers in India were also making similar remittances to the US company for using the same technology. But no action had been initiated against them.

On Thursday, ED and the other respondents were not represented before the High Court. The hearing was therefore adjourned to May 12.

(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.)
Business services provider Ltd, along with Ltd, will invest Rs 300 crore to set up a paediatric specialty centre at the Kannigapuram campus of Christian Medical College, Vellore in .

and have signed an agreement to this effect with Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore to set up the centre which will have 350 beds covering a range of paediatric specialties, said in a regulatory filing on Friday.

The proposed centre, which will be called 'CMC Vellore Paediatric Specialty Centre', will provide leading state-of-the-art paediatric medical and surgical services, it said adding that the centre would also focus on education, training and research.

"This will help meet the medical needs of patients coming not only from different parts of India but across the globe for consultation and treatment," it added.

CMC Director JV Peter said, "We believe that paediatric specialisation is the next priority for our country. With this centre, we have come full circle from our initial focus on mothers and children to developing and providing paediatric specialisation services and training programs for the country."



Fairfax Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Prem Watsa said CMC Vellore has a long-established culture of caring for the poor and vulnerable.

"Fairfax is committed to giving back to the communities where we operate and we believe this initiative will enable CMC to lead the way in transforming paediatric care in India," he added.

Quess Chairman Ajit Isaac said the last two years have been a testing time for healthcare providers, with institutions like CMC Vellore being at the helm of maximising healthcare access to a larger section of society.

"Quess, through Care Works Foundation, has been supporting children's wellbeing, health and hygiene programs for years. This partnership takes our commitment of 'impacting lives' further by improving medical care access for children in need," he said.

The centre, upon completion, will be located in a building named the 'Fairfax-Quess Block'. It will also support the development of programmes, services and resources that are scalable and transferable for potential expansion to future sites across the country, the company said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Equitas Small Finance Bank and the parent Ltd on Friday said that the Reserve Bank of India has given its no-objection to their proposal of amalgamation, subject to conditions.

"We would like to inform that in its letter dated May 6, 2022 has conveyed its no-objection to our proposal for voluntary amalgamation of EHL ( Ltd) with ESFB (Equitas Small Finance Bank)," they said in their stock exchange filings.

The no-objection comes with conditions.

The merger is being effected to comply with the norms on small finance banks, mandating the promoter to reduce the stake in the subsidiary to 40 per cent within five years of commencement of operations by the SFB (Small Finance Bank).

According to RBI conditions laid down for SFBs in June 2016 and guidelines for licensing of SFBs in private sector in November 2014, equity shares of SFBs should be listed on recognised stock exchange(s) within three years from the date the net worth of SFB reaches Rs 500 crore.

In case of ESFB, the applicable date for listing was September 4, 2019. However, it commenced its banking operations with a net worth of more than Rs 500 crore.

Compliance with regard to listing was honoured through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and listing of shares of ESFB on exchanges from November 2, 2020.

The other condition requires that if a promoter holds more than 40 per cent stake in the subsidiary, it should be brought down to 40 per cent within five years from the date of commencement of banking operations. Here, the applicable date is September 4, 2021.

The conditions laid down by the RBI on no-objection for the purpose of amalgamation include divestment of shareholding by EHL in its subsidiary -- Equitas Technologies -- prior to the scheme taking effect.

Besides, will have to seek RBI approval for bringing Equitas Development Initiatives Trust (EDIT) and Equitas Healthcare Foundation (EHF) under its ambit prior to the scheme taking effect.

"RBI has also indicated that the no-objection shall not be treated as granting exemption from any of the regulatory requirements of RBI, and any deviation from the existing regulatory instructions would have to be sought separately and that RBI may impose additional conditions that it deems appropriate," they said in their respective stock exchange filing.

EHL held 74.59 per cent stake in ESFBL at end of March 2022.

Stock of closed at Rs 107.30 apiece on BSE, down by 1.69 per cent from previous close. scrip ended 0.93 per cent higher at Rs 54.40 apiece.

(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.)
Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.



Digital Editor
Demanding a probe into the death of BJYM worker Arjun Chowrasia in Kolkata's Kashipur, Union Home Minister on Friday said a culture of violence and a fear psychosis was prevalent in Bengal.

Shah who is on a two-day visit to the state today visited Chowrasia's home after news broke that the worker had been found hanging in an abandoned building in the area in mysterious circumstances.

The BJP leader who had crossed swords with West Bengal's chief minister Mamata Banerjee last year during a campaign for the elections to the state assembly, said the BJP party will demand the strictest punishment from the courts of law for whoever is guilty of the gruesome crime.

Yesterday TMC celebrated one year of its third term in office and now we have this case of Chowrasia being 'killed', the home minister said to reporters after meeting the worker's family members. He also added Union home ministry is taking serious note of Chowrasia's death and has sought a report on it.

The home minister also said Chowrasia's family had complained that his body had been taken away forcibly.

The TMC meanwhile claimed Chowrasia was associated with the party and not the BJP.

Local TMC MLA Atin Ghosh, who also visited the spot ahead of Shah, claimed Chowrasia was associated with the party and had even campaigned for it during the Municipal Corporation elections held recently, which had earned him the wrath of a section of local BJP.

"BJP assembled outsiders during today's protest as it has no base in the area," Ghosh added.

BJP functionaries said Shah was upset after hearing the news. "Shah Ji told us to cancel his grand welcome at the NSC Bose airport and he has rushed to Chowrasia's residence," he said. Shah is in the city from north Bengal on the second leg of his two-day visit.

State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya on the other hand claimed that the man was an efficient BJP party worker. "We found him dead this morning. Chowrasia was to be part of a bike rally that was to be taken out from airport to welcome Ji," he said.

Refuting the BJP charge, TMC MP Santanu Sen said, "The allegations against us are baseless. Let the police investigate the matter".

The police said an investigation into the death had started. Police officers faced protests from BJP activists at the spot as they tried to take away the body. Later a large police contingent was rushed to the spot to control the situation and it took away the body to R G Kar Medical College and Hospital for post mortem.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A member-activist of Andhashradha Nirmoolan Samiti was on Friday examined by the prosecution in connection with the Narendra Dabholkar murder case.

The renowned rationalist was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013.

An official said Prashant Potdar, a member of Andhashradha Nirmoolan since 1991 was examined by the prosecution from the motive point.

Special Public Prosecutor, Prakash Suryawanshi said in his deposition before the additional sessions judge (special court) SR Navandar, Potdar stated that as Dr Dabholkar was working towards the eradication of superstition, the Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janjagruti were against him.

Suryawanshi said Potdar also told the court that seven to eight years before his death, Dr Dabholkar had received threats that his hands and legs would be broken.

"He also told the court Dr Dabholkar was working towards enacting a bill against black magic and superstition, the Sanatan Sanstha and some political parties were against it," the SPP informed.

Potdar told the court he had filed some cases against superstitions and black magic activities, Suryawanshi 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.)
In a move aimed at making the nightlife more happening, the government has taken a policy decision to allow bars to serve till 3 AM, officials said on Friday.

The government has issued necessary directions to the Excise department and an order is likely to be issued soon in accordance with the Excise Policy 2021-22, said a senior government officer.

"Bars at restaurants are now allowed to operate till 1 AM. The Excise department will work with other agencies, including police, if the timing is extended till 3 AM," he said.

The Excise Policy that came into force from November 2021 recommended that the timings of operation of bars may be brought at par with neighbouring cities.

In the NCR towns of Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana, bars are allowed to open till 3 AM. However, in Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, bars are open till 1 AM.

There are around 550 independent restaurants in that serve Indian and foreign on being granted L-17 licence from the Excise department.

The restaurants within hotels and motels, numbering around 150, are already allowed to serve round the clock. Such restaurants are granted L-16 licence by the Excise department.

Kabir Suri, the president of the Restaurants Association of India (NRAI), said the hospitality sector paid a heavy licence fee but suffered losses as timings were not changed according to the Excise Policy 2021-22.

"We had approached the government with the demand that the timings for opening of bars be extended till 3 AM as it is recommended in the policy," Suri said, welcoming the move.

The Excise Policy calls for creating a conducive environment and improving conditions for smooth business.

Many of the conditions related to Excise operations in hotels, clubs and restaurants need to be in sync with the present-day business and social perspectives, says the policy.

In order to meet the twin goal of increasing Excise revenue and providing favourable environment and conditions to the licensees of hotel, club and restaurant segment, the policy made several recommendations.

The recommendations included rationalisation of licence fee, lowering legal age of drinking from 25 years to 21 years, and doing away with the archaic rules related to not allowing music in independent restaurants.

(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 Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned the appeals of scholar-activists Sharjeel Imam and to May 19 and 24 respectively, who had challenged the trial court orders that refused them bail in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the Delhi riots.

A division bench comprising Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar asked Sharjeel to submit the FIR and charge sheet registered against him in connection with the alleged offensive speeches delivered by him at Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.

During the course of the hearing, Sharjeel's counsel Tanveer Ahmed Mir, suggested the sharing of the FIR on the screen. However, the court refused to admit Mir's argument. "The screen share business has to stop. It's not a power-point presentation. A charge sheet is a germane document for determining bail, it has to be placed on record. You should put it on record. We don't have a photographic memory," the court stated.

Sharjeel Imam had approached the Delhi High Court challenging the April 11 trial court order which refused him bail in the larger conspiracy case.

"There is absolutely no material that has been adduced by the prosecution, attributed to the Appellant from which it could even remotely be suggested that the Appellant at any point in time had any intention to cause/incite violence. Rather from the material relied upon by the prosecution itself, which the Ld. Special Court has failed to take into consideration, it is manifestly clear that the Appellant to the contrary had on multiple occasions very categorically and emphatically called the protesters to not resort to violence at any cost," said his appeal.

According to police, Imam made alleged inflammatory speeches in Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, on December 13, 2019, and Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh, on January 16, 2020.

He has been in judicial custody since January 28, 2020, and is currently lodged in Tihar jail in Delhi. had also knocked the doors of the high court following a similar situation of bail denial in the trial court.

His alleged offensive speeches delivered at Maharashtra's Amravati during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens were the basis of allegations against him in the riots case.

During the last hearing, the petitioner submitted the materials and case laws detailing the meaning of the words 'krantikari' and 'inquilab' which were used by him in the alleged speeches.

The riots broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020 after clashes between the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-CAA protesters took a violent turn. The mayhem, which coincided with the then US President Donald Trump's maiden trip to India, saw more than 50 people lose their lives and over 700 injured.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister on Friday said the BJP did not want the complete disappearance of the Congress as there is need for an .

Speaking at Goa Fest 2022, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas also said the Narendra Modi government is "not completely a right-wing government".

"We do not want the Congress party to completely disappear. We need an . If we have an opposition, it is for the to decide whether it should be led by Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee or Arvind Kejriwal or Sharad Pawar," Puri said.

Queried about people from various parties joining the BJP, the minister said this was what democracy was all about, adding that "if I'm the member of one party, I had the right to go another".

"You would make a pertinent point if you say just take feedback before inducting anyone in the party," he said, adding that the BJP is the largest party with 300 plus members in the Lok Sabha and "if people are unhappy with their party, they will gravitate towards the BJP".

Speaking about the Modi dispensation, he said it is "not completely a right wing government" and went on to add that "right, left, pro this, anti that" were all just slogans.

"Is ours a typically right wing government? In many respect it is not. From Sarvodaya to Antodaya, the philosophy which is encapsulated in taking sustainable developmental goals to the farthest first, that is the crux of BJP's philosophy," Puri said.

He claimed this approach, in many ways, had taken the ground away from the kind of message the socialists had.

"More important is to look at your corporate structure, The GST (collection) last month was Rs 1.61 lakh crore. If you look at corporate tax, the rates in Indira Gandhi's times were 90 per cent. Now you have lowest corporate tax rate," he pointed out.

If one looks at all the policies, it is not that the government is exclusively focused on economically weaker sections or the middle class but also on the corporate sector.

When asked if winning the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was a "done deal" for the BJP, he said nothing in was a done deal.

"You should never be complacent. Knowing that the party is in good shape and we are winning elections after elections, I would say the opposition needs to get its act together, if they want to post a credible challenge in 2024. BJP also has to work hard, which we are doing," the minister added.

Taking a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party over the Punjab police's arrest of BJP leader Tejinder Singh Bagga and the subsequent chain of events involving police from Haryana and Delhi, Puri said "we are witnessing a spectacle where a political start up from Delhi, which is a GST rich state and with surpluses, has moved to Punjab, which is under great financial stress".

Goa Fest 2022 has been organised by Advertising Agencies' Association of India and the Advertising Club.

(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.)
There are huge opportunities for increasing cooperation in areas like tourism, design, digital world, services, goods and education between India and Italy to boost economic ties, Commerce and Industry Minister said on Friday.

He said that large size of domestic market, availability of talent pool, and the world of opportunity that India provides can help strengthen business ties between the two countries.

"India offers probably the largest business opportunities available anywhere in the world as we progress from USD 3 trillion economy today to a USD 10 trillion economy in ten years and towards USD 30 trillion economy in 20 odd years," Goyal said at the India Italy business round-table with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

The Italian Foreign Minister said that both the countries are experiencing a dynamic economic cooperation.

Many Italian companies in their long term strategy consider India as a key country whose market will drive growth on a global scale, the Italian minister said.

He informed that over 600 Italian companies have established their presence in India and they have employed over 50,000 local staff.

"Italy and India will organise tech summit on energy transition and green economy in November. We aim at creating an institutional framework for the strategic cooperation launched by our two prime ministers in Rome in October 2021," Maio said.

The summit, he said, will provide a platform to intensify exchange of ideas, policy dialogues, business to business meetings, and interactions of CEOs.

He added that both the countries can focus on projects of common interest in areas like innovation, mobility, green transition, and connectivity.

The economic repercussions of the current crisis in Ukraine will not decrease engagement between the two nations, he added.

The bilateral trade, he said, has reached over 10 billion euros in 2020-21.

(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.)
White House press secretary Jen Psaki is stepping down from her post and will be replaced by Karine Jean-Pierre. Here are five facts about the first Black woman to hold the title in the history of the United States.

Before taking over Psaki's position, the individual is currently the principal deputy press secretary for United States President Joe Biden. She will start handling all of her predecessor's responsibilities next week. Jean-Pierre will be the first Balck woman and first openly gay White House press secretary.

Who is Karine Jean-Pierre?

In a statement, Biden noted that Psaki had set the standard for returning decency, respect, and decorum to the White House Briefing Room. He expressed his gratitude to her for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while in her line of work.

On the other hand, Psaki marked the occasion with a series of posts on Twitter on Thursday, thanking the president of the U.S. and first lady Jill Biden. Furthermore, she celebrated Jean-Pierre, calling her passionate, smart, and having a moral core that makes her a great colleague, mom, and human, as per Business Insider.

Biden also said that the new press secretary would not only bring the experience, talent, and integrity needed for the job but also continue to lead the way in communicating about his administration's work. He said that he and his wife have respected Jean-Pierre for a long time and claimed she would be a strong voice for them.

Read Also: Roe v. Wade Decision: Joe Biden Sends Major Warning on Massive Consequences of Overturning Abortion Rights

The president also announced that Anita Dunn would be returning to the administration as a senior adviser and assistant to him. Jean-Pierre was born in Haiti and chose to immigrate to the U.S. while she was still young, and had her life growing up in Queens, New York.

According to NBC News, Jean-Pierre served as chief of staff for vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris during the 2020 campaign. She also served as the national spokeswoman for MoveOn.org during the country's 2016 election. Her resume also includes working on former President Barack Obama's presidential campaigns.

Jen Psaki's Replacement

When asked about sending a message to young people who look up to her, Jean-Pierre said they should follow their passion. She added that people should follow what they believe in and keep that focus because it is what matters.

During the White House briefing announcing her succession of Psaki, Jean-Pierre said it was a very emotional day and expressed her appreciation of the moment. Her predecessor, Psaki, said while fighting back tears from the briefing room podium, said that a Black woman who was also LGBTQ+ as the press secretary would "give a voice to so many."

Jean-Pierre's appointment to press secretary adds to Biden's diversified senior officials as he previously emphasized his desire to work in such an environment. She has had an extensive role in Democratic communications and will become the POTUS' second press secretary to deliver daily briefings from the lectern in the briefing room, the New York Times reported.

Related Article: Jen Psaki Plans To Transfer to MSNBC, Receives Criticism Over 'Ethics' of Decision

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 25 crore on Limited for violating the environmental norms by expanding its plant at Lanjigarh in Odisha's Kalahandi district.

A special bench of NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel was dealing with an appeal against the environmental clearance dated November 20, 2015 granted to Limited (formerly Sesa Sterlite Ltd.), Bhubaneshwar, for expansion of Alumina Refinery and Captive Power Plant at Lanjigarh.

"In the present case, the prosecution has been initiated for illegal expansion. Liability for compensation on the polluter pays principle is assessed at Rs 25,00,00,000 (Rupees twenty five crore only) having regard to the clear violation and financial capacity of the unit to be used for the restoration of the in terms of the plan to be prepared and executed as per the direction in later part of this order," said the green court in the order passed on May 2.

It directed the company to deposit the amount with the State Pollution Control Board within one month to be kept in a separate account to be utilised for the restoration of the .

As per the company, it has invested Rs 50,000 crore and has undertaken all mitigation measures for the protection of the environment. It has also complied with all statutory requirements, the project proponent argued.

The green court held the company accountable for the violation of a partly undertaken expansion without prior environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

The other main issue was of the drawal of water from River Tel. Though it is stated that the drawal of water may not affect the flow of the river, considering the increasing need for water from the river not only by the PP but also by others, permissibility of drawal of water should not remain static and unconditional forever, the NGT noted.

Further, the tribunal said its impact should be considered from time to time and the provision by way of additional conditions made to safeguard this aspect.

Accordingly, the green court also constituted a Committee comprising of the Secretary, Irrigation Department, Orrisa, Central Water Commission, State PCB and Regional Offices of MoEF&CC and CPCB in the matter. The panel has to formulate additional conditions based on periodical impact assessments within three months, it directed.

--IANS

jw/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There has been no significant improvement in the concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen in the Yamuna in Delhi from 2016 to 2020, a study group set up by the (CPCB) has said.

High ammonia levels in raw water sourced from the Yamuna have often led to disruption in water supply in the capital.

The CPCB monitors the water quality of the Yamuna at 30 locations under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) in association with state pollution control boards of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Based on the data generated under the NWMP, the study group has concluded that the concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen in the river water increases during the winter season (November to March), mainly in January.

It has also identified Panipat and Sonipat in Haryana as hotspots with respect to high ammoniacal nitrogen levels.

"There is no significant improvement with regard to ammoniacal nitrogen concentration over the five-year period at the monitored locations in Delhi," the report submitted by the study group read.

The Delhi Jal Board lifts raw Yamuna water from the Wazirabad pond for treatment at the Chandrawal and the Wazirabad water treatment plants. The treated water is then supplied to northeast Delhi, west Delhi, north Delhi, central Delhi, south Delhi, Delhi Cantonment and the New Delhi Municipal Council areas.

Operations at the Wazirabad and the Chandrawal WTPs take a hit whenever ammoniacal nitrogen levels in the Yamuna water exceed 0.9 milligram per litre.

"From Yamunotri (Uttarakhand) to downstream of Ranbaxy locations (Himachal Pradesh), the concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen remains constant and is observed in the range of 0.02-0.15 milligram per litre," the report read.

"The increase in the concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen at Panipat and Sonipat in Haryana clearly indicates the impact of drains from these cities meeting the Yamuna," it said.

At Palla, where the river enters Delhi, there has been an increase in the ammoniacal nitrogen levels (up to 4.80 milligram per litre) during all the years.

The concentration increases steeply to 40.7 milligram per litre between Nizamuddin and Okhla.

In Uttar Pradesh, the ammoniacal nitrogen levels vary between 39.90 milligram per litre upstream of Agra and 0.20 milligram per litre downstream of Allahabad.

The study group said the main sources of pollution in the Yamuna before Wazirabad include discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage from Yamunanagar, Jagadhari, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat in Haryana.

Other sources include fertiliser, dyeing and tannery units in Panipat, Sonepat, Kundli and Karnal industrial area, partially treated effluents from common effluent treatment plants and sewage treatment plants in Panipat, Sonipat and Kundli and unsewered colonies on the outskirts of Delhi.

The study group also said that due to the lean flow in the Yamuna in the winter season, accumulated sludge in the river bed may undergo decomposition amid anaerobic conditions resulting in an increase in the ammoniacal nitrogen levels.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister on Friday called for reducing slavery to foreign goods even as Indians celebrate 75 years of Independence.

Inaugurating the Jain International Trade Organisation's 'JITO Connect 2022 business meet via video link, Modi said the stress should be on the vocal for local' mantra and reducing the use of foreign goods.

Today the country is encouraging talent, trade and technology as much as possible. Today the country is registering dozens of start-ups every day, creating a unicorn every week, he said.

A self-reliant is our path as well as our resolve, Modi said.

Now people from remote villages, small shopkeepers and self-help groups can directly sell their products to the government, he said. Today more than 40 lakh sellers have joined the GeM portal, he added.

The government processes have become transparent, Modi said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Chief Minister on Friday asserted that he attached no importance to his administration's uncharitable assessment by Prashant Kishor, who has taken the political plunge giving up his earlier role of a backroom operator for other players.

Kumar was asked by journalists about the remarks of Kishor, who on the previous day here launched Jan Suraaj, a campaign aimed at providing a political alternative in the state which might, at a later stage, evolve into a party fighting elections.

I give no importance to whatever somebody says. Only truth is of importance. It is for you journalists to decide whether or not my administration has been able to meet expectations," said Kumar with a smirk.

Kishor had contended that Kumar's administration had brought in economic growth but did not succeed in propelling Bihar for a great leap forward, a reason why the state was still at the bottom in the country in terms of various development indices.

Incidentally, Kishor had also handled Kumar's campaign for the 2015 assembly polls and, upon a huge success at the hustings, was later rewarded by the latter and appointed as an advisor to the chief minister a cabinet rank post.

The former poll strategist responded to Kumar's statement with a sarcastic tweet.

"Nitish ji is right. Only truth is of importance. And the truth is that after 30 years of rule by Lalu-Nitish, Bihar remains the poorest and most backward state. Its transformation is possible only through its people's collective efforts, with a new mindset (nayi soch)," he tweeted.

The allusion was to the chief minister as well as his arch rival, RJD chief Lalu Prasad whom he had unseated from power and keeps accusing of having ruined Bihar.

Incidentally, the 2015 assembly polls had seen the two arch rivals entering into a short-lived alliance.

The CM, however, ducked queries about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's averment that the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act will be implemented once the COVID pandemic is over.

This is a policy decision of the Centre which we will look into separately. As of now, our primary concern is that as COVID cases are again on the rise, protecting people against the fresh surge is our priority," Kumar said.

The CAA has been a thorny issue for Kumar's JD(U) which voted in favour of the bill proposing expedited citizenship for non-Muslims fleeing Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan because of religious prosecution but has been opposed to a nationwide NRC which the BJP keeps pressing for as a subsequent measure.

Notably, Kishor, who had by then been inducted into the JD(U) and elevated to the post of national vice-president, had adopted a strident stance on the issue of CAA and NRC. It ultimately brought him into conflict with Kumar, who then headed the party, and culminated in his expulsion from JD(U).

Kumar was also asked about the power crisis which has resulted from a decline in coal supplies.

We will make all possible efforts to alleviate the situation. This crisis is very widespread, replied the chief minister.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lieutenant Governor on Thursday approved a proposal to reorganise the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) to make the civic body more efficient and focused in its operations, officials said.

The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of Sinha approved the proposal of housing and urban development department, they said.

The council also approved an additional financial grant of Rs 3.26 crore per annum for optimal functioning of the JMC.

The decision has been taken in consideration of the fact that JMC has grown from an initial number of 23 wards covering an area of 32 square kilometres to 71 wards spread over 112 square kilometres, without any corresponding increase in its manpower or infrastructure, the officials said.

Currently, against the total sanctioned strength of 2,623 posts, 1,540 employees are regular staff, whereas 1,741 workers have been outsourced with additional 724 on casual and contractual arrangement. The annual expenditure incurred by JMC on this account is Rs 106.81 crore, they said.

Post reorganisation, the corporation will have dedicated wings for administration, revenue, health & sanitation, solid waste management, building, accounts & planning, legal, veterinary, transport, informatics, engineering, floriculture and miscellaneous activities, they added.

Accordingly, some positions will be outsourced with the twin objective of hiring the staff as per requirement without much stress on the resources and ensuring association of technical experts with the Corporation.

Further, to provide fillip to its revenue generation towards establishing a self-sustainable model of local governance, JMC will also be able to levy property tax; revise building permission fee; revise rent in respect of shops, open spaces and buildings; rationalize existing fleet and vehicles; auction materials; levy charges in respect of water filling; collect tower fee; enhance compounding fee in respect of impounded items and goods, among others.

(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 Police on Friday said it has arrested spokesperson from his residence in the capital in connection with a case registered against him in Mohali last month.

However, vehicles bringing Bagga, who has been highly vocal against Kejriwal on social media, from to Mohali got held up in Haryana's Kurukshetra. Sources said that police officials were talking to their counterparts over some issues.

There is no official word from the police yet.

As the situation escalated with the and the trading charges, the Police registered a case of kidnapping based on a complaint by Bagga's father that some people came to his house in Delhi's Janakpuri around 8 am and took away his son.

The police, in a statement, said Bagga is being brought to Punjab and will be produced before a court.

Bagga (36) was arrested in the morning from his home following due process of law, the said while claiming that despite being served five notices, he did not join the investigation.

Last month, the booked him on the charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali.

The FIR registered on April 1 referred to Bagga's remarks on March 30, when he was part of a youth wing protest outside the chief minister's residence in Delhi.

The Delhi BJP spokesperson came under fire from the AAP, which is ruling both Delhi and Punjab, for his tweet against Kejriwal over 'The Kashmir Files' movie.

Bagga's arrest triggered a strong reaction from the BJP which accused Kejriwal of having a "dictatorial mindset" and "misusing" the police force of Punjab which is ruled by his party.

BJP leader from Punjab and the party's general secretary Tarun Chugh tweeted, "The manner in which Kejriwal is misusing is condemnable. The Punjab Police has arrested Bagga from his home."



"They behaved inhumanly with Bagga and his father. But remember (Arvind) Kejriwal Ji, your such acts cannot scare a true Sikh," he said in the tweet.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said a complaint has been lodged at the Janakpuri police station in the capital over the Punjab police allegedly beating Bagga's father.

"FIR was lodged at Janakpuri police station over the Punjab Police beating Tajinder Bagga's father.

"Sending 50-60 Punjab Police personnel to the house of the young BJP leader, forcibly lifting him and getting his elderly father beaten up is proof of the dictatorial mindset of Arvind Kejriwal," he tweeted in Hindi.

In the morning, Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra claimed that "over 50 Punjab police personnel arrested Tejinder Bagga from his house. It seems has used the Punjab Police's might to silence Bagga".

In a video posted on Twitter, he alleged the Punjab Police was being "misused" against activists and not for maintaining law and order in the state.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the party strongly condemns the arrest of .

"It's highly shameful that Kejriwal has started political misuse of power and the police in AAP-ruled Punjab to scare his opponents. Every citizen of Delhi stands with Bagga and his family in this hour of crisis," he said.

Following the arrest, the Punjab Police, in a statement, said "The accused was served five notices under Sections 41 A CrPC to come and join the investigation. The notices dated April 9, 11, 15, 22 and 28 were duly served upon. Despite that, the accused deliberately did not join the investigation."



"On Friday morning, by following due process of law, the accused has been arrested from his home in Janakpuri, New Delhi. He is being brought to Punjab and will be produced before a court," it said, adding that further investigation was on.

The FIR against Bagga was registered under relevant IPC sections, including 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place, etc.), 505 (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

According to the Punjab Police statement, the FIR was based on a complaint about "instigation/incitement/criminal intimidation to cause violence, use of force, imminent hurt in a predesigned and orchestrated manner by making/publishing provocative, false and communal inflammatory statements through his interview given to the media and through his Twitter posts".

Last month, former leader Kumar Vishwas and Congress leader Alka Lamba too were booked over "inflammatory statements" against .

In April, the Punjab Police had also registered a case against Delhi BJP leader Naveen Kumar Jindal for allegedly sharing on Twitter a "doctored video clip" of a media interview of Kejriwal.

The FIR against Jindal was lodged by the Mohali police based on a complaint lodged by a Punjab and High Court advocate.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ED have conducted raids at multiple premises, including that of mining secretary Pooja Singhal and her family, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged embezzlement of over Rs 18 crore in Khunti district of the state during 2008-11, officials said on Friday.

At least about Rs 17 crore cash has been recovered from the premises of a Ranchi-based Chartered Accountant, officials said, adding that banknote counters have been brought in by the agency to count the exact amount.

About Rs 1.8 crore cash has been recovered from other premises in the city, they said.

The searches are being carried out under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at about 18 premises in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, and a few other states, they said.

Officials said the premises of Singhal, an IAS officer and secretary of the department of mines and geology of government, in state capital, Ranchi, are also being covered as part of the action.

Singhal is a 2000 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and was posted as the deputy commissioner in Khunti district earlier.

A few other locations in Ranchi, including a hospital, were also being raided by ED officials who were provided a security escort by the personnel of the central paramilitary force CRPF.

The raids pertain to a money-laundering case in which former junior engineer in government, Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, was arrested on June 17, 2020 from the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal by the (ED) after he was booked by it under the PMLA.

The federal agency took cognisance of 16 FIRs and charge sheets filed by the Jharkhand vigilance bureau against Sinha that alleged the accused abused his official position and indulged in embezzlement of Rs 18.06 crore of government funds by way of forgery and misappropriation.

Sinha was booked by the vigilance bureau under criminal sections of the IPC pertaining to cheating and corruption for allegedly defrauding public money and investing the same in his own name as well as in the name of his family members while working as junior engineer from April 1, 2008 to March 21, 2011.

The said money was earmarked for execution of government projects under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme in Khunti district, the agency had earlier said.

The ED also filed a charge sheet against Sinha in December, 2018 and a special court in Ranchi subsequently issued summons to him for appearance before it which he did not honour, the agency had said earlier.

The court then issued a non-bailable warrant against Sinha on the basis of which a manhunt was launched against him by the ED and he was arrested from his hideout in West Bengal.

A supplementary charge sheet was later filed against him by the agency in August, 2020 after his questioning.

"Accused Ram Binod Prasad Sinha used to regularly transfer government project funds to his personal accounts as well as in the account of his family members and thus generated illegitimate income out of his criminal misconduct while working as a public servant."



"It was found that movable and immovable properties have been acquired by the accused (Sinha) in his name as well as in the name of his family members," the ED had then said.

His assets worth Rs 4.28 crore were also attached by the ED.

(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 Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana has recommended to the Centre 15 names of judicial officers and advocates for appointment as Judges in the High Courts of Delhi, Patna, and Andhra Pradesh.

In three separate Collegium resolutions, uploaded on Friday on the website, seven practicing advocates have been recommended for appointment as judges in the Delhi high court.

Similarly, the Patna High Court is also set to get seven judges who will be elevated from the lower judiciary.

One advocate will be made a judge in the Andhra Pradesh High Court if the Centre agrees to the recommendation.

The lawyers whose names have been proposed for Delhi High Court are -- Vikas Mahajan, Tushar Rao Gedela, Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, Sachin Datta, Amit Mahajan, Gaurang Kanth, and Saurabh Banerjee.

The Delhi High Court has a sanctioned strength of 60 judges.

In another decision, the Collegium in its meeting held on May 4, 2022, also approved the proposal for the elevation of the seven Judicial Officers as Judges in the Patna High Court.

The name of the judicial officers includes --Shailendra Singh, Arun Kumar Jha, Jitendra Kumar, Alok Kumar Pandey, Sunil Dutta Mishra, Chandra Prakash Singh, and Chandra Shekhar Jha.

Besides this, the Collegium also approved the proposal for the elevation of advocate Mehabub Subhani Shaik as Judge in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Besides Ramana, Justices U U Lalit and A M Khanwilkar are part of the three-member Collegium which takes decisions with regard to .

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government has asked all in the state to stop offline classes from May 7 and switch over to the online mode due to the extreme summer conditions, a school education department official said on Friday.

Principal Secretary to the school education department, Manish Jain asked the to hold online classes if they do not wish to advance the vacation time from May 2 as stipulated in a department notice in April.

"The should not conduct in-person classes in school buildings now in the interest of students as they are falling sick in the extreme heat conditions. Also they should not take any unilateral decision against the statement of Chief Minister on this issue," the official quoted Jain as saying at a meeting with private about 30 schools' authorities here.

Banerjee in the last week of April had asked schools to advance their vacation from May 2 to June 15 in the wake of the unbearable heat wave conditions. She also requested private schools to do the same. But a large number of private schools had decided to go ahead with offline classes in accordance with the wish of a section of the guardians.

The board examinations of classes 10 and 12 will continue as scheduled, the official said.

Jain had held a meeting with the authorities of around 30 privately-run schools, including South Point School. The school was recorded by the Guiness Bok of Records as the world's largest school in terms of student numbers between 1984 and 1992.

Many of the private schools had decided to continue with offline classes as a series of nor'westers lashed south Bengal districts on successive days of April 30 and May 1-2 bringing down the temperature. The state run or aided schools, however, declared summer vacation from May 2 in line with the government notice.

"The students are wanting to attend classes physically after the pandemic-induced break of two years. We thought that as the temperature has cooled down a bit, we can carry on in this way. But from today there will be no offline classes as instructed by the government," a private school principal told PTI.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The first meeting to discuss a draft agreement to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines went "very well", its chair said on Friday, although some members voiced reservations.

The WTO's 164 members on Friday discussed the "outcome document" that stems from months of negotiations between the main parties - the United States, the European Union, India and South Africa - in an effort to break an 18-month deadlock over the issue.

"It went very well and here's why I say that. No member rejected the outcome as completely unacceptable," Ambassador Lansana Gberie from Sierra Leone, who chairs the council tasked with finding an agreement on the waiver, told Reuters after the closed-door meeting.

"Most said this could be developed into a negotiating text and that's the trajectory we have to follow." However, two Geneva trade sources said after the meeting that some delegations had said the proposal fell short since it was too narrowly focused on vaccines, echoing criticism from some civil society groups.

And while China voiced broad support for the document it also raised an objection to some of the wording that appeared to exclude it from the waiver on the basis of its global share of vaccine exports, the two sources said.

China's statement sent by its WTO mission in Geneva called the wording "an unreasonable and arbitrary criterion".

The waiver idea, proposed by India and South Africa in October 2020, is supported by the majority of members of the global trade body.

But some wealthy countries including Britain and Switzerland have in the past raised objections on grounds that it could harm pharmaceutical research.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has been involved in brokering the talks and wants a deal by the June ministerial conference, says an agreement would be "hugely important".

The new draft deal, which has unresolved areas, must pass by consensus and any member of the organisation has the right to a veto.

One delegate described Friday's meeting as the moment the deal would "float or sink".

Privately, some delegates have said a lack of public support for the deal by the main negotiating parties has sapped confidence among other members.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Edmund Blair)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In Ukraine, a battle of attrition has begun, with Russian forces utilizing heavy artillery fire in the south and east of the nation, as well as deep strikes farther west, in an attempt to disrupt Western logistical supply lines.

A European diplomat in Washington told reporters Thursday that predicting when Russia's attack would conclude is extremely difficult. Russian President Vladimir Putin's long-term goal is to take control of the greater Donbas area, where Ukrainians and Russians have been fighting since 2014, as well as the land bridge that connects mainland Ukraine to Russian-occupied Crimea.

Europe: Russian Forces Have Not Made Much Progress in Invading Ukraine

Furthermore, Russian soldiers pressing from the east, south, and north of Izium in eastern Ukraine, utilizing heavy artillery fire, have made little headway on the ground, according to the European official.

The Russians attempted to capture the remainder of the Donbas, including complicated terrain with large rivers and metropolitan centers. The Russians might press on to the port city of Odesa farther west if they can secure and move beyond the southern Kherson area.

However, this is doubtful since it would need a difficult amphibious operation, and Russia also lacks the necessary forces to push to the southern shore, according to the official. The officer further stated that if logistical access for supplies is not secured, soldier morale will suffer.

Russia has carried out deep strikes beyond the line of contact to target resupply routes and western military aid streaming into Ukraine, with extensive shelling of storage facilities, bridges, and trains, as well as missile strikes on power stations in the western city of Lviv on Tuesday.

"We are still assessing the degree to which they struck what they intended," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday, referring to Russia's most recent airstrikes. They are not adept at precise strikes. They are not discriminatory with how they target, CBS News reported.

Heavy fighting has erupted inside the Azovstal steel complex, where Mariupol's final defenders have been holding out for weeks.

Russian forces, assisted by planes and artillery, started an attack on the large facility, according to the Azov Regiment, an experienced volunteer group with neo-Nazi roots, in a statement on its Telegram channel on Thursday. Civilians and injured troops are still trapped in the plant's basement.

As the Kremlin's eastern offensive struggles to gain traction, complete control of Mariupol, the vital port city, would be a big win. Russian operations in recent days have targeted infrastructure across the nation, ostensibly to block the delivery of Western weaponry.

While bolstering support for Kyiv, Ukraine's allies also consider how to punish Moscow and thwart its war efforts. Countries in the European Union will continue to debate the bloc's planned embargo on Russian oil, which is both a major source of revenue for the Kremlin and an important supply of energy for the continent, as per NBC News.

Read Also: Azov-Nazis Take Advantage of Ceasefire To Move Out From Azovstal Plant; Kremlin Claims Ukrainian Militants Attempts To Take Up New Positions

Russia Loses Most Advanced Tank

Meanwhile, Russia's most sophisticated tank, the T-90M, was reportedly destroyed by Ukrainian forces just days after it had been deployed. The defense correspondent for the Kyiv Independent, Illia Ponomarenko, uploaded a photo of the burning ruin after the tank was struck on Wednesday. The tank is equipped with enhanced armor protection and countermeasures technologies, as well as a modified turret with an upgraded 125mm gun.

The armor is meant to protect against shaped charges while also reducing the impact of armor-piercing weapons. According to estimates, only roughly 100 models are now in use. Analysts have previously said that older Russian tanks suffer from the so-called "jack-in-the-box" phenomenon, which has been known by Western forces for decades.

The flaw affected the invading country's Soviet-era tanks, notably the T-72 and T-80, utilized in Ukraine. They are prone to losing their top indirect strikes because of the 'jack-in-the-box' effect, which is triggered by a pressure surge caused by the explosion of stored ammo.

Unlike modern Western combat tanks, many of the Russian army's tanks have vast stocks of ammunition stored immediately beneath their turrets in an auto-loading system designed to speed up the main gun's loading, according to the New York Post.

Related Article: EU Aviation Safety Agency Warns Higher Risk of Civilian Airlines Being Mistakenly Attacked Amid Russia-Ukraine War

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
needs to increase domestic in order to fulfil the ever-growing demand for fuel and reduce import dependency, Union Coal and Mines Minister said on Friday.

"The need for coal is going to be double by 2040 with the rise in electric vehicles and the increased demand for electricity. Therefore, we need to ramp up our to meet this growing energy requirement," Joshi said at an investors' meet here.

He said the target of the coal ministry is to minimise the import of thermal coal and to make the country 'Aatmanirbhar' in the sector.

Highlighting the opportunities to the investors present at the session, Joshi said, "Not long ago, people used to say the need for coal is going to reduce but we are currently witnessing surge in coal requirements".

He noted that "extractable reserve in the closed or abandoned coal mines is around 380 million tonne, 30-40 million tonne of coal can be easily extracted from these mines".

The continuation of mining activities will help in increasing coal supply while creating employment opportunities for the locals, he said.

"While we are stressing on developing renewable sources of energy, coal is still going to be one of major contributors in the energy production," he added.

For this purpose, Coal Ltd (CIL) is planning to offer its 20 closed or abandoned underground coal mines to the private sector to reopen and bring into production on revenue sharing model, he said.

"The coal requirement has gone up by more than 43 per cent since 2014 to 818 million tonne till March 2022. It was 570 million tonne in 2014. This requirement will further grow and is likely to double by 2040.

"The commercial mining will help fulfil the ever-growing demand for fuel in the Indian economy and also help reduce dependency on coal imports. And as our prime minister says our goal is to become self-reliant in coal," Joshi added.

He said the government's aim is to increase domestic to 1.2 billion metric tonne by FY24. Union Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain, who was present on the occasion, said this is a golden opportunity for investors.

"These closed mines have been operated upon, this means infrastructure is good and ready and the entry barriers and financial barriers are minimum," he added.

CIL has set coal production and offtake targets of 700 million tonne each for 2022-23. The company had registered a record coal production at 622.30 million tonne and record coal offtake at 661.90 million tonne in the last financial year.

CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output.

(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.)
To combat the countrys growing power crisis, the government is pushing for a 10 per cent blending with imported coal and the revival of stressed . Also on its priority list is the setting up of more renewable energy sources.

The ministry of power has asked government and private sector utilities to import 19 million tonnes of coal by the end of June.

The state-run and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) are scheduled to bring around 3.2 million tonnes of imported coal for blending this month, said Alok Kumar, Union secretary for power. This is likely to push global coal prices up. In December 2021 the government had decided to increase the percentage of imported coal in the domestic mix from 4 per cent to 10 per cent.

The government is also trying to bring more imported coal-based on track. Out of the 17,255 MW capacity of imported coal-based power plants, only around 10,000 MW is operational now. We are hopeful that an additional 5,000 MW or so will come up in two to three weeks, Kumar said.

The ministry of power has asked all imported coal-based plants to run at full capacity. Of the 173 thermal power plants, around 99 are running on critical coal stock or less than 25 per cent of their normative coal stock. As per the latest power ministry data, the total stock at pit-head and non-pit-head in the country is only around 32 per cent of the normative stock.

The other measures taken to tackle the coal crunch include the revival of stressed or under-liquidation coal-based projects of around 7,150 Mw, for which it is in discussions with generators, lenders and states. The government is trying to maximise coal production from Coal India, Singareni and the captive mines. In addition, thrust is being given on achieving 10 per cent blending of imported coal, Kumar said. Power ministry data reveals that a demand of 184,871 Mw is being met during peak hours, while the energy shortage is around 28 million units, and peak shortage is 1,074 Mw.

For the power sector, a long-term sustainable model would be to improve the financial health of the distribution companies. This will help the import of coal too. The idea to revive stressed plants and imported coal-based units is good, said Ashok Khurana, director-general, Association of Power Producers.

At present, power generation companies have dues of around Rs 106,800 crore from distribution companies. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra owe the most, with Rs 22,960 crore and Rs 19,828 crore, respectively.

Among the states, Haryana has expressed its willingness to acquire a stressed power plant to ensure adequate resources are available for the supply of power to consumers in the state. Kumar said that a possible roadmap has been chalked out regarding the stressed units after discussions with lenders and power plant owners.

The government is also pushing for the development of renewable energy assets to reduce the risks of in future.

We should have an integrated and balanced power basket. We should look at all options, including wind and solar, keeping coal as the base. Coal is required for round-the clock power. Since discom health is a major concern, we should look for consumer-level reforms immediately, said Vivek Sharma, senior director at ratings and policy advisory company, CRISIL.

Since the non-availability of rakes has been cited as one of the reasons for the shortage in the supply of coal, the railways have cancelled 1081 trips, primarily in the South East Central Railway (SECR) region, till May 24.
US major announced that its Arlington, Virginia, campus outside Washington, D.C. will serve as the company's global headquarters.

The company said that its employees in the region support various corporate functions and specialise in advanced airplane development and autonomous systems, Xinhua news agency reported.

In addition to designating Northern as its new headquarters, said it plans to develop a research & technology hub in the area to harness and attract engineering and technical capabilities.

"We are excited to build on our foundation here in Northern . The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders, and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent," said President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun.

According to Boeing, it will maintain a significant presence at its location and the surrounding region.

"We greatly appreciate our continuing relationships in and throughout Illinois. We look forward to maintaining a strong presence in the city and the state," said Calhoun.

--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.)
residents fretted on Friday over tightening Covid curbs in its biggest district and dozens of new cases reported daily as China's leaders reiterated their resolve to battle the virus and threatened action against critics of their strict measures.

Incurring a heavy economic cost and facing rare public criticism on its tightly-policed internet, is increasingly out of step with the rest of the world where Covid restrictions are being abandoned and vaccines relied on to protect people.

Internationally, industry organisations have complained that China's 'zero-COVID' policies have global economic reverberations. At home, the population worries about painful, long-term restrictions.

In the latest ratcheting up of restrictions, authorities on Friday said all non-essential services in its biggest district Chaoyang, home to embassies and large offices, would shut. Mass testing will also resume in at least four districts over the weekend.

Meanwhile, organisers of the Asian Games, scheduled to take place in September in Hangzhou, southwest Shanghai, postponed them until 2023, because of Covid, defying a global sporting calendar that has largely returned to normal.

The Chinese capital is racing to avoid an explosion in cases like the one that forced the commercial hub of Shanghai into an almost complete lockdown for more than a month, taking a financial and psychological toll on its residents.

"We will try to cooperate," said 42-year-old finance worker Hu, giving only her surname.

"But I also hope that the government can introduce some policies that will not affect the overall life of citizens.

After all, we all have mortgages and car loans." After a meeting of the highest decision-making body, the Standing Committee of the Communist Party's politburo, state media reported late on Thursday that would fight any comment or action that distorted, doubted or repudiated its Covid policy.

Relaxing Covid controls, which are in place in dozens of cities across the world's second-largest economy and affecting hundreds of millions of people, would lead to large-scale infections, it warned.

On Friday, the Communist Party's official People's Daily newspaper hit out in an editorial against accusations China's COVID policy was disrupting the global economy and trade.

FDA restricts J&J's COVID vax due to clot risk

US regulators have strictly limited who can receive Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine due to the ongoing risk of rare but serious blood clots.

The Food and Drug Administration said the shot should only be given to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or specifically request J&J's vaccine. US authorities for months have recommended that Americans get Pfizer or Moderna shots instead of J&J's vaccine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Secretary-General urged the world to unite and end the war in Ukraine, calling it senseless, ruthless and "limitless in its potential for global harm." The top UN human rights official said even a one-day cease-fire would prevent dozens of civilian deaths and injuries and allow several thousand others to flee Russian attacks.

The UN Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine heard a briefing from Guterres on Thursday on his recent meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents that led to the first two evacuations this week from the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol and its last Ukrainian stronghold, the Azovstal steel plant. Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said a third convoy left for Mariupol Thursday, expects to arrive Friday morning, and hopes to evacuate civilians from the plant.

Guterres said he did not "mince words" with Russian President that his country's February 24 invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the country's territorial integrity and the UN Charter and "it must end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia and the entire world."



In his meetings with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Guterres said he also focused on the need for quick action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets.

He stressed that "a meaningful solution to global food insecurity requires reintegrating Ukraine's agricultural production and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into world markets, despite the war." Russia and Ukraine together produce 30 per cent of the world's wheat supply, 20 per cent of its corn, and 75 per cent of its sunflower seed oil.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law keep increasing every day. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, she said, 6,731 civilian deaths and injuries have been recorded and "the real figures are considerably higher."



From late February for about five weeks, she said, Russian forces in areas around Kyiv targeted civilian men whom they considered suspicious, detaining, beating, summarily executing them and in some cases taking them to Belarus and Russia. In other Russian-controlled areas including the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, she said her office continues to document arbitrary detentions and possible enforced disappearances of local officials, journalists, civil society activists, retired members of the armed forces and other civilians by Russian troops and affiliated armed groups.

"As of May 4, my office has documented 180 such cases, of which five victims were eventually found dead," Bachelet said, adding that her staff has also heard about cases of women raped by Russian armed forces in areas under their control, and other allegations of sexual violence by both Russians and Ukrainians.

A one-day cease-fire would spare the lives of at least 50 civilians, prevent 30-70 civilians from being injured and a dozen from becoming disabled, and allow several thousand civilians "to safely leave areas where they are currently trapped in hostilities."



"Most importantly, a cease-fire will show that the horror in Ukraine can be stopped," Bachelet said.

Griffiths, the UN human rights chief, said "the reverberations of this war are being felt worldwide," and the UN which has reached more than 4.1 million people with some form of aid across the country will try to get food and medical supplies to more Ukrainians.

The UN will also keep pushing for more civilians to leave Mariupol and the Azovstal plant, and explore "all options to reach more people in places where needs are the greatest, in other parts of Ukraine where civilians are so deeply impacted by fighting," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The founder of emerged from a meeting with Italy's Prime Minister here on Thursday, saying that governments and should all play a role in giving life to the "metaverse."

According to a company spokesman, Mark Zuckerberg, who now heads the social media giant Meta -- the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said that his meeting "confirmed our collaboration with the Italian government in order to enhance the country's strengths in the technological and design sectors and to identify future investments", Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are pleased," the spokesman quoted Zuckerberg as saying, "to have been able to discuss the cultural, social and economic opportunities that the metaverse will bring to Italy, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration."

The "metaverse" is a new term coined to refer to a network of virtual worlds focused on social connections. In October 2021, Zuckerberg announced that was changing its name to Meta as a way to brand the company as a pioneer in this area.

Draghi's office did not issue a statement about his meeting with Zuckerberg, though an official confirmed that the meeting took place.

On Wednesday, Zuckerberg was in Milan to meet with Leonardo Del Vecchio, the founder and chairman of high-end Italian eyewear maker Luxottica. Media reports said the two discussed a joint venture focusing on new "smart glasses", though a Luxottica social media post only stated that the two entrepreneurs discussed "building the future and connecting fashion with technology."

--IANS

int/shs

(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.)
has reaffirmed its commitment to the protection and promotion of rights of the Indian workforce in the country during talks with India on issues relating to manpower and mobility of .

The issues figured at the seventh joint working group meeting between India and on labour and manpower development that took place on May 4 to 5 in New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both sides held fruitful and productive discussions on a wide range of issues related to labour and manpower mobility.

Over 700,000 Indian nationals are residing in and they comprise the largest expatriate community in Qatar. The Indians are engaged in a wide spectrum of professions including medicine, engineering, education and finance among .

"The Indian side welcomed the progressive labour reform measures adopted by Qatar over the past years," the MEA said in a statement.

It said the Qatari side appreciated the contribution of the Indian migrant workforce in the socio-economic development and infrastructure building in that country.

"The Qatari side reiterated their commitment towards the protection and promotion of labour rights," the MEA said.

"Both sides agreed to adopt an integrated approach to promote the welfare and well-being of workers, including streamlining recruitment and enhancing cooperation for time-bound resolution of issues of mutual concern. In this context both agreed to work towards integrating the recruitment portals," it said.

The Qatari delegation also visited the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in Delhi.

"Both sides had useful exchanges of views on furthering co-operation in skills training and certification. The visiting delegation also held discussions with the representatives of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA)," the MEA said.

The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Anurag Bhushan, Joint Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs-I) in the MEA.

The Qatari team was headed by Mohammed Hassan Al Obaidly, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli Prime Minister said he accepted an apology from Russian President on Thursday for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow's top diplomat.

The two leaders talked over the phone, after which an Israeli statement said Putin had apologized. However, the Russian statement about the call made no mention of an apology. Instead, it said they emphasized the importance of marking the defeat in World War II, which Russia celebrates on Monday.

Bennett emerged as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine shortly after Moscow's invasion. But that role was thrown into doubt this week when Russian Foreign Minister made comments about the Holocaust that were deeply offensive to Jews.

Asked in an interview with an Italian news channel about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to denazify the country, Lavrov said that Ukraine could still have elements even though its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish.

In my opinion, Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it doesn't mean absolutely anything. For some time we have heard from the Jewish people that the biggest antisemites were Jewish, he said, speaking to the station in Russian, dubbed over by an Italian translation.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who has harshly criticized Russia over the invasion, called Lavrov's statement unforgivable and scandalous and a horrible historical error.

The Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust, said Lapid, the son of a Holocaust survivor. The lowest level of racism against Jews is to blame Jews themselves for antisemitism.

He demanded that Russia apologize, and summoned the Russian ambassador in protest.

Bennett, who has been more measured in his criticism of Russia's invasion, also condemned Lavrov's comments. On Thursday, he said Putin had apologized.

The Prime Minister accepted President Putin's apology for Lavrov's remarks and thanked him for clarifying the President's attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust, Bennett's office said in a statement.

Evoking Russia's deeply-rooted narrative of suffering and heroism in World War II, Putin has portrayed the war in Ukraine as a struggle against Nazis, even though it has a democratically elected government and a Jewish president whose relatives were killed in the Holocaust.

gained independence in the wake of the Holocaust and has served as a refuge for the world's Jews. The Holocaust and its remembrance remain central to Israel's national identity, and the country marked its annual Holocaust memorial day last week. The Nazis and their collaborators killed 6 million Jews during World War II.

has tried to maintain ties with Russia despite the war, in part because Russia has a large military presence in neighboring Syria, where Israel routinely strikes suspected Iranian military targets. Israel and Moscow coordinate their actions in Syria to avoid coming into conflict.

That paved the way for Bennett to be able to try to mediate between the sides in Ukraine, a role he seems to have resumed this week.

Bennett's office said he and Putin discussed plans to evacuate civilians from a besieged steel plant in the port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine. That came after a call between Bennett and Zelenskyy on Wednesday.

The statement from Bennett said Putin "promised to allow the evacuation of civilians, including wounded civilians, through a U.N. and Red Cross humanitarian corridor.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A gas pipeline connecting the Baltic states and to the EU's single gas network became operational on Thursday, the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy has announced.

The official opening of the Lithuanian-Polish gas interconnector took place at the Jauniunai Gas Compressor Station, one of the main hubs of the Lithuanian gas infrastructure.

The ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Lithuania, and Latvia, the European Commissioner for Energy, and the Baltic and Polish energy ministers.

Implemented by Lithuanian and Polish gas system operators Amber Grid and Gaz-System, this 508-km gas pipeline (GIPL) cost 500 million euros. The European Commission provided around 60 percent of the funding, while Latvia and Estonia also contributed.

The pipeline will open the Western European gas market to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland, said the Lithuanian energy ministry.

Over the next five months, GIPL's capacity to transport gas from Lithuania to via the Klaipeda LNG terminal will reach 217,000 m3/h, or 2.4 GWh/h. Meanwhile, its capacity to transport gas from to Lithuania will be 230,000 m3/h or 2.6 GWh/h.

--IANS

int/shs

(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.)
Monthly Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for Indiana residents may shortly be reduced. The federal government granted the state permission to distribute emergency allotments to SNAP families during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

SNAP households were able to get the maximum benefit based on the size of their family during this time, which expires in June. Because the state of public health emergency expired in March, May will be the final month to get these additional benefits.

As per WRTV, benefits will revert to pre-pandemic levels in June. Similar incidents have lately occurred in Kentucky and Ohio. According to our sister station WCPO in Cincinnati, families in Kentucky will lose an average of $210 per month in benefits. For further information, Indiana residents can go to the FSSA website.

Range of SNAP Benefits You Can Possibly Receive

All persons with moderate or low earnings in the United States are eligible to enroll in SNAP benefits, and if they satisfy certain standards, they will get an electronic benefit transfer card. In truth, the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is mandated by law to encourage households to apply when necessary. To enroll in the program, go to your nearest DTA office and fill out an application.

Filling out an online form or mailing it to the appropriate DTA office is another alternative. You can also apply for SNAP through your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office if everyone in your family is applying for or receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

You can apply for SNAP while you apply for SSI or while your SSI case is being reviewed. If a person does not get SSI but buys and cooks food with others in their family, they should apply for SNAP at their local DTA office.

In this regard, if they are neither old nor handicapped, the food stamp benefit is calculated based on their monthly gross income limit. If a single person earns $2,265 per month, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can support them with $250 this year.

If a household has two members and their combined monthly income is up to $3,052, the benefit is $459. If a family of three is registered in SNAP and their maximum 30-day income is set at $3,839, they will get $658 in assistance, as per Marca.

Read Also: COVID-19 Deaths in the US Breach 1 Million Mark After Just 27 Months

When to Receive SNAP Benefits?

SNAP payments are intended to assist low-income families with food costs by giving a monthly payment. Benefits are deposited on the same day each month in most states, based on characteristics such as your Social Security number, last name, case number, or account number.

If you're unsure when your SNAP payments will be paid, go to the Providers website and choose your state from the EBT in the My State selection button. SNAP benefits are transmitted to participants in most states using a prepaid electronic benefit transfer card, which is a debit card with the precise benefit amounts already loaded on it.

Some states refer to it as an EBT card, while others, such as Texas, give it a unique name (the Lone Star Card). Individual states are in charge of determining when SNAP funds are distributed.

The US government oversees the SNAP program. According to NPR, the Department of Agriculture offers assistance to over 42 million individuals. The Biden administration authorized the highest boost in food stamp benefits in the program's history last year, increasing the monthly payout by $36, Go Banking Rates reported.

Related Article: $6.8 Billion Student Loan Debt Canceled: Who Qualifies for Almost $60,000 Benefit?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
More civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol, a Ukrainian official said Friday, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategic port city.

The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold of a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there and as the battle has ramped up in recent days, fears for their safety have only grown.

We conducted another stage of a complex operation to evacuate people from Mariupol and Azovstal. I can say that we managed to take out almost 500 civilians, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said Friday on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not clear if that figure referred entirely to new evacuations or included around 100 who were rescued over the weekend in a United Nations-assisted operation. It was also not clear how many might be left underground, but U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that the organization must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes."



People escaping Mariupol typically have to pass through contested areas and many checkpoints sometimes taking days to reach relative safety in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) to the northwest.

Ahead of Victory Day which marks the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of Mariupol, a city that is now under Russia's control apart from the steel plant. Bulldozers scooped up debris and and people swept streets with a backdrop of buildings hollowed out by shelling. Workers repaired a model of warship, and Russian flags were hoisted on utility poles.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

Ukrainian chief of defense, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, meanwhile, said Thursday that a counteroffensive could begin to push Russian forces away from Kharkiv and Izyum two cities key to the Russian campaign in the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops for eight years. Already, Ukrainian fighters have driven Russian troops some 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Kharkiv in recent days.

The goal could be to push the Russian out of artillery range of the city, which has been pummeled by strikes, as well as forcing Moscow to divert troops from other areas of the front line, according to an assessment from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War on Thursday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only plodding progress in the Donbas, while the institute said their operations there were ineffectual and had not secured any significant territorial gains in the preceding 24 hours.

In fact, the extended standoff at the plant in Mariupol was helping to hinder Russia's plans for the Donbas, the British Defense Ministry said in an assessment on Friday.

The fighting at the plant has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia, it said. "Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Avozstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas.

The Ukrainians say Russian troops have stormed the steelworks and are also striking it from the air, but the wife of one commander at the plant said they had vowed to stand till the end.

They won't surrender, Kateryna Prokopenko said Thursday after speaking by phone to her husband, Denys Prokopenko. They only hope for a miracle.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was similarly defiant in his nightly video address.

There are many wounded (fighters), but they are not surrendering, he said. They are holding their positions.

Just imagine this hell! And there are children there, he added. More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.

The Russians have pulverized much of Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, and a two-month siege that has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, electricity or heat. Civilians sheltering inside the plant have perhaps suffered even more hunkering underground without seeing daylight in months.

The Russians managed to get inside the plant Wednesday with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry.

He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory, Gerashchenko said in a video.

The Kremlin has denied its troops were storming the plant, and Russia has also accused the fighters of preventing the civilians from leaving.

More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks over the weekend. But many previous attempts to open safe corridors from Mariupol have fallen through, with Ukraine blaming shelling and firing by the Russians.

On Thursday, an American official said the U.S. shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of a Russian flagship before the mid-April strike that sank it, one of Moscow's highest-profile failures in the war.

The U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of warships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision to target the missile cruiser Moskva was purely a Ukrainian decision.
Russian President held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister to discuss the Ukrainian situation.

The leaders on Thursday paid special attention to humanitarian issues, including the evacuation of civilians held by militants of nationalist battalions from the Azovstal steel plant, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the Kremlin.

The Russian military is ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians, Putin said, adding that the Kiev authorities should order the remaining militants at the Azovstal plant to lay down arms.

"On the eve of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, which Russia and Israel celebrate on May 9, Putin and Bennett emphasised the special importance of this date for the people of both countries," the statement added.

--IANS

int/shs

(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.)
Embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency with effect from Friday midnight, the presidential media division said, the second time in just over a month amidst growing countrywide anti-government protests over the unprecedented economic crisis.

The state of emergency gives the police and the security forces sweeping power to arbitrarily arrest and detain people.

Rajapaksa's decision was to ensure public security and maintain essential services so as to ensure a smooth functioning of the country, the presidential media division said.

The decision came amidst weeks of protests demanding the resignation of the President and the government, blaming the powerful Rajapaksa clan for mishandling the island nation's economy, already hit by the pandemic.

Earlier in the day, student activists warned to lay a siege to Parliament as trade unions launched a crippling island-wide strike to demand the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government over their inability to tackle the economic meltdown which has caused unprecedented hardships to the public.

On Friday, beleaguered Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has made it clear that he will not quit from his post, came under unexpected pressure to resign at the special Cabinet meeting.

There were opinions during the Cabinet, some even suggested the prime minister must resign. The President (Gotabaya Rajapaksa) was keen to see an end to the political crisis even with the resignation of the prime minister, a ministerial source said.

The backers of the 76-year-old prime minister had insisted him to stay on as the public demand was more for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his younger brother.

The 72-year-old president for a few weeks now has been wanting the prime minister to resign in order to set up an all-party interim government.

is going through its worst economic crisis in its history with the shortage of essentials, and power outages caused by a severe forex crisis.

Rajapaksa had declared emergency on April 1 also after a mass protest opposite his private residence.

He had revoked it on April 5.

Since April 9, the protesters have been staying near the presidential secretariat in the Gota go home gama' or Gotabaya Go home village and since April 26 the Mynah go home village' or Mahinda Go Home Village'.

is currently in the throes of 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.

Thousands of demonstrators have hit the streets across 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.

Despite mounting pressure, President Rajapaksa and his elder brother and Prime Minister have refused to quit.

On Thursday, they won a key election in Parliament when their candidate convincingly won the race for the post of Deputy Speaker.
Even as tries to improve China's global image in order to boost his chances of grabbing a third term in power, the commitments that his country has made in this regard over the last few months have the potential to worsen the Asian country's 'friendly' relations with Russia, a media report said.

President Xi will have to face Indian Prime Minister at the in June. The Chinese are saved from the embarrassment of having to host the Indian head of government in Beijing even as New Delhi accuses them of illegally holding on to Indian territory as the Indian PM will be attending the meeting virtually, Tibet Press reported.

Still, when the BRICS nations discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict, all eyes will be on as China's Ladakh incursion is similar to the Russia-Ukraine situation in the sense that both amount to blatant disrespect for the sovereignty of the countries they intrude into, the report said.

The BRICS nations would also want to hear from - a member of the organisation - on when the conflict might end, the report further said, adding, that New Delhi has already reminded Moscow of the 'New Delhi Declaration' of BRICS.

Paragraph 22 of the New Delhi Declaration adopted on September 9 last year reaffirmed the commitment of the BRICS nations "to the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of States and reiterate that all conflicts must be resolved by peaceful means and through political and diplomatic efforts in line with law, in particular the UN Charter."

"We underscore the inadmissibility of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations," the declaration read.

As the BRICS chair, will be in a tricky position. Will it defend or question the Ukraine invasion? The New Delhi Declaration is as valid for as it is for . And there will not be enough wriggling room as all the leaders would be physically or virtually present, the report said.

As it is, China is aware it is the only BRICS member that has not yet spoken to Russia to resolve the dispute through dialogue and diplomacy, the report added.

Another concern for China's image has been India's refusal to attend the in person.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is said to have explored the possibility of an in-person when he met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on March 25. But India politely refused to attend it in person. That is seen as a tacit reminder of China's adamance over vacating Ladakh, the report said.

There is also pressure on China from Europe. NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg a few days ago called on Beijing to "clearly condemn" Russia's war in Ukraine.

"China should join the rest of the world in condemning, strongly, the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. China has an obligation as a member of the UN Security Council to actually support and uphold law, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of law," Stoltenberg reportedly said.

China cannot deny the fact that there is pressure on it, the report concluded, saying that the pressure is also in the form of the caution from the US that any country trying to relieve the pressure of western sanctions on Russia will also face those sanctions.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The U.N. Security Council, including Russia, has agreed to express "deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine" in the body's first statement since Russia invaded its neighbor ten weeks ago, diplomats said on Friday.

Statements of the Security Council are agreed by consensus.

The brief text drafted by Norway and Mexico is due to be formally adopted at a meeting later on Friday, diplomats said.

"The Security Council expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine," it reads. "The Security Council recalls that all Member States have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means." "The Security Council expresses strong support for the efforts of the Secretary-General in the search for a peaceful solution," reads the statement, which also requests U.N. chief Antonio Guterres brief the council again "in due course." The statement was agreed despite a diplomatic tit-for-tat that has been escalating since Russia launched on Feb. 24 what it calls a "special military operation" and what Guterres blasted as Russia's "absurd war."

Russia vetoed a draft Security Council resolution on Feb. 25 that would have deplored Moscow's invasion. China, the United Arab Emirates and India abstained from the vote. A council resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Russia, China, France or Britain to pass.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly, where no country has a veto, has since overwhelmingly adopted two resolutions, illustrating Russia's isolation over Ukraine. Such resolutions are nonbinding, but they carry political weight.

The General Assembly has deplored Russia's "aggression against Ukraine," demanding both that Russian troops stop fighting and withdraw and that there be aid access and civilian protection. It also criticized Russia for creating a "dire" humanitarian situation.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Diane Craft and Rosalba O'Brien)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blue Dart Express rose 2.12% to Rs 6972.45 after the logistics services provider's consolidated net profit rose 52.2% to Rs 136.97 crore on 20.41% increase in revenue from operations to Rs 1,165.91 crore in Q4 March 2022 over Q4 March 2021.

On a consolidated basis, profit before tax (PBT) rose 50.19% year-on-year to Rs 183.25 crore in Q4 March 2022.

EBITDA rose 15.5% to Rs 295.40 crore during the period under review. EBITDA margin stood at 25.3% in Q4 March 2022, lower than 26.4% in Q4 March 2021.

The net profit surged 275.41% to Rs 382.21 crore on 34.13% rise in net sales to Rs 4410.49 crore in the year ended March 2022 over the year ended March 2021.

The company said it delivered one of the strongest performances in the recent past. Topline grew by 21% with a healthy mix of volume growth and realisation improvement despite challenging geopolitical scenario. Healthy top-line growth with better realization, continued cost efficiency program and financial re-engineering helped the company to improve margin during the quarter as well as financial year 2021-22 despite challenging geopolitical situation. Further, the company is continuing its journey of automation and digitalization to improve speed, transparency and efficiency, it said.

"With improved receivables management and cash flows, the company together with its wholly owned subsidiaries paid off all borrowings from banks which not only reduced finance cost but also became debt free," the company added.

The company said it carried 264 million (last year 186 million) shipments comprising 932,690 tonns (last year 718,521 tonns) during the year.

Blue Dart Express managing director Balfour Manuel said: "Throughout the year, we have shown outstanding resilience, responsiveness and reliability for all our stakeholders, which is mirrored in our Q4 and year-end financial performance. Our focus on remaining customer-first, investing in our technology capabilities and thus, remaining agile in a VUCA environment, has helped the company improve its margins. FY22 has been a rewarding year."

About the outlook, he said Blue Dart plans on expanding ground and air express capacity which propel service quality to new heights.

"We continue to remain an insanely customer-centric organisation, and therefore, innovation to deliver excellence at every touchpoint continues to remain a major priority," Manuel added.

The board recommended final dividend of Rs 35 per share for the year ended March 2022.

Blue Dart Express is South Asia's premier express air and integrated transportation & distribution company.

Meanwhile, the Nifty 50 index was down 215.30 points, or 1.29% at 16,467.35.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Procter & Gamble Health reported a net profit of Rs 51.16 crore in Q3 March 2022, up by 224.41% as compared with Q3 March 2022.

The company had reported a net profit of Rs 15.77 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

The increase in net profit was driven by higher sales and lower marketing and depreciation charge as compared with same period last year, the company said.

The company has delivered net sales of Rs 267.82 crore for the quarter ended 31 March 2022 as against Rs 219.15 crore reported in the quarter ended 31 March 2021, up by 22.21% YoY.

Total expenditure rose 5.64% YoY to Rs 199.05 crore during the period under review.

Profit before tax in Q3 March 2022 was Rs 64.86 crore, up by 148.51% to Rs 26.10 crore in Q3 March 2021.

Milind Thatte, managing director, P&G Health India, said, We have been able to register consistent growth in revenue and earnings in recent quarters. Our strong portfolio of products that address the increasing demand for daily supplementation and a renewed focus on expanded reach and improved productivity continue to form the pillars of our strategy."

Procter & Gamble Health is one of India's largest VMS companies manufacturing and marketing vitamins, minerals, and supplements products.

The scrip fell 3.40% to currently trade at Rs 4302.80 on the BSE.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reliance Industries Ltd is quoting at Rs 2606.65, down 1.3% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The stock jumped 34.94% in last one year as compared to a 10.4% rally in NIFTY and a 52.87% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

Reliance Industries Ltd is down for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 2606.65, down 1.3% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 1.9% on the day, quoting at 16365.25. The Sensex is at 54704.76, down 1.79%.Reliance Industries Ltd has added around 1.31% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Reliance Industries Ltd is a constituent, has increased around 3.57% in last one month and is currently quoting at 28284.9, down 1.12% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 51.76 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 76.87 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark May futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 2625.4, down 1.04% on the day. Reliance Industries Ltd jumped 34.94% in last one year as compared to a 10.4% rally in NIFTY and a 52.87% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 50.18 based on TTM earnings ending December 21.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for his foreign minister's remarks that claimed German dictator Adolf Hitler had "Jewish" origins in an attempt to justify Moscow's war on Ukraine.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he accepted an apology from Moscow's leader over Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statements. The Russian president supposedly made the apology during a phone call on Thursday, where they also discussed the further evacuation of civilians trapped in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine.

Putin Apologizes for Jewish Hitler Remark

But an account of the call on the Russian state-run news media site RIA Novosti did not mention the apology was made. Lavrov made the Jewish Hitler remark on Sunday that immediately drew fire from the Israeli prime minister, who accused the Russian foreign minister of using the Holocaust as a "battering ram."

When asked by Italian media how Moscow was planning to "denazify" Ukraine, which was led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, Lavrov said that he believes Hitler had Jewish origins, as per the New York Post.

Israel released a statement saying that Prime Minister Bennett accepted Putin's apology, thanking the Moscow leader for clarifying his attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust.

Read Also: EU Aviation Safety Agency Warns Higher Risk of Civilian Airlines Being Mistakenly Attacked Amid Russia-Ukraine War

After Lavrov's remarks, a bitter war of words took place between Israel and Russia, which was followed by Russia's ambassador to Israel being summoned for discussions. Bennett called the Russian foreign minister's statements "lies," and his foreign minister, Yair Lapid, described his Russian counterpart's words as "unforgivable and outrageous."

According to CNN, Putin's office earlier issued its own readout of the phone call, which largely aligned on other subjects that the two leaders discussed during Israel's Independence Day. Moscow's account of the call said that the two leaders emphasized the special significance of May 9 for the people of both nations.

Israel's Involvement in the War

Bennett and Putin honored the memory of all the fallen, including the victims of the Holocaust, while expressing their interest in the further development of friendly Israeli-Russian relations. The Israeli prime minister also noted the "decisive contribution of the Red Army to the Victory over Nazism.

The Israeli prime minister also requested that Russia consider allowing the evacuation of the remaining civilians at the Azovstal steel plant. He said that the request was made after an earlier conversation with Zelensky. He also said that Putin committed to setting up a corridor for civilian evacuation.

Lapid, after arguing that Lavrov's words were a "terrible historical error," said Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust. He claimed that the lowest level of racism against the Jewish people was to accuse them of antisemitism themselves.

But on Tuesday, Lavrov doubled down on his remarks, accusing Lapid of "anti-historical" remarks about the Holocaust. He said that the statements "largely explain the course of the current Israeli government in supporting the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv. In a statement, the Russian foreign minister said history showed tragic examples of Jewish cooperation with the Nazis.

Israel has set up a field hospital in western Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion and provided humanitarian supplies and protective vests and helmets for the Ukrainian military. But so far, it has restrained sending more substantial military aid or imposing sanctions on Moscow, The Guardian reported.

Related Article: Israel Demands Apology After Russia Falsely Claims That Hitler Was Jewish in Justification of Ukraine Invasion

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Slamming Union Home Minister over his alleged attempt to influence the probe into the death of BJYM worker Arjun Chowrasia, the ruling TMC in Bengal on Friday urged him to ditch the "culture of vulture politics".

The party iterated that the top BJP leader should "focus on the law and order situation in BJP-ruled states, as the scenario here was far better".

Shah, who is in Bengal on a two-day visit, met the family members of Chowrasia, found hanging in an abandoned building in Kolkata's Kashipur, and demanded a CBI inquiry into his "political murder".

He maintained that the Union home ministry had taken cognizance of the incident and sought a report from the Bengal government.

Lashing out at Shah, senior TMC leader and minister Shashi Panja said, "He came to Bengal a year after the people of the state rejected his divisive . Now he is back with BJP's vulture . He should abandon this... The Union home minister, through his comments, is trying to influence the probe. He is spreading lies against the state government."



The Union minister, while talking to reporters during the day, said that political killings, attacks on opposition camp members were rampant in Bengal.

He also said that Chowrasia's family was manhandled and his body taken away by force.

Panja, however, said there was no need for an investigation by the central agency.

"He was saying that the body was taken away by force. Will the police not do their job by sending the body for post mortem? How can he make such a comment despite being the country's home minister? It is astonishing," she said.

Echoing her, senior TMC leader and Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya wondered whether the home minister was also an astrologer, having predicted that Chowrasia was murdered even before the probe got over.

"Any death is painful, but how come the Union home minister is calling his death a political murder even before the probe got over. Has he turned into a political astrologer?" she 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.)
vice president Jot Singh Bisht resigned from the party on Friday citing factional feud, and joined the (AAP).

Bisht, who was the candidate from the Dhanaulti constituency in the recent assembly elections, said factional feud within the was severe and there was no sign of it ending. "In view of this, I have left the party," he said.

Praising AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said he will work towards strengthening the AAP and help bring it to power in the hill state in the next assembly elections in 2027.

Congress general secretary and former chief minister Harish Rawat has requested Bisht to rethink his decision and promised necessary changes in the party organisation.

(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.)
BJP strongman on Friday hinted that the much-awaited expansion or reshuffle of the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai-led cabinet in the state, may take place before May 10.

The former chief minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon take a decision in this regard after discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had visited the city earlier this week.

"...information has come that in three to four days after discussing with everyone. It might be done before May 10, at the earliest the Prime Minister after discussion with Amit Shah will decide on cabinet expansion and other things," Yediyurappa said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he said talks about replacing the Chief Minister are mere speculations. "There is no such thing," he added.

Bommai had replaced Yediyurappa as Chief Minister in July last year.

On Thursday, Bommai had said that he is ready to go to New Delhi to discuss about the state cabinet, as soon as the BJP central leadership calls him.

With the state cabinet meeting that was scheduled to be held on May 5 getting postponed to May 11, speculation is rife that it may be to accommodate expansion or reshuffle of the ministry, amid reports that the BJP high command is expected to arrive at a decision in this regard before May 10.

Shah's visit to the city on Tuesday had come amid buzz over possible changes in the leadership, and pressure to rejig or expand the cabinet, ahead of the Assembly polls in 2023.

Several top BJP leaders have denied speculations about Bommai's replacement.

According to top BJP sources, Shah too is said to have asked Bommai to focus on development and election preparations, and leave the rest to the party leadership.

Amid murmurs in the BJP circles that a top-to-bottom overhaul of the cabinet cannot be ruled out, ministerial aspirants are hopeful that a decision is likely soon regarding cabinet expansion or reshuffle, and there are even talks that several incumbents could make way for fresh faces.

Bommai is under pressure from aspirants to expand or reshuffle his cabinet at the earliest, ahead of the polls next year.

There are currently five positions vacant in the state cabinet, which has 29 ministers, including the chief minister, against the sanctioned strength of 34.

Some legislators have even been advocating a Gujarat-like overhaul of the cabinet soon, to make way for new faces, ahead of the assembly elections.

(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.)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 6 (ANI/PNN): Amid the ongoing COVID pandemic and the crisis created by it, JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd., has emerged as the fastest growing pharmaceuticals company amongst the top 25 companies in the Indian Pharmaceutical Market during the Financial Year 2021-22 registering an impressive growth rate of 29 per cent outperforming the market rate of 18 per cent as per the moving annual turnover (MAT) basis in March 2022.

JBCPL sales as per IQVIA MAT 22 was at INR 1490.7 crores as compared to INR 1157.4 crores a year back recording growth of 28.8 per cent for FY 22. JB was the fastest growing pharmaceutical company in FY 2021-22. More so, brands of JBCPL are ranked in the top 300 pharmaceutical brands of the Indian Pharmaceutical Market.

Elated on the spectacular growth of JBCPL, Nikhil Chopra, CEO and Whole Time Director, JBCPL said, "We have made a remarkable growth during the financial year 2021-22. Though currently, we are ranked 25 in the Indian Pharmaceutical Market, we target to have the company rank in the top 20 pharmaceutical firms. We have outperformed in the cardiac segment with 3 of its brands marking their presence in the top 300 brands of Indian Pharmaceutical Market."

The company has also gained ranks from 32 as of moving annual turnover (MAT) March 2020 to rank 25 in March 2022 and with the newly acquired brands from Sanzyme and the latest addition of Azmarda from April 2022, JBCPL is likely to gain even more ranks in the coming years.

"We are delighted to be the fastest-growing company in the FY 2021-22. This has been possible because of the continued focus on its core therapy areas. Further, this growth has been achieved with an insignificant contribution from the COVID portfolio, which reflects the underlying growth momentum of our core business. We remain confident that we will continue to outperform Indian Pharmaceutical Market (IPM), and drive growth by focusing on our core therapy areas. Last year, we focused on building capabilities and focused on building a culture that will drive growth. We reached out to every employee to build a cohesive culture," said, Dilip Singh Rathore, President, Domestic Business, JBCPL.

With the strong placement in the cardiac segment, JBCPL has moved up three ranks in the therapy from 16 as moving annual turnover (MAT) from March 2020 to 13 by March 2022, while growing with a CAGR of 22.73 per cent, beating the segment growth rate which is 12 per cent over the same period. 4 of JB's brands (including Azmarda) rank in Top 100 in the Therapy, all growing at a very healthy pace.

In the Gastro-Intestinal Segment with Rantac - another JBCPL brand that garners a sizeable portion of its revenues, Rantac ranks at 45 in the Indian Pharmaceutical Market (MAT March 2022) gaining 16 ranks since FY-2020 and ranking 6 in the Gastro-Intestinal Segment. The brand, over the years, has grown with a healthy CAGR of 21 per cent in the Gastro-Intestinal segment which shows a growth rate of 12 per cent.

Metrogyl - This is JBCPL's 1st ever formulation brand launched in 1977. This is another market dominator, capturing ~79 per cent of the Metronidazole Plain Liquid market and 71 per cent of the Metronidazole Plain Solid market while depicting an impressive CAGR of 30 per cent. The brand ranks 194 in the Indian Pharmaceutical Market (MAT March 2022) rising from the rank of 241 in FY-2020.

This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Neobanks have made a splash in the fintech industry. New players have entered the market in considerable numbers. Their uniqueness is, they simplify financial services to the point where they meet the expectations of todays digital generation.

So, how is a neobank different from the traditional banks we are used to dealing with? The answer lies in the definition.

A neobank is a digital bank that does not have any branches. Instead of having a physical presence at a set location, neobanking is entirely online. A broad collection of financial service providers, who primarily target tech-savvy customers, comes under the umbrella of neobanking. Basically, a neobank is a fintech firm that provides digital and mobile-first services like payments, debit cards, money transfers, lending, and more.

Neobanks bridge the gap between the services that traditional banks offer and the evolving expectations of new-age customers. They do this by providing personalised experiences, employing data-driven insights and offering value-added services.

While traditional banks continue to struggle with bringing their legacy-based infrastructure into the digital age, neobanks leverage its modern digital platforms modern digital platforms to analyse customer data and make data-driven decisions.

Neobanks can also afford to slash customer fees by a significant amount since they dont have to bear the expenses of running physical locations.

Among the user experience enhancements that neobanks offer because of their tech-driven nature, is hassle-free account creation.

Since Neobanks dont have a physical office in neighbourhoods, consumers can create their accounts from their mobile devices from the comfort of their home. And, given their technology-driven KYC process, the account can be ready in just a couple of minutes.

And, how do you avail of a neobanks service? The same way you order food over Zomato or book an Uber cab. By using an app. Neobanks provide services via its mobile application.

In India, neobanks dont have a bank license of their own. Instead, they count on bank partners that are regulated to provide bank-licensed services. The likes of Jupiter, Fi, Niyo, and RazorpayX are currently working in partnerships with traditional banks.
The Indian government has recently asked VPN service providers to register and record certain information about its users for a period of at least 5 years.

This was one among the several new directives issued by CERT-In, or Central Emergency Response Team, which is Indias national agency that looks into matters of cybersecurity.

The new directives are slated to come into effect from June 27 this year. However, experts say that these rules raise serious privacy concerns, especially the ones about VPN service providers



But before moving ahead, lets understand what a VPN really is. VPN or a Virtual Private Network establishes a secure and encrypted connection between a user and the internet.

VPN helps users hide their browsing history, IP address and geographical location, as well as their web activities and the devices being used.

In a connected world, its of immense use to journalists, whistleblowers and activists.

Now lets understand how the new rules pose challenges to a VPN users privacy?



CERT-Ins new rules require VPN service providers to collect and store certain accurate information for a period of at least five years, even after a customer has cancelled his/her subscription.

The personal information to be collected and stored includes names, IP addresses, emails, contact numbers and purpose for using the VPN service.

Data centres and cloud service providers will also have to abide by these directives



Non-compliance of these norms can attract a jail term of up to one year.

Many VPN service providers offer a no-log policy, where they promise to not collect or log traffic that passes through their servers and users online activities. But the new government directives ask the service providers to store information that is sensitive, personal and identifiable in nature.

Another provision raises the possibility of VPN providers being made to store usage logs, which include a persons browsing activity, for a rolling period of 180 days.

All organisations are mandated to maintain logs of their ICT or Information and Communication Technology systems in India according to the new regulations.

The Internet Freedom Foundation said that the ambiguity over what is covered under all their ICT systems leads to concerns such as the government or private enterprises having access to more data than necessary.

Talking to Business Standard, Apar Gupta, Executive Director, Internet Freedom Foundation, says No-logs VPN providers will be forced to exit the Indian market. The 180-day log retention rule on ICT systems is ambiguous and the new rules will end up undermining cybersecurity, he says. This puts personal data is put at risk of leak and data collection requirement is counterintuitive, he says adding that no data protection authority to ensure data is used for cybersecurity purpose.

Three VPN service providers, Surfshark, ProtonVPN and ExpressVPN, have told a US tech publication that they dont plan to follow Indias new rules on data collection. All three reportedly expressed intention to continue with their no-logs policy.

The US tech magazine quotes ProtonVPN saying Indias new requirements will erode civil liberties and make it harder for people to protect their data online.

Experts also questioned how these data collection and retention requirements will help in improving cybersecurity. Moreover, localisation requirements also raise concerns about surveillance, especially in the absence of a dedicated data protection authority.
Over half (54%) of Irish professionals believe that a four-day working week will become a reality within the next 5 years, according to new survey carried out by Hays Ireland, the leading recruiter examining over 1,500 employers and professionals across Ireland. Nineteen percent believe it will be a reality in the next 1-2 years and over a third (36%) within the next 2-5 years.

Meanwhile, 22% believe it will become a reality in the next 5-10 years and less than a quarter 23% believe it will never happen. Since the pandemic, hybrid working models have become a workplace staple. Campaigns for a four-day week have started gaining significant traction amongst Irish-based professionals. The most frequently cited benefit of this shorter working week is employee mental health and wellbeing (56%). Other prominent benefits cited include talent attraction (14%) and talent retention (13.6%). Notably, 11% of those surveyed believe it will result in greater organisational productivity.

The research shows that 6% of Irish workplaces have already implemented a four-day working week, 4% have implemented a four-day working week on a permanent basis, while 2% are currently operating it on a trial basis. However, as employers look for new ways to differentiate themselves from their industry peers, this trend may become more widespread in the near future. Sixty four percent of professionals claim they would be tempted to move to a different organisation if it was offering a four-day working week.

Earlier this year, Belgium became the latest country to provide workers with the option of a four-day working week. Belgian-based workers will still be expected to work a traditional 38-hour week, but they will now have the opportunity to complete these hours across a compressed four day working week. Employees can request a six-month trial period, after which, should they desire, they can continue on permanent basis. Other European countries including Spain and Iceland are piloting similar four-day models. In recent weeks, the Department of the Environment became the first Irish Government department to openly engage with the concept, having committed to undertaking a feasibility study into the working model.

Commenting on the research, Director at Hays Ireland, Maureen Lynch said, "At face value, for many employees, the prospect of a four-day working week is extremely attractive. However, what this looks like in practise may be dependent on the industry and jurisdiction. For some employers, this means reducing the number of hours in the traditional 40 hour working week, for others, it means compressing 40 hours a week into four days, rather than five. While the number of employers currently offering a four-day working week is still extremely low, todays research suggests that this may soon change."

She added, "At a time when the market has never been more competitive, the proposition of a four-day working week may present an exciting new opportunity for employers to differentiate themselves from their competitors."

Source: www.businesssworld.ie
Legato has today announced the creation of a further 80 jobs at its R&D Hub in the National Technology Park, Limerick, bringing total numbers to 200. The companys investment in Limerick is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.



The global medtech company expects to complete hiring its initial completement of 120 staff in the coming months, with a target to fill all 200 posts by summer 2023. Legato is currently recruiting software engineers while the additional posts announced today will be across software engineering and data science. The R&D hub in Limerick, through the development of AI and data-analytics solutions, aims tol play a key role in the transition from health insurance to health assurance by identifying individual and wider public interventions that will enable people live healthier and longer lives. Its solutions will also identify efficiency gains in healthcare provision.



The announcement of further job numbers for the site was made today following a recent visit to the site by Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Robert Troy for a meeting with company representatives and board members, as well as key regional stakeholders to discuss the companys growth ambitions for its Irish operations.



Among the regional stakeholders present were Mayor of the City and County of Limerick - Daniel Butler, UL President Kerstin Mey, President of Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Vincent Cunnane, Midlands Midwest Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council Dr. Pat Daly, Limerick Chamber CEO Dee Ryan, Director of the Digital Transformation and Open Innovation at the HSE Martin Curley, Global Head of International Financial Services at IDA Ireland, Kieran Donoghue as well as other IDA Ireland executives.



Speaking at the event, Minister Troy said, "Legato arrived in the Irish market last September with an announcement of 60 jobs. To be heading so quickly now for 200 posts with todays announcement reflects the companys ambition for and commitment to its site here in Limerick. It also reflects very positively on Limerick and the wider Mid-West region as a location for inward investment."

Country Head at Legato Health Technologies Ireland, John Patrick Shaw added, "Weve had a really good start to life in Limerick and thats down to two specific reasons. One is the exciting opportunity we are giving to people to join us and apply their skills with a company whose purpose is all about making a difference to human health and healthcare. We are extending that invitation today with this announcement of additional jobs. We have exciting growth plans here and, from a standing start of last September, we are now heading to 200 associates next year following todays commitment. Thats a trajectory we intend to continue."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Pentagon officials pushed back on reports that say the United States provided intelligence that helped the Ukrainian forces sink a Russian flagship in the Black Sea, claiming the focus was on defensive issues.

The officials said that the U.S. provides battlefield intelligence to help Ukrainians defend their country. During a press conference, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the nation does not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.

Pentagon Denies Misleading Reports

A day before the announcement, there were reports that information provided by senior American defense officials included real-time battlefield intelligence and anticipated Russian troop movements. The information included details about the Russian military's mobile headquarters and the whereabouts of senior Russian military leaders.

The situation comes as it is believed that at least 12 Russian generals have been killed amid the war between Russia and Ukraine. The unprovoked invasion began in February when Russian President Vladimir Putin put his plans to "denazify" Ukraine began, as per the Military Times.

The National Security Council spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, said on Thursday that the U.S. does provide battlefield intelligence to Ukraine. However, she noted that the previous reports framed the story in a misleading way. The official said the headline of the report was irresponsible.

On top of intelligence, the U.S. has been giving Ukraine roughly $3.7 billion in security assistance since the beginning of the war. The Pentagon has also ramped up its training of Ukrainian troops on artillery systems to better defend themselves against the Russian military.

Read Also: North Korea Fires Latest Ballistic Missile Amid Rising Tensions With Japan and South Korea, Marking 14th Test This Year

According to the Washington Post, Ukraine's sinking of the Russian flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, was seen as one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the war. Ukrainian forces launched a missile strike in April that deprived Moscow of a key vessel in its military campaign.

Ukraine's Sinking of Russian Flagship

The assistance from the United States underscores how deeply Washington has become involved in the fight against Russia's advance. While it was not immediately clear how many sailors were killed in the attack, American officials said there were most likely significant casualties.

U.S. authorities said that they had no prior knowledge of Ukraine targeting the Moskva despite providing intelligence about the vessel. Russian vessels in the black Sea have also been launching missiles of their own targeting Ukraine. The ships could be used for an amphibious assault on the country.

Several military analysts and experts have praised Ukraine's military and its strength and ingenuity in repelling a larger Russian force. Many believe that Moscow has much more advanced weaponry and is technically superior to its European neighbor.

Many believe that without help from the U.S., Ukraine would likely struggle to target the warship with the confidence necessary to expend two valuable Neptune missiles. The armaments are known to be in short supply and must be used sparingly.

United States President Joe Biden's administration has treated the issue of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine as extremely sensitive. But officials have been providing Ukraine with information regarding Moscow's battle plan for the fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: Russia's Su-35 Flanker-E Allegedly Shot Down in the Skies of Ukraine

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The streets of the usually bustling Chaoyang district remain muted as Beijing tightened Covid controls and added three more rounds of compulsory testing to battle the ongoing outbreak. The local government has suspended nonessential services in Chaoyang, forcing anyone who lives or works there to telecommute. Beijing reported more than 70 new local cases on Monday

May 10, 2022 04:07 PM
President Joe Biden, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other top administration officials are being sued by two Republican-led states, alleging that they pressured and colluded with Big Tech social media companies to censor and suppress information about the Hunter Biden laptop story, COVID-19 origins, and the security of voting by mail during the pandemic.

The complaint was filed in US District Court on Thursday by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. The Western District of Louisiana is a federal district court. The lawsuit alleges that the high-ranking government officials are collaborating with the large social media giants Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to increase censorship under the pretense of countering disinformation.

Lawsuit Against President Joe Biden Claims Adiministration Hinders Son's Investigation

Nina Jankowicz, the director of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) new Disinformation Governance Board, has come under fire from both Democratic and Republican politicians for curtailing free expression. Lawmakers have voiced particular alarm about Jankowicz's nomination, as he backed the notoriously discredited Christopher Steele dossier and retold the story that Hunter Biden's laptop was the result of a Russian disinformation effort.

The complaint claims that the federal government used constitutional rights to repress free expression in one of the most heinous assaults on free speech in American history. According to the lawsuit, the defendants used threats of adverse government action to compel, intimidate, and push social media platforms to restrict disfavored speakers and opinions.

The suit examines several specific examples of social media companies allegedly removing accurate information and infringing on First Amendment rights, including the Hunter Biden laptop story, the COVID-19 Wuhan lab-leak theory, COVID-19 mask efficacy, and messaging on the security of voting by mail, Fox News reported.

Because the Internal Revenue Service rejected a whistleblower complaint alleging that President Joe Biden owed at least $127,000 in taxes, President Biden is likely to dodge an audit that may show if he profited from his son Hunter Biden's offshore business transactions.

The IRS enables anyone to provide information about other taxpayers in exchange for a portion of the revenues, causing Chris Jacobs, a former Republican aide on Capitol Hill, to file complaints against Biden and his accountant, while saying he didn't want any financial compensation.

President Joe Biden is likely to run out of a three-year statute of limitations, according to tax law expert Bob Willens, who teaches at Columbia University's business school. This means Republican accusations that Biden owes up to $500,000 in taxes are unlikely to be settled.

Joe and Jill Biden routed more than $13 million through S corporations in 2017 and 2018 to avoid paying a 3.8 percent Medicare tax on the majority of their earnings by declaring a small portion of it as salary. Many rich people set up S businesses to decrease their tax payments, yet the IRS prosecutes just a few cases of underreporting taxable income.

The income is said to have come from book sales and speaking fees after Biden stepped down as vice president. Experts argue that income earned directly as a consequence of a person's labor should be liable to the Medicare tax, and ethics experts are urging Biden to identify the specific sources amid questions about the president's ties to his son Hunter Biden's international business dealings, according to the New York Post.

Read Also: Roe v. Wade Decision: Joe Biden Sends Major Warning on Massive Consequences of Overturning Abortion Rights

Hunter Biden Laptop Repairment Files Lawsuit Against Media

The Delaware repairman who exposed Hunter Biden's laptop has filed a slander action against House Intelligence Committee head Adam Schiff, CNN, Politico, and The Daily Beast claiming damages of at least $1 million. John Paul Mac Isaac, 45, a former shop owner, filed the case in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Tuesday, saying that the outlets erroneously claimed he was disseminating Russian misinformation, costing him his business.

Rep. Schiff defamed him in an interview two days after the Post - and then DailyMail.com - began publishing information from the laptop, he alleges in the lawsuit. Schiff claimed, without offering any proof, that 'the Kremlin' was orchestrating a smear campaign against then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter in an interview with Wolf Blitzer at the time.

In his case, Mac Isaac says that CNN deliberately broadcast a false and defamatory report, which caused him severe harm, including the closure of his laptop repair business, as per Daily Mail.

Related Article: Computer Repairman Who Discovered Hunter Biden's 'Laptop from Hell,' Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff, Media Outlets

@YouTube

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Kremlin said the Azov battalion or Neo-Nazis use the civilians they allegedly keep trapped as hostages, making them no better than Syrian terrorists. Civilians who were not released were used to exchange medicine or food as the Nazis saw fit last Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not ordered an all-out end of the Ukrainians because of the people who might get caught in their crossfire. .

Ukrainian Terror Tactics Not Reported by Foreign Media

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov contrasted how Azov Nazis used civilians to block a Russian route of their forces as no better than enemies in the Syrian interventions. Holding civilians allegedly against their will in the steel plant, reported RT.

Earlier, an anonymous spokesman of the Russian Command in control of the operation at the massive Azovstal complex asserted Russia's Ria Novosti news source, noted the Press United.

An official statement from the Kremlin remarked that the Russian army had seen such terrorist tactics in Syria, where lives were bartered for food as done by the Azov battalion. About 200 civilians, including women, children, and older people, are not allowed to leave, just like Syrian terrorists.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of Russia's State Duma, said last Thursday in a Telegram post that the Nazi sympathizers are using the civilians left to get more supplies. They demand a ton of food and medicine for fifteen lives, or they will keep them detained.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Children: Does the Ukraine President Have Kids?

Ukraine Forces Turn Out to be Like Syrian Terrorists

Volodin called the contemptuous conduct of Zelensky's forces to exchange a Ukrainian citizen for 66.6 kilograms of goods. He added these soldiers trapped in the plant only want to save their skins. They are no better than terrorists in their conduct.

Russian forces have claimed control of Mariupol and its port, not the Azovstal steelworks where the last Ukrainian holdouts are fighting though they are surrounded. Foreign media gives a different version of who is winning.

After thirty days under siege, the Azov-Nazis and regular Ukrainian units were trapped in the tunnel and strengthened bunkers under the Azovstal plant. They are pinned and are in danger of getting overrun had it not been for their allegedly coerced civilians.

Due to the danger of extreme casualties, if an assault happened, Putin decided to starve and blockade the plant in April. Forcing the trapped enemy force to comprehend their dire situation, New York Times reported.

However, claims have emerged that fighting has erupted recently at the steelworks. According to Ukraine's Unian news outlet, a former employee who worked at the steelworks revealed to Russian forces "secret tunnels under the factory," and Russian troops were trying to force their way into the bunkers but were met with opposition from Ukrainian troops.

The Donetsk People's Republic has previously accused Ukrainian fighters of taking up new positions in the facility during an evacuation truce, forcing Russian soldiers to strike with artillery and aerial strikes.

Following Ukraine's refusal to fulfill the conditions of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow's subsequent recognition of the Donbas republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, Russia launched an attack on the neighboring state in late February.

Kyiv refused to implement the Minsk agreement to the Donbas and did not assume neutrality as it decided to act as the proxy of America. Even denies it would have used force against the DPR and LPR had it not been for the special Russian operation.

The Kremlin calls the Azov battalion no better than Syrian terrorists trading civilians for food and using them as human shields as they hamper attempts to free those trapped in the tunnels.

Related Article: Transnistria Says Weaponized Drone Attack Thwarted, Fears Russia Will Use the Breakaway Region of Moldova

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China will surely win anti-COVID war in Shanghai, with time-tested epidemic control policy: top leadership

Xinhua) 08:10, May 06, 2022

Photo taken on April 11, 2022 shows a view of Pudong New Area in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China will surely win the war against COVID-19 with its scientific and effective epidemic control policy that will stand the test of time, according to a meeting of the top leadership on Thursday.

The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee was chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The meeting analyzed the current epidemic prevention and control situation, studied priorities and made arrangements for relevant work.

The meeting said China has since March withstood the most challenging COVID-19 control test since the anti-epidemic battle of Wuhan, and has secured progress with nationwide concerted efforts.

As the pandemic is still raging across the world and the coronavirus keeps mutating, there is a great deal of uncertainty concerning how the pandemic will develop, according to the meeting, which warned against any slackening in the control efforts.

"Relaxation will undoubtedly lead to massive numbers of infections, critical cases and deaths, seriously impacting economic and social development and people's lives and health," the meeting said.

The meeting stressed the importance of unswervingly adhering to the dynamic zero-COVID policy and resolutely fighting any attempts to distort, question or dismiss China's anti-COVID policy.

COVID-19 control is at a crucial stage, the meeting said, calling on Party committees and governments at all levels to remain confident and promote the spirit of struggle to build a strong defense against the pandemic.

The meeting stressed the need to accelerate the pace of control work to deal with sporadic outbreaks, and the importance of strengthening capacity building, improving response measures in a timely manner, and accelerating research on virus mutation and the prevention of mutation.

The meeting also highlighted measures to ensure people's livelihoods and everyday supplies, meet the people's needs for medical services, and release information on a regular basis to address public concerns.

Party committees, governments and the whole society must guard against a lack of vigilance, fully mobilize the people, and take fast action to implement various COVID-19 control measures and policies in a concrete and meticulous manner.

The meeting also called for strengthened confidence and unity among officials and the people in fighting COVID-19.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Commentary: Int'l system with UN at core must be firmly upheld in trying times

Xinhua) 13:27, May 06, 2022

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently visited Russia and Ukraine to mediate in the ongoing conflict, injecting new impetus into international efforts to resolve the strife through diplomacy and dialogue.

Its 70-plus years of history and practice have proved that the UN, as the most universal, representative and authoritative inter-governmental international organization, is the best place to practice multilateralism and an effective platform for the international community to respond collectively to various threats and challenges.

In troubled times, it becomes even more vital to maintain the global system with the UN at its core.

Everybody knows that many hands make light work. Multilateralism in modern international relations originated from mankind's search for solutions to common problems.

Since the end of WWII, with the vigorous development of the UN and other international organizations, multilateralism has gradually become the consensus of the international community to uphold peace, promote development and meet common challenges through multilateral cooperation.

This consensus has led to accelerated economic globalization, increased international trade, and a stronger interconnection and interdependence between nations.

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, as regional hotspot issues keep cropping up, traditional and non-traditional security threats are intertwined, and transformative changes and the COVID-19 pandemic have posed severe challenges to the security and development of all countries.

However, the United States still persists in pursuing unilateralism and hegemonism, engaging in power politics, harming other countries' security and development through unfair means, and provoking a new Cold War and geopolitical competitions. Its misbehavior has seriously undermined the international order and global strategic stability.

In the face of complex and grim situations, the international community needs to practice true multilateralism and reject small cliques and bloc politics, strengthen solidarity and cooperation and oppose confrontation and pressure, as well as uphold equality and mutual trust and oppose hegemony and bullying.

Only by moving in the right direction can the international community join forces to build a more prosperous, stable, fair and just world. Just as a famous Chinese saying goes: "Pool the wisdom of everyone and there is nothing you cannot achieve. Gather the strength of everyone and there is no victory you cannot win."

Over the years, China has always held high the banner of multilateralism.

On the international stage, Chinese leaders have made a strong call to uphold multilateralism, pointing out that the way out of the complex problems facing the world is "to uphold multilateralism and build a community with a shared future for mankind."

China has been firmly upholding the international system with the UN at its core, the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the UN's authority and status, and its central role in international affairs.

Facts have proved that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order.

From the Belt and Road Initiative to the Global Development Initiative and then to the Global Security Initiative, China has provided one international public good after another, promoted world connectivity, boosted global cooperation and development, and injected more confidence into world peace and stability.

History has shown time and again that when the UN's central role is taken seriously, the world will become peaceful. If individual countries are left to go their own way and start something else, the foundation of the "multilateral skyscraper" of the UN will be eroded.

At a time when the international system with the UN at its core is facing severe challenges, all countries should keep in mind the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, bear in mind the larger interest of the international community, resolve differences through diplomacy and dialogue, and jointly promote global peace and development under the coordination of the UN.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his countrymen to avoid using Wikipedia, arguing that it cannot be trusted, and offering a volunteer-run online encyclopedia.

The situation is a result of Wikipedia refusing to remove details regarding Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. During an interview, Putin claims that the information site's quality of work was not enough to be trusted. The site's details of the war drastically stray from the Kremlin's narrative and include estimates from the Ukrainian government regarding the death toll of Russian troops and Ukrainian civilians.

Putin on Wikipedia

Wikipedia and YouTube are two of the only places where Russian citizens are able to access information about the war in defiance of the Kremlin's strict censorship laws. Previously, authorities blocked Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter from being accessed online.

Russia's repeated threats did not prevent YouTube and Wikipedia from putting up information regarding the war. Wikimedia Foundation, the parent organization of Wikipedia, did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the situation, as per Forbes.

On Mar. 1, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor demanded that Wikipedia take down content on Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24. When the information site declined, Moscow said it would be fined roughly $61,000 on Mar. 31 for allegedly "misinforming" Russian citizens.

Read Also: Mariupol Mayor Loses Contact With Ukrainian Soldiers After Evacuees Escape Heavy Firefight in Azovstal

During a meeting with Maxim Dreval, the CEO of the state-sponsored Znanie Foundation, Putin called the online encyclopedia objective, useful, and thought-through. He said that Znanie, which is translated to "knowledge," was in high demand because it was impossible to use only Wikipedia.

According to the Moscow Times, the online encyclopedia, which was founded by a presidential decree in 2015, is tasked with the improvement of Russia's civil society and educational work. Its core project is known as "The League of Lecturers" which aims to provide government officials and other prominent figures a platform for educating young Russian citizens.

New Russian Online Encyclopedia

Dreval said that a knowledge base was already being formed within the framework of knowledge that would be similar to Wikipedia in many ways. However, he added that the defining difference is that the new online information source would have trustworthy data and authoritative people.

The Russian president also agreed to support the idea of increasing educational content on Russian television channels. Furthermore, the Znanie CEO suggested, in particular, that they should include more films, game formats, lectures, and content about the nation's geography and history.

The situation comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its 71st day and has caused devastating effects on civilian life and infrastructure in the smaller European nation. President Volodymyr Zelensky and his colleagues have said that their troops made significant advancements in retaking ground overrun by Russian forces.

The Kremlin said on May 5 that the U.S., the UK, and other NATO countries were "constantly" providing intelligence to Ukraine. Russian authorities that this would not stop them from achieving their military objectives in the country.

Moscow's military claimed on May 4 that it used sea and air-launched missiles to target electric power installations at five railway stations located around Ukraine. The country's foreign minister has accused Russia of "missile terrorism" after several attacks that hit civilian infrastructure, the RepublicWorld reported.



Related Article: Ukraine: New Kind of War Starts as Russia Attempts to Disrupt Supply Lines From West

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In a recent interview, former President Donald Trump trashed his former Vice President Mike Pence's political chances, saying the conservative base loves me and that he is disappointed in his former partner.

It was a clear allusion to Pence's unwillingness to comply with Trump's demand that on January 6, 2020 he refused to tally votes certified by states for Biden. Trump tweeted the same day that Pence lacked courage even though a House committee is examining Trump's attempt to reverse the election.

Trump Is in Doubt if Pence Can Win in 2024 Presidential Race

Pence was hampered badly in a contested presidential primary by Trump, who has strong support ratings within the Republican Party and won when his chosen candidate JD Vance won the Ohio Senate race. Pence has cultivated Christian rights support for years. As a House leader and member of the House GOP Caucus for a decade years, the former talk radio host built out a voting record on conservative social issues.

At the Faith & Freedom Coalition convention in Orlando last year, Pence received a standing ovation, but a small number heckled him, calling him a traitor. Trump's analysis seemed to assume a hypothetical campaign that featured both himself and Pence. He also stated that he will determine whether to run for President again after the midterm elections.

Many Republicans are likely to postpone their choices until then. Trump's campaign has been eyeing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a possible opponent. It became public early this year when Trump chastised DeSantis for failing to disclose whether he had received a booster injection, Daily Mail reported.

Read Also: India Says Western Report Claiming It Wants a Discount on Russian Crude Is Serving Vested Interests To Undermine Russia

Donald Trump Endorses Mike Pence's Brother

In a recent interview, former President Trump appeared to throw doubt on former Vice President Mike Pence's viability as a presidential candidate in 2024, stating that it would be a challenging race for Pence if he ran. Trump has yet to say if he would seek reelection in 2024, with an announcement expected after the November midterm elections.

The details surrounding the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, exposed cracks in the two men's relationship when Pence declined to overturn the election results after Trump and his backers falsely claimed widespread fraud. The former president indicated in an interview that Pence will not be his campaign partner in 2024, as per The Hill.

Trump recently backed Greg Pence, the older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, in his re-election quest in Indiana. The former vice president was not mentioned in the endorsement. Following the Capitol Hill brawl on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump and Mike Pence's relationship deteriorated

Mike Pence, 62, is reportedly mulling a presidential run in 2024. Trump, 75, has hinted at a rematch with Biden in 2024 and has said that Pence may not be his running partner.

Greg Pence, 65, has remained a staunch Trump supporter. He voted against the creation of a House select committee to examine the January 6 incident and to protest Pennsylvania's certified Electoral College votes for Biden, according to the New York Post.

Related Article: White House Justifies Appointment of New Disinformation Czar Over Her Statements Denying Hunter Biden's Laptop

@YouTube

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sweden did not accept the fast track into NATO due to opposition from the country's ruling party. Those against it cite they want to keep neutral, but the Western military alliance wants is not concerned about it. If the country decides to join NATO, Iceland will be used as a staging point for the West to isolate Russia.

Sweden Divided on Joining NATO

The Women's faction of Social Democrats is the part of Sweden's ruling political party that is the source of hesitation. If not for them, dropping neutrality would be a successful introduction to the military bloc, reported RT.

The country's climate and environment minister, Annika Strandhall, told the Stockholm tabloid Svenska Dagbladet that the party's women's wing is against joining NATO. She is the federal board head of the women's wing, and the group has a long history and battle in areas of peace, disarmament, detente, and military freedom of alliance.

Strandhall's remarks are the first major political rebuttal to a proposal for Sweden to apply for NATO membership. They come only days before an evaluation of the country's security policy is due on May 13, citing Al Jazeera.

Following the release of a position paper by the foreign ministry, the coalition administration is expected to decide on the subject by May 24.

Another major person in the Riksdag, Swedish Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson, stated last month that if neighboring Finland asks for NATO membership, he will recommend that his right-wing opposition coalition lobby for entry, noted Asian Times.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin's 'Girlfriend': 5 Things To Know About Alina Kabaeva

Akesson, like most in Sweden, has vigorously opposed giving up Sweden's military independence to NATO, but public opinion began to shift drastically after Moscow commenced its military attack on Ukraine last February.

Swedes Favor Joining West

A Novus poll done last month showed that 51% of Swedes favored joining the Western military bloc, representing the first time the pollster found majority approval for it.

Similarly, a survey taken by the Finnish news site YLE revealed that a record-high 62 percent of Finns favored NATO membership, notwithstanding past findings showing that the majority of people object to joining the organization.

Sweden has been a militarily neutral country for over two centuries, narrowly avoiding hostilities since 1814. Ever since the end of World War II, Finland has retained its neutrality.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has promised to hasten the approval process for Sweden and Finland should they ask to join the alliance.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson indicated last month that if the Riksdag accepts the bid, a public referendum would not be necessary, mentioned Forbes.

Some foreign leaders, including Chinese officials and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, have claimed that NATO caused the Ukraine issue by violating promises made after the War Had ended in 1991 not to advance eastward.

Last Tuesday, Pope Francis warned that the barking of NATO at Russia's door could have motivated Moscow to launch its offensive.

The pontiff argued in an interview released on Tuesday by the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera that the barking of NATO at Russia's door could have motivated the Kremlin to unleash the military campaign on February 24, remarked Fars News.

Sweden joining NATO has hit a snag after cautioning that joining the US-led military might override their nation's own military autonomy.

Related Article: Russian Defense Ministry Says Its Forces Score Major Victories Against Ukrainian Claims of Destroying Various Military Assets

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The International Animation Film Festival of Meknes (FICAM) in Morocco 2022 kicks off today and will run through May 11.

Meknes has worked since 2001 to support animated cinema in Morocco through a network of French institutions in the country.

Below, we outline some of the festivals main highlights including screenings, masterclasses, and a works in progress presentation from a French animation legend.
Motion graphics platform Lottiefiles has raised $37 million in Series B funding. The company plans to use the extra capital to expand its operations and better cater to its growing user base.

What is Lottie? A Lottie is a JSON-based animation file format that allows artists to send their work across platforms as easily as they might with a static asset. Lottiefiles are small compared to PNG or GIF files, allowing them to be easily migrated, but still capable of being scaled up or down without pixelation.

Where are Lotties being used? A Lottie animation can be played on any web or mobile device and can include smart settings which allow for interactive animation. The company claims that the majority of todays most-downloaded apps, popular websites and platforms are using the open-source format.
Photo: CFSEU-BC

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia managed to take weapons, drugs and illegally obtained funds off the streets of B.C. following a month long investigation.

The CFSEU-BC targeted gang activity in the Lower Mainland, leading to arrests and the seizure of funds and drugs. The investigation created 213 files in total, 40 of which involve criminal and provincial investigations and charges.

The joint operation involved a collaboration with the Surrey, Langley and Burnaby RCMP in an effort to reduce opportunities for gang violence in identified high-risk places and times.

"Using past crime data as a guide to where to most effectively deploy officers, the objective was to mitigate, disrupt, and suppress violence through proactive and high visibility enforcement," says superintendent Alison Laurin, CFSEU-BCs deputy operations support officer.

Throughout the project CFSEU-BCs Uniform Gang Enforcement Team seized:

8 firearms, 2 converted airsoft firearms (capable of firing live ammunition), and 12 airsoft/replicas

2.58 kg of suspected illicit substances including fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, of which, the .479kg of suspected fentanyl is equivalent to 31,135 lethal doses

$50,561 Canadian cash

5 vehicles

87 weapons (knives, bear spray, brass knuckles, batons, crossbow, combat hatchets and axes)

Everyone knows that crime and those perpetrating it are not bound by municipal borders. It is critical that CFSEU-BC leverage its ability as a provincial agency to coordinate with our partners to ensure that we are collectively able to disrupt and impact those who are choosing to engage gang-related crime, says superintendent Laurin. Working with our partners across the province, we will continue to target those who pose the highest risk to public safety and hold them accountable.

The CFSEU-BC says gang and organized crime-related activities and violence impacts every community in British Columbia.
Photo: Contributed Peggy Ife poses with George, one of her prized birds, in happier times. George was one of dozens of Ife's birds that succumbed to avian flu in April.

Peggy Ife knew something was wrong the moment she walked into the chicken run on her Burton area farm on April 21.

We saw a [dead] bird here and a bird there, about five or six, she said. We thought something had got into the yard. And we found a hole in the fence. So we thought that was it. We cleaned up the birds and put the others back in the coop.

But the next day the birds were still exhibiting stress signs  some showed no interest in eating, or were huddled in corners of the coop.

I knew something was wrong, she says. I call them my girls  I spend enough time with my kids.

Then more started dying.

Friday night I found a couple on the floor that didnt look right, and I thought, OK, this seems to be going past the stress phase, Ife recalls. Then they started dropping, literally, dead.

By the time the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors arrived the next Monday morning, she had lost nearly 60 of her 70 birds.

Its not been an easy time, and having to cull her whole flock is devastating.

Ive had birds since 2006. One that just passed away was born here in 2012. I have a goose thats 14. My kids usually die of old age, she says.

The inspectors arrived (Really nice people, lots of information, she says) and sampled her birds. A few days later, she received the news: her birds had H5N1, the virulent strain of avian flu.

Ifes handful of remaining birds had to be put down, as a measure to stop the spread of the virus to more areas.

My husband keeps looking at me, to see if Im okay, Ife told the Valley Voice the day before she received the news. Im hanging in there, but the more I think of what is going to happen  Im sorry, when the time comes, I cannot be the one to put my babies down.

Ife put her story on several community Facebook pages, and word spread to hundreds of backyard poultry keepers in the Valley Voice readership area to be on the lookout for avian influenza.

Avian influenza or bird flu, is a contagious and lethal virus that can make birds sick or die. There are two strains of the disease, one mild and one virulent. Ifes flock caught the latter, H5N1, thought to be coming north with the spring migration of wild birds.

Ife says she suspects thats how her birds caught it.

My wild bird feeders were all empty for a few weeks, so I decided to be nice, and fill them to feed the wild birds. And I have a lot of feeders, she says.

Agricultural officials are urging owners of small or backyard flocks to continue to be vigilant and have appropriate preventative measures in place.

Measures include eliminating or reducing opportunities for poultry to encounter wild birds, reducing human access to the flock, and increased cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization of all things (including clothing and footwear) when entering areas where flocks are housed, the CFIA recommends.

Ifes flock is not the only case of avian flu in BC. CFIA officials announced a week earlier a confirmed case in a backyard poultry flock in Kelowna. A dead bald eagle was also found in the Lower Mainland.

Thats where the biggest concern lies  the lower Fraser Valley is home to the provinces chicken industry. The last time avian flu swept through there, in 2004, 17 million birds had to be culled to save the industry.

Avian influenza is rare in humans and generally does not spread easily between people.

During an outbreak of avian influenza in poultry, the risk to the general public is very low, says the CFIA. Most avian influenza viruses cannot spread easily from birds to people, or from person to person. However, any new influenza virus in the human population is a concern because of its potential to change and adapt for more easy transmission between people.

In the meantime, Ife is pleading with her fellow poultry keepers in the region to do the right thing: remove sources of interaction between wild and domestic birds, and report any dead wild birds they may spot.

If you have wild bird feeders, take them down, she says. If you want to free-range, theres always the chance they will catch something. But if you have a run, make sure you have no bird feeders, and if you feed yours outside, make sure they clean it up before the wild birds come in. Bring your birds water source inside.

While being ordered to cull her birds is hard, Ife says she did the right thing by reporting it.

I understand why people wouldnt want to report, because of that, she says. But if they dont know where its happening, they cant stop its spread.
Photo: The Canadian Press Conservative MP and leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre speaks during a press conference outside the Bank of Canada in Ottawa, on Thursday, April 28, 2022. The Conservative leadership candidate is among five who will appear in a debate Thursday evening in Ottawa.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Conservative leadership candidates laid into one another over COVID-19 mandates and the trucker convoy in downtown Ottawa in the first unofficial debate of the race Thursday.

Leslyn Lewis, the MP who placed third in the 2020 leadership race, challenged longtime Ottawa MP Pierre Poilievre over his record on standing up for Canadians' freedoms throughout the pandemic. Many Conservatives opposed health measures like vaccine and mask mandates over concerns that they infringe on personal choice.

As Poilievre tried to argue he was one of the loudest voices, Lewis charged, "You were not one of the loudest voices."

You did not speak up until it was convenient for you to speak up. You did not even go to the trucker protest. You actually went and you took a picture in your neighbourhood at a local stop.

Poilievre is running on a promise to give more freedoms to Canadians and has been attracting crowds of thousands at rallies across the country.

Lewis, who opposes abortion and is promising to ban so-called sex-selective abortions, also challenged Poilievre over his stance on social conservative issues, alleging he has spent the past few days avoiding media questions about whether he is anti-abortion.

"As a leader he is going to have to declare that," she said. "He cannot just be a minister of finance if he wants to be a prime minister. He is going to have to deal with social conservative issues, which he has been running from this entire campaign."

Poilievre said earlier in the week a government led by him wouldn't introduce or pass laws that restrict abortion.

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest,who is pitching himself as an experienced leader who believes in Canada,earned boos from hundreds of the conservative faithful packed into the conference room in downtown Ottawa by saying Poilievre supported illegal blockades.

Poilievre attacked Charest over his track record in Quebec and slammed him for being a Liberal because he led the Quebec Liberal party. He also repeatedly pressed Charest on how much money he made working for telecoms giant Huawei.

"We need to know the truth here," said Poilievre.

"The Liberals are going to ask that. He's never told us how much he got paid. This is a company whose software and hardware has been banned from the 5G networks of four of the Five Eye countries because of allegations, in many cases proven, that they have used it for espionage."

As the three candidates took turns focusing on one another, Ontario MP Scott Aitchison said on stage that as Conservatives, "all we do is yell and scream at each other," and said that's an issue if the party wants to be competitive with more Canadians in the next election. However, there were heated exchanges through the entire debate.

"Here we are calling each other names. What Canadian is going to trust this lot? We've got to do better," said Aitchison.

He also added that: "Every time I hear a Conservative talking about some conspiracy theory  there's another group of swing voters in the GTA that just are not going to come our way."

That comment prompted pushback from Lewis as well as Roman Baber, the independent MPP from Ontario who was booted from Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative caucus in 2021 over opposing a COVID-19 lockdown that was in place at the time.

Baber says many Canadians still cannot board a plane in the country because of a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

"Canadians are witnessing the continuous erosion of our democracy and we should be mindful of this conversation instead of mocking them like the Prime Minister does," said Baber.

The debate, hosted by the Canada Strong and Free Network, stared off by asking the five of the six candidates who showed up for the event why they believe the Conservative party has lost the past few elections.

Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton, Ont., did not take part. His campaign said he was focused on selling memberships to supporters before the June 3 deadline needed to vote in the Conservative leadership race. The party is set to pick a new leader Sept. 10

During Thursday's debate Aitchison blamed the party's recent election losses on a lack of consistency in message. Charest pointed to the lack of seats in Quebec, the Greater Toronto Area as well as British Columbia's Lower Mainland.

The former premier says one of the issues the party faces trying to break through in the GTA is backlash over the 2015 Conservative campaign, when the Tories vowed to create a tip line for so-called barbaric cultural practices.

Poilievre told the room he has never lost an election, has a big social media following and is attracting many new party members with his rallies.
Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, left, holds an armchair discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ann Linde, entitled "Sweden and Canada: perspectives on a feminist approach to global challenges" in Ottawa, Thursday, May 5, 2022. Joly says Canada will help investigate sexual violence by Russian troops against women and girls in Ukraine. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada will help investigate sexual violence by Russian troops against women and girls in Ukraine.

Speaking in Ottawa after talks with Ann Linde, Sweden's foreign affairs minister, Joly said RCMP officers helping to investigate war crimes in Ukraine will also gather evidence of rapes by the Russian military.

Both ministers say sexual violence, being used as a weapon of war in Ukraine, must not be ignored and support should be given to women fleeing to neighbouring countries who may have been raped and abused.

Joly says Canada has provided 10 RCMP officers to help gather evidence of possible war crimes in Ukraine that could be used in a case at the International Criminal Court.

Linde says it is crucial that experts investigating sexual violence against women are part of an international team probing war crimes.

Joly also says Canada will support Sweden joining NATO. The country indicated it was interested in joining the military alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Photo: The Canadian Press A canine unit police officer patrols near one of several sites of stabbings in Quebec City, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

The accused in the 2020 Halloween night sword killings in Quebec City was not suffering from psychosis or schizophrenia but was on a "narcissistic quest" and knew right from wrong, a psychiatrist testified for the Crown Thursday.

Dr. Sylvain Faucher told the jury that Carl Girouard was suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder that fuelled the attack that night, with the ultimate goal of feeding his self-esteem.

He is on a narcissistic quest, a way to express all his resentment toward society that rejected him because he didnt correspond to its standards, Faucher said.

Girouard, 26, faces two counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 31, 2020, deaths of Francois Duchesne, 56, and Suzanne Clermont, 61, as well as five counts of attempted murder. He has admitted to the attacks, but his defence maintains he was not criminally responsible because he suffered from a mental disorder.

A defence expert testified earlier that Girouard was likely schizophrenic and in a state of psychosis the night of the killings. The psychiatrist, Dr. Gilles Chamberland, said Girouard suffered from delusions and could not tell right from wrong.

The Crown contends that Girouard was well aware of his actions and had planned his attack as early as 2014, a position supported by Faucher's testimony Thursday.

The psychiatrist said Girouard isn't a flamboyant narcissist but rather one who is hypervigilant and sensitive to the opinion of others and trying to protect his self-esteem.

Girouard has described his actions to the court as a "mission" but Faucher said the killer was pursuing a "malicious fantasy" inspired by his imagination and the violent video games he played. His goal was notoriety, the expert testified.

He also noted in the accused obsessive compulsive disorder and a personality disorder that led him to feel inadequate, along with heavy cannabis use and a video game dependency.

Faucher said it was highly unlikely the accused was suffering from schizophrenia, citing numerous factors, including the absence of symptoms at a younger age that typically suggest the arrival of the disease. Notably, references to the mission and his alter ego "Bad Carl," whom he blamed for the attack, vanished right after his arrest without the help of any medications.

Faucher also doesn't believe the accused was suffering from psychosis, noting the delusions that are a key element to psychosis are not static and evolve over time. Its usually something that would appear gradually, insidiously and would have stayed there  whether they had plenty of positive symptoms or are in remission, Faucher said.

The Crown expert met with the accused twice in March 2022 and recommended Girouard be seen by a neuropsychologist to determine whether a mental disease was involved. The neuropsychologist came to similar conclusions in testimony this week, saying Girouard was narcissistic and not psychotic the night of the stabbings.

Faucher is the final witness to be heard by the 11-member jury that will decide Girouard's fate. He will be cross-examined by Girouard's lawyer on Friday.
Photo: Chances

A history of depression and a marriage breakdown, coinciding with the opening of a casino, led former Squamish Nation council co-chair Krisandra Lenore Jacobs to defraud the band of almost $1 million, according to her defence lawyer.



Jacobs, 57, was convicted last November of fraud over $5,000 for cashing more than 400 cheques between April 2011 and May 2014 from the bands emergency funds. BC Provincial Court Judge Lyndsay Smith heard the Crown wants Jacobs to pay back $856,695.23 and serve a four-year sentence in prison, while defence lawyer John Turner asked for a two-year sentence.

Things were not going well for her and she began to gamble, Turner told the court Wednesday. We know that the Squamish Nation has an interest in the [Chances] casino in Squamish and my recollection is that was inaugurated around 2010, just about the time she began getting involved in gambling. She said it was a distraction and excitement, and she began to gamble more and more and needed money.

Turner said she also gambled in Burnabys Grand Villa Casino, but Smith paused his submissions because she said she did not recall a gambling addiction being evidence at trial. After a break, Turner said he would not use the submission on the gambling addiction to seek a lighter sentence, but instead to inform the court of Jacobs circumstances.

Turner said Jacobs suffered the public shame of losing her job as department head and her seat on council, and is now living on $500 to $600 a month. He said she is expressing heartfelt remorse. When Smith asked if Jacobs would address the court, Turner intervened and declined on her behalf.

The court heard from a victim impact statement compiled by Squamish Nation council chair Dustin Rivers, also known as Khelsilem, that said Jacobs crime divided the community and caused intergenerational harm. This cycle of theft and distrust must be broken, read the statement.

Bird said that Jacobs was in a position of trust as both an employee and an elected official and she used her business sophistication in a premeditated fashion. But, he conceded, there is little chance of any restitution.

This money is money that came from leasehold land owned by the Squamish nation, he said. And it reflects one of the main goals not only of Canada, but First Nations communities throughout Canada, and that's to make these communities self-sufficient. They can stand on their own.

At the end of the hearing, Smith spoke directly to Jacobs, telling her, Its a long road, its not quite over. She would need another 90 minutes of court time to deliver her sentencing judgment at a date to be determined after June 6.
Photo: BC Hydro

Northern MLAs are calling out BC Hydro's sideways dig at its industrial neighbours and partners in the region.

The public utility took to social media Wednesday to tweet a Star Wars-inspired meme ridiculing the natural gas industry with the hashtag #FarewellFossilFuels.

Natural doesnt mean clean, BC Hydro said in its post Wednesday morning, and which has since been reposted more than 100 times.

The tweet drew swift scorn from Twitter users, including Peace River MLAs Dan Davies and Mike Bernier, who chided BC Hydros public messaging for being "childish" and beneath the standards of a publicly-owned corporation.

This is completely out of line for a Crown corporation, Bernier tweeted in response, saying the BC NDP government appears to be doing everything possible to attack the resource sector and all the First Nations and communities that support them.

Bernier said the tweet ticked him off, "especially after the government increased the tax on fossil fuel appliances where many of us don't have a choice."

Davies said he was surprised to see BC Hydro attack rural communities that work in the resource sector for the benefit all British Columbians. I would suggest deleting this tweet and stick to your lane, he responded.

BC Hydro is building the $16-billion Site C dam on the Peace River outside Fort St. John in large part to power the natural gas industry in Northeast B.C., which will feed the LNG Canada export terminal on the coast in Kitimat via the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Among the projects include the $239-million Peace Region Electricity Supply project to meet demands for natural gas exploration and development in the South Peace. It's also studying the potential to build a new transmission line to electrify operations in North Montney.

BC Hydro is also spending tens of more millions to electrify LNG operations in Kitimat, where LNG Canada is expected to operate for at least 40 years  well beyond 2050. Developers are clamouring to build more LNG projects in B.C. too, with the Woodfibre project in Squamish recently receiving the green light for construction in 2023.

In a statement, BC Hydro spokesperson Simi Heer said the utility "has a huge opportunity" to help industry reduce emissions, and that advancing electrification projects involves moving away from powering heating and transportation with fossil fuels to clean hydroelectricity.

Our social team is working to increase awareness of hydroelectricity and how it can help people reduce carbon emissions in B.C. This involves creating compelling, humorous content that makes people stop and pay attention, said Heer. In fact, the social content shared yesterday has generated a very healthy discussion about energy sources and climate change.

Davies said Thursday that Hydro's tweet was childish and that a global energy crisis is not a joking matter.

In what weve seen with the energy crisis around the world, and the need for natural gas in places like Europe, major growing economies like India and China, its incredibly short-sighted to have this Crown corporation belittling such an important industry to B.C.s economy, Davies said.

Its not one or the other. Hydro is as important as natural gas. You dont see the natural gas industry out there saying, 'Screw hydro, whatever the meme might look like, he said. I think at the end of the day, their joke fell flat, and was written by someone who has no understanding of the integrated resource sector of B.C.

The tweet was panned by other Twitter users across the political spectrum, one of whom said it was "bad form to dump all over your customers."

Rebecca King Pimm said, "Who ever runs @bchydro social you are extremely immature. Please grow up and bring some integrity to the conversation."

Fort St. John businessman and former independent MLA candidate Bob Fedderly weighed in.

"Anyone looking at the Peace Valley right now knows that there is nothing clean, renewable or green about the #sitec dam," Fedderly tweeted. "The only thing worse than the environmental destruction is the economics."
Only a fourth of Jeffrey Epstein's wealth survives three years after he committed himself in prison while awaiting prosecution. When the disgraced businessman was discovered hanging in his cell at the Metropolitan Correction Center in New York in 2019, his estate was estimated to be worth $636 million.

Today, according to reports filed with the Virgin Islands Superior Court and acquired exclusively by DailyMail.com, just $154 million of that immense fortune remains. The estate listed $45,441,290.72 in cash in hand as one of its assets in December 2021.

Jeffrey Epstein Assets

By March of the following year, the total had dropped to $33,527,414,60. Epstein's paintings and antiques are valued at $337,154 while his watch collection is valued at $4,055. Taxes and upkeep of his remaining properties account for over $3 million in quarterly costs, according to the quarterly reports submitted this week, with $2,388,205 spent on taxes on the famed New York townhouse alone.

The money paid out to the 135 women who accused him of sexually assaulting them while they were young, however, is by far the most significant drain on the pedophile's diminishing finances. The total sum paid to victims as of March 2022 is $144,527,339.05, with the Epstein Victims Compensation Fund accounting for $121,127,399.05. The New York Times estimates that the estate's legal costs will be $30 million.

Lawyers have assisted in the distribution of settlements, the liquidation of assets, and the sifting through the complicated holdings of a guy who previously established his own offshore bank. Now, according to the quarterly reports obtained by DailyMail.com, the estate's job will not be done anytime soon as four big litigation continue to loom over it.

The attorney general of the Virgin Islands has filed one, alleging that Epstein exploited the territory to aid a criminal enterprise, defrauding the territory of more than $70 million in tax income. Epstein's erstwhile confidante and lieutenant, convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, filed the second lawsuit on March 12, 2020, according to Daily Mail.

In 1998, Jeffrey Epstein bought Little St. James as a private property. He purchased it through LSJ LLC, a private business in which he was the sole stakeholder. It was purchased for $7.5 million; however, some accounts claim it was for $10 million. The island is now worth more than $60 million thanks to Epstein's restorations.

Even though they didn't know the underage females were smuggled into the Epstein's Island, the owner made them a success at wild parties, his circle dubbed to Little St. James as Sin Island. One weekend, he flew Victoria's Secret models to a party.

Two of the island's nicknames were Orgy Island and Pedophile Island. Little St. James was dubbed Little St. Jeff by Jeffrey Epstein because of his immense authority and incognito. It was a nightmare for the exploited females in Little St. James. One attempted to leave by swimming to Great St. James, but was arrested and told not to do it again, as per Hispotion.

Read Also: Bill Gates Gets Painfully Honest on Marriage With Melinda Gates: I Would "Marry Melinda All Over Again"

Where Is Jeffrey Epstein's Money Going?

Jeffrey Epstein's fortune was believed to be worth $600 million when he died. There were substantial financial interests, a private plane, and opulent residences, including an island retreat, a large Manhattan house, and a 7,600-acre ranch in New Mexico.

However, taxes, property maintenance, and temperature-controlled storage for his art collection, as well as $121 million in settlements with more than 135 women who accused him of sexually assaulting them as children, have reduced Mr. Epstein's fortune. It's now worth approximately a third of what it was two and a half years ago, when the financier, 66, hung himself in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking allegations.

The most ongoing expense is legal fees, which have totaled $30 million so far too law firms hired to clean up Mr. Epstein's affairs. Lawyers have assisted in the distribution of settlements, the liquidation of assets, and the sifting through the complex holdings of a guy who once established his offshore bank, New York Times reported.

Jeffrey Epstein allegedly exploited the Virgin Islands to support a criminal business by bilking the territory out of more than $70 million in tax money, according to the attorney general of the Virgin Islands. Ghislaine Maxwell, Mr. Epstein's former associate who was convicted of sex-trafficking charges last month, has filed a lawsuit against the estate to recuperate her legal bills.

The trust's specifics are kept private. According to The New York Times, Karyna Shuliak, Mr. Epstein's girlfriend and the last person he spoke to on the phone before hanging himself, would be one of the key benefactors. Ms. Shuliak, a dentist from Belarus, shared an office with Mr. Epstein's Southern Trust Company on the island of St. Thomas. Ms. Shuliak's counsel declined to comment.

Related Article: Jeffrey Epstein Net Worth 2022: How Much Money Does Epstein Have More Than 2 Years After His Death?

@YouTube

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Photo: The Canadian Press Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Tam says the government is trying to find out how many Canadians are suffering from long-COVID as researchers try to learn more about the prolonged affects of the virus. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Federal agencies are trying to get a handle on how many Canadians may be suffering from long COVID as researchers learn more about the mysterious after-effects of the virus.

The Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada have launched a survey to try to get a broad idea of how common it is for people to feel lingering effects after COVID-19 infection, which can be difficult to identify and even harder to track.

"We probably anticipate that the impact of long COVID is going to be quite substantial," chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said at a media briefing Friday.

Relatively little is known about the effects of long COVID, also known as post-COVID-19 condition, including how to diagnose it.

The public health agency says there have been reports of more than 100 symptoms associated with the condition.

The most common ones, according to PHAC, include fatigue, memory problems, anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress disorder.

The wide array of symptoms, coupled with the fact that few jurisdictions provide documented COVID-19 tests, make it difficult to know how many people are still suffering the effects of an infection.

Early indications from the World Health Organization showed 10 to 20 per cent of people infected with the virus would go on to have symptoms of long COVID. Tam said more up-to-date research indicates it could actually be as high as 50 per cent.

"Long COVID symptoms can be quite broad and non-specific, and so depending on the questions and the questionnaire, you might elicit different answers," Tam said of the complexity of nailing down long COVID cases.

The survey will hopefully give public health officials a broad understanding of how many people are dealing with long COVID and could even help nail down whether certain geographic areas or segments of the population are being hit harder, she said.

Tam said there's emerging evidence that COVID-19 vaccines offer some protection against long COVID, but those studies are still ongoing.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE-U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sits in a courtroom, Friday, April 22, 2022, in Atlanta. A judge in Georgia on Friday, May 6, found that Green can run for reelection, rejecting arguments from a group of voters who had challenged her eligibility over allegations that she engaged in insurrection. But the decision will ultimately be up to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.(AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool, File)

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger accepted a judges findings Friday and said U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is qualified to run for reelection.

A group of voters filed a complaint with Raffenspergers office saying that Greene should be barred from running for reelection under a seldom-invoked provision of the 14th Amendment having to do with insurrection. Georgia Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot last month held a hearing on the matter and found that Green was eligible.

He then sent his findings to Raffensperger, who was responsible for making the final decision.

It was an awkward position to be in for the secretary of state who drew the ire of former President Donald Trump after he resisted pressure to overturn Joe Bidens victory in Georgia.

Greene has been a staunch Trump ally and has won his endorsement for her reelection bid while continuing to spread unproven claims about the 2020 election being stolen. Raffensperger, meanwhile, has consistently defended the integrity of the election in Georgia, but is facing a tough primary challenge from Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Jody Hice.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.

ATLANTA (AP)  A judge in Georgia on Friday found that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is qualified to run for reelection, concluding that a group of voters who had challenged her eligibility failed to prove she engaged in insurrection after taking office. But the decision will ultimately be up to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Before reaching his decision, state Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot held a daylong hearing in April that included arguments from lawyers for the voters and for Greene, as well as extensive questioning of Greene herself. He also received additional briefing.

State law says Beaudrot must submit his findings to Raffensperger, who has to decide whether Greene should be removed from the ballot.

Raffensperger is being challenged by a candidate backed by former President Donald Trump in the state's May 24 GOP primary after he refused to bend to pressure from Trump to overturn Bidens victory in Georgia. Raffensperger would likely face huge blowback from right-wing voters if he were to disagree with Beaudrots finding.

A Raffensperger spokesperson said in an email that he had received Beaudrot's recommendation and will release his final decision soon.

Greene applauded Beaudrots finding and called the challenge to her eligibility an unprecedented attack on free speech, on our elections, and on you, the voter.

But the battle is only beginning, she said in a statement. The left will never stop their war to take away our freedoms. She added, This ruling gives me hope that we can win and save our country.

The challenge to Greenes eligibility was filed by Free Speech for People, a national election and campaign finance reform group, on behalf of five voters who allege the GOP congresswoman played a significant role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot that disrupted Congress certification of Joe Bidens presidential victory. That puts her in violation of a seldom-invoked part of the 14th Amendment having to do with insurrection and makes her ineligible to run for reelection, they argued.

Beaudrot's decision betrays the fundamental purpose of the Fourteenth Amendments Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause and gives a pass to political violence as a tool for disrupting and overturning free and fair elections," Free Speech for People said in a statement.

We urge Secretary Raffensperger to take a fresh look at the evidence presented in the case and reject the judges recommendation, the statement said. The group said it sent a letter to Raffensperger on Friday outlining its arguments and urging him to reject the judge's findings.

During the April 22 hearing, Ron Fein, a lawyer for the voters, noted that in a TV interview the day before the attack at the U.S. Capitol, Greene said the next day would be our 1776 moment. Lawyers for the voters said some supporters of then-President Trump used that reference to the American Revolution as a call to violence.

In fact, it turned out to be an 1861 moment, Fein said, alluding to the start of the Civil War.

Greene is a conservative firebrand and Trump ally who has become one of the GOPs biggest fundraisers in Congress by stirring controversy and pushing baseless conspiracy theories. During the recent hearing, she repeated the unfounded claim that widespread fraud led to Trumps loss in the 2020 election, said she didnt recall various incendiary statements and social media posts attributed to her, and denied ever supporting violence.

Greene acknowledged encouraging a rally to support Trump, but she said she wasnt aware of plans to storm the Capitol or disrupt the electoral count using violence. Greene said she feared for her safety during the riot and used social media posts to encourage people to be safe and stay calm.

The challenge to her eligibility is based on a section of the 14th Amendment that says no one can serve in Congress who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same. Ratified shortly after the Civil War, it was meant in part to keep representatives who had fought for the Confederacy from returning to Congress.

Greene urged, encouraged and helped facilitate violent resistance to our own government, our democracy and our Constitution, Fein said, concluding: She engaged in insurrection.

James Bopp, a lawyer for Greene, argued his client engaged in protected political speech and was, herself, a victim of the attack on the Capitol, not a participant.

Beaudrot wrote that there's no evidence that Greene participated in the attack on the Capitol or that she communicated with or gave directives to people who were involved.

Whatever the exact parameters of the meaning of engage as used in the 14th Amendment, and assuming for these purposes that the Invasion was an insurrection, Challengers have produced insufficient evidence to show that Rep. Greene engaged in that insurrection after she took the oath of office on January 3, 2021, he wrote.

Greene's public statements and heated rhetoric" may have contributed to the environment that led to the attack, but they are protected by the First Amendment, Beaudrot wrote.

Expressing constitutionally-protected political views, no matter how aberrant they may be, prior to being sworn in as a Representative is not engaging in insurrection under the 14th Amendment, he said.

The five voters who challenged Greenes eligibility live in her district, and the procedure for such a challenge is outlined in Georgia law.

Once Raffensperger determines whether Greene is qualified to run, either side has 10 days to appeal.

Free Speech for People has filed similar challenges in Arizona and North Carolina.

Greene has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the law that the voters are using to try to keep her off the ballot. That suit is pending.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shahbaz Gill, who suffered minor injuries in a car crash on Thursday, said he was attacked and his vehicle was chased and deliberately hit.

The accident took place on M-2 Motorway near Khanqah Dogran interchange, Sheikhupura when Gill accompanied by three other people, was travelling from Lahore to Islamabad, the Dawn reported.

Gill, who is former prime minister Imran Khan's chief of staff, said it was a murder attempt.

"I want to tell those who attacked me; I am alive because of the Almighty and the prayers of my people. My car was chased and deliberately hit. This was done under a plan," Gill said in a statement on Twitter after the incident, according to the report.

"I had said just a day ago that the most you could do is to get us killed. Do it. But, I will not betray [my cause]," he added.

Gill said the "local handlers" -- who, according to him, were part of a foreign conspiracy to topple the PTI government -- knew that Imran Khan and his associates would not keep mum. "They will make all attempts to silence us," he said, according to the Dawn.

PTI leader said that he stood with Imran and would remain with him and claimed that the same elements would also attack Imran. "God willing, we will expose everyone," he said.

(ANI)
UK cement and lime producers excluded from compensation scheme

ICR Newsroom By 06 May 2022

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has expressed disappointment that UK cement and lime producers have been excluded from the governments compensation scheme for climate change costs. Under the scheme, some energy-intensive industries can apply for compensation from the indirect costs of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and Carbon Price Support (CPS) if they meet the criteria. According to the MPA, by excluding cement and lime, the government has missed an opportunity to support two essential industries during the current energy crisis.



In the 2021 consultation on the compensation scheme, energy intensive industries needed to meet at least one of three tests to qualify. However, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has since changed this to require that industry sectors meets all three tests. The thresholds of the tests have also changed, increasing two out of the three but lowering the Indirect Emission Intensity. This change in the test criteria means that both cement and lime sectors will be excluded from receiving compensation.



The impact of the decision is that these industries will continue to face energy costs millions of pounds higher than competitors in the EU as a result of paying the pass-through cost of the unilateral CPS as well as ETS costs. That places UK cement and lime producers at a competitive disadvantage in international markets. In turn this makes the UK a less attractive place for overseas investment, and in the long run risks pushing the industry into an uncompetitive position, contrary to the governments own stated ambitions, says the MPA.



Reaching net zero and delivering our economic potential requires huge investment from global businesses and it becomes harder to make the case for the UK as a location for such investment if policy costs make operating in the UK uncompetitive, added Dr Diana Casey, director for energy and climate change, MPA.

Published under
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
According to three US sources, the US military and intelligence services believe North Korea will restart underground nuclear testing this month. The evaluation finds that Kim Jong Un's administration is preparing to conduct a nuclear test at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site before the end of the month.

Satellite photography has revealed signs of people and vehicle movement at the test site, but authorities are unsure if the regime has stored nuclear material in one of the test site's subterranean tunnels, which the US has been closely monitoring. If North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test, it will be the country's eighth and first in over five years. Later this month, US Vice President Joe Biden will go to South Korea and Japan.

US, South Korea, and Japan to Discuss Issues Concerning North Korea

It wouldn't be the first time a nuclear test has hovered over a presidential visit: North Korea was planning for one when former President Barack Obama visited South Korea in 2014, and North Korea conducted one shortly after Obama and other global leaders left Asia after a meeting in 2016.

The White House is unconcerned about the President's trip to East Asia later this month, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, according to NCN. As stated by White House press secretary Jen Psaki, North Korea's provocative behavior is likely to be a prominent component of the agenda in conversations between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol during the US-ROK (Republic of Korea) Summit.

The US-ROK Summit will take place on the 20th and 21st of May. The convention will be hosted by South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes office on May 10. North Korea's threats of nuclear attack against its rivals are intensifying as the meeting takes place. On Tuesday, Pyongyang launched its 14th suspected ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan since the year began.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has promised to build and improve Pyongyang's nuclear and military capabilities. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used Kim Jong Un's repeated threats to justify a $773 billion increase in the defense budget before the Senate Committee on Tuesday, as per Republic World.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Apologizes for Foreign Minister's Jewish Hitler Remark, Israeli PM Says

North Korea Slams South's New President

Meanwhile, a prominent North Korean propaganda website criticized South Korea's incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday, branding him as pro-US and aggressive. Yoon Suk-yeol has pledged to take a harsher stance on Pyongyang's nuclear tests.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative slated to assume office on May 10, has yet to receive any remarks from the North's state media, although the website Uriminzokkiri slammed him ahead of his inauguration.

It was in response to MYoon's remarks that he would approve a pre-emptive strike on North Korea if there were indicators of an impending attack, as well as his classification of the neighboring country as a major adversary.

Outgoing progressive President Moon Jae-in, who had attempted to normalize relations, scorned such portrayal of the North. The propaganda site's comments differ from previous practice, in which state media have trumpeted news of a North Korean missile test the next day but have remained mute on Wednesday's weapons test, Straits Times reported.

Related Article: Azov-Nazis Take Advantage of Ceasefire To Move Out From Azovstal Plant; Kremlin Claims Ukrainian Militants Attempts To Take Up New Positions

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The many Robinsons at Top Flight include Curt (vice president of sales), Wejun (general manager), Mike (vice president of sales and George (CEO)

Top Flight, the paper products firm on Central Avenue, was set to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020, but COVID put a damper on the festivities.

With COVID easing up some, sales director Mike Robinson said the firm is finally getting to celebrate the long decades in business.

A Robinson was among the founders of the firm, and there are still many Robinsons in management, including a fourth generation.

Here is the company history:

Top Flight was founded as Atlas Paper Box in 1920 by H.T. Robinson, E.W. Macmillan, and the brothers E.D. and H.T. Bryan. The role Atlas played was to supply paper boxes to the burgeoning hosiery industry in and around their Chattanooga plant. Nashville-based Top Flight Paper Company was purchased by Atlas in 1956. The Top Flight name was made official in 1989 and was synonymous with a devotion to customer service and the craft of converting raw paper into useful and exciting school and office supplies.

Brothers Wig and Monk Robinson assumed second generation control and Top Flight is still owned and operated by the third generation of Robinsons - George, Wejun, Curt and Mike Robinson - as they look back on over 100 years of success. Lowndes Robinson represents the fourth generation. They are still very much committed to strong core values and innovative paper products.



As the 30s and 40s emerged, Top Flight gained greater access into the school supply channel and began to focus on the production of spiral notebooks, filler paper, envelopes and other paper-based school and office supplies. Top Flight also installed automated German converting equipment in 1956 and envelope production, including multi-color commercial mailing envelopes, began in 1958.

They expanded their footprint into the College Bookstore Channel, producing specialty notebook creations with the schools' logos and marks, helping college students in the US and Canada to show their school pride.

Their core business remains distribution into retailers across the U.S. and Canada including Kroger, Costco, Publix, Target, Walgreens, Dollar Tree, Barnes & Noble, Safeway-Albertsons and many others.

Top Flight experienced great success in the 90s, more than doubling its revenue and production capacity, expanding the warehouse facilities and factory to meet their goals. The company also ended the production of paper boxes at this time. In 1991, Top Flight aided in military operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm by supplying writing tablets and envelopes to our military forces overseas.

In the 2000s Top Flight utilizes Asian factories to remain competitive. Domestic high speed automated equipment is utilized as a competitive buffer to imports but the reality of the marketplace causes them to blend their manufactured and imported goods.



As we enter 2022 Top Flight retains a lean employment force of 140 dedicated and skilled workers. Recent investments of new automated equipment, machine upgrades and new warehouse facilities will keep us modernized and positioned for efficient production. Trend research and consumer surveys are utilized to produce highly stylized products based on marketing research- not whim.

Heres looking at another 100 years.






Republican Nominee Austin Garrett released the following statement thanking the voters of Hamilton County.

Thank you to all those who cast their vote of confidence in me," said Mr. Garrett. There were 32,210 votes. Unbelievable. I am humbled to have your support, and to all who made it out to celebrate election night with our campaign, Thank you.

Mr. Garrett, who was unopposed in the Republican contest, will stand unopposed in the Aug. 4 General Election and will presumably take his oath of office on Sept. 1.

Mr. Garrett is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 273, a graduate of the Southeastern Command and Leadership Academy, and holds a degree in criminal justice from Bethel University.

He is a 25-year veteran of the Chattanooga Police Department and currently serves as chief deputy.

Within the community, Mr. Garrett serves as a board member for the Forgotten Child Fund and YCAP. He has been endorsed by the IBPO Local #673, The Chattanooga Association of Firefighters, and current Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond, among others.






Police spoke with a nurse practitioner at Erlanger at 7380 Volkswagen Dr. She said she received a phone call from Amazon Insurance after a man filed a medical claim with them. She was asked if she had seen the man on Feb. 14 and written an absence letter from work due to a positive COVID test. She told Amazon Insurance that she had not seen the man on such date and didnt write an absence letter for him. The nurse practitioner said the last time the man was in her office was in 2018. She said during that visit, the man was helped but did not leave/need a letter after the visit.

She requested Amazon Insurance to fax the letter, which they did. The letter had the Erlanger Hospital symbol on it and was written in their fashion with her official signature on it. However, she said this particular letter had different fonts size/styles. She also pointed out the Erlanger symbol at the top of the letterhead was incorrect in size. She reported after reading the letter, she noticed it was written in the same manner of a letter she did write and signed for an Amazon employee that she did see. The woman said this female employee, whose name she could not provide due to HIPAA laws, had requested to be away from work (Amazon). The woman said she approved the absence letter (which is the same as the mans letter, just the names/dates are different) for her to be off. She said when it was time for her to come back, she requested an additional two weeks off. The nurse practitioner said she denied the request and the employee became angry and upset. She believes this employee may have made copies of the official original letter with her signature on it that she approved for her absence the first time. The nurse practitioner said the woman may be giving or selling these copies to co-workers or others and this is how the man possibly may have obtained possession of such letter. The nurse practitioner reported that an Amazon fraud investigator is currently working in conjunction with their director of risk management and is familiar with the woman, the man and others who may be involved. Police attempted to reach out to the fraud investigator via phone for further information but only got a voicemail.

* * *

The facilities coordinator with Service Electric told police someone entered their lot at 2321 South Hickory St. and stole copper wire and tools from their trucks. He said 50 pounds of copper wire, an 8' bucket stick, a 4 in 1 Lineman Socket, and a 7/16 Milwaukee impact drill were stolen.

* * *

The owner of Classy Nails at 1925 Gunbarrel Road told police a black female wearing a pink top had come into the store and requested services for her nails and feet which cost $73. The female signed in at the front of the business but her name is illegible. The phone number listed is also not correct. The owner said the female received services and then left the store without paying. The owner said she wishes to prosecute if the identity of the female is found out.

* * *

A man at 2288 Gunbarrel Road said another man opened his car door and it swung open due to high wind, hitting the passenger side of his car. The other man acknowledged this. There was a dent from the impact.

* * *



While on patrol, an officer observed a purple van parked behind the Coin Laundry at 5441 Highway 153. The officer saw a dog underneath the van. The officer knocked on the window of the van to see if it was occupied and spoke with a man. He said he and his girlfriend were traveling the country in the van and had stopped in the back parking lot to take a break from driving. He was negative for warrants.

* * *

An officer was approached by a man on East 11th Street who said a lady has been trying to cash checks from his bank account. He explained he had spoken with Tennessee Valley about this and the bank had put a stop on those checks. The man told the officer the woman had taken his entire checkbook and he wanted to make police aware that this was going on. The officer asked the man if the woman had successfully gotten money from his bank account and he said she had not. No other information was provided about the woman.

* * *

Police were asked to check on an intoxicated man at the Waffle House at 8912 Lee Hwy. Police and Hamilton County EMS spoke with the man who was sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle and was clearly intoxicated. He was released to go home and left with a woman without incident.

* * *

A man was sitting was sitting in front of Providence Thrift Store and Golds Gym at 6933 Lee Hwy. The business owners wanted the man to move along. Police spoke with the man and he left the property.

* * *

Police were called to Dallas Road where a man was very inebriated. He was offered a ride home since he was cooperating with police. He was dropped off his residence without incident.

* * *

An officer witnessed a sweeper truck attempt to drive over a parking lot curb on 42nd Street. While driving over the curb, the sweeper extension on the bottom of the truck made contact with the curb and ripped it off of the truck. The driver said he didn't realize how steep the curb was. He contacted his company, Bevco Parking Services, to report the damage. Bevco estimated that it would cost around $1,000 total to fix the damages and sent an employee to fix the truck.

* * *

A woman on Ocoee Street told police she heard her car alarm go off, but did not see anyone. Police did not find anyone on or near the premises. Police added the residence to the watch list for two weeks.

* * *

Police were called to Cherokee Boulevard and Dayton Boulevard where there was a very large tree blocking all lanes of travel as well as power cords entangled in the tree branches. Two drivers had property damage. A man driving a Jeep had a cracked windshield and a woman driving a Hyundai had a dented roof from the tree. The Hyundai also had the driver-side mirror knocked off. EPB arrived, cut the power, and had the tree cleared from the roadway.
The Arc of TN and the TN Family Support Program at Orange Grove Center are hosting the first annual Southeast Tennessee Transition Fair for students (ages 14+) and recent high school graduates with disabilities.

The fair will take place on Tuesday, May 17 in the Orange Grove Center cafeteria from 4:30-6:30 p.m. This event is free to attend and food will be provided.

Community and state agencies will be on site to discuss available resources instrumental in planning life after graduation, including assistive technology, vocational training, day services, post-secondary education, advocacy, conservatorships, recreational opportunities, respite, grants, financial planning and more.

For more information, or if your agency would like to reserve a table, email Molly Anderson at manderson@thearctn.org.



List of Confirmed Attendees:



ECF Choices Reps (United HealthCare, BlueCare, Amerigroup)

Department of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) (including MAPS and Employment Innovation)

Tennessee Family Support Program at Orange Grove Center

Mollie Corn, Attorney at Law

ABLE TN

Signal Centers Adult Program

Signal Centers Assistive Technology

Hamilton County Dept. of Education

Carta CareAVan

Project SEARCH

Orange Grove Center Outpatient & Psychosocial Clinic

Orange Grove Center Adult Services

Trousdale School

Chattanooga Autism Center

Vocational Rehab

Benefits to Work

Disability Rights Tennessee

Chambliss, Bohner, and Stophel Law

Benefits to Work

The AIM Center

SE CHANT

Roddie Coe (DIDD Developmental Disabilities Council Member)

Disability Rights TN

Tennessee Works

TN DHS Pre-Employment Specialists

Siskin

Family Voices of TN

The Arc of TN
Polk County, Tn., and Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park welcome visitors to enjoy their premier riversthe Ocoee River and Hiwassee River Bluewayfor the 2022 recreation season. The Middle Ocoee and Hiwassee River are now open for limited weekend trips. The Upper Ocoee River begins its full recreation schedule with more challenging whitewater trips this weekend starting on Saturday.

Despite the recent fire at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, fire damage did not impact any rafting operations and the Ocoee River is open for rafting. For updates about the Ocoee Whitewater Center fire and trail closings surrounding the site, visit USDA.gov for information on the Cherokee National Forest.

For more information and to plan your visit, go to ocoeecountry.com.

Media-only photos available for use with credit here.

The Ocoee River is Southeast Tennessees iconic whitewater river and provides recreational opportunities for paddlers of all skill levels. The river is dam-controlled at three levels creating three sectionsthe upper, middle and lowereach offering very different paddling options.

The Upper Ocoee provides five miles of challenging whitewater and should only be attempted by the most experienced paddlers or with a commercial rafting outfitter. The Middle Ocoee is the most popular section of the river, boasting five miles of nearly continuous Class III-IV whitewater. After the river spills into Parksville Lake, it calms down for tubing and relaxing paddles. The Upper Ocoee River begins its recreation schedule on Saturday, May 7, and will run on Saturdays and Sundays until Sept. 10.

The Upper Ocoee River runs parallel with a section of the historic Old Copper Road, a 47-mile road that was constructed in 1853 to connect the copper mines in Southeast Tennessees Copper Basin to the railroad terminus in Cleveland, Tenn. The 12 miles that wind through the Ocoee Gorge is known as the Ocoee National Forest Scenic Byway, the nations first National Forest Scenic Byway.

The Middle Ocoee is now open for guided trips on Saturdays and Sundays from April through Memorial Day. As of Memorial Day, May 30, it will run Thursday through Monday until Labor Day, Sept. 5. The week of September 26-30, the river will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the whitewater schedule on Saturdays and Sundays until Oct. 30.

To schedule your trip with a professional outfitter, visit TimeToRaft.com.

The Hiwassee River passes through the Cherokee National Forest and the historic Tennessee towns of Reliance, Delano, Charleston and Calhoun before emptying into the Tennessee River at Blythes Ferry. Along the way, the waterway winds through Southeast Tennessees scenic landscape and numerous cultural heritage sites, including the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park in Birchwood and the historic town of Charleston, one of the most significant Trail of Tears sites in the eastern United States. Four outfitters in the area offer raft, funyak and tube rentals between Memorial Day and Labor Day each year, with limited weekend trips available now.

Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park was the first river managed in the State Scenic River program. A 23-river mile section, from North Carolina to U.S. Hwy. 411 north of Benton, was declared a Class III partially developed river. This stretch of river offers canoeing, rafting, fishing, hiking and nature photography. A scenic portion of the John Muir trail winds through the river gorge. Numerous public access sites provide boat launch ramps.

The lower stretch of the river is flat water, perfect for SUP, paddling and motorized boats. All types of boats can navigate this stretch of the waterway, moving between many inlets and islands, and fishing is abundant in the main channel, inlets and creeks along the way. Agriculture and industry line the banks of this section of the river, with a few marinas to provide food, drinks and fuel.

Located within a short drive of the Hiwassee River, the towns of Athens, Benton, Cleveland, Decatur and Etowah offer options for dining, shopping and overnight stays in Southeast Tennessee.

SAFETY FIRST: While the Ocoee and Hiwassee rivers are exceptional whitewater settings, users should be aware that even slow-moving waters can be potentially hazardous for those unskilled and unfamiliar with the basic techniques of floating or water safety. Please use appropriate watercraft on all waterways and do your research about what to expect before launching out on any waterway.

Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park in Delano, Tenn., helps manage the Ocoee and Hiwassee rivers, as well as Gee Creek Campground and several hiking trails. For more information, contact the state park visitor center at 423-263-0050 or visit TNstateparks.com.
Food to serve over 3,460 meals was totaled at the final collection this week by local Scout units across 11 counties that include Hamilton, Catoosa, Walker, Dade, Marion, Grundy, Bradley, Polk, Rhea, Bledsoe and Sequatchie.

To help alleviate hunger in the community, Scouting for Food is an annual collection of nonperishable food items, coordinated across the 11 counties served by the Cherokee Area Council. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank will deliver goods to various food pantries across the community who will receive the food collected, and in turn, give the food to thousands of individuals or families in need.

We are deeply grateful for the nourishing meals that Scouting for Food will be able to provide to the families in need in our community, said Melissa Blevins, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. In serving their community, the local Scouts are helping us provide food- and hope- to those neighbors in our community who are struggling and seeking food assistance.

Abbey Markus, Community Engagement coordinator of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, added, Not only does this help us provide groceries for our neighbors in need, but also enables us to spread awareness in our community.

The Scouting for Food campaign involved door-to-door food collection efforts by Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venturers. Scouts distributed informational door hangers throughout their designated neighborhoods and community areas. The majority of this food was contributed to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and Caring Place in Cleveland.

"The Scout Slogan is Do a Good Turn Daily" said Council Commissioner, Zachary McCarty. "Our Scouts log thousands of service hours annually. This project was a great way to demonstrate to the community the values of Scouting that we teach to the youth of the program."

Please contact Barbara Edwards with Cherokee Area Council, 713-7633 for additional information or to make a belated donation.
Marine Aviator Major General James H. Adams told attendees at the 73rd annual Armed Forces Luncheon Friday the United States must stand on the side of freedom or face a different world. Major General Adams said, Russian aggression is one reason why NATO exists and has to continue.

Major General Adams flew combat missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan and is a highly decorated officer. He currently works out of the Pentagon and is assigned as the Joint Staff J8.

The Armed forces Day celebration in Chattanooga started in 1949. Its sponsored by the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council. Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Charles H. Coolidge was among the World War Two heroes riding in the first parade.

General Adams said the Medal of Honor Heritage Center in Chattanooga "is a testament to what Armed Forces Day is all about. He said Tennessee has 32 Medal of Honor recipients and should be proud thats more than any other state.

Many officials, including 3rd District Congressman Chuck Fleishmann and both Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger, attended the sellout luncheon at the downtown Convention Center. The program included a musical prelude by the Marine Corps Band stationed in New Orleans made up of 50 active duty musicians from all over the United States.

Before the luncheon, under the threat of a thunderstorm, the Armed Forces Parade took place on Market Street starting at M.L. King Blvd.

The USMC band opened the parade playing military selections stopping at the reviewing stand (in front of the City/County Courts Building) to perform for military officers, local officials and the general public.

Luncheon Chairman CDR Patrick Neal said the Chattanooga parade remains the longest running in the United States.

CAVC Board member Noel Long said this years parade featured a nine-school mass band made up of over 500 students. He said there were 12 ROTC units from 10 Hamilton County Schools. He said both were very impressive.

Although this is Marine year, all branches of the military were honored, both active and those that have served.

Major General Adams said he "agrees with those who say Chattanooga is the most patriotic city in the United States" and he would like to return and spend more time here.

Also attending the parade and luncheon was World War two Army Veteran Ralph Painter, who received five Bronze Stars and helped fight the Battle of the Bulge.

Also in attendance was Vietnam Veterans of America President Jack McManus. Mr. McManus will be at Valley Fest in Dunlap this weekend, an event to honor veterans and featuring a concert by the Charlie Daniels Band.

The Tennessee Vietnam Memorial Wall will be on display.
Many 90 Day Fiance fans believe that Patrick and Thais could be the most promising couple of the entire season 9. Patrick and Thais exhibit many green flags in their preview clip. Heres why fans think that this couple will tie the knot.

Thais and Patrick, 90 Day Fiance Season 9 | TLC

Patrick tells his love story with Thais on 90 Day Fiance

In the preview for the upcoming May 8 episode of 90 Day Fiance, 31-year-old weightlifter Patrick reveals how he met his 25-year-old dream girl, Thais. He reveals, My fiances name is Thais. Shes 25 years old. Shes a model, and shes from Montes Claros, Brazil.

He explained, I met Thais on a trip I planned to Brazil to reconnect with my dad. Hes Brazillian, and he retired there eight years ago.

Patrick said that after he moved his location to Brazil on a dating app, he swiped right on her. However, he was worried if she was real and not a catfish. He said, When I picked her up for our first date, I end up rolling up, and I like screamed. He continued, This is the hottest girl Ive ever seen in my life.

Ever since then, hes been traveling back and forth to Brazil to be with Thais any time he can. In the clip, Patrick explained how Thais love is one of a kind. He said, As I got to know her more, she just showed me this affection that Ive never had in the time I was with my ex or any other woman.

Thais is coming to Texas to be with Patrick

During one of his trips, Patrick proposed to Thais. He said, I realized feeling that love was just something I wanted my entire life. Eleven months after I met Thais, I ended up proposing to her, and she said yes.

Soon after their romantic proposal, the couple applied for a K-1 visa. Now, Thais is packing up her life into a few suitcases to move from Brazil to Dallas, Texas. Despite not knowing much English, Thais is ready to be with Patrick in the US. Luckily Patrick learned to speak her language, Portuguese, so they could have an easier time communicating.

90 Day Fiance fans think this could be the most promising relationship of season 9

After being introduced to Patrick and Thais, fans think that of all of the 90 Day Fiance couples, they will be the ones to get married. One fan commented on the official Youtube video, I love that hes part Brazilian, and can actually speak the language. They seem IDK, normal? Lol rooting for this couple!!!

Patrick and Thais, 90 Day Fiance Season 9 | TLC

Another fan couldnt believe that Patrick learned Portuguese to be able to communicate better with Thais. They wrote, The fact that he learned a new language to be able to communicate with her HUGE GREEN FLAG!!!

And one fan was blown away by Patrick and Thais waiting 11 months before getting engaged, as most 90 Day Fiance couples often get engaged within weeks. The fan wrote, 11 months? Almost a whole year old?! Whatttt [sic], a hint of normality for once?! lol oh my gosh! For real though, theyre really cute and I hope they work out.

While usually 90 Day Fiance is chalked full of couples who dont stand a chance of success outside of their fantasy world, it seems that this couple could be the ones to go the distance.

New episodes of 90 Day Fiance Season 9 airs Sundays at 8 pm EST on TLC and discovery+.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Season 9: All the Red Flags in Kara and Guillermos Relationship So Far
Mike Ehrmantraut may think theres a thousand-to-one chance of Lalo Salamanca popping up in Albuquerque again, but Better Call Saul fans arent so sure. Although Gus Fring has successfully convinced the cartel that Nacho Varga orchestrated the hit, Lalo is too savvy and clever to believe he wasnt involved. But where is Lalo? Fans have ideas about where he might be headed next.

Tony Dalton of Better Call Saul | Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Lalo has gone missing in Better Call Saul Season 6

Lalo hasnt been seen since telling Hector Salamanca he was going to find proof of Gus involvement in the attack. Gus had told Nacho he would be free to go once he did that one last thing, but he was secretly planning to kill Nacho to protect his involvement from getting out.

After realizing that, Nacho agreed to give his life in exchange for his fathers. Once Mike agreed to look out for Nachos dad, Gus then filled Nacho in on what he needed to do. They were going to take him to meet Juan Bolsa and the Salamancas, where he would have to confess to working with a rival crew to kill Lalo. He was then supposed to attack Bolsa, causing him to shoot and kill Nacho. But ultimately, Nacho shot and killed himself.

Almost everyone believes Lalo died in the attack except for Hector and Gus, who has his men on the constant lookout. No one has seen him, but Gus knows in his gut that Lalo is still out there.

Fan predictions on Lalos whereabouts in Better Call Saul

As Better Call Saul progresses without any sign of Lalo, fans have shared ideas about his whereabouts on Reddit.

Many think he might actually still be in Mexico.

Lalo stayed in Mexico to find proof that Gus ordered the hit on him. That proof was Nacho, read one comment. Nacho is dead. Idk what Lalo is going to do next now.

Another said: In my opinion he goes looking for Nacho, doesnt know Nacho is dead, naturally goes to his house > his fathers house > Kills Nachos father cause no one can know he is alive > Mike goes to check on Nachos father to discover Lalo was already way ahead and this leads to Mike hunting Lalo down personally.

Things are getting serious, you know?



A new #BetterCallSaul premieres Monday at 9pm on @AMC_TV and @AMCPlus. pic.twitter.com/KnqiazprV6  Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) May 3, 2022

Others guessed hes in some other country

Others figure Lalo might be in Germany to find a Werner Ziegler associate and prove Gus lied to the cartel.

He keeps repeating the name and knows that is his link to the lab, one fan explained. I dont buy that he is going after Saul/Kim. If he was, why didnt he cross the border? He must not be going to the United States because why else we he bail on border crossing?What would they know about the lab anyways?

I agree with [this] genius idea, as I noticed in a screen shot of Lalo going through someones home or apartment on the ceiling was a return vent! said another. It was a dirty odd looking return vent. I do not believe we have these in the United States on the ceiling. I could be wrong but that caught my eye.

I can also see him going to Chile to dig up dirt on Gus, read another comment, but its implied the cartel already knows about Gus past in Chile and also anything in Chile wouldnt have anything to do with the lab in ABQ.

Meanwhile, someone else wrote they have no clue [where Lalo is], but I can guarantee when he does show up its going to be horrifying.

Indeed. Stay tuned to Better Call Saul to see where Lalo has ended up.

RELATED: Better Call Saul Season 6: Lalo Salamanca Actor Tony Dalton Says Final Season Will Burn the House Down
Greys Anatomy follows multiple doctors careers. But the main character has always been Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). The show might have teased how it will end in an episode where Meredith talks about her plan to leave the hospital.

[Spoiler alert: Warning spoilers for the Greys Anatomy episode Should I Stay or Should I Go!]

Meredith got a job offer on Greys Anatomy

RELATED: This Is When Greys Anatomy Will End

Season 18 showed Meredith taking the opportunity to lead research to find a cure for Parkinsons disease in Minnesota. She spent two days out of the week there and worked the rest of her days at Grey-Sloan.

Meredith realized she liked stepping out of her comfort zone and pushing herself elsewhere. She also fell in love with Nick Marsh (Scott Speedman).

Her work resulted in surgery for Dr. David Hamilton (Peter Gallagher), which was successful. He offered her a job to stay in Minnesota for good, and shes considering it.

Did the show tease how Meredith will finally leave the hospital?

Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey and Peter Gallagher as David Hamilton on Greys Anatomy | Bonnie Osborne/ABC via Getty Images

RELATED: Greys Anatomy Showrunner Has New Ideas For How the Show Will End

The secret is out that Meredith got a job offer in Minnesota. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) are upset about it, but Meredith believes shes allowed to move on from Grey-Sloan Memorial in Should I Stay or Should I Go.

That made it seem like Meredith will be move on finally. But the episode ended with Nick visiting her home and proposing a change of plans because Grey-Sloans teaching program is on probation.

Dont come to Minnesota, he told her. Look, if you leave right now, your people wont be OK, and you wont be OK. You wont be happy, and youll always resent me just a little bit.

Nick said he could stay in Seattle for a few months so they could spend more time together. Hell even work at Grey-Sloan.

I have the right to leave, she told him. Ive earned the right to leave. Other people from my residency class, they left and took other opportunities. I stayed. I worked. I researched. I won awards for that place! I did everything that was expected of me and then some, and now if I want to leave, Im considered disloyal? Its ridiculous! Its absurd!

Nick said theyll stay long enough to save the program and then leave. She agreed to that plan.

Will Greys Anatomy end with Meredith leaving Grey-Sloan?

Speaking oftune in to the #GreysAnatomy throwback episodes starting TONIGHT at 8/7c on ABC! pic.twitter.com/E6rT7xJCG1  Grey's Anatomy (@GreysABC) April 14, 2022

RELATED: Greys Anatomy: What Would a Satisfying End to the Series Look Like?

Greys Anatomy is still going strong and will be back for season 19. Its unknown when the show will end.

But this episode does give a possible ending for the medical series. Its possible the show, which started with Merediths first day at her internship, will end with her leaving the hospital for good. It would feel like an appropriate ending, but its only a theory.
Elon Musk will be the temporary Twitter CEO on the buyout of the digital platform that was the center of the Democrat narrative, including blaming former President Donald Trump for January 6.

After announcing the firm's purchase for 35billion, many left leaners in the company and their supporters wailing. Later President Joe Biden announced a disinformation body after the sale was announced, and the media attacked the tech billionaire.

Elon Musk as Twitter CEO

According to CNBC, the tech mogul will lead the company for several months just after the takeover. Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has only been in charge for a few months, despite taking over from co-founder Jack Dorsey in November, reported the Express UK.

The significant advancement in the new leadership role comes after it was announced that the world's richest man had 18 investors agreed to collectively invest more than 5.66 billion in shares to help finance his acquisition of Twitter, cited CNBC.

In a recent filing, he stated that Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison's trust would provide $1 billion for the entire purchase cost of the social media site.

Musk has secured equity commitment letters from investors like Sequoia Capital worth 647.4 million and Brookfield amounting to 202.3 million. Other investors include Qatari Holding, 303.5m, and NYC real estate billionaire Steve Witkoff 80.9m.

Musk To Make Twitter a "Magnet for Talent"

In the latest filing, they will proceed to engage existing Twitter shareholders, notably Dorsey, to provide shares to the planned mega-merger, noted NBC News.

Last week, it was announced that Elon Musk is now in talks with huge financial groups and high-net-worth people, considering taking on more financing for the Twitter buyout and tying up less of his money in the deal when he becomes temporary Twitter CEO.

Read Also: Donald Trump Children: What You Need to Know About the 5 Trump Kids

Twitter stock jumped to $50.17 per share in pre-trading following the investor news. The tech mogul has agreed to buy the social media behemoth for $54.20 per share, more than its April 1 closing price. It was the last trading day before he disclosed his approximately 9% investment on the site.

After agreeing to fold his $1.89 billion holding into the purchase rather than cash-out, Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal heaped admiration, saying he would be a good leader for Twitter.

Last April 14, Prince Alwaleed disagreed with the bid because it was not enough. However, he has now tweeted that it was fantastic to meet his new friend.

In response, the prince said in a tweet that he would be an excellent leader for Twitter to accelerate and develop its tremendous potential. He went on to say that the Kingdom Holding Company is looking forward to investing $1.9 billion in the new Twitter and the exciting adventure ahead.

Agrawal, the current CEO of Twitter, has been in charge for much less than six months.

Reuters reported last month that the Tesla founder has lined up a new CEO for Twitter, citing a source familiar with the situation. Those familiar with the matter who spoke with CNBC's David Faber, Musk has lately been leading briefings in front of investors. He has offered financial projections based on his analysis of Twitter.

Elon Musk said he'll be the temporary Twitter CEO for a time after and pass it off to someone else and make the changes on the platform.

Related Article: Elon Musk Shuts Down AOC After Taking Over Twitter Causing Widespread Democrat Meltdown Over Losing Narrative Control

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Twilight Zone is an iconic television show created by Rod Serling. Although the series only had five seasons on television in the early 1960s, its appeal remained strong. It was so strong that the idea of a Twilight Zone movie appealed to many top film directors and producers, including Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Joe Dante, and George Miller, who all contributed to what was to become The Twilight Zone: The Movie.

Vic Morrow | ABC via Getty Images

Unfortunately, the movie was struck by tragedy. On the last day of filming for the movie, star Vic Morrow and two child actors, Renee Shinn Chen and Myca Dinh Le, died in an accident on set leading many to make significant changes in regulations and requirements on movie sets.

Tragedy struck the set of The Twilight Zone: The Movie

On the last day of shooting in July 1982, the production was filming a final scene involving the first segment of the movie starring Morrow as a bitter man lashing out over not getting a promotion. According to BuzzFeed, his segment was to culminate with Morrows character getting chased by American gunfire in Vietnam while he was saving two Vietnamese orphans. According to Slate, the helicopters pilot, Dorcey Wingo (a Vietnam veteran), was supposed to fly close over the actors while pyrotechnic blasts went off. The pyrotechnics engulfed the helicopter, forcing it down.

The aftermath of the helicopter crash left Chen crushed by one of the helicopter struts because Morrow had dropped her just before the crash. Morrow and Le were fatally injured by the helicopters top rotor blades. According to Slate, the crash happened just before Morrow was to deliver the line, Ill keep you safe, kids. I promise. Nothing will hurt you, I swear to God.

Three actors, including two children, were killed

The helicopter crash led to the death of the three actors in the scene: Morrow, Chen, and Le. Le and Chen were just children, ages seven and six respectively. According to TruTV, the child characters were not even present in the original script. Executives at Warner Bros., along with Landis, came up with the idea to redeem Morrows character by coming across two Vietnamese orphans while running from the helicopter fire. The character was supposed to save them by carrying them across the river.

Once the script changes were approved, the children were hired, but trouble would arise because of both child labor laws in the state of California and because of the perceived danger of the scene itself. According to TruTV, the children were labeled extras and not actors so that the production could work past the set curfew for child actors.

When these details came to light, director Landis and four others working on the film were charged with involuntary manslaughter. According to History, this was the first time a director has been charged with a crime for events that had happened on a movie set. In 1987, all five of the defendants were acquitted, but the three families of the victims took Landis and producer Spielberg to civil court and settled for an undisclosed amount.

To this day, the movie still has mixed reviews

I want reactions to Dan Ackroyd's reveal in TWILIGHT ZONE! pic.twitter.com/Jw0mxDdUWN  Anya Stanley (@BookishPlinko) April 11, 2018

The movie did not do as well as expected, given the cult-classic nature of the original television series. Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie a 58% approval rating with 40 reviews. According to these Rotten Tomatoes reviews, the reason that the movie doesnt appeal to everyone is mostly based on the anthology format. Some reviewers liked specific episodes of the film, while others werent impressed, particularly with the episodes that were remakes of episodes included in the original television series.

What many reviewers do agree on is that the opening segment with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks is funny, clever, and frightening, harkening back to the spirit of the original series.

RELATED: The Twilight Zone: What Was Rod Serlings Favorite Episode?
The true crime drama on Hulu, featuring Jessica Biel, Candy, filmed its entire production in Georgia, although the setting is Wylie, Texas. Biel portrays 1980s housewife Candy Montgomery who lived in Texas with her husband, Pat Montgomery (portrayed by Timothy Simons). After having an affair with Alan Gore (Pablo Schreiber), the town and law enforcement accuse her of killing Alans wife, Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey). Find out why the creators and producers chose to film Candy in Georgia, although it happened in Texas.

Candy on Hulu: Jessica Biel as Candy Montgomery | Hulu

Where is Candy on Hulu filmed?

In an exclusive interview with executive producer Michael Uppendahl, Showbiz Cheat Sheet found out that Candy filmed entirely in Georgia.

We shot it in Georgia, the EP began. We were based in Atlanta, and we were able to shoot it around Georgia. I was shocked at how well the things were able to match up. We really found our version of Texas in Georgia.

Im really proud of the look of it, he continued. I dont feel it was compromised by the fact that we werent in Texas. We found these incredible houses. The Gore house really does match quite well with the actual Gore house; the exterior. And then our magnificent production designer, Jamie, built the inside, and shes just a wonder. I was very happy about the way all of it looked.

RELATED: How and When to Watch Jessica Biels New True Crime, Candy, on Hulu

Why the producers filmed Candy in Georgia instead of Texas

The co-creator of Candy, Nick Antosca, gave insight into why the producers filmed Candy in Georgia.

So, Ive shot in Georgia before, he began. The real answer is it can be anywhere. The crews are great, and theres a tax credit. So it checked all the boxes.

Antosca and Candy creator and writer Robin Veith worked together previously on another Hulu true crime series, The Act, which they also filmed in Georgia.

Jessica Biel on set for Candy in Decatur, Georgia

On Feb. 16, 2022, reporters snapped photos of Jessica Biel filming Candy in Decatur, Georgia. The Daily Mail reported Biel wore a blue dress and square-frame glasses for the outdoor scene. She was spotted entering a courthouse after exiting from an old Chrysler.

The historic DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Georgia, became the exterior location of the courthouse depicted in Candy.

The significance of that creepy owl wreath on Betty Gores door

While watching the Candy trailer, its evident that theres something important about that owl wreath on Betty Gores door. EP Uppendahl felt that the production designer captured the Gore home accurately, so where did the inspiration for the owl wreath come from?

There were some owl elements in Bettys house, the Candy EP began. And we decided to kind of lean into it.

Uppendahl explained that someone gave his mother a cow item, so others assumed she liked cows. They went with the cow theme when they needed to buy her a gift, although she didnt love cows. After seeing the owls in Betty Gores home, the writers went with the theme when they filmed Candy.

We thought the owl theme was interesting because they famously watch. And, it was a bit of a nod to Twin Peaks, where the owls are not what they seem, and thats a big theme throughout. Its a mysterious and scary element, and it was a little nod to David Lynch because we celebrate him.

Although the creators and producers of Candy filmed in Georgia instead of Texas, it might be hard for viewers to surmise the location change.

Candy premieres on Hulu Monday, May 9, with the release of only the first episode at 9 p.m. PT/midnight ET. The remaining four episodes drop every day following the premiere, with the finale dropping on Friday, May 13.

RELATED: Jessica Biels Candy: 1 Producer Spent 20 Years Thinking About the Bizarre Story Before He Created the True Crime Drama [Exclusive]
There have been plenty of questions and speculation about whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will return to the U.K. for Queen Elizabeth IIs big Platinum Jubliee in June. The chatter only intensified after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the monarch prior to attending the Invictus Games in April. Well now, the prince appears to have just sent a sign that he wont be there.

Read on to find out what signaled that Harry will likely not be attending the queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations next month, plus the message the royal family matriarch just sent snubbing her grandson.

Prince Harry speaks onstage during the Invictus Games Closing Ceremony | Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation

When are Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee celebrations?

The royal familys website has highlighted some key dates for when the public can celebrate the queens historic reign.

It notes there will be an extended bank holiday from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5 to provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom to come together to celebrate the historic milestone. The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on the queens 70 years of service.

Her birthday parade, known as Trooping the Colour, will be held on June 2. That is when members of the royal family famously gather on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the festivities and wave to the crowd below. But this year some members, including Harry, will not be standing there.

The signal Prince Harry wont be in the U.K. at that time

Prince Harry competing during King Power Royal Charity Polo Day | Chris Jackson/Getty Images for The King Power Royal Charity Polo

According to Express, the sign that makes Harrys return to the U.K. during that time unlikely is a commitment he has in California.

The princes schedule now shows that he is playing polo for a full summer season in Santa Barbara with the Los Padres. The team has a tournament from June 3 to 19, and with the flight between Southern California and England being more than 10 hours it doesnt seem likely that Harry wouldnt be able to make the Trooping the Colour if he wanted to.

Harry plays on the team with his old friend Nacho Figueras. We decided to play in Santa Barbara because Harry lives here. We came up with the idea to be able to use our team for charitable purposes, Figueras explained.

So while it looks doubtful that Harry will be in England when the queens jubilee is being celebrated, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said not to jump to conclusions as things can change.

However, if Harry does go he wont be front and center with the rest of the family.

The queen has banned Harry from appearing on the balcony with the family

The royal family standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2019 | Xinhua/Ray Tang via Getty Images

Even if Harry were planning to attend, his grandmother just made a move snubbing him and Prince Andrew as well from the opening event.

The BBC reported that the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York will not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony as part of opening celebrations for the queens Platinum Jubilee next month.

According to the outlet, a palace source stated that the only royals who will be appearing on the balcony with the monarch will be members of the family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the queen.

RELATED: Will Meghan Markle Stay Away From the U.K. for Queens Platinum Jubilee Now That Her Father Thomas Markle Will Be There?
Selling Sunset fans are used to seeing the stars throw shade at each other. But the reunion showed Heather Rae El Moussa comparing herself to Christina Haack. This is what fans have to say about the awkward reunion moment.

Heather talks about Tareks comment on the Selling Sunset reunion

Ready for more drama?



The Selling Sunset Reunion  hosted by @tanfrance!  premieres at 12:01am PST tonight! pic.twitter.com/UKD9PmTMeI  Netflix (@netflix) May 5, 2022

RELATED: Fans Love Tarek El Moussas Sweet and Moving Instagram Post About His Obsession

At the reunion, Tan France talked about Tarek El Moussas appearance on the show. He mentioned that he was surprised by how defensive he was of Heather at the end of season 4 when talking about Christine Quinn.

My husband is very supportive of me and my friends that he knows are true friends to me, Heather said. He hears a lot, obviously and hes there with me through every step. So if he knows Im going through something emotionally, hes going to stand up for me regardless.

The host then asked if Tarek really called Heather a hotter, richer version of his ex-wife? Well, I mean she said, laughing. He then asked if she agreed with the statement. Well I meancan you girls attest to anything? she asked the cast.

Chrishell Stause said, I think we all are trying to be supportive of women in general. So as much as we want to build you up, we dont want to do that instead of. Mary Fitzgerald chimed in, We love Heather. Shes beyond gorgeous.

Fans said Heather and Tareks comments are totally unnecessary

RELATED: Tarek El Moussa Gushes Over Heather Rae Young on Instagram Amid Ex Christina Haacks Custody Battle

Some fans thought this part of the reunion was very messy. They shared their reactions on Reddit.

The comment Tarek made about Heather being a prettier and richer version of his ex-wife was unnecessary and rude to both women, a user wrote. He is speaking about his kids mom. Heathers response confirming the accuracy of the comment and then asking the other women to agree was also totally unnecessary. Ugh.

I liked how the other women refused to partake. Classy move, another fan replied.

A third fan added, i agree! really liked chrishell stepping in on that one.

Did Heather take into consideration how her step children would feel? someone else asked. Probably not, shes not the brightest. As for Tareq [sic] hes a loser.

Heather will learn. How he treats the ex will come back to her, another fan claimed.

When did Tarek El Moussa call Heather Rae Young the hotter, richer version of Christina Haack?

Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

This rumor was started by a report from TMZ. In July 2021, he reportedly had an argument with Christina while filming Flip or Flop. Production sources claimed he said Heather is hotter and richer than Christina. The sources also claimed he took credit for her career and called her a washed-up loser.

The former married couple shares two children. On the reunion, Heather said she considers herself a mom now raising those children. She added she hopes to have a baby with Tarek one day.

RELATED: Selling Sunset Star Heather Rae Young Reveals She Cant Wait to Have a Baby With Tarek El Moussa
Jason Oppenheim and Chrishell Stause broke up in December 2021, but their relationship comes up throughout the Selling Sunset reunion episode. Jason still feels strongly about his ex. Find out what he had to say about watching the fifth season of the Netflix series back, plus why he began crying during the reunion.

Chelsea Lazkani, Brett Oppenheim, Heather Rae El Moussa, Maya Vander, Jason Oppenheim and Vanessa Villela | Netflix

Jason and Chrishells relationship is a mainstay in Selling Sunset Season 5

Jason and Chrishell first revealed their relationship on a trip to Greece. Selling Sunset Season 5 focuses on almost every aspect of their relationship, including their discussions about having kids.

Chrishell wants to have children, but Jason is on the fence. In the end, the two break up because of their differing views.

Jason still cares about Chrishell very much

When asked if his relationship with Chrishell was a showmance, Jason hesitated to answer. I dont want to give it any credence, he began. Its like asking if the Earth is flat  its a stupid question to me.

Jason continued: I dont feel the need to explain to people how very meaningful of a  He stopped to hold back tears.

Comforted by his brother Brett Oppenheim, Jason took a moment to compose himself. I just need a second, Jason said.

Theres a lot of sadness and loss. Watching the show made it more difficult; it brought it back up. Its been a few months, but Im still going through stuff. I think there was a lot of love between us and there still is. I still care about her very much. This has been a very difficult breakup.

Jason still feels strongly about Chrishell, despite not being with her. I could never think more highly of someone than I do Chrishell, he added. Its not that I think I made the wrong decision  I have the utmost respect for Chrishell and still have as much love for her today as I did then. Its difficult.

Selling Sunset star says he didnt handle the breakup as well as he could have

After sharing a clip of an emotional conversation between Jason and Mary Fitzgerald, Jason admitted he could have done better handling the breakup. I didnt handle the breakup as well as I could have, he told Chrishell. You know that.

Chrishell Stause | Netflix

I think I shut down a little bit emotionally to make it easier on myself, he added. I should have been more vulnerable. I think right now weve had some time to move on, but then I watch  seeing her upset on the show was difficult.

The reality star apologized for crying. I need to get through today so I can help myself move on, he concluded.

Chrishell Stause addresses if she and Jason will get back together during Selling Sunset reunion

Host Tan France asked the question everyone wants to know the answer to. If Jason asked, would Chrishell get back together with him?

Because I know hes steadfast in his decision [of not to have kids], I do not allow my brain to go there, she said. However, if his mind were to change, Chrishell would have to reconsider.

Watch the Selling Sunset reunion on Netflix.

RELATED: Selling Sunset Season 5: Jason Oppenheim and Chrishell Stause Arent the Only Couple That Didnt Last
Jack Pearson quickly became everyones favorite TV dad when This Is Us premiered in 2016. And they were heartbroken to learn that Milo Ventimiglias character was dead in the present storyline. However, thanks to the shows nonlinear storytelling, This Is Us treated fans to numerous iconic Jack Pearson moments over six seasons. And now that the series is ending, the actor teased how This Is Us would portray his character in the final episodes.

Milo Ventimiglia as Jack | Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4 seemingly wrapped up Jacks story

For the past couple of seasons, Jack has become more of a supporting character in This Is Us. The series solved the mystery surrounding his death in season 2, and viewers learned what happened between Jack and Nicky in Vietnam in season 3. And when doctors diagnosed Rebecca with Alzheimers, the series focused on her future and the mystery surrounding a flash-forward scene.

As a result, Jack hasnt been the central figure in any significant storylines for a while. However, This Is Us Season 6 Episode 4 shined the spotlight on Jack for seemingly the final time in the series when he learned that his mother, Marilyn, had died. He traveled to Ohio for the funeral, and he realized that there was a lot he didnt know about Marilyn.

The fourth hour of the final season was a beautiful showcase for Milo Ventimiglia. And as Jack said goodbye to his mother, it felt as though the audience was also saying goodbye to Jack in This Is Us.

Milo Ventimiglia teases Jacks presence in the final This Is Us episodes

While speaking with Variety, Milo Ventimiglia teased whether or not the audience would see Jack in old-age makeup before This Is Us ends.

I think toward the end, were going to see all the sides of Jack, the actor shared. I think were going to understand who he was to his kids, understand who he was to his wife. The show was so front-heavy with Jack. Now, weve really invested in the stories of the kids and Rebecca. I think thats where its ultimately leading, those loops closing. We already know Jack. Hell be there. Hell be around. I think the different versions of him will be popping up.

Of course, Ventimiglia was ambiguous with his answer. Different versions of Jack could mean anything. Whether or not the actor meant that literally or figuratively will be a mystery until the This Is Us series finale airs. However, perhaps Ventimiglias comments referred to when he played Kevin in This Is Us Season 6 Episode 13 because Rebecca thought Kevin was Jack.

Just a small sample of the hard workin folks closing out the last few weeks of @NBCThisisUs Season 6. Last scene in Rebecca + Jacks bedroom.ever. Love this group and more. MV pic.twitter.com/6f9LVc1KRK  Milo Ventimiglia (@MiloVentimiglia) April 14, 2022

How does the actor feel about the series ending?

The This Is Us cast and crew have wrapped filming, much to the dismay of fans. But before the director could call Cut! one last time, Milo Ventimiglia expressed to Variety his feelings about saying goodbye to Jack.

I feel good, Ventimiglia revealed. I feel like we have covered a lot of ground, and some loops are closing. Were seeing storylines wrap up and characters journey on. You will have seen the whole experience of the Pearson clan.

Hes not wrong. Many of the final episodes of This Is Us have focused on wrapping up individual characters stories. And every single chapter of the last season has been emotional, so we cant even imagine what the series finale will do to our tear ducts.

This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

RELATED: This Is Us Cast Gave Milo Ventimiglia Side Eye When He First Directed Them, We Dont Have That Trust Yet
Using a new experimental method, a team led by physicist Sandra Eibenberger-Arias of the Fritz-Haber-Institut has transferred the mirror-image forms of chiral molecules into different rotational states more efficiently than ever before. This opens doors to a deeper understanding and manipulability of this common type of molecule for future applications.

Chirality, while not a rarity in the world of molecules, is nevertheless a special property. If a molecule is chiral (from the Greek word chiros = hand), it exists in two mirrored versions that are very similar but not identical - like two hands that can be folded together, but cannot be placed congruently on top of each other. This is why we speak of right-handed and left-handed molecules, or enantiomers, which means "opposite shape" in Greek.

An international team of scientists from the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society and the Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences has found a way to address these molecules separately. Since chiral molecules are very similar to each other, this is a real challenge. "The trick is to expose them to electromagnetic radiation in a way so that only one 'hand', i.e. one enantiomer, responds. This allows us to specifically control right- or left-handed molecules and learn more about them," says Dr. Sandra Eibenberger-Arias, head of the Controlled Molecules group at the Fritz-Haber-Institut.

Learning this is important because enantiomers sometimes have very different biological and chemical qualities, for which explanations are sought. Take, for example, the chiral molecule carvone: one 'hand' smells like mint, the other like caraway. Or the notorious sedative thalidomide, which is named after its active ingredient, a chiral molecule: while one form had the intended sedative effect, the other caused birth defects. Eibenberger-Arias' group studies the physical properties of chiral molecules. "Theory predicts a small energy difference between the two enantiomers, due to what is called parity violation. However, this has not been shown experimentally so far," explains JuHyeon Lee of the Fritz-Haber-Institut, first author of the published results, which appeared in the journal Physical Review Letters.

With a clever combination of different methods, however, the group of scientists has come a little closer to achieving this. They irradiate chiral molecules in the gas phase with UV radiation and microwaves. As a result, right-handed and left-handed molecules are put into different rotational states by changing the microwave radiation. The researchers have thus gained more control than ever before over which "hand" is in which rotational state. They have also, for the first time, compared experimental results with accurate predictions from theory, leading to an improved understanding of the underlying physical effects.

While complete separation of the enantiomers may not yet be achieved using this method, it is remarkable that they could be controlled so successfully in the first place. This contradicts the often-used over-simplified account that they have the same physical properties. "If that were the case, we would not be able to control the enantiomers using physical methods," says Sandra Eibenberger-Arias. The international team of three female and three male scientists has thus laid a good foundation for follow-up experiments, and perhaps even for experimental proof of parity violation. This would be a milestone for basic research - and for all future applications as well.
Chinese Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft was sighted in a patrol over the South China Sea as the PLAAF, and the Chinese Navy remained.

It was sighted with the J-20 Mighty Dragon in an airspace Beijing needs to defend as it considers the US Navy's intrusion unwelcomed.

The US Is Contesting China

China has upped the ante in the region with maritime patrol operations and military actions just days after a US destroyer crossed the Taiwan Strait, reported the Eurasian Times.

On May 3, a Chinese Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft reportedly conducted a maritime patrol mission near the island of Taiwan in what could be interpreted as a tough response, according to Global Times.

There have been rumors that the Y-8 aircraft was involved in a crash in March of this year.

Most Chinese analysts cited by state-controlled media, whereas the alleged crash has yet to be proven, the Y-8 ASW aircraft is now completely ready to carry out missions at a time while foreign forces have been 'suggestively' sending warships and submarines to the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

Remarks were an oblique reference to the USS Sampson, which coursed the Taiwan Strait last month in what was described as a routine operation.

Chinese Eastern Command later claimed that the American vessel's movement was shadowed by the PLA and labeled it an act of aggression, noted Newsweek.

The Chinese Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft operation near Taiwan Island emerged just a few weeks after China utilized its most advanced J-20 stealth fighter jet for battle patrols over the East and South China Seas, amid mounting tensions in the region.

Read Also: Xi Jinping: 5 Things To Know About China's President

A potential threat of a Chinese invasion and regular infiltrations into Taipei's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) has become a significant cause of concern for the island's leaders.

China deployed its Liaoning Aircraft Carrier Group on battle patrols in the Western Pacific earlier this week, which was inferred as a move aimed at power projection in the far seas as hostilities in the Indo-Pacific region soar.

As reported earlier by the EurAsian Times, this same carrier group supposedly traveled the Miyako Strait between Japan's Okinawa Islands and stayed near Japan for some time. Anti-Submarine Aircraft On Duty

Taiwan's Press Release

On the same day, Taiwan's defense authorities released a statement declaring that one PLA Y-8 ASW aircraft arrived in Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Flying over the South China Sea between Taiwan and the Taiwan-administered Dongsha Islands.

According to observers, it also appears to be the first document of a Y-8 aircraft from the island's defense authority as of March 1. Over the last two months, the PLA deployed vessel-based anti-submarine warfare helicopters such as the Z-9 and the Ka-28, remarked the island's defense authority.

A Chinese maritime patrol aircraft crashed in the South China Sea in March, Taiwan stated. Duan Dang, a Vietnam-based writer who cited unnamed sources, was the first to disclose the incident on Twitter. He announced on March 1 that the Y-8 Maritime Patrol plane crashed off the coast of Sanya, China's Hainan Island, which runs parallel to northern Vietnam.

Deployment of the Chinese Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft shows that Beijing is not taking chances with submarines out there.

Related Article: AH-64 Apache Vs. the Ka-52 Alligator: Who Wins in the Battle of the Best Attack Chopper?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Though the American holiday of Mothers Day is only about 100 years old, various cultures have set aside time to pay homage to mothers for millennia.

For Christians, this celebration involves honoring motherhood through the lens of Gods revelation at the heart of our faith. Our scriptural narrative discloses the inclusion of mothers in Gods divine purposes from creation to new creation.

Gods original plan is that humans would fill the earth and steward it (Gen. 1:28). That project is unsustainable without mothers who give birth to the humans who will cultivate Gods good creation. Even after the first created woman (and man) tarnishes the goodness, beauty, and simplicity of that plan with disobedience, God never gives up on her or the plan.

It is after their transgression and the entrance of pain, division, and even death that Adam sees evidence of Gods grace in his partnerwho is fittingly named Eve (3:20). because she will be mother of the living (Eve and living are closely related in Hebrew). Death will not have the final word, and the hope of Gods plan will continue through her because she will bring forth life. The narrator allows her to proclaim Gods grace in the birth of her children (4:1, 25).

Mothers recede into the background as most of the genealogies focus on fathers and sonsbut without mothers, of course, these family lines would not continue at all. Over and over again, God invites the participation of women in the divine plan of life.

At times, however, the narrative spotlight of Scripture does fall upon mothers. Time would fail me to recount all the mothers in the Bible who heard and accepted the call to join Gods ...

1
Mars Hills music grew out of the same counter-cultural ethos that defined the rest of its ministry. Most of the churchs founding members thought Christian contemporary music was too saccharine and polished for their tastes, and what evolved at Mars Hill reflected the gritty and dark sounds of the city around them. But like many other facets of the Mars Hill story, there was much behind the music. Often selected for their charisma and talent, Mars Hill bands found that few cared about the condition of their souls or the posture of their spirits.

Chad Gardner became a worship leader later in the churchs history, having grown up listening to the churchs music. His eventual decision to leave would mean sacrificing community and intellectual property rights over his bands contributions to the ministry. Some band members, damaged by various spiritual abuses, would leave the faith altogether.

In this bonus episode of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, host Mike Cosper sits down with Chad Gardner, worship leader at Mars Hill, to hear the hard and beautiful stories of the music that defined the community. Peek backstage for a glimpse of what worship leadership meant in this alternative church culture, and hear stories behind some of Kings Kaleidescopes albums. Finally, find out why Chad told us, I never wanted to do a duet with Mark.

Learn more about Kings Kaleidoscope here.

Also check out Citizens, The Sing Team, and Ghost Ship.

The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik

Produced, written, edited, and hosted by: Mike Cosper

Associate produced by Joy Beth Smith and Azurae Phelps

Music, sound design and mixing: Kate Siefker

Graphic Design: Bryan Todd

Editorial consulting: Andrea Palpant Dilley

Social Media: Kate Lucky

Theme Song: Sticks and Stones Kings Keleidoscope

Additional Music: Brad Currah, Red Letter, Team Strike Force, The Sing Team, Citizens, and Kings Kaleidoscope.
How DeVon Franklin avoided becoming a 'statistic' despite tragedy as a kid: 'It takes a woman'

DeVon Franklin knows he easily couldve been a statistic. When the 44-year-old author and producer was just 9 years old, his father died of a heart attack, leaving him, his two brothers and his mother behind.

That tragedy just completely rocked our family, Franklin told The Christian Post.

But instead of wallowing, Franklins mother, Paulette, gathered a village  his aunts Nuna, Ida, Enis, Donna and Sondra  to help raise her children and ensure they had a strong foundation. According to Franklin, that village of love" changed the trajectory of his life.

I'm the middle child of three boys raised by a single mother, and we could have been a statistic, he said. But because of the sacrifices of her and the village and God intervening and practicing the power of faith, we all survived.

Today, Franklin is a New York Times bestselling author and a Hollywood producer behind hit movies including Miracles from Heaven and Breakthrough. Hes also the driving force behind the soon-to-be-released movie "Flamin Hot" for Disney and "Kingdom Business" TV series for BET.

Despite his success, Franklin knows firsthand what its like to experience pain and loss. He takes a look at his past and the women that played a formative role in his life in his new audible book, It Takes a Woman.

A deeply personal book, It Takes a Woman opens with Franklin and his brothers at the morgue, saying goodbye to their father. It traces his growth throughout the years  both the good times and the bad times  to highlight the tremendous sacrifice of Paulette Franklin.

So often, I can do an interview with you and say, Im DeVon Franklin, I fill in the blank; I produce, I write I do all these things, Franklin said. And it's so easy for someone to  take that at face value. But you don't understand the tragedy and the pain that all this comes from. I could have been a statistic.

"I really wanted the listener to go on this journey of intimately understanding where I come from, where my family comes from. We are just like every other family; I'm just like every other person. The rain falls on the just and the unjust, but God is still faithful. And so I really want the listener to hear the tragedy so they can also celebrate the triumph.

Along with his 69-year-old mother, the book is narrated by Franklins Aunt Nuna (96), Aunt Ida (86), Aunt Enis, Aunt Donna (78), Aunt Sondra (76). Listeners get to hear words of wisdom from the older generation and advice on handling grief, money, love and relationships.

Releasing just ahead of Mothers Day, Franklin described the book as a love letter to single mothers. He shared how, growing up, his mother often didnt know if shed be able to feed or clothe her boys  yet she continually sacrificed, hoping that her children would be OK in the future. Today, Franklins older brother is an executive in marketing, while his younger brother is a pastor.

The book is the payoff to the sacrifices my single mother made, he said. So at the end of the book, one of the key takeaways is that she did the best with what she could  and what she could do was more than enough.  There's no right. Do the best you can with what you have, and trust and know that that's going to be more than enough.

Writing the book, he said, was both painful and cathartic  and helped him have empathy for his mother, who he admittedly didnt always appreciate.

As I got older, I gained an appreciation, and I also stopped the blame game, he said. [This book] was a catharsis for me, personally, to work out whatever issues I had; I was able to sit down and talk to my mother about them. And the listener is going to hear us work that out. And I'm so grateful for her sacrifices and all that she did. As an adult, I can put in perspective what she was able to do and appreciate the things that she just wasn't capable of doing, and thats OK.

Franklins story is not uncommon. U.S. Census Bureau data indicates that 15.3 million children were living with their mothers only in 2020, while 3.3 million lived with their fathers only in 2020.

Franklin hopes that through his book, listeners won't feel as alone. He challenged those who resent their parents or have fractured relationships with their mothers to practice gratitude, stressing the dangers of holding a grudge and dwelling in bitterness and resentment.

The requirement for parenting is not perfection, because nobody can do it perfectly, he reminded. So you may have come from a parent that may not have been the best parent for you, that's OK. But thank them for what they do. And if all you can thank them for is giving you life, thank them for that so that you can move forward in gratitude, not in bitterness.  We can hold a grudge, we can be bitter, we can be resentful, but those emotions take us nowhere.

By transparently sharing his story, Franklin said he hopes to provide hope at a time when people desperately need it. He cited Romans 8:28, which reads: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I want the listener to take away hope, that you cannot control the cards that life will deal, but with love and support system, you absolutely can control how those cards are played, he said.
4 things to know about state abortion laws if Roe is overturned

As the possibility of a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide looms large, individual U.S. states are poised to head in drastically different directions when it comes to regulating the hot-button issue.

A draft opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health leaked and was subsequently published in Politico Monday. In the draft opinion, which is not final, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Roe v. Wade must be overruled in a ruling that would uphold Mississippis 15-week abortion ban. Roe is the 1973 Supreme Court decision that determined that there is a constitutional right to abortion.

While the prospect of overturning Roe has caused outrage in pro-abortion circles and cautious optimism in the pro-life community, abortion will remain legal in many states if the longstanding decision is gutted. On the other hand, several states will have the freedom to enact abortion laws that reflect their residents views on the polarizing political issue.

The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion advocacy organization, has compiled a list of state laws that would take effect in the absence of Roe that also highlights which states have codified the right to abortion into state law. Here are four takeaways about the legal status of abortion at the state level if Roe is overturned.

1

2

3

4

5

Next
Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization to be held in South Korea in 2024

The Lausanne Movement will hold its next global gathering in Seoul, South Korea, in September of 2024, marking the 50th anniversary of when the movement held its first meeting.

Known as the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, the 2024 event is expected to bring together thousands of Christian leaders worldwide.

Lausanne Movement CEO Michael Oh made the announcement on Wednesday during a meeting of faith leaders at the Incheon campus of Onnuri Community Church.

In the announcement, the Lausanne Movement stated that it believes the meeting will be a pivotal moment in Christian history with the Fourth Lausanne Congress being hosted in Seoul by Korea, Japan, and the broader Asian church, in close partnership with leaders from across Asia.

The global church is at a critical point in needing to consider both its unity and witness in the world as we seek to achieve the vision of seeing the Gospel reach every person, disciple-making churches for every people and place, Christ-like leaders in every church and sector, and kingdom impact in every sphere of society, stated the organization.

Seoul 2024 will be a celebration of the gospel and our loving, forgiving, and gracious God who has invited us to join his mission in the world  Our prayer is that the world would look beautifully different in the years and generations ahead because of Seoul 2024.

Lausanne traces its origins to July of 1974 when the Rev. Billy Graham organized a multiday gathering in Lausanne, Switzerland, which was attended by approximately 2,300 Christian leaders from around 150 countries.

Originally known as the First International Congress on World Evangelization, the theme for the 1974 gathering was Let The Earth Hear His Voice.

Since that inaugural gathering, two additional Lausanne congresses were held in Manila, Philippines, in 1989 and then in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2010.

The Cape Town gathering reportedly had approximately 4,000 Christian leaders present, representing nearly 200 nations and thousands more participating virtually.

The movement would eventually adopt a popular modern Church statement of faith during follow-up meetings known as the Lausanne Covenant.

We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our failures and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization, stated the Introduction of the Covenant.

We believe the Gospel is Gods good news for the whole world, and we are determined by his grace to obey Christs commission to proclaim it to all mankind and to make disciples of every nation.
'We are increasingly no longer safe': Seminary head sounds alarm on record rise in murder rates

The head of a prominent American seminary who served as both a lawyer and judge is warning that a surge in murders among Americans  particularly in the black community  since the defund the police movement began is yet another sign that America is in dire need of spiritual revival.

Judge Phil Ginn, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, pointed to federal government data released last fall that found that murders jumped by roughly 30% between 2019 and 2020 in the largest single-year increase on record.

And among the black community, the murder rate rose more than 32%.

Ginn, who served for over a decade as a superior court judge in North Carolina's 24th Judicial District, told The Christian Post this week that he thinks reductions in police funding are a significant factor in increased crime. But he believes that the end result of defunding the police is more of a socioeconomic issue than it is a racial issue.

He identified one of the ways to address the increase in crime as pouring additional monies to adequately fund the police and boost their presence in crime-ridden neighborhoods.

But Ginn also urged policymakers to look at early intervention into particularly the lives of young people, who need to see both a deterrent for crime, but also a redemptive avenue of being able to become a productive member of society.

Ginn contends that while COVID certainly played a part in the crime increase, too many folks are quick to blame the pandemic. Describing the pandemic as a convenient place to hang our hat, he doesn't believe it "tells the whole story.

The first real test of any government is how well it protects its citizens," he stated. "The foremost right given to us by Almighty God as acknowledged in our Declaration of Independence is that of Life. When people are not safe in their homes or in their communities, then all the other rights simply dont matter. The truth is that we are increasingly no longer safe in America.

If you feel secure in your community, its simply because the violence and the lack of respect for life has not reached you  yet!" he added.

When asked to elaborate on that stark warning, Ginn replied: When I say that the lack of a feeling of safety has not reached into all neighborhoods as [of] yet, I simply mean that there will be a continuing spillover of violent activity from larger cities into more urban and rural areas.

At some point, there is a law of diminishing returns for criminals, which simply means that you cannot keep robbing, assaulting and robbing the same people over and over again within the confines of a small geographical area, he stated.

Also, as the rule of order evaporates from our country as a whole, a more chaotic climate continues to grow and spread. Ultimately, if unchecked, this will lead to a despotic government obtaining power under the guise of keeping people safe.

Ginn expressed concern that faltering respect for law and order fuels the rise of what he calls intercultural crime.

You see that also when police officers are wounded or killed in the line of duty, or they are accused of excessive force during an arrest, said Ginn. As the lack of respect for the laws of this country [grows], then we should expect to witness more of these intercultural crimes, which I believe is already beginning to take place.

FBI Director Christopher Wray discussed a significant jump in police murders as part of an overall increase in violence against police in 2021 during an appearance on CBS 60 Minutes last week.

Wray reported that in the last year alone, officers were being killed at a rate of almost one every five days.

FBI data reveals a nearly 60% increase in police killings in 2021, including the murders of 73 officers.

Violence against law enforcement in this country is one of the biggest phenomenons that I think doesnt get enough attention, Wray told 60 Minutes."

The FBI director said many of the officers who fell victim to the violence were killed in ambushes or while out on patrol simply because of their position as police officers.

Wearing the badge shouldnt make you a target, Wray asserted in the interview.

Ginn warns that the crisis is much bigger than just one community and calls upon the church of Jesus Christ to step up and step out to reach those who may seem to be furthest from help.

Christians need to learn to be Christ-followers, he stressed. There have been many programs created through Christian channels to not only prevent crime, but also to help in the rehabilitation of those caught in the web of crime with an emphasis on the victims of crime first and then the accused secondarily."

Ginn encouraged churches to provide programs for evangelism, discipleship, literacy, real mental health assistance, job training and life skills with real-life jobs at the end. He concluded that while only God can change the heart of an individual, Christians must be about getting our hands dirty and not totally relying on a government who seeks to do good without God in a very bumbling way.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced in a meeting with senior government officials that discontinuing Beijing's zero-COVID policy will not happen anytime soon. He also issued a warning against critics of the measure.

During the assembly of the seven-member politburo standing committee, China's highest decision-making body, Xi insisted that the government's response was "scientific and effective."

He also told officials to "unswervingly adhere to the general policy of dynamic zero-Covid." He emphasized that China has "won the battle to defend Wuhan," and the country will "certainly be able to win the battle to defend Shanghai." as per a translation by Bill Bishop of Sinocism in a report from The Guardian.

China is the final major economy currently dedicated to a policy of containment and elimination of the virus, despite the increasing rates of infection of the Omicron variant. Lockdowns, mass testing, and movement restrictions based on health codes have been mainly maintained throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.

There were 4,696 new cases reported in China, with 4,269 in Shanghai and 70 in Beijing. Henan province, whose capital of Zhengzhou was recently placed under lockdown, reported 79. The government decided to postpone the Asian Games, which were set to take place in Hangzhou in September. New dates will be revealed in the future, according to the Olympic Council of Asia.

Xi Sends A Message to Critics and Doubters

During his speech, Xi stated that his leadership "will resolutely struggle against all words and deeds that distort, doubt and deny our epidemic prevention policies." Furthermore, he slammed the "problems of inadequate understanding, inadequate preparation and inadequate work [and] resolutely overcome the ideas of contempt, indifference, and self-righteousness."

Health experts concur with Chinese officials that vaccination and booster rates are too low, and healthcare resources are unequally distributed across the country, which puts the country at risk if it decides to open up.

Officials of the government have defended the rigorous zero-tolerance policy, claiming that it was necessary to safeguard the vulnerable and prevent a surge in fatalities, per South China Morning Post.

Thousands of cases were reported daily in Shanghai after more than a month of lockdown, though nearly all patients were asymptomatic.

Read Also: Sweden Disappoints NATO by Not Joining Due to Mistrust of the US-Led Military Block That Shuns Neutrality

Economists, Scientists Get Censored on Social Media

Authorities have blocked calls from mainland scientists and economists to reconsider the zero-tolerance policy. Some analysts' social media accounts got shut down when they expressed concerns about the lockdown's impact on the economy.

If Shanghai-style lockdowns persist, economists predict a worsening economic condition. By the end of the year, one analyst estimated that the thrice-weekly testing system already in place in Beijing and other cities would cost $257 billion, or 1.5% of China's GDP, in 2021.

Many Shanghai residents have resorted to social media in the last five weeks to seek assistance and vent their frustrations about severe food scarcity and lack of access to health services. According to CNN, some residents screamed and banged pots and pans from their windows, while others fought with police and health workers in the streets, an unusual sight in a country where the opposition often gets punished.

However, the latest announcement from China's senior officials makes it apparent that the government will keep relying on prompt lockdowns, mass testing, and quarantine to combat the highly communicable Omicron variant in the coming months.

Related Article: Xi Jinping Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is China's President

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Roe v. Wade on the ash heap of history?

I can tell you precisely where I was when I heard the news of the leaked draft opinion by

Justice Alito overturning Roe v. Wade as unconstitutional. I was driving home to Nashville after having gone to Charlotte to attend Southern Evangelical Seminarys graduation ceremonies.

I immediately pulled off the road at a rest stop and gave thanks to my Heavenly Father for granting pro-lifers this apparent victory. I had been working toward this day since January 20, 1973, when Roe was first decided, striking down virtually every law limiting abortion in all 50 states. The sweeping and unprecedented decision took the contentious issue of abortion out of the political arena, thus making the issue far more divisive in American life than it would otherwise have been, as even the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg acknowledged.

When I heard the news, conveyed to me over the phone by a Christian Post colleague, the image that immediately leaped to my mind was of young people marching in pro-life rallies, carrying placards that proclaimed, WE SURVIVED ROE, ROE WONT SURVIVE US!

The first time I saw that particular placard was several years ago when I was participating in a protest against the opening of the largest abortion clinic in the world outside China. The clinic was in a seven-story building with the 7th floor reserved exclusively for late-term abortions (viable babies who would survive and flourish if they were placed in incubators instead of being killed).

This protest was particularly poignant for me since the hospital was in my boyhood hometown in Houston and was located adjacent to the neighborhood in which I grew up.

I was encouraged by these exuberant youngsters, confidently declaring their gratitude for having been born, and dedicating themselves to defeating the decision that had unleashed the culture of death on America.

As I visited with these young people in this and subsequent marches, I was impressed with just how aware these young people were and burdened by the fact that somewhere between 25% and 30% of the babies conceived the year they were born were killed before they could be born. They felt a moral obligation to speak up for those in their generational cohort who could not speak for themselves.

The last week has provided an instructive tutorial on the present state of the woke left in America. When someone (probably a very liberal law clerk for a very liberal Supreme Court justice) leaked a draft of a Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, an explosion erupted.

We have no idea how much relationship there is between the leaked opinion draft (reportedly from early February) and any later drafts that may exist.

Since the leaked draft of the majority opinion, in this case, strikes down the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the current thinking is that the perpetrator took this desperate action in a last-ditch attempt to rally public support and to intimidate at least one of the justices into changing his or her position. The leaked draft, like the oral arguments, indicates a 5-3-1 split on the decision with five justices (Alito, Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Thomas) in the affirmative, three dissenters (Breyer, Kagan and Sotomayor), and one justice trying to split the difference by declaring the Mississippi law constitutional, but declining to jettison Roe (Roberts).

And for the younger readers, let me remind everyone that it is not as if it hasnt happened before. (cf. Justice Anthony Kennedy ultimately wrote the decision upholding abortion rights in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992 after initially voting to overturn Roe.)

Of course, this kind of pressure on the court could backfire with Chief Justice Roberts potentially going over to Alitos side to demonstrate that neither he, nor the Court, will be intimidated by threats of violence.

Threats of violence? Yes! Enough concern has been articulated that some might threaten physical violence to the justices or their families for affirming Alitos draft, that Senators Cornyn (R) and Coons (D) have initiated federal legislation to provide federal protection for the justices. A group called Ruth Sent Us (referring to the late Justice Ruth Ginsburg) is planning to send protestors to the homes of six justices supporting overturning Roe and are paying people to go protest at the justices homes.

It should be said at this point, that everyone should read Justice Alitos majority opinion for themselves. If they do so, and they are fair-minded, they will describe his 98-page draft as precise, a comprehensive legal presentation of why Roe v. Wade and its companion case Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) was unconstitutionally decided in the first place and justice demanded they both be overturned.

One of the arguments utilized by the defenders of Roe is the legal concept of stare decisis, that Roe was settled law and established precedent. Pro-lifers response to that is succinct. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), enshrining racial segregation was not overturned until Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which was a span of 58 years. The span between Roe v. Wade (1973) and the overturning of Roe in the Alito decision is a mere 49 years.

It is foolish to seek to discern the truth with the mere passage of time, and it is never too late to do the right thing.

It is somewhat baffling to read the rhetoric of the woke left. Thursdays USA Today stands as an example. Under the headline Overturning Roe would be devastating to life by Susette Hackney. My question to Ms. Hackney is simply this, Whose life? Abortion certainly devalues the unborn babies who are killed, approximately 60% of whom are estimated to be girl babies. Since these babies may statistically face more challenges in life than their fellow citizens who are predominantly born into two-parent families, Ms. Hackney would mitigate their potential suffering by killing them.

The pro-abortionists and their accomplices in the woke media proclaim that rescinding Roe would eliminate abortion in America. Unfortunately, it would not. It would just send the issue back to each state legislature. Currently, about half the states would enact or activate fairly restrictive laws. Very liberal states like California, Massachusetts, and New York would continue to enact extremely radical laws.

Radical! Yes, it is radical when you pass laws allowing the baby to be killed until it is fully born and separated from his or her mother, like the laws in New York and the one pending in California.

All rescinding Roe does is to return the issue to the people to decide, state by state. It is called democracy!

Most Americans do not agree with the reasons put forth for approximately 90% of the abortions occurring in America every year.

Let me close by making clear the kind of legislation I would be willing to support as an American citizen. My public policyposition is that the only valid reasons for an abortion are a direct threat to the mothers continued physical life, pregnancies that result from rape reported in a timely manner, biological incest, and obvious medical fatal deformities in the unborn baby.*

These exceptions, taken together, would result in a reduction to about 1% of the abortions perpetrated each year in the United States. The ugly fact is that most of the abortions taking place in the U.S. every year are performed because at least one parent considers the child to be too embarrassing, too expensive, too ill, or merely too inconvenient.

May God help us!

*My personal moral position is that the only valid moral justification for taking a human life through abortion is to defend a human life (namely, the mother). I am not a pacifist, though I believe lethal violence is permissible to defend human life.
Franklin Graham condemns Biden's insinuation that abortion rights come from being 'a child of God'

Evangelist and prominent conservative Christian Franklin Graham has criticized President Joe Biden's recent insinuation the right to abortion comes from being a child of God."

As the contentious issue gains a renewed prominence in American politics ahead of an anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision and the leak of a draft opinion, Biden spoke on the abortion issue Wednesday during a speech at the White House.

His speech came two days after Politico published a leaked draft opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, suggesting that a majority of justices support overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

In Dobbs, the justices consider the constitutionality of Mississippis 15-week abortion ban.

This is about a lot more than abortion, Biden warned, adding that it reminds him of a debate he had decades earlier with Robert Bork, who then-President Ronald Reagan nominated to serve on the Supreme Court in 1987. Borks nomination was ultimately defeated, making him the most recent Supreme Court nominee voted down by the Senate.

Bork believed the only reason you had any inherent rights was because the government gave them to you, Biden said. I said I believe I have the rights that I have not because the government gave them to me, which you believe, but because Im just a child of God, I exist.

Rev. Franklin Graham, the CEO of Samaritans Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, condemned Biden, saying the president implies that the right to an abortion comes from being a child of God.

Mr. President, thats just not true, Graham stated in a tweet Thursday. Being a child of God does not give you the right to take the lives of the innocent. Abortion is a sin  simply put, its murder.

Yesterday @POTUS Biden said that the right to an abortion comes from being a child of God. Mr. President, that is just not true. Being a child of God does not give you the right to take the lives of the innocent. Abortion is a sinsimply put, its murder.https://t.co/T9TUO5D0DC  Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) May 5, 2022

Biden suggested that the draft opinion in Dobbs becoming the final ruling would lead to a slippery slope.

What are the next things that are going to be attacked? the Democrat asked, arguing that the "MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that's existed in American history."

The president specifically mentioned the 1965 case of Griswold v. Connecticut, which struck down a Connecticut law banning married couples from obtaining contraception and is widely seen as setting a precedent for Roe v. Wade by creating a right to privacy.

Griswold was thought to be a bad decision by Bork and my guess is by the guys on the Supreme Court now, Biden said, rejecting the idea that there is no right of privacy.

Biden seemingly compared a decision in the Dobbs case to states passing laws proclaiming that children that are LGBTQ cant be in classrooms with other children due to the way the decisions written.

Biden had previously expressed displeasure at the draft opinion in Dobbs on multiple occasions leading up to his comments Wednesday.

When asked about the draft opinion before boarding Air Force One en route to Alabama Tuesday, Biden said the rationale used to reach a decision overturning Roe would affect every other Supreme Court decision relating to the notion of privacy.

If the rationale of the decision as released were to be sustained, a whole range of rights are in question  a whole range of rights, he said. And the idea were letting the states make those decisions, localities make those decisions would be a fundamental shift in what weve done.

Justice Samuel Alito, the author of the leaked draft opinion in Dobbs,wrote that our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right.

Alito maintained that nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.

Biden indicated that he was not prepared to leave abortion law to the whims of the American people.

In a statement Tuesday, Biden described a womans right to choose as fundamental because Roe has been the law of the land for almost 50 years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned.

He vowed to work to pass legislation that codifies Roe at the federal level. The legislation in question, the Womens Health Protection Act, has already passed the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives but failed to pass the Senate. The Senate has scheduled a second vote on the measure for Wednesday.

A decision overturning Roe would leave the issue of abortion up to each state.

Twenty-one states have bans or stricter restrictions on abortion that would go into effect in the absence of Roe. Meanwhile, 16 states have codified the right to abortion into state law and 10 states that have not codified the right to abortion will see no significant changes in their abortion laws. Three states may have their abortion laws determined in referendums in the near future.
Iran will get what it wants

After several months of intense negotiations, its looking more and more unlikely that an agreement will be reached as the U.S. attempts to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal. The talks have reached a stalemate over a couple of key sticking points.



One is that Iran demanded that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) be removed from the U.S.s Foreign Terrorist Organizations list. Because the IRGC is a proven organizer and executor of terrorist activities that have killed many people  going as far back as the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. military servicemen  the U.S. has balked.

Another is that the U.S. asked Iran to stop seeking vengeance for the assassination of IRGC commander Qassem Solemaini in January 2020. Iran refuses.

Though the prospects of an agreement look dim, Iran holds the winning hand regardless of what happens next.

Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov has publicly boasted about how the Iranian negotiators are getting everything they want. In an interview, he said, They fight for every comma, every word, and as a rule, very successfully  Iran got much more than it could expect. Much more  Iran got more than frankly I expected, others expected. This is a matter of fact. He then added, Our Chinese friends were also very efficient and useful as co-negotiators. We could rely on each other on many, many points.

Whats more, the severe economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Iran in an effort to punish the ruling mullahs are having a diminished impact. Irans growing relationships with Russia and China have provided it with abundant opportunities for trade and much-needed cash. In March 2021, Iran and China committed to a 25-year agreement in which China will pour $400 billion into infrastructure projects in Iran in exchange for oil.

The U.S. White House, in the meantime, would see a renewed agreement as a much-needed foreign policy win  especially after the disastrous exit from Afghanistan in August 2021. The U.S. abandoned a $1 billion embassy, $300 million in improvements to Bagram Air Base, and $7 billion in military weapons and supplies. For the U.S. to leave so recklessly and make possible a Taliban takeover of the country has made allies wonder about the likelihood that the U.S. will jettison, without advance warning, other overseas military and diplomatic commitments too.

As for the nuclear talks, Iran has little motivation to be restrained by an agreement anyway. As confirmed by the U.N., it has already violated a previous version of this agreement. And the White House has stated it is concerned that Iran may be very close to developing a nuclear weapon.

Either the U.S. caves and gives Iran what it wants, or Iran walks and does what it wants.

All along, Iran has ensured the U.S. administration ends up with a losing hand. And this has left the world with a more dangerous Middle East.
Grace City Church in Florida ends affiliation with Hillsong over scandals

Leaders of the fast-growing, multi-campus Grace City Church in Lakeland, Florida, announced that they have ended their affiliation with the global Hillsong Church after the denominations founder, Brian Houston, resigned over misconduct.

The announcement comes in the wake of the Australia-based Hillsong Church losing nine of its 16 American church campuses in recent weeks stemming from a series of ongoing scandals that erupted amid the pandemic with the firing of former Hillsong NYC Lead Pastor Carl Lentz in November 2020 over leadership issues and moral failures, including being unfaithful to his wife, Laura.

Some of the abuses have also been the subject of a documentary called Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed on Discovery Plus. The Christian Post also recently published details from a leaked report highlighting accusations of abuses at Hillsong NYC under Lentzs reign. They included, among other things, the alleged mishandling of incidents of consensual or non-consensual sexual interaction between church leaders and congregants, staff, volunteers, or non-churchgoers.

It impacted us in that these are people I love. Carl Lentz was and is a friend. So its devastating, its heartbreaking, Andrew Gard, co-pastor at Grace City Church, told The Ledger.

Gard, who leads the church with his wife, Christina, added: We feel bad for everyone that is involved.

The Florida pastor explained that while they have always been our own nondenominational church, they had a relationship with Hillsong Church that functioned like an emergency covering.

If I had a moral failure, our local church council could have gone to Hillsong to see if this is restorative or does Andrew need to be fired," Gard told The Ledger. "Or number two, if my wife and I were killed in a car accident and they had to find new senior pastors, our council could have worked with Hillsong to help us in that.

Gard said that while he watched the documentary on Hillsong Church before deciding to cut ties with the denomination, "It was about the news that came out about Pastor Brian that did it for them.

Houstons resignation came after it was revealed that two women made serious misconduct complaints against him in the last 10 years.

Before announcing Houstons resignation on March 23, Hillsong Church said he violated the church's pastoral code of conduct by entering the hotel room of an unidentified woman for 40 minutes while under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs during the churchs annual conference in 2019.

Houston reportedly didn't recall having sex with the woman, and the woman did not say they had sexual relations.

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.

Last month, it was revealed that John Mays, a high-level Hillsong Church representative had 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.

In his letter, 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 about Houstons time in the hotel room with the unidentified woman.

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? Mays asked.

Gard said his church is heartbroken by the scandals and that while he doesnt believe the scandals are reflective of the entire church when it comes to leadership character is important.

Decisions have consequences, and we understand that," Gard said. "Character matters in what we do, and rightfully so. Our church for the last few years has operated in a way thats above reproach and above board.
More pastors say they have considered quitting, cite stress, loneliness and politics: study

Driven to despair by stress, loneliness, political divisions and other worries like their church being in decline, more pastors now say they considered quitting their jobs compared to a year ago, new data released by the Barna Group show.

The research draws on data collected in surveys conducted in January 2021 and March 2022 that show the share of pastors who have given serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry within the last year, increasing from 29% in 2021 to 42% in March of this year.

Data collected for the 2021 study was collected online from 413 Protestant senior pastors from Jan. 2227, 2021. While the data collected from March 1016, came from an online survey of 510 Protestant senior pastors.

More than half of pastors, 56%, who considered quitting full-time ministry in the last year, said, the immense stress of the job was a huge factor behind their thinking. Beyond these general stressors, two in five pastors, 43%, report that I feel lonely and isolated, while some 38% say current political divisions made them think about calling it quits at the pulpit.

An equal 29% share of pastors also said they felt like quitting because they werent optimistic about the future of their church; they were unhappy with the impact the job had on their family or they had a vision for the church that was in conflict with where the church wanted to go. Another 24% of pastors say they considered quitting because their church is steadily declining.

While pastors who have not considered quitting experience some of the same challenges highlighted by those who have considered it, the research shows that the difference maker for them is their mindset to ministry.

Some 83% said they did not consider quitting because they believe in the value of their ministry; 75% say they have a duty to stay and fulfill their calling to ministry, and 73% say they are satisfied with their job. A majority of pastors who have not considered quitting also cite strong family and community support and confidence in their ability as leaders.

The March measure of discontent among pastors also reflects a steady increase in the share of pastors who reported last October that they were seriously considering leaving full-time ministry as they struggle with their overall well-being amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly four out of 10 mainline Protestant pastors, or 38% of them, said they were seriously considering leaving full-time ministry in October.

Joe Jensen, Barnas vice president of church engagement, told The Christian Post at the time that the growing number of pastors now looking to leave their full-time positions is cause for alarm.

This particular stat, this is the highest weve ever seen it, Jensen said, pointing to the burnout he believes many pastors are experiencing in the wake of the pandemic.

Weve been tracking this in our State of Pastors report that we did with Pepperdine University in 2016, 2017. We didnt have this exact stat but we were tracking burnout. [And] pastors were feeling burnout and the risk factors involved, Jensen said.

He explained at the time that pastors, in general, shy away from counseling and mentoring, but they need to understand that its OK to ask for help.

Pastors traditionally dont feel comfortable for a number of different reasons to seek out counseling, to seek out mentoring. You know it needs to be OK within a Church community and the Church culture for a pastor to say, you know what? I need help. I need some counseling. Im struggling emotionally, he said.

But to be quite frank, for whatever reason, a lot of pastors dont feel comfortable being vulnerable within a leadership context, he added. I really think that churches need to communicate and say, Hey pastor, its OK not to be OK.'"
Majority of US Evangelicals say they favor secular charities, study finds

For many Evangelical Christians in the United States, there is a gap between what they say and how they give charitably, researchers say.

According to findings in a study released Thursday, more than half of Evangelical Christians in the U.S. prefer to support secular charities rather than faith-based ministries or other organizations.

Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research asked over 1,000 Evangelical Protestants in the U.S. to name their favorite charity or ministry to support. The findings, released in the report The Favorite Charity: Evangelical Giving Priorities, were a bit unexpected.

While the vast majority of Evangelicals, 84%, said they would rather support Christian organizations than non-Christian ones, only 46% of Evangelical donors actually named a faith-based organization as their favorite to support.

The remaining 54% of respondents named a secular organization as their favorites.

Based on the study's results, Infinity Concepts founder Mark Dreistadt said he's concerned that Evangelicals prioritize secular organizations over faith-based groups.

Certainly, Evangelicals can and should be concerned about things such as adult literacy, homelessness or pollution, Dreistadt said in a statement. But it is noteworthy that so many are making secular organizations their very top priority, especially when there are solid Christian organizations doing work similar to some of these secular favorites.

Of those who said they prefer supporting Christian organizations, more than half said they would support organizations that have their Christian faith as a major part of the work they do, compared with 32% who prefer to support organizations that have a Christian background or perspective but are not necessarily conducting specifically Christian work.

The study also found that Christians who give are relatively monolithic in the organizations to which they give. In total, 19 different brands collectively represent the favorite organization for 53% of Evangelical donors.

Of those brands, the five most popular  St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Samaritans Purse and UNICEF  were named the favorites of 34% of all Evangelical donors.

Evangelical donors also closely mirror American donors in general regarding which causes they favor, with specific diseases such as cancer or diabetes (19%) and international relief and development (18%) being the most popular among Evangelicals, the study found.

Larger organizations also tend to draw more Evangelical donors. Just 12% of Evangelical donors named a favorite organization with revenues under $10 million.

According to the study, the average total IRS Form 990 annual revenues of the organizations favored by Evangelicals is $1.07 billion.

Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research, said the research indicates todays ministry leaders and strategists may need to readjust their fundraising plans.

In reality, Evangelical donors are very similar to other donors, said Sellers. Many ministry leaders need to broaden their strategic thinking and understand how entirely secular organizations have made such broad inroads into the Evangelical population. The competition for the donor dollar is much broader and stronger than some leaders recognize.

The study mirrored similar findings from Grey Matter Research conducted last year. While most Evangelicals say tithing, giving 10% of one's income to the Church, is a biblical commandment, only an estimated 13% engage in regular giving at church. In comparison, half give away less than 1% of their income annually.

The study, The Generosity Factor: Evangelicals and Giving, found that the average Evangelical donated on average $2,545 total over the preceding 12 months  $1,923 to the Church and $622 to charity. Evangelicals gave a median of $340 to the Church and $50 to charity, totaling $390.
Oregon schools place tampons in boys' and girls' restrooms for 'menstrual dignity' State advises schools to say 'menstruating students' instead of girls

Schools in Oregon will place menstrual products in all student restrooms, including the boys bathroom, reportedly to affirm the right to menstrual dignity for their transgender, intersex, nonbinary, and two spirit students.

The Oregon Department of Education released a Menstrual Dignity for Students Toolkit in March, instructing schools to place womens hygiene products in the boys and girls restrooms by the end of the 2023 school year. All education providers must also provide instructions on how to use the products in a way that is "medically-accurate" and affirms students gender identities.

The toolkit also advises schools to use gender-affirming language" when talking about menstruation, such as menstruating students instead of girls. During puberty education, staff members should say, someone with a uterus and ovaries may begin to menstruate instead of girls may begin to menstruate.

In addition, the document says that schools should use the term menstrual products instead of feminine hygiene products for the sake of inclusivity. When referring to students, the toolkit suggests using students, folks everyone, learners, or they/them instead of boys and girls or he or she.

Oregons Department of Education appears to be complying with House Bill 3294, The Menstrual Dignity Act, signed into law last year by Gov. Kate Brown. The act requires schools to provide free menstrual products for all students in elementary, middle and high school. The legislation also created the Menstrual Dignity for Students Program to alleviate the economic and experiences of shame that can prevent access to period products.

A statement released in support of the bill cited a joint study conducted by Thinx Inc., a period solutions company known for creating period-proof underwear; and PERIOD, a youth-led nonprofit that combats period-related stigma. The study analyzed 1,000 U.S. teens ages 13 to 19 and their access to menstrual products.

The survey suggested that one in five teens cannot afford the cost of menstrual products, and one in four have reportedly missed class due to a lack of access to period products. While the study said economic barriers pose a significant barrier, it asserted that cultural and structural obstacles are also part of the problem.

Under the act, schools were required to provide dispensers in at least two restrooms per school and all restrooms by this upcoming July.

Roseburg High School published a November article in its student newspaper, Orange R, titled, Students Perspective: Menstrual Dignity Act. Sage Acree, a sophomore at the time, said she found out about the free products via a school email and then saw them in the bathroom.

Im glad they added products in the bathroom for the girls, but when the products are literal garbage, it doesnt really help a lot of people, she said in a statement to the paper, noting the poor quality of the feminine hygiene products.

Another student, Jaiden Cerda, also a sophomore at the time, provided a guys point of view about the presence of womens hygiene products in the boys bathroom. The teen disclosed that many boys were using the products in a disrespectful way rather than how they should be used.

Its not good because its against the law, and if you get caught, you can get into huge trouble, Cerda.

Oregon is not the only state to require schools to place menstrual products in the boys and girls restrooms. House Bill 156 in Illinois was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last August, requiring schools to provide free menstrual products in boys and girls restrooms for grades four through 12.

During debates about the Illinois legislation, Washington Examiner reported that State Rep. Kathleen Willis said the bill is necessary to address the health needs of female students who identify as the opposite gender.

If you are biologically a female, but identifying as a male, youre going to menstruate and youre going to need these products, Willis said.

Christian organizations, like Focus on the Family, believe that God only created two genders, encouraging Christians and encourages Christians seek to live in grace and truth.

Though your child may be confused or influenced by messages to the contrary, we believe theres comfort in the assurance that God created your child in His image  distinctly male or female," the organization stated in a 2017 document.

While the organization contended that there is no quick fix or easy answer for individuals who may be suffering from gender dysphoria, it proposed prayer, counsel and the power of the Holy Spirit as potential tools for helping children embrace their biological sex.

As a parent, you have the opportunity to encourage and nurture your child toward embracing this truth and pursuing Gods design for his or her life, Focus on the Family wrote.
Pro-abortion activists call for protests at churches on Mother's Day after Supreme Court draft leak

A pro-abortion group is threatening and urging others to disrupt services at Catholic and Evangelical churches this weekend as the fallout from this week's leaking of an initial draft opinion that could overturn the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade continues.

Ruth Sent Us, which describes itself as a group working to force accountability using a diversity of tactics from the 6-3 extremist Supreme Court, is urging abortion supporters to stand at or in a local Catholic Church Sun May 8" as a show of support for Supreme Court precedent that has legalized abortion nationwide.

A video accompanying a May 3 tweet containing a call to action shows pro-abortion protesters dressed in Handmaids Tale costumes chanting abortion on demand and without apology as they walk through a Catholic Church as organ music plays in the background.

Whether youre a Catholic for Choice, ex-Catholic, of other or no faith, recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe. Stand at or in a local Catholic Church Sun May 8. #WarOnWomen#MothersDayStrikepic.twitter.com/v2vtpd12Gp  Ruth Sent Us ???? (@RuthSentUs) May 3, 2022

Whether youre a Catholic for Choice, ex-Catholic, of other or no faith, recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe, the group warned as it promoted the hashtag #MothersDayStrike.

The push for protests at Catholic masses comes after Politico published a leaked draft opinion regarding the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health. According to the leaked initial draft, five of the nine Supreme Court justices voted to uphold a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks gestation.

The initial draft opinion for Dobbs, which is not final and could change, did not receive the support of six extremist Catholics. While opinion author, Justice Samuel Alito, is Catholic and Catholic Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas also backed the draft opinion, the fifth justice who supported the draft opinion, Neil Gorsuch, is Episcopalian.

Although Chief Justice John Roberts is Catholic and part of what Ruth Sent Us describes as the 6-3 extremist Supreme Court, he did not sign onto the draft opinion.

Another video posted Tuesday by Ruth Sent Us featured protesters dressed in Handmaids Tale outfits declaring: For 2000 years, the Catholic Church has been an institution for the enslavement of women.

In the tweet, the group declared: This is what Mothers Day should look like in Catholic and Evangelical Churches nationwide.

The Catholic Church is among the most outspoken critics of abortion, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines abortion as gravely contrary to the moral law.

There are calls for a #MothersDayStrike. We support it, along with @StrikeForChoice whos planning a day of walk-outs on Thu May 12. #DefendRoe



This is what Mothers Day should look like. Catholic and Evangelical Churches nationwide: pic.twitter.com/BxvGhBGodn  Ruth Sent Us ???? (@RuthSentUs) May 3, 2022

The group CatholicVote is urging Catholic parishes across the U.S. to take the threat of disruption seriously.

In a statement, CatholicVote Communications Director Joshua Mercer noted that the organization "might have blown off the words of these activists at empty threats" in past years.

But given the recent rash of very real attacks on Catholic statues and churches, it makes sense to be cautious, he added.

Mercer alleged a pattern of anti-Catholicism among the Ruth Sent Us activists.

If they wanted, they could have just focused on the issue of abortion, he said, recalling their characterization of several Supreme Court justices as extremist Catholics.

Instead they chose to highlight the Catholic faith of some of the pro-life justices.

He warned Catholic churches to keep your eyes open," calling the activists ruthless people" who are "looking for a confrontation.

As a cause for concern, Mercer cited a TikTok post documenting a video of activists marching toward the doors of a Catholic Church accompanied by the caption, Sometimes a******s need a beating."

The pro-abortion activism of Ruth Sent Us extends beyond their call for a #MothersDayStrike.

The group plans to hold an event titled Walk-by Wednesday outside the homes of the six extremist justices next Wednesday to pressure them to reverse their opinion before the final ruling is published.

A map on their website identifies the streets that the six Republican-appointed justices live on but does not give their exact addresses.

Mercer expressed concern about the safety of the Supreme Court justices going forward.



Were talking about human beings with children," he said.

Ruth Sent Us derives its name from the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who consistently voted to strike down abortion restrictions as unconstitutional throughout her 27 years on the bench.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her entire life moving the needle towards justice for all, the group maintained. She believed, and we believe that women deserve trust, black lives matter, love is love, and no human is illegal.

While Ginsburg developed a consistently pro-abortion voting record on the Supreme Court, she also expressed concern that the Roe decision short-circuited the democratic process.

As Alito explained in his draft opinion in the Dobbs case, Ginsburg suggested in a speech at New York University School of Law in 1993 that the 1973 Supreme Court decision may have halted a political process, prolonged divisiveness and deferred stable settlement of the issue through the legislatures.

Ruth Sent Us is just one pro-abortion advocacy group kicking its activism into high gear following the leak of the draft Dobbs opinion.

The group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights has developed plans for a Week of Action next week. The week will kick off Sunday with a campaign to post videos on social media, asserting that motherhood should be a choice." The campaign calls for a nationwide effort to rally outside of churches.

WE MUST NOT LET WOMAN-HATING FASCISTS like Amy Coney Barret, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh & Thomas decide the fate of half of humanity. #RoeVWade



WOMEN ARE NOT INCUBATORS!

Abortion On Demand & Without Apology!



Rise Up & Wear #Green4Abortion during the week of resistance May 8-14 pic.twitter.com/ZhwTlLram5  Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights (@riseup4abortion) May 3, 2022

Additional plans for the week include a chalk your town initiative. On Monday, activists are called to print and post posters," while a green-out featuring art installations and murals is slated for Tuesday. The group wants mass banner drops Wednesday and a national student walk-out Thursday.

The week will conclude with nationwide die-ins on Friday and mass protests on Saturday, May 14.

The group encouraged supporters to wear #Green4Abortion during the week of resistance.

A decision in the Dobbs case is expected by the end of June. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the issue will be decided on a state-by-state basis.

Specifically, 21 states will have more restrictive abortion laws and, in some cases, will completely ban the procedure, 16 states will see no changes in their abortion laws as they have codified the right to abortion in state law and 10 additional states will see no immediate changes in their abortion laws.

Voters in three states may have the chance to amend their states abortion laws at the ballot box in the near future.
'I am valuable': Republican Senate candidate reveals she was conceived by rape

A Republican Senate candidate has been publicly sharing her personal story as a child conceived in rape as the issue of abortion takes center stage following the release of a draft U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

Kathy Barnette, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the open Senate seat in Pennsylvania, posted a video on her Twitter page Tuesday titled It wasnt a choice. It was a life. A tweet accompanying the video read: Im the byproduct of rape. My mother was 11 when I was conceived. In the world the Left desires, I would have never been born.

Im the byproduct of rape. My mother was eleven when I was conceived.



In the world the Left desires, I would never have been born.



We need leaders with a steady hand to direct our nation through these difficult discussions.



Help me by sharing my story:https://t.co/JNGw8gNts0pic.twitter.com/lqzufvxzQR  Kathy Barnette (@Kathy4Truth) May 3, 2022

In the video, Barnette recalled how after seeing her birth certificate for the first time, she discovered that her mother was just 12 years old when she gave birth to her. That just really struck a chord in me because I realized just how young my mother was when something so horrible had visited upon her, an emotional Barnette said. Even to this day, its a very hard word to say but my mother was raped.

Barnette added that her father, who raped her mother, was 21 years old. Barnettes mother, Mamie Jo, appears in the ad and described her experience as devastating before explaining that her mother told her, youre pregnant, so were going to get through this.

She helped me get through it, Mamie Jo added. I dont want to use the word choice. She was going to be born. I didnt have a choice to say, youre going to live or Im going to abort you. That wasnt a choice for me, and I thank God it wasnt a choice for me.

Barnette explained that discovering the circumstances that led to her conception gave her a greater appreciation for my mother and helped me to forgive a lot of the mistakes someone at that age, having gone through such trauma, would have made in their own parenting.

She further maintained that it definitely made me become very adamant about the sanctity of life, of all life, regardless of their conception, regardless of how they arrived.

I am valuable; Im worthy and my life has purpose, she added. Barnette lamented that even among Christians, even among staunch conservatives, an exception to the rule of being pro-life for many is in the case of rape.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

After highlighting her marriage and two children, Barnette proclaimed that none of this would have happened if the exception to the rule had applied. Barnettes mother offered a similar view, opining, Regardless of how old you are and how the child was conceived, that child deserves a chance.

If I hadnt made that choice, where would I be at right now? she asked. Without my daughter.

Barnette noted that her mother still experiences trauma from her rape, stressing that the trauma has already been inflicted and that the child should not be inflicted with the consequences that squarely belong on the one who inflicted the trauma. She also declared that aborting me would not have eased the trauma that my mother suffered. Aborting me would not have allowed me to be in a place today where I can now take care of my mother.

Im eternally grateful that they chose to allow me to be born, Barnette declared.

Her Twitter post featuring the ad came one day after a draft Supreme Court majority opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health was leaked. In the draft opinion, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade and the 1992 Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which created and upheld a right to abortion, respectively, must be overruled.

The content of the draft opinion, which is not final, generated outrage among supporters of Roe and pro-abortion advocates. One of the most common arguments against reversing Roe and allowing each state to make its own laws on abortion involves concerns that women who have been raped will have to raise a child against their will. Barnette is not the only child conceived through rape to passionately reject the premise that women should be free to abort their children if they were conceived through rape.

Christian Post columnist Ryan Bomberger identified himself as the 1 percent used to justify 100 percent of abortions in a 2019 article. He expressed gratitude that my biological mother was raped, yet she rejected the violence of abortion, enabling him to be adopted and loved instead. Bomberger echoed Barnettes analysis on the value of children conceived through rape, signaling support for the radical notion that we all have equal and irrevocable worth regardless of how our lives began.

According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls taken of the Pennsylvania Republican Primary, Barnette has the support of 10.8% of Republican primary voters, coming in third behind businessman Dave McCormick and television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz. The most recent poll of the race, conducted from April 1113 by the Trafalgar Group, measured Barnettes support at 18%, slightly behind Oz and McCormicks respective support at 23% and 20%.

Before April, most of the polls showed Barnette as one of several candidates with support in the single digits. The primary election for Pennsylvanias Senate race is scheduled for May 17. Whoever wins the Republican primary will face off against a Democrat in Novembers Senate race, most likely Lt. Gov. John Fetterman or Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa. The seat is open, as incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey has decided to forego running for re-election.

Barnette previously ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, seeking to represent Pennsylvanias 4th Congressional District. She lost to incumbent Democrat Madeleine Dean by 19 points in a district President Joe Biden carried by 24 points in the 2020 presidential election. If elected to the U.S. Senate, she would become the first African American Republican woman to serve in the chamber.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will lead his country's 'Victory Day' celebration on May 9 to showcase Russia's tremendous arsenal and convey a chilling "doomsday" warning to the West as Moscow troops continue their attack on Ukraine.

The ceremonies marking the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany might be used to reinvigorate Russia's faltering invasion, with Putin's patriotic speech set in front of numerous troops, tanks, rockets, and missiles on Red Square during the parade, per Mirror.

For the first time since 2010, Russia's 11-80 "doomsday" command plane will fly above during the remarks. The flying command center was constructed as a covert mobile base for Russia's leaders in the occurrence of nuclear war, and its existence is being perceived as a sharp caution to western observers.

In that scenario, the Il-80 is designed to function as the roaming command center for the Russian president. It is packed with technology, but specific details are Russian state secrets.

Putin Portrays Invasion of Ukraine to Soviet Union's Battle Against Nazis

The 69-year-old Putin has compared the conflict in Ukraine to the struggle faced by the Soviet Union when Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, launched an invasion in 1941, as per a report from Reuters.

When the Kremlin chief announced the invasion of Ukraine, which he dubbed a "special military operation," on February 24, he said that the effort "to appease the aggressor on the eve of the Great Patriotic War turned out to be a mistake that cost our people dearly."

He added that Russia "will not make such a mistake a second time."

At the beginning of the invasion, Putin stated that one of the key objectives was to "denazify" the country. When Putin spoke to a flag-waving throng at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium in mid-March, banners promised a "world without fascism." His forces frequently wear the orange-black St George's ribbon, which has become a symbol of both the triumph in WWII and the conflict in Ukraine, according to The Guardian.

Read Also: Xi Jinping Stays Firm On Zero-COVID Policy, Warns Critics Amid Residents' Cry For Help

Putin also portrays the conflict in Ukraine as a fight to defend Russian speakers from Nazi persecution and to protect Russia from what he calls the US threat represented by NATO membership.

The charge of fascism is dismissed by Ukraine and the West, who argue Putin is waging an unjustified campaign of aggression.

Just Pure Propaganda

Several people regard Putin's "denazification" statements as pure propaganda. Other plausible justifications for Russia's invasion of Ukraine include fear of NATO expansion, post-imperial hatred for Ukrainian cultural identity, and a secluded ruler who spent the COVID-19 pandemic in a bunker contemplating his legacy.

During World War II, the Soviet Union lost 27 million people, more people than any other country. Putin has campaigned in recent years against what he regards as attempts in the West to rewrite the war's history to diminish the Soviet victory.

Apart from Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat in 1812, the downfall of Nazi Germany was Russia's most treasured military victory, although both catastrophic invasions from the West left Russia highly sensitive about its boundaries.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amazon Covers Abortion Expenses, School Librarian Convention Features Men In Drag, And Biden Speaks On National Day Of Prayer

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 06:58 06:58

Amazon announced Monday that it would cover up to $4,000 in travel expenses to employees seeking non-life-threatening medical treatments, including abortions, joining a growing list of corporations offering their employees abortion coverage.





School librarians from across Texas gathered last week in Fort Worth for an annual convention that featured a pair of men in drag and symposiums about teaching kids to become anti-racists and embrace other social justice ideologies.





President Joe Biden has spoken of the United States having a new hope and a moment of renewal as the nation observes the National Day of Prayer.





Leaders of the fast-growing, multi-campus Grace City Church in Lakeland, Florida, announced that they have ended their affiliation with the global Hillsong Church after the denominations founder, Brian Houston, resigned over misconduct.




Over 200 evangelical leaders lobby Congress to pass immigration reform

More than 200 evangelical leaders are urging members of the U.S. Congress this week to fix what they described as a broken immigration system by working to pass immigration reform, which they say is consistent with their calling as Christians to embrace radical hospitality.

The pastors, faith leaders and activists participated in approximately 50 meetings with U.S. Senators or their staffs Tuesday and Wednesday, with meetings occurring virtually and on Capitol Hill. The meetings occurred days after a group of bipartisan senators reportedly met last week to discuss options for passing immigration reform this year.

Derwin Gray, the lead pastor of Transformation Church South Carolina and a prominent voice in the multiethnic church movement, was among the many who participated in the meetings.

The Evangelical Immigration Table and other faith-based organizations sponsored a press conference Tuesday, where faith leaders discussed their efforts.

Gray expressed a desire to see smart, reasonable immigration reform that not only secures our borders ... but also secures the dignity and worth of human beings.

Gray, the author of the book How to Heal Our Racial Divide, called for action to protect Dreamers, illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. He called specifically for a pathway to citizenship.

The pastor stressed that he was not calling for amnesty" and that his views on immigration are consistent with his core values as a follower of Jesus."

[E]very single human being is worthy of dignity, honor, respect and love," Gray said, concluding by pushing for immigration laws that reflect how great our country actually is, with reasonable policies so that lives can be transformed.

Galen Carey of the National Association of Evangelicals, which brings together more than 40 denominations from a wide range of evangelical traditions as well as many other evangelical organizations, schools and networks, moderated the discussion during the press conference.

Today and tomorrow, more than 200 evangelical pastors and leaders are meeting with their members of Congress and staff  to talk with their leaders about the urgent need for action for bipartisan, commonsense immigration reform proposals, which are before the United States Congress, Carey explained.

In addition to Carey, pastors and individuals associated with faith-based charities who are among those meeting with members of Congress delivered remarks at the event.

Kathryn Freeman of the evangelical refugee resettlement organization World Relief, the humanitarian arm of NAE, also advocated on behalf of Dreamers, saying they are valuable to our churches." She described them as young men and women who have served their country and churches by volunteering as Sunday school leaders and youth leaders.

Were concerned that they might not be able to stay in the country that they love, the only place that they have ever known, Freeman said. Dreamers deserve a place in our country and they deserve a place in our churches.

Pastor Reid Kapple of Christ Community Church in Olathe, Kansas, said that his wish list for immigration reform extends beyond a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers to include a permanent pathway for the thousands of Afghan refugees" brought to the U.S.

Kapple is grateful for the immediacy of bringing these evacuees" to the U.S. amid the Taliban's rise after the U.S. military's departure from the country last year. He said Afghan refugees find themselves in a very unfortunate and ultimately unhelpful status as parolees.

That status only has a two-year shelf life to it, Kapple said. As of this day, there is no action in Congress to provide a permanent clear pathway forward for these new neighbors of ours.

Kapple said Christians are the recipients of a radical hospitality, maintaining that the Gospel compels us to emulate the nature of our hospitable God. He highlighted the actions of his church to welcome, to resource, to provide jobs for the Afghan refugees while urging Congress to take action to ensure that they can remain in the U.S.

Pastor Manuel Mendoza of the Spanish-speaking congregation Morningside Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, called for U.S. immigration law to reflect the lens of Scripture that shows compassion and mercy not just for the widow, not just for the orphan but, of course, for the stranger as well.

I think many Christians would be surprised or shouldnt be surprised at the number of times God uses the word sojourner or stranger throughout the Old Testament, Mendoza said.

More than a year into the 117th U.S. Congress, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to provide a pathway to citizenship for illegal alien farm workers. Also, the House also passed the Dream Act, which would give Dreamers a path to citizenship.

While both pieces of legislation attracted some degree of bipartisan support in the House, they have stalled in the Senate, where most legislation requires 60 votes to pass.

A poll conducted earlier this year sponsored by the Immigration Forum found that 82% of born-again Protestants support Republicans and Democrats working together on immigration reforms that strengthen border security, create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, and ensure a legal, reliable workforce for Americas farmers and ranchers.

However, a poll conducted in September 2021 by the Public Religion Research Institute revealed that only 47% of white evangelicals support granting illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship.
Pro-life activists offer $25K reward for information leading to indictment of late-term abortionist

Pro-life activists are offering a $25,000 reward for information that could lead to the indictment of a Washington, D.C., abortionist as the firestorm about the disposal practices for aborted babies at the abortion clinic continue.

The pro-life group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising is holding demonstrations in front of government office buildings and an abortion clinic in the District in an effort to get justice for the five full-term babies believed to have been born alive before they were killed at the Washington Surgi-Clinic.

The bodies of the deceased babies were discovered inside a medical waste bin by pro-life activists Terrisa Bukovinac and Lauren Handy. The five babies were among over 100 babies' remains found inside containers as they were being loaded onto a hazardous waste truck destined for Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services in Baltimore, Maryland, for incineration.

The protests and $25,000 reward are part of PAAU's #JusticeForTheFive campaign.

The first protest took place outside the Washington Surgi-Clinic, where Bukovinac and Handy obtained the medical waste containers filled with the remains of 110 babies aborted during the first trimester and the five full-term aborted babies. It was at this protest that the pro-life activists announced a $25,000 reward for any whistleblower willing to come forward with evidence that could lead to the indictment of Dr. Cesare Santangelo, the longtime abortionist who works at the clinic.

Bukovinac and Handy held a press conference last month detailing how they obtained the container outside the abortion clinic. At the event, they called on the D.C. Medical Examiner to perform autopsies on the aborted babies, citing concerns that they were victims of partial-birth abortions, an illegal late-term abortion procedure.

The pro-life activists asserted that the injuries sustained by one of the full-term babies marked for disposal, whom they named Harriet, strongly imply that she was the victim of a partial-birth abortion.

Bukovinac also launched a petition addressed to Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Medical Examiner, demandingan autopsy and investigation into the deaths of these children, to know whether any violations of federal law have been committed by notorious late-term abortionist [Cesare] Santangelo.

So far, the D.C. Medical Examiners Office has insisted that it has no intention of performing an autopsy. Bowser seems unlikely to push for an investigation, as she has told Republican lawmakers that Handy was under investigation for extremist anti-abortion activity and tampering with fetal remains by the Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, offenses she characterized as serious violations of federal law.

Bukovinac decried Bowsers allegations of law-breaking on the part of pro-life activists as virtue-signaling to pro-abortion radicals. Noting that Bowser had received an endorsement from the pro-abortion advocacy group Emilys List, Bukovinac remarked that Its an election year for her and ... I think that she is just simply trying to virtue-signal to Emilys List and to pro-abortion politicians and people within the District.

It was not her smartest move to taunt Congress in that way to treat these babies lives as if they do not matter, suggesting that somehow Lauren and I broke federal law when we have done no such thing. Its not entirely surprising, but it definitely wasnt her smartest move.

Additionally, the pro-life activists asked the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute Santangelo for violations of the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Bukovinac brought up how undercover video footage obtained by the pro-life group Live Action documented Santangelo discussing how he does not use feticide.

Bukovinac stated that feticide is administered in most abortions conducted after 20 weeks gestation to give the unborn baby a heart attack, which helps prevent a live birth and the excruciating pain of total dismemberment. She cited Santangelos admission that he does not use feticide as well as the advanced gestational age of these babies and their intact condition as evidence that the likelihood that some were born alive is undeniable.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Bukovinac added: We know that Cesare Santangelo has been doing abortions, elective abortions up until birth in the district for decades and when any time someone is doing late-term abortions like that, there is a concern that they might be relying on partial-birth abortions or even infanticide in order to commit some of these abortions because of the lack of oversight.

Although the pro-life group had planned to hold a protest outside the D.C. Medical Examiners Office Tuesday, the leak of the draft majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health prompted Bukovinac, Handy and other activists affiliated with PAAU to gather at the Supreme Court instead. Bukovinac told CP that the demonstration outside the D.C. Medical Examiners Office will instead take place on Friday.

The planned demonstration at the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters on Thursday will proceed as scheduled.

While the bulk of last months press conference focused on the condition the full-term aborted babies were in at the time of their discovery, pro-life activists also discussed what might have happened to the babies if they hadn't been found.

The truck that Bukovinac and Handy intercepted belonged to the biowaste company Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services. Missy Smith, one of the other pro-life activists who spoke at the press conference, noted that Curtis Bay Energy states on their website that they burn biomedical waste to sustain the energy needs of the Baltimore area.

This means tragically that they have received, transferred and burned the corpses of aborted babies to make electricity for the households and businesses of the Baltimore area, she added. In a statement to the press, Curtis Bay vehemently denied that it converts the remains of aborted babies into electricity.

As stated in client agreements and company policy, customers like Washington Surgi-Clinic are prohibited from disposing of the fetuses and human remains via Curtis Bay Services, the company said in a statement to local news outlet WUSA. Curtis Bay provides its clients with medical waste bags and boxes to use in a manner that complies with applicable law, client agreements and company policy. Curtis Bay continues to fully cooperate with law enforcement.

Reacting to the statement at the press conference, Bukovinac suggested that Its definitely possible that they (Curtis Bay employees) dont know whats in the box. She maintained that the truck driver did not know that the box contained aborted babies and agreed to let her take the container after she told him of her plans to give the babies a proper burial.

The Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services website has a page titled Our Process that explains, For more than 25 years, we have provided the safest and most secure method of medical waste disposal for our clients. Additionally, under current company policy, Our professionally trained and certified personnel collect your material and provide you with the proper documentation before we then transport your material, in full DOT compliance, to our autoclave or incineration disposal facilities.

We manage the largest medical waste incinerator in the United States, the webpage adds. Our sustainable and consistent environmental processing technology generates the lowest carbon footprint when compared to other waste processing technologies, as documented by the [Environmental Protection Agency].

An archived version of the Our Process page on the Curtis Bay website, available on the internet archiving tool The Wayback Machine, looked slightly different. After highlighting its management of the largest medical waste incinerator in the US, Curtis Bay described itself as the only facility in the Northeast Region that utilizes Waste-to-Energy incineration to safely convert infectious/biomedical waste and non-hazardous pharmaceuticals into useful energy. From there, the company discussed its carbon footprint.

The archived version of the Our Process page reflects the way the page looked on July 17, 2021, nearly nine months before the news about the container full of aborted babies broke. LifeSiteNews, which did a report on last months press conference, maintained that the website looked as it did in July of last year when it was compiling the story.

In an interview with CP, Handy explained that pro-lifers have been protesting Curtis Bay since as far back as 2017, adding: This isnt the first time pro-lifers have been on Curtis Bays radar. Handy said the previous protests stemmed from Project Weak Link, where pro-lifers sought to draw attention to medical waste companies that service abortion facilities.

Bukovinac said the changes made to Curtis Bay's website make it pretty obvious that they have something to hide because we opened a box that was destined for their facility that definitely had fetal remains inside the box and there were several changes made to their website right after that discovery. So to me, it indicates that they have something to hide.

The recent discovery of aborted babies marked for disposal by Washington Surgi-Clinic is not the first time the abortion clinic has garnered attention within the pro-life movement. The website Abortion Docs, a project of the pro-life organization Operation Rescue, revealed that Washington Surgi-Clinic and Santangelo were defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that a dilation and extraction abortion performed on a woman whose baby died naturally in the womb resulted in her death.

The lawsuit asserted that the defendants, including Washington Surgi-Clinic and Santangelo, were negligent in their care. Specifically, it claimed that defendants failed to make proper diagnoses; failed to carry out the proper medical procedures; failed to administer appropriate and proper treatment; failed to make proper differential diagnoses; and failed to advise the victim of the risks to which she was particularly susceptible. According to Abortion Docs, the case was settled out of court for unknown amount.

Additionally, a 2017 undercover phone call to Washington Surgi-Clinic made by the pro-life group Priests for Life in conjunction with Abortion Free New Mexico included audio of an employee at the abortion clinic agreeing to schedule an abortion on a baby at 26 weeks gestation for a fee between $6,200 and $7,200.
Amazon to pay up to $4K to reimburse employees' travel for abortions Pro-life leader says new policy 'degrades motherhood'

Amazon announced Monday that it would cover up to $4,000 in travel expenses to employees seeking non-life-threatening medical treatments, including abortions, joining a growing list of corporations offering their employees abortion coverage.

The policy, which is effective Jan. 1, is retroactive and it applies to "treatment" that is not available within 100 miles of the employee's home or if virtual care is not possible.

Abortion is included among the treatments Amazon has promised to reimburse, alongside cardiology, cellular gene therapies and substance abuse disorder services. The company also provides up to $10,000 in annual travel reimbursements for life-threatening issues.

Amazon described the company policy details in a message obtained by Reuters. The new plan is open to U.S. employees or covered dependents enrolled in Aetna or Premera health plans. The announcement of the new policy comes just as Amazon announced that it would no longer offer paid leave to employees diagnosed with COVID-19, and instead offer five days of excused unpaid leave.

National Right to Life Committee President Carol Tobias told The Christian Post that she found Amazon's announcement that it will pay for employees' abortion-related travel expenses "disappointing."

"I think it means there's a large company that would rather kill their employees' children than have to cover maternity expenses and maternity leave," she said. "And, you know, moms can apparently be a financial drag on the corporation. At least that's what they seem to be saying."

"I look at this as a cost-saving measure for the company, which really degrades motherhood. It totally ignores the humanity of the unborn child."

Tobias believes the corporation's announcement is in response to states that are enacting abortion restrictions and engaging in "pro-life efforts to protect unborn children." This may include states poised to implement laws that would reduce or eliminate abortion if the U.S.Supreme Court ever struck down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Such states include Oklahoma and Alabama.

The U.S. Supreme Court is also expected to rule in the coming months on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a decision that could alter the country's abortion laws. At the center of the matter is the constitutionality of Mississippi's 2018 Gestational Age Act, which banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

A ruling in favor of Mississippi would chip away at the precedent set by Roe. A leaked draft opinion in the case suggests that a majority of justices are primed to decide that Roe must be overruled.

Amazon is not the only corporation offering to pay for abortion-related travel expenses. Earlier this year, multinational investment bank Citigroup and customer review website Yelp stated that they would also provide travel benefits for employees leaving the state for an abortion. It is possible these new company policies were a response to pro-life protections like the Texas Heartbeat Act, which went into effect last September. The Texas law prohibits physicians from committing an abortion once a fetal heartbeat becomes detectable, usually around six weeks gestation.

"It's just really sad and disappointing that we would be telling women that, instead of being successful, having a career, their employers can put pressure on them to get an abortion so that the pregnancy doesn't interfere with their job," Tobias added. "That's just the wrong message to be sending to women."

The pro-life leader contends that killing one's unborn child is not an "easy decision," stressing that many women undergo psychological and emotional trauma after an abortion.

According to a 2011 quantitative analysis study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, abortion can substantially increase a woman's risk of experiencing mental health problems. The study found that post-abortive women experience an 81% increased risk of having subsequent mental health issues.

Some studies conducted by abortion proponents claim that there is no correlation between abortion and mental health issues in women and that carrying an "unwanted pregnancy" to term is more traumatizing to women. Other studies from pro-life resources, however, dispute those findings.

The National Right to Life President believes corporations like Amazon, Citigroup and Yelp could better serve pregnant female employees by creating a family-oriented work culture instead of paying for their abortions.

"I would think they should recognize that a woman who is happy if she's got children that add fulfillment to her life, she's going to be a better employee," Tobias said. "You know, create a positive environment. Celebrate the babies, invite the kids to Christmas parties."

"Make it a family-friendly, life-positive environment," she continued. "And I think they would get a lot more out of their employees than pushing death in the atmosphere and the environment."
Retired pastor charged with stealing $357K from Pennsylvania church

A former pastor at a church in Pennsylvania has been charged with stealing over $357,000 from the congregation he served for 40 years.

The Rev. Wayne Peck, who retired from being the pastor of Community House Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh in 2017, turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Peck was charged with receiving stolen property and theft, with the former pastor having allegedly stolen $357,478 from the church.

Detectives said Peck took the large sum from the churchs account at First National Bank via checks made payable to himself and deposited into accounts controlled by himself and his wife.

The Peck family then allegedly used the $357,000 taken from the churchs account to pay their mortgage, travel and meals, and utility bills, the Post-Gazette reported.

The congregation and the Presbyterian Church (USA) Presbytery of Pittsburgh reached out to the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office after they became aware of irregularities in their finances, according to news outlet WPXI.

Julia Gitelman, attorney for Peck, was quoted by WPXI as saying that she believed it was shocking that the Pittsburgh Presbytery has chosen to resolve an honest dispute in this manner.

Peck and his congregation have ties to the More Light Presbyterians, an LGBT advocacy group that successfully lobbied for the PCUSA to change its official position against homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

In 2012, Peck and Jan Leo of Community House Presbyterian received the National More Light Church Award for their efforts, according to the TribLive news site.

On its official Facebook page, Community House Presbyterian describes itself as a progressive community full of intellect and passion.

We celebrate and share the gracious love of God who welcomes everyone to the table of grace, peace and light, stated the church.

At our church, you find more than an intimate community of acceptance and a sense of belonging: you also find your authentic spiritual home.

According to CBS Pittsburgh, the church has about 50 members.
Americas transdemic

Theres a public health crisis sweeping across America right now. A deadly contagion has gripped our population. Children, teenagers, and young adults are most susceptible to it and most seriously harmed by it. No, its not COVID-19. Its worse. Its the highly contagious and transmissible craze of transgenderism and trans ideology that is spreading like gangrene, infecting the minds and poisoning the hearts of our nations children.

The most serious public health crisis in America today isnt a pandemic, its a transdemic. And we must do everything we can to stop it, to vaccinate our nation against it, before it infects and destroys another soul.

Postmodernity plus the sexual revolution paved the way for our society to buy into one of the biggest lies in the history of mankind. What was that lie? Gender identity. The lie was that there even exists such a thing as a gender identity and that it can be separate from, or opposite to, ones biological sex. Further, it is said that gender identity must take precedence over the physical reality of the body. This is the core teaching of gender ideology.

A growth industry

If youre tempted to doubt me, consider this staggering statistic: According to The Gender Mapper, there are now 300 clinics that prescribe puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children in North America. In 2016 there were less than 50, in 2013 there was a handful.

Or this  in 2007 there were only two pediatric gender clinics in the United States  one in New York and one in Washington, D.C. Now, there are dozens all across the country.

Writing for the New York Times, columnist Ross Douthat recently touched on this trend, this drastic uptick in case numbers across the country. He wrote:

According to Gallup, the share of younger Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has risen precipitously in the last decade. Almost twenty-one percent of Generation Z  meaning, for the purposes of the survey, young adults born between 1997 and 2003  identifies as L.G.B.T., as against about 10 percent of the millennial generation, just over 4 percent of my own Generation X, and less than 3 percent of baby boomers. Comparing the Generation Z to the baby boom generation, the percentage of people identifying as transgender, in particular, has risen twentyfold.

Let that sink in. In less than four short generations, there has been a twenty-fold increase in youth who identify somewhere along the LGBT spectrum.

This contagion was manufactured in the lab of the sexual revolution and slowly released into our society and culture over the last few decades by Hollywood, Marxist revolutionaries, gender studies programs on college campuses, and the radical progressive politics of the Democrat party.

The gender ideology industry is leading our children away, down into the depths of hell. Some may come back, but they wont ever be the same. As Brandon Showalter, a reporter with the Christian Post remarked, Some of us wont be shocked by the scope of the carnage when this mass psychosis breaks  Countless young people with endocrine failure, brittle bones, liver and kidney issues, heart disease, rising rates of cancers, and many rendered sterile.



Jennifer Bilek, writing for First Things, explains how The LGBT rights agenda  note the addition of T has become a powerful, aggressive force in American society. Its advocates stand at the top of media, academia, the professions, and, most important, Big Business and Big Philanthropy.

Bilek continues, Although activists present the LGBT movement as a weak, powerless group suffering oppression and discrimination, in truth it wields enormous power and influence  power it increasingly uses to remake our laws, schools, and society.

They arent just remaking our laws, schools, and society. They are also remaking our children.

And this brings me to the story of Tree.

A cut-down tree

Whatever you do today, I want you to also do one more thing. I want you to make sure that you take the time to read this one blog, a harrowing and heartbreaking essay shared by a male de-transitioner who goes by the name Tree. On his Substack, A Cut Down Tree, he posted an article entitled, Purification Rites: An autobiographical essay.

Trees account is particularly moving.

He writes:

I didnt want to be a man. I didnt want to be big and hairy. Men scared me. Id seen my mom assaulted when I was young, and I didnt want to be like the man whod done that to her. The idea of testosterone poisoning made sense to me because maleness itself terrified me. Id been bullied a lot in school by other boys, and a lot of that bullying involved sexual abuse  groping, inappropriate touching, striking my butt and genitals, and verbal harassment (wolf-whistling and yelling sexual comments at me). These, I felt, werent the sorts of things that happened to men. My suffering was only legible if I was a woman. This background made me vulnerable to the ideology of transgenderism. I had no friends in high school and spent a lot of time online, and I was exposed to the burgeoning social justice/woke movement before it entered the mainstream. When I connected to the internet, I was inundated with messages about the violence of maleness. This wasnt just toxic masculinity  I saw feminists saying all masculinity was toxic, that all men were rapists, all men were oppressors, all men should be killed. As a white man, I was directly responsible for all of the oppression experienced by women and people of color.

For Tree, a straight, white, male, the message was loud and clear  everything he was by birth, by nature, was wrong. He was the worst of the worst. His mere existence was a scourge on society. The mind worm of madness had begun to infect him.

Tree hauntingly remarks that, My transition wasnt driven by fetishism or misogyny. I was just a lonely, wounded child. All I really wanted was to be loved.

Unfortunately, he found love in all the wrong places. He notes that, This trans phase might have also passed on its own  if it werent for the Queer Youth Center.

At the Queer Youth Center, they affirmed my identity, introduced me to trans activists, and encouraged me to engage in activism myself, he wrote, adding, (The activism is a central part of the trans movement  these people dont want you to just transition, they also want you to spread the ideology. This moral drive to proselytize is part of how the movement has spread so quickly.)

Note again the religious language. Its not enough for you to catch the disease, they demand that you disciple others into the illness as well.

And so, with his mistaken female gender identity Tree felt like he had to transition. He would pursue the self-purification  even though he clearly didnt know what he was doing.

"I saw the surgery as a rite of purification. I felt that by removing a part of myself I would become whole. Years of online grooming and ideological brainwashing had made me delusional, but no one pushed back on it."

He immediately regretted the surgery. But there was no going back.

A call to present action and the hope of future wholeness

Assuming you are moved by the same pathos that I am for this man, then logically the next thought must be, What can we do? What can be done to help put an end to the writing of such tragic stories?

Christians across the nation must put all of their political energy, at every level, into purifying our society of trans ideology. It must be banished from the public square, the public schools, and our public imagination.

We need a shutdown  of all gender clinics. We need a lockdown  of all Queer Youth Centers. We must do what it takes to stop the gender ideology-driven trans madness that is maiming and killing our kids. So-called gender-affirming surgeries for minors must be made illegal. Whatever it takes  thats what we must do.

To that end, let me recommend four resources that you can begin using to inoculate yourself, and others, against this deadly  this demonic  virus.

While we must hate the ideology and those who are willing to push it on children for their own nefarious agenda, we must also have great compassion and love for those who have been made to suffer under it. As we fight, we must hold out Gospel hope. At the heart of the trans sickness is the same sickness that has infected mankind from the beginning: sin.

The trans movement acts as if Romans 1 is a list of instructions to be followed and not the ringing indictment of sin that it is. The trans movement is the apotheosis of self; men and women seeking to play God over their plastic bodies, as they now reach down into their flesh, trying to turn men into women and women into men. Its ultimately an act of high-handed rebellion. So whatever else it is, it is a sin  and so we need a Savior to solve it.

Praise God that a Savior is provided in the form of a God-man, who took on flesh for us. Far from demanding that we purify ourselves, which always was an impossible task, Christ instead bore the wrath of God so that we might be made pure, be made holy, through Him.

We cannot redeem our fallen nature, as sinners, without humbly asking for a heart of flesh that only comes through the new birth by the Spirit. In that sense, Tree was onto something. He needed to be remade, reborn. Not on the outside, but from within.

I fear much ground has already been gained by the transgender movement. Still, Christ is King, and we are His subjects, willing or not. And He is a gracious King, who may yet bring restoration now even as we await future redemption.

After all, this is the King who had a word of hope specifically for eunuchs, to those like Tree, who feel cut down or cut off. A word of promise that they can, in fact, be made whole. Perhaps not entirely in this life, but most assuredly in the life to come, in eternity. This word comes from Isaiah, and with it, we will close:

Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say,

The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.

And let no eunuch complain,

I am only a dry tree.

For this is what the Lord says:

To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenant 

to them I will give within my temple and its walls

a memorial and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that will endure forever.

Isaiah 56:3-5

Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.
How Christians should respond to Dobbs

A leaked draft majority opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, which would overturn Roe v. Wade and return abortion regulation to states, has important ramifications for Christians seeking to uphold the sanctity of human life.

Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences, reads Associate Justice Samuel Alitos draft. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peoples elected representatives.

Some disclaimers are necessary: A draft does not necessarily indicate a final opinion; justices have changed their minds before. The source of the leak, and that persons motives, remain unknown, although taking action to disrupt the integrity of the judicial process should be universally vilified no matter what ends were intended. Nevertheless, Chief Justice John Roberts has confirmed the drafts authenticity.

If the Court is overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the question for Christians becomes: whats next? Many will be stunned to find a precedent that stood for nearly five whole decades fallen like Ozymandiass statue to the ground. So much prayer and advocacy have been dedicated to the destruction of Roe that a post-Roe world will look unfamiliar. How do we respond to such a groundbreaking shift?

Christians should give thanks and praise to God for such a decision if it is handed down. It is He who works justice for the oppressed. It is He who rescues from death. It is He whose scepter holds sway over all the rulers of the Earth and whose court will never issue a decision that needs to be overturned.

Even amid our celebration, Christians should not forget to lament the horrific damage wrought in America by abortion. The National Right to Life Committee, via data from the Guttmacher Institute, estimates that there have been nearly 63.5 million abortions in the U.S. since Roe was decided. Each of these lives had inestimable value in the sight of God, and they should be mourned and remembered. That is to say nothing of the scourge of abortion felt around the world, practiced in the name of liberty in some nations and in the name of science and practicality in others, and continually gaining new legal enshrinements and recognitions as a supposed human right.

Christians should be clear-eyed about the future of abortion. The Sexual Revolution rages on, manifested in the proliferation of apps for quick hookups, the reworking of education to include anti-Biblical sexual messaging at ever-younger ages, and a divorce rate that should make us shudder. Therefore, sex and pregnancy in America will often remain untethered to committed, stable marriages and the resulting sway of abortion will be powerful.

Moreover, while some states will have laws prepared to go into effect the moment Roe is overturned, or will pass laws soon after, many others will not. Sadly, many cities with large underprivileged populations, where abortion is prevalent, will be included in the latter category. Abortion will be legal in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and countless other cities. In swing states, with cities like Philadelphia and Detroit, the legality of abortion may change with tides of political momentum. Even in states that do outlaw abortion, the question of how it should be policed and penalized will be contentious. The fight to defend unborn life in our nations laws will be far from over.

Most importantly, Christians should respond with compassion. If more children are now put up for adoption, we should be the first to provide them with loving and welcoming homes. If desperate mothers are in need of a job, a ride to doctors appointments, money, housing, food, or diapers, we should be the first to meet those practical needs. If their children need babysitters, friends, or male role models, we should be eager to build a Christ-like community around them.

Christians should be so enthusiastically, overwhelmingly kind toward expecting mothers that even the most ardent feminist begins to question whether motherhood is really the severe burden that they thought it was. Frankly, in the post-Dobbs landscape, Christians will need to have offered pregnant women our help before they get a call from a friend with a Planned Parenthood bumper sticker and a tank full of gasoline offering a ride across the state border. We should strive for a world in which a woman has barely read the positive result on her pregnancy test before the thought crosses her mind that the Church in her neighborhood will be able to help. We should strive to provide that kind of assistance because Gods grace is on our side, and because lives depend on it.

Finally, Christians should look ahead to a day when the curse of the pain of childbirth will be removed, tears wiped away, and death swallowed up in victory. Our hope is not in any judge except the Judge of all, any king except the King of Kings, any law except the one that God will write on His peoples hearts and minds, any life except the imperishable life that is hidden with Christ in God. Let us thank God for blessings he gives in his providence until that day, and hold fast to our hope that all things will be made new.

Originally published at Juicy Ecumenism.
Sudanese couple face flogging for adultery' after court nullifies marriage over Christian conversion

A young Christian couple in Sudan who have two children together face 100 lashes on charges of adultery after a Sharia (Islamic law) court nullified their marriage due to the husbands conversion to Christianity, according to a report.

The couple, 34-year-old Hamouda Tia Kafi and 25-year-old Nada Hamad Shukralah from Al Jazirah state, got married in 2016 when both were Muslims and troubles began two years later after Kafi put his faith in Christ, Morning Star News said.

Shukralahs family filed a case in a sharia court, which dissolved their marriage, as apostasy was a crime punishable by death at the time, it explained.

In 2021, Shukralah also converted to Christianity and returned with their two children to her husband, as Sudan had decriminalized apostasy a year after the end of President Omar al-Bashirs Islamist regime. Both are members of a Baptist church.

However, socially, conversion was still not accepted.

Shukralahs brother charged them with adultery under Article 146 of Sudans 1991 criminal law based on the Sharia courts annulment of their marriage, leading to the couple's arrest last August.

While the couple got bail four days later, the charges remained.

The court has interrogated the couple after two of the witnesses told the court that the marriage between the couple is illegal. As a result, they are accused of adultery, their attorney was quoted as saying.

Amid growing threats from hardline Muslims, in particular Shukralahs brother, their next hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, the attorney said.

In the case of adultery by an unmarried person, Article 146 calls for a sentence of flogging and expulsion from the area. If the convicted is married, adultery is punishable by death by stoning under Article 146.

After regularly being included among the worst countries in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, Sudan was removed from the U.S. State Departments list of countries of particular concern" in December 2019. The "CPC" list designates nations that tolerate or engage in egregious violations of religious freedom.

However, advances in religious freedom lasted for only two years in Sudan until a military coup last October.

The coup brought back fears of repression and harsh implementation of Islamic law, as an Islamist deep state rooted in former President al-Bashirs 30 years of power remains influential.

Sudan is still the worlds 13th most dangerous country for Christians, according to the Open Doors 2022 World Watch List.
Its much more free-flowing than a traditional art fair, and that encourages the exchange of ideas

Nazy Vassegh, founder of Eye of the Collector, on why she has teamed up with Christies to present a global online platform for her art fair, alongside the physical event in a spectacular neo-Gothic mansion in central London

Eye of the Collector is a new art fair for a new era. I felt that collectors were fatigued by the formulaic white wall fair model, says Nazy Vassegh, its founder and CEO. I wanted to bring the joy of collecting back to the art fair and curate a collaborative show that delivers something fresh and exciting to the market. In two short years, Vassegh has done just that. The inaugural edition of Eye of the Collector  postponed for a year due to the pandemic  opened last September to rave reviews from collectors and dealers alike. A smaller, more creatively driven fair, it eschewed the big white tent in favour of a grand domestic setting, with no booths or aisles. It was such a euphoric relief to finally open the doors and watch the joy on peoples faces as they wandered around and reconnected with each other, says Vassegh. I didnt know what to expect, but the response was really positive.

Open a larger version of this image Cross-category works on show at Eye of the Collector in 2021. Photo: Courtesy of Eye of the Collector

Part of the fairs allure, it seems, is its carefully curated cross-category offering. Some 5,000 years of art history, from ancient artefacts to contemporary sculpture, are presented as if in an imaginary collectors home. I think what people particularly enjoy is the fairs immersive nature, says Vassegh, and the sense of discovery and intrigue that comes from juxtaposing artworks old and new.

At Two Temple Place, one of Londons architectural hidden gems, you can really imagine living with the art. Thats a very important element  Nazy Vassegh

This unique curatorial approach resulted in a number of sales that Vassegh believes wouldnt have happened otherwise. The fair pushes the cross-category element in ways that no other fair is doing, she says. You might be looking for a contemporary painting and then unexpectedly fall for a piece of mid-century furniture that you would not have stumbled across in a single-category auction or gallery. Ting-Ying Gallery, for instance, sold a work by the porcelain artist Su Xianzhong to an important collector of contemporary art, while Katie Jones sold a piece by Japanese bamboo master Hafu Matsumoto to buyers with no previous experience in that collecting area.

Open a larger version of this image Lukas Wegwerth (b. 1984), Blankenau dining table, 2022. Unique. Willow, shellac, slate. 75 x 196 x 130 cm. Price on request. Courtesy of Gallery FUMI

Another of the fairs distinguishing features is its splendid home: Two Temple Place, a neo-Gothic mansion commissioned in the 1890s by the American-British businessman, collector and philanthropist William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919), and designed by the architect John Loughborough Pearson, renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. It boasts opulent interiors with wood carvings, frieze reliefs, high ceilings and stained-glass windows by Clayton and Bell. It is one of Londons architectural hidden gems, says Vassegh. The palazzos in Venice, with their encyclopaedic collections and ornate interiors, were a huge inspiration, and the minute I walked in I felt that it was a fitting place to showcase artworks.

Open a larger version of this image Cross-category works on show at Eye of the Collector in 2021. Photo: Courtesy of Eye of the Collector

After all the online-only browsing of the lockdown era, the sensory experience is more important than ever. Collectors are still looking for those moments of surprise, says Vassegh. They still want to connect with the art and feel that sense of visual wonder. At Two Temple Place you can really imagine living with the art. Thats a very important element. With no booths to oversee, gallerists are more likely to roam around and strike up conversations with new collectors. Our format is much more free-flowing than that of a traditional art fair, and that encourages the exchange of ideas, adds Vassegh. Our galleries are only too happy to share their knowledge, which gives people the confidence to push the boundaries of their collecting.

Open a larger version of this image Tizta Berhanu (b. 1991), Protection, 2021. Oil on canvas. 150 x 140 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Addis Fine Art

The second edition of the fair, which runs from 11 to 14 May, features 25 local and international galleries, with nearly half of the works on show by female artists. As a female founder, I thought it was really important to address the gender inequality that still exists in the art world, Vassegh explains. Im happy that Im in a position to highlight the vitality of women artists, both historic and contemporary. Among those she is particularly excited to show is the Ethiopian artist Tizta Berhanu (above). She delves into human emotions and explores the idea of being together and being separated in the most intimate way, says Vassegh. Her work feels especially relevant now, after such a long period of isolation.

Open a larger version of this image Catalina Swinburn (b. 1979), Vetulonia, 2019. Woven paper investiture made from vintage documentation on displaced archaeological pieces from the Persian, Sumerian and Assyrian Empires. 270 x 140 x 140 cm. Price on request. Courtesy of the artist and Selma Feriani Gallery

Another is the Chilean-Argentinian artist Catalina Swinburn (above), who tackles urgent contemporary themes such as displacement, gender inequality and geopolitics. I find her works so dramatic in scale, yet the materials and construction are incredibly delicate and emotional, says Vassegh. Because many of her works can be worn  like the piece shes bringing to Eye of The Collector  she often performs in her own creations. She is the fabricator and the performer, if you like, which is extremely powerful. Other notable highlights include a sculptural dining table by Lukas Wegwerth, made of willow, shellac and slate, which is offered by Gallery FUMI, and a recently discovered early work by Pauline Boty. Presented by Whitford Fine Art, the 1959 painting Golden Nude (below) reflects the young Botys love of Pierre Bonnards bathing images and his bold use of colour.

Open a larger version of this image Pauline Boty (1938-1966), Golden Nude, 1959. Oil on paper laid down on canvas. 69 x 51 cm. Signed and dated lower left. Courtesy of Whitford Fine Art and Boty Family Estate

Also offered for sale is a black-figure Greek eye-cup, circa 520 BC (below left), with a Medusa on the inside of the bowl. Theres another Medusa in Nasty Woman II (below right), a large-scale painting by Eleanor Johnson, which is offered by Gillian Jason Gallery. Its a feminist reinterpretation of the Medusa, Vassegh explains. The artist is questioning societys long-held presumptions of her experiences: victimised and liberated, powerless and powerful. For me, this fair is all about creating new dialogues that will inspire and engage, and this cross-disciplinary pairing does exactly that.

Open a larger version of this image A black-figure Chalcidising eye-cup, Greek, Attic, circa 520 BC. Price on request. Courtesy of Ariadne Gallery Open a larger version of this image Eleanor Johnson (b. 1994), Nasty Woman II, 2022. Oil on canvas. 100 x 100 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Gillian Jason Gallery

Nasty Woman II is one of 10 works especially commissioned for Eye of the Collector. If you are going to be representative of artistic creativity, you should champion contemporary artists as well as the historical greats, says Vassegh. Its incredibly important to me that we support new talent via our platform. An online edition of the fair will run alongside the physical event on eyeofthecollector.com and at christies.com from 11 May. It will feature curated rooms, with selected highlights set against the digital backdrop of Two Temple Place. This will ensure that Eye of the Collector reaches a truly international audience, says Vassegh. Last year we had several enquiries through the online viewing rooms from people who were unable to travel to the fair, with some resulting in notable sales.

Sign up today Christies Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HAVANA (AP)  A powerful explosion apparently caused by a natural gas leak killed at least 22 people, including a child, and injured dozens Friday when it blew away outer walls from a luxury hotel in the heart of Cubas capital.

No tourists were staying at Havana's 96-room Hotel Saratoga because it was undergoing renovations, Havana Gov. Reinaldo Garcia Zapata told the Communist Party newspaper Granma.

It's not a bomb or an attack. It is a tragic accident, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who visited the site, said in a tweet.

Dr. Julio Guerra Izquierdo, chief of hospital services at the Ministry of Health, told reporters that at least 74 people had been injured. Among them were 14 children, according to a tweet from Diaz-Canel's office.

Diaz-Canel said families in buildings near the hotel affected by the explosion had been transferred to safer locations.

Cuban state TV reported the explosion was caused by a truck that had been supplying natural gas to the hotel, but did not provide details on how the gas ignited. A white tanker truck was seen being removed from the site as rescue workers hosed it down with water.

Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia said the hotel was scheduled to reopen Tuesday.

The blast sent smoke billowing into the air around the hotel with people on the street staring in awe, one saying Oh my God, and cars honking their horns as they sped away from the scene, video showed. It happened as Cuba is struggling to revive its key tourism sector that was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuba's national health minister, Jose Angel Portal, told The Associated Press the number of injured could rise as the search continues for people who may be trapped in the rubble of the 19th century structure in the Old Havana neighborhood of the city.

We are still looking for a large group of people who may be under the rubble, Lt. Col. Noel Silva of the Fire Department said.

A 300-student school next to the hotel was evacuated. Garcia Zapata said five of the students suffered minor injuries.

Police cordoned off the area as firefighters and rescue workers toiled inside the wreckage of the emblematic hotel about 110 yards (100 meters) from Cubas Capitol building.

The hotel was first renovated in 2005 as part of the Cuban government's revival of Old Havana and is owned by the Cuban military's tourism business arm, Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA. The company said it was investigating the cause of the blast and did not immediately respond to an email seeking more details about the hotel and the renovation it was undergoing.

The Hotel Saratoga has been used frequently by visiting VIPs and political figures, including high-ranking U.S. government delegations. Beyonce and Jay-Z stayed there during a 2013 visit to Cuba.

Photographer Michel Figueroa said he was walking past the hotel when the explosion threw me to the ground, and my head still hurts.... Everything was very fast.

Worried relatives of people who had been working at the hotel showed up at a hospital in the afternoon to look for them. Among them was Beatriz Cespedes Cobas, who was tearfully searching for her sister.

She had to work today. She is a housekeeper, she said. I work two blocks away. I felt the noise, and at first, I didnt even associate" the explosion with the hotel.

Yazira de la Caridad said the explosion shook her home a block from the hotel: The whole building moved. I thought it was an earthquake.

Besides the pandemic's impact on Cuba's tourism sector, the country was already struggling with the sanctions imposed by the former U.S. President Donald Trump that have been kept in place the Biden administration. The sanctions limited visits by U.S. tourists to the islands and restricted remittances from Cubans in the U.S. to their families in Cuba.

Tourism had started to revive somewhat early this year, but the war in Ukraine crimped a boom of Russian visitors, who accounted for almost a third of the tourists arriving in Cuba last year.

The explosion happened as Cuba's government hosted the final day of a tourism convention in the iconic beach town of Varadero aimed at drawing investors.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is scheduled to arrive in Havana for a visit late Saturday and Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the visit would still take place.

Garcia Zapata said structures adjacent to the hotel were being evaluated, including two badly damaged apartment buildings. The neighboring Marti Theater, the Yoruba Association and the Capitol had broken glass and damaged masonry.

Mayiee Perez said she rushed to the hotel after receiving a call from her husband, Daniel Serra, who works at a foreign exchange shop inside the hotel.

She said he told her: I am fine, I am fine. They got us out. But she was unable to reach him after that.
Gucci now accepts cryptocurrency for payment, joining Off-White as one of the globally leading fashion brands that accept crypto as payment.

For the time being, the Italian brand's payment feature will be limited to a few select stores. However, the addition of the crypto payment option comes with the brand's plan to expand the service to its directly-operated North American stores soon.

According to Bloomberg, Gucci has begun implementing the cryptocurrency payment mechanism in its flagship stores across the country, including those on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, Wooster Street in New York, and the Las Vegas Fashion District.

There are more than 10 cryptocurrencies that it will accept as payment. These include five stable coins: Litecoin, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Wrapped Bitcoin.

It will also accept the very famous meme cryptocurrency coins, Shiba Inu and DogeCoin.

Gucci Joins Cryptocurrency Adaptation

Gucci is adapting early in the crypto payment revolution. This move allows it to infiltrate the vast community and industry of crypto.

As reported by Vogue Business, by summer, the brand aims to implement this payment system in their North American branches.

In-store cryptocurrency payments will be made using a link delivered to the customer through email; the link will contain a QR code that will allow them to complete the payment from their cryptocurrency wallet.

Several Gucci establishments, including those on Wooster Street in New York, Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, the Miami Design District, Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, and The Shops at Crystals in Las Vegas, were among the first to accept cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency payments are typically accepted in physical venues through the use of a QR code or NFC reader on an existing point of sale terminal that communicates with a customer's smartphone cryptocurrency app in a manner similar to that of mobile credit card transactions.

At the time of the transaction, it uses a terminal to find the best crypto-to-fiat exchange rate. It then scans a QR code that the customer's payment app sends. It doesn't have a limit on how much a customer can pay but only gives refunds in local currency. Gucci customers who use cryptocurrency to buy from Gucci will be able to get their money back in cryptocurrency.

The crypto payment system is designed like this to provide ease of transaction and also protection since some currencies are well known for being volatile.

Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Makes It Official: NFTs Coming to Instagram

Off-White's Cryptocurrency Adaptation

Aside from Gucci, another luxury fashion brand known for accepting crypto payments is Off-White. All three flagship stores of Off-White, which was founded by the late Virgil Abloh, have recently welcomed crypto to their stores.

A small number of other premium retail stores have begun experimenting with cryptocurrency payments. Off-White said in March that its flagship locations in Paris, London, and Milan have begun accepting payments in a variety of digital currencies.

Following fraud checks, customers will be able to trade Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Binance Coin (BNB), Ripple (XRP), and stable currencies Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) for Off-White products, with no payment limit following the launch of the service.

Related Article: Crypto Rug Pulls: The Biggest NFT Scams Yet
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Angela Housley was halfway through her pregnancy when she learned the fetus was developing without parts of its brain and skull and would likely die within hours or days of birth, if it survived that long.

The news came during her 20-week ultrasound.

The technician got a really horrible look on her face, Housley said. And we got the really sad news that our baby was anencephalic.

It was 1992 and abortion was legal in Idaho, though she had to dodge anti-abortion protesters outside the Boise hospital after the procedure. If the same scenario were to happen later this year, she would likely be forced to carry to term.

Thats because Idaho, which bans abortion after six weeks, is one of at least 22 states with laws banning abortion before the 15th week, many of them lacking exceptions for fetal viability, rape or incest, or even the health of the woman. Several of those bans would take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, as a leaked draft of the opinion suggests.

Such exceptions were once regularly included in even the most conservative anti-abortion proposals. But as the battle over abortion access heats up, experts on both sides of the issue say the exceptions were a temporary stepping stone intended to make anti-abortion laws more palatable.

Many of the current abortion bans are designed as trigger laws," automatically going into effect if the high court overturns the nationwide right to abortion. That ruling is expected to be released by late June or early July.

Alabama and Oklahoma have enacted bans with no exceptions. Alabama's 2019 law is blocked in federal court but could be reinstated based on the Supreme Court's ruling. The Republican sponsors envisioned the legislation as a vehicle to challenge Roe in court, and said they could add rape and incest exceptions later if Roe is overturned.

Theyre basically using people  in this particular situation, women  as collateral damage," said Democratic Rep. Chris England, the chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party. In the debate, we tried to talk reasonably to them and say, What happens if you win? This is the law, Youre not going to have the opportunity to change it before people get hurt.'

Several other states, including Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas, also have bans or trigger laws in place that lack exceptions for rape or incest, according to the Guttmacher Institute and Associated Press reporting.

Idaho and Utah have exceptions for rape or incest, but require the pregnant woman to first file a police report and then prove to the abortion provider the report was made. Only about a third of sexual assaults are reported to police, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Texas and Idaho allow exceptions for medical emergencies" but leave that interpretation up to physicians, making some critics fear doctors will wait to intervene until a woman is near death.

Public support for total abortion bans appears to be low, based on a Pew Research Center survey released Friday and conducted in March. The survey showed that just 8% of U.S. adults think abortion should be illegal in all cases with no exceptions, and that 61% of adults say abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances. Surveys consistently show that many Americans have nuanced attitudes around the legality of abortion depending on the stage of pregnancy, circumstances of conception and health of the mother or fetus.

Arkansas has two near-total abortion bans  a trigger law from 2019 and one passed last year that is blocked in federal court. Neither have exceptions for rape or incest, though they do allow abortions to save the woman's life. The state also never repealed its pre-1973 total abortion ban with no restrictions.

Republicans in the state were split on the issue last year, with Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Sen. Missy Irvin expressing reservations about the lack of protections for sexual assault survivors.

Do you know how many young girls are on suicide watch because they were raped, because they were a victim of incest? asked Irvin, who ultimately voted for last years bill.

The sponsor of last years ban, Republican Sen. Jason Rapert, defended the lack of exemptions, saying it still allowed the use of emergency contraception.

Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst for the abortion-rights supporting Guttmacher Institute, said that of 86 pending proposals for abortion restrictions this year, only a few  including one each in Idaho, New Jersey and West Virginia  include rape and incest exceptions.

The exceptions were always incredibly limited, she said. "You might think these exceptions are helpful. But in fact theyre so restricted, theyre very hard to use.

Troy Newman, president of the national anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, said exceptions to abortion restrictions for rape and incest and to protect a pregnant womans life in the past have been thrown in there to appease some centrists.

Newman said his group, based in Wichita, Kansas, opposes rape and incest exceptions. Their rationale: Dont punish the baby for the crime of the father.

The Ohio Legislature is weighing a trigger law that lacks sexual assault exceptions. During a hearing last month, the bills GOP sponsor, Rep. Jean Schmidt, caused controversy when she called pregnancy resulting from rape an opportunity for the rape victim to make a determination about what she's going to do to help that life be a productive human being.

She was responding to a question from Democratic Rep. Rich Brown, who asked if a 13-year-old impregnated during a rape would be forced to carry to term.

Rape emotionally scars the individual, Schmidt conceded, "but if a baby is created, it is a human life.

Democratic Rep. Tavia Galonski countered that pregnancy is often traumatic and dangerous on its own, adding: To then force a survivor of rape to carry a pregnancy to term and go through childbirth is utterly vile and only adds to the trauma they have already suffered.

In South Carolina, supporters of a 2021 abortion ban added exceptions for rape and incest because it was the only way to get the law passed. During debate, Republican Sen. Richard Cash argued against the exceptions.

Punish the rapist ... but it doesnt belong on the baby, he said.

Democratic Sen. Mia McLeod responded that it was obvious Cash had never been raped.

Well, I have. Youre looking at a sexual assault survivor, she said, adding that requiring rape victims to carry babies to term could lead them to desperate measures, including dangerous illegal abortions or suicide.

"Im just asking that the men in this body give the women and girls of this state a choice, McLeod said.

New Hampshire has banned abortion after 24 weeks of gestation except for when the woman's health is threatened, though the state will soon add an exception for fatal fetal anomalies. The Republican-led legislature has rejected attempts to add rape and incest exceptions.

Republican Rep. Beth Folsom, who said in January that she is a rape survivor, argued the exceptions aren't necessary because rape victims carefully track their menstrual cycles and wouldnt wait 24 weeks to seek an abortion. An incest exception wasnt needed, she added, because that aggressor is going to make sure that young girl or woman has an abortion before anyone finds out.

Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Pro-Choice Missouri, expressed concern that provisions in laws like the one in Texas that allow abortions past six weeks in medical emergencies, will require doctors to wait until a patient appears to be dying to perform an abortion.

Any of those kind of pieces that are left up to interpretation are generally going to have a broad chilling effect on providers who dont want to jeopardize their career and livelihood and practice and ability to care for other patients, Schwarz said.

Many bans outlaw abortion after six weeks, when vaginal ultrasounds can first detect electrical activity in embryonic cells that may later become the heart. Proponents call them heartbeat laws, arguing that cardiac activity is a reliable indicator of life.

In Idaho, Housley has repeatedly testified against the state's abortion bans in the Legislature, but said the lawmakers were uninterested in hearing about her experience.

My baby had a heartbeat, but thats not the only thing a baby needs, said Housley. Anti-abortion politicians "are not at all interested in the reality of this issue. Theyve hijacked this discussion, and thats why we are where we are.

___

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut and AP statehouse reporters from around the U.S. contributed.
Artists For World Peace / Contributed photo

MIDDLETOWN  Artists for World Peace will host its third annual Buckets of Love event May 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Middletowns South Green on Main Street.

Participants will enjoy live painting, African dance and drumming, healthy snacks and face painting, according to a press release. Afterward, children will be able to take home a container full of art supplies.
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)  A group of civic activists in Croatia demonstrated Friday in support of a woman who was denied an abortion despite her fetus having serious health problems.

The activists stood outside the parliament building in Croatia's capital, Zagreb, demanding that authorities help Miranda Cavajda and ensure abortion rights are respected in the socially conservative country.

Cavajda was 20 weeks pregnant when doctors informed her that her fetus had a brain tumor and no chance of a normal life. She said doctors refused to terminate the pregnancy and advised Cavajda to seek the procedure in neighboring Slovenia instead.

The case has rekindled a years-long debate about abortion in Croatia, a member of the European Union. Abortions are legal and allowed after the 10th week of pregnancy if there are serious health threats to the woman or fetus.

A medical ethics commission is reviewing Cavajda's case. Croatian media reported that doctors said there were unsure of the procedural regulations for ending such an advanced pregnancy.

The existing law that permits abortions dates back to 1978, when the country was part of the Communist-run former Yugoslavia. Croatia became an independent country in 1991, and since then increasingly influential conservative groups have tried to get abortion banned.

President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday described Cavajda's ordeal as an example of conservative regression.

Activists at Friday's demonstration demanded punishment for the medical professionals who denied Cavajda an abortion. An open letter read at the protest said her situation is the fight of every woman.

We are sorry we live in a state which puts someone's beliefs before the dignity, health and life of women and children, the letter read. We stand here united in solidarity.
Illinois legislators are looking at how to modify the states clean energy laws amid warnings of electricity price hikes and possible rolling brownouts coming this summer to central and southern Illinois, but it may be too late.

Ameren Illinois said energy experts say solar and wind energy has not kept pace with generation capacity lost as fossil fuel plants retire.

The high clearing price from the [Midcontinent Independent System Operator] capacity auction could add as much as $13 per month to the supply portion of a typical customer's electric bill, a statement from Ameren said.

The reality for zones that do not have sufficient generation to cover their load plus their required reserves is that they will have increased risk of temporary, controlled outages to maintain system reliability, Clair Moeller, MISOs president and chief operating officer, said in statement days before. From a consumer perspective, those zones may also face higher costs to procure power when it is scarce.

During an Illinois House committee hearing Wednesday, Melville Nickerson with NRG Energy said those prospects are alarming.

The higher energy costs that are unfolding in our state, as well as the potential for rolling blackouts in central and southern Illinois, Nickerson said.

Hes advocating for changes found in House Amendment 8 in Senate Bill 3866 to the states energy law to encourage more flexibility.

J.C. Kibbey with the Natural Resources Defense Council told the committee the problems impacting coal power have been years in the making and the states clean energy law is clear with timelines to close coal fired plants by 2045.

Is there a role for very efficient fossil fuel energy between now and then, yes, and weve acknowledged that in the law, Kibbey said. But continuing to burn fossil fuels after the timeline weve set out is not in the spirit of the law.

Illinois Manufacturers Associations Mark Denzler told lawmakers the situation is repelling investment in Illinois.

And I cant tell you enough the number of companies I hear from across the state that say we are losing our energy advantage, we are losing that battle, and its one of the few things we have at our advantage, and we are giving it away, Denzler said.

More hearings on the issue are expected over the summer in what committee chair state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, said is an attempt to find a balance and not go off a cliff.

State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, said the die is cast on what he called a decade-long war on coal, driving up costs and reducing energy reliability leading to possible brownouts.

And if businesses are making decisions because the energy is not reliable, and the energy costs are through the roof, well thats a problem for downstate because were gonna lose jobs and were going to continue to see population declines in Illinois, Butler said.

Butler speculates that if voters are told they cant turn their air conditioning on during the hottest parts of the summer, or cant turn their lights on, there will be political ramifications come November, when the general midterm election is scheduled.

Outside of committees, lawmakers arent expected back for fall session to take legislative action until after the November election.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Anna Shevchenko waters the few surviving flowers outside her destroyed home in the Ukrainian town of Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv. The house, built by the 35-year-old womans grandparents, was leveled during Russian bombing in late March.

But in her beloved flowerbed this week, some roses, lilies, peonies and daffodils survived, giving her hope. It is new life. So I tried to save my flowers, she said.

The house was left a pile of splintered wood, a closet filled with the family's dust- and debris-covered clothing visible amid the destruction. In one day, the family lost their house and Shevchenkos father lost his leg to an explosion as he tried to flee Irpin.

Shevchenkos flowers were among signs of Ukrainian resilience and resistance during a week of devastating death and loss in the war. In Irpin alone, block upon block of homes were destroyed.

In Zaporizhzhia, Vera Velakanova and Lyudmila Vondarenko were among the many residents who gathered in cemeteries on Sunday, the day Ukrainians mark the day of the dead. The women ate lunch at a table amid the tombstones in the Kapustyanyy cemetery.

Sunday was also the day that some 100 women, children and the elderly were the first to be evacuated from a steel plant in the strategic port of Mariupol where they had been under Russian bombardment for weeks along with about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers in the tunnels beneath the Azovstal steelworks. They arrived in Zaporizhzhia a day later.

The week was also marked by horrific images that offered a rare glimpse of the death and atrocities of the war. In Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, which has been under sustained Russian attack since the beginning of the war in late February, bodies were everywhere.

Among them was the charred corpse of a man, unidentifiable, propped on an anti-tank barrier made of crossed I-beams outside the town, which has been under the control of both sides in recent days.

Elsewhere, the body of another man lay face down in an apartment as Russian bombardments continued in a village recently retaken by Ukrainian forces near Kharkiv.

___

This gallery contains graphic content.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Louisianas longest-serving state fire marshal is stepping down.

Butch Browning is leaving office to become executive director of the National Association of State Fire Marshals later this month, according to Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Browning was first appointed in 2008 and served under two, two-term governors.

Edwards' Wednesday announcement credits Browning with implementing higher safety standards for building and construction, improved arson abatement across the state and development of a robust, responsive, and recognized Urban Search and Rescue program.

The governors office said in a news release that State Fire Marshal Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel H. Wallis will succeed Browning. Wallis career dates back to 1980, when he joined the Zachary Fire Department.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California likely will have an energy shortfall equivalent to what it takes to power about 1.3 million homes when use is at its peak during the hot and dry summer months, state officials said Friday.

Threats from drought, extreme heat and wildfires, plus supply chain and regulatory issues hampering the solar industry will create challenges for energy reliability this summer, the officials said. They represented the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, and the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's energy grid.

State models assume the state will have 1,700 fewer megawatts of power than it needs during the times of highest demand  typically early evening as the sun sets  in the hottest months when air conditioners are in full use.

One megawatt powers about 750 to 1,000 homes in California, according to the energy commission. Under the most extreme circumstances, the shortfall could be far worse: 5,000 megawatts, or enough to power 3.75 million homes.

The only thing we expect is to see new and surprising conditions, and we're trying to be prepared for those," said Alice Reynolds, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates major utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric.

Climate change is driving a megadrought in California, which this year saw the driest January through March on record. Last summer the state for the first time shut off hydropower generation at the Oroville Dam because there wasn't enough water. It's up and running again, but the shutdown cost the state 600 megawatts of power, officials said.

Large hydropower projects generated nearly 14% of the state's electricity in 2020, according to the independent system operator. Renewable energy sources, chiefly solar, accounted for 34.5% and nuclear power made up 10%.

Amid expected shortfalls this summer the state  and residents  have multiple tools to avoid blackouts. Power can be purchased from other states and residents can lower their use during peak demand, but power shortages still are possible during extreme situations, officials said. Reynolds urged people to consider lowering their energy use by doing things like cooling their homes early in the day then turning off their air conditioners when the sun goes down.

In August 2020, amid extreme heat, the California Independent System Operator ordered utilities to temporarily cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers.

Mark Rothleder, senior vice president for the system operator, said the state would be more likely to experience blackouts again this year if the entire West has a heat wave at the same time. That would hinder California's ability to buy excess power from other states. Wildfires could also hinder the state's ability to keep the power on, he said.

California is in the process of transitioning its grid away from power sources that emit greenhouse gases to carbon-free sources such as solar and wind power. As old power plants prepare for retirement, including the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, the state has fewer energy options available. By 2025, the state will lose 6,000 megawatts of power due to planned power plant shutdowns.

Ana Matosantos, cabinet secretary for Gov. Gavin Newsom, declined to share details about what other actions the administration might take to ensure reliability, only saying Newsom was looking a range of different actions." The Democratic governor recently said he was open to keeping Diablo Canyon open beyond its planned 2025 closing.

Meanwhile, supply chain issues caused by the pandemic are slowing down the availability of equipment needed to stand up more solar power systems with batteries that can store the energy for use when the sun isn't shining.

The state officials also pointed to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce into imports of solar panels from Southeast Asia as something with the potential to hinder California's move toward clean energy.

California has set a goal of getting 100% of its electricity from non-carbon sources by 2045, with certain benchmarks along the way including 60% by 2030. Already the state sometimes exceeds that target, particularly during the day. How much power comes from renewable sources varies based on the time of day and year as well as what's available.

Recently the system operator said it hit a record of getting more than 99% of energy from non-carbon sources around 3 p.m., though that only lasted for a few minutes.

Solar power by far makes up the largest share of renewable power, though it peaks during the day and drops off significantly at night when the sun goes down. The state is ramping up battery storage so solar power can continue to be used when its dark, but the state's capacity is still significantly lacking.

Pacific Gas & Electric, which serves about 16 million people in California, has added more battery storage since the 2020 power outages and is working on programs to reduce the energy load during peak demand, spokeswoman Lynsey Paolo said in a statement. The company is conserving water in reservoirs it relies on for hydropower and telling customers how they can reduce demand, she said. Her statement did not mention Diablo Canyon, which the utility operates.

Southern California Edison, another major utility, is working to procure more power, complete its own battery storage project and incentivize customers to use less energy, spokesman David Song said.

Southern California Edison understands how much our customers depend on reliable electricity that is delivered safely, especially during the summer months when customers rely on electric service for air conditioners and fans during extended heat waves," he said.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Pilots and airlines have expressed concerns over an increase in potentially dangerous incidents in Mexico Citys airspace since it was redesigned to accommodate a second airport, including alerts that planes could crash unless action was taken.

They suggest air traffic controllers have been insufficiently trained to operate the newly configured airspace.

In the past year, there were at least 17 incidents of ground proximity warning system alerts for planes approaching Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport, according to a letter the International Air Transport Association, which represents some 290 airlines, wrote this week to the head of Mexican Airspace Navigation Services, the government agency responsible for managing the airspace.

As you know, these alarms, without the quick action of the flight crew, can lead to a scenario of controlled flight into terrain, CFIT, considered by the industry to be one of the highest risk indicators in operational safety, and with the highest accident rate, as well as fatalities, the letter said. The Mexican agency referred a request for comment to the transportation ministry Friday.

The following day, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations issued a safety bulletin drawing attention to such incidents, as well as planes landing with very low fuel after being forced to circle unexpectedly and diversions to other airports because of excessive delays. It also cited significant ground proximity warning systems alerts, including a near collision.

The incidents follow the opening of the new Felipe Angeles International Airport north of Mexicos capital in March. The converted military air base was one of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors signature projects.

It would appear that with the opening of this newly converted airport, (air traffic control) has apparently received little training and support as to how to operate this new configuration in the airspace, the bulletin said.

Mexico's Communications and Transportion Department, which oversees air safety agencies, acknowledged in a statement that there had been one instance of a Ground Proximity Warning System, or GPWS, alert on a plane on June 15, 2021.

But it said that was the only incident that was reported to authorities.

Both the pilots' federation and the International Air Transport Association noted that a factor in the incidents appeared to be air traffic controllers not using standard phraseology in their communications with flight crews. The association requested a meeting with Mexican aviation authorities as soon as possible.

Lopez Obrador cancelled the previous administrations partially constructed airport, which was supposed to replace Benito Juarez, because it was too lavish.

There were concerns at that time that Lopez Obradors plan to operate two airports simultaneously could create problems over the capital. The International Air Transport Association's letter said the incidents had been reported "since the implementation of the first phase of the redesign of the Mexico Valley airspace.

The pilots' federation bulletin said, Crews have received clearances that do not adhere to terrain avoidance restrictions on routes used to approach the Benito Juarez airport. IFALPA declined to comment beyond their safety bulletin and referred questions to their Mexican affiliate.

On Wednesday, Transportation and Infrastructure Undersecretary Rogelio Jimenez Pons told local media the government has decided to reduce the number of flights allowed to land at the old airport by 20 percent. He made no mention of the safety bulletin or the reported incidents.

The reduction is to start in July, and could force about 10 daily flights to the new airport. The government had already said any new flights scheduled into Mexico City will have to use Felipe Angeles, but the new reduction applies to some existing routes.

Jimenez Pons said the old airport had to reduce traffic because it is overloaded and needs updates. He said airlines can choose to go the Felipe Angeles terminal or to an even more distant, largely unused airport in city of Toluca over a mountain pass to the west.

The Mexican pilots association, a member of the international federation, said Thursday that it had requested a meeting with Mexican aeronautical authorities to discuss the situation and share the experiences of its pilots.

It called on Mexican Airspace Navigation Services to address Mexican and foreign pilots reports, seeking in the first place the safety of air operations and the efficiency of our airspace.

One year ago, U.S. regulators downgraded Mexicos aviation safety rating, a move that prevents Mexican airlines from expanding flights to the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration had found that Mexicos ability to oversee its airlines falls short of standards set by a United Nations group called the International Civil Aviation Organization. Those standards cover a broad range of issues including the regulators technical expertise, inspection procedures and record-keeping.

The International Air Transport Association letter alluded to that situation, noting that these incidents without a doubt do not help in the process in which Mexico finds itself immersed, trying to recover its Category 1 (aviation safety rating) that was withdrawn by the FAA last year.

Mexicos National Air Transport Chamber called on the countrys aviation authorities to address with the highest priority the reports that have been made to them for months and make known the diagnosis and the measures to mitigate the corresponding risks.

__

AP writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.
PHOENIX (AP)  A woman waiting in a line to buy food with her young son was killed in a drive-by shooting and investigators do not believe she was the intended victim, Phoenix police said.

Martha Adrianna Alejo, 32, was fatally shot when someone in a car that stopped in front of a business fired shots at people in the line Wednesday night, a police statement said.
The May 2020 dam failures in Sanford and Edenville are providing lessons to communities beyond the Midland area.

A 502-page report released May 4 and authored by a forensic engineering team appointed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, described the Edenville Dam as flawed from the outset.

The report highlights "lessons to be learned," which are likely to support the efforts to address issues with more than 2,200 dams in "poor condition" across the U.S.

According to an Associated Press analysis, thousands of dams are built upstream from homes or communities, likely endangering lives if they were to fail.

An August 2021 interim report identified physical mechanisms that contributed to the failures. Now, the final report explores the human factors that were at play over the course of the nearly 100 years of the dams' existence.

Despite the natural desire to point fingers at a single culprit, the failure cannot reasonably be attributed to any one individual, group, or organization, the report said.

A look at the private ownership prior to failure

Sanford and Edenville dam failures For additional content about the 2020 dam failures and the Four Lakes Task Force visit ourmidland.com. See More Collapse

The report describes the dams as flawed from the very beginning. The factors listed in the report that caused the 2020 catastrophe include decisions made by various organizations involved with the dams over their 95-year existence. For example, the "human factor" section dates back to 1923, when Wolverine Power Company, founded by Frank Wixom, had possession of the dams.

Team Chair John France said the report was unable to fairly identify the human errors made by the private owner of the dams, Boyce Hydro, at the time of the failures.

"The dynamics were clearly complicated. We hear different reports from different sides, (which) were difficult to factually sort out," France explained on Thursday. "How much of that contributed to the speed in which the transfer did or did not happen?

"We really don't know. I don't think I can comment to what degree I would assess the various parties involved."

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission tasked the team to explore the forensics, France said, and applying a legal liability was not the five-member team's mission. One of the members, Irfan Alvi, told the Daily News that the primary issue was that had the instability of the embankment been identified, the private owner would seemingly have been able to financially address the embankment.

However, Alvi said "none of the engineers" involved in the project throughout its history "identified the location as one that would be susceptible to that type of failure."

"It should not be overlooked that had the issue at the embankment been addressed, this failure would not have happened," Alvi said. "That's something the owner would've been willing to do and able to afford to do. But, that was something the engineers had to recommend; that recommendation was never made."

From a physical standpoint, the failure of Edenville Dam was fundamentally an "embankment instability failure that was triggered by a lake level that was historically high, but not high enough to result in overtopping of the dam."

However, the Wednesday report also stated the failure was due to a "long history of interactions of physical and human factors, going back to the original design and construction of the dam."

Earlier in the Thursday press conference, France suggested public ownership, which had been in process prior to the infrastructure failures, could have provided more support prior to the failures.

"If, many years before the May 2020 failure, the dams had become publicly owned or a public-private partnership had been established, sufficient funds would have been available to upgrade the spillway capacity to pass an extreme flood, and therefore the rise of the lake in May 2020 would have been limited and the failure would almost certainly have been prevented," the report reads.

An amendment to the purchase agreement in May 2020 set a closing date of June 1, 2020. However, the purchase agreement was subsequently nullified with the failures, and Midland and Gladwin counties then proceeded to take ownership of all four dams via condemnation.

Delegated authority for four lakes responds

The Four Lakes Task Force is reviewing the report. Communications Consultant Stacey Trapani issued a statement that said the task force agrees that, as stated in the report, "the tragedy of the dam failures could have been avoided."

The task force, which is the delegated authority for Midland and Gladwin counties, plans to provide a "more detailed analysis" after a thorough review of the report's findings. In the Thursday press release, Trapani said the counties' delegated authority will share potential actions and "learnings" that are expected to factor into the current plans and policy advocacy.

"Dam failure is exactly what our community was trying to avoid when on May 19, 2020, the Edenville Dam failed, causing the Sanford Dam to overtop and fail as well," the statement on Thursday continues.

In August 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) engaged the five-member team to investigate the May 2020 dam failures.

"It is important to (the task force) that all the findings of this report are considered in the final design of our dam and lake restoration plans, as well as our plans for future maintenance and operations to keep the four lakes sustainable and safe for this and future generations," the task force's statement reads.
People from cliff village in SW Chinas Sichuan enjoy better lives

People's Daily Online) 13:28, May 06, 2022

 Villagers of Atulieer village, which is situated on a cliff in Zhaojue county, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, pose for photos during an event marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China on the handrail-equipped steel ladder in September 2019. (Photo/Ake Jiushe)

 Photo shows the clean and tidy Muendi community in Zhaojue county, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province. (Photo/Ake Jiushe)

 Photo shows a rattan ladder on a cliff in Atulieer village, Zhaojue county, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province. (Photo/Ake Jiushe)

Residents of a village situated on a cliff in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province are now living a better life, thanks to local efforts in relocating impoverished villagers from inhospitable areas, improving traffic facilities, and developing industries such as embroidery, tourism, and crop planting

Recently, the village upgraded a road built for the development of tourism and built a waterworks. The village is also formulating a plan to develop local tourism, said Pacha Youge, mayor of Guli township of Zhaojue county, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, adding that villagers firmly believe that better days are yet to come.

Atulie'er village in Guli township is nicknamed the cliff village, where a zigzag rattan ladder once provided the only link to the outside world. In 2016, the village began to build a handrail-equipped steel ladder with government funding, making the road up and down the mountain much easier.

In May 2020, 84 registered poor households from the cliff village moved to new houses at poverty-relief resettlement sites with sound public services facilities, including kindergartens, schools, and hospitals, in the county seat of Zhaojue.

Ahuo Aguo, a villager from the cliff village, and members of her family now live at a resettlement site in Nanping community. Our new home is 100 square meters, much larger than our old house in the village. It is clean and tidy, and we like it very much, she said, adding that a kindergarten is within walking distance. Meanwhile, she works as a cleaner in her community.

Ahuo Aguo, who once worked at a garment factory, also makes embroidery works during her spare time and sells some of them for extra income.

Aguos husband, Mouse Labo, is an internet celebrity because of his videos promoting the village. Now he works as a guide for a tourism company in the village and continues to promote the village to the outside world through live-streaming sessions, earning about 4,000 yuan (about $605.4) per month. He usually stays in the village for about 24 days each month, and spends the rest of the month in his new house in the county seat.

New houses at the resettlement sites are spacious and bright and boast a complete set of utilities including water, power and gas supply, Mouse Labo pointed out, adding that people can also work in factories near the resettlement sites.

Mouse Erbu, another villager from the cliff village, moved to his new house at a resettlement site in Muendi community in the county seat. The 42-year-old said the resettlement site is equipped with a kindergarten, and there are primary and middle schools nearby.

Mouse Erbu, who once worked as s a migrant worker, started to learn how to plant navel oranges from agricultural technicians in March 2016. He sold his familys navel oranges worth more than 10,000 yuan in 2018 and over 50,000 yuan last year. Like Mouse Erbu, over 20 households in the village now plant navel oranges.

Pacha Youge, who was the first secretary in charge of poverty alleviation in the cliff village, introduced that the village has developed navel orange and olive planting, as well as chicken and sheep breeding industries.

Villagers can earn income by transferring the use right of their land to a company for growing olives and by working for the company, which also distributes dividends to them, the official said, noting that the village has planted olives on over 200 mu (13.33 hectares) of land.

Shiyi Axi, secretary of the Party branch of Muendi community, pointed out that the community has been committed to helping relocated villagers from the cliff village find jobs and embrace a new life.

According to the official, the community has organized vocational courses for relocated villagers. Last year, six sessions of vocational courses covering electrical work, welding and cooking skills, housekeeping and embroidery of the Yi ethnic group were organized.

The cliff village will continue to develop its collective economy to make the village more beautiful and bring better lives to villagers, Pacha Youge said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
NetDooka is a highly sophisticated malware recently discovered by researchers.

The malware is spread through a pay-per-install (PPI) service. It has several parts, including a loader, a dropper, a protection driver, and a full-featured remote access trojan (RAT) that communicates with the host computer using its own network communication protocol.

NetDooka Malware

When NetDooka infects a user's device, it infiltrates heavily.

The malware has the capability of performing tasks that violate a user's privacy.

According to Bleeping Computer, NetDooka is capable of sending messages, downloading files, recording microphone audio, capturing images from the webcam, copying browser data, and so much more.

Threat actors can gain complete control over an infected device due to this new malware framework.

The malware has been discovered and distributed through the PrivateLoader pay-per-install (PPI) malware distribution service.

There are several components to this formerly unknown malware framework. These include a loader, a dropper, a protection driver, and a powerful remote administration tool (RAT) that uses a proprietary network connection protocol.

The design of the malware's functions looks like it is intended for widespread distribution. How? Because NetDooka is being distributed through the PrivateLoader malware distribution service. This only goes to show the severity it can cause.

Another unique feature of the virus is that it can trigger the spread of a wide range of malware, including Raccoon Stealer, Redline, Smokeloader, Vidar, Mars Stealer, Trickbot, Danabot, Remcos, and many other types of malware.

Additionally, it also has the ability to scan an infected device and bypass any antivirus tools, and if there are any, they will soon be eliminated or disabled.

To keep the RAT component from being deleted or its processes shut down, it is designed to function and install malicious drivers. This means that you can't remove NetDooka or shut down its processes because the drivers are malicious.

Read Also: Apple Employees Criticize Work-From-Home Policy in Open Letter

How NetDooka Attacks

The infection process begins when a user unintentionally downloads PrivateLoader, which is typically obtained through pirated software downloads.

This is followed by the installation of the first NetDooka malware, which is a dropper component that is responsible for decrypting and running the loader component.

In order to ensure that it is not executing in a virtual environment, the loader then downloads another virus from a remote server, which is then executed by the loader. It may also include the installation of a kernel driver for future use.

The NetDooka malware that has been downloaded is yet another dropper component that will be executed by the loader. This dropper is in charge of decrypting and running the final payload, which is a full-featured RAT with many features, including the ability to create a remote shell, steal browser data, take screenshots, and gather system information, among others. It may also start the kernel driver component that was already running in order to protect the dropped payload.

As reported by TrendMicro, malware writers can quickly deploy their payloads using PPI malware services. The use of a rogue driver opens up a wide range of ways for attackers to get into your computer. They can protect processes and files, bypass antivirus software, and hide malware or its network interactions from your computer.

Moreover, with the RAT payload correctly installed, criminal actors are able to carry out operations such as stealing a variety of crucial information from compromised systems, getting remote control access to the systems, and establishing botnets. Finally, because of NetDooka's capabilities, it can serve as an entry point for other types of malware.

Related Articles: New Ransomware Gang 'Black Basta' Emerges - Here's How To Fight Them
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  A New Jersey doctor who authorities said described himself as Candy Man and El Chapo of Opioids was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for prescribing opioids without a legitimate medical purpose.

Robert Delagente, 48, of Oakland, will also have to serve three years of supervised release once he's freed from prison, according to federal prosecutors. He pleaded guilty in February 2020 to distribution of controlled dangerous substances, conspiracy to distribute them and falsifying medical records.
PHOENIX (AP)  Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Friday limiting the ability of his successor to tap into the emergency powers that he used for more than two years in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measure, which won't take effect until Ducey leaves office, is one of several bills moving in the Legislature to prevent future state and local leaders from using some of the public health tools that enraged conservatives who thought Ducey went too far in restricting the rights of individuals and business owners.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

PARIS (AP)  Long-divided left-wing parties in France will march into forthcoming legislative elections largely together, after the Socialist Party agreed late Thursday to join a new coalition of the left that hopes to limit re-elected centrist President Emmanuel Macron 's room for policy-making in his second term.

The Socialists join the Greens and the Communist Party in hooking their wagon to the France Unbowed party of hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon. He placed third in the presidential election in April, just short of the run-off won by Macron. But Melenchon hopes his showing will be a springboard for the left to win big in the National Assembly elections in June.

By agreeing not to field candidates against each other in the 577 legislative districts, the left-wing coalition of parties has put long-held political and personal differences aside. By coalescing around Melenchon, their aim is to deprive Macron of the parliamentary majority he used in his first term to push through legislation.

"We are going to campaign together," Socialist leader Olivier Faure said in announcing that the party's national committee had voted on Thursday night to join the coalition.

Still, the parties' decision to rally around Melenchon  who hopes to become prime minister of a new parliamentary majority for the left  is not without risk, because he remains a divisive figure among left-wing voters. The Socialist Party, in particular, has been riven with disputes about whether to get behind him.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macrons centrist party is rebranding and forming alliances with other moderate parties ahead of the legislative elections.

The presidents political movement, La Republique en Marche (The Republic on the Move) changed its name to Renaissance and teamed up with two other centrist parties to mount a joint effort to win a ruling majority in the parliament for Macrons second term.

Macron defeated his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen, in last months presidential vote. Le Pens score in two rounds of voting was unprecedented, suggesting that political leanings in France may be shifting increasingly to the right.

However, legislative elections are traditionally difficult for Le Pens National Rally, in part because other parties often come together to bar the way for its candidates. Macrons new coalition, called Ensemble! (Together!), primarily faces a challenge from the left in June's parliamentary election.

The presidents movement and its centrist allies together hold over 300 seats in the outgoing parliament, making him the favorite to again win a majority.

Macron is hoping that having elected him to a second, five-year term, a large enough number of voters wont want to tie his hands by saddling him with a parliament largely filled with opponents.
LYME, N.H. (AP)  A New Hampshire Army National Guard helicopter and a team of over 20 people from two states responded to rescue an injured hiker near the summit of Smarts Mountain in Lyme, authorities said.

The hiker, Mark Gerath, 62, of Groton, Massachusetts, was descending a trail on the 3,238-foot-high (986.9-meter) mountain Thursday when he fell and suffered a serious injury, New Hampshire's Fish and Game Department said in a news release.
PHOENIX (AP)  The Arizona House Ethics Committee on Thursday voted to take no action on a complaint against Democratic Rep. Robert Meza, with the committee chairman saying the allegations fell outside the panel's ability to investigate.

Republican Rep. Travis Grantham said the complaint against Meza filed last month by Scottsdale resident Phillip Potter should be tabled indefinitely, and the committee agreed on a 4-1 vote.

Meza's lawyer, Tim Nelson, said Monday that Potter's complaint, which alleged a long-running fraud scheme operated by the Phoenix lawmaker, was false and part of an ongoing effort by Potter to get back at anyone who has had anything to do with his ex-wife.

Potter has filed numerous lawsuits in recent years, and court records show most were thrown out as unsupported. A judge threatened to seek to have him named a vexatious litigant for filing meritless lawsuits.

One of those lawsuits filed last year named his former wife, Meza and more than a dozen other people and accused them of conspiring to support an order of protection she obtained against him. It also recounted the same corruption allegations against Meza contained in the ethics complaint. The case against the ex-wife and Meza was dismissed.

Potter previously gave the material in the ethics complaint to the FBI, but Nelson said they took no action.

Grantham said the House panel was the wrong forum for Potter's complaints.

Were not a prosecutorial arm of government, and I dont anticipate us becoming one, Grantham said. If Mr. Potter believes that he has evidence that Mr. Meza has engaged in criminal wrongdoing, it is to a law enforcement agency that Mr. Potter should take that evidence, Grantham said.

Republican Rep. Jacqueline Parker of Mesa was the lone dissenter.

Some of the complaints do seem serious and in violation of our House rules, Parker said. I think they could merit some investigation.

But Grantham said the House rule violations contained in Potter's lengthy complaint were not made toward Meza but to people outside the Legislature who are not even state employees.

A House ethics committee exists solely for that purpose, to deal with violations of rules against one another, internal to this body, Grantham said.

Potter also filed a complaint accusing Democratic state Sen. Lisa Otondo of helping Meza cover up the alleged schemes. The Senate's ethics panel voted Monday to wait until its House counterpart decided how to handle Meza's case before proceeding.

Senate Ethics Committee chair Sen. Sine Kerr said Thursday the complaint against Otondo will remain inactive unless the House panel decides to revive the one against Meza.
ROME (AP)  The Italian Coast Guard on Friday rescued more than 100 migrants and recovered two bodies after a sailboat ran aground near a jetty in southern Italy.

A pair of rescue divers had to coax one survivor, who was clinging to a metal pylon jutting up from the water, to jump into the sea so they could bring him to safety. He was taken by motorboat to Siderno, a town on the west coast of Calabria, the region that forms the toe of the Italian boot-shaped peninsula.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  A $100 million fund to settle sexual and physical abuse claims at New Hampshires state-run youth detention center is headed to the governors desk.

The state Senate voted 14-10 Thursday in favor of creating a fund to compensate those who were abused as children at the Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly the Youth Development Center. The Manchester center has been the target of a criminal investigation since 2019, and 11 former workers were arrested last year. Nearly 450 former residents have sued the state, with allegations involving more than 150 staffers from 1963 to 2018.

Under the proposed settlement fund, victims of sexual abuse would be eligible for payments of up to $1.5 million each, while payments to victims of physical abuse would be capped at $150,000.

The Republican-led Senate rejected an amendment offered by Democrats that would have increased those limits to $2 million and $200,000, respectively. Democrats also unsuccessfully argued in favor of expanding the definition of sexual abuse to include incidents such as forcing children to watch child pornography or subjecting them to indecent exposure.

Not knowing what we dont know and how many of these there might be, I think its appropriate to sit tight and wait before we broaden the scope, said Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro. Its not the end of the process. Lets let the process work.

The center is named for former Gov. John H. Sununu, father of current Gov. Chris Sununu, who has has expressed support for the settlement bill. The state currently spends $13 million a year to operate the 144-bed facility, though the typical population now is about a dozen teens.

The two-year budget signed in June included a mandate to close it by March 2023, but the House passed a bill Wednesday giving the state until June 30, 2024, to build a new six-bed facility. That bill now goes back to the Senate, which also had approved a deadline extension but called for up to 18 beds.

The settlement fund legislation was opposed by attorneys for the victims, as well as state and national organizations that advocate for sexual assault survivors.

This bill is a political move to fool the public into thinking the current political leadership actually cares about the children the state abused, attorneys Rus Rilee and David Vicinanzo said in a statement. Survivors of child abuse will not be duped by this political theater. The public should not be either.

Sen. Lou DAllesandro, D-Manchester, said the bill was incomplete, inadequate and neither victim-centered nor trauma-informed.

My vote today is on behalf of those victims who were horrifically abused as children. I can not fathom the pain and suffering they have endured. This is simply too much not to get right, he said. I will not support the bill, but I will support the children.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  A man being held in a North Carolina jail has died after what a sheriff's office calls a medical emergency.

The Charlotte Observer reports that a detention officer at the Mecklenburg County jail called in the emergency just after 10 a.m. on Thursday in the infirmary, where Derrick Geter, 33, was being kept, according to a news release. Geter was pronounced dead at a hospital at around 11:30 a.m. Jail officials did not provide a cause of death, citing privacy laws.

Geter is the third person to die in the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office in 2022. Three died in 2021, the newspaper reported.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said deaths in custody have risen significantly since 2011, when there were 17 deaths. Last year, there were 68.

Geter had been held in the jail since January 2021, on charges related to sex offenses involving a child, including statutory rape and crimes against nature, according to jail records.

The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation will investigate the death.
A New York City judge's son who stormed the U.S. Capitol wearing a furry caveman" costume was sentenced on Friday to eight months in prison.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said Aaron Mostofsky was "literally on the front lines of the mob's attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

What you and others did on that day imposed an indelible stain on how our nation is perceived, both at home and abroad, and that can't be undone, the judge told Mostofsky, 35.

Boasberg also sentenced Mostofsky to one year of supervised release and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service and pay $2,000 in restitution.

Mostofsky had asked the judge for mercy, saying he was ashamed of his contribution to the chaos of that day."

I feel sorry for the officers that had to deal with that chaos, said Mostofsky, who must report to prison in approximately one month.

Mostofsky was carrying a walking stick and dressed in a furry costume when he joined the mob that attacked the Capitol. He told a friend that the costume expressed his belief that even a caveman would know that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

Also on Friday, a federal judge agreed to postpone a trial in July for members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group charged with conspiring to forcefully halt the peaceful transfer of power after President Joe Bidens 2020 electoral victory.

A first jury trial for five of nine Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy, including group founder Stewart Rhodes, is now scheduled to start on Sept. 26 and is expected to last about a month. A second trial for the other four defendants is scheduled to start on Nov. 29.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta agreed to give defense lawyers more time to prepare for trial but indicated that he isn't inclined to grant another delay. A few defense attorneys expressed concern about the possible impact if a congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot releases its report around the same time as the first trial. Mehta said that wouldn't be a reason for another delay, "even if 435 members of Congress start reading from the report on the courthouse steps.

More than 780 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Over 280 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors.

A Tennessee man, Albuquerque Head, pleaded guilty on Friday to assaulting Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone. Head pulled Fanone into a crowd of rioters who beat him, shocked him with a stun gun and stole his badge and police radio. An Iowa man, Kyle Young, pleaded guilty on Thursday to assaulting Fanone, who was seriously injured by rioters and has since testified before Congress about the attack.

More than 160 defendants have been sentenced, including over 60 who have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 14 days to five years and three months.

In Mostofsky's case, federal sentencing guidelines recommended a prison sentence ranging from 10 months to 16 months. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Mostofsky was one of the first rioters to enter the restricted area around the Capitol and among the first to breach the building itself, through the Senate Wing doors, according to prosecutors. He pushed against a police barrier that officers were trying to move and stole a Capitol Police bulletproof vest and riot shield, prosecutors said.

"Mostofsky cheered on other rioters as they clashed with police outside the Capitol building, even celebrating with a fist-bump to one of his fellow rioters," prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

Inside the building, Mostofsky followed rioters who chased Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up a staircase toward the Senate chambers. He took the police vest and shield with him when he left the Capitol, about 20 minutes after entering.

Mostofsky frequently wears costumes at events, according to his lawyers.

To put the matter with understatement, the New Yorker is quirky even by the standards of his home city, they wrote.

A New York Post reporter interviewed him inside the Capitol during the riot. He told the reporter that he stormed the Capitol because the election was stolen.

Mostofsky has worked as an assistant architect in New York. His father, Steven Mostofsky, is a state court judge in Brooklyn.

The fact that his father is a judge means that he should have been better able than other defendants to understand why the claims of election fraud were false, said Justice Department prosecutor Michael Romano.

Boasberg said none of the supportive letters submitted by Mostofskys family and friends explain how he went down this rabbit hole of election fantasy.

I hope at this point you understand that your indulgence in that fantasy has led to this tragic situation, the judge added.

Aaron Mostofsky pleaded guilty in February to a felony charge of civil disorder and misdemeanor charges of theft of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. Mostofsky was the first Capitol rioter to be sentenced for a civil disorder conviction.

Mostofsky's lawyers asked for a sentence of home confinement, probation and community service. Defense attorney Nicholas Smith described Mostofsky as a spectator who drifted with the crowd and didnt go to the Capitol to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power.

He did things he should not have done, Smith said. But theres a big difference between an ideologue who is motivated to commit violence and someone who ends up doing bad things when they find" themselves in a crowd.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador started a lightning, five-day tour to four Central American countries and Cuba on Thursday, stopping first in neighboring Guatemala.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard wrote in his social media accounts that meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and other officials focused on development, migration and strengthening bilateral ties.

Lopez Obrador hopes to stem the poverty and joblessness that sends tens of thousands of Guatemalans north  crossing Mexico to reach the United States  by expanding his tree-planting program to Central America.

The program known as Planting Life pays farmers a monthly wage to plant and care for fruit and lumber trees on their farms.

Ebrard said the program was starting up in the Guatemalan province of Chimaltenango. Mexico has asked the U.S. government to help fund the program, something that so far hasn't happened. Mexico is also touting another program that apprentices young people to companies. Critics say both programs lack accountability.

It is only be the third overseas trip in more than three years for Lopez Obrador, who is fond of saying that the best foreign policy is good domestic policy. The tour is an opportunity for Mexico to reassert itself as a leader in Latin America and will be welcomed by some leaders under pressure from the U.S. government and others for their alleged anti-democratic tendencies.

Both geographically and metaphorically, Mexico finds itself wedged between the United States and the rest of Latin America. Lopez Obrador has deflected criticism dating to the Trump administration that his government is doing Washingtons dirty work in trying to stop migrants before they reach the U.S. border.

Lopez Obrador will be received in Central America, in part, as an emissary of the United States when it comes to migration policy.

The U.S. government has been trying to build consensus ahead of the June Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to cement a regional approach to managing migration flows. In recent years large numbers of Central Americans, but also Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, Colombians and migrants arriving from other continents, have made their way up through the Americas.

Giammattei, meanwhile, has been under pressure from the U.S. government for backsliding on the countrys fight against corruption  a campaign central to Lopez Obradors image in Mexico.

Lopez Obrador will continue on to El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has faced international condemnation since imposing a state of emergency after a surge in gang killings at the end of March. So a visit from Lopez Obrador, who prefers a hugs not bullets approach to security, is a good opportunity to show hes not being isolated. El Salvadors security forces have arrested more than 24,000 suspected gang members in just over a month and human rights organizations say there have been many arbitrary arrests.

In Honduras, new President Xiomara Castro has forged a close relationship with the Biden administration. Last month, Honduras extradited former President Juan Orlando Hernandez to face drug and weapons charges in the U.S. She is desperate to activate the economy and create jobs, so could be open to Lopez Obradors proposals if there is money behind it.

The presidents agenda in Belize is less clear. The tiny country does not have a significant migration problem, but Lopez Obrador did hint at one topic for discussion earlier this week. One of his favorite projects is the construction of a tourist train around the Yucatan Peninsula that neighbors Belize. The Maya Train has been criticized for its environmental impact and lack of feasibility studies, but Lopez Obrador insists it will bring development to impoverished regions.

The presidents final stop in Cuba will be the most symbolic.

Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited Mexico for its independence celebrations last year. Lopez Obrador has largely governed as a nationalist and populist, but he has positioned himself politically as a a devoted leftist.

The visit is an opportunity for Lopez Obrador to show some independence from the United States. Lopez Obrador has criticized the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba and he said that he told U.S. officials that no country should be excluded from the Summit of the Americas. The Biden administration has signaled that Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua would not be invited.
Facebook's Nearby Friends feature, which started rolling out way back in 2014, is bidding goodbye this May. Its other location-based functions are also leaving the social media platform.

According to a recent report by 9to5Mac, the Mark Zuckerberg-owned social media has started informing its users that it is already ditching Nearby Friends and other location-based features before this month ends.

The news outlet bared that both Android and iPhone users are getting a notification on their Facebook apps about the nearing shut down of Nearby Friends.

Facebook's Nearby Friends

The feature aptly called Nearby Friends began rolling out to Facebook users on both iOS and Android way back on April 18, 2014, according to a report by Tech Crunch.

A lot has changed since then - TikTok was not a huge thing back then, and the parent firm of Facebook has yet to rebrand as Meta.

Tech Crunch said in its story that Nearby Friends allows Facebook users to meet up with their friends who are coincidentally near them.

When it first launched, it surely stirred some privacy concerns. But despite that, it stayed on the Facebook app for a couple of years. It is only officially shutting down this 2022.

Facebook made it clear during the debut of Nearby Friends that it was actually an optional feature that its users could manually opt to enable if they want to share their location with their friends.

Read Also: Facebook Data Breach 2021 Exposes Personal Info of 1.5 Billion Users: 2 Tools to Check If Your Data Have Been Leaked

Facebook's Nearby Friends Shut Down

A couple of years after Facebook introduced its optional meet-up feature, it is now ditching Nearby Friends by the end of May.

Facebook also told its users that other location-based features, such as Location History, Time Alerts, and Background Location, are also "going away soon."

The social media giant said in its notifications to users that "Nearby Friends and Weather alerts will no longer be available after May 31, 2022."

On top of that, the Zuckerberg social media platform also disclosed that the location history of its users, which was used to create maps of what they have visited in the past years, will be available for download on Aug. 1, 2022.

It comes as Facebook said that it will start purging all of these location data from its users after making it available for download.

It is interesting to point out that Facebook did not provide any explanation as to why it has decided to pull the plug on its Nearby Friends and other location-based features.

However, the social media giant clarified that it will still collect the location data of its users "for other experiences."

Related Article: Facebook Shuts Down Campus - Will the Data Be Permanently Deleted?
A Michigan mother has been charged after her 6-year-old son took a package of homemade THC-infused gummies to school and shared them with between 15 and 18 kindergarten classmates. A handful of the son's classmates required hospitalization after eating the gummies.

Melinda Gatica appeared before Genesee County District Court Judge William Crawford, where she was formally charged with one count of second-degree child abuse, Monday morning.

Photo provided/Genesee Co. Sheriff's Office

Paul Scott, Gaticas attorney, asked for a personal recognizance bond, which was granted by Crawford. Stipulations for Gaticas $25,000 bond include no marijuana, marijuana products or alcohol in the home and she must undergo random drug testing, court records show.

The felony charge, which comes after more than 400 students and staff at Edgerton Elementary, in Genesee County's Clio, were evacuated when multiple children fell ill on Friday, means Gatica faces up to 10 years in prison.

"That doesnt mean its going to end up that way," Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said in a Facebook live stream Tuesday. "Well make hopefully a learned decision as to what the case should result in. But the most important thing is this not happen again in our community."

Leyton announced the charge in the Facebook live stream along with Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Clio Area Schools Superintendent Fletcher Spears III, explaining that the woman left marijuana edibles in a Life Savers Gummies package on a shelf inside her refrigerator within reach of her 6-year-old.

Screenshot provided/Genesee Co. Sheriff's Office

Gatica purchased liquid THC in 2021 and made her own marijuana-infused gummy edibles with up to 30 milligrams of THC per gummy, Swanson said in the Tuesday live stream.

Leyton said that while it is legal to infuse and create your own marijuana edibles in Michigan, the woman should not have left the gummies out where her child could access them in a common Life Savers Gummies bag.

Initially, police were concerned the kids were experiencing carbon monoxide poisioning, according to Swanson, when police were called to the school around 1 p.m. Friday. The symptoms shown by the students  nausea, lethargy, and lightheadedness  mirrored those indicative of carbon monoxide poisoning, or what one may feel if there was a gas leak.

In a letter published online on Saturday, April 30, Spears stated that further investigation had led authorities to believe that the students may have ingested a foreign substance that led to the illnesses.

According to the letter, five kindergarten students from one classroom were transported to Hurley Medical Center in Flint. Four of the students required hospitalization.

Michigan Child Protective Services has joined the investigation because Gatica has other children, according to Swanson in the Tuesday live stream. Authorities say Gatica is cooperating.

A probable cause conference has been scheduled for May 12, court records show.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will deliver the main address at Brown University commencement exercises later this month when the Ivy League college honors not only members of this year's graduating class, but also the Class of 2020, the school announced Friday.

The California Democrat is one of nine people scheduled to receive an honorary degree during the three-day commencement weekend May 27 to 29.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  The North Carolina Supreme Court said on Friday it would take over a lawsuit seeking to change when felony offenders can vote again, rather than wait for intermediate-level appeals judges to decide whether it was right for a trial court to loosen restrictions.

The justices agreed to a motion filed by the suing ex-offenders and civil rights groups last month asking the state's highest court to review the case before the Court of Appeals ruled on the crux of the lawsuit's issue.

That likely means a sooner final outcome  potentially before the November midterms  over the future of a 1973 law that prevents someone convicted of a felony from having voting rights restored while they are still on probation, parole or post-release supervision. The plaintiffs' lawyers told the justices it was appropriate because the case involved significant legal matters that could affect 56,000 people currently without voting rights.

Fridays order marks the latest in a series of recent decisions by the Supreme Court to take over litigation on politically charged topics.

In late March, Superior Court judges who held a trial on the lawsuit last summer struck down the law, declaring it violates the state constitution largely because it discriminates against Black residents.

The judges ordered that people who are not in prison or jail for a felony conviction may lawfully register and vote. But registration applications weren't immediately approved by the State Board of Elections because of an anticipated appeal and confusion with another order approved by the Supreme Court last September.

The Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay, and two weeks ago a panel of Court of Appeals judges blocked the trial court's order  preventing these registration requests from being fulfilled for the upcoming May 17 primary. That delay also would extend through late July if runoffs were necessary.

Republican legislative leaders, who contend the 1973 law was approved without discriminatory intent by treating all similarly situated offenders the same, wanted the delay to be extended until the appeal was disposed  likely blocking any registrations for the November elections.

The GOP lawmakers' attorneys asked last week for the full 15-member Court of Appeals to rehear the delay request. A majority of the appeals court's judges are registered Republicans.

Fridays Supreme Court decision, which didnt identify whether some justices opposed accepting the case now, would appear to leave intact for now a delay of the voting order through the primary only.

Four of the seven justices are registered Democrats. The order told parties to file briefs by the proper deadlines.

The state constitution forbids a person convicted of a felony from voting unless that person shall be first restored to the rights of citizenship in the manner prescribed by law. The 1973 law laying out those restoration rules requires the unconditional discharge of an inmate, of a probationer, or of a parolee.

The trial judges agreed with evidence presented at trial that linked the law to Reconstruction-era efforts to prevent Black people from voting.

Lawyers for Republican legislators wrote last week that the trial court misread legislative history about the 1973 law, which they say relaxed the requirement for restoring voting rights and was championed by the NAACP and the General Assembly's only three Black members at the time.

Since March, the state's highest court has agreed that a lawsuit challenging the state's 2018 voter photo identification mandate and the latest chapter in longstanding Leandro education funding case should bypass the Court of Appeals.
KINSTON, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man has been arrested in the slayings of two family members, police said.

Kinston police apprehended Lawrence Cox Jr., 34, in Goldsboro on Thursday night, news outlets reported. Cox is charged with murder in the deaths of Ruby Cox, 78, and Johnny Rouse, 57. Police did not say how the three were related.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The getaway vehicle used by a man wanted for murder in Alabama and the jail official suspected of helping him escape after a jailhouse romance was found in an impound lot in Tennessee, where it sat for nearly a week before authorities realized they had it, officials said Friday.

Sheriff Rick Singleton of Lauderdale County, Alabama, told a news conference the Ford Edge with distinctive burnt orange paint was found on a roadside and towed the same day that Casey White, charged with murder, and former assistant corrections director Vicky White disappeared. The vehicle was found in a rural area off Interstate 65 about 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) from the jail in Florence, Alabama.

Authorities in Williamson County, Tennessee, realized they had the vehicle Thursday night, which was hours after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the two, who arent related, are regarded as extremely dangerous, and the U.S. Marshals Service has taken over leading the search.

Officials have said they hoped Casey Whites size  6-foot-9 and 340 pounds  would help lead to his capture since its hard for him to be inconspicuous. He also has identifiable white supremacist tattoos. He and Vicky White appeared to have had a jailhouse romance before his escape, Singleton said.

They found the car before we even knew they were gone," said Singleton. Some of Vicky White's belongings were found in the vehicle, which someone had attempted to spray paint, he said.

The tow truck driver who hauled the vehicle to a lot likely saw news coverage about the escape and notified police in Tennessee, Singleton said.

There's no fault or blame on anyone, he said.

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle had been found in Bethesda and there was no indication the two remained in the area.

A nationwide manhunt has been ongoing since the pair disappeared April 29. Casey White was awaiting trial in a capital murder case and Vicky White was assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County. She appears to have helped him plan and execute the escape, Singleton said.

Authorities are now trying to determine whether any vehicles had been reported missing in the area where the car was found, he said.

Were sort of back to square one with a vehicle description, said Singleton, adding at one point: Were behind where wed like to be.

The two likely had mechanical problems with the car and left it where it was found in a remote area, said Singleton. The sheriff said he was worried for the safety of his former employee because Casey White is volatile and could turn on her at any time.

No weapons were found in the car, indicating that the two are still armed, said Singleton. My gut is telling me they are obviously on the run, he said.

On the day the pair disappeared, Vicky White, 56, told her coworkers that the 38-year-old inmate needed to go to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. She was escorting the inmate alone  a violation of the sheriffs office policy. When she did not answer her phone or return in the afternoon, authorities realized the pair had gone missing. Authorities eventually learned that the evaluation was never scheduled and was just a charade to allow Vicky White to sneak Casey White out of the jail without suspicion.

The two left in a patrol car, which was found abandoned nearby in a parking lot where investigators believe Vicky White had parked a getaway car.

In the past week, authorities have learned that Vicky White purchased an array of weapons, including an AR-15 rifle in January and a shotgun two weeks before the escape. They also believe she has a 9 mm handgun with her and have received reports she may also have a .45 caliber handgun, a federal marshal said.

Federal investigators believe they had been planning the escape for at least several months. The Marshals Service and the sheriffs office have interviewed a slew of associates, family members and others who knew both Casey White and Vicky White and have received numerous tips in the investigation. But despite their best efforts, investigators have not come up with any solid leads to locate them.

The Marshals Service is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information leading to Casey Whites capture and a $5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky White. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey added a reward of $5,000 each for the two.

Both Casey White and Vicky White pose a major threat to the public, and they must be apprehended," she said in a statement.

Casey White was being held at the jail on capital murder charges in the 2015 death of Connie Ridgeway. He confessed to the slaying in 2020 while in state prison for other crimes. Hes been linked to home invasions, car jackings and was also involved in a police chase, Keely said.

___
Thanks to a collaboration between the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville STEM Center and Departments of Environmental Sciences and Applied Health, middle school students will have a chance this summer to do hands-on scientific research.

The SIUE STEM Center is inviting students in grades 5-8 (for the 2021-22 school year) to join its National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Participation Award (SEPA) Environmental Health Investigators (EHI) Summer Research Academy.

The three-week summer academy will be held June 27 to July 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the SIUE campus.

This is the second year for the academy, which was scheduled to start in 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year the registration was limited to only 15 students, but this summer were hoping to work with 30 students, said Candi Johnson, Resource Center Manager and Program Coordinator for the SIUE STEM Center.

The EHI Summer Research Academy provides an opportunity for middle school students to engage in authentic environmental health research.

The students will work in small teams with the assistance of scientists and local science teachers, Johnson said. We have local science teachers who will work with the participants and SIUE graduate students who are earning their advance degrees in environmental sciences. We also have environmental scientists who will work with the students as well.

In their small teams, the students will develop a research topic of their choice and theyll design a research project around that topic. They will have an opportunity to go out into the field and collect data and well help teach them how to analyze that data. Eventually, they will make research posters that they will present to community members, parents, and scientists working at SIUE.

Johnson noted that the academy will focus on studying how our environment affects human health and wellbeing.

We have scientific tools such as sound monitors and air quality monitors, and we have a network throughout southwest Illinois to study the regions air quality, noise levels, and soil pollution, Johnson said. The students can use the data weve collected through our network as a resource to add to their project.

If theyre interested in something beyond that, such as water pollution, they can focus on that as well. We will work with students to get them the tools they need. Well also take a few trips around the community to spend time outside for hands-on research.

Johnson added that the three-week length of the academy allows for more in-depth discussion and research.

Sometimes with data collection, you might need one or two whole days to go into the field and visit different locations, Johnson said. Then you need time to review that data and analyze it, and more time to turn it into something visual to communicate to others.

Many people do not get research experience until graduate school. With this program, middle school students are getting that kind of experience and working directly with scientists, so thats exciting.

There will be free transportation, snacks, lunch and T-shirts for all participants.

The program is still accepting students. To sign up for the academy, go to https://forms.gle/domP939mPGPctbXHA. More information about the summer research academy can be found at: http://www.siuestemcenter.org/environmental-health-investigators/.

In addition to the program scientists who will be working with us all three weeks, were also inviting other scientists and speakers, Johnson said. Students can ask questions and learn about other STEM-related careers such as engineering and environmental justice.
LAKE PRESTON, S.D. (AP)  Farmers in South Dakota says there's a reason for optimism as they head out to their fields to plant crops this spring.

Commodity markets are up 62% over the 10-year average.

Wayne Soren raises crops and cattle near Lake Preston.

This is probably one of the most exciting seasons to begin in, in quite some time because the prices of crops are so high, Soren tells South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Although hes optimistic as he drives his planter into his corn field, the third-generation farmer also has concerns, mainly about dry conditions.

Thats one of the dark clouds that sits above. Are we going to get enough rain to grow a crop this year?  Soren says.

Soren is not alone in his concern. According to U.S. Drought Monitor data, 71% of South Dakota was in drought conditions at the end of April.

But recent rain provided some relief.

We got a large rain. Probably the biggest rain weve had in two years. Dams are completely full over the last three days. Yeah, were pretty much at max for soil moisture at the moment. I would say we got almost four inches I was cautiously optimistic last time and I am wholly optimistic at the moment, said Kimball farmer Adam Schindler.

Following the late-April rainstorms, the May 5th U.S. Drought Monitor data shows 69% of the state remains in drought conditions.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania's top state elections official is pushing back against a county district attorney's plans to have detectives monitor ballot drop box locations ahead of the upcoming primary and prosecute violations, warning that the plan could intimidate voters.

Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman's letter sent late Thursday to Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin also said Martin's concerns about people dropping off more than one ballot needed to take into account the legal right disabled voters have to designate someone else to drop off their completed ballots.

As you can imagine, law enforcement officers, whether they be in uniform or in civilian clothes, positioned near a ballot drop box may very well dissuade eligible voters as well as authorized designated agents from legally casting ballots, Chapman wrote.

The state American Civil Liberties Union chapter and a group of like-minded organizations also wrote Martin this week, making many of the same arguments and asking him to immediately cease and desist the plan to monitor the county's five drop boxes and to stop dissemination of false information about return of mail ballots.

The groups called his public statements and plan to monitor drop boxes an intimidation tactic designed to discourage legal forms of voting.

Martin was asked by county elections officials to look into the local Republican Party's claims that drop boxes had been used in October and November to drop off more than one ballot. After a review of security video he concluded last month that the practice had likely occurred hundreds of times in Lehigh County last year.

He followed up last week by telling voters they were placed on notice about the law and said county detectives would be checking security video and monitoring drop boxes in person for the May 17 primary. He said violators could be prosecuted and that penalties of up to two years in jail and $2,500 fines were authorized under state law.

Were not in the business of trying to intimidate voters or deprive disabled people of the opportunity to have their ballots cast, Martin said in a phone interview Friday. Its overexaggerated by the people who have made those claims.

He urged the county to post more visible, more explicit warnings at the drop boxes and limit their hours but acknowledged no evidence has arisen to suggest the drop boxes have been used to tamper with votes or cast fraudulent votes.

As a result, additional signs have been posted but the hours were not changed, said county elections director Tim Benyo.

We found no smoking gun was the term I used, Martin said. We found multiple instances of people dropping more than one ballot. Usually two.

The state's website lists drop boxes in at least 22 counties, from rural areas with a single drop box to the populous suburban Philadelphia counties that maintain multiple locations. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at county elections offices.

The state Supreme Court gave its blessing to drop boxes in September 2020, two months before the presidential election in which Joe Biden carried the state over Donald Trump. Drop box supporters have noted the Legislatures own review found they have functioned properly and were secure.

Mail-in ballots, made widely available under a 2019 law in which Republican negotiators allowed their universal use in exchange for ending straight-ticket voting, have proven far more popular among Democrats. That has fueled Republican opposition and driven efforts to limit their use. Last month the state Senate voted on party lines to ban them, although Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf would likely veto the legislation.

Chapman said this week that by Tuesday's registration deadline, counties had received some 850,000 requests for mail-in ballots, and about 650,000 were from Democrats.

York County this week removed its only drop box, saying the government did not have sufficient staff to adequately monitor it. In Berks County, the existence of two drop boxes has been a bone of political contention. Berks' two boxes are each monitored by two deputies during the hours that they are open. They have double-locking mechanisms and get sealed overnight to prevent tampering.
MANISTEE  Properties in the city are worth a lot more than last year. The taxable values increased by $11 million and the assessed values by $16 million. That's the conclusion of Manistee City Assessor Molly Whetstone.

Whetstone noted she did not expect to see the values of the properties rise so much. Mayor Lynda Beaton said she was "stunned" by the numbers.

Whetstone said she was also surprised.

"I'm stunned when I see them (the numbers) and put them in the computer," Whetstone said. "But that's a good a thing because it means our economy is thriving and growing. ... We are becoming a destination city. ... People want to live here. And that's a good thing, so what you're doing is working."

The taxable value of properties is calculated with property taxes, while the assessed values of properties are calculated by their market value.

There are four categories for the properties: commercial, industrial, residential and personal. Residential made up the vast majority of the properties.

Taxable values

According to a presentation during Tuesday's Manistee City Council meeting, the taxable value of residential properties rose more in 2022 than any other year since 2014.

The taxable value of residential properties in Manistee rose to $167,170,204 from $158,537,677 in 2021.

The only category that saw any loss was the personal property category.

The state of Michigan expanded its small business tax credit to include items up to $180,000. That means that items that would have previously been covered under personal property can now be covered under the business property.

Every year since 2014, the margin of growth has increased in the property values for residential properties. Even from 2020 to 2021, the property value went up by nearly $5 million which was still higher than the growth of property values from 2018 to 2019.

Assessed values

In assessed values, residential properties ballooned to $194,395,300 for the 2022 fiscal year, up from $181,541,700 in 2021.

The assessed values are broken up into the same four categories as the properties for taxable values. The other numbers were roughly the same in the other three categories.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A Tennessee man has been charged with assault and other counts during the January 2021 Capitol insurrection.

Edward Kelley, 33, was arrested Thursday in Knoxville on charges that also include resisting or impeding officers during civil disorder, unlawful entry and physical violence, destruction of government property, violent entry and related offenses, news outlets reported, citing a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office.
Windows 11 users may want to fend off installing one of the more recent preview updates, KB5012643, as Microsoft has warned users that they might experience issues in launching and using the .NET Framework 3.5 applications.

The .NET Framework 3.5 applications only impacts systems running on Windows 11, version 21H2, where users have installed the KB5012643 optional preview cumulative update, according to BleepingComputer.

Although it is best to avoid installing the KB5012643 preview, for now, there are some workarounds available to fix the issue.

What are the Options for Those who Installed Windows 11 Preview Update?

There is hope for those who have installed the Windows 11 Preview Update. Microsoft has shared some workarounds users can try while it attends to the issue in general.

If any issue arises, users have the option to uninstall the problematic KB5012643 update and restore their .NET Framework 3.5 apps' functionality.

This can be done by accessing Windows Update Settings in System Settings. From there, users can view their update history, hit Uninstall Update, then click "Uninstall" after selecting the KB5012643 update from the list.

Reenabling .NET Framework 3.5 and the Windows Communication Foundation in Windows Features is another option for users of Windows 11. This can be accessed through the control panel.

The BleepingComputer said that IT admins and advanced users can also do reenabling via an elevated Command Prompt.

Read Also: Microsoft May Have Abandoned Movable Taskbars for Windows 11

What Are the Affected Apps?

Microsoft revealed on the Windows health dashboard that after installing KB5012643, some .NET Framework 3.5 apps might have issues or might fail to open.

According to Digital Trends, Microsoft has not shared exactly which major applications have been affected. However, the company noted that associated 3.5 framework features, such as Windows Communication and Windows Workflow Foundation, seem to be among those affected by the issues in the update.

Microsoft also addressed another known issue triggered after installing this Windows non-security update, which lead to flickering screen problems in Safe Mode without Networking, as per the BleepingComputer report.

Some Windows apps like File Explorer, Start Menu, and Taskbar seem to be unstable while running in Safe Mode due to the KB5012643 update.

Due to the .NET Framework 3.5 connection, various console apps and Windows services, such as its productivity suite of apps, could be among those affected, according to PCGamer. But none of this has been confirmed yet.

There is also no information yet as to what the update intended to address, only that it is incurring issues now, said Digital Trends.

Despite the available workaround, Microsoft generally recommends that users should avoid installing version 21H2 of Windows 11 with the KB5012643 update if they have not done so already.

In addition to the workarounds, Microsoft is working to resolve this issue. The PCGamer noted that the .NET Framework 3.5 is set to be given main support for two more years now, with five years of extended support to follow, thus it is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Related Article: Should You Switch to Windows 11? Pros and Cons of Windows OS Upgrade for Remote Workers
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content.

Mark Lambert, University of Chicago Divinity School

(THE CONVERSATION) On Jan. 3, 1865, the Kingdom of Hawaii, then a sovereign state, enacted An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy. Any person suspected of having the ancient disease  which is mentioned as far back as the Bible  would be inspected and, if deemed incurable, permanently exiled to a peninsula on the island of Molokai.

More than 8,000 people with leprosy fell victim to this policy of permanent segregation over the next century. Native Hawaiians renamed leprosy ma'i ho'oka'awale ohana: the sickness that separates family. Surrounded by steep cliffs and treacherous ocean, the peninsula served as a natural prison and soon gathered a reputation as a de facto death sentence.

But in the Catholic Church, May 10 commemorates the day one man moved to Molokai willingly: Father Damien. Born Jozef De Veuster in Belgium, he came to Hawaii as a young Catholic missionary and spent the last 16 years of his life voluntarily living in the leprosy colony, before contracting the disease himself and dying in 1889.

Canonized as a saint in 2009, Father Damien was designated the patron saint of people with leprosy, or Hansens disease.

My research focuses on how Christian theology views socially stigmatized diseases, such as leprosy. Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s, Damien has also become linked with the virus and inspired many Catholic groups that care for patients. His legacy illustrates the churchs complicated, often harmful views on HIV/AIDS  but has also helped people see those who suffer from stigmatized diseases with more agency and dignity.

Joining the community

Damien landed at Molokai on May 10, 1873. In a now famous letter to his brother, he wrote that he would make himself a leper with lepers, to gain all to Christ.

For over 2,000 years, care for people with leprosy has often been reduced to segregation. This was the case in Hawaii, where the Board of Health offered bounties to those who turned in suspected patients. The widespread belief that leprosy was an advanced stage of syphilis added an air of moral condemnation to the policy.

According to accounts such as Kaluapapa: A Collective Memory, which documents residents experiences in the colony, Damien employed his carpentry skills to build two chapels, new shelters for the residents, and a multitude of coffins. He provided rudimentary medical care, secured a fresh water supply, and established an orphanage. At a time when fear of being near people with leprosy was the norm, the priest also ate with residents from the same pot, and shared his pipe with them.

By the beginning of 1885, Damien began to show signs of having contracted leprosy, and in 1886 the priest formally became known as Admission #2886 to the settlements. Three years later, he succumbed to the disease.

Patron saint

Damiens ministry garnered an international audience, elevating him to something of a celebrity, and his death prompted an immediate response. The future king of England, Edward VII, proposed to erect a monument to Damien on Molokai, to establish a ward devoted to leprosy in a London medical institution and to fund research on leprosy in India. Damiens example inspired the creation of several other organizations devoted to the study and treatment of leprosy, from the U.S. and Belgium to Congo and Korea.

In 1967, the French journalist and humanitarian Raoul Follereau presented the pope with a petition signed by almost 33,000 leprosy patients, calling for the beatification of Father Damien. In 1977, Pope Paul VI declared Damien venerable, the first step toward canonization  which eventually occurred in 2009, under Pope Benedict XVI.

From leprosy to HIV/AIDS

But how did the patron saint of people living with leprosy become, informally, a patron saint of people living with HIV and AIDS? Given the Catholic Churchs traditional stances against homosexuality, condoms and extramarital sex, the notion can seem paradoxical.

Comparisons between the two diseases were made from the early days of the AIDS crisis: Both were considered mysterious and frightening and severely stigmatized, with sufferers often viewed as dirty or sinful. Many caregivers were afraid to even touch AIDS patients.

Invoking Father Damiens example became a way for religious organizations to legitimize their HIV/AIDS outreach in the eyes of the church and to emphasize their concern for patients social stigma  even if the Catholic Church itself was helping to perpetrate that stigma, and arguably the disease itself.

In 2003, for example, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, wrote that the use of condoms goes against human dignity. Condoms change the beautiful act of love into a selfish search for pleasure  while rejecting responsibility. Condoms do not guarantee protection against HIV/AIDS. Condoms may even be one of the main reasons for the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Even in 2009, the year Damien was canonized, Pope Benedict remarked that the AIDS epidemic cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms; on the contrary, they increase it  an attitude out of touch with most U.S. Catholics views, not to mention medical science. The popes statement provoked such outrage that the Belgian Parliament even condemned it.

But many in the Catholic Church responded to the AIDS crisis with empathy. In 1985, for example  just a few years after the disease had been identified  the New York Archdiocese opened a treatment facility at St. Clares Hospital, the states first specialized AIDS unit.

A number of ministries turned to Father Damien as inspiration for AIDS-related work, years before the church officially made him a saint. Likely the oldest is Damien Ministries, founded in 1987 to serve the poorest of the poor living with HIV and AIDS, as inspired by the life of the Blessed Father Damien. The Washington, D.C.-based ministry adopted a solidarity approach modeled after Damiens ministry on Molokai, citing parallels between leprosy and HIV/AIDS.

Other Damien-inspired organizations include the Albany Damien Center, the Damien Center of Indiana  founded as a collaboration between Catholics and Episcopalians  and St. Damien Hospital in Haiti.

Damien serves as what religion historian Robert Orsi calls an articulatory pivot point: a way people  HIV/AIDS patients, in this case  can use their faith to reshape their experience and gain agency, even as that same religion stigmatizes them as powerless others.

As a canonized saint, Damien is embraced by the highest levels of the church. Yet as a man who embraced those the rest of society had rejected, joining them and even dying for them, he also represents people at the margins.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.
LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  A woman who ran a Belarusian opposition messaging app channel and was arrested along with her activist boyfriend when an airliner they were on was forced to land in Belarus was convicted Friday of charges that included inciting social hatred.

Following her conviction, Sophia Sapega was sentenced to six years in prison. Sapega is a Russian citizen, and her lawyer, Anton Gashinsky, said she would appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene.
Record heat is in store for much of the Lone Star State starting this Mother's Day weekend and most Texans are not ready. Temperatures in Houston are expected to reach the mid to upper-90s Saturday and Sunday, but the humidity will make it feel more like it's over 100 degrees, according to Space City Weather.

The relentless heat will only grow in intensity through next week, which is expected to have 93-96 degree days each day, per Space City Weather. In fact, the Bayou City is forecast to tie or break numerous heat records from Saturday through Thursday, baking along with much of the Lone Star State.

Earlier this week, Austin-based energy consultant Doug Lewin, announced that the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is expecting demand for power across Texas to reach 69.3 gigawatts on Saturday, as temperatures in Houston and Dallas hit highs in the low-to-mid '90s and eclipse 100 in towns such as Midland and Laredo. ERCOT issued a follow-up statement saying it has asked power plants to delay or curtail planned power outages accordingly.

Even though the scorch hasn't hit yet, Texans are already taking to social media to say they're "over this Texas heat."

"Ima be honest idk if Im going to be able to handle the Texas heat next week," said one user on Twitter. "That Texas summer heat is getting real too close for comfort," wrote another Twitter user.

Some remarked that the Texas temperatures are out of this world. "This morning as I was stepping out of the shower, I heard the weather person say, 'five times hotter than the surface of the sun', as I looked up to see her pointing to a high pressure system over the US. So Im pretty sure she was talking about the heat in Texas this weekend," another user said on Twitter. "Texas heat aint for the weak. I wanna work inside," tweeted another.

The temperatures even had some questioning how their Texas ancestors were able to get through it. "Texas weather is seriously nothing to play with this CANT be the same heat my ancestors dealt with," tweeted one user. Others are soaking up their air conditioning while they still can in anticipation of potential blackouts. "Just hibernated for an hour in pure cold," tweeted one user. "Texas heat wins man."

However, some Texans are taking the upcoming forecast a little more optimistically as it indicates summer is just around the corner. "Not gonna post any Youtube videos today and no streams for this weekend. I'm on marvelous vacay enjoying the massive heat of Texas," tweeted one user along with a GIF of a man on fire.

"Love coming back to Houston right on the cusp of a record heat weekend in May babaaaay!!" tweeted another user.
Rev. David Chisham has been the senior minister at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since August 2021.

The opportunity to come to Midland provided the challenge of bringing a congregation back from the COVID pandemic and allow his family to return to West Texas, where he and his wife Kori have roots and family in the region.

Chisham said those things that make First Christian special include its community involvement, including the churchs pantry. The churchs mission is to work for the unity of all Christians as the body of Christ; and in all ways seek to make known the love of God.

Kori works at Museum of the Southwest as the director of Visitor Experience and Membership. Their daughter, Layne, attends Bush Elementary presently and will go into Carver Center next year as a fifth-grader.

First Christian is located at 1301 W Louisiana Ave.

--

Online: https://fccmidland.org/

--

Questions for FCC Rev. David Chisham

Reporter-Telegram: What was your welcome to Midland moment?

Chishan: The day we pulled in and there was a crew from my congregation to help unload the truck.

Reporter-Telegram: What was the draw to coming to FCC and Midland?

Chisham: A great congregation with incredible outreach to the community through a weekly food pantry, Childrens Learning Center and a host of other annual projects. A talented staff with ministries to all ages, and wonderful music and worship. Midland is close to where my wife grew up (Abilene) and where I went to seminary (Abilene Christian University)also put us much closer to family. Dropping a name here  my mother-in-law is Fran Adkins who was a CBS-TV anchor and personality in Abilene from the 1980s to 2000s.

Reporter-Telegram: Favorite part of working at FCC?

Chisham: Great staff and membership committed to making a difference in our community.

Reporter-Telegram: Favorite thing about Midland?

Chisham: Generous and welcoming people, and youre only ever 15 minutes or less from anywhere you need to go in town.

Reporter-Telegram: What are challenges that the church (not just FCC) faces in 2022?

Chisham: Reopening after COVID  it takes time to rebuild inertia after so many had to stay home and limit activities for almost two years.

Reporter-Telegram: Any books or podcasts that you recommend?

Chisham: Podcast: Gospel Con Carne. Books Anything by Fred Craddock, N.T. Wright, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Will Willimon and Walter Brueggemann.

Reporter-Telegram: Tell us something coming up on the FCC calendar that Midlanders need to know about.

Chisham: Just missed our annual community egg hunt in Hill Park (more than 1,000 attended this year!). Were finishing our Christmas In Action house this week. Coming up, we have VBS June 13-16, and our kids are busy with camps and conferences through the summer.

Reporter-Telegram: Favorite restaurants?

Chisham: Noodle House, any barbecue brisket place and too many Tex-Mex places to list.
Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

Pre-K 4 SA has opened up enrollment to 3-year-old students in San Antonio, allowing more children access to early education at free or low-cost tuition. Here's what you need to know.

Starting on Monday, May 9, kids who turned 3-years-old before September 1 can enroll in Pre-K 4 SA through its website, according to a news release. Students must also reside in San Antonio. Previously, enrollment was only open to 4-year-olds.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week that his next move to combat illegal immigration will be trying to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring Texas to provide free public education to all children, including those of undocumented migrants. The Republican leader's remarks were met with stark criticism Thursday, including from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

"An uneducated society is a very dangerous society," Turner warned in a statement posted on Twitter late Thursday evening. The Houston mayor continued, writing, "If we dont educate all of our children regardless of where they come from, neither democrats or republicans, rich or poor, urban, suburban or rural are safe. There are no savings in an uneducated society."

Other Houston area leaders also chimed in. State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) tweeted, "Governor Abbott is the single largest driver of consumer costs and increasing property taxes in the state of Texas. Kids in school don't even come close." Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee simply wrote, "Race to the bottom."

The statements were made in response to Abbott announcing Wednesday that Texas "will resurrect" a challenge to Plyler v. Doe (1982) in order to lessen the costs of educating undocumented immigrants. The Supreme Court decision voided Texas education laws in 1975 that allowed the state to withhold funds from local districts for educating children of undocumented immigrants. The high court held that all children, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to access public education.

"Texas already long ago sued the federal government about having to incur the costs of the education program, in a case called Plyler versus Doe," Abbott said. "And the Supreme Court ruled against us on the issue. ... I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again, because the expenses are extraordinary and the times are different than when Plyler versus Doe was issued many decades ago."

In response Thursday, Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which filed the case in 1977, called Abbott "irresponsible" and "desperate," adding the governor's latest stance "epitomizes the dangers of dog-whistle populism in the style of Donald Trump."

First, Abbott needs some remedial education on Plyler itself," Saenz continued. "This was a case brought against Texas, not by Texas, as Abbott asserted. The case was filed by MALDEF on behalf of students threatened by a Texas statute allowing schools to exclude undocumented students from public school."

Saenz also clarified that while the Supreme Court split 5-4 on declaring the Texas law unconstitutional, even the dissenters "agreed that the Texas law seeking to exclude undocumented children from school was bad public policy."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki also weighed in on Abbott's remarks Thursday, stating Well, thats ultra-MAGA right there. We're talking about, just to restate that, denying public education to kids, including immigrants to this country. I mean, that is not a mainstream point of view."
A unique home under construction in Portland, OR, appears otherworldlybut it's actually on the verge of becoming a reality in the Pacific Northwest.

"It's a concept house, one of five that are part of a community of homes on an acre of green space," explains listing agent Delia Slattery.

The man behind the design is architect Robert Harvey Oshatz. With framing almost complete, the first home is now on the market for $2.6 million. The buyer can personalize the finishes.

Home designed by Robert Harvey Oshatz Realtor.com

Rendering of the living room Realtor.com

Oshatz lives in the Portland area, but his fascinating designs can be found all over the world, including in Japan, South America, and the Pacific Northwest.

Oshatz-designed home in Studio City, CA

"I see architecture as a synthesis of logic and emotion, exploring and fulfilling the dreams, fantasies and realities of my clients," Oshatz explains on his website.

"There must be surprise, mystery, beauty and delight, elements that make architecture rewarding to its users for a lifetime," adds Oshatz, who worked and studied under Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.

For the Portland home, Oshatz used "a combination of Asian [influences] with Pacific Northwest architecture," explains Slattery. Along with wood, modern materials like steel and aluminum were used in the construction.

Ceiling lined with wood Realtor.com

The community of homes is designed for multigenerational living. The homes will be built on a forested hillside with no lawn, yard, or landscaping required. Also, elevators in the residences will help facilitate aging in place.

The home currently under construction has 3,700 square feet of living space, including four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. The architectural design will feature calming spherical motifs throughout.

Rendering of the Portland home Realtor.com

Fabulous flourishes will include walls of glass, curved ceilings, a green roof, and beautiful forest views.

Rendering of the dining area Realtor.com

According to Slattery, one of the community's many assets is the location. The community will be situated near the Willamette Stone State Heritage Site, and it's a quick drive to downtown Portland, according to Slattery.

Beyond the sale of the initial home, Slattery says the idea is to have like-minded people buy into the architect's vision for the five-home development.

That subsequent quartet of buyers will then be able to commission Oshatz to build unique and complementary homes on the remaining lots. If all five homes come to fruition, it will be a cool community of daring design.

The post Community of Otherworldly Homes Set To Take Flight in Portland, OR appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 5, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Hays County in south central Texas...

South central Blanco County in south central Texas...

Northeastern Comal County in south central Texas...

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 615 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Payton, or

near Blanco, moving east at 45 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...

San Marcos, Kyle, Buda, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, Blanco, Canyon

Lake, Woodcreek, Bear Creek, Fischer, Twin Sisters, Payton,

Driftwood, Mountain City, Hays, Mount Gainor, and Hays City.

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.

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southern Tyler and

east central Jasper Counties through 645 PM CDT...

At 617 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near

Warren, moving east at 45 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...

Woodville, Kirbyville, Warren, Fred, Spurger, Magnolia Springs, Mt.

Union, Ivanhoe and Hillister.

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

LAT...LON 3087 9449 3089 9428 3078 9421 3076 9388

3048 9395 3050 9408 3052 9407 3053 9408

3053 9427 3057 9456 3069 9457

TIME...MOT...LOC 2317Z 270DEG 40KT 3066 9431

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

_____

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
Actress Amber Heard testifies in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., May 5. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." AP-Yonhap





Amber Heard testified on Thursday that her ex-husband Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her and threatened to "carve up" her face with a broken bottle during a heated argument one month after their 2015 marriage.







The 36-year-old "Aquaman" actress recounted multiple instances of alleged physical and sexual abuse during her second day on the witness stand in the defamation case filed against her by the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star.







The 58-year-old Depp brought the suit against Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse."







Heard did not name Depp in the op-ed, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages.







The Texas-born Heard countersued, asking for $100 million and claiming she suffered "rampant physical violence and abuse" at his hands.







She recounted in harrowing detail an incident that occurred in March 2015 in Australia, where Depp was filming the fifth installment of the "Pirates" series.







Depp testified earlier in the trial that an "irate" Heard was the aggressor in the argument and severed the tip of one of his fingers by throwing a vodka bottle at him.







Heard provided a very different account on the witness stand Thursday.







She said she confronted Depp about his drinking and he dared her to try to take a bottle from him.







"I get ahold of it," she said. "I slammed it down on the ground right in between us.







"That really set him off. It was like a light bulb switch went off."







She said Depp threw another bottle at her but "it missed thankfully." "Also cans, like soda cans, beer or soda cans, and they're coming at me one after the other."







"At some point he had a broken bottle up against my face, neck area, by my jawline and he told me he'd carve up my face," she said, adding that Depp was screaming at her that she had "ruined his life."







Breaking down in sobs, Heard said that Depp ripped off her nightgown and sexually assaulted her with a bottle.







"Johnny had the bottle inside of me and was shoving it inside of me over and over again," she said, while repeatedly threatening to kill her.







Heard said she managed to escape and when she came down from her bedroom the next morning she found that Depp had used blood from his finger, food and paint to write "incoherent" messages throughout the house  on mirrors, walls, lampshades and other surfaces.







She said she did not know how his fingertip was cut off.







Evidence showing pictures of U.S. actress Amber Heard appear on a screen during a defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., May 5. AFP-Yonhap









Heard also testified about another incident in which Depp allegedly slapped and kicked her on an airplane after accusing her of having an affair with James Franco, her co-star on "The Adderall Diaries."







"He was mad at me for taking the job with James Franco," Heard said."







He hated, hated James Franco and was already accusing me of kind of secretly having a thing with him in my past since we had done 'Pineapple Express' together."







"He called me a slut," Heard said, recounting the incident that took place on a May 2014 flight.







She said Depp, who had been drinking, slapped her across the face at one point and kicked her in the back as she moved to another seat.







Members of Depp's security detail and his assistants were on the plane at the time, she said.







"No one said anything, no one did anything. It was like you could hear a pin drop on that plane," she said. "And I remember feeling so embarrassed."







Depp, during four days of testimony earlier, denied ever being physically abusive towards Heard and claimed she was the one who was frequently violent.







Depp's lawyers earlier put experts on the stand who testified that he has lost millions because of the abuse accusations, including a $22.5-million payday for the sixth installment of the "Pirates" franchise.







Depp filed the defamation complaint in the United States after losing a separate libel case in London in November 2020 that he brought against The Sun for calling him a "wife-beater."







Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Heard met in 2009 on the set of "The Rum Diary" and were married in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized two years later. (AFP)






How to gain permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class A step-by-step guide to permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class.

How to gain permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class A step-by-step guide to permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class.

How to gain permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class A step-by-step guide to permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

Since 2008, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) has offered an immigration pathway for candidates who have worked in Canada and want to transition to permanent residence.

Following a temporary pause that has been in place since September 2021, Express Entry invitation rounds for CEC candidates are set to resume in July. Also, the processing standard for new applicants is expected to return to six months.

As a program managed by the Express Entry system, people who are eligible for the CEC get a score on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Roughly every two weeks, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds Express Entry draws inviting the highest scoring candidates to apply for Canadian immigration.

The following is a step-by-step guide on how you can apply for permanent residence through the CEC:

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

Step 1: Meet the CECs eligibility criteria

In order to be eligible to apply under the CEC you must meet the following requirements:

Have at least one year of skilled, professional or technical work experience in Canada within 36 months of the application date;

Meet or surpass a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 (initial intermediate) for NOC B jobs or CLB 7 (adequate intermediate proficiency), for NOC skill level 0 or A jobs; and

Plan to live and work outside of the province of Quebec (individuals with work experience in Quebec and who plan to reside in Quebec may apply to the Quebec Experience Class).

One year (or 12 months) of work experience is defined as at least 1,560 hours of skilled work experience in Canada. The 1,560 hours can be obtained through full-time or part-time work. Self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student (for example, on a co-op work term) do not count under the CEC.

Applicants can remain in Canada throughout the application process. The CEC is also open to individuals who are no longer in Canada, as long as they submit their application within three years of leaving their Canadian job.

The CEC requirements are based on a pass or fail model. If the minimum requirements are met, the applicant is eligible to enter the Express Entry pool.

Step 2: Submit your Express Entry profile to the IRCC website

When you go on the government website, create an IRCC secure account and follow the instructions. The online tool will prompt you to create an Express Entry profile, enter your personal reference code if you have one, and enter your personal details.

You have 60 days to complete and submit your Express Entry profile, otherwise, you will have to start again.

Once youve filled out your profile, you can submit it and IRCC will figure out which Express Entry program you are eligible for.

If you are eligible for the CEC, IRCC will place you in the Express Entry pool with others who are also eligible. You will get a score based on factors like work experience, education, age, and official language ability.

Step 3: Check for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence

Completing an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee you will be invited to apply for permanent residence. You need to have a score that is high enough to meet the minimum threshold in a given Express Entry draw.

While you are in the pool, get ready for IRCC to send you an ITA. If you receive one, youll have 60 days to submit a complete application. IRCC holds Express Entry draws approximately every two weeks.

Step 4: If you receive an ITA, apply for immigration

If you get an ITA, IRCC will send you a message telling you which program you have been invited for and what to do next. The system automatically invites candidates to apply under one of the Express Entry-managed programs in the following order: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), CEC, Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and then Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

IRCC will ask for proof of the information you submitted in your Express Entry profile. Immigration officers will assess whether the information you provided in your application is different from your profile. If they find false information, or important details left out, they may refuse your application, find you inadmissible, or bar you from applying for immigration for five years.

IRCC recommends checking the criteria for the program you have been invited to apply for to ensure you are still eligible. If your personal situation changes, you may have to re-calculate your score before applying. If your recalculated score is less than the minimum CRS cut-off for your round of invitations, IRCC recommends declining the invitation.

Declining an invitation means you will be put back into the Express Entry pool of candidates and you may be considered for future rounds of invitations if you are still eligible. It does not affect whether you are invited to apply later. There is no guarantee you will be invited to apply again, however, you may be able to improve your chance by updating your Express Entry profile or getting a higher CRS score.

If you do not respond to your ITA in 60 days, IRCC will take your profile out of the pool. To be considered for future draws, you will have to fill out a new Express Entry profile.

Other ways to immigrate

The PNP is another significant immigration program. Canada aims to admit more than 80,000 PNP candidates as permanent residents every year over the next three years, according to the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan. Also, IRCC is still holding Express Entry draws every two weeks for PNP candidates.

If you are in the Express Entry pool already, you may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Then if you get the nomination, it will mean you get 600 points added to your score and you will be able to apply for immigration as a PNP candidate.

Conclusion

CEC has become more prominent since its launch in 2008. Last year it accounted for one-third of the record 405,000 landings.

Starting this summer, IRCC will offer a new open work permit to Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders, which will give them more of a chance to become eligible for the CEC.

Studies have shown that CEC immigrants tend to fare well in the labour market thanks to their Canadian experience before completing their permanent residency landing.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Focus: That will be the new work week for SAP in Germany beginning May 20, 2022.

Many companies encourage employees to set aside blocks of time each day for deep work, and some even automate that process using tools such as Microsoft Outlooks focus time feature, part of Viva Insights.

SAP, though, is taking that one step further by inviting employees to avoid scheduling meetings on Fridays and to use the time instead to clear their to-do lists.

The intention behind Focus Friday is to guarantee undisturbed and focused working time, based on business requirements, so our colleagues can complete their tasks and start the weekend without action items, wrote Cawa Younosi, SAPs global head of people experience, in a posting on LinkedIn.

There will be no automated enforcement of the policy, and SAP is not banning meetings on Fridayscustomer appointments and other unavoidable commitments can still take placebut, said Younosi, We know from pilot projects and feedback from our colleagues that they will take advantage without any nudges from outside.

SAP will also encourage employees in Germany to use their Fridays for education and professional development, important tasks for IT workers trying to keep pace with technological developments.

IT organization an early adopter

Chief Digital and Information Officer Florian Roth was among the first to try out the new program, introducing it to the companys IT organization last year, Younosi told CIO.com.

CTO Juergen Mueller, SAPs board member responsible for technology and innovation, has adopted it within his team, while Thomas Saueressig, SAPs head of product engineering, has also tried it out with the team working on SuccessFactors, said Younosi.

Computer science professor Cal Newport coined the term deep work in his 2016 book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, defining it as professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration. Although Newports principles can be applied to other domains, it is clear from Newports academic interests and the successful workers he interviewed for his book that they are particularly applicable to software development.

With the move to working from home, developers have been freed from many workplace distractionsor perhaps have traded one set of distractions for another. IT managers, unable to see their employees at work, may have been tempted by the ease of use of online conferencing tools. However, CIOs leading teams from home should ensure that meetings do not prevent staff from working.

SAPs Focus Friday program is part of a company-wide campaign to make its meetings more meaningful. It plans to conduct a one-year pilot of the program in Germany, but if employee response is positive, it may roll it out worldwide in 2023.

Initial reaction to Younosis announcement on LinkedIn was positive, with one new hire particularly keen to see it in action. Other SAP staff were also appreciative, although uncertain how the idea could be put into action in fields unrelated to software development. A member of the SuccessFactors team, one of first business units to keep Fridays clear for focused work, said that it had been the greatest gift after the sharp increase in online meetings with the move to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While SAPs move has been to free up one day a week for work, some companies are experimenting with freeing one day from work, making for a four-day work week. Although legislators appear to have dropped a recent attempt to make the four-day work week standard in California, this radical idea is nothing new, as CIO.com reported in this 2001 article, The Four-Day Workweek and a Dotcom Resurrection.
French filmmaker Florent Marcie, left, and his humanoid robot Sota witness the yellow vest movement in France in 2018. Courtesy of Adnan Farzat



Social media, internet and AI are revolutionizing people's perceptions of war



By Kwak Yeon-soo



As somebody born a generation after two world wars, French filmmaker Florent Marcie never experienced war. However, his willingness to keep the knowledge about the past made him wonder, "What is war exactly?"



"Now we are all against war, but just one generation before I was born, France was fighting against Germany. War shaped my country, culture and identity of being French. So I decided to see with my own eyes and find out 'what is war?'" he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.



He traveled to Eastern Europe during the Soviet era, and South Africa during the Apartheid era. Witnessing the Romanian Revolution in 1989 inspired him to dedicate his life to filming mostly war and conflict zones.



"It was a very intense experience to meet people who participate in the revolution and fight for their rights. Then I learned to take pictures and direct documentaries, so I can express myself more in this kind of situation," he said.



The idea for his latest documentary film "A.I. at War," which was invited to the Frontline section of this year's Jeonju International Film Festival, ensued when he was making the film "Tomorrow Tripoli" about the Libyan Revolution.



"If you look at the Arab Spring, it looks like a failure because it led to the growth of fanatics and ISIS. But while I was living in Libya, I had a feeling that technology reached a certain level where it can work as a powerful tool. I thought it would be another type of revolution because a smartphone can change your structure of mind. So I decided that my next film would be about another form of revolution  the AI revolution," he said.





A scene from the documentary film "A.I. at War" by Florent Marcie / Courtesy of Jeonju IFF



In his latest documentary film, Marcie brings an AI robot named Sota with him to war zones in Mosul and Raqqa, then in Paris during the yellow vest movement that began in 2018.



As their journey unfolds, the relationship between man and machine leads to questions about the future of the human condition.



Marcie recalled that he wasn't sure if he could find a suitable humanoid robot to explore its capabilities. Then he found the robot, created by the Imagineering Institute in Malaysia, in Paris at a technology fair.



Getting permission from the research lab was fairly easy compared to other labs in France.



"There was a French company that developed humanoid robots, so I sent them several emails and waited for their answer. But I couldn't even arrange a meeting. By contrast, it took me 10 minutes to speak with Imagineering Institute founder Adrian Cheok," he said.



Filming in Mosul and Raqqa was tough because the cities weren't equipped with stable and fast internet connections. The director said he had to be patient with Sota because the robot initially had no perception of the world. He had to teach new knowledge and create new functions using algorithms to improve the robot over time.



As a result, Sota developed into a robot that could film, photograph, analyze and describe what it sees.



"After my trip to Mosul, I asked the lab if they could improve the robot. But they said it would take a lot of time to program it, so I decided to do it myself," he said.



Despite his efforts, Sota proves why robots cannot fully replace humans. In the film, there is a scene where Marcie asks the robot to observe a cemetery and analyze what it sees. "Sota said it sees a field, farming, landscape and workers when it's actually people burying dead bodies. Robots are limited in their comprehension of the world and they are very naive," he said.





Filmmaker Florent Marcie, left, and his humanoid robot Sota in a scene from the documentary film "A.I. at War" / Courtesy of Jeonju IFF
Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

24 Hour Access
The Fundraising Regulator has seen a rising tide of complaints since February, its CEO said earlier this week.

Gerald Oppenheim was speaking at Trustee Exchange, an event organised by Civil Society Media, where he urged charities to remain vigilant.

Were seeing a rising tide of complaints at the moment, Oppenheim said.

The Fundraising Regulator investigates complaints that cannot be resolved by the charitable organisation itself.

Oppenheim said: Complaints tend to go up and down over time depending on whats going on. November is always a busy month because people react to pre-Christmas fundraising campaigns.

But lately, and the reasons are not entirely clear, since February weve noticed a quite steep increase in numbers [of complaints]. March was just incredibly busy, and April  had we not had the Easter weekend in the middle probably would have came out the same. And May, three days in, is also looking interesting.

It is unclear why complaints are on the rise

There are no discernible trends that explain the rise in complaints, Oppenheim said.

He continued: I dont know what lies behind that  I suspect its a lot of reasons but one of them may be the move during lockdown to online fundraising, gambling, lotteries, all of that that raises concerns.

Oppenheim mentioned that charities are advertising on TV a lot more to raise money and adverts for free prize draws with expensive houses and high cash prizes are becoming more prevalent.

He said: You can understand why that raises concerns for people about the propriety of all that even though there is nothing wrong and nothing illegal about it, for some people it doesnt seem like a comfortable fit.

In light of this, he said it was important trustees be careful when agreeing to campaigns like this as they need to be aware of the risks and reputational concerns that go with it.

Complaints over misleading fundraising campaigns

Oppenheim said so far this year, some of the complaints have been about supposedly misleading fundraising campaigns.

He said: Gaming-based complaints are growing and then there are others around people reading charity literature accompanying fundraising and feeling that in some way it is misleading where statistics are used selectively.

A number of complainants clearly have issues with charities that are very very personal and that makes dealing with their concerns very very difficult. Thats why above everything else compliance with the code is so important, it sets the standards that charities should be following.

Ukraine fundraising appeals

Fundraising Regulator has an enquiries line and Oppenheim said a lot of people have been getting in touch about fundraising for Ukraine.

The regulator has issued guidance around fundraising for Ukraine.



He mentioned the Disaster's Emergency Committee's Ukraine appeal which has raised millions for the country in crisis and estimated that the total figure raised would be nearing 400m.

With it comes risks, he said.



Oppenheim mentioned that it is important for charities know how to spend this money to help people effectively.

sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
On March 3, 1991, four police officers beat Rodney King, a Black motorist in Los Angeles, nearly to death. A resident of an adjacent apartment building filmed the beating and handed the footage to a local TV station, which broadcast it, sparking global outrage and a media frenzy. The officers were swiftly charged with offenses including assault; they pleaded not guilty, and months later, their trial was relocated from LA to Simi Valley, a heavily white suburb, after defense lawyers argued that the intense media coverage of the case in LA would make any trial there unfair and a court, unusually, agreed. The defense wanted to try to get the trial into a county where there was a better chance for a predominantly white jury, Russell Cole, an attorney for one of the officers, admitted in an interview with Slates Slow Burn podcast, which revisited the King story across eight episodes last year. Did anybody ever say that out loud? No, not that I recall. On April 29, 1992, the jury acquitted the officers of almost all charges. In LA, massive unrest ensued.

At the time, Hector Tobar, who grew up in LA, was a cub reporter at the LA Times, the paper his father, a Guatemalan immigrant, had delivered when Tobar was a kid. After the video of the King beating became public, editors assigned Tobar to help write the papers lead story on the incident. The most important thing when you write that story is the lede, Tobar told Slow Burns Joel Anderson, so I started with something like, The brutal beating of a Black man by a group of mostly white police officers set off a national furor. Tobars editor, who was white, had other ideas, stripping any mention of race from the top of the story; the fact that King was Black was first mentioned in the twelfth paragraph. When I look at that story as the first draft of history, Tobar said, I think, Oh my God, we got it so wrong. We missed the essence of the story.

ICYMI: Karyn Pugliese on small, mighty newsrooms and Indigenous climate solutions

Race, Tobar writes in a new account for the New York Times Magazine, made my editors nervousan outgrowth of a media-wide failure to see the subject as anything other than the looming potential for disorder and violence, a source of division. In 1992, after the officers who beat King were acquitted and the violence began, Tobar felt that he could help readers situate it in its proper contextof inequality, exploitation, and political denial, but also of a city where people lived in tense coexistence, but coexistence nonetheless. Instead, he recalls, my editors assigned me a humbler task: go find some Latino looters to interview and hand over my notes to a more seasoned writer. It felt to many reporters of color at the time that we had been sent out to report in an urban war zone, while a mostly white staff of editors shaped what actually appeared in the newspaper. As white reporters avoided dangerous areas, one Black journalist reportedly referred to this division of labor as the Los Angeles Times busing program.

Tobars reflection on the unrest, and how the media covered it, was one of several published this week to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the violence. It played into a broader process of reappraisal that also followed the anniversary, last year, of the beating itself and has often focused not only on the legacy of police brutality, but the relations between different ethnic communities in LA, and how they have been memorialized. Latinos, Gustavo Arellano, a current columnist at the LA Times, writes in another such piece, played a far bigger role in the riots than we care to remember or admit. Latinos were killers and the killed, assaulters and the assaulted, looters and the looted, and yet history has reduced Latino involvement to an afterthought in a master narrative of Black rage against a racist white system, with Koreans in the middle.

Conflict between Black and Korean Angelenos indeed dominated much media coverage at the time of the unrest. The previous year, in the wake of the King beating, Soon Ja Du, a Korean-American shopkeeper, fatally shot Latasha Harlins, a Black teenager, in the back of the head; after the acquittals in Kings case, NBCs Hanna Kang writes, footage of gun-toting Koreans on rooftops transposed with images of Black youth firebombing businesses with Molotov cocktails hardened into a media portrayal of entrenched conflict, with Black residents considered lawless and Korean merchants, mercenary. This, Frank Shyong, also an LA Times columnist, writes, was a palatable narrative of racial conflict in which white racism was not directly implicated. Tensions between members of the Black and Korean communities in LA were very real. But the media narrative, Shyong and others argue, cast them as sole players in a zero-sum conflict, with structural forcesnot least policing and economic neglectignored, and stories of community reconciliation downplayed.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

This week also marked the thirtieth anniversaryshortly before that of the acquittalsof a historic peace deal between rival LA gangs, particularly in the predominantly Black Watts projects. (The agreement was explicitly modeled after the armistice that ended the Arab-Israeli war in 1949; Ralph Bunche, the chief architect of the armistice, was Black and had ties to LA.) The Watts deal held through the violence that immediately followed it, and for years thereafter; Aqeela Sherrills, who worked on it, told WNYCs The Takeaway this week that it gave birth to what I consider to be one of the most progressive public-safety strategies in the history of this country. Yet the unrest overshadowed it in the media at the time, and in the eyes of history. The Watts treaty has largely been forgotten, the law professor William J. Aceves writes, perhaps because it provides a counter-narrative to dominant perceptions of Watts.

Narrative patterns here, and the medias role in forming them, are not hard to discern. Tobar notes that, when a rebellion broke out in Watts in 1965, the LA Times had no Black reporters and so instead sent Robert Richardson, a Black advertising staffer, to cover it; Richardson was subsequently made a trainee reporter, but he received little support, and soon left the paper. The LA Times included the latter detail in a package apologizing for failures on race that it published in the summer of 2020, after a white police officer in Minneapolis murdered George Floyd and staffers of color at the paper spoke out about a lack of newsroom diversity and insufficient support for nonwhite staffers; the package noted that some of the papers Watts coverage was patronizing and credulous of police narratives, and also acknowledged flaws in its coverage of the 1992 unrest. In a 2004 analysis, William L. Solomon, an academic at Rutgers, assessed how the New York Times and the Washington Post covered the King case between the beating and the acquittals; he found that those papers initially centered a pattern of brutality on the part of the Los Angeles Police Department, but subsequently cast aspersions on Kings character and emphasized that policing is a dangerous job. In 2020, after Floyds murder, the medias use of the police euphemism officer involved declined. In 2021, it ticked back up again.

This is not to say that no progress has been made over time. But progress has been slow and nonlinearand just as the King story retains obvious relevance for American society broadly, its coverage holds ongoing lessons for the press. History is naturally contested terrain thats constantly being reassessed. When it comes to police brutality and protest, though, US newsrooms still too often repeat avoidable mistakes on the first draftnot least in deciding who gets to write it. We shouldnt need thirty years of hindsight to see the essence of the story.

Below, more on King, the police, and Slow Burn:



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Facebook, AI, and a less friendly news feed

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
A Massachusetts woman who signed a lump sum settlement with her workers compensation carrier over a right shoulder injury cannot later obtain benefits for a left shoulder injury linked to the same incident because she did not specifically mention the second injury in the settlement.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed a workers compensation board decision siding with the insurer, Safety National Casualty Co., that overturned an administrative judge who ruled the plaintiff was entitled to a second claim.

The question for the high court was whether Safety Nationals lump-sum settlement with Mary Lamport with respect to her right shoulder injuries foreclosed her ability to file a claim with respect to her left shoulder injuries arising out of the same occurrence.

Lamport worked at an assisted living facility. On April 10, 2016, while lifting a resident out of a wheelchair, she experienced severe pain in her right shoulder and neck. In early February 2017, she underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair her right rotator cuff and related right shoulder injuries.

Prior to this procedure, because Lamport was favoring her injured right shoulder, she began to experience pain in her left shoulder. One month before her right shoulder surgery, Lamport complained to her surgeon of persistent left shoulder pain. The surgeon ordered a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the left shoulder. Lamport continued to experience left shoulder pain during and after recovery from the right shoulder surgery.

The insurer accepted liability for the right shoulder injuries and related treatment, and about one year after the surgery, on February 13, 2018, the parties entered into a lump-sum agreement.

About one year later, Lamport filed a second claim, this time for coverage of medical expenses to treat and repair her left shoulder. The insurer opposed the claim, arguing that the lump-sum agreement barred recovery for additional injuries arising out of the same accident.

The industrial accident administrative judge found that Lamports counsel and the insurer had knowledge, or should have had knowledge, of the employees left shoulder pain and its potential causal relationship to the work injury of April 10, 2016, at the time they finalized the lump-sum agreement. The administrative judge believed that the agreements silence with regard to the left shoulder injuries meant that Lamport could file a new claim.

However, the workers compensation board held that the omission compelled the opposite conclusion. Lamport appealed that boards decision to no avail.

The states high court has now affirmed the long-standing policy that once an administrative judge has approved an agreement, payment made by the insurer is a full settlement of all compensation due to the employee under the states workers compensation law and if the parties intend to reserve the right to claim an injury, they must specifically state so in the lump sum settlement.

Such a lump-sum agreement precludes reopening of the case except upon a showing of fraud or mutual mistake, according to the court.
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the dismissal of a discrimination lawsuit filed by a deaf, legally blind woman against a physical therapy business that wouldnt provide an American Sign Language interpreter for her appointments.

In a 6-3 ruling with conservatives in the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that businesses that receive federal health care money cant be sued for discrimination under the Affordable Care Act when the harm alleged is emotional, not financial.

The current case began when the woman, Jane Cummings, asked for an ASL interpreter for physical therapy appointments to treat chronic back pain with Premier Rehab Keller, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Cummings communicates primarily in ASL. But Premier Rehab said Cummings could communicate with the therapist using written notes, lip reading, or gesturing, Roberts wrote.

She went elsewhere, but then sued the business, asking for a court order against Premier Rehab and damages for emotional distress. Lower courts dismissed the lawsuit.

Cummings argued that failure to provide an interpreter constituted discrimination on the basis of disability in violation of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Affordable Care Act. Premier Rehab is subject to these statutes, which apply to entities that receive federal financial assistance, because it receives reimbursement through Medicare and Medicaid for the provision of some of its services.

But the court majority wrote that emotional distress damages are not traditionally available in suits for breach of contract and in his case federal funding recipients have no clear notice that they would face such a remedy in private actions brought to enforce the statutes.

Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in dissent that people who suffer discrimination often feel humiliation or embarrassment. It is difficult to square the Courts holding with the basic purposes that antidiscrimination laws seek to serve. One such purpose, as I have said, is to vindicate `human dignity and not mere economics, Breyer wrote, citing an opinion from his onetime boss, Justice Arthur Goldberg, in a key Civil Rights-era case.

Breyer noted in his opinion that some anti-bias laws, including against workplace discrimination, allow for damages for emotional distress.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The company behind the TurboTax tax-filing program will pay $141 million to customers across the United States who were deceived by misleading promises of free tax-filing services, New Yorks attorney general announced Wednesday.

Under the terms of a settlement signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states, Mountain View, California-based Intuit Inc. will suspend TurboTaxs free, free, free ad campaign and pay restitution to nearly 4.4 million taxpayers, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

James said her investigation into Intuit was sparked by a 2019 ProPublica report that found the company was using deceptive tactics to steer low-income tax filers away from the federally supported free services for which they qualified  and toward its own commercial products, instead.

For years, Intuit misled the most vulnerable among us to make a profit. Today, every state in the nation is holding Intuit accountable for scamming millions of taxpayers, and were putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of impacted Americans, James said in a statement. This agreement should serve as a reminder to companies large and small that engaging in these deceptive marketing ploys is illegal.

A message seeking comment was left with Intuit.

Intuit has offered two free versions of TurboTax. One was through its participation in the Internal Revenue Services Free File Program, geared toward taxpayers earning roughly $34,000 and members of the military. Intuit withdrew from the program in July 2021. The company also offers a commercial product called TurboTax Free Edition that is only for taxpayers with simple returns, as defined by Intuit.

According to documents obtained by ProPublica, Intuit executives knew they were deceiving customers by advertising free services that were not in fact free to everyone.

The website lists Free, Free, Free and the customers are assuming their return will be free, an internal company PowerPoint presentation said. Customers are getting upset.

Under the agreement, Intuit will provide restitution to consumers who started using the commercial TurboTax Free Edition for tax years 2016 through 2018 and were told that they had to pay to file even though they were eligible for the version of TurboTax offered as part of the IRS Free File program.

Consumers are expected to receive a direct payment of approximately $30 for each year that they were deceived into paying for filing services, James said. They will automatically receive notices and checks by mail.

We empower our customers to take control of their financial lives, which includes being in charge of their own tax preparation, an Intuit spokesperson told ProPublica in a statement in 2019.

The spokesperson added that a government-run pre-filled tax preparation system that makes the tax collector (who is also the investigator, auditor and enforcer) the tax preparer is fraught with conflicts of interest.

Photo: This Feb. 22, 2018 photo shows a display of TurboTax software in a Sams Club in Pittsburgh. The company behind the TurboTax tax-filing program will pay $141 million to customers across the United States who were deceived by misleading promises of free tax-filing services, New Yorks attorney general announced Wednesday, May 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Actress Kang Soo-yeon was taken to a hospital after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest and intracerebral hemorrhage. Korea Times file



Veteran actress in hospital after cardiac arrest



By Lee Gyu-lee



The film industry and fans are pouring out messages of support for award-winning actress Kang Soo-yeon, wishing her recovery, as she remains unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest at her home on Thursday.



Kim Dong-ho, the former executive committee member of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), who is a friend of the actress, reportedly rushed to the hospital where Kang was transferred.



"Her doctor informed the family that her condition might not get better even if she undergoes surgery, so they haven't decided whether to proceed with it," he told local media.



Adding that he met Kang about a week ago, Kim said, "She seemed to be fine  She would go to the hospital for checkups but she wasn't sick. I heard that she was planning to visit the United States soon."



The actress finished filming director Yeon Sang-ho's new Netflix film "Jung-E" earlier this year, appearing in a film for the first time in nine years. The director also expressed his wishes for Kang's fast recovery to local news outlets.



"She was healthy when we were filming. And when we met very recently for ADR (automated dialogue replacement) recording, she was in a good shape," he said. "I believe all the film industry people will be praying. I am, too."



Fellow actor Han Ji-il, who co-starred with Kang in the 1989 film "Come Come Come Upward," also wrote on his social media, "Please pray so she can recover and be with her fans again."



Her fans also expressed concerns, leaving comments online praying for her recovery.



"I hope they didn't miss the golden hour since her family reported the emergency quickly. I hope she gets well," a user wrote on an online community.



Another user wrote: "I was waiting for her comeback with the Netflix film. How could this happen?"



The 55-year-old actress was found unconscious at her house in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, and was taken to a hospital at around 5:40 p.m. Thursday after her family called an ambulance. She apparently suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage and remains unconscious.



Kang debuted as a child actress at the age of three. She became globally acclaimed after playing the lead in director Im Kwon-taek's film "The Surrogate Woman" in 1987, winning the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival that year.



She became the first Korean actor to notch the honor from one of the big three globally prestigious film festivals  Venice, Berlin, and Cannes.



Kang also won the best actress award from the Moscow International Film Festival for her performance in director Im's 1989 film "Come Come Come Upward."



She has received numerous accolades locally and abroad with her roles across films and TV series, including the 1999 crime film "Rainbow Trout" and the 2001 hit period series "Ladies of the Palace." She also served as a committee member of the BIFF from 2015 to 2017.



Kang had been on hiatus after starring in a short film called "Jury" in 2013 and was set to return to the screen with Yeon's upcoming sci-fi film playing the lead role.






Korea and Japan have agreed to resume flight services between major airports in their capitals early next month after suspending them for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a diplomatic source Friday.







The Northeast Asian neighbors plan to reopen the air route between Gimpo International Airport in Seoul and Haneda Airport in Tokyo in early June, at the latest, the source said.







While flights between Korea's main gateway Incheon International Airport and Japan's Narita International Airport have remained operational, services between the Gimpo-Haneda airports, more convenient in terms of public access, had been shuttered since March 2020.







Late last month, a delegation sent by Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol to Japan proposed reopening the Gimpo-Haneda route among several measures to boost people-to-people exchanges during its meetings with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials







Korea's major airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, as well as Japanese ones such as Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, have applied for the resumption of the flight services. (Yonhap)






Pages of "Jikji," the oldest surviving book printed with movable metal type / Courtesy of National Archives of Korea





By Park Han-sol







A collaborative international research project launched last year to analyze the 918-1392 Goryeo era's Buddhist scripture "Jikji Simche Yojeol," better known as "Jikji," is taking a new step forward with a grant awarded by the Washington, D.C.-based National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).







"From Jikji to Gutenberg," led by the UNESCO International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH) and the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library, is a joint research project involving over 50 scholars from 25 prominent institutions, including the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution and Gutenberg Museum in Germany.







Its aim is to study Jikji and the Gutenberg Bible  historic, cultural artifacts that are believed to be the origins of print practices in Eastern Asia and Western Europe, respectively.







Both relics were inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2001. However, in the West, it still remains virtually unknown that Jikji far predates the 42-line Gutenberg Bible, which is widely recognized as the earliest book printed using mass-produced metal types in Europe.







The Buddhist scripture was published during the late Goryeo Kingdom in 1377 at Heungdeok Temple in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province  78 years ahead of its European counterpart  making it the world's oldest surviving book printed with movable metal types. The only surviving original is now kept at the National Library of France.







"From Jikji to Gutenberg" will receive a $75,000 grant from NEH by next year, making this the first time for a humanities project with Korean involvement to be awarded by the U.S. federal institution, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's National Archives of Korea (NAK).







Through the humanistic research process with state-of-the-art nondestructive imaging technology, the interdisciplinary team of historians, conservators and scientists "expects to discover the origins and principles of printing and type-casting techniques, which have not been uncovered until now," it said in a statement.







Depending on the progress made on its first phase by 2023, the project will qualify for the follow-up grant from NEH in the coming years, which amounts to $3.3 million.







Choi Jae-hee, the chair of UNESCO ICDH and president of NAK, said, "It is of great significance that UNESCO ICDH, established for the first time in the world by Korea with the great support of the international community, has provided an opportunity for experts and professionals worldwide to study Jikji, the pride of Korea."







The scholarly strides made through "From Jikji to Gutenberg" will be unveiled to the public in 2027, when a cooperative exhibition is scheduled to be held simultaneously in 44 research libraries across the globe in commemoration of the 650th anniversary of the printing of Jikji.


EMEA

Twelve awards in total underlines strength in depth in Europe

IFLR Europe Awards 2022 has recognised Clifford Chance as the International Law Firm of the Year. Clifford Chance also received the Debt and equity-linked; Financial services regulatory; Loan, and Project finance Team of the Year awards and is IFLR Europe's National Firm of the Year for Belgium, for Luxembourg and for the Netherlands. In addition, Clifford Chance advised on the Debt and Equity-Linked; Equity; Loan, and Project Finance deals of the year. Receiving 12 awards in total is outstanding recognition for our clients.

Charles Adams, Global Managing Partner, Clifford Chance said: "We are incredibly proud to be recognised by IFLR as the leading law firm in Europe. Winning 12 awards in total for our advice on Europe's most groundbreaking work reflects the quality and strength in depth of our team in Europe.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients," added Charles, "and to congratulate my colleagues whose continued focus and leadership at the cutting edge of legal services says so much about our commitment to our clients' success."

The IFLR Europe Awards 2022 recognise the best law firms in Europe and Clifford Chance's recognition extends across the full gamut of markets, in a set of awards that comprises:

International law firm of the year

Firm of the year: Belgium

Firm of the year: Netherlands

Firm of the year: Luxembourg

Team of the year: Project Finance

Team of the year: Loan

Team of the year: Financial services regulatory

Team of the year: Debt and equity-linked

Deal of the year: Debt and equity-linked: World Bank  UNICEF sustainable bond award

Deal of the year: Equity: Hambro Perks Acquisition Company IPO

Deal of the year: Loan: Ethypharm refinancing

Deal of the year: Project Finance: Karapinar solar plant

IFLR Editor of Awards Research Jamie Rayat said of Clifford Chance's success: Clifford Chance is the winner of the International Law Firm of the Year at IFLRs Europe Awards. The firm put in a first-class performance across the board in 2021, and the decision to award them the win was based on an impressive showing over the entire range of practice areas the IFLR Awards cover.

"Particularly strong work from the firm includes their advice on the World Bank  UNICEF sustainable bond, Hambro Perks Acquisition Company IPO, Karapinar solar plant and the Ethypharm refinancing. These deals were all named as Deal of the Year in their respective practice areas, and therefore considered to be among the most innovative cross-border deals of the year in Europe by IFLR's awards research team.

"Clifford Chance's individual practice groups also took home a number of Team of the Year awards. These awards were given thanks to the teams in question demonstrating a pre-eminent ability to advise on a wide range of complex and innovative matters. The firm prevailed in the Debt and equity-linked, Loan, Project Finance and Financial services regulatory Team of the Year categories.

"The firm's offices in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were also awarded prizes for their work, having demonstrated the best track record of providing local law advice on the most legally innovative cross-border transactions from these jurisdictions during 2021."
Swedish and NATO flags are seen printed on paper in this April 13 photo. Reuters-Yonhap





North Korea's foreign ministry denounced Sweden and Finland, Friday, for their expected applications to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and accused the United States of political motives behind the move.







In a post on its website, the ministry said that the NATO membership of the Nordic countries will only aggravate military confrontation with Russia and "upset" the military balance in the Baltic Sea area.







"The above facts prove that the U.S. and the West are taking the Ukrainian situation as a golden opportunity to compress the strategic space of Russia by tightening the encircling net around Russia," it argued.







The ministry then warned that such moves by the U.S. and other western nations will inevitably provoke a stronger reaction from Russia.







Pyongyang's message came as the White House stated that Washington can "address any concerns either country may have about the period of time between a NATO membership application and the formal accession to the alliance."







In a separate piece, the ministry stressed that U.S. sanctions against Russia have proven to be futile, saying that Moscow posted a current account surplus of $58 billion in the first quarter this year.







It also claimed that European countries are "recently crying out in fear" that the suspension of gas imports from Russia could lead to a serious economic crisis.







"The reality clearly shows that the stick of sanctions wielded by the U.S. and the West against Russia rather turns out to be a boomerang which flies back to their throat muscles," it added. (Yonhap)






Legislation to help those convicted when they were minors to get jobs is on its way to Gov. Jared Polis after receiving final approval from the Colorado legislature on Friday.

If signed into law, House Bill 1383 would prohibit employers from asking applicants about criminal histories from when they were minors, including on applications or during interviews. The bill would also spend $1.1 million on expanding career training and technical education in juvenile detention centers.

It is a good bill to help kids put their past behind them and move into the future, said bill sponsor Sen. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs. To expand opportunities, break down barriers and give juveniles a path to move forward.

The state Senate passed the bipartisan-sponsored bill in a 24-8 vote on Friday, following the Houses 43-22 approval last week. Polis will consider the bill in the coming days.

Though most juvenile criminal records are sealed, the bill sponsors said employers frequently ask applicants to disclose this private information and hold it against them during the hiring process.

Even after 10 years in the workforce, juveniles convicted of crimes are less likely to have full-time employment and less likely to have high-earning jobs, even when controlling for ability, education and general work experience, according to an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

All Democrat lawmakers voted in support of the bill and nearly all Republicans voted against it. In the Senate and House, only six Republicans voted yes on the bill, including the bills sponsor Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron.

Holtorf said during his decades of running a cattle ranch farm, he hired many people with criminal backgrounds who came to the country seeking a fresh start.

I was raised to always give somebody a chance. Despite the sins of the past, always take somebody on the merits of today and what they can offer tomorrow, Holtorf said. If you can help youth in the beginning, you can change the trajectory of their life forever.

Some of the opponents said they were worried the bill would limit employers when questioning an applicants former job about, for example, if the prospective employee got into legal trouble while working for them.

The bill would not prevent employers from running background checks or accessing information about an applicants criminal history that is publicly available, such as juvenile records for sexual or violent crimes. The bill would also exempt licensed child care centers and law enforcement agencies from following the new requirements.
Offer a personal message of sympathy...

By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account.
A makeshift COVID-19 testing center is empty in Seoul, May 5. Yonhap





New COVID-19 cases fell to the 20,000 level for Thursday from above 40,000 the previous day as the eased antivirus restrictions designed to return the nation to normalcy continued to be followed.







The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 26,714 new infections, including 28 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,464,782.







The tally is a marked decrease from 42,296 reported for Wednesday and sharply down from 50,556 reported a week earlier.







Daily infections have been on the downward trend in recent weeks after soaring to over 620,000 in mid-March due to the fast spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The figure fell to nearly a three-month low of 20,076, Sunday.







The country added 48 COVID-19 deaths Friday, bringing the total to 23,206, the KDCA said for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of critically ill patients came to 423, down from 441 a day earlier.







As of Friday, 44.55 million people, or 86.8 percent of the population, had been vaccinated with the first two shots, and 33.16 million people had received the first booster shots, representing 64.6 percent.







The number of those having had second booster shots came to 2.6 million, or 5.1 percent of the population, the KDCA said.







In line with the recent gradual decrease, the government has removed almost all strict antivirus rules to support a return to normalcy.







Effective Monday, the government lifted the outdoor mask mandate after more than 18 months of enforcement, except for large gatherings of 50 or more.







Last month, the government also fully lifted private gathering limits and business hour curfews.







But mask wearing is still recommended when it is difficult for people to keep a 1-meter distance from each other at gatherings and in circumstances where lots of droplets of saliva could be expelled, such as shouting and singing.







The government has also made it clear that indoor mask wearing needs to be in place for some time.







The health authorities said the downturn in infections is expected to continue at least for a month to come, but they remained vigilant over the possible uptick after confirming the country's first case of the even more contagious Omicron sub-variant dubbed BA.2.12.1.







The new sub-lineage of the Omicron variant has caused a recent surge in infections in New York and elsewhere. (Yonhap)


Google's incredibly serious about making Android appealing to the enterprise and the broader universe of business users.

That's the official company line, at least  and the narrative Google's been pushing hard since launching its Android Enterprise Recommended program in February 2018.

Android Enterprise Recommended, the company told us, would be a "Google-led global initiative that raises the bar of excellence for enterprise devices and services." It'd establish "best practices and common requirements" for business-ready Android devices, and it'd ensure any phone with the stamp of approval provided a professional and properly supported experience without all of the common ecosystem asterisks.

It certainly sounds smart and sensible. The enterprise realm in particular is closely tuned into security and data protection, and having workers carry devices that don't receive timely and reliable software updates  whether we're talking about the monthly security patches or the bigger operating system releases around them  poses an unacceptable risk for any cautious organization.

Some four years after its launch, though, Google's Android Enterprise Recommended program seems to have devolved into a mostly meaningless afterthought. There's a disconcerting disconnect between the program's front-facing promise and what you find when you dig deeply into its offerings and look closely at what's actually happening with the devices it's endorsed.

And for any company that's relying on that seal of approval as a guide to which Android phones offer an optimally secure and up-to-date environment suitable for enterprise use, that disconnect could lead to some troublingly flawed decisions.

The Android Enterprise Recommended story

I first wrote about the issues with Google's Android Enterprise Recommended program nearly two years ago, in July 2020. At the time, I noted that the program's "Devices" page prominently featured some phones that were woefully out of date and in direct conflict with the security-minded promises on that very same screen.

Specifically, as I observed at the time, the first phone listed on the page was the Motorola-made Moto Z4  a device that was "validated by Google" for meeting its "highest standards," with "regular security updates guaranteed," as the page proclaimed.

The Moto Z4, however, had received the then-current Android 10 operating system update more than six months after its release, with absolutely no communication along the way. And reporting at the time indicated it had gone months without any security patch updates and remained perpetually out of date on that front as well.

Now, the truly shocking twist: Pull up that same first-level "Devices" page today, nearly two years later, and what do you see? Yep, you guessed it: the now-three-year-old Moto Z4, still prominently featured as the top device earning Google's stamp of approval.

JR Raphael/IDG Google's Android Enterprise Recommended "Devices" page still prominently features phones from 2019. (Click any image in this story to enlarge it.)

The Moto Z4, suffice it to say, hasn't been officially supported with updates for months at this point. Heck, it was barely supported even when it was technically still in line for active ongoing rollouts. And yet, it's somehow still the top-featured device on Google's Android Enterprise Recommended website  along with other equally outdated and no-longer-supported products.

And that, unfortunately, is just the tip of the iceberg.

A deeper device problem

Having a prominent introductory page that doesn't seem to have been updated in years obviously isn't a good sign for the state of the associated program. But maybe that's just an oversight. Maybe the database itself is still current and full of meaningful enterprise-ready Android phone recommendations. Right?

Well, maybe. But not exactly.

Make your way over to the full list of Android Enterprise Recommended products, and you will indeed see some more current devices in the collection of approved and endorsed items. For North America, specifically, phones such as the Motorola Edge (2021), Moto G Stylus (2022), and Samsung Galaxy S21 and S22 are all included, as are a number of current Google-made and Nokia-made devices.

I decided to dig deeper yet, though, and see how well some of those products were actually keeping up with the Android Enterprise Recommended promise. And outside of Google's self-made Pixel products, the answer isn't exactly uplifting.

The Moto G Stylus, for instance, still hasn't received the now-seven-month-old Android 12 update as of this writing. Equally unsettling, it's running a five-months-outdated security patch from December 1, 2021 at this present moment  despite the device's in-phone System Update screen assuring owners that "everything looks good" and that they're "using the latest software."

JR Raphael/IDG The Moto G Stylus's System Update message, as seen in late April 2022.

A phone's price shouldn't have any bearing on its ability to keep up with this program's promises, of course, but for perspective, even Motorola's 2021 Edge flagship  which sells for $700 and launched last September, roughly one month before Android 12's release  just started getting the Android 12 update days ago, in late April.

Nokia's devices, meanwhile, seem to be faring much better on the security patch front. I checked out the Nokia G10 as an example and found it to be running the security update from March 5, 2022. Sure, it's missing the more recent April update, in conflict with its stated promise for monthly security patch rollouts, but it's at least pretty close to where it ought to be.

But that's where the good news ends. The Nokia G10 is still running 2020's Android 11 software as of this moment  a release that's now nearly 20 months out of date. And as anyone who studies Android closely can tell you, operating system updates absolutely do matter beyond what you see on the surface. They typically contain numerous privacy- and security-related improvements along with critically important changes to the way apps are allowed to interact with devices and sensitive user data.

Neither Motorola nor Nokia has made any meaningful communication to customers about the status of their rollouts, either, or when any progress can be expected.

And remember, the core Android Enterprise Recommended promise is an assurance that you'll get "timely security patches and clear information about major updates" with any endorsed devices (though amusingly enough, the Android Enterprise Recommended site's database actually has a built-in filter to identify products where the security update frequency is "not provided," and it currently features 227 devices with that designation). Beyond that, Nokia's G10 phone is technically also part of Google's Android One program for consumers, which has a similar speedy-update promise  though that program appears to be abandoned and no longer actively maintained.

JR Raphael/IDG The page promoting the Nokia G10 on the Android Enterprise Recommended website.

Following an initial acknowledgment of my inquiry, Nokia did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this matter. Motorola, meanwhile, provided the following statement via a spokesperson:

We know OS and security updates are important, and were constantly evaluating our strategy and working with partners and our internal teams to ensure consumers have the latest and best technology on their Motorola devices. Essential features can also be updated via the Play Store, which allows us to provide key updates more often. Users can expect ongoing support for software features like new My UX experiences, new camera features, and new Ready For experiences, dependent on hardware compatibility. Additionally, we know security is important to our consumers, so weve increased [security maintenance release] update support from two to three years to all mid-tier and premium devices.

As for Samsung, after years of dismal software support performance, the company is actually doing a reasonably decent (if still slower-than-optimal) job at keeping its devices up to date and keeping its customers in the loop about its progress. The Galaxy S21, for instance, currently has Android 12 and the April 2022 security patch.

But, somewhat troublingly, all Galaxy phone models rely on the same universal Samsung privacy policy, as Samsung confirmed to me  and that policy, among other things, states that:

Samsung "may allow certain third parties (such as advertising partners) to collect your personal information."

Samsung "may have" previously sold sensitive info to undisclosed third parties  everything ranging from "unique personal identifiers" associated with a device to "records of products or services purchased, obtained, or considered"; "other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies"; "internet and other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interaction with websites, applications, or advertisements"; and "inferences drawn from any of the information identified above to create a profile about you reflecting your preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes."

Samsung may have also "disclosed" even more personal info to "vendors" for "a business purpose"  including customer names, addresses, phone numbers, signatures, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, purchase histories, browsing histories, search histories, geolocation data, and "inferences drawn" from all of that.

The list keeps going from there, with a whole separate policy surrounding a Samsung software layer that, if enabled, can collect, analyze, and even share user data associated with Samsung's Galaxy-branded calendar and browser apps.

How is any of that appropriate for enterprise use  or for anyone who's serious about protecting their privacy, for that matter?

Android enterprise answers

To be fair, Google's in a bit of an awkward position here. Given Android's open-source nature and the way device-makers are able to change and customize the core operating system software, there's no real way Google itself could completely control every aspect of the user experience  including the delivery of updates on devices outside of its own Pixel line.

When I presented some of these findings to the company, a Google spokesperson provided the following statement:

Android Enterprise Recommended provides businesses with an easy way to find the best devices to deploy for their needs. Partners and their devices are assessed and vetted based on a number of criteria, and we're always working to make improvements to the program. When we become aware of any discrepancies in what partners are reporting through Android Enterprise Recommended, we work with them to bring their devices into compliance with the Android Enterprise Recommended program.

That seems sensible enough, but the fact remains that these issues in the program have been present for years now  and the same device-makers and even specific device models continue to be included in spite of their clear lack of compliance with its parameters.

And that ultimately points us to the real root of the problem.

"The promise of this program is pretty clear," says Avi Greengart, lead analyst at research firm Techsponential. But, he notes, the program's effectiveness seems to depend entirely on the individual vendors keeping up with their end of the bargain  and when devices aren't in compliance, there appears to be no real recourse or actively enforced system for correction.

"It's not clear to me [that] there's a process in place that Google has for kicking vendors out of the program, flagging products that aren't in compliance, and more to the point providing some assurance to enterprises that if they buy this today, it will be maintained," he says.

So, short of Google turning the ship around and actually starting to enforce its standards, what's the ultimate answer for companies seeking out guidance on which Android devices will be optimally up to date, secure, privacy-protecting, and generally advisable for enterprise use?

The reality, unfortunately, is that there is no easy answer. Android Enterprise Recommended was created to address that very problem  the lack of clear, official info about which devices can be trusted to provide timely and reliable updates and a fully optimal, enterprise-appropriate setup. And once you realize that the program's recommendations don't mean much, there's little you can do beyond relying on your own experiences with different device-makers and any available research conducted by independent, external sources.

My own Android Upgrade Report Cards speak volumes. The consistent message, year after year, is clear: If you want devices that are guaranteed to remain optimally up to date and with the strongest privacy, security, and performance protections possible, Google's self-made Pixel phones are the only fully advisable options you should consider.

They use Google's own core Android software, without the interface-muddying and sometimes privacy-jeopardizing modifications other manufacturers make, and they reliably receive all software updates within days of their release, directly from Google  even when they're no longer the hot new kids on the block.

For all of its progress as of late, Samsung still doesn't come close to matching that standard. Its most current top-of-the-line flagship had a 65-day delay in receiving Android 12 in the US, while its previous-gen, just one-year-old flagship phone waited a full 95 days  more than a quarter of a year  to get the latest Android software.

Beyond that, no one else is really even trying.

Android most certainly can be an effective option for the enterprise, and Google's approach to pulling integral system-level elements out of the operating system and updating them independently, via the Play Store, offers an important and broadly underappreciated advantage over Apple's all-in-one bundled update approach  even with Apple having the benefit of being the sole device-maker within its iOS ecosystem.

But even with that factor, operating system updates and security patches remain an important part of the overall equation  for anyone, really, but especially for enterprises that require the most current and complete measures and methods of protection. And for now, at least, Google's Android Enterprise Recommended program simply isn't an effective way to assess how reliable any given device will be at consistently providing those pieces of the puzzle.
So many employers dont yet see that modern employee experiences demand autonomy and flexibility more than they need presence. It's no surprise that since the pandemic struck, technologists have been busily attempting to build collaborative tools to support the distributed hybrid future of work.

Here's a look at some of the virtual collaboration tools available to companies.

Why these tools are important

Every survey suggests workers are more willing to find a new job than return to the bad old days of presence-based micro-management. Arguments that returning to the workplace boost collaboration may have some weight, but much of this relies on old-fashioned email and virtual meetings held from the office, rather than the home.

Even at Apple, around 76% of employees arent happy at being frog-marched back to work. A recent Future Forum survey found that employee experience scores have declined across the board as workers are made to go back.

As Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said, It doesnt make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.

What makes the return harder to swallow is that so many managers havent even begun to use readily available project or task management tools to help them optimize team management in this remote-working era. A recent survey found almost 60% of project management pros now rely on meetings as a primary means of collaboration. But do those meetings need to be real, or virtual? And to what extent can emerging families of remote collaboration and productivity solutions help make managers feel better about their hard-working remote employees?

We dont know the answer to that yet, but some of the following tools may help us find out.

Walkabout Workplace

This is a browser-based virtual office environment that combines secure videoconferencing, screen-sharing, chat and file/document exchange with presence indication, so you always know who is available in real-time.

What it's good for: Workgroups that want to retain some sense of presence while working remotely, but also need the flexibility to support asynchronous work patterns and a flexible approach to time and goals.

Unique points: I like the virtual receptionist and guest room features. These seem to provide a sense of occasion and space, even for remote meetings.

Additional features: Group messaging, private and open channels, support for corporate branding, conference rooms and the ability to "lock" yourself into a room when you need to focus or engage in a private virtual meeting.

Cost: $13 per user, per month for the first 50 users, (the price falls slightly after that). A free trial is available.

Where: www.walkaboutworkplace.com

WorkPatterns

This solution seems a little more ambitious than some. The company develops tools for meetings, feedback, goal management, and more as it aims to fill the gap for people management of distributed asynchronous teams. Youll find support for one-to-one meetings, continuous feedback, and project management in one place. WorkPatterns doesnt aim to be an office, but to be an interactive and shared environment in which goals can be agreed on and progress monitored.

What its good for: This seems great for managers seeking to gain oversight over their teams; it also seems a handy adjunct for team members, who can gain insight into how they are contributing to the overall goals. That seems particularly important to remote and hybrid workflow.

Unique points: The reporting tools seem particularly strong, while the collaboration and document sharing tools are promising.

Additional features: This integrates with the great and the good of productivity: Google, Microsoft Teams, Office, Salesforce, Zoom, Slack, Skype, and more.

Cost: Free for up to five users, $8 per user per month for up to 25 users.

Where: www.workpatterns.com

Teamflow

This option virtualizes presence and is best understood as a virtual office space that tries to work similarly to a real space. That means you can see who is "in" the office at any time and hear anyone working near you in that virtual space. Want to speak with someone? Just move your avatar over to where they are and begin a conversation. Teamflow is an app and is currently available for Mac and Windows. Versions for iOS and Android are currently in beta.

What its good for: A good tool for companies working remotely that dont necessarily rely too much on distributed teams working in asynchronous time. Its very much a virtual office space.

Unique points: I like the clever use of video and sound. To be heard (or to hear), you must move your avatar close to the another. Support for document sharing and collaboration, meeting rooms, and whiteboards also makes this a good collaborative environment.

Additional features: Support for spatial audio, scheduling, and chat tools and integration with key collaboration apps, including Slack, Office, Trello, Google Docs and more. You can also personalize your own virtual office environment.

Cost: Free for up to five users, $15 per user per month for larger groups.

Where: www.teamflowhq.com

Moxo

Moxo is built as clien- interaction solution that also integrates some team collaboration features. Whats great about it is that the service is built to help provide white-glove treatment across the client engagement process  thats document collection, form filling, meeting rooms and task management.

What its good for: With a slick user interface, Moxo provides a professional-grade user experience to help reinforce your brand.

Unique points: Available online and as an app, Moxo supports your client-facing activity with documentation, to-do lists, and a host of tools designed to streamline business processes. You also gain access to SDKs so you can build this experience into your own client-facing apps, which lets businesses provide an impressive client support experience.

Additional features: Youll find content sharing, digital signatures, document collaboration and useful team management and oversight features inside this solution.

Cost: From $120 a month for up to 10 users.

Where: http://www.moxo.com/

Miro

Already relatively well used, Miro is less about creating a virtual space as it is focused on optimizing and supporting collaboration with whiteboards, video conferencing, shared workspaces, and support for asynchronous teams. Its not about recreating a virtual office, but instead provides tools to kick-start collaborative activity.

What its good for: A slick environment that wraps an attractive digital mantle around your existing apps and workflow patterns. It helps create a collaborative space that doesnt interfere in your personal space. This should fit very well with any organization that has come to terms with goal-based, rather than presence-based management.

Unique points: Miro seems to have put a lot of thought into its software, including development of training materials to help managers and staff optimize collaboration in the hybrid workspace.

Additional features: Unified persistent workspaces and integration with key tools, including most brands of interactive display, mobile devices, and videoconferencing apps. All are presented within a clean user interface.

Cost: Free for an unlimited number of users, but with limited features, rising to $16 per member, per month for the business package, which includes SSO, Okta support, and smart meetings tools. Only enterprise accounts offer some of the most exciting features.

Where: www.miro.com

Asana

A powerful solution, Asana skips the virtual environment in favor of providing tools to help teams stay focused, understand the significance of their work, and help them get things done. Part project management, part process management, part reporting and workflow management, Asana integrates with key collaborative apps.

What its good for: This is a slick suite that puts everything in one place. However, Ive included it in this roundup primarily as an illustration of how integrated collaborative project management environments can augment remote working practices.

Unique points: While Asana is far more a project management tool than it is a people and collaboration aid, it does help illustrate how digital technologies are filling the gaps between presence-based and remote collaboration and team management.

Additional features: There is so much here. Built-in Gantt chart creation, useful process automations, tools for workflow/workload management and goal creation. Its weak in terms of video support, but does provide a slew of in-app messaging and commenting tools.

Cost: You can use it free to get used to it, but if you want more sophisticated features expect to pay around $15/user/month.

Where: www.asana.com.

Honorable mentions

I recently discussed the magic of Flow Club, which may be a tool to help digital nomads stay on top of their game. While researching this piece, Ive come across a handful of other solutions worth consideration, including:

If youve come across any similar services, please let me know. And then consider how AR will be of use in the new remote working age.

Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
A group of Apple employees is pushing back against a mandate by the company requiring them to return to the office three days a week. The group, which calls itself Apple Together, published an open letter to executives criticizing the companys Hybrid Work Pilot program, characterizing it as inflexible.

Among other grievances, the anonymous letter called the companys requirement that employees spend three days in the office as showing almost no flexibility at all.

"Office-bound work is a technology from the last century, from the era before ubiquitous video-call-capable internet and everyone being on the same internal chat application," the letter says. "But the future is about connecting when it makes sense, with people who have relevant input, no matter where they are based.

"Now we ask you, the executive team, to show some flexibility as well and let go of the rigid policies of the Hybrid Working Pilot. Stop trying to control how often you can see us in the office," the group wrote. "Trust us, we know how each of our small contributions helps Apple succeed and whats required to do so."

In a letter that begins with employees expressing their dedication to a company they dreamt of one day joining, the workers said their vision of the future of work is growing further and further apart from that of the executive team.

We definitely see the benefits of in-person collaboration; the kind of creative process that high bandwidth communication of being in the same room, not limited by technology, enables, the group said. But for many of us, this is not something we need every week, often not even every month, definitely not every day. The Hybrid Working Pilot is one of the most inefficient ways to enable everyone to be in one room, should the need arise every now and then.

Apple Together calls out six key areas where the companys hybrid work plan will damage employee morale, inclusion, and diversity. The letter was first called out earlier this week by Apple enthusiast news site iMore.

The three-day-per-week in-office mandate, the letter argues, will change the composition of Apples workforce, making it younger, whiter, more male-dominated and favors "who can work for Apple, not whod be the best fit.

Privileges like being born in the right place so you dont have to relocate, or being young enough to start a new life in a new city/country or having a stay-at-home spouse who will move with you, the letter said.

In a March memo to staff, Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees they must be back in the office at least one day per week as of April 11. The memo then outlined a plan to ramp up in-office work to two days per week beginning May 2, and three days in the office  Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays  beginning May 23.

"Computerworld" reached out to Apple for comment, but did not receive a response.

The Apple Workers group, which also created a Twitter account and web page to air grievances, say it includes both current and former Apple employees. The web page calls out Apples as a culture of secrecy [that] creates an opaque, intimidating fortress.

When we press for accountability and redress to the persistent injustices we witness or experience in our workplace, we are faced with a pattern of isolation, degradation, and gaslighting, the webpage states.

Apple is by no means alone in calling for a hybrid workforce to be back in the office a certain number of days each week. Citigroup, BNY Mellon, Google, and Twitter are among those also embracing a hybrid workforce with a in-office days  though Twitter has told employees they can continue working remotely, even with offices open.

By the end of the current quarter in June, most organizations will have opened most worksites, according to a survey by research firm Gartner published in March.

When organizations were asked which work flexibility options they're offering to attract and retain talent, nearly one in five (18%) responded none, according to the Gartner survey of 300 organizations. The industries surveyed included, among others, IT and telecommunications, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, fuel and energy, construction and real estate, and transportation and shipping.

Three in five organizations responding to the survey said they have settled on a fixed minimum on-site workday requirement, e.g., employees must come into the office Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But even those options could cause problems with employee retention.

In this time of full employment, and indeed shortages of many workers, there is a great ability of employees to just move on if you make them unhappy, said Jack Gold, principal analyst at research firm J. Gold Associates. So, unlike the past, where companies had the ability to dictate and have employees take it or leave it, thats much less possible in tech these days.

David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc, an HR consulting firm in Connecticut, said in an earlier interview that firms dictating a full-time return to office  or how employees should work remotely  are missing the big picture. Lewis noted that the US unemployment rate is 3.6% and there are now more than 11 million job openings.

If employees are pushed hard enough, theyll walk out the door, he said.

Theres an insatiable demand for candidates that outstrips the supply. Youre missing the point that if your employees dont want to come back to the office they have choices: see Great Resignation, Lewis said. They have options, and they are exercising them.

OperationsInc claims to have more than 1,000 clients it advises on HR issues and tracking work-related data. Ive been a very focused student of all thats been going on in workplace mattersduring my 36-year career in human resources management. During Covid, in particular, I saw these headlines blaring from various companies, Get your butts into the office. And if you dont, you should be looking for a different job,' Lewis said.

Hows that working out?

Employee surveys have shown that as many as 40% of workers would leave their job if they're not allowed to work remotely. And yet among businesses that employ white collar or knowledge-based workers, between a third and 60% are requiring an in-office presence of some form, whether part- of full-time, Lewis said.

A significant percentage of folks are trying to get their workplace back to what they considered normal before COVID, he said.

Thats not going to fly with many workers, Gold said. Theres a balance that needs to be struck between what the employer thinks they need to maintain corporate culture and a collaborative experience and what employees want.

Its a very squishy area and different for every company and set of employees, but its certainly an issue these days, Gold said. At the end of the day, employees have far more ability to just say take this job and shove it.
Mail.pln-jawa-bali.co.id scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 30 Aug 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the mail.pln-jawa-bali homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if mail.pln-jawa-bali has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the mail.pln-jawa-bali homepage on Twitter + the total number of mail.pln-jawa-bali followers (if mail.pln-jawa-bali has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the mail.pln-jawa-bali homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the mail.pln-jawa-bali homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the mail.pln-jawa-bali homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE Welcome to MAIL pln-jawa-bali.co.id DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS



The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE DETECTED LANGUAGE Italian Italian SERVER Apache/1.3.41 (Unix) PHP/4.4.9 (PHP/4.4.9) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Operative System running on the server. Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. The language of mail.pln-jawa-bali.co.id as detected by CoolSocial algorithms.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for mail.pln-jawa-bali.co.id by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
China denounces US for groundless accusation on cyber security

(People's Daily App) 13:50, May 06, 2022

While the US groundlessly accuses China on cyber security, it abuses the world's leading network technology to implement large-scale surveillance and espionage, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks in response to the US' groundless accusation of China on cyber security.

Zhao pointed out that the US has not only violated the privacy of its own citizens, but also carried out large-scale wiretaps and espionage in other countries and even its allies and partners.

"Smearing others cannot whitewash itself. It has long been proven that the US is a well-deserved empire of hackers, surveillance, and espionage," Zhao said.

"The US should reflect upon itself, stop the practice of cyber espionage against China and the world, stop slinging mud at other countries on the issue of cyber security, and be a truly responsible player in cyberspace," he added.

(Compiled by Meng Gaohan; Video by Xu Zheqi)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Philip Goldberg / AP-Yonhap





The U.S. Senate voted unanimously Thursday to approve the nomination of Philip Goldberg, a career diplomat, as new U.S. ambassador to South Korea.







The vote came one day after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to endorse Goldberg's nomination as the new chief of the U.S. mission to Seoul.







As a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, the highest diplomatic rank in U.S. service, Goldberg has served various posts at the U.S. Department of State, including the assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research.







He has also served as coordinator for Implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions on North Korea and as ambassador to the Philippines.







Goldberg has been serving as ambassador to Colombia since September 2019.







He will replace Harry Harris, who stepped down early last year when President Joe Biden took office. (Yonhap)


U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, May 4. Biden will reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan when he visits Seoul and Tokyo later this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday. UPI-Yonhap





U.S. President Joe Biden will reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan when he visits Seoul and Tokyo later this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.







The spokesperson said Biden will also reaffirm his commitment to providing "extended deterrence" to the U.S. allies.







"While he's there in South Korea and Japan, the president will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts  the newly elected president of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister (Fumio) Kishida of Japan," Psaki told a daily press briefing.







South Korea earlier said the U.S. president will arrive in Seoul, May 20, for a summit with incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol who is set to take office Tuesday. Biden is due in Japan May 22.







Biden's upcoming trip follows a series of missile tests by North Korea, which also launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile in over four years in March.







Pyongyang again fired a ballistic missile Wednesday (KST), marking its 14th known show of such force this year.







"In light of North Korea's continued destabilizing actions in the region, including the test launch of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles, President Biden will make clear that our commitment to security of the Republic of Korea and Japanese allies, reiterate our commitment, I should say, including our extended deterrence commitments, is ironclad," said Psaki, referring to South Korea by its official name.







North Korea's recent missile provocations, however, do not warrant a serious security concern for Biden's upcoming trip to Asia, she noted.







"I would say we certainly always assess security as we do with any of the president's travel, but that has not been a concern as it relates to his travel coming up in just a few weeks," the White House spokesperson said when asked.







"There's no question that North Korea is going to be on the agenda when he visits South Korea and Japan," she added. (Yonhap)


Bjoern Wylezich / TNS

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.  Police said a Connecticut man was apprehended this week in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old in a local apartment last month.

Andre Wise, 21, of Hartford, was charged Wednesday with murder in the killing of 21-year-old Karmari Alexander. Wise was also charged with five counts of home invasion, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license and malicious destruction of property, and drug possession, Springfield police said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh met with union organizers at the White House on Thursday as the administration looks to boost unionization campaigns.

Participants in the meeting, which featured an unscheduled appearance by President Joe Biden, discussed organizers efforts to form unions in their workplaces, and how those could prompt workers around the country to mount similar organization campaigns, according to a readout from the White House. Biden thanked them for bolstering organizing momentum that is growing nationally.

Among the guests were Chris Smalls, who heads the Amazon Labor Union that won a vote last month to unionize warehouse workers on Staten Island, New York. Addressing a union conference in Washington last month, Biden quipped, By the way, Amazon here we come, drawing loud cheers, though he didnt elaborate.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said after the meeting that Biden's participation was about promoting labor organizing across the country, not at Amazon specifically.

The president has long been a supporter of the rights of workers to organize, the rights of collective bargaining and he dropped by this meeting to simply offer his support for those efforts, Psaki said. But he is not engaging  we dont engage or get directly involved in labor disputes, obviously, but he certainly supports the rights of workers.

Other organizers attending Thursdays meeting included those working to unionize Starbucks, outdoors retailer REI and the animation studio Titmouse.

Before the meeting, Smalls testified at a Senate Budget committee hearing on Amazon's federal contracts. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who chairs the committee, has been pressing the White House to cut off the company's contracts with the government until the retailer stops what Sanders has called its illegal anti-union activity.

In a filing released in March, the company disclosed it spent about $4.2 million last year on labor consultants, who organizers say Amazon hired to persuade workers not to unionize. Organizers believe cutting off Amazon's federal contracts would fulfill the president's campaign promise to ensure such deals only go to companies that sign agreements "committing not to run anti-union campaigns.

Seattle-based Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sanders' office said Amazon founder Jeff Bezos declined to come to the hearing.

___

Hadero reported from New York.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  A spokesman for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol says Rudy Giuliani, who led Donald Trump's court efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has withdrawn from an interview that was scheduled to take place Friday.

Committee spokesman Tim Mulvey released a statement to multiple media outlets Thursday night saying: Mr. Giuliani had agreed to participate in a transcribed interview with the Select Committee. Today, he informed committee investigators that he wouldnt show up unless he was permitted to record the interview, which was never an agreed-upon condition."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON  The Pentagon says the majority of Russian forces that had been around the port city of Mariupol have left and headed north, leaving roughly the equivalent of two battalion tactical groups there, or about 2,000 troops.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that even as Russian airstrikes continue to bombard Mariupol, Moscows forces are still making only plodding and incremental progress as the main fight presses on in the eastern Donbas region.

He said he has seen no change in Russian behavior or momentum as May 9 draws near.

Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9, the anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. There have been suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to tout a major victory in Ukraine when he makes his address during the traditional military parade on Red Square.

Kirby said the U.S. still assesses that Russia is behind schedule and not making the progress in the Donbas that it expected.

___

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 Seemed like goodbye: Mariupol defenders make their stand

 The AP Interview: Belarus admits Russias war drags on

 US shared intelligence about Moskva cruiser prior to the strike that sank it

 $6.5 billion raised at donors conference for Ukraine

 US announces seizure of superyacht owned by Russian oligarch

 Europeans weigh costs of cutting Russian energy over Ukraine

 Easy out from steel mill seen as unlikely for Ukraine troops

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

___

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

MARIUPOL, Ukraine -- A cleanup operation took place in the center of Mariupol even as Ukrainian fighters held out against Russian troops in the citys pulverized steel plant. The rest of the city is now under Russian control.

Municipal workers, as well as volunteers, were seen Thursday clearing debris near gutted, charred buildings, including the drama theater where hundreds died when the Russian military bombed it in March. Some workers hung a Russian flag on a tall utility pole.

One volunteer, who gave only his first name, Denis, said he was helping restore parks and war monuments so the city could celebrate Victory Day on Monday. Russia celebrates victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  In his nightly video address Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described a catastrophic lack of access to medical services and medicine in areas of the country under Russian occupation.

In those areas, he said almost no treatment was available for those suffering from cancer and where insulin for diabetics was difficult to find or non-existent. He said antibiotics were in short supply.

Zelenskyy also said that during the course of the war, the Russian military has already fired 2,014 missiles on Ukraine, while 2,682 flights of Russian warplanes have been recorded in Ukrainian skies. He said the destroyed or damaged infrastructure includes nearly 400 hospitals and other medical facilities.

___

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush says he spoke Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Winston Churchill of our time.

I thanked the President for his leadership, his example, and his commitment to liberty, and I saluted the courage of the Ukrainian people, Bush said in a Twitter post, which included photos of the two men speaking by video link.

President Zelenskyy assured me that they will not waver in their fight against Putins barbarism and thuggery. Americans are inspired by their fortitude and resilience. We will continue to stand with Ukrainians as they stand up for their freedom.

___

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations says a third operation is underway to evacuate civilians from Mariupols besieged steel plant and the city, which is surrounded by Russian forces.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that a third evacuation is taking place and U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said its aim is to evacuate more civilians from Mariupol and the sprawling Azovstal steel plant.

Guterres said 101 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal plant along with 59 more from a neighboring area in the first operation that ended Tuesday. He said that in the second operation, which was completed Wednesday night, more than 320 civilians were evacuated from the city of Mariupol and surrounding areas.

The secretary-general negotiated the agreement for civilian evacuations from besieged areas including Mariupol with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine. Guterres expressed hope that continued cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the two governments will lead to more humanitarian pauses to allow civilians safe passage from the fighting and aid to reach those in critical need.

Griffiths told a U.N. pledging conference for Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland, earlier Thursday that a convoy left for Mariupol on Thursday and expects to arrive Friday morning and hopes to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The regional governor says a missile attack on the city of Kramatorsk in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region injured 25 people and inflicted wide-ranging damage.

In a Telegram post, Pavlo Kyrylenko says 810 apartments in 32 high-rise buildings sustained damage as the result of an air strike Thursday morning. The post featured photos of multiple buildings reduced to rubble.

Kyrylenko added that six private houses, two schools, a kindergarten and a medical institution were also damaged. He said he had not received reports of any fatalities.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian army says Russian troops made unsuccessful attempts to advance in the eastern Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

A Facebook post published Thursday afternoon on the official profile of the Ukrainian General Staff says the Russians also continue to launch missile strikes on transport facilities in order to prevent the movement of humanitarian cargo and military-technical assistance.

___

MOSCOW  The Russian military says its air force has destroyed 45 Ukrainian military facilities in the latest series of strikes.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the targets hit Thursday by the Russian air force included Ukrainian troops and weapons concentrations and an ammunition depot in the eastern Luhansk region.

Konashenkov said the Russian missile units hit a Ukrainian artillery battery at its firing positions near the settlement of Zarozhne, a battery of Uragan multiple rocket launchers near Mykolaiv and four other areas of concentration of military personnel and military hardware. He said the Russian artillery hit 152 Ukrainian troops strongholds and 38 artillery firing positions.

Konashenkovs claims could not be independently confirmed.

___

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the nation's foreign minister will soon travel to Ukraine on an official visit after the two countries resolved a diplomatic spat Thursday.

The German government had traded barbs with Ukraines ambassador in Berlin after Kyiv appeared to snub an offer to visit by Germanys president.

It was unclear when exactly Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will visit Kyiv, and whether she would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Speaking after a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Scholz also said Germany is working hard to build new infrastructure for energy imports along its northern coast to help replace gas and oil currently delivered from Russia by pipeline. He said Germany is willing to cooperate closely with those countries that dont have direct access to seaports.

___

ROME  The United Nations food aid agency is appealing for Black Sea ports in Ukraine to be open again to permit shipping of wheat and corn exports, which many poor nations depend on.

The Rome-based World Food Program noted in its appeal Thursday that before the war launched by Russia, 98% of Ukraines grain exports had moved through those ports.

It said in a statement that a month after the war began on Feb. 24, export prices for wheat had risen by 22% and maize by 20%  thats on top of already steep rises in 2021 and earlier this year.

The U.N. agency says the ports, in Ukraines south, which has suffered from heavy shelling, must resume operations to protect Ukrainian agricultural production and enable exports that are critical to Ukraines economy and global food security. It cited war-ravaged, impoverished Yemen, which imports more than half of its wheat from Ukraine or Russia, and which depends on shipping for its food imports.

___

JERUSALEM  Israels Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin over controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscows top diplomat.

There was no mention of an apology in the Russian statement on the call.

An Israeli statement says the two leaders spoke by phone Thursday and also discussed plans to evacuate civilians from a besieged steel plant in the port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine.

A statement from Bennetts office says Putin promised to allow the evacuation of civilians, including wounded civilians, through a U.N. and Red Cross humanitarian corridor.

Bennett spoke to Putin after a call on Wednesday with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the Israeli leader appeared to renew his role as a mediator in the conflict.

That role was thrown into doubt earlier this week when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested Ukraine could have Nazi elements even though Zelenskyy is Jewish, and then suggested Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins.

Israelis expressed shock and outrage at the remarks, which appeared to blame the Holocaust on Jews themselves, and the government summoned Russias ambassador in protest.

___

ROME  The Italian government is significantly stepping up its funding to help refugees from Ukraine who arrive in Italy.

Premier Mario Draghi told a high-level donors conference, being hosted in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday by Poland and Sweden, that Italy has already allocated some 500 million euros ($550 million) to help the refugees, but now it has increased that funding to more than 800 million euros.

As of this week, more than 107,000 people, most of them women or children, have fled the war in Ukraine for Italy. In addition to aid already earmarked for Ukraines general budget, Italy also plans to lend the war-ravaged country some 200 million euros more, Draghi said.

In addition, Italy has spent some 26 million euros on humanitarian aid such as tents, ambulances and medicine.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk urged local residents Thursday to leave for the countryside over the upcoming Russian Victory Day weekend. A municipal celebration set to take place from Friday to Sunday has also been canceled.

I ask, if possible, on May 7, 8 and 9, that ... all residents of Ivano-Frankivsk not gather in the city, on the lake, in the park and in other public places, Ruslan Martsinkiv said in a video message posted on his Telegram channel.

He claimed to have received reports that Russia is planning to continue carrying out missile strikes in the region.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia announced that a curfew will be in force between Sunday evening and Monday morning. Similar long curfews have been put in place in Ukrainian cities near front lines over security concerns.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  According to Ukrainian news agencies, a Ukrainian government body began Thursday to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan.

The Reforms Office, which operates under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, was cited as saying a working group mechanism was launched Thursday to analyze the current situation and develop proposals for the plan for the reconstruction and development of Ukraine. Earlier that day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the launch of a national fundraising platform called United24.

The moves came as an international donors conference was closing in Warsaw, Poland. According to remarks made Thursday by the Polish prime minister, $6.5 billion in humanitarian was raised at the event, attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from Europe and beyond.

___

BERLIN  German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday in an effort to resolve a diplomatic spat between the two countries.

German government officials, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, had expressed annoyance after Ukraine made clear last month it didnt want Steinmeier to visit because of his past dealings with Russia. Ukraines ambassador in Berlin, in turn, branded Scholz an offended liverwurst for saying the incident was a problem in the countries relations.

Steinmeiers office said the two presidents resolved irritations of the past during their call. Steinmeier expressed his solidarity, respect and support for the brave fight by the Ukrainian people against the Russian aggressor, it said.

It was unclear whether Steinmeier, whose position as head of state is largely ceremonial, would visit Kyiv soon. The President of parliament, Baerbel Bas, who is ranked after Steinmeier but before Scholz according to German political protocol, is expected to visit Ukraine on Sunday.

Separately, Scholz pledged at a Ukraine donors conference Thursday to provide the country with more than 600 million euros in additional humanitarian assistance, loans and development aid.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  A Ukrainian officer leading the defense of the last bulwark of the strategic city of Mariupol has urged the global community to pressure Russia to allow the evacuation of civilians and wounded soldiers.

Heavy fighting raged Thursday at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, as Russian forces attempted to finish off the citys last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port.

Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers are holed up in the steel mills underground bunkers, many of them wounded. Some civilians are with them, too.

Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of Ukraines Azov Regiment, said in a video statement from the steel mills bunkers Thursday that the wounded soldiers are dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment.

He urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to help ensure the evacuation of the wounded and civilians still in the bunkers.

Addressing the world community, Palamar denounced the Russians for refusing to observe any ethical norms and destroying people before the eyes of the world.

Videos shared online appeared to show the steel mill targeted by intense shelling at dawn Thursday. Data from NASA fire-tracking satellites corresponded to blazes being seen at the plant just after 6 a.m. Thursday.

Russia maintains that its forces are not entering the maze of tunnels at the steel plant, but Palamar said the Russian forces are fighting in the Azovstal mill.

Its been the third day that the enemy has broken through to the territory of Azovstal. Fierce bloody combat is ongoing, said Palamar.

The defenders of the city (Mariupol) have been fighting alone for 71 days with the overwhelming forces of the enemy and show such endurance and heroism that the country must know what it means to be loyal to the motherland, Palamar said on the Telegram messaging app.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Finland has decided to send more defense equipment to Ukraine, saying the war-torn country has requested assistance from the European Union and NATO member states.

We will increase the amount of defense materiel assistance that we send to Ukraine, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen said in a statement.

On Thursday, Finlands president gave his approval to the Finnish governments proposal to send more defense hardware.

No details on what types of defense equipment will be sent were released.

Finland, a member of the EU but not of NATO, earlier sent Ukraine bulletproof vests, composite helmets, stretchers, as well as assault rifles, anti-tank weapons and combat ration packages.

___

MADRID  A judge in Spain on Thursday ordered the provisional release of Anatoly Shariy, a Ukrainian politician-blogger accused of treason in his home country.

Shariy was arrested on Wednesday in the coastal city of Tarragona on an international arrest warrant issued by Ukraine, according to Spains National Court. Court documents said Shariy is accused of high treason and incitement of hatred.

Shariy, who has reportedly lived in Spain since 2019, was ordered to turn in his passport and remain in the country. The court said officials in Ukraine now have 40 days to formally present a request for Shariys extradition.

His arrest was announced by Ukraines security services on Thursday, who said there was reason to believe Shariy was acting on behalf of foreign entities.

Shariy, the founder of a political party considered by many Ukrainians to be pro-Russian, has been a vocal and active critic of Ukraines government.

Ukrainian media reported that one of the members of the party said in February, prior to the start of the war, that Shariy had been granted asylum in the European Union.

___

WARSAW, Poland  Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says that $6.5 billion has been raised at an international donors conference in Warsaw to provide humanitarian help for war-torn Ukraine.

The conference on Thursday was co-hosted by Poland and Sweden and attended by prime ministers and ambassadors representing many European countries, as well as countries further afield and some businesses.

Much of the world has responded to the war in Ukraine with an outpouring of humanitarian support. But as the war drags on for weeks, the humanitarian needs in Ukraine have grown more acute. In addition to the thousands killed, millions of people have been displaced, and there are increasing reports of people being tortured and raped.

___

VILNIUS, Lithuania  A 500-million-euro ($530 million) Lithuanian-Polish natural gas transmission pipeline was inaugurated Thursday, completing another stage of regional independence from Russian energy sources.

The Gas Interconnection Poland-Lithuania pipeline that runs more than 500 kilometers (310 miles), comes at a time when Russia has once again tried to blackmail us using gas, Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the inauguration.

Lithuanias Prime Minister Ingridas Simonyte added that any reduction or disappearance of this source of funding would have a very significant impact on the Russian economy and the ability to continue financing the war in Ukraine.

The Lithuania-Poland leg is integrated with pipelines in the other two Baltic states  Estonia and Latvia  and Finland, and into the European Union gas transmission system. Before the pipeline was built, the four countries could only receive pipeline gas from Russia.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines government has launched a global fundraising platform so individuals can donate to help rebuild Ukraine, offer humanitarian aid, and raise money for demining.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the initiative, called United24, on Thursday.

The United States and Europe, among others, have offered billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress for $33 billion to bolster Ukraines fight against Russia.

Ukraines newest fundraising drive is intended to give individuals a way to donate on their own with a single click, Zelenskyy said.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said Thursday that Russia has decided to expel four diplomats with Denmarks Embassy in Moscow.

They have wrongfully become pieces in Putins cynical power play, Kofod said. It is a completely unjustified and deeply problematic decision, which underscores that Russia no longer wants real dialogue and diplomacy.

Moscow said seven Danish diplomats were expelled. Danish media said that those expelled included four diplomats and three others without diplomatic status. They must leave within two weeks.

Moscows tit-for-tat decision came after Denmark last month expelled 15 Russian intelligence officers who worked at Russias Embassy in Copenhagen. Several other European countries also expelled Russian intelligence officers.

___

SOFIA, Bulgaria  In anticipation of a European Union embargo on Russian crude oil Bulgaria says it's looking for an exemption due to its dependence on supplies from Russia.

Bulgaria's only oil refinery near the Black Sea port of Burgas is owned by Russias oil giant LUKOIL and is the main fuel supplier in the country.

Still, Deputy Prime Minister Assen Vassilev told reporters that the refinery is already processing up to 50% non-Russian crude and theoretically should be able to fully eliminate Russian crude.

Bulgaria, technologically, can do without Russian crude oil, but this would significantly increase fuel prices, Vassilev said. In case the European Commission weighs some exemptions, we would like to take advantage of it, because it will be in the best interest of Bulgarian consumers.

Slovakia and Hungary have already asked for such exemptions.

Russia stopped gas deliveries to Bulgaria last week in response to Sofias refusal to pay for it in rubles saying it violates existing contracts.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ATLANTA (AP)  John Gordon's Republican primary challenge to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr offers an exceptionally clear contrast over the 2020 election. Gordon, who spent most of his career in business, came back to the legal world to try to prove Donald Trump was cheated out of victory in Georgia. Carr, the incumbent, says flatly that the problem with the 2020 election was not that Democrats stole it, but that the Republicans lost.

As a Republican, I didnt want our team to lose in 2020," Carr said. "I didnt want either one of our senators to lose. I didnt want the state to go to Joe Biden. But the world I live in is based on fact, evidence and law.

Trump has endorsed Gordon, furthering the former president's obsession with spreading lies about Georgia's election. Gordon promises to open an investigation into Trump's false claims of election fraud.

We will expose the fraud and we will prosecute the people that are responsible for this not to redo 2020  that ship has sailed," Gordon said. "But we will expose this so that will never happen in our country again."

The winner of the May 24 Republican primary will face one of two Democrats running in their party's primary  Atlanta lawyer Christian Wise Smith and state Sen. Jen Jordan of Sandy Springs.

Carr, appointed by Nathan Deal in 2016, was earlier chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson and state economic development commissioner. He counts his top achievements as prosecuting human trafficking, securing a $636 million opioid settlement, and defending the 2021 Georgia voting law.

Carr has repeatedly sued President Biden's administration and joined an earlier lawsuit that unsuccessfully sought to void former President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul.

If the federal government overreaches and either goes beyond what its authority is, or acts inconsistently with federal law, somebody needs to push back," Carr said.

Carr resigned as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2021 after the association's political arm sponsored a robocall urging Trump supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop the steal. The call raised questions about the group's culpability for the ensuing riot. Carr says neither he nor any other attorney general in the group authorized the call. Months later, over Carrs objections, other Republican attorneys general elected the person who had authorized the call to run the association.

I was infuriated. I thought it was one of the dark days in American history to see the attack on the Capitol as that occurred, Carr said, explaining why he resigned.

If reelected to another term, Carr said, he wants to nurture a gang prosecution unit authorized by the General Assembly this year.

Gordon, though, says Carr is unresponsive. He blames Carr for a settlement agreement standardizing signature verification on absentee ballots, for allowing ballot drop boxes and for letting Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger mail out absentee ballot applications.

Carr and others question whether Gordon has been an active member of the state bar for seven years, as required by the state constitution to serve as attorney general.

Gordon became a lawyer in 1979 and says he has 15 to 20 years of active membership. However, he declined to provide documents, and the state bar only has records back to 2000.

I dont need to provide you documentation, Gordon said.

Gordon has been sued by people who rented the Atlanta mansion where Gordon is registered to vote, saying Gordon took rent and kicked them out without returning the money. Gordon dismisses the dispute as sour grapes from bad tenants.

On the Democratic side, Jordan said she's running because she feels Carr isn't prioritizing the people of the state. She said his challenge to the health care law could have "resulted in serious and significant harm to the people that he was elected to represent.

Jordan cites her work suing companies for mistreating consumers, saying part of the attorney general's job should be going after bad guys that are really ripping off people that live in the state.

People need to vote for the person that they think can beat Chris Carr, ultimately, and I think Im the only one who can do that, Jordan said.

Wise Smith is a former Fulton County assistant district attorney. He founded the National Social Justice Alliance, which works with prosecutors to end police brutality. In 2020, he finished third in the Democratic primary for Fulton County district attorney.

Wise Smith said he wants to use the attorney general's office to work with district attorneys and law enforcement to divert more low-level nonviolent offenders into treatment and rehabilitation, focusing on prosecuting more serious crimes.

Im running to change the face of justice in the state of Georgia, to make our justice system one that truly strives for justice for all," Wise Smith said.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
Valim Savitsky/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship, an incident that was a high-profile failure for Russia's military.

An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet using its own anti-ship missiles. But given Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of those ships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate has voted to confirm Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, to serve as U.S. ambassador to Australia, and Philip Goldberg to serve as ambassador to South Korea.

Kennedy served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2013-17 during Barack Obama's presidency. Goldberg is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and has been serving as U.S. ambassador to Colombia.
Nam Y. Huh/AP

Tesla is covering travel costs for employees seeking out-of-state abortions, joining the ranks of major companies whove introduced a similar policy to benefit workers affected by new restrictions in the past few months.

The company said in its 2021  Impact Report  released Friday that it expanded its Safety Net program and health insurance offerings last year to include travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Nearly 40 law enforcement officials, tribal leaders, social workers and survivors of violence have been named to a federal commission tasked with helping improve how the government addresses a decades-long crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans and Alaska Natives, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced Thursday.

The committee's creation means that for the first time, the voices guiding the Interior and Justice departments in the effort will include people most affected by the epidemic, said Haaland, the first Native American to lead a cabinet department.

She said the panel includes members with diverse experiences and backgrounds, representing communities from Alaska and Washington to Arizona, Oklahoma and Michigan. It will craft recommendations on how the government can better tackle a disproportionately high number of unsolved cases in which Native Americans and Alaska Natives have disappeared or been killed.

It will take a focused effort  and time  to unravel the many threads that contribute to the alarming rates of these cases, Haaland said during a virtual event.

Some members of Congress have expressed concern that work to address the crisis as required under the law isnt on track. In the case of appointing members to the commission, federal officials are more than a year behind schedule.

The Not Invisible Act, signed into law in October 2020, required that the commission be named by February 2021 and that findings be made public last month.

Another law signed around the same time directed the U.S. Attorney Generals Office to find ways to increase cooperation among law enforcement agencies, provide tribes resources and address data collection. Savannas Act was named for 22-year-old Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, who went missing while pregnant in 2017 before her body was found in a North Dakota River.

U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, who faces a tough reelection campaign; Jon Tester of Montana; and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the vice-chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, outlined their concerns in a letter earlier this week.

Both of these laws outlined specific time frames and deadlines for implementation; however, it is unclear which provisions have been undertaken, and it appears that almost every deadline has been missed, the lawmakers wrote.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Thursday the naming of the commission marks a major milestone that follows ongoing work by a separate steering committee to marshal more federal resources to address the problem.

She also announced the creation of a new position within the executive office of U.S. attorneys that will be responsible for working with victims and families to ensure they have a voice while navigating the criminal justice system.

Federal officials also plugged work being done by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which now has 17 offices across the country that have at least one agent dedicated to solving casing involving missing or slain Native Americans.

As for the 37-member commission, its mission includes tracking and reporting data on missing-person, homicide and human trafficking cases and increasing information sharing with tribal governments on violent crimes investigations and other prosecutions on Indian lands.

The commission is expected to hold hearings and gather testimony before making recommendations to the Interior and Justice departments to improve coordination among agencies and to establish best practices for state, tribal and federal law enforcement. The panel also is tasked with boosting resources for survivors and victims' families.

Meanwhile, some communities already have created their own response plans to address the problem. In New Mexico, officials on Thursday rolled out the state's plan, highlighting goals that include building more support services for survivors and families, doing more outreach on education and prevention and leveraging resources for tribal judicial systems.

Fawn Sharp, president of the tribal advocacy group National Congress of American Indians, said during Thursday's virtual event that although funding for law enforcement in Indian Country has increased in recent years, it doesn't come close to meeting the needs.

She pointed to research showing that failure to provide funding undermined the ability to provide adequate public safety in tribal communities.

Having the authority to hold perpetrators accountable is an important first step, but tribal nations cannot follow through to hold bad actors accountable without adequate and consistent funding for tribal justice systems," she said.

Other advocates said they were hopeful the federal commission's recommendations will cover the need for safe housing for victims of domestic violence and other social services and health care that could help prevent violence.

___

Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Arizona.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau / Yonhap





President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol spoke by phone with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Friday, and called for close cooperation on the North Korea nuclear issue and in other areas, his spokesperson said.







Yoon thanked Trudeau for the congratulatory message he sent following his election and voiced hope the two countries will continue to expand their cooperation to future industries related to advanced technologies, energy, health and climate change, while working closely to stabilize supply chains, according to spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin.







"Next year, as South Korea and Canada mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, our relationship will take another leap forward," Yoon said. "Let's continue to defend international rules and the values both nations seek as we deal with the North Korea nuclear issue and other matters."







Trudeau said he looks forward to holding talks with Yoon in person at an early date and noted the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia in November will be an opportunity to reaffirm their unity as countries aiming to achieve a post-pandemic economic recovery, world peace and prosperity. (Yonhap)






UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted its first statement on Ukraine since Russias military action began on Feb. 24, expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the 10-week dispute."

The short presidential statement approved at a very brief council meeting Friday does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it. Thats because Russia, which hold veto power in the council, has blocked all previous attempts to adopt a presidential statement which requires unanimity or a resolution.

Instead, the statement expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

The Security Council expresses strong support for the efforts of the secretary-general in the search for a peaceful solution, the statement says, and requests Guterres to brief members in due course.

During recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv, Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and the Azovstal steel plant where the last Ukrainian forces are holding out along with hundreds of civilians in underground bunkers.

The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross have carried out two successful evacuations from Mariupol and surrounding areas so far, and are currently in Mariupol organizing a third evacuation from the steel plant.

Reacting to the council statement, Guterres said: Today, for the first time, the Security Council spoke with one voice for peace in Ukraine."

As I have often said, the world must come together to silence the guns and uphold the values of the U.N. Charter," the secretary-general said in a statement.

Norways U.N. Ambassador Mona Juul and Mexicos U.N. Ambassador Juan Ramon De La Fuente Ramirez, whose countries drafted the council statement, called it an important first step for diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Millions of Ukrainians desperately need humanitarian protection and assistance, Juul said. It is important that the U.N. secretary-general has the full backing of the Security Council for his effort towards a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine.

De La Fuente Ramirez said the unanimous adoption of the statement shows that the Security Council is united in supporting the United Nations and its secretary-general in finding a diplomatic solution.

The council is mandated under the U.N. Charter to maintain international peace and security and has been strongly criticized since the Russian invasion for its paralysis and inaction.

Asked about criticism that the minimal statement took over two months to approve and only backs Guterres, the Mexican ambassador said there has to be a start somewhere. He said approval of the statement at least shows a willingness to continue the secretary-generals efforts.

Guterres told the council Thursday that in these times of hyper-communications, silent diplomacy is still possible and is sometimes the only effective way to produce results," a point supported by both the Norwegian and Mexican ambassadors.

Unlike the Security Council, whose resolutions are legally binding but can be vetoed by one of its five permanent members, resolutions approved by the 193-member General Assembly are not legally binding and cannot be vetoed.

This has enabled the General Assembly to approve several resolutions, which do have clout as a reflection of world opinion.

On March 2, the assembly voted 141-5 with 35 abstentions in favor of a resolution demanding an immediate Russian cease-fire, withdrawal of all its forces and protection for all civilians. By an similar vote on March 24, it approved a resolution 140-5 with 38 abstentions blaming Russia for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and urging an immediate cease-fire and protection for millions of civilians and the homes, schools and hospitals critical to their survival.

The General Assembly voted by a smaller margin -- 93-24 with 58 abstentions -- on April 7 to suspend Russia from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the U.N.s leading rights body, over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, which the United States and Ukraine have called tantamount to war crimes.

In next steps, Guterres is scheduled to make a two-day visit to Ukraines neighbor, Moldova, starting Monday to express his solidarity and thank Moldova for its steadfast support for peace, and for its peoples generosity in opening up their hearts and their homes to almost half a million Ukrainian refugees, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Guterres has called for the creation of a humanitarian committee comprising Russia, Ukraine, the U.N. and ICRC to coordinate aid deliveries and evacuations and Dujarric said U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths will be going to Turkey Monday to discuss with its authorities how they can support such an initiative.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Austin has become the first Texas city to approve a pilot program that will provide a guaranteed income to qualified residents.

The program will give 85 families $1,000 per month for a year. City Council on Thursday voted to approve a contract for a non-profit to manage the funding.

The families who are approved for the $1.18 million program will be able to decide how to spend the money, including spending it on rent or mortgage payments, food, transportation and utilities.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said the goal of the program was to prevent homelessness and that it is not a giveaway. It is investing in ourselves

We can find people moments before they end up on our streets and prevent them, divert them from being there. That would be not only wonderful for them, it would be wise and smart for the taxpayers in the city of Austin because it will be a lot less expensive to divert someone from homelessness than to help them find a home once theyre on our streets, Adler said.

Like other fast-growing cities in the U.S., Austin has struggled for years with homelessness as housing costs skyrocket. City leaders and Gov. Greg Abbott have feuded over how to address the issue. Last year, Austin voters 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 at certain times.

Across the country, dozens of cities and counties  some using money from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package approved in March 2021  are giving some low-income residents a guaranteed income of $500 to $1,000 each month to do with as they please, and tracking what happens.

Adler belongs to a coalition called Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, which plans to use the data  collected by a University of Pennsylvania-based research center  to lobby the White House and Congress for a federal guaranteed income.

In January, Atlanta announced it was launching a pilot basic income program that would give 300 residents $500 a month for a year.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HONG KONG (AP)  China is installing a career security official as the new leader of Hong Kong in the culmination of a sweeping political transformation that has gutted any opposition in the Asian financial center and placed it ever more firmly under Beijing's control.

John Lee, formerly the city's No. 2 official, is the only candidate Sunday in what is an election in name only. Well over half of the 1,500-member Election Committee that selects the chief executive has already endorsed him and he needs only a simple majority to win.

Speaking to supporters Friday, Lee acknowledged that Hong Kong has deep-rooted problems and reiterated his intention to bring a results-oriented approach.

Hong Kong has to seize its opportunity, we cannot afford to wait, we cannot be late, the 64-year-old former police officer said. "We will have to consolidate Hong Kong as an international city, to develop Hong Kongs potential as a free and open society, to connect the mainland of China and the world.

Lee will replace Carrie Lam on July 1. Her 5-year term was marked by Hong Kong's most tumultuous period since the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

The election follows major changes to Hong Kongs electoral laws last year to ensure that only patriots loyal to Beijing can hold office. That also saw the legislature reorganized to all but eliminate opposition voices.

The elaborate arrangements surrounding the pre-determined outcome speak to Beijing's desire for a veneer of democracy. Though they will vote in a secret ballot, Hong Kongs electors have all been carefully vetted.

Even autocracies today feel obligated to go through the motions of staging an election in order to project greater legitimacy to their own population and to the international community, said Yvonne Chiu, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College who has written extensively about Hong Kong politics.

The city's previous four chief executives were also all effectively Beijing appointees. A push to elect the leader by popular vote foundered in 2014 amid protests demanding Beijing also relinquish the right to approve candidates.

Lee's rise grew out of massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 that spiraled into violent clashes. As security secretary, he led the campaign to confront protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets, then rounded many of them up for arrest later.

Lam implemented Beijings orders and was widely seen as the face of the crackdown. But the career bureaucrat still seemed out of step with Chinas hardline president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.

For her successor, Beijing opted for Lee, a former top police official and staunch advocate of the new National Security Law that outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. More than 150 activists and others have been arrested since its implementation.

Following passage of the law in 2020, the United States sanctioned Lee, Lam and other Hong Kong and mainland Chinese government officials, for undermining Hong Kongs autonomy and restricting the freedom of expression or assembly.

Almost all government critics have been jailed, fled abroad or been intimidated into silence. Thousands of residents have voted with their feet, with many professionals and others leaving the city of 7.4 million people.

Lee has tried to soften his public image since emerging as the sole candidate for chief executive. He started his brief remarks Friday with a childhood anecdote that evoked his humble origins, describing his father saving money to buy a television, and family and neighbors gathering to watch it.

Back then, it wasnt an easy thing to buy a TV set," he said. "In general, it was already not bad if you had a radio. So we were very happy, every time after eating, we would sit down and feel the warmth of togetherness watching TV.

The intensity of the 2019 protests appeared to have caught Beijing by surprise, prompting the imposition of the National Security Law the following year and the reorganization of the legislature to put pro-Beijing forces firmly in charge in 2021.

Among the unintended effects has been the further alienation of Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its territory. Beijing's crackdown was seen as a major factor ensuring the re-election in 2020 of pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen.

While Lee has said he would boost Hong Kong's competitiveness to ensure it remains a gateway and bridge between our country and the world, his selection leaves little question that maintaining political stability is the priority.

That could come at the expense of Hong Kong's reputation as a safe place to do business with a clear regulatory structure and independent judiciary. Britain has removed two judges who had been appointed to Hong Kongs top court to ensure rule of law, saying their presence was no longer tenable because of increasingly oppressive laws enacted by China.

China's long-ruling Communist Party maintains that stability sets the stage for economic growth and development.

Hong Kong's once thriving free press has taken a beating, with the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily shuttered and its founder, Jimmy Lai, in jail.

Public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong has been brought to heel, and Hong Kong plummeted 80 places in the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index. The local Foreign Correspondents Club canceled its annual Human Rights Press Awards this year over national security concerns.

Fearing political repercussions, universities have cut ties with their student organizations, while the government has severed relations with the largest teacher's union.

People in Hong Kong still have greater freedoms than their counterparts in mainland China, but any hopes for greater democracy have been snuffed out and replaced by concern that the city is increasingly becoming like other Chinese cities, albeit one that is a good place for everyone to pretend that its just business as usual with China, Chiu said.

___

Moritsugu reported from Beijing.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli security forces took part in a massive manhunt Friday for two Palestinians suspected of carrying out a stabbing rampage near Tel Aviv that left three Israelis dead.

The stabbing on Thursday, Israel's Independence Day, was the latest in a series of deadly assaults deep inside the country in recent weeks. It came as Israeli-Palestinian tensions were already heightened by violence at a major holy site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims.

Police said they were searching for two suspects, 19 and 20 years old, from the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, which has re-emerged as a militant bastion in the latest wave of violence  the worst Israel has seen in years. Several attackers have come from in or around Jenin, and Israeli forces have launched arrest raids that have ignited gunbattles there.

We will get our hands on the terrorists and their supportive environment, and they will pay the price, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said after huddling with senior security officials late Thursday. Authorities said the attackers fled in a vehicle.

Medics described a horrific scene in Elad, an ultra-Orthodox town near Tel Aviv. In addition to the three killed, four others were wounded, one of them critically. Police said at least one of the assailants wielded an axe in the attack.

Israeli media identified those killed as Yonatan Havakuk, Boaz Gol and Oren Ben Yiftah, three fathers in their 30s and 40s who together are survived by 16 children.

Ben Yiftah, 35 years old and the father of six, was from the central city of Lod. The city's mayor, Yair Revivo, said our heart breaks into tiny pieces" in a Facebook post, calling it a great tragedy."

Israel marked its Independence Day on Thursday, a festive national holiday in which people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz extended a closure on the West Bank, imposed ahead of the holiday to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel, to remain in effect until Sunday.

In Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the horrific attack targeting innocent men and women.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who strongly condemned the attack in Elad, according to a statement from Lapid's office.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government administers autonomous zones in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security, also condemned the attack.

The killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians leads only to more deterioration at a time when all of us try to achieve stability and prevent escalation, the official Wafa news agency quoted him as saying.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the attack and linked it to violence at the Jerusalem holy site.

The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque cant go unpunished, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said. The heroic operation in Tel Aviv is a practical translation of what the resistance had warned against.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam and is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It lies at the emotional heart of the conflict, and Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed there repeatedly in recent weeks.

Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it.

Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses Hamas of inciting the recent violence.

At least 18 Israelis have been killed in five attacks since March, including another stabbing rampage in southern Israel, two shootings in the Tel Aviv area, and a shooting last weekend in a West Bank settlement.

Nearly 30 Palestinians have died in violence  most of whom had carried out attacks or were involved in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank. But an unarmed woman and two apparent bystanders were also among those killed, and rights groups say Israel often uses excessive force.

Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war a year ago, fueled in large part by similar unrest in Jerusalem.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem  which includes Al-Aqsa and other major religious sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims  in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state. The last serious peace talks collapsed more than a decade ago.

___

Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada, contributed to this report.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT  A child who was riding on a standing scooter was seriously injured Thursday afternoon when it crashed into a crosswalk pole on Housatonic Avenue, a city official said.

Scott Appleby, director of the citys Office of Emergency Management and emergency communications, said two detectives waiting at a red light while headed east on Congress Avenue saw a group riding stand-up electric scooters on the sidewalk around 6:40 p.m. Thursday.
Westport  School officials are requesting about $216,000 in federal relief money for projects at all five elementary schools tied to movement.

The money would cover outdoor classrooms at Kings Highway and Greens Farms and sensory learning equipment for Coleytown, Long Lots and Saugatuck.

We know that the research shows us that all students learn better, the neurons actually fire more, when theyre moving than when theyre sedentary, board member Christina Torres said at the recent school board meeting.

The board approved the funding request 6-0, which now heads to other town bodies for approval. Previous requests had already been made for a ropes course at the high school and playscapes at the middle schools. School officials began looking at how to use some of the $8.4 million awarded to Westport under the American Recovery Plan Act last fall at the towns request.

Superintendent Thomas Scarice said they had originally considered common projects at all of the elementary schools.

That just proved challenging because there were different needs and requests at the buildings, he said, adding the fate of Long Lots is still unclear on whether the district will replace or renovate the building.

Coleytown Elementary will focus on three sensory pieces for its two playgrounds. A bulk of the cost will be spent on the installation and site work since it will have to be doubled.

Janna Sirowich, Coleytowns principal, said many in the community use the playground when school isnt in session so they chose pieces with that in mind.

We want to make sure theyre meeting the needs of all the children in Westport, she said.

Saugatuck is looking at a mix of outdoor and indoor pieces, while Long Lots is focusing on indoor items.

Some of the indoor furniture includes flexible work stations that allow students to sit, stand or move while collaborating, as well as pedal desks. There are also accessories that allow existing furniture to be adapted for standing work or movement. Some accessories can also be used independently on the floor.

Long Lots Principal Kimberly Ambrosio said they learned a lot from how the students were learning while at home during COVID, with some using tents, swings and other alternative seating.

It really helped us tune into different flexible seating options they had in their homes that they grew so accustomed to, Ambrosio said. To be able to emulate that would be so amazing.

Both Long Lots and Saugatuck are looking at adding elements to create calming corners, or time-in areas, that let students take a break and then come back to the activity. This could include bean bag chairs, weighted lap pads and noise canceling headphones.

Saugatuck has piloted that and had great success, Ambrosio said.

The idea of sensory learning is not new to the district, though the equipment has improved.

We started looking at the importance of movement with a brain and the importance of sensory work years ago, said Beth Messler, Saugatucks principal. We see this as an opportunity to really grow a school sensory lifestyle here at the three schools.

Several board members applauded the sensory equipment for the classrooms.

This is really necessary for people to be able to concentrate and be able to learn, said chairwoman Lee Goldstein.
Syrian asylum seekers wait for a call from the Korean justice ministry's immigration inspectors at Incheon International Airport in November 2015. Korea Times



By Ko Dong-hwan



The Ministry of Justice is seeking a group of skillful interpreters to facilitate communication between asylum seekers and Korean authorities. The ministry said it will certify those who are selected as professional interpreters specialized for asylum seekers.



The refugee division under the ministry's Korea Immigration Service said they will accept candidates from May 16 to 27. Eligible applicants include Korean nationals fluent in interpreting or translating foreign languages as well as those of other nationalities who can fluently interpret or translate one language or more into English or Korean.



Selected applicants go through an online interview process and those who are selected will receive further education. Those who complete the training will sit for a final examination. The finalists will then be certified as interpreters dedicated to serving refugees in the country.



The ministry first introduced the interpreter certification program last year to secure a dedicated workforce that might help the authority evaluate asylum seekers to decide whether to grant them refugee status in the country. The authority certified 160 interpreters in 2021, the immigration service told The Korea Times.



Since 1994, over 74,000 people have sought asylum in South Korea. Most of them (over 17,000) sought asylum to flee from religious persecution in their home countries, and over 13,000 sought asylum because of fears of persecution for political reasons in their home countries. Their identities as members of particular social groups, ethnicities or nationalities were also among the major reasons they fled their countries of origin.



As of March of this year, over 6,800 people were waiting for their refugee applications to be processed, and over 4,100 applicants had requested for their previously rejected applications to be reevaluated. Between January and March of this year, 1,640 asylum seekers were interviewed, and only 24 of them were granted refugee status, with the rest having been rejected.



Uzbekistan nationals accounted for the highest number of asylum seekers between January and March of this year with 122, followed by Chinese (93), Myanmarese (54) and Egyptian (52) national applicants.


Choi Soo-young, owner of Eulji OB Bear, speaks during an anti-eviction rally. Courtesy of Cheonggyecheon Anti-Gentrification Alliance



Pub credited with initiating Korea's unique beer culture forced to close after losing legal battle



By Lee Hae-rin



A small, time-honored pub tucked away in an alley packed with back-to-back stores, near Euljiro 3-ga Station on Seoul Metro lines 2 and 3, is decorated with warning messages signed by the owner of the building.



"Transfer of this estate has been completed since April 21, 2022, upon court order. Accordingly, hereafter, those who enter this store without permission from the owner will be subject to punishment according to related laws," the note reads.



Three copies of the warning note typed and signed by the owner of the building were put up here and there around the exterior of the time-honored brick storefront. With its sign removed, it looks derelict.



The now closed 20-square-meter pub was once a popular place for ironmongers working in the neighborhood's alleys. After long hours of manual work, those blue-collar workers would come by in the evening for drinks. Drinking draft beer served with dried pollack, better known as "nogari" in Korean, was a luxury the low-paid workers used to enjoy.



That privilege, however, is now non-existent following a court order issued on April 21 that evicted the initial tenant of Eulji OB Bear, a four-decade-old pub.





This photo shows a bleak scene of the time-honored pub, Eulji OB Bear, on April 25, four days after it was forced to close. Warning messages from the owner of the building are put up around the exterior. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin



Its founder Kang Hyo-keun, now 96, is an industry pioneer credited with initiating the unique drinking culture where beer is served with nogari.



He first introduced the unique way of enjoying cold draft beer with the dried fish in 1981, a year after he opened the store as a backstreet bar, due to the Fair Trade Commission's decision to ban beverage suppliers from providing snacks. Kang devised his original recipe of nogari with a peppery sauce to replace the peanuts and other snacks that the pub had been providing. Drinking beer with nogari caught on, prompting others to start similar businesses in the area.



With the iconic beer culture cultivated there, the region has emerged in recent years as a hip place for young trendsetters. They are great in number and you can see them seated at dozens of plastic tables set up in the alley in front of the pub.



"Prior to when he first opened here in 1980, there was no pub in this alley. It was just an ordinary backstreet in Euljiro filled with printing shops, ironmongers and industrial tool traders," Choi Soo-young, the second-generation owner of Eulji OB Bear, told The Korea Times on Wednesday. Choi and his wife inherited the pub in 2013 when his father-in-law retired. It has been a booming family business.



Choi said his father-in-law is a thoughtful, diligent man.



"He would wake up early every morning to sweep the alley. Such dedication was his way of saying he is not a stranger but a true member of this community," Choi said, referring to Kang, the pub's first-generation owner and his father-in-law.



The pub had been stubbornly sticking to its opening hours and low prices to ease the financial burden of its main clients. Kang would close the pub at 10 p.m. and sent his clients home to spend more time with their families. Some insisted on extending the closing time, but he turned a deaf ear.



The price of nogari had remained at 1,000 won (80 cents) for decades until it was hiked to 1,500 won recently.



Choi said his father-in-law's commitment and principled operation of the pub demonstrate how it came to share a special bond with its decades-old clientele.





This file photo shows beer taps of Eulji OB Bear, the region's oldest pub that was forced to close on April 21 following a court-ordered eviction. Newsis



Choi and his wife adhered to the pub's old ways until recently in 2016, when the couple convinced Kang to allow an extension of its opening hours to 11 p.m. due to growing requests from the regulars, while still keeping prices low.



For 42 years, the 20-meter-square stand-up bar has been an oasis for the region's industrial workers, delivery men and other neighbors. The tavern and its customers have lived through the country's industrialization history and built the alley's pub culture together, Choi said.



The pub's bona fide recipe to clean and dress the fish carefully by hand and roast it over briquettes also drew popularity, Choi said. By the end of the 20th century, several similar pubs sprouted up in the area, creating today's Nogari Alley. It has drawn people of all generations who seek a chill evening hangout with a good draft beer.



In 2015, the alley was designated as a Seoul Future Heritage site by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for its rich history. The heritage and brand value of Eulji OB Bear was recognized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2018 and chosen as a "100-year store," being rewarded with a special plaque at its entrance.



When the retro fever hit the country around 2018, the young generation renamed the area "Hip-jiro," which is a portmanteau of "hip" and "Euljiro," and flocked in for the alley's open-air, en masse drinking culture and peculiar, enduring atmosphere, bringing a short economic revival before the pandemic.



That legacy has since disappeared after Choi's family lost in the legal battle against the owner of the building who demanded they end the decades-long contract and leave.



The legal battle began in 2018 when then owner of a neighboring pub identified by his surname Bang bought out the building and gave them a unilateral eviction notice, refusing to renew the contract. Choi and his wife tried to persuade Bang and even offered to double the monthly rent payments to keep doing business there, but the owner turned down the couple's request flatly and took legal action against them, which they lost. The man that neighbors and pub employees pointed out as Bang denied it was him and refused to be interviewed by The Korea Times.



Choi said his family is devastated to lose the pub, which has become an intergeneration family business and a hard-earned legacy, stemming from the first owner's philosophy to treat neighbors as his own family.



On April 21 at 4 a.m., a group of about 70 men hired by the Seoul Central District Court came up the street and carried out forced eviction of Eulji OB Bear.



Choi's 27-year-old son and two activists who stayed up all night in solidarity with the family were violently pushed down on the asphalt ground and seriously injured. The door and window were broken and all tableware was taken out of the site.



The court-ordered eviction was a heart-wrenching experience for the owners. But there was nothing they could do to save the decades-old pub.



There are others who share the pain of the heritage site disappearing.





Activists rally against the forced closure of Eulji OB Bear in Seoul on April 25. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
The internet and the digital devices that connect to it have made our lives infinitely easier  from shopping and banking online to connecting with friends and family.

But if the internet was a high street it would be dominated by just a handful of massive shops  the tech giants.

These firms have huge influence over what we do and dont see on our devices, and showcase their own apps and services over rivals.

Technology minister Chris Philps, pictured, said powerful tech companies are able to charge whatever they like for online services with little oversight

This makes it difficult for smaller firms to compete  including those in the UKs thriving tech scene.

On top of this, these powerful tech companies are able to charge whatever they like for online services with little oversight.

The Government has set up a regulator  the Digital Markets Unit  as a new watchdog to make sure the tech companies dont abuse their power.

Today we are revealing its strict  and statutory  rules to rein in dominant firms so smaller businesses can compete.

The watchdog will stop big tech pushing aside rival software on their app stores in favour of their own products  levelling the playing field for smaller developers and putting more options in the digital shop front.

Companies falling short of the rules could face fines of up to 10 per cent of their global annual turnover. If they make a wrong move they could be forced to U-turn on their plans.

News outlets have taken a battering from the tight grip Facebook and Google have online with advertising  despite the fact it is their quality stories which often keep people engaged on their platforms. The Digital Markets Unit will get powers to intervene to make sure news organisations are paid fairly by social media giants for their journalism.

It will have the power to step in and resolve disagreements over prices.

Consumers will benefit from lower prices for everyday goods bought online and see greater choice.

Theyll have more power over the services they use and what companies do with their data, such as being able to opt out of targeted personalised adverts.

Switching between iOS and Android devices can be a turn-off for people because its a pain to move data across different systems. The Digital Markets Unit could force technology giants to make this much easier so that people dont feel locked in to their existing devices.

The Digital Markets Unit will help to right some of the wrongs brought about by the rampant expansion of unregulated internet companies.

The result will be a fairer and more competitive environment that will stop small businesses being stifled and British shoppers ripped off.
Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo / Korea Times file





President Moon Jae-in on Friday accepted Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo's resignation, days after he promulgated two controversial bills on prosecution reform.







Moon, however, turned down resignation offers by Kim's deputy and chiefs of all six high prosecutors' offices, the president's spokesperson said.







Kim, his deputy and the chiefs of all six offices nationwide offered to resign en masse April 22 to protest the prosecution reform legislation that would reduce and eventually scrap its investigative powers.







After the National Assembly approved the bills, Moon promulgated the bills Tuesday.







Presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said Moon turned down resignation offers by Kim's deputy and other high-ranking prosecutors because of "concerns about the damage to the public due to the vacuum in prosecution services." (Yonhap)






Home from age nine to 16 was Cyprus, where my father Derek produced live shows for the Forces stationed there. We moved several times on the island, but the address fixed so vividly in my mind is our flat in Shakespeare Road, in the capital, Nicosia.

It was on the first floor of a beautiful colonial building and my parents had completely redecorated it  especially my mother Catherine, who had a wonderful flair for design.

My brother Jonathan and I got on well, though Im told when he was two years old he tried to push me  the intruder on his first-born status  out of my pram. Also, hed set up court when my toy koalas misbehaved... and hang them!

But when hed come home from boarding school for the holidays I remember putting up lots of welcome signs.

When I was eight I too went to boarding school in England, and I was so excited to explore our new home in Shakespeare Road when I returned one Christmas. I was there in time to celebrate my 11th birthday on 20 December 1963  traditionally the day when we decorated the tree.

Jenny Agutter, 69, (pictured) The Railway Children and Call The Midwife star shares memories of Shakespeare Road, Nicosia, Cyprus. Right in the early 1960s

It looked wonderful in the hallway with its flagstone floors, and my bedroom was enchanting, full of lovely fabrics chosen by my mother.

That Christmas was amazing, and then something changed. This was the year the troubles began between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots  a long conflict that resulted in the division of the island.

My brother and I noticed adults were being very peculiar and hush-hush. We had an inkling something was going on, but no one wanted to address the subject.

Shakespeare Road was on the dividing line between the Turkish and Greek parts of Nicosia, and one night I was woken by the sound of gunfire. I went to get my father, who insisted I was dreaming.

But we went to the front door and it turned out I had been right  there was shooting outside. Dad said, Everyone flat on the floor, lights out!

The following morning my parents had just enough time to load up the car with what they could take, the cat and dogs and finally Jonathan and me. We moved temporarily to my fathers office in the Greek part of town  leaving behind everything in that wonderful home.

Jenny's home in Cyprus in the 1960s. She went to boarding school in England and would be excited to return home at the holidays

It had become a no-go area. My parents must have been heartbroken, but they hid it well.

My father was then offered a modern house in Dhekelia, the Army base, and thats where we stayed for the rest of our time in Cyprus. For Jonathan and me life was idyllic, on a warm, sunny, sleepy island, very like Gerald Durrells memoir My Family And Other Animals.

There was gunfire outside and Dad said, Everyone on the floor!

Id wake in the morning to the sound of birds, and could just walk down to the sea for a swim.

I remember going to Greek and Turkish weddings with heavenly food, picnics up in the mountains and sailing in a boat built by Dad and his friends.

Wed go snorkelling and look for bits of history from the ancient submerged city of Salamis. Years later the boat ended up on the beach as a refuge for a homeless person.

My husband John and I now live in Cornwall. Like my father Ive always loved the sea, and there is still an echo for me of those days in Cyprus.

I started acting in films as a child the year after we moved out of Shakespeare Road, and what surprises and delights me still is that I havent stopped since.
Kristy Bannister (pictured) and her husband Geoff have created a donut box empire worth $10million

Kristy Bannister and her husband Geoff have created a donut box empire worth $10million, serving upwards of 4,500 boxes a week between Sydney and Melbourne.

The young entrepreneur's left their jobs in 2015 to start Dr Dough Donuts, quickly discovering how much Aussies crave their sweet treats and unique gifting ideas.

Originally only available in Sydney the Bannister's opened a Melbourne branch in March that now covers more than 1,000 suburbs across the country's east coast, with plans to expand into Brisbane come October this year.

'We operate online only so we have some big plans for enhancing user experience and convenience in ordering and delivery,' Kristy told FEMAIL.

'We will be evolving the user experience to continually make it easy and enjoyable from the time someone visits the website to place an order to when it is made, delivered and enjoyed.

'We also have some cool collabs coming up with people and brands that will mean new flavours, donut design and gift boxes.'

The secret to selling so many boxes in just seven short years, according to Kristy, is to listen to the customer.

The secret to selling so many boxes in just seven short years, according to Kristy, is to listen to the customer

'The customer will tell you what they want, sometimes in very subtle ways but the art is in paying attention, recognising and acting quickly,' she said.

'In our case it's about understanding what people need to feel connected to one another, whether that's by providing a new product or a better service experience.

'We keep moving from strength to strength because we've allowed our customers to dictate what we've become. We didn't start off as a gift delivery company, but here we are using donuts as our medium to share happiness to hundreds of customers daily.'

Kristy Bannister (right) worked as a McDonald's burger flipper in Melbourne where she met her now-husband Geoff (left) before launching the huge doughnut empire Dr Dough Donuts

In a saturated market, the online gifting business' main point of difference is offering a delicious product with a same day delivery service across Sydney seven days a week

Since 2015 the brand has grown to become a huge success turning over $10million in annual revenue and making 500 deliveries each day

The couple worked together in a small 'ghost kitchen' in Sydney's Potts Point when the company began, where the baked treats were only available to order on Uber Eats.

'On the first day, we sold 300 doughnuts, which massively exceeded our expectations,' she said.

Then they migrated to their own doughnut cafe, but decided to keep the burgeoning doughnut gift business open on the side.

'In the early days, word-of-mouth travelled fast about our doughnuts because they're so sharable and picturesque,' she said

Despite the market for doughnuts being saturated - with everyone from Doughnut King to Krispy Kreme and every local baker selling the treats - their 'online gifting' with same day delivery running seven days a week was the convenient point of difference for the business.

'In the early days, word-of-mouth travelled fast about our doughnuts because they're so sharable and picturesque,' she said.

'When a box of treats goes travelling through an office, everyone turns to see what they are.'

Today, they offer 10 different flavours and more than 20 box combinations.

After waking up at 2am Mr and Mrs Bannister head to the Dr Dough lab to assist the bakers who prepare the doughnuts. 'We essentially run a 24/7 business; we like to keep our finger on the pulse,' she said

The workday continues until 5pm answering emails and completing other admin tasks, such as checking orders and assisting staff

After waking up at 2am Mr and Mrs Bannister head to the Dr Dough lab to assist the bakers who prepare the doughnuts.

The workday continues until 5pm answering emails and completing other admin tasks, such as checking orders and assisting staff.

'We essentially run a 24/7 business; we like to keep our finger on the pulse,' she said.

When asked if she has any time for herself Mrs Bannister laughed and said: 'I'd be lying if I said I did. I always make time for the most important things, like exercise and keeping my mind and body balanced'

When asked if she has any time for herself Mrs Bannister laughed and said: 'I'd be lying if I said I did. I always make time for the most important things, like exercise and keeping my mind and body balanced'.

'We make sure to do things like go to the local pub and unwind on days when we need a break.

'But we love what we do and want to be involved in every aspect.'

Customers can shop by occasion or choose from the 'classic donuts' menu with all orders to be made directly via the Dr Dough Donuts website.
A finance worker who won a 15,000 payout after her male boss remarked she 'must have been having some fun lately' because she was pregnant has claimed his treatment of her spoiled her experience of becoming a mother.

Single mother Bianca King, 31, from Kettering, Northamptonshire. said: 'I didn't do anything wrong, all I did was have a baby,' following the discriminatory behaviour of company director George Dodds at Mortgage Compare.

'This was my first child and I wasn't able to enjoy her and that time like I should have. After she was born I had to take medication because of the stress and anxiety.'

An employment tribunal this week heard Mr Dodds initially ignored Miss King after she told him she was expecting before making the inappropriate comment alluding to her sex life.

He then informed her that she was being sacked before withdrawing the dismissal when she told him she would be taking maternity leave, an employment tribunal heard.

Single mother Bianca King, 31, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, pictured with her daughter Winter, three, was this week awarded 15,000 for workplace discrimination while she was pregnant

Bianca King with her daughter Winter Ivy. Bianca has won a 15,000 payout after receiving discrimination from her male boss when becoming pregnant

Over the following months he started shouting at the mortgage administrator, once reducing her to tears after criticising her in front of colleagues on a video conference call.

Mr Dodds' treatment of her left 31-year-old Miss King stressed before the birth of her first child, Winter Ivy, and she had to see her GP about her mounting anxiety.

The tribunal ruled the single mother was the victim of pregnancy discrimination and awarded her 15,009.84 in compensation.

Speaking after the hearing, Bianca - whose daughter Winter Ivy, was born in March 2019 and is now three-years-old - said the only thing she did to receive this treatment was have a baby.

George Dodds, director of Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare, subjected Ms King to 'unfavourable treatment' a tribunal heard

The hearing, held in Cambridge, was told Miss King (pictured with her daughter Winter Ivy) worked as a processing clerk for Mr Dodd's Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare from September 2016. In October 2018 she sent an e-mail to Mr Dodds, telling him she was pregnant and her baby was expected early March 2019. Mr Dodds did not acknowledge the email

She said: 'I first emailed I was pregnant just before the weekend but when I went back to work on the Monday I was completely ignored. It wasn't acknowledged, I wasn't congratulated or anything.

'I requested some holiday and that too wasn't acknowledged, I was just getting ignored.

'Eventually George had to acknowledge it because I was getting him business and he changed his tune then.

'He did congratulate me but then he said: "You must have been having some fun lately" and I thought, "that's inappropriate".

Bianca, pictured with her daughter Winter, said she had to take medication for stress and anxiety due to her treatment at work

'The most embarrassing bit was when I was told I wasn't allowed on the company computers in front of everyone, like I was made to feel like I had done something wrong like I was moving to a rival business or something... I was just leaving to have my baby.

'He started accusing me of stealing company data or changing passwords, all these things I hadn't done, and that was my last day there before I went on maternity leave.

'Other people said how awkward and uncomfortable they felt for me and I was sat there at a desk not allowed to touch anything for hours while heavily pregnant.

'I didn't do anything wrong, all I did was have a baby.

'There was no way I could ever go back afterwards, not after how he treated me.

'This was my first pregnancy and I spent the whole time chasing up to get my maternity pay from him. The stress was unbelievable on top of having a newborn child and then the employment tribunal.

Bianca is now enjoying motherhood, but says that the first months of her daughter's life were 'unbelievably stressful' while balancing the demands of a newborn with chasing her maternity pay

'He says he's going to appeal it but I don't see how because everything is in writing. I represented myself even though they said I should get a lawyer because i knew I was right and I knew I was going to win.

'All I would say is, to any other women going through this, is to make sure you write everything down or put it in an email at the time because that's how I was able to prove everything.'

The hearing, held in Cambridge, was told Miss King worked as a processing clerk for Mr Dodd's Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare from September 2016.

In October 2018 she sent an e-mail to Mr Dodds, telling him she was pregnant and her baby was expected early March 2019. Mr Dodds did not acknowledge the email.

About a week later Miss King requested some holiday leave. Mr Dodds granted this over the phone and acknowledged her pregnancy for the first time, saying to her she 'must have been having some fun lately'.

The tribunal heard Mr Dodds requested a meeting with Miss King at the office in December 2018, at which he gave her a letter stating she was to be 'laid off with immediate effect'.

Mr Dodds told her the company was having some financial difficulties and could not continue 'to keep her'. No other employee was given such information.

He then took the letter back when she said she would be going on maternity leave in four months, saying 'that changes everything. I did not know it was so soon', the tribunal heard.

The tribunal heard when Miss King returned to work at the end of January 2019 her computer was shut down, she was denied access to all systems and told she was 'not required to work'

Employment Judge Martin Bloom said: 'It is evident...that the threat of laying off [Miss King] was only made to her as a result of her notification... that she was pregnant.'

In December 2018 Miss King sent an email to Mr Dodds making reference to the letter and her belief she was 'being discriminated against' due to her pregnancy status.

The tribunal heard Mr Dodds then started criticising Miss King.

He emailed her about her lunch hours, telling her to 'please ensure you leave on time and return by 2pm' despite her timekeeping never having been an issue before.

The tribunal heard he accused her of not sending emails and shouted at her on various occasions.

Judge Bloom noted: 'This form of behaviour directed to [Miss King] by Mr Dodds had not been in evidence prior to [her] pregnancy. On one such occasion [she] was so upset she had to leave a group video call and went to the toilet in tears.'

In January 2019, Miss King met with Mr Dodds to discuss her request to take her 2019 holiday entitlement before she went on maternity leave. Mr Dodds agreed but referred to her request as 'cheeky'.

Judge Bloom said: 'That was, we consider, an inappropriate comment and was aggravated by the fact that it was [her] last day at work before she took the period of holiday and subsequently went on maternity leave.'

The tribunal heard when Miss King returned to work at the end of January 2019 her computer was shut down, she was denied access to all systems and told she was 'not required to work'.

She was required to sit around for several hours before being allowed to go home.

In February 2019 Miss King tried to contact Mr Dodds about non-payment of her maternity pay but her requests 'were largely ignored'.

In April 2019 Mr Dodds told Miss King all employees would be converted to 'self-employed status'.

The tribunal heard she emailed Mr Dodds asking for more information only to receive a reply which stated: 'This doesnt surprise me. You have been looking for a way to accuse us of this (the termination of her employment) for months.'

Miss King never returned to work for Mr Dodds, the tribunal heard.

Judge Bloom said: 'These acts of unfavourable treatment were carried out by [Mr Dodds] because [Miss King] had advised them that she was pregnant and due to take and subsequently did take maternity leave.

'No lawful or indeed any plausible alternative exists for that treatment.

'We have taken note of the fact that [Miss King] was extremely distressed by the events.

'Her pregnancy was her first pregnancy and she had been very much looking forward to the birth of her child. She was undoubtedly not only upset by the events but became stressed.

'Eventually she had to see her General Practitioner and was prescribed medication for anxiety and stress.

'At a time when she ought to have been looking forward to the birth of her child she had to deal with the events... and a subsequent deterioration in her health.'
A family posing for a picture in front of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles got a little extra scenery thanks to a nearly-nude woman who was shamelessly taking part in a photo shoot.

The popular Instagram account Influencers in the Wild shared the hilarious footage of a mother standing with her two children while an aspiring model wearing nothing but a sheer thong teddy and stilettos was striking pose after pose next to them.

The man behind the camera, presumably the woman's husband, was filming the exhibitionist the entire time his family thought he was taking their photo.

The Instagram account Influencers in the Wild shared a hilarious video of a mother and her two children posing for a family photo next to an aspiring model in lingerie

The woman was wearing nothing but a sheer thong teddy and stilettos as she seductively bent over and tossed her hair, striking pose after pose in front of the Hollywood sign

The man behind the camera, presumably the woman's husband, was filming the exhibitionist the entire time his family thought he was taking their photo

As the mom stood in front of the overlook, flanked by her son and daughter, the stranger was busy seductively bending over and tossing her hair just a few feet away from them.

'These are really good,' the man told his family.

The kids were clearly getting tired of smiling, but he encouraged them to keep posing while he pretended to take pictures.

'A couple more,' he said.

The kids were clearly getting tired of smiling, but he encouraged them to keep posing while he pretended to take pictures

Right when the woman turned around to show off her bare derriere, the man's daughter ran toward him and asked: 'What are you doing?'

The video has been viewed more than 5.2 million times since it was posted on April 6, and thousands of people shared their thoughts in the comments

Right when the woman turned around to show off her bare derriere, the man's daughter ran toward him and asked: 'What are you doing?'

The video has been viewed more than 5.2 million times since it was posted on April 6, and thousands of people shared their thoughts in the comments.

'When dad is taking the family photo,' one person joked, while another added: 'Dad switched to wide angle.'

'Get the real Hollywood experience kids,' someone else commented.
A uni student was horrified to discover her heartburn that doctors told her was from boozing too much was actually 'incurable' cancer.

Georgia Ford, 20, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, said she developed a 'choking' cough last April and sickness soon after, but a GP just put this down to the amount of alcohol she was drinking and prescribed her stomach-lining tablets.

But over the course of several months the students symptoms, which also included weight loss and back pain, worsened.

After countless trips to the doctors, Georgia was stunned when she was eventually diagnosed with a kidney cancer called papillary renal cell carcinoma in November.

The law student says her life has been 'turned upside down' since receiving the heart-breaking news that the cancer had also spread to her lungs, liver, lymph nodes and bones - and that it was incurable.

She she developed a 'choking' cough last April and sickness soon after, but a GP just put this down to the amount of alcohol she was drinking and prescribed her stomach-lining tablets

Georgia Ford, 20, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, was horrified to discover her heartburn that doctors told her was from boozing too much was actually 'incurable' cancer

Georgia started treatment immediately to shrink and stop the cancer from spreading and said she's still learning to accept her 'unbelievable' diagnosis and now has to learn how to live with the condition.

The aspiring criminal lawyer is urging anyone dissatisfied with a doctor to push for answers - because she'll 'always wonder' if hers was caught sooner, whether her prognosis might be different.

Over the course of several months the students symptoms, which also included weight loss and back pain, worsened. The law student says her life has been 'turned upside down' since receiving the heart-breaking news that the cancer had also spread to her lungs, liver, lymph nodes and bones - and that it was incurable

In August Georgia started coughing up blood so dashed to A&E where they did an x-ray and 'cloudy patches' were detected on her lungs - but she claims she was assured it wasn't cancer or 'anything life-threatening'

Georgia said: 'Originally the GP said the sickness was acid reflux from the amount that I was drinking because I was a student.

'They were like " Do you drink a lot?D and I was like, "Yeah, obviously I do" so they put me on these stomach lining protection tablets.

'You believe what the doctor says and I thought "I do drink a lot, and alcohol's poison isn't it? Maybe it is just bothering my stomach a lot".

'But then I came home where I'm not a big drinker and it still carried on, so I was slightly miffed as to why it wasn't just stopping.

'The tablets didn't work and then it got put down to various other things.

Georgia started treatment immediately to shrink and stop the cancer from spreading and said she's still learning to accept her 'unbelievable' diagnosis and now has to learn how to live with the condition

The aspiring criminal lawyer is urging anyone dissatisfied with a doctor to push for answers - as she'll 'always wonder' if hers was caught sooner, whether her prognosis might be different

'There was a time that they thought it was maybe an anxiety thing and it was more of a psychological symptom than actually a physical problem.

'When they said anxiety could be a contributing factor I was like "I don't consider myself to be an anxious person to begin with and also how can this all be psychological?".

'They basically said that this was all in my head and I wasn't ill at all. I said, "I fail to believe that I'm having this many severe symptoms and it's all in my head".

'I'm five months on from starting my treatment now, but I could be further along if I'd been diagnosed earlier.

Georgia was fatigued and losing weight but doctors put her symptoms down to the party lifestyle at university

Georgia said the GP said the sickness was acid reflux from the amount that she was drinking because she was a student (pictured with friends at her 20th birthday)

'I don't know how much more ill I became in that time and whether if it had been caught a little bit earlier, my story might be a little bit different.

'It's one of those questions that I'll never know, but always wonder.'

Georgia said her cough got progressively worse to the point it stopped her from being able to do things like walking or running as far as usual, and climbing stairs also became a struggle.

Her vomiting reached its worst in August which caused her to lose 10 kilos in weight, mostly between September and November.

The first time Georgia experienced back pain was back in August 2020 and was told in hospital she was experiencing muscle spasms.

The 20-year-old was eventually diagnosed with papillary renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, last November (pictured before her diagnosis)

She experienced it again the following October along with pain in her left shoulder.

Georgia said: 'The cough was my main symptom at first and I went to my GP about it a number of times and got told different things.

'Every time we'd try something new and it wouldn't work and I'd go back and we'd try something else.

'It was quite a choking cough, it would literally take my breath away. It wasn't chesty or dry, it was unlike anything I'd had before really.

'I'd been at university going out and had been around loads of people, and then when you come home and you're all run down you just do generally do get a bit unwell.

'So I hadn't really thought anything of it when I came home because I thought it was just my body reacting to burning the candle at both ends for such a long time.

'Then I went back to university [last September] and it just didn't go away.

'I'd coughed so much that I'd end up being sick. That's when I started to lose weight because I wasn't holding onto food very well.

'My lower back pain got really bad again last October, which obviously in hindsight was my kidneys.

'It started to hurt quite a lot when I was lying flat, it wasn't very comfortable.

The aim of her treatment is to shrink the cancer down as much as possible to the point where she can 'live normally' and she hopes to return to her studies when she's feeling well enough

'I put my back pain down to bad posture or sleeping positions. I've always slumped and sat funny.

'I was always sat at my desk and didn't have a great setup or the nicest chair in a student house, it's usually some rubbish kitchen or cheap office chair.

'You just don't think these things are bigger than they are, you just think, "Oh well, it's part of what it is".'

In August Georgia started coughing up blood so dashed to A&E where they did an x-ray and 'cloudy patches' were detected on her lungs - but she claims she was assured it wasn't cancer or 'anything life-threatening'.

She was put on a three-month referral to a respiratory team but during this time she became much more unwell so booked a private appointment.

The 20-year-old was eventually diagnosed with papillary renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, last November.

Georgia said: 'There's very few times in my life where I've been speechless and I was sat there and words just completely evaded me, I didn't know what to say.

'I was just so shocked. Just any hope I had of it maybe being something else, it was just the most sinking feeling to be told basically the worst-case scenario and I was just so disappointed in everything.

'Honestly it's not been the same since that, that one moment has literally changed my life.

'They later said, "Look, it started in your kidney and it's in your lungs, liver, lymph nodes and bones".

'I remember thinking, "OK, it's already spread quite far away from its original site".

'That's when they also told me that it was incurable.

'It's just like this overwhelming sadness that just fills you at the time.

'I've come a long way since and I'm on my way to accepting and just learning to live with it and doing what I can within the constraints of my life now.

Georgia set up a GoFundMe to fundraise for two charitable organisations that are supporting her throughout her treatment and has raised over 1,300 so far

'But at the time I'd gone from being a full university student within a few weeks to being in hospital as a cancer patient. It was just unbelievable.

'It's literally turned my life upside down.'

The law student said she's since started immunotherapy, which involves taking medication daily and having an intravenous drip every fortnight.

She also takes portable oxygen tanks out with her and uses an oxygen pipe at night to help her breathe comfortably.



What is Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma?

Papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) is a type of cancer that forms inside the lining of the kidneys tubules (the very small tubes that do the filtering). Commonly referred to as 'renal cell cancer,' PRCC is the second most common type of kidney cancer. The average age of someone diagnosed with kidney cancer is 64, with most cases occurring in people 55 and older. Some common symptoms of PRCC include: blood in the urine, pain in the side, unexplained weight loss, excessive fatigue, a lump or mass in the side and unexplained fever. Advertisement

The aim of her treatment is to shrink the cancer down as much as possible to the point where she can 'live normally' and she hopes to return to her studies when she's feeling well enough.

Georgia set up a GoFundMe to fundraise for two charitable organisations that are supporting her throughout her treatment and has raised over 1,300 so far.

Georgia said: 'No matter what a doctor or any healthcare professional says you know your body better than anybody else.

'If you think that something's wrong and if you don't feel that what they're saying is right, like you deserve a scan or something more, you need to push and push.

'You're better off to have pushed and to know for sure that it's not cancer than to leave it and to find out that it was.'

But she said she fet 'pushed' and 'quietened' by doctors who insisted she didn't need an X-ray.'

Subsequently the doctor who misdiagnosed me told Georgia: 'I've never seen anything like this in someone your age, I would never have expected it'.

'That was the only excuse they've got,' she said..

'I think it's because I'm young and in my face I still look exactly like I did when I was perfectly well.

'I appreciate that you don't expect these rare diseases in people like me but that's not really the point.

'The point is that I was coming to you with symptoms and they matched the disease, whether or not you expected it is not the point.'

You can donate to Georgia's GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fightagainstprcc
Martha Stewart and Baccarat are two names synonymous with glamour, elegance, and excellence in home decor.

So it was only matter of time before the woman who has not only influenced, but defined the art of living and hospitality would collaborate with a brand that immortalizes the supremacy of outstanding craftsmanship, to design a line of glasses so beautiful they promise to make everything taste better.

'I am a longtime admirer of Baccarats exquisite crystalware, so it is such an honor to partner with this distinguished brand on The Martha collection,' said Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart and Baccarat are two names synonymous with glamour, elegance and excellence in home decor

On Thursday, May 5th, Martha and Baccarat hosted a very stylish Cinco de Mayo celebration to toast the launch of Baccarats The Martha , a collection of glassware inspired by the domestic goddess

The festivities took place at the domestic goddess' farm in Katonah, New York

When Martha purchased Skylands - Edsel Fords former summer home in Seal Harbor, Maine - the estate came stocked with enough Baccarat to seat more than 50 people.

The glasses in that treasure trove belonged to Baccarats Nancy collection, named after the city of Nancy in northeastern France and characterized by its delicate, crosshatching of lines etched into the base of the clear crystal tumblers.

While the beloved star adored the collection, Martha desired an additional glass to enjoy her favorite drink, and the French luxury brand obliged.

'At Baccarat, we believe in collaborating, and we are always looking to align with brands that are best in class,' said Jim Shreve, President and CEO of Baccarat North America.

This marks the first time that the storied crystal-maker has named a collection after a living person in the brand's 258 years

Guests enjoyed festive Mexican fare with their cocktails

Frozen Pomegranate versions of the Martha-rita cocktail were served poolside

On Thursday, May 5th, Martha and Baccarat hosted a very stylish Cinco de Mayo celebration to toast the launch of Baccarats The Martha, a collection of glassware inspired by the domestic goddess.

This marks the first time that the storied crystal-maker has named a collection after a living person in the brand's 258 years.

The festivities took place at the domestic goddess' farm in Katonah, New York.

There, guests enjoyed the Martha-rita, Marthas special version of the margarita, made with her favorite ultra-premium sipping tequila, Casa Dragones Blanco.

Guests enjoyed the Martha-rita, Marthas special version of the margarita, made with her favorite ultra-premium sipping tequila, Casa Dragones Blanco .

'I look forward to not only sharing these elegant designs with consumers, but also to enjoy the beautiful crystal myself,' said the culinary queen

In remarks, Steve Shreve, President and CEO of Baccarat North America, shared that there are more products to come from the collaboration and closed his speech with a toast to live Baccarat every day

Frozen Pomegranate versions of the cocktail, as well as festive Mexican fare, were also served.

In remarks, Steve Shreve shared that there are more products to come from the collaboration and closed his speech with a toast to live Baccarat every day.

In addition to enjoying food and drink, guests enjoyed competing to break a pinata (filled with tropical flavors of Martha Stewart CBD gummies), inspired by Baccarat's signature red box and Casa Dragones Blanco.

Martha then shared with the group a demonstration on how to make her famous guacamole, which guests then enjoyed with fresh tortilla chips.

In addition to enjoying food and drink, guests enjoyed competing to break a pinata

The pinatas (filled with tropical flavors of Martha Stewart CBD gummies ), were inspired by Baccarat's signature red box and Casa Dragones Blanco

THE CLASSIC MARTHA-RITA: Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco, lime, and a touch of orange liqueur makes for a perfect mixture, with or without salt.

Ingredients:

2 limes

Pink salt or sea salt, coarsely ground

2 ounces Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco

1 ounce fresh lime juice

Instructions:

1. Juice one lime to make 1 ounce and set aside. From remaining lime, slice a thin wheel for garnish and a wedge for salt rim.

2. Run lime wedge around outside of the rim of your Baccarat Martha-rita Glass; dip rim in salt to coat. Partially fill glass with ice (Martha prefers 1 large sphere for minimal melting and dilution).

3. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add tequila, orange liqueur, and reserved lime juice. Shake vigorously until outside of shaker is cold and frosty, about 10 seconds; strain into prepared glass. Garnish with lime wheel and serve immediately.

The Martha collection is comprised of four exclusive pieces: Goblets ($450, set of two), the Pitcher ($1,100), Tumblers ($350), and Ice Bucket ($750

The Martha collection is comprised of four exclusive pieces: Goblets ($450, set of two), the Pitcher ($1,100), Tumblers ($350), and Ice Bucket ($750).

'I look forward to not only sharing these elegant designs with consumers, but also to enjoy the beautiful crystal myself,' said the culinary queen.

Martha's go-to guacamole includes hard-boiled eggs

CLASSIC GUACAMOLE: Hard-boiled eggs make a surprisingly delicious addition to Martha's go-to guacamole.

Ingredients:

3 ripe but firm avocados, peeled and pitted

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped white onion

1/4 cup chopped jalapeno

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

2 chopped hard-cooked eggs

Tortilla chips, for service

Instructions: In a medium bowl or molcajete, lightly mash avocados. Add lime juice, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon and eggs. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
A DoorDash driver saved her customer's life after she found the woman bleeding from her head and passed out in her driveway.

Sophia Furtado, 26, was making a delivery to a home in Bristol County, Massachusetts, on February 11.

When she pulled into the driveway, she was horrified to find her customer, Caryn Hebert Sullivan, 55, laying unconscious with a pool of blood around her head.

Sophia quickly sprang into action, waking up Caryn's husband, Robert, alerting authorities, using towels to stop the bleeding, and stabilizing Caryn's neck until paramedics arrived.

The delivery driver ultimately saved the woman's life with her swift and heroic actions, and now the two have become friends.

A DoorDash driver (pictured) saved her customer's life after she found the woman bleeding from her head and passed out in her driveway

While making a delivery, Sophia Furtado, 26, was horrified to find her customer, Caryn Hebert Sullivan (pictured together), 55, laying unconscious with a pool of blood around her head

Sophia quickly sprang into action - alerting authorities, using towels to stop the bleeding, and stabilizing Caryn's (pictured) neck until paramedics arrived

The delivery driver ultimately saved the woman's life with her swift and heroic actions, and now, the two have grown to be best friends. Caryn is pictured before the accident

Sophia recalled it being a 'normal night' on the job before she discovered Caryn motionless in her driveway.

She was getting ready to finish her shift when her average evening suddenly took a terrifying turn.

Thankfully, Sophia - who dreamed of becoming a paramedic herself - had taken training to become an emergency medical technician four years ago.

'It happened so fast,' Sophia recalled to the Washington Post recently. 'I was freaking out because I didnt know how much longer she had.'

The DoorDash employee was able to estimate that Caryn had been unconscious for about 15 minutes since the blood had already started to congeal.

'You guys need to come out here right now,' she remembered telling the dispatcher. 'This is serious.'

As she waited for the ambulance to arrive, Sophia had Robert grab a towel in an attempt to stop the bleeding, as well as a blanket to keep Caryn warm because it was only 30 degrees that night.

And Sophia's quick thinking may be the reason that Caryn is still alive today.

Thankfully, Sophia (pictured) - who dreamed of becoming a paramedic herself - had taken training to become an emergency medical technician four years prior

Caryn (pictured) was waiting outside for her Papa Ginos pizza to arrive when she accidentally fell and hit her head after her knee 'gave out'

'The EMT training definitely helped at that very moment. If I was to take any longer or not take the steps that I took, I feel like she wouldnt be here today,' said Sophia.

She also told CBC's As It Happens, 'I wasn't afraid to just step in. I wasn't afraid to take care of her. It felt like it was meant to be, like I was meant to be there and I was meant to help her.'

Caryn wanted to wait outside for her Papa Ginos pizza to arrive so that she didn't wake her husband when she accidentally fell and hit her head.

'My knee just gave out, and I went to grab the banister and I slipped,' she told the Post. 'I fell and hit my head.'

She recalled 'laying in the driveway, freezing' and seeing 'a lot of white clouds' before everything went blank.

Even after the ambulance arrived, Sophia continued to help the doctors treat Caryn.

Caryn (pictured with her husband) recalled 'laying in the driveway, freezing' and seeing 'a lot of white clouds' before everything went blank

Caryn called the delivery driver (pictured with her family) her 'guardian angel,' adding that she most likely 'would not have made it if she didn't come'

The 55-year-old suffered from two brain bleeds and had to undergo emergency surgery; she was then hospitalized for three weeks after the incident

'Sophia became a part of our team to aid [Caryn]. I asked her if it was possible for her to keep stabilizing [Caryn's] neck to keep her spine safe. Her answer was, "Im not going anywhere,"' Jillian Jodoin, an officer with the Fairhaven Police Department, told the Today Show.

The 55-year-old suffered from two brain bleeds and had to undergo emergency surgery; she was then hospitalized for three weeks after the incident.

Speaking to the Post, Caryn called the delivery driver her 'guardian angel,' adding that she most likely 'would not have made it if she didn't come.'

'My neurologist said I only had 10 more minutes to live,' Caryn shared. 'To be here is incredible.'

Officer Jodoin also gushed to the outlet: 'What Sophia did that night is not something anyone would just do.

'We have all worked long enough in this field to have seen people walk away, run away, drive away, pull out their phone, or simply watch.

'Sophia sprung into action, alerted Robert, activated the emergency response system, implemented materials needed, rendered aid, and helped officers streamline information gathering. She saved a life.'

Since the incident, Sophia has been in contact with the Herbert Sullivan family almost every day.

Because of her heroic actions, DoorDash offered Sophia a $1,000 educational grant so she could go back to school and pursue her dream of becoming an EMT. She is pictured receiving the grant

She also received a lifesaving award from the Fairhaven Police Department on April 20

'I would love to go back to school and [become a paramedic],' she shared, adding that either way, 'knowing that Caryn made it was the real reward for me.' Sophia and Caryn are pictured at the ceremony

After leaving the hospital in early March, things weren't easy for Caryn, who worked as an elementary school cafeteria worker before the accident.

'I could not write, I could not walk, I couldnt do anything,' she said. 'I had to learn everything all over again. Every day is a challenge. [But] Im going to get through this.'

Because of her heroic actions, DoorDash offered Sophia a $1,000 educational grant so she could go back to school and pursue her dream of becoming an EMT.

'Ms. Furtados care and quick response were nothing short of heroic and we are honored to have been able to show our appreciation for her tremendous efforts,' the food delivery company said in a statement.

She also received a lifesaving award from the Fairhaven Police Department on April 20.

'I would love to go back to school and [become a paramedic],' she stated, adding that either way, 'knowing that Caryn made it was the real reward for me.'

She also told As It Happens, 'I definitely do not go into this situation saving Caryn and expecting anything back from it. I was just hoping the lady made it.'
Australian TikToker and former Love Island star Jessie Wynter posted a viral TikTok of her Macca's trip in London which later sparked a heated debate over which is better.

'I've decided to step out of my comfort zone while I'm here and try something that isn't on the Aussie menu,' she said in her video.

Jessie ordered a classic combination of fries, the Chicken Legend burger, and cheesy garlic bites.

Scroll down for video

Jessie ordered a classic combination of fries, the Chicken Legend burger, and cheesy garlic bites - and claimed the Chicken Legend was her favourite Macca's dish ever

Poll Where's your favourite Macca's? Australia England Scotland Other - tell us in the comments! Where's your favourite Macca's? Australia 45 votes

England 49 votes

Scotland 6 votes

Other - tell us in the comments! 19 votes Now share your opinion





'I've had a lot of Macca's in my life,' Jessie said, 'but the Chicken Legend burger is my favourite ever.'

She added, 'The chicken and the bun were absolutely amazing - I am so devastated we don't have these things on the Australian menu.'

Jessie also sang praises of the garlic bites: 'Whoever thought to put cheesy garlic bites on the McDonald's menu - you deserve a medal! These were so good.'

Hundreds of people from all around the world left comments on Jessie's video about Macca's specials in their countries.

'You need to try Irn Bru if you get to a McDonalds in Scotland,' one man said. 'Some places in England might sell it, but god it's so good over here.'

'The McDonald's in India has a Maharaja Mac and it's the best burger I've ever tasted,' shared another.

Jessie also sang praises of the garlic bites: 'Whoever thought to put cheesy garlic bites on the McDonald's menu - you deserve a medal! These were so good'

But some had some tips for the British Chicken Legend as well.

'If you get the BBQ Chicken Legend and add cheese and bacon to it - I swear it's unreal,' said one woman.

'I agree, adding cheese to the Chicken Legend was the best decision I've ever made.'

A third added, 'Easily one of my favourite dishes.'

An Australian TikToker and former Love Island star Jessie Wynter posted a viral TikTok of her Macca's trip in London - and shocked hundreds when she claimed it was better in the UK

But others agreed that UK Macca's was simply the best.

'As an Aussie I was convinced we had it the best over here, but looking at that menu ... wow.'

'Okay, but why does that look SO MUCH BETTER?' asked another.

A third added, 'I was raised on London McDonald's and trust me, it does not get better!'
A fit PE teacher and mum-of-two has shared the two breakfasts she swears by for staying in shape all year long - and why eating more whole grown foods is is the 'magic elixir' for living a longer life.

Sharing a snap of her wholesome brekky on Instagram, Belinda Norton, from the Gold Coast, Queensland, said she alternates between eggs and vegetables one day and oats with almond milk and blueberries the next.

'Always add vegetables to your breakfast,' she said, adding that she tries to add baby spinach to every meal if she can.

'This delicious salsa sauteed is mushroom, tomato, onion, spinach and garlic. Add an egg on gluten free toast and the nourishment is high. It's long lasting fuel until meal two.'

A fit PE teacher and mum-of-two has shared the two breakfasts she swears by for staying in shape all year long - and why eating more whole grown foods is is the 'magic elixir' for living a longer life

'This delicious salsa sauteed is mushroom, tomato, onion, spinach and garlic. Add an egg on gluten free toast and the nourishment is high. It's long lasting fuel until meal two,' she said

Belinda loves these oat berry bowls which are the healthy cheaper alternative to a high sugar, expensive acai bowls. To make place 1/2 a cup of quick oats in the microwave with almond milk for 1.5 minutes, add frozen berries and crushed nuts (option to swirl peanut butter) and eat

The health and fitness education professional and certified trainer said her goal for this year is 'encouraging others' and says her number one piece of advice is to boost intake of raw, wholesome foods.

'It truly is the magic elixir to our bodies performance level. These earth-grown foods promote internal health from digestion to blood boosting components,' she wrote.

'I encourage you to eat raw vegetables daily and increase your consumption by adding vegetables to every meal including breakfast.'

Belinda (pictured left at 25 and right at 45) regularly shares her health and fitness tips after transforming her lifestyle and sculpting the best body of her life in her 40s

The health and fitness education professional and certified trainer said her goal for this year is 'encouraging others' and says her number one piece of advice is to boost intake of raw, wholesome foods

The 10 health lessons Belinda would tell her younger self 1. Stop postponing yourself for a time when things free up. It's time to STOP postponing you. It's time to feel healthy; it's time to love your body and change those habits for good. 2. Value your own thoughts and don't let others define who or what you need to be. You know  trust your gut, your instinct. 3. Listen to how your body feels from food. Feel it process in your system, understand it's affects. Focus on nourishing your blood. 4. Move more daily; every opportunity ensure you can move your body. Take active breaks; stretch; twist; touch your toes; take the stairs; walk; lunge  move. This makes up a huge amount of activity or inactivity which is making the body immovable; stiff and unhealthy. 5. Cook your own food; eat the same food as the family. Everyone eats the same and show the kids how to eat by being the role model to eating, food loves and healthy options. 6. Train hard and exercise with light weights at least 4 times a week no more BS on your body. You know, please stop faking it and wasting it  please use it! 7. Eat slowly; chew gently; look after your teeth and hydrate with a variety of water options. Drink cold water; warm water; mineral water and coconut water daily. All of them! 8. Eat baby spinach for every meal breakfast (with eggs) lunch (salad) and dinner. I personally eat a lot with every meal. 9. Walk every morning- every single day  early (attempt to see the sunrise at least 5 times a week I promise it will energise you!) 10. Avoid carbohydrates after 5pm  4 nights a week. Eat pasta for lunch at least once a week  it is pure happiness plus prevents cravings. Advertisement

Belinda recommends making simple tweaks like adding spinach to eggs, eating raw carrots as snacks, eating baby cucumbers, enjoying cauliflower raw with dips and adding vegetables to every dinner.

'The fact is food is more than just calories, its information that our cells need to function, it is the information that our metabolism can use to either run efficiently or sluggish,' the mum-of-two said.

'When we eat sugars, fruit juice or refined carbs, it goes right to the liver, where it starts manufacturing fat, triggering insulin resistance and causing chronically elevated blood insulin levels thus driving the body to store everything meaning it holds toxicity.'

When we eat sugars, fruit juice or refined carbs, it goes right to the liver, where it starts manufacturing fat, triggering insulin resistance and causing chronically elevated blood insulin levels.

She often eats meals like roasted garlic organic vegetables (left) and breakfast bagels made with a toasted seeded gluten free bagel, egg, spinach, purple cabbage and sweet chilli jam

'The fact is food is more than just calories, its information that our cells need to function, it is the information that our metabolism can use to either run efficiently or sluggish,' the mum-of-two said

She added that 'real' foods like vegetables and low glycemic fruits, healthy fats (nut seeds avocado and olives), gluten free whole grains, legumes and responsibility sourced proteins and seafood) give your cells the information they need to function at their very best.

'They improve skin, hair, brain function, mind clarity and immunity,' she said.

'Eating well should not only be about quantity but more imperative with quality.'

Belinda regularly shares her health tricks and tips on social media, and recently spilled her secret 'five step routine reboot' to encourage Aussies to overhaul their lifestyles.

So what are the five things you need to do for a 'routine reboot'?

Belinda regularly shares her health tricks and tips on social media, and recently spilled her secret 'five step routine reboot' to encourage Aussies to overhaul their lifestyles

1. Write a to-do list every single day

'Having a daily routine is proven to reduce stress,' Belinda explained.

'We tend to fill our brains up with our 'to-do list', and this can be incredibly overwhelming when it repeats on a loop in our mind.'

When you write your list down, the PE teacher recommends sticking it in a visible place for your entire family to see, so everyone knows what needs to get done.

This should help to get the list out of your mind and mean everyone knows what needs to get done.

The second thing Belinda swears by is 30 minutes of morning cardio, which helps to get you ready to go every single day (pictured on a morning walk)

2. Start your day with some cardio

The second thing Belinda swears by is 30 minutes of morning cardio, which helps to get you ready to go.

'Start your morning every single day with some sunrise cardio (walk, run, skip or bike) 30 minutes before your breakfast,' she said.

'Research shows that disrupted body clocks are associated with many physical and mental health conditions, including depression, diabetes, obesity and cancers.

'A routine will ensure you are still feeling productive and fulfilled in your daily routine, even when it's unpredictable.'

Make this morning movement a non-negotiable part of your routine, and reap the health goals in as little as one week.

3. Journal any thoughts before bed

The third thing Belinda said she does religiously is journal her thoughts a little every evening before bed.

'Creating your goals and to-do list for the next day really helps you to get motivated,' she said.

'Write down both the moments from that day that you're grateful for and what you intend to do tomorrow.'

Then, make sure you get between seven and eight hours of sleep every night in order to maximise your rest.

Writing a weekly dinner menu is one of Belinda's favourite habits (one of her dinners pictured), and she recommends placing it in a visible place so that all can see

4. Write a weekly dinner menu

Writing a weekly dinner menu is one of Belinda's favourite habits.

'Place it in a visible place for all to see, and try keeping the menu for two weeks on a rotation to really save mental space, time and money,' she explained.

If you can, get into a good routine of pre-preparing a healthy snack, meal or muesli every Sunday.

This will mean you're far less likely to reach for something unhealthy when you're tired and time-poor during the week.

Finally, Belinda revealed that having an exercise or training regime locked in will keep you 'motivated, mobile and aligned'; she does 30 minutes of strength three times a week

5. Do 30 minutes of strength three times a week

Finally, Belinda revealed that having an exercise or training regime locked in will keep you 'motivated, mobile and aligned'.

'Our mobility is our health,' she said.

'Time is our most states barrier in exercise, yet we all need to prioritise moving our bodies for our health.'

Make sure you do 30 minutes of strength work three times a week, as well as your daily cardio for the best results.

'Add in stretching and some fun and passion-type fitness activities in the outdoors to create a really balanced body routine,' Belinda said.

You can follow Belinda Norton on Instagram here.
Television personality and host Shelly Horton has shared the uncomfortable perimenopause symptoms she experiencing.

At the moment the 48-year-old, from the Gold Coast in Queensland, has painful dry eyes, causing them to turn deep red.

'Reason 476 why perimenopause sucks - you get dry, so when your estrogen levels drop, women experience dryness,' she said in a video shared on Instagram.

Perimenopause refers to the time when your body makes the transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.

Australian television personality Shelly Horton (pictured) is currently going through perimenopause - premenopause

At the moment the 48-year-old, from the Gold Coast in Queensland, has painful dry eyes, causing them to turn red. 'Reason 476 why perimenopause sucks - you get dry, so when your estrogen levels drop, women experience dryness,' she said in a video shared on Instagram

'Some women get dry skin, others get dry inside the nose, what I'm getting at the moment is dry eyes,' she said.

In the one-minute video, Shelly's eyes looked sore with visible bloodspots on the eyeballs.

Concerned about the symptom, she visited an optometrist who confirmed it's part of perimenopause - and her fake eyelashes don't help with situation.

'I have to now use gel eyedrops - not just like the tear replacements, the thick, lubricating gel eyedrops and also some hot compresses to soothe them,' she said.

Concerned about the symptom, she visited an optometrist who confirmed it's part of perimenopause - and her fake eyelashes don't help with situation

What is perimenopause? Perimenopause means 'around menopause' and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years Women start perimenopause at different ages You may notice signs of progression toward menopause, such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s Source: mayoclinic Advertisement

Shelly also laughed when she mentioned her vagina feels like a 'sandbox' as a result of perimenopause.

She ended the video by thanking 'peri' and dubbed it as the 'gift that keeps on giving'.

The video helped inform other women in their 40s of the symptoms to be aware of.

'I feel the same pain!' one woman commented, another added: 'Dry eyes and dry skin here. Thanks for keeping it real Shelly!'

'This explains a lot,' another added.
President Moon Jae-in / Yonhap



Peace with North Korea and a "fair and just" society in the South: outgoing President Moon Jae-in made big promises, but after five years in power, he has failed to deliver, according to analysts.



Talks between Washington and Pyongyang that Moon brokered have collapsed, North Korea is test-firing long-range missiles again, and leader Kim Jong-un last week said he was strengthening his nuclear arsenal "at the fastest possible speed."



Domestically, Moon's key housing policy backfired, landmark anti-discrimination legislation never materialized, and top luminaries in his government and party became ensnared in sex and bribery scandals.



Public frustration with his administration is what galvanized a political opposition in disarray, analysts say  Moon will hand power May 10 to Yoon Suk-yeol, whose conservatives he ousted from government five years ago.



"Moon's biggest legacy will be the election of Yoon as president," Gi-wook Shin, a sociology professor at Stanford University, told AFP.



An avowed anti-feminist and right-wing security hawk, Yoon is the antithesis of Moon, and his threats of a pre-emptive strike on North Korea have already undone much of Moon's cherished attempts at inter-Korean rapprochement.



Moon's diplomacy has come to naught anyway, with Kim recently issuing a veiled threat to use his nukes more expansively, Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute told AFP.



His decision to send "warm greetings" in a farewell letter to Kim last month showed "questionable" judgment in light of the fact Pyongyang is preparing for a nuclear test, Cheong said.





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap



Historic run



Unquestionably, Moon has enjoyed a historic run in office: in 2018, he became the first South Korean president to give a speech to the North Korean public, receiving a standing ovation in Pyongyang.



"I propose that we should completely end the past 70 years of hostility and take a big stride of peace to become one again," Moon told a packed May Day Stadium.



He helped facilitate talks which resulted in groundbreaking summits between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim, but the efforts collapsed in 2019.



Since then, Pyongyang has labelled Moon a "meddlesome mediator," blown up a Seoul-financed joint liaison office north of the border, and in March test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.



Satellite imagery now indicates the North is preparing to resume nuclear testing.



Moon is the only South Korean president to hold three summits with Kim but he "gave too much credit to North Korea's bandwidth for engagement and peacebuilding," said Soo Kim of the RAND Corporation.



"Kim has shown us that he cannot be convinced to give up his weapons, in any shape or form, since they're so closely tied to his own survival," she told AFP.



"It's difficult to tell whether Moon's North Korea legacy bears any positive impact on inter-Korean relations."





Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk / Korea Times file
Prohibited performance-enhancing drugs linked to heart attacks, strokes and even infertility are being sold on eBay and Depop, MailOnline can reveal.

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are available for as little as 25p per pill on the online marketplaces used by children as young as 13.

The drugs have been popular in the underground bodybuilding scene for several years. They work like steroids but have not been fully tested for safety on humans, are not prescribed by doctors, and prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

MailOnline found two listings for Rad-140, one of the most powerful SARMS on the market, with sellers based in Oxford and Glasgow.

Prices ranged from between 15-40 for 60 capsules  although the cheaper seller admitted the tub had been opened and two pills were missing.

Experts urged people not to buy SARMs, warning life-threatening complications can occur 'within a fortnight' of use. Unsealed products could also be contaminated with other, even more dangerous, substances, they said.

Legally, SARMs can be sold in the UK due to a loophole  despite calls for them to be banned.

MailOnline found one listing for Rad-140, one of the most powerful SARMS on the market, on Depop, which is popular among teens as young as 13. The seller says they are based in Oxford

The seller admitted the tub had been opened and two pills were missing, hence the cheap 15 price tag

Another listing for Rad-140 was also found on eBay, with the seller based in Glasgow. The listing claims there were nine tubs of Nordic Labs Rad-140 available at 39.99 each

SARMs are man-made chemicals that look like testosterone to the body and bind to receptors responsible for muscle growth.

They were designed for people with muscle-wasting diseases and to be less toxic than steroids.

But the experimental drugs still carry significant risk, according to Dr Klaus Witte, a consultant cardiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

'They can cause adverse changes on cholesterol levels and liver function,' he told MailOnline.

'They have been associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke and acute liver injury and acute heart muscle inflammation known as myocarditis.

WHAT ARE SARMS? SARMs are man-made chemicals that look like testosterone to the body and bind to receptors responsible for muscle growth. They were designed for people with muscle-wasting diseases and to be less toxic than steroids. How do they work? Like steroids, SARMs bind to the androgen receptors, causing changes to DNA which allow muscles to grow bigger and quicker. Steroids are a blunt tool that also impact other parts of the body, leading to side effects such as prostate issues, liver damage, hair loss and acne. SARMs were designed to be 'tissue selective'  targeting the muscles without setting off this same chain of reactions. But similar issues have also been seen in SARMs users. What are the side effects? They cause significant hormonal imbalances in men and women - particularly at high doses. In men, they shut down the body's natural production of testosterone when they come off the drugs, which can shrink their testicles, crash their sex drive, trigger mental health problems and even make them infertile. While taking SARMS, women will experience virilisation - the process of physically turning into a man - which causes them to grow facial hair and develop a deep voice. SARMs are also extremely toxic to the body. Because they are taken orally in pill form, rather than injected like most steroids, they have to be processed by the digestive system and the liver. The liver responds by overproducing certain enzymes that can leak into the blood stream and cause inflammation, which leads to heart, blood pressure and other organ damage issues. Are SARMs legal? Yes, in the US and UK SARMs are currently legal to buy due to a loophole. They can be bought and sold as 'research chemicals' but are not allowed to be used in people. Many products rely on legal disclaimers to get round the law, warning customers: 'Under no circumstances are these products sold for human consumption'. They are not allowed to be marketed as supplements. Advertisement

'In some cases simply taking a SARM for two weeks can cause acute liver injury with jaundice, vomiting and abdominal pain and although heart attacks and strokes are often due to combination of risk factors exacerbated by the SARM, acute myocarditis occurs quickly, is unpredictable and can be very serious.'

While some anabolic steroids have been approved for use in medical settings in the UK, like testosterone, no SARMs have passed that safety threshold.

SARMs are technically legal in Britain due to a loophole which means they can be bought and sold as 'research chemicals'.

Many products rely on legal disclaimers to get round the law, warning customers: 'Under no circumstances are these products sold for human consumption'.

Britain's drug watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, claims SARMs fall outside of its remit and refused to comment.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the MHRA's equivalent in the US, has previously warned about potential life-threatening side effects from SARMs.

In 2017, the FDA said the drugs were shown to 'increase the risk of heart attack or stroke and life threatening reactions like liver damage'.

Depop's terms and conditions claim it has 'zero tolerance policy for any drugs' or 'drug paraphernalia'.

In the case of eBay, its policy states: 'Products that pose a health or safety hazard aren't allowed.

'To ensure the safety and well-being of our members, eBay does not allow listings for items that are banned, recalled, or dangerous to a buyer.'

Ebay has removed the listing since been alerted to it by MailOnline, slamming the seller as 'opportunistic'.

Depop removed the drug from its site and said the seller had been issued with a warning.

There are concerns that young people who would normally not take steroids are turning to SARMs because they wrongly believe they are safer.

SARMs are also taken in pill form, rather than injected like most steroids which adds to fears they could be a 'gateway' into harsher chemicals.

Both drugs bind to the androgen receptors, causing changes to DNA which allow muscles to grow bigger and quicker.

Steroids are a blunt tool that also impact other parts of the body, leading to side effects such as prostate issues, hair loss and acne.

SARMs were designed to be 'tissue selective'  targeting the muscles without setting off this same chain of reactions.

Sellers on the black market have seized on this and used it as a marketing tool to push SARMs. But similar issues have also been seen in SARMs users.

'Even if the risks are lower than with steroids, they are not zero and they are largely unpredictable,' according to Dr Witte.

'No drug is entirely safe, and even "safer drugs" have the ability to be poisons if used without caution and careful monitoring.'

Because SARMs are taken orally in pill form, rather than injected straight into the bloodstream, they have to be processed by the digestive system and the liver.

The liver responds by overproducing certain enzymes that can leak into the blood and cause inflammation, causing heart, blood pressure and other organ damage issues.

Like steroids, SARMs also cause significant hormonal imbalances in men and women  particularly at high doses.

In men, they shut down the body's natural production of testosterone when they come off the drugs, which can shrink their testicles, crash their sex drive, trigger mental health problems and even make them infertile.

While taking SARMS, women will experience virilisation - the process of physically turning into a man - which causes them to grow facial hair and develop a deep voice.

Another problem with SARMS is that people have no way of knowing where their drugs come from, or what's really in them, according to Witte.

'So you don't know what you're getting for your money or what effects the combination of substances might have.'

'The other problem is that a safe dose range is unknown,' according to Witte.

Only a handful of studies have been done in humans at small doses. Bodybuilders are taking them at doses several times greater than has been trialled.

Witte said: 'The cases of severe problems are usually in people who are taking high doses for a long time, but this is not always the case.

An eBay spokesperson told MailOnline: 'These items are banned from eBay's platform and have been removed.

'We use block filter algorithms that are aimed at preventing unsafe products from being listed. These algorithms blocked 7.4 million unsafe listings in 2021.

'Sometimes opportunistic sellers attempt to circumvent our filters, but when they do our policy teams remove the listings quickly. We also work closely with the MHRA and other regulators who can directly report and remove listings of concern through our Regulatory Portal.'

A Depop spokesperson said: 'At Depop, the safety of our community is our number one priority and we have a set of policies in place which govern what is and is not allowed on our platform.

'We are constantly monitoring our platform and will remove any items that violate our policies.

'All medical products, including prescriptions, over-the-counter products or unlicensed products are not permitted on Depop.

'In this instance, the listing mentioned has been removed and the user has been warned against listing products that violate our policies.

'We have also conducted an extensive search and can ensure that there are no other similar products active on the platform.

'Like any online platform, we have to be constantly vigilant about how we keep our community safe, which includes maintaining an exceptional standard of quality across our inventory on Depop.

'Our dedicated Trust and Safety team use a range of automated and manual screening tools to tackle misuse of the platform and provide users with a best-in-class experience.'
NHS hospitals have spent more than 800,000 on gender-neutral toilets in the past four years, MailOnline can reveal.

Data obtained by the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) shows nearly 740 new unisex toilets were either built or converted since 2018  including during the Covid pandemic.

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, in Merseyside, alone spent more than 586,000 on 63 gender-neutral lavatories.

It is not clear how many of the toilets are single unisex or shared ones, with the latter causing the greatest concern among women.

Liverpool Women's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  which specialises in treating women and babies  has installed three new gender-neutral facilities in the last four years, costing around 1,000.

Pressure groups said the cash spent by trusts flies in the face of Government guidance, which states 'there needs to be proper provision of gender-specific toilets'.

NHS nurses and midwives told MailOnline existing women-only toilets should not be repurposed as gender-neutral facilities, adding: 'We know there are not enough toilets for women to use.'

The total 818,125 spent on toilets could have been used to pay the salary of 42 new nurses for a year, analysis suggests.

NHS hospitals have spent more than 800,000 on gender-neutral toilets over the past four years, MailOnline can reveal. Map shows: The 16 hospitals in Britain that have built new gender-neutral toilets or converted old gender-specific ones from 2018 to 2022

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in Merseyside alone spent more than 586,000 on 63 gender-neutral lavatories. Pictured: The Rowan View hospital in Liverpool, which features some of the new toilets

The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Gwent, Wales, built the most gender neutral toilets, installing 455 in its new Grange University Hospital (pictured)

The figures include facilities for staff only and do not affect patient access. They do not include disabled toilets, which are normally always unisex.

It comes days after the National Trust was accused of pursuing a 'woke agenda' for introducing gender-neutral toilets at 17th-century property in Wales.

A row broke out online after a woman said she opened a door in toilets at Tredegar House in Newport to reveal a man urinating without the door locked.

A sign on the lavatory door of the cafe said: 'Gender-neutral toilets. Alternative toilet facilities are available by the main car park.'

Feminist groups have increasingly called to make sure women have access to single-sex bathrooms to ensure they feel safe and have privacy.

National Trust is blasted over gender-neutral loos The National Trust has been accused of pursuing a 'woke' agenda after introducing gender-neutral toilets at a property amid fears they could pop up elsewhere. A row broke out online after a woman said she opened a door in toilets at Tredegar House in Newport, South Wales, to reveal a man urinating without the door locked. A sign on the lavatory door of the cafe at the 17th-century property said: 'Gender neutral toilets. Alternative toilet facilities are available by the main car park.' Bosses said the gender neutral toilet was introduced during refurbishment - and that men's, women's and accessible toilets are available near the visitor reception. But visitors threatened to cancel their membership  which costs 76.80 a year for adults or 133.80 for a family  and boycott its 500 sites across Britain amid the row. Advertisement

Under-fire Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week insisted 'biology is critical' when approaching questions about gender-neutral toilets  although he avoided expanding on the issue.

The majority Britons say they prefer having separate toilets just for men and women, according to a YouGov poll in January this year.

Government guidance issued in January last year stated: 'There needs to be proper provision of gender-specific toilets for both men and women, with a clear steer in building standards guidance.'

It cited concerns around the removal of male- or female-only spaces in favour of gender-neutral toilets.

'This places women at a significant disadvantaged,' the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government advice said.

Elliot Keck, investigations campaign manager at the TPA, told MailOnline: 'Taxpayers are sick of seeing NHS managers splash out on redundant refurbishments.

'Gender-neutral toilets go against clear government guidance that there 'needs to be proper provision of gender-specific toilets'.'

He added: 'NHS Trusts should stop these conversions and focus money on frontline health services.'

In total, 16 NHS trusts in Britain added gender-neutral toilets over the last four years, the analysis showed.

The data was obtained through Freedom Of Information (FOI) responses from 120 hospital trusts and boards in Britain.

After Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, which has 19 hospitals across Merseyside, the Trust spending the most on gender-neutral toilets was Solent NHS Trust.

The Trust runs 21 hospitals in Portsmouth, Southampton and Hampshire.

It spent 228,341 on the facilities over four years, 45,000 during the first year of the pandemic and 27,341 last year.

A sign on the lavatory door of the cafe at Tredegar House in Newport, South Wales, says: 'Gender neutral toilets. Alternative toilet facilities are available by the main car park'

Tredegar House is deemed one of the most significant late 17th-century houses in Britain

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust redesignated the most toilets to be gender-neutral during the period, changing signs on existing gender-specific toilets.

Kat Barber, a registered nurse and founder of Sex Not Gender Nurses and Midwives  which include NHS workers  told MailOnline the new toilets should not have come at the expense of women-only toilets.

She said: 'We welcome the creation of new gender-neutral toilet facilities, however these should be in addition to single sex facilities, and not in replacement of.

'We know already women face barriers to accessing toilets, especially those with young families; we know there are not enough toilets for women to use.'

Liverpool Women's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust costed its three gender-neutral toilets as 'less than 1,000'.

Lawyer group Legal Feminist told MailOnline it welcomes separate unisex facilities as long as 'there is still adequate and clearly labelled single sex provision for women'.

Meanwhile, the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Gwent, Wales, built the most gender-neutral toilets, installing 455 in its new Grange University Hospital.
Advertisement

America's daily Covid cases have surged 59 percent in two weeks as New York records the most infections in 24 hours since January, data shows  but hospitalizations are at just over a tenth of the peak of the last Covid wave.

Figures from states, counties and local health officials revealed the U.S. is now recording about 67,900 infections a day on average, up from 46,300 some 14 days earlier.

Almost every state is now seeing its cases tick upwards  with 11 now recording cases doubling every two weeks  while Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont are all facing the biggest outbreaks.

And in New York  at the center of the outbreak of the even more transmissible Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1  officials yesterday recorded 10,251 cases marking their highest daily tally since January.

But there are just 18,000 patients in hospital with the disease nationwide, about 11 percent of the levels recorded at the peak of the last Covid wave. Many patients were admitted with another condition such as a broken arm, but then also tested positive for the virus.

America is also recording about 551 deaths from the virus every day, about 22 percent of the levels reached at the previous peak.

Former White House Covid advisor Dr Deborah Birx warned earlier this week that southern states should brace for a surge in Covid cases this summer, with the north set to follow in their footsteps this winter.

New York City's health commissioner is already threatening to bring back face masks in restaurants and requirements to show proof of vaccination should the city's outbreak continue to spiral in the state. But economic groups yesterday warned against the move, saying it would harm many businesses.

Figures from states, counties and local health officials revealed the U.S. is now recording about 67,900 infections a day on average, up from 46,300 some 14 days earlier

Almost every state is now recording a rise in cases, with the hotspots in Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont. New York - which is at the center of the outbreak of a new sub-variant - is threatening to re-impose requirements to show proof of vaccination

The above graph shows the number of positive cases detected every day across New York. It reveals they have now reached their highest level since January

The above shows the number of Covid deaths registered every day in the US. These are also ticking upwards

America's Covid surge is being driven by the Covid variant BA.2.12.1 which is now thought to be behind about two in five cases across the country, up from less than one in ten a month ago.

Studies suggest it is about 25 percent more transmissible than the sub-variant BA.2  which has triggered upticks in cases across many European countries.

The rise in the U.S. comes as South Africa  at the center of the first Omicron wave  sees its cases nearly quadruple in a month, amid waning immunity and the spread of other versions of Omicron.

How Sweden's Covid gamble paid off Sweden has logged one of the lowest pandemic death tolls in Europe despite its refusal to impose lockdowns, World Health Organization estimates suggest. The Scandinavian nation became an international outcast when it defied scientific advice and chose not to shut down in 2020  instead relying on people's common sense and light social restrictions. Now, the WHO's analysis of excess deaths  people who died directly and indirectly from Covid  suggests the highly-controversial hands-off approach has been vindicated. Of the 194 countries looked at by the UN health agency, Sweden's pandemic death rate ranked 101st with 56 per 100,000  well below the average of 90. It also puts Sweden below most other major European nations that locked down several times, such as Italy (133), Germany (116), Spain (111), Britain (109), Portugal (100), the Netherlands (85), Belgium (77) and France (63). But countries were previously judged by Covid death rates alone, which were skewed by differences in testing. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes and it is considered the most consistent way to measure pandemic death tolls because it accounts for a lack of swabbing and undiagnosed cases. Sweden relied on citizens' sense of civic duty to protect the population, claiming blanket lockdowns were neither 'necessary' or 'defensible'. Authorities advised residents to practice social distancing, however schools, bars and restaurants remained open. Advertisement

Health commissioner Ashwin Vasan  who previously sparked outrage when he said children under 5 will stay masked 'indefinitely'  has announced that restrictions will come back for all New Yorkers if things get worse.

'It's clear that if we moved into a high risk and high alert environment, we'd be seriously considering bringing those mandates back,' he said.

The city moved from low to medium alert level this week.

It will shift to high alert if more than 10 out of every 100,000 people are hospitalized with Covid, or if 10 percent of all the city's hospital beds are occupied by Covid patients.

Hospitalization rates are currently at seven out of 100,000, which is close to the high alert benchmark. Hospital occupancy, however, remains at a low 3.12 percent, though it's still increasing.

As of today, 87 percent of adults and 78 percent of all New Yorkers are fully vaccinated.

Dr Birx warned earlier this week on CBS's 'Face the Nation': 'We should be preparing right now for a potential surge in the summer across the Southern united states because we saw it in 2020, we saw it in 2021.

'We have to make it very clear to the American people that your protection against infection wanes.

'What has happened each time is we have had a summer surge across the South and a winter surge that starts in the Northern plains and moves down accelerated by thanksgiving and the holidays and Christmas and Hanukah, and that's predictable.'

Dr Birx also pointed to South Africa, which has seen its infections quadruple in a month, in the face of falling antibody levels.

'I follow South Africa very closely, they're good about testing, they're good about sequencing and finding their variants,' she told CBS.

'[But] they are on an up slope again, with each of these surges about four to six months apart.

'That tells me that natural immunity wanes enough in the general population after four to six months that a significant surge is going to occur again.'

It comes as Sweden is revealed to have logged one of the lowest pandemic death tolls in Europe despite its refusal to impose lockdowns, according to estimates from the World Health Organization.

The Scandinavian nation became an international outcast when it defied scientific advice and chose not to shut down in 2020  instead relying on people's common sense and light social restrictions.

Now, the WHO's analysis of excess deaths  people who died directly and indirectly from Covid  suggests the highly-controversial hands-off approach has been vindicated.

Of the 194 countries looked at by the UN health agency, Sweden's pandemic death rate ranked 101st with 56 per 100,000  well below the average of 90.

It also puts Sweden below most other major European nations that locked down several times, such as Italy (133), Germany (116), Spain (111), Britain (109), Portugal (100), the Netherlands (85), Belgium (77) and France (63).

But countries were previously judged by Covid death rates alone, which were skewed by differences in testing.

Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes and it is considered the most consistent way to measure pandemic death tolls because it accounts for a lack of swabbing and undiagnosed cases.

Sweden relied on citizens' sense of civic duty to protect the population, claiming blanket lockdowns were neither 'necessary' or 'defensible'. Authorities advised residents to practice social distancing, however schools, bars and restaurants remained open.

However, Sweden performed worse than its Scandinavian neighbours, with Denmark logging just 32 excess deaths per 100,000 and Norway logging one fewer death per 100,000 than expected.

Experts told DailyMail.com Sweden's approach 'has largely been vindicated' by the WHO findings and led to 'much better' outcomes than predicted and compared to most of Western Europe.

But they noted that the excess death rate in other Nordic countries  which logged some of the lowest fatality tolls in the world  need to be further studied to understand why.
Pharmacists have doubled down on calls to get rid of red tape that blocks them from prescribing alternative HRT treatments amid the nationwide shortage.

Thousands of menopausal women have struggled to their hands on the key drugs, which has left the most desperate rationing prescriptions or turning to the black market.

In hope of alleviating the crisis, chemists have repeatedly called on Sajid Javid to ditch rules that force women to go back to their GPs for new prescriptions to get alternatives prescribed.

But Sajid Javid  who held talks with manufacturers yesterday  has yet to announce a change, despite promising to 'do all I can' to fix the crisis.

Thorrun Govind, chair of the English Pharmacy Board, told MailOnline changes in prescription rules need to be changed urgently.

She said: 'For the pharmacists on the ground, they need the ability to get rid of this bureaucracy.

'When you think about it  who's best able to offer an alternative  that tends to be the pharmacist.'

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

Sajid Javid and Madelaine McTernan, head of the HRT supply taskforce, met with pharmacists and drug manufacturers yesterday to find solutions to the issue

A national shortage of Oestrogel (left), the most popular HRT drug used by around 30,000 women, is driving the crisis. Bijuve (right), manufactured by Theramex, is considered an alternative to Oestrogel. However, it is only available in Oxford, Somerset and Norfolk

The Health Secretary and Madelaine McTernan, head of the HRT supply taskforce, met with pharmacists and drug manufacturers yesterday to find solutions to the issue.

He pledged to 'leave no stone unturned' in improving supplies of hormone replacements.

Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: 'We welcome the Health Secretary meeting with key suppliers and manufacturers to find solutions to the current shortages.'

Thorrun Govind, chair of the English Pharmacy Board, told MailOnline: 'For the pharmacists on the ground, they need the ability to get rid of this bureaucracy'

But she said cutting the red tape holding pharmacists back could provide a 'quick fix' that would allow 'women to access their HRT medicines more speedily'.

Professor Anderson said: 'At present, women have to go back to their GP to get a minor amendment made.

'Enabling pharmacists to alter prescriptions would also be far more efficient for the NHS.'

Thousands of women have been unable to obtain the therapy for menopause symptoms such as low mood, brain fog and hot flushes.

A national shortage of Oestrogel, the most popular HRT drug that is used by around 30,000 women, is driving the crisis.

London-based firm Theramex, which makes similar hormone replacement therapy gels, said it warned the Department of Health about the impending crisis last October.

Ministers, however, blame manufacturing issues caused by the pandemic.

The Government last week instilled a former Covid Vaccine Taskforce chief as the new HRT tsar to get a grip on the crisis.

Former investment banker Ms McTernan's first move was to introduce a three-month prescription limit on Oestrogel and two other popular brands to ration supplies.

On Saturday, the Daily Mail launched a manifesto calling for urgent changes to the way HRT medication is prescribed, processed and distributed.

It also demands an immediate curriculum change, making it mandatory for medical students to be taught about the menopause, and for women to be given menopause information at NHS health checks.
When you are a company named Vast Resources with a market capitalisation of less than 10million, the risk of ridicule is high but no one was dissing the company this week.

Vast's shares rose by an astonishing 436 per cent after the company joined a consortium with local company Takob in a new but unnamed project in Tajikistan.

The company also revealed its revenue increased by 236 per cent to $2.3million in the first quarter of 2022.

The second quarter will see a fundamental change in the way the underground Baita Plai mine operates, with a move to mechanised drilling and cleaning.

Vast Resources has joined a consortium in a new but unnamed project in Tajikistan

This is forecast to result in substantially increased production of copper concentrate, commencing in June 2022, which 'will be reflected in results from Q3 2022 onwards', said the company's statement.

Vast's stupendous share price gain put the 40 per cent leap by Sunrise Resources in the shade although I don't suppose Sunrise shareholders will mind too much.

Sunrise's chair, Patrick Cheetham, held several meetings with existing and new interested parties during a recent visit to the US, the company said in an update on its CS pozzolan-perlite project in Nevada.

Cheetham met with multiple parties, including two cement & ready-mix companies, one major fly-ash distributor, a large building materials company, and a new cement clean-tech company.

The ongoing talks are taking place amid a fundamental change in the cement and concrete industries driven by cement industry targets to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, said AIM-traded Sunrise.

Inspirit Energy Holdings surged 38 per cent after a complaint against two of its directors was settled out of court. The complaint, which the company announced at the end of 2020, related to a matter that had nothing to do with Inspirit.

i-nexus Global, which must be a tech company based on his 'rebellious' disregard for convention in its use of capital letters, advanced 37 per cent after appointing Drew Whibley to the board as chief financial officer, replacing Alyson Levett, who will remain available to enable an orderly handover.

Whibley will join the project management software firm from Aptitude Software Group.

Shares in UK Oil & Gas were 'off to the races' after the Environmental Agency granted the company a full production permit for its Horse Hill asset.

The shares galloped 22 per cent higher this week after the contentious project, which is in the heart of Surrey's stockbroker belt, finally received the green light ending a saga that spanned two-and-a-half years.

Elsewhere in the oil sector, Reabold Resources added a fifth to its market value after its 49.99 per cent-owned associate Corallian Energy received a takeover approach from what was described as a credible bidder.

Corallian's board have indicated they consider the offer attractive and have started talks with the potential purchaser over a sale.

As part of the deal, Reabold will acquire six of Corallian's exploration and appraisal licences for 250,000 but not the Victory gas field development.

Reabold said it will be the licence administrator for Victory but does not want to be the operator and will farm out that role following the Corallian sale.

Kinovo, the specialist property services group, plummeted 46 per cent after providing an update on the sale of DCB Kent Ltd, the company's non-core construction business.

The pre-tax loss on the disposal of DCB for the company is anticipated to be around 5m. Kinovo had agreed to provide a working capital facility to support DCB in completing active projects and initially thought the overall net outflow of cash would be minimal.

DCB, however, experienced delays resulting in Kinovo paying 3.7million to date in support, with it expected to increase further in the short term.

The departure of chief executive officer Nick Jones from premium British lifestyle group Joules PLC did not go down too well with the market, and neither did a cautious trading statement.

The shares shed 21 per cent after the company revealed that market conditions have become more challenging during and following the Easter period as consumer confidence has been affected by the rising cost of living.
More than 40 years after Margaret Thatcher introduced Right to Buy, the current Prime Minister is considering plans to revamp the scheme.

Could it unleash a home buying revolution and help give a much needed boost to the Government, or is it a bad idea rehashing an old scheme?

This week, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost discuss the plans, how it could work and why it may be unleashed in the near future.

Would it be unfair to private renters? With ever increasing property prices, would people be able to purchase them? And what are the current Right to Buy rules?

It's safe to say that green bonds, launched by National Savings and Investments last year, have been a damp squib.

Rates on them are low, and a three-year fix is a relatively niche product. Just how far have they missed the mark and could the rate head higher again to make them more attractive?

On the other hand, Premium Bonds continue to be an incredibly popular way to save.

The two jackpot winners this month had huge sums held in them  is that the only chance you have of winning a 1million, maxing out the holdings?

There are calls to claim your pension credit  nearly 1million people are missing out on extra cash and 'the door to more,' by not taking advantage. Could you, or someone you know, benefit?

The Bank of England celebrates 25 years of independence  we ask whether New Labour's gamble of making it independent has paid off, just as it hikes base rate to a 13-year high of 1 per cent.

Meanwhile, Lee reveals details of a new This is Money columnist signing  businessman Dave Fishwick is ready to take your business and careers questions. Found out how you can contact him.
I've been with the same company for nearly 20 years and feel ready for a new challenge. My passion is food and I'd like to start a food truck in my local area.

I've researched all of the red tape I'd need to cut to get started, such as hygiene requirements, leasing, supplier costs and competition and I was all set to go, but recent events have made me nervous, namely, the cost-of-living crisis.

I'm worried that people might start cutting back on non-essentials, such as takeaways, although I feel I have a strong USP that would prove popular where I live.

Trucking good idea? Our new regular columnist Dave Fishwick gives his views on ditching a well-paid job for a completely new venture (food truck: stock image)

I have the money to do it. I saved hard, am mortgage-free and have a supportive partner, but failure keeps me awake at night.

Does this mean I'm not cut out to be a business owner and how do you muster the courage to get started?

I'm worried I'll never take the plunge, someone else will launch something similar in the meantime and I'll resent staying in my 'safe' job, being a cop-out and not trying. Via e-mail

Dave Fishwick, This is Money business doctor, replies: The first thing is passion - and it seems from your question that you have it.

It is incredibly important. You need to love what your going to do, almost to the point that you would be prepared to do it potentially for free for a while, until you get on your feet.

A little caution can be helpful and my advice would be: don't kick the sticks away of a good paying job until you have done all of your homework, and researched and costed the products properly that you are going sell.

That applies to a food truck business, but essentially any business you're tempted to start.

I suggest testing the market to begin with, maybe at weekends or your days off - perhaps even as a part of any holiday you've accrued at your job.

Try local markets, car boots, food fairs and other events. Build up a following, get that feedback and see where you potentially need to adapt and pivot.

Maybe consider delivering lunches to local businesses on a trial basis to keep your overheads at a minimum, ask for their feedback and suggestions.

This allows you to test which foods sell best, which are the most popular, and checking what works, and what doesn't - and a hungry workforce can often be the harshest critic.

You will be learning all about the costs of preparing different foods and meals, and testing to see if there is a demand for what you are selling, before you scale up to it full-time in your new business.

This will help give you the confidence you need to be able to kick the sticks away and leave your job and enter the world of being self-employed and becoming your own boss.

I had two part-time jobs when I started my first business selling vehicles. This allowed me to pay my bills and eat. It was very hard work, but very helpful and definitely worth it.

It gave me experience in different jobs and also meant I could save hard and invest more into my business.

These part-time jobs included being a DJ, often six nights a week - you can read more about my life story in this interview I did with This is Money deputy editor Lee Boyce earlier in the year.

I predict challenging times ahead for many. However, people will always need to eat - and the popularity of takeaways shows no signs of slowing down.

Have the courage to follow your dreams and good luck.

Difficult: How do I get respect from my long-standing work colleagues, who are now my workforce (stock image)

I've been thrust into a management role at my small family firm but am struggling to gain respect  how do I get it?...

I have worked at a small family business for a long-time, with many of the same faces having been there for decades. We're friends as well as colleagues.

My parents, who created the business from scratch, both sadly passed away recently and I've been thrust at the top of the tree, and it's a bit of an alien concept.

Namely, I think I might be a bit too nice for a management role and people are taking advantage a bit.

How do I gain respect from workers who are also friends, stuck in their ways without being too over the top? Via email.

Dave replies: It can be problematic being promoted above people you have worked with for many years - both for you and for your colleagues, and especially if you are younger than the members of staff.

For many years, I was much younger than most of my staff and respect cannot be bought, however, it can definitely be earned.

I note your concerns about being too nice, I can tell you from my experience, that I have only raised my voice properly, maybe half a dozen times in more than thirty years.

Good staff do not need shouting at and berating, they need help and encouragement.

I truly believe, if you surround yourself with good people, good things will definitely happen.

My advice is to treat all your employees in the way you would want to be treated, if the shoe was on the other foot and you worked for them.

Speak to each member of staff individually, explain the new situation and allow your team to come up with new ideas, and encourage them to think outside the box and reward them for the ideas that work best.

Always listen to their individual concerns, and help out where you can. They may have ideas they have been bottling up and might be able to point out areas where the business can improve - it's important to give your now employees the opportunity to air their voice.

Remember a good leader takes a little more share of the blame and takes a little less share of the credit, leading a business from the front is incredibly important and will earn you respect along the way.
Advertisement

Elon Musk's unassuming $50,000 Texas home can be revealed for the first time by DailyMail.com  complete with a rocket-shaped kids' playhouse, Tesla solar panels and CCTV cameras hidden in palm trees.

The world's richest man and new Twitter owner has sold seven Californian mansions in the past two years after vowing to offload his property portfolio and most of his possessions.

He's also denied claims he secretly lives at a friend's $12million mansion in Austin  insisting: 'My primary home is literally a $50k house in Boca Chica/Starbase that I rent from SpaceX  it's kinda awesome though.'

Boca Chica was a tranquil retirement village before SpaceX set up shop there in 2014, buying up the majority of the properties and launching giant rockets from its beach-front test facility two miles away.

DailyMail.com visited the dusty coastal enclave outside Brownsville, Texas, last week to locate Musk's supposedly Spartan digs and figure out if the Tesla mogul  worth an estimated $219billion - actually lives there.

Neighbors confirmed to DailyMail.com Elon Musk does indeed reside in Boca Chica, Texas  at least some of the time  in a three-bed, ranch-style home (pictured) a block away from his space firm's Starbase production facility

In the shadow of his SpaceX production facility's Starbase (seen in background) is the unassuming home Musk has apparently downsized to after vowing to offload his property portfolio and most of his possessions

Musk, who shares a son with ex-girlfriend Grimes, built a custom-made playhouse and swing in the backyard that closely resembles a SpaceX rocket

General Views of the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, located just a block away from Musk's modest ranch

Neighbors told us the 50-year-old does indeed reside in Boca Chica just two miles from the Mexican border  at least some of the time  in a three-bed, ranch-style home a block away from his space firm's Starbase production facility.

County records confirm SpaceX snapped up the single-story, waterfront property in October 2019 along with the adjacent empty lot and standalone garage.

Elon Musk made the decision to downsize last year, selling off seven California mansions for roughly $127million

Musk also listed it as his residence when he registered to vote for the 2020 General Election.

'You know Elon Musk is coming because you see the SpaceX people picking up trash and sprucing the place up,' neighbor Jim Crawford, 76, told DailyMail.com.

'He's never alone, he always has his bodyguards with him. He normally arrives late at night, he goes straight inside and rarely comes out.

'He waved one time but he's never invited us over or said hello. You don't go and knock on his door because the bodyguards would be out in a heartbeat.'

Locals refer to the 1,580-square-foot pad as 'the compound' because in 2021 an imposing 8ft fence was built around the entire property.

Musk  who last month agreed to pay around $44billion for Twitter  has whitewashed the walls, planted new trees and covered the entire roof in high-tech Tesla-made solar roof tiles.

His security entourage lives next door and the 1970s property is guarded with a dozen or so cameras, several nestling high above the street in the tops of palm trees.

The three-time divorcee, who recently had his seventh and eighth children with on-off partner Grimes, has also built a custom-made playhouse and swing in the back yard that closely resembles a SpaceX rocket.

County records confirm SpaceX snapped up the single-story, waterfront property in October 2019 along with the adjacent empty lot and standalone garage

The 1970s property is guarded with a dozen or so cameras, several nestling high above the street in the tops of palm trees

Various antennas, a Starlink satellite, and multiple security cameras (including some hidden in palm trees) are seen attached to the property

Musk has whitewashed the walls, planted new trees and covered the entire roof in high-tech Tesla-made solar roof tiles

Locals refer to the 1,580-square-foot pad as 'the compound' because in 2021 an imposing 8ft fence was built around the entire property

'They have a patio and chairs out there also. I saw him one time with two ladies and a small child, I presume that was his young son,' said Jim, one of the so-called 'holdouts' who have thus far refused to sell up to SpaceX.

'I don't like rockets and I'm a little too old to be thinking about going to Mars,' he added. 'I'm more concerned with the things SpaceX are doing here on earth.

'This year we've only had a handful of migrating birds because of the noise and the lights from the construction.'

Unlike previous owners Richard and Patricia Heaton, Musk won't have to contend with spotty internet since his house is equipped with an antenna for Starlink, his satellite Wi-Fi company.

But he will have to drive 20 miles to the nearest supermarket and have his drinking water trucked in by Cameron County once a week until SpaceX builds its proposed desalination plant.

Musk, who has long dreamed of creating a home for humans on Mars, declared in May 2020 that he was downsizing his own living arrangements

It's rumored the company spent around $200,000 on the property  more than three times the $62,334 value put on it last year by county tax assessors.

'We were very satisfied with the offer we received. It truly was quite generous,' Richard, 75, told DailyMail.com.

'I've seen the fence he's put up but you can understand why privacy is a huge deal with this guy. I sincerely hope that whoever is living there now enjoys it as much as we did.'

Musk, who has long dreamed of creating a home for humans on Mars, declared in May 2020 that he was downsizing his own living arrangements, tweeting: 'I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house'.

Between June of that year and November 2021 he sold off seven California mansions for roughly $127million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Musk further claimed in a recent TED interview that he couch surfs with friends depending on which city he needs to be in.

Boca Chica was a tranquil retirement village before SpaceX set up shop there in 2014, buying up the majority of the properties and launching giant rockets from its beach-front test facility two miles away

It's rumored SpaceX spent around $200,000 on the property  more than three times the $62,334 value put on it last year by county tax assessors

SpaceX employees live in a fleet of trendy Airstream caravans and security officers zip around the site in SpaceX branded Teslas kitted out with police-style flashing lights

Until SpaceX set up operations in Boca Chica, the coastal idyll of 35 homes spread along a single street was known for its abundant wildlife, lush wetlands and unspoiled, golden beach

He has also dismissed a report in the Journal claiming that he secretly resides in a plush lakefront mansion in Austin owned by his PayPal co-founder and fellow billionaire, Ken Howery, tweeting: 'I don't live there and am not looking to buy a house anywhere.'

Howery issued a similar denial, adding: 'Elon does not live at my home, he lives in South Texas. He stayed at the house as my guest occasionally when travelling to Austin.'

Musk's 'legal' residence is in fact 170 miles south of Austin, where Tesla is based, in Brownsville.

It's a mere 50-minute flight in the pricey possession he refuses to relinquish, his $70million Gulfstream private jet.

A chauffeur-driven Tesla is usually waiting on the tarmac to pick Musk up at the city's airfield to whisk the magnate to Boca Chica, a 30-minute drive along a narrow spit of land running parallel with the Rio Grande and the Mexican border.

Musk remains a polarizing figure for the last few 'holdouts' in Boca Chica, however  including Trump-supporter and retired finance chief Rosemarie Workman, 74.

She's thrilled the self-proclaimed 'free speech absolutist' has vowed to make Twitter less hostile to conservatives but hates what SpaceX has done to her retirement oasis.

Locals lamented that the small village 'used to be such a peaceful area' before SpaceX came to town

Musk remains a polarizing figure for the last few 'holdouts' in Boca Chica, but some locals appear to have embraced the billionaire

SpaceX solar panels and satellites are constructed in Boca Chica Village

'The term holdout is offensive  we were here first,' bristled Rosemarie, who has owned the house opposite Musk for the past 20 years and splits her time between Texas and her native Minnesota.

Until SpaceX set up operations in Boca Chica, the coastal idyll of 35 homes spread along a single street was known for its abundant wildlife, lush wetlands and unspoiled, golden beach.

The company supposedly offered residents three times the going rate for their homes but some complained that it undervalued the properties to start with and barely offered them the true value.

Nevertheless, SpaceX now owns all but nine of the houses, painting everything it acquires in the same whitewashed, futuristic color scheme and turning the buildings into accommodation blocks for employees.

'This used to be such a peaceful area. We knew all the neighbors, once a week we had game night and we filled two tables. Now we see new faces every week,' Rosemarie lamented.

'Musk put a big fence around his house and completely ruined everyone's views of the bay. But what can we do about it? He's a billionaire.

'I came here for one reason, retirement. If he's the richest man in the world, surely he could have made a fair offer.'

Today the neighborhood is teeming with construction workers as well as scores of space travel fanatics who flock to Boca Chica to take pics of Musk's gargantuan rockets.

SpaceX employees live in a fleet of trendy Airstream caravans and security officers zip around the site in SpaceX branded Teslas kitted out with police-style flashing lights.

Rosemarie and her husband Jim suspect Musk's interplanetary mission will eventually outgrow the village and he'll turn it into a space-themed resort instead.

'People are constantly coming here from all over the world. We call them the space nuts,' she laughed.

'One of them came over to us and offered to buy the house. We've had two offers this month.

'It's easy, we say, the price starts at a million. We never hear back.'
Lacey Fletcher's emaciated body was discovered partially naked, sitting upright and partly submerged in a hole in a couch in her parents' home January 3

Harrowing evidence photos revealed the full excruciating horror of Lacey Fletcher's personal hell before she died on her parents' couch caked in her own excrement in January.

The 36-year-old autistic woman had not moved from the sofa in the otherwise neat home of parents Clay and Sheila Fletcher, both 64, in the small town of Slaughter, Louisiana, for 12 years.

News of her gruesome death made headlines last week after authorities in East Feliciana Parish released a photo of the couch crater in which she lay that illustrated the gravity of her secret ordeal.

The horrific picture was one of dozens shown to a newly sworn-in grand jury on Monday in Clinton, Louisiana, during a sealed session that the media was not allowed to attend.

Now DailyMail.com has been given official access to the unseen photos and can reveal the unspeakable extent of Lacey's suffering, who vanished from public view about 15 years ago.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Sheila Fletcher and Clay Fletcher were arrested Monday and indicted on second-degree murder charges for the death of their daughter, Lacey, 36

A distressing photo released by the coroner's office shows a close-up of the leather couch Lacey was fused to. The coroner estimates that Lacey was sitting in that hole in the couch for the last 12 years

Additional photos seen by DailyMail.com - and not released to the public - Lacey, who was autistic - almost buried up to her shoulders in a couch crater and smothered in her own waste

They show Lacey's emaciated and feces-covered body buried deep into a wide hole in the couch, the items strewn all around her the living room where she died, plus heartbreaking close-up shots of the appalling wounds that contributed to her death.

The horrific images helped convince the 12 panel members to order parents Sheila and Clay Fletcher, who were church-going pillars of their community, to be charged with second degree murder  and face a sentence of life without parole.

The two were arrested shortly afterwards, but released from jail on $300,000 bond each within 36 hours.

District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla, who sought murder charges and will prosecute the Fletchers at trial, shared the images with DailyMail.com at his office near the courthouse in Clinton.

He would not release them for publication, however. Nearly all were unpublishable due to their horrifying, graphic content.

In them, Lacey appears almost buried up to her shoulders in the wide and deep hole in the sofa that her bony body has worn over the years, rubbing away the cushioning.

She is slumped over on her left side with her right arm across the top half of her emaciated body near her neck.

She is naked apart from a small blue patterned t-shirt, which is pulled up on her chest and does not cover her breasts.

Her eyes are wide open, staring.

Her mouth is also open, revealing what appears to be a full set of front teeth.

Her legs are pulled up and crossed underneath her, ironically in a way that people can make themselves comfortable. But in Lacey's case it was a posture of a bid to survive.

Former classmates said Lacey began to retreat into isolation in her teens as her autism accelerated and was home schooled after 9th grade

Lacey attended the former Brownsville Baptist Academy in Louisiana where she was featured (top left) on the school volleyball team - as revealed in pictures exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com

A photo of the two-story home located on Tom Drive in Slaughter where Lacey lived with her parents

Her face is covered in large and angry red blotches. Excrement is smeared over almost all her body. It is matted in her hair. It is even inside her ears.

The brown leather sofa that served as her prison is alongside a wall, with a gap of about 18 inches.

Astonishingly, to the couch's right side is a gray commode and a neat pile of clothes.

And to the front, only a few feet away, is a cluttered low black table.

It is strewn with lotion bottles, some talcum powder, a pack of wipes, a nasal spray, a box with a lid that had a child's photo on it, and other items that make it appear the Fletchers had the resources to clean their stricken only child.

Between the sofa and table are two neatly stacked boxes of DVDs. It is not possible to discern the titles, but some appeared to be child-like from the covers.

Desperately sad photos of Lacey taken later on a physician's steel table for a forensic examination further reveal the extent of her harrowing and so far unexplained ordeal.

She weighed just 96lbs when discovered dead in the early hours of January 3.

Close-ups show the flesh on her buttocks appears to be literally worn or eaten away from the 12 years that she hadn't moved from the couch.

There are large raw yellow areas where the skin has disappeared. Other back and buttock areas are so blackened it is impossible for a lay person to identify any shape or form.

Neighbors revealed Lacey (center) appeared as 'a fun, normal kid' before becoming more isolated from her neighborhood friends from the age of about 14

Sheila Fletcher, 64, was seen returning to East Feliciana Parish Jail - from she was released Tuesday night - to pick up her husband Wednesday morning after he posted $300,000 bond

Clay Fletcher is also charged with second-degree murder in the death of the couple's 36-year-old autistic daughter Lacey Ellen Fletcher

Part of a video taken by Coroner Dr Ewell Bickham was also seen by DailyMail.com. He was among the first on the horror scene after a sheriff's deputy responded to a 911 call  and documented the appalling spectacle.

He is breathing heavily as he moves the camera to the gap behind the sofa and the wall. A large wet patch is on the floor, directly behind Lacey's body, which he believes is urine.

DA D'Aquilla said as he revealed the horror to us: 'You can't say she wasn't in pain.'

Dr Bickham has revealed Lacey died from 'severe medical neglect, which led to chronic malnutrition, acute starvation, immobility, acute ulcer formation, osteomyelitis which is bone infection which led finally to sepsis'.

Lacey was suffering from social anxiety and severe autism, he added. The last time she saw a physician was when she was 16.

D'Aquilla believes the couple will plead not guilty to second degree murder and their legal team will fight to have the charges reduced to at least manslaughter, which carries a zero to 40-year jail term.

But he is determined to battle that move. Yet if the reduced charge happens, he told DailyMail.com: 'The Fletchers subjected Lacey to this for 20 years. They need to serve at least that time.'

The DA also put forward an intriguing thought surrounding the fact that Lacey was hidden from the world for around 15 years.

'The thing that strikes me is that as Lacey hadn't been seen for so long, what was to stop the Fletchers simply taking her body out at night and burying it in their back yard,' he said. 'No one would have known.'

He told DailyMail.com the couple's first arraignment is likely to be within two months and a trial could commence as early as October.

Coroner Bickham told DailyMail.com that the images shown to the jury were so horrific and upsetting that medics were on standby for the 12 panel members.

Clay Fletcher, shown with Sheila in undated photo, is an officer of the nonprofit Baton Rouge Civil War Roundtable, which has a mission 'to educate and foster an appreciation for the sacrifices made by all during the Civil War'

An undated photo of Clay, 65 and Sheila, 64, Fletcher standing in front of their Christmas tree

He added that the photos left those in the courtroom speechless.

'When I was presenting the case and showed the pictures and gave the timeline the expressions of the grand jury was utter shock, he said. 'Like the clock on the wall never moved again.

'There was complete silence. Some jurors were gasping in horror. Some were staring in disbelief.'

Bickham also told the DailyMail.com that the case has been really hard on him personally and described Monday's grand jury proceedings as 'long emotional day'.

He added: 'Seeing those photos again and reliving this traumatic experience again was really hard.'

Speaking outside court after the grand jury decision, the coroner revealed that Lacey had been on the couch for at least 12 years.

'Evidence wise, a minimum of 12 years,' he said. 'Could be before that. At least 12 years. A terribly long period of time.'

Late Tuesday night, Sheila Fletcher walked out of East Feliciana Parish Jail  a little over 24 hours after her arrest. But husband Clay remained another night behind bars because his bond money could not be arranged in time.

Sheila 64, walked out of jail late Tuesday night after posting $300,000 bond  a little over 24 hours after her arrest

The mother, who is facing murder charges over the death of her autistic daughter Lacey, was snapped leaving East Feliciana Parish Jail

The bespectacled mom  pictured leaving in exclusive DailyMail.com photos  looked determinedly ahead and refused to answer questions we posed as she headed off with a hastily-arranged bail bondsman.

She had shed her orange prison jump suit and emerged at 10.30pm local time wearing a blue top with white spots and blue pants. Her short blond hair appeared in disarray.

She refused to say if she felt any remorse over Lacey, or explain how her daughter spent 12 years rotting away on a couch.

Husband Clay was released at 10.25am Wednesday after his $300,000 bond was sorted following the delay the previous evening.

Sheila was seen returning to the jail with the same bondsman to pick up her husband around 10am, wearing a dark red top, blue pants, white sneakers and carrying a large gold colored bag.

She emerged with Clay after he removed his orange jumpsuit and completed the necessary paperwork to allow him to walk to freedom.

Dressed in black, the husband also just stared ahead as he made his way swiftly to the pick-up truck parked close to the jail's front reception door.

Neither of the couple responded to the same questions DailyMail.com asked Sheila the previous evening.
A Trump supporter whose Marine brother was killed in Afghanistan has had her $25million defamation case against Alec Baldwin dismissed after she claimed the actor instigated online harassment against her.

Roice McCollum said she received threatening and hateful messages after the star reposted a crowd photo she had taken during the January 6 rally in support of Donald Trump, accusing her of being a rioter.

Baldwin had previously donated $5,000 to her family after learning of the death of Roice's brother Rylee during a bombing in Kabul during the Afghanistan airlift.

The Wyoming woman argued she was never involved in the riots or charged with any crime as she launched the lawsuit in her state in January along with her sister Cheyenne and Rylee's widow Jiennah.

But now a federal judge has dismissed the case, saying the court did not have jurisdiction. An attorney for the family said the case would be refiled elsewhere.

A $25million defamation case against Alec Baldwin has been dismissed after the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan claimed the actor instigated online harassment against them

Roice McCollum had posted a crowd photo taken during the January 6 rally in support of Donald Trump, prompting Baldwin to accuse her of being a rioter. The photo does not depict Roice

McCollum posted the picture in January this year, writing 'throwback' as the caption

Baldwin's interactions with Roice started after her brother Rylee was killed during the airlift out of Kabul. Pictured Rylee and Roice

The news will come as a relief for Baldwin who is separately tackling lawsuits over the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film Rust.

Baldwin's interactions with Roice started after her brother Rylee was killed by a suicide bomber at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021.

After learning of the marine's death and the expected birth of his daughter, Baldwin reached out to her via Instagram and donated $5,000 to the family.

The family had started a fundraiser for McCollum's widow, Jiennah, who gave birth in September.

But just months later, Baldwin saw that Roice had posted an anniversary photo on Instagram to mark a year since she took part in the January 6 demonstrations in Washington DC, in support of Trump.

Some attendees of the rally went on to storm the Capitol building in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The event has since resulted in hundreds of charges.

After learning of the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum of Wyoming (pictured), and the expected birth of his daughter, Baldwin reached out to Roice McCollum via Instagram and donated $5,000 to the family

Baldwin, a staunch Democrat and fierce critic of Trump, sent Roice a private message and asked if she had organized the fundraiser for her brother.

She confirmed it and said that her participation in the protest was 'perfectly legal,' according to court documents.

'Are you the same woman I sent the $ for your sister's husband who was killed during the Afghanistan exit?' Baldwin wrote on Roice's Instagram post from his own account, according to complaints filed in federal court, and screenshots of the post.

'When I sent the $ for your late brother, out of real respect for his service to this country, I didn't know you were a January 6th rioter,' the '30 Rock' star wrote.

Roice pushed back, saying she was not involved in the riots and was never accused of any crimes during the mayhem. She said she'd been interviewed by the FBI who cleared her of any involvement.

That didn't stop the actor from commenting back in a direct message.

He wrote: 'Your activities resulted in the unlawful destruction of government property, the death of a law enforcement officer, an assault on the certification of the presidential election.'

Baldwin then told Roice he would share her photo with his 2.4 million Instagram followers and wrote: 'Good luck,' according to the lawsuit.

Baldwin had previously donated $5,000 to her family after learning of the death of Roice's brother Rylee

Roice said in the lawsuit that she received hundreds of hateful messages in response to his post.

Messages also accused Rylee McCollum's widow of being an insurrectionist, even though she was not in Washington at all that day.

Roice also said people compared her family to ISIS or the Nazis, and said that Baldwin appeared to encourage it based on his direct messaging.

She said messages included one telling her to 'get raped and die,' and that her brother 'got what he deserved,' according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also said some users told Baldwin he should be refunded the money he donated and that he did nothing to stop his 2.4 million followers from dogpiling on Roice, sister Cheyenne, or McCollum's widow.

'Baldwin's conduct was negligent and reckless as he should have known that making the allegations he did against Plaintiffs to his millions of followers would cause Plaintiffs harm,' the lawsuit alleged.

The complaint, which also names her sister Cheyenne McCollum and Rylee's wife, Jiennah McCollum, as plaintiffs, sought $25million in damages.

Baldwin asked for the case to be dismissed, saying he was expressing his political opinion, that he had not been in Wyoming and that claims by Cheyenne and Jiennah McCollum should be dismissed because he did not make any statements about them.

US District Judge Nancy Freudenthal said Wednesday that the case could not be brought in Wyoming because Baldwin made the posts from New York and because they were not directed specifically at a Wyoming audience.

Her decision did not address the veracity of the allegations in the complaint.

'We are pleased with this victory,' said Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas. 'This is a significant step toward the complete dismissal of the lawsuit, which seeks to punish Mr. Baldwin for expressing his political opinion.'

Dennis Postiglione, an attorney for the McCollums, said that the case would probably be refiled in New York, where Baldwin lives, or in California, where he works.
Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, front, leaves the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul's Seocho District for good, Friday, after President Moon Jae-in accepted Kim's resignation earlier the same day. Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan



President Moon Jae-in on May 6 has accepted the resignation of Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo, days after the president signed the controversial prosecutorial reform bills into law. Earlier, Kim had offered to resign in protest of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) push to pass the legislation.



Kim said he resigned because he feels responsible for the recent fiasco surrounding the country's prosecutors and the National Assembly's passage of the reform bills on May 3  the Prosecutors' Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act  which prosecutors adamantly objected to, including Kim himself.



Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said Friday that it "has come to the point where accepting Kim's resignation could no longer be delayed."



Kim previously submitted his resignation to Cheong Wa Dae on April 17 when the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmakers, who hold the majority of 171 out of the 300 seats, were preparing to push forward passing the two prosecution reform bills despite steadfast objections from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and a drove of national prosecutors.



President Moon returned the resignation the next day when he had a meeting with Kim, asking him to make more efforts in concert with the National Assembly and to complete his term as the country's top prosecutor, to which Kim had agreed.



But when the speaker of the National Assembly, Rep. Park Byeong-seug, DPK floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun and PPP floor leader Rep. Kwon Seong-dong held a tripartite meeting on April 22 in which they agreed to pass the prosecution reform bills, Kim, seeing no more chance to block the bills' passage, submitted his resignation again. Despite the agreement, the bills later resurfaced as the subject of even fiercer political contention, after PPP lawmakers objected to the result of the tripartite meeting.



"Kim repeatedly expressed his willingness to take responsibility for the whole prosecution reform fiasco, and his intention could no longer be ignored," spokesperson Park said Friday.



Observers said Moon accepted Kim's resignation as the whole prosecutors reform fiasco has been settled for now, after Moon signed the bills into law on May 3 following the bills' passage in the Assembly. The president might have accepted Kim's resignation, according to the observers, also because he didn't wish to leave the burden of dealing with Kim to the incoming government under President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon's inauguration is on May 10.



Alongside Kim, eight other chief prosecutors submitted their resignations to Cheong Wa Dae as well, including Kim's deputy at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and high prosecutors' office chiefs from Seoul, Suwon, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu and Busan, in a show of defiance against the passage of the prosecution reform bills. But Moon rejected their resignations.



Park said that if Moon had accepted their resignations, it would mean leaving a major hole amid the country's prosecutors' ranks, dealing a direct impact to members of the public. She asked those who offered to resign from their positions to "return to their roles and carry them out faithfully, especially the assistant prosecutor general at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell embraced what he's said is his favorite nickname - 'old crow' - as he trolled former President Donald Trump this week.

McConnell gifted his fellow Republican senators bottles of Old Crow bourbon when he hosted them at a luncheon Thursday, ahead of this Saturday's Kentucky Derby, the premier horseracing event in his state.

At an event in Kentucky last month, McConnell was asked which of his many nicknames he preferred: choosing among grim reaper, cocaine Mitch or old crow.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave his Senate GOP colleagues bottles of Old Crow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey - after being given the nickname 'old crow' by former President Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump (left) started calling Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (right) 'old crow' after McConnell voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill in November - giving a win to Democratic President Joe Biden

'I want to know, when you look in the mirror, which ones do you see?' moderator Scott Jennings asked the Senate's top Republican.

McConnell revealed 'old crow' to be his pick.

'It was given to me by the former president, who's apparently not a fan,' he said of Trump. 'And my response was, I wanted to thank him because this was Henry Clay's favorite bourbon.'

Clay represented Kentucky in both the House and Senate and served as speaker of the House and secretary of State.

Several months earlier, McConnell made a similar quip, adding that Old Crow was his 'favorite bourbon' as well.

Trump began using the 'old crow' nickname in November after McConnell voted for the bipartisan infrastructure plan, allowing Democratic President Joe Biden to have a win.

'Why is it that Old Crow Mitch McConnell voted for a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Plan, and induced others in his Party to do likewise, when he was incapable of getting a great Infrastructure Plan wanting to be put forward by me and the Republican Party?' Trump fumed.

As president, Trump hosted a number of 'infrastructure weeks,' but they became synonymous with when a scandal would break.

Trump and McConnell had a falling out after Trump refused to concede the 2020 election.

At the weekly luncheon - which McConnell traditionally takes his turn hosting right before the Derby - senators were also served fried okra, corn pudding, fried chicken and biscuits, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Alongide the Old Crow bourbon, senators received slices of Derby pie.

'I am so proud to call Kentucky home and bring the spirit of the Kentucky Derby to our Nation's Capitol. This event unites everyone from across my home state and puts the best of the Commonwealth on display under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs,' McConnell said in a statement to the paper.

'Kentucky is recognized as the world capital of both bourbon and horses, industries that contribute to our state's economy and tourism,' the senator added.
Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. to speed military and humanitarian aid to her country  and revealed that her own father-in-law's house was destroyed and how her family intervened to get her own mother to safety.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova described her own quick trip back to her country where she saw the devastation first-hand.

'My father in law's house is destroyed but our house is miraculously okay,' Markarova said of her home outside Bucha, an area where investigators are probing potential Russian war crimes during its invasion of her country.

Markarova, herself a mother of four, recently took a quick trip to Ukraine, where she visited her home for the fist time since the war broke out. Her husband flew there immediately after Russia invaded in February.

She told a small group of reports at a Christian Science Monitor coffee Thursday about her first time sleeping in her home since the war began.

'It was very good to be back home even for one day. It was surreal. I mean, my husband went back home when the war started so I you know, I saw it through his eyes or his videos through talking to him. But it's one thing to see it on video. It's another thing to witness yourself,' she said.

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova briefly returned to her home country, where her father-in-law's house was destroyed

She said there weren't 'bodies on the streets' when she arrived, nearly two weeks after Russian troops withdrew from the area.

'But the destruction is devastating, and it's very hard to understand. Why would they shoot at residential buildings? Why would they shoot at the supermarkets?' she wondered.

Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country during the invasion. Markarova said 8 million were displaced internally.

Each family has faced its own challenges. In her case, Markarova had to persuade her own mother to move  something she made with a dark reference to the war.

'I mean, I have to tell you, it was a special operation to convince my mom to move from from the place,' she joked, using the moniker Moscow uses to describe the war that it won't name as one.

Markarova spoke at a Christian Science Monitor coffee Thursday

Rescuers conduct a search and rescue operation at the wreckage of a devastated residential apartment by Russian airstrikes in Borodyanka, Bucha Raion of Kyiv Oblast, as the Ukrainian military had retaken the area

Markarova asked why Russians would hit apartment buildings and supermarkets

'It's essential for us to get it as soon as possible,' she said of a US military and humanitarian aid package

'I have to tell you, it was a special operation to convince my mom to move from from the place,' Markarova said of the effort to get her mother to move for safety

'My husband did. He gets all the credit,' she said.

Makarova defined what victory might look like for Ukraine: 'Essentially, the victory for us is when we will have no Russian troops on our territory, when we will restore our territorial integrity and sovereignty. And when all those responsible for this horrific crimes will be taken into account and that's when we will start rebuilding our country.'

Asked if that includes occupied Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk, she responded: 'Crimea was, is and always will be Ukraine.' She Ukraine was ready to negotiate, but would not compromise on the 'principle issues for us.'

Markarova has appeared regularly on US news shows as part of the face of her country's appeals to the US, with President Volodymyr Zelensky making direct appeals to President Joe Biden and US leaders.

Without getting into internal U.S. legislative process, she appealed to lawmakers to move aid as quickly as possible, with a $33 billion budget request now tied up with stalled COVID relief.

'Every cent that we received from the US and from all other friends and allies, are being transported to the frontlines as 'efficiently' as we can,' she said, and 'put to very good use.'

'It's essential for us to get it as soon as possible.'

'We already exhausted almost all that was there' in previous military aid packages, she said.

'So this is something that we're communicating clearly. So regardless of how it's done again, we're not getting into internal processes, but it has to be done as soon as possible.'

She also addressed an element of the Republican Party that has been critical of Ukraine even after Russia's invasion. Former President Donald Trump called Ukraine 'corrupt' before the war; Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) called President Volodymyr Zelensky a 'thug,' and Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Zelensky should be audited.

Even so, most Americans support U.S. backed aid for Ukraine.

'The bipartisan support that we have is very important for Ukraine to to keep and we really value the fact that actually the Ukraine is uniting different aisles of the of the Congress right now,' Markarova told DailyMail.com.

'When we regained independence in 1991, yes, we received some of the institutions from the Soviet Union, but they were never efficient to start with. And they were never Ukrainian. So we had a long way to build it back and to actually create our own institutions, but we essentially only started doing that after the revolution of 2014 when we started getting rid of all this pro-Russian elements. When we started getting rid of all the influence that was actually there to destroy the country and to prevent us from either joining the European Union or NATO or, or any other democratic structures.'

'Corruption right now, is a crime against your own country,' she continued. 'So we're also fighting for democracy ... So after we win, of course, there will be a very difficult work to rebuild the country. And there will also be a very difficult work to continue on the reforms.

I slept in my house which is on the outskirts of bucha

It was surreal

Husband went back home

I saw it through his eyes

Its one thing to see it on video its another thing to witness yourself

The destruction is devastating

Why would they shoot at res buildings?

Thats not how army behaves. Its juts a group of war criminals
Advertisement

A Mexican couple has sparked fury after holding a Nazi-style wedding honoring Adolph Hitler.

Fernando and Josefina tied the knot at a church in the state of Tlaxcala - east of Mexico's capital - on April 29, the anniversary of Hitler's marriage to Eva Braun.

The German dictator committed suicide a day later in 1945.

Fernando and his three groomsmen wore replica suits of the Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary unit that served the Nazis - while Josefina wore a white gown.

'If we had not found a mass for today, we would have gotten married next year,' the groom told Mexican news outlet Milenio.

Josefina (left) and Fernando (right) have drawn the ire of the Jewish community after they celebrate a Nazi-theme wedding in Tlaxcala, Mexico, on April 29, the anniversary of German dictator Adolf Hitler's wedding anniversary

Josefina (left) said she was not aware of Adolf Hitler's history but is behind her husband Fernando (right) and his wavering admiration of the German dictator

Fernando (left) and Josefina (right) exit a local church in the Mexico state of Tlaxcala - located east of Mexico City, the capital - following their wedding April 29. They tied the knot for the second since 2016, when they did in a civil ceremony. That wedding was also held on the same date, which marked the anniversary of Adolf Hitler's own wedding

The themed wedding was condemned by Simon Wiesenthal Center in a statement.

'Our institution strongly condemns the distortion and trivialization of the memory of six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and contempt by those who deny or obfuscate history, as also all those who took part of this Nazi wedding or authorized it,' said Dr. Ariel Gelblung, director for the center's Latin America branch.

'Mexico must adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism and incorporate it into its legislation to prevent such hateful behavior.'

Mexico's National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED) slammed the couple for their poor taste, indicating 'it is necessary to remember the terrible events that took place on European soil during the Holocaust, a crime without parallel in the history of humanity.'

It is the second time the couple exchanged vows, doing so in a civil ceremony on the same date in 2016.

They were met with death threats at the time after a person who attended the wedding party took to social media to share a photo of their cake, which featured a swastika.

Fernando (left) and Josefina (right) got married on April 29 in a Nazi-theme wedding

Josefina holds a photo shoot in Tlaxcala, Mexico, following her Nazi-style wedding April 29

Fernando, who works in government, and Josefina are parents to two children, Reinhard, named after the Reinhard Heydrich, the Schutzstaffel general, and Hanna Gertrud, in honor of Nazi pilot Hanna Reitsch, who reportedly rescued Hitler from a bunker and Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, who led the National Socialist Women's League.

They baptized their two children at the same church where they got married last week and revealed they did not get any backlash when Fernando showed up at the religious ceremony that officiated by the same priest who married them.

Although Josefina was not aware of the Nazi party and Hitler, she learned about though Fernando.

'I support him because I have a responsible husband,' she said.

The groomsmen greet the couple with the Adolf Hitler salute or the Sieg Heil salute

The 38-year-old Fernando was steadfast is explaining his admiration for Hitler in an interview with Milenio after he exchanged vows with his wife

The Simon Wiesenthal Center slammed the Nazi-style wedding held by Josefina (left) and Fernando (right), saying 'our institution strongly condemns the distortion and trivialization of the memory of six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and contempt by those who deny or obfuscate history, as also all those who took part of this Nazi wedding or authorized it'

The 38-year-old Fernando was steadfast is explaining his admiration for Hitler in an interview with Milenio after he exchanged vows with his wife.

'I know that for many people, Hitler is genocidal, a symbol of racism and violence,' he said. 'But people judge without having information or by believing in the history of the victors.'

He said that the Nazi dictator 'was a vegetarian' and did right by his country by returning land that the country lost in World War One.

'His people loved him,' Fernando said. 'We've been led to believe that Hitler was a racist, but he came up to greet Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics.'

Josefina claimed she did not know too much of the Nazi party and Hitler, indicated she learned about though Fernando and supports her spouse's admiration of the dictator 'because I have a responsible husband'

Fernando said he has been a supporter of the national socialism movement since he was 16 years old, following in the steps of his father and uncles

Fernando (left) and Josefina (center) stop for photos outside the church where they held a Nazi-style wedding April 29

When confronted with the fact that the Nazi's set up thousands of concentration camps, he countered that the 'United States and Russia had their own extermination camps, but we only know about the Germans because they lost the war and history, as I told you, is written and invented by the winners.'

Fernando revealed he has been a follower of the national socialism movement since he was 16 years old, following in the steps of his father and uncles.

He recalled how people hurled spit on him and physically assaulted him. Someone once crashed their vehicle into his Volkswagen Beetle.

'The worst was the time they pointed a gun at me and called me a Nazi,' he said. 'But the beautiful thing about loving an ideal is dying for it.'
Labour MP Neil Coyle campaigned for the party in the local elections - despite having the party whip removed and his membership suspended for a racist rant at a British-Chinese journalist

Mr Coyle, 43, the Bermondsey & Old Southwark MP, posted pictures of his constituency on his official Twitter account bragging of his 'step count' while seemingly out campaigning.

The suspended MP then posted a picture of a former Bermondsey councillor who was canvassing, saying it was great to have him out for Bermondsey Labour and that he hoped the party would win in south London again.

Neil Coyle (pictured) has been suspended from Labour since February 11 after allegations he made racist comments to a journalist at Parliament

A Labour spokesperson told MailOnline that it was 'absolutely' appropriate that Mr Coyle should be allowed to campaign, adding that they were grateful for all those who has been out campaigning for Labour today.

Mr Coyle has been suspended from the Labour Party as an MP and a member since February 11 - when a Business Insider journalist alleged that he had joked about 'Fu Manchu' and made disparaging remarks about his Chinese heritage during a conversation in Strangers' Bar at Parliament on February 1.

Henry Dyer, a British-Chinese journalist for Insider, said that the MP had told him that he looked as though he had 'been giving renminbi [the Chinese currency] to Barry Gardiner.'

Labour's Barry Gardiner, a former member of the Shadow Cabinet, has previously been revealed to have unwittingly received donations from a Chinese spy.

The Bermondsey & Old Southwark MP apologised after his suspension - saying he was 'very sorry' for his 'insensitive comments' and would cooperate fully with an investigation launched by the party.

Henry Dyer, a political journalist for Insider, has said Mr Coyle joked about 'Fu Manchu' and made disparaging remarks about his heritage during a conversation in Strangers' Bar at Parliament on February 1

Mr Dyer, 24, claimed he had also witnessed Mr Coyle 'angrily shouting at a Labour staffer' in the bar the previous evening in a row over Labour's disastrous 2019 General Election campaign.

The political journalist claimed that Mr Coyle had been suspended from the bars on the Parliamentary estate while an investigation was ongoing because of the incidents.

Neil Coyle declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

In a statement on the day of his suspension, Mr Coyle said: 'I'm very sorry for my insensitive comments, have apologised to everyone involved and will be co-operating fully with the investigation.'

At the time of the suspension, a Labour spokesman said: 'The Labour Party expects the highest standards of behaviour from all our MPs and we take allegations of this sort very seriously. Accordingly the Chief Whip has now suspended the Labour whip from Neil Coyle pending an investigation.'
A fired-up Allison Langdon has blasted Anthony Albanese after he failed to recall one of his key policies.

In an interview with Labor deputy leader Richard Marles on the Today show, the Channel Nine host said: 'I reckon detail is his kryptonite'.

In his press conferences this week Mr Albanese has been deferring questions about Labor policies to the shadow minister responsible, leading to accusations that he's not across the details.

On Thursday he was unable to name his six-point plan for the NDIS and had to read from a policy document which an advisor handed to him off camera.

One Labor MP speaking anonymously said he 'needs to get across the details' and another described the presser as a 'train-wreck'.

Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese holds his briefings folder after a disastrous press conference on Thursday

Langdon said: 'It's not just yesterday, it happened on Monday and Tuesday as well just this week.'

Mr Marles then stuttered as he tried to defend his leader's gaffes before saying: 'It's not a pop quiz. We've got policies on our website.'

Langdon cut him off and said: 'So hang on, what do you mean by that... detail is not important is that what you're saying?'

Marles replied: 'At the end of the day this is contest about ideas and when you're talking about the NDIS the issue there is that people with a disability are no longer in the centre of the system.'

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the gaffe showed it was a 'huge risk' to vote Labor.

'You risk what we've got in our country at the moment to a complete unknown and frankly someone who is he is not up to the task,' he said.

Mr Albanese on Thursday faced a pack of reporters in Sydney where, in response to a barrage of questions, he failed to outline his six-point NDIS plan.

Allison Langdon (pictured) has blasted Anthony Albanese after he failed to recall one of his key policies

He could only say 'we will put people a the centre of the NDIS' before one reporter shouted: 'You do not know your own policy Mr Albanese'.

After a few more questions on different topics, Mr Albanese went off camera and journalists saw an advisor hand him a document.

ALP president Wayne Swan came to Mr Albanese's defence, saying he could not be expected to remember every detail of a policy released 18 days ago.

'You don't need to be reciting six points or 12 points,' he said. 'I just think Australia is being sold short by this gotcha journalism. '

'If you wanted to play a pop quiz and be successful, then someone like Barry Jones would've become prime minister.'

Mr Swan dismissed claims by Today host Karl Stefanovic he would have been able to recite all the policies, before slamming the double standards.

'The prime minister is not being subjected to the same focus and there's a degree of hostility in the press pack. That's not helping and it's not good for democracy, and it's not good for debate.'

2GB's Chris Smith remained defiant insisting that Mr Albanese should have been able to list the six points.

'It's his own policy,' he said. 'Eighteen days. What's he going to do when he's prime minister, and he has a crisis that develops overnight, and he only has a couple of hours of prep time.
One of the bumbling crooks in the infamous Watergate Hotel break-in that set off the chain of events leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon has died.

Alfred Baldwin III, who later became a star witness for the prosecution against the rest of the burglars, died after a battle with cancer in January 2020 but his death was not made public until now. He was 83 years old.

His death was made public thanks to an updated version of the book 'The Watergate Burglars' by Shane O'Sullivan, which was released on May 3.

Baldwin's testimony, as well as the reporting of The Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, laid the 1972 break-in and subsequent coverup at Nixon's feet and the disgraced Republican resigned rather than be impeached in August 1974.

Thanks to his testimony against his fellow conspirators, Baldwin never faced any charges for his role

Watergate conspirator James McCord was the man who recruited Baldwin for a role in the burglary. McCord and Baldwin remained friends until McCord's death in 2017

McCord later told Baldwin that he felt bad for recruiting him for the burglary. Baldwin said that his bachelor status made him an ideal candidate for the team

O'Sullivan told The Daily Mail that he didn't know why Baldwin did not want his death made public. He said, 'He was writing a memoir but it was not finished to his satisfaction before his death. He may have wanted his story to be remembered in that rather than an obituary.'

The London-based author said that he came upon the news that Baldwin was dead after he contacted the Vietnam veteran's lawyer in 2021. Baldwin's attorney informed O'Sullivan that he had passed away in 2020.

Baldwin did not have a wife or children, O'Sullivan told The Daily Mail. Baldwin believed that his bachelor status was one of the reasons he was recruited for a role in Watergate.

O'Sullivan noted that fellow Watergate conspirator James McCord's death also wasn't made public until years later.

Baldwin delivering testimony in May 1973. The former FBI agent failed in his role as lookout after he got distracted watching the movie, 'Attack of the Puppet People,' on TV.

One of the main men behind the Watergate break-in, Gordon Liddy, pictured above, was said to have hated Baldwin because of his testimony

Baldwin was a former FBI agent who served in Vietnam with the US Marine Corps when he was recruited by President Nixon's people for the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) in 1972.

Shortly after midnight on June 17, 1972, Baldwin was set up in room 723 of the Howard Johnson's hotel across the street from the Watergate complex.

His job was to serve as a lookout and point of contact for the five men, Virgilio Gonzalez, Bernard Barker, James McCord, Eugenio Martinez and Frank Sturgis, who planning to break-in and bug the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee.

It was McCord who recruited Baldwin for a role in Watergate.

Another of the chief organizers of the break-in, Howard Hunt, instructed Baldwin to dispose of surveillance equipment that was being used in the break-in

Baldwin bungled his role after he got distracted while watching the movie, 'Attack of the Puppet People,' on television.

In 2017, one of the D.C. cops investigating the initial break-in, John Barrett, told ABC News, 'He was glued to the TV set  so he looked back out, he saw lights coming on [in] the DNC.'

Due to this distraction, Baldwin missed the plainclothes Washington D.C. cops that had rolled up on the scene after being called by security guard Frank Willis. Willis called 911 after he noticed a door had been tampered with to prevent it from locking.

When Baldwin saw plain clothes officers casually dressed going through the building, he radioed one of the break-in organizers, Gordon Liddy, to ask what the burglars were wearing.

Alfred Baldwin monitored the activities of the break-in team from a room in a Howard Johnson's which was across the street

Liddy said the break-in team were dressed in suits and Baldwin replied, 'Well, we've got a problem.'

Shortly afterwards, the five burglars inside the Watergate were arrested.

Later that morning, one of the orchestrators of the burglary, Howard Hunt, went to room 723 in the Howard Johnson's where he met Baldwin. Hunt told Baldwin to dispose of the surveillance equipment in the room, to which Baldwin obliged.

Sometime later that year, Baldwin sat down for an interview with The Los Angeles Times that was published in October. That frank interview in which Baldwin went step-by-step through the planning and execution of the scheme led for further investigations into the Watergate conspiracy.

Baldwin's role in the break-in was featured in the opening of the hit movie 'All the President's Men.' Here is being portrayed by actor Gene Lindsay

Howard Hunt later said during his September 1973 testimony in the Watergate hearings that he felt Baldwin was a double agent.

Baldwin also said that one of the plot's other organizers was not a big fan in a 1997 interview with the Hartford Courant saying, 'Gordon Liddy hates my guts. He's made a lot of claims, but how many of them can be substantiated.'

Thanks to his testimony against the other conspirators, Baldwin was never charged with a crime in relation to Watergate.

In the fallout from the scandal, Baldwin became a math teacher at Sheridan Middle School in New Haven, Connecticut. Then in 1986, Baldwin served as a prosecutor for the Connecticut Superior Court. He retired in 1996.

The book 'All the President's Men' by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein became a bestseller. The pair's reporting helped to lead to President Richard M. Nixon's resignation in 1974

Baldwin spoke about his dramatic career changes in his interview with Courant saying, 'You go through phases in your life. Sometimes somebody just says something, and you change your life pattern.'

Despite leaving Washington D.C., O'Sullivan told The Daily Mail that Baldwin stayed in contact with Watergate burglar James McCord throughout his life.

According to O'Sullivan, McCord regretted recruiting Baldwin for a role in the burglary and encouraged him to tell the truth in his testimony.

Baldwin's role in the burglary was shown in the movie 'All the President' Men' starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. He was played by actor Gene Lindsey in the role.

Following Watergate, Baldwin returned home to Connecticut where he became a math teacher here at Sheridan Middle School in New Haven

Shane O'Sullivan described the portrayal of Baldwin's role in the burglary as 'generally accurate.'

Baldwin was from a politically connected family in Connecticut, his great uncle, Raymond, was two-governor of the state.
The brother of an Australian woman missing in Mexico has claimed his two-year-old niece was 'dumped' at a local church by her father - as a series of Facebook posts emerge from before the mother's disappearance.

Daniel Shanks said 'three eyewitnesses' saw dad Jorge Aguirre Astudillo leave his daughter Adelynn Shanks outside the Chapel of the San Archangel, in Cancun, on Sunday evening.

Shortly after 'Addy' was found, authorities issued an urgent alert for the whereabouts of the little girl's mother Tahnee, 32, from Queensland's Whitsundays.

Ms Shanks had been holidaying around the Yucatan peninsula and was set to return to Australia after her relationship broke down with her partner Mr Astudillo.

'We have got great concerns for our sister and we are doing everything we can to get her home safely,' Mr Shanks told Sunrise on Friday.

His niece is being kept in an orphanage while Mr Shank's mother Leanne and brother Ben intend to catch a plane to Mexico as soon as possible.

Mr Shanks is unable to travel there personally because he is unvaccinated.

The distraught sibling said Ms Shanks had stopped using social media days before she went missing.

Before that, she had made several posts alluding to love, heartbreak and self-motivation.

One post featured a poem describing a woman who had lost her 'spark', another was a song discussing failed relationships while another listed 'Ten Painful Truths'.

Ms Shanks also gushed over her family and used a photo of her daughter as her profile picture and snapshots of family celebrations for her Facebook banner.

Daniel Shanks claimed 'three eyewitnesses' had seen Jorge Aguirre Astudillo (middle) leave his daughter Adelynn Shanks (right) outside the church in Cancun on Monday (left, Tahnee)

Tahnee Shanks, 32, (pictured right) originally from the Whitsundays, Queensland, is missing in Mexico where she was holidaying

The brother of an Australian woman missing in Mexico revealed his niece was dropped off outside a local church by her father before she was abandoned

In several photos, Adelynn is seen at a farm with her family and feeding a goat through a baby bottle, milking a cow and petting animals.

Another set of photos showed Ms Shanks swimming in a pool with her daughter who is wearing inflatable armbands and smiling from ear to ear with joy.

'Look, it is very out of character, she is always on social media, she is always posting photos of her and Addie constantly, it is a constant stream of it, so for her to drop off, we knew something was wrong,' Mr Shanks said.

'For this to happen is just tragic and heartbreaking. I haven't slept for three days, you can probably tell and I am just exhausted.

'I can't go over myself due to not being vaccinated thanks to all our rules here in Australia so I have had to let my brother and mother go and do this for the family. It is quite scary.'

In early April, Ms Shanks had taken to Facebook to make a series of posts alluding to mental health.

On April 7, she shared a post that listed 'Ten Painful Truths'.

'The average human life is relatively short', 'You don't have to wait for an apology to forgive' and 'It's not other people's job to love you; it's yours', were among the phrases.

On April 10, Ms Shanks shared a post that discussed 'feeling down is a good sign'.

'Feeling "down" is an indication that something within you is seeking to be released,' the post read.

The developments come as it was revealed Ms Shanks made a series of Facebook posts discussing mental health weeks before her disappearance and had been posting photos of her trip to Mexico up until Sunday

'Any negative emotion that is in your awareness is only ever there because it's seeking to be freed, it's not there to be pushed down, fought against or ignored.'

'Instead of fighting that feeling seek to understand why it's there. Negative emotion is often an indication that you believe something that either isn't true or isn't in your highest good, about yourself, others or what you desire.'

On April 15, Ms Shanks made a post of a music video called 'Beautifully Cruel'.

The lyrics allude to a person selling their soul to the devil and failing to find love.

'You sold your soul to the devil. When you stopped believing in love, you ventured far to find it. But at last you'd given up,' the lyrics read.

Another Facebook post references a poem about a woman who who has lost her spark and who has started to fade.

Mr Shanks said he was alerted to his sister's disappearance after receiving a message from a friend on social media about his niece.

Ms Shanks (pictured right) had been travelling with her ex partner Jorge (middle) and their daughter (left) in south Mexico before she was reported as missing

'We've had a friend of ours send us a photo that's been posted on one of the Cancun social media sites and said, is this your niece?' he told Today.

'We were woken up in the middle of the night and confirmed it was. We haven't been able to get in touch with my sister.'

Mr Shanks previously told the ABC his sister claimed she was on a little holiday with her family in a small fishing village with poor reception but something felt off.

'I'm assuming I was talking to him (Mr Astudillo),' he said.

Mr Shanks said his niece was 'dumped' at a church in the Mexican tourist town late at night and was found wandering the streets.

As for his sister, she sent photos of the beaches they were visiting but 'next minute nothing from her'.

Mr Shanks has offered a $5000 reward for his sister's safe return and has spent the last two days dealing with Mexican and Australian authorities

Ms Shanks and Adelynn were due to return to Australia in June but now her Australian family is travelling to Mexico to find her after the two-year-old was found by neighbours at the Chapel of the San Archangel (pictured)

The last know photos of the Ms Shanks and Mr Astudillo show them in Las Coloradas, one province plus 150 kilometres from where their daughter was found in Cancun on Mexico's tropical southern tip.

Ms Shanks has no family in Mexico with her but is normally active on social media. However her family hasn't heard from her for days.

Mr Shanks has been trying to contact Mr Astudillo, who drives a white Toyota Tundra.

Daily Mail Australia doesn't suggest that the ex-partner is involved in her disappearance.

A police public appeal for information about Ms Shanks' whereabouts have been widely shared on both sides of the world.

It's understood Ms Shanks was weeks away from heading home back to Australia with her daughter next month after she recently separated from her partner.

Australian mum Tahnee Shanks (pictured with her ex-partner) has gone missing in Mexico

Tahnee's two-year-old daughter Adelynn was found wandering the streets late at night. She currently in the care of child protection authorities

Witnesses say they saw a man pass Adelynn to a stranger in front of a church in the 220 Quintana Roo district.

Another brother, Benjamin Shanks, and their mother Leanne will head to Mexico on Friday to join the search.

Ben told 7News he had received a call on Tuesday from Tahnee's former Australian boyfriend who had originally lived with her when they travelled to Mexico.

A previous boyfriend of Ms Shanks, and Australian she moved to Mexico with, told Benjamin a video was circulating on Mexican social media pages of a young girl found outside of a Cancun chapel.

Benjamin watched the video and the Mackay-based Shanks family recognised the girl as their niece and connected it with Ms Shanks inactive social media accounts.

Tahnee's family raised the alarm after they were made aware of photos being circulated of little Adelynn wandering Cancun alone late at night

Ms Shanks had been living in Yucatan capital of Merida. She was waiting to receive her toddler's passport and had booked plane tickets to arrive in Australia on June 22.

It's understood little 'Addy' is currently safe and being cared for by child protection agency DIF.

Ms Shanks family and friends are fearing the worst.

'She's never off social media and she would never leave that girl. That's the scariest thing,' Ben told the publication.

'We know Tahnee wouldn't leave that girl on her own.'

Concerned friends also hold grave fears for Ms Shanks.

'She is a very dedicated mother and would never abandon her daughter. Something serious had to happen for the little girl to find herself alone,' a family friend wrote.

Mexico Police have launched a desperate search for missing Australian Tahnee Shanks

Ms Shanks (pictured middle) was on holidays with her ex-partner (right) and her daughter (left) when she vanished in Mexico, a continent away from any of her family

Tahnee Shanks' mum and brother are on their way to Mexico to find out what happened to her

The devoted mum's social media pages are full of happy snaps of her little girl.

Ms Shanks had been travelling the world since she was 18 and describes herself on social media as a 'Happy Hippy Ginger Ninja meering around the world one country at a time.'

Before she went overseas, she worked in Australia as an assistant nurse looking after the elderly, which she described as a rewarding career.

'The travel bug bit me in 2010 taking me on my first 18 month journey through Asia and parts of Europe volunteering and couch surfing my way across the country,' the freelance writer wrote on a travel blog for the Whitsundays.

Ms Shanks returned home and saved for two years and then headed back overseas travelling through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and the US before settling in Mexico.

She is described as having a fair complexion, and has red hair, light brown eyes, 165 centimetres tall, thin build and has a distinctive tattoo along her right thigh.
Twitter was right to suppress the New York Post's reporting of the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop, according to the head of a prominent media watchdog which is pressuring advertisers to rethink their adverts on Twitter when Elon Musk takes over.

Angelo Carusone, president and CEO of Media Matters for America, appeared on CSPAN's Washington Journal on Thursday to discuss the state of the country's media.

Carusone's organization is one of 26 which signed a letter to advertisers published earlier this week, warning them about the dangers of being associated with a 'cesspool of misinformation' when Musk lifts Twitter's policies on censorship.

A caller to the CSPAN show asked Carusone why there was not more investigative reporting on the content of Hunter Biden's laptop.

Carusone said that the New York Post article blocked by Twitter was journalistically unsound - despite multiple media outlets including the Washington Post now confirming its authenticity, and despite Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey apologizing for blocking the story.

Angelo Carusone on Thursday appeared on a CSPAN show and was asked about reporting of Hunter Biden's laptop

Hunter's laptop, obtained by the New York Post, contained a trove of embarrassing photos and information about his business dealings

The 52-year-old is pictured at the Easter Egg Roll at the White House on April 18

'A lot of - even people who are deep advocates for the narrative around Hunter Biden really seem to miss the genesis,' Carusone said.

'And, for people who are not super enmeshed in the right-wing media, when people talk about that, what they are referring to is that in October of 2020 a New York Post article was published that Twitter decided you could not distribute the links to, on Twitter.

'It was consistent with their policies of leaked information that was not verified.

'The right wing went nuts about it, as evidence of a conspiracy.

'Let's just go back in time here: the genesis and the reason why is that the New York Post article did not meet any minimum editorial standards.

'They did not provide any evidence: they did not verify anything that they were reporting.'

Carusone was also asked, by the same caller, why there was not more reporting on Hunter Biden's art sales.

An art work by Hunter Biden, for sale at the Georges Berges gallery

The 52-year-old son of the president made his gallery debut this fall, with shows in Los Angeles and New York. Some of the works were priced at $500,000.

Buyers would be kept anonymous, the White House said, to stop them seeking political influence with the Bidens.

But Walter Shaub, a former White House ethics chief, said the arrangement was "very disappointing".

Carusone agreed that there should be more reporting, but denied that there was any reason for suspicion.

'That's what journalism does,' he said.

'Boy, I hope there's not wrongdoing. It doesn't seem like there is.

'But yeah, that's what journalism should do.

'You should ask those questions - those are reasonable things to ask.

'There's no reasonable suspicion behind it, or any evidence to back that up, but that's what journalists do.

'And I think that would be a story worth investigating.'

When a Twitter user questioned Carusone's verdict, he replied that it was 'extremely good, fair and totally rational'.

He called the Twitter user an 'ideology obsessed dips***.'

Carusone's organization was founded in 2004 by David Brock - a former conservative journalist who turned liberal activist, who in 2017 was described by Politico as the 'Democrats' attack dog'.

'The Clinton enforcer, who raised tens of millions of dollars and created a far-reaching web of outside groups to push her presidential candidacy, is now training his sights on Trump,' they wrote at the time.

'Brock is rallying Democratic megadonors behind his cause and while he can be controversial at times, few bet against his efforts. His tentacles are far-reaching, including his media monitoring nonprofit Media Matters and the opposition research super PAC American Bridge.'

Media Matters for America says it is 'dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.'

David Brock, founder of Media Matters for America, was described by Politico as 'Democrats' attack dog' (left) and Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech. Both groups signed the letter warning advertisers against continuing to advertise on Twitter

They were among the signatories of the letter to major advertisers on Twitter, warning about the platform under Musk.

'Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter will further toxify our information ecosystem and be a direct threat to public safety, especially among those already most vulnerable and marginalized,' they wrote.

They warned that advertising on Twitter would see their company 'risks association with a platform amplifying hate, extremism, health misinformation, and conspiracy theorists.'

The authors continued: 'Under Musk's management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time where trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low.

'Your ad dollars can either fund Musk's vanity project or hold him to account. We call on you to demand Musk uphold these basic standards of community trust and safety, and to pull your advertising spending from Twitter if they are not.

According to Influence Watch, the group was founded with about $2 million in donations from prominent liberal donors, such as Susie Tompkins Buell, the 78-year-old co-founder of clothing brands Esprit and The North Face; Leo Hindery, 74, a private equity investor specializing in media; and James Hormel, who died in August aged 88.

Hormel was heir to a meatpacking fortune, and the first openly gay man to represent the United States as an ambassador - to Luxembourg, from 1997. He also co-founded in 1981 the Human Rights Campaign - the nation's preeminent gay rights group.

Media Matters is funded by a coalition of donors, including the National Education Association - America's largest union, representing teachers and other school staff - and several Jewish groups, such as the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and Community Foundation of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego.

Musk, in response to the letter, tweeted: 'Who funds these organizations that want to control your access to information? Let's investigate '

Piqued by the critique, he added: 'Sunlight is the best disinfectant.'

The 26 signatories to the letter warning advertisers off Twitter 1. Access Now 2. Accountable Tech 3. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation 4. Center for Countering Digital Hate 5. Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) 6. Face the Music Collective 7. Fair Vote UK 8. Free Press 9. Friends of the Earth 10. Gender Equity Policy Institute 11. GLAAD 12. Global Project Against Hate and Extremism 13. Indivisible Northern Nevada 14. Kairos 15. Media Matters for America 16. MediaJustice 17. NARAL Pro-Choice America 18. National Hispanic Media Coalition 19. Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice 20. Reproaction 21. Stop Online Violence Against Women Inc 22. The Sparrow Project 23. UltraViolet 24. Union of Concerned Scientists 25. V-Day/One Billion Rising 26. Women's March Advertisement

Another of the 26 is Accountable Tech - a Washington DC-based group led by Nicole Gill, a political campaigner and founder of the 2017 Tax March, and Jesse Lehrich, a former foreign policy spokesman for Hillary Clinton's campaign and the nephew of David Axelrod, former senior adviser to Barack Obama.

'Social media giants are eroding our consensus reality and pushing democracy to the brink,' they state on their website.

'Accountable Tech is fighting back.'

Founded in May 2020, the group is a 501(c)(4), which means it does not have to disclose its donor list, and it does not say on the website who funds it.

UltraViolet is the newest of the trio that headed the letter, and was founded in 2012.

'UltraViolet is a powerful and rapidly growing community of people mobilized to fight sexism and create a more inclusive world that accurately represents all women, from politics and government to media and pop culture,' they state on their website.

'We founded UltraViolet on the principle that with a combination of organizing, technology, creative campaigning, and people power, we can win. Ultraviolet leads creative, breakthrough campaigns that have won victories from politics to culture.'

The group is also backed by several unions - among them the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), and the American Federation of Teachers.

Musk is famously anti-union, and has been excluded from White House electric vehicle manufacturing events due to the fact that Tesla's workforce is not unionized.

UltraViolet is backed by numerous family foundations, including that founded by Warren Buffet's son Peter, NoVo Foundation.

NoVo works to help marginalized and oppressed groups in society.

It is also supported by one of the many Pritzker family's foundations, Libra.

The Chicago-based billionaires are members of one of America's richest families who made their money largely through the Hyatt hotel chain.

Nicholas Pritzker, 76, and his wife Susan founded the Libra Foundation in 2002, and the organization now 'supports frontline organizations building a world where communities of color thrive.'

Hillary Clinton is pictured in conversation with Susie Tompkins Buell in March 2017. Tompkins Buell's foundation donates to multiple progressive causes, with a focus on women's rights and the environment

Not all of the 26 groups that signed the letter are U.S. based.

Fair Vote UK, a British group that works to 'tackle the issue of data misuse, voter manipulation and lack of transparency in elections', is among the signatories.

A small-scale group, they declare all donations over 500 ($624), and only confirm five such donations on their site.

Another British-based signatory was the Center for Countering Digital Hate, led by a former advisor to senior figures in the Labour Party, Imran Ahmed.

The group has expanded to have an office in Washington DC, but their work is largely British.

'The Center is best known for working with Rachel Riley to remove controversial far-right commentator Katie Hopkins from Twitter and conspiracy theorist David Icke from Facebook and Youtube,' according to Influence Watch.

George Soros, the founder and chair of Open Society Foundation, is pictured in June 2004. Soros, now 91, heads a foundation that since 1979 has donated more the $12 billion to progressive causes

Soros is pictured in September 2006 in Washington DC

European governments are strongly involved in backing another of the signatories - Access Now.

Begun during the 2009 Iranian election, as an activist group to organize and protest election fraud and report on human rights abuses, the group is now global with offices worldwide.

Their largest donor, according to their latest report, is the Swedish government's development agency, Sida, followed by Soros' Open Society Foundations.

The governments of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have contributed large amounts, as well as Canada's government.
Dozens of NSW schools, preschools and child care centres have revamped Mother's Day celebrations in an attempt to make the traditional celebrations more 'inclusive' in yet another attack on Australian culture.

Stalls, morning teas and assemblies that have traditionally been held to celebrate 'Mother's Day' today (Friday) ahead of Sunday's celebration have been overhauled in 2022.

Inner Sydney Montessori School replaced its morning tea for mums with a 'Parent's and Carer's' event.

Stanmore Kindy, in Sydney's inner-west, renamed its celebration 'Parent's Day' for 'inclusive reasons', just weeks after the preschool wished their 'rainbow' families a happy Mardi Gras.

Schools and preschools have revamped Mother's Day celebrations to include all parents

Another 'up-market' preschool in the city's eastern suburbs also followed suit, The Daily Telegraph reported.

At Bellingen Public School on the NSW mid-north coast, the P&C encouraged gift donations for dads and mums for its 'Mother's and Parent's Day' stall held on Thursday.

'It was a very successful day and raised over $1,300,' the school posted online.

'The students were all so excited to be able to choose their own gifts for the special people in their lives.'

Sydney's Stanmore Kindy renamed its celebration 'Parent's Day' for 'inclusive reasons'

Poll Should Mother's Day events be more inclusive? Yes No Undecided Should Mother's Day events be more inclusive? Yes 23 votes

No 270 votes

Undecided 3 votes Now share your opinion





Early Childhood Australia recently unveiled a guide on how educators can include 'diverse' families in Mother's day activities.

The guide recommended educators avoid gender stereotypes in children's crafts by urging children to make a gift for a 'special adult'.

'We know Mother's Day and Father's Day are important days to celebrate, but they can be tricky for children from diverse families,' the advice reads.

'Mother's Day and Father's Day present some challenges for families that don't have a mum and dad.'

'Steer away from cards with flowers for mum or ties for dad.'

Bellingen Public School (pictured) had gifts for dads as well as mums at its stall on Thursday

No everyone has welcomed the changes.

Women's Forum Australia chief executive Rachael Wong believes 'Parent's Day' will be perceived by some as just as insensitive as Mother's Day.

'Perhaps the change has been made in a bid to be sensitive to those whose mothers are no longer around for various reasons, but what about those who no longer have any parents?' she told the publication.

'Given attempts to abolish terms like 'mother', 'women' and other female-related terms from the public discourse, it is reasonable to suspect that this is yet another attempt to erase women in a misguided attempt to be 'inclusive'.'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to condemn on Thursday plans for protests to take place outside of conservative Supreme Court justices' homes over the leaked draft opinion that suggests they plan to overturn Roe v. Wade.

'Look, I think the president's view is that there's a lot of passion, a lot of fear, a lot of sadness from many, many people across this country about what they saw in that leaked document,' Psaki said. 'We obviously want people's privacy to be respected.'

She added to the query, asked by Fox News Channel's Peter Doocy, 'I don't have an official U.S. Government position on where people protest.'

White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to condemn on Thursday plans for protests to take place outside of conservative Supreme Court justices' homes over the leaked draft opinion that suggests they plan to overturn Roe v. Wade

Pro-choice activists gathered outside the Supreme Court on Thursday. Some activists have suggested protesting outside the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices under the moniker of 'Ruth Sent Us,' after the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Doocy was citing a Fox News report that said pro-choice activists - under the moniker 'Ruth Sent Us,' after the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a proponent of Roe - published what are likely the home addresses of Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts.

Reporting surrounding the leak of the draft opinion by Alito - which overturns the landmark 1973 abortion case that nationally legalized the termination of pregnancies - suggests he would be joined by Barrett, Kavanaugh, Thomas and Gorsuch.

Roberts, who has voted with liberals on some key issues like Obamacare, reportedly wouldn't completely overturn the ruling.

'Is that the kind of thing this president wants to help your side make their point?' Doocy asked at Thursday's press briefing.

'We want people to protest peacefully if they want to protest. That is certainly what the president's view would be,' Psaki said.

She went on, ' I think we shouldn't lose the point here.'

'The reason people are protesting is because women across the country are worried about their fundamental rights - that had been law for 50 years - their rights to make choices about their own bodies and their own healthcare are at risk,' the press secretary said. 'That's why people are protesting. They're unhappy. They're scared.'

During the briefing, she also suggested conservatives were making too big of a fuss about the leak.

'I think what is happening here and what we think is happening here is there is an effort to distract from what the actual issue here, which is the fundamental rights,' she told reporters.

'I don't think they're at the same level. We don't think they're at the same level,' she added.

She pointed out that there was already a call for an investigation from the leadership of the Supreme Court and decisions about a probe would be made by the Department of Justice.

'That's how government is set up,' she noted.

She then reiterated her point that the leak and the content of the draft should not be equated in terms of seriousness.

'But at the same time, what we've also seen ... is many Republicans, who are trying ot overturn a woman's fundamentals rights, try to make this about the leak. This is not about the leak,' she argued. 'This is about women's healthcare, and women having access to healthcare and making choies with their doctors.'

'And we are working to not allow that to be the distraction,' Psaki said.
Lee Jae-myung, former presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea / Korea Times file



By Kang Hyun-kyung



Lee Jae-myung, the former Gyeonggi governor who lost the March 9 presidential race by a close margin on the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) ticket, will run in the upcoming by-election in Incheon, continuing his political career.



The electoral district seat has been vacant since former DPK Chairman Song Young-gil resigned to run in the Seoul mayoral election. Seven by-elections to fill vacant parliamentary seats will be held concurrently on June 1, along with the local elections to elect mayors, governors and city and provincial council members.



DPK senior spokesman Ko Yong-jin confirmed Lee's candidacy for the by-election after a two-month hiatus following the presidential election, saying he was called upon by several DPK members to run in Incheon's Gyeyang B district.



"Not only will he run in the by-election, but he will also lead the DPK's campaign for the June 1 local elections as the chairperson," Ko told reporters after the party's interim committee meeting on Friday.



The DPK completed the selections of candidates for the June 1 local and by-elections during the meeting.



The ruling party will launch its campaign committee for the June 1 elections next Wednesday.

Lee will attend the ceremony to officially declare his bid to run in the by-election, and accept the offer to lead the party's campaign committee.



Earlier, several DPK members who are close to Lee publicly encouraged him to consider running in the by-election for his return to politics.






Two dozen Albanians were deported yesterday in a move that the Home Secretary said showed her tough approach to the scourge of illegal migration.

Among them was a man smuggled across the Channel by boat less than two months ago.

Others on the charter flight included foreign criminals who had been jailed for a total of 56 years, including for firearms and drugs offences as well as assaulting an emergency services worker.

One deportee had reached the UK in the back of a lorry in 2015, while another had overstayed his visa by a year.

It was the 24th flight this year, with many in recent years disrupted by Covid and legal challenges.

Two dozen Albanians were deported yesterday in a move that the Home Secretary said showed her tough approach to the scourge of illegal migration

Last night Priti Patel said: This Government is committed to tackling the scourge of illegal migration, and an important element of that is the removal of those with no right to be in the UK.

'The British public rightly expect us to crack down hard on those abusing the system, and todays flight is a demonstration of that.

She added that Home Office officials are working at pace to finalise our first relocation flight to Rwanda amid fears that the policy to deport migrants arriving by dinghy risks being delayed.

No10 admitted this week the plan may be months away while Boris Johnson attacked liberal-left lawyers trying to block it.

Around 60 migrants crossed the Channel yesterday, bringing the weeks total to more than 700

Around 60 migrants crossed the Channel yesterday, bringing the weeks total to more than 700.

Some 696 people arrived by small boat in the first three days of May.

An alleged kingpin was arrested in east London on Wednesday. Hewa Rahimpur is believed to be a major player in one of the criminal networks that finds boats to take migrants from France to England.

He is now set to face justice in Belgium where he is wanted by the authorities.

The 29-year-old Iranian appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday afternoon as extradition proceedings began.
A famous reporter has become the ninth to be murdered in Mexico this year after his body was found wrapped in black plastic by a dirt road deep in cartel territory.

The battered body of Luis Ramirez Ramos, 59, was discovered by security forces near a junkyard in the state capital of Culiacan in Sinaloa, home to the notorious Sinaloa cartel.

Ramirez Ramos had previously stated that he felt in 'imminent danger' for his reporting, even though he largely avoided covering the drug cartels for fear of retribution, sticking mostly to political reporting.

Prosecutors stated that he died from multiple blows to the head.

He is the ninth reporter or photographer killed this year in Mexico, making the country the most dangerous place in the world for the press outside of an active war zone.

Ramirez Ramos' news website, 'Fuentes Fidedignas', or 'Reliable Sources', said that he had been abducted near his house hours earlier, although prosecutors said that he had not been reported missing to police.

Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos, a journalist who was murdered in Sinaloa, Mexico. He had previously stated that he felt in 'imminent danger' for his reporting, even though he largely avoided covering the drug cartels for fear of retribution and stuck mostly to political reporting

The press credentials of dozens of dead journalists are displayed in Mexico in February this year

The country is the most dangerous place in the world for the press outside of an active war zone

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of Mexico, has been accused of making journalists more vulnerable to violence due to his daily criticisms of them

The slain reporter is listed as 'founding director' of the website, which has reported relatively little on the drug cartel violence that plagues Sinaloa.

Ramirez was a recognized figure in Sinaloa and beyond, having worked at some of the country's largest papers across a 40-year career, according to El Debate.

Ramirez had previously been on the receiving end of 'aggressions', said Juan Vazquez of Article 19, a human rights organization dedicated to press freedom.

'I do feel the imminent danger that I am the one who follows, because there is a pattern [of murders], in which I fit,' Ramirez said in an interview with local media several years ago.

Most killings of journalists in Mexico are blamed on drug cartels, and journalists in the most violent cities, like Culiacan, often avoid the topic of cartels for their own safety.

But in a 2015 interview with MVS radio station after the killing of fellow reporter Humberto Millan, Ramirez Ramos said 'I don't write about narcos, I speak neither good nor ill of the narcos. Humberto Millan didn't either, and that was not enough to keep him alive and working.'

Armando Linares, a director-reporter for Mexican digital news outlet Monitor Michoacan, became the eighth journalist to be murdered in Mexico in 2022 when he was shot dead at his home in March

Authorities stand guard outside the residence of murdered Mexican reporter Armando Linares, the eighth journalist killed in the country in 2021

Police tape blocks the entrance to the Michoacan, Mexico, home of Armando Linares, the director and reporter for online news outlet Monitor Michoacan, who was shot dead Tuesday

'What is happening? Humberto Millan and I only write about politicians, and now it turns out that we can't write about politicians either, so what are journalists in Sinaloa going to write about?' he said at the time.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said it lamented the killing and 'calls on authorities to urgently investigate this act,' but state and federal government have been criticized for neither preventing the killings nor investigating them sufficiently.

Presidential spokesperson Jesus Cuevas said on Twitter Thursday afternoon that the federal government would work with state and local governments to investigate Ramirez's death and that they would 'reinforce security measures for journalists.'

'There will not be impunity,' he added.

While President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised a 'zero impunity' program to investigate the killings, on Thursday the head of that program listed only six killings of journalists this year, even though there have been eight.

A Sinaloa's state police officer works during the dismantle of one of the three clandestine laboratories producers of synthetic drug, mainly methamphetamine in El Dorado, Sinaloa

A state police officer inspects methamphetamine that was being produced in the laboratory

And the president continues his frequent verbal attacks on journalists whose stories he dislikes, calling them 'conservatives' and 'mercenaries,' and using information from supporters - and apparently tax agencies - to publicize the income of reporters he dislikes.

Press groups say Lopez Obrador's daily criticisms of journalists make them more vulnerable to violence.

During his administration alone, 34 journalists have been killed, according to Article 19's count, including Ramirez.

In February, the Inter American Press Association called on the president to 'immediately suspend the aggressions and insults, because such attacks from the top of power encourage violence against the press.'

And in March, the European Union approved a resolution that 'calls on the authorities, and in particular the highest ones, to refrain from issuing any communication which could stigmatize human rights defenders, journalists and media workers, exacerbate the atmosphere against them or distort their lines of investigation.'

Juan Carlos Muniz, a father-of-four, became the seventh journalist to be killed in Mexico in 2022, when he was shot dead in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, on March 4

Muniz was driving a taxi - his second job - when he was shot at least two times in the head (pictured)

The cartel-based conflict in Mexico has been likened to a low-intensity war between the government and various well-funded, brutal and barbaric drug cartels armed to the teeth with some of the latest high-tech weaponry.

Hundreds of thousands have been killed or have disappeared in the fifteen years since the cartels took hold of the country.

In March, Armando Linares was executed at his home by gunmen.

The Monitor Michoacan director and reporter Armando Linares was shot dead at home in Zitacuaro, a city in the western state of Michoacan.

Linares' killing came six weeks after the murder of a colleague, Roberto Toledo, from the same outlet.

It was Linares who announced Toledo's death on January 31 in a video posted to social media.

Mexican crime reporter Heber Lopez (pictured, right) became the fifth journalist to be murdered in the country in 2022 after an assassin walked into his office and opened fire February 10

Toledo, a camera operator and video editor for Monitor Michoacan, was shot as he prepared for an interview in Zitacuaro.

On March 4, gunmen killed Juan Carlos Muniz, who covered crime for the online news site Testigo Minero in the state of Zacatecas.

Jorge Camero, the director of an online news site who was until recently a municipal worker in the northern state of Sonora, was killed in late February.

In early February, Heber Lopez, director of the online news site Noticias Web, was shot dead in the southern state of Oaxaca.

Reporter Lourdes Maldonado Lopez was found shot dead inside her car in Tijuana on January 23, less than a week after crime photographer Margarito Martinez was gunned down outside his Tijuana home on January 17.

Reporter Jose Luis Gamboa was killed in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz on January 10.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams split his crime-plagued town this week to hobnob with billionaires and comedians on the West Coast - as his approval rating nosedives - and was so late in returning to the Big Apple on Thursday that he had to cancel scheduled press events.

Adams' two-day California adventure comes amid revelations that a member of the playboy mayor's entourage, Hollywood superagent Cade Hudson, was once accused of sexual harassment.

On Wednesday, Adams, 61, participated in a panel at the Milken Institute Global Conference on 'digital transformation' before heading to the local Museum of Tolerance to celebrate Israel's independence day. He finished the night attending billionaire philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen gala at his Hearst Estate in Beverly Hills.

The busy day followed Adams' stop to take in David Chappelle's show, where he witnessed 23-year-old Isiah Lee storm the stage with a gun that contained a hidden knife while the comedian joked that he'd had to increase his security in light of his trans jokes at the Netflix is a Joke festival.

Adams didn't arrive home until late Thursday because of what his press shop called a 'last-minute flight cancellation.' The cancellations forced the mayor to miss several events, including a rally demanding he be allowed to control the city's school system.

Adams' sojourn out West comes as crime continues to rise across the Big Apple despite his promises to crack down on the already surging numbers under predecessor Bill de Blasio.

Through May 1, overall crime is up 41 percent in New York City from the same period in 2021. While murders are down 14 percent, robberies are up 44 percent and felony assaults are up 19 percent.

A recent poll found that 43% of New Yorkers approve of Adams overall job since taking over in January  down from the 46% in the same survey conducted in February.

Eric Adams is seen with CAA agent Cade Hudson, who has allegedly made it into the mayor's inner circle, and supermodel Naomi Campbell at the members-only Zero Bond in Manhattan last month

NYC Mayor Eric Adams joins billionaire philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen for the Berggruen Prize Gala at Berggruen Hearst Estate in Beverly Hills, California, on Wednesday.

Adams, 61, paid for the trip out of campaign funds after attending the ritzy Met Gala on Monday, according to staffers and spent two days in Southern California

On Tuesday, however, Adams said he was at Chappelle's show, when a man stormed the stage while Chappelle joked that he'd had to increase his security in light of his trans jokes at the Netflix is a Joke festival

Adams has been seen about town throughout his first months in Gracie Mansion.

Not only did he appear at the Met Gala on Monday, he was also seen with actress Cara Delevigne and rappers A$AP Rocky and Common at various city events.

Most recently, reports have seen him welcome Hollywood agent Cade Hudson into his inner circle.

Adams has spent many evenings with Hudson, a CAA agent who reps Britney Spears, Sean Penn and Emma Roberts among others, the Daily News reports.

He was accused of offering access to directors in exchange for sex to a male actor in 2013, according to the LA Times. Hudson was never sued or charged and has denied anything improper happened.

Adams' reps told the Daily News Hudson is 'one of many people who know the mayor and have interacted with him.'

Adams, 61, paid for the California trip out of campaign funds after attending the ritzy Met Gala in New York on Monday, according to staffers and spent two days in Southern California.

He said Lee's actions were indicative of 'some of the mental health crises we're facing' and added that it was 'unbelievable.'

'Violence is unacceptable. Thank God there was a response to make sure that he wasn't injured seriously,' Adams said. 'It was horrific to have someone come on stage and attack in that manner.'

Adams, however, said that Chappelle was back to his normal self 'just telling jokes' after the attack.

Chappelle was uninjured and carried on with the show.

Lee was then tackled by security guards who appeared to break his arm in the melee. He is described as weighing 140lbs and is 5ft 11.

Scroll down for video

A battered Isaiah Lee is taken away after storming the stage at Dave Chappelle's show

Dave Chappelle was last night attacked on stage while filming a Netflix special in Los Angeles

Foxx replied: 'I thought that was part of the show, I didn't know what the f***...'

Chappelle said: 'I grabbed the back of that n**** head. His hair was spongy. Absorbent.'

Foxx added: 'Listen, I just want to say, this man is an absolute genius. We've got to make sure we protect him at all times.

'For every comedian who comes out here, this means everything. You're a genius. You're a legend, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and we're not going to let nothing happen to you.'

Chappelle said: 'I've been doing this for 35 years. I just stomped a n**** backstage. I've always wanted to do that.'
A disgraced ex-cop who dislocated a 73-year-old dementia sufferer's arm during an arrest and later laughed about it has been jailed for five years.

Austin Hopp, 26, violently arrested 80-pound grandmother Karen Garner in 2020 after she left a Walmart store without paying for about $14 worth of items in Loveland, about 50 miles north of Denver.

Police body camera video shows Hopp twisting her arm behind her back and as she was still holding the wildflowers she had been picking as she walked through a field.

Garner's shoulder later allegedly pops out of its socket as she cries in fear and confusion 'I'm going home!'

Hopp had struck a plea deal to a single charge of second-degree assault, a class four felony, that infuriated Garner's family by seeing him potentially walk away with only probation.

He had faced a mandatory prison sentence of between 10 and 32 years under an original, more serious assault charge.

Larimer County Sheriff's Office photo shows Austin Hopp in Fort Collins, Colo. Hopp, a former Colorado police officer shown on body camera video roughly arresting a 73-year-old woman with dementia and later seen joking about it with colleagues was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison

This video from the Loveland Police Department body camera footage shows Karen Garner on the ground while being arrested on June 26, 2020. Austin Hopp a former Colorado police officer shown on body camera video roughly arresting the 73-year-old woman with dementia and later seen joking about it has been sentenced to five years in prison. A judge also ordered Austin Hopp to serve three years of parole during Thursday May 5, 2022, sentencing hearing.

State District Judge Michelle Brinegar said: 'Hopp used his position of power and authority to show off his toughness, disregard any sense of humanity, displayed an alarming degree of criminal thinking and caused a great deal of harm and trauma.

'This case is not about a mistake,' she said before dishing out the sentence. 'I do think you are sorry, but I don't think you get it.'

She also ordered Hopp to serve three years of parole,

Police station surveillance video released by Garners lawyer showed Hopp and others talking and at times laughing or joking about the arrest as they watch the body camera footage with Garner in a holding cell nearby.

At one point, Hopp told the others to listen for the 'pop' during the part of footage when Garners shoulder was allegedly dislocated.

Bodycam footage shows that Hopp had Garner pushed against the hood of his car as she struggled to understand what was happening.

The former Loveland, Colorado police officer, right, was first charged with second degree assault, attempting to influence a public servant and official misconduct last year

He faced up to 32 years in prison for the 2020 arrest of Karen Garner, a then-73-year-old woman with dementia, who allegedly walked out of a Walmart with less than $14 in products

Garner, who frequently forgets things, repeated, 'I'm going home,' over and over again as the officer shoved her to the ground, breaking her arm in the process

He then pushed her back against the car and moved her bent left arm up near her head, holding it, saying, 'Are you finished? Are you finished? We dont play this game.'

The video shows the moment Hopp dislocated Garner's shoulder. She filed a federal lawsuit for a dislocated shoulder, a broken humerus and a sprained wrist.

The city settled the lawsuit for $3 million, money which her family has said will pay for the around-the-clock care she has required after her condition deteriorated following her arrest.

'She had pleas that were ignored,' Garner's daughter-in-law Shannon Steward told reporters outside the courthouse during the trial. 'And we have to come here today to honor him for this plea deal. It's a slap in the face.'

Prior to the incident, her mother-in-law lived alone with constant monitoring from family who used a tracker on her phone to see where she was.

Shannon Steward, Garner's daughter-in-law, railed against the plea deal on Wednesday. 'She had pleas that were ignored,' she said of Garner. 'And we have to come here today to honor him for this plea deal. Its a slap in the face'

Hopp bragged about the arrest as Garner languished in a cell for the next six hours crying out in pain because of a fractured arm and dislocated shoulder. She is pictured sat in her cell and in pain

Meanwhile, Hopp bragged about the arrest, saying, 'I think it went great. I think we crushed it'

She had left it at home the day she was roughed up by Hopp.

Today, she lives in a facility for dementia patients, suffers from PTSD and no longer recognizes her three children and nine grandchildren.

'Karen would repeat things, she would show me her new bedspread three times while I was visiting, that sort of thing. But she wasn't leaving the stove on, it wasnt dangerous. She loved to walk, she loved to be active,' Steward told DailyMail.com.

Steward explained how Garner could not process her ordeal at the hands of Hopp and his partner Daria Jalali during the arrest and would not let anyone near her including doctors and nurses.

Hopp along with Jalali were fired and Hopp charged with second degree assault, attempting to influence a public servant and official misconduct in May 2021 for the botched arrest. The charge was reduced after the plea deal.

Garner's family will see it as a victory that Judge Brinegar still saw fit to impose a jail term on Hopp after the possibility that he would get off with just probation.


Video of vending machines dispensing menstrual products in boys bathrooms at Oregon school have begun to surface after Governor Kate Brown signed the controversial Menstrual Dignity Act into law.

The new law will require elementary, middle and high schools to put menstrual products and instructions into all bathrooms on campus, regardless of gender.

A TikTok video shot this month apparently shows a functioning tampon dispenser inside of a boys bathroom, showing that the process of installing the machines has already begun.

Oregon is the first state to pass such a law. All bathrooms must be fitted with menstrual product machines by June 2023. The Menstrual Dignity Act passed in the Oregon legislature in 2021.

According to the law: 'All education providers shall install in every bathroom at least one dispenser that does not require coins or money' and 'is clearly marked as free in at least two languages.'

When asked about the act in an April 2022 interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Oregon Department of Education director Colt Gill said that the act was designed to help school districts 'to understand how they can be supportive of all students' and 'what pronouns that they choose to use at school.'

Gill said that if a district is not in compliance with the new law, students are invited to contact the Oregon Department of Education. He added: 'We are happy to come in and help the school district and the community understand the laws that are in place.'

After Gov. Brown signed the bill into law, the Family Research Council released a statement saying in part: 'local taxpayers are on the hook for thousands of new tampon dispensers in boys bathrooms'

A statement from the state's biggest school district, Portland Public Schools, addressed the new law saying that their schools would have menstrual products available in all bathrooms by the start of the 2022-23 school year.

The Daily Mail reached out to both Portland Public Schools and the Oregon Department of Education for comment on this story but has yet to hear back.

The release continued, 'We encourage parents to have conversations with their students at home about menstruation, menstrual products, sexuality and health.'

It continues, 'This program will be implemented best if we work in partnership to reduce shame and stigma around menstruation and help all students address basic physical needs in order to remove barriers to their overall education.'

At the time the law passed the legislature, the Oregon Department of Education released a statement citing a similar law in New York City that saw an increase of 2.4 percent in attendance following the implementation.

A TikTok video showing a boys' bathroom with a tampon machine installed went viral as the bill was passed into law

After the bill was signed into law, the Family Research Council released a statement which read in part, 'Thanks to the Menstrual Dignity Act that just passed in Oregon, local taxpayers are now on the hook for thousands of new tampon dispensers in boys bathrooms.'

When a similar bill in was up for debate in the Illinois legislature, state Rep. Avery Bourne (R) said, ''When you give a grade-school boy something that's adhesive, they're going to put it in places. These products are not inexpensive, and they are going to be misused if they are placed in elementary school boys' bathrooms.'
A man in his 30s has been taken to hospital in a critical condition after falling six metres from a window in front of horrified schoolchildren.

The incident occurred around 8am Friday morning on Woonoona Avenue at Wahroonga in Sydney's north.

The Abbotsleigh Junior School is located on the street but it is not yet known whether the incident occurred at the school.

Three crews along with the Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter with a critical care doctor and critical care paramedic were dispatched to the scene.

The injured man has been taken to Royal North Shore Hospital, a NSW Ambulance spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

The injured man has been taken to Royal North Shore Hospital, a NSW Ambulance spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia

NSW Police said officers are currently on the scene and had cleared the area for a helicopter to land in order to transport the man to hospital.

'It appears the patient has fallen several metres from a window,' confirmed Charnan Kurth of NSW Ambulance Service.

'Its obviously a worrying time for bystanders on scene when an incident like this occurs, they did a great job assisting the patient until paramedics arrived.

More to come
Residents have been left fuming after receiving fines of more than $500 for parking out the front of their own homes.

People living at Bonogin in the Gold Coast hinterland, Queensland, claimed they had been parking in the same spots for the past 10 years without issue.

One couple told Nine News Gold Coast they recently discovered they had been fined $510 for parking their ute on the grass in front of their property.

Residents in the Gold Coast town of Bonogin have been left fuming after receiving fines of more than $500 for parking in the front yard of their homes (pictured)

They have expressed the situation as 'just ridiculous.'

A neighbour was also issued with a fine.

'Parking on your front lawn and cop a fine for it, it's just crazy,' he said.

Council has said inspectors do not inspect the area unless they have been dobbed in by another neighbour.

A couple received a fine of $510 (pictured) for parking their ute on the grass in front of their property

The Bonogin locals live in a semi-rural area on a no-through road with no footpaths and rarely have anyone walk through the street.

According to the letter of the law residents must not block the nature strip in a built-up area with their vehicles.

But locals argue their street does not constitute a built-up area.

The law states you can't block a nature strip in a built-up area, but the residents argue their street (pictured) does not fit the description

Gold Coast Council Mayor Tom Tate has come out in favour of the residents.

'If it is safe, then they should leave it alone,' he said.

Mr Tate has said he will listen to the arguments put forward by the residents and look into this issue.
Quarry workers have accidentally created a new British mountain by dumping more than a thousand tons of waste rock on an existing hill.

Myrddyn Phillips, a map-maker and surveyor, said a piece of high ground at a quarry in North Wales now qualifies for mountain status.

A peak called Manod Mawr North Top has been eroded by quarrying, but resulted in the formation of a second, slightly lower peak.

According to Mr Phillips, who has spent 20 years surveying peaks to judge if they qualify for mountain status, the new mountain near Blaenau Ffestiniog should be added to his list of Welsh Highlands.

Picturesque Manod Mawr peak in North Wales is the site of the new man-made mountain

He defines the Welsh Highlands as hills in Wales that are more than 2,000ft high with a 49ft drop to the col  the saddle or ridge between two peaks.

Mr Phillips said it was the first time since the list was launched in 2004 that a peak had been upgraded to mountain status because of human intervention.

The surveyor, from Welshpool, said: The mountain was first spotted on an online map by a colleague  I was intrigued and needed to see this unusual peak myself.

I was looking for the vertical height gain between the col and the summit. It had once been relatively flat as it connected to the Manod Mawr North Top. By quarrying that ridge, they have created a brand new peak.

Mr Phillips previously hit the headlines in 2019 when he concluded that a street in Harlech, north-west Wales was the steepest in the world - only to lose the title to New Zealand city Dunedin the following year.

He said he hoped Waless new mountain would inspire people to explore their local peaks - despite the latest edition to the Welsh Highlands being on private ground.

Since I have taken up surveying, the areas it has taken me to is fantastic. You see places you otherwise would never have discovered - some of them are so beautiful, he said.

Glyder Fawr in Snowdonia was redefined as a super mountain in 2010 after surveyors found it was 1,000 metres high - not its previous measurement of 999 metres.
Britains biggest housebuilder has slammed Michael Goves plans to make developers pay to fix unsafe homes as unjust and disproportionate.

Barratt Developments boss David Thomas yesterday wrote to the Housing Secretary expressing his deep disappointment that a 3billion levy  originally aimed at firms building high-rise blocks  would now be industry wide.

It comes on top of a 3billion developer tax, which already targets the sector.

Mr Thomas also said that the expansion of the levy punishes those who were not responsible for the cladding scandal.

Mr Gove tore up government policy in January when he scrapped a previous loan scheme for leaseholders and said developers should bear the full cost of fixing cladding and other defects in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell fire.

Britains biggest housebuilder has slammed Michael Goves plans to make developers pay to fix unsafe homes as unjust and disproportionate

He also threatened to shut out building firms that refused to contribute to a new building safety fund.

More than 35 housebuilders have so far agreed to provide at least 2billion to repair buildings taller than 11 metres.

A government spokesman said that building safety is an industry-wide failure and added: We make no apologies for making developers pay.

But Mr Thomas argued that overseas firms, as well as manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and others who had a role in the building safety crisis, including government itself, are not paying anything towards the costs of the problems they had a hand in creating.

He called for the levy to be delayed until others had been made to pay their fair share, adding: The unavoidable conclusion is that government is unfairly targeting established UK companies simply because it is easy to do so while finding it difficult to bring other organisations and overseas companies to account.

Mr Gove tore up government policy in January when he scrapped a previous loan scheme for leaseholders and said developers should bear the full cost of fixing cladding and other defects in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell fire

Barratt, which has made about 3billion in profit since Grenfell, said it had set aside 480million to fix unsafe homes it has built.

The firm believes it will pay another 400million through the developer tax to fix unsafe homes built by others.

Giles Grover, of the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign group, said: It is difficult, if not impossible, to feel any sympathy for developers like Barratt - firms that have profited to the tune of billions since the Grenfell tragedy.

However, we do not disagree with the notion that the Government has not spread the net widely enough to ensure all those who played a part in causing this crisis are made to contribute to costs of remediation.

A Government spokesman said: 'We make no apologies for making developers pay, rather than innocent leaseholders, and will not accept any delays.

'Building safety is an industry-wide failure and we do expect others to step up.

'The Building Safety Act gives developers and freeholders new legal avenues to hold the companies that made unsafe products to account and we will pursue firms that attempt to evade their responsibilities.'
A US official confirmed that the Biden administration shared intel with Ukraine that helped locate and sink the Russian flagship Moskva last month in a stunning blow to Vladimir Putin's offensive.

On Thursday, an American official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the US shared intelligence about the location of the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet prior to the April strike by Ukraine.

The official said that the US did not know Ukraine planned on striking the Moskva - a huge Soviet-era missile cruiser- and was not involved in Kyiv's decision, NBC News reported.

The 600-foot long ship had roughly 500 sailors on board when it was struck. It is still unclear how many Russians were injured or died in the attack

A US official said that the US did not know Ukraine planned on striking the Moskva- a huge Soviet-era missile cruiser- and was not involved in the decision

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said American agencies 'do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military'

The intel was given to Ukraine to help them defend themselves from attacks from Russia on its southern port city of Odessa.

Officials have been tight lipped about what specific information was passed along to Ukraine but one official told the New York Times that the information went beyond simply a report on the ships location in the Black Sea.

The 600-foot long ship had roughly 500 sailors on board when it was struck, and while some of the crewmembers were evacuated it is still unclear how many Russians were injured or died in the attack.

The US Navy used its new marine surveillance aircraft to provide accurate targeting data to Ukrainian forces to sink the Russian flagship in the Black Sea on April 13.

According to The Times, a US marine surveillance P-8 Poseidon aircraft, was tracking Moskva in the hours before it was attacked before supplying its location to the Ukrainian military.

The disclosure of U.S. support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraine's resistance and as polls suggest Americans question whether President Joe Biden is being tough enough on Russia.

As the conflict between the countries continues, the Biden administration has ramped up intelligence sharing with Ukraine alongside the shipment of arms and missiles to help it repel Russia's invasion.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February, the White House has tried to balance supporting Ukraine, a democratic ally, against not doing anything that would seem to provoke a direct war between Putin and the U.S. and NATO allies.

The disclosure of U.S. support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraine's resistance

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet - the Soviet-era guided missile destroyer Moskva - has suffered heavy damage and may have sunk after Ukraine claimed to have shot it with two anti-ship cruise missiles

Speaking earlier Thursday after a New York Times report about the U.S. role in supporting Ukraine's killing of Russian generals, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said American agencies 'do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.'

'Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intel that they themselves are gathering and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions,' Kirby said.

The incident that was a high-profile failure for Russia's military.

Ukraine claimed it fired two Neptun missiles at the Russian warship which was patrolling south of Odesa.

Russia initially claimed the vessel, which had more than 500 crew on board had blown up after a fire onboard.

Later, the Kremlin was forced to admit the vessel - named in honour of the Russian capital - had been taken out by hostile action.

The vessel sank as tugs attempted to tow the crippled warship back to Crimea for repairs.

News of the US' role in the sinking of the warship comes as US officials said that of the approximately 12 Russian generals killed by Ukrainian forces, 'many' had been targeted with the help of US intelligence.

The New York Times reported that Washington has provided Ukraine real-time battlefield information on Russia's expected troop movements and the location about Russia's mobile military headquarters, which relocate often.

Ukraine has combined those details with its own intelligence, which includes intercepted communications that reveal whether senior officers are located within a base, to conduct artillery strikes and other attacks that have killed Russian generals.

U.S. officials declined to specify how many generals had been killed as a result of American intelligence, the newspaper said.

The US National Security Council slammed the assertion that the United States was helping Ukraine kill Russian generals as 'irresponsible.'

'The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country,' NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

'We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals.'

The heavy loss of high-ranking Russian military officers has stunned Western security officials, who last confirmed an official tally of seven generals in late March, though Ukraine has since announced more.

Among the Russian generals confirmed dead are Major General Anton Simonov, 55, who was killed during an attack on a Russian command post near Kharkiv and Lt General Andrey Mordvichev who was killed in Kherson on March 19.

Major-General Oleg Mityaev, 47, commander of the army's 150th motorised rifle division, died fighting in the besieged city of Mariupol while Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, was killed on March 7 outside the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Meanwhile Major-General Andrey Kolesnikov, Commander of the Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division, was also killed in fighting on March 11 and Major-General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, was killed during a special operation by a sniper on March 3.

In addition, General Magomed Tushaev, a Chechen special forces leader, was killed in an ambush near Hostomel, Lt General Yakov Rezantsev, commander of Russia's 49th combined army, was killed in a strike near Kherson and Major General Vladimir Frolov died in battle.
Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's presidential transition committee, speaks with local media at the Gyeonggido Business & Science Accelerator in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's presidential transition team, hinted at running in the by-election for the Bundang electoral district in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, as the team wrapped up its 50-day journey, Friday.



He made the comments during the last event of the transition committee at the Gyeonggido Business & Science Accelerator in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday afternoon.



When asked whether he would run in the by-election, Ahn answered, "I would devote myself to an election victory in Bundang as well as to other regions in the capital area," after his job as head of the transition team is over.






An anti-corruption watchdog has grilled Daniel Andrews at a secret hearing about his links with a property developer being investigated for allegedly corrupt land deals.

It's the second time the Victorian Premier has been hauled into a private hearing by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, sparking renewed calls for him to stand down as leader.

In the latest round of secret hearings, Mr Andrews was quizzed about his associations with Ferrari-driving property developer John Woodman, who's under investigation from IBAC for allegedly corrupt land deals with Casey councillors in Melbourne's south-east.

It's understood IBAC is probing connections between the Premier and the developer who have attended the same political fundraising functions and whether large donations led to privileged access at a ministerial level, The Australian reported.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured with wife Catherine) has again been grilled by the anti-corruption watchdog

Another focus of the probe is whether Mr Andrews was given the property developer's phone number.

Mr Andrews initially told the inquiry veteran Labor lobbyist Philip Staindl may have provided him with Mr Woodman's mobile number.

He later changed his testimony and told the hearing it was highly unlikely he would have requested or was given the developer's contact details.

Mr Andrews has previously denied any association with Mr Woodman.

A government spokesman declined to respond to questions due to the active IBAC investigation.

The secret hearing was part of IBAC investigation Operation Sandon into allegations of corrupt conduct involving Casey councillors and property developers.

The Premier was quizzed about his links with property developer John Woodman (pictured)

'The Operation Sandon draft special report is currently going through a natural justice process,' a spokesman said.

'This process provides people involved in the investigation with a reasonable opportunity to respond to material relating to them. IBAC will not making any further comment on the investigation.'

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has renewed calls for Mr Andrews to 'do the decent thing' and step down until IBAC hands down its report.

He also demanded Mr Andrews answer questions regarding his latest IBAC secret hearing.

'I think the Premier should answer those questions. He's the one that's been interviewed,' Mr Guy said on Friday.

'The Premier always says when it comes to other politicians, federal, state or otherwise, well, they've got questions to answer.

It's the second time Daniel Andrews (pictured) has been hauled into a private hearing by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission

'Well now he does. How about he answer those questions?

'How many times has he been interviewed, on what topics and is he the one that asked to be interviewed in secret, and if so, why, what has he got to hide?'

It was revealed last week Mr Andrews was secretly questioned by the state's anti-corruption watchdog as part of a separate investigation into the Labor Party.

A draft report has revealed Mr Andrews is among several senior figures that privately admitted 'significant cultural reform is required within the ALP'.

IBAC spoke to 26 witnesses, including the premier, as well as seven others in public hearings.

The Premier has repeatedly refused to comment on his involvement with the probe that found wrongdoing and the likely misuse of publicly funded staff across Labor's factions.
Russia appears to be facing an upsurge in sabotage of facilities with military links amid the war in Ukraine.

A video shows how a Russian military enlistment office was hit by multiple Molotov cocktails as speculation intensifies that Vladimir Putin is to introduce mass army mobilisation.

And a series of fires - one of which officially killed 22 at a defence ministry missile design research institute, and another with three deaths at an explosives plant - are also seen as possible arson with Russian officials covering up or minimising some of the attacks.

A chemical plant in Dzerzhinsk, pictured, was destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been established

It is reported the Dzerzhinsk facility was once used to manufacture chemical weapons

The chemical plant explosion was one of several major fires to have rocked Russia

Human rights group gulagu.net viewed this week's attack on the military enlistment office in Nizhnevartovsk as an 'anti-war protest'.

Pro-government sources said that two Molotov cocktails were thrown and a third failed to catch fire.

'But the video shows how a man methodically sets fire to seven Molotov cocktails one after another, throws them and sets fire to the entrance of the military enlistment office,' said the group.

'And this is even before the announcement of partial or full mobilisation.

'People are against the war - no-one needs the slaughter, killings and self-isolation of Russia.

'The protest is radicalising. No to war.'

The bomb-thrower and an accomplice are clearly seen in the video running from the scene in the oil boom city in western Siberia.

In a gigantic fire on Monday three women died at explosives manufacturer Perm Gunpowder Plant, which supplies the army.

The plant makes Grad and Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, used by Russian forces in Ukraine, and air defence systems as well as tank rounds.

It supplies gunpowder for small arms.

An eyewitness told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper: 'The building just flew into the air.'

Firefighters battled to douse the flames across the Dzerzhinsk facility

A facility at the plant 'just doesn't exist anymore'.

One woman called Svetlana 'couldn't even run out, but the other girls fled - they were all burned.

'Olga had 100 per cent body burns. She was not even taken to the hospital.

'But Ulyana was alive, she had 99 per cent burns, and her son in the second grade is waiting for her at home.

'I don't know how to go to work any more. I cried all night..'

The dead explosives workers were named as Svetlana Bardakova, 59, Olga Savishchenko, 43, and Ulyana Frants, 36.

On Wednesday, a railway tanker containing unspecified solvents caught fire on the territory of huge factory Kaprolaktam, in Dzerzhinsk, which once made chemical weapons.

A fire train was deployed to fight the raging inferno.

There remains suspicion over the cause of a fire which killed 20 with three still missing two weeks ago at a top secret missile-designing defence plant in Tver.

It killed some of the country's top missile designers and destroyed their work.

Some military scientists jumped for their lives from windows at the burning plant which develops new space and weapons systems.

Russia initially said one had died but later admitted the death toll was 22, with one unaccounted for in the gutted complex.

Earlier a Russian journalist was gagged after alleging the authorities were lying on the true toll.

Three women have been killed following an explosion at the Perm gunpowder plant

Blame has been put on faulty wiring but a criminal case is underway into a fire which razed the Second Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defence causing untold damage to Russian weapons research.

Suspicions have been voiced that the fire was sabotage.

The institute is central to the design of Iskander missiles, which have been unleashed in the war in Ukraine, as well as Russia's S-400 missile defence system.

It is involved in other 'secret projects'.

In Nizhnevartovsk fire damaged the enlistment office but caused no casualties, according to reports.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia planned to announce a general mobilisation or declare all-out war.

British defence secretary Ben Wallace had said such moves could come on 9 May, when Russia marks its annual Victory Day with a vast military display on Red Square.

This commemorates the end of the Second World War in which tens of millions of Soviet citizens perished.

'It's not true, it's nonsense,' said Peskov concerning the speculation over mobilisation and a full declaration of war against Ukraine.

Yet Putin is seen as needing reinforcements for his war effort in Donbas.

It is also clear that conscripts have been sent to the war, despite promises not to - for example on the sunken Moskva cruiser.

And Russian officials denied there would be an invasion of Ukraine in the days and weeks before Putin sent in his troops.
Using the term white privilege puts people off campaigning for social justice, a study has found.

The phrase made discussions less constructive, more polarised, and less supporting over racially progressive policies, researchers said.

A more inclusive term such as racial inequality was found to be better at creating a sense of shared purpose.

White privilege refers to the idea that white people enjoy unearned benefits over other ethnicities due to biases in society.

Using the term white privilege puts people off campaigning for social justice, a study has found (stock image)

The University of Michigan spoke to nearly 1,000 people  82 per cent of whom were white.

They were asked: Should colleges rename buildings that were named after people who actively supported X?

For half the group X was replaced with the phrase racial inequality and for the others it was replaced with white privilege.

The research  in the journal PLOS One  found the number supporting the cause fell by 26 percentage points when the latter was used.

The University of Michigan (pictured) spoke to nearly 1,000 people  82 per cent of whom were white

The studys lead author Christopher Quarles said: Mentioning white privilege was enough to flip white support for renaming college buildings from primarily supportive to primarily opposing.

The term first appeared in academia in the 1980s but became more widely used over the past decade amid heightened racial tensions, the study said.

It came under the spotlight in the UK last year after a parliamentary report suggested teaching it in schools was divisive and pitted pupils against each other.

Last year, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said schools must not teach children about white privilege as if it were fact

Last year, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said schools must not teach children about white privilege as if it were fact.

He warned it was a contested view and teachers who promote it risk pushing partisan politics on to pupils.

The minister spoke out after a report by the Commons education committee suggested that teaching white privilege could be against the equality act.

It highlighted how white working-class pupils had been neglected by the education system for decades
A council leader has resigned from the Conservative Party after accusing the government of 'ignoring' his county.

Oliver Hemsley says he will continue leading Rutland County Council as an independent after announcing his resignation from the Conservative Group shortly after local election polls closed.

Mr Hemsley said inequalities in Rutland have been 'compounded year-on-year' because of council tax and accused the government of 'ignoring and sidelining' the council despite repeated requests for help.

The next elections for Rutland County Council won't take place until next year, though the Lib Dems won one seat being contested on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Marc Bayliss, the Tory leader of Worcester City Council, told reporters he was heading home early from the election count and is anticipating a disastrous night for his party.

Mr Bayliss blamed partygate and said the public had found the government's performance 'wanting'.

He added: 'I think it is fair to say we are having a bad night.'

His comments were echoed by the leader of the Conservatives on Sunderland Council, Antony Mullen, who called for Boris Johnson to step down.

He told the BBC: 'It's been Partygate - it's suppressed our turnout. Quite clearly that's the only thing that has changed nationally that has affected this

Oliver Hemsley (left) resigned from the Tory party but will continue to lead Rutland County Council as an independent. Marc Bayliss (right), the Tory leader of Worcester City Council, told reporters he was heading home early from the election count and is anticipating a disastrous night for his party

Mr Bayliss blamed partygate for a bad night for the Tories and said the public had found the government's performance 'wanting'. Pictured is Boris Johnson after casting his vote yesterday

England London Scotland Wales

'The best chance of reviving the Conservative Party's fortunes will be with a new leader.

'If there is no improvement in the party's reputation, then clearly something has to change.'

Conservative leader of Carlisle City Council John Mallinson urged Tory MPs to decide whether they wanted Mr Johnson to lead them into the next general election.

He told Sky News the PM 'must shoulder an awful lot of the blame' for a poor local elections performance and described how Partygate and the cost-of-living crisis were key concerns of voters.

Mr Mallinson said there was a feeling among the public that 'the Government are not in touch and, sadly I have to say, the PM cannot be relied upon to be telling the truth'.

He said he expected Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the Tory 1922 Committee, to soon receive more letters of no confidence in Mr Johnson from MPs.

The councillor added: 'Whether it gets to 54 or not (the number of letters needed to trigger a confidence vote in the PM), I'm not sure. But I rather feel that's they way it's going.'

Simon Bosher, the Conservative group leader on Portsmouth City Council, said: 'Those in power in Westminster really do need to take a good hard look in the mirror.

'Because it's the rank-and-file grassroots members who they rely on who are actually losing their seats tonight.'

He also called on the PM to reflect on the Tories' local election performance as he hit out at 'too many mistakes, too many mismanged situations' from the party's leadership.

A downbeat Boris Johnson admitted the Tories will have their 'a*** kicked' in the local elections as Cabinet ministers prepare fresh efforts to keep him in Number 10.

As polling stations closed last night and vote counting began, the Conservatives were braced to lose hundreds of councillors around the country.

This was despite hopes their support might hold up in Red Wall areas.

The PM was said to be pessimistic about his party's chances of avoiding a drubbing, with the BBC reporting he yesterday told aides ahead of ballot papers being counted: 'We are going to get our a*** kicked tonight.'

Flagship councils such as Wandsworth - the London borough that was famously Margaret Thatcher's favourite - and possibly Westminster were set to slip from Conservative control.

Boris Johnson reportedly told aides ahead of ballot papers being counted: 'We are going to get our a*** kicked tonight'

The Tories were also facing the prospect of being booted out of power in West Oxfordshire.

A dismal set of local election results will ratchet up the pressure on Mr Johnson's position in Downing Street in the wake of the Partygate scandal.

But allies of the PM are preparing a counter-offensive in case rebel Tories seek to use bruising results as an excuse to pounce.

They will try to soothe nerves among backbenchers by arguing the PM has got the 'big calls right' and is the best person to navigate the economy through 'choppy water ahead'.

A Cabinet source said: 'Boris delivered Brexit, got us through Covid, and is now right at the front of the global response to the invasion of Ukraine.

'He is absolutely the right leader to take Britain forward.'
Pictured: Childcare worker Bianca Reynolds

A childcare worker who was one of two staff on the bus where a little girl almost died after she was left for six hours is beside herself and 'going through a tough time'.

Le Smileys Early Learning Centre director Bianca Reynolds is hunkering down with her mother and sister at her home in Gracemere, in Queensland's Rockhampton region.

'This is a horrible situation for anybody,' her protective sister Emily told Daily Mail Australia. 'She's going through a really tough time.'

Ms Reynolds was reportedly on the mini bus which picked up three-year-old Nevaeh Austin from her home about 9am on Wednesday morning for the school pick-up.

Police are now investigating how both Ms Reynolds and her colleague came to forget about Nevaeh, who was the only child on the bus at the time.

One of Ms Reynold's colleagues found Nevaeh unconscious beside her belongings on the bus when they returned about 3pm to begin drop offs.

The three-year-old has improved significantly since she was transferred to Brisbane Children's hospital and has been 'giggling, squealing and eating ice cream' in hospital.

It's a miraculous recovery for a little girl who just two days ago was given 'a 5 to 10 per cent chance of survival', according to her grandmother Pamela Parker.

Le Smileys Early Learning Centre director Bianca Reynolds is hunkering down with her mother and sister at her home in Gracemere, in Queensland's Rockhampton region

Ms Reynolds was reportedly on the mini bus which picked up three-year-old Nevaeh Austin from her home about 9am on Wednesday morning for the school pick-up

The first photo of the toddler in recovery (pictured) has emerged as her father made a visit to her in the Queensland Children's Hospital

A staff photograph on the wall of the reception in the daycare lists Ms Reynolds as a 'director' and 'nominated supervisor'

Ms Parker says she and the rest of Nevaeh's family now want answers as to how a task as mundane as the school round pick up could go so horribly wrong.

Ms Reynolds, a mother herself, has worked at Le Smileys for six years, starting as an apprentice fresh out of university in 2016.

A staff photograph on the wall of the reception in the daycare lists Ms Reynolds as a 'director' and 'nominated supervisor'.

She is one of five staff in the picture, including the owner.

A former Le Smileys director said she hired Ms Reynolds because of her clear passion for children and their development.

Three-year-old Nevaeh Austin (pictured) was unresponsive when found on the bus at a childcare centre

Nevaeh Austin (pictured) is now awake but remains in a critical condition in hospital

Ms Reynolds has always loved children and in a 2016 interview said she would care for children even when she was in primary school.

She 'always knew' she would go into childcare.

Police have not yet laid any charges but refuse to rule out doing so. They're still investigating the incident and returned to the childcare on Friday to conduct further testing on the van.

Ms Parker said while she wouldn't want to hinder the investigation, she can't fathom what went through the minds of staff on Wednesday morning.

'You would at least on your last drop off or back to the daycare, you'd actually get in the back of the van and make sure there's no bags, toys, no bottles, certainly no children,' she said.

'That should have been first and foremost in the front of their minds, check the bus.'

Neveah is in a stable condition now, breathing on her own as her grandmother is set to join her at the Queensland Children's Hospital on Friday afternoon.

Forensic police officers (pictured) paid particular attention to the glass windows on the driver's side of the van during investigations on Thursday

The family's of Nevaeh Austin (grandmother Pamela Parker, left, and father Shane Austin, right) said they have spoken to their little girl since the incident as she continues to fight for life in hospital

Officers worked late on Thursday night to examine the van, which has been forensically tested but not yet removed from the day care centre.

A child's booster seat was visible as officers took pictures from multiple angles, jotted down notes and discussed their findings among one another.

A temperature recording camera appeared to be placed in the locked van at one stage. It's understood police hoped to gauge an estimate of how hot it may have been inside the van for the six hours Nevaeh was trapped inside.

Temperatures peaked at 30C in Rockhampton on Thursday  just one degree warmer than it was on Wednesday. Estimates suggest the interior of a car could have reached 56C after just 2 hours in direct sunlight.

As the sun set, police continued to photograph the interior and exterior of the van using a high technology 3D laser scanner to exactly replicate the conditions met by the driver, her colleague and Nevaeh on Wednesday.

They paid particular attention to the glass windows on the driver's side of the van.

A police officer is seen photographing a van in which a toddler was left for six hours

The family of Nevaeh Austin (pictured) are now seeking answers as to how the incident could have happened

A sign out the front of the school boasts of having a pick-up and drop-off service, which centre owner Michelle O'Rourke revealed on Thursday would be permanently suspended in the wake of this latest tragedy.

Just steps away from where the van was parked there are more signs warning of the dangers of leaving children in hot cars.

'Never leave children alone in a car,' one sign reads.

'Four-and-a-half minutes inside of a car could be as high as 70 degrees.'

The warning also outlines health risks, including heat stress, dehydration, brain injury, serious kidney damage, and death.

'Always check your back seat is free of passengers before leaving your car,' the sign reads.

Ms O'Rourke sent an email to families on Thursday morning to inform them that school would be closed until at least the end of the week.

Just steps away from where the van was parked there are more signs warning of the dangers of leaving children in hot cars (pictured)

A temperature recording camera appeared to be placed in the van by police (pictured)

Meanwhile inside the centre, three plain clothes detectives were sifting through administrative documents and photographing the area behind the reception desk.

Police tape blocks both the entrance to and the exit from Le Smileys and investigations are expected to continue for at least the next few days.

Earlier on Thursday, the youngster's aunt, Christy Atta-Singh, opened up about her heartache.

'Thank you to everyone that has messaged, called or offered help at this horrendous time. It's a disheartening time for all involved,' she wrote on Facebook.

'Vaeh has Austin in her blood so is fighting her little heart out, and has been raised by a tough woman.'

'It's gut wrenching seeing and being bedside to such an innocent child.'

Ms Atta-Singh said her niece is 'in the best hands' and has 'all the love and support in the world'.
Anti-abortion activists took to the streets around Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home in Alexandria, Virginia, Thursday to thank him for a draft opinion - that was leaked earlier this week - which would overturn Roe v Wade.

On Monday, Politico reported the high court's intention to overturn the landmark 1973 abortion decision in Roe v Wade, which established women's constitutional right to an abortion.

Just days later, pictures emerged showing a group of anti-abortion activists marching up and down the leafy streets around Alito's Virginia home.

It was a welcome sign for the George W. Bush appointee, after reports surfaced of left-wing groups gearing up to target the justices' homes with protests over the leaked document.

One noticeable sign Thursday read, 'Alito rocks,' while another said, 'The draft is genius.'

The show of support comes as the the Supreme Court justice has canceled a public appearance that was scheduled to start Thursday.

He was supposed to appear at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' judicial conference, a gathering of judges from the New Orleans-based federal appeals court and the district courts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Alito fans show their support for the justice following the leak of his controversial opinion regarding Roe v Wade

Pro-abortion protests are expected at the homes of conservative justices

Chief Justice John Roberts has confirmed that Alito's opinion draft is legitimate

Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court's secretive deliberation process and on a case of surpassing importance

Justice Samuel Alito Jr. poses for a portrait in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court June 1, 2017 in the nation's capital. Alito was appointed to the court by former President George W. Bush in 2006

Alito wrote in his opinion that it was an 'inescapable conclusion' that 'a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation's history and traditions.'

Following the leak, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that the document was legitimate.

Since then, both pro- and anti-abortion activists have protested nationwide, including outside of the Supreme Court building in Washington D.C.

Worries about those protests led to the construction of large metal fencing around the steps of the court.

On the other side of the spectrum, pro-abortion group Ruth Sent Us, named for the late Justice Ruth Ginsberg, has begun to plot protests outside of the conservative justice's homes.

Justice Samuel Alito canceled an appearance at a judicial conference in the fallout from the leak

Alito lives here with his wife wife of 37 years, Martha-Ann, a former law librarian. The couple has two grown children together, Philip and Laura

Armed Supreme Court police officers shown outside of Alito's house. The Supreme Court Police provides protection at the justice's homes

The group published the supposed addresses of Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts and are planning a 'walk-by' of their homes next Wednesday, May 11.

Ruth Sent Us' homepage greets visitors with an interactive map showing the location of the homes.

The blurb reads: 'ANNOUNCING: Walk-by Wednesday, May 11 2022! At the homes of the six extremist justices, three in Virginia and three in Maryland.'

On their Twitter page, Ruth Sent Us, is described as 'We rise up against a corrupt and illegitimate Supreme Court.'
Advertisement

Desperate parents across the United States are struggling to get their hands on baby formula amid a nationwide shortage as major national retailers have enforced rationing and one website charged up to $800 for the precious tins following a recall on popular products after an infant died of an infection.

In the week ending April 24, CBS News reports, 40 to 50 percent of the top-selling baby formula products were out of stock at stores across the country, according to an analysis from Datasembly, which tracked baby formula stock at more than 11,000 retailers.

National out-of-stock levels jumped nine percentage points from 31 percent to 40 percent between April 3 and April 24, according to an analysis from Datasembly.

'An entire month [there] was nothing... nothing online, nothing in stores nearby,' Nicole Brown, the mother of a 5-month-old told News 4 Jacksonville in Florida.

'I can get Amazon delivered to my door, but I can't feed my son. It's absolutely heartbreaking.'

And in Virginia, Jill Bradford, a foster mom to a 5-month-old baby girl with medical needs, says she has less than two days of the special amino acid-based formula the baby needs.

'We've called the WIC office,' Bradford told WTVR. 'We've called Thrive, which is a supply company. We've called every hospital system in the state. I've contacted personally, every Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS within the tri-cities area.'

She noted she found eight cans of the formula the child needs on eBay, but it's being sold for $800. The cans typically cost between $43 and $47.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK : Mothers are struggling to get their babies formula as 40 to 50 percent of the top-selling baby formula products were out of stock at retails across the country for the week ending April 24

MASSACHUSETTS: National out-of-stock levels, meanwhile, jumped nine percentage points from 31 percent to 40 percent between April 3 and April 24

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: The shelves were mostly barren of baby formula back in January

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: Ashleigh Olsen said she is struggling to feed her 9-month-old son who is limited to a specific formula she orders straight from the manufacturer

The shortage began during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say, when companies started to face supply-chain issues, including procuring the necessary ingredients, packaging hang-ups and labor shortages.

It only got worse in February, when Abbott Labs first announced a recall of certain Alimentum, Similac and EleCare formulas after five infants who used the formula contracted a Cronobacter sakazakii infection, which can cause severe blood infections and meningitis. One of the infants died as a result.

Among the hardest-hit areas, according to Datasembly, were Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas - where the out-of-stock rate in the capitol of San Antonio was 56 percent.

National retailers like Walgreens and CVS are now limiting customers to just three baby formula products per purchase, and at Target.com consumers can only buy up to four pieces of a given baby formula product at a time - leaving parents scrambling as nearly three-quarters of babies in the United States are on formula for their first six months.

The situation is even worse for those whose children are put on a specific formula either because they have allergies or due to their nutritional needs.

Ashleigh Olsen, also of Jacksonville, Florida, said her 9-month-old is limited to a specific formula she orders straight from the manufacturer as her son could face an allergic reaction to others. But there is no word on when it will be available again.

'Luckily I stocked up last time. So today when I opened my last can, that kind of lit my fire a little bit,' Olsen said.

And in the midwest, Kassidi Hillard, who has a 2-month-old who needs Similac Pro-Advance, told WDRB she has 'looked at every store in Indiana and here (in Kentucky) and haven't found her formula at not one store.

'It's kind of stressful, cause if you can't find formula, it's like they can't eat nothing else,' Hillard said. 'They can't have baby food, they can't have hard food, they can't have what we eat so it's really, it's not an easy thing to go through.'

In Texas, Emily Pyeatt, 22, wrote on Facebook that she recently went to eight stores in search of formula for her 8-month-old.

'This is the scariest thing I've ever experienced,' she wrote on March 30. 'How are we supposed to feed our children when there's NO FORMULA ON THE SHELVES?'

She later told the Washington Post that as she was down to her last three cans, she has been easing her son onto more solid foods, as she does not produce enough milk to breastfeed.

'It was a very heartbreaking decision to stop, and I think it's upsetting for someone to say that,' Pyeatt said, adding: 'I pray for the women who have babies who are not old enough for solid food.'

Danielle Arzola, 27, also of Texas, told the Post that when she tried to switch formula brands, her 6-month-old got sick, and she now has to drive all over town to find the brand she needs. She has even resorted to buying formula from people in other states.

But the situation is dire everywhere, with one Michigan mom, who was not identified, also told FOX Business that she has been having trouble finding formula for her daughter, who lost a lot of weight following her birth.

'When we ran to the local Target to one day get some just days after she was born, the shelves were completely empty.

'My heart literally sank,' she said, noting: 'Luckily, she doesn't need any special formula, and I was able to order online, but not everyone has been as lucky.

'Our neighbor said her family member can't find the sensitive type of formula for their newborn who has stomach issues anywhere.

'They're in a panic daily not knowing if they'll be able to feed their newborn tomorrow or the day after - my heart breaks for those parents.'

INDIANA: Some national retailers are now limiting how much baby formula each customer can buy at one time

KENTUCKY: Parents have had to search multiple stores for the formulas they need

VIRGINIA: The situation is even more dire for infants who require a special kind of formula

Emily Pyeatt, of Texas, wrote in March that she went to eight stores and cannot find her child's formula, calling it 'the scariest thing I've ever experienced'

On eBay, one can of Enfamil Gentlease Infant Formula for Fussiness, Gas, and Crying was selling for more than $40

The company announced in March it has not found any Cronobacter sakazakii in any samples of the formula it sends out, and conducts tests on a regular basis.

But it did say it found evidence of the bacteria in a 'non-product contact area' at its Sturgis, Michigan plant.

Now, baby formula producers are working to once again ramp up production.

'W3e know that this recall has further exacerbated an industry-wide instant formula supply shortage,' Abbott Labs told the Washington Post in a statement.

'We are doing everything we can to address it,' the company said, including ramping up production of Similac, air-freighting in products from Europe and working with health care providers to identify alternative formulas.

Enfamil, meanwhile, told News 4 Jacksonville: 'At Enfamil, we are dedicated to giving the millions of babies and toddlers that rely on our formulas the best start in life.

'We are aware that some parents are having trouble finding their favorite baby formula products in their preferred store,' the company said, noting: 'We have been optimizing our efforts to address any issues as fast as possible, and meet the needs of all babies who rely on our formula.'

The Food and Drug Administration also told News 4 Jacksonville that it has met with several infant formula manufacturers on a weekly basis 'to try to increase capacity to produce specialty and metabolic products overall.'

The Food and Drug Administration also told News 4 Jacksonville that it has met with several infant formula manufacturers on a weekly basis 'to try to increase capacity to produce specialty and metabolic products overall.'

National out-of-stock levels for baby formula jumped nine percentage points - from 31 percent to 40 percent - between April 3 and April 24, according to an analysis from Datasembly

In the meantime, experts say, parents should not dilute their baby's formula, try to make their own formula at home or try to replace it with cow's milk.

Doing so is 'not nutritionally comparable with breast milk or infant formula,' according to Brian Dittmeier, senior director of public policy at the National WIC Association, and could cause nutrient deficiencies that can have a 'profound impact on an infant's growth and development.'

He said any parents who are struggling to find formula can contact their local WIC agencies and food banks for help locating some in their communities.

The Infant Nutrition Council of America is also encouraging parents to keep a 10-day to two week supply of formula at home - but is urging them not to stockpile products as the shortage continues - and experts say there is no end in sight.
A mayor has been forced to step down from his role on a local school board after he was hand-fed strawberries by a woman during an online meeting.

Peter Carter, who is mayor of Port Hedland in Western Australia, was in a Vietnam hotel when he joined the Microsoft Team meeting on March 31.

Mr Carter also sits on the board at Hedland Senior High School and shared the video call with fellow members.

He said he had a 'really bad connection' during the brief 10-minute meeting and had absolutely no idea he was being watched on the other side of the screen.

Peter Carter, who is mayor of Port Hedland in Western Australia, was in a Vietnam hotel when he joined the Microsoft Team meeting on March 31

One month later he was informed by principal Janine Keall that a complaint had been made against him.

'I didn't want to resign,' he told The West Australian.

'I wanted to come to the board meeting and apologise to people who saw ... because it was embarrassing.'

Mr Carter did not clarify the identity of the woman in the video call.

He said it was nobody's business 'if it was my wife, my girlfriend, fiancee'.

Mr Carter was elected local mayor in October 2020 and will remain in the position for the next four years.

He has stood firm on his decision to remain in the role and said he did not have any intention to resign.

Department of Education director general Lisa Rodgers told Daily Mail Australia a complaint had been made against Mr Carter.

Mr Carter said he had a 'really bad connection' during the brief 10-minute meeting and had absolutely no idea he was being watched on the other side of the screen

'A complaint was received by the board chair and principal about what appeared to be inappropriate conduct during an online board meeting,' she said.

'School board members are held to the highest standards of conduct and hold a position of trust as a voice that represents the community.

'What was seen did not appear on the screens of the board chair and principal.

'As soon as the complaint was received, the principal acted. The board member was asked to resign and did so.'
House hunters have been warned about a cruel online scam which has ripped off thousands from would-be tenants.

Authorities are investigating alleged Facebook Marketplace fraudsters who took advantage of the tight rental market on the Gold Coast to fleece $30,000 from at least 10 victims, including single mums.

The scam resulted in three families and removal trucks turning up to their 'new home' at Pimpama last weekend, only find to discover they'd been duped.

It has prompted the horrified real estate agent leasing the $550 a week home to issue an urgent warning to prospective tenants to be cautious about online platforms they're viewing properties on.

Gold Coast real estate agent Emma Snowdon (pictured) has warned prospective renters to be vigilant in their property search

Single mum Marie-Claire Lord is planning to make the 700km move from Newcastle NSW to the Sunshine State.

She came across the three bedroom duplex online advertised for $500 a week and handed over a $2,000 bond to the 'landlord'.

Her worst fears were realised after she found the same property advertised on realestate.com.au for a different price and got in contact with the listed agent.

Ms Lord reported the alleged scam to Queensland Police and is now spreading the word to warn other prospective renters.

'The worst part is I'm not the only person. We are upwards of 10 different victims and upwards of $30,000,' she wrote online.

'Anyone in the rental market needs to be made aware of these predators.'

She told the Gold Coast Bulletin: 'It might not be a lot of money to lose for some but it felt to me like my dreams were crushed.'

Mum of four Patricia Pomare (pictured left outside the home she was hoping to rent) says she paid $3,000 to a 'landlord' before realising she had been scammed online

Mother-of-four and shift worker Patricia Pomare is on the brink of homelessness having spent her entire savings in trying to find a new home.

She expressed interest in the same Pimpama duplex on Facebook Marketplace, and was told by the 'landlord' who went by the name of Regina Bray that she was the 'ideal tenant'.

She paid $3,000 for the bond and another four weeks of rent before realising she too had been scammed after speaking to the real estate.

'I found it on (Facebook) Marketplace, I just couldn't find anything on real estate,' Ms Pomare told Nine News.

'I went through all the procedures, she sent the application forms to me, I filled them out and sent it back. They did look legitimate.'

She's now sleeping in her car.

'I have nowhere to go,' she added.

The saga has also cost Ms Pomare her relationship with her adult daughter as the pair had been planning to go halves in renting the property.

She wants the alleged scammer tracked down and jailed.

Three families turned up to their 'new home' (pictured) at Pimpama last weekend, only find to discover they'd been duped online

Prospective tenants looking to move into the $550 a week home (pictured) were allegedly fleeced by scammers on Facebook Marketplace

It's understood at least two other prospective tenants were also allegedly scammed over the same property.

Wings Real Estate Helensvale senior property manager Emma Snowdon hasn't seen a such a brazen act in her eight years in the real estate industry.

She urged prospective tenants to be vigilant about what they're doing and the online platforms they're viewing properties.

'The lengths this scammer went to brazenly prey on vulnerable renters is unbelievable. It's no different to targeting the elderly,' she said.

'People are desperate to rent at the moment and will often try to do whatever they can to secure a property.'

Daily Mail Australia contacted several victims and Wings Real Estate Helensvale for further comment.

Cybercrime watchdog Australian Cyber Security Centre has referred reports of the alleged scam to Queensland and NSW Police.

The state's Residential Tenancy Authority urges tenants to treat landlords with suspicion if they refuse to meet in person and to get a bond receipt from the agency.
A progressive activist has suggested Mother's Day be renamed to reflect how transgender men are now classified as giving birth.

Norrie May-Welby, who was born a male and had gender reassignment surgery at age 28, said the term 'mother' was not exclusive to females.

'It's not sex specific. I think mothering is instinctual in all mammals, regardless of biological sex,' the activist told Daily Mail Australia.

Norrie, 60, won a High Court battle in 2014 to be identified as belonging to neither gender in New South Wales.

In a unanimous decision, Australia's highest court allowed the state's Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages to register a person's sex as 'non-specific'.

Now Norrie, who was born in Scotland, is calling for a debate on the term Mother's Day ahead of the special day on Sunday.

A transgender activist is calling for Mother's Day to be renamed to reflect how men are now classified as giving birth. Norrie May-Welby, who was born a male and had gender reassignment surgery at age 28, said the term 'mother' was not exclusive to females

'Mother' is a verb. One can be mothering without being a biological birther,' Norrie said.

'And Mother's Day, before Hallmark hijacked it, was Mothering Sunday, when one returned to the church one was baptised in. '

While not offended by the term Mother's Day, Norrie suggested it be renamed 'Nurturer's Day'.

'Of course language shifts with time and place, and it may become Nurturer's Day, but that's an extra syllable, and for now, I am happy with 'Mother's Day',' Norrie said.

Norrie also had a dig at Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who converted to the Pentecostal faith in his youth.

'Of course, with the ascendance of the Pentecostals in politics, it may become Legally Compelled Incubators Day, but I've got to hope that this criminal appropriation of women's bodies does not become entrenched.'

Services Australia, which runs Medicare, has previously provided data showing 22 transgender men gave birth in 2018-19.

This made them among the 228 who had been pregnant during that decade.

Services Australia, which runs Medicare, has previously provided data showing 22 transgender men gave birth in 2018-19. This made them among the 228 who had been pregnant during that decade (pictured is British transgender man Freddy (pictured) as he prepares to give birth to a son)

There were no recorded transgender men giving birth in the 16 years to June 2009, with only one case classified as 'unknown' in that time, in the figures showed.

Services Australia is now more guarded about providing that data, with Daily Mail Australia on Friday referred to the Australian Bureau of Statistics which doesn't collect specific data on the gender of those giving birth.

Last month Brendan Murphy, the secretary of the federal Department of Health, was unable to answer a question from Liberal senator Alex Antic about the definition of a woman.

'No, well there a variety  it's a very, it's a very  it's a very contested space at the moment, Senator,' Dr Murphy said.

'I mean there are obviously biological definitions but there are definitions in terms of how people identify themselves, so we're happy to provide our working definition on notice.'
Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: UN chief calls for end to "cycle of death, destruction" in Ukraine

Xinhua) 16:45, May 06, 2022

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Both Russian and Ukrainian leaders had telephone conversations with heads of state of other countries on Thursday, discussing ties and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. The following are the latest developments regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Thursday to end the "cycle of death and destruction" in Ukraine.

As he briefed the UN Security Council on his shuttle diplomacy last week in Russia and Ukraine, Guterres said that he "did not mince words" when he spoke with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine about ending the conflict.

The conflict must "end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world ... the cycle of death, destruction, dislocation and disruption must stop," the secretary-general said at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

- - - -

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday to discuss the Ukrainian situation.

The leaders paid special attention to humanitarian issues, including the evacuation of civilians held by militants of nationalist battalions from the Azovstal steel plant, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Russian military is ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians, Putin said, adding that the Kiev authorities should order the remaining militants at the Azovstal plant to lay down arms.

- - - -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had separate conversations with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Zelensky tweeted that he discussed future joint international legal events and the issues of defensive support for Ukraine at the talks with Johnson.

Commenting on the conversation with Steinmeier, Zelensky said it was "good, constructive, and important."

Steinmeier's plan to travel to Kiev in April together with other European leaders was refused by Ukraine, But a statement by the German president's office said that Steinmeier expressed respect and support for the Ukrainian people.

- - - -

Belarus will not participate in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Lukashenko said Belarus stands for peace and has repeatedly called for the end of the current Russia-Ukraine military conflict.

- - - -

The ongoing Ukraine crisis is negatively affecting East Africa's food security through reduced food supplies, accessibility and high prices of food, fuel and fertilizer, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned Thursday.

Export restrictions on grains, vegetable oil and fertilizers have surged since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the scale having reached the levels of the 2008 global food crisis in terms of share of global trade, the WFP said in its latest situation update on the food security conditions in Eastern Africa.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Choi Byeong-am, head of the Korea Forest Service, speaks at the closing ceremony of the 15th World Forestry Congress held at COEX, Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of the Korea Forest Service



By Kim Hyun-bin



The 15th World Forestry Congress came to a close Friday with global environmental leaders discussing major nature-based solutions to climate change and other eco-friendly measures during the five-day event held at Coex in Seoul.



The World Forestry Congress is held every six years under the supervision of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Forestry officials from around the world gather to discuss global forest and environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification, as well as to seek solutions through forestry. It is the largest and most influential international conference in the forestry field.



The closing ceremony started with the presentation of the results of the five-day general meeting, followed by remarks from representatives from each forestry sector, and then closing speeches by UNCCD Secretary-General Ibrahim Thiaw, FAO Secretary-General Maria Helena Semedo, and Princess Basma Bint Ali of Jordan. Korea Forest Service head Choi Byeong-am made the closing declaration.



In particular, as one of the main results of the general assembly, the Seoul Forestry Declaration, which was written by the host country, Korea, was announced. The declaration emphasizes that for a sustainable future, responsibility for forest management must be integrated among various agencies and stakeholders.



In addition, with the need for financial input for sustainable forest management, it announced the launch of the Assuring the Future of Forests with Integrated Risk Management mechanism (AFFIRM), and the establishment of new partnerships, such as the Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems initiative (SAFE) and the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) capacity-building platform.



At the Ministerial Forum, the Ministerial Call on Sustainable Wood was announced. Sustainable wood-use solutions must be built on the basis of sustainable forest management, and each country is committed to achieving their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the goals of the Paris Agreement for reducing carbon emissions by 2030.



Meanwhile, the 15th World Forestry Congress was recorded as the largest ever World Forestry Congress, despite the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.



In particular, the event was a means to share Korea's excellent forest policy with the world through special events such as the Forest Fire Forum and the Peace Forestry Initiative (PFI) high-level meetings held under the leadership of Korea, and to solidify Korea's position as one of the world's leading nations in forestry.



"This 15th World Forestry Congress was an opportunity for Korea to build close partnerships with all forestry officials around the world and take the lead in implementing the sustainable green future discussed at this meeting," Choi Byeong-am, the commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, said at the closing ceremony at COEX in Seoul, Friday. "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the participants from all over the world who shared their wisdom and insight despite the COVID-19 pandemic."




Dave Chappelle's attacker was slapped with four charges including battery and assault - all misdemeanors - after LA's woke DA George Gascon announced he would not pursue felony charges.

On Thursday, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer charged 23-year-old Isiah Lee with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance, and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer after the embattled DA referred the case to the city attorney.

If convicted, Lee could face 18 months in county jail, but because of overcrowding and COVID he might never make an appearance behind bars because of Gascon's decision to not press charges.

Feuer's swift charges are a stark contrast to DA George Gascon's decision, who made the decision not to pursue felony charges against Lee - despite the fact that Lee had a fake gun complete with a folding knife on him when he rushed Chappelle on stage.

On Thursday Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer (pictured) charged Isiah Lee with battery and possession of a weapon with intent to assault

On Tuesday night, Lee ran on stage at the Hollywood Bowl yielding the knife that was hidden inside a gun

Isaiah Lee, 23, ran on stage at the show on Wednesday yielding the knife that was hidden inside a gun

When announcing the charges, Feuer seemed to throw shade at the DA, saying 'My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously.'

Gascon's office - which is famously in favor of low-or-no-cash-bonds - decided he was not pursuing the most serious line of punishment and instead referred the case to Feuer,

Gascon's office recommended a misdemeanor charge because 'the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct,' according to ABC.

On Tuesday night, Lee ran on stage at the Hollywood Bowl yielding the knife that was hidden inside a gun.

Chappelle, 48, was able to sidestep him and was unharmed. The attacker was then arrested at the scene, and taken to hospital with a broken arm.

There were immediate questions over security at the event and how the man could have smuggled in the weapon.

Feurer's charges are a stark contrast to DA George Gascon, (pictured) who quickly decided not to pursue felony charges against Lee

This is the weapon used by Isaiah Lee to try and attack Chappelle on stage on Wednesday

Crime is skyrocketing in LA, along with many other cities in the US

Chappelle has not yet reacted to the decision.

Yesterday, he said via a representative that he did not want the incident to 'overshadow' a great event.

'Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl....and he refuses to allow last night's incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.'

'As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show,' his rep said.

Netflix and the Hollywood Bowl said they were cooperating with the police investigation into what happened.

Gascon, a 67-year-old former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, took over as district attorney in the heavily Democrat city in December 2020 and immediately embarked on a progressive justice reform agenda.

He has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure.

And following his first 100 days in office, he touted the changes he has made to the city's justice system - including limiting the use of sentencing enhancements like the ones lobbied against Hernandez.

The California penal code has more than 100 enhancements that could add time to a convict's sentence depending on the situation, most of which date back to when California was facing soaring crime in the 1980s and 1990s.

But under Gascon's reign, the use of those enhancements have been greatly reduced, with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 5,138 enhancements during his first three months - a 71 percent drop when compared to the same time the year before, when former District Attorney Jackie Lacey was in power, according to LAist.

Under Lacey, prosecutors filed 715 gun enhancements between December 2019 and February 2020 under the state's '10-20-Life' law, which adds 10 years to a sentence if you use a gun during the commission of a robbery or any other crime.

The law also adds 20 years if the suspect discharges the gun, and 25 years if they wound someone in the process.

In Gascon's first three months in office, however, prosecutors filed only 106 gun enhancements - an 85 percent decrease.
An Aussie mother has shared the heartwarming moment her son told her how he'd help the eastern European refugees who just started at his school.

The schoolboy told his mum the new students had arrived to his school from Russia and Ukraine and spoke to his school assembly that day, in the video uploaded to TikTok by his mother, author Emmaline Carroll Southwell, 39.

Ms Southwell amassed an online audience of more than 600,000 making TikToks featuring her three kids during Australia's lockdowns of the last two years.

Her son told her three new people arrived at his school as she picked him up, filming the conversation in the car.

He also revealed the 'important' English words he will teach them first, as his mum struggled not to laugh.

The mother recorded the video with her son in the car as he told her about the new Ukrainian students at her school

'They're from a different country,' Ms Southwell's son said.

'Which one?' she asked.

'Ah, Russia or Ukraine. So they can keep safe from the war, they need somewhere else to live, they came in front of the whole school,' he answered.

Ms Southwell then asked if they knew English, but was told they had learned a little bit.

'So they just need to learn a few more words in English?' she asked, prompting her son to inform her he would teach them some more words in English tomorrow.

Ms Southwell has written a children's book and produces videos for her TikTok platform featuring her three kids

Ms Southwell has amassed a huge online following with 599,500 followers on TikTok alone

When asked what words he'd teach them, Ms Southwell's son replied, 'maybe important ones.'

'Like "deez nuts" and "yeet",' he said as Ms Southwell tried to hold back her laughter.

'Are they the important ones?' she asked him.

'Just some examples,' her son replied, telling her he would befriend the refugee students though they aren't in his year at school.

Earlier in the month New South Wales Transport Minister David Elliot said 2,500 Ukrainians had arrived in NSW seeking refuge, as the humanitarian crisis in the country as a result of Russia's invasion had seen hundreds of thousands fleeing the nation.

More Ukrainian refugees are expected to arrive in Australia as the war continues on in east Europe.

In March Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced temporary humanitarian visas for Ukrainians who had already arrived in Australia, allowing them to stay for up to three years and be able to work, study and access Medicare.

The federal government also announced an additional $30 million in humanitarian aid and $21 million in military support for Ukraine.
Only disabled actors should play Richard III, the head of the Royal Shakespeare Company has suggested.

Gregory Doran, who has been in charge of the organisation since 2012 and is now set to leave the RSC, said it was no longer accepted to not cast a disabled person in the role.

Richard III who is referred to in the Shakespeare play as 'cheated of feature' and 'unfinished' is traditionally played with a hunchback or cane.

Mr Doran's late husband, Anthony Sher, gave several performances in the role - using a crutch - in a 1984 Royal Shakespeare Company performance in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

However, speaking to the Times in his first interview since his husband's death, he said Sher's performance would 'no longer be acceptable'.

There has been an ongoing debate whether abled bodied actors should play disabled characters with Eddie Redmayne facing criticism for playing Stephen Hawking.

Gregory Doran, who has been in charge of the organisation since 2012 and is now set to leave the RSC, said it was no longer accepted to not cast a disabled person in the role. Pictured: Mr Doran's late husband Antony Sher playing Richard III in a Royal Shakespeare Company performance in 1988

Mr Doran, outgoing RSC chair compared the casting of disabled actors as Richard III to the casting of black actors as Othello (pictured the Globe Theatre in London, associated with Shakespeare)

Mr Doran compared the casting of disabled actors as Richard III to the casting of black actors as Othello.

He said: 'Tony's performance now would probably not be acceptable.

'It's the Othello syndrome isn't it? That moment when white actors stopped thinking of Othello in their repertoire, because it was not acceptable to have blackface any more, at least until the level playing field is achieved.

'It's the same with disabled actors and Richard.'

Mr Doran (pictured) compared the casting of disabled actors as Richard III to the casting of black actors as Othello

The Royal Shakespeare Company has now chosen a disabled actor to play Richard III for the first time.

Arthur Hughes who is playing the Richard III in the upcoming production has already said it is 'problematic in many ways' for able bodied actors to take on disabled roles.

He told the Guardian: 'It's not to say [able bodied] people can never play these parts. But I think it's time that we had that lived experience shown properly.'

But Four Weddings and a Funeral actor Simon Callow told the Times in 2019 he was a big fan of diversity but to use the theatre for that purpose would 'diminish' it.

Mr Callow sarcastically claimed he would need to withdraw from playing all 37 characters of a Christmas Carol, including Tiny Tim as he was not able bodied or fat man as he is a thin actor.

View of the Swan theatre hosting the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon

He said: 'Clearly, the reductio ad absurdum is that you can't play Macbeth unless you're a Scottish king, and everybody understands that isn't the point.'

In 2019, Scope said it's 'disappointing that a disabled actor' was not cast as the Elephant Man.

And in response to Mr Callow, Phil Talbot, head of communications at Scope, said its 'not a terrible trouble with us' but said disabled actors face barriers.

It was confirmed in 2012 that the real Plantagenet King Richard III had a curvature of the spine, although rumours of a withered arm have not been verified form the bones found in the Leicester car park in 2012.

Mr Doran will finish his chair of the RSC with the only Shakespeare play he has not directed, Cymbeline, and was going to retire in 2023 but said Sher's death from cancer has been a factor in his decision to leave the post earlier.
An Ohio State University student was pronounced dead Thursday after overdosing on a fake Adderall pill that was laced with fentanyl.

OSU President Kristina Johnson has confirmed the tragic passing of the unidentified student in a statement Thursday.

Johnson said in the same statement that two others students were hospitalized following the overdose.

One of those students remains in critical condition while another has been released from a local hospital. There names and genders were not released.

A United Nations study in March 2022 found that Colombian and Mexican drug gangs were behind the influx of fake fentanyl laced pills in the United States

The student's death was reported on the final week of the school's exam schedule

All three of the students overdosed off campus. Columbus police were called to a home along East Lane Avenue late on May 4 after someone called 911 to say that their roommates had overdosed, reports WBNS.

In the statement, Johnson said that it is 'critical' for OSU students to be 'aware of the possibility of contaminated drugs in our community.'

On the same day as the student's death, OSU students were sent an alert warning about the presence of fake Adderall that contains fentanyl in the community.

The warning read, 'While we strongly discourage any kind of drug misuse, if you, or someone you know, may choose to experiment with drugs.'

It goes on to advise students to pick up a Naloxone kit or fentanyl test strips at the Wilce Student Health Services on Millikin Road in Columbus.

According to Jeff Klingler, the president and CEO of the Central Hospital Ohio Council said that fake Adderall pills were being sold around the OSU campus. He added, 'Fentanyl causes 90% of overdose deaths in central Ohio.'

Adderall is a prescription drug used to treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. However, the drug is commonly used by students as a 'study drug.'

Adderall is specifically used to treat attention deficit disorder but in more recent years it has become known as a 'Study Drug' used by college students in order to stay awake to study

The news of the student's death came on the final day of OSU's spring exam schedule.

An OSU study in 2018 found that 28 percent of students said that it was very easy to obtain stimulants in order to study or improve grades. The same study found that 21 percent of students who were prescribed a stimulant from doctor had shared the drug with another student.

The death of the student comes just days before Ohio State's spring commencement ceremony, which takes place at Ohio Stadium on May 8.

Between January and November 2021, there were more than an estimated 106,854 drug overdose deaths in the year to November 2021, a 15.6% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

In April 2022, Ryan Michael Reavis, 39 was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling counterfeit painkiller pills that were laced with fentanyl to rapper Mac Miller causing the his untimely death at 26 in 2018.

A month earlier, five West Point cadets on Spring Break in Florida overdosed on fentanyl laced cocaine.

The United Nations International Narcotics Control Board said in a report that was published in March 2022 that websites run by Mexican and Colombian drug cartels often advertise fentanyl-laced pills as Xanax, Adderall or Oxycodone, and Raul Martin del Campo, a member of the Control Board, said "the majority of people do not know they are using fentanyl."

In Florida, Walgreens reached a $683 million settlement with the state of Florida in a lawsuit accusing the company of improperly dispensing millions of painkillers that contributed to the opioid crisis, state officials said Thursday.

In Washington State, three opioid distributors, McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp., settled a lawsuit with the state for $518 million.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has pulled out a day before a scheduled interview with the January 6 committee after he was told he could not videotape his testimony.

Giuliani, who served as former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer and led court efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election was scheduled to appear on Friday before the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6, 2021, riot.

But the 77-year-old backed out last minute when the committee did not agree to his last-minute request to let him videotape his interview.

Rudy Giuliani, (pictured) former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, withdrew from an interview before the January 6 House committee last minute

Giuliani, was scheduled to appear before the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on Friday

'Mr. Giuliani had agreed to participate in a transcribed interview with the Select Committee. Today, he informed committee investigators that he wouldnt show up unless he was permitted to record the interview, which was never an agreed-upon condition,' Committee spokesman Tim Mulvey said in a statement on Thursday.

Mulvey added that the committee is determined to speak with Giuliani and will consider all options.

'Mr. Giuliani is an important witness to the conspiracy to overthrow the government and he remains under subpoena,' he said. 'If he refuses to comply the committee will consider all enforcement options.'

Giuliani's attorney Robert Costello told CNN that even though Friday's meeting is off, talks between the two sides continue.

In January the committee issued subpoenas to Giuliani and other members of Trump's legal team who filed bogus legal challenges to the 2020 election that fueled the lie that race had been stolen from the former president.

Giuliani reiterated false claims of election fraud at the January 6 rally and called for 'trial by combat' for those stopping the overturn of the election

Giuliani will be the latest member of Trump's (right) inner circle to testify before the committee

Giuliani was set to be the latest member of Trump's inner circle to speak with the committee after daughter Ivanka Trump spoke with the committee for nearly eight hours on April 5.

Her husband, Jared Kushner, met with the committee beforehand, and Donald Trump Jr. is also expected to testify before the lawmakers in the coming weeks.

Giuliani had raised concerns in the moments leading up to the Capitol riot where he spoke to Trump supporters and reiterated his false claims that the election was stolen and that the opposition should be exposed to 'trial by combat.'

'If we're wrong we will be made fools of, but if we're right a lot of them will go to jail. Let's have trial by combat,' he said, without explaining exactly what he meant by combat.

'I'm willing to stake my reputation, the president is willing to stake his reputation on the fact that we're going to find criminality there,' he added to the frenzied crowd.

Giuliani is also facing a potentially ruinous billion-dollar lawsuit filed in January 2021 by Dominion Voting Systems, who accused him of defamation after he claimed without evidence that the company rigged the election to defeat Trump.

During the tense moments of the 2020 election, Trump had directed Giuliani to call the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to determine whether it could legally take control of voting machines in key swing states.

Trump also had asked Attorney General Bill Barr whether the Justice Department could take the voting machines. Barr told him no.

Trump continues to falsely state he lost the November 2020 election due to widespread fraud despite multiple court losses and audits confirming Biden's victory.

Giuliani may also face charges from federal prosecutors in New York regarding his foreign lobbying efforts involving Ukraine while he served as Trump's lawyer.

Earlier this month, he met with prosecutors to unlock three of his phones, according to CNN, after months of refusing to cooperate.

Giuliani has denied any wrongdoing and said in the past that he 'never represented' anyone from Ukraine, insisting his work in the country was in his sole capacity as Trump's lawyer.
Advertisement

A former London mayor who was kicked out of office for electoral fraud was re-elected today - as the Tories suffered a bloodbath in the capital.

Lutfur Rahman was banned from running for public office for five years in 2015 after being convicted of polling offences when he first ran in Tower Hamlets.

But having served his ban he is running again in the east London borough. He was ahead of the current Labour mayor, John Biggs, by 12,000 votes after the first round of counting, putting him just short of the 50% mark needed to win.

Mr Rahman, of Aspire, eventually won 40,804 votes, with Mr Biggs on 33,487.

A victory for the Bangladesh-born politician in an area with a large Bengali community would be highly controversial.

The former Labour councillor, became the first directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets when he stood as an independent in 2010. He was re-elected in 2014, but became the first such mayor to be removed when the result was declared null and void.

In 2015 an election court found Mr Rahman personally guilty, or guilty by his agents, of charges including making false statements about a candidate, of administering council grants in a way that constituted electoral bribery and of spiritual intimidation of voters.

Mr Rahman tonight hailed the size of his majority, which he claimed had increased from his previous terms in office.

'A huge vote came out yesterday, a bigger mandate than I had in 2014 or in 2010,' he said. 'A large number of people came and trusted me and Aspire and our activists to deliver for them going forward.'

Mr Rahman suggested that one of his first acts would be to scrap low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which limit traffic in residential areas.

Mr Rahman said: 'Our roads have been closed, blocked up. It's contributing to more CO2 in the borough when the idea was to reduce it. We're going to look at our roads, we're going to consult and reopen our roads.'

One of Rahman's rivals, Andrew Wood, an independent councillor for Canary Wharf, agreed that Rahman had managed to unite his Bengali supporters and white working class voters unhappy at he LTNs.

'Elections are won or lost, depending on how the British Bengali community decide to allocate their vote,' Mr Wood said.

'If Lutfur wins, it's because of a combination of that and the white working class votes, because of the LTN issue in particular.'

It came as a string of Labour victories in London turned the capital's political map even more red - with the traditional Tory strongholds of Westminster and Wandsworth among Sir Keir Starmer's conquests.

Labour have also snapped up Barnet, which given its large Jewish population may be seen as a sign the party has turned the corner on the anti-Semitism rows which dogged Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Perhaps the biggest blow to Boris Johnson's Tories will be the loss of Wandsworth. It turned blue in 1978, a year before Margaret Thatcher's election and was reputedly her favourite council, noted for its low taxes.

Meanwhile, Labour are in control of Westminster for the first time since its creation in 1964. A triumphalist Sadiq Khan said that 'history has been made' as the mayor celebrated the victory in the early hours of Friday morning.

Two other London councils - Croydon and Tower Hamlets - are not due to declare until the early hours of Saturday morning and Saturday evening respectively.

But there was a sliver of good news for the Tories as they took Harrow, in north west London, from Labour late on Friday afternoon. The Conservatives also held the safe borough of Bromley.

But elsewhere, Labour lost Hull to Sir Ed Davey's resurgent Liberal Democrats. It was a similar story for the Green Party who chipped away at Conservative and Labour seats in England.

Lutfur Rahman was banned from running for public office for five years in 2015 after being convicted of polling offences when he first ran in Tower Hamlets.

Sir Keir was beaming during his visit to Barnet today, but outside London his party enjoyed fewer successes

The under-fire Prime Minister is now facing a backlash from local Tory leaders as his party lost major London authorities to Labour and suffered setbacks across England to Sir Keir's party.

Conservatives have blamed the Partygate drama for the party's electoral losses overnight, with John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council, urging backbenchers to write to Sir Graham Brady to trigger a vote of no-confidence against Mr Johnson after Labour took control of Cumberland.

Mid-term elections are always difficult for a governing party, although as many of the English seats were last contested in 2018 during Theresa May's chaotic administration, opportunities for opposition parties to make further gains may be limited.

Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis insisted Mr Johnson remained the right person to lead the party, amid speculation that a bad set of election results - coupled with any further revelations about No 10 lockdown-busting parties - could see more Tory MPs submitting letters of no confidence.

The Northern Ireland Secretary told Sky News: 'I absolutely think we can win the next election, and I do think Boris Johnson is the right person to lead us into that.'

Policing minister Kit Malthouse told the BBC: 'The further away you get from London, our sense is that the picture is better for us.'

Labour's campaign has been hit by Tory calls for Durham Police to look into whether Sir Keir broke Covid rules while campaigning before the 2021 Hartlepool by-election - something he has dismissed as 'mudslinging'.

The Tories have also complained about a secret pact between Labour and the Lib Dems to maximise Conservative pain in marginal seats, something denied by both opposition parties.

While Labour enjoyed success in London, there was a mixed picture elsewhere - with the loss of Hull blamed on local issues but the party insisting it was winning back support in Brexit-supporting areas.

Shabana Mahmood, Labour's national campaign co-ordinator, said it was a 'turning point' for the party.

'After the disastrous results of 2019, these early results are showing the progress we have made thanks to Keir's leadership. Labour is making headway in England, Scotland and Wales, taking over key Conservative councils and winning in vital Parliamentary battlegrounds across the country,' she said.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth acknowledged there was a mountain to climb for the party following the 2019 general election.

'It's climbable, but my god it's a big mountain because we got an absolute hammering in 2019, the worst result since the 1930s,' he told the BBC.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Labour party MP Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan react after Labour win Wandsworth Council

Jubilant scenes as Labour take control of Barnet Council at this year's local elections. New council leader Barry Rawlings is seen centre

Labour Party candidates and supporters celebrate after the Labour gain of Westminster City Council during local elections

Labour Party candidates and supporters celebrate after gaining Westminster City Council during the local elections

Labour Party supporters celebrate a win announcement amid the counting process at the Westminster City Council local elections, at Lindley Hall in Westminster, May 6, 2022

Jubilant scenes as Labour Party supporters celebrate their electoral wins at Barnet, May 6, 2022

A man wearing the rosette of the Labour party reacts during an announcement amid the counting process at the Westminster City Council local elections, at Lindley Hall in Westminster, May 6, 2022

Two candidates wearing rosettes of the Conservative party stand during the counting process at the Westminster City Council local election

A British Labour Party candidate celebrates a win announcement amidst the counting process at the Westminster City Council

Rutland Tory council leader RESIGNS from party as polls close and accuses government of 'ignoring' his county A council leader has resigned from the Conservative Party after accusing the government of 'ignoring' his county. Oliver Hemsley says he will continue leading Rutland County Council as an independent after announcing his resignation from the Conservative Group shortly after local election polls closed. Mr Hemsley said inequalities in Rutland have been 'compounded year-on-year' because of council tax and accused the government of 'ignoring and sidelining' the council despite repeated requests for help. The next elections for Rutland County Council won't take place until next year, though the Lib Dems won one seat being contested on Thursday. Meanwhile, Marc Bayliss, the Tory leader of Worcester City Council, told reporters he was heading home early from the election count and is anticipating a disastrous night for his party. Mr Bayliss blamed partygate and said the public had found the government's performance 'wanting'. He added: 'I think it is fair to say we are having a bad night.' His comments were echoed by the leader of the Conservatives on Sunderland Council, Antony Mullen, who called for Boris Johnson to step down. Advertisement

The Liberal Democrats focused on making further inroads in Tory heartlands - the 'Blue Wall' in southern England - following recent Westminster by-election successes in North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'I am optimistic that thanks to their hard work, the Liberal Democrats will gain ground in areas across the Blue Wall where voters are fed up of being taken for granted by the Conservatives.'

The new Labour leader of Wandsworth council said his party's victory signalled it was 'time for change' at the top of the Government.

Wandsworth's new Labour leader Simon Hogg said: 'We are going to build a compassionate council that truly listens and keep that same low council tax.

'But when we were calling around on voters we didn't even have to raise partygate, we didn't have to mention Boris Johnson. People have formed their own views on this Government, so I am afraid it is time for change at the top as well.'

London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan said that 'history has been made' with the Labour victory in Wandsworth.

Ravi Govindia, leader of the Wandsworth Tories, said: 'Let's not be coy about it, of course national issues were part of the dilemma people were facing.'

After results were declared from 53 councils, the Tories had lost control of two authorities and were down 55 councillors, Labour had a net gain of one council and 21 councillors, the Lib Dems had one authority and 31 more seats while the Greens had put on 19 councillors.

Wandsworth boasts one of the lowest average council tax rates in England, with Boris Johnson pointing to the low rates as an example of Conservative party competence in local office.

A Labour party source described the loss as 'monumental' for the Conservatives.

'This was the Tories' jewel in the crown,' they added.

The borough's new Labour leader Simon Hogg promised to 'build a compassionate council that truly listens, and keep that same low council tax'.

He added: 'When we were calling around on voters we didn't even have to raise partygate, we didn't have to mention Boris Johnson. People have formed their own views on this Government, so I am afraid it is time for change at the top as well.'

Barnet council has only ever been in Conservative control since it was created in 1964.

In 2014, Labour came close to gaining control, but the Tories retained a narrow majority.

In 2018 the gap between the ruling Conservatives and the Labour opposition widened, with concern among the north London borough's large Jewish population about the Labour antisemitism scandal cited as a reason.

Ahead of the result, leader of the Labour group on Barnet council Barry Rawlings told the BBC: 'I've been feeling confident for a while, I think we've had a very good campaign, got good candidates, it feels good on the streets.'

He said the 'stain' of anti-Semitism had been removed from the party under Sir Keir, who launched his party's London election campaign in Barnet.

Sadiq Khan celebrates a win announcement amidst the counting process during local elections, at Wandsworth Town Hall

London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan said that 'history has been made' with the Labour victory in Wandsworth

A Conservative Party supporter reacts to the counting process during local elections, at Wandsworth Town Hall,
Former Vice President Mike Pence fired back at his successor for remarks she made criticizing a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision as he spoke at an anti-abortion rights gala Thursday night.

Pence and his successor, current Vice President Kamala Harris, are on different sides of the abortion issue - and both were asked to speak at fundraisers this past week.

Trump's former No. 2 used the current veep's words against her while headlining an event at the Carolina Pregnancy Center in South Carolina - an 'independent, faith-based nonprofit organization' whose mission is to 'help women and families with pregnancy-related issues,'

'I say with the lives of 62 million unborn boys and girls ended in abortion since 1973, generations of mothers enduring heartbreaking and loss that can last a lifetime: Madame Vice President, how dare you?'

On Tuesday, Harris spoke at a Washington gala for Emily's List, an organization that seeks to elect pro-choice women to office.

At the gala, Harris slammed the conservative justices following the revelation that they were likely to overturn Roe v. Wade.

'Women in almost half the country could see their access to abortion severely limited,' if the draft opinion is adopted, Harris said, noting that in 13 states 'women would lose access to abortion immediately and outright.

'Those Republican leaders who are trying to weaponize the use of the law against women, well we say "How dare they? How dare they tell a woman what she can do and cannot do with her own body? How dare they?'

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday clapped back at his successor Kamala Harris, after she criticized conservative justices who seek to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision

Both vice presidents' speeches come in the wake of a Politico report showing that the conservative Supreme Court majority that would put an end to the 50-year landmark abortion ruling giving women a constitutional right to terminate their pregnancies.

'Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,' Justice Samuel Alito writes in the opinion, which was penned back in February and has reportedly been circulated among the court members. 'We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,' he continues in the document, titled 'Opinion of the Court.'

'It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives.'

The authenticity of the draft decision was later confirmed by Chief Justice John Roberts, but it is not yet final until the court formally announces its decision in a case. That means the ruling could still be changed.

Following the revelation, liberal lawmakers vowed to fight the decision, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeting Monday night that Sen. Joe Manchin is preventing a vote on codifying abortion rights into law, while Sen. Bernie Sanders suggested ending the filibuster to get it passed.

And in the days since the decision was leaked pro-abortion rights activists have taken to the streets from the steps of the Supreme Court to New York City, Nevada, Texas and California to protest the draft decision.

Some protesters are now planning to send activists to the homes of the conservative justices, after an activist group called 'Ruth Sent Us' published the supposed addresses of Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts

'Our 6-3 extremist Supreme Court routinely issues rulings that hurt women, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights,' the group's website reads. 'We must rise up to force accountability using a diversity of tactic.'

A draft decision released by Politico Monday night shows that the conservative Supreme Court majority is set to overturn Roe v. Wade

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the draft decision, calling Roe 'egregiously wrong from the start'

Meanwhile, tall fencing was erected around the Supreme Court on Wednesday evening amid growing clashes between pro- and anti-abortion groups.

And although D.C. is ground zero for the demonstrations, law enforcement authorities across the country are preparing for possible violence and civil unrest.

A February situational awareness bulletin from the Colorado Information Analysis Center warns challenges to Roe v. Wade could lead to unrest and violent incidents.

'Law enforcement and public safety officials should anticipate an increase in abortion-related events, rallies, and protests with the potential for violence and criminal activity, particularly leading up to and directly following the Supreme Court's decision in the Mississippi case,' the bulletin noted.

A decision on the Mississippi case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is expected by June.

For years the FBI has tracked extremists on both sides of the abortion issue.

The bureau's Domestic Terrorism Reference Guide on Abortion-Related Extremists was widely circulated in November 2021 and looks at the threats stemming from both sides of the heated argument.

'Abortion-related violent extremists seek to further their pro-life or pro-choice ideologies through the threat or use of force or violence against individuals or facilities which provide services in opposition of their beliefs,' the guide notes.

It adds: 'Pro-life extremists believe force or violence is necessary to save the lives of the unborn. Pro-choice extremists believe it is their moral duty to protect those who provide or receive reproductive health care services.'

Pro-abortion rights protests continued outside the Supreme Court on Thursday

There have been growing clashes between pro- and anti-abortion groups outside the Supreme Court as the protests continued

There were also protests throughout the country, like this one at the Utah State Capitol

Tall fencing was outside the Supreme Court as the protests continued

And while Republicans are pleased with the content of the draft opinion, they are furious over the leak, with Chief Justice John Roberts sounding off about it in a private meeting Thursday, calling it 'absolutely appalling.'

Roberts, in remarks to judges and lawyers in Atlanta first reported by CNN, underscored that he hoped 'one bad apple' would not change 'people's perception' of the high court.

He called the 'person' or 'people' who leaked the document 'foolish' if they thought it would sway votes on the court.

He had earlier announced an investigation into the source of the 'betrayal,' announcing Tuesday: 'I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.'

The chief justice decried the leak as an 'egregious breach' and an 'affront to the court.'

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claimed on FOX News that the Supreme Court leak is the doing of an individual 'woke left-wing twit'

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, meanwhile, claims the Supreme Court leak is the doing of an individual 'woke left-wing twit' and claims the person responsible for the chaos unleashed in America on Monday evening should be disbarred and put in jail.

'In over 200 years of our nation's history, that has never happened,' he told Fox Primetime host Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday.

'And there was one woke little left-wing twit who decided, to hell with his or her obligations to the justice they work for, to hell with their obligations to the court, to hell with their obligations to the rule of law, that they would instead try to sneak it out in order to put political pressure on the justices and intimidate them into changing their votes,' he added.

Cruz, after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1995, clerked for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and then for the Supreme Court's Chief Justice at the time William Rehnquist from 1996 to 1997.

He told Fox News on Wednesday that it's 'difficult to overstate how destructive this is to the Supreme Court.'

Trump administration Attorney General Bill Barr on Wednesday called the act of leaking a bombshell Supreme Court memo an 'unforgivable sin.'

Republicans argue that the leak has destroyed the sanctity of the Supreme Court, which for most of its history has remained free of political influence and partisan bickering that is more common in the executive and legislative branches.

'We're going to find this person, and when they're found, they're going to be fired on the spot, they will be disbarred if they're a member of the bar, or they will never be admitted to the bar to be a lawyer, and to the extent that they've broken criminal laws, they need to be prosecuted and sent to jail,' Cruz said.
Anthony Albanese has said he will not ban live sheep exports after a statement said he would.

A Labor Party spokesperson on Thursday said an Albanese government would ban the trade, adding it had been in decline for the past two decades.

'An elected Albanese Labor Government will phase out live sheep exports in consultation with the industry and the West Australian Government on what needs to happen given this decline,' they said in a statement.

Anthony Albanese helps volunteers packing food hamper boxes as he visits Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville

Mark McGowan - the Labor premier of WA where the industry is concentrated - slammed the idea, saying current policy settings were fine and there was no need for a ban.

'We put in place rules that required a suspension of exports over the northern summer because of the shocking outcomes that were occurring, particularly in the summer months, up in the Persian Gulf,' he told reporters on Thursday.

'And then were was additional vet checks and additional monitoring put in place on some of the ships. I think those measures are effective and I think they're appropriate.'

Mr Albanese on Friday contradicted the comments from the Labor spokesperson, saying while there had been a change to Labor's policy it did not mean an end to live exports all together.

'The amount of live exports has halved in recent times and we'll continue the summer ban,' he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan and his wife Sarah in March 2021

'We will consult with state governments, in particular the Western Australian state government, but we'll also consult with the agricultural sector about about the issues around live sheep exports.'

The RSPCA says live exporting sheep - mostly to the Middle East - is incompatible with basic animal welfare standards.

Footage of the Awassi Express - a ship where more than 2,400 sheep died in 2017 - caused outrage when it was broadcast nationally.
Advertisement

Desperate Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops on a bloody mission to seize the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol so he can have a victory to gloat over during celebrations in Russia next week, British intelligence believes.

Heavy fighting has now been going on inside the sprawling industrial complex - the last holdout of Ukrainian defenders in the key Black Sea port city - for three days, despite Putin going on Russian state TV just two weeks ago to publicly call off the operation to 'preserve the lives and health of our soldiers and officers.'

The assault is thought to be linked to May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Russia, when the country marks the surrender of Nazi Germany at the end of the Second World War and which Putin typically uses for a chest-beating display of Russian patriotism and military might complete with parades and flag-waving crowds.

Russian commanders have decided to pour men into the complex, despite the heavy casualties they will inevitably suffer, because of 'the upcoming 9 May Victory Day commemorations and Putin's desire to have a symbolic success in Ukraine', the UK's Ministry of Defence said today.

'Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas,' an intelligence update from the MoD added.

But it is far from certain that the Russian assault can succeed in time. Azovstal is vast: Four square miles of factory buildings, warehouses, elevated walkways and tight alleys that sits on top of a nuclear-bomb-proof network of tunnels where up to 2,000 Ukrainian defenders are holed up alongside hundreds of civilians.

Artillery blasts rock the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, as the UK says Putin appears to have ordered his commanders to take the complex so he has a 'symbolic victory' to brag about

Heavy fighting has now been going on at Azovstal for three days, with clashes reportedly taking place inside the steel works as Russian forces storm inside, despite Putin publicly ordering his generals to call off the operation

Smoke is seen rising over Azovstal, as British intelligence predicts that Putin has privately reversed his order not to attack the complex to give himself a propaganda win to brag about

A Russian tank opens fire on the Azovstal plant, where around 2,000 Ukrainian defenders are said to be holed up having vowed to 'never surrender' and 'stand till the end'

What is Victory Day, and why is it so important to Vladimir Putin? Victory Day - May 9 - is a public holiday in Russia that marks the surrender of Nazi Germany that ended the Second World War in Europe. Inaugurated in 1945, it did not become a public holiday until 1965 and even then was only celebrated in some of the Soviet republics. The holiday gained some level of prominence under Boris Yeltsin, the first Russian President after the Soviet Union dissolved, but the holiday in its current form can be largely credited to Vladimir Putin. Under his leadership, the day has been turned from a solemn time of remembrance for the estimated 27million Soviets who died during the war into a chest-beating show of nationalist pride and military prowess. Aside from wreath-laying at war memorials, the day is now known for huge military parades including one which passes through Moscow's Red Square - usually under the watchful eye of Putin himself. In past years, the despotic leader has used the parade to showcase Russia's latest military technology in the form of upgraded tanks and new missiles - particularly nukes. This year is expected to be no different, but Putin also is expected to use the event to praise his army's efforts in fighting Ukraine and to drum up support for the invasion which has so-far met with embarrassing defeats. That has led to speculation that he may use the event to officially declare war on Ukraine, upgrading the conflict from a 'special military operation', which would provide a pre-text for mobilising Russia's military reserves in order to throw more men into the fight. Others believe he may try to cut his losses and prematurely declare the campaign over, with victory achieved, though it is unclear exactly how that would work since Ukraine will continue to fight and Putin will need a way to explain the body bags that keep arriving back in Russia. Perhaps the likeliest option is that he will say Russia has achieved great success on the battlefield but Ukraine's 'Nazi' problem runs deeper than at first thought, meaning the war must continue. A symbolic victory - such as seizing Mariupol - would make this lie easier to sell. The last time Russia invaded Ukraine, in 2014, Putin used Victory Day to fly to the newly-occupied Crimea and visit Russia's main naval base at Sevastopol, where he was greeted by large crowds. Such a move is unlikely this time around, out of fear that Ukraine will try to kill him during such a visit. Advertisement

Ukrainian commanders - giving daily updates from inside the plant - say they are continuing to hold the line despite 'bloody fighting' in 'extremely difficult' conditions, and have begged the Russians to call off the assault so that the wounded and civilians can be evacuated.

Oleksiy Arestovych, a top adviser to President Zelesnky, said on Thursday that the defenders had successfully pushed the Russians out of the complex amid heavy clashes - allowing a UN mission to go in on Friday morning to evacuate some of the people trapped there.

Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential staff, said some 500 civilians had been rescued as of Friday morning which included people from Azovstal and the wider city. It is thought they will be taken through Russian-controlled territory to the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, following in the footsteps of an earlier evacuation.

Amid Russian assaults on the plant, the wife of one commander spoke out late Thursday to say that he will 'stand till the end' and 'will never surrender'.

Kateryna Prokopenko, who is married to Azov Battalion leader Denys Prokopenko, made the remarks after speaking to her husband on the phone as he made a last stand at the plant.

'It seemed like words of goodbye,' she said afterwards. 'I am going mad from this.'

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said Friday that 'the blockade of units of the defense forces in the Azovstal area continues' and that the Russians, with aviation support, had resumed assault operations to take control of the sprawling plant.

'There are many wounded (fighters), but they are not surrendering,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. 'They are holding their positions.'

'Just imagine this hell! And there are children there,' he said. 'More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.'

The Russians managed to get inside the plant Wednesday with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry.

'He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory,' Gerashchenko said in a video.

Zelenskyy said the attack was preventing evacuation of the remaining civilians, even as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said another attempt was underway. 'We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes,' Guterres said.

The Kremlin denied its troops were storming the plant and has demanded the Ukrainians surrender. They have refused. Russia has also accused the fighters of preventing the civilians from leaving.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, pleaded on Ukrainian TV for the evacuation of civilians and wounded fighters from the steelworks, saying soldiers were 'dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment.'

More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks over the weekend. But many previous attempts to open safe corridors from Mariupol have fallen through, with Ukraine blaming shelling and firing by the Russians.

Russian troops riding on the top of an armoured personnel carrier through the streets of Mariupol, as they prepare to join fighting around the Azovstal steel plant

Russian troops are pictured on the streets of Mariupol, which has been almost-totally destroyed by two months of heavy fighting with Ukrainian defenders still holding out inside Azovstal

A Russian soldier checks his rifle while sitting on top of an armoured vehicle, amid heavy fighting at the nearby Azovstal steel plant where Ukrainian soldiers are making their last stand

Russian forces have been fighting for control of Mariupol for more than two months and are not yet in full control of the city as Ukrainian troops put up an heroic last defence

A Russian soldier inspects ammunition for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher somewhere close to the frontlines in Mariupol, as a mission to seize control of the steel works continues

Putin will lead Victory Day celebrations on May 9 in Russia - a day he typically uses to project an image of strength and military prowess - and is said to be eager for a 'symbolic victory' he can brag about

Meanwhile, 10 weeks into the devastating war, Ukraine's military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village.

The General Staff in Kyiv said Russian forces were conducting surveillance flights, and in the hard-hit areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukrainian forces repulsed 11 attacks and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only 'plodding' progress in the Donbas.

There are growing suggestions that Ukraine might try to widen its push to seize more territory from Russia outside of Kharkiv, its second-largest city.

Ukrainian chief of defense, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said Thursday that a counteroffensive could begin to push Russian forces away from Kharkiv and Izyum, which has been a key node in Russia's control of the eastern cauldron. Ukraine in recent days has driven Russian troops some 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Kharkiv, which has been repeatedly struck by Russian shelling.

Additional Ukrainian advances may spare the city from artillery strikes, as well as force Moscow to divert troops from other areas of the front line.

On Thursday, an American official said the U.S. shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of a Russian flagship before the mid-April strike that sank it, one of Moscow's highest-profile failures in the war.

The U.S. has provided 'a range of intelligence' that includes locations of warships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision to target the missile cruiser Moskva was purely a Ukrainian decision.

Fearful of new attacks surrounding Victory Day, the mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk urged residents to leave for the countryside over the long weekend and warned them not to gather in public places.

And the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a key transit point for evacuees from Mariupol, announced a curfew from Sunday evening through Tuesday morning.

Smoke rises over the Azovstal plant, a sprawling four-square-mile industrial complex that sits above nuclear-bomb-proof tunnels where Ukrainian troops are staging a last stand

Russia has bombarded the Azovstal for days in the hopes of softening up Ukrainian defences and allowing its troops to storm inside, though Ukraine says all attacks have so-far been repulsed

A Russian military truck is seen manouevering along a road in front of the Azovstal plant, which lies at the heart of Mariupol and is the last redoubt of Ukrainian troops defending the city

A view shows a plant of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol

Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, has come to symbolize the misery inflicted by the war. The siege of the city has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat.

As the battle raged there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian bombardment Thursday hit dozens of Ukrainian military targets, including troop concentrations in the east, an artillery battery near the eastern settlement of Zarozhne and rocket launchers near the southern city of Mykolaiv.

The war has devastated Ukraine's medical infrastructure, Zelenskyy said in a video link to a charity event in the U.K. Nearly 400 health care facilities have been damaged or destroyed, he said.

'There is simply a catastrophic situation regarding access to medical services and medicines,' in areas occupied by Russian forces, he said. 'Even the simplest drugs are lacking.'

With the challenge of mine-clearing and rebuilding after the war in mind, Zelenskyy announced the launch of a global fundraising platform called United24.

At the same time, Poland hosted an international donor conference that raised $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid. The gathering was attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from many European countries, as well as representatives of other nations and some businesses.

In addition, a Ukrainian cabinet body began to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan, while Zelenskyy also urged Western allies to put forward a program similar to the post-World War II Marshall Plan plan to help Ukraine rebuild.
A $500,000 reward has been offered for information on the four-decade-old murder of a young woman who was viciously strangled in her kitchen with a dog leash.

Queensland Police and the family of the victim, Deborah Smykalla, have launched a fresh public appeal to help crack the cold case from Father's Day, 1981.

Then, the 22-year-old was found strangled to death, with a dog lead left around her neck in the kitchen of her home in Capalaba, south east of Brisbane.

Deborah Smykalla (pictured) was gruesomely murdered in her suburban Brisbane home, strangled with a dog lead still wrapped around her neck when police arrived to the scene

Ms Smykalla was murdered in in 1981 and her killer to this day is unknown, police hope a $500,000 reward will encourage members of the public to come forward with information

When police arrived at the home at 9:45pm they found Ms Smykalla dead, a smouldering fire in the kitchen, the oven dial turned to 'on', and an overturned heater on the carpet.

The scene lead detectives to suspect an unknown person had attempted to set the house on fire.

Despite what Queensland police have called a 'significant investigation' over the last 40 years, police have not been able to figure out who was responsible for Ms Smykalla's death.

On the day of her death Ms Smykalla was seen in her yard with a man in his early 20s of slim build and short brown hair at around 4pm.

Later, at around 7:30pm, two people were then seen sitting on the front porch.

Detectives would like to speak with those people or anyone with information about them.

Homicide detectives and Ms Smykalla's (pictured centre) family reopened the four-decade-old case feeling advancements in forensic technologies have them closer than ever to finding the young lady's killer

Ms Smykalla (pictured) was seen with an unknown young man in her yard just hours before her death on Father's Day 1981

Queensland Police's Homicide department are hopeful a reward will sweeten the deal for anyone sitting on information about the case as detectives make a renewed push to solve the mystery.

Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell of the Cold Case Investigation Team said police have reviewed the case and know there are people out there who can provide crucial information and urged them to contact the police.

'The smallest piece of information could lead to a breakthrough in the investigation and I encourage anyone who has information about who was responsible for Ms Smykalla's murder to come forward,' she said.

Ms Smykalla was killed in her Queensland home at Howlett Road, Capalaba (pictured) south east of Brisbane

The reopening of the case will see cops using the latest forensic technology, including enhanced forensic DNA testing on the dog lead currently underway.

Police are hoping the $500,000 reward will bring the person who left an anonymous online Crime Stoppers tip-off about the person behind the killing out of the shadows for further - potentially case-cracking - talks with detectives.

Detectives would also like to speak with anyone that anyone has information in relation to a motorbike, possibly a 250cc or 500cc road trial bike that was witnessed at the address.

The operation also includes billboard displays at Capalaba and Carina and targeted Facebook posts in the entire Bayside area to cast a wide net, hoping it will jog witnesses memories and encourage them to approach the police with information.

The $500,000 Queensland Government Reward is for information which leads to the apprehension and conviction of the person who killed Ms Smykalla, only for the first such informant.
DPK hit for stymieing Cabinet formation of new government



The incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration finds it difficult to form a Cabinet ahead of the May 10 inauguration of the country's new president. It is all the more so as the soon-to-be opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is playing politics with the confirmation hearings of Prime Minister-nominee Han Duck-soo and other ministerial appointees.



If the DPK continues to refuse to approve Han's nomination by May 9, Yoon will have no choice but to run his government without his first prime minister. In that case, the new president must work with Kim Boo-kyum, the last prime minister of the outgoing Moon Jae-in administration. The transition committee said Yoon is considering appointing Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister-nominee Choo Kyung-ho as acting prime minister.



The DPK and the soon-to-be ruling People Power Party (PPP) have so far adopted a report on only four of the 11 ministerial nominees who finished their confirmation hearings, paving the way for Yoon to appoint them. The four are Choo, Science and ICT Minister-nominee Lee Jong-ho, Environment Minister-nominee Han Hwa-jin, and Labor Minister-nominee Lee Jeong-sik. So there are growing concerns that the Yoon government may start with many Cabinet positions unfilled.



The problem is that the DPK is using delaying tactics in order to get what it wants. The party is reportedly asking Yoon to retract the nomination of his confidant Han Dong-hoon as justice minister in return for approving the prime minister-nominee. The DPK is strongly against the justice-minister nominee because the former senior prosecutor had spearheaded investigations into the core members of the Moon government over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. It argues that Yoon will directly control the Ministry of Justice by appointing Han as its chief to dig up dirt on corrupt figures of the previous administration.



It is absurd to link the endorsement of Yoon's prime minister-nominee to that of his pick for justice minister. The DPK should no longer delay putting his nomination to a vote. If it believes Han Duck-soo is not qualified to become prime minister, the party can vote against him. Making a deal with Yoon and his party is none other than an attempt to provide a shield for Moon and his ruling elite from possible investigations over a series of corruption and power abuse scandals.



The DPK has already come under fire for railroading two controversial bills through the National Assembly to deprive the prosecution of its investigative powers. President Moon cannot avoid criticism for signing the bills into law which is apparently aimed at preventing the prosecution from investigating the scandals.



It is regrettable that the DPK has abused its legislative power by using its 171 seats in the 300-member Assembly. It is also shameful for it to turn the confirmation hearings into a battleground for protecting corrupt officials and politicians. Confirmation hearings are designed to examine the qualifications and integrity of ministerial candidates. They should not be opportunities for a dirty political game to maximize partisan interests.



The rival parties should work together to sort out unqualified figures such as Education Minister-nominee Kim In-chul, who resigned over allegations of favoritism related to his family's receipt of a scholarship from a nonprofit organization. The PPP needs to acknowledge the transition team's poor vetting process for Health Minister-nominee Chung Ho-young, who has faced allegations that he used his position to get his children into medical school.



Prime Minister-nominee Han is also under criticism for his revolving door career which allowed him to earn huge sums for working as an adviser to law firm Kim & Chang after serving as prime minister for the Roh Moo-hyun government from 2007 to 2008. The DPK should determine Han's qualifications based on facts and evidence, not on partisan interests or political purposes. We urge the party to put Han's nomination to a vote immediately so that the next government can get off to a smooth start.






Queensland is bracing for yet another flood emergency amid predictions rainfall records will be smashed.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned 'incredibly heavy' rain is set to pound northern parts of the state and said her deputy was briefing mayors in several towns to discuss emergency plans.

The latest deluge will see the rainfall start on Saturday and increase in intensity until early next week.

Vast areas of North Queensland could see their heaviest-ever rainfall for the month of May since records began, Ms Palaszczuk warned.

'Theres going to be incredibly heavy rainfalls so we want people to think very carefully over the weekend to think about their preparations,' she said on Friday.

Huge parts of North Queensland are set to receive their highest-ever rainfalls for the month of May, forecasters say, with the dangerous deluge set to begin early next week

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned of 'incredibly heavy' rain over huge parts of the state and her deputy has contacted mayors of several towns to discuss emergency plans

The worst affected areas are expected to be north and western Queensland, including Townsville.

Townsville is expected to see up to 270mm of rain over the next five days, while inland gold mining town Charters Towers could see up to 200mm.

Ms Palaszczuk warned the predicted rainfall was 'very unusual... especially this time of year' for the region and said Queensland's Disaster Management Group would likely need to be deployed.

Other towns likely to be swamped include Longreach, Winton, Windora and Barcaldine, and also Rockhampton, Yeppon and Gladstone.

By Tuesday morning, vast areas of northern and western Queensland could be hit with flooding

Farmers in the area were already being warned to move stock and machinery to higher ground in preparation for flooding.

Ms Palaszczuk said the weather won't be 'as intense' in southeast Queensland, but the heavily-populated area will not escape the wet weather and will see heavy rain every day for the next week.

Brisbane and the Gold Coast will see the heaviest rain from Tuesday onwards, with up to 130mm predicted over the next five days.

Ms Palaszczuk said authorities would monitor conditions because so many streams and rivers were 'saturated' from the flooding disaster between February and April.

Further south the weather will be drier, but cooler.

Overnight temperatures in Canberra will plummet close to zero over the weekend then hit freezing on Monday night.

Melbourne is forecast to see overnight temperatures drop below 10 for three days in a row, while Sydney will also cop cool overnight temperatures this weekend.

Sydney can expect a sunny weekend.

Temperatures in Hobart will drop below 10 all week and the Tasmanian capital will see a wet Sunday.

Perth remains the warmest state capital, with temperatures in the mid to high 20s all weekend and into next week.
A performing arts teacher at a private Catholic high school has admitted a range of sickening child sex offences, including the penetration of a child under 16.

Brian Wallwork, 47, was charged with 17 offences initially, but instead pleaded guilty to four rolled up charges at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

The offences include an indecent act with a child, sexual penetration of a child younger than 16 and sexual penetration of a child (aged 16 or 17) in his care.

The music teacher (pictured) pleaded guilty to four rolled up sexual offence charges relating to children at the Melbourne Magistrates Court (pictured) on Friday

The defendant appeared via video link to admit the charges.

Wallwork worked as a performing arts and music teacher at St Peter's College, Clyde North campus in Cranbourne East.

Some parents said they were not aware of the sexual assault claims nor the suspension of the staff member.

'It's really concerning that the school hasn't advised us of this yet, we should be in the know considering it involves child safety,' one mother said.

In late 2020 Mr Wallwork congratulated students in one of the school's newsletters after 'an amazing and resilient year'.

He enthused about how students had taken to the the school's new performing arts space for their examination and 'really did themselves and the College proud'.

But last week the college's principal Chris Black sent newsletters to parents after the school was contacted by the media about Wallwork.

Brian Wallwork was put on leave from St Peter's College in Melbourne when the allegations came to light, and the school stressed the offences don't relate to his time there

Mr Black said the offences were not related to the teacher's time at the school and told the Herald Sun the staff member had 'immediately commenced a period of leave' as soon as allegations came to their notice.

Wallwork was charged last year after a police investigation into sexual assault allegations. His teaching registration has also been suspended.

Wallwork will remain on bail until November when the matter is heard at the County Court of Victoria.
Advertisement

Labour will be 'disappointed' by their local election results, elections expert John Curtice said today - with Keir Starmer's party sweeping up London but making only modest gains elsewhere, and losing Hull to the Lib Dems.

Professor Curtice said the Tories looked on track to lose between 200 and 300 seats amid anger over sleaze and Partygate, but Labour had failed to win back its former Red Wall heartland.

He said it was not a performance 'that indicated a party that is on course for winning a general election with a majority' and did not even suggest Labour would necessarily be the largest party in the next Parliament.

Labour has seized three symbolic London councils from the Conservatives - Westminster, Barnet and Wandsworth - but elsewhere its performance was less impressive.

The party failed to live up to high expectations in Bolton, gaining just two seats to leave them with 19 councillors, versus 23 for the Tories. This left no party in overall control.

The Tories also made gains on Wirral Council, picking up one seat, although Labour still remains the largest party with 26 out of 66.

Meanwhile, Labour lost control of Hull to the Lib Dems - ending the party's 10-year rule in the Yorkshire city.

Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow leader of the Commons, said the outcome showed that voters still do not think Labour 'has all the answers'.

'People are feeling like the Tories are not answering their needs, they are not dealing with the real core issues where you can't pay your bills, are not sure how you are going to get through the next year,' she told the BBC.

'Now I admit that if, so far, we had taken all of those councils, that would mean that they were saying we did have all the answers. We have got work to do.'

Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks to supporters outside StoneX Stadium in Barnet after the party won the borough from the Tories

Sir Keir was beaming during his visit to Barnet today, but outside London his party enjoyed fewer successes

England London Scotland Wales

English council results so far Conservative Holds: Broxbourne, Thurrock, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Epping Forest, Basildon, Rochford, Brentwood, Harlow, Rushmoor, Redditch, Fareham, Amber Valley, North East Lincolnshire, Tamworth, Dudley, Bexley, Hillingdon Losses: Worcester (to no overall control), Wandsworth (to Labour), Westminster (to Labour), Southampton (to Labour), West Oxfordshire (to NOC), Barnet (to Labour) Labour Gains: Cumberland (from NOC), Wandsworth (from Tories), Westminster (from Tories), Southampton (from Tories), Barnet (from Tories) Holds: Sunderland, Halton, South Tyneside, Chorley, Tameside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sefton, Stevenage, Lincoln, Sandwell, Exeter, Ipswich, Wigan, Coventry, Salford, North Tyneside, Preston, Oldham, Waltham Forest, Wolverhampton, Barnsley, Ealing, Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge Loss: Kingston-upon-Hull (to Lib Dems) Lib Dems Gain: Kingston-upon-Hull (from Labour) Hold: Eastleigh What other results are expected and when? Around 9am: Counting begins for a further 71 councils in England and all councils in Scotland and Wales. Advertisement

Giving his analysis of Labour's performance, Professor Curtice said: 'Outside of London, as compared to 2018 when these seats were last contested, it looks like their seats are down slightly.

'And for a party that is trying to regain ground in the so-called Red Wall seats in the Midlands and north of England, this wasn't quite the progress they wanted.

'There is still a very substantial legacy of the impact of Brexit on both the character of the Conservative and Labour supporters.

'The Conservatives are still much stronger in Leave areas, and therefore Labour is still struggling to make more progress there.

Wandsworth - seen as the Tory's flagship council - has been Tory since 1978, and Westminster since 1964.

Labour's success in Barnet, which has a large Jewish population, will be seen as a sign the party has turned the corner on the anti-Semitism rows which dogged Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Sir Keir described Labour's gains as 'absolutely brilliant' and a 'big turning point' for the party.

Speaking to Labour campaigners in Barnet, he says: 'We've changed Labour and now we're seeing the results of that.'

However, the leader of the Labour group of Barnet council, said this was less of a reflection on enthusiasm for his party and more a reflection of disillusionment with the Tories. Barry Rawlings told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I'll be honest, it's not us being wonderful.

'I think a lot of Conservatives haven't voted this time, I think they feel alienated from No 10 and that they are, I don't know, they've been disappointed with Boris Johnson and so not voting and I think that's made a difference as well.'

The Conservatives are downplaying Labour's wins, saying that the party has 'gone backwards' outside of London.

But privately they are conceding that it has been a 'difficult night' for the Conservatives in the capital.

A Tory source told Politico: 'Outside London, this is now looking like a bad night for Labour across the rest of the country.

'They have gone backwards in places like Sunderland, Tyneside, Hartlepool, Nuneaton, Sandwell and Amber Valley, showing they are seriously underperforming in former Labour heartlands which they need to regain.'

Labour leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive to vote at the TRA Hall, London

However, Barnet Conservative leader Daniel Thomas said Labour's victory in the London borough 'does not bode well' for the Tories ahead of the next general election.

'I think this is a warning shot from Conservative supporters and I think our loss today is not only due to the fact that I have just mentioned but also a fair number of Conservative voters who just didn't go out to vote, stayed at home,' he said.

'Clearly if Labour are to get a majority in Parliament they need to win Barnet. They won the council, if they win our parliamentary constituencies as well.'

With voters shunning both Labour and the Tories, the Lib Dems and Greens are emerging as the biggest winners from the local elections.

The Lib Dems have added more than 50 councillors to their tally and seized control of Kingston-Upon-Hull authority from Labour.

They made inroads against the Conservatives in West Oxfordshire and Stockport.

For their part, the Greens have racked up an extra 20-plus seats.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan joins Labour celebrations in Wandsworth where the party took the council off the Conservatives for the first time in more than 40 years

Professor Curtice said the Lib Dems were 'the surprise of tonight'. 'In terms of share of the vote, the progress is relatively modest, but they might just be hoping they are finally demonstrating some recovery from the 2015 general election,' he told the BBC.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: 'There is now a real picture emerging across the country, particularly in areas held by the Conservatives, that the Lib Dems are the real challengers.'

Today, Labour blamed their loss of control of Hull after more than a decade in power on a collapse of the Tory vote which moved to the Lib Dems.

Labour's outgoing council leader Daren Hale said his party lost its slender majority in the city due to a total collapse of the last vestiges of Conservative support in key wards of the city.

The Lib Dems saw a net gain of three seats in Hull, leaving them with 29 seats on the 57-seat council, compared with 27 for Labour and one independent. The Conservatives lost their last remaining seat on the council to Labour.

Labour's Graeme Miller, the leader of Sunderland City Council, celebrates as his party retained control

Asked whether the result was a reflection of Labour's national profile, Mr Hale told BBC Radio Humberside: 'In the seats we held, our majority went up.

'It was the collapse of the Tory vote which, in a sense the Labour Party isn't responsible for, that led to those seats changing hands. So, I think it would be too premature to make those judgments.'

Local issues around disruptive road building projects and policies over buses and cycles have been cited as key areas of concern for voters in Hull.

Mr Hale said local Lib Dem councillors are at odds with the national party over bus and cycle lane policies.

He said: 'There's no hiding place now. I look forward to all the roadworks being completed in the middle of the night by magic pixies with no disruption to the public but we will see, won't we?'

And he added: 'We will dust ourselves down and we will come back.'
France did refuse to tell Britain how to disable Exocet missiles that Argentina used to kill British sailors during the Falklands War, a French defence official has confirmed.

Argentine forces targeted ships including HMS Sheffield with the French-made guided missiles during the 1982 conflict with Britain.

The ship sank six days after being hit by one of the projectiles, leading to the deaths of 20 sailors. Tuesday marked the 40th anniversary of the attack.

Exocets became the Royal Navy's most feared threat after also being used to sink the supply ship the Atlantic Conveyor, killing a further 12 sailors. Another 14 sailors died when the HMS Glamorgan was struck.

Senior Tory MPs had this week called for an inquiry into the existence of an alleged 'kill switch', the details of which could have been handed over to Britain by France.

Details about what the French government did or did not share with the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were unclear, but French president Francois Mitterrand is said to have denied that a 'kill switch' existed.

Now, French former defence official Pierre Razoux has admitted that there was a device that could defeat incoming missiles, but president Mitterrand refused to share it with Britain, the Telegraph reported.

Mitterrand did not share the technology because he did not want to hand over the 'keys to the safe' to a rival in the arms trade, Mr Razoux claimed.

France did refuse to tell Britain how to disable Exocet missiles that Argentina used to kill British sailors during the Falklands War, a French defence official has confirmed. Above: HMS Sheffield after being hit by an Exocet. The attack killed 20 British sailors

Mr Razoux, who was a civil servant in the French ministry of defence from 1992 until 2020, said French ships could emit signals that would neutralise Exocets.

He said France did hand over 'part of the technical details' of the Exocets along with intelligence about Argentina's weapons stockpile, but did not provide Britain with the device that could stop an Exocet.

He said: 'To my knowledge, this kill process was only activated when the missile received a message from the target itself.

'Just like boats from the Royal Navy, French ships in a war zone had a series of electronic countermeasures that emit signals to neutralise missiles that we could have sold and could be used against us.'

But he added that handing over details of the device, which he said was a 'type of box', was like 'giving the keys to your safe to your neighbour'. He said this was 'not done'.

It meant that Britain's only defence against the radar-guided missiles was an attempt to lure them away from their targets, such as by using clouds of metal strips fired from ships being targeted.

Senior Tory MPs had this week called for an inquiry into the existence of an alleged 'kill switch', the details of which could have been handed over to Britain by France. Above: Argentine forces arming a jet with an Exocet during the Falklands War

The burnt wreckage of HMS Sheffield is seen shortly before it sank while being towed back to shore in the days following the attack

Details about what the French government did or did not share with the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were unclear, but French president Francois Mitterrand is said to have denied that a 'kill switch' existed

Mr Razoux's admission appears to contradict a claim made in a 2005 book by a former confidante to Mitterrand that the French president did hand over details of how to disable the missiles after Mrs Thatcher threatened to use nuclear weapons on Argentina.

The book, by Ali Magoudi, claimed that Mrs Thatcher said she would fire nuclear weapons at Buenos Aires unless France gave the crucial information.

Mitterrand was quoted as saying that he 'gave in', because otherwise 'that lady's iron finger could have pushed the button.'

Mrs Thatcher was said to be 'furious' that France had sold its advanced weapons to the Argentinian regime.

The attack on HMS Sheffield was the first British loss of life in the Falklands War, which took place after Argentine forces invaded the Falklands Islands, on the orders of dictatorial leader General Leopoldo Galtieri.

The sinking of the Sheffield was revenge for Britain's attack on the Argentine cruiser the General Belgrano two days earlier, which killed 323 sailors.
Advertisement

Sweden has logged one of the lowest pandemic death tolls in Europe despite its refusal to impose lockdowns, World Health Organization estimates suggest.

The Scandinavian nation became an international outcast when it defied scientific advice and chose not to shut down in 2020  instead relying on people's common sense and light social restrictions.

Now, the WHO's analysis of excess deaths  people who died directly and indirectly from Covid  suggests the highly-controversial hands-off approach has been vindicated.

Of the 194 countries looked at by the UN health agency, Sweden's pandemic death rate ranked 101st with 56 per 100,000  well below the average of 90.

It also puts Sweden below most other major European nations that locked down several times, such as Italy (133), Germany (116), Spain (111), Britain (109), Portugal (100), the Netherlands (85), Belgium (77) and France (63).

Sweden was repeatedly attacked for recording some of the highest Covid death rates during the pandemic.

But countries were previously judged by Covid death rates alone, which were skewed by differences in testing.

Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes and it is considered the most consistent way to measure pandemic death tolls because it accounts for a lack of swabbing and undiagnosed cases.

Sweden relied on citizens' sense of civic duty to protect the population, claiming blanket lockdowns were neither 'necessary' or 'defensible'. Authorities advised residents to practice social distancing, however schools, bars and restaurants remained open.

However, Sweden performed worse than its Scandinavian neighbours, with Denmark logging just 32 excess deaths per 100,000 and Norway logging one fewer death per 100,000 than expected.

Experts told MailOnline Sweden's approach 'has largely been vindicated' by the WHO findings and led to 'much better' outcomes than predicted and compared to most of Western Europe.

But they noted that the excess death rate in other Nordic countries  which logged some of the lowest fatality tolls in the world  need to be further studied to understand why.

Out of the 194 countries that the WHO looked at, the Sweden ranked 101st with a death rate of 56 per 100,000 people, well below the average of 90. For comparison, the UK logged 109 deaths per 100,000, while Spain logged 111 and Germany recorded 116

In the most comprehensive look into the pandemic's fatality count yet, the WHO estimated that almost 15million deaths were logged from the start of 2020 to the end of 2021. Peru has logged the most excess deaths in relation to its population, with an extra 437 fatalities for every 100,000 people than expected. The US had the 40th highest excess death rate (140 per 100,000), while the UK came 56th (109 per 100,000)

WHO scientists estimated the global Covid death toll between January 2020 and January 2022 by calculating the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred and the number of deaths that were expected, based on data from previous years.

They estimated there were 14.9million deaths that could be attributed to Covid, but the figure could be as high as 16.6 million.

For comparison, the current official virus death toll is 6.2million, with a third of those logged in the US, Brazil and India.

The UN agency's tally, which misses off the entirety of 2022, is based on excess death data.

This include fatalities from all causes and it is considered the most consistent way to measure pandemic death tolls because it accounts for a lack of swabbing and undiagnosed cases.

HOW DOES UK'S DEATH RATE COMPARE TO EU? Excess deaths associated with the Covid pandemic from all-causes per 100,000 Bulgaria 415 Lithuania 319 Romania 279 Slovakia 223 Croatia 210 Poland 208 Latvia 204 Hungary 189 Czechia 173 Slovenia 134 Italy 133 Estonia 127 Germany 116 Spain 111 UK 109 Portugal 100 Greece 93 Netherlands 85 Belgium 77 Austria 66 France 63 Sweden 56 Malta 54 Cyprus 42 Denmark 32 Ireland 29 Finland 26 Luxembourg 6 Advertisement

While Sweden fared better than most countries in the European Union, some of its Scandinavian neighbours logged an even smaller virus death rate.

Finland had a pandemic excess death toll of 26 per 100,000, while figures were also lower in Ireland (29), Denmark (32) and Switzerland (47).

And Norway logged one fewer death per 100,000 people than expected.

Although Sweden chose not to lock down completely early in the pandemic, it did introduce stricter legally-binding curbs last winter as cases and deaths rose. These included a ban on groups of eight or more people, limits on numbers in gyms and shops and an 8pm curfew on pubs and restaurants.

Some experts suggest Sweden has swerved a high death toll due to sociodemographic factors rather than its Covid policy.

These include having a high rate of single-person households  which brings down transmission  and a low population density compared to countries such as the UK and Italy.

Cambridge University epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline: 'Its certainly true that the approach taken by Sweden  keeping schools open and relying mainly on voluntary changes in behaviour rather than government mandates  has led to outcomes much better than were predicted and most of Western Europe.

'This is similar to what weve seen in the UK with voluntary changes in behaviour in England leading to similar outcomes to those in other home nations which had more government mandates.'

Professor Carl Heneghan, an expert in evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford, told MailOnline: 'Sweden's approach not to interrupt transmission entirely but to reduce the pandemic's health impact has largely been vindicated by the recent mortality results.

'Countries with hard lockdowns, such as Peru, ended up with worse outcomes.

'Sweden's light-touch approach relied on the public to act responsibly without legal restrictions. This approach was out of step with Europe, but it avoided lockdowns, and the hit to their economy turned out to be milder.

'The strategy in the future should be to trust the public in the face of escalating risks to their health to make the right choices.'

Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist based at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline it is 'always difficult' comparing countries because excess mortality is affected by 'many more things' than just Covid policy, such as health expenditure.

He said it is safer to compare Sweden with the other Nordic countries and Sweden 'has done quite a bit worse than its neighbours so you cannot call Sweden a success'.

Lockdowns and other Covid restrictions 'never really prevent spread of an infectious disease, at least for long' but instead delayed the spread until vaccines can be rolled out, at which point the value of virus curbs 'dropped substantially', Professor Hunter said.

Maintaining restrictions after vaccine roll out 'could ultimately lead to more deaths' because people then have their first exposure delayed to a point when they are losing the protective effect of vaccines against severe disease', he said.

The UK 'was looking pretty bad by the end of 2020' but the nation 'turned things around by a very successful vaccination campaign', he said.

And Britain's somewhat more relaxed approach since July 2021 'has probably contributed to the low/negative excess deaths compared to some other European countries that we are seeing now', he said.

Professor Keith Willison, a chemical biologist at Imperial College London, told MailOnline: 'Despite lockdown the UK has suffered double the death rate of Sweden so far.

'Some people argue that without severe lockdown it would have been worse for the UK, but we'll never know.

'The economic and educational consequences will take years to unpick but I would guess that Sweden will end up far less damaged than the UK.'

The WHO graphs show the difference between reported deaths and excess mortality per region. The shaded grey areas show the number of deaths reported to the WHO by countries, while the red lines indicated the estimated excess death rate (the additional people who have died more than the expected number of deaths). Where the red line dips below zero, it indicates that less people died than expected due to pandemic-related changes in behaviour and society. The red numbers in the top right corner of each graph show the total excess mortality from January 1 2020 to December 31 2021

The WHO charts show the difference in reported deaths (shaded grey areas) and excess morality (red lines) when countries are split into World Bank income groups. The red numbers in the top right corner of each graph show the total excess mortality from January 1 2020 to December 31 2021

HOW LABOUR GOT IT SO WRONG Sir Keir Starmer On May 27 2021, the labour leader tweeted: 'We have the worst death toll in Europe and tens of thousands of people have died unnecessarily. Families who have lost loved ones need answers.' Angela Rayner In May 2021, she said: 'Boris Johnson was too slow to introduce not one but three lockdowns, which left us with the worst death toll in Europe.' Preet Kaur Gill In January 2021, Labour's international development spokesperson said: 'We were far too slow to act, we have seen the highest death toll at the end of 2020... we were not looking at the evidence.' Last night she said her comments had been related to the death toll, rather than excess deaths, and is not a 'different picture with most of the population vaccinated'. Richard Burgon In October 2021, the Labour BP claimed: 'The UK has around three times the rate of deaths of France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Yet today Sajid Javid sickeningly labelled the current death rates as "mercifully low".' Rosena Allin-Khan The practicing A&E doctor and Labour mental health spokesperson said in October 2020: 'It wasnt inevitable that we would have one of the worst death rates in the world.' Advertisement

The WHO's analysis shows 20 countries, including the UK and the US, accounted for more than 80 per cent of the estimated 'excess deaths' over the first two years of the pandemic.

The vast majority of the fatalities (84 per cent) occurred in South-East Asia (5.9million), Europe (3.3million) and the Americas (3.23million), followed by Africa (1.3million), Eastern-Mediterranean (1.1million) and the Western Pacific (0.1million).

Peru had the highest excess death rate per 100,000 people (437), followed by Bulgaria (415), Bolivia (375), North Macedonia (369) and Russia (367).

The US had came 40th out of the 194 countries the WHO looked at, with 140 excess deaths per 100,000 people, while the UK came 56th (109 per 100,000).

Its analysis also confirms that more men were struck down by Covid than women, with 57 per cent of virus deaths among men.

The figures include those who died from Covid, as well as those who died due to the pandemic's impact on health systems, such as deaths among people with cancer who were unable to seek treatment because hospitals were full of virus patients.

The WHO there could be even more Covid deaths because some fatalities were averted during the pandemic, such as fewer deaths in road accidents or in work during lockdowns.

Experts have long warned the true virus death toll will be many times higher than the reported figures due to limited testing and difficulties attributing the cause of death to the virus, as many fatalities will involve other underlying conditions.

And it is difficult to compare figures between countries because some nations only count deaths that occurred in hospitals.

WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the 'sobering' figures should prompt nations to invest in more resilient health systems to quell future crises

Dr Albert Ko, an infectious diseases expert at the Yale School of Public Health, said the WHO analysis 'may seem like just a bean-counting exercise'.

'But having these WHO numbers is so critical to understanding how we should combat future pandemics and continue to respond to this one,' he said.

The WHO findings come after US scientists estimated there were more than 18million Covid deaths from January 2020 to December 2021.

Separate researchers by a team of Canadian researchers estimated there were more than 3million uncounted Covid deaths in India alone.

Some countries, including India, have disputed WHO's methodology for calculating Covid deaths, resisting the idea that there were many more deaths than officially counted.

The Our World in Data graphs show the countries which have recorded the highest number of confirmed Covid deaths. The US has logged the most (996,704), followed by Brazil (663,994), India (523,975) and Russia (368,840). The UK recorded the seventh highest number of deaths (175,717). However, experts warn it is difficult to compare figures between countries because of differences in how nations record deaths

When confirmed deaths are calculated per million people, Peru has the highest death rate (6,381.74), followed by Bulgaria (5,358.1), Bosnia and Herzegovina (4,831.68) and Hungary (4,802.29)

Only 6.2million official Covid deaths have been confirmed worldwide, according to Oxford University-based platform Our World in Data

WHERE HAVE THE MOST CONFIRMED COVID DEATHS BEEN LOGGED? HIGHEST DEATH TOLL US: 996,704 Brazil: 663,994 India: 523,975 Russia: 368,840 Mexico: 324,334 Peru: 212,891 UK: 175,717 Italy: 164,041 Indonesia: 156,321 France: 146,445 HIGHEST DEATH TOLL RELATIVE TO POPULATION (per million people) Peru: 6,381.74 Bulgaria: 5,358.1 Bosnia and Herzegovina: 4,831.68 Hungary: 4,802.29 North Macedonia: 4,457.28 Montenegro: 4,324.49 Georgia: 4,224.11 Croatia: 3,884.7 Czechia: 3,747.85 Slovakia: 3,659.76 Source: Our World in Data Advertisement

Earlier this week, the Indian Government revealed the country logged 474,806 more deaths in 2020 compared to the previous year, but did not say how many were due to the pandemic.

India did not release any death estimates for 2021, when the highly infectious delta variant swept through the country, killing many thousands.

Dr Ko said the WHO's figures may explain some ongoing mysteries about the pandemic, including why Africa appears to have been one of the countries least affected by the virus, despite its low vaccination rates.

'Were the mortality rates so low because we couldn't count the deaths or was there some other factor to explain that?' he said.

Dr Ko noted that high death rates in the UK and US proved resources alone were insufficient to contain a global outbreak.

Dr Bharat Pankhania, a public health expert at the University of Exeter, said it may be impossible to calculate the true Covid death toll, especially for poor countries

He said: 'When you have a massive outbreak where people are dying in the streets because of a lack of oxygen, bodies were abandoned or people had to be cremated quickly because of cultural beliefs, we end up never knowing just how many people died.'

Dr Pankhania noted the currently estimated Covid death toll is still a fraction of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic - when experts estimate up to 100million people died.

But he said it is 'shameful' that so many people died due to the coronavirus pandemic, despite significant advancements in modern medicine.

Dr Pankhania warned the cost of Covid could be far more damaging in the long term, given the increasing burden of long Covid.

He said: 'With the Spanish flu, there was the flu and then there were some (lung) illnesses people suffered, but that was it. 'here was not an enduring immunological condition that we're seeing right now with Covid.

'We do not know the extent to which people with long Covid will have their lives cut short and if they will have repeated infections that will cause them even more problems.'

Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of scientific charity the Wellcome Trust, said: 'There can be no hiding from the fact this devastating death toll was not inevitable; or that there have been too many times in the past two years when world leaders have failed to act at the level needed to save lives.'

He noted that a third of the worlds population is still unvaccinated and 'more must be done' to protect people from Covid and future pandemics.

'Climate change, shifting patterns of animal and human interaction, urbanisation and increasing travel and trade are creating more opportunities for new and dangerous infectious disease risks to emerge, amplify and then spread,' Dr Farrar said.

He called on world leaders to 'learn from this crisis and act immediately to end this pandemic, and make sure they do everything they can to prevent this ever happening again'.

Dr Farrar said global surveillance networks must be built and sustained to detect outbreaks before they escalate, while national and global health professionals must be supported to respond quickly at the start of an outbreak.

And vaccine, testing and treatment capacity must be equally distributed worldwide, he added.
More than 750 migrants have arrived in the UK by small boat so far this month, pushing the 2022 total to 7,484.

According to official figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), 761 people have been detained after trying to cross the English Channel in May.

This figure is set to continue rising as people smugglers take advantage of the calm conditions at sea.

Another 30 migrants were escorted to Dover, Kent by UK officials on board Border Force cutter Speedwell on Friday afternoon.

The group, which included women, children, and babies wearing woollen hats and wrapped in blankets were carried to safety as Channel crossings continued for a sixth day this week.

The latest arrivals bring the total number of migrant crossings so far today to around 50 - after a mostly male group of approximately 20 people were brought into the harbour on board Border Force catamaran Typhoon around 9am.

Around 30 more migrants were escorted to Dover, Kent by UK officials on board Border Force cutter Speedwell on Friday afternoon

The latest arrivals bring the total number of migrant crossings so far today to around 50 - after a mostly male group of approximately 20 people were brought into the harbour on board Border Force catamaran Typhoon around 9am

British Border Force boat at Dover Docks after officials picked up two boats carrying migrants in the English Channel, in Dover on Friday afternoon

The group, which included women, children, and babies wearing woollen hats and wrapped in blankets were carried to safety as Channel crossings continued for a sixth day this week

The group of migrants were given life jackets as they were brought ashore to safety by British Border Force officers

A lady and a young girl are led by a Border Force officer along the pathway after arriving by boat on Friday

A migrant gives a thumbs up after being safely brought onto a Border Force cutter cutter Speedwell on Friday

They were led along the gangway for processing by soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues and high-vis vests.

There were another 65 migrants who made the treacherous journey across the Dover Strait in two boats on Thursday. The first group of about 25 people was brought into Dover, Kent on board Border Force ship Hurricane around 10.30am.

A further two groups totalling approximately 40 people were escorted to shore by UK officials in rigid-hulled inflatable boats shortly before 3pm.

This comes after a Home Office model suggested that only 300 migrants will be sent to Rwanda a year under the government's controversial scheme.

The British Border Force officers brought the migrants into Dover Docks on Friday afternoon

This afternoon's boat is the second to arrive at Dover in one day (Friday), with another 20 migrants having arrived at around 9am today

A small number of Thursday's arrivals reportedly attempted to make the 21-mile journey in a flimsy dinghy using paddles.

Another group could be seen floating dangerously close to a shale gas tanker in an inflatable dingy.

The French regional operational surveillance and rescue centre in Gris-Nez also identified several boats in difficulty in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais.

The rescue centre engaged multiple nautical resources to help the stranded migrants.

The French coastguard patrol boat, Jacques Oudart Fourmentin, was tasked with picking up 11 people near Leffrinckoucke.

And French Navy vessel, Laplace, provided assistance to a further 56 migrants stranded off the coast of Leffrinckoucke.

Once recovered, they were returned to the port of Calais and taken care of by the border police and the departmental fire and rescue services.

The maritime prefect has warned anyone who plans to cross the Channel about the risks involved.

The group of migrants, which included women and children, was brought to shore shortly after midday

They could be seen being led along the gangway for processing by soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues and high-vis vests (pictured this afternoon)

The latest arrivals bring the total number of migrant crossings so far today to around 50 - after approximately 20 people were brought into the harbour on board Border Force catamaran Typhoon around 9am

The group of migrants were brought to safety at Dover Docks on Friday afternoon, racking up this year's total to 7,484

A small number of Thursday's arrivals reportedly attempted to make the 21-mile journey in a flimsy dinghy using paddles. Migrants pictured in Dover at around 9am on Friday

Around 20 migrants have already reached British soil on Friday. Border Force catamaran Typhoon was seen escorting a mostly male group into Dover, Kent shortly after 9am (pictured)

A spokesperson said: 'This maritime sector is one of the busiest areas in the world, the weather conditions are often difficult, with 20 days of wind greater than or equal to force seven on an annual average for example.

'It is therefore a particularly dangerous sector.'

Last Sunday saw 254 migrants make the treacherous journey in seven boats, while 293 people reached the UK by small boat on bank holiday Monday.

Tuesday also saw a significant number of migrant arrivals, with 149 people being detained by UK officials after crossing the Channel.

No migrant crossings took place on Wednesday but a search operation was conducted in the Channel after passengers on a P&O ferry spotted floating debris in the sea - understood to be a wooden boat - and raised the alarm.

The Spirit of Britain vessel assisted in an HM Coastguard co-ordinated search operation in the Straits of Dover.

More than 750 migrants have arrived in the UK by small boat so far this month, pushing the 2022 total to 7,484, with figures set to continue rising as people smugglers take advantage of calm waters. A lady carries a young child as a group of migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent on Friday

Last Sunday saw 254 migrants make the treacherous journey in seven boats, while 293 people reached the UK by small boat on bank holiday Monday. A young child pictured being carried as the group of migrants are brought into Dover on Friday

More than 750 migrants have arrived in the UK by small boat so far this month, pushing the 2022 total to 7,484

Two RNLI lifeboats - from Dover and Walmer - were launched to the search site while crew on board the ferry scoured the water for signs of life.

Coastguard officers said a wooden dinghy was located but added no one was found to be 'at risk'.

Official government data suggests at least 7,484 people have arrived in the UK in small boats so far this year - a figure which was not reached until July in 2021.

A total of 28,526 migrants crossed the Channel last year, a significant jump from the 8,410 who arrived in 2020.

Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP, has said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.

'Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough.

A further two groups totalling approximately 40 people were escorted to shore by UK officials in rigid-hulled inflatable boats shortly before 3pm on Thursday. Migrants pictured preparing to disembark at the Dover Docks on Friday

According to official figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), 761 people have been detained after trying to cross the English Channel in May. A group of around 20 migrants, pictured, were brought into Dover following a boat incident

Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP, has said: 'The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.' Migrants pictured on Friday coming into Dover

Tuesday also saw a significant number of migrant arrivals, with 149 people being detained by UK officials after crossing the Channel. Officials pictured in camouflage and hi-vis jackets escorting the migrants to Dover Docks

There were another 65 migrants who made the treacherous journey across the Dover Strait in two boats on Thursday. The first group of about 25 people was brought into Dover, Kent on board Border Force ship Hurricane around 10.30am. A woman pictured on Friday as she boarded a bus after travelling through the English Channel by boat

A child pictured on Friday as British Border Force Officials escorted migrants ashore to the Dover Docks after picking up two boats in the English Channel

'Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we're cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.'

The 120m Home Office agreement, which will see 300 migrants to Rwanda per year, was announced last month, with Boris Johnson saying 'tens of thousands' would be sent to Rwanda under the deal.

Home Office modelling, however, suggests the programme will be on a tiny fraction of the scale suggested initially by the prime minister.

The policy - which will send adult migrants who are 'inadmissible for asylum' off to Rwanda for their cases to be processed - was presented last month as a solution to the Channel crossing problem.

Over 7,300 migrants have crossed the Channel this year alone, marking a threefold increase in the rate of arrivals compared with last year.

According to official figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), 761 people have been detained after trying to cross the English Channel in May, with around 20 migrants having already reached British soil today.

Migrants were led along the gangway for processing by soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues and high-vis vests (pictured on Friday)

Border Force catamaran Typhoon was seen escorting the mostly male group into Dover, Kent shortly after 9am (pictured)

According to official figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), 761 people have been detained after trying to cross the English Channel in May. Group of migrants pictured being escorted by Border Force Officials in Dover on Friday

They were led along the gangway for processing by soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues and high-vis vests.

Boris Johnson has defended the Rwanda policy from fierce criticism, with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby among the scheme's most prominent detractors.

The prime minister said the Rwanda programme would stop people-smuggling gangs exploiting the vulnerable, who risk ending up in a 'watery grave' as they cross the choppy and treacherous Channel.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, hit out at the policy, saying the Home Office analysis was a sign of its internal weakness.

Mr Solomon told The Times: 'The governments desire to treat people as human cargo expelling them to Rwanda is not only appallingly unprincipled, it is also unworkable.

Last Sunday saw 254 migrants make the treacherous journey in seven boats, while 293 people reached the UK by small boat on bank holiday Monday. A child pictured wrapped in a blanket at Dover Docks on Friday

Boris Johnson has defended the Rwanda policy from fierce criticism, with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby among the scheme's most prominent detractors. A group pictured being brought into Dover on Friday

'The government now seems to be realising that the challenges of making it a reality are far greater than it had anticipated.

'Theres a likelihood that it could easily unravel and certainly never be on a scale the prime minister said it could be.'

The Home Office analysis estimated only 300 people would be sent to Rwanda a year by comparing the number of migrants who were categorised as 'inadmissible' for asylum under a previous EU system that applied in Britain pre-Brexit.

Under the EU's Dublin Regulations, which stopped applying to the UK after December 31 2020, identical 'asylum admissibility' rules were used to sort migrants as will be used in the new Rwanda scheme.

Fewer than 300 asylum seekers a year were branded 'asylum inadmissible' in the final six years of Britain's tenure under the Dublin Regulations.

A government spokesperson said they did not recognise the Home Office analysis, however, and emphasised that the number who could be sent to Rwanda was 'uncapped'.

The Home Office analysis estimated only 300 people would be sent to Rwanda a year by comparing the number of migrants who were categorised as 'inadmissible' for asylum under a previous EU system that applied in Britain pre-Brexit. Migrants, including children, were escorted ashore by British Border Force officials on Friday (pictured)

A group pictured disembarking from a boat on Friday morning. The Home Office analysis estimated only 300 people would be sent to Rwanda in the new scheme by Priti Patel

The spokesperson said that one of the criterion for labelling someone 'asylum inadmissible' was the realistic chance of being able to remove them to a safe country, meaning that the Rwanda deal had raised the probability of many falling into this classification.

In a statement, they said: 'The entire government is united in our efforts to prevent lethal crossings, save lives and disrupt illegal migration.'

In the first three days of May alone, almost 700 people crossed the 21-mile stretch of water.
Britain's longest serving Cornish pasty maker is finally retiring after 60 years - during which time he has crimped more than 15 million of them.

Charlie Choak, 75, has been making pasties since the age of five, when his mother would sit him on the kitchen counter and impart her wisdom on the perfect pasty technique.

The much-adored baker joined the family's bakery at the age of 14 and took over the business from his parents around 55 years ago.

He would crimp up to 1,200 pasties on busy days while working a six day week - baking more than 15 million of the traditional Cornish refections during his long career.

Britain's longest serving Cornish pasty maker, Charlie Choak, 75, is finally retiring - after making 15 million pasties throughout his 60-year career

The industrious pasty maker would crimp up to 1,200 pasties on busy days while working a six day week

But he is finally shutting up shop and selling the building to a developer, as after more than half a century in the job he said he 'has had enough'.

Unable to pass the business onto any other family members, Charlie says it is right time to sell Choak's Bakery, in Falmouth, Cornwall.

Charlie, known to Falmouth locals as 'Charlie Choak the pasty bloke', said: 'It would've been nice to carry the family business on but no one will take it so I don't have a choice.

'Fingers crossed the sale goes through - I'm tired and I've had enough.

'When the shop was at its peak, which was usually on a Saturday, we used to make 1240 pasties - that is a lot of pasties.'

Charlie said he used to work at the bakery six days a week and revealed that as soon as he put the property on the market it sold 'in a number of days'. The sale is expected to go through in about ten weeks.

Charlie's parents, who worked together making pasties, founded the family business a bakery called JH&M Choak, in Minnie Place, Falmouth, on August 13, 1949.

Joseph, Magdalene and Charlie then moved to the site of what Charlie remembers as Ricky's Cafe, which has remained the home of Choak's since 1960.

He said: 'Years ago, I used to be the only person making pasties but now loads are making them, its all changed quite a bit.

'Of course we make the best pasties in Cornwall. Without a doubt.

The pasty-expert refused to reveal his 'secret ingredient' that he says makes his pasties the 'best in the country', and will take the secret to his grave

'As far as I'm concerned, they'll carry on making them forever but they will never be as good as ours.

'Pasties are very important here - people come from all over the world to try a classic Cornish pasty, and there really is nothing like it.

'You can't call them Cornish pasties unless they are made in Cornwall though, that's just fact'.

When describing the perfect pasty-making process, Charlie admitted his pasties only take an hour to bake, and 10 minutes to prep, and the sage onion, meat and rutabagas (a root vegetable similar to turnips) are critical ingredients.

However, the pasty-expert refused to reveal his 'secret ingredient' that he says makes his pasties the 'best in the country', and will take the secret to his grave.

Charlie said he crimps the pasties around the top at Choaks, because his mother, who used to live in west Cornwall always crimped her pasties on the top.

But his grandmother, who lived in North Cornwall, always crimped the pasty on the side.

He added: 'The traditional way is to crimp around the sides, because the miners used to hold the pasty in their hands to eat it and throw the crimp away due to the arsenic on their fingers - a horrible thing that would ruin the taste.

'The proper Cornish pasty is my favourite - they make funny ones now. Vegetarian, vegan - they're bloody awful.

'They used to make them with mince lamb and mutton after the war - back in the good old days'.

Charlie admitted that after retirement he will not be making any pasties for himself or his family in the near future, not because he is sick of them, but he's 'just got better things to do'.

Charlie, who resides in Falmouth with his beloved cockerpoo Coco Chanel, said: 'I have no regrets and am grateful for the experiences I've made.

'I'm very grateful for the customers we had at Choak's - they got me to where I am today.

'I shouldn't say this but now we're closing, I don't have much hope for Cornish pasties.

'Long may Choak's famous pasties rest in peace - and in the hearts and minds of all those who tried his famous delicacies.'

The bakery was also the first in the area to have an open window to the passing public, which Charlie says always grabs the attention of onlookers.

The inspiration behind the layout came from a trip his parents took to Scotland, which is where Joseph Choak's wife, Magdalene, was from.

The news has been greeted with sadness on Facebook, with people saying that they are 'devastated' at the closure.

One local said: 'My first job whilst at school from the age of 14 to 21. So sad to hear its closing. Charlie was a great boss.'

Others expressed their despair, saying Falmouth is 'doomed' and 'it's sad that it's another family business has been lost'.
The Duke of Northumberland is facing a 'peasant's revolt' over his latest property development plan which residents argue would be like 'building on Hyde Park'.

Ralph Percy, a godchild of the Queen, is one of Britain's richest landowners with an estimated family wealth of around 400million.

He has proposed creating an access road and property development of almost 100 homes on a brownfield site below 'The Braid' in Amble, Northumberland, a popular green space which has been publicly accessible since the 1970s.

His family company Northumberland Estates owns a strip of land that runs through The Braid, but locals have argued that the space is a 'wildlife haven' and have opposed the planned access road.

The proposal includes 48 supported living apartments and 35 residential apartment, a range of one and two-bed homes which are 'designed to facilitate the changing needs of residents over their lifetimes'.

The new homes, which would sit on the brownfield site, would be accessed from a new access road across The Braid, which starts from the A1068 through the existing residential estate road at Rivergreen.

It will also have pedestrian access directly from North Street which goes through to Amble Town Centre.

Locals have argued that any new road will subsequently damage biodiversity as the area is 'teeming' with lots of herons, stoats, hedgehogs, butterflies and owls.

The Duke of Northumberland is facing a 'peasant's revolt' over his latest development plan on The Braid in Amble, which residents argue would be like 'building on Hyde Park'. Pictured with his wife, Jane Percy, the Duchess of Northumberland and Prince Charles in 2018

Community events like firework displays often take place in The Braid and is a popular spot for dog walkers and ramblers.

Member of the Save our Braid group Tony Regan said: 'It is a bit like building on Hyde Park or Green Park - people wouldn't be very happy about it,' he told The Times.

'It is going to have a significant and detrimental effect on people's lives. I think the development plans are inappropriate.

'They are ugly and not in keeping with the environment. They look quite utilitarian in an area where you have some quite interesting properties.'

Northumberland Estates has said their recent planning application is 'less intrusive' than their previous one, noting that it is only a small part of The Braid that will be effected by the build.

They added that 'the vast majority' of locals supported the plan, and that it will include supported living apartments which will help the elderly community remain in the area.

He has proposed creating an access road and property development of almost 100 homes on a brownfield site below 'The Braid' in Amble, Northumberland, a popular green space which has been publicly accessible since the 1970s

His family company Northumberland Estates owns a strip of land that runs through The Braid, but locals have argued that the space is a 'wildlife haven' and have opposed the planned access road. Pictured is the planned proposal for the green space

Public body Natural England, which is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, have said they are requesting more information and suggested they might need to object the Duke's proposal.

The 12th Duke of Northumberland has already faced a 'peasant revolt' over his plans to transform a three-acre site into 80 flats at his Grade I listed Syon Park estate in west London.

Allotment holders managed to topple the multi-millionaire landlord's plans after Hounslow councillors rejected it following opposition from more than 900 local residents.

He initially received backing for the scheme by Hounslow Council's planning officers as they had planned to use the revenue from selling the flats to fund 20million worth of essential repairs at the historic Syon House.

But the fight for the site, which starred as the backdrop for scenes in a string of period dramas, from Downton Abbey to Vanity Fair to Netflix hit Bridgerton, continues as the Duke has since appealed against the council's rejection.

The proposal includes 48 supported living apartments and 35 residential apartment, a range of one and two-bed homes which are 'designed to facilitate the changing needs of residents over their lifetimes'

This week, the 12th Duke reignited the battle for Syon Park as he lodged an appeal through the planning inspectorate to challenge Hounslow Council's decision.

The allotment holders behind the revolt have offered to make a 'fair offer' to buy the land they tend from its owner.

Local councillor Salman Shaheen has outlined a figure of around 30,000, which is based on its current use as agricultural land.

But after opposition from more than 900 local residents, including furious allotment holders, the proposition was defeated after 10 Hounslow councillors rejected plans on Thursday.

Previously, the Duke had threatened to close the site to allotment holders, warning in a letter sent in May that if their opposition 'leads to the application being refused then the allotments will not reopen.'

Other ambitious plans for historic land owned by his company, Northumberland Estates, included a taxpayer-funded tourist attraction in the grounds of Alnwick Castle.

Amble resident Jackie Turpin has drawn a parallel between the Syon Park plans and the access road across The Braid: 'In both instances, the Duke is trying to take away the use of land, which, for decades, has been integral to the mental health and wellbeing of the local communities,' she told The I.

The 12th Duke of Northumberland has already faced a 'peasant revolt' over his plans to transform a three-acre site into 80 flats at his Grade I listed Syon Park estate in west London (pictured with his wife, the Duchess of Northumberland, Jane Percy at Alnwick Castle)

Lord Percy, who attended Eton College and studied history at University of Oxford and later land management at Reading University, succeeded his older brother Henry in the dukedom in 1995 after he died of an amphetamine overdose aged 42.

Until the 1999 Act stopped the right of hereditary peers to sit in the house, Percy was a member of the House of Lords, although there is no record of contributions by the Duke.

In 2011, the Duke was ranked 248 in the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated wealth of 315million.

As well as his 150-room home Alnwick Castle, which was a film location for Harry Potter films, the Duke of Northumberland owns Warkworth Castle, Prudhoe Castle, Syon House, Syon Park, Hulne Park, Hulne Priory, Albury Park and other listed buildings including the Brizlee Tower.

Planning director at Northumberland Estates, Colin Barnes, said of the proposal: 'Our plans to create a "lifetime neighbourhood" in Amble are rooted in the need to provide a modest number of high-quality homes for people, particularly in later life.

'We fully understand the desire of local people to protect their environment and are committed to engaging constructively throughout the whole planning process.

'The ecology impact report for the project makes clear there will be biodiversity gain and habitat improvement because of the proposals.'

The proposals also include 'extensive green infrastructure and landscaping', including the 'provision of useable open green space', with the developers adding that the plans will 'maximise opportunities for biodiversity'.
A woman sunbathing on a Florida beach was hospitalised on Wednesday after being run over by a sheriff's deputy driving an SUV.

Robin Diffenderfer, 23, was lying on her back on St. Pete Beach, Tampa on Wednesday at 1pm when Deputy Todd Brien made a hard right turn from a parked position and drove over her body in the sand.

Deputy Brien, 58, was on patrol on the beach and chatting with several beach-goers when he got a 911 hang up call over the dispatch.

He immediately set into action, speeding off in the two-and-a-half-ton Chevrolet Tahoe.

File photo of St. Pete Beach, Florida. A woman lying on a the beach was was run over by a sheriff's deputy driving an SUV while he responded to an emergency call

But he was unaware of the young woman sunbathing near his vehicle until his tire had rolled over her prone figure.

The front tire hit Ms Diffenderfer's right side and rolled over her mid and upper back areas, according to Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. She was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident occurred just after 1pm behind 4450 Gulf Boulevard.

Deputy Brien, who has been with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office since November 2013, was uninjured.

An investigation by the agency's Major Accident Investigation Team into the incident is underway.

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office have not made any comment so far.
Food from near the old nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan, is now free to be sold in Britain after the ban stopping the radioactive fish and vegetables has now been lifted.

Since the disaster in 2011, the Food Standards Agency stopped Japanese imports containing more than 100 becquerels of radioactivity per kilogram, but has now decided to lift the threshold.

The tight restriction included 23 farm products including fish, vegetables, bamboo shots and bracken, with control over a wider range of products such as baby food and breakfast cereals having been lifted several years ago.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster on 11 March 2011 at the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima, was the most severe nuclear accident in the world since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

It was caused when the plant was hit by a tsunami, triggered by the 9.0 Tohoku earthquake, leading to three of the plant's six nuclear reactors going into meltdown and releasing radioactive materials.

A total of 300,000 people evacuated the Fukushima area on the east coast and 15,884 people died due to the earthquake and tsunami.

Reports claim that the soil and water in the Fukushima area, in the northern part of Nakadori, still contains high levels of radiation which makes the clean-up effort difficult.

Food from near the old nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan, is now free to be sold in Britain after the ban stopping the radioactive fish and vegetables has now been lifted. Pictured, PM Boris Johnson meets Japan leader Fumio Kishida on Wednesday and shared popcorn to celebrate the restrictions being lifted

The FSA said: 'Our risk assessment shows that removing the maximum level of radiocaesium for food imported from Japan to the UK would result in a negligible increase in dose and any associated risk to consumers,' according to The Telegraph.

'Without specific import controls, the emphasis would fall on food businesses to ensure food is safe.'

To celebrate the removal of restrictions between Britain and Fukushima trade, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Japanese leader Fumio Kishida shared some popcorn.

The pair met in London on Thursday, with Downing Street adding that the Prime Minister was 'pleased Great Britain would soon lift the remaining restrictions on Fukushima'.

During their meeting, they also confirmed a new defence agreement which will allow their military forces to carry out training and joint exercise, as well as disaster relief activities.

British supermarkets Tesco and Waitrose have said they are not planning on introducing the items from Fukushima at the moment.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster on 11 March 2011 (pictured) at the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima, was the most severe nuclear accident in the world since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986

The products are readily available at particular Japanese grocers in the UK at the moment.

During the Brexit transition period in 2019, the UK agreed to 'mirror' the regulations set by the EU where they relaxed import rules, with Brussels having scrapped the need for radiation inspection certificates except certain fish products, mushrooms and wild vegetables.

The EU was then allowed to sell French champagne, foie gras, cognac and wine with reduced taxes in Japan.

FUKUSHIMA'S NUCLEAR DISASTER The Fukushima nuclear disaster was a failure at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on 11 March 2011. It was caused when the plant was hit by a tsunami, triggered by the 9.0 Tohoku earthquake. This led to three of the plants six nuclear reactors going into meltdown and releasing radioactive materials. Reports claim the soil and water in the region still contains high levels of radiation which makes the clean-up effort difficult. A total of 300,000 people evacuated the Fukushima area on the east coast and 15,884 people died due to the earthquake and tsunami. Advertisement

Leaders Johnson and Kishida are also said to have spoken about North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Wednesday this week.

North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, South Korean and Japanese officials said, as the country's nuclear development is set to accelerate.

The missile launch comes days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to speed up the development of his nuclear weapons 'at the fastest possible pace' and threatened to use them against rivals.

The launch, the North's 14th round of weapons firing this year, also came six days before a new conservative South Korean president takes office for a single five-year term.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired from the North's capital region and flew to the waters off its eastern coast.

It called North Koreas repeated ballistic missile launches 'a grave threat' that would undermine international peace and security and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning any ballistic launch by the North.

A No 10 spokesman told The Telegraph: 'The Prime Minister condemned the provocative actions and said the UK stood shoulderto-shoulder with Japan and our Indo-Pacific allies.'

Boris Johnson added: 'There is a direct read-across from the actions of autocratic, coercive powers in Europe to what may happen in East Asia. That's why we want to work more closely together.

'As two great island democracies, and the third and fifth largest econo mies in the world, the UK and Japan are focused on driving growth, creating highly skilled jobs and ensuring we remain technology superpowers.

'The visit of prime minister Kishida will accelerate our close defence relationship and build on our trade partnership to boost major infrastructure projects across the country - supporting our levelling up agenda.'




By Kim Jae-heun







Gmarket Global is strengthening its fresh food business overnight delivery service to create synergy with SSG.com within Shinsegae Group, company officials said on Thursday.







Gmarket Global, which runs two open-market platforms Gmarket and Auction, is preparing to launch "Smile Fresh," a fresh food delivery service that sends customers' online purchases overnight.







After Shinsegae acquired Gmarket Global, formerly known as eBay Korea, last year, the retail giant has been searching for ways to strengthen its retail business by creating synergy between its online shopping mall SSG.com and Gmarket Global.







Of SSG.com's overall sales, 40 percent to 45 percent are generated from its fresh food business. For Gmarket Global, 70 percent to 80 percent of its sales are estimated to come from the non-food sector. Combining logistics centers the two e-commerce affiliates are expected to remedy each other's shortcomings.







"Shinsegae is reviewing ways to integrate our logistics centers of Gmarket Global and SSG.com. We are also thinking about utilizing E-mart's fulfillment centers for Gmarket and using Gmarket's fulfillment centers for SSG.com," a Shinsegae official said.







Gmarket Global started its overnight delivery service in February to secure competitiveness in the local e-commerce market, but it sold non-food products mainly due to a lack of logistics centers outside of the capital area.







In order to expand its fresh food delivery service across the country, Gmarket Global needs more logistics centers, but it currently owns only a limited number of them in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.


The killer mother of Baby P lied to a parole board about a secret affair with another prisoner and will 'get a new identity' on the taxpayer when she is released from jail, it emerged today, amid an ongoing row between the Government and the prison body.

Tracey Connelly, who allowed her son Peter to be tortured to death by her boyfriend in 2007, could be set free within weeks after a judge yesterday refused Dominic Raab's attempts to block her release amid a furious row.

A furious Mr Raab said the decision 'demonstrates why the parole board needs a fundamental overhaul'.

Connelly was initially released from prison in 2013, but was recalled to prison in 2015 for selling naked photos of herself and breaching her licence conditions.

But the Parole Board ruled Connelly is suitable for release on Thursday after hearing she is now considered to be at 'low risk of committing a further offence'.

A panel came to the decision despite a challenge from Mr Raab, who cited incidences of Connelly trying to hide a year-long relationship with one prisoner and lying to staff about ending a partnership with another inmate.

The judgement revealed Connelly had kissed a fellow inmate, referred to only as X, in June last year and they had begun exchanging love letters.

Connelly agreed to end the relationship, which began in June, after disclosing it to staff, but the couple continued to 'push letters under the doors of their cells' - in breach of prison rules.

In one of the notes, Connelly told the prisoner 'I madly love you... crazy about you'.

The Justice Secretary challenged the parole board's decision on grounds that it failed to take 'any, or any proper, account' of factors such as her 'willingness to deceive professionals', her 'manipulative capacity', the 'imminence of her risk' and "risk of non-compliance.

Mr Raab said the love letters, in breach of prison rules, 'very clearly demonstrate a willingness to deceive professionals'.

And Judge Jeremy Roberts QC, admitted: 'There is no doubt that this episode revealed another example of the respondent being less than honest with professionals.

'It was to her credit that she disclosed her relationship with X at an appropriate time, but she then, for a time, led the professionals to believe she had ended the relationship when she had not.'

He also admitted that other Parole Boards might have decided that withholding the information was enough to rule that Connelly was not safe to be released, but he found the decision to free her to be correct.

Connelly was jailed at the Old Bailey in 2009 for causing or allowing the death of her 17-month-old son Peter at their home in Tottenham, north London , on August 3, 2007

Known publicly as Baby P, Peter (pictured) had suffered more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police officers and health professionals over eight months

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured) pledged in March to appeal against the board's recommendation to free Tracey Connelly, 40, from prison

Baby P: A timeline of the tragedy that shocked Britain March 1, 2006: Peter Connelly (Baby P) is born August 3, 2007: 17-month-old Baby P is found dead in cot November 11, 2008: Peter's mother, Tracey Connelly, boyfriend Steven Barker and brother Jason Owen are convicted of causing his death November 13, 2008: Ed Balls orders an inquiry into the role of the council, health authority and police December 1, 2008: An independent review declares Haringey's child protection services 'inadequate' December 8, 2008: Haringey Children's Services boss Sharon Shoesmith is sacked with immediate effect May 22, 2009: Connelly is jailed indefinitely, Barker gets a life term and Owen is given an indeterminate sentence for public protection October 7, 2009: Shoesmith launches a High Court case against Balls to seek compensation for her dismissal September 15, 2010: Shoesmith tells MPs she is sorry about what happened but refuses to accept any blame, saying she had no involvement in the care of Baby P May 27, 2011: The Court of Appeal rules in favour of Shoesmith, saying dismissal was 'tainted by unfairness' October 8, 2013: Connelly is recommended for release February 14, 2015: Connelly is back behind bars after sending nude pictures to male fans December 29, 2015: The Parole Board rejects Connelly's first bid for freedom November 28, 2017: It rejects Connelly's second bid for freedom January 6, 2019: The Parole Board rejects Connelly's third bid for freedom March 30, 2022: Connelly is recommended for release again April 2022: Dominic Raab appeals the decision. May 5: Parole Board rejects his appeal. Advertisement

The Parole Board, which had rejected previous attempts to be released, said he judge had concluded that it had 'made rational conclusions'.

According to parole documents, at the time of her crimes, Connelly, then 25, got into relationships quickly, used sex to 'help her feel better about herself' and had an 'inability to control extreme emotions'.

She was also described as 'manipulative' and lacking in empathy.

Since being recalled to prison, though, Connelly is said to have taken part in a 'very intensive' treatment programme and is 'now able to work openly and honestly with professionals'.

Mr Roberts added: 'I have carefully considered all of the arguments advanced by the Secretary of State in support of his application, but ... cannot find anything in them to justify reconsideration of the panel's decision.

'This application is therefore refused and the panel's provisional decision is now final.'

Connelly, now 40, was jailed for a minimum of five years in 2009, for causing or allowing the death of her tortured 17-month-old son Peter in a horrific case that shocked the nation.

She was released in 2013 but was recalled to prison in 2015 for selling naked photos of herself and breaching her licence conditions by 'developing intimate personal relationships' online.

In March the Parole Board announced she had been cleared for release due to a low risk of reoffending. But within hours Mr Raab vowed to block the move, describing the notorious case as 'harrowing'.

The Justice Secretary can apply to have a verdict reconsidered if he believes 'the correct process was not followed' or 'the decision was irrational or unreasonable'.

Nevertheless, the Parole Board says it considers cases carefully so it would be unusual for a decision to change.

Responding to the news his appeal had failed yesterday, Mr Raab said Connelly's actions were 'pure evil' and added: 'The decision to release her demonstrates why the parole board needs a fundamental overhaul - including a ministerial check for the most serious offenders - so that it serves and protects the public.'

The evil mother will be subject to 20 licence conditions, including having to wear an electronic tag and disclose all her relationships. She will also have her Internet use monitored and be forced to obey a curfew.

Known publicly as Baby P, Peter had suffered more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police officers and health professionals over eight months.

Connelly's lover Steven Barker was jailed in 2009 for a minimum of 32 years for torturing the 17-month-old to death while his brother, Jason Owen, received a six year jail sentence for allowing the toddler to die.

A series of reviews identified missed opportunities for officials to save the toddler's life had they reacted properly to warning signs.

In March the Parole Board decided she was suitable for release, having rejected three previous bids.

Yesterday, the Parole Board announced the application had been rejected and the original decision upheld.

A spokesman said in a statement: 'Following the reconsideration application from the Secretary of State, a judge has ruled that the decision made by independent Parole Board members to release was not irrational, as stated in the reconsideration application, and the original decision is upheld.'

The reconsideration mechanism, introduced in July 2019, allows the Justice Secretary and the prisoner to challenge the board's decision within 21 days if they believe them to be 'procedurally unfair' or 'irrational'.

Victims and members of the public can also make a request via the minister.

But the threshold is high and is the same as is required when seeking a judicial review in court.

The provisions also make clear that 'being unhappy' with the decision is not grounds for reconsideration.

Baby P, was tortured to death in 2007 by Connelly's lover Steven Barker (left) and his brother Jason Owen (right) at their home in Tottenham, north London

How Dominic Raab is trying to prevent the release of Britain's most serious criminals Who has the power to release criminals from prison? The 246 members of the Parole Board of England and Wales make risk assessments and decisions on whether prisoners can be safely released or moved to an open jail. What power does Dominic Raab have and can the Parole Board decision be overturned? While the initial decision to release prisoners is made by the Parole Board, the Justice Secretary can apply to have a verdict reconsidered if he believes 'the correct process was not followed' or 'the decision was irrational or unreasonable'. Nevertheless, the Parole Board says it considers cases carefully so it would be unusual for a decision to change. If a parole decision is not challenged within 21 calendar days it becomes final and the prisoner must be released. How does he want to reform the system? The plans could see ministers override the Parole Board when it comes to the release of dangerous criminals from jail, with an aim to focus on protecting the public rather than the rights of offenders. This could include cases involving murder, rape, terrorism and causing or allowing the death of a child. Similarly, where the Parole Board cannot confidently say the prisoner is safe to leave prison, they will refer the decision to the Justice Secretary. While victims will not have a definitive say in the decision to release, they will be given the chance to attend hearings as an observer and ask questions, while the board will be required to take their submissions into account. Currently, victims are limited to a statement shared with the board explaining how the crime impacted on their life. Advertisement

Mr Raab intervened on the grounds that the decision to free Connelly was 'irrational', arguing it had failed to take proper account of some information surrounding the case and did not provide sufficient reasons for its conclusion.

The Parole Board added: 'In summary, the judge has concluded that the panel did take into consideration all evidence mentioned by the application and made rational conclusions.'

Connelly will be subject to restrictions on her movements, activities and who she contacts, and faces 20 extra licence conditions.

They include living at a specified address, being supervised by probation, wearing an electronic tag, adhering to a curfew and having to disclose her relationships.

Her use of the internet and a phone will be monitored, and she has been told she cannot go to certain places to 'avoid contact with victims and to protect children'.

Peter and three other children were sharing the four-bedroom house with their mother, her boyfriend and his brother when he died.

A series of reviews identified missed opportunities for officials to save the toddler's life had they reacted properly to warning signs.

Three of the children, including Peter, were on Haringey's Child Protection Register because of fears they were being neglected.

Connelly, who covered up the abuse of her son, was jailed indefinitely in 2009 for a minimum of five years after admitting causing or allowing the death of her son Peter.

She was then freed on licence in 2013 but later recalled to prison in 2015 after it was found she had sent indecent images of herself to people obsessed with her notoriety.

The Parole Board considered her case for a third time in November 2019, following previous reviews in 2015 and 2017, and refused to either release her or move her to an open prison.

In 2019, the convict launched a bid to be freed from prison so she could try to spend Christmas with her lover.

She became besotted with a 37-year-old insurance salesman named Paul and told fellow prisoners she want to move in with him in Reading.

The abuser said she believed she was ready to leave prison a 'changed woman'.

Connelly insisted her relationship was genuine because she had known him for many years.

Mr Raab has insisted the case for reform of the parole system is 'clear and made out'.

Offenders who are subject to life sentences, indeterminate sentences for public protection, extended sentences and certain recall cases are all subject to the parole process, meaning their release must be directed by the Parole Board.

The proposed reforms could see ministers override the Parole Board when it comes to the release of dangerous criminals from jail, with an aim to focus on protecting the public rather than the rights of offenders.

This could include cases involving murder, rape, terrorism and causing or allowing the death of a child.

Connelly, pictured in 2013, when she was released on licence in 2013 before being ordered back to jail

Living with killers: The little boy who never stood a chance Tracey Connelly, who covered up the abuse of her son Baby Peter, was living with Steven Barker and Jason Owen when little Peter died. Barker was a sadistic neo-Nazi who raped a two-year-old girl, tortured his own grandmother and is suspected of sex attacks on other children. Their 'lodger' and his brother Owen was a crack cocaine addict and convicted arsonist who was accused of raping a girl of 11. The full horror of what they put Peter through only emerged after he was found dead in his cot, his emaciated body covered with 22 separate injuries. At the time of his death, Peter and three other children were sharing a four-bedroom house with Connelly, her boyfriend Barker, his paedophile brother Owen and his four children, plus Owen's 15-year-old girlfriend. Three of the children - including Peter - were on Haringey's Child Protection Register because of fears they were being neglected. Social workers, health visitors and doctors saw the family 60 times before 17-month-old Peter died from his horrific injuries, which included a snapped spine and eight broken ribs. Advertisement

Victims are also expected to be given the right to attend parole hearings in full for the first time, in a nod to the Conservative Party's 2019 manifesto.

The Parole Board will now be required to take into account submissions made by victims and they will be allowed to ask questions.

The new rules could also see more police, and other people with 'enforcement experience', recruited to sit on Parole Board decision panels.

Mr Raab said it was 'striking' that as of last year only 5% of all Parole Board panel members come from a law enforcement background, telling MPs he believed this was a 'significant deficit'.

Setting out his review of the parole system earlier this year, Mr Raab said: 'Our reforms will ensure that those offenders who present the highest risk to public safety are reviewed more rigorously with additional ministerial oversight.

'Protecting the public is the Government's top priority. The proposals in this review will enforce public safety.'

He added: 'Following the review we have conducted and published today, I believe the case for reform is clear and made out.'

Mr Raab also said a ministerial check would be introduced in cases which involve 'those who have committed the most serious crimes'.

He said: 'I believe the focus in this critical decision-making has become adrift from its original moorings. So this Government will anchor Parole Board decision-making back to the cardinal principle of public protection.

'When it comes to assessing the risk to victims and public safety, we will introduce a precautionary principle to reinforce public confidence in the system and in cases which involve those who have committed the most serious crimes, we will introduce a ministerial check on release decisions exercised by the secretary of state for justice.

'The package of reforms published today will strengthen the focus on public protection at every stage.'

Outlining his plans further, Mr Raab said: 'It is striking that as of last year only 5% of all Parole Board panel members come from a law enforcement background.'

He added: 'But I do point to what I believe is a significant deficit. I believe it is wrong and that our reforms will ensure that those who we charge with making finely balanced assessments of future risk have greater first hand operational experience of protecting the public from serious offenders.

'So we will change this imbalance by mandating the Parole Board to recruit more members with operational or enforcement experience.'
An order by Vladimir Putin to strike Ukraine or the West with nuclear weapons would be ignored by his top commanders, a senior investigative journalist has said.

Many leading military and security officials as well as oligarch cronies believe Putin to be dying or gravely ill, said Christo Grozev, who is an expert on Russian affairs and is associated with the Bellingcat open source research group.

Believing that Putin could soon die, his inner circle would not risk being hauled before a modern equivalent of the Nuremberg trials for unleashing Armageddon, nor would they obey a Putin order to kill opposition foes, Mr Grozev claimed.

The Russian president placed Moscow's nuclear forces on high alert shortly after his invasion of Ukraine began February 24, raising fears he could press the button as the war in Ukraine continues to go against him.

And amid increasing Western support to Ukraine, Putin has made thinly veiled threats hinting at a willingness to deploy Russia's tactical nuclear weapons, which Russian military doctrine holds can be used to force an adversary to retreat.

Meanwhile, Russia has increasingly resorted to nuclear sabre-rattling as the war in Ukraine has stumbled, with state media last week issuing near-daily threats - including one to wipe out the UK and Ireland with a 'nuclear tidal wave'.

Pictured: Putin is shown clinging to his desk as he holds a meeting with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu. An order by Putin to strike Ukraine or the West with nuclear weapons will not be obeyed by his top commanders, a senior investigative journalist has said, amid fears amongst his inner circle that he is gravely unwell

Pictured: A test launch of the Satan II hypersonic nuclear warhead-carrying missile. The Russian president placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after its invasion of Ukraine began February 24, raising fears he could press the button as the war in Ukraine continues to go against him

Russia has increasingly resorted to nuclear sabre-rattling as the war in Ukraine has stumbled, with state media last week issuing near-daily threats. Pictured: Russian state TV channel Russia-1 shows a graphic, threatening to cause a 'nuclear tidal wave' to destroy Britain

On reports that Putin's health is in decline, TV interviewer Dmitry Gordon asked Mr Grozev: 'We watch [Putin] spasmodically clutching the corner of the table with his right arm during a meeting with [Defence Minister Sergei] Shoigu.

'And his jacket being too high and tight around his neck, his stumbling, limping gait Is he sick, or do we just so much want him to be sick?'

Grozev replied: 'I can't speak without information, but we know that oligarchs from his closest circle claim [that Putin is ill].

'We also know that the Lubyanka [FSB secret service] sent a letter about a month ago to all regional FSB chiefs. It said: 'If you hear about him having a very serious illness, we insist you do not pay attention'.

'So they all thought this means the exact opposite.'

Christo Grozev, an expert on Russian affairs associated with the Bellingcat open source research group, has said Putin's commanders are unlikely to follow an order to launch nuclear strikes from their leader

Grozev said: 'So I think it doesn't matter that much if he is dying or gravely ill, what matters is people around him think so. This changes the formula, this is a factor in deciding just how loyal people feel they should be to him.

'I believe this factor - that people close to him think that he is not all right health-wise - diminishes the risk of them obeying his order to kill foes, like they did in the past.

'The same reason makes it unlikely that someone will press the nuclear button, with the understanding that if he is gone in three or six months, who will protect them from a trial in Nuremberg?'

In the same interview, Grozev claimed an oligarch close to Putin said 'it's better he dies' from his serious illness than carries on 'destroying' Ukraine, Russia, and Moscow's super-rich business elite.

'Recently with colleagues we listened to a recording of an oligarch, extremely close to Putin,' he said.

The billionaire was telling another oligarch: 'It's better he dies from this' - and he named an illness Putin was allegedly suffering from.

It was better that he was dead 'because he has destroyed us, is destroying Ukraineand Russia.'

Grozev said of the oligarch set around Putin: 'This is how they think. This is how it is.

'In other words they are actively and passively thinking, how to end this?'

The interviewer asked him: 'How to contribute [towards Putin's demise]?

Grozev replied: 'Well, every general or colonel whose nephew dies or goes missing, he becomes a potential Beria [supposed killer of Stalin].'

Lavrentiy Beria was a ruthless Soviet secret services chief who boasted of killing an ailing Kremlin chief Josef Stalin.

Mr Grozev's comments came after Russia carried out simulated launches of nuclear-capable missiles from an enclave of territory in mainland Europe on Thursday.

War games currently taking place in Kaliningrad - a chunk of Russian territory sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea - involved 'electronic launches' of Iskander ballistic missiles, Moscow's defence ministry said.

Iskander crews practised hitting targets including enemy missile systems, airfields, infrastructure and military command posts, the ministry added, before manoeuvering to avoid a retaliatory strike.

The drills did not involve any actual missiles being fired.

The drills came after a Russian TV war reporter claimed on Tuesday that Putin would soon have no 'no way back' but to unleash nuclear weapons on Ukraine.

Russia carried out simulated launches of nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad on Wednesday, the defence ministry said (file image)

Alexander Sladkov advocated dropping an atomic bomb to cause 'a crater the size of several regions' to intimidate NATO.

Russia has claimed the goal of its military campaign in Ukraine is to 'liberate' it from the control of supposed 'neoNazis' - despite Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky being Jewish and far-right politicians receiving little support in the country.

But Sladkov - described as a war reporter and 'propagandist' - told his 730,000 followers the time may be approaching for the 'last resort' due to some 40 countries arming Ukraine with weapons which are being used against the Russians.

'There is more and more talk about nuclear weapons, and Russia has much to say about it,' Sladkov posted. 'We have a solution for Ukraine.

'There are several, yet we are getting reminded about the last resort - nuclear weapons. If no-one is going to hear us, and 40 countries keep helping the Ukrainian neoNazis, we will have no way back.'

He continued: 'The Americans used nuclear weapons in Japan, in a demonstrative way. So us, Russians, will have to demonstratively do it in Ukraine to remove the issue with further confrontation with those known 40 countries.

Russian propagandist Alexander Sladkov advocated dropping an atomic bomb to cause 'a crater the size of several regions' in a 'demonstrative way' to intimidate NATO

'A crater the size of several regions will be a clear example of how serious is Russia's appeal to NATO to get back to peace and harmony. But where will Ukraine go?

'Exactly where it's heading right now, with the only difference that it'll be fast, and cheaper for Russia. The Europeans and Americans can't quite get it that one must not harass a neighbouring country with such a giant nuclear potential.

'Thinking about it, I remember just how easily the US used nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and how easily they nearly deployed them at Dien Bien Phu in 1954,' he said - referring to a US plan in the Vietnam War to launch a nuclear strike in order to help rescue French forces trapped in the city.

Sladkov warned: 'Everything is possible, and this is what the Americans teach us. And we are learning. Not that any of this will make it easier for Ukraine.'

Since the war broke out, propagandists on Russian state TV have been sabre-rattling on a near-nightly basis, backing Putin to use extreme force against Ukraine.

On Sunday night, Russian state media urged Putin to wipe Great Britain off the map with a nuclear-bomb triggered giant tidal wave.

Dmitry Kiselyov, known as 'Putin's mouthpiece', used his show to call for attacks on Britain with a Poseidon underwater drone that he said would trigger a 1,600ft radioactive tidal wave and 'plunge Britain to the depths of the ocean.'

And last week, Russian state TV has brazenly simulated how Putin would launch a nuclear strike on three capital cities in Europe, declaring there would be 'no survivors', in response to comments made by the UK's Armed Forces Minister supporting Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure.

Last week, Russian state TV has brazenly simulated how Putin would launch a nuclear strike on three capital cities in Europe, declaring there would be 'no survivors'

Last month, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Russia was not considering using nuclear weapons 'at this stage' of its invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview in which he parroted Putin's propaganda over Moscow's brutal military actions, Lavrov blamed the US, the West and NATO expansion for his country's so-called 'special operation'.

When asked by India Today whether Russia had any intention of using nuclear weapons, Lavrov said: 'At this stage, we are considering the option of conventional weapons only,' according to Russia's RIA state news agency.

Lavrov, a long-time Kremlin mouthpiece and staunch ally of Putin, said in late January that Russia would not invade its neighbour. On February 24, less a month after his comments, Putin ordered Moscow's troops into Ukraine.

Days after, Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert, and threatened NATO allies with 'consequences greater than any you have faced in history' should they intervene in the Ukraine conflict.

This raised fears that the Russian leader would be prepared to use nuclear weapons in the conflict, something no country has done since the Second World War.

Sladkov's comments were contrasted by Russian journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov, who on Tuesday decried Russian propaganda arguing for using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, warning that would signal 'the end of humanity'.

'I would not rule out the possibility that nuclear weapons might be used,' Muratov told journalists in Geneva, speaking through a translator.

Russian journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov on Tuesday decried Russian propaganda arguing for using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, warning that would signal 'the end of humanity'. Pictured: Muratov speaks in Geneva on May 3, 2022

Speaking at an event marking the World Press Freedom Day, Muratov, whose own Novaya Gazata newspaper has been forced to suspend publication amid Moscow's military intervention, warned that the Kremlin's 'propaganda warriors' were striving to make nuclear weapons use more palatable to the Russian public.

'For two weeks now, we have been hearing from our television screens that nuclear silos should be opened,' he said.

'And we also hear that these horrible weapons should be used should the supplies of weapons to Ukraine continue,' he said, referring to the push by the United States, the European Union and others to arm the war-torn country.

Contrary to the propaganda narrative, deploying such weapons would 'not be the end of the war,' he warned. 'This will be the end of humanity.'

He said the most frightening thing in Russia today is that Putin has acquired 'unrestricted, absolute power.'

If he decides nuclear weapons should be used, Muratov said, 'nobody can possibly stop this decision from being taken, ... not parliament, not civil society, not the public.'
King's College London has announced it is ditching online-only lectures - as the government threatened universities with massive financial penalties.

It is the first of the 24 Russell group universities to abandon the move to online as many institutions have chosen to keep digital-only lessons a permanent fixture.

This week KCL publicly confirmed that it 'will not be offering a remote study option in 2022/23'.

Campaigners at Keep It Real KCL had previously accused the university of 'restricting students' on-campus time, compelling them to remain bound to their computer screens for pre-recorded lectures and online seminars.'

This week the government told universities they could be fined up to 500,000 if they failed to ensure students are taught in person.

Universities minister Michelle Donelan wants an investigation into staff attendance on campus as most universities said lecturers had returned to campuses but some institutions were still using online or 'blended' methods, with a mix of both remote learning and in-person tuition.

She is cracking down on online-only teaching, accusing universities of 'letting students down' by placing them on a 'second track to the rest of society'.

The Russell group university has come under fire for not switching to in-person lectures sooner (pictured) Weston Education Centre, King's College London

Minister of State for Universities Michelle Donelan has called out universities that have not returned to in-person lectures now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted

Students had complained about the lack of return to face-to-face lessons after Covid restrictions were lifted on February 24.

King's student Blanca told the Tab last year: 'This has affected my performance. My grades may not have gone down massively but it's noticeable to me. I feel like we've been left to fend for ourselves and figure it all out.'

Last year complaints to universities hit a record high, with more than a third of the 2,763 appeals to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for higher education (OIA) relating to Covid measures, and payouts to students totaling 1.3 million, according to The Telegraph.

Keep It Real KCL, run by 15 students, launched a campaign last September asking the university to drop 'blended learning' and return to normality, likening their experience of digital classes to 'being in a student hostel watching Ted talks'.

The group ran a petition that got 350 signatures, accusing universities of hypocrisy by 'advertising in-person freshers fairs, mid-week sports socials, and nightclubs, yet keeping our lectures and many of our seminars online'.

Joseph Wiltshire, 22, who led the campaign said: 'We certainly view this as a victory, we initially set out the campaign wanting in-person teaching and seminars but quickly realised that online lectures were going to be prevalent - they were too easy for universities.'

The OIA said 'some students found that they weren't getting the learning experiences that they reasonably expected', prompting complaints about 'service issues' and technology problems.

Mr Wiltshire, a second-year history student, continued: 'So the new goal became to get back to pre-pandemic levels of teaching. We have achieved that, we've been in constant discussion for months and months and shown them that students want it, we've proven the benefits of it both socially and for mental health.'

He said his peers felt 'disassociated' during online classes, which cannot replace 'the atmosphere and buzz of a lecture hall, full of like-minded students.'

Kings College University of London Strand campus buildings has had students campaigning for weeks to come back to in-person classes

Campaigners at Keep It Real KCL also accused the college of using the pandemic to 'maximise profits by limiting on-campus time to enrol an exponential amount of students that will not require extra space'.

Three-quarters of universities - 111 out of 146 - are still teaching parts of their courses online despite the lifting of all Covid rules, according to The Telegraph.

A King's College London spokesman said: 'In-person teaching has always been the focus at King's, and we continue to make the most of in-person teaching this Semester, balanced alongside the university's commitment to those students who have not managed to make it to London and the uncertainty caused by Covid disruption to our scheduled on-campus teaching.

'Supporting our students is our top priority, as it has been throughout the last couple of challenging years. We know that an on-campus experience is a vital part of university education, with an opportunity to develop your own identity and a sense of belonging and that is why we always planned for and are committed to a level of in-person contact time on degree programmes consistent with that approved pre-pandemic, using technology and digital content to enhance, but not replace, in-person teaching.'
Sinn Fein are on course to become the largest party in Northern Ireland for the first time as counting in the Stormont election gets underway today.

The republicans are forecast to overtake the Democratic Unionist Party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, in what would be a symbolic result.

But it is also likely to lead to more political gridlock at the assembly, which was collapsed by the DUP in February as it seeks to overturn Boris Johnson's Brexit agreement.

Neither Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's party or the Ulster Unionists have yet agreed to join a power-sharing executive in which Sinn Fein would be able to nominate the First Minister.

They have argued that a win for Sinn Fein would lead to a referendum on Irish reunification. But Sinn Fein has run its campaign on the cost-of-living crisis.

A unionist party has always been the biggest in the Assembly, and previously the Stormont Parliament, since the formation of the state in 1921.

Last night initial indications showed that turnout was 54 per cent, down from 64.8 per cent at the previous election in 2017.

The first of the 90 MLAs are expected to be returned this afternoon but the counting is set to continue into the early hours of tomorrow.

Boris Johnson this morning said 'the most important thing is that we continue to support the balance of the Good Friday Agreement across all communities in Northern Ireland'.

The republicans are forecast to overtake the Democratic Unionist Party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, in what would be a symbolic result.

It could lead to Sinn Fein's vice president and leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, being nominated as First Minister

Neither Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's (pictured left) party or the Ulster Unionists have yet agreed to join a power-sharing executive in which Sinn Fein would be able to nominate the First Minister.

Boris Johnson this morning said 'the most important thing is that we continue to support the balance of the Good Friday Agreement across all communities in Northern Ireland'.

Speaking on a visit to a school in his constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, he was asked by reporters about the possibility of a majority of people in Northern Ireland voting for parties that support the current trading arrangements with the EU, and if he will work with those parties to make the Northern Ireland Protocol work.

Mr Johnson said: 'The most important thing is that we continue to support the balance of the Good Friday Agreement across all communities in Northern Ireland. That's what we're going to do. And whatever arrangements we have, they have got to have cross-community support, that's what the Good Friday Agreement is all about, that's what the Government is going to do.

'But as for the rest... we'll have to wait and see what the results are in Northern Ireland.'

Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden had earlier said he is confident the Government can 'make the case' for Northern Ireland remaining in the UK if Sinn Fein is victorious.

Asked on Sky News whether Boris Johnson could become the Prime Minister who oversees the break-up of the United Kingdom, Mr Dowden said: 'Let's wait and see what the results are from Northern Ireland.

'If there is a sustained majority of nationalist opinion in favour of a united Ireland, that would have to be put forward in a referendum.

'That's beyond the power of the United Kingdom Government. We would have to allow that to happen were it the case'.

He went on to say: 'Of course we would honour the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement if that was required, but I'm confident that we will be able to make the case for Northern Ireland remaining in the United Kingdom should that that arise, but I don't think we're at that stage'.

A shock poll this week raised the prospect of the DUP slipping into third place in Northern Ireland elections.

The latest survey on Tuesday found the unionists and the Alliance Party are level behind Sinn Fein ahead of the crunch vote in Thursday.

The republicans remains on course to emerge as the largest force after the ballot for the first time - although their support has dipped from 27 per cent to 26.6 per cent.

But the Institute of Irish Studies/University of Liverpool/Irish News research still put them well ahead of the DUP on 18.2 per cent, down from 20.2 per cent.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's party was in danger of being overhauled by the non-aligned Alliance, headed by Naomi Long, after it surged from 14.6 per cent.

The republicans remains on course to emerge as the largest force after the ballot for the first time - although their support has dipped from 27 per cent to 26.6 per cent.

The Institute of Irish Studies/University of Liverpool/Irish News research put Sinn Fein well ahead of the DUP

The Irish Foreign Affairs Minister has said it could be months until an executive is formed in Northern Ireland after the Assembly election.

Simon Coveney was speaking as counting began in the election, with the first results expected on Friday afternoon.

He said he expected it to be 'difficult' to form a powersharing executive.

'Honestly, I think it will be difficult, because this has been a difficult election and indeed we have seen for a number of years now... a lot of polarisation on certain issues within Northern Ireland politics.'

'Of course we have the added complication now of a potential change, if you like, in the pecking order, in terms of the possibility of the nationalist party having the highest percentage of the vote and the highest number of seats.'

He predicted a 'long and tense' count on Friday, possibly until the weekend.

The Northern Ireland Protocol has cast a long shadow over the election campaign following the resignation of First Minister Paul Givan in February in an effort to force the UK Government to act over the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

This action left the Executive unable to fully function. While ministers remained in post, they were restricted in the actions they could take.

Unionists object to the additional checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain as a border in the Irish Sea.

Five Assembly seats are up for grabs in 18 constituencies. Northern Ireland uses the single transferable vote (STV) proportional representation electoral system.

The DUP won 28 seats at the last Assembly elections in 2017, just ahead of Sinn Fein which returned 27 MLAs.

Next was the SDLP with 12 seats, the Ulster Unionist Party with 10 seats, Alliance with eight seats, the Green Party with two seats while People Before Profit and the TUV had one MLA each.
The furious father of toddler Nevaeh Austin who was abandoned for six hours on a minibus has still to get an apology or an explanation from child care bosses.

'Dumbfounded' Shane Austin says the three-year-old only survived her terrifying ordeal because it's autumn and not the searing heat of a Queensland summer.

And he still cannot understand how his daughter - who was strapped into her seat by his partner, Sheridan, at 9am - was missed by Le Smileys Early Learning Centre staff until 3pm on Wednesday.

A furious Shane Austin remains 'dumbfounded' how Le Smileys Childcare Centre staff missed finding his daughter Nevaeh in the daycare bus for six hours

He said it was 'a miracle' Nevaeh is still alive - and admitted she 'wouldn't be here today' if it had been a scorching summer's day.

Mr Austin told Nine's A Current Affair the centre's staff have still not been in touch with him to explain what happened.

'[I've heard] nothing. I didnt even get a phone call. I want to know why,' he said.

'I want to know why they never saw [her]. These people were walking past [the bus].'

Mr Austin said the childcare centre has not phoned him over the horrific incident, which he said would have cost his daughter her life had it happened in summer

Mr Austin said his young daughter had been screaming for help, but her pleas were ignored.

He added: 'She's her father's child so she's loud too. I'm dumbfounded.'

Mr Austin said when he flew to his daughter's side at Rockhampton Hospital late on Wednesday he was 'expecting the worst' but said Nevaeh proved how 'strong' she is.

Little Nevaeh suffered suspected kidney failure and needed a 'deep brain scan' because of the horrific incident.

Three-year-old Nevaeh Austin (pictured) was unresponsive when found on the bus at a childcare centre

The first photo of the toddler in recovery (pictured) has emerged as her father made a visit to her in the Queensland Children's Hospital

Mr Austin said his daughter is 'doing well' but is feeling 'a bit sooky'.

The near-tragedy was distressingly similar to the fate of Maliq 'Meeky' Nicholas Floyd Namok-Malamoo, 3, who died after being left in a school bus in February 2020.

Meeky's relatives spoke out on Friday over another child almost losing her life in similar circumstances.

'One child is too many, it's unbelievable, there is anger out there [that it could happen again],' they told A Current Affair.

Nevaeh improved significantly since she was transferred to Brisbane Children's Hospital on Friday and has been 'giggling, squealing and eating ice cream' in hospital.

Earlier, a childcare worker who was one of two staff on the bus is said to be 'beside herself' with grief over the incident and 'going through a tough time'.

Ms Reynolds was reportedly on the mini bus which picked up three-year-old Nevaeh Austin from her home about 9am on Wednesday for the school pick-up

Le Smileys Early Learning Centre director Bianca Reynolds is hunkering down with her mother and sister at her home in Gracemere, in Queensland's Rockhampton region.

'This is a horrible situation for anybody,' her protective sister Emily told Daily Mail Australia.

'She's going through a really tough time.'

Ms Reynolds was reportedly on the mini bus which picked up Nevaeh from her home about 9am on Wednesday for the school pick-up.

Police are now investigating how both Ms Reynolds and her colleague came to forget about Nevaeh, who was the only child on the bus at the time.

One of Ms Reynold's colleagues found Nevaeh unconscious beside her belongings on the bus when they returned about 3pm to begin drop offs.
A former socialite's drug supply operation was laid bare in a court as pictures revealed her posing with illegal drugs, mounds of cash and big bags of marijuana.

Alexandra Moss, 27 - who is connected by birth to fashion royalty - wept as she pleaded guilty to drug supply charges at Sydney's Downing Centre Court on Friday.

Images supplied to the court showed Moss posing with a huge cask of illegal GBL, bags of marijuana and included a picture of cash laid out on the floor.

Images supplied to the court showed Alexandra Moss with two big zip lock bags of marijuana

Police monitored Alexandra Moss for four months before charging her with commercial drug supply

Other photos, found by police on her phones, revealed bags of cocaine and GBL being transferred to other bottles.

The drug dealer - who sold cocaine of such high quality she could charge $400 a bag, the court was told - is the granddaughter of fashion icon Sandra Moss.

The style guru founded Pretty Girl Fashion, which she co-owned with billionaire James Packer, and last year sold her harbourside Rose Bay home for $17million.

The grandmother had bought the glamorous four-bedroom home with harbour views for $2.25 million in 1999.

Moss's fashion-guru grandmother Sandra Moss sold her home in Rose Bay (pictured) for $17million last year

But around the same time as her grandmother sold her idyllic home last October, police charged her grand-daughter with dealing.

Drug squad officers had been keeping Alexandra Moss - known as Ally - under surveillance for weeks as she operated her drug business supplying GBL, high-quality cocaine and methamphetamine.

Police said the eastern suburbs socialite had been dealing drugs since the end of 2020 until April last year, investing tens of thousands of dollars into her illicit business.

She was charged in October last year with commercial drug supply, and was accused of supplying 17 litres of GBL - a harmful precursor drug - and cocaine with a street worth of over $187,000.

Moss (pictured) smiles while holding a big bottle of the GBL precursor drug - also known as a 'club drug'

Stacks of cash are pictured near a vacuum cleaner from Moss's phone that detectives provided to the court

She also supplied MDMA, ice and cannabis and handled $1200 in cash, which police said was from the proceeds of crime, according to court documents.

Moss's text messages from other court documents revealed her struggling with processing GBL, and saying she had 'just come off a four-day bender and will vomit if she ever sees cocaine again'.

Court documents revealed how Moss feared the GBL would burn holes in her carpet if she spilled it while decanting it from her bathtub 'full of it' into Santa Vittoria mineral water bottles.

Moss, who now lives in Tweed Heads in northern NSW, will face sentencing at the Sydney District Court at a later date.

At Moss' bail hearing last year the presiding judge warned she could be jailed if convicted of the drug offences.

But the court also heard since it was her first serious offence she would probably avoid a full time jail sentence.

The court heard Alexandra Moss would probably avoid a full time jail sentence since it was her first serious offence she would
Advertisement

Boris Johnson was handed a local election humbling today as the Tories lost more than 300 seats and a slew of benchmark councils - but won some breathing room by holding on to key Red Wall votes.

The Prime Minister shrugged off the Conservative bloodbath in London and a handful of setbacks in the South, instead pointing out that the government's support had held up surprisingly well in the North and Midlands.

The Conservatives lost the totemic strongholds of Wandsworth and Westminster - which they have held since 1978 and 1964 respectively - to Labour.

Labour also seized Barnet, Southampton and Rossendale while West Oxfordshire, Worcester and Wokingham went to no overall control. But the grim toll is far lower than the 800-seat loss some had feared before polling day.

In another boost for the PM, Keir Starmer suffered a brutal double-whammy as he failed to beat Jeremy Corbyn's local election showing and police launched an investigation into 'Beergate'.

Despite a campaign dominated by sleaze and Partygate, while Labour piled up votes and seized the Tory council strongholds in the capital, they struggled to make a dent in crucial Red Wall areas.

Vote share calculated by the BBC suggests that the party has only matched the 2018 results on 36 per cent, with the Tories lagging on 30 per cent, the Lib Dems on 19 per cent and others 16 per cent.

If replicated at a general election on prospective new boundaries those figures would leave Labour the largest party but 32 MPs short of a majority, according to the Electoral Calculus website.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir was dealt another blow as he tried to put a brave face on the outcome when Durham Police announced it will probe whether his beer and curry night with aides broke lockdown rules.

As counting continues, livid local Tory leaders turned on the PM, ordering Mr Johnson to 'look in the mirror' and consider whether he should stay.

In Scotland, where the Conservatives fell into third behind the SNP and Labour, leader Douglass Ross said that voters had sent 'a message to the Prime Minister' over Partygate.

But speaking to journalists in Uxbridge, Mr Johnson stressed that the results were 'mixed' and not as apocalyptic as some had predicted.

He suggested that 'Covid aftershocks' were partly to blame for the backlash, arguing that the performance in the Red Wall had been far brighter.

Asked if he took responsibility for the results, Mr Johnson said: 'Of course.'

He added: 'It is mid-term. It's certainly a mixed set of results.

English council results so far Conservative Holds: Broxbourne, Thurrock, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Epping Forest, Basildon, Rochford, Brentwood, Harlow, Rushmoor, Redditch, Fareham, Amber Valley, North East Lincolnshire, Tamworth, Dudley, Bexley, Hillingdon, Swindon Losses: Worcester (to no overall control), Wandsworth (to Labour), Westminster (to Labour), Southampton (to Labour), West Oxfordshire (to NOC), Barnet (to Labour), Rossendale (to Labour), Wokingham (to NOC) Labour Gains: Cumberland (from NOC), Wandsworth (from Tories), Westminster (from Tories), Southampton (from Tories), Barnet (from Tories), Rossendale (from Tories), Crawley (from NOC), Worthing (from NOC) Holds: Sunderland, Halton, South Tyneside, Chorley, Tameside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sefton, Stevenage, Lincoln, Sandwell, Exeter, Ipswich, Wigan, Coventry, Salford, North Tyneside, Preston, Oldham, Waltham Forest, Wolverhampton, Barnsley, Ealing, Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge Loss: Kingston-upon-Hull (to Lib Dems) Lib Dems Gain: Kingston-upon-Hull (from Labour) Hold: Eastleigh What other results are expected and when? Around 9am: Counting begins for a further 71 councils in England and all councils in Scotland and Wales. Advertisement

'We had a tough night in some parts of the country but on the other hand in other parts of the country you are still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains in places that haven't voted Conservative for a long time, if ever.'

Voting guru John Curtice said Labour still does not look in a position to win a majority at the next general election.

He pointed out that the party's vote appears slightly down outside of London compared to the last time the seats were contested in 2018 - and crucially it did not make huge inroads in so-called Red Wall areas such as Hartelpool and Dudley.

Sir Keir visited Barnet this morning and claimed his party was 'back on track' after the Corbyn era, but the left-wing campaign group Momentum goaded that the figures were 'distinctly underwhelming' and had 'gone backwards'.

No10 insiders jibed that Sir Keir could not even 'dream' of being premier based on this showing.

The Downing Street source also delivered a stark message to would-be leadership rivals, telling MailOnline it is 'hard to imagine any other Conservative leader doing better than this'.

The biggest winners from the local elections have been the Lib Dems and the Greens, who have been taking seats off both main parties.

The Greens deprived Labour of overall control in Hastings, while the Lib Dems will form the majority on the new Somerset unitary authority.

Some senior Conservatives warned that Mr Johnson had been the fundamental problem on the doorstep, and ministers are anxious. 'There is serious unease. They know that Boris was the issue,' one veteran campaigner told MailOnline. 'It wasn't policies, despite the cost-of-living crisis.'

However, MPs have been relatively muted in their public criticism of Mr Johnson. Veteran backbencher Roger Gale and Defence Committee chair Tobias Ellwood, long-term opponents of the PM, suggested he should quit, while former minister Stephen Hammond said he must 'prove his integrity to the country again' and others called for a 'reset' of the government.

Cabinet ministers rallied round this morning, with Tory chairman Oliver Dowden blaming a mid-term backlash from voters and insisting the PM is the right person to lead into the next general election.

The PM was said to be pessimistic about his party's chances of avoiding a drubbing before the counts began, with the BBC reporting he told aides: 'We are going to get our a*** kicked tonight.'

But he was bullish on a visit to a school today, saying voters had sent a 'message' to ministers to concentrate on the issues that matter to them.

'The big lesson from this is that this is a message from voters that what they want us to do above all  one, two and three  is focus on the big issues that matter to them, taking the country forward, making sure we fix the post-Covid aftershock, get us all through the economic aftershocks in the way we got through Covid, fix the energy supply issues, that's where the inflationary spike is coming, and keep going with our agenda of high wage, high skill jobs,' he said.

He added: 'That is what we are focused on.'

Sir Keir's party lost Kingston upon Hull City Council to the resurgent Liberal Democrats, who made gains across the country.

It was a similar story for the Green Party who chipped away at Conservative and Labour seats in England.

England London Scotland Wales

Vote share calculated by the BBC suggests that the party has only matched the 2018 results on 36 per cent, with the Tories lagging on 30 per cent, the Lib Dems on 19 per cent and others 16 per cent

Sir Keir maintained a stony silence as journalists threw questions about the Beergate situation on a visit to Carlisle this afternoon

Keir Starmer visited Barnet this morning (pictured) and claimed his party was 'back on track', but No10 insiders jibed that he could not even 'dream' of being premier based on this showing

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to a school in South Ruislip this morning) reportedly told aides ahead of ballot papers being counted: 'We are going to get our a*** kicked'

Local elections ballot papers are sorted and verified at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham today

The Tories also lost Westminster council in London, which the party had held since 1964

The Tory loss of Wandsworth is a seismic result, as the London borough was famously Margaret Thatcher's favourite and has been a flagship Conservative council for decades

Starmer faces police probe into 'Beergate' Keir Starmer faces a bombshell police investigation into his boozy lockdown curry - after repeatedly demanding Boris Johnson should quit for breaching rules. The Labour leader is at risk of being engulfed by the so-called 'Beergate' row after Durham Police dramatically declared it will probe 'significant new information' about the gathering. The force initially decided Sir Keir did not breach Covid rules when he and party aides had drinks and a takeaway in April 2021, when millions of Britons were banned from mixing indoors in most circumstances. But following intense pressure and a series of revelations - including that up to 30 people attended and shared 200 worth of food - the position has shifted. Sir Keir maintained a stony silence as journalists threw questions about the situation on a visit to Carlisle this afternoon. Labour said the party was 'happy to answer any questions there are and we remain clear that no rules were broken'. However, there is frustration among Tories that the decision was only taken after the local elections - when the PM's own fine over the Partygate scandal damaged his support. The development could raise serious doubts over Sir Keir's future, as he trenchantly argued that Mr Johnson should resign when he was found to have broken the law. Sir Keir had been filmed drinking a bottle of lager with colleagues at the event at the offices of Durham MP Mary Foy in the run-up to last year's local elections - and has been wriggling when asked about the incident all week. Advertisement

Number 10 had feared for weeks that a dismal set of local election results would spark a Tory coup attempt in the wake of the Partygate scandal.

But in an extraordinary turnaround it is Sir Keir who seems to be in the most parlous position.

Durham Police initially decided Sir Keir did not breach Covid rules when he and party aides had drinks and a takeaway in April 2021, when millions of Britons were banned from mixing indoors in most circumstances.

But following intense pressure and a series of revelations - including that up to 30 people attended and shared 200 worth of food - the position has shifted.

Sir Keir maintained a stony silence as journalists threw questions about the situation on a visit to Carlisle this afternoon. Labour said the party was 'happy to answer any questions there are and we remain clear that no rules were broken'.

However, there is frustration among Tories that the decision was only taken after the local elections - when the PM's own fine over the Partygate scandal damaged his support.

The development could raise serious doubts over Sir Keir's future, as he trenchantly argued that Mr Johnson should resign when he was found to have broken the law.

Sir Keir had been filmed drinking a bottle of lager with colleagues at the event at the offices of Durham MP Mary Foy in the run-up to last year's local elections - and has been wriggling when asked about the incident all week.

Sadiq Khan risked inflaming the row earlier this week by admitting there was 'equivalence' between Keir Starmer's actions and the PM's birthday gathering in the Cabinet Room in June 2020 - which has seem him and Chancellor Rishi Sunak fined. Mr Khan suggested the main difference was that the Labour leader only broke lockdown once.

Tory MP Richard Holden, backed by several ministers, wrote to Durham Constabulary insisting there was now 'incontrovertible' evidence Labour had 'lied' about the events of a year ago, including the now disproved claim that deputy leader Angela Rayner was not there.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: 'Earlier this year, Durham Constabulary carried out an assessment as to whether Covid-19 regulations had been breached at a gathering in Durham City on April 30 2021. At that time, it was concluded that no offence had been established and therefore no further action would be taken.

'Following the receipt of significant new information over recent days, Durham Constabulary has reviewed that position and now, following the conclusion of the pre-election period, we can confirm that an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations relating to this gathering is now being conducted.'

A Labour spokeswoman said: 'We're obviously happy to answer any questions there are and we remain clear that no rules were broken.'

Local leaders led the relatively limited backlash against the PM over the Tory results.

Conservative leader of Carlisle City Council John Mallinson urged Tory MPs to decide whether they wanted Mr Johnson to lead them into the next general election.

He told Sky News the PM 'must shoulder an awful lot of the blame' for a poor local elections performance and described how Partygate and the cost-of-living crisis were key concerns of voters.

Mr Mallinson said there was a feeling among the public that 'the Government are not in touch and, sadly I have to say, the PM cannot be relied upon to be telling the truth'.

He said Mr Johnson said Mr Johnson would be a 'poor option' to lead the Tories into the next election and he expected Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the powerful 1922 Committee, to receive more letters of no confidence in Mr Johnson from MPs.

The councillor added: 'Whether it gets to 54 or not (the number of letters needed to trigger a confidence vote in the PM), I'm not sure. But I rather feel that's they way it's going.'

Simon Bosher, the Conservative group leader on Portsmouth City Council, said: 'Those in power in Westminster really do need to take a good hard look in the mirror.

'Because it's the rank-and-file grassroots members who they rely on who are actually losing their seats tonight.'

He also called on the PM to reflect on the Tories' local election performance as he hit out at 'too many mistakes, too many mismanged situations' from the party's leadership.

Barnet Conservative leader Daniel Thomas said Labour's victory in the London borough 'does not bode well' for the Tories ahead of the next general election.

'I think this is a warning shot from Conservative supporters and I think our loss today is not only due to the fact that I have just mentioned but also a fair number of Conservative voters who just didn't go out to vote, stayed at home,' he said.

'Clearly if Labour are to get a majority in Parliament they need to win Barnet. They won the council, if they win our parliamentary constituencies as well.'

Marc Bayliss, the Tory leader of Worcester City Council, told reporters he was heading home early from the election count and is anticipating a disastrous night for his party.

Mr Bayliss blamed Partygate and said the public had found the Government's performance 'wanting'.

His comments were echoed by the leader of the Conservatives on Sunderland Council, Antony Mullen, who called for Boris Johnson to step down.

He told the BBC: 'It's been Partygate - it's suppressed our turnout. Quite clearly that's the only thing that has changed nationally that has affected this.

'The best chance of reviving the Conservative Party's fortunes will be with a new leader. If there is no improvement in the party's reputation, then clearly something has to change.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan joins Labour celebrations in Wandsworth where the party took the council off the Conservatives for the first time in more than 40 years

SNP activists celebrate keeping control of the council in Glasgow at the local election count today

Labour's Graeme Miller, the leader of Sunderland City Council, celebrates as his party retained control

Sinn Fein on course to be the biggest party in Northern Ireland Sinn Fein are on course to become the largest party in Northern Ireland for the first time as counting in the Stormont election gets underway today. The republicans are forecast to overtake the Democratic Unionist Party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, in what would be a symbolic result. But it is also likely to lead to more political gridlock at the assembly, which was collapsed by the DUP in February as it seeks to overturn Boris Johnson's Brexit agreement. Neither Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's party or the Ulster Unionists have yet agreed to join a power-sharing executive in which Sinn Fein would be able to nominate the First Minister. They have argued that a win for Sinn Fein would lead to a referendum on Irish reunification. But Sinn Fein has run its campaign on the cost-of-living crisis. A unionist party has always been the biggest in the Assembly, and previously the Stormont Parliament, since the formation of the state in 1921. Last night initial indications showed that turnout was 54 per cent, down from 64.8 per cent at the previous election in 2017. The first of the 90 MLAs are expected to be returned this afternoon but the counting is set to continue into the early hours of tomorrow. Boris Johnson this morning said 'the most important thing is that we continue to support the balance of the Good Friday Agreement across all communities in Northern Ireland'. Advertisement

The leader of the Labour group of Barnet council, which looks set to be a gain, admitted the results were more about disillusionment with the Tories than enthusiasm for his party.

Barry Rawlings told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I'll be honest, it's not us being wonderful.

'I think a lot of Conservatives haven't voted this time, I think they feel alienated from No 10 and that they are, I don't know, they've been disappointed with Boris Johnson and so not voting and I think that's made a difference as well.'

Wimbledon MP Mr Hammond told the BBC that the results were 'a clarion bell ringing in Downing Street to make sure we are concentrating on the cost of living' and Mr Johnson needed to restore his reputation after Partygate.

'I think he has to prove that his government is concentrating on what people really want,' he said.

'I think he has to prove his integrity to the country again.'

Mr Hammond also urged the PM to bring 'talents back into the government'.

'Any government that doesn't have people like Greg Clark and Jeremy Hunt clearly isn't using all the talents available to it,' he added.

Conservative MP David Simmonds said Mr Johnson had some 'difficult questions' to answer.

The MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner said voters were unhappy about the disclosures over lockdown parties in Downing Street and Whitehall.

He said the Conservative Party must show it has 'got the message' from voters that they are 'dissatisfied with elements of what they're seeing', and that this is about 'individual conduct and attitude' rather than policy.

'The frustration is that on the doorsteps people were very positive about what local councils had been doing, and by and large they were quite positive about Government policy,' he said.

'But the issue of partygate kept coming up as a reason why many Conservative supporters were staying at home or were switching to a protest vote this time  and that seems to be reflected in the results, in that no other party got a ringing endorsement, but there was definitely a sense of a move away.

'It's just very, very clear that although there are these things like the cost of living that are worrying people a little bit, that people would choose to vote for administrations in their town hall that will put up their council taxes when cost of living is a worry because they are so concerned about the Prime Minister's personal conduct  and that's the issue which needs to be addressed.'

Prof Curtice said the Tories looked on track to lose between 200 and 300 seats, but Labour were underperforming outside London. 'Labour are probably somewhat disappointed,' he told the BBC.

He added it is not a performance 'that indicated a party that is on course for winning a general election with a majority'. Prof Curtice said it did not even suggest Labour would necessarily be the largest party in the next Parliament.

'Outside of London, as compared to 2018 when these seats were last contested, it looks like their seats are down slightly,' Prof Curtice said.

Rise of the protest parties: Voters shun the Tories AND Labour with Lib Dems and Greens emerging as the big winners The Lib Dems and Greens are emerging as the biggest winners from the local elections today after voters shunned the main parties. Both the Tories and Labour suffered disappointing results, with Boris Johnson enduring a bloodbath in London while Keir Starmer's progress across England was underwhelming. But the Lib Dems have added more than 50 councillors to their tally and seized control of Kingston-Upon-Hull authority from Labour. They made inroads against the Conservatives in West Oxfordshire and Stockport. For their part, the Greens have racked up an extra 20-plus seats. Election guru John Curtice said the Lib Dems were 'the surprise of tonight'. 'In terms of share of the vote, the progress is relatively modest, but they might just be hoping they are finally demonstrating some recovery from the 2015 general election,' he told the BBC. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: 'There is now a real picture emerging across the country, particularly in areas held by the Conservatives, that the Lib Dems are the real challengers.' Advertisement

'And for a party that is trying to regain ground in the so-called Red Wall seats in the Midlands and north of England, this wasn't quite the progress they wanted.

'There is still a very substantial legacy of the impact of Brexit on both the character of the Conservative and Labour supporters. The Conservatives are still much stronger in Leave areas, and therefore Labour is still struggling to make more progress there.'

Sir Keir travelled to Barnet to celebrate with supporters this morning and tried to put a brave face on the moderate results.

'This is a big turning point for us. From the depths of 2019 in that general election, back on track, winning in the north. Cumberland! Southampton! We've changed Labour and now we're seeing the results of that,' he said.

He added: 'What brilliant teams we've got, all the fantastic work we've put in.

'When it comes to London, you can hardly believe those names come off our lips. Wandsworth! They've been saying for years 'You'll never take Wandsworth from us.' We've just done it! Westminster! It's an astonishing result.'

But Mish Rahman, a senior Momentum figure on Labour's National Executive Committee, said: 'From Partygate to the Tory cost-of-living crisis, these local elections were a golden opportunity for Labour.

'We're delighted by gains in London, where Momentum members played a key role on the ground and as candidates, but these first results from the rest of England are distinctly underwhelming.

'While millions looked for an alternative to Tory ruin, they largely opted for the Lib Dems and Greens. Labour actually went backwards from Corbyn's 2018 performance, a result which should bury Keir Starmer's deeply flawed idea that punching left is a vote-winner.

'Instead, we should look to places like Preston, where a Labour administration is delivering a radical economic alternative  and getting rewarded at the ballot box.'

Mr Dowden told Sky News: 'I think looking at the picture of the results so far, they demonstrate that whilst there have been difficult results, they are consistent with what you'd expect with us from mid-term.

'Labour are certainly not on the path to power and I believe that Boris Johnson does have the leadership skills, in particular the energy and the dynamism that we need during this difficult period of time.

'So no, I don't think we should remove Boris Johnson as our prime minister, I think we should stick with him.'

He also said: 'There have been challenging headlines for the past few months, but I do think that set against all of that, those sort of challenges that you would expect after 12 years in office, these are challenging results, but we have have made progress in lots of places.'

Mr Dowden said there was a 'mixed picture' and there had been gains in places like Hartlepool, Nuneaton and Thurrock.

'This isn't like what Tony Blair got in say '95 two years before his election victory, they were making 1,800 gains. If you look at Ed Miliband (he) managed to make 800 gains in 2011 and still not win the election,' he added.

Tory sources played down the Labour showing, saying it was a 'bad night' for Sir Keir outside the capital.

'They have gone backwards in places like Sunderland, Tyneside, Hartlepool, Nuneaton, Sandwell and Amber Valley, showing they are seriously underperforming in former Labour heartlands which they need to regain,' one senior source said.

A No10 insider said they were 'very sorry and sad for good Conservatives who lost their seats' and it was 'tragic to think the good people of Westminster and Wandsworth are now destined to pay higher taxes'.

'But overall, across the UK the Conservatives have so far done better than expected,' the source insisted. 'Keir Starmer is clearly not making the progress he needs to even dream of being in government and it's hard to imagine any other Conservative leader doing better than this.'

Allies of the PM are preparing a counter-offensive in case rebel Tories seek to use bruising results as an excuse to pounce.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis was the first Cabinet minister out in support of the PM last night, as he dismissed suggestions that a poor election result could pile pressure on Mr Johnson.

'I absolutely think we can win the next general election and I do think Boris Johnson is the right person to lead us into that,' he told Sky News.

'He's got those big decisions - through Covid and internationally with Ukraine and other areas - right since he's been PM and he has my full support to continue to do that.'

But Mr Lewis also admitted it was set to be a 'difficult set of elections' for the Tories.

'We came into these elections with Labour having a consistent lead in the polls,' he added.

'It's the elections where the particular seats and councils up for election are the ones that tend to favour Labour.'

Millions of voters cast their ballots on Thursday as council seats in large swathes of the country were up for grabs.

In England more than 4,000 council seats were contested across 146 councils including in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and all 32 London boroughs.

All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 in Wales also held elections.

Polls had suggested the Conservatives could do badly in the so-called Blue Wall, their traditional heartlands in southern England.

But most telling will be whether the party manages to prevent Labour making a significant comeback in the Red Wall areas, which switched from red to blue for the first time at the 2019 general election.

Early results were not overwhelmingly convincing for Labour, with the party losing control of Kingston upon Hull city council to the Liberal Democrats.

The Tory loss of Wandsworth was a seismic result, as the London borough was famously Margaret Thatcher's favourite and had been a flagship Conservative council for more than 40 years.

Conservatives celebrate in Peterborough, where they maintained their grip on the local authority

As he celebrated at the Wandsworth count, London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News: 'This council first went Tory in 1978 when Margaret Thatcher was leader of the opposition.

'Margaret Thatcher, John Major, William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith, Michael Howard, David Cameron, Theresa May - at all those times this was a Conservative council.

'But the combination of Boris Johnson as the Conservative Prime Minister and Keir Starmer as our leader has brought this seat home to Labour.'

A Labour source said: 'Boris Johnson losing Wandsworth is monumental. This was the Tories' jewel in the crown.

'Voters in Wandsworth have put their trust in the change Keir Starmer's Labour represents.'

Shadow health minister Rosena Allin-Khan, the Tooting MP, claimed that 'people are absolutely fed up of 44 years of Tory governance in Wandsworth, and they are fed up Boris Johnson's lies and deceit and it is time for change'.

Her fellow shadow minister, Tulip Siddiq, had earlier highlighted Labour's holding of Sunderland City Council as an early success for her party as council election results started to come.

She claimed the Tories had 'thrown the kitchen sink at it' and highlighted how the PM had visited the area on Monday.

Sir Keir had sought to make the local elections campaign about the Partygate row after Mr Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were fined by police.

But this appeared to backfire in recent days as he struggled to answer questions about a lockdown gathering in Durham last year when he was pictured swigging beer.

The PM yesterday appeared to be in good spirits as he arrived to cast his vote in Westminster accompanied by his dog Dilyn.

Sir Keir voted in Kentish Town, north London, while Sir Ed Davey voted in Surbiton, south-west London.

The Liberal Democrats leader said the Conservatives would be punished in the local elections for their handling of the cost of living crisis.

Sir Ed expressed confidence his party would 'gain ground in areas across the Blue Wall where voters are fed up of being taken for granted by the Conservatives'.

Mr Johnson will attempt to get back on the front foot next Tuesday as his Government's legislative agenda is set out in the Queen's Speech.

The PM is expected to delay a reshuffle of his Cabinet until the summer as it is believed he wants to be clear of the Partygate scandal before resetting his team.

But yesterday there was speculation he could call a snap general election before the end of this year over fears the economic picture could get much worse.

Millions of voters cast their ballots as council seats in large swathes of the country were up for grabs

The PM is expected to delay a reshuffle of his Cabinet until the summer as it is believed he wants to be clear of the Partygate scandal before resetting his team

The prospect of Mr Johnson being forced out of Number 10 over the local election results was gleefully seized upon by Dominic Cummings, the PM's estranged former chief aide, yesterday.

The ex-No10 adviser made a sensational polling day plea for voters to force 'regime change' as he launched a blistering attack on the 'intellectually, politically, and organisationally rancid' Tories.

Referring to Mr Johnson as 'the trolley' and a 'clown' in a Twitter tirade, Mr Cummings claimed it was 'irrational' for Tories to 'prop up' the PM any more.

Although the first results in England began to arrive last night, counting in council elections in Wales and Scotland was not due to begin until 9am today.

The Scottish Tories are braced for 'heavy losses' and expected to suffer their worst election result in Scotland in at least a decade.

There are concerns Conservative supporters in Scotland failed to turn out due to anger at the PM and Downing Street parties.

A senior Scottish Tory source said: 'The phones have been bad, very bad.

'It looks like we are going to suffer fairly heavy losses and we fully expect to finish third.

'Tory voters are not going to Labour, but a lot of them are staying at home because of Boris and Partygate.

'We expect it to be a poor election for us, our worst election in a decade or more.'

However, despite the expectation of a gloomy result, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was ready to insist he will not stand down.

A source close to Mr Ross said: 'Douglas is going nowhere, he is definitely not resigning. Voters have sent a message to Boris, not Douglas.

'He is fully focused on the long term job here: the next Westminster and Scottish Parliament elections.'
A landmark ruling allowing children to take puberty blockers without their parents' consent as long as their doctor agrees will not reach Britain's highest court after judges stepped in to kill a final appeal, it was revealed today.

The original High Court case was won by Keira Bell against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the UK's only gender identity development service for children.

Hormone blockers pause the physical changes of puberty, such as breast development or growth of facial hair. Critics argue they could leave youngsters infertile and have longer-term effects on sexual function and bone density.

Ms Bell  a woman who began taking puberty blockers when she was 16 before later 'detransitioning' calling the treatment a pathway to sterilisation  then lost when the Court of Appeal overturned the 2020 landmark ruling against the NHS gender clinic.

Today it was announced that the Court of Appeal's decision would not be challenged at the Supreme Court as it did not 'raise an arguable point of law'.

Following the Court of Appeal's decision in September 2021, Ms Bell said she intended to appeal the ruling at the UK's highest court. But Supreme Court Justices Lord Reed, Lord Sales and Lord Stephens denied Ms Bell permission to bring the case.

A spokesman for the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We welcome the Supreme Court's decision. We are proud of our hardworking, caring and thoughtful colleagues in GIDS (gender identity development service). They and the patients they support will be relieved by the end of this period of uncertainty.'

The case was brought by Keira Bell (pictured), a woman who began taking puberty blockers when she was 16 before 'de-transitioning', and a mother of a teenager who is on the waiting list for treatment. Their legal fight appears to be at an end

The High Court had ruled it was 'unlikely' a child aged 13 or under could consent to puberty-blocking treatment. But the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust (pictured) brought an appeal and won. The Supreme Court has backed them again

After the Supreme Court's decision was made public on Thursday, Ms Bell said she was disappointed in the decision but 'delighted at what has been achieved as a result of this case'.

What are puberty blockers and how can children transition gender? If a child is under 18 and may have gender dysphoria, they'll usually be referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. GIDS has 2 main clinics in London and Leeds. The team will carry out a detailed assessment, usually over 3 to 6 appointments over a period of several months. Young people with lasting signs of gender dysphoria may be referred to a hormone specialist (consultant endocrinologist) to see if they can take hormone blockers as they reach puberty. These hormone, or 'puberty' blockers (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues) pause the physical changes of puberty, such as breast development or facial hair. Little is known about the long-term side effects of hormone or puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria. Although the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) advises this is a physically reversible treatment if stopped, it is not known what the psychological effects may be. It's also not known whether hormone blockers affect the development of the teenage brain or children's bones. Side effects may also include hot flushes, fatigue and mood alterations. From the age of 16, teenagers who've been on hormone blockers for at least 12 months may be given cross-sex hormones, also known as gender-affirming hormones. These hormones cause some irreversible changes, such as breast development and breaking or deepening of the voice. Long-term cross-sex hormone treatment may cause temporary or even permanent infertility. Source: NHS Advertisement

She continued: 'We have shone a light on the murky practices of one of the greatest medical scandals of the modern era.

'Practice and policy has changed as a result.'

Ms Bell added she felt 'privileged to have played my part in the development of a more cautious approach to treating children with gender dysphoria'.

LGBT campaigners had expressed concern after the High Court's original ruling, with the charity Stonewall arguing it was a 'green light to those who want to use this as an opportunity to roll back not just the healthcare rights of trans young people, but the rights of all young people'.

The saga began around 16 months ago with an historic ruling in December 2020.

The High Court ruled that children under 16 with gender dysphoria could only consent to the use of hormone-blocking treatments if they understood the 'immediate and long-term consequences'.

The judges said it was 'highly unlikely' that a child aged 13 or under would be able to consent to the treatment, and that it was 'doubtful' that a child of 14 or 15 would understand the consequences.

But the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the UK's only gender identity development service for children, brought an appeal against the ruling in June 2021.

In a judgment in September last year, the Court of Appeal said it was 'inappropriate' for the High Court to give the guidance, finding doctors should instead exercise judgment about whether their patients can properly consent

Ms Bell said at the time she was 'obviously disappointed' with the ruling, and said the case had 'shone a light into the dark corners of a medical scandal that is harming children.'

She added: 'I am surprised and disappointed that the court was not concerned that children as young as 10 have been put on a pathway to sterilisation.'

During the two-day appeal last year year, Tavistock's lawyers argued the ruling was 'inconsistent' with a long-standing concept that young people may be able to consent to their own medical treatment, following an appeal over access to the contraceptive pill for under 16s in the 1980s.

But Jeremy Hyam QC, representing Ms Bell and Mrs A, argued procedures at the Tavistock 'as a whole failed to ensure, or were insufficient to ensure, proper consent was being given by children who commenced on puberty blockers'.

Human rights group Liberty, which intervened in the appeal, said the High Court had imposed a serious restriction on the rights of transgender children and young people to 'essential treatment'.

IT engineer Miss Bell is pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London in January 2020

Miss Bell (pictured as a five-year-old) had treatment which began at the Tavistock in London. She would later detransition

The Court of Appeal heard the Tavistock does not provide puberty blockers itself but instead makes referrals to two other NHS trusts  University College London Hospitals and Leeds Teaching Hospitals  who then prescribe the treatments.

John McKendrick QC, for the other trusts, told the court the median age for consenting to puberty blockers is 14.6 for UCL and 15.9 for Leeds.

What is gender dysphoria? Gender dysphoria is a condition in which someone becomes distressed because they don't feel that their biological sex matches the gender they identify as. For example, someone may feel like a woman and want to live as a woman, but have been born with the anatomy of a man. Gender dysphoria is a 'recognised medical condition, for which treatment is sometimes appropriate' and is 'not a mental illness', according to the NHS. People who live as a gender which is not the same as their biological sex are called transgender. Some people may choose to have hormone therapy  for example, to make them grow hair or develop breasts  or to have reassignment surgery to give them the genitals of a person of the sex they identify as. People diagnosed with gender dysphoria are allowed to legally change their gender. According to the charity Stonewall, as many as 1 per cent of the population may be trans - although accurate numbers are not known. Advertisement

The chief executive of LGBT charity Stonewall welcomed the Court of Appeal's ruling.

But Keira Bell said she was 'surprised and disappointed' in the decision but said she had no regrets in bringing the case.

She said: 'A global conversation has begun and has been shaped by this case. There is more to be done.

'It is a fantasy and deeply concerning that any doctor could believe a 10-year-old could consent to the loss of their fertility.'

Human rights group Liberty, which intervened in the appeal, said the High Court had imposed a serious restriction on the rights of transgender children and young people to 'essential treatment'.

Liberty director Gracie Bradley said: 'This ruling is a positive step forwards for trans rights in the UK and around the world.

'As the court has recognised, trans children should be able to choose and receive the healthcare they need on the same basis as all other children.

'Access to treatment is life-affirming for trans children and young people - without it the risk of serious, long-term harm dramatically increases.

'This case has implications for trans children not just in the UK, but also all over the world. Other countries had already started using the UK ruling to restrict trans rights - now they must take note of this judgment, too.

'Liberty has a long and proud history of standing up for trans rights and we will keep working with others to build a society where trans rights are recognised as human rights.'

According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) guidelines, very few people regret treatment of their gender dysphoria, the court heard.

'They refer to satisfaction rates across studies ranging from 87% in male to female patients and 97% of female to male patients and regrets were extremely rare,' Fenella Morris QC, for the trust previously said in court.

Ms Bell's lawyers previously argued there is 'a very high likelihood' that children who start taking hormone blockers will later begin taking cross-sex hormones, which they say cause 'irreversible changes'.
Vitalii Seleveni, stricken with grief, thrust his hands under the nose of the Russian soldier to show him the blood of his son Dennis, 15, who was killed after Putin's men shelled Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv

Advertisement

Vitalli Seleveni will forever be haunted by the last moments of his son.

Dennis, a selfless 15-year-old boy, was helping his parents evacuate terrified animals from a Ukrainian zoo when a Russian shell landed nearby.

The teenager suffered horrific wounds, shattering and twisting his left leg and leaving a gaping injury in his thigh which spilled blood over his clothes.

That blood was still stained on Vitalli's hands when he learned his son had lost his fight for life within 30 minutes of being rushed to hospital.

As Vitalli staggered outside the medical centre, still reeling from the news of his son's death, he came face-to-face with a Russian soldier who had been captured during the attack - just one of the latest scenes of carnage amid Putin's insane Ukrainian invasion.

The grief-stricken father did not hesitate. He thrust his hands under the eyes of the Russian soldier and showed him the blood. This is what you are doing to our families.

Dennis, a volunteer at the zoo, had been trying to evacuate a herd of buffaloes from the Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv with his parents and other team members when they came under fire on Thursday.

Vitalii Seleveni, stricken with grief, thrust his hands under the nose of the Russian soldier to show him the blood of his son Dennis after learning that the boy had died

The 15-year-old was rushed to a local hospital, his body blooded from the shrapnel. His mother frantically followed him on a stretcher, her face etched with concern, as he was led into the emergency room

But 30 minutes later, Dennis succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Svetlana, upon hearing that her only son had died, collapsed into Vitalli's arms

The 15-year-old was rushed to a local hospital, his body blooded from the shrapnel. His mother frantically followed him on a stretcher, her face etched with concern, as he was led into the emergency room.

But 30 minutes later, Dennis succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. Svetlana, upon hearing that her only son had died, collapsed into Vitalli's arms in grief.

Heartbroken, Vitalii walked outside of the hospital and showed his hands, still covered with his son's blood, to a Russian soldier who had been brought to the medical facility after being captured by Ukrainian forces in the zoo.

The soldier, whose blindfold had been lifted so that he could see the grieving fathers hands, could be seen crumpling his face at the sight.

Distraught zoo staff screamed at the Russian soldier in grief after hearing that Dennis had died.

Dennis is the sixth member of the zoo's team to be killed by Russian strikes since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine as the park staff work to move the animals to safety.

Two other team members were seriously injured in the Russian shelling and doctors are fighting to save their lives, the zoo said.

The Feldman Ecopark paid tribute to Dennis, describing as a 'hero' who will 'always remain in our hearts'.

The zoo owner Alexander Feldman said two Russian soldiers were also brought to the hospital in Kharkiv with the wounded volunteers and said it was not clear how they got into the park.

Images from outside the hospital show Ukrainian soldiers detaining a Russian solider.

'Two Russian soldiers were brought simultaneously with them,' Feldman said, referring to the wounded volunteers and staff. 'It remains unclear how they got to the park in the first place. They destroyed all the vehicles in which the guys arrived.'

Russian troops have nearly destroyed the zoo following weeks of bombardment, killing around 100 animals - including white tigers, panthers and jaguars - so far, reports Ukrinform.

The Russian strikes have destroyed a number of enclosures, forcing zoo staff to make the dangerous decision to evacuate the animals to other Ukrainian cities.

Earlier in the war, three employees of the Ecopark died during shelling after they came to feed the animals last month.

And on April 19, the bodies of two Ukrainian zoo workers who were allegedly shot dead by Russian soldiers were found on the park's premises.

Two captured Russian soldiers were brought to the hospital and distraught zoo staff screamed at them in grief after learning of the death of Dennis Selevina on Thursday

Heartbroken, Vitalii walked outside of the hospital and showed his hands, still covered with his son's blood, to a Russian soldier who had been brought to the medical facility after being captured by Ukrainian forces in the zoo

A volunteer at Eco-Park talks on his phone in the emergency room at a local hospital after Russians shelled the EcoPark in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday

Smoke is seen after Russians shelled the area in and near Eco-Park on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday, May 5, 2022

Eco-Park employees take cover on a hillside after Russian shelling hit 200 metres away during rescue operations of buffalos from the Park in Kharkiv

A Russian soldier is detained by the Ukrainian Army and blindfolded at a local hospital in Kharkiv on Thursday

Eco-Park employees rescue animals from the Park to be brought to the town Poltava for safety after Russians shelled the area, killing dozens of animals outside of Kharkiv, Ukraine

Eco-Park employees rescue animals from the Park to be brought to the town Poltava for safety after Russians shelled the area, killing dozens of animals outside of Kharkiv,

The zoo said of the most recent fatal shelling attack: 'On May 5, during the evacuation of buffaloes from Feldman Ecopark, the team of our employees and volunteers got under fire.

'One person died. Two people were seriously injured. Doctors are fighting for their lives.

'The deceased boy was only 15 years old. He helped his parents to feed and evacuate the animals.

'The blessed memory of the hero will always remain in our hearts. This is the sixth victim from among members of our team.'

Ukrainian forces have in recent days pushed Russian troops back some 25 miles east of Kharkiv, which has been repeatedly struck by shelling.

Ukrainian chief of defense, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said Thursday that a counteroffensive could begin to push Russian forces away from Kharkiv and Izyum, which has been a key node in Russia's control of the area.

Further pushing the Russians away may spare the city from more artillery strikes, as well as force Moscow to divert troops from other areas of the front line to maintain its hold on territory there.
Tommy Robinson claims he is 'suffering from mental health issues because he has been harassed', a court heard today.

Robinson, 39, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was ordered to appear at the High Court on March 22 after failing to pay 43,000 when he lost a libel case to a Syrian boy last year.

But he failed to turn up for the hearing and the case was referred to a High Court judge, who ordered the English Defence League founder to appear in court today.

As he entered the Royal Courts of Justice in London this morning, Robinson described the hearing as 'boring c**p'.

And Oliver McEntee, representing the far-right activist at the hearing, told the court that he was facing mental health issues due to harassment and could provide medical evidence to the court.

But Mr Justice Nicklin said: 'There's been a history of difficulties with communicating with Mr Lennon he can be a very difficult man to contact.

'In the modern era of email communications, it should not be difficult.'

Tommy Robinson (pictured) arriving at the Royal Courts Of Justice in London, to appear for a contempt of court hearing today

Two men appeared to be filming the English Defence League founder on their phones as he walked to court

He was surrounded by three men, one of whom was vaping and the other two appeared to be filming him

Robinson smiled at photographers as he walked to the High Court to face potential action for contempt of court after failing to appear at a hearing in March

The High Court judge said Robinson would need to attend a full hearing in August to decide whether he had committed a contempt of court, where he could provide evidence about his medical issues.

Ordering Robinson to return, the Mr Justice Nicklin added: 'Were he to fail to attend again, that would be an aggravating feature if the court ultimately found he did not have a lawful excuse for failing to attend on 22 March.'

Robinson will also have to go back to the Royal Courts of Justice on June 9 for the original questioning over his finances.

Mr McEntee earlier told the court: 'My client is, for better or for worse, something of a notorious figure. He says he has been subject to harassment.

'These matters resulted in his divorce two years ago and he has been suffering since.'

He added: 'Mr Yaxley-Lennon says, to put it bluntly, that he simply was not in a fit state of mind to attend court due to the culmination of the mental health issues and the harassment he has faced.'

The barrister said he will produce evidence for contempt proceedings including a GP's letter.

The EDL founder was pictured arriving at court this morning wearing a grey overcoat over a black t-shirt with grey jeans and was surrounded by three large men - two of whom appeared to be filming him as he smiled at photographers.

Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope not Hate, said following the hearing: 'For those of us who have been working for justice for the teenage victim of Robinson's vile vitriol, Jamal Hijazi, Tommy Robinson's attendance in court today is a step in the right direction. Jamal and his family deserve justice.

'We believe that Tommy Robinson is hiding at least 3 million in assets, and have collected enough evidence to prove it.

'We look forward to seeing this case progress further, and will continue to work tirelessly to try and make sure that Jamal and his family see Robinson pay up.'

Following Mr Hijazi's successful libel case, Mr Justice Nicklin ordered Robinson to pay him damages of 100,000. Mr Hijazi's legal costs were thought to be around 500,000.

In the summons issued last month, Mr Justice Nicklin warned Robinson could be arrested if he had failed to appear at court today.

Today's hearing comes after Robinson was successfully sued by Mr Hijazi after the then 15-year-old was assaulted at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.

In a short video of the incident, which received nearly one million views, Robinson claimed in two Facebook videos that Mr Hijazi was 'not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school'.

Mr Justice Nicklin found the claims to be false following a trial.

After a pre-trial hearing for the libel case in November 2020, Robinson was ordered to pay more than 43,000 in legal costs.

But he declared bankruptcy four months later, which the court heard has since been discharged.

In February, lawyers for Mr Hijazi successfully applied for an order requiring Robinson to return to the High Court to answer questions about his finances.

Ian Helme, representing the teenager, told the court there was information 'that what is stated in his bankruptcy application is not a full account of (Robinson's) assets'.

It came after Robinson was previously jailed after being found in contempt of court when he filmed men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage on Facebook, in breach of a reporting ban, outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.

He was jailed for 13 months after being found in contempt of court on the day of the broadcast, but served two months in prison before being freed after the contempt conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal in August 2018.

The case was then referred back to the Attorney General and he was jailed again in July 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, attending a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, March 2, and Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaking at the Mediterranean coastal city of Herzliya, Nov. 23, 2021, are seen in this combination of file photos created March 5. Putin apologized to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for remarks made by his foreign minister who claimed Adolf Hitler may have had "Jewish blood," May 5. AFP-Yonhap





Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for remarks made by his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who claimed Adolf Hitler may have had "Jewish blood," Israel said Thursday.







Lavrov's comments sparked outrage in Israel, which has sought to maintain ties with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.







"The Prime Minister accepted President Putin's apology for Lavrov's remarks and thanked him for clarifying his attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust," Bennett's office said in a statement.







A Kremlin summary of the Bennett-Putin call, which came as Israel marked 74 years since the creation of the Jewish state, made no mention of a Putin apology.







It did, however, note that the leaders discussed the "historic memory" of the holocaust.







In an interview with an Italian media outlet released Sunday, Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "puts forward an argument of what kind of Nazism can they have if he himself is Jewish."







Lavrov, according to a transcript posted on the Russian foreign ministry website, then added: "I could be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood."







Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid labelled the comments "an unforgivable and outrageous statement as well as a terrible historical error."






Advertisement

A 500million superyacht rumoured to belong to Vladimir Putin has been moved out of dry dock and back into the ocean, sparking fears it could be about to flee European waters to escape sanctions on Russia.

The Scheherazade been out of the water at the Porto di Carrara marina near Massa, in northern Italy, since late summer 2020 when it arrived just months after being launched to undergo a re-fit.

But it has now been moved back into the ocean, according to the Daily Telegraph, which also reports that crew members have been spotted taking large tarpaulins off of her deck and carrying out inspections.

That has sparked speculation among locals that the ship - 450ft long and equipped with its own spas, swimming pools, a gym and two helipads - could soon depart the marina.

And it appears the Italian coast guard would have no power to stop it because its owner has still not been firmly established, meaning it cannot be seized under sanctions on Putin's regime over the Ukraine war.

If the vessel does indeed belong to Putin, it is likely the crew would try to flee EU waters to the relative safe haven of Turkey, following in the wake of vessels belonging to Roman Abramovich and Alexander Abramov.

From there, it could transit the Suez canal to the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, or even the port of Vladivostok - thousands of miles away in the Russian far-east. Boats belonging to the likes of Victor Rashnikov, Oleg Deripaska, Alexei Mordashov and Andrey Kostin have already made that journey.

The Scheherazade, a 500million superyacht that has been in dry dock in northern Italy for the past two years, has now been returned to the water - sparking fears it could flee in an effort to escape sanctions

If the yacht does indeed belong to Putin - or another of his sanctioned oligarchs - it would be expected to sail out of Italy, skirt EU waters through he Mediterranean, and head for the relative safe haven of Turkey

Investigators for Putin arch-rival Alexei Navalny say the boat - which features a dancefloor that lowers to reveal a swimming pool - belongs to the Russian despot because it was almost entirely staffed by secret service agents

An Italian probe into the owner of the boat - which features huge entertaining spaces equipped with a grand piano - has yet to conclude, meaning coast guard are currently powerless to stop it from leaving

Scheherazade is one of the largest and most-expensive privately-owned boats in the world, coming equipped with multiple swimming pools, spas, a gym, and two helipads

Putin's 'other yacht' - a smaller, older vessel named GRACEFUL Vladimir Putin claims that he is only moderately-wealthy, but is suspected of secretly harboring a $100 billion fortune. A smaller, older vessel, the Graceful, has long been suspected of belonging to Putin. Alone among the world's superyachts, the Graceful's hull was laid at a Russian naval shipyard, before being finished in Germany, an industry source told DailyMail.com. The Graceful left port in Germany about two weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is currently docked at Russia's Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, safely out of the reach of Western sanctions. The Scheherazade, however, is stuck in drydock in Italy undergoing repairs, and a person familiar with the matter said that it would be impossible for it to sail before the end of March. A smaller, older vessel, the Graceful (seen leaving Hamburg last month), has long been suspected of belonging to Putin The Graceful left port in Germany on February 7 (above), about two weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is currently docked at Russia's Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, safely out of the reach of Western sanctions Advertisement

Gabriele, the manager of a yacht club within sight of the Scheherazade, told The Telegraph on Thursday: 'We heard that it was going to leave the marina last night but maybe it was delayed because of bad weather.

'It's not been seized by the authorities so I guess it's free to go any time.'

Speculation about the Scheherazade's owner has swirled for years but was alleged to be Putin by an investigative team led by his arch critic Alexei Navalny back in March.

A probe into the vessel's crew revealed that almost all of them worked for either the FSB or FSO - Russian secret services that are charged with protecting Putin - and routinely flew to and from Moscow on shift rotations.

The only member of the crew who did not work for the secret service was British captain Guy Bennett Pierce, who confirmed that the vessel is Russian-owned but refused to say who the owner is.

Documents for the Scheherazade seen by Navalny's team show the official owner is an offshore company from the Marshall Islands - a tactic commonly used by the super-rich to conceal their wealth.

Putin is also known to list family or friends as owners, with his name almost never used on official documents.

Shortly after the results of Navalny's investigation were published, the entire Russian crew vanished and were replaced by Britons. No reason for the replacement was given.

Workers taking part in the vessel re-fit have described it as a miniature floating city - complete with 'countless swimming pools, a spa, a sauna, a theatre, ballrooms, a gym, [and two helipads.'

The boat even houses its own hospital, workers said, amid rumours that Putin's health is failing.

The yacht arrived at the port at the end of last summer under the steerage of Captain Bennett-Pearce, who denies that Putin is the owner or has ever been on board.

Paolo Gozzani, of the local CGIL Union, spoke to MailOnline in late March when the Russian crew were suddenly recalled from the Scheherazade. He said: 'From what I have heard the Russian crew were all replaced during the last few days and now they are all British.

'It was all a few days, the word from inside is that they were called back to report for military service and now there are armed guards surrounding it as well. You can't get anywhere near her and the level of security is unbelievable.'

A source at the marina said: 'You could spot the Russians a mile off they were in the local bars most night, drinking vodka and beer.

'They were big looking guys and then one day they all just disappeared. To be honest for me they didn't look like a yacht crew they looked like a small army or security detail.'

The six-deck Scheherazade is one of the largest and most-expensive privately-owned boats in the world - with space equivalent to two apartment blocks.

The yacht has room for 18 guests in nine luxury cabins in addition to a crew of 40, residing in 20 cabins and boasts two helipads, a royal suite, a swimming pool, a spa and a beauty salon.

But since its launch in 2020, the yacht's true ownership has been cloaked in absolute secrecy.

Currently docked for repairs at the Italian Sea Group shipyard in Marina di Carrara, Italy, the Scheherazade is protected by measures that are extreme even by the ultra-private standards of the superyacht world, with covers hiding its nameplate and a metal barrier erected to partially block the vessel from public view.

For more than a year, workers at the shipyard have speculated that the ship belongs to Putin himself, a source there told MailOnline on March 8. 'All the whispers were it belonged to Putin,' the person said.

The source said that the Scheherazade's crew appear to be Russian, and that a team of Germans working on repairs to the vessel were recalled by their home office after the EU announced its sanctions in early March.

Allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny yesterday told Italian authorities that they should seize the Scheherazade because they can prove it belongs to Putin. A sensational video shared on Navalny's YouTube channel claims that though the captain is British, the rest of the crew are allegedly from the FSO and FSB - two Russian secret services.

The boat's Russian crew - which numbered about 40 people - were completely replaced by Britons after the Navalny investigation published its findings, with no explanation given

Putin owns almost nothing on paper, using a web of shell companies and the names of friends or family on official documents to hide his assets from world authorities and his own countrymen

However, Captain Guy Bennett-Pearce denied has that Putin owns the Scheherazade or has ever been on board, telling the New York Times: 'I have never seen him. I have never met him.'

The ship's name, Scheherazade, is the female protagonist from the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights. It is also the title of a symphonic suite by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov that is based on the tales.

The ship reportedly features personal touches for the Russian strongman including a judo gym with framed pictures of Putin's black belts.

And the Scheherazade carries books The Atlas of Beauty by Mihaela Noroc, Fashion History from the Kyoto Costume Institute and Photo Icons by Hans-Michael Koetzle.

A worker involved in the yacht's construction told the Sun: 'Every surface is marble or gold. There are countless swimming pools, a spa, a sauna, a theatre, ballrooms, a gym, two helipads. It's like a mini city.

'There is even a hospital which makes sense when you hear rumours of Putin being terminally ill. It is hard to swallow the fact that the most incredible ship in the world is owned by a man intent on bombing civilians in Ukraine.

'And it is an unimaginable amount of wealth when the average Russian's salary is 5,000 a year, and people there are struggling to eat.'

Italian authorities are currently probing whether the opulent vessel should be seized under sanctions against Russia, following the speculation that it could belong to Putin.

Bennett-Pearce declined to identify the Scheherazade's owner, citing a strict non-disclosure agreement, and would not rule out that the owner is Russian. He did however insist that the owner is not on any sanctions list.

The captain said that Italian investigators had come aboard on March 4 and examined some of the ship's certification documents, and that he planned to hand over documents identifying the true owner on Tuesday, telling the Times that he had 'no choice.'

'I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that this will clear the vessel of all negative rumors and speculations,' Bennett-Pearce told the outlet.

Last night his mother Debbie told The Daily Telegraph: 'I don't think for one second that Guy would work for that  whatever you want to call himmurderer.'

But locals in Marina de Carrara have said that most are convinced the superyacht belongs to Putin. Giorgio Petri, 72, told the paper: 'There's nothing official, of course, but all the locals say that it is Putin's. Just look at it.'

The Italian investigation into the ownership of the Scheherazade comes as authorities across Europe have raced to identify and seize yachts tied to Russian oligarchs named in new sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

In early March, French authorities seized the superyacht Amore Vero in the Mediterranean resort town of La Ciotat.

The 289-foot boat is believed to belong to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs Russian oil giant Rosneft, which has been on the US sanctions list since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

The French Finance Ministry said in a statement that customs authorities boarded the Amore Vero and discovered its crew was preparing for an urgent departure, even though planned repair work was not finished.

The EU has sanctioned dozens of Putin's inner circle over the war in Ukraine, which has killed thousands of civilians (pictured, damage to the city Kramatorsk), and has seizing their assets in Europe - including yachts

Cemetery workers bury the coffin of Ihor Malets, a member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after a funeral ceremony at the Lychakiv cemetery in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv

A pedestrian takes a picture as she walks past the wreckage of a Russian armoured vehicle outside the National Museum of Military History of Ukraine in Kyiv

Sanctioned steel baron Alexei Mordashov's 213-foot Lady M was seized by Italian authorities on March 4 while it was moored in the Riviera port town of Imperia.

And in Sanremo, Italy, authorities seized the Lena, a yacht belonging to Putin ally and oil billionaire Gennady Timchenko.

The 511-foot Dilbar, which is likely the largest superyacht in the world, is currently under orders to remain in port at Hamburg as officials there try to determine its ownership.

Russian oligarchs account for a significant portion of the global superyacht market. Of all the superyacht projects over 164 feet that are in build or on order, Russians make up 17 per cent of all owners, according to Boat International.

It has fueled speculation about the Scheherazade, whose ownership remains one of the biggest mysteries in the yachting world.

The industry website SuperYachtFan, which estimates the boat's cost at $700 million, believes that the Scheherazade has room for a crew of about 40 and around 18 passengers.

The Scheherazade was constructed by the German firm Lurssen under the management of Imperial Yachts, a company based in Monaco.

Imperial Yachts also manages the Amore Vero, the seized yacht belonging to Sechin, according to Reuters. An industry source told MailOnline that 'ninety percent of the Russians have Imperial manage their boats.'

A spokesman for Imperial said that the company is not operationally responsible for the Scheherazade, but only supervised construction.

'As a company we comply with all applicable relevant law and regulation in all jurisdictions in which the company operates,' the spokesman said in a statement.

Imperial, led by CEO Evgeniy Kochman, is believed to have four other projects underway at the Italian Sea Group shipyard. The owners of those projects were not immediately clear.

Officially, the Scheherazade's registered owner is Bielor Assets Ltd, a company registered in the Marshall Islands, and the boat is flagged in the Cayman Islands.

Speculation about a connection between the vessel and Putin has run rampant in Marina di Carrara since the boat first docked there last winter, a source said.

The person said that workers at the shipyard believed the initial owner was Middle Eastern, but that at some point the boat was sold to Putin or another wealthy Russian.

The SuperYachtFan site has also speculated that the owner of the boat could be a Middle Eastern billionaire.

Officially, Putin has a declared net worth of about $150,000 and very few assets. But the Russian leader's true wealth, thought by some to be as much as $100 billion, though it has never been confirmed.

Forbes recently called it 'the most elusive riddle in wealth hunting.'

Nevertheless, Putin's fondness for luxury yachts is well established. He has previously been photographed on yachts from the Black Sea in the south the Russia's northern regions. Last May, he took a yacht cruise with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko near the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Swiss police on Thursday seized 500 kilos of cocaine worth 41million from a shipment of coffee beans delivered to a Nespresso plant, officials said.

Workers at the plant in Romont, in the western Swiss canton of Fribourg, alerted authorities on Monday to a mysterious white powder found in sacks of coffee beans that had arrived from Brazil, police said.

Analysis determined the substance was cocaine. A search of five shipping containers 'delivered the same day by train allowed for the seizure of more than 500 kilos of this drug,' Fribourg police said.

Swiss police said Thursday they had seized more than 1,100 pounds (500kg) of cocaine from a shipment of coffee beans delivered to a Nespresso plant from Brazil. Pictured: One of five containers of a shipment of coffee beans delivered to the Nespresso plant in Switzerland

Cocaine and coffee bags seized at the Nespresso plant in Romont, Switzerland are seen in this handout picture taken at an unknown location and released May 5, 2022

Staff at the coffee capsule maker, owned by Swiss food giant Nestle, 'found an undetermined white substance when they unloaded the freshly delivered sacks of coffee beans,' officials said in a statement.

Police said they set up a large security perimeter around the factory during the operation, which also involved a large contingent of customs officers.

The units containing the drugs were isolated, and the substance did not contaminate production at the plant, the statement said.

'The substance in question did not come into contact with any of our products or production equipment used to make our products,' Nespresso said in an emailed statement.

'As a police investigation is underway, we cannot share more details. We want to reassure consumers that all our products are safe to consume,' the maker of single-serve coffee capsules said.

The initial probe indicated that the shipment originated in Brazil, police said, adding that the seized cocaine was determined to be more than 80 percent pure, with an estimated street value of over 50 million Swiss francs (41million).

'It appears that all of the drugs were destined for the European market,' police said.

Swiss food and drinks giant Nestle, which owns Nespresso, sought to reassure customers that 'all our products are safe to consume.'

'We have strict quality controls in place for green coffee arriving at our warehouses right up to the finished product,' the Vevey, Switzerland-based company said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

'The substance in question did not come into contact with any of our products or production equipment used to make our products.'

Nestle said it could not provide more details because of the ongoing police investigation.

Workers at the plant (pictured on May 5) in Romont, in the western Swiss canton of Fribourg, alerted authorities on Monday to a mysterious white powder found in sacks of coffee beans that had arrived from Brazil, police said

The seizure came as an EU report said on Friday that the the market for cocaine and methamphetamine is on the rise in Europe, driven by record levels of trafficking and sparking violence and health issues.

In 2020, the highest ever amount of cocaine - 214.6 tonnes - was seized in the EU, Norway and Turkey for the fourth consecutive year, according to the report by Europol and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

The EU faces a 'growing threat from a more diverse and dynamic drug market, which relies on close collaboration between European and international criminal organisations', the report said.

The new nature of this market has resulted in 'record levels of drug availability, increased violence and corruption, and worsening health problems,' said EMCDDA director Alexis Goosdeel in a statement.

Disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic did not particularly rattle markets, and cocaine trafficking by sea continued at pre-2019 levels.

The market for cocaine - the EU's second most consumed drug after cannabis - was worth at least 10.5 billion euros (9 billion) in 2020. An estimated 14 million adults in the EU aged 15 to 65 have tried the drug, which is either snorted as a white powder or smoked in a form widely known as crack cocaine.

Police seized most of the cocaine in Belgium, Netherlands and Spain in 2020, the three countries where the drug is mostly transformed after being produced in Colombia, Bolivia and Peru.

Methamphetamine, the world's most widely used synthetic stimulant drug, plays a 'relatively minor role in the European drug market,' the report said, although the latest data suggests a 'growing threat'.
More than 30 people have been arrested and charged after climate activists blockaded an oil terminal for around 60 hours.

Just Stop Oil carried out the action at the Nustar Clydebank facility, in West Dunbartonshire, in support of their demand that the Government ends new oil and gas projects in the UK.

The protest began at about 4am on Tuesday when activists climbed on top of tankers and locked themselves to the entrance, while others entered the oil terminal, where some sat on pipes and some on the silos to halt operations.

Demonstrators from Just Stop Oil infiltrated the site as part of their planned 'disruptive action' across the country - due to continue until the UK government releases a 'meaningful' statement agreeing to their demands

The predominantly Generation Z activists were seen in a video posted on Twitter holding up an orange banner carrying their group's name outside the Nustar Clydebank terminal in Glasgow

Just Stop Oil said the protesters were there for about 60 hours before the action  which the group believes is the longest occupation of an oil terminal in the UK  ended 4.05pm on Thursday.

Police Scotland said 31 people were arrested and charged in connection with a number of offences relating to the protest  which was the first of its kind in Scotland since the Just Stop Oil coalition began blockading fuel terminals south of the border on April 1, leading to more than 1,000 arrests.

The force said 15 have been charged with breach of the peace and 16 with a contravention of a section of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which relates to trespass and alleged malicious mischief.

Chief Superintendent Lynn Ratcliff said: 'As a rights-based organisation, Police Scotland puts our values of integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights at the heart of everything we do.

Members of a police climbing team arrived to evacuate climate activists from inside the site where some had climbed to dangerous heights atop of the infrastructure

The group said some of its members entered the terminal itself, where 12 protesters were sitting on pipes (pictured) and three were on the silos

'This means that we will protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest or counter-protest, balanced against the rights of the wider community.'

Police said reports will be sent to the procurator fiscal in due course.

It was the first action of its kind in Scotland since the Just Stop Oil coalition began blockading fuel terminals south of the border on April 1, leading to more than 1,000 arrests.

A UK Government spokesman said: 'We will not bend to the will of activists who naively want to extinguish North Sea oil and gas production.

'Doing so would put energy security and British jobs at risk, and simply increases foreign imports, whilst not reducing demand.

'We are committed to a strong North Sea industry as we transition away from expensive fossil fuels over the coming decades, and our recent British Energy Security Strategy sets out a long-term plan to ramp up cheap renewables and nuclear energy.'
A mother on the school run who used her 80,000 Range Rover to 'nudge' an Insulate Britain zealot blocking the M25 today declared she should never have been taken to court after being fined just 40 despite being threatened with prison.

Sherrilyn Speid, 35, of Grays, Essex, blasted the police and revealed the public stop her to thank her and also ask for selfies after she was handed a community punishment and a driving ban at Basildon Magistrates' Court this morning.

The mother-of-two became an unlikely hero after she was filmed losing her temper at the hardline tactics of the eco warriors who had spent weeks blocking roads, including the M25.

Speid, who originally faced a charge of assault before it was dropped at an earlier hearing, could have been jailed for her actions but walked free from court today. Instead she was banned from driving for a year, fined 40, along with a 95 victim surcharge.

Prosecutors asked for 310 costs but magistrates requested Speid pay a reduced amount of 105. She will also have to carry out 20 days of community punishment in the next year.

Speid declared today she should not have even been prosecuted and revealed she is often stopped by people in the street who praise her for her actions near to the M25 last October.

She said: 'I shouldn't have been here today, sorry but I'm just a working mum who was trying to get my boy to school that morning. It was a nudge - just to get them to move. There are a lot of examples of far worse driving where people don't get treated like this'.

Accusing the police of trying to make an example of her because of her unlikely fame, she added: 'I think it's double standards. We all called the police and they did not come.'

Sherrilyn Speid (pictured today) arrives at Basildon Magistrates' Court in Essex, for sentencing after she pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at a Insulate Britain protest. She was banned from driving for a year, fined 40, along with a 95 victim surcharge

Speid, who was infuriated with Insulate Britain protesters blocking the road, told them 'I'll drive through you then' after begging them to move and they removed

Ms Speid started a food business during lockdown, providing Caribbean food to the local Essex community. She said being in court and dealing with the case has left her out of pocket

Essex Police this morning declared their actions were justified after Speid accused them of over reacting.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Nelson said: 'When dealing with incidents such as this, we police them without fear or favour in a manner to keep everyone at the scene safe and we have consistently said our priority in these instances has been to keep our county's roads moving.

Sherrilyn Speid blasted the police, accusing them of double standards

'We investigated the incident in Grays fully and thoroughly, independently of the circumstances around it, and a file was submitted to the CPS. A decision was made by the CPS that this case should be put before a court.

'Regarding the wider disruption caused on the M25, M11 and their surrounding roads in September and October 2021, we have now secured a total of 56 charges against those we believe to be involved.

'They are due in court in the coming weeks.'

Speid was heading to work when the drama unfolded and had her 11-year-old son in her luxury car on October 13 2021 at about 8.30am.

She was captured in video footage - shown at Basildon Magistrates' Court today - as she pleaded with protestors to move before getting back into her 80,000 car and gently nudging them forwards.

The mental health support worker had been at the wheel of her black Range Rover when she came across the Insulate Britain protest near the M25.

Speid, dressed in a black hoodie and black leggings, sat in the dock of courtroom one as she was sentenced today.

Prosecutor Ashley Petchey said protesters were sitting across the road and queues of traffic had built up behind them. 'They were blocking the highway in various locations.

'A female in a black Range Rover Velar had got out and remonstrated with the protesters before deliberately driving into the back of two female protestors.'

The court was shown video of the incident and Speid could be heard begging 'my son needs to get to school'.

Other members of the public were shouting aggressively at the eco warriors, demanding they get out of the road.

Speid pleads to the women sat in front of her 'move out of the way now' and 'my son needs to go to school and I need to go to work'.

Of the dangerous driving count, Mr Petchey said: 'It is not an excessive speed as the driver was using the brakes quite harshly as you saw.

'The driver does this on two occasions. It stops very close to a female protester.

He said Speid was 'angry and agitated with the situation'.

'We see the vehicle move forward three times, covering a short distance and you see what happens.

'Clearly this was an incident where there was a risk, even if no injury was caused.

'Clearly a risk of personal injury Miss Speid knew the protosters were there, she had even remonstrated with them before driving forward in her vehicle.

'The speed was not excessive.'

Speid changed her plea on March 28 at Southend magistrates where an interim driving ban was also issued.

Mr Petchey showed an interview from the following day with radio station LBC adding: 'I do feel it is relevant in this case.'

Speid told presenter Nick Ferrari: 'It was a huge injustice for me, I do feel devastated, I just feel very let downI am too scared to speak my mind.' She said she felt police were not 'on her side'.

Lauren Hebditch, mitigating, told the court how her client was an 'inspiration to many young people' through her work in mental health.

'She was in a very difficult time in her life. She was under pressure and stress.

'On the week this happened she'd fled her family home after 12 years and had suffered from domestic violence before moving to a safe house.

'She was feeling numb and disassociated with her physical health

'She was angry, scared and petrified she had finally found confidence that week to leave that relationship'

Speid broke down in tears as the court heard details of the breakdown of her relationship.

'She asks the protestors multiple times to move out of the way. She can be heard pleading with them.,' Ms Hebdicth added.

Sherrilyn Speid was filmed driving her car into Insulate Britain protesters in the clip

Reacting to footage of the confrontation, Speid wrote on Instagram: 'I never ran them over, I gave them a nudge. So dramatic man'

Ms Hebditch said Speid is now helping young people, providing counselling as well as setting up support groups for mental health for adults.

'She was going to counsel young people on the day this happened.

'She is inspiring to everyone she meets She is mortified though. She can't believe it was her. The protestors don't support this.

'She accepts it was dangerous driving and shouldn't have acted the way she did.'

An assault charge against Speid, in which it was alleged that protester Bethany Mogie had been beaten, was dismissed at the earlier hearing after the prosecution said it would produce no evidence. The court heard that Speid is now on universal credit.

Susan Hawkins, chairman of the magistrates bench, said: 'We do consider this to be in the lower category than the prosecution stated at the beginning so we are placing you under a community order as we do feel its serious enough for us to do that.'

Speaking today Speid declared: 'I wanted to get him to school and I had to get to work. I'm self employed - if I don't get to work, I don't get paid.

'It was a stressful time. I needed to get to where I needed to go.

'I did ask them nicely loads of times and they didn't.'

Speid revealed how people still stop her in the street to praise her for her actions on the day, with some even asking for selfies.

'It was nice to get the support. When people heard more about me and the work I do, they knew I supported a lot of people.

'The protesters didn't support the court case, I've been told.

'I was even told the protestor was willing to come to court to give evidence saying she was not hurt and did not receive any medical attention.

'It's the police that have pushed this. They are really going for this.

'They are definitely trying to make an example out of me because it was high profile and because I got fame from it.

'They see me as a threat as a lot of people are listening to me. But I did not ask for the attention.

'I think it's double standards. We all called the police and they did not come.'
An Indian murder trial had to be halted on Wednesday under bizarre circumstances after a monkey stole several key pieces of evidence before the case reached court.

According to the Times of India, the monkey was able to snatch an evidence packet that contained 15 pieces of evidence - including a knife, the alleged murder weapon.

During a pre-trial hearing, Jaipur police had to admit to the court that since the murder in 2016, a monkey snatched the evidence while it was being transported.

An Indian murder trial had to be halted on Wednesday under bizarre circumstances after a monkey stole key pieces of evidence before the case reached court. Pictured: A monkey is seen walking along a wall in Delhi, India (file photo)

Their confession came in a written note to the court after they had been ordered to produce the evidence that was going to be used in the case.

What's more, police said the constable who was responsible for protecting the evidence while it was being moved for safe keeping in the village of Malkhana was suspended, and later retired then passed away.

The case in question involves the killing of Shashikant Sharma, whose body was discovered near Chandwaji police station in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

His family had reported him missing three days before his body was found. After it was found, they protested by blocking a main road in the region.

Under pressure from the community, police arrested two men five days later - Rahul and Mohanlal Kandera - both from Chandwaji. They were charged with murder.

Key evidence in the case, including a knife that is believed to have been used by the suspects to murder Sharma, was collected and placed in an evidence packet, ready to be used in court when the case went to trial.

However, according to India's NDTV, the evidence was temporarily being kept under a tree by the constable due to a lack of space in the audit facility in Malkhana.

It was then, the police said in their written response to the court, that the monkey snatched the 15 pieces of evidence and fled. It has not been recovered.

Police said the constable tasked with guarding the packet was suspended. As a result, he retired from the police force and has since died.

The public prosecutor has reportedly reacted angrily to the police's incompetence, suggesting their excuse is unusual. The court also expressed its frustration.

A letter has been sent to the Jaipur Rural Police Superintendent asking him to clarify the events, and how a monkey was able to steal the evidence.
Amber Heard has described having to use makeup to cover up her injuries inflicted by Johnny Depp while appearing on James Corden's chat show.

The actress said she thought she was going to die when she claims Depp headbutted and tried to suffocate her with a pillow.

The next evening in December 2015, she appeared on The Late Late Show to promote her film The Danish Girl, and said she had to hide her cuts and bruises.

Amber Heard has described having to use makeup to cover up her injuries inflicted by Johnny Depp while appearing on James Corden's chat show

The actress said her makeup team had to hide her cuts and bruises and apply heavy lipstick during her appearance

Heard poses with guests Luke Bracey and Wanda Skyes on the Late, Late Show with James Corden on December 16, 2015

She told the court in her blockbuster defamation trial that her make-up team had to work around the wounds and apply 'super heavy, red matte lipstick' to hide her bloodied lip.

She said: 'I got worried that I wouldn't be able to hide the bruising and swelling. I iced it all night and the next day checked in the mirror to see if I could get away with it, meaning hiding it, so I could make an appearance.

'I gambled and thought maybe I could pull it off, I had my hair and makeup team come. They worked around it, meaning worked around the lesions on my head with the hair spray because that stings.

'They worked around the bruising by covering it with heavy makeup, heavier makeup than normal bruise covering makeup.

'I remember my lip was still bleeding and swollen so we did this really thick super heavy matte red lipstick and I remember very well at the time that we had no choice in color, and that was one of my favorite colors to wear

'On this occasion we had no choice because we had to hide my busted lip.

She added: 'I did what I always did: I told people that I had an accident.'

Describing the previous night's violence, Heard told the jury yesterday how Depp repeatedly punched her head and dragged her by the hair.

She said that he told her: 'You really want to go now, tough guy' before punching her.

She said: 'I look him right in the eyes. It was a really still moment.'

'(He said) you want to go again, tough guy. I looked right up at his face, he balled up his fists, leaned back and headbutted me square in the nose.

Heard claimed that during the fight in December 2015 Depp headbutted her and beat her so badly she thought she would die. These photos of Heard's bruised face were submitted into evidence

She said: 'He had his hand on the back of my hair and was yanking me down and hit me in the face with this cast.' Heard's scalp with missing hair is shown

'Instantly (I felt) searing pain, It's one of the few memories I have of physical pain, searing pain'.

Depp dragged Heard by the hair into a neighboring apartment, leaving chunks lying all over the floor, she said.

He got on top of her with her face in a pillow and was repeatedly beating her.

Heard said: 'He's trying to hold me with his knee on my back and he's punching me with a closed fist repeatedly.

'I remember the sound of Johnny's voice he got next to my ear and he was screaming over and over again I f**king hate you, I f**king hate you over and over. F**king hate you. Pounding the back of my head with his fist.

'I could hear myself scream until I couldn't hear myself any more I could just hear him say he was going to kill me and he sounded like an animal in pain when he was saying he f**king hated me.

'He sounded different like he was in agony. He just hit me over and over and over again. I got really still and it felt in my body quiet.

'I thought this is how I die, he's going to kill me now. He's going to kill me and he won't even have realized it.

Amber Heard broke down on the stand Thursday as she detailed how Johnny Depp sexually assaulter her with a liquor bottle in March 2015 in Australia at their rented home

The alleged assault took place in March 2015 in Australia at their rented home he was living in while filming Pirates of the Caribbean 5

'I couldn't breathe. I remember trying to scream and I couldn't scream suffocating in this pillow top with him holding me down punching me. I don't have any memory after that until I woke up.'

Heard also broke down on an emotional day on the stand as she detailed how Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle during emotional testimony that the actor's defense team labeled the 'performance of her life.'

The alleged assault took place in March 2015 in Australia at their rented home he was living in while filming Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

This is the same incident that saw Depp's finger severed. He claimed Heard threw a liquor bottle which severed it. Heard testified that she did not witness Depp's fingertip being cut off.

'At some point he's on top of me, screaming I f**king hate you, you ruined my f**king life,' Heard testified as she sobbed uncontrollably. 'I'm on the countertop, he had me by the neck and was on top of me.

'I'm looking in his eyes and I don't see him any more. It wasn't him, it was black. I haven't been so scared in my life. He was looking at me. I was trying to get through to him, to say in some way it was me. Trying to get through to Johnny.

'At some point he's on top of me, screaming I f**king hate you, you ruined my f**king life,' Heard testified as she sobbed uncontrollably. 'I'm on the countertop, he had me by the neck and was on top of me'

'My head was bashing against the back of the bar and I couldn't breathe. I remember trying to get up to tell him he was really hurting me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't get through to him. I couldn't get up.'

At this point, Heard became overwhelmed with emotion on the stand. 'Next thing I remember I was bent over backwards on the bar, I was staring at the blue light. My back was on the countertop. I thought he was punching me. I felt this pressure on my pubic bone and I could feel his arm moving. It looked like he was punching me. I could just feel this pressure.

'I don't remember what I said, I just remember being really still, not wanting to move. I remember looking around the room, looking at all the broken bottles, broken glass and I remember not wanting to move because I didn't know if it was broken, I didn't know if the bottle that he had inside me was broken.

'I couldn't feel it, I didn't feel pain, I didn't feel anything.

'I saw so much broken glass I didn't know if he would know if it was broken or not and I remember thinking please go I hope it's not broken. I don't know how that ended. I don't know how I got off the countertop.

'I just remember being in the bathroom. I remember retching, the sound my voice was making. I lost control of my bladder. I remember just retching, there was blood on the floor.'

Depp's team claimed the actress' tales of abuse have evolved with 'new and convenient details' and plan on exposing her lies on cross-examination.
Advertisement

Incredibly rare photos of the SAS in training that were owned by the regiment's longest-serving member have emerged for sale.

The black and white images, most of which which were taken by Lieutenant Colonel William Mundell in the 1950s and 1960s, show the high-risk exercises the elite commandos went through.

Lieutenant Colonel Mundell, who spent 34 years in the 'Who Dares Wins' regiment from 1953 until 1987, is also seen in some of the images.

One shows him climbing without ropes whilst in another he is seen parachuting from a plane.

Other images show SAS members firing machine guns, canoeing and on patrol in the jungle.

Incredibly rare photos of the SAS in training that were owned by the regiment's longest-serving member have emerged for sale. The black and white images, which were taken by Lieutenant Colonel William Mundell in the 1950s and 1960s, show the high-risk exercises the elite commandos went through. Above: Lieutenant Colonel Mundell climbing a cliff face and parachuting from a plane

The men of Lieutenant Colonel Mundell's SAS unit. The soldier spent 34 years in the 'Who Dares Wins' regiment from 1953 until 1987

Lieutenant Mundell became an expert in jungle warfare and pioneered the hazardous practice of parachuting into the jungle canopy during which several comrades were killed or badly injured.

Lieutenant Colonel Mundell, nicknamed 'granddad' by his SAS colleagues owing to his long service, excelled in the Cold War conflict in Indonesia and British Malaya in the 1960s.

Then a sergeant, he commanded an SAS fighting patrol in Borneo and undertook several clandestine cross-border operations.

He became an expert tracker in the jungle and was also able to recruit locals as spies to gather information about the activities of the Indonesian Army.

He was awarded the British Empire Medal for his work in the conflict and went on to train SAS troops in jungle warfare, advising young recruits to 'make the jungle your friend.'

Lieutenant Colonel Mundell died aged 88 in 2020. Now his family are selling off some of his SAS mementoes.

A member of the SAS is seen in one of Lieutenant Colonel's photos just before he touches down in a parachute jump. The SAS stands for the Special Air Service. The regiment was formed in July 1941 during the Second World War

Soldiers are seen surrounding a U.S. Army plane parked at an airfield. One man is perching in the open cargo door of the plane

One of Lieutenant Colonel Mundell's images shows SAS members lined up in canoes. It is unclear where the image was taken

Members of the SAS are seen practising with machine guns. One of the men appears to be wielding a Browning M1919

Ready to fire: Members of the SAS are seen crouching over a mortar in a field, as a trio of other men do the same just behind them. The SAS were disbanded after the Second World War but then reformed in 1947. In 1951, they were deployed during the Malayan Emergency

Lieutenant Colonel (front) is seen carrying a canoe out of a stretch of water. Lieutenant Colonel Mundell was born at Maybole, Ayrshire

Stephen Bosley, of Bosleys & Marlows Auctioneers of Stafford, which is selling the archive, said it was very rare to come across uncensored photos of the SAS.

He said: 'Any SAS photographs that you see are usually carefully chosen, official publicity shots with a black line over the eyes of the men so as not to identify them.

'But Bill Mundell was also the unofficial photographer for the regiment and took these photos while in training.

'I don't know whether he was supposed to have them but they are quite amazing. It doesn't matter now because these men have long retired or have passed away but you can see their faces quite clearly.

'Usually people serve between two to four years in the SAS but Bull Mundell spent 34 years with them which is extraordinary.'

Members of the SAS are seen sitting in a Land Rover in another of Lieutenant Colonel Mundell's images. His archive, which also includes his SAS jungle combat kit, SAS badges and wings and presentation tankards, is expected to sell for a combined 2,000 on May 11

Stephen Bosley, of Bosleys & Marlows Auctioneers of Stafford, which is selling the archive, said it was very rare to come across uncensored photos of the SAS

Members of the SAS are seen relaxing between two vehicles in an image that features in Lieutenant Colonel Mundell's arhive

Members of the SAS are seen rowing in two-man canoes. The men were among the best-trained soldiers in the British Army

SAS commandoes are seen training in jungle warfare. The SAS were deployed in Malaya from 1948 until 1960 and were later sent to Borneo

Members of the SAS abseil during training. Whilst one of the men does the bulk of the work, another enjoys a piggy back ride

Members of the SAS are seen sitting on their Land Rovers in an image taken by Lieutenant Colonel Mundell. It is unclear where the image was taken

Members of the SAS pose for a photo inside their Land Rover in the desert. The image is among those collected by Lieutenant Colonel Mundell during his long career

Lieutenant Colonel Mundell was born at Maybole, Ayrshire. He did his National Service with the King's Own Scottish Borderers Regiment and was sent off to fight in the Korean War.

While there he was in a slit trench when a Chinese mortar round landed. It failed to explode but killed his comrade standing beside him.

Lieutenant Colonel Mindell was demobilised in 1952 but re-enlisted the following year into the SAS Regiment at Glasgow to fight in Malaya.

After the Indonesia Confrontation he served with 23 SAS Regiment (TA) in Oman and undertook a number of undercover operations in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

He retired from the SAS in 1987.

His archive, which also includes his SAS jungle combat kit, SAS badges and wings and presentation tankards, is expected to sell for a combined 2,000 on May 11.
A second man has been charged with the murder of a father-of-three at a shopping centre in Essex.

Michael Ugwa, 29, from Rainham, east London, died at Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock, Essex, after he was assaulted in the food court shortly before 4.30pm on April 28.

Police believe it was a targeted attack. The victim was attacked near the centre's food court and could not be saved despite emergency medical treatment provided by an air ambulance crew.

Muhammad Khan, 22, of Ilford, east London, is the second person to be charged with murder and affray in the investigation and is due to appear at Southend Magistrates' Court on Friday, Essex Police said.

It comes after another man, Brandon Lutchmunsing, 19, of Grafton Road, Dagenham, east London, appeared before Basildon Crown Court on Friday charged with murder and affray.

The 19-year-old was not asked to enter pleas to the charges and was remanded in custody until a plea hearing on July 1.

Also before the court was 20-year-old Shannon Weston, of Paddocks Close, Canewdon, Essex, who is charged with assisting an offender.

Michael Ugwa, 29 (pictured), from Rainham, east London, died at Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock after he was assaulted in the food court shortly before 4.30pm on April 28. Brandon Lutchmunsing, 19, is charged with his murder and affray

She was also not asked to enter a plea and was remanded in custody until a plea hearing on July 1.

Khan was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder and possession of class A drugs.

A 54-year-old woman, from Croydon, south London, was also questioned on Wednesday on suspicion of assisting an offender and later released under investigation.

Both Lutchmunsing and Weston face a trial on 11 April next year with a time estimate of six weeks.

Police officer guarding a cordoned-off escalator after the fatal knife attack on April 28. The centre based in Thurrock has been popular with shoppers ever since it opened in 1990 and welcomes 20million visitors a year

Pictures from the scene showed police had closed off part of the shopping centre. including an escalator.

The centre based in Thurrock has been popular with shoppers ever since it opened in 1990 and welcomes 20million visitors a year.

Paying tribute to Michael, his mother said in a statement: 'Michael was a kind man with a large personality and an even larger heart. He was special to a great many people and so it is with great sorrow that we are writing about his untimely passing.

'We are humbled by just how many lives he touched during his short stay on this Earth.

Police believe it was a targeted attack. The victim was attacked near the centre's food court and could not be saved despite emergency medical treatment provided by an air ambulance crew (pictured)

The attack took place at Lakeside shopping centre (pictured) on the afternoon of Thursday, April 28. Also before the court on Friday was 20-year-old Shannon Weston, of Paddocks Close, Canewdon, Essex, who is charged with assisting an offender

'He was truly a gift that kept giving, a loving and supportive partner to his would-have-been wife, a great father to his three children, a caring brother, and a pillar of support to me, his mum, and wider family in general, including his aunts, uncles and all his cousins.

'He was the kindest soul of all, as well as the most dependable friend anyone could ever have been blessed with.

'Words alone can never describe what we, as a family are going through right now, and will go through for the rest of our lives.'

Defendants Brandon Lutchmunsing, 19, of Grafton Road, Dagenham, east London, and Shannon Weston, 20, of Paddocks Close, Canewdon, Essex, were not asked to enter pleas to the charges at Basildon Crown Court on Friday and were remanded in custody until a plea hearing on July 1

Detective Chief Inspector Ashley Howard, who's leading the investigation, said: 'As these charges highlight, our investigation is progressing but doesn't stop.

'We still believe this attack was directed towards the victim and that the incident poses no ongoing threat to people shopping, eating, and socialising at Lakeside.

'We continue to make inquiries and need anyone who has any information who has not identified themselves to police, to contact us.'
A mother-of-four has slammed a holiday firm after her family were left waiting for 14 hours at a Cyprus airport.

Lisa Mason and her children were due to fly back to Manchester after enjoying their first holiday since the pandemic.

On arriving at Larnaca airport, they boarded the flight an hour late, after being told by travel firm Tui that it had been delayed.

Passengers were then left waiting for three hours on board the grounded plane before being herded back into the airport and left in the departure lounge.

Ms Mason, from Wolstanton, has branded the situation a 'shambles' and says it has 'completely taken the shine off' the family's first holiday since the pandemic.

Lisa Mason (right) and her children Holly, 21, Poppy, 16, Daisy, 11, and James, nine, on their Cyprus holiday. The family said the 14 hour delay to travel home was a 'shambles'

The 47-year-old booked the break at Tui in Newcastle town centre. It was for her and children Holly, 21, Poppy, 16, Daisy, 11, and James, nine.

Problems started before the holiday, when Ms Mason's chosen return flight time was changed from 10.30pm to 1.30am the following morning.

Their outgoing flight from Manchester was then delayed by two hours due to 'baggage handling problems'.

Ms Mason said: 'We had a lovely holiday but when we got to the airport to fly home there were people all around and nobody knew what was going on.

'A Jet2 flight to Glasgow had been cancelled so some people from that were booked onto our flight. That caused an hour's delay but that was fine, we understood that.

'We boarded the plane at 1.30am to leave at 2.30am, but we were left sitting there for three hours. Everyone was asking what was going on. We were told there were technical problems.

'My daughter doesn't like flying and she was getting distressed by it all. Other people were getting really upset.

'It was boiling hot on there. People were asking for water but they said they were low on stock and didn't have any bottled water.

'All they could offer was wine, tonic water and ginger beer. They didn't have any food except crisps.

'People were getting angry and the Tui staff were getting upset too. They were saying they hadn't got enough staff.'

'We were left waiting for hours, people were lying on the floor trying to get some sleep,' Ms Mason said. Pictured, her children asleep at Larnaca airport

Ms Mason said that passengers were then told via a tannoy announcement that everyone needed to disembark and go back into the airport.

'We were then told that they we would have to stay another night and they would find us accommodation,' she said. 'They were trying to find somewhere to accommodate 200 people.

'They then said the hotels were full. People were ringing the hotels they had stayed in and were told they could go back there, but Tui said if people made their own arrangements it would void their insurance.

'Then they told us they were flying another plane from Manchester to take us home.

'We were told different things  it was just ridiculous. Everyone was absolutely fuming.

'We were left waiting for hours, people were lying on the floor trying to get some sleep.

'There was elderly people, a lady with a six-month-old baby, two people in wheelchairs.

'We were just given a lot of misleading information, nobody knew what was happening. We were basically just stuck.'

Ms Mason said the Tui pilot told passengers that they 'shouldn't have even been allowed on the plane' and 'he thought we had all been put up in hotels that night'. File image of a Tui aeroplane

Passengers were eventually allowed to board another plane and took off at 3.18pm local time  almost 14 hours after the flight was scheduled to leave.

Ms Mason said that the pilot told them the flight had been delayed because there were not enough staff to crew it.

'The pilot told us the crew that had been on the previous night had worked too long and needed 12 hours rest between flights,' said Ms Mason.

'He said we shouldn't have even been allowed on the plane and he thought we had all been put up in hotels that night.

'It was an absolute shambles. We were supposed to go to Turkey two years ago but it was cancelled due to Covid and this was our first family holiday for a long time.

'It's completely and utterly taken the shine off the holiday.'

Tui has apologised to the affected holidaymakers.

The firm said passengers were given vouchers to buy food and drink at the airport and its customer teams would be in touch with them regarding compensation.

A spokesman said: 'We would like to apologise for the inconvenience to our customers on flight TOM2367 from Larnaca to Manchester, which was delayed due to operational issues.

'The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority, and we would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding at this time.'
A multi-millionaire couple who claim they were 'bankrupted' by a fake Arabian royal dubbed 'The Vamp in the Veil' have lost their six-year fight to get her jailed.

Amanda Clutterbuck, 64, and Ian Paton, 53, claimed Sara Al-Amoudi passed herself off as the daughter of a Saudi billionaire and an Arabian 'princess' while conning them out of a 14million property portfolio of six flats in Londons West End.

The pair launched a high-profile court case against Ms Al-Amoudi in 2014, during which she became known as 'The Vamp in the Veil' and 'Princess Moody' after arriving at court in a Rolls Royce Phantom with HRH number plates.

She would sweep into the building flanked by minders and clad in a burka paired with five-inch platform heels.

The couple argued that far from being a Saudi Royal, she was in truth a former cocaine-using prostitute from Ethiopia who tricked Ms Clutterbuck and Mr Paton into transferring six luxury flats into her name.

Ms Al-Amoudi, by contrast, claimed Mr Paton had been her secret lover and that he transferred the properties to her to repay millions she had lent him out of suitcases brimming over with cash.

Ms Al-Amoudi denied ever having been a prostitute, which was accepted by High Court judge Mrs Justice Asplin when she dismissed the couple's case against her in February 2014.

And the couple have now lost again in a High Court bid to force the police to reopen the case against her.

Sara Al Amoudi (pictured left) won the right to keep a 14million property empire  despite claims she is really a prostitute who invented her royal identity, claims denied by Ms Al Amoudi, which denial was accepted by the judge

The pair launched a high-profile court case against Ms Al-Amoudi in 2014, during which she became known as 'The Vamp in the Veil' because she came to court in a burka flanked by security

Amanda Clutterbuck, 64, and Ian Paton, 53, claimed Sara Al-Amoudi passed herself off as the daughter of a Saudi billionaire and an Arabian 'princess' while conning them out of a 14million property portfolio of six flats in Londons West End

Ian Paton and Amanda Clutterbuck insist she told them she was a Saudi princess with limitless wealth, and that she was keen to join a property venture they planned in the hope of making profits of 100million.

After she claimed she had millions ready to invest, they temporarily transferred ownership of six flats worth 14million in Knightsbridge and Mayfair into her name. They say it was an attempt to speed up the deal. However, she then refused to give them back.

Al Amoudi, nicknamed the Vamp in the Veil and Princess Moody, says the flats are rightfully hers.

She denies posing as a princess  yet was driven to court in a Rolls Royce with HRH plates, and entered the building in a veil surrounded by bodyguards.

Ms Al-Amoudi denied ever having been a prostitute, which was accepted by High Court judge Mrs Justice Asplin when she dismissed the couple's case against her in February 2014.

And the judge backed her claim that the real estate was transferred into her name to pay off cash loans she made to Mr Paton while they were having a 'clandestine relationship'.

Mrs Justice Asplin's ruling wrecked the couple's dreams of winning back their fortune, but for the past six years they have been campaigning to get Ms Al-Amoudi prosecuted and jailed for what they claimed were multiple acts of fraud and identity theft.

But they have now lost again in a High Court bid to force the police to reopen the case against her.

Despite the couple's claims, at the end of the 2014 trial Mrs Justice Asplin found that Ms Al-Amoudi was 'a woman of some wealth,' with documents showing she had an offshore bank account holding 2m in cash.

She accepted Ms Al-Amoudi's assertion that she had never referred to herself as a princess, but said she had claimed that at one point she had been married to 'a member of the Saudi royal family'.

Ms Clutterbuck and Mr Paton never accepted the ruling of the court, maintaining that they had been conned out of all their wealth, and in 2016 began a campaign to get Ms Al-Amoudi prosecuted and jailed.

They ended up thwarted and angry however when in September last year the Met Police told them Ms Al-Amoudi would not be facing trial and that the criminal investigation was being closed for good.

Ms Al-Amoudi arrived at court in a Rolls Royce Phantom with HRH number plates

The Met had previously indicated its decision not to prosecute and that decision was confirmed after Ms Clutterbuck and Mr Paton exercised their formal 'victim right to review'.

But the case returned to the High Court as the couple, along with Mr Paton's brother, George, brought a last-ditch bid to have the police decision overturned by a judge through a judicial review.

George Paton, representing the couple as well as himself, told Judge Richard Hermer QC that Ms Clutterbuck and Mr Paton had been financially ruined and that their relatives have lost millions too.

'They have lost their homes, they have been bankrupted. Their wider families have lost millions of pounds,' he said.

'The suspect (Ms Al-Amoudi) has stolen tens of millions of pounds of property and money. The loss of the victims is extraordinary,' he claimed.

There was a stack of compelling evidence against Ms Al-Amoudi on which to base a prosecution, claimed Mr Paton, branding the police decision to close the investigation 'irrational.'

One of the allegations against Ms Al-Amoudi was that she used a fake Saudi Arabian birth certificate to establish her credentials with the HSBC bank in 2008.

Mr Paton told the judge there was 'admissible, cogent DNA evidence' from a witness, which he insisted would prove Ms Al-Amoudi is not Saudi Arabian by birth.

He also claimed Ms Al-Amoudi had given false evidence before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and in court, adding: 'she has 'laundered' her false identity with impunity through all of these courts.'

He also told the judge that police had concluded Ms Al-Amoudi was 'unfit to be interviewed' but said the Met 'never took any steps independently to verify the suspect's state of health or mental capacity'.

Mr Paton said the court was dealing with a 'truly extraordinary case' which involved 'multiple crimes that meet the definition of 'serious crime'.'

However lawyers for the Met said detectives who analysed the evidence had pointed out many legal and evidential obstacles any prosecution would face going to trial.

They highlighted the key fact that Ms Al-Amoudi had been exonerated in the fraud case brought by the couple at the High Court, where the standard of proof was far lower than in a criminal court.

Detectives handling the case had also pointed out that they had received no proper cooperation from the Saudi Arabian government when trying to pin down Ms Al-Amoudi's true identity.

The police said there was insufficient evidence to prove Ms Amoudi was guilty of identity fraud.

But Mr Paton said this ignored strong material, particularly evidence contained in a report from a specialist Saudi Arabian law firm.

The Met also said the CID lacked the resources to tackle the investigation in the circumstances, given its 'scale and scope'.

After two hours in court, Judge Hermer rejected the bid to challenge the police decision, describing the couple's case as 'unarguable'.

He accepted the heavy toll the case has taken on Ms Clutterbuck and Mr Paton, saying: 'the events have clearly had a profound impact on them; by events I mean not only the criminal behaviour they contend they have suffered from, but also their evident frustration at the failure to prosecute that individual'.

But any court would be reluctant to interfere with a police decision which had been taken after detailed analysis, he explained.

The Met had also given clear reasons for refusing to keep the criminal probe afloat, said the judge.

'There was no freestanding obligation to set out a very detailed explanation in respect of each piece of evidence,' he added.

'The obligation is to provide information that enables a person to understand the basis of the decision in clear terms.'

And the final decision rejecting the right of review was not 'perverse' as claimed.

'That was a decision that was open to them and not irrational or unlawful,' the judge concluded.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, May 5. AP-Yonhap





The U.S. says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship, an incident that was a high-profile failure for Russia's military.







An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet using its own anti-ship missiles. But given Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. had provided ''a range of intelligence'' that included locations of those ships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.







The Biden administration has ramped up intelligence sharing with Ukraine alongside the shipment of arms and missiles to help it repel Russia's invasion. The disclosure of U.S. support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraine's resistance and as polls suggest Americans question whether President Joe Biden is being tough enough on Russia.







Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February, the White House has tried to balance supporting Ukraine, a democratic ally, against not doing anything that would seem to provoke a direct war between Putin and the U.S. and NATO allies. As the war has gone on, the White House has ramped up its military and intelligence support, removing some time and geographic limits on what it will tell Ukraine about potential Russian targets.






Advertisement

New photos have emerged of the on-the-run killer Casey White and his many tattoos that include a back inking of a Confederate flag.

White is still on the run with corrections officer Vicky White, who helped him escape from an Alabama jail last Friday while on their way to court. The pair have been in a secret romantic relationship for two years.

Now, a week into the manhunt for them, the US Marshals Service has released new photos to help with the search.

They reveal Casey's many tattoos, including the Confederate flag on his back, Nazi symbols and one tattoo which indicates his allegiance to the Southern Brotherhood - a jail gang flagged by the ADL as a hate group.

Other photos show what Vicky would look like if she dyed her hair from blonde to brown.

It has also been revealed that the pair tried to escape from the jail three days before they did. It's unclear if it was a test-run or if they were attempting to break Casey free.

There are growing fears for Vicky's safety. Casey was in custody for allegedly murdering his Connie Ridgeway, who was stabbed to death in 2015. He is said to have confessed to that murder in a letter.

The FBI has offered security to women they fear Casey may want to harm. They include his ex-girlfriend and the woman's sister.

Scroll down for video

Casey White, the convicted killer who remains on-the-run with a corrections officer after breaking out of an Alabama jail last week, is shown in new photos

Casey White's Confederate tattoo with 'Southern Pride' inscribed around the edges

The photos also show what Vicky would look like if she dyed her hair from blonde to brown

Another image shows the height difference between the pair. They have been on the run since last week

In light of his escape with Vicky, authorities are also re-opening an investigation into the mysterious death of his ex-girlfriend, Christy Shelton, in 2008.

Casey, 38, was there when Shelton was shot in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her family never believed the story, WAFF reports.

It's just a matter of time... we'll get them

Casey has a history of violence with partners, having shot at his ex-girlfriend during a crime spree in which he killed a dog and held her roommates at gunpoint.

The 2015 incident culminated in the 6ft 9in 'monster' being sentenced to 75 years in prison on charges including attempted murder.

The search for Casey and guard Vicky White, 56, is intensifying as Lauderdale County deputies joined forces with the US Marshals, the Secret Service and other agencies to locate the fugitive pair.

The two developed a secret 'special relationship' during phone calls while Casey was being held in a different jail.

'We're having to do a nationwide search. And we've got boots on the ground across the country, following up on tips and leads for us through the U.S. Marshal's fugitive task force,' Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told Al.com.

'So it's just a matter of time. We'll get them. Obviously, the sooner the better.'

Alabama deputies are reopening an investigation into the mysterious death of Christy Shelton, the ex girlfriend of fugitive inmate and confessed killer Casey White

Shelton was shot in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Casey was there when she died, authorities say, but her death was ruled a suicide

Corrections officer Vicky White (left) and confessed murderer Casey White (right) shared an intimate relationship dating back to 2020 that authorities were unaware of, investigation revealed. The pair are not related

Authorities have warned that the pair are 'armed and dangerous' and that Casey White is a 'bad guy' - having confessed to killing a 59-year-old woman back in 2015 while serving a 75-year sentence for other crimes.

Deputies in Limestone County will open an investigation into the death of his ex-girlfriend Christy Shelton.

On Thursday, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said the search for the pair continues across the country, but he revealed that local and national authorities have no idea where the two could be.

'We don't really have a clue where they're at,' he told Al.com.

He continued: 'I don't know what their game plan was. It's obvious this was very well planned out. It could be they're just holed up somewhere waiting for things to die down.'

The sheriff added that his department has brought in counselors for their colleagues, some of whom are still in shock that the stellar employee of 17 years could have run away with a confessed killer the day she was set to retire.

On Thursday, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton - Vicky's boss - says the search for the pair is intensifying but they still have no 'clue where they're at'

'I think some of them had gotten gifts for her and different things because they all respected her but some of them almost looked at her as a mother figure,' Singleton said.

'They're just devastated.'

Corrections officer Vicky White kept her 'special relationship' with Casey White alive while he served a 75-year sentence in state prison for a crime spree that involved him shooting at his ex-girlfriend, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton.

Casey was moved from state prison to the county jail where Vicky works in February to face trial on separate capital murder charges.

Vicky then sold her house and planned to retire on Friday before taking off with him instead. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

Video of her leading the 6ft9in inmate out of jail shows she was 'prepared' to help him escape, says Human Behavior Academy president Susan Constantine.

'It was really obvious to me what was going on here was planned out, methodical, and she had played it out in her mind, even to where how she parked the car,' she told Fox News. 'She was prepared.'

Her 'waddling gait' as she stepped out of her car and walked in to retrieve Casey shows she was 'rough around the edges' and somewhat masculine, Constantine said.

Authorities are on day eight of a US Marshal-led manhunt for the fugitive pair. They could be armed with an AR-15 and a shotgun and may have used a copper 2007 Ford Edge to get away.

Vicky is pictured 'waddling' into the jail and opening an interior door on Friday. Casey is believed to have been in the hallway at the time

Surveillance video previously released showed Vicky helping Casey escape from the Lauderdale County Jail, where he had been incarcerated. The pair then fled together

The latest footage shows them driving through the intersection of Huntsville Road and Cox Creek Parkway at 9.49am on Friday

Surveillance video shows the moment Vicky White, 56, snuck 'monster' Casey White, 38, out of jail.

She parks her cruiser by the door and takes her time exiting the vehicle, leaning back into the seat to grab something. She 'waddles' into the facility and leads Casey out, holding the door for him as he's shackled.

'She doesn't seem to have a care in the world,' said Constantine, the body language expert. 'Her stride movements are just at ease. There's not a sense of franticness or rapid movement.'

Dave Katz, a former DEA special agent who helped hunt down mobster Constabile 'Gus' Farace, says the pair could be anywhere.

'If she's smart, you're going to have a hard time catching her,' he told Fox News, adding that he would start the search by looking at where she had been shopping, what she had been buying, and who Casey had been talking to right before they left.

'She might not have used cash  she would have bought them in advance,' he said. 'If he's a backwoodsman, if he can sustain them hunting and fishing, I wouldn't discount that the people in the area, who live there, who may even know him, they'll tell you where [he would fish or hunt].'

Vicky may still be in danger, he warns.

'He's a bad guy. I wouldn't be surprised if she's at risk, given his predilection for violence,' he said.

Vicky and Casey White, who are not related, shared a 'special relationship.'

It dated back to 2020, when the prisoner was first brought to Lauderdale County for his arraignment on murder charges that he confessed to while already in state prison for 75 years.

Although Casey was in custody at a state prison ahead of his arraignment and was transferred back to the facility immediately after, the pair stayed close, Sheriff Rick Singleton confirmed to DailyMail.com Wednesday.

Singleton previously said she visited him in person at the prison, but he corrected himself on Thursday, saying the unlikely couple communicated only by phone, WAAY reports.

The details of their secret relationship emerged just hours after officials released new video of the couple's escape. The footage shows the squad car they were traveling in pass a gas station as Vicky drove Casey to a mental health evaluation appointment, which did not exist.

The pair abandoned the vehicle about a half-mile from the gas station.

New video released Wednesday shows Vicky and Casey driving to the Florence Square shopping center on Friday where they abandoned the sheriff's car used during the escape

Surveillance video taken at the Lauderdale County Jail showed the moment Vicky snuck 6ft 9in 'monster' Casey out of the facility before they went on the run with an AR-15 and a shotgun.

Casey was serving a 75-year sentence for attempted murder, burglary, robbery, kidnapping and animal cruelty. He also faced murder charges after confessing to the fatal stabbing of Connie Ridgeway, 59.

The apparent lovers made a break for it on Friday after Vicky told superiors she was going to take Casey for a mental health evaluation on her last day before retirement.

The 56-year-old widow held the door for the 38-year-old thug - who was still wearing handcuffs - before they got into a black car and sped off at 9.30am on Friday.

New video released Wednesday shows Vicky and Casey driving to the Florence Square shopping center where they abandoned the sheriff's car used during the escape.

The latest footage shows them driving through the intersection of Huntsville Road and Cox Creek Parkway at 9.49am on Friday, WAAY reported. The intersection is about a half-mile from the shopping center.

The cruiser was found abandoned in the center parking lot several hours after the escape.

The jailer and confessed killer shared an intimate relationship dating back to 2020.

Inmates allege Vicky ensured Casey 'was getting extra food on his trays' and 'was getting privileges no one else got,' a claim that Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN has been confirmed by an independent investigation.

'As far as we know that was the earliest physical contact they had,' Singleton said of the arraignment. He claims Casey and Vicky continued to communicate after the accused murderer was transferred back to the prison.

Investigators are analyzing surveillance footage recorded at the Lauderdale County Jail, where the escape occurred, to learn more about their relationship.

Meanwhile, the confessed murderer's mom, Connie White, has defended her son, claiming he is innocent and 'not a monster.'

'I just have no idea why they've painted him as a monster,' Connie White told The New York Post in a phone interview Tuesday. 'The only reason he came out to Lauderdale County was to get out of the prison he was in.

'He wrote a letter to say that he murdered that woman. But he didn't really murder her, he just done that to get back up here. He just wanted to be out of that prison because it was so bad and there was no food.'

Connie denied having any knowledge of her son's alleged relationship with Vicky. 'He never mentioned Vicky White,' she said. 'He said he had a pen pal but I had no idea who it was.'

She also claimed that when she spoke to her son the day before his vanishing act, his behavior was seemingly normal.

'Everything was perfectly fine,' Connie said.

The US Marshals Service said they suspected the pair are armed with an AR-15 and a shotgun and may have used a copper 2007 Ford Edge during their escape.

But cops and federal agents have launched a huge manhunt and drip-fed more information about the duo - including that the jailer had two aliases herself.

Casey exits the hallway and follows Vicky outside the facility

The manhunt comes as Casey's ex-girlfriend begged Vicky to flee the killer, warning her she was not safe with him

Sheriff Singleton, who described Vicky as 'an exemplary employee,' issued a plea to the former jail guard, asking her to turn herself in.

'Vicky you've been in this business for 17 years, you've seen this scenario play out more than once and you know how it always ends,' Singleton told Good Morning America Wednesday.

'Now go ahead and end it now, get to a phone and call 911, turn yourself in and help us get Casey White back behind bars because you know that's where he's going to eventually end up.'

The sheriff said that as of Wednesday morning, investigators 'don't have any idea where they might be.'

'We were making some good progress on that. We may be hindered now that some of that information has gotten out,' Singleton explained. 'But, you know, we're still working around the clock to locate them and try to get them back in custody.'

I think all of our employees ... were really hoping she did not participate in this willingly but all indications are that she absolutely did.



Lauderdale County Sheriff details manhunt for corrections officer Vicki White and escaped inmate Casey White. https://t.co/NMPqT8qwyi pic.twitter.com/j0i50sd0bn  Good Morning America (@GMA) May 4, 2022

The sheriff also noted, despite hopes of her colleagues and superiors at the Lauderdale County Jail, all signs suggest Vicky willingly participated in the escape.

'The pieces of the puzzle just came together,' he said.'I think all of our employees and myself included were really hoping that she did not participate in this willingly. But all indications are that she absolutely did.

'We're very disappointed in that because we had the utmost trust in her as an employee and as an assistant director of corrections.'

He noted that she violated policy by escorting the inmate alone, saying: 'This particular guy and someone like that, no, that should have never happened, even if we had to delay getting him to court.'

Vicky is a 17-year veteran of the sheriff's office. Singleton said she had been discussing retirement for several months and submitted necessary documentation to do so last Thursday.

Friday, the day of Casey's escape, was set to be her last day on the job. The sheriff previously said she 'talked about going to the beach' after retirement.

She had also been living with her mother after selling her Lexington home on April 18. Public records reviewed by WAAY revealed Vicky sold the property for $95,550, which was below market value.

Singleton believes the wanted former jailer may be 'flush with cash' from the sale. However, he noted her retirement money remains locked up as she was expected to meet with officials this week to discuss those funds.

It comes as the US Marshals Service said the pair may have made off in 2007 Ford Edge that is copper in color

Officials also said that the pair may have made off in 2007 Ford Edge that is copper in color

In 2020, Casey's request to be transferred out of prison and into the county jail was denied after authorities found a makeshift knife stashed in the shower that they believed he intended to use to force someone to let him out

The manhunt comes as the maniac's ex-girlfriend begged Vicky to flee the killer as they spent a fifth day on the run.

The woman, who has not been named but was shot by Casey in 2015, warned her she was 'disposable' to the escaped inmate.

'Casey White is very dangerous to everybody that is around him,' Casey's ex told WAAY-TV on Tuesday. 'I feel like he has manipulated her and she's disposable to him.

'If [Vicky] is still alive, she needs to get the hell out. Run,' she added.

'Run as far away as you can and turn yourself in and contact somebody. Do the right thing before you lose your life or before somebody else does.'

The unidentified woman is reportedly at an out-of-state hideout and fearful for her life. She said: '[Local police] promised to step up patrols, but we are freaking out.

'We don't know if he is going to show up and take us out like he tried to do before. I thought I would never have to worry about him ever again.'

However, despite warnings from the authorities and the criminal's alleged prior victims, Connie White maintains her son his not dangerous.

'I don't think so. He's not a monster, I'll put it that way,' she told the Post. 'He is not the monster they are making him out to be, at all.'

Authorities have offered a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to Casey's capture.

Vicky and Casey were seeing each other while he languished in Lauderdale County jail, inmates told cops

Timeline of Vicky White and Casey White's disappearance Friday at 8.47am: Transport Van 5 leaves the Lauderdale County jail with seven inmates escorted by two deputies 8.56am: Transport Van 2 leaves the jail with five inmates also escorted by two deputies 9.20am: Assistant Director Vicky White tells a deputy to prepare inmate Casey White for transport to courthouse. Deputy removes White from his cell, takes him to booking and handcuffs him and shackles his legs. 9.41am: Vicky leaves detention center with Casey and head to the courthouse for a 'mental health evaluation.' She told the booking officer that she is the only deputy available who is firearm-certified and that she's dropping him off to other deputies at the courthouse. Vicky says she's then going to Med Plus for a personal appointment. 9.49am: Surveillance video shows Vicky's police cruiser parked at the nearby Florence Square shopping center parking lot eight minutes after leaving the jail. 'There was not enough time for them to even attempt to try to come to the courthouse,' Sheriff Rick Singleton said. 11.34am: A Florence Police Department officer spots her cruiser. 3.30pm: Booking officer reports to administration that they've been trying to contact Vicky to check on her, and that her phone is going directly to voice mail. The officer also says that Casey was not returned to the detention center with other inmates. Source: WAAY-TV, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office Advertisement

Vicky's mother-in-law - whose son passed away earlier this year - believes the guard 'may have been brainwashed' by the criminal.

Frances White told DailyMail.com that Vicky is a 'sweet' person who wouldn't have helped a confessed killer escape.

But her opinion has changed as the days go by and more information about Vicky's relationship with inmate Casey White comes to light.

Vicky was previously married to Frances' son Tommy, who died in January of complications from Parkinson's Disease.

'I'm just proud he wasn't still alive, cause he still thought she was a good person,' Frances told the Daily Beast.

'I can't imagine her running off with that guy, but you never know. He walked into a woman's house and stabbed her.'

Frances says her two surviving sons are also in shock: 'They can't believe it either. My oldest son, no way could he picture her leaving with him It looks like she helped him escape.'

She added: 'Maybe he's got her brainwashed. But I don't know how he'd have had a chance to get her brainwashed, because he was in prison.'

In 2020, Casey's request to be transferred out of prison and into the county jail was denied after authorities found a makeshift knife stashed in the shower that they believed he intended to use to force someone to let him out.

But he was moved to the jail anyway in order to face capital murder charges for the death of Ridgeway.

On Friday, Vicky White told a booking officer she was escorting Casey to the county courthouse for a mental health evaluation. The move was against protocol for Casey, who was always meant to have at least two guards with him. No such evaluation was scheduled that day.

'Being the boss and over the transport, she just informed the booking officer that she was going to carry him to the courthouse and drop him off, which was a flagrant violation of policy,' Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN.

'But I'm sure because it was her boss, the booking officer didn't question it.'

She also said she was going to a medical appointment for herself, which was confirmed by the doctors' office, but for which she never showed.

US Marshals are offering rewards up to $5,000 for information leading to Vicky White and $10,000 for information leading to Casey White

A statement, which was quickly deleted online, said the vehicle had a bit of damage to the left rear bumper

Singleton said Casey was 'handcuffed and shackled' in the back of Vicky's patrol car when they both left the county jail that morning.

From there, they went straight to the parking lot of a nearby shopping center.

Surveillance footage shows Vicky's police cruiser parked at the Florence Square shopping center eight minutes after leaving the jail.

'There was not enough time for them to even attempt to try to come to the courthouse,' Singleton said.

The car was spotted in the parking lot an hour-and-a-half later.

'Casey White is an extremely dangerous person. We need to get him located and get him off the street,' the sheriff warned.

Vicky is facing charges of 'permitting or facilitating an escape in the first degree,' a felony that carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.

Her mother, Pat Davis, doesn't believe her daughter would willingly help an inmate she never even talked about.

However, preliminary investigation has suggested otherwise.

Casey White, above in February 2019, was arrested in 2015 for a crime spree in which he shot at his ex-girlfriend. He previously told police he'd kill her if he got out

Connie Ridgeway, 59, was killed in her home at Meadowland Apartments in Rogersville, Alabama in 2015. Casey White said he was paid to kill her

Casey White has been described as a 'dangerous monster' who promised to kill his ex-girlfriend if he ever got out.

In December 2015, he broke into a home in Athens and ordered two men to get down on the ground at gunpoint, according to court documents.

He fired multiple shots and left bullet holes in the wall during the rampage but his ex-girlfriend managed to escape.

Two young children were found hiding in the basement, while a dog was found shot dead in a hallway, Fox News reports.

'He stated that he wanted to kill her and have the police kill him,' according to a police report.

'His only regret was that neither was successful. He stated that if he was released he would kill the victim.'

He was eventually convicted on nine counts including attempted murder, kidnapping and animal cruelty and was sentenced to 75 years in prison.

Casey's arrest at the age of 32 finally came after he engaged in a crime spree that played out in two counties in Tennessee and Alabama in December 2015.

In one night, he staged a home invasion and carjacked two vehicles at gunpoint, shooting one person in the arm, WHNT reports. The crimes were followed by a chase where speeds reached more than 100 miles per hour.

Vicky's mother says that her daughter, who was named 'employee of the year' four times and was living with her after selling her house five weeks ago, never mentioned an inmate

Police are pictured in December 2015 taking Casey into custody after a wild rampage across Tennessee and Alabama that ended in a 100mph car chase, and his stolen car stuck in a field

It ended with a stolen car stuck in a field south of Huntsville, and officers - who were evidently well known to him - pleading with him to put down his gun and give himself up.

He was charged with attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, breaking and entering a vehicle, animal cruelty for shooting a dog and attempting to elude.

While serving time in June 2020, he confessed to killing 59-year-old Connie Ridgeway in a murder-for-hire plot two months before the crime spree.

Ridgeway was killed in her home at Meadowland Apartments in Rogersville, Alabama in 2015, according to WAFF. He said he was paid to kill her, although no motive for hiring a hitman has ever been disclosed.

He pleaded not guilty on grounds of insanity and was temporarily moved from prison to the Lauderdale County jail to face trial. That's when he escaped with the help of Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White.

Casey's half-brother, Steven Patrick White, 47, of Town Creek, has been missing since 2017. Casey was in state prison at the time of Steven's disappearance

The inmate's whereabouts aren't the only mystery plaguing Casey's family.

Sheriff Max Sanders, of nearby Lawrence County, said the Lauderdale County escapee's half-brother has been missing since 2017.

Steven Patrick White, 47, of Town Creek, was last seen at his home in October 2017.

His wife reported him missing the next day, prompting a canine search of the family property. However, the search was unsuccessful.

The Lawrence County Rescue Squad then conducted a dive team search for the missing man in November 2017 which also yielded no results.

'We occasionally get a call from the public about the fellow's whereabouts. We follow it up but so far nothing has panned out,' Sanders told AL.com on Tuesday.

Sanders noted that Casey was in state prison at the time of Steven's disappearance. There is a $2,000 reward for information pertaining to the Town Creek man's whereabouts.
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner has accused German police of altering a photograph of him to give him 'rabbit like teeth' and resemble a sex attack suspect.

Brueckner, 45, is currently serving seven years for the rape of a 72-year-old woman but he has also been named as the man responsible for the kidnap and 'murder' of Madeleine.

German police also suspect him of a string of sex attacks in Portugal from where the British toddler disappeared in May 2007 and among them is an attack on a 10-year-old German girl on a beach just a month before. The victim in that attack, in April 2007, said that the attacker had 'prominent, rabbit-like teeth'.

But in a letter obtained by MailOnline Brueckner  who has been given access to the files  accuses investigators of manipulating an image to give him more prominent teeth.

Madeleine McCann (right) suspect Christian Brueckner (left) has accused German police of altering a photograph of him to give him 'rabbit like teeth' and resemble a sex attack suspect

He wrote: 'I discovered three proofs (sic) which are manipulated by the BKA (German police). I know this sounds unbelievable for you. The way they manipulated the proof in such an unprofessional work (sic) that I was laughing.

It's time I tell you that I have still not lost my sense of humour, even in this critical situation. This is what keeps me alive.

'Now you want to know what they manipulated ? I will tell you two things. The BKA knew that the victim told the police in Portugal that the culprit had teeth 'like a rabbit'.

'Or perhaps they knew that he had something wrong with his teeth. So they took a photo of me and changed my look by making my teeth terrible ugly.

'Even the victim said by seeing it that she can't remember that they were so terrible, that's funny isn't it ?

'But not enough, the BKA took a file of a dentist I have been to in 1999, OK it's a prison file. They just wrote by hand into this very old file that I have a special kind of bone where the teeth are in (sic).

'They say the bone on top is much further in front than the one underneath. That's definitely not me, it's a fake. This makes it quite easy for me to show the opposite.

But in a letter obtained by MailOnline Brueckner  who has been given access to the files  accuses investigators of manipulating an image to give him more prominent teeth

'I hope that this case end up in court but I don't think so. I was talking to my lawyer on the phone about that and for some reason I know that the phoneline gets controlled by the BKA which is forbidden.

'That means they know from my discoverings (sic) and also that they will lose face in front of the court and of many other witnesses.

'I'm curious about the other cases but until now my lawyer has noy not got them. That means anyone can say anything about me but I can't say a word for my defence.'

The girl, who MailOnline knows the identify of but can't reveal, is now living in Germany and has a successful career but at the time of the attack was on holiday with her mother and brother.

In their statement they describe how a man grabbed the girl and pulled her to one side on the beach before committing a sex act on himself.

The girl's mother saw what was going on and rushed towards her daughter and the attacker  who was naked apart from a backpack and towel over his arm  fled.

Prosecutors in Germany hope to charge Brueckner with the attack later this month, as well as at least three other rape attacks and an indecent exposure in Portugal between 2004 and 2012.
If everyone were as brave as the UK and Ukraine then Russia's war would already be over, President Zelensky declared last night.

Zelensky praised Britain and Boris Johnson specifically for helping to 'defend European freedom' as he live-streamed his nightly address to both the Ukrainian people and a charity dinner in London.

'If everyone in the world... were steadfast and courageous leaders like Ukraine, like Britain, I am sure we would have already ended this war and restored peace throughout our liberated territory, for all our people,' he said.

It comes after Boris Johnson twice visited Kyiv - including once since the Russian invasion - to pledge support for Zelensky's government, and made an historic video address to the country's parliament earlier this week.

The British Prime Minister also addressed Kyiv's parliament on Tuesday, during which he announced a new 300million package of military support to the country - to a succession of standing ovations.

In an address on Thursday evening, Zelensky praised Britain and Boris Johnson specifically for helping to 'defend European freedom'. Pictured: Mr Johnson visits Kyiv and Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky on April 9

'Unbreakable people of the bravest country!' the president said speaking through a translator to Britain's Chatham House think tank, before going on to describe the dire situation in his country under Russian invasion.

'Russian troops today, as every day during this war, have continued to bomb our cities and our people,' Zelensky said.

'For example, my traditional morning meeting with the military was the leadership of the army, with government officials and diplomats was accompanied by the sound of an air raid sirens. This is our reality.

'Missile strikes every day. The day before yesterday, on the day when you, Boris, addressed parliament, addressed our parliament, the Russian army launched 15 missile strikes at Ukraine.

The embattled leader said that the Russian strikes during Mr Johnson's speech were a sign that Russia's President Vladimir Putin was not happy with the relationship between Ukraine and the UK.

'This can be called a certain "Russian compliment" to your brilliant speech and our fruitful interstate cooperation,' Zelensky said.

'Because yesterday there were only 7 such strikes. Obviously, Russia is annoyed by our proximity, Ukraine and Britain. So this means that we are really strong in defending freedom in Europe.'

He said since the start of the war, more than 2,000 Russian missile have been launched at Ukraine, and that there have been more than 2,600 reports of Russian fighter jets sighted in the country's skies.

'Each of these "arrivals" is the death of our people, the destruction of our infrastructure,' he said, before describing how the Russian occupation in the east of the country has meant that medical supplies have not been able to reach people.

Cancer patients have not been able to receive treatment, people have not been able to undergo surgeries and diabetics cannot get insulin, he said.

'These are the consequences of the Russian occupation for a part of our land, for a part of our people, which we must liberate from the invaders,' he said.

'And we will definitely do it. In particular, due to your support.'

Pictured: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) react during British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech to Ukrainian lawmakers via video in parliament in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 3

President Zelensky addressed a charity dinner set up by Britain's Chatham House think tank on Thursday night, and described the dire situation in his country under Russian invasion

Zelensky went on to say that 500 civilians had been evacuated from the besieged port city of Mariupol, that has been all but razed by Vladimir Putin's forces.

'There are many wounded (fighters), but they are not surrendering,' he said of the fighters who are putting up a last stand in the city's steel plant.

'They are holding their positions.'

'Just imagine this hell! And there are children there,' he added. 'More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.'

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks and they have repeatedly refused to surrender.

Ukraine said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there and as the battle has ramped up in recent days, fears for their safety have only grown.

There is growing speculation that Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day on May 9, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

Zelensky called on the rest of the world to send more help to Ukraine, to aid its people and to help its forces defeat the Russian invaders.

'Ukraine needs up to $7billion a month to cover the state budget deficit,' he said.

'In total, it has been calculated that already more than $600billion is needed to rebuild what the Russian army destroyed. Just imagine this scale. That is why every manifestation of support, every sincere help to Ukraine is important.'

Smoke rises above a plant of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 5, 2022

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Johnson told Ukrainian politicians the UK is 'proud to be among Ukraine's friends' after reopening the British embassy in Kyiv last week.

In his address to the parliament  known as the Verkhovna Rada  the PM echoed the words of Churchill to the British people during the Second World War.

Mr Johnson said: 'You have exploded the myth of Putin's invincibility and you have written one of the most glorious chapters in military history and in the life of your country.

'The so-called irresistible force of Putin's war machine has broken on the immovable object of Ukrainian patriotism and love of country.

'This is Ukraine's finest hour, that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come.'

He added: 'Your children and grandchildren will say that Ukrainians taught the world that the brute force of an aggressor counts for nothing against the moral force of a people determined to be free.

'They will say that Ukrainians proved by their tenacity and sacrifice that tanks and guns cannot suppress a nation fighting for its independence, and that is why I believe that Ukraine will win.'

Service members of pro-Russian troops drive armoured vehicles during Ukraine-Russia conflict near Novoazovsk in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine May 6, 2022

While Russian troops pounded away at the steel plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swathes of cities.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said on Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas and destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles, further frustrating Mr Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv.

Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

Ukrainian chief of defence, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, meanwhile, said on Thursday that a counteroffensive could begin to push Russian forces away from Kharkiv and Izyum - two cities key to the Russian campaign in the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops for eight years.

Already, Ukrainian fighters have driven Russian troops some 25 miles east of Kharkiv in recent days.

The goal could be to push the Russians out of artillery range of the city, which has been pummelled by strikes, as well as forcing Moscow to divert troops from other areas of the front line, according to an assessment from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War on Thursday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only 'plodding' progress in the Donbas, while the institute said their operations there were 'ineffectual' and had not secured any significant territorial gains in the preceding 24 hours.

In fact, the extended stand-off at the plant in Mariupol was helping to hinder Russia's plans for the Donbas, the British Ministry of Defence said in an assessment on Friday.

The fighting at the plant 'has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia', it said.

'Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas.'

The Ukrainians say Russian troops have stormed the steelworks and are also striking it from the air, but the wife of one commander at the plant said they had vowed to 'stand till the end'.

'They won't surrender,' Kateryna Prokopenko said on Thursday after speaking by phone to her husband, Denys Prokopenko.
Advertisement

Barry Morphew insisted that he still loves his missing wife Suzanne and demanded that the authorities find her in his first TV interview since murder charges against him were dropped.

The Colorado father appeared on Good Morning America with his two adult daughters on Friday. He said: 'I just love my girls and I love my wife and I want her to be found.'

His daughter Mallory was more vocal.

'We've been silent for a long time. We've decided we finally want to break the silence. It's been an emotional rollercoaster but we feel like we can take our first steps in healing.

Scroll down for video

Barry Morphew with his daughters Mallory (right) and Macy (left) in an interview with Good Morning America on Friday

'I'm innocent': Barry has always maintained that he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance

'We just know our dad better than anyone else. We know he was not involved in our mother's disappearance.

'We want to heal. We feel like we haven't been able to heal these past two years,' Macy said.

Suzanne Morphew vanished on Mother's Day 2020

Suzanne Morphew vanished on Mother's Day 2020 after going out for a bike ride. Her body has never been found, but authorities believe it may be buried in a hillside in Colorado, submerged by snow.

Barry was charged with her murder. As the case against him progressed, authorities revealed intimate details about their life.

Suzanne had been having an affair with someone she met in high school, while Barry was signed up to online affair websites.

Police said the pair had a tumultuous marriage, with the suggestion being that he might have killed her out of jealousy or to stop her from filing for a divorce.

But last month, the charges were suddenly dropped without prejudice by Assistant District Attorney Linda Stanley in the wake of police discovering what they thought could be Suzanne's body.

Stanley's office said they couldn't go ahead with the trial against Barry until they had excavated the site and performed DNA testing.

It does not mean Barry won't be charged again.

On Friday, Barry's other daughter Macy slammed the DA for how they handled the case, and demanded that they find her mother.

'I just hope Linda will step up to the plate and do everything she can to find our mom. What they've done is not fair.

'We're never going to stop looking for our mom.'

Mallory (left) and Macy (right) say they have always known their father is innocent. They want the authorities to focus on finding their mother rather than trying to convict their father of murder

The area where police think Suzanne's body may be is thought to be near the abandoned mine that was previously searched. Police say they are waiting for the snow in the area to melt before they can excavate it

Barry Morphew with his two daughters on April 19, after murder charges against him were dropped

Since his wife's disappearance, Morphew has moved in with girlfriend Shoshana Darke. They are shown together

The family's attorney Iris Eytan added: 'If you want to honor Suzanne and the daughters, go and find Suzanne.

'Prosecutors need to be held responsible and they need to pay for the damage they've caused to Barry which is nearly irreparable.'

The charges against Barry were dropped on April 20.

Morphew was charged with his wife's murder in 2021

In their motion to dismiss them, prosecutors said they needed to wait for snow to melt in the region where they believe she may be.

It's unclear what the state of their excavation efforts is now, and how much snow remains on the patch of land that they say is inaccessible.

Morphew's attorney called their bluff.

'These charges were false from the beginning...now they believe they need to find a body in order to proceed with any kind of charge. Today is the first day the prosecution has ever stated that that would be a consideration.

'Forever they have stated that they don't need a body, that a body is irrelevant. But you need to know in this case there has not been a single ounce of physical evidence connecting Mr. Morphew to this alleged crime.

'We were going to get him acquitted rightly, after a trial that we believed we were going to have.

'But all of a sudden now today, in the face of the fact that they have committed so much misconduct, they have decided to dismiss the case claiming that there is a body that they're close to finding up in the mountains that is snow covered, near where Mr. Morphew's house was,' she said at the time.

The evidence against Barry included cell phone pings which showed him being near the area where Suzanne vanished the day she did.

Barry also had scratches and cuts on his hands which suggested he might have been involved in a struggle.

A bullet was found inside the couple's home, as was a tranquilizer dart. The dart was found inside the dryer in the family's house.
A Ukranian Asda sales assistant has won 63,000 for racial harassment after she was picked on by her cruel bosses who 'singled her out' because of her nationality.

An employment tribunal has found that Svitlana Henderson, who had worked at Asda for 15 years before she resigned, faced a five-month campaign of abuse and harassment as the only non-British member of the team at the store in Accrington, Lancashire.

Hard-working but 'quiet' Mrs Henderson, was shouted at by her manager over her footwear, shoes with pink soles - while her British colleagues got away with it and didn't get told off.

The loyal Asda worker was threatened, denied breaks, not included in team huddles, subjected to 'nasty' comments, and left to work in cold chillers for more than five hours.

In a damning ruling at the Manchester Employment Tribunal, a judge found that section leader at the Asda store, Mark Bates, viewed her as an 'easy target' as 'he knew she was Ukrainian and that her cultural work ethic made her subservient to her managers'.

Section leader Fozia Khan, who shouted at Mrs Henderson for wearing black shoes with pink soles, decided to pick on her rather than English colleagues who breached the dress code because she knew she wouldn't resist it.

Mrs Henderson suffered mental health issues as a result of the harassment and 'has lost her confidence and is now in a vulnerable position'.

Ukrainian Asda sales assistant Svitlana Henderson has won 63,000 for race harassment who faced a five-month campaign of abuse at her workplace of 15 years in Accrington, Lancashire (pictured)

After being driven to tearfully resign, Mrs Henderson successfully sued Asda for racial harassment and constructive unfair dismissal.

The supermarket giant even tried to get the ruling overturned - but Employment Judge Jennifer Ainscough rejected it and said it was a 'most serious case'.

Now, Mrs Henderson has won just over 63,000.

The Manchester Employment Tribunal heard Mrs Henderson worked for Asda from September 2003 until she resigned in May 2019.

Mrs Henderson, who worked at Asda in Blackburn, Lancashire, before moving to Accrington, had a strong work ethic.

However, between January 2019 and when she resigned in May 2019, she suffered the campaign of harassment - but despite reporting it every two weeks no action was taken and she lost all trust.

The tribunal heard she was given 'workloads that were impossible to complete' and on one occasion had to work alone in the chiller area for more than five hours.

Mr Bates purposefully picked on Mrs Henderson in quiet areas 'without witnesses', it was heard.

He didn't let her take breaks when she was five-and-a-half hours into shifts and delayed her breaks by giving her tasks to complete - meanwhile he let others take their breaks at appropriate times.

Mr Bates spoke to her in a 'condescending' manner and in one incident 'followed her' after challenging her on the shop-floor.

While she was filling up the milk shelves, Mr Bates invited Mrs Henderson for a 'friendly chat' but proceeded to invade her space and stare at her in a threatening way, leaving the worker 'fearing she would be assaulted'.

Mrs Henderson was not included in morning team huddles and not invited to social events, it was heard.

A day before she resigned, Mrs Henderson was given the 'stern' dressing down over her shoes by Ms Khan but other colleagues weren't. The retail giant has a uniform policy which insists upon dark footwear, the tribunal heard.

In a damning ruling at the Manchester Employment Tribunal (pictured), a judge found that section leader at the Asda store, Mark Bates, viewed her as an 'easy target' as 'he knew she was Ukrainian and that her cultural work ethic made her subservient to her managers'

On May 8, 2019, 'aggressive' Mr Bates shouted at Mrs Henderson over time taken to complete tasks and she was so upset she resigned because it was 'the last straw'.

Judge Ainscough said: 'The tribunal finds that Mark Bates felt comfortable challenging Mrs Henderson because he knew English was not her first language and she was unable to adequately respond.

'Mark Bates knew she was Ukrainian and that her cultural work ethic made her subservient to her managers.

'As a result of English not being her first language and her cultural work ethic, Mrs Henderson did not argue with Mark Bates despite his unacceptable behaviour.

'Mark Bates knew she was Ukrainian and that English was not her first language. This knowledge made her an easy target unlike her English

colleagues who would be capable of resisting any unsubstantiated challenges or physical intimidation.

'The tribunal has found that the majority of challenges took place in the chilled back area away from colleagues on the shop floor.

'The tribunal infers from this finding that Mark Bates wanted to challenge Mrs Henderson without witnesses as he knew his behaviour was unacceptable.'

Of Ms Khan, the judge said: 'Fozia Khan found it easier to challenge Mrs Henderson over the colour of her shoes and the length of break rather than her English colleagues who were likely to resist any such challenge.'

Judge Ainscough added: 'There was constant badgering of Mrs Henderson without substance and without reason, and this ground her down such that she lost trust and confidence, particularly when her complaints were not acted upon.

'She could see other colleagues being treated more favourably and that she was singled out.'

She saw the job as a 'job for life' and due to the 'significant decline' in her health she is unable to work.

An Asda spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We are very sorry for Mrs Hendersons experiences at Asda before she left in 2019.

'This does not reflect the inclusive culture we want to implement in our stores.'
Advertisement

Keir Starmer faces a bombshell police investigation into his boozy lockdown curry - after repeatedly demanding Boris Johnson should quit for breaching rules.

The Labour leader is at risk of being engulfed by the so-called 'Beergate' row after Durham Police dramatically declared it will probe 'significant new information' about the gathering.

The force initially decided Sir Keir did not breach Covid rules when he and party aides had drinks and a takeaway in April 2021, when millions of Britons were banned from mixing indoors in most circumstances.

But following intense pressure and a series of revelations - including that up to 30 people attended and shared 200 worth of food - the position has shifted.

Sir Keir maintained a stony silence as journalists threw questions about the situation on a visit to Carlisle this afternoon. Labour said the party was 'happy to answer any questions there are and we remain clear that no rules were broken'.

However, there is frustration among Tories that the decision was only taken after the local elections - when the PM's own fine over the Partygate scandal damaged his support.

The development could raise serious doubts over Sir Keir's future, as he trenchantly argued that Mr Johnson should resign when he was found to have broken the law.

Tonight he said that he is 'confident no rules were broken'.

Sir Keir had been filmed drinking a bottle of lager with colleagues at the event at the offices of Durham MP Mary Foy in the run-up to last year's local elections - and has been wriggling when asked about the incident all week.

Sadiq Khan risked inflaming the row earlier this week by admitting there was 'equivalence' between Keir Starmer's actions and the PM's birthday gathering in the Cabinet Room in June 2020 - which has seem him and Chancellor Rishi Sunak fined. Mr Khan suggested the main difference was that the Labour leader only broke lockdown once.

Tory MP Richard Holden, backed by several ministers, wrote to Durham Constabulary insisting there was now 'incontrovertible' evidence Labour had 'lied' about the events of a year ago, including the now disproved claim that deputy leader Angela Rayner was not there.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: 'Earlier this year, Durham Constabulary carried out an assessment as to whether Covid-19 regulations had been breached at a gathering in Durham City on April 30 2021. At that time, it was concluded that no offence had been established and therefore no further action would be taken.

'Following the receipt of significant new information over recent days, Durham Constabulary has reviewed that position and now, following the conclusion of the pre-election period, we can confirm that an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations relating to this gathering is now being conducted.'

A Labour spokeswoman said: 'We're obviously happy to answer any questions there are and we remain clear that no rules were broken.'

In more whirlwind political developments today:

Boris Johnson brushed off demands to quit from furious Tories today as the party suffered a local election bloodbath in London with Mr Johnson insisting that the results were 'mixed' and not as apocalyptic as some had predicted;

After a campaign dominated by sleaze and Partygate , the Conservatives lost the totemic strongholds of Wandsworth and Westminster - which they have held since 1978 and 1964 respectively - to Labour. Labour also seized Barnet and Southampton, while West Oxfordshire and Worcester went to no overall control;

But Sir Keir's party lost Kingston upon Hull City Council to the resurgent Liberal Democrats, who appeared to be the early winners and were making gains across the country;

The Lib Dems are also '99 per cent sure' that the Tories will lose control of West Oxfordshire - which includes ex-prime minister David Cameron's former seat Witney. It was a similar story for the Green Party who chipped away at Conservative and Labour seats in England;

Police will probe this event in April 2021 after Sir Keir struggled to answer questions about the event at Durham Miners Hall, which took place at a time when almost all indoor socialising was banned

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer arrives to meet with winning Labour Councillors in Barnet today after good results in London but mixed results outside the capital

Tory MP Ric Holden, who has been pushing Durham Police to look again at the issue, said the force was doing the 'right thing'

Kwasi Kwarteng (right) and Brendan Clarke-Smith (left) were among the other MPs welcoming the news today

English council results so far Conservative Holds: Broxbourne, Thurrock, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Epping Forest, Basildon, Rochford, Brentwood, Harlow, Rushmoor, Redditch, Fareham, Amber Valley, North East Lincolnshire, Tamworth, Dudley, Bexley, Hillingdon Losses: Worcester (to no overall control), Wandsworth (to Labour), Westminster (to Labour), Southampton (to Labour), West Oxfordshire (to NOC), Barnet (to Labour) Labour Gains: Cumberland (from NOC), Wandsworth (from Tories), Westminster (from Tories), Southampton (from Tories), Barnet (from Tories) Holds: Sunderland, Halton, South Tyneside, Chorley, Tameside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sefton, Stevenage, Lincoln, Sandwell, Exeter, Ipswich, Wigan, Coventry, Salford, North Tyneside, Preston, Oldham, Waltham Forest, Wolverhampton, Barnsley, Ealing, Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge Loss: Kingston-upon-Hull (to Lib Dems) Lib Dems Gain: Kingston-upon-Hull (from Labour) Hold: Eastleigh What other results are expected and when? Around 9am: Counting begins for a further 71 councils in England and all councils in Scotland and Wales. Advertisement

The Times reported that Durham Police decided 'days ago', but held off announcing it because of fears it could sway votes yesterday.

It came as Sir Keir toured Barnet and Carlisle this morning hailing gains in the local elections, and claiming Labour was 'back on track' after the Corbyn era.

But despite his triumphalism voting guru John Curtice said Labour still does not look in a position to win a majority at the next general election and the left-wing campaign group Momentum goaded that the figures were 'distinctly underwhelming' and had 'gone backwards'.

Labour is under pressure to release the Beergate Tapes following Sir Keir's suggestion that he recorded video clips after his late-night takeaway.

Having said the curry was consumed during a break from work, Sir Keir has struggled to prove that he carried out any duties after he was filmed holding a bottle of beer at Durham Miners Hall at 10.04pm.

An 'online event for members' cited as an example concluded at 9.18pm.

Sir Keir has also said he recorded 'pieces to camera' for social media  but just one Facebook clip appears to have been recorded that day, and it was shot during daylight hours.

'Shifty Starmer's accounts of what happened at his beer and curry night just don't add up,' Mark Jenkinson, MP for Workington, said.

'What were these videos he was allegedly filming, and why won't he release them?'

The London Mayor gave a distinctly half-hearted defence of Sir Keir earlier this week suggesting the main difference was that the Labour leader only broke lockdown once.

The extraordinary comments came after days in which an increasingly tetchy Sir Keir has struggled to shake off questions about consuming beer and curry with up to 30 aides on an election visit to Durham last year.

In an interview on Talk TV on Wednesday night, Mr Khan was asked to explain how that differed from the June 2020 episode when Mr Johnson was presented with a cake in the Cabinet Room - which has seen both him and Rishi Sunak fined.

Mr Khan initially started referring to other alleged incidents in No10, before conceding: 'I think you make a fair point. If there was one occasion where an incident happened in Downing Street I think it's a fair point to say there is equivalence.

'We now know though there were many occasions and a culture versus one occasion having a beer and a curry at the end of a campaigning day.'

England London Scotland Wales

A picture emerged of what may have been his official car (above) in Durham that evening. This raises the prospect that his police protection team might be able to provide bombshell testimony, in the same way that officers are being asked for their recollections of 'Partygate' events in Downing Street

Sadiq Khan gave a distinctly half-hearted defence of Keir Starmer suggesting the main difference was that the Labour leader only broke lockdown once

Tory MP Richard Holden said 'incontrovertible' evidence that Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner was at the Durham gathering showed Labour had 'lied' about events a year ago

Mr Holden, Tory MP for North West Durham, wrote to Durham Constabulary (pictured) a week ago asking it to reconsider a probe in light of the Met's fine

Former chief constable of Manchester, Sir Peter Fahy, has said Durham police should look again at the evidence - but stressed that the events seemed 'starkly different' to the issue of Downing Street parties.

On ITV's Good Morning Britain earlier this week the Labour leader insisted there was 'no breach of the rules', despite lockdown laws at the time banning almost all indoor socialising.

However, he did not challenge reports that the Friday night gathering was attended by up to 30 people.

Labour officials are said to have ordered 200 of takeaway curries for staff at the end of a long week on the campaign trail.

Sir Keir told ITV's Richard Madeley: 'This was brought in and at various points people went into the kitchen, got a plate, had some food to eat and got on with their work.'

At the time, lockdown laws allowed staff to meet indoors if doing so was 'reasonably necessary for work'. However, official guidance on buffet-style serving was clear.

It stated: 'There should not be any sharing of food and drink by staff who do not share a household. Minimise self-serving options for food and drink. As far as possible, food served and/or displayed should be individually wrapped to minimise contact and avoid spread of infection.'

Having claimed his curry  and beer  were consumed during a break from work, yesterday saw Sir Keir struggle to say what duties he carried out after he was filmed holding his bottle at 10.04pm. The 'online event for members' cited as an example concluded at 9.18pm.

Sir Keir also stated that he had recorded 'pieces to camera' for social media, but just one Facebook clip appears to have been recorded that day  and it was shot during daylight hours.

Cabinet minister Nigel Adams accused the Labour leader of talking 'bull***' and 'dodging' key questions.

Mr Holden, Tory MP for North West Durham, told his local force that an event involving 30 people was 'well above the number allowed to meet indoors under the regulations (at the time), and definitely not necessary for work purposes'.

In a letter seen by the Daily Mail, Mr Holden noted that bystanders were now coming forward who were not interviewed when the police initially dismissed the case last year after reviewing a 43-second video filmed by a passer-by.

The letter to Durham's deputy chief constable Ciaron Irvine continued: 'Given the serious nature of this new testimony, I hope you will be reaching out to the witnesses involved, as well as the Metropolitan Police officers present at the event, as part of your investigation into what took place.'

'I think, once again, it highlights that a lot of the legislation around coronavirus was confused, so I think the police have been struggling.'

A Durham Constabulary spokesman said yesterday: 'We have received a number of recent communications on this subject, which we are considering and will respond in due course.'
The Australian Taxation Office is cracking down on a near-$1billion fraud being spruiked on social media that involves people inventing fake businesses to claim GST refunds.

Operation Protego is probing potentially fraudulent payments made to about 40,000 Australians who have each claimed on average around $20,000 to scam about $850million.

The ATO is working with banks, the Reserve Bank and an AUSTRAC-led coalition of law enforcement and financial industry players to clamp down on the con.

It involves offenders setting up sham businesses and ABN applications then submitting fictional Business Activity Statements to get a false GST refund.

The Australian Taxation Office is cracking down on a near-$1billion fraud being spruiked on social media that involves people inventing fake businesses to claim GST refunds

ATO Deputy Commissioner Will Day told AAP in the last month alone the tax office stopped more than $770 million in refunds going to an additional 20,000 individuals trying the fraud.

Mr Day said information on how to attempt the fraud was being shared online, especially via social media.

He declined to reveal which social media sites were involved but said it was being promoted and shared across a range of digital platforms, with the ATO working with them 'to remove the advertising that is promoting this fraud'.

'If you see something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is,' Mr Day said in a statement.

Operation Protego is probing potentially fraudulent payments made to about 40,000 Australians who have each claimed on average around $20,000 to scam around $850million

'The people who have participated in this fraud are not anonymous. We know who they are and we will be taking action.'

Taxpayers needed to be on high alert and remember that the ATO did not offer loans, advertise loans or hand out government disaster payments, he said.

'People who have participated in this fraud may have unwittingly followed advice they have read online, claiming to help access a loan from the ATO, or receive other financial government support such as a disaster payment,' Mr Day said.

'However, for others there was nothing accidental or unintentional about setting up a fake business in their own name and seeking an unearned refund.

'We are urging anyone involved to face the music and come forward now rather than face ... penalties and criminal charges.'
Police are probing a group of pranksters who hoisted a dead shark above a staircase at a Florida high school.

Five Ponte Verda students reportedly hung the gutted sandbar shark in the rafters at on Thursday.

The animal, which can weigh up to 140 pounds, was held in place by two big cables over the main stairwell.

It was found by school officials shortly before 8am, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

The culprits could face criminal charges for trespassing and wildlife violations, as the animal is prohibited in Florida for recreational or commercial harvest.

The students could face being suspended or even expelled and will be stripped of their graduation on May 28, News 4 Jax.

It is believed they did it as a school prank and it is unclear how they got the shark in the rafters.

A group of five unidentified students reportedly hung what appears to be a sandbar shark from the rafters above a stairwell at a Florida high school. They could face trespassing and criminal wildlife violations charges for the alleged prank

The shark was gutted and frozen on Tuesday, a day before the students hung the shark above the stairwell on Wednesday evening. School officials didn't discover the shark until Thursday morning around 8am and students reported the shark 'smelled'

The shark has since been cut down and removed from the school, whose mascot is the animal, and the administration has released surveillance to police.

Fellow students were just as shocked as the administrators to see the huge, smelly beast hanging above their heads.

'It's kind of gruesome. I'll be honest,' junior Julian Chandlee told News 4 Jax. 'That's a pretty big shark too.'

The incident took place at Ponte Verda High School (pictured) in Florida and the shark was hung above the main stairwell

Ponte Verda sophomore Cooper Gottfried said he discovered the shark while walking to first period.

He told News 4 Jax: 'I was really shocked. I just didn't expect to see that in the morning.'

He added: 'There was this massive shark hanging from the ceiling, and it smelled really bad.'

Ponte Verda is home of the sharks and it is believed the incident was a prank

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are leading the investigation with the St. John's Sheriff's Office, according to the Miami Herald.

Alex AuBuchon, a FWC public information officer told the Miami Herald that 'a group of five students at Ponte Verda High School hung a gutted shark on the rafted of the school courtyard' around 9pm on Wednesday.

He also said the shark had been harvested on Tuesday, gutted and stored in a freezer before the students hung it from the rafters on Wednesday night.

The shark's body was also removed before the FWC were notified, he said.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Ponte Verda High School and the school district for comment.
Ukraine may have shot another Russian warship overnight with an MP saying one of Putin's state-of-the-art frigates is 'in trouble' in the Black Sea.

Oleksiy Goncharenko, head of the council of Odesa which houses Ukraine's largest naval base, identified the vessel on his Telegram channel this morning as the Admiral Makarov - a $500million frigate that was only commissioned five years ago.

He said the vessel ran into difficulties overnight, before reposting a report from a local news outlet suggesting it had been shot with a Ukrainian missile near Snake Island - whose defenders memorably told another warship to 'go f*** yourself' .

Unconfirmed reports suggest rescue vessels and aircraft have set off from Russia's largest Black Sea port of Sevastopol towards the site, while flight tracking data shows an American drone circling nearby.

If the Makarov is confirmed as hit, it would be another hugely embarrassing blow for Russia after Ukraine managed to sink the Moskva - the flagship of Putin's Black Sea fleet - last month, with the loss of hundreds of her crew.

Admiral Makarov, one of Russia's most state-of-the-art frigates, has reportedly been hit by a Ukrainian missile while sailing in the Black Sea (file image)

Goncharenko, posting to his followers around 10am today, wrote: 'The patrol frigate of the Russian Navy 'Admiral Makarov' is despondent. The God of the seas takes revenge on the offenders of Ukraine.

'The frigate Admiral Makarov was laid down in February 2012 at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad and launched in September 2015.

'And in 2022, when he took part in the murder of Ukrainians, he was struck by the God of the Seas. He hasn't set off after Moskva yet, but the trouble has begun.'

'God of the seas' is likely a reference to Neptune - the name of Ukraine's main anti-ship missile.

Around half an hour later, he posted an article from local news outlet Dumskaya which said: 'According to preliminary information, the frigate was unable to dodge the Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile.

'The ship is badly damaged, but remains afloat. For now.'

Nobody from the Ukrainian military has so-far commented on the attack, and there has been no acknowledgement from the Kremlin either.

However, the Ukrainian armed forces did add one boat to its tally of destroyed Russian equipment published today without giving further details.

The Makarov is an Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate, one of the Russian navy's newest vessels and the most state-of-the-art frigate operating in the Black Sea.

The Moskva, flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, was sunk in a Ukrainian missile strike on April 14 which caused it to catch fire (pictured)

Russia was forced to admit the Moskva had sunk, though blamed it on a combination of an unexplained explosion on board and 'rough seas'

Costing around $500million each, the warships are equipped with eight cruise missile launchers and have almost certainly been involved in attacks on cities in western Ukraine during the conflict.

They also carry a 100mm naval gun, two dozen anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship torpedoes and close-in weapons systems designed to blow up incoming missiles.

The Admiral Makarov is one of three major naval combatants in the Russian navy in the Black Sea.

It was 'the best and most important of them', according to an analysis by forbes.com in a report earlier today.

'And that makes the 409-foot Admiral Makarov perhaps the most valuable target for Ukrainian missile crews and drone operators.

'We don't know exactly which of its best Neptune anti-ship missiles the Ukrainian navy has left or whether Kyiv's TB-2 drones are hunting for the Russian frigate or her Black Sea sisters.

'In any event, it's apparent Russian fleet commanders appreciate the danger.

'There's evidence Admiral Makarov's skipper has been taking pains to keep her away from the Ukrainian coast.

Ukraine has also destroyed the Orsk, a Russian Alligator-class landing ship, which was blown up in the port of Berdyansk after state media revealed its location

Russian warships have generally been keeping their distance from the Ukrainian coast ever since the Moskva was shot and sunk on April 14.

It was initially suggested that Ukraine had used drones to distract the ship before hitting it with two Neptune cruise missiles.

But, based on images of the ship taken as it sank, new analysis suggests that its main radar arrays may not have been active when it was attacked.

Analysts for the United States Naval Institute say the radar dishes on the top of the ship appear to be in a 'stowed' position as the Moskva sinks, which likely means they were not active or not fully active.

That means the vessel's surface-to-air missiles - its main defence against incoming attacks - would not have been fully operational at the time, meaning it would not have been able to see the Ukrainian rockets before they hit.

Ukraine also appears to have targeted the ship's most-vulnerable point, its forward engine room and 'survivability compartment' which distributes power to the ship and runs its damage control systems.

Blowing up this part of the ship could have caused 'a loss of all electrical power,' analysts say, which would have massively hampered the ability of the crew to fight the subsequent fire that broke out.

And US officials have since confirmed that they gave satellite data to Ukraine which it subsequently used to target the ship.

Unnamed officials told American newspapers that Ukraine had asked about a ship sailing to the south of Odesa.

The US said it was the Moskva and helped confirm its location before the attack.

Despite being the most high-profile ship sunk by Ukraine, the Moskva is not the first - that inglorious trophy belongs to the Orsk, a transport ship sunk back in March.

On that occasion, the vessel was struck by Ukrainian rockets after Russian state media propaganda gave away its location at the port of Berdyansk.

A direct hit on the Orsk caused it to catch fire and sink, while two smaller landing craft moored alongside were damaged by managed to sail away.

The Orsk was subsequently scuttled and now sits at the bottom of Berdyansk harbour, making the water too shallow for Russia to use for other ships.
LA's County sheriff has likened woke District Attorney George Gascon to an ego-crazed Moses with rules written in stone as he blasted the DA for rejecting 13,238 of his deputies cases.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva claims Gascon dismissed the huge number cases presented to him since taking office in 2020 because they 'don't conform to his special directives.'

'He showed up like Moses with his 10 commandments with his tablets and said, 'Here's my special orders, take 'em or take 'em,'' Villanueva told Fox News. 'That does not promote a good working relationship.

'The deputies are going to continue doing their job, they make the arrests, theyll write the reports, but then what happens after its submitted to the D.A is where it all falls apart'

It comes as the city continues to see a spike in violent crime, which has gone up by more than 15 percent since 2020 while Gascon faces his second recall attempt since taking office.

It's also the latest criticism levied against the woke DA after he announced on Thursday that his office would not pursue felony charges against the man who attacked Dave Chappell while carrying a gun and knife.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (above) claimed the District Attorney's office has thrown out 13,238 cases presented to him since George Gascon took office in 2020

Villanueva likened Gascon (pictured) to an ego-crazed Moses with rules written in stone that allegedly prevent cases against violent from going through. Gascon issued directives to limit sentencing enhancements and avoid prosecuting juveniles as adults regardless of the crime

Gascon has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure.

And following his first 100 days in office, he touted the changes he has made to the city's justice system - including limiting the use of sentencing enhancements.

The California penal code has more than 100 enhancements that could add time to a convict's sentence depending on the situation, most of which date back to when California was facing soaring crime in the 1980s and 1990s.

But under Gascon's reign, the use of those enhancements have been greatly reduced, with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 5,138 enhancements during his first three months - a 71 percent drop when compared to the same time the year before.

His first three months also saw prosecutors filing only 106 gun enhancements - an 85 percent decrease.

Gascon also barred prosecutors from charging juveniles as adults, regardless of the severity of their alleged crimes.

Villanueva - who is himself a Democrat - slammed the woke policies, telling Fox, 'I think the entire woke universe of progressive reform has failed epically throughout the entire nation.

'These are people that did bad things that left a victim, have the evidence presented and [the DA's office] said 'don't bother.''

Villanueva is not the only LA resident frustrated with Gascon's 'soft on crime' policies as a campaign to recall him from office gathered 400,000 signatures this week.

Recall campaign spokesman Tim Lineberger said in a statement that the group needs to collect 567,000 signatures by July 6 to trigger a recall vote.

'We're starting to see a real light at the end of the tunnel here and there's a real plausible pathway to get these signatures if we can just keep it up,' he told Fox.

In San Francisco, opponents of woke crime reform policies have triggered a recall vote against District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who enacted similar policies in the crime-ridden county.

Violent crime is up 7.5 percent so far this year in Los Angeles

Although Gascon and Boudin were once heralded as progressive champions to help combat overcrowding in prisons, they now face backlash over rising crime rates in their respective counties.

Los Angeles Police reported 122 murders so far this year, a 5.2 percent increase form the 116 reported in the same time last year.

Robberies have shot up by 18.8 percent, with the county reporting 3,086 cases, nearly 500 more than last year.

The number of shooting victims saw a slight uptick with 462 cases so far this year, less than a 1 percent increase, and rapes fell by 11 percent, with 428 cases reported so far.

San Francisco Police reported 15 murders so far this year, a 25 percent increase from the 11 reported in the same time last year.

Larceny theft has also skyrocketed, with 10,000 cases reported this year, a 27.4 percent rise from the 7,852 reported last year.

Assaults also saw a spike of 10 percent with 771 cases reported so far this year, and rapes have gone up by 4.3 percent, with police reporting 73 cases in 2022.

Gascon faced another wave of criticism on Thursday after announcing he would not pursue felony charges against the man who attacked comedian Dave Chappell on stage.

Isaiah Lee, 23, ran on stage at the show on Wednesday yielding the knife that was hidden inside a gun. He broke his arm in the attack as Chappell avoided him

This is the weapon used by Isaiah Lee to try and attack Chappelle on stage on Wednesday

Isaiah Lee, 23, ran on stage at the show on Wednesday yielding the knife that was hidden inside a gun. Chappelle, 48, was able to sidestep him and was unharmed.

The attacker was then arrested at the scene, and taken to hospital with a broken arm.

Gascon's office - which is famously in favor of low-or-no-cash-bonds - chose not to pursue the most serious line of punishment over the concealed weapon.

Instead, they have referred the case to the LA City Attorney Mike Feuer, recommending a misdemeanor charge because 'the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct,' according to ABC.

On Thursday, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer charged Lee with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance, and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer.

When announcing the charges, Feuer seemed to throw shade at the DA, saying 'My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously.'

If convicted, Lee could face 18 months in county jail, but because of overcrowding and COVID he might never make an appearance behind bars because of Gascon's decision to not press charges.

Lee is currently being held on a $30,000 bond for felony assault with a deadly weapon.
A sign of the World Health Organization next to its headquarters in Geneva, is seen in this Dec. 2, 2021 file photo. World Health Organization states will consider a resolution against Russia next week after its invasion of Ukraine. AFP-Yonhap





World Health Organization states will consider a resolution against Russia next week following its war in Ukraine, including the possible closure of a major regional office in Moscow, a document obtained by Reuters showed Thursday.







The resolution, to be considered Tuesday, stopped short of harsher sanctions such as suspending Russia from the U.N. global health agency's board as well as a temporary freeze of its voting rights, three diplomatic and political sources said.







The draft, prepared largely by EU diplomats and submitted to the WHO's regional office for Europe this week, follows a request by Ukraine, signed by at least 38 other members including Turkey, France and Germany.







The move is seen as a political step that would further Western efforts to isolate Moscow, rather than having any significant health consequences for Russia or global health policy, which diplomats said they were at pains to avoid.







The text refers to a health emergency in Ukraine and is set to condemn Russia's military actions which it said had resulted in mass casualties, disruptions to health services, increased risks of death from chronic diseases, increased risks of infectious diseases and of radiological and chemical events in Ukraine, the region and beyond.







It asks the regional director, Hans Kluge, to explore the "possible relocation" of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases outside Russia. It is now located in Moscow from where it covers the entire region. It does not suggest closing the WHO's country office, also in Moscow, that was established in 1998.







The resolution calls for a possible suspension of all meetings in Russia. It tasks WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to prepare a report on Ukraine's health emergency to its main annual World Health Assembly (WHA) later this month.







Russia, a member of the WHO's European region, has not responded to requests for comment on the meeting and its agenda sent to its diplomatic mission in Geneva where the WHO is based.






A Republican candidate charged with murdering his breast cancer survivor wife has won his primary for Indiana town position from jail while awaiting trial.

Elizabeth 'Nikki' Wilhoite, 41, was killed after her husband, Andrew Wilhoite, 39, struck her with a gallon-size cement flowerpot after she found out he was having an affair during her chemotherapy treatment, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Nikki, who reportedly charged at her husband during a confrontation about his alleged affair after she had filed for divorce, fell to the ground after being struck.

Andrew, 39, told investigators he 'didn't know what to do,' so he put Nikki's body in his truck and dumped it in a creek near their farm in Lebanon.

Wilhoite was up for election on the Clinton Township Board and won in his primary on Tuesday.

He won 60 votes and can could still be on the ballot for the election in November, even though he will likely still be behind bars, the Tribune-Herald reported.

Brad King, co-director of the bipartisan Indiana Election Division told the newspaper there is 'no reason' he can't be a candidate, because 'under our system you are innocent until you are proven guilty.

He has until June 15 to withdraw his name and, if he is convicted, he will not be able to hold the position.

The Boone County Coroner ruled Nikki's death a homicide following her autopsy and Andrew was charged with murder on Monday, court records reveal.

Andrew Wilhoite, 39, a Republican candidate charged with murdering his breast cancer survivor wife, has won his primary for Indiana town position from jail while awaiting trial

Breast cancer survivor Elizabeth 'Nikki' Wilhoite, 41, was killed after Wilihoite allegedly struck her with a gallon-size cement flowerpot following an argument last week

Police began investigating Nikki's death after her co-workers at Indiana Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery reported that the mother-of-two and stepmom-of-one did not show up for work.

During the initial call to authorities, one co-worker claimed Nikki 'was having issues with her husband' and had recently 'filed for divorce,' The Daily Beast reported.

'It was not like Elizabeth not to show up for work,' the colleague told police.

When officers arrived at the Wilhoite family home, they were greeted by the three children who indicated Nikki was not home and they had been unable to reach her.

'Elizabeth might be with her sister,' Nikki's stepdaughter told police, adding: 'Elizabeth leaves when she gets upset.'

As police prepared to leave the farm, Andrew 'pulled into the driveway in a blue tractor' and informed police his wife was missing.

According to the affidavit, 'Andrew stated that they had a pretty good fight last night, and she was drunk.'

He also allegedly pointed to scratch marks on his neck, suggesting they were evidence of the encounter between the couple.

The accused murderer then proceeded to tell police his wife spent Thursday night sleeping on the couch and that he did not see her the next morning when he left to 'haul corn.'

'Andrew stated that he was laying in the bed and Elizabeth was flipping out,' the affidavit alleged.

'Andrew advised that it is not the first time that an incident like this has occurred. Andrew Wilhoite stated that he's done things to Elizabeth that he shouldn't have before.'

The father-of-three also alleged that Nikki had withdrawn $3,000 from their joint bank account and 'had a lawyer and was filing for divorce.'

Andrew then advised police he feared 'maybe something drug-related... occurred' with his wife.

However, police claim Andrew's apparent lies began to unravel after officers spoke to Elizabeth's father, Thomas Richards, who confirmed she withdrew money on March 18 because 'she was going to have to divorce Andrew.'

The victim's father also told police he believed Andrew 'did something to Elizabeth.'

Andrew told investigators after he struck Nikki, he 'didn't know what to do,' so he put her body in his truck and dumped it in a creek near their home on farm in Lebanon, Indiana

Around 3am on Saturday, police found Nikki's body 'partially submerged in approximately three feet of water' in the creek

Nikki and Andrew shared two children together. She was also the stepmother to his daughter

When police searched the Wihoite's property, they discovered blood on bed sheets and a pillow in the master bedroom, as well as 'small droplets on and around the door and inside the master bathroom on the sink.'

Indiana State Police were called to assist with the investigation and interviewed Andrew, during which he reportedly confessed to the affair, claiming Nikki 'had taken the news hard.'

He told investigators that the couple had agreed to work through his infidelity, alleging they planned to start going to counseling in May, and that he was blindsided by Nikki's request for a divorce.

'Andrew stated that he refused to sign the documents without his own attorney reviewing it,' the affidavit added.

Later during that interrogation, Andrew also admitted to killing Nikki after she had begun yelling at him about the affair, started 'physically striking' him and ordered him to leave the family home.

He confessed to throwing Nikki out of the front door of the house and striking her in the face with the flowerpot. He then threw her body over the wall of a bridge and into the nearby creek, police said.

When asked if Nikki was still breathing when he dumped her in the water, Andrew said, 'he didn't know because he didn't check' but did not recall 'her groaning or moving at all.'

Police claim Andrew then proceeded to pick up the shards of broken flowerpot, place them in a plastic bag and throw them out of his truck window while on his way to drop off a corn shipment in Linden, Indiana.

Police found Nikki's body in March 'partially submerged in approximately three feet of water,' according to Indiana State Police.

Andrew told investigators that the couple had agreed to work through his infidelity, alleging they planned to start going to counseling in May, and that he was blindsided by Nikki's request for a divorce

Police say he also confessed to killing his wife after having told police apparent lies about her disappearance

Those close to Nikki have hailed her as 'such a strong woman' who was going through more than they were aware of.

Mary Smith, her longtime friend, claimed Nikki 'had just finished up chemo last week' after having been 'fighting to stay alive'.

'She's fighting to stay alive, to see her kids grow up. To have it end like this, it's just a tragedy that no one should have to go through. It just shouldn't be that way,' Smith told WRTV. 'Why? What happened to just make [Andrew] lose control?'

'What pushed him to lash out in such a way?' she asked. 'It's so upsetting to wonder if she had any idea she was in danger.'

Smith said Nikki will be remembered for her devotion to her family and her positive personality.

'She was just fun. You could always count on her to have a funny story, or just to make you laugh,' Smith shared. 'She could be friends with anybody, and she was just fun, she was fun to be around. Just a really devoted mom.'

Those close to Nikki have hailed her as 'such a strong woman' who was going through more than they were aware of

Nikki 'had just finished up chemo last week' after having been 'fighting to stay alive and to see her kids grow up,' her close friend shared. The friend also indicated they were unaware about the tensions between Nikki and Andrew

In addition to her alleged commitment to her children, Nikki was also very open about her struggles online.

Her last Facebook post, published on March 20, featured a quote by author Emma Grace reading: 'You deserve a life that doesn't hurt.'

The couple also seemingly used social media to document Nikki's health progress with Andrew on March 18 posting a photo of her captioned: 'This lady just finished her last round of chemo today very proud of you.'

Now, Nikki's Facebook page is flooding with tributes from friends and strangers alike.

'She was beautiful. She definitely deserved better than what he did to her,' wrote Jamie Fredericks.

'My heart is broken. May you rest in peace and may Justice be served,' echoed Becky Tucker Cash.

'You did NOT deserve this at all Nikki. RIP sweet beautiful momma,' said Laci Harper.

Laura Henry added: 'YOU deserved so much more than this! Now God will ensure no more hurt for you beautiful woman for eternity.'

Mental Health America of Boone County also took to Facebook to mourn Nikki's loss, writing: 'We are saddened over the tragic nature of her passing.'

'We know this can bring up many difficult emotions now, and in the days and weeks to come.'

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a United States-based toll-free hotline offering confidential support 24/7. It can be reached at 1-800-799-7233. The hotline is available to survivors of abuse, concerned friends or family members, and others, including abusive partners seeking to change themselves.
A 'gambling addict' accused of fatally shooting the tarot card-reading mother of an NYPD cop made three confessions to the killing, prosecutors have claimed.

Giuseppe Canzani was arraigned last night over the brutal murder of Anna Torres, 51, who he allegedly shot point blank in the head in Queens, New York, yesterday.

The 41-year-old is said to have believed the psychic put a curse on him because his luck started running out.

He is being held without bail after his arraignment last night, and is due back in court on May 26.

'The case is strong. It has video surveillance evidence, witness testimony, and the defendant's own statements,' Assistant District Attorney Xhulia Derhemi said in court last night.

Scroll for video

Giuseppe Canzani, 41, made three confessions to the killing of Anna Torres, 51, prosecution alleged at his arraignment on Thursday night

Canzani (right) pictured here with his sister Carmela. The New York Post reported that Canzani is a married father of twins

Anna Torres, 51, pictured here, the mother of an NYPD officer, was shot in her Queens home on Wednesday afternoon

At the arraignment on Thursday night, prosecutors detailed how Canzani had willingly admitted on three separate occasions that he had killed Torres.

Derhmi alleged that upon turning himself in to the 106th Precinct about an hour after the shooting, Canzani readily confessed to the killing

'I want to turn myself in. I'm not here to hurt you guys. I'm here because of the woman I shot,' Canzani said to one officer, according to Derhmi.

Canzani later told a lieutenant, 'That's the woman I shot. They tried to kill me,' the assistant district attorney alleged.

Then Canzani said to a detective, 'Anna told me the black chief of the NYPD wants to kill my wife. Anna is a witch,' Derhmi said.

'The defendant is charged with serious crimes here, the top charge being murder in the second degree. He shot the victim, then admitted to three different members of the NYPD that he shot the victim,' Derhemi told the court.

Canzani, a married father of twins according to the New York Post, confessed to killing Torres when she answered the door to her house in the Ozone Park area on Wednesday afternoon. She did psychic readings from her home.

'The guy had been going to her for years, and he believes she put a curse on him,' an inside source told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

'He's had bad luck for the past couple weeks, including with gambling. He went to her house and shot her.'

Canzani is so large that two pairs of handcuffs were required to detain him. He is being held without bail after Thursday's arraignment

Canzani's defense alleged that he suffers from mental illness, including anxiety and depression. Defense requested and was granted a mental evaluation

Canzani's defense requested and was granted a mental evaluation, claiming that the defendant suffers from mental health problems.

'He suffers from anxiety as well as depression. He does not have his medication,' said Kerry Katsorhis.

'In my 50 years of practice, I say he's a prime example of a person who should be examined psychiatrically,' Katsorhis said.

Giuseppe Canzani, 41, (above, center) was led away from the 106th precinct in Ozone Park, Queens, by police on Thursday afternoon

Police and the DailyMail.com source said there's no indication Canzani knew Torres' son is a police officer.

'There's no connection to the son, the source said. 'We don't even think the guy knows the woman's son is a cop.'

A source told the Post yesterday that when Canzani admitted to police that he shot Torres about an hour after the murder, he insisted that she was a 'witch.'

'If I tell you what's going on with me you wouldn't believe it,' he allegedly told detectives, 'Not for nothing, I am supposed to be dead already, that's all I know. This woman, you guys will never understand. You would think I'm crazy.'

Surveillance footage shows Giuseppe Canzani, 41, leaving the scene of the crime with a gun in hand on Wednesday afternoon

Canzani was a longtime client of Torres, who worked as a psychic out of her Queens home

Canzani told police that Torres was a 'witch,' and that he killed her because he thinks she put a curse on him

The Post reported that Torres' daughter told investigators that her mother had gotten into a fight with a client known as 'Joey' some time prior to the killing.

The Queens Chronicle reported that Canzani lives in Howard Beach, Queens, and is an employee of the NYC Department of Transportation. A representative of the NYC DOT told DailyMail.com that an employee named Giuseppe Canzani was suspended without pay on Thursday.

Torres died after being shot in the head in a brazen daytime ambush when she answered the door to her home.

She was shot twice on Wednesday. The suspect initially fled the scene then surrendered.

Cops say Torres and Canzani knew each other 'to some extent,' the Post reported, but had ruled out a romantic relationship.

Torres' husband, David Aguilar, told reporters that he did not know the suspect.

'Never heard that name before,' Aguilar, told CBS New York.

'He smashed my world,' he said.

Aguilar said that his wife was at home taking care of her bedridden mother with her daughter-in-law when she was murdered.

'She was the sweetest person in the world, I'm lost without her.'

He said he found out about his wife's murder when he saw the reports on the news while he was at work.

Anna Torres' husband, David Aguilar, broke down speaking to reporters about his wife's murder on Thursday. 'I'm lost without her,' he said, and described her as 'the sweetest person'

Aguilar told reporters that he had never heard of the suspect in his life. He said that the police have not told him anything Canzani has said about what motivated the murder

Aguilar described his wife as somebody who was loved by everyone, and said she did not have a bad bone in her body. 'She didn't deserve this. I wish it was me,' he told reporters

Anna Torres (center) with her family during a 2016 birthday outing. Her husband, David Aguilar, stands behind her

Cops said the mother answered the door at her home at around 2.30 p.m. in Queens' Ozone Park neighborhood. They said the suspect fired three shots - two of which hit Torres, with one striking her head. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers said the suspect then fled in a black Chevrolet, before pulling up outside the NYPD's 106th Precinct in the same vehicle at 3:30 p.m. - around an hour after the shooting - to hand himself in.

Surveillance footage from Torres' street recorded at the time of the shooting shows a man with a hoodie over his face walking calmly down the sidewalk.

He carries what appears to be a silver gun in his right hand, before slipping onto the street between two cars, then entering a parked SUV and driving away.

NYPD Deputy Chief Jerry O'Sullivan told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday night that when Canzani surrendered he got out of his car and placed a 45-caliber silver firearm on the sidewalk outside the precinct, before being arrested by two NYPD officers without incident.

The deputy chief said the suspected shooter would be charged with murder and the criminal possession of a weapon.

Torres worked as a psychic at her home in Queens (above). Canzani was a client who believed she had put a curse on him, a police source tells DailyMail.com

A wreath was placed on the front door of Torres' home in Ozone Park. She was murdered while answering the front door pictured above

A neighbor who lived across the street said he heard gunshots and then a woman screaming.

'Right after you heard the 'bop-bop-bop' you heard screaming.'

'After that I heard [a family member] calling the cops, yelling out the address.'

Friends and family shared their support and love for Torres on social media.

'The world lost an extraordinary woman yesterday,' Anna's brother, Jose Torres, wrote in a Facebook post, 'May you rest in Heavenly peace... We will all be reunited someday.'

The suspect has been named as 41-year-old Giuseppe Canzani according to the New York Post

In a briefing on Wednesday, NYPD Deputy Chief Jerry O'Sullivan told reporters that there was no reason to believe that Torres' killing was linked to her son's employment with the NYPD

The mother of an NYPD officer has died after being shot in the head in a daytime ambush when she answered the door to her Queens home. Pictured: The home of Anna Torres, 51, is shown in Queens taped off by yellow police tape

Cops cross through the police line on Torres' street on Wednesday

Anna Torres, 51, was shot twice on Wednesday by a suspect who cops said has since surrendered, having initially fled the scene. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Pictured: An ambulance is seen outside of her home on Wednesday
Several pro-abortion groups are calling for demonstrations at Catholic churches across the US on Mother's Day to protest the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would strike down Roe v Wade.

The group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights called for 'actions outside of churches' on Sunday to kick off a 'week of action' to protest the Supreme Court opinion, which is not yet final.

'Several cities will be hosting protests outside of prominent churches in their towns, these can look like a group of people holding signs wearing Handmaids Tale outfits, passing out flyers outside to church goers or doing a die-in,' the group wrote on its website. Further details were not immediately available.

As well, the group Ruth Sent Us, which describes itself as 'against a corrupt and illegitimate Supreme Court' called on followers to '[s]tand at or in a local Catholic Church' on Sunday.

The group Ruth Sent Us posted videos of protesters in Handmaids Tale outfits disrupting a Catholic mass, calling on followers to take similar action and post videos

'Whether you're a 'Catholic for Choice', ex-Catholic, of other or no faith, recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe,' the group added in a tweet.

Of the nine-member court's six conservative members, five reportedly back the bombshell move to rescind abortion protections: Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas.

Gorsuch is Episcopalian, though he was raised Catholic. The other four are Catholic, as is Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative whose position on the opinion has not been reported.

The calls for protests at churches come after a Catholic parish church in Boulder, Colorado was defaced with pro-abortion slogans earlier this week.

The door of Sacred Heart of Mary Parish was spray painted with the slogan 'My Body My Choice', and other graffiti read 'F the Church, F** the State,' according to CNA.

The group Ruth Sent Us, named for the late Justice Ruth Ginsberg, has already spurred controversy by calling for protests outside of the conservative justice's homes.

The calls for protests at churches come after a Catholic parish church in Boulder, Colorado was defaced with pro-abortion slogans earlier this week

Law enforcement in the nation's capital, still on edge after the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, have already set up temporary fencing around the Supreme Court

The group published the supposed addresses of Justices Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett and Roberts and are planning a 'walk-by' of their homes on Wednesday, May 11.

The activist group's homepage greets visitors with an interactive map showing the location of the homes.

The blurb reads: 'ANNOUNCING: Walk-by Wednesday, May 11 2022! At the homes of the six extremist justices, three in Virginia and three in Maryland.'

Anti-abortion activists have responded in kind by marching past the home of Alito in a show of support for the conservative justice, who authored the leaked draft opinion.

One noticeable sign at the small march on Thursday read, 'Alito rocks,' while another said, 'The draft is genius.'

Protests erupted around the country starting on Monday night, when the news outlet Politico published a draft Supreme Court opinion that said the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision enshrining the national right to abortion was 'egregiously wrong from the start.'

Protests erupted around the country starting on Monday night, when the news outlet Politico published a draft Supreme Court opinion that would rescind legal protections for abortion

Pro-abortion activists use their signs to block an anti-abortion counter-protester and his large cross during a rally at the Supreme Court on Thursday

'We hold that Roe and Casey (another case affirming the right to abortion) must be overruled,' wrote conservative Justice Alito in the 98-page draft.

If the Supreme Court formally issues the opinion, which would happen sometime in June or July, the issue of abortion would then fall to individual states to legislate.

Roughly half of the 50 US states are considered certain or likely to ban abortions once the ruling is final.

On Tuesday, more than a thousand protesters on both sides of the hotly debated issue gathered outside the Supreme Court's headquarters in Washington.

Law enforcement in the nation's capital, still on edge after the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, have already set up temporary fencing around the court.

The leaked ruling has also thrust the issue of abortion to the center of the November congressional midterm elections, potentially opening a path for beleaguered Democrats to stem expected losses.

Anti-abortion activists took to the streets around Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home in Alexandria, Virginia , Thursday to thank him for a draft opinion

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said 'it will fall on voters to elect' officials who back abortion rights, and vowed to work to pass legislation in Congress that codifies the national right to abortion.

Chief Justice John Roberts described the leak as a 'betrayal' on Tuesday.

'Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court,' Roberts said in a press statement.

'This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust.'

The chief justice also announced that an investigation would be launched to find out who leaked the document.
A middle-aged mum and her teenage son were being quizzed by Spanish police today after being arrested over the murder of a British OAP.

Detectives confirmed early this morning they had made two arrests before later revealing the suspects were a 46-year-old Spaniard and her 16-year-old son.

Widow Monica Warren, 81, was shot dead on Wednesday and her body found under a bed at her 350,000 home near Elche a short drive from Alicante the same day.

A plumber the expat had called to her house for an emergency repair dialled 999 after seeing two people leave the property and speed away in a black Peugeot as he arrived and failing to raise Mrs Warren.

Detectives say they are working on the theory the female suspect shot her alleged victim dead before asking her son to move the body and help her dispose of evidence.

Police honed in on her after discovering her car had been gutted in a fire hours after the killing and she had reported the suspected murder weapon missing yesterday.

Above: Forensic officers inspect the crime scene in the Costa Blanca. Spanish police have confirmed the two people arrested over the murder of a British OAP on the Costa Blanca are a 46-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son

Detectives say the British woman and the detainees knew each other and are still trying to establish the possible motive for the crime.

Spain's National Police in Alicante confirmed today: 'The suspected authors of the homicide are a 46-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son. They are both Spanish.

'Neither has a criminal record.

'The weapon used to shoot the victim dead was found during a painstaking search of the place where her body was found and the area immediately around it.

'She had been shot three times and scenes-of-crimes officers concluded her body had been moved from the place she was killed to the spot where she was found.'

The force added in a statement: 'A key witness saw two people fleeing the scene and gave officers descriptions of them and their vehicles.

'Investigators were subsequently alerted to a car fire in the city of Alicante which affected four other vehicles.

The killing took place in the town of Elche near Alicante on the Costa Brava on Spain's south coast

'The car coincided with the make and model of the vehicle mentioned by the witness.

'An inspection of the gutted car led police to the suspects.

'They profiled the female suspect and discovered that as well as being the owner of the vehicle that was gutted, she practiced target shooting and had a licensed pistol registered to her name of the same make and model as the murder weapon.

'She had reported the .22 Beretta stolen the day after the British woman's body was found.

'She fitted the description the witness gave and so did her son.

'Detectives are working on the basis the mum could be the suspected killer and was helped by her underage son in the commission of the crime, specifically in the moving of the victim's body and the subsequent elimination of evidence including fingerprints.

'Both suspects were tracked down yesterday and arrested.'

Detectives say they are still probing why Mrs Warren was killed, but say they have ruled out the idea she was shot dead by strangers in an opportunistic bungled burglary.

Widow Monica Warren, 81, was shot dead on Wednesday and her body found under a bed at her 350,000 home near Elche a short drive from Alicante the same day

The police spokesman said, opening up the possibility the Brit was the victim of someone with a grudge against her: 'Although the motive is not yet known and the investigators are currently working on establishing it, the hypothesis this was a fortuitous robbery has been ruled out based on the fact that the victim and the detainees appeared to have known each other.'

Detectives have until Sunday to hold the pair in custody before handing them over to a judge for further questioning. They will appear in separate courts because of the son's age.

In their first comments on the arrests early this morning a spokesman for Spain's National Police in Alicante said: 'The National Police has arrested the alleged killers of an 81-year-old British woman whose body was found with fatal gunshot wounds on Wednesday at a villa in an area near Elche called Maitino.

'Investigators have arrested a man and a woman thanks to the swift response of police units tasked with fighting violent crime based in Elche and the provincial police HQ in Alicante, who have coordinated their work to locate both detainees and seize the possible murder weapon, which is a short-barrelled firearm.'

Little detail has so far been revealed about the murder victim, who is thought to have been born in Germany but became a naturalised British citizen after marrying a British man who neighbours said died from cancer several years ago.

He is understood to have owned a recycling firm in the UK before emigrating after his retirement.

Monica had lived alone for several years.
A Police Community Support Officer has been accused of molesting a policewoman in a station gym.

PCSO Edward Oniba, 53, is alleged to have hugged and kissed the female police officer on the neck after she refused to give him her phone number at the Kilburn Police Station gym, in north-west London.

He appeared in court for the first time today. The prosecution case is that she did not consent to the touching.

PCSO Edward Oniba (above, outside City of Westminster Magistrates Court today) is alleged to have hugged and kissed a female police officer on the neck after she refused to give him her phone number at the Kilburn Police Station gym, in north-west London

Oniba, 53, is charged with one count of sexually assaulting the officer at the Salusbury Road station (file image) on October 30, 2020

Oniba, of Nightingale Avenue, Harrow, indicated a not guilty plea when he appeared on bail at City of Westminster Magistrates Court.

He is charged with one count of sexually assaulting the officer at the Salusbury Road station on October 30, 2020.

In a special sitting before senior District Judge Michael Snow, Oniba elected jury trial.

He was bailed unconditionally to appear at Harrow Crown Court on June 6.
President Joe Biden has stepped back from using the Oval Office for press events because of complications about using a smaller teleprompter and has opted for the 'fake' White House set where there is a bigger screen, according to a report.

Biden for months has sometimes shifted events to the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building  a renovated venue with changing digital images of the White House just a short walk away from the real thing.

But it might not be the high-tech lighting and digital features that make it appealing to the president's press staff.

The White House 'has largely abandoned using the Oval Office for press events in part because it cant be permanently equipped with a teleprompter,' Politico reported in a story about a potential Biden rematch with former President Donald Trump.

Biden's aides 'prefer' the other venue for events, 'sacrificing some of the power of the historic backdrop in favor of an otherwise sterile room that was outfitted with an easily read teleprompter screen.'

President Joe Biden (C) meets with small business owners in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 28 April 2022. Aides sometimes set up events in the 'fake' White House just steps away from the real one. It has a large screen teleprompter set up

That was a reference to the large monitor set up right across from where Biden usually stands. The venue also makes it easy to control where the press are stationed, and allows Biden to walk away quickly if he doesn't want to take questions.

Biden made frequent use of it in earlier stages of the pandemic when his travel was severely curtailed, and it also works for zoom events.

Biden does sometimes invite the press into the Oval Office, including when he has met with world leaders, sometimes in front of a roaring fire during the winter.

He held an event Wednesday to speak about the economy and controlling the deficit in the Roosevelt Room  a small venue that was equipped with a teleprompter.

The Oval, dues to its size and shaped, may not be well suited for the device. Reporters cram into the room when the president speaks there, and they may have sight lines on the device, something advance planners usually try to avoid.

Biden spoke about the economy from the Roosevelt Room Wednesday, reading from a prompter and taking two questions from reporters who crammed in

There isn't a natural place to put a teleprompter in the Oval Office, and reporters could likely read it if it were set up

Biden sometimes has a notecard that he takes out of his pocket or places on his lap during those events.

Biden used paper notes delivering a eulogy for former Secretary of State Madeline Albright at the National Cathedral in Washington.

He also frequently speaks off the cuff  but sometimes leaves his press staff to play cleanup when he does.

The White House physician called Biden, 79, 'healthy' and 'vigorous' in his physical last year. He broke a bone in his foot in 2020 that has contributed to his 'stiffened gait,' the physical noted.

Former President Donald Trump sometimes ridiculed opponents for relying on a teleprompter, and used one himself frequently as president

Biden has communicated to allies that former President Donald Trump is a threat to the nation and he is the only one who can beat him, according to Politico.

And Biden tore into MAGA from the White House on Wednesday  at the event that included a prompter.

'This MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization thats existed in recent American history,' Biden said. He also corrected himself when he accidentally said 'mega.'

'For decades, the trickle-down economics has failed as income inequity grew to historic levels under the Republicans,' Biden said. 'The MEGA Republicans -- the MAGA Republicans  excuse me, I dont want to mispronounce it. The MAGA Republicans,' he said.
When James Cruickshank tested positive for Covid-19 this year, his girlfriend automatically assumed she was next.

The 30 year-old fitness fanatic and his partner, Steph Grant, live together in a rented apartment in Sydney.

But months later Ms Grant, 28, who admits she easily catches colds, is still Covid-free.

Months after Steph Grant's partner James Cruickshank got Covid, Ms Grant who admits she easily catches colds, is still Covid-free

Steph Grant, right, is far from alone in being baffled at why she's avoided much-feared virus

'I thought, if anyone is going to get it, it's for sure going to be me. But I didn't. It was super surprising,' she told SBS.

Ms Grant is not alone in being baffled at why she's avoided the much-feared virus.

For every story of someone who got sick with Covid-19, there seems to be a parallel tale of someone who expected to fall ill but didn't.

Aside from how Covid-19 started in the first place, why some people don't seem to get sick from it has been one of the greatest mysteries of the pandemic.

Now it is closer to finally being answered for sure, thanks to a ground-breaking Australian research team.

After nearly two and a half years since Covid was first detected, in Wuhan, China, it is now beyond doubt that some people can be exposed but won't get sick - regardless of whether they were vaccinated or not.

In simple terms, the reason some people don't get sick is immunity - either theirs is better or it's just enough to stop them getting sick.

For every story of someone who got sick with Covid-19 there seems to be a parallel tale of someone who expected to but didn't

There's also a rare group of people who may be entirely resistant, and a global research project involving three Australian institutions, called the Covid Human Genetic Effort is investigating.

'Although this is not proven yet, there may be individuals completely resistant to the infection itself, as seen with other viruses,' a statement from the project said.

Scientists are in the early stages of finding definite answers to why - because it's only recently apparent that not everyone is going to get Covid-19.

The evidence that it's more than just good luck that some people evade Covid-19 is now strong.

Partly that evidence comes from the extraordinary individual cases of people 'hyperexposed' to multiple positive cases, and sometimes caring for them, even without a facemask.

Some of these cases occurred within families where all but one person was sick with the virus, said John Christodoulou from the University of Melbourne, who is involved with the Covid Human Genetic Effort.

Melbourne immunologist Vanessa Bryant, who is studying transmission within households, says our immune systems are not all equal

Researchers now believe genetics could be the reason some people avoid getting sick from Covid while others appear healthy but get extremely ill

'We are collecting information and DNA from individuals who have been hyperexposed to Covid but who dont seem to contract Covid  for example, living in a household where multiple family members were infected, but one member of the household wasnt  to see if genetic factors can be identified that might offer protection against Covid infection,' said Mr Christodoulou.

Most evidence appears anecdotally from the sheer number of people who have responded to call-outs from researchers wanting to speak to people who never got ill, despite exposure.

Several international studies are underway to answer this question, which researchers ultimately hope will help improve Covid treatment for everyone,

And they have received thousands of volunteers eager to help.

Mayana Zatz, a geneticist from the University of Sao Paulo, went on Brazilian television asking people who had shared a bed with an infected partner but didn't get sick to contact her.

She received thousands of emails.

In another study, Imperial College researchers exposed 36 healthy, unvaccinated male and female volunteers (aged between 18 and 30) with a low dose of Covid - but only half became infected.

There's also a rare group of people who may be entirely resistant, and a global research project involving three Australian institutions, is investigating. One of them is the Garvan Institute (pictured)

In other words, coming into contact with Covid-19 and not getting sick - and not even becoming infected - might actually be very common, despite the high case rates/

This is not to say that Covid is a hoax, or not as serious as reported.

Just this week the World Health Organisation estimated 15 million people had died from Covid-19 or as a result of the pandemic in the last two years - far more than the officially reported toll of 6.25 million.

Either way that's far more than what Covid is sometimes compared to - influenza, which WHO says kills approximately 650,000 people a year.

The number of people who have fallen sick with Covid is a now a extraordinary 516 million across the globe.

But scientists now accept hundreds of thousands who were obviously exposed did not develop Covid-19.

How did they get that sort immunity? Medics now accept that in some cases, people who did not get sick were just lucky, while others simply had better immunity.

The duration and location of exposure to the virus exposure were vital, as well as how infectious the positive case was - known as their viral load.

But even in situations that people were exposed to someone with a high viral load, they didn't catch it.

The reason some people have better immunity to Covid is believed to be either because of their genes or the way their body responded to a previous virus.

A study by the Imperial College London found that high levels of T cells (a type of white blood cell) created when the body fought off a previous virus - such as the common cold - protects against Covid-19.

'The immune system is good at recognising viruses that aren't exactly the same but come from the same family,' said immunologist Professor Stuart Tangye from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 9 newspapers reported.

'Studies from 2020 found that 25-45 per cent of people who were studied and had not previously been infected with SARS-CoV2 had detectable levels of T cells that cross-reacted with SARS-CoV2.'

Genetic influences' can sometimes make people vulnerable to severe illness - or it can improve resistance

Melbourne immunologist Vanessa Bryant, who is studying transmission within households, says our immune systems are not all equal.

'Some people might generate an immune response that just makes better antibodies  and we do think this is largely genetic,' said Ms Bryant, of the Immunogenetics Research Laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Part of the answer could be in so-called genetic mutations, which can be a good or a bad thing.

Professor Tangye said 'genetic influences' can sometimes make people vulnerable to severe illness - or it can improve resistance.

'There are populations of people who probably should have been infected and sick but werent,' he said.

Scientists also suspect that genetics could be to blame for young otherwise healthy people developing severe Covid where older, apparently more vulnerable people get less severe symptoms.

'There was clearly a subset - small, rare - but there was a subset of individuals who were otherwise healthy and who developed very serious infections, life-threatening infections.'

He claimed up to five per cent of severe COVID-19 cases in people under 70 could be caused by undiagnosed genetic defects.

Those lucky 'unicorns' who manage to escape infection even at close quarters will be able to sail through the pandemic.

But medics warn against tempting fate and testing your resistance.

'I always encourage people to not go and deliberately get Covid,' added Professor Senanayake.

'Even if theyre young and healthy, they might have some unrecognised risk factor that could give them severe disease.'
A Russian tourist who begged forgiveness after offending furious locals by posing naked on a 700-year-old sacred tree in Bali will be deported, immigration officials said.

Alina Fazleeva, who has thousands of followers on Instagram, did naked yoga poses on a centuries-old weeping paperbark tree inside Babakan temple grounds in Tabanan regency in 2019.

The picture, which was taken by her husband Andrey Fazleev, was uploaded to Instagram and went viral, irking Balinese communities.

Police declined to charge her with a crime but turned her case over to immigration officers who took a dim view of someone Buddhist-Hindu devotees have branded a 'trashy tourist'.

Fazleeva boasted on social media about her nude photoshoot, saying she 'heard her ancestors' voices' while she was hugging the bark and being 'part of an endless chain'.

The self-proclaimed yogi's post was recently discovered by a furious local and reported to the police.

Alina Fazleeva enraged Hindu-Buddhist locals by doing naked yoga poses on a centuries-old weeping paperbark tree inside Babakan temple grounds in Tabanan regency of Bali in 2019

The naked photo that so enraged Balian locals and got Russian yoga practitioner Alina Fazleeva in hot water with Indonesian police

Locals believe mountains, trees and other natural features to be holy in Balinese Hindu culture, as they are thought to be the homes of the gods.

As police investigated the incident, Fazleeva went to the station 'to cooperate' - after first returning to the tree to 'ask its forgiveness'.

'Both of them are proven to have carried out activities that endanger public order and do not respect the local norms,' Bali immigration chief Jamaruli Manihuruk told reporters Friday.

'So, they will be sanctioned with deportation.'

The husband and wife will be banned from Indonesia for at least six months, and also had to participate in a cleansing ceremony at the sacred area in accordance with local belief, he added.

But some locals wondered whether she violated draconian Indonesian pornography laws, which warrant up to 15 years imprisonment and a 2 billion rupiah fine (110,528).

Fazleeva apologised on her Instagram account in English and Bahasa Indonesia, acknowledging that she 'made a big mistake'.

'There are a lot of sacred places in Bali and not all of them have information signs about it, as in my case,' she said.

'And, it is very important to treat these places and traditions with respect'.

Tabanan Police Chief Ranefli Dian Sandra said Fazleeva came to the station on May 4 where they questioned her and turned the case over to immigration officers.

Police Chief Ranefli added that the pictures were apparently old and around 2019 before the pandemic.

He said: 'We have also sent a team to investigate. The pictures and videos appeared to have been captured around 2019 before the pandemic.

The area had been trimmed off now of bushes. Before, there were tall grasses in the area and was difficult to reach.'

Before turning herself to the police, Fazleeva reportedly went back to the same tree, now dressed in a white shirt and long blue pants, with a man 'to ask for forgiveness'.

She said: 'I apologise to all Balinese and Indonesian people, I regret my actions.

'I'm so embarrassed, I didn't mean to offend you in any way, I had absolutely no knowledge of this place.

'I just prayed under a tree and went straight to the police station to explain this incident and apologise.'

Fazleeva also reportedly contacted the local, Niluh Djelantik, who complained about her to the police to apologise.

Niluh thanked Alina and accepted the apology, but noted that the investigations into the incident should continue.

Kurnya Wijaya, a temple caretaker, said a cleansing ceremony would 'clear the tree of the obscenities' and urged the woman to shoulder the expenses.

Before turning herself to the police, Alina, pictured with her husband, reportedly went back to the same tree, now dressed in a white shirt and long blue pants, with a man 'to ask for forgiveness'

'The ceremony would be a form of apology to the temple and clear the tree of the obscenities.

'I hope the woman would shoulder the expenses and take responsibility. This was not the first time that our temples and sacred grounds were disrespected by tourists.'

The temple caretaker added that they would re-evaluate the temple rules and implement stricter regulations, especially for tourists.

He said: 'This is a holy place, being looked after only by three people. If tourists could not behave themselves while inside, we will be forced to make strict rules for them.'

The investigations are ongoing and would be handled by the immigration officers and the Bali Police directorate.

Bali's Governor Wayan Koster said his administration would no longer tolerate disrespectful tourists.

Almost 200 people were deported from the holiday island last year, some of them for violating Covid-19 protocols.

Last month, a Canadian actor and self-proclaimed wellness guru was also facing deportation from Bali after a video went viral of him naked at holy Mount Batur while doing the Haka, New Zealand's Maori ceremonial dance.
The co-founder of a banned fascist group who was photographed doing a Nazi salute in a concentration camp execution chamber has told a court he does not believe the Holocaust occurred.

Alex Davies, 27, told court in Winchester that the Hitler regime committed 'crimes against Jews' before adding 'no regime is perfect'.

He is on trial accused of being a member of the organisation National Action (NA) after it was banned on December 16 2016.

Winchester Crown Court was told that the UK Government outlawed the group after it had 'terrorised' towns across the country with its call for an 'all-out race war'.

Davies then set up 'continuity' group NS131, which stood for National Socialist Anti-Capitalist Action and which was also banned by the Government, it was claimed.

The court has heard that Davies was photographed in May 2016 giving a Nazi salute and carrying an NA flag in the execution chamber at the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, where 56,000 Jews were murdered in the Second World War.

Alex Davies arrives at Winchester Crown Court last month where the 27-year-old, from Swansea, is charged with membership of a banned terrorist organisation

During a four-minute video shown in court last month, a man alleged to be Davies is seen briefly in a hoodie flanked by masked men holding banners reading 'Britain is ours - the rest must go' and carrying out 'Sieg Heil' Nazi salutes

Alex Davies, co-founder of neo-Nazi group National Action, allegedly held a protest dubbed the 'Battle of Liverpool'. Pictured: Evidence shown to the court

Davies said he felt 'badly' about the photograph which also featured fellow NA member Mark Jones, and added: 'I am not sure that it was a good thing to do, that it was the right thing to do.'

He added: 'I do not believe there was a systematic extermination of Jews. I can't be a national socialist if the Holocaust occurred, I cannot support an ideology that supports genocide.

'I have the same moral compass as anyone else, I believe murder is wrong and I cannot support something that engaged in systematic genocide of people because they are Jewish.'

Davies admitted he was photographed in York a month after the Germany visit, carrying a banner saying 'Hitler was right'.

He said: 'Hitler was right about many things. As a national socialist I believe his principles, generally speaking, are in accord with my own.'

He accepted that 'some people' would interpret this as referring to the Holocaust.

The court heard that a sticker saying 'National Action Final Solution' was featured on the NS131 website.

The jury has also been shown a poster based on the Reservoir Dogs movie, showing NA members with nicknames.

Barnaby Jameson QC, prosecuting, told the court that Davies was called The Founder on the poster, with other members named Gasser Darren and Zyklon Ben, referring to the Holocaust.

Davies said he did not use the term 'final solution' to refer to the Holocaust and added: 'I believe it means a political solution, a national solution that would fix many problems in the country.'

He has said the aim of NA was to 'bring young people into nationalism' and to create a 'nationalist Britain which would be a white Britain'.

But he has told the court that NS131 was not set up as a continuation of NA and had different aims and processes.

Davies, from Swansea, denies membership of a proscribed organisation between December 17 2016 and September 27 2017.

Davies, from Swansea, denies membership of a proscribed organisation between December 17 2016 and September 27 2017, and the trial at Winchester Crown Court (pictured) continues

The court has heard that Davies was photographed in May 2016 giving a Nazi salute and carrying an NA flag in the execution chamber at the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, where 56,000 Jews were murdered in the Second World War

Davies previously told the court that he denied continuing being a member of NA after the ban, and said he had not attempted to defy it.

He said of the ban: 'I felt it was an unprovoked move, but in some respects, given the provocative nature of the organisation, I understood the thinking behind the proscription

'I understood why people in the Home Office would be concerned about what National Action was involved in, not so much what it was doing at the time but the trajectory it was on.'

Davies, who said that it was his idea to set up NA in the summer of 2013 before he went to Warwick University to study philosophy, also told the court he had not attempted to challenge the proscription, although others had.

He said: 'I felt it was an opportunity to reassess what we had been doing and to start with a blank slate and come up with ways of doing things that would be more productive.'

He said that he left after one year after his link to an NA demonstration in Liverpool was exposed by an undercover reporter for the Sunday Mirror.

Davies told the court that he had previously been involved in several other organisations which included Ukip, the BNP, the Hunt Saboteur Association and British Movement.

He was also a member of Western Spring, which he described as an 'organisation that aims to create white communities'.

Davies said that he set up NA because as a 'national socialist' he was 'politically homeless' after the BNP had 'imploded'.

He said that he did not believe in 'fomenting a race war' because it would 'create harm to my own people'. Davies said the aim of the group was to 'bring young people into nationalism' and to create a 'nationalist Britain which would be a white Britain'.

He admitted that he posed carrying out a Nazi salute for a photo in the execution chamber at Buchenwald concentration camp in May 2016.

Davies said that he was 'ashamed' of his actions and added: 'It was a disgraceful thing to do where people have died and desecrate their memory, whatever side of the political spectrum they may have fallen on.'

He said that he had not agreed or been involved with Twitter posts put out by NA accounts which 'celebrated' the murder of MP Jo Cox in June 2016.

The defendant, from Swansea, said: 'I felt bad that she died, I feel sorry for her kids, I feel sorry for her husband.'

He denies membership of a proscribed organisation between December 17 2016 and September 27 2017.

The trial continues.
A teenage girl and a woman have been killed and two others including a child seriously injured during a gun rampage at a Dutch farm day centre for disabled children near the city of Rotterdam.

Police said that a 38-year-old man has been arrested and the firearm seized following the shootings at the Tro Tardi farm in Alblasserdam on Friday.

The gunman, named by local media as John S., opened fire at 11am local time at the farm, killing a 34-year-old woman whose horse was in the stables at the farm and a 16-year-old girl.

A 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman were also seriously wounded in the attack and rushed to hospital, Rotterdam police said.

Forensics work on the scene where two people were shot dead and two wounded at a 'care farm' for people with mental or social issues, in Alblasserdam on Friday

Police in the Netherlands said Friday that two people have been killed and two seriously wounded in a shooting at a countryside home for people with disabilities on a farm near the city of Rotterdam. Pictured: A police officer holds a grieving woman at the scene

Witnesses said they heard several shots at the farm before they fled into the nearby meadow in panic.

The male suspect has been known to police for several years as 'confused and a nuisance' but he has no criminal record, several Dutch media reported. In October 2017, he made a public suicide attempt.

The Tro Tardi farm is a day centre where up to 15 children, young people and adults with conditions such as autism and Alzheimer's work with animals as a form of therapy, broadcaster NOS said.

Ad Donk is waiting to see his 29-year-old son Ernst, who was at the farm at the time of the shooting. He said his son, who has Down's syndrome and has visited the centre for six years, escaped without being harmed.

'Fortunately, nothing happened to him, but he did see it happen,' Donk, who cycled to the farm as soon as he heard of the shooting, told the Rijnmond broadcaster.

'I don't know what his condition is. He is a sensitive boy. This is really intense.'

Donk said Ernst looks after the animals and can go horse riding at the farm.

Investigators work at a care farm in Alblasserdam after a deadly shooting in which a 16-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were killed

Police said that a 38-year-old man has been arrested and the firearm seized following the shootings at the Tro Tardi farm in Alblasserdam on Friday. Pictured: Police at the scene

Donk told Dutch newspaper Het Parool: 'Every day, about ten to fifteen young people are present at the daytime activities. The staff tries to calm those present as best as possible.'

Rotterdam police said in a statement: 'The suspect has been arrested and the firearm has been seized. The witnesses are taken care of, help is arranged for them. The investigation is underway.'

The rampage took place in Alblasserdam, overlooking the famed Kinderdijk windmills near Rotterdam, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Two air ambulances had landed at the scene and numerous emergency vehicles were stationed outside the farm. People were urged to stay away from the area.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow...
Nadiya Trubchaninova, 70, sits next to a plastic bag that contains the body of her son Vadym Trubchaninov, 48, who was killed by Russian soldiers in Bucha on March 30, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 12. AP-Yonhap



Amnesty International said on Friday there was compelling evidence that Russian troops had committed war crimes, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, when they occupied an area outside Ukraine's capital in February and March.



Civilians also suffered abuses such as "reckless shootings and torture" at the hands of Russian forces during their failed onslaught on Kyiv in the early stages of the invasion launched by the Kremlin on Feb. 24, the rights group said in a report.



"These are not isolated incidents. These are very much part of a pattern wherever Russian forces were in control of a town or a village," Donatella Rovera, Amnesty's senior crisis response adviser, told a news conference in Kyiv.



Russia, which calls its invasion a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists, denies its forces committed abuses. Kyiv and its Western backers say the fascism claim is a false pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression.



Ukrainian authorities say they are investigating more than 9,000 potential war crimes by Russian troops. The International Criminal Court is also looking into alleged war crimes.



The Amnesty report is the latest to document alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces when they occupied an area northwest of Kyiv, including the town of Bucha, where Ukrainian authorities say more than 400 civilians were killed. Moscow withdrew its troops in early April.











The bodies of four people who died during the Russian occupation await burial during funerals in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, April 20. AP-Yonhap
A nine year-old boy who recently beat cancer was beaten to death and dumped outside under a chair, with cops arresting his dad over an assault on the youngster last year.

Azuree Charles was first reported missing from his home in Haser, Pennsylvania, a little after 6 am on Wednesday.

The youngster's remains were later found on Wednesday covered with a lawn chair in a wooded near Haser Street, police said.

Police picked up the boy's father, Jean Charles, who had been on a warrant in connection with a different case stemming from charges of assault and child endangerment in a November 2021 incident.

Azuree Charles, 9, was first reported missing from his home in Haser, Pennsylvania on Wednesday. His remains were found later that day covered with a lawn chair in a wooded near Haser Street, police said. The elementary grade student had beaten an unspecified form of pediatric cancer, and was described as a gentle child who was well-liked by locals

Police picked up the boy's father, Jean Charles, who had been on a warrant in connection with a different case stemming from charges of assault and child endangerment in a November 2021 incident. Charles was was accused of punching his son in the eye, which resulted in bruising on the boy's face. He was denied bail. Investigators are calling the boy's death a homicide. A person of interest has been identified; however, police have not named any suspects or have said whether they are considering the boy's father as a suspect in the case

A photo of the outside of the home that Azuree lived near Haser, Street, Pennsylvania, that is now a crime scene. Police told neighbors, who felt uneasy about the safety of their own children, after the news of Charles death, that there was no threat to the community

Charles was was accused of punching his son in the eye, which resulted in bruising on the boy's face, WPXI-TV News reported.

He was denied ball, the news station said.

Investigators are now calling the boy's death a homicide.

On Thursday, a person of interest had been identified, in the boy's murder.

However, investigators have not named any suspects or have said whether they are considering the boy's father as a suspect in the case.

They did say there is no further danger to the public from whoever they believe to have killed Azuree.

But investigators did not comment specifically on whether that's because Azuree's father Jean Charles is now behind bars.

'He did die at the hands of another person," Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said at a press conference on Thursday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Police told neighbors, who felt uneasy about the safety of their own children, after the news of Charles death, that there was no threat to the community.

Neighbors had organized a vigil to honor Azuree, who had three younger sisters, in hopes of paying tribute to the youngsters short life and to help heal their own children traumatized by the tragedy.

They say that he had recently beaten an unspecified form of pediatric cancer, and that Azuree was a gentle child who was well-liked by locals.

The investigation is ongoing and is being handled by Westmoreland County Detective Bureau and the New Kensington Police Department.
Fake election posters have been put up at the graveyard where an Independent candidate buried her husband a few weeks ago.

The doctored posters of Penny Ackery, Independent candidate for the NSW electorate of Hume, have had a Greens party emblem added next to her picture.

Ackery, who lost her husband John Steel to cancer last month, voiced her disgust on Twitter at the heartless election dirty trick.

Independent for Hume electorate was disgusted with the signage (pictured) that was put up at the graveyard where she buried her husband , 'weeks ago'

The post read the campaign against her and others was 'coordinated' and 'senseless'

'This is a cowardly and senseless attack. Fake signs put on the very fence of the graveyard where I buried my husband, just weeks ago,' her post read.

'Spreading misinformation about the #independents as part of a coordinated campaign.'

It comes as the Australian Electoral Commission launchd an investigation after a series of similar posters popped up in various seats across the state.

Other electorates that fell victim to the offensive against Independents - labelling them Greens candidates - included the NSW electorates of Mackellar, Warringah and Hughes.

Fabricated images of independents Zali Steggall, Sophie Scamps and Georgia Steele labelled with the Greens party logo all appeared overnight in their areas.

Electoral law requires election propaganda to have an authorised statement, which is absent from these posters - some being found tied to candidate's legitimate signage.

Zali Steggall copped it to, with a sign (pictured) popping up in her electorate of Warringah

Big stickers were found plastered on independent candidate Monique Ryan signs, who is vying for the Melbourne electorate of Kooyong - held by Josh Frydenberg.

One sticker with an image of Ryan with Albanese read, 'vote Ryan and you get Labor', with a caption over Ryan saying, 'You go Albo'.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said the posters had no affiliation with the party, and that whoever was behind the stunt had 'committed a criminal act'.

The AEC said it had received several reports and complaints about the fake posters and would be taking it 'extremely seriously.'

Independent candidate for Mackellar had doctored posters (pictured) put up of her belonging to the Greens party

A spokesman added: 'It appears to be unauthorised signage in breach of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

'We are endeavouring to find information regarding who is behind the signage.'

The Advance Australia Party were blamed on social media for the fake poster campaign after running a similar strategy on the side billboard trucks, but party chiefs strongly denied the allegation.

The party is a conservative group who espouse beefing up Australia's military muscle along with nuclear energy reliance for the nation.
One of Britain's worst paedophiles, who coaxed nursery worker Vanessa George to sexually abuse babies and toddlers, could be freed from jail as he prepares for a parole board hearing.

Colin Blanchard, 51, was handed an indeterminate sentence in 2011 for sex abuse charges and told he would serve a minimum of nine years.

It came after he recruited George to abuse 64 babies in her care for his notorious paedophile gang.

Blanchard, from Rochdale, is currently held at Category C HMP Wymott, near Leyland, Lancashire, and will appear before a Parole Board on July 4, MailOnline can reveal.

He will give evidence via a video link to a judge, psychologist and an independent member.

If the panel recommends him for release, he could be released from prison by mid August.

Colin Blanchard, 51, has been referred to the Parole Board to be considered for release after he was handed an indeterminate sentence in 2011 for sex abuse charges and told he would serve a minimum of nine years

The paedophile had convinced nursery worker Vanessa George (pictured) to abuse 64 babies and toddlers in her care

She cruelly refused to tell police the names of all her victims, leading to a decade of 'hell' for families

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm the parole review of Colin Blanchard has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes. A hearing is expected to take place in early July.

'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.

'The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'

Blanchard's case was first referred to the Parole Board two years ago by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

But experts judged he was not ready to be released from jail without holding a hearing.

He was subsequently required to complete another course in jail designed to prevent re-offending.

The case was reviewed by a psychologist before a date could be set to consider his status.

The MoJ referred his case to be considered after he had completed his nine-year minimum sentence.

Police officers outside Little Ted's Child Day Care Unit in Laira, Plymouth, after the unit was closed

Offenders are only brought before the Parole Board every two years.

The paedophile had convinced nursery worker Vanessa George to abuse babies and toddlers in her care at Little Ted's nursery in Efford, Plymouth.

She shared videos of her attacks with Blanchard and jailed for seven years and released in September 2019.

Families of the many young victims will be allowed to air their views on Blanchard's potential release in impact statements to experts.

George is back on the streets after serving ten years in prison for abusing up to 64 babies.

She cruelly refused to tell police the names of all her victims, leading to a decade of 'hell' for families.

During his sentencing hearing in 2011, Blanchard was described as a 'Svengali' figure at the centre of one of the 'most sickening paedophile rings this country has ever seen'.

The IT worker persuaded a string of middle-aged women he met on Facebook to abuse children for his sexual pleasure.

Angela Allen and Tracey Lyons, who were both jailed for their roles in the ring, have already been released from prison.

Police uncovered their activities only when Blanchard forgot to log out of his personal email account and his business partner spotted images of child abuse.
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he was 'flabbergasted' but a proposal to send 250,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border while he was serving in former President Donald Trump's Cabinet.

In a sit-down with 60 Minutes set to air Sunday, Esper revealed that it was Trump adviser Stephen Miller - an anti-immigration hardliner - who floated the plan, claiming that a large caravan of migrants was en route.

'I think he's joking,' Esper told CBS' Norah O'Donnell. 'And then I turn around and I look at him in these deadpan eyes. It's clear that he is not joking. And I say something like, "Well, look, DHS can handle whatever caravans are coming up. They've done so in the past."'

But Miller stood his ground.

'He said - he repeats - "No, we need a quarter-million troops." And I just turned squarely around him, face him and say, "I don't have a quarter-million troops to send on some ridiculous mission to the border,' Esper recalled.

Esper, who worked for Trump from July 2019 to November 2020, is publishing a memoir, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, which arrives on bookshelves Tuesday.

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper (right) said he was 'flabbergasted' but a proposal to send 250,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border while he was serving in former President Donald Trump's (left) Cabinet

In a sit-down with 60 Minutes set to air Sunday, Esper revealed that it was Trump adviser Stephen Miller (pictured) - an anti-immigration hardliner - who floated the plan, claiming that a large caravan of migrants was en route

Central American migrants heading in a caravan to the U.S. cross into Mexico from Guatemala in January 2020. Stephen Miller used the threat of a large caravan to try and push for a quarter-million U.S. troops to be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border

Additionally, Trump proposed 'quietly' launching missiles into Mexico to take out drug labs run by cartels, Esper wrote in an excerpt obtained by The New York Times.

Trump, angered by drugs coming into the U.S. across the southern border, asked Esper at least twice if the military could 'shoot missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs.'

Esper said Trump was dismissive of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and told him: 'They don't have control of their own country.'

Esper said he objected, but Trump replied: 'We could just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly,' adding that 'no one would know it was us.'

Trump said, according to the book, that he would just say that the United States had not conducted the strike.

Esper said he initially believed Trump was joking, until he saw his face.

Trump is pictured with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's president, at the White House in July 2020

Mexican officials are pictured dismantling a clandestine drug lab in Sinaloa, Mexico, in June 2019

A Mexican officer stands guard over the makeshift lab in El Dorado, Sinaloa. Trump wanted to launch missiles into Mexico to take the labs out, and then deny the U.S. was responsible

Trump has not responded to Esper's allegation.

Esper, 58, was fired by tweet by Trump in November 2020, with Trump saying he had been 'terminated'.

Esper's book will be published on Tuesday

An infantry officer who served in the Gulf War, Esper was chief of staff at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation before working for several aerospace and weapons manufacturers.

Trump made him Secretary of the Army in June 2017.

Esper writes, according to The New York Times, that Trump was emboldened and more erratic after his first impeachment, in December 2019.

On May 9, 2020, Trump behaved so erratically during a meeting about China with the Joint Chiefs of Staff that one officer confided in Esper he had begun researching the 25th Amendment.

Esper said he personally never felt that Trump's behavior rose to that level.

He was alarmed, however, by many of Trump's demands.

The president was angered by the protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd, and wanted Esper to put 10,000 active-duty troops on the streets of Washington on June 1, 2020.

Trump asked Esper of the demonstrators: 'Can't you just shoot them?'

Donald Trump is pictured in April 2020 with Bill Bar (left), the attorney general, and Esper (right)

Esper writes that there were several officials around Trump who he thought were particularly dangerous including Miller.

Beyond the plot to send troops to the border, Miller suggested in October 2019, when members of Trump's team were gathered in the White House to watch the raid that killed the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Miller wanted to cut off Baghdadi's head, dip it in pig's blood and parade it around to warn other terrorists.

Esper says he told Miller it would be a 'war crime'.

Besides Miller, Esper said he also clashed with Mark Meadows, who became chief of staff at the end of March 2020.

The former Defense Secretary claimed that Meadows would frequently issue orders in Trump's name, but Esper at times doubted whether Trump was aware of the commands.

Esper also found Robert O'Brien - Trump's national security adviser in the final year - difficult.

He accused O'Brien of advocating an aggressive approach to Iran, without considering the potential fallout.

Esper said he considered resigning, but felt that he needed to keep working at the White House to balance the influence of others.

He sent his book to more than two dozen four-star generals, some cabinet members and others to weigh in on accuracy and fairness.

'I felt like I was writing for history and for the American people,' he said.
The bare-chested, Viking-hat-wearing lunatic who stormed the Capitol, barged through the halls of Congress and stood on the rostrum on the House floor has become an avatar for all that is bad, ugly, and dangerous about the far-right.

This Idiot Shaman represents the insurrectionists, radicals, QAnon supporters and extremists who would rather watch the country burn than make any attempt whatsoever to heal the hardline political divisions in this country.

His is also the convenient face for all those lazy people in the mainstream media, who want to blanket stereotype everyone on the right, anyone who doesn't vote for Democrats, is pro-life, owns guns, lives in the middle of the country, doesnt

watch CNN or works in a job that leaves them sore at the end of the day.

To some in the media, all conservatives are the moral equivalent of the Viking-helmet-insurrectionist.

This blanket stereotyping only adds to the radicalization of the deplorables, who already know how much the powers that be hate them.

But never -- and I mean absolutely never -- in my wildest dreams did I believe that Joe Biden agreed with this sentiment or would endorse it himself.

I was clearly wrong.

The January 6th insurrection occurred after Biden was elected but the infamous irredeemable basket of deplorables slur coined by Hillary Clinton had already become a common sentiment for many on the left.

Multiple Democratic candidates running for president in 2020 could barely contain their revulsion with the 74 million people who eventually pulled the lever for Trump.

If you thought that President Donald Trump demonized his political opponents  then what would you say about this? (Left) President Joe Biden in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 4, 2022 (Right) President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt room on November 1, 2018

I never understood why anyone would run to represent a group of people that they wished didn't exist.

The very concept of it is not only ridiculous but elitist and arrogant.

When Biden was elected, he said in his victory speech that he doesn't see red and blue states but a United States and that he would work with all my heart to win the confidence of the whole people.

He said that he sought this office to restore the soul of America.

I remember loving that speech and feeling confident and hopeful that even if I disagreed with the man's politics, he would help heal the country and guide our nation in the patriotic spirit of so many people before him.

He ended his remarks by saying, It's time to put away the harsh rhetoric. To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again. To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans.

I was lied to and so were you.

President Biden lied to all of us and I feel like an idiot for believing anything he said in that speech.

Want to see the proof?

On Wednesday, Biden lumped together Republicans, conservatives, pro-lifers, sitting Supreme Court justices and Trump supporters as a MAGA crowd representing the most extreme political organization in [recent] American history.

Biden was teed-up and set off by the potential repeal of Roe v. Wade revealed by a leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion.

And heres the whopper.

In one of the most irresponsible examples of intentionally divisive rhetoric that Ive ever heard uttered by a president, Biden mused about the future.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (above) was asked about this and her answer was just as revealing. We dont know what they are capable of  she said. Right Jen -- half the country is capable of anything.

What happens if you have - a state changes the law saying that - that children who are LGBTQ can't be in classrooms with other children? Is that - is that legit under the way the decision is written? What are the next things that are going to be attacked?

Excuse me? Who in the world has ever suggested such a vile proposal?

If you thought that President Donald Trump demonized his political opponents  then what would you say about this?

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about this and her answer was just as revealing.

We dont know what they are capable of  she said.

Right Jen -- half the country is capable of anything.

Ill tell you what is deplorable. This irresponsible, craven rhetoric.

The reality is that this new slur didnt come out of nowhere. Its almost as if Biden was waiting for this moment.

Earlier this month in Seattle, Biden said, this is the MAGA party now... these guys are a different breed of cat.

Because remember -- there's no difference between conservatives. Were all just the guy in the Viking helmet.

This isn't someone saying this on cable news in the middle of the night, this is the sitting President of the United States, who ran on bringing America together.

I know real pro-life Americans.

I am a pro-life American.

And I am NOT in the MAGA crowd.

In fact, Biden himself was against the Roe decision for at least a decade.

I dont like the Supreme Court decision on abortion. I think it went too far, he told the Washingtonian in 1974.

In 1982, he backed a proposed Constitutional amendment to undo the decision and let states decide, as the leaked draft ruling prescribes.

He consistently voted against taxpayer funding for abortion.

He voted against late-term abortion practices.

He was, in other words, at least someone who wouldn't demonize fellow Americans who sincerely believe that abortion is a grievous crime against our humanity.

So, what happened?

I know real pro-life Americans. I am a pro-life American. And I am NOT in the MAGA crowd. In fact, Biden himself was against the Roe decision for at least a decade. (Above) A line of pro-life demonstrators watch as pro-choice demonstrators chant in front of an un-scalable fence that stands around the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2022

Every single poll shows President Biden and his administration are losing. Thats what happened.

He is losing among demographics that Democrats once thought voted for them by default.

Hispanic voters are abandoning the Democratic party in droves. Biden is historically unpopular and so is his party.

The midterm elections are anticipated to be nothing short of a Game of Thrones-style red wedding for Washington Democrats.

Winning political messages typically don't start with telling people they're evil if they don't agree with you.

By suggesting, without any basis, that they are homophobic, racist, or deplorable because they disagree on an issue of such profound and personal significance that it has divided the country for decades.

I don't know if it hasn't occurred to the snobs and sycophants advising our President, but you must stop demonizing half the country even as you claim to be about unity and civility.

Your party is wallowing in an almost religious dedication to idea that you are holier than everyone else.

Why would anyone repeat the very same mistake of stereotyping, belittling, and insulting millions of voters?

I have no idea other than an insane degree of arrogance.

They should remember that on the morning after Election Day, they will wake up and still have to share America with everyone else.
China sent 18 warplanes including fighters and bombers into Taiwan's air defence zone on Friday, the island's government said, in its second-largest incursion this year.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said it scrambled its own aircraft to broadcast warnings and deployed air defence missile systems to track the jets.

Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by Beijing, which sees the self-ruled democratic island as part of its own territory to be retaken one day, by force if necessary - something China has not been shy to admit.

The final quarter of 2021 saw a spike in incursions by China into Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), with the biggest single-day breach on October 4 when 56 warplanes entered the zone.

China sent 18 warplanes including fighters and bombers into Taiwan's air defence zone on Friday, the island's government said. Pictured: A Chinese fighter jet takes off from the Chinese Navy's Liaoning aircraft-carrier in December in the Western Pacific (file photo)

On Friday Taiwan said 18 Chinese aircraft - including 12 J-11 and J-16 fighter jets as well as two H-6 bombers, two Air Police-500 aircraft and one Yun-8 remote dryer 1 -crossed into the ADIZ, Taipei's defence ministry said.

The bombers, accompanied by a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew to the south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel which separates the island from the Philippines.

The other aircraft flew over an area to the northeast of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top end of the South China Sea, according to a ministry map.

Following the incident, Taiwan's foreign ministry released a series of images of the types of Chinese aircraft that it tracked through its air defence zone.

It was the second-largest single-day sortie this year, after 39 warplanes entered the zone on January 23, according to a database compiled by AFP.

Taiwan only started regularly publicising its data on foreign air incursions in September 2020.

Taiwan said 18 Chinese aircraft - including 12 J-11 and J-16 fighter jets (pictured left and right in file photos released by Taiwan's foreign ministry) entered its air space

Two H-6 bombers (shown left) were escorted by a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft (shown right), Taiwan said

Two Air Police-500 aircraft (pictured left) and one Yun-8 remote dryer 1 (pictured right) also entered Taiwan's air defence space, the foreign ministry said on Friday

Taiwan's foreign ministry released this map showing where the Chinese aircraft travelled through its air defence identification zone (ADIZ)

October 2021 remains the busiest month on record, with 196 incursions, 149 of which were made over just four days as Beijing marked its annual National Day.

China has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was elected president in 2016, as she considers the island a sovereign nation and not part of Chinese territory - a position that China deems unacceptable.

Last year, Taiwan recorded 969 incursions by Chinese warplanes into its ADIZ, according to the AFP database - more than double the roughly 380 carried out in 2020. The figure so far for this year already exceeds 370 as of Friday.

The ADIZ is not the same as Taiwan's territorial airspace and includes a far greater area that overlaps with part of China's own ADIZ.

The incursion came after Japan this week reported eight Chinese naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier, passed between islands in Japan's southern Okinawa chain, to the northeast of Taiwan.

Taiwan has also been carrying out pre-announced missile and other drills off its southern and southeastern coasts this week.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and the Taiwan Strait remains a potentially dangerous military flashpoint.

China has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen (pictured in 2021) was elected president in 2016, as she considers the island a sovereign nation and not part of Chinese territory - a position that China deems unacceptable

Chinese president Xi Jinping (pictured right) has spoken about his desire to 'reunify' mainland China with Taiwan - which sees itself as a self-ruled democratic island. Analysts have suggested Beijing is watching the reaction to Vladimir Putin's (left) invasion of Ukraine closely, to see how other nations might react should it decide to send its own forces into Taiwan

Analysts have suggested that Beijing is watching the world's reaction to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine closely, to see how other nations might react should it decide to send its own forces into Taiwan.

So far, Western sanctions have crippled the Russian economy, but have no proven enough to force Putin to pull his troops back.

China's economy - the second largest in the world - is far larger than Russia's, with more foreign countries much more reliant on its trade than with Moscow.

It was reported this week that Chinese officials are looking at ways to defend the country from economic attack if the West should look to sanction China in the same way it did Russia  stoking fears the nation is preparing for an invasion of Taiwan.

China's regulators held an emergency meeting on April 22 between officials from Chinas central bank, the finance ministry, domestic banks operating within China, and international lenders such as HSBC.

In recent years, China has carried out a number of military drills that - from footage released by Beijing's military - appeared to be focusing on beach landing tactics.

Speaking in October last year at an event that marked the 110th anniversary of the revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, President Xi Jinping said that reunification with Taiwan 'must be realised'.

'No one should underestimate the Chinese people's staunch determination, firm will, and strong ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,' he said.

'The historical task of the complete reunification of the motherland must be fulfilled, and will definitely be fulfilled.'
Authorities in the Mexican Caribbean coastal state of Quintana Roo are continuing to search for an Australian woman and the Mexican father of her two-year-old daughter who were reported missing after their child was found alone at a church in Cancun.

Tahnee Shanks, 32, from Queensland, Australia, and Jorge Aguirre, 32, went reported missing after their daughter was spotted outside the chapel Sunday.

Family members, who say Shanks was 'always in the company of her daughter and her husband,' now fear for her safety and were due to arrive in Cancun on Friday to help with her search and reunite with Adelynn, the former couple's child.

Daniel Shanks, told the ABC that his sister claimed she was on a vacation with her family in a small fishing village with poor reception but something felt off.

'I'm assuming I was talking to him (Aguirre),' he said.

Tahnee Shanks (pictured right) had been traveling with her ex-partner Jorge Aguirre (middle) and their daughter (left) in Mexico before she was reported as missing

Tahnee Shanks and Adelynn were due to return to Australia in June but now her Australian family is traveling to Mexico to find her after the two-year-old was found by neighbors at the Chapel of the San Archangel (pictured)

Tahnee's two-year-old daughter Adelynn was found wandering the streets late at night. She currently in the care of child protection authorities

His comments came as further details emerged about how the two-year-old was found.

An urgent message posted to Facebook alerting the local community in the state of Yucatan that the girl had bizarrely been found.

He said his niece was 'dumped' at a church in the Mexican tourist town late at night and was found wandering the streets.

As for his sister, she sent photos of the beaches they were visiting but 'next minute nothing from her'.

He has offered a $5000 reward for his sister's safe return and has spent the last two days dealing with Mexican and Australian authorities

The last known photos of Tahnee Shanks and Aguirre show them in Las Coloradas, Yucatan, 93 miles from where their daughter was found in Cancun on Mexico's tropical southern tip.

One of the pictures shows Shanks standing on the flatbed of a pickup truck and holding Adelynn with the beach in the distance.

Shanks has no family in Mexico with her, but is normally active on social media. However, her family hasn't heard from her for days.

Jorge Aguirre has not been seen since May 2 when he was with Australian native Tahnee Shanks, the mother of his two-year-old daughter. A missing person's report was filed in Quintana Roo on Tuesday

A law enforcement official (right) holds Adelynn in his arms after she was found outside a Cancun church on Monday

Australian mother Tahnee Shanks shared with her family photos of her beach outing to Los Cuyos in Yucatan, Mexico, before she and the father of the two-year-old daughter went missing

Daniel has been trying to contact Aguirre, who drives a white Toyota Tundra.

A police public appeal for information about Shanks' whereabouts have been widely shared on both sides of the world.

Daniel Shanks said his sister had ended her relationship with Aguirre and was weeks away from heading home back to Australia with her daughter in June.

Tanhee Shanks moved eight years ago from Australia to Merida, Mexico. She split from Aguirre a year after Adelynn was born.

'She would have been home months ago,' Daniel Shanks told ABC. 'She thought she could get home easily, but America had shut down visas for Mexican-born people for a period because of COVID. She's had to go and get an Australian citizenship and passport for Addy to try and divert around that issue.'

Witnesses say they saw a man pass Adelynn to a stranger in front of a church in the 220 Quintana Roo district.

Another brother, Benjamin Shanks, and their mother Leanne will head to Mexico on Friday to join the search.

He told 7News he had received a call on Tuesday from his sister's former Australian boyfriend who had originally lived with her when they travelled to Mexico.

The man told him that a video was circulating on Mexican social media pages of a young girl found outside of a Cancun chapel.

He watched the video and the Mackay-based Shanks family recognized the girl as their niece and connected it with Tahnee Shanks' inactive social media accounts.

Australian motherTahnee Shanks (pictured with her ex-partner Jorge Aguirre) has gone missing in Mexico

Tahnee Shanks' family raised the alarm after they were made aware of photos being circulated of little Adelynn wandering Cancun alone late at night

Tahnee Shanks' family insists she would never leave her little girl, who turned two last November

Shanks had been living in Yucatan capital of Merida. She was waiting to receive her toddler's passport and had booked plane tickets to arrive in Australia on June 22.

It's understood little 'Addy' is currently safe and being cared for by child protection agency DIF.

The Shanks family and friends are fearing the worst.

'She's never off social media and she would never leave that girl. That's the scariest thing,' Ben Shanks told the outlet.

'We know Tahnee wouldn't leave that girl on her own.'

Concerned friends also hold grave fears for Tahnee Shanks.

'She is a very dedicated mother and would never abandon her daughter. Something serious had to happen for the little girl to find herself alone,' a family friend wrote.

Mexico Police have launched a desperate search for missing Australian Tahnee Shanks

Tahnee Shanks (pictured middle) was on vacation with her ex-partner (right) and her daughter (left) when she vanished in Mexico, a continent away from any of her family

Tahnee Shanks' mother and brother are on their way to Mexico to find out what happened to her

Tahnee Shanks, 32, (pictured right) originally from the Whitsundays, Queensland, is missing in Mexico where she was on vacation

The devoted mum's social media pages are full of happy snaps of her little girl.

Shanks had been traveling the world since she was 18 and describes herself on social media as a 'Happy Hippy Ginger Ninja meering around the world one country at a time.'

Before she went overseas, she worked in Australia as an assistant nurse looking after the elderly, which she described as a rewarding career.

'The travel bug bit me in 2010 taking me on my first 18 month journey through Asia and parts of Europe volunteering and couch surfing my way across the country,' the freelance writer wrote on a travel blog for the Whitsundays.

Shanks returned home and saved for two years and then headed back overseas traveling through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and the United States before settling in Mexico.

She is described as having a fair complexion, and has red hair, light brown eyes, 5 feet 4 inches tall, thin build and has a distinctive tattoo along her right thigh.
Five healthcare professionals have been charged with criminal offences following allegations patients were unlawfully sedated at a hospital.

Lancashire Police said three nurses and two healthcare assistants who worked at Blackpool Victoria Hospital had been charged with offences including ill-treatment, relating to the unlawful sedation of patients, as well as the theft and supply of medication.

A major police investigation was launched after concerns were raised to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in November 2018.

Three nurses and two healthcare assistants who worked at Blackpool Victoria Hospital (pictured) had been charged with offences including ill-treatment

Detective Chief Inspector Jill Johnston said the investigation into five former hospital staff is ongoing, and appealed for more information

All of the charges police have made Catherine Hudson, 52, of Coriander Close, Blackpool seven offences of a care worker ill-treating/wilfully neglecting an individual eight offences of conspiring to steal from employer one offence of theft by employee one offence of perverting the course of justice Charlotte Wilmot, 47, of Bowland Crescent, Blackpool one offence of encouraging/assisting in the commission of an offence believing it will be committed  this relates to encouraging a nurse to sedate a patient one offence of conspiring to ill-treat a patient four offences of conspiring to steal from employer Matthew Pover, 39, of Bearwood Road, Smethwick, West Midlands one offence of conspiring to steal from employer one offence of theft by employee one offence of supplying a Class C drug one offence of offering to supply a Class C drug Victoria Holehouse, 31, of Riverside Drive, Hambleton two offences of conspiring to steal from employer Marek Grabianowski, 45, of Montpelier Avenue, Bispham three offences of conspiring to steal from employer one offence of perverting the course of justice Advertisement

On Friday, a force spokesman said Catherine Hudson, 52, of Coriander Close, Blackpool, was charged with seven counts of a care worker ill-treating/wilfully neglecting an individual, eight offences of conspiring to steal from an employer, one count of theft by employee and perverting the course of justice.

Charlotte Wilmot, 47, of Bowland Crescent, Blackpool, was charged with encouraging/assisting in the commission of an offence believing it will be committed, relating to encouraging a nurse to sedate a patient, conspiring to ill-treat a patient and four offences of conspiring to steal from an employer.

Matthew Pover, 39, of Bearwood Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, was charged with conspiring to steal from employer, theft by employee, supplying a Class C drug and offering to supply a Class C drug.

Victoria Holehouse, 31, of Riverside Drive, Hambleton, was charged with two counts of conspiring to steal from employer, and Marek Grabianowski, 45, of Montpelier Avenue, Bispham, was charged with three counts of conspiring to steal from an employer and one count of perverting the course of justice, police said.

The charges relate to the period between August 2014 and November 2018.

All five defendants are due to appear at Blackpool Magistrates' Court on May 31.

Detective Chief Inspector Jill Johnston said: 'This is a complex investigation into allegations of unlawful sedation and ill treatment of patients on the stroke unit at Blackpool over a number of years.

'The safety of patients and the public remains our absolute priority and this inquiry has investigated the care provided to often elderly and vulnerable people.

'Everyone should be safe in hospital, to receive the care they require and be treated with dignity and respect.

'Our investigation remains ongoing and we continue to provide support to the many families affected.

'I would encourage anyone with information to contact the investigation team in confidence and someone from the team will recontact you.'

Anyone with any information can contact the investigation team by calling 101, quoting log 0612 of May 4, or contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police added that the investigation is not linked to a 51-year-old man charged in December 2021 with a number of sexual assaults at the hospital.

The force also said that the murder investigation into the death of Valerie Kneale on the stroke unit continues.
Its now 10 years since nine members of an Asian grooming gang were finally brought to justice at the end of a landmark trial.

Six of those men made history by becoming the first in Britain to ever be convicted of sex trafficking.

My own elation was matched by that of the rest of the prosecution team who had poured over thousands of pages of evidence and listened to the heart-breaking accounts of the victims.

The case was rightly lauded as a landmark because wed finally broken through a legal roadblock  and in doing so had given a voice to a generation of broken, abandoned girls.

Previously, hundreds of vulnerable teenagers had been routinely let down by police and social workers.

Rather than go to the trouble of investigating the perpetrators, the authorities turned their gaze on the victims.

If a girl complained, it was she who was seen as the problem rather than the men - predominantly British Pakistanis - who had violated her at so-called 'parties' in seedy flats or houses.

Detectives and prosecutors alike were all too likely to dismiss her as 'flaky' and 'unreliable'. Just not the sort of girl that members of a jury were likely to believe.

The sea change achieved by the Rochdale trial was that we turned perceptions on their heads.

Firstly, we levelled with the jury by admitting wed botched earlier investigations. And secondly, we convinced them that these 'lost' girls really were to be believed.

But a decade on, Im horrified to say that I think weve gone backwards. Things are as bad now as they were in the dark days of 2011.

True, there is a new generation of police and safeguarding specialists who know how and where to look for the tell-tale signs of child sexual exploitation.

But behind that facade theres a failure by the authorities to properly engage. The hard truth is that were no longer policing the issue, nor prosecuting it, as well as we were five years ago.

Too many experienced people have left either the police or childrens services, and too many of those who remain have become complacent. Theyve thought Well, weve dealt with the bad guys, rather than thinking No, actually we havent, we need to keep going.

Whats happening is exactly what happened in 2008 when Girl A  later to become the star witness of the Rochdale trial  came forward as a victim.

Like her, the new generation of victims are seeing their cases put on hold while their suspected abusers roam free on bail. In some cases that can be for three years, four years, even five years.

Its become a perfect storm of poor messaging, inadequate resources, and the authorities being burdened with other priorities like adult rape, terrorism and even Covid policing.

On top of that weve got the Governments failure to do what it promised  to deport the men it said it would deport back in 2012.

The abusers arent stupid. They realise no one is taking it seriously and so theyre finding new victims even while theyre on bail. And the men around them see that and think they can do likewise.

The government could have completed the deportation process in months if theyd properly resourced it and prioritised it. Yet even now its not too late  and thats what Id urge the Home Office to finally do.

That way they can convince the victims that they didnt suffer in vain. That their trial wasnt simply something we ticked off as a job done. That as a society we wont put up with the scourge of child sexual exploitation.

I think Girl A in particular deserves recognition for her role in remedying the failings of our systems. Some have forgotten just how significant her contribution has been to the whole understanding of CSE.

But the fact is that the Rochdale case wouldnt have got anywhere without her. And the success of that case led to all the other landmarks in the sick catalogue of child sexual exploitation.

Jimmy Savile and Operation Yewtree, for starters. And the likes of Gary Glitter, Stuart Hall, Rolf Harris. All of those followed on from Rochdale and therefore, to a large degree, from the bravery of Girl A.

I find it astonishing that to this day shes never had a personal apology from Greater Manchester Police  even though its chief constable issued a very public one, along with compensation, to three other victims last month.

The BBCs Three Girls drama largely centred on Girl A (portrayed as Holly by actress Molly Windsor), and yet now the entire narrative around CSE seems to have almost erased her from history. The fact that shes been ignored in that GMP apology shocks and upsets me, and it should upset everyone else too.

Its almost going back to the way she was treated in 2008/2009. She was ignored then, and shes being ignored now.

For me this is the perfect time for the government both to atone and to recognise her bravery. The Prime Minister can do that by nominating her for the Queens Platinum Jubilee Honours List.

It wouldnt matter that her guarantee of lifelong anonymity means she couldnt be named.

But it would send the clearest of messages to all the past victims of CSE and all the future ones. That they WILL be listened to. And their suffering WILL be recognised.
A photo of Labour MP John Stonehouse walking with his Czech spymaster before he faked his own death has been revealed for the first time.

The grainy black and white image was taken secretly by the Czech secret service in 1967 so it could be used as potential kompromat to manipulate Stonehouse into revealing more secrets.

It shows Stonehouse and his Czech controller Robert Husak walking down Lowndes Street in Londons Belgravia towards the Carlton Tower Hotel at the height of the Cold War.

The picture was filed away in case it was ever needed to blackmail Stonehouse, who was then an aviation minister in Harold Wilsons Government.

It remained hidden away in Czech security service archives  long after Stonehouses spying activities were exposed  until it was recently found among a cache of photographs.

The image of the two men in dark suits and ties, and carrying newspapers is now due to be shown in the forthcoming Channel 4 documentary The Spy Who Died Twice.

The image, covertly taken by the Czech secret service, shows Stonehouse and his controller Robert Husak walking down Lowndes Street in Londons Belgravia towards the Carlton Tower Hotel at the height of the Cold War

Stonehouse is alleged to have first started spying for the Czechoslovakia in 1959 after he was promised help with his political ambitions and financial rewards in return for information

Keely Winstone, the director of the documentary, discovered the pictures while working on her co-authored book Agent Twister.

The book tells of Stonehouses life and gets its title from one of his codenames Twister, given to him by his handlers.

She said: I was gobsmacked when I first unearthed these photographs in the files when researching my book.

The Czechs took them in the hope that they could compromise Stonehouse into giving them better intelligence. Not only do they confirm the relationship, but theyre incredibly evocative of the 1960s and the era of Cold War espionage.

Stonehouse famously faked his own death in 1974  seven years after the picture of him with Husak was taken  when he left a pile of clothes on a beach in Miami to make it appear he had drowned or been taken by a shark.

He then assumed a new identity with a false passport and flew to Australia to escape his financial troubles and marriage, starting a new life with his young mistress and parliamentary secretary Sheila Buckley.

His wife of 27 years Barbara, the mother of his three children, was convinced that he had died until police arrested him in Melbourne nearly five weeks after his faked disappearance.

Australian police had initially suspected he was runaway peer Lord Lucan who was wanted for the murder of his childrens nanny Sandra Rivett.

Stonehouse was subsequently deported back to the UK and jailed for seven years for fraud after an Old Bailey trial in 1976, forcing him to stand down as an MP.

His disappearance was inevitably likened to the plot from the 1970s BBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, first screened just weeks after his trial.

The hit comedy featured middle class Perrin played by Leonard Rossiter, faking his death by stripping off and jumping into the sea to escape his boring life.

Stonehouse pictured during a trip to the US in 1967 ten years after he was first elected as a Labour Co-operative MP

Stonehouse was first elected as a Labour Co-operative MP in 1957 when he became Britains youngest MP at the age of 32.

Known for his dashing good looks, he was tipped to be a potential future Labour leader and Prime Minister.

He made a name for himself in 1959 by speaking out against the white minority Government in Southern Rhodesia during a fact finding trip to the African country which led to him being deported.

Stonehouse is alleged to have first started spying for the Czechoslovakian Security Services (StB) in 1959 after he was promised help with his political ambitions and financial rewards in return for information.

He was said to have been targeted after the spy network noted his weakness for women and his numerous affairs, despite being a married father-of-two.

His first handler Vlado Koudelka gave him the codename Kolon, in a nod to his interest in former British colonies.

As an opposition MP, he provided intelligence on the Labour Party and British colonies in Africa, where the Czechs were desperate to gain influence and trade.

The documentary has also unearthed reports written by Koudelka in the opened up archives, revealing that Stonehouse was at first paid more than 500 a year for information.

His report said: The recruitment of British Labour MP John Stonehouse was made. He accepted principles of conspiracy and agreed to obey by them.

He makes many interpellations in parliament to draw attention to himself. He is not driven by any one political concept he would fight for.

He is more interested in becoming someone in public life. I will make sure that the annual average does not fall below 500 and the amount will be associated with the quality of information.

I have confirmed that he is scared of being compromised. This is a positive finding as we could well use it in future.

Stonehouse was appointed Aviation Minister in 1967, when his codename was changed to Twister and his payments upped to 1,500 a year

A second handler, Premysl Holan, took over in 1961 and encouraged Stonehouses interest in Africa, suggesting meetings every few weeks, according to the files.

Holan described on meeting on 15th November 1961, writing Met at Lucullus Restaurant on Mincing Lane. Kolon provided short but valuable report on Tanganyika.

Another entry dated 8th December 1961 said: He parked his car in the dead end of Eden Street, NW1 and 100 was placed for a report on the British political approach towards Katanga.

By the time, Husak took over in 1966, Stonehouse was a Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation, and he was appointed Aviation Minister the following year.

Husak changed Stonehouses codename to Twister and upped his payment to 1,500 a year, in return for information regarding British government decisions in the matter of Germany, relations with USA and British policies regarding Africa.

One of their final meetings together was in the Chelsea Room, at the Carlton Tower Hotel.

Husak wrote: We went by taxi to the RAC Club at his request, and he got really drunk, something he has never done before.

He is deeply disillusioned with Labours dismal position. He accepted his handover will happen. We said the extent of co-operation of UK-Germany and UK-US relations, and he should make most use of his relationship with Wilson as possible.

Stonehouse began to try and distance himself from the Czechs by the time he was appointed to the prestigious role of Postmaster General in Harold Wilsons Government in 1968.

Stonehouse flew to Australia to escape his financial troubles and marriage, starting a new life with his young mistress and parliamentary secretary Sheila Buckley (left)

He came close to being identified as a spy in 1969 when Czech defector Major Josef Frolik included him in a list of more than 400 names of Western figures who had spied for the Soviet Bloc country.

But Stonehouse was able to persuade MI5 that there was no truth to the allegations and he was believed because of the lack of evidence.

His final handler Karel Pravec revealed that Stonehouse had stopped his spying activities, writing in the files on January 20, 1970: It has been impossible to contact Twister for over a year. He always feared exposure and interrupted co-operation.

Margaret Thatcher and senior Cabinet ministers had Stonehouse spying activities confirmed by another defector in 1980, but his treachery was again covered up due to insufficient evidence to charge him.

Stonehouse married his secretary Sheila in 1981 and tried to launch a new career as a thriller writer, but he died of a heart attack in 1988.

His spying activities were only exposed by the Mail On Sunday after the Czech Republic became a democracy in 1993 and eventually threw open its secret service archives.

The former MPs file, numbed 43075, was found to contain 500 pages of secret documents.

Stonehouse always maintained that he was not a traitor when allegations against him first emerged during his lifetime.

He once said: There was a Czech agent, a man called Husak, who was over here with the Czech embassy.

Certainly, any relationship I had with Husak was absolutely official. It is true that when I was a Minister and, indeed, before, I associated with Communist agents. I did not know at the time that they were spies.

The Spy Who Died Twice is on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday May 9.
Forrest Fenn's famed $1 million treasure chest was discovered in Yellowstone National Park, according to newly-filed legal documents.

The chest was long-rumored to have been buried within the park, which sits mainly in Wyoming, with a new lawsuit accusing Fenn of moving the booty finally confirming its location after five people died while trying to find it.

Fenn, who died in September 2020, had spurred thousands to look for his buried treasure, which was found a decade after it was hidden by Jack Stuef, 34, who uncovered the chest just months before the art dealer's death.

While Fenn and Stuef both swore themselves to secrecy of the treasure's location, a lawsuit filed by Florida treasure hunter Jamie McCracken could finally pinpoint its location.

McCracken has accused Fenn of moving the chest whenever he got close to it, and now wants its location revealed to prove his claims, Outside reported.

In an affidavit filed last month, Yellowstone National Park Chief Ranger Sarah Davis said she was alerted by Stuef and Fenn about the treasure's exact location after it was found.

Davis and park officials have warned that revealing where the intricate chest was dug up would send tourists stampeding to an area not equipped to handle an influx of people, and would cause damage to a fragile ecosystem.

But she has lost her attempt to avoid being deposed, meaning the location of the treasure will likely be revealed thanks to McCracken's proceedings.

Eccentric author and art dealer Forrest Fenn hid away a chest filled with at least $1 million worth of treasure in 2012 (above). The location of where the treasure was found in 2020 could finally be unveiled amid a lawsuit against his estate claiming Fenn moved the treasure

According to documents from the lawsuit, the treasure was found somewhere in Yellowstone National Park on June 5, 2020, three months before Fenn died. The park sits almost entirely within Wyoming, but also encroaches into Idaho and Montana too

Clues to the treasure's location were presented in a poem of his memoir, hinting that it was somewhere along the Rocky Mountains

Yellowstone National Park Chief Ranger Sarah Davis (above) said she was alerted to the treasures location after it was found, but said the area was not suitable to increased tourism

Jack Stuef, 34, spent two years hunting for the treasure before unearthing it in Yellowstone. He discreetly removed it from the park a day after finding it

U.S. attorney Kimberley Bell filed a motion to intervene in McCracken's case in April, arguing that publicizing the location of where the treasure was found would cause damage to the national park.

Davis said that in August 2020, a few weeks after the treasure was found, Stuef and Fenn spoke to her on Zoom to detail where the chest had been stashed, according to the court documents.

He is believed to have done so as part of a legal maneuver by Fenn which would allow whoever found the treasure to rightfully claim it as theirs, rather than having to forfeit it to the park itself.

Davis said she surveyed the land the following week and concluded that the spot was not suited for the increased foot traffic that revealing the treasure's location would bring.

The burial of the treasure chest, laden with gold and precious jewels, sparked a huge hunt among enthusiasts, with an estimated 350,000 joining in the search along the Rocky Mountains.

Millions of ordinary Americans were gripped by the saga too, sparking fears they'll now want to visit the spot where the treasure was buried, and see how it aligns to the clues given by Fenn on a poetic map.

Judge Francis J. Matthew denied the government's motion on May 4, saying it would cause undue delay to the case, but that the government could seek an injunction in federal court to keep the location a secret.

The infamous hunt to find retired art dealer Forrest Fenn's treasure began 12 years ago, when the he published a cryptic poem in his autobiography, titled the Thrill of the Chase, meant to lead prospective explorers to the a spot in the Rocky Mountains where he'd buried a stash of gold.

Fenn first came up with the idea in 1988 after receiving a cancer diagnosis that he thought was terminal. The mysterious spot where the treasure was secreted away was said to be a place where he had envisioned lying down to die.

The treasure, estimated to be worth $1-$3 million, was filled with gold and jewels

Fenn, who died in September 2020, first came up with the idea in 1988 after receiving a cancer diagnosis that he thought was terminal

Stuef (left) is pictured with Fenn after uncovering the gold. The two were together in a Zoom call with Yellowstone officials to detail where the treasure was hidden

The millionaire died aged 90 in September 2020, but not before the Thrill of the Chase went on to inspire more than 350,000 hunters to venture out in search of the riches, covering grounds from New Mexico to Montana, with at least five people losing their lives in the process.

Stuef says he spent two years searching for Fenn's treasure, which included gold, jewelry and other artifacts believed to be valued anywhere between $1-3 million.

According to documents in McCracken's lawsuit Stuef had contacted Fenn immediately after finding the treasure on June 5, asking the millionaire to decide the fate of the chest.

'I'm aware that over the years you have intimated that you may like to give these items to the person who found it,' Stuef wrote. 'If that is the case with me, I would be happy to receive them, but I think it would be prudent that I first return your treasure to you so you can fully verify that it belongs to you.

'At that time, you can make your decision on whether to keep it all, give it to me, subtract or add items, or whatever else you may decide.'

The carefully-worded letter was likely in response to a note left in the chest by Fenn telling the claimant how to jump through legal loopholes to claim the treasure.

He spent $5,000 on legal fees to try and ensure the eventual claimant would be able to keep the valuable stash.

The treasure hunter reportedly left the treasure in place before removing it the following day, a feat he discreetly carried out as found property in a national park is supposed to be turned in to the park supervisors.

Stuef and Fenn had refused to name the exact location, saying they did not want the site to become a tourist attraction.

Stuef took a picture of the treasure chest after he discovered it in Yellowstone. He emailed Fenn immediately to let the billionaire decide the fate of the treasure

Fenn shared this image of the treasure chest from when Stuef found it

The map and clues to its location were included in Fenn's memoir, The Thrill of the Chase

Stuef had also appeared confident that he was closing in on the treasure's location, moving his residency to Puerto Rico, where there is little capital gains tax, in September 2019, nine months before he found the chest, Outside reported.

Stuef received a subpoena to testify in McCracken's lawsuit, where Karl Sommer, Fenn's estate lawyer, will questions him on how Stuef deduced the clues Fenn left behind to find the treasure fair and square.

McCracken, who has declined to comment on his lawsuit until it is resolved, will be allowed to cross examine Stuef, who speaking under oath, might be forced to divulge the location himself.

The trial is expected to take place next month in New Mexico.

Before his death, Fenn often described his joy at the treasure hunt he spurred when he announced the buried gold in 2012.

I didnt expect it to catch fire like it has, but I think 350,000 people have been looking for the treasure, Fenn told DailyMail.com in 2018.

Fenn masterminded the treasure hunt even before he settled on the bounty, the location or the date when he would finally hide it. The idea came to him after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1988 and given a 20 percent survival rate.

Fenn served as an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of major. He was decorated with the Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster

Following his military service, Fenn opened the Arrowsmith-Fenn Gallery in Santa Fe, dealing American Indian artifacts, paintings, bronze sculptures, and other art

I went through all of the emotions like everybody else does  denial, anger, all of those things, Fenn said But then, after a week or so, I told myself: Okay  if Ive got to go, who says I cant take it with me? I had a bunch of stuff, and I had so much fun collecting it over 75 years, why not give somebody else the same opportunity that I had?

I mean, Im not going to miss these things. My family has been cared for. And so I got this beautiful little treasure chest; I gave $25,000 for it, and I started. My problem was, I wanted it to be valuable, but I also wanted it to be survivable, also. That boils down to gold, essentially, and precious gems.

So he began assembling a cache that includes hundreds and hundreds of gold nuggets.

He added: Ive given to charity, and everybody else has, too. Thats been done. I wanted to do something that would last. I wanted to introduce the Rocky Mountains to people  flatlanders  thatd go back over and over again. I mean, if I gave to a charity, thatd be the end of it.

In addition to the cryptic poem and hints in his memoir, Fenn let a few details slip over the years  saying the treasure is at least 8.25 miles north of Santa Fe and that its above an elevation of 5,000 feet.

Key elements mentioned in the poem are warm waters halt, the blaze, canyon down and home of Brown  all of which are open to interpretation by searchers, who have traced them to landmarks across Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Wyoming.

One of the major clues was that its at a location that was reachable by a man 79 years old, which was Forrests age when he hid the chest.
A delivery driver for Yodel whose van struck and killed an old age pensioner has been jailed after it emerged he didn't even have a driving licence.

Omar Camara-Taborda, 33, was finishing his shift when he struck 89-year-old Kenneth Turner in Cambridge on March 25, 2020.

Camara-Taborda was working as a delivery driver for Santos Despatch Ltd, which was operating as a subcontractor for Yodel - one of the UK's largest courier services.

When police arrived at the scene he claimed he held a full Portuguese licence that he had left at home.

Omar Camara-Taborda, a 33-year-old delivery driver for Yodel, killed a pensioner while driving without a licence

But the next day Camara-Taborda presented detectives with a fraudulent Portuguese licence.

Further checks revealed that the courier held a provisional UK licence and had lied to obtain insurance while failing to disclose a previous motoring conviction.

Camara-Taborda initially admitted to driving the van but claimed he didn't see cyclist Kenneth Turner until he was in front of his vehicle.

Turner was not wearing a helmet and was taken to hospital but died of his injuries the following day.

The junction of Newmarket Road and Barnwell Road, in Cambridge, where Camara-Taborda hit Kenneth Turner, 89, on March 25, 2020

Camara-Taborda, of Peterborough, was jailed for one year and one month at Peterborough Crown Court yesterday. He was also handed a 30-month driving ban.

He was previously found guilty of causing death by careless driving and admitted further charges of possessing a false identity document with intent and fraud.

Detective Sergeant Mark Dollard, of the Beds, Cambs and Herts Road Policing Unit, said: 'It's incredibly sad when we have to attend incidents where drivers have made a mistake resulting in tragedy.

'It is vital that people drive in a safe, considerate way to prevent awful instances like this in future.

'We attend these kinds of incidents far too often and many are completely avoidable.'
A personal trainer was today jailed for three and a half years after she blackmailed a wealthy businessman for 10million by threatening to tell his children he performed 'degrading' sex acts on her.

Jennifer Mbazira, 50, from London claimed the man had used her as a 'human toilet' and told a trial the money was owed to her through a verbal agreement.

She demanded the businessman, who she met through a dating site and told the court was a billionaire, pay her millions or else she would tell everyone he knew he had physically and mentally abused her.

The judge described Mbazira's demands as 'ridiculous' and 'ludicrous' and said she 'smelled blood' when he initially offered her 2,000.

Mbazira, a 50 year old mother, today remained defiant and claimed she would lodge an appeal as she was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court after being found guilty of blackmail.

Jennifer Mbazira demanded the man, who she met through a dating site and believed was a billionaire, pay her millions or else she would tell his business associates, friends and family he had physically and mentally abused her

Mbazira, a 50 year old mother from London, today remained defiant and claimed she would lodge an appeal as she was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court

Mbazira asked for leniency because she was made homeless halfway through the trial, in which she defended herself, and was sleeping on the streets and at Heathrow airport

Orlando Gibbons, prosecuting, told the hearing Mbazira threatened to 'trash' the victim's reputation with his family and business associates.

He said: 'She made a demand for 10million, with menaces, that unless she received a very substantial sum of money, she was going to send copies of her previous emails.

'[These were] describing allegations of 'degrading sexual activity' between the parties during the course of their relationship, thereby trashing the victim's reputation among his family as well as his business and other associates.

'[Mbazira] has conducted extensive online research into blackmail and had also contacted a number of law firms in relation to possible legal claims against the victim as part of her campaign to extort substantial sums of money, all factors, demonstrating a degree of planning.'

In a statement read to the court, the victim wrote: 'Jennifer Mbazira set out to undermine my life, my work and happiness through a whole area of false allegations that she intended to make public unless I transferred her, under duress, huge sums of money.

'Lives can be changed and ruined by this. This would have changed both my family life, my business life - it would have changed everything about my life and quite literally turned my life upside down.'

Mbazira asked for leniency because she was made homeless halfway through the trial, in which she defended herself, and was sleeping on the streets and at Heathrow airport.

But Judge William Ashworth called her attempts to file a lawsuit against her blackmail victim 'ludicrous' and her demand for 10 million 'ridiculous' as he delivered the sentence.

Jailing her, Mr Ashworth said: 'The evidence against you was overwhelming.

'He offered you 2,000 to sweeten what he understood to be a final break of all links. In fact, all the payment did was cause you to smell blood.

'You persuaded yourself he was fantastically rich based on your internet research and decided to press him for as much as he could give you.

'You contacted lawyers and tried to bring what was a ludicrous lawsuit against him [..] when that failed you resolved to calculated and cold blackmail.

'He offered you the 20,000 you had demanded before. A total capitulation. But even this did not prove enough for you and, sensing weakness, you pressed your demand to the hilt and asked for 10 million.'

The judge noted Mbazira had told the probation service about her 'desperate childhood' and claimed to have fled from the forces of Ugandan military dictator Idi Amin as one of 16 siblings and was the last of them to reach the UK, aged 15.

But Judge Ashworth said: 'I find it more likely than not that some of the details are embellished.'

During the trial, jurors had heard how the couple first met on the Encounters dating website in October 2015 before eventually breaking up in February 2018 following an 'on and off' relationship.

In June 2018, Mbazira asked the businessman for 20,000 as she claimed the man promised her money to start her own fashion business.

She wanted to start a business importing baskets from Morocco and selling them on eBay and Amazon.

When the businessman said he did not have that kind of money and did not think it was 'sensible' to be in a business relationship together he instead offered her 1,000 on the condition she did not ask for money again.

But Mbazira said she this was a 'demeaning, horrible, mean thing to say' and texted him back 'through a shaking fit'.

She then accused the businessman of being a 'narcissist' who had been 'taking but not giving' and using her home in Clapham, which she shared with her son, 'as a bed and breakfast' throughout their relationship.

Mbazira said she had Googled verbal contracts and 'decided I was going to make a claim'.

Mbazira sent a series of menacing emails to the businessman, threatening to 'press the button' and send details of their sex life and allegations of abuse to his children if he did not follow through on his 'promise' to fund her business

Later that year, Mbazira sent a series of menacing emails to the businessman, threatening to 'press the button' and send details of their sex life and allegations of abuse to his children if he did not follow through on his 'promise' to fund her business.

On Christmas Eve 2018 she emailed again to say 'I'm going to send a copy of my last email to the company you represent and your children'.

She wrote: 'You destroyed my life for your own needs. You are a fraud who violated my life and privacy. You used me and showed no consideration for my son.

'You went back on your promises to fund my fashion business while you made millions and millions for yourself and others.'

She eventually demanded 10million from the man, convinced he was a 'billionaire entrepreneur', so she could buy a new home, start a business and put her son through university.

But he told her in emails: 'I'm not a billionaire. I had a good career [but] I don't own the companies I work for. I'm not a self-made entrepreneur.

'There is a big difference between a director of a company (me) and the person who owns the company (not me).

'I'm sorry you saw me as a billionaire entrepreneur when it should have been obvious I was not.'

The alleged victim, who remains anonymous for legal reasons, told jurors: 'To say I felt threatened was an understatement [..] I was really very, very worried and concerned.

'I didn't have 10million to give her. I'm very comfortable, well off, but I don't have assets of 10million.

'I only had one option, which was to go to the police.

'I seemed to have become a fictional person. I wasn't a billionaire. Far from it. She seemed to have no relationship to the reality and I felt tremendously threatened.'

Mbazira was also handed a restraining order.
Israel launched a massive manhunt today for two Palestinians who went on an axe rampage that killed three Israelis and wounded four.

The attack took place on Thursday night in Elad, a central city mainly populated by ultra-Orthodox Jews, on the day the Jewish state celebrated its founding 74 years ago in 1948.

Witnesses said two assailants leapt from a car swinging axes at random passers-by, chopping down seven people and killing three, before fleeing in the same vehicle.

Police have identified the assailants as Assad Yussef al-Rifai, 19, and Subhi Imad Abu Shukair, 20. Israeli security forces have mounted a massive search operation for them.

The Israeli prime minister's office said the three Israelis who died were Yonatan Habakuk, 44, and Boaz Gol, 49, both from Elad, as well as Ben Yiftah.

'We will get our hands on the terrorists... and ensure they pay the price,' Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.

Above: The funeral for Yonatan Havakuk, killed yesterday by two Palestinians in Elad. Witnesses said two assailants leapt from a car swinging axes at random passers-by, chopping down seven people and killing three, before fleeing in the same vehicle

Above: The wife of Boaz Gol who was killed in a Palestinian attack yesterday, on the country's independence day, in Elad. The attack followed a tense period in which the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian holiday of Easter overlapped

Police have identified the assailants as Assad Yussef al-Rifai, 19, and Subhi Imad Abu Shukair, 20. Israeli security forces have mounted a massive search operation for them

Israeli security forces have mounted a massive search operation for two Palestinian killers. Oren Ben Yiftach, a 35-year-old Israeli was killed in the attack. Above: Hundreds of Orthodox Jews attend Yiftach's funeral

The attack followed a tense period in which the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian holiday of Easter overlapped.

The tensions have boiled over into violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a highly contested site in Jerusalem's Israeli-annexed Old City.

Palestinians 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.

A policeman guards the cordon outside the scene where three people were killed and four others injured in Elad, central Israel

Police gather close to the the scene where three people lost their lives in the central Israeli city of Elad

Security forces and medics are pictured at the scene as residents are told to remain indoors

Israeli police cordon off an area in Elad, central Israel, after today's attack which occurred as the Jewish state celebrated its independence

Israel has said the status quo would remain unchanged at the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The Elad attack was condemned by the United States and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who warned it could lead to spiralling violence.

But the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian armed group, praised the attack, calling it a consequence of unrest at Al-Aqsa. Neither claimed responsibility.

'This operation demonstrates our people's anger at the occupation's attacks on holy sites,' Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said of the Elad attack.

'The storming of the Al-Aqsa mosque cannot go unpunished.'

The majority of Elad's 50,000 residents are members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, known as haredim

The tensions have boiled over into violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a highly contested site in Jerusalem's Israeli-annexed Old City

Above: Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish mourners take part in the funeral of Yonatan Havakuk and Boaz Goal, in the city of Elad

As helicopters and drones roared overhead in search of the perpetrators, young ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in crisp white shirts were seen linking arms and chanting near the scene of the attack.

Women gathered on balconies overlooking the site, as masked forensic officers packed the bodies of the dead into bags and police stopped and searched cars.

Yehuda, a 31-year-old IT worker, said he was afraid that 'the killers have not yet been caught'.

'We suffer hatred and get murdered with an axe,' he said, as he attended the funeral of Oren Ben Yiftach, a 35-year-old from Lod who was killed in the attack.

Police asked the public to provide information on the suspects after publishing their pictures and names. They were described as residents of the village of Rummanah near Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

Israel's Defence Minister Benny Gantz announced measures to stop them escaping.

The majority of Elad's 50,000 residents are members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, known as haredim.

Gantz announced a closure of the West Bank - in place for the anniversary - would remain in force through Sunday.

The seven years old son of Boaz Gol who was killed in a Palestinian attack yesterday, on the country's independence day, in Elad, attends his father's funeral in Jerusalem

Jewish mourners gather in Petah Tikva, Israel at the funeral for Yonatan Havakuk, the day after he was killed with two others in a stabbing attack in Elad

Prior to Thursday's incident, a string of attacks since March 22 had killed 15 people, including an Arab-Israeli police officer and two Ukrainians, in separate attacks inside Israel.

Two of the deadly attacks were carried out in the Tel Aviv area by Palestinians.

A total of 27 Palestinians and three Israeli Arabs have died during the same period, among them perpetrators of attacks and those killed by Israeli security forces in West Bank operations.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said 'the joy of independence day had been interrupted in an instant'.

For Palestinians, the anniversary of Israel's 1948 declaration of independence marks the Nakba, or 'catastrophe', when more than 700,000 fled or were expelled during the war surrounding Israel's creation.

Last week, Hamas threatened Israel with rocket fire and attacks on synagogues if its security forces carry out further raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

'Whoever has a rifle must have it ready, and whoever does not have a rifle must prepare their knife or their axe,' said Yahya Sinwar, Hamas chief in the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave.

The latest violence on Thursday at Al-Aqsa came following a tense April, in which nearly 300 people were injured in clashes between police and Palestinians at the site.
This is the moment Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones t-bones a car at an intersection before limping away.

The billionaire, 79, smashes into the vehicle as he approaches Wolf St. on Harry Hines Blvd in Dallas Wednesday night.

New footage from a rid-share driver waiting at a nearby red light captured the brutal crash at around 6.10pm.

Jones was rushed to hospital but only had minor injuries and his family said he was recovering. The other driver was fine.



Dallas Cowboys owner, billionaire Jerry Jones, 71, t-boned a car at high speed at a Dallas intersection on Wednesday evening

The video shows the tycoon driving his black sedan up the left lane and swerve to avoid the silver car.

Then, with screeching tires, he collides hard into the side door of the silver sedan.

It lifts off the road and launches sideways, before spinning nearly 360 degrees and landing facing opposite traffic, where it rolls forward off-camera alongside Jones' sedan.

The footage then cuts to the parking lot of a Hyatt House hotel located just past the intersection, where Jones can be seen speaking with witnesses and the driver of the silver car.

Both appear unhurt and congenial, though Jones can be seen to walking with a slight limp and raises the pants on his left leg to examine himself. The driver of the silver sedan can be seen to place his hand over his heart, and his head in his hands, though he appears physically unhurt.

The silver sedan attempted to make a left turn from the right lane at the intersection of Wolf Street and Harry Hines Boulevard. Jones (black sedan, right) was driving up the left lane

Jones appeared to make a swerve to avoid the accident, but with screeching tires collided with the drivers' side door of the silver car. The pavement appeared to be wet

Jones went to the hospital after the collision, but was back home and 'all good' on the same evening of the accident, according to his son Stephen Jones

The accident occurred in a 35mph zone. Dallas PD has not responded to DailyMail.com requests about whether Jones was speeding at the time of the accident

Jones and the other driver are both seen placing phone calls, and later in the clip Jones is seen speaking with Dallas police.

Jones' son, Stephen Jones, told multiple outlets that his father was checked him into a hospital following the incident. Jones' son told ESPN by text that his father was back home and was 'all good.'

Dallas PD confirmed that a crash had occurred at that intersection, and told DailyMail.com that one individual was transported to the hospital for 'precautionary measures.'

'It is not our practice to give the names of the individuals involved in vehicle accidents unless there is a fatality. I can confirm that we worked a two-vehicle accident at the location and one person was transported for precautionary measures.'

Dallas PD have not responded to DailyMail.com requests for comment on whether Jones was speeding in the 35mph zone before the accident.

The driver of the sedan (left) held his head in his hand and put his hand over his heart after the collision, and Jones (middle) could be seen limping and lifted his pants to examine his leg
Russia will remain in southern Ukraine 'forever', a senior Russian politician has claimed during a visit to the Moscow-controlled city of Kherson.

Andrey Turchak, a senior member of the ruling United Russia party, warned on Friday there will be 'no return to the past' for Ukrainians.

He said that Russians and Ukrainians will 'live together' in Kherson, the first major city to fall to Russian forces since the start of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

'Russia is here forever. There should be no doubt about this. There will be no return to the past,' Andrey Turchak said, according to a statement from the ruling United Russia party.

'We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich in the people who live here,' Turchak added.

It was the first time a senior Russian official indicated Moscow's intentions to remain present on Ukrainian territory.

Andrey Turchak (pictured in 2017), a senior member of the ruling United Russia party, warned on Friday there will be 'no return to the past' for Ukrainians

A nurse checks the wounds of Ponomareva Natalia Sergiivna, 41, three days after her family's home was shelled by Russian forces in their frontline village of Vysokopilla in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine on Thursday

Kherson is suffering from a severe shortage of medicine, money and food since Russian forces took control of the city and the surrounding area and blocked off supplies.

Turchak said Moscow would open a humanitarian centre in the city for the delivery of food, medicine and essentials.

Russia has blocked all humanitarian assistance except its own, which troops deliver before Russian state TV cameras, and which many residents refuse to accept.

Despite Turchak's claims that Russia will remain in southern Ukraine 'forever', Vladimir Putin's men have suffered a string of battlefield setbacks and Kherson in the south remains the only significant city Moscow has captured.

The Kremlin conceded Thursday that Kyiv's Western partners had prevented a quick end to Moscow's campaign by sharing intelligence and weapons with Ukraine, but that this was 'incapable of hindering the achievement' of Russia's military operation.

A destroyed classroom in a school hit by Russian rockets is seen in the southern Ukraine village of Zelenyi Hai near Kherson

Russia is also still trying to seize a steel plant in the southern city of Mariupol.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol and they have repeatedly refused to surrender.

Ukraine said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there and as the battle has ramped up in recent days, fears for their safety have only grown.

There is growing speculation that Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day on May 9, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

Service members of pro-Russian troops drive armoured vehicles during Ukraine-Russia conflict near Novoazovsk in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine May 6, 2022

While Russian troops pounded away at the steel plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swathes of cities.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said on Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas and destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles, further frustrating Mr Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv.

Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

Kremlin military chief Rustam Minnekayev last month said that Russia sought control of southern Ukraine, which could provide access to Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria, an unrecognised Moscow-backed sliver of land bordering southwestern Ukraine.

Minnekayev, the deputy commander of Russia's central military district, said Moscow planned to forge a corridor between Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula which Russia annexed in 2014, and the Donbas in eastern Ukraine.
The boss of P&O Ferries has hit out at 'misinformation' about the firm since it sacked nearly 800 seafarers in March.

On a cruise ship crossing the Baltic Sea earlier this week, chief executive of P&O Ferries Peter Hebblethwaite told delegates at Shippax, an industry conference, that he hopes he can 'survive' in his role.

P&O Ferries was widely condemned after it sacked 786 crew members without notice and replaced them with cheaper agency workers on March 17.

The company claims the decision was made to plug a 100million year on year black hole in its finances.

Millionaire boss Mr Hebblethwaite said: 'There's an awful lot of misinformation out there.

'We have not conducted ourselves on the day, or since, in anything like the way that has been suggested of me and us.'

He added that the future for the company is 'very exciting' as he expressed hope he will 'survive the next few months' as chief executive.

P&O Ferries chief Peter Hebblethwaite (pictured) has hit out at 'misinformation' about the firm at industry conference Shippax this week since it sacked nearly 800 seafarers in March

This comes after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps issued his latest plea last week for Mr Hebblethwaite to resign.

The Cabinet minister told the Commons Transport Select Committee 'he will have to go', adding that it was 'completely unsustainable' for Mr Hebblethwaite to keep his role.

Mr Hebblethwaite admitted to MPs in March that P&O Ferries broke the law by not consulting trade unions before sacking its workers.

The Insolvency Service is currently carrying out criminal and civil investigations.

Martyn Gray, executive officer at trade union Nautilus International, said: 'Peter Hebblethwaite is responsible for the mass sacking of 786 loyal and dedicated seafarers without any notice or consultation.

'He confessed before a committee of Parliament to breaching UK employment law and brazenly admitted he would make the same decision again.

P&O Ferries was widely condemned after it sacked 786 crew members without notice and replaced them with cheaper agency workers on March 17. Pictured, people protesting outside the P&O offices in Dover following the mass-sacking

'Fifty days into a self-imposed crisis, Hebblethwaite and the P&O Ferries board, unlike their ships, are all at sea.

'The company has taken five times longer than originally quoted to resume operations and that remains only partial.

'P&O Ferries and Peter Hebblethwaite not only treated their crew with contempt but demonstrated disdain for the rule of law of this country.'

Last week P&O Ferries insisted it is 'now a modern, dynamic, competitive and viable business', and urged the government to have a 'constructive dialogue' about the future.

Amongst the chaos on March 17, customers of P&O Ferries who were left stranded today after the firm sacked all of its crew and cancelled all services for the following days said they were left 'high and dry' and 'abandoned'.

P&O Ferries insisted it is 'now a modern, dynamic, competitive and viable business', and urged the government to have a 'constructive dialogue' about the future in response to condemnation from ministers and trade unions following the sacking of hundreds of British P&O Ferries staff in March (P&O Ferries pictured in the port of Dover in April)

An unidentified senior member of staff told stunned workers they were all being made redundant with immediate effect via an online Zoom call held at 10.30am that morning.

The move led to chaos as many staff held defiant protests and refused to disembark their ships, prompting P&O to hire balaclava-clad private security officers to force them to leave.

As the firm also cancelled its immediate upcoming services, it warned of 'significant disruption'.
A group of Arizona parents are suing a woke school board claiming teachers built a dossier about them after they complained about Critical Race Theory being taught in classrooms.

Three parents say that the Scottsdale Unified School District board and its old president Jann-Michael Greenburg and the school board targeted them in 2020.

Amanda Wray, Kimberly Stafford, and Edmond Richard along with other parents from the school, had complained about CRT and increasingly liberal agendas being pushed on their kids.

Three parents say that the Scottsdale Unified School District board and its old president Jann-Michael Greenburg, claiming he and the school board targeted them in 2020. Some parents are shown protesting at the school last year

They staged protests outside the school and discussed their grievances on Facebook.

They claim that the schoolboard then, in retaliation, started building a dossier about all of the parents who complained.

Former Scottsdale Unified School board president Jann-Michael Greenburg previously denied having anything to do with the dossier

They say they gathered their social security numbers, addresses, mortgage records, medical records and Facebook posts.

It's unclear why or what they intended to do with it.

The parents first made the claims that the school board had a dossier on them back in November 2021.

At the time, the school board and Greenburg denied having anything to do with the dossier.

It was made public when a Google drive link was shared among parents in the community.

Also included was video footage of members of the anti-CRT group being filmed.

During the clip, a voice could be heard to say they were a private investigator who'd been hired to gather information on the group.

The dossier contained information about 47 parents, but only three are plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed this week.

It's unclear how the social security numbers or medical records were obtained.

One of the parents says their high school record was dug up by the board.

They are seeking unspecified damages.
Dave Chappelle told a small crowd how he 'hates this city' during a secret show at a Los Angeles comedy club, where he revealed he spoke to his attacker and joked Chris Rock 'at least got smacked by someone of repute.'

Only two nights after being brutally attacked by Isaiah Lee, 23, at the Hollywood Bowl, Chappelle, 48, hosted a secret $160-a-head show at LA's Comedy Store's secret 70-chair room the Belly Room on Thursday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In attendance was Kim Kardashian, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, musician Yasiin Bey, and fellow comedian Jeff Ross - all of who were reportedly a part of Chappelle's lineup for his Tuesday show. Chris Rock, who famously got slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars, was also in attendance on Tuesday, and joined the famed jokester on stage on Thursday.

On stage, Chappelle said that he asked police whether he could speak to Lee, who had stormed onto the stage holding a replica gun with a knife attached. Police granted him access to a room where he was being held.

'I needed to talk to him,' Chappelle said on Thursday night.

Chappelle said that the attack was down to Lee's grandmother from Brooklyn, who was forced out of her neighborhood because of gentrification, and the attack was meant to draw attention to the issue.

He joked alongside Rock about their infamous slaps, stating: 'At least you got smacked by someone of repute! I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair.' Police have not yet established where Lee lives.

Rock, who was slapped by Will Smith during the Oscars, jokingly responded: 'I got smacked by the softest n***a that ever rapped.'

Dave Chappelle (pictured right on Tuesday) hosted a secret show at LA's Comedy Store's Belly Room on Thursday, with fans reportedly paying $160 a ticket to attend and high-profile celebrities, such as Chris Rock and Kim Kardashian, were also in attendance. The majority of his set death with Tuesday's attack and he revealed he demanded to talk to his attacker

Isaiah Lee, 23, (pictured) attacked Chappelle on Tuesday night at his Hollywood Bowl show. He reportedly told Chappelle when they spoke that he attacked him to bring attention to the gentrification of his grandmother's Brooklyn neighborhood

Smith had brutally smacked Rock after the comedian told a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. Rock made a GI Jane jokes, referencing Pinkett-Smith's ongoing battle with alopecia, which caused an uproar across social media and her husband being banned from the academy for 10 years.

Dressed in a baggy tank top and smoking an American Spirits cigarette, Chappelle's set largely focused on Tuesday night's attack. He admitted he couldn't see the man's face but he was able to grip the man's hair during the assault, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Afterward, he said the only thing that calmed him down was seeing Jamie Foxx wearing a 'sheriff's hat' and later asked the LAPD to talk to Lee.

Fellow comedian Chris Rock (pictured with Eddie Murphy in 2019) also reportedly joined Chappelle on stage and they both joked about their famous slaps. Chappelle reportedly told Rock: 'At least you got smacked by someone of repute! I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair'

Rock (pictured at the 2022 Oscars) replied back: 'I got smacked by the softest n***a that ever rapped.' The comedian was infamously slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars (pictured) after making a GI Jane joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith

The comedian also revealed he received a lot of support after the attack, even from celebrities he didn't expect, such as comedian Louis C.K.

'A lot of people love me, it turns out,' he said, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Chappelle also experienced a sweet moment with his son after the attack, who came up to him and told him: 'Dad, I love you,' and the pair hugged, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Toward the end of his show, Chappelle reportedly looked at Combs and said: 'I am in the [place] where you sat in the car with Biggie Smalls as he died. I hate this city.'

Chappelle also made fun of the current Amber Heard v Johnny Depp defamation trial happening in Virginia and the upcoming Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision, the Hollywood Reporter reported.

Chappelle's attacker was slapped with four charges including battery and assault - all misdemeanors - after LA's woke DA George Gascon announced he would not pursue felony charges on Thursday.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer charged Isiah Lee with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance, and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer after the embattled DA referred the case to the city attorney.

If convicted, Lee could face 18 months in county jail, but because of overcrowding and COVID-19 he might never make an appearance behind bars because of Gascon's decision to not press charges.

Feuer's swift charges are a stark contrast to DA George Gascon's decision, who made the decision not to pursue felony charges against Lee - despite the fact that Lee had a fake gun complete with a folding knife on him when he rushed Chappelle on stage.

The secret show took place at the Comedy Store's Belly Room on Thursday night (pictured: outside of the Comedy Store)

When announcing the charges, Feuer seemed to throw shade at the DA, saying 'My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously.'

Gascon's office - which is famously in favor of low-or-no-cash-bonds - decided he was not pursuing the most serious line of punishment and instead referred the case to Feuer,

Gascon's office recommended a misdemeanor charge because 'the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct,' according to ABC.

On Tuesday night, Lee ran on stage at the Hollywood Bowl yielding the knife that was hidden inside a gun.

Chappelle was able to sidestep him and was unharmed. The attacker was then arrested at the scene, and taken to hospital with a broken arm.

There were immediate questions over security at the event and how the man could have smuggled in the weapon.
Makeshift schools where children risk being taught extremist values by banned preachers will be closed in a new government crackdown.

Schools watchdog Ofsted warned 'tens of thousands' of children attend the barely regulated independent schools, which are often housed in garages.

The Department for Education (DfE) was handed the new powers today by education secretary Nadim Zahawi.

He said the department will shutter independent schools with 'serious safeguarding failings which pose a risk of harm to students'.

The DfE said it now hopes to act 'rapidly' against unsafe illegal schools where 'tens of thousands' of children are at risk of being taught extremist ideologies (File image)

The DfE added this will enable 'rapid action' against unsafe illegal schools, with suspension enforced through a new criminal offence.

School owners will be held responsible if they kept the school open before it was registered.

Ofsted's powers to investigate illegal schools would also be boosted under the plans so that the regulator could support criminal prosecution in the case of illegal unregistered full-time schools.

Reforms announced following a consultation on the issue will mean that all schools for school-age pupils open for 18 hours a week or more at least partly during school hours will need to register.

Education secretary Nadim Zahawi handed the new powers to the Department for Education

Four in ten respondents to the consultation expressed concern about pupils at unregistered schools receiving a narrow religious curriculum.

And nearly three quarters said all schools should be registered because education should be regulated and schools held accountable for the values they teach.

The consultation response said that while certain faith groups, such as those of Charedi Jewish faith, 'may be disproportionately affected by the proposals, the benefit it brings to children's quality of education, and in providing oversight of safeguarding through the regulated activity is of greater importance'.

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said: 'I strongly welcome the proposals set out by the Department for Education today, for which I've been calling for several years.

'Many thousands of children are currently being taught in unsuitable and unsafe illegal schools, which put their wellbeing at risk and deny them a proper education.

'These important changes will make it easier for Ofsted to prevent such places from operating, so we can be sure all children are safe and getting the good education they deserve.

'I look forward to seeing more detail of how our powers to investigate illegal schools will be strengthened, and hope to see this legislation put forward in the Queen's Speech next week.'

Last month, Spielman said a 'small proportion' of cases have been linked to 'genuine extremism'.

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said she has pursued the law change 'for several years' and is happy with the plans

But the wider concern is that there is a large proportion of children who are effectively 'very segregated from mainstream society' and do not know the basics that 'we expect of all children who are born as British citizens'.

She said many of the people educating the children were 'unfit' to work with them: 'We see lots of staff without experience or qualifications, people with criminal records.'

'There's a real contrast between the powers that we have and the powers that exist to investigate and prosecute other kinds of unregistered activities in the health sector, for example.

'We can, for example, just be standing on the doorstep attempting to exercise the right of entry we do have, while children are being led out the back and everything to do with operating an illegal school is being put away in cupboards.

'It's like an evacuation drill, really. Some have clearly got an established procedure for what they will do if an inspector comes.'

Currently Ofsted inspectors are limited to taking photographs of materials they find.

They cannot pick anything up, take out things they find or even search inside cupboards.
Russian forces committed extensive war crimes in towns and cities around the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Amnesty International said in a new report.

The human rights organisation said Friday that it had documented several war crimes by Vladimir Putin's soldiers, including arbitrary killings, bombardments of residences and torture - and collected bullets only used by elite Russian units.

In once case, Amnesty said soldiers killed a 43-year-old sales manager in his kitchen, while his wife and children were hiding in the basement of their home. In another town, the group reported that 40 people were killed in indiscriminate bombardment.

'The pattern of crimes committed by Russian forces that we have documented includes both unlawful attacks and wilful killings of civilians,' Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general, said in a statement. 'It is vital that all those responsible, including up the chain of command, are brought to justice.'

The organisation said it collected evidence and testimony in eight cities near Kyiv, including Bucha and Borodyanka.

After Russian forces retreated from Bucha in April, bodies were found lying on streets, many with their hands bound behind their backs, and in mass graves.

Kyiv regional governor Oleksandr Pavlyuk said that at least 1,235 civilian bodies have been found in the region.

Ukrainian authorities say they are investigating more than 9,000 potential war crimes by Russian troops across the country, including in cities such as Mariupol and Kramatorsk. The International Criminal Court is also investigating war crimes.

Pictured: Three dug graves are ready for the next funerals at the cemetery in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Russian forces committed extensive war crimes in towns and cities around the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Amnesty International has said

A view shows the building of a theatre destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 10, 2022. It is believed that hundreds of civilians were inside when it was hit by a Russian air strike

'These are not isolated incidents. These are very much part of a pattern wherever Russian forces were in control of a town or a village,' Donatella Rovera, Amnesty's senior crisis response adviser, told a news conference in Kyiv.

Information collected by the group 'can be used, hopefully, for holding the perpetrators to account, if not today, one day in the future', she said.

The report concluded that Russian troops had committed a 'host of apparent war crimes' in Bucha, including 'numerous unlawful killings', most of them near the intersection of Yablunska and Vodoprovidna streets.

Rovera said she collected in Bucha armour-piercing bullets and shell casings produced at a plant in Tula, south of Moscow, for rifles used only by elite Russian airborne units whose presence in Bucha Amnesty had confirmed.

'We also found and were able to view some military documents that indicate the presence of these special units in these places where these crimes were committed,' she said.

Russia, which calls its invasion a 'special operation' to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists, denies its forces committed abuses. Kyiv and its Western backers say the fascism claim is a false pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression.

Russia has denied war crimes allegations and claimed that the Bucha corpses were falsified as a 'provocation'.

Marianna Vishegirskaya stands outside a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

A Ukrainian serviceman walks amid destroyed Russian tanks in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 6, 2022. The town was the site of multiple Russian war crimes

A view of destruction of the city of besieged Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine, March 26, 2022

Amnesty International's report described the shooting in Bucha of Yevhen Petrashenko, a 43-year-old sales manager, who was shot in his kitchen while his wife and children were hiding in the basement.

The Russian military allowed his wife Tatiana to enter the apartment, where she found her husband's body.

'Yevhen was lying dead in the kitchen. He had been shot in the back, (near his) lungs and liver. His body remained in the apartment until March 10, when we were able to bury him in a shallow grave in the courtyard,' the report quoted her as saying.

Their neighbour Leonid Bodnarchuk, a 44-year-old construction worker, was shot dead by Russian soldiers as he climbed the stairs, and then the military threw a grenade into the stairwell, the report said.

The killings in Bucha were carried out with specialised rifles used by some elite Russian units, the report said.

Amnesty International staff found 7N12 armour-piercing rounds with a 9x39mm black tip at the murder scene, which are used by elite units of the Russian army.

The investigation also described bombardment of the city of Borodyanka, in which at least 40 people were killed in indiscriminate bombings that destroyed eight residential buildings.

It quoted Borodyanka resident Vasyl Yaroshenko as saying he had left his multi-storey residence for his garage when a bomb hit the house.

'I saw a large gap in the building,' he said, according to the report.

'My wife Halina was among those killed. I still see her by the door of our apartment, the home where we lived for 40 years.'

The report says researchers found evidence documenting specific units of the Russian army that were involved, including training books that belonged to the driver of the 104th regiment of the Airborne Forces.

'We have met families whose loved ones were killed in horrific attacks, and whose lives have changed forever because of the Russian invasion,' Ms Callamard said.

'We support their demands for justice, and call on the Ukrainian authorities, the International Criminal Court and others to ensure evidence is preserved that could support future war crime prosecutions.'

A Reuters investigation published on Thursday documented clues, including testimony and evidence focused on Yablunska Street, to the identities of individual Russian soldiers and military units present in Bucha.

The units included the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, which the Amnesty report also found was present in the town.

Other war crimes investigations are underway across Ukraine.

Mariupol has been all but razed to the ground by Vladimir Putin's forces. In March, a bomb struck a theatre sheltering hundreds of people, while another hit a maternity hospital. Tens of thousands of civilians are thought to have been killed there.

In Kramatorsk, a Russian missile strike hit a train station where thousands of Ukrainian refugees were waiting to escape the east of the country.

Destroyed houses are photographed in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, April 30, 2022. The city was under Russian occupation for around a month

Policemen work on the identification process following the killing of civilians in Bucha, before sending the bodies to the morgue, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Speaking last night during a virtual address to a charity event in London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 2,000 Russian missile have been launched at Ukraine, and that there have been more than 2,600 reports of Russian fighter jets sighted in the country's skies.

'Each of these 'arrivals' is the death of our people, the destruction of our infrastructure,' he said, before describing how the Russian occupation in the east of the country has meant that medical supplies have not been able to reach people.

Cancer patients have not been able to receive treatment, people have not been able to undergo surgeries and diabetics cannot get insulin, he said.

'These are the consequences of the Russian occupation for a part of our land, for a part of our people, which we must liberate from the invaders,' he said.

Zelensky went on to say that 500 civilians had been evacuated from the besieged port city of Mariupol, that has been all but razed by Vladimir Putin's forces.

'There are many wounded (fighters), but they are not surrendering,' he said of the fighters who are putting up a last stand in the city's steel plant.

'They are holding their positions.'

'Just imagine this hell! And there are children there,' he added. 'More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.'

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks and they have repeatedly refused to surrender.

Ukraine said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there and as the battle has ramped up in recent days, fears for their safety have only grown.

There is growing speculation that Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day on May 9, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

Zelensky called on the rest of the world to send more help to Ukraine, to aid its people and to help its forces defeat the Russian invaders.

'Ukraine needs up to $7billion a month to cover the state budget deficit,' he said.

'In total, it has been calculated that already more than $600billion is needed to rebuild what the Russian army destroyed. Just imagine this scale. That is why every manifestation of support, every sincere help to Ukraine is important.'
Gandhi's belongings - including his own hand-made loincloths, wooden sandals and what's believed to be the last photo of him taken alive - are expected to raise more than half a million pounds at auction.

The 70-piece collection features items that were owned and associated with the iconic figure, including one of his own hand-made loincloths, letters he wrote whilst imprisoned, and two pairs of his sandals.

East Bristol Auctions, who previously sold a pair of Gandhi's spectacles for 260,000 in 2020, are confident the 70-piece auction will raise up to 500,000.

Andrew Stowe, auctioneer, said: 'These items are genuinely some of the most important things I have ever seen in an auction.

'This collection is so important to the history of our world - it will truly blow people away.'

A 70-piece collection of Gandhi's possessions - including a hand-made loincloth - are expected to sell for 500,000, according to seller East Bristol Auctions

Photos of Mahtma Gandhi are included among the 70-piece collection to go under the hammer

Letters handwritten by the famous anti-colonial pacifist are also included in the package of memorabilia

A pair of Gandhi's spectacles is up for sale - with a different pair having been sold by the same auction house in 2020 for a whopping 260,000

A standout in the collection is what is believed to be the last photograph taken of Gandhi whilst he was still alive.

The picture was taken in the exact same place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated just three weeks later - the chair he is perched on in this photograph is the same chair he was sat on during the day he was killed.

Andrew said: 'This is totally unique item that could reach 1000.

'We believe Gandhi's personal doctor took the photo and have reason to think it is one of, if not the last known photo taken of the man before he was shot.

'It's incredible.'

The unseen photograph, showing Gandhi seated with a spinning wheel or similar wooden tool, was taken in Nandubahen in 1947 at Birla House, New Delhi.

It was taken by either Gandhi's personal physician Doctor Kanuga, or Kanuga's wife Nandubahen

Gandhi stayed at the mansion house for a period of 144 days before his assassination on 30th January 1948.

An additional highlight in the auction is the appearance of Gandhi's trademark loincloths- described by Andrew as a 'unique piece of history' - and expected to make between 15,000 to 25,000.

Andrew Stone (pictured), an auctioneer at East Bristol Auctions, described Gandhi's loincloths as a 'unique piece of history'

A pair of Gandhi's sandals - an item the auctioneer says 'instantly conjures up' images of the iconic Indian lawyer - is also for sale

Gandhi made his loincloths from Khadi, a fine woven cotton fabric the Mahatma championed all Indians to wear, on his loom in the 1930s - and the special piece even features his own signature 'Bapu' (meaning Father).

Andrew added: 'Not only was this worn by Gandhi, but actually made by him too.

'Gandhi used Khadi as a means to cast away Western culture and clothing, and return India to more traditional clothes.

'This means so much more than just a piece of clothing - it was his biggest political statement.'

Many of the items, that include two pairs of Gandhi's sandals, which are expected to fetch 15,000 to 25,000, relate to Gandhi's personal physician during the 1930s.

Doctor Kanuga was gifted several items and kept letters from Gandhi and other politically prevalent figures during the time.

Also up for sale is a hand-made sash that was given to Gandhi just before the famous Salt March (the act of civil disobedience Gandhi led to protest British rule in India from March to April 1930) - including a photograph of it being presented to him.

The sash is estimated to fetch between 6,000 and 8,000.

Perhaps the most profound items in the collection are the letters hand-written by Gandhi himself whilst he was imprisoned in Poona, India.

One politically charged letter, expected to sell for nearly ten thousand pounds, reveals Gandhi's desperation to discard Western culture which he condemned as 'poisonous air'.

Some of the letters were hand-written by Gandhi whilst he was imprisoned in Poona, India.

Gandhi's handmade loincloths are expected to sell for between 15,000 to 25,000

The sale, that also features a pair of Gandhi's sunglasses, inkwell from his desk and a pair of spectacles set to fetch tens of thousands, has taken over a year to curate, with the items having been derived from a number of private individuals.

Andrew said: 'Gandhi is one of those iconic figures from our history - you say the name, and one instantly conjures up this image of him with his fine rimmed glasses, loincloth and sandals.

'To be able to handle these objects feels very special and their cultural and historical significance is immeasurable.'

The online-only auction ends on Friday the 21nd May.

It can be viewed on East Bristol Auctions website: www.eastbristol.co.uk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk denied claims from the CEO of Truth Social that he was 'quietly encouraged' by former President Donald Trump to buy Twitter.

Devin Nunes, the CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, which includes Twitter rival Truth Social, claimed Trump spoke with Musk to push him to buy Twitter and that he was all for the $44 billion acquisition.

'President Trump basically, before Elon Musk bought it, actually said to go and buy it because the goal of our company is to build a community where people are in a family-friendly, safe environment,' Nunes told Fox Business on Thursday.

On Friday, Musk called out Nunes' statement on Twitter, writing, 'This is false! I've had no communication, directly or indirectly, with Trump, who has publicly stated that he will be exclusively on Truth Social.' Truth Social billed itself as a conservative alternative to Twitter, but its valuation has tanked after Musk bought Twitter and vowed to crack down on the site's censorship.

Trump has claimed he won't return to Twitter, from which he was banned in the wake of the January 6 riots, and has instead stuck to posting on Truth Social.

Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes claimed both he and Donald Trump told Elon Musk to buy the social media platform before the Tesla CEO made his $44 billion acquisition

Musk denied the claims and said he has not spoken to Trump about his deal

Musk, the world's richest man, is poised to become the new CEO of Twitter. He is pictured attending the 2022 Met Gala on Sunday, his first social outing since announcing the takeover

Nunes' statement also appear to come at odds with his company's own interests, as Twitter is a direct competitor and Truth Social has marketed itself as platform for conservatives who feel restricted by mainstream social media sites.

Despite this, Nunes, a former congressman, told Fox that he, too, encouraged Elon to buy Twitter in order to end censorship on the platform.

'That's why we encouraged Elon Musk to buy it because someone has to take on tech tyrants,' Nunes said. 'Donald Trump wanted to make sure the American people got their voice back, and the internet was open, and that is what we are doing.

'People like Elon Musk doing what he's doing. We are definitely in favor of it.'

Many had hoped that Musk's deal to buy Twitter would help reinstate Trump's Twitter account, which was permanently suspended in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot, but the former president has said he has no plans to return.

Musk had previously mocked Truth Social, calling it 'Trumpet,' and suggested it only exists because of Twitter's censorship policies.

Musk has vowed to make Twitter a haven for free speech and said he would make changes to how the platform censors, bans and suspends its users.

Musk said Twitter will remain free for most users, but may charge businesses and governments to use the platform. He said he would make the company public again within three years.

Nunes said both he and Trump approve of Musk's Twitter acquisition, saying to would serve as a blow to to liberal 'tech tyrants'. Pictured Nunes (left) with Trump in 2021

Nunes' statements appear to be at odds with his company's own interests, as Twitter is a direct competitor and Truth Social, which markets itself as platform for conservatives who feel restricted by mainstream social media sites

Many had hoped that Musk's deal to buy Twitter would help reinstate Trump's Twitter account, which was permanently suspended in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot. Pictured, Musk (left) speaking with Trump in the White House in 2017

It comes as Musk is poised to become the new CEO of Twitter when his $44 billion acquisition goes through.

The tech tycoon will hold the role for a few months following the buyout, CNBC reported on Thursday morning.

Specific details on the jobs, including how long it will last, were not immediately available and Twitter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The move could spark chaos at the social media giant, where Parag Agrawal has only been CEO for a few months.

It comes after it was revealed that Musk has 18 investors committed to collectively stump up more than $7 billion worth of equity to help fund his takeover.

In a filing on Thursday, Musk said his friend the Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison's trust will invest $1 billion towards the $44 billion buyout.

Musk said he had also received equity commitment letters from investors including Sequoia Capital ($800m) and Brookfield ($250m) for financing of $7.14 billion.

Other investors listed included Qatari Holding ($375m) and NYC real estate investor Steve Witkoff ($100m).

The filing also listed Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud as having committed 34,948,975 Twitter Inc shares.

The royal made the move 'in order to retain an equity investment in Twitter following completion of the Merger'.

Alwaleed had initially opposed the buyout but tweeted at Musk on Thursday referring to his 'new friend' who will be an 'excellent leader' at the social media giant.

The tech tycoon has agreed to purchase Twitter for $54.20 per share, a 38 percent premium over the closing price on April 1 which was the last trading day before he disclosed his approximately 9 percent stake in the platform.

The US Federal Trade Commission is reportedly reviewing Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter buyout for potential antitrust concerns

Representative Jim Jordan on Wednesday issued a letter raising concerns about the FTC antitrust probe and suggesting he planned to investigate

Elon Musk has won the backing of some of the world's wealthiest investors for his $44 billion takeover of Twitter Inc.

The deal, however, is currently under review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for potential antitrust concerns.

The FTC now has 30 days to consider the deal and decide whether to issue a second request to probe the matter further, although most experts believe there are no antitrust concerns that could block the takeover, according to Bloomberg.

However, the anti-monopoly activist group Open Markets Initiative, where Democratic FTC Chair Lina Khan used to work, has urged the agency to block the deal, saying that it 'poses immediate and direct threats to American democracy and free speech.'

The group argued that Musk's ownership of the Starlink satellite internet service already gives him control over a key communication platform, and that his purchase of Twitter would be a dangerous concentration of power.

Representative Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday issued a letter raising concerns about the FTC antitrust probe and suggesting he planned to investigate.

Jordan expressed concern about statements by the Open Markets Institute (OMI), which he called 'an extreme left-wing political advocacy organization,' and its call for the FTC to stop the deal.

Jordan has backed Musk's purchase of Twitter in hopes that some conservatives, like former President Donald Trump, who were removed from the social media platform would be able to return.

There is little expectation that Musk's potential purchase of Twitter will be rejected by antitrust enforcers.
An elderly Thai man who kept the body of his dead wife in a coffin for 21 years in the room where he slept has finally bid farewell after her remains were removed to be cremated.

Distressing video shows the moment Charn Janwatchakal, 72, watches on as charity workers retrieve the rotting coffin from the dingy space, surrounded by plastic bags and other rubbish in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok.

Mr Janwatchakal, a former medic in the Royal Thai Army, had requested the assistance of the Phet Kasem Bangkok Foundation to cremate his wife, who died from a congenital disease in 2001.

In the footage, taken on April 30, the workers first carefully remove the coffin from the ramshackle single-storey property.

Charn Janwatchakal, 72, kept the body of his dead wife in a coffin for 21 years in the room where he slept. He has now finally bid farewell after her remains were removed to be cremated. (He is seen above paying his final respects)

After removing the coffin from the single-storey home in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok, charity workers removed the lid in order to transfer the skeletal remains to a new casket

The workers - from the Phet Kasem Bangkok Foundation - wrapped the corpse in cloth lining (left), as the widower offered up his hands in prayer

The widower then sits on the ground and stares, overcome with emotion, before reaching out to touch it.

The workers rip off the decaying wooden lid to reveal the woman's blackened skeletal remains, which they wrap in cloth lining to transfer to a newer casket.

Now in tears, Mr Janwatchakal touches the corpse one more time before it is gently laid to rest in the ornate coffin - and puts his hands together in prayer.

The remains were gently placed in the new casket before being transported for cremation

Above, the squalid room where Mr Janwatchakal slept next to his dead wife's body. The coffin can be seen to the left of the doorway

Referring to his wife, he says: 'Mum, you are just going for a brief business and you'll be back home again. It won't be long, I promise,' according to the Independent.ie.

It is understood that his wife had worked in the public health ministry.

Over the years, as he shared a room with his dead wife, Mr Janwatchakal spoke to her body, as if she were alive, the Straits Times reported.

He had registered her death, so no legal action was taken against him.

The couple used to live with their two sons - but both moved out after disagreeing with their father's decision to keep the corpse on the property.
The son of a prominent New York City judge who stormed the US Capitol during the January 6 attacks wearing a furry 'caveman' costume was sentenced Friday to eight months in prison.

Aaron Mostofsky, 35, who donned fur pelts and a bulletproof vest and referred to himself as a 'caveman' eager to protest Donald Trumps election loss, was read the sentence Friday after pleading guilty to his part in the 2021 insurrection earlier this year.

Photographs and video show Mostofsky inside the Capitol during the attacks, wearing the fur costume and bullet proof vest prosecutors said he stole from Capitol Police during the the mayhem.

He also gave a video interview inside the building to The New York Post, in which the Brooklyn resident said he was there 'to express my opinion as a free American that this election was stolen.'

Prosecutors argued that Mostofsky, the son of Brooklyn judge Shlomo Mostofsky - a prominent figure in New York's Orthodox Jewish community -played a crucial role in the attack.

They pointed to photos of him holding a police riot shield as he and rioters battled a line of officers attempting to bar the group from entering the Capitol.

Upon reading his ruling Friday, Judge James Boasberg echoed those sentiments.

Aaron Mostofsky, 35, who donned fur pelts and a bulletproof vest during the January 6 attacks, received the eight-month sentence Friday after pleading guilty to his part in the 2021 insurrection in February. Photos show the Brooklyn resident holding a police riot shield and wearing a bulletproof vest prosecutors said he stole from Capitol cops during the chaos

'You were literally on the front lines of this attack,' district Boasberg told Mostofsky during sentencing in Washington, DC, federal court.

'You were there pushing against police barricades,' the jurist added, noting how Mostofsky was part of the first group of rioters to enter the building, on the side of the Senate wing.

'What you and others did on that day imposed an indelible stain on how our nation is perceived, both at home and abroad, and that can't be undone. Without conduct like yours... the barricades wouldn't have fallen, the Capitol wouldn't have been overrun, people would not have been killed.'

According to prosecutors, Mostofsky took a bus from New York to Washington and promptly joined protesters in overwhelming the police installed barricade and entering the Capitol.

Along the way, prosecutors said he picked up an officer's bullet proof vest, valued at $1,905, and the riot shield, worth $265.

Mostofsky, the son of a prominent Brooklyn judge, stormed the US Capitol in a 'caveman' costume. Pictured are rioters, including Mostofsky, at right, walking down the stairs outside the Senate Chamber during the riots on January 6, 2021. Their group was among the first to enter the Capitol, prosecutors said

Prior to the protest, according to prosecutors, Mostofsky messaged another demonstrator saying he could find him by looking for 'a caveman,' adding, 'Even a caveman knows it was stolen,' referring to the much-disputed results of the 2020 Presidential Election.

Afterward, as the image circulated online, Mostofsky told his friend his newfound celebrity was unfortunate, because 'now people actually know me.'

Mostofsky is the son of prominent Brooklyn judge Shlomo Mostofsky - a respected figure in New York's Orthodox Jewish community

Mostofskys unusual garb saw him stand out amid crowds of thousands of rioters, with one photograph showing the Brooklyn resident sitting on a bench near the Senate chamber holding a stick and the riot shield.

Mostofsky maintained that he found the police gear on the floor during the unrest.

In addition to the eight-month sentence, Boasberg ordered Mostofsky - who pleaded guilty to felony charges of civil disorder, theft of government property, and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds in February - perform 200 hours of community service and pay $2,000 in restitution for the police items he stole.

Prior to hearing Boasberg's ruling, Mostofsky had pleaded with the judge for a lenient sentence, saying he was ashamed of his 'contribution to the chaos of that day.'

'I feel sorry for the officers that had to deal with that chaos,' said Mostofsky, choking on his words at points during proceedings.

'When it started to get chaotic... I started to make bad decisions,' Mostofsky told the jurist, referring to the riot as a 'war scene' while attesting that he 'did not intend to harm any police officers.'

'Have mercy,' a tearful Mostofsky at one point begged the judge.

Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara, pictured hear in a court sketch from a hearing in January, told Mostofsky during sentencing in Washington, DC, federal court that people would not have been killed during the riots if people like him had not raided the Capitol

During the hearing, Mostofsky's attorney argued his client was not dressed as a caveman but as a 'zelig' - a figure who in Yiddish lore appears in key moments in history.

'It's a silly concept,' defense attorney Nicholas Smith said, bizarrely noting that Mostofsky was a Star Wars fan and that he 'wears costumes at all kinds of events.'

'To put the matter with understatement, the New Yorker is quirky even by the standards of his home city,' they wrote.

Boasberg responded to the attorney's assertions prior to handing down his sentence by noting how Mostofsky seemed to view the riots - during which four protesters and one cop died- 'almost as if this were a play, a performance...' as if it were 'a fantasy game.'

'You somehow got stuck in the fantasy of a stolen election,' the jurist stated, citing Mostofsky's apparent interest in the George Lucas-directed sci-fi series.

'I hope you'll leave some of the fantasy world behind,' Boasberg concluded as he delivered his ruling. 'Your indulgence in that fantasy has led to this tragic situation.'

Per the jurist's judgment, Mostofsky must report to prison on or after June 5.

The sentence saw Mostofsky become the first rioter charged with a civil disorder conviction - a charge stemming from a mass act of civil disobedience.

Prosecutors had sought a 15-month sentence followed by three years of supervised release for Mostofsky, citing that he was one of the first rioters to breach the government building.

Federal sentencing guidelines, meanwhile, recommended a sentence ranging from 10 months to 16 months.

Prior to hearing Boasberg's ruling, an emotional Mostofsky had pleaded with the judge for a lenient sentence, saying he was ashamed of his 'contribution to the chaos of that day.' Pictured is a sketch of the Brooklyn man during a previous hearing in January

Mostofsky, seen here after his arrest, pleaded guilty to taking part in the riots on January 6, 2021, last February

During proceedings, prosecutors pointed to how Mostofsky pushed against the police barrier officers were trying to erect to quell the group, and urged his fellow rioters to continue pressing on despite the resistance from law enforcement.

'Mostofsky cheered on other rioters as they clashed with police outside the Capitol building, even celebrating with a fist-bump to one of his fellow rioters,' prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

'Amidst this chaos and just prior to his engagement with officers, Mostofsky cheered rioters efforts.'

Once inside the building, prosecutors said during proceedings, Mostofsky followed rioters who chased a Capitol Police officer up a staircase toward the Senate chambers.

He took the police vest and shield with him when he left the Capitol, about 20 minutes after entering.

In an interview with the Post during the riots, Mostofsky told the paper: 'We were cheated. I dont think 75 million people voted for Trump - I think it was close to 85 million.

'I think certain states that have been red for a long time turned blue and were stolen, like New York.'

Mostofsky has worked as an assistant architect in New York. His father is a state court judge in Brooklyn, elected to the Kings County Supreme Court in January 2020.

'The fact that his father is a judge means that he should have been better able than other defendants to understand why the claims of election fraud were false,' said Justice Department prosecutor Michael Romano.

Boasberg said none of the supportive letters submitted by Mostofsky's family and friends explain how he 'went down this rabbit hole of election fantasy.'

'I hope at this point you understand that your indulgence in that fantasy has led to this tragic situation,' the judge added.

Aaron Mostofsky pleaded guilty in February to a felony charge of civil disorder and misdemeanor charges of theft of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.

Mostofsky's lawyers asked for a sentence of home confinement, probation and community service.

Defense attorney Smith described Mostofsky as a 'spectator' who 'drifted with the crowd' and didnt go to the Capitol to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power.

'He did things he should not have done,' Smith said. 'But theres a big difference between an ideologue who is motivated to commit violence and someone who ends up doing bad things when they find themself in a crowd.'

Mostofsky is one of approximately two dozen rioters to plead guilty to a felony. More than 90 riot defendants have been sentenced.

Judge Boasberg ordered him upon his release to reside with his brother, Nachman Mostofsky.

Mostofsky, now 35, is seen outside of his brother's house in Brooklyn after being charged for his part in the attacks days after the riots

Mostofsky's travel had been limited to New York City. If he needs to travel outside the jurisdiction, he will need to acquire permission. He was also told to surrender his passport and he will be under a curfew.

He was also ordered not to have contact with co-defendants or co-conspirators involved in the riot on the Capitol.

His attorney, Jeffrey Schwartz, told the court last year: 'I believe evidence will show that he was not part of the mob, he was not rampaging, he got caught up in it.'

'He will stay far away from Washington, any political rallies, he will have nothing to do with any of that stuff,' Schwartz added.

'He understands how the thing in Washington got out of hand... I can ensure the court that his only interests now is to address the charges against him.'

Nachman Mostofsky, who also attended the rally but claimed he did not enter the Capitol building said back in 2021 that his brother 'did nothing illegal' and 'was pushed inside'.

Other images of Aaron Mostofsky showed him holding a police shield that he claimed he found on the floor.

Upon his release, slated for early next year, Mostofsky is required to move in with his brother, Nachman Mostofsky, who also attended the riot but claimed he did not enter the Capitol building.

Nachman is the executive director of Chovevei Zion, a politically conservative Orthodox advocacy organization, and also serves as a Conservative Brooklyn district leader and vice president of the South Brooklyn Conservative Club.

Mostofsky was also ordered not to have contact with co-defendants or co-conspirators involved in the riot on the Capitol.

His attorney, Jeffrey Schwartz, told the court last year: 'I believe evidence will show that he was not part of the mob, he was not rampaging, he got caught up in it.'

'He will stay far away from Washington, any political rallies, he will have nothing to do with any of that stuff,' Schwartz added.

'He understands how the thing in Washington got out of hand... I can ensure the court that his only interests now is to address the charges against him.'

A spokesman for Shlomo Mostofsky, former president of the National Council of Young Israel, told the New York Post at the time of his son's arrest: 'Justice Mostofsky has no knowledge of these unfortunate events.'

The jurist did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment Friday afternoon.

Mostofsky's is just one of more than 700 criminal defendants facing charges for their part in the riots.

So far, 545 punishments have been handed out to rioters, mostly misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of six months imprisonment.

Most defendants, however, have more than one sentence, according to data compiled by the Associated Press,

Nearly 800 people have been arrested for their involvement in the Capitol riot, with 250 of them charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement during the insurrection.

The remaining trials are poised to continue in the coming months.
The Conservatives are facing fresh political embarrassment in Wales as they lost control of all councils after seeing their last stronghold slip away for the first time in 27 years.

Boris Johnson's party has already seen huge losses in the region as results from all 22 local council results continue to trickle in on Friday.

But despite expectations that they could slip up after making significant gains in the last elections in 2017, the party has seen all its prior progress wiped out on a dismal day for Welsh Conservatives.

The Welsh leader, Andrew RT Davies, blamed the day's results on the surging cost of living crisis and the PM's handling of Partygate.

The Tories lost Monmouthshire, their only majority-controlled council in Wales, to no overall control - meaning for the first time since 1995, Labour is now the largest party there with 22 seats, the Conservatives on 18, five independents and one Green.

Labour narrowly avoided handing them another devastating blow in Monmouthshire when they lost the majority ruling over a coin toss - which is only rarely used to separate candidates who receive exactly the same amount of votes.

Tomos Davies (Conservative) and Bryony Nicholson (Labour) each received 679 votes during the 2022 elections.

Commenting after losing the toss when she chose 'heads', a disappointed Ms Nicholson told the South Wales Argus: 'What can I say?

'People who told me "I can't make a difference" - if you had voted it wouldn't have gone to a coin toss. Just one person who couldn't be bothered.'

Boris Johnson's party has already seen huge losses in Wales as results from all 22 local council results continue to trickle in on Friday

(Left to right) Welsh Labour's Huw Thomas, Jane Henshaw and Ed Stubbs celebrate after being elected onto the Splott Ward in Cardiff

England London Scotland Wales

Elsewhere, in north east Wales, the Tories fell from grace in Denbighshire to become just the fourth largest party. In 2019, they smashed Welsh Labour there after taking nearly 50% of the overall vote.

All four sitting Conservative councillors in Torfaen have also been ousted.

Meanwhile, Labour wrestled back control of Blaenau Gwent from the independents, also retaining Caerphilly and Newport, although Caerphilly council leader, Labour's Philippa Marsden, lost her seat by a large margin.

Labour are looking to maintain their majorities in Swansea, Cardiff and other key seats and appear positive about their chances across the country.

Plaid Cymru, Wales' nationalist party, has held onto Gwynedd, and Wrexham has remained under no overall control.

Tweeting this morning, Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford said: 'As ballots begin to be counted this morning I want to thank our incredible Team Welsh Labour for their efforts over the campaign. For every mile walked, every leaflet posted, every door knocked, and every conversation.

'But most of all I want to thank everyone across Wales who has put their trust in Welsh Labour councillors to deliver for them.'

Meanwhile, the Conservative vote share across Scotland has dropped, with a number of wards seeing a fall of more than 10 per cent when compared to 2017.

Speaking to BBC News, Tory leader Douglas Ross said: 'In too many parts of Scotland we have lost excellent candidates and councillors haven't been re-elected because it seems many of our supporters decided to sit this one out to protest and not cast their vote and we've lost out as a result of that.

'There is absolutely no doubt that people have sent a message to the Prime Minister and the Government, particularly around Partygate. That's what came out loud and clear.'

Mr Ross - who had called for the PM to resign over breaking lockdown rules, but then gave him his backing over Ukraine - said that the next few days were 'crucial' in the war.

But he added that the PM 'simply can't ignore the message that has been sent from voters, not just here in Scotland but across the UK'.

Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks to supporters outside StoneX Stadium in Barnet after the party won the borough from the Tories

London Mayor Sadiq Khan joins Labour celebrations in Wandsworth where the party took the council off the Conservatives for the first time in more than 40 years

The Prime Minister earlier today described the local election results as a 'mixed bag' as he admitted the Tories had a 'tough night in some parts of the country'.

He said: 'It is mid-term. Its certainly a mixed set of results.

'We had a tough night in some parts of the country but on the other hand in other parts of the country you are still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains in places that havent voted Conservative for a long time, if ever.'

And despite making small gains across some of the home nations, Labour will be 'disappointed' by their local election results, elections expert John Curtice said today - with Keir Starmer's party sweeping up London but making only modest gains elsewhere.

Professor Curtice said the Tories looked on track to lose between 200 and 300 seats amid anger over sleaze and Partygate, but Labour had failed to win back its former Red Wall heartland.

He said it was not a performance 'that indicated a party that is on course for winning a general election with a majority' and did not even suggest Labour would necessarily be the largest party in the next Parliament.

Labour has seized three symbolic London councils from the Conservatives - Westminster, Barnet and Wandsworth - but elsewhere its performance was less impressive.

The party failed to live up to high expectations in Bolton, gaining just two seats to leave them with 19 councillors, versus 23 for the Tories. This left no party in overall control.

The Tories also made gains on Wirral Council, picking up one seat, although Labour still remains the largest party with 26 out of 66.

Meanwhile, Labour lost control of Hull to the Lib Dems - ending the party's 10-year rule in the Yorkshire city.

Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow leader of the Commons, said the outcome showed that voters still do not think Labour 'has all the answers'.

'People are feeling like the Tories are not answering their needs, they are not dealing with the real core issues where you can't pay your bills, are not sure how you are going to get through the next year,' she told the BBC.

'Now I admit that if, so far, we had taken all of those councils, that would mean that they were saying we did have all the answers. We have got work to do.'
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pushed back on reports Friday that U.S. intelligence helped the Ukrainian military sink the Russian Black Sea flagship Moskva.

She called those reports 'inaccurate'  and cast them as 'over-claiming' a US role she said was an action founded on Ukrainian capabilities.

'We did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva. We were not involved in the Ukrainians decision to strike the ship. Or in the operation they carried out,' she said.

She continued: 'We had no prior knowledge with Ukraine's intent to target the ship. The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case,' Psaki said.

The U.S. said the Russian guided missile cruiser was struck by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles April 14th before it caught fire and went down.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said reports that the US helped Ukraine sink Russia's Black Sea flagship 'an inaccurate over-claiming of our role'

Psaki said she 'discussed this with both our national security adviser and the President and the view is that one this is an inaccurate over-claiming of our role and in an under claiming of the role of the Ukrainians who frankly have a greater level of intelligence and access to intelligence than we do.'

Psaki's carefully chosen words, which appeared to be compiled in advance, did not rule out the US having provided information on the ship's location that the Ukrainians then put to use on their own initiative.

'We do provide a range of intelligence to help them understand the threat posed by Russian ships in the Black Sea, and to help them prepare to defend themselves. against potential sea based assaults,' she said. 'But they take our intelligence, and they combine that with what they have access to. And so on this specific report, it's just not an accurate depiction of how this happened.'

She was asked if the US provided information that helped the Ukrainians take out Russian generals and ships, and if it risked potential further escalation of the war.

Her comments came after a US official confirmed that the Biden administration shared intel with Ukraine that helped locate and sink the Russian flagship Moskva last month in a stunning blow to Vladimir Putin's offensive.

That followed a New York Times report that the U.S. had provided intelligence information that helped the Ukrainians successfully target 'many' of the Russian generals who have died in the war.

The Ukrainian military says it has killed a dozen of them, an extraordinary number.

The report also cited multiple U.S. officials as saying a strike in Eastern Ukraine where Gen. Valery Gerasimov, head of the Russian joint staff, had visited 'was not aided by American intelligence.'

On Thursday, an American official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the US shared intelligence about the location of the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet prior to the April strike by Ukraine.

The official said that the US did not know Ukraine planned on striking the Moskva - a huge Soviet-era missile cruiser- and was not involved in Kyiv's decision, NBC News reported.

The 600-foot long ship had roughly 500 sailors on board when it was struck. It is still unclear how many Russians were injured or died in the attack

A US official said that the US did not know Ukraine planned on striking the Moskva- a huge Soviet-era missile cruiser- and was not involved in the decision

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said American agencies 'do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military'

The intel was given to Ukraine to help them defend themselves from attacks from Russia on its southern port city of Odessa.

Officials have been tight lipped about what specific information was passed along to Ukraine but one official told the New York Times that the information went beyond simply a report on the ships location in the Black Sea.

The 600-foot long ship had roughly 500 sailors on board when it was struck, and while some of the crewmembers were evacuated it is still unclear how many Russians were injured or died in the attack.

The US Navy used its new marine surveillance aircraft to provide accurate targeting data to Ukrainian forces to sink the Russian flagship in the Black Sea on April 13.

According to The Times, a US marine surveillance P-8 Poseidon aircraft, was tracking Moskva in the hours before it was attacked before supplying its location to the Ukrainian military.

The disclosure of U.S. support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraine's resistance and as polls suggest Americans question whether President Joe Biden is being tough enough on Russia.

As the conflict between the countries continues, the Biden administration has ramped up intelligence sharing with Ukraine alongside the shipment of arms and missiles to help it repel Russia's invasion.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February, the White House has tried to balance supporting Ukraine, a democratic ally, against not doing anything that would seem to provoke a direct war between Putin and the U.S. and NATO allies.

The disclosure of U.S. support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraine's resistance

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet - the Soviet-era guided missile destroyer Moskva - has suffered heavy damage and may have sunk after Ukraine claimed to have shot it with two anti-ship cruise missiles

Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev (left), commander of Russia's 49th combined army, was killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson on March 25, whilst Major General Anton Simonov, 55, (right) died during the attack on a Russian army command post in Kharkiv

Speaking earlier Thursday after a New York Times report about the U.S. role in supporting Ukraine's killing of Russian generals, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said American agencies 'do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.'

'Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intel that they themselves are gathering and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions,' Kirby said.

The incident that was a high-profile failure for Russia's military.

Ukraine claimed it fired two Neptun missiles at the Russian warship which was patrolling south of Odesa.

Russia initially claimed the vessel, which had more than 500 crew on board had blown up after a fire onboard.

Later, the Kremlin was forced to admit the vessel - named in honour of the Russian capital - had been taken out by hostile action.

The vessel sank as tugs attempted to tow the crippled warship back to Crimea for repairs.

News of the US' role in the sinking of the warship comes as US officials said that of the approximately 12 Russian generals killed by Ukrainian forces, 'many' had been targeted with the help of US intelligence.

The New York Times reported that Washington has provided Ukraine real-time battlefield information on Russia's expected troop movements and the location about Russia's mobile military headquarters, which relocate often.

Ukraine has combined those details with its own intelligence, which includes intercepted communications that reveal whether senior officers are located within a base, to conduct artillery strikes and other attacks that have killed Russian generals.

U.S. officials declined to specify how many generals had been killed as a result of American intelligence, the newspaper said.

The US National Security Council slammed the assertion that the United States was helping Ukraine kill Russian generals as 'irresponsible.'

'The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country,' NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

'We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals.'

The heavy loss of high-ranking Russian military officers has stunned Western security officials, who last confirmed an official tally of seven generals in late March, though Ukraine has since announced more.

Among the Russian generals confirmed dead are Major General Anton Simonov, 55, who was killed during an attack on a Russian command post near Kharkiv and Lt General Andrey Mordvichev who was killed in Kherson on March 19.

Major-General Oleg Mityaev, 47, commander of the army's 150th motorised rifle division, died fighting in the besieged city of Mariupol while Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, was killed on March 7 outside the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Meanwhile Major-General Andrey Kolesnikov, Commander of the Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division, was also killed in fighting on March 11 and Major-General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, was killed during a special operation by a sniper on March 3.

In addition, General Magomed Tushaev, a Chechen special forces leader, was killed in an ambush near Hostomel, Lt General Yakov Rezantsev, commander of Russia's 49th combined army, was killed in a strike near Kherson and Major General Vladimir Frolov died in battle.
First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Romania Friday carrying five gallons of ketchup on board Executive One Foxtrot after hearing that the military base she was visiting was running out.

Biden brought Heinz ketchup - a condiment created in her home state of Pennsylvania - to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, her spokesman confirmed to DailyMail.com.

Her visit to 'MK base,' as it's called, marked the first of a four-day Mother's Day weekend tour of Romania and Slovakia, which will put the first lady face-to-face with Ukrainian refugees.

First Lady Jill Biden was greeted with cheers when she announced she had flown to Romania with five gallons of Heinz ketchup on board her plane, Executive One Foxtrot

First Lady Jill Biden serves meals to U.S. servicemembers stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Friday

First Lady Jill Biden greets American servicemembers during her Friday visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, the first stop on her four-day trip to Romania and Slovakia

First Lady Jill Biden cuts into a three-tiered American flag cake prepared for her during Friday's visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania

On base, the first lady - sporting a Beau Biden Foundation ballcap and a black mask - served mac and cheese and potatoes to U.S. troops, as American personnel has expanded to about 2,700 since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The base is located near the Black Sea. The first lady flew on to Romania's capital city Bucharest, where she'll remain overnight.

Biden, who has done a number of domestic trips to bases as part of her resurrected Joining Forces initiative, chatted with the servicemembers as she plated their food.

'Do you want a potato?' she asked at one point. 'That's all you want?' she said at another.

She spent several minutes chatting with a fellow Pennsylvanian who said he also attended the University of Delaware, her alma mater.

'I'm a Blue Hen, too! So is my husband,' FLOTUS remarked.

First lady Jill Biden (right) and Staff Sergeant Sharon Rogers (left) read Night Catch during the first lady's visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Friday

After serving food she walked into the dining area - two bottles of ketchup in hand.

She was greeted with cheers upon announcing the ketchup was restocked.

The first lady volunteered to cut the three-tiered American flag cake, explaining to the crowd that she realized everyone was likely waiting for it.

Afterward, Biden headed to the 'morale and welfare center' on base to read the children's book Night Catch alongside Staff Sergeant Sharon Rogers.

Rogers dedicated the reading to her son Nathan, who is back in the United States.

'Thank you for your service because when your mom serves, you serve too,' the first lady said to the camera.

The reading was being videotaped as part of a virtual storytime program that's a partnership between Joining Forces and a group called United Through Reading, which connects military families when a family member is deployed through recorded virtual book readings.
Advertisement

The president of Sri Lanka has declared a second state of emergency in five weeks as thousands of protesters demanded his resignation amid a fuel and food crisis.

Soldiers will now be able to arrest and detain suspects for lengthy periods without legal supervision under the order issued by Gotabaya Rajapaksa today.

'The President used his executive powers to invoke emergency regulations to ensure the maintenance of essential services and public order,' his spokesman said.

The laws will go into effect from midnight.

A protester is carried off by one of Sri Lanka's 85,000 police officers during a street revolt earlier today in capital Colombo

A Buddhist monk pours water on his face to treat the effects of tear gas canisters

Crowds took shelter behind each other as tear gas and smoke grenades were fired at them

Rajapaksa previously declared an state of emergency on April 1 after thousands of protesters attempted to storm his home in capital Colombo.

That emergency lapsed on April 14.

But protests have since escalated.

The 85,000-strong police force had stepped up security for all ruling party legislators.

Another protester pours water on his face and eyes to fight the burning effects of tear gas as the violent scuffles continued

Thousands have taken to the streets as the country faces its worst economic crisis in decades

Scuffles have turned violent as protesters demand the president and the government's collapse

Protesters are demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa (pictured in February)

But they were stretched to the limit and had asked the security forces to reinforce them.

Thousands of shops, schools and businesses closed today as public and private sector workers in Sri Lanka went on strike.

They are demanding the president and the government step down for their mishandling of the island's worst financial crisis in decades.

Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and tax cuts by the government of President Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka has been left with as little as 40million in useable foreign reserves, the country's finance minister said this week.

Shortages of imported food, fuel and medicines has led to more than a month of sporadically violent anti-government protests.

Shops were shuttered in major cities and commuters were left stranded as bus and train drivers joined the strike.

A barefoot protester wears a motorcycle helmet to defend himself in Colombo earlier today

Smoke and tear gas have filled the streets in the Sri Lankan capital amid a food and fuel crisis

Some have taken to wearing gas masks and shielding their hands and arms as they fight cops

Nurses and doctors have also joined the strike, though emergency services still run.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa told parliament the opposition wants to move a no-confidence motion against the government next week.

President Rajapaksa has refused to step down, instead calling for a unity government led by him.

'We have called multiple times for the formation of a unity government or an interim government but it is the opposition that has refused to extend support,' chief government whip and public security minister Prasanna Ranatunge said today.

Demonstrators have taken to using police barriers as shields as cops fought the protest

A city worker covers his nose and mouth while running as a barefoot demonstrator struggles

Crowds of Sri Lankans have rebelled against the government's handling of fuel shortages

The Canadian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka and the Maldives tweeted his concern at the declaration.

David McKinnon wrote: 'Over the past weeks, the demonstrations across Sri Lanka have overwhelmingly involved citizens enjoying their right to peaceful freedom of expression, and are a credit to the countrys democracy.

'Its hard to understand why it is necessary, then, to declare a state of emergency.'

A protestor was killed during demonstrations last month after police fired live ammunition at a crowd.

Fourteen others were injured in the violence on April 20.

Police insist they are using 'minimum force' to disperse protesters committed to taking down the president.

The incident was condemned by the UN representative to Sri Lanka as well as envoys from the US and EU.

Mr Rajapaksa admitted that he has made several 'mistakes' which have worsened the country's economy.

But he appointed a new cabinet in mid-April in an effort to prolong his rule, angering Sri Lankans further.

Colombo's central train station lay empty as railway drivers and other public sector workers went on strike over the economy

Irate protestors gathered outside the President's office in capital Colombo to demand 'Go Home Gota' (image taken today)

Hospitals have also been abandoned by many doctors and nurses who have chosen to join the street demonstrations

A protestor outside the President's capital office building wields a sign which reads: 'Tools are no good if leaders are fools'
Advertisement

On-the-run prison lovers Vicky and Casey White abandoned their orange SUV in Tennessee, hours after breaking out of jail, before the country realized they were missing, sheriffs admitted on Friday.

Vicky, a prison guard, helped her confessed killer Casey break free from the Lauderdale County Jail in Alabama last Friday morning.

She was supposed to be taking him to court but instead, they drove away from the jail in a police vehicle. They then switched to Vicky's orange Ford Edge - which she bought under an alias.

They drove 100 miles north to Tennessee and then dumped the car. It's unclear where they went next.

A photo released by Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office on Friday showed an apparent attempt to spray paint part of the car green.

The SUV was found on Friday April 29, just as news of their escape was spreading through America, but it wasn't reported to police until last night. Police have now confirmed that it was Vicky's car, and that she and Casey had tried to spray paint it before they dumped it. It remains unclear where they are now.

Inside the car, the sheriff found Vicky's jail radio, handcuffs and keys.

'Somebody might have given them a ride -they could have walked and then stolen a vehicle. No one knew they were missing at that time,' Lauderdale County Rick Singleton said.

'This was a well thought-out, calculated plan.... we're sort of at a loss.'

Vicky recently withdrew $90,000 in cash from her bank, the proceeds of the sale of her home, according to police on Friday. New photos have also emerged of Casey's many tattoos that include a back inking of a Confederate flag and Nazi symbols.

Other photos show what Vicky would look like if she dyed her hair from blonde to brown.

In a message to Vicky, Sheriff Singleton said: 'If you're still safe, get out and turn yourself in.'

Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office released these images which appeared to show an attempt to spray paint missing corrections officer Vicky White's orange Ford SUV green. The discovery of the car was announced on Friday

Corrections officer Vicky White (left) and confessed murderer Casey White (right) shared an intimate relationship dating back to 2020 that authorities were unaware of, investigation revealed. The pair are not related

In light of his escape with Vicky, authorities are also re-opening an investigation into the mysterious death of his ex-girlfriend, Christy Shelton, in 2008.

Casey, 38, was there when Shelton was shot in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her family never believed the story, WAFF reports.

Casey has a history of violence with partners, having shot at his ex-girlfriend during a crime spree in which he killed a dog and held her roommates at gunpoint.

The 2015 incident culminated in the 6ft 9in 'monster' being sentenced to 75 years in prison on charges including attempted murder.

The search for Casey and guard Vicky White, 56, is intensifying as Lauderdale County deputies joined forces with the US Marshals, the Secret Service and other agencies to locate the fugitive pair.

The two developed a secret 'special relationship' during phone calls while Casey was being held in a different jail.

Casey White, the convicted killer who remains on-the-run with a corrections officer after breaking out of an Alabama jail last week, is shown in new photos

Casey White's Confederate tattoo with 'Southern Pride' inscribed around the edges

Another image shows the height difference between the pair. They have been on the run since last week

It's just a matter of time... we'll get them

'We're having to do a nationwide search. And we've got boots on the ground across the country, following up on tips and leads for us through the U.S. Marshal's fugitive task force,' Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told Al.com.

'So it's just a matter of time. We'll get them. Obviously, the sooner the better.'

On Thursday, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton - Vicky's boss - says the search for the pair is intensifying but they still have no 'clue where they're at'

Authorities have warned that the pair are 'armed and dangerous' and that Casey White is a 'bad guy' - having confessed to killing a 59-year-old woman back in 2015 while serving a 75-year sentence for other crimes.

Deputies in Limestone County will open an investigation into the death of his ex-girlfriend Christy Shelton.

On Thursday, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said the search for the pair continues across the country, but he revealed that local and national authorities have no idea where the two could be.

'We don't really have a clue where they're at,' he told Al.com.

He continued: 'I don't know what their game plan was. It's obvious this was very well planned out. It could be they're just holed up somewhere waiting for things to die down.'

The sheriff added that his department has brought in counselors for their colleagues, some of whom are still in shock that the stellar employee of 17 years could have run away with a confessed killer the day she was set to retire.

'I think some of them had gotten gifts for her and different things because they all respected her but some of them almost looked at her as a mother figure,' Singleton said.

'They're just devastated.'

Shelton was shot in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Casey was there when she died, authorities say, but her death was ruled a suicide

Corrections officer Vicky White kept her 'special relationship' with Casey White alive while he served a 75-year sentence in state prison for a crime spree that involved him shooting at his ex-girlfriend, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton.

Casey was moved from state prison to the county jail where Vicky works in February to face trial on separate capital murder charges.

Vicky then sold her house and planned to retire on Friday before taking off with him instead. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

Video of her leading the 6ft9in inmate out of jail shows she was 'prepared' to help him escape, says Human Behavior Academy president Susan Constantine.

'It was really obvious to me what was going on here was planned out, methodical, and she had played it out in her mind, even to where how she parked the car,' she told Fox News. 'She was prepared.'

Her 'waddling gait' as she stepped out of her car and walked in to retrieve Casey shows she was 'rough around the edges' and somewhat masculine, Constantine said.

Authorities are on day eight of a US Marshal-led manhunt for the fugitive pair. They could be armed with an AR-15 and a shotgun and may have used a copper 2007 Ford Edge to get away.

The latest footage shows them driving through the intersection of Huntsville Road and Cox Creek Parkway at 9.49am on Friday

Vicky is pictured 'waddling' into the jail and opening an interior door on Friday. Casey is believed to have been in the hallway at the time

Surveillance video previously released showed Vicky helping Casey escape from the Lauderdale County Jail, where he had been incarcerated. The pair then fled together

New video released Wednesday shows Vicky and Casey driving to the Florence Square shopping center on Friday where they abandoned the sheriff's car used during the escape

Surveillance video taken at the Lauderdale County Jail showed the moment Vicky snuck 6ft 9in 'monster' Casey out of the facility before they went on the run with an AR-15 and a shotgun.

Casey was serving a 75-year sentence for attempted murder, burglary, robbery, kidnapping and animal cruelty. He also faced murder charges after confessing to the fatal stabbing of Connie Ridgeway, 59.

The apparent lovers made a break for it on Friday after Vicky told superiors she was going to take Casey for a mental health evaluation on her last day before retirement.

The 56-year-old widow held the door for the 38-year-old thug - who was still wearing handcuffs - before they got into a black car and sped off at 9.30am on Friday.

New video released Wednesday shows Vicky and Casey driving to the Florence Square shopping center where they abandoned the sheriff's car used during the escape.

The latest footage shows them driving through the intersection of Huntsville Road and Cox Creek Parkway at 9.49am on Friday, WAAY reported. The intersection is about a half-mile from the shopping center.

The cruiser was found abandoned in the center parking lot several hours after the escape.

The jailer and confessed killer shared an intimate relationship dating back to 2020.

Inmates allege Vicky ensured Casey 'was getting extra food on his trays' and 'was getting privileges no one else got,' a claim that Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN has been confirmed by an independent investigation.

'As far as we know that was the earliest physical contact they had,' Singleton said of the arraignment. He claims Casey and Vicky continued to communicate after the accused murderer was transferred back to the prison.

But cops and federal agents have launched a huge manhunt and drip-fed more information about the duo - including that the jailer had two aliases herself.

The manhunt comes as Casey's ex-girlfriend begged Vicky to flee the killer, warning her she was not safe with him

Sheriff Singleton, who described Vicky as 'an exemplary employee,' issued a plea to the former jail guard, asking her to turn herself in.

'Vicky you've been in this business for 17 years, you've seen this scenario play out more than once and you know how it always ends,' Singleton told Good Morning America Wednesday.

In 2020, Casey's request to be transferred out of prison and into the county jail was denied after authorities found a makeshift knife stashed in the shower that they believed he intended to use to force someone to let him out

'Now go ahead and end it now, get to a phone and call 911, turn yourself in and help us get Casey White back behind bars because you know that's where he's going to eventually end up.'

The sheriff said that as of Wednesday morning, investigators 'don't have any idea where they might be.'

'We were making some good progress on that. We may be hindered now that some of that information has gotten out,' Singleton explained. 'But, you know, we're still working around the clock to locate them and try to get them back in custody.'

The sheriff also noted, despite hopes of her colleagues and superiors at the Lauderdale County Jail, all signs suggest Vicky willingly participated in the escape.

'The pieces of the puzzle just came together,' he said.

'I think all of our employees and myself included were really hoping that she did not participate in this willingly. But all indications are that she absolutely did.

'We're very disappointed in that because we had the utmost trust in her as an employee and as an assistant director of corrections.'

Vicky is a 17-year veteran of the sheriff's office. Singleton said she had been discussing retirement for several months and submitted necessary documentation to do so last Thursday.

Friday, the day of Casey's escape, was set to be her last day on the job. The sheriff previously said she 'talked about going to the beach' after retirement.

She had also been living with her mother after selling her Lexington home on April 18.
Sinn Fein's President and leader said last night her party will push for an Irish reunification referendum north and south of the border within five years.

The republicans topped the first preference votes in Northern Ireland yesterday evening and are on course to become the largest party in the territory for the first time.

They received 250,388 first votes, compared with the 184,002 returned for the Democratic Unionist Party, meaning they overtake them in a symbolic result.

Mary Lou McDonald then told TalkTV's The News Desk of her plan to hold a crucial vote.

'I believe that we are going to see these referendums and there have to be to bear in mind north and south,' she said.

'In the in the coming years, certainly within this decade, this decade of opportunity. We are going to see constitutional change on the island of Ireland. I believe that that the referendum would be possible within a five-year timeframe.

'But much more importantly I believe that the preparation needs to start now.

'There will be no prize for anyone very their heads in the sand or who will aid even the prospect of a disorderly reunification process we saw at breaks of disorder, lack of planning, lack of understanding, we are not going to repeat those mistakes on the island of Ireland.'

Sinn Fein's victory is also likely to lead to more political gridlock at the assembly, which was collapsed by the DUP in February as it seeks to overturn Boris Johnson's Brexit agreement.

Neither Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's party or the Ulster Unionists have yet agreed to join a power-sharing executive in which Sinn Fein would be able to nominate the First Minister.

They have argued that a win for Sinn Fein would lead to a referendum on Irish reunification. But Sinn Fein has run its campaign on the cost-of-living crisis.

Sinn Fein have topped the first preference votes in Northern Ireland and are on course to become the largest party in the territory for the first time. Pictured: Party President Lou McDonald (left) and Vice-President Michelle O'Neill (right)

The republicans are forecast to overtake the Democratic Unionist Party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, in what would be a symbolic result.

It could lead to Sinn Fein's vice president and leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, being nominated as First Minister

Talking about the potential for Sinn Fein to lead the first nationalist government in Northern Ireland, Ms McDonald said: 'This system was engineered more than a century ago when Ireland was partitioned, to ensure that there would be a perpetual Unionist majority, but it was engineered in such a way to ensure that nationalists and Republicans would not hold eye office and certainly would not hold the First Minister at ship.

'So, it is more than symbolism now, and, and a huge message of equality and progress, that we are, I hope, and it seems, on the brink of a nationalist or Republican Woman, a progressive woman occupying that the highest office in the land and leading the executive.

'And it is therefore very important that our union as partners demonstrate the respect, and the equality that is due to all of us, you know, and they are willing to bear and this is all about sharing.'

Speaking about the influence of Brexit on Sinn Fein's success, she added: 'On the issue of the protocol and the checks in the Irish Sea, and so on. Again, that is a consequence of Brexit.

'And I have to say, I hate to be the one to say we told you so. But we told them so Brexit was a bad idea. Brexit was potentially catastrophic for Ireland, the protocol was nasty.

'In any event, the protocol itself and any changes that they may wish wish to see major, those are matters that will be negotiated between the government in London and the European institutions.

'Furthermore, there is a joint committee specifically designed to allow the airing of those issues and the resolution of them and by the way, none of them are beyond resolution.'

Neither Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's (pictured left) party or the Ulster Unionists have yet agreed to join a power-sharing executive in which Sinn Fein would be able to nominate the First Minister.

Boris Johnson this morning said 'the most important thing is that we continue to support the balance of the Good Friday Agreement across all communities in Northern Ireland'.

A unionist party has always been the biggest in the Assembly, and previously the Stormont Parliament, since the formation of the state in 1921.

Last night initial indications showed that turnout was 54 per cent, down from 64.8 per cent at the previous election in 2017.

Boris Johnson this morning said 'the most important thing is that we continue to support the balance of the Good Friday Agreement across all communities in Northern Ireland'.

Speaking on a visit to a school in his constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, he was asked by reporters about the possibility of a majority of people in Northern Ireland voting for parties that support the current trading arrangements with the EU, and if he will work with those parties to make the Northern Ireland Protocol work.

Mr Johnson said: 'The most important thing is that we continue to support the balance of the Good Friday Agreement across all communities in Northern Ireland. That's what we're going to do. And whatever arrangements we have, they have got to have cross-community support, that's what the Good Friday Agreement is all about, that's what the Government is going to do.

'But as for the rest... we'll have to wait and see what the results are in Northern Ireland.'

Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden had earlier said he is confident the Government can 'make the case' for Northern Ireland remaining in the UK if Sinn Fein is victorious.

Asked on Sky News whether Boris Johnson could become the Prime Minister who oversees the break-up of the United Kingdom, Mr Dowden said: 'Let's wait and see what the results are from Northern Ireland.

'If there is a sustained majority of nationalist opinion in favour of a united Ireland, that would have to be put forward in a referendum.

'That's beyond the power of the United Kingdom Government. We would have to allow that to happen were it the case'.

He went on to say: 'Of course we would honour the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement if that was required, but I'm confident that we will be able to make the case for Northern Ireland remaining in the United Kingdom should that that arise, but I don't think we're at that stage'.

A shock poll this week raised the prospect of the DUP slipping into third place in Northern Ireland elections.

The latest survey on Tuesday found the unionists and the Alliance Party are level behind Sinn Fein ahead of the crunch vote in Thursday.

The republicans remains on course to emerge as the largest force after the ballot for the first time - although their support has dipped from 27 per cent to 26.6 per cent.

But the Institute of Irish Studies/University of Liverpool/Irish News research still put them well ahead of the DUP on 18.2 per cent, down from 20.2 per cent.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's party was in danger of being overhauled by the non-aligned Alliance, headed by Naomi Long, after it surged from 14.6 per cent.

The republicans remains on course to emerge as the largest force after the ballot for the first time - although their support has dipped from 27 per cent to 26.6 per cent.

The Institute of Irish Studies/University of Liverpool/Irish News research put Sinn Fein well ahead of the DUP

The Irish Foreign Affairs Minister has said it could be months until an executive is formed in Northern Ireland after the Assembly election.

Simon Coveney was speaking as counting began in the election, with the first results expected on Friday afternoon.

He said he expected it to be 'difficult' to form a powersharing executive.

'Honestly, I think it will be difficult, because this has been a difficult election and indeed we have seen for a number of years now... a lot of polarisation on certain issues within Northern Ireland politics.'

'Of course we have the added complication now of a potential change, if you like, in the pecking order, in terms of the possibility of the nationalist party having the highest percentage of the vote and the highest number of seats.'

He predicted a 'long and tense' count on Friday, possibly until the weekend.

The Northern Ireland Protocol has cast a long shadow over the election campaign following the resignation of First Minister Paul Givan in February in an effort to force the UK Government to act over the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

This action left the Executive unable to fully function. While ministers remained in post, they were restricted in the actions they could take.

Unionists object to the additional checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain as a border in the Irish Sea.

Five Assembly seats are up for grabs in 18 constituencies. Northern Ireland uses the single transferable vote (STV) proportional representation electoral system.

The DUP won 28 seats at the last Assembly elections in 2017, just ahead of Sinn Fein which returned 27 MLAs.

Next was the SDLP with 12 seats, the Ulster Unionist Party with 10 seats, Alliance with eight seats, the Green Party with two seats while People Before Profit and the TUV had one MLA each.
Kristen Day is the executive director of Democrats For Life of America

In January 2020, I went to a town hall meeting in Des Moines, Iowa to ask Pete Buttigieg, then a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, a very important question.

'Is there room for people like me in the Democratic Party?'

This was at the height of the primary season and pro-life Democrats, like me, were looking for a candidate who supported pro-life voices.

We had already lost then-frontrunner Joe Biden.

Just one day after re-affirming his support for the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for most abortions, he caved under pressure and declared that he opposed it.

Author Kristen Day speaking outside the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in August 15, 2020

Pro-life Democrats were left without anyone wanting their vote after we watched for years as our party steadily moved away from us.

President Bill Clinton said that abortions should be 'safe, legal, and rare.'

But then in 2012, the Democratic Party dropped the word 'rare' from its discussion of abortion in the official party platform.

President Barack Obama rallied Democrats around the goal of reducing abortions.

But then in 2016, the party officially embraced the repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

Hillary Clinton took the party even further towards the extreme by supporting a women's right to abortion up to the ninth month of pregnancy.

And sadly, on that night in Iowa, Mayor Pete made clear that pro-life Democrats didn't have any allies remaining on the debate stage.

'In 1996, and several years after that, there was language in the Democratic platform that said that we understand that people have differing views on this issue, but we are a big-tent party that includes everybody,' I told him that evening, 'Would you be open to language like that in the Democratic platform that really did say that our party is diverse and inclusive, and we want everybody?'

In short, his answer was 'no.'

'The best I can offer is that we may disagree on that very important issue and hopefully we will be able to partner on other issues,' he said.

Now once again, amid the national uproar over a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting the constitutional right to abortion may be overturned, 20 million pro-life Democrats are being ignored.

But as the Democratic party, by all indications, faces crushing losses in the 2022 midterms and potentially beyond, pro-life Democrats are asking: Is this really the time to be shrinking the tent again?

This week President Biden equated anyone that supported overturning Roe with MAGA extremists.

Really Mr. President?

As a long-time activist in the pro-life movement, I have worked with a wide coalition of pro-lifers, including Libertarians and independents, the religious and secular, brown, white, gay, straight, young, and old.

The coalition is broad and a majority would not consider themselves MAGA supporters.

Kristen Day and Hayden Laye, President of South Carolina Dems for Life and member of Young Pro-Life Democrats (YPLD), rallying outside the Supreme Court on May 3, 2022

I went to a town hall meeting in Des Moines, Iowa to ask Pete Buttigieg, then a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, a very important question. 'Is there room for people like me in the Democratic Party?' (Above) Buttigieg is interviewed by moderator Chris Wallace on January 26, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa.

We are united in our mission to protect pre-born life and provide every pregnant woman with the opportunity and support to bring new life into the world.

We want the government (and more broadly, society) to not only support pregnant women and their unborn babies, but mothers and their babies after they are born.

We want the government to financially support fathers, mothers and single people so they can start families while pursuing meaningful and affirming work and careers.

We advocate for universal access to healthcare so people don't have to choose between life and death, between food and medicine.

We seek to end the death penalty and the quasi-cultural death penalty for convicted felons, who served their time but are prevented from rejoining society.

Above all, pro-life Democrats want this important question put back in the hands of the people and not an unelected panel of judges.

We want our society to move on from this divisive fight and finally direct our focus on helping women who experience unplanned pregnancies.

But President Biden's recent actions and DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison's recent refusal to meet with elected pro-life Democrats have made the Democratic family more divided and inhospitable to pro-life voices.

This isn't just bad policy, it's bad politics.

When Biden was a U.S senator, there were 125 pro-life Democrats in the U.S. House and we had a robust 292-seat majority.

The numbers have been shrinking as the major political parties began to take clearer sides for and against the protection of the pre-born.

A decade ago, West Virginia Democrats held a robust majority that included 79 Democratic State Delegates compared to just 21 Republican members.

The West Virginia State Senate had a Democratic majority with 28 Democrats and only six Republicans.

Today, those numbers are flipped, with Republicans making massive gains in the state.

For the first time in history, registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats in West Virginia.

In the last election cycle, eleven counties flipped from blue to red.

West Virginia is not the only state with this type of major shift.

The number of Republican supermajorities in state legislatures are growing because pro-life Democrats are being pushed out and Republicans are recruiting using a big tent marketing strategy.

In the last month, one pro-life Democratic Committee Chair joined the Republican Party after a New Jersey Democratic country committee attempt to force him out of his duly elected office.

Another pro-life and pro-2nd amendment Democrat in Tennessee changed his party affiliation to Independent.

Now is not the time to exclude and alienate Democratic allies.

Author Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats For Life of America

With this week's news around Roe v. Wade, we need to find common ground and find solutions that will address the concerns and needs of women and children during and after pregnancy.

Democrats helped build social safety nets. Now we must move and work together to expand them.

Women deserve better than abortion. This means better education, better information, better resources, and better social safety nets. Pro-life Democrats support all these things.

So, Joe Biden, I am going to ask you the same thing I asked Pete Buttigieg: Is there room in the Democratic Party for pro-life voters?

After accusing us of being MAGA extremists, a simple 'yes' won't work.

We need real structural change within our party and a clear directive. We must get rid of the pro-abortion litmus test for Democratic candidates.

Biden ran on a platform of uniting a nation. Instead, he appears to be doubling down on a divisive strategy that is purging people from the Democratic Party.
The man arrested for attacking Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl appeared in court on Friday with a bandaged arm in a sling as he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges and being held on $30,000 bail.

Isaiah Lee, 23, was charged with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance, and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer after he allegedly attacked the comedian on Wednesday night.

He appeared at an LA court on Friday in prison robes and an N-95 COVID mask.

A judge also ordered Lee to stay at least 100 yards away from Chapelle, any venue where he is performing and from his residence, as well as to stay 100 yards away from the Hollywood Bowl.

Lee, who faces 18 months in count jail if convicted, ran on stage at the Hollywood Bowl yielding a knife that was hidden inside a replica gun as he attempted to tackled Chappelle, 48.

The comedian was able to sidestep Lee and was unharmed. The attacker was then arrested at the scene, and taken to hospital with a broken arm.

Isaiah Lee, 23, (right) appeared in court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges for attacking comedian Dave Chappelle

A judge also ordered Lee to stay at least 100 yards away from Chapelle, any venue where he is performing and from his residence, as well as to stay 100 yards away from the Hollywood Bowl

Lee had allegedly jumped on stage and tried to attack Chappelle, who was able to sidestep his attacker and avoid injury. Lee had been carrying a knife and inside a replica gun

Lee suffered a broken arm after security arrested him and took him off stage

At Friday's court hearing, Lee's attorney said the the man never brandished his concealed weapon at any time when he stormed the stage.

Lee is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on May 20.

Chappelle has not yet publicly reacted to the decision, but during a comedy show on Thursday night, the comedian revealed that he has spoken with the attacker.

Chappelle said that he asked police whether he could speak to Lee, who had stormed onto the stage holding a replica gun with a knife attached. Police granted him access to a room where he was being held.

'I needed to talk to him,' Chappelle told his audience at LA's Comedy Store's secret 70-chair room the Belly Room on Thursday night, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Chappelle said that the attack was down to Lee's grandmother from Brooklyn, who was forced out of her neighborhood because of gentrification, and the stunt was meant to draw attention to the issue.

He joked about the situation alongside fellow comedian Chris Rock, who was slapped by Will Smith during the Oscars ceremony, stating: 'At least you got smacked by someone of repute! I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair.'

Chappelle also joked that his attacker was a transgender man, a reference to his Netflix special The Closure which sparked woke fury over his gags about transgender people and support for JK Rowling.

The author has been castigated for insisting that transgender women should not be given access to some single-sex spaces including changing rooms and women's prisons for safety reasons.

On Wednesday, Chapelle said via a representative that he did not want the incident to 'overshadow' a great event, referencing his Netflix comedy show.

'Dave Chappelle celebrated four nights of comedy and music, setting record-breaking sales for a comedian at the Hollywood Bowl....and he refuses to allow last night's incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.'

'As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show,' his rep said.

Netflix and the Hollywood Bowl said they were cooperating with the police investigation into what happened.

Chappelle (pictured) joked about the incident and said he spoke with Lee following the attack, claiming that Lee had pulled the stunt to raise awareness about gentrification in Brooklyn

The 23-year-old was taken into custody at the event, then was taken to the hospital. He is now in jail

This is the weapon Lee had when he tried and attack Chappelle on stage

Lee faces only misdemeanor charges over the attack after woke Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said he would not pursue felony charges against him.

Gascon's office - which is famously in favor of low-or-no-cash-bonds - chose not to pursue the most serious line of punishment over the concealed weapon.

Instead, they have referred the case to the LA City Attorney Mike Feuer, recommending a misdemeanor charge because 'the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct,' according to ABC.

When announcing the charges on Thursday, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer seemed to throw shade at the DA, saying 'My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously.'

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon (pictured) failed not pursue felony charges against Lee, who now only faces misdemeanor charges for the attack on Chappelle

Gascon has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure.

And following his first 100 days in office, he touted the changes he has made to the city's justice system - including limiting the use of sentencing enhancements.

The California penal code has more than 100 enhancements that could add time to a convict's sentence depending on the situation, most of which date back to when California was facing soaring crime in the 1980s and 1990s.

But under Gascon's reign, the use of those enhancements have been greatly reduced, with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 5,138 enhancements during his first three months - a 71 percent drop when compared to the same time the year before.

His first three months also saw prosecutors filing only 106 gun enhancements - an 85 percent decrease.

Gascon also barred prosecutors from charging juveniles as adults, regardless of the severity of their alleged crimes.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene should be allowed to run for reelection, a judge ruled on Friday, rejecting arguments by a group of Georgia voters that her comments about the Capitol riot made her unfit for Congress.

The ruling by Charles Beaudrot Jr., an administrative law judge in Atlanta, is only a recommendation.

Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, will make the final determination whether Greene, also a Republican, is qualified to run for reelection. A spokesman for Raffensperger's office said he 'will release his final decision soon.'

Greene, a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, is seeking reelection this year. The Republican primary is scheduled on May 24 and the general election on November 8.

The voters who tried to kick Greene off the ballot claimed she has constantly played down the violence on January 6 and has continued to back Trump.

A handful of Greene's constituents in a group called Free Speech For People sued to prevent her re-election, claiming she participated in assisting the Capitol attack and violated the 14th Amendment.

Beaudrot wrote that there's no evidence that Greene participated in the attack on the Capitol or that she communicated with or gave directives to people who were involved.

'Whatever the exact parameters of the meaning of `engage as used in the 14th Amendment, and assuming for these purposes that the Invasion was an insurrection, Challengers have produced insufficient evidence to show that Rep. Greene `engaged in that insurrection after she took the oath of office on January 3, 2021,' he wrote.

In response to the judge's decision, Free Speech For People said: 'This decision betrays the fundamental purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment's Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause and gives a pass to political violence as a tool for disrupting and overturning free and fair elections.'

Greene testified in court on April 22 in the case to have her thrown off the ballot that she was a 'victim' of the Capitol riot - and thus not an active party in it.

She also said she had never seen any violence from Trump supporters and thought Antifa and Black Lives Matter were responsible for the chaos on January 6 while she was in Congress.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene should be allowed to run for reelection, a judge ruled on Friday, rejecting arguments by a group of Georgia voters that her comments about the Capitol riot made her unfit for Congress

'I was on the House chamber when it happened. I had to be evacuated to safety,' she recounted from the stand. We were held for hours, in a secret location, protected by Capitol Police, military members for hours, until they cleared the Capitol.'

'Yes, I was a victim of the riot that day,' the Georgia lawmaker added.

To questions like whether she encouraged former President Donald Trump to impose martial law to stay in power she answered, 'I do not recall.'

Her attorney, James Bopp Jr., claimed to also represent Trump and tried to make an executive privilege claim when questions about martial law were asked.

The ruling by Charles Beaudrot Jr., an administrative law judge in Atlanta, is only a recommendation. Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, will make the final determination whether Greene, also a Republican, is qualified to run for reelection

Greene testified under oath that she had never heard of any threats of violence in the lead-up to January 6 - instead saying she thought left-leaning activists were responsible.

'I heard a gunshot, we all heard it. And we were so confused, we thought Antifa was breaking in or [Black Lives Matter], because those were the riots that had gone on and one all of 2020 - day in and day out - just horrible riots all over the country,' Greene recounted in the Georgia courtroom. 'That was the only thing that made sense for most of us.'

She denied encouraging violence by telling Trump supporters to descend on D.C. the day Congress was counting the Electoral College votes, to cement now President Joe Biden as the 2020 election winner.

'I was asking people to come for a peaceful march, which everyone is entitled to do under their First Amendment,' Greene said, with political ally Rep. Matt Gaetz seated in the audience. 'But I was not asking them to actively engage in violence or any type of action.'

Time and time again, she said she only believed leftists were capable of violence, defending some of the January 6 participants as 'patriots' because they were veterans.

'The only violence I'd ever seen was Antifa and BLM riots and I've been to so many Trump rallies - have never once seen violence out of Trump people. I don't recall any talk of violence,' Greene said.

'We mostly thought it was Antifa dressed up as Trump supporters,' Greene later testified when asked who she thought was attacking the Capitol when it went into lockdown.

At a court hearing in Atlanta on April 25, Greene denied encouraging violence on January 6 as she took the stand Friday in a Georgia courtroom for an administrative hearing for the case to have her thrown off the ballot

One of the lawyers for the Georgia voters, Andrew Celli, focused intently on a Facebook video Greene had posted in the run-up to January 6 where she said Trump supporters should not accept a 'peaceful transfer' of power, like incoming President Joe Biden wanted.

'She said the quiet part out loud,' Celli said during his closing statement.

He had asked Greene about previous statements and social media postings the congresswoman made about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including that she was guilty of treason and that a 'a bullet to the head would be quicker' to remove the California Democrat.

Celli was trying to knock down Greene's testimony that she would 'never mean anything for violence.'

'I don't support violence of any kind. And I've said it over and over again. So I I'm telling you,' Greene said Friday.

On the stand, Greene denied specifically making those statements.

'I'm not answering that question - speculation. No I haven't said that,' Greene answered when Celli asked her whether she thought, 'Speaker Pelosi is a traitor to the country, right?'

Greene then revised her answer.

'Oh no wait. Hold on now, I believe by not upholding - by not securing the border that that violates her oath of office,' the lawmaker said.

Celli asked Greene, specifically, if she used the words 'traitor to the country' about Pelosi. And asked her if 'it's a crime punishable by death is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason.'

'This is what I was telling you - she doesn't uphold our laws,' Greene answered.

'It's a simple yes or no question - did you say those words?' the lawyer asked.
An off-duty cop was robbed and killed, and multiple vehicles were set on fire over the last 24 hours as part of the Gulf Clans response to the extradition of cartel leader Dairo Antonio Otoniel Usuga to the United States this week.

Police officer Edison Acevedo, who was assigned to the police department in the municipality of Caracoli in the department of Antioquia, was heading home Friday morning after finishing his patrol tour when he was ambushed on a road, TeleMedellin television reported.

The network said that cops at the stationhouse asked Acevedo to stick around and not travel alone due to the dangers that persisted in the region after the Gulf Clan had announced its plans of a four-day national strike aimed at destabilizing Antioquia as well as the departments of Bolivar, Sucre and Cordoba.

One of cartel's retaliative attacks were captured by a surveillance camera and showed the moment a male individual rode on the back of a motorcycle and opened fired at a group of people in the middle of a street in the northern department of Cordoba on Friday and murdered a young man.

The cartel has been recruiting unemployed, young men via social media applications to carry out some of the acts of vandalism that were reported, including the torching of trucks, buses, and cars.

At least 19 of them were arrested by Thursday, according to Army general Juvenal Diaz.

Police officer Edison Acevedo had finished his patrol tour Friday morning and was traveling home when he was ambushed and shot dead by thugs hired by the Gulf Cartel

A truck is set on fire in Colombia after the Gulf Cartel announced a 'armed strike' in response to the extradition of the cartel's leader, Dairo Antonio Otoniel Usuga to the United States, on Wednesday

A bus is set on fire in Colombia on Thursday as the Gulf Clan is carrying out four days of attacks aimed at destabilizing parts of the country where the cartel has a presence in response to the United States extradition of cartel leader Dairo Antonio Usuga

An SUV is set on fire and blocks the middle of a road in Colombia. The country Ministry of Transportation has deployed its anti-terrorism police unit to provide security in the streets and roads

More than 50 vehicles alone were set on fire between Thursday and Friday across 30 municipalities in Antioquia and neighboring departments, where Usugas cartel continues to hold a strong presence.

Several businesses in the 30 cities were forced to close their doors to the public by Thursday evening and remained shut Friday.

Authorities reported several medical facilities came under attacks from criminal gangs linked to the Gulf Clan.

An armed man sits on the back of a motorcycle and opens fire the middle of a village in Cordoba, Colombia, where a young man was killed

Authorities announced Friday the arrest of four suspects (second from the left, third from the left, middle and third from the right) who were contracted by the Gulf Clan to carry out acts of vandalism

Defense Minister Diego Molano told reporters Friday the government was activating an elite unit known as the Search Bloc to go after top-ranking cartel leaders and anyone else who they have enlisted to commit crimes in the affected villages.

While the city of Medellin did not report any incidents, its mayor Daniel Quintero had deployed additional police officers to prevent attacks.

It is really worrying what is happening in the country, Quintero said Friday. We are preparing in Medellin. We have more than 1,200 additional police officers who are controlling public order.

Usuga arrived in New York on Wednesday night and made his first court appearance Thursday, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges before a federal judge.

Colombian drug lord Dairo Antonio 'Otoniel' Usuga is escorted by U.S. federal agents at a New York-area airport after his extradition Wednesday. He is scheduled to appear before a federal court judge Thursday afternoon

A public transportation bus was set on fire by Gulf Clan thugs in the Colombian department of Cordoba on Thursday

Over 50 vehicles have been set on fire in Colombia since Thursday as the Gulf Clan declared it would seek revenge after the government extradited its leader Dairo Antonio 'Otoniel' Usuga

Trucks are set on fire in the Antioquia city of Caucasia on Thursday after the Gulf Clan announced four days of attacks in response to the extradition of Dairo Antonio Usuga to the United States on Wednesday

Colombian security forces arrive at a road where Gulf Clan associated reportedly set a tractor trailer on fire on Thursday

Usuga did not ask for a bail package during his arraignment hearing and told U.S. Magistrate Judge Vera Scanlon to keep him detained until his trial.

The 50-year-old is due back in court June 2.

Considered the most powerful capo in Colombia dating back to Pablo Escobar, Usuga is accused by the United States Department of Justice for allegedly trafficking at least 90,000 kilos of cocaine from 2003 to October 2022, DEA administrator Anne Milgram said during a press conference Thursday.

The charges against Otoniel should send a clear message to the leaders of drug cartels around the world,' Milgram said before Usuga appeared in court.

'If you traffic deadly poison; if you use violence and fear to gain power; if you target law enforcement; if you destabilized countries for your profit; and if you run a drug cartel that harms the safety, health and security of the American people, then the Drug Enforcement Administration will stop at nothing to bring you to justice.'

The October 2021 arrest of Usuga was one of the biggest blows to Colombia's drug trafficking business since the assassination of Escobar in 1993.

Usuga was indicted in 2009 in the US, which had offered a $5 million bounty for information leading to his arrest.

Authorities say he is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of members of Colombia's security forces.

Colombian drug lord Dairo Antonio 'Otoniel' Usuga seen inside a DEA jet before it took off from Bogota, Colombia, to John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday

The Gulf Clan is believed to be responsible for 30 percent of cocaine exports from Colombia, the world's largest producer and supplier of the drug.

Formally known as the Los Urabenos and Clan Usuga, the Gulf Clan is a neo-paramilitary group, in addition to being a drug cartel.

It is currently involved in the on-going Colombian armed conflict, having first appeared after the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia.

In 2011, the clan declared war on the Los Rastrojos - a rival cartel - for control over the drug trade in Medellin, and in the decade that followed has grown into the most powerful criminal organization in the country.

It is believed to have some 3,000 members within its inner organizational circle.
A nurse who served on the frontlines during World War II celebrated her 100th birthday in the most daring of ways on Monday by jumping out of an airplane 10,000 feet in the air, and skydiving for the first time.

'I had never done it and I've done a lot things in 100 years,' Raymonde Sullivan said.

The feisty centenarian, who is a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, added: 'I thought I must do it while I can.'

Sullivan had the skydiving adventure on her bucket list.

She told her friends, two years ago, that if she was ever to hit 100 she would skydive. She said her friends appeared a bit skeptical, Newsweek reported.

Raymonde Sullivan gives herself a birthday treat when she jumped out of a plane and went sky diving for the first time on Monday. She is pictured here attached to her sky diving instructor more than 10,000 feet high in the air

Sullivan had this sky diving adventure on her bucket list. 'I had never done it and I've done a lot things in 100 years,' she told NBC News5. 'I thought I must do it while I can'

On Monday, Sullivan proved all the naysayers wrong when she jumped 10,000 feet of a plane and soared like a bird over the Florida coast, as her family, friends and neighbors stood on the tarmac, taking video, snapping photos and cheering her on.

The awe-inspiring scenes were filmed by the company Skydive Sebastian based in the city of Sebastian in Indian River County in Florida.

Sullivan served as a wartime nurse, in a role that often times were unpredictable and dangerous. And Monday's skydive mission appeared no different.

Once Sullivan dropped out of the plane, there was no turning back. She was freefalling and going at a speeds of approximately 120 mph, dropping 200 feet per second, all while attached to her instructor.

The mother of four, who is described as the 'matriarch' by family members, has six grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

After she made the grand landing she was elated to be back on solid ground, describing the experience as 'scary.'

Raymonde Sullivan, pictured here with her skydiving instructor of Skydive Sebastian locatedin Indian River County, Florida is en route to solid ground. Family, friends and neighbors were cheering her on from afar. She described the experience as 'scary'

Raymonde Sullivan pictured here with some family members celebrating her 90th birthday

The exciting adventure was all captured on video for all to see. 'Grandma wanted to go skydiving for her 100th birthday!! wrote one of her grandchildren on Facebook.

The Florida resident, who is originally from England, also received good cheers from relatives all the way back home.

'If James Bond cast as a lady suggest we just saw a cracking good candidate!

'Well dun Auntie Ray from Leigh, Anita, Frank, Jan and all families in UK. What a lady ! Happy Birthday gal!' a family member wrote.
By Day 25, the 70 people who had holed up in the nuclear bunker deep beneath the Azovstal steelworks on the outskirts of Mariupol were getting desperate.

With the complex under daily bombardment by the Russian army, the once regular supplies of porridge, soup and pasta had become more and more infrequent.

Anna Zaitseva, 24, who had taken refuge there with her family, took to eating just once a day. As the days passed and their predicament got even more serious, she and her mother Larisa both lost 20lb in weight. Her father Oleg lost three stone.

Shortages became so acute that some of the women started to lose their teeth and quarrels broke out over who should get what.

Anna Zaitseva, 24, with her baby son Svyatoslav and mother Larisa in the Azovstal steelworks bunker on the outskirts of Mariupol. With the complex under daily bombardment by the Russian army, the once regular supplies of porridge, soup and pasta had become more and more infrequent

'I would sometimes pretend that I wasn't hungry and take even less food, so I could give some more to my father and my mother,' Anna told me yesterday at the hotel she is staying at in the town of Zaporizhzhia  140 miles from the hellhole she lived in for eight long weeks.

Her plight was made all the more traumatic by the need to care for her six-month-old son Svyatoslav.

'We used to light some candles to heat up the water for his baby formula,' she says. 'There was no drinking water so we would have to use rainwater or melted snow.'

Svyatoslav was one of 18 children in the bunker and the hungrier they got, the more obsessed with food they became. 'All the time they were drawing pictures of food, or playing as if they were in a supermarket and asking, 'Anna, do you want to buy tomatoes? Do you want to buy apples?' '

In the absence of running water, men would climb the spiral staircase that led to the surface to collect rainwater from puddles.

This was a perilous undertaking as the Russians used drones to monitor their foraging missions and then targeted them with cluster bombs.

To while away the hours, Anna would sing to her son and dream of happier times with her husband Kirill, 22, a former soldier who had re-enlisted in the Ukrainian army days after Putin's tanks rolled across the border. (Above, the couple on their wedding day a year ago)

'One man was really badly hurt, but we had almost no medication,' says Anna. 'He had fragments of a bomb in his leg and he could no longer feel it any more.' The only usable lavatory was on the ground floor, which meant that even something as simple as going to the toilet carried the risk of death.

'That part of the building was exposed to shelling or explosions at any moment,' says Anna. 'Most of the walls had been turned into rubble.

'Every time there was an explosion, there was a vibration. It would wash over you like a wave, you know, like you were standing on a ship.'

The ever-present atmosphere of terror was exacerbated by rumours that the Russians were attacking the steelworks with phosphorous bombs which consist of a self-igniting chemical that can burn at 4,800F once it makes contact with air.

'I would sometimes pretend that I wasn't hungry and take even less food, so I could give some more to my father and my mother,' Anna told me yesterday at the hotel she is staying at in the town of Zaporizhzhia  140 miles from the hellhole she lived in for eight long weeks. (Above, Anna during her interview with the Daily Mail)

As their hunger pangs worsened, Anna and other women would have nightmares about Vladimir Putin's troops finding their shelter and killing everybody inside. 'People would scream out in the middle of night, 'Help Me',' she says.

'They were dreaming that the Russians were already here.' The lucky ones slept on wooden bunk beds stacked three high, while the rest had to make do with polystyrene mattresses scavenged from the floors above.

To while away the hours, Anna would sing to her son and dream of happier times with her husband Kirill, 22, a former soldier who had re-enlisted in the Ukrainian army days after Putin's tanks rolled across the border.

'I thought about our honeymoon in Kyiv,' says the French teacher. 'I would watch the wedding videos in my head to distract myself and not think about all this bad stuff.'

Azovstal plant was hit by repeated air strikes and it soon became clear that their bunker could not survive the relentless bombardment for long

Apart from the sound of explosions, the only noise was the hum of the small generator that provided faint yet precious light.

This was some consolation to little Svyatoslav, whose name translates as 'the one who worships light'. 'All the time I was feeling guilty,' Anna says. 'It was not my child's decision to be here.'

Their hopes waned and their frustration grew after promises by the Russians to allow those trapped inside to escape through humanitarian corridors failed to materialise.

But on April 30, their prayers were answered. An evacuation was to be arranged after all. Anna lights up as she describes the joy of feeling the wind in her hair and the warmth of the sun on her skin for the first time after two months entombed underground.

Her joy was to be short-lived. After being taken to one of the Russians' so-called 'filtration camps', two female Russian soldiers ordered her to strip naked. This humiliation was followed by an interrogation by a man in a balaclava.

But even after spending so much time in that bunker, Anna had not lost her sense of humour. When a bearded Russian officer grilled her on whether her husband had any Nazi tattoos, she replied: 'I don't know. We only like making love with the lights off.'

Her encounter with the brutish Russian military was nothing compared to what happened next.

Once she was released to her hotel, the Ukrainian military informed her that her husband had been badly injured. Kirill had been shot in both legs, and bomb fragments were lodged under his skin. 'Will you still love me, even if I can never walk again?' he asked Anna when she finally managed to reach him by phone on Wednesday.

'Are you crazy? I will always love you,' Anna replied. 'Just get out of there alive, please.'

Anna fell head over heels for Kirill when they met for a coffee on January 16 last year  a date she will never forget. Following a whirlwind romance, she was soon pregnant. They got married a year ago this month in Mariupol and when they celebrated the arrival of Svyatoslav last October, Anna was determined to persuade her husband to end his military career.

Kirill had served in the Donbas, the eastern province that  even before the current conflict began  had been the subject of an eight-year-long war with Russian-backed separatists. As she lay in the maternity ward after five hours of labour, Anna grabbed her husband's hand and begged him to quit the army.

'Now you have a baby. You need to choose another profession.

'You can choose anything you want, but not military service,' Anna told Kirill. 'No more army. No more of this bullsh*t.'

Anna and her son are welcomed at a processing area in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

On that October day, the happiest one of their lives, war seemed a million miles away. The horrors of Azovstal had yet to unfold.

Kirill quit the army and  ironically  got a job as a security guard at the local Azovstal plant.

The night before the invasion, the couple ate pizza and watched Bridget Jones's Diary on Netflix. At 6am the next day, Anna woke up to feed Svyatoslav and as she flicked through her phone, she read a Facebook post by a friend in Kyiv, who had written that the Ukrainian capital was under attack.

'I was crying and asked what we should do,' she recalls. He might not have said so at the time, but Kirill immediately knew he would break his promise to his wife and put on his uniform once more.

The next day, as Putin's forces advanced on Mariupol, the city where they had grown up and fallen in love, a bomb exploded just three miles from their home, shaking the walls and rattling the windows.

Fearing that their apartment block's basement would not withstand the bombardment that Russia was about to unleash, Anna hurriedly packed some clothes and baby food with a view to taking shelter at the steel plant, with its network of bunkers and tunnels.

'We thought [our basement] would turn into a mass grave if our building collapsed,' she says.

On April 30, their prayers were answered. An evacuation was to be arranged after all. Anna lights up as she describes the joy of feeling the wind in her hair and the warmth of the sun on her skin for the first time after two months entombed underground. (Above, the steelworks under attack on May 5)

The couple then closed the door on their first-floor apartment near the city's Veselka Park, where they lived with Anna's father Oleg Yurkin and her mother Larisa, for what would be the final time.

The family of five  leaving behind their dog and three cats  raced downstairs, scrambled into Oleg's car and fled. 'I thought this maybe would last just two or three days and we would be back,' she says.

Kirill, Anna and Svyatoslav spent the next three nights in a tiny concrete bomb shelter with about 20 other people. But on February 28, Kirill left to rejoin the Ukrainian army. 'I love you so much,' she called out after him. 'I will be waiting for you.'

In an Instagram video she posted just hours later she begged Moscow to end its aggression.

'My son has turned four months old today,' she said, wiping tears from her eyes. 'I hope that people who started or support this war have enough wisdom to understand what is happening.

'You are taking away our children's lives, you are taking away our children's childhoods, you are taking away husbands from wives.'

The next day the Azovstal plant was hit by repeated air strikes and it soon became clear that their bunker could not survive the relentless bombardment for long.

'There was lots of noise and vibrations from the explosions,' Anna says. 'There were pieces of concrete falling from the ceiling. People were screaming. To be buried alive and suffocated, this is the worst kind of death there is.'

That evening, they ran to another shelter five minutes away as Russian missiles exploded all around them. They had been told it would be safer because it was deeper underground and had been designed to withstand a nuclear blast.

Anna, her parents, and baby Svyatoslav duly made their way down that spiral staircase for the first time, little knowing the horrors that lay ahead of them.

Like the Ukrainian troops defending Mariupol, the young mother remains incredibly resilient. 'If you want, you can cry. If you want, you can be depressed,' she says, as she got ready for her first hair appointment in more than two months. 'Nobody will do the things that you have to do for you. This is your task. You should take your life in your own hands.'

She had one urgent question for this English journalist: 'Is it true that the Queen is dead?' She had read a fake news report on her first night in Azovstal.

After putting her mind at rest on the Queen's health, I ask what the family plans to do now. Her father Oleg says they will not stay in Ukraine and are thinking about eventually moving to Britain.

But for now, Anna has other worries. 'I just want to hold Kirill again and understand that he is close to me,' she says, breaking down in tears once more. 'He is the best.'
Coleen and Wayne Rooney fear their reputations will be shredded in the Wagatha Christie libel trial which starts next week.

Sources close to the couple claimed they are worried that details of hitherto unreported scandals involving Rooney allegedly drinking and womanising may emerge in court.

Rebekah Vardy, the wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, is suing Mrs Rooney over her claim in 2019 that Mrs Vardy had been leaking false stories about her private life.

The fear is that Mrs Vardys legal team  who will be fighting allegations that she colluded repeatedly with journalists from The Sun newspaper  will turn the tables on Rooney himself.

Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy attend the UEFA EURO 2016 Group B match between England v Wales at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, France

The couple are concerned they could face questions about their own relationship with journalists amid claims that stories about Derby County manager Rooneys supposed indiscretions were hushed up.

He has been the subject of a series of scandals involving his private life, including reports that he used prostitutes when Mrs Rooney was pregnant.

The former Manchester United and England star was banned from driving in 2017 for two years after being stopped by police while three times the drink-drive limit. One passenger was a young woman he had met in a bar.

And last year he was pictured apparently asleep in a hotel room with a model and her friends after a night out.

A friend of the couple said of the trial, which starts at Londons High Court on Monday: This trial is a slow-motion train crash and at this point its probably too late to stop it from happening.

The fear is its going to shred the Rooneys reputation as well as the Vardys. Stories may come out which Coleen doesnt know about and that could put a strain on the marriage.

Coleen arrives with friends and family on the opening day of the Grand National at Aintree, Merseyside

It is a disaster in the making but the momentum is now such that it seems too late to stop it.

The source added: Its already emerged that Becky allegedly set up pictures of herself with newspapers and that she and her agent talked about other potential deals in which they would give stories for money.

There may be more allegations along similar lines to come out so the case will be bad for her reputation.

Mrs Rooney was nicknamed Wagatha Christie after staging an elaborate sting operation in which she posted made-up personal titbits on social media to a diminishing number of people and, eventually, she believed, solely to Mrs Vardy.

She then waited for them to appear as news stories.

Mrs Vardy denies the accusations and is suing Mrs Rooney for libel.

Wayne Rooney, former Everton striker and England captain, arrives at Stockport Magistrates court in 2017

In a previous written submissions to the High Court, Mrs Rooneys lawyer David Sherborne said a statement by Mrs Vardy suggests that her agent Caroline Watt was the source of the leak but that Mrs Vardy did not authorise or condone her.

Mr Sherborne said: It now appears... that she too believes that Mrs Watt is the source.

But Hugh Tomlinson, representing Mrs Vardy, told the court that her new witness statement did not contain any change whatever in the pleaded case.

He added: We simply dont know what the true position is in relation to Mrs Watt.

Shes not communicating with anybody... and we dont know what her position is.

The court previously heard that Mrs Watts phone had regrettably fallen into the North Sea before further information could be extracted from it for the case.

The trial before Mrs Justice Steyn is due to run from Monday until Friday with the judgment expected at a later date.
Tesla has joined ranks with major companies offering travel compensation for employees seeking to get an abortion but live in states where they are banned.

The news comes days after supreme court documents were leaked indicating that Roe v. Wade would be overturned, striking down the nationwide right to an abortion and leaving the decision up to individual states.

In its 2021 Impact Report released on Friday, the electric-car company stated it had expanded its health coverings to include 'travel and lodging support for those who may need to seek healthcare services that are unavailable in their home state.'

Tesla moved its headquarters from California to Texas last year, a state where abortions after six weeks have been banned, and other states have already begun introducing restrictions on abortion.

Republican lawmakers have already begun battle with corporations providing abortion assistance to its employees, including Texas State Rep. Briscoe Cain, who said he is planning to propose legislation that would bar local government in Texas from dealing with businesses that offer such help.

Tesla has joined ranks with major companies offering travel compensation for employees seeking to get an abortion but live in states where they are banned

Musk Tweeted in September, 2021, that he preferred no to comment on politics, but that the government should largely stay out of peoples lives

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida introduced a bill on Wednesday that would prevent companies from claiming tax deductions for abortion assistance costs.

Musk has not commented on Tesla's new policy, but in September tweeted that he felt the government should 'rarely impose its will' on the people.

'In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness. That said, I would prefer to stay out of politics.'

The company joins a list of dozens that have made moves to provide assistance to employees in reaction to states maneuvering to block women's to access abortion.

The Supreme Court is poised to strike down the right to abortion in the US, according to a leaked draft of a majority opinion that would shred 50 years of constitutional protections

Pro-choice activists remained outside the Supreme Court into Tuesday morning, hours after the bombshell Monday night report

More than 50 American companies have begun offering abortion assistance in response to recent laws limiting abortion, including Amazon, Uber, Lyft, Citigroup, Saleforce, and Yelp.

In March Citigroup said in a filing with regulators that in light of 'changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states,' it will provide travel benefits to 'facilitate access to adequate resources.'

Cloud computing giant Salesforce offered to relocate employees at its Texas facilities to other states after the law went into effect there.

Amazon's benefit, effective to Jan. 1 retroactively, applies if an operation is not available within 100 miles of an employee's home and virtual care is not possible.

The Supreme Court is planning to vote to strike down the decision of Roe v. Wade, long considered a vanguard of guaranteeing a right to an abortion in the United States.

The moves come as legal analysts believe the Supreme Court, dominated by conservatives following the nomination of three justices by former president Donald Trump, looks poised to possibly overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that held that access to abortion is a woman's constitutional right.

In December, hearing oral arguments about a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks, the court's conservative majority appeared inclined to not only uphold the law but to toss out Roe v. Wade.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in the Mississippi case by June.

The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research group, has said that 26 states are 'certain or likely' to ban abortion if the Roe is overturned.
The prospect of summer travel chaos intensified yesterday with the news that British Airways is cancelling 16,000 flights  and staff are threatening to strike over pay.

BA announced that flights on several popular routes are being slashed until October as it continues to struggle with staff shortages.

Chief executive Sean Doyle said an average of 60 flights daily  16,000 in total  will have been axed between March and the autumn  about 10 per cent of all BA flights.

Grounded: BA cancelled an average 60 flights per day between now and autumn (file image)

Around 75 per cent of those are short-haul flights to EU hotspots including Spain and Italy.

...but if you're stuck here, at least it's hot! Britain will enjoy a balmy weekend after temperatures yesterday rivalled those of Barcelona, Athens and Istanbul. The mercury hit 23.3C (73.9F) in Heathrow and St Jamess Park in London yesterday  just 0.1C below the 23.4C figure recorded on April 15, 2022s warmest day so far. Over the weekend, temperatures will stay in the low-20s with cloud and drizzle forecast for northern and western areas before conditions improve again towards the end of the week. Richard Miles, from the Met Office, said that the current high temperatures have been particularly surprising for so early in the month. Advertisement

The Mail can also reveal that hundreds of BA check-in staff based at Heathrow Airport, where the carrier mostly operates from, are voting on whether to strike.

They took a 10 per cent pay cut during the pandemic and are demanding their full salaries are reinstated amid cost-of-living pressures and passenger numbers surging again after the pandemic.

Nadine Houghton, of trade union GMB, said it is no wonder workers are considering industrial action. Both GMB and Unite unions were testing members appetite for strikes yesterday and union chiefs are poised to hold a formal, legally binding vote giving a mandate for a walkout if pay demands are not met. Strikes could begin by July and continue into August.

BA said the majority of staff accepted a generous one-off lump sum equivalent to 10 per cent of their salary. But check-in staff rejected this because it meant taking a long-term pay cut.

BA has already cancelled thousands of flights in recent months due to staff shortages and an IT meltdown, and critics say it cut too many staff during the pandemic. Mr Doyle said the airline had had significant losses over the last two years but I think when you look at what we had to go through, the decisions made at the time were appropriate.

BAs owner International Airlines Group said the problems we are having at BA we can see in other airlines.

Budget carrier easyJet has also cancelled hundreds of flights in recent weeks, but the likes of Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI have not.
Dujiangyan in Sichuan intensifies efforts to protect wildlife

People's Daily Online) 17:00, May 06, 2022

Photo shows a giant panda. (Photo courtesy of Dujiangyan city)

Dujiangyan, a city in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, has boosted local tourism, due in large part to its recent efforts in protecting wildlife.

The city established the Dujiangyan section of the Giant Panda National Park in 2020 by integrating its natural heritage sites, scenic spots, natural reserves, forest parks, and state-owned forest farms. Spanning 394 square kilometers, this section accounts for about one third of the citys total area.

The section is home to rare species such as the giant panda, the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey, the takin, and the Chinese dove tree, explained Jiang Lili, deputy head of the management station of the section. Jiang added that the section is now home to 16 wild giant pandas, nine animal species under first-class state protection in China, and 40 under second-class state protection.

The section has also worked to develop eco-tourism, and has built several forest walkways, stretching less than 100 kilometers, and has also focused on scientific research and education by building science education centers in its peripheral regions.

During the five-day Labor Day holiday, homestay business in Feihong community, Longchi township of Dujiangyan was brisk. The rooms in my hotel were booked up during the holiday, said Wu Dengquan, a homestay hotel owner. Wu added that since the inception of the pilot stage of the Giant Panda National Park system, the local ecological environment has been improved, which has attracted droves of visitors. I upgraded the existing 10 rooms, and built another 19 rooms with glass walls early this year, said Wu.

Photo shows a red-billed leiothrix. (Photo courtesy of Dujiangyan city)

In addition, the city has established a long-term protection mechanism to rescue and protect wildlife as much as possible. At present, three municipal wildlife rescue stations are in place. The city conducts three inspection tours for wildlife every month and a one-week inspection tour on the diseases and poaching of wild animals every six months.

In addition, the city has stepped up efforts to popularize laws and knowledge related to wildlife conservation on World Wildlife Day, Earth Day, etc. to encourage more people to protect wildlife, said a city official, adding that the city has also shared knowledge of rescue and protection of wildlife with students.

Photo shows a Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey. (Photo courtesy of Dujiangyan city)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
First Lady Jill Biden called the leaked draft that suggests the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade 'shocking,' but said it should be a call to action for young women.

'This is the chance, really, for people to take action,' the first lady told MSNBC's Symone Sanders, who worked for the Biden campaign before becoming Vice President Kamala Harris' spokesperson.

While the first lady endorsed protesting, she pointed out that voting matters more.

'And I think we can go out and protest all we want, but we have to take actions,' she said. 'And this is when elections really matter. So if it matters to you, to your viewers, they have to elect people that think the way that they do.'

First Lady Jill Biden called the leaked draft that suggests the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade 'shocking,' but said it should be a call to action for young women

While the first lady endorsed protesting, she pointed out that voting matters more. 'And this is when elections really matter. So if it matters to you, to your viewers, they have to elect people that think the way that they do,' Dr. Biden said

The 70-year-old first lady told the 32-year-old Sanders that she could remember an era before Roe, when abortion laws varied by state.

'And you know, Symone, I'm old enough that I can remember when Roe v. Wade passed,' Biden said of the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision.

'You were in your early 20s, right?' Sanders offered.

'No, my gosh, no. Well, I'll have to figure it out - yes, OK,' the first lady remarked.

Biden was 21 when the decision came out.

'OK. Yes, I was younger. And so, as - it's just shocking that - to think that that long ago, you know, we thought everything was fine, that it had finally passed,' Biden continued. 'We had - you know, people had fought for years to get it passed. And then - and then to hear the news that - you know, as we heard it.'

While 'women are out there in front of the Supreme Court' she again pressed that 'the election of the president matters.'

Of the five conservative justices who would likely rule to overturn Roe, four of them were appointed by presidents who didn't win the popular vote.

'Because he's the one who puts the justices on the court,' Biden went on. 'And then - but if this goes to a state level, our state legislators are going to matter too. So people have to get involved. That's the only way that this is going to change.'

First Lady Jill Biden serves meals to U.S. servicemembers stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Friday

First Lady Jill Biden greets American servicemembers during her Friday visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, the first stop on her four-day trip to Romania and Slovakia

First Lady Jill Biden cuts into a three-tiered American flag cake prepared for her during Friday's visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania

Sanders' interview was conducted Thursday before Biden left for Europe for her second solo trip as first lady.

On day No. 1 of the trip, Biden delighted American servicemembers by showing up to Romania with five gallons of Heinz ketchup upon hearing their military base was running low.

Biden brought Heinz ketchup - a condiment created in her home state of Pennsylvania - to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, her spokesman confirmed to DailyMail.com.

On base, the first lady - sporting a Beau Biden Foundation ballcap and a black mask - served mac and cheese and potatoes to U.S. troops, as American personnel has expanded to about 2,700 since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The base is located near the Black Sea. The first lady flew on to Romania's capital city Bucharest, where she'll remain overnight.

Biden, who has done a number of domestic trips to bases as part of her resurrected Joining Forces initiative, chatted with the servicemembers as she plated their food.

'Do you want a potato?' she asked at one point. 'That's all you want?' she said at another.

She spent several minutes chatting with a fellow Pennsylvanian who said he also attended the University of Delaware, her alma mater.

'I'm a Blue Hen, too! So is my husband,' FLOTUS remarked.

First lady Jill Biden (right) and Staff Sergeant Sharon Rogers (left) read Night Catch during the first lady's visit to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania on Friday

After serving food she walked into the dining area - two bottles of ketchup in hand.

She was greeted with cheers upon announcing the ketchup was restocked.

The first lady volunteered to cut the three-tiered American flag cake, explaining to the crowd that she realized everyone was likely waiting for it.

Afterward, Biden headed to the 'morale and welfare center' on base to read the children's book Night Catch alongside Staff Sergeant Sharon Rogers.

Rogers dedicated the reading to her son Nathan, who is back in the United States.

'Thank you for your service because when your mom serves, you serve too,' the first lady said to the camera.

The reading was being videotaped as part of a virtual storytime program that's a partnership between Joining Forces and a group called United Through Reading, which connects military families when a family member is deployed through recorded virtual book readings.
Keir Starmers leadership was in crisis last night after police launched an investigation into Beergate.

Durham Constabulary said they were opening a fresh inquiry into the notorious event when Sir Keir was filmed enjoying a late-night beer with party activists during lockdown.

The move is a humiliation for the Labour leader, who called on Boris Johnson to resign in January after police launched an inquiry into claims of lockdown-busting events in No 10.

Sir Keir was pictured with a bottle of beer with activists during lockdown on April 30, 2021

In a tweet, he said: Honesty and decency matter. He needs to do the decent thing and resign.

How Labour called for PM's head Sir Keir Starmer, who has repeatedly called for Boris Johnson to resign over Partygate and the Mets investigation of Downing Street parties, has been left eating his words after Durham police announced it would reinvestigate a bash attended by the Labour leader. On January 12, Sir Keir told the Commons: [Mr Johnson] has finally been forced to admit what everyone knew  that when the whole country was locked down, he was hosting boozy parties in Downing Street. Is he now going to do the decent thing and resign? The day the Metropolitan Police announced it had opened an investigation into Partygate on January 25, Sir Keir was joined in his chorus of condemnation by deputy Angela Rayner, who said: Boris Johnson is a national distraction. Conservative MPs should stop propping him up and he should finally do the decent thing and resign. The Labour leader repeated this call the following day, telling the Commons: The ministerial code says that: Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation. Does the Prime Minister believe that applies to him? I think the Prime Minister said yes. Therefore, if he misled Parliament, he must resign. City of Durham Labour MP Mary Foy, in whose constituency office the bash in question was held, tweeted on April 19: Boris Johnson says he has made changes in Downing Street, so we should move on from Partygate. I wont move on ... until the lawbreaking charlatan resigns. Every day he remains in office is a national disgrace. Last night critics were asking whether Sir Keir and Mrs Rayner, both now the subject of a police investigation, would abide by their own high standards. Advertisement

Sir Keir ignored questions yesterday about whether he would adhere to his own standards and quit  insisting only that he had not broken the rules.

But a Cabinet source said Sir Keir had been hoist by his own petard, adding: Who would have guessed that the holier-than-thou saint would turn out to be a total hypocrite?

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told the Daily Mail: For three months, he attempted to divert the Governments attention away from important and pressing issues such as the cost of living and the war in Ukraine by continuously calling for the PM to resign for nothing more than being investigated.

Do his inappropriate and repeatedly shrill-voiced standards apply to himself as well?

One Labour backbencher branded Sir Kiers actions in Durham indefensible  telling PoliticsJoe they would refuse media interviews to avoid having to defend the partys embattled leader.

A political adviser to Sir Keir added: Its a relief Durham police arent handing out retrospective fines. Because we would probably get one.

Yesterdays police intervention follows a string of revelations by the Mail about what really happened when Sir Keir gathered with MPs and officials in Durham Miners Hall on the night of April 30 last year.

Durham Constabulary said last night the force had received significant new information.

The body blow for the Labour leader came as:

Sir Keirs dream of an electoral breakthrough fell flat as Labour failed to make significant gains in the crucial Red Wall councils

Mr Johnson pledged a new focus on the cost of living after the Tories lost almost 400 seats on a 'tough' night for the Government

The Lib Dems struck fear into southern Tories by claiming a string of victories

Durham police faced questions about why they delayed their bombshell announcement until after the elections

Disgraced former Labour mayor Lutfur Rahman was re-elected as mayor of Tower Hamlets after a five-year elections ban over vote-rigging

Labour tightened its grip on the capital, seizing flagship Tory councils in Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet

Last week this newspaper revealed that, despite denials stretching back three months, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner was also present at the drinks in the Miners Hall.

Local elections results declared across the country as of 10pm last night

Durham Constabulary (HQ pictured) finally agreed to reopen its 'Beergate' probe yesterday

Mrs Rayner, who also called for the PM to quit following the launch of the Partygate probe, is now likely to face questions from the police and face pressure to resign. The police initially rejected calls to investigate after reviewing a 43-second video filmed by a passer-by.

Corbyn twists the knife Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn appeared to twist the knife last night as he described the police investigation into Sir Keir Starmer as a very serious development. Mr Corbyn, who has been denied the Labour whip after being suspended in 2020, refused to say if Sir Keir should resign. He told LBC: I dont want to comment on what the outcome of (the investigation) would be, but obviously, its serious. Advertisement

But in a statement yesterday, the force said: Following the receipt of significant new information over recent days, Durham Constabulary... can confirm that an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations relating to this gathering is now being conducted.

Labour said Sir Keir, Mrs Rayner and others present would co-operate with detectives. In a brief statement to reporters, a shell-shocked Sir Keir said: I understand the police need to do their job, we need to let them get on with that but Im confident there was no breach of the rules.

Privately, Labour insiders acknowledged that Sir Keir might have to resign if he is fined, having repeatedly called for the PM and Rishi Sunak to quit when they were fined 50 over a brief so-called birthday party in the Cabinet room.

One Labour MP said the decision by Sir Keir and Mrs Rayner to push so hard for the PM to quit had come back to bite them.

Tory MP Richard Holden, who led calls for police to reopen their investigation, declined to call explicitly for the Labour leader to quit, but said: Keir Starmer should hold himself to the same moral standards he has talked about. It should be his words that hang him.

Fellow Tory Graham Stuart said: Its the po-faced, self-regarding, smug naked hypocrisy of Starmer on Partygate that makes his comeuppance so satisfying.

Durham Constabulary cites 'significant new information' as it reopens its investigation into 'Beergate' after days of Mail coverage and pressure from Tory MPs

By Jason Groves and Richard Marsden

Durham Constabulary finally announced it would reopen its investigation into Beergate yesterday following days of revelations in the Daily Mail and pressure from Tory MPs.

Citing significant new information, the force yesterday said it had reviewed its initial decision to take no further action and would now launch a probe which could see the likes of Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, forced to answer questions.

The Beergate event at Durham Miners Hall on April 30 last year was placed into the spotlight in January when a now-infamous image of Sir Keir drinking beer with Labour colleagues was published on the front page of the Mail after he criticised alleged lockdown-breaking parties in No 10.

What the police will probe Was it necessary for work? At the time, indoor socialising was banned in England. Indoor meetings during the local elections campaign were exempt if they were reasonably necessary for work. But the guidance was to not meet with other campaigners indoors and to keep interactions to a minimum. The 200 curry order Labour has refused to say how many people attended the event, but a restaurant reportedly delivered 200 of curry, with a source suggesting it was shared by 20-30 people. Sir Keir said it was a buffet-style meal  but employers were advised that staff from different households should not share food and drink. Did work continue after dinner? Sir Keir has said he went back to work after the meal, which took place after 10pm on a Friday. But Labour has yet to produce evidence of any work done later by attendees. Sir Keir has cited an online event and video clips. But these appear to have been carried out earlier. Labours changing story Labour spent months denying deputy leader Angela Rayner was present, telling the Daily Mail in January that she was not there. The party only admitted she was present last week when faced with video evidence. Sir Keir has also changed his story about whether the group worked throughout the meal or took a break. Was there any alternative? Sir Keir said all restaurants and pubs were closed so takeaways were really the only way you could eat. But the hotel he was staying at served food outdoors until 9pm and offered room service. Local media reports suggest 13 nearby outlets were serving food outdoors. Advertisement

It is understood detectives have changed their position in the light of Mail investigations. And this newspaper can reveal the force confirmed its decision to reopen an investigation a day after receiving a formal complaint from a Durham county councillor who lost his mother in the pandemic.

Paul Sexton, who sits as an independent, asked it to reconsider as people in positions of power think they are above the law.

They are to focus on the revelations that there were many more people than Labour had originally suggested and that the takeaway meal ran to a hefty 200.

There were also misleading claims that no other restaurants in the area were open at the time.

An image of what may have been Sir Keirs official car led to suggestions that police protection officers may have witnessed the events.

Back in January, the Labour leader dismissed allegations of hypocrisy and said the event bore no comparison with gatherings attended in Whitehall during lockdown by Boris Johnson.

Sir Keir said he and colleagues had stopped for something to eat and carried on working which was perfectly normal under rules at the time which banned indoor socialising unless for work.

The row was reignited last month when Conservative MP for North West Durham Richard Holden wrote to Jo Farrell, the chief constable of Durham Constabulary, expressing concern that the Met Police had issued a fine to the Prime Minister over Partygate but officers in Durham had concluded no further action was warranted against Sir Keir.

On April 27, Durhams deputy chief constable Ciaron Irvine said he would make inquiries with the investigation team.

On April 28, the Mail revealed that a 43-second video of Sir Keir and others drinking at the constituency office of City of Durham MP Mary Foy showed a number of people eating with the leader who was drinking from a bottle of San Miguel. The casual nature of the event appeared to contradict claims of a work meeting.

It can now be revealed that the room in which Sir Keir and six others were filmed chatting is a small kitchen where social distancing would have been impossible.

The following day, the Mail produced bombshell evidence showing that Labour deputy leader Mrs Rayner was also at the event  despite previous denials.

Labour went on the defensive, insisting the denials had been an honest mistake but the slip-up prompted widespread coverage across the BBC and Sky as well as left-leaning publications including The Independent.

On May 2, further questions were raised over Labours account of the evening after a takeaway delivery driver said he had delivered a big order to about 30 or so people. Reports suggested attendees had ordered 200-worth of food.

In a series of broadcast interviews, Sir Keir failed to deal with questions over Beergate  including refusing to answer three times if police had been in touch since the incident resurfaced. He later said they had not. As further allegations emerged, Durham Constabulary repeated its earlier stance that it did not believe an offence had occurred but it said it was examining the subject.

Labour MPs continued to support Sir Keir yesterday.

Shadow minister Emily Thornberry claimed Durham police reopened their investigation because of pressure from Conservative-supporting newspapers and Tory MPs. Durham Constabulary yesterday declined to comment on the nature of the new information. The investigation is likely to see Sir Keir questioned  probably in the form of questionnaires.

If he or Mrs Rayner are found to have breached the Coronavirus Act 2020, they could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice. A Labour Party spokesman said: Were obviously happy to answer any questions there are and we remain clear that no rules were broken.
Boris Johnson is planning a major government reset before summer to consolidate his grip on No10 following yesterdays tough election results.

Whitehall sources said the Prime Minister would carry out a Cabinet reshuffle and put tackling the cost of living at the heart of Tory priorities for the next election.

Yesterday, Mr Johnson hinted that the Government would come forward with more help for fuel bills if energy costs continued to soar.

The Conservatives were last night on course to lose about 300 seats in local elections in England  far fewer than had been feared.

Tory high command was relieved and encouraged that Labour failed to make significant gains, especially in Red Wall areas.

The PMs backbench Tory critics, who had pencilled in yesterday for a possible coup, were silenced, with only long-time rebel Tobias Ellwood calling for him to quit.

The former defence minister said it had become a requirement, adding: Were kidding ourselves if we think everythings OK.

But Tory top brass remain nervous that the PM could still face pressure if he is hit with further Partygate fines or fails to deal with the cost of living crisis.

Whitehall sources said the Prime Minister would carry out a Cabinet reshuffle and put tackling the cost of living at the heart of Tory priorities for the next election

Yesterday, Mr Johnson (pictured at a primary school in South Ruislip on Friday) hinted that the Government would come forward with more help for fuel bills if energy costs continued to soar.

At 7pm last night, with 141 of 146 councils in England having declared their results, Labour had gained just 51 councillors, compared to the Liberal Democrats who had an extra 182.

But a BBC projection suggested Labour would make gains if there was a general election. It put the party on 291 seats, with the Tories on 253 and the Lib Dems on 31.

This would put Labour and the Lib Dems within touching distance of the 326 needed for a majority.

Labour won just 202 seats in 2019 under Jeremy Corbyn.

A source said the PM would hold a reshuffle within two months to put in place the team who will take us into the next election.

He is also expected to give a major speech setting out the Governments priorities for the rest of the Parliament, including softening the blow of the cost of living crisis, delivering on the levelling-up agenda and tackling crime.

There will be a reset moment in the next couple of months, the source said.

The PM will set out to the public the things they can expect us to concentrate on in the run-up to the next election. You can expect to see the cost of living at the top of that.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan joins Labour celebrations in Wandsworth where the party took the council off the Conservatives for the first time in more than 40 years

Labour leader Keir Starmer speaks to supporters outside StoneX Stadium in Barnet after the party won the borough from the Tories

England London Scotland Wales

Another source said the PM was considering making Priti Patel Tory chairman as the next election approaches.

Senior Tories urged the Government to introduce tax cuts to ease the cost of living.

Ex-leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: It is no good promising tax cuts in the future when people are struggling now. The PM has to overrule the Chancellor on this.

Former Cabinet minister Sir John Redwood said tax cuts should be at the heart of next weeks Queens Speech.

A Government source said ministers would consider more help on fuel bills later this year if costs continue to rise, but played down the prospect of tax cuts.

The PM  who joined an art class at Field End Infant School in Ruislip, west London, yesterday  acknowledged the election results were mixed, but stressed that mid-term polls were always difficult.

The Tories gave ground to Labour in London, losing flagship councils in Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet.

They also suffered setbacks at the hands of the Lib Dems in parts of the South, such as Somerset.

But they held off Labour in the so-called Red Wall in the North and Midlands, gaining some seats in Labour heartlands such as Hartlepool.

Mr Johnson said: We had a tough night in some parts of the country, but... in other parts you are still seeing Conservatives... making quite remarkable gains in places that havent voted Conservative for a long time, if ever.
Advertisement

A giant superyacht said to be owned by Vladimir Putin was last night set to be seized by Italian authorities after they recommended it be impounded as part of sanctions against Russia.

Authorities in Italy said the $700 million The Scheherazade, which is more than 450ft long, and boasts spas, swimming pools and two helicopter pads was connected to a 'significant person' but did not name them.

The yacht has been the subject of an investigation by the Italian financial police since the end of March and has been in dock at Marina di Carrara near Pisa since September undergoing a refit.

The late night announcement came after fears grew that The Scheherazde was about to slip away and head to international waters and avoid any possible sanctions.

Italy's financial police patrol boat is seen in front of the multi-million-dollar mega yacht Scheherazade, docked at the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara

The Italian government ordered on Friday the seizure of a yacht worth some $700 million that has been linked in the media to Russian President Vladimir Putin

The yacht has been the subject of an investigation by the Italian financial police since the end of March and has been in dock at Marina di Carrara near Pisa since September undergoing a refit

Italy's financial police patrol boat is seen in front of the multi-million-dollar mega yacht Scheherazade, docked at the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara

Putin's 'other yacht' - a smaller, older vessel named GRACEFUL Vladimir Putin claims that he is only moderately-wealthy, but is suspected of secretly harboring a $100 billion fortune. A smaller, older vessel, the Graceful, has long been suspected of belonging to Putin. Alone among the world's superyachts, the Graceful's hull was laid at a Russian naval shipyard, before being finished in Germany, an industry source told DailyMail.com. The Graceful left port in Germany about two weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is currently docked at Russia's Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, safely out of the reach of Western sanctions. The Scheherazade, however, is stuck in drydock in Italy undergoing repairs, and a person familiar with the matter said that it would be impossible for it to sail before the end of March. A smaller, older vessel, the Graceful (seen leaving Hamburg last month), has long been suspected of belonging to Putin The Graceful left port in Germany on February 7 (above), about two weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is currently docked at Russia's Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, safely out of the reach of Western sanctions Advertisement

In recent days there has been a flurry of activity around the yacht and when MailOnline visited in March it emerged that the majority of the Russian crew had been spirited away in the middle of the night and replaced by a British contingent.

A statement from the Italian Financial Police said: 'After verification by the fiscal authorities it has come to light that there is a significant economic connection between the owner of The Scheherazade and senior elements of the Russian government.

'On the basis of these elements it has been recommended that the yacht be placed on the current European Union sanctions list and the Minister of Finance in Rome has agreed.'

Tonight Mariateresa Levi of the Italian Financial Police told MailOnline:' I am not in a position to tell you who the actual owner is but we are satisfied that the yacht should be seized and in the next few hours officers will board and impound her.'

The Scheherazade's captain, Briton Guy Bennett-Pearce, has denied Putin is the owner but has refused to reveal who is.

There have been claims that the vessel may belong to Eduard Khudainatov, a Russian oil tycoon who has not been hit by sanctions. He is the former chairman and chief executive of Rosneft, the state-owned Russian company that deals in oil and gas. Mr Khudainatov is close to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally and chairman of Rosneft.

But activists and investigative journalists linked to Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, are convinced that it belongs to Putin.

They obtained information which suggested that many of the yacht's crew were members of the Federal Protection Service, the agency that provides security for Putin and his acolytes.

The decision to seize the Cayman islands registered yacht after Navalny supporter Maria Pevchikh posted on Twitter:' Ok guys we have a problem, Putin's secret $700 million yacht is about to escape sanctions by simply taking off from Italy.

'It's a matter of days now. The Italian authorities are doing nothing to stop it. So we should.'

A probe into the vessel's crew revealed that almost all of them worked for either the FSB or FSO - Russian secret services that are charged with protecting Putin - and routinely flew to and from Moscow on shift rotations.

The only member of the crew who did not work for the secret service was British captain Guy Bennett Pierce, who confirmed that the vessel is Russian-owned but refused to say who the owner is.

Documents for the Scheherazade seen by Navalny's team show the official owner is an offshore company from the Marshall Islands - a tactic commonly used by the super-rich to conceal their wealth.

Putin is also known to list family or friends as owners, with his name almost never used on official documents.

Italy's financial police patrol boat is seen in front of the multi-million-dollar mega yacht Scheherazade, docked at the Tuscan port of Marina di Carrara

Investigators for Putin arch-rival Alexei Navalny say the boat - which features a dancefloor that lowers to reveal a swimming pool - belongs to the Russian despot because it was almost entirely staffed by secret service agents

An Italian probe into the owner of the boat - which features huge entertaining spaces equipped with a grand piano - has yet to conclude, meaning coast guard are currently powerless to stop it from leaving

Scheherazade is one of the largest and most-expensive privately-owned boats in the world, coming equipped with multiple swimming pools, spas, a gym, and two helipads

Shortly after the results of Navalny's investigation were published, the entire Russian crew vanished and were replaced by Britons. No reason for the replacement was given.

Workers taking part in the vessel re-fit have described it as a miniature floating city - complete with 'countless swimming pools, a spa, a sauna, a theatre, ballrooms, a gym, [and two helipads.'

The boat even houses its own hospital, workers said, amid rumours that Putin's health is failing.

The yacht arrived at the port at the end of last summer under the steerage of Captain Bennett-Pearce, who denies that Putin is the owner or has ever been on board.

Paolo Gozzani, of the local CGIL Union, spoke to MailOnline in late March when the Russian crew were suddenly recalled from the Scheherazade. He said: 'From what I have heard the Russian crew were all replaced during the last few days and now they are all British.

'It was all a few days, the word from inside is that they were called back to report for military service and now there are armed guards surrounding it as well. You can't get anywhere near her and the level of security is unbelievable.'

A source at the marina said: 'You could spot the Russians a mile off they were in the local bars most night, drinking vodka and beer.

'They were big looking guys and then one day they all just disappeared. To be honest for me they didn't look like a yacht crew they looked like a small army or security detail.'

The six-deck Scheherazade is one of the largest and most-expensive privately-owned boats in the world - with space equivalent to two apartment blocks.

The yacht has room for 18 guests in nine luxury cabins in addition to a crew of 40, residing in 20 cabins and boasts two helipads, a royal suite, a swimming pool, a spa and a beauty salon.

But since its launch in 2020, the yacht's true ownership has been cloaked in absolute secrecy.

Currently docked for repairs at the Italian Sea Group shipyard in Marina di Carrara, Italy, the Scheherazade is protected by measures that are extreme even by the ultra-private standards of the superyacht world, with covers hiding its nameplate and a metal barrier erected to partially block the vessel from public view.

For more than a year, workers at the shipyard have speculated that the ship belongs to Putin himself, a source there told MailOnline on March 8. 'All the whispers were it belonged to Putin,' the person said.

The source said that the Scheherazade's crew appear to be Russian, and that a team of Germans working on repairs to the vessel were recalled by their home office after the EU announced its sanctions in early March.

The boat's Russian crew - which numbered about 40 people - were completely replaced by Britons after the Navalny investigation published its findings, with no explanation given

However, Captain Guy Bennett-Pearce denied has that Putin owns the Scheherazade or has ever been on board, telling the New York Times: 'I have never seen him. I have never met him.'

The ship's name, Scheherazade, is the female protagonist from the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights. It is also the title of a symphonic suite by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov that is based on the tales.

The ship reportedly features personal touches for the Russian strongman including a judo gym with framed pictures of Putin's black belts.

And the Scheherazade carries books The Atlas of Beauty by Mihaela Noroc, Fashion History from the Kyoto Costume Institute and Photo Icons by Hans-Michael Koetzle.

A worker involved in the yacht's construction told the Sun: 'Every surface is marble or gold. There are countless swimming pools, a spa, a sauna, a theatre, ballrooms, a gym, two helipads. It's like a mini city.

'There is even a hospital which makes sense when you hear rumours of Putin being terminally ill. It is hard to swallow the fact that the most incredible ship in the world is owned by a man intent on bombing civilians in Ukraine.

'And it is an unimaginable amount of wealth when the average Russian's salary is 5,000 a year, and people there are struggling to eat.'
Keir Starmers hopes of an electoral breakthrough fell flat yesterday as he failed to make significant gains across the Red Wall.

On a night of mixed fortunes, Labour strengthened its grip on London by snatching the hugely symbolic councils of Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet.

But the party struggled to reclaim its former heartlands in the North and Midlands, which Sir Keir needs to be on course for Downing Street.

Though Labour made gains in the capital, it struggled to reclaim its former Red Wall heartlands

The Labour leader had sought to make the local elections campaign about the Partygate row after Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak received fines from police for attending a gathering in No 10 to celebrate the Prime Ministers 56th birthday.

But this backfired in the latter days of the campaign as he struggled to answer questions about a lockdown gathering in Durham last year when he was pictured swigging beer.

Sir John Curtice, a professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said Labours performance did not indicate a party that is on course for winning a general election.

The polling expert added: For a party that is trying to regain ground in the so-called Red Wall seats in the Midlands and North of England, this wasnt quite the progress they wanted.

Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Robert Buckland suggested Labour was suffering from Long Corbyn as the disastrous legacy of its former leader still lingers.

The Labour leader (pictured today) sought to make the election campaign about the Partygate row after Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak received fines from police over lockdown breaches

Local elections results declared across the country as of 10pm last night

Tory sources declared that Labour was seriously underperforming in the former heartlands that it needs to regain. Outside of London, the party did not see voters switching back on the mammoth scale that is required. At a general election, the party needs an extra 127 parliamentary seats to get a majority.

In the local elections, it went backwards in places including Amber Valley, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Sandwell. It also gave ground to the Tories in the contest for Nuneaton and Bedworth Council. The party stood still in Wolverhampton  where Labour lost two of the citys three constituencies at the 2019 general election  as well as Peterborough and Hartlepool, which have both been key battlegrounds.

In Cumbria, Labour won control of the new unitary authority in Cumberland  an area that has three Tory MPs in the seats of Carlisle, Copeland and Workington.

Labour also regained control of Birmingham, Englands largest metro council. And the party did well in some parts of southern England, snatching control of Southampton and taking Worthing for the first time.

The party also took control of Rossendale in Lancashire, Crawley in West Sussex and Kirklees in West Yorkshire.

Sir Keir hailed the results as a big turning point for his party.

At an early-morning victory rally in Barnet, north London, he said: From the depths of 2019 in that general election, back on track, winning in the North. Cumberland! Southampton! Weve changed Labour and now were seeing the results of that.

Shabana Mahmood, the partys national campaign co-ordinator, also argued the results showed Labour was making progress.

She added: Labour is making headway in England, Scotland and Wales, taking over key Conservative councils and winning in vital Parliamentary battlegrounds across the country.

However Jonathan Ashworth, Labours work and pensions spokesman, acknowledged there was a mountain to climb following the 2019 general election.

Its climbable, but my god its a big mountain because we got an absolute hammering in 2019, he told the BBC.

Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow leader of the Commons, added: People are feeling like the Tories are not answering their needs, they are not dealing with the real core issues where you cant pay your bills, are not sure how you are going to get through the next year.

If we had taken all of those councils, that would mean that [voters] were saying we did have all the answers. We have got work to do.

Momentum, the campaign group that supported Jeremy Corbyns leadership, said Labours results were underwhelming.

Mish Rahman, a senior Momentum figure on Labours National Executive Committee, said: From Partygate to the Tory cost of living crisis, these local elections were a golden opportunity for Labour...

While millions looked for an alternative to Tory ruin, they largely opted for the Lib Dems and Greens.
Northern Irelands new First Minister-elect Michelle ONeill was brought up in one of the most notorious battlegrounds of the Troubles.

And the family of the deputy leader of Sinn Fein were deeply involved in the clashes in East Tyrone.

Her cousin, Tony Doris, was one of three IRA men killed in an SAS ambush in 1991, when ONeill was 14.

The terrorists were on their way to attack an off-duty soldier in the Ulster Defence Regiment when they were intercepted. It is suspected a double agent within the IRA had tipped off the security services.

Doris, 21, and his accomplices were burned beyond recognition after their car burst into flames as it crossed from Londonderry into Tyrone at Croagh.

The coffin of Northern Ireland's former deputy first minister and ex-IRA commander Martin McGuinness is carried to his home in Londonderry by Gerry Adams, Raymond McCartney and Michelle O'Neill

Another cousin, Gareth Doris, was involved in a high explosives attack on the police base at Coalisland in 1997 only a year before the Good Friday Agreement which was to bring peace was signed.

Again, anti-terrorist officers were waiting, and unleashed a hail of bullets. Doris survived the attack after surgery.

He was sentenced to ten years in jail but, because of the Good Friday Agreement, he was released in less than three.

Mrs ONeills father, too, was an IRA member. Quite what his role was remains unclear, but he was interned at the Maze Prison at the height of the Troubles, and spent time in other jails, including Crumlin Road in Belfast, Armagh and Magilligan.

All of which tends to undermine the modern image the glamorous mother-of-two, with her carefully dyed hair and painted nails, seeks to portray.

She was meant to represent a break from the leadership of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, key architects of the republican campaign for decades.

The 45-year-old, born in County Cork shortly after the height of the Troubles, has served as deputy First Minister under the DUPs Arlene Foster (above) and Paul Givan since 2020

But, of course, neither Mrs ONeill nor Dublin-based Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Feins president, could hope to run what was the political voice of the IRA without the say-so of the men who wielded so much power over the years.

They are, in many ways, politically acceptable front-women as they work Ireland from both the North and the Republic to foster their aims of re-unification.

In what is a seismic moment for politics in Northern Ireland, she becomes the first Sinn Fein leader to knock the unionists off their perch at Stormont.

The 45-year-old, born in County Cork shortly after the height of the Troubles, has served as deputy First Minister under the DUPs Arlene Foster and Paul Givan since 2020.

And after yesterdays results, Mrs ONeill, viewed as the glitzy face of new Sinn Fein politics, could well earn the title of First Minister in a historic vote.

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill stands outside a polling station in Coalisland on the day of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections

She joined Sinn Fein only after the Good Friday Agreement was signed  at the time, she was 21 and married with a child  and worked for the MP Francie Molloy for seven years until 2005.

Her first foray into electoral politics was taking the council seat vacated by her father, before being elected to represent Mid Ulster in the 2007 assembly election.

In the midst of her legislative assembly commitments, in 2010 she became the first woman mayor of Dungannon and South Tyrone.

She was quickly promoted to minister for agriculture in 2011. In 2016 she announced she would scrap the lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood in Northern Ireland  just eight days after becoming minister of health.

A woman walks past a Sinn Fein election poster in the nationalist area of west Belfast

She stepped into the role of Deputy First Minister the following year  chosen ahead of former IRA member Conor Murphy.

She has since, predictably, been calling for a referendum on Irelands reunification in response to Brexit.

In 2018, she succeeded Miss McDonald as the vice president of Sinn Fein, and comfortably survived a leadership challenge a year later.

She has come under criticism for her attendance at funerals and commemorations of IRA members, however.

In February she was pictured at the unveiling of a memorial dedicated to three members shot dead during the Troubles, while she apologised for her attendance at the funeral of former IRA leader Bobby Storey during lockdown last year.
A tradie who had sex with a drunk law student he met while on a night out has been found not guilty of raping the woman.

Phoenix Cooper, 23, of St Kilda East - 6km southeast of Melbourne's CBD - was on Friday cleared unanimously by a Supreme Court of Victoria jury in Melbourne - a little over a day after they retired to consider their verdict.

The woman had claimed Cooper had raped her after her uni mates convinced her she had been 'drug spiked' by him, the jury had heard.

Phoenix Cooper, 23, (left) was represented by one of Melbourne's top silks, Philip Dunn, QC (right). They are pictured leaving the Supreme Court of Melbourne

Cooper was described to a jury as being a 'bit of a bragger'. His hand is tattooed with dollar signs

Phoenix Cooper was captured on CCTV canoodling with his alleged victim after leaving the Antique Bar (pictured) in Elsternwick

A relieved Cooper thanked Justice John Champion before walking free to try and piece back together his shattered life.

The tradesman had maintained his innocence from the moment police called him in over the disastrous one-night stand.

The jury heard he had been introduced to the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, by her law student mate while on a trip to the bar at the Antique Bar in Elsternwick.

Cooper pleaded not guilty to a single charge of rape, claiming he had no idea the brief sexual dalliance he shared with the woman was anything but consensual.

The court heard the woman herself claimed to have no memory of the actual act after her memory became 'fuzzy' just after midnight on April 20, 2019.

But that didn't stop police charging Cooper, alleging the woman was either too drunk to give her consent or had been asleep during the act.

Crown prosecutor Brett Sonnet told the jury by the time the woman left the bar she had consumed wine and martinis off her own bat and accepted shots of cognac and whiskey from Cooper.

When forensic doctors tested her blood alcohol content at 7.55am that morning they estimated she would have recorded somewhere between .135 and a .204 - more than four times the legal limit to drive - when the alleged rape happened.

The court heard Cooper had wooed the woman with tales of his window glazing business, cash and time living in New York.

Later that night, Cooper and the woman left her friends to enjoy a cigar.

'He definitely has coke,' the woman's male uni mate texted as she stepped outside the bar to sit with Cooper.

Phoenix Cooper admitted to his alleged victim's friends he had had sex with her just minutes after the act. He told police the same thing. Then he was charged with raping her

Cooper's other hand has the word 'God' tattooed on it. He had been sharing a home with a born again Christian when he allegedly raped a woman

Cooper's alleged victim had been familiar with the Anti

WHO IS PHILIP DUNN, QC Philip Dunn, QC, is recognised as one of Melbourne's top barristers. He has walked the streets of Melbourne's court district for near on 50 years. Back in the 1970s, Mr Dunn represented Norman Lee in the 1976 Great Bookie Robbery, which remains one of the largest Australian armed robberies. In 1994, alongside Robert Richter QC - who would go onto defend Cardinal George Pell - he represented Detectives Lockwood and Avon, who were charged with the murder of Gary Abdallah following the Walsh Street police murders. Both were aquitted. Advertisement

The woman had been accused by the defendant's barrister - Melbourne silk Philip Dunn QC - of hoping to score drugs off Cooper the night she alleges he drugged and raped her.

The court heard the woman had engaged in a text conversation with her mate about Cooper's supposed access to cocaine - a conversation she also claims she can't remember having.

The woman denied any suggestion that she had hoped to get high with Cooper, whom she had only met that night.

The court heard her two friends became concerned when they discovered she had 'ditched' them at the club, leaving her purse and house keys, to go home with Cooper, whom her mate later described as 'some random'.

The couple had been captured on CCTV leaving the Antique Bar just before 1am.

The friends arrived at Cooper's house later that night after he and their mate had already had sex.

In his closing address to the jury, Mr Dunn said the key issue in the trial was the belief of the complainant's friend that her drink had been spiked with drugs.

'(He) becomes convinced that she must be drink-spiked, she must be drugged to be in the apartment with Mr Cooper. Drugged,' Mr Dunn said.

Mr Dunn told the jury the woman had been surfing dating apps while enjoying pre-outing drinks at her home in the upmarket suburb of Brighton.

Phoenix Cooper and Philip Dunn, QC leave the Supreme Court of Victoria last week

He claimed his client was under the legitimate belief that he 'was about to get laid' when the woman climbed into bed with him and stripped off.

Moments earlier she had accidentally climbed into the bed of Cooper's born-again Christian housemate after a trip to the toilet.

The jury heard the woman recorded a 15 out of 15 on the Glascow Coma Scale - a clinical test used to reliably measure a person's level of consciousness after a brain injury - a little under an hour after the alleged rape.

'(She) thinks she's a victim and when she finds out in November that her drink hasn't been spiked, there aren't any drugs, she becomes active in contacting the police,' Mr Dunn said.

The jury heard the victim repeatedly contacted police asking them about the investigation.

'She's a victim. And she writes the note saying "I want and need him charged". She's making contact with the police, taking an active role in it,' Mr Dunn said.

'Why does she need him charged ... the defence suggests because she's now an entrenched victim.'

Mr Dunn urged the jury to consider what his client must have thought after picking-up a woman at a bar, kissing her and winding up in bed with her.

'You're fond of this person, you're feeling affectionate towards him and the phone rings and the person says "No, I'm not coming home, I'm going to stay here",' Mr Dunn said.

'What do you think? You think they want to stay with you, in a bedroom ... they start kissing, she takes her jeans off and then her panties, that it's a reasonable thing for him to think that she's up for sex?

'And anybody in his situation would think that ... anybody in his situation, as he said to the police, "I'm going to get laid". We say that's a pretty fair thing to think. And then she gets on top of him.'

The jury agreed.
From Instagram to Snapchat, most social media apps are crammed full of heavily filtered photos showing people with seemingly smooth skin and perfect figures.

But a new app is breaking the mould with no option for filters  and it recently overtook Facebook for app downloads.

BeReal prompts users to take an unfiltered photo every day via the app's camera, which snaps a selfie and a photo using the rear camera simultaneously.

And rather than letting users endlessly retake their photos to catch their best angle, the app gives users just two minutes to get the shot.

MailOnline tested the app this week to understand why it's shot to the top of the UK and US app charts this month, overtaking popular apps including Facebook.

BeReal prompts users to take an unfiltered photo every day via the app's camera, which snaps a selfie and a photo using the rear camera simultaneously

Potential cybersecurity pitfalls with BeReal As with any new app, BeReal has several potential pitfalls, according to Jake Moore, a cybersecurity expert at ESET. Speaking to MailOnline, he explained: 'The characteristic used which fuels this app is the urgency created in forced when to post. 'Urgency is also a tactic used by scammers to prey on their victims in the hope thy may click before they think so it is likely cybercriminals will replicate this technique and attempt to target unbeknown victims. 'Users must also remember they are potentially sharing very personal data with the world, especially when they are not in control of when they take the photo so this image could capture anything that is around them in that moment. 'Phishing text messages and emails are also potentially a risk that could be associated with this new app as cybercriminals are very well known for jumping on the bandwagon with new crazes before people are able to verify the origin of such communication.' Advertisement

What is BeReal?

BeReal was created in January 2020 by Alexis Barreyat, a developer based in Paris.

'Alexis Barreyat founded BeReal to stay in touch with his friends,' BeReal explained in a statement shared with MailOnline.

'It is a place where real life is captured, free from the need to create, cultivate and amass influence.

'By not focusing on followers, likes and filters, BeReal connects users with spontaneity and authenticity.'

The premise is simple - everyday at a different time, users are notified to capture and share a photo in two minutes.

Users must use the in-app camera, which simultaneously snaps a photo with the front and rear facing cameras.

Like other social media apps, you can follow friends and see their photos in your main feed.

Alternatively, you can search through a Discovery page, where you can explore photos taken by users you do not follow.

If you miss the two minute window, you can post late, but are unable to see your friends' photos until you post your own.

To react to friends' photos, users have two options  leave a comment by tapping the speech bubble on the photo or leave a 'RealMoji'.

As the name suggests, RealMoji are emoji featuring real faces, which users can snap on the app  again, with no option to use a filter.

How popular is it?

The BeReal app has stormed to the top of the charts in both the UK and the US, overtaking popular apps including Facebook.

According to data.ai, the app ranks 4th by downloads in the US, the UK and France for Q1 2022 after Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest.

Speaking to MailOnline, Lexi Sydow, Head of Insights at data.ai, said: 'BeReal is the latest innovation in social media  topping 3.2 million downloads worldwide in Q1 2022, up 373 per cent from Q4 2021, bringing its lifetime total to 5 million.

'Headquartered in France, BeReal has gained traction with French users, making up 30 per cent of its historical downloads. However, the app is catching on outside of its home market.'

The 16-24 age group dominates the app (74 per cent), while just four per cent of users are aged 45+.

BeReal was created by developers based in Paris and describes itself as the 'simplest photo sharing app'

'While Gen Z is 40 per cent more likely than the average person to use the app in the US, 55 per cent of its iPhone user base were actually millennials, followed closely by 43 per cent Gen Z,' Ms Sydow added.

'In most markets the app skews more female.'

Unsurprisingly, the app has suffered several teething issues amid the sudden surge in users, with many complaining of outages and slow upload times.

BeReal downloads have skyrocketed in the UK Downloads of the BeReal iOS and Android apps have skyrocketed in the UK over the last year, according to data.ai. BeReal Downloads, UK, iOS and Google Play combined Month Downloads October 2021 3,300 November 2021 5,100 December 2021 9,200 January 2022 26,500 February 2022 112,000 March 2022 260,000 April 2022 (forecast) 800,000 Advertisement

Taking to Twitter, one user said: 'BeReal is the best and worst app ever created, concept = immaculate, the app itself = SO unreliable mine has been uploading for almost 15 mins like come on guysssss.'

Another added: 'BeReal would be the best app if it ever functioned properly.'

And one joked: 'BeReal is the best social media app ever. Much more fun browsing through peoples mugshots and daily lives then fancy posey pics.'

Are there any cybersecurity risks for users?

As with any new app, BeReal has several potential pitfalls, according to Jake Moore, a cybersecurity expert at ESET.

Speaking to MailOnline, he explained: 'The characteristic used which fuels this app is the urgency created in forced when to post.

'Urgency is also a tactic used by scammers to prey on their victims in the hope thy may click before they think so it is likely cybercriminals will replicate this technique and attempt to target unbeknown victims.

'Users must also remember they are potentially sharing very personal data with the world, especially when they are not in control of when they take the photo so this image could capture anything that is around them in that moment.

'Phishing text messages and emails are also potentially a risk that could be associated with this new app as cybercriminals are very well known for jumping on the bandwagon with new crazes before people are able to verify the origin of such communication.'

Is it worth downloading? MailOnline tests BeReal

MailOnline's Shivali Best tested the BeReal app this week, and can see its appeal.

The app took less than a minute to download and set up, and was extremely intuitive to navigate.

Once I'd set up my account, I was prompted to take my first photo, with the two minute countdown appearing at the top of the screen.

The fact that this photo prompt appears randomly at a different time every day gives the app a spontaneous feel.

MailOnline's Shivali Best tested the BeReal app this week, and can see its appeal. The app took less than a minute to download and set up, and was extremely user intuitive to navigate

To react to friends' photos, users have two options  leave a comment by tapping the speech bubble on the photo or leave a 'RealMoji'. As the name suggests, RealMoji are emoji featuring real faces, which users can snap on the app  again, with no option to use a filter

There's no time to set up the perfect shot, and instead, you simply share exactly what you're doing at that time - whether you look 'photo ready' or not.

The dual-photo feature takes a few goes to nail, but I really enjoy the emphasis on living in the moment rather than sharing a curated feed.

The only downside to the random photo prompts is if, like me, you don't constantly have your phone by your side.

I missed several prompts while I was without my phone, which meant my photos were posted late - something that could be frustrating if you have lots of friends on the app all posting at the same time.

If you're not Gen Z, the app will likely have you feeling rather old.

As data.ai's statistics show, 16-24-year-olds dominate the app, while just 26 per cent of users are aged 25+.

The only downside to the random photo promts is if, like me, you don't constantly have your phone by your side. I missed several prompts while I was without my phone, which meant my photos were posted late - something that could be frustrating if you have lots of friends on the app all posting at the same time

As a millennial, I only had four contacts already on the app, including one fellow journalist also researching for a story.

Meanwhile, a scroll through the Discovery tab had me feeling ancient at my ripe old age of 30, with a sea of much younger faces - albeit, unfiltered - looking back at me.

Overall, I enjoyed using BeReal for a week, and am delighted to see the younger generation shunning filters in favour of a more spontaneous platform.

Recent research revealed that 23 per cent of social media users say that using filters has warped their perception of what they look like, to the point where it shocks them when they see images of their unfiltered face.

While it's great to see that so many younger social media users are embracing BeReal and its filter-free feed, I'm not convinced it will catch on among older users who have become accustomed to the range of other features apps like Instagram and Facebook offer, such as direct messages and Reels.
Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully returned four astronauts home to Earth following a six-month stint on the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron, and German astronaut Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency (ESA), returned to Earth and splashed down off the coast of Florida at 12:43am ET (5:43am BST) on Friday.

The quartet, which make up the Crew-3 mission, have spent 177 days in space on the floating laboratory, stationed in low-Earth orbit 250 miles above our planet.

Crew-3, which made its way to the ISS in November, is the third fully-fledged 'operational' crew NASA and SpaceX have flown to the space station.

Only last week, SpaceX sent up another four astronauts to replace the Crew-3 team.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully returned four astronauts home to Earth following a six-month stint on the International Space Station (ISS). In NASA video footage, SpaceX's Dragon capsule uses parachutes as it descends in the Gulf of Mexico prior to the successful landing

Here, SpaceX's Dragon space capsule splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico early Friday, May 6, 2022. Crew-3, which made its way to the ISS in November, is the third fully-fledged 'operational' crew NASA and SpaceX have flown to the space station

NASA's Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, and the European Space Agency's Matthias Maurer undocked from the International Space Station less than 24 hours before splashdown

Here, the Dragon space capsule is lifted out of the water after splashing down early on Friday morning

CREW 3: WHO WAS ABOARD? Flight commander Raja Chari, 44 (NASA). A US Air Force combat jet test pilot. Mission pilot Tom Marshburn, 61 (NASA). A US physician and veteran of three spaceflights to the ISS. Mission specialist Kayla Barron, 34 (NASA). A US Navy submarine officer and nuclear engineer. Mission specialist Matthias Maurer, 51, (ESA). A German materials science engineer. Advertisement

Chari, Marshburn, Barron and Maurer splashed down less than 24 hours after leaving the ISS on Thursday.

All four were out of the capsule an hour after landing, waving and giving thumbs-ups as they were hustled away on rolling chaises for medical checks before a helicopter ride to board a plane for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Barron, Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer traveled 75,060,792 miles during their mission, spent 175 days aboard the space station, and completed 2,832 orbits around Earth.

Throughout their mission, the Crew-3 astronauts contributed to a host of science experiments and conducted three spacewalks to perform station maintenance and upgrades outside the space station.

'NASA's partnership with SpaceX has again empowered us to deliver a crew safely to the space station and back, enabling groundbreaking science that will help our astronauts travel farther out into the cosmos than ever before,' said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

'This mission is just one more example that we are truly in the golden era of commercial spaceflight.

'Kayla, Raja, Tom, and Matthias, thank you for your service and welcome home.'

Before they left on Thursday, the Crew-3 astronauts embraced the seven astronauts still remaining at the station.

There now are three Russians, three Americans and one Italian on the ISS.

While the war in Ukraine has caused tensions between the US and Russia, the astronauts have stood by their Russian crewmates, and vice versa.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthais Maurer gives a thumbs up after being helped out of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft onboard the SpaceX Shannon recovery ship

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn exits the SpaceX Dragon space capsule on Friday morning. The crew were hustled away on rolling chaises for medical checks before a helicopter ride to board a plane for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston

NASA astronaut Raja Chari greets friends after being helped out of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft

From left: European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer of Germany, and NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This photo was taken prior to the Crew-3 mission leaving Earth last year

In this still picture from a NASA TV broadcast, SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft floats in the water off the coast of Tampa waiting for the recovery team

SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft is been recovered after splashdown off the coast of Tampa, Florida

SPACEX-NASA SPACE MISSIONS TO THE ISS Crew 3 is the third full-fledged 'operational' crew NASA and SpaceX have flown to the ISS - SpaceX Crew-1 (launched November 2020) - SpaceX Crew-2 (April 2021) - SpaceX Crew-3 (November 2021) There were also two test missions to the ISS, one crewed and the other uncrewed: - Crew Dragon Demo-2 (crewed, May 2020) - Crew Dragon Demo-1 (uncrewed, March 2019) Advertisement

Flight controllers in Houston and Moscow also continued to cooperate as always, according to NASA officials.

As he relinquished command of the space station earlier this week, Marshburn called it 'a place of peace' and said international cooperation would likely be its lasting legacy.

Russian Oleg Artemyev, the new ISS commander, also emphasised the 'peace between our countries, our friendship' in orbit and described his crewmates as brothers and sisters.

Friday's landing comes just over a week after SpaceX sent up their US and Italian replacements that make up the Crew-4 mission.

Crew-4  the fourth crewed operational NASA flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft  launched in the morning of April 27 and docked in the later evening on the same day.

It carried a four-person crew to the ISS  NASA astronauts Robert Hines, Kjell N. Lindgren and Jessica Watkins, as well as Italian ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

It's the first NASA crew comprised equally of men and women, including the first black woman making a long-term spaceflight, Jessica Watkins.

Crew-4 is due to carry out hundreds of scientific experiments, including ongoing research into growing plants without soil in space.

Crew-4 mission astronauts (from left) Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency walk out of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building en route to launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Musk's firm also returned a charter trip to the station for a trio of businessmen in April. That amounts to two crew launches and two splashdowns in barely a month.

Musk's company has now launched 26 people into orbit in less than two years, since it started ferrying astronauts for NASA. Eight of those 26 were space tourists.



The Crew-3 mission marked the fourth crew NASA has launched to orbit aboard a SpaceX vehicle in 17 months, building on a public-private partnership with SpaceX, the private company formed in 2002 by Elon Musk.

SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft makes its successful soft landing on Friday, concluding a six-month mission

The Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond

SpaceX Dragon space capsule containing the four astronauts is lifted out of the water after splashing down

From left, European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron pose for a photo in their Dragon spacesuits during a fit check aboard the International Space Station's Harmony module on April 21, 2022

Their collaboration helped usher in a new era for NASA leading to last year's first launch of American astronauts from US soil in nine years, since it quit flying space shuttles in 2011.

Between 2011  when the Space Shuttle program ended  and 2020, NASA was reliant on Russian Soyuz rockets for the service.

In May 2020, SpaceX successfully transported NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on a 19-hour journey to the ISS  marking the first crewed test flight of the firm's Crew Dragon spacecraft.

In the process it became be the first crewed launch from the US into orbit since NASA's space shuttle program ended in a decade ago.
Advertisement

A tiny Bible that can only be read with a magnifying glass is among thousands of mysterious treasures rediscovered at a Leeds library during lockdown.

The 1911 miniature replica of the 16th century 'chained Bible' is about the size of a 2 coin but contains both the Old and New testaments printed on 876 gossamer-thin India paper pages.

Librarians said the origins of the bible, which measures 1.9in (50mm) by 1.3in (35mm), are a mystery.

Rhian Isaac, special collections senior librarian at Leeds City Library, said the book was billed as the smallest Bible in the world when it was printed, although this was almost certainly not true.

Asked where it came from, she said: 'We don't know. It's a bit of a mystery, really. A lot of items in our collection were either bought over time or they might have been donated.

'We've done quite a lot of work during lockdown on cataloguing our rare books and special collections.

'Before that, hardly any of these books had ever been seen by anyone or ever been found, really.'

Miniature: A tiny Bible is among a number of mysterious treasures rediscovered at a Leeds library during the Covid lockdowns

The 1911 replica of a so-called 'chained Bible' is about the size of a 2 coin but contains both the Old and New testaments printed on 876 gossamer-thin India paper pages

Librarians said the origins of the bible, which measures 1.9in (50mm) by 1.3in (35mm), are a mystery. It can only be read with a magnifying glass

WHAT WAS THE 'CHAINED BIBLE'? In 1538, Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell directed the clergy to provide 'one book of the Bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it'. Called the 'chained Bible' because it was chained to the pulpits, the Great Bible was printed in 1539 and is known as one of the most beautiful Bibles ever printed. Advertisement

Ms Isaac said the Bible's origins were a mystery because it only resurfaced when library staff decided to do a comprehensive survey during the Covid lockdowns.

More than 3,000 new items have been catalogued, including some dating back to the 15th century.

Among them was a copy of Nouveau Cours de Mathematique, by Bernard Forest de Belidor (1725) and Oliver Twiss  a rip-off version of Oliver Twist which was printed by the creators of the Penny Dreadfuls.

The great Victorian novelist was so angered by the plagiarised works that he went to court to have them banned.

But the judge in the case ruled that 'no person who had ever seen the original could imagine the other to be anything else than a counterfeit'.

Also among the discoveries was a copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle, dating to 1497.

Oddly, however, the Leeds City Library copy has the outline of a key pressed into it, suggesting one was hidden inside the book.

Librarians are now hoping the tiny Bible and other items found will be cherished by all visitors and not just academics and researchers.

Rhian Isaac, special collections senior librarian at Leeds City Library, said the book was billed as the smallest Bible in the world when it was printed, although this was almost certainly not true

Ms Isaac said the Bible's origins were a mystery because it only resurfaced when library staff decided to do a comprehensive survey during the Covid lockdowns

More than 3,000 new items have been catalogued following the survey, including some dating back to the 15th century

Librarians are now hoping the tiny Bible and other items found will be cherished by all visitors and not just academics and researchers

'It's a massive thing for us,' Ms Isaac said. 'Now people can come in and find them and look at them.'

She said anyone can come in ask to see the tiny Bible.

'We ask people to get in touch and we can bring them out for people to see. You don't have to be an academic or an researcher.

'If you're just interested, we can get them out for you and you can come and read them in our beautiful Grade II-listed building, which is a wonderful place to come and do some studying,' Ms Isaac added.

'We would rather these books were used and read. That's what they were made for and that's what we encourage people to come in and do, instead of locking them away.

'They belong to everyone in Leeds. We're just the guardians of them, really.'

Ms Isaac said a visitor may even come in with a clue to where the Bible came from.
Desert Island Discs has been described as a British institution and 'the greatest radio programme of all time'.

Now, researchers have scanned 80 years of data to reveal the most picked genres and artists since the show started back in 1942.

The experts, based at the Alan Turing Institute in London, used publicly available data from more than 3,200 episodes spanning from 1942 to 2021.

They found that music genres have evolved substantially over time, with classical music from the likes of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart dominating until the mid-1980s.

But since then, the Beatles have consistently been picked, along with other popular artists Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone.

Overall, Mozart is the most-picked artist in the history of the show, followed by Beethoven, Bach, Schubert and Verdi.

Meanwhile, the most chosen piece of music is Handels Messiah, selected by 119 of the show's guests.

According to the Desert Island Disc archives, the Beatles, David Bowie and Frank Sinatra are among the most-picked artists, along with Bach, Beethoven and Mozart

Graph shows the most picked artist for each year Desert Island Discs has been broadcast, Classical artists such as Bach were more popular in the early years of the show, but more recently the Beatles, David Bowie and Nina Simone have been picked the most

The Alan Turing Institute researchers say Desert Island Discs is considered 'a cultural touchstone' and a 'mainstay of the BBC Radio schedule.

'It likely will continue for many decades to come, and this analysis could be continued at future milestones,' they said.

Devised and initially presented by English broadcaster Roy Plomley, the format of Desert Island Discs is simple.

Each episode, a guest  referred to as 'the castaway'  shares eight songs that they would want to be stuck with for the rest of their life if exiled to a desert island.

MOST-PICKED TRACKS 1. Handels Messiah (119) 2. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (111) 3. Mozart's The Magic Flute (93) 4. Strauss Der Rosenkavalier (83) 5. Bachs St Matthew Passion (82) Advertisement

MOST-PICKED ARTISTS 1. Mozart (993) 2. Beethoven (837) 3. Bach (805) 4. Schubert (406) 5. Verdi (371) Advertisement

The guest is notable in their profession, whether it's music, art, academia, business, government or sport.

'An invitation to be castaway is a sign of success in your field,' the researchers say.

For the study, the team referred to the BBC website and Wikipedia's list of episodes, as well as streaming service Spotify to get genre and other information about selected tunes.

Desert Island Discs was devised and presented by English broadcaster Roy Plomley (pictured)

Over the past two decades, the Beatles consistently top the charts, joined by Frank Sinatra (pictured), Bob Marley, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone

The Beatles (pictured) were the most picked artist in the years 2017, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2004 and 1988

DESERT ISLAND DISCS: HISTORY AND FORMAT In 1942, a new programme appeared on the airwaves of the BBC that was created and presented by Roy Plomley. The format was simple  a guest shared eight songs that they would want to be stuck with for the rest of their life if exiled to a desert island. After a hiatus from 1946 to 1951, the programme returned with some new innovations - at the end of each episode the castaway chooses a book, a luxury, and one song to save from the waves. The show was hosted by Plomley until his death in 1985, followed by Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley, Kirsty Young, and Lauren Laverne. Advertisement

The dataset runs from January 1942  the month the very first show was broadcast  through to August 2021. Since August 2021, more episodes have been broadcast, but they have not been included in the data set.

Over the course of 3,211 episodes looked at, there have been 2,950 castaways, with 241 people appearing on the programme more than once.

The experts note that some data is missing regarding music choices for castaways early on in the show's history, because audio recordings are missing.

The BBC website has an online library of Desert Island Discs episodes dating back to the earliest episode known to still be in existence, from April 1951.

Based on the available data, researchers found that classical music was the most-picked genre well into the 1950s and 1960s.

This is likely due to its popularity and dominance well past the middle of the 20th century, even though rock and roll was taking hold in the 1950s.

A shift away from classical music really only happened in the mid-1980s, coinciding with Plomley's reign as host ending upon his death in 1985.

This trend accelerated after 2000 and rock music now represents a larger proportion of discs than classical music, researchers point out.

Bob Marley (pictured on stage at Crystal Palace Bowl on June 7, 1980 in London) was chosien

Illustration depicts German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) as he plays an organ

As of the most recent data of 2021, rock music is the most popular genre, followed by pop and then classical.

When looking at most popular choices by year, the Beatles were the most picked artist in the years 2017, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2004 and 1988.

But Mozart has still been picked more than any other artist in certain years since the turn of the 20th century  2013, 2012, 2008, 2002 and 2000.

MOST POPULAR ARTISTS: RECENT YEARS 2021: Nina Simone 2020: David Bowie 2019: Joni Mitchell 2018: David Bowie 2017: The Beatles Advertisement

MOST POPULAR ARTISTS: THE EARLY YEARS 1951: Bach 1952: Beethoven 1953: Handel 1954: Bach 1955: Bach Advertisement

David Bowie (pictured here in 2002) has also been the most popular artist of the year in 2020 and 2018, according to the study

Mozart (1756-1791) is still a popular choice on Desert Island Discs. His music was picked more than any other artist in the years 2013, 2012, 2008, 2002 and 2000

David Bowie has also been the most popular artist of the year in 2020 and 2018, which could be due to a surge in interest in his life and work since his death in 2016.

When looking at genres chosen by different professions, athletes and business people appear to have 'more popular tastes', the team found.

Aside from artists and genres, the researchers looked at other trends in the dataset, including information about the castaways.

Throughout the bulk of the show's long history, there have been significantly more male castaways than female, they found.

In the show's history, 68.6 per cent have been male and 29.7 have been female.

Also, the experts found the majority of castaways were born in the UK, but guests born in North America were a substantial percentage of early guests.

In the early days of the programme, about half of the castaways were actors.

Colorized illustration (after an original Hammann engraving) depicts Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

Since 2018, Desert Island Discs has been presented by Lauren Laverne.

Although that proportion has decreased over time, the primary professions continue to be in the creative industries  actors, artists, journalists, musicians and writers.

Also, in more recent years the proportion of castaways being grouped into the 'other' category has increased, indicating an increased diversity in occupations.

Researchers also note that biologist Sir David Attenborough has appeared on the show four times, as did comedian Arthur Askey  more than anyone else.

'With any luck, Lauren Laverne will invite Sir David back again soon, at which point he will have the record for the most episodes all to himself,' they say.

The study, which is part of a series of publications called 'Turing Data Stories', has been detailed on the Alan Turing Institute's website.
NASA will next month make a fourth attempt to fuel up its Artemis 1 mega rocket that is set to return humans to the moon before the end of the decade.

If all goes according to plan, it could set the stage for the $21 billion (16.7 billion) booster's first launch in August.

But this is by no means a given because the US space agency has already suffered three failed attempts to complete Artemis 1's 'wet dress rehearsal'.

This is the final test of the giant moon rocket Space Launch System (SLS), before it puts an uncrewed Orion capsule into space and sends it on a journey to the moon and back this summer.

The Artemis 1 stack  made up of the 322ft (98m) SLS and an Orion crew capsule on top  was rolled out to Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in mid-March for its wet dress.

This began on April 1 and was supposed to wrap up two days later, but engineers encountered a series of problems.

NASA will next month make a fourth attempt to fuel up its Artemis 1 mega rocket that is set to return humans to the moon before the end of the decade

A stuck valve on Artemis 1's mobile launch tower and a hydrogen leak in one of the 'umbilical' lines connecting the tower to the SLS ultimately halted the wet dress after three fueling attempts

Nasa's Space Launch System: The largest rocket ever made Space Launch System, or SLS, is a launch vehicle that NASA hopes will take its astronauts back to the moon and beyond. The rocket will have an initial lift configuration, set to launch in the early-2020's, followed by an upgraded 'evolved lift capability' that can carry heavier payloads. Space Launch System Initial Lift Capability - Maiden flight: Mid-2020's - Height: 311 feet (98 metres) - Lift: 70 metric tons - Weight: 2.5 million kilograms (5.5 million lbs) Space Launch System Evolved Lift Capability - Maiden flight: Unknown - Height: 384 feet (117 metres) - Lift: 130 metric tons - Weight: 2.9 million kilograms (6.5 million lbs) Advertisement

A stuck valve on Artemis 1's mobile launch tower and a hydrogen leak in one of the 'umbilical' lines connecting the tower to the SLS ultimately halted the wet dress after three fueling attempts.

At the end of last month the stack was rolled back to the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building for further inspection, which NASA said had gone well and led to a series of fixes being carried out.

Engineers have replaced the faulty valve and discovered that it got stuck because a piece of rubber debris prevented it from sealing properly.

That debris was not part of the valve and where it came from remains under investigation, NASA officials said yesterday.

They added that the helium leak was likely caused by some of the umbilical's bolts loosening slightly because of relaxed compression on a gasket.

The team are still working on Artemis 1 but said they are optimistic the repairs will soon be completed, allowing them to make another wet dress attempt.

'We're looking right now at that next wet dress in the early to mid-June timeframe,' said Jim Free, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington.

He added that this would require a rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building by late May because the Artemis 1 engineers need 12 to 14 days to prep for the wet dress once SLS and Orion are on the launch pad.

Free said he hoped the fourth bid would be a success but did admit that 'it may take more than one attempt to get the procedures where we need them.'

He also stressed that suffering problems with a brand new launch system was not unusual.

Among the examples Free cited was the space shuttle, which rolled out to the pad for its wet dress in December 1980 but didn't launch for the first time until April 12, 1981.

'It is a challenge to work these new systems and these complicated vehicles,' he said.

In the wet dress  the final test before blast-off for the moon later this year  all the steps leading up to launch must be rehearsed, from filling the tanks to the final countdown, which will be stopped just before the engines fire

The countdown test is the last major milestone before the rocket's long-awaited launch debut

'We certainly own where our program is, but I think we're in family of where we've been in the past.'

In the wet dress  the final test before blast-off for the moon later this year  all the steps leading up to launch must be rehearsed, from filling the tanks to the final countdown, which will be stopped just before the engines fire.

The countdown test is the last major milestone before the rocket's long-awaited launch debut.

NASA has not yet set a launch date for Artemis 1 and indeed won't do until the wet dress rehearsal has been completed.

The US space agency will then analyse the data before a decision is taken.

However, Free suggested August as the likely earliest date for a launch.

While it is the first mission for the massive Space Launch System rocket engine, it will be the second for the Orion capsule, which was involved in a test flight in December 2014, going to space on a ULA Delta IV Heavy.

If all goes according to plan, it could set the stage for the $21 billion (16.7 billion) booster's first launch in August

When it launches, Orion won't have any crew on board, despite being able to hold up to four astronauts. Instead, it will carry dummies to the moon and back.

These are designed to replicate human weight and give scientists and engineers and insight into flight performance, without putting humans at risk.

The Artemis I mission will see the Orion spacecraft, the SLS and the ground systems at Kennedy combine to launch the Orion 280,000 miles past Earth around the moon over the course of a three-week mission.

If Artemis I is a success, then NASA will send Artemis II on a trip around the moon, this time with a human crew on board.

The Artemis II mission plans to send four astronauts in the first crewed Orion capsule into a lunar flyby for a maximum of 21 days.

Artemis III would then land a crew near the lunar south pole in 2025 or later.
Water scarcity is going to increase over the next few decades in more than 80 per cent of the world's croplands due to climate change, a new study has warned.

Researchers examined current and future water requirements for global agriculture, to determine whether the required water levels would be available by 2050.

The team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing looked at maximum levels of water possible from rainwater and irrigation in each cropland area.

They created an index to measure and predict water scarcity in major agriculture sources, including soil, rain, irrigation and rivers, finding that 80 per cent of all cropland areas around the world won't have enough water by 2050.

In the last 100 years, the demand for water worldwide has grown twice as fast as the human population, with water scarcity an increasing issue in drought struck areas such as the western US states, served by the Colorado River basin.

Earlier this week US officials announced what they called extraordinary steps on to keep hundreds of billions of gallons of water stored in the Lake Powell reservoir.

This was done to prevent it from shrinking more amid prolonged drought and climate change that has seen reservoirs in the region drop to record lows.

'Farming techniques that keep rainwater in agricultural soils could help mitigate shortages in arid regions,' the researchers suggest.

If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, agricultural water scarcity is predicted to intensify in 84 per cent of cropland from 2026 to 2050. In this figure, darker brown hues indicate greater water scarcity

Water scarcity is already an issue on every continent with agriculture, presenting a major threat to food security, the team warned.

Despite this, most water scarcity models have failed to take a comprehensive look at both blue and green water.

Soil water that comes from rain is called green water, and irrigation from rivers, lakes and groundwater is called blue water.

This is the first study to apply a comprehensive index of possible water worldwide and predict global blue and green water scarcity as a result of climate change.

It predicts whether the water levels available, either from rainwater or irrigation, will be sufficient to meet those needs under climate change.

'As the largest user of both blue and green water resources, agricultural production is faced with unprecedented challenges,' said Xingcai Liu, an associate professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and lead author of the new study.

'This index enables an assessment of agricultural water scarcity in both rainfed and irrigated croplands in a consistent manner.'

Water scarcity is going to increase over the next few decades in more than 80 per cent of the world's croplands due to climate change, a new study has warned. Stock image

A majority of rainfall ends up as green water, but it is often overlooked in water studies because it is invisible in the soil and can't be extracted for other uses.

The amount of green water available for crops depends on the how much rainfall an area receives and how much water is lost due to runoff and evaporation.

Farming practices, vegetation covering the area, the type of soil and the slope of the terrain can also have an effect.

US to hold back Lake Powell water to protect hydropower U.S. officials announced what they called extraordinary steps on Tuesday to keep hundreds of billions of gallons of water stored in a reservoir on the Utah-Arizona line to prevent it from shrinking more amid prolonged drought and climate change. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plans to hold back about 480,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Powell to maintain Glen Canyon Dam's ability to produce hydropower for millions of homes and businesses in the region. That's roughly enough water to serve 1 million to 1.5 million average households annually. Tanya Trujillo, the bureau's assistant secretary of water and science, said keeping the water stored in the reservoir would stave off hydropower concerns for at least 12 months, giving officials time to strategize for how to operate the dam at a lower water elevation. The lake currently holds less than one-fourth of its full capacity and the dam produces electricity for about 5 million customers in seven U.S. states. 'We have never taken this step before in the Colorado River basin, but conditions we see today and the potential risks we see on the horizon demand that we take prompt action,' Trujillo said. SOURCE: AP Advertisement

The shifting of temperatures and rainfall patterns due to climate change, as well as intensive farming practices, mean green water is unlikely to be enough to support the number of needed crops to support a growing population.

Mesfin Mekonnen, an assistant professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama who was not involved in the study, said the work is 'very timely in underlining the impact of climate on water availability.'

'What makes the paper interesting is developing a water scarcity indicator taking into account both blue water and green water,' he said.

'Most studies focus on blue water resources alone, giving little consideration to the green water.'

The researchers find that under climate change, global agricultural water scarcity will worsen in up to 84 per cent of croplands, with a loss of water supplies driving scarcity in about 60 per cent of those croplands.

Changes in available green water, due to shifting rainfall patterns and evaporation caused by higher temperatures, are now predicted to impact about 16 per cent of global croplands.

'Adding this important dimension to our understanding of water scarcity could have implications for agricultural water management,' the team said.

There will be areas that benefit, and those that suffer.

They gave the example of northeast China, predicted to receive more rain which could help alleviate agricultural water scarcity in the region.

However, reduced rainfall in the midwestern US and northwest India may lead to a need to increase irrigation to support intense farming.

The new index could help countries to assess the threat and causes of agricultural water scarcity and develop strategies to reduce the impact of future droughts.

The western US states are currently going through the worst drought in 1,200 years, causing a drop in run off and record low levels in reservoirs and rivers.

Multiple practices help conserve agricultural water, the team said, including mulching, which reduces evaporation from the soil.

No-till farming encourages water to infiltrate the ground and adjusting the timing of plantings can better align crop growth with changing rainfall patterns.

'Longer term, improving irrigation infrastructure, for example in Africa, and irrigation efficiency would be effective ways to mitigate the effects of future climate change in the context of growing food demand,' Liu said.

The findings have been published in the journal Earth s Future.
Ghostly blue white frost covering the surface of Mars is 'dirty' and mixed with dust grains, study reveals, keeping much of it hidden to the naked eye.

A team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California used data from the Mars Odyssey orbiter, with visible light and heat sensitive cameras to look at the frost.

When scientists looked at images of the Martian surface taken with the NASA orbiter in visible light, the kind seen by the human eye, they saw ghostly, blue-white morning frost illuminated by the rising sun.

However, when they looked using the orbiter's heat-sensitive camera, the frost appeared more widely, and in areas where none was visible in visible light waves.

They were looking at frost that forms overnight and is made of carbon dioxide, also known as dry ice, but couldn't explain why so much was invisible to the naked eye.

This new study suggests they were seeing evidence of 'dirty frost' - dry ice frost mixed with fine grains of dust that obscured it in visible light but not in infrared.

This dirty frost phenomenon is likely the cause of dark streaks stretching 3,300 feet down the side of Martian slopes, produced by dust avalanches that slowly reshape mountainsides across the planet over millions of years.

Martian surface frost, made up largely of carbon dioxide, appears blueish-white in these images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera aboard NASAs 2001 Odyssey orbiter. THEMIS takes images in both visible light and heat-sensitive infrared

Launched in 2001, Odyssey is NASA's longest-lived Mars mission and carries the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), an infrared, or temperature-sensitive, camera that provides a one-of-a-kind view of the Martian surface.

Odyssey's current orbit provides a unique look at the planet at 7 am local Mars time, according to the JPL team, which is useful for studying morning frost.

'Odyssey's morning orbit produces spectacular pictures,' said Sylvain Piqueux of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who led the paper. 'We can see the long shadows of sunrise as they stretch across the surface.'

Because Mars has so little atmosphere, the sun quickly warms frost that builds up overnight. Instead of melting, dry ice vaporizes into the atmosphere within minutes.

These dark streaks, also known as slope streaks, resulted from dust avalanches in an area of Mars called Acheron Fossae

This dirty frost phenomenon is likely the cause of these dark streaks stretching 3,300 feet down the side of Martian slopes, produced by dust avalanches that slowly reshape mountainsides across the planet over millions of years.

Lucas Lange, a JPL intern first noticed the cold-temperature signature of frost in many places where it couldn't be seen on the surface, appearing less than the width of a human hair below the Martian surface.

MARS: THE BASICS Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, with a 'near-dead' dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Mars is also a dynamic planet with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was even more active in the past. It is one of the most explored planets in the solar system and the only planet humans have sent rovers to explore. One day on Mars takes a little over 24 hours and a year is 687 Earth days. Facts and Figures Orbital period: 687 days Surface area: 144.8 million km Distance from Sun: 227.9 million km Gravity: 3.721 m/s Radius: 3,389.5 km Moons: Phobos, Deimos Advertisement

'Our first thought was ice could be buried there,' Lange said.

'Dry ice is plentiful near Mars' poles, but we were looking closer to the equator of the planet, where it's generally too warm for dry ice frost to form.'

Suggesting dust permeates the dry ice also seems to explain dusty avalanches across the planet - seen as streaks of dark patches on mountainsides.

Scientists think these dust avalanches probably look something like a ground-hugging river of dust releasing a trail of fluffy material behind.

As the dust travels downhill over several hours, it exposes streaks of darker material underneath.

These dark streaks are not the same as a better-documented variety called recurring slope lineae, which recur in the same places, season after season, for weeks at a time.

Once thought to result from briny water slowly seeping from mountainsides, recurring slope lineae are now believed to result from flows of dry sand or dust.

Mapping the slopes streaks for their recent study, the authors found they tend to appear in places with morning frost.

The researchers propose the streaks resulted from the vaporizing frost creating just enough pressure to loosen the dust grains, causing an avalanche.

'Every time we send a mission to Mars, we discover exotic new processes,' said Chris Edwards, a paper co-author at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

'We don't have anything exactly like a slope streak on Earth. You have to think beyond your experiences on Earth to understand Mars.'

The findings have been published in the journal JGR Planets.
Advertisement

Floating blissfully on my back like an up-ended turtle, I drift down a mountain river, gazing up at limestone cliffs.

The loud gushing of a waterfall accompanies a cacophony of laughter from a flotilla of holidaymakers bobbing around nearby, zipped into wetsuits and lifejackets and wearing a rainbow of crash helmets.

My 11-year-old son Josephs whoop of nervous joy sounds out as he jumps from high rocks into a freezing lagoon  a thrill known as canyoning.

Go with the flow: Rob McGibbon goes on a 'family adventure' along the crystal-clear Cetina river, which runs through the mountains in Croatia. Above is the point where the river meets the town of Omis

This is all part of a family adventure holiday in Croatias crystal-clear Cetina river.

The stars had aligned when I stumbled upon the Responsible Travel website, which connects hundreds of small tour operators offering breaks with eco credentials. We chose Green World Holidays for its action-packed breaks in Croatia and Slovenia. The activities on offer have a low environmental impact, it offsets flight emissions by donating 25 per family to the Cool Earth charity, and it plants one olive tree per booking on the Croatian island of Brac.

Home is a spacious apartment in a block taken over by Green World in Podstrana, seven miles south of Split. Its a nondescript residential area, but sweeping views across the sea and easy access to beaches make up for its lack of character.

Every time a traveller books an eco trip to Croatia with Green World Holidays, the company plants one olive tree on the Croatian island of Brac (pictured)

Rob stays in a spacious apartment in Podstrana (pictured), seven miles south of Split. 'Its a nondescript residential area, but sweeping views across the sea and easy access to beaches make up for its lack of character,' he says

Our days take on a challenging routine, and the key to this holiday is to go with the flow. By 9am, our two buoyant guides  Barisa and Sara  are waiting with a team of helpers and three smart people-carriers to whisk us away.

First up is sea kayaking, which is hard paddling but a buzz. This is followed by excursions to different parts of the Cetina high in the mountains. Next is Tubing  drifting six miles downstream on an over-sized inflatable doughnut. Its relaxing and great fun.

On day three we go white-water rafting in teams. The rapids are gentle, but the children are excited. Then we have a day off from the river.

'Other families go zip-wiring, while we take a taxi into Split (pictured) to douse ourselves in culture,' Rob writes

Rob and his family explore Diocletians Palace (pictured), a fortress built by the Romans in the 4th century and a UNESCO World Heritage site

Above is the statue of Gregory of Nin in Split. 'Legend has it that rubbing his shiny toe will bring good luck, so I duly touch it - then sanitise,' says Rob

Other families go zip-wiring, while we take a taxi into Split to douse ourselves in culture. We explore Diocletians Palace, a fortress built by the Romans in the 4th century and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We climb the Cathedral of St Domnius bell tower and visit the Temple of Jupiter, then amble round the museum.

Joseph is thoroughly bored by it all, but is strangely mesmerised later by a roll-on, roll-off ferry disgorging vehicles into the port.

Before leaving Split, I pay homage to the 28 ft bronze statue of Gregory of Nin, a Croatian bishop from the 10th century. Legend has it that rubbing his shiny toe will bring good luck, so I duly touch it  then sanitise.

Next up is a fabulous boat trip to Brac.

We dive off the side into the deep blue sea, float on lilos and snorkel before settling down for a long, lazy fish lunch.

The finale is a gala dinner laid on by Green World at a traditional taverna in the hills overlooking the sea. It is a perfect way to end a super week that has washed away the memories of lockdown.

Gregorys toe certainly gave us a fair kick of good luck.
Advertisement

Explore the historic French city of Rouen on a budget

Flauberts Madame Bovary and Joan of Arc may both have met dramatic ends after visits to Rouen, but Monet adored painting the cathedral and Gauguin, Pissarro et al congregated here  hence the French citys array of Impressionist art.

There are great-value restaurants and an easy rail connection to Paris.

Where to stay

Hotel Le Vieux Carre

There are few more delightful spots in town than the small breakfast terrace at this half-timbered old-timer.

Artists such as Gauguin and Pissarro congregated in Rouen (pictured) - hence the citys array of Impressionist art

There are only 13 rooms, with brightly painted walls and all manner of quirky decorations, from Egyptian lamps to Moorish-style tables.

Ask for a third-floor room if you want a view of the cathedral.

B&B doubles from 61 (hotel-vieux-carre.com).

Hotel de la Cathedrale

Bohemian Hotel de la Cathedrale, pictured, was once a favoured getaway of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Picture courtesy of Creative Commons

Tucked away down a minuscule side street next to the cathedral, this ancient inn was once a favoured getaway of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

You can see why: the rickety boho vibe is just right. Take room 24 for the true artists garret experience (with views of the cathedral steeple) and expect a warm welcome from Tigrou, the impressively corpulent hotel cat.

B&B doubles from 96 (hotel-de-la-cathedrale.fr).

Hotel Le Cardinal

Every one of the 15 rooms in this small hotel on a pedestrianised street has a view of Rouens Gothic cathedral, which is about 12 paces from the front door. The modish purple-and-white colour scheme lends a slightly Scandi air of brisk efficiency to the place.

B&B doubles from 84 (cardinal-hotel.com).

Hotel Dandy

Check in to the bijou Hotel Dandy, which lies just a stones throw from the Old Market Square (pictured)

This bijou spot is in a cracker of a location, just a stones throw from the Old Market Square. The hotels claim that it is decorated in an 18th-century style is stretching it a bit, but the standard rooms are spacious with pale wood floors, antique writing desks and some lovely views from the upper levels.

Doubles (room only) from 57 (hotels-rouen.net).

Where to eat

La Petite Bouffe

How do they do it? Four courses plus a coffee for 17 every night except Sunday. Young locals pack out this unassuming bistro, not just for the scarcely believable prices but for some outstanding local cuisine, such as fillet of cod with Dieppoise sauce and a feather-light croustillant (crisp pastry) stuffed with brie.

With ten choices for both starters and mains, youd be hard-pushed to find better food at these prices in all of France. It's located at 1 Rue des Boucheries Saint-Ouen.

Au Bureau

Feast on French-American comfort food in Au Bureau, an old shipping warehouse that has been turned into a hugely popular eatery

Colourful buildings in Rouen. Visit the city via an easy rail connection to Paris

Down on the banks of the Seine, this old shipping warehouse is now a hugely popular space that has French-American comfort food down to a tee. The portions are truly gargantuan, so be prepared for a serious afternoon carb crash if you attempt one of the Les Croques filled to bursting with either Cajun chicken (11.50) and ricotta or pastrami, pickles and gratin au fromage (12.20) (aubureau-rouen.fr).

Les Fils a Maman

The 1980s pop culture boom has been fully adopted here. Home-style dishes are served up in a space where the walls are a vast montage of Transformers and Back To The Future ephemera.

But even if the decor isnt your bag, the food is still worth coming for  try the 12.15 lunchtime two-course set menu, featuring retro classics such as the daily changing butchers cut with fries and salad, followed by tiramisu (lesfilsamaman.com/rouen).

Gout Boutique a Manger

Just 15 will get you a three-course meal at Gout Boutique a Manger, a chic and contemporary spot near Rouen Cathedral (pictured)

Substantially more chic and contemporary than most spots surrounding the cathedral, Gout (meaning taste) offers a knockout set of lunch options  a mere 15 gets you a three-course meal which could include cauliflower veloute and a wonderful fish and vegetable bouillon. Theres an in-store deli, too, selling extremely high-end olive oils and jars of rillettes. It's located at 72 Rue Saint-Romain.

La Cornaelle

Epic salads and crepes are the specialities at this quirky little spot, which has whitewashed walls of rough-hewn stone and a loyal clientele who have long known that this spot offers one of the best cheeseboards in Rouen: a platter with camembert (which originated in Normandy) as the star of the show is a mere 5 (lacornaelle.eatbu.com).

What to see and do

First Impressions

Head to the Musee des Beaux Arts, pictured, to admire artwork from the Impressionist movement. Picture courtesy of Creative Commons

Rouen is where the Impressionist movement began and the Musee des Beaux Arts (mbarouen.fr, free) has an outstanding selection of works from the late 19th century, including one of Monets sensual portraits of the Gothic cathedral and some beautiful provincial scenes by Camille Pissarro and Albert Fourie.

Meet the Maid

This year marks the centenary of Joan of Arc being declared a secondary patron saint of France, and the life story of the Maid of Orleans is told in a series of multimedia exhibits at the Historial Jeanne dArc (historial-jeannedarc.fr, 8.80). Its mostly sombre stuff but includes a poster display of the many movies made about her.

Life beyond vino

Buy a few bottles of beer at St Wandrille (above), the only abbey in France where monks make beer on site

Of course its easy to find good wine in these parts, but Normandys beer is pretty exceptional, too. Just 40 minutes from Rouen by bus, St Wandrille (st-wandrille.com, 4.15) is the only abbey in France where monks make beer on site. Buy a few bottles to take home after exploring the monastery and meeting the brewers.

Flaubert fix

Nobody in literary history has captured petit-bourgeois frustrations and doomed extramarital affairs like Rouen native Gustave Flaubert. Head to the Le Musee Flaubert inside the Chu hospital (chu-rouen.fr, 8.50) for a (self-guided) glimpse into the authors life.

How to get there

Travel with Eurostar to Paris from 58 return (eurostar.com). A local train from Gare du Nord to Rouen takes around 90 minutes. More information can be found at en.normandie-tourisme.fr.
Plane or train? Its one of the great questions of the modern age.

At least, it is for domestic inter-city travellers.

The question of which mode of transport is best for getting from A to B for trips of a few hundred miles may never be definitively answered, but travel experts from The Points Guy UK have weighed in with some fascinating evidence - a race from London to Leeds between Flybe and LNER. And the footage of the head-to-head event is fascinating.

The flight route from Heathrow to Leeds has been reestablished, thanks to Flybe. Pictured here is The Points Guy UK's plane north in a race against LNER's Leeds service

The Points Guy UK's Liam Spencer hopped on board this 125mph service to Leeds

British airline Flybe has recently made its debut back into the world after being off-grid for the past two years  and has kicked off by reconnecting London Heathrow with Leeds as a flight route, British Airways having dropped it from its schedule.

But is it a better option than LNERs 125mph express service from Kings Cross railway station?

The Points Guy UKs (TPG UK) quest for the answer began at Piccadilly Circus Underground station  the start of the race for the sites Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer.

The finish line was Nickys north Leeds family home.

Nicky, the head of TPG UK, was racing to Leeds on the plane, paying 54.99 for the flight and 27.50 for Bakerloo Tube and Heathrow Express connections. So 82.49 in total.

The final stage came at no extra cost  a lift from his mum.

The race began at Piccadilly Circus Underground station, above

Nicky, the head of TPG UK, paid 54.99 for his flight (above)

Nicky is pictured here at Heathrow before boarding his flight to Leeds

Nicky said that one definite plus point of his journey by air to Leeds Bradford Airport was that the actual flight time of 40 minutes, in isolation, is far quicker than the train.

He also approved of the food and drink service of tea, coffee and biscuits for all passengers  a lovely touch.

Nicky also gave a thumbs-up for the unrivalled view from the sky and the comfort of the Dash 8 aircraft, despite being small.

On the downside to flying from Heathrow, he noted, is the fact that delays are not uncommon.

There are various hurdles to jump through  check-in, security and boarding  and even if a flight leaves on time, a busy airfield and associated air traffic and other hold-ups can mean lots of time is lost just taking off.

And Nicky added that some people might not like the smaller and noisier turboprop planes used on this route.

Liam loved his incredibly comfy seat, huge tray table and the fact there was tons of room to stretch out in

Liam presents his 'delicious' breakfast to the camera

Liams journey north cost 60.50 for the first two stages - 2.50 for the Piccadilly Line service to Kings Cross and 58 for a first-class train ticket.

To reach the finish line, he paid 15 for an Uber.

He loved his incredibly comfy seat, huge tray table and the fact there was tons of room to stretch out in. The extensive breakfast and drinks menu that was all included in the ticket price was also a plus point. He said: I had poached eggs with smashed avocado, which was delicious. And the crew serving me were very friendly.

Whats more, the service arrived into Leeds slightly ahead of schedule.

Any downsides? There was complimentary WiFi provided, but this was not particularly strong and cut out often, said Liam.

And who won? Watch the full video here to find out. And read more here - thepointsguy.co.uk/news/plane-vs-train-london-to-leeds.

For more information on travel tips and tricks, sign up to The Points Guy UK.
Dave Myers has cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy, vowing: 'I will get over this.'

The Hairy Bikers star, 64, who competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, revealed 'I haven't been too well recently' and 'this year is a write off', whilst reassuring fans 'the prognosis is okay.'

Speaking about his medical condition with his TV cooking partner and Hairy Biker other half, Si King, 55, he said: 'I may be a baldy biker for a while it's simply something I have to live with.'

'I don't want to hide under a rock': Dave Myers has cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy, vowing: 'I will get over this' (pictured in September 2021)

Support: Dave, who married wife Lily (pictured) in 2011 after the pair met while he was filming The Hairy Bikers in Romania, has chosen not to publicly reveal the type of cancer he has

Dave said: 'Anyway Kingy, I've got to come clean now, I haven't been too well recently and basically, I've got to have some chemo, you know all this anyway, so this year is going to be a bit quiet for me, I'm not going to be filming, some of the festivals I'm not going to be able to go to, some may be okay but this year's a bit of a write off for us.

'I have had to speak up about this because I don't want to hide under a rock, but I would love it if people respected my privacy and just let me get on with it and give Si and our team all the support they need, that would be great. But look, the prognosis is okay, I'm going to be fine.'

He continued: 'I've just got to tuck in, look after myself, eat sensibly and get over this mess, flog books, and be a happy person so within that, that's where I am.

'I may be a baldy biker for a while so it's just a warning, I don't want to make a fuss about it, I look alright bald actually.'

'I've got to come clean': The Hairy Bikers star, who competed on Strictly in 2013, revealed 'I haven't been too well recently' and 'this year is a write off', whilst reassuring fans 'the prognosis is okay' (pictured in 2013)

Talking on their podcast The Hairy Bikers  Agony Uncles, Si replied: 'No listen, when I first met you dude you looked like an upside down Hells Angel so I like that look, I've always liked that look, you look cool' with Dave saying: 'Yeah I know, and under different circumstances I would embrace it more but I feel under these circumstances it's simply something I have to live with.'

Dave, who married wife Lily in 2011 after the pair met while he was filming The Hairy Bikers in Romania, has chosen not to publicly reveal the type of cancer he has.

In 2018, the TV chef, whose new book Simply Healthy Food is out on May 12, spoke about overhauling his lifestyle, after being warned by doctors when he weighed 18 stone that he was 'heading for an early grave.'

He said: 'I was a Northern carbohydrate monster who was morbidly obese six years ago and weighed over 18 stone. Si and I were warned we were morbidly obese and heading for an early grave, so our weight loss saved our lives.

'This year's a bit of a write off': Speaking about his medical condition with his TV cooking partner and Hairy Biker other half, Si King, he said: 'I maybe a baldy biker for a while'

'I'm 6ft, now around 15 stone and aim to drop to 14 stone. I cycle, jog, and eat as healthily as possible. I'd never have managed to take part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 if I hadn't got healthy.'

Dave has suffered with illness in the past after being diagnosed with a cyst on his brain in 1998, and later glaucoma, which is an eye condition that can lead to blindness.

He admits worrying about his health has impacted his mental wellbeing over the years after enduring the loss of both his parents by the time he was just 23.

Dave's dad died from a stroke and his mum multiple sclerosis, causing him to 'hate anything to do with illness.'

The same year he was diagnosed with having a cyst on his brain, Dave sadly lost his fiancee to cancer, previously describing 1998 as the worst year of his life.

In celebration of his weight loss, Dave competed in Strictly with pro partner Karen Hauer, 40, and said once he was eliminated it had been a 'spectacular privilege' to take part.

Dave met best friend and co-star Si in 1995 and together the duo have gained millions of fans through their popular BBC cookery series and books, as well as their Agony Uncles podcast.
Natalia Dyer has reveals her struggles with people wanting to know about her relationship with her co-star boyfriend Charlie Heaton.

The actress, 27, said that working with her real life beau, 28, is 'indescribable' but she finds it 'curious' that people are intrigued by their romance.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan UK on Friday, Natalia explained that she sees herself as 'just a person too' so sometimes finds the interest difficult.

Private: Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer, 27, has admitted that working with her real life and on-screen boyfriend Charlie Heaton is an 'indescribable thing' on Friday

Speaking to the publication, she detailed working alongside Charlie and explained: 'It's an understanding that would be hard to replicate. It's an indescribable thing.'

She added: 'I'm always curious as to why it comes up. Why do people want to know about it?

'I think it's a natural instinct to want to know more about the people who are on your screens for hours, about what they're like in real life. [But] now that I've experienced the other side of it...It sounds so cliche, but I'm just a person, too.'

Candid: The actress, who prefers to keep her relationship underwraps, has admitted she is 'curious' as to why the public want to know more

The couple, have kept their relationship status fairly private after starting to date in 2016.

Explaining their decision Natalia detailed: 'Some people are very good about being open and sharing, and other people feel a little more comfortable holding some things for themselves.'

In terms of her celebrity status she added that her supportive family helps to keep her grounded.

Explaining their decision Natalia detailed: 'Some people are very good about being open and sharing, and other people feel a little more comfortable holding some things for themselves'

The actress added: 'It's about being nice to yourself and checking in with yourself about it. I think you have to learn what your boundaries are.

All new: The June/July issue of Cosmopolitan UK is on sale from May 10

'I'm lucky that my family is supportive. The whole fame thing can affect everybody in your orbit in some way. I try to respect how they feel about it, but they're fiercely protective of me, which is so valuable. It's very grounding to touch back into reality.'

Discussing her relationship with social media she explained that she feels 'underqualified' to throw out opinions online.

Natalia candidly said: 'Its role in our society is evolving so much, and I don't know if we're evolving as fast as it. In some ways, I'm very grateful to have a platform and fans that care about what you have to say. But I also think there's a lot of pressure to say things, and in a lot of ways I feel underqualified.

'I also wonder if being too overexposed could limit my ability to do what I do well. As an actor, I want to be able to try and fail at things. I also want to be able to melt into characters and be someone else.

'I have moments where it feels right to engage and talk about something, but in a lot of ways it's about trying to absorb and listen and grow as a human before I throw out my ideas and opinions.'

Honest: Discussing her relationship with social media she explained that she feels 'underqualified' to throw out opinions online

Stranger Things follows a group of teenagers in the fictional town of Hawkins during the '80s, and also stars Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour and Finn Wolfhard.

Speaking about the cast she added: 'It's a bond that is hard to describe. We were all very excited and we hadn't done anything like it before. So to have it become so big, literally overnight, was a very specific experience. It really tied us all together.'

Of award-winning actress Winona Ryder, who stars as Joyce Byers, Natalia continued: 'She's so lovely and funny in real life and is somebody who's worked out a balance of how to do what she likes to do, while also maintaining her sense of self.'

Exciting: On the upcoming series of Stranger Things Natalia divulged: 'Nancy's doing a lot of cool things, and we have some new cast members joining us who are amazing'

The supernatural thriller series is set to return to Netflix later this month, she revealed that viewers can expect to learn more about the world of The Upside Down'.

Natalia divulged: 'I'm always asking the Duffer brothers [who created the show], 'How does this happen? Where is this going?' And this time we're going to get some more clarity.

'Nancy's doing a lot of cool things, and we have some new cast members joining us who are amazing. Such is the nature of our show that every press round, I'm like, 'It's darker, it's scarier, it feels more intense.' But it really is!'

The June/July issue of Cosmopolitan UK is on sale from May 10.
Mel Brooks is considered to be on the short list of comedic legends to have written, created and performed in some of the most enduring classics for the stage and the screen.

One of his most notable pieces of artistry over his seven decade career: the comedy film History Of The World, Part I, finally got a Part II after more than four decades, and has already begun shooting in Los Angeles.

According to Variety, History Of The World, Part II, is a direct sequel to Brooks' classic film, but will come in the form of a variety series, complete with eight episodes for Hulu.

Direct sequel to classic: After more than four decades, Mel Brooks' comedy film - History of The World, Part I - is finally getting a Part II, which has already begun shooting in Los Angeles; Brooks, 95, is seen in January 2020

Brooks, who at the age of 95, is onboard for the follow-up, serving as a writer and executive producer, alongside Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Kevin Salter.

Searchlight Television and 20th Television will produce.

'I can't wait to once more tell the real truth about all the phony baloney stories the world has been conned into believing are History!' Brooks said in a statement.

Production underway: History of The World, Part II is described as a sequel to the 1981 film, only it is being made as an eight episodes variety series for Hulu

BTS: Although the names of the cast have not been made public, various actors have been spotted on the set getting ready to shoot a scene on Thursday

Sequel team: Brooks is onboard for the follow-up, serving as a writer and executive producer, alongside Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Kevin Salter.\

Despite carrying the title Part I, there were originally no plans for a sequel when the film was released in June 1981.

It turns out the title of the movie was a play on the book - The History Of The World, Volume 1 by Sir Walter Raleigh.

The new show will follow the same format as the original film, which was made up of segments parodying different periods of world history. The Stone Age, Ancient Rome, and the French Revolution were among the time periods that were parodied.

So far there's no word on what eras will be showcased as comedic fodder in the new installment.

The star and creator: In the original film Brooks played five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomas de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, and Jacques

Classic: Along with his five roles, Brooks served as writer, producer and director of History Of The World, Part I, which was released in June 1981; he is pictured in a scene with Pamela Stephenson, who was among the extensive ensemble cast

In the original film Brooks played five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomas de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, and Jacques.

The extensive ensemble cast also included the likes of Sid Caesar, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey, Gregory Hines, Pamela Stephenson, Shecky Greene, Mary-Margaret Humes

There were also an assortment of cameo appearances by Royce D. Applegate, Hugh Hefner, John Hurt, Bea Arthur, Nigel Hawthorne, Jackie Mason, Barry Levinson, Paul Mazursky, Andrew Sachs and Henny Youngman.

Play on words: Despite carrying the title Part I, there were originally no plans for a sequel when the film was released in June 1981; the title of the movie was a play on the book - The History Of The World, Volume 1 by Sir Walter Raleigh

Legendary filmmaker Orson Welles narrated each of the stories.

So far there's no official word on what actors will appear in History of the World, Part II.

Along with having to hire a solid cast, Brooks and company also had to fill the big shoes of Welles as narrator, since he passed away back in 1985 at the age of 70.

Hulu has not yet announced when the series will drop, but considering production has just gotten underway, it will likely be sometime in 2023.
In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used.

This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly.

The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. However, without providing us with your personal data, you will be unable to (as appropriate): contact us; subscribe to our mailing list; subscribe to any of our publications; or receive information about In Defence of Marxism.

We collect information about you:

(1) When you give it to us DIRECTLY

You may give us your personal data in order to subscribe to a newsletter or publication, when you contact us by phone, email or post, when you sign a petition / statement, and/or when you donate money to us.

(2) When you give it to us INDIRECTLY

Your information will also be provided to us when you follow us or otherwise interact with on or via Twitter, when you like and/or join our page on Facebook or interact with us in other ways on or via Facebook.

(3) When you give permission to OTHER ORGANISATIONS to share it or it is AVAILABLE PUBLICLY

We may combine information you provide to us with information available from external publicly available sources. Depending on your privacy settings for social media services, we may also access information from those accounts or services. We use this information to gain a better understanding of you and to improve our communications and fundraising activities.

(4) When you visit our WEBSITE

We use cookies to identify you when you visit our website. Please refer to our Cookies Policy for details on the way our use of cookies affects your personal data.

What information do we collect?

We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal data:

(1) We will typically hold your name and contact details, including telephone number, location, and e-mail address. However, we may request other information where it is appropriate and relevant, for example:

Your bank details or debit/credit card details (if making a donation).

(2) any communication preferences you give;

(3) information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website including your IP address, geographical location, browser type, referral source, length of visit and number of page views; and/or

(4) any other information shared with us as per clause 1.

Do we process sensitive personal information?

Applicable law recognises certain categories of personal information as sensitive and therefore requiring more protection, including political opinions and trade union membership. In limited cases, we may collect sensitive personal data about you. We would only collect sensitive personal data if there is a clear reason for doing so; and will only do so with your explicit consent.

How and why will we use your personal data?

Personal data, however provided to us, will be used for the purposes specified in this Policy or in relevant parts of the website.

We may use your personal information to:

(1) Enable you to subscribe to our hard copy publications;

(2) Send you information about our work, campaigns, organisations and any other information, products or services that we provide (this will not be done without your consent);

(3) Provide you with the services, products or information you have requested;

(4) If you request, put you in touch with other supporters in your area (who have also provided such consent);

(5) Handle the administration of any donation or other payment you make via credit/debit card, cheque, standing order or BACS transfer;

(6) Collect payments from you and send statements and/or receipts to you;

(7) Conduct research into the impact of our activity / campaigns;

(8) Deal with enquiries and complaints made by you relating to the website or us in general;

(9) Make petition submissions to third parties, where you have signed a petition and the third party is a target of the campaign to which the petition relates; and/or

(10) Audit and/or administer our accounts.

Supporter Analysis

Google Analytics

We may use some of your personal information to analyse our digital performance, for example to see how our website can be improved to help us achieve the purposes set out in section 9 below, to record how you are using our website or to assess the popularity of different articles / campaigns.

For more information on how we use your personal information in relation to Google Analytics, please view our cookie policy by clicking this link cookies policy



You can opt-out of the collection of information for such purposes here: http://www.aboutads.info/choices

Communications, updates, fundraising

Where you have provided appropriate consent, we will contact you by telephone and e-mail, with targeted communications to let you know about our events and/or activities that we consider may be of particular interest; about the work of In Defence of Marxism; and to ask for donations or other support.

Donations and other payments

All financial transactions carried out on our website are handled through either:

PayPal (Europe) S.a r.l. (PayPal), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read PayPals privacy policy (available at https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full?locale.x=en_GB ) prior to effecting any transactions with us through PayPal; or

GoCardless Ltd (GoCardless), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read GoCardlesss privacy policy (available at https://www.gocardless.com/legal/privacy) prior to effecting any transactions with us through GoCardless.

We will provide your personal data to PayPal / GoCardless only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing payments for transactions you enter into with us. We do not store your financial details.

Childrens data

We do not knowingly process data of any person under the age of 16. If we come to discover, or have reason to believe, that you are 15 and under and we are holding your personal information, we will delete that information within a reasonable period and withhold our services accordingly.

Security of and access to your personal data

We endeavour to ensure that there are appropriate and proportionate technical and organisational measures to prevent the loss, destruction, misuse, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or of access to your personal information.

Your information is only accessible by appropriately trained staff and volunteers.

We may also use agencies and/or suppliers to process data on our behalf. We may also merge or partner with other organisations and in so doing transfer and/or acquire personal data.

Please note that some countries outside of the EEA have a lower standard of protection for personal data, including lower security requirements and fewer rights for individuals. We may transfer and/or store personal data collected from you to and/or at a destination outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Such personal data may be processed by agencies and/or suppliers operating outside the EEA. If we transfer and/or store your personal data outside the EEA we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient implements appropriate measures to protect your personal data.

Otherwise than as set out in this Privacy Policy, we will only ever share your data with your informed consent.

Your rights

Where we rely on your consent to use your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This includes the right to ask us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes or to be unsubscribed from our email list at any time. You also have the following rights:

(1) Right to be informed  you have the right to be told how your personal information will be used. This Policy and any other policies and statements used on our website and in our communications are intended to provide you with a clear and transparent description of how your personal information may be used.

(2) Right of access  you can write to us to ask for confirmation of what information we hold on you and to request a copy of that information. Provided we are satisfied that you are entitled to see the information requested and we have successfully confirmed your identity, we have 30 days to comply.

(3) Right of erasure  as from 25 May 2018, you can ask us for your personal information to be deleted from our records.

(4) Right of rectification  if you believe our records of your personal information are inaccurate, you have the right to ask for those records to be updated.

(5) Right to restrict processing  you have the right to ask for processing of your personal data to be restricted if there is disagreement about its accuracy or legitimate usage.

(6) Right to data portability  to the extent required by the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) where we are processing your personal information (i) under your consent, (ii) because such processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contact or (iii) by automated means, you may ask us to provide it to you  or another service provider  in a machine-readable format.

To exercise these rights, please send a description of the personal information in question using the contact details in section 15 below. You can also unsubscribe from our email list by sending a blank email to news-unsubscribe@marxist.com

Where we consider that the information with which you have provided us does not enable us to identify the personal information in question, we reserve the right to ask for (i) personal identification and/or (ii) further information.

Lawful processing

We are required to have one or more lawful grounds to process your personal information. Only 4 of these are relevant to us:

Personal information is processed on the basis of a persons consent Personal information is processed on the basis of a contractual relationship Personal information is processed on the basis of legal obligations Personal information is processed on the basis of legitimate interests

(1) Consent

We will ask for your consent to use your information to send you electronic communications such as newsletters and and fundraising emails, and if you ever share sensitive personal information with us.

(2) Contractual relationships

Most of our interactions with supporters are voluntary and not contractual. However, sometimes it will be necessary to process personal information so that we can enter contractual relationships with people. For example, if you subscribe to one of our publications, or purchase merchandise online.

(3) Legal obligations

Sometimes we will be obliged to process your personal information due to legal obligations which are binding on us. We will only ever do so when strictly necessary.

(4) Legitimate interests

Applicable law allows personal information to be collected and used if it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate activities (as long as its use is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact individuals rights).

We will rely on this ground to process your personal data when it is not practical or appropriate to ask for consent.

Achieving our purposes

These include (but are not limited to) promoting socialist policies

Governance

Internal and external audit for financial or regulatory compliance purposes

Statutory reporting

Publicity and income generation

Conventional direct marketing and other forms of marketing, publicity or advertisement

Unsolicited messages, including campaigns, newsletters, and fundraising appeals

Analysis, targeting and segmentation to develop and promote or strategy and improve communication efficiency

Personalisation used to tailor and enhance your experience of our communications

Operational Management

Maintenance of suppression files

Processing for historical, scientific or statistical purpose

Purely administrative purposes

Responding to enquiries

Delivery of requested products or information

Communications designed to administer existing services including subscriptions, administration of petitions and financial transactions

Thank you communications and receipts

Maintaining a supporter database and suppression lists

Financial Management and control

Processing financial transactions and maintaining financial controls

Prevention of fraud, misuse of services, or money laundering

Enforcement of legal claims

Reporting criminal acts and compliance with law enforcement agencies

When we use your personal information, we will consider if it is fair and balanced to do so and if it is within your reasonable expectations. We will balance your rights and our legitimate interests to ensure that we use your personal information in ways that are not unduly intrusive or unfair in other ways.

Data retention

The length of time each category of data will be retained will vary depending on how long we need to process it for, the reason it was collected, and in line with any statutory requirements. After this point the data will either be deleted, or we may retain a secure anonymised record for research and analytical purposes.

In the event that you ask us to stop sending you direct marketing/fundraising/other electronic communications, we will keep your name on our internal suppression list to ensure that you are not contacted again.

Policy amendments

We keep this Privacy Policy under regular review and reserve the right to update from time-to-time by posting an updated version on our website, not least because of changes in applicable law. We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy occasionally to ensure you remain happy with it. We may also notify you of changes to our privacy policy by email.

Third party websites

We link our website directly to other sites. This Privacy Policy does not cover external websites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external websites you visit via links on our website.

Updating information

You can check the personal data we hold about you, and ask us to update it where necessary, by emailing us at webmaster@marxist.com

Contact

We are not required by law to have a Data Protection Officer  however we have a Data Protection Manager.

Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com
Advertisement

She was recently rushed to hospital after she was flung from a go-kart while travelling at a high speed.

But Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace looked better than ever before as she showed off her very peachy behind at the Celeb MMA party at Lit London.

The former Big Brother housemate, 43, slipped into a skintight see-through leather catsuit, that hugged her curves and put her ample cleavage on full display.

All better: Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace looked better than ever before as she showed off her very peachy behind at the Celeb MMA party at Lit London

She preserved her modesty with a black net bodysuit underneath, and elevated her height in a pair of coordinating black heels.

Her blonde tresses were styled poker straight and left to tumble down her shoulders, while she hid her eyes behind a pair of statement black sunglasses.

She was joined at the event by Love Islander AJ Bunker, who dazzled in a plunging black playsuit that was encrusted in sequins that sparkled under the lights.

Stylish: She preserved her modesty with a black net bodysuit underneath, and elevated her height in a pair of coordinating black heels

Looking good: Her blonde tresses were styled poker straight and left to tumble down her shoulders, while she hid her eyes behind a pair of statement black sunglasses

Her impressive cleavage and tanned legs were on full display in the figure-hugging outfit, and she paired it with black strappy heels and a matching clutch bag.

Her long brown tresses were styled in neat waves and she completed her look with fluttery lashes and a swipe of lipgloss.

Also in attendance was fellow Love Islander Amy Day, Tallia Storm, Lara Fraser, Laura Pradelska, Abbie Quinnen and Olivia Cox.

Dazzling: She was joined at the event by Love Islander AJ Bunker, who dazzled in a plunging black playsuit that was encrusted in sequins that sparkled under the lights

Leggy display: Her impressive cleavage and tanned legs were on full display in the figure-hugging outfit, and she paired it with black strappy heels and a matching clutch bag

Flawless: Her long brown tresses were styled in neat waves and she completed her look with fluttery lashes and a swipe of lipgloss

Amy put on a leggy display in a graphic T-shirt dress with quirky ruffled sleeves and black knee high boots and toted her essentials in a white handbag.

Lara and Laura complemented each other as they posed together in matching red minidresses, with Laura opting for a halterneck style and Lara choosing to pair hers with white boots.

Tallia sent pulses racing in a pair of sparkly sheer trousers that left little to the imagination and showed off her black underwear underneath.

On trend: Fellow Love Islander Amy Day put on a leggy display in a graphic T-shirt dress with quirky ruffled sleeves and black knee high boots and toted her essentials in a white handbag

She paired them with a black crop top that highlighted her chiselled stomach, and a nude handbag and coordinating nude high heels.

Abbie looked incredible in a plunging green ruched top which she teamed with a black satin miniskirt with a daringly high slit.

She carried her belongings in a black Gucci handbag, and wore a pair of black heels while opting to style her blonde locks in neat waves.

Ladies in red: Lara Fraser (R) and Laura Pradelska (L) complemented each other as they posed together in matching red minidresses, with Laura opting for a halterneck style and Lara choosing to pair hers with white boots

Hot stuff: Tallia sent pulses racing in a pair of sparkly sheer trousers that left little to the imagination and showed off her black underwear underneath

Olivia exuded elegance in a a blue foral minidress, which she layered underneath a mint green leather blazer and paired with white high heels.

Meanwhile Carl Woods cut a casual figure in an all-black ensemble, made up of a tight jumper, ripped skinny jeans and trainers.

Danniella Westbrook caught the eye in a bold bright pink jumpsuit that showed off her cleavage, which she paired with bejewelled wedges.

Handsome: Meanwhile Carl Woods cut a casual figure in an all-black ensemble, made up of a tight jumper, ripped skinny jeans and trainers

Classy: Olivia Cox exuded elegance in a a blue foral minidress, which she layered underneath a mint green leather blazer and paired with white high heels

Keeping the cold at bay, she layered up in a quirky blue and pink patterned cardigan and planted a kiss on a male friend as she hid her face behind a blue mask.

Last week, Aisleyne crashed onto her head after the bumper car she was in span out of control and crashed into a nearby wall at Rye House Kart Raceway in Hertfordshire.

She was soon fitted into a neckbrace and carried into an ambulance on a stretcher, with onlookers fearing she could be left paralysed since she was left unable to move.

Eye-catching: Danniella Westbrook caught the eye in a bold bright pink jumpsuit that showed off her cleavage, which she paired with bejewelled wedges

Statement: Keeping the cold at bay, she layered up in a quirky blue and pink patterned cardigan and planted a kiss on a male friend as she hid her face behind a blue mask

Aisleyne told MailOnline she was in 'pain and agony, was left upset when medics had to cut her Versace gymwear off and couldn't stop vomiting after the accident'.

The reality star was taken directly into the the resuscitation room where she was given a full body CT scan to check for injuries.

Her representative told MailOnline: 'Aisleyne is home and recovering well. She is making steady progress and being monitored closely by her family and loved ones.

What?! She was soon fitted into a neckbrace and carried into an ambulance on a stretcher, with onlookers fearing she could be left paralysed since she was left unable to move

'She is in high spirits despite the traumatic incident. We will ensure to update accordingly on her recovery.'

She had been enjoying a day out at Rye House Kart Raceway in Hertfordshire - where Lewis Hamilton is thought to have trained in his youth - with her with Celeb MMA competitors, including James Lock, AJ Bunker, Carl Woods and Theo Campbell.

But now Aisleyne's fight at the OVO Arena Wembley on June 24 has been plunged into jeopardy.

Fingers crossed! But now Aisleyne's fight at the OVO Arena Wembley on June 24 has been plunged into jeopardy

An insider revealed to The Sun she is expecting to undergo 'a lot' of therapy which will determine whether she's fit enough to take to the ring.

16 celebrities are undergoing 12 weeks of rigorous training ahead of facing an opponent in the cage for their big fight on June 24th at the OVO Arena Wembley.

MMA, or mixed martial arts, is a full-contact combat sport which involves a wide range of fighting techniques from different combat sports.
Liberty Poole wowed in an extreme plunging jumpsuit as she joins her former Love Island co-stars for Kaz Kamwi's Revolution beauty box launch in London on Thursday.

The ITV2 reality star, 22, made sure all eyes were on her as she showed of her sensational figure in a bright orange all-in-one ensemble.

The blonde beauty posed up a storm at Kaz's event styling her long tresses in loose curls as they cascaded past her shoulders.

Sensational: Liberty Poole wows in an extreme plunging jumpsuit as she joins her former Love Island co-stars for Kaz Kamwi's Revolution beauty box launch in London on Thursday

Liberty looked glam wearing a full face of makeup including fluttering lashes and a gorgeous pink lipstick.

The former Dancing On Ice contestant carried her personal belongings in a small white handbag.

Liberty was joined at the launch event by the host Kaz, 27, who showcased her incredible figure in a strapless green cut out mini dress.

Incredible: The ITV2 reality star, 22, made sure all eyes were on her as she showed of her sensational figure in a bright orange all-in-one ensemble

Eye-catching: The blonde beauty posed up a storm at the event styling her long tresses in loose curls as they cascaded past her shoulders

The beauty added some height to her frame in a towering pair of green heels which coordinated perfectly with her dress.

Kaz accessorised with a pair of large white hoop earrings and carried her belongings in a dazzling silver Prada handbag.

She styled her brunette locks in large curls as they cascaded down past her shoulders as she beamed for photos.

Glam: Liberty was joined at the launch event by the host Kaz, 27, who showcased her incredible figure in a strapless green cut out mini dress

Wow: The beauty added some height to her frame in a towering pair of green heels which coordinated perfectly with her dress

Stunning: Joanna Chimonides, 26, who appeared in season five of the hit show, flashed her toned midriff in a matching blue leather coord

Joannashowe d off her toned legs in the mini skirt which featured two splits either side and added a matching blazer crop top as she posed alongside Kaz (centre) and Demi Jones (right)

Joanna Chimonides, who appeared in season five of the hit show, flashed her toned midriff in a matching blue leather coord at the London event party.

The 26-year-old showed off her toned legs in the mini skirt which featured two splits either side and added a matching blazer crop top.

The blonde beauty added a pair of towering white lace up heels elevating her figure as she carried her belongings in a black shoulder bag.

Tattoo artist Abigail Rawling, 27, revealed her ample cleavage in a low cut grey crop top which she paired with matching trousers as she posed alongside her former reality stars.

Looking good: Love Island season six star, Demi Jones, 22, seemed in high spirits as she put on a leggy display in a black leather mini dress

Glam: The beauty sleeked her long tresses up in a high pony tail revealing a glamorous face of makeup

Also appearing at the event was Faye Winter, 26, who looked stylish in a brown figure hugging skirt and matching crop top as she swept her tresses up in a chic up-do leaving two strands down shaping her face.

Love Island season six star, Demi Jones, 22, seemed in high spirits as she put on a leggy display in a black leather mini dress.

The beauty sleeked her long tresses up in a high pony tail revealing a glamorous face of makeup.

Reunion: The reality stars all seemed in high spirits as they beamed for photos together at the event (left to right Abigail Rawling, Faye Winter, Kaz, Liberty, Sharon Gaffka)

Boujee: The stars took to their Instagram accounts to share the cocktail and desert filled evening as they sat around a flower arrangement in the centre of the table

Pretty: Faye shared an Instagram Story showcasing the lavish flower arrangement as well as a fancy pink cocktail

Former beauty Queen, Sharon Garrka looked stylish in a satin white mini dress which she paired with two gold chain necklaces.

The reality stars all seemed in high spirits as they beamed for photos together at the event to celebrate Kaz's makeup launch.

The stars took to their Instagram accounts to share the cocktail and desert filled evening as they sat around a flower arrangement in the centre of the table.

Wow: The tattoo artist Abigail Rawling, 27, revealed her ample cleavage in a low cut grey crop top which she paired with matching trousers

High-spirits: Kaz (left) and Demi (right) beamed as they enjoyed the event in London

Blonde beauties: Liberty (left) and Joanna (right) showcased their incredible figures as they posed at the makeup launch

Stunning: Former beauty Queen, Sharon Garrka looked stylish in a satin white mini dress

Cocktails: Kaz beamed as she enjoyed cocktails at a candle lit table alongside her former reality stars (left to right Rachel Finni, Kaz, Joanna)

What a night! Kaz and Liberty looked in great spirits as they left the event, goody bags in hand

Stunning: Sharon Gaffka clutched her goodies as she posed while leaving the venue
Jarrod Woodgate has revealed he moved to Darwin to focus on his mental health after discovering his friends in Melbourne were unsupportive of him.

The 36-year-old Bachelorette alum said he had no regrets about switching states, explaining his decision.

'My friends in Melbourne, they're not overly supportive of my mental health,' he told Yahoo Lifestyle on Thursday, t, adding that he felt 'judged'.

Fresh start: Jarrod Woodgate has revealed he moved to Darwin to focus on his mental health after discovering his friends in Melbourne were unsupportive of him

'They think because I've got such a good life that there's nothing wrong with me. They look at all the happy snaps on Instagram, but mental health is not visible.

'You can't see mental health. It's not like a broken arm or a fractured collarbone. It's deep down and people won't talk to you about it until they feel comfortable and confident that they won't be judged.'

Following his own experience, Jarrod said he hoped to help others struggling with their mental health by creating a safe space for them to come forward.

Moving on: In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle on Thursday, the 36-year-old Bachelorette alum said he had no regrets about switching states, explaining his decision

'After what I've been through, I want to try and assist other people, or at least help them or make them feel like they can be open, either with a stranger, a neighbour, a friend - anyone that will listen,' he added.

Jarrod said he 'escaped' to Darwin in March 2021 because 'everyone's very chilled', and described it as 'a great place to focus on mental health'.

He confessed that he cries 'more than any other person I know', and added that people should take what they see on social media lightly.

'My friends in Melbourne, they're not overly supportive of my mental health,' he admitted, adding that he felt 'judged'. Pictured with girlfriend Sam Royce

'You can't go, "Oh, they look happy because they're loved up and they're on a holiday." Well, that morning, I could have been in my room crying for hours before we went,' he added.

Jarrod has spoken extensively about his battle with mental health, revealing he's 'been diagnosed with PTSD, depression, anxiety and trauma'.

He previously served 12 years in the Australian Army before being medically discharged, and admitted his time in the military had left his body 'fried'.

'They think because I've got such a good life that there's nothing wrong with me. They look at all the happy snaps on Instagram, but mental health is not visible,' he said of his friends

'It takes its toll, it really does. I mean, I'm at the age of 36 and I feel like I'm 80 because of either my mind or my body. It physically can't do what it should be able to do as a 36-year-old,' he added.

In November, Jarrod detailed his battle with mental illness in an open letter to his girlfriend Sam Royce on Instagram.

'Thank you for being a supportive girlfriend and a massive shout out to those that have experienced or currently experiencing mental health hurdles in life,' he wrote.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Danniella Westbrook showed off the results of her latest nose job as she headed home from the Celebrity MMA party at Lit London on Thursday night.

The former EastEnders actress, 48, who previously revealed she would be getting facial reconstructive surgery on the NHS, was seen leaving the star-studded event after unveiling the outcome of her procedure.

Daniella previously revealed she was able to get her facial reconstructive surgery on the NHS after learning it would cost 500,000 to have the procedure done privately.

Hard to miss! Danniella Westbrook showed off the results of her latest nose job as she headed home from the Celebrity MMA party at Lit London on Thursday night

Exiting the party, Danniella posed up a storm in her colourful ensemble, including a bold bright pink jumpsuit that showed off her cleavage, which she paired with bejewelled wedges.

Keeping the cold at bay, she layered up in a quirky blue and pink patterned blazer.

Earlier in the evening, Danniella was seen arriving for the party and planted a kiss on a male friend as she hid her face behind a blue mask.

Off she goes! The former EastEnders actress (left on Thursday and right in 1991) previously revealed she would be getting facial reconstructive surgery on the NHS

Statement: Exiting the party, Danniella posed up a storm in her colourful ensemble, including a bold bright pink jumpsuit

Wrapped up: Keeping the cold at bay, she layered up in a quirky blue and pink patterned blazer

Changes: It comes after it was revealed that Danniella is finally getting facial reconstructive surgery on the NHS after private plastic surgeons said it would cost 500,000

She soon removed her face mask however, and allowed the cameras to get a snap of her new nose.

It comes after it was revealed that Danniella is finally getting facial reconstructive surgery on the NHS after private plastic surgeons said it would cost 500,000.

The star needs five operations to correct her 'collapsing' face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis.

But she insists that she needs the surgery to 'survive' and that it isn't for 'vanity' but purely for health reasons after her septum collapsed from excessive drug use in 2002.

Sensational: Earlier in the evening, Danniella showed off the results of her nose job as she posed at the event

Pretty in pink: The soap star caught the eye in her colourful ensemble

She told The Sun: 'I've spent the last seven years trying to get somebody to do it, but they said no in case it failed and they got struck off.

'Plastic surgeons wanted 500,000 to change my face, so I thought I was never going to get it done. It was only because I went into intensive care before Christmas.

'I couldn't breathe because I had a cold. There was a build up of fluid and after I fell asleep I couldn't wake up properly and ended up in ICU.

'I was sent over to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool and it's only because I was put in front of the right doctors, or else I'd still be waiting now to find someone. 'They're doing it for me under the NHS now.'

Damage: She needs five operations to correct her 'collapsing' face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis

Earlier this month, Danniella stepped out with a bandage over her nose, leaving fans convinced that she had already had her nose surgery.

But the dressings came after she had skin removed for biopsies to determine whether she is fit for the upcoming procedures.

The star recently revealed her plans to have a rib inserted into her face after years of drug abuse caused her nose to collapse.

She previously underwent a rib insertion procedure in 2018, after osteoporosis rotted away her cheekbones and gums and, after spending the last year getting lip filler and Botox, in addition to surgery on her face, she is hoping to get back to her best.

Help: But the star insists that she needs the surgery to 'survive' and that it isn't for 'vanity' but purely for health reasons

Tough: The actress' battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use in 2002 (pictured left in 2009 and right this year)

The actress' battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use in 2002.

At the height of her use it was reported she would take up to five grams of cocaine a day, blowing close to 250,000 on the drug.

The star has since embarked on multiple rehab stints in order to battle her demons - and revealed she was finally clean in June last year, after attending a clinic in Mijas, Spain.

Danniella first appeared in EastEnders in 1990 at the age of 16 and acted on the soap for three years.

She returned in 1996 but her time was cut short when her off-screen behaviour got her sacked.

She returned again shortly after, but was axed again in 2000 after further disruptive behaviour, admitting she blew 100k on cocaine at the time.

The part was recast between 2002 and 2005, and played by Kim Medcalf, but Danniella returned to the role once more in 2009 until 2010.

She was back once more in 2016 for the storyline surrounding on-screen mother Peggy Mitchell's death, which is to date her final appearance.
Kylie Jenner broadcasted her love for baby daddy Travis Scott to her 334million Instagram followers on Thursday.

The makeup mogul, 24, uploaded a trio of romantic snapshots that showed herself and the rapper, 31, embracing during a recent seaside stroll.

Kylie and Travis - who have dated on/off since 2017 - welcomed their second child together, a son, this past February.

Putting it out there: Kylie Jenner broadcasted her love for baby daddy Travis Scott to her 334million Instagram followers on Thursday

In the Instagram shots, Travis posed shirtless in a pair of baggy blue jeans while Kylie rocked a curve-clinging white dress.

The Kylie cosmetics founder accessorized with a stack of chunky silver bangles and wore her flowing raven tresses down for the impromptu photo shoot.

She had her arms around the Sicko Mode hitmaker's neck while he held on tightly to her tiny waist.

Romantic: The makeup mogul, 24, uploaded a trio of romantic snapshots that showed herself and the rapper, 31, embracing during a recent seaside stroll

Stylish duo: In the Instagram shots, Travis posed shirtless in a pair of baggy blue jeans while Kylie rocked a curve-clinging white dress

She captioned Thursday's PDA-packed post with a white heart, a blue butterfly and a sunset emoji.

Kylie also uploaded a string of solo snapshots that were taken during her and Travis' sunset stroll.

She posed with her hands in her hair for one shot, while walking towards the ocean in another.

The entrepreneur captioned the slideshow, 'love like a sunset.

Speechless: She captioned Thursday's PDA-packed post with just a white heart, a blue butterfly and a sunset emoji

A little while later, Kylie took to her Instagram Story to share adorable footage of herself, Travis and their four-year-old daughter Stormi feeding lizards.

The family looked on in awe as the lizards approached them for food.

Kylie fed one of the lizards a piece of fruit on a toothpick, which caused her to audibly squeal as it snatched it from her.

The curvaceous beauty had on a bright green bikini top and matching sarong. A pair of white sunglasses were tucked into her hair.

Glamour shots: Kylie also uploaded a string of solo snapshots of herself that were taken during her and Travis' sunset stroll

Gorgeous: She posed with her hands in her hair for one shot, while walking towards the ocean in another

Stunning sunset: She captioned the slideshow, 'love like a sunset'

It was then Stormi's turn to feed one of the friendly critters. Travis carried his daughter in his arms and kneeled down so she could hand off what appeared to be a berry.

The family appear to be vacationing together in a tropical destination but Kylie did not disclose their location in any of Wednesday's posts.

The getaway comes after it was revealed that Travis will return to the festival stage for the very first time since last year's Astroworld Festival tragedy in Houston, Texas.

A crowd surge claimed the lives of 10 concertgoers during the rapper's performance set on the evening of Friday, November 5.

Staging a comeback: The getaway comes after it was revealed that Travis will return to the festival stage for the very first time since last year's Astroworld Festival tragedy in Houston, Texas. On November 5, 2021, a crowd surge claimed the lives of 10 concertgoers during the rapper's performance set that evening (Travis pictured in November 2021)

Blood on his hands: Autopsies revealed all 10 Astroworld victims died of 'compression asphyxia' - (clockwise) Madison Dubiski, 23; John Hilgert, 14; Bharti Shahani, 22; Axel Acosta, 21; Brianna Rodriguez, 16; Mirza Baig, 27; Franco Patino, 21; Jacob Jurinek, 21; Rodolfo Angel Pena, 23; and Ezra Blount, 9

It spawned countless legal woes for Travis, as well as intense public backlash for his alleged handling of the deadly incident.

He was also sacked as a 2022 Coachella headliner, as well as a headliner for the Day N Vegas festival last year, soon after the tragedy occurred.

Travis is now set to headline the Primavera Sound festival this coming November, and will play three shows, with New Zealand singer Lorde scheduled on the lineup before him.

He is expected to be performing in front of crowds larger than 100,000 at the festival which will visit Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

On Saturday, May 7, Travis is scheduled to perform his first official concert since Astroworld at the 20K-square-foot nightclub E11EVEN Miami.

New gig: Travis is now set to headline the Primavera Sound festival this coming November, and will play three shows, with New Zealand singer Lorde scheduled on the lineup before him. He is expected to be performing in front of crowds larger than 100,000 at the festival which will visit Brazil, Chile and Argentina

Tickets cost $150 for women and $250 for men at the 21+ Florida venue, and TMZ reports that VIP tables might cost well over $100K.

TMZ also reports that Scott is expected to appear at more concerts this summer.

Travis recently rang in his 31st birthday on April 30, which Kylie celebrated with a heartfelt post shared to her Instagram Story.

'Happy birthday my love my best friend [three white heart emojis] the most special person and father to our babies. @travisscott,' penned the KUWTK star.

Wild life: A little while later, Kylie took to her Instagram Story to share adorable footage of herself, Travis and their four-year-old daughter Stormi feeding lizards

Vacation wear: The curvaceous beauty had on a bright green bikini top and matching sarong. A pair of white sunglasses were tucked into her hair

Friendly: The family looked on in awe as the lizards approached them for food

Family getaway: The family appear to be vacationing together in a tropical destination but Kylie did not disclose their location in any of Wednesday's posts

She'd placed the text over a snap that showed Kylie gently touching her man's jaw as he leaned his head towards her, eyes closed.

Kylie and Travis joyously welcomed a baby boy to their family on February 2, 2022, which the brunette beauty announced on her Instagram days later.

Kylie originally revealed she was expecting in August 2021, but remained very private for the remainder of her pregnancy after the Astroworld tragedy.

'My love': Travis recently rang in his 31st birthday on April 30, which Kylie celebrated with a heartfelt post shared to her Instagram Story. 'Happy birthday my love my best friend [three white heart emojis] the most special person and father to our babies. @travisscott,' penned the KUWTK star

After unveiling their second child's arrival in February 2022, Kylie returned to Instagram soon after to reveal that they'd named their son Wolf.

But the following month, Kylie announced that their newborn was no longer called Wolf because they did not feel that the name fit him.

Though they've yet to announce a replacement name, the reality star recently shared a glimpse at her baby boy in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel on Wednesday.

The video, titled 'Married to the Met | Get Ready for the Met Gala with Me, took fans along as Kylie and her team prepared for her appearance at the star-studded event, which was held Monday, May 2.

Newest addition: Kylie and Travis joyously welcomed a baby boy to their family on February 2, 2022, which the brunette beauty announced on her Instagram days later

Parenthood: Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner pictured with their daughter Stormi, four, in June 2021

It was the first year that Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour invited all six of the Kardashian-Jenner women to the gala, including Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian who had never attended prior.

Kylie and her sisters Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and their mother Kris Jenner are gala veterans.

In her YouTube video, she included a brief clip of her newborn son's feet while aboard a private jet with her famous family en route to New York City.

Just a glimpse: Though they've yet to announce a replacement name, the reality star recently shared a glimpse at her baby boy in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel on Wednesday. The video, titled 'Married to the Met | Get Ready for the Met Gala with Me, took fans along as Kylie and her team prepared for her appearance at the star-studded event, which was held Monday, May 2

There he is! Kylie included a brief clip of her newborn son's feet while aboard a private jet with her famous family en route to New York City

'Look at my son's cute shoes! He cant eve walk yet,' narrated Kylie as she filmed her little one wearing a pair of pint-sized Air Jordan 6 Retro sneakers in his baby carrier.

Protecting her son's privacy, Kylie left his face out of frame and solely focused on capturing his shoes and cozy grey onesie.

At one point, she tenderly reached out and grabbed the bottom of one of the shoes while the little one wiggled in his baby carrier.

So tiny! 'Look at my son's cute shoes! He cant eve walk yet,' narrated Kylie as she filmed her little one wearing a pair of pint-sized Air Jordan 6 Retro sneakers in his baby carrier
She was famously left out of the Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That following a very public feud with lead star Sarah Jessica Parker, and after refusing to appear in a third movie.

But that didn't stop Kim Cattrall from having an impromptu SATC reunion on Thursday night, with original series creator Darren Star, costume designer Patricia Field and author Candace Bushnell.

The foursome - who were not part of the rebooted show helmed by Michael Patrick King - ran into each other at Variety's 2022 Power of Women ceremony in Los Angeles.

Looking thrilled to be reunited, Cattrall, 65, posed up with Field, 80 and Bushell, 63, at the red carpet event, close behind Star, 60.

Reunion: Variety's 2022 Power of Women ceremony quickly turned into an impromptu Sex and the City reunion with Kim Cattrall, creator Darren Star, costume designer Patricia Field and author Candace Bushnell

It even looked as though Cattrall and Field had arrived together at the annual event, held at The Glasshouse in New York City, without their former colleagues Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis.

Cattrall stepped out with a black suit with a cream-colored top with a plunging neckline for her red carpet look.

Her blonde locks flowed down past her shoulders with a black suit coat and black pants for the event.

She completed her look with grey pumps as she posed with her former Sex and the City alums.

Kim's look: Cattrall stepped out with a black suit with a cream-colored top with a plunging neckline for her red carpet look

Kim's look: Her blonde locks flowed down past her shoulders with a black suit coat and black pants for the event

She posed with the iconic costume designer Patricia Field, who wore a leopard print onesie and red flats that matched her fiery red hair with purple-tinted glasses.

Cattrall also posed with Bushnell, clad in a violet floral-print dress and red pumps for the event.

Original Sex and the City creator Darren Star was also at the event, seen posing with Field on the red carpet, where he also hinted that he is open to Cattrall guest-starring on his new series, Netflix's Emily in Paris.

Posed: She posed with the iconic costume designer Patricia Field, who wore a leopard print onesie and red flats that matched her fiery red hair with purple-tinted glasses

Darren and Patricia: Original Sex and the City creator Darren Star was also at the event, seen posing with Field on the red carpet, where he also hinted that he is open to Cattrall guest-starring on his new series, Netflix's Emily in Paris

'I would love to have Kim come on to Emily in Paris and guest star. I'd love to find something nice and juicy for her to do,' Star revealed to Variety.

It was no surprise that Cattrall wasn't a part of the Sex and the City follow-up And Just Like That... given the 'feud' between her and the rest of the cast.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed in September 2017 that a third Sex and the City movie was essentially 'torpedoed' due to Cattrall's excessive demands.

Guest star: 'I would love to have Kim come on to Emily in Paris and guest star. I'd love to find something nice and juicy for her to do,' Star revealed to Variety

Cattrall reportedly demanded that Warner Bros. step up and produce other movies she was developing, or she wouldn't star in Sex and the City 3.

Parker, Nixon and Davis were all set to reprise their roles, with production slated to happen that fall, though the project completely fell apart and never went into production.

Cattrall denied the story, tweeting, 'The only DEMAND I ever made was that I didnt want to do a 3rd film.& that was back in 2016.'

Demand: Cattrall reportedly demanded that Warner Bros. step up and produce other movies she was developing, or she wouldn't star in Sex and the City 3

Tensions had reportedly brewed between Cattrall and the rest of the cast since the start of the show, which escalated when one of her only allies - creator Darren Star - left the show and was replaced by Michael Patrick King, who created And Just Like That.

The feud escalated in 2018 when Cattrall blasted Parker for talking about Kim's brother Christopher, who was found dead in Canada, in a TV interview.

'Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I havent already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So Im writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your "nice girl" persona,' Cattrall said in the post.

Feud: The feud escalated in 2018 when Cattrall blasted Parker for talking about Kim's brother Christopher, who was found dead in Canada, in a TV interview

Needless to say, most weren't surprised when Cattrall wasn't part of And Just Like That... with the actress revealing that she was never asked to be a part of the show.

It was revealed in the first episode of And Just Like That... that her character, Samantha Jones, is now living in London.

HBO has renewed the series for a second season, though it's unclear if Samantha will even be mentioned in the new season.

Cattrall most recently voiced 'future Sophie,' providing narration as the older version of Hilary Duff's character in Hulu's How I Met Your Father.

Never asked: Needless to say, most weren't surprised when Cattrall wasn't part of And Just Like That... with the actress revealing that she was never asked to be a part of the show
Hailey Bieber put her toned tummy on display as she embarked on a smoothie run in Santa Monica, California.

The wife of Justin Bieber, 25, stepped out in a cropped yellow plaid sweater vest that she layered over a white baby tee.

She finished off her errand run ensemble with a pair of black low-rise drawstring pants and some grey trainers.

On display: Hailey Bieber put her toned tummy on display as she embarked on a smoothie run in Santa Monica, California

Her dark blonde tresses were worn down and she shielded her eyes with a pair of black sunglasses.

Hailey toted the majority of her belongings in a black crossbody purse but opted to keep her keys and face mask in hand.

The model stopped by the popular health food store Erewhon to pick up a delicious smoothie.

She later emerged with a pale pink smoothie in hand and made her way back to her parked car.

Trendy: The wife of Justin Bieber , 25, stepped out in a cropped yellow plaid sweater vest that she layered over a white baby tee. She finished off her errand run ensemble with a pair of black low-rise drawstring pants and some grey trainers

Fueling up: The model stopped by the popular health food store Erewhon to pick up a delicious smoothie. She later emerged with a pale pink smoothie in hand and made her way back to her parked car

Clearly loving her outfit of the day, Hailey took to her Instagram Story to share a full-body mirror selfie.

She posed for the shot in the giant walk-in closet she shares with her husband Justin.

Yesterday, Hailey wowed her 43.8million followers by sharing a set of sizzling snapshot taken during the Met Gala afterparty in New York City.

Instagram-worthy: Clearly loving her outfit of the day, Hailey took to her Instagram Story to share a full-body mirror selfie

She posed up in a dazzling rhinestone bra and a pair of tiny black vinyl hot pants.

Hailey layered up the skimpy look with an oversized black tuxedo jacket which she let hang off her shoulders.

Hailey's golden blonde hair was swept up into a bun and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of black designer shades.

The first snap saw the model standing in front of a window with her thumb tucked into the waistband of her hot pants and her hand pressed up against the wall.

In the second shot, Hailey seated herself atop a black lacquer table and stared off to the side.

For her actual Met Gala appearance, the runway maven looked ethereal in a custom Yves Saint Laurent white gown with a feather trim coat, featuring a saucy thigh-high split.

Strike a pose: The wife of Justin Bieber, 25, posed up in a dazzling rhinestone bra and a pair of tiny black vinyl hot pants. She'd donned the outfit to a Met Gala afterparty on Monday

The blonde bombshell added further glamour to the look with a pair of black tights and sparkling Tiffany jewels.

The star appeared to be going solo at the event, as she arrived without husband Justin Bieber, 28.

The beauty looked to be in good spirits, after recently undergoing a procedure to fix a hole in her heart, following a 'mini-stroke.'

Hailey finalized her look with a pair of strappy black and crystal heels. As for glam, she kept things to a minimal, sporting a light bronze eyeshadow and pink lipstick.

Cleans up nice! Hailey attended Monday's Met Gala in New York City in a custom Yves Saint Laurent white gown with a feather trim coat

Sleek: Meanwhile her blonde tresses were parted in the middle and pulled into a sleek bun

Meanwhile her blonde tresses were parted in the middle and pulled into a sleek bun.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, is considered by many as the 'Super Bowl of celebrity red carpets.'

Fashion's biggest night is traditionally held the first Monday in May to raise money for the Costume Institute in New York City, with last year's event moved to September due to the pandemic.

This year's dress code was 'gilded glamour' to match the theme of 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion,' a continuation of last year's 'In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.'

Hailey attended the annual event with the likes of her BFF Kendall Jenner and fellow catwalk queens Bella and Gigi Hadid.

Health scare: The model recently opened up about her health scare last month in a candid video uploaded to her YouTube channel last week

'Mini-stroke': She explained that she suffered a 'mini-stroke' in early March

The model recently opened up about her health scare last month in a candid video uploaded to her YouTube channel last week.

She explained that she suffered a 'mini-stroke' in early March, while she was having breakfast with Justin.

Hailey recalled feeling a 'weird sensation' in her right arm and numbness in her fingertips before she was admitted to hospital.

The hospital confirmed that she suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), more commonly referred to as a mini-stroke.

Hailey, who has a history of migraines, says she was told by doctors that the combination of her new birth control, a recent battle with COVID and traveling 'from Paris and back in a really short amount of time' likely caused the blood clot.

At random: It occurred while she was having breakfast with husband Justin Bieber. Hailey recalled feeling a 'weird sensation' in her right arm and numbness in her fingertips before she was admitted to hospital; Justin and Hailey pictured in April

While medical professionals were unable to determine how the blood clot had traveled to her brain, they believe that she had a small opening, known as a PFO, in the heart that usually closes after birth.

Her PFO, which measured between 12 and 13 millimeters, was 'Grade 5' which is the 'highest grade' possible. The small hole measured between 12 and 13 millimeters.

As she reflected on her diagnosis, Hailey said she was 'grateful' to know the cause and how the blood clot 'escaped' through the hole in heart to her brain.

Upon her doctor's recommendation, she had to PFO closed and has since fully recovered.
They recently enjoyed a weekend getaway to Mexico City.

But Hilary Duff and husband Matthew Koma were back in parent mode on Thursday afternoon as they stepped out in Sherman Oaks with their youngest daughter Mae.

The 34-year-old actress tenderly cradled the one-year-old in her arms while her partner, also 34, lugged the baby bag.

Parenthood: Hilary Duff and husband Matthew Koma stepped out in Sherman Oaks with their youngest daughter Mae, one, on Wednesday afternoon after enjoying a getaway to Mexico City

The couple reportedly attended an art class with Mae during their afternoon out in Sherman Oaks.

Hilary slipped her gym-honed figure into a pair of black distressed skinny jeans and an oversized white graphic tee.

The Disney Channel alum pounded the pavement in a pair of black Gucci loafers and layered a number of gold chains around her neck.

She further accessorized with a gold medallion bracelet and a woven black leather purse that was tucked under her arm.

Casual cutie: Hilary slipped her gym-honed figure into a pair of black distressed skinny jeans and an oversized white graphic tee

Hilary's signature blonde tresses were straightened and she opted for a glowing, natural makeup look.

Seemingly taking inspiration from his stylish wife, Matthew also stepped out in a pair of his go-to black skinny jeans and an oversized white tee.

The musician covered his brunette hair with a black beanie and he strolled beside his family in a pair of white sneakers.

Getaway: Though the pair appeared happy to be back to their normal routine, Hilary made it clear on Instagram that her and Matthew had an absolute blast during their recent trip to Mexico City

Missing from the action was Matthew and Hilary's eldest daughter Banks, three, and Hilary's 10-year-old son Luca, who she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie, 41.

Though the pair appeared happy to be back to their normal routine, Hilary made it clear on Instagram that her and Matthew had an absolute blast in Mexico City.

'Adios CDMX, te amo,' penned the Lizzie McGuire star, who uploaded a slideshow of snaps taking during the idyllic vacation.

She shared a number of photos of the delicious food they consumed throughout the trip, as well as the picturesque sights.

Making memories: 'Adios CDMX, te amo,' penned the Lizzie McGuire star, who uploaded a slideshow of snaps taking during the idyllic vacation

Dining: She shared a number of photos of the delicious food they consumed throughout the trip, as well as the picturesque sights

Hilary included a number of shots of herself and Matthew posing for selfies with one another as they indulged in all that the city has to offer.

One adorable photo showed Matthew planting a sweet kiss on his wife's cheek as she smiled with her eyes closed.

The couple wed in December 2019 at Hilary's Los Angeles home after a little over two years of dating.

They'd originally met in 2015 when Hilary was working with Matthew on her fifth studio alum Breathe In. Breathe Out.
Hotel heiress-turned-designer Nicky Hilton Rothschild's five-year-old daughter Lily Grace sweetly touched her baby bump during a stroll through Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday.

The expecting 38-year-old - who boasts 2.7M social media followers - tweeted that same day: 'A mother is your first friend, best friend, and your forever friend. Happy Mother's Day weekend.'

Mother-of-two Nicky (born Nicholai) showcased her bourgeoning bump in a blue floral flounce-topped frock featuring puffed sleeves.

Big sister! Hotel heiress-turned-designer Nicky Hilton Rothschild's five-year-old daughter Lily Grace sweetly touched her baby bump during a stroll through Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday

Rothschild accessorized her spring attire with a white handbag, brown T-strap sandals, and clear-framed sunglasses.

The New York-born socialite - who relies on facialist Adeela Crown - wore minimal make-up and wore her blonde shoulder-length locks down for her sunny outing.

It was the first sighting of Nicky walking her new dog, Minnie.

Rothschild introduced her fans to the pampered purebred Papillon while attending an event for the non-profit Animal Haven (she's a board member) at the Valentino boutique on April 21.

The expecting 38-year-old - who boasts 2.7M social media followers - tweeted: 'A mother is your first friend, best friend, and your forever friend. Happy Mother's Day weekend'

In bloom: Nicky (born Nicholai) showcased her bourgeoning bump in a blue floral flounce-topped frock featuring puffed sleeves

Blending in: Rothschild accessorized her spring attire with a white handbag, brown T-strap sandals, and clear-framed sunglasses

Evergreen: The New York-born socialite - who relies on facialist Adeela Crown - wore minimal make-up and wore her blonde shoulder-length locks down for her sunny outing

The Cooking with Paris guest star frequently jokes that she's a 'crazy cat lady' due to doting on her grey Tabbie cat Mac and expensive Bengal cat Cheese.

Nicky also enjoyed a hot beverage to-go from Paris Baguette while strolling solo earlier.

Rothschild announced she was pregnant with her third child on February 2, and last week she revealed she was craving dried mangoes.

Squeee! It was the first sighting of Nicky walking her new dog, Minnie

Canine companion: Rothschild introduced her fans to the pampered purebred Papillon while attending an event for the non-profit Animal Haven (she's a board member) at the Valentino boutique on April 21

Expanding her family: The Cooking with Paris guest star frequently jokes that she's a 'crazy cat lady' due to doting on her grey Tabbie cat Mac and expensive Bengal cat Cheese

Good morning! Nicky also enjoyed a hot beverage to-go from Paris Baguette while strolling solo earlier

For Mother's Day, the Parsons drop-out launched a $198 pair of floral ballet flats as part of her collaboration with alice + olivia and French Soles.

Nicky and her second husband James Rothschild are also proud parents of four-year-old daughter Teddy Marilyn, and both girls 'definitely love fashion and dressing up.'

'They usually gravitate towards Disney princess costumes and anything with unicorns or rainbows,' Rothschild told People last week.

Update! Rothschild announced she was pregnant with her third child on February 2, and last week she revealed she was craving dried mangoes

'Happy feet!' For Mother's Day, the Parsons drop-out launched a $198 pair of floral ballet flats as part of her collaboration with alice + olivia and French Soles

'They usually gravitate towards Disney princess costumes': Nicky and her second husband James Rothschild are also proud parents of four-year-old daughter Teddy Marilyn (R), and both girls 'definitely love fashion and dressing up'

'I'm fully aware that I only have a few more years of dressing them in clothes that I pick, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts!'

Last month, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills guest star and the 36-year-old financier enjoyed a 'babymoon' at Auberge Resort's luxurious Esperanza location in Los Cabos, Mexico.

The married couple of six years originally began their romance back in 2011.

'Babymooning!' Last month, Rothschild and the 36-year-old financier enjoyed a 'babymoon' at Auberge Resort's luxurious Esperanza location in Los Cabos, Mexico
Jon Batiste has tested positive for COVID-19, days after attending the Met Gala in New York City.

The musical artist, 35, had been slated to debut his new show American Symphony at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, but had to withdraw after testing positive for the virus.

An announcement from the venue stated that the Grammy-winning performer 'must regretfully postpone this concert, as he and members of his team have tested positive for COVID-19,' adding that the outing will be rescheduled.

The latest: Jon Batiste, 35, has tested positive for COVID-19, days after attending the Met Gala in New York City

The Metairie, Louisiana native said in a statement, 'I thank all my supporters for their love and understanding. See you all soon!'

Batiste also will be sidelined from his band leading duties on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert following the diagnosis.

Batiste was at Monday's Met Gala, where he was pictured alongside fellow stars such as Janelle Monae, Katy Perry and James Corden.

Speaking at the event with ET, Batiste said, 'My life has so many blessings - I'm just so happy to share it.'

The musical artist had been slated to debut his new show American Symphony at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, but had to withdraw after testing positive for the virus

Batiste was at Monday's Met Gala, where he was pictured alongside fellow stars such as Janelle Monae and Katy Perry

He was asked about his wife Suleika Jaouad, 33 - who is battling leukemia - and said she was 'doing great' after a successful two-week stretch.

'I'm very grateful,' he said. 'We are blessed by God. God's holding us and lifting us up.'

He continued: 'I have so much that I wanna say about her because I could speak just about her radiance endlessly. We met when we were in band camp. She was 12 and I was 14. Weve been knowing each other for 20 years. And its just such an incredible thing.'

The feted musician advised his fans, 'If you find the right person, lock it in - life is short.

'You never know whats going to happen so you just gotta lock it in. These moments are beautiful - the highs and lows of life. Just stay with the one you love and everything will be OK.'

The Metairie, Louisiana native said in a statement following his diagnosis, 'I thank all my supporters for their love and understanding. See you all soon!'

Batiste also will be sidelined from his band leading duties on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert following the diagnosis. He was pictured en route to the show on Tuesday

At the Met Gala, Batiste was asked about his wife Suleika Jaouad, 33 - who is battling leukemia - and said she was 'doing great' after a successful two-week stretch

On Wednesday, Batiste posted a rehearsal shot, writing, 'Day 7 in rehearsal ... I am grateful to share my first symphony at @carnegiehall #AmericanSymphony'

Prior to the luxe event at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Batiste had posted excerpts of his rehearsal sessions ahead of his anticipated Carnegie Hall show.

He took to Instagram Sunday with a clip in which he was practicing for the forthcoming show.

Batiste captioned the clip: 'day 3 of AMERICAN SYMPHONY rehearsal is done. We had some fun at the end of rehearsal on the E-mu SP-1200 drum machine. We are blending traditions and reimagining classical music.

'I am so grateful to be premiering my first symphony and sharing the stage with a powerfully diverse and masterful cast of musicians! See you at @carnegiehall on May 7.'

On Wednesday, he posted another rehearsal shot, writing, 'Day 7 in rehearsal ... I am grateful to share my first symphony at @carnegiehall #AmericanSymphony.'
Kyle Sandilands has shared a heartbreaking story from his days as a homeless youth - recalling how he stole flowers from a cemetery to give to his mum Pam on Mother's Day.

The 50-year-old, who is now an incredibly successful radio host, businessman and millionaire, spent more than nine months living on the street in Sydney when he was 15-years-old.

Leaving the bouquet at the home of his estranged family, Kyle found out soon after that his father had sold the house and they had moved away.

Emotional: Kyle Sandilands shared a heartbreaking story from his days as a homeless youth on his KIIS FM radio show on Friday - recalling how he stole flowers from a cemetery to give to his mum on Mother's Day

Kyle told the moving story during his KIIS FM breakfast show on Friday.

A clearly shocked Jackie 'O' Henderson, 47, interrupted her co-host as he explained what happened: 'You're saying that your mum kicked you out and you still gave her flowers on Mother's Day?'

'I left them [the flowers] in the middle of the night,' Kyle said.

'I stole them from the cemetery.'

Family trouble: The 50-year-old, who is now a successful radio host, businessman and millionaire, spent more than nine months living on the street when he was 15 years-old. He is pictured here, far right, with his mother Pam and brother Chris

After returning a few days later, Kyle discovered the flowers were still sitting where he had left them.

'That's when I looked through the window and I realised all the furniture was gone and there was a sold sign out front,' he explained.

Kyle said that the gesture was intended to 'break the ice' with his family.

Touched: After hearing Kyle's story on Friday's story Jackie 'O' Henderson said it was the first time she ever felt sorry for her co-host

'I thought ''Oh, well. there's no going back now...family's gone, they'll soldier on without me",' he recalled.

'That's so sad,' said a clearly touched Jackie.

'That's the first time I felt sorry for you.'

An outraged Kyle replied, 'I was living in a pile of cardboard boxes.'

Just joking! Later Kyle teased his co-host by joking that the only suffering she has ever undergone was child birth

Later Kyle teased his co-host by joking that the only suffering she has ever undergone was child birth.

Kyle became homeless after his parents split and his mother soon found love with an older man, who later became his stepfather.

After throwing a rowdy house party at the age of 15, he fled his family home on his bike.
Jennifer Lawrence and her husband Cooke Maroney were seen enjoying a rare date night away from their newborn, whose name and gender has yet to be revealed.

Less than three months after welcoming their little one in February, the 31-year-old Oscar winner got dolled up for a romantic dinner with her spouse at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Wednesday evening.

For the occasion, the actress showed off her toned post-baby body and looked effortlessly chic as she left the eatery in a black silk slip dress and long black cardigan, which she paired with a pearl necklace.

Couple: Jennifer Lawrence and husband Cooke Maroney were seen enjoying a rare date night away from their newborn on Thursday, whose name and gender has yet to be revealed

The Don't Look Up star wore her golden blonde tresses in loose waves and completed her chic ensemble with a pair of black leather heels.

As she waited in line outside the celebrity hot spot earlier in the night, the mother-of-one held onto a medium-sized, orange shopping bag from Hermes.

Their latest sighting comes a month after the lovebirds, who wed during a private ceremony in Rhode Island back in 2019, were seen taking their baby out for the first time on a hike with his parents.

Style: Less than three months after welcoming a little one in February, the 31-year-old Oscar winner got dolled up for a romantic dinner with her spouse at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica

Looking good: For the occasion, the actress showed off her toned post-baby body and looked effortlessly chic in a black silk slip dress

Home time: The Don't Look Up star wore her golden blonde tresses in loose waves and completed her chic ensemble with a pair of black leather heels

The actress first sparked pregnancy rumors in early September after she was captured out in New York City with a noticeable baby bump.

Shortly after, a representative for Lawrence confirmed she was expecting her first child.

Sources close to the actress revealed to People that she has wanted to start a family for a long time, and finally found the right partner to have kids with.

Radiant: She opted for a low-key makeup look to show off her natural beauty as she stepped out

Shopping: As she waited in line outside the celebrity hot spot earlier in the night, the mother-of-one held onto a medium-sized, orange shopping bag from Hermes

Love: Jennifer and Cooke, a 37-year-old art gallery director, tied the knot on October 19, 2019 in front of pals Adele, Cameron Diaz, and Emma Stone in attendance

'She loves married life, and they have a solid foundation for a baby. She is very happy and looking forward to being a mom,' the source added.

Jennifer and Cooke, a 37-year-old art gallery director, tied the knot on October 19, 2019 in front of pals Adele, Cameron Diaz, and Emma Stone in attendance.

Their wedding had 150 guests, including Kris Jenner and her boyfriend Corey Gamble, Amy Schumer, Emma Stone and Ashley Olsen.

Date night: The actress first sparked pregnancy rumors in early September after she was captured out in New York City with a noticeable baby bump

Bump: Jennifer showed off her pregnancy curves in a glittering floor-length fringed gold gown at a premiere for her film Don't Look Up in November last year

For her rehearsal dinner, Jennifer and Cooke hosted a clambake on Rose Island under a white tent, with Cameron Diaz, Sienna Miller, Joel Madden and Nicole Richie seen arriving.

The actress was first linked to Cooke after they were introduced by mutual friend Laura Simpson in spring 2018, and by February 2019, the blonde beauty was spotted wearing an engagement ring.

Before getting married, Lawrence was romantically linked to actor Nicholas Hoult, Chris Martin and Darren Aronofsky.
Emma Roberts stepped out in style on Thursday while joining her friends for dinner in West Hollywood, California.

The 31-year-old actress wore a short dark long-sleeved dress with white trim and Peter Pan collar for dinner at Catch LA.

Emma had her blonde hair parted down the middle and tucked behind her ears.

Dinner dress: Emma Roberts stepped out in style on Thursday while joining her friends for dinner in West Hollywood, California

She completed her outfit with black flats and added a pop of color with red nail polish.

Emma let her natural beauty shine without makeup.

The single mom was out on the town without her 16-month-old son Rhodes with ex-boyfriend Garrett Hedlund, 37.

Emma and Garrett started dating in March 2019 and announced in August 2020 that they were expecting their first child together.

Collar dress: The 31-year-old actress wore a short dark long-sleeved dress with white trim and Peter Pan collar for dinner at Catch LA

It was announced in January 2022 that Emma and Garrett had split.

Emma has the romantic comedy About Fate currently in post-production.

She also will produce and star in the upcoming thriller movie Abandoned with John Gallagher Jr. and Michael Shannon.

Busy star: Emma, shown in March in New York City, has the romantic comedy About Fate currently in post-production

Emma is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts, 66, and made her film debut at age 10 in the 2001 drama Blow.

Her aunt is Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts, 54.

Emma has starred in the films Nancy Drew, Scream 4, and Holidate, and her TV credits include work on Unfabulous, the American Horror Story franchise and Scream Queens.
Superstar Tom Cruise is used to playing heroes.

And he got to perform a real-life rescue on the red carpet when he saved celebrity reporter Angela Bishop from taking a tumble during the premiere for his new film Top Gun: Maverick, sequel to the 1986 megahit, Top Gun.

The ageless 59-year-old movie actor grabbed the arm of the veteran Australian journalist just as Angela was about to take a tumble off the interview platform.

Saved! Reporter Angela Bishop (left) was rescued by Tom Cruise (left) when she was at risk of taking a backwards tumble off a podium during an interview at the world premiere of Top Gun: Maverick aboard US carrier USS Midway in Sand Diego Wednesday

'Please do not step backwards,' said Tom, as Angela quickly regained her footing.

'That would make a blooper real,' a clearly rattled Angela said.

Turning into the camera she told viewers that Tom had 'just saved me from falling off the podium.'

Real life hero: Turning into the camera she told viewers that Tom had 'just saved me from falling off the podium'

The interview was taking place aboard US carrier USS Midway, docked in San Diego harbour on Wednesday, US time.

Arriving for the premiere in a black helicopter, Tom strode across the deck of the aircraft carrier in movie-star style wearing a dark suit, tie and aviator glasses.

During the interview Tom revealed that making the movie was a dream come true.

Long awaited return: Four years in the making Top Gun: Maverick was made at a cost of US $152 million, with Tom repeating his role of Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell from the first film

'I always wanted to fly airplanes and make movies since I was four years old,' he said.

The US military experienced a surge in recruits thirty-six years ago after the original film was released and that fact gives the star a surge of pride.

'It's an incredible opportunity to work in the armed forces.'

Classic: Tom Cruise and co-star Kelly McGillis are pictured in the 1986 smash hit Top Gun

A bit of a daredevil himself, Tom, a licensed pilot, performed some of the aerial stunts in the film, though the Navy did not allow him to fly any of the jets used for the picture.

Four years in the making Top Gun: Maverick was made at a cost of US $152 million, with Tom repeating his role of Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell from the first film.

The story involves Maverick breaking in a fresh group of Top Gun recruits.
More than six years after they purchased it, David and Candice Warner are finally preparing to move into their $4million mansion in Sydney's Maroubra.

Last month, a team of removalists were spotted carrying boxes and furniture into the newly renovated home.

Candice, 37, stopped by the property on Thursday with a leopard print tote bag filled with clothes.

Finally: More than six years after they purchased it, David and Candice Warner (pictured) are finally preparing to move into their $4million mansion in Sydney's Maroubra

The former ironwoman held her phone out in front of her as she walked, and carried keys in one of her hands.

She was dressed casually, stepping out in a pair of acid wash cropped jeans, which she paired with a black racerback singlet.

Candice rounded out her ensemble with a pair of black slides, and her long blonde hair was tied up in a messy low bun.

Brand new: David, 35, and Candice bought the home for $3.9million back in late 2015, before knocking down the property on the 892-square-metre site

Heavy lifting: Last month, a team of removalists were spotted carrying boxes and furniture into the newly renovated home

Sold: In February 2016, they sold their previous family home in Sydney's Coogee for $7.05million

It's been a long road for the couple and their daughters, Ivy, seven, Indi, six, and Isla, two, with a fleet of moving trucks last month seen parked outside the property.

They proceeded to unload the trucks, which contained mattresses, sofa cushions, chairs and multiple heavy-looking packages.

David, 35, and Candice bought the home for $3.9million back in late 2015, before knocking down the property on the 892-square-metre site.

Moving in: Candice, 37, stopped by the property on Thursday with a leopard print tote bag filled with clothes

Long time coming: It's been a long road for the couple and their daughters, Ivy, seven, Indi, six, and Isla, two, with a fleet of moving trucks last month seen parked outside the property

In February 2016, they sold their previous family home in Sydney's Coogee for $7.05million.

They later bought another $2.3million home in Maroubra in May 2017, which acted as their in-between home while renovations took place on their dream house.

Their in-between home is located just 800 metres away from their new home, which boasts five storeys.

Keeping busy: The former ironwoman held her phone out in front of her as she walked, and carried keys in one of her hands

Temporary: They later bought another $2.3million home in Maroubra in May 2017, which acted as their in-between home while renovations took place on their dream house

David and Candice are estimated to have spent around $4million renovating the four-bedroom, two-bathroom property.

Their new home also features a self-contained guest apartment with its own entrance on the bottom level.

According to a report by The Daily Telegraph in July last year, the family was 'ready to move in' to the new property.

Big spenders: David Warner (pictured) and wife Candice are estimated to have spent around $4million renovating the four-bedroom, two-bathroom property

Unpacking: They proceeded to unload the trucks, which contained mattresses, sofa cushions, chairs and multiple heavy-looking packages

They sold their temporary home in July last year for $4.2million, prompting reports they were ready to relocate to their forever home.

Construction of the property began in 2017, with an estimated two-year build, but ran years over.

Despite earlier reports they were moving in, it was revealed in October last year that the property still hadn't reached completion.

Life of luxury: Their new home also features a self-contained guest apartment with its own entrance on the bottom level

False start: According to a report by The Daily Telegraph in July last year, the family was 'ready to move in' to the new property

Photos of the property taken earlier this week showed the home was still under construction, but was nearing completion.

Furniture had been moved into the home, with seating visible on the lower deck, while curtains were hung and a dining room set was in place.

The ocean-front house was also stacked with removalist boxes as they prepare to finally move in.

Rumour has it: They sold their temporary home in July last year for $4.2million, prompting reports they were ready to relocate to their forever home

According to a News Corp report from 2018, construction on the Warners' property had 'infuriated neighbours'.

One neighbour was quoted as saying: 'Trucks have been coming and going for months, but then we don't see anything for a couple of weeks. We expected this to be built by now - he bought the place ages ago and it's not pretty to look at.'

Some neighbours had previously complained about the noise, and works had also led to limited street access and 'restricted parking' at times.

Still going: Despite earlier reports they were moving in, it was revealed in October last year that the property still hadn't reached completion

Almost finished: Photos of the property taken earlier this week showed the home was still under construction, but was nearing completion

Discussing the build with Daily Mail Australia that same year, Elvis Mardini, the owner of Mardini Constructions, said that locals had been 'calling the council every day'.

'The neighbours think it's going to take away from their view but it wonz't. I think they've got an issue with David and Candice, but they don't know them,' he said.

At the time, Mr Mardini predicted the property would be finished by December 2019, two years after construction first began in 2017.

Not winning any fans: According to a News Corp report from 2018, construction on the Warners' property had 'infuriated neighbours'
A neuroscientist with cerebral palsy has set her sights on becoming Australia's first disabled Bachelorette.

Melbourne-based Jerusha Mather, 27, has approached Warner Brothers who produce the show, after becoming disappointed at the lack of disabled people on screen.

'I love Bachie and it is so much fun, but I've felt predominantly underrepresented,' the disability advocate and PhD student told Pedestrian on Thursday.

'I've felt predominantly underrepresented': Neuroscientist and disability advocate Jerusha Mather (pictured), 27, with cerebral palsy has vowed to become Australia's first disabled Bachelorette

'I rarely see someone like myself on screen and this affects my self-esteem and self-worth to a degree. It's quite disheartening and disappointing,' Jerusha continued.

She added that the 'beauty of watching reality TV' is that 'it should be relatable'.

Jerusha's goal may come to life with Warner Brothers saying 'they'll get back in touch' with her 'once they receive a green light'.

It comes after Bachelorette star Brooke Blurton addressed the show's disappointing ratings, and the changes Channel 10 could make to ensure the franchise survives in future.

Wanting change: Melbourne-based Jerusha told Pedestrian on Thursday: 'I rarely see someone like myself on screen and this affects my self-esteem and self-worth to a degree. It's quite disheartening and disappointing'

The 27-year-old, who starred in the 2021 season of the show, told Daily Mail Australia last week that she understands people still 'love' the series, but claims audiences want to see more wholesome stories rather than non-stop drama.

'I love the franchise, and what it's enabled me to shine a light on,' Brooke said.

'I came in to amp it up a little bit, but I think it still has a lot of room to grow.

'Obviously there was a time where it was a little bit outdated, but I think they need to start incorporating more wholesome, intellectual conversations and people will resonate with that.

'The US one is still very successful - I think people really do love the franchise.'

Opinion: It comes after Bachelorette star Brooke Blurton (pictured) addressed the show's disappointing ratings in an interview with Daily Mail Australia last week, and the changes Channel 10 could make to ensure the franchise survives in future

Brooke, who was the show's first ever Indigenous and bisexual lead, added that the recent announcement that The Bachelor would take place on the Gold Coast this year would be 'really good for [the show].'

'The format originally, how it started... hopefully it still stays to the core of finding love, and less drama,' she added.

'They should be more diverse, show more normal people. We've had a woman of colour, bisexual... maybe changing it up and having someone who maybe identifies different, maybe they/them, maybe someone who has a disability.

'Let's just be a bit more inclusive and involve more people that have a beautiful story to tell and want to find love.'

Diversity: 'They should be more diverse, show more normal people. We've had a woman of colour, bisexual... maybe changing it up and having someone who maybe identifies different, maybe they/them, maybe someone who has a disability,' she said

Brooke chose Darvid Garayeli as her winner last year - however, the pair ended their romance just one month after the finale aired.

When asked if she had any regrets on the show, Brooke said: 'I have no regrets. There's not one thing in my life that I have any regrets about.

'Every opportunity that I've said yes to, everything I've done has always been, "How will this serve myself, how will this serve the communities I represent and how is this going to educate or show people something?".'

'No regrets. I loved the experience, I thought it was great - but I equally love my life now.'

Not the best: The Bachelor had its lowest-ever premiere ratings last year, with just 482,000 metro viewers tuning in for pilot Jimmy Nicholson's first episode. Meanwhile, 629,000 metro viewers tuned in for the winner announcement. Pictured with his winner Holly Kingston

The Bachelor had its lowest-ever premiere ratings last year, with just 482,000 metro viewers tuning in for pilot Jimmy Nicholson's first episode. Later in the year, 629,000 metro viewers tuned in for the winner announcement.

In comparison, in 2013 a whopping 1.186million metro viewers tuned in to see Tim Robards choose Anna Heinrich during their series finale. The pair married in 2018, and share baby Elle, one, together.

Meanwhile, Brooke's Bachelorette's finale peaked at 439,000 viewers when it aired in November.

Despite the less than impressive ratings, it was announced that both The Bachelor and Bachelorette would air in 2022 during Channel Ten Upfronts, while Osher Gunsberg was also confirmed to return as host.
Kendall Jenner shared a video of herself beaming while horseback riding with her Doberman Pinscher Pyro to her Instagram Story on Thursday.

As she held onto her beloved pup's leash, the 26-year-old model appeared relaxed as she galloped on a brown steed around a secluded riding arena.

In addition to wearing her glossy tresses pulled back in two French braids, the 818 Tequila founder sported a white 'Cherry Ranch wear' t-shirt from the LA-based streetwear line Cherry.

Giddy up! Kendall Jenner shared a video of herself horseback riding with her Doberman Pinscher Pyro to her Instagram Story

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum paired her effortlessly cool ensemble with a pair of blue jeans and brown cowboy boots.

Jenner has been riding horses ever since she was a young girl, and she currently maintains a stable in Bell Canyon, not far from her hometown of Calabasas.

The media figure was gifted her first pony at the age of 12, and she has since acquired several other horses.

Back in the saddle: As she held onto her beloved pup's leash, the 26-year-old model appeared relaxed as she galloped on a brown steed around a riding arena

Cowgirl: In addition to wearing her glossy tresses pulled back in two French braids, the 818 Tequila founder sported a white 'Cherry Ranch wear' t-shirt, from the LA-based streetwear line Cherry

In a piece for Vogue, Jenner expressed that she has taken a similar approach to becoming more familiar with a horse as she has to a potential romantic partner or close friend.

The social media personality said, 'Its like with any person: You fall in love and then you feel each other out.'

The daughter of Kris Jenner added that she's became accustomed to getting into the saddle through hours of hard work.

Yee-haw: The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum paired her effortlessly cool ensemble with a pair of blue jeans and brown cowboy boots

Experienced rider: Jenner has been riding horses ever since she was a young girl, and she currently maintains a stable in Bell Canyon, not far from her hometown of Calabasas

'I rode with this lady from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., rode all her horses for her every day,' she noted.

Jenner also elaborated on why she feels that riding is an essential part of maintaining a healthy state of mind.

'I didnt care for anything else, I didnt care about boys. This is what makes me really happy,' she stated.

Horse girl: Jenner has made multiple posts to her Instagram account to show off her passion for the pastime; pictured in 2020

Most comfortable: In a piece for Vogue , Jenner expressed that she has taken a similar approach to becoming more familiar with a horse as she has to a potential romantic partner or close friend (seen in 2019)

She then remarked that putting her passion for horseback riding aside during the early days of her modeling career was the 'worst thing I ever did.'

Jenner has made multiple posts to her Instagram account to show off her passion for the pastime.

In 2018, she shared a video and a picture of herself riding a beautiful black horse in front of the palatial Chateau de Chambord during a trip to France.

The socialite appeared to be relishing her time on horseback during her getaway.
Bindi Irwin and husband Chandler Powell got candid with their fans during a YouTube question and answer session on Thursday.

The wildlife conservationists responded to a series of questions, including how they would react should daughter Grace Warrior, now one, choose to pursue a different career.

Bindi, 23, and Chandler, 25, said their main priority is that their daughter is happy.

Getting candid with their fans: Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell (both pictured) revealed during a YouTube Q&A on Thursday how they would react should daughter Grace Warrior, now one, pursue a career OUTSIDE of wildlife conservation

'Oh my gosh, are you kidding? We would love that. It would be awesome. It would be so awesome. Whatever Grace decides to do in life, if it makes her happy... hell yes. We're gonna be so happy,' Bindi responded.

Chandler added: 'It's true. And the great thing about her growing up here at Australia Zoo is that she can pursue whatever she wants.

'If she wants to do accounting, we have an accounts department. It's great that she can get her feel for what she wants to do in life here at the zoo. But whatever she wants to do in life, go for it. I support it.'

Proud parents: Bindi, 23, and Chandler, 25, said their main priority is that Grace is happy (all pictured). 'Oh my gosh, are you kidding? We would love that. It would be awesome. It would be so awesome. Whatever Grace decides to do in life, if it makes her happy... hell yes,' Bindi said

Got down on bended knee: Also during the Q&A, Chandler was asked how he knew it was 'the right time' to propose. The American wakeboarder got down on bended knee at Australia Zoo on Bindi's 21st birthday in 2019

Also during the Q&A, Chandler was asked how he knew it was 'the right time' to propose.

The American wakeboarder got down on bended knee at Australia Zoo on Bindi's 21st birthday in 2019.

Chandler responded: 'I mean, I don't want to be one of those guys who say when, you know, you know.

Chandler gushed: 'I mean, I don't want to be one of those guys who say when, you know, you know. But I feel like we had reached a good point where I had moved here. We had started our lives together, working together, doing what we love. And it seemed like proposing at that point in time was just the perfect time to do it'

'But I feel like we had reached a good point where I had moved here. We had started our lives together, working together, doing what we love. And it seemed like proposing at that point in time was just the perfect time to do it.'

Bindi and Chandler often share moments of family life with their fans, and Monday was no exception when they posed for a private family photo.

On Instagram, Bindi shared the image of her surprising baby Grace as the clan relaxed on a patch of lawn.

Intimate moments: Bindi and Chandler often share moments of family life, and Monday was no exception when they posed for a private family photo. The family looked closer than as ever as Chandler presented a smiling Grace to Bindi while grandmother Terri Irwin watched on

The family looked closer than as ever as Chandler presented a smiling Grace to Bindi while grandmother Terri Irwin watched on.

'Immeasurable love,' she captioned the photo.

The photo itself was taken by her amateur photographer brother, Robert Irwin.

Husband and wife: Bindi and Chandler wed in a secret ceremony at Australia Zoo on March 25, 2020

Bindi and Chandler wed in a secret ceremony at Australia Zoo on March 25, 2020.

They made the 'difficult decision' to host their wedding without any guests due to Covid restrictions, meaning Chandler's parents did not attend.

However, Chandler's parents 'fully supported' their decision to 'just get married'.

Bindi and Chandler live on Queensland's Sunshine Coast and work at Australia Zoo, the Irwin family business.
EastEnders spoilers reveal that Janine Butcher will step up her plan to get rid of love rival Linda Carter once and for all.

The schemer (Charlie Brooks) has already driven a wedge between love interest Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) and his estranged wife Linda (Kellie Bright), which resulted in alcoholic Linda going back on the booze.

But Janine is still threatened by Linda's presence in Albert Square and makes her an offer to leave Walford for good.

Scheming: EastEnders spoilers reveal that Janine Butcher will step up her plan to get rid of love rival Linda Carter once and for all

With others on the Square insisting Mick and Linda are soulmates and that it's only a matter of time before they get back together, Janine is more determined than ever to hold on to Mick.

After overhearing Jada (Kelsey Calladine-Smith) voicing her concerns over Linda's drinking, meddling Janine urges the teen to speak up and make her feelings known.

Soon enough, Linda is issued with an ultimatum from Sharon's brother Zack Hudson (James Farrar), who demands she cleans up her act or get out of Sharon's house.

Stay away from my man! Janine is still threatened by Linda's presence in Albert Square and makes her an offer to leave Walford for good

Trouble: The schemer (Charlie Brooks) has already driven a wedge between love interest Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) and his estranged wife Linda (Kellie Bright),

However, it's not long before Linda begins to grow close to Mick after offering to help him throw a Jubilee party at The Vic - much to Janine's annoyance.

She soon confronts Linda with some very harsh words, causing the landlady to hit the bottle once again.

But after struggling to keep Linda away from her man, Janine makes one final ploy to keep the married couple apart.

Approaching Linda in Walford East, Janine makes her an offer to leave Albert Square for good.

But will Janine get her future with Mick? Or will Linda stay and fight for her husband?

EastEnders airs the dramatic scenes on Tuesday 17 May at 7:30pm on BBC One.
Advertisement

Dessert king Adriano Zumbo, 40, has wed his My Kitchen Rules fiancee Nelly Riggio, 31, in an intimate ceremony in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on Friday.

The couple, who went public with their romance in 2017 after Nelly starred on the reality series with then-boyfriend JP Huillet in 2016, exchanged vows at Tiffany's at Maleny with views of the stunning Glass House Mountains.

Nelly was every inch the blushing bride in an ornate lace gown in a soft cream tone, with textured detailing in a floral motif throughout.

A very sweet wedding! Dessert king Adriano Zumbo, 40, tied the knot with My Kitchen Rules star Nelly Riggio, 31, in a picturesque country ceremony in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland on Friday

The bride's dress featured demure tulle sleeves that sat off the shoulders to compliment the v-neck silhouette.

A high but modest split showed off a hint of Nelly's trim pins, while the skirting was floor length and fanned out around her figure.

Her crowning glory was a long veil, which trailed down her back and along the ground behind her, and was adorned with a leaf design around the edges.

Simply gorgeous: Nelly was every inch the blushing bride in an ornate lace gown in a soft cream tone, with textured detailing in a floral motif throughout

Dapper groom: Adriano opted for a non-traditional look for his wedding day, opting for an eye-catching white ensemble

Nelly added a pair of simple pearl earring studs to her ensemble, which complimented her classic wedding gown.

For makeup, the stunner chose a rosy palette with a hint of smokiness around the eyes, as well as a dusty pink lipstick.

She wore her brunette tresses down but off her face, with the top portion smoothed down for the veil and long strands sitting off her shoulders in soft waves.

Timeline: The couple got engaged in May 2021 after going public with their romance in 2017. Before Nelly met Adriano, she was in a long-term relationship with JP Huillet, who was her partner on My Kitchen Rules in 2016

Sharing the happy news: In May 2021, Nelly announced her engagement to the pastry chef, sharing the happy news to her Instagram page. 'He liked it so he put a ring on it,' she gushed alongside an image of the pair

Design: The bride's gown featured demure tulle sleeves that sat off the shoulders to compliment the v-neck silhouette

Meanwhile, Adriano opted for a non-traditional look for his wedding day, opting for an eye-catching white ensemble.

He paired a cream blazer with trousers in the same tone, choosing a well-tailored fit and a short jacket length.

Underneath, the dessert king had on a bright dress shirt in a clean pale blue tone, and added a dapper brown bowtie to complete his look.

Making a statement: Her crowning glory was a long veil, which trailed down her back and along the ground behind her, and was adorned with a leaf design around the edges

His polished best: Adriano paired a cream blazer with trousers in the same tone, choosing a well-tailored fit and a short jacket length. Underneath, the dessert king had on a bright dress shirt in a clean white tone, and added a dapper brown bowtie to complete his look

Tressed to perfection: Nelly wore her brunette tresses down but off her face, with the top portion smoothed down for the veil and long strands sitting off her shoulders in soft waves

Beauty: For makeup, the stunner chose a rosy palette with a hint of smokiness around the eyes, as well as a dusty pink lipstick

In May 2021, Nelly announced her engagement to the pastry chef, sharing the happy news to her Instagram page.

'He liked it so he put a ring on it,' she gushed alongside an image of the pair.

'I am so lucky to call you my fiance, you are the love of my life and I cannot wait to spend my forever with you.'

Adriano and Nelly made headlines in 2016 when they began dating shortly after they started working together.

Picturesque: The couple exchanged vows at Tiffany's at Maleny with views of the stunning Glass House Mountains

Making it official: Nelly and Adriano went public with their relationship in 2017, while on holiday together in the Maldives

Rumour mill: JP apparently found out about the romance on social media

A moment they'll never forget! Adriano and Nelly are pictured during their first dance as husband and wife

Before Nelly met Adriano, she was in a long-term relationship with JP Huillet, who was her partner on My Kitchen Rules.

The couple were dubbed the 'lovebirds' and gushed about getting married during their time on the series.

Nelly and Adriano went public with their relationship in 2017, while on holiday together in the Maldives.

JP apparently found out about the romance on social media.

Bridal party: The bridesmaids looked gorgeous in off the shoulder, figure-hugging Champagne-hued gowns

Scrutiny: Nelly's relationship with the celebrity chef faced its fair share of media scrutiny, with the couple being forced to defend their controversial romance in the press

Remarks: Speaking to TV Week in June 2018, Adriano revealed that he was 'used to criticism' but insisted their relationship was 'stronger than ever'

He continued: 'In the end, you have to do what makes you happy - the people who love you and are around you are all that matters,' Adriano said

Positive vibes: Adriano confirmed that they had moved on from the affair speculation

Nelly's relationship with the celebrity chef faced its fair share of media scrutiny, with the couple being forced to defend their controversial romance in the press.

Speaking to TV Week in June 2018, Adriano revealed that he was 'used to criticism' but insisted their relationship was 'stronger than ever'.

'In the end, you have to do what makes you happy - the people who love you and are around you are all that matters,' he said.

Adriano confirmed that they had moved on from the affair speculation.

Supportive of one another: 'Nelly and I are going great. She's an amazing person and has been very supportive and loving - she's always positive and loves life,' he said at the time

Absolutely smitten: In December 2020, Nelly shared a gushing tribute to her boyfriend to mark their four year anniversary, describing him as 'the absolute love of my life'. She accompanied her tribute with a photo of the pair kissing at the beach

'Nelly and I are going great. She's an amazing person and has been very supportive and loving - she's always positive and loves life,' he said at the time.

In December 2020, Nelly shared a gushing tribute to her boyfriend to mark their four year anniversary, describing him as 'the absolute love of my life'.

She accompanied her tribute with a photo of the pair kissing at the beach.

Nelly and Adriano have since discussed starting a family together, with the party chef star suggesting he would like to have two children.

Thinking about their future: Nelly and Adriano have since discussed starting a family together, with the party chef star suggesting he would like to have two children

JP Huillet finally found his happy ending in April last year when he tied the knot to dancer Lizzy Edwards in an intimate wedding ceremony in Byron Bay.

In a sweet post shared to their respective Instagram accounts at the time, the newly-married couple called the wedding 'the best day of my life.'

The blushing bride looked like the picture of perfection in a fishtail gown with a long train.

JP looked dapper in a creamy beige suit with brown leather loafers and a matching brown belt.

Happy together: Nelly and Adriano often shared loved-up images to social media

Happy ending: Meanwhile, Nelly's ex JP Huillet tied the knot to dancer Lizzy Edwards in an intimate wedding ceremony in Byron Bay in April last year (pictured)

In September 2019, JP popped the question in a romantic sunset proposal on New York's Long Island, with a view of the Manhattan city skyline.

He revealed that he was nervous before the proposal, but Lizzy said yes before he even finished asking her to marry him.

'The weather was gloomy just before the proposal but as I got down on one knee the sky turned purple and there was a magnificent sunset,' he previously told Daily Mail Australia.
Imogen Thomas showed off her stunning figure and ample cleave as she lounged around the pool In Rhodes, in a strappy black bikini on Friday.

The Welsh model, 39, posed up a storm at the five-star Port Royal Villas and Spa in Greece, where she is staying.

In snaps she shared with her followers on Instagram, the brunette beauty enjoyed a luxurious 'floating breakfast' of fruit and champagne.

Hot stuff: Imogen Thomas, 39, showed off her stunning figure and ample cleavage as she lounged around the pool in a strappy black bikini on her getaway to Greece on Friday

Imogen's skimpy black swimsuit complemented the stunner's gorgeous bronzed tan as she cooled off from the scorching weather.

The tie-side bikini bottoms accentuated her hourglass silhouette and brought attention to her sizzling curves.

Imogen had her long chestnut locks tied back in a chic bun and donned a pair of square framed sunglasses.

Luxury: The former Big Brother housemate posed next to a floating whicker tray, loaded with luxurious breakfast options

The former Big Brother housemate posed next to a floating whicker tray, loaded with luxurious breakfast options.

The model enjoyed a cool glass of champagne before seductively licking a handful of grapes.

Later Imogen shared a sweet snap with her Mother, who's joined her for the getaway, as the pair raised their glasses for the camera.

Mother daughter time: Later Imogen shared a sweet snap with her mother, whose joined her for the getaway, as the pair raised their glasses for the camera

Sharing a video of the meal to her Instagram stories the television personality wrote : 'Oh la la'.

Captioning the sun drenched shots she wrote: 'What a morning, floating breakfast with mama. Wow Im blessed. Thank you for making our stay extra special @port_royal_villas_and_spa'.



Imogen also shared sizzling snaps of herself on Thursday as she posed pool side in a striking neon bikini.

Spoilt rotten: Sharing a video of the meal to her Instagram stories the television personality wrote: 'Oh la la'

Lucky lady: Captioning the sun drenched shots she wrote: 'What a morning, floating breakfast with mama. Wow Im blessed. Thank you for making our stay extra special @port_royal_villas_and_spa'

Showing off her fantastic figure and enviable assets for the camera, Imogen also displayed her sparkling naval piercing.

The star's getaway comes as she earlier told her Instagram followers it's her intention to 'travel a lot' this year.

She previously visited the lavish Greek destination in August last year, sharing on her story that it was 'good to be back'.

Greek getaway: Imogen also shared sizzling snaps of herself on Thursday as she posed pool side in a striking neon bikini

Sharing the experience with her beloved mother she told fans: 'My mam is having the best time. Her leg still isn't better so she's exercising everyday. It's been a long process. We have an appointment when back from holiday.

'I love taking my mam on holiday we really do have the best quality time even when we're doing nothing,' she wrote on her Story.

She added in a subsequent story: 'I have decided to travel a lot this year. I'm fortunate enough to be able to do it so why not. I've dedicated a lot of time and effort for each trip.

'My next one is in 2 weeks time to Paris!'
Advertisement

Amanda Abbington broke down in tears in her first joint interview with her fiance Jonathan Goodwin as he revealed that he told her she could 'walk away' after he was paralysed for life when a fireball stunt went wrong.

The Sherlock actress, 48, could be seen fighting back the tears as her escapologist partner, 42, admitted that he told her she had a 'get out of jail free card' and could leave him following his horrific accident.

Speaking on Lorraine in their first television interview since the accident, America's Got Talent's Jonathan explained that Amanda told him not to be 'so stupid' after he said she could leave him.

Emotional: Amanda Abbington broke down in tears in her first joint interview with her fiance Jonathan Goodwin as he revealed that he told her she could 'walk away' after he was paralysed for life when a fireball stunt went wrong

Shocking: Jonathan was seriously injured after the dangerous stunt where he attempted to escape from a straight jacket while being hung upside down 30 feet in the air in between two suspended cars which exploded on impact

As Amanda was seen becoming emotional, Jonathan said: 'I said you have a get out of jail free card, if you want to walk away I understand and she told me not to be so stupid.'

Jonathan nearly died in a stunt in October 2021, where he attempted to escape from a straight jacket while being hung upside down 30 feet in the air in between two suspended cars. The cars were released too early and he was crushed between them as they caught fire.

Elsewhere in the interview, a tearful Amanda, who Jonathan proposed to just weeks before the accident, went on to say that they are 'closer and tighter' than ever as a couple as she gushed that Jonathan was her 'inspiration'.

'We are closer and tighter than ever and we have this unspoken thing, we said the other day that we are the people that are gonna say yes to stuff, life's too short, be in the moment and grab it with both hands because you don't know what's around the corner,' she said.

Love: Appearing on Lorraine, the Sherlock actress, 48, could be seen fighting back the tears as her escapologist partner, 42, admitted that he told her she had a 'get out of jail free card' and could leave him following his horrific accident

Support: America's Got Talent star's Jonathan explained that Amanda told him not to be 'so stupid' after he said she could leave him

'He's a total inspiration to me. He's an idiot, I'm a wally so it's fine. And all my friends and family love him, he's very loveable.'

The couple, who got engaged last year, are planning to get married later this year, Jonathan revealed, as she gushed that they were 'very excited' about it but remained coy on the details.

He said: 'The wedding is later this year, its lovely, we were very excited about it beforehand. It's one of those things where if somebody dies, everyone says what a wonderful person he was but they never get to hear it.

'When you nearly die you get the same thing so it's brought me closer to my friends and family.'

Before they started dating, the couple had previously been friends on social media for around 10 years, with Amanda following his content as her son Joe thought his act was 'amazing'.

Smitten: A tearful Amanda, who Jonathan proposed to just weeks before the accident, went on to say that they are 'closer and tighter' than ever as a couple as she gushed that Jonathan was her 'inspiration'

Nuptials: The couple, who got engaged last year, are planning to get married later this year, Jonathan revealed, as she gushed that they were 'very excited' about it but remained coy on the details

Couple: Before they started dating, the couple had previously been friends on social media for around 10 years, with Amanda following his content as her son Joe thought his act was 'amazing'

Injured: Jonathan, who spent four months in hospital after the incident, went on to say that he will be paralysed for life but said that he tries not get 'too down' about it

She explained that they connected after she split with fellow Sherlock actor Martin Freeman and separated from another partner - and when Goodwin had divorced from his wife. It is not clear when they started dating.

Amanda previously revealed that at the beginning of their relationship, they spent hours talking on the phone every day before he flew to Vienna to meet her in person for the first time - where they decided to get engaged within 'half an hour'.

Elsewhere on Lorraine, Jonathan spoke about his terrifying accident as he said he 'nearly died' after becoming trapped between the two flaming vehicles before falling 30 feet to the ground and missing the safety airbag.

He explained: 'It was pretty gnarling, it sounds dramatic sitting here but I did nearly die. I fell 30 feet and I saved my life because I fell head first to the ground but didn't hit my head because I tucked in my head but I broke my shoulders.'

Jonathan, who spent four months in hospital after the incident, went on to say that he will be paralysed for life but said that he tries not get 'too down' about it.

Romance: Amanda previously revealed that at the beginning of their relationship, they spent hours talking on the phone every day before he flew to Vienna to meet her in person for the first time - where they decided to get engaged within 'half an hour'

Tragic: Elsewhere on Lorraine, Jonathan spoke about his terrifying accident as he said he 'nearly died' after becoming trapped between the two flaming vehicles before falling 30 feet to the ground and missing the safety airbag

'The surgeon who did the spinal operation said it was basically the worst he'd ever seen so the prognosis is that this is me from here on out, I'm not down about it to be honest,' he said.

'I'm doing as well as I can be, obviously I've lost out but as an able bodied person there are loads of things you won't do but you don't wake up and think that, it's the same as me.'

While Amanda gushed: 'He's like this every day, it's wonderful because I'm quite cynical but he's so positive, it's beautiful he's just an amazing human being.'

Elsewhere in an interview from his London home on Good Morning America, Jonathan spoke about his rehabilitation journey and said he has had to learn everything from scratch again.

'A lot has changed in the last six months - but I'm very much loved': It comes after Jonathan shared a first picture of himself in a wheelchair on Instagram on Wednesday after fireball stunt has left paralysed for life

Positivity: The snap was accompanied by a post where he said: 'A lot has changed in the last six months, but love is a constant and I'm very very loved. Looking forward to my next chapters and being a roll model'

He said: 'The closest thing that I can explain is that it's like somebody waves a magic wand and all of a sudden you're a baby and you have to learn everything you know.'

Jonathan, who moved from LA to London to be closer to family, said he is having to learn how to move around his 300-year-old house, which has been modified with an elevator.

It comes after he shared the first picture of himself in a wheelchair, accompanying the Instagram image of himself and his dog, with a positive post which read: 'Six months ago I went to rehearse something and left this little hairy monkey waiting patiently for me

'He didn't see his dad again until just a couple of weeks ago and when he finally did, dad had new cool wheels.

Recovery: Elsewhere in an interview from his London home on Good Morning America , Jonathan spoke about his rehabilitation journey and said he has had to learn everything from scratch again

Learning: Jonathan, who moved from LA to London to be closer to family, said he is having to learn how to move around his 300-year-old house, which has been modified with an elevator

'A lot has changed in the last six months, but love is a constant and I'm very very loved. Looking forward to my next chapters and being a roll model.'

Taking to Instagram Stories, he shared another picture of himself and wrote: 'Thanks for all the love and lovely messages. To answer some questions, I have a T11 spinal cord injury which means I'm paralysed from the waist down.

'It's likely a permanent sitch. If any of you want to race though, I'm pretty sure I can beat you #bringit.'

Amanda also shared a loving picture of herself with Jonathan, in which he appeared to be sporting a new tattoo and wrote: 'We stopped watching serial killers to take a short paws.'

Jonathan was seriously injured after performing the dangerous stunt in October 2021 where he attempted to escape from a straight jacket while being hung upside down 30 feet in the air in between two suspended cars.

'I have a spinal cord injury': Jonathan also shared this positive looking picture in which he spoke about his paralysis for the first time

Amanda herself explained that the timing was misjudged and the cars were released too early, causing him to be crushed between them as they caught on fire.

She said Jonathan, who also appeared on the 2019 season of Britain's Got Talent, will never recover from the accident at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia which saw him nearly die twice.

Amanda told the Out to Lunch podcast with Jay Rayner: 'He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs.

'Third degree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord and, nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.'

The Sherlock actress confirmed it is unlikely Jonathan will walk again, saying: 'He's paralysed now he's in a wheelchair.'

Nearly died twice: Jonathan's AGT stunt went horribly wrong and lead to him being hospitalized for four months - pictured in his hospital bed

Stunt: The stunt was filmed at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Goodwin was suspended 70 feet in the air

'Unless there's a kind of stem cell surgery or that thing that Elon Musk is designing with the little chip, he'll be like that forever.'

Jonathan was released from hospital in February and Amanda - who has two children with former partner Martin Freeman - praised his bravery as he continues the long road to recovery.

She added: 'His courage and his strength is something that I just aspire to be like. He's just incredible, honestly, like so happy, just like a very happy, positive human being, just liquid sunshine. He's amazing.'

The actress also revealed the stuntman had sent her a voicemail before his surgery explaining that there was a 50 per cent chance he would not make it, so he told her he loved her and thanked her for the last couple of months of his life with her.

Goodwin, who has now retired from escapology, documented his four months in hospital recovering from injuries including burns and broken legs.

He has performed other similarly death-defying stunts before. In 2013, he wore a straightjacket and dangled from a blazing rope over the River Thames in London.

Injured: The day before, Amanda has revealed her fiance, stunt performer Jonathan Goodwin, has been left paralysed and in a wheelchair after performing the dangerous stunt for America's Got Talent: Extreme in October 2021

Goodwin was suspended upside down from the London Eye and managed to escape, which was all part of his TV series The Incredible Mr Goodwin.

One of his most dramatic stunts for America's Got Talent involved him covering himself in flammable liquid and shackling himself up putting his head in a box so that he couldn't see.

He had to escape from the restraints in less than 20 seconds after he was set on fire.

Goodwin successful completed the stunt, which set several of the judges on edge, despite it being the first time he had ever attempted the death-defying act.

In contrast to his fiery stunts, Goodwin went underwater for the BBC special How Not to Become Shark Bait, in which he demonstrated by allowing a Caribbean reef shark to attack him.

During the doomed stunt for America's Got Talent: Extreme, Jonathan was suspended 70ft in the air, sandwiched between two cars and clad in a straightjacket, when the vehicles burst into flames.

He missed the air mattress that was supposed to break his fall and hit his head on the ground. Jonathan later admitted he had 'dodged the worst' but had a 'long road to recovery' ahead of him.

Suspended: The accident happened in mid-October, with NBC 'temporarily' suspending production on the show

He wrote on Instagram: 'To death I say nananana boo boo. I have been to the very brink and dodged the worst that a human being can, without fear because I was protected by love.

'Love is all you need, so make sure you get some, cos its good s***. 'There is a long road to recovery and that won't look like what it did I may leave the daft s*** alone for a while, but I have a lot left to do in this world. Maybe we can make something good together?'

The accident happened in mid-October, with NBC 'temporarily' suspending production on the show.

The stunt was filmed at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Jonathan was suspended 70 feet in the air. He was supposed to free himself and fall into an inflatable airbag, before two cars slammed together on each side of him.

But the timing was miscalculated and both the cars collided with Jonathan, exploding on impact. Jonathan fell to the ground but missed the airbag and landed on his head. He was airlifted to a local hospital.

A recording of a 911 call was published by The US Sun in which a woman said: 'We are at the Atlanta Motor Speedway at the America's Got Talent filming location. We had a man suspended from a cable with cars that were supposed to slam into each other, and he didn't drop in time and they slammed into him.

Shocking: Jonathan later admitted he had 'dodged the worst' but had a 'long road to recovery' ahead of him as he remained in hospital after the terrifying incident

Long road to recovery: Jonathan spent four months in hospital with his injuries

'He's about a 40-year-old white male. He fell about 40 feet. He missed the airbag and landed on his head.'

'During a rehearsal last evening for America's Got Talent: Extreme, an accident occurred in which escape artist Jonathan Goodwin was injured while performing his act,' the show said in a statement

'He was responsive and was immediately taken to the hospital where he is continuing to receive medical care. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family as we await further updates on his condition.'

The spokesperson added: 'The health and safety of our cast and crew continue to be our priority.'

The accident happened during a rehearsal for the show so it's unclear if the accident will be addressed at all during the inaugural season of AGT: Extreme.

Amanda previously spoke about her fiance's daredevil lifestyle to The Daily Mail's Richard Eden, gushing: 'Jonathan sets fire to himself and catches bullets for a living, but is also grown up, sensitive, and considerate. I'm completely besotted.'

Amanda - who split from husband Martin Freeman five years ago - shared her first picture with Jonathan, posting a throwback from a recent romantic getaway that she captioned: 'When in Vienna, you hang out at the graveyards. What of it.'

Her post came after Jonathan shared his first picture of the pair earlier in the month, penning: 'That was possibly the longest game of hide and seek ever.'

Amanda then commented: 'I love you. '

The rumours came just nine months after Amanda revealed she had split from The Queen's Gambit actor Jonjo O'Neill after four years.

The TV star started dating Irishman Jonjo, 42, after she split from actor Martin, 50, in 2016 after 16 years together.

Amanda, known for playing Mary Morstan in Sherlock, and Jonjo took the step of moving in together in her Hertfordshire home during the pandemic last year.

The actress announced the split to fans on her Instagram Live, saying: 'Sadly no Irishman anymore. He's gone... it's fine, it's just one of those things.'

Cute couple: Amanda shared her first picture with Jonathan in October posting a throwback that she captioned: 'When in Vienna, you hang out at the graveyards. What of it'

Sweet: Her post came after Jonathan shared his first picture of the pair, penning: 'That was possibly the longest game of hide and seek ever.' Amanda then commented: 'I love you'

The mother-of-two hinted at her heartbreak by saying she was, 'very sad for personal reasons' and admitting she was struggling with lockdown because she was 'on my own in the house', The Sun reports.

She added: 'At the moment I'm quite fragile... I'm a fragile girl at the moment.'

Amanda also joked that she had joined a dating app in a bid to combat her loneliness.

She wrote: 'I go on Tinder. No, I've never been on Tinder, nor would I, that was a joke. Being on your own, certainly, you build your strength up and you get a sense of perspective.'

Amanda and Jonjo first began dating in November 2016 - nine months after she secretly split from The Office star Martin.

The actress recently discussed her break up from Martin as she expressed fears that they had given their two children 'irreparable damage' after their split.

The couple share son Joe, 15, and daughter Grace, 12.

Talking to fans in April during an Instagram live for the It's Ok mental health campaign, which she is an ambassador of, Amanda admitted it is 'unsettling' if she pretends to be a Stepford Wife parent and doesn't want to 'hide' anything from her children.

Case of the ex: Rumours of the engagement came just nine months after Amanda revealed she had split from The Queen's Gambit actor Jonjo O'Neill after four years (pictured in September 2019)

Amanda said during the video, which was broadcast to 49.1K followers: 'I think it's unsettling if I pretend I'm this Stepford Wife parent.

'Nobody is. I'm sure I've given them irreparable damage and they will be going to therapy because of me and Martin at some point.'

She continued: 'If I can teach them to talk about it, say there's nothing to be frightened of or ashamed of with whatever you're going through.

'Whether you get drunk or try drugs, whatever you do  this place where we live is a safe place where you can say whatever you like.

'That's what I am striving for and what Martin strives for as well  to create a place where they're not hiding anything.'

Amanda added that it is important to discuss mental health with her children and for them to know that some days are 'hard' for her so it's not a 'dirty secret'.

She said: 'To hide this from my children, that sometimes I get depressed or if I'm on antidepressants, what are you saying about all these mental health issues? Are you saying they're offensive and shouldn't happen? I don't want that.'
He recently underwent surgery on his back at a London hospital.

And Michael Caine, 89, was pictured out getting dinner with his glamorous wife Shakira, 75, on Thursday at private members' club Oswald's.

The Academy Award-winning actor looked dashing in a navy suit jacket and matching trousers, while sporting a blue shirt underneath.

Dapper: Michael Caine, 89, was pictured out getting dinner with his glamorous wife Shakira, 75, on Thursday at private members' club Oswald's in London

Michael - who is a regular at the swanky venue - was offered a helping hand on the way out by the club's manager.

He also carried his cane which he has used since 2018 after a nasty fall on ice left him with a broken ankle.

Meanwhile, former actress Shakira cut a glamorous figure in a grey blazer and donned a black midi dress underneath.

She boosted her height with a pair of black heels, while carrying a black handbag and sporting a stunning pearl necklace.

Date night: Former actress Shakira cut a glamorous figure in a grey blazer and donned a black midi dress underneath

Smart: The Academy Award-winning actor looked dashing in a navy suit jacket and matching trousers, while sporting a blue shirt underneath during the outing with friends

Earlier this year, Michael explained: 'I have a spine problem which affects my leg, so I can't walk very well.'

It comes after his wife Shakira confirmed at the start of the month that Michael had undergone a major operation at a London hospital.

'He had a back operation quite recently,' she told the Daily Mail at the private view of Sir Michael Caine: The Personal Collection, at Bonhams auction house. 'He had spinal stenosis.'

She described her husband as a 'strong man' as she confirmed that he was doing 'great' and was 'recovering' following the operation.

Assistance: Michael - who is a regular at the swanky venue - was offered a helping hand on the way out by the club's manager

The Guyanese former model added: 'The operation was fantastic. He'll be up and dancing again soon.'

Spinal stenosis is a condition that narrows the spinal canal and can cause back and leg pain. Surgery is usually recommended only when non-surgical treatments have not been effective.

In October, Michael announced that he would likely retire from acting as he described his movie Best Sellers co-starring Aubrey Plaza as 'my last part, really'.

He noted that he has limited mobility and added: 'There's not exactly scripts pouring in for a leading man that's 88, you know?'

But it seems that the actor is yet to star in other projects, as he is set to take part in Czech action historical drama film Medieval, while it is believed he will reprise his role as Arthur Tressler in Now You See Me 3.

Sir Michael, who began acting in 1953 when he took a job at a repertory company in West Sussex, said: 'I haven't worked for two years and I have a spine problem which affects my legs so I can't walk very well'.

Further he pointed to the memoirs he has been publishing over the past several years - The Elephant In Hollywood in 2010 and Blowing The Bloody Doors Off in 2018.

'And I also wrote a book, a couple of books which were published and were successful so I'm now not an actor - I'm a writer,' he said.
Charlotte Crosby is embracing her changing body as she awaits the arrival of her first child.

The former Geordie Shore star, 31, is currently enjoying a sunshine break, and on Friday shared a stunning photo as she modelled a zebra-print bikini.

Charlotte revealed she is embracing every aspect of pregnancy, revealing that she 'loves' her stretch marks and boyfriend Jake Ankers is equally enamored with her bump.

Expecting: Charlotte Crosby is embracing her changing body as she awaits the arrival of her first child, sharing a stunning photo as she modelled a zebra-print bikini on Friday

Charlotte proudly cradled her bump as she posed on her hotel balcony in a chic halter-neck bikini .

'Just the beginning of taking my little bump with me on a crazy adventures, cant wait to point to the tv and say you were in mammys belly there!' she lovingly captioned the photo.

Charlotte also shared a close-up look at her bump as she went topless for a post on Instagram Stories, and revealed that her boyfriend Jake finds her changing shape 'sexy'.

'Jake literally showers me with compliments every second,' she told her fans. 'I feel like the most beautiful girl in the world to him.'

Bump: Charlotte also shared a close-up look at her bump as she went topless for a post on Instagram Stories, and revealed that her boyfriend Jake finds her changing shape 'sexy'

Parents to be: 'Jake literally showers me with compliments every second,' she told her fans. 'I feel like the most beautiful girl in the world to him' (pictured together on April 29)

'But in pregnancy it's a whole other level he absolutely adores the bump and my body. He finds it sexy.'

'Please tell me your experiences, did your partner become hornier than ever about your changing body Lmao.'

In another post, Charlotte shared that 'I'm growing and growing by the week! but I have to say I absolutely love my changing body!!!'

'I love looking in the mirror like wow wow wow wow! Is this mad??? I literally want to have a huge bump!'

'I'm honestly not going over board and fanatic with all the creams and stuff either! I've noticed some stretch marks on my boobies and my hips and I absolutely LOVE them!'

Happy: In another post, Charlotte shared that 'I'm growing and growing by the week! but I have to say I absolutely love my changing body!!!'

Giving in to the cravings: Charlotte shared a snap of herself tucking into a boiled egg during her break in the sunshine

'I'm in love with every change of my body! I'm finding the whole experience so magical.'

Earlier this week Charlotte shared a clip from the moment she found out she was pregnant.

The former Geordie Shore star recorded herself as she looked at her test result for the first time which was positive in the emotional YouTube video.

The reality star looked completely gobsmacked as she stood in her bathroom holding her hand to her mouth.

Shocked: Earlier this week the reality star revealed the clip of the moment she found out she was pregnant on Youtube

In the clip Charlotte can be seen pacing around before calling her boyfriend Jake to come into the room who looked completed surprised.

Charlotte said: 'I knew it. That is why I was in such a mood at the Brits.'

Speaking about the moment, she explained in a face to face with the camera: 'I think you can see in the video, it was a hard one to get my head around.

First look: The former Geordie Shore star, 31, recorded herself as she looked at her test result for the first time which was positive

'I just did a lot of staring. I don't know if anyone relates to this but when you first find out you're pregnant, what an overwhelming feeling that is.

'I really didn't know what to think because my mind was being pulled in all different directions. I was elated because I didn't know if I would be able to get pregnant or how easy or hard it was going to be. I was also sh**ting myself.

'My whole life is about to change, my whole body is about to change. Am I ready for this? I think everyone asks themselves that question.'

Wow: The reality star looked completely gobsmacked as she stood in her bathroom holding her hand to her mouth

Telling her beau: In the clip Charlotte can be seen pacing around before calling her boyfriend Jake to come into the room who looked completed surprised

She added: 'And then there was the fact that me and Jake haven't been together the longest of times and I was like 'oh my god it's very soon to be finding out such big news'. There was a lot going on in the head.'

Charlotte first started dating Jake last year and announced she was pregnant in April.

After revealing the exciting news Charlotte discussed her high-risk pregnancy.

Speaking about the moment: Charlotte explained in a face to face with the camera: 'I think you can see in the video, it was a hard one to get my head around

The pregnant star beamed from ear-to-ear as she held up the ultrasound scan in a snap, while wearing a white bikini top as she soaked up the sun during her recent Dubai getaway.

In her caption, she revealed how she had been staring at the photo 'every single second of the day' and had been 'nervous' following her ectopic pregnancy in 2016 - after falling pregnant by her ex-boyfriend Gaz Beadle.

The TV personality wrote: 'Our little baby. While we were on holiday I literally stared at my scan pictures every single second of the day, like thats our baby! Growing inside of me.

'Im holding up my absolute favourite scan picture! going into my scans was completely new to me, I was so nervous for so many reasons after my EP Im high risk for complications.

'BUT seeing the baby in the correct place with a healthy beating heart At our first ever scan was nothing short of a miracle to me and my partner.

'I didnt expect to see much movement at our first ever scan but the baby had other plans, it was like a little acrobat in there turning and spinning and rolling around I was in awe!

Expecting: Revealing how she had been staring at the photo 'every single second of the day', she revealed she had been 'nervous' following her ectopic pregnancy in 2016

Emotional: The TV personality wrote: 'Our little baby. While we were on holiday I literally stared at my scan pictures every single second of the day, like thats our baby! Growing inside of me'

'It was the most magical moment and this picture Im holding was right in the middle of one of the impressive tumbles and I just love it!

'I love how you can see the little tiny shoulders, the cutest little back and he/shes little legs stretched out. I could sit here all day trying to guess what Im having. What do you guys think boy or girl???'

Her announcement came just weeks after she hinted that she and Jake could get engaged in the future, after he admitted he may propose soon.

In her social media post, she shared the news in a video showing her pregnancy test and also filmed herself telling the happy news to her family.

She penned the caption: 'A moment I wasn't sure would ever be mine is here, it's mine (and Jake's) and i couldn't be happier to be sharing it with you allI'm having a baby.'

In the video, the reality star is seen going for a pregnancy scan where she hears the baby's heartbeat.
She went Instagram official with her boyfriend Andrew Lange in November.

And on Friday, Renee Bargh attended David Jones' She's My World Mother's Day High Tea in Sydney with her partner's mother Virginia Lange.

The 36-year-old TV presenter showed off her washboard stomach in a chic grey crop top and oversized pantsuit as she posed with Virginia at the lavish event.

How sweet! Renee Bargh, 36, showed off her abs in a chic grey crop top and pantsuit as she attended a Mother's Day high tea in Sydney on Friday, with her boyfriend Andrew Lange's mother Virginia Lange (both pictured)

Renee added black strappy heels and a leather handbag to the look, and oozed confidence as she posed with her hands in her trouser pockets.

Her blonde locks were styled out in loose waves and her makeup was elegant.

The beauty warmly embraced Virginia, who looked glamorous in a blue silk frock that cinched in at the waist and nude open-toe heels.

Picture-perfect: The TV presenter oozed confidence as she posed in the fashion-forward ensemble. Renee added black strappy heels and a coordinating handbag to the look

Family affair: Meanwhile, also in attendance at the high tea event was model Victoria Lee, 31, and her great aunt Patricia Johnson (both pictured)

The sighting comes after Renee and Andrew purchased their first home together in Sydney's Northern Beaches for $2.4million.

Meanwhile, also in attendance at the high tea event was model Victoria Lee and her great aunt Patricia Johnson.

Victoria, 31, highlighted her trim waist in a chic white maxi-dress which she paired with tan strappy heels and a coordinating box clutch.

Chic: Victoria, 31, highlighted her trim waist in a chic white maxi-dress which she paired with tan strappy heels and a coordinating box clutch

Her cropped brunette locks were styled to perfection and her makeup included a dewy complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a glossy nude lipstick.

Great aunt Patricia looked vibrant in a pink blouse with a floral jacket on top, teamed with black trousers, court shoes and a matching clutch.

Rounding off the VIP arrivals was former AFL star-turned-model Tom Derickx, 34.

Tom kept things cool and casual in a beige T-shirt, black pants and white sneakers.
Madeline Holtznagel has given her fans a glimpse at her private life with boyfriend Justin Hemmes.

The model and the billionaire pub baron hosted the Silver Party charity event at Hemmes' own mansion, The Hermitage, in Sydney's Vaucluse, last month.

In a series of candid photos shared to Instagram on Friday, Madeline, 26, gave a glimpse at the luxurious home owned by Justin, 49.

Insider: Madeline Holtznagel (pictured) has given her fans a glimpse at her private life with boyfriend Justin Hemmes. The model and the billionaire pub baron hosted the Silver Party charity event at Hemmes' own mansion, The Hermitage, in Sydney's Vaucluse, last month

In one image, Madeline sits outside on a number of cushions, a balcony, lighting rig and instruments visible in the background.

Another photo shows her puckering up as Justin laughs, the pair sharing a drink inside the home.

One more depicts Madeline sitting on the lap of her fellow model sister Simone Holtznagel, 28, on a chair in a living area.

Peek: In a series of candid photos shared to Instagram on Friday, Madeline, 26, gave a glimpse at the luxurious home owned by Justin, 49. One photo shows her puckering up as Justin laughs, the pair sharing a drink inside the home

Sisters: One more depicts Madeline sitting on the lap of her fellow model sister Simone Holtznagel, (right) on a chair in a living area.

Famous friends: Other guests party in yet more photos, including designer Pip Edwards, 41, who was wearing a crochet dress

Party all night: Images showed the guests having a good time at the mansion

Further images depict the elaborate set up in the yard, with a bar, cane seating and chefs hard at work.

Other guests party in yet more photos, including designer Pip Edwards, 41, who was wearing a crochet dress.

While it's not known exactly how long Justin and Madeline have been dating, she recently hinted their relationship has carried on longer than many people expect.

Wow! Further images depict the elaborate set up in the yard, including a bar

Fancy: There were lanterns hanging up in the bamboo in the yard

Cooking up a storm: Chefs were hard at work cooking for the party

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald in October, Madeline said they'd actually met two years before reports emerged of their relationship early last year.

'We have known each other for two years and met when I was modelling in Singapore,' she said at the time.

The couple have remained quite private through the duration of their relationship but are believed to be living together.
Larsa Pippen looked ready for a night out as she posed in a see-through catsuit in the hallway of her home in an Instagram post shared on Thursday.

This comes just as she commented on that three hour chat she had with Kourtney Kardashian's ex partner Scott Disick when at a Miami pool party last month.

The 47-year-old former best friend of Kim Kardashian told PageSix that they are 'just really good friends' and were having a nice catch up.

All dressed up: Larsa Pippen showcased her look for a night out in a glammed-up snap that was shared to her Instagram account on Thursday

Pippen wore a peach-colored catsuit that showed off much of her toned form while posing for the photo.

The influencer added a bit of glam to her look for her night out with a pair of high-heeled shoes.

The media personality accessorized with a single sparkling necklace and carried a small purse.

Her gorgeous brunette-to-blonde hair was tied into a lengthy ponytail that cascaded onto her chest.

Speaking out: The 47-year-old media personality's post was shared just before she cleared the air about a widely reported-on meeting between her and Scott Disick that took place in Miami late last month

Pippen also left a short message in her post's caption that simply read: 'Peaches n cream.'

The influencer's meeting with Disick took place last month, when they were spotted spending time at a mutual friend's birthday party in Miami.

The pair appeared to be enjoying each other's company while they chatted and relaxed on a set of loungers by a swimming pool.

Pippen spoke about the meeting during an interview with PageSix where she noted that she and Disick had grown close over the years.

Clearing the air: Pippen spoke about the meeting during an interview with Page Six, where she noted that she and Disick had grown close over the years; he is seen in 2019

His ex: Scott's ex is Kourtney Kardashian with whom he has three kids; seen getting ready for the Met Gala in NYC on Monday

'Whenever he's here [in Miami], he calls me and we always meet up for lunch,' she stated.

While she did not provide any specifics about their conversation, she did insist that they were simply catching up, according to the media outlet.

The influencer went on to express that she and the 38-year-old had been acquainted for years prior to their public outing.

Pippen stated that she and Disick were 'just really good friends. We've been friends for a long time.'

In the past: The pair previously shared a close friendship until the 41-year-old, as well as the rest of her family, distanced themselves from Pippen in 2020; they are seen in 2018

She went on to describe their connection as an 'organic friendship' during the interview.

The media personality also briefly spoke about the Met Gala look of her former friend Kim Kardashian, and described it as 'so good.'

The pair previously shared a close friendship until the 41-year-old, as well as the rest of her family, distanced themselves from Pippen in 2020.

It was later revealed that the influencer had spoken out about Kim's relationship with Kanye West, which caused the family to disassociate themselves from her.
Advertisement

Joy Corrigan has emerged as a top Instagram pinup in 2022 thanks to her numerous bikini posts for her 1million followers this year.

And on Thursday evening the 27-year-old cover girl was at it again as she shared new images of herself in a black string bikini with gold chain accents while soaking up the sun south of the border.

The Victoria's Secret model has been staying at a luxury hotel while on a beach vacation on the coast of Mexico.

Making a splash: Joy Corrigan has emerged as a top Instagram pinup in 2022 thanks to her numerous bikini posts for her 1million followers this year. And on Thursday evening the 27-year-old cover girl was at it again as she shared new images of herself in a black string bikini while soaking up the sun

But it was not all fun and games for the lingerie model. At one point she lost control of her cell phone.

'And then my phone fell in the pool,' wrote the siren in her caption.

She was seen posing with the sea in the background, in the ocean water, in a hammock, and in front of her hotel as she looked very toned.

The black suit that had thin straps and a triangle top hugged her very slender frame. The up-and-coming star also wore a pearl and crystal anklet that shone in the sunlight while sitting on a wood deck.

Earlier this week she was seen in a blue suit by La Mariposa.

Dreamy location: The Victoria's Secret model has been staying at a luxury hotel while on a beach vacation on the coast of Mexico

'Living in paradise,' the photogenic star wrote in her caption as she shared she was staying at the La Casa de la Playa hotel in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico.

The curvy Guess model was fully made up with her blonde hair worn down over her tanned shoulders.

Corrigan added heavy gold jewelry as she went from the swimming pool to the white sand beach to take a dip in the ocean.

Trouble with her phone: But it was not all fun and games for the lingerie model. At one point she lost control of her cell phone. 'And then my phone fell in the pool,' wrote the siren in her caption

Bringing back the anklet: She also wore a pearl and crystal anklet that shone in the sunlight while sitting on a wood deck

The suit suits her: The black suit that had thin straps and a triangle top hugged her very slender frame. Here she is seen in the hotels' hammock

The string bikini bottom with a thong backside and daring top, which covered the Reprisal star's body, had fans sharing hearts and fire emojis for their comments.

The Aftermath actress was not shy about showing off her curves, including shots of her toned and taut abs.

In order to maintain her long and lean look, the model has said she jogs and walks for cardio, practices yoga and eats healthfully.

Corrigan has admitted her locks can become stressed from all the styling and she soaks her tresses in virgin coconut oil repair the damage.

Bikini time: Corrigan seen on Sunday as she shared a video where she was prancing around outdoors in a pale blue bikini by La Mariposa

Siren south of the border: The catwalk queen has been on vacation on the beautiful coast of Mexico

In the swim: Corrigan added heavy gold jewelry as she went for a dip in the swimming pool

In a January interview with Maxim, the model discussed her laid back attitude towards showing her body in front of the camera.

'I love to be sexy and I love to show skin 'cause I work out really hard to get the body that I have. I've always been very free-spirited about it,' she explained.

The stunner added: 'I try to keep every shot I do very classy and a visual showcase of the beauty of what a woman can look like. That's my goal.'

It's so much work! The Aftermath actress was not shy about showing off her curves, including shots of her toned and taut abs. In order to maintain her long and lean look, the model has said she jogs and walks for cardio, practices yoga and eats healthfully

Hair talk: Corrigan has admitted her locks can become stressed from all the styling and she soaks her tresses in virgin coconut oil repair the damage

She was raised on a backwoods farm, surrounded by livestock, with six brothers and three sisters in North Carolina.

'I would never have dreamed I would be where I'm at today. I knew there was something else, and something bigger, but I had no idea what it was. I just knew I had to get out of that town, and as soon as I was old enough I moved. I love my family, but I realized there's more out there,' the model explained.

When she was young, she said she 'would go to church every Sunday and every Wednesday' and wasn't 'allowed to wear skirts above' the knees.

'But there was a part of me that wanted to be free and show the world I can be sexy,' she said of bucking her strict upbringing. 'They [her parents] werent too proud of me cause they didnt get that I wanted to show my body and promote feeling sexy as a woman. Now theyre proud of their daughter.'

The entrepreneur, who has worked for brands like Guess, Victoria's Secret, and Jimmy Choo, has been modeling since she was 14-years-old after getting scouted in a mall in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Corrigan has created Naked Species, a clothing line with her sister, Gina.

The 5'8" beauty described the line as 'streetwear with a twist.' The brand includes clothes, jewelry and swimwear for both men and women.

Ten percent of Naked Species profits are donated to protect wild animals.
Conor McGregor's son Junior has turned five and the mixed martial artist shared sweet snaps of his little boy's birthday celebrations on Friday.

The Irish native, 33, uploaded photos of his family at dinner and showed off the birthday boy's Marvel superhero themed cake, topped with a fondant Spider-Man.

In an Instagram post to his 45.1 million followers, the UFC fighter said: 'My boy is 5!!'

Birthday boy: Conor McGregor's son has turned five and the mixed martial artist shared sweet snaps of his little boy's birthday celebrations on Friday

Conor Jr was pictured cuddling up to his father and throwing a peace sign as the two sat at a restaurant table.

A snap of the little boy brandishing a toy sword as Conor holds him in his arms was also included in the birthday post.

Conor also shared photos of the rest of the family enjoying the outing, including shots of him cuddling up to fiancee Dee Devlin, 34, and daughter Croia, three.

Family time: Conor, 33, also shared photos of the rest of the family enjoying the outing, including shots of him cuddling up to fiancee Dee Devlin, 34, and daughter Croia, three

He also shared a sweet moment with his youngest child Rian, who will be one this month, as he hugged him close.

The post racked up more than 204,000 likes - with Conor receiving congratulatory comments from fellow MMA fighters including Artem Lobov, Cian Cowley, Kiefer Crosbie and Paddy 'The Hooligan' Holohan - all wishing Conor Jr a happy birthday.

The fighter also then shared some adorable throwback pics of Conor Jr in a bright purple suit.

Yum! Conor showed off the birthday boy's Marvel superhero themed cake, topped with a fondant Spiderman

Conor wore an artful pastel-print jumper which showed off his toned muscles to the family outing, as well as a flashy golden watch.

On Tuesday Conor and Dee looked happier than ever as they posed for sweet Instagram snaps on a yacht during a sun-soaked getaway in an unknown location.

He showed off his muscular physique as he went shirtless while chilling out with his swimsuit-clad partner, whom he called his 'big busty woman'.

Conor shielded his face from the sun with a straw sun hat, which Dee soon swiped for herself and pose with in several snaps.

Proud father: In an Instagram post to his 45.1 million followers, the UFC fighter said: 'My boy is 5!!'

How old are you? Conor Jr was pictured enjoying the family birthday outing as he brandished a toy sword

Playful: Conor and his son cuddled up together for the adorable snaps as the five-year-old celebrated his birthday

Ready for battle! The little boy showed off a toy sword as the family enjoyed a birthday dinner on the big day

Young fighter: A snap of the little boy holding a toy sword as Conor holds him in his arms was also included in the birthday post

Dee looked incredible as she flaunted her figure in a white patterned swimming costume.

Captioning the photos, Dee penned: 'Mine', but failed to mention where the couple had jetted off to.

Meanwhile, Conor cheekily commented: 'My big busty woman I love you baby what floor we on again ? And which yacht. ah stop dont stop my baby I love you so much dee I do all of this for you, for us, I hate everyone else, I love you.'

The couple's romantic display comes after Conor took receipt of his 2.4million Lamborghini super-yacht and wasted no time in showing off the lavish boat on social media.

Little brother: In photos, Conor also cuddled up to his youngest child Rian, who will be one this month

Smiles all around: Conor and little Rian grinned at the camera as they enjoyed Conor Jr's birthday dinner

Birthday fun: Conor and his mini-me sat next to each other as the UFC fighter captured the celebrations

Adorable: The fighter also then shared some cute throwback pics of Conor Jr in a bright purple suit

The UFC fighter has branded his latest purchase the 'supercar of the seas,' with a new social media video backing the claim by capturing the sleek vessel as it cuts across water at high speed.

McGregor shelled out more than 2million for the Lamborghini yacht, one of only 63 to be built by the Italian manufacturer, in October.

His boat is understood to be the twelfth off the production line, a tribute to his whiskey brand, Proper Twelve.

Mine! Conor shielded his face from the sun with a straw sun hat, which Dee soon swiped for herself and pose with in several recent snaps

But the price is a mere drop in the ocean for the sportsman, who has an estimated net worth of 145 million.

At 24 tons, the 63-feet long yacht can reach a top speed of 69mph (60 knots) and boasts 4,000 horsepower with its twin 24.2-litre V-12 diesels.

Among the yacht's other swanky features is a private bedroom space in the lower quarters, offering a cosy spot to relax while the boat cruises through the sea.
Sharon Horgan, 51, and Michael Sheen, 53, were spotted filming scenes for their new BBC drama Best Interests in Cheltenham on Friday.

The duo cycled bikes for the shoot and while Sharon's character looked to be in her element, Michael's appeared a little unsure of himself while on two wheels.

The talented starts who play husband and wife in the upcoming four-part drama, took their bikes from a large shelter before heading off down the street.

Speedy: Sharon Horgan, 51, and Michael Sheen, 53, were spotted filming scenes for their new BBC drama Best Interests in Cheltenham on Friday

Slow down: The duo cycled bikes for the shoot and while Sharon's character looked to be in her element, Michael's (pictured) appeared unsteady on two wheels

The Irish actress looked gorgeous in a plunging burgundy top which her character wore with a floral skirt.

The costume department layered the look with an emerald cardigan and black waterproof coat.

Her blonde hair falling in a relaxed style, the actress showed off her toned legs as she rode relaxed in a pair of cerulean print trainers

Gorgeous: The Irish actress looked gorgeous in a plunging burgundy top which her character wore with a floral skirt

Welsh actor Michael looked smart in a burgundy checked shirt which he wore with tan chinos and suede boots.

With his character appearing nervous he clenched the handle bars as he followed his co-star along the street.

His costume was completed with a navy raincoat and a back pack, with both wearing helmets for the ride.

Oh no: With his character appearing nervous he clenched the handle bars as he followed his co-star along the street

Can't wait: The talented starts who play husband and wife in the upcoming four-part drama, took their bikes from a large shelter before heading off down the street

Amazing: Later the duo were spotted as they were filmed by a drone, the camera hovered following the actors as they delivered their lines

Later the duo were spotted as they were filmed by a remote-control drone, the camera hovered following the actors as they delivered their lines.

Pulling actress Sharon later stopped for a break where she removed her warm cardigan as she raised her fists joking around with members of the crew.

The pair was also seen discussing an upcoming manoeuvre as the actress laid a friendly hand on Michael's arm.

Lol: Pulling actress Sharon later stopped for a break where she removed her warm cardigan as she raised her fists joking around with members of the crew

Pals: The pair was also seen discussing an upcoming manoeuvre as the actress laid a friendly hand on Michael's arm

Drama: The story follows the family as they go through the difficult legal process and struggle to come to grips with the monumental decision

The series explores the rights of children and the UK's disabled community as it follows the married couple as they are forced to make impossible choices.

Previously speaking of the project, Michael said: 'Jack Thorne is such an extraordinary writer and he has approached this incredibly important and urgent subject with humanity, honesty and humour.'

While Sharon said the emotional script for Best Interests, written by disability rights activist Jack Thorne, 'broke' her when she first read it.

She added: 'Best Interests' broke me when I first read the script and then again after talking with Jack about it.

'COVID seems to have shone a closer light on the desperate inequalities that exist for our disabled community so this felt very timely.'

Exciting: The series explores the rights of children and the UK's disabled community as it follows the married couple as they are forced to make impossible choices

Awards: Sharon said the emotional script for Best Interests, written by disability rights activist Jack Thorne, 'broke' her when she first read it.

Michael's latest venture comes after he revealed last month that his girlfriend Anna Lundberg is pregnant with their second child.

The not-for-profit actor shared the news on his Twitter account as he posted a picture of Anna's blossoming baby bump.

The couple are parents to daughter Lyra, two, while Michael also has daughter Lily, 23, with ex Kate Beckinsale.

Daddy: Michael's latest venture comes after he revealed last month that his girlfriend Anna Lundberg is pregnant with their second child

Lovely: The not-for-profit actor shared the news on his Twitter account as he posted a picture of Anna's blossoming baby bump

The adorable snap was cropped to show Anna's baby bump while she, Michael and Lyra placed their hands lovingly on top.

Michael wrote alongside the photograph: 'It appears there may be another on the way! #AngelDelight.'

The couple have been in a romance since May 2019 and welcomed Lyra four months later.

Cute: The couple have been in a romance since May 2019 and welcomed Lyra four months later

Last year, Michael and Anna discussed working together for the first time in the second series of BBC's comedy series Staged and touched on juggling parenting with their new stint, set at their home in South Wales during the Covid lockdown.

The couple admitted 'alcohol was involved' in the scenes they filmed with David Tennant and his wife Georgia as the couples bonded and filmed the majority of their show at night when their babies were asleep.

In the programme, which used video-conferencing technology, actors Michael and David play fictionalised versions of themselves as they attempt to rehearse a Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author virtually amid the pandemic.

The Deal star admitted he struggled to shoot content with his partner as they rotated their mother and father duties.
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace has revealed she's been getting herself into all sorts of awkward positions to 'satisfy' her 'toyboy lover' in the bedroom, following a recent terrifying go-kart accident which saw her land on her head.

The former Big Brother housemate, 43, who has been wearing a neck brace since being carried into an ambulance on a stretcher last week, boasted how she's been getting her mystery man to massage her regularly to help with her aches and pains.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at the VIP Celeb MMA Party in London, she is set to compete in a June match held at Wembley's OVO Arena, however her 'protective' boyfriend - who she admitted is a former flame - has been begging her to pull out.

'I'm getting into all sorts of awkward positions!' Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace has detailed 'satisfying' her toyboy lover in the bedroom following a recent terrifying go-kart accident

Insisting the injury won't stop her from hitting the ring with Ibiza Weekender's Natasha Sweeney, she claimed she is 'very alpha and does her own thing'.

The reality star began of her injury: 'I'm taking a lot of painkillers that are making me numb to everything. And I'm having to get into awkward positions to satisfy my toyboy lover...

'But listen, its a lot of therapy a lot of massage and physio. Im getting him to massage me. Weve known each other for 10 years, weve known each other before and hes an old flame.'

When asked why their relationship didn't work out the first time, she said: 'I think I was too career driven and hes younger than me so back then he had different goals and ambitions but now hes ready to be a man and settle down.

On the mend: The Big Brother star, 43, who has been wearing a neck brace since the shock event last week, has been getting her mystery man to massage her aches and pains

'Hes been really alpha like he takes me wherever I need to go and he supports me and he doesnt want me to carry on with the MMA.

'Hes very protective, hes like, "I really dont want you to do this anymore, this is a sign for you to stop."

'But I'm not listening to him. Im very alpha and I do my own thing.'

Aisleyne was rushed to hospital after she was flung from a go-kart while travelling at a high speed on Wednesday night at Rye House Kart Raceway in Hertfordshire.

Sweet: She is set to compete in a June Celeb MMA held at Wembley's OVO Arena, however her 'protective' boyfriend - who she admitted is a former flame - has been begging her to pull out

The influencer crashed onto her head after the bumper car span out of control and crashed into a nearby wall.

She was soon fitted into a neckbrace and carried into an ambulance on a stretcher, with onlookers fearing she could be left paralysed since she was left unable to move.

Aisleyne told MailOnline she's in 'pain and agony, was left upset when medics had to cut her Versace gymwear off and couldn't stop vomiting after the accident'.

The reality star was taken directly into the the resuscitation room where she was given a full body CT scan to check for injuries.

Her representative told MailOnline: 'Aisleyne is home and recovering well. She is making steady progress and being monitored closely by her family and loved ones.

Macho: Insisting the injury won't stop her from hitting the ring with Ibiza Weekender's Natasha Sweeney (pictured), she claimed she is 'very alpha and does her own thing'

'She is in high spirits despite the traumatic incident. We will ensure to update accordingly on her recovery.'

A source told The Sun: 'She was put into a brace, stretchered into an ambulance and rushed to hospital immediately for scans.

'It was really scary. Everyone thought she could be paralysed for life after seeing what happened and the state she was in.

'Aisleyne's back home now, but is suffering from really bad muscle spasms in her lower back.'

She had been enjoying a day out at Rye House Kart Raceway in Hertfordshire - where Lewis Hamilton is thought to have trained in his youth - with her with Celeb MMA competitors, including James Lock, AJ Bunker, Carl Woods and Theo Campbell.

Scene of the crime: The reality star began: 'I'm taking a lot of painkillers that are making me numb to everything. And I'm having to get into awkward positions to satisfy my toyboy lover...'

But now Aisleyne's fight at the OVO Arena Wembley on June 24 has been plunged into jeopardy.

The insider went on to reveal she is expecting to undergo 'a lot' of therapy which will determine whether she's fit enough to take to the ring.

16 celebrities are undergoing 12 weeks of rigorous training ahead of facing an opponent in the cage for their big fight on June 24th at the OVO Arena Wembley.

MMA, or mixed martial arts, is a full-contact combat sport which involves a wide range of fighting techniques from different combat sports.

Steamy: 'But listen, its a lot of therapy a lot of massage and physio. Im getting him to massage me. Weve known each other for 10 years and hes an old flame'

Earlier on Wednesday, the influencer had shared a photo of herself wearing a a motorbike helmet and a matching black facemask before the horror accident took place.

She wrote on her Instagram Story the next day: 'I had to have a full emergency body CT scan & now I am absolutely freaking out about the radiation & it causing cancer...

'I lost my Mum & uncks from cancer and am high risk... literally crying. I've tried Google (it's making it worse) can anybody calm me down with the actual facts?

'The scan was last night. Some of you replying not to do it. too late. Its done'

It has emerged that one previous angry customer claimed marshals working at the 'understaffed' track were 'walking around inside the complex having drinks and chatting' while customers were 'spinning off', back in 2015.

They wrote on TripAdvisor in their one star review: 'Ok so the big safety issue, was the marshals who like to play chicken getting a kart and timing to see if they can push it across the track before the next kart comes flying passed. In that weather, there was people spinning off to avoid them.'
Chris Tarrant has reflected on living with a Ukrainian refugee family after he welcomed them into his Berkshire home amid the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

The TV personality, 75, described the family - a Ukrainian woman, her elderly mother and ten-month-old baby - as 'so sweet' as he gushed that he 'loves' them. The woman's husband remained in the country to fight Russian forces.

Chris and his partner Jane Bird have been living with the family for around a month, after they were inspired to act after seeing television footage of the atrocities in Ukraine.

War: Chris Tarrant has reflected on living with a Ukrainian refugee family after he welcomed them into his Berkshire home amid the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine

He has described his unexpected joy at seeing the young girl living a 'normal' life under his roof as he admitted that he never liked his own children - Toby, 30, Jennifer, Sammy and Helen - when they were babies.

Speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X on Friday, he explained: 'I'm obsessed with this kid. I never particularly liked my own children as babies. I didn't, I like when they're about two and they toddle and Toby [Tarrant, Radio X presenter] at that age was revolting. No change.

'But this little girl and you look at her and you go, God, I mean, she's just running around my place, enjoying it, playing with toys, just having a normal life.

'And you think what could have happened if she'd stayed behind? With this sick, evil monster running the thing? Just unbelievable.'

Support: Chris and his partner Jane Bird have been living with the family for around a month, after they were inspired to act after seeing television footage of the atrocities in Ukraine

Family life: Chris Tarrant with ex-wife Ingrid and their family on holiday in 2004 pictured (Toby, 30, Jennifer, Sammy and Helen)

Chris said they are all adjusting well to living together and said the elderly woman, who doesn't know English', says 'safe' to him as she has escaped the war-torn country.

He said: 'I love them. I tell you what, it's a mum, she speaks no English at all. She just keeps putting the thumbs up to me and going 'safe'. Just because she's safe.

'No, she's just so sweet. And the mum, the mum of the little girl, she's about 30 and she speaks good-ish English, and the little girl just gurgles in Ukrainian, I think, but she's 10 months old, she's just about to walk.'

The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire presenter said he believes that a lot of Britons want to welcome Ukrainian refugees into their homes but are unable to do so due to the 'red tape' as he described it as a 'shambles'.

'I love them': The TV personality, 75, described the family - a Ukrainian woman, her elderly mother and ten-month-old baby - as 'so sweet'

He has previously criticised the government's Homes For Ukraine scheme as 'civil service bureaucratic c**p' due to 'red tape' facing those fleeing war.

He previously told the Sun: 'People are desperate to get into this country and they can't get through all that red tape.

'When you consider all the people who do get into this country, you think, 'For God's sake, the Ukrainians  of all people  we should be giving priority to'.'

Chris said the 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.

Refugees: Figures reveal 6,600 refugees have arrived through the Homes for Ukraine scheme despite over 150,000 people registering their interest to house Ukrainians (stock picture)

He said he managed to avoid the red tape facing many Brits, allowing 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 Chris said they were sleeping on airport floors in Poland having escaped from the 'hellhole' in Ukraine.

But he now helps the 'lovely' family - who speak very little English - with shopping and other odd jobs.

Chris, who filmed in Ukraine two years ago for his Channel 5 programme Extreme Railways, described the Ukrainian people as 'gentle, nice people'.

'There's no question  Putin is worse than Hitler', he added. 'He's just a sick, evil man. What he's 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.'

Recent figures revealed 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 in February.

Listen to The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, weekdays from 6:30am  10am and Saturdays 8am  11am, on air and on Global Player.
Nick Cannon and his pregnant partner Bre Tiesi were in the mood for a sugar rush as they celebrated their babymoon at the Sugar Factory American Brasserie in the Bahamas on Wednesday.

The 41-year-old TV host and the model turned their special celebration into a sponsored gig as they hosted the one-year anniversary of the sweet shop's Baha Mar location, which also doubled as Bre's 30th birthday party.

Nick looked overjoyed as he placed a hand on Bre's burgeoning tummy ahead of the birth of her first child and his eighth.

Baby on the way: Nick Cannon, 41, celebrated his babymoon with Bre Tiesi on Wednesday at the Sugar Factory American Brasserie in the Bahamas

Nick was dressed casually and festively in a black zip-up hoodie and matching sweatpants covered in large red-and-white text.

He kept a set of headphones around his neck for his DJ set and covered up with a red ski cap.

Bre showed off her pregnant tummy with her lustrous black tied-off crop top, along with a gold belly chain.

She stayed comfortable with a set of matching black drawstring pants, and she wore her shining raven locks parted down the middle and cascading down her shoulders in delicate waves.

Multiple celebrations: Nick was hosting a party for the sweet shop's one-year anniversary, but Bre was also marking her 30th birthday

Taking it easy: Nick was dressed casually and festively in a black zip-up hoodie and matching sweatpants covered in large red-and-white text, plus a red cap

Back in black: Bre showed off her pregnant tummy with her lustrous black tied-off crop top, along with a gold belly chain and black pants

Bre, who's the ex-wife of Johnny Manziel, also wore several gold and diamond bracelets, and thin silver hoop earrings.

The lovebirds posed in front of a wall of pink roses and stocked up on sweets next to massive containers of colorful candy and treats.

Nick and Bre arrived at the Sugar Factory around 7 p.m., according to Page Six, ahead of the Drumline star's DJ set.

While he was performing, Bre indulged with an opulent Kong Sundae, which features 24 scoops of ice cream and is decorated with sparklers.

The sweet shop's anniversary party also featured appearances from Charli and Dixie DAmelio, who were there with their parents Heidi and Marc, as well as Dixies boyfriend Noah Beck.

It was a belated birthday celebration for Charli, who turned 18 on May 1, and Noah, who was turning 21.

Yum! While he was performing, Bre indulged with an opulent Kong Sundae, which features 24 scoops of ice cream and is decorated with sparklers

Going strong: Last month, Bre told E! New's Daily Pop that her unconventional relationship with Nick is 'super supportive and positive'

Star power: The party also featured appearances from Charli and Dixie DAmelio, who were there with their parents and Dixies boyfriend Noah Beck. Charli celebrated turning 18, while Noah celebrated his 21st birthday; seen Monday in the Bahamas

Last month, Bre told E! New's Daily Pop that her unconventional relationship with Nick is 'super supportive and positive.'

She admitted the two only recently became exclusive, but even if they hadn't cut out other partners, she would have 'always come back' to him.

'Him and I have had our on-and-off for years. And I just respect and love who he is so much as a person, that when I thought about, "Do I want my son to be this person? Look at your characteristics, look at your personality, look at how you treat people" Thats what is so much more important to me than anything,' she explained. 'And he treats me amazing, so thats all I look at.'

Nick, who claimed last year that he was 'taking a break' from having more children, will celebrate baby number eight when Bre gives birth.

Family forever: Nick first became a father when he was married to Mariah Carey from 2008-16, and welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe in 2011; seen in 2018

Family: Cannon welcomed twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir with DJ Abby de la Rosa in June 2021

In February, he shared on his since-canceled talk show that he had been celibate since announcing the latest pregnancy.

The entertainer first welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe, 11, with his ex-wife Mariah Carey, and he shares a son Golden, five, and a daughter Powerful, one, with ex- girlfriend Brittany Bell.

In June of last year, Nick welcomed his twins Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa.

That same month, Alyssa Scott gave birth to her and Nick's son Zen, but the baby boy tragically died from a brain tumor in December.
Five-time James Beard award winner chef Todd English is turning his great taste to a new corner of the hospitality industry with the opening of The English Hotel in Las Vegas.

The gourmet guru exclusively chatted with DailyMailTV about his latest endeavor and how he took inspiration from healthy Blue Zone cuisine to create decadent dishes fit for Sin City at his hotel's hip new culinary hot spot, The Pepper Club.

Now that the hotel is 'open and thriving', Todd and the English Hospitality Group have their sights set on expanding into other cities like Miami and New York.

Checking in: Chef Todd English exclusively dished to DailyMailTV about his new endeavor, The English Hotel, a first-of-its-kind boutique space off the Las Vegas strip

'It's got a little hip factor to it. It's got a little vibe factor to it. It's got some classic touches in the decor, yet it's also modern and sexy, and has a sort of a, I want to say, boutique-y European feel,' Todd reveals.

The English Hotel is located in the bustling Las Vegas Arts District, just off the strip, and its cornerstone is - of course - a hot new restaurant.

'It's a fun mix,' Todd says of The Pepper Club. 'Throughout my career, I love, love, love Japanese cooking and I always wanted to sort of blend what I also love and kind of my heart and soul of what I do is Mediterranean cooking.

'I decided, well, let's throw them in the same pot and see how it comes out and so far, it's been so much fun and we're getting rave reviews,' he gushes.

'It's got a little hip factor to it. It's got a little vibe factor to it. It's got some classic touches in the decor, yet it's also modern and sexy, and has a sort of a, I want to say, boutique-y European feel,' Todd reveals.

Order up! The English Hotel is located in the bustling Las Vegas Arts District, just off the strip, and its cornerstone is - of course - a hot new restaurant, The Pepper Club

English pulled tasty and healthful inspiration from the world's Blue Zones - areas where residents statistically live longer and report lower levels of chronic illness.

'I always say I feel like I have my masters in cuisine, but I'm always working on my doctorate or my Ph.D. because this world is so vast and full of so many things,' he explains.

Todd and the English Hospitality Group are planning more hotels around the U.S., exploring Miami and New York for possible locations, and there's talk of branching out internationally.

'We may do the first English hotel in London. That could happen too, believe it or not, so, no pun intended,' he quips.

'It's a fun mix,' Todd says of The Pepper Club. 'Throughout my career, I love, love, love Japanese cooking and I always wanted to sort of blend what I also love and kind of my heart and soul of what I do is Mediterranean cooking.'

'I always say I feel like I have my masters in cuisine, but I'm always working on my doctorate or my Ph.D. because this world is so vast and full of so many things,' he explains

The boutique space in Vegas features funky yet elegant guest rooms, a hip restaurant and a luxurious outdoor pool.

'Partnering with Todd was a no brainer, Todd is one of the hardest workers I know and has proven time and time again his passion for creating and delivering excellence in hospitality is unmatched,' says Keith Burkhard, partner at the English Hospitality Group.

'Food will always be constant in our lives, however the disruption and technology around health, wellness and holistic organics will fully transform in the next 10 years like never before,' he continued. 'As Todd and I say, never a bad time to deliver an extraordinary experience.'

The award-winning chef, who's long been a fixture on tv, is also planning exciting new programming with shows about the business of hospitality as well as his other passion: travelling and food.

More to come: Todd and the English Hospitality Group are planning more hotels around the U.S., exploring Miami and New York for possible locations, and there's talk of branching out internationally

English has traveled the world several times over and says he is always finding new places to dine and ways to indulge. He jokes, however, that despite his culinary pedigree and world-wide notoriety, he is an easy restaurant guest.

'Chefs want to show off to chefs,' he says. 'It's about, you know, what you've done your whole life and to have someone that that's that understands what it takes to do it. I am the least critical. I understand it more than anybody.'

Todd is also a dedicated philanthropist who recently started The Wendy English Breast Cancer Research Foundation in honor of his late sister.

'I saw what she went through 15 years ago and it was horrible,' he recalls. 'It's something that is near and dear to my heart and always on my mind. Your health is your wealth and you are what you eat.'
Lewis Hamilton was spotted at the Miami International Autodrome on Friday ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix after admitting he may have to pull out of the race.

The F1 champ, 37, has previously clashed with F1 bosses over his piercings after they declared that drivers were banned from wearing them while racing.

Lewis, who was baring his tattooed chest in a low-cut shirt, explained that two of his piercings aren't removable - but refused to reveal where they were.

According to reports FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem is 'fixated' on cracking down on Lewis' flouting of the rules as he continues to wear jewellery to race.

Making a statement? Lewis Hamilton was spotted at the Miami International Autodrome on Friday ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix after admitting he may have to pull out of the race

During a press conference ahead of the race on Friday, Lewis made a statement in three watches, eight rings, four necklaces, one bracelet and two earrings.

When asked what was happening regarding his piercings, he said: ' Ireally don't know. As I said, I can't remove at least two of them. One I can't really explain where it is. But what I can say is it's platinum that I have, so it's not magnetic. It's never been a safety issue in the past.'

Adding that there's a possibility he may not race, Lewis said: 'So yeah, if they stop me then so be it. We've got a spare driver. So we're well prepped for the weekend.

'There's lots to do in the city anyway so it will be good either way. I couldn't get any more [jewellery] on today!'

He said that he believes that the initiative is a 'step backwards' for sport and told how he has been wearing jewellery while racing for 16 years.

Turning heads: Lewis shielded his eyes with some circular framed reflective sunglasses from his collection with Police Lifestyle

The racing driver concluded that he wants to be an 'ally' to Mohammed bin Sulayem but believes there are bigger issues to be focusing on currently.

It comes after race director Niels Wittich sent a letter to teams yesterday revealing his intention to clamp down on jewellery, because it may become 'lodged or snagged' while driving.

Elsewhere at the track, Lewis put on his usual stylish display as he bared his tattooed chest in a plunging abstract printed shirt.

The F1 ace teamed the oversized top with a pair of matching loose fit trousers from Bianca Saunders and chunky Louis Vuitton boots.

Lewis shielded his eyes with some circular framed reflective sunglasses from his collection with Police Lifestyle and accessorised with layered pearl necklaces.

Stylish: He teamed the oversized top with a pair of matching loose fit trousers from Bianca Saunders and chunky Louis Vuitton boots

Taking to Instagram, he later changed in to a bold shade of violet going head-to-toe in luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton.

He layered a hook detail gilet with a waist tie over a 2660 technical tracksuit top with checkerboard printed panels down the sleeves.

Lewis added a pair of slit evening trousers that coordinated with his jacket as he ensemble mirrored a racing suit.

He completed his outfit with a pair of runner tatic trainers and Off White Virgil sunglasses.

Eye-catching: Taking to Instagram, he later changed in to a bold shade of violet going head-to-toe in luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton

Bold: He layered a hook detail gilet with a waist tie over a 2660 technical tracksuit top with checkerboard printed panels down the sleeves

Posing next to a red Mercedes for the snaps, he penned: 'Trust me I can stand the heat.'

Last month, Lewis suggested he was unfazed by the FIA's warning regarding jewellery, joking that he has some piercings which cannot be removed amid the latest crackdown.

Formula One drivers were served a reminder that they are banned from wearing jewellery while racing ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

The ruling was included in the Melbourne event notes that were issued by new F1 race director Niels Wittich, who will share the position with Eduardo Freitas following the sacking of Michael Masi.

Lewis Hamilton has taken Formula One's latest warning over wearing jewellery in his stride, joking that he has some piercings he 'can't remove' ahead of the Australian Grand Prix

It has been part of the sporting regulations since 2005, though drivers who have worn jewellery behind the wheel have not been penalised.

Lewis took the reminder in his stride, though, and was in a relaxed mood as the drivers took to the Albert Park track for the first time in three years.

'I've got several piercings that I really can't take out, that not a lot of people know of,' the Briton joked, via Daily Telegraph.

'But that's been the rule forever so nothing new.'

What's the issue? Formula One drivers were reminded that they are banned from wearing jewellery while racing, such as nose studs, which seven-time champion Hamilton wears

Lewis then turned his attention to reigning champion Max Verstappen and said: 'I know you have a nipple piercing, man!'

The Red Bull ace quipped: 'You want to see it again?'.

The new race directors though are set to take a sterner stance and fine those who are caught wearing any form of body piercing or metal neck chains.

It's said the reminder is not aimed at any one person and that multiple drivers up and down the grid have been spotted wearing jewellery - also including rings and bracelets.

Hamilton will hope to get his season back on track as F1 returns to Melbourne this week

Hamilton was seen wearing a nose stud at both last year's season-ending Abu Dhabi GP and this year's opener in Bahrain, where it was clearly visible through his open visor.

The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) confirmed a nose stud would fall foul of the ban, raising the prospect of Hamilton being forced to remove it.

The rule prohibiting the wearing of jewellery is Article 5 of the third chapter of Appendix L of the governing body's International Sporting Code (ISC).

The full wording of the rule states: 'The wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition and may therefore be checked before the start.'
He revealed back in October that his wife's ex-husband had moved into their Calabasas, California, neighborhood.

And Jerry O'Connell, 48, delved into wife Rebecca Romijn's complicated feelings about her former husband John Stamos when she dropped by the set of The Talk on Thursday.

The 49-year-old actress and model admitted that she still misses the 58-year-old Full House star, while revealing that she finally saw him in person for the first time since their 2005 divorce.

Awkward! Rebecca Romijn, 49, revealed to her husband Jerry O'Connell, 48, that she still misses her ex-husband John Stamos, 58, whom she has 'fond memories' of

Halfway through their conversation, Jerry got a sheepish grin on his face as he said, 'This is not your... first tango with marriage.'

He shared that he first met the X-Men star while she was in the process of divorcing John.

'You were bummed about it. I saw flashes of depression,' he said. 'I couldn't understand it really. It must be difficult going through a divorce.'

She agreed that the process was 'awful' and 'terrible,' while noting that she and the ER actor had been a couple for around 10 years.

The two struck up their relationship in 1994 after getting in touch at a Victoria's Secret fashion show where she was walking the runway.

The two got engaged in 1997 and married the following year, but they announced their separation in April 2004 and finalized the separation just under a year later.

Down in the dumps: 'You were bummed about it. I saw flashes of depression,' Jerry said of Rebecca's divorce. She and John began dating in 1994 and married in 1997, before separating in 2004; seen in February 2004

Difficult time: 'Divorce feels like a failure. It feels like a failure, and there were a lot of things that I had to let go of that were very sad,' she said

She and Jerry began dating the same year as her separation, before tying the knot in 2007. They welcomed their 13-year-old twin daughters Charlie and Dolly in 2008.

'Divorce feels like a failure. It feels like a failure, and there were a lot of things that I had to let go of that were very sad,' she said of the difficult time.

Jerry sounded almost jealous later in the segment when he noted the affection Rebecca seems to have when her ex-husband is brought up.

'When I'm with you personally, and I hear you talk about your ex-husband... it sounds like it was fun. You always have really fun memories,' he said.

His wife admitted that she had 'fond memories' of that period, and there were 'a lot of things about him that I miss.'

'It's tricky. It's a very hard decision to come to when you decide to end a marriage. It was heartbreaking,' she continued.

In hindsight: Rebecca admitted that she had 'fond memories' of that period, and there were 'a lot of things about him that I miss'

Celebrity sighting: The discussion about her ex-husband came not too long after Rebecca saw him for the first time in 17 years, though he didn't appear to have noticed

The discussion about her ex-husband came not too long after Rebecca saw him for the first time in 17 years, though he didn't appear to have noticed.

'I finally saw him. I saw him just a few weeks ago  first time since we split up,' she gushed. 'I had the girls in the car. We were sitting in after-school traffic at a strip mall and I saw him. There he was walking right in front of the car. Cap pulled down. Sunglasses on. I went, "There he is girls!"'

Considering that he was barely visible under the outfit, her daughters could barely believe that it was him.

'I said, "Girls, because I was with him for 10 years. I would recognize that gait from a block away. I recognize the way his body moves. I know that walk. I'm familiar with his body."'

'Okay, this is getting awkward now,' Jerry joked to lighten the mood.

She saw John walk past her car while she was driving her daughters. 'I was with him for 10 years. I would recognize that gait from a block away'; seen in 2003

He was curious why his wife didn't say hello to her ex after not having seen him for more than a decade.

'I didn't think my hair looked good,' she replied sheepishly, which got a laugh out of him.

She added that she didn't know what she would have said to John, though one thing was clear: 'I certainly wouldn't want you there! That would be his worst nightmare.'

Jerry laughed again but insisted they were all 'friends,' despite apparently not being in contact for 17 years.
First look images of The Outlaws from multi-award-winning writer and director Stephen Merchant have been released ahead of the return of the second series.

The comedy thriller, known as The Offenders for last year's season one, follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol.

October's release of the first run was was the BBCs biggest comedy launch of 2021 and has been streamed 11m times on BBC iPlayer.

First look: New images of The Outlaws from multi-award-winning writer and director Stephen Merchant have been released ahead of the return of the second series

The new instalment will follow the group as they still have time to serve on their sentences.

However, now they must face the fallout of their actions as it becomes clear the criminal underworld and the local police are not done with them yet.

The group will be seen working together with unlikely allies while depending on one another.

Screenplay: The comedy thriller, known as The Offenders for last year's season one, follows seven strangers forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol (Eleanor Tomlinson pictured)

Cast: Oscar Award winning legend Christopher Walken (right) stars in the series along with Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins and Eleanor Tomlinson

Change: The Stephen Merchant-written production was formerly known as The Offenders however it was announced it would be known as The Outlaws in September last year (Stephen pictured left)

Success: October's release of the first run was was the BBCs biggest comedy launch of 2021 and has been streamed 11m times on BBC iPlayer

The Stephen Merchant-written production was formerly known as The Offenders however it was announced it would be known as The Outlaws in September last year.

The show was new to the BBC and Amazon Prime, with season one airing last year.

Oscar Award winning legend Christopher Walken stars in the series along with Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins and Eleanor Tomlinson. Writer Stephen is also a cast member.

Telling the tale: The new instalment will follow the group as they still have time to serve on their sentences

Plot: However, now they must face the fallout of their actions as it becomes clear the criminal underworld and the local police are not done with them yet (Rhianne Barreto pictured)

Strength in numbers: The group will be seen working together with unlikely allies while depending on one another

On hold: Discussing the forthcoming series, writer Stephen - who comes from Bristol, where the show is based - admitted production was initially hampered by the spread of coronavirus in 2020 (Claes Bang pictured)

Speaking out: He told The Sun : 'Like so many other productions, we'd just begun filming when COVID-19 struck and we had to shut-down'

Eleanor plays Gabby, an 'aristocratic celebutante whose glamour and life of leisure masks deep-rooted problems'.

In a recent interview, she said of her character: 'Gabby is a social-media influencer with a drink and drug problem.

'She is wild and uncontrollable and, without being unkind, blissfully unaware of the lives of others around her, which makes her outrageously funny to play.'

TV magic: 'I'm delighted that we're now finally able to resume filming with this incredible cast and finish this long-standing passion project,' said Stephen (Christopher Walken pictured)

At home: 'This is the first series I've made in my hometown of Bristol and I'm so excited to showcase the city and utilise the amazing local talent,' he said (Christopher Walken pictured)

Filming began in 2020 but was postponed because of Covid.

Discussing the forthcoming series, Stephen - who comes from Bristol, where the show is based - admitted production was initially hampered by the spread of coronavirus in 2020.

He told The Sun: 'Like so many other productions, we'd just begun filming when COVID-19 struck and we had to shut-down.

Stop: Filming ground to a halt after just 12 days due to health concerns, but work continued in earnest as Britain's third national lockdown was lifted

Offer: On BBC's decision to commission a second series before gauging the popularity of the first, Kenton Allen told Deadline: 'We said, "We'll write Season 2 if you commission Season 2"

Working hard: 'We were able to rewrite Season 1 to reflect what we know is going to happen to the characters in Season 2. We were able to deepen it and layer it,' he added

New programming: The show was new to the BBC and Amazon Prime when season one aired last year

'I'm delighted that we're now finally able to resume filming with this incredible cast and finish this long-standing passion project.

'This is the first series I've made in my hometown of Bristol and I'm so excited to showcase the city and utilise the amazing local talent.'

Filming ground to a halt after just 12 days due to health concerns, but work continued in earnest as Britain's third national lockdown was lifted.

Reflecting on the BBC's unorthodox decision to commission a second series before gauging the popularity of the first, producer Kenton Allen told Deadline: 'We said, "We'll write Season 2 if you commission Season 2".

'We were able to rewrite Season 1 to reflect what we know is going to happen to the characters in Season 2. We were able to deepen it and layer it.'

The Outlaws Series 2 returns to BBC One next month.
Summer is drawing closer and closer.

And Hailey Bieber put her bikini body on display as she soaked up the sun in a sizzling new photo-shoot for Vogue Eyewear.

The 25-year-old wife of Justin Bieber also at one point modeled a springtime chic outfit including a white crop top and a distressed leather jacket.

Summer is drawing closer: And Hailey Bieber put her bikini body on display as she soaked up the sun in a sizzling new photo-shoot for Vogue Eyewear

'Drop 1, part 1,' she teased in her Instagram caption, revealing that she was plugging selections from her own collection collaborating with Vogue Eyewear.

Hailey, whose uncle is Alec Baldwin, also took the show to her Insta Stories where she uploaded a video montage of her frolicking around a backyard.

Accentuating her unmistakable features with makeup, the showbiz legacy let her luxurious dark hair flutter free in the breeze.

The clips were set to last year's song Too Close by Peter Spacey and Danny Fields from their 2021 R&B album Bay-Dreaming.

Details: 'Drop 1, part 1,' she teased in her Instagram caption, revealing that she was plugging selections from her own collection collaborating with Vogue Eyewear

The look: The 25-year-old wife of Justin Bieber also at one point modeled a springtime chic outfit including a white crop top and a distressed leather jacket

Having a ball: Hailey, whose uncle is Alec Baldwin, also took the show to her Insta Stories where she uploaded a video montage of her frolicking around a backyard

Such fun: Accentuating her unmistakable features with makeup, the showbiz legacy let her luxurious dark hair flutter free in the breeze

Her latest Instagram updates come just a few days after she made a splash attending the latest Met Gala when it was held in New York this Monday.

Hailey channeled Old Hollywood chic in a shimmery sleeveless white Yves Saint Laurent frock with a matching cape trimmed with feathers.

Although she has attended the Met Gala with Justin before, she elected to attend 'fashion's biggest night' solo this Monday.

This year the Met Gala returned to its usual date of the first Monday in May, after last year's event had to be held in September because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On the town: Her latest Instagram updates come just a few days after she made a splash attending the latest Met Gala when it was held in New York this Monday

Although she has attended the Met Gala with Justin before, she elected to attend 'fashion's biggest night' solo this year; she and Justin are pictured at last year's Met Gala

Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has been at the helm of the Met Gala for more than a quarter of a century.

The theme of the 2022 event was Gilded Glamour, with Vogue instructing guests 'to embody the grandeur - and perhaps the dichotomy - of Gilded Age New York.'

Hailey switched from white to black for the flesh-flashing ensemble she wore to the Met Gala afterparty where she mingled with such supermodel pals as Bella Hadid.
She cut an elegant figure in a grey suit as she arrived at the screening of her new short film Bleat in Athens on Thursday.

And Emma Stone looked just as chic as she arrived on the red carpet at the premiere of the black and white movie the following day in the Greek capital.

The La La Land star, 33, looked ethereal in a floaty pale blue dress which was covered in sequin embellishment and cinched with a red belt.

Glowing: Emma Stone looked just as chic as she arrived on the red carpet at the premiere of the black and white movie the following day in the Greek capital

The off-the-shoulder gown boasted batwing-style sleeves and gathered detailing at the front of the eye-catching garment.

Emma wore her auburn locks in a sleek loose style, while she opted for glamorous make-up with a subtle smokey-eye and a pink lip.

The actress kept the attention on her stunning gown by opting for simple accessories in the form of simple silver hoop earrings.

Radiant: The La La Land star, 33, looked ethereal in a floaty pale blue dress which was covered in sequin embellishment and cinched with a red belt

On Thursday, Emma looked sensational in straight leg trousers and a wrap-around oversized jacket as she stepped out at the Greek National Opera.

She completed her stylish ensemble with a pair of silver stilettos and kept her accessories simple with two dainty gold necklaces.

Emma accentuated her gorgeous features with a touch of eyeliner and a slick of pink lipstick.

Angelic: The off-the-shoulder gown boasted batwing-style sleeves and gathered detailing at the front of the eye-catching garment

Details: The actress kept the attention on her stunning gown by opting for simple accessories in the form of simple silver hoop earrings

She styled her rouge tresses in loose waves and later took to the stage to speak to the crowds at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center following the screening.

The Cruella star was in Athens ahead of Friday's premiere of the film.

She shot Bleat in February 2020 but it is set to premiere on May 6 in Kallithea, Greece.

Gorgeous: Emma cut an elegant figure in a grey suit as she arrived at a screening of her new short film

Glamorous: Emma looked sensational in straight leg trousers and a wrap-around oversized jacket as she stepped out at the Greek National Opera

Elegant: She completed her stylish ensemble with a pair of silver stilettos and kept her accessories simple with two dainty gold necklaces

It was filmed on the Greek island of Tinos and Emma has once again teamed up with The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos for the project. It also stars French actor Damien Bonnard.

The actress previously collaborated with Lanthimos in the much-lauded feature The Favourite, and she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the film.

The short film will be screened at the National Greek Opera on Friday where the film's soundtrack will be performed live inside the Stavros Niarchos Hall during the screenings.

Emma is also currently preparing for the release of the forthcoming movie Poor Things, in which she is set to star.

The project is based on Alasdair Gray's novel of the same name, which was originally published in 1992.

Chic: Emma accentuated her gorgeous features with a touch of eyeliner and a slick of pink lipstick while she styled her rouge tresses in loose waves

Good spirits: Emma flashed a huge grin as she appeared on stage during a press conference after the screening of Bleat

The upcoming movie is centered on a woman named Belle Baxter, who drowns herself and has her brain replaced with that of her unborn child by her father.

The La La Land star's involvement with the project was initially announced in March of last year.

Willem Dafoe is currently set to portray Dr. Godwin Baxter in the forthcoming movie.

Other cast members include Mark Ruffalo, Jerrod Carmichael and Margaret Qualley.

Elsewhere, Emma has been enjoying motherhood welcoming her first child, a daughter named Louise Jean McCary, with her husband Dave McCary last year.

New venture: The Cruella star is currently in Athens ahead of the Friday premiere of her short black-and-white film Bleat

Pals: It was filmed on the Greek island of Tinos and Emma has once again teamed up with The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos (both pictured) for the project

Not the first time: The actress previously collaborated with Lanthimos in the much-lauded feature The Favourite, and she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the film

Job: Emma took to the stage to speak to the crowds at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center following the screening

The Arizona-born actress began dating McCary in June of 2017, and they revealed they were engaged in December 2019 via social media.

They delayed having a large wedding last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pair was seen later in the year wearing wedding bands. A source confirmed to People that the couple had tied the knot in 2020.

The Easy A actress gave insight into her life as a mother during an interview last year on Lorraine.

Interviewer Mark Heyes told Emma: 'How has lockdown been for you? You're now a mummy which is amazing.'

Emma's pregnancy was confirmed back in January when a source told E! News: 'Emma is pregnant and just loves married life!'

Project: The short film will be screened at the National Greek Opera on Friday where the film's soundtrack will be performed live inside the Stavros Niarchos Hall during the screenings

Duo: Emma was seen taking to the stage alongside director Yorgos Lanthimos after the screening of Bleat at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre

All smiles: Emma flashed a massive smile as she arrived at the venue alongside Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos

According to TMZ, who have obtained a 'copy of the birth certificate', the star chose the name, Louise Jean McCary, as a sweet tribute to her grandmother, who is called Jean Louise.

'Having a baby has brought them closer in a way they never expected,' an insider close to the couple told Us Weekly last year.

The actress 'has been at home with her husband and the baby,' and has remained 'very low-key and has asked people to just respect their privacy during this time.'

Dave has remained 'hands-on and helping with their daughter' since they welcomed the child in Los Angeles March 20, as the Oscar-winning La La Land actress has been 'soaking in all the precious moments of being a mom for the first time.'
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania (AP) - Delivering good cheer - and gallons of ketchup - Jill Biden on Friday thanked U.S. troops deployed to Romania for serving as a check against Russian aggression as she opened a two-country European trip to learn about the refugee crisis caused by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. first lady flew overnight from Washington and landed just in time to help serve dinner at Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near the Black Sea and about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the border with Ukraine. The base is temporarily home to about 1,600 of the several thousand troops President Joe Biden deployed to Eastern Europe in the leadup to the Russia-Ukraine war.

In the food line, Jill Biden dished up macaroni and cheese and baked potatoes - and encouraged fatigue-clad troops to have some greens, too - before she greeted groups of them as they ate at round tables in the dining hall. They cheered when she revealed she came bearing ketchup, which was in short supply on the base.

"I know its hard on your families," she told one servicemember, referencing her own experience when her son Beau Biden deployed to Iraq.

At another location on the base, the first lady joined Staff Sgt. Sharon Rogers to read the children's book "Night Catch" on videotape for Rogers' son, Nathan, who lives in Texas. Biden thanked the boy for serving his country, too.

"When your mom serves, the family serves, too, so thank you for your service," she told Nathan. She and Rogers embraced and Biden wished her a happy Mother's Day.

First lady Jill Biden meets U.S. troops during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

Before leaving the base and flying to Bucharest, Romania's capital, the first lady posed with troops who represent her home state through their service in the Delaware Army National Guard. She handed them a souvenir coin she designed, the first time she'd given away copies of the coin.

For weeks, the first lady has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of "parents weeping over their childrens broken bodies in the streets," as she said in a recent speech. She's now using her second solo overseas trip to experience the crisis for herself by visiting Romania and Slovakia.

"Its so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them," Biden told reporters Thursday night before she departed Washington.

NATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have taken in some of the millions of mostly women and children who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, triggering Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Biden is also using the trip to highlight issues she promotes at home, including support for U.S. service members, education and the welfare of children.

The centerpiece of the trip comes Sunday - Mother's Day - when the mother of three meets with displaced Ukrainians who sought refuge across the border in Slovakia.

Her daughter, Ashley Biden, had planned to accompany her, but backed out Thursday after learning that she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesperson. Ashley Biden tested negative, he said.

The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials and U.S. embassy personnel, the White House said.

Nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled their country since Russia's invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Hundreds of thousands have resettled in next-door countries, like Romania and Slovakia, or have gone elsewhere in Europe to rebuild their lives.

Biden has long shown an interest in the plight of refugees around the world.

In 2011, when her husband was vice president, she traveled to drought-stricken east Africa to visit with Somali famine refugees at the Dadaab camp in Kenya. In 2017, she visited refugees in Chios, Greece, as part of work by the aid organization Save The Children, on whose board she served.

Some refugee advocates said Biden's trip will send the message that the United States takes seriously its humanitarian commitment to the Ukrainian people.

"Every first lady has a far-reaching platform to raise awareness and this trip will be an important tool for mobilizing additional support for those forced to flee their homeland," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and formerly a policy director to first lady Michelle Obama.

Biden's trip follows other U.S. government representatives visiting Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees in March during a stop in Poland, the closest he's been to Ukraine during the war. The White House says there are no plans for him to visit Kyiv.

Jill Biden continues her trip Saturday in Bucharest with briefings on the humanitarian efforts, meeting with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis and touring a school where Ukrainian refugee students are enrolled. The first lady is a community college English professor.

On Sunday in Slovakia, Biden will visit a city-operated refugee center and a public school in Kosice that also hosts Ukrainian refugee students to participate in Mother's Day events with Ukrainian and Slovakian mothers and children. She'll also visit the Slovakia-Ukraine border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.

The White House declined to comment on whether she will cross the border and enter Ukraine.

Monday brings a meeting with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, the country's first female president, before Biden heads back to Washington.

First lady Jill Biden cuts a cake with George Ciolache, the cake maker, as she meets with U.S. troops during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

First lady Jill Biden serves meals to U.S. troops during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

First lady Jill Biden meets U.S. troops during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

First lady Jill Biden serves meals to U.S. troops during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

First lady Jill Biden and Staff Sergeant Sharon Rogers were videotaped reading "Night Catch" for Rogers' son, Nathan, during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

First lady Jill Biden and Staff Sergeant Sharon Rogers were videotaped reading "Night Catch" for Rogers' son, Nathan, during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

First lady Jill Biden and Staff Sergeant Sharon Rogers were videotaped reading "Night Catch" for Rogers' son, Nathan, during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)
LONDON (AP) - Britains governing Conservatives suffered local election losses Friday in their few London strongholds and other parts of the U.K. - results that will pile more pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid ethics scandals and a worsening economic picture.

Voting held Thursday for thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils decided who will oversee garbage collection and the filling of potholes, but was also an important barometer of public opinion ahead of Britain's next national election, which must be held by 2024.

The left-of-center opposition Labour Party, which has been out of power nationally since 2010, won control of Wandsworth, Barnet and Westminster, three London boroughs long held by the Conservatives, and also made gains in Wales and Scotland, as well as some regions of England.

Johnsons party also lost ground to the centrist Liberal Democrats in the Conservatives southern England heartlands, where many middle-class voters are opposed to Brexit - a cause Johnson championed - and dismayed by lockdown rule-breaking by the prime minister and sexual misconduct allegations against other senior Tories.

With results in from most districts in England, Scotland and Wales, the Conservatives had lost more than 450 council seats and lost control of 10 local authorities to either Labour or the Liberal Democrats.

"We are haemorrhaging support in parts of the country. Theres some serious issues going on," said Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Field End Infant school, in South Ruislip, London, Friday May 6, 2022, following the local government elections. Britain's governing Conservatives have suffered local election losses in their few London strongholds. Voting held Thursday for thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils decided who will oversee garbage collection and the filling of potholes, but were also seen as an important barometer of public opinion ahead of the next national election. (Daniel Leal/Pool via AP)

The election came after months of turmoil for Johnson, in which he became the first prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law in office. He was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.

"The issue of `partygate kept coming up as a reason why many Conservative supporters were staying at home or were switching to a protest vote," said Conservative lawmaker David Simmonds.

Johnson has apologized but denies knowingly breaking the rules. He faces the possibility of more fines over other parties - police are investigating a dozen gatherings - and a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers about his behavior.

The prime minister tried to shrug off the losses as midterm blues.

"We had a tough night in some parts of the country," Johnson said. "But on the other hand, in other parts of the country, you are still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains in places that havent voted Conservative for a long time, if ever."

In some comfort to the Conservatives, Labour did not make big gains outside of the capital, especially in working-class northern England - areas that Johnson successfully wooed in the 2019 election with promises to improve local economies and opportunities after Britain's exit from the European Union.

John Curtice, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said the results showed that London is "very much a one-party Labour fiefdom."

"But outside of London ... this isnt quite the degree of progress they might have anticipated."

Labours national campaign coordinator, Shabana Mahmood, said the results showed Labour was building a solid foundation to regain power after four successive national election defeats.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said the election was "a big turning point for us."

"Weve changed Labour, and now were seeing the results of that," he said.

Under Starmers hard-left predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, fighting between Labour's left-wing and more centrist wings roiled the party, which suffered its worst election defeat in more than 80 years to Johnsons Conservatives in 2019.

In Northern Ireland, voters were electing a new 90-seat Assembly, with polls suggesting the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein could win the largest number of seats and the post of first minister, in what would be a historic first. Full results there are not expected until Saturday, but early returns showed Sinn Fein increasing its vote share to become the most popular party, besting the long-dominant Democratic Unionist Party.

Across the U.K., election campaigns were dominated by the increasing prices for food and fuel, which have sent household bills soaring.

Opposition parties have demanded that the Conservative government do more to ease the cost-of-living crunch - driven by the war in Ukraine, disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic aftershocks from Brexit.

The prime minister also faces discontent within his own party, and the election losses could convince some Conservatives to try to replace Johnson with a less tarnished leader.

Party Chairman Oliver Dowden acknowledged there had been "challenging headlines for the past few months."

But he said "Labour are certainly not on the path to power and I believe that Boris Johnson does have the leadership skills, in particular the energy and the dynamism, that we need during this difficult period of time."

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds up a portrait he painted of the Queen during a drawing session with children as part of a visit at the Field End Infant school, in South Ruislip, London, Friday May 6, 2022, following the local government elections. Britain's governing Conservatives have suffered local election losses in their few London strongholds. Voting held Thursday for thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils decided who will oversee garbage collection and the filling of potholes, but were also seen as an important barometer of public opinion ahead of the next national election. (Daniel Leal/Pool via AP)

Ballot boxes are opened at the Glasgow City Council election count in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday May 6, 2022. People in Britain voted Thursday in local elections that will decide the makeup of local authorities across the country - and possibly the fate of embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks to supporters in Barnet, London, Friday May 6, 2022, after the party clinched victory in Barnet in local government elections. People in Britain voted Thursday in local elections that will decide the makeup of local authorities across the country - and possibly the fate of embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Field End Infant school, in South Ruislip, London, Friday May 6, 2022, following the local government elections. Britain's governing Conservatives have suffered local election losses in their few London strongholds. Voting held Thursday for thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils decided who will oversee garbage collection and the filling of potholes, but were also seen as an important barometer of public opinion ahead of the next national election. (Daniel Leal/Pool via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Field End Infant school, in South Ruislip, London, Friday May 6, 2022, following the local government elections. Britain's governing Conservatives have suffered local election losses in their few London strongholds. Voting held Thursday for thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils decided who will oversee garbage collection and the filling of potholes, but were also seen as an important barometer of public opinion ahead of the next national election. (Daniel Leal/Pool via AP)

Election staff begin vote counting in Belfast in the Northern Ireland Assembly election early Friday in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Hanoi Taxi is a Lockheed C-141 that became famous for bringing back the first returned prisoners of war in Operation Homecoming.

Lockheed C-141C Starlifter "Hanoi Taxi" (serial number 66-0177)

The C-141 Starlifter was the US Air Forces first major jet aircraft designed to meet military standards as a troop and cargo carrier. Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) built a total of 285 C-141s, and for more than 40 years, C-141s performed numerous airlift missions for the USAF. With its great range and high speed, the Starlifter projected American military power and humanitarian efforts rapidly across the globe.

Although the C-141s had flown many military and humanitarian missions, none was more significant than the mission flown by the Hanoi Taxi. This C-141 (serial number 66-0177) airlifted the first American prisoners of war to freedom from Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi, North Vietnam, on Feb. 12, 1973.

The Hanoi Taxi flew two missions into Hanoi, carrying out 78 POWs and two civilian returnees to the Philippines, and four missions from the Philippines to the United States, carrying 76 ex-POWs. Arizona Senator John McCain was one of the POWs who flew home on the Hanoi Taxi. Signatures of the freed prisoners have been preserved on the panel over the years and are the centerpiece of what is essentially a "flying museum".

Afterward, the Hanoi Taxi continued flying missions around the world for three more decades and logged more than 40,000 flying hours.

In 2002 the Hanoi Taxi repainted as it appeared when it went to Hanoi in 1973 -- except for the Red Cross which was used to show it was carrying hospital patients. The Hanoi Taxi flew in these markings for the next four years instead of the standard paint scheme in recognition of its important history.

Following the restoration of the aircraft, it was first exhibited to the public at the 2003 Dayton Air Show.

In May 2004 the Hanoi Taxi again tapped the timelines of history when Maj. Gen. Edward J. Mechenbier, himself a POW repatriated from Vietnam, flew it back to Vietnam to repatriate the remains of two American service members killed in action.

On Saturday, 6 May 2006, the Hanoi Taxi touched down for the last time and was received in a formal retirement ceremony at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The aircraft was displayed outside in the museum's Air Park for several years.

In December 2015 the aircraft was moved into the fourth building at the museum. The new hangar opened to the public in May 2016, and the Hanoi Taxi is now on permanent display in the Global Reach Gallery. Visitors to the museum are able to walk inside the cargo bay of the aircraft through a rear ramp door.
In Qatar, quite uniquely for the first time FiLLi function through a model of the franchise which was planned in 2011 and handed over to the TGIR business group of Qatar. TGIR group came into existence by collision of a group of food connoisseurs with the aim of introducing fresh and novel food concepts in Qatar and meet its growing demands.  By arrangement

Covered in several major media platforms and getting the plaudits of several eminent figures around the world, The FiLLi cafe chain got an appreciable impetus after it inaugurated its first international Filli franchise store back in 2021 at the Old Airport Street of Doha, Qatar.

The name of filli cafe much frequently came into the broader horizon soon after it inaugurated its first international Filli franchise store back in 2021.

For its remarkable success and its quick grasp over the food market in UAE and several neighbouring countries, many eminent figures praised for Mr Rafih for his outstanding achievements in the food industry.

Soon after the opening at Doha, Shashi Tharoor an Indian former international diplomat, politician, writer and a public intellectual appreciated Rafih Filli's success on his official social media account as: "Delighted to meet @rafihfilli, a brilliant young entrepreneur from Kerala who started off as a Chaiwallah serving tea to Arabs & whose #Filli chain of stores & cafes is now larger than @Starbucks in the UAE. Looking forward to his bringing his success story to India!"

In Qatar, quite uniquely for the first time FiLLi function through a model of the franchise which was planned in 2011 and handed over to the TGIR business group of Qatar. TGIR group came into existence by collision of a group of food connoisseurs with the aim of introducing fresh and novel food concepts in Qatar and meet its growing demands.

In one of his interviews Mr Rafih Filli the Founder and CEO of FiLLi Cafe said: In the beverage industry, tea wasn't given as much importance as coffee. Cafes were only meant for Coffee. The concept of conversing over a cup of tea didn't exist. This was one of the biggest challenges in the journey of FiLLi. We ensured that we gave our customers the ambience where they could come and chat for hours over a cup of tea!

The very first FiLLi Cafe dates back to 1991. The first filli cafe establishment that was a kind of single store at Mamzar Beach in Dubai was the result of sincere dedication & absolute willingness of Mr Rafih filli to grow and serve the world with his idea of a unique cup of zafran chai. But by now it has successfully been able to establish itself in countries like UAE, Bahrain, Canada, India, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UK and USA having more than 75 functional outlets, 15 franchise stores and luxurious headquarters in Burjuman Tower, Dubai.

Instagram - https://instagram.com/rafihfilli

Disclaimer: No Deccan Chronicle journalist was involved in creating this content. The group also takes no responsibility for this content.
Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy presents a replica of Rythu Bharosa Kendram to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy during a review meeting at the camp office on Friday. Photo BY ARRANGEMENT.

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday announced the distribution of Rythu Bharosa on May 16 and of crop insurance to farmers by June 15 to help them start farming activities in the Kharif season.

Jagan said 3,000 tractors with agriculture equipment will be distributed through 4014 community hiring centres as also Matsyakara Bharosa on May 11.

For the first time in AP, the state government introduced Drone Community Hiring Centers to help farmers use drones in relation to farming activities.

The CM held a comprehensive review on the agriculture sector and congratulated the officials over the RBKs getting nominated for FAO Champion Award.

The officials explained to the chief minister the guidelines formulated by the central government on the operation and use of Kisan drones.

The CM said the drone community hiring centres should be set up with educated farmers under each RBK. Training should be given to them as also certificates. Awareness should be created among farmers through videos on use of fertilizers and pesticides through air-dropping by drones.

Drones will play a vital role in future in the use of nano-pesticides and nano-fertilizers, he said and added that this would help check the over-use of chemicals.

On e-cropping, the chief minister asked officials to focus on this at village level by conducting regular social audits and ensuring that all the welfare schemes are given to the farmer fraternity. Officials must continuously monitor the performance of CMAPP and check about the functioning of kiosks in RBKs.

The CM stressed on creation of awareness of CCRC by providing full information on rights of tenant farmers. Officials must go to every house if necessary. He also directed officials to focus on natural farming and encourage it through RBKS by setting up community hiring centres at RBKs.

Officials should work on starting a six-month internship for university students at the RBKs, as their suggestions and observation would help in improving the RBK services. A pilot project to install power meters for agricultural connections in Srikakulam was successful. This saved about 30 per cent of electricity, and would also save 33.75 million units as connections increase.

The chief minister said a transparent system was in place with the installation of meters wherein farmers are getting quality electricity. The accountability among the staff has also increased. Meters will soon be installed across the state for agricultural connections by creating awareness among the farmers, Jagan said.

The chief minister directed the officials to give priority to small and marginal farmers in providing farm equipment on subsidy. Prepare a plan for this, he asked officials and said farm equipment should be given on subsidy under every RBK.

He said officials must encourage millet cultivation and focus on their MSP and processing. They must prepare an action plan in this regard. There should be an end-to-end solution and value should be added to millet products. Their consumption should be increased. Also, prepare a plan on alternative cropping methods in areas with water scarcity, the CM said.
New Delhi: After World Health Organization's (WHO) excess mortality estimates for COVID, the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Balram Bhargava on Thursday said the country has systemic data pool and it does not need to rely on "modelling, extrapolations and press reports" for ascertaining COVID-related death.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Bhargava said, "When we had COVID deaths occurring, we did not have a definition of deaths. Even WHO did not have one. If one gets positive today and dies after two weeks, will it be COVID death? Or the dies after two months or six months - will it be COVID death?"

"So, for that definition, we looked at all the data and we came to the conclusion that 95 per cent of the deaths that occurred after testing positive for COVID-19 were occurring in the first 4 weeks. So, a cut-off of 30 days was laid for the definition of death," he stated.

DR Bhargava laid emphasis on systemic data instead of modelling exercises to ascertain COVID deaths.

"We have such large amounts of data. We have data of more than 97-98 per cent of 1.3 billion who have been vaccinated with the first dose and nearly 190 crores vaccine doses have been used. So, all that is systematically collected. Once we have this systematic data, we do not need to rely on modelling, extrapolations and taking press reports and utilising them for putting into a modelling exercise," stressed DG ICMR.

New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million).

According to the WHO report, more than 4.7 million people in India are thought to have died because of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, India has strongly objected to the use of mathematical models by the WHO for projecting excess mortality estimates concerning coronavirus and has said that authentic data is available.

Refererring to excess mortality estimates, the Health Ministry said in a statement that the validity and robustness of the models used and methodology of data collection are questionable.
It is yet to make an official forecast about the landfall area in case of the systems intensification into a cyclonic storm. Its named as Cyclone Asani.  Representational image/DC

Visakhapatnam: A low pressure area over South Andaman Sea and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal along with associated cyclonic circulation extending upto mid-tropospheric levels persists.

This is very likely to move northwestwards, intensify into a depression by Saturday evening and further into a cyclonic storm by Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, IMD has warned fishermen against venturing into the sea for the next five days. It is yet to make an official forecast about the landfall area in case of the systems intensification into a cyclonic storm. Its named as Cyclone Asani.

Director of IMD-Amaravati, Stella S, said the system is very likely to move northwestwards and reach the west central Bay of Bengal off north Andhra-Odisha coasts by May 10.

The trough/wind discontinuity now runs from above cyclonic circulation over southeast Madhya Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu across Vidarbha, Telangana and Rayalaseema at 0.9km above mean sea level.

Under its impact, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning likely at one or two paces over north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema region are likely for two days.

It is too early to say about the direction of the cyclonic storm because there is no consensus among the models. One model says it would cross north Andhra and another predicts it would re-curve and head for West Bengal and Bangladesh. We will get a clear picture about its direction on Sunday, Stella added.

Expecting that the cyclonic storm would move towards Odisha and north coastal AP, the Odisha government has alerted the revenue officials to set up emergency control rooms. Odisha has faced three cyclones in the past three summer seasons. Cyclone Fani, which hit the Odisha coast in 2019, was the most devastating one among the three.
Tirupati: AP police placed several opposition Telugu Desam, BJP, Jana Sena and communist party leaders under house arrest in view of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddys one-day visit to Tirupati on Thursday.

BJP spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, who had been detained by police at his residence, accused the state government of miserably failing in protecting women and children from molestation and rape. Speaking to media persons from his house, he alleged that the government has laid more focus on revenues from liquor than paying attention to protecting women from molestation.

After being confined to his home, former TUDA chairman Golla Narasimha Yadav of Telugu Desam slammed YSR Congress party for suppressing the voice of opposition using police forces. We are living in a democratic country, where people and opposition parties have right to protest. The ruling party is, however, suppressing the voice of opposition by misusing the police department, he pointed out.

On the other hand, TD youth leader Ravi Naidu staged a unique protest in front of his parked car in Tirupati late on Wednesday night. He had also been placed under house arrest. Post this, he placed a placard on his car and held one in his hand. He asked devotees visiting Tirupati to be cautious, as officials could forcibly seize their vehicle.

Incidentally, the car of a group of devotees had been recently seized and deployed for providing logistical support to CM's convoy during Jagan Mohan Reddys recent visit to Prakasam district.
For the sake of the people of the beleaguered former state of Jammu and Kashmir, which has not had an elected popular government since June 2018, the final report submitted by the Delimitation Commission to redraw its election map must be welcomed, despite its several shortcomings. The state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated subsequently in August 2019, the region of Ladakh separated and notified as a Union Territory and its special status under Article 370 and Article 35(A) withdrawn.

Besides the absence of an elected government, these highly contentious series of steps that have changed the status of Jammu and Kashmir, including the inner balances between the erstwhile regions of Ladakh, Jammu and the Kashmir valley, have left the people dismayed and discontented.

The process of delimitation took the route of considering the two reasonably distinct regions of Jammu and Kashmir, with their sui generis demographics and political orientations, as a single unit in making new recommendations.

This, along with the abrogation and abolition of the states historic autonomy, are bound to lead to sustained political slugfests, with critics raising allegations of gerrymandering by the BJP-led government to pursue its manifesto and political agenda.

Post the panels recommendations, all the five Lok Sabha constituencies will have an equal number of Assembly seats, for the first time. Reservations of nine Assembly seats for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) are a first, and certainly most welcome.

The changed composition of the state Assembly, vis-a-vis the two distinct regions, 47 to Kashmir Valley and 43 to Jammu, a rise of six seats for the predominantly Hindu region, will still ensure a majority for the Valley but with a vastly reduced numerical edge. A curious method deployed has been to ensure each Assembly seat is drawn to ensure it is restricted to a single administrative district.

Another positive, welcome, move is to recommend additional seats to be added to the Assembly for Kashmiri migrants, and people who reside in India after having been displaced from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Singularly, a reservation of a seat to ensure the representation to displaced people is a highly progressive move and can help assuage historic feelings of collective hurt and a memory filled with dark pain.

While the census of 2011 was used as a statistical basis for the process of calculations for the delimitation (India could not conduct a normal census in 2021 due to the pandemic), the panel also met with people of all sub-sections of the people to factor in socio-economic dimensions and aspirations, as well as steep inequalities and differences.

It is now imperative for all sections of society to back the plan. The Centre and the Election Commission must ensure the promise of the BJP government made in Parliament by home minister Amit Shah that elections would be held soon after delimitation is completed must be kept.

No people in a democratic society must be denied a popular government for too long. There would never be a possibility of a perfect solution or a consensus on such contentious issues, with such marked diversities of worldview, but restoration of a popular government could be a first on which we all agree upon, and one which we hope for.
The Competition Commission of India conducted raids at several small mining services companies on Friday for allegedly colluding on prices while offering services to the world's biggest coal miner, Coal India, four sources told Reuters.

Officers of competition regulator raided companies in Kolkata in West Bengal and Ranchi and Dhanbad in Jharkhand, said two of the sources, all of whom declined to be named due to sensitivity of the operation.

The raids follow complaints from Bharat Coking Coal Limited, a unit of Coal India, and were related to price rigging of tenders worth at least Rs 2,000 crore ($260 million), two other sources said.

Read | CCI raids Amazon & Flipkart sellers, seizes documents, data

The services rendered by the mining services companies under investigation related to extraction and transportation of coal, one of the sources said.

The watchdog as a matter of policy does not make public details of its ongoing price cartel investigations, or raids.

Coal India did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The raids are the latest such CCI operation. Last week, the CCI raided top domestic sellers of online retail giant Amazon Inc, and some sellers on Walmart's Flipkart, following accusations of competition law violations.
Pakistan's Foriegn Ministry has summoned India's Charge dAffaires here and handed a demarche conveying Islamabad's categorical rejection of the Delimitation Commission report.

The Delimitation Commission has been tasked by the Indian government to redraw the boundaries of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

The three-member panel, headed by Justice (retd) Ranjana Desai, on Thursday signed the final order on redrawing the assembly constituencies of the Union Territory.

The Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir, formed in March 2020, on Thursday notified its final report giving six additional assembly seats to Jammu region and one to Kashmir Valley. Jammu division will now have 43 assembly seats and Kashmir 47 in the 90-member House.

Also read: Final order for Jammu and Kashmir delimitation signed

On Thursday, Pakistans Foreign Office, which summoned the India's Charge dAffaires to the ministry, told the Indian diplomat that the Delimitation Commission was aimed at "disenfranchising and disempowering" the Muslim majority population of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan categorically rejects the report of the so-called Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The Indian side was conveyed that the entire exercise was farcical and had already been rejected by the cross-section of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir because through this effort, India only wanted to lend legitimacy to its illegal actions of August 5, 2019, the statement said.

India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 outraged Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019 by the country's Parliament was its internal matter.

India has also repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of the country. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

The Foreign Office statement said that it was emphasised to India's Charge dAffaires that the ulterior motive of the Indian government was evident from the fact that under the garb of so-called delimitation, the representation of Muslims in the re-designated constituencies were reduced to their disadvantage.

It was underscored to the Indian diplomat that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

Any illegal, unilateral and mischievous attempt by India to allow disproportionately higher electoral representation to the Hindu population to the detriment of the Muslims, is a mockery of all norms of democracy, morality and Indias obligations under the UN Security Council Resolutions and international law, it added.

It was also stressed that the Indian government must refrain from bringing about any illegal demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir.
A couple of weeks back in April, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was in India, inaugurating in Jamnagar, Gujarat,- the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicines. At the same event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fondly and perhaps in jest, also gave him a name, Tulsi Bhai, mentioning to the audience how Dr Tedros was from Ethiopia and understood Indo-Ethiopian friendship historically. Also, that Tulsi as a plant has been shown to have medicinal properties and used liberally in generations of Indian households, even for Covid-19 these past two years.

Also Read | WHO says 47 lakh excess Covid deaths in India

However, this week, 'Team Tulsi Bhai' (if one can call WHO that) has struck back by refusing to genuflect to Indian pressure not to publish its excess mortality report, as several in the international press reported. The WHO's excess mortality report, unfortunately, has now officially dealt India an unkind cut. The report shows that the global mortality toll of the pandemic has been 14.9 million, about 2.4 times the current mortality statistics being officially reported worldwide, with a grim 30 per cent of it coming from India alone. The ratio of excess deaths in 2020 & 2021 in the WHO report compared with reported deaths was highest in Egypt (11.6x), with Pakistan (8x) closely following India (9.9x), other population-dense countries like Indonesia (7.1x) and Bangladesh (5x) featuring in the top-5 too in what is, in essence, a sad scientific study.

Also Read | Validity of models, methodology of data collection questionable: India on WHO Covid deaths report

Expectedly, Delhi's apparatchiks have lined up with gusto to refute the WHO study. Dr Randeep Guleria, the chief of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one of the world's leading research and teaching hospitals, gave an interview defending the government of India's position. However, there is no countermodel from Dr Guleria and Team Delhi, nor any scientific study yet to refute Team Tulsi Bhai. Or even a response to earlier peer-reviewed findings published herein in reputed scientific journals like Science. Did the Indian government not have time last 12 months to set up a scientific board to study this, one wonders?

India's fast-declining media ecosystem, ravaged by global concerns of declining press freedom, has also started lining up op-eds with policy mumbo jumbos refuting the WHO report. As far as one can gather, there has not yet been one scientific pushback from the much-venerated domestic Indian scientific ecosystem.

However, to offer some scientific cues to them, one can draw lessons from the science of excess mortality studies that are themselves an evolving frontier. Past research in respected journals like Demography or American Journal of Epidemiology by Phelim Boyle, Peter Spreeuwenberg and coauthors has shown that more careful calibration of excess mortality statistics over time might scale down the death tolls in the case of the Great Irish Famine or the 1918 influenza pandemic. Perhaps so shall be the situation with Covid-19 tomorrow if there is a follow-up building on the WHO findings.

Meanwhile, Team Tulsi Bhai seems to have salvaged their declining global reputation during this pandemic a bit by showing gumption in pushing forward with this report despite unhappy countries like India. Yet, the report has been quiet about statistics from China, or even now, the fact that WHO's fact-finding mission still is vague about the sources of the virus does its reputation hardly any good service thus far.

Are nations going to learn from this WHO report beyond crying over spilt milk? Early indications don't seem to suggest so. Just a look at the recent national budgets of Egypt, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia hardly demonstrates any earnest intent or efforts to ramp up public health expenditure as a per cent of GDP. Nor does one see refreshed discussions officially around the future of universal healthcare coverage in these economies. Spending more on R&D and science as a per cent of GDP to build healthcare and biopharmaceutical innovation capacity continues to remain neglected, too, despite the emergent threat of zoonotic diseases in the Anthropocene.

That is one easy lesson from this pandemic for nations to take away if one had to consider the WHO excess mortality report as a gift. And maybe that's a pronouncement one can expect from Tulsi Bhai and his team next time WHO functionaries visit their new India centre for researching traditional medicines.

(The author is a health economist, a Reader in Economics of Innovation at SPRU-Sussex, University of Sussex, Visiting Fellow at Hoover Institution, Stanford University & Visiting Adjunct Professor in Economics at IIM-Ahmedabad, India.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
Early in his first term as India's prime minister, Narendra Modi described his government as a start-up while addressing a crowd of Indian-origin supporters in San Jose, California. He said his administration, too, had witnessed ups and downs like any start-up.

As many in his Silicon Valley audience would have known well that day in September 2015, the best founders need to be masters at pitching their fledgling firms to potential investors, offering solutions to problems that previously seemed intractable. But they would have also known a second truth about start-ups: To be successful, they must eventually deliver on their promises.

Seven years after that speech in the United States, Modi once again pitched India as a not-to-be-missed investment destination this week during a tour of Germany, Denmark and France. Yet while it is only natural for the prime minister to try and lure foreign investors, his repeated inability to live up to some of his boldest global commitments is undermining his sales deck.

As the war in Ukraine disrupts global food supplies  Russia and Ukraine are among the planet's biggest wheat exporters  Modi has promised that India will step in to feed the world. In a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden last month, Modi said India has "enough food" for its population and was willing to supply the world "from tomorrow" if the World Trade Organization lifted restrictions on subsidised food. Meanwhile, India has convinced a previously reluctant Egypt, a major importer of Russian and Ukrainian wheat, to buy its grains instead.

But it's now clear that India's own wheat harvest will be dramatically poorer this year, in part because of the devastating heat wave scorching large parts of the country. On Wednesday, the government slashed its estimates of wheat procurement from farmers by half. A significantly lower yield of grains will force the government to dip into reserve stocks, depleting those. There is no realistic way that the Modi government can meaningfully increase wheat exports when the country's own supplies are shrinking. Under the previous BJP government of Atal Behari Vajpayee in the early 2000s, India had facilitated a surge in exports of rice and wheat without accounting for the needs of its public distribution system. New Delhi ended up having to import record volumes of wheat to make up for that miscalculation and will not want to repeat that mistake.

Simply put, the notion that India can flood the world with its wheat is a chimera.

Yet it wouldn't be the first promise Modi and his government have made to the world, only to retract later. Few Indians will have forgotten how the government in New Delhi declared victory over Covid-19 in January last year. Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos that month, Modi committed to supplying Indian vaccines to the world to hasten the battle against the virus. But back home, his government failed to prepare for the second wave of the pandemic, ordering far fewer vaccine doses than were needed for a country of 1.4 billion people. When the devastating Delta wave pounded India in April and May 2021, India had to ban the export of its Covid-19 vaccines and medication, including remdesivir. Instead of rescuing the world, India had to turn to other countries for everything from vaccines to oxygen because of the mismatch between the government's words and its planning.

And this behaviour, it appears, is contagious. Earlier this year, Coal India Limited  the world's largest coal producer  had prepared a blueprint outlining plans to export the fossil fuel to Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. While the coal behemoth has exported small amounts on an ad hoc basis previously, it has never entered into major commercial contracts.

But by then, it was already clear that global prices of fuel  oil, gas and coal  were poised to spike amid rising tensions in Europe. Climate change and unpredictable weather are no surprises anymore: Most policy planners around the world take them into account. India didn't. So as temperatures soared in March and April, the country has had to ask states to rush in coal imports. India has been unable to supply Nepal with even the electricity it usually sells to its northern neighbour. All this when India battled a coal crisis as recently as late 2021 and is more familiar with the economic and logistical challenges of the industry than almost any other nation.

To be clear, it is natural and understandable for democratic governments to prioritise domestic needs over shortages in other countries. Most other nations do so too. It's also morally right and diplomatically smart to use extra Indian resources, when available, to help other nations in need.

But when bold, public commitments to help the world aren't based on actual planning, they expose the hollowness of the development model that the government touts at home, in diplomatic meetings and at raucous diaspora jamborees like the ones that Modi loves to address. When it happens again and again, it reveals a prime minister and government disconnected from the reality of their own nation, its needs and challenges.

Tall talk  or in the words of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a jumla  can elevate an election campaign. It almost always diminishes a nation's global standing.

(Charu Sudan Kasturi is a journalist)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
Who would have thought this could have happened in 1921?

Just more than 100 years ago, the statelet that is Northern Ireland was created as a result of the partition of this island with the six counties remaining as part of the United Kingdom.

Despite arch-unionist, Edward Carson, instructing his followers in the North not to forget the minority, others had other ideas  as the statelet's first leader James Craig has been quoted as remarking, a Protestant parliament for a Protestant people.

The deck of cards were stacked against those of a nationalist persuasion. However, those cards have appeared to have flipped with Sinn Fein looking likely to be the biggest party in Stormont.

A seismic moment, especially when it doesn't seem that long ago that the party was a pariah, not just in Northern Irish politics but Irish politics as a whole.

And yet, in the Republic two years ago and in the North this weekend, it is Sinn Fein who have upset the old guard.

While their usurping of the SDLP as the main nationalist voice in the North might not have been of too much of a surprise two decades ago, to come out on top over the main unionist party of the day is a significant moment.

It may not result in a united Ireland in the near future, but should one come in the distant future, this weekend could well be the point in time when the first stepping stone to unity was laid.

Their performance in Foyle alone has put paid to the theory that the Derry branch of the party was in disarray.

Certainly their 'internal review' that saw high-profile figures such as Martina Anderson and Karen Mullen 'stepped down' from their MLA roles gave the impression of a branch in chaos.

Padraig Delargy's triumphant victory put paid to all of that and, in retrospect, the 'internal review' appears to have been a Cathartic moment.

The wide smiles of the Sinn Fein contingent might have been those of relief but of quiet confidence as well given the feedback on the streets that they had been getting when canvassing ahead of this poll.

They have been helped somewhat by a curious campaign by the SDLP in Foyle.

When it was announced that three SDLP candidates would be running in the seat, it was largely assumed that they would be seeking to take advantage of Sinn Fein's 'internal review' and be campaigning hard to rob their nationalist rivals of one of their two seats.

Instead, the SDLP, turned a lot of its attention in attacking the People Before Profit candidate Shaun Harkin.

While Harkin has shown himself to be an able performer as a Councillor on Derry City & Strabane District Council, it was a leftfield strategy to target a smaller party who did not hold one of the five Foyle seats.

Sinn Fein were braced for a serious attack from the SDLP and their three candidates  only it never really came.

If Sinn Fein were ever vulnerable from the 'internal review' fall-out, then by going instead for the smaller People Before Profit, the SDLP effectively had an open goal only to fire the ball into the wrong net.

Instead, Sinn Fein were allowed to regroup and rally not only their own core support but gain new voters as well.

As for the rest of the election in the North, one is reminded of a quote from the late David Ervine who had been leader of the Loyalist Progressive Unionist Party,

During an interview on BBC Radio Five Live in 2001, Ervine was asked what he would do in the event of a united Ireland. Would he leave or stay put?

He replied: While I believe it is Northern Ireland's interests to stay within the United Kingdom, should a poll bring about a united Ireland, I would accept the result  I'm no a la carte democrat.

While a united Ireland will not be the immediate outcome of Sinn Fein becoming the largest party in Stormont over the DUP, an eyes will be on the latter to see if they will accept the democratic mandate of the people.

Having collapsed the previous Executive, rumblings that the DUP would collapse the new one before it has even begun as they may refuse to be second-in-command to Sinn Fein have been growing.

The Northern Ireland Protocol that brought a sea border between Northern Ireland and Britain following Brexit has also been a sharp bone of contention for them.

Indeed it has been suggested that the DUP would also collapse the new Executive because of their dissatisfaction of the Protocol.

Kyle Paisley, the son of the late Ian Paisley who founded and led the DUP , posted on Twitter that: Northern Ireland needs a functioning government as soon as possible. London will do nothing for unionists on the protocol, except break their word time and again.

Being a la carte democrats is not an option for the DUP. However, unpalatable an election result or the NI Protocol maybe to them, the North needs a functioning Executive.

Because in four year's time, if the DUP felt they didn't have a good day this week, they may well have a worse one come the next Assembly Election.

But for now, this weekend belongs to Sinn Fein.

One day a united Ireland may come and those in Foyle, East Derry, Mid-Ulster et al could well be electing TD's to Dublin instead of MLAs to Stormont.

If that happens, then this weekend could well be the pivotal moment where the path to unity began.

Get more updates from the Derry Now, Derry News, County Derry Post Live Blog: https://tinyurl.com/4u8w7sn4


Minister Byrne speech at The European Conference on Democracy and Human Rights

Speech

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Session I: Protecting the European order: How can we expect rules to be respected when judgments of breaches of these rules are not properly implemented?

Mayor of Kristiansand, Jan Oddvar Skisland

President of the National Assembly, Masud Gharahkhani

Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Bjrn Berge

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Ladies and gentlemen

Kjre venner.

The bridges - and imagined bridges - of Kristiansand have drawn world acclaim.

But a quarter century ago, in Oslo, an Irishman from Derry spoke of another bridge.

Accepting the Nobel Prize for Peace from King Harald, John Hume recalled his frequent walks, as a member of the European Parliament, across the bridge spanning Strasbourg and Kehl.

A symbol, he marvelled, so simple yet so profound and so applicable to conflict resolution anywhere in the world.

While attending the Conference on the Future of Europe in Strasbourg last week, I had the opportunity to visit that same bridge which Hume referred to in his speech. As I crossed the Pont de lEurope from Strasbourg into Kehl, I was struck by how immediately one transitioned from a French community to a German community. Signposts changed, car registrations changed and the architecture around us changed. The Pont de lEurope bridges different communities but communities which share a Union built on common values and goals.

In his Nobel address, Hume observed that, in essence, all conflict is about difference.

But while some see difference as a threat, he - like the visionaries who bridged the Rhine - recognised that, in fact, difference is the essence of humanity.

And that the answer to difference is to respect it.

That, to me, is the essence of the Council of Europe. And the European Court of Human Rights which has always been our guiding compass.

Today, amidst war in Ukraine, and following Russias expulsion, the Council - the European continent itself - stands at a crossroads.

At a crossroads, we need a compass.

And to stand by first principles.

This Europe Day, Ireland celebrates our fiftieth year as a member of the EU.

But long before we joined the Union, we lived  and shaped  its values.

In 1949, alongside Norway, Ireland was amongst the original signatories to the Statute that created the Council of Europe and the European Convention and Court of Human Rights.

Ever since, alongside Norway, weve worked to buttress those vital institutions. And the fundamental freedoms they enshrine.

It was at Irelands initiative that a commitment to the pursuit of peace was added to the preamble to the Statute.

And its the pursuit of peace, and accountability for its violation, which occupies our minds most today.

But long before Russias latest unconscionable assault, we must recognise that the values the Council espouses have been under sustained attack.

For far too long, far too many governments across our continent have copied the Kremlin in contriving to narrow the space for civil society. Silence journalists. And repress dissenting voices.

Our European House, as Thorbjrn Jagland once memorably termed it, has been under sustained siege.

Ireland helped lay the foundations for that House.

And, as a founding member, working with and through our friends in Strasbourg, we hope to use our Presidency of the Committee of Ministers to reinforce them.

Above all, we will work to renew our focus on the protection of vulnerable civilians across Europe through the effective functioning of the Court.

No country is perfect. Although Norway comes close.

In Ireland, weve had our share of judgments.

Some were historic.

Several, in their time, were contentious.

But, by protecting individuals rights - by respecting difference, as Hume had it - those judgments spurred our state to reform. And our society to evolve.

Norris v Ireland, decided in 1988, is but one example of such a judgment. In that instance, the European Court of Human Rights found that the Irish legal prohibitions on male homosexual activity contravened Article 8 of the Convention and violated David Norris right to respect for private life.

The judgment in Norris v Ireland, now studied by many law students, held up a mirror to Irish society at that time. That reflection has, thankfully, now changed.

In 1993, legislation to effectively decriminalise homosexuality in Ireland was passed and in 2015, Ireland became the first State in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by way of referendum.

David Norris, the successful applicant in that landmark judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, today sits as a member of the Seanad, our Parliaments Upper Chamber, as its longest-serving Senator. His legal counsel in that case, Mary Robinson, later went on in 1997 to be elected as President of Ireland, as our first female Head of State.

Norris v Ireland is a judgment which spurred our state to reform. The hope for an Ireland, in which love is regarded as equal, has I am glad to say, been realised. Indeed the Irish word for love is gra and as we like to say in Ireland, gra is now the law.

Economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson have written of a narrow corridor through which nations develop  with an effective, responsive state on one side, held accountable by an engaged civil society and independent judiciary on the other.

Irelands social, cultural, and economic progress these past decades has been down that corridor. Our nation state emerged through revolution and civil war but ultimately, adherence for the rule of law and human rights values enabled us to progress socially, culturally and economically.

And, in our journey from isolation to integration, weve been steered by the standards set by the Council. And the judgments issued by the Court. By what our President, Michael D Higgins, once hailed as the Conscience of Europe.

Our path along the narrow corridor has not always been smooth.

And its demanded changes of our state  in institutions and in mind set.

But as George Bernard Shaw, another Irish Nobel Laureate, observed, Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

At a point of profound change and challenge on the European continent, Ireland will bring that experience to bear later this month as we take the helm of the Committee of Ministers for a seventh time.

The Committee has many vital duties. But none is more vital than to ensure the effective implementation of the Courts judgments.

Every one rejected is a rejection of the rule of law.

A violation of human rights.

A dismissal of the fundamental freedoms to which all signatories to the Statute have committed.

And for which the people of Ukraine are today fighting.

Why are these freedoms so precious? Why are the Courts judgments so essential?

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya knows why.

She and I have spoken many times now. And last year we had the privilege of welcoming her back to Ireland. Where, as a youngster, like many compatriots, she spent many happy summers.

For while Belarus is not a member of the Council of Europe, the democratic opposition she leads, and which so many brave Belarussians back, live the institutions best principles.

For that reason, and others, alongside the expulsion of the Russian Federation, I welcomed the Councils decision to suspend relations with the Lukashenko regime.

Looking forward, even as I do, to the day when the great doors of the Palais de l'Europe open once more to a free and democratic Belarus.

But let me say a word, before I close, about the work of two of them - Thibaut Bruttin, of Reporters Sans Frontieres, and William Horsley, of the Association of European Journalists.

In Kyiv, Kenon, and Kharkiv these past months, weve all witnessed war crimes.

Indiscriminate, unconscionable targeting of civilians. Probable use of cluster munitions. Barely veiled threats of nuclear action.

Across our screens, in real time, weve watched terrified children huddle in makeshift bunkers. Bus shelters and market squares crumble under sustained shelling.

Weve seen the drawn, disbelieving faces of pensioners forced from their homes.

The stoic dignity of the sons and daughters whove stayed behind to defend them.

Weve marvelled at the measured calm - and immeasurable courage - of President Zelensky. A leader who inspires men and women, where his Russian counterpart inspires only fear.

And watching this, it has been clear that, while the bombs rain down on Ukraine, in important ways, we must act like we are all under attack.

That we could witness this outrage  and start, in some small way, to make sense of it  we owe, in large measure, to Europes journalists.

There can be no freedom without a free press.

But too often, for the bravest of us, that freedom comes at a steep price.

To record Ukraines resistance and document Russias tyranny, our journalists have risked their lives. Many have lost them.

Amongst their number was photographer Pierre Zakrzewski.

Born in Paris, raised in Dublin, Pierre died in the village of Horenka, outside Kyiv, on 14 March, after Russian artillery rained down upon his press vehicle.

A fellow journalist, twenty-four year old Sasha Kuvshynova, died in the same brutal assault.

Pierre has been laid to rest in Ireland.

But his legacy  and that of Sasha, and all those William and Thibaut represent  is that knowledge of the crimes perpetrated in Ukraine will forever be with us.

We owe it to him  to all of them  not to let that knowledge fester into anger. Rather to turn it, as Pierre did in life, to purposeful action.

Mine venner, I began by quoting one brilliant Derry man. Let me end reciting another.

In two celebrated verses from The Cure at Troy, the Irish Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney, often cited by President Biden, wrote:

Human beings suffer

They torture one another,

They get hurt and get hard.

No poem or play or song

Can fully right a wrong

Inflicted and endured.

History says, Dont hope

On this side of the grave

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

Of justice can rise up,

And hope and history rhyme"

Now, like many here today, Im a lawyer by training.

I know too well that law and politics are more prose than poetry.

That the pursuit of rights jars more than it rhymes.

That justice is less the work of one great wave, than of a thousand tributary streams.

But, as a human being, I know too that it is no less real, no less necessary, no less longed-for, for all that.

And that for many suffering across this continent, the Court of Human Rights represents a last, best hope.

The Council, the Convention and the Court defend their rights.

So, its only right that we, as proud Europeans, should defend them.

That is the conviction I know my fellow panellists share.

And the conviction with which Ireland will assume this Presidency term.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh.

A thousand thanks.

Tusen takk!

 Previous Item | Next Item 
So, what did Elon do this time?

Well, it looks like Elon Musk is at it again. The billionaire shocked the world a week ago when he outright purchased Twitter. This basically led to the formation of anti-Musk and pro-Musk factions who then went to war with each other. You can read all bout that here. Its been about a week since the purchase and Elon isnt slowing down at all. Just recently, in a bid to point out the illogical existence of NFTs, he copied and pasted a supposed NFT to this profile picture on Twitter. Again, this brought out the worst of the two factions as defenders rushed to explain why this wasnt a big deal while the anti-Musk faction decided that Elon was the anti-christ and was the greatest abuser of copyright the world has ever seen. Hyperbolic, sure, but this is the kind of vitriol and adoration he commands.

Elon Musk vs NFTs

Before we go any further, lets just briefly recap what exactly an NFT is. In laymans terms, an NFT is a non-fungible token, which means that it cannot be replicated without breaking copyright. On a personal note, I think that NFTs are another scam in a long line of people trying to monetize free information. What stops someone from the Fiji islands from posting an NFT from America? Nothing. The entire debate has become this convoluted mess of blockchains and security that is just not going to interest the regular person. The fact that anyone has to use blockchain for an image is insanity. You can literally just save the image and repost it!

So, when Elon posted the NFT in question, it caused a whirlwind of the hottest takes on the internet. You can always rely on good old Twitter to hit you with some of the wildest opinions youll ever hear. Freedom of speech, and all. The artist who designed the NFT even tweeted at Elon asking him for credit for the image. Musk has not responded yet. Sure, credit where credit is due but is that image really worth the pixels its printed on? Were not too sure.

@elonmusk as much I admire your work Id like you to remove your pfp that I created for our Sothebys sale. Or you credit me . Happy to send you the original file minted with the buyer approval pic.twitter.com/e83ZyxWGH5  Michael Bouhanna (@michaelbouhanna) May 4, 2022

Look, the internet is a wild place and nothing stays hidden for too long. You can't stop piracy. Its a fools errand. Pirates will always be one step ahead of the law. Take a look at how torrents have stayed alive all this time. Again, we neither condone nor promote piracy, but even we cannot deny that its impossible to stop the wave. The minute a show is out on a streaming platform, you can be sure to find it on a torrent site. Its inevitable. In a way, piracy does protect older content from fading away but the fact of the matter is that it is incredibly easy to pirate any kind of content, and that included images and NFTs. No amount of block chaining is going to stop a person from just taking a screenshot of said image and reposting it. As mentioned above, are you going to chase down a fella all the way in the middle of nowhere to get him to pay for your NFT?

As usual, Twitter had a lot to say about the incident and weve picked out some of the choicest tweets for you!

I think the point of him using it was to demonstrate how pointless nft's really are in the real world. pic.twitter.com/mvaam4ediy  Luke best (@Lukebest316) May 4, 2022

Henlo, jpeg police? Yes hes using not one, but many - yes I know its his platform, but he doesnt have the ownership on the blockchain! pic.twitter.com/gX5XBkXY0o  Holland Cedar Capital Management (@hollandcedarcap) May 4, 2022

He is trolling you! - right click > save > upload  bitbeast.eth (@bitbeast_) May 4, 2022
Subscriber content preview

By KEN SWEET

AP Business Writer

NEW YORK  The three major U.S. banking regulators said Thursday they a plan to rewrite much of the outdated regulations tied to a decades-old banking law designed to encourage lending to the poor and racial minorities in the areas where banks have branches.

The stated aim of the overhaul of the Community Reinvestment Act by the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is to strengthen and modernize the law and end years of uncertainty about its regulations for both the banking industry and advocates for traditionally underserved communities.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

By NICK PERRY

Associated Press

iStock image [enlarge] The country has long been renowned for its breathtaking scenery and adventure tourism.





WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years Monday after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions.





. . .
Several yellow-breasted buntings were spotted at a wetland of Chaohu Lake in east China's Anhui Province, the fifth largest freshwater lake in the country.

The rare birds were photographed by Hu Wenxiang, a photography enthusiast, when he visited the wetland on April 30.

"I've never seen this kind of bird before," said Hu, who later shared the photos in a WeChat group focused on bird research at Chaohu Lake.

Hu was surprised to learn that the birds were yellow-breasted buntings, a first-class protected species in China.

Hefei City, where the lake is located, has taken a number of measures to strengthen the protection of 10 major wetlands around Chaohu Lake in recent years, including banning human activities such as fishing, land reclamation and waste dumping in the protected zones.

More species of rare birds, such as billed dowitchers, Mongolian plovers, grey plovers and Siberian rubythroats, have been spotted at the lake as the environment improves, according to Yu Lei, vice president of the Anhui provincial rare bird protection workers union.




Artists and Creative Arts Workers interested in applying for the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme must submit an application before the deadline of 1pm next Thursday May 12.

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media opened the application portal in mid-April and has been receiving a large number of applications since then.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht and Media, Catherine Martin said:

When I launched the Basic income for the Arts scheme on April 5, I encouraged all artists and creative arts workers to apply for the scheme which will see 2,000 eligible applicants receive 325 a week for 3 years.

"It is encouraging to see the level of enthusiasm for this scheme from the sector and applications are coming in at a steady pace. I encourage anyone who is eligible who has not yet applied to register and submit your application well in advance of the 1pm deadline on Thursday May 12.

The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will run over a three year period (2022  2025) and will be open to eligible artists and creative arts sector workers.

The overarching objective of the scheme is to address the earnings instability that can be associated with the intermittent, periodic, and often project-based nature of work in the arts. The scheme will research the impact on artists and creative arts workers creative practice of providing the security of a basic income, thereby reducing income precarity.

Applicants should read the Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions pages before applying through the online portal. All are available through www.gov.ie/basicincomearts.

Applicants should gather their supporting documentation (as outlined in the Guidelines) in advance of applying. There is also a short video to assist with applications and a voicemail service and dedicated email are available to those who may need assistance with using the online portal.
The creme de la creme of Irish traditional music is taking to the Inishowen stage for a concert in aid of the Gavin Glynn Foundation.

The foundation helps families who are fighting childhood cancer in Ireland to travel overseas for treatment.

The concert, which is taking place in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, on Friday, May 13, at 7.30pm, is a 'Thank You' to the foundation from Burnfoot's Eimear and Thomas Strain, whose young daughter, Caitlin, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year.

The funds raised will go towards helping the Gavin Glynn Foundation continue their amazing work.

The artists performing on the night include: Gerry OConnor, Ciaran Tourish, Cathal Hayden and Kevin Doherty, Thomas Strain and Ciaran OKane, Brid Harper, Roisin McGrory, Paul Harrigan and Michael Gallanagh, Martin McGinley, Edel McLaughlin, Clodagh Warnock and Jack Warnock, Teresa McClure, Siobhan Peoples, and Blackie OConnell.

Speaking to Inish Times, Caitlin's uncle and godfather, Fabian Gibson described the Gavin Glynn Foundation as absolutely amazing.

Fabian said: They reached out to Eimear and Thomas when they heard about Caitlin's diagnosis. Caitlin underwent her initial treatment in Temple Street Hospital in Dublin and, after that, Eimear and Thomas were told they were going to Germany, so Caitlin could receive further treatment. The Gavin Glynn Foundation just looked after everything. And they continued to support and look after the family while they were in Germany.

Eimear and Thomas had always said they would try and do something for the Foundation, so that is why the fundraising concert has been organised.

Tickets for the concert cost 20 and they are available at the Inishowen Gateway Hotel.

Encouraging as many people as possible to come along as it promises to be a fantastic night.

According to Fabian, Caitlin who is now nine years old is doing amazingly well given all she has been through.

She spent 8 weeks in Germany where she received proton radiotherapy and she recently just completed nine months of chemotherapy in Crumlin Hospital in Dublin.

Caitlin is happy she has been able to go back to school, St Aengus' NS in Bridgend, because she gets to be with all of her friends. I think her bubbly personality has really stood to her throughout.

The family would also like to acknowledge the continued help and support which they have received from the local community and businesses.
Donegal are back in action again this weekend when they face Cavan in the TG4 Ulster Ladies Senior Championship semi-final in Clones, 1:45pm.



The game was originally down to be played last weekend but was put back a week and it is the curtain raiser to the Ulster Senior Championship quarter-final meeting of Donegal and Cavan.



Donegal go into the championship of a good Lidl Division One league that included wins over Galway and Westmeath in the group stages and Dublin in the semi-final before a narrow loss to All-Ireland champions Meath in the final.



Donegal came within a kick of a ball of claiming a first league title in their very first final. Meath claimed the honours with a narrow 2-8 to 1-9 win in Croke Park. The only other game they lost in the league was their group game against Mayo.





It was a good league campaign, manager Maxi Curran said. We got Yvonne Bonner and Niamh Hegarty back for the latter stages and we brought a number of young players through - Roisin Rodgers, Shona McFadden, Tara Hegarty and Susie While all broke into the team in the league.



They now have a campaign behind them and the experience of beating Dublin and playing in Croke Park against the All-Ireland champions. So all in all it was a good campaign. 



Cavan played in Division 2 of the league and won just one of their group games which was enough to retain their league status.



But they are no strangers to Donegal. They have met as recently as last year at the same stage, with Currans team winning 6-16 to 2-17 at Breffni Park. In 2019, it took extra-time for Donegal to progress in a dramatic 0-24 to 2-13 success. Those meetings were real battles and I expect no different this Sunday, Curran added.
Success and the hard work at the Balor Arts Centre in Ballybofey were celebrated last Sunday night at a Gala Evening which was held at the venue.

The event was held to honour the Butt Drama Circles All Ireland winning production of the play In Other Words by Matthew Seager, directed by Monica Doherty, which swept the boards at the finals in December, winning Best Play, Best Actor and Best Actress.

This event was held, not just to honour the award-winning production, cast and crew, director Monica Doherty, actors JC Bonar and Alice Gildea, stage manager Shaun Lafferty, sound engineer Ciaran ONeill and Shaun Duffy, lighting designer, but also the funders and supporters of the Balor Arts Centre and the Butt Drama Circle.

Because of the vital support from the audiences and funders of the Balor Arts Centre, the Butt Drama Circle continues to develop and produce these award winnings shows.

This is currently witnessed on the 2022 Three Act Festival with the success of the All Ireland finalist production of An Incident with Dave Cotter, currently showing this Wednesday and Thursday, May 4 and 5 at the Balor, before heading to compete in Athlone at the RTE All Ireland 2022 Three Act Finals.

Bernadette Thompson, chairperson, Butt Drama Circle, Cllr Niamh Kennedy, Chairperson, Donegal LCDC, Adrienne Kelly and Margaret Fitzgerald, Community Section, Donegal Co Council, Jack Quinn, treasurer, Butt Drama Circle and Conor Malone, manager, Balor Arts Centre at the Gala Evening last Sunday night.

Bernadette Thompson, chairperson, Butt Drama Circle stated that both the Balor Arts Centre and Butt Drama Circle would like to thank, not only its audiences but the institutions whose support is the lifeblood that has kept the drama and musical lifeblood flowing, especially and none so more importantly, throughout the pandemic.

She thanked all who attended the performance and celebratory event of In Other Words with special mention to The Arts Council; Department of Social Protection; Department of Rural and Community Development; Donegal LCDC; members of Donegal County Council; Cultural Services, Donegal County Council; Community Services, Donegal County Council;

Donegal Local Development CLG and the wider public that came along to support the Balor and all its productions.
A fantastic programme for artists to work with children in Donegal schools is now open for applications.

The Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD Programme (TAP) gives artists in all art forms the opportunity to broaden their practice, receive training and project fees, develop creative partnerships with teachers, and transform the lives of children. It is being run in every county in Ireland, including Donegal.

It is a Creative Ireland, Department of Education led and approved Summer Course offering fully paid training and in-school residence opportunities. Artists will work within primary school settings and develop partnerships with creative teachers. Training will take place in Donegal Education Centre in July.

The programme is open to artists, working in any art form, who are committed to sharing their practice with children and teachers in a modern primary school environment

It offers specialist, week-long training (July 4 to 8) based in County Donegal Education Centre Support Centre to prepare the artist for the unique requirements of working harmoniously in partnership with a teacher within the modern Irish classroom.

A training allowance of 150 per day over the initial five-day training/induction week (750 in total) will be paid, as will travel with daily lunch provided.

It supports brokerage and development of partnerships with creative teachers in schools committed to contemporary arts learning, practice and creativity.

Artists are guaranteed a paid, follow up in-school-residency within a local primary school (1,000 Fee total inclusive of Travel) to carry out a 20-hour project (14 contact hours plus 6 hours planning, preparation and evaluation) in partnership with your teacher partner throughout the 2022/2023 academic year.

The programme includes information, learning and networking opportunities for further freelance work within the education system.

Each artist must

 have a track record of a minimum of three years professional practice in any art form

 demonstrate an interest in / commitment to: the principles of Arts-in-Education and Creativity and to enhancing the lives of children through arts practice

 be willing to learn about modern classroom culture and to work in equal partnership with teachers

 Combine a sense of fun, joy and collaboration with professional dedication and high artistic vision

 Be willing to undertake child protection training as part of the induction week, and undergo standard Garda vetting before taking up project placements.

Expressions of interest should be sent to Donegal Education Centre, admin@donegaledcentre.ie by May 27. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of maximum 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short Bio with links to images or samples of relevant work. The letter should set out:1. Where you trained

2. A very brief description of your practice

3. Why you might wish to work in partnership with a teacher and with children in a school setting

4. What you think qualifies you to take up this opportunity.

Places on this national Creative Ireland CPD initiative, taking place in the local full-time Education Support Centre training programmes, are limited to four artists per year  four Artists per Summer Course. Final decision on offers of places will be taken by the Director of the local Education Centre in collaboration with the Local Authority Arts Office.

All completed Expressions of Interest/Applications must be returned to Donegal Education Centre, Floor 2/3, Pier 1, Quay Street, Donegal Town, Co Donegal

Phone 074 9723487, email admin@donegaledcentre.ie

Successful artists will be contacted by(Donegal Education Support Centre to participate in the training and to deliver a subsequent partnership residency project.
Things are looking up in Donegal after Emerald Airlines, the exclusive operator of the Aer Lingus Regional network, and operator of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) air route between Donegal and Dublin, announced today that there had been a record number of passengers travelling between both regions for the month of April.

Commenting on the announcement, Ciaran Smith, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines, said:

Were delighted to have carried a record number of passengers for the month of April, travelling between Donegal and Dublin. It is clear to see that recovery is well and truly underway.

"We had always envisioned this route to be a popular one for those travelling for business and leisure purposes, not to mention with the vitality of enabling access to national centres of excellence for healthcare.

"Forward bookings on the route are also looking positive as we near the summer months. Enabling same-day trips to and from Donegal, we envision the summer months to only increase the popularity of this route.

"As we are continuing to see a large demand for passengers travelling for leisure purposes to Donegal, we are hopeful that a bumper Summer season is in store for the tourism industry in the region  we are proud to be helping facilitate that.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton, added:

"I would like to congratulate Emerald Airlines on a promising start since commencing the operation of the Exchequer funded Donegal/Dublin PSO air services on February 26. I am pleased to see that passenger numbers have not only returned but have exceeded pre Covid-19 passenger levels on this route.

"As aviation enters the recovery period, the importance of this air service, in providing the people and businesses in the North-West with daily air services to Dublin to attend medical and other important appointments, is more evident than ever. As well as supporting the economy, growing this route will also provide a welcome boost to tourism in the region."

Managing Director of Donegal Airport, Eilis Docherty commented: We are delighted with the positive growth in passenger numbers since Emerald Airlines commenced flights on 26th February 2022 and anticipating further growth over the summer, we expect passenger numbers to meet or exceed pre-pandemic (2019) levels by year end.

Emerald Airlines was selected as the exclusive operator of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) air route between Donegal and Dublin, providing an essential air link between the North West and Dublin in the absence of a motorway or rail network in the region.

Emerald Airlines operates the Donegal-Dublin route using Aer Lingus flight numbers and the Aer Lingus brand franchise using the 72-seater ATR 72-600. This advanced ATR72 turboprop has a significant fuel burn and environmental advantage over all regional jets and turboprops in its class, emitting up to 40% less CO2 on short, regional flights.

For full details see website: https://www.emeraldairlines.com/
A US community leader, renowned for helping people and neighbourhoods in need, was honoured at a special reception at County House in Lifford this week.

Billy Higgins of South Boston is visiting Donegal this week to further his support of Ballaghderg Pre-School in Letterkenny - a facility which caters for children with special needs.

At an event in Lifford on Tuesday, the Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr. Jack Murray, presented Mr Higgins with a fabulous throw from Magees of Donegal Town and thanked Billy for all his work to date in supporting Donegal.

"I am delighted to welcome Billy Higgins to the County House here in Lifford today," he said.

"Billy has been a fine friend to Donegal County Council for many years and Im delighted to present Billy with this token of our gratitude.



A presentation is made to Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr. Jack Murray by Billy Higgins

Mr Higgins presented the Cathaoirleach with a declaration of friendship between Boston and Donegal which was issued by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Also present were Leas-Cathaoirleach Cllr. Martin McDermott, Cllr. Ciaran Brogan and Liam Ward, Director of Community Development and Planning Services.
The Government's removal of long-term funding from City of Derry Airport has been challenged.

Donegal TD, Padraig Mac Lochlainn said the resumption of funding was essential.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn said a total of 40% of the passengers who use City of Derry Airport are from Donegal. The airport has connections to London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and a number of other locations in Europe.

An Taoiseach knows, the geography of Donegal means that people in Inishowen, Letterkenny and Finn Valley use City of Derry Airport and those in the rest of the country would use the airport in West Donegal, Deputy Mac Lochlainn said. We have not seen the delivery of the A5 project. That whole party has been a heartbreaker.

It just has not come through. We do not have a rail connection from the fourth largest city, with half a million people, to our capital city of Dublin. There is no motorway, no rail connection and, for the past ten years, no air connection.

This project is essential and I appeal to the Taoiseach to work with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to whom, as well as to the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, to whom I spoke in the Chamber on April 26.

I made the same appeal to them that they work together with the Taoiseach, through the shared island initiative, to deliver funding to the airport.

That would mean we can get this region of half a million people to connect to Dublin Airport and the rest of the world. It is not just about commuting to Dublin.

It is about connecting to the rest of the world and ensuring tourists and the rest of the world can connect, through Dublin, on to Derry and into the north west. It is vital. It is about equality of access. I know the Taoiseach understands this but we really need the issue to be tackled once and for all. It has been ten years of delays and we need it sorted out.

Replying to Deputy Mac Lochlainn, An Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he had recently had a worthwhile visit to Derry, meeting with the North West Regional Development Group.

He said: The specific issue of City of Derry Airport was raised by the group. I will engage further with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the matter.

We would be interested in working on it with the aviation authorities and airlines to get a service going. It would be a good idea to get a service going between Derry and Dublin because there is the issue of connectivity generally around the north west.

The Minister has commissioned, and the shared island unit is funding, an all-island railway feasibility study. We are prepared to fund the A5 but it seems bogged down in planning issues.

I take Deputy Mac Lochlainn's point about the connectivity issue, that if you can get a flight to Dublin, you can get flights across Europe and the world more generally. I would be anxious to work with all concerned to see if we can advance that. I am very struck by the cohesion within the north-west region. The group was chaired by the DUP, and all political parties were represented.

The group has been working for quite a long time on economic and social issues, health, education and so forth. I had a very good visit to Altnagelvin Hospital. Previous governments have put 19 million into the cancer treatment centre in Altnagelvin.

I saw the cardiac cath labs there, which are available to people in the north west, Donegal in particular. It just makes a lot of sense to try to support such groups, and the shared island unit stands ready to do that, the Taoiseach said.
Thirteen venues all over Donegal will welcome thousands of supporters for this year's Darkness Into Light fundraising walk for Pieta.

The event will take place as the sun rises this coming Saturday, May 7 with gatherings happening in Arranmore island, Ballybofey-Stranorlar, Buncrana, Bundoran, Carndonagh, Carrick, Carrigart, Donegal Town, Gweedore, Letterkenny, Narin-Portnoon, Rathmullan, and Tory Island.

Each area has planned routes and everyone taking part are advised to contact their local organisers to find out the specifics.

Pieta was established to provide free, accessible one-to-one counselling to people suffering from suicidal ideation, engaging in self-harm, or to those bereaved by suicide.

In 2021 alone, the 24/7 Pieta Helpline received almost 100,000 calls and texts and close to 2,000 crisis calls and texts each week.

In response, each month, the team at Pieta provides over 4,000 hours of suicide and self-harm crisis therapy.

Each year the walk provides an opportunity for people to connect with their local community and to bring hope to people who have been impacted by suicide.

The team of dedicated volunteers throughout Donegal return year on year to make the event a success and to help continue to raise awareness and hope in the global fight against suicide and self-harm.

Since Darkness Into Light began, our supporters have helped us raise almost 29 million, which has enabled us to keep our doors and our 24/7 helpline open for people in crisis, free of charge.

In 2012, our first international event took place in London, and since then our international partner charities, from Seoul to Spain and New Zealand to the Netherlands, have benefited from an investment of over 3.5 million in local mental health support services.

Speaking on the importance of the event in supporting the ongoing work that Pieta undertakes across Ireland, Sinead Price, fundraising and marketing director for the organisation said every day, seven additional teenagers come to Pieta for one-to-one support.

"Darkness into Light is vital for fundraising, raising awareness, and bringing people together across the globe in the spirit of solidarity, comfort, and compassion.

Social connection is the heartbeat of Pieta so we are delighted to have our organised events back this May.
Want to befriend someone with an intellectual disability for a year?

Then come along to a coffee morning in Carndonagh next Wednesday (May 11) morning to find out more.

The Social Buddies event kicks off at 11.30am at Spraoi agus Sport in Unit 10, Supervalu Shopping Centre.

Spraoi agus Sport Social Buddies Co-Ordinator, Caroline McDaid says the initiative aims to offer extra support to people attending intellectual disability (ID) day services.

In particular, it aims to help them gain more social support outside the day service hours. We also hope that volunteers will help them make more friendships in the local community, Caroline explained.

Caroline says the ID service users are matched with volunteers of similar age/location and interests.

Becoming a volunteer is a personally rewarding way to gain work experience and give back to the community. Volunteers are Garda vetted and receive training as part of the service.

Volunteers give their time to enable those ID day services to socialise and attend activities in their communities. Volunteers have a great opportunity to make new friends, increase their skills and confidence, and enhance future job prospects.

Caroline says many of their clients are young adults who often lack opportunities to form relationships with others their age in their community. So, we are especially asking young people over 18 to get involved to encourage these vital peer-to-peer experiences.

Volunteer Ireland are hosting the volunteering opportunity in all their centres in this region. For further information please contact the Social Buddies Coordinator, Caroline McDaid at: carolinemd@spraoiagussport.ie
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
Cathaoirleach of Dundalk Municipal District, Cllr Maria Doyle, told members at the Municipal District's May meeting, that to lose 100,000 funding that was meant for the progression of footpaths on the Rock Road in Blackrock, is "just really shocking".

Cllr Doyle said to members at the May meeting that she received an email the Friday before the bank holiday weekend to say that the Rock Road footpaths would not be proceeding. 100,000 had been secured by Blackrock Tidy Towns through the Town and Village scheme in 2020 but would now have to be returned to the Department of Rural and Community Development because the project had not been completed in time.

The Fine Gael councillor told the meeting that residents along the road had been notified of the plans for the footpaths and designs had been drawn up, and that she had assisted in the project as much as she could, along with Blackrock Tidy Towns as funding applicants. "To lose 100,000 funding for a community project like that is just really shocking", Cllr Doyle commented.

In response, Director of Services, Mr Paddy Donnelly, said that it is very unfortunate that they have had to return funding for this project as "unfortunately the land ownesrhip cannot be confirmed", and that "the Department have a time limit on the funding and we must return the funding. It is very unfortunate."

Mr Donnelly added that there are a number of other projects in the county where land ownership is a challenge and will have the same outcome because "the Department are quite clear that if we haven't used the funding within a period we must return the funding. We have no option."

Cllr Doyle asked Mr Donnelly what was done to try and confirm the land ownership but he replied to say that he did not have the details but he understood there was a long engagement with land owners to secure the appropriate authority to use the land. "The ownership must be clarified before we can proceed with the work and draw down the money", he added.

Cllr Doyle went on to say that they had hoped that the funding would have allowed the footpaths to be continued as far as Rock Road East and that the issues were mainly hedges that needed to be set back, commenting that it was a pity that they could not have done most of the footpaths and left gaps, which would not have been ideal, she admits. She added that it was very disappointing to get an email to say the project was being pulled without any explanation was very disappointing.

Mr Donnelly replied to say that it was not possible under the scheme to complete parts and they would have to complete the entire scheme and that setting back hedges requires consent from the landowners. He also apologised for the shortness of the detail in the email sent out but said it was unfair to criticise the day the email was sent out because the the team "don't look at what day of the week it is" when sending our correspondence.

Cllr Doyle spoke to the Dundalk Democrat following the meeting, where she outlined her shock at finding out the funding was being pulled. "The Town and Village funding does have a time frame attached to it but with Covid that was pushed out", she said, and that "I wasn't under any impression that it was going to be pulled or anything like that. I thought it was imminent, even so far as that the letters had gone out to the residents. The email I got just said it was cancelled  it didn't give any further information".

She went on to say that "as far as I was aware, and I have detailed conversations with the engineers, for all of it, its just on the curtilage of the road, its on the side of the road but some part of it may be hedges may need to have been cut back or set back slightly, but I didn't think there was any need to requisition land."

Cllr Doyle acknowledged that for the project now to go ahead, "land ownership is the biggest issue. Part of the Town and Village scheme is that you need community support  it was Blackrock Tidy Towns that made the funding application because it has to be a community group. I worked with them on that. I had a couple meetings as well a few years back in the community centre and had a petition, and all that was included in part of these applications as well to show that this had community support. I don't know the full reason why and I will be submitting a question to the Department to find out more details because the information I have from the Council doesn't give me specifics."

"100,000  it's terrible and it's gone back into the Departments coffers", she adds."It's not even that it can be used elsewhere in Louth for a similar or different project. It's gone, it's lost to Louth. There was two years to complete this project. It could have been completed within that time.

"The funding that we were allocated, probably wasn't enough for the CPO process, if that was required, we were hoping for community support on it. I think it had community support. Since I started on Louth County Council in 2014. When working in Blackrock, it was probably the single most frequent request was footpaths on the Rock Road, which is why I've set about working on this since 2014.

"A lot of people walk there and a lot of people even go out to Blackrock to walk who aren't even from Blackrock. It wasn't only for people who wanted to walk for leisure [reasons], really it was for the children and elderly people too, that they didn't have to walk on a grass verge on the side of a road, that they would have a safe walking route."

Commenting on Mr Donnelly taking issue with people complaining about the timing of the announcement, Cllr Doyle said "I had been in communication regularly with council staff on this for several years, and to get told in a group email without any explanation, with no one picking up the phone, or even including in the email the reason why, and having to go back again after, I would say, eight years of work on it."

With regards the future of the project Cllr Doyle said that "the majority of the funding came through community group and myself trying to source that funding for the project, nationally. But we're not engineers, we need the council to execute the project. I'll be pushing the council to provide the funding to do the footpath properly."

Cllr Doyle concluded by saying that she hopes "the project overall isn't dead in the water", adding that "I think we should never ever as a local authority come to the stage where we are sending money back that we cannot use, when we should be able to use it."
Louth Independent TD, Peter Fitzpatrick, tackled An Taoiseach on housing during Leaders Questions in the Dail this week, saying that "vacant properties are there and we are not availing of them".

Deputy Fitzpatrick said in his contribution that when raising the issue of housing with the Government "it seems we are only paying lip service at this stage". He continued, saying that "the war in Ukraine has had a devastating effect on the people of Ukraine and Ireland has once more risen to the challenge and taken in refugees in a time of need. Great effort continues to be made in housing, and also with the many thousands of refugees coming to our country from Ukraine. I completely support all the efforts that have been made to find accommodation for refugees from Ukraine.

"Why is the same effort is not being made to tackle the housing crisis here in Ireland? I have lost count of the number of times I have raised this issue in the House. Vacant properties are there and we are not availing of them. The biggest issue I deal with in my constituency office in Dundalk is housing. On a daily basis, new cases of homelessness are presented to me. The Government is failing on the issue."

He went on to add that "I have called on the Government many times to look at the potential that vacant properties have in addressing the housing crisis. Only this week, I had to deal with a local constituent in the Carlingford area. She is a mother of four children who has been on the housing list for over eight years. She identified a property which is vacant and approached the council. She was subsequently told that the council does not have money or resources to refurbish the property. This is wrong. We are throwing money at every other problem, yet when it comes to refurbishing vacant properties, the council is saying it does not have the funding or resources. It is important that councils are supported in this. If it is the case that they are not being supported, they must be made accountable. "

In response to Deputy Fitzpatrick, Taoiseach Michael Martin said that "the Deputy should go back to the person in question and tell them to go back to the council because the funding is there. I do not know the specifics about the house but that is not on. Very significant capital funding has been given to local authorities to repair housing and vacant properties.

"Due to a very strong initiative taken by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities have brought back 6,000 vacant local authority housing units for people on the social housing list in the nearly two years since the Government came in. That is a fact. There will be a further 2,000 this year."

In his response he added that, "It is wrong to juxtapose the Ukrainian situation with the housing situation. Some 25,000 Ukrainians have come here because there is an unprecedented war."

Deputy Fitzpatrick replied to say that "I have already put on the record my complete support for all the efforts that are being made to find accommodation for the refugees. That is not the problem. The problem I am talking about is with the local authorities. The vacant house to which I referred was left in perfect condition last October. It is now six or seven months later. A year ago, if I had asked the council what the problem was, it would have said it had no money. Now it is saying the problem is resources. Personally, I think the local authorities are not able to do this work."

Replying to Deputy Fitzpatrick, An Taoiseach said that "I accept the Deputy's bona fides and the merits of what he is saying in terms of vacant properties. I will ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to meet the Deputy to discuss vacant properties in his area. We would like to find them, particularly local authority vacant properties. I assure the Deputy that we will do everything we can to get them repaired. I do not want any vacant properties hanging around the place. They should not be hanging around the place."
Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has launched an open-air exhibition on campus which will be on display at the Civic Square on DkITs campus from the 5th to 13th May.

This exhibition We are HEAR brings together the voices and experiences of people seeking refuge in Ireland, through a collection of photographs and stories.

These visuals document some of the barriers faced by refugees and people in the protection process aspiring to further their education.

Dr. Sarah Meaney Sartori, creator and project manager of We are here, HEAR said: This exhibition is about raising awareness about the presence of refugees in Ireland by bringing their voices into public spaces and forums for discussion and engagement.

"In partnership with the Irish Refugee Council, the College Connect team carried out research with over 100 people who have fled their country of origin due to fear of persecution. Many of whom have experienced trauma, torture, violence, exploitation, grief, and loss.

DkIT Vice President for Academic Affairs and Registrar, Dr. Sheila Flanagan said: I am delighted and honoured on behalf of Dundalk Institute of Technology to host this important exhibition which showcases the voices and experiences of people seeking refuge in Ireland through a collection of powerful photographs and stories.

"This exhibition is indeed timely considering the current crisis facing the Ukrainian population.

"In Ireland, we know that horror extremely well as a nation that suffered mass migration through famine in the 1840s that what is at stake for refugees is nothing less than the survival and well-being of a generation of innocents.

"It is not easy to leave ones homeland and start a new life. Behind every migrant family and host community is a story.

"This exhibition gives voice to those who have made that journey so that we as host destinations can develop perspectives and understanding, and a commitment to do things better in the future."

The We are here, HEAR project is funded by the Public Service Innovation Fund and was created by Dr. Sarah Meaney-Sartori with the We are here, HEAR Project Team.

It was then developed by the Maynooth University Access Programme and College Connect in collaboration with Dublin City University, the Irish Refugee Council and Dublin Castle.

The exhibition can also be accessed online at www.weareherehear.ie where people are invited to leave feedback or reflections on the exhibit.

The exhibition will be on display at the 'Civic Square' on DkIT's campus from 5th-13th May.






North Louth Artists return to host their unmissable annual exhibition, entitled Looking Forward, Looking Back in The Basement Gallery, An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk.

The exhibition opens to the public on Friday 20th May and runs until Saturday 11th June 2022.

The highly anticipated show, celebrating the groups 54 years in operation, will feature a collection of paintings, ranging from abstract to photorealism, as well as printmaking, and sculpture in bronze and steel.

North Louth Artists is a group of 14 professional visual artists who have come together to provide mutual support by facilitating and encouraging artistic excellence among its members.

Each individual artist pursues their own professional career, coming together to exhibit annually as a collective.

Formed in 1968 by celebrated Irish landscape artists Nano Reid and Bea Orpen, the network is one of the longest established groups of its kind in the world.

They are recognised both nationally and internationally as producers of original, quality, and contemporary artworks. As a collective they invite well known artists and sculptors to join their annual exhibition as guest artists each year.

The title of this years exhibition Looking Forward, Looking Back, takes inspiration from a painting by Jack B. Yeats, and will be a celebration of the variety of artists on display.

With each artist at a different stage in their career, they look forward to coming together annually to create original new pieces of visual art, whilst also commemorating all they have achieved as a collective in over 50 years.

The North Louth Artists exhibiting include: Ciara Agnew, Derek Bell, Sandra Bell, Anna Campbell, Gerry Clarke, Paula Eigenheer, Robert Kelly, John O Connor, Omin, Rosemary Warren, Irene Woods.

With invited guest artists: Petra Berntsson, Michael Stafford, and Ray Delaney

North Louth Artists said they are delighted to welcome Lynn McGrane, Head of Exhibitions and Collection Services at the National Gallery of Ireland, to formally open the exhibition. Lynn McGrane has said: I am so pleased to have been invited to open North Louth Artists forthcoming show Looking Forward, Looking Back.

North Louth Artists have been firmly established in the fabric of the Irish art scene for many years, inspiring audiences year on year. It will be fantastic to see the works on display and hear more about the processes of the participating artists.

Irene Woods, North Louth Artists has commented: As a collective we are delighted to be celebrating 54 years in operation this year.

Our annual exhibition is the highlight of our calendar, and it is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the variety of artistic disciplines and the breath of talent we have in the northeast of the country.

We hope that our artworks will inspire and delight, and encourage new audiences to support and enjoy Irish art.
Vitalii Ukrainets remembers the day Russia invaded Ukraine as clearly as anyone. He was on holiday with his wife, Yuliya, and knew immediately he had to get his mother and two children out of Odesa to safety.

But beyond this, he needed to rethink the future of his Odesa-based wine business, Ambassador Trade.

Vitalii is currently an EBRD client receiving advisory support on marketing his company via digital tools from the Advice for Small Businesses programme in Ukraine, funded by the European Union. The ongoing support has helped him grow his companys sales and relocate to Europe during the war. The Bank has committed an initial 2 billion resilience package of measures to help citizens, companies and countries affected by the war on Ukraine.

Wine for the times

Vitalii is no newcomer to winemaking. For more than 20 years, he has been supporting the development of the Ukrainian wine market, working with local wine producers to distribute their products at home and abroad. In 2016, partnering with the best winemakers, he founded Ambassador Trade, a trading company that introduced Ukrainians to a new wine concept: boxed wine.

We wanted to help manufacturers take their products to new levels, says Vitalii. In a market as saturated as that of wine, we saw boxed wine as the product that could achieve this.

In just six years, thanks to the new concept, Ambassador Trade grew in ranking from the 36th wine trader in terms of sales in Ukraine to the 6th, while ranking number one in sales of boxed wine.

With a strong hold on Ukraine, Ambassador Trade set its sights on European markets, and requested advisory support from the EBRD to raise its digital presence. We understood the importance of digital tools for reaching new customers, and wanted to grow our brand awareness, explains Vitalii.

Supported by an Odesa-based consultant, Ambassador Trade developed its social media pages, which helped the organisers of the Kyiv Christmas Fair in Kontraktova Square in December 2021 to find the business and invite it to participate. And, thanks to an online tool with e-commerce capabilities developed as part of the project, the company gained substantial new orders from local and European retailers, already achieving to date approximately 25 per cent of last years entire annual sales.

And then the war

Of course the war has impacted our business in Ukraine, says Vitalii. If we usually sell 350-400 tonnes of wine in a given month, in March of this year, we sold only 79 tonnes in the country. Several of the local producers Vitalii works with have ceased operating due to the conflict, and the speed of delivery has become a problem  whereas before a lorry could reach Kyiv from Odesa in a single day, it now takes five to six days due to fuel shortages and road blockages.

But there is positive news as well. Although intended for local promotion, the companys new Facebook page also helped a business partner in Austria, Johann Mullner, to discover Vitalii. The two entered discussions to establish a wine trading business in Austria, and when war broke out, Johann  now a dear friend  was the first to offer to host Vitaliis family and assist with business relocation.

But more importantly, Vitalii got his family to safety in Austria.

It was quite a trek  my mother and children had to cross from Odesa to Romania and then to Bulgaria, while my wife and I had to cross from the Maldives, where we were on holiday, through Poland and Hungary to meet in the middle. But we got there in the end, he laughs.

While the war in Ukraine continues, the EBRDs advisory support is delivered online. Vitalii is developing social media campaigns to raise awareness of Ambassador Trade and the products it offers with the aim of attracting new business partners both inside and outside of Ukraine.

A sip of the future

Vitalii is also developing his business in another direction.

Weve discovered that there is growth in the canned wine segment and are focusing the new chapter of our business on this area, he says.

The team have already found local wine producers in Austria and Italy ready to supply the raw product, as well as production facilities to can the wine. They are now in the process of marketing their private label product and setting up their company in European jurisdictions, meaning non-stop fairs, exhibitions and meetings.

And yet, despite the consequences of the war in Ukraine on the business environment, Vitalii has managed to retain his team and continue operations as far as possible, assisting its country through tax payments and supporting local supply chains.

Its a difficult time for businesses in our country, but we all have fighting spirits. We know we all need to continue to support business activity and help restore the economy. And I have no doubt that we will prevail.
EBRD provides US$ 7 million package to Arvand Bank of Tajikistan

GCF supported green financing and new opportunities for women-led businesses

Risk-sharing facility to stimulate SME lending in rural areas

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) if providing fresh funds and creating new growth opportunities for grassroot businesses in Tajikistan by offering a financial package of US$ 7 million to one of the countrys largest lenders Bank Arvand.

The package consists of a US$ 3 million loan under the Banks Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF), which will help increase access to green technologies for local households and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. This loan is supported by concessional financing of US$ 0.75 million provided by the Green Climate Fund (GCF)

The GEFF, supported in Tajikistan by GCF and the Republic of Korea, will also use funds from the European Union s Enhanced Competitiveness of Tajik Agribusiness Programme (ECTAP), which promotes competitiveness in the agribusiness sector.

The US$ 1 million part of the package is provided under the EBRDs Women of the Steppe Programme supported by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) and Switzerland through the Small Business Impact Fund (SBIF). This component of the package will help promote womens entrepreneurship and business activity by assisting with access to finance, know-how and technical advice.

The two financial institutions are also signing a risk-sharing agreement of up to US$ 3 million under which the EBRD will share up to 50 per cent of the risk on loans provided by Bank Arvand. This will allow the Tajikistan lender to provide much needed loans to SMEs in rural and remote parts of the country. Arvand Bank is the third financial institution in the country to sign such a facility with the EBRD.

The GEFF programme is part of the Banks Green Economy Transition (GET) approach. It operates through a network of more than 145 local financial institutions across 27 countries, supported by more than 4.6 billion of EBRD finance for 190,000 clients to date. These projects have led to annual CO 2 emission reductions of more than 8.6 million tonnes so far.

To date, the Bank has supported more than 90,000 women across 24 economies with financing and business advisory projects, training and mentoring as part of its Women in Business initiative.

To date, the EBRD has invested 854 million through 148 projects in Tajikistans economy.
CORK is a bubbling pot of activity these days and with so much going on, it's easy to miss the good stuff.

The Echo has started a new weekly feature, compiling a list of the biggest and brightest news stories of the week including a nod to an interesting social media account.

Heres what we have this week on The Echo Rebel Roundup.

The Echos social media suggestion

As the summer started to peek around the corner, @pure_cork is an excellent Instagram account to follow. With an almost endless amount of suggestions about where to go and what to do to make the most of Cork, you could plan the perfect weekend, week or month from the content on the page.

Give em a follow @pure_cork

Cork Person of the week

Deirdre Mortell has been named as Aprils Cork Person of the Month for her contributions to social innovation and philanthropy in Ireland.

Deirdre is the CEO of Rethink Ireland, an organisation that provides cash grants and business support to the social innovations that are making a difference across Ireland.

Since 2016, Rethink Ireland has provided support to 333 social innovations through 36 different funds, which in turn have created at least 677 jobs in the not-for-profit sector.

These funds have supported over 1,000 people into employment and reached over 530,000 people nationwide.

Through her work with Rethink Ireland, Deirdre has supported 25 Cork-based social innovations over the last six years such as the Rainbow Club in Mahon, the Cork Life Centre in Sundays Well, and Sensational Kids in Clonakilty, as well as SiSi in Schull.

Last year alone, Rethink Ireland supported seven awardees headquartered in Cork who employed 21 people, were supported by 75 volunteers and delivered services to 1,117 people.

The Cork woman is also a founding board member of Women for Election, a non-profit which inspires, equips and informs women to run for political office.

Read More Cork Person of the Month for April named

New style in the city

Popular vintage retailer Nine Crows has opened the doors of its newest outlet on one of Cork's most vibrant streets.

The grand opening of the store located at 14b French Church Street took place on Saturday.

The company took to social media last month to announce its latest venture, stating that it was beyond buzzed to reveal the news.

The opening of the new store has created several new jobs in Cork.

Read More Well-known vintage retailer opens doors of new Cork store on vibrant city centre street

Perfect job alert

Shandon Sweets is recruiting a retail assistant to work in the historic shop on John Redmond Street.

The family-run business, which has been making all sorts of sweets at the onsite factory in Shandon for the past 97 years, advised that the role will be a maximum of 20 hours per week and will include Saturday work.

The new team member is being recruited "due to recent expansion and extension of opening hours".

Shandon Sweets said the ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills, a hard-working attitude and an ability to use their initiative and work as part of a team.

They also said that the person should be flexible in their work as "no two days are the same" in the factory.

Read More Cork's historic Shandon Sweets on the lookout for new staff member

Watch this space

A Cork man is embarking on a new business venture with a shipping container market.

Rob Coughlan recently bought five shipping containers that are going to be converted into restaurants and placed on the site of the new market in Cobh.

The old boatyard, located next to the ferry in Cobh, will be host to a range of food offerings, with a coffee container, chicken container, fish and chips container, burger container, and an ice cream container on-site.

Read More New venture to see food market open at former boatyard in Cork town

What is the council up to?

COOLAGOWN has successfully retained its village status for the immediate future after councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of their village status being maintained.

Coolagown which is located five miles outside Fermoy, has retained its status as a village under the terms of the recent County Development Plan which was successfully voted through at a recent full county meeting.

Maintaining their village status was the final amendment of the County Development Plan which will run from 2022-2028 and is due to come into force this summer. The amendment was overwhelmingly carried with 44 councillors voting in favour.

Thirty seven submissions had been made to the council in advance of the council meeting, all in support of retaining the villages status.
A 50-year-old man caught with 42,000 worth of cannabis resin in a rented apartment in Donoughmore in County Cork was jailed for six and a half years.

Detective Garda Andrew Manning gave evidence in the case against Mark Fitzgerald at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to a charge of having cannabis resin for sale or supply at a time when the street value of the drugs exceeded 13,000.

Det. Garda Manning said gardai executed a search warrant at a rented apartment in Donoughmore where Mark Fitzgerald was residing.

There was a black gear bag underneath the bed with seven kilos of cannabis resin in it with a value of over 42,000.

He made full admissions  that while selling small quantities he was holding the large quantity for someone he could not name, Det. Garda Manning said.

The accused had 27 previous convictions but the detective said only one of them was relevant. That dated back to February 2010 when he got a seven-year sentence with the last two years suspended for having 84,000 worth of cannabis resin.

Det. Garda Manning said of the accused, He has certain addiction issues but he works fulltime always.

Defence senior counsel, Ray Boland, said the property in Donoughmore was rented and that the drugs were found under a bed. He said the admissions made by the accused would have been in ease of the prosecution.

The 50-year-old lives with his family at Dunmanus Crescent in Knocknaheeny, Cork, but was caught with the drugs at Ballygurrity in Donoughmore.

Mr Boland said, He is very determined when he comes out  he is under no illusion, he is going into custody  he has his drug problem under control.

Judge Helen Boyle said, I accept you have shown yourself as someone able to work and you will have to work when you leave prison.

You accept you have a serious alcohol addiction. You were very foolish in allowing yourself to be taken advantage of  allowing yourself to be used for the storage of drugs.

The judge said the previous conviction for having 84,000 worth of cannabis was a major aggravating factor in the present case.

You have pleaded guilty. You spared the state the expense of a trial. I take the view that this was a serious offence, Judge Boyle said.

The judge then imposed a sentence of eight years with the last 18 months suspended.
Muireann Duffy

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has said peat briquettes may be included in the Government's proposed ban on smoky fuels if they are found to be over the excess pollution threshold.

As reported by the Irish Examiner, the Green Party leader made the comments in the Dail on Thursday, clarifying that turf may not be the only product to be impacted by the ban, which is expected to be in force next September.



The ban aims to reduce the use of smoky fuels, such as turf and smoky coal, due to the high emissions they produce and their impact on people's health.

However, following widespread criticism, including from its own backbench TDs, the Government agreed to allow turf to be used and sold on a local basis, recognising arrangements such as turbary rights in many rural areas.

On the health implications of smoky fuels, Mr Ryan said: "We don't want to go through another winter, particularly if it is a cold winter, where people are dying unnecessarily."

He added they will be looking to ensure peat briquettes fall below the 10 micrograms of pollution per hour rate, with the products being included in the ban if they fail to do so.

Bord na Mona previously said its briquettes will comply with this threshold, and a spokesperson for Mr Ryan clarified after the Dail debate that the Government does not expect briquettes to be banned from September.

Mr Ryan said the matter has been brought to the EU for consultation, where the draft regulations will be examined.
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a new Office of Environmental Justice alongside an environmental justice enforcement strategy.

The office, which is within the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), will prioritize protecting communities hit hardest by polluting and contaminating industries.

Although violations of our environmental laws can happen anywhere, communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities often bear the brunt of the harm caused by environmental crime, pollution, and climate change, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a press release. For far too long, these communities have faced barriers to accessing the justice they deserve. The Office of Environmental Justice will serve as the central hub for our efforts to advance our comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy. We will prioritize the cases that will have the greatest impact on the communities most overburdened by environmental harm.

The Biden administration is asking for $1.4 million from Congress to fund the office, as reported by NBC News. Cynthia Ferguson, an attorney with ENRD with over a decade of experience in environmental justice cases, has been named acting director of the office.

In addition to the new Office of Environmental Justice, the department has also created a Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy meant to advance environmental justice for low-income communities, communities of color and Indigenous and Tribal communities.

EPA and the Justice Departments partnership to protect overburdened and underserved communities across America has never been stronger, said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. This environmental justice enforcement strategy epitomizes the Biden-Harris Administrations commitment to holding polluters accountable as a means to deliver on our environmental justice priorities. Critical to that is the return of Supplemental Environmental Projects as a tool to secure tangible public health benefits for communities harmed by environmental violations.

In another memorandum focused on environmental justice, the Department of Justice has also restored the use of supplemental environmental projects, where companies may pay for local initiatives as part of settlements. These types of settlements had been limited in 2017 during the Trump administration.

As climate change worsens, it is imperative that our leaders produce real, tangible solutions to protect Black and frontline communities and correct existing and past harms, all while initiating direct law enforcement corrective responses to egregious harms and environmental injustices, Jane English, environmental and climate justice program manager for the NAACP, said of the announcements, as reported by Grist.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos just pledged $10 billion to fight the climate crisis.

The worlds richest man announced his Bezos Earth Fund in an Instagram post Monday. Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet, he wrote. I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share.

The fund will donate money to scientists, activists and non-governmental organizations working to protect the environment and will begin issuing grants this summer. The announcement is a departure for Bezos, who has historically not chosen to direct his wealth towards philanthropy, according to The New York Times. Indeed, he is the only U.S. citizen among the worlds five richest people who has not signed the Giving Pledge to give away more than half his fortune during his life or in his will, Business Insider reported. His billion donation now accounts for around 7.7 percent of his net worth of 0 billion, but even if he gave the whole amount away right now, he would still be the richest man on Earth, The New York Times pointed out. Still, his new fund is the third largest charitable pledge by an individual donor, CNN reported.

His foray into philanthropy comes after about a year of climate activism on the part of Amazon employees seeking to push the company in a more Earth-friendly direction. Amazon emitted 44.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018, according to its own figures released in September and reported by The New York Times. That would put them in the top 150 or 200 emitters in the world, CDP North America President Bruno Sarda told The New York Times.

Also in September, Bezos unveiled an Amazon-wide Climate Pledge, promising the company would meet the goals of the Paris agreement 10 years early and be carbon neutral by 2040. That promise was made the day before more than 1,000 Amazon employees were set to participate in a day of global climate strikes, CNN reported. Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ), however, want the company to go further and to stop offering cloud computing services to the oil and gas industry. Some also say they were threatened with being fired after speaking out on the companys climate policies. In a statement responding to Bezos announcement, the group applauded his philanthropy, but raised ongoing concerns about Amazons business practices.

Our statement in full:https://t.co/X0u2KC3dWt  Amazon Employees For Climate Justice (@AMZNforClimate) February 17, 2020
By Andrea Germanos

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Michael Regan, the top environmental official in North Carolina, to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to multiple news reports Thursday.

The news drew a range of responses from environmental campaigners, including praise that the apparent choice means the rejection of California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols, who faced pushback from progressives over alleged failings to communities on the front lines of dirty industry. Other green campaigners reacted to the possible nomination with a critical eye, pointing to what they see as Regans mixed record on environmental justice. According to The Associated Press, Bidens choice of Regan was confirmed Thursday by a person familiar with the selection process who was not authorized [to] the discuss the matter publicly before the official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. CNN, citing information from people familiar with the matter, reported that Regan would be formally announced as the pick on Saturday.

"Michael Regan will take the EPA's helm at perhaps the most critical moment in the agency's history, and he has to do much more than just mop up the toxic mess left by Trump."  The Center's Kieran Suckling on Michael Regan's historic nomination pic.twitter.com/tXdT31eAFd  Center for Bio Div (@CenterForBioDiv) December 17, 2020

Regan, 44, has served as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality since 2017. He previously worked for the federal EPAs air quality and energy programs during the Clinton and Bush administrations. If confirmed by the Senate, Regan would be the nations second Black EPA administrator; Lisa Jackson, who served in the Obama administration, was the first. As the Raleigh, North Carolina, News & Observer reported Tuesday: Under Regan, DEQ created part of the states Clean Energy Plan. It called for drastically reducing private sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and attaining carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as accelerating clean energy innovation to create economic opportunities in rural and urban parts of the state.

Earlier this year, Duke Energy agreed to the largest coal ash clean-up in U.S. history as part of a legal settlement with DEQ, one of highlights of Regans tenure. Duke agreed to excavate nearly 80 million tons of coal ash at six sites.

His tenure at the state agency also included the 2018 establishment of the Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board. If Regan is ultimately Bidens pick and is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he will find himself in familiar political territory, Lisa Sorg wrote Wednesday at NC Policy Watch. She continued: He would inherit an EPA that is struggling with challenges similar to those that faced the Department of Environmental Quality when he became secretary nearly four years ago: a decimated budget, demoralized staff, a previous leadership that favored industry over sound science, myriad regulatory rollbacks, and a politically divided legislative body that uses the purse strings as punishment. While Regan drew accolades from some environmental groups quoted by Sorg, others suggested Regan hasnt taken on polluting industries forcefully enough. Sorg added: Hes a great person but I dont think hes done enough for us on PFAS  perfluorinated compounds  said Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear. I understand the agency is understaffed and underfunded. But the agency has made decisions unrelated to those things. Weve fought so hard, but received so little.

She cited the consent order between DEQ, Cape Fear River Watch, and Chemours, which opponents of the agreement have noted, is weak. It specifically covers only contamination upstream, including private well owners near the Chemours plant in Cumberland and Bladen counties; downstream communities that are on public water systems in New Hanover and Brunswick counties feel excluded.

There are a quarter-million people still exposed, Donovan said. To see the state treat municipal ratepayers different than private well owners is not a good answer. They left municipalities on their own to fight our own battles.

Criticism for Regans background extended beyond his action on PFAS. According to the Revolving Door Project: Regan supported the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline despite major opposition from environment, faith, justice, community, and Indigenous groups. His department also failed to respond to recommendations from the Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board to halt the construction extension. He also allowed a major liquid natural gas facility to be built in the middle of Lumbee territory, the largest Indigenous tribe East of the Mississippi, and was accused of failing to initiate public discourse or government-to-government consultation before the facility was built.

Regan led a department that approved every permit application from the wood pellet industry in North Carolina despite the industrys massive deforestation problems and failed to resolve critical environmental issues related to hog waste disposal. Earthjustice president Abigail Dillen, however, welcomed Regan as possible EPA chief, saying in a statement Thursday that he has dedicated his career to environmental work, advancing clean energy, fighting climate change, and addressing coal ash pollution. As EPA administrator, Regan will play a key role in solving the climate crisis and protecting the health of all communities, she added. We will do everything in our power to support and push Regan to repair the damage done by the Trump administration, take bold action on climate solutions, and genuinely address environmental injustice that has been allowed to go on too long.

BREAKING: Biden just tapped Michael Regan to head EPA  who has not had the best track record on environmental justice or supporting communities in NC. While we are disappointed, we will work with the new EPA to forge a new, justice-focused path.https://t.co/0nWcdWxLk9  Friends of the Earth (Action) (@foe_us) December 17, 2020

The choice was similarly applauded by Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power 2020, who called Regan an outstanding choice by the Biden team and said he possesses an understanding of the bold climate action this moment requires. Lisa Ramsden, Greenpeace senior climate campaigner, welcomed the choice as well, praising Biden for not going with the previous rumored pick of Nichols. Biden gave himself the chance to choose an EPA administrator who will prioritize justice for the communities most impacted by fossil-fueled pollution, said Ramsden, who urged Regan to go well beyond simply reversing the Trump administration rollbacks and to boldly call out oil and gas corporations for the unjust impacts of their pollution. While leading the Department of Environmental Quality in North Carolina, Regan rightly pushed massive utility Duke Energy to clean up its toxic coal ash and fought Trumps offshore oil drilling plans. But he has a mixed record on environmental justice issues in the state, failing to protect communities from the health impacts of living near hog farms and approving multiple permits for the carbon-intensive wood pellet industry, she said. Going forward, said Ramsden, Regan and the rest of the Biden-Harris administration need to pair their lofty rhetoric on environmental justice with consistent action.

Reposted with permission from Common Dreams.
Climatologist and agronomist Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, who is a senior research scientist and head of the Climate Impacts Group at NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has been awarded the 2022 World Food Prize from the World Food Prize Foundation.

Conceived of as the Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture, according to the World Food Prize Foundation, the World Food Prize has a mission to elevate innovations and inspire action to sustainably increase the quality, quantity and availability of food for all, a NASA press release said.

Rosenzweig, a former farmer, was chosen for the $250,000 prize for her research and projections on the impact of climate change on global food production. Modeling done by Rosenzweig has given policymakers a basis for climate change mitigation strategies and ways to adapt food systems to changes brought on by the climate crisis.

Climate change cannot be restrained without attention to food system emissions, and food security for all cannot be provided without resilience to increasing climate extremes, Rosenzweig said, according to a press release from The World Food Prize Foundation.

Rosenzweig used NASA models and satellite data to study agricultural regions across the globe and the changes they are experiencing, the NASA press release said. Rosenzweig is a co-founder of the international Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP), which uses crop modeling, climate science and economic modeling to examine food security and crop yield.

More than 1,000 researchers have worked with AgMIP to evaluate climate changes future impacts on food and agriculture systems and to improve the agricultural models and techniques used to do so. In her work with the AgMIP, Rosenzweig has studied how rising atmospheric carbon emissions affect crops and calculated the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by food production.

The World Food Prize Foundation said Rosenzweigs AgMIP leadership has aided policymakers in more than 90 nations.

We basically cannot solve climate change unless we address the issues of the greenhouse gas emissions from the food system, and we cannot provide food security for all unless we work really hard to develop resilient systems, Rosenzweig told The Associated Press before the ceremony.

Rosenzweigs first forecasts of the effects of climate change on North American food production were in 1985, and in 1994 she made global projections, the World Food Prize Foundation said in its press release.

A native of Scarsdale, New York, and self-described climate impact scientist, Rosenzweig moved to Tuscany, Italy, with her partner Arthur when she was in her 20s, where she developed her interest in agriculture, reported The Guardian.

Rosenzweig and her partner grew fruits and vegetables and raised goats, chickens and pigs in Tuscany, the World Food Prize Foundation said. Upon returning to New York in 1972, Rosenzweig studied agriculture at a technical college and she and Arthur started Blue Heron Farm with friends.

Climate change has already had a significant and negative impact on global agricultural production and its impact is only going to get worse. Were seeing rice fields drown in floods. Were seeing other crops wither in drought. Were seeing shellfish die in more acidic oceans and crop diseases are spreading to new regions. We likely would not understand all these problems as well as we do today without the work of Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, this years World Food prize laureate, said Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez, as reported by The Guardian.

The World Food Prize was created in 1986 by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug. The announcement of the recipient of the World Food Prize was made during a U.S. Department of State ceremony, and Rosenzweig will officially receive the prize at another ceremony in October.

Climate change cannot be restrained without attention to food system emissions, and food security for all cannot be provided without resilience to increasing climate extremes. I salute the modelers around the world in the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) for their tireless work helping countries to achieve food security both now and in the future under changing climate conditions. As we move into a crucial decade of action on climate change, food needs to be at the table, Rosenzweig said, as the World Food Prize Foundation reported.
Stanford University has received the largest gift in its history, and its for a school dedicated to studying the climate crisis.

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will open its doors this fall, the university announced on Wednesday. It is Stanfords first new school in 70 years and was made possible by donations of $1.69 billion, with $1.1 billion alone gifted by John and Ann Doerr.

These gifts will help Stanford bring its full effort to bear on solving the most complex problems in climate and sustainability, and on training the next generation of students who are eager and driven to address these challenges, Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne said in a press release.

The new Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will launch this fall, recognizing a $1.1 billion gift from Ann and @JohnDoerr, the largest in the universitys history. https://t.co/Ydn9xdQWH7  Stanford University (@Stanford) May 4, 2022

The Doerrs gift is also the second-largest gift ever to an academic institution and the largest-ever for the formation of a new school, the Chronicle of Higher Education said, as Reuters reported.

Climate and sustainability is going to be the new computer science, John Doerr told The New York Times. This is what the young people want to work on with their lives, for all the right reasons.

Doerr has an estimated $11.3 billion, which he earned by investing in major tech companies including Google, Slack and Amazon. His and Anns gift has added to a debate about the degree to which climate action should depend on donations from billionaires, according to Reuters. While billionaires like Michael Bloomberg and Jeff Bezos have pledged some of their money towards addressing the climate crisis, some argue that the government shouldnt wait for donations but should require that wealthy individuals and companies pay more taxes.

While Bezos, for example, has pledged $10 billion towards climate action through his Bezos Earth Fund, Amazon did not pay any federal income tax in 2018 because of Republican tax cuts passed the year before, as CNBC reported.

Some also argue that political action is more important than private donations when it comes to the climate crisis.

I dont see how giving a billion dollars to a rich university is going to move the needle on this issue in a near-term time frame, David Callahan, who wrote The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age, told The New York Times. Its nice that hes parting with his money, but that billion dollars could be better spent trying to move this up on the scale of public opinion. Until the public sees this as a top tier issue, politicians are not going to act.

Stanford said that the new school would study eight topics related to the climate crisis: climate change itself, Earth science, energy technology, urban sustainability, nature, food and water security, human society and behavior and public and environmental health. It will be comprised of three components:

Academic departments, including those currently housed by the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. Interdisciplinary institutes that will facilitate collaboration between different areas of study. A Sustainability Accelerator to develop both technological and policy solutions.

The schools first dean will be Arun Majumdar, who is currently the Jay Precourt Professor, professor of mechanical engineering and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He also served in the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2009 as the founding director of an agency that develops energy innovations, according to CNN.

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will not only harness the intellectual horsepower of our students, faculty, and staff across our campus, but also partner with external organizations around the world to co-develop innovative solutions and identify new insights through research and education, Majumdar said in the Stanford release. As is often said, we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. We must create a future in which humans and nature thrive together.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, have been awarded a joint Indian patent for a novel water purification device.

The invention, which is a vessel that purifies water and monitors water quality, was developed in collaboration by Dr Indra Sekhar Sen from the Department of Earth Sciences at IIT Kanpur, and K Sri Harsha, the founder of Kritsnam Technologies and inventors Emily Barret Hanhauser (Fellow, MIT Tata Centre), Dr Rohit N Karnik (Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Associate Department Head for Education, MIT, USA), Anastasios John Hart (Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, USA), Michael Bono (Postdoctoral Associate, MIT Tata Centre) and Chintan H Vaishnav (Senior Lecturer, Sloan School of Management, MIT, USA).

The device is called 'A Vessel and A Method for Purifying Water and Monitoring Quality of Water' and its USP is the fact that it is a cost-effective apparatus to check water quality. In a statement, IIT Kanpur said that given the dearth of clean drinking water for an estimated 844 million people around the world, this device is the need of the hour. "The objective is to overcome the challenges in both water availability and water quality monitoring by creating a water purification vessel technology that not only provides clean water but is also cost-effective and allows for widespread monitoring of impurities," said the institute.

How does it go about achieving that goal then? The device is equipped with a purification vessel that employs a regenerable sorbent material that rids water of impurities that binds them in moist or dry forms. The resultant inorganic, contaminant-free water is available at a cost of just Rs 2 per litre. One of the most crucial aspects of the device is that it does not run on power and does not leave behind any residual wastewater, which means it has no maintenance cost either. It also purifies and monitors water quality through a single channel, setting it apart from other water purifying systems.

The system can not only be used for potable drinking water, but is also applicable to the food and beverage industry, dairy products and agricultural water monitoring where contaminant-free water is necessary.
Amazon fired a number of senior managers from its JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island on Thursday, only a month after workers voted to unionize. The New York Times reported that the company axed more than half a dozen senior-level workers on Thursday, many of who were involved in union organizing. A number of anonymous employees told the NYT that they believed the firings were retaliatory. JFK8 is the first and currently the only unionized Amazon warehouse in the US.

In a statement to Engadget, Amazon said the workers were fired as a result of management changes. Part of our culture at Amazon is to continually improve, and we believe its important to take time to review whether or not were doing the best we could be for our team. Over the last several weeks, weve spent time evaluating aspects of the operations and leadership at JFK8 and, as a result, have made some management changes.

Other Amazon workers have recently gotten the pink slip, allegedly due to their union involvement. Just a couple of weeks ago, four recently terminated Amazon employees filed charges with the NLRB, alleging that they were being punished for supporting a union. Last month the NLRB ordered Amazon to reinstate Gerald Bryson, a worker at the JFK8 facility who was fired due to what Amazon alleged was his violation of a company language policy. But the NLRBs judge was not convinced by this argument, and accused Amazon of performing a skewed investigation of Bryson and retaliating against him for his union work.

Just yesterday, Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls testified before the Senate Budget Committee and met with President Joe Biden. The Biden administration has expressed reserved support for unionization efforts by Amazon, Starbucks and other workers.

In his testimony before the Senate, Smalls argued that the federal government should avoid awarding Amazon contracts due to its labor practices. We cannot allow Amazon or any other employer to receive taxpayer money if they engage in illegal union-busting behavior and deny workers rights, said Smalls.
It's no secret these days that GPU makers profited from the early cryptocurrency mining boom, but NVIDIA is now facing some repercussions as a result. The company is paying $5.5 million to settle US Securities and Exchange Commission charges it failed to disclose that crypto mining played a "significant" role in its surging revenue from GPU sales throughout fiscal 2018. NVIDIA allegedly violated both the Securities Act and Securities Exchange Act when it didn't reveal that its success was tied to a "volatile business," potentially misleading investors who might have thought this was the result of the firm's usual gaming-focused strategy.

The SEC's order also said NVIDIA misled investors by acknowledging that crypto demand did affect other aspects of its business at the time. That implied mining wasn't a significant part of the gaming business' success where it was for other products, according to the regulator. NVIDIA will have to abide by a cease-and-desist barring it from future rule-breaking.

An NVIDIA spokesperson declined to comment. The brand has increasingly seen crypto mining as more of a liability to its gaming GPU sales than a benefit, though. It started limiting the mining capabilities of RTX GPUs in 2021 in a bid to free up cards for the intended audience. The company even launched dedicated mining cards that year in a bid to satisfy crypto fans without cutting into demand for its GeForce GPU line.

The payment is tiny for a company that made $7.6 billion in its most recently reported quarter. With that said, the modest settlement was somewhat expected given an unsuccessful past attempt to demand compensation. Tom's Hardware noted in March 2021 that a judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing NVIDIA of deceiving investors  it was no secret many GPUs were destined for crypto miners, the judge ruled. While the SEC found wrongdoing, it was going to have a harder time showing that NVIDIA caused enough damage to warrant a large penalty.
Microsoft has partnered with Epic Games to make Fortnite playable, for free, on Xbox Cloud Gaming. No subscription required. So long as you have a Microsoft account in one of 26 streaming-enabled countries, you can play the battle royale title through the web browser on an iPhone, iPad, Android device or Windows PC.

The streaming version supports both controllers and touch. Creative mode is also free although you'll need to pay if you want to fight AI villains in the Save the World campaign. Microsoft also said it would "look to bring" other free-to-play titles to Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Its not the first workaround  NVIDIA has also allowed its cloud gaming subscribers to stream Fortnite on Apple devices. Microsoft, however, has a bigger audience of casual gamers, making this a bigger deal. It also sided with Epic when the company went toe-to-toe with Apple over App Store restrictions and costs.

 Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

It 'cheated' them out of free tax services.

TurboTax maker Intuit will pay $141 million "for deceiving millions of low-income Americans into paying for tax services that should have been free," the New York Attorney General's office wrote in a press release.

The company must refund nearly 4.4 million consumers who used TurboTax's Free Edition between 2016 and 2018, then discovered they had to pay to file. Many didn't realize they could have used the IRS Free File program available in a separate product, which costs nothing. Intuit released a statement expressing no regret and said the required ad changes would have little impact on its business.

Continue reading.

It's done with being subtle.

The long-awaited third live-action Star Trek series in recent years makes its debut on Paramount+. But, while Discovery carried the burden of being the first Star Trek show in 12 years and Picard saw the return of a beloved character after 17 years, Strange New Worlds appears to pitch itself, in many ways, as a return to the Star Trek of the past, beyond just more episodic storytelling.

Continue reading.

There's also a laptop that Lenovo claims is carbon neutral.

Engadget

Lenovo's big spring laptop refresh includes a new generation of Slim clamshell laptops in the US (which confusingly share the Slim branding with older, unrelated models). These include the Slim 9i, the Slim 7i and Slim7i Pro X, the Slim 7i Carbon and the Slim 7. The last of those come with an AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor rather than the Intel chips inside its sisters, while the Slim 9i claims to be carbon neutral.

Continue reading.

That connected vanlife.

Starlink

A new Starlink feature called Portability allows users to temporarily use Starlink when they're away from home. In the US, Portability will cost $25 per month. That's on top of the regular service fee, which SpaceX recently bumped up to $110 per month. The hardware now costs $599 for those without a pre-order.

There are some caveats: It's not worth taking a terminal on a transatlantic trip. Starlink says the feature is only available when users are on the same continent as their registered service address. Theyd also have to ship it

Continue reading.
Desole. Actuellement, cette page n'existe pas en francais.

6 mai 2022

The EPO and Peru's National Institute for the Defence of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI) concluded a Reinforced Partnership agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Both agreements were signed by EPO President Antonio Campinos and INDECOPI Executive President Julian Fernando Palacin Gutierrez.

This is the fifth Reinforced Partnership that the EPO has completed within Latin America, following agreements with national offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. INDECOPI also becomes the fifth national office in Latin America to formally introduce the CPC, following agreements between the EPO and intellectual property (IP) offices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

Since 2018, the EPO has signed eleven Reinforced Partnership agreements in total, including with further national IP offices in Ethiopia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, as well as with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

Co-operation objectives

Under their Reinforced Partnership, the EPO and INDECOPI agree to ensure efficient patent examination and high patent quality. The two Offices will co-operate on the training and tools as well as the technical and legal support necessary to conduct substantive search and examination for national first filings and to issue search reports and written opinions.

Accurate classification of patent literature is essential for the optimal functioning of the global IP community's access to patent knowledge. Pursuant to their CPC agreement therefore, the EPO and INDECOPI will co-operate on CPC training as well as technical ICT-related support to assist with classification and, where relevant, reclassification in the CPC. The two Offices also intend to co-operate on quality regarding CPC classification work.

More broadly, the purpose of the agreements is to help contribute to the continuous improvement of the global patent system as well as to further foster innovation, competitiveness and economic growth and development. This could in turn play a significant role in supporting bilateral trade and investment between Europe and Peru.

Further information:
On 29 March, Russias deputy defense minister, Alexander Fomin, announced that his countrys forces would scale back their military activity around Kyiv and Chernihiv and concentrate instead on the liberation of the Donbas region. Indeed, the Russian army ceased to advance; its troops prepared defensive positions and partially withdrew. But the Ukrainians seized the moment and attacked, routing Russian positions north and east of Kyiv. Thereafter, Russian forces withdrew completely from positions west of Kharkiv.

And so a new offensive now begins in Donbas. Russia has pulled together new forces from all across the country, including exposed territories such as its exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. Forces previously used around Kyiv and Sumy are still in the process of re-grouping and re-equipping, and may join this offensive at a later stage.

Militarily, fighting in Donbas provides advantages for Russia. Trying to advance along too many axes  Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donbas, Kherson, Zaporizhia  at the same time has thinned out Russian forces. On none of these fronts have they been able to achieve decisive superiority in strength and firepower. Russian supply lines became over-stretched and hard to defend against Ukrainian ambushes. In Donbas, supply lines are shorter, the rail network is denser, and the proxy republics that Russia controls provide security for the rear. It therefore seems logical to try to wear away and defeat Ukraines armed forces in this part of the country rather than around Kyiv. But does this mean that the conquest and eradication of Ukraine is off the table? Does it mean Vladimir Putin would be willing to make peace if he captures Donbas in its entirety? It does not.

Recent statements issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense and General Staff describe the aim of military operations in the coming weeks, but their contents do not reflect the true political goals. And Putin himself recently vowed to carry on the invasion until the the goals set initially are completed, which includes destroying Ukraine as a nation. And Russia made no reaction when European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced the acceleration of Ukraines European Union accession process: if Moscow had accepted some sort of free Ukraine as an inevitable fact, it would have protested by all means available. In this light, Russias withdrawal from Kyiv looks to be a temporary affair. To minimize its own losses and maximize those of Ukraine, Russian offensives are now concentrated in one direction at a time. For now, this is Donbas. Seizing this region would then improve Russias ability to launch  after another pause to re-group  an offensive on the city of Kharkiv in the summer. After that, it could resume the offensive from the southern city of Kherson either northwards or eastwards.

Rather than taking territory, achieving a more favorable attrition rate (in terms of the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian losses) could be key to determining success or failure for the Russian armed forces. Moscow can sustain the war militarily and economically. It may well last years. In Syria, Russias initial attempts to quickly advance along many axes also met with little success. So, in a move intended to deceive opponents, Putin announced a withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria in March 2016. Russian and Syrian troops from then on focused their offensives on one target at a time, concentrating first on Palmyra, then Aleppo, then the eastern and central regions, and finally turning north to Idlib. Setting clear operative priorities and conquering one region at a time, Russia decisively expanded the territory controlled by Bashar al-Assad after a withdrawal that heralded merely an operational pause.

Russia now appears to be following the same playbook in Ukraine. Its forces have proved incapable of sustaining fast and deep operations, but they still can win a slow war of attrition. Over the past three weeks, Russian ballistic and cruise missile attacks have systematically attacked Ukraines defense industry, as well as oil depots and refineries. The first degrades Ukraines ability to produce ammunition and sustain its armed forces, making it more dependent on the West; the second restricts the mobility of Ukraines mechanized reserves. If Ukraine has to sustain a war of attrition, it will need to rely on the Wests support. But here comes the tricky part. Because the Ukrainian armed forces are only familiar with Soviet systems, the West is able just to provide Soviet legacy equipment, which is still present in the stocks and arsenals of some central and eastern European armies. Such assistance can have an immediate effect, but only for a limited time: not all such systems are available in the numbers Ukraine needs, while ammunition supply is difficult because few factories are making ammunition for systems these armies had been planning to phase out. Training Ukrainian crews and servicemen to handle Western equipment takes time. But ultimately this is inevitable, because these are the only systems whose entire supply chains Western powers control on a sustainable basis.

Again, Washington leads the effort, supplying Poland and other eastern-flank NATO members with equipment to free up their stocks of Soviet heritage equipment to send to Ukraine while starting to train Ukrainian soldiers on US surplus equipment, which in the medium and long term will replace Soviet legacy equipment. As the West is short of 152mm artillery shells, which the Ukrainians are using, the inclusion of NATO standard 155mm artillery systems in the United States latest package of military assistance is a case in point. But what needs to be phased in most urgently is air-defense missile systems. This is not because there are no supplies left to deliver  Slovakia has recently sent S-300 systems to Ukraine  but because, in terms of logistics and training, such a replacement is extremely time-consuming and needs to be planned some way ahead.

All this will also have consequences for Europeans ongoing (in)ability to stand on their own feet when it comes to defense. The unwillingness of France and Germany to join this effort will have a lasting negative impact on trust in Europe and on the political strength of European defense as much as the power of European armed forces. Finlands and Swedens move towards NATO is a clear sign that they see Article 42/7 of the EU treaty as insufficient; and any serious security arrangement in Europe needs to include the US. It might not yet be clear that putting domestic considerations first has caused all prospects of future EU defense integration to fall in action. Olaf Scholz is as ever more concerned about the mood in his own party, while Emmanuel Macron was fighting an arguably difficult election campaign. But to truly support Ukraine, which is the front line of defense for the rest of the continent, Europeans need to plan now for the long war Russia intends to wage as it makes its way westward.

Ukraine: Time for the West to Prepare for the Long War  Commentary by Gustav Gressel  European Council on Foreign Relations / ECFR.

The Commentary can be downloaded here
The European Union plans to end Russian gas imports by the end of the decade, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told MEPs during a plenary debate in Strasbourg on Tuesday (3 May), referring to the EU executives plan to be unveiled in mid-May. This plan builds on an ambitious strategy  RepowerEU, presented in March  that foresees a cut of Russian gas imports by two-thirds before the end of this year.

This followed a meeting of EU energy ministers on Monday (2 May) to discuss Russias decision to cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland  amid growing pressure to impose stricter sanctions on Moscow. Russia halted supplies there last week after both eastern European countries failed to meet Moscows demands for gas payments in rubles. In response to the Kremlin-controlled Russian gas giant Gazproms turning off the taps, lawmakers and Simson also debated rising energy costs and scrambled to find a long-term fix to deal with the possible future Russian gas blackmail. Some MEPs called on the EU energy commissioner to set up a pandemic-type emergency fund to battle exploding electricity bills and speed up renewable projects.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the 6th package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday (4 May), including a complete ban on all Russian oil and refined petroleum products within the next six months and more sanctions against banks. But the EUs proposed phased embargo of Russian oil may be tricky to implement, given Europes complex distribution network and challenges in tracking crude once it is blended or refined. Experts warn that the plan, if agreed by member states, would take effect in six months for crude, and in eight months for diesel and other oil products. Under the proposal, Hungary and Slovakia would be granted a longer period  until the end of 2023  to adapt to the embargo. This means that countries in the EU would still be able to purchase Russian oil via Hungary and Slovakia, unless the plan is ratified to prevent both countries from buying more oil than they need. Moreover, European countries might still continue buying Russian cargoes from other third countries without being aware of its origin.

Meanwhile, as Russias war continues, the German government has been frantically looking for alternatives to Russian pipeline gas and mobile floating tankers repurposed to process LNG from around the world have become the governments solution. To ship gas long-distance, it needs to be cooled down to -160 Celsius and compressed into liquid form, reducing its volume by 1/600th, thus turning it into liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a process called liquefaction. To become usable for energy purposes, it needs to undergo re-gasification which requires a special terminal, taking around five years to build. Presented with the pressing need to find alternatives to Russian energy, the German government is betting on more flexible floating terminals and onshore sites. On the way out of the grip of Russian gas supplies, we in Lower Saxony are ready to take responsibility, explained Olaf Lief, Energy Minister of Lower Saxony. The state will be home to at least one onshore and one floating LNG terminal. As early as next year, it will thus be possible to replace part of the Russian gas, explained Andree Stracke, chairman of RWEs trading and supply arm.
Beijing residents tentatively returned to work but the Chinese capital's streets were less hectic than normal, as home working was being encouraged and scores of bus and subway routes were closed.
Commentary From Crisis Management Expert Edward Segal, Bestselling Author of the Award- Winning Book "Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies " (Nicholas Brealey)

Three things are true about every crisis, whether it's Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the recent mass shooting on a New York City subway car, Covidor the next new crisis.

It is impossible to forecast when a crisis will strike.

You cannot predict what the crisis will be.

Any crisis will likely be worse for your company or organization if you don't prepare for it now.

When, Not If

Carla Bevins is an assistant teaching professor of business communication at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. She observed that, "Many businesses and organizations have given little thought to the types of crises they may face and even less time on deciding how they will plan for and respond to a crisis.

"When a crisis hits, it's too late to put together a crisis management plan. Having a crisis communication framework in place ahead of time will help you when, not if, a crisis strikes."

Clouded Judgment

Bevins noted, "Stress and pressure can cloud our judgment, and the best time to plan for a crisis is before it happens. Ask employees from all areas of your business to contribute to the conversation around creating an effective crisis management plan."

''This plan will be the path to follow during a crisis, and will decrease panic and snap decisions that you might regret in the future,'' she predicted.

A Plan With Some Real Teeth

Evan McCarthy is the CEO of SportingSmiles, an online dental lab that specializes in custom-designed dental products. He recalled that, "In the first year of the pandemic, we discussed the possibility of running out of supplies and sketched out various crisis scenarios."

''This led us to make the correct decision, in hindsight, for reorganizing our warehouse, and by mid last year, we had pallets full of supplies reaching to the ceiling in our 10,000-square-foot space.''

Covid's Impact

"We stocked up, because every time we ordered supplies, the price kept rising. Our cardboard box supplies had three major increases in 2021, alone. We also renegotiated contracts with suppliers and bought large equipment early, as prices were and are likely to still increase," McCarthy said.

Operating More Seamlessly

"By putting into practice worst-case scenarios early on during the worldwide Covid pandemic, we were able to operate more seamlessly and with less pricing and supply impact than if we had just carried on with business as usual," he commented.

Practicing Is Critical

RJ Bruce is an account director specializing in crisis and issues at Reputation Partners, a national strategic communications firm. He noted that "Regularly practicing before a real crisis hits is critical to the success of a company's crisis communications team. What a company does in the first few hours of a crisis can make or break its response, influence the trajectory of the crisis and ultimately negatively (or positively) impact reputation.

Saving Time

"If the crisis communications team has to spend time figuring out who needs to approve messages, which subject matter experts to tap and what the processes are for responding to internal and external stakeholders (including the media), they risk letting others take control of the crisis' narrative.

Improving Responses

"Undergoing regular practice exercises not only ensures the crisis communications team knows what needs to be done, and the team members' individual roles and responsibilities, it also helps identify any gaps that may exist in the response plan and gives the company time to address those ahead of a real crisis," Bruce pointed out.

Worst-Case Scenarios

There are several ways for companies to practice test their responses to different crisis scenarios, ranging from table-top and in-person exercises to computer-based simulations.

Todd Templin is the executive vice president of BoardroomPR where he handles crisis management. He said that companies, "need to game-plan for worst-case scenarios. The last thing you want to do is fly by the seat of your pants because one bad move and your reputation can face long-term harm and you lose public trust forever. Planning doesn't cost anything but it can mean everything."

Creating Options

Templin said "We recommend creating various options that could be used should the crisis get out of control. Then, if it does, you can plug and play with a little tweaking.

''Nothing should be left off the table, no matter how crazy the idea. Even if the worst-case scenario doesn't come to fruition, what have you lost? You have everything to gain, but nothing to lose," he counseled.

Advice For Business Leaders

Murphy's Law Happens

Bevins from Carnegie Mellon University said, "When I think about creating a crisis communication plan, I consider all the things that could possibly go wrong. I accept that Murphy's Law happens.

Tailored Plans

"Then, I create a tailored crisis management plan that includes both operational and communications components. Test the plan and follow the first rule of effective crisis management: communicate, communicate, communicate!

"One of the largest dangers of not having a crisis communication plan in place ahead of time is that someone besides you and your company controls the tone and content of the messages being sent," she cautioned.

Don't Stay Silent

"It's essential to respond early and often, correct misinformation, and ensure that stakeholders and the public know what's going on. Silence or late responses from the company can tarnish your image and decrease the chances that you'll come through the crisis unscathed," Bevins concluded.

A Stressful Exercise

PR expert Liz Sweeney, the owner of marketing and communication firm Dogwood Solutions, said, "While identifying worst-case scenarios can be a stressful exercise, it's massively beneficial for the company."

"The danger of not being prepared? At best, a company could appear inept and lose credibility. However, a truly unprepared company, or a person who mishandles the response, can damage a company beyond repair," she warned.

"The media and the public will create their own versions of the story, and often those early versions are the ones that are most remembered," Sweeney concluded.

###
The Sierra Club and a South Texas organization of Indigenous peoples have sued the Texas General Land Office alleging repeated closures of Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX operations violate the state constitution.

The California environmental group and a Floresville-based nonprofit representing the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas filed the lawsuit Thursday in Cameron County District Court.

Its not the first suit to take aim at state lawmakers for allowing closures of highways and beaches to accommodate SpaceX, which has dubbed the rocket production facility and test site Starbase.

In October, SaveRGV, an environmental advocacy nonprofit in the Rio Grande Valley, filed a suit that alleges officials repeated closure of Boca Chica Beach for rocket tests and launches violates their constitutionally guaranteed right to access public beaches. It aims to prevent future closures of the beach and Texas 4, the only road that leads to the 8-mile stretch of beach.

On ExpressNews.com: Environmentalists sue Texas Land Office and Cameron County over SpaceX beach closures

Both lawsuits note the 2013 legislative amendments to the Texas Open Beaches Act that allow counties to close public beaches along the Gulf Coast for space flight activities. They seek a declaration that parts of the act restricting their access to the beach are unconstitutional and an agreement allowing the beach closures is invalid.

SpaceX has been testing Starship prototypes at the Starbase launch site in Boca Chica since 2019. It hasnt launched from Starbase in a year, but Cameron County still is closing highways and beaches for non-flight testing activities. The company has been conducting static engine fire tests for the possibility of an orbital launch from the site.

From January through March, the beach was closed for 196 hours, according to the Sierra Club, citing county data. In 2021, it closed for 600 hours.

On ExpressNews.com: Stuck on the launchpad; FAA again delays decision on SpaceXs planned Starship orbital launch from South Texas

In Thursdays lawsuit, attorneys raised concerns over Juan Mancias, the chair of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, and other tribal members being prevented from accessing the beach, a space sacred to him, to leave offerings to his ancestors, because of the frequent beach closures that have occurred for purposes of space flight activities.

In an interview Friday, Maria Galasso, a SaveRGV board member in nearby Laguna Vista, said she cant plan to go to the beach anymore because even if you think the beach is going to be open, they close the highway.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

eric.killelea@express-news.net
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  North Dakota agencies can use their present budgets as a starting point for drafting new two-year spending plans, and although agency heads should consider inefficiencies, they won't have to identify potential cuts, Gov. Doug Burgum said Thursday.

The Republican governors guidelines come with the state flush with cash from soaring oil prices and revenue far exceeding forecasts.

In remarks at a meeting of department administrators at the state Capitol, Burgum said agencies should take a conservative approach to budgeting. He signaled he intends to include a state employee pay raise in his next two-year budget recommendation, though he did not provide details on how much he will suggest to lawmakers, who may adopt an equal raise for themselves.

The guidelines will be used by North Dakota departments to write spending plans for the 2023-2025 budget cycle. Burgum will use the blueprints to draft his own spending plan for the Legislature, which lawmakers will get during their organizational session in December.

Burgum said his guidelines would not affect proposals for one-time projects, such as technological improvements. The former software executive said the state is under-invested in digital infrastructure that causes inefficiencies in state government.

He said there is too much stuff in the state were still doing manually.

State spending has expanded dramatically in recent years as revenue from oil production has fattened North Dakotas coffers. The states current $17 billion two-year budget is its biggest ever and about $2.1 billion larger than the previous one.

The increase in the current budget largely reflects an additional $2 billion the state received in federal coronavirus aid.

State general fund revenues for the current budget cycle are running 13.1%, or more than $200 million ahead of forecast.

The states general fund is spent on an assortment of programs, including education and human services, and is financed mostly by state taxes on income, sales and energy.

Oil prices are a key contributor to the wealth of North Dakota, which is the No. 3 oil producer behind Texas and New Mexico. North Dakota budget officials estimate that every dollar in price that a barrel of oil increases or decreases has a more than $40 million impact on the state treasury annually.

Lawmakers last spring assumed oil prices would be $50 a barrel when they crafted the present two-year budget. North Dakota oil has been fetching about $100 a barrel in recent weeks.
A man with signs of trauma was found dead under an exit ramp just east of downtown early Friday morning, according to San Antonio police.

Officers were called to conduct a welfare check just after midnight for a man who was on the ground under the exit ramp to Interstate 37 near Nolan and Elm streets.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  SpaceX brought four astronauts home with a midnight splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, capping the busiest stretch yet for Elon Musks taxi service.

The three U.S. astronauts and one German in the capsule were bobbing off the Florida coast, near Tampa, less than 24 hours after leaving the International Space Station. NASA expected to have them back in Houston later in the morning.

That was a great ride, said Raja Chari, the capsule commander. As for the reintroduction to gravity, he noted: Only one complaint. These water bottles are super heavy.

NASAs Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, and the European Space Agencys Matthias Maurer, were out of the capsule within an hour of splashdown, waving and giving thumbs-up as they were hustled away on rolling chaises for medical checks.

Their departure from the space station Thursday was bittersweet, as they embraced the seven astronauts remaining there.

Its the end of a six-month mission, but I think the space dream lives on, Maurer said.

SpaceX brought up their U.S. and Italian replacements last week, after completing a charter trip to the station for a trio of businessmen earlier in April.

That amounts to two crew launches and two splashdowns in barely a month. Musks company has now launched 26 people into orbit in less than two years, since it started ferrying astronauts for NASA. Eight of those 26 were space tourists.

SpaceX's William Gerstenmaier, a vice president, acknowledges it's "a pretty exciting time."

Barely five hours after splashdown, the company founded by Musk in 2002 launched a fresh batch of its own internet satellites known as Starlinks from Cape Canaveral. There were 53 of the mini flat-panel satellites in this predawn load.

Satellites are nice, but flying people are a little special and a little bit different, and the team here sure understands that, he told reporters. "Theres a sense of relief and and a sense of accomplishment that you know youve done something good."

NASA is more impressed than ever, given SpaceX's unprecedented pace. The only problem of note in the latest flight was a mechanical nut that wiggled loose and floated away from the SpaceX capsule following Thursday's undocking. Officials assured everyone it would not pose a danger to the space station.

Look at all this work in the last month," said Kathy Lueders, NASA's space operations mission chief. I really want to personally thank SpaceX for just, wow, just performing such seamless operations on all those missions.

The astronauts said their mission was highlighted by the three visitors and their ex-astronaut escort who dropped by in April, opening up NASAs side of the station to paying guests after decades of resistance.

On the down side, they had to contend with a dangerous spike in space junk after Russia blew up a satellite in a missile test in mid-November. More than 1,500 pieces of shrapnel spread across Earth's orbit for years to come.

While the war in Ukraine has caused tensions between the U.S. and Russia, the astronauts have stood by their Russian crewmates, and vice versa. Flight controllers in Houston and Moscow also continued to cooperate as always, according to NASA officials.

As he relinquished command of the space station earlier this week, Marshburn called it a place of peace and said international cooperation would likely be its lasting legacy. Russian Oleg Artemyev, the new commander, also emphasized the peace between our countries, our friendship in orbit and described his crewmates as brothers and sisters.

Up there now are three Russians, three Americans and one Italian.

It was Marshburns third spaceflight, and the first for the three returning with him. Chari and Barrons next stop could be the moon; they are among 18 U.S. astronauts picked for NASAs Artemis moon-landing program. Two others in that elite group are now at the space station.

___

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.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

After Anita Pickett completed her doctorate in education in 2019, the idea of leaving teaching first crossed her mind. She didnt want to abandon the field she had worked in for almost fifteen years, but paying off her student loans and saving money for retirement weighed on her.

My family was like, You have a PhD now, what do you see yourself doing in order to earn the kind of money that someone with a PhD should earn? Pickett said. That was weighing on me because I do love what I do, I love education, I love teaching.

Then she got a $23,000 raise, bringing her salary up to $114,000. The increase was part of an emerging effort known as the Teacher Incentive Allotment Program, which was created in 2019 for high-performing teachers to earn raises and in some cases six-figure salaries.

READ MORE: Amid Texas teacher shortage, experts point to better pay, benefits

Teacher pay in Texas lags the national average by about $7,500, adding to a longstanding teacher shortage. Education experts and teacher unions have singled out increasing pay as a way to recruit new teachers and retain good ones. Teachers in the state make about $59,000 on average, according to an analysis of public data by Hearst Newspapers. The minimum teacher salary set by the state is $33,660.

The incentive program, which teachers groups oppose, is a sharp departure from traditional teacher pay scales, where salaries creep upward along with tenure, rather than other factors such as student performance.

Aside from the financial part of the allotment, it is really nice to be recognized as a master teacher by the state of Texas, Pickett said, referring to her classification under the program. Her school district, Somerset ISD, has offered performance benefits for about a decade, but now the program is subsidized by the TIA. It is a stamp that is on your certification so if you are ever looking at moving to another district or if someone does a search for your accreditation, it is on there.

The program is lauded by some districts and the Texas Education Agency as a transformative way to measure teacher success and dole out bonuses to the best ones. Doing so encourages the best teachers to stay in schools, and highlights a pathway for other teachers to improve at their craft.

School districts that set up systems to evaluate their teachers and rank the best ones can access state funds to give those teachers raises, with the goal of encouraging them to stick with teaching and giving other teachers something to strive for.

Our effective goal is to keep teachers in the classroom, period, said Grace Wu, director of strategic compensation with the Texas Education Agency. Having a strong system helps teachers know where theyre strong, what are their areas of growth, and what they have to do to improve.

Critics, including some academic experts, say its too difficult to measure the mix of what makes a good teacher and that creating measures of success encourages teachers to focus on those measures rather than their students. They say across-the-board pay increases should be prioritized over targeting a select few.

Teaching is an art that requires skill, pedagogical knowledge, compassion and creativity, said Catherine Elisabeth Robert, a professor at the University of Texas Arlington who specializes in education policy. An incentive system that pits one teacher against another and assigns value to one subject over another  when were there to educate the whole child  negates the broader mission of why we teach

I think youre just adding more issues to a teachers everyday concerns, more stress in their world that just makes it harder.

RELATED: Texas teachers say theyre pushed to brink by law requiring them to spend hours in unpaid training

The rollout of the program has been slow  of roughly 1,200 school districts in Texas, only 127 were enrolled in the 2020-2021 school year, up from just under 50 the year before.

Winning approval from the state takes years. Successful districts look at teacher subject matter tests, student reviews, STAAR tests and other metrics to measure the effectiveness of teachers.

Without a full review system in place, districts can only access a small portion of the funds, to give raises to teachers who are recognized as National Board Certified. In 2018, 442 teachers made six figures, and this year 799 do, out of over 250,000 full-time teachers statewide, the analysis of state data showed.

A big boost

Dallas ISD has had a teacher incentive program since 2012 and receives more funds than all other districts combined, $29.2 million in 2019-2020 and $25.8 million in 2020-2021. Its system of teacher pay, which prizes performance instead of experience, was a model for the statewide TIA policy. Mike Morath, the state commissioner of education, was appointed in 2016. Before that, he was a member of the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees.

While Dallas gets millions, most districts dont get any funds from the program. Of those that do, more than half get less than $100,000.

Teachers at Dallas ISD are paid about $11,000 more on average than they were before the district moved to a strategic compensation plan, said Suzy Smith, executive director of performance with the district.

We are absolutely leading the market in terms of compensation, Smith said, noting that a high-performing elementary school science teacher could make as much as $140,000, and retention for the highest-earning teachers is between 95 and 98 percent.

Many districts around the state are trying to set up teacher evaluation systems to receive TIA funds, including North East ISD, Harlandale ISD and Houston ISD, the largest district in the state, which received less than $32,000 in TIA funds in the most recent school year.

The district with the second most TIA funds, San Antonio ISD, got less than $3 million  one tenth of Dallas ISDs share.

Under SAISDs plan, qualifying teachers would be required to teach an added 20 days per calendar year and four additional hours per week. The district added $10,000 to the state-approved increases to make up for its additional work requirement.

District officials selected 193 applicants for the first cohort and estimated at the time that the TIA could add up to $36,500 to the annual salaries. Average teacher salary at SAISD was about $57,000.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

It does have the potential of giving them a big boost, said Jill Rhodes-Pruin, SAISDs assistant superintendent of human capital management. Last month, the district received approval for their second cohort of teachers, bringing the total in the program to about 200.

We have found that it is a great motivator for our teachers, and really to keep teachers in the classroom, Rhodes-Pruin said. So many times, teachers leave the classroom because they can make more money in an administrative position or in a different position.

Matthew Heine, a social studies teacher at SAISDs Lanier High School, was one of the first teachers to receive a stipend as a Recognized teacher. And this year, he learned he moved up the ladder to qualify as a Master Teacher under the TIA program.

There are places Ive worked at where the school or the administration acts like You are lucky to have us, Heine said. Lanier and SAISD, they make me feel like they are lucky to have me.

edward.mckinley@chron.com; danya.perez@express-news.net; claire.bryan@express-news.net
An increase in criminal activity in southwestern Bexar County led to the discovery of what appears to be a smuggling operation and the apprehension of about 40 migrants Thursday afternoon.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said members of the BCSO's organized crime group were conducting surveillance around the Briggs Road area because of an uptick in violent crime, trafficking and smuggling activity, and stolen cars.

"And today, we got basically all of the above," Salazar said.

Deputies made a number of traffic stops. During one stop, the driver fled, leaving behind a male passengers and two female teenagers.

The female passengers, ages 16 and 18, were from Mexico, the sheriff said, adding that the teens were under the impression they would be meeting relatives in the Dallas area.

The male passenger who was left behind had a knife as well as the girls' IDs, Salazar said.

Deputies then went to the property that had been under surveillance and found 35 to 40 migrants, most of whom were young men.

Although some of them had not eaten for six days, they were in relatively good health, Salazar said. He added that some of them had injuries to their feet, probably from walking through the desert. EMS was called to check them out.

Bexar County Sheriff

The sheriff said the deputies took up a collection to get the migrants food and water. "Although we're here to do a job, you don't want to just leave your fellow man starving and thirsty."

Homeland Security Investigations was called in, Salazar said. The migrants will be taken to federal offices and interviewed, he said.

Bexar County Sheriff

Deputies also stopped a woman who appeared to be there to pick up the driver who fled, the sheriff said. The woman has been identified as Augustina Jean Cabrera, 50.

It turned out that there were felony warrants out for Cabrera in connection with the discovery of a tiger that was being kept in "inhumane conditions" during the February 2021 freeze, he said. Cabrera was in possession of the tiger at the time, Salazar said. The tiger, who was later named Elsa, is now at a wildlife sanctuary in North Texas.

Salazar said they believe the driver who fled is Christopher Abrego, 24, who also has felony warrants stemming from the February 2021 animal cruelty case. Authorities are searching for him.

Officials also found three stolen large pickups on the property, Salazar said.

Bexar County Sheriff

Bexar County Sheriff
William Luther /Staff photographer

A whole lot of land was sold across the country in 2021, making it the land market's best year in nearly a decade.

Land sales increased by 6 percent and outperformed commercial real estate sales, according to the 2021 Land Market Report from the Realtors Land Institute and the National Association of Realtors.
Beyond the facade of a perfect Hallmark holiday, the roses, balloons and cards, Mothers Day can be complicated.

Being a mom is hard. So is being a child.

None of us would be here without a mother, yet the circumstances of our lives can make the day difficult for many. Consider those who were unwanted babies. Consider women who have had miscarriages. Consider all who have lost their mothers to illness, accidents or violence. Consider those who yearn to become a mother, but cant. Consider mothers and children who are estranged. The difficult scenarios are manifold  but so are the beautiful ones.

No mom is perfect. Yet, for many, this day is a time to reflect and show love.

My mom is a blessing. Last week, she surprised us by taking a flight to San Antonio from Arizona to help us celebrate my husbands retirement.

She lives in Mathis, the small town where my brother, sister and I grew up, but shes not there often. My mom has followed my brother, an Air Force senior master sergeant and his wife, an Air Force master sergeant, around the world for the last eight years of their military careers to help care for their children. Theyve lived in Florida, Utah, Japan and, now, Arizona. Helping to care for three young boys is no easy feat, but she puts her life aside to do it. Mom struggles with various health conditions that sometimes land her in the hospital in frightening situations.

My mom is known for her generous spirit. When she hears about a loved ones suffering or need, she steps up to help. She gives and gives and gives, so much so that I often tell her to focus more on herself. Life is short, I tell her. Enjoy your life.

But Mom continues to give. She cant help but nurture and love.

In February, my sister, who lives in Houston, and I traveled to my brothers home in Arizona to surprise our mom for her 65th birthday. We wanted to celebrate this milestone in a big way. Mom always makes it clear that what she wants is all her children together, so we made it happen. Together, the three of us gifted her professional makeup and studio portrait sessions  firsts for her. It was wonderful to see Mom relish in the moments and love.

On Mothers Day, I always reflect on my role as a mother. Getting pregnant at 19 changed, enriched and complicated my life. At times, it overwhelmed me. Being a young, low-income single mom with a baby with colic was hard, but his teenage years were much harder. I will always fiercely love my son. But looking back, I wonder: Did I do it right? Am I doing it right?

Of course, its complicated. All moms want to do their best, though we all fall short. But on my 42nd birthday Tuesday, my son gave me a beautiful gift  I got something right. He not only called me on FaceTime, but also posted a heartfelt message on Facebook. A message of faith and love that reminded me that even though weve endured some hard times, we are good.

Good morning everyone! Please help me wish my amazing and beautiful mother Nancy Martinez Preyor-Johnson a very happy birthday today!

He then shared this quote from the Book of Proverbs: She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.

I love you mom and I hope that today is just as amazing as you are (heart emoji).

May all moms and children feel loved  on Mothers Day and all days.

Nancy.Preyor-Johnson@express-news.net
In 1984, Ronald Reagan was the first sitting U.S. president to officially recognize Military Spouse Appreciation Day, held during Military Appreciation Month on the Friday before Mothers Day. Although Reagans service in the Army predated his marriage to Nancy, he likely encountered and realized the unique nature of military spouses during his days in uniform and as commander in chief.

As of 2020, there were nearly 53,000 active-duty military spouses in Texas, 89 percent of whom are women and mothers to a total of nearly 44,000 children. So it seems especially fitting to thank and appreciate them before Mothers Day.

Just over two years ago, I was presented an opportunity to chair the Military Spouse Economic Empowerment Zone, part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. As such, with the help of a group of local employers and nonprofit advocates, our group addresses military spouse employment locally through hiring, training and advocacy efforts. Through my tenure, Ive been exposed to some amazing information and stories I wanted to share on Military Spouse Appreciation Day.

Who are our military spouses? There arent that many service members  only about 1 percent of the nation has served  and even fewer spouses. Texas is home to almost 9 percent of the nations nearly 598,000 active-duty military spouse population. Along with their children, they are uniquely situated in the middle of civilian life and military life. Sharing their families and service members with our nation, they are fierce warriors.

Our military spouses lead LeadershipSA, and testify and lobby before our state legislators to ensure licensure reciprocity for military spouses relocating to Texas. They develop curriculum for our students in public and home-school programs. They are Fortune 500 recruiters and new U.S. citizens. They manage local work programs that have a positive effect on our local economy. They are doctors, Realtors, attorneys, entrepreneurs, contractors, government employees and the like. And although they are sometimes subject to moving more frequently than the average citizen, they do not leave employers and companies any more frequently than anyone else.

This year, as we transition out of, and possibly into again, nearly two decades of continuous wartime service, our military spouses are owed a debt of gratitude and appreciation.

How can you share your appreciation? Explore the legislative priorities of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and support those that will improve your own quality of life, and those of our local service members and their families. Or stop in to say hello during the Military Spouse Appreciation Day celebration and resource fair today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Endeavors: Veterans Wellness on De Zavala Road.

Grant Hegner is an Air Force veteran and veteran spouse. He is chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundations San Antonio MSEEZ, and volunteer with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
Today is Election Day. This year, the city is proposing to borrow $1.2 billion, the largest bond proposal in its history, to fund infrastructure improvement projects. The five-year bond process, which does not call for a tax rate increase, covers projects through 2027.

The scope and impact of this bond election cannot be underestimated. The outcome will be determined by those who take the time to vote. It is critical that voters voice their choices. As a voter, you decide if using general obligation bonds as a funding mechanism is the prudent approach.

Separating the projects as six propositions on the ballot allows the voter to approve all, some or none of them. Funds for any proposition that does not pass are deducted from the $1.2 billion. A majority vote is needed to move forward.

The six propositions to be voted on individually are:

A: $471.5 million for streets, bridges, sidewalks.

B: $169.9 million for drainage and flood control.

C: $271.9 million for parks and recreation.

D: $58.4 million for libraries and cultural facilities.

E: $78.3 million for public safety facilities.

F: $150.0 million for affordable housing.

The details of projects covered under each proposition can be found at SanAntonio.gov/2022bond.

In addition, two proposed Texas constitutional amendments will be on every voters ballot.

State of Texas Proposition 1 deals with a law the Legislature passed in 2019 that provided a property tax reduction to many homeowners. However, this reduction did not apply to homeowners who have filed exemptions for people older than 65 or with disabilities because under the Texas Constitution, their tax rate is frozen.

Proposition 1 would amend the Texas Constitution to allow disabled and elderly homeowners to receive the benefits from the 2019 property tax reduction that other homeowners received. This would freeze their tax rate at a lower rate.

The law related to this proposed amendment requires that the state reimburse school districts for revenues lost due to this proposition.

State of Texas Proposition 2 addresses how, currently, homeowners are able to reduce the market value of their primary residence by $25,000 when calculating their annual school property taxes. The proposed amendment would increase the amount of that reduction to $40,000. This could lower homeowners property tax bills.

The law related to this proposed amendment requires that the state reimburse school districts for revenues lost due to this proposition.

Arguments for and against both state propositions are at the League of Women Voters guide, Vote411.org.

Many Bexar voters will also have elections for school boards and/or their cities on their ballots.

Anticipated low voter turnout for these elections is disheartening. Imagine borrowing half a million dollars to, say, buy a home and not participating in the decision-making process  and here we are talking about $1.2 billion.

As Thomas Jefferson said, We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.

Be part of that majority who participate: VOTE!

Madhu Sridhar is the president of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area. Contact madhusridhar2012@gmail.com
A SECURITY officer with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe who allegedly stole US$2 million and went on a three-month lavish spending spree with her church pastor and a couple of relatives, has now had both her new mansions and a fleet of vehicles worth US$1,4 million frozen pending finalisation of criminal proceedings.

Roselyn Dunga (31) is believed to have stolen US$2 million from the baggage rack at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare before buying properties worth US$1,4 million between August and November last year.

She reportedly bought 14256 Leegate Crescent, Gunhill, Harare on 2 544 square metres for US$400 000 and using her sisters name, Locadia Chimukosi, she allegedly bought a double-storey mansion at 12 Giraffe Crescent, Borrowdale West, Harare for US$580 000.

Without wasting time, Dunga is said to have roped in Pastor Edmore Chipisa of the Heavenly Fire Ministries, who assisted in the purchase of a white DAF truck (AFQ 1996), two yellow DAF trucks (without registration plates), a white IVECO truck (without a registration plate), three flat bed trailers, also without registration plates and one tanker.

Dunga, through her 17-year-old nephew, also bought a 19-hectare plot, described in the Deeds records as the remainder of Coburn 23 Plot in Selous for US$130 000.

The High Court recently interdicted Dunga, Pastor Chipisa and three others whose names were used in the purchase of the properties from selling them pending finalisation of the case.

The suspects should also explain how they acquired the properties within such a short space of time, splurging US$1 475 000.

Part of the interdict application reads: Within a period of three months, the respondents acquired assets whose value amounts to US$1 475 000 in cash. Accordingly, there is a lawful basis upon which this Honourable Court should demand an explanation from the respondents regarding their wealth.

At the same time, the respondents wealth ought to be subjected to an order freezing the identified property, which is likely to be dissipated through further laundering by the respondents.

The State believes Dunga, who was stationed at the airport, stole baggage containing a US$2 million in August last year.

It was not mentioned in court papers who the money belonged to and how Dunga managed to sneak the bag out of the airport, a high security zone.

The police had a tip-off that through her post of security officer, she had the duty of scanning baggage for prohibited contraband before the exit of aircraft.

But when she identified baggage containing cash, Dunga knew that it was an offence and prohibited under the Bank Use Promotion Act as a detainable offence in terms of that Act but did not report the matter to authorities.

It also contravened the Exchange Control Act and the Exchange Control Regulations, 1996. Externalising or exporting of currency without the authority of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is barred in the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, reads the application.

Dunga is said to have purchased a Mercedes Benz S350D (AFG 2419) for US$95 000 from Barnabas Vera in September 2021.

The car dealer has since confirmed the sale to the investigators and a copy of the agreement of sale has since been availed.

Concerning the US$580 000 double storey mansion in Borrowdale West acquired from Laila Green, Chimukosis name appears on the agreement of sale papers as the buyer, as a way of covering up for the money laundering.

The house in question remains unoccupied as it is vacant upon departure of the previous owner, reads the court papers.

Pastor Chipisa and his wife Sharon Kasaru reportedly used part of the money to buy the Gunhill property for US$400 000 from Diniwe Chakamanga. Herald
For years, San Antonio city leaders had tried and failed.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, they wanted to bring an automotive plant to the region  the gold standard in economic development, a win that could generate thousands of jobs and boost tax revenue.

But it wasnt working. Automotive supply lines at the time were centered around Detroit and other parts of the Midwest, not South Texas. Automakers such as Saturn, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai all rebuffed San Antonios recruitment pitches.

And then Toyota came along.

In early 2003, the Japanese automaker announced it would build a pickup factory in San Antonio, a decision that capped off six frantic, exhilarating months of negotiations, as Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff described them in his 2008 book Transforming San Antonio. Local and state officials put together a package of subsidies worth more than $100 million to attract Toyota to the South Side.

Toyotas factory, which cost about $2 billion to build and began producing full-size Tundras in 2006, effectively launched the auto industry in the region. And its growth has exploded in recent years.

What Toyota does is demonstrate that this is, in fact, a viable location for an automotive plant, said David Marquez, director of community and economic development for Bexar County. It fits our community.

Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

Manufacturing employment in San Antonio topped 52,000 last fall, its highest level in more than 20 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Across Texas, the number of people working in factories today  just over 900,000  is slightly lower than it was in 2002.

Within the manufacturing industry  which includes producers of everything from satellites to fast-food fryers  automakers and their suppliers are rising fast. Employment in auto manufacturing has more than doubled over the last two decades, a sign of the statewide shift toward vehicle production.

You can see their ascendancy in San Antonio.

The commercial truck and bus manufacturer Navistar International in March unveiled its recently completed, high-tech truck factory on the far South side, where it will soon pump out diesel and heavy-duty electric trucks.

Tesla suppliers, such as ElringKlinger AG and Saueressig, are setting up production facilities in San Antonio to ship parts to Teslas new $1.1 billion Gigafactory just outside Austin, where the company currently makes its Model Y sedan. (The only other major vehicle manufacturing plant in Texas is General Motors facility near Dallas.)

Transmission maker Aisin AW completed work on a $400 million plant in Cibolo last fall, and heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar builds engines at a plant in Seguin.

Toyota itself also recently completed a $400 million expansion of its plant, where it soon will produce the Sequoia SUV alongside the Tundra pickup.

Meanwhile, San Antonios automotive industry is beginning to push beyond production, into higher-skill, higher-paying engineering.

The reconstituted DeLorean Motor Co. is setting up its headquarters, with plans to hire 400 employees, many of them engineers. Theyll work on the new electric DeLorean model and technologies that the company may incorporate in the vehicle, such as hydrogen fuel cells. DeLorean will produce the car in Canada.

Navistar set up an engineering center 8 miles from its South Side factory to test and validate parts for its electric trucks.

The shift to automotive research and development could make San Antonio a hub for high-wage jobs in zero-carbon transportation in the years ahead, city officials say. DeLorean said its San Antonio employees will earn, on average, about $140,000 annually.

The long-term play is to get more of the value-added work. So when you see Navistar coming here, they didnt just bring a truck factory, they brought their engineering plant, Marquez said. Thats what our county strategy has been from the beginning.

Nearly two decades ago, Toyota was interested in San Antonios workforce and cheap electricity when it was considering sites for a plant. Also, the Tundra had a lot of sales potential in Texas, so Toyotas marketing department thought it would be smart to build the trucks in the countrys largest pickup market.

But a longtime personal friendship was also a big factor in the worlds largest automakers decision built a plant in San Antonio.

The Toyota multiplier

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

Then-Mayor Henry Cisneros led the citys first trade delegation to Japan in 1985, where he befriended Naoko Shirane, a relative of Toyotas founding family. The city hired her and her husband to promote San Antonio to corporations in Japan.

Over the years, Shirane helped set up meetings between Cisneros and Toyota officials, and facilitated informal communications between them  contacts that proved invaluable when the company began scouting locations for a U.S. Tundra plant.

Shirane died in 2013.

Over time, Cisneros cultivated a friendship with Shoichiro Toyoda, the former chairman of Toyota and son of its founder.

There should be no question that the reason we got on the list and prevailed was because of Cisneros relationship to Dr. Toyoda, Marquez said.

When Toyota announced its decision to build the plant in San Antonio, the manufacturing industry in the region was in free fall. Companies were outsourcing jobs as product imports surged, clobbering the makers of more expensive domestic goods.

Manufacturing jobs peaked in San Antonio at 57,000 workers in 2000. But over the next three years, factory owners slashed nearly 20 percent of their workforce, eliminating more than 11,000 jobs.

The Toyota plant began turning those dismal numbers around when it opened the plant in 2006.

Theres always been manufacturing here, but I dont think San Antonio had been known as a manufacturing hub until bringing a big name like Toyota, said Leslie Cantu, a vice president at Toyotetsu Texas, which supplies brake pedals and fender aprons to Toyotas factory.

Parts makers have delivered some of the biggest jobs gains.

Marquezs first task when he took over the countys economic development department in 2005 was to establish a supplier park, located next to the automakers plant, for Toyota vendors. The close proximity would cut down logistics costs.

Today, 23 on-site manufacturers supply parts to Toyota  everything from car seats to hood locks. Toyotas factory employs around 3,000, and its suppliers employ another 4,000 workers.

Theres a lot of benefits to the way Toyota set up this campus, Cantu said. Reducing inventory, theres an impact on reducing costs so that we can be more competitive.

Toyotetsu supplies other Toyota factories, but Toyotas San Antonio operation was the first one where Toyotetsu opened a factory next door.

Sam Owens, Staff Photographer / San Antonio Express-News

At some of the other plants, you get your volume forecast, and youre just producing and shipping, Cantu said.

As Toyota developed the supplier park, the company asked Cisneros for a list of wealthy Hispanic business people in the city with the cash and the willingness to become partners in Toyotas parts suppliers.

Toyota wanted to diversify its supplier base and mirror the citys demographics. The company chose four men to lead different suppliers. Staffing expert Rosa Santana later became a partner in supplier Forma Automotive.

Cisneros is an investor in supplier Avanzar Interior Technologies, though he said in a 2020 interview that his stake isnt that large.

Southern shift

Auto manufacturing bolsters the local government budgets more than other industries.

Auto plants require big, expensive machinery thats taxed as property and generates more revenue for the area than an office building would.

Advanced manufacturing is the best of both worlds: well-paying jobs and a tax base of hundreds of millions of dollars that pays into taxes for the community to be able to have the services and the quality of life that we want, Marquez said.

The geography of the auto industry has changed over the last 20 years, to San Antonios benefit. The absence of strong unions in Texas  compared with the industrial Midwest and other parts of the U.S.  helped pull Toyota south, according to Wolffs book.

During a meeting in January 2003 at Toyotas North American headquarters in Kentucky, Wolff said a Houston Port Authority board member assured the automaker the port wouldnt be slowed by labor strikes. In the same meeting, a Toyota executive lamented a 2002 labor dispute in California that cost Toyota tens of millions of dollars.

Historically, the Big Three automakers  Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler  built their factories near Midwest rail infrastructure. But supply lines have moved south as Mexico has emerged as a focal point of automotive manufacturing, particularly near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Last year, Toyota shifted production of the Tacoma pickup from San Antonio to plants in Mexico. The automaker operates factories in Guanajuato in central Mexico and Tijuana, across the border from San Diego.

General Motors runs a plant in the border state of Coahuila, which its converting to build electric vehicles. The South Korean automaker Kia opened a factory in the border state of Nuevo Leon in 2016, and Volkswagen and Ford also own assembly plants in central Mexico.

The turn south is part of what brought Navistar to San Antonio.

Navistar, headquartered outside Chicago, operates a bus plant in Oklahoma and a truck factory near Monterrey in northern Mexico. Building the engineering facility in San Antonio, in between those cities, makes more sense logistically than placing it in Illinois, Marquez said.

Were the ideal spot between Mexico and the U.S.  this fantastic bridge point, he said.

The cost of success

Sam Owens, Staff Photographer / San Antonio Express-News

Courting big factories also has some downsides.

Toyotas assembly plant is the biggest producer of volatile organic compounds in Bexar County. VOCs react with nitrogen oxides to produce ground-level ozone on hot days, which causes respiratory problems and aggravates asthma and other lung diseases. Asthma hospitalization rates in Bexar County are higher than in Texas overall, according to the Metropolitan Health District.

The Toyota plant emitted an average of 459 tons of VOCs each year from 2014 to 2020, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The emissions come mostly from the plants paint shop.

The Environmental Protection Agency last month proposed downgrading Bexar Countys ozone attainment status because of excessively high ground-level ozone here. The regions relatively clean air and attainment status were originally part of San Antonios allure for Toyota, according to Wolffs book.

Marquez wasnt worried about local emissions from the automotive industry, pointing to the high-tech automated paint shop that Navistar built at its plant, which he said uses a sophisticated system to filter emissions.

Navistars plant only recently began operating, and emissions data for the site isnt available. But the company said last year that the facility will be a minor source for all applicable emissions under the permit issued by the state of Texas.

Ive been in plants all around the world, and Ive never seen that much attention to not letting any paint escape the skin of the truck, Marquez said. Thats what gives me a lot of optimism and confidence that these are industries that do fit who we are, because we are definitely concerned about nonattainment.

Another issue: workers starting in manufacturing often earn under $15.

In exchange for a $750,000 grant from the city, Navistar agreed to hire 600 employees by the end of 2024 and pay at least $12.38 an hour. However, most workers have to earn nearly $17 an hour under its agreement with the city.

While jobs in manufacturing often dont require a college degree, workers usually need to earn a series of training certificates to reach higher pay levels.

But even if the entry-level wages are relatively low in manufacturing, experience pays. The average manufacturing wage in Bexar County was about $68,000 last year, well above the countywide average annual pay of about $55,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Its not sufficient just to send you to get that startup certificate and then do nothing after that, Marquez said. Crafting an individual plan is how you overcome that  by not thinking of it as one class and then youre going to get into a career.

When it launches this summer, the citys Ready to Work job training program will offer courses for lower-income residents to learn manufacturing skills and find work in the industry.

Sam Owens, Staff Photographer / San Antonio Express-News

The plan is for the citys workforce office to ask manufacturers which skills they need employees to have. The city and training providers will then craft courses to train workers accordingly.

The Ready to Work program is also meant to broadcast a message to manufacturers looking to come to San Antonio: We have workers for you.

The city wants to make sure Ready to Work is taking those job orders, so to speak, directly from industry and working very closely with them, said Romanita Matta-Barrera, chief workforce officer for the economic development nonprofit greater:SATX. As individuals are going through the program, theyre trained into job opportunities and not into joblessness.

Toyotetsus Cantu has hired 29 workers from the citys Train for Jobs program, the precursor to Ready to Work. About 150 people have gotten jobs in manufacturing following its training, with most making at least $15 an hour. About 1,500 people in all have found work through Train for Jobs since it opened in September 2020.

To hire graduates of Ready to Work, employers have to pay them at least $15 an hour, a thorny requirement that wasnt a part of Train for Jobs  and one that many employers consider burdensome.

Smaller manufacturers that offer starting wages below $15 will likely be shut out of hiring employees who go through Ready to Work, said Rey Chavez, president of the San Antonio Manufacturers Association.

Marquez was also skeptical of the city mandating a minimum wage for graduates of Ready to Work.

If we force (employers) to have a floor at $15 or $18 an hour, that may sound good on the front end, but that has a corrosive effect on who they can hire, Marquez said. Someone may need to get into a $12 per hour job, but if we dont keep them on the escalator to the top, thats the problem.

Matta-Barrera said about half of the projects currently in greater:SATXs pipeline are manufacturing related  suggesting the industrys growth in San Antonio is poised to continue.

There are so many different on-ramps in (manufacturing) where you can make well above livable wages without necessarily requiring a four-year degree, Matta-Barrera said. The focus is on high-wage, high-growth sectors, and manufacturing represents all of that.

diego.mendoza-moyers

@express-news.net
(The Center Square)  According to preliminary U.S. Border Patrol data for the month of April, BP agents apprehended 211,972 people entering the southwestern border illegally.

The data is preliminary and excludes figures from the Office of Field Operations, which will likely make the numbers higher.

A minimum of an additional 58,000 got-aways, identified as known and reported to have evaded capture, also entered the U.S. illegally in April. However, this number is anticipated to be much higher, based on how data is recorded.

The Center Square obtained the information from a Border Patrol officer at the southern border in Texas. It includes got-away estimates, which arent normally in the monthly enforcement reports issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The BP officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, also told The Center Square that got-away numbers are being deleted from the system, or labeled as something else to make it seem like there are fewer.

The numbers are broken down by BP sector and categories, including apprehensions, turn backs, non-violations, outstanding, no-arrests, got aways (known/recorded), and deceased.

The sectors that saw the most traffic last month, as in nearly all months, were in Texas in the Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley sectors.

According to preliminary data as of May 2, from April 1-30:

The Del Rio Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 42,564

Turn Backs: 182

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 16,341

Unresolved Detection: 163

No Arrest: 4,138

Deceased: 10

Non-violation: 229

Outstanding: 75

The Rio Grande Valley Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 42,604

Turn Backs: 4,453

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 4,071

Unresolved Detection: 242

No Arrest: 3,041

Deceased: 12

Non-violation: 383

Outstanding: 41

The El Paso Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 30,384

Turn Backs: 3,706

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 6,903

Unresolved Detection: 33

No Arrest: 290

Deceased: 0

Non-violation: 141

Outstanding: 8

The Laredo Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 13,112

Turn Backs: 2,901

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 2,209

Unresolved Detection: 15

No Arrest: 1,207

Deceased: 4

Non-violation: 290

Outstanding: 0

The San Diego Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 15,197

Turn Backs: 657

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 5,012

Unresolved Detection: 12

No Arrest: 5,256

Deceased: 0

Non-violation: 45

Outstanding: 226

The Tucson Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 26,360

Turn Backs: 1,006

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 17,708

Unresolved Detection: 1,224

No Arrest: 2,646

Deceased: 6

Non-violation: 222

Outstanding: 547

The Yuma Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 31,382

Turn Backs: 292

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 3,457

Unresolved Detection: 64

No Arrest: 54

Deceased: 5

Non-violation: 66

Outstanding: 391

The El Centro Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 6,452

Turn Backs: 595

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 842

Unresolved Detection: 5

No Arrest: 7

Deceased: 1

Non-violation: 4

Outstanding: 14

The Big Bend Sector reported:

Apprehensions: 3,917

Turn Backs: 64

Got-Aways (known/recorded): 2,042

Unresolved Detection: 201

No Arrests: 518

Deceased: 0

Non-violations: 29

Outstanding: 133

Apprehensions include those in the U.S. illegally who surrender or are caught by BP officers. Turn backs include those who entered illegally but returned to Mexico.

The categories of "no arrests" and "unresolved detection" arent part of 6 U.S. Code, which BP officers use to classify encounters. They are used as a way to lower the number of got-aways being reported, the BP officer says.

No arrests mean someone was detected in a non-border zone and their presence didnt affect Got-Away statistics, according to the official internal tracking system used by Border Patrol. "Unresolved detection" means the same thing, but the officers, for a range of reasons, couldnt determine citizenship.

Non-violations are deemed to have committed no infraction and dont affect Got-Away statistics, according to the tracking system definition.

No arrests and non-violations can include citizens.

Outstanding includes encountered people who havent yet been categorized as turn backs, apprehensions or got-aways.

However,non-violations, no arrests and unresolved detection, should actually be categorized as got-aways, the BP officer says.

Because each sector determines how it categorizes data, reporting is inconsistent. For example, in the San Diego and Rio Grande Valley sectors, the BP officer says, no arrests is often used as a category to include got-aways, which is why their numbers are so high. Tucson and Del Rio sectors hold data in outstanding for 72 hours, whereas other sectors dont, the BP officer pointed out.

A more accurate estimate of got-aways for April would include data categorized as unresolved detection, non-violation and no arrest, assuming all non-arrests were of non-citizens, the BP officer said. This would put got-aways closer to over 71,000.

However, these numbers also exclude known got-aways not recorded due to several factors and the unknown number of people who entered illegally and evaded capture.

BP officers have no way of knowing who any of the got-aways are, although they estimate many have criminal backgrounds, are likely dangerous and working with Mexican cartels.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

Harrisburg, Pa.  The outcome of the Pennsylvania governors race could determine the future of legal abortion access in the state, which is uncertain following the leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Such a decision would leave how, where, and why someone could get a legal abortion, if at all, up to each states legislature and governor. All nine of the Republican gubernatorial candidates in Pennsylvania support additional abortion restrictions, and at least five would seek a complete ban with no exceptions.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, a former Planned Parenthood clinic escort who is statutorily unable to seek another term, has blocked efforts by the GOP-controlled legislature to further curtail abortion access during his seven years in office. Republicans will likely maintain control of both the state House and Senate this November, raising the stakes in an already critical governors race.

According to a draft opinion circulated within the court and reported by Politico Monday night, the U.S. Supreme Court has already voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark court decision that has protected the right to abortion for almost 50 years. Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the drafts authenticity but said it was not final.

Weve gotten to this point because of a well-organized and continuously mobilized pro-life movement that has spent the last half-century working to this goal, said Lehigh University sociologist Ziad Munson, who has written about abortion politics.

Opponents of abortion celebrated the leaked opinion with a mix of hope for the future, but also some reservations as to what the courts final decision will be.

Michael Ciccocioppo, executive director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, said in an email that the group will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Courts official opinion, and declined to comment on hypothetical questions in this matter.

For now, at least, the precedent set in Roe v. Wade and affirmed in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey will remain in place.

Lets be clear: Abortion is still legal, Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania President and CEO Dayle Steinberg said.

Under state law, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy, with later exceptions made for extraordinary circumstances like the health of the person giving birth.

The Abortion Control Act, a 1982 law that regulates abortion in Pennsylvania, already includes significant restrictions. People seeking abortions are required to wait for 24 hours after receiving mandatory counseling, and minors cannot receive abortions without parental consent.

It is also the only law regulating a medical procedure written into the state criminal code, said Sue Frietsche, founder and director of the Western Pennsylvania office of the Womens Law Project. The act carries heavy criminal and civil penalties for doctors and nurses who violate it.

Its a manifestation of abortion stigma, she said. The purpose of our legislature in putting what is really the regulation of health care into the crimes code is to cast a cloud of unsavory suspicion over the whole area.

The state of access, and what the future could bring

Should the court strike Roe down, nothing would immediately change for Pennsylvanians.

In the short term, abortion providers expect Pennsylvania to become a sanctuary for people from states where access would end if Roe were overturned, said Melissa Reed, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Keystone.

Without Roe, Reed said she expects an additional 8,500 patients to arrive annually from other states on top of the 7,600 abortion patients Planned Parenthood Keystone serves each year.

I think its important that people know that the consequences of this are going to be truly dangerous and unprecedented, Reed said.

But depending on who succeeds Wolf as governor, the situation could change rapidly for Pennsylvania residents.

At least five of the nine GOP candidates for governor  Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale, conservative strategist Charlie Gerow, state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin), former Delaware County Council Member Dave White, and Poconos surgeon Nche Zama  have said they support abortion bans without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the parent.

At a debate in late April, Mastriano, who has consistently appeared at or near the top of polls, called legal abortion a national catastrophe, before promising to move with alacrity on a six-week abortion ban.

We lack a William Wilberforce of our time, Mastriano said, comparing the movement to abolish slavery in 18th and 19th century Britain to efforts to restrict abortion access. We dont have any champions in Pennsylvania.

A sixth candidate, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart (R., Pa.), said she would only support an exception for the life of the parent. Anything else, she said, would be inconsistent.

If you believe this is a child, and this child has a right to life, then we can work with the pregnant mother through the crisis, Hart told Spotlight PA.

The three other candidates have also backed stricter abortion laws, but said theyd support some exceptions. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R., Centre), former federal prosecutor Bill McSwain, and former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R., Pa.) have all said theyd allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the parent.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the only Democratic candidate for governor who will appear on the May 17 primary ballot, supports maintaining access to abortion.

The next governor will have a bill on their desk to restrict or outlaw abortion rights, Shapiro said during a press call Tuesday. I will of course veto it. My opponent will sign it.

The legislatures support

With Wolfs veto a sure thing, Republican lawmakers  with the support of some of their Democratic colleagues  have passed multiple bills to further restrict abortion access, including a 20-week ban in 2017. The Democratic governor rejected all of them.

But a Republican governor asking for a complete ban would spark a very intense internal conversation among GOP legislators, said state Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R., Dauphin).

I am definitely pro-life, Mehaffie said, but I do believe in the exceptions. I have always been upfront about that.

A lot could change between now and 2023, he added, as a wave of legislative retirements and new political maps brings fresh faces to the General Assembly who do not share his reservations.

Republican candidates who no longer support even the limited exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the parent are proof of how successful the movement to restrict abortion has been, said Munson of Lehigh University.

The exceptions started as a compromise that the movement never really wanted, but the public does by a wide margin, Munson said.

A March 2022 Franklin & Marshall College poll found that 31% of Pennsylvania voters think abortion should be legal in all circumstances, 13% in none, and 53% under certain circumstances. What those circumstances are was not defined in the question.

In an email, House Republican spokesperson Jason Gottesman cautioned that the GOP was still awaiting confirmation of the courts opinion and that any true direction or plan would be premature.

We will continue to review pending pro-life legislation and any further decisions will be made through the course of the normal legislative process, Gottesman said.

In a statement, House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) said she expects our hyper-conservative legislature, which routinely embraces culturally divisive issues to invariably act on yesterdays SCOTUS news.

Democrats, she added, are committed to this fight and will work alongside our partners to ensure womens rights are secure in the commonwealth.

The states courts could also play a role in the coming debate.

A lawsuit pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, filed by abortion providers against the state Department of Human Services, could enshrine the procedure as a protected right under the state constitutions equal protection clause. Attorneys from the Womens Law Project are part of the legal team representing the providers.

The suit argues Pennsylvanias Medicaid program discriminates against women and people who give birth, Frietsche said, by denying coverage for abortion because of gender-based stereotypes about womens proper role.

WHILE YOURE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
(The Center Square)  Montana is facing an "unprecedented" avian influenza risk this season, according to the state's top veterinarian.

The virus was first detected in early April, and chickens have been killed in Cascade and Judith Basin counties to stop the spread, NBC Montana reported.

Over 78,000 birds from eight different backyard flocks in Montana have been affected by the outbreak, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

"It seems like this particular strain seems to be more deadly or more transmissible," Montana State Veterinarian Dr. Marty Zaluski told The Center Square.

While it's not a food safety or public health issue, according to Zaluski, domestic birds such as chickens and ducks are "at a highly increased risk of being infected with avian influenza if they have contact with wild birds, particularly waterfowl."

Residents who have domestic fowl should consider shielding them as much as possible from wild birds, the veterinarian said.

"Owners should do anything they can do to create some separation from wild birds," he said. "If that requires a net, some kind of a roof, all those would be things to consider."

Bird owners should remember that avian flu is a temporary threat based on prior outbreaks of the virus, Zaluski said.

"In 2015, the last transmission was in early June," he said. "I think I would seriously consider keeping them inside for the next few weeks."

Poultry owners should contact their veterinarians and potentially the state Department of Livestock if they suspect bird flu.

"What we typically recommend is that if you do have a mortality that you submit one or more recently dead chickens to our diagnostic laboratory for avian influenza testing," Zaluski said.

Typically, when avian flu strikes a flock, many birds die.

"Out of 30 chickens, you might see one die one day, three or four the next day, and eventually the majority of those 30 not survive over the space of four or five days," Zaluski said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported one human case of avian bird flu in Colorado, the agency said in a news release.

"This case occurred in a person who had direct exposure to poultry and was involved in the culling (depopulating) of poultry with presumptive H5N1 bird flu," the CDC said. "The patient reported fatigue for a few days as their only symptom and has since recovered."

That case "does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which CDC considers to be low," the agency said.
Missouri and Kansas are no strangers to border conflict. No, were not talking about the chaos that inspired The Outlaw Josey Wales. The fear today is over cross-border job poachers. However, that doesnt justify giving Fidelity Security Life Insurance $12.7 million just to stay inside Kansas City. No one gets a gold medal in a race to the bottom  but politicians will waste endless taxpayer dollars trying to tell you that theyre winning.
Devon's huge farm stay offering and its variety of country shows has led the county to be crowned the UK's top agritourism destination.

With trends like the cottagecore movement and a refreshed desire for open spaces and healthy living post Covid, the global agritourism market is expected to grow by 13% over the next six years.

In the UK, the office of national statistics already suggests around one in 10 rural firms are tourist related and 15% of total rural employment is in the tourism sector.

Considering the number of farm stays, farm shops, country shows and events and hiking trails, sustainable-living experts Bower Collective has mapped this trend.

By evaluating the volume of agritourism facilities county by county, the study ranks which areas offer tourists the most attractive and authentic rural experience.

Considering all factors, Devon has been named the UKs top agritourism destination, ahead of North Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Devon ranked in the top 10 for all factors in the study. The county has more listed farm stays than any other UK area, with 187 listed options offering tourists the chance to taste life on a working farm.

The South West county is also placed second for the number of farm shops and third for the variety of country shows and events.

North Yorkshire claimed second overall place, with the UKs richest selection of country shows and events, with more than 33 listed in the annual calendar.

Completing the top three is neighbouring county Cumbria, which came top for the number of hiking trails  the only place in the UK with over a 1,000 walks listed.

Nationally, the best spot for a rural getaway in Wales is Powys, in Scotland is the Highlands, and in Northern Ireland County Down comes out top.

The study also reveals the winners for each factor. For those looking to roll their sleeves up and dig into rural life, Devon, Cornwall and Powys in Wales offer holidaymakers the most working farm stays respectively.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and  more surprisingly  London have the most country shows, events and agricultural fairs in the UK.

Due to its transport links to the surrounding rural areas, London is also the UKs hub for farm shops, and in next place is Devon and North Yorkshire.

Lastly, to reconnect with nature and soak in the beauty of the British countryside, the study compared the number of listed hiking trails in each county.

Cumbria, Derbyshire and Hampshire offer ramblers the best choice of options, with 1432, 804, 801 walks listed respectively.

To supplement the study, Bower Collective also considered the changing search trends around agritourism.

Searches for farm holidays in London are 378% higher than the UK average, and the highest in the UK overall, followed by Hampshire and the West Midlands.

However, in regards to year on year change, searches for farm holidays in Northamptonshire have boomed by 300% since 2021, and by 200% in Worcestershire and Lancashire in the same period.

However, the UK seems more interested in the aesthetics of a rural getaway, than getting their hands dirty.

Google searches for cottagecore are 25 times higher than for farm holidays, and the topic is trendiest in London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester.
THE Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) is embarking on new processes to elect its national leaders, thereby possibly ditching the traditional congresses, the Zimbabwe Independent can reveal.

This follows recent reports that the party, formed in January this year ahead of the March 26 by-elections, was a one-man show for Nelson Chamisa.

There are also increased calls for the new political outfit to hold an elective congress.

Exiled former ministers Professor Jonathan Moyo and Walter Mzembi led the charge last week calling for Chamisa to hold a special congress to launch the party constitution, build structures, elect leadership and come up with an election manifesto.

Since its formation early this year, the party has insisted that all party members will hold interim positions while it consults citizens.

Political observers, however, raised concerns that the stance would diminish the CCCs image as a vanguard of democracy.

In an interview yesterday, CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said: The CCC is consulting citizen assemblies throughout all provinces where structures are being built to ensure every street, village and farm is part of a branch.

These are the same citizens in urban and rural areas who were consulted and who pushed for the creation of a brand new political party, Mahere said, adding that the party was introducing a new political doctrine.

We urge the citizens not to expect old ways from these new wineskins. We commit to doing things differently. Expect the new.

The CCC, she added, was a citizens project that carried new values, a new political culture, a new thinking, and a new way of community organisation.

The people are being consulted so that we dont impose our own ideas on them. Rather, the citizens must own their movement, she said.

The CCC, according to Mahere, would roll out all other mechanisms at the appropriate time while calling party supporters to trust the process. She said party leaders would be selected by a democratic process led by the citizens while details around this would be unveiled at the appropriate time.

President Chamisa has been anything but silent. He has addressed citizen assemblies, small group meetings, village meetings, and a host of other community and special interest groups, Mahere said.

The clear message has been that CCC is a movement that puts the citizens at the centre of all decision-making and all matters of governance, leadership selection, budgetary priorities, and policy-making.

Mahere said the movement was seeking to complete the unfinished business of the liberation struggle.

It is a party that champions prosperity, opportunity and protection for all Zimbabweans regardless of their location or status in society.

We are all equal as citizens of our country. We advocate for a Zimbabwe where every person is accorded their inalienable rights irrespective of race, colour, creed, age, sex, religious affiliation, national origin or disability, she added.

Mahere said Chamisa has made it clear that the partys mission was to drive a new national consensus, a new conversation, a new convergence, a post-liberation consensus and a democratisation consensus.

The CCC garnered 19 out of 28 seats in the March 26 by-elections. Zimbabwe Independent
Farming businesses are being urged to consider taking advantage of a new government boiler upgrade scheme offering grants to install low carbon heating systems.

The scheme is being offered to overcome the upfront cost of low carbon heating technologies that will run from 2022 to 2025 for domestic and small non-domestic properties.

Applicants must live in England or Wales, own a domestic or small non-domestic property, and have a property with an installation capacity of up to 45kWth.

They must also have a valid energy performance certificate (EPC) with no outstanding recommendations for loft or cavity wall insulation.

Those eligible can claim 5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump, 5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler and 6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump.

Property consultancy Fisher German said the scheme would be a positive way for farmers to reduce their carbon footprint and could be especially beneficial to off-the-grid properties.

Neil Hogbin, of Fisher German, said the firm was receiving an increasing number of enquiries from those wanting advice about the new scheme and how to apply.

As we move towards net zero, heating properties with low carbon technology is a good way for homes and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint," he said.

Heat pumps can also provide an extremely effective way to heat rural homes and properties that are off the mains gas grid.

Given the amount of funding potentially available towards the installation of low carbon heating systems, now is a good time for anyone considering an upgrade to act."

However, Mr Hogbin said these kinds of schemes were often notoriously complex to apply for and there were a number of requirements which applicants needed to comply with.

Ground source heat pump installations can also be complicated and there may be hidden matters such as certain obstructions to consider.

"Applicants should also think about any future business plans which could affect the area where the technology is installed."

If successful, farmers will also need to appoint an MSC certified installer to carry out the work.
New measures are being introduced to the Woodland Carbon Code to ensure it remains the gold standard for verifying carbon credits associated with woodland planting schemes.

Scottish Forestry has strengthened the code with revised 'additionality' tests as a broader range of woodlands apply to it and amid increased scrutiny.

Scottish Forestry says these tests will foster trust in the opportunities that forestry has to deliver high quality carbon credits.

The new measures come following a rapid growth in the carbon market in Scotland in recent years.

In the last two years over 500 new projects in Scotland have registered with the Woodland Carbon Code, a fourfold increase.

Scotland's Environment Minister, Mairi McAllan explained more: It is natural for carbon standards to evolve as carbon markets develop.

"Tougher new tests under the Woodland Carbon Code will provide added assurance to investors, land managers and the public that carbon credits are reliable, credible and crucially, additional in our journey to net-zero.

The new tests will also encourage species diversity in woodlands, bringing benefits for biodiversity.

And strengthened additionality criteria will weed out woodland creation schemes that would be financially viable without carbon credits.

"This keeps the woodland carbon market in Scotland robust and credible," she said.

Demand for carbon credits has been cited as one of the reasons for the current high prices being paid for plantable land.

Scottish Forestry says the new tests may cool this trend by reducing the risk of over-bidding by those buying land who might otherwise expect part of the cost to be recouped from carbon credits.

What are the changes?

The key changes to the additionality tests, which will come into force on 1 October this year, are:

 Simplification to make it easier for project developers and validators to use them

 Some standardisation to ensure they are applied consistently

 Changes to ensure that high land values do not skew the calculations

The tests were reviewed by a stakeholder group of forestry and land interests, including two independent assessments by a senior economist and an international carbon markets expert.
The supply of homes for rent  particularly in rural Scotland - may be irreparably damaged by proposed new legislation, three organisations have warned.

Scottish Land & Estates, the Scottish Association of Landlords and NFU Scotland said tenancy proposals contained within the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill could lead to thousands of homes being lost to the rental market.

The rural groups have written a joint letter to the Scottish government ahead of a Stage 1 debate on the Bill in parliament on 12 May.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, all grounds for eviction of a tenant were temporarily made discretionary.

This Bill seeks to make this change permanent and a tribunal would be asked to rule on a landlords desire to remove a tenant and reclaim vacant possession.

In effect, a tribunal will not have to automatically remove people, even where the tenant fails to comply with the conditions set out in their tenancy agreement, including non-payment of rent.

It would also be up to a tribunal to rule whether possession of a property could be regained in the case of a landlord wanting to live in the property, from a tenant who is no longer an employee (e.g. a former farm worker) or when the owner wishes to sell the property.

The proposed changes in law would have an impact on all types of landlords, the three groups say, whether they own a single property or multiple homes they let out.

They warn that this could lead to a substantial loss in the value of a property where a landlord could not regain vacant possession.

The organisations have raised concerns raised concerns that these far-reaching proposals are being introduced through the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill rather than through a Housing Bill that would be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny.

The groups said: "The measures appear to go far beyond the public health rationale contained in other elements of the bill - and the issues trying to be solved are far from clearly defined.

"The Scottish government recently published its Scottish Household Survey 2020 which showed that 94% of households in the Private Rented Sector were very or fairly satisfied.

"Added to this, rather than reduce burden on public services and reduce workload for the tribunal, this will make an already lengthy process even longer."
Tesco must do more to support the country's struggling pig producers or risk permanently losing its British pork supply base, the retailer has been warned.

The National Pig Association (NPA) has appealed directly to the supermarket giant to pay a fair price for pork to prevent the destruction of the UK pig sector.

In an open letter to Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy, NPA chairman Rob Mutimer stressed that the retailer, given its scale, was uniquely positioned to act.

He told Mr Murphy that Tesco needed to do more to support pig farmers as four in every five producers will go out of business within a year unless their financial situation improves, according to an NPA survey.

Pork producers across the country are currently facing unprecedented losses as costs of production soar due to record pig feed prices.

It currently costs an estimated 203-216p per kg to produce a pig, a figure forecast to rise even higher, as wheat prices continue to rise due to disruption caused by war in Ukraine.

Yet average pig prices remain below 170p per kg, meaning many producers are losing tens of thousands pounds each week.

Retailers hold the key to injecting more money into the supply chain, the NPA believes, and several of Tescos competitors, such as Sainsbury's and Waitrose, have responded to the body's calls to increase their pig price.

But Tesco, the UKs biggest retailer, which has just announced a trebling of profits to more than 2 billion, is yet to respond to the crisis hurting its pig suppliers.

In the letter, Mr Mutimer asked the Tesco boss for more support: The problems facing the sector have been building for some time and have arisen through no fault of the primary producers."

New survey data by the industry body suggests there are still 100,000 pigs stuck on farms that should have gone to slaughter.

Farmers are losing in excess of 50 per pig due to the enormous gap between their cost of production and the price the supply chain is paying for pork.

The pig industry has already lost an estimated 10% of the breeding herd as producers have left the industry or cut down on production.

An NPA poll of its members shows that 80% will not be able to survive the next 12 months unless the gap between the cost of production and pig prices is significantly reduced.

By 2023 British pork will be in such short supply that most retailers will no longer be able to source it, Mr Mutimer warned in his letter.

He stressed that Tesco was in a unique position to help because of its UK market share and volume of pork sales.

Unless action is taken now and a fair price is paid, there will not be a domestic pig industry left to service the demands of your shoppers and we know how much they value fresh British produce.

A relatively modest investment by Tesco will not only prevent the destruction of the sector, but it will mean that British pork will still be available at a price affordable to your customers.

Tescos famous mantra is Every Little Helps  well pig farmers need a lot of help and if Tesco doesnt step up to the plate, it is going to struggle to source British pork in the future, Mr Mutimer said.

The NPA has also urged its farmer members to write to Tesco directly to make a similar plea, whilst copying in their local MP.

A Tesco spokesperson said: "We fully recognise the seriousness of the situation UK pig farmers are facing and have been working closely with our suppliers to understand what more we can do to support the sector.

"Through the buying models we already have in place, our suppliers have increased payments to farmers by 3.4million since March 2022.

"However we would like to do more and are actively working with our suppliers on a further enhanced payment plan to support farmers in the short term."
Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-Category
Mumtaz, who was known for some of the most iconic films in her illustrious career, became a sensation soon after she entered Bollywood. Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz were having an affair at the time, and the actor even expressed his desire to marry her. She, on the other hand, reportedly turned down Shammi's marriage proposal.

Mumtaz recently revealed the real reason she refused Shammis proposal. Shammi was genuinely in love with her, she claimed, but the Kapoor family was too strict, and she was unwilling to give up everything, marry him, and settle down. I joined the industry at the age of 17. So, it was too early in my life to give up everything, she added. She even said that she had the responsibility of her family and wanted to make sure that they are kept well.

When she refused the actor, she revealed that people were perplexed as to how she could reject him. Beginning mein believe hi nahi karte the ki Mumtaz can ever refuse Shammi Kapoor because who kaha the aur hum kaha thezameen aasmaan ka farak tha. Toh logon ko doubt lagta tha. (In the beginning, people could not believe that Mumtaz could refuse Shammi Kapoor for marriage because he was a big thing during that point in time. Hence, people had their doubts.)





Us zamane mein bolte the ki ho hi nahi sakta. Ho hi nahi sakta ki Shammi ko Mumtaz refuse kare. (People used to say that it is not possible that she can refuse him), She told the Times of India.



She even mentioned how Shammi questioned her intentions after the rejection. But, when I refused him, he started doubting ki nai tujhe heroine banna hai isiliye you dont want to marry me, you were never in love with me. (When I refused him, he started to doubt me.He said to me that I dont want to marry him because I want to be a heroine and that I was never in love with him.)





Mumtaz later married Mayur Madhvani in 1974.
In what went down as one of the craziest Oscars moments, Hollywood star Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock in an onstage altercation. Since then Smith has been dealing with the repercussions of the action. He resigned from the Academy and more recently was seen arriving in India. And it turns out he has been doing some soul searching as he's reportedly in therapy weeks after the infamous slap.

Will Smith "has been going to therapy after the Oscars incident" according to a leading news portal. Smith slapped Chris Rock after the latter directed a joke towards his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. The joke in which the comedian compared her to G.I. Jane was insensitive considering Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia that causes hair loss. After the incident, Smith who won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard conveyed his apologies to Rock, his co-stars and the Academy. He said that his behaviour was "unacceptable and inexcusable".

Will Smith has been keeping things low key after the Oscars incident. He was next seen in Mumbai's private airport in April where he was clicked by paparazzi as he interacted with fans. His visit turned out to be a "spiritual" trip involving yoga and meditation. So far he hasn't reached out to Chris Rock personally.

Meanwhile, Jada Pinkett Smith has returned with the latest season of her celebrity talk show Red Table Talk. She revealed that the Smith family is currently focused on "deep healing" and that the Oscars slap will not be mentioned on the show.
MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2022 / CEEK VIRTUAL REALITY METAVERSE is excited to announce the release of the most anticipated sequel in Latin music, "El Gran Robo 2" from Spanish rap/hip-hop legend Lito MC Cassidy and global icon Daddy Yankee TODAY with exclusive behind-the-scenes and interview on www.ceek.com and the CEEK VR Metaverse.

CEEK has teamed with Lito and Daddy Yankee to bring this year's event exclusively to the CEEK Metaverse. The award-winning performances will be on www.ceek.com and on the CEEK VR App.

After 11 days of filming, and over 25 locations between San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miami, FL and North Carolina, the mini movie which took 20 years to unfold, returns right where superstars left. Like the metaverse, the characters' personalities are amplified in their fictional worlds. "As a director, having the opportunity to present to the fans this 360 VR experience and NFT takes the music video BTS to a whole other level and makes them feel part of the music video production," says Lito MC Cassidy.

In the CEEK VR Metaverse, fans will be able to visit sites like the Cabana Club, Casino Hotel, and the Old San Juan Fort, as well as walk down the streets of Puerto Rico. Also included in the BTS are three Easter Eggs for fans to find in a scavenger hunt to win CEEK VR headsets and headphones. Additionally, The CEEK Metaverse will also feature an exclusive NFT collection celebrating Lito and Daddy Yankee's body of work for fans to be a part of the two superstars' distinctive visual expression.

Founder and CEO, Mary Spio says, "Having the virtual reality and NFT component makes perfect sense. You have multiple spectacular locations that fans can visit virtually. The El Gran Robo 2 NFT Collection enables fans to own a piece of history and be forever connected in a truly unique way to the artist they love and cherish."

In his directorial debut, Lito MC Cassidy presents the musical film that explains what happened to the characters in 2002's original "El Gran Robo" and how they survived to create this sequel. The original track and video, which fused reggaeton and hip-hop in Spanish saw the artists take on the role of two criminals about to rob a bank in a cinematic narrative produced by DJ Dicky.

The CEEK Metaverse features exclusive music concerts from top artists including Lito, Daddy Yankee, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, Ziggy Marley, and more. As a Ceeker, you get to discover amazing concerts, games, 360 videos and other experiences from the iOS or android with your CEEK VR headset.

"El Gran Robo 2" is part of Grammy award-winning artist Lito's recent album, La Jaula de los Vivos, which takes the listeners to a fictional town beset with systemic racism. With his songs, Lito shares his trials, tribulations, and triumphs, while opening and sharing his world like never before. Besides the reunion with Daddy Yankee, the album includes collaborations with reggaeton legends and icons such as J Balvin, Farruko, El Mayor Clasico, Zion & Lennox, and more.

Watch the video of "El Gran Robo 2" and Exclusive BTS on www.ceek.com

Listen to "El Gran Robo 2" on your favorite digital music platform.

ABOUT CEEK VIRTUAL REALITY:

CEEK VR is a streaming platform and celebrity Metaverse that empowers music artists to create NFT's, live events, Avatars, digital merch, venues, art, and social games that traverse multiple virtual worlds. CEEK VR pioneered virtual reality concerts with the mission of making virtual reality experiences universally accessible and enjoyable.

An award-winning distributor of blockchain authenticated digital media and celebrity merchandize. CEEK Smart VR Tokens allow Ceekers (CEEK community members) ability to access authenticated content and celebrity merchandize with transparent content rights reporting and automatic publisher payments via smart contracts.

The CEEK metaverse simulates the communal experience of attending a live concert, attending a sporting event, and other 'money can't buy' exclusive experiences with friends anywhere at any time. CEEK creates, curates, and distributes live streaming concerts and Virtual Reality content for top-class partners using patented headsets and CEEK's VR platform.

The CEEK VR executive team and advisors come with a proven track record of industry leaders ranging from Microsoft, Boeing, The Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks SKG, 20th Century Fox, Verizon, and Zynga.

For more information, please contact:

Keren Poznansky - CEEK VR

310-228-0056

keren@ceek.com

SOURCE: Ceek VR Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700370/CORRECTION-CEEK-Metaverse-Teams-with-Lito-MC-Cassidy-for-Long-Awaited-Sequel-El-Gran-Robo-2-featuring-Daddy-Yankee-with-Special-360-Behind-the-Scenes-and-NFT
BEIJING, May 6 -- According to a notice released by China's Qinhuangdao Maritime Safety Administration on May 5, live-fire drills will be carried out in the Bohai Sea from May 6 to May 8, 2022, Beijing Time.

HB66/22 BOHAI SEA GUNFIRING IN AREA BOUNDED BY THE LINES JOINING

139-36.00N/119-40.00E239-20.00N/119-40.00E

339-20.00N/119-10.00E439-36.00N/119-10.00E.

FROM 051600UTC TO 081600UTC MAY. ENTERING PROHIBITED. HEBEI MSA CHINA.

The screenshot shows the notice released by the Qinhuangdao Maritime Safety Administration on the website of China's Maritime Safety Administration on May 5, 2022.


A monster stepmother from Zimbabwes Kezi area has been arrested in South Africa for killing her six-year-old son and chopping him to pieces. A monster stepmother from Zimbabwes Kezi area has been arrested in South Africa for killing her six-year-old son and chopping him to pieces.

Colonel Dimakatso Sello of South African Police Media confirmed the incident.

Senzeni Desire Ndebele is alleged to have murdered and dismembered her stepson to spite her husband for reasons not yet known.

he then put the body parts in a sack. It is not yet known when the boy was killed but Senzeni packed her bags on Thursday last week and fled with her other two children.

The body of the boy was discovered on Friday at Turffontein in the city of Johannesburg where she was staying.

Senzenis husband and father of the murdered boy, Newton Mntinsi said he had no clue on why his son was slain.

Im shocked by what my wife has done to me, we didnt have any conflict with each other so that I may think she was revenging on my kid, everything was just okay between us, he said.

Senzenis attempt to flee from justice was abortive as she was arrested at Sasol garage in Johannesburg on her way to Eastern Cape.

According to Mntinsi, they are still waiting for the post-mortem results to know when the kid was killed. B Metro
Latest Collaboration Between Premium Living Solution Provider and the Multi-talented Legend Serves Up Exceptional Flavors and Timeless Moments

SEOUL, South Korea, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LG SIGNATURE, the premium brand of LG Electronics, has collaborated with brand ambassador and Award-winning artist, John Legend, for a special, limited-edition wine. Released under Legend's own LVE label, the exclusive wine was unveiled at a special event held on May 3.

The invite-only function, themed Timeless Moments with Loved Ones, took place at Wappo Hill, the private home of celebrated vintner and co-founder of LVE, Jean-Charles Boisset. LG SIGNATURE brand ambassadors - the international style authority Olivia Palermo and noted wine critic James Suckling - were among the evening's special guests, while other VIP attendees included LG SIGNATURE customers, retailers, journalists, wine reviewers and lifestyle influencers.

To begin the sophisticated soiree, John Legend and Jean Charles Boisset were joined by an LG SIGNATURE representative to share the story of the exclusive wine - from the original idea for their collaboration to an inviting description of the full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon's rich, complex flavors. The delighted guests were then serenaded by John Legend, who, accompanying himself on the piano, performed "You Deserve It All," the song he wrote for LG SIGNATURE, along with his hit "All of Me" and a selection of other favorites.

Bringing the evening back to the subject of wine, James Suckling then hosted a special session on wine preservation, offering up practical tips and outlining the impressive features and benefits of the specialist LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar. Before the evening came to a close, guests were treated to a gourmet three-course meal prepared by Boisset's head chef Rafael Molina and paired with LVE's delectable wine.

The limited-edition Legend X SIGNATURE wine is a 2018-vintage cabernet sauvignon crafted at Napa Valley's renowned Raymond Vineyards. Only 300 bottles have been made, with 50 served at the event and the remainder available exclusively to LG SIGNATURE VIP customers and those purchasing an LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar.

Complementing the wine's superb taste is an understated label design and sophisticated black bottle, which speak to the timeless quality and premium nature of LG SIGNATURE. The bottle echoes the look and feel of the minimal Black Diamond Glass used for the LG SIGNATURE Refrigerator, while the premium Textured Steel Finish of the LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar is expressed through the silver font etched into the label.

America's - and John Legend's - favorite red wine, cabernet sauvignon pairs perfectly with a wide variety food. Cabernet sauvignons from California'sNapa Valley region are widely considered among the best produced in the 'New World,' rivaling those from the variety's native France in popularity with wine connoisseurs worldwide. The 2018 vintage from Napa Valley is noted for an exceptionally 'juicy' and well-rounded flavor profile resulting from the ideal weather conditions experienced that growing season. For optimal preservation, the Legend X SIGNATURE wine is best kept in the temperature- and humidity-controlled conditions offered by the LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar.

"It was a pleasure to celebrate our limited-edition wine with music in such an intimate environment for people to truly experience the magic of LG SIGNATURE and LVE," says Legend.

"Ever since LG SIGNATURE's launch more than six years ago, we've continuously worked to provide opportunities for people to connect with our premium brand and acquaint themselves with our unique vision for a truly luxurious lifestyle," said Lee Jeong-seok, head of LG Electronics' Global Marketing Center. "With ambassadors like John, who embody what this brand is all about, we're able to communicate the meaning and premium value of LG SIGNATURE to a much wider audience."

About LG SIGNATURE

LG SIGNATURE is the first ultra-premium brand across multiple product categories from global innovator LG Electronics. Designed for the most discerning consumers, LG SIGNATURE products deliver a state-of-the-art living experience that feels pure, sophisticated and luxurious. Combining the very best of everything LG has to offer, LG SIGNATURE products are designed with a focus on their "true essence" aligned with the brand's modern, distinctive design. For more information, visit www.LGSIGNATURE.com.

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1811421/image_1.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1811429/image_2.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1811430/image_3.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1811431/image_4.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1811432/image_5.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1811433/image_6.jpg
HONG KONG, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- China Resources Enterprise ("CRE") and Fung Investments announced the establishment of a 50/50 US$300 million joint venture investment platform ("the Joint Venture"), focusing on businesses with quality brands, products, services and technologies. The two parties will each be responsible for US$150 million of contribution to the JV.

The joint venture will make investments in offshore companies (non-PRC incorporated companies) which sell consumer and lifestyle related quality brands, products, services and/or innovative technology, which have potential for introduction to or expansion in China particularly in the Greater Bay Area and which are in alignment or synergistic with the forecasted consumption growth trends in the Greater Bay Area including in particular with respect to the lifestyle, fashion and healthcare sectors. Leveraging on the distribution network of China Resources Group in China and the Fung Group's global supply chain, the joint venture partners will help companies expand their businesses.

Mr. Chen Ying, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of China Resources Enterprise Ltd and Assistant General Manager of China Resources Group, said by formally establishing the JV with Fung Investments, both China Resources and Fung Investments can give full play to their respective advantages in the future and bring consumer and lifestyle related quality brands products, services and/or innovative technology to the Greater Bay Area, to satisfy Chinese people's ever-growing needs for a better life.

Dr. Victor Fung, Chairman of Fung Investments, said: "The growth of Chinese consumerism is set to sustain growth and create abundant opportunities for consumer and lifestyle companies that are looking to do business in China. As more Chinese consumers are demanding for new, high-quality brands, products, services and technologies, we are excited to join forces with CRE to invest in new consumption areas which offer great growth potential such as food, lifestyle, fashion and healthcare."

About China Resources Enterprise (CRE)

CRE was established in 1992 and is the first company within the China Resources Group to be publicly listed. In the past 30 years, CRE participated in mergers and acquisitions as well as integration in 15 industries including beer, properties, consumer products, retail, gas, cement. In the process, CRE incubated brands that enjoy national fame, such as Snow beer, C'est Bon, CR Ng Fung, China Resources Vanguard. The group is currently in warehousing & logistics, commercial properties, coffee, and business investments. In the 14th five-year-plan, CRE is positioned as an internationalized business platform in Hong Kong that incubates new industries within and outside of Mainland China. It will serve the national strategy from Hong Kong, grasping opportunities from consumption upgrade and technological innovation, helping the domestic and international dual circulations.

About Fung Investments

Fung Investments is a global investment company privately owned by the families of Dr. Victor Fung and Dr. William Fung. Fung Investments' strengths lie in its foresight and ability to connect partners from around the world to invest in sectors that have the potential to transform or lead future developments in Asia, with a focus on Hong Kong and Mainland China. The Fung Group also galvanizes Hong Kong businesses to play an intermediary role in the flow of goods and services to and from China. Its portfolio companies span various sectors including healthcare & wellness, food manufacturing, commercial aviation and real estate.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1811558/China_Resources_Enterprise_and_Fung_Investments_form_US_300_million_Investment_Platform.jpg
JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Indonesia once again returns to the most extensive tourism exhibition in the Middle East, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai 2022, which will be held in two formats: live events on 9-12 May 2022 and virtual events on 17-18 May 2022. 27 Indonesian tourism industries will participate in both live and virtual ATMs. The Wonderful Indonesia Pavilion is located at booth number AS.2452 in the Asian Hall during the Live Event.

Indonesia Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, revealed that the country's participation in the exhibition aims to provide updates on Indonesia's tourism, especially after the opening of Bali in February 2022.

"Bali has welcomed international tourists since early this year. This is also supported by the granting of Visa on Arrival for 60 countries," said the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Various policies implemented to attract foreign tourists, such as Visa on Arrival (VoA) and free quarantine, are already up and running for tourists who have completed two vaccinations. The 500 thousand rupiahs Visa on Arrival is more affordable at about a third of the cost of an e-visa priced at 1.5 million rupiahs. Three Middle East countries already included in VoA list, which are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

"The goal we expect from Indonesia's participation in the Dubai ATM 2022 is to increase the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia and increase country's foreign exchange income," Acting Deputy Minister for Marketing, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, explained about Indonesia's goal to participate in the ATM Dubai 2022.

In March, Indonesia successfully held MotoGP at the pride of Indonesia, the Mandalika circuit in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The event is located at one of the 'Super Priority Destinations' promoted by the Indonesian Government as a strategy for developing destinations outside Bali or 'The New Bali'. Later this year in October, Indonesia will host the G20 Meeting in Bali, a global international event that reaffirms global trust in Indonesia after the Covid-19 pandemic.

For real-time updates on Indonesia travel, please visit www.indonesia.travel

For further information, kindly contact:

Ms. Agustini Rahayu

Director of Tourism Marketing for EMEAA Regions

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia

Gedung Sapta Pesona, 10th Fl.

Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat No. 17 Jakarta 10110

Email: wonderfulindonesia.middleeast@gmail.com / emeaa@indonesia.travel

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Republic of Indonesia is the Government Agency responsible for Tourism and Creative Economy development in Indonesia, which include the tourism destinations development, tourism and creative economy marketing, and empowerment of tourism and creative economy industry.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1810736/Wonderful_Indonesia___Newswire_01.jpg
Regulatory News:

Azelis (Brussels: AZE):

AZELIS GROUP NV

Posthofbrug 12, box 6

2600 Berchem

Enterprise number 0769.555.240

RPR/RPM Antwerp, division Antwerp

(the "Company

The board of directors of the Company (the "Board of Directors") invites the shareholders of the Company to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting of the Company which will take place on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Park Inn by Radisson Berchem, Borsbeeksebrug 34, 2600 Berchem (Antwerp), Belgium, to deliberate and decide on the agenda set out below.

The Company uses the Lumi Connect platform to facilitate participation and voting in the annual general shareholders' meeting. The Board of Directors strongly recommends shareholders to make maximum use of the options to register and vote digitally and remotely via the Lumi Connect platform.

There is no quorum requirement for the annual general shareholders' meeting. Without prejudice to applicable legislation, each share is entitled to one vote. Resolutions are validly adopted if at least the majority of the votes cast is in favor of a proposed resolution.

COVID-19 MEASURES The Company aims to organize the annual general shareholders' meeting physically. However, in light of the evolving Covid-19 pandemic: The Company will only be able to grant physical access to the premises of the annual general shareholders' meeting to shareholders, proxyholders and other persons to the extent such public gathering is permitted by applicable laws and competent authorities on the date of the annual general shareholders' meeting. As a result, there is a risk that physical participation to the annual general shareholders' meeting may not be possible.

It is possible that the Company makes uses of derogations permitted by law or royal decree from the rules of convening, operation of and participation in the annual general shareholders' meeting (including possible restrictions to the exercise by shareholders of their rights to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting), depending on the evolution of Covid-19 in Belgium during the period between the moment of this convening notice and the date of the annual general shareholders' meeting. In such case, the Company will make further communications to shareholders.

In any event, the following general safety precautions will apply to the premises of the annual general shareholders' meeting: mouth nose mask obligation when entering the premises;

- strict compliance with social distancing and hygiene measures;

- do not participate physically if you show symptoms or are sick; and

- persons attending the meeting physically will need to provide contact details, including telephone and e-mail. Such data will be recorded in a confidential list that will be made available on site by the Company and will only be used for purposes of contact tracing.

AGENDA

The agenda of the annual general shareholders' meeting and the proposed resolutions are as follows:

1. Reports on the consolidated annual accounts

Discussion and acknowledgment of the annual report of the Board of Directors and of the report of the statutory auditor on the consolidated annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2021.

2. Consolidated annual accounts

Discussion and acknowledgment of the consolidated annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2021.

3. Reports on the statutory annual accounts

Discussion and acknowledgment of the annual report of the Board of Directors and of the report of the statutory auditor on the statutory annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2021.

4. Statutory annual accounts and allocation of the result

Discussion of (i) the statutory annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2021 drawn up by the Board of Directors and (ii) the proposed allocation of the result, including the granting of a power of attorney to the Board of Directors.

Proposed resolution: Approval of the statutory annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2021 and of the proposed allocation of the result, including the approval of a dividend of EUR 7,015,384.59 gross, representing EUR 0.03 (rounded) gross per share (based on the number of shares outstanding at the date of this convening notice). Such dividend will be payable as from June 15, 2022. Granting of a power of attorney to the Board of Directors to determine the terms of payment of the dividend.

5. Remuneration report

Discussion of the remuneration report included in the consolidated annual report of the Board of Directors for the financial year ending December 31, 2021.

Proposed resolution: Approval of the remuneration report included in the annual report of the Board of Directors for the financial year ending December 31, 2021.

6. Remuneration policy

Discussion of the remuneration policy as from January 1, 2022, including the long-term incentive plan (LTIP), in accordance with article 7:89/1, 3 of the Code of Companies and Associations.

Proposed resolution: Approval of the remuneration policy, including the long-term incentive plan (LTIP), in accordance with article 7:89/1, 3 of the Code of Companies and Associations.

7. Discharge from liability to the directors

Proposed resolution: To grant discharge from liability to the directors who were in office during the financial year ending on December 31, 2021 for the exercise of their mandate during said financial year.

8. Discharge from liability to the statutory auditor

Proposed resolution: To grant discharge from liability to the statutory auditor for the exercise of its mandate during the financial year ending on December 31, 2021.

9. Change of control clauses

Discussion of the terms and conditions the long-term incentive plan (LTIP), which may grant rights that either could have a significant influence on the Company's assets or could give rise to significant liability or obligations for the Company dependent on the occurrence of a public takeover bid on the shares of the Company or a change of control over the Company, in accordance with article 7:151 of the Code of Companies and Associations.

Proposed resolution: Ratification and approval, to the extent necessary, of the terms and conditions of the long-term incentive plan (LTIP), in accordance with article 7:151 of the Code of Companies and Associations.

10. Power of attorney

Proposed resolution: Power of attorney to each director of the Company and Mr Gerrit De Vos, Corporate Secretary, acting alone and with the power of substitution, to do everything that is needed to execute the decisions taken by the annual general shareholders' meeting and to carry out the formalities related to their publication.

PARTICIPATION

Admission

To be admitted to the annual general shareholders' meeting, shareholders must satisfy the following conditions:

1. Registration of shares

Only persons who are shareholders on May 26, 2022 at midnight (24:00 Central European Time) (the "Record Date") will be entitled to participate in and vote at the annual general shareholders' meeting, regardless of the number of shares held by the shareholder on the day of the meeting. Shareholders must be registered as shareholders on the Record Date:

for registered shares , based on the registration of the shares in the shareholders' register of the Company;

, based on the registration of the shares in the shareholders' register of the Company; for dematerialized shares , on the basis of the registration of the shares in the accounts of an authorized account holder or clearing institution (see section 2 below).

2. Notification of intention to participate

Shareholders must, at the latest on June 3, 2022, notify their intention to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting and, to the extent they hold dematerialized shares, submit a certificate of registration:

for shareholders who choose to use the Lumi Connect platform , via this platform, at www.lumiconnect.com. This platform will allow shareholders holding dematerialized shares to request the direct issuance of a certificate of registration. This will constitute notification of the intention to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting. Therefore, shareholders will not have to take further steps with their bank or with the Company; or

, via this platform, at www.lumiconnect.com. This platform will allow shareholders holding dematerialized shares to request the direct issuance of a certificate of registration. This will constitute notification of the intention to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting. Therefore, shareholders will not have to take further steps with their bank or with the Company; or for shareholders who wish to attend the meeting physically or via a proxyholder and who do not choose to use the Lumi Connect platform, by sending a notification in the form available on the Company's website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) or their proxy, as the case may be, accompanied by a certificate of registration to be requested from their authorized account holder or clearing institution, (i) by email to agm2022@azelis.com, or (ii) by post at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary.

The Company draws the shareholders' attention to the obligation for holders of dematerialized shares to attach a certificate of registration from their authorized account holder or clearing institution, evidencing the number of dematerialized shares registered in the name of the shareholder on the accounts of the authorized account holder or clearing institution on the Record Date, which such shareholder has indicated that it wants to participate with at the annual general shareholders' meeting.

An issuer of certificates relating to registered shares must notify its capacity of issuer to the Company, which will record such capacity in the shareholders' register. An issuer who refrains from notifying this capacity can only vote at the annual general shareholders' meeting if the written notification indicating its intention to participate in that meeting specifies its capacity of issuer. An issuer of certificates linked to dematerialized shares must notify its capacity of issuer to the Company before exercising any vote, at the latest through the written notification indicating its intention to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting, failing which such shares cannot participate in voting.

Participation and voting

Shareholders who satisfy the admission requirements will be able to participate and vote in the annual general shareholders' meeting: (i) physically, (ii) by proxy (written or electronic) or (iii) by remote voting form.

1. Physical attendance

Subject to the requirements and restrictions referred to below, each shareholder has the right to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting physically.

To allow an efficient registration process, the shareholders or proxyholders who physically attend the annual general shareholders' meeting are requested to register at the meeting premises between 10.00 a.m. and 10.30 a.m.

Before being admitted to the general meeting, the shareholders or their proxyholders participating physically in the meeting are required to sign an attendance sheet, indicating their first name, last name and place of residence or corporate denomination, enterprise number and registered office, as well as the number of shares in respect of which they are participating in the meeting. Representatives of legal entities must provide the supporting documents that demonstrate their power of representation as members of a governing body or their assignment as special proxyholders. The natural persons, shareholders, members of governing bodies or proxyholders who take part in the general meeting must be able to prove their identity.

As mentioned above, the Company will only grant access to the premises of the annual general shareholders' meeting to shareholders, proxyholders and other persons if and to the extent such public gathering is permitted by applicable laws and competent authorities on the date of the annual general shareholders' meeting. As a result, there is a risk that physical participation to the annual general shareholders' meeting may not be possible.

2. Attendance through a proxyholder

A shareholder may be represented by a proxyholder at the annual general shareholders' meeting, using the proxy form drawn up by the Board of Directors. The shareholder who wishes to be represented by proxy must deliver a proxy in written or electronic form on June 3, 2022 at the latest, as set out below:

by completing and submitting the proxy form via the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com); or

(www.lumiconnect.com); or by submitting a completed, signed and dated written or electronic copy of the proxy form that can be obtained from the Company's website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) to the Company (i) by email at agm2022@azelis.com, or (ii) by post at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary.

The appointment of a proxyholder must be made in accordance with applicable rules of Belgian law, including the rules on conflicts of interest and the keeping of a register. In addition, shareholders appointing a proxyholder must meet the admission requirements described above.

Shareholders who have voted by proxy may also attend the meeting physically. Please note that shareholders who have given a proxy can no longer vote during the physical meeting but may ask questions live.

3. Remote voting before the general meeting

Shareholders may vote remotely in electronic form before the annual general shareholders' meeting. Remote votes may be cast:

via the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com), until June 8, 2022 at the latest; or

(www.lumiconnect.com), until at the latest; or by submitting a completed, signed and dated paper or electronic copy of the voting form made available by the board of directors on the website of the Company (www.azelis.com/investor-relations), which must reach the Company (i) by email at agm2022@azelis.com, or (ii) by post at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary, on June 3, 2022 at the latest.

In addition, shareholders choosing to vote remotely must meet the admission requirements described above.

Shareholders who have voted remotely may also attend the meeting physically. Please note that shareholders who have voted remotely can no longer vote during the physical meeting but may ask questions live.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Additional agenda items and proposed resolutions

One or more shareholders owning together at least 3% of the share capital of the Company have the right to call for additional items to be included on the agenda of the annual general shareholders' meeting and to submit proposals for resolutions concerning existing or new agenda items.

Shareholders that wish to exercise this right must, in order for their request to be examined at the annual general shareholders' meeting:

prove their ownership of at least 3% of the share capital of the Company on the date of their request by (i) a certificate of registration of the relevant shares in the shareholders' register of the Company, or (ii) a certificate of registration issued by the authorized accountholder or the clearing institution certifying the book-entry of the relevant number of dematerialized shares in their name on their account; have satisfied the admission requirements described above for such percentage of the share capital; send a written request with, as the case may be, the text of the agenda items to be added and the corresponding resolutions proposals, or the text of the resolution proposals to be added to the agenda, (i) by email at agm2022@azelis.com, or (ii) by post at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary, which must have been received by the Company on the latest on May 18, 2022

If shareholders have duly exercised this right, the Company will publish an updated agenda on its website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) and on the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com), before or at the latest on May 25, 2022. In such case, the Company will make available revised proxy forms and remote voting forms together with the revised agenda on its website and on the Lumi Connect platform. Powers of attorney and votes cast remotely that reach the Company prior to the publication of an updated agenda remain valid for the agenda items to which they apply, subject to the applicable legislation and the further clarifications set out in the proxy forms and the forms for remote voting.

2. Questions to the directors and/or the statutory auditor

Each shareholder has the right to ask questions to the directors or the statutory auditor of the Company relating to items on the agenda of the annual general shareholders' meeting, provided that it has satisfied the admission requirements set out above.

Questions can be asked during the meeting or can be submitted in writing prior to the meeting. Written questions must reach the Company (i) by email at agm2022@azelis.com, or (ii) by post at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary, at the latest on June 3, 2022.Written and oral questions will be discussed during the meeting in accordance with applicable law.

3. Documents

All documents relating to the annual general shareholders' meeting that are required by law to be made available to shareholders are available on the Company's website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) and on the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com) as of the date of this convening notice. Shareholders can also obtain a free copy of this documentation at the registered office of the Company (Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium) or by email to agm2022@azelis.com.

4. Data protection

The Company is responsible for the processing of the personal data it receives from shareholders and proxyholders in the context of the annual general shareholders' meeting in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation. The processing of such personal data will in particular take place for the analysis and management of the attendance and voting procedure in relation to the annual general shareholders' meeting, this in accordance with the applicable legislation and the Company's privacy policy. This personal data may be transferred to affiliated entities and with third-party service providers for the purpose of providing assistance in the management of attendance and voting procedures, and for analyzing the composition of the investor base. The personal data will not be stored any longer than necessary in light of the aforementioned objective and will therefore be erased or made anonymous in accordance with the Company's privacy policy.

Shareholders and proxyholders may consult the Company's privacy policy on its website (www.azelis.com/privacy-statement). Shareholders and proxyholders can exercise their rights with regard to their personal data provided to the Company by contacting the Company at privacy@azelis.com.

5. Communications to the Company

Shareholders may address questions concerning the organization of the annual general shareholders' meeting or this convening notice to Mr Gerrit De Vos, Corporate Secretary, by email to agm2022@azelis.com.

The Board of Directors

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220505005657/en/

Contacts:

AZELIS GROUP NV
CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Southern Energy Corp. ("Southern Energy" or the "Company") (TSXV:SOU)(AIM:SOUC), a U.S.-focused, growth-oriented oil and natural gas producer, announces that application has been made to AIM for a block admission of 15,624,232 new common shares in the Company ("Common Shares"). This will be used to facilitate the admission of Common Shares to trading following future exercises of outstanding warrants issued in 2021 ("2021 Warrants") and future conversions of outstanding 8% convertible unsecured subordinated debentures issued on June 14, 2019 and January 15, 2021 (the "Convertible Debentures"). The number of Common Shares admitted for these purposes is as follows:

up to 7,812,116 Common Shares in connection with the 2021 Warrants; and

up to 7,812,116 Common Shares in connection with the Convertible Debentures.

The Common Shares cited above will be issued from time to time pursuant to exercises of the 2021 Warrants and conversions of the outstanding Convertible Debentures.

New Common Shares issued under the block admission will rank pari passu in all respects with existing Common Shares, and it is expected that the block admission will become effective from 8.00 a.m. on 10 May 2022. There is no immediate change to the Company's issued share capital as a result of this block admission.

The Company will make six-monthly announcements of the utilisation of the block admission, in line with its obligations under AIM Rule 29.

At the time of this announcement, Southern Energy has 78,513,733 Common Shares in issue. This figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company.

For further information, please contact:

Southern Energy Corp.

Ian Atkinson (President and CEO)

Calvin Yau (VP Finance and CFO)

+1 587 287 5401

+1 587 287 5402 Strand Hanson Limited - Nominated & Financial Adviser

James Spinney / James Bellman Hannam & Partners - Joint Broker

Sam Merlin / Ernest Bell Canaccord Genuity - Joint Broker

Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / James Asensio

+44 (0) 20 7409 3494

+44 (0) 20 7907 8500

+44 (0) 20 7523 8000 Camarco

James Crothers, Billy Clegg, Daniel Sherwen

+44 (0) 20 3757 4980

About Southern Energy Corp.

Southern Energy Corp. is a natural gas exploration and production company. Southern has a primary focus on acquiring and developing conventional natural gas and light oil resources in the southeast Gulf States of Mississippi, Louisiana, and East Texas. Our management team has a long and successful history working together and have created significant shareholder value through accretive acquisitions, optimization of existing oil and natural gas fields and the utilization of re-development strategies utilizing horizontal drilling and multi-staged fracture completion techniques.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Southern Energy Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700380/Southern-Energy-Corp-Announces-Block-Listing-Application-to-AIM
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.
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - A parallel universe that turns Flat Assets into Sharp Assets, Duet Protocol is now listed on DeFi Lama, the largest TVL aggregator for DeFi. DeFi Lama provides fully transparent and open-source data for over 800 DeFi protocols from over 80 blockchain networks.

Source 1: Duet Protocol lists on DeFi Lama

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8653/122923_e0cead8d94b34873_001full.jpg

The Duet Protocol token $DUET listing will ensure locked liquidity of over 2 million in the DeFi Lama pool. This achievement will help Duet achieve its vision of building an on-chain parallel financial world governed by DAO to allow users to create and allocate capital to any assets in the world.

Duet Protocol is a community-oriented platform that offers several features such as Algo based hyper-collateralization model, hassle-free diversification, yield enhancer, market maker mechanism, duet bond, and a DAO. The project has been gradually gaining momentum, which the listing will fuel.

As the project grows, Duet Protocol aims to keep the community in the loop, and for that purpose, the project is hosting a community call on May 5th, 1 PM UTC. The community call will be led by Antonin, Duet Product Manager, and ZW, the Duet BD Head and Core Member on the platform's Discord channel.

There will be four sections for the Duet Community Call. First, the introduction will include a brief introduction from the speakers, then a live session with Q&A with the community, market sharing, and a quiz session.

Duet Protocol aims to become the entry point of liquidity providing. This reserve capital system supplies liquidity for almost all DeFi protocols in the ecosystem while generating a world of synthetic assets whose value is entirely backed by their reserves.

About Duet Protocol

Duet Protocol is a multi-chain synthetic asset protocol that provides additional utility to assets in the blockchain ecosystem. The project is a synthetic asset minter built on Yield Aggregator that automates yield farming, maximizing returns and releasing additional liquidity. The project aims to become the entry point for liquidity providing.

Facebook| Medium| Twitter | Website | Discord | YouTube

Contact:

Lunapr.io

candice@lunapr.io

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/122923


NEUTRAUBLING (dpa-AFX) - Krones AG (KRNTY.PK), a German packaging solutions provider for breweries and food makers, on Friday posted a rise in earnings for the first quarter, amidst an increase in sales, supported by a firm order intake. In addition, for the full year, the company has confirmed its guidance.



For the quarter ended in March, the German firm reported a profit of 40.1 million euros or 1.27 euros per share, compared with 32.8 million euros or 1.04 euros per share, reported for the same period, last year.



The company's earnings before tax (EBT) moved up to 54.7 million euros, from 44.6 million euros. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were 53.9 million euros as against 43 million euros, on year-on-year basis.



EBITDA of the packaging solutions firm was recorded at 87 million euros, versus 76.5 million euros for the first quarter of 2021.



The Neutraubling-headquartered company registered an order intake of 1.553 billion euros, higher than 1.068 billion euros, posted for the first three-month period of previous fiscal.



For the three-month period to March, the Group generated its revenue at 987.2 million euros, a rise of 12.9 percent, compared with last year's 874.6 million euros.



Looking ahead, for the fiscal 2022, the company said it still expects a revenue growth of 5 percent to 8 percent with an EBITDA margin of 8 percent to 9 percent.



For the full year, it also projects a ROCE of 10 percent to 12 percent.







Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

KRONES-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Beazley Plc (BEZ.L), a British insurance provider, reported Friday that its first-quarter gross premiums written increased 27 percent to $1.23 billion from last year's $971 million. This was driven by a combination of rate increases and adding exposure in a number of areas. Premium rates on renewal business increased 17 percent, compared to 16 percent last year. Growth has been achieved in most of the company's divisions. Overall, gross premiums written and rate change year to date are slightly ahead of expectations across all divisions. The company noted that claims experience in the year so far was better than expected. The company reported investment loss of $92 million as of March 31, compared to prior year's gain of $27 million. Adrian Cox, Chief Executive Officer, said, 'Whilst the overall rating environment remains positive, the rate change across parts of our business is beginning to moderate. The impacts of the war in Ukraine go far beyond those which are financial.... We continue to monitor the situation closely and have assessed our potential exposures across our business. To date we have seen a small number of claims with respect to the conflict and we remain confident in our combined ratio guidance of around 90 percent for the full year.' Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Cruz Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: CRUZ) (OTC Pink: BKTPF) (FSE: A3CWU7) ("Cruz" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that every drill hole of the phase II drill program on the 100-percent owned, 8,135 total contiguous acre 'Solar Lithium Project' in Nevada, has encountered the targeted potential lithium-bearing claystone. The samples have been sent for assaying on a rush basis to ALS labs in Reno. The 'Solar Lithium Project' directly borders American Lithium Corp.'s TLC project. On May 21, 2020, American Lithium Corp. announced a maiden resource estimate, prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd., for the TLC lithium claystone property containing 5.37 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) measured & indicated with another 1.76 million tonnes LCE inferred.

The lithium-bearing claystone formation was encountered in all the holes drilled during Cruz's first phase of drilling on the 'Solar Lithium Project', including values as high as 1,300 ppm/Li (announced on January 17, 2022). Cruz Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Cruz may not necessarily be indicative of the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties.

Jim Nelson, President of Cruz Battery Metals, stated, "We are encouraged that every hole of the phase II drill program has encountered the targeted potential lithium-bearing claystone. Cruz has a large footprint and a similar size property to our neighbor, American Lithium, who has a current market capitalization of approximately $650 million. Lithium prices remain strong as the demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries continues to grow at a rapid pace. Cruz's goal is to locate and provide a new, domestically sourced, battery grade lithium deposit, and we look forward to the upcoming results from the phase II drill program."





Figure 1: Cruz Ownership Map



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4754/123030_b0444a265435bb25_002full.jpg

Qualified Person

The technical contents of this release were approved by Frank Bain, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Cruz Battery Metals Corp.

Cruz currently has several projects located throughout North America. Cruz's Nevada lithium projects consist of the 8,135-acre 'Solar Lithium Project' and the 240-acre 'Clayton Valley Lithium Project'. Cruz's three separate Ontario projects are all located in the vicinity of the town of Cobalt, making Cruz one of the largest landholders in this historic silver-cobalt producing district. Cruz's Ontario projects, which are prospective for cobalt, silver, and diamonds, include the 988-acre Johnson cobalt project, the 6,146-acre Hector cobalt project, and the 1,458-acre Bucke cobalt project. Cruz's BC project is the 1,542-acre War Eagle cobalt project. Cruz's Idaho projects include the 2,211-acre 'Idaho Cobalt Belt Project' and the 80-acre 'Idaho Star Cobalt Project'. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Cruz may not necessarily be indicative of the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties.

If you would like to be added to Cruz's news distribution list, please send your email address to info@cruzbatterymetals.com.

Cruz Battery Metals Corp.

"James Nelson"

James Nelson

President, Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and Director

For more information regarding this news release, please contact:

James Nelson, CEO and Director

T: 604-899-9150

Toll free: 1-855-599-9150

E: info@cruzbatterymetals.com

W: www.cruzbatterymetals.com

Twitter: @CruzBattMetals

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123030
CEA International LLP ("CEAI") acting as advisor to GMEX Group Limited ("GMEX") in its equity financing round, announced today that lead investor terms have been secured for an undisclosed amount. The deal is expected to close during June 2022 subject to necessary approvals with participation from other strategic and institutional investors joining the investment round.

CEA International LLP is the London based subsidiary of US-headquartered CEA Group ("CEA"), a leading technology investment banking and advisory firm, providing transaction advice to the world's top entrepreneurs and founders. Karima Serageldin, Managing Director in CEA International LLP, has known the GMEX management team since 2010 having previously been engaged as an advisor, and is representing GMEX Group Limited on the transaction.

Tempus USA Inc. ('Tempus Network'), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Burkhan World Investments ('Burkhan') announced on Tuesday that it has agreed terms to lead the institutional investment round into GMEX Group Limited ('GMEX Group' or 'GMEX'), a leader in digital business and technology solutions for capital markets players, exchanges and post-trade market infrastructure.

The strategic investment will be made via Tempus Network's nominated Special Purpose Vehicle ('SPV') in the UAE, in collaboration with key Middle Eastern investment institutions, the names of which will be announced in due course; with plans to then jointly establish a "Network of Networks" multi-asset-digital-exchange hub play across the MENA region. The deal is expected to close during June 2022, and subject to necessary approvals with the participation of other strategic and institutional investors joining the investment round.

Hirander Misra, Chairman of GMEX Group said: "We are pleased that CEAI is advising us on our equity investment round and look forward to concluding this transaction and to continuing to engage CEAI as our advisors on further anticipated GMEX growth-related transactions. This strategic investment by Burkhan and associated collaboration will focus on the creation of various digital exchange ecosystems and Joint Ventures (JV's) in the MENA region within interconnected digital infrastructure hubs with global two-way distribution. This will leverage GMEX technology and its MultiHub 'multi-asset network of networks' in conjunction with Tempus Network and synergise with other fintechs both through partnerships and investments."

Karima Serageldin, Managing Director, CEA International LLP commented: "CEAI is delighted to be engaged as advisor in GMEX's financing and related growth endeavours. It has been a pleasure working with such an exceptional management and owner group, and this transaction marks a marquee transaction for CEAI in the software and fintech space, with a leading venture company. The strategic opportunity with Burkhan advances GMEX's global positioning in the fintech digital asset infrastructure space. It further demonstrates potential for aligned strategic participants in GMEX's equity financing round and in its software-enabled multi-party network, to benefit from shared economic dividends and distribution 'network effects' in and out of the MENA region. More broadly, we believe that this collaborative model signals the potential to accelerate significant longer term value realisation for GMEX and its backers, both strategic and institutional."

About CEA International LLP

CEA International LLP, is a subsidiary of CEA Group (CEA) which was founded in 1973 and is a leading provider of investment banking and advisory services, in addition to its direct and strategic interests. With a team of experienced personnel worldwide, CEA has an unequalled depth and breadth of industry knowledge, expertise and long-standing industry relationships. CEA has completed over 900 transactions totalling $45 billion in 60 countries. CEA's reputation and track record of success are built on delivering innovative, value-added solutions and services to clients worldwide.

About GMEX Group

GMEX is a global market infrastructure vendor providing multi-asset trading, exchange matching engine and post-trade business solutions, and Ecosystem-as-a-Service (EsaaS) technology. GMEX is focusing its efforts on its core Hub Spoke proposition based on:

GMEX MultiHub Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): A cloud based digital 'multi-asset network of networks' trading and post trade digital market infrastructure platform, with API's to interconnect and enable 3rd party services for multiple financial participants across traditional and digital asset markets;

GMEX Fusion (Software and SaaS): A hybrid (traditional and digital) exchange and post trade technology software product suite to enable 3rd party financial venue "spoke" nodes into the MultiHub PaaS cloud. The MultiHub has been designed to enable an API-based seamless many-to-many global connectivity to all market participants, including for carbon exchanges, registries and other stakeholders.

For more information visit www.gmex-group.com or follow us on Twitter @GMEX_Group

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005040/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts

CEA Group

J. Patrick Michaels, Jr.

Chairman CEO

Tel: +1 813-226-8844

rmichaels@ceaworldwide.com

CEA International LLP

Karima Serageldin

Managing Director

Tel: +44 (0)207-280-4886

Karima.serageldin@ceaworldwide.com

GMEX Group

Melanie Budden, The Realization Group

Tel: +44 (0)7974 937 970

melanie.budden@therealizationgroup.com pr@gmex-group.com
Midlands-based multidisciplinary engineering and construction firm celebrates 30 years of excellence as it accelerates towards 200m goal

LONDON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading engineering and construction firm has finally been able to celebrate its 30th anniversary as it predicts to grow by 70% in the next three years and become a 200m business.

April 29 saw Midlands-based adi Group celebrate 30 years of excellence, although having now been in business for 32 years.

The pandemic has caused delays across all industries, causing the business to put its anniversary celebrations on hold.

The business delivers its services across the UK and Ireland, and held its celebratory event at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham. Its overall theme was, 'engineering a better future'.

With a workforce of almost 750, adi's guestlist for the day was made up of the firm's employees, with the addition of a few special guests, including the evening's host, renowned celebrity magician, Richard Jones.

An astonishing 9,850 was raised for Heart Research UK during the event thanks to the efforts of the firm's employees, bringing the total raised by adi over the four years to almost 130,000.

Founded by Alan Lusty who began his career as an apprentice, adi Group has grown exponentially over the last 32 years and continues to be recognised for its sustainability efforts as well as regularly being named as one of the Midland's best companies to work for.

Alan Lusty, CEO of adi Group said, "After two long years, it's fantastic that we've finally been able to celebrate, and what a day it was!

"We've come a long way since I founded the business in 1990 we're consistently seeing growth in the form of our people, our skills, our client base and operating locations."

Just this year alone has seen the firm onboard a new Chief Operating Officer, Paul Smith, and launch a brand-new website, in what Alan calls a "marketing-leading digitisation of the business".

James Sopwith, group strategic account director at adi Group continued to highlight the importance of the next generation of engineers.

He said, "We're in an entirely new generation now, and adi believe that the message we project needs to continually evolve as we take our business further into the 21st century - something we focused on during our event."

Alan then went on to explain the Group's plans to invest further in its team.

He said, "We are continuing to invest both time and money into the wider Group and its employees. Our team is at the centre of our business, and therefore our future, too.

"And as we expect to grow 70% by the end of 2025, the future looks incredibly exciting."

Serving as a client's single point of responsibility, adi Group's unique model of self-delivered engineering services offers its clients end to end support across the spectrum - from the smallest expert installation or maintenance contract to large-scale capital projects.

The event was a huge success, and the firm continues to work towards its inspiring goals as well as embrace its role as a pioneer in the entire engineering and construction industry.

For more information, please visit: https://www.adiltd.co.uk/.
Regulatory News:

Veolia (Paris:VIE) and Suez announce the signing of an agreement for the acquisition by Suez of all of the hazardous waste assets in France as part of the commitments made by Veolia to address the European Commission competition concerns. The assets represent an enterprise value of 690 million euros.

The agreement is formalized through a unilateral put option, which will allow the parties to complete the transaction, as well as the consultation process with Veolia's employee representative bodies and to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals. The transaction will be carried out in line with all the social commitments announced by the two groups.

Veolia group aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation. With nearly 179,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides game-changing solutions that are both useful and practical for water, waste and energy management. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and replenish them. In 2021, the Veolia group provided 79 million inhabitants with drinking water and 61 million with sanitation, produced nearly 48 million megawatt hours and recovered 48 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 28,508 billion euros in 2021. www.veolia.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005177/en/

Contacts:

Relations presse Groupe

Laurent Obadia-Evgeniya Mazalova

Emilie Dupas Mathilde Bouchoux

+ 33 6 27 45 11 38 + 33 6 16 24 51 00

presse.groupe@veolia.com

Relations analystes et investisseurs

Ronald Wasylec Ariane de Lamaze

+ 33 1 85 57 84 76 84 80

investor-relations@veolia.com


NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY TO ANY U.S. PERSON (AS DEFINED IN REGULATION S UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT")) OR ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO, THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS), ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE THIS NOTICE.

6 May 2022

KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.

(THE "COMPANY")

announces the indicative and non-binding Series Acceptance Amounts in connection with the tender offers in respect of its outstanding

EUR 500,000,000 0.500 per cent. notes due 2023 (ISIN: XS1671760384) (the "2023 Euro Notes")

EUR 500,000,000 0.750 per cent. notes due 2024 (ISIN: XS1815116568) (the "2024 Euro Notes")

and

EUR 500,000,000 1.375 per cent. notes due 2025 (ISIN: XS2149368529) (the "2025 Euro Notes",

and together with the 2023 Euro Notes and the 2024 Euro Notes, the "Existing Notes")

This Notice must be read in conjunction with the tender offer memorandum dated 28 April 2022 (the "Tender Offer Memorandum") which has been prepared by the Company in relation to the Tender Offers in respect of the Existing Notes. Capitalised terms used in this Notice and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum.



On 28 April 2022, the Company announced the launch of Tender Offers to Qualifying Holders of the Existing Notes. Under the terms of the Tender Offers, Qualifying Holders (subject to offer restrictions), were invited to tender their Existing Notes for purchase by the Company for cash, subject to the conditions set out in the Tender Offer Memorandum (including, without limitation, the Financing Condition).



The Tender Offers expired at 17:00 hours CEST on 5 May 2022.



Settlement of the New Euro Notes Issuance took place on 5 May 2022 and accordingly the Financing Condition to the Tender Offers has been satisfied.



Principal Amounts of Existing Notes validly tendered



The Company has received valid Offers to Sell in respect of the Existing Notes as follows:



Aggregate nominal amount of the 2023 Euro Notes validly tendered: 196,976,000.



Aggregate nominal amount of the 2024 Euro Notes validly tendered: 224,535,000.



Aggregate nominal amount of the 2025 Euro Notes validly tendered: 154,471,000.



Indicative and Non-Binding Series Acceptance Amounts



The Company is pleased to announce, on a non-binding basis, that it intends to accept validly tendered Existing Notes as follows:



Indicative aggregate nominal amount of the 2023 Euro Notes that is accepted for purchase (Series Acceptance Amount for the 2023 Euro Notes):



196,976,000. The Company intends to accept all validly tendered 2023 Euro Notes in full.



Indicative aggregate nominal amount of the 2024 Euro Notes that is accepted for purchase (Series Acceptance Amount for the 2024 Euro Notes):



224,535,000. The Company intends to accept all validly tendered 2024 Euro Notes in full.



Indicative aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Euro Notes that is accepted for purchase (Series Acceptance Amount for the 2025 Euro Notes):



154,471,000. Based on such Series Acceptance Amount, the Company intends to accept all validly tendered 2025 Euro Notes in full, without pro ration.



The Pricing Time for the Tender Offers is at 13:00 CEST today. As soon as practicable after the Pricing Time, the Company will announce whether it will accept valid tenders of Existing Notes for purchase pursuant to all or any of the Tender Offers and, if so accepted, each Series Acceptance Amount, each Purchase Yield, the 2023 Euro Notes Reference Benchmark Security Yield, the 2024 Euro Notes Reference Benchmark Security Yield, the 2025 Euro Notes Interpolated Mid-Swap Rate, each Tender Price, and any Pro-Ration Factor that will be applied to the 2025 Euro Notes and the aggregate principal amount of the relevant Series outstanding post settlement of the relevant Tender Offers.



Maximum Acceptance Amount and FX Rate



The Maximum Acceptance Amount of 230,193,677.02 has been calculated as 250,000,000 minus 19,806,322.98, the Euro equivalent of $20,862,000, which is the aggregate nominal amount to be repurchased by the Company as part of the simultaneous USD Tender Offers (assuming all notes tendered pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures thereunder are validly delivered by the guaranteed delivery deadline) launched on 28 April 2022 using an FX Rate at the Expiration Time as reported on the Bloomberg Screen FXIP Page of 1.00 = $1.0533.



Qualifying Holders should note that this is a non-binding indication of the level at which the Company expects to set each Series Acceptance Amount only. The Company is under no obligation to accept any valid tenders of Existing Notes pursuant to the Tender Offers. Existing Notes that are not successfully tendered for purchase or not accepted for purchase by the Company pursuant to the Tender Offers will remain outstanding after the Settlement Date. As set out in the Tender Offer Memorandum, following the Settlement Date, the Company intends to redeem all remaining outstanding 2023 Euro Notes and 2024 Euro Notes at the relevant Make-Whole Redemption Amount in accordance with their respective terms and conditions.



The expected Settlement Date for the Tender Offers is 10 May 2022.



Existing Notes purchased by the Company pursuant to the Tender Offers will be cancelled and will not be re-issued or re-sold.

CONTACT INFORMATION

DEALER MANAGERS

BofA Securities Europe SA



51, rue La Boetie



75008 Paris



France



Attention: Liability Management Group



Tel: +33 1 877 01057



Email: DG.LM-EMEA@bofa.com



Mizuho Securities Europe GmbH



Taunustor 1



60310 Frankfurt am Main



Germany



Attention: Liability Management



Telephone: +44 20 7090 6134



Email: liabilitymanagement@uk.mizuho-sc.com





TENDER AND INFORMATION AGENT

Kroll Issuer Services Limited

The Shard

32 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9SG

Telephone: +44 20 7704 0880

Attention: Jacek Kusion

Email: philips@is.kroll.com

Website: https://deals.is.kroll.com/philips



DISCLAIMER



The Dealer Managers do not take responsibility for the contents of this Notice. This Notice must be read in conjunction with the Tender Offer Memorandum. No invitation to tender any Existing Notes is being made pursuant to this Notice. Any such invitation was only made in the Tender Offer Memorandum. This Notice and the Tender Offer Memorandum contain important information.



OFFER RESTRICTIONS



The distribution of this Notice or the Tender Offer Memorandum in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this Notice or the Tender Offer Memorandum comes are required by each of the Company, the Dealer Managers and the Tender and Information Agent to inform themselves about, and to observe, any such restrictions. Please also refer to the Tender Offer Memorandum for a full description of such restrictions.
Pan African Resources PLC

(Incorporated and registered in England and Wales under the Companies Act 1985 with registered number 3937466 on 25 February 2000)

Share code on AIM: PAF

Share code on JSE: PAN

ISIN: GB0004300496

ADR ticker code: PAFRY

("Pan African" or the "Company" or the "Group")

PAN AFRICAN SUCCESSFULLY EXPLORES EXTENSIONS OF ITS WORLD CLASS ORE BODIES AT BARBERTON MINES WITH A RECENTLY COMPLETED UNDERGROUND DRILLING PROGRAMME

HIGHLIGHTS

A total of 68 underground diamond core boreholes drilled, with approximately 7,000 metres of drilling

High-grade intersections at down-dip extensions to orebodies at Fairview, Sheba and Consort Mines, reefs remain open at depth

Grades of up to 184g/t over 0.85m at Sheba Mine intersection, with free gold visible in core samples and development ends

at Sheba Mine intersection, with free gold visible in core samples and development ends Exploration results will inform and enhance the Group's Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates - updates to be presented with the Company's annual results on 14 September 2022

Enhanced geological understanding will support additional drilling programmes in future years

In recent years, Pan African has increased its exploration focus on the down-dip extension of the existing ore bodies at its Barberton Mines. During the Company's 2020 financial year, Barberton Mines conducted diamond core drilling in excess of 8,700m, increasing to over 9,000m in the 2021 financial year. Specific focus was placed on near mine infill drilling, as well as down-dip Reserve delineation drilling of the available underground Mineral Resources.

Pan African is pleased to advise shareholders that drilling into the down-dip extents of the ore bodies yielded successful and significant high-grade drilling results, with visible gold in several drill intersections and development ends.

Cobus Loots, CEO of Pan African, commented: "Our continued focus on increased Resource and Reserve delineation through systematic exploration programmes has again yielded excellent results and improved our geological understanding of our Barberton operations, demonstrating the extent and quality of our world-class, long-life orebodies. We look forward to reporting continued success with our exploration programmes at Barberton and at our Evander Mines".

Fairview Mine

Mining on multiple reef platforms, increased mining widths and high average grades

Additional Mineral Resource blocks identified

All Reefs remain open up-dip and down-dip

Fairview Mine exploits some of the highest grade gold ore bodies globally, with the Main Reef Complex (MRC) averaging over 40g/t with a mining width in excess of 6m and the Rossiter Reef averaging around 20g/t over a mining width of circa 2.5m. Additional Mineral Reserves with average grades of nearly 15g/t are also extracted at the Fairview Mine, including the Hope Reef.

The MRC, being mined below 64 Level, is the highest grade orebody currently being extracted at Barberton Mines. A total of six diamond drill holes were recently completed to explore the immediate down-dip extent from the currently mined platform (258) to the next platform (259). These drill holes resulted in the delineation of the Mineral Resource on the 259 platform elevation of an estimated 24.5kt at 42.6g/t. A single platform at Barberton Mines is currently mined over a period of approximately 3 years. The down-dip of this orebody is still open and informs the 20 year life of mine of the Fairview operation. Assay results of the initial boreholes are summarised in the table below.

Borehole No Channel Width (m) Gold (Au) Grade (g/t) 258 XF1 1.06 1.09 258 XF2 7.06 34.79 258 XF3 4.84 41.85 258 XF4 6.00 32.96 258 XF5 7.50 30.67 258 XF6 Assays pending

Mining of the Rossiter Reef occurs on the 52 Level elevation. The up-dip and down-dip extents of the Rossiter Reef remain open. Eleven diamond drill holes have been drilled into the 54 Level down-dip target of the Rossiter Reef. The boreholes drilled intersected significant free gold mineralisation with grades ranging from 29g/t over 2.9m to 165g/t over 0.7m, in different boreholes. The combined drilling results yielded an additional Mineral Resource block of an estimated 3.6kt grading 55.3g/t, which will support mining in the next financial year. A representative extract of the drill hole results from the ore body is detailed in the table below.

Borehole No Channel Width (m) Au Grade (g/t) 54ROS1 1.85 45.20 54ROS2 2.56 33.06 54ROS3 2.89 29.20 54ROS4 0.73 164.95

The Hope Reef is mined on 64 Level at an average grade of 6g/t, with both the down-dip and the up-dip extents of the orebody being open. Reserve delineation of this ore body targeted the up-dip continuation up to 58 Level with a total of 15 underground diamond holes drilled to delineate the up-dip extent. These boreholes resulted in an additional Mineral Resource block with an estimated 25kt grading 7.5g/t, to supplement Fairview Mine's overall Mineral Resources. The table below outlines some of the representative intersections' assay results:

Borehole No Channel Width (m) Au Grade (g/t) 58HR02 2.59 12.02 58HR03 3.90 2.28 58HR04 5.21 4.54 58HR05 5.87 3.80 58HR06 8.53 14.73

Sheba Mine

Drilling has upgraded a portion of the Zwartkoppie (ZK) orebody Inferred Mineral Resource to the Measured and Indicated category

Several high-grade intersections with channel widths of between 0.76m and 1.05m grading in excess of 100g/t gold, with visible free gold in the 260 Cross fracture and Northern Limb

and grading in excess of 100g/t gold, with visible free gold in the 260 Cross fracture and Northern Limb Reefs remain open up-dip and down-dip

Mining at Sheba Mine recently progressed into the down-dip Mineral Resources of the ZK ore body on 37 Level. The ZK ore body is typically a free gold carrying deposit. A total of ten diamond holes have been drilled to explore the ZK orebody between the 37 Level and 38 Level elevations. These drill holes were utilised to upgrade the existing Inferred Mineral Resource block to the measured category, and contains an estimated 3kt at 5.2g/t.

Additionally, shallow Mineral Resources on the Northern Limb at 22 Level elevation were explored with an initial two diamond boreholes. Hole 23GM12 yielded 2.3g/t over 1m, 23GM11 yielded 7.2g/t over 1m and 8.3g/t over 1m in two successive structures. Eight additional boreholes into this ore body are planned for in the next financial year (FY23). On 23 Level, a further eleven diamond holes were drilled to explore the up-dip extent of the 260 Cross Fracture. Results of the drilling ranged from 10.7g/t over 0.7m to 184.2g/t over 0.8m. All the drill hole results, of which an extract of high-grade intersections from two boreholes are detailed in the table below, were considered in the Mineral Resource calculations and yielded an Indicated Mineral Resource block of 2.3kt at 13g/t.

Borehole No Channel Width (m) Au Grade (g/t) 22 260-01 1.06 27.71 22 260-01 0.96 13.41 22 260-01 1.05 127.62 22 260-01 0.89 51.93 22 260-01 1.00 15.02 22 260-01 0.69 10.69 22 260-01 0.85 142.36 22 260-01 0.70 113.00 22 260-01 0.85 184.17 22-260-08 0.99 49.52 22-260-08 0.97 14.75 22-260-08 0.96 42.33 22-260-08 0.99 38.73 22-260-08 1.00 27.01 22-260-08 0.93 139.18 22-260-08 0.8 133.15 22-260-08 0.62 20.25 22-260-08 0.76 26.31 22-260-08 1.00 72.99 22-260-08 0.80 77.06 22-260-08 0.76 136.53 22-260-08 0.98 91.31

Consort Mine

Reserve delineation drilling indicates the high-grade 42 Level orebody at Prince Consort PC Shaft down dip extension continues below 44 Level

Reef remains open down-dip

Following the successful intersection of the high-grade, free gold-yielding orebody at 42 Level PC shaft at Consort Mine, a Reserve delineation drilling programme was planned to explore the down-dip continuation of this high-grade ore body. Borehole 45BH5 intersected a high-grade free gold carrying structure at the 44 Level elevation, indicating the down-dip extent of the 42 Level ore body for at least another two levels. The assay results from this intersection yielded 72.8g/t over 0.86m.

All the drill hole results will be taken into account to update the Group's Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve models, and will be presented with the Company's annual results on 14 September 2022. The Barberton Mines exploration results (in relation to substantial mineral assets) comply with the SAMREC Code, as per paragraph 12.12(a) of the JSE Listings Requirements. The listed drill holes yielded additional Mineral Resource blocks in excess of 58kt at an average grade over 25g/t, combined.

The reported Mineral Resource for the Barberton Mines' Underground operations, as at 30 June 2021 is shown in the table below:

Category Tonnes (Mt) Au Grade (g/t) Ounces (koz) Measured 7.98 4.77 1,224.4 Indicated 7.58 3.51 854.6 Inferred 8.76 4.91 1,382.8 Total 24.32 4.43 3,461.8

The reported Mineral Reserve for the Barberton Mines' Underground operations, as at 30 June 2021 is shown in the table below:

Category Tonnes (Mt) Au Grade (g/t) Ounces (koz) Proven 6.72 3.29 710.9 Probable 7.74 3.65 908.2 Total 14.47 3.48 1,619.1

The Competent Person for Pan African, Mr Hendrik Pretorius, the Group Technical Services Manager, has reviewed and approved, in writing, the information contained in this announcement. Mr Pretorius is a member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions as well as a member in good standing of the Geological Society of South Africa.

The information contained in this update is the responsibility of the Pan African board of directors and has not been reviewed or reported on by the Group's external auditors.

Certain information communicated in this announcement was, prior to its publication, inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

Rosebank

6 May 2022

For further information on Pan African, please visit the Company's website at

www.panafricanresources.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Oil prices climbed for the third day running on Friday amid supply worries after the EU proposed some of its toughest measures yet against Russia, including a total ban on oil imports. Benchmark Brent crude futures jumped 1.9 percent to $112.99 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures were up 1.9 percent at $110.27. Both benchmarks were on track for their second weekly gains. It is learnt that the European Union is willing to exempt some central European member states from its proposed embargo on Russian oil. The Bloomberg reported citing officials that the EU is willing to let Hungary and Slovakia continue importing Russian crude and refined products until the end of 2024, while Czechia would be allowed to do the same until June 2024. The OPEC countries are not willing to replace Russian oil despite concerns about slower demand in China due to Covid 19. On Thursday, OPEC + countries committed to the previous plans of increasing output by 432 thousand bpd, decided last June. 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.
Success of EUROAPI's listing on the regulated market of Euronext Paris and first day of trading.

EUROAPI is a leading player in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with a highly diversified portfolio of approximately 200 APIs 1 for its "API Solutions" business and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) activities.

for its "API Solutions" business and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) activities. The listing aims to accelerate EUROAPI's clear strategic roadmap to capture opportunities of the API market which is expected to grow at an average rate of 6% to 7% per year and reinforce its status as partner of choice for all pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Sanofi confirmed its intention to hold ~30% of the share capital and voting rights of EUROAPI, EPIC Bpifrance will hold 12%2 and has committed to a 2-year lock-up period and L'Oreal, Sanofi's largest shareholder, will hold ~5% and has committed to a 1-year lock-up period.

Regulatory News:

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005043/en/

Karl Rotthier, CEO of EUROAPI, and his team rang the bell during a ceremony this morning in the presence of Delphine d'Amarzit, CEO of Euronext Paris, to celebrate the listing of the company. (Photo: Charlene Yves)

EUROAPI (Paris:EAPI) (the "Company" or the "Group"), a leading player in the API market, announces today the success of its listing on the regulated market of Euronext Paris and its first day of trading on the Compartment A, under the ISIN code: FR0014008VX5 and the ticker: EAPI. The technical reference price for the EUROAPI share of EUR12 per share was announced on May 5, 2022, by Euronext Paris.

Karl Rotthier, Chief Executive Officer of EUROAPI declared: "The listing of EUROAPI marks an exciting milestone for the development of our company as it will enable us to consolidate our leadership in the dynamic API market. By operating as an independent company, EUROAPI will gain flexibility and growth opportunities to reinforce its status as partner of choice for all pharmaceutical and biotech companies. We are fully confident in our ability to unlock further value for all our stakeholders and look forward to writing this new chapter alongside Sanofi, which will remain a long-term strategic partner, BPI France and L'Oreal, and to serve our clients in Europe and globally. Most importantly, I would like to thank all our teams, who have always been very committed and who contribute every day to the success of EUROAPI."

EUROAPI is a leading player in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with a highly diversified portfolio of approximately 200 APIs for its "API Solutions" business and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) activities. The Group commercializes its APIs to more than 500 customers in more than 80 countries.

EUROAPI addresses the merchant segment of the API process development and manufacturing market, which was estimated at 72 billion in 2019 and expected to grow at an average rate of 6% to 7% per year until 2024 and a global CDMO market expected to grow at a rate of 7% to 8% per year on average over the same period.

With more than 150 years of experience in the API market and approximately 3,350 employees, the Group is composed of six manufacturing sites and development centers equipped with state-of-the-art technology, all located in Europe (France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and the UK), with an experienced development team supporting its strategy.

EUROAPI benefits from a clear strategic roadmap to capture opportunities of the API market:

Accelerate the Group's activities as a CDMO;

Develop the existing product portfolio;

Expand the Group's technological platforms and its presence in highly differentiated and complex APIs; and

Ensure operational efficiencies.

EUROAPI's listing on Euronext Paris will reinforce its status as partner of choice for all pharmaceutical and biotech companies and enhance EUROAPI's independence from Sanofi which has confirmed its intention to hold circa 30% of EUROAPI and has committed to a 2-year lock-up period, remaining a long-term strategic partner. EPIC Bpifrance, acting for the account of the French State in accordance with the Convention French Tech Souverainete dated December 11, 2020, has agreed to buy 12% of EUROAPI shares and has committed to a 2-year lock-up period, while L'Oreal, Sanofi's largest shareholder, will hold approximately 5% and has committed to a 1-year lock-up period.

Next milestones of the operation

May 9, 2022 : date of identification of shareholders eligible to receive the Distribution in Kind (record date) taking into account the orders executed until May 5, 2022, included.

: date of identification of shareholders eligible to receive the Distribution in Kind (record date) taking into account the orders executed until May 5, 2022, included. May 10, 2022 : payment of the Distribution in Kind (delivery and registration of the EUROAPI shares allocated in respect of the Distribution in Kind) (the "Payment Date").

: payment of the Distribution in Kind (delivery and registration of the EUROAPI shares allocated in respect of the Distribution in Kind) (the "Payment Date"). June 17, 2022: settlement and delivery of the EUROAPI shares sold by Sanofi in connection with the EPIC Bpifrance investment.

About EUROAPI

EUROAPI is focused on reinventing active ingredient solutions to sustainably meet customers' and patients' needs around the world. We are a leading player in active pharmaceutical ingredients with approximately 200 products in our portfolio, offering a large span of technologies, while developing innovative molecules through our Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) activities.

Taking action for health by enabling access to essential therapies inspires our 3,350 people every day. With strong research and development capabilities and six manufacturing sites all located in Europe, EUROAPI ensures API manufacturing of the highest quality to supply customers in more than 80 countries. Find out more at www.euroapi.com.

Notice

This press release is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation"), and shares of EUROAPI will be distributed in circumstances that do not constitute "an offer to the public" within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.

This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in France, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction.

No communication and no information in respect of the dividend distribution of the shares of EUROAPI (the "Shares") may be sent to the public in any jurisdiction where a registration or approval is required. Any distribution of the Shares may be subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Neither EUROAPI nor Sanofi assumes any responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions by any person. Further details about the proposed listing of EUROAPI on the regulated market of Euronext Paris are included in the listing prospectus of EUROAPI dated March 31, 2022 and approved by the French Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) under number I.22-076 (the "Prospectus

Investors should read the Prospectus in order to fully understand the potential risks and rewards associated with any decision to invest in the Shares, including the risk factors included in the Prospectus. The approval of the Prospectus by the AMF should not be understood as an endorsement of the quality of the Shares and/or EUROAPI, including its financial position.

BNP Paribas, BofA Securities Europe SA, and J.P. Morgan SE are acting as Lead ECM Advisors to EUROAPI and Sanofi and Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank, Natixis SA and Societe Generale are acting as Other ECM Advisors in the contemplated listing. Rothschild Co. is acting as independent financial advisor to Sanofi and EUROAPI. Jones Day is acting as legal advisor to EUROAPI and Sanofi, and White Case as legal advisor to the Lead ECM Advisors and the Other ECM Advisors.

The ECM Advisors are acting exclusively for EUROAPI and Sanofi and no one else in connection with the contemplated distribution and listing and will not regard any other person as their respective clients and will not be responsible to anyone other than EUROAPI and Sanofi for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients in connection with any distribution of shares of EUROAPI or otherwise, nor for providing any advice in relation to the distribution of shares, the content of this press release or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein. None of the ECM Advisors or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in this press release (or whether any information has been omitted from this press release) or any other information relating to EUROAPI, Sanofi, their respective subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release is forward-looking and not historical data. These forward-looking statements are based on opinions, projections and current assumptions including, but not limited to, assumptions concerning the Group's current and future strategy, financial and non-financial future results and the environment in which the Group is operating. They imply known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could result in actual results, performances or achievements, or the results of the sector or other events, differing materially from those described or suggested by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those that are indicated and detailed in Chapter 3 "Risk factors" and Section 22.2 of the Prospectus. These forward-looking statements are given only as of the date of this press release and the Group expressly declines any obligation or commitment to publish updates or corrections of the forward-looking statements included in this press release in order to reflect any change affecting the forecasts or events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. The forward-looking statements and information do not constitute guarantees of future performances, and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, a large number of which are difficult to predict and generally outside the control of the Group. Actual results may differ significantly from those described, suggested or projected by the forward-looking information and statements.

Rounding

Certain calculated figures (including data expressed in thousands or millions) and percentages presented in this press release have been rounded. Where applicable, the totals presented in this press release may slightly differ from the totals that would have been obtained by adding the exact amounts (not rounded) for these calculated figures. They may also differ from the figures that are not rounded presented in the Prospectus.

_____________________

1 APIs across the API Solutions business and CDMO activities.

2 EPIC Bpifrance, acting for the account of the French State in accordance with the Convention French Tech Souverainete dated December 11, 2020 has agreed to purchase 12% in EUROAPI shares from Sanofi at a price equal to the lower of (i) the volume-weighted average price ("VWAP") of EUROAPI's shares over a period of 30 consecutive trading days beginning on the first day of trading on May 6, 2022, multiplied by the number of shares acquired, and (ii) 150 million.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005043/en/

Contacts:

Media Relations:

EUROAPI

Laurence Bollack +33 (0)6 81 86 80 19

mr@euroapi.com

Brunswick Group

Hugues Boeton +33 (0)6 79 99 27 15

Aude Lepreux + 33 (0)7 84 46 10 66

euroapi@brunswickgroup.com

Investor Relations:

EUROAPI

Guillaume Rosso +33 (0)6 49 51 59 78

ir@euroapi.com
Bangkok, Thailand--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Visionox, a leading innovative display enterprise in China, held its 2022 Technology Innovation Launch Event online to release its innovative technological achievements in five sectors. With the theme of "Create a Brandnew and Visionary Future", there are 20 innovative technological achievements in five sectors being released (e.g. EnV ALT low-frequency LTPS, InV tripod tripod-shaped pixel arrangement, HLEMS technology, COE POL-less technology, and truly bezel-less face ID module). This release highlights Visionox's great technological innovation capabilities. The further commercialization of these innovations will be destined to accelerate the iteration and upgrade of intelligent terminals.

Led by Visionox's President Dr. Zhang Deqiang, there were five technical experts, namely Cai Minghan, Shan Qi, Zhang Wei, Xiao Yiming and Cao Xuan, delivering speeches in five dimensions: "Versatile for the Full World", "Vibrant for the Strong Performance", "Vigorous for the Integrated Trend", "Vintage for the Smart Display", and "Vast for the Infinite World".

Dr. Zhang Deqiang explained Visionox's medium- and long-term development strategies (2022-2031): "In the next five years, Visionox will focus on the core technologies of innovative display, expand our production to all related fields, and rank among Top 3 in worldwide OLED panel shipments." He also noted that through ten years of hard work, Visionox would realize the synchronized development of the industry ecosystem and become a global leader in the emerging display industry. In terms of strategy implementation, Visionox has formulated "One strength & Two new roads" development strategies for the next five years, namely consolidating the success in small-sized display applications, expanding the application of medium-sized display and opening up a new large-sized display market. For the next decade, Visionox has put forward the "2345" development framework (i.e. 2 business lines: OLED and Micro-LED; 3 core technologies: optics and materials, semiconductor devices and system integration; 4 innovation bases in the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Chengdu-Chongqing; 5 application fields: intelligent terminal, automotive interaction, smart home, industrial control and healthcare, and innovation-driven business).

After his speech, the five technical experts explained the five sectors, covering nearly 20 innovative technological achievements, which were elaborated in terms of technical principle, innovation effectiveness, application scenario, user experience, etc.

In terms of "Versatile for the Full World", Visionox has narrowed 1.4mm bezel down to 1.0mm by applying new circuit design and FIAA technology. In addition, Visionox has realized slimmer bezel, more invisible crease and smaller bend radius through foldable form optimization, stacking module thinning, module materials optimization, and other technologies.

In terms of "Vibrant for the Strong Performance", Visionox has reduced power consumption by taking three major methods, namely, low-frequency LTPS technology, HLEMS technology and COE POL-less technology, from two aspects of drive and light extraction efficiency improvement.

Meanwhile, Visionox's original upgraded "dual tripod" pixel arrangement is now able to present finer, sharper and more balanced images. With the promotion and application of new technologies, next-generation smartphones are expected to be substantially improved in portability, screen-to-body ratio, optical performance, screen power consumption and under-display camera.

In terms of "Vigorous for the Integrated Trend", Visionox launched the world's first under-display camera solution InV see in 2020. Now, Visionox has released its latest solutions - InV see Bezel-less solution of 3D face recognition and PIN optical fingerprint recognition solution, enabling smartphone recognition system to go further on the path of achieving higher information security, convenience of use and compatibility of flexible display.

In terms of "Vintage for the Smart Display", Visionox has developed tandem OLED technology and aging compensation technology, and also carried out in-depth research on basic technologies such as oxide TFT backplane and Demura. Based on the improvement of the fundamental functions, AMOLEDs are used in medium-sized applications. Visionox presents a flexible under-screen camera solution for laptops which uses ultra-thin bezel technology, enabling the screen-to-body ratio to increase to 91% from 85% which has been the choice of most traditional laptops. In the field of medium-sized automotive applications, Visionox has cooperated with some automobile brands to launch customized OLED automotive displays, such as dashboard, digital rearview, central control and transparent A-pillar.

The part of "Vast for the Infinite World" was especially eye-catching. Visionox is actively "expanding new medium-sized display applications" and "opening up a new large-sized display market". Visionox started its Micro-LED technology accumulation in 2017. At present, Visionox has built a Micro-LED Pilot Line, and successfully launched samples of 1.84-inch Micro-LED wearable retina displays and 12.7-inch glass-based Micro-LED tiling displays.

Finally, Dr. Zhang Deqiang said that Visionox would accelerate the commercialization of its innovative technologies and products in the future to create more immersive usage scenarios and provide end users with rich experience. At the present stage, Visionox's goal is to meet market demand for customized, diversified and dynamic solutions, and deliver more value and better integrated solutions to downstream customers, so as to improve end users' experience and bring the new future forward.

Cao Yong, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, pointed out that at present, China's electronic information industry has ushered in an unprecedented and new landscape. China's display industry has become a major force in the global display industry, and the new display industry represented by OLED has shown strong growth momentum and huge market potential. In recent years, China has made new progress in new displays. The innovation force in emerging displays, led by enterprises like Visionox, has been exploring and making breakthroughs in AMOLEDs. They have launched several new technologies globally, formulated a number of international, national and industrial standards, filed more than 10,000 patents, and made innovations in collaboration with upstream and downstream enterprises of the industry chain, opening up new prospects.

Historically, May is the peak month for the release of new display innovations around the world every year. Visionox's launch event of its innovative technological achievements at the beginning of May has shown a high degree of confidence in technology and innovation strength.

Focusing on OLED technology for 21 years, Visionox has a leading position in this field, and its innovations are often characterized as "industrial windvane". Competition for R&D innovation in new displays is expected to grow fiercer. With the advent of the era of flexible displays, intelligent terminals will iterate and update faster.

Media Contact

Contact: Fiona Li

Company Name: World the Belt and Road TV station

Address: 89/22 Amonpang 205 Tower 1 Floor 16th Soi Notong Rachada Rd. Dingdeng Dingdeng Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Website: http://www.igobatv.com

Email: Fiona_lee26550846@hotmail.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/122908
Wallbox (NYSE:WBX), a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy management solutions worldwide, today announced its participation in upcoming institutional investor-focused events following the release of its first quarter 2022 financial results:

May 12, 2022: Bank of America Made in Iberia Conference

Co-founder and CEO Enric Asuncion and Jordi Lainz, CFO will host meetings with investors. No webcast will be provided. Interested investors should reach out to their Bank of America sales contact directly.

May 12th at 11:00am EDT: Chardan Leadership Series

Co-founder and CEO Enric Asuncion and Jordi Lainz, CFO will join Brian Dobson of Chardan for this webcast. Interested investors can register for this event here, or via the Events and Presentations section of the Investor Relations website at investors.wallbox.com.

May 19th: Investor Meetings Hosted by Cowen Equity Research

Co-founder and CEO Enric Asuncion and Jordi Lainz, CFO will host virtual meetings with investors. No webcast will be provided. Interested investors should reach out to their Cowen sales contact directly.

May 25th at 12:00pm EDT: Electrifying Impact Investing in the Next Industrial Revolution with Pathstone Private Asset Management

Wallbox Investor Relations will participate in an educational webcast discussing the global electrification effort and the current state of the EV market. Interested investors can register for this event here, or via the Events and Presentations section of the Investor Relations website at investors.wallbox.com.

May 26th: Investor Meetings Hosted by UBS Equity Research

Co-founder and CEO Enric Asuncion will host virtual meetings with investors. No webcast will be provided. Interested investors should reach out to their UBS sales contact directly.

About Wallbox

Wallbox is a global technology company, dedicated to changing the way the world uses energy. Wallbox creates advanced electric vehicle charging and energy management systems that redefine users' relationship to the grid. Wallbox goes beyond electric vehicle charging to give users the power to control their consumption, save money, and live more sustainably. Wallbox offers a complete portfolio of charging and energy management solutions for residential, semi-public and public use in more than 98 countries. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Barcelona, the company now employs over 900 people in its offices in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. For additional information, please visit www.wallbox.com.

Wallbox Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. 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 timing of upcoming conferences and events. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "may," "can," "should," "could," "might," "plan," "possible," "project," "strive," "budget," "forecast," "expect," "intend," "will," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue" or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology, but the absence of these words does not mean that statement is not forward-looking. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including those discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Wallbox's final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on November 12, 2021, as such factors may be updated from time to time in its other filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and the Investors Relations section of Wallbox's website at investors.wallbox.com. These and other important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any forward-looking statement that Wallbox makes in this press release speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as required by law, Wallbox disclaims any obligation to update or revise, or to publicly announce any update or revision to, any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Wallbox NV

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005013/en/

Contacts:

Wallbox Public Relations Contact:

Elyce Behrsin

Public Relations

Press@wallbox.com

+34 622 513 358

Wallbox Investor Contact:

Matt Tractenberg

VP, Investor Relations

Matt.Tractenberg@wallbox.com

+1 404-574-1504
HONG KONG, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wonderlabs has recently released SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam with brand new Privacy Mask mode.

SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam, unlike outdoor cameras, is a home security camera that is predominantly made to help watch over homes. It features two high quality motors, and can rotate 360 degrees to allow users to see their rooms clearly in 1080p HD video.

Two favorite features would probably have to be Two-way Audio, and Privacy Mask, which helps make SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam one of the best security cameras for using at home. Why? With Two-way Audio, users are able to communicate with anyone via SwitchBot's app when viewing any surrounding area, which makes it perfect for being a deterrent ("we're looking at you, pesky pets and unwanted intruders"), or helps users say hi to whoever's around. Privacy Mask also helps give users that little bit more peace of mind. When arriving home, SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam's lens will automatically retreat inside its device housing to completely cover the lens to offer a more tangible sense of privacy. But it will be discussed in more detail below.

Enjoy more privacy with Privacy Mask.

The new privacy-based mode featured on Pan/Tilt Cam makes it easy to see that SwitchBot has taken measures to let it users feel a little more at ease when using home monitoring equipment, as Privacy Mask really goes one step further to leave no doubt that the camera is tucked away, and no, not recording users singing Luther Vandross in underwear on a Sunday morning.

SwitchBot also produces a bunch of other smart home devices that can be used in conjunction with this feature, SwitchBot Contact Sensor being one of them. This really enables users to "automate peace of mind" and have their home environment set up so that as soon as motion is detected.

So what else can SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam offer

Apart from all of the above, SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam also has a host of other really useful functions including:

Motion detection

Local video/image storage

Night Vision

Instant Notifications

Voice Control

And much, much more!

SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam is available to buy now for $39.99USD via Amazon or their webstore.

About SwitchBot.

SwitchBot is a global smart home brand, with a huge fanbase in Japan thanks to its innovative design, simple installation, ease of use, and smart factor.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1801664/1.jpg
Annual event 'GeekWeek 7.5' hosted by Canadian Centre for Cyber Security leverages key players in cybersecurity to produce innovations, advancements

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Plurilock Security Inc. (TSXV: PLUR) (OTCQB: PLCKF) and related subsidiaries ("Plurilock" or the "Company"), an identity-centric cybersecurity solutions provider for workforces, was selected to participate in the 'GeekWeek 7.5' event, an exclusive workshop hosted by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

The invite-only annual event brings together key players in the cybersecurity field from response teams, critical infrastructure partners, individuals in academia, and international partners to discuss best practices and generate innovations and solutions that will support the industry.1 During the 2020 event, 200 participants contributed 16,000 hours of research, development, and innovation and to-date participants have delivered 80 projects.2

Plurilock's Director of IT & Operations Ken English served as the Company's representative at the event. English worked along with other cybersecurity leaders from several organizations including Fortinet, Microsoft, and Cisco.

"With the growing cyber threat, innovation in cybersecurity and zero trust are more critical than ever," said Ian L. Paterson, CEO of PlurilockTM. "As a leader in the zero trust identity space, Plurilock is excited to participate and collaborate in efforts on the government-level with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security to improve cyber defenses. Being recognized as a leader in the industry demonstrates Plurilock's success in acting on its stated strategy to acquire profitable cybersecurity companies with great customers and provide cutting-edge identity confirmation solutions that protect workforces."

About Plurilock

Plurilock provides identity-centric cybersecurity for today's workforces. The Plurilock family of companies enables organizations to operate safely and securely while reducing cybersecurity friction. Plurilock offers world-class IT and cybersecurity solutions through its Solutions Division, paired with proprietary, AI-driven and cloud-friendly security through its Technology Division. Together, the Plurilock family of companies delivers persistent identity assurance with unmatched ease of use.

For more information, visit https://www.plurilock.com or contact:

Ian L. Paterson

Chief Executive Officer

ian@plurilock.com

416.800.1566

Roland Sartorius

Chief Financial Officer

roland.sartorius@plurilock.com

Prit Singh

Investor Relations

prit.singh@plurilock.com

905.510.7636

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") related to future events or Plurilock's future business, operations, and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements normally contain words like "will", "intend", "anticipate", "could", "should", "may", "might", "expect", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential", "project", "assume", "contemplate", "believe", "shall", "scheduled", and similar terms. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions, and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable, and appropriate in the circumstances. Although management believes that the forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to Plurilock's business. Additional material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements herein include, without limitation, the impact of general economic conditions, the success of the Company in obtaining new or extended contracts or orders; the Company's ability to maintain existing customers or develop new customers; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions of other businesses and/or companies or to realize on the anticipated benefits thereof; and unforeseen events, developments, or factors causing any of the aforesaid expectations, assumptions, and other factors ultimately being inaccurate or irrelevant. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are beyond the control of Plurilock. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as at the date hereof, and Plurilock undertakes no obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in its most recent Annual Information Form. They are otherwise disclosed in its filings with securities regulatory authorities available on SEDAR at www.sedar.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.

https://cyber.gc.ca/en/events/geekweek-75 https://cyber.gc.ca/en/events/geekweek-75

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/122988
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (CSE: EMH) (OTCQB: EMHTF) ("Emerald" or the "Company") announced today that it has transferred its US listing to the OTCQB after receiving notice from the OTC Markets Group that the Company no longer meets the listing requirements for continued listing on the OTCQX International tier.

On November 3, 2021, Emerald received notice that the Company's bid price had closed below $0.10 for more than 30 consecutive calendar days and no longer met the Standards for Continued Qualification for the OTCQX International tier. The OTC Markets Group provided Emerald a cure period of 180 calendar days to have its share price close at US$0.10 or above for ten consecutive trading days. On May 4, 2022, the OTC Markets Group informed the Company that it did not meet the criteria to continue its OTCQX International Listing.

The OTC Markets Group invited Emerald to apply to list on the OTCQB, where the Company continued to meet the relevant listing requirements. The Company filed its OTCQB application to transfer its listing on May 5, 2022, and the Company will begin trading on the OTCQB at market-open today under the same symbol: EMHTF.

Please visit www.emeraldhealth.ca for more information or contact:

Mohammed Jiwan , Chief Operating Officer

1(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5

Emerald Investor Relations

(800) 757 3536 Ext. #5

invest@emeraldhealth.ca

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements.

We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent management beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature are inherently uncertain and beyond management control.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our expectations as of the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are presented for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to obtain a better understanding of our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Emerald undertakes no obligations to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur unless required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123022
COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. (NYSE American:IDR) ("IDR", "Idaho Strategic" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that John Swallow, CEO and President of Idaho Strategic Resources, was recently interviewed on the Planet MicroCap Due Diligence Podcast hosted by Robert Kraft.

IDR's CEO, John Swallow, commented "While this episode didn't quite approach the level of an 'Elon Musk/Joe Rogan' podcast, it sure came close. The platform Robert provided on the Due Diligence Podcast gave me a unique opportunity to share some of our philosophies outside of my typical President's Letter format. As the Company's public profile continues to grow and following our up-listing onto the NYSE American, it felt like the right opportunity for me to share our story and multi-generational perspective to value creation and the path forward.

Our start small, build trust, and grow together approach to business, with the involvement of all stakeholders in our decision-making process, is something that takes time to develop and cannot be replicated without the genuine conviction to do it right from the beginning. As you navigate 'the world according to John', this podcast will also give you a better understanding of Idaho Strategic Resources."

The Company wants to thank Robert and SNN Network for the invitation and recognizing Idaho Strategic as a good fit. The podcast aired Monday, May 2nd and can be viewed on YouTube or streamed on the Apple Podcast app and Spotify with the following links.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

About Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

Domiciled in Idaho and headquartered in the Panhandle of northern Idaho, Idaho Strategic Resources (IDR) is one of the few resource-based companies (public or private) possessing the combination of officially recognized U.S. domestic rare earth element properties (in Idaho) and Idaho-based gold production located in an established mining community.

Idaho Strategic Resources produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine located in the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) area of the world-class Coeur d'Alene Mining District, north of the prolific Silver Valley. With over 7,000 acres of patented and unpatented land, the Company has the largest private land position in the area following its consolidation of the Murray Gold Belt for the first time in over 100-years.

In addition to gold and gold production, the Company maintains an important strategic presence in the U.S. Critical Minerals sector, specifically focused on the more "at-risk" Rare Earth Elements (REE's). The Company's Diamond Creek and Roberts REE properties are included the U.S. national REE inventory as listed in USGS, IGS and DOE publications. Both projects are located in central Idaho and participating in the USGS Earth MRI program.

With an impressive mix of experience and dedication, the folks at IDR maintain a long-standing "We Live Here" approach to corporate culture, land management, and historic preservation. Furthermore, it is our belief that successful operations begin with the heightened responsibility that only local oversight and a community mindset can provide. Its "everyone goes home at night" policy would not be possible without the multi-generational base of local exploration, drilling, mining, milling, and business professionals that reside in and near the communities of the Silver Valley and North Idaho.

For more information on Idaho Strategic Resources click here for our corporate presentation, go to www.idahostrategic.com or call:

Travis Swallow, Investor Relations & Corporate Development

Email: tswallow@idahostrategic.com

(208) 625-9001

Forward-Looking Statements

This release, and the podcast referred to in this release, contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "goal", "plan", "intend", "potential', "estimate", "may", "assume" and "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions, or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, Idaho Strategic Resources expectations, intentions, plans, assumptions and beliefs with respect to, among other things, estimated and targeted production rates and results, the expected prices of gold, as well as the related costs, expenses and capital expenditures, and the potential advancement of rare earth element or critical mineral resources. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of Idaho Strategic Resources as of the date such information is provided and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of IDR to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The forward-looking statement information above, and those following are applicable to both this press release, as well as the podcast recording to which this press release is referring to. With respect to the business of Idaho Strategic Resources, these risks and uncertainties include risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreaks, if they occur, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and impacts on employee productivity, the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information; unfavorable exploration results; inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production; general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices; the ability to obtain necessary future financing on acceptable terms; the ability to operate the Company's projects; and risks associated with the mining industry such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, and energy prices), ground conditions, failure of plant, equipment, processes and transportation services to operate as anticipated, environmental risks, government regulation, actual results of current exploration and production activities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, permitting timelines, capital and construction expenditures, reclamation activities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from this forward-looking information is available in Idaho Strategic Resources filings with the SEC on EDGAR. IDR does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700387/Idaho-Strategics-CEO-Invited-as-a-Guest-on-the-Planet-MicroCap-Due-Diligence-Podcast
40% of adults will struggle to pay their next energy bill but more than a third are suffering in silence

A new film has launched from British Gas today, encouraging people to stop the silence around energy debt and seek free support from the British Gas Energy Trust

The film is voiced by rapper and mental health campaigner, Professor Green

LONDON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Four in ten households will struggle to pay their next energy bill according to new YouGov research commissioned by British Gas, who is collaborating with rapper and mental health campaigner, Professor Green, to stop the silence around energy debt, and support people in accessing the financial and practical support available through British Gas Energy Trust.

British Gas Energy Trust is an independent Charitable Trust established and solely funded by British Gas to alleviate the detrimental impact of energy stress on its customers as well as people with other providers. The Trust helps people in - or at risk of - financial hardship make their energy payments and manage their finances through support, education and sound money management.

With many households in the UK already experiencing energy debt, the recent energy price tariff increase coupled with the rising cost of living is set to push millions more households below the poverty line. This means it's never been more important to raise awareness of the support available for those who need it.

Despite the emotional impact of living with debt, shockingly over a third (35%) of energy bill payers are suffering in silence by keeping their worries from their loved ones. These internal struggles are also manifesting themselves in increased anxiety (65%), lower self-esteem (18%), insomnia (18%), and have a negative impact on the relationships of those affected (16%). The research also revealed women are experiencing higher rates of stress than men (73% v 61%) as a result of struggling with the rising cost of living.

Many of the households living in fuel poverty in the UK could reduce their bills by reaching out to British Gas Energy Trust. Many people have already found their way out of energy debt by speaking to one of its dedicated advisors but just 39% of those suffering are aware of the financial support services available.

British Gas Energy Trust Chief Executive, Jessica Taplin, said: "The Trust's mission is to help alleviate the detrimental impact of poverty - for many of our programmes you don't need to be a British Gas customer to access support. 83% of grant funding from British Gas Energy Trust supports vulnerable customers from other providers. Therefore, we would encourage everyone to seek help during this incredibly difficult time, whether it's from us or from your own provider. The Trust provides direct energy grants and also funds money and energy advice charities across England, Scotland and Wales - these dedicated organisations work within their community to help find a way of improving people's situations".

To raise awareness of the support available via the Trust, British Gas has created an emotive film. The poignant film, by award winning director, Geej Ower, sees a single dad silently struggling with the emotional impact of not being able to pay his bills, without confiding in those around him. Professor Green lends his voice to the emotional film, and shares his own experiences of growing up in Hackney with his grandmother having to regularly make the devastating choice between paying bills and eating a hot meal:

"Reading the Stop the Silence film script was an emotional experience. As many people know, my parents weren't around growing up and my grandmother raised me on an estate in Hackney. Money was tight, and there was always stress about paying our energy bill. Advice and services, like those provided by British Gas Energy Trust, just weren't available to us and those around me. I urge families and individuals suffering in silence to reach out to British Gas Energy Trust to get the help they so desperately need."

With 73% of people believing energy companies should do more to educate the public on energy debt, and a further 61% of people unaware that financial support services existed for household debt support, Professor Green and British Gas encourage people to visit British Gas Energy Trust to learn what financial grants they may be eligible for and for other practical information to alleviate energy debt, together.

In addition to raising awareness, British Gas has already donated 6M to British Gas Energy Trust this year, helping an average of 8,000 customers experiencing debt issues across the UK every week.

The British Gas Energy Trust Stop the Silence campaign launches today. To find out more visit: https://www.britishgas.co.uk/energy/british-gas-energy-trust.html.

*Research was conducted by You Gov Plc. Total sample size was 2019 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd - 23rd March 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Notes to editors

The British Gas Energy Trust helps people with financial advice, energy efficiency advice and measures, fuel vouchers, checking benefit entitlements and accessing debt support charities.

The British Gas Energy Trust runs a 6m fund for British Gas customers to provide grants between 250 and 750 to those struggling with energy costs - and many suppliers offer similar funds. The British Gas Energy Trust also runs a fund which any consumer can access (regardless of which energy supplier they are with) to provide grants up to 1,000 and this fund will open on 1st July.

About British Gas

British Gas is Britain's leading supplier of energy and services and the country's biggest retailer of zero carbon electricity. We are part of Centrica, a company founded on a 200-year heritage of serving people. We provide energy and services to over 7 million UK homes and businesses, supported by around 7,500 highly trained engineers and technicians. We also offer a range of innovative products and services, including Hive and our on-demand digital trades service, Local Heroes. Our purpose of helping customers live sustainably, simply and affordably drives our strategy and our People and Planet Plan.

About British Gas Energy Trust

The British Gas Energy Trust was established in 2004 by British Gas as an independent Charitable Trust and remains the largest of its nature in the UK and is focused on contributing to the relief of poverty, with a particular focus on helping alleviate fuel poverty. It delivers through direct access grant programmes for individuals and families, as well as through the funding of 49 third-sector organisations from across the UK, who deliver a variety of in-depth money advice programmes and projects within communities.

The aims of the Trust are to:

Help people avoid the burden of energy debt, make informed energy choices and improve their control over household finances. We envisage that this will lead to healthier homes and enhanced wellbeing.

Enhance the capacity of the organisations we fund, enabling the development and provision of holistic support, money, energy and advice services; for the benefit of people in financial hardship.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1812283/British_Gas_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1812281/British_Gas_2.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1812282/British_Gas_3.jpg
Knight-Hennessy Scholars announces 70 new scholars, with first time scholars from Belgium, Jamaica, Japan, Libya, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania, North Macedonia, and Vietnam.

STANFORD, Calif., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Knight-Hennessy Scholars ( https://kh.stanford.edu/) at Stanford University announced its 2022 cohort of 70 new scholars, with students from 27 countries, who will pursue degrees in 35 graduate degree programs across all seven of Stanford's graduate schools. Profiles of the 2022 Knight-Hennessy scholars are available here ( https://http://kh.stanford.edu/scholars ) and summary statistics are available here (PDF) .

Knight-Hennessy Scholars cultivates and supports a multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University and delivers engaging experiences that prepare graduates to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders who address complex challenges facing the world. Knight-Hennessy scholars participate in the King Global Leadership Program and receive up to three years of financial support to pursue a graduate degree program in any of Stanford's seven graduate schools.

"While we face many challenges-including the pandemic, racial justice, climate change, and ongoing conflicts-the accomplishments, dedication, and promise of these new scholars gives me hope for a better future." said John L. Hennessy, president emeritus and the Shriram Family Director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars develops emerging leaders who have a strong multidisciplinary and multicultural perspective, a commitment to the greater good, and the tools needed to drive meaningful change. The King Global Leadership Program is a core part of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars experience and offers a wide range of workshops, lectures, projects, and experiences that complement scholars' graduate school education and help them reach their leadership objectives.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars has no quotas or restrictions based on region, college or university, field of study, or career aspiration. Among new 2022 scholars, 50% identify as female and 46% hold a passport from a non-U.S. country. Sixty-three percent of U.S. scholars identify as a person of color, and 13% have served in the U.S. military. The scholars earned undergraduate degrees at 13 international and 29 U.S. institutions. Seventeen percent are the first in their family to attend college.

The inaugural cohort enrolled in 2018, and the fifth cohort brings the total scholar count to 339 to date. Scholars are selected based on their demonstration of independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and a civic mindset. "It is a joy to work with the scholars, who come from around the world and across the university, as they build a community that is dedicated to contributing to the greater good," said Tina Seelig, Executive Director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

The application for the 2023 cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars will open in July and is due in October 2022. The program offers online information sessions to describe the community, leadership development program, and admission process.

About Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Announced in 2016, Knight-Hennessy Scholars is named for Phil Knight, MBA '62, philanthropist and co-founder of Nike Inc., and John Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet Inc. and president of Stanford (2000-2016). Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed graduate fellowship in the world.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1810500/DenningHouse.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1502473/Knight_Hennessy_Logo.jpg
VANCOUVER, B.C., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomd Technologies Ltd. (TSXV: ZOMD) (OTC: ZMDTF) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Zoomd Ltd. (collectively, "Zoomd" or the "Company"), the marketing technology (MarTech) user-acquisition and engagement platform, today announced that it has retained Toronto-based marketing firm, North Equities Corp. ("NEC") to provide the Company with investor relations and shareholder communication services.

The Company has entered into a 3-month marketing and consulting agreement with NEC (the "Agreement"). NEC specializes in various social media platforms and will seek to facilitate greater awareness of, and widespread dissemination of, news relating to Zoomd.

Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, the Company will pay NEC C$50,000, plus applicable taxes and reasonable expenses. NEC will not receive any securities of the Company pursuant to the Agreement. NEC does not currently own any shares of the Company.

About Zoomd:

Zoomd (TSXV: ZOMD, OTC: ZMDTF), founded in 2012 and began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in September 2019, offers a site search engine to publishers, and a mobile app user-acquisition platform, integrated with a majority of global digital media, to advertisers. The platform unifies more than 600 media sources into one unified dashboard. Offering advertisers, a user acquisition control center for managing all new customer acquisition campaigns using a single platform. By unifying all these media sources onto a single platform, Zoomd saves advertisers significant resources that would otherwise be spent consolidating data sources, thereby maximizing data collection and data insights while minimizing the resources spent on the exercise. Further, Zoomd is a performance-based platform that allows advertisers to advertise to the relevant target audiences using a key performance indicator-algorithm that is focused on achieving the advertisers' goals and targets.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

DISCLAIMER IN REGARD TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited of NEC to successfully provide the services pursuant to the Agreement. Forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, estimates, expectations and projections that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, technological, legal, privacy matters, political and social uncertainties (including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current war in Ukraine), the extent and duration of which are uncertain at this time on Zoomd's business and general economic and business conditions and markets. There can be no assurance that any of the forward-looking 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. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The reader should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Company Media Contacts:

Amit Bohensky

Chairman

Zoomd

ir@zoomd.com

Website: www.zoomd.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Indigenous Bloom Corp. (CSE: IBH) (the "Company" or "Indigenous Bloom") announces that Mr. Blair Lowther has resigned from the Company's board of directors effective immediately. Indigenous Bloom would like to extend its gratitude to Mr. Lowther for his hard work during the past months and wish him success in all his future endeavours.

Furthermore, the Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Larry Dykstra to the board of directors. Mr. Dykstra has over 30 years of experience in agriculture and horticulture and is an expert within the greenhouse technology industry. As President of Dykstra Greenhouses, Mr. Dykstra has been involved in all aspects of greenhouse technology, including building, growing, harvesting, and caring for plants. His family-run business started with wholesale flowers and has transitioned to a fully integrated licensed cannabis producer.

Indigenous Bloom's CEO, Mr. Mark Roseborough, commented, "Mr. Lowther's legal expertise has been instrumental in assisting the Company in navigating its recent acquisition and accelerating the Company's ability to pave a new path. We would like to thank him for his contribution and for achieving his strategic objectives during an important phase for Indigenous Bloom. Additionally, I believe that Mr. Dykstra's appointment will bring a wealth of experience to strategically place the Company in a position for success within the hemp industry."

About Indigenous Bloom Hemp Corp.

Indigenous Bloom Hemp Corp. currently operates a large-scale industrial hemp farm in Southern Manitoba on approximately 347 acres of zoned farmland. The Company's primary focus is the processing and sale of hemp biomass, flower, and phytocannabinoid rich extracts derived from hemp biomass. Indigenous Bloom Hemp Corp.'s vision is to become a premium producer of CBD oils, distillate or isolate and produce health supplements, nutritional products, food and beauty products, and to market it initially in Canada and eventually globally.

Indigenous Bloom Hemp Corp. is a publicly traded company in Canada, on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker IBH; in the United States, on the OTC under the ticker VRTHF; and in Germany, on the Frankfurt exchange under the ticker 2VP0.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Lorne Mark Roseborough"

Chief Executive Officer

Further information about the Company is available under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and on the CSE website at www.thecse.com.

Investor and Public Relations Contact

Indigenous Bloom Hemp Corp.

Telephone: +1.416.918.6785

Email: info@plutusbridge.com

The CSE has not reviewed, nor approved or disapproved the content of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/122990
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - David H. Brett, President and CEO, Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: PBM) ("Pacific Bay" or the "Company") reports that Pacific Bay, further to the Company's March 24, 2022 Letter of Intent announcement, has signed a Definitive Agreement (the "Agreement") with Brixton Metals Corp. ("Brixton") to acquire an option to purchase up to a 100% interest in the Atlin Goldfields Project (the "Property"), located in Northwest British Columbia. The Agreement remains subject to the completion by PBM of a $500,000 financing, and receiving approval from the TSX Venture Exchange.

Atlin Goldfield Highlights:

Underexplored, district-scale gold property with 59,154 hectares of mineral tenures.

Prospective for high grade orogenic gold deposit systems including the Yellowjacket high grade gold deposit.

200 ton-per-day mining permit (Yellowjacket Mine) and exploration permits already in place

Top-tier mining jurisdiction

"Signing of the Definitive agreement is a significant milestone for Pacific Bay towards commencing work at Atlin," said Pacific Bay President & CEO David Brett. "Our plan to incorporate a transformational asset into Pacific Bay is coming to fruition. We look forward to TSXV approval and subsequent next steps."

Terms of the Agreement:

Under the terms of the Agreement, Pacific Bay may acquire up to a 100% interest in the Atlin Goldfields project, by completing the following:

Pacific Bay can earn a 51% interest in the Property by completing $3,500,000 in Exploration Expenditures, paying $1,725,000 cash, and issuing 5,000,000 Pacific Bay Shares to Brixton, on or before the 4th anniversary of the closing of the Agreement. If the 51% interest earn-in has been completed, Pacific Bay may earn an additional 49% interest in the Property by completing an additional $3,500,000 in Exploration Expenditures, paying $1,500,000 cash, and issuing 5,000,000 Pacific Bay Shares to Brixton, on or before the 7th anniversary of the closing of the Agreement.

If Pacific Bay exercises the 51% earn-in and elects to not exercise the additional 49% earn-in, Pacific Bay and Brixton will enter into a joint venture whereby the interest in the property will revert to 49% in favor of Pacific Bay and 51% in favor of Brixton, with each party then participating in programs and budgets according to their pro-rata interests.

If Pacific Bay completes the option and acquires 100% of the Property, Brixton will retain at 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty (NSR), with 1% of the NSR purchasable at any time by Pacific Bay for $2,500,000. The Property is subject to a number of additional underlying royalties in favour of other vendors.

All values in Canadian dollars.

Event Cash Shares Exploration Expenditures Upon Signing LOI $25,000



Completion of Definitive Option Agreement $100,000 750,000

1st Anniversary $200,000 1,000,000 $500,000 2nd Anniversary $250,000 1,000,000 $1,000,000 3rd Anniversary $500,000 1,000,000 $1,000,000 4th Anniversary* $650,000 1,250,000 $1,000,000 5th Anniversary $500,000 1,000,000 $1,000,000 6th Anniversary $500,000 2,000,000 $1,000,000 7th Anniversary** $500,000 2,000,000 $1,500,000 TOTALS





*51% Earned $1,725,000 5,000,000 $3,500,000 **100% Earned $3,225,000 10,000,000 $7,000,000

Note: The Anniversary date is based on the Completion of the Definitive Option Agreement.

Completion of 43-101 Technical Report

In order to comply with TSX Venture Exchange requirements respecting a fundamental transaction, the Company retained Archer, Cathro & Associates (1981) Ltd. of Whitehorse, Yukon to complete a technical report on the Property. The report entitled "Technical Report on the Atlin Goldfields Project British Columbia, Canada", with an effective date of May 4, 2022, was prepared in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards for Disclosure of Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), and will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release and posted on the company's website. The primary objective of the report was to:

Gather and consolidate records of historical work performed on the Atlin Goldfields project that encompass the entire, current land package Validate historical drilling results obtained from the Yellowjacket deposit Recommend a phased work plan, with preliminary budgets, for future work on the property

Pacific Bay Minerals' VP Exploration, Sebastien Ah Fat, P.Geo. comments, "In addition to completion of the Definitive Agreement, we have been working diligently to meet all customary exchange requirements including the preparation of an updated NI 43-101 compliant technical report on the property that outlines a near term work plan for the project. The report confirms the Atlin Goldfields project as a strong property of merit with a long work history. We are very excited to mobilize to the site to initiate our exploration program and build on the work already done there."

Private Placement

In connection with the Agreement, the Company previously announced a non-brokered, non flow-through private placement (the "Offering") of up to 5,000,000 units ("Units") at $0.10 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $500,000, whereby each unit would consist of one share and one warrant to purchase an additional share at $0.15 for a period of 12 months. The Company has amended the terms of the financing whereby the warrant will be a two-year warrant instead of one year. Closing of the Offering is expected to occur in early June, and remains subject to the receipt of final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange.

All other terms of the Offering remain the same as previously announced.

Sebastien Ah Fat, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Pacific Bay and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

David Brett, CEO

dbrett@pacificbayminerals.com

(604) 682-2421

Helder Carvalho, Vice President, Corporate Development

hcarvalho@pacificbayminerals.com

pacificbayminerals.com / Twitter / LinkedIn

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the expected size and use of proceeds of the Offering, the timing for and expected completion of the Offering, plans relating to exploration of the Property, the magnitude and quality of the Property, spending commitments, and regulatory approvals (including approvals of the TSXV). Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Pacific Bay will operate in the future. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, amongst others, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility and competition, results of exploration activities and development of the Property, risks associated with the completion of a definitive option agreement for the Property or that any such agreement may be terminated or the option not exercised, risks relating to regulatory approvals, and the ability of the Company to complete the Offering as contemplated or at all. Although Pacific Bay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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. Pacific Bay does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123053
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Netlist, Inc. (OTCQB:NLST) today announced that, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (the Court) issued an order granting Netlist's motion for summary judgement on intervening rights as to claim 16 of Netlist's U.S. 7,619,912 ('912) patent.

As a result, Netlist's enforcement of claim 16 cannot be abridged, and may proceed unencumbered by Google's latest attempt to escape responsibility for their long history of using Netlist's intellectual property without permission. The '912's other claims were subject to intervening rights by the order, and they will continue to be asserted by Netlist under a narrower window of time for quantifying the harm caused by Google's acts.

C.K. Hong, Netlist's Chief Executive Officer, said, "This ruling stands as vindication of Netlist's rights in its decade-plus fight against Google. We now look forward to a complete discovery of Google's make and use of infringing products over this period, and bringing this case before a jury as soon as possible."

Netlist believes that the teachings of the '912 patent can be found in various DDR3 and DDR4 server DIMMs (Dual Inline Memory Module) as well as future products that will be produced under the DDR5 server DIMM standards currently being established by the industry.

The Court set a case management conference for June 23, 2022 at 10 a.m. PT.

About Netlist

Netlist provides high-performance solid state drives and modular memory solutions to enterprise customers in diverse industries. The Company's NVMe SSDs in various capacities and form factors and the line of custom and specialty memory products bring industry-leading performance to server and storage appliance customers and cloud service providers. Netlist licenses its portfolio of intellectual property including patents, in server memory, hybrid memory and storage class memory, to companies that implement Netlist's technology. To learn more, visit www.netlist.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical facts and often address future events or Netlist's future performance. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include statements about Netlist's ability to execute on its strategic initiatives. All forward-looking statements reflect management's present expectations regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: risks related to Netlist's plans for its intellectual property, including its strategies for monetizing, licensing, expanding, and defending its patent portfolio; risks associated with patent infringement litigation initiated by Netlist, or by others against Netlist, as well as the costs and unpredictability of any such litigation; risks associated with Netlist's product sales, including the market and demand for products sold by Netlist and its ability to successfully develop and launch new products that are attractive to the market; the success of product, joint development and licensing partnerships; the competitive landscape of Netlist's industry; and general economic, political and market conditions, including quarantines, factory slowdowns or shutdowns, and travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine may increase the likelihood of supply interruptions. All forward-looking statements reflect management's present assumptions, expectations and beliefs regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statements. These and other risks and uncertainties are described in Netlist's annual report on Form 10-K for its most recently completed fiscal year filed on March 1, 2022, and the other filings it makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including any subsequently filed quarterly and current reports. In light of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, these forward-looking statements should not be relied on as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements represent Netlist's assumptions, expectations and beliefs only as of the date they are made, and except as required by law, Netlist undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason.

For more information, please contact:

Investors/Media

The Plunkett Group

Mike Smargiassi

NLST@theplunkettgroup.com

(212) 739-6729

SOURCE: Netlist, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700405/Netlist-Receives-Favorable-Order-in-Patent-Infringement-Case-Against-Google
PERTH, AUSTRALIA and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Sarama Resources Ltd. ("Sarama" or the "Company") (ASX:SRR)(TSX-V:SWA) advises that a replay of the recent Investor Briefing, held on 4 May 2022, is available for viewing.

To access the replay, follow this link:

https://saramaresources.com/investors-centre/videos/

The Company would like to thank those who registered and participated in the briefing and looks forward to providing updates of exploration and other activities at its 100%-owned(4) multi-million ounce Sanutura Project.

For further information on the Company's activities, please contact:

Andrew Dinning or Paul Schmiede

e: info@saramaresources.com

t: +61 8 9363 7600

For media enquiries, please contact:

Angela East

Media & Capital Partners

e: Angela.east@mcpartners.com.au

t: +61 428 432 025

This announcement has been authorised by the Board of Sarama Resources. 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.

ABOUT SARAMA RESOURCES LTD

Sarama Resources Ltd (ASX:SRR)(TSX-V:SWA) is a West African focused gold explorer/developer with substantial landholdings in south-west Burkina Faso. Sarama is focused on maximising the value of its strategic assets and advancing its key projects towards development.

Sarama's 100%-owned(4) Sanutura Project is principally located within the prolific Hounde Greenstone Belt in south-west Burkina Faso and is the exploration and development focus of the Company. The project hosts the Tankoro and Bondi Deposits which have a combined Mineral Resource of 0.6Moz gold (Indicated) plus 2.3Moz gold (Inferred)(1,2).

Together, the deposits present a potential mine development opportunity featuring an initial, long-life CIL project which may be established and paid for by the significant oxide Mineral Resource base.

Sarama has built further optionality into its portfolio including an approximate 470km exploration position in the highly prospective Banfora Belt in south-western Burkina Faso. The Koumandara Project hosts several regional-scale structural features and trends of gold-in-soil anomalism extending for over 40km along strike.

Sarama also holds an approximate 18% participating interest in the Karankasso Project Joint Venture ("JV") which is situated adjacent to the Company's Sanutura Project in Burkina Faso and is a JV between Sarama and Endeavour Mining Corp ("Endeavour") in which Endeavour is the operator of the JV. In February 2020, an updated Mineral Resource estimate of 709koz gold(3) was declared for the Karankasso Project JV.

The Company's Board and management team have a proven track record in Africa and a strong history in the discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits. Sarama is well positioned to build on its current success with a sound strategy to surface and maximise the value of its property portfolio.

FOOTNOTES

Mineral Resource estimate for Sanutura Project - 9.4Mt @ 1.9g/t Au for 0.6Moz Au (Indicated) plus 52.7Mt @ 1.4g/t Au for 2.3Moz (Inferred), reported at cut-off grades ranging 0.2-1.6g/t Au, reflecting the mining methods and processing flowsheets assumed to assess the likelihood of the Mineral Resources to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. The effective date of the Company's Mineral Resource estimate is 16 November 2021. For further information regarding the Mineral Resource estimate refer to the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report Sanutura Project, South-West Burkina Faso", dated 7 February 2022 and prepared by Paul Schmiede, Rindra Le Grange and Fred Kock, and the Company's ASX Prospectus dated 11 March 2022. Paul Schmiede is an employee of Sarama. Ms Le Grange and Mr Kock are employees of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd and Orway Mineral Consultants Pty Ltd respectivley and are considered to be independent of Sarama. The technical report is available under Sarama's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the ASX Prospectus is available under Sarama's profile on ASX at www.asx.com.au. Oxide & transition component of the Mineral Resource for Sanutura Project - 3.2Mt @ 1.6g/t Au for 0.2Moz Au (Indicated) plus 23.4Mt @ 1.1g/t Au for 0.8Moz Au (Inferred), reported above cut-off grades of 0.2g/t Au and 0.3g/t Au for oxide and transition material respectively. Mineral Resource estimate for Karankasso Project - 12.74Mt @ 1.73g/t Au for 709koz Au (effective date of December 31, 2019), disclosed on 24 February 2020 by Semafo Inc ("Semafo", since acquired by Endeavour Mining Corp. "Endeavour"). For further information regarding that Mineral Resource estimate, refer to the news release "Semafo: Bantou Project Inferred Resources Increase to 2.2Moz" dated 24 February 2020 and Semafo: Bantou Project NI43-101 Technical Report - Mineral Resource Estimate" dated 3 April 2020 and the Company's ASX Prospectus dated 11 March 2022. The news release and technical report are available under Semafo's and Endeavour's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the ASX Prospectus is available under Sarama's profile on ASX at www.asx.com.au. The Mineral Resource estimate was fully prepared by, or under the supervision of Semafo. Sarama has not independently verified Semafo's mineral Resource Estimate and takes no responsibility for its accuracy. Semafo, and now Endeavour, is the operator of the Karankasso Project JV and Sarama is relying on their Qualified Persons' assurance of the validity of the Mineral Resource estimate. Additional technical work has been undertaken on the Karankasso Project since the effective date but Sarama is not in a position to quantify the impact of this additional work on the Mineral Resource estimate referred to above. The Government of Burkina Faso has processed the requisite documents to facilitate the grant of the new, full-term Tankoro 2 and Djarkadougou 2 Exploration Permits (the "Permits") and subsequently issued the invitation to pay the permit issuance fees (the "Fees") and the Fees were paid within the requisite 10-day timeline. Following the payment of the Fee, the issuance of the Permit's arrete and related paperwork becomes an administrative process during which time the Company may undertake work on the Tankoro 2 and Djarkadougou 2 Properties. The Company expects the arretes and related paperwork to be issued in due course. The properties, hosting the Tankoro and Bondi Deposits respectively, were formerly known as Tankoro and Djarkadougou, but have been renamed as part of the process of re-issuing the respective Permits.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

Information in this news release and the webcast replay that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the Company's future exploration and development plans, the potential for the Sanutura and Karankasso Projects to host economic mineralisation, the potential to expand the present oxide component of the existing estimated Mineral Resources at the Sanutura Project, the potential for the receipt of regulatory approvals and the timing and prospects for the issuance of the arretes for the Tankoro 2 and Djarkadougou 2 Exploration Permits by the Government of Burkina Faso. Actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary from the results suggested by such forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors include, among others, that the business of exploration for gold and other precious minerals involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative in nature; Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves, they do not have demonstrated economic viability, and there is no certainty that they can be upgraded to Mineral Reserves through continued exploration; few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; the actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents.

There can be no assurance that any mineralisation that is discovered will be proven to be economic, or that future required regulatory licensing or approvals will be obtained. However, the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the Company's ability to carry on its exploration activities, the sufficiency of funding, the timely receipt of required approvals, the price of gold and other precious metals, that the Company will not be affected by adverse political events, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain further financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Sarama does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable laws.

COMPETENT PERSONS' & QUALIFIED PERSONS' STATEMENT

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the preparation of the Mineral Resource estimate for the Sanutura Project is based on information compiled or approved by Paul Schmiede. Paul Schmiede is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a Fellow in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Paul Schmiede has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Paul Schmiede consents to the inclusion in this news release of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to exploration activities at the Sanutura Project is based on information compiled or approved by Guy Scherrer. Guy Scherrer is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Guy Scherrer consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears.

Scientific or technical information in this disclosure that relates to the quotation of the Karankasso Project's Mineral Resource estimate and exploration activities is based on information compiled by Paul Schmiede. Paul Schmiede is an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a Fellow in good standing of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Paul Schmiede has sufficient experience which is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Paul Schmiede consents to the inclusion in this disclosure of the information, in the form and context in which it appears. Paul Schmiede and Sarama have not independently verified Semafo's (now Endeavour's) Mineral Resource estimate and take no responsibility for its accuracy.

The Exploration Results and Mineral Resource estimates referred to in this announcement were first disclosed in accordance with ASX Listing Rules 5.7 and 5.8 in the Company's ASX Prospectus dated 11 March 2022. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the ASX Prospectus and, in the case of estimates of Mineral Resources, that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the prospectus continue to apply and have not materially changed.

SOURCE: Sarama Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700386/Sarama-Resources-Investor-Briefing-Replay
This news release constitutes a "designated news release" for the purposes of the Company's prospectus supplement dated February 17, 2021 to its short form base shelf prospectus dated July 17, 2020.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTCQB:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB) ("Perk" or the "Company"), the digital franchise company helping businesses transition to the digital economy, announced today that Norman Tan will step down as Chief Financial Officer on May 6, 2022, to pursue other interests, but will remain available to support an orderly handover.

Vanessa Altamirano will assume the role of interim CFO effective upon Mr. Tan's departure. Ms. Altamirano has served in various financial and accounting roles at the Company since 2017, including her current role as the Company's Controller. In line with long-term talent development and succession planning, Ms. Altamirano has received the training and preparation to step into the CFO role.

"I look forward to working with Vanessa in the Interim CFO role and her long tenure and deep knowledge of the Company's finances and accounting will ensure a smooth transition. I'd like to thank Norman for his dedication and support and wish him the best in his future endeavours," said Jonathan Hoyles, Perk's Chief Executive Officer.

About Perk Labs Inc.

Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTCQB:PKLBF)(FKT:PKLB) is the owner of Perk Hero, the mobile commerce platform on a mission to empower business owners with the digital tools to provide their customers with experiences that are more engaging, convenient and rewarding. Perk Hero is growing through a unique community-driven digital franchise business that is available to entrepreneurs at an attractive start-up price.

For more information about Perk Labs, please visit www.perklabs.io. Visit Perk Hero at www.perkhero.com.

For more information on a Perk Franchise, visit www.perkfranchise.com.

For more information contact:

Jonathan Hoyles

CEO

Perk Labs Inc.

(833) 338-0299

investors@perklabs.io

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "may", "believe", "thinks", "expect", "exploring", "expand", "could", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "pursue", "potentially", "projected", "should", "will" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the discussion of the Company's business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations. Although the Company considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions, or expectations upon which they are based will occur.

SOURCE: Perk Labs Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700374/Perk-Labs-Announces-Departure-of-CFO-and-Appointment-of-Interim-CFO
HELSINKI (dpa-AFX) - Finland's trade deficit widened in March, as imports increased faster than exports, preliminary figures from the Finnish Customs showed on Friday. The trade deficit increased to EUR 1.180 billion in March from EUR 295 million in the same month last year. In February, the trade deficit was EUR 1.055 billion. Exports increased 19.9 percent yearly in March and imports gained 33.4 percent. Shipment to EU countries increased 30.5 percent in March and imports from them rose 19.1 percent. Exports to countries outside EU grew 7.2 percent in March and imports from those countries surged 55.4 percent. 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.
Steep Hill also announces grant of stock options

Berkeley, California and Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Steep Hill Inc. (CSE:STPH) ("Steep Hill" or the "Company"), a pioneer and leader in cannabis analytical testing announces that it has entered into a licensing agreement (the "Licence Agreement") with SH Lab Holdings LLC ("Steep Hill Vermont"), expanding its network of licensees to the state of Vermont.

Under the terms of the License Agreement signed on April 20, 2022, the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Steep Hill (US) granted to Steep Hill Vermont certain exclusive licenses with respect to Steep Hill's know-how and procedures, for purposes of operating a laboratory for testing cannabis, hemp and cannabis and hemp derived products in the state of Vermont under the "Steep Hill" brand.

Steep Hill CEO, Sameet Kanade, stated, "We are delighted to partner with Steep Hill Vermont, which has a dynamic, entrepreneurial team with a comprehensive industrial, scientific, and business management background and a rich experience in the cannabis industry. We look forward to working with them to bring robust safety compliance testing to Vermont's medical patients and adult consumers."

Steep Hill Vermont's Lab Director, Callie Chapman, added, "Working with the State of Vermont, our laboratory plans to expand cannabis testing services, while offering quick turnaround times and educational resources for cultivators, manufacturers, and other industry participants. Our goal is to be a key partner in the success of the Green Mountain State's adult use market and continue to grow our industry. Steep Hill Vermont is projected to support cannabis and hemp cultivation and processor customers by fall of 2022."

Steep Hill approves issuance of stock options

The Company announces the grant of stock options (each an "Option") pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. The Company has granted an aggregate of 9,000,000 Options to certain directors, officers, employees, and consultants of the Company, including to executives and employees at its wholly owned subsidiary, Steep Hill (US) Inc. The Options are exercisable at a price of $0.08 per Option. The Options granted vest in four months and expire on May 3, 2025. Each Option is exercisable to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company.

ABOUT STEEP HILL

Steep Hill is a science and technology company focused on providing products and services, including analytical testing services within the hemp and cannabis market sectors. The Company's focus is on two areas: science and technology, by providing science-backed differentiated products and services that are critical within these sectors; and quality and compliance, by offering services that assist its customers to offer products and services that meet expected standards of quality, safety and compliance.

For further information, please contact:

Christian Poole | Phone: (510) 562-7400 | info@steephill.com

www.steephill.com

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, management's expectations with respect to the License Agreement and the timing of the opening and operation of Steep Hill Vermont's laboratory. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including assumptions that Steep Hill Vermont's laboratory will be operational as planned and assumptions about the operations, financial condition and future performance of Steep Hill and Steep Hill Vermont. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to them, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this news release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors may include, among others, the risk that required approvals and the satisfaction of material conditions have not been obtained in connection with the License Agreement. Although the Company's management believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assume no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

##

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123063
Southern Glazer's Wine Spirits (Southern Glazer's)-the world's preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol-today announced that it is donating a total of $100,000 across three charitable organizations supporting humanitarian aid in Ukraine. The donation is the result of an employee fundraising campaign, where Southern Glazer's matched employee contributions to organizations performing meaningful work to help Ukrainian refugees.

In support of the Ukrainian community, Southern Glazer's pledged to support World Central Kitchen (WCK), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) through its donation match campaign. All individual employee donations were made through Southern Glazer's internal giving platform, VolunCheers Online, in order to qualify for the match. Based on employee contributions and the Company match, Southern Glazer's will be donating $42,214, $40,127.52, and $17,659 respectively to WCK, UNHCR, and CARE with the hope that the funds will help the organizations respond with supplies and resources needed to help those affected by the current crisis.

"Southern Glazer's stands in support of the Ukrainian people and we cannot thank our employees enough for their generous contributions to this campaign," said Wayne E. Chaplin, Chief Executive Officer, Southern Glazer's. "Through our VolunCheers platform, we are able to rally our workforce around providing humanitarian relief for Ukraine and its neighboring countries. We are thankful for the meaningful work these charities are spearheading to ensure families are given the supplies and resources needed."

About Southern Glazer's Wine Spirits

Southern Glazer's Wine Spirits is the world's preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. In 2022, Southern Glazer's was listed as one of Forbes Best Employers for Diversity. In 2021, Southern Glazer's was selected as a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, as well as named by Newsweek as a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace. Southern Glazer's urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005091/en/

Contacts:

Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC

Cindy Haas

Vice President, Communications CSR

Office: (305) 625-4171, ext. 1166

Mobile: (786) 498-7640

Email: cynthia.haas@sgws.com

Sofia Estevez

Manager, Communications CSR

Office: (305) 625-4171, ext. 1162

Mobile: (786) 457-6821

Email: sofia.estevez@sgws.com
BANGALORE, India, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market Segmented by Type (DTS,DAS) by Application (Petroleum and Petrochemical, Power, Bridges and Tunnels, Metallurgy, Perimeter Security, Public Safety, Education and Research): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2028. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Electronics & Electrical Category.

The global Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor (DFOS) market size is estimated to be worth USD 598.6 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 987.4 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 8.7%.

Major Factors driving the growth of Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor (DFOS) Market

By eliminating discrete interfaces between the fiber and external sensors, the Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor reduces complexity and cost. The Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor (DFOS) Market is expected to grow as a result of these factors.

The growing use of DFOS in the power industry, bridges and tunnels, the petrochemical industry, and security monitoring is expected to propel the Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor (DFOS) Market forward.

Get Your Sample Today-

https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-35A1817/Global_Distributed_Fiber_Optic_Sensor_Market

TRENDS INFLUENCING DISTRIBUTED FIBER OPTIC SENSOR (DFOS) MARKET

DOFS is a good alternative to multiplexed point sensors because they make the sensing system installation and readout easier. They can be used in conjunction with an early warning system to create a real-time link between local sensing probes and decision-makers, reducing the risk of structure failure, as well as casualties and property losses. They're also less expensive because they don't require an external sensor. These factors are expected to propel the DFOS market forward.

The increasing use of DFOS in the power industry is expected to drive the growth of the Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor market. In the utility and substation environment, distributed temperature sensing (DTS) and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) provide efficient condition monitoring and protection for a variety of assets. Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS), Transformer monitoring, Busbar hotspot detection, Cable trays, and ducts are among the assets covered. DTS has established itself as a reliable tool for monitoring and protecting underground cables. It gives the operator a complete thermal profile of the cable, allowing them to pinpoint hot spots and potential failure points. DAS can keep track of the spare fiber optic cores that are typically included in subsea cables to protect them. DAS also prevents malicious tampering and accidental damage from construction equipment through third-party interference (TPI).

Over the years, the use of DTS has grown rapidly, and DTS measurements have become an important part of the Oil & Gas industry. An increase in the use of DTS measurements is expected due to its secure and reliable use even in hostile environments (HT, HP, H2S, explosion protection area). DTS measurements can be used in a variety of situations, including (but not limited to): - Fluid detection and localization in open boreholes - Detecting and locating fluids behind the casing - Detecting and locating leaks in the casing and production string - Detection and localization of the top of the cement and setting process - Mechanical integrity of completions - Pipeline and installation monitoring. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market.

The use of distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) to monitor large-scale civil infrastructures such as bridges, high-rise buildings, reinforced earth structures, pipelines, and tunnels has advanced significantly in recent years. The technology allows for distributed, continuous strain and temperature measurements over kilometers with high accuracy and spatial resolution, with the sensing fiber being directly embedded inside the structure. In addition to detecting damages and failures such as cracks or leaks, the deformation evolution over time can be used for condition-based maintenance. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market.

The adoption of DFOS for security monitoring is expected to increase the growth of the distributed fiber optic sensing market. Fiber-optic sensors are advantageous in security monitoring because they are strong and rugged optical fibers that are thin, light, flexible, and immune to electromagnetic interference. Optical fibers packaged in cables, such as building and underground cables, can detect even the tiniest disturbances, movements, vibrations, pressure changes, and impacts throughout their entire length.

Browse The Table Of Contents And List Of Figures At:

https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-35A1817/global-distributed-fiber-optic-sensor

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor (DFOS) Market Share Analysis:

Based on region, the US is the largest producer of DFOS in the world, with a share of about 45% in 2019. This is due to the United States' well-established oil and natural gas industry, which has facilitated the faster adoption of distributed fiber optic cables.

Based on application, The most lucrative segment is expected to be the petrochemical and power industries. Due to increased demand among electric utility companies for localization and hot spot detection, smart grid, and ampacity, the power, and utility sector has gained significant revenue share.

Based on type, DTS ( Distributed Temperature Sensing) is expected to be the most lucrative during the forecast period. DTS (distributed temperature sensing systems) are optoelectronic devices that use optical fibers as linear sensors to measure temperatures. Temperatures are recorded as a continuous profile along the optical sensor cable, rather than at points.

Inquire for Regional Data:

https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-35A1817/Global_Distributed_Fiber_Optic_Sensor_Market

By Companies

Schlumberger

Halliburton

Baker Hughes

Fotech Solutions

Silixa

OptaSense (QinetiQ)

AP Sensing

OZ Optics

LIOS (NKT Photonics)

Omnisens

Hifi Engineering

Future Fibre Technologies (Ava Group)

Bandweaver

Shanghai Boom Technology

Wuhan Ligong Guangke

Anton Oilfield Services

Inquire for Chapter Cost: - https://reports.valuates.com/request/chaptercost/QYRE-Auto-35A1817/Global_Distributed_Fiber_Optic_Sensor_Market

Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact : https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-35A1817&lic=single-user

SUBSCRIPTION

We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans.

SIMILAR REPORTS:

- The India optical fiber and accessories market size was valued at USD 461.6 Million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 1.66 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 17.2% from 2019 to 2026.

- The global High Speed Fiber Optic Sensor market size is estimated to be worth USD 1371.4 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 2565.1 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 11.0%.

- The global Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) market size is estimated to be worth USD 553.8 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 1002.6 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 10.4% during the review period.

- The global Fiber Optic Components market size is estimated to be worth USD 15910 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 25250 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 8.0%.

- The global Fiber Optics market size is projected to reach USD 15630 million by 2027, from USD 9247 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 7.8% during 2021-2027.

- The global Fiber Optics Cable market size is projected to reach USD 7716.8 million by 2028, from USD 4994.5 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 6.3% during 2022-2028.

- The global Distributed Temperature Sensing market size is projected to reach USD 719.3 million by 2028, from USD 532.4 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 4.3% during 2022-2028.

- The global Fiber Optics Gyroscope market size is estimated to be worth USD 804.9 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 956.9 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 2.9%

- The global Fiber Optic Connector market size is estimated to be worth USD 3009.8 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 3330.2 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 1.7%.

- Global Military Fiber Optic Cable Market Insights, Forecast to 2028

- Global Fiber-Optic Current Sensor Market Research Report 2022

- Global Fiber Optic Photoelectric Sensor Market Insights and Forecast to 2028

- Global Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor for Power & Utility Market Insights and Forecast to 2028

Click here to see related reports on Distributed Fiber Optic Sensor Market

ABOUT US:

Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs.

Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs.

To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources.

CONTACT US:

Valuates Reports

sales@valuates.com

For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225

For IST Call +91-8040957137

WhatsApp: +91-9945648335

Website: https://reports.valuates.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports

LinkedIn - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg
San Diego, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - VECKTA is on a mission to revolutionize the Commercial & Industrial (C&I) energy marketplace with its innovative technology solution which is providing a one-stop platform for businesses to assess, develop, build, and deploy their onsite energy solutions.

VECKTA is an online end-to-end marketplace that empowers businesses to input data about their operations and their objectives, compare and contrast various solution options, and then competitively shop their preferred solution with a vibrant network of suppliers. By guiding companies through every step of the way, VECKTA ensures a profitable and sustainable energy transition that is simple, streamlined, and transparent.

Veckta One Stop Platform

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8535/122774_d3d81a20d4ab4aff_001full.jpg





In today's world, companies are doing everything they can to manage rising energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint, fight climate change, and make themselves more energy independent. While these are vital goals, for many businesses they set up a challenging set of obstacles. There is a significant information asymmetry between those that need solutions and those that sell them. One of the biggest issues in energy transition today is that there has not been a true marketplace for companies to evaluate their options. Instead, they are most often sold directly by an energy supplier, creating a dynamic that is not always in the best interest of the buyer.

"A solar developer will naturally want to sell you a solar solution," says VECKTA founder and CEO, Gareth Evans. "But what if solar is not right for you or solar combined with one or more technologies would be most optimal? Up until now it has been very hard to get trusted and independent clarity at an acceptable price point."

For many companies, finding the right solution is imperative - especially those which need a reliable onsite energy system. By leveraging VECKTA's innovative platform, companies can first evaluate their own needs, determining the best energy solution for their business before connecting with energy suppliers.

"At VECKTA we have integrated the world's most advanced energy system design software, marketplace data, processes and tools to support and walk our customers through the entire process," Evans says. "Our customers create a business case and system design, use our platform to create a request for proposal, that is released to our marketplace of vetted suppliers, and then those suppliers can bid on components or the entire energy system."

For businesses who choose to seek financing for their energy transition project, VECKTA makes those connections as well, matching energy users with investors offering a variety of attractive commercial structures. Finally, businesses can review structured proposals, shortlist leading suppliers, negotiate, and award work on the VECKTA platform.

"The goal is to make it a seamless process for our C&I customers to take control of their energy transition and not be a passenger in the process," Evans says.

With their energy marketplace, VECKTA is hoping to transform the way that businesses evaluate and build onsite energy systems and microgrids. In doing so, they are empowering small and large companies to achieve their important climate goals and cost certainty while also improving their energy independence.

"At its core, VECKTA is enabling all parties in the C&I energy space to operate more sustainably and profitably," Evans says. "Disrupting the marketplace doesn't feel like the right word. It is more that we are unlocking and enabling the marketplace."

To learn more about VECKTA's mission to simplify onsite energy development, please visit www.veckta.com.



Contact Details:

Company Name: VECKTA

Contact Person: Gareth Evans

Phone Number: (619) 268-1025

Website Link: https://www.veckta.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/122774


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Employment in the U.S. increased by more than expected in the month of April, according to a closely watched report released by the Labor Department on Friday.



The report showed non-farm payroll employment surged by 428,000 jobs in April, matching the revised jump seen in March.



Economists had expected employment to climb by 391,000 jobs compared to the addition of 431,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.



The Labor Department described the job growth as widespread, led by gains in the leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, and transportation and warehousing sectors.



Meanwhile, report showed the unemployment rate came in unchanged at 3.6 percent versus expectations the rate would edge down to 3.5 percent.



The unemployment came in unchanged as the labor force shrank by 363,000, while the household survey measure of employment declined by 353,000.



'Those household survey measures are notoriously volatile from month-to-month and some payback was probably inevitable after the run of very strong gains this year in both the labor force and household employment,' said Paul Ashworth, Chief U.S. Economist at Capital Economics.



He added, 'Even after those declines, household employment is only ~750,000 off the pre-pandemic level, whereas non-farm payroll employment is still 1,150,000 off.'



The report also showed average hourly earnings rose by $0.10 or 0.3 percent to $31.85 in April. The annual rate of wage edged down to 5.5 percent in April from 5.6 percent in March.



'Overall, with labor market conditions still this strong - including very rapid wage growth - we doubt that the Fed is going to abandon its hawkish plans because of the current bout of weakness in equities,' Ashworth said.







Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
BANGALORE, India, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Glycerine Market is Segmented by Type - Crude, Refined, by Application - Cosmetics and Personal Care, Food, Tobacco, Polyurethane, Pharmaceutical, Alkyd Resins. Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2022 - 2028. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Chemicals Industry Category.

Glycerine Market size is estimated to be worth USD 2552 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 3518.8 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.5% during the review period.

Major factors driving the growth of Glycerine Market are

Glycerine Market growth is expected to be driven by an increase in demand for natural ingredients in cosmetics and personal care among individuals, as well as an increase in glycerine production in the pharmaceutical industry and an increase in production in the food and beverage industry.

In addition, increased biodiesel production is expected to fuel the glycerin market demand. Furthermore, the Glycerine market is expected to be driven by an increase in the use of glycerin as an alcohol substitute in herbal and botanical tincture preparation, chemical manufacturing, home care, and other specialty applications with other oleochemicals such as fatty alcohols, fatty acids, and esters.

Browse The Table Of Contents And List Of Figures At: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/global-glycerine

TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF GLYCERINE MARKET

Increasing demand for Cosmetics and Personal Care is expected to propel the growth of the glycerin market. Glycerol is found in many personal care products, such as toothpaste, hair conditioners, cosmetics, and moisturizers. It's used in skincare products to protect the skin from irritation. It can also help to keep skin smooth by bringing moisture to the skin's surface. For the same reason, it's added to hair conditioners, shaving creams, and eye drops. To keep toothpaste from drying out, it contains vegetable glycerin. As a humectant, it's commonly used in liquid soaps and lotions. Glycerol is used as a humectant, solvent, and lubricant in cosmetics.

Glycerol is a common pharmaceutical ingredient that improves the smoothness and taste of medications. Cough syrups contain glycerol to help prevent throat irritation, which causes coughing. It's also used to make it easier to swallow tablets. Thus the growing use of glycerine in the Pharmaceutical Industry is expected to drive the growth of the glycerin market.

The rising demand for glycerine in Food & Beverage Industry is expected to fuel the glycerin market during the forecast period. Glycerin is used in a variety of food and beverage products to add smoothness, bulk, and sweetness as well as to help retain moisture. Flavors and food colors are dissolved in glycerol. It's also used as a sweetener and as a humectant to keep food moist. Low-fat food products also use glycerol as a sweetener.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive overall impact on key players in the pharmaceutical glycerin market. The demand for glycerin has increased as it is used in the production of hand sanitizers, soaps, hand washes, and detergents. Sanitizers have been recommended as an effective tool in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus around the world. In order to make hand rubs, glycerol is used in small amounts. During the pandemic, the World Health Organization recommended combining glycerol with hydrogen peroxide, ethanol, and other chemicals in hand sanitizers, as well as NBSP. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for glycerin in hand sanitizer production has increased.

Get Your Sample Today: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

GLYCERINE MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on type, Refined glycerol is expected to be the most lucrative segment. It is the preferred choice because of its use in the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food industries. Crude glycerol is used in a variety of applications, including the preparation of animal feed, where it is used to replace corn.

Based on application, the cosmetics and personal care sector is expected to be the most lucrative. Glycerin can be found in a wide range of products, including shampoos, moisturizers, hair conditioners, and toothpaste. It's also a component of eye drops. It is used as an additive in the food industry and is considered safe.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the most lucrative region. China is one of the world's largest glycerin consumers. Cosmetics and personal care are one of the country's fastest-growing industries. Makeup, skincare, haircare, personal hygiene, and fragrances are just a few of the industries covered.

Inquire For Customization: https://reports.valuates.com/request/customisation/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

Market By Region

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Inquire for Regional Report:

https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

Key Companies:

P and G Chemicals

Oleon

KLK OLEO

Emery Oleochemicals

IOI Oleochemicals

Musim MAS

Dow Chemical

Wilmar International

Pacific Oleochemicals Sdn

Vance Bioenergy

Cargill

PT SOCI MAS

Vantage Oleochemicals

Godrej Industries

Hangzhou Oleochemicals

Qingyuan Futai

Cambridge Olein

Shuangma Chemical

Inquire for Chapter Cost:

https://reports.valuates.com/request/chaptercost/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact :

https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-12R1605&lic=single-user

SIMILAR REPORTS:

- The global Organic Personal Care Products Market size is estimated to be worth USD 13670 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 18640 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.3% during the review period.

- The global Vegan Cosmetics Market size is projected to reach USD 21780 million by 2028, from USD 15960 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 4.5% during 2022-2028.

- The global Cosmetics Market size was valued at USD 380.2 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 463.5 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 5.3% from 2021 to 2027.

- The global Feminine Hygiene Products Market size is projected to reach USD 41860 million by 2027, from USD 31960 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 4.6% during 2021-2027.

- The global Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Market size is estimated to be worth USD 6479.2 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 7919.4 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 3.4% during the review period.

- The global Food Glycerine Market was valued at USD 635 million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 899.2 million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 5.0% during 2021-2027.

- The global Perfume Market size is estimated to be worth USD 43420 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 70830 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 8.5% during the review period.

- The global Consumer Skin Care Devices Market size is estimated to be worth USD 51380 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 149630 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 19.5% during the review period.

- Global and Japan Crude Glycerine Market Insights, Forecast to 2027

- Global Pharmaceutical Glycerine Market Insights and Forecast to 2028

- Global Glycerine Carbonate Market Insights, Forecast to 2028

- Global Glycerine Swabsticks Market Outlook 2022

- Global Food and Feed Grade Glycerin Market Insights, Forecast to 2028

Click here to see related reports on Glycerine Market

ABOUT US:

Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs.

Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs.

To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources.

CONTACT US:

Valuates Reports

sales@valuates.com

For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225

For IST Call +91-8040957137

WhatsApp: +91-9945648335

Website: https://reports.valuates.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports

LinkedIn - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts aboard the Dragon Endurance spacecraft safely splashed down Friday in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, completing the agency's third long-duration commercial crew mission to the International Space Station.



The international crew of four spent 177 days in orbit.



US astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn, and European Space Agency'S Matthias Maurer returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown at 12:43 a.m. EDT.



Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels recovered the spacecraft and astronauts. After returning to shore, the astronauts are flying back to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.



'NASA's partnership with SpaceX has again empowered us to deliver a crew safely to the space station and back, enabling groundbreaking science that will help our astronauts travel farther out into the cosmos than ever before,' said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. This mission is just one more example that we are truly in the golden era of commercial spaceflight, he added.



The Crew-3 mission astronauts entered the space station on November 10.



Barron, Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer traveled 75,060,792 miles during their mission, spent 175 days aboard the space station, and completed 2,832 orbits around Earth. Marshburn has logged 339 days in space over his three flights. The Crew-3 mission was the first spaceflight for Barron, Chari, and Marshburn.



Throughout their mission, the Crew-3 astronauts contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. In addition, they conducted three spacewalks to perform station maintenance and upgrades outside the space station.



Crew-3 built on previous work investigating how fibers grow in microgravity, used hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth material, captured imagery of their retinas as part of an investigation that could detect eye changes of astronauts in space automatically in the future, and performed a demonstration of technology that provides measurements of biological indicators related to disease and infection. The astronauts took hundreds of photos of Earth as part of the Crew Earth Observation investigation, one of the longest-running investigations aboard the space station, which helps track natural disasters and changes to our home planet.



The Crew-3 flight is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its return to Earth follows on the heels of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 launch, which docked to the station April 27, beginning another science expedition.







Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / International Endeavors Corporation (OTC PINK:IDVV) announced a solar powered clean energy crypto mining container along with a sale being negotiated in Mexico.

The Company is pleased to begin offering the UV-OG series solar powered mining container. Available in 10, 20, 30 and 40 foot sizes. The UV-OG line by Universal Voltage uses the latest in solar, battery and crypto mining technology to provide its users with a power source for any residential or commercial use in addition to the ability to mine crypto currency.

A customizable container, the UV-OG gives off grid users the option to power their property while also being able to mine crypto with the surplus energy that would normally just go to waste. Remote management software allows for the user to manage power, and its use.

ANTICIPATED SALE

Company Vice President Bill Martin stated "The company has entered negotiations with an entity in Baja California Mexico to sell as many as 15 containers during the next year. We anticipate having an agreement finalized and deposits collected by early next week. We will issue an update accordingly along with projected revenues from the project. We expect the UV-OG series to become very popular in Latin America as well as parts of the US that are rural."

The UV-OG can be seen on the company's new website https://idvvcorp.com/off-grid-container/

OTHER RELEVANT UPDATES

We have requested the required attorney letter for current information and expect to have it posted as soon as Monday May 9th. The Q due on the 15thwill also be filed next week.

We encourage everyone to follow us.

TWITTER

https://twitter.com/IDVVcorp

The Company currently is reporting its financial information on OTCMarkets.

Our filings can be seen at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/IDVV/disclosure

About International Endeavors Corporation (OTC:IDVV)

International Endeavors Corporation is engaged in locating and acquiring established companies, brands, and technologies in the green energy sector. The company has a suite of Commercial and Residential Solar, Power Backup, and EV2G / Bi-directional charger products, and is in the clean energy crypto marketplace. The company also has a real estate portfolio that includes commercial property, agricultural land, and buildings.

Disclaimer

Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. International Endeavors Corporation (IDVV) is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contact:

Bill Martin, Vice President

Phone: 1-619-343-3199

Email: billmartin@internationalendeavorscorp.com

SOURCE: International Endeavors Corporation, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/700413/Solar-Powered-Clean-Energy-Crypto-Mining-Container-Announced-By-IDVV


By stacking layers of different 2D materials, it is now possible to create 2.5D materials with unique physical properties that can be used in solar cells, quantum devices and devices with very low energy consumption. (Credit: STAM)

TSUKUBA, Japan, May 6, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Scientists are exploring new ways to artificially stack two-dimensional (2D) materials, introducing so-called 2.5D materials with unique physical properties. Researchers in Japan reviewed the latest advances and applications of 2.5D materials in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials."The 0.5D concept symbolizes freedom from the composition, materials, angles and space typically used in 2D materials research," explains nanomaterials scientist and lead author Hiroki Ago of Kyushu University in Japan.2D materials, like graphene, consist of a single layer of atoms and are used in applications like flexible touch panels, integrated circuits and sensors.Recently, new methods have been introduced to make it possible to artificially stack 2D materials vertically, in-plane or at twisted angles regardless of their compositions and structures. This is thanks to the ability to control the van der Waals forces: weak electric interactions between atoms and molecules, similar to a microfiber cloth's attraction of dust. It is also now possible to integrate 2D materials with other dimensional materials, such as ions, nanotubes and bulk crystals.A common method for fabricating 2.5D materials is chemical vapour deposition (CVD), which deposits a layer, one atom or molecule at a time, onto a solid surface. Commonly used building blocks for 2.5D materials include graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) (a compound used in cosmetics and aeronautics), and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) (a nanosheet semiconductor).Using the CVD method, researchers selectively synthesized a bilayer of graphene, the simplest form of a 2.5D material, using a copper-nickel foil with relatively high nickel concentration as a catalyst. Nickel makes carbon highly soluble, giving researchers more control over the number of graphene layers. When an electrical field was applied vertically across the bilayer of graphene, it opened a band gap, meaning that its conductivity can be turned on and off. This is a phenomenon that is not observed in monolayer graphene because it has no band gap and stays on all the time. By tilting the stacking angle one degree, scientists found that the material became superconducting.Similarly, another group in the UK and the US found that a layer of graphene and hBN results in the quantum Hall effect, a conduction phenomenon involving a magnetic field that produces a difference of potential. Others showed that stacking TMDCs traps excitons (electrons paired with their associated holes in a bound state) in the overlapping lattice patterns. This can lead to applications in information storage devices. New robotic assembly techniques have also made it possible to build more complex vertical structures, including a stacked heterostructure consisting of 29 alternating layers of graphene and hBN, for example.Other research has used the nanospaces that form between the layers of a 2.5D material to insert molecules and ions in order to improve the electrical, magnetic and optical properties of the host material.So far, for example, researchers have found that graphene stabilises iron chloride when it is inserted between its stacked layers, while inserting lithium ions leads to a faster diffusion rate (how quickly molecules spread in an area) than that of graphite, an electrical conductor used in batteries. This implies the material could be used in high-performance rechargeable batteries.Additionally, researchers found that inserting aluminium chloride molecules between two graphene sheets leads to the formation of new crystalline structures that are completely different from the bulk aluminium chloride crystal. More research is needed to understand why this happens and what applications it might have."There are many opportunities to explore with this new 2.5D concept," Ago says.Future applications of 2.5D materials include solar cells, batteries, flexible devices, quantum devices, and devices with very low energy consumption.The next steps should incorporate machine learning, deep learning and materials informatics in order to further advance the design and synthesis of 2.5D materials.Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is now supporting this new concept to develop new materials under the collaborative project "Science of 2.5 Dimensional Materials: Paradigm Shift of Materials Science Toward Future Social Innovation", which involves 40 researchers in Japan, including Ago's team.Further informationHiroki AgoKyushu UniversityEmail: ago.hiroki.974@m.kyushu-u.ac.jpResearch paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14686996.2022.2062576About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM)Open access journal STAM publishes outstanding research articles across all aspects of materials science, including functional and structural materials, theoretical analyses, and properties of materials. https://www.tandfonline.com/STAMDr. Masanobu NaitoSTAM Publishing DirectorEmail: NAITO.Masanobu@nims.go.jpPress release distributed by Asia Research News for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.Source: Science and Technology of Advanced MaterialsCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BAFTA, like most organisations, is looking to reduce its impact on the environment. As a leading arts charity supporting and celebrating talent in the Film, Games and Television industries, this presents an interesting challenge, particularly when it came to the EE BAFTA Film awards earlier this year.

That's why BAFTA worked with Green Gift Cards as a credible alternative to the physical luxury goods in the traditional award nominee gift bag.

Previously BAFTA award nominees would walk away with a few treats, courtesy of the charity's partners. These goodies include gifts and experiences from some of the best know premium brands including drinks, hotels and luxury goods.

In 2020 BAFTA set themselves an ambitious target of a net-zero awards event and worked with Green Gift Cards as a credible alternative to the physical goodies in the traditional gift bag. Delighted to trial this change, we supplied BAFTA with a range of environmentally friendly gift cards - one for each of the premium partner brands who contributed high-value gifts for the stars.

For the 2022 EE BAFTAs, Green Gift Cards once again supported the initiative. With the support of our Swedish based papermill Holmen Iggesund, we have gifted the cards for this year's awards and, once again, produced a range of 100% recycled and fully recyclable beautiful gift cards featuring partner brands including Champagne Taittinger, GROUNDTRUTH, Lancome, S.Pellegrino, The Savoy, Villa Maria and Woodford Reserve. The Green Gift Cards are printed black and feature both gold and white foil from our zero2landfill partner FoilCo.

The gift cards were presented to each nominee in a bespoke high-end cross-body phone bag, designed and developed by Official Gifting Partners GROUNDTRUTH. Each bag is made from 11 recycled plastic bottles featuring captured CO2 enhanced ink. The bag and cards together offer a significantly more earth-friendly and experiential gift set compared to the previous, physical gift solution.

It was a bold and innovative change by BAFTA, going against the grain of traditional awards ceremonies and their goodie bags. It paid off. The 2020 EE BAFTA Film Awards were the first to be carbon neutral with the 2022 ceremony following in its footsteps.

You can find out more about the BAFTA and Green Gift Card project in this short film.

For more information and to enter the competition to win a BAFTA film award nominee gift set, head here.
The full text of the resolutions can be found in the Notice of Annual General Meeting set out in the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021, which has previously been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and is available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism The results of the poll were as follows:

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.
ORLANDO, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Costas, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CSSI), Costas, Inc. ("CSSI" or "the Company"). About COSTAS (CSSI): http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CSSI/profile.

COSTAS, INC. is a publicly traded company listed on OTCMarkets under the trading symbol 'CSSI'. As previously announced, on February 28th, 2022, the shareholders of Standard Dental Labs Inc. ("SDL") voted unanimously in favor of accepting an offer from CSSI to acquire its assets. The Company is pleased to announce the parties have entered into a formal acquisition agreement, which is expected to close in the coming days. The completion of this acquisition will cement the Company's entry into the dental lab industry, paving the way for future acquisitions and consolidations in the industry.

The business model acquired from SDL, a company incorporated in Wyoming in 2019, and controlled by Mr. Brooks, the Company's CEO, has developed branding and a detailed business plan to facilitate the acquisition of small to medium sized dental labs, of which there are thousands in the United States. Similar models have been extensively used in the medical clinic and dental clinic industries over the past 30 years, but dental laboratories remain highly fragmented. "Consolidating small, privately owned labs into larger, regionally managed facilities will bring economies of scale, and enhance competitiveness and product quality in regional markets." said Costas CEO, James Brooks.

SDL has been actively looking for dental lab owners interested in selling their labs over the recent months. With the recently acquired consolidation model and ready to launch branding, the Company expects to identify several suitable acquisition targets in the coming weeks and months, with the goal of becoming one of the largest operators in the industry. "There's no faster way to grow than through acquisition, and this industry, in particular, remains unsophisticated in the public sector.", added Brooks.

Consolidation of this industry, currently represented by 7,000+ privately owned businesses, is now the Company's focus. The acquired business model will allow the Company to quickly identify suitable targets, to build and scale in order to become regionally competitive. In the process, the Company will be positioning itself as a leader in setting new standards for the dental lab industry.

Acquiring cash flowing, and profitable businesses with a financial track record, is Standard Dental Labs business strategy. The dental lab industry as a whole is estimated to be a $10B market in the US alone in 2022 (source: Grandview Research, Aug. 2021), but is growing steadily.

About Costas: https://costas-inc.com/about-us

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release and the statements of representatives of Costas, Inc. (the "Company") related thereto contain, or may contain, among other things, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements," including any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "guidance," "projects," "may," "could," "would," "should," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "ultimately" or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements involve material assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and the expectations contained in such statements may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results (including, without limitation, Costas' ability to advance its business, generate revenue and profit and operate as a public company) could differ materially from those stated or anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including factors and risks discussed in the periodic reports that the Company files with OTC Markets (Pink Sheets). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. The Company undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law.

For further information contact:

admin@costas-inc.com

Costas Corporate Phone Number:

(321) 465-9899

SOURCE: Costas, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/699619/Costas-Inc-Closes-Agreement-To-Acquire-Assets-of-Standard-Dental-Labs-Inc
Regulatory News:

Valbiotis (Paris:ALVAL) (FR0013254851 ALVAL, PEA PME eligible), a Research and Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic diseases, announces its Combined Shareholders Meeting was held on May 5, 2022 at Espace Encan, La Rochelle, under the chairmanship of Sebastien PELTIER, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and that all the resolutions submitted for voting have been adopted by its shareholders.

All information related to this Shareholders' Meeting is available at: https://www.valbiotis.com/en/general-assemblies/

About Valbiotis

Valbiotis is a Research Development company committed to scientific innovation for preventing and combating metabolic and cardiovascular diseases in response to unmet medical needs.

Valbiotis has adopted an innovative approach, aiming to revolutionize healthcare by developing a new class of health nutrition products designed to reduce the risk of major metabolic diseases, relying on a multi-target strategy enabled by the use of plant-based terrestrial and marine resources.

Its products are intended to be licensed to players in the health sector.

Created at the beginning of 2014 in La Rochelle, the Company has forged numerous partnerships with leading academic centers. The Company has established three sites in France Perigny, La Rochelle (17) and Riom (63) and a subsidiary in Quebec City (Canada).

Valbiotis is a member of the "BPI Excellence" network and has been recognized as an "Innovative Company" by the BPI label. Valbiotis has also been awarded "Young Innovative Company" status and has received major financial support from the European Union for its research programs via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Valbiotis is a PEA-SME eligible company.

For more information about Valbiotis, please visit: www.valbiotis.com

Name: Valbiotis

ISIN code: FR0013254851

Mnemonic code: ALVAL

EnterNext PEA-PME 150

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Valbiotis' objectives. Valbiotis considers that these projections are based on rational hypotheses and the information available to Valbiotis at the present time. However, in no way does this constitute a guarantee of future performance, and these projections may be affected by changes in economic conditions and financial markets, as well as certain risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Valbiotis Universal Registration Document approved by the French Financial Markets Regulator (AMF) on July 27, 2021 (application number R 21-039). This document is available on the Company's website (www.valbiotis.com). This press release and the information it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe, or a solicitation to purchase or subscribe to Valbiotis' shares or financial securities in any country.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005307/en/

Contacts:

Corporate communication Valbiotis

Carole ROCHER Marc DELAUNAY

+33 5 46 28 62 58

media@valbiotis.com

Financial communiation Actifin

Stephane RUIZ

+33 1 56 88 11 14

sruiz@actifin.fr
provided pursuant to article L.233-8 II of the Code de commerce (French Commercial Code) and article 223-16 of the Reglement generalde l'Autorite des marches financiers (General regulation of the French financial market authority)

Regulatory News:

CARMILA (Paris:CARM):

Date Total number of

issued shares Number of real voting

rights (excluding

treasury shares) Theoretical number of

voting rights

(including treasury

shares)* 29 April 2021 145,898,168 145,321,679 145,758,862

*Pursuant to article 223-11 of the Reglement General de l'Autorite des marches financiers.

CARMILA

French societe anonyme with a share capital of 875,389,008

Registered office: 58 avenue Emile Zola 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt France

Registered at the Nanterre Commercial and Companies Registry under number 381 844 471

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005355/en/

Contacts:

CARMILA
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

For immediate release

6 May 2022

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 50,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 796.58p per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 9 February 2022.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 2,228,107; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 222,763,196.

The figure of 222,763,196 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
VICTOR, N.Y., May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today that it has priced the previously announced series of cash tender offers (the "Offers") for any and all of its outstanding 3.20% Senior Notes due 2023 and 4.25% Senior Notes due 2023 (collectively, the "Notes"). The Offers are being made on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated May 2, 2022 (the "Offer to Purchase") and the related Notice of Guaranteed Delivery attached to the Offer to Purchase (the "Notice of Guaranteed Delivery"). The Offer to Purchase and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery are referred to together as the "Offer Documents."

The Offers will expire today at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, unless extended or earlier terminated by the Company as described in the Offer Documents (such time and date, as they may be extended, the "Expiration Time"). Holders who validly tender (and do not validly withdraw) their Notes, or who deliver a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery in accordance with the instructions in the Offer to Purchase, will be eligible to receive the applicable Tender Offer Consideration described below and in the Offer Documents.

Certain information regarding the Notes and the pricing for the Offers is set forth in the table below.

Title of Note CUSIP

Number Principal

Amount

Outstanding U.S. Treasury

Reference

Security Bloomberg

Reference

Page Reference

Yield Fixed

Spread Tender Offer

Consideration(1)(2) 3.20% Senior Notes due 2023 21036PAX6 $600,000,000 1.500% UST due January 15, 2023 FIT 3 1.770% 12.5 bps $1,008.81 4.25% Senior Notes due 2023 21036PAL2 $1,050,000,000 1.625% UST due

April 30, 2023 FIT 4 2.145% 50.0 bps $1,015.39

(1)Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes.

(2)The applicable Tender Offer Consideration is calculated on the basis of pricing for the U.S. Treasury Reference Security as of 11:00 a.m, New York City time, on May 6, 2022.

In addition, holders whose Notes are validly tendered pursuant to the applicable Offer (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time will receive accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date to, but not including, the Settlement Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) for all Notes tendered pursuant to such Offer (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time, including Notes tendered by Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. The Company expects the Settlement Date to occur on May 9, 2022. Notes tendered by Notice of Guaranteed Delivery (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase will be purchased on the first business day after the Expiration Time, which is expected to be May 9, 2022, assuming the Expiration Time is not extended, but payment of accrued interest on such Notes will only be made to, but not including, the Settlement Date.

The Company's obligation to accept for purchase and to pay for Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Offers (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time is subject to the satisfaction or waiver, in the Company's discretion, of certain conditions, which are more fully described in the Offer to Purchase, including, among others, the completion of the Company's previously announced offering of its new senior notes, which is expected to occur on the Settlement Date. The complete terms and conditions of the Offers are set forth in the Offer Documents. Holders of the Notes are urged to read the Offer Documents carefully before making any decision with respect to the Offers.

The applicable "Tender Offer Consideration" listed in the table above for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered pursuant to the applicable Offer (and not validly withdrawn) prior to the Expiration Time and accepted for purchase pursuant to such Offer was determined in the manner described in the Offer Documents by reference to the fixed spread for the applicable Notes specified in the table above plus the yield based on the applicable bid-side price of the U.S. Treasury Reference Security specified in the table above at 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on May 6, 2022.

The Company has retained D.F. King & Co., Inc. ("D.F. King") as the tender agent and information agent for the Offers and BofA Securities as dealer manager for the Offers.

Holders who would like additional copies of the Offer Documents may call or email the information agent, D.F. King, at (212) 269-5550 (collect) or (800) 591-8263 (toll-free) or stz@dfking.com. Copies of the Offer to Purchase and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery are also available at the following website: www.dfking.com/stz. Questions regarding the terms of the Offers should be directed to BofA Securities at (888) 292-0070 (toll free) or (980) 387-3907 (collect).

None of the Company, its board of directors, BofA Securities, D.F. King, or the trustee for the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether holders of the Notes should tender their Notes pursuant to the Offers. Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender any of their Notes and, if so, the principal amounts of Notes to tender.

This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. This press release does not describe all the material terms of the Offers, and no decision should be made by any holder on the basis of this press release. The Offers are being made solely pursuant to the Offer Documents, and this press release must be read in conjunction with the Offer Documents. The Offer Documents contain important information that should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offers. The Offers are not being made to holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky, or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities laws or blue sky laws require the Offers to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offers will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by BofA Securities or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. If any holder is in any doubt as to the contents of this press release, or the Offer Documents, or the action it should take, it is recommended to seek its own financial and legal advice, including in respect of any tax consequences, immediately from its stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant, or other independent financial, tax, or legal adviser.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements which are not historical facts and relate to future plans, events, or performance are forward-looking statements that are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such events or results will in fact occur. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and Constellation Brands undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Detailed information regarding risk factors with respect to the company and the new senior notes offering are included in the company's filings with the SEC, including the prospectus and prospectus supplement for the senior notes offering.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS

Constellation Brands is an international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Constellation's brand portfolio includes Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, the Robert Mondavi Brand Family, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, The Prisoner Wine Company, and High West Whiskey.

MEDIA CONTACTS INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS Mike McGrew 773-251-4934 / michael.mcgrew@cbrands.com (mailto:michael.mcgrew@cbrands.com)

Amy Martin 585-678-7141 / amy.martin@cbrands.com (mailto:amy.martin@cbrands.com) Patty Yahn-Urlaub 585-678-7483 / patty.yahn-urlaub@cbrands.com (mailto:patty.yahn-urlaub@cbrands.com)



A downloadable PDF copy of this news release can be found here. http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/a4c9c8fc-af58-49cc-9f5f-bbb350b0967b
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc. (CSE: EAP) ("EAP" or the "Company"), a Vancouver-based fintech solutions provider, is pleased to announce that EAP's signature product, SideKick, was named 'Service Provider of the Year' at the 2nd ST Secondary Awards. The awards, organized by Study Travel Network, honour outstanding contributions to the high school education sector from schools, service providers, agencies and associations worldwide.

SideKick is an alternative-to-banking solution that combines the benefits of traditional credit and debit cards. It provides an interactive experience, convenience and enhanced security features. The product was designed specifically to aid international students moving to Canada with fair currency exchange rates and fast transactions so that parents abroad can load money onto their kids' SideKick Card for immediate access in Canada.

"As we continue to deliver innovative products for students and youths, it is an honour for us to be recognized by one of the most prestigious events in the global education industry. Euro Asia Pay is committed to bolstering the financial literacy skills of kids, teens and young adults in Canada and internationally," said Peter MacKay, CEO of EAP.

"Through SideKick, our users and their parents can count on a product that delivers ease of mind and convenience while also helping them build essential money management skills to carry with them into adulthood," he added.

The winners of the 2022 ST Secondary Awards were announced during a special gala dinner on April 25, held during the ST Alphe Secondary Focus, London, a specialist high school conference attended by more than 330 delegates.

In addition, EAP announces that the Company has granted a total of 1,300,000 incentive stock options to various directors, officers and employees of the Company. Each option vests immediately, is exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 per share for a period of five years, and is governed by the terms of EAP's stock option plan.

About Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc.

Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc. is a developer of innovative financial solutions for the next generation of consumers. Its first product, SideKick, enables parents to transfer, control and monitor payments to their children in a simple, intuitive manner. The product includes a student-facing mobile application, a prepaid student payment card and a parent portal, among other features.

To learn more about EAP's products and services, visit www.euroasiapay.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Peter MacKay

Chief Executive Officer & Director

For further information, please contact:

Peter MacKay

Chief Executive Officer & Director

(800) 508-8813

ir@euroasiapay.com

For all media queries, please contact:

Euro Asia Pay Holdings Inc.

Swati Mehta

PR Associates

(403) 804-0768

smehta@prassociates.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release include forward-looking statements or information (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. The Company is providing cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause its actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions as to expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "may", "anticipates", "is expected to", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. The Company has based the forward-looking statements largely on its current estimates, assumptions and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcomes may not occur or may be delayed. The risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, include, but are not limited to: the ability of the Company to establish a market for its products; competitive conditions in the mobile payments industry which could prevent the Company from becoming profitable; the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising and promotional expenditures to generate interest in the Company's products; dependency on continued growth in the adoption of mobile payment technology; volatility of the market price of the Company's securities; the inability to secure additional financing; the Company's intention not to pay dividends; claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings and challenges; conflicts of interest with directors and management; and other relevant factors.

Factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements include its history of losses from operations; technology risks; its ability to obtain the additional financing required to meet long-term goals; its dependence on key personnel, including its executive officers; and uninsured risks. These factors are not exhaustive.

Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement 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 management to predict all such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123109
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Rain City Resources Inc. (CSE: RAIN) (the "Company") announces that the board of directors of the Company have approved a share consolidation of all of its issued and outstanding securities on a three (3) for one (1) basis pursuant to the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. Currently, the Company's authorized share capital is an unlimited number of common shares without par value, of which 47,795,601 shares are issued and outstanding with a further 15,126,860 shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding warrants. Following consolidation and subject to rounding, the Company will have issued and outstanding 15,931,867 common shares, subject to shares being issued pursuant to outstanding warrants being exercised prior to the effective date of the consolidation. The board of directors believe that the share consolidation will provide the Company with increased flexibility to seek financing opportunities and strategic acquisitions.

The Company does not intend to undergo a name change in conjunction with the proposed consolidation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Justin Corinella

President

Rain City Resources Inc.

Telephone: 778-819-3792

info@raincityresources.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123117
Williamsport, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - Pennsylvania-based media company Stock Moe LLC announces that it will attend FinCon22, a conference for financial content creators in Orlando, Florida, in September.

"We're excited to be attending FinCon22 and meeting other like-minded individuals who are passionate about helping people become financially literate," said Ryan Monoski, the founding CEO of Stock Moe.





"We're excited to be attending FinCon22 and meeting other like-minded individuals who are passionate about helping people become financially literate," says Ryan Monoski.



Cannot view this image? Visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8721/123121_img1.jpg

The three-day gathering, scheduled for September 7-10, will bring together hundreds of bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and other new media content creators who share a passion for all things finance.

Monoski is also the host of Stock Moe's YouTube channel, which has posted over 1,000 videos on topics ranging from stocks and crypto to electric vehicles (EVs) and clean energy in the past year and a half. The channel has amassed nearly 600,000 subscribers in that time.

"I started Stock Moe because I saw a need for quality financial information that was easy to understand," Monoski said. "Too often, the finance world uses jargon and technical terms that only serve to confuse people. My goal is to provide actionable information that anyone can use to improve their financial situation."

At FinCon22, Monoski says he hopes to connect with other content creators who share his company's mission of empowering people to take control of their finances. Furthermore, he plans to use the event as an opportunity to learn more about the latest trends in new media and how he can better serve his audience.

"Finance should not be some elitist thing only accessible to people with MBAs," says Monoski, who also hosts a podcast called Stock Moe Money Show on Anchor by Spotify.

"I strongly believe that access to quality financial information can help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty not only in the United States but globally," he adds.

About Stock Moe LLC

Stock Moe LLC is a media company based in Pennsylvania, creating content focused on financial literacy and education. The company uses various platforms to reach its audience, including YouTube, Anchor, and social media. Stock Moe LLC was founded in 2020 by Ryan Monoski, a former financial advisor. For more information, please visit the company's website or follow it on Twitter, and Instagram.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Stock Moe LLC

Brittney Monoski, COO

www.stockmoe.com

support@stockmoe.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/123121
Outerspace, a New York-based partner for omnichannel consumer brands, raised $30M in Series B funding.

The round, which brings the total funding raised by Outerspace to over $40 million since its inception in late 2019, was led by Prysm Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to add additional square feet of space to its operations, and refine its technology product.

Led by Ricky Choi, Phil Moldavski, and Alexander Pessala, Outerspace provides fully integrated operational and technology solutions for brands to deliver out customer experiences and make operations a competitive advantage. Its integrated offering is currently used by dozens of large brands. Alongside this Series B funding, the company has also launched its new branding elements created in partnership with consumer brand agency Red Antler.



FinSMEs

06/05/2022
Senara, a Toronto, Canada-based real estate technology company, raised an undisclosed amount in Pre-Seed funding.

The backers were not disclosed.



The company intends to use the funds to continue its North American expansion and enhance its existing AI capabilities within the platform.



Led by CEO Reagan Zuzarte, Senara is a pre-construction lead-to-close system that empowers developers and their listing brokerages to sell smart and fast. The proprietary system uses AI to generate new homebuyer leads, appointments and firm sales, based on algorithms built from tens of millions of leads, appointments and purchase datapoints. The company offers predictive analytics algorithms that can be layered into any brokerage CRM to perfect buyer journeys and reallocate ad spends across digital platforms. It also offers regional homebuyer insights gathered through its system.

Since the companys launch in 2021, Senara has been used in over 50 campaigns across North America, resulting in over $1B sold in new homes across Canada, Washington, Florida and Texas.



FinSMEs

06/05/2022
More and more mutations clutter up our DNA as we age. Mostly, these dont cause problems. But sometimes, a switch will flip, and a mutated cell turns cancerous. Can we see this shift in time to prevent or treat cancer before it starts?

Led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a scientific team that studies a precancerous condition of the esophagus (called Barretts esophagus or BE) are working to answer this question. In work published today in Nature Communications, the team revealed that DNA changes in BE cells that presage esophageal cancer can be spotted years before cancer develops.

The characteristic changes include rearrangements of large chunks of DNA and damage to both copies of a tumor-suppressing gene called TP53.

Most patients who progressed [to esophageal cancer] had two hits [changes that likely inactivate normal gene function] to TP53, said Dr. Thomas Paulson, a senior staff scientist in the Grady Lab who co-led the project. In these patients, cells with altered TP53 had spread to larger regions of the esophagus and persisted over longer periods of time compared to patients who didnt progress to cancer.

Though the teams ultimate goal is to improve diagnostics and screening for esophageal cancer, Paulson emphasized that this study compares the mutations and DNA changes that occurred in patients who progressed to cancer with those that occurred in patients with stable, benign BE. While the findings are significant and are based on analysis of over 400 tissue samples, results from this 80-patient study would need to be validated in other patient groups before they could be used clinically to predict whether other BE patients will progress to cancer, he said.

Winding back the clock to cancers earliest stages

In some people with long-term acid reflux, Barretts esophagus arises as a new type of esophageal lining that better resists the damage caused by reflux. Even though its often accompanied by DNA mutations, most people will never need treatment for their BE, which will remain benign and stable. But for about 5% of patients with BE, their condition will progress to a kind of cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma. Though esophageal cancer is relatively rare (about 20,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.), its aggressive: Only 20% of patients survive five years past diagnosis.

Once you progress to an advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma, treatment options are quite limited, Paulson said. If you can find the tumor when its very small, even microscopic, the treatment options are much better.

However, 95% of patients with BE will never get cancer. For them invasive screening and preventive measures expose them to risks without benefits.

To address this, Fred Hutchs Dr. Brian Reid and his team set up the Seattle Barretts Esophagus Study in the early 1980s. He wanted to learn more about BE, how it progresses, and find any genetic characteristics that flag patients at high or low risk of progressing to cancer.

The ability to sort patients into risk categories, also known as risk stratification, would help doctors give patients the right amount of screening and intervention.

Because the team has studied patients for years, they have a long runway along which they can hunt for clues before cancer takes off.

Previous studies of the genetics of BE and esophageal cancer focused more on changes to specific genes, but now advances in technology allow scientists to understand DNA changes outside genes (where most of our DNA lies). To learn more, the BE team undertook a sequencing study that covers all the DNA in a cell (known as the genome) in 427 tissue samples.

Highlighting the changes in esophageal cancer

The team looked at small changes that altered just a few letters of DNA, and big changes that added, removed or moved around large swaths of DNA. First, they found that all BE is accompanied by lots of mutations, whether a patient eventually gets cancer or not. The findings also put to rest a hypothesis that BE that precedes cancer develops in a fundamentally different way than BE that remains stable, the researchers said.

One of the critical results was how many genes were altered in patients who will never go on to cancer, that people think of as cancer-driver genes, said project co-lead Patty Galipeau, a Public Health Sciences research program manager now in Dr. Gavin Has lab, who helped shepherd the years-long project to completion.

In the researchers analyses, one cancer-associated gene in particular, TP53, stood out. It encodes a protein that regulates a lot of important cellular processes, including recognizing damaged DNA, repair and cell growth. Its one of the most frequently mutated genes in all kinds of cancer  but the team found that some BE patients that didnt progress to cancer also had a TP53 mutation.

However, their deeper dive into BE DNA revealed that the idea that any TP53 alteration leads to cancer is too simplistic. Humans get two copies of each gene (one from each parent). A person can have a mutation in one copy (one hit) or mutations in both copies (two hits).

Most progressors had two hits in TP53, said Paulson. Two hits would suggest a person is at very high risk for progressing from BE to cancer, though occasionally a person with one hit may also progress, he said. Patients who progressed to cancer also had TP53 mutations in larger regions of tissue, compared to the single-hit, localized lesions in non-progressing patients.

If both copies of TP53 in a persons cells are broken, its very difficult for them to fix damaged DNA. This leads to duplications, deletions or reshuffling of large pieces of DNA. In fact, the team saw that BE cells in patients who progressed to esophageal cancer were much more likely to contain these large, complex changes than cells from those who never progressed.

Looking to the future

Even though the current findings on their own arent enough to change diagnostic strategies for patients, the work has important insights that researchers who want to develop a biomarker test should keep in mind, Galipeau said.

Technology is getting good enough that you can detect TP53 mutations in a very small number of molecules  but that may not be the right way to go, she said.

As the groups work shows, finding a single TP53 mutation in just a few cells would be more likely to lump low-risk patients in with high-risk patients, rather than separate them.

Led by senior author Dr. Xiaohong Li, the group is working to integrate these findings with other data, including different types of genetic analyses, to develop an algorithm that can optimize screening times and predict which BE patients are at risk of developing cancer.

Even though Reid retired at the beginning of 2022, research into Barretts esophagus using the Barretts Esophagus Annotated Repository will continue with Hutch gastroenterologist Dr. Bill Grady taking the helm.

A better future for BE patients will not merely rely on genetic analyses, but on new technologies that make taking biopsies easier or even unnecessary, Galipeau said. With Ha, she, Paulson and the rest of the team are exploring the possibility of developing a screening test based on DNA released from BE cells that would indicate high risk of cancer, which ends up circulating in the blood. (We have a lot of DNA floating in our blood, mostly released from normal cells, and Ha is among the investigators working to develop ways to pinpoint DNA fragment signatures that could help diagnose or monitor cancer.) Such a test would allow doctors to evaluate patient status less invasively, using a blood draw rather than a scope down the throat.

The team also hopes their findings provide insights to other cancer researchers. They think that the genetic changes they spotted may reveal insight into how cells evolve to cope with stressful conditions  and how those coping mechanisms can backfire  and go beyond esophageal-specific cancer mechanisms.

I think this study emphasizes that when mutations are happening, theyre often happening in a tissue-specific context thats not specific to cancer itself, Galipeau said.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

On April 1, 2022, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance became Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a single, independent, nonprofit organization that is also a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine and UW Medicines cancer program. Read more about the restructure.
Linn County Sheriffs dispatcher of the year for 2020 is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from the law enforcement agency over the course of three years.

Tara Ann Trudell, 34, is accused of seven counts of first-degree theft.

Meanwhile, via motions filed with the court, her defense attorney is implying she may not be the only one, just the only one being prosecuted. He's demanding personnel records of other Sheriff's Office employees, including the sheriff herself.

Court documents allege Trudell stole at least $11,000 from the Linn County Sheriffs Office between Jan. 27, 2019, and March 13.

The actual total is nearly double that, Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan said.

Earlier this year, it was brought to my attention that an employee may have taken a large amount of paid leave time over a three-year period and purposely did not submit the proper documentation to have it removed from her time banks, Duncan said by email.

The Benton County Sheriffs Office investigated the case, which found "the amount of time alleged to have been improperly taken is approximately 670 hours of leave time, Duncan wrote.

That number of hours is equal, Duncan said, to about $20,195 of paid time off that was not deducted.

Trudell was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation which is ongoing, according to Duncan.

According to a March 12, 2021, Facebook post from the Linn County Sheriff's Office, Trudell was the agencys 2020 dispatch employee of the year.

With her hard work and dedication, Tara brings the best of her to work every day," the post says. "The Sheriff's Office is lucky to have her and she gives her best to the citizens of Linn County!

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Trudell was arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court on April 13 on seven counts of first-degree theft, but she has another arraignment scheduled for May 23, according to Oregons online court database.

Portland-based attorney Daniel Thenell is representing Trudell. Prosecutor Douglas Prince is representing the state.

There is also an open case regarding Trudell with the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. According to that agency's website, the case was opened April 27 and is under review. The reason for the case is listed as arrest/criminal disposition.

Thenell's court filings suggest that there may be similar cases within the Linn County Sheriff's Office.

In a motion filed with the court Thursday, May 5, the defense asked the court to authorize a pretrial subpoena for documents to be produced before trial from the Linn County Sheriffs Office. They include copies of time sheets for other LCSO employees, including Duncan herself, former dispatcher Ann Otto who died in 2018, Undersheriff Micah Smith and Capt. Dave Snippen.

Other requested documents include revisions to those time sheets  described as "audit trails showing changes"  relevant emails and other documentation involving alleged time sheet inaccuracies from 2013 to the present.

A second motion filed defense filed with the court on Thursday requested all documents, reports, email decisions, probable cause affidavits and case dispositions regarding an alleged Albany Police Department investigation of Snippen.

In a response to the motions, Prince filed on Friday an objection to the subpoenas without explanation.

"Myself, Micah Smith and Dave Snippen have all been employees throughout our careers that were so dedicated to this office and our community we often lost our own vacation time because there was work to be done," Duncan said in an email. "When you go over the maximum amount of accrual, you lose it. This has happened more than once to all three of us."

Duncan said she believes the motions were filed in an attempt to "smear" the agency's reputation.

"When the issue arose regarding Trudell, we conducted a check of all employees, and her records were the only ones that were suspicious," Duncan said in the email. "This is why I requested the outside agency to investigate her and her alone."

Trudells next court appearance in the matter is scheduled for May 23.

Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 4 Sad 0 Angry 2

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
City governments in the mid-Willamette Valley make proclamations on a regular basis on matters both large and small.

Some residents think that these gestures are empty, but proclamations issued by mayors are designed to show support for specific issues, ideas or groups of people.

Proclamations are symbols, and symbols carry meaning and power.

Why, just last week, the city of Albany made five proclamations during a City Council meeting. The most notable of these voiced support of Ukraine and condemned Russias aggression. Just in case there was any doubt, Albany took a stand against a fascist oligarchy invading a Democratic country and ally of the United States.

Earlier in April, the city of Lebanon issued proclamations for Mental Health Awareness Month, Older Americans Month, and National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day.

In March, Lebanon had proclamations for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, National Library Week and Arbor Month  most cities in our area really, really like trees and arent afraid to shout this from the rooftops, despite how heavily their economies might be tied to the timber industry and the actual cutting down of trees. Then again, maybe thats why they love trees.

We could go on, but you get the point.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

All of this background makes a recent decision by Lebanon Mayor Paul Aziz troubling.

Aziz refused to sign a proclamation that would have declared June LGBTQ+ Pride Month, saying that it would divide the community and spark a negative reaction.

The proclamation was brought forth by 15-year-old Lebanon High School sophomore Zayn Chapman.

Chapman told Lebanon council members at their April 13 meeting about an instance in which he had been choked with his own pride flag at school and called homophobic slurs by other students. He urged the city to issue a proclamation, and at least three councilors voiced support.

Aziz said he would take the matter under consideration, but ultimately rejected the proclamation for reasons that ring hollow at best.

He said it was too activist-written, promoted one group of people over the other and would take away from the annual Lebanon Strawberry Festival.

Calling out the month as gay Pride month isnt going to fix kids getting bullied, Aziz said.

Its true that a proclamation alone wont change the world, but its a harmless step in the right direction. The controversy hes generated is a step backwards for the community, and its far more likely to serve as a distraction from the largest strawberry shortcake in the world.

Expect the Lebanon City Council meeting on May 11 to be extremely lively, and the Lebanon Family Pride Event in June could have the atmosphere of a protest.

Azizs decision is drawing fire, including from Jason Bolen, a former Lebanon City Council member and Lebanon Fire Department division chief who is moving to Bend.

The Town That Friendliness Built? Might have to rethink that slogan, Bolen quipped, on the Lebanon Express Facebook page.

In this space, weve bragged about Lebanons positive developments in recent years, and touted it as a city that is on the rise due to numerous factors. This decision by the mayor could halt that momentum to a degree and actually scare businesses away from the city.

When directly asked, the mayor of Lebanon wont step up and speak out in defense of a marginalized group.

There are more people in our conservative town that would be upset by this, Aziz said, in an interview with reporter Joanna Mann.

The mayor seems to be saying, in a rather gentle way, that the City that Friendliness Built is filled with bigots, and he is afraid to make those troglodytes angry.

Attitudes, even in conservative strongholds in Linn County, have progressed greatly in the last few decades, and our editorial board doesnt believe that Lebanon is mostly homophobic nowadays.

But if that is the case  and that could very well be the perception of Lebanon by outsiders  theres even more reason for Aziz to support residents and their civil rights.

Rather than stand up to bullies, the mayor of Lebanon is taking their side, and that sends a chilling message to the community.

Love 3 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The students at Kathryn Jones Harrison Elementary School in Corvallis  once known as Jefferson then Jaguar Elementary  received a special visit Thursday afternoon: Kathryn Jones Harrison herself, who laid eyes upon the school for the first time.

The school held a dedication event for the 98-year-old member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, with more than 300 students, staff, community members and relatives of Harrison in attendance.

Students lined up in the gymnasium, where the event was held, and introduced themselves one at a time to Harrison. Principal Beth Martin said the kids had been asking when Harrison would arrive since the moment they got to school.

The students have been learning about Harrison throughout the school year, and they designed a quilt representing what they took away from her story. Each square of the quilt has a word on it, including respect, restoration, powerful and community, with a quote from Harrison in the center. It says, Help me do and say what will help my people today.

Harrison didnt live an easy life; she overcame poverty, an abusive foster home and an abusive marriage to eventually help her tribe regain federal recognition during a time when the Eisenhower administration refused tribes formal recognition. She transformed it from a poverty-stricken community to the healthy, thriving group it is today.

Throughout her life she had 10 children and graduated from the Lane Community Colleges nursing program at the age of 50. From there, she spent her life working to strengthen her community.

Her story of resilience is one we are all inspired by, Superintendent Ryan Noss said. When our students enter Kathryn Jones Harrison Elementary School, we want them to feel inspired. This name change does that.

In 2020, the Corvallis School District set out to change the names of three schools, including what was then known as Jefferson Elementary. The campus was named for President Thomas Jefferson, who laid claim to hundreds of human beings  despite famously declaring all men were created equal  and fathered numerous children with Sally Hemings, a Black woman enslaved by him.

Luhui Whitebear, co-vice chair of the Corvallis School Board, said this name change puts words into action to honor the people whose land we live on. Even more significant, she said, is the fact that Harrison grew up right here in Corvallis.

Noss said the district wanted to select a name for that school that would inspire students, honor Indigenous people and peoples connection to the land and represent someone who did social justice work and made significant contributions throughout their life. Harrison checks all of those boxes, he added.

To say shes an inspiration is an understatement, Martin said.

The principal said she recognized the pain as well as the celebration that brought the school to this moment, and would make sure students knew all sides of the story.

The telling of our honest history is something we are committed to, she said.

During the ceremony, the tribal council sat at the front of the room and some members made speeches about Harrison. Cultural representatives from the tribe performed an opening and closing drum song.

Tribal council Vice Chair Chris Mercier spoke about how he has known Harrison longer than anyone else on the council, and how she inspired him to be a leader in his community.

When you have a school named after you, that pretty much means youve done something with your life, Mercier said. Because your name is attached to something with a future of ambition.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Once the opening prayer, song and speeches were over, Harrison addressed the crowd. She told stories about her life and what she remembers about growing up in the area.

Im just overwhelmed, humbled and thankful, she said. Youre going to get tired of me coming to see you.

Joanna Mann (she/her) covers education for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6076 or Joanna.Mann@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @joanna_mann_.

Love 10 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Region, Russia April 12, 2022. [Photo/Agencies]

MINSK - Belarus will not participate in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press (AP).

Lukashenko said Belarus stands for peace and has repeatedly called for the end of the current Russia-Ukraine military conflict.

"We categorically do not accept any war. We have done and are doing everything now so that there isn't a war," Lukashenko told AP, adding that his country has advanced negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Washington's policy, he said, is the reason that Ukraine is not interested in negotiations, despite hostilities taking place on its territory.

The president said the use of nuclear weapons in the crisis was "unacceptable because it's right next to us -- we are not across the ocean like the United States."

"It is also unacceptable because it might knock our terrestrial ball flying off the orbit to who knows where," he said. "Whether or not Russia is capable of that -- is a question you need to ask the Russian leadership."

According to the Belarusian president, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have the best relations that can be between the heads of independent states.

Mentioning the sudden check of the Armed Forces of Belarus from Wednesday, Lukashenko said the combat readiness check in Belarus has been carried out in response to NATO exercises in the Baltic states and Poland on the border with Belarus.

The number of NATO troops deployed on the border with Belarus was about 3,000 a few years ago, but now it reached around 32,000, said Lukashenko.
Chicago, April 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the latest report by Arizton, Belgium data center market will grow at a CAGR of 7.4% during 2022-2027. The Belgium market is also aided by industry 4.0 that will lead to establishment of smart factories and industries that will drive sectors such as manufacturing. The Belgium data center market by area is driven by construction from colocation operators such as EdgeConneX & Datacenter United and cloud operators such as Google & Microsoft that are establishing their data centers in the country.



Belgium Data Center Market Report Scope

REPORT ATTRIBUTES DETAILS MARKET SIZE (2021) $1.8 Billion MARKET SIZE $2.7 Billion (2027) CAGR (2022-2027) 7.40% MARKET SIZE (AREA) 648 thousand Sq. Feet (2027) MARKET SIZE (POWER CAPACITY) 130 MW (2027) COLOCATION MARKET SIZE (REVENUE) $700 Million (2027) BASE YEAR 2021 FORECAST YEAR 2022-2027

Click Here to Download the Free Sample

Belgium is a promising market for trade due to strong import trades from the US. The location is ideal for exporters for business because of its strategic location in Europe. Strong trade options offer ease in doing business to organizations, including data center operators.

Key Insights

The adoption of cloud computing & advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence, the deployment of 5G technology, and government support for data center construction such as tax subsidies are factors driving the data center market in Belgium.

Government initiatives such as the Wallonia government 20192024 that aims digital transformation and administration to offer 15% tax subsidies on renewable energy investments in the city will aid data center investments in the country.

The Belgian government is actively working towards bringing in digital investment, including initiatives such as Digital AmBEtion, the government has partnered with Microsoft for the digitalization of the public and private sector in the country.

Belgium is working toward green energy sources adoption and has taken initiatives for curbing carbon emissions in the country by adopting renewable energy initiatives such as Belgium's National Energy and Climate Plan 2030.

LCL Data Centers, one of the major data center operators in the country, is involved in hyperscale data center development to expand its portfolio to wholesale colocation services. The company plans to expand its Wallonia One data center campus to around 60 MW over the next 4-5 years.

Also, major colocation providers are entering the Belgium Market. In 2021, EdgeConneX announced the development of its data center in Brussels. With investment announcements from Google and Microsoft, the Belgium market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period.

To know more: https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/belgium-data-center-market

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and the Belgium colocation market revenue.

An assessment of the data center investment in Belgium by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators.

Data center investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities.

A detailed study of the existing Belgium market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Belgium data center market size during the forecast period.

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Belgium Facilities Covered (Existing): 19 Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 06 Coverage: 2+ Cities Existing vs Upcoming (Area) Existing vs Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Belgium Market Revenue & Forecast (2021-2027) Retail Colocation Pricing

The Belgium data center landscape market investments are classified as IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecasting.

A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, growth restraints, and prospects for the industry.

Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry.

A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspect of the market.



Trends and Drivers

Investments in submarine cables have increased considerably over the years. There are around four existing cables and one upcoming cable connecting in the country.

The Belgium data center market is growing in terms of investments. For example, in March 2021, Interxion announced its plans to develop its third data center in Brussels.

Investments and initiatives for artificial intelligence adoption in the country are growing. For instance, in January 2022, MolenGeek Owners announced expansion of its artificial intelligence initiatives in Brussels in support with Google.



Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry.

Click Here to Download the Free Sample Report

Read some of the top-selling reports:

About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals, and materials, IT and media, logistics, and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

Click Here to Contact Us

Call: +1-312-235-2040

+1 302 469 0707
EDISON, N.J., May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: SFOR), a cyber security company that provides next-gen cyber, data protection & Secure Video Conferencing solutions for SMBs, Enterprises & Government agencies, announced today that they signed an engagement agreement with Ankura Consulting LLC., to help expand StrikeForces footprint within the Federal Government and Intelligence communities.



As part of our scope of work, Ankura will assist StrikeForce in facilitation of government and commercial opportunities, as well as help secure a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to advance their technology and platform certifications. StrikeForces timing is perfect, says Dean Thomas, Managing Director at Ankura. On May 12th, President Biden signed an Executive Order charting a course to Improve the Nations Cybersecurity and Protect Federal Government Networks. We plan to take full advantage of this opportunity and introduce StrikeForces solutions everywhere we can.

We are really excited about working with the Ankura Consulting Group, says Mark L. Kay, CEO of StrikeForce. Their global team of cybersecurity practitioners includes leaders with extensive experience as members of the intelligence community, law enforcement personnel and federal agents, digital forensic specialists, and founders of pioneering cyber technology firms. Their experts have handled some of the largest and most sensitive cybersecurity incidents and regularly advise leading organizations on the data privacy policies.

All the pieces are coming together quite nicely, says Kay. If you want to expand in the Federal Government and Intelligence communities you need to partner with a team that is well seasoned, have extensive relationships, and understand how the procurement process works. Thats why we choose Ankura.

About StrikeForce Technologies Inc.

StrikeForce Technologies helps to prevent Cyber theft and data security breaches for consumers, corporations, and government agencies. It provides powerful two-factor, Out-of-Band authentication, keystroke encryption along with mobile solutions. StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: SFOR) is headquartered in Edison, N.J., and can be reached at www.strikeforcetech.com or by phone at (732) 661-9641 or toll-free at (866) 787-4542.

About Ankura

Ankura Consulting Group, LLC is an independent global expert services and advisory firm that delivers services and end-to-end solutions to help clients at critical inflection points related to change, risk, disputes, finance, performance, distress, and transformation. The Ankura team consists of more than 1,500 professionals serving 3000+ clients across 55 countries who are leaders in their respective fields and areas of expertise. Collaborative lateral thinking, hard-earned experience, expertise, and multidisciplinary capabilities drive results and Ankura is unrivaled in its ability to assist clients to Protect, Create, and Recover Value. For more information, please visit: www.ankura.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words anticipate, believe, estimate, may, intend, "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties associated with: the sales of the company's identity protection software products into various channels and market sectors, the issuance of the Company's pending patent applications, COVID-19, and the impact of economic, competitive and other factors affecting the Company and its operations, markets, product, and distributor performance, the impact on the national and local economies resulting from terrorist actions, and U.S. actions subsequently; and other factors detailed in reports filed by the company.

StrikeForce contact:

Mark Kay, CEO

Marklkay@strikeforcetech.com

(732) 661-9641
Tokyo, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global offshore wind energy market was estimated at USD 27.33 billion in 2021. An increasing demand for renewable energy sources across the world have led to an increase in the demand for offshore wind energy market. Lucrative opportunities will be provided to all the developing nations do to this project in the coming five years.



Get the Sample Pages of Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/1677

European countries have a larger market for this technology as the government is focusing on renewable energy sources for the production of electricity. Almost 2/3 of the world's total offshore wind power capacity was installed in United Kingdom and Germany 2016 but as of 2022, China is rapidly expanding their offshore wind power capacity. Even though the installation cost of the offshore wind turbines is huge, it is a better source of power generation than that on land and they last a good 20 years. There are other disadvantages of the turbines that are installed on a fixed. Foundation which killed a lot of birds, and it is not environment friendly It also affects the flora and fauna of the water-bodies.

Report Scope Details Market Size in 2021 USD 27.33 Billion CAGR 18.82% from 2022 to 2030 Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 91.37 Billion Base Year 2021 Forecast Data 2022 to 2030 Companies Covered Siemens Gamesa, Prysmian Group, Nexans, Sumitomo Electric, General Electric, Enessere, LS Cable & System, Vestas, Goldwind, Nordex, Global Energy (Group), Senvion, RTS Wind, Vattenfall, ENVISION Group, NSW Cable, Clipper Windpower, Enercon, JDR Cable, Zhejiang Windey

Regional Snapshot

In various countries, the growth of the offshore wind energy market has slowed down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. All the important operations had come to a halt owing to major setbacks in production and supply chains. As of 2022, China has surpassed UK and Germany in terms of the offshore wind power capacity. A Chinese manufacturer of wind turbines holds the record for having the biggest wind turbine in the world.

Ask here for more customization study@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/customization/1677

Report Highlights

Depending on the component type the turbines structure has dominated the offshore wind market. In order to prevent the corrosion of its blades new methods of prevention are coming in play a Norwegian company is working on the same.

Depending on the depth of the water bodies the shallow water foundations are booming due to easy installation and low cost of maintenance

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Nations across the globe are adopting policies for usage of renewable energy sources so this happens to be the major driver for the offshore wind energy market. There has been a drastic change in the green energy options in order to cut-down the carbon footprints various corporates and other sectors are finding this option lucrative Equinor is focusing on cutting down its carbon emissions to almost half by the year 2050. Off-shore winds are faster as compared to that on land and therefore generate more power ,also the wind are steady and hence there is constant production which means it is a reliable source for energy generation. They will create jobs in the future with the successful adoption of this technology and also eliminate all the environmental pollutants.

Restraints

The equipment and the foundation laid offshore involve high cost and also involve logistic issues due to the location of installation. Also the maintenance cost will be high and corrosion of the turbines cant be ruled out. Solving even the smallest issues in the wind turbines becomes very difficult during the bad weather. Hurricanes or storms can damage the wind turbines, the underwater cables that transfer electricity back to land are highly expensive to produce and install.

Opportunities

Recent initiatives by the various governments to adopt renewable energy sources on the rise and this happen to the best opportunity governments are focusing on green options forthe reduction of carbon footprints. The international Renewable Energy Agency states there must be a rise of upto 86% in the green energy sources by the year 2050. The size of the blades can be huge as it has a large area for expansion over the water leading to an increased output.

Challenges

The pandemic COVID 19 has adversely affected the market and the installation and the supply chain wee affected. Due to which the desired output was not achieved. Since there were interruptions in the global trade the expansion of the market has slowed down. The turbines or the infrastructure has a negative impact on the wildlife, flora and fauna of the water and it poses a threat to birds flying over the water body safety of the employees is compromised when working on the offshore sites operators safety is also a concern for the R&D team. Currently the shallow water bodies are used for installation but in future the deeper waters will be used and the innovation and technology for the foundation to install the turbines must be apt for the same.

Related Reports

Recent Developments

The installation of 107 monopile foundation is likely to start in 2023. The contract was signed in the year 2021 by OrstedA/S and Jan De Nul Group. Another contract for 100 turbines will be deployed for a project; the contract was signed in April 2021 by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. A multi turbine technology is under development by Norwegian company which will generate five times the energy as compared to the turbines that are presently used. The design is that of a square grid with about 100 small blades. All of this is supported by a floating Platform.

Market Segmentation

By Components

Turbines Rating  2 MW > 2 to  5 MW > 5 to  8 MW > 8 to  10 MW > 10 to  12 MW > 12 MW Installation Floating Axis Component Fixed Axis Component

Electrical infrastructure Wires & cables Substation Others

Support Structure Substructure (steel) Foundation Monopile Jacket Others







By Location

Shallow Water

Transitional Water

Deep Water





By Depth

0 to  30 m

30 to  50 m

50 m





By Capacity

Up to 3MW

3MW to 5MW

Above 5MW





By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa (MEA)





Click Here to View Full Report Table of Contents

Buy this Premium Research Report@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/checkout/1677

You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to contact at sales@precedenceresearch.com | +1 9197 992 333

About Us

Precedence Research is a worldwide market research and consulting organization. We give unmatched nature of offering to our customers present all around the globe across industry verticals. Precedence Research has expertise in giving deep-dive market insight along with market intelligence to our customers spread crosswise over various undertakings. We are obliged to serve our different client base present over the enterprises of medicinal services, healthcare, innovation, next-gen technologies, semi-conductors, chemicals, automotive, and aerospace & defense, among different ventures present globally.

For Latest Update Follow Us:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/precedence-research/

https://www.facebook.com/precedenceresearch/

https://twitter.com/Precedence_R
CALGARY, Alberta, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (Gran Tierra or the Company) (NYSE American:GTE)(TSX:GTE)(LSE:GTE) today announced the voting results from the Companys annual meeting of stockholders held on May 4, 2022.



Final Voting Results of Gran Tierras Annual Meeting of Stockholders: Stockholders elected all nine individuals nominated by Gran Tierra. In addition, stockholders voted FOR the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as Gran Tierras independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of Gran Tierras named executive officers, "EVERY YEAR" as the preferred frequency of solicitation of stockholder advisory votes on the compensation of Gran Tierra's Named Executive Officers, and FOR the approval of the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended. The detailed results of the vote are as follows:

Proposal 1 Election of Directors For % Against Abstain Non-Votes Gary S. Guidry 103,665,849 97.5 2,705,019 335,573 70,556,916 Peter Dey 87,911,653 84.0 16,790,829 2,003,958 70,556,916 Evan Hazell 101,024,231 96.5 3,687,499 1,994,709 70,556,916 Robert B. Hodgins 99,364,937 95.0 5,271,675 2,069,828 70,556,916 Alison Redford 102,220,046 97.8 2,277,191 2,209,202 70,556,916 Ronald Royal 102,253,165 97.8 2,332,143 2,121,131 70,556,916 Sondra Scott 99,637,172 95.2 4,984,846 2,084,421 70,556,916 David P. Smith 102,123,557 97.5 2,587,313 1,995,570 70,556,916 Brooke Wade 99,835,833 95.4 4,866,966 2,003,641 70,556,916 Proposal 2 For % Against Abstain Non-Votes Ratification of Appointment of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 170,088,249 96.0 6,495,233 679,874 0 Proposal 3 For % Against Abstain Non-Votes Approval of Named Executive

Officer Compensation 94,910,820 88.9 10,923,981 871,640 70,556,915 Proposal 4 Every Year Every Two

Years Every Three

Years Abstain Non-Votes Approval of the Preferred 88,490,938 1,655,691 9,191,649 7,353,011 70,572,067 Frequency of Solicitation of Stockholders Advisory Votes on the Compensation of Gran Tierras Named Executive Officers Proposal 5 For % Against Abstain Non-Votes Approval of 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended 71,854,873 67.3 33,685,877 1,165,690 70,556,916

About Gran Tierra Energy Inc.

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. together with its subsidiaries is an independent international energy company currently focused on oil and natural gas exploration and production in Colombia and Ecuador. The Company is currently developing its existing portfolio of assets in Colombia and Ecuador and will continue to pursue additional growth opportunities that would further strengthen the Companys portfolio. The Companys common stock trades on the NYSE American, the Toronto Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GTE. Additional information concerning Gran Tierra is available at www.grantierra.com. Information on the Companys website (including the Sustainability Report) does not constitute a part of this press release. Investor inquiries may be directed to info@grantierra.com or (403) 265-3221.

Gran Tierras Securities and Exchange Commission filings are available on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company's Canadian securities regulatory filings are available on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com and UK regulatory filings are available on the National Storage Mechanism website at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

Contact Information

For investor and media inquiries please contact:

Gary Guidry, Chief Executive Officer

Ryan Ellson, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Rodger Trimble, Vice President, Investor Relations

+1-403-265-3221

info@grantierra.com




TOKYO, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global automotive artificial intelligence market size is estimated to grow a CAGR above 39.6% over the forecast timeframe and reach a market value of around USD 53,118 million by 2030.

Our projections suggest that autonomous vehicles will be sufficiently reliable, economical, and common by 2030 to supplant most human driving, resulting in significant cost savings and advantages. Communication, intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and computational systems advancements have recently opened up new prospects for intelligent traffic safety, comfort, and efficiency solutions. In various fields of scientific study, artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely applied to improve traditional data-driven methodologies. The vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, when combined with AI, may gather data from a variety of sources, broaden the driver's perception, and forecast probable accidents, improving driving comfort, safety, and efficiency.

Request for a sample of this premium research report @ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-sample/2892

Global Automotive Artificial Intelligence Market Growth Aspects

The increased adoption of autonomous vehicles, rising government initiatives for vehicle and road safety, and ongoing investments in the automotive AI industry are some of the leading factors that are fueling the global automotive artificial intelligence market. The AI industry has flourished in the automotive industry due to its driver assist systems such as ADAS. This system is designed to avoid crash by using technologies to alert drivers to possible hazards or take over control of the vehicle to avoid such mishaps.

On the other hand, the integration of such high-tech technologies increases the cost of the vehicle. Thus, low and medium-income people are unable to purchase premium vehicles that are loaded with these systems. Furthermore, the increasing consciousness among consumers about the safety and surging demand for driver convenience and improving access to mobility are other factors that are contributing to the global automotive artificial intelligence market.

The automobile industry is quickly becoming a key source of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Artificial intelligence will have a huge impact on the automotive sector in the future decade. Faced with long-term existential risks such as sustainability, overcapacity, and the prospect of lower volume as a result of the shared mobility dilemma, automotive companies must tap into AI's potential. The biggest promise is found in the vast amounts of data that car suppliers and manufacturers collect but do not adequately utilize.

As the quantity and scope of autonomous, software-defined, and networked vehicle operations grow, data volume will only increase. Data science and machine learning (ML) are designed to quickly assimilate vast amounts of data, decipher what it means, and apply the findings as soon as possible.

Market Segmentation

The global automotive artificial intelligence market has been segmented based on offering, process, technology, and application. Based on the offering, the market is divided into software and hardware. Among them, the hardware segment achieved a significant market share while the software segment is expected to gain a substantial growth rate in the coming years. Based on the process, the market is split into image recognition, signal recognition, voice recognition, and data mining. Out of these, the data mining segment is expected to grow with the fastest CAGR throughout the forecast period 2022  2030.

By technology, the market is categorized into computer vision, context awareness, deep learning, machine learning, and natural language processing. Based on them, deep learning technology is one of the leading segments that are used in the automotive artificial intelligence market.

Furthermore, autonomous driving, semi-autonomous driving, and human-machine interface are the splits of the application segment. Among them, the human-machine interface segment gathered a significant amount of share in 2021.

Dont fail to benefit from business opportunities in Automotive Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market. Speak to our analyst, ask any queries and our analyst will help your business grow.

Regional Overview

North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa are the regional classification of the global automotive artificial intelligence market. The Asia-Pacific automotive artificial intelligence market is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period 2022  2030. The high growth in the region is credited to the increased sales of premium passenger vehicles, rising disposable income, and increased positive perception of AI among consumers. Moreover, the North America region contributed the largest market share in the global market due to the surge in adoption of autonomous and electric vehicles in the US and the presence of many AI and self-driving car companies in the region. Then again, the Europe region stood for the second-largest position due to the presence of stringent government regulations and tremendous sales of electric vehicles due to these strict regulations in the region.

Interconnected Reports Automotive, Transportation and Logistics Market

The global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Aviation market accounted for US$ 321.4 Mn in 2020 with a considerable CAGR of 47.3% during the forecast period of 2021 to 2028.

The global industry 4.0 market is anticipated to reach market size of around US$ 160 Bn by 2027 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 16% in terms of revenue during the forecast period 2020 - 2027.

The global artificial intelligence in transportation market is anticipated to reach market size of around US$ 5,000 Mn by 2027 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 15% in terms of revenue during the forecast period 2020  2027.

The global artificial intelligence market is expected to reach the market value of around US$ 160 Bn by 2026 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 49% in terms of revenue during the estimated period 2019  2026.

Major Players

Some key players covered globally in the automotive artificial intelligence industry are Appian, Alphabet Inc. (Waymo), BMW, Intel Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Micron Technology, Inc, Nvidia Corporation, Uber Technologies Inc. (OTTO Motors), Tesla, Inc, and Toyota Motor Corporation.

To receive personalized service, please share your research needs here@ https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/request-customization/2892

Buy this premium research report - https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/buy-now/0/2892

About Acumen:

Acumen Research and Consulting is a global provider of market intelligence and consulting services to information technology, investment, telecommunication, manufacturing, and consumer technology markets. ARC helps investment communities, IT professionals, and business executives to make fact based decisions on technology purchases and develop firm growth strategies to sustain market competition. With the team size of 100+ Analysts and collective industry experience of more than 200 years, Acumen Research and Consulting assures to deliver a combination of industry knowledge along with global and country level expertise.

Contact Us:

Mr. Frank Wilson

Acumen Research and Consulting

USA: +14079154157

India: +918983225533

E-mail: sales@acumenresearchandconsulting.com

Source: https://www.acumenresearchandconsulting.com/press-releases/automotive-artificial-intelligence-ai-market
English French

MAISONS DU MONDE

Societe anonyme

Au capital de 146.583.736,56 euros

Siege social : Le Portereau - 44120 Vertou

793 906 728 RCS Nantes

ISIN FR0013153541

SHARES IN THE CAPITAL AND VOTING RIGHTS

(Article L.233-8 French commercial code and articles 221-1 and 223-16 of the AMF General Regulations)

MAISONS DU MONDE shareholders are informed that the total number of shares in the capital and voting rights, on April 30th, 2022, was as follows:

30 April 2022 31 March 2022



Shares in the capital



45,241,894



45,241,894



Gross total of voting rights



45,241,894



45,241,894



Net total of voting rights



42,468,113



42,468,113

Attachment
Dublin, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Pick To Light Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The pick-to-light market was valued at US$409.113 million in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.82% over the forecast period to reach a total market size of US$951.915 million by 2027.



The Pick-to-light systems facilitate sorting and picking operations between shelves and other locations. The use of light-directed picking and putting improves productivity and reduces errors, improving efficiency. With this technology, picking efficiency and accuracy are enhanced, as well as labor costs are reduced.

With pick-to-light, employees perform picking, placing, sorting, and assembly processes using alphanumeric displays at storage locations. Print-and-apply and RF picking applications are included in pick-to-light. In the e-commerce, pharma, and cosmetics industries, picking operations are widely used for order fulfillment.

These are best suited for picking up broken items from cases or pieces. It is expected that the use of pick-to-light for putting operations will gain traction over time. With an increase in the number of warehouses globally, the demand for the pick-to-light systems is expected to spur, thus, booming the market.

An increase of 32% in UK warehouse units has been reported in the past six years. Reports compiled by Savills and commissioned by the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) said that in 2015 there were 428 million square feet of storage and distribution space. However, by 2021 this figure had risen to 566 million square feet, an increase of 138 million square feet.



As e-commerce evolves, automated warehouses improve productivity, and the online shopping trend grows, the global pick-to-light market is gaining growth. While the market may grow globally, the high capital investment for installation, as well as financial strength for maintenance, may hold it back.

With an increasing number of small and medium-sized enterprises using the technology, the industrial revolution in developing countries will create growth opportunities for key market players. In Asia-Pacific, there are more than 98% of enterprises are SMEs. In countries with low income, including India, these services contribute 17% to the national gross domestic product.

In countries with high income, like Malaysia and Singapore, they contribute 40 to 50%. (Source: smefinanceforum.org)



Growth Factors:

Growth of E-commerce:

Modern shopping involves Internet retailing. E-commerce has grown into one of the most important platforms for shopping globally with the increasing penetration of portable devices and internet services.

There is an increase in online suppliers and a shift in the behavior of consumers driving the e-commerce industry. E-commerce has been experiencing a dramatic rise in its share of retail sales from 16 % to 19 % in 2020, according to UNCTAD. By 2020, the top 13 companies will have sold 2.9 trillion dollars in online business-to-consumer (B2C) sales.



Warehouse pickers can easily find things with pick-to-light systems since theming lights indicate where items are or where they should go. E-commerce order fulfillment is especially facilitated by the systems that pick broken cases and pieces. Racks, shelves, picking carts, and even put-walls can be fitted with pick-to-light hardware.

E-commerce order fulfillment is made much more efficient, and operator errors are reduced using pick-to-light technology. In terms of order picking productivity and warehouse management, this type of supply chain technology is very popular. With the rise of warehouse management via rapid global e-commerce expansion, the market for pick-to-order products is likely to boom.

The e-commerce warehouses of multinational brands such as Amazon continue to grow in number. In anticipation of the upcoming festive season, Amazon India has expanded its last-mile delivery network in Bengaluru. This will enable the e-commerce giant to deliver faster across the city ahead of the festival season.

The Amazon-owned and partner delivery stations in Karnataka consist of 130, which is the largest among them. Furthermore, With a new robot fulfillment center in Florida and five new delivery stations, Amazon is putting an additional 18.8 billion into the state



Restraints

High cost:

The pick-to-light-directed system enables only one person at a time to be in a work zone, which reduces potential speed. Due to the fact that the lights are tied to the shelving location, expanding or modifying a pick-to-light system can be expensive and time-consuming. System owners generally have to invest a large amount of capital upfront and maintain them for an extended period. When expanding a business, it will be necessary to acquire more equipment.



COVID-19 Impact on Pick To Light Market:

Despite warehouse automation having gained a steady amount of traction for years, COVID is expected to speed up adoption. In order for warehouses to reclaim floor space and increase the efficiency of their workforce, they will turn to automated storage and retrieval systems to help adjust inventory counts, make space for work in process (WIP), speed order deliveries, and implement social distancing.

In order to meet post-COVID challenges, warehouses need this extra capacity. Due to COVID-19, pick-to-light systems and integrated inventory management software have combined to impact the market positively.

Company Profiles

Matthews International Corporation

Toyota Material Handling

Dematic

Honeywell International Inc

Kardex

Schaefer Systems International Pvt Ltd

Aioi-Systems Co.,Ltd.

Vanderlande Industries B.V.

KBS Industrieelektronik GmbH

Knapp AG

Segmentation

By Type

Modern System

Traditional System

By Industry Vertical

Retail

Pharmaceutical

Cosmetics

Food & Beverage

Manufacturing

By Geography

North America

USA

Canada

Mexico

South America

Europe

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Others

Middle East and Africa

Asia Pacific

China

India

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Indonesia

Japan

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3l99qo

Attachment
Sydney, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Moldova-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW





In turn this has resulted in telecom revenue having fallen steadily in recent years. This decline continued into 2020, with a 6.3% in revenue from the important mobile sector alone, year-on-year.



Moldovas aspirations to join the EU have encouraged the government and regulator to adopt a range of measures to bring the countrys telecoms sector into line with EU principles and standards. In July 2017 the Electronic Communications Act was amended to accommodate the 2009 European regulatory framework, while further amendments were adopted in December 2017 and additional changes were proposed in 2019. Moldova is also part of the Eastern Partnership group of countries, and as such has set in train a glidepath to reducing roaming charges, effective between 2022 and 2026. The countrys broadband strategy through to 2025 has been supported by the ITU and industry counterparts from Korea.



The internet market is developing rapidly, and though the penetration rate is well below the average for most European countries there are many opportunities for further development. The market is highly competitive, with 101 active ISPs as of early 2021, though Moldtelecom and Starnet between them account for most connections. The number of cable broadband subscribers is increasing steadily, though fibre is now by far the strongest sector. By the end of 2020 fibre accounted for about 72.3% of all fixed broadband connections.



The mobile market has also grown rapidly, and the sector accounts for the majority of total telecoms revenue. The triopoly of operators is dominated by Orange Moldova, while the launch of LTE services has opened up a new revenue growth opportunity centred on mobile broadband. The near comprehensive geographical reach of their mobile networks, market brand recognition and existing customer relationships will make for steady subscriber growth in coming years.



BuddeComm notes that the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the telecoms market. On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, has offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect has been a reduced (and sometimes negative) subscriber growth, which will continue into 2021.



Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.



On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.



Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.



The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.



Key Developments:



Fintur Holdings sells its stake in Moldcell to CG Cell Technologies;

Regulator preps for multi-spectrum auction with licenses valid to 2029, issues mobile license to IDC;

Orange Group acquires the cableco Sun Communications, secures additional licences in the in the 800MHz and 900MHz bands;

Moldcell expands the reach of LTE services;

Regulator suspends 3.4GHz auction after no bids are offered;

Report update includes regulators market data to December 2020, telcos operating and financial data to Q4 2020, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.
Sydney, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Norway-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW





Although not a member of the European Union, the countrys telecoms sector is synchronised with relevant EC legislation. Telenor is the dominant operator in all sectors, though there is increasing competition from new entrants. Telia Norway increased its market share by acquiring the operations of Tele2, Phonero and Get.



Norway enjoys near comprehensive LTE coverage, while both Telenor and Telia are looking to close their 3G and 2G networks (by 2020 and 2025 respectively), focussing instead on LTE and 5G technologies. The mobile broadband sector was bolstered by the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz and 21MHz band in June 2019. Additional spectrum in the 700MHz is expected to be auctioned for mobile broadband use (5G) in 2021.



The broadband penetration rate is among the highest in Europe, while in recent years subscribers have been migrated to faster broadband solutions over fibre networks, VDSL and upgraded cable infrastructure. The leading ISPs Telenor and NextGenTel have also deployed services based on G.fast technology.



The regulator has called on the government to help fund additional cable infrastructure to reduce the countrys dependence on Telenors networks. In late 2019 the government proposed making broadband of at least 20Mb/s a universal service.



This report introduces the key elements of Norways telecom market, providing statistics and an overview of the regulatory environment, the fixed network operators and their services, and telecom infrastructure. The report also profiles the mobile voice and data market, providing statistics on the main operators, a review of the key regulatory issues, and a snapshot of the consumer market for services. In addition, the report covers the fixed and fixed-wireless broadband sectors, together with developments in related technologies such as Broadband Powerline.



BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.



On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.



Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.



The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.



Key Developments:



Telenor creates a smart building subsidiary;

Regulator consults on proposed multi-spectrum 5G auction set for September 2021;

Regulator recommends measures to reduce dependence on Telenors network;

Telenor to phase out PSTN infrastructure and close its GSM and 3G networks by 2025;

Regulator makes available 700MHz and 900MHz spectrum for offshore use;

Telia achieves speeds of 1Gb/s on its LTE infrastructure;

Telenor to migrate all DSL subscribers to fibre by 2023;

Telenor and NextGenTel pursue G.fast technology;

Municipalities access EU-funded public Wi-Fi scheme;

Report update includes the regulators market data to June 2020, telcos operating and financial data to Q4 2020, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market development.
Sydney, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Afghanistan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW





However, the Talibans return to power following the collapse of the Afghan government and the withdrawal of international security forces has raised the prospect of these ventures never actually seeing the light of day.



The Afghan central government collapsed on August 15, 2021, precipitating the Talibans takeover of Kabul then the remainder of the country almost within a single day. That put an end to a 20-year mission to establish a civil society. It also arrested the development and growth of the countrys telecom sector, which had to start from scratch in building a functioning network and connections to the outside world following the end of the previous Taliban regimes rule in 2001.



Part of the challenge involved building the infrastructure needed to support increasing demand for voice and data as the mobile subscription base rose from zero to close to 100% penetration. Afghanistan was making good progress in rolling out a nationwide optical fibre backbone, and a 400km cross-border fibre link with China (part of the Wakhan Corridor Fibre Optic Survey Project) was close to completion. Yet the Taliban had embarked on a strategy of destroying communications systems  the very same fibre cables being installed around the country as well as hundreds of mobile towers  in the leadup to the US announcing its withdrawal. The Taliban showed disdain for developing a modern communications system in the past; there seems little hope of a change in attitude that would result in the regime taking the final steps to get the fibre networks up and running.



Key developments:





MTN Afghanistan in negotiations to exit the market.

Etisalat selects OpenRAN solutions over Huawei for the upgrade of its 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.

Salaam Telecom is the only successful bidder in a 4G spectrum auction, securing an additional 5MHz in the 1800MHz band.



Companies mentioned in this report:





Afghan Telecom, Salaam Telecom, Afghan Wireless Communications Company (AWCC), Roshan, Etisalat Afghanistan, MTN Afghanistan, Wasel Telecom.







Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Afghanistan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW
Dublin, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Roof Coatings Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global roof coatings market reached a value of US$ 3.32 billion in 2021. Looking forward, the market is projected to reach a value of US$ 4.16 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.60% during 2022-2027.

Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, the analyst is continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different End-use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Roof coatings refer to monolithic, elastomeric, fluid applied roofing membranes that are widely installed for eliminating damages caused by water, heat and ultraviolet (UV) radiations. At present, they are commercially available in varying types, such as acrylic, elastomeric, silicone, plastic and cool.

These coatings aid in reducing the risk of roof leaks, ensuring thermal stability, and maintaining the temperature of the structure, thereby extending the shelf life of the roof. On account of these properties, roof coatings find extensive applications across various sectors.



Roof Coatings Market Trends

One of the key factors driving the market growth is the widespread adoption of roof coatings across the residential, commercial, healthcare, hospitality, and public sectors, for eradicating damage caused by heavy rains and heat. In line with this, the favorable initiatives undertaken by the government bodies of various countries for promoting the usage of green coatings in infrastructures for mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are catalyzing the market growth.

This is further supported by the increasing consumer consciousness regarding the sustainable properties of these roof coatings that consume lesser energy as compared to their conventional counterparts, which is acting as another major growth-inducing factor.

Moreover, the rising commercial building activities across the globe, along with escalating population and evolving lifestyle is, providing an impetus to the market growth. The extensive utilization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the paint roof coatings for the protection from weathering, chemical reaction, ageing and oxidation is considerably contributing to the market growth.

Other factors, such as strategic collaborations between top players and the increasing investments in the research and development (R&D) activities for introducing advanced coatings materials to protect from the torrid heat, are creating a positive outlook for the market.

Key Questions Answered in This Report

How has the global roof coatings market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global roof coatings market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the roof type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the material?

What is the breakup of the market based on the technology?

What is the breakup of the market based on the End-user?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global roof coatings market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being

Akzo Nobel N.V.

BASF SE

Covestro AG

Dow Inc.

Hempel A/S

Huntsman International LLC

Nippon Paint Holdings Co. Ltd.

PPG Industries Inc.

RPM International Inc.

Sika AG

The Sherwin-Williams Company

Wacker Chemie AG

Key Market Segmentation



Breakup by Roof Type:

Low Sloped Roof

Steep Sloped Roof

Others

Breakup by Material:

Elastomeric

Bituminous

Acrylic

Epoxy

Silicone

Others

Breakup by Technology:

Water-based

Solvent-based

Breakup by End-user:

Residential

Commercial

Hospitality

Healthcare

Others

Breakup by Region:

North America

United States

Canada

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Australia

Indonesia

Europe

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Russia

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Middle East and Africa

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yez10u

Attachment
6 May 2022

LEI: 2138003QW2ZAYZODBU23

LSE Code: 3NGS

WISDOMTREE MULTI ASSET ISSUER PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

(a public company incorporated with limited liability in Ireland)

WISDOMTREE NATURAL GAS 3X DAILY SHORT SECURITIES

ISIN:IE00B76BRD76

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF THE AFFECTED SECURITIES

ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING OF THE ETP SECURITYHOLDERS

THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. If you are in any doubt about what action you should take, you are recommended to consult your independent financial adviser.

If you have sold or transferred all of your WisdomTree Natural Gas 3x Daily Short Securities (the Affected Securities) of WisdomTree Multi Asset Issuer Public Limited Company (the Issuer), please send this document, together with the accompanying form of proxy, at once to the purchaser or transferee or stockbroker, banker or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was made, for onward transmission to the purchaser or transferee.

The Issuer wishes to announce that the Meeting of the holders of the Affected Securities scheduled for Friday 6 May 2022, at 11:00 a.m. (the Original Meeting) has been adjourned, in accordance with paragraph 20 of Schedule 7 of the Trust Deed, for lack of a quorum. The adjourned meeting will be reconvened on 11:00 a.m. on Monday 30 May 2022, being a date not more than 30 days after the Original Meeting, and will be held at the offices of Apex IFS Limited in 2nd Floor, Block 5, Irish Life Centre, Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1, D01P767, Ireland (the Adjourned Meeting).

The Adjourned Meeting is being held to consider certain amendments to documentation, made under the powers set out in clause 2 of schedule 7 of the master trust deed of the Affected Securities, required to effect a reduction in the principal amount of the Affected Securities from USD 0.02 to USD 0.002. This follows the price of the Affected Securities falling below 500 per cent. of its current principal amount on 6 April 2022, and is designed to maintain the normal trading and operations of the Affected Securities. Full details of the Proposal and Extraordinary Resolution are set out in the notice dated 13 April 2022.

Under article 11.5 of the Issuers Articles of Association, no further notification is required for the Adjourned Meeting. Holders of the Affected Securities are therefore directed to the original notification, including the circular dated 13 April 2022, and also a revised form of proxy for the Adjourned Meeting, which are available on the website of the Issuer at https://www.wisdomtree.eu/en-gb/resource-library/prospectus-and-regulatory-reports#tab-2A942D42-5AA1-4008-9080-3C2DADB050A7 .

Holders of the Affected Securities should note that a duly completed voting instructions already made in respect of the Original Meeting will NOT continue to be valid for the Adjourned Meeting. Holders of the Affected Securities should therefore not rely on any voting instructions already made in respect of the Original Meeting and should therefore make arrangements to vote again on the matters being considered, in order to participate in the Adjourned Meeting.

Holders of the Affected Securities are advised to check with any bank, securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold their Affected Securities when such intermediary would need to receive instructions from a holder of Affected Securities in order for such holder of Affected Securities to participate in the Adjourned Meeting by the deadlines specified in this circular. The deadlines set by any such intermediary and each ICSD for the submission instructions will be earlier than the relevant deadlines specified in the circular.

In relation to the delivery instructions or obtaining voting certificates or otherwise making arrangements for the giving of voting instructions, in each case through the ICSDs, holders of the Affected Securities should note the particular practice and policy of the relevant ICSDs, including any earlier deadlines set by such ICSD. The deadlines set by any intermediary or by the ICSDs will be earlier than the deadlines set out in the circular.

In accordance with normal practice, The Law Debenture Trust Corporation p.l.c., as trustee, expresses no opinion as to the merits of the Proposal, the terms of which were not negotiated by it. It has however authorised it to be stated that, on the basis of the information contained in the original circular and in this document (which it advises holders of Affected Securities to read carefully) it has no objection to the form in which the Proposal and Notice of Meeting are presented to holders of Affected Securities for their consideration.

Holders of the Affected Securities will be notified of the outcome of the Adjourned Meeting shortly thereafter.

Stuart Gallagher

Director
Sydney, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/North-Korea-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW





Koryolinks 25-year license gave it exclusive rights for the first four years along with a block on any foreign investors from entering the market for a further three years.



Orascom reportedly invested the hefty sum of $400 million to build infrastructure in Pyongyang and a few other major cities, however the high cost of handsets (designed and built in North Korea to allow the government to have full access to all of the communications going through the devices) meant that only the most wealthy (or privileged) could afford to subscribe. Mobile penetration, as a result, has only been able to reach 19%.



Nevertheless, Orascom was able to produce a reasonably healthy return from its venture  or at least it did so on paper. In 2012 (the last year of its monopoly period), Koryolink generated around $360 million in profit. Unfortunately for the majority shareholder, the North Korean government prevented Orascom from repatriating its share of the profit for the full value. Desperately in need of foreign exchange as international sanctions started to bite, the government demanded Orascom to repatriate profits at the unofficial (black market) exchange rate  roughly worth about one-hundredth of the actual amount.



The Orascom holding company in Egypt announced in November 2021 that it had, in effect, given up on North Korea and had written off its share of Koryolink in its stock market filing. Negotiations are continuing for Koryolink to become merged with one of the other state-owned mobile operators (Byol), but the final outcome inevitably involves all of North Koreas mobile services moving under state control.





Key developments:





Orascom writes off its investment in mobile market leader Koryolink, effectively handing over the network to government control.



Companies mentioned in this report:





North Korea Post and Telecommunications Corp (NKPTC), NEAT&T, Sunnet, Lancelot Holdings, Loxley Pacific, Orascom, Koryolink, Kang Song, Byol.







Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/North-Korea-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW
Sydney, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Azerbaijan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW





The reasons for the delay are threefold. Firstly, the MNOs claim that they are yet to see sufficient subscriber demand for higher-speed data capabilities that cannot already be met using existing 4G LTE networks.



Secondly, little progress has been made by the operators in terms of upgrading their infrastructure and core networks to enable the rollout of 5G services. With mobile penetration rates stuck at a little over 100% for more than ten years and mobile broadband just reaching 76% in 2021, the return on investment doesnt appear to stack up (at least for now).



Finally, the regulator has yet to make any firm progress towards releasing 5G-suitable spectrum. Thats possibly a direct result of there being a lack of interest shown by the operators. The government is unlikely to generate sufficient revenue from a spectrum auction at this time.



If overall demand for mobile services suddenly takes off following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in 2022, there is a slim chance of seeing some 5G services go live around the end of the year. Otherwise it might be well into 2023 or beyond before Azerbaijan moves into the next era of mobile communications.





Key developments:





Azercell and Bakcell complete 5G trials but delay announcing the start of commercial services due to insufficient demand and a lack of suitable spectrum.

The regulator extends GSM, 3G, and 4G LTE mobile license agreements with Azercell, Bakcell, and Azerfon for a further ten years.



Companies mentioned in this report:





Aztelekom, AzEuroTel, Azercell, Bakcell, Azerfon, Catel, BakTelekom, Delta Telecom.







Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Azerbaijan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW
Sydney, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Fiji-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW





Both Vodafone and Digicel launched their services, M-PAiSA and MyCash respectively, in 2010. The operators offerings include domestic and international transfers, withdrawals, and bill payments.Operators have focused on partnerships to reach under-served populations, in the islands remote areas, without access to physical bank branches. For example, since 2017, a tie-up between HFC Bank, Vodafone Fiji, the Pacific Financial Inclusion Program, and ePay enables customers to transact using Vodafones M-PAISA service and a number of Point-of-Sale kiosks that are strategically placed in these communities.Meanwhile, in August 2021, Digicel partnered with BSP Bank to launch an Internet Payment Gateway service to allow Digicel customers to top up their MyCash mobile wallets directly from their bank account or a Visa card.The ubiquity of mobile coverage among the population as well as Covid-19 related disruptions to movement have also supported the growth in usage of m-money in recent years; m-money payments increased from around $100 million in 2016 to over $700 million in the first ten months of 2021.





Key developments:





Australian government contributes $1.33 billion of the $1.6 billion cost for Telstra to acquire Digicel Pacific, while the Competition and Consumer Commission approves the transaction subject to conditions;

SpaceX sets up a temporary ground station in Fiji to provide an internet gateway for Tonga;

Authorities launch a joint task force to investigate the telecoms cable and metal theft;

Fijis public health sector and economy devastated by the Delta variant of Covid-19;

Vodafone partners with Aryaka Networks to use the latters SD-WAN solutions to service its enterprise clients, contracts Comms Group to supply wholesale telecom services;

Vodafone partners with ANZ Bank for transfers with M-PAiSA wallets; m-money payments increase from around $100 million in 2016 to over $700 million in the first ten months of 2021;

Fiji government announces a 30-year tax holiday and duty concessions for any company wishing to invest more than FJD$40 million in submarine networks and associated infrastructure development;

TFL announces a five-year plan to expand fibre infrastructure to more parts of the country; nearly completes its LTE network expansion for the Suva-Nausori corridor and parts of city of Lautoka;

The Gondwana-2 international submarine cable to Fiji to be lit later in 2022;

Digicel launches an Internet Payment Gateway (IPG) service in partnership with BSP.

Government allocates $4.7 million to the DigitalFiji project to accelerate the digitisation of public services;

Report update includes the regulators market data to December 2021, telcos' financial and operating data for 2021, recent market developments.



Companies covered in this report include:





Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH), Telecom Fiji (TFL), Fiji International Telecommunications (FINTEL), Kacific Broadband Satellites, Southern Cross Cable Network (SCCN), Vodafone Fiji (VFL), Digicel Fiji, Inkk Mobile, Unwired Fiji, Fintel Internet Services (Kidanet).







Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Fiji-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW
Sydney, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets. - https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Papua-New-Guinea-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW





The ITUs Measuring the Information Society Report, 2018 found Papua New Guinea to be one of the most expensive markets in the world, in terms of broadband prices (ranking it 157th out of the 187 countries surveyed). Only around 22% of the population is connected to the internet, falling far behind the targets recommended in the countrys National Broadband Policy, which was drafted in 2013.



In the fixed line segment, prices are driven by factors including the high costs of network deployments as well as a lack of sufficient competition. Mobile broadband, meanwhile, is gaining traction as a cheaper, more easily accessible alternative, buoyed by operators expansion of 3G and 4G networks in recent years. However, costs in this segment are also high, relative to the low-income base of consumers. A deficit of submarine cable infrastructure also weighs on the countrys prospects for cheaper international bandwidth.



In April 2022, the Independent Consumer Competition Commission released the findings from its preliminary inquiry into Papua New Guineas broadband market. The inquiry was initiated due to consumers complaints about the prices for internet services in the country.



Issues raised by the inquiry include prolonged outages in connectivity from the states wholesale data service provider Dataco, as well as high wholesale prices provided by Dataco.



In 2022, the National Information and Communications Technology Authority is also expected to launch its own inquiry into the retail broadband market.





Key developments:





PIPE Pacific Cable is upgraded from 8Tb/s to 12Tb/s;

Kumul Submarine Cable Network System 1 is lit;

Digitec builds out a greenfield LTE network;

Bmobile, Telikom merger plans continue;

Australian government subsidises Telstras acquisition of Digicels Pacific operations;

Kacific-1 satellite services are made available;

National Executive Committee approves the partial privatisation of Telikom;

Parliament levies a $130 million market concentration levy on Digicel Pacific;

Independent Consumer Competition Commission releases the findings from its preliminary inquiry into the broadband market;

Report update includes an assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.



Companies mentioned in this report include:





Kumul Telikom, Telikom PNG, PNG DataCo, Bmobile (Vodafone), Digicel, Kacific Broadband Satellites







Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Papua-New-Guinea-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?utm_source=GNW
Dublin, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "India Organic Baby Skincare Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The India organic baby skincare market reached a value of US$ 23.5 million in 2021. Looking forward, the market is projected to reach US$ 85.8 million by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 24% during 2022-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, the analyst is continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Organic skincare can be referred to as the skincare regime that extensively involves the utilization of organic products. These products contain organically grown ingredients, which are free from harmful components, such as synthetic fillers and artificial dyes. The skin of a new-born baby differs from that of an adult and needs extra care and protection. Skincare products for baby with organic ingredients as their key components ensure optimum nourishment of their skin health while minimizing the chances of developing rashes or skin irritation, which are often caused by the usage of synthetically processed skincare products.



Rapid urbanization and rising western influences are among the primary factors driving the market for organic baby skincare products' market in India. Coupled with this, the increasing penetration of the internet and aggressive promotional activities by brands on social media platforms, is further contributing to the market growth. Moreover, there is a rising awareness among parents regarding the adverse effects of baby skincare products manufactured with artificial components. This, coupled with the growing expenditure capacities, has consequently led to an increasing inclination towards organic baby skincare products in the country. The thriving e-commerce industry, the expanding working population, and product premiumization are some of the other factors that are creating a positive outlook for the market.



Key Market Segmentation

This report provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the India organic baby skincare market, along with forecasts at the country and regional level from 2022-2027. The report has categorized the market based on skin type, product type and distribution channel.



Breakup by Skin Type:

Flaky Skin

Oily Skin

Dry Skin

Breakup by Product Type:

Baby Oil

Baby Powder

Baby Soaps

Petroleum Jelly

Baby Lotion

Others

Breakup by Distribution Channel:

Hypermarkets and Supermarkets

E-Commerce

Specialty Stores

Retail Pharmacies

Convenience Stores

Breakup by Region:

North India

South India

East India

West India

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Bio Veda Action Research Co., Chicco (Artsana USA, Inc.), Dabur India Ltd, Emami Limited, Johnson & Johnson, Krauter Healthcare Ltd., Lotus Herbals Ltd., Mamaearth, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., Pigeon India Pvt. Ltd., The Himalaya Drug Company, and The Moms Co.



Key Questions Answered in This Report

How has the Indian organic baby skincare market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian organic baby skincare market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the skin type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the product type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the distribution channel?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the market?

What is the structure of the Indian organic baby skincare market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the market?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 India Organic Baby Skincare Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Skin Type

6.1 Flaky Skin

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Oily Skin

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Dry Skin

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Product Type

7.1 Baby Oil

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Baby Powder

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Baby Soaps

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Petroleum Jelly

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast

7.5 Baby Lotion

7.5.1 Market Trends

7.5.2 Market Forecast

7.6 Others

7.6.1 Market Trends

7.6.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Distribution Channel

8.1 Hypermarkets and Supermarkets

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 E-Commerce

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Specialty Stores

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Retail Pharmacies

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Convenience Stores

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Market Structure

13.2 Key Players

13.3 Profiles of Key Players

13.3.1 Bio Veda Action Research Co.

13.3.2 Chicco (Artsana USA, Inc.)

13.3.3 Dabur India Ltd.

13.3.4 Emami Limited

13.3.5 Johnson & Johnson

13.3.6 Krauter Healthcare Limited

13.3.7 Lotus Herbals Ltd.

13.3.8 Mamaearth

13.3.9 Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.

13.3.10 Pigeon India Pvt. Ltd.

13.3.11 The Himalaya Drug Company

13.3.12 The Moms Co.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/971ine

Attachment
Dublin, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Power Inverter Market Report and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



According to this latest report, 'Global Power Inverter Market Report and Forecast 2022-2027', the global power inverter market size reached a value of about USD 71.17 billion in 2021. The market is further expected to increase at a CAGR of about 13.0% between 2022 and 2027 to reach a value of approximately USD 153.12 billion by 2027.



Power inverter is defined as an equipment which converts direct current into alternating current electricity, in order to power various electricity driven mechanisms. The design or circuitry of a power inverter affects the input voltage, output voltage and frequency, and overall power handling. Power inverters come in varied sizes such as 1000 watts, 3000 watts, and 5000 watts, among which, 3000 watts inverter is the most common. Modern power inverters come with USB outlets, digital screens, and mobile phone chargers. The major applications of power inverters include residential, commercial, and industrial. In addition to this, factors like no requirement of fuel, lubricants, or moving parts are the key advantages of this product.



The rising demand for power inverters from the residential sector, owing to the easy installation, rising rates of electrification, increasing standards of living, and growing investments in the preparedness in case of power cuts, is driving the market growth. The operating cost of inverter is low, require less maintenance, and are environment friendly, which are likely to be the invigorating factors of the market. The increasing adoption of high-end electrical equipment and appliances in the household will provide a push to the demand for the product in the forecast period.

Meanwhile, the increasing adoption of solar power systems in the commercial and industrial sector is anticipated to propel the demand for power inverters in the coming years. In terms of region, the Asia Pacific accounts for a significant share in the market owing to the rapid development of power plants, solar plants, and battery storage facilities in the emerging economies. For instance, in December 2021, Sungrow signed a contract with Rays Power Infra under which, a solar plant will be constructed in Bangladesh. Rapid urbanisation and residential and commercial development in India and China are also anticipated to provide impetus to the market in the forecast period.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Preface



2 Report Coverage - Key Segmentation and Scope



3 Report Description

3.1 Market Definition and Outlook

3.2 Properties and Applications

3.3 Market Analysis

3.4 Key Players



4 Key Assumptions



5 Executive Summary

5.1 Overview

5.2 Key Drivers

5.3 Key Developments

5.4 Competitive Structure

5.5 Key Industrial Trends



6 Snapshot

6.1 Global

6.2 Regional



7 Industry Opportunities and Challenges



8 Global Power Inverter Market Analysis

8.1 Key Industry Highlights

8.2 Global Power Inverter Historical Market (2017-2021)

8.3 Global Power Inverter Market Forecast (2022-2027)

8.4 Global Power Inverter Market by Rating

8.4.1 < 5KW

8.4.1.1 Market Share

8.4.1.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.1.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.4.2 5kW to 100kW

8.4.2.1 Market Share

8.4.2.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.2.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.4.3 100kW to 500kW

8.4.3.1 Market Share

8.4.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.4.4 Above 500kW

8.4.4.1 Market Share

8.4.4.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.4.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5 Global Power Inverter Market by Application

8.5.1 Motor Drives

8.5.1.1 Market Share

8.5.1.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.1.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.2 UPS

8.5.2.1 Market Share

8.5.2.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.2.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.3 Rail Traction

8.5.3.1 Market Share

8.5.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.4 Wind Turbines

8.5.4.1 Market Share

8.5.4.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.4.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.5 EVs/HEVs

8.5.5.1 Market Share

8.5.5.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.5.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.6 Solar PVs

8.5.6.1 Market Share

8.5.6.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.6.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.7 Others

8.6 Global Power Inverter Market by End Use

8.6.1 Utilities

8.6.1.1 Market Share

8.6.1.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.1.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.2 Residential

8.6.2.1 Market Share

8.6.2.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.2.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.3 Commercial and Industrial

8.6.3.1 Market Share

8.6.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.3 Automotive and Transportation

8.6.3.1 Market Share

8.6.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.4 Others

8.7 Global Power Inverter Market by Region

8.7.1 Market Share

8.7.1.1 North America

8.7.1.2 Europe

8.7.1.3 Asia Pacific

8.7.1.4 Latin America

8.7.1.5 Middle East and Africa



9 Regional Analysis



10 Market Dynamics

10.1 SWOT Analysis

10.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

10.3 Key Indicators for Demand

10.4 Key Indicators for Price



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Loans and Financial Assistance



13 Project Economics

13.1 Capital Cost of Project

13.2 Techno-Economic Parameters

13.3 Product Pricing and Margins

13.4 Taxation and Depreciation

13.5 Income Projections

13.6 Expenditure Projections

13.7 Financial Projections

13.8 Profit Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Company Profiles

14.2.1 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

14.2.1.1 Company Overview

14.2.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.1.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.1.4 Financial Summary

14.2.1.5 Certifications

14.2.2 SMA Solar Technology AG

14.2.2.1 Company Overview

14.2.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.2.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.2.4 Financial Summary

14.2.2.5 Certifications

14.2.3 Tabuchi Electric Co.,Ltd.

14.2.3.1 Company Overview

14.2.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.3.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.3.4 Financial Summary

14.2.3.5 Certifications

14.2.4 OMRON Corporation

14.2.4.1 Company Overview

14.2.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.4.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.4.4 Financial Summary

14.2.4.5 Certifications

14.2.5 SolarEdge Technologies Inc.

14.2.5.1 Company Overview

14.2.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.5.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.5.4 Financial Summary

14.2.5.5 Certifications

14.2.6 Others



15 Industry Events and Developments

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jip4om

Attachment
TORONTO, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abaxx Technologies Inc., (NEO:ABXX)(OTCQX:ABXXF) (Abaxx or the Company), a financial software company, majority shareholder of Abaxx Singapore Pte. Ltd., the Abaxx Commodity Exchange (ACX), and producer of the SmarterMarkets Podcast, summarizes activities from Q1 2022 and the progress of the Companys business plans for the remainder of Q2 2022.



Highlights:

Pandemic and sanctions on Russia put LNG at center of global energy security strategy

Volatile LNG prices drive recognition of the need for physically-delivered LNG futures contracts to enable transparent pricing and central counterparty (CCP) credit risk mitigation

Opportunities for Abaxx infrastructure and risk management applications have increased

Abaxx Exchange adds supplemental technology developers Exberry and Baymarkets

SmarterMarkets Podcast concludes its Demystifying the Carbon Markets series and begins its commodity risk series: Systems at Risk

Abaxx to hold investor update call on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 at 10:00am EST (Eastern Standard Time)

Dear Shareholders,

LNG supply and security dynamics have moved to the forefront of the geopolitical economic agenda. The need has never been as acute, and opportunity has never been so large for the infrastructure and tools Abaxx is developing for the LNG marketplace specifically, and commodities generally. Abaxx Exchanges structure of a trade order book and central clearing house has been positioned from the formation of the company for these market trends.

Abaxx participation in Q1 at the Futures Industry Association (FIA), Financial Times Global Commodities Summit, and IHS CERA Energy Trading Week confirmed the importance of solutions related to the commercial consequences of recent price volatility including:

the critical need for a physically-delivered, centrally-cleared LNG benchmark futures contracts for reliable hedging and counterparty risk management, and seller of last resort market coordination the traders need for solutions for liquidity pressures created by inefficient margin and collateral usage

Both the FIA and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have recently reported volumes and customer fund balances in futures accounts hit all-time records. The steep change in margin requirements as a result of volatility are a persistent challenge. In addition, the growth in hedging in Asia and new asset classes are demand drivers for our clearing services.

Our commercial team is in constant engagement with a core group of FCMs and clearing members preparing to launch the Exchange. The objective of this development work will be reflected in the capability for Abaxx Exchange to assist in the further reduction of the risks in credit extension by providing more effective hedging instruments and quicker clearing.

There are concurrent development streams ongoing in preparation for the commercial roll out: 1. The Abaxx Technology Suite and 2. The Abaxx Exchange trade order system and central clearing house. The systems are mutually beneficial but not interdependent. Several of the console applications currently in testing will be available to Exchange users in advance of the full commercial launch of the futures products.

Abaxx Technology Suite

Successful testing of the core features of the technology modules include: user testing of proprietary self-sovereign identity, credentialed-user login built on ID++, secure upload/management of test agreements, and testing of two-party bilateral trades linked to the Abaxx GreenHouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.

The rollout and beta launch of the console modules that are core to the Exchange are preceding the futures products and are being introduced to LNG and Carbon trading clients for use in their bi-lateral trading activities. Testing is ongoing and anticipated to be scaled up in Q3-Q4 of 2022.

Abaxx Exchange Product Developments

ACX, through its subsidiaries in Singapore have entered into software agreements with OM2 Ventures Ltd. (dba Exberry) and Baymarkets AS to augment trading, post trade and risk management capabilities. The features and functionality made available through these agreements are intended to enhance the firm's ability to more seamlessly introduce, integrate and deploy future features, marketplace capabilities and proprietary software upgrades consistent with the Companys long term objectives. The company will continue to develop its exchange and post trade services technology capabilities by combining proprietary middleware and third-party software. We closed Q1 2022 with a decision to expand our technology development build which was initially planned as a Phase 2 future functionality set.

These features are supplemental for market acceptance, competitive strength, and risk reduction. Timing for the finalization of Exchange and Clearing member contractual onboarding will still require proof of efficacy and technical integration with FCMs. Specific dates for member and clearing member onboarding can only be approximated based upon the completion of the additional software and will be updated via the continuous disclosure mandate and as confirmed by the regulatory process and FCM partners.

The launch of the Abaxx Exchange remains in process pending the satisfaction of the regulatory conditions listed in the Approval In Principle (AIP) letters. Abaxx Exchange has received regulatory AIP, as a Recognized Market Operator (RMO) and Approved Clearing House (ACH) with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), on September 7, 2020, and August 25, 2021, respectively. The Company is continuing its engagement with regulators regarding timelines for obtaining the final licenses in coordination with clearinghouse finalization and technical integration with launch members.

SmarterMarkets Podcast Series: Demystifying Carbon Markets and Commodities Systems at Risk



SmarterMarkets Media concludes a fourteen part series delving deep into everything from Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to solutions for channeling financial capital to scale Voluntary Carbon Markets. Industry experts included David Antonioli, CEO of Verra, and David Shukman, former BBC Climate Journalist, Barbara Barsma, CEO of Rabo Carbon Bank and several others.

The next planned series, Commodities Systems at Risk, covers ways pandemic and war, supply-chain disruptions and economic sanctions, are testing our markets and risk management systems, revealing weaknesses and potential points of failure. We invite industry experts in market risk management who ensure the security and circulation of the food, energy, and materials we need. Guests will include Walt Lukken, President and CEO of the FIA, Bob Anderson, Head of the CCRO, and Craig Pirrong, Professor of Finance at the University of Houston

Q2 2022 Business Update Investor Call

The Company plans to host a quarterly business update investor presentation, to provide a business update and respond to investor questions.

The Company will hold the investor presentation via Zoom Meetings on Tuesday May 17, 2022 at 10:00a.m. Eastern Standard Time Zone (EST). The Company invites current and prospective shareholders to attend this quarterly business update and Q&A session with the Abaxx executive team. Attendees may email their questions in advance to ir@abaxx.tech.

Registration will be required to access the meeting. Following the presentation, a recording of the session will be made available on the Abaxx Investor Relations website at investors.abaxx.tech .

PRESENTATION DETAILS

DATE Tuesday, May 17nd, 2022 TIME 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) LOCATION Zoom Meeting

To receive the meeting link and passcode, please register here . QUESTIONS Please submit questions ahead of the presentation to: ir@abaxx.tech.



About Abaxx Technologies

Abaxx is a development stage financial software company creating proprietary technological infrastructure for both global commodity exchanges and digital marketplaces. The companys formative technology increases transaction velocity, data security and facilitates improved risk management in the majority owned Abaxx Singapore Pte. Ltd. (ACX, or Abaxx.Exchange) - a commodity futures exchange seeking final regulatory approvals as a Recognized Market Operator (RMO) and Approved Clearing House (ACH) with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Abaxx is a founding shareholder in Base Carbon Corp. and the creator and producer of the SmarterMarkets podcast.

For more information please visit abaxx.tech , abaxx.exchange and SmarterMarkets.media

About Exberry

Exberry delivers a purpose-built exchange infrastructure regardless of the asset class or opportunity. The core technology is deployed to enhance existing exchanges' limited capabilities or to serve as the base for trading new digital assets.

Exberry's technology and software engineering heritage, combined with strategic business counsel, can quickly scale with business growth and is easy to integrate into new and existing ecosystems through well-documented APIs and easy-to-access sandboxes. Exberry also launched Nebula, a unique turnkey solution that provides its clients & partners a full exchange and marketplace solution.

About Baymarkets

Baymarkets AS is an independent vendor of clearing systems for the financial markets and has been operating since 2007.

Baymarkets AS, is a provider of FinTech solutions to the financial services industry. Baymarkets experience has been gained building and operating multi-asset exchange and OTC trading and clearing solutions for some of the largest firms in the industry. These include banks, brokers, exchanges, CCPs and technology providers.

Media and investor inquiries:

Abaxx Technologies Inc.

Paris Golab, Head of Investor Relations

Tel: +1 246 271 0082

E-mail: ir@abaxx.tech

Forward-Looking Statements

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which do not consist of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe Abaxx or the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that Abaxx expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as seeking, believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to Abaxx, Abaxx does not provide any assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, Abaxx objectives, goals or future plans, statements, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Such factors include, among others: risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; the Companys limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for Abaxx to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on Abaxx and the industry; network security risks; the ability of Abaxx to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors which could impact future results of the business of Abaxx include but are not limited to: operations in foreign jurisdictions, protection of intellectual property rights, contractual risk, third party risk; clearinghouse risk, malicious actor risks, third-party software license risk, system failure risk, risk of technological change; dependence of technical infrastructure, an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains. Abaxx has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Abaxx normal course of business.

Abaxx cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. In addition, although Abaxx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. When relying on Abaxx forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Abaxx has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Abaxx as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. Abaxx does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. The NEO Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
LONDON, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kreation, in collaboration with international rap star TYGA, today announces the May 23, 2022, release of the 'Ten Thousand TYGA' (T10T) PFP NFT collection.

The Metaverse-ready collection, comprising 10,000 unique NFT artworks, is the creative vision of TYGA, whose longstanding fascination with the pharaonic tombs of ancient Egypt has found strong expression in other creative projects. Infused with hip-hop cool and a rich, techno-futuristic vibe, this NFT collection came to life through TYGA's close collaboration with HOFA Gallery artists Bran Symondson, 25m42 and Leo Caillard.

Commenting on the significance of this collection, Kreation co-founder Elio D'Anna says, "NFTs are redefining how things are done in the worlds of music and art. And T10T is a sterling example of the accelerating trend of NFT collectibles in the global music industry."

D'Anna adds, "Fans want richer and more personalised engagement with their musical idols, and this collection delivers just that, both in the real world and the Metaverse. Tyga's new NFT collection will take his engagement with fans to a whole new level, and Kreation is proud to be part of making it a reality."

Designed to be more than simple digital collectibles, each NFT artwork doubles as a secure digital pass to exclusive IRL benefits, including access to unreleased tracks, unseen behind-the-scenes materials and a signed real-life print of the NFT. They also grant early access to the rap star's new releases and a coveted cameo spot in his videos.

In addition to Metaverse connectivity, these soon-to-be-released NFT artworks also have built-in play-to-earn (P2E) functionalities that are activated once connected to gaming platforms using wearables. Furthermore, with varying levels of rarity, each artwork is eminently distinct and primed to serve as online and Metaverse avatars for collectors.

The T10T NFT Collection will be available exclusively on the Magic Eden launchpad, which boasts over 800k unique users per day, making it the second-largest NFT marketplace behind Opensea and the largest on the Solana Blockchain.

Kreation and TYGA drop 'Ten Thousand TYGA' (T10T) NFT collection on Magic Eden 23 May 2022

ENDS

www.Kreation.io

Contact:

Emma-Louise O'Neill

emmalouise@thehouseoffineart.com

+44 7515 136909

Notes to Editors:

TYGA

The 33-year-old American Rapper of Afro-Jamaican and Vietnamese descent emerged on the music scene in his late teens to early twenties and has sold over 600,000 albums and 12 million singles. He is also a social media sensation, entrepreneur and Metaverse enthusiast. In 2021, he worked closely with a popular metaverse gaming company as their Pioneering Experience Officer, a stint that saw him become a character in the company's gaming universe. The multi-talented performing artist also has a clothing line inspired by ancient Egyptian art, which took the world of streetwear by storm in the mid-2010s.

Kreation

Kreation is a platform that offers seamless access to ultra-rare and limited edition NFT artworks created in close collaboration with emerging and established contemporary artists as well as icons of pop culture, including entertainers, musicians, and world-renowned athletes. Built on the Metaplex Protocol and in partnership with Magic Eden, Kreation is also a one-stop hub for acquiring, collecting, and trading NFT artworks.

Related Images











Image 1: T10T NFT, TYGA & Kreation, 2022 (Kreation)





NFT from TYGA x Kreation's new 'Ten Thousand TYGA (T10T)' PFP NFT collection, dropping on 23 May 2022









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
ALBANY, N.Y., May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Representatives from the New York Anti Car Theft and Fraud Association (NYACT), The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) joined together with members of the law enforcement community and car dealership owners on Thursday to announce a new initiative to combat the surge in catalytic converter thefts taking place statewide.

A new process allows auto dealers to etch a traceable serial number onto the catalytic converter. The serial number then can be quickly linked back to the vehicle it was stolen from. Those who have questions about the etching kits should contact their local auto dealer association or by contacting NYACT at office@nyact.org or the NYS DMV.

"The sharp increase in the number of catalytic converters being stolen across the country has police and legislators searching for a way to curb the thefts. The New York Anti Car Theft and Fraud Association (NYACT) is proud to partner with the NICB, DMV and NYPD, as well as local and county police departments all over the state, to spearhead this catalytic converter tagging program," stated Nichole Soriano, NYACT Chairperson and Regional Director of Travelers Insurance Company.

NYACT Board of Director and NYPD Detective Thomas Burke provided the video interview while under a car to show how easy it is to apply a serial number easily to two catalytic converters.

Catalytic converters are attached to vehicle mufflers and use precious metals to convert toxic engine exhaust to less harmful gasses. The value of those precious metals has made catalytic converters a hot commodity with a street value of $200 to $500.

The program, Who Let The Cats Out, was started by NYPD Detective Maureen Stefenelli.

According to the DMV, over the past three years, some areas of the state have seen catalytic converter thefts increase up to 200 percent per year and one of the main targets has been new car dealerships. The catalytic converters are expensive to replace and the theft can also cause further damage to the vehicle.

NYACT will be partnering with other organizations all over the state to distribute the identification tags and to provide training for law enforcement and car dealerships to thwart these thefts.

Press Contact: Abby Curro, NYACT, office@nyact.org

Related Images











Image 1: NYACT Cat Tag Kit









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
Dallas, Texas, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Priority Aviation, Inc. (OTC Pink: PJET) (PJET) today announced WaterPure International, Inc. (OTC Pink: WPUR) will join PJETs partnership with Puration, Inc. (OTC Pink: PURA) to build carbon neutral student housing. PURA will participate in the student housing project bringing hemp as construction material and WPUR will bring a solar powered solution.

PJET is a technology company focused on student life. The companys core technology is its soon to be launched Student Housing By Owner (SHBO) APP designed to connect communities local to college campuses with students through an APP similar to Airbnb and VRBO but specific to the college community. PJET plans to evolve the relationship with the students into a lifelong relationship that extends beyond graduation providing a more socially conscious Amazon alternative.

PJET is building its own pilot student housing project in Texas near a small prominent, college campus to build first-hand experience that can be added to the ongoing development of the companys SHBO APP.

PURA has launched its Farmersville Hemp Brand to usher industrial hemp solutions into the market and contribute to the net zero, 2050 global carbon neutrality goal.

Part of the Farmersville Hemp Brand strategy is targeted at disrupting the $600 billion global lumber market .

Hemp is a textile and lumber industry disruptor. Hemp fiber is an alternative to cotton and traditional construction lumber that in fact has many characteristics superior to cotton and traditional lumber before considering the environmental benefits of using hemp. Hemp grows faster than cotton and hard wood forests, uses less water and absorbs more carbon. Hemp can be used in the production of bioplastics and has even been tested for use in supercapacitors which hold the potential to outperform batteries and do so with far less detriment to the environment.

WPUR is a water and electric utilities innovation technology company bringing proprietary technology to make water and electric utilities more efficient, cost effective and carbon neutral. WPUR has partnered extensively with Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC Pink: ALYI) to provide off grid electric vehicle charging solutions. WPUR will implement a solar powered solution for PJETs student housing project.

Company Website  www.pjet-info.com

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.


San Francisco, CA and Warminster, PA, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CalChip Connect, one of the worlds leading decentralized wireless communications hardware distributors, has entered into a distribution partnership with Pollen Mobile, the first privacy-focused mobile network that is owned and operated by its users.

As part of the partnership, CalChip Connect will sell hardware compatible with the Pollen network  including a range of base stations called Flowers  directly to consumers and network entrepreneurs, accelerating the deployment of the anonymous, high-speed wireless network.

To mark the partnership, CalChip will be launching a limited drop of a new type of outdoor Pollen Flower called the Elderflower  essentially a more robust version of Pollens existing Dandelion model  on Tuesday, May 10 at noon ET / 9am PT via CalChips online store. Additional Pollen eSIMs will also be made for sale at Pollens online store.

Weve been highly focused on advancing the future of decentralized mobile networks. Partnering with a leader like Pollen will catapult our efforts, said TJ Rancour, President and Co-Founder of CalChip Connect. Pollen has tremendous potential to revolutionize mobile connectivity, and has built the right infrastructure to support scale.

Pollen Mobiles network is open source, powered by blockchain technology, and built for privacy. It provides an anonymous, accessible, and affordable alternative to traditional mobile carriers.

Members of the Pollen Mobile community are rewarded with PollenCoin, a Solana-based cryptocurrency, in return for contributing services to the network, including providing coverage, validating coverage, and transferring data for end users.

The rapid growth and enthusiasm of the Pollen community since we launched in January has been incredible. We have been selling out of hardware as fast as we can build it, said Anthony Levandowski, Founder and CEO of Pollen Mobile. CalChip will help us catch up with the communitys demand, and were super excited to work with their team to rapidly bring the future of mobile communications into the present.

About CalChip Connect

CalChip Connect (CCC) is the nation's leading IoT distributor. Its passionate team combines extensive supply chain experience with an intimate understanding of the market for connected devices, to expedite access to the highest performing devices in the market today through a modern eCommerce shopping experience. More than just an eCommerce store, CCC helps manufacturers achieve scalable distribution with global warehousing, high-tech sourcing, supply chain management consulting, and component sourcing. More information at www.calchipconnect.com

About Pollen Mobile

Pollen Mobile is catalyzing the development of the worlds first decentralized, user owned and operated mobile network designed for privacy and anonymity. By utilizing open source technologies and protocols, a crypto economy built around the PollenCoin token, and working with partners such as CalChip Connect, Pollen is giving its users the power to take back their mobile privacy with an affordable alternative to traditional mobile carriers. Additional information about Pollen Mobile can be found at www.pollenmobile.io

Pollen Mobile Media Contact: Jon Walton, press@pollenmobile.io

CalChip Connect Media Contact: Benjamin Friend ben@calchipconnect.com

Attachment
BOSTON, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Infosenseglobal announced the community release of ML Sense, a first and unique, no code artificial intelligence platform to develop machine learning models in the most nimble and agile manner. The product comes out of the box with more than 40 machine and deep learning models ready to use. To use this product, end users can ingest data from your local desktop or various cloud sources in CSV or industry-standard formats. This is the very first release of the product since it announced its AI division last in February 2021.

Infosenseglobal CEO Hitesh Ruparelia believes that his existing ERP customers could leverage this platform via simple predefined data connectors for finance, manufacturing, etc., that they could use for everyday AI/ML application needs. He believes ML Sense is a game-changer product. With its unique intuitive, and easy functionalities, customers can perform rapid experimentation and attain speeds never seen before. ML Sense is a SAAS offering. The 100% free-to-use community version has significant functionalities such as automatic feature selection and engineering, data transformation, scenario builder, hypothesis validation, etc. He further adds that these features would be our competitive advantage compared to existing products and create a niche market position for Infosenseglobal. With ML Sense, the business end-users are empowered to initiate and execute ML programs without the need for technical staff such as engineers and data scientists. Customers will be able to complete the program in days that would have taken weeks earlier. Additionally, they would need no knowledge or prior experience in programming, statistics, or advanced skills to implement and choose which ML models will work for their business scenario.

"The good news is that this is just the beginning. ML sense platform is built on top of various open-source mainstream technologies to automate the lifecycle of machine learning applications. Our next goal is to launch this in the marketplace offered by the major cloud providers. The marketplace provides an option to deploy ML Sense in the customers' existing cloud ecosystem. The idea is to provide an alternative solution wherein the customers are not required to bring the data to our platform. This would address the data privacy and compliance-related concerns of our customers. Additionally, many more exciting features and cloud connectors are in the product pipeline soon to be released," said Rajesh Hassija, CTO, Infosenseglobal Inc.

Established in 2006, Infosenseglobal has headquarters in the U.S. and India and offers leading technical business solutions. Backed by deep expertise and experience, Infosenseglobal specializes in creating and delivering bespoke artificial intelligence and machine learning applications for some of the world's leading businesses.

Contact Information

Infosenseglobal, Inc

sales@infosenseglobal.com

1.888.510.2552

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.
Kissimmee, FLA, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- En Espanol

May 6, 2022, Kissimmee, FLA - A unique bilingual center designed to help Hispanics navigate the intricacies of applying for a home loan in Central Florida is now open in Kissimmee, FLA. Ameriunos Home Opportunity Center serves as a resource for prospective buyers as they navigate a financing process that poses challenges to Hispanics who make and save money in nontraditional ways.

The 1,500 sq. ft. center opened its doors in the Loop Mall at 3226 N. John Young Parkway. During a presentation to media, Ameriuno Managing Director Andy Insua explained that existing underwriting guidelines fail to consider financial strategies that are common in the Hispanic community even though many applicants have sufficient cash flow.

The way a loan application is evaluated is based on traditional employment history, credit scores, verifiable assets and length of employment. It does not take into account the norms and behaviors of Hispanics that do not necessarily fit into that box. As a result, these financial and community behaviors are counted against them, said Insua, who also gave the example of many Hispanics preference of cash over credit. Since many are reluctant to use credit cards, their credit history is weak or nonexistent resulting in low credit scores. In addition, Insua said, many Hispanic loan applicants hold several jobs or have multigenerational family members contributing to household expenses.

The cash flow is there but the way it is obtained is not recognized by the current system, Insua explained. Our Ameriuno staff takes the time to educate customers on how they can build up their credit in order to qualify for a home. Equipped with this information, they are in a much stronger position when it comes to making offers.

Insua cited data based on Ameriunos own experience working with applicants in the Orlando market over the last year that showed that Hispanic loan applicants are approved only 15 percent of the time while 68 percent require nurturing or education about what is required to be approved under traditional underwriting guidelines. The rest simply walk away, discouraged by a complex process that requires Spanish speaking buyers to sign documents written in English.

At the Center, Ameriuno staff provide financial education on the ins and outs of loan applications, credit scores, down payments, competitive cash solutions and more in a relaxed, welcoming setting that resembles more of a community or family center. Post-loan programs maintain the relationship so clients can take advantage of future homebuying opportunities.

By emphasizing personalized, face-to-face service with clients in a family-oriented setting, the Home Opportunity Center is bucking the trend of online mortgage banking.

"At a time when most mortgage companies are moving their operations online, Ameriuno is doing the opposite by encouraging our customers to come into the Home Opportunity Center, where we can learn more about their goals and help them throughout the process. And we encourage them to bring their family members and those involved in the decision-making process," Insua said. There is even space dedicated for kids and others family members who might accompany the principal buyer.

The concept aims to close the gap in Hispanic homeownership. Currently, approximately 50 percent of Hispanics own their home compared to 73 percent of non-Hispanic whites. But that trend is expected to change dramatically. Forecasters predict Hispanic buyers will comprise 70% of homeownership growth from 2020 to 2040.

The Center is outfitted with home buying information. Free classes are held to walk potential buyers through every step of the process, including helpful information about loan qualifications, credit scores, appraisals, and more. "We provide answers to just about every question they may have about what's involved in purchasing a home," Insua says. Meanwhile, a nearby game room keeps kids occupied while their parents work out a homebuying strategy.

And it works. Plans are in the works to build the next Home Opportunity Centers in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

About Ameriuno

Ameriuno first opened its doors in Winter Park, Florida, in August 2020 to serve the needs of Orlando's growing Hispanic population. As a full-service mortgage company, it provides Spanish translation and resources for a wide range of mortgage purchase, refinance, renovation, and construction options. These include government-backed programs (FHA, USDA, and VA) that allow many renters to qualify for a home loan through flexible credit guidelines, low down payment options and lower overhead costs. Ameriuno is a division of Amerifirst Financial Corporation, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Visit Ameriuno.com and Amerifirst.com for more information.




HOUSTON, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP) ("Targa" or the "Company") announced today that representatives from the Company will participate in investor meetings at the following investor conferences:



Citis Global Energy, Utilities and Climate Technology Conference on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 in Boston, MA;

Energy Infrastructure Council (EIC) Investor Conference on Monday, May 16 and Tuesday, May 17, 2022 in West Palm Beach, FL; and

Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Energy Conference on Thursday, May 19, 2022 in Houston, TX.



A copy of the slides used for the conference meetings will be available in the Investors section of the Company's website at www.targaresources.com, or by going to https://www.targaresources.com/investors/events.

About Targa Resources Corp.

Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream infrastructure companies in North America. The Company owns, operates, acquires and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary domestic midstream infrastructure assets and its operations are critical to the efficient, safe and reliable delivery of energy across the United States and increasingly to the world. The Companys assets connect natural gas and NGLs to domestic and international markets with growing demand for cleaner fuels and feedstocks. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, transporting, and purchasing and selling natural gas; transporting, storing, fractionating, treating, and purchasing and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; and gathering, storing, terminaling, and purchasing and selling crude oil.

Targa is a FORTUNE 500 company and is included in the S&P 400.

For more information, please visit the Companys website at www.targaresources.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, factors and risks, many of which are outside the Companys control, which could cause results to differ materially from those expected by management of the Company. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, weather, political, economic and market conditions, including a decline in the price and market demand for natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, the impact of pandemics such as COVID-19, commodity price volatility due to ongoing conflict in Ukraine, actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC oil producing countries, the timing and success of business development efforts, and other uncertainties. These and other applicable uncertainties, factors and risks are described more fully in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact the Company's investor relations department by email at

InvestorRelations@targaresources.com or by phone at (713) 584-1133.

Sanjay Lad

Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations

Jennifer Kneale

Chief Financial Officer
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pure Gold Mining Inc. (TSX-V:PGM, LSE:PUR) (PureGold or the Company) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of 200,000,000 units of the Company (the Units) at a price of C$0.15 per Unit (the Offering) for aggregate gross proceeds of C$30 million. The Company may elect to upsize the Offering to up to a maximum of 266,666,666 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$40 million based on demand. Each Unit will consist of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant will be transferrable and entitle the holder to acquire one common share of PureGold for six months from the closing date of the Offering at a price of C$0.18, subject to certain adjustments.

The Company has agreed to pay a cash finders fee of 6% of the aggregate proceeds raised from subscriptions arranged by certain finders.

The Companys largest shareholder, AngloGold Ashanti Limited (AngloGold Ashanti) has the right to maintain its pro rata ownership interest in the Company of up to 19.9% on a partially diluted basis (see press release dated January 27, 2022). The Company expects that AngloGold Ashanti will exercise its right in full, but there is no certainty of this outcome.

Certain directors, officers, and insiders of the Company (collectively, the Interested Persons) are expected to purchase or acquire direction and control over an aggregate of between 10,000,000 and 13,333,333 Units under the Offering. The Interested Persons are each considered a related party of PureGold and the sale of the Units under the Offering to the Interested Persons constitutes a related party transaction within the meaning of MI 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions.

The Offering is expected to close on or about May 13, 2022 and is subject to certain conditions including receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. There is no certainty that the Offering will close. The securities to be issued under the Offering will be issued on a private placement basis and will have a hold period of four months and one day from the applicable closing date in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Offering will be conducted pursuant to available prospectus exemptions, including the accredited investor exemption and the close friends and family exemption.

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Terry Smith, Chief Operating Officer of PureGold states: This financing will give the Company the opportunity to get back on track to becoming a great new mining business in Canada. We have all the ingredients we need to turn around the operation including a strong geological understanding of the asset, a newly established lower cost base, and a talented team that can deliver. We are excited to get to Q3 when well be operating a stable, cash-flowing operation, with a new technical report coming soon thereafter outlining the bright future that the PureGold Mine has.

Use of Proceeds

Proceeds from the equity financing will be used to complete the Companys near-term objectives of ramping up the PureGold Mine to 800 tpd by Q3 2022, reducing operating and sustaining capital costs in Q2 2022 by at least 30% compared to Q1 2022, achieving sustainable positive site-level cash flow by Q3 2022, completing critical trade-off studies in support of the updated Mineral Resource, Mineral Reserve, and Life of Mine plan expected to be released by Q4 2022, and for general corporate purposes.

Operational Update

Since the Companys last press release dated April 22, 2022, additional assay results from the approximately 60,000-metre definition drilling completed since November 2021 have been received. New mining areas have been identified in upper McVeigh (above 1-Level) and in upper Austin, just beneath McVeigh. Both areas are readily accessible with primary development access already in place. These areas are currently being integrated into an updated six-month plan, with the expectation of enhancing the grade and overall tonnes available. Ongoing definition drilling success will translate into inventory growth affirming the Companys confidence in its production forecasts for both ore tonnes and grade throughout the remainder of 2022.

The Company is well on its way to achieving the stated goal of a 30% reduction in operating and sustaining capital costs in Q2 2022 compared to Q1 2022. Based on preliminary results, operating and sustaining capital costs for April were down by approximately C$3.8 million or approximately 27% compared to the average monthly costs in Q1 2022, with further reductions expected in May. The majority of these reductions are expected to be sustainable going forward.

Tony Makuch Joins as Technical Advisor to PureGold

PureGold is also pleased to announce that Mr. Anthony (Tony) Makuch has joined the Company as a Technical Advisor to provide input on mining activities, development strategies, exploration efforts and organizational efficiencies.

Mr. Makuch brings over 40 years of management, operations, and technical experience in the mining industry. Most notably he served as President and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold from 2016 until shortly after its C$30 billion merger with Agnico Eagle Mines which established the worlds third-largest gold producer in February 2022.

Mark ODea, President & CEO of PureGold states: On behalf of our Executive Management Team, I would like to welcome Tony to PureGold. Tonys operational skills in high grade underground mines, including in Red Lake, add significant bench strength to PureGolds growing operational team. His track record as a driving force behind some of the gold mining industrys most successful companies in the last decade speaks for itself. I look forward to working with Tony.

Tony Makuch states: I spent 10 years of my career in the Red Lake Camp, and I hold a soft spot for both the people and the rocks that have made the district world renowned. I see an opportunity to be involved in the creation of value through careful planning, executing, and maintaining a commitment to operational excellence. I look forward to sharing my own experience to help the PureGold Mine reach its potential.

About Tony Makuch

Mr. Makuch brings over 40 years of progressive operations, technical, management and executive leadership, and a proven track record of success and enhancing the value of assets through investment in exploration, development, and performance optimization.

Most recently, Mr. Makuch served as President and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold, transforming the Company from a junior gold producer in 2016 to a global industry leader in 2021, growing from a market capitalization of less than $1 billion to more than $12 billion. Ultimately, he guided Kirkland Lake through its C$30 billion merger with Agnico Eagle Mines, establishing the worlds third-largest gold producer, in February 2022.

From 2008 to 2016, Mr. Makuch was President and CEO at Lake Shore Gold, growing the company from a junior explorer to a +180,000 oz/year producer, culminating in a merger with Tahoe Resources. Between 2006 and 2008, he was Senior VP and COO for FNX Mining, where he led the restart of operations for both the McCreedy West and Levack Mines, and the new build of the Podolsky Mine.

From 1998 to 2005 Mr. Makuch held progressively senior positions with Dynatec, including VP Operations. During this time, he led the successful construction to commercial production of the Midas Mine for Franco Nevada, the development of the Goldcorp Red Lake Mine to production, and various mine development and shaft sinking projects. From 1992 to 1998, he worked with Kinross Gold at a number of their North American operations, which included his role as GM of the Kirkland Lake Operations - Macassa Mine and Timmins Operations  Hoyle Pond Mine.

Mr. Makuch has received many awards and accolades throughout his career including; The Northern Miners Miner of the Year in 2019, the Globe and Mails Canadian CEO of the Year for 2018, and the Digger of the Year Award with Kirkland Lake Gold in 2018 from the Diggers and Dealers in Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (Honours, Applied Earth Sciences) from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, and both a Master of Science Degree in Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Queens University in Ontario. He has served on numerous public boards and holds the ICD.D Designation since 2008 with the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

Qualified Persons and 43-101 Disclosure

Terrence Smith, P.Eng., Chief Operating Officer for the Company, is the designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) and has reviewed and verified that the technical information contained herein is accurate and approves of the written disclosure of same.

About Pure Gold Mining Inc.

PureGold is a Canadian gold mining company, located in the very heart of Red Lake, Ontario, Canada. The Company owns and operates the PureGold Mine, which entered commercial production in 2021 after the successful construction of an 800 tpd underground mine and processing facilities. Gold reserves and resources are centered on a forty-seven square kilometre property with significant discovery potential. PureGolds strategy is to pursue operational excellence today while investing in systematic exploration and phased expansions to fuel discovery and growth for the future.1

Additional information about the Company and its activities may be found on the Companys website at www.puregoldmining.ca and under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com

For further information, see the technical report titled Madsen Gold Project Technical Report Feasibility Study for the Madsen Deposit, Red Lake, Ontario, Canada with an effective date of February 5, 2019, and dated July 5, 2019 (the Feasibility Study), for further information please see puregoldmining.ca or under the Companys Sedar profile at www.sedar.com



ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

" Mark ODea "

Mark ODea, President & CEO



Investor inquiries:

Adrian OBrien, Director, Marketing and Communications

Tel: 604-809-6890

aobrien@puregoldmining.ca

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as amended by Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310.

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.

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to PureGold within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to statements with respect to the timing and completion of the Offering, participation by AngloGold Ashanti and directors and officers of PureGold in the Offering, the receipt of the necessary approvals for the Offering, the use of proceeds for the Offering and certain other matters relating to the proposed Offering, the receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval for the Offering, expectations regarding the new mining areas and the enhancement of the grade and overall tonnes available; and expectations regarding the reduction in operating and sustaining capital costs at the PureGold Mine. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "planned", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made including, among others, assumptions about future prices of gold and other metal prices, currency exchange rates and interest rates, favourable operating conditions, political stability, obtaining governmental approvals and financing on time, obtaining renewals for existing licences and permits and obtaining required licences and permits, labour stability, stability in market conditions, availability of equipment, accuracy of any mineral resources, successful resolution of disputes and anticipated costs and expenditures. Many assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of PureGold and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Such forward-looking information, involves known and unknown risks, which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, risks related to the interpretation of results at the Pure Gold Red Lake Mine complex; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; the costs and timing of the development of new deposits; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; the timing and success of exploration and development activities generally; delays in permitting; possible claims against the Company; the timing of future economic studies; labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration as well as those factors discussed in the Annual Information Form of the Company dated March 30, 2022 in the section entitled "Risk Factors", under PureGolds SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Although PureGold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. PureGold disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.
TORONTO, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JOURDAN RESOURCES INC. (TSXV: JOR; OTCQB: JORFF) (Jourdan or the Company) announces today that it has entered into a marketing services agreement with Stanford & Turner Marketing Group (Stanford). Stanford is a digital media marketing company that provides a combination of content development, web development, media buying and distribution, and reporting and optimization to Jourdan. Pursuant to the agreement, Stanford will assist Jourdan in enhancing its visibility with potential investors through a digital marketing campaign for a total cost of US$75,000 over a three-month period commencing May 9, 2022, and US$25,000 per month on a month-to-month basis thereafter. Stanford is an arms length party from the Company and principally operates out of Los Angeles, California. As of the date of this press release, neither Stanford nor any of its directors and officers own any interest, directly or indirectly, in the securities of the Company. The appointment of Stanford is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.



About Jourdan Resources Inc.

Jourdan Resources Inc. is a Canadian junior mining exploration company trading under the symbol JOR on the TSX Venture Exchange and 2JR1 on the Stuttgart Stock Exchange. The Company is focused on the acquisition, exploration, production, and development of mining properties. The Companys properties are in Quebec, Canada, primarily in the spodumene-bearing pegmatites of the La Corne Batholith, around North American Lithiums producing Quebec Lithium Mine.

For more information:

Rene Bharti, Chief Executive Officer and President

Email: info@jourdaninc.com

Phone: (416) 861-5800

www.jourdaninc.com

Cautionary statements

This press release contains forward looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the engagement of Stanford to build awareness of the Company with potential investors. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking information, including but not limited to: receipt of necessary approvals; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the mining industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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.
NEW YORK, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM or the Company) (NYSE: IBM). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.



The investigation concerns whether IBM 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 October 16, 2018, IBM issued a press release announcing its preliminary results for its third quarter of 2018. The Company reported revenue of $18.8 billion, down 2%, and slowing growth in its Strategic Imperatives line of business.

On this news, IBMs stock price fell $11.07 per share, or 7.6%, to close at $134.05 per share on October 17, 2018.

Then, on October 20, 2021, IBM issued a press release announcing its results for its third quarter of 2021. The Company announced total revenues for the quarter of $17.62 billion, a shortfall of $191.84 million based on analyst estimates. The main culprit was the Cloud & Cognitive Software segment, which had revenues of $5.69 billion, a shortfall of approximately $80 million based on analyst estimates of $5.77 billion. Over 42% of the shortfall of approximately $190 million was attributable to Cloud & Cognitive Software (including IBMs Watson business), the segment where most of the strategic revenue produced by the Companys reclassification of revenues from non-strategic to strategic historically went.

On this news, IBMs stock price fell $12.80 per share, or 9.56%, to close at $121.07 per share on October 21, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris 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, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm 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.pomerantzlaw.com
Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS), a Volvo Group company, will offer a new hub-to-hub autonomous transport solution, designed to serve four main customer segments: shippers; carriers; logistics service providers; and freight brokers. Each solution will be configured to suit the business needs of the specific segments while addressing the growing demand for goods movement in North America.

VAS also announced that it will partner with global logistics provider DHL Supply Chain as its first customer to pilot the hub-to-hub solution, representing Volvos goal to develop a business model with customers that will address all the steps required to bring its autonomous solutions to market with a safe, sustainable approach.





VAS, in collaboration with Aurora (earlier post), has been working on a technical solution to offer autonomous trucks in the US, while also developing a complete Transport-as-a-Service (TaaS) solution for integrated and scalable autonomous freight capacity for highway applications. The Autonomous Transport Solution will be configured to different customer-segment requirements to transport freight autonomously on major US highway networks.

Today, the increasing demand for freight is outgrowing capacity and solutions must be bolder, safer, smarter and more sustainable to move the world forward. This is more than an autonomous truckit is the Autonomous Transport Solution, which we believe will create value for the entire transportation ecosystem, all with optimized operations that reduce emissions and increase safety. Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions

For the company, this is the first step in positioning a dedicated North American operation that is rooted in global experience with autonomous technology applications.

DHL and the Volvo Group have a long history of working together, and this new collaboration will help pave the way for VAS logistics service providers customer segment. The future deployment of the Class 8 Volvo VNL autonomous trucks will be DHLs first TaaS operation globally. As a diversified logistics service provider and carrier with a holistic view of global supply chains, DHL represents an ideal early adopter of autonomous truck technology.

DHL is excited to partner with a leading-edge transportation company in Volvo Autonomous Solutions. We are full-speed-ahead on the adoption of the next wave of transportation solutions including autonomous trucks and confident that global leaders like Volvo will help to accelerate their development. We see huge potential in advanced technology solutions like autonomous trucks to address the needs of our customers around efficiency, reliability and increased capacity, which only hastened during the pandemic. Jim Monkmeyer, President, Transportation, DHL Supply Chain North America

VAS is working across all four customer segments to finalize strategic partnerships with key customerssegment leaders who will pilot the Autonomous Transport Solution. These partnerships will allow VAS to understand the needs of each specific segment in real-world applications and develop and adapt the offerings based on inputs and findings experienced across the entire transportation network.

VAS will be the single point of contact for Autonomous Transport Solution customers, with the goal to be the reliable partner to make their transition a success.
Volta Trucks has outlined its strategic roadmap for its entry into the North American market. The plan will see the first Volta Zero vehicles operating on Los Angeles streets by the end of next year.

The introduction of Volta Trucks 100% battery electric commercial vehicles into North America will be led in 2023 by a Volta Zero Class 7 truck which is equivalent to the existing European 16-ton truck, with a dry or refrigerated cargo box.





The Volta Zero is a purpose-built 100% battery-electric medium-duty truck specifically designed for urban logistics. The ground-up design of the Volta Zero uses a compact eAxle, comprising the electric motor, transmission, and axle all in one unit, supplied by Michigan-based Meritor, and high-voltage batteries located within the chassis rails from California-based Proterra.

Volta Trucks will initially introduce a Pilot Fleet of 100 Class 7 trucks in mid-2023 that will be evaluated by US customers, starting in Los Angeles in mid-2023, with additional cities to follow, ahead of a roll out of production vehicles in 2024.

To date, Volta Trucks has built 24 road-going design verification prototypes which are currently undergoing a testing program in Europe. Ahead of the introduction in North America, the company expects to have already built more than 1,500 full-electric Class 7 trucks for European customers.

As a vehicle specifically designed for urban logistics, the Class 7 Volta Zero will offer a modular battery configuration to deliver a range of 95 - 125 milesmore than enough for downtown distribution routes. The vehicle is designed to accept both AC and DC 250 kW fast charging, which delivers a full charge from empty in just over an hour. Alternatively, one hour of 19 kW AC standard charging will add around 12 miles of driving range.

While commercial vehicles compose a small portion of city traffic, they have historically been involved in a disproportionate number of accidents with vulnerable road users (VRUs). Without the traditional internal combustion engine, Volta Trucks, alongside Astheimer Design, reconfigured the entire driving experience to centrally mount the drivers seat, and lowered it, in order to meet pedestrians and cyclists at eye level. The Volta Zeros glasshouse-style cab offers a 220-degree view around the vehicle, for optimum visual awareness and blind-spot reduction.

With the Volta Zeros innovative central driving position, drivers enter and exit the vehicle on either side, always onto the sidewalk for their own safety, and through sliding rather than swinging doors, to also ensure the safety of passing cyclists.

The 33,000 lbs. Class 7 Volta Zero introduction will be closely followed by a Class 5 vehicle of 19,500 lbs., and a Class 6 truck of 26,000 lbs., equivalent to the European 7.5- and 12-ton vehicles, in 2024/2025.

Class 5 and 6 Volta Zeros, revealed in April 2022 (earlier post), will bear a close visual relationship to the Class 7 vehicle. All Volta Zeros benefit from the same safety standards of the Class 7 vehicle, as well as its zero-emission powertrain. The Class 5 and 6 trucks will be identical to each other from the front, with the Class 6 vehicle having a longer chassis and body, and second set of rear wheels and tires, to accommodate the increased vehicle payload.

With its European experience, Volta Trucks understands the complexities that fleet operators face with the transition to electrification. In response, the company offers its innovative Truck-as-a-Service propositiona one-stop-shop that takes all of the elements needed to electrify a truck fleet, and brings them into a single offering and monthly payment.

In Europe, Truck-as-a-Service comprises a suite of services including the initial site assessment to fully understand the infrastructure needs of a customers depot, through to the installation of the charging set-up. It also includes the finance and insurance of the vehicles to accelerate the adoption, and derisk the ownership, for the customer. Importantly, it also includes all of the vehicles servicing and maintenance requirements over the customers lifetime of use.

Using the same approach as it has adopted in Europe, Volta Trucks will develop its own Volta Trucks Hubs for vehicle service and maintenance. Hubs will be located close to its customers own logistics centers to maximize uptime and convenience. The company will also develop an extensive network of third-party facilities to increase the geographic coverage of service and maintenance outlets.

Work is now underway to kick-off initial US-based manufacturing with an experienced partner, with agreements expected later in 2022. The first Class 7 vehicles delivered to the US will be built at the companys existing contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria, to ensure the quality of the first US vehicles, with all Class 5 and 6 vehicles for North America expected to be built in the US, starting in 2024/25.
Green River Police Department reports for April 27

At 9:50 a.m., officers responded to a report of a student in possession of a vaping device at Green River High School. Officers met with school administration, the student, a parent or guardian and subsequently issued the juvenile, 14, a citation for alleged use or possession of tobacco by a minor - second offense. Officers completed a report of the incident.

At 11:04 a.m., officers responded to a report of a three-vehicle collision at Green River High School. It was reported three vehicles were traveling east in the driveway into the park...
A recent survey of residents about their views on a potential specific purpose sales tax is considered promising by local leaders and has already had impact on the types of projects that will be brought forward.

The sales tax being considered is similar to previous 1% specific purpose taxes passed by Sweetwater County voters in 2012 and 2006, which listed the uses proposed for the tax.

The tax initiative voters defeated in November would have been for a general purpose sales tax, which would have gone directly to the municipal and county general funds and was seen as a means to shore up fu...
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Contributed photo / Greenwich Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed photo / Greenwich Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





GREENWICH  A day of fun and education is scheduled for this Saturday at Greenwich police headquarters on Bruce Place.

Police Day will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, offering tours of the public-safety complex to local residents along with the opportunity to meet members of the department. A wide array of police equipment will be on display.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON (AP)  Lawmakers are working toward compromise on President Joe Bidens $33 billion Ukraine aid request, even as signs emerge that Democrats may need to swallow another COVID-19 setback and drop their goal of wrapping pandemic spending into the package.

Bipartisan talks among House and Senate Appropriations committee leaders are underway in hopes of producing legislation Congress could vote on as soon as next week, members of both parties say. Changes in Bidens proposal are likely  the price tag, particularly for military spending, could rise  but theres wide agreement on the urgency of helping Kyiv and regional allies resist Russias 10-week-old onslaught.

Republican budget-writers are probably knocking some things out and adding some things. But I think by and large, everybody agrees weve got to do all we can to help, said No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota. He said some Republicans believe this package may not be robust enough, but I think it probably strikes close to the right balance.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., cited broad backing for the measure Thursday but warned, This isn't about battling climate change." McConnell aides said he was objecting to some proposed funding to international organizations that Republicans have criticized for spending money on alternative energy initiatives.

If the Senate is serious about helping Ukraine win, we need to show it by passing supplemental assistance. Clean, no strings attached, and soon," McConnell said.

One participant said bargainers must resolve details of Biden proposals to provide health care, food and other benefits to Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. and to strengthen government powers to use assets seized from billionaire friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin to help Ukraine. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to describe the talks publicly.

When Biden sent his $33 billion proposal to Congress last week, he wrote that to avoid needless deaths in the United States and around the world," Congress should include additional billions for COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. Democrats have hoped doing so would pressure the GOP to accept the pandemic spending, which Democrats say is needed to prepare for the virus all but inevitable next curveball.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has resorted to more lawyerly language, not specifying that the two issues should be combined. We need to figure out the best way to get both done, and thats what were going to try to do in the next few weeks, he told reporters Tuesday.

Minutes earlier, McConnell spelled out his view of the best way forward.

There is overwhelming bipartisan support for getting the Ukrainians as much help as they need as quickly as possible, McConnell said. For that to happen here in Congress, that package needs to be moved without the other extraneous issues.

While combining Ukraine and pandemic money into one package has broad Democratic support, bargainers say party leaders havent made a final decision on that yet. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in an interview that he wants funding for Ukraine and COVID-19 tied together because both are crucial.

It may fall out of the bill, Leahy said of the pandemic money, and I think that would be a mistake.

Bidens overall proposal is anchored by $20 billion to help Ukraine and nearby countries defend themselves and replenish U.S. arms shipped to the area. Theres $8.5 billion to bolster Ukraines economy and government and $3 billion for refugees and to supplement food supplies around the world disrupted by the war.

The proposals fine print, contained in White House documents sent to Congress, adds texture to Bidens plans.

It would make it easier for Russians with advanced degrees in more than two dozen sciences  including missile propulsion, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and cybersecurity  to get job-based visas and come to the U.S. Besides strengthening the U.S. in those fields, the move would undercut Russias innovative potential, benefitting U.S. national security, according to the materials accompanying Bidens proposal.

The documents, which break down Bidens defense request by each branch of the military, include $800,000 for the new U.S. Space Force. The expenditures are described as covering intelligence analysis, flying hours, weapon system sustainment and other costs, but no other details are provided. The overall U.S. defense budget is around $800 billion.

Theres nearly $600 million for Patriot anti-missile systems in Europe, money to care for wounded Ukrainian troops at an American military medical center in Germany and a proposal to let Afghan refugees whove fled to this country since the U.S. withdrawal become lawful permanent residents if they qualify.

Rapid approval of Ukraine aid would let both parties avoid an election-year display of dysfunction by spiraling into a spat over the widely popular cause of helping Ukraine avoid being overpowered by Russia.

Passage of Ukraine aid separately would also preserve GOP hopes of boxing Democrats into a corner on border security, an issue Republicans are banking on in Novembers elections for congressional control.

Should Senate Democrats press ahead with a separate pandemic bill, Republicans plan to force a vote on retaining a Trump-era order citing the pandemic as justification for quickly removing asylum-seekers crossing the Mexican border into the U.S. The Biden administration has planned to let that rule expire May 23, and Democrats are divided over whether to extend it.

Already this year, a White House request for $30 billion for the pandemic was cut in half and ultimately dropped by the House. A bipartisan Senate compromise then trimmed it to $10 billion, but stalled over GOP demands for a vote on immigration.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





GREENWICH  The Greenwich Arts Council kicked off its annual Art to the Avenue event on Thursday night, with special events and art displays set up all along Greenwich Avenue.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the community event. It continues throughout the month, with art on display in businesses up and down the Avenue through May 31.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

JINBA, West Bank (AP)  Everything here is makeshift, a result of decades of uncertainty. Homes are made from tin and plastic sheets, water is trucked in and power is obtained from batteries or a few solar panels.

The lives of thousands of Palestinians in a cluster of Bedouin communities in the southern West Bank have been on hold for more than four decades, ever since the land they cultivated and lived on was declared a military firing and training zone by Israel.

Since that decision in early 1981, residents of the Masafer Yatta region have weathered demolitions, property seizures, restrictions, disruptions of food and water supplies as well as the lingering threat of expulsion.

That threat grew significantly this week after Israels Supreme Court upheld a long-standing expulsion order against eight of the 12 Palestinian hamlets forming Masafer Yatta  potentially leaving at least 1,000 people homeless.

On Friday, some residents said they are determined to stay on the land.

The verdict came after a more than two-decade-long legal struggle by Palestinians to remain in their homes. Israel has argued that the residents only use the area for seasonal agriculture and that they had been offered a compromise that would have given them occasional access to the land.

The Palestinians say that if implemented, the ruling opens the way for the eviction of all the 12 communities that have a population of 4,000 people, mostly Bedouins who rely on animal herding and a traditional form of desert agriculture.

The residents of Jinba, one of the hamlets, said Friday that they have opposed any compromise because they have lived in the area long before Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war.

Issa Abu Eram was born in a cave in the rugged mountainous terrain 48 years ago and has endured a tough life because building is banned here.

In the winter, he and his family members live in a cave. In the summer, they stay in caravans near the cave. His goats are a source of income, and on Friday, he had laid out dozens of balls of hardened goat milk yogurt on the roof of a shack to dry.

He said his children grew up with the threat of expulsion hanging over them. They are attending a makeshift school in Jinba, with the oldest son now in 12th grade.

He did not live in any other place except Jinba. How are you going to convince him ... to live somewhere else? he said.

The Palestinian leadership on Friday condemned the Israeli Supreme Court ruling, which was handed down on Wednesday  when most of Israel was shut down for the country's Independence Day.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said the removal order amounts to forced displacement and ethnic cleansing, in violation of international law and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Also on Friday, Israel's interior minister said Israel is set to advance plans for the construction of 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank. If approved, it would be the biggest advancement of settlement plans since the Biden administration took office.

The White House is opposed to settlement growth because it further erodes the possibility of an eventual two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The West Bank has been under Israeli military rule for nearly 55 years. Masafer Yatta is in the 60% of the territory where the Palestinian Authority is prohibited from operating. The Palestinians want the West Bank to form the main part of their future state.

Jewish settlers have established outposts in the area that are not officially authorized by Israel but are protected by the military. Last fall, dozens of settlers attacked a village in the area, and a 4-year-old boy was hospitalized after being struck in the head with a stone.

For now, the families say they have only one choice left: to stay and stick to their land.

I dont have an alternative and they cannot remove me, said farmer Khalid al-Jabarin, standing outside a goat shed. The entire government of Israel cant remove me. We will not leave ... we will not get out of here because we are the inhabitants of the land.

Referring to West Bank settlers who came from other countries, he said: "Why would they bring a replacement from South Africa to live in the high mountains, in our land, and replace us, and remove us, why? 

___

Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada, contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  When the moist concrete walls deep below ground and the mold and the cold and the weeks without fresh fruit or vegetables became too much to bear, some in the bunker underneath Elina Tsybulchenkos office decided to visit the sky.

They made their way, through darkness lit by flashlights and lamps powered by car batteries, to a treasured spot in the bombarded Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian holdout in the ruined city of Mariupol. There, they could look up and see a sliver of blue or smoky gray. It was like peering from the bottom of a well. For those who could not, or dared not, climb to the surface, it was as distant as peace.

But seeing the sky meant hope. It was enough to make Elinas adult daughter, Tetyana, cry.

The Tsybulchenko family was among the first to emerge from the steel plant in a tense, days-long evacuation negotiated by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross with the governments of Russia, which now controls Mariupol, and Ukraine, which wants the city back. A brief cease-fire allowed more than 100 civilians to flee the plant.

They arrived safely in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia this week. There, they described for The Associated Press their two months at the center of hell, and their escape.

Hundreds of civilians and Ukrainian fighters remain trapped at the plant and Russian forces have pushed their way inside. The seizure of Mariupol is expected to play a central role in Moscows celebration on May 9 of Victory Day, historically marking the end of World War II.

In the earliest days of Russias invasion Tsybulchenko, 54, was shocked by the bombardment of her city. Like many residents with memories of civil defense drills, she knew the steel plant had the only real bunkers in town. When she, her husband Serhii, her daughter and her son-in-law Ihor Trotsak decided to hole up in the one under her office, she assumed they would stay a few days.

We didnt even take toothbrushes, Elina said. But a few days turned into 60.

They had brought only their documents, three blankets, two dogs and fruit carried in a basket they used for Orthodox Easter. They didnt think they would mark the holiday there weeks later.

The steel plant has a maze of more than 30 bunkers and tunnels spread out over its 11 square kilometers (4 miles), and each bunker was its own world. Evacuees had little or no communication with those elsewhere in the plant; they would eventually meet on the buses to Zaporizhzhia and compare experiences.

Their isolation complicates estimates of the number of civilians and Ukrainian fighters who remain. A few hundred civilians are still trapped, the Ukrainian side said this week, including more than 20 children. Another evacuation effort was reported underway Friday.

The number of those surviving underground threatens to drop every day. Some evacuees recalled watching in horror as the wounded succumbed to their injuries while first aid supplies, even clean water, ran short or ran out.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko. The weary foreman at the plant fled along with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker; 30 were left behind. They need our help badly, he said. We need to get them out.

In another bunker, the Tsybulchenko family lived among 56 people, including 14 children ages 4 to 17. They survived by dividing among themselves the bare rations that fighters brought down tinned meat, porridge, crackers, salt, sugar, water. There was not enough to go around.

The familys old cocker spaniel suffered, shivering and staring at them with wide eyes. The dog had to die, they decided. It was an act of mercy. They asked a soldier for sleeping pills, but he said the dog might survive and suffer more.

Let me shoot it, he said.

The dog was given a hurried burial above ground amid the shelling; rubble and scrap metal were placed atop it, to protect it from other, starving pets.

There was little comfort. The bunker shook from bombardment. We went to bed like this every night and thought, Will we survive? Elina said.

The Tsybulchenkos and others slept on benches padded with the uniforms of steel plant workers. For toilets, they used buckets. When the bombardment became too heavy to empty the buckets upstairs, they used plastic bags. To pass the time, people made up board games or played cards. One carved bits of wood into toys.

A room in the bunker became a playground for the children. People found markers and paper and held an arts and crafts contest, with the children drawing what they would like to see the most. They drew nature and the sun. As Easter approached in late April, they drew Easter eggs and bunnies.

The drawings were posted on walls that dripped with moisture. Dank-smelling mold crept from the corners and migrated to clothing and blankets. The only way to keep something dry was to wear it. Even after evacuation and after their first proper showers in months, the Tsybulchenkos worried they smelled of mold.

While they tried to collect rainwater, they often used sanitizer to clean themselves and their dishes, to the point where Elina's hands showed an allergic reaction. In the early days, she went up to her office and brought down lotion, deodorant and a few other personal items she had left there.

Then it became too dangerous to go above. Half the building, including her office, collapsed in the bombardment.

Again and again over the two months, people in the bunker would hear word of possible evacuations from Mariupol, only to learn they had failed. When news arrived of the U.N.-negotiated evacuation, there was skepticism and fear. But the planning began with decisions on who should leave first.

Others said the Tsybulchenkos should go because Elinas cramped legs had started to blacken and give her trouble. But there are small children here, and they should go, she said. The others insisted. They assumed the evacuation would continue in the days ahead and take everyone, even the fighters. Some hesitated, wanting to see whether the first evacuation was a success.

A small girl staying behind, Violeta, took a marker and drew a flower, a heart and Good luck on Elinas arm. The bunker residents had shortened the girls name to Leta, or sunlight.

Everyone in the bunker agreed to meet to celebrate at a cafe in Zaporizhzhia when the evacuation was complete.

Were so sorry, the Tsybulchenkos told the others as they started toward the surface.

Dont worry, they replied. Well follow.

___

Elina didnt recognize her workshop. The roof had been blown away. Walls were in ruins. The ground was pocked with craters and strewn with unexploded shells.

As they emerged from an opening in the rubble, the family and other evacuees blinked. After two months, the sunlight hurt their eyes.

It was quiet. The Russian bombardment, for once, had stopped.

The weather was brilliant, said Ivane Bochorishvili, the U.N. deputy humanitarian chief in Ukraine, who approached the plant to await the evacuees. The one when you are waiting for the perfect storm, like the blue sky.

A dangerous stretch lay ahead. A railway bridge near the plant was the receiving point for evacuees. The waiting buses were another kilometer away.

For the evacuation, the Russians had tried to retrieve the mines they had planted. But the machine hadnt detected everything, Bochorishvili said.

As he and a colleague approached in their vehicle, the Russians shouted from hundreds of meters away -- Dont move! The U.N. workers were told to get out and go back carefully to the last checkpoint on foot. The de-mining machine was brought in again. Eight more mines were found.

Ukrainian soldiers walked ahead and behind the evacuees as they finally emerged, making sure the column of people placed their feet safely.

Thank God we didnt see any bodies along the way, Elina said. The Russians had removed them.

Twenty-one people emerged the first day. The rest came out the next. As the second group met the first, there were all these hugs and kisses. Theyd been in Azovstal but hadnt seen each other, didnt know what happened to each other, said Osnat Lubrani, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine.

The buses set off through a ruined city. Makeshift graves lined the streets. People held their heads in grief and disbelief or hugged each other. These people are going to have longtime nightmares, said Esteban Sacco, the U.N. official responsible for the first leg of the bus journey to safety.

And yet they could still see signs of life. It was market day. There were people walking or biking, even children. Some peered through windows of bombed-out buildings.

The evacuees were still far from safe. The buses at first headed not west toward Ukrainian-held territory but east toward Russia. Even the U.N. staffers at first thought they were going there, Sacco said.

In a camp at Bezimenne, near the border, the evacuees said they faced pressure from the Russians to go to their side. The Russians even tried to board the buses, saying they wanted to offer the children candy, but they were kept out.

A Russian priest asked evacuees why they were going to Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine will cease to exist very soon, Elina Tsybulchenko recalled him saying.

The evacuees were questioned and searched, even stripped at times to check for military-style tattoos. Some Russians were polite, said Ihor, Elinas son-in-law. Others were mocking or insulting, especially if he slipped and spoke Ukrainian instead of Russian. Why are you speaking a foreign language? they asked.

The buses turned west for the slow route toward Zaporizhzhia and safety. We always had this fear, Ihor said. We knew we couldve ended up going to Russia.

As the convoy slowly arced around Mariupol, they could see faraway flashes as the Russian bombardment resumed. Two civilian women at the steel plant were killed and 10 civilians wounded, said Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of Ukraines Azov Regiment there.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces pushed into the plants perimeter with heavy, bloody battles.

The evacuees had entered their bunkers in winter. They emerged to a black-and-gray landscape, a grotesque spring. Only after passing through no mans land did Elina notice green and yellow fields again.

They entered Ukrainian-held territory after a harrowing, final stretch of more than 20 checkpoints.

Ukrainian officials had urged residents of Russian-controlled communities to climb aboard the convoy along the way. But in the end, the buses were not allowed to take them. Elina and other evacuees cried as they passed people standing near the road, waiting in vain.

We really felt shame, Elina said. We never stopped.

___

Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, contributed.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Connecticuts legislative sessions concluded Wednesday with a flurry of bills passing the House and Senate  and others failing to draw a vote before the midnight deadline.

In all, the 12-week session included plenty of action, with legislators approving tax cuts for residents, pay raises for state employees, new laws on abortion and voting rights, measures to protect childrens mental health, legislation to reduce carbon emissions and more.

Here are the key bills that passed over the course of the session, as well as some notable proposals that failed.

Key measures that passed

Broad tax cuts

Gov. Ned Lamonts budget, approved by the House and Senate, included hundreds of millions in tax cuts for Connecticut residents.

Those cuts include expanded property tax credits, a one-year child tax credit of $250 per child, a new maximum mill rate for personal vehicles, a temporary increase in the earned income tax credit and the extension of the states gas tax holiday through Dec. 1.

Republicans argued Lamont and his Democratic allies should have gone further, implementing long-term cuts as opposed to temporary ones, while Democrats countered that the package represents one of the largest tax cuts in Connecticut history and the state was limited by federal law in how much deeper it could have gone.

Raises for state employees

Late last month, legislators approved a four-year contract package for state employees worth about $1.9 billion, negotiated by the state and the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition.

The deal included 2.5 percent raises for 46,000 state employees and as much as $3,500 in bonuses for some workers.

The contract passed largely along party lines, with Democrats touting deserved rewards for state employees and Republicans criticizing a deal they viewed as excessive.

Lawmakers also got raises of their own during this session, as part of a separate bill that passed this week, marking their first pay bump in more than two decades.

Childrens mental health

Legislators on Tuesday approved a sweeping package that will provide tens of millions of dollars to address what experts describe as a crisis in childrens mental health  an issue some lawmakers described as the most important of the session.

In the end, the House and Senate passed three bills relating to childrens mental health:

One that will offer grants for school districts to hire and retain more school social workers and counselors, allows school nurses to give students opioid-reversal drugs, permit local school boards to offer remote learning and more.

One that will establish a fund to help families pay for mental health treatment and provide around-the-clock mobile crisis response services, among other measures.

Another aimed at expanding services in the medical sector and the community.

Despite interparty disagreements on some elements of the package, all three bills passed with significant bipartisan support.

Abortion protections

In a move that would appear prescient only days later, lawmakers passed a bill positioning Connecticut as a safe haven for people in other states seeking abortion.

The legislation shields abortion providers in Connecticut from anti-abortion laws passed in other states, while also broadening the categories of medical providers who are authorized to perform abortions.

The news policies gained particular relevance this week when a leaked draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito revealed that the Supreme Court may be preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion if they choose.

Lamont signed the abortion measure Thursday afternoon, saying he had been anxious to do so as soon as possible.

Broader mail-in voting

Lamont in early April signed a bill to allow wider mail-in voting, which proponents say will allow for greater participation at the polls.

While the bill did not allow no-excuse absentee voting, which would require an amendment to the state constitution, it loosened the language in the law, making it possible for commuters and people with a range of disabilities or illnesses to vote by mail.

I want people voting, Lamont said the day he signed the bill. I want people to know that their vote matters. I want people to have a stake in the election and a stake in the outcome. I do believe that the more people who vote, vote with integrity, vote with safety, is the right thing to do for this state.

Juvenile justice

Following several years of political posturing around a short-lived uptick in motor vehicle thefts, lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bipartisan bill that establishes stricter consequences for juveniles convicted of crimes.

The legislation, which awaits Lamonts signature, will shorten the amount of time before young people appear in court, allow GPS monitoring of minors and broaden law enforcement access to minors records.

Despite back and forth between Republicans who sought stricter measures and Democrats who warned that increased penalties would harm Black and Latino children, the final compromise measure eventually passed with broad support in both houses.

Juneteenth holiday

By a vote of 148-1, the House on Wednesday passed a bill making Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery, a state holiday.

The legislation had previously passed the Senate and now heads to Lamont, who has indicated a willingness to sign it.

The Connecticut bill comes nearly a year after President Joe Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday, to be observed each June 19.

Climate legislation

After years of frustration over lack of progress in the legislature, climate advocates had plenty to cheer this session, with a slew of bills intended to reduce carbon emissions in the short and long term.

A bill targeting transportation emissions that adopts Californias emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, establishes a grant program for electric school buses, creating new incentives for electric vehicle purchases and expands access to electric vehicle charging stations passed both houses following extensive debate last week.

A bill that requires Connecticut to obtain all its electricity from clean-energy sources by 2040 passed last week with bipartisan support.

A bill that doubles the amount of solar energy allowed to be produced at commercial and shared solar facilities passed easily last week as well.

Proponents say these measures can help Connecticut get back on track to meet its emissions reduction goals, after a report last year indicated the state was lagging on those targets.

Key measures that failed

Aid-in-dying

After appearing to have some momentum early in the legislative session, a bill that would have let terminally ill people request medication to help them die more quickly failed to pass out of the judiciary committee following a rare parliamentary tactic from Rep. Craig Fishbein, a Wallingford Republican.

It says a lot about support for medical aid in dying, both inside and outside the Capitol, that opponents had to resort to a rarely used parliamentary maneuver to defeat the legislation," Tim Appleton, campaign director for the advocacy group Compassion & Choices, said at the time.

Aid-in-dying proposals have circulated in the Capitol for years and will likely be back in future sessions.

Bolstering the Contracting Standards Board

Despite unanimous passage in the Senate, the House failed to vote on a bill that would have provided more resources and staffing to the states Contracting Standards Board, which provides oversight of contracts the executive branch enters.

Paul Mounds, Lamonts chief of staff, said Thursday that the heads of several executive branch agencies raised concerns about the measure based upon what they saw would be constraints, particularly in their emergency contracting standards.

Republican leaders said they were disappointed the measure failed, arguing the executive branch requires greater accountability.

That was a bipartisan piece of legislation, House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said. We wanted to provide that level of insight, and it was unfortunate that it couldnt get across the finish line.

Housing reforms

It was a relatively quiet session for housing policy, with several proposals to curb soaring rental prices failing to reach the floor.

Multiple bills favored by advocates did not advance out of committee, while an effort to allow housing authorities to develop affordable housing outside their jurisdictions passed through several committees but never came up for a vote in the House or Senate.

An exception: The legislature did pass a bill requiring municipalities with at least 25,000 residents to establish fair rent commissions.

Tesla bill

Lawmakers once again failed to pass a bill that would have allowed Tesla and other electric vehicle manufacturers sell directly to Connecticut residents.

Automakers are required to sell new vehicles through third-party dealerships  not through the company-owned stores and showrooms Tesla and others have opened elsewhere.

While legislation letting Tesla sell its vehicles directly to consumers has now failed several sessions in a row, it will likely be raised again in the future, and proponents remain confident it will eventually succeed.

Ban on flavored vapes

Lawmakers sought first to ban flavored vaping devices altogether, then to limit them to people 21 and older.

Eventually, the proposed legislation failed to come to a vote in either the House or Senate, as opponents argued that vapes are useful in helping people quit smoking traditional cigarettes.

A ban on flavored vapes has been raised in several successive sessions  and will likely come up again in the future.

Alex.Putterman@hearstmediact.com
The iQOO Z5 arrived back in September 2021, followed by a Z5x a month later. Both devices are available only in China, and while the global market welcomed the iQOO Z6 series, a new Z5-named phone by the vivo brand is heading to the domestic scene.

The information comes from Digital Chat Station, who posted on Weibo that the new iQOO Z5 will have a 6,000 mAh battery with 44W fast-charging capabilities.



iQOO Z5

The source also claimed the chipset of this new mysterious phone will be competitive to the Dimensity 8000. There arent many mid-range platforms that can match the octa-core CPU of the Mediatek SoC with four cores at 2.75 GHz, so were expecting the Snapdragon 778G from the original iQOO Z5 to stay.

In other specs, the phone will also have a 6.58 LCD and a thick 9.21 mm body. We are on the lookout for more leaks and teasers for features because apparently, the new iQOO Z5 is just around the corner.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
Qualcomm was rumored to launch the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chipset this month, but a leakster from China revealed we are more likely to see the platform arrive in the second half of the year. According to Digital Chat Station, who is usually on point with such rumors, the reason is the current epidemic situation in China.

State agency Xinhua quoted political leaders in the Asian country that relaxation of measures will undoubtedly lead to a massive number of infections, which will seriously impact the economy and social development of peoples lives and health.

According to Digital Chat Station, Lenovo and Qualcomm have a good relationship, suggesting the first phone with the new chip might be the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra. After all, the Edge 30 Pro (launched in China as Edge X30) was the first with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

The name Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ is still just a suggestion, but expectations are the GPU will receive a boost while the CPU will remain the same as the current flagship - one mighty Cortex-X2 at (almost) 3 GHz, three more Cortex-A710 performance units and four Cortex-A510 cores for efficiency.

Source (in Chinese)
Find out where and how you can get vaccines and testing for COVID-19 this week, based on information provided by Joint Information Center.
The Archdiocese of Aganas assets were revealed to be around $30 million, which will be later used to pay survivors of sexual assault who are filing for compensation.

In a hearing at the District Court of Guam Friday morning, attorneys representing the Archdiocese of Agana and survivors went back and forth explaining the details of assets owned by the Catholic Church on Guam.

Edwin Caldie, who has been the lead attorney in representing the survivors filing for compensation, explained that the breakdown of $30 million consists of liquid cash owned by the Archdiocese and cash to be liquidated after the sale of the Archdioceses property.

The cash assets totaled $9.1 million and the properties owned by the church totaled $21 million, which amounts to $30 million.

A bankruptcy trial previously determined properties such as schools and parishes were part of the Archdioceses assets.

Additional plans

Following Caldies breakdown of the churchs assets, Ford Elsaesser, the attorney representing the Archdiocese, explained parts of the plan include Catholic schools giving full-ride scholarships for the next ten years.

The Archdiocese is contributing 150 elementary school scholarship vouchers and 40 high school vouchers over the next 10 years, Elsaesser said. One hundred nine (scholarships) over 10 years will be provided to the survivors trust for the use of the families that have survivors.

Tudela

One of the first survivors to publicly accuse the Guam clergy of sexual assault back in May 2016, Leo Tudela, spoke about proposed protocols to be set in place to protect altar servers from future assaults by clergy.

Tudela in particular mentioned former Guam priest Father Louis Brouillard, who Tudela told senators in 2016 assaulted him in 1956 while he was an altar boy.

They (clergy) got to be vetted and find out what is your background, are they good priests or are they being sent to Guam to do more damage to young children, Tudela said while holding back tears.

Its very important to us that we dont have any officials or priests that molested a young child, Tudela continued before saying church officials should know they could be subjected to criminal charges if they sexually assault children.
More residents crowded into the Guam Congress Building, including former Gov. Eddie Calvo and obstetrician Dr. Annie Bordallo, to speak for and against the Guam Heartbeat Act of 2022, which would ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected in the womb.

The measure would not be enforced by the government, but allows private citizens to sue anyone aiding and abetting an abortion for up to $10,000. Sen. Telena Nelson, who authored the Heartbeat Act, has said that no woman who has an abortion would be subject to a civil suit if the measure passes into law.

More than 800 written testimonies supporting and opposing the Heartbeat Act were submitted as of Wednesday, according to Speaker Therese Terlaje. Unlimited written testimony may be submitted by Monday at senatorterlaje@gmail.com

Im here to embrace life, said Calvo, whose testimony opened the second round of hearings on Friday.

With the advances of prenatal care and neonatal care (at) 22 to 23 weeks, in the past, that was considered unviable. An early birth? Thats it, there was no way to save the baby. But now with the advances in medicine, they arent being saved, even at that early stage of the gestational process, Calvo said.

He said that while serving as governor, he learned that over 60% of women who got abortions on Guam were CHamoru, a disproportionate number compared to the roughly 40% of the population who are CHamoru. Meanwhile killing an endangered green sea turtle egg was a crime, he said.

Madam Speaker, should the CHamoru people also be considered an endangered people, and with that special protections be made on them and all human beings?

Guam Bar Association President and mother of 11 Jacqueline Terlaje also spoke in support of the bill and played an audio recording of a child in the womb.

The heartbeat  of a 7-week-old child, and that of a child ready to be born is no different, she said, Sounds just like your heartbeat, my heartbeat you cannot deny the heartbeat of this child that you heard, that it is a key indicator of that childs life.

Condone violence

The Heartbeat Act does not allow abortions in the case of rape or incest.

When exceptions are made for these circumstances, we condone violence against a child. In the end, we simply have two victims, the mother and the child  a man who commits such heinous crimes is not subject to the death sentence. Why should a child be sentenced to death for the crime of his father?

Nurse practitioner Carla Haddock, who said she was both the mother of seven and pro-life, spoke in opposition to the measure.

She said the bill wouldnt protect the lives of the unborn, but only mandate that they be born.

The data is clear: Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are more likely to die, she said, adding that some 70% of women on Guam who were of childbearing age were at risk of unintentional pregnancy.

And yet, it is incredibly difficult for mothers in Guam to receive prenatal care. Due to the limited number of (obstetrics) providers on island, just getting an appointment is challenging, and thats for those with health insurance. Imagine how our indigent uninsured or underinsured are, senators. The reality is it wont go away just because we pass this bill, it will likely increase the demand.

At an earlier hearing on Wednesday, Dr. Annie Bordallo, co-owner of Sagua Managu birthing center, appeared in opposition to the Heartbeat Act.

Without question, abortion can be medically necessary, Bordallo said. The science of medicine is not subjective, and a strongly held personal belief should never outweigh scientific evidence.

Inevitable abortions or severely preterm deliveries are some of the more common conditions that can occur unplanned during a pregnancy, where the fetus either will be too premature to be viable outside the uterus or their prematurity and subsequent morbidity can be an unreasonable burden to bear, she said.

This bill will require either waiting until the fetus dies in utero, or the patients life is in danger, to administer medications to induce delivery. No woman should have this decision made by legislators who barely understand the consequences.
A woman charged with allegedly driving a red Jeep into Jerry Kitchen last year will go to trial in July 2022.

Nakita Aguon was charged with driving while impaired as a misdemeanor on July 6, 2021, according to Superior Court of Guam Judge Alberto E. Tolentino who announced the trial date Friday afternoon.

Aguon also filed a motion to request permission to travel to the Philippines for medical purposes that Tolentino saw no reason it should not be granted.

Aguon is scheduled to be off-island between May 11-16.

The charge, which Aguon previously pleaded not guilty to, stems from a Feb. 25, 2021 crash at Jerry Kitchen in Tamuning.

According to charging documents filed three months after the crash, Aguon was the driver of the red Jeep that crashed into the restaurant after a night of drinking.

Aguon and three of her passengers were seen in video footage at a bar taking seven shots in four hours and Aguon taking two more. She was also seen swaying multiple times at one point and laid her head on the bar while the passengers rubbed her back. The passengers were later seen helping Aguon down the stairs as they left the bar, documents state.

Aguon crashed the Jeep into the restaurant 10-15 minutes after leaving the bar and told police she was trying to make a left turn onto Route 14 from Route 1 but lost control of the car, struck the curb and collided with the front wall of the restaurant, documents state.

Aguon was not given a sobriety test but was issued a citation for speeding, which she paid the next day and no arrests were made on the night of the crash. Aguon was charged after a follow-up investigation was conducted by the Guam Police Departments Highway Patrol Division, documents state.
The Guam Election Commission has registered an estimated 722 new voters as they work to sort an error that had the motor voter data of hundreds who renewed their drivers license or Guam ID online with the Department of Revenue and Taxation stuck in limbo.

The motor voter law allows eligible voters to register whenever they apply or renew their Guam drivers license or Guam ID with Rev and Tax. But when Rev and Tax launched an online renewal portal last October, motor voter data wasnt getting sent to the Election Commission. Motor voter data going back even further wasnt transferred, Guam Election Commission Director Maria Pangelinan said in March.

The commission is now rifling through files to get voter information Pangelinan said this week, which has been holding up the commissions monthly update of registered voters.

Ill give you a rough number, we looked at 3,924 files, Pangelinan told commissioners during a Thursday night meeting.

When somebody registers online or even via motor voter, thats manual. It comes into the Guam Election Commission and the Guam Election Commission has to manually upload it. And then they have to manually look at the central voter registration list to ensure that everythings okay with them, Alice Taijeron, chair of the commission said.

The 10 to 15 minutes it took to upload the info translated into many hours over the thousands of applications, she said.

The commission is working with the Division of Motor Vehicles to speed up motor voter registration by letting the commission access the applications in the DMVs system directly so that they dont have to wait for hard copies, Pangelinan said.

The vendor that operates the DMVs software system has to iron out some of the kinks in the programming before that can happen.

Theyre already using it at DMV, they implemented it one day, and then several features kind of froze on them. And so its still testing that and implementing it, and making it a smooth transition so that the customer is not waiting for another hour, Guam Election Commission Program Coordinator Elizabeth Santos told the members.

The other part is that the application form is in a folder, together with all the documents, the social security card, that we shouldnt have access to  so everything has to be redacted, Pangelinan said.

As of March 31, some 50,226 voters were registered with the commission, and motor voter registries added on 400 voters that month, Pangelinan said. A final tally for April is expected by next week.
Former Guam Behavioral Health psychiatrist Abner Pasatiempo is set to go to trial on charges of official misconduct and harassment in August. Pasatiempo appeared in the Superior Court of Guam via teleconference on Friday afternoon where Judge Alberto E. Tolentino said jury selection and trial are scheduled to begin on August 3rd.

Charges

Pasatiempo was charged with seven counts of official misconduct as misdemeanors and seven counts of harassment as petty misdemeanors in connection to his time at Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center. Charging documents state Pasatiempo is accused of asking multiple female patients sexually explicit questions that made them uncomfortable and touching a patients breasts. The charges stem from six women initially filing complaints against Pasatiempo in December 2019 before the seventh woman filed a complaint in January 2020. Pasatiempo was immediately suspended and later allowed his medical license to expire. In the midst of the complaints being filed by the Office of the Attorney General, Pasatiempo was discovered to have been in Alaska where he reapplied for a license but was not able to work in the state until his case in Guam was resolved. Recently, Pasatiempos re-application was denied by the Guam Board of Medical Examiners barring him from practicing on island. Board member Dr. Annie Bordallo cited the criminal charges as being a reason for the license being denied.

Request

In Pasatiempos last hearing before Tolentino, his attorney Curtis Van de veld requested more evidence sent to him in the case. Van de veld said one of the missing pieces of evidence included a meeting Pasatiempo had with Attorney General Leevin Camacho. A lawyer with the Attorney Generals office present at the Friday afternoon hearing said he was going to follow up to see if it was sent to Van de veld, who was not present at the hearing.

Former Guam Behavioral Health psychiatrist Abner Pasatiempo is set to go to trial on charges of official misconduct and harassment in August.

Pasatiempo appeared in the Superior Court of Guam via teleconference on Friday afternoon where Judge Alberto E. Tolentino said jury selection and trial are scheduled to begin on August 3rd.

Charges

Pasatiempo was charged with seven counts of official misconduct as misdemeanors and seven counts of harassment as petty misdemeanors in connection to his time at Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center.

Charging documents state Pasatiempo is accused of asking multiple female patients sexually explicit questions that made them uncomfortable and touching a patients breasts.

The charges stem from six women initially filing complaints against Pasatiempo in December 2019 before the seventh woman filed a complaint in January 2020. Pasatiempo was immediately suspended and later allowed his medical license to expire.

In the midst of the complaints being filed by the Office of the Attorney General, Pasatiempo was discovered to have been in Alaska where he reapplied for a license but was not able to work in the state until his case in Guam was resolved.

Recently, Pasatiempos re-application was denied by the Guam Board of Medical Examiners barring him from practicing on island. Board member Dr. Annie Bordallo cited the criminal charges as being a reason for the license being denied.

Request

In Pasatiempos last hearing before Tolentino, his attorney Curtis Van de veld requested more evidence sent to him in the case. Van de veld said one of the missing pieces of evidence included a meeting Pasatiempo had with Attorney General Leevin Camacho.

A lawyer with the Attorney Generals office present at the Friday afternoon hearing said he was going to follow up to see if it was sent to Van de veld, who was not present at the hearing.




Haiti - FLASH : Gang war, already more than 100 civilian victims (provisional report)





The Directorate of Civil Protection in collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has made available a partial provisional assessment of the armed violence from May 24 to 3, 2022, between the "Mawozo" and "Chen Mechan" gangs which have burst on April 24 in the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets (Shada, Marin, Croix-des-Mission, Santo, Bigarade, Damien, Clercine, Lathan, Lizon, Duvivier) for territorial issues and which intensified on the 2 May in several neighborhoods of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, including Cite Soleil, Bas-Delmas and Martissant.



According to preliminary information collected by partners in the protection sector, between April 24 and May 2, at least 39 people were killed and 68 injured in the neighborhoods of Butte Boyer, Croix-des-Missions, Santo, Cite Soleil, Bel Air and 8 people are missing.



According to estimates drawn from the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), some 9,000 people were forced to flee their homes between 24 April and 3 May. This figure includes 752 people (287 households) located at 9 assembly points (in Clercine, Santo, and Blanchard), some of which are located in areas not accessible due to clashes.



A large number of residents of the affected neighborhoods have left the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets to move to the departments of Centre and Artibonite (Arcahaie, Mirebalais, Saint Marc, Cabaret, and Titanyen). The situation remains volatile and population movements continue. Among the displaced people present on the spontaneous sites, there are many households with young children, pregnant women and also people with disabilities. Many people move through the streets, arms raised to signify that they are unarmed, carrying their belongings to find shelter.



At least 23 houses were burnt down and 48 schools, 5 medical centers and 8 markets had to close.



Companies and shops in the areas of confrontation are closed.



On May 2nd, gunmen entered Marin's hospital looking for firearms. Members of an armed gang attempted to set fire to a church in Saint Martin.



The fighting is paralyzing access to the north of the country from the RN1 and RN3 access roads, which is hampering humanitarian access, which is already seriously compromised for the southern departments. Many NGOs have already had to cancel their planned missions in the north of the country and interventions in the town of Croix-des-Bouquets until further notice.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36580-haiti-insecurity-disrupted-activities-at-the-varreux-terminal-6-tankers-hijacked.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36571-haiti-flash-hundreds-of-people-flee-the-combat-zones.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-36545-icihaiti-anti-gang-operations3-police-officers-injured-in-the-combats.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36536-haiti-gang-war-the-pnh-in-the-combat-zone.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36528-haiti-flash-at-least-20-civilians-killed-in-gang-fighting-zones.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36512-haiti-flash-gang-war-the-plaine-du-cul-de-sac-transformed-into-a-battlefield.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : A Haitian-American woman Spokesperson for the White House





Thursday in a press release, President Joe Biden announced that Karine Jean-Pierre (43) had been appointed as the new White House press spokesperson to replace Jen Psaki, who will leave office on May 13.



Karine Jean-Pierre becomes the first black woman of Haitian origin (born of Haitian parents in New York and clearly identifying as a lesbian, to hold this position. Before her in 1991 there was only one other black woman, Judy Smith, who served as Deputy White House Spokesperson under George W. Bush.



"I am proud to announce that Karine Jean-Pierre will serve as the next White House Press Secretaryy. KKarine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people. Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration," President Biden wrote in his statement.



Find out more about Karine Jean-Pierre :

At 43, Karine Jean-Pierre was born in the Martinique and raised in New York by her Haitian parents who had left the country for economic reasons. She graduated from the prestigious Columbia University, where she was also a professor.



Karine Jean-Pierre is a long-time adviser to President Biden, previously Vice President of the United States of America. Jean-Pierre served as Regional Policy Director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama-Biden administration and Deputy Director for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. She also served as Regional Policy Director for South- Is for President Obama's campaign in 2008.



Reacting to this appointment, the Ambassador of Haiti in Washington. Bocchit Edmond said, "On behalf of the Haitian Government, I would like to congratulate Karine Jean-Pierre on her appointment as the new White House Information Secretary. We are proud of your accomplishments. We are certain that you will be the role model for all young women in America, especially Haitian Americans."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - USA : 3 Haitians and an American charged with having provided weapons and ammunition to the Gang 400 Mawozo





The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, Germine Joly alias "Yonyon" extradited to the USA on May 4 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36576-haiti-flash-the-powerful-leader-of-the-400-wawozo-gang-extradited-to-the-usa.html as well as two other Haitian nationals and the American citizen appeared front the American Prosecutor. Mr. Matthew M. Graves,



Following the appearance, Prosecutor Graves and Special Agent George Piro, in charge of the FBI's field office in Miami, announced in a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), that these 4 people had been indicted for having conspired to smuggle weapons into Haiti to the "400 Mawozo" gang.



The indictment charges Joly Germine alias "Yonyon", 29, a Haitian national; Eliande Tunis, 43, US citizen, from Pompano Beach, Florida; Jocelyn Dor, 29, a Haitian citizen who resided in Orlando, Florida and Walder St. Louis, 33, a Haitian citizen who resided in Miami of conspiracy to violate export control, smuggling and money laundering.



Germine, who was incarcerated in Haiti, continued to direct the operations of the "400 Mawozo" Gang from prison using clandestine cell phones, according to the indictment, which states that Tunis, Dor and Saint-Louis obtained from Germine specifications for the weapons and ammunition that Germine and other gang members needed. Tunis, Dor and St. Louis, who all resided in Florida, purchased a number of firearms from Florida gun shops, including rifles, pistols and handguns, while falsely claiming they were the "true buyers" of these firearms. Tunis, Dor and Saint-Louis then smuggled the firearms and ammunition into Haiti, concealing them in containers from September to November 2021.



The indictment also describes the defendants' use of the US financial system to facilitate illegal gun purchases.



"Yonyon" accused of kidnapping and forcible confinement against American citizens, will appear again on May 17.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36576-haiti-flash-the-powerful-leader-of-the-400-wawozo-gang-extradited-to-the-usa.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





59 illegal Haitian Migrants arrested in Puerto Rico

On Wednesday, May 4, United States Border Patrol agents arrested 59 Haitian migrants in an irregular migration situation after disembarking in Rincon, a municipality on the west coast of Puerto Rico.



Border : Commercial activities paralyzed

Commercial activities on the Haitian-Dominican border (Zone Malpasse) have been completely paralyzed due to the insecurity situation prevailing in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac.



A surprising calm in the Plaine du Cul-de-sac

Thursday reigned a surprising calm in the plain of the Cul-de-sac after more than ten days of bloody clashes between the rival gangs "400 Mawozo" and "Chen Mechan". Automobile traffic had partially resumed but commercial activities were almost non-existent and businesses closed. At Croix-des-Bouquets, a timid resumption of public transport was observed, no gunshot was heard according to testimonies.



A Pediatrician Kidnapped

Thursday at Carrefour La Boule, armed individuals kidnapped Pediatrician Benetty Augustin.



Electricity : Taiwan satisfied with the progress of the works

The Ambassador of Taiwan (Republic of China) Wen-jiann Ku and the delegation led by Jeff C.F. Chung President of the Taiwanese construction firm "Overseas Engineering & Construction Corp. LTDA. S.A" (OECC) notably visited the rehabilitation site of the New Delmas electrical substation. For Taiwan, the progress of the work is very satisfactory.



7,300 Haitians back home in 1 month

During the month of April, 7,300 Haitians crossed the border from the Dominican Republic. 3,158 were repatriated, 896 illegals turned back at the border and 3,246 voluntarily returned to the country... (source GAAR).



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2022/05/05 | Source

Lee Sun-bin showed off her chic charm.

Advertisement

On the 3rd, 1st Look Magazine released a pictorial with actress Lee Sun-bin who showed various charms in the original TVING drama "Work Later, Drink Now" and Watch & Jewelry brand Rosemont.

This pictorial is a concept of 'Romantic Discovery' that expresses 'new' romance, which has free, pure and bold charm, rather than the typical romantic.

In the pictorial, Lee Sun-bin draws attention with a comfortable and chic style, including loose denim overalls, sporty zip-ups, black dresses and ball caps, sleeveless tops and jeans.

In an interview after the photo shoot, Lee Sun-bin said, "I've been longing for wo-mance. I wanted to do a work where I can really melt myself into. I really like playing with girlfriends and we have a lot of fun chemistry. So as soon as I received the script, I thought, 'this is what I was looking for'. As a result, it became a work that received so much love and even helped me gain people. Jung Eun-ji and Han Sunhwa have become so close to me enough to have a group video call for hours", she said, expressing her affection for the drama "Work Later, Drink Now" which was loved by many people.

Regarding future plans, Lee Sun-bin said, "I'm going to run into everything I can venture into. There also has been a lot of work talk. You will be able to see "Work Later, Drink Now - Season 2" in the second half of the year", she replied.

Meanwhile, Lee Sun-bin's pictorial can be found in the 238th issue of First Look.
RABAT, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Morocco on Friday arrested one person with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) group, according to Morocco's intelligence bureau.

The 37-years-old suspect was involved in a terror plot aimed at seriously undermining public order, according to a statement from the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation.

Preliminary investigations revealed that he was monitoring an online terror recruitment platform for the purpose of perpetrating terror acts in the North African country. The suspect secured funds for his plan by breaching the data systems of vital institutions, said the statement.

The suspect has been taken into custody for further investigations. 
City Council OKs rezoning for senior apartments on Sixth Avenue

A divided Hendersonville City Council voted Thursday to grant a rezoning request that could result in 43 affordable senior apartments on Sixth Avenue West at North Oak Street.

The council's 3-2 vote after a long public hearing and presentation by the developer, Ohio-based Woda Cooper, which made numerous concessions in response to concerns raised by the Planning Board and neighboring homeowners. The Hawkins Pointe project would be three stories, which was reduced from four stories, itself a revision from the original request for a five-story building.

Nieghbors argued that the project would put too much traffic on narrow neighborhood streets, especially Florida Avenue directly behind the building, and said the plan for 47 parking spaces would be too few.

Clay Cooper, a vice president of Woda Cooper, said that a large office building permitted by right under the current zoning would add much more traffic and would be more imposing than the apartments.

Mayor Barbara Volk, Lyndsey Simpson and Jennifer Hensley voted in favor of the rezoning. Voting no were council members Jerry Smith and Debbie Roundtree.

Hawkins Pointe is one of three affordable housing developments seeking authority from the N.C. Housing Finance Agency to use tax credit financing to attract investors. Others are the proposed Apple Ridge work force housing development of apartments and single-family homes on Sugarloaf Road and White Pine Villas on Chimney Rock Road. It's expected that only one project in the county will win state approval of tax credit financing. The City Council previously approved rezoning for Apple Ridge. Later Thursday night, the council also authorized rezoning for White Pine Villas.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. RETURN TO THE LIGHTNING FOR MORE COVERAGE.
A SCHOOL in Henley has retained its good rating for a third time.

Valley Road Primary School was inspected by education watchdog Ofsted on two days in March.

In his report, lead inspector James Broadridge said caring relationships were at the heart of the school and pupils behaviour was impeccable.

He praised the school for engaging in the cultural life of Henley to broaden the childrens experience and said core subjects were taught to a high quality.

Mr Broadridge said: Pupils knowledge journey is clearly set out from reception to year 6.

Staff work in small teams to lead all subjects. This enables shared expertise and wider professional development.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, most pupils were firmly on track with those in need of extra help prioritised daily.

Older pupils were found to be avid readers and the schools library had a diverse range of books.

Mr Broadridge said: What is so heartwarming is that pupils donate books to the library. They are keen to spread the joy of reading to others.

However, the report did note that on occasion tasks in some subjects were not challenging enough as teachers put the emphasis on capturing pupils interest through creative activities.

Timothy Coulson, who has led the 190-pupil school for 15 years, said: We were very pleased the school was recognised for what it is and its great that things like attitude, ethos and approach are central to inspections.

There are a lot of positives and the most important thing for us is that they got our ethos  if the children are happy, they are going to learn.

When a parent is thinking about sending their child to us and they look around the school, the real question is, Is this the right school for our children?

I was very proud the inspector picked up on the work of the senior team in delivering the curriculum and of the staff who were able to give evidence of all they were doing and that their hard work was recognised. We have been putting a lot of work into it.

It was a good time to have an inspection as it showed we are going in the right direction.

Mr Coulson put the schools success with home schooling during the coronavirus pandemic down to good communication and positivity. He said: The most important thing for us was using Teams.

We found that if you have strong communication the school will continue even if you are not in the building.

Having a positive frame of mind was also essential: This is tough, but we are going to get through it together.

And you cannot underestimate what parents did to keep their children on track.

Mr Coulson said accepted the inspectors remarks about ensuring more creative activities were fully linked to the curriculum.

He said: While you have to ensure focus, if the one thing you are pulled up on is that you are trying to make learning fun, thats not too much of a problem.

The biggest challenge facing all schools now was financial.

Mr Coulson said: Family heating bills are going through the roof. Schools are looking at heating costs doubling.

The question is, if you are going to pay for this, what are you not going to pay for? My job is to ensure that teachers and pupils do not notice that.

 What do you think? Write to: Letters, Henley Standard, Caxton House, 1 Station Road, Henley or email letters

@henleystandard.co.uk
Director Norman Jewison, right, and star Topol as Tevye on the set of the film version of "Fiddler on the Roof."

(JTA) - Despite his name, Norman Jewison, the director of the 1971 film adaptation of "Fiddler on the Roof," is not Jewish.

The 95-year-old Jewison has often spoken about how, when asked to helm the movie version of the popular Broadway musical about an Old World shtetl, he felt the need to sheepishly inform the producers that he was a goy.

Less well known is that, following the worldwide success of the "Fiddler" movie, Jewison actually wound up embracing the Jewish faith. Though he has never spoken of formally converting, he reveals near the end of the new documentary "Fiddler's Journey to...
Agnes O'Casey as Vivien and Rory Kinnear as National Socialist Party leader Colin Jordan in the PBS miniseries "Ridley Road," about British Jews who infiltrate neo-Nazis in 1962.

(JTA) - It sounds like it could be the story of Purim: A Jewish woman uses her sex appeal to enter the upper reaches of a group whose members are hell-bent on destroying the Jews.

But instead of Esther with King Ahasuerus, imagine her becoming romantically involved with Haman himself - and instead of the Persian Empire, it's the British Empire, circa 1962.

"Ridley Road," a gripping and provocative four-part miniseries debuting on PBS's "Masterpiece" on Sunday after airing on the BBC last year, is a fictional story set in the very real world of British neo-Nazis. Led by Colin Jordan, the N...
This is "Be Kind To Animals" week. I'm still grieving the loss of my dear Chloe, my baby, my dog who died yesterday, April 22. (I write this column more than a week in advance).

Chloe and I were twins... same eyes, same nose, same lips, same thighs, same tummy!)

I wrote this poem for her:

Chloe was my "little girl", she really was my heart,

Her little stub tail had no curl,

(Can I live when we're apart?)

She was with us from 7 months to 13 years and some,

She loved us too (I know that's true,)

She obeyed when I yelled "come."

She loved her food (I claimed to cook,)

And slept right in my ro...
Judith "Judi" Addelston, was 56 and she was born at Doctor's Hospital in New York, New York. She passed away peacefully after a long battle with ovarian cancer on April 16, 2022, at her home in Orlando, Florida. She was surrounded by those she loved.

Judi is survived by her wife of nine years, Karen Dicken, and their children James Santiago Hernandez and Marizayda Torres.

Judi graduated from the elite Hunter College High School in New York. She spent her 10th grade of high school in the "American Class" on Kibbutz Kfar Blum in Israel. She later joined the Israeli Army at the young age of 19.

Judi attended college at Cornell University, Brooklyn College in New York and City University of New York where she earned her Ph.D. in psychology. Upon moving to Florida, she attended Stetson University where she received her master's degree in marriage and family therapy. She taught at Rollins College, in Winter Park, and Valencia Community College in Orlando, where she received her tenure. She taught personality psychology and was assigned by the dean to manage her department. She used her marriage and family degree to open her own practice. Judi also established and owned The Gazebo Wellness Center in Orlando.

Judi had many interests, which included traveling, an reading, and quilting. She also rescued many animals, which became part of her family.

There will be a "Celebration of Life" for Judi on May 15, 2022. It will be held at the Gazebo Training Center located at 1928 Proctor Avenue, Orlando, FL 32817. The service and eulogy will from noon to 1 p.m. with welcoming from 11-noon and refreshments following the service.

In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations be made to the American Cancer Society and the LGBTQ Center of Orlando. Please make donations in honor of Judi Addelston.

Arrangements entrusted to Beth Shalom Memorial Chapel, 640 Lee Road, Orlando FL 32810, 407-599-1180, http://www.bethshalommemorialchapel.com.
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - Some 38,000 new immigrants will celebrate their first Independence Day as Israeli citizens this year, according to figures released by the Jewish Agency on Sunday. The figure marks a two-decade immigration record.

The data also shows that immigration was driven higher by the war in Ukraine, where the Jewish Agency, in cooperation with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews , helped rescue thousands of Jewish refugees. Upon arrival in Israel, the Aliyah and Integration Ministry housed the immigrants in hotels throughout the country.

Meanwhile, many more...
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  At a time when the horrors of the Holocaust are again on the minds of Europe and the world, an alarming new survey shows widespread misunderstanding - and even real doubts - among a surprisingly large number of Americans regarding the darkest chapter in modern world history. The survey, conducted for the Holocaust Education Resource Council, underscores the need for continued and strengthened education to make sure that genocidal outrage is never again repeated or accepted.

Despite decades and volumes of documented evidence about the Holocaust, even as Americans obser...
Congregation Ohev Shalom Men's Club and Sisterhood are hosting a community-wide event to support humanitarian efforts for the people of Ukraine. The program will be held on Sunday, May 22, 2022 at COS.

In addition to raising funds for Ukrainians, this event will be a lot of fun. COS Men's Club member Mark Stone will entertain the audience with his unbelievable mind reading and ESP show, "Mentalmania," sprinkled with lots of comedy. Stone, who is a professional mentalist, will not accept a fee for his show and requested that 100 percent of the proceeds received will go to the Ukrainians.

Sto...
Heritage Florida Jewish News is accepting nominations for the 2021 Heritage Human Service Award, which will be presented at the annual meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando this summer.

For more than 30 years, individuals who have made major, voluntary contributions of their talent, time, energy and effort to the Central Florida community have been honored with the selection and presentation of this award, said Jeff Gaeser, editor and publisher of the Heritage. Last years recipient was Hank Katzen. Former recipients have included Sarah Stern (2017), Howard Lefkowitz (...
Participants on the annual 1.9-mile March of the Living walk from the concentration camp at Auschwitz to the extermination camp of Birkenau in Poland to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, April 28, 2022.

(JNS) POLAND - A Muslim group including participants from across the Arab world took part for the first time in the International March of the Living, the annual 1.9-mile walk from the concentration camp at Auschwitz to the extermination camp of Birkenau in Poland to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. The precedent-setting move was the brainchild of Sharaka, an organization of young Israeli and Gulf State leaders formed in the wake of the Abraham Accords.

The 18-member delegation, including social-media influencers, professors and journalists, came from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Syria,...
(JNS) - Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe and the three other members of the Axiom-1 (Ax-1) mission are on their way back to Earth following a 15-day stay in the International Space Station, according to the Axiom Space website.

Their spacecraft, the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor, undocked from the ISS at 9:10 p.m. ET on Sunday and was scheduled to splash down off the Florida coast on Monday afternoon. The return trip had been delayed for several days due to bad weather.

Stibbe, a businessman and a former Israeli Air Force fighter pilot, is the second Israeli to travel to space and the first to boar...
(JNS) - Jordan fears it is losing its recognized status as official custodian of Jerusalem's holy Muslim sites, including the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, as Palestinians incited by Hamas, other terror groups and the Palestinian Authority continuously held riots during the Muslim month of Ramadan. In at least one incident, rioters nearly set the Al-Aqsa mosque on fire. Jordan has blamed Israel for the violence and for violating the status quo there. And now, it is demanding total control over the Temple Mount, with worrying consequences. But experts say the story goes deeper.

Moshe...
(JNS)  Nearly 80 years after the end of the Holocaust, the worlds oldest hatred continues to rise at alarming rates, despite an increased attempt to stem the tide of hate and the passage of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances working definition of anti-Semitism by more than 800 entities, including governments worldwide.

That is the consensus of a new global study on anti-Semitism from the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, released on Wednesday in time for Yom Hashoah. It found that many major Jewish population centers ...
New immigrants Charley and Shaked Smith, and their baby son, Adar, on April 27, 2022.

(JNS) - Nefesh B'Nefesh, in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA, welcomed its 74,000th new immigrant on Wednesday.

Charley Smith, 34, made aliyah from Florida and reunited with his wife, Shaked, and their son, Adar, who arrived in Israel earlier this month. He landed just one week before Israel celebrates its 74th Independence Day.

Originally from Minneapolis, Charley's connection to the Jewish state began at a young age after his parents, Michael and Shelli Smith, traveled to Israel on a young lea...
WASHINGTON (JTA)  Several dozen members of Congress joined Holocaust survivors to mark Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust remembrance day marked by Jewish communities worldwide, by reading out the names of the dead and hearing testimony in the Capitol building on Wednesday morning.

Rep. Brad Schneider, a Jewish Illinois Democrat who spearheaded the event, said in remarks that the need to commemorate now was made more acute by the atrocities taking place in Russias war against Ukraine.

A million and a half children died in the Holocaust, Schneider said after the name readings, becoming e...
(JTA)  The 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Vanda Semyonovna Obiedkova died near her home in Mariupol, Ukraine, April 4, while the city was under a devastating Russian attack. Her family believed that her survivor testimony died with her.

Obiedkova died, reportedly cold and emaciated, while sheltering in the basement of a store near her home; her daughter and son-in-law fled the city after burying her. The house they shared burned during the attacks, and the VHS tape containing the video testimony Obiedkova had recorded of her Holocaust experience for the USC Shoah Foundation in 1998 was d...
(JNS)  An American Jewish Committee survey of U.S. and Israeli Jewish millennials shows that Israel-Diaspora relations remain strong but also indicates points of divergence regarding what role Diaspora Jews should have in influencing Israeli policies, anti-Semitism in the United States and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The first-ever parallel survey of Jews, ages 25 to 40, was conducted by YouGov in the United States and Geocartography in Israel for ACCESS, AJCs young professional program and AJCs Contemporary Jewish Life Department.

Gauging the views of millennials is criti...
Pete Davidson to star in autobiographical comedy series with a Yiddish name

By Andrew Lapin

(JTA)  Bupkis  meaning nothing, absolutely zilch  is one of those few Yiddish words that have become part of the American lexicon. Its also the name of Pete Davidsons new show.

The series, which will air on NBCs Peacock streaming service, Deadline reported on Wednesday, is a Curb Your Enthusiasm-style R-rated comedy that will combine grounded storytelling with absurd elements, and reflect Davidsons self-deprecating sense of humor.

The title certainly makes it seem lik...
By Cnaan Liphshiz

(JTA) - Their son may be on TV every night, but the parents of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have consistently declined countless requests for interviews about their own lives.

The rabbi of their hometown of Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine's east, however, is apparently much more eager to talk about the Zelenskys, who are Jewish.

This week, Rabbi Liron Ederi, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement's emissary in the city, spoke at length to an Orthodox newspaper in Israel about his ties with Oleksandr and Rymma Zelensky, whom the rabbi said have helped him promote at least two Jewish...
(JNS)  The defeat of the Nazis in World War II ended the Holocaust, but the war against the Jews continued. Muslims and the British administration in Palestine sought to prevent Israels establishment, and in 1948, five Arab armies invaded the newly established Jewish state with the intention of wiping it out. Egypt, Syria and other countries planned to attack again in 1967, but were stopped when Israel launched a preemptive strike. The war against the Jews still went on, however, led by the PLO and, more recently, Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

Although the Nazis were defeat...
(JNS)  Discerning the truth about diplomatic activity is often a matter of sifting out whats real from amid the surrounding noise of governmental spin. That means that at the moment, an accurate assessment of the possibility of a new American nuclear deal with Iran, as well as the state of U.S.-Israel relations may require one to ignore most of the headlines. If so, the optimism currently prevailing in Jerusalem about the prospects of the Biden administration betraying the security interests of Israel, the Arab states as well as the West could prove to be sadly deluded.

At the moment,...
Earlier this month I was watching a U.S. report about the war in Ukraine, which I have been following with a degree of obsessiveness. Its hard to imagine that an unprovoked war is happening at all, much less destroying entire communities. The human tragedy is underscored with more than five million, over 10 percent of Ukrainians, having fled their country. Because I am Jewish and Israeli, I tend to look at this through a Jewish/Israeli prism. This relates to common experiences of war, which Ukrainians are suffering and which Israel has suffered and still does since restoration of Jewish...
(JNS)  The West Bank is occupied by Israel. Wait, no, only part of it is.

The Palestinian Arabs are stateless. Wait, no, a large segment of the region actually is governed by the Palestinian Authority.

These and other contradictory statements all appeared in a single article in The New York Times on April 17 by news correspondent Raja Abdulrahim. I almost feel sorry for her; she seems so confused.

Its not, however, a confusion based on facts that are perplexing or unclear. Its based on the blatant contradictions between the actual situation in Israel and t...
(JNS)  Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the breakout time for Iran to produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon had now come down to a matter of weeks.

This is clearly deeply alarming news. But why did Blinken choose to announce this to the world? After all, it invites the question, So what are you going to do about it?

Blinken told the hearing that renewing the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which lifted sanctions in return for limitations on its nuclear program, remained the best way to address...
HHS is committed to addressing the nations behavioral health crises and strengthening mental health of all Americans.

Today, Secretary Xavier Becerra and leaders across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the following statements in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, which is observed every year in May. As part of President Joe Bidens whole-of-government strategy to transform mental health services for all Americansa key part of the Presidents Unity AgendaSecretary Becerra kicked off the HHS National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health to address the mental health challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including substance use, youth mental health, and suicide. Since kicking off the tour, Secretary Becerra and HHS leaders have been traveling across the country to hear directly from Americans about the mental health challenges theyre facing and engage with local leaders to strengthen the mental health and crisis care system in our communities. The National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health was launched on March 1, 2022, following the State of the Union.

The linked Fact Sheet provides an overview of the Department's efforts to address the nations behavioral health crises and strengthen mental health of all Americans.

Secretary Xavier Becerra: Mental health is an essential part of ones overall health and well-being, which has been even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. At HHS, we are committed to carrying out Presidents Bidens strategy to transform mental health care by improving access, quality of care, and outcomes for all Americans. We know that with the right services and supports, people can and do recover and live full, productive lives in our communities. To those who are in need of support: we care about you and will provide help.

Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine: As we address our nations behavioral health needs, we must give particular consideration to those who have been denied opportunities and are disproportionately impacted by poor access to quality mental health care and roadblocks to their well-being. We must promote better pathways to care and make it as easy as possible for everyone living in America with mental health needs  including common and pervasive conditions like anxiety and depression  to access the resources that will improve their well-being.

Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D.: Mental health is central to overall health. At SAMHSA, during Mental Health Awareness Month, and every day, we will continue working toward better integration of mental and primary healthcare, removing barriers that too often prevent people from seeking help, and increasing access to affordable, quality care. We know that with the right services and supports, people with mental health conditions can and do recover and live full, productive lives in communities of their choosing across the country.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy: This Mental Health Awareness Month, I hope we all take the time to recognize not only the pandemics toll on our mental health  with so many of us experiencing a heightened sense of anxiety, loss, and trauma  but also the urgent need for action. Even before the pandemic, there were alarming and increasing rates of depression and loneliness, especially among young people. Last December, I issued a Surgeon Generals Advisory on the youth mental health crisis in our country, showing how we can all work together to step up for our children and for one another. Destigmatizing discussions around mental health, improving access to care, and supporting one another will help lay the foundation for a healthier nation.

Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary January Contreras: ACF is committed to deepening the integration of mental health support into the existing programs and services that we provide to Americas most vulnerable families, youth and children. Before the pandemic, one in every three people in the United States, which includes nearly half of all people of color, were economically insecure with incomes well below the federal poverty level. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the effects of these already existing racial, social, and economic inequalities. Many low- and moderate-income families experienced unemployment, difficulty paying utility expenses, and lack of child care options, further compounding financial hardships and causing undue worry and anxiety. Supporting mental health is now more critical than ever. ACF pledges to take a whole-family approach to promote the mental health and well-being of the individuals in the communities to which we provide assistance.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Director Robert Valdez, Ph.D., M.H.S.A.: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold loss, fear, depression, and stress, increasing the need for mental health care services among front-line health care professionals and other essential workers, as well as others. Yet, mental health remains a stigma in our society, and fear of judgement and unrealistic work expectations prevent many from seeking care. AHRQs tools offer clinicians improved screening, diagnostic, and treatment approaches. Plus, there are many options for leaders and managers to address societal stigma by encouraging peer support and lowering barriers for workers to seek effective mental health care.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH: "COVID-19 highlighted long-standing and pervasive inequities in mental health in our country. The pandemic also exacerbated preventable challenges that are intertwined with our nations mental health and well-being, including drug overdose, violence, suicide, and adverse childhood experiences. At CDC, we are committed to taking action to protect the mental health of all Americans and to build healthy, resilient communities."

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure: COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated unmet mental health needs, along with disparities in access to care and outcomes. As the nations largest payer of behavioral health services, CMS is working to fill these gaps in access to mental health care services across the lifespan, from infancy through life as an older adult. Were proud of our work to ensure more people in more places across all stages of life can receive high-quality, affordable, person-centered mental health care.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D.: Protecting the nations public health includes promoting and maintaining good mental health for all Americans. The FDA plays a critical role in responding to the changes in our society while protecting and promoting the health of the public across the many areas we regulate. We are committed to continuing to develop the science base that we need to give Americans even more confidence in tools that support healthy behaviors and mental health is no exception.

Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator Carole Johnson: The trauma and loss of COVID-19 has heightened long-standing needs and inequities in our mental health system, and HHS work to address our national mental health crisis is focused on helping all Americans thrive. At HRSA, we are taking action to expand the supply, diversity, and cultural competence of the mental health workforce through our health professions training programs; increasing the number of community health workers and peers; launching new programs to support the mental health and well-being of our heroic health care workers; expanding access to treatment in rural communities; and bolstering the work of HRSA-funded community health centers in addressing the mental health needs of children and families in underserved communities across the country. We will continue to pull all available levers to help meet this critical moment for the nation's mental health.

Indian Health Service Acting Director Elizabeth Fowler: Quality health care requires a focus on more than just physical health. To be physically healthy, we must also be mentally healthy. At the Indian Health Service, strengthening mental and behavioral health is a priority. Our mission is to raise the health status of the American Indian and Alaska Native people to the highest level possible, and we are doing this by providing integrated health and wellness that is holistic and that encompasses all aspects of the mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of Native people and their families and communities. We continue to promote a coordinated system of care between behavioral health and primary care providers across the Indian health system in order to improve the physical and mental health of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

National Institute of Mental Health Director Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.: The need for effective and accessible approaches to mental health care has never been greater. At NIMH, we are working hard to meet this need by supporting rigorous mental health research, paving the way for transformative evidence-based interventions.

Office for Civil Rights Director Lisa J. Pino: Removing discriminatory barriers to persons with mental health needs is essential to ensure full access to services and promote integration in everyday living in our communities across the nation. As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, OCRs continuing commitment and actions to enforce federal non-discrimination laws are a critical piece of the HHS effort to support the Administrations equity work to address barriers and raise awareness of consumers rights and providers obligations under these laws so that all can participate in and benefit from the critical programs the Department provides.
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- River Plate's perfect start to the Copa Libertadores group stage ended on Thursday when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Fortaleza.

Silvio Romero put the hosts ahead with a fourth-minute strike, just the second time that the Argentine side has conceded in four matches so far this competition.

Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 17th minute by converting from the penalty spot after Marcelo Benevenuto brought down Tomas Pochettino.

Romero then went from hero to villain when he was shown a straight red card for a bad challenge with 10 minutes remaining.

But River were unable to capitalize on the numerical advantage as Fortaleza defended defiantly to secure a valuable point.

The result at the Castelao stadium in northeastern Brazil left River with 10 points from four matches, six points ahead of Fortaleza. 
Successful food-focused boutique hotel adding new guest rooms, meeting space, rooftop terrace.

The award-winning Epicurean Hotel is serving up a $21 million expansion project, giving foodies, connoisseurs of life, and culinary explorers even more to love in the stylish Hyde Park district of South Tampa, Florida. Located directly across Howard Avenue from the 137-room main hotel, the expansion will include 51 new guest rooms and suites, a private lobby, meeting space, and rooftop terrace. With a classic, crisp white exterior, historic facade and lush, green landscaping, the four-story structure will incorporate two restored historic apartment buildings and add two floors of parking with 91 spaces. The expansion is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2023.

Calling it Epicurean's "second course," Collier said the overall look and feel of guest rooms, meeting rooms and public spaces will be consistent with the main hotel, but that the expansion gives them an opportunity for innovation and refinement. Public areas will feature a welcoming contrast of warm woods with cool concrete and stainless steel. An original artwork installation of wine and champagne corks, and a contemporary liquor bottle chandelier will greet arriving guests in the lobby.

The 51 new accommodations will consist of 31 standard king rooms, eight deluxe king rooms, three two-room suites, and one junior suite. There will also be eight historical apartments converted into suites with separate dining and living areas, kitchenette, king bed and sleeper sofa. The apartment-style suites will also feature private balconies shaded by chic black-and-white-striped awnings, all overlooking Howard Avenue. Guest rooms and suites will feature signature butcher block counter tops and soft, sophisticated, earth-toned furnishings and finishes, with a dash of culinary-themed touches in the artwork and other decor. Improved technology will also enhance the overall guest experience.

New meeting space will include a 794-square-foot room accommodating up to 50 guests, and a 590-square-foot room ideal for up to 39 guests. The 1,138-square-foot rooftop terrace will also provide a unique option for private events and meetings for up to 130 people, with 44 seated guests.

Orlando-based L2 Studios, Inc. is the architect and interior designer for the project. Additional partners include Cooper Johnson Smith Peterson Architects, Inc. for the exterior concept design, and Nelson Construction, the general contractor, both based in Tampa.

Wherever they lay their heads, guests at Epicurean Hotel will have access to amenities in both buildings, including the state-of-the-art culinary classroom known as the Epicurean Theatre; Elevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar signature restaurant; EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge; Bern's Fine Wines & Spirits wine shop; Evangeline full-service spa; Chill Bros. Scoop Shop; and 5,200-square feet of flexible event space. The Epicurean Hotel was developed in collaboration with Mainsail Lodging & Development and the legendary Bern's Steak House and is the first newly constructed hotel property in the United States to join the prestigious Autograph Collection of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR).

Hotel website
At Arabian Travel Market, we connect you, the global travel trade, with an insight of how the industry will look in the next five years, share innovations, and create endless business opportunities over the course of four days.

Our conference programme is specifically created with you in mind. Hear from top motivational speakers, entrepreneurs, and leadership figures from a variety of sectors such as Destinations, Travel Technology, Airlines, Cruise, Hospitality, Car Rental, Hotels and Hospitality.

You'll also find practical tips and simple innovations from exhibitors and new products being showcased exclusively at ATM.

For the first time ever, ATM 2021 was a hybrid event with an in-person show in the Dubai World Trade Centre and a virtual event which took place the following week designed for those who could not attend the show in Dubai. Our visitors contributed to what was an incredible and successful event, so thank you again for attending and we look forward to seeing you in 2022.

This event is organized by RX
Swiss-Belhotel International has announced ambitious expansion plans with a strategic focus on Central and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. As part of the move the group recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Odyssey Group to support its expansion in Japan.

Swiss-Belhotel International is looking at other asset management alliances globally to support its expansion and is presently negotiating on more opportunities. This is a real pivot and change in the expansion approach by working with third party asset managers and investment bankers.

Making the announcement at the Arabian Travel Market, Mr. Gavin M. Faull, Chairman and President of Swiss-Belhotel International, stated, We are well placed to take advantage of the growing confidence in travel and very excited to continue our global expansion with a strong focus on Central and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. These regions hold enormous potential for our brands and are important growth markets for us. Today we are at 125 hotels and are aiming towards a healthy growth of 250 hotels by 2030. Working closely with our owners we have been successfully navigating the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic and look forward to driving value to our owners, associates, employees, and guests through our diverse brands.

As part of its robust expansion in Southeast Asia, Swiss-Belhotel International has recently set up a regional office in Thailand. The company is looking to capitalize on new opportunities in priority markets like Thailand and Vietnam where it has multiple hotel projects in advanced negotiations.

Mr. Faull added, While we are particularly pleased with our progress in Thailand and Vietnam, Southeast Asia as a whole offers tremendous opportunity to expand our footprint further. Our collaboration with the Odyssey Group, which is one of Asias leading mid-market private market asset managers providing differentiated and bespoke investment solutions across multiple asset classes, is aimed at bolstering our expansion in Japan.

As the travel market continues to recover, Swiss-Belhotel International is also looking to increase its presence in Africa with several deals under negotiation. African countries are still underserved by branded hotel supply despite solid domestic demand. We are witnessing strong owner interest in our brands across Africa with many promising opportunities in the pipeline that we expect to finalise soon.

Visit us at Arabian Travel Market:

On-site presence: Stand no. HC0930, Sheikh Saeed Hall 1

Virtual Experience: Register Here

About Swiss-Belhotel International

Swiss-Belhotel International is currently in 19* countries, managing a portfolio of more than 125* hotels, resorts and projects located in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Tanzania. The Group provides comprehensive and highly professional development and management services in all aspects of hotel, resort and serviced residences. Offices are strategically located in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, China, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Vietnam and Thailand covering Oceania, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and India regions.

*numbers may fluctuate

For further information visit https://www.swiss-belhotel.com.
The course will focus on presenting, illustrating and discussing what hospitality concepts are exactly, how to design and implement them.

Course content

Each session will develop a specific aspect of designing concepts for

hotels and Food & Beverage businesses:

Fundamentals: history, role and evolution of hotel and F&B concepts

Strategy: hospitality concept framework

People: target segments & community building

Story making: brand story canvas

Space: zoning, customer flow, interior design

Services: offering and digitalization

Identity & Communication: visual identity, creative content, communication channels

What makes this course special?

Insightful guest speakers who launched fresh hospitality concepts

Opportunities to network with other participants and guest speakers

Variety of learning formats, including team work, workshops and discussion with industry experts

Course offered by EHL, ranked #1 in 2020 QS World University ranking for Hospitality & Leisure Management Universities

All course material accessible through an online Learning Management System

Why take this course?

You should take this course if you want to:

Learn how to design and develop a successful hospitality concept - from the strategic and creative level down to the day-to-day operations

Discover how existing hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars and private clubs can be turned around with a strong concept

Who Should Attend?

This course is particularly designed for you if you are an entrepreneur or if you hold a managing position in a hotel, private club, F&B group or hospitality-related business, with a minimum 5 years' experience. Typical participants are:

Hospitality Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

Hotel Managers

CLICK HERE to learn more about this course.

Short 3-Day Course at EHL Hospitality Business School: Designing Hotel and Restaurant Concepts Photo by EHL

CLICK HERE to learn more about this course.

About EHL Group

EHL Group encompasses a portfolio of specialized business units that deliver hospitality management education and innovation worldwide. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Group includes:

EHL Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne is an ambassador for traditional Swiss hospitality and has been a pioneer in hospitality education since 1893 with over 25,000 alumni worldwide and over 120 nationalities. EHL is the world's first hospitality management school that provides undergraduate and graduate programs at its campuses in Lausanne, Singapore and Chur-Passugg, as well as online learning solutions. The university of applied sciences is ranked n1 by QS World University Rankings by subject and CEOWorld Magazine, and its gastronomic restaurant is the world's only educational establishment to hold a Michelin Star for a third consecutive year.

EHL Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality has been one of the leading hospitality management colleges for hotel specialists for over 50 years. The College delivers Swiss-accredited federal diplomas of vocational education and training and of higher education in its 19th century spa-hotel in Chur-Passugg, Graubunden, to Swiss and international students from 30 countries.

EHL Advisory Services is the largest Swiss hospitality advisory company specializing in service culture implementation, business consulting, as well as the development and quality assurance of learning centers. EHL Advisory Services has offices in Lausanne, Beijing, Shanghai and New Delhi and has delivered mandates in more than 60 countries over the past 40 years.

www.ehlgroup.com

Anne TREACY-PELICHET

Recruitment & Admissions Manager  Graduate Programs

EHL
During the Covid crisis, many hospitality players suffered, some weathered the storm and a few even thrived. As the pandemic finally recedes and another threat surges to the forefront, we take a look back at how hospitality has been reshaped by recent events in Switzerland. Two specialists from the EHL Hospitality Business School delve into the statistics before and during Covid, and draw some surprising conclusions. Dr. Stefano Borzillo, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, specializes in topics relating to individual and collective performance and for a more financial perspective, Dr. Augusto Hasman, also an associate professor at EHL, who teaches finance and risk management.

Q. Which Swiss cantons tourism suffered the most and the least?

With business travel falling off a cliff, total visitors to Zurich plummeted 68%, while Appenzell Inner-Rhodesa rural canton in central Switzerlandsuffered a loss of only 4.9% and so was the winner in terms of number of visitors. In terms of Swiss visitors, the loser was again Zurich with a loss of 55% of their Swiss tourists in 2020. On the other hand, there were four cantons that actually increased the number of Swiss visitors in 2020 with respect to 2019, including Appenzell Inner-Rhodes (+5.28%), the Grisons (+2.96%), Neuchatel (+7.87%) and Uri (+12.84%). All the others suffered a fall in the number of Swiss visitors.

The winners are less urban, sparsely populated and have nice sightseeing. Travelers generally steered clear of cities during the pandemic. This also explains why the losers are more geared toward an international business clientele. In 2019, 11 cantons received more than 20% of their foreign visitors from the U.S., China or India while in six cases it was more than 30% (Lucerne with 47%, Obwald with 63%, Zug 34%, Schwyz 39%, Nidwald 39%, Berne 36%). These figures explain why these six cantons suffered in 2020 a fall in their foreign visitors of close to 80%. Nevertheless, the negative impact in the total number of nights for those cantons was close to 50% (except in Bern with 39% and in Schwyz with only 29%). This can be partially explained by the fact that the tourists that did indeed visit Switzerland ended up staying for longer periods of time (in the particular case of Bern, the total number of nights spent by Swiss visitors even increased although the number of Swiss visitors decreased).

Q. During Covid lockdown, the Swiss tourism board encouraged regional travel. Did this actually happen?

It is indeed a mirage effect, a false idea that many citizens have had, to think that the Swiss traveled more within the 26 cantons during Covid. Apart from the four winning cantons mentioned above, all the other cantons hosted fewer Swiss tourists during this period. The Swiss may have gone on more day trips within Switzerland during Covid, but this doesnt show up in the data.

It is especially important to note that many hotels in Switzerland (regardless of canton) decided to remain open during this period to cover their fixed costs. In other words, they lost - by remaining open - less money despite the low occupancy rate. But it's not just about staying open. In an attempt to rebalance tourism, many hotels have had to offer attractive prices and be creative to make their offer more interesting. For example, some hotels (whether in rural or urban areas) have offered an alternative use for some of their rooms by adding, for instance, furniture, a fridge, desk or microwave to their larger rooms and selling them as "apartment-hotels". This allowed the rooms to be occupied for longer periods, thus preventing them from remaining empty.

Q. Did Swiss hospitality suffer as much as expected during Covid?

To analyze the impact on the sector, its best to look at the gross value added of the sector. We can see that it fell to 2006 levels. Value added is the economic contribution of an industry.

Table 1:

Source: EHL

In terms of employment, hospitalitys contribution dropped to 2014 levels. In 2020, hospitality employed fewer people in Switzerland than it did almost a decade ago.

Table 2:

Source: EHL

Finally, if we dig deeper into the reasons behind such an impact, we see that the food and beverage subsector shed the most employees, while in terms of added value the worst off were travel agencies, tour operators and tour guide services.

Table 3:

Source: EHL

We can see that 2020 was the worst year, in terms of performance, of the last five years for all the subsectors.

Table 4:

Source: EHL

We can see that in the case of employment, the figures are the lowest theyve been in the last five years for all the subcategories (except for passenger transport, cultural services and recreation, which have managed to keep levels on par with those in 2019).

Nevertheless, the most plausible explanation - in addition to Covid - of such a drop was the fact that Swiss hotels are so much more expensive than in neighboring countries, as seen below.

Table 5:

Source: EHL

Q. Will those jobs come back?

It is difficult to anticipate when the sector will fully recover and some signals show that it will be slower than for other sectors of the economy (some economists predict that it will be difficult to fully recover before 2026). Another open question is how to bring back not only tourists but employees who found jobs in other sectors during the crisis.

Q. High turnover, undesirable hours, disgruntled customers: How has Covid reshaped hospitality employment?

The complete lockdown and the temporary layoff of hospitality workers allowed the latter to experience - for a few months - a much less arduous pace of life and to spend more quality time with family. Once the lockdown was over, some of these workers made the decision either to apply to hotels that offered more pleasant working conditions or work in other, less arduous hospitality subsectors such as co-working centers, private clinics, or homes for the elderly. This is why many hotels in Switzerland are struggling mightily to recruit workers such as food & beverage professionals, chefs, waiters and receptionists. It is also becoming difficult for hotels in Switzerland to recruit seasonal workers. Interestingly, some hospitality workers have completely reshuffled their work schedule, working part-time in a hotel and the rest of the time in other companies (not necessarily in the hospitality sector), or even starting their own business.

Q. Are hospitality & tourism a substantial part of the Swiss economy? What has been the impact of Covid?

Table 6:

Source: EHL

Tourisms contribution to the Swiss economy in 2020 was the weakest in the last twenty years. Employment has fallen to 2006 levels. In short, tourism has lost a decade or two.

Compared to its EU neighbors, the Swiss continued to travel during the pandemic. Night stays were down a mere 8.6% among Swiss citizens versus the EU average of about 41%. Hotel reservations in the EU were down a startingly 73% in 2020 versus 2019, as seen in the table below. Thats almost 3 out of every 4 reservations cancelled!

Table 7: Changes in overnight stays in hotels and similar establishments by country, 20192020

Source: EHL

Q. Will Russian sanctions affect Swiss tourism?

It is still early to speculate about the medium-term consequences for Swiss tourism of the sanctions that have been levied against Russia. Furthermore, Russians account for a very small portion (1.3% in 2019) of foreign tourism in Switzerland. Nevertheless, if we focus on the city level, they represented 4% of tourists and 6% in terms of night stays among foreigners in Zug (with similar figures for Bad Zurzach and Leukerbad in 2019), while 10% of foreigners taking to the baths at Bad Ragaz were Russian (17% in terms of night stays) before the pandemic.

Additionally, Russian tourists represent a "niche" market, since they are usually wealthy people (often business owners) who stay in 4- or 5-star hotels, located in urban centers and the most upscale ski resorts in Switzerland. These are generally people whose business activities are carried out partly (or totally) with European countries. During their leisure vacation (or business travel) in Switzerland, these tourists with high purchasing power generally have so-called "luxury" consumption habits. Russian travelers consume expensive goods and services and generate substantial revenues for the luxury establishments that host them.

Now that business exchanges between Russia and European countries have dried up, we can assume that Russian business owners will see a drastic drop in their cash flow and business revenues, which will, in turn, affect their purchasing power. Plus, the ruble has lost a lot of its value. Do these Russian business owners hold bank accounts in Switzerland? Can they withdraw their money? If they can, financing holidays in Switzerland may not be their top priority. Finally, flights between Russia and many countries have been suspended. For all these reasons, it is easy to assume that Switzerland will lose many of its Russian tourists and that some touristic destinations might be really hurt by the ongoing crisis.

Sources: All data were extracted from Switzerlands Federal Statistical Office.

Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne

Communications Department

+41 21 785 1354

EHL

View source
Meta, Post, After

In everyday conversation, when we refer to an event that happens "after" something else, we use the Latin prefix, "post." "Meta" sounds more exotic, but it's just its Greek counterpart. However, the Hellenic prefixis slightly more nuanced, as it also means "about." Metacinema, for example, is a technique thanks to which directors can create movies "about" cinema itself. Fellini's 8  or Truffaut's La Nuit Americaine are perfect examples of this practice. Meta-search engines? Same concept: search engines that search on other search engines. That's what "meta" ultimately means. So, when defining a meta-universe (a meta-verse), we have to consider both connotations of the term: a universe "beyond" the one we currently inhabit and onethat's also self-referral.

A post-universe.

A meta-universe.

In a word: a metaverse .

. Metaverse Killed the Travel Stars. But did it?

If you're reading this, chances are you already know a little about the metaverse and its fictional origins as well, so I will not overkill it. If you don't, however, it's worth mentioning that a novel written 30 years ago is now on Amazon's ten best-selling books under the "Computers & Internet" category and no longer under "Sci-fi," where it belonged(truth to be told, something similar happened with Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World, even though for different reasons). However, in our industry, the simple act of thinking about the metaverse (or, more precisely, A metaverse) is enough to generate a peculiar paradox: because the metaverse is, par excellence, the ultimate ANTI-travel dystopia. Well, at least on paper. Cambridge Dictionary defines travel as "to make a journey, usually over a long distance." In the metaverse, au contraire, there are no distances at all. The central concept of space is nonsensical in a virtual environment. That's why most people in our industry are still skeptical of its practical applications: if you erase one essential part (the distance) from the travel equation, only the journey remains. And so does the question: is traveling without moving, still traveling? Or is it something else?

Click the image to register for HN Meta Meetup Source: Travel Singularity

Post-Travel, Part I: Reality

On the other hand, the pandemic exposed all of our industry's vulnerabilities. And if that's true that a "man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore" (Andre Gide), it is also true that, according to an IDC research, the worldwide market for augmented and virtual reality headsets grew 92.1% YoY in 2021. So the time might have come to reconsider what we (think) we know about the concept of reality, discovery, and, ultimately, how we travel. In his latest book, Reality+, technophilosophist David Chalmers theorizes that virtual reality is ALSO reality. According to Chalmers, in just a few decades, VR (and, consequently: the metaverse) will become so indistinguishable from physical reality to the point that it will be meaningless to differentiate between the two. Still doubtful? Let me put it differently: reality (with capital "R") is just a form of consensus among individuals. It's only real what is considered to be real according to an arbitrary agreement amongst us. Esse est percipi. So, is traveling to a virtual destination still traveling? Well, it all depends on what we agree upon. And nothing has meaning per se.

Click the image to register for HN Meta Meetup Source: Travel Singularity

Post-Travel, Part II: Sustainability

Suppose you prefer a more practical explanation for this surge in interest around the metaverse and its possible applications in travel. In that case, it's also worth mentioning the increased awareness of our industry's impact on the environment. "Carbon emissions from the airline industry," writes climate policy analyst Tom Green, "grew by 75 percent from 1990 to 2012. It's expected they will continue to grow rapidly until 2050. If left unchecked, they could consume a full quarter of the available carbon budget for limiting temperature rise to 1.5 C.". I don't want to get all gretathunbergy here, but it makes you reconsider your role in the industry. Your role in the world. Professor Stephen Hawking predicted that the Earth could become inhabitable by as soon as 2600. Let's do the math: the average life expectancy exceeds 72 years. We are, at least mathematically, just a few generations away from mass extinction. So finding practicable alternatives to an environmentally harmful industry like ours is not only desirable. It's mandatory, at this point.

Evolution, not Revolution

That being said, the metaverse will unlikely replace traveling tout-court, but it will definitely play some kind of role in it, especially in the early, top-funnel micro-moments of the traveler's journey ("I-want-to-go-away" / "Inspiration" / "Planning"). While we currently pick a hotel founding our decision on photos, videos, and reviews only, the metaverse could provide a more immersive experience, and allow us to "visit" a destination, book a hotel room or a restaurant table, bookmark a museum while sitting on our couch, and -then- live the experience IRL. It's travel research on steroids. No static image, 2D video, or website will ever be able to deliver an equivalent experience. Recently, even my native Country, which is not usually known to be particularly tech-savvy (that's a euphemism), launched an immersive experience to one of the islands off the coast of Naples (grab a headset and enjoy it here: procida2022vr.com). Sure, if I want to eat the best pizza in the world, I still have to physically go there. However, I can now explore the city beforehand and reserve my table at Sorbillo's directly inside the Naple-verse. It's the next level of the "try before you buy" concept. The metaverse offers new vectors for advertisers and marketers alike, and they should not be underestimated, no matter how we feel about a virtual universe.

Click the image to register for HN Meta Meetup Source: Travel Singularity

Metaverse will not destroy travel. It will complement it.

And the applications are limitless: want to visit the Ciudad Perdida, Atlantis, or Ancient Rome? You can travel back in time and experience something you can no longer do in the physical world (aka the "meat space"). Wanna check another planet out? Yup. Inspect your meeting room two weeks before the actual congress? Sure! Can the metaverse help persons with reduced mobility (PRM) take that trip they always dreamt of? You bet. Want more? Virtual booking engines, fueled by cryptos and NFTs, could completely change (for the better) the booking process as we know it. Enhanced booking experience, digital conciergerie, hybrid MICE, travel equity, immersive marketing... The list goes on and on. The "embodied internet" is virgin territory for our industry (for any industry, for that matter), and we're still in the embryo stage of the technology. More evidence? According to Bloomberg, the metaverse may be an $800 billion market, 200 more than the global business travel market size. Let this info sink for a second

Click the image to register for HN Meta Meetup Source: Travel Singularity

May 20th - The First Travel Webinar in the Metaverse is Coming!

Now that you understand better the implications for our industry, and I (hopefully) separated the hype from reality, it's time for the big announcement: HospitalityNet, together with my consulting firm (Travel Singularity, travelsingularity.com), and Olimaint, are launching the first-ever travel webinar on the metaverse. Make no mistake: this is NOT a webinar ABOUT the metaverse; this will be a webinar INSIDE the metaverse. The list of confirmed speakers grows day after day, to the point that we decided to have two events, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Here are just a few of the "avatars" speaking:

Floor Bleeker - Chief Technology Officer at Accor

Lennert de Jong - Commercial Director at citizenM

Stephen Burke - Founder and CEO at Robosize ME

Frank Wolfe - Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at HFTP

Pablo Delgado - Managing Partner & CEO America @ MIRAI

Daniel E. Craig - Founder, Reknown

Alexander Edstrom - CEO at Atomize

Sebastien Felix - Founder at Influence Society

Jan Hejny - CEO & Founder at HotelTime Solutions

Paula Marie Kilgarriff - International Lecturer of Web3 Fashion Marketing, Branding & Retail Innovation

Brendan May - Managing Director at Hotel Res Bot

Antonio Picozzi - CEO & Founder at Takyon

Michael Robinson - Product Marketing Manager at Chainlink Labs

Juanjo Rodriguez - Founder, The Hotels Network

Henri Roelings - Founder & CEO at Hospitality Net

Rita Jusztina Varga - CEO RaizUp

As an extra reward for these pioneers, HospitalityNet, Travel Singularity, and Olimaint will create commemorative NFTs as a gift to all the speakers. Roberto Garavaglia, one of the most authoritative voices on crypto, NFTs, and blockchain in Europe, joined the project to ensure each speaker gets a special reminder of the event.

How can you attend? How can you enter the Metaverse?

So here's the big question. This may sound overwhelming if you're not familiar with how the metaverse works, but it's actually pretty simple. You can join the event by simply clicking on a link on your computer (and you will see a 2D version of the event) or BE TOGETHER WITH US in one of the world's most iconic locations: Trinita dei Monti, in Rome, Italy. Well, at least, in a virtual version of it. HospitalityNet rented the iconic DolceVita double staircase for the whole day, so, between the two events, as an extra perk, you can visit (for free) a version of Rome you've never have, or just hang out with us for as long as you like. We're also organizing a social gathering after each event, so we'll be in the metaverse pretty much all day long.

So, if the latter option is tempting, just follow these simple steps:

Of course, if you want the full, immersive experience, you'll need a VR headset, such as Meta Quest. If you already have one, just download the Spatial app and create your avatar, as explained above. A link to the event will be shared in the coming days, but, in the meantime, feel free to hang out and meet me at my "apartment," here: https://spatial.io/s/Simone-Puortos-Home-623b6422adfe840001620429. If you drop me a message, we can schedule a metaverse meeting so you start familiarizing yourself with the app; If you're not ready to invest in a piece of tech that you're not going to use anytime soon, there's an alternative that is also quite immersive: simply plug your phone into an inexpensive pair of VR goggles. You can buy one for Amazon starting at 10. Once done, simply download the Spatial app, create the avatar, and plug your phone into the goggles (here's a tutorial on how to set it up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LuyQV_iSJk); If you just want to check out the event, but you still want to interact with us, here are all the instructions on how to move in Spatial from a desktop/laptop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdnSQcCkuo0.

Our suggestion is that you start experimenting with Spatial and find what's most comfortable for you. And, by the way... there are NO LEGS in most metaverses, so don't freak out when you create your avatar!

Both I and all the staff at HospitalityNet are at your disposal if you have questions. It took us months to organize the event, pick the right platform, rent the coolest location, etc. So there's definitively a learning curve to go through, and we want to make sure as many people as possible can join the metaverse revolution.

Were ready. Are you? - Click here to register for HN Meta Meetup

Click the image to register for HN Meta Meetup Source: Travel Singularity

Simone Puorto

Travel Singularity
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

COLLEGE STATION - In a shopworn building on the outskirts of campus, Texas A&M Professor Russell Jessup and a team of students are growing and crossbreeding hemp, a once and future cash crop with a colorful history and a whiff of taboo.

They approach their studies with the fervor of startup entrepreneurs.

When I was working with perennial grasses, it was hard to find students to work with me, Jessup says. Now, students seek us out.

The students tend waist-high cannabis sativa plants that look like something from a High Times magazine cover, but their research has mainstream implications for a market that could reach $16.8 billion globally by 2027. Commercial applications for hemp range far beyond CBD oils and gummies to include paper, textiles, building materials, seed grains for animal feed, aromatics for pharmaceuticals and a type of concrete known as hempcrete.

When federal and then state lawmakers authorized production of hemp in 2018 and 2019, respectively, they ended eight decades of prohibition under marijuana law. Texas farmers who wanted to get in early had to use seeds purchased from elsewhere and unsuited to the Texas climate.

Much of the initial crop flowered prematurely in the heat, delivering just 5 percent of expected yields, Jessup and others say. Plants grew to varying heights, a nonstarter for modern, mechanized agriculture.

It was apparent from the beginning that we need a Texas-adapted hemp, Jessup said during a recent tour of the facilities where the young researchers are creating hybrid lines to meet that need.

The first task was to transform a former cotton research building and adjacent greenhouse into a hemp-growing operation. A commercial partner, Rare Earth Genomics, installed air conditioning and contributed upward of $1.5 million for research. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences added a water-purifying system to nourish tender shoots. Students painted walls and poured concrete for new flooring in the greenhouse. They installed special LED lights to speed up the growing cycle.

Im a very impatient plant breeder, Jessup said.

Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Gaining acceptance

Jessup volunteered to lead A&Ms Industrial Hemp Breeding Program when it was announced three years ago. His students include undergrads and Ph.D. candidates.

Ezekiel Soto, for example, is a first-year masters student whose work focuses on plant gender. Clayton Moore, co-founder of a student group to foster better understanding of cannabis and hemp, is compiling a public collection of genetic material. Ian McGrath, an undergrad from Kyle, found cannabis to be a positive alternative to the anxiety and depression medications he was prescribed growing up.

Were trying to bring this into an academic realm and gain professional acceptance, McGrath said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Massive Houston hemp facility has its eyes on a cannabis-infused future

Now in the final stages of a three-year funded trial, the grow rooms and greenhouse are filled with healthy plants, all of which contain less than the legal limit of 0.3 percent of THC, the psychoactive agent of marijuana. Some varieties give off interesting aromas and flavors, like papaya or blueberry, which could be tailored for the food or pharmaceutical industries.

Jessups team initially looked at 20 of the 400-plus hemp varieties approved by the Texas Department of Agriculture but found only one or two that showed promise for cultivation in Texas. After two years of crossbreeding and greenhouse experimentation, Jessup and his students recently started their third round of field trials at five sites run by the A&M Extension Service where they will face real-world growing conditions in climates as varied as the arid Panhandle and the semitropical South Texas coastal plains.

The College Station group also is working to develop a THC-free hemp variety, which Jessup says would be a game-changer for farmers, eliminating a major legal liability.

THC levels rise as plants mature and can exceed the legal threshold if the hemp is not harvested in time. If inspectors find a single plant out of compliance, they can order the entire crop destroyed.

This makes it difficult to find insurance, and nearly impossible to find it at an affordable price, said Lisa Pittman, an Austin attorney who has worked in the cannabis space since 2015. The traditional linkage to marijuana  still categorized by the federal government as Schedule I drug alongside heroin, peyote and LSD  also makes it difficult and more expensive for farmers and legal CBD retailers to get bank accounts.

A solution, Pittman said, would be to increase the arbitrary 0.3 percent THC limit and to acknowledge that farmers who pay for state licenses, submit to a background checks and provide GPS coordinates for their fields are not likely to be pot growers in disguise.

I hope the perception is that its not marijuana junior, she said. Its rope, not dope.

Despite the challenges, Pittman said, Texas has issued 394 active licenses for approximately 850 acres of hemp production and 4 million square feet of greenhouse space. Thats a modest beginning compared to the 7 million acres of cotton expected to come under cultivation this year, but a solid sign of interest, Pittman and others said.

Among hemp businesses in Texas is Dallas-based Oak Cliff Cultivators, which was represented at the Texas Cannabis Policy Conference held in March, also at Texas A&M. The two-day event brought together scientists, medical-marijuana providers, parents of children helped by the drug, and other advocates of expanding legal access in Texas.

During a breakout session titled, Trends in Cannabis Consumer Demand, Martha Velez, who owns Oak Cliff Cultivators with her husband, urged those who work in the CBD business to focus on consumer education, maintain clean retail shops and behave professionally so the industry can continue building support in the state.

I am a Texas hemp farmer, she declared with obvious pride, and I want my business to be successful.

Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Ranching and cannabis

So does Aaron Owens, who will plant his third crop this summer in the Hill Country. When the feds authorized hemp pilot programs in a few states in 2014, Owens moved part-time to Colorado and, with a partner, began extracting CBD there. He brought some of that back to West Texas, where he was raising goats and cattle at the time, and started marketing it person to person.

People in that conservative part of the state were receptive to CBD products, Owens said, once he convinced them he wasnt peddling pot.

After legalization here, he moved to Dripping Springs, about 25 miles west of Austin, and started Tejas Hemp with an initial 2-acre crop in 2020. This year, hes expanding to a larger farm in Luckenbach, where he expects to plant 20 to 40 acres.

Theres two things I love, and thats ranching and cannabis, Owens said. I didnt want to move to California. I dug my heels in.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Court ruling clears a path for Houstons hemp retailers and manufacturers

He expects more Texas farmers to embrace hemp and build a robust industry here - eventually. One thing impeding faster growth is the lack of a gin and other hemp manufacturing operations in the state. This type of infrastructure will cost millions, and the crop must prove itself first.

Owens is among those collaborating with the Industrial Hemp Breeding Program to help move Texas toward that goal. He contributes genetic samples and helps Jessup network with other growers.

Its very exciting to take the genetics youre working with and get it into the hands of Texas A&M, Owens said.

Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Logical place

College Station is a logical place for such research. The hemp lab is right off Agronomy Road, and the Extension Service operates 13 experimental farms around the state. One of Jessups lower-priority initiatives would produce a variety with stems and leaves that are close to Aggie maroon in color.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences had one of its largest enrollments ever this year, placing students in 15 departments, from Poultry Science to Plant Pathology and Microbiology. The school is responding to the growing interest in hemp and cannabis as legalization efforts march forward, said Danielle Harris, assistant dean for student success.

Were always looking for alternative crops for (farmers), added David Baltensperger, head of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. We look at what we use in the U.S. and ask how we can grow it here. The most recent crop that weve invested a little in is hemp.

He and others tout hemps versatility, with separate markets for fibers, grains and oils.

Baltensperger recalled the explorer Christopher Columbus, who depended on hemp for the canvas sails that propelled his ships and the resin that kept them watertight, for the fabric that clothed his crew and the oil that kept their lamps burning, and even for the paper that his Bible was printed on.

He noted, too, that hemp-derived fibers already are used in automobile production in Texas. Theyre just imported from China and other countries.

Baltensperger said he is bullish on hemps U.S. renaissance, but cautions that the boom may not come as quickly as some enthusiasts hope.

Jessups researchers revel in the challenge, judging from their good-natured slogan: Were coming for you, cotton.

ronnie.crocker@gmail.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The world is at war and will be for years to come, so Texas must step up production of its most potent weapons against tyranny: crude oil and natural gas.

To preserve life on earth for future generations, we must reduce oil and gas consumption. But we must immediately deal with Russian President Vladimir Putins threat to global prosperity.

I studied Russia and its military for seven years as a U.S. Army Soviet intelligence analyst, and Im disappointed to refresh those skills. Putin is a former KGB colonel committed to authoritarianism and a more significant threat to human rights than most Americans appreciate.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Big Oil makes big profits sending U.S. energy overseas

Sending troops to Ukraine would be the old-fashioned way of defeating a rising dictator threatening to subsume neighboring nations to create an empire. But this world war is what Russians call gibridnaya yoyna, or hybrid warfare, a conflict where the economic, media and covert realms are more critical than body-strewn battlefields.

Putin launched the worlds first hybrid war years ago when he began meddling in other nations politics. He laid the groundwork for his criminal invasion of Ukraine by slow-walking natural gas shipments to Europe beforehand.

Putin has escalated the economic battle by cutting off natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria. The European Union has retaliated by pledging to stop buying Russian oil, allowing exceptions only for the most vulnerable members.

The best tactic to stymie Putins aggression is to stop buying Russian oil and gas. The trick, though, will be to replace all of Russias exports so countries dont suffer from their embargoes, and that means producing more in Texas.

U.S. oil firms say they are committed to providing affordable and plentiful energy. If true, they should step up production in the short-term while developing clean energy alternatives for the long. But CEOs at the largest companies are more interested in profiteering.

Exxon Mobil reported $5 billion in profits and is tripling the amount it will spend buying back shares. Chevron booked $6.3 billion and has promised $10 billion in buybacks this year. Total Energies collected $4.9 billion in profit and may double share repurchases this quarter.

BP booked $6.2 billion in profits even after taking $24 billion in losses from its Russian operations and will reward investors with an extra $2.5 billion. Shell posted adjusted earnings of $9.1 billion and planned to buy back $8 billion in shares.

Oil companies reported their highest earnings in years, but none announced significant plans to increase oil and gas production. By meeting investors demands for higher returns instead, Big Oil boosts its share price, keeps consumer prices high, and collects windfall profits.

I understand executives are worried about ramping up production only to see prices drop if the war ends or if OPEC breaks its alliance with Russia. But Putins hold on power is strong, his readiness to kill tens of thousands of people is proven, and his intention to keep fighting is clear.

Maj. Gen. Rustam Minnekayev, acting commander of Russias central military district, described a plan to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea and create a land corridor to Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova. Putin has long financed rebels in Moldova and Georgia.

As long as hes in power, Putin plans to keep invading former Soviet republics. Anyone who believes Putins promise to stop at Ukraine should remember former German Chancellor Adolf Hitlers promise to only annex German-speaking Austria and the Sudetenland.

The United States and the European Union recognize the threat and have internationalized Russias war on Ukraine by sending equipment, supplies and cash to Kyiv. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin acknowledged that the West wants to dismantle Russias military.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Stop selling out to Chinas oppressive government, defend liberty

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 during a visit to Kyiv. So 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.

Texass crude oil fueled British defenses during World War II before the U.S. joined the war and powered the Allied victory. Today, Texas crude and natural gas can help reduce Europes dependency on Russia.

The question is whether U.S. oil and gas companies will deliver or will they use the global energy crisis to reward investors and blackmail Biden into loosening environmental regulations.

Sadly, the world must frequently confront multiple crises simultaneously. Putins totalitarianism is the alligator closest to the boat; the climate crisis must come second.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

As a child in India, Marykutty Joseph didnt like the smell of the chemicals used for cleaning in a hospital that she visited; so she never thought she would pick a career working in a medical facility.

Today, the longtime Pasadena resident, who is 74, laughs it off as a silly, childish concern that thankfully didnt stop her from becoming a nurse. She works just seven minutes from HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast, where shes been employed since Nov. 12, 1979.

I came as a graduate nurse through one of my teachers, Father Harshajan, said Joseph, explaining that the Roman Catholic Church helped pave the way for her to immigrate to America to work at St. Josephs Hospital in Illinois.

She started as a licensed vocational nurse and completed her board certification in New York.

Illinois and New York both had cold weather; so she found the heat more to her liking when she moved to Texas.

This is more like in our place, said the registered nurse, remembering her former village of Kudayathoor in the Indian state of Kerala.

She and her husband, K.M. Joseph, have been married for 43 years, with two children  Donny K. Joseph, an attorney in Houston, and Dyney Joseph, whose mothers work inspired her to become a nurse practitioner in Dallas. Dyney Joseph attended South Houston High School, graduating in 2003. She is married to attorney Kartik Singapura and they have two children.

Seeing her mom provide care and compassion to patients inspired her daughter to be a nurse, HCA Houston Healthcare spokeswoman Annette Garber said.

Joseph has been a preceptor to other nurses, worked on various units, been through all the bad weather events like hurricanes Ike and Harvey and the winter freeze of 2021, where she stayed several days in a row to help care for patients, sacrificing her own comfort, Garber said.

She has dedicated her entire career to caring for others.

Joseph has been recognized with several HCA honors including the quarterly Daisy Award and a Nurse Excellence award.

Shes very involved in worship, attending three churches  St. Marys Syro Malabar Catholic Church in Pearland, St. Joseph Cyro Malabar Catholic Church in Missouri City and St. Pius V Catholic Church in Pasadena, where she sings in the choir.

In addition, Joseph loves to draw, cook and bake.

At the outset of the pandemic, Joseph worked for just one day before quarantining at home for three weeks out of concern for the health of her family.

But after three weeks, she said, Im coming back, and has worked ever since.

Don Maines is a freelance writer who can be reached at donmaines@att.net
When Annalee and Evan McCord bought their 1950s-era home more than a decade ago, they knew that someday theyd renovate to get the place the way they really wanted it.

Years passed, and the McCords didnt do much more than think about it. Now and then theyd talk to a contractor but, for whatever reason, the timing never felt right.

Last year, though, the couple met mother-daughter contractors Brigitte Howell and Haley Ottmann of Home Girls Design and realized it was go time.

Our house was eclectic in that it was a mix of hand-me-downs from when we got married, things from different families and things we got from Warrenton and Round Top. Our style was survival-with-little-kids with things that wont get ruined or broken, said Annalee, who is 42 and a kindergarten teacher. A lot of the furnishings were at a breaking point and needed to be replaced. A lot of the house was at a breaking point, too.

Their three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,962-square-foot home had plenty of space when it was just Annalee and Evan and their eldest daughter, Adelaide, who is now 14, but theyve since had two more children, son Graham, now 12, and youngest daughter Mae, who is 9.

This summer, Annalee and Evan, who is 39 and vice president associate general counsel at Hines, will have been married for 18 years. They were both students at Abilene Christian University but didnt meet until Evan went to Oxford, England, to study abroad. The same semester, Annalees uncle taught in Oxford, and she went along to be a nanny for his kids, Thats when she started dating Evan, who was one of her uncles students.

They could have bought a bigger home elsewhere, but they wanted to stay close to their extended family. The couples children are the fourth generation in Evans family to live in the Afton Village neighborhood in the Spring Branch area, and many family members are still nearby.

In the early planning stages of the five-and-a-half month construction project, Ottman and Howell talked to the McCords about how they used the space to help figure out what was important.

We went through the house, and in one room wed say, This is where we like to do puzzles and school and art and games and then in the next room wed say, This is where we do puzzles and school and art and games. It was every room, Annalee said. Even in the kitchen, we like to hang out and play cards. You gravitate toward where everyone is.

The children attend a University-Model School, where the kids go two days a week and then do their schoolwork from home three days a week, so they needed a room for their home studies.

Adelaide and Graham are often content doing schoolwork from their rooms now, but the familys projects room  previously a dining room  is where Mae does her schoolwork and where the other kids store school materials, books and art supplies.

Big moves in the construction project were the creation of a new, 360-square-foot primary bedroom suite and the removal of a main living area wall with a brick fireplace that required support beams so they could create an open concept area.

They also reimagined the utility room after they found another place for the hot water heater. The improved utility room even has a built-in kennel for the familys dog, Laszlo, a sweet Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Everyone helped with decisions: Annalee felt strongly about paint colors, while Evan had more opinions on the lighting. Graham and Mae worked together to pick out tile for their shared bathroom and Adelaide launched a Pinterest board with her preferences.

The big main living area has a round dining table that can expand when others come over for dinner, a living room with a big sectional and a new, more streamlined fireplace in a wall with built-in bookcases.

Supply-chain issues have caused a few hiccups in getting things done, including causing a big delay in the arrival of their Bosch dishwasher. And theyre still waiting for a West Elm chair that will go in the living room. (They expect to receive it a year after their initial order.)

Their kitchen used to be dark, with cabinets painted black, beige granite counters and beige tile backsplash. Now, its picture perfect with light Mont Blanc quartzite counters, white cabinets, gold lighting and hardware and an island painted Benjamin Moores Tarrytown Green, a deep pine.

Annalee was most interested in a functional kitchen, with pullout shelving in her pantry and shelves spaced to hold specific things. Some of her ideas came from the homes of friends they stayed with during construction.

There were things I didnt notice or appreciate until someone else had it, Annalee said. I saw a spice rack (in a pullout drawer alongside the stove) and thought yes, that would be handy. And I like that the spices dont sit out on the counter all of the time.

Beige ceramic tile that used to covered the kitchen and family room floors has been replaced with salvaged hardwood that matches what they had in the formal living room, dining room and bedrooms, a great solution when you have an older home and want to extend the wood flooring.

The new bedroom suite gave Annalee and Evan a bigger bedroom, bathroom and closet, instead of the cramped spaces that were standard for the 1950s. It also meant that each of their kids has a room  no more sharing, even if the kids really enjoyed their bunkbeds.

Mae has closets with plenty of room for her things and Graham has a big shelf to hold his Lego structures and floating shelves at bedside for the stacks of books he loves to read. The two share a bathroom now, and it grew by a few feet  enough to add a second sink  when they absorbed some utility space and moved the door closer to the hallway.

Adelaide moved into what used to be the primary bedroom, so now she has her own bathroom that got a couple of updates with paint and new cabinet hardware. Because that bedroom was large, some of it was used for the new hallway that leads to the new primary bedroom suite.

The new suites entrance has a built-in desk that serves as Evans office on Fridays, when he works from home. The two have a large closet that they share, with clothing racks customized to hold different things and shelves for Annalees shoes.

I love its layout and location in the house. It feels so relaxing on mornings when we dont have to be somewhere right away. It feels restful and I love how that all turned out, Annalee said.

diane.cowen@chron.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Friendswood Chamber of Commerce celebrated the academic accomplishments of Friendswood High Schools highest ranked 2022 graduates April 28 during a luncheon at First Baptist Church, 202 E. Heritage Drive.

Valedictorian Audrey Nguyen accepted a chamber scholarship and said she plans to attend Rice University to major in molecular biology and biomedical sciences.

Salutatorian Christian La Rue said he will attend Texas A&M University and major in chemical engineering.

Ranked third, Emily Thomas said she plans to study business at University of Houston Honors College.

With a plan to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering at University of Texas Austin, Connor Gibson ranked fourth.

Britton Merritt ranked fifth and shared plans to major in finance at University of Texas Austin.

Sixth-ranked Elaina Chong said she intends to study biology at University of Texas Austin.

Ryan Flick, ranked seventh, plans to study electrical and computer engineering and business at University of Texas Austin.

Balint Kidd, eighth, will attend Columbia University to pursue a degree in philosophy.

Ninth-ranked Ty Brantley will study aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University.

Claire Hookstra and Aiden Kaouk tied for 10th and plan to attend University of Texas Austin. Hookstra will study corporate communications, and Kaouk is planning to study biology.

Registration open at UHCL

Summer registration at University of Houston-Clear Lake continues through June 3, and financial aid opportunities remain available.

The deadline to enroll for the fall semester is Aug. 19. Visit www.uhcl.edu/registrar/enrollment for information.

Scholarship helps students return to class

Adult learners who have put their educational goals on hold because of health, family or employment reasons, may be able to complete their certificate or degree with tuition, books and class materials covered at San Jacinto College with the Last Step Scholarship.

This scholarship is specifically for adults who started their pursuit of an associate degree or workforce certificate but were unable to complete it, said Teri Crawford, vice chancellor for external relations and executive director of the San Jacinto College Foundation. This is a chance for adult learners to continue the path they started and make the move into the job they always wanted.

To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must be at least 24 years old and have completed half the credits needed to earn a credential. They may not have been enrolled at any college in spring 2022.

For many adult students, this scholarship could be the difference between completing their credential or not, Chancellor Brenda Hellyer said.

To learn more, visit www.sanjac.edu/last-step.

Area student initiated into first-generation student honor society

Samuel Jayasi, of Pasadena, has been inducted into the new Alpha Alpha Alpha honor society chapter at College of the Holly Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The national honor society recognizes the achievements of first-generation students, alumni, staff, faculty and administrators. To qualify, students must have earned at least 30 credit hours toward a baccalaureate degree and achieved an GPA of at least 3.2. Learn more at www.holycross.edu.

UTMB researchers model could predict severe COVID-19 cases

Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch have developed a quick and affordable model to predict the impact of COVID-19 on patients.

In a study involving more than 300 hospital patients, the researchers found three factors stood out as the most consistent indicators of severe COVID-19: age, body mass index and the amount of an enzyme called lactate dehydrogenase found in the blood. The higher all three of these indicators were, the worse the patients case of COVID progressed, researchers from the schools Infectious Disease Division wrote in a study published in BMJ Open.

Identifying those patients at most risk can be done within the first 12 hours of hospital admission, said John Davis, one of the authors and a medical student in population health sciences. The assessment would cost about $25.
A Fort Bend County woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for allowing a 47-year-old man to sexually abuse her 13-year-old daughter under the guise of a child marriage.

Cherry Payton, age 43, was found guilty on April 29 of continuous sexual abuse of a child for failing to prevent her daughters sexual abuse at the hands of her childs husband, the Fort Bend County District Attorneys Office announced Friday. Payton was tried by a jury in the 400th District Court before Presiding Judge Tameika Carter.

The child disclosed the abuse in June 2017 when she went to the doctor for a routine medical exam, the district attorney's office said.

During medical questioning, the child stated that she was sexually active with her husband, who she said was 47 years old at the time, said Wes Wittig, Fort Bend County Assistant District Attorney.

Courtesy of the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office

Payton was present at the doctors appointment and claimed that the child was married to her abuser, who had Paytons consent to sexually assault the girl.

When questioned about the offense, Payton explained that the marriage between the 13-year-old and a 47-year-old man was a normal part of her religious beliefs, Wittig said. The district attorneys office did not disclose the religion Payton claimed to practice.

Evidence presented by Fort Bend County child abuse prosecutors Charann Thompson, Jessica Ramos and Melissa Munoz revealed that the defendant allowed the child to live under a purported covenant of marriage for nearly a year before it came to the attention of authorities in June 2017, Wittig noted.

The prosecutors also presented evidence that years earlier, Payton had sexually abused the child herself, at that time under the guise of a different religion.

Texas law states that a person must be 18 years old to marry, though certain conditions allow a minor to marry as early as age 16. Because the child was only 13, no exceptions to the law applied.

Continuous sexual abuse of a young child is a first-degree felony punishable by 25 to 99 years to life in prison with no parole eligibility. The offense also requires lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Metro Video Services

A man was shot and killed Thursday night in the Briarforest neighborhood of west Houston, according to police.

The man was shot about 10:30 p.m. at the 2300 block of South Kirkwood Road near Southlake Drive. The man, described to be in his late-20s, was taken by a private vehicle to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A man suspected of stealing catalytic converters was fatally shot Thursday night by Sugar Land police after allegedly pulling out a gun on officers during a chase, according to authorities.

Officers responded to a report of four thieves stealing catalytic converters just after 10 p.m. at the Imperial Lofts apartment complex at 2 Stadium Drive, police said. When officers arrived and located the suspects, they tried to flee in a car.

"A short pursuit ensued, the suspect stopped, ran, jumped into the bayou behind us," Sugar Land Police Department Asst. Chief James Davis said Thursday, adding an officer operating a drone was able to track the man as he ran through a field and tried to hide.

More on HoustonChronicle.com: Man accused of concealing woman's corpse in U-Haul box in southwest Houston charged with murder

"As officers converged on him, he produced a firearm and subsequently our officer fired on him, striking him."

One firearm was recovered next to the man, Davis said.

The man was struck once and was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Davis added. Sugar Land police are still attempting to locate the three other men.

"We have multiple officers in the area and are going door to door just to make sure everybody is safe," Davis said.

More from Joel Umanzor: Houston police officer shot at gas station on Gulf Freeway, HPD reports

How many catalytic converters were stolen is unclear but witnesses told investigators the men were in the process of cutting off the converters when dispatchers were called, according to Davis.

Members of the Texas Department of Public Safety and Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office were at the scene working with Sugar Land police, Davis said.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the three other suspects should contact Sugar Land police at 281-275-2525.

Catalytic converter thefts have increased recently in the region with Houston police recording a five-fold increase in theft cases since 2019, with 2022 on track for a record-breaking year at 3,200 thefts so far, according to data gathered by the Chronicle.

In response to the increase, Houston City Council passed an ordinance on Wednesday banning the sale of cut or used catalytic converters and making it illegal to possess converters which have been cut apart to extract the valuable metals from the devices that remove contaminants from car exhaust.

Explainer: What to know about soaring Houston catalytic converter thefts in 2022, and how to protect yourself

Recently, at least three people, including a law enforcement official, have been killed in the Houston area in incidents related to the reported theft of catalytic converters.

In late March, off-duty Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Almendarez was fatally shot during a confrontation with three thieves who were allegedly attempting to steal his truck's catalytic converter. Joshua Stewart, 23, and Fredarius Clark, 19, and Frederick Tardy, 17, were charged with capital murder in the 23-year HCSO veteran's death.

On April 9, two suspected catalytic converter thieves were killed after crashing their vehicle on Highway 99 during a pursuit with Harris County Pct. 4 constables near Spring.

In a non-fatal incident on April 2, three suspected catalytic converter thieves attempted to run over two off-duty New Caney Independent School district police officers working security at a northeast Harris County movie theater, authorities said. One of the officers sustained a minor leg injury, possibly from a ricochet of one of his bullets, after both officers shot at the vehicle.

More on Crime: Man accused of concealing woman's corpse in U-Haul box in southwest Houston charged with murder

Including Thursday's incident, there have been 32 police shootings in the Houston area so far this year. Thirteen of the shootings have been fatal with five by Houston police, two each by Pasadena police and Harris County Sheriff's Office and one each by Conroe police, Clear Lake Shores police, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and now Sugar Land police.

This is the Sugar Land Police Department's first officer-involved shooting fatality since July 9, 2014, according to Doug Adolph, department spokesperson.

Joel.Umanzor@chron.com
ERIC BARADAT;Eric Baradat / AFP / Getty Images

A former teacher and track coach at Dripping Springs Independent School District in the Hill Country was arrested Thursday, accused of having inappropriate communications with his middle school students.

Kevin James McLean, 30, was charged with four counts of sale, distribution or display of harmful materials to a minor; and three counts of felony distribution of a controlled substance to a minor.
A small plane crashed near William P. Hobby Airport on Friday afternoon and within walking distance from a high school, authorities said.

A twin-engine Cessna 421 with four people aboard crashed around 2:45 p.m. after departing from Hobby Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft was heading to San Antonio International Airport, the FAA added.

An FAA spokesman said the federal agency and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. The NTSB could not be reached for comment.

No information on the passengers was available. The aircraft is registered in Mexico, according to the FAA.

A little after 3 p.m., the Houston Fire Department posted on its Twitter account that the four people aboard the aircraft when it crashed made it out on their own with no reported injuries.

An HFD spokeswoman said the plane did not catch flames. A gazebo at a nearby home did suffer fire damage, but firefighters quickly managed to put out the blaze, according to HFD. There were 69 HFD personnel on scene and by 2:43 p.m., the department declared the scene under control, according to the agency.

Although there was no fuel leak, HFDs hazmat team also responded, the department added.

The plane landed just yards from Pasadena Independent School District J. Frank Dobie High Schools 9th Grade Center.

Audio of communications between the pilot and air traffic control revealed the plane lost engines and an alert was put out, based on scanner traffic, from the tower at Hobby.

We are not going to make it, the pilot can be heard telling air traffic control.

What do you need? Can you make it back to the airfield? the air traffic controller replies.

Pasadena ISD spokesman Art del Barrio said the timing of the crash was particularly fortuitous.

It was coming right up on dismissal time when the plane was coming down and made a safe emergency landing, he said. On really any other given time of day, there could have been kids over that field, and it was just a blessing the way everything transpired.

Video from local TV news channels showed the plane, a Cessna 421C Golden Eagle, smoldering just feet from local homes.

The plane flew out of Hobby Airport at 2:19 p.m., according to KPRC 2.

Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena was not immediately available for comment.

Staff writer Dug Begley contributed to this report.

st.john.smith@chron.com

jose.gonzalez@chron.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A man charged in the 2018 deaths of his aunt and uncle  siblings whose bodies were found in a Houston landfill  has pleaded guilty and will serve a life sentence in California, where he was linked to more killings.

Ramon Escobar, 50, pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths of his uncle, Rogelio Escobar, and aunt, Dina Escobar.

Ramon Escobar was never extradited to Texas and appeared by Zoom in a Los Angeles County courtroom to accept a plea deal to the charges. When asked for his plea in his aunts case, Escobar said he was very guilty.

He will serve a consecutive life sentence for the deaths, and one of the charges will be reduced from a capital offense to murder.

The crime spree spanning two states started with the disappearance Aug. 26, 2018, of Escobars 65-year-old uncle, whom the defendant had been living with on Prudence. According to authorities, Escobar killed him with an old police baton because he felt disrespected. The defendants 60-year-old aunt then went looking for her brother Aug. 28, and she then vanished.

Escobar told police that he hid under a pile of clothes in his aunts van and then tried strangling her from behind with the baton. The two struggled to the ground, and he pressed his knee to her chest until she stopped breathing, according to court documents.

Escobar dumped their bodies in two dumpsters  near a warehouse on Skyline in west Houston and off Broadway in southeast Houston. Their bodies were later unearthed under 2 feet of garbage at a landfill.

Police found his aunts burned-out van on a Galveston-area beach.

Detectives with the Houston Police Department interviewed Escobar on Aug. 30 about his uncles disappearance and noticed scratches on his neck. After the interview, Escobar quickly left Texas and drove 1,500 miles to Santa Monica, Calif.

Police arrested him the next month in the beating deaths of four homeless men. He told Los Angeles Police Department detectives about the deaths, and details from that interview were included in court documents for a capital murder charge.

Oswaldo Salamanca, a cousin of Escobars, addressed the court after the plea to express how the crime affected him and their family. According to court records, Escobar plotted to kill Salamanca as well as his aunt but was unable to find him at the time.

Salamanca briefly held up a photo of his slain mother.

They lived with him and had trusted him as family members should, said Salamanca, who then went on to effectively blame Escobar for the death of his grandmother as well.

She died soon after from heartache from learning that two of her children had died at the hands of Ramon, he said.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A group of Southeast Houston residents troubled by the possible placement of a 70-foot-tall sculpture known as Smokesax near their homes voiced their resistance Thursday to city officials and the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, arguing that having the sculpture in a residential area could lead to high traffic, parking issues and unwelcome noise.

Smokesax, an art installation at the old Billy Blues nightclub, was built by renowned Texas folk artist Bob Daddy-O Wade and sat at 6025 Richmond Ave. for 20 years. It was acquired by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art in 2013 after new owners at the Richmond site decided to remove it from the property.

Made up of a Volkswagen Beetle, car parts, oil field pipes and other found materials, Smokesax has been sitting in pieces in storage while the center raises money to reinstall it at the Brays Bayou Greenway trailhead across the street from Fonde Park, about two blocks from the Orange Show.

The plan, however, has raised the ire of some residents who say the art center and the City of Houston did not properly communicate their intentions to the neighborhood, and past events at the Orange Show have been noisy nuisances that made it difficult to park near their homes. They also expressed concern that the installation of Smokesax would amount to the Orange Show appropriating Fonde Park.

District I Council Member Robert Gallegos argued that Thursdays meeting  of which residents were given nearly two weeks notice  was organized for the purpose of soliciting community input, and firmly rejected the notion that the park would be turned over to the Orange Show.

Fonde Park is a city park and will always remain a city park, Gallegos said, noting that the proposed installation still had to receive the proper permits before it was approved by the city.

Tommy Ralph Pace, the Orange Shows executive director, attempted to assuage parking concerns by promising visitors would be directed to a 394-spot parking lot built as part of the Orange Shows eight-acre expansion announced last fall.

He also pushed back on some residents requests that the sculpture be placed in another neighborhood, such as the Museum District.

That is the exact definition of our mission: celebrating the arts for everyone and creating an equitable landscape where amazing public art can do what it does, which is create placemaking and community, Pace said.

We feel this neighborhood, this zip code and the East End of Houston, deserve one of the first pieces of public art to be installed along Brays Bayou because the Museum District already has enough, Pace said.

Many residents, however, did not seem convinced and felt like the Smokesax was being pushed upon them without their consent.

From what I can see, the Orange Show is already raising money and its seems like a done deal, said Karina Blest, president of the Fonde Civic Club. We feel very ignored by both the city (and the Orange Show) because youve known about this issue way prior than we were informed about.

sam.kelly@chron.com
I recently returned from the Ukraine border and am reflecting on the starkness of the sheer disaster that this war and barbarism has been for children. As UNICEF told our congressional delegation, its an unending nightmare for Ukrainian children. Theyve experienced parents dying in their arms and sitting among dead bodies on the street without their parents.

In the reception center at the Ukraine border, I saw the faces of sadness, distress and confusion. Displaced persons walked with suitcases, two-and-two together, some with children, and some not. There were strollers and a small space where children played with donated toys, which showed how much the children had lost and how much they suffered.

There must be a pro-children effort to immediately protect children during war. In my meetings with European leaders, I suggested that there should be an effective system for registering all Ukrainian children, accompanied or unaccompanied, so that no child is lost amid war and confusion.

The brutality of Russian President Vladimir Putins war torments Ukraines children. When Russian invaders retreated from Bucha, they left total devastation and destruction. Their murderous rampage did not spare children. According to claims from Ukrainian officials not yet independently documented, the bodies of two young children were among 55 in a mass grave and 16 children were among hundreds murdered. Hundreds of women and girls have reported experiencing sexual violence, including rape, to Ukraines official ombudswoman for human rights. The New York Times reported on a woman found dead in a cellar where she was held as a sex slave. The Russians used a kindergarten as a base and a childrens camp as an execution ground.

In Mariupol, on April 12, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that 210 children were murdered in his besieged city, among 21,000 civilians who were killed by incessant bombing. More children have been killed elsewhere in Ukraine, with numbers rising as destroyed sites are excavated. In one Russian bombing barrage, at the train station in Kramatorsk, five children were among the 52 murdered Ukrainians.

As Putin intensifies his assault, severe long-term effects are inflicted on the kids of Ukraine. In addition to hundreds killed and severely injured, many were orphaned by Russian bombs and battlefield losses. Children are highly vulnerable to predators, exploitation and human trafficking. They are traumatized by the fear and terror that bombs bring, with emotional and psychological wounds that will linger.

United Nations agencies estimate that, as of April 23, there are 5.1 million Ukrainian refugees, about 40 percent of whom are children. Over 3 million entered Poland since 24 February; 90 percent of whom are women and children.

Children should never be victims of war, witnesses to atrocities, nor orphaned by wars toll. Yet, these are realities for Ukraines children. They are scared and scarred; many have no one to help them cope with the heartbreak of war.

These atrocities are war crimes. Theyre evidence of Putins inhumanity and depravity, and the Russian forces disregard for human life, even children. Putin cannot lead a civilized nation and should be removed. Yet, regime change is not our purpose. What must happen is that Putin is defeated, ending his senseless violence, with Ukraine getting the victory of his defeat. Putin and his cronies who execute his orders must face trial at the International Criminal Court and be convicted under international law that prohibits the murder and mutilation of civilians.

Protecting children must be our highest priority. A universal registration system is needed to reunify families and ensure that children are not lost. Humanitarian aid must focus on childrens health care and education. When prosecuting war criminals, severe penalties must be imposed on anyone who commits a crime against a child.

Vladimir Putin and his enablers must be held accountable for the heinous devastation and atrocities they have inflicted. We must demand justice in the name of the Ukrainian children.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is the chairwoman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security; a member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission; and the chairwoman and founder of the House Congressional Childrens Caucus.
The Texas State Bar has filed a suit in Williamson County district court against First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster for his involvement in the states lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election, alleging Webster committed professional misconduct by making false and misleading statements in the petition.

A similar disciplinary suit is expected against Paxton, who reiterated Friday his contention that the group is targeting him because it disagrees with his politics. As of Friday afternoon, no suit had been filed.

Texas 2020 suit before the U.S. Supreme Court was almost immediately tossed, and Trumps own Justice Department found no evidence of fraud that could have changed the elections outcome. The bar is treating the case as a frivolous lawsuit as it seeks sanctions including possible disbarment for the two public officials.

I stand by this lawsuit completely, Paxton said on Twitter. I am certain that the bar will not only lose, but be fully exposed for what they are: a liberal activist group masquerading as a neutral professional association.

Then-Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins, the states chief litigator who resigned about a month after the election challenge was tossed, was notably absent from the filing, though Hawkins never explained why, raising questions about whether he supported the legal challenge. Solicitor generals are typically involved in all major appellate litigation.

BACKGROUND: Texas Bar complaint moves forward against AG Ken Paxton over attempt to overturn 2020 election

An attorney generals office spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit against Webster.

The bar, which is a branch of the Texas Supreme Court, said in a statement that partisan political considerations play no role in its actions. State law prohibits it from discussing investigations unless a public complaint is filed. A bar spokesman declined to comment.

In bringing a court action against an attorney, the bar can seek punishment ranging from a written admonition to suspension or disbarment. The discipline process resembles a trial and could include both sides taking testimony and obtaining records through discovery.

The bar complaints against Paxton and Webster alleged that their petition to overturn the 2020 election was frivolous and unethical, and that it includes statements that they knew to be false. In Websters case, it is clear that the bar agrees.

Respondents representations were dishonest, the suit states. His allegations were not supported by any charge, indictment, judicial finding, and/or credible or admissible evidence, and failed to disclose to the court that some of his representations and allegations had already been adjudicated and/or dismissed in a court of law.

The suit also alleges that Webster misrepresented that Texas had uncovered substantial evidence, raising doubts about the integrity of the election and had standing to sue before the U.S. Supreme Court. The four battleground states that Texas sued  Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin  were then forced to have to spend time, money and other resources responding to these claims, it said.

The suit does not specify what type of punishment the bar recommends for Webster.

The suit against Webster was sparked by a March 2021 complaint by Brynne VanHettinga, an former member of the bar who described herself as a citizen concerned about fascism and illegal overthrow of democracy. VanHettinga could not be immediately reached Friday.

RELATED: AG Ken Paxton's attempt to influence judges draws a Texas Bar complaint from an Austin attorney

Paxton has long expected the bar to take action against himself, accusing the bar of timing its suit to hurt his chances in the Republican primary. Paxton faces a May 24 Republican primary runoff against state Land Commissioner George P. Bush. But much of the timeline for the bars disciplinary action is dictated by state rules.

A two-term incumbent, Paxton drew an unusual number of primary challenges after eight of his top deputies told the FBI in 2020 that the attorney general had been using his office to benefit a wealth donor. They accused him of bribery, abuse of office and other crimes prompting an ongoing federal investigation.

Paxton has denied wrongdoing and separately pleaded not guilty in a state securities fraud case that has languished since 2015. His defense lawyer, Philip Hilder, declined to comment.

Under the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, Paxton would have been given the choice to either request the case be heard by a district court, where proceedings are public, or by an evidentiary panel. Since he appears to have elected the district court route, the bar would have then had about 60 days to file a petition.

Just hours after saying the bar plans to sue him, Paxtons office announced that it will be investigating the Texas Bar Foundation for its possibly aiding and abetting the mass influx of illegal aliens. The charitable groups board is partially appointed by the bar president.

The Texas Bar Foundation and the State Bar of Texas are not taxpayer funded, Trey Apffel, the bars executive director, said in a statement. The foundation is separately funded through charitable donations and governed by its own board of trustees. While we are unsure what donations are at issue here, we are confident that the foundations activities are in line with its mission of enhancing the rule of law and the system of justice in Texas.

Texas Bar Foundation Chair-Elect Alistair Dawson in a statement condemned Paxtons investigation.

The foundation is extremely disappointed to learn that AG Paxton has decided to use taxpayer dollars on a fruitless exercise, Dawson said. Had AG Paxton taken the time to come and speak with us rather than issue a press release, I am confident that he would have found no wrongdoing on the part of the foundation. Nevertheless, the foundation is happy to cooperate.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.
WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 5, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern De Soto Parish in northwestern Louisiana...

Southwestern Caddo Parish in northwestern Louisiana...

Southeastern Harrison County in northeastern Texas...

Northeastern Panola County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 345 PM CDT.

* At 257 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Deberry, or

18 miles northeast of Carthage, moving east at 25 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...

Shreveport, Greenwood, Stonewall, Midyett, Keithville and Spring

Ridge.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 600 PM CDT for northwestern

Louisiana...and northeastern Texas.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Southwestern Rusk County in northeastern Texas...

Northwestern Nacogdoches County in eastern Texas...

Northern Cherokee County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 400 PM CDT.

* At 258 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Maydelle, or

near Jacksonville, moving east at 55 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

Jacksonville, Henderson, Rusk, Ponta, Sacul, New Salem, Minden,

Maydelle, New Summerfield, Cushing, Mount Enterprise, Gallatin,

Reklaw, Chapman, Concord, Glenfawn, Brachfield and Laneville.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 600 PM CDT for eastern and

northeastern Texas.

...A line of thunderstorms may produce strong wind gusts across.

portions of northwestern Grimes, northwestern Burleson, Brazos and

western Madison Counties through 330 PM CDT...

At 258 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along

a line extending from 15 miles west of Centerville to 8 miles north

of Kurten to 7 miles north of Caldwell. Movement was east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...

Northern College Station, Bryan, Madisonville, Kurten, Wixon Valley,

Kyle Field, Normangee, Iola and North Zulch.

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

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 Tornado Watch remains in effect until 600 PM CDT for southeastern

Texas.

LAT...LON 3073 9662 3070 9656 3074 9646 3093 9633

3107 9605 3109 9585 3094 9588 3060 9609

3062 9684

TIME...MOT...LOC 1958Z 250DEG 19KT 3123 9623 3091 9631 3064 9670

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.
Musician Guide to Promoting music on Deezer, Audiomack with FeatureFm

Learn from Music Promotion expert, Brian Hazard, about how to promote your music on Deezer and Audiomack with Feature.fm.\

by Brian Hazard of Passive Promotion.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

How do I promote my music to streaming?

Youd be forgiven if you thought it was 100% Facebook and Instagram ads to Spotify. Ive written about Facebook Ads many times, and theyve become my most popular posts.

The biggest challenge is getting potential listeners off Facebook and Instagram and over to Spotify. Wouldnt it be great if you could promote your music directly on streaming services?

Thats becoming a reality on Spotify with Marquee, which Ill be writing about soon. But its already here today on both Deezer and Audiomack, courtesy of Feature.fm.

Unlike Marquee, which prompts the user to listen to your track via a pop-up, Feature.fm campaigns automatically insert your music into the listeners queue, where theyre forced to listen for at least 30 seconds before they can skip.

Feature.fm has had these sorts of campaigns available for years now. I tried one on 8tracks way back in 2016 and another on Deezer in 2017. Since then, Deezer has added an artist analytics dashboard called Deezer for Creators that makes it easy to see the fruits of your promotional labors.

But Im getting ahead of myself. Ill share all the juicy details in a bit, but first, lets set up the two campaigns. Feature.fm let me test out $250 campaigns for both Deezer and Audiomack on their dime, and even walked me through the creation process.

I went with a tried and true song, which was at the top of my Vocal Synthwave Retrowaveplaylist for months because it performed so well in ads.

Feature.fm Deezer Campaign Creation

It shouldnt take more than five minutes to launch a campaign. There are a total of three screens and the first is so basic (campaign name, song name, song image) that Im not going to bother with a screenshot.

The second is devoted to targeting. We kept it pretty broad with no location, age, or gender restrictions (click to enlarge any of the images with small text):

Feature.fm Deezer targeting

There were a decent number of synthwave and synthpop targets including the almighty Depeche Mode, so I felt comfortable with my ability to reach potential fans.

The third and final page is devoted to budgeting. We ran both of the campaigns for one week.

Feature.fm Deezer budget

Thats all there is to it!

Feature.fm Audiomack Campaign Creation

Audiomack campaigns are more or less identical, with the same three screens.

The first potential hurdle is getting your music on the platform to begin with! Years ago, I created an account and uploaded a track that has been gathering dust ever since.

Feature.fm Audiomack campaign creation

DistroKid doesnt send your music to Audiomack by default, but they will for no extra charge if you follow the process here. Now my latest album and follow-up EP are both available, and all future releases will be distributed to Audiomack with the click of a box at the bottom of the upload page.

Feature.fm Audiomack targeting

Targeting options on Audiomack were few and far between. We were racking our brains to come up with available targets and Im not even sure the ones we chose were connected to the correct artist profiles.

I guess its not too hard to check!

I just searched and The Midnight is missing their major releases, Power Glove is an authenticated account with no uploads, and Erasure and Gunship arent there at all. Kavinsky and Caroline Polachek are legit.

Feature.fm Audiomack budget

The scheduling and budget options are slightly different but we did the math to make it work out the same.

Feature.fm Deezer Campaign Results

So, am I Deezer famous yet?

Feature.fm campaign results

Its obvious which campaign performed better. The Deezer campaign is technically still in progress but out of budget, hence the gray dot and red end date.

Whats an engagement, you wonder?

Feature.fm Deezer engagement breakdown

You can see exactly when users engaged, or more often, skipped the track:

Feature.fm Deezer reactions to song

Not surprisingly, most of the skips occur shortly after the 30-second mark. Engagements are spread out over the duration of the song.

Feature.fm Deezer gender & ages

Deezer pretty much hit my ideal demographic here: older males.

Feature.fm Deezer engagements

To my surprise, the engagement skewed younger and more female. Huh.

Most of my engagements were added to favorite, suggesting that listeners would listen to the track again. But did they?

With Deezer for Creators, we can find out!

Here are my total streams for two months, starting two weeks before the campaign. Obviously this doesnt include the promoted plays, just organic engagement:

Deezer for Creators streams & listeners

On the day the campaign launched, I got 19 streams. By the fifth day of the campaign, it was up to 73:

Deezer for Creators day 5

As you can see, my total streams and unique listeners were elevated for some time and are still higher today than before the start of the campaign.

The effect is more pronounced at the song level. I bet you can guess which line represents The Limit.

Deezer for Creators song streams

Lets put some numbers on it:

Deezer for Creators The Limit streams

Last but not least, what countries are these songs being promoted to? I was expecting mostly France since thats where Deezer is headquartered, but Brazil beat it out.

Feature.fm Deezer countries

I was pleased to see a decent chunk of streams to the UK and especially the US, which yielded an impressive engagement rate.

And thats it for Deezer!

In short, it works! People hear your song and some percentage of them like it enough to seek it out again.

We dont earn royalties on the promoted spins, but the earned ones provide at least a smidge of ROI.

Long-term, who knows? It would be interesting to devote $10 a day to Deezer and see where things stand in six months, if only I had the budget.

If I restricted my targeting by country, age, and gender, and dialed in my genres and similar artists a little better, I bet I could build a respectable audience on the platform.

Feature.fm Audiomack Campaign Results

This may seem like an apples-to-apples comparison, but its really not.

Audiomack sponsored songs are, for now, only on desktop. A mobile option should be available in the next few months.

Another caveat is that Audiomack has its roots in hip hop. Im not sure theres much of an audience for synthwave.

With that in mind, lets dig into the data!

Like I said, all desktop. A 0.18% engagement rate isnt impressive in any context, even up against banner ads.

Feature.fm Audiomack engagement breakdown

A few good things happened, dwarfed by skips, skips, and more skips:

Feature.fm Audiomack reactions to song

On the plus side, I received celebratory emails from Audiomack at certain milestones, like hitting 10K streams.

I paid $250 and all I got was this lousy image

I can confirm my Feature.fm results through Audiomacks creator dashboard. Heres a snapshot of the past three months. See if you can spot when the campaign occurred:

Audiomack 3-month snapshot

Unfortunately, plays of The Limit didnt bleed over to the rest of the album:

Audiomack album plays

All is not lost, as I made two genuine fans, who added me to three playlists each:

Audiomack playlist adds

DatOneDerp even commented on ROBLOX LOVERs playlist about my song!

derp

He also appears in my top fans:

Audiomack top fans

The rest of my top fans are questionable. For starters, the default avatar doesnt exactly inspire confidence.

The profile of my top fan with 110 plays asks users to Follow FOR THE BEST RAP MUSIC (his emphasis).

Adding to the overall sketchiness, my music is featured on 228 embedded players, most if not all in Nigeria:

Audiomack embedded players

You might deduce that the sponsored plays went mostly to Nigeria, but youd be wrong! For better or worse, they went to the US, which rewarded me with a 0.1% engagement rate.

Feature.fm Audiomack countries

Nigeria came in a distant second with 393 plays. Nigerian plays from the embedded players above add up to more than that, so Im not sure what to make of it, and Im not particularly motivated to investigate further.

Feature.fm Ad Campaigns Conclusion

Id be up for testing Audiomack again once sponsored songs hit mobile. For now, Deezer is unequivocally the way to go.

If youre reluctant to put all your eggs into Spotifys one basket, a Deezer campaign is a great way to diversify your promotional investment.

Brian Hazard is a recording artist with over twenty years of experience promoting a dozen Color Theory albums, and head mastering engineer and owner of Resonance Mastering in Huntington Beach, California.

His Passive Promotion blog emphasizes set it and forget it methods of music promotion.

Catch more of his promotional escapades in his How Im Promoting My Music This Monthemail newsletter.

Share on:
Flags flying at the top of East Main Street. Resident Alan Horbal started putting up flags in the Kempville area more than two decades ago and has been slowing expanding to other neighborhoods.

North Adams Man Determined to Hang American Flags in Every Neighborhood

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Alan Horbal has adopted the herculean effort over the last 22 years of installing American flags on utility poles throughout the city every summer.

"I started on Park Avenue with four flags, and then 12, and then 60, and we have been expanding ever since," Horbal said. "... My ultimate goal is to do the whole town. I am not a vet, but I honor them.

"I can tell you it is a special feeling looking out your window in the morning and seeing a flag flying."

Horbal just got up one morning and decided this was something he wanted to do. He went to the hardware store and purchased four kits.

As he purchased more flags, at that time with his own money, he installed them on Kemp, Lake Street, Bradley Street, and George Fairs Way.

"We just kept plugging away he said," he said.

As residents and different organizations caught wind of Horbal's project more donations were made, allowing him to expand his vision quicker.

He eventually formally created Kempville Flags Inc.

Horbal has started a larger campaign tapping banks and other organizations for support. He said oftentimes neighborhoods would pool donations to get some flags on their own streets.

"We just hope to be able to continue what we are doing and continue getting support, which we are getting," Horbal said. "People are happy about it, and we get a lot of feedback."

Flags throughout the city is a lofty goal that Horbal is sure he can put a serious dent in.

"I am pretty sure before my time expires that I can get everything east of the [Hoosic] River done, with a couple exceptions," Horbal said. "... I won't complete it in my life time, but the more donations I get the more I can put up."

Horbal said about every $100 will secure 20 flags. He has partnered with Ocean State Job Lot, which supplies him flags at a discounted rate.

But it is more than just purchasing flags. A bracket and plastic tube is needed to attach the flag. With the cost increase, it has become more difficult to get the flags out of his garage and installed.

But again, the community has stepped up.

RI Baker has supplied materials and McCann Technichal School students manufacture the stainless steel brackets.

"Very seldom do the kids get a chance to work with stainless steel, and it is a whole different animal," he said. "So when they leave McCann, they can say they have worked with stainless steel, which looks good on a resume when they graduate."

The flags go up on Patriots Day and come down on Columbus Day. During the winter, Horbal takes inventory and prepares flags for the coming Patriots day.

"I move very slowly. I get the new flags and get them ready to go and bundle up the old ones," he said. "In three hours I can do 24 flags."

Horbal said although more flags are always needed, there isn't necessarily a supply issue holding him up.

"But the problem is all about getting people. Like right now I have 400 flags in my garage," he said. "We get windstorms that damage the flags, and this happens every year. But I don't have anyone who can put up the flags. I am 77 and most of my friends are close to that. We aren't going to climb ladders."

He said local Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups have helped in the past but more volunteers are always needed.

He did note that he does not carry any sort of liability insurance so volunteers help at their own risk.

In the immediate future, Beaver Street and Mohawk Forest Boulevard are on the agenda. After that he hopes to tackle Bradford Street, Bradley Extension, Daniels Road, the Walker Street area, and the West Shaft Road area.

There are flags on Beaver Street near the city line, and down Union Street through the mills and up Miner Street, and on the top of East Main Street and up East Main Extension.

Horbal realizes his work will never be completed and even if he is able to install flags throughout the city, there will always be a need for replacements. He said it is also important to properly retire spent flags, which is time consuming.

But it all is worth it, he said, and he hopes all residents feel a little more pride when they look out at their street.

"I think when the flags are out people feel a little more pride in their country, at least I do," he said. "I enjoy it."

Any donations can be made to Kempville Flags Inc., 458 East Main St., North Adams, MA 01247.
Kenneth Kuttner and Carin DeMayo-Wall participate in a candidates forum sponsored by the Williamstown chapter of the League of Women Voters.

Williamstown Planning Board Candidates Differ on Bylaw Proposals

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Whoever wins a Planning Board seat in Tuesday's town election will not have a say in the zoning bylaw amendments that go to town meeting one week later.

But they had some things to say about those proposals in a forum hosted last month by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters.

Carin DeMayo-Wall and Kenneth Kuttner each have spoken before the Planning Board directly to argue for and against some of the most discussed bylaw amendments the board has proposed.

On Tuesday, voters will decide whether to give Kuttner or DeMayo-Wall a five-year term on the five-person Planning Board.

Not surprisingly, several of the questions at the hourlong forum, viewable on the town's community access television station, WilliNet, gave each candidate a chance to address the biggest land-use issue in town this spring.

Kuttner, who is running for the office for the second straight year, has repeatedly pressed the current board members for evidence that the changes on the table will achieve the desired results.

The economics professor at Williams College at one point said the Planning Board has not done the "homework" that he would require of students.

"Zoning should be intentional, a well thought-out strategy," Kuttner said. "I'd like to put planning back in the Planning Board. Policies must be grounded in fact.

"Shrinking lot sizes in town, there's no evidence that sort of change leads to more infill [development]."

DeMayo-Wall countered that the current proposals on the May 17 annual town meeting warrant are "well thought out" and are ideas that "have been discussed for decades."

DeMayo-Wall's father, Richard DeMayo, was a former member of the town's Planning Board and Select Board. She talked about her lifelong connection to the town but also highlighted her life experience working at the State House and with an architectural planning firm in Boston.

"As a community, we've been looking for decades at housing in Williamstown," she said. "I think that we are in an interesting position that so many things brought forward this year to town meeting will give us direction as to what the town is really committed to doing. Are we committed to providing further housing options in town or not.

"I think it will dictate a lot of what happens in the community."

In a nutshell, the most talked about bylaw amendments proposed by the Planning Board would scale back the dimensional requirements (lot size, setback, frontage) in residential parts of town; advocates say it will allow for the creation of more housing lots and that increased supply will have put downward pressure on home prices. Other proposals on the warrant would relax the rules for multifamily dwellings, again with the intention of stimulating development of more such residences.

Kuttner said he wants to see the Planning Board to address the need for more "small a" affordable housing (as opposed to subsidized housing, which he also supports) with more targeted solutions like zoning overlay districts.

Current Planning Board members who support the proposals going to town meeting later this month have said they too would like to explore overlays but see the current proposal to address the town's current, exclusionary zoning as a first step.

DeMayo-Wall and Kuttner were asked at the forum about whether they agree with another step the Planning Board took on the housing front in recent years: 2019's bylaw allowing accessory dwelling units.

"My take is the effect [of the bylaw] has been very small," Kuttner said. "I have mixed feelings about ADUs. Growing up, my grandmother lived in what we'd now call an ADU. On the other hand, I have the impression that ADUs in our town are being used for Airbnbs. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

"Ultimately, it's the market that decides what will actually happen."

DeMayo-Wall was more definitive, arguing that even an ADU created as a short-term rental can serve the community by, for example, helping older homeowners remain in their homes.

"Ken brings up a good point about Airbnb, but it's a source of income," DeMayo-Wall said. "Not everyone has the ability to maintain and pay taxes on a house that they may have gotten through family. I know a case where a gentleman outlived his income, never thought he'd make it into his 90s. I thought [the bylaw] was something we did right."

One point of agreement between the two candidates was that the Planning Board needs to engage more with residents and bring more voices into the conversations about changes it proposes to town meeting before they get to town meeting.

"Meaningful community engagement is essential, especially in the early stages of the planning process," Kuttner said.

"If [Article 45] is voted down ... I'd engage people and say, 'What kinds of development would be compatible with what you want in South Williamstown while being compatible with our environmental priorities."
Berkshire Athenaeum Eyes ARPA Funds to Support Social Services

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Berkshire Athenaeum is advocating for an allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds to support social services at the library.

Director Alex Reczkowski told the Board of Trustees on Tuesday that visitors are often in need of services that reach beyond checking out a book and that he would like the facility to be a place where they can access them.

He began exploring the possibility of applying for ARPA monies to bring such services to the Berkshire Athenaeum on a regular basis.

The trustees supported the idea and a member proposed writing a letter of support to the city which, during early conversation, recognizes the need but is not sure that the library is the solution.



"I wanted to just give you all a heads up about how staff are really facing challenges with a lot of what we might think of as social service needs," Reczkowski said.



"So these are our needs that aren't met by traditional library resources like books and DVDs and audiobooks but for folks who need help navigating getting housing, navigating getting work, navigating some of the social services like mental health supports, substance abuse support, any range of those.



"So staff are carrying a lot for this community."



A social worker who co-responds for the Brien Center and the Police Department has been coming in once a week to talk with folks and Reczkowski has been working with partners in the Police Department's HUB model established earlier this year to have social workers spending more routine time at the library.



This was reportedly helpful because staff could ask the social worker questions and refer patrons to them.



He reported that a staff member has submitted their resignation because they believe the work extends beyond the expertise of a library staff member.



"One of the challenges is they're all stretched thin, so they're trying to just have their locations staffed that they can't say, 'I'll be at the library every Tuesday' because they're at their location every Tuesday," Reczkowski said.



"But even outside of the work hours, we have one of our part-time subs who has been working on some evenings and some Saturdays, recently submitted their letter of resignation. They're going to work a few more shifts, but they said that this work is really outside of the scope, it's beyond what they feel that they can really hold up as a library staff member, that the community needs are deeper, needier, harder, scarier and so it's, it's a real challenge."



This brought Reczkowski to approach the city's ARPA team Deanna Ruffer and Gina Armstrong to advocate for monies that support casework at the library. He has just gotten off the phone with them before the meeting.



He said it sounds like they recognize the need but are not convinced that a social worker stationed at the library would be the best solution but the conversation is continuing to happen, as this was the first major discussion of the proposal.



"It's really tough because if you take a top-level view, you see that there are all of these services in the community right here -- Second Street Second Chances, they just got funding and there is Community Navigators with Habitat for Humanity and there's community support options at the Brien Center and the Crane Center and Jones at Berkshire Health Systems and ServiceNet," Reczkowski added.


Pittsfield Farmers Market Returns for Tenth Season

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Roots Rising announced that the teen-run Pittsfield Farmers Market opens Saturday, May 14 for its 10th anniversary season.

The market will run weekly, rain or shine, from 9am to 1pm in the First Street Common through Oct. 8. Each week shoppers will find fresh, local and seasonal fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese, baked goods, flowers, artisan goods, as well as live music and children's activities.

This season will feature longtime vendors as well as new vendors. Crosswalk Coffee was voted "Fan Favorite" in Berkshire EforAll's 2021 Pitch Contest. It is the area's only human-powered cafe on wheels. Owner Nicholas Russo will be preparing coffee drinks entirely by hand- from the bean grinding, to the espresso extracting, to the milk steaming- all from behind a three-wheeled cargo bike.

In addition, Les Petits Choux joins the market. A new business launched by Pauline and Louis Lassalle, a French husband and wife duo. Their specialty is a cream filled puff pastry, or Choux, in both classic and seasonal flavors.

Also new this year is Second Saturdays. Once a month the market will be serving up a supersized market in partnership with CozQuest and the City's Cultural Development Office. These days will include a Makers Market, kids yoga, obstacle courses, the Roaming Railroad, community workshops, contests and more.

According to a press release, the Pittsfield Farmers Market was founded with the belief that everyone has the right to fresh, healthy food, and Roots Rising strives to make the market accessible and inclusive for all. They accept SNAP, HIP, WIC and Senior FMNP benefits as well as debit and credit cards.

"The Pittsfield Farmers Market is rooted in social justice. In the past 9 years, our market has facilitated more than half a million dollars in fresh food put on the table of those in need. One way we have accomplished this is through our food justice program Market Match, which doubles SNAP, WIC and senior benefits. While the food is subsidized for our shoppers, our farmers receive 100 percent of the sales. In this way, our market helps build a just and thriving community," said Jess Vecchia and Jamie Samowitz, Co-Directors of Roots Rising.

The Pittsfield Farmers Market also hosts a Giving Table, where shoppers and vendors can gift food to be donated to local pantries and shelters.

And lastly, the market plays a role in increasing food security for our community's youth. Summer Eats bridges the summer hunger gap by providing free, healthy lunches to all youth under the age of 18. This season, Summer Eats at the Pittsfield Farmers Market will run 11am to 1pm from July 2 to Aug. 20.
Filipinos gave their all to convey support to their favored candidates for the final COMELEC (@COMELEC) presidential and vice-presidential forums. Before the Philippine election day slated on 9 May, a series of panel interviews with the candidates was seen as a last hurrah to share their plans. On Twitter, more than 7.1 million Tweets related to the forum were generated globally (3 May, 12AM PHT - 6 May, 12PM PHT 2022).

The #PiliPinasForum2022 included various topics to be answered by the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The candidates shared their insights on topics such as: education, COVID-19, food security, OFWs, economy, and foreign policy among others. The conversation peaked around 11:00 am - 12:00 pm on 6 May with almost 100,000 Tweets during Manny Pacquiaos panel interview.

Filipinos actively participated in conversations about the debate with their opinions and reactions on Twitter. Among the top hashtags from the interviews were #Covid19, #Halalan2022, #LeniKiko2022, #PHVote, and #WeDecide (in alphabetical order).

Filipinos on Twitter also showed their support for their preferred presidential and vice-presidential candidates through emojis. Here are the top emojis Filipinos used on Twitter during the #PiliPinasForum2022.

From a supposed town hall debate format to a forum format, COMELEC (@COMELEC) has given the presidential and vice-presidential candidates a more focused platform with a panel interviewing them on the Philippines issues and giving them the chance to answer on how they would resolve them. From their views and opinions to taking jabs at the spur of the moment happenings, here are some of the most engaged Tweets during the last #PiliPinasForum2022.

Twitter launches new voter education initiatives, a first in the Philippines.

In a continued effort to protect the integrity of the elections and to safeguard the public conversation, Twitter launched a new initiative in partnership with COMELEC and Plan International Philippines, coordinator of #HIJAlalan2022. First in the Philippines, this initiative strengthens current efforts to bring reliable and relevant information for voters.

As of today, voters can now like (or heart) this Tweet via the @TwitterPH handle to receive the latest and most accurate information from COMELEC on the elections. The like-to subscribe feature enables personal notifications leading up to the day of the elections, facilitating access to authoritative sources of information.

Additionally; in partnership with Plan International Philippines as the coordinator of #HIJAlalan2022, Twitter rolled out a quiz to educate voters on the girls electoral agenda. The voter education quiz aims to highlight girls issues and general voters concerns.

The public conversation on Twitter is never more important than during elections. The like-to-subscribe feature and voter education quiz are a first for us in Southeast Asia and an important feature in protecting the integrity of the election conversation in the Philippines. This is particularly so for first-time voters who are looking for credible sources of information. As the election day draws near, we remain committed to investing in technology, developing new policies, and building meaningful partnerships to drive civic participation and ensure that election-related conversations on our platform are based on healthy discourse, said Monrawee Ampolpittayanant, Head of Public Policy, Government and Philanthropy for Twitter in Southeast Asia.
The global pandemic has created a lot of disruptions, but the one thing it could not shut down is the power of volunteerism  people overcoming challenges to give their time and services to aid those impacted the most.

For Operation Smile Philippines (OSP), this means continuing to provide free reconstructive surgery, post-surgery speech therapy and related healthcare to children in resource-poor communities affected by a cleft lip or palate.

However, the pandemic has prevented the speech pathology volunteers from conducting the speech therapy in person. To get around the problem, they initiated an online speech therapy, or teletherapy, program in July 2021 so that they could continue their work to improve the childrens communication skills and self-confidence.

This can have a transformative impact on the children as the goal is for them to be able to speak normally so that they can attend school and interact with other people without fear of being ridiculed, said Professor Fernando Alejandro Ligot, an OSP volunteer of 20 years. We work with various partners, including UPS Philippines, to bring that smile back to the children.

The global logistics provider, via its charitable arm The UPS Foundation, awarded a grant to OSP for the purchase of internet-ready tablets and headsets to equip patients with the tools to undergo therapy online. With more children, many of them scattered across the country, gaining access to the sessions, it helps OSPs online speech therapy service  known as Assessment and Clinical Care through Electronic Speech Services, or ACCESS  to expand.

Operation Smile Philippines Executive Director Emiliano Romano visiting the Javier family, presenting daughter Sophia with the equipment she needs to help her in her teletherapy and virtual classes

ACCESS comprises eight virtual sessions  one session per week for two months  with each patient assigned to a volunteer speech therapist. Each session is conducted in the presence of the patients parent or guardian who is also given instructions on additional exercises the child can practice at home in between sessions.

UPS employees are also volunteering to support the patients and their parents during therapy as well as outside these sessions via teleconference calls. Each employee volunteer is assigned to a particular patient for the entire duration of the engagement.

The partnership with UPS is a very significant and crucial collaboration because more kids are able to receive therapy, and therefore they have better opportunities to develop communication skills and become confident members of their communities and society, said Professor Ligot.

That difference is felt by those on the receiving end.

Maraming salamat sa Operation Smile kasi hindi sila nagsasawa na tumulong sa amin, mula surgery hanggang therapy. Hindi na mahiyain makipaglaro si Reeze. Mas naiintindihan na sya ng ibang bata. Nakatulong yon breathing exercises at lahat ng speech and reading exercises. Maraming salamat rin sa UPS sa pagbibigay ng gadget. Ang laking tulong sa therapy, pati na rin sa online classes ni Reeze [Thank you very much to Operation Smile for helping us from surgery to therapy. Reeze is no longer shy to play. Other children understand her better. Breathing exercises and all speech and reading exercises helped. Many thanks also to UPS for providing the tablet. This really helped in therapy, as well as with Reezes online classes], said Joanalyn Pingki-an from Caloocan. Her 9-year-old daughter, Reeze Alaina is a Grade 3 student at the Arsenio Lacson Elementary School.

As part of their #UPSGivesBack global campaign, UPSers have committed to 30 million volunteer hours by 2030, with UPS Philippines participating in Operation Smiles programs and other charities across the country as part of UPSs Global Volunteer Month which takes place every year in April.

Despite the pandemic, UPSers find ways to give back to the communities we serve by sharing our time and resources and connecting with people to build purposeful relationships and engagements, said Tessa Santos, UPS Community Involvement Committee (CIC) executive sponsor and operations manager.

The UPS CIC is also organizing activities in partnership with SOS Childrens Villages Philippines, Project Pearls for the COVID-19 Hunger Relief Program and AIP Foundation for the Safety Delivered campaign which raises awareness of the importance of safe driving and child helmet use.

Many of these partnerships have been in place for years. Weve completed numerous projects together already and were looking forward to continuing new initiatives for many years to come, added Tessa.
People tend to feel a little more protective of the things they own. So if you want your employees to feel extra committed, you might consider cutting them into the company.

Offering employees equity may be the norm for startups and companies in the tech industry, but small businesses, more generally, might also explore the option of employee ownership--particularly now as the ongoing labor crunch continues to throttle hiring.

"For small businesses, I think the biggest misconception is, 'I'm giving my business away,'" entrepreneur Tan France tells Inc. while acting as a spokesperson for the equity management company Carta. He is also the founder of several fashion businesses, most recently the outerwear line Was Him. "If you're struggling to build your business, it could be because you don't have the right kind of employees. If you were able to offer equity and convince a potential employee that your business has growth potential, you just need their help to get there--at that point, there's a mutual payoff."

Equity ownership can come in a variety of forms. Through direct ownership, employees are directly given equity or the chance to purchase stocks. Synthetic ownership gives employees a stock appreciation right, also known as a phantom stock. And employee stock ownership plans are a type of retirement plan involving the company's own stocks.

The thing that unites them all? Education. All companies should spend time explaining to their workers and prospective employees what their equity options mean. This is even more important for firms in non-traditional industries, as the concept may be brand new. "People can't value equity if they don't understand it," Henry Ward, co-founder and CEO of Carta says. With this aim, in March, Carta released Equity 101, a free, publicly available online curriculum with 10 interactive units all about equity.

Even with education efforts, you still might need to sell the idea to staff. Here's how to make the transition to an employee ownership model as seamless and successful as possible.

Consider the benefits of employee ownership

Employee equity is part of what allowed Fireclay Tile, an Aromas, California-based tile company founded in 1986, to grow from a small business of about 20 to 30 workers to a more robust company of 250 employees. CEO Eric Edelson joined the company in 2009 and in 2013, he changed Fireclay's business model from a wholesale manufacturer to become a vertically integrated direct sales marketing organization. After raising some capital, the company rolled out a stock option in 2015. In 2020, the company organized a buyout of Fireclay's founder, Paul Burns, and distributed about 30 percent of the company to employees through stock options. Fireclay uses Carta to give employees and investors transparency, which Edelson says has helped the company to raise additional capital.

In the past 15 months, Fireclay has brought on about 100 new employees, increasing its headcount by about 40 percent, and Edelson says that employee ownership is a factor that has helped the company to attract and retain loyal talent. "Ownership is a part of it, we're a certified B Corp, and we're focused on paying great wages and offering great benefits," he says. "It's a culmination of those things."

Practice financial transparency with employees

For employees to understand what equity means, they need to understand how their company makes money, says Steve Baker, vice president of business management consulting company the Great Game of Business. That means businesses need to educate their workers not just on equity, but on their own business models. That might look different at every company. At the Great Game of Business, which itself offers an employee stock equity program, Baker says that employees take part in a weekly huddle about the company's finances. "We forecast financials from the bottom up," he says. When employees are able to see, in real time, how business changes over time, they can better understand how they create value--which leads them to better correlate their work with the value of their equity.

Make education and ongoing process

Equity education doesn't stop after an employee accepts their compensation package. "We've done everything from trainings to adopting an online learning software. When people get stock issuances, I send them a personal note with their information," says Edelson. Most recently, Fireclay created an FAQ guide on equity, in addition to providing employees with personalized total compensation statements, which give them a better understanding of past earnings and current ownership.

Carta's online curriculum was developed for asynchronous learning so that employees could refer to it at any time--which is important because, as Baker notes, equity is "not a short-term incentive." When employees get the opportunity to exercise their equity, they may need a refresher on what, exactly, that means.
Send to Email Address

Your Name

Your Email Address

Post was not sent - check your email addresses!

Email check failed, please try again

Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
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.
Nand Mulchandani has become the first-ever Indian-origin man to become Chief Technology Officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).



The current director William Joseph Burns announced his appointment and stated that

Since my confirmation, I have prioritized focusing on technology and the new CTO position is a very important part of that effort. I am delighted Nand has joined our team and will bring his extensive experience to this crucial new role.

Indian Express

The CIA tweeted that, he will ensure the Agency is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further CIA's mission.



Who is Nand Mulchandani?

Nand Mulchandani did his schooling in Delhi. After completing his schooling at the Bluebells School International, he went to Cornell University for his undergraduate course in Computer Science and Math. Mulchandani also completed a Master of Science degree in Management from Stanford and a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard.

Before joining the CIA, he was the CTO and acting director of the US Department of Defenses Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

According to the report published in the Hindustan Times, Mulchandani has more than 25 years of experience working in the Silicon Valley and several successful startups are co-founded by him. Some of the startups include OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMWare) and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix).

Siasat

Mulchandani said, I am honoured to join CIA in this role and look forward to working with the Agencys incredible team of technologists and domain experts who already deliver world-class intelligence and capabilities to help build a comprehensive technology strategy that delivers exciting capabilities working closely with industry and partners.



What is Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?

According to the CIA website, established in 1947 by the National Security Act, the CIA is a US government agency, that defines itself as the Nations first line of defense. It is an independent, civilian intelligence agency within the executive branch. It was constituted to provide objective intelligence on foreign countries and global issues to the president and other policymakers.

The seal of the CIA includes an eagle for alertness, a shield for defense, and a compass rose for global intelligence collection. The goals of the agency are to collect foreign intelligence, produce objective analysis and conduct covert action, as directed by the president.

It does not make policy or policy recommendations but serves as an independent source of information. It is not a law enforcement organization. However, it works with the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, and law enforcement agencies on several issues including counterintelligence, counterterrorism etc.

How CIA is different from the Federal Bureau of Investigation?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) works under the U.S. Department of Justice and handles domestic issues in the country. The primary work of the FBI is the prevention of terrorism within the US and is responsible for enforcing federal law. FBI also provides (if needed) its assistance in investigating cases of murders, interstate crimes and kidnapping in the U.S.A.

Wionews

While the CIA is an independent agency, mostly operates outside the US to collect intelligence with a network of spies. Both the bodies are members of the U.S. Intelligence Community. The CIA has no authority over law enforcement and the FBI is not allowed collect information regarding US Persons. The term is used to refer to US citizens, US corporations, legal immigrants and resident aliens regardless of where they are located.



For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


After an enduring hiatus, Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, paid a diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia's King Salam and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This unexpected visit is a telling one in many respects, in that it is indicative of Turkey's efforts to mend her exceedingly strained relations with Saudi Arabia, especially after the 2018 Jamal Khashoggi Scandal.

Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi Arabian journalist and a columnist at Washington Post who was reportedly murdered by Saudi officials in Istanbul in 2018. The relations between Turkey and Saudi deteriorated when the the former accused the latter of murder; Erdogan blamed the high levels of Saudi government. Expressing her displeasure with Turkey, Saudi Arabia has imposed an unofficial embargo on Turkish exports, slashing bilateral commerce by $5 billion.



Erdogan pays a visit to Saudi Arabia

AP

Erdogan's visit is bound to open a new trajectory in West Asian geopolitics. After the talks, he said on Twitter: "We believe that it is in our common interest to increase our cooperation with Saudi Arabia in areas such as health, energy, food safety, agricultural technologies, defence industry and finance." His visit in many ways is a strategic visit.

Dropping the demand to conduct a Turkish trial of Saudi agents who were believed to have been culprits in Jamal Khashogi's case, he undertook this diplomatic drive at a time when the Turkey is looming in the severe economic crisis and as a result Erdogan losing the political confidence in the eyes of the populace.

Erdogan's ailing economy is in desperate need of Saudi funding. Promises of commercial partnerships and a source of revenue to supplement his state's depleted resources would be welcomed. This type of assistance allows the Turkish president to stay in office for longer.

What are Turkey's motivations in seeking rapprochement?

ahvalnews

In view of elections next year, for Erdogan, this visit should be a part of his political campaign to build his approval at home and increase his relevance internationally by engaging in high-level diplomacy. He already knows how normalising relations with the rivals can be so profitable and beneficial. For instance, after restoring ties with Abu Dhabi, it announced a $10 billion fund to support investments in Turkey and made other moves to support the economy.

Today Saudi is experiencing high economic growth. Higher energy prices are expected to bring in more over $400 billion in revenue for Saudi Arabia this year. In short, Saudis have enough capability to invest in the foreign lands. No wonder Erdogan was prudent enough to seek rapprochement with Saudi Arabia now.

Through this rapprochement, Turkey wants to sign a trade agreement with Saudi Arabia because its exports to the kingdom have dropped from $3.2 billion to $200 million by 2021. Broadly speaking, Saudi Arabia can play a restorative role in the ailing Turkish economy.

What will Saudi Arabia gain?

AP

Firstly, as the scandal is being put to an end by the Turkish government, for Saudi Arabia, this is an opportunity to witness a restoration of her image and reputation, which were so tarnished for the last couple of years. Many prominent investors backed away from Saudi ever since it got entangled in the scandal. Now if the relations are normalised to a certain extent, Saudi can continue to attract the eminent investments.

For Saudi Arabia, reconciliation with Turkey has another great significance. Through broadening her alliance with Turkey, Saudi can balance and put pressure on Iran and in so doing it can attain the capacity to anchor a new balance of power in the region.

Finally, the United States' credibility as a regional security supplier is eroding. Since the Arab Spring, when the United States refused to support Saudi Arabia's royal family, this problem has become more pronounced. Even as the US' credibility diminishes, with the cooperation of Turkey, Saudi Arabia can establish an alternative security framework in West Asia.

References

Erdogan meets Saudi leaders in first visit since Khashoggi murder. (2022, April 29). Middle East Monitor. Retrieved May 2, 2022

Explained: Why are foes Turkey and Saudi Arabia fixing ties? (2022, April 29). The Indian Express. Retrieved May 2, 2022

Robertson, N. (2022, April 29). Why Turkey is helping Saudi Arabia bury the Khashoggi scandal. CNN. Retrieved May 2, 2022

For more on explainers, news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recovered a huge amount of cash during raids at multiple premises, including that of Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal and her family.

The raids that started on Friday morning were in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged embezzlement of over Rs 18 crore MGNREGA funds in Khunti district of the state during 2008-11.

Twitter

The searches are being carried out under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at about 18 premises in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, and a few other states.

Out of the Rs 18 crore recovered, about Rs 17 crore cash was seized from the premises of a Ranchi-based Chartered Accountant.

Videos posted on social media showed officials counting the notes using banknote counters.

Jharkhand - mining scam



More trouble for Jharkhand CM @HemantSorenJMM



17 crore cash seized from IAS Pooja Singhal.pic.twitter.com/lhj0Z9fFia  narne kumar06 (@narne_kumar06) May 6, 2022

Around Rs 1.8 crore cash has also been recovered from another location in the city.

Who is Pooja Singhal?

Officials said the premises of Singhal, an IAS officer and secretary of the department of mines and geology of Jharkhand government, in state capital, Ranchi, are also being covered as part of the action.

Singhal is a 2000 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and was posted as the deputy commissioner in Khunti district earlier.

A few other locations in Ranchi, including a hospital, were also being raided by ED officials who were provided a security escort by the personnel of the central paramilitary force CRPF.

Twitter

Embezzlement case

The raids pertain to a money-laundering case in which a former junior engineer in Jharkhand government, Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, was arrested on June 17, 2020 from the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after he was booked by it under the PMLA.

The federal agency took cognisance of 16 FIRs and charge sheets filed by the Jharkhand vigilance bureau against Sinha that alleged the accused abused his official position and indulged in embezzlement of Rs 18.06 crore of government funds by way of forgery and misappropriation.

File Image

Sinha was booked by the vigilance bureau under criminal sections of the IPC pertaining to cheating and corruption for allegedly defrauding public money and investing it in his own name as well as in the name of his family members while working as junior engineer from April 1, 2008 to March 21, 2011.

The said money was earmarked for the execution of government projects under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) scheme in Khunti district, the agency had earlier said.

For more on news, sports and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old Dalit man was killed in full public view, in a case of honour killing.

The deceased, identified as B Nagaraju, was travelling on a motorbike with his wife, Syed Ashrin Sulthana on Wednesday night when they were confronted by two men.

Screengrab

One of them Syed Mobin Ahmed was the brother of Nagaraju's wife who had married in January.

Nagaraju and Sulthana had known each other since school.

Her family was opposed to their affair as he belonged to Mala community, which is a Scheduled Caste in the state, while they belonged to Syed which is considered an upper caste.

Syed Mobin Ahmed was opposed to his sister's relationship with Nagaraju, and had even warned her against it.

Twitter

On Wednesday, he along with another man, identified as Mohammed Masood Ahmed confronted them in Saroornagar.

After stopping the couple, the duo pushed Nagaraju to the ground and beat him up indiscriminately with the rod and stabbed him to death and finally fled the place.

Accused arrested

Both the accused were arrested on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (LB Nagar Zone) Sunpreet Singh told reporters a murder case under relevant Indian Penal Code sections and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 was registered.

"Case registered under IPC Section 302, SC/ST Act. The probe is to be concluded soon. We'll apply at fast track court so that its trial is concluded soon, and accused are punished. The deceased's family will be provided with monetary benefits, job", said DCP of LB Nagar.

The case would be tried in a fast-track court, the DCP added.

Twitter

Honour kiling

The Hindu-Muslim couple were classmates in school and college and were in love for more than five years even as her family was against the relationship. They got married on January 31 this year in an Arya Samaj ceremony in Hyderabad against the wishes of her family members, police said.



Mobin Ahmed had warned his sister in the past, police said, adding she subsequently walked out of her house to marry Nagaraju.

"The accused hatched a plan to kill Nagaraju. One month ago, the accused tried to locate the deceased but failed to identify his location. Again, on 4-05-2022, the accused started searching the location of the deceased and initially they found him at Maruthi showroom, Malakapet. But it was not convenient there to assault the deceased. Then, they followed the deceased on their scooter and found the deceased at Panjala Anil Kumar colony, Saroornagar", said the police.

In Hyderabad, a SC youth was stabbed to death for marrying a Syed Muslim girl. The girl's family members also beat up his dead body with an iron rod. Pathetic



The fact is we are untouchable not only for CASTE Hindus but also for Muslims. @UNHumanRightspic.twitter.com/GvuMftHzBT  Mission Ambedkar (@MissionAmbedkar) May 5, 2022

Known each other since 11 years

Speaking to media, Ashrin Sulthana said she knew her husband for the last 11 years and claimed five persons attacked him.



Ashrin Sulthana said, "Syed Mobin Ahmed and five other people were there when the incident happened. I only recognized my brother and I don't know the others."

"We had a love marriage and he was my classmate since Class 10. I liked Nagaraju a lot. He even told my mother that he will convert his religion and will marry me but my mother didn't listen. I know Nagaraju for 11 years", she added.

"Nagaraju was beaten by five members at the signal. I begged everyone to let us go. Why did the public come now? He was killed in front of everyone, can't the world see? At the signal, I requested people for help. If I would have died I wouldn't have felt sad. I tried to save Nagaraju by covering him. But there were five other people pushing me away from him and other people were beating him. Nagaraju was wearing a helmet but despite that, they injured his skull.

For more on news, sports and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the country's children. Confirmed reports suggest that nearly two-thirds of Ukraine's child population was displaced from their homes in the first six weeks.

Many are still reeling under the devastating aftermath of the war in Ukraine.

Agencies

Hiding from Russian bombs in turbulent Ukraine was an eight-year-old whose sad note on losing 'almost everything previous' to him is going viral.



Reuters/Image for representational purpose only.

Reuters/Image for representational purpose only.

The kid's diary entry was shared on Twitter by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Since Feb 24, my two dogs have died, and my grandma Halya, and my beloved Mariupol, wrote 8yo Yehor in his diary while hiding from Russian bombs. His grandpa died too. He, his sister, and their mother were wounded.



Ukraine will never give up or get tired. We have to prevail. pic.twitter.com/ZVGgm4kUXD  Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 5, 2022

Since February 24, my two dogs have died, and my grandma Halya and my beloved Mariupol, the child named Yehor wrote in his diary.

Screengrab/Twitter

Kuleba wrote that the child also lost his grandfather because of the war. His mother and sister had been injured. The minister wrote Ukrainians have to prevail. He wrote, "Ukraine will never give up or get tired.

Ukraine

Internet shed a tear or two after reading the emotional note written by Yehor.

Even in the midst of a war, people living in the city have a way to escape. But those trapped in Mariupol can't even escape. What is their way of life in that ...?#SOSMariupol#SaveMariupol

https://t.co/CNL8DBinD3   (@yume6tsumi0) May 5, 2022

My heart breaks for all our children. Here is the full translation of his diary entry for anyone interested pic.twitter.com/QlqjbiQgrS  Tanya Daylo (@DayloTanya) May 5, 2022

No one thing has made me cry as often, as watching the news about the war in . Wish I could do more to help this poor boy and everyone else in  - except from donating the money I can spare. God be with you .  Klaus Hybye (@KlausHoybye) May 5, 2022

This is too much grief for an adult to bear.. How traumatizing is it for a child to bear in one lifetime?  lizwonders (@lizwonders1) May 5, 2022

Childern have the full rigth tu live in peace ,happiness and love .I pray that day arrived very quickli   Veronika Escaleira (@Esc1Escaleira) May 5, 2022

you have the world at your side. Together we will chase the monsters away  love from munich, bavaria  Andrea Brown (@AndreaBrowniee) May 5, 2022





One person wrote: "This is too much grief for an adult to bear... How traumatizing is it for a child to bear in one lifetime?" Another went ahead and wrote: "For the sake of this child and millions like him, we must stop Putin by any means necessary, then commit to moving beyond war altogether."

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. In more than two months, thousands of civilians have been killed, and over 55 lakh had to flee to neighboring countries to save their lives.

AFP

Reports claim that over 70 lakh have been internally displaced. As of May 1, 2022, more than 5.5 million people, half of them children, had crossed the border into Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and other neighboring countries in search of safety.



(For more trending stories, click here.)
Assam Police have arrested a conman who duped several people under the pretext of promising them a job with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

Fraud Rana Pogag was arrested after his fiance Junmoni Rabha, a cop with Nagaon Police, filed an FIR against him.

Pogag had falsely claimed that he was working with ONGC in Assam. He went on to ask people for money in exchange for offering them a job with the company. Police claim that Pogag duped people for crores of rupees.

Twitter

How did Junmoni fall into Pogag's trap?

Instagram

The conman introduced himself as a public-relations officer to Junmoni Rabha, a sub-inspector in Assam's Nagaon district. After a brief meeting, the two got engaged in October 201 and were set to get married in November.



Talking to the media, a police officer said,

When the accused first met Junmoni, he identified himself as an ONGC officer. They were supposed to get married in November, but Junmoni learned he duped some people by promising to give them jobs and contracts in the ONGC."

The officer added, She had checked his bag and recovered some fake seals and documents of the ONGC. So, she lodged an FIR with us. We registered a case and arrested him."

As soon as Junmoni learned that her soon-to-be-husband was a conman, she filed an FIR.

Twitter

"I am grateful to the three people who came to me with information about him (Rana Pogag) on how big a fraud he is. They opened my eyes," Ms. Rabha told the media.



Junmoni Rabha is a real-life Dabangg. She made headlines in January 2022 after she refused to favor BJP supporters, who were found to bend the law during a call with Bihpuria MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan.

representational pictures

WHen Junmoni was posted on the island Majuli, her telephonic conversation with Bihpuria MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan was leaked on social media. The police had seized a boat, and the MLA asked her not to go after the Mishing tribals, who rely heavily on boats for movement.



The cop hit back, asking how he could ask the police to break the rules and regulations despite being an elected representative.

The movement of single-engine mechanized boats on the Brahmaputra was banned following a boat mishap.

(For more trending stories, click here.)


Another suspected case of honor killing has been reported in Pakistan. A 21-year-old woman has been allegedly murdered by her brother for pursuing dancing and modeling as a career in Punjab province.

Sidra, a native of Renala Khurd Okara, 130 km from provincial capital Lahore, was modeling for a local clothing brand and danced in theatres of Faisalabad city against the wishes of her family, according to police.

Unsplash/Image for representational purpose only

Sidras parents forced her to quit her profession, terming it against family tradition, but she insisted on continuing.

Police said Sidra had come home from Faisalabad to celebrate Eid with her family last week.

On Thursday, her parents and brother Hamza had an argument with her over the issue of decency in her profession and beat her for insisting on sticking with dancing.

Image for representational purpose only

Officials said later in the day, Hamza opened fire on Sidra, killing her on the spot. A murder case was registered against the suspect. Police claim to have arrested Hamza, who confessed to the crime.



Police officer Fraz Hamid said Hamza got infuriated at Sidra when he saw her dance performance on his mobile phone forwarded to him by a relative. He said Hamza told police that he shot his sister and died in a fit of rage.

reuters

In February this year, a 19-year-old female dancer Ayesha was shot dead in Faisalabad by her ex-husband.



Cases of honor killing are frighteningly regular in Pakistan, especially in areas close to the tribal regions in the north and west.

Image for representational purpose only.

According to a Supreme Court judgment in 2020, Pakistan has one of the world's highest per capita honor killings.

Image for representational purpose only.

However, by using words like honor, the Pakistan society not only downplays the atrocity of the crime but legitimizes it with the belief that bad character, particularly pertaining to a woman, needs to be punished as it threatens their community and tarnishes the community's image at large.



(With agency inputs)
Companies these days are resorting to different means to retain employees. Employees are offered various options to strike a perfect work-life balance, from flexible work from home policies to paid mental-health leaves.

But a Madurai-based IT company is offering something 'extra.' Well, the company is offering free matchmaking services to its employees.

Image for representational purpose only.

They've also declared a hike for their employees who use these services and get married. A step that could be touted as bizarre has been taken by Mookambika Infosolutions, which is offering these services to their 750 employees.



Unsplash/Representational image

According to a TOI report, the step comes following their Mookambika Infosolutions attrition rate, which has been below 10 percent for several years now.

Image for representational purpose only.

The company also gives its employees a fixed 6-8 percent increment twice a year. But now, they're not just offering their employees matrimonial services but a special increment in case they tie the knot.



Image for representational purpose only.

Speaking about the initiative, founder MP Selvaganesh said, "They (the employees) treat me like a brother. Several of them are from villages, with either aged parents or lacking a proper outlook of the world and unable to fight the right match."



"We help such employees through a network of 'alliance makers.' Weddings are the best get-togethers; the entire team hires vans and attends."

About 40 percent of Mookambika Infosolutions's employees have been with the company for five years.

Image for representational purpose only.

"There are several long-term employees," MP Selvaganesh told the Times of India. "We cannot take them for granted, thinking they will not go anywhere. We give them their due even before any such thought comes to them."



He also added that his employees reach out to him directly whenever they face issues.

"We need to invest time and money to create such bonds and be honest in our approach. Not see everything from the business perspective alone," Selvaganesh said.

Follow us on telegram.


Europes top court said on Thursday that Banco Popular shareholders who took part in its capital increase in 2016 are not entitled to compensation for losses suffered after the Spanish bank was wound down and rescued.

European authorities orchestrated an overnight rescue of Popular in June 2017, with shareholders and some bondholders taking losses as it was sold for a nominal one euro to larger Spanish rival Santander.

The European courts ruling comes after a Spanish regional court sought clarification on whether shareholders who had subscribed to Populars 2.5 billion euros ($2.64 billion) capital increase had the right to be compensated, based on defective information contained in its prospectus.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) based its ruling, which cannot be appealed, on the European Unions restructuring and resolution directive.

Populars resolution was implemented through so-called bail-in rules, under which shareholders and bondholders bear responsibility for funding future bank rescues before taxpayers.

The directive, the ECJ said, established the principle that shareholders, followed by the creditors, of a credit institution subject to resolution proceedings who should bear the losses suffered as a matter of priority.

It also said that investor protection across the EU, cannot in any event be considered to override the interest in ensuring the stability of the financial system.

Prospectus Claims

Spanish and EU authorities hailed the Popular case as a successful first test of a tougher European regime to deal with troubled lenders, after it was hit by a bank run.

But shareholders filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the acquisition of shares in the capital hike, saying the prospectus contained inaccurate and incomplete information as well as alleging misinterpretation and concealment of relevant information over Populars financial position.

In 2016, Popular posted a record 3.5 billion-euro loss after higher than-expected-charges on soured property loans eroded the banks capital position.

In July 2017, Santander offered perpetual bonds as part of a commercial offer to compensate some retail clients who acquired shares and subordinated debt of Banco Popular.

In parallel, other significant shareholders and junior bondholders affected by Populars rescue filed lawsuits against the Single Resolution Board (SRB) in charge of its wind down, arguing the bank was not necessarily on the verge of collapse.

Popular had a stock market value of around 1.3 billion euros on the day it was bailed out. Some 1.9 billion euros worth of subordinated and convertible bonds were also wiped out.

As part of a separate criminal probe, Spains High Court is investigating the role in the collapse of former Popular executives, who have denied any wrongdoing.

($1 = 0.9477 euros)

(Reporting by Jesus Aguado; editing by Andrei Khalip, Elaine Hardcastle and Alexander Smith)

Topics Legislation Talent Europe
Omaha National Group, Inc., a tech-enabled provider of workers compensation insurance and payroll services, announced that AM Best has assigned the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a- (Excellent) to Omaha National Insurance Company, with an outlook assigned to those Credit Ratings of stable.

The ratings characterize Omaha Nationals balance sheet strength as very strong, and notes its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. Nebraska-based Omaha National was initially assigned a preliminary credit assessment of A- by AM Best in November 2021.

Last month, Omaha National announced a $20 million unsecured senior debt financing facilitated by Cohen & Co., a financial services company specializing in fixed income markets, to allow the company to better serve clients as a full-stack carrier and facilitate financial strength ratings. Omaha National raised $45 million Series B funding from investors Accomplice, HighSage Ventures and Tull Investments in September 2021, and is also backed by investment firm Agman.

Source: Omaha National

Topics AM Best Nebraska
Zurich Creates Role to Support Energy and Construction Clients With Sustainability

Zurich North America has created three roles to support its construction and energy customers in their sustainability objectives.

Climate change is one of the most urgent risks confronting our customers, and many are working toward carbon-neutral goals, said Paul Lavelle, head of U.S. National Accounts for Zurich North America. These new roles underscore our commitment to further develop products and services that help our customers both mitigate and adapt to climate-related risks.

Alicia Pavelko has returned to Zurich as head of Construction Innovation and Sustainability, reporting to Kelly Kinzer, head of Construction for U.S. National Accounts. Pavelko will manage the growth of Zurichs construction offerings including weather parametric, mass timber and alternative energy products. She also will be responsible for developing new product solutions for construction.

Previously, Pavelko held leadership positions in the construction practice at Willis Towers Watson and Marsh, as well as underwriting positions at Hanover Insurance and Zurich North America.

Molly Dorsett has rejoined Zurich as head of U.S. Energy Casualty Renewables. Reporting to Jeanne Jankowski, head of U.S. Energy Casualty for U.S. National Accounts, Dorsett will be responsible for the strategic direction and identification of product needs for Zurichs renewable energy casualty practice, supporting growth in wind, solar and other types of renewable energy.

Dorsett brings 17 years of experience in underwriting and management roles at Chubb, Zurich and CNA.

Zurich also has created a position of lead underwriter of U.S. Renewable Energy Property. This person will develop the strategic direction and identify product needs for Zurichs U.S. renewable energy property practice, with a focus on wind and solar, and liaise with Zurich colleagues globally on renewables. Nicholas Haller, previously senior vice president at Haller-Zaremba Insurance Agency, has started in the role, reporting to Robert Edel, underwriting manager for U.S. Energy Property. Haller previously held key underwriting roles at GCube Insurance Services.

Pie Insurance Expands Leadership Team

Pie Insurance,, an insurtech company specializing in workers compensation insurance for small businesses, has appointed new senior leadership team members including David Samuels as the first chief commercial officer, Dimitrius King as the first chief claims officer, Kelly North as vice president of business development, and Jen Straus as the first vice president of people operations.

Samuels joins Pie after nearly a decade at SAP/Concur, where he most recently held the position of chief customer officer. As Pies first chief commercial officer, Samuels is responsible for setting Pies operational strategy and overseeing all premiums generated from our insurance agents and brokers.

As Pies first chief claims officer, King is responsible for leading and implementing the companys claims strategy. He joins Pie from Liberty Mutual, where he was a vice president of the workers compensation division.

North joins Pie as vice president of business development, overseeing the team responsible for growing and maturing the companys insurance agency channel. Prior to Pie, she spent two years at Beam Dental as the companys vice president of business development.

Straus is responsible for Pies compensation, benefits, people operations and analytics, as well as learning and development. She joins the company with a wealth of people operations experience at startups, including Kabbage and Alteryx.

Big I Names Dillard New Invest Executive Director

The Big I insurance agents association has named Whitnee Dillard as the new executive director of Invest and diversity. Dillard succeeds Deborah Pickford, executive director of Invest, who is retiring in May after six years. Invest is a classroom-to-career education program.

Dillard has 10 years of experience in insurance, nonprofit management and youth educational programming. She began her insurance career in 2012 as a licensed property/casualty agent, joining the Big I in 2014. She currently serves as the Big I director of diversity and inclusion and also serves as the staff lead to the Big I Diversity Council representative of Big I agents and 24 insurance companies.

In her new role, Dillard will direct Invests programs to improve the insurance literacy of students and attract diverse talent to the insurance industry, and she will also oversee diversity and young agents. .

Topics Agencies
Consumption plays larger role to bolster economy

Xinhua) 08:44, May 06, 2022

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Despite multiple challenges, China is working all out to tap its consumption potential, as part of efforts to keep economic fundamentals stable and improve people's lives.

Consumption is a primary engine for economic growth in China. In the first quarter, final consumption contributed 69.4 percent to the expansion in the gross domestic product, which rose 4.8 percent year on year.

Retail sales of consumer goods went up 3.3 percent year on year in the first quarter, but dropped 3.5 percent in March, the first decline since August 2020, due to resurgences of COVID-19 cases.

It is high time to let consumption play a larger role in the economic cycle and China should further highlight the importance of consumption in boosting economic growth, said Chen Lifen, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Chinese consumers are relatively more optimistic about the future in sharp contrast to the declining global consumer confidence, said a report published by global consulting firm Ernst &Young (EY).

Approximately 60 percent of Chinese respondents believed their personal finances would improve in the coming year, higher than the global average of 48 percent, according to the latest EY Future Consumer Index report which tracks changing consumer sentiment and behaviors across global markets with 18,000 consumers worldwide surveyed.

China has adopted a slew of policies to counter the impact of COVID-19 and boost the recovery and growth of consumption.

The country in April unveiled guidelines to further tap its consumption potential, with detailed measures to tackle short-term bottlenecks and boost longer-term consumption vitality.

China will develop products and services that cater to the needs of the elderly and infants while encouraging innovations in cultural consumption, the guidelines said.

The country will also tap the consumption potential in the country's vast rural areas, promoting the sales of automobiles and home appliances in these regions.

China also plans to build several duty-free shops within cities and improve related policies to develop pro-consumption platforms.

According to a State Council's Executive Meeting in April, new types of consumption will be promoted. Integration of online and brick-and-mortar consumption will be accelerated, and "smart plus" consumption such as smart products and services will be cultivated and strengthened.

Financial institutions should enhance support for the consumption of big-ticket items and such consumption should be made more available in rural areas to help improve people's lives, according to the meeting.

No new restrictive measures on car purchases shall be set at the sub-national level. Consumption of new-energy vehicles and construction of battery charging facilities will be supported, according to the meeting.

Based on its advantages of a super large market, China should turn to the growth of new technology, new economy and new drivers to buffer external shocks and cyclical downward pressure, said Yang Guangpu, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council.

Despite current setbacks, consumption will further recover and underpin economic growth, as resurgences of COVID-19 cases will ease and the policies will take effect to unleash consumption, experts said, citing the country's great consumption potential and resilience.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
HAVANA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- A gas leak caused an explosion Friday that destroyed a large part of the historic Hotel Saratoga in downtown Havana, the Cuban presidential office said.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that the explosion was caused by a gas leak," the presidential office said via Twitter, adding that "there will be more details about it soon."

At the scene, firefighters were working to cool the remains of a liquefied gas tanker truck believed to have exploded on a side street adjacent to the building.

Initial reports said nine people were killed in the accident and 40 others were injured.

Buildings near the scene of the accident were evacuated for safety and officials activated a blood donation drive to help the injured.

The five-star Hotel Saratoga, located near the National Capitol, headquarters of Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power, was originally preparing to reopen next Tuesday after closing for renovation work. 
Intuit Inc agreed to pay $141 million in restitution to settle claims by all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., that it tricked millions of customers into buying online TurboTax products that the company deceptively advertised as free.

Wednesdays settlement resolves claims that Intuit steered at least 4.4 million customers, many with low incomes, into buying its tax preparation products despite their being eligible for free electronic filing through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The settlement also calls for the largest U.S. online tax preparer to suspend ads containing slogans such as TurboTax Free is free. Free free free free.

Intuit offers two free versions of TurboTax: an IRS Free File version meant for lower-income people and military personnel, and a commercial product called TurboTax Free Edition for people with simple returns.

The states said that beginning in 2016, Intuit steered customers eligible for IRS Free File into using TurboTax Free Edition, only to later tell them they needed to pay $59.99 or more to file because their returns were not simple.

Intuit withdrew from the IRS Free File program last July.

For years, Intuit misled the most vulnerable among us to make a profit, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Today, every state in the nation is holding Intuit accountable.

New York and Tennessee led the state probe.

Intuit expects to record a $141 million charge for the settlement in its quarter ended April 30.

The Mountain View, California-based company admitted no wrongdoing and expects minimal impact to its business.

Intuit General Counsel Kerry McLean said the accord also addresses claims in a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) case over its ads, making that case entirely unnecessary.

The FTC said it will continue pursuing that case before an in-house administrative law judge.

It has said about two-thirds of tax filers, including gig workers and people with farm income, could not use free TurboTax products despite ads pitching free tax filings.
The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), Division of Workers Compensation (DWC) announced May 5 plans to amend 28 Texas Administrative Code 132.17, concerning Denial, Dispute, and Payment of Death Benefits. The amendments make updates for plain language and agency style and clarify an insurance carriers deadlines to file disputes over eligibility of death benefits.

DWC is seeking public comments to the proposed rule, which will be published in the May 20 issue of the Texas Registar. A copy of the proposed rule will also be posted on the TDI website.
With Florida lawmakers set to convene in less than three weeks to face the swirling winds of the states property insurance crisis, Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to unveil a draft of the reform legislation he would like to see.

But sources have told the Insurance Journal that the governor has said hes open to changes that would amplify last years Senate Bill 76  by further discouraging claims litigation, reducing one-way attorney fees, and opening the door to wider use of arbitration in claims disputes, among other measures.

Some have pointed to Texas reforms, including its 2017 claims litigation law, as a model for Florida to follow. Insurance groups in the Lone Star State have hailed the law, while consumer advocates and plaintiffs attorneys have said it strips policyholders of most of their ability to take balky insurers to court.

Both sides agree, though, that Texas House Bill 1774 has played a role in reducing the amount of claims suits in the Lone Star State.

Its had a very numbing effect on litigation and claims, said Joe Longley, a plaintiffs attorney in Austin who once handled many claims against insurers. Its made it so difficult to file suit and get claims settled, that most attorneys wont handle claims litigation any more.

A report from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which lobbied for the 2017 bill, show that litigation over hail and wind damage claims dropped like a rock after the law took effect, from just over 500 a month to about 150. Compare that with Florida, which has seen about 4,500 claims-related lawsuits per month filed against the 16 largest Florida property carriers, according to CaseGlide, a litigation management software firm.

The lawsuit number is staggering and is the chief reason why a number of insurers have gone insolvent in Florida and others have stopped writing in the state, insurance industry supporters have said.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform and Texas insurance regulators do not track the average amount of awards or claims settlements. But some plaintiffs lawyers said theyve seen a decline, partly because many homeowners now feel that theyre stuck with what their insurance company offers after a claim is filed.

Texas Watch, a consumer advocacy group, has called Texas House Bill 1774 the blue tarp bill, because it has left many homeowners without the funds to pay for a new roof after a storm.

Texas insurance attorneys said that concerns are overblown and that HB 1774, also known as the hail bill, still allows plenty of suits to go forward. But the law, along with other measures passed by Texas lawmakers in recent years, has helped take the abuse and self-serving roofing contractors, adjusters and torts out of the claims process.

What Florida did last year was all screwed up, and didnt go nearly far enough to stem unnecessary legal actions, said Steven Badger, a Dallas insurance defense lawyer who has focused on fraudulent claims.

Badger worked for passage of the Texas reforms and has kept an eye on Floridas recent troubles. He was referring to Floridas SB 76, signed into law last summer, which aimed to limit attorney fees and discourage litigation as well as solicitation of homeowners by roofing companies.

If the Texas laws are to be used as a model for Florida, as some Florida insurance insiders have suggested, some key requirements stand out.

HB 1774 requires a 60-day notice before a lawsuit can be filed. Floridas SB 76, signed into law in 2021, mandates only a 10-day notice. And in Texas, the notice must be quite detailed, with the specific amount owed by the insurer and the amount of reasonable and necessary attorney fees  calculated according to a prescribed formula. It must be sent to the insurer and to the claimant.

The insurance company then has 30 days to request an opportunity to inspect the property damage. If the presuit notice does not meet all of the requirements noted in the law, is not specific enough, or is even one day late, the insurer can ask a judge to abate the lawsuit altogether. In some cases, if the insurer can show that the notice procedure was not followed exactly, the legal action can be automatically stayed.

And insurance companies do look at every jot and tittle to find something thats not exactly right, said Longley, the trial attorney.

Another section of the 2017 Texas law applies strict rules on attorney fees, something some Florida lawmakers and the governor are said to be eyeing carefully. The bill is something like Floridas SB 76 taken up a notch. Both follow complex formulas to arrive at the amount of fees, but the Florida rule essentially forces insurers to pay the plaintiffs attorney costs if the policyholder wins at least 50% of what he or she was asking for.

The Texas law sets the threshold at 80%.

One well-known Houston claimants lawyer said that despite HB 1774s stricter requirements, the number of claims lawsuits his firm has handled has not significantly declined. As long as attorneys are careful to precisely follow the rules on pre-suit notices and give reasonable demands for damages, policyholders can still get a fair shake and lawyers can still get paid, said attorney Jeff Raizner.

The more far-reaching changes added by Texas lawmakers included allowing carriers to assume the liability of local insurance agents who may be named in a lawsuit. Since many carriers and surplus lines insurers in Texas lightly regulated arena are domiciled outside of Texas, that also has had the effect of removing many suits to federal courts.

Texas 2017 law was only part of the story behind the drop in claims litigation, Badger said. Texas courts for years have held that assignment-of-benefits agreements are invalid.

Thats the number one thing, you have to put an end to assignments of benefits, Badger said.

Assignees in Florida, such as restoration contractors, have been a significant contributor to Florida claims litigation. CaseGlide reports show that, despite the 2019 Florida legislation that attempted to curtail AOB-related suits, those types of actions still make up more than a third of claims litigation.

Its doubtful the Florida Legislature will take further action on AOB agreements, though. Lawmakers and insurance advocates instead plan to focus on taking away the incentive for attorneys to win fees by working with assignee contractors in litigation, insurance insiders have said.

In 2015, Texas also tightened its public adjuster statute to bar the type of practices often seen in Florida, in which some adjusters have been accused of doing little more than signing the homeowner up with a lawyer. Now a public adjuster can only sign up a client only if he intends to actually adjust the claim and try to get it resolved, Badger explained.

Other litigation-limiting ideas that Floridas governor is said to be in favor of include the increased use of binding arbitration. One Florida insurer, American Integrity, was recently approved for an endorsement that grants premium discounts if policyholders agree to arbitration in lieu of litigation in claims disputes. Legislation on the table at the special session could go so far as to allow insurers to add similar clauses to policies, perhaps without regulatory review, or even to require mandatory arbitration on some claims.

Florida claimants attorneys have begun to push back a bit. One noted that Florida statutes require insurers to send notices to policyholders that the state Department of Financial Services provides non-binding mediation services  paid for by the insurer  if the policyholder requests it.

But instead of proceeding with mediation, insurance companies sometimes ask for more and more documentation on the homeowners compliance with the terms of the policy, which delays a resolution, said Gina Clausen Lozier, an attorney in West Palm Beach.

They have the tools already to resolve some of these claims without litigation if they want, she said.

Insurance defense attorney Josh Beck, of Boca Raton, said the DFS mediation is a good program, and he wasnt sure why mediation isnt utilized more often.

But it may have to do with the fact that plaintiffs attorneys wont often have their fees covered by the insurer when the case is handled outside of the court system, and some policyholders may be reluctant to wade into mediation without representation.

Mediation isnt requested often and the plaintiffs attorneys dont want to use it because it inhibits their ability to get large fees, said Fort Lauderdale insurance and regulatory attorney Fred Karlinsky.

Raizner, the Houston plaintiffs lawyer, urged his Florida counterparts to try and prevent over-reach by insurers when the Florida House and Senate meet May 23.

What we saw in Texas started out as a specific answer to a specific issue, Raizner said. Then that got expanded. So they should keep their antennae up. Because what happens in Texas seems to be happening in Florida.

Badger argued that even with the changes, more needs to be done to limit lawsuit abuse in his state  and in Florida.

Topics Lawsuits Florida Texas
Premium rates for natural catastrophe risks in Florida continue to be inadequate, which is why Swiss Re is giving that market a wide berth  for the time being, at least.

Historically we believe the Florida market has been underpriced and the rates that are required for the actual risks of loss in the state are not appropriate  and thats why weve been systematically underweight for this risk, according to Swiss Res Chief Financial Officer John Dacey, during a media briefing to discuss the groups first quarter results.

Daceys comments cannot be welcome news for Florida property insurers, which are bracing for sharp increases in reinsurance renewal premiums in the next few weeks.

While Swiss Re has some exposures in the state, Dacey said the kinds of losses the Florida market has seen from fairly moderate hurricane seasons have laid bare the fact that these prices have not been adequate.

In addition, there are also the issues around inflated claims (related to assignment of benefits) and potential fraud, which the Florida legislature apparently is finally looking to address. (An AOB is an agreement that transfers the insurance claims benefits of a policy to a third party, which can inflate claims.)

But I think Swiss Re will continue to require adequate pricing for any risk that we write there, he said. And if the market is prepared to accept our view of what the real risks are and the expected loss-costs, then we will write business in that market.

However, Dacey wasnt optimistic that there will be important price adjustments in the Florida market. If there are, well come in, but we will only do so at what weve judged to be adequate rates.

Photograph: Cars and a motorcycle are submerged in floodwaters on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Pensacola, Fla., when Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores, Ala. as a Category 2 storm. The storm pushed a surge of ocean water onto the coast and dumped torrential rain that caused flooding from the Florida Panhandle to Mississippi and well inland in the days ahead. Photo credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert.

Topics Catastrophe Florida Swiss Re
Atlanta is short about 200 firefighters, sparking fears that homeowners insurance premiums could soon spike.

Atlanta TV 11Alive reported that the city has budgeted for about 1,000 fire personnel, but that many have left in recent months because the pay is not competitive, city council members were told.

Theyre leaving every week. And its because of the pay, firefighter union President Nate Bailey told council members, according to the news report.

The union has said that top firefighters in Atlanta make about $55,000 annually. But in nearby Gwinnett and Cobb Counties, its closer to $70,000.

An insurance expert at Georgia State University said that insurance rates for Atlanta property owners would rise if a national rating agency downgraded Atlantas fire protection ranking due to staffing issues.

For months, some firefighters have had to pull double shifts, to man the fire stations. The Atlanta fire chief said in April that he hopes that city officials, which have been embroiled in corruption investigations at city hall, will raise firefighter salaries soon.

Photo: Firefighters extinguish a fire last year at the landmark Krispy Kreme Doughnuts store owned by basketball Hall-of-Famer Shaquille ONeal. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
The husband of a Black woman who died hours after childbirth in 2016 sued Cedars-Sinai Medical hospital on Wednesday, saying she bled to death because of a culture of racism at the renowned Los Angeles medical center.

Charles Johnson IV said he discovered the disparity in care women of color receive at Cedars compared to white women during depositions in his wrongful death lawsuit that is scheduled to go to trial next week in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Theres no doubt in my mind that my wife would be here today and be here Sunday celebrating Mothers Day with her boys if she was a Caucasian woman, Johnson said at a news conference outside the hospital. The reality is that on April 12, 2016, when we walked into Cedars-Sinai hospital for what we expected to be the happiest day of our lives, the greatest risk factor that Kira Dixon Johnson faced was racism.

Johnson died about 12 hours after having a scheduled cesarean section that was performed in 17 minutes to deliver the couples second son, Langston.

Despite signs she was bleeding internally, she languished for hours without being readmitted to the operating room until it was too late, the lawsuit said.

This is sloppy. It was butchery, attorney Nick Rowley said. It shocked everybody that we deposed, all the health care providers, even the head of (obstetrics) here, the head of labor and delivery, looked at it and said No, Ive never seen one done that fast.'

The surgeon who performed the C-section had cut into Kira Johnsons bladder and she hadnt been sutured properly, Rowley said. When she was finally brought back into the operating room, nearly 90% of her blood was found in her stomach.

The hospital, which has fought the malpractice lawsuit, said in a statement that it was founded on principles of diversity and health care for all and it rejected any mischaracterization of our culture and values.

We are actively working to eradicate unconscious bias in health care and advance equity in health care more broadly, the statement said. We commend Mr. Johnson for the attention he has brought to the important issue of racial disparities in maternal outcomes.

Kira Johnsons death led her husband on a crusade to advocate for reducing maternal mortality, which is especially high for Black women.

Before the pandemic, which increased deaths of women of color during childbirth, Black women died at 2.5 times the rate of white women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Charles Johnson has testified before Congress and at the state Capitol in Sacramento in support of a variety of bills, including a 2019 state law that requires doctors and nurses to identify implicit bias at work, and a recent bill that would lift the cap on medical malpractice awards.

Johnson would not benefit from a change in the malpractice law that currently caps awards at $250,000. The case is scheduled to go to trial May 11, though recent court filings indicated the two sides were close to reaching a settlement.

The civil rights case would give Johnson another avenue to collect damages and hold Cedars-Sinai accountable. Hes also seeking an injunction that would require the hospital to make changes to protect mothers and women of color.

Johnson said his malpractice lawsuit had revealed rampant racism, with witnesses saying his wife was improperly treated because of her race.

Dr. Kimberly Gregory, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the hospital, testified that she lives with structural racism every day and it prevents Black patients from receiving the same care as whites, according to court papers. She also said Kira Johnson should have gone back to the operating room sooner.

Dr. Sarah Kilpatrick, chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, testified that she told Charles Johnson: Im sorry. We failed your family.  This shouldnt have happened.

Angelique Washington, a Black surgical technologist working in the operating room, said patient safety was out the door when Kira Johnson came in.

Washington, who has more than 30 years of experience, said she routinely witnessed different treatment of Black women but was afraid to speak up.

When I see my Black  patients come in, I say an extra prayer, Washington said. I say a silent prayer that all goes well. Because you do have racism very much so in the operating room.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits California
Answers

Global Titanium Nitride powder market trend 2023-2027 What is Titanium Nitride used for? by Newsintegra927

After Russia pledged to scale back its military operations around Kyiv and in northern Ukraine, the prices of most industrial metals fell, led by aluminum, showing people's concerns for supply shortage eased.

At an earlier time, the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which aroused concerns about the supply problem because Russia is a major producer of nickel, aluminum, and copper.

Russia is also a major gas supplier to Europe, where potential supply disruptions are seen as hitting power-intensive aluminum and zinc Titanium Nitride powder are still very uncertain.

Introduction to Titanium Nitride TiN Powder

Titanium nitride or TiN is a golden cubic crystal. The molecular weight is 61.89. The melting point is 2950. The density is 5.43g/cm3.



Physicochemical Properties of Titanium Nitride TiN Powder

Titanium nitride is slightly soluble in hydrofluoric acid, aqua regia, and nitric acid, but insoluble in water. It has a high melting point and properties of high strength, high hardness, acid, alkali corrosion resistance, wear resistance, high-temperature chemical stability, and excellent electrical and thermal conductivity.

HSS cutting tools covered with titanium nitride film can reduce tool wear, increase chip speed, and extend service life. Titanium nitride is also widely used as watchcase, watchband, and other imitation gold alloy coatings. Titanium nitride whiskers are used to strengthen the metal and ceramic matrix composites. It is prepared by reaction of titanium and nitrogen at 1200.



Titanium Nitride TiN Powder Properties Other Names Tinite, TiNite, TiN powder, nitridotitanium CAS No. 25583-20-4 Compound Formula TiN Molecular Weight 61.87 Appearance golden brown powder Melting Point 2950  Boiling Point N/A Density 5.43g/cm3 Solubility in H2O insoluble Exact Mass 61.951

Titanium Nitride TiN Powder CAS 25583-20-4





Applications of Titanium Nitride Ceramic Materials

Titanium nitride is a new kind of multifunctional cermet material, which has excellent properties such as high melting point, high hardness, wear resistance, good chemical stability, good electrical and thermal conductivity, and light properties. Its melting point is 2930~2950, is a good conductor of heat and electricity, and has superconductivity at low temperatures. It is used to manufacture jet engines. Because of its unique golden metallic luster, titanium nitride is also used in the field of gold decoration.



1. Used for tool manufacturing

Titanium nitride ceramic coating has a golden yellow finish that looks nice on the cutting tool. However, its main function is not for decoration, it has a Vickers hardness (HV) of more than 2500, and the thickness of the coating on the tool is usually 3 to 5 microns. Higher wear resistance and heat resistance and longer service life than uncoated tools. Applying this technology to machinery in industrial production, such as coating the gear hob with titanium nitride, can extend the service life by 3 to 4 times, while cutting the gear can increase the cutting speed or feed or more, thus reducing the machining time of the material.



2. Used in biomedicine

The occluder used for the treatment of atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and patent ductus arteriosus in congenital heart disease has been widely used in clinical medicine as an interventional implant. But the ordinary heart stoppers are mainly made from the nickel-titanium alloy material, nickel is as high as 55%. Excessive nickel can cause allergies to the human body, poisoning, and even cause cancer for long-term effects. And the Nitinol surface purification film of the common Nitinol occluders will be destroyed, releasing nickel ions in the complex human body environment.

Because titanium nitride is a biocompatible material (previously used in coronary stents), it is much less thrombogenic than nitride itself.



3. Used for the car front baffle film

Based on nano titanium nitride, the nano-ceramic film produced by magnetron sputtering technology and metal nitride technology is not easy to be corroded, is durable, does not shield mobile phone signals, good heat dissipation.



The difference between nano-ceramic insulation film and metal insulation film is as follows:

1. Different sunscreen and heat insulation effect

Metal film heat dissipation is worse than ceramic film, heat insulation effect is general, high reflective rate. Ceramic film through solar spectrum selective filtering function to achieve the purpose of heat insulation, heat insulation is far more than metal, lower reflective rate, excellent stability.

2. Different signal passing rates

Metal film and a key difference between ceramic membrane, cut off the signal rate, metal film have disruptive to import GPS, the ETC (no stop electronic toll collection system) is also, easy to affect all kinds of signals through the metal film is generally divided into single metal film and multilayer metal film, although multilayer metal film on the thermal insulation is better than that of the single-layer metal film. But because of its thickness, the signal is even more seriously blocked. The ceramic film, stripped of its metallic properties, does not shield the signal.

3. Different oxidation shelf life

The metal film is easy to oxidize, and the shelf life is slightly short, while the chemical properties of the ceramic film are more stable, not easy to oxidize, and can resist acid and alkali, and organic solvents, so as to have a long service life. The shelf life of general ceramic heat insulation film is 10 years, while the metal heat insulation film is generally 5 years.



Main Supplier of Titanium Nitride TiN Powder

Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials, including silicon powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, calcium nitride, 3D printing powder, etc.

If you are looking for high-quality titanium nitride TiN powder, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. ([email protected])



Southern Copper Corp (SCCO.N) recently said its Peruvian mine remained closed after a six-week standoff with protesters and blamed the Peruvian government for failing to intervene in the safety of its 1,300 workers and their families.

The company said in a statement that a recent agreement to end protests at the Cuajone mine required the company to withdraw complaints against protest leaders because railways transporting minerals and supplies remained blocked. Production has been suspended since the end of February.

Peru's Energy Ministry said in a separate statement that it had also reached an agreement with Southern Copper to start talks to find common ground with local communities.

"If we shut down for a year, the government will stop receiving more than 3.1 billion soles ($830 million) in taxes and royalties, and 8,000 direct and indirect jobs will be lost. This is what we want to avoid, "Southern Copper added in the statement.

Peru has faced a wave of protests from indigenous communities, who accuse mining companies of not providing enough jobs and funding to poor local residents.

Central bank officials said last week that protests against copper mines such as MMG's Las Bambas and Southern Copper's Cuajone were dragging down the economy.

Peru is the world's second-largest copper producer and mining is an important source of tax revenue for the country. It is estimated that the supply and prices of the Titanium Nitride powder will be influenced by that.

Inquery us
Crowns, feathers, spikes and ruffles  and all with an eco-conscious twist. Not the Met Gala but the live final of Junk Kouture. Sixty haute couture designs made from recycled materials were created and modelled by post-primary students keen for their chance to attend the World Final in Abu Dhabi later this year.

Nine winners have now been selected by judges Louis Walsh, Roz Purcell, Soule and Stephen McLaughlin to represent Ireland.

Clodagh Ramsey, from Wilson Hospital School, County Westmeath. Bohemian Pampas Tree was designed by Clodagh and fellow student Dimo Tate.

Bohemian Pampas Tree by Clodagh Ramsey (model) and Dimo Tate of Wilsons Hospital School, County Westmeath. This living dress requires daily water, air and light and is made from pampas grass, moss and black grass.

Kate Molloy, from Moate Community School, Co Westmeath.

Tale of Two Pods by Kate Molloy (model), Eimear Keenan and Samantha Irwin of Moate Community School, County Westmeath, made from 3,000 coffee pods, a broken umbrella, old heels and an old Debs dress.

Solomon Eduard, from Cnoc Mhuire, Co Longford. 'Back to the Future' was designed by Solomon and fellow student Joshua Osabuehien.

Back to the Future by Joshua Osabuehien and Solomon Eduard (model) of Cnoc Mhuire, County Longford, a futuristic coat of armour against climate change made from an old laundry basket, car wipers, and an old shower mat.

Genevieve Keane, of Ursuline Secondary School, Tipperary.

Acantha by Genevieve Keane of Ursuline Secondary School, Tipperary inspired by the story of St Patrick and made from potato sacks, curtains, wool and old carpet.

Maha Shahzadi, from Colaiste Nano Nagle, Limerick.

Ode to Joy by Maha Shahzadi (model), Jadine Keane-Fitzpatrick and Somaia Anwari of Colaiste Nano Nagle, Limerick, inspired by the European Green Deal and made from tinfoil, bedsheets and old rope.

Sky Synnott, from Mount Sackville Secondary, Dublin.

Black Swan by Sky Synnott of Mount Sackville Secondary, Dublin inspired by the story of the Ugly Duckling and made from old raincoats, pillows, duvet covers and hangers.

Minima modelled by Emma Tuohy and designed by Alison Dalton and Orlaith McNamara, from Scoil Chriost Ri, Portlaoise, Co Laois.

Minima by Alison Dalton, Emma Touhy and Orlaith McNamara of Scoil Chriost Ri, Portlaoise, Co Laois, made out of more than 100,000 tiny Styrofoam beads found in an old beanbag chair and inspired by designer Zac Posen.

On Pointe modelled by Emma Connolly and designed by Orlagh White and Emma Connolly, from Borrisokane Community College, Co Tipperary.

On Pointe by Orlagh White and Emma Connolly of Borrisokane Community College, County Tipperary promotes the revival of old Irish craftsmanship, using weaving, knotting and threading techniques and is made from bulrushes and feathers.

Queen of Cutlery by Hannah Potts and Louise McChesneys, from Monaghan Collegiate, Co Monaghan.

Queen of Cutlery by Hannah Potts and Louise McChesneys of Monaghan Collegiate, Co Monaghan, made with metal forks, knives and spoons.

And there is still a wildcard spot still up for grabs.

The Dublin City Final Highlights show will be on RTE2 and RTE Player on Thursday, May 19 at 7pm. Five designs will be picked to compete for the wildcard place at the World Final: a public vote will open immediately after the broadcast on May 19 for the audience at home to vote for their favourite.

The tenth design to represent Ireland at the World Final will then be announced live on RTE 2FM's Tracy Clifford Show in June.

Judges Louis Walsh, Soule, Roz Purcell and Stephen McLaughlin at the Junk Kouture 2022 final at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin

The final 10 Irish designs will be up against 50 other designs  10 from each of Junk Koutures other city finals in their five new territories: London, Paris, Milan, New York and Abu Dhabi. At the World Final, there will be six individual City Designer Awards for each location plus the first-ever Junk Kouture World Designer of the Year. Other prizes up for grabs include the Glamour Award, Wearable Art Award, Innovation Award and a Performance Award.

Junk Kouture judge Louis Walsh with fans
Former solicitor Michael Lynn has told his multi-million euro theft trial he wasn't involved in the day-to-day running of his practice between 2005 and 2007.

Mr Lynn (53) took the stand on Friday in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial, which is now in its 13th week. The trial was paused for nearly two weeks after it emerged Mr Lynn had tested positive for Covid.

Mr Lynn (53) of Millbrook Court, Red Cross, Co. Wicklow, is on trial accused of the theft of around 27 million from seven financial institutions. He has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of theft in Dublin between October 23, 2006, and April 20, 2007.

It is the prosecution case that Mr Lynn obtained multiple mortgages on the same properties in a situation where banks were unaware that other institutions were also providing finance.

Under questioning from defence barrister, Paul Comiskey O'Keeffe BL, Mr Lynn gave evidence of growing up on a farm in Mayo, his education in Trinity College and his subsequent solicitor apprenticeship with a Dublin firm, where he said he started in the debt collection department.

Mr Lynn said he worked for two law firms before joining Budget Travel as an in-house solicitor. In 1997, he set up his own practice working out of a house in Clonsilla, which he said he bought with a loan from his mother.

Mr Lynn said the practice was run from the sitting room, dining room and kitchen of the house and he lived upstairs. The trial heard the practice moved to an office space in Blanchardstown and expanded over the coming years.

In '97, '98, '99, things were just exploding, Mr Lynn said. It was a good time for someone starting their own business. He said in his first year he opened 400 files. It was a lot to manage, he said.

Mr Lynn said he hired a number of people, including Liz Doyle, his legal executive who has given evidence at the trial. He said she was more experienced than he was in terms of processes and file-running. In fairness, she was very, very good, he said.

When asked about the culture in his practice, Mr Lynn said he worked very hard and was very driven. In fairness to anyone who worked for me, I would say I paid well but at the outset I would explain I expected people to work hard.

The court heard the practice continued to expand, with more solicitors employed in the firm. We managed in about 18 months to bring a turnover of 1.5 million, Mr Lynn said. A number of clients were property developers and it was around this time that Mr Lynn's involvement in property development began, the trial heard.

He recalled being at meetings with people like Albert Reynolds, who was chairman of one such client, Cunningham Property. Mr Lynn said he learnt about all the facets of property development at that time and that as a young solicitor it was a great learning experience.

Mr Lynn told the trial he would bring one of the solicitors from his firm to meetings with property developer clients because he didn't have that level of experience. I had good people around me, he said.

Mr Lynn gave evidence of his first investment property mortgage - a 130,000 loan for a home in Balbriggan, which he said he sold on four months later for 190,000. That's just the way it was at the time, he said.

The market was literally moving upwards on a two to three-month basis.

Mr Lynn described at length his overseas property dealings as part of his company, Kendar Holdings Ltd, which he said he named after his two friends who died. The jury was told the company had about 15-20 employees in Ireland by September 2007 with developments in Portugal, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Mr Lynn said at one point he was advised by his bank to employ a qualified accountant for Kendar Holdings as the company was growing so quickly.

There was such a multitude of developments at that time, I couldn't have kept an eye on everything, he told the trial. It was impossible. He said that by 2004, he was dividing his time 60:40 between Kendar and his practice, Michael Lynn & Co.

In the last half of 2005 until October 2007, I wasn't involved day-to-day in the running of the practice at all, he said. I was constantly travelling.

The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury.
A number of weeks ago there was an outcry about the cost of tea and scones at Irelands newest five-star hotel. The Cashel Palace Hotel in Tipperary came under fire when an afternoon treat of scones and tea for three came in at 45 with a 4.50 gratuity on top.

People were outraged with cries of sure whod pay that?. Who indeed? With international tourists missing from the country for two years, Irish or Irish-based customers stepped in to fill the breach at the countrys top destinations.

As the old saying goes - if you need to ask the price, you probably can't afford it. And there are plenty of people in Ireland who don't need to ask. According to JP Kavanagh, general manager of The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, the hotel welcomed many Irish guests during the pandemic. However, the hotel is now reverting to serving US and other international visitors, he says.

The Shelbourne Hotel. The hotel is experiencing a high volume of reservations from the US.

"At present, I feel that Irish people are starting to travel abroad for their holidays again, the easing of restrictions throughout Europe has allowed those guests who may have previously booked a staycation to travel further afield.

"They will stay with us for shorter stays for a special occasion, one or two nights. We are currently experiencing a high volume of reservations from the US and we are delighted to welcome international visitors back to Dublin and the Shelbourne Hotel.

Where Americans and other tourists were thought to be the only ones to fill our castles and luxury hotels it seems there are enough wealthy individuals here at home to fill the suites and penthouses around the country.

Irish wealth ranking

The Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2021 shows that this is certainly the case. While roughly 1% of the adults in the world are dollar millionaires (the '1%' we hear so much about) in Ireland, 5% of adults have personal wealth of over $1,000,000. (The United States dollar (USD) is the most widely used currency standard to compare wealth per adult. A person must have a net worth of at least $1m to be recognised as a millionaire anywhere in the world.)

To put that figure into context, millionaires are uncommon in India, Indonesia and even Russia: they account in those places for about one in 1,000 adults. In China, despite the large number of millionaires, the population size means that the chances of stumbling across one would be pretty rare. They account for around one in every 200 adults there.

As you move towards Europe millionaire density begins to rise. About 3% of adults in Spain and Italy are millionaires and in countries where you would expect that number to be higher such as Germany and the UK, they account for 4% and 4.7% respectively, making Ireland's 5% ahead of many countries we would perceive as wealthier.

Pallonji Mistry, with a net worth of $14.6 billion, is Ireland's richest person.

Credit Suisse further breaks down wealth per adult. In terms of mean wealth, Ireland ranked 17th globally at $266,150 per adult in 2020, a change of +$12,450. Broken down into median wealth were in 15th position with $99,030 per adult, a change of +$4,960.

Millionaires are often referred to as high-net-worth individuals, to the uninitiated. The annual Knight Frank Wealth Report shows some interesting trends in Ireland.

Globally the amount of money you need to have to be classed as wealthy varies from country to country. In Ireland, it takes more money to join the wealthiest 1% than it does anywhere else in the EU. In France, you need 2.1m and in Germany 2m will grant you access to the rarefied club. In Ireland, you need 2.6m to reach the top echelons.

Dont miss the global launch of The Wealth Report 2022, your definitive guide to prime property and investment.



Click below to register to watch live on Wednesday 2nd March at 9:00am (GMT) / 10:00am (CET) / 13:00pm (GST).



https://t.co/sl1LeAxXXD #TheWealthReport2022 pic.twitter.com/vUz39RjFx5  Knight Frank (@knightfrank) February 21, 2022

According to the Knight Frank report, Ireland had 146,505 high-net-worth individuals in 2016, and by 2021 that figure was 326,050. They predict that there will be 545,474 high-net-worth individuals here by 2026.

However, they dont stop at those with $1m in the bank. They also look at ultra-high-net-worth individuals, those with a wealth of more than $30m and in 2021 they found that there were 2,479 of them in the country, an 11% rise on the previous year.

Life for high-net-worth individuals

The ultra-wealthy dont live like most of us. Frequent travel and multiple homes need teams of staff to keep everything running smoothly. Nannies that go on holidays, housekeepers and house managers in each property and personal assistants are the norm.

Working for these families can reap rewards too. Advertisements for domestic couples (a couple who run a property, live on-site and act as housekeeper, grounds staff, driver, and assistant) show that salary and perks make it a job worth considering. One current advertisement for a couple to live in and run a familys estate in Co. Mayo shows that they can earn 1,000 a week after tax as well as living in rent-free accommodation.

In another, a family in Co. Wicklow is looking for a couple to run their house and the benefits for that job include a salary of 60,000, a cottage on the property and a car at their disposal. Wealthy families have people to do almost everything for them.

The Cashel Palace receipt for afternoon tea. Photo via @Ciarasho

Aisling* has been a personal shopper for the super-wealthy for 20 years. Some of the really wealthy ones just operate on another plane. They expect a different level of service and rules just for them," says Aisling.

"There has been everything from forgetting to pay to asking for free things. Some like to have clothes delivered to their house for at-home try-ons and trying to get them back can be tricky. Ive had staff just call with a credit card a number of weeks later instead of having the hassle of returning them.

"I have some clients who are obsessed with newness and getting things first. Ive often been asked to hide certain sizes in deliveries so that their friends or colleagues cant buy a piece. Its like a competition between some of the women.

Sarah* is an event organiser and works with high-net-worth individuals on family celebrations. They expect the best and I understand that. I have clients that I love working with but when you see parents spending the same on a celebration for a baby that some couples spend on a wedding it can be shocking," says Sarah

"A few years ago, we organised a christening that had 100 guests, videographers, a photographer, live music and the most outrageous goodie bags. The cost is never questioned as long as they feel everything is the best.

"Weve done debs parties where the 18-year-olds head off and the parents stay and probably have a much better night than their kids! Entertaining and networking is a huge part of their lives. Im booked up quite far in advance. There definitely isnt a shortage of business here.

Investor Visa Programme

Not all of the super-wealthy here are Irish citizens. Some have become residents through the Immigrant Investor Programme which was introduced by the Irish government in 2012 to encourage inward investment for the creation of business and employment in the state.

The programme is designed to encourage investors and business professionals from outside the European Economic Area to avail of opportunities of investing and locating their business interests in Ireland and acquire a secure residency status here.

Brexit, world economic events and political situations have made the investor visa programme very popular internationally. It accommodates different types of investors with different levels of funds and allows for a spouse and dependent children up to the age of 24 to accompany the primary investor.

There are four different investment options available to international investors who have a net worth of at least 2m.

Enterprise investment: 1m invested in an approved investment enterprise. The enterprise can be an existing business, or it can be a new business started by the investor.

Approved investment: 1m invested in an approved investment fund. Such funds must be approved and regulated by the Central Bank

Real estate investment trusts: 2m in any Irish REIT that is listed on the Irish stock exchange.

Endowment (donation): A 500,000 (or 400,000 where five or more investors combine their investment) philanthropic donation to a project which is of public benefit to the arts, sports, health, culture or education in Ireland.

All investments must be held for a minimum of three years.

This type of visa programme is called a golden visa programme and is one that offers residence permits with limited physical presence requirements in exchange for passive investments.

John Armitage, co-founder of Egerton Capital, has an estimated $2.9bn in personal wealth. He acquired Irish citizenship in 2018.

The Irish programme is particularly popular because of the benefits it affords. Post-Brexit, Ireland is the only English-speaking country in the EU and to maintain temporary residence in Ireland your physical presence is required for just one day per year, more for permanent residency.

The programme is a valuable source of income for the State. In 2019, Charlie Flanagan said that the immigrant investor programme had raised over half a billion euro since its inception in 2012. That figure has risen exponentially and in 2020 reached 1bn.

So where are the applicants coming from? Between 2012 and 2020 91% of all applicants came from China. 1.8% came from the US, 0.6% from Vietnam, 0.3% from Saudi Arabia and 3.9% came from a combination of other countries. By the end of 2019, a total of 1,088 Chinese citizens had invested in Ireland under the scheme.

While Dublin remains the top choice for UK #FinancialServices operational moves post #Brexit, Paris has attracted the highest number of jobs relocating. For more financial insights, read the latest #EYBrexitTracker here. https://t.co/LVrFBwxEMF  tanguy coatmellec (@tcoatmellec) April 11, 2022

Visa programmes arent the only reason for the rise in high-net-worth individuals in Ireland. Since Brexit, there has been a steady influx of businesses and people from the financial sector in the UK.

The EY Financial Services Brexit Tracker found that Dublin remains the most popular destination for staff relocations and new European hubs or offices, with 36 financial services firms announcing intentions to relocate UK operations and/or staff to the city. Almost 1,200 people have already moved or are in the process of relocating to the city.

Billionaires

There is, of course, a lot of home-grown wealth here too and according to the Forbes Worlds Billionaire list we currently have nine Irish billionaires worth a collective $54.8bn.

At the top of that list is Pallonji Mistry who is an engineering and construction mogul and has a fortune of $15bn. Next in line are Patrick and John Collison, the Irish brothers who founded the payment firm Stripe. They have $9.5bn each. They share 214th place on the overall list, up from 956th place a year ago as their estimated wealth grew by more than $6bn each.

Next on the Irish list is Boston-born John Grayken who gave up his US citizenship in the late 90s in favour of Irish citizenship. He is the founder and owner of private equity firm, Lone Star Funds, based in Dallas and has an estimated wealth of 6.5bn.

Businessman Denis O'Brien, whose wealth totals around $3.8bn, is fifth on Ireland's wealth list. File photo: Julien Behal/PA

Denis OBrien at $3.8bn comes next, followed by Egerton Capital co-founder, John Armitage, at $2.9bn. Kingspan founder Eugene Murtagh, is worth $2.8bn and Campbell's Soup heir John Dorrance is in eighth place on the Irish list with an estimated fortune of $2.7bn. Last but by no means least is financier and businessman, Dermot Desmond, who has a net worth estimated to be $2.1bn.

*names have been changed

Five star prices:
The majority of Covid restrictions have largely disappeared in Ireland in the early part of the year.

Masks are no longer mandatory, hospitality has fully reopened and rules around self-isolation have eased.

Since early March, the use of digital Covid certificates has been stopped too.

But, as the summer rapidly approaches, many of us are thinking about going abroad and realising the rules are not the same everywhere.

In fact, just this week the European Parliament extended the use of digital Covid certificates for travel for the next 12 months.

Here is a brief breakdown of some of the travel rules at present. Bear in mind, though, some of these rules are changing regularly so it is best to double-check before you jet off.

So, whats the story in the airport?

Masks are not mandatory in airport terminals, though they are recommended.

What about on the plane?

This depends on which airline you fly with, and where you are going.

For example, the Aer Lingus website states: It is now mandatory for all passengers to wear a face mask or covering to fly with us unless you cannot do so for medical reasons, in which case you must present a medical certificate confirming this."

But, there are caveats: for the Aer Lingus flight from Manchester and the US, masks are optional. If travelling to Austria or Italy, you need a medical-grade FFP2 face mask, rather than a cloth mask. These can be bought in most pharmacies.

The advice from Ryanair is that masks should be worn at all times on its flights, and that they should be FFP2 on Italian, Austrian and German flights.

Ryanair adds: On arrival, please keep your face mask on until you have left the airport terminal. Try to maintain social distancing as you pass through the airport and at the baggage carousel if you are collecting a bag.

You have to wear masks at all times with the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

A good rule of thumb: pre-pandemic, many of us would skip over pre-flight emails from airlines. But now, they are worth reading for updates on rules. In the case of Aer Lingus, for example, the airline will prompt you to download a dedicated app on which you can upload travel documents before you fly.

Do I need an EU Covid cert?

As noted, the use of these certs has been extended for a year. Fine, right? Well, maybe.

The cert expires after nine months, or 270 days, so people who haven't received a jab of any sort since last summer may run into issues if travelling abroad. That would bring us right back to the start of August 2021.

If you have had Covid recently, you may be able to use a recovery cert instead, but only if this was a case confirmed by a PCR test, which has been complicated by Ireland's reliance on antigen tests.

So, put simply, if your last jab came in July or August 2021, and you have only had an antigen-confirmed case of the virus, you will either need a booster dose or a PCR test before travelling.

Of course, that PCR will need to be negative, or you won't be able to travel.

If you have had a booster, or have recovered, and have not yet received your digital Covid cert, then you should have a look at covidcertificateportal.gov.ie.

There is also a helpline on 1800 807 008 or +353 1 903 6437 from outside Ireland, which is open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6.30pm.

Spain

To enter Spain from Ireland, you must have either an EU digital Covid certificate (including details of your booster dose) or fill in a form to manually enter the details of your vaccination, recovery, or diagnostic test certificate.

Your digital Covid cert is valid from completing the last dose of your vaccination schedule (either your second jab or booster jab) for a period of 270 days. For example, if you got your booster on November 1, your EU digital Covid cert is valid in Spain until July 29, 2022.

For those who have recovered from Covid, their recovery cert is valid in Spain for 180 days thereafter, while if you are opting for the test option, you need a PCR within 72 hours prior to departure or an antigen 24 hours prior.

Passengers going to Spain are also advised that they may undergo a health check at the first point of entry, which will include at least taking your temperature, checking your documents, and a visual assessment of your physical state of health.

Italy

From May 1, it was no longer required to fill out a passenger locator form to enter Italy, but the EU digital Covid cert is still required.

However, this can include vaccination certificate, recovery certificate, or negative molecular or antigen test, according to the Italian ministry for foreign affairs.

France

Proof of vaccination schedule is required upon entry, but additional tests are not.

For unvaccinated travellers, a negative test is required, while France still has a 'green' travel list so it is best to check if Ireland is on this.

A passenger locator form is required too and can be filled out before travel.

Germany

The advice in Germany says: When entering Germany  regardless of where you came from or by which means of transport  proof of a negative Covid-19 test result, a full Covid-19 vaccination or recovery from a Covid-19 infection is required.

Portugal

The advice is the same as above in Germany, and there is no requirement for a locator form currently.

USA

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has this advice for people travelling to the USA: Fully vaccinated foreign citizens can enter the US if they provide proof of vaccination status and a negative Covid-19 test prior to boarding an airplane to the US.

The negative Covid-19 result must be from a test taken no more than one day before travel to the US... Self-administered tests are not accepted.

Passengers who have recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days may present documentation showing proof of recovery as an alternative to meeting the negative test requirement.

Elsewhere

No matter where youre going, the Department of Foreign Affairs has up-to-date travel advice on the country in question.

How am I supposed to keep track of all this?

Luckily, the EU has a specific site for all travel requirements within the block: https://reopen.europa.eu/en/

If travelling outside the EU, you will have to check local restrictions and requirements.
How do you manage things when sport is your workplace?

Do you go in when youre sick or injured?

And what happens when it is something in the workplace that actually causes you to get your injury?

A group of researchers  mostly based at the Equestrian Performance Research Centre at Hartpury University in Gloucestershire  have examined the prevalence and the effect of injury in British horseracing staff over the course of a year.

The results were published in a paper entitled Is Injury an Occupational Hazard for Horseracing Staff? in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

A survey of some 352 staff showed that 88% reported injuries at work. The risk factors which were deemed to have led to the injuries included the working hours involved in the industry.

The core staff surveyed in this report included track riders (who had a riding-only role), racing grooms (who worked in training yards) and stud grooms (who worked in stud and breeding yards). These categories were involved in 82% of all reported accidents.

At the milder end of the scale, the injuries suffered over the 12 months before the survey was undertaken amounted to bruising and cuts or back pain. But the level of injuries amounted to fractures (at least 6%) and concussions (5.1%).

Only 3.5% of staff reported to have suffered no injuries over the previous 12 months.

What was most fascinating in the research was the response of staff working with horses to being injured.

Some 75% said that they would seek to take time off from work in the event of sustaining a bone fracture.

But just 49% of staff would take time off if they suffered a concussion.

The logic of these decisions was laid bare in the paper: Attitudes towards injury management were influenced by financial circumstances, perceived staff shortages, previous injury experiences, and perceived employer expectations.

There was also the significance of a working culture that was predicated on the idea of putting the horse first.

It is also worth noting that not reporting an injury or going to work despite being injured is also in some instances the product of a very human desire not to let colleagues down and to play a full part in the team effort that is necessary in the pursuit of sporting success.

It was interesting to note that the great majority of staff worked no more than 9 hours a day, but 13% worked at least 10 hours a day and 6% worked more than 12 hours per day.

It is clear that working through injury involved significant medication. Some 52% of respondents who answered the questions on pain management said that they took painkillers at least once a week to allow them to undertake daily work tasks.

And almost 20% took painkillers at least once a day to manager physical pain at work.

It might be noticed in passing that the use of anti-inflammatories is commonplace across the sporting world, while across the horse world 51% of dressage riders, 67% of show jumpers and 96% of event riders say they use pain relief when they are training or involved in competitions.

The impact of the level of injuries sustained by staff in horse racing and the manner in which those injuries are managed has a potentially significant impact on the horse racing industry.

As well as lowering the capacity of staff to carry out the tasks expected of them, the long term impact on individuals includes serious implications on retention and therefore on career longevity, as well as poor physical health.

The perception of invisible injuries, i.e., concussion, and subsequent management, should be of immediate concern to racing organizations.

The question for horse racing authorities and people who run various aspects of the industry is what they should do with the information on the health of their staff.

The work was undertaken by Emma Davies (in conjunction with Will McConn-Palfreyman, John K. Parker , Lorna J. Cameron and Jane M. Williams) and identifies recommendations to enhance the safety and wellbeing of horseracing staff.

It should be noted at this point that all employers have a legal obligation to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.

The paper sets out a practical step that can be taken straight away in respect of concussion: Horseracing has previously used several major national campaigns to promote healthy behaviour in professional jockeys, such as the 2016 Jockey Matters campaign run by the Jockey Education and Training Scheme, which provided educational resources and helplines offering support on nutrition, physical fitness, injury and concussion and mental health. A national campaign to promote concussion awareness, alongside standard protocols for stud and stable staff are the next steps for the industry to tackle workplace concussion.

There are also other recommendation, including:

1. The provision of an online Horseracing Occupational Health & Injury Training Package for stud and stable staff which would set out with clarity risk factors for injury, management of equipment use during repetitive tasks (such as tools for mucking out and sweeping), and early predictors of musculoskeletal injury.

2. The development and subsequent implementation of a national return-to-work procedure for injured stud and stable staff.

3. Senior staff and managerial training on occupational injury and injury management, embedded into pre-existing courses.

In all of this, the key change is one of culture. Just as in other industries, staff who work with horses generally conform to expectations of a role that have developed over many decades. Horse racing staff are expected to manifest as tough. This is a manifestation that demands the suppression of pain if at all possible and the regulation of emotions perceived as weak.

This is the type of cultural norm that is understandable by people working in all manner of industries, but in this instance involves staff acting tough, working in pain, hiding injuries, or hiding emotions for fear of losing respect or their job. In Ireland, the basic rights of all staff that work within the racing sector are promoted by the Irish Stablestaff Association (founded 1999) who negotiate with the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (founded 1972).

The basic rights of the stablestaff are set out in an agreement dating from 2004 (and rooted in Irish employment law) which is updated every year.

The agreement sets the minimum wage for adults working in the industry at 10.75 per hour, limits the working week to 48 hours, and sets out entitlements around sick pay and holiday pay.

Ultimately, there are more than 3,000 full-time and part-time staff employed by horse trainers across Ireland. They are a vital part of an iconic industry.

It would be fascinating to see a research project examine how injuries in Irish stablestaff compare with those in England. The lure of a job around horses for people who love them is enormous. There are also reports of labour shortages around Europe for work riders and racing grooms and other entry-level positions. This suggests a relatively high turnover of staff and conditions that are not conducive to longevity.

But the main question stands obvious: in Ireland, as in Britain, is the working culture predicated on the idea of putting the horse first and what does that mean for human health?

Paul Rouse is professor of history at University College Dublin.
We are mired in Post Traumatic Catholic Syndrome (PTCS)  a condition resulting in very significant damage being done to the women of Ireland.

As readers of last weeks column will be aware, my own child-bearing days are behind me. However, the way things are looking for the new National Maternity Hospital  mired in controversy for years  I could be well into potential grandparenthood before this much-needed facility is built.

It is as if a fever has taken hold in relation to the new hospital  where logic is being cast aside because of this PTCS.

Irish women desperately need this new facility, giving birth as they currently are in workhouse-like conditions in Holles Street. You dont even have to go past the reception desk there to know this building wouldnt pass muster for an inspection as a food processing facility, let alone somewhere babies are born and a host of other female-related health services are carried out.

If youve ever been a patient or visited anyone, youll immediately be struck by how inadequate it is  up to 15 women together in ancient 'Nightingale' wards.

By its nature, childbirth is a process where there is little privacy. But in this hospital, even the time before and after the intense business of baby delivery, its a case of cheek-by-jowl.

There are queues when using the toilet facilities with up to six women sharing a bathroom. Let me tell you, the days after giving birth are not a time for toilet queuing.

But, worse than that, you could be stuck in a loo queue while actually in labour. It hardly bears thinking about, but women are experiencing this every day.

It is no surprise then that the current master of the hospital (Professor Shane Higgins) and the previous one (Dr Rhona Mahony) and the one before that (Dr Michael Robson) and the one before that (Professor Declan Keane), as well as so many of the other doctors and midwives, want to get the hell out of there to a new facility where there would be over 200 en suite rooms  so a woman would have her own room whether a public or a private patient. It would be co-located with St Vincents Hospital at Elm Park and geographically in the centre of the community it serves.

At a press conference with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on Tuesday, current master Shane Higgins (masters serve a term of seven years) said a new National Maternity Hospital building was a clinical imperative. The Holles Street building was substandard and a constant building site. The director of midwifery at Holles St, Mary Brosnan, was also in attendance and backed the move to the St Vincents site.

Master of the National Maternity Hospital Professor Shane Higgins, and chairwoman of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Dr Cliona Murphy. Picture: Dominic McGrath/PA Wire

Women in the Cork region, for instance, will know the benefits of giving birth in a new facility such as the CUMH. But its a different story in Dublin.

Ive calculated previously that the three maternity hospitals in the capital  the Rotunda and the Coombe included  have a combined age of almost 450 years.

As things stand, the State will own this new building where the hospital is to be located and there will be a 299-year lease on the land on which the building stands. As Taoiseach Micheal Martin told the Dail on Wednesday: A 300-year lease at a tenner a year To me, that is public ownership, by any objective analysis.

Would it be better if the State owned it outright? Yes. But, frankly, compromise is needed. Let it be a worry for the Irish citizens who are around three centuries hence.

The immediate need is so acute that we need to forge ahead.

Last week, the Religious Sisters of Charity transferred their shareholding in the company that owns the land to a charitable trust, which will then lease it to the State for that period. The nuns have made clear that they are out.

Its understandable how easily people have been spooked. Even a casual observer of how Irish women have been treated over the years would be appalled at what we might broadly call our reproductive history, so heavily influenced by Catholic ethos  everything from symphysiotomy to Magdalene laundries, mother and baby homes, to abortion bans.

A picture of an unidentified Magdalene laundry from Frances Finnegan's book 'Do Penance or Perish'.

The PTCS is understandably strong, but we mustnt be blinded by it.

It was so disappointing to see the decision by Cabinet on Tuesday not to finally give approval to the St Vincents campus move and delaying the decision by a further two weeks.

This project has been in the works for almost a decade and opposition has been very impressively led by Dr Peter Boylan.

Dr Boylan did magnificent work for the Yes campaign in the abortion referendum.

But he retired from Holles St in 2016. His term as Master of Holles St began in 1991, and during that time he brought about great and much-needed change. But that tenure has ended.

In the week that we hear the extremely distressing news from leaked documents that the US Supreme Court is set to repeal the 1973 Roe vs Wade decision that guaranteed a womans right to abortion, its understandable to be more paranoid about abortion availability.

A crowd of people gather outside the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, May 3, in Washington after a draft opinion circulated among Supreme Court justices suggested that a majority of them had thrown support behind overturning the 1973 case Roe v Wade that legalised abortion nationwide. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP

Indeed, the fight for abortion here was, at times, vicious and lasted for decades, but the battle was won.

Our politics or, indeed, our justice system is not run along the same lines as the US. Abortion is currently the law of the land. A future conservative-minded health minister would not be able to take unilateral action to change that.

It is worth reflecting on how daft it would be if, back in 1973, a hugely significant healthcare facility for women in the US was not built on the principle that half a century later the right to abortion would be threatened? Its clear to see just who would have missed out there.

As Rhona Mahony has stated on a couple of occasions this week, there is a considerable level of disinformation in circulation about this project, and that has only served to fuel the suspicion and mistrust.

In truth, the way this thing is currently stacked, the fear is a phantom Catholic threat and it is serving to actually damage Irish women.

Opposition parties need to back off with their opportunistic objections. The Government needs to have the courage of its conviction and get the project started. Just build it.
A Cork businessman has been refused permission to build a new coffee dock building at Garrettstown Beach.

Denis Calnan, of Lehenaghmore, Farmers Cross, had lodged an appeal to An Bord Pleanala after Cork County Council rejected his plans to build a single-storey coffee dock at the popular Ballinspittle beach.

The local authority made its decision in October, citing concerns that the structure would be visually incongruous with the area.

An Bord Pleanala concurred with the councils view, refusing to overturn their ruling on the basis that the proposed structure would seriously injure the visual and scenic amenities of the area.

The structure was proposed for a site on a small grassy headland on the seaside of the R406 between Garrettstown beach and Garrylucas beach.

According to the proposal, the 44 sq m building had a planned height of 3.7m and would have included a flat roof and extensive glazing offering views over the sea.

Snacks for takeaway only

The coffee dock would have operated out of a hatch, providing drinks and pre-prepared snacks for takeaway only.

The building did not propose to connect to any water supply or supply parking.

Having regard to the sensitive scenic coastal location, it is considered that the proposed development would not fit appropriately into this landscape and would interfere with the character of the landscape, An Bord Pleanala ruled.

The proposal to provide a permanent building which will operate like a mobile unit in that there is no connection to water services raises concerns as to how the unit will be cleaned, including countertops and food preparation areas.

The area engineer also reported concerns over pedestrian safety and wastewater treatment.

The board ruled that it was not in a position to conclude that the development would not adversely affect the Natura 2000 nature protection sites in the area.

Mr Calnan, who previously ran a hotel in Garrettstown, had a similar planning application refused earlier in 2021.

In his subsequent application, he said that he was aware of a previous structure that was demolished at the same site around 15 years ago.
SpaceX has brought four astronauts home with a midnight splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, capping the busiest month yet for Elon Musks space taxi service.

The three US astronauts and one German transported back to Earth in the capsule were bobbing off the Florida coast, near Tampa, less than 24 hours after leaving the International Space Station.

US space agency Nasa expects to have them back in Houston later on Friday.

Nasas Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, and the European Space Agencys Matthias Maurer, embraced the seven astronauts remaining at the station, before parting ways.

Mr Maurer said: Its the end of a six-month mission, but I think the space dream lives on.

SpaceX brought up their US and Italian replacements last week, after completing a charter trip to the station for a trio of businessmen.

German astronaut Matthias Maurer gives a thumbs-up after being helped out of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft (Nasa via AP)

That amounts to two crew launches and two splashdowns in barely a month.

Mr Musks company has now launched 26 people into orbit in less than two years, since it started ferrying astronauts for Nasa. Eight of those 26 were space tourists.

Welcome home, SpaceX Mission Control radioed at splashdown. Thanks for flying SpaceX.

Parachutes deployed on the capsule as it descends (Nasa via AP)

That was a great ride, replied Mr Chari, the capsule commander. As for the reintroduction to gravity, he noted: Only one complaint. These water bottles are super-heavy.

All four were out of the capsule an hour later, waving and giving thumbs-up as they were taken away for medical checks.

The astronauts said their mission was highlighted by the three visitors and their ex-astronaut escort who dropped by in April, opening up Nasas side of the station to paying guests after decades of resistance.

On the down side, they had to contend with a dangerous spike in space debris after Russia blew up a satellite in a missile test in mid-November.

More than 1,500 pieces of shrapnel will spread across Earths orbit for years to come.

European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer and Nasa astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron as they prepare to return to Earth (Nasa via AP)

While the war in Ukraine has caused tensions between the US and Russia, the astronauts have stood by their Russian crewmates, and vice versa.

Flight controllers in Houston and Moscow also continued to cooperate as always, according to Nasa officials.

As he relinquished command of the space station earlier this week, Mr Marshburn called it a place of peace and said international cooperation would likely be its lasting legacy.

Russian Oleg Artemyev, the new commander, also emphasised the peace between our countries, our friendship in orbit and described his crewmates as brothers and sisters.

The space station is now crewed by three Russians, three Americans and one Italian.

It was Mr Marshburns third spaceflight, and the first for the three returning with him.

Mr Chari and Ms Barrons next stop could be the moon; they are among 18 US astronauts selected for Nasas Artemis moon-landing programme.

Two others in that elite group are now at the space station.
The US has said it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship, an incident that was a high-profile failure for Russias military.

An American official said Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russias Black Sea fleet using its own anti-ship missiles.

But given Russias attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the US has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of those ships, said the official.

The Biden administration has ramped up intelligence-sharing with Ukraine alongside the shipment of arms and missiles to help it repel Russias invasion.

(PA Graphics)

The disclosure of US support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraines resistance and as polls suggest Americans question whether President Joe Biden is being tough enough on Russia.

Since Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February, the White House has tried to balance supporting Ukraine, a democratic ally, against not doing anything that would seem to provoke a direct war between Mr Putin and the US and Nato allies.

As the war has gone on, the White House has ramped up its military and intelligence support, removing some time and geographic limits on what it will tell Ukraine about potential Russian targets.

The official said the US was not aware that Ukraine planned to strike the Moskva until after it conducted the operation.

NBC News first reported on the American role in the sinking of the ship.

Speaking after a New York Times report about the US role in supporting Ukraines killing of Russian generals, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said American agencies do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intel that they themselves are gathering and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions, Mr Kirby said.
Interview This Is Not The Time For Peace Talks: Chin Leader

Dr. Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong

Dr. Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong is the vice-chairman of the Chin political organization the Chin National Front as well as the federal union affairs minister for Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG). In this interview with The Irrawaddy, he dismisses the regimes recent invitation for peace talks to the countrys ethnic armed groups, the juntas exclusion of the NUG and its armed wing, the peoples defense forces (PDFs), from the talks as impractical and how the military has always obstructed the formation of a federal democracy union since 1962.

What is your view on Min Aung Hlaings call for face-to-face talks with leaders of ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for peace?

Min Aung Hlaing seized power illegally. It is a proposal made by an illegitimate military leader and the offer is therefore illegitimate. The [military-backed] government held talks with us on August 18, 2011, and signed the NCA [Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement] and we continued to engage in dialogue with the elected government from the 2015 general election.

And we implemented the peace process according to that dialogue.

All the peace process implemented in that period was based on the NCA, which is the pact between the EAOs and the elected government. It is the dialogue between the government and EAOs and thus it is legitimate. The NCA was signed with the government, not the military.

If dialogue is to be held, the NUG is the only government elected by the people.

There will be discussions and consultations between the NUG and EAOs. We have already done it. We have designed a federal charter together and adopted principles for federalism and democracy.

So what Min Aung Hlaing has done is wrong.

There is a question about if the dialogue is required considering the NCA. The NCA was signed to hold talks during a ceasefire and then to hold the Union Peace Conferences to sign a Union Accord.

The aim of signing the Union Accord was to amend the constitution. Now people no longer accept the 2008 Constitution. And elected parliamentarians have also announced that it has scrapped it.

The objective of talks at different levels is to amend the 2008 Constitution. But the constitution no longer exists and there is no point in holding talks for that purpose.

Min Aung Hlaing does not have the authority to hold any dialogue. The objective [to amend the constitution] based on the NCA no longer exists. Min Aung Hlaing has called for peace talks to deceive the people so that he can retain the power he has seized.

What is the response of the CNF to the junta chiefs proposal?

We stand by the statement released by the 10 NCA signatories on Feb. 20, 2021. The regime seized power illegally and we must suspend all peace talks under the regime. It is not the decision made alone by the CNF but a joint statement.

Is it practical to exclude the NUG and peoples defense forces [PDFs] from talks

The NUG was formed based on the mandate of the people who overwhelmingly voted [NLD] in the November 2020 election and the mandate of ethnic people who have engaged in revolution for many years. It represents both the people and the nation.

There will be no answer from talks without the NUG. The PDFs are also civilian.

They were born out of the people to protect civilians from the regime. So excluding the PDFs means excluding the people. I dont believe Min Aung Hlaings proposed dialogue is intended for the interests of the people while people are not allowed to participate in the talks.

And the regimes spokesman said threateningly that EAOs may suffer if they dont attend the talks.

How much have the people suffered since the coup? How many lives have been lost? How many properties have been damaged? What happened to Thantlang in Chin State? How many more houses do they want to torch? How many more people do they want to kill? They have shattered so many lives. We have nothing to lose.

The whole country will only suffer more if peace talks are held to maintain Min Aung Hlaings grip on power.

If we join the talks, people will continue to suffer because Min Aung Hlaings intention in organizing the talks is to retain power.

Min Aung Hlaing and his regime will never serve the interests of the people. So we must reject the talks.

Moreover, the election that they are planning to hold to maintain their grip on power is unacceptable. A real election was held not long ago. They are holding another election because they cannot accept the votes cast by the people and they are trying to cast votes by themselves. We cant accept that. I urge the people to continue fighting the regime until it is uprooted.

There are criticisms that previous talks were not fruitful because EAOs had to hold talks with both the NLD government and the military. But now they are invited to hold talks with the military alone. Will it work?

They said the peace process could not make progress because of frictions between the NLD and military in the previous peace talks and that the peace process will be able to progress now because the EAOs have to talk to Min Aung Hlaing and the military alone.

We need to look back at history. The intention of holding peace talks is to establish Myanmar as a genuine federal democratic union with complete self-determination in line with the 1947 Panglong Agreement. Ethnic communities demanded that the constitution be amended to make way for federalism at the Taunggyi Conference in 1961. We discussed it at a seminar on federalism the following year. Based on that discussion, we tried to establish a federal union. Who prevented it? The military prevented it. General Ne Win claimed that the military saved the union which was on the brink of collapse due to minorities demanding secession. Thats why the union system could not be established. The military has prevented it since 1962.

I was constantly engaged in dialogue from 2012 to 2022. And it was the military, not the NLD, which mostly raised objections to agreements reached.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi presented six principles for federalism on the fourth anniversary of the signing of the NCA.

Her principles were based on the demands that we have made since 1962.

So the principles presented by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and us are basically the same. However, at the last Union Peace Conference on October 19, 2019, the military opposed the agreements. Can the people who seized power throughout history because they dont like federalism and democracy give us what we want? Throughout history, they have always opposed establishing federalism and democracy.

We asked for self-determination and equality and they have stopped us repeatedly since 2017.

Now they have seized power and destroyed the country to maintain their grip on power. So Min Aung Hlaings real intention behind his proposal for peace talks is to retain power.

They will never establish the democracy we want. They are trying to enslave the people under their boots.

After they have done it for so many years, we cant trust them. They are saying a tiger can eat grass.

How do you feel about the military trying to resurrect the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee?

The committee was a roadmap being implemented under the NCA. The objective of the NCA was to amend the 2008 Constitution.

But the people have already scrapped the 2008 Constitution so it is not acceptable to resurrect the committee. It would be an insult to the people to join the committee which is intended to perpetuate the dictatorship.

I respect and value the political party leaders. If they do what they should not do, they will be like Seneca who supported the dictator Nero in the Roman empire.

Seneca was a great statesman who loved the country and the people. But he earned a bad name in history because he worked for Nero.

I urge all party leaders not to take sides with Min Aung Hlaing, but to represent the people. They will go down badly in history if they make the wrong friend.

This is not the time for peace talks.

A federal democratic charter was adopted by elected lawmakers, EAOs, civil society organizations and those who have joined the civil disobedience movement. Lets work together to establish a federation under the agreed roadmap.

I request political parties and EAOs not to make friends with Min Aung Hlaing.
Burma Junta Convoy Attacked by Resistance Fighters in Western Myanmar

Chin resistance fighters. / CDF Mindat

Resistance group Chinland Defense Force-Mindat (CDF-Mindat) said it ambushed a junta convoy returning from Matupi in Chin State on Wednesday, inflicting heavy casualties.

Twelve junta soldiers were killed and dozens were injured when two columns of CDF-Mindat attacked the convoy while it traveled the Matupi-Mindat Road.

The convoy consisted of over 70 vehicles. One CDF column attacked from the front and another column attacked from the rear, said a leader of CDF-Mindat.

One CDF-Mindat member died in an accidental mine explosion after the ambush.

Wednesdays clash was the second attack on the convoy by CDF-Mindat since April 30, when it was ambushed while returning from Matupi. CDF-Matupi also reportedly ambushed the convoy on April 27.

A CDF-Mindat commander told The Irrawaddy: The junta convoy comprises 73 vehicles including tanks and around 300 troops. We dont target the vehicles. We mainly attack the vanguard and rearguard. About our report of junta casualties, we have seen with our own eyes that they were dead. There might be more casualties who died in mine attacks.

Over 1,000 ethnic Chin villagers living near the Matupi-Mindat Road have fled into the forest due to junta raids, according to Mindat residents.

It has become a routine of the regime to torch villages. The villagers fled before junta troops arrived in their villages. They might still be in the forest. The regime has cut off phone services there. And we [people in towns] cant go there as the regime is using that road, said a Mindat resident.

The twisting mountain road linking Mindat and Matupi stretches for 102 miles and, because of resistance group ambushes along the road, the junta convoy took over ten days to advance to Matupi.

The military regime convoy came to Matupi in March from Magwe Region as reinforcements, and has been targeted by resistance fighters a number of times.

You may also like these stories:



Myanmar Junta Rejects ASEAN Envoys Request to Meet Shadow Govt Representatives

Myanmar Junta Team to Make 1st Appearance Before ICJ in Rohingya Genocide Case

Junta Watch: Military Throws a Party as COVID Rages; Another ASEAN Snub and More
Burma Myanmar Junta Forces, Resistance Groups Trade Blame as Scores of Civilians Killed in Sagaing

The bodies of civilians killed in Budalin Townships Oakpho Village on May 3. / Myaelatt Athan News Media

About 42 civilians have been killed in Saging Region from April 30 to May 3, with resistance forces and regime troops blaming each other for some of the deaths.

On May 3, about nine civilians were killed while sheltering in a Buddhist religious building in Budalin Townships Oakpho Village.

Regime forces and pro-military militia shot in the head nine elderly civilians who were not able to run, in Oakpho Village, said Yan Gyi Aung, a battalion commander with the resistance group Maha Bandula.

The civilians were shot after regime forces were attacked by resistance forces using mines.

Also on May 2, regime forces killed a civilian and set fire to Khin-U Townships Inn Pat Village, burning down 200 houses.

A 47-year-old man in poor health who was left alone in the village was killed by regime forces and pro-military militia, and they burned down the village, said a resistance fighter from Khin-U.

About nine civilians were killed in Shwe Bo Townshipthree were killed in an artillery strike on Seik Khun Village and six were shot dead by regime forces in Nyaung Pin Thar Village on May 2.

Junta-controlled newspapers reported on May 3 that 23 people in Myin Mu and Chaung Oo townships were killed on April 30 and May 1 by local resistance forces known as Peoples Defence Forces (PDFs).

The report said eight men and two women accused of being informers were arrested by PDF members and killed in a cemetery. It said their bodies were burned in Padai Village in Myinmu Township on April 30.

It also said another eight men and five women from Kin Mon Htaw Village of Chaung-U Township were killed by PDF members on May 1 on suspicion of being informers.

However, local resistance fighters rejected the accusations.

A resistance fighter from Myinmu Township said, It is certain that the resistance groups didnt do it. We havent heard anything about that incident. The military council is spreading fake news to turn people against us.

A PDF member from Chaung U Ttownship said Kin Mon Htaw Village was a stronghold of a pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia group and they had no idea about the killings there until the regime reported them in its media.

Theres no way we did it; we are far too busy fighting and avoiding regime forces, he said.

The Irrawaddy has not been able to independently verify the claims made by either side.

Sagaing is Myanmars largest region and an anti-regime stronghold. The regimes spokesman recently admitted that the junta does not control the region, especially rural areas, where residents took up arms last year.

In response, the junta retaliates using airstrikes and artillery during clearance operations. Apart from extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests, troops have raided villages and looted property before torching whole villages, claiming they are harboring PDF fighters.

From the coup until the end of April, junta forces burned down at least 11,417 civilian houses across the country with Sagaing Region suffering the heaviest damage with around 7,503 houses torched, according to independent research group Data for Myanmar.

Despite the regimes heavy attacks and atrocities, clashes between junta troops and local resistance groups in the region are reported nearly every day.
Burma Myanmar Regime Stops Supplies for Displaced Rakhine Villagers

Houses damaged by strong winds at Myo Ugaung IDP camp in Mrauk-U on April 20. / CJ

Internally displaced people (IDPs) taking shelter at displacement camps in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Rathedaung and other townships in Rakhine State are suffering many hardships under Myanmars military rule.

The regimes Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement stopped providing rice to the camps in February.

Camp managers said they were told by ministry officials that it cannot provide supplies due to budget constraints.

Daw Win May Oo of Tinma village taking shelter at Kawi Yadanar camp in Kyauktaw said: We sold our belongings and borrowed money when they provided food because the supplies were not enough for my family. We havent received rice from the social welfare ministry for four months now. So we have to do whatever jobs available to survive.

There are nine IDP camps in Kyauktaw sheltering over 10,000 people. Most of the IDPs there are from villages along the Kaladan River between Kyauktaw and Paletwa Township in Chin State.

IDPs at the Myo Ugaung camp in Mrauk-U, which shelters over 500 households, are also going hungry, said Daw Tin Tin Yi from the camp.

We are facing many troubles. We havent received food for months now. To return to our villages, there are still soldiers deployed in the village monastery and on a hill near the village. With their presence, we dont feel safe to return, she said.

Myo Ugaung camp shelters more than 1,000 people from Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Paletwa. And more than 10,000 people remain at camps in Rathedaung.

Ma Moe Than of Kyauktan village sheltering at Zedi Taung camp in Rathedaung said: We havent received food and we cant starve so anyone in the family who can work has to work. We do odd jobs in Rathedaung.

The regime has sponsored the return of some people to their villages. But many dare not go back as they had lost their houses in fighting between Myanmars military and the Arakan Army (AA) and because of the risk of landmines and troop deployments near their villages.

Residents from Tima village in Kyauktaw, which had more than 700 households, have asked the regime seven times to return. But the regime has refused and villagers are facing many hardships.

Ko Ann Thar Gyi, who helps the displaced, said: The authorities will not let the villagers return. They should be allowed to return as clashes have ceased. I urge the authorities to enable them to return to their homes safely.

Many bamboo and thatch huts in Rakhine camps were damaged by storms on April 20.

More than 550 longhouses, housing 28,000 people in Rakhine State, need repair work ahead of the monsoon season. There is an immediate US$4.7-million funding gap for these repairs, reported the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on April 21.

Nearly 200,000 people were displaced by fighting between Myanmars military and the AA from late 2018 to November 2020. Many have returned to their homes since the clashes ceased but over 50,000 people remain in camps, according to organizations helping the IDPs.

You may also like these stories:



Myanmar Junta Rejects ASEAN Envoys Request to Meet Shadow Govt Representatives

Myanmar Junta Team to Make 1st Appearance Before ICJ in Rohingya Genocide Case

Junta Watch: Military Throws a Party as COVID Rages; Another ASEAN Snub and More
Analysis Myanmar People Will Never Accept any Election Held by the Junta

Anti-regime protesters in Yangon on February 14, 2021. / The Irrawaddy

For the Myanmar people, the juntas promised new election is nothing more than an attempt to legitimize military rule in Myanmar, and so the people wont accept or participate in the regimes so-called poll even if it happens.

The people have clearly demonstrated that stand ever since last years coup by displaying placards during mass protests saying Reject the coup, Respect our votes. No one can have any trust in any election held by the military regime which rejected the outcome of the 2020 general election, robbed the people of their votes and brutalized their lives.

Yet the junta and its accomplices still believe that they can trick the people again with a sham election and so prolong their rule.

When Myanmars voters cast their votes in the November 2020 general election, they expected more of the new, democratic Myanmar. But their hopes and expectations were shattered when the Myanmar military seized power on February 1, 2021 claiming the poll was marred by widespread electoral fraud. That was despite the international and domestic election observers who said the vote was free and fair.

Soon after the putsch, coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced a five-point roadmap, which included reforming the Union Election Commission (UEC) and pledging to hold a free and fair election and then handing over power to the winning party.

Subsequently, he packed the UEC with his own handpicked men to oversee any post-coup voting and annulled the results of the 2020 election won by the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) party in a landslide.

The junta-run UEC is now led by U Thein Soe, a former Judge Advocate-General in the military, who previously oversaw the 2010 general election, a poll that was widely regarded as rigged.

Junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun said last week that the regime was making strenuous efforts to hold an election soon.

We are working to hold a general election in every part of the country, he said, while calling on the public and stakeholders to work together with the murderous junta to make the new vote happen.

Dr. Lian Mmung Sakhong, vice chairman of the Chin National Front, one of the ethnic armed organizations which has allied with Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG), responded that the regimes plan is simply an attempt to extend its rule for as long as possible.

An election has just been held. They annulled it as they couldnt accept [the result] and now want to hold a new one to make people vote only for them. It is totally intolerable, the ethnic leader, who also heads the NUGs federal ministry, told The Irrawaddy.

The militarys proxy and allied parties suffered humiliating defeats in the 2020 general election. Those parties will contest the juntas election and the regime will make sure that one of them, or a coalition of them, will win.

It is also widely believed that junta chief Min Aung Hlaing wants to be an elected president, and so will be nominated for the presidency by the militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party.

The NUG knows how previous military regimes held sham elections, as in 2010, and in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the NUGs acting president Duwa Lashi La warned people not to trust the junta.

They have never kept their promises, he said, referring to the coup leaders promise to hold a credible poll and hand over power to the winning party.

Since the coup, the regime has also been working on disbanding the NLD, by far the countrys most popular political party, over alleged electoral violations and has jailed its leaders and senior members, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on spurious charges.

Ko Tayzar San, one of the most prominent anti-regime protest leaders, said that no one can deny that the NLD is the party which achieves the most public support or that the 2020 election reflected the general will of the public.

The NLD has won landslide victories in every election it has contested. In the 2020 poll it won 82 per cent of all elected seats.

He said that the people see clearly that the juntas proposed poll is a fake election designed to solidify the dictatorship and that they wont accept or take part in it.

We, the people, strongly oppose the coup and wont accept any election to be held by them [the junta] at all, said Ko Tayzar San.

He also reminded any countries who support the illegitimate juntas plan that they are going against the will of the Myanmar people.

Late last month, the ambassadors of China and India held separate meetings with the junta-run UEC to discuss the regimes planned new election. During the meetings, the ambassadors revealed their interest in the electoral processes of the juntas planned poll.

I would like to say to the two countries to stop their direct or indirect support to the terrorist military and respect the voices of Myanmar people, Ko Tayzar San said.

Sai Leik of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), one of Myanmars strongest ethnic political parties, also told The Irrawaddy that the party hasnt taken part in the juntas organized electoral process since the coup, including meetings with the UEC.

Founded in 1988, the SNLD won the largest number of seats after the NLD in the 1990 general election, the results of which were ignored by former dictator Than Shwe. Along with the NLD, the SNLD boycotted the rigged 2010 election. In 2020, it won the third-highest number of elected seats.

Like the NLD, the SNLD has been threatened with disbandment by the junta-run UEC. Sai Leik of the SNLD said no election can be possible until the regime has been brought to justice for its brutality and violence against civilians.

Over 1,800 people, including more than a hundred children, have been killed by junta forces since the coup, while over 13,000 people have been arrested for opposing the regime.

Junta arson attacks have destroyed over 11, 000 civilian houses in an effort to terrorize the population. At the same time, the resistance movement is waging armed struggle against the regime.

Last year, Min Aung Hlaing suggested that the new election could be held sometime in 2023. But after renewing the state of emergency again in February this year for another six months, the junta chief said that the election would take place when the situation in the country was peaceful and stable

Political analyst U Than Soe Naing said that the juntas planned election is less likely to happen in 2023, given the escalating armed resistance against the regime. Even if the regime makes it happen, it wont be free and fair, he added.

It would just become a state-sponsored fabrication plotted by the junta and its allied parties who have never won in any free and fair elections in Myanmar, said U Than Soe Naing.

You may also like these stories:



Myanmar Junta Rejects ASEAN Envoys Request to Meet Shadow Govt Representatives

Myanmar Junta Team to Make 1st Appearance Before ICJ in Rohingya Genocide Case

Junta Watch: Military Throws a Party as COVID Rages; Another ASEAN Snub and More
Chris de Bruin: The creation of the new tech hub in Surfers Paradise will enable us to expand our technology agenda and attract world-class talent."

Big four bank Westpac has announced it will be opening a new technology engineering hub on the Gold Coast which it claims will create up to 200 jobs over the next few years.

The bank said in a statement that this would mean it could broaden its technology, engineering, and training capabilities, all of which were needed in its broader process of digitisation.

"The Gold Coast is a globally connected city with one of the fastest-growing economies in Australia, which also offers great lifestyle benefits for people seeking a sea change, said Chris de Bruin, Westpac chief executive Consumer & Business Banking.

The creation of the new tech hub in Surfers Paradise will enable us to expand our technology agenda and attract world-class talent, while also creating employment, training, and development opportunities in Queensland.

The hub will focus on bringing together software engineers, technologists and data specialists who can work in partnership with our digital teams to make banking simpler and faster for our customers and bankers through new technologies.

It also gives residents the opportunity to join a large-scale organisation and build a career in the banking sector.

A view of the new Westpac tech hub. Supplied

Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said: Gone are the days when Queensland and its regions were considered second or third choices as a location to set up a major new investment project or business operation.

With companies of the calibre of Westpac increasingly setting up new high-value operations here, its clear to many that Queensland is a leading place to invest.

A strong health response to COVID-19 and economic recovery plan have accelerated our states recovery from the pandemic, which now puts us in the 'box seat' to drive investment projects and jobs to Queensland.

An enviable lifestyle, competitive property costs and an increasingly skilled and educated workforce are compelling reasons to move operations to Queensland and its regions, particularly in a highly competitive job market.

With close to 130,000 people expected to move here over the next five years, theres potential to grow Queenslands pool of talent even further and attract more investment and jobs here.
DISH Network Corporation has selected Samsung Electronics for the deployment of 5G Open Radio Access Network solutions across DISH Wireless SMART 5G network. Per the multi-year agreement, the companies will collaborate to deploy Samsungs 5G O-RAN-compliant virtualised RAN (vRAN) solutions and radio units in markets across the U.S., supporting DISHs 5G commercial services.

DISH Wireless president and chief operating officer John Swieringa said Samsungs 5G solutions will play an integral role in our network expansion, giving us the flexibility to deploy our cloud-native network with software-based solutions that support advanced services and operational scalability.

We look forward to working with Samsung, whose industry leadership in vRAN and O-RAN innovation will help support our vision of delivering open, interoperable cloud-based 5G services to consumers and enterprises across the U.S.

Samsung Electronics America executive vice president and head of the networks business Mark Louison said, Samsung is excited to join this 5G journey with DISH, a pioneer in bringing new experiences to households and businesses around the country, leveraging openness and virtualisation that sit at the heart of network evolution.

Our advanced 5G vRAN and radio solutions bring telco-grade quality and cloud-based agility together, building on these benefits to enable more customers to experience the full value of commercial 5G Open RAN.

Samsung Networks Business advised it will supply DISH Wireless with its 5G and RAN solutions, vRAN software and a variety of O-RAN compliant radio units, including Massive MIMO radios.

Samsung says its vRAN can operate on any commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server, while still delivering performance on par with traditional hardware-based equipment. With its cloud-native architecture, DISH Wireless Open RAN deployment is based on open interfaces, allowing for multi-vendor interoperability and various deployment scenarios.

The Samsung radios will also support all of DISHs Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum bands (including n71, n29, n66, n70, n48 and n77).

Handsets and Devices

DISH and Samsungs collaboration will extend to retail wireless customers, providing them with leading-edge 5G devices.

Samsung Electronics America executive vice president of the mobile business Jude Buckley said, Our work with DISH Wireless is bringing many of Samsungs innovative mobile products and services to even more customers on the DISH network.

We are excited to continue to work together to bring Samsungs powerful mobile products and services, which are compatible with the DISH network, to more customers.

DISH Wireless executive vice president and chief commercial officer Stephen Bye said, Together, well create solutions to bring DISH Wireless smart network to life for retail and enterprise customers, enhancing their productivity, enriching their connection to people and smart technology, improving their business operations and giving our customers control over their 5G services.

Samsung advised that DISH is currently testing its 5G network using the Samsung Galaxy S22, and plans to continue using Samsung phones as a reference platform throughout the network deployment process.
Digital infrastructure company Equinix has expanded its Platform Equinix into Latin America following the acquisition of four data centres in Chile from Entel, a telco provider.

Equinix also acquired one additional data centre in Peru, also from Entel.

Equinix estimates that the value of the five data centres is approximately US$735 million ($1 billion) at current exchange rates in effect on the dates of signing.

Equinix and Entel have partnered to enable enterprises to leverage hybrid multi-cloud solutions to accelerate their digital transformation.

Equinix highlights the following:

The addition of the five data centres is expected to increase Equinix's adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share upon close excluding integration costs. The five facilities generate approximately US$55 million of annualised revenue and represent a purchase multiple of approximately 23x EV / 2021 adjusted Ebitda including Equinix SG&A expenses.

Chile is the fourth-largest economy in South America with the highest GDP per capita in the region. Santiago is emerging as a technology hub in South America, serving both regional cloud and content demand as well as local enterprises.

The four data centres in the Santiago metro include:

1. The Ciudad de los Valles, which features two data centres with approximately 170,000 gross square feet combined, and is the largest multi tenant data centre site in Santiago, with ample expansion opportunities.

2. The downtown Santiago site, which features approximately 46,000 gross square feet. It is a network-dense facility adjacent to the Entel Tower, a key internet exchange facility in the market that is close to the city government centre.

3. The approximately 31,000 gross square foot facility in Longovilo, which is located away from the city centre to meet the backup and disaster recovery needs of customers, including financial institutions.

The data centre in Peru is approximately 16,000 gross square feet and is located in Lima.

Approximately 100 Entel employees and contractors are expected to become Equinix employees or contractors under the terms of the agreement.

More than 100 Entel customers currently operating in the four data centres will become Equinix customers with more than 75 of these representing net-new customers. The acquired customers include over 20 network service providers (NSPs) and a strong financial services ecosystem.

By expanding its platform to the southern hemisphere, Equinix will extend its presence to five countries in Latin America, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, operating 16 IBX data centres in seven metros.

Equinix plans to introduce interconnection and digital services to the four data centres in Chile including Equinix Fabric, Network Edge, Equinix Internet Exchange, Equinix Internet Access and Metro Connect upon integration.

This will enable customers in Chile to connect in real time, directly and privately, to more than 10,000 companies, including more than 2,000 networks and 3,000 cloud and IT service providers, through Platform Equinix for increased performance, security, and scale.

Chile also has access to non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE) such as solar, hydro and wind, which not only offsets data center operating costs, but significantly contributes toward carbon neutrality.

Citi served as exclusive financial advisor to Equinix in connection with this transaction.

"We continue to see demand from businesses in Latin America, across all sectors, looking to transform their operations to be digital and cloud-enabled. Equinix's expansion into Chile and Peru accelerates digital transformation opportunities in this rapidly growing region and is a critical step in our long-term strategy to broaden digital access for our customers globally. Chile's access to sustainable energy sources such as solar, hydro and wind helps our customers in the regionas well as multinationals doing business with themto grow responsibly and sustainably, which aligns with our global sustainability strategy, concludes Equinix president Americas Tara Risser.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 5 May 2022.
Researchers at Bangor Universitys Digital Signal Processing Centre have found a cost-efficient way to improve network performance that supplies mobile services and connection to homes and businesses.

Researchers claim that the improved performance they have discovered is kinder on the planet. They point out that since the technique lacks complexity, less energy is needed to transmit data, so there is less environmental cost.

The research has set a new record for using DSP to transform complicated, non-linear, low-speed optical transmission systems into simple, linear, and high-speed.

Results show a 10x fold increase in bandwidth of commercially installed access networks, which is technically feasible over an extended distance of 100 kilometres. This is achieved by manipulating how data is processed in the receiver using a technique based on digital signal processing.

Using advanced digital signal processing, we are manipulating the way in which signals are processed in the receiver to compensate for the effects that usually limit bandwidth and transmission distance. This approach could be used to upgrade existing networks without requiring considerable changes to be made to these networks, DSP Centre director professor Jianming Tang says.

The approach also allows cheap and low-power consumption solutions to be deployed in new networks, capable of satisfying unprecedented technical requirements associated with 5G and beyond.

We are now looking at how this approach could be further integrated with the DSP Centres other cutting-edge techniques to provide additional network security by detecting unauthorised changes to the network, and unauthorised access to the data, which is of paramount importance these days.

The DSP Centre at Bangor University has secured 3.9 million ($6.7 million) in project funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

The centre has recently raised 3 million ($5.2 million) from the North Wales Growth Deal as part of the projects within the Digital Program. Working with Ambition North Wales, the investment will be used to invest in cutting-edge equipment, expand its research facility and create up to 40 new jobs.

DSP Centre claims it is the only research site in the UK dedicated to researching DSP for 5G. It is working alongside Vodafone, Orange, BT, Fujitsu, and Ciena, as well as Welsh/UK SMEs to develop innovations.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to reporters after touring a mobile ultrasound unit on Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Spartanburg, S.C. Pence made his second trip to the state in less than a week to headline a fundraiser for a crisis pregnancy center in early-voting South Carolina as he continues to mull a possible 2024 presidential bid.
FILE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of the State address in the House Chamber of the Capitol building, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. Lee has signed legislation that will strictly regulate the dispensing of abortion pills, including imposing harsh penalties on doctors who violate them. The measure will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
One of Janet Samuels's Arizona State University accounting students approached her this year about poor grades, noting he'd gotten caught up in the social aspects of college and subsequently hadn't done well in Samuels's class. Could she, he wondered, offer some extra credit so that he could bring the grade up?

The answer was no, but the inevitable scenario is one that Samuels, CPA (inactive), Ph.D., has faced plenty of times in the 20-plus years she has taught accounting. She has developed processes to deal with this, from including opportunities for extra points that are universally offered to a class, to offering clarity about grading calculations and ensuring everyone in her classes is treated equitably.

"You try to respond very positively to the students saying, 'It's great that you are refocusing your efforts on academics, because that is why you're here,'" Samuel said. "'But on the other hand, it wouldn't be equitable to the other students who made the deadlines and who studied for the exam.'"

We spoke to Samuels and others in higher education settings about how they handle requests from students for grade changes or adjustments. Here's their advice:

Be open to discussions. Everyone makes mistakes, and that's one reason why James Long, CPA/ABV, CGMA, Ph.D., listens to his students when they raise concerns about the grading of a test at Auburn University's School of Accountancy, where he is a professor.

By having an honest and respectful exchange, Long has at times realized a test question was unclear and opened the door for multiple or more nuanced answers. In those cases, he'll often issue partial credit and ensure adjustments are made for the entire class.

"Professors aren't perfect, and students generally understand that," he said. "When you frame it from an equity perspective, it's a win for you and the student when they point out a mistake and you correct it."

More often, however, the discussion reveals that the student still hasn't grasped the concept they're being tested on. Long then has the chance to go over accounting principles with the student one-on-one to help them understand.

"To me, the key is to be open to the discussion, to let the students know you are on their side and want them to do well, but that you also hold them to high standards," Long said.

Use your syllabus. Ensuring that students have equal opportunities is paramount, and having a clear and transparent explanation in the syllabus about grading goes a long way in heading off requests for changes later on, said Lori Jackson, CPA, an accounting instructor at Michigan State University's Broad College of Business.

Jackson goes over the grading process on the first day of classes, and that clarity strengthens the trust between her and her students.

"Address these grading issues at the beginning," she said. "If you don't, it's going to get in the way of your relationship between you and your students."

Build in extra opportunities. Jackson doesn't offer extra credit to individual students upon request, in line with her department's policies.

But that doesn't mean there aren't chances for students to get extra points. She lists opportunities in her syllabus at the start of the semester for students to listen to guest speakers or lecturers for extra points.

This approach puts the onus on students, she said, and avoids scenarios where complaining students get chances their fellow students wouldn't. It also allows her, when a student approaches her at the end of a semester taking issue with a grade, to inquire if he or she took advantage of known ways to earn extra points.

Give grade updates. Samuels takes time before the deadline for dropping classes to update students on how they're doing. Even though the grading system she uses is available to students and explained in detail at the start of the semester, she has found that reaching out individually to students has enormous benefits. Many college campuses utilize learning management systems that are used across the campus, so that students and instructors have familiarity with how grades are determined. When Samuels teaches large classes, where she might have several hundred students in a lecture, she uses technology and email tools to make the task easy, and in line with student privacy regulations.

For those who are behind, Samuels can start up a discussion about how to improve or, if they've fallen too far behind, let students decide if they're too overextended and should drop the class.

"My job as a teacher isn't to assign grades," Samuels said. "My job as a teacher is to help them learn the material so that they can earn the grades they want in the course."

Framing it that way, she said, shows students that the responsibility rests with them to meet the expectations. She also requires that students use her grade sheet to calculate their anticipated grade before meeting with her, so that they are well aware of where they stand and they can then discuss during the meeting what the student needs to do to improve.

Samuels suggests professors take time to reach out as well to students who are doing well. Too often, interactions come when students are doing poorly, but dropping a note to a student who is doing well can spark further engagement. This approach was particularly appreciated when teaching during the pandemic, when many students were learning virtually or were socially isolated. Having that extra interaction with a professor was meaningful, she said.

Refer students for help if needed. Some students asking for grade changes may indeed be dealing with extraordinary situations, whether those scenarios involve mental health challenges, financial pressures, family issues, or disabilities that make classroom settings challenging.

In those cases, it's important to reach out to the campus offices that are better equipped to help students in crisis, Long said. Auburn University has a program called Auburn Cares expressly for that purpose.

"I am always available to have the initial discussion with a student, but when they communicate that there are underlying 'crisis' circumstances, I get them to Auburn Cares as quickly as I can because they are trained to help students beyond just lending an empathetic ear," Long said.

Samuels also keeps a list of the various people and programs on campus that can help struggling students in her office, including lists of university resources to evaluate disability accommodations requests and student health or mental health resources. That way, she can easily pull up the information to pass on to a student or reach out herself if the situation warrants that approach.

While it's important for faculty to listen to students about issues with grades, it's ultimately up to students to apply themselves, Samuels said. She sees a lot of parallels to the auditing work she did at the start of her career, where an auditor strives for a good working relationship with a client but ultimately is required to hold the company up to well-defined standards.

"I will do as much as I can to help them learn," she said about her students. "But ultimately, I'm accountable to society, for making sure these students have learned something and that grade represents something."

 Sarah Ovaska is a freelance writer based in North Carolina. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Courtney Vien at Courtney.Vien@aicpa-cima.com.


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
Iranian authorities have detained a Swedish man, Stockholm said Friday, threatening to strain already tense ties between the countries.

Swedens foreign ministry confirmed to AFP that a Swedish man in his 30s has recently been detained.

The embassy in Tehran is seeking further information in the matter and is in contact with local authorities, it said in an email, providing no further details.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported the man was on holiday together with other Swedes when he was detained.

Relations between Sweden and Iran are already tense over a trial in Stockholm against an Iranian ex-prison official accused of war crimes over his alleged role in a 1988 purge of dissidents.

Hamid Noury, 61, was arrested at a Stockholm airport in November 2019 after Iranian dissidents in Sweden filed police complaints against him.

The trial ended on Wednesday with the court due to issue a verdict in July.

Earlier this week, Irans foreign ministry demanded Nourys release, saying it considered his arrest and trial illegal.

Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency Isna reported this week that Iran plans to execute Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was sentenced to death in 2017 for spying for Israel, before May 21.

The Swedish foreign ministry last week advised its nationals against non-essential travel to Iran.
Civil society organisations in The Gambia have pressed the authorities to prosecute former dictator Yahya Jammeh over alleged abuses during his 22-year rule.

The government has until May 25 to respond to recommendations from a commission that investigated crimes committed by the state under Jammeh from July 1994 to January 2017.

His regime was notorious for crushing dissent through murder, disappearances, torture, rape and castration.

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission found that 240 to 250 people died at the hands of the state during his rule.

Jammeh and others named by the TRRC should, without fail, be held accountable for their crimes, civil society organisations said in a white paper seen on Friday by AFP, referring to the 69 other alleged perpetrators mentioned in the TRRC report.

Decisions on granting of amnesty should not be taken without prior consultation with victims and/or their families, it added.

The civil society organisations also said the government should reform the security forces and other institutions to avoid a repeat of the purported abuses.

The government must demonstrate political will to obtain justice for victims of human rights violations, it added.

Jammeh fled into exile in January 2017 after a surprise loss at the ballot box to President Adama Barrow.

But the ex-autocrat continues to hold sway over the countrys political life.

Barrow won a second term in office last year after his party announced a pact with the former dictators APRC, which many viewed as a ploy to court Jammeh supporters.

And a Jammeh ally was sworn in as parliamentary speaker last month.

An English-speaking enclave of two million people surrounded by Senegal that is continental Africas smallest country, The Gambia is among the worlds 20 least developed states, according to the United Nations.
Lee Si Young is getting a wave of criticism after posting a photo of her son on Instagram.

The "Sweet Home" star shared a glimpse of her life as a mom, spending a day with her beautiful kids.

The actress documented their trip to Busan and shared on social media. Unfortunately, the public seems to be disappointed with her action.

Lee Si Young Gains Criticism After Sharing a Sensitive Photo of Her Son

In a now-deleted post, the actress uploaded a photo of her 4-year-old son in their hotel room. Unfortunately, one snap received criticism after Lee Si Young's Instagram post contained a naked body of a toddler.

In the photo, her son was standing on the hotel balcony showing his back part naked.

Netizens expressed disappointment while some were furious and even asked her to delete the photos, to which she did.

At the time, there was even a comment which read, "Please delete the photo or cover your son's body," while the other says, "When he turns 25, I think he'll ask why you posted a naked picture of him."

For some, it invades the child's privacy and points out that she should not post her son's naked pictures online.

Others noted that aside from privacy issues, these kinds of photos might be abused by criminals.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Lee Si Young Workout Routine 2021: How Does the 'Sweet Home' Actress Maintain her Ripped Physique Even After Giving Birth

As of this writing, there's no statement from the actress nor her agency regarding the Instagram post, but she chose to delete it in hopes of pacifying the public with her social media blunder.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Lee Si Young got criticized because of an online post.

Lee Si Young Blasted for Promoting Tourism at the Height of the Global Pandemic

With borders of various countries slowly opening and welcoming tourists despite the surging pandemic, the actress took the opportunity to spend days in Switzerland alongside her husband.

In January 2022, the "Liver or Die" star revealed that she was invited as an ambassador for the Swiss government tourism agency.

Lee Si Young's Instagram featured a photo of the couple enjoying the country's scenery with the caption that reads, "Swiss tourist minister invited me as an ambassador to promote the country. Met with the minister's team and interviewed and ran to the city. I will show you much of Switzerland in the future, thank you."

Unfortunately, not all were impressed with her social media activities.

At the time, netizens mentioned that it was insensitive content pointing out that she should not promote tourism, especially since the whole world is in the middle of an ongoing pandemic.

Some even questioned why the actress ditched COVID-19 protocols, which included wearing masks.

Due to this, Lee Si Young was accused of using her privilege amid the health crisis while some of her fellow Koreans were battling the virus.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
South Koreans are obsessed with beautiful and perfect facial features, even comparing them to certain animals like cats, dogs, and bunnies!

One of the more popular comparisons is having the famous cat-like features, which refer to one's sharp and slanted eyes, coupled with a well-defined nose.

This specific look gives off a chic and sexy aura that everyone loves! Here are five South Korean actresses who possess beautiful cat-like faces!

Han So Hee

Han So Hee dominated the Hallyu world with her excellent acting chops and versatility after starring in the drama "The World of Married," "Nevertheless," "My Name," and recently, "Soundtrack #1."

Apart from her acting prowess, Han So Hee is lauded for her unmatched cat-like visuals that exude a strong and sexy aura.

Because of this, she garnered a huge fan base both domestically and internationally.

Kim Da Mi

The unique and enticing visage of Kim Da Mi made fans fall head over heels for her.

In her blockbuster hit series "Itaewon Class," her cute and sexy vibes from her cat eyes really gave her an advantage in synchronizing with the role.

Recently, she once again graced the small screen with her beauty in the successful rom-com drama "Our Beloved Summer," cementing her name as one of the top actresses in the industry!

Krystal Jung

Ever since she was young, her visuals have been recognized by fans who supported her during her career as an idol and f(x) member and now as an actress.

Fans and viewers all over the world fell deeply in love with Krystal Jung's icy cold aura, thanks to her cat-like features.

Krystal Jung recently starred in the KBS series "Crazy Love" and continues to wow her fans with her transformations and strong acting skills.

Jung Ho Yeon

Jung Ho Yeon instantaneously caught the public's attention with her god-tier visuals in her first ever role in the worldwide hit series "Squid Game."

Besides being a runway fashion model, Jung Ho Yeon diversifies her career spectrum as she now dominates Hollywood. She graces them with her lovely features and personality.

Lee Sung Kyung

Definitely one of the most sought-after actresses in the industry, the versatile actress Lee Sung Kyung is also known for having the famous cat-like face!

The multitalented star has a large fan base inside and outside of Korea, who all fell for the artist's girl crush vibe, rapping, singing, and acting skills.

Currently, Lee Sung Kyung decorates the small screen as Oh Han Byul in the on-going rom-com series "Shooting Stars"!

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
The soon-to-debut actor Jung Jaehyun of the K-pop group NCT surprised fans with his Instagram update. Read on to see his latest photos!

NCT Jaehyun Shares Adorable Childhood Photos on Instagram

On May 5, a plethora of Korean celebrities shared their childhood photos in commemoration of children's day. And among these stars is none other than NCT's visual, Jung Jaehyun.

Ahead of his acting debut in the campus romance drama "Dear.M" Jaehyun gifted fans a couple of his throwback photos on SNS and a special poem where his little handprints were included in the frame.

Fans were moved by Jaehyun's message and expressed their love for the idol-actor by giving him compliments in the comments section. In less than 24 hours, his new post garnered more than two million reactions on Instagram.

On the other hand, before his much-awaited small screen debut, the NCT 127's main vocalist continues to receive love from fans. He now has surpassed 11 million followers on the photo-sharing app.

Jaehyun's 'Dear.M' To Premiere in Japan

On March 24, Jaehyun trended worldwide following the reports that his long-awaited drama "Dear.M" is finally set to meet the viewers this year. However, instead of South Korea, the series will be released first in Japan.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: #Jaehyun Dominates Twitter Trends Following Updates About His Drama Debut 'Dear. M'

The broadcasting company in charge of the project, KBS, confirmed that "Dear.M" will premiere in the second half of 2022. But the scheduled date for its release is still in discussion. Hence, Jaehyun will officially start his acting journey soon.

On the other hand, Jaehyun's co-NCT member, Nakamoto Yuta, is also making his acting debut this coming September in the Japanese action movie, "HiGH & LOW: The Worst X." Yuta will grace the silver screen with his first-ever villain role.

Be sure not to miss Jung Jaehyun and Yuta's first solo projects this year!

Jung Jaehyun as Brand Ambassador for Prada

With his undeniable strong visuals, there's no doubt that Jung Jaehyun is Prada's ambassadror.

NCT's Jaehyun became the first Korean & the only celebrity in the world to live stream PRADA's 2022 Spring-Summer women's wear collection.

In addition, an official from the famous Italian brand stated:

"We decided to proceed with this project because we thought that Jaehyun's luxurious image fits well with the brand's image."

They also mentioned that the NCT member is currently the most sought-after K-pop artist.

Are you excited for Jaehyun's drama debut this 2022? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, follow and subscribe to KDramastars.

KDramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
Prior to its much anticipated premiere, SBS TV's upcoming romantic comedy series "Woori The Virgin" unveiled new exciting teasers of Im Soo Hyang, Sung Hoon and Shin Dong Wook!

Im Soo Hyang Stuck in A Love Triangle With Sung Hoon, Shin Dong Wook

SBS TV's "Woori The Virgin" is a South Korean remake of the American rom-com series "Jane The Virgin."

The drama is led by Im Soo Hyang, where she takes on the titular role of Oh Woo Ri, a woman who gets pregnant despite preserving her chastity for marriage. Sung Hoon and Shin Dong Wook play the role of the most important men in her life.

The newly released teaser hints at Oh Woo Ri's unusual love story as the doctor congratulates her, announcing her pregnancy despite never doing the deed with her boyfriend, Lee Kang Jae (Shin Dong Wook).

In the next scene, she gets stuck in a love triangle between Raphael (Sung Hoon), the father of her child who fell head over heels for her and Lee Kang Jae, her long-time boyfriend who stayed by her side truthfully.

Raphael, who's a CEO of a cosmetics company, feels more competent because of his wealth, says, "Call me anytime if you need anything. I can give you everything."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Im Soo Hyang Gets Torn Between Two Lovers in 'Woori The Virgin'

On the other hand, Lee Kang Jae, a violent crimes detective, flaunts his sweet charms while holding back from kissing his own girlfriend to respect her beliefs. He says lovingly, "No matter what happens, I'm always by your side."

Oh Woo Ri then reflects on her kiss with Raphael, showing remorse about having her first kiss taken away by someone who is not her boyfriend.

Since then, the two handsome men engage in a cold war of nerves. They drank together with competitive minds.

Oh Woo Ri wonders who to choose -- Raphael, who is ready to take responsibility for her and their baby or Lee Kang Jae, her long-time boyfriend.

To put the cherry on top, a man walks to Oh Woo Ri and claims that he's her dad.

The roller coaster story of Oh Woo Ri promises an unforgettable watching experience that anyone can enjoy!

'Woori The Virgin' Unveils New Character Posters

SBS TV's "Woori The Virgin" unveils new character posters of its three lead stars, amplifying excitement!

The first poster highlights Im Soo Hyang's innocent and pure nature, clutching a bouquet of flowers as she tries to take in the shock of her pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Sung Hoon shows off his romantic and stylish styles as Raphael, the man who has everything.

Finally, Shin Dong Wook embodies the perfect boyfriend next door. He perfectly exudes his character's honesty and respect through his gentle smile.



Focus is given as to how the three different characters come to a conclusion especially when romance, relationship and life are at stake.

Furthermore, "Woori The Virgin" airs for the first time on Monday, May 9 at 10:00 p.m. KST.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THIS: Here's Why Im Soo Hyang Is Fascinated With New Drama 'Woori The Virgin'

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
"The Sound of Magic" starring Ji Chang Wook, Choi Sung Eun and Hwang In Yeop stirs a frenzy as it finally premieres on Netflix!

The new drama guarantees to relive one's old dreams and take every viewer to a magical journey this May!

Here's what to expect from the new musical fantasy romance drama! Read to know more!

'The Sound of Magic' Webtoon To Drama Magic

Netflix's "The Sound of Magic" is a fantasy music drama that centers around the story of Lee Eul (Ji Chang Wook), a magician who helps Yoon Ah Yi (Choi Sung Eun) and Na Il Deung (Hwang In Yeop) to dream again after giving up on reaching it.

It is based on the webtoon "Annasumanara" written by Ha Il Kwon. The drama aims to show how characters struggle in achieving their dreams amid the harsh reality of life.

Director Kim Seong Yoon, the creator of "The Sound of Magic," shared that he wants to give comfort and warmth to viewers who are currently experiencing loss of energy and dreams in their lives.

Meanwhile, screenwriter Kim Min Jung wants to deliver a new perspective on life and what it means to live your life happily through Yoon Ah Yi and Na Il Deung.

Ji Chang Wook, Choi Sung Eun, Hwang In Yeop's Unstoppable Charms

The meeting of three amazing actors heralds a new gripping masterpiece!

Ji Chang Wook solidified his career in both the domestic and international scene as one of the most sought-after stars in the industry through "Backstreet Rookie," "The K2," "Healer" and more.

Meanwhile, Choi Sung Eun and Hwang In Yeop, who grow their career immensely, showed off their acting chops in various popular dramas like "Beyond Evil" and "True Beauty."

In "The Sound of Magic," three are expected to showcase a magic-like chemistry and synchronization through their characters.

To prepare for the role, Ji Chang Wook practiced magic and singing for almost four months prior to filming. This amplifies the character's mysterious yet charming image.

Meanwhile, Choi Sung Eun and Hwang In Yeop focused on their gazes, expressions and body language to fill the screen with emotions without any spoken lines.

Viewers can look forward to seeing each character's distinct quirks, personalities, as well as the harmony created by the three.

The Magic, Music and Beauty

The goal of the director and writer is to deliver an entertaining drama filled with magic, music and beauty, along with the characters' strong emotions.

To ensure this, the drama worked with Lee Eun Kyul, South Korea's top illusionist, in order to meaningfully portray his character.

The music is helmed by the "Itaewon Class" music director Park Sung Il. He made sure the musical score of the series reflects the emotions of the characters as well as its viewers.

Experience the beauty and magic of Ji Chang Wook, Choi Sung Eun and Hwang In Yeop's new drama this Friday, May 6 on Netflix!

In case you missed it, watch the "The Sound of Magic" teaser here:

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
After the town of Peachland spent more than $100,000 to buy this "ugly" public washroom, Interior Health has decided it isn't necessary, Mayor Cindy Fortin says.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
MILWAUKEE  Parents and teachers may often tell young students to reduce, reuse and recycle, and it may or may not stick. But Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brent Suter telling them the same thing? Perhaps theres a higher chance of it sticking.

Suter had students from Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee counties chanting those three environmentally-focused R words as well as go, planet, go on Tuesday at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

I hope the kids go home and say Hey, Mom, I want to start composting. I want to use less plastic. What can we do?  I hope that happens and I kind of hope Im annoying to the parents, maybe, Suter said, laughing.

Suter, who holds a dual degree in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University, was one of the speakers Tuesday at AmFam Field, where approximately 360 students from nine elementary schools gathered as a culmination to the inaugural Waste Free Crew educational initiative providing educators in southeastern Wisconsin with instructive modules for fourth, fifth and sixth graders to learn and discuss environmentally-friendly practices.

The Milwaukee Brewers, SC Johnson and environment-focused nonprofit EarthEcho International partnered to create the Waste Free Crew initiative.

The effort is part of the long-term collaboration between the Brewers and SC Johnson to build awareness and educate fans about the importance of sustainability efforts in everyday aspects of life.

The program launched on World Water Day, which was March 22, and enrolled 4,000 students. Eighty-three teachers from 55 area schools incorporated the materials into the classroom teaching.

The materials, which consisted of guided lessons, handouts and multimedia, covered topics such as what plastic is and how its made, what the different types of plastic are and how we can reduce and reuse plastic.

The Waste Free Crew Day at AmFam Field Tuesday brought sixteen southeastern Wisconsin sustainability organizations that taught students at tables stationed throughout the club and terrace levels about various environmental topics through presentations, exercises and hands-on activities.

Students from Racine County were Evergreen Elementary fifth graders and fourth-grade students from Gifford School, Goodland Montessori and The Prairie School. Students from Kenosha County were fourth graders from Frank Elementary and Salem Elementary.

The session concluded with a lunch and speeches from Suter, SC Johnson Chief Communications Officer Alan VanderMolen and Founder of EarthEcho International Philippe Cousteau, Jr., in the seating bowl of the field.

VanderMolen told the students to recycle their plastic cups used at lunch. The plastic cup collection has been an initiative already implemented at AmFam Field; the plastic waste is instead to be used for SC Johnsons Scrubbing Bubbles packaging.

Cousteau told the students a dangerous existing myth is that only adults can change the world.

Thats a dangerous myth because thats not true, Cousteau said. The only ones who can really change the world, are you. Thats the truth.

Stations

David Reske, fourth-grade teacher at The Prairie School, said the event was beneficial for his students because they were able to learn about what organizations in different areas of Wisconsin are doing to limit sewage, limit plastic waste and treat water. He said highlights for the students were learning about rain barrels and finding some things can be recycled that may not have been as obvious, such as milk cartons.

It doesnt take a change of how you do things, its as simple as throwing it in the other bin, Reske said.

Laura Buska, communications coordinator and Respect Our Waters program manager for Kenosha-based Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network, which had a table at the event, said she hoped students are engaged and having fun during her groups presentation.

What happens to the land, happens to the water, Buska said. We hope to send the messages of less lawn, more native plants. People should be landscaping with a purpose and feeding the bees. We should be planting their food.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
CANBERRA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared he can still win the federal election despite trailing in the polls.

Morrison said that opinion polls that show his Coalition set for defeat in the election on May 21 are not necessarily conclusive, with many voters yet to make up their mind.

According to the polls, the opposition Labor Party is likely to win up to 80 out of 151 seats in the lower house of Parliament -- the House of Representatives -- and form the government for the first time since 2013.

"People have not made up their mind and they're looking to determine what is going to drive their choice," Morrison was quoted by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) on Friday.

"And at the end of the day, that is going to come down to who they think has got the credibility to be able to deal with these pressures."

Friday marked day 26 out of 41 of the election campaign and the end of a week dominated by cost of living issues.

The country's central bank -- the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) --recently increased the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 0.35 percent.

It was the first rate rise in about 11 years and has been regarded as a blow to Morrison's campaign, which has been largely focused on the Coalition's economic record.

A survey published by the Australian National University (ANU) on Friday found that reducing cost of living tops voters' list of concerns leading up to the election.

Of more than 3,500 participants, 64.7 percent identified the high cost of living as an issue that needs to be "urgently addressed."

It found that cost of living transcended the political divide, with more than 60 percent of supporters of both major parties choosing it as major issues.

It also found the second highest priority was fixing the aged care system, with 60.1 percent of voters highlighting this as a key issue.

The economy, reducing the cost of healthcare and addressing climate change also rated highly as concerns. 
1 Shares Share

The Great Resignation is producing tremendous challenges for physicians. In particular, many senior physicians (some as young as 50 years old) are simply throwing in the towel and resigning rather than continue with the brutal schedules imposed by many employers. As physicians leave, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit new talent, so in many cases the remaining physicians are forced to take up the slack. That slack, of course, represents the patient contact hours and call coverage schedule that burned out the physician or physicians who left.

As the burden on physicians increases, the value of these physicians should also increase. That would be the case in any rational system. However, the U.S. health care system is anything but rational, so in most cases physicians are forced to accept incredible burdens as part of the job.

As a physicians attorney with 40 years of experience, I never cease to be amazed by the resilience of physicians. However, I must admit that I also become discouraged by the unwillingness of most physicians to look after their own welfare as well as they look out for their patients.

No other professional would require this advice, but physicians should realize that the Great Resignation, in addition to imposing incredible burdens upon them, also presents the perfect opportunity to consider renegotiating their employment agreements. Employers know that recruiting physicians is expensive and time-consuming. Physicians are in massive demand, so finding a new position will not be difficult. Employers have to worry that losing yet another physician will so overburden the remaining physicians that a mass exodus may result.

Accordingly, the position of physicians right now could hardly be stronger. The question to me is not if you should negotiate  it is more appropriate to ask what should be negotiated. The simple answer to that question is everything.

If you have not compared your current compensation to Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) benchmarks recently, now would be an excellent time to do so. Note that MGMA benchmarks in many specialties can be filtered for years of experience, as well as minor geographical areas. Your compensation may be close to median nationwide for physicians at all levels of experience, but it may be below median for physicians with your experience in your current practice setting.

A retention bonus seems like the minimum that should be requested. If you are performing administrative duties, perhaps a medical directorship should be considered (with appropriate additional compensation). MGMA has benchmarks for medical directorships, and also has benchmarks for call coverage and compensation for excess call coverage. As more physicians leave, it is likely that the call coverage currently performed by the remaining physicians is in excess of MGMA benchmarks. Now might also be the time to request a limitation on call (e.g., no more than 1:5).

Now would also be a good time to request appropriate staffing. A scribe would not only make your life easier, but would certainly be less expensive for the employer than replacing a burned-out physician spending countless hours at night maintaining the EHR. Productivity compensation also seems appropriate to compensate physicians for the increased workload they are facing.

Does your contract discuss patient contact hours? It should. Now is the time to request a maximum of 32 patient contact hours per week, to give you adequate time for charting and other administrative duties. Even if the employer only meets you halfway, 36 patient contact hours would at least give you some time to update the EHR during working hours.

Most hospitals give starting physicians a cell phone and usage plan. Do you have one? In addition, you might request board recertification fees and payment of professional society dues separate from your CME allowance. You might also request payment of the AOA or AMA dues, as well as state and local medical society dues outside of your CME allowance.

New physicians frequently get medical school debt assistance. Is there a reason that you should not get that too?

Now might be the time to request limitations on where you can be assigned. If tail coverage is not addressed in your contract, perhaps the employer could agree that tail coverage will be paid under all circumstances when you leave.

If you are in a private practice, you may want to consider asking for accelerated consideration of partnership.

There are numerous ways your contract (and your life) can be made better. If you do not want to do it for yourself, do it for your patients. A burned-out physician will not give those patients the same quality of care as a reasonably rested physician would give. For the sake of your patients, please renegotiate your contract!

Dennis Hursh is a physician contract lawyer. He blogs at Physicians Contracts Blog.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
VOA, May 4, 2022

For several months Pashtana kept rejecting marriage proposals made for her 14-year-old daughter, Zarghona, until she had to make a final decision.

"I had to choose between the survival of my four little children and giving Zarghona to marriage," Pashtana told VOA over the phone from the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, where last year her husband, an army soldier, was killed in clashes with then Taliban insurgents.

The young widow made every effort to provide for her children, but there was no job for her under a Taliban regime that has banned work for women.

Pashtana's family disowned her 15 years ago when she married her former husband against their will, and she only has an elderly mother in-law from her husband's family.

"I gave Zarghona to this man who was wooing her for several monthswhat else could I do? How else could I feed my little children?" said the bereaved mother adding the man paid 200,000 Afghanis or about $2,300 in dowry.

Zarghona's story is not an exception.

As hunger grows deeper in war-ravaged Afghanistan, which has the world's highest number of people in need of emergency food assistance, an increasing number of Afghan families are offering their underage girls in exchange for dowry, debt relief and other social and economic incentives.

In the eight months since the Taiban took control of the country, more than 120,000 children are feared to have been bartered for some sort of financial incentive, according to an analysis made by several aid agencies."UNICEF is hearing more and more reports of destitute parents being forced to take desperate measures to keep their families alive," Joe English, a spokesman for the U.N. Children's Agency (UNICEF), told VOA.

Legal confusion

As is common in Afghanistan, Zarghona's husband, twice her age, was not lawfully required to register the marriage at a public office. The wedding was officiated only in the privacy of the family.

While a civil law by the previous Afghan government allowed girls' marriage only at age 16, the new de facto Taliban Islamist regime has a different policy.

"The Sharia is clear about this," said Sadiq Akif, a spokesman for the Taliban's Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, referring to the Islamic jurisprudence.

"When a girl reaches puberty, she can be given to marriage," Akif told VOA.

Most girls reach puberty between the ages of 11 and 13, according to Nadia Akseer, a scientist at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Under the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic law, the marriage of an 11-year-old girl, considered middle childhood in most countries, is allowed. Medical professionals strongly disagree.

"Girls bodies are changing and growing their whole life but especially once they hit puberty. That pubertal growth spurt continues from initiation of puberty (say age 12 years) until their early 20s. During these years, girls have a heightened need for good nutrition and healthy behaviors to grow to her fullest potential," Akseer told VOA.

One critical consequence of the prevalence of child marriage in Afghanistan, estimated at 28% nationwide, is maternal mortality. Afghanistan has the worst maternal and infant mortality rates in Asia. For every 100,000 live births 700 to 1,600 mothers die."From a medical standpoint for the girl to attain her full health and development, she should not get pregnant at least until her early 20s," said Akseer.

Other risks



Social Media photo: A father in Faryab province sells 10-years-old daughter out of poverty. (RAWA.org) Social Media photo: A father in Faryab province sells 10-years-old daughter out of poverty. (RAWA.org)

"Girls who are forced into early marriage have their childhoods ripped away from them. They are often denied access to education and face a future they are not physically, emotionally and psychologically ready for, which has a devastating impact on their health and mental wellbeing," said Sacha Myers, a spokeswoman for Save the Children in Afghanistan.

While poverty pushes vulnerable parents to extreme remedies such as giving their teenage daughters for dowry, the Taliban's ban on secondary education and work for women appears to have facilitated the rise in child marriages in Afghanistan.

"When girls are banned from school and from work outside, what options are left for parents other than giving their daughters into early marriage?" said Tamana Bahar, an engineering specialist who was sacked from a government job by the Taliban last year because of her gender.

After seizing power last August, the Taliban fired all female government employees except for medical professionals and some teachers.

Pashtana, who is now able to feed her four young children with the dowry she took for Zarghona's marriage, could not see a better future for her teenage daughter. "This is how life is for women in this country," she said.

Hunger and severe malnutrition threaten the lives of more than 1 million Afghan children, UNICEF has warned.

To save these children, their parents will likely continue to opt for the type of extreme solutions that led to Pashtana's fate.
Posted by Joey on at 07:49 AM CST

Hey there,fans! This week on the site, were looking into theanimated series, and how it bridged the gap between the end ofand the new era of the franchise under Disney. Make sure to read our  Expand Your Mind  article first to read all about the shows characters and setting, but stay tuned throughout the week for morecontent. Well be adding additional articles, insights, videos, spotlights, and information on the best merchandising options that collectors have.One of the reasonsandshowrunner Dave Filoni is so beloved amongfans is his respect for the largerExpanded Universe. Filoni obviously knows his stuff when it comes to thestories outside of the core saga, and hes frequently incorporated fan favorite characters from the books, comics, and games within the animated shows.featured a memorable appearance by one of the most fearsome villains in the entireExpanded Universe: the Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn.Thrawn was first introduced in 1991 in Timothy Zahns noveland its sequelsandcollectively make up, and it's one of the most important entries in the entire saga.was the firstExpanded Universe novel since the early 80s, and it launched a new wave of publishing. In the decade prior to the release ofauthors explored the events afterwith many new adventures centered around the New Republic and the end of the Galactic Civil War.Following the destruction of the, many Imperial leaders attempted to reform the Empire, but few posed as serious of a threat to the core heroes as Thrawn did. A member of the blue-skinned Chiss alien species, Thrawn had been trained by his own people in the Chiss Ascendency to learn advanced battle strategy tactics. He joined the Empire, and became one of Emperor Palpatines top warriors, quickly rising through the ranks to become the Grand Admiral of the Imperial Fleet.Following the dissolution of the Empire, Thrawn gathers a secret force of remaining Imperial Star Destroyers and troops, and prepares for a galactic conquest. Unlike other Imperials who simply launched simple terrorist assaults on the New Republic, Thrawn had a broad strategy in mind that would restore the Empire to its former glory. Thrawns chilling, cold-hearted nature made him an instant favorite among readers, and Zahn continued to tell Thrawns story in subsequent novels prior to the launch of the new canon.When the majority of the Expanded Universe was placed in the Legends category, many fans were skeptical that a character like Thrawn could ever come back into the main canon. Thankfully, Filoni chose to include Thrawn as one of the core antagonists in the later seasons of. He was voiced by Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen, brother ofactor Mads Mikkelsen. Thrawn is set to appear in live-action in the upcoming Disney+ showWhat do you think,fans? What are some of your favorite Thrawn books and stories? Who should play him in Ashoka? Let us know in the forums , and as always, may the Force be with you!Check out Rebelscum.com merch!Be sure to follow us on all of our social media platforms:
Twilight Community Group and Amber Women's Refuge in Kilkenny are among 68 community projects to receive financial support from Bank of Irelands Begin Together programme in 2022.

In total, 500,000 is being allocated to groups across the island of Ireland in year three of the fund, delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation for Ireland. This will bring the total value of grants issued via the Community Fund to 1.5M since 2020.

The Fund is one strand of the Bank of Ireland Begin Together programme, a three-year, 4 Million initiative to support community groups, local enterprise and the arts across the island of Ireland. The Community Fund aims to support initiatives that are improving the financial, mental, or physical wellbeing with initiatives receiving up to 20,000 each for projects spanning financial literacy and wellbeing, mental health, disability, inclusion and diversity and social isolation.

Laura Lynch, Chief Marketing Officer, Bank of Ireland, said: Were immensely proud to support a wide range of community groups, charities, and social enterprises working across Ireland. What they do unites, supports and protects local communities and the most vulnerable in society.

Communities across Ireland still face many challenges. At this time, we are acutely aware of the pressure on resources of community groups, and notably those supporting migrant groups, like Together-Razem, who, along with their existing range of counselling and educational supports, are providing urgent assistance to Ukrainian refugees. Its our hope that support from the Begin Together Fund will help them continue to provide the practical financial counselling and education that is vital to the wellbeing of the communities that they support.

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation for Ireland, added:

The Bank of Ireland Community Fund is transforming lives, often when people are experiencing greatest need. We believe in equality for all in thriving communities. It is an ambitious goal but one, which through initiatives like the Community Fund, is achievable.

The impact we have seen since the fund was first established has been extraordinary, particularly when you consider that it was providing support with the backdrop of the pandemic. The Community Foundation for Ireland values its partnership with Bank of Ireland and looks forward to working together into the future for the betterment of all our communities.
Retail businesses across Carlow and Kilkenny should apply for a new round of funding to expand their online offering and presence to customers at home and abroad, according to Fine Gael TD John Paul Phelan.

Deputy Phelan made his comments after Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English launched a new round of the Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme worth 9.3m, to help Irish businesses to upgrade their websites and improve their competitiveness in online retail.

The scheme is administered by Enterprise Ireland and applications are now open but close on 1 June 2022.

Many Irish companies have successfully made the digital transition in recent years and developed their online capability to sell their goods and services online," said Deputy Phelan.

Consumer habits have also changed in recent years and it was great for them to know that when they went online, they had local options instead of just the large international retailers, particularly when the pandemic occurred.

Government was keen to help businesses adapt to and embrace this change, and the Online Retail Scheme was launched to help them develop and improve their offering beyond the physical shop.

There have been over 500 successful approvals under the Online Retail Scheme, which includes many businesses here in Carlow and Kilkenny. Past applicants have included many retailers selling jewellery, fashion, sports, homeware, furniture, healthcare, hardware, electrical goods and equipment.

And businesses are rightly preparing for the future and growing their presence so that they can attract and cater for different types of shoppers, Deputy Phelan said.

The Scheme is administered by Enterprise Ireland and there is 9.3m available in this round of funding which closes on 1 June 2022. Further information and details on how to apply are available here.

In order to be eligible for this funding, applicant companies must have 10 or more full-time employees in a physical store and an existing online presence. This is to support the clicks and bricks for Irish retailers.

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English added: I want Irish based retailers to have every chance of competing for online sales that are currently going outside the country. There is no reason why Irish businesses cannot successfully compete for home sales as well international sales. The Government is also determined to support more business owners to enhance their online capabilities and presence to exploit opportunities in existing and new markets.

The transition to online shopping was accelerated over the last two years and consumers' retail habits have changed significantly. Many now make purchases anytime, anywhere, anyplace at the tip of their fingers or with the click of a mouse. It makes sound business sense to have an omnichannel approach to selling in order to cater for these new demands and to be competitive in the market.

Almost all previous recipients of funding in this scheme noted an increase in online sales, many in international markets and the vast majority have hired additional employees to manage their increase in online sales.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
A warrant has been issued for the Alabama corrections officer who vanished with an inmate
Visitors to the Bogota International Book Fair check Korean books at the Korean Pavilion at Corferias in Bogota, Colombia, last week. Korea was invited to the second-largest book fair in Latin America as a guest of honor and Colombia will present its literature as a guest of honor at the Seoul International Book Fair in June in celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Courtesy of Bogota International Book Fair



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Korea and Colombia are strengthening ties through literature as the two countries commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.



Seoul was the first to dispatch a group of authors to the 2022 Bogota International Book Fair, which ran from April 19 to May 2, and Colombian writers will attend the Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF) from June 1 to 5 as guests of honor.



Colombian Ambassador to Korea Juan Carlos Caiza said the two countries' relations began in the 1950-53 Korean War, but have since expanded to culture and innovation during a press conference announcing the two countries' book fairs.



"It is a good moment to commemorate the relations between Korea and Colombia in cultural area, which makes us able to get to know each other better and share cultures despite the 15,000 kilometers of distance," Ambassador Caiza said.



The ambassador said the COVID-19 pandemic taught him that despite the physical distance between Colombia and Korea, the two countries have proven that they can be closer through exchanges, especially culture.



"That is why we are participating in two international book fairs in Bogota and Seoul. More Colombians and Latin Americans will learn about Korean culture there and more Koreans will learn about Latin American culture and Spanish language. This exchange is going to be epoch-making in public diplomacy between Colombia and Korea," he said.



Colombia is the guest of honor of the SIBF this year, for the first time as a Latin American country.



Under the theme of "Colombia: Creative, Diverse and Fraternal," a total of 21 Colombian authors, including three living in Korea, will take part in Korea's largest book fair to showcase the multifaceted charms of Colombian literature. All participants have at least one work translated into Korean, reaching out to wider Korean audiences.



The Colombian Pavilion will present an array of Colombian literature and illustration, providing opportunities to know more about the Latin American country.



Some of the works will be translated from Spanish to Korean and unveiled at the SIBF for the first time. Among the first-ever translated works are Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Journey through Eastern Europe," Fernando Vallejo's "Our Lady of the Assassins," Juan Gabriel Vasquez's "The Shape of the Ruins" and Jose Eustasio Rivera's "The Vortex."





A graphic for Colombia as guest of honor at the Seoul International Book Fair slated for June 1 to 5 / Courtesy of Embassy of Colombia in Korea




The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Thursday and agreed to closely cooperate to enhance the allies' combined defense posture, Seoul's defense ministry said, a day after North Korea's ballistic missile launch.







During the talks, Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, condemned the North's launch as a "clear" violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and an act that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the ministry.







"(They) agreed to closely cooperate on deterrence through the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance and enhancement of the combined defense posture," the ministry said in a press release.







Austin reaffirmed the U.S.' "iron-clad" security commitment to the defense of South Korea, the ministry said.







On Wednesday, the North fired the missile, which flew 470 kilometers at a top altitude of 780 kilometers and a speed of Mach 11. It marks the North's 14th show of force this year and came less than a week before the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. (Yonhap)


Like ordinary people, many K-pop idols also dream of getting married one day and creating their own families. However, there are also some artists who don't see themselves wearing wedding attire and remain single. Here's a list of a few idols who previously confessed that they don't want to get married.

6 K-pop Idols Who Don't Want to Get Married

1. Former MONSTA X Wonho

One of the K-pop idols who many fans know doesn't plan on tying the knot is Wonho, a former member of MONSTA X.

Back in January 2016, MONSTA X appeared on the Jan. 12 episode of "Lee Gu Joo's Young Street." The host asked the boys what kind of woman they want to marry, but Wonho shocked the DJ by revealing that he prefers to be single for life.

ALSO READ: 5 Male K-Pop Idols Who Are Unrelentingly Savage

Wonho said, "I have no interest in getting married. My little brother is going to get married and carry on the family line, so I don't have to worry about that."

2. Girls' Generation Sunny

During the Girls' Generation members' guest appearance on "Happy Together" back in April 2020, they were given several questions, one of which was about who among them will get married first.

The members unanimously picked Sooyoung as she has already been in a relationship with Jung Kyung Ho since 2013. However, Sooyoung didn't pick herself and chose Sunny instead.

But Sunny said that she has no desire of getting married given that she doesn't even know her ideal type of man.

3. Former Wonder Girls Yeeun

Another female K-pop idol who doesn't want to get married is Yeeun, a former member of Wonder Girls. She revealed this during her appearance on tvN's "The Quack Philosophers" back in August 2019.

At that time, Yeeun confessed that she doesn't have the confidence to get married and so she prefers to stay single.

She explained, "I have to meet someone I'm compatible with in order to have a happy married life, but I don't have a good eye for men. Finding a good one would be like winning the lottery."

4. Oh My Girl Jiho

Oh My Girl Jiho also previously shared her plan to not get married. She doesn't even give any thought to it. What's her reason? She said that rather than marriage, she wants to live alone for the rest of her life.

5. Former MOMOLAND Yeonwoo

When she guested in the famous variety show "Knowing Bros," Yeonwoo said that she always dreamed of becoming a chaebol when she was young (a chaebol has something to do with a large family-owned business conglomerate in South Korea).

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 8 K-pop Idols Who Debuted in New Groups Thrice After Departure or Disbandment

When Super Junior Heechul said that her future kids could be chaebols instead, the former MOMOLAND member revealed that she doesn't want to get married and is happy to be single. She added that it would be difficult if she had to be responsible for her family's finances.

6. Cosmic Girls Luda

The last K-pop idol on our list is Luda, a member of Cosmic Girls (or WJSN). In her opinion, marriage isn't permanent in the world "because there is no such thing as forever." Based on her experience, all good things always come to an end.

Can you name other K-pop idols who prefer to be single?

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article

Written by Maria Scott
TWICE dropped the 2022 version of their childhood photos! Who is the cutest and who did it the best?

Read on to see the photos!

TWICE Recreates Childhood Photos for Children's Day

TWICE members once again proved they are all-natural beauty since birth through their pre-debut photos!

Over Instagram on May 5, the members shared their childhood photos and recreated them to commemorate children's day. A large number of photos of the members' "Then and Now" were uploaded on TWICE's official account.

The photos follow the concept of the members recreating their own childhood photos, copying the same poses, fashion and facial expressions.

The first challenger is Nayeon, who cutely sticks out her tongue while smiling brightly. She perfectly imitated her stylish fashion when she was a child wearing her plaid miniskirt and red sunglasses at that time.

Jeongyeon also showed off the 2022 version of her baby photo, smiling brightly in yellow, taking the photo in a similar landscape as her backdrop.

Momo then boasted her hip fashion, excellently replicating everything except her long red hair when she was younger.

Sana melted ONCEs (TWICE fandom) hearts by showing her cute side when she was young. One look and the photo will definitely remind you of her iconic "Cheese Kimbap" aegyo! It's like she hasn't aged at all!

Among members, the main visual Tzuyu showed off her pretty face then and now. Her beauty didn't change, it seems.

Meanwhile, Mina and Dahyun, who had chubby cheeks when they were younger, gave off the same cute charms, wearing similar 'fits.

Among members, Jihyo and Chaeyoung surprised fans the most because they looked the most the same in the past and present.

You would even think that they just pressed "CTRL C + CTRL V" because it felt like they took their childhood photos were taken just recently.

Who among the members do you think understood the assignment best?

TWICE to Hold Encore Concerts in US, Sana to Attend After Recovery from COVID-19

Meanwhile, TWICE will hold two encore performances at the North American Stadium for the first time by the K-pop group at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles on May 14 and 15 (local time).

Sana, who has completed treatment for COVID-19, is working hard to prepare for the concert. On this day, she will arrive to Korea from Japan.

In particular, Sana tested positive for COVID-19 in April and wasn't able to return to Korea along with the members on April 26 following their solo concert in Tokyo. After recovery, Sana will depart from Narita International Airport in Japan and will arrive at Incheon International Airport at 5:30 p.m. KST on May 5.

For more K-Pop news, follow and subscribe to KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dawson
Television czarina Ektaa R Kapoor has landed in trouble just as her show 'Lock Upp' is heading towards its finale as the Hyderabad Police has registered an FIR against ALTBalaji, MX Player and Endemol Shine for alleged plagiarism.

As per the reports Hyderabad Police have begun their inquiry.

Hyderabad-based Sanober Baig, managing director of Prime Media filed a complaint in the Supreme Court demanding the show be stopped and was directed to approach the lower court.

Later, the city civil court ordered to stop airing of the show from April 29. He had been fighting a legal battle with the makers of the show as he alleged plagiarism against them for copying his concept of 'Jail'.

Recently, he said that it is shocking for him that the show is still going on. "Shocked that the airing of the show has not stopped, I had to knock on the doors of the police. The Hyderabad Police after understanding and verifying the situation in detail have registered an FIR in the matter under sections 420, 406 and 469 of the IPC. The FIR dated 4th May 2022 at Kanchanbagh Police Station of Hyderabad and bearing the number 86/22 mentions the details."

In February, he had accused the show producer Abhishek Rege of stealing his idea.

He added: "I am aware that Ekta Kapoor has multiple FIRs against her for objectionable content and indecent representation of the families of the Indian Armed Forces and am appalled that the law is being misused by her and her organization brazenly. We have heard the police and the judges bemoan the fact that the rich and the powerful get in the way of the proceedings of the law. I believe the bigger a person is, the more responsibility they have to maintain the law and order."

"There cannot be two sets of laws -- one for the powerful and one for the ordinary citizens. As we celebrate the 75 years of democratic governance in India, the trust of ordinary citizens in institutions such as the police and judiciary should not be broken. I am sure that due to our persistent efforts; eventually, there will be a fair trial and prosecution of the accused - who are seated in powerful chairs," he said.

He said, "Hyderabad police are reaching Mumbai for further investigation today, May 6. The finale has been preponed keeping in light these developments to May 7 from May 9."
The BJP on Friday hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for detaining Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga saying that his brazen misuse of Punjab police to target political opponents is not "unexpected".

Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police on Friday morning, the BJP leaders claimed.

Taking to Twitter, Lok Sabha member Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said: "Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha national secretary Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has just been kidnapped from home by some unknown people, I will ask Delhi Police and Haryana Police to take action as soon as possible."

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said: "The manner in which Kejriwal is misusing Punjab Police is condemnable. Punjab Police arrested Tajinder Bagga from his residence. Bagga and his father were treated inhumanely by Punjab Police. Kejriwal must remember that he cannot scare a true 'Sardar' through such action."

In-charge of BJP's national information and technology department Amit Malviya tweeted: "Arvind Kejriwal's brazen misuse of Punjab police to target political opponents is not unexpected. He had been raging for this. But this won't go down well. We will fight to secure every single karyakarta of ours and ensure that Kejriwal learns how to handle power the hard way."

In a tweet party's national spokesperson Nupur Sharma said: "50 Punjab policemen to arrest @TajinderBagga over a Tweet. His aged father was pushed around and beaten up. Early morning antics by @ArvindKejriwal. Was a fraction of this false bravado shown when investigating Patiala Violence?."
Even as cases of dogs ' title='stray dogs '>stray dogs attacking children increase, cases of cruelty to animals are also on the rise.

Animal rights activist Kamna Pandey, former member of Animal Rights Commission, said that she has lodged FIRs in two cruelty incidents and is getting multiple complaints on a daily basis from animal lovers.

"The first FIR has been lodged at Gudamba police station against a man who killed a puppy by cutting its leg, while the second has been lodged against a group for breaking the limbs of dogs before killing them in Husainabad area," she said.

"We have also got reports that some people have hired private persons to kill dogs ' title='stray dogs '>stray dogs in their localities. People must understand that killing dogs is not the solution, and, in fact, it leads to retaliation by animals in self-defence. For instance, the female dog whose puppy was killed by a man in Gudamba turned aggressive and has attacked a few people," she said.

Cases of cruelty to animals have been reported from Prayagraj where a youth tied crackers to the tail of a stray dog in Naini area and set it on fire. The dog suffered burn injuries and later succumbed.

In Kanpur, a group of men broke the teeth of a dog with a hammer after he bit a local resident.

Police action is these cases has not been reported.

After the last month's Thakurganj incident in which a minor girl was mauled to death by stray dogs, Lucknow Municipal Corporation has stepped up its drive to sterilise stray dogs.

"Some volunteers have informed that LMC squads are using wired iron rods to catch pigs at some places, which is banned under the Prevention of Cruelty Act 1979," Pandey informed.

Chief veterinary officer, LMC, Dr Arvind Kumar Rao refuted all allegations of cruelty by squads and said that animals are caught in the most humane way possible.

The sterilisation drive has also been stepped up and two more centres have been started, he added.
Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.  Dr. Seuss

Walking the hallowed halls of historic Yerkes Observatory recently during a guided tour, I was reminded of my late Grandpa Mac, who often spoke in hushed, reverent tones back in the day about the latest astronomical findings and photos to come out of the University of Chicago observatory in Williams Bay.

Something of a modern day renaissance man, Grandpa Mac was well-read and well-versed on an astonishing array of subjects, and gifted with a preternatural knack of distilling down the big ideas of science for me into laymens terms  laykids terms, really.

The Doc Emmett Brown of his day in the years before Back to the Future hit the silver screen, a visit to Grandpa Macs house was always an adventure in scientific fun and big ideas, his house littered with dog-eared scientific journals and magazines of every type and always some new McPherson Engineering Co. project in progress in the home laboratory, replete with the requisite mad scientist vibe of snapping high voltage electric sparks traveling rhythmically up the metal rods of his Jacobs Ladder. Had he lived long enough, Im sure he would have created a 1.21 gigawatt time machine out of his 1966 Olds Delta 88.

A free spirit since childhood, Grandpa Mac graduated from Minnesotas Brainerd High School at the age of 16 and flew himself to college for studies in engineering at Milwaukees Marquette University  a 384.55-mile open cockpit journey  in a surplus U.S. Army Air Service World War I Curtiss JN Jenny, a spruce and fabric biplane with a wooden prop.

After graduating from Marquette, Grandpa Mac became a popular college lecturer on a wide breadth of subjects, teaching aeronautics, aircraft welding, meteorology, electro-mechanical engineering, physics and astronomy, among other subjects, for a variety of colleges including alma mater Marquette, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, the Milwaukee Vocational School (todays Milwaukee Area Technical College) and the now shuttered Milton College, where he fell in love with a talented art student, Grandma Eleanor.

Grandpa Mac augmented his lecturing income with a bread-and-butter corporate job at Miller Electro-Mechanical Engineering and side gigs performing live violin and organ recitals on WTMJ-AM and working as an early Milwaukee weatherman on CBS affiliate WOKY-TV 19.

During World War II, Grandpa Mac answered the nations call to service, teaching the Navys ground flight school at Marquette, writing Navy flight manuals and textbooks, and participating high altitude flight testing that would ultimately leave him a trifle deaf in one ear.

Grandpa Macs reputation as an aviator and flight instructor led Falk Corp. president Louis Falk to his door one day with an intriguing proposal. Falk wanted to set up a pioneering aviation program for the Milwaukee-based manufacturer, and Grandpa Mac was his man to do it.

Grandpa Mac and Grandma Eleanor considered the possibilities before them. They could live comfortably in the corporate paternalism offered by Miller Electro-Mechanical Engineering or they could cater to Grandpa Macs ebullient, free spirited nature and begin a new barnstorming fly-by-their-pants adventure.

They chose the latter, Grandpa Mac putting an addition onto their home and installing a surplus World War II Link C-3 Blue Box ground school flight simulator, launching corporate aviation for first student Falk and a host of Milwaukee companies that sent their pilots to his door, including Johnson Controls, Harnishfeger, Bucyrus-Erie, Water Tool Co., Gehl Manufacturing, and Milwaukee brewers Gettelman and Pabst, among others.

As Grandpa Mac often noted of the decision, Im not rich, but my way of life fits like a fist in the eye.

In a bit of international intrigue, among his clients would be Civil Air Transport (CAT), a Nationalist Chinese airline later owned by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that supported covert U.S. operations throughout East and Southeast Asia.

In 38 years of corporate flight training and some 30,000-plus hours of Link flight instruction, Grandpa Mac never lost a student to a real life aviation mishap, including his CAT students that flew some admittedly perilous covert missions.

Eventually, Grandpa Macs reputation caught the eye of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), which added him to its sizable cadre of slide-rule-packing contracted outside engineers in support of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space exploration projects that would ultimately land mankind on the moon and launch Skylab, the first manned U.S. space station.

From an adults perspective looking back, Im in awe.

But at the time those many years ago, to me he was just Grandpa Mac, putting me through my paces in the Link flight simulator during my Friday night visits, throwing knotty real-life flight challenges my way, his raspy bass ringing in my headset, mentoring me into precise flying  Shun thunderstorms, Ricky  Dont get behind the power curve  Dont be afraid of instrument flying. If you try to stay visual youll fly into a cloud with rocks in it

On other occasions wed be out on his driveway after dark with his big telescope, looking at the giant red spot on Jupiter, the rings on Saturn, and the craters on the moon. An interloper would be hard-pressed to tell who was more excited at the sights in the eyepiece.

Once or twice a summer, wed make a pilgrimage trek out to the Milwaukee Astronomical Society observatory in New Berlin and take our stargazing to another level entirely.

The way Yerkes Walt Chadick sees it, given Grandpa Macs own considerable astronomical and scientific acumen, its likely that he trod the same floors at Yerkes that I was now walking.

Though hes been gone for 38 years now, Grandpa Mac suddenly seemed very close as I eyed Yerkes Great Refractor telescope in the observatorys Great Dome.

Hey Ricky, whadya say we get out the telescope and go exploring?

For a brief moment, it was yesterday once more.

Eric Johnson can be reached at ejohnson@lakegenevanews.net.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, more Wisconsin women are expected to order abortion pills through the mail and carry out their own medication abortions, an alternative to surgical abortions that at clinics is on the rise.

Youre going to see self-managed medication abortion just soar overnight, said Ingrid Andersson, a nurse midwife in Madison and co-founder of Pregnancy Options Wisconsin: Education, Resources and Support, or POWERS, a group that assists people seeking abortion.

Wisconsin Right to Life also anticipates more women obtaining abortion pills by mail to use on their own, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made easier in December, spokesperson Gracie Skogman said. A Wisconsin law requires providers to dispense the drugs in person, but people can circumvent the process by ordering pills in other states or from Europe.

We are concerned with the rise of women obtaining medical, or chemical, abortions by the mail, Skogman said.

Women who have complications from medication abortions  mainly excessive bleeding that can mimic a miscarriage  sometimes go to emergency rooms, making ERs an opportunity for potential new regulations sought by abortion opponents.

Weve been thinking, potentially, of strengthening reporting requirements in ERs and similar settings, Skogman said.

Pro-Life Wisconsin promotes abortion-pill reversal, or giving the hormone progesterone to women who regret their decision after taking the first of two abortion pills, spokesperson Anna DeMeuse said. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists doesnt support the practice, calling it unproven.

Opinion leaked

A draft opinion leaked this week suggests the U.S. Supreme Court in coming weeks will overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion. That means an 1849 Wisconsin law banning abortions except when the mothers life is in danger could take effect, though the ban likely would face immediate legal challenges.

The new environment might lead more Wisconsin women to travel to abortion clinics in Illinois or Minnesota, where abortions would remain legal, as some already do because those states currently have fewer restrictions. Dr. Douglas Laube, who provides abortions at Planned Parenthood in Madison, said this week he and other doctors are looking at setting up a clinic in South Beloit to continue providing abortions to Wisconsin women.

Medication abortions could also become more common. The process involves taking mifepristone, approved by the FDA in 2000 for abortion, along with misoprostol a day or two later. Mifepristone stops the pregnancy growth by blocking progesterone, and misoprostol makes the uterus contract to complete the abortion.

Pill abortions accounted for 54% of all abortions nationally in 2020, up from 39% in 2017, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. In Wisconsin, where the Department of Health Services refers to the process as chemically induced abortion, the method accounted for 39% of all abortions in 2020, up from 21% in 2017.

Overall, Wisconsin had 6,430 abortions in 2020, down from 6,511 in 2019 and a reported peak of 17,986 in 1988.

Under the table?

Laube said that if Wisconsins 1849 abortion ban takes effect, some doctors might continue providing abortion pills clandestinely. Wisconsin is one of 19 states where doctors must be physically present when administering the medications, meaning the interaction cant take place via telehealth.

In states without such laws, the FDA in December said the pills could be permanently provided by telehealth, a move that had earlier been allowed temporarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That means women in states with telehealth abortion bans can travel to any location in the other states to receive pills, according to The New York Times.

People can also order the pills through groups such as Aid Access, run by Dutch doctor Rebecca Gomperts. European doctors prescribe the pills, which are shipped by a pharmacy in India, according to the groups website.

Self-managed medication abortions give women an option they didnt have before Roe v. Wade, even though it skirts some state laws, Andersson said. The procedures arent counted in official reports on abortions. A medical journal study led by Gomperts last year, which called the process safe and effective, reported on more than 57,000 requests for pills from the U.S. through Aid Access in March 2018 to March 2020.

This is a safe option, Andersson said. Its not a 100% legal option, no.

POWERS, which supports abortion, adoption and mothers keeping babies, makes abortion doulas available for women undergoing medication abortions at home. Those who experience worrisome bleeding are encouraged to visit Planned Parenthood clinics for medical assistance, Andersson said.

Some hostile ER providers or first responders might be suspicious about womens symptoms, wondering if bleeding stems from miscarriage or medication abortion, she said.

Support offered

Skogman, of Wisconsin Right to Life, said some medication abortion providers tell women to say theyre having miscarriages. We are most concerned by the fact that they are openly instructing women to lie when theyre seeking necessarily medical care, she said.

Boosting reporting requirements at ERs could help address the situation, she said.

Skogman said the organization plans to educate women about the risks of medication abortion and work to boost assistance, such as emergency housing grants, for women facing difficulty pregnancies.

We want to focus in on supporting those women so that they do not feel the need to turn to abortion pills by the mail or cross state lines into Illinois to obtain an abortion, she said.
Vikarabad (Telangana) [India], May 6 (ANI): Narrating the plight of her helplessness during the assault on Nagaraju, the man who was attacked with an iron rod that resulted in his demise, wife Ashrin Sulthana on Friday said that she begged her brother to spare her husband's life, however, he did not listen and killed him.

Her brother Syed Mobin Ahmed is accused in the matter along with Mohammed Masood Ahmed.

Also Read | Haryana Shocker: Youth Attacks, Molests Morning Walker in Panchkula; Booked.

Speaking to ANI, Sulthana said, "My brother was against my marriage. My husband told my brother earlier that he will become Muslim and will marry me. But my brother didn't approve. Even before the marriage, my brother had beaten me because I wanted to marry him."

Elaborating on the time of the incident, Ashrin Sulthana said that she initially did not know her brother was one of the attackers until she saw his face.

Also Read | Amit Shah Visits Teen Bigha Corridor in West Bengal, Interacts with BSF Officials.

"We were going home when my brother along with another person come on a motorcycle and pushed my husband (Nagaraju) & started beating him. In the beginning, I didn't know it was my brother who was attacking him. They kept on beating him on his head, he was bleeding a lot. I sought help from people around me, but nobody came forward to help. I saw the face of my brother. I begged him to leave my husband and stop beating him, but he did not listen to me. Nagaraju was wearing his helmet, but due to the assault, it was damaged and so was his head," she said.

Expressing her discontent with the people who did not come forward to extend help when her husband was being beaten, Sulthana said that "if they wanted, they could have helped but nobody did".

"I begged the people around for help while my husband was being beaten, however, none of the passers-by came forward to help," she said.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad's Saroornagar police arrested two relatives of Ashrin Sulthana alias Pallavi for their involvement in the murder of Billipuram Nagaraju on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Syed Mobin Ahmed, brother of Ashrin Sulthana and Mohammed Masood Ahmed.

The ACP LB Nagar along with his team apprehended Syed Mobin and Masood Ahmed within hours and seized the centering iron rod and knife used in the crime. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kamaljeet Kaur, following the arrest of her son and BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga in New Delhi, has alleged that the Punjab police acted on the direction of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"Punjab police came to my son's residence in Delhi and dragged him in the police van. The cops did not even gave him a chance to wear turban. When my husband tried to make videos on his phone, they snatched the phone and took it away with themselves," said Kaur, who is staying in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

"The entire conspiracy was done by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," she asserted.

"My son has not used any wrong words for Kejriwal. He was involved in a protest after Kejriwal declared 'The Kashmir Files' a 'fake' movie in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha and the AAP MLAs were laughing at it."

"My son argued that whatever happened with Kashmiri Pandits in the valley was the second biggest massacre in the country after 1947 and you (Kejriwal) are terming the movie, which highlighted brutality against Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, fake. He (Bagga) had sought Kejriwal's apology over the issue, which is not derogatory by any means. If you (Kejriwal) do not apologise for your statement, BJP members would protest against you and not allow you to live with peace," Kaur said.

"Is this an objectionable or derogatory statement that Kejriwal has used police power to harass my son and created ruckus," she asked.

"My husband somehow contacted me using a phone of a passerby and I informed my family friends and neighbours to go to my house and help my husband. Delhi police informed us that Punjab police did not contact them for the raid. I learnt from the media that the Punjab police convoy was stopped somewhere in Haryana," Kaur said.

"My son was exposing the wrongdoings of the AAP government. There is no development in Delhi. The condition of Mohalla clinic is pathetic. No new hospital was opened in Delhi. Even, AAP government has renovated only 2 to 4 rooms of schools and are using them as a show-off to fool the people. The AAP government did not help patients during Covid," she claimed.

"As he (Kejriwal) has gained power in Punjab, he is threatening his political opponents who are involved in exposing the AAP government. He is trying to suppress the voice of opposition leaders," she said.
New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI): Building upon the success of the Sagarmala programme, the Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways has formulated a plan under the programme to carry out the "holistic development of coastal districts" with 567 projects worth Rs 58,700 crore, informed Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday.

Briefing the media after the meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC), Sonowal said the ministry has identified a total of 567 projects under convergence mode with an estimated cost of Rs 58,700 crore after multiple consultations with stakeholders.

Also Read | Thane Shocker: Man Abuses, Bites On-Duty Cop in Naupada; Arrested.

He said, while Sagarmala is port-led that focuses on logistic cost reduction and EXIM competitiveness, the Holistic Development of Coastal Districts aims to bridge the gaps in infrastructure in the coastal areas and improve economic opportunity.

The minister also said with the addition of projects identified in Holistic Development of Coastal Districts and new project proposals received under Sagarmala, the total number of projects stands at 1537 worth Rs 6.5 lakh crore.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Thanks Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina for Recognising Indias Leadership in Disaster Resilience.

Further, Sonowal said the committee reviewed the progress of the Sagarmala programme and deliberated on various agendas.

"There are 802 projects worth Rs 5.5 lakh crore under the Sagarmala programme targeted to be executed by 2035. Out of which, 202 projects worth Rs 99,281 crore have been completed. A total of 29 projects worth Rs 45,000 crore have been successfully implemented under the PPP model, thus, reducing the financial burden on the exchequer," he stated.

Additional 32 PPP projects worth Rs 51,000 crore are currently being implemented. Further, there are more than 200 projects worth Rs. 2.12 lakh Crore under construction and expected to be completed in 2 years' time, he added.

The meeting of the National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) held on Friday in Vigyan Bhawan was chaired by Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and attended by other Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ashwini Vaishnav, Bhupender Yadav, G Kishan Reddy, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, and other coastal ministers.

The ministry has to date funded 140 projects to the tune of Rs 8,748 crore and is reviewing additional proposals sent by various state governments. More than 200 locations have been identified for the development of floating jetties and 50 locations form part of the phase 1 implementation.

It also was noted that there are 33 fishing harbor projects taken up of which part-funding of 22 fishing harbor projects to the tune of Rs 2,400 crore has been sanctioned.

Under the program, MoPSW has implemented various large-scale projects since its inception. These projects range from port modernization, connectivity, industrialization, community development, coastal shipping, and inland waterways development. (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], May 6 (ANI): BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are raiding multiple locations linked to Jharkhand Mining Department Secretary Pooja Singhal.

Taking to Twitter, the BJP MP said that as many as 20 locations linked with Singhal in Ranchi, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Mumbai are being raided.

Also Read | Bihar Shocker: Father Arrested for Molesting Own Daughter in Samastipur After Video Goes Viral (Watch Video).

"Jharkhand government, i.e. Chief Minister Hemant Soren's close aide Pooja Singhal ji, who allocated mines at a penny's worth to the Chief Minister, brothers, operatives and touts, is finally being raided by the ED raids at 20 places. These raids are being conducted at Ranchi, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Mumbai," he tweeted.

On May 2, the Election Commission of India (ECI) sent a notice to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren over "office of profit" allegations against him regarding a mining lease.He has been accused of having awarded himself last year while holding charge of the state mining and environment department.

Also Read | WhatsApp Introduces Emoji Reactions for All Users.

The EC sent the notice asking him to explain why action should not be taken against him for having a mining lease issued in his favour, which prima facie violates Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Section 9A deals with disqualification for government contracts.

According to allegations levelled by former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national vice president Raghubar Das, Soren misused his official position to get a stone mining lease in Angara block of Ranchi.

Earlier in April, the ECI, in a letter to chief secretary Jharkhand Sukhdev Singh, had sought authentication of the documents related to the "office of profit" allegations on the Chief Minister, who also holds the mining portfolio.

In a response to EC, the chief secretary had recently sent the reply with full details of the said mines.

The matter came to light when Raghubar Das raised it on February 10, this year and demanded Soren's resignation.

A BJP delegation led by Das and the current legislature party leader Babulal Marandi had also met the Governor on February 11. The delegation sought disqualification and removal of Soren as chief minister while alleging violation of constitutional provision under Section 9A of The Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The Governor forwarded the documents to ECI, seeking its opinion. The ECI forwarded them to the state government seeking authentication before sending its opinion to the Governor.Earlier on April 8, Jharkhand High Court issued notice to Hemant Soren while hearing a PIL filed against Soren in the same matter. The court had termed this as a "serious matter".

"This shows the pathetic state of affair in mines department in the state of Jharkhand," the court had said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 6 (ANI): It needs adaptability of our troops to ever-changing battlefield environment as well as the adoption of innovative solutions to surprise adversary, gain ascendancy and be always a step ahead in cognitive, virtual and physical space, emphasized Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Northern Command at North Tech Symposium, 2022 in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur on Friday.

"The valuable lessons of Operation Snow Leopard (against China) have been fully assimilated and are fused into our capacities with respect to swift mobilisation, appropriate force posturing, and infra development in synergy with other two services, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Civil Administration," he said while addressing the two-day Symposium.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Man Arrested After 113 Complaints of Teasing, Blackmailing, Stalking Girls and Women in Kaushambhi.

"However, there is still more that needs to be done considering dynamics exhibited in terms of differing perceptions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Thus, at all times we need to be geared up and battle-hardened to counter the dynamic op situations and challenges and come out as winners," he added further.

While, the seminar conducted on the first day of the Symposium is intended at providing an opportunity to the participants from Army, Academia, and Industry to discuss issues related to the policy and procedures for expeditious procurement, niche technology on offer including surveillance, counter-surveillance and miscellaneous technologies developed under Raksha Atmanirbharta, the Indian OEMs/vendors will display their products and technologies on the Day-2.

Also Read | TRS Working President KT Rama Rao Hits Back at BJP President JP Nadda, Brands NDA Govt As 'NPA'.

With the theme of "Self Reliance in Defence through Atmanirbharta" and "infusion of new technologies to meet operational challenges of Northern Command", the North Tech Symposium 2022 is aimed at enabling greater engagements with the Indian Private Sector, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), R&D Organisations and Academia, as they all are partners in the development, fabrication and induction of technologically advanced systems for meeting the operational needs of Northern Command. (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, May 6 (PTI) Tata Motors on Friday said it has reappointed former SBI Chairman Om Prakash Bhatt as an additional director till March 7, 2026.

The company's board, based on the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee, has approved appointment of Bhatt as an additional non-executive independent director for the second consecutive term beginning May 9, 2022, Tata Motors said in a regulatory filing.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: Heavy Rainfall Over Andaman-Nicobar Islands; West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala To Face Isolated Rains, Says IMD.

This will be subject to approval of shareholders by way of a special resolution in the forthcoming annual general meeting of the company, it added.

Earlier, he was appointed as a non-executive independent director from May 9, 2017 for a term of five years up to May 8, 2022.

Also Read | OnePlus Nord 2T 5G Key Specifications Leaked via AliExpress: Report.

Tata Motors said Bhatt brings years of experience across a wide variety of strategic and operational roles. He had earlier served as Chairman and CEO of State Bank of India.

For the last 10 years, he has been an independent director on Corporate Boards in a wide variety of multinationals ranging from leadership development, to international banking, to autos, steel, IT services, consumer goods and renewable energy.

"Because of the diversity and length of his assignments, he brings a certain holistic outlook to his Board role," Tata Motors said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], May 6 (ANI): Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has accused his former aides Aleem Khan and Jahangir Khan Tareen of seeking illegal benefits from him during his tenure.

"Aleem Khan expected me to legalise his 300-acre land near Ravi. I developed differences with him," said Khan in a podcast.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: US Gave Intel That Helped Ukraine Sink Iconic Russian Warship Moskva, Says Report.

In a further statement, talking about Jahangir Tareen, the PTI supremo said his problem was the sugar crisis on which a commission was also formed. "Tareen stood with those who are the biggest dacoits in the country. When I ordered a probe into the matter, differences developed with Tareen."

As per local media reports, before coming to power, the then Pakistan's Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif held a secret meeting with Tareen and discussed the ouster of the Imran Khan government.

Also Read | US: Six Indians Apprehended on Sinking Boat in Failed Smuggling Attempt To Enter America From Canada.

Blaming his allies further, Khan said the beneficiaries of a corrupt system are sitting in the institutions and there are people in our institutions who support them.

However, expressing his displeasure at being maltreated during the PTI regime in the province, Imran Khan's once-close confidant, Aleem Khan, too accused him of patronising corruption.

Criticising the present government, the former prime minister said 60 per cent of the people in the cabinet are currently on bail, The News International reported.

"Shahbaz Sharif's Rs 16 billion corruption reference is an open and shut case. Sharif's family is either on bail or convicted, they are now imposed on the nation."

The PTI supremo also said that he has never interfered in the judiciary and courts are not taking action against those who overthrew the government with Rs 20-25 crores.

While addressing a public gathering previously in March, Imran Khan has called former members of his party a 'clique of looters' who have united to protect their vested interests by creating hype about a no-trust motion against the government. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kathmandu, May 6 (PTI) A 52 year-old Indian climber died while ascending the peak of Mt Kanchenjunga in Nepal, according to the organiser of the expedition.

Narayanan Iyer, a resident of Maharashtra, died on Thursday at 8,200 metre altitude of the world's third highest mountain peak lying at the India-Nepal border, Nivesh Karki, executive director of the Pioneer Adventure, the organiser of the expedition, told PTI.

Also Read | Australia: Violent Storms Bring Record 85.2 mm Rain to Tasmania.

According to the preliminary report, the Indian climber died due to high altitude sickness, some 386 metre below the 8,586 metre high peak.

The climber refused to descend when the organisers "asked him to descend when he fell sick" while scaling the mountain, which led to his death, Karki told PTI.

Also Read | Chinese Firms Rush to Singapore, Hong Kong Bourses Amid US Delisting Threat.

This is the first casualty of this season on Mt. Kanchenjunga.

The organisers have been trying to retrieve the body of Iyer from the altitude that is described as the death zone.

Other six climbers, including four Indian nationals, however, successfully summited the mountain peak and are now descending to the base camp from Camp IV, he said.

The four Indian climbers who successfully ascended the peak are Bhagwan Bhikoba Chawle, 39, Manisha Rishi Gaind, 47, Pankaj Kumar, 21, and Priyanka Mangesh Mohite, 29.

Two others who scaled the peak include Ms. Cira Idella Crowell from the US and Chung Han Lu, 38, from Taiwan.

Besides six foreign nationals, Sherpa guides from Nepal also ascended the peak of Mt. Kanchenjunga, according to the organisers.

Nepal this season issued permits to 68 foreign climbers for the 28,169-feet Kanchenjunga.

Nepal, home to the World's highest peak Mount Everest, as well as, the third highest peak Kanchenjunga, attracts hundreds of adventurers during the spring climbing season when temperatures are warm and winds are relatively calm.

The Himalayan nation reopened its peaks to mountaineers last year after the shut down of the industry in 2020 owing to COVID-19 pandemic.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
United Nations, May 6 (PTI) India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti has told the Ambassador of the Netherlands to the UK that "Kindly don't patronise us," New Delhi "knows what to do" when the Dutch envoy said India should not have abstained in the UN General Assembly on Ukraine.

On February 24, Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

Also Read | London Shocker: Virgin Atlantic Flight Forced To Turn Back to Heathrow Airport After Co-Pilot Says He Did Not Complete His Training.

Since January this year, India has abstained on procedural votes and draft resolutions in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council that deplored Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Kindly don't patronise us, Ambassador. We know what to do, Tirumurti said in response to a tweet by Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Karel van Oosterom.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War Update: Russia Practises Nuclear-Capable Missile Strikes in Baltic Sea Enclave.

In the tweet, the Dutch envoy said to Tirumurti You should not have abstained in the GA. Respect the UN Charter.

Tirumurti delivered a statement at the UN Security Council meeting Wednesday on Ukraine. He posted the full text of his statement on Twitter saying At the UN Security Council meeting on #Ukraine this afternoon, I made the following statement to which van Oosterom made the comment about India abstaining in the General Assembly.

In April, India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a vote moved by the US to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over allegations that Russian soldiers killed civilians while retreating from towns near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

In March, India abstained from the UN General Assembly on a resolution by Ukraine and its allies on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, saying the focus should be on cessation of hostilities and on urgent humanitarian assistance and the draft did not fully reflect New Delhi's expected to focus on these challenges.

On March 2, the General Assembly had voted to reaffirm its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and deplored in the strongest terms Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

India, along with 34 other nations had abstained from the resolution, which was adopted with 141 votes in favour and five Member States voting against.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad, May 6 (PTI) Pakistan's Foriegn Ministry has summoned India's Charge d'Affaires here and handed a demarche conveying Islamabad's categorical rejection of the Delimitation Commission report.

The Delimitation Commission has been tasked by the Indian government to redraw the boundaries of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

Also Read | US: Six Indians Apprehended on Sinking Boat in Failed Smuggling Attempt To Enter America From Canada.

The three-member panel, headed by Justice (retd) Ranjana Desai, on Thursday signed the final order on redrawing the assembly constituencies of the Union Territory.

The Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir, formed in March 2020, on Thursday notified its final report giving six additional assembly seats to Jammu region and one to Kashmir Valley. Jammu division will now have 43 assembly seats and Kashmir 47 in the 90-member House.

Also Read | There Will Be No Winning Side in Russia-Ukraine Conflict: India Tells UNSC.

On Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Office, which summoned the India's Charge d'Affaires to the ministry, told the Indian diplomat that the Delimitation Commission was aimed at "disenfranchising and disempowering" the Muslim majority population of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan categorically rejects the report of the so-called Delimitation Commission' for Jammu and Kashmir, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The Indian side was conveyed that the entire exercise was farcical and had already been rejected by the cross-section of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir because through this effort, India only wanted to lend legitimacy' to its illegal actions of August 5, 2019, the statement said.

India's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 outraged Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019 by the country's Parliament was its internal matter.

India has also repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of the country. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.

The Foreign Office statement said that it was emphasised to India's Charge d'Affaires that the ulterior motive of the Indian government was evident from the fact that under the garb of so-called delimitation, the representation of Muslims in the re-designated constituencies were reduced to their disadvantage.

It was underscored to the Indian diplomat that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

Any illegal, unilateral and mischievous attempt by India to allow disproportionately higher electoral representation to the Hindu population to the detriment of the Muslims, is a mockery of all norms of democracy, morality and India's obligations under the UN Security Council Resolutions and international law, it added.

It was also stressed that the Indian government must refrain from bringing about any illegal demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], May 6 (ANI): Pakistan Opposition's letter to the United Nations accusing newly-appointed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah of being "an ally of terrorist groups," may not come as a surprise to those at the world body looking at security issues and militancy management and the world body.

Most Interior Ministers of Pakistan in the last three decades have had deep ties with militant groups from where they have sourced personnel for fomenting and exporting terrorism.

Also Read | Australia: Violent Storms Bring Record 85.2 mm Rain to Tasmania.

The letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is written by human rights minister Shireen Mazari, a security expert-turned-politician well known on the global circuit of security and foreign affairs conferences.

As the saying goes, it appears to be a case of kettle calling the pot black. Although Mazari does not mention it, Rana Sanaullah, the current Interior Minister is known to have connections with UN-proscribed Lashkar-e-Toyaba (LeT) and Jamaat-Ud-Dawa (JuD) of Hafiz Saeed, who is currently in jail serving a 31-year sentence.

Also Read | Chinese Firms Rush to Singapore, Hong Kong Bourses Amid US Delisting Threat.

The Imran Khan Government said that Mazari had served Brigadier (rtd) Ijaz Butt, a key officer of the Army's ISI. While in service, he had accepted he surrender of Mohammed Khalid Sheikh, one of the 9/11 masterminds and the killer of American journalist Daniel Pearl. Butt was supposed to have protected Sheikh through the years of trial, jail and conviction. The conviction has been overturned and Sheikh's whereabouts and the precise status whether he is in jail, or on bail, is not known.

Imran Khan's last Interior Minister, Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed, was known to have links with the militants.

Pakistan's Ministry of Interior, in Urdu Wazarat-e- dakhla (abbreviated as MoI) has been considered a key area. Earlier rulers, Field Marshal Ayub Khan and Z A Bhutto personally headed them till they found persons they could trust. Gen. Yahya Khan had as his Interior Minister Lt-Gen. Abdul Hamid Khan, one of the top serving corps commanders.

Senior military officers, retired or in service, politicians with clout and top intelligence operatives have handled this portfolio in the past.

Benazir Bhutto's Interior Minister Major General (rtd.) Naseerullah Babar facilitated the birth of the Taliban in Afghanistan when Pakistan decided to end the lawlessness that was rampant among the squabbling Mujahideen who took power after the Russians withdrew from Afghanistan.

One of the longest-serving Interior Ministers who served in the Zardari Government was Rahman Malik, the former Intelligence Bureau Chief. He held the office for five years. (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, May 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina for recognising India's leadership in promoting climate and disaster resilience through Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

The Prime Minister said the challenges faced by the Island States due to climate change are a key focus of India's efforts under the CDRI initiative, launched by PM Modi himself in 2019.

"Thank you President @SE_Rajoelina. The challenges faced by Island States due to climate change are a key focus of our efforts under the CDRI initiative to create resilient infrastructure," PM Modi tweeted. President Rajoelina on Wednesday praised India's leadership in promoting climate and disaster resilience. JITO Connect 2022: PM Narendra Modi To Address Inaugural Session of Jain International Trade Organisation Tomorrow.

"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India's leadership in promoting climate and disaster resilience through this Coalition. I am convinced that our activities will be fruitful, with direct impacts on people's lives," he said in a tweet.

Lauding PM Modi for India's leadership in climate and disaster resilience, Rajoelina said it is crucial to invest in the resilience of infrastructure systems.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the 4th International CDRI, Rajoelina had said that his country has recently joined the CDRI and is honoured to be part of this global partnership.

Madagascar's Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato visited India between April 25-27 and held discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. During an interview, the Foreign Minister of Madagascar had said that Madagascar's President may visit India in June this year.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has decided to suspend the principal and a teacher, and terminate the services of the contractual staff of a school in the national capital's Bhajanpura area where two girls were allegedly molested by a man.

East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal on Friday said the decision was taken by EDMC authorities and an official order is expected to be issued later in the day.

The accused allegedly entered a classroom of the civic body-run school in East Delhi and sexually assaulted two eight-year-old girls before undressing himself and urinating in front of the students on April 30.

The police said no CCTV camera was installed at the entrance of the school and on the premises.

However, based on a sketch, a man has been detained on suspicion of being the accused in the case.

The Delhi Commission for Women has claimed that when the students informed the principal and class teacher about the incident, they were asked to keep quiet and forget it.
Beijing [China], May 6 (ANI): As China deals with significant economic turbulence, a data report revealed that the top three Chinese estate companies witnessed sales dips of over 40 per cent.

The data report showed that in the first four months of January and April there was a plunge of over 40 per cent of real estate companies in China, reported a local media. The sales of the three estate companies reached 64 billion dollars which marked a sharp decline from last year.

Also Read | Australia: Violent Storms Bring Record 85.2 mm Rain to Tasmania.

China's zero-covid policy imposed upon the Chinese natives owing to the rise of Covid-19 infections have added to the economic woes. Surmounting restrictions and stringent lockdown measures in April is also the cause of this economic situation.

Some Chinese-American experts have even urged Chinese authorities to change the barbaric zero-Covid policy on social media, reported the local media. They have asked the authorities to opt for home quarantine and rapid antigen tests instead of mass PCR testing.

Also Read | Chinese Firms Rush to Singapore, Hong Kong Bourses Amid US Delisting Threat.

According to Zhao Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, China is "facing a sluggish and fragile global economy". " The United States and a handful of other countries are sticking to their own interests and blindly increasing unilateral sanctions," added Zhao.

Presently, there are over 300 million people accompanied by dozens of Chinese cities that are reeling under total or partial lockdown. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lviv, May 6 (AP) Ukrainian fighters in the tunnels underneath Mariupol's pulverised steel plant held out against Russian troops Thursday in an increasingly desperate and perhaps doomed effort to deny Moscow what would be its biggest success of the war yet: the complete capture of the strategic port city.

The bloody battle came amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a battlefield triumph  or announce an escalation of the war  in time for Victory Day on Monday.

Also Read | There Will Be No Winning Side in Russia-Ukraine Conflict: India Tells UNSC.

Victory Day is the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, marking the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, were holed up at Mariupol's sprawling Azovstal steelworks, the last pocket of resistance in a city largely reduced to rubble over the past two months.

Also Read | World War Taking Place at Economic Level: Russian Envoy Vassily Nebenzia to UN.

A few hundred civilians were also believed trapped there.

The defenders will stand till the end. They only hope for a miracle," Kateryna Prokopenko said after speaking by phone to her husband, a leader of the steel plant defenders.

"They won't surrender.

She said her husband, Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko, told her he would love her forever.

I am going mad from this. It seemed like words of goodbye, she said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was preventing the evacuation of civilians remaining in the plant's underground bunkers.

Just imagine this hell! And there are children there, he said late Thursday in his nightly video address.

More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.

The Russians managed to get inside with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry.

He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory, Gerashchenko said in a video posted late Wednesday.

Yesterday, the Russians started storming these tunnels, using the information they received from the betrayer.

The Kremlin denied its troops were storming the plant.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, pleaded on Ukrainian TV for the evacuation of civilians and wounded fighters from the steelworks, saying soldiers were dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment.

The Kremlin has demanded the troops surrender.

They have refused. Russia has also accused them of preventing the civilians from leaving.

The head of the United Nations said another attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol and the plant was underway. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes."

More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks over the weekend.

But many previous attempts to open safe corridors from Mariupol have fallen through, with Ukraine blaming shelling and firing by the Russians.

Meanwhile, 10 weeks into the devastating war, Ukraine's military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only plodding progress in the Donbas.

The head of Britain's armed forces, Chief of the Defense Staff Adm. Tony Radakin, said Putin is trying to rush to a tactical victory before Victory Day. But he said Russian forces are struggling to gain momentum.

Radakin told British broadcaster Talk TV that Russia is using missiles and weapons at such a rate that it is in a logistics war to keep supplied. This is going to be a hard slog, he said.

On Thursday, an American official said the U.S. shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of a Russian flagship before the mid-April strike that sank it, one of Moscow's highest-profile failures in the war.

The U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of warships, said the official, who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision to target the missile cruiser Moskva was purely a Ukrainian decision.

Fearful of new attacks surrounding Victory Day, the mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk urged residents to leave for the countryside over the long weekend and warned them not to gather in public places.

And the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a key transit point for evacuees from Mariupol, announced a curfew from Sunday evening through Tuesday morning.

In other developments, Belarus' authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine in an interview with The Associated Press but said he didn't expect the conflict to drag on this way.

Lukashenko, whose country was used by the Russians as a launch pad for the invasion, said Moscow had to act because Kyiv was provoking Russia.

But he also created some distance between himself and the Kremlin, repeatedly calling for an end to the conflict and referring to it as a war  a term Moscow refuses to use. It insists on calling the fighting a special military operation.

Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, has come to symbolise the misery inflicted by the war.

The siege of the city has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat.

As the battle raged there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian bombardment Thursday hit dozens of Ukrainian military targets, including troop concentrations in the east, an artillery battery near the eastern settlement of Zarozhne, and rocket launchers near the southern city of Mykolaiv.

Five people were killed and dozens injured in shelling of cities in the Donbas over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said, with shells hitting schools, apartments and a medical facility.

Ukrainian forces said they made some gains on the border of the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv and repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces "have largely stalled Russian advances in eastern Ukraine, and intensified Russian airstrikes on transportation infrastructure in the western part of the country have failed to stop Western aid shipments to Ukraine.

But the war has devastated the country's medical infrastructure, Zelenskyy said in a video link to a charity event in the U.K., with nearly 400 healthcare facilities damaged or destroyed.

There is simply a catastrophic situation regarding access to medical services and medicines, in areas occupied by Russian forces, he said. "Even the simplest drugs are lacking.

With the challenge of mine-clearing and rebuilding after the war in mind, Zelenskyy announced the launch of a global fundraising platform called United24.

At the same time, Poland hosted an international donor conference that raised $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid.

The gathering was attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from many European countries, as well as representatives of nations farther afield and some businesses.

In addition, a Ukrainian cabinet body began to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan, while Zelenskyy also urged Western allies to put forward a program similar to the post-World War II Marshall Plan plan to help Ukraine rebuild. (AP)

(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], May 6 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States must invest more in vital infrastructure and capabilities in the Arctic to keep up with Russian and Chinese developments in the region, US North Command (NORTHCOM) Commander Air Force General Glen VanHerck said during a virtual press briefing at the Pentagon.

"Russia has developed significant infrastructure, infrastructure that candidly was dilapidated after the Cold War, they have invested back into that and we need to do the same," VanHerck said on Thursday.

Also Read | London Shocker: Virgin Atlantic Flight Forced To Turn Back to Heathrow Airport After Co-Pilot Says He Did Not Complete His Training.

VanHerck said he has been working with Canada in their budgeting process to try to provide allies with some additional infrastructure in the Arctic.

Strategic Command (STRATCOM) Commander Navy Admiral Charles Richard said in the press conference that Russia is strengthening its forces in the Arctic and Beijing's Polar Silk Road, which declares China as a near-Arctic state, are examples of the strategic challenges the United States needs to address in the region.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War Update: Russia Practises Nuclear-Capable Missile Strikes in Baltic Sea Enclave.

The United States is dramatically behind Russia with respect to icebreakers, two and 55-plus respectively, but when combined with the capabilities of US allies and partners in the Arctic, collectively they are not far behind Russia, VanHerck said. He noted that the Coast Guard has funding for six new icebreakers that will be fielded in the next few years, but there's currently no funding for additional US infrastructure in the Arctic.

VanHerck also said he needs US forces that are dedicated to an Arctic mission that is available to him on a day-to-day basis or at least episodically to operate in the stressful environment of the Arctic

The United States needs the persistence to operate in the Arctic, which includes the need for additional fuel capabilities further north than Dutch Harbor in Alaska. He added that the United States also has to improve its communications capabilities in the region and is testing with a couple of companies such as SpaceX's Starlink and OneWeb. (ANI/Sputnik)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Cooch Behar, May 6: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inspected the Teen Bigha corridor in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, along the India-Bangladesh border, and interacted with BSF officials there on various security-related issues. Shah, who is in Bengal on a two-day visit, also spent some time with the BSF jawans of Jikabari border outpost, and learnt about their experiences.

At Teen Bigha border area of West Bengal, held a meeting with the officials at the Zero Point @BSF_India on various issues related to security. I congratulate the BSF jawans who guard this sensitive area," Shah tweeted in Hindi. He took part in a tree plantation drive in the border area.

"Visited Jikabari Border Outpost (BOP) of Indo-Bangladesh Border and interacted with BSF_India jawans to know their experiences. The whole nation is proud of your dedication and devotion to duty," the home minister added. Amit Shah Accuses TMC of Spreading Rumours on CAA, Says 'It Will Be Implemented Once COVID-19 Ends'.

On Thursday, he inaugurated BSF's floating border outposts (BOPs) at Hingalganj in Sunderbans area of North 24 Parganas district and flagged off a boat ambulance. He had also laid the foundation stone of Maitri Sangrahalaya' at Haridaspur -- a museum that will raise public awareness about the bravery of BSF during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Mumbai, May 6: In a shocking turn of events, BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was on Friday detained by the Punjab Police from his West Delhi residence in connection with a case lodged against him. According to sources, a case under section 153-A (creating tension between two communities) 505 (publishing rumours), and 506 (threatening) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was lodged by the Punjab Police.

Bagga's arrest comes a month after the BJP leader was booked for his alleged remarks against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the latter's views on the movie "The Kashmir Files". Post his arrest, Bagga was taken to Mohali for interrogation. However, Bagga's family alleged that his father was allegedly slapped by the police. Delhi Police Register Kidnapping Case After Arrest of BJP Leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by Punjab Cops.

Following the arrest of Bagga, BJP workers staged a protest against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Police outside Janakpuri police station. Reacting to Bagga's arrest, BJP leader Kapil Mishra criticised the Punjab Police for the action while Naveen Jindal accused the Aam Adami Party (AAP) of misusing police. On the other hand, Praveen Shankar Kapoor termed it "political vendetta".

In a tweet party's national spokesperson Nupur Sharma said: "50 Punjab policemen to arrest @TajinderBagga over a Tweet. His aged father was pushed around and beaten up. Early morning antics by @ArvindKejriwal. Was a fraction of this false bravado shown when investigating Patiala Violence?."

Check tweet:

Have spoken with @TajinderBaggas mother. Assured her that entire organisation is with them in this hour of oppression. BJYM will do everything in our capacity to bring Bagga back to safety & liberty. We will fight back!@ArvindKejriwal, you have messed with the wrong guys.  Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 6, 2022

After Bagga was detained, the Delhi Police registered a case of kidnapping against Bagga over his alleged threat to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. However, BJP leader Tejasvi Surya took to Twitter and said that the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) will do everything in its capacity to bring Bagga back to safety, and liberty. BJP Leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga Arrested by Punjab Police, Says AAP MLA Naresh Balyan.

Amid all of this, the Haryana Police stopped the Punjab Police in Kurukshetra while they were taking Bagga after his arrest. Officials from the Kurukshetra police said that Punjab Police did not follow the procedure. They also said that they received information from Delhi Police that Tajinder was arrested illegally.

Coming out in Bagga's support, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Jai Hind said that the police action on Tajinder Bagga was purely vindictive and a complete misuse of police power. However, countering Bagga's supporters, AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon in a series of tweet said that Bagga threatened to kill Arvind Kejriwal besides voicing his opinion.

In the midst of the accusation by the BJP and the AAP leaders, the Delhi Police took Bagga's custody from Punjab police and sent him back to the national capital from Kurukshetra to be produced in a local court for transit remand. In its defence, the Punjab police said that it had sent five notices to the BJP leader in order to join the investigation but he "deliberately" chose not to do so.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that a Sikh, a reference to Bagga, has been "insulted" despite Punjab having a Sikh chief minister in Bhagwant Mann. Later, Bagga's father who alleged manhandling by Punjab Police said that police personnel punched him in the face. He further stated that the cops did not allow his son to wear a turban while they were arresting him.

A court in Delhi issued a search warrant to SHO Janakpuri to locate the BJP leader, In response, SHO informed the court that Bagga's location was traced to Thanesar, Kurukshetra in Haryana.

Check tweet:

BJP leader Tajinder Pal Bagga being brought back to Delhi by Delhi Police. Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police earlier today from Delhi. https://t.co/s8qU5D7hUb pic.twitter.com/4wgURQ3K13  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

In a setback to the Punjab police, the Punjab and Haryana HC turned down Punjabs plea of taking Bagga back to Delhi. The court also directed the Haryana government to file an affidavit explaining the circumstances under which the Punjab cops were stopped at Pipli in Kurukshetra.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2022 05:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
WASHINGTON  After Shane Todd, an engineer from Montana, was found hanging by the neck in an apartment in Singapore, police there quickly ruled the 31-year-olds death a suicide, citing evidence including an apologetic note typed on his computer and a description of an elaborate pulley system the 6-foot-1 man allegedly used to hang himself from a bathroom door.

But when his parents visited his apartment a few days later, they found an external computer hard drive that they think tells a different story  one that suggests their son may have been inadvertently caught up in a plot to transfer sensitive technology to China. They say Todd told them in the weeks before he died that he feared for his life, and they do not believe he killed himself.

He was murdered, Mary Todd said in an interview.

Since their son died in June, Mary and Rick Todd have brought their case to Washington, getting Montanas two senators, the FBI, the State Department and the Singapore Embassy involved and making his death an international issue.

A lot of this doesnt add up, and it seems a bit fishy, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said at a news conference on the death. I have deep concerns about potential foul play, about a potential breach of national security. But I dont have the facts yet, and I dont want to jump to conclusions until I have the facts.

Baucus and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) pressured Singapore into agreeing to cooperate with an independent FBI investigation. They have also introduced legislation to stop U.S. funding to the Institute for Microelectronics, or IME, the Singaporean government research firm where Shane Todd worked for 18 months.

Advertisement

Todd died the night after his last day of work at IME. He had been researching technologies involving gallium nitride, a semiconductor able to tolerate extreme heat and having commercial applications as well as military uses. His parents said he had told them he suspected IME was engaged in activities that could threaten U.S. national security, including collaborating with Huawei Technologies, a Chinese telecommunications company that a congressional inquiry found to be a potential security threat.

Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said Singapore police would share with the FBI evidence they had been withholding. Shanmugam also said IME would be open to a U.S. audit of its activities. The announcement came amid meetings with Secretary of State John F. Kerry, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., Baucus and others. Singapore police have also reopened their own investigation.

IME and Huawei have denied working together. IME has said Todd was not involved in any classified research project. Huawei has said the company was approached by IME about a gallium nitride project but decided against it.

We were approached at one time by IME about cooperation in the [gallium nitride] field, said William Plummer, Huaweis vice president of external affairs. No, we did not pursue this beyond the preliminary overture from IME. No, we do not have any cooperation with IME related to [gallium nitride].

The company, like its peers in the telecommunications industry, is focused on developing the substance for commercial applications, Plummer said.

But Shane Todds last communications, combined with incongruities at the scene of his death and details that emerged afterward, have convinced his parents someone is hiding something.

The Todds said a U.S. pathologist they commissioned to examine the body said he found bruise marks that indicated their strapping son died after a struggle.

They said they had the hard drive analyzed by a computer specialist in Texas, who discovered it had been filled with information the day their son died. Mary Todd said it contains files related to gallium nitride, IME and Huawei.

While in Singapore, the Todd family also visited a police office. There, an officer read them a description of how their son had died. The account read like a novel, said Mary Todd  detailing the complicated system of pulleys and straps that police said he used to hang himself from the bathroom door. After that, the officer handed the Todds a suicide note printed from their sons computer. Mary Todd said she knew her son had not written the note by the time she finished reading the first paragraph.

In the note, Shane Todd thanked his employer for giving him every opportunity to succeed, and apologized for disappointing his family. It dedicated two short sentences to his brothers, who his mother said were his best friends.

It wasnt our son, at all, Mary Todd said.

Despite a brief bout with anxiety in college, during which Shane Todd was prescribed antidepressants for three months, his parents saw little reason to believe their son would kill himself.

His death followed a farewell party earlier in the day with a group of friends and co-workers, Mary Todd said. He had accepted another job in the U.S., and had recently emailed his new boss about his start date and other details. He had planned to spend some time with his family in Montana before starting the new job.

If were wrong and he hung himself, were not afraid to find that out, Mary Todd said. So far there has not been a thread of evidence to show that.

wes.venteicher@latimes.com
In most democracies, a resounding win at the ballot box would put a president in a strong position to deliver promised changes. But Iran is only partly a democracy.

President Hassan Rouhani, who was officially sworn in for a second term Saturday, must contend with mounting opposition from religious hard-liners who keep losing elections but control key centers of power in the Islamic Republic.

The question is whether Rouhani can use his mandate to push through political reforms and social freedoms sought by his many young supporters  or whether he will need to appease conservative clerics and security commanders who are the custodians of Irans theocracy.

History suggests that Rouhani has cause to be wary. His three immediate predecessors were reduced to the status of lame ducks in their second terms after clashing with the hard-line establishment, led by Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

There are clearly almost Soprano family-style moves to make him recognize how vulnerable he is, said Abbas Milani, a Tehran-born academic who directs the Iranian studies program at Stanford University, referring to the mob-themed U.S. television series.

Advertisement

Last month, Rouhanis brother, Hossein Fereydoun, was detained on charges of financial impropriety in what some experts describe as a shot across the bow by the conservative judiciary. Fereydoun was reportedly taken to a hospital the next day after appearing unwell at a court appearance and released on bail.

At his inauguration before parliament Saturday, Rouhani underscored the need for national cooperation and constructive relations with the world, familiar themes from his first term. Gone was the fiery rhetoric about freedom and civil rights that galvanized more reform-minded voters to his side during the election campaign.

We want to be a moderate government, Rouhani said before lawmakers, government insiders and foreign dignitaries, both in domestic and foreign policy.

Some of those who helped Rouhani increase his mandate by 5 million votes are now worried that the president wont fulfill campaign pledges to include women and reformist politicians in his 18-member Cabinet.

Tradition dictates that the president should consult the supreme leader about key appointments, such as the ministers of foreign affairs and intelligence. But Rouhani is said to also be running names for less sensitive posts by Khamenei.

One woman minister isnt a big deal. Why doesnt he try it? complained Siavash Ramesh, a 30-year-old political activist who until last week was an enthusiastic supporter of the president. We wanted more when we voted for him. Were unhappy, but what option did we have?

The presidents defenders say Rouhani has been consulting with the supreme leader about his Cabinet picks more than is customary so hard-liners wont mount a challenge when he presents the list to parliament for a confidence vote.

He already faces accusations of selling off the country to colonizing interests after the announcement of a multibillion-dollar deal with French oil giant Total and the China National Petroleum Corp. to develop part of a massive natural gas field.

And new sanctions imposed by the Trump administration are providing grist for the mill of opposition to the nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers, Rouhanis signature achievement.

Iran will not be the first to pull out of the nuclear deal, but it will not remain silent about Americas repeated violations  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

Although many of the most crippling economic penalties imposed on Iran have been lifted since the Islamic Republic agreed to curb its nuclear activities in 2015, the country has not experienced as robust a recovery as officials had hoped.

Foreign banks and businesses are worried about the Trump administrations more aggressive approach to Iran and dont want to run afoul of sanctions imposed by the U.S. for other alleged transgressions. These include Irans ballistic missile program, support for U.S.-designated terrorist groups and human rights abuses.

Iranian officials accuse Trump of acting in bad faith and have threatened to take proportional retaliatory measures.

Iran will not be the first to pull out of the nuclear deal, but it will not remain silent about Americas repeated violations, Rouhani said.

The supreme leader, who gave his official endorsement Thursday for Rouhanis second term, said he supports extensive interaction with the world. But he advised Rouhani to be mindful of the plots of Irans enemies and reiterated the need for a resistance economy, or one that is not vulnerable to sanctions.

The cost of surrendering to aggressive powers is far greater than the cost of standing up to them, Khamenei was quoted as saying Thursday by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

The supreme leader has been increasingly critical of Rouhani for policies that Khamenei says fail to protect the dignity of the Islamic system against Westernizing influences.

Such remarks have emboldened hard-liners who surrounded Rouhani at a rally in June and shouted slogans likening the president to one of his predecessors who was forced into exile after falling out of favor with the Islamic Republics revolutionary founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Embarrassing video of Rouhani being whisked away by his bodyguards was broadcast widely in Iran, including by state-run news outlets. Some saw this as payback for a bruising election campaign, in which Rouhani lashed out at conservative rivals for repressing dissent, accused the judiciary of breaking the law and demanded that the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard stay out of politics.

In office, however, the president has a reputation as a moderate pragmatist and consensus builder.

Rouhani hasnt gone rogue, said Reza Marashi, research director for the National Iranian American Council, which advocates for better U.S.-Iran relations. He hasnt approved a single thing without getting Khameneis approval.

Analysts expect Rouhani to focus on reviving Irans economy in his second term. Its an issue where he has a greater chance of avoiding real gridlock within the system itself, said Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. Its not nearly as dangerous as taking on issues of political prisoners or trying to open up the political space to those who feel marginalized.

Some experts believe Rouhani is trying to avoid a showdown with Khamenei in part because he is angling to succeed the 78-year-old supreme leader. If so, Milani said, the president could squander his political capital from the election and hurt his future prospects.

If he decides that the way for him to survive and win in the long run is to be more confrontational and rely on the power of the mandate, it will be a rough ride, but Im not sure he will lose, Milani added.

The presidents supporters have been pressing for the release of three opposition Green Movement leaders who have been under house arrest since 2011. But they arent optimistic.

There is a gap between what people voted for and what President Rouhani really can do, said Hossein Qayoumi, a reform-minded cleric and high-ranking member of Irans Democracy Party.

He thinks Rouhani might get some of the countrys rigid social and cultural restrictions eased. Satellite dishes that allow Iranians to watch foreign TV broadcasts have already become a common sight in Irans cities and towns, and the dress code for women has been somewhat relaxed.

But Qayoumi expects hard-liners to keep up the pressure on Rouhani.

For the countrys conservative clerics and Islamic Revolutionary Guard commanders, he said, its a fight for political survival: They know that if the winds of change blow, nothing can keep them in power.

Special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran and Times staff writers Zavis and Etehad from Los Angeles.

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexzavis

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

Twitter: @melissaetehad
Tesla tycoon Elon Musk is seen to temporarily take over Twitter as its new CEO after the social media platform's buyout deal closes, according to sources.

It was earlier reported that Musk had lined up a new CEO for Twitter, but it was not much discussed whether Musk will take a leadership role in the company, according to a CNBC report.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has only led the company for a few months after taking the position from Jack Dorsey last November following his resignation.

Last month, Agrawal told employees that the future of Twitter is uncertain under Musk.

Agrawal reportedly said that once the deal closes, they will not know which direction the social media platform will go.

It was what the Twitter CEO replied when asked whether the social media company will allow former U.S. President Donald Trump to return to the platform when Musk takes over.

Musk has been one of Twitter's most vocal critics, with The Blaze reported that he accused the company of failing to follow free speech principles.

He also promised to make several improvements in both user features and dedication to free speech as the foundation of a functioning democracy under his ownership.

Agrawal is set to receive a compensation package worth $38.7 million if he is let go from his Twitter CEO position.

READ NEXT: Elon Musk Got a Texas Land Offer to Move Twitter Headquarters Out of San Francisco

Elon Musk Twitter Plans

Musk discussed his plans for Twitter when he arrived on the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala with his mother.

Independent noted that the Tesla CEO said that he wants to make Twitter "as inclusive as possible," while having "a swath of the country and the rest of the world on Twitter."

Alex Roetter, Twitter's former head of engineering, discussed Musk's proposals for Twitter in Big Technology Podcast.

Roetter noted that pure anonymity cultivates the worst parts of speech online, adding that he is fond of Musk's authentication plans, as well as the removal of spambots.

However, it might not be that simple, according to Roetter.

He noted that to defeat spambots, one had to build a classifier that looks for characteristics of bots and then bans them.

CNBC reported that Roetter said everyone should be prepared for it as there is no perfect spam bot classifier.

Roetter also commented on Musk's plans for free speech, saying that he does not think that there is an answer that would make everybody happy.

Meanwhile, Musk has also been eyeing Twitter's subscription product, which would make people pay for Twitter or certain premium features.

The aim is to help reduce spam and create a revenue stream if Twitter's advertisers want to bail over its new speech rules.

The former Twitter engineer said that it is a "really interesting idea." He added that low-value activity should go away if they change more than the value that people are extracting from it.

Roetter also commented on Musk's plans to add an edit button and allow longer tweets.

He said that he does not think it is going to change any of the main things that everyone is upset about.

READ MORE: Twitter Net Worth 2022: How Much Is Twitter Valued After Elon Musk Made $43 Billion Offer?

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by Mary Webber

WATCH: Elon Musk to serve as temporary Twitter CEO following takeover: Sources- from CNBC Television


Another Mexican journalist was killed in northern Mexico on Thursday. Authorities said Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos was the ninth media worker murdered in the country this year.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the prosecutors in Sinaloa state confirmed that the body found wrapped in a black bag on a dirt road near Culiacan was Ramirez Ramos.

The 59-year-old Mexican journalist had been abducted near his house before he was found dead, his news website, Fuentes Fidedignas, or Reliable Sources, said.

Ramirez Ramos is listed as the "founding director" of the website. It has reported relatively little on the drug cartel violence that affects Sinaloa.

However, Fuentes Fidedignas usually reports on local political disputes, which is often a dangerous subject for reporters in provincial Mexico.

The media outlet also has a section on "good news" about Sinaloa, covering "the industrious, hardworking, and generous nature that our good people give the state." Its mission statement said they denounce "vices and corruption."

Francisco Chiquete, a fellow reporter in Culiacan, described his colleague as a "very professional and capable journalist." He noted that the slain journalist had expressed fears about retaliation for his work since 2015.

However, Chiquete said he was unaware of any recent threats against Ramirez Ramos. According to initial police reports, the Mexican journalist died from traumatic brain injury as a result of multiple violent blows to the head.

READ NEXT: Mexico: 400 Missing Persons Found Dead in Guanajuato State Plagued by Mexican Drug Cartels

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Slain Mexican Journalist

Presidential spokesperson Jesus Cuevas tweeted Thursday afternoon that the federal government would work with state and local governments to investigate Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos' death, Reuters reported. Cuevas said they would also reinforce security measures for journalists.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has already promised a "zero impunity" program to investigate the killings of journalists in Mexico.

According to an Article 19 report published last month, violence against journalists has spiked amid Lopez Obrador's administration. Thirty-four Mexican journalists have already been killed during Lopez Obrador's administration. This count includes Ramirez Ramos.

In February, U.S. senators Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio called on the United States to urge Mexico to do more to protect journalists. They criticized the Mexican president for lashing out against his critics in the media.

Attacks on Mexican Journalists in Mexico

Alejandro Moreno and Marko Cortes, leaders of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the National Action Party or Partido de Accion Nacional (PAN), criticized the administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador after the death of Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos was announced.

"How long will this inept government understand that its message of hatred towards the press puts the lives of journalists at risk? Today, one more family mourns the death of a citizen that the only thing he did was do his job," Moreno tweeted.

"It is urgent to change the course of the country , we cannot live with so much violence and insecurity. Mexico has become one of the most dangerous countries to exercise freedom of the press," Cortes wrote on Twitter.

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has condemned the murder of Ramirez Ramos and urged the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to quickly adopt comprehensive strategies to address violence against journalists, Infobae reported.

Last March, Armando Lopez Linares, the director of the Monitor Michoacan news website, was reportedly shot at least eight times outside his home in Zitacuaro in Michoacan state.

The Guardian reported that he was the eighth Mexican journalist killed this year, compared with nine in the whole of last year. Other journalists murdered in the country include Heber Lopez, Margarito Martinez Esquivel, Lourdes Maldonado Lopez, Jose Luis Gamboa, Roberto Toledo, Juan Carlos Muniz, and Jorge Camero.

READ MORE: Mexico: 90,000 People Have Disappeared Without a Trace Amid Drug War

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: At Least Five Journalists Killed In Mexico - From NBC News






Amber Heard said Johnny Depp "kicked" her on a cross-country flight in 2014 over a perceived affair with fellow actor James Franco.

As she took the stand for a second day Thursday in the defamation suit filed by her ex-husband at Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, Heard described Depp as deeply troubled by jealousy and drugs, BBC reported.

The actress claimed that much of Depp's anger was caused by his belief that she was seeing Franco. Heard said her ex-husband "hated" the "Pineapple Express" actor.

"He was mad at me for taking the job with James Franco. He hated James Franco and was already accusing me of secretly having a thing with him in my past, since we had done [the 2008] 'Pineapple Express' [movie] together," the actress noted.

Heard starred alongside Franco in "Pineapple Express" and "The Adderall Diaries." The actress said Depp's jealousy of Franco led him to subject her to "disgusting" and violent grilling on a flight to Los Angeles from Boston and kick her.

"He just kicked me in the back. I fell on the floor. No one said anything... no one did anything. It's like you could hear a pin drop on that plane," Heard noted.

Because of Depp's jealousy, the actress said she had to give up film roles with sex scenes and revealing outfits. She also said she had to negotiate with Depp every time she received a job offer.

READ NEXT: Amber Heard Recounts Alleged Abuse as She Takes the Stand; Johnny Depp Laughs as Ex Tells Court He's Allowed to 'Take off His Own Boots'

Johnny Depp Accused Amber Heard of Having' Extra-Marital Affairs' With James Franco and Elon Musk

Johnny Depp's camp has reportedly showed footage of his ex-wife having late-night "meetings" with James Franco and Elon Musk to the jury in his defamation suit.

The actor's camp has accused Amber Heard of having "extra-marital affairs" with Musk and Franco.

According to Marca, the black and white videos wherein Heard was seen getting into an elevator with Franco and Musk on separate occasions were shown to the jury.

The outlet noted that there were moments in the elevator footage where the actress did not have clothes and was only covered with a blanket. Heard reportedly showed physical affection to Franco and Musk, but mildly.

Heard has already confirmed that Franco was the one recorded in the elevator with her on May 22, 2016. However, she claimed that they were only talking and the actor was asking her what happened to her face.

She noted that she collected Franco from downstairs. Franco's apartment in Los Angeles was reportedly in the same block as Depp and Heard's at the time.

In a 2020 statement, Heard said Musk did not visit her in their apartment in 2015 while Depp was away. The actress said she did not have any "illicit relationships," and she was not in touch with the SpaceX founder until the following year.

Musk echoed what Heard claimed and said that he and the actress started going out about a month after Heard's divorce filing.

James Franco and Elon Musk were included in the actress' list of 80 possible witnesses she plans to call upon to back up her story of being beaten and abused by her ex-husband. However, both celebrities declined to appear in court.

Amber Heard Recalls Johnny Depp's Alleged Sexual Assault With Vodka Bottle

Continuing her testimony on Thursday afternoon, Amber Heard tearfully recounted a harrowing moment in Australia in 2015 when Johnny Depp allegedly sexually assaulted her using a vodka bottle.

Heard said Depp threatened to "carve up" her face with the liquor bottle and then inserted it inside her during a fight, New York Post reported.

"I didn't know if the bottle that he had inside me was broken. I couldn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything," the actress noted.

Heard also testified that Depp threw bottles at her one after another, then she felt glass breaking behind her. She added that Depp ripped off her nightgown and punched the wall next to her head during the fight.

"I was naked, slipping around on this tile... He's screaming at me and saying I ruined his life... I'm looking in his eyes, I don't see him anymore. It wasn't him. It was black. I've never been so scared in my life. I was trying to get through to Johnny and I couldn't see him at all," the actress noted.

Heard also told the jury that Depp cheated on her with another woman just after their wedding. She said her husband had an "on-and-off" relationship with the woman, who he had been text messaging. The actress noted that she found out after Depp 'passed out' with his iPad open.

Depp and Heard are battling over the 2018 op-ed the actress wrote for the Washington Post, calling herself a domestic violence survivor.

The piece did not mention Depp by name, but the actor claimed he was booted from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise due to the "clear implication" that he was the abuser in his ex-wife's op-ed.

Johnny Depp further alleged that Amber Heard was the actual "perpetrator" of the violent encounters that damaged their relationship. He is asking for $50 million in damages.

On the other hand, Heard has filed a $100 million counterclaim against the actor, who she divorced in 2017, for nuisance.

READ MORE: Johnny Depp Lawyers Rest Case in Defamation Trial Against Amber Heard, Who Fires Back With Nasty Abuse Claims

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Johnny Depp Reacts in Court to Amber Heard's Tearful Testimony - From Entertainment Tonight
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels New Zealand Limited (MCK) is pleased to advise that, after a search process, it has appointed Stuart Harrison as its new Managing Director. Mr. Harrison will join the company as part of a handover process over the coming weeks and will be appointed to the MCK Board as Managing Director from 1 June.

Stuart has nearly three decades of senior executive experience and is an accomplished, organised and effective professional with extensive experience in managing the strategic development and delivery of business outcomes. His experience in hospitality commenced with the Pan Pacific Hotel (now known as Grand Millennium Auckland) and he has also previously been a member of the MCK / CDI family having been the Vice President Finance for both companies between 2001 and 2008.

Stuart is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Cornerstone Healthcare Property Fund (a wholesale healthcare property REIT based in Australia) for the last two years and prior to that was the Regional Finance Director for Canada-based NorthWest Healthcare Properties Fund (TSX:NWH) which also included being the Chief Financial Officer for Vital Healthcare Property Trust (NZX: VHP ) for eleven years).

We are very pleased to be welcoming Stuart back to the MCK family once again. His appointment provides a timely opportunity to renew established relationships both within New Zealand and overseas and his familiarity with MCKs properties and several key staff will be an additional asset. The Board is confident that Stuart will be able to lead our teams through the current difficult trading period and back to growth as we continue on our recovery journey, said MCK Chairman Colin Sim.

Mr. Harrison also said that he was looking forward to the challenge of leading MCK.

Im looking forward to reacquainting myself with MCK, its hotels and all of its people once more. While many things have changed since I was last there, the fundamental values and dedication to the best possible service has not. There are many challenges ahead for MCK and for tourism in general but if MCK remains a significant part of the industry I am confident we can overcome them, he said.

-ENDS-

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

Related News:

My Food Bag FY22 Results Briefing Details

SKC - EXTENSION OF DEBT COVENANT RELIEF

PHL - CEO Appointment

10th May 2022 Morning Report

Chatham Commences Scoping Study for Phosphate Export Mine

9th May 2022 Morning Report

CHI - Indicative Interest Margin for Bond Offer

ARG - FY22 Annual Result Announcement Date and webcast

Marsden Maritime Holdings commences due diligence

CDI appoints Jason Adams as Managing Director


Northland property and infrastructure developer Marsden Maritime Holdings (MMH) said today it had signed an expression of interest with Northland Development Corporation (NDC), subject to due diligence, to purchase the land under the proposed the Oruku Landing conference and multi-events centre on the Hatea River waterfront in Whangarei.

Under the terms of the $10m deal, MMH would make the land available to a public entity developer, under a long-term commercial lease, to develop and operate the conference and events centre.

MMH has also secured the rights from NDC to develop and operate a proposed marina, including an electric ferry terminal along the front of the site. The company already owns Marsden Cove Marina near the mouth of Whangarei Harbour and sees potential synergies. It hopes to connect them by ferry for commuters and visitors from planned cruise ships when they return to New Zealand waters, something the company believes is only a matter of time.

The board of MMH believes this project will bring many economic and social benefits to Te Tai Tokerau, from capital injection through to training and job creation.

The company says the development also supports its own purpose of helping to transform Northlands economy. This is even more pertinent following the planned conversion of the oil refinery and the need to develop alternative job creation and economic activity locally.

We think the Oruku Landing development presents an exciting and much-needed opportunity for capital, economic and social investment into Northland of the sort we have rarely seen and badly need, said MMH chairman Murray Jagger.

We are both happy and proud to be involved with this project and to facilitate this important Northland development project.

- ends -

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

Related News:

My Food Bag FY22 Results Briefing Details

SKC - EXTENSION OF DEBT COVENANT RELIEF

PHL - CEO Appointment

10th May 2022 Morning Report

Chatham Commences Scoping Study for Phosphate Export Mine

9th May 2022 Morning Report

CHI - Indicative Interest Margin for Bond Offer

ARG - FY22 Annual Result Announcement Date and webcast

MCK appoints Stuart Harrison as Managing Director

CDI appoints Jason Adams as Managing Director


The views and opinions expressed in this article, and articles published in the Ledger Dispatch, are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of anyone other than the author listed.
Chambers Ireland has announced the shortlist for the Chamber of the Year Awards. Laois Chamber has been shortlisted in two categories; Local Authority Collaboration for the Commercial Vacancy Incentive Scheme, and Best Membership Initiative for the Business Briefing in association with Laois Today.

Speaking at the announcement of the Chambers Ireland Chamber of the Year Award shortlist supported by Zurich, Chambers Ireland Chief Executive, Ian Talbot, said:

Each year, Chambers Ireland awards our member chambers who have delivered best-practice projects that have supported their members and their communities in a variety of ways. While the local chambers across the network span cities and towns of highly divergent scales, the challenges that exist on the ground often share the same causes even if they are expressed in different ways.

Our annual awards are a way to help our members learn from each others successes and to draw inspiration from the activities of chambers from across the network.

Over the Covid crisis, this sense of shared challenges was never greater than for those of us who represent businesses, large and small.

Re-established in 2019, Laois Chamber is considered to be the newest Chamber in Ireland with members representing all sectors and sizes across the length and breadth of the county.

Laois Chamber CEO, Caroline Hofman, expressed their delight at being shortlisted for this years Awards:

We are delighted to be shortlisted in two categories for this years Chambers Ireland Awards and we would like to congratulate all of the finalists.

Covid-19 has presented a number of challenges over the past two years, and as we emerge from the pandemic, we remain fully committed to making Laois the ideal location to live, work and do business. It is fantastic to be recognised for our hard work and collaboration on projects which benefit our members and the wider community in Laois. These projects would not be possible without the incredible support of our members, Laois County Council, and other organisations across the county.

Laois Chamber President, Alison Browne, added: We are thrilled to be shortlisted for two Chamber of the Year awards. We value our members and always keep adding value to their membership so we are delighted to be nominated for our Membership Initiative.

"As a Chamber, we believe in collaboration and have developed a fantastic working relationship with Laois County Council. Progress happens when we all work well together. The nomination for the Local Authority Collaboration means a lot to us.

The winners of the nine award categories and the overall Chamber of the Year award will be announced at an in-person awards ceremony on 2nd June.
Lithuanian Ambassador to Ireland Marijus Gudynas will visit primary schools around Laois to commemorate European Day.

Minister of State in the Department of Finance, Sean Fleming and Lithuanian Ambassador to Ireland Marijus Gudynas will be visiting a number of schools in Laois to commemorate European Day on Monday, May 9. Minister Fleming will also be visiting a number of schools on Tuesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 12.

Nine primary schools in Laois have participated in the Blue Star Programme and one secondary school has participated in the European Parliament Ambassador School Programme to mark the 50th anniversary of Irelands entry to the European Communities.

It will be 50 years since the referendum in May 1972 which saw 83% of Irish people vote in favour of EEC membership.

It is important to mark the 50th anniversary of our EU membership. This will help encourage engagement across all society on the concept of Europe and its future  particularly our young people in this 2022 European Year of Youth, said Minister Fleming.

A list of the schedule can be found below:
The TV Programme Ireland AM recently completed their outside broadcast in Portlaoise at the new Zero Cost Shop named Siopa Failte recently opened by Laois Integration Network for Ukrainian refugees.

TV Presenter Alan Hughes interviewed a range of people from Portlaoise as well as Ukrainian refugees during the three-hour programme.

Cathaoirleach Conor Bergin spoke to Alan Hughes about the inter-agency work being completed by Laois County Council in assisting the refugees as much as possible.

Olena Justus, a Ukrainian refugee spoke about her journey from Ukraine to Ireland and about being so grateful to the people of Laois and to being housed by Didean, a Laois community based, social care alternative for people who require temporary, emergency housing support.

Karen McHugh, Chairperson of Laois Integration Network spoke about the background to Laois Integration Network and about how it was initially founded in 2016 to cater for Syrian refugees coming into Laois.

She spoke about the gratitude expressed to Mulhalls Supervalu for donating the old XtraVision for free and she also thanked all members of the voluntary committee working round the clock to ensure the shop is run as smoothly as possible.

19-year-old Ukrainian refugee Polina Filatova, spoke about her journey to Ireland three weeks ago and spoke about how she continues her studies online with her Ukrainian university. She also spoke about how she likes helping out in the Zero Cost shop in Portlaoise.

Sebrina Carroll from Portlaoise spoke to TV Presenter Alan Hughes about welcoming a Ukrainian woman, Oksana Bereza and her 12 year-old daughter Taisia into her home.

Sebrina emphasised the fact that her family has got so much back since welcoming them to her house. Oksana also spoke about her journey from Ukraine to Ireland and about how grateful she was to Sebrina, her family and to all of the Laois community for helping make them feel so welcome.

All Ukrainian refugees spoke about how grateful they are for having the Zero Cost Shop in Laois. They also spoke about how much they enjoy giving back to the Laois Community by joining Portlaoise Tidy Towns Committee every week.

The zero-cost shop known as Siopa Failte is located at the Old XtraVision shop on Bull Lane (right around the corner from Mulhalls Supervalu) in Portlaoise town and is run by Laois Integration Network.

Anyone who wishes to help or to donate to the Zero-Cost Shop, please pop in to the shop at the following times:

Mondays from 4.00-6.00pm

Wednesdays from 4.00-6.00pm

Saturdays from 12-4.00pm

Donations can be made directly to Laois Integration Network Credit Union account.

Account Name:

Laois Integration Network; IBAN: IE62POCO99211710968699 BIC: POCOIE21
The death has occurred of Thomas (Tosh) Browne

Leixlip, Kildare



Browne (Leixlip, Co. Kildare) May 3rd., 2022 (suddenly), Thomas Francis (Tosh), beloved son of Esther and Tom and dear brother of Shirley, Bernadette and Audrey; sadly missed by his loving family, brother-in-law David, Audreys partner Colin, nieces Angel and Summer, nephews Cian, Daniel and Rhys, aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, friends and Reggie, his dog.

May he rest in peace.

Reposing at Cunninghams Funeral Home Ardclough Road, Celbridge on Sunday evening between 4pm and 6pm.

Removal on Monday morning to the Church of St. Charles Borromeo, Confey arriving for Funeral Mass at 10.00am followed by burial in the Confey cemetery.

Thomas funeral Mass may be viewed (live only) by following this LINK.

Messages may be left by selecting Condolences below or alternatively leave a message at www.cunninghamsfunerals.com.

The death has occurred of Peter Byrne

Coolane, Castledermot, Kildare



Predeceased by his parents Peter and Ellen, brother Dick and sister Peggy. Deeply regretted by his loving wife Ann, son Philip and his wife Angela, daughter Paula and her partner Leon, grandchildren Eliana, Colin, Kal-EL and Mon-EL, sisters Molly, Eileen, Lil, Josie, Phyllis, brother Mick, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and a large circle of friends and long life friends John & Betty O'Neill.

MAY PETER REST IN PEACE.

Reposing in Dunne's Funeral Home, Mill Rd, Castledermot on Saturday at 2pm concluding with Rosary at 6pm and Reposing on Sunday from 12 noon until Removal at 6:40pm walking from the Square to The Church of The Assumption, Castledermot arriving for Prayers at 7pm. Requiem Mass on Monday at 11am.Followed by Burial in Levitstown Cemetery via his residence.

Funeral Mass can be viewed on

https://www.churchservices.tv/Castledermot

The death has occurred of Laurence Philip Connell

Duneany, Kildare Town, Kildare



Peacefully, at home surrounded by his loving family. Son of the late Michael (Mick) and Margaret (Greta). Sadly missed by his loving wife Emma, daughters Jen, Grace and Pam, son Sam, sons in law Shane and Konrad, brothers Joe and Michael, sister Agnes, sisters in law, brothers in law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends. May Laurence Rest In Peace

Reposing at McWeys funeral home, Abbeyview, Kildare Town, from 4pm to 7pm on Friday. Removal by Glennon's Funeral Directors on Saturday to arrive at Mount Jerome Crematorium, Harold's Cross for cremation service at 4pm. The service can be viewed at at the following link: https://www.mountjerome.ie/victorian-chapel-service/

Family home will be private at this time. Family flowers only, please. If desired, donations to the Irish Cancer Society.https://www.cancer.ie/ways-to-help/donate





Date Published: Thursday 5th May 2022

Date of Death: Wednesday 4th May 2022



Glennon Funeral Directors - Newbridge

32 Main Street,

Newbridge, Co,

Kildare

View Funeral Home Map

www.glennonsfuneraldirectors.ie

ianglennon@yahoo.ie

045 860110





Condolences Memorial Gifts Sympathy Cards Donate











The death has occurred of John Duggan

Fairyhill, Portumna, Galway / Curragh, Kildare



John (formerly of Clonwyn House, Portumna and originally of Claregalway) passed away peacefully in the care of Portumna Retirement Village, Wednesday May 4th, surrounded by his family. Deeply missed by his loving wife Nora, daughter Marian, sons Joe, Ted, Liam, Sean and Seamus, grandchildren , son in law, daughters in law, sisters in law, nieces, nephews, extended family, relatives, neighbours and many friends.

.............................................

MAY HIS GENTLE SOUL REST IN PEACE

...............................................

Reposing in Dignity Funeral Home, Portumna, on Friday May 6th from 5pm with removal at 7pm to St Brigid's Church, Portumna. Funeral Mass for John will be celebrated on Saturday 7th May at 11am. Burial will take place immediately after in St Michaels Cemetery. The Mass will be live streamed for those who would like to attend on the following link

JOHN'S FUNERAL

.............................................

Please respect the current Public Health Covid requirements throughout your attendance at John's funeral. Sympathisers are invited if they wish to leave their condolences on John's condolence page below.

Family flowers only by request, donations, if desired, to Cancer Care West on the link provided below

Donate to Cancer Care West




Jerzy Wisnicki from Kilcock, Kildare has been named Best Logistics Apprentice 2021 by the Technological University Dublin City.

Wisnicki, who works at the Musgrave Distribution Centre in Kilcock, has been participating in Earn as you Learn Logistics Associate Apprenticeship (LAA), at the Technological University Dublin City Campus.

The Logistics Associate Apprenticeship programme offers career and education options for school leavers and mature students who prefer paid, on-the-job training while studying for a qualification over a full-time college course. It is also aimed at existing employees who wish to advance in their careers.

Commenting on the awards win on behalf of Musgrave David Keane, Depot Manager at the Kilcock Distribution Centre said: At Musgrave, we are firmly committed to a culture of lifelong learning and offering our team members the opportunity to grow and upskill throughout their careers with the company. Jerzy being named Best Logistics Apprentice is a great achievement. We are incredibly proud of him for all the hard work he has put in to get to this point. Jerzy is a valuable member of the team and has shown great drive and determination during his time with Musgrave. We are delighted to see his hard work being recognised with this award.

Speaking after receiving the accolade, Jerzy Wisnicki, Musgrave Kilcock, said: I am delighted and humbled to have been named Best Logistics Apprentice. It has been a deeply rewarding experience and its great to have my hard work recognised by my peers. It is also a great testament to the essential support and encouragement given to me by everyone at Musgrave who have empowered me throughout the process. Im incredibly grateful to Musgrave and Im looking forward to putting my learnings into practice with the team at Kilcock.

Two other Musgrave employees also completed the course, Ray Galvin and Pawel Wajdzik.

The LAA is a two-year programme providing the academic education and practical on-the-job training across the logistics industries. Apprentices enter a contract of 2 years duration, where they will work on a full-time basis with an employer while being paid a salary and spend one day a week with TU Dublin or MTU in Cork for their academic studies. Successful completion of this programme will lead to a QQI Level 6 Award on the NFQ - Higher Certificate in Logistics.

From that point, there are many routes of progression into Level 7 and even Level 8-degree courses which is one of many key strengths of this programme.
TY students from St Conleths Community College in Newbridge were crowned Climate Brains of Kildare, following last Thursdays Bord na Mona inter-schools Climate Quiz Challenge.

After six rounds of questions on everything climate, St Conleths defeated Newbridge College and Holy Family School in a closely fought battle.

This multimedia climate qUIZ event was hosted by Newbridge College in conjunction with Bord na Mona and Cracking-Carbon, a midlands based organisation who promote climate awareness.

St Conleths were represented by Kyla OSullivan, Jack Brannigan, Veronica Piwonska and Prudance Achonu.

Students answered questions on the science and geography of climate change, including questions on the many famous people who have engaged in the climate debate; politicians, personalities and celebrities for example.

"Our goal" according to Cracking-Carbon founder Simon Ruddy, is to move climate awareness beyond simply imparting facts and figures on climate change. Cracking-Carbon focuses instead on developing climate awareness initiatives and events that are more engaging, immersive and even fun; creating a more memorable experience that will stick-in-the-minds of students long after the event, thereby lending itself more to cultivating that sense of personal responsibility we will each need to adopt if we are to reverse or even slow down the devastating impacts of climate change.

"We make the event fun by including lots of hilarious and even bizarre video clips of celebrities and personalities making some unusual statements on climate change and then ask participants to name the celebrity, or some other related question. This keeps students laughing and engaged while they answer the serious climate questions."

St Conleths will now be placed on Cracking-Carbons national league table, which over the coming 18 months will identify Irelands smartest climate school.
Two new pubs could be on the way to Naas - replacing adjacent hostelries which have been closed for some time.

It is understood that talks have been taking place about reopening both the Forge Inn and the Five Lamps premises at South Main Street.

Both form part of the Naas Shopping Centre, which is the subject of a major redevelopment proposal.

Read more Kildare news

Neither pub has traded for some time.

The Forge Inn has been closed for well over a decade and the Five Lamps, which operated under a lease agreement with the centres previous owners, shut down at the end of October 2018.

The Forge Inn

It is understood that the most recent plans revolve around opening two high end bars.

A well known hospitality group, which has a number of successful enterprises trading at various locations in Ireland, is interested in opening the bars again.

This company has a number of licenced premises in some of the more upmarket addresses in Dublin as well as having operations in Cork, Belfast and Wicklow.
The Government of Bangladesh donated much needed medical supplies to the people of Sri Lanka at the request of the Sri Lankan Government at a simple ceremony held at the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka today, 5 May. The urgent medical supplies provided are at a total value of BDT 200 million equivalent to USD 2.32 million.

The donation of medical assistance was handed over to Sri Lankas High Commissioner in Dhaka Professor Sudharshan Seneviratne by the Bangladesh Government, in the presence of Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen, Health Minister Zahid Maleque and President of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) Nazmul Hassan, MP.

Also present at the ceremony were Foreign Secretary Ambassador Masud Bin Momen, Director General of Health Prof Dr Abul Bashar, Director General of Drugs Major General Md Mahbubur Rahman, officials of the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry and officials of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Bangladesh. The medical supplies will be transported by SriLankan Airlines, presently operating daily flights in the Dhaka-Colombo sector.

The goodwill gesture is significant of the long standing bilateral relations, as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
The 8th Sligo Engineering & Technology Expo returned to an all in-person event and welcomed its largest attendance ever in Sligo last week.

Over 1,200 visitors to the Expo enjoyed an array of talks and projects including robotics, automated machinery and smart-home devices.

The Expo, which is sponsored by global healthcare company Abbott, offers potential engineering and computing students the opportunity to interact with leading engineering and technology companies from across Ireland and showcasing projects from Atlantic TU Sligo final year students.

Over 100 final year students presented their projects which included some projects that reflect a changing world with; Social Distance Detectors, Cryptocurrency wallet and car-pooling app.

Climate change was also a key theme at the event with projects on floating offshore wind turbines and low energy heating systems.

Some of the other unique exhibits included an electronic guide dog and a smart toaster that will end the age-old problem of burnt toast!

The Mechanical and Precision Engineering Award went to a group project with Brian Forkan (Sligo), Connall McGowan (Tullaghan, Co Leitrim), Damien McLoughlin (Arigna, Co Roscommon) and Dean Treacy (Dundrum, Dublin). This group of students also won the Abbott Diabetes Care Ronan Healy Memorial Award for their Automated Training & Display Rig.

Ronan Healy was a former student of IT Sligo (now ATU Sligo) and employee of Abbott who sadly passed away in a road traffic accident in March 2021. Mr Healy was a much loved student and colleague and is remembered fondly by everyone who knew him. The award was set up by Abbott to remember the young father of one from Roscommon.
As the country gears up for what promises to be the first normal summer in three years, details of the search for The Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022 have been announced.

Wherever your favourite holiday destination is on the island of Ireland  be it a town, village, city, island, or distinct region - it has a chance to secure the coveted title of The Best Place to Holiday in Ireland.

To be in with a chance to claim the title all you have to do is write a short submission explaining what makes it a special holiday destination.

The initiative which has been launched by The Irish Times in association with Failte Ireland will see the nominated locations judged on a range of criteria including natural amenities, built environment, sustainability, tourism services, diversity, a welcome for outsiders, transport links, accommodation supply, cost and of course the X factor.

Over the last couple of years many of us have been presented with the opportunity to visit and explore places in this country like never before and thats one of the reasons were very excited to be embarking on the search for The Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022 commented Irish Times journalist and chair of the judging panel Conor Goodman.

Our aim is to discover some great places, explore them, and share them with the world. Our panel of judges and researchers will travel the highways and byways of Ireland looking out for perfect hideaways as well as checking out better-known destinations. We want people in each of the 32 counties  including Leitrim - to help us identify these special locations as soon as possible  it doesnt matter whether you live there or are a visitor.

The competition last took place in 2013 with the Loop Head Peninsula in County Clare emerging as the eventual winner. The Clare region was selected not only for its natural beauty and range of amenities, but also for its hard-working hospitality businesses and its vision of a new kind of tourist experience based on community involvement and care for its natural environment. As the inaugural winner, Loop Head cannot win this time round.

Anyone can enter by writing a short pitch about their favourite place to holiday in Ireland  no longer than 300 words  stating why you think it should win. To nominate go to www.irishtimes.com/bestplace

Joining Conor Goodman on the judging panel will be Nadia El Ferdaoussi, travel blogger; Cillian Murphy, county councillor from Loop Head, the 2013 winner; Trevor White, director of the Little Museum of Dublin; and Rosita Boland, Irish Times journalist.

Over the next three months the judges will shortlist a number of places based on the submissions, visit the frontrunners, before choosing a winner on the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The closing date for entries is Tuesday June 7th
A pro-choice protester holds up a coat hanger, a symbol of the reproductive rights movement, that reads "Never Again" outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on May 3, 2022. STEFANI REYNOLDS / AFP

Abortion rights in the United States have not been under such a threat in nearly 50 years. On Monday, May 2, Politico published a draft Supreme Court decision. If adopted, the decision would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which guarantees American women the right to decide about their bodies in the name of privacy rights.

More on this topic Roe v. Wade: Understanding the 1973 case that revolutionized abortion rights in the U.S.

The 98-page text is open for negotiation until June 30. If the country's highest court were to approve the draft, the decision on whether to protect or deny the right to abortion would be up to each of the 50 U.S. states once again. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, about half the states could ban abortion outright. Data collected from the Guttmacher Institute suggest that as many as 58% of U.S. women of reproductive age  or about 40 million  live in states that could deny or drastically limit abortion access.

More than 20 states could reverse abortion rights This map shows the 50 U.S. states according to whether their local laws protect abortion rights, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. State right to abortion:

Women's health at risk

The end of Roe v. Wade would mean, above all, a threat to women's health. Until 1973, abortion was legal in only four states and 13 others allowed it only if the mother's life was in danger. Many women faced with an unintended pregnancy resorted to unsafe, homemade techniques using knitting needles, iron coat hangers or any other object long enough to reach the uterus. The New York Times reported that in the early 1960s, one of Chicago's largest hospitals was treating, every year, more than 4,000 women whose failed back-alley abortions had life-threatening consequences. "In some ways, a post-Roe America would mirror the pre-Roe one," the American newspaper wrote.

More on this topic Women's rights under siege in the United States

Abortion pills  safe and effective up to 10 weeks of pregnancy  can now be ordered online or purchased in Mexico, where they are available over the counter. Officially, it is illegal to sell drugs prescribed in another country to U.S. patients without a prescription from a physician licensed in the U.S. In practice, it is very difficult to enforce that law. Demand for abortion pills coming from abroad has increased more than threefold in Texas since September 2021, when the state drastically restricted access to abortion.

However, pro-choice groups fear that women who do not have access to abortion pills or who are unaware of their existence will turn to much more radical methods to terminate their pregnancies. Some desperate women may throw themselves down the stairs, violently hit their stomachs or swallow toxic substances.

Distance to abortion clinics would increase significantly

Another option for women seeking abortion is to travel to the nearest state where the practice is legal. Some 15 states, including California, have strengthened abortion rights and are committed to protecting them. If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, those states would see an influx of patients from the rest of the country.

For American women, this would mean traveling great distances to access safe and legal care. In Louisiana, for example, women who live 60 kilometers away from a clinic would have to travel more than 1,000. Even in Arizona, a state bordering California, the average would increase from 17 to over 400 kilometers.

Texas, which bans abortions after six weeks  when many women are not even aware they are pregnant  offers a glimpse of what consequences the ban could carry. Planned Parenthood, one of the leading family planning organizations in the United States, reported that between September 1 and December 31, 2021, the number of Texan women seeking abortion in bordering states clinics climbed by nearly 800% compared with the previous year. "These data show what we have always known: Banning abortion does not stop the need for abortion  it only makes accessing abortion more difficult for the people with the fewest resources," wrote several Planned Parenthood representatives on the organization's website.

In states where legislation was toughened, some NGOs are already helping low-income women with airfare, gas, hotel and childcare costs. Fund Texas Choice is one such group. According to the New York Times, the nonprofit has been receiving up to 300 calls a month since the enforcement of the six-week abortion ban, from about 30 before the law was passed. "It will be absolutely unsustainable if Roe is overturned," said Anna Rupani, the organization's executive director. Not to mention the fact that clinics in bordering states may not have the capacity to accommodate everyone in a timely manner.

Women from ethnic minorities face more discrimination

Not all women are equal when it comes to contraception and abortion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 862,320 medical abortions were performed in the United States in 2017. Three-quarters involved poor or low-income American women  who often belong to ethnic minorities.

In the state of Mississippi, for example, people of color (Black, Hispanic, indigenous people, etc.) make up 44% of the population, but 80% of women who have abortions come from ethnic minorities, according to ABC News. In Texas, the figures are 59% and 74%, respectively, and in Louisiana, 42% and 72%. The cause of such inequality lies in that women of color tend to have limited access to healthcare and effective contraception. Moreover, sex education in school is often ineffective or inadequate. For those people, traveling hundreds of kilometers to find a clinic that provides abortion services will not be an option.

More on this topic Subscribers only In the United States, Democrats are mounting their resistance against the coming conservative revolution

Many of the states likely to ban abortion are also the ones that offer the fewest welfare benefits for mothers and children and that record high levels of child poverty. Studies have shown that being denied an abortion has long-term economic effects. Following an unintended pregnancy, women are more likely to lack the money to cover basic expenses, such as food, clothing and rent.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, one in 10 people who had an abortion in 2014 was a teenager. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, many young girls would be forced to carry their pregnancies to term. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, becoming a mother at such a young age comes at a staggering economic and social cost: Only half of teenage mothers graduate from high school, compared to 90% of childless teenage girls. Children of teen mothers are also more likely to suffer from health problems, be incarcerated, have a baby in their teens and face unemployment as young adults.

More on this topic Subscribers only U.S. Supreme Court puts abortion center stage in midterm election campaign

Are other rights being threatened?

In the United States, the Supreme Court has a monopoly on constitutional interpretation and its decisions are a key source of law in the country. Overturning Roe v. Wade would break a constitutional lock and open the door to the potential questioning of a whole series of other rights. That is the fear expressed, on Tuesday, May 3, by President Joe Biden, who stated that the argument developed in the Supreme Court's draft decision went "far beyond" abortion. The Democrat cited the right to contraception and same-sex marriage as areas that could be challenged by a "fundamental change" in doctrine by the highest American court.

Marie Slavicek and Elea Pommiers Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the new White House press secretary, in Washington D.C., on May 5, 2022. SAUL LOEB / AFP

The White House is gearing up for the midterm elections in November, which are shaping up to be a tough test for the Democrats. American media have been announcing the departure of press secretary Jen Psaki for several weeks and it was confirmed in a statement on Thursday, May 5. She will be replaced as of May 13 by her deputy Karine Jean-Pierre, 44 years old. Joe Biden paid tribute to Ms. Psaki, her contribution to a "return to decency, respect and decorum in the White House press room," after the erratic era of Donald Trump and his antagonistic relationship with the press. He also praised the future press secretary, saying that she would bring "the experience, talent and integrity necessary for this difficult job."

"I am everything Donald Trump hates. I'm a black woman, I'm gay, I'm a mother," Ms. Jean-Pierre said in 2018, when she worked for the left-wing organization MoveOn. Born in Martinique to Haitian parents and a graduate of Columbia University, she will be the first black and gay woman to hold this highly exposed position, where every sentence is open to interpretation or criticism. The number of articles about her appointment shows how powerful and symbolic the position is. "Representation matters," said Ms. Psaki, moved, standing next to her on Thursday.

She will be the first black woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as the White House Press Secretary. R https://t.co/tbCQqR2DTe  PressSec (@Jen Psaki)

Ms. Jean-Pierre has extensive experience in public engagement. In May 2021, she was the first woman of color to stand behind the lectern in the press room  as the one-off replacement for Ms. Psaki  since Judy Smith, President George Bush's deputy press secretary in 1991.

She worked in Barack Obama's team when he won in 2008 and 2012, before joining Joe Biden's close circle during his presidential campaign as the future vice-president Kamala Harris' chief of staff. Ms. Jean-Pierre also did a stint as a television columnist for the left-leaning TV station MSNBC, a typical career path for political communication experts in the United States. According to the American press, Ms. Psaki is about to do the same thing but in the opposite direction and join MSNBC. "Sorry to see you go," Peter Doocy, the correspondent for the conservative channel Fox News, politely told her on Thursday. "Really?" she shot back mischievously.

Normalization and annoyance

Under President Biden, relations with the press have become more normalized, sometimes to the despair of certain newsrooms hoping for a nugget of controversy or some juicy little phrases. Ms. Psaki was professional, skillful and courteous, as most journalists would agree, moving with ease from one topic to another, from the war in Ukraine to the migration pressure at the Mexican border.

You have 44.02% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
FeatureEven if the state seems to have forgotten this town, on the edge of the Urals, hit by deindustrialization and unemployment, its inhabitants continue to think that Vladimir Putin has restored the country to greatness.

The lives of Elizaveta Chugunova, 31, and Andrey Kazantsev, 33, changed on February 24, 2022, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The two journalists, originally from Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, understood that this military intervention meant the end of the last areas of freedom for those who, like them, still dared to challenge the regime, moreover far from Moscow, where nobody would care about their fate.

In 2019, they founded Lampa ("the lamp"), a media outlet broadcast on social networks. Its goal was to enlighten the inhabitants of their city about local abuses. Lampa went after regional officials, especially the mayor, Alexander Vysokinsky, an influential man (now under European sanctions). Lampa's journalists denounced corruption, covered the demonstrations in support of the opponent Alexei Navalny, and described the difficult life of the inhabitants on a daily basis.

Lampa became one of the most popular media in Yekaterinburg, the country's fourth largest city. But their work became increasingly intolerable by the authorities. An article denouncing the forced sterilization of women in a boarding house for the mentally handicapped was picked up by the national and Western media. This was too much for the authorities, who threatened Andrey Kazantsev with criminal proceedings: He was forced to give up the management of Lampa, which has now become a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin and local authorities.

Like so many other intellectuals, the two journalists wondered whether they still had a future in their country. Nevertheless, they planned to do a report in two homonymous towns, Fere-Champenoise, in the Urals, and Fere-Champenoise in the Marne. The idea was to compare the Russian and French societies through these two equally important towns. The invasion of Ukraine happened while they were in France. It sealed their fate: no going back to Russia anymore. They took their work with them, which had been made only a few days before the beginning of the war. M Le magazine du Monde decided to publish that part of their report.

Relic of a glorious past

Fere-Champenoise is an ordinary town and at the same time the beating heart of Russia. The mirror of a country and its contradictions as well. The municipality of 4.300 inhabitants is located on the edge of the Urals, 1.700 kilometers from Moscow, near the border with Kazakhstan. Do not rely on Russian distances and assume that it is a remote place, a lost or, worse still, forgotten corner in the depths of distant Siberia. The town is part of the bustling Chelyabinsk Oblast, a city with a population of over one million.

You have 86.46% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
A FLOCK of sheep have been attacked by dogs for a second time in a matter of months.

Last October, Noel Woulfe lost eight sheep after loose dogs went on a killing spree on his farm in Ardagh. When he went down to check on his animals last Thursday morning he witnessed further carnage.

There were two dogs chasing the sheep. I dont know what breed they were but they were bigger than Alsatians. They were huge, said Mr Woulfe, who had around 160 ewes and lambs in three different lots.

The dogs went into the three fields. The sheep went through wires and gates with the fear. There was one ewe dead and we had to put down three of them. There were four lambs dead and there are a couple more that will die.

The dogs were going for the throats - they ripped them from right above the ear down to their tongue. It was very distressing to see. All the sheep were affected by it, said Mr Woulfe, who contacted gardai in Newcastle West.

A garda spokesperson confirmed officers attended the scene of an incident at farmland in Ardagh.

The financial loss comes to over 3,000 but Mr Woulfes main concern is the welfare of his sheep.

He appeals to dog owners who may live, or are walking their pets, in the vicinity of sheep to keep their animals on a leash or tied up. Even the nicest dog can do harm, said Mr Woulfe.

Limerick IFA chair Sean Lavery said the latest dog attack is a terrible experience for the Woulfe family.

At this time of year ewes with lambs at foot are very vulnerable because they are very protective of their young lambs. In this case four ewes had to be put down plus a number of lambs.

The impact is greater because the maimed ewes may not have been the mothers of the dead lambs. In addition, the entire flock will have been traumatised, said Mr Lavery.

At national level, he said IFA has been pressing the Minister of Agriculture to put in place better legislation regarding irresponsible dog ownership. The requests include more appropriate sanctions for those who fail to have their dog under their control at all times and whose dogs are identified worrying / attacking livestock.

The attack is sure to be on the agenda of Limerick IFA's May meeting on Wednesday, May 11 at 8.30pm. It is moving to the Devon Inn in Templeglantine on this occasion.
A YOUNG man who is accused of brandishing a 12-inch carving knife during an incident at a shop in the city centre was refused bail following a garda objection.

The Director of Prosecutions has directed that Dale Brophy, aged 24, of De Vere Court, John Carew Park, Limerick should be prosecuted on indictment and, last week, the book of evidence was formally served on him by gardai.

He faces a number of charges relating to an incident in the city centre in the early hours of October 23, 2021.

It is alleged that following an initial altercation involving two other men, Mr Brophy, left the store and armed himself before returning a short time later with the carving knife.

While a man was struck in the face and knocked to the ground, the defendant is not charged with assault.

After confirming there was a formal objection to bail, Inspector Fiona McGrath said: I would have serious concerns. She added that the alleged injured party was very lucky to have escaped without injury.

Judge Harney was told it will be alleged the defendant made admissions following his arrest and concerns were expressed that he would commit further offences if released.

Solicitor John Herbert said his client, who sustained serious burn injuries as a child, has a number of alternative addresses available to him and that he is willing to abide by any conditions imposed by the court.

He asked Judge Harney to note that Mr Brophy had assisted during the investigation.

Having considered the garda objection, Judge Harney commented the defendant appeared to have been caught red-handed and she commented the charges before the court are very serious.

In the circumstances she said she was refusing bail and remanded the defendant in custody pending his appearance before the circuit court.
THE TEMPORARY evening closure of some roads and streets in Limerick is back to once again facilitate outdoor dining this summer.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend, Limerick City and County Council put in place a number of restrictions which will allow business owners serve their customers on roads without the interruption of traffic.

The concept was introduced last summer when a situation existed whereby people who had not yet received the Covid-19 vaccination were asked to dine outside at cafes and restaurants, with only those presenting a certificate able to enter the premises.

But the idea of outdoor dining remained popular, and many businesses have opted to repeat the practice, prompting council to act to close off roads across the city centre.

From now until November 1 next, Theatre Lane beside the Glen Tavern and Freddys Restaurant will be closed each day from 6pm until midnight.

Also seeing a car ban along the same lines will be Glentworth Mews to allow The Commercial Bar to seat customers outside.

And there will also be closures at Back Lane to facilitate outdoor dining at Mother Macs.

Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Post Office lane will close to vehicles between 7pm and midnight through the summer, while nearby, a local lane off Shannon Street will also close every day around the same hours.

Limerick City and County Council has stressed that pedestrian access will be maintained at all times, local diversions will be signposted to drivers, and emergency service vehicle access will be kept at all times.

Reacting to the measures, metropolitan district leader Catherine Slattery, who sits on the economic committee said: Its a positive all around.

I think its fantastic to see people out and about in the sunshine, sitting down, able to enjoy a meal, a drink or cup of coffee on the street, and meet with friends. Particularly given what we all went through with Covid-19. Even at the moment, there are more people out and about enjoying themselves due to Riverfest, and its great to have outdoor seating available to them, she added.
A RESEARCH centre for pharmaceuticals hosted at the University of Limerick (UL) has won a major prize

SSPC which exists to develop technologies related to challenges facing the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sector is hosted in the Bernal Institute on campus at UL.

It scooped the award for pharma research centre of the year and innovation of the year at the Irish Pharma Industry Awards.

Prof Damien Thompson, director of SSPC and a director in physics at UL said: "We are delighted that SSPC have received this award and is recognised for its exceptional collaborations and links with industry. Congratulations to everybody in the centre who made this award possible, it is a testament to the ongoing and developing partnerships that drive production, innovation and economic growth."

Its chief operating officer Sarah Hayes added: "Over the past 12 months, the SSPC has delivered outstanding outputs for complex projects. This award is a great honour, and we are thrilled that we have been recognised for our work and continued commitment to joint academic/industry collaborations. We are delighted to have won this award celebrating the unique ground-breaking fundamental research projects within SSPC."

The innovation of the year was awarded to SSPC investigator Dr Luis Padrela based at chemical sciences, Bernal Institute, for his technology called CM-NANO. This technology has been developed through a commercialisation fund project supported by Enterprise Ireland, where Dr Padrela has developed novel batch/semi-continuous and continuous nano-spray coating technologies for the single-step manufacture of directly compressible drug nanoparticles. Dr Padrela has collaborated with Prof. Kevin M Ryan for the development of the CM-Nano technology, which offers a solution to poorly soluble drugs while also addressing poor bioavailability, low efficacy and poor flowability/manufacturability. The industrial implementation of this continuous technology will contribute to a greener manufacturing footprint by using a continuous manufacturing approach which will require less raw material.

Dr Padrela said: "Our focus has always been on the development of innovative technologies. We are proud to receive the innovation award which reaffirms our strong focus on such technologies and on developing products and solutions that can be applied to multiple disease states and therapies, multiple drugs, drug products within the centre.

The centre currently collaborates with more than 40 leading pharmaceutical companies both nationally and internationally.

Hosted at UL, its investigators work at nine Higher Education Institutes across Ireland.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said it could be months until an executive is formed in Northern Ireland after the Assembly election.

He was speaking as counting began in the election, with the first results expected on Friday afternoon.

He said he expected it to be difficult to form a powersharing executive.

Honestly, I think it will be difficult, because this has been a difficult election and indeed we have seen for a number of years now a lot of polarisation on certain issues within Northern Ireland politics.

Of course we have the added complication now of a potential change, if you like, in the pecking order, in terms of the possibility of the nationalist party having the highest percentage of the vote and the highest number of seats.

He predicted a long and tense count on Friday, possibly until the weekend.

Mr Coveney, speaking on RTE radio, was asked about the possibility of the UK Government taking unilateral action against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The post-Brexit arrangement is fiercely opposed by loyalists and unionists.

On the eve of polling on Wednesday night, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis indicated that a move against the protocol is unlikely to feature in the Queens Speech.

Mr Coveney said: My job and the job of the British Government and the job of the European Commission is to try to find a way of settling the protocol issue.

He said he spoke directly to Mr Lewis about the issue.

If the British Government were to unilaterally set aside parts of the protocol, it would cause significant problems, not only in Northern Ireland and Dublin but also across the European Union.

But he stressed that the Irish and British governments will have to work together to help restore powersharing.

This isnt going to be easy and agreements like this dont come quickly, as we know in Northern Ireland.

He suggested that brokering an agreement between the parties may be harder this time, compared with the collapse of Stormont in 2017.

The issues we had to deal with werent as complicated as these ones, he said.

We have got a lot to do this summer.
A new 48-member Garda Station has officially opened at Ireland's largest airport.

The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee today (Friday May 6) attended the opening at Dublin Airport, calling the facility "much more in line with the standards we should expect at a busy international airport".

She said, "I am delighted to be here today at the official opening of Dublin Airport Garda Station. The first Garda Station at Dublin Airport, which opened in 1987, was just a single room in the main airport Terminal.

"I wish to commend Commissioner Harris and the Gardai and officials who I know have worked very hard on the Dublin Airport Strategic Plan and the resulting station."

According to Minister McEntee, the new station will result in a higher Garda presence in the area.

She said, "As Minister for Justice, supporting the work of An Garda Siochana is a priority for my department and this years unprecedented budget in excess of 2 billion reflects that commitment. Visibility is key when it comes to effective policing and this new station will help maintain a higher Garda presence here at Dublin Airport."

A real pleasure to officially open the new Dublin Airport Garda station today and meet the @gardainfo team working there.



The station operates on a 24 hour basis and will ensure a high visibility Garda presence at Dublin Airport. pic.twitter.com/iYNu1e3zGk  Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) May 6, 2022

Operating on a 24 hour basis, it will be situated in the former Transaer building at Dublin Airport in the Garda Division of DMR North, where it forms part of the H District.

Its responsibilities will include policing of the airport, State security, emergency response to critical incidents, public safety, as well as escort of State movements of VIPs and valuable cargo, and cooperation and liaison with local stakeholders and international police colleagues.

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) also operates from the station, with immigration detention facilities operational at the building from March 1 2022.
View from the Giza Plateau of the three pyramids known as Queens' Pyramids with three smaller three satellite pyramids in front. In order from left to right: the Pyramid of Menkaure, Khafre and then Khufu.

Constructed in the 26th and 25th centuries B.C. (roughly 2600 B.C.  2400 B.C.), the Egyptian pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, built in that order, are a testament to ancient planning and engineering.

The precise years that they were built is somewhat unclear, as those dates depend on when exactly the pharaohs who built them reigned, which is a subject of debate among scholars. For instance, the Metropolitan Museum of Art dates the reign of Khufu as being ca. 25512528 B.C., Khafre as being ca. 25202494 B.C. and Menkaure's as being ca. 24902472 B.C. However, different sources and scholars have different estimates for when each pharaoh reigned.

How these pyramids were built is also a source of speculation and debate. Many researchers believe that a ramp system of some form was used to move the blocks into place during construction. When the pyramids were completed, they were encased entirely or partly in white limestone, most of which is lost today.

Research suggests that when the blocks were being moved across the desert, a small amount of water was put on the sand in front of them, making them easier to move. In 2018, researchers found a 4,500-year-old contraption in a quarry in the eastern desert that may have been used to help move blocks up a ramp. The contraption has a central ramp flanked by staircases that have numerous post holes on them. A similar contraption could have been used at Giza, researchers said.

Additionally, archaeologists have found evidence that Giza had a bustling port , allowing goods to be shipped to the site from across ancient Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean. Goods brought in included limestone from Tura (a town in Egypt) and cedar wood from Lebanon, researchers have found.

Despite the differences among the three pyramids (Khufu's pyramid, the "Great Pyramid," is several times the mass of Menkaure's) the southeast tips of each pyramid align together almost precisely. Each pyramid had a mortuary and valley temple, with a causeway connecting them. They also had smaller pyramids referred to as satellites or queens' pyramids.

The Sphinx, an enigmatic monument usually associated with king Khafre, stands watch near his valley temple. To the south of the Sphinx is the "Wall of the Crow," which is 656 feet (200 meters) long and 32 feet (10 m) thick.

South of the wall is a settlement that archaeologists sometimes refer to as "the lost city." This city has barracks that may have housed troops, Live Science previously reported. Archaeologists have discovered a mansion in the city that would have been used by senior officials. The pyramid workers may have lived in simpler housing located by the pyramids themselves. Research has also revealed evidence for a massive catering operation that kept people at Giza fed.

Vast cemeteries have also been found beside the Giza pyramids that were in use for thousands of years  long after construction of the pyramids came to an end. Some of the tombs were used for royal family members and senior officials.

In 2018, archaeologists reported finding the 4,300 - year-old tomb of a female official. The tomb had wall paintings depicting hunting and fishing scenes, musical and dancing performances, and a pair of monkeys, one of which is dancing in front of an orchestra.

Khufu's Pyramid

When it was completed by Khufu, the Great Pyramid rose 481 feet (146 m). Today, with the loss of some of the stone, the pyramid is slightly shorter, measuring 455 feet (138 m). It was the tallest building in the world until 1311, when the Lincoln Cathedral's central tower was completed in England.

The Great Pyramid is slightly lopsided with the western side being slightly longer than the eastern side. In 2016 it was calculations by engineer Glen Dash and Egyptologist Mark Lehner revealed that the eastern side was originally between 755.561 and 755.817 feet (230.295 to 230.373 meters) while the western side was between 755.833 and 756.024 feet (230.378 to 230.436 m).

To the southeast of the Great Pyramid are three smaller pyramids. Two of them are dedicated to Queen Henutsen and Queen Meritites, who were Khufu's wives, while another small pyramid was dedicated to Queen Hetepheres, who was Khufu's mom, wrote Peter Lacovara, director of the Ancient Egyptian Archaeology and Heritage Fund, in his book " The Pyramids, The Sphinx: Tombs and Temples of Giza " (Bunker Hill Publishing, 2004).

Seven boat pits have been found at Khufu's pyramid, two on the south side, two on the east side, two in between the queens' pyramids and one located beside the mortuary temple and causeway. The best-preserved boat, carefully reassembled from more than 1,200 pieces, is 142 feet (43 m) long, with wooden planks and oars. The purpose of these boats is a mystery.

Khufu's pyramid held three chambers. A grand gallery leads up to the king's chamber, a red granite room that contains a now-empty royal sarcophagus. The king's chamber was protected by a primitive machine that dropped giant blocks in front of the chamber to protect it from grave robbers. Ultimately, at some point in antiquity, people managed to get into the chamber and rob it.

In the center of the pyramid is the so-called queen's chamber, although it probably never held a queen. Beneath the pyramid is a subterranean chamber, its purpose, like the queen's chamber, a mystery.

Both the king's chamber and the queen's chamber each contain two "air shafts" (although they may not have been used as such). The shafts from the king's chamber now lead outside, while the two from the queen's chamber stop after a distance. Robot exploration of the shafts reveal that they lead to doors with copper handles and hieroglyphs.

The largest of the three main pyramids of Giza is Khufu's Pyramid. (Image credit: Bruce Yuanyue Bi via Getty Images.)

In 2013 archaeologist Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian minister of state for antiquities, told Live Science that he believes these shafts lead to Khufu's real burial chamber. "There is no pyramid of the 123 pyramids in Egypt that have these type of doors with copper handles," Hawass said. "Really, I believe they're hiding something."

In 2017, scientists scanned the pyramid using muons  high-energy particles that constantly rain down on Earth. Muons act differently when interacting with different materials (such as stone versus air). With this analysis, the researchers found evidence of a void above the grand gallery that is roughly 98 feet (30 meters) long and 20 feet (6 m) in height. It may contain one or more chambers. They found a second much smaller void beyond the north face of the Great Pyramid.

They detected the voids by analyzing muons A new mission using more powerful muon detectors has been approved, and it may reveal more about what the void contains.

The construction of Khufu's pyramid complex was a massive undertaking. Archaeologist Mark Lehner, who excavates at Giza, estimates that  assuming Khufu reigned for about 30 years  an estimated 251 cubic yards (230 cubic meters) of stone per day had to be put down. That's "a rate of one average-size block every two or three minutes in a ten-hour day," he writes in his book " The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries " (Thames & Hudson, 2008), adding that estimates for the average size of these pyramid stones are as high as 2.5 tons.

Scholars are learning more about the workers who built the pyramid . Contrary to popular belief, scholars are confident that the workers who built the pyramids were not slaves. In 2013, an important find was made when the remains of a logbook documenting a group (sometimes translated as a "gang") of workers, led by a man referred to as Merer, was uncovered from the Red Sea site of Wadi al-Jarf.

The logbook mentions that the workers helped transport limestone from Tura to the Great Pyramid. The limestone would have been used in the outer casing of the pyramid. The logbook mentions that this "gang" worked all over Egypt throughout much of the year. Scientists continue to analyze and decipher the logbook, and future work may reveal more about this group of workers who helped to build the Great Pyramid.

Khafre's Pyramid

Khufu's successor, Djedefre, built his pyramid off-site at Abu Roash. The person who succeeded Djedefre, Khafre, returned to Giza and built a pyramid that, today, stands about 446 feet (136 meters) in height, making it somewhat smaller than Khufu's. It was, however, built on a slightly higher elevation making it look taller than that.

Khafre's pyramid would have looked different than that of Khufu's as its outer casing was different. Whereas the casing on Khufu's pyramid was made of limestone the casing on the lower levels of Khafre's pyramid was made of red granite while the upper part was made of limestone, wrote Miroslav Verner, the former director of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, in his book " The Pyramids: The Archaeology and History of Egypt ' s Iconic Monuments, new and updated edition " (AUC Press, 2021). Most of this red granite casing no longer exists.

Tourists view the Enthroned Khafre (Chephren) funerary statue of the Fourth dynasty (2613-2494 BC) Ancient Egyptian pharaoh and builder of the second of the Giza Pyramids, on display at the Old Kingdom gallery in the Egyptian Museum in the centre of Egypt's capital Cairo on October 27, 2021. (Image credit: AMIR MAKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Only one satellite pyramid sits outside Khafre's pyramid. Inside, the pyramid's architecture is simpler than Khufu's. It has two entranceways, both on the north side, one located 38 feet (12 m) above the base of the pyramid and another at ground level. "The relatively simple plan of the whole substructure, allow us to conclude that the builders of Khafre's pyramid may have tried to avoid the complications that were encountered in constructing the technically difficult, time consuming, and costly system of passageways, barriers and chambers in Khufu's Pyramid," Verner wrote in his book.

Both entrances lead to passageways that ultimately lead to the burial chamber. That chamber contains a red granite sarcophagus that is empty, with no traces of the mummy or burial equipment found, wrote Verner. They may have been robbed in antiquity.

His valley temple contains a "slightly larger-than-life" statue of Khafre shown sitting on his throne, wrote Jeffrey Newman, a doctoral candidate in Egyptology at UCLA, in an article published on the American Research Center in Egypt's website . Made of a type of volcanic rock called anorthosite gneiss, the statue "is one of the most important and iconic surviving sculptures from ancient Egypt," Newman wrote, noting that the sides of the throne contain hieroglyphs that "represent the king's duty to literally bind' the constituent parts of Egypt together under one authority." The statue is now in the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Menkaure's Pyramid

With a height of 215 feet (65 m) and a base of 335 by 343 feet (102 by 105 m), Menkaure's is by far the smallest of the three pyramids. Lehner notes that its building mass is about one-tenth that of Khufu's pyramid. Its complex includes three satellite pyramids on its south side.

The entranceway for Menkaure's pyramid is located just above ground level, its passages leading to an antechamber and burial chamber. An ornate sarcophagus was found in the 19th century by Howard Vyse, but it was lost when the ship that was taking it to England, the Beatrice, sank.

It's a mystery as to why Menkaure's pyramid is so much smaller than the other two. It could simply be that there wasn't room at Giza for another large pyramid or perhaps events during Menkaure's reign prevented him from building another large structure. No future pharaoh would ever build a pyramid as large as those built by Khufu and Khafre.

The Sphinx

The Sphinx laying down in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. (Image credit: Kitti Boonnitrod via Getty Images)

All three of Giza's pyramids had mortuary temples connecting to valley temples through a causeway. However, in the case of Khafre's pyramid, his valley temple also has an enigmatic monument nearby known as the Sphinx, with an uncompleted temple dedicated to it.

The Sphinx is a 241-foot (74 m) long monument carved out of the limestone bedrock of the Giza Plateau. It has the face of a man and the body of a lion. The mythical creature is seen in art throughout the ancient Middle East, as well as in India and Greece. During the spring equinox the sun sets on the shoulder of the sphinx .

The word "sphinx," in Greek can mean "strangler" or "constricted," writes Carolina Lopez Ruiz, a classics professor at The Ohio State University, in an essay published in the book " Text and Intertext in Greek Epic and Drama: Essays in Honor of Margalit Finkelberg " (Routledge, 2020). The face of the giant statue at Giza may have been based on that of Khafre. Efforts to conserve and restore the Sphinx go back at least 3,400 years.

What purpose did the pyramids have?

The simplest explanation for the use of the pyramids is that they were places of burial for their respective kings; the discovery of a sarcophagus in all three pyramids backs up this idea. The pyramid complexes, and the grave goods once located inside them, helped the king ascend to the afterlife.

"The pyramid was supposed to be the death residence of the pharaoh  unshakeable, indestructible, eternal," Verner wrote in his book. He noted that the temple buildings nearby "were dedicated to the worship of the deceased, which was also supposed to go on forever"

Interestingly, the spiritual importance of Giza appears to cross the ages. In late 2010, archaeologists announced the discovery of the remains of about 400 malnourished people, buried with few grave goods, located near the Wall of the Crow. They date to between 2,700 and 2,000 years ago, two millennia after the pyramids had been built, their burial location suggesting they had a desire to be near Giza.

Today, while people may not worship the pharaohs, the Giza pyramids are a UNESCO world heritage site visited by people from all over the world.

This article was updated on May 6, 2022, by Live Science contributor Owen Jarus.

Additional resources

Ancient Egypt Research Associates conducts excavations at the Giza plateau, you can learn more about the work they do on their website .

. The Digital Giza project at Harvard also gathers a considerable amount of data on the Giza plateau.

project at Harvard also gathers a considerable amount of data on the Giza plateau. Scan Pyramids conducted muon analysis of the Great Pyramid and their reports can be accessed on their website .

Bibliography

Jonathan J. Price and Rachel Zelnick-Abramovitz (eds) "Text and Intertext in Greek Epic and Drama: Essays in Honor of Margalit Finkelberg" Routledge, 2020

Lacovara, Peter, "The Pyramids, The Sphinx: Tombs and Temples of Giza" Bunker Hill Publishing, 2004

Lehner, Mark "The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries" Thames & Hudson, 2008

Verner, Miroslav "The Pyramids: The Archaeology and History of Egypt's Iconic Monuments, new and updated edition" AUC Press, 2021
The Newspaper Axis: Six Press Barons Who Enabled Hitler

By Kathryn S. Olmsted

Yale. 314 pp. $30.

- - -

In most accounts of the fight against Nazi Germany, the Americans and the British get to be the good guys. But in "The Newspaper Axis," Kathryn S. Olmsted levels a damning indictment against six of the most powerful English-language publishers of the World War II era. Although they claimed to be patriots, they used their influence to downplay, condone and sometimes even promote Adolf Hitler's rise.

The worst offender was Lord Harold Rothermere, publisher of London's Daily Mail, a right-wing tabloid that sold more than 1 million copies a day. A supporter of Britain's fascist Blackshirts, Rothermere gushed in print about how Hitler had "saved his country" from ineffectual leaders and had brought "immense benefits" to Germany (Rothermere was even more fawning in the private letters he addressed to "my dear Fuhrer").

Rothermere's friend Lord Max Beaverbrook, whose Daily Express was the only British newspaper with a higher circulation than the Mail, also belongs in the newspaper axis, Olmsted says. Although he is generally celebrated for his role overseeing war industries for Winston Churchill's government during World War II, Beaverbrook had previously insisted that Britain should stay out of Hitler's way and that Hitler's "exceptional astuteness" meant he wouldn't launch a war. The bigger threat, Beaverbrook believed, was Churchill. The two were longtime friends, and Beaverbrook's Evening Standard had employed Churchill as a columnist. But after Churchill's speech denouncing Hitler's annexation of Austria, Beaverbrook turned on him. Not content with canceling Churchill's column, Beaverbrook also told one of his reporters to compile a file of Churchill's statements that could be used to paint him as a warmonger, saying, "He must be stopped."

Across the Atlantic, several influential American publishers agreed with Beaverbrook that (in Olmsted's words) "those who wanted to resist the European dictators posed a greater danger to their own country than the fascist leaders themselves." Three of them were relatives: Joseph Medill Patterson ran the New York Daily News, the highest-circulation newspaper in the country; his sister, Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson, was in charge of the capital's best-selling paper, the Washington Times-Herald; and their cousin, Robert McCormick, published the Chicago Tribune, the nation's top-selling broadsheet. Joining them in firm support of isolationism was William Randolph Hearst, whose media empire - newsreels, magazines, a wire service and 28 major newspapers - reached tens of millions of Americans.

Hearst went furthest in his dalliance with Nazi Germany. He allowed Hitler and his second-in-command, Hermann Goring (along with Italy's Benito Mussolini), to write self-serving propaganda for his newspapers in the 1930s and paid them handsomely for it. After meeting with Hitler in Berlin in 1934, Hearst enthused about the way Hitler had restored "character and courage" to Germany. On that same trip, Hearst struck a film-swapping deal in which parts of his company's newsreels would be shown in Germany, and in exchange, Hearst would place German newsreel footage - unfiltered Nazi propaganda - in the films shown to American audiences.

The Patterson siblings and McCormick had no affinity for Hitler, but they fiercely opposed any aid to Britain that might risk drawing the United States into war. They told their readers that instead of worrying about dictators overseas, they should focus on the would-be dictator at home, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who they warned was conspiring with his communist-leaning advisers to overthrow American democracy. The Pattersons, whose papers had supported FDR's New Deal during the 1930s, were latecomers to this line of thinking - only when Roosevelt backed the Lend-Lease Act in early 1941 did they turn against him. But they made up for lost time by attacking FDR with the same ferocity that their cousin's conservative Chicago Tribune had shown for years.

Even after the United States entered the war, Hearst, McCormick and the Pattersons continued to depict the Roosevelt administration and America's allies (Britain and Russia) as the country's "most insidious enemies," Olmsted writes. The notion that the isolationists slinked away in shame after Pearl Harbor and that nearly all Americans rallied around Roosevelt is "mythology."

So why were these publishers - who, apart from Rothermere, disliked fascism - so determined to either appease or ignore Hitler? The answer, Olmsted argues, is that they all subscribed to a deeply racist version of nationalism. The press barons were more than willing to use military force to establish or uphold their country's dominion over non-White nations. Beaverbrook's rationale for appeasing Hitler was that by doing so Britain could focus on maintaining its empire; Hearst and McCormick believed that American racial superiority meant that the United States should dominate Latin America.

The isolationist American publishers showed a hatred for Japan that they couldn't seem to muster against Germany - and not just because of Pearl Harbor. Hearst had a long history of vicious anti-Asian racism, and Joe Patterson nursed a fear that with Whites distracted by their squabbles in Europe, the "yellow race," led by Japan, might take over the world. The "vilest deed" of Nazi Germany, stated one Hearst editorial from 1943, was to ally "against its own white race with the yellow peril."

Another unifying trait among the newspaper axis was their antisemitism. They espoused conspiracy theories about Jewish influence in government and believed that Jews themselves were to blame for antisemitism. So they had little sympathy for European Jews suffering at Hitler's hands, and they suspected that American Jews were scheming to force the nation into war - an insinuation that appeared routinely in their editorials.

Olmsted, a professor of history at the University of California at Davis, sometimes overstates the case that these publishers enabled Hitler. Opposing the president in wartime isn't the same as aiding the enemy, especially when the president truly is violating democratic norms (although the press barons were less concerned with FDR's actual abuses, such as Japanese internment, than with their paranoid fantasies about him canceling elections). Also, many other American newspapers failed to take Hitler seriously in the 1930s, and nearly all of them vilified the Japanese more than the Germans (so did U.S. government propaganda).

Yet in many ways, the members of the newspaper axis were especially despicable. Not only were their editorials extremist to the point of being unhinged, their news coverage was slanted too - and given that they had the loudest megaphones, they had the most power to do harm.

It would be comforting to think that such irresponsible journalism is a historical relic. But the parallels with today's right-wing media, on both sides of the Atlantic, are unavoidable: displaying apathy or sympathy toward brutal dictators (see Putin, Vladimir), deriding efforts to address legitimate threats (see pandemic, coronavirus) as schemes by liberal elites to control the population. The Hitler-enabling press lords, Olmsted writes, understood "how to sell suspicion and hatred to a mass audience." Their successors apply the same techniques.

- - -

Matthew Pressman is an assistant professor of journalism at Seton Hall. He is researching a book on the history of the New York Daily News.
Click here to read the full article.

UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency, and TikTok have teamed for a music campaign promoting solidarity with refugees from Ukraine and beyond. The campaign begins with #TheWorldNeeds, a global hashtag challenge, the centerpiece of which is Dionne Warwicks iconic track What The World Needs Now (Is Love), with the support of Warner Recorded Music, Warner Chappell Music and BMG. #TheWorldNeeds calls on creators, artists, and communities to spread a message of global support for refugees calling for safe and legal access to asylum for all. The campaign also includes a series of TikTok live concerts (May 4-7).

Warwick was originally part of UNHCRs World Stars Festival in 1968, donating a track to raise funds for UNHCR. Warwick said: When I supported the World Stars Festival over 50 years ago for UNHCR, there were fewer than four million refugees. Now, there are well over 85 million displaced globally. There has never been a more important time to stand in solidarity and show support for people around the world who have been forced to flee from their homes.

A dedicated information page is available on TikTok with information on supporting and donating to UNHCR and show their solidarity with refugees. Donations will help fund UNHCRs support for refugees, in the form of shelter, healthcare and nutrition, income generation, education, legal assistance and protection.

***

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media holding Starlight Media has created a multimedia project Media Memorial to honor the memory of Ukrainian and foreign journalists, who have been killed during the conflict. Russias war in Ukraine has already taken the lives of 23 media workers not only from Ukraine, but from the rest of the world, including media workers from Fox News, Time and The Insider, with dozens more injured, missing or kidnapped. The Media Memorial team received facts from the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The authors of the project have also collected memories of the dead from relatives and colleagues from around the world. Media Memorial was created with the support of partners Latvijas Radio, the Baltic Centre for Media Excellence and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.

SALES

Beta Cinema has closed multiple deals  including North America and China  for wartime drama The Forger, starring Louis Hofmann from Netflixs hit series Dark. The film premiered at the Berlinale. All rights for North America have been sold to Kino Lorber, Palace Films picked up all rights for Australia and New Zealand. Beta also sold all rights for China (Huanxi Media Group), Hong Kong (Edko), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Spain (Vercine), former Yugoslavia (Discovery), and Scandinavia (Future Film). Based on true events, The Forger tells the story of Cioma Schonhaus, a young Jewish man living in Berlin in the 1940s. Cioma wont let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Using the identity of a naval officer he created for himself, he throws himself into the citys nightlife, and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. The film is written and directed by Maggie Peren, who received the German Film Award for Before the Fall. In 2011, she presented her second directorial work, The Color of the Ocean at Toronto.  Leo Barraclough

APPOINTMENT

Fremantles Nordic production company Miso Film has hired Christian Rank as head of development and producer, reporting into CEO and producer Peter Bose. Starting in August, Rank will have a view across local and global productions, working on the development and production of scripted projects, bringing in IP and building a roster of creative talent. Rank was behind TV 2 series Rita, Norskov, Warrior and Lucky Per. As head of drama at DR, Rank was responsible for When the Dust Settles, Cry Wolf, Doggystyle, Julefeber and the latest season of Borgen.

FESTIVAL

Actor and presenter Rocio Munoz Morales will host the opening and closing nights of the 79th Venice International Film Festival 2022 within La Biennale di Venezia, directed by Alberto Barbera. Morales will open the festival on Aug. 31 on the Sala Grande stage and will host the closing ceremony on Sept. 10, when the winners of the Lions and other official prizes of the festival will be announced. The Madrid-born actor debuted in Spanish TV and made her Italian debut with Paolo Genoveses 2012 film Immaturi  Il Viaggio and since 2013 has been the protagonist of Rai1 series Un passo dal cielo. Credits also include All Roads Lead To Rome (2016), alongside Sarah Jessica Parker (2016) and They Talk To Me (2021). In May 2022, she will feature in Mediaset TV series Justice For All by Maurizio Zaccaro and in the Sky film (Im)perfetti criminali by Alessio Maria Federici.

Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Click here to read the full article.

Bertelsmanns Luxembourg-based media giant RTL Group, which owns Fremantle, has declared revenues of 1.56 billion ($1.64 billion) for the first quarter of 2022, a growth of 11.3%.

The RTL Group has interests in 64 television channels, nine streaming services and 36 radio stations. The groups content business, Fremantle, is one of the worlds largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, including American Idol, Britains Got Talent and The X Factor.

Fremantle revenues were up 6.5% to 461 million (Q1/2021: 433 million) with the stated target of full-year revenue of 3 billion by 2025 on track. In March, Fremantle struck a wide-ranging deal with Angelina Jolie.

The groups TV advertising revenues were up 11% to 829 million (Q1/2021: 745 million), of which 653 million represented TV advertising revenue (Q1/2021: 587 million), 83 million digital advertising revenue (Q1/2021: 78 million) and 46 million radio advertising revenue (Q1/2021: 48 million).

Paying subscribers for the groups streaming services RTL+ and Videoland were up 58% to 4.3 million and revenues by 23% to 64 million (Q1/2021: 52 million)

The full-year outlook for 2022 has been confirmed with group revenue of approximately 7.4 billion and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and amortization of approximately 1.15 billion.

Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group, said: RTL Group started dynamically into the new year despite the uncertainties resulting from the war in Ukraine. In the first quarter of 2022, revenue grew by 11.3%, thanks to growth across TV advertising, content and streaming, partly driven by scope effects.

In the first three months of this year, we reached important milestones in our strategy to create national media champions. The combination of RTL Deutschland and Gruner + Jahr was finalized, and the integration process is progressing well. At the end of March, we closed the sale of RTL Belgium. Our global content business Fremantle acquired majority stakes in Lux Vide and Dancing Ledge Productions to further boost its scripted business. To create an international advertising sales champion, we will combine our international sales houses RTL AdConnect, G+J iMS and the media division of Smartclip.

We are expecting to close the sale of RTL Croatia and to get the regulatory approvals for the major consolidation moves in France and the Netherlands. These moves will create significant value for RTL Groups shareholders and put us in a strong position to compete with the global tech and streaming platforms.

RTL Group continues to deliver on its targets for its growth businesses of streaming, content and addressable TV advertising  and we have the resources and capabilities to further boost these businesses to create value for our viewers, clients and shareholders, Rabe added.

Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Click here to read the full article.

With the release of her debut, Suki Waterhouse is throwing caution to the wind.

Despite titling the album I Cant Let Go  out today via Sub Pop  Waterhouse hopes that by releasing the 10-track project, shes setting free not only haunting memories, but her own inhibitions about fully pursuing a music career.

Since 2016, Waterhouse has released one single per year  with the exception of 2019, which brought both Coolest Place in the World and Johanna  each more fully-formed and sonically interesting than the last. Slowly building up a passionate fanbase on the internet, devotees of Waterhouse  who is also a model, actor and entrepreneur and was a bonafide it girl during the golden age of Tumblr  have been begging for a full-length project for years. So what took so long?

It was something that I desperately wanted to do, Waterhouse tells Variety over Zoom. For probably the last four years as I was putting out these singles, I guess I was testing my own courage and whether or not people would like it. I was definitely slow, just putting out one a year is not the best way to run your music business Ive been writing it for a long time, but its like the reality of it happening, I was unsure about. And then I just decided to do it.

Each song on I Cant Let Go tells a distinct story, from confidently seducing a lover on album opener Moves to lamenting about the modern-day struggles of being perpetually online on Bullshit on the Internet. Of writing Moves, Waterhouse says she was at a point in her life where she was so over being in love.

Like its so tiring, its so exhausting, she says. Id been alone for a few years and I was quite walled off. I think that song was sort of building myself back into like, Im going to go for it this time and Im going to really have to put myself out on a limb. I think Ive actually got something to give this time, rather than try and fill a void and go into something that you know is going to be a disaster. At the time, I was thinking about how I wanted to do a song that Thelma and Louise would be listening to, that would be on the tape track as they drive off the mountain.

Waterhouse says all of the songs on the album are about a something or a somebody, though she added in fictional elements to have that blend of the personal and the fantasy.

Most of the time, it was a feeling or an event that I knew was going to stay in me forever, Waterhouse says of the songwriting process. I was really wondering if I was going to always be haunted by these memories or unable to feel like I could move on from certain things that just stick around. It was really that thought of: these things that Ive hoarded in my mind and these things I cant touch anymore but I think about all the time, am I ever going to be able to be free of them?

Another album highlight is the aptly-titled Melrose Meltdown, an atmospheric ode to a relationship that never was, backed by a swinging drum beat. Though Waterhouse says the song could just be about trying to find parking on Melrose, theres a much more complicated and adventurous story behind the ballad. After both Waterhouse and a friend experienced heartbreak, they decided to travel to Buton, an island in Indonesia, to hike through the mountains with monks.

Wed be like thousands of feet up in the mountains talking to monks about our boy troubles and the monks would laugh at us a lot, Waterhouse recalls.

But soon they both became violently ill and were unable to continue, spending the last five days of the trip recovering and debriefing about their failed relationships. The phrase Melrose Meltdown comes from her friends break-up texts that the two pored over.

I was just obsessed with that phrase, Waterhouse says. I like to think that song has a part of her break-up  theres some other lines from their messages in there  which was based in rural Montreal, and then mine based in Los Angeles. I love that about the song, that its kind of a little statue of both of us and those relationships.

Ranging sonically from folk-pop to 70s-flavored rock, I Cant Let Go was produced by Brad Cook, highly regarded in the indie space for his work with Bon Iver and Snail Mail. Waterhouse connected with Cook through her friend Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, and she recorded the album in his North Carolina studio during the pandemic, without even meeting him first.

His approach is, hes so relaxed and always laughing, hes such a confident orchestrator of musicians and building on sound, she says. So I lucked out to the max, because we just got to play around and we had great musicians who [are his] friends.

That included Bon Iver drummer Matt McCaughan, who contributed percussion and all of his nerdy synths, as Waterhouse puts it. Its a bit beyond comprehension, but it looked like an electricity vault, she laughs.

It wasnt until after the album was finished that Waterhouse brought it to Sub Pop, which she grew up idolizing, citing bands on their roster including Nirvana, the Postal Service and Beach House.

What really stuck out about Sub Pop compared to other labels is that everybodys been there for a long time, and that is so incredibly rare to have. One of the founders is still there. Nobody feels like theyre going anywhere, Waterhouse says. When they take you on, its like they are investing in you personally and artistically, and theyre just incredibly encouraging. Its cool to be with a label who wants your music to stay weird. If anything, theyre like, No, weirder.'

And its Sub Pop that led Waterhouse to her next gig  opening for label-mate Father John Misty on his North American tour this summer and fall. Waterhouse had just found out about the opportunity when speaking with Variety, and could barely contain her excitement.

Im still in shock. Im absolutely like, What?!' Waterhouse says. I cant really think of someone Id rather go on tour with. Im obsessed with him. His song Real Love Baby is one of the best songs of all time, and is incredibly special to me. I played it 100 times when I was first falling for somebody so on all of the 33 stops that were doing, Ill be listening to him play that.

Although Waterhouse is full steam ahead with her music career, she also has plenty of acting work on the horizon, including Jane Austen film Persuasion and Salvador Dali pic Daliland. But most anticipated is her role in the upcoming Amazon series Daisy Jones and the Six, adapted from the beloved book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which follows a Fleetwood Mac-inspired band in the 70s.

Waterhouse plays Karen, the groups fiery keyboardist who finds herself in a fling with fellow bandmate Graham. Waterhouse says she and the band  made up of Riley Keough (Daisy Jones), Sam Claflin (Billy Dunne), Will Harrison (Graham Dunne) and Sebastian Chacon (Warren Rhodes)  rehearsed every day for six months straight and recorded original music for the series.

Im so excited for what weve done musically. Were actually a band, Waterhouse says. I think were going to be distraught [when production is over]. We keep talking about ways to extend our band together beyond the show It feels like weve been in a band for 10 years.

Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Click here to read the full article.

Its easy to see why Netflix wanted to reteam actor Omar Sy and director Louis Leterrier in something, anything, given the popularity of their previous collaboration, the French thriller series Lupin. But U.S. viewers may be a tad puzzled by the streamers decision to green-light as their follow-up a popcorn movie as nondescript as The Takedown  a sequel to On the Other Side of the Tracks (De lautre cote du periph), a lightweight 2012 French-produced buddy-cop action-comedy that, whatever its popularity in its home territory, received only (very) limited release by The Weinstein Company in this county.

On the other hand: Leterrier  whose credits also include Now You See Me and the first two entries in the Transporter franchise  has just this week been given the keys to Fast X, replacing the creatively distanced Justin Lin as director for the next installment of the Fast & Furious franchise. So maybe Netflix might reap some unforeseen benefits from a slightly enhanced curiosity factor. Maybe.

On the Other Side of the Tracks  which can be tracked down, in case youre interested, on The Roku Channel  introduced Sys Ousmane Diakhite, a wisecracking, rule-breaking Black cop in the Paris suburb of Bobigny who obviously views Eddie Murphys Axel Foley as a role model (his cellphone ringtone is Axel F, the Beverly Hills Cop theme), and more or less attaches himself to Francois Monge (Laurent Lafitte), a careerist white Paris Crime Unit investigator, when the wife of a powerful businessman is found brutally murdered near Ousmanes housing project.

It would require a few more distinguishing features for On the Other Side of the Tracks, directed by David Charhon (The Last Mercenary), to qualify as generic. Still, the film does offer some unexpectedly pointed observations about racial and socioeconomic divisions in France. A smirky interlude in a sex club is undeniably funny. And theres effective interplay between Sy as a street-smart single father whose smile vanishes when confronted with condescending racism, and Lafitte as a self-satisfied narcissist from a well-to-do family whose Don Juanish tendencies may be more of an impediment to promotion than his less-than-stellar police work.

Not knowing any of this beforehand may diminish your enjoyment of The Takedown, since the sequel often makes vague allusions to events and plot developments in the earlier, and better, movie. But the two lead characters remain pretty much the same here, even though their respective status has changed. Monge still is a good cop, albeit not nearly as good as he thinks he is, and his chronic skirt-chasing would be offensive if he werent so often the, ahem, butt of the jokes. (A co-worker taunts him as too old for that hipster beard and metrosexual pants.) But Ousmane now is chief of the Criminal Division in Paris  and has more authority than Monge as they team for a murder investigation that brings them to a provincial town in the French Alps.

The last time they were together  more than a decade ago, screenwriter Stephane Kazandjian duly emphasizes  Ousmane had to guide the whitebread Monge through the mean streets of Bobigny. For this outing, Monge is the one whos on familiar ground, steering his partner (whether he wants to be steered or not) through a close-knit community that, while not openly racist, is a good deal short of welcoming when it comes to non-white outsiders.

One thing leads to another, ploddingly, as Ousmane and Monge turn over rocks and uncloset skeletons. The victim whose grisly demise brings them there in the first place turns out to have been a drug trafficker fond of preparing methamphetamine in his mothers barn. The local mayor is a right-wing politico with national ambitions and a nationalistic credo. And a sizable segment of the populace appears to gotten inspiration and fashion tips from the crowd that stormed Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 two years ago.

All of which makes The Takedown sound a lot more interesting than it is. To be fair, though, Leterrier manages a few modestly exciting chase scenes, including one that begins in a laser tag course, continues through a bowling alley and a go-kart track, and ends in a crowded supermarket. And his two leads are agreeably amusing and for the most part engaging throughout the film. You shouldnt be surprised if their characters are played by Kevin Hart and Jason Sudeikis in an Americanized remake. On the other hand, you should be very surprised if anyone ever goes to the trouble of producing such a remake.

The Takedown is available now on Netflix.

Reviewed on Netflix, May 4, 2022. Running time: 121 MIN. (Original title: Loin du periph)

Running Time: Running time: 121 MIN.

Production

(France) A Netflix release of a Mandarin Films production. Producers: Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer.

Crew

Director: Louis Leterrier. Screenplay: Stephane Kazandjian. Camera: Thomas Hardmeier. Editor: Vincent Tabaillon. Music: Guillaume Roussel.

With

Omar Sy, Laurent Lafitte, Izia Higelin, Dimitri Storoge. (French dialogue)

Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Over the past year, both Laredos and city partners have made strides toward seeing the United States and Mexico Binational River Park be built.

Overland Partners Architects gave a presentation this week and stated that the park is projected to bring better quality of life, water maintenance and tourism money during city council meeting.

Overland Partners Architects, based out of San Antonio, Texas, said they were approached in February to come up with a presentation and showcase the advantages that could potentially come with the generational project that stretches 6.2 miles long and a projected 10 years to come to fruition.

Richard M. Archer, one of the founders of the architecture firm, states the potential quality of life would rise as well as bringing better border protection and safer drinking water.

We do know the river is your sole source of drinking water, as it is for Nuevo Laredo, and the park helps ensure that the clean water is protected, Archer said. Talking with folks in your water treatment and public works, they said that a clean river will significantly reduce the cost of cleaning the water in the city.

Clean water has been of utmost importance to the city due to the numerous city-wide boil water notices that have occurred locally over the past few years. It is also expected to work in a sense as a filtered dam.

The goal is to improve the capacity of this endangered river to provide us with safe drinking water now and in our future, said Melissa Cigarroa, Board President of the International Studies Center. We look at the 19-year window that we have to improve the river's ability to provide us with safe drinking water.

Archer, coming from his hometown of San Antonio, said that because their city runs on an aquifer, they keep a watchful eye and fix any issues that come up quickly and safely. He says the same can be done in Laredo because the more eyes the better.

The river has been subject to abuse and neglect, Archer said.

Another expectation came in the form of economic stability for the city in terms of tourism, sales taxes and hotel fees, as mentioned by Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz during a trip to San Antonio with Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff.

Theres so much money coming now from tax, sales tax, property tax from the huge hotels that they have all this money to further expand their (River Walk), said Saenz of what Wolff told him.

Because it is a binational park, Archer promoted safety during the presentation -- because of the expected large activity and clearer visibility alongside the river -- as well as working alongside Border Patrol, who they have met with and agreed on better corridors and easier access to the river.

The project provides an alternative to an obtrusive border wall, said Gene Lindgren, President of Laredo Economic Development Corporation. The park will celebrate our binational culture.

After positive impressions by both Mexico and U.S. Ambassadors regarding the Laredo and Nuevo Laredo bond during the annual Abrazo children celebration, Councilmember Mercurio Martinez III said that the idea of a binational park was born.

They were very impressed the way Laredo and Nuevo Laredo had (interacted) with each other and impressed by the familial status, said Martinez of what the ambassador of Mexico to the United States said, and vice versa, of one another about the sister cities.

Martinez continued that the ambassadors had told local leaders to find a way to bring the two Laredos closer together.

A prior park presentation in February highlighted multiple goals including the restoration of the ecology of the environment surrounding the river, embracing cultural identity, promoting economic vitality, enhancing safety and being a symbol of binational cooperation and affection.

"The journey has begun, and we are ecstatic to engage in the beginning phases of this rewarding project alongside our sister city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Saenz stated. We had the honor of welcoming U.S. Ambassador for Mexico Ken Salazar and presenting him with our ideas and vision for the Binational River Park.

This project will rescue the Rio Grande by enhancing its ecology and the quality of our main source of water. It will also strengthen tourism, security, economic prosperity, our binational ties with Mexico and quality of life. Both cities look forward to presenting this project at a binational level and as a model to the world with the objective of keeping Los Dos Laredos as one river, one community."

Furthermore, increased focus on addressing river concerns and its cleanliness were discussed prior to the Monday meeting. Nuevo Laredo Director of Public Works Ignacio Quinones Pena said that the project is the first of its kind and hopes to see it spur similar projects in the future that benefit both cities, which include the proposal and investment to stop wastewater flow from Nuevo Laredo that was signed by North American Development Bank, the citys water utility COMAPA, Mexican National Water Commission CONAGUA and the Tamaulipas State Water Agency CEAT.

NADBank previously stated it will commit up to $200,000 in grant funding through its technical assistance program to COMAPA for a study to provide a needs assessment of the operation and sustainability of the facilities, and develop preliminary engineering for the projects.

Quinones-Pena said that they are doing everything possible to not dump wastewater into the river and ensure that Los Dos Laredos have a clean and healthy river.

The strongest thing (both Laredos) have is not money, freight transportation, trade customs  it is our cultural inheritance, Pena said. That is what will save us and rescue the dignity of both of these cities. Our brotherhood, our traditions, our general culture is what is most important.

Beyond this, he added, We must continue to work together as one city, one culture, one river and soon one park and two nations, he said.
Two men were arrested for allegedly assaulting and robbing a part-time Lyft driver.

Anthony James Santana, 37, and Jose Rodolfo Gomez, 28, were served with warrants on April 26 charging them with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Santana was additionally charged with having a prohibited substance at a correctional facility.

At about 3:07 a.m. April 26, police received a call from the Laredo Medical Center regarding a man who had been assaulted and his vehicle was shot at, authorities said. He was uncooperative but did mention he was the victim of a robbery and a shooting.

Moments later at 3:11 a.m., police received a call from the 6300 block of Creosote Loop about an argument and one gunshot. The caller for the incident on Creosote was identified as Gomez. He stated he heard a fight and a gunshot outside. He refused consent to search the residence. But officers did find a shoe, a cellphone, a casing and a necklace pendant outside of the residence.

When police spoke to the complainant, he had blood on the right side of his face and a visible bump that was possibly caused by a pistol-whip. He was also complaining of pain to his jaw and hands. He also had scratches and redness to his back and arms. Police noticed the complainant had a bloody shirt, pants and was wearing only one shoe. The vehicle had a bullet hole on the driver side door, according to police.

He stated he had gone to an after-party with a male he had recently met. This male was later identified as Gomez. They arrived at Santanas house, where Gomez and Santana began to assault him. The complainant was treated at LMC and then taken to LPD headquarters for questioning.

(The complainant) was initially vague on the details and then changed and added details as he retold what had occurred, states the affidavit.

He explained he was a part-time Lyft driver and that was how he met Gomez. Santana and Gomez had taken down his number to use as a driver outside of the Lyft app.

Santana began attacking him and threatening him with a gun. Gomez was armed with a knife or machete. The complainant stated he was partially in the backseat and began to fight back. He managed to get away from Gomez and Santana before he heard two to three gunshots. The complainant arrived at LMC, where police was called. He stated that $2,000, a machete and a hatchet were stolen.

Additional charges

After officers dropped off Santana at the Webb County Jail, correctional officers called officers back because they discovered supposed narcotics on Santana. A correctional officer stated that while conducting a search on Santana, he was found to have a red and white lighter.

The correctional officer then searched Santana for further contraband and some was found inside of his body.

Authorities seized nine oval white pills with B704 marked on them, eight white circle pills with M marked on them and a combination of both pills crushed. The contraband weighed 4 grams.

crodriguez@lmtonline.com
SAN ANTONIO  The No. 3 Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives charged into a raging national firestorm over abortion rights Wednesday as he visited Texas to campaign with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a rare Democrat who opposes the practice, in his hotly contested primary runoff.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburns trip was announced over a week ago, but it fell two days after Politico published a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that favors overturning Roe v. Wade. The timing of the news cast an uncomfortable spotlight on Cuellar  and the senior Democrats who support him  as he was the only House Democrat last year to vote against a proposal to codify Roe v. Wade.

As Clyburn traveled to Texas on Wednesday morning, Cuellars progressive challenger, Jessica Cisneros, issued a statement calling on Democratic House leadership to rescind its support for Cuellar in light of the Roe v. Wade bombshell. But Clyburn was unswayed as he attended a series of events across the city with the Laredo congressman, stressing that he does not always agree with Cuellar but believes divergent views are healthy for democracy. In doing so, Clyburn sent a message that the Democratic Party should not shun abortion opponents.

We have a big-tent party, and if were gonna be a big-tent party, we got to be a big-tent party, Clyburn told reporters after an evening rally at an outdoor barbecue joint. I dont believe we ought to have a litmus test in the Democratic Party. I think we have to bring as many people into the party as we possibly can.

Addressing a crowd of about 80 people from the stage of his campaign rally, Clyburn hailed Cuellar for his role as a chief deputy whip, saying together they have been very effective in getting Joe Bidens [agenda] across the finish line. He joked that he does not always agree with Cuellar just like he did not always agree with his late wife of 58 years. But he said people do not grow if they speak only with those they agree with.

We have to sit down with people with whom we do not agree and try to find common ground so that you do what is necessary to continue moving this country forward, Clyburn said.

Cuellar did not shy away from his party-splitting ways when addressing supporters.

Im a Democrat  but I follow the words of [Lyndon B. Johnson], who said many years ago, Im an American, Im a Texan and then Im a Democrat  in that order, Cuellar said. If you put the party first before your country, youre doing a disservice. I think what we need to do  is make sure that we put our country, our district, first, and thats what I do.

Cuellar and Cisneros are facing off again after she first ran against him in 2020 and lost by 4 percentage points in a head-to-head primary. This time, she forced him to a runoff after a primary that was upended in January when the FBI raided Cuellars home in Laredo. The FBI has not said what it was investigating, and Cuellar has denied any wrongdoing.

The runoff was relatively low-key until news broke Monday about the Supreme Courts intentions, which set off Democratic leaders vowing to fight back in Congress. But Cisneros and other progressives suggested those were hollow words if leaders continued to stand by Cuellar.

Cuellar has the support of not only Clyburn but also House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the No. 2 House Democrat, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Their names and others were featured prominently on campaign literature that was handed out at the rally.

With the House majority on the line, [Cuellar] could very much be the deciding vote on the future of our reproductive rights and we cannot afford to take that risk, Cisneros said in her statement. I hope Democratic Party leadership wont stand in the way of delivering for South Texans.

Asked about the high courts leaked opinion after the rally, Cuellar reiterated a statement he issued Tuesday evening. He criticized the draft opinion, saying it is not based on precedent and not incremental in nature like they should be. But he told reporters he is a Catholic and you know my position, adding that many people in his district believe in at least some sort of limitation on exception.

After the rally, attendees said they supported Cuellar, often offering effusive praise and recalling a long relationship with him, but made clear they disagreed with him on abortion.

JoAnn Ramon, a 78-year-old party activist who said she has known Cuellar since he served in the state House, flatly said she would disagree with the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

I have never had an abortion, would never have an abortion, none of my children have had one  thank God none of my grandchildren  but I dont tell people what to do with their bodies, she said. So no, Im not pro-abortion  Im pro-choice and Henry is not, and thats OK. Im a Catholic, too. Henry and I can agree to disagree. Thats the beauty of Henry Cuellar.

State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins of San Antonio, a Cuellar endorser who spoke at the rally, also said her views on abortion did not align with Cuellars. But she said she understood that belief was grounded in his Catholic faith.

Im pro-choice all the way, OK? But thats one issue, she said. That one issue dont separate me from supporting someone in my party because we can agree to disagree, and I hope we as Texans and we as Americans really start looking at it that way. One issue doesnt stop us from having a relationship.

The rally was part of multiple events that Clyburn did with Cuellar on Wednesday in San Antonio. Earlier in the day, they attended a private gathering with faith leaders on San Antonios East Side and after the rally, Clyburn was set to headline a fundraiser for Cuellar.

Regardless of who wins the runoff, Republicans believe they have a chance to flip the district as they push to make new inroads in South Texas. They are currently in a primary runoff for the seat, though the national GOP has coalesced behind Cassy Garcia, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

In defending his campaigning for Cuellar, Clyburn nodded at the potential for a competitive general election.

I would ask anybody: Which is more important  to have a pro-life Democrat or to have an anti-abortion Republican? Clyburn said. Because come November, that could very well be the choice in this district.
TOKYO (AP)  Japan announced Friday that its foreign minister will attend new South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration ceremony next week as part of an effort to bring the countries' strained relations back to normal.

Although the decision to send Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to Seoul signals Japans willingness to improve dialogue with South Korea, the absence of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the event underscores the still unresolved issues that have been a constant thorn in their ties.

Japan sent a vice prime minister to the 2013 inauguration, and serving prime ministers attended the two previous ceremonies. No foreign guests were invited in 2017 for outgoing President Moon Jae-in's swearing-in.

Relations between the countries have plunged to their lowest level because of disputes over Japanese atrocities stemming from its 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, including brutal treatment of wartime Korean laborers and sexual abuse of women at military brothels.

The disagreements over history have been complicated by court rulings, including the 2018 South Korean Supreme Court order for Japanese companies to pay compensation to wartime Korean laborers.

Japan maintains all compensation issues have been settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing their ties and criticized South Korea for breaching international law. The disputes have affected trade relations and security cooperation, causing concern amid threats from China and North Korea.

Hayashi will make a two-day trip to Seoul beginning Monday as Kishida's special envoy, the Foreign Ministry said, stressing the importance to maintain communication with the new government in Seoul.

Hayashi is expected to hold talks with a number of top officials in Yoon's government, including his counterpart, but Japanese officials said details were still being worked out. Hayashi is the first Japanese foreign minister to visit South Korea since Taro Kono in 2018.

Last week, a delegation from Yoon's incoming administration held a series of meetings with top officials in Tokyo including Kishida, and they agreed to make efforts to smooth their ties.

Cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as with the United States, their mutual ally, is indispensable for the stability in the region including their response to North Korea, Hayashi told reporters before his trip was announced.

Although Japan-South Korea relations are in extremely severe conditions, we cannot leave them alone," Hayashi said. In order to put Japan-South Korea ties back to healthy relations, I plan to closely communicate with President-elect Yoon and his new administration but by maintaining Japan's consistent position."
A 26-year-old man has pleaded guilty to smuggling migrants resulting in the death of one, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Darwuin Sai Kabrera-Garsia, of Honduras, pleaded guilty on April 28. He faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Hell remain in custody pending sentencing.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Residents in Mexico City marched, danced and fired blanks from muskets Thursday to mark the 160th anniversary of the 1862 victory over French troops in the nearby city of Puebla.

Known as the Battle of Puebla, the victory gave rise to the Cinco de Mayo, a holiday more celebrated in the United States than in Mexico.
A man has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a human smuggling attempt that killed two migrants and one civilian in a south Laredo crash that occurred in November.

Abraham J. Ahumada, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants resulting in death. He has sentencing set for July 28 before U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo. Ahumada faces up to life in prison. Meanwhile, he remains in federal custody.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

The case unfolded at about 11 p.m. Nov. 13, when a DPS trooper tried to pull over a black Nissan Murano traveling north on U.S. 83 south of Cielito Lindo Boulevard. A pursuit ensued when the driver of the Nissan refused to stop.

The Nissan disregarded a red light and crashed into a red Dodge sport utility vehicle at the intersection of Lomas del Sur Boulevard and U.S. 83. The Nissan then caught fire, authorities said.

Of the four subjects in the suspect vehicle, one person was ejected and died at the scene. Another subject burned in the vehicle fire, states the arrest affidavit.

Armando Lorenzo-Rodriguez, 45, was identified as the one thrown out from the vehicle. Valdemar Lorenzo-Rodriguez, 30, could not be removed before the vehicle caught fire. Both brothers were from Honduras, authorities said. A third person was taken to Laredo Medical Center in critical condition. DPS would identify the driver as Ahumada.

The driver of the Dodge also died. She was identified as Alejandra Torres Flores, 62, a resident of Laredo. An adult and three minors riding in the Dodge were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

In a post-arrest interview, Ahumada admitted that a person hired him to transport migrants in exchange for $100 per migrant. He further admitted he picked up the three migrants from a residence in the 600 block of Morales Street and was transporting them to a location on Calton Road before crashing with the civilian vehicle, according to court documents.

Once medically cleared, DPS charged Ahumada with multiple counts of evading arrest causing death, smuggling of persons with serious bodily injury or death, accident involving serious bodily injury, evading arrest with a vehicle with previous conviction, accident involving death and manslaughter.

Federal authorities would then take over the case. HSI officials encourage the community to report suspicious activity by calling 1-866-348-2423.

crodriguez@lmtonline.com
The Padraic Colum Gathering will be officially opened by Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Nolan in Longford Library on Friday, May 13.

In its fifth year, the two-day Gathering celebrates Colums work and Longfords literary history.

At the official opening, acclaimed writer John Connell will read some of Colums poetry.

Connell will be joined by writer and broadcaster Aidan OHara who will introduce a showing of a rare TV interview with Colum.

Students of St Michaels National School and local musicians will also perform. It all kicks off in Longford Library on Friday, 13 May at 7.30pm. All are welcome to attend.

The second day of the Gathering starts in Granard Library at 10.30am. Aidan OHara will open proceedings with a reading from Colums book My Irish Year.

At 11am, a lecture on Padraic Colum and the Oral Tradition will be given by Professor Bairbre Ni Fhloinn (University College Dublin).

At 12.30pm, a Padraic Colum: An Irish Voice in American Childrens Literature talk will be given by Meabh Ni Choileain (Trinity College Dublin). All are welcome to attend.

The Gathering ends with a bus tour of Colums north Longford, guided by historian Sean O Suilleabhain. It takes place at 2.30pm, May 14. Tickets are 5 per person, with pre-booking essential.

The Gathering is part of the Creative Ireland Programme. It is organised by Longford County Councils County Library, Heritage and Archives section.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Nolan is delighted for the Padraic Colum Gathering to be back in person this year. It is great to see this wonderful event which celebrates Longfords proud literary heritage back in front of audiences this year. Many thanks goes to the organisers, speakers and musicians who will be sure to both inform and entertain. I am very much looking forward to the Gathering.

Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon added, Longford welcomes the excellent speakers, experts in their field, who are contributing to the Gathering this year. Longford County Council proudly supports events such as the Gathering which celebrates our rich culture and heritage.

The Padraic Colum Gathering opening event and talks will be available to view on the Padraic Colum Gathering Facebook page.

For further information on the Padraic Colum Gathering or to book your place on the Padraic Colum tour of north Longford, call 043 334 1124 or email archivist@longfordcoco.ie.
Weronika Figlak, Maja Romanowska and Sofia Ivashcysnyn welcoming the Polish Ambassador to St Josephs National School Pictures: Shelley Corcoran

Longford County Council was delighted to welcome Her Excellency Ambassador of Poland Anna Sochanska to Longford on Wednesday, 27 April.

Ambassador Sochanska fulfilled a number of engagements to celebrate and further strengthen the connection between Poland and County Longford. The invitation came about as a result of Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Nolan reaching out to Her Excellency.

Ambassador Sochanska was welcomed to Longford County Council by Cathaoirleach Peggy Nolan. Polish Midlands Community Chairman Slawomir Kazek and representative Barbara Stachowska in attendance to welcome the Ambassador.

Following this, the Ambassador visited St Mels Cathedral to meet with Father James McKiernan and to light a candle as a mark of solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Temperance Hall hosted a performance by Polish students from St Josephs National School. Lunch took place in Torc.

One of the key themes that emerged from the discussions included the many Polish people who have added greatly to their communities by making County Longford their home. Focus was also given to further developing these strong ties between Poland and Longford.

Speaking following the visit, Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Nolan said she was delighted that the Ambassador had come to Longford.

This visit allows for a strengthening of ties between people with shared values. I want to pay tribute to Ambassador Sochanska for sharing her time and enthusiasm for deepening the close ties Longford has with Poland. I hope to welcome Her Excellency again to Longford very soon.

Longford County Council extends its thanks to Father James McKiernan, the pupils and teachers of St Josephs National School, and Torc Cafe who went above and beyond to ensure the Ambassador was treated to a warm Longford welcome during her visit.
Music, Movies & Entertainment, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Travel & Local Attractions, Seasonal & Current Events

By Chris Boyle Published: May 06 2022

Special Promotional Raffle Qualifies Paying Museum Guests to Win CWU Flight Jacket!

In observance of Memorial Day Weekend, American Airpower Museum (AAM) continues their historic participation in the Jones Beach Air Show, flying their fabled "Arsenal of Democracy" warbirds over Jones Beach on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th! AAMs fleet of iconic and meticulously restored military aircraft will include a B-25 Mitchell Bomber, Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop transport, Grumman TBM Avenger Torpedo Bomber, P-51D Mustang Fighter, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Fighter, and two AT-6 Texan trainers. Two FA-18 Super Hornet Growlers will once again be in attendance, subject to other military commitments.

If you cant make it to Jones Beach for the Air Show, get a glimpse of these awe-inspiring aircraft as they take off towards Jones Beach and later, as they return to Hangar 3 at Republic Airport on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th, or watch them practice in preparation for the show on Friday, May 27th. You can park for FREE in AAMs lot and along New Highway. Bring the family, hang out all day and watch the pilots start their engines, taxi out and take off to join the Jones Beach Air Show action. Dont miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with these propeller-driven bombers and fighters of yesteryear! Flight experiences also available each day on one of AAMs AT-6 Texans and Waco Biplane!

According to AAM President Jeff Clyman, the goal for this three-day extravaganza is two-fold. To honor the men and women of the Greatest Generation who built, maintained and piloted the iconic warbirds of yesteryear, in a bold defense of freedom during World War II, as well as active-duty military, reservists and national guard who continue this mission to our present day.

The Air Show features a U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II, The Warthog, flying over Jones Beach. AAM has its very own A-10 Warthog, our nations premier close air support attack aircraft and its on display outside Hangar 3, with staff ready to answer your questions about its special features and armaments!

Cockpit USA, the official supplier to the USAF of the A-2 leather jacket and sponsor of the American Airpower Museum, will host a group of Cockpit USA Pilot Brand Ambassadors wearing their Cockpit USA jackets throughout the Memorial Day weekend: Annie Vogel (@pilotannie), Tory Crosby (@torpilot), Mark Brown @worldofmark and Bruno (@flywithbruno). In addition, California Tom Cruise, the celebrated Tom Cruise impersonator, will spend Sunday, May 29th at the museum to meet and greet fans for photo ops two days after the long-awaited TOP GUN Maverick movie launch. Every paying museum guest (18 and over) throughout the weekend will be entered to win the NEW Cockpit USA Movie Hero Top Gun CWU, replica of the jacket Tom Cruise wears in the movie.

The American Airpower Museum opens at 10:00 a.m. each day of the Memorial Day Weekend. There is no additional charge to see the aircraft on practice days or on show days. Arrive early and stay all day. Museum admission for adults is $20, seniors and veterans $15 and children 5-12 $10. Tickets and pre-registration are not required, and admission is on a first come first serve basis. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on all three days. Dont miss this one! Three days of action to thrill aviation fans of all ages!
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: May 06 2022

Expansion Would Extend Fare-Free Q70 Service to be Year-Round.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she is directing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to extend the Q70 LaGuardia link bus service fee waiver from selected holiday weeks to the full year. The LaGuardia Link connects subway customers from the 74 Street-Broadway/Jackson Heights Roosevelt Avenue subway station with the airport in just 10 minutes. It also connects Long Island Rail Road customers from Woodside Station, at 61st Street and Roosevelt Avenue, where Q70 bus service begins.

"While we continue working to create a world-class transit option that's worthy of a whole new LaGuardia Airport, we're taking action right now to make it easier to get to the airport by making the Q70 bus service free for all riders starting May 1," Governor Hochul said. "This not only adds cash back into riders' wallets, it serves as an attractive, cost efficient, and greener option to travel to LaGuardia while we work on longer-term solutions."

Previously, the LaGuardia Link was offered as a free service on select weekends and holidays to assist in alleviating roadway congestion and incentivize travelers to use public transportation instead. The MTA will be working with the Port Authority to maximize the effectiveness of the year-round program.

The Q70 runs 24 hours a day and has special luggage racks for people traveling to and from the airport. It runs approximately every 10 minutes during daytime hours and provides a direct non-stop trip to LaGuardia Terminals B, C, and D from the 74 Street-Broadway/Jackson Heights Roosevelt Avenue subway station which serves the E, F, M, R, & 7 subway lines. All LIRR branches provide service options to Woodside Station, where customers can transfer to the LaGuardia Link Q70.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "The Governor's support for the MTA and our customers is truly appreciated. She recognizes the importance of public transit and what that means to New Yorkers. We saw that reflected in her appearance today at the Board meeting and announcement of a fare-free connection to LaGuardia via the Q70 bus."

Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Rick Cotton said, "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey welcomes Governor Hochul's decision to make the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus to LaGuardia Airport free on a full-time basis for the foreseeable future. Since 2016, the Port Authority has partnered with the MTA for free fare days on the Q70 during periods of peak travel. Meanwhile, the Port Authority is working expeditiously to complete the Governor's request for a thorough review of potential alternative mass transit options to LaGuardia Airport, which is focused on 14 alternatives that were presented to the public last month."
(Alliance News) - European diplomats were locked in difficult negotiations Friday to agree a new package of sanctions against Russia, with Hungary opposed to a ban on Russian oil imports.

Negotiators expect the talks to continue until Sunday, but remain hopeful of a compromise.

Brussels wants to introduce a sixth raft of sanctions against Moscow to increase the cost of its invasion of Ukraine and wean Europe's economy off a dependence on Russian energy supplies.

But Hungary and Slovakia, landlocked and dependent on crude from a Russian pipeline, are resisting the oil embargo and holding up the approval of the package.

"It's not easy to establish unity," admitted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, addressing a policy conference organised by the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"The countries that are now hesitating are not yet ready. We are sitting together with these countries in Brussels to work out pragmatic things, such as getting alternative oil to these countries.

"I am confident we will get this package on its way, if it takes a day longer, then it will take a day longer."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that if there was no agreement over the weekend he would call a meeting of EU foreign ministers next week.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared the oil ban would cross a "red line" for Budapest.

"The European Commission president, intentionally or unintentionally, has attacked the European unity that had been worked out," he told state radio.

Diplomats in Brussels thought that a compromise could be found, but warned that Orban was using the May 9 Europe Day, celebrating the genesis of the EU, as a lever.

"The approach by the Hungarians in the room is very different from what you are hearing from Orban in Budapest," one said. "This will go into the weekend for technical work, not political."

Monday will also be celebrated with great pomp in Russia, when it holds its Victory Day commemorating its World War II triumph over the Nazis.

Brussels hopes to rain on President Vladimir Putin's parade with the new sanctions package.

For the sanctions to go into effect, all 27 EU members must give their unanimous approval.

The plan, drawn up by the commission and submitted to member states on Wednesday as a document that could yet be modified, would halt Russian crude oil imports into the EU within six months and refined oil products by the end of the year.

Hungary and Slovakia, however, would be given an extension allowing them to keep importing until the end of 2023. But they say that is not enough, while the Czech Republic has asked to be given the same extension.

According to diplomats, on Friday the negotiators were discussing extending the transition for those three until the end of 2024.

One member state said the discussion was going from talking about delays for some "to a request for exemptions, which pushes the envelope a little too far".

There is also a disagreement over whether to add the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, a close Putin ally, to the EU's targeted sanctions list. His name was in the commission's draft.

The package also targets Moscow's financial sector, with a plan to kick Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, off the SWIFT messaging system which facilitates transfers between institutions.

Three Russian TV channels will be banned from broadcasting in the EU, according to the document seen by AFP.

source: AFP

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Astellas Pharma Inc - Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company - Says findings from a phase three Skylight one clinical trial examining the safety and efficacy of fezolinetant met all four co-primary endpoints. Fezolinetant is an investigational oral, non-hormonal compound being studied for the treatment of moderate to severe symptoms associated with menopause such as hot flashes and night sweats. Results from the trial demonstrated a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of moderate to severe symptoms at weeks four and twelve against the placebo.

Current stock price: JPY1,954.50

12-month change: up 16%

By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
FRANKFURT, May 5 (Reuters) - Lufthansa and its partner MSC have been looking at financial data opened up by state-owned ITA Airways to see if the Italian airline would make a good strategic acquisition, the German carrier's chief executive said on Thursday.

Prospective bidders for ITA Airways have had access to its finance data room for about 72 hours, Chief Executive Carsten Spohr told a news conference.

The Italian government wants to clinch an ITA privatisation deal by mid-June, sources told Reuters in March.

"When it comes to investments, we are only interested in restructured airlines, and we believe ITA is one of them. We are now checking the information available in the data room to confirm that this is the case," the Lufthansa CEO said.

Spohr said Italy was already Lufthansa's most important market in Europe, and globally its second largest after the United States, as it is the biggest intercontinental carrier for both Italians and people travelling to the country from abroad.

"The purchasing power there is high," he said, adding that the exchange of goods between Germany and the Italian region of Lombardy was equivalent to that of Germany and Japan.

He said a hub in southern Europe would make a good addition to Lufthansa's existing strong network in the north.

ITA started flying in October, after replacing Italy's 75-year-old carrier Alitalia which was finally grounded after years of losses and failed rescue attempts.

In January, shipping group MSC expressed interest in buying a majority stake in ITA with Lufthansa. The partners asked for exclusive talks but Rome chose an open procedure.

Other bidders which can also access the data room are the U.S. Certares fund in cooperation with Delta and Air France, alongside Wizz Air investor Indigo Partners, sources have said.
(Alliance News) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a backlash from local Tory leaders as his party lost a flagship London authority to Labour and suffered setbacks across England.

While Keir Starmer's party gained ground in the capital by taking the totemic Tory authority in Wandsworth, there was a mixed picture elsewhere with the loss of Hull to the Liberal Democrats but success in the new Cumberland authority.

As dozens of Tory councillors lost their seats against a backdrop of the row about lockdown-busting parties in No 10 and the cost-of-living crisis, local Conservative leaders criticised the prime minister.

John Mallinson, leader of Carlisle City Council which will be replaced by the new Cumberland authority, told the BBC: "I think it is not just partygate, there is the integrity issue.

"Basically I just don't feel people any longer have the confidence that the prime minister can be relied upon to tell the truth."

In Portsmouth, where the Tories lost four seats, Simon Bosher the leader of the Conservative group said Johnson should "take a good, strong look in the mirror" because "those are people that are actually bearing the brunt on the doorstep of behaviour of what's been going on in Westminster".

Ravi Govindia, leader of the Wandsworth Tories, said: "Let's not be coy about it, of course national issues were part of the dilemma people were facing."

After results were declared from 58 councils, the Tories had lost control of three authorities and were down 79 councillors, Labour had a net gain of two councils and 34 councillors, the Lib Dems had one extra authority and 34 more seats while the Greens had put on 19 councillors.

The loss of Wandsworth will be a significant blow because of its symbolic status in London.

It turned blue in 1978, a year before Margaret Thatcher's election as prime minister and was reputedly her favourite council, renowned for its low taxes.

"Boris Johnson losing Wandsworth is monumental. This was the Tories' jewel in the crown," a Labour source said.

The Tories also lost control of Worcester to no overall control, with gains for the Greens and Labour.

Council seats are up for grabs in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England, while there are elections to Stormont in Northern Ireland.

But votes were only being counted in some of the English contests overnight, including key authorities in the capital.

As well as Wandsworth, Tories fear losses in Barnet and possibly Westminster on a difficult night for Johnson's party in the city he used to run.

The leader of the Labour group in Barnet, Barry Rawlings, told the BBC: "I've been feeling confident for a while."

The elections take place following the partygate scandal and with concerns about a cost-of-living crisis underlined by grim economic forecasts from the Bank of England on polling day.

Mid-term elections are always difficult for a governing party, although as many of the English seats were last contested in 2018 during Theresa May's chaotic administration, opportunities for opposition parties to make further gains may be limited.

A Tory source conceded "we expect these elections to be tough".

Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis insisted Johnson remained the right person to lead the party, amid speculation that a bad set of election results  coupled with any further revelations about No 10 lockdown-busting parties  could see more Tory MPs submitting letters of no confidence.

The Northern Ireland Secretary told Sky News: "I absolutely think we can win the next election, and I do think Boris Johnson is the right person to lead us into that."

Policing minister Kit Malthouse told the BBC: "The further away you get from London, our sense is that the picture is better for us."

In Rutland, where there is not even an election, the Tories suffered a blow as county council leader Oliver Hemsley announced he was leaving the party, claiming the area had been "ignored, side-lined and given no further improvements in our spending power" from the government.

Labour's campaign has been hit by Tory calls for Durham Police to look into whether Starmer broke Covid rules while campaigning before the 2021 Hartlepool by-election  something he has dismissed as "mudslinging".

The Tories have also complained about a secret pact between Labour and the Lib Dems to maximise Conservative pain in marginal seats, something denied by both opposition parties.

Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds acknowledged there would be "ups and downs" in the results but said she hoped they would show progress since the 2019 general election drubbing under Jeremy Corbyn.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth acknowledged there was a mountain to climb for the party following the 2019 general election.

"It's climbable, but my god it's a big mountain because we got an absolute hammering in 2019, the worst result since the 1930s," he told the BBC.

The Liberal Democrats focused on making further inroads in Tory heartlands  the "Blue Wall" in southern England  following recent Westminster by-election successes in North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham.

Party leader Ed Davey said: "I am optimistic that thanks to their hard work, the Liberal Democrats will gain ground in areas across the Blue Wall where voters are fed up of being taken for granted by the Conservatives."

But the Lib Dems secured victory in Hull in a straight fight with Labour for control of the authority.

In England, more than 4,000 councillors in 146 councils are standing for election in major cities including Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and all 32 London boroughs.

All 32 councils in Scotland and all 22 in Wales are also holding elections.

In Northern Ireland voters went to the polls across 18 constituencies to elect 90 MLAs.

The unionist DUP and republican Sinn Fein are vying for the top spot in the election, which comes with the entitlement to nominate the next first minister.

A unionist party has always been the biggest in the Assembly, and previously the Stormont Parliament, since the formation of the state in 1921.

While the office of the first and deputy first minister is an equal one with joint power, the allocation of the titles is regarded as symbolically important.

By David Hughes and David Lynch, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Former London-listed Wm Morrison Supermarkets on Friday afternoon responded to news that McColl's Retail Group PLC has been put into administration, branding the move "damaging and unnecessary".

The board of McColl's said earlier it has been left with "no choice" but to be placed into administration, after the failure of financing talks with lenders.

A spokesperson for Morrisons said: "We put forward a proposal that would have avoided today's announcement that McColl's is being put into administration, kept the vast majority of jobs and stores safe, as well as fully protecting pensioners and lenders. For thousands of hardworking people and pensioners, this is a very disappointing, damaging and unnecessary outcome."

This latest development follows a Sky News report earlier on Friday that said Morrisons, already a partner of McColls had proposed a rescue deal on Thursday, to prevent the convenience store operator from falling into insolvency.

"Whilst the constructive discussions with the company's key wholesale supplier to find a solution with them to the company's funding issues and create a stable platform going forward had made significant progress, the lenders made clear that they were not satisfied that such discussions would reach an outcome acceptable to them," McColls explained on Friday.

The Brentwood, Essex-based convenience store chain's lenders now have declined to further extend the waiver of the company's banking covenants.

Shares in the company were suspended from trading shortly after 1230 BST on Friday, at the company's request. The stock was last quoted 45% higher at 1.66 pence.

McColl's has appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers as administrators, expecting that the firm will sell the business to a third-party purchaser "as soon as possible". The application is expected to be approved at court over the course of Friday, McColl's said.

McColl's on Thursday said it was in discussions regarding potential financing solutions for the business to resolve short term funding issues. Should an outcome not be agreed, it cautioned it was "increasingly likely" that the business will be placed into administration.

By Elizabeth Winter; elizabethwinter@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Australian super-model Elle MacPherson will be attending a gala party at Son Amar this summer organised by leading local estate agent Marcel Remus. Elle, known as the Body, is one of the most successful models of all time. Macpherson became the new host of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, taking over from Lisa Snowdon.

Also attending the event will be fellow model Anna Ermakova, the daughter of disgraced former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker. Other stars have also been invited to attend. It is unclear whether Ermakova visited her father's former home on the island in Arta which was at the centre of the legal proceedings which resulted in him being sentenced to two and half years by a British court.

MacPherson has visited the island on previous occasions. Marcel Remus is one of the top real estate agents.
Over the first quarter of the year, 539,708 foreign tourists came to the Balearics, 474% more than in the first quarter of 2021 but 22% lower than in 2019 before the pandemic.

The Frontur report of tourist movements indicates that there were 306,962 foreign tourists in March, an increase of 367.5% compared with last year. In March 2019 there were 365,838 tourists. The Balearics ranked sixth among the regions of Spain, which is normal for March. The Canary Islands had the most foreign tourists - 1,123,641 - followed by Catalonia with 703,489.

Nationally, there were 4,032,127 tourists, an increase of 720.5% compared with last year. The UK was the largest supplier market - 826,399 tourists and an increase of over 4,000%. Germany was second with 608,803, a rise of 482%. Looking back to pre-pandemic March 2019, there were 1,110,455 UK tourists out of a total of 5,645,747. German tourism in March 2019 was 812,433.

For the first three months of 2022, there were 9,675,423 foreign tourists, 696.7% more than in 2021 but well below the 14,222,812 in 2019. The UK total was 1,768,117, a rise of just under 3,000%, but over a million fewer than in 2019, when there were 2,801,559 UK tourists.
The British ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliott has been visiting the Balearics this week. Despite a very busy schedule, he found time to sit back and talk to the Bulletin about a wide range of issues.

Jason Moore: Ambassador, what is the situation with British driving licences in Spain?

 Hugh Elliott: Let us be clear, we are talking about British residents most of whom have been able to change their British licence to a Spanish one. Those who have arrived more recently or those who didnt quite get under the wire at the end of the transition period havent been able to so and they, quite rightly, have been very vocal on the issue. The change-over period has been extended on numerous occasions and the last one ended at the end of April. This legislation doesnt affect tourists, they can come here and drive on their British licence. We have been in negotiations with the Spanish government, we had a ministerial meeting last week but we want to accelerate the whole process. We are working very hard to try and get this across the line as soon as possible because we know how important this issue is. Until an agreement is signed, we have asked the Spanish government to allow British citizens to be able to use their British driving licence and we are awaiting a response. My message to Brits who are caught up in this situation is we are sorry, we know that it is causing a lot of difficulties but we are on it and we are working with Spain on the issue."

Jason Moore: Is the green residence certificate still valid?

 Hugh Elliott: Absolutely, it is valid. Whether it be the smaller one or the bigger A4 size. We are aware of some cases where it hasnt been accepted at some borders but this is not right. It is a valid residence permit. That said, we have encouraged British citizens to exchange their green certificate for the new TIE residence cards, which makes your life easier in Spain.

Jason Moore: A difficult time for paperwork in Spain for British citizens, how would you say the whole process has gone?

 Hugh Elliott: It has been a big change for a lot of British people in Spain. Initially there was uncertainty but we have done a lot of work through the Embassy and our Consulates. The vast majority of the paperwork issues have now been sorted out. The driving licence is one of the last remaining issues.

Jason Moore: You must be quite pleased to see that the number of British living in Spain has actually increased?

 Hugh Elliott: Yes! That is right. We know that the numbers have increased but perhaps we cant say that the number of Brits living in Spain has increased! We suspect that some people, who were not registered, have now registered with the Spanish authorities. Overall, it is good news. Some people were saying that we would see a flood of Britons leaving Spain but this has not proved to be the case. We have 428,000 Britons living in Spain. It is big number.

Jason Moore: What are relations like between Britain and Spain at the moment, have they changed at all?

 Hugh Elliott: Relations are very good between Spain and the UK. We have so much in common. There is a lot that goes on, on the business side, Spain is key for British investments and millions of British tourists come here on holiday every year. But the people-to-people links are extraordinary. We have discovered that the number of Spaniards living in the UK is much higher than we originally thought. When I first took up this job I was told that there were 180,000 Spaniards living in Britain, but tens of thousands have now registered and there are a similar number of Spaniards living in the UK as Britons living in Spain and that is just residents. It is a great testament of the important links which exist between both countries.

Jason Moore: You have a great relationship with the Balearic government...?

 Hugh Elliott: We do. We have a great team at the Consulate General in Barcelona and at the Consulate in Palma. We have had excellent collaboration with the Balearic government and we are very grateful for it. We work together to ensure that we have safe tourism and Britons living in the islands are looked after.

Jason Moore: And Magalluf.....?

 Hugh Elliott: We want Brits to come here, everyone wants Brits to come here (from the Balearic government, to the Council of Mallorca to the Calvia council) and have a fantastic time and we want them to stay safe. We dont want them to get hurt. We all agree on that. Before the pandemic there were 24 serious incidents in Magalluf, it doesnt need to be like that. We launched our public awareness campaign from the UK, a simple message about the risks that they probably hadnt thought of and in 2019 there was a significant reduction in the number of incidents. Then the pandemic hit. I am told that Mallorca is heading for a good summer season so we have all relaunched the campaign. We are cautiously optimistic and very determined to continue with this campaign and to protect young people and keep young people out of serious harm.

Jason Moore: What about Gibraltar?

 Hugh Elliott: We have been working on the issue of Gibraltar for many months, I have been very heavily involved for some time now, and at the end of 2020 we reached a political deal, which gives us a framework, which now needs to be transformed into a treaty between the European Union and Gibraltar. We are about to have the 8th round of negotiations, we have made really good progress, these issues are never easy. There are important issues to work out on both sides but this agreement has got to be good for everyone. It is not a question of one side giving up sovereignty, obviously that would not be acceptable for the UK government. Gibraltar is playing a key role in these negotiations. We want an area of shared prosperity in and around Gibraltar on both sides of the border.

Jason Moore: You have been ambassador for three years....

 Hugh Elliott: It has been an unusual three years because of the pandemic and a lot of people have suffered in different ways. I think our team across the Embassy and the Consular network have done an extraordinary job to help British citizens both tourists and residents, in times of great difficulty. The dedication and commitment from our team in Spain has probably been the highlight for me of my three years as British ambassador.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Source: MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, non-partisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. More information can be found online at MichiganVotes.org.

From K-12 appropriations to crime victim reimbursements, see how Manistee area lawmakers voted on recent measures.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget (amendment)

To spend up to $100 million for subsidies students in teachers colleges and related programs.

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget

To appropriate $17.84 billion for K-12 public schools in the 2022-23 fiscal year, of which $2.191 billion is federal money. The budget would raise the per-pupil state target "foundation allowance" by 5% to $9,150.

Passed 20 to 15 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

 2021 House Bill 5248, Divert gas tax money to local agency disaster grants

To remove restrictions and expand the reach of a law that authorizes certain local governments to levy a special assessment on property in the area benefited by police or fire services provided under an agreement to operate jointly with a neighboring community.

Passed 91 to 12 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure

 2022 Senate Bill 833, Appropriations: Department of Education

The Senate version of a Department of Education budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2022. This would appropriate $414.4 million in gross spending, of which, $302.9 million is federal money, and the rest is from state and local taxes and fees.

Passed 21 to 14 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget (amendment)

To let a school district that in the 2021-22 school year has less than 60% attendance to still get full state funding for that day. Under current law districts pay a daily funding penalty if attendance is less than 75%.

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget (amendment)

To revise funding details related to attendance levels in certain employment preparation programs for students with disabilities.

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget (amendment)

To increase the state foundation allowance from $9,150 per pupil to $9,700.

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget (amendment)

To increase the state foundation allowance from $9,150 per pupil to $9,190 for students in conventional school district schools, but cut it to $6,433 to students enrolled a cyber school.

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget (amendment)

To increase from $512.5 million to $746.5 million the amount of proposed extra spending allocated to public schools based on the number of low-income students eligible for federal lunch subsidies.

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 832, Appropriations: K-12 School Aid budget (amendment)

To appropriate and give public school districts up to $1 billion to spend on infrastructure.

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2021 House Bill 4675, Increase, revise procedures for crime victim reimbursement claims

To revise procedures in a law that authorizes crime victim reimbursement claims, and allow compensation for a mental or emotional injuries; see House Bill 4674.

Passed 33 to 1 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 828, Appropriations: Department of Health and Human Services (amendment)

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2021 Senate Bill 627, Adopt another remonumentation of Michigan-Indiana state line plan

To concur with the House-passed version of the bill, with one non-substantive revision.

Passed 34 to 0 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, supported the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 828, Appropriations: Department of Health and Human Services (amendment)

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 Senate Bill 828, Appropriations: Department of Health and Human Services (amendment)

The amendment failed 13 to 22 in the Senate

Sen. Curt. VanderWall, R-Ludington, opposed the measure.

 2022 House Bill 5781, Appropriations: Department of Education

The House version of a Department of Education budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2022. This would appropriate $415.6 million in gross spending, of which, $302.9 million is federal money, and the rest is from state and local taxes and fees.

Passed 57 to 46 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure

 2022 House Bill 5792, Appropriations: Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

The House version of the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs budget. This would appropriate $537.4 million in gross spending. Of this, $29.6 million is federal money, and the rest is from state and local taxes and fees.

Passed 59 to 44 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure

 2022 House Bill 5789, Appropriations: Department of Natural Resources

The House version of the Department of Natural Resources budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2022. This would appropriate $473.5 million in gross spending. Of this, $93.4 million is federal money, and the rest is from state and local taxes and fees.

Passed 55 to 48 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure

 2022 House Bill 5786, Appropriations: Department of Insurance and Financial Services

The House version of Department of Insurance and Financial Services budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2022. This would appropriate $74.3 million in gross spending, of which $1.0 million is federal money.

Passed 56 to 47 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure

 2022 House Bill 5778, Appropriations: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

The House version of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2022. This would appropriate $122.2 million in gross spending, of which $14.2 million is federal money.

Passed 64 to 39 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure

 2022 House Bill 5790, Appropriations: State Police

The House version of the Fiscal Year 2022-23 State Police budget. This appropriates $1.423 billion in gross spending, of which $537.5 million is federal money. The amount represents a spending increase of well over half-a-billion dollars, including $250 million for jail construction and expansions, $100 million for radio towers, $57.5 million in incentives for police in other states to move here, and more.

Passed 78 to 25 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure

 2022 House Bill 5788, Appropriations: Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

The House version of the Department of Military And Veterans Affairs budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2022. This would appropriate $129.8 million in gross spending, of which $189.8 million is federal money.

Passed 68 to 35 in the House

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, supported the measure
Some people in the state of Georgia in the United States are still waiting for their tax refund to arrive, even though the tax deadline passed some weeks ago.

Although the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues an initial 21-day expected waiting period for money that comes from the federal government, you might understandably be concerned about the whereabouts of your money.

However, in Georgia, it is worth bearing in mind that it can take as long as 90 business days to receive your money from the date of receipt by the Georgia Department of Revenue, as they look to protect citizens from tax fraud.

Any first-time taxpayers who have not filed a Georgia tax return in the last five years can expect to receive a paper check.

Well, one way of checking the progress of your Georgia state refund is to do so online by going to the https://dor.georgia.gov/wheres-my-refund page. Once you are there, you can click on the 'Where's My Refund?' button.

From there, you will have to enter either your Social Security number or ITIN, the amount you expect to receive as a refund, and the tax year. Then, click 'Next' to see the progress of your refund.

Alternatively, you can call between the hours of 8am to 6:30pm from Monday to Friday on 877-423-6711 to find out more about the progress of your Georgia tax refund.

Why is the Georgia tax refund taking so long?

There are a number of issues that could be delaying your Georgia tax refund, such as:
Tesla founder Elon Musk will temporarily act as CEO of Twitter after buying the social media platform for which he will pay a reported 44 billion dollars.

The famous billionaire will be in charge of the company for a just few months. This information was disclosed by CNBC after it was reported that several investment funds and other billionaires will pay 7 billion dollars of the 21 billion dollars that the tycoon pledged to invest in acquiring Twitter.

Tycoons backing Musk

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, financial firm Sequoia, cryptocurrency exchange platform Binance and even a Saudi prince, Al Walid bin Talal, will financially back Musk according to a document filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Ellison will contribute a total of one billion dollars, followed by Sequoia, which will invest $800 million.

Musk sold Tesla shares worth $8 billion

On April 29, it was revealed that the tycoon sold Tesla shares worth 8 billion dollars to pay for the purchase of the social media platform.

Just two days ago, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that Musk plans to sell Twitter in three years.
In the news this week weve got the worlds largest bottle of Scotch whisky, the worlds first asparagus vodka, and a possible definition for American single malt. Its all in the Nightcap: 6 May edition.

Were off the back of another long weekend and hope youre feeling nice and refreshed. This particular writer was attending the Spirit of Speyside Festival, and so Im reinvigorated rather than rested. But even after a weekend of lovely whisky, Ive still got room for a bit of boozy dessert in the form of The Nightcap. Presumably, you do too, which is why youre here. Lets get to it!

The blog this week featured a fantastic beginners guide to Sake by the oracle himself, Richard Legg, an exploration of what makes Balblair whisky unique, and got our hands on Glen Scotias Campbeltown Malts Festival Release 2022. It was also Mexican week here at Master of Malt as we marked Cinco de Mayo by breaking down the difference between Tequila and mezcal, provided some top recommendations, and made the Tequila Sunrise.

But were not done yet. Its The Nightcap: 6 May edition!

Worlds largest bottle of Scotch whisky to go under the hammer

Silly season is in full swing with news that the worlds largest bottle of whisky is due to shatter records at auction. Regular readers of The Nightcap might recall The Intrepid (which refers to eleven of the worlds leading explorers) back in September 2021, and its whopping 5ft 11 size. Holding 311 litres of 1989 Macallan single malt, it overtakes the previous record holders, The Famous Grouse, by 83 litres. Its size has been verified by the Guinness World Records and is the equivalent of 444 standard bottles. When Duncan Taylor bottled it last year it took more than an hour to fill. Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull will put it on sale on May 25 and expect to receive more than 1.5 million, a new record. Auctioneer Colin Fraser said bidders will have the chance to buy a piece of Scotch whisky history, while Charles MacLean provided some tasting notes to give the eventual winner an idea of what theyre buying (assuming they open it, which they obviously wont). He says the whisky is full of baked apple supported by pear in syrup and a suggestion of flaked almond. He adds that it has a smooth texture, and a sweet overall taste with some white pepper in the lengthy, warming finish and a suggestion of French apple tart. A shame he didnt add swanky at the end.

Midleton Very Rare releases 47 year old whiskey

Midleton Distillery has unveiled the third expression in its Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery collection  a 47-year-old whiskey priced at $51,000. We were fortunate enough to taste the first expression in the range, a 45-year-old single malt unveiled in February 2020, which was then followed by a 46-year-old bottling last year. The plan is for there to be another three whiskies to follow every year until 2025, with each expression ranging in age from 45 to 50 years making it Irelands oldest whiskey collection. Chapter Three in the collection is a 47-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey matured in two casks, ex-sherry butt and ex-bourbon barrel, and is said to have notes of forest fruits, sugar-glazed cherries, muscovado sugar, dark roasted coffee with crushed pistachio and hazelnut. The latest bottling is inspired by fire, dating back to 1854 when the largest pot still in the world was assembled at the Old Midleton Distillery and managed by fire men who controlled the temperature. The wooden cabinet the Waterford Crystal the decanter is housed in has markings of the flames that once warmed the old pot still. There are just 97 bottles of whiskey available, so its almost certainly another whiskey none of us will ever taste. Oh well.

Industry groups demand definition for American single malt

Two trade groups have come together to call on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to establish a standard for American single malt whiskey. The Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus) and the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission (ASMWC) have urged the government body to set a new standard, stating the growing category has reached a critical moment as more distillers than ever are labelling their products with this term while there are no formal requirements. The TTB was due to publish a definition for the category in December 2021, the ASMWC said in September after it and Discus submitted official comments to them in June 2019 in support of setting a standard for US-made single malt whiskey as part of TTBs 2018 plan to modernise the labelling and advertising regulations for alcohol. Following the proposal, TTB added a rule-making for American single malts on its semi-annual regulatory agenda in 2021 but it has yet to issue the notice of the proposed rule. The definition put forth by the ASMWC states that American single malts must be made from 100% malted barley, distilled entirely at one distillery, mashed, distilled and matured in the US, matured in oak casks of no more than 700 litres, distilled to no more than 80% ABV, and bottled at 40% ABV or more. Taking more than a leaf from Scotch single malt, and why not? It works for them. Well keep you updated with any developments in this story.

Brewdog creates the Bluedog Blueprint

Brewdog is doing some pr damage limitation marking its 15th anniversary as a business by launching The BrewDog Blueprint  a brand new business model defined by a couple of significant initiatives. One is the Hop Stock Employee Ownership Programme, in which 5% of the company previously belonging to James Watt worth just under 100m will be distributed among salaried team members. This means BrewDog will be more than 25% owned by the people who matter most to us  our incredible team and you, our Equity Punk community, who have been with us every step of the way on this crazy ride, he says. Based on current headcount and valuation, the shares each salaried team member will receive are worth around 120,000. The other initiative is the Bars 50% Profit Share programme, described by the brand as being a pioneering new business model for hospitality. Our BrewDog Bars now share 50% of their profits evenly with the fantastic people who work in them. By sharing 50% of profits with our crew, were setting the bar higher for hospitality workers everywhere, and democratising the benefits of working for a successful business in our industry, Watt explains. These are big moves, and were intrigued to see what kind of impact they have. To learn more about the Bluedog Blueprint, head here.

Glengoyne reveals final expression in the Legacy Series

The award-winning Legacy Series is sadly coming to a close, but before Glengoyne launches its third, and final, expression. The collection, which was made to tell the stories of people who have shaped the distillery over the last two centuries, concludes with Glengoyne Legacy Series: Chapter Three, created in honour of Sir Arthur John Tedder. Sir Tedder, a resident at the Customs House at the distillery between 1889 and 1893 (a beautiful two-story building that is now used for malt intake,) is said to have pioneered an unhurried approach to whisky making, shaping the whisky as its known today. A worthy man to salute. Chapter Three was bottled un-chill-filtered at 48% ABV, and is said to deliver a pleasant waft of creamy vanilla, followed by spicy cinnamon aromas and notes of mixed berries, cutting through an indulgent base of apple strudel and juicy pears. Sounds delightful. Good thing it will be here at MoM Towers before you know it

Heineken to invest 42 million in UK pubs

Heineken is doing its good deed for the week and reaping some top publicity by injecting 42 million in pubs across the UK. The Dutch beer brand is supporting the hospitality industry as part of a plan to upgrade Heinekens Star Pubs & Bars estate. The investment, which will focus on high street pubs serving residential neighbourhoods as well as suburban venues, follows one during the Covid-19 pandemic which focused on the refurbishment of Heineken pubs. Combined, Heineken has now invested 115 million since the beginning of the pandemic, with a total of 660 pubs (more than a quarter of its Star Pubs & Bars business) being upgraded in this latest wave of investment. The group will focus on upgrading outdoor seating areas to mean rising demand for alfresco drinking and dining, while 137 venues will receive a makeover costing a minimum of 125,000. Arguably the best news is that a total of 700 new jobs will be created as a result of the investment, the firm has said. We welcome all the investment the industry can get at the moment, so kudos to Heineken.

World Aperitivo Day to debut on 26 May

We dont ever need an excuse to champion the delights of an aperitivo, or frankly think theres much room left in the calendar for anything else to claim a day, but the humble Italian treat is getting one regardless. A global celebration of the Italian tradition of pre-meal drink has been marked in the calendar for Thursday 26 May, aiming to share a proud cultural touchstone with the world. An online campaign (under #WorldAperitivoDay) will be run in conjunction with a live event in Milan where the Manifesto of the Aperitivo will be presented to the world. The document, developed by leading drinks experts (nobody asked us, but whatever), will define the original Italian aperitivo, and offer commandments concerning what sets the aperitivo apart from the aperitif. The critical factor? It can only be called an aperitivo if at least half of it has been made in Italy. Too right. Plenty of room for international influence and experimentation there, but if theres one thing you dont mess with its Italian recipes. They tend to have thoughts on the matter. The full criteria will be shared on social media to the @aperitivofestival page. Does anyone else really fancy an aperitivo now? Were not waiting three weeks, if you dont mind.

Portobello Road Distillery creates flavoured vodka range

Portobello Road Distillery has been busy in the world of vodka recently, which we predict will only flourish as taste, provenance, and heritage become more a focus for the category. The former is being ramped up in the Notting Hill-based brands latest collection, which is made up of vodkas created using natural ingredients. Eschewing the typical focus of purity, instead character takes centre stage in bottles distilled from 3kg of British potatoes, which create a rich texture enhanced by flavours such as Toasted Coffee Bean, Golden Madagascan Vanilla Vodka, Calabrian Bergamot Citrus, and  in a world first  Asparagus. The latter is the more recent creation, following an original range designed to amplify the nations favourite cocktails including the Espresso Martini, the Cosmopolitan & Porn Star Martini. The distillery intends to release the vodka annually, just after the start of asparagus season, using asparagus grown on Portwood Farm in Norfolk. The vegetable is steeped for 24 hours in British Potato Vodka before being bottled in a limited run of 600 bottles each time. All the bottles will be available soon from our virtual shelves, and having tried the original base Potato Vodka and the Toasted Coffee Bean edition, we can understand why flavoured vodka sales are up 128% in two years. Well reserve judgement on the Asparagus edition for now, however

And finally American brewery creates Putin is a d****head beer

When Pravda launched its #BrewforUkraine campaign on the 8 March with a live-streamed brewing session watched by more than 140 breweries, it open-sourced its recipes so that brewers from around the world could make a brew to help raise money for the country. Naturally, a Putin is a d****head beer has now emerged. Hot on the heels of an Australian collaboration that led to Puck Futin, a beer created to raise money for humanitarian aid and refugees fleeing the war, this new beer mocking Russias leader has been created by the Ornery Beer Company in the US. The brewery has done 3,000 brews using Pravda Brewerys original labels in order to raise funds for the relief effort in Ukraine. Its obviously not a very flattering caricature of Putin Ornery Beer Company CEO Randy Barnett said. Everyone loves this! Obviously, the whole world is uniting around Ukraine and the brewing community is a big community, they want to always be looking to help, were a very charitable group.
MAH CET 2022 eligibility criteria has been released by Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) Government of Maharashtra for MBA admission 2022. The candidates can check below their eligibility to apply for MAH CET 2022 exam.

For MBA admission 2022, CET Cell had opened the MAH MBA CET 2022 application process on March 17, 2022 and the last date to apply is May 11, 2022 till midnight. MAH CET exam dates are from August 23 to 25, 2022. The exam will be conducted in multiple slots as computer based test. MAH CET is the last big MBA entrance exam which offers MBA admission opportunity in 330+ MBA colleges in Maharashtra. Out of more than 132000 candidates who had applied for MAH CET last year, 36142 candidates were finally selected.

MAH CET Eligibility Criteria 2022: Key Points

Following are the major points that determine the MAH CET Eligibility criteria 2022 to apply and appear in MAH CET exam

Applicant must be a citizen of India.

Graduates in General/Open category with 50% marks in any discipline can apply for MAH CET 2021 exam.

Graduates with 45% marks in Reserved category can apply

Final year students of Graduate Courses (10+2+3) whose result will be declared before commencement of admission for academic year 2022-23 can also apply for MAH CET 2022 online exam.

Registration fee for MAH MBA CET exam is Rs.1000/- for all India candidates/open category and Rs.800/- for reserved category candidates

All India category candidates can seek admission in Maharashtra B-schools on the basis of CAT 2021 and CMAT 2022 entrance exams also.

MAH CET Eligibility Criteria 2022 for Maharashtra State (MS) Candidate

There are 4-5 types of category division to get the status of Maharashtra State category candidate. Qualifying on any of these types could place your candidature as the Maharashtra State (MS) candidate. Registering and applying for MAH CET 2022 as MS candidate opens more opportunities and more admission options in MBA/MMS 2022-24 batch in top MBA colleges in Maharashtra.



MS candidate: Type A

MAH CET Eligibility Criteria 2022 for Maharashtra State Type A candidates is as below:

An aspirant who has passed HSC and qualifying examination from Maharashtra state is a Maharashtra Candidate

If the applicant didnt pass HSC but passed Diploma in Engineering / Technology / Pharmacy and any other qualifying examination from Maharashtra State, he/she is to be termed as Maharashtra State Candidate

In addition to this fact, if the Candidate is Domiciled or Born in the State of Maharashtra, he/she is the Maharashtra State Candidate and should mention it while registering and applying for MAH CET 2022 online.

MS Candidate: Type B

MAH CET Eligibility Criteria 2022 for Maharashtra State Type B candidates is as below:

You could be Maharashtra State (MS) Candidate if you or your Father or Mother is domiciled in the State of Maharashtra

It is not necessary that you were born or studied in the State of Maharashtra

In case it is the place of domicile of any 3 of you as shared above, you could reap the benefits of being an MS candidate

MS Candidate: Type C

MAH CET Eligibility Criteria 2022 for Maharashtra State Type C candidates is as below:

If either of your parents i.e. Father or Mother, is an employee of the Government of India or Government of India Undertaking who is posted and reported to duty in Maharashtra State before the last date for submitting the application for admission, you are a Maharashtra State candidate.

If you wish to appear in MAH MBA/MMS CET 2022 as a Maharashtra State candidate and your parents are supposed to report for duty in Maharashtra state but are delaying it, if they report for duty you can apply for MAH CET 2022 as an MS candidate to gain all the benefits of Maharashtra State candidature

MS Candidate: Type D

MAH CET 2022 Eligibility Criteria for Maharashtra State Type D candidates is as below:

An applicant will be considered as Maharashtra State Candidate if his/her Father or Mother is an employee of the Government of Maharashtra/Government of Maharashtra Undertaking or are retired employees of above

Although such employees are usually not posted out of the state, in case they are posted in some other states or are on deputation to some other departments, the candidate would still be considered as Maharashtra state candidate

MS Candidate: Type E

MAH CET 2022 Eligibility Criteria for Maharashtra State Type E candidates is as below:

Candidates passing HSC or passing diploma in Engineering or Technology or Pharmacy and also Qualifying Examination from a recognized institution located in a disputed Maharashtra Karnataka Border area or from Maharashtra, residing in the disputed Maharashtra Karnataka Border area and whose mother tongue is Marathi are MS candidates

All India candidates: 15% to 35% seats reserved

MAH CET Exam Eligibility Criteria for all India category candidates include all the applicants from any part of India provided he/she has obtained required minimum qualification which is graduation with 50% marks.

All the applicants qualifying the MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2022 Eligibility Criteria of all India category have 15% to 35% seat allocation reserved for them. All India category candidates appearing in MAH CET exam are also offered admission on the basis of their scores in All India MBA entrance exams CAT 2021, CMAT 2022

MAH CET Exam 2022 Eligibility & JBIMS Mumbai Admission Eligibility is same

For admission to the MMS batch 2022-24, MAH CET MBA Eligibility Criteria 2022 and JBIMS Mumbai MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2022 Eligibility Criteria is same. JBIMS Mumbai will participate in the DTE CAP 2022 and will offer admission as per the seat allotment process by DTE Maharashtra. JBIMS will accept MAH MBA/MMS 2022 score, CAT 2021 score and CMAT 2022 score for admission. The eligible candidates need not apply to JBIMS, Mumbai separately as the seat allotment will be through DTE CAP round 2022 as per the MAH CET Exam Eligibility Criteria .


Health outcomes for ageing Australians may be improved through new research collaboration as per a study at the Flinders University and Adelaide Primary Health Network (PHN  a not-for-profit organisation, established and funded by the Federal Government in 2015). The venture strives to support the evidence-based implementation of Australia's Primary Health Care 10-Year Plan 20222032 across Adelaide and facilitates rigorous evaluation guided by implementation approaches to evaluate both outcomes for older people and changes of practice.

New collaborative research venture focuses to improve the health of aging Australians, coordinating care to prevent poor outcomes, and incorporating personal experiences into decision making, thereby aiding the community's needs in aging.

Welfare for Aging Community

"This collaboration will go a long way in developing and expanding the translational research agenda in such an important area for our whole community. Adelaide PHN as the industry partner and the Caring Futures Institute as the academic partner, are both organisations that I know are driven by a mission to see better care delivered in our community. Working together we will focus on building research capacity and capability to support the translation of research into practice and ultimately improved health outcomes for older people," says Adelaide PHN's Board Chair Tom Symonds.



Source: Medindia

Advertisement

Prof. Stacey George from Healthy Ageing, Support and Care states that the plan has identified a gap in allied health and nursing services particularly in aged care services."By engaging with industry, government, and other external organisations, we'll be strengthening research collaborations and supporting the recruitment of international and domestic higher degree research students and fellowships. Collaboration with the Caring Futures Institute will provide strategic leadership and vision through the development of research capacity and capability increasing research performance and responding to the needs and priorities of the University and Adelaide PHN with evidence-based results," says Stacey George.
About MHI Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the worlds leading industrial groups, spanning energy, logistics & infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.
The vast majority of organizations are facing "extreme difficulty" finding and retaining qualified workers, a new survey from The Conference Board found Thursday.

However, these challenges no longer spring solely from a lack of manual services workers, as previous trends held. Now, office workers are significantly harder to both find and retain than in 2021. The survey found that 84% of organizations hiring professional and office workers are struggling to find talent, an increase from 60% in April 2021. Organizations struggling to retain office workers rose from 28% to 64% over the past year.

Organizations willing to hire more fully remote workers have increased six-fold since the start of the pandemic, the survey found.

This is the fourth survey in the Reimagined Workplace series, which explores the "long-term impacts of the pandemic on both the workforce and workplace," The Conference Board wrote in a press release.

There was a similar rate of those struggling to hire industry and manual services workers in 2022, currently at 81% compared to 80% in April 2021. There was an increase from 49% in April 2021 to 73% in 2022 of organizations reporting difficulties retaining talent.

Before the pandemic, only 8% of organizations were willing to hire fully virtual employees, now at 49%. However, 38% report they still prefer to hire remote employees who can occasionally commute into the office. Just 4% of companies now require full-time, on-site work.

"Over the last few years, we've seen headline after headline focus on the dwindling supply of manual and trade services workers. But our most recent survey reveals that office and professional workers have become a scarcer commodity," Robin Erickson, vice president of human capital at The Conference Board, said in a statement.

Of surveyed organizations, 90% are now allowing hybrid work while 60% have made working completely remote optional. Of organizations with primarily remote workers, 62% report productivity increases compared to 47% of organizations with employees not working virtually that reported increased productivity.

Of human resource leaders, 57% report they believe productivity has increased since the start of the pandemic. However, 77% of surveyed HR leaders also reported an increase in employees identified as being burned out, up from 42% in September 2020. The number of employees seeking support for mental health, the number of employees identifying as burned-out, the number of hours worked and usage of the Employee Assistance Plan all increased.

The number of vacation days used and levels of employee engagement/morale have both decreased.

"Since the outbreak of the pandemic, employee well-being has declined and burnout is on the rise," Rebecca Ray, executive vice president of human capital at The Conference Board, said in a statement. "To retain workers, HR leaders will need a strong focus on improving the employee experience. That includes both allowing and encouraging employees to integrate their work and personal lives in a way that works best for them."

The survey found that 64% of respondents report that their organizational structure has changed since the start of the pandemic, an increase of 15% since April 2021. Collaborative technology, "genuine caring by managers," transparent communication by leaders and commitment to "corporate social responsibility" have all increased at over 70% of surveyed organizations. More than 60% of organizations report that the "quality of leadership, commitment to innovation, articulation of mission and purpose and an inclusive environment" have all increased, the survey found.

The survey finally found that 25% report the level of trust between leaders and employees has decreased.
MANISTEE  As the war in Ukraine is now in its second month, since the Russian Invasion, humanitarian efforts to assist refugees in neighboring countries like Poland and Romania have come in from across the nation and across the world.

Manistee as a community has also contributed to helping Ukraine. A local couple and some stores have been raising money for Ukraine  and they are not the only ones.

Here are some Manistee County stores, individuals and organizations raising money for Ukraine:

NU2U

NU2U in Manistee has already been inundated with clothes and other items from a donation drive last month for the Slavic Evangelical Church in Traverse City. It will be doing another one this month. The donations list that the church is asking for includes the following:

 Blankets

 Bedding

 Pillows and sheets

 Towels

 Ready to eat meals

 Toiletries for children and adults

 Hygiene items for women

 Stationery items; and

 Diapers for children and adults.

Items can be dropped off at NU2U at 353 River St. from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

GoFundMe

Cynthia and Phillip Knapp, who both live in Manistee Township were scheduled to arrive in Ukraine on May 2, have a GoFundMe.

Cynthia Knapp, who's a retired emergency physician has a GoFundMe called Medication for Ukraine.

"My husband and I are going to Boratyn Poland. This is 12 miles from the Ukraine border. We are working on a building to house 250 refugees. My husband is building a daycare and more housing units in the building. We are working for free and have paid for our flight over, car rental and stay at an Airbnb," Cynthia Knapp wrote the following on her GoFundMe page.

Knapp gave a list of donations that she is asking for:

"What we need money for is medicine and sanitary products. At the broader crossing, there are medical camps, I will be working at one of the camps and at the refugee housing. The medical sites have a need for antibiotics for children and adult medications for high blood pressure and chronic diseases. I am going to buy diapers: adults and babies, sanitary pads, wet wipes, toothbrushes and toothpaste in Warsaw. I am taking medicine and medical supplies with me. Any help would be appreciated," Knapp wrote.

The GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/f/medication-for-ukraine.

A separate go fund called the Durrett-Davies Ukrainian Refugee Childcare Project, for Philip Knapp can be found at gofundme.com/f/Charles-Durrett-housing-for-Ukrainian-refugees.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

As spring finally arrives in Michigan, the season of tourists coming to Huron County to bask in Lake Hurons shoreline comes ever closer.

All these guests coming means that residents have to accommodate them either in hotels, motels, resorts, rental cabins, or other lodging options. As such, this will be the first of a series highlighting the owners of these establishments that work to make guest experiences enjoyable.

The first owners featured are Ryan and Candace Swartz, two lifelong Huron County residents who have owned the Lightkeepers Cottages near the Pointe Aux Barques lighthouse for less than a year. They are not the first owners of the establishment and felt that running these rentals would teach their kids good work ethic.

Can you start off by telling me about yourself?

We are Ryan and Candace Swartz, lifelong residents of Huron County and the owners of Lightkeepers Cottages since late summer 2021. We have two kids, Colten who is 12 and Annabelle, 10. They both attend Our Lady of Lake Huron School in Harbor Beach. Ryan teaches the Public Safety/Law class at the Huron Area Tech Center after previously spending 20 years as a deputy with the Huron County Sheriffs Department. Candace works in supply chain for Corteva Agriscience.

Are you originally from Huron County?

Yes, we were both born and raised here; Candace in Port Austin and Ryan in Harbor Beach. The location of Lightkeepers Cottages is perfectly located between the two!

How long have you owned your rental cottages?

Only since the end of August 2021, so we havent had them a full year yet.

Do you run it by yourself or with someone else?

We run it by ourselves. The kids help with cleaning cabins and taking care of the yard.

Did you buy it from someone else? If so, who from?

We purchased it from Brian and Laura Vogel who had it for about 10 years prior. Almost all of the guest reviews raved about their hospitality, so we are proud to be following in their footsteps.

What made you want to get into hotel ownership?

We looked at these cabins at the end of summer and fell in love with the view. The previous owners told us that the friendships with the guest was the best part. We are both very social people and thought this would be a fun adventure and a great way to teach our kids work ethic.

What do you offer at your establishment?

We have eight cabins, ranging from one-bedroom to three bedrooms, sitting on over 340 feet of lake frontage on Lake Huron. All of the cabins are right on the water, just steps away from the lake, and have phenomenal views.

What work have you put into maintaining your establishment?

We are fortunate that the cabins are in great condition. We will be working on maintaining the property and completing repairs as needed.

How busy is it during a regular tourist season?

We are heading into our first one, so we are hoping its very busy.

Any favorite guests from over the years at all?

The very first booking we got after taking ownership was a man named Dick from Ohio. He was invoice number 00001, which is what we referred to him as when he showed up. We ended up getting to know him pretty well and are still in contact with him, especially anytime U of M is taking on Ohio in any college sport. Go Blue!

Ever have any guests you prefer do not come back?

Weve been very fortunate to have great guests so far.

How long does your season go on for?

All eight cabins are open from May through October, possibly longer if the weather permits. Our three-bedroom cabin, what was formerly the hosts quarters, is open year-round.

What do you think makes your establishment special?

Our cabins were built in the 1940s so our guests love the rustic look and feel combined with all the modern amenities we offer, including free Wi-Fi and smart TVs. You can see incredible sunrises all year long, and wonderful sunsets during the summer, not to mention star-gazing that cant be beat. Best of all, the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse is right next door and visible from our property.

Anything else you want to add?

The area between Port Hope and Port Austin is the Thumbs little secret. The shoreline views are spectacular and the neighbors are second to none. If you havent visited this area, you are missing out.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russias invading forces.

Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March and called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through the end of September.

We are sending the weapons and equipment that Congress has authorized directly to the front lines of freedom in Ukraine, Biden said in a statement. U.S. support, together with the contributions of our Allies and partners, has been critical in helping Ukraine win the battle of Kyiv and hinder Putins war aims in Ukraine.

A U.S. official said the latest tranche of assistance includes 25,000 155mm artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, jamming equipment, field equipment and spare parts.

___

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 50 more civilians rescued from besieged Mariupol steel plant

 UN council backs UN chiefs peace effort in its first action

 Europes farmers stir up biogas to offset Russian energy

 With Ukraines ports blocked, trains in Europe haul grain

 US seeks to downplay role in sinking of Russian warship

 Jill Biden brings thanks, ketchup to US troops in Romania

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

___

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted its first statement since Russias military action began Feb. 24, expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The short statement adopted at a brief meeting Friday does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it. Russia, which holds veto power in the council, has blocked all previous attempts to adopt a statement or resolution.

Instead, the statement expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

During recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv, Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and the Azovstal steel plant where the last Ukrainian forces are holding out along with hundreds of civilians in underground bunkers.

___

ROME  The Italian finance minister has adopted a decree that will impede a mega-yacht from sailing away from a Tuscan port, after investigation indicated the luxury vessel Scheherazade has links to prominent elements of the Russian government.

The finance ministry also said in statement Friday evening that the probe, carried out by Italys financial police corps, found significant economic business links of the beneficial owner of the Scheherazade as well to other subjects included in a list issued in 2014 as part of European Union measures prompted by Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

There have been fears that the 140-meter (459-foot) long yacht, which has been in dry dock in the port of Marina di Carrara, was preparing to sail out of Italian waters soon. Based on the Italian investigation, Minister Daniele Franco adopted a freezing decree regarding the yacht, which flies the flag of the Cayman Islands and which had long been under the attention of the authorities, the statement said.

A few weeks after Russias war against Ukraine began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech to Italian lawmakers, urged Italy to continue freezing assets of Russian oligarchs and officials. He cited by name the Scheherazade, which, according to some reports, belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Italian ministry statement didnt identify the boats owner nor specify who are the prominent elements of the Russian government. But it said the actual owner of the Scheherazade should be included in the 2014 EU sanctions list.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The regional governor says one person was reported dead and three more were injured Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

Russia is killing civilians! On May 6, as a result of Russian shelling, one civilian of the Donbas was killed in Lyman. Three more people were injured, Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post.

The Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, encompasses the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Kyrylenkos claims could not be immediately verified.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  A top official from Ukraines interior ministry has warned against the activation of saboteurs and other criminal elements in the lead-up to Russias Victory Day on Monday.

Speaking to Ukraines state-run Ukrinform agency, First Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin said authorities were carrying out special operations in a number of Ukrainian cities to prevent possible provocations.

We receive information about the potential shelling of peaceful territories, and therefore I appeal to every Ukrainian, especially these days, not to ignore air raid sirens, he added.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

___

Fifty civilians were evacuated Friday from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.

In a statement, the Russian Interdepartmental Humanitarian Response Center says the 50 civilians include 11 children.

Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, also said 50 civilians left the plant without giving a breakdown of how many were children.

Both Vereshchuk and the Russian body said the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal will continue Saturday.

Ukrainian fighters holed up at the sprawling complex are making their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategic port city.

___

UNITED NATIONS  Members of the United Nations Security Council, including Russia, have agreed on a statement expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The council scheduled a meeting later Friday to adopt the brief statement, which would be the first approved by the U.N.s most powerful body since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

It does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it.

The statement, drafted by Norway and Mexico, expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and its last Ukrainian forces holdout at the Azovstal steel plant where hundreds of civilians are also still living in underground bunkers.

The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross have carried out two successful evacuations from Mariupol and surrounding areas so far and are currently trying to arrange a third from the steel plant.

___

Russian state agencies reported that two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Ukraines industrial east both appointed extraordinary ambassadors to Moscow on Friday.

Olga Makeeva, the deputy chair of the legislative assembly of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, was chosen by the territorys Russia-backed government as its representative. Her counterpart from the Luhansk Peoples Republic is Rodion Miroshnik, a foreign policy adviser to the separatist territorys leader.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman condemned the appointments, saying Makeeva and Miroshnik will likely face criminal punishment for high treason.

Its a country of crooked mirrors. Russia has created pseudo-republics. It appointed ambassadors, from itself to itself These diplomats will face the most severe responsibility. As will other traitors, Oleg Nykolenko wrote in a Telegram post Friday.

The Russian foreign ministry has released a statement congratulating Makeeva and Miroshnik on taking office, wishing them success in establishing and developing multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  Officials from Ukraines national security council warned residents Friday against the increased risk of shelling on Sunday and Monday, coinciding with Russias Victory Day celebrations.

A Facebook post published on the profile of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, urged Ukrainians not to ignore air raid sirens.

Since Russian troops cannot boast of any significant achievements on the front by Victory Day, the risk of massive shelling of Ukrainian cities these days is increasing, the post said.

Separately on Friday, Kyivs mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said authorities will not be extending the curfew in Kyiv; one has already been introduced. But street patrols would be reinforced.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

___

AIR FORCE ONE  White House press secretary Jen Psaki says President Joe Biden will meet virtually with other Group of Seven leaders Sunday along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The virtual meeting will occur just before Russias Victory Day on Monday. Psaki says the date of the meeting is significant because it shows the unity of the allies ahead of a day when Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped to mark his victory over Ukraine. But Russia has been bogged down by Ukrainian forces and hampered by financial and trade sanctions.

Speaking Friday aboard Air Force One, Psaki says the G7 countries will discuss the war, its global impact, Ukraines future and building on the existing sanctions.

Psaki says she does not have any additional sanction details to share.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian army said Friday it had made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth.

As a result of the offensive by units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, control was restored over the settlements of Aleksandrovka, Fedorovka, Ukrainka, Shestakovo, Pobeda and part of the village of Cherkassky Tishki, said a Facebook post published Friday afternoon on the official profile of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

___

A village in Russias southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, is being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, the regional governor said Friday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that as of Friday afternoon, fewer than 30 people remained in the village of Nekhoteevka, located directly next to a border crossing.

We have already taken most of the residents to a safe place, he said, adding that five houses had been damaged by shelling. His post featured two photos of what appeared to be the same damaged building.

The accuracy of Gladkovs claims could not be immediately verified, nor did his post specify the number of people currently living in Nekhoteevka. Russias 2010 census referenced the village as having 145 permanent residents.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region accused Russian troops Friday of terrorizing residents of a frontline city as they try to advance across the Seversky Donets River.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai said more than 3,500 residents of the city of Kreminna had found themselves in Russian-controlled territory.

The captured city is teeming with Russian military equipment. Fighting is going on in the vicinity, he wrote. The Russians are terrorizing the population in every possible way: from checking phones to forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots.  Almost every house has been looted.

He added that Kreminna suffered from food and electricity shortages and that mobile communications had been shut down.

The accuracy of his statements could not be immediately verified.

___

SONCHAMP, France  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

Theyll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce biogas. Its among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russias war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes arent  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the worlds breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europes energy dependence.

___

TURIN, Italy  Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestras upbeat, melodic entry for this months Eurovision Song Contest was written as a tribute to the frontmans mother.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland.

Stefania is the most-watched song on YouTube among the 35 national entries that are slated to compete when the Eurovision contest takes place next week in Turin, an industrial city in northern Italy.

While some oddsmakers and data analysts have predicted other contestants will win, the song by Kalush Orchestra is quickly becoming a sentimental favorite.

Ill always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed, Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote in the lyrics for Stefania.

His words have become more poignant as missiles pound Ukrainian cities and villages, forcing more than 11 million to flee since Russia invaded the country.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines deputy prime minister said Friday that 41 more Ukrainians were released that day in a prisoner swap with Russia.

Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram that the 41 people who've been returned include 28 military personnel and 13 civilians.

___

MOSCOW  Russia has no intention of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday, a day after Moscows top diplomat in the U.S. chided Western officials for targeting it with baseless accusations.

Russia firmly abides by the principle that there can be no victors in a nuclear war and it must not be unleashed, Alexey Zaitsev said. He added that Russian nuclear doctrine does not envisage any scenarios for potential strikes which would apply to Moscows military goals in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Zaitsev added that any provocations whatsoever can be expected from Ukraine and the West, and that Russia has to be ready for any development in the media space and directly on the ground.

His statement echoed remarks made by Russias ambassador in Washington on Thursday.

In an interview with Newsweek, Anatoly Antonov slammed what he called a flurry of blatant misrepresentation of Russian officials statements on our countrys nuclear policy. He accused top U.S. military leaders  including the Defense Secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff  of falsely blaming Moscow for escalating nuclear tensions, calling their claims baseless and part of a propaganda campaign against Russia in response to the steps taken to neutralize threats to our national security emanating from the Ukrainian territory.

He also blamed the wider Western bloc for what he called its irresponsible handling of the situation in Ukraine, implying that NATOs rhetoric and continuing support for Kyiv contributed to heightening nuclear tensions.

The current generation of NATO politicians clearly does not take the nuclear threat seriously, Antonov told Newsweek.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russias parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin both asserted this week that Moscow would not use nuclear weapons first.

___

A Russian senator said Friday that Russia will remain forever in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, whose capital has been occupied by Moscows troops since early March.

Andrey Turchak from the ruling United Russia party visited Kherson on Friday, meeting with its Russian-appointed governor Volodymyr Saldo.

I want to say once again - Russia is here forever. There should be no doubt about it, Turchak is heard saying in a video published by Russias state RIA Novosti agency.

We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich thanks to the people who live here, he added.

When asked about the future formal status of the Kherson region, Turchak cautioned against running too far ahead and said that in any case, the status is determined by the residents.

___

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has invited Germanys head of government and its head of state to visit Ukraine on May 9, the day Russia marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Western officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the Victory Day holiday to make an announcement about the war  either declaring a victory or escalating the conflict.

Germany is part of the Western alliance supporting Ukraine, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz has yet to make a solidarity visit to the country. Scholz has traded barbs with Ukrainian officials in recent weeks because of Kyivs refusal to invite Germanys head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whom Ukraine accuses of cozying up to Russia during his time as foreign minister.

Speaking at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Steinmeier and invited both him and Scholz to come to Kyiv.

He said Scholz can make this very powerful political step to come here on the 9th of May, to Kyiv.

There was no immediate word on whether the German politicians had agreed. German Parliament President Baerbel Bas is scheduled to visit Ukraine on Sunday and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is due to visit soon.

___

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country is providing Ukraine with all the support we can give and also take responsibility for in its war with Russia.

Speaking to business leaders in Hamburg on Friday, Scholz said Russia must not gain the upper hand in the conflict, which he described as a war of destruction waged by Moscow against Ukraine.

The German leader said that Russias position as a global power with a seat on the U.N. Security Council means that if (Vladimir) Putin gets away with it then theres a risk of international lawlessness.

___

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still open to negotiations with Russia, but he repeated his position that Moscow must withdraws its forces to their pre-invasion positions.

Zelenskyy told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday that regaining the situation as of the 23rd of February  the day before the invasion  is a prerequisite for talks.

He said in that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally, and Ukraine could use diplomatic channels to regain its territory.

The British government, a key ally of Ukraine, has said Russia must be driven from all of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Despite Russias intensified attack on Ukraines eastern Donbas region, Zelenskyy said there is still space for diplomacy. He said not all the bridges are yet destroyed, figuratively speaking.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of the besieged port city of Mariupol, Zelenskyy said: Mariupol will never fall. Im not talking about heroism or anything  There is nothing there to fall apart. It is already devastated.

___

BERLIN  Police in the German capital are bracing for possible confrontations between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters around the anniversary of the end of World War II.

Berlin police said Friday that security around 15 memorial sites across the city will be stepped up on May 8 and 9, and officers will crack down on any attempts to glorify Russias attack on Ukraine.

The Russian government has tried to portray the leadership in Kyiv as Nazis  a claim both Ukraine and Germany have ridiculed.

Berlins police chief Barbara Slowik said authorities have banned the use of Russian or Ukrainian flags, the playing of military music or the wearing of uniforms or the orange and black ribbon of St. George showing support for the Russian military anywhere near the memorial sites.

German news agency dpa quoted police saying that some 3,400 officers will be deployed throughout the city on both days.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Elkton residents Chase Murphy and Amber Lohr are fans of nostalgia, and that love led them to start collecting Pepsi and Coca-Cola signs from the 1950s a couple of years ago.

It seemed like everywhere we looked, we just found more and more things that we love, and we realized we wanted to share that love with other people, Murphy said.

Their new hobby and appreciation of Americana eventually made them want to share that love with others, and theyre now doing that after opening The Blue Rose Antiques and Collectibles on Main Street in Elkton earlier this month.

Blue Rose features a wide selection of antiques, collectibles and resale items, including clothing, toys, furniture and more. All items have been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. In addition to their physical location, the Blue Rose will be selling on Facebook Marketplace and Etsy, as well.

Running the Blue Rose will be a full-time job for Lohr, who in addition to being an entrepreneur is also a full-time mom. The store takes its name from daughter Kennedy Rose, who has blue eyes.

The Blue Rose will have selected times people can drop off unwanted items, and Lohr and Murphy plan to increase the variety of items offered. They want their shop to have a good rotation of new things coming in.

We think that that'll be hugely successful for us, Murphy said. We want to be able to offer a little bit of everything or everyone and at reasonable prices. (Our idea is) why look online when you can find it here? It's local and we'll beat that price.

With several new businesses opening in downtown over the past few years, Lohr and Murphy are looking forward to becoming of part of Elktons business community and keeping Main Street vibrant and healthy.

We're really excited to be here in Elkton, Murphy said. Elkton is coming alive.
Senior Services of Midland had a special guest from Lansing visit their facility on Friday.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel stopped by for lunch and a tour of Senior Services.

Senior Services is a private, non-profit that has been serving the community since about 1965, offering community, fitness and other services for residents over the age of 50. The facility operates under the state Agency on Aging, which in turn operates under MDHHS, said Charlie Schwedler, Executive Director for Senior Services.

Schwedler said he believes this is the first time an executive director of MDHSS has visited the facility.

This is a pretty big deal for us to showcase what we do here and how we serve the citizens of Midland County, Schwedler said. We are pretty proud of it, and we want (Hertel) to know how great of a staff we have and how great of participants we have.

Schwedler said 60% of Senior Services funding comes from a Midland County millage, with the rest coming from state and federal funds, United Way and service fees. The state and MDHHS supports a number of programs through funding, Hertel said, with aging support services being a big piece of what the department supports financially.

Hertel, who visited multiple locations Friday, said she felt it was important to see how those funds are being used at the local level, how many people are using them and gives the department a chance to learn how it can improve what is being done at the state level.

She was given a tour of the facilities various amenities, including the cafeteria, transportation department and fitness room. Hertel also got to learn about Senior Services support with meals on wheels, dementia assistance and fitness classes.

Hertel called the Senior Services facility amazing. When asked about the importance of senior facilities, Hertel said she was pleased to see local organizations addressing issues like food insecurity and caregiver support.

Happy Mother's Day from MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel April 8 is Mother's Day, and the Daily News got a chance to ask a few questions to Elizabeth Hertel, Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) about her experiences with motherhood. Go to ourmidland.com and read what she had to say. See More Collapse

It is great to see many people have somewhere to go, Hertel said. We know social isolation is a real concern, especially for people as they age and especially coming out of the pandemic. Having a safe place for people to go and connect with other people is really important.
MECOSTA COUNTY  Mecosta County officials and residents had the opportunity to get to know the new Mecosta County Development Corporation director, Kelly Wawsczykk, during a meet and greet hosted at MichiganWorks! this week.

Wawsczykk, was hired by The Right Place, Inc., an economic development organization, to oversee economic development in Mecosta County in April.

I want to thank the previous investors (in MCDC) for sticking by our side through this transition, Wawsczykk said. We are motivated and moving forward with collaboration, integrity and confidentiality as we work to meet the needs of Mecosta County businesses.

Wawsczykk said she grew up on the border Newaygo and Mecosta counties, and Big Rapids was the go-to place for whatever they needed  groceries, medical services, and many other things  so Mecosta County is like home to her.

Wawsczykk worked at District Health Department No. 10 for 12 years, covering Mecosta, Lake and Newaygo counties. As project coordinator for the Newaygo County Regional Educational Services Agency and the Headway Coalition, she worked with many community sectors, including law enforcement, community mental health, schools, medical facilities and city officials, in collaborating to bring resources together for the greater good of the people and businesses of the county.

I stand here as the new executive director of the MCDC powered by The Right Place, Inc., Wawsczkyy said. The Right Place serves current and prospective businesses providing a one-stop assistance for location, innovation and growth. When looking for business growth resources, it can be difficult to know who to contact and when, but through the partnership with The Right Place, Inc., all those resource are brought together for business owners to take advantage of.

We look forward to this whole partnership to bring you those resources and collaborate on growing the local economy, she said.

Over the next few weeks, Wawsczykk will be visiting with businesses, individuals and city officials to learn more about the economic needs of the county.

During what I am calling my listening tour, I hope to meet with individuals where they are with a listening ear, she said. I plan to gather information about your wants, your needs, your struggles and what makes you feel better. Afterward, I will pull in my team and work to provide resources to assist you in moving forward.

Former MCDC director, Jim Sandy, retired in May 2021. County officials established a search committee to find a new director, and after several weeks made the decision to contract with The Right Place, Inc.

Mecosta Township supervisor Michelle Graham told the Pioneer at the time that the committee decided contracting with The Right Place better suited their needs going forward.

The Right Place, Inc., which now works with eight counties in Western Michigan, provide services such as marketing and branding; business attraction, retention and expansion; site location support; workforce development; community education and outreach; community development support; regional leadership and support; and competitiveness initiatives statewide.
Michigan officials have released their 2022 Eat Safe Fish guides and there are several notable updates to what fish could pose health risks to humans if ingested.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released the 2022 regional Eat Safe Fish Guides on Monday. The guides are designed to help Michiganders plan their fish consumption to minimize exposure to chemicals that can build up in fish, while still getting all the health benefits of eating fish.

Chemicals in fish are a worldwide problem that is not limited to Michigan and other Great Lakes states. Seafood from fish and shellfish that spend time in contaminated waters can contain chemicals that are harmful to human health. The chemicals most commonly found in fish are mercury and PCBs.

Additionally, perfluorooctane sulfonate, better known as PFOS, and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, have been found in fish from certain bodies of water in Michigan.

PFAS, called "forever chemicals" because they last so long in the environment, have been associated with serious health conditions, including cancer, reduced antibody responses to vaccines, reduced birth weight and possibly more, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

The chemical bonds dont degrade or do so only slowly in the environment and remain in a persons bloodstream indefinitely.

"It is important to note that fish from some areas in Michigan are more contaminated than others," the MDHHS stated in a Monday press release. "By using the Eat Safe Fish Guides, Michigan consumers can be confident that they are making informed choices about eating the fish they catch from their local lake or river."

The regional guides are based on levels of chemicals found in the portions of fish that people eat  typically the filets. Test results from the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories are used to determine what is safe for people to eat over the long term. Unlike the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Michigan Fishing Guide, the MDHHS Eat Safe Fish guidelines are not laws or regulations.

Anglers in southeast Michigan should pay attention to a recent update. A Do Not Eat advisory has been issued for bluegill and sunfish caught in the Lower Branch of the Rouge River and the Main Branch of the Rouge River from the Ford Estate Dam to the Detroit River.

Bluegill and sunfish were collected from these parts of the river in 2021 and analyzed for harmful contaminants. Due to high levels of PFOS and PFAS, MDHHS recommends that people avoid eating bluegill and sunfish from this stretch of the Rouge River.

Other species of fish collected in 2019 and 2021 from this same stretch of the river were found to be contaminated with PFOS, but not at levels that call for a Do Not Eat advisory, according to MDHHS.

Another update includes the lifting of the Do Not Eat fish advisory for most fish species from the stretch of the Huron River where it crosses I-275 in Wayne County to the river mouth at Lake Erie, including the Flat Rock impoundment.

Fish consumption guidelines are still in place for the following species:

Bluegill and sunfish have a recommended eight servings per month due to PFOS.

Catfish have a recommended one serving per month due to PCBs.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass have a recommended four servings per month due to PCBs and mercury.

Rock bass still have a recommended Do Not Eat advisory due to PFOS.

Pregnant women should especially be aware of how much fish they're consuming due to the possibility of mercury building up in fish, the United States Food and Drug Administration suggested.

You can't remove mercury from fish by cleaning and cooking, according to the MDHHS. And the type of mercury built up in fish, methylmercury, can pass through the placenta, exposing the developing fetus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infants born to women who were poisoned with methylmercury had developmental abnormalities and cerebral palsy.

MDHHS also produces the Buy Safe Fish Guide to help residents choose seafood that is lower in mercury from local grocery stores, fish markets and restaurants.

The Eat Safe Fish Guides and Buy Safe Fish Guide are available online at Michigan.gov/eatsafefish.
BIG RAPIDS  The Big Rapids Department of Public Works organized a meeting this week for business owners and residents to field any questions they have about an upcoming project to explore water lines in the city to identify lead or galvanized pipes.

The meeting was held Thursday, May 5, and highlighted the pros and cons of the project and how the city may tackle them. The project would focus mainly on the pre-1950 service line area, mostly the downtown area, where lead gooseneck and galvanized service lines were used.

Cody Wyman, a DPW engineering technician, led the meeting. He said the city wants to identify and address every pipe it can.

What we have is all these galvanized lines in town that we know nothing about, Wyman said. It took us a lot of digging through record books and records and maps to figure out what we had. We came up with 2588 water service lines in Big Rapids, and we've started looking at what point we start upgrading to ductile iron with copper distribution lines.

I'm sure you guys have heard about Flint and Benton Harbor and things like that with their high levels, he added. This is why the state's kind of required us to figure out what we have and come up with a plan to get rid of them by a certain date."

The city of Big Rapids maintains a water distribution system of over 60 miles, of which few segments remains from the first water works of 1871. Before the 1950s, lead pipe, or gooseneck piping, was used to connect galvanized pipes to the distribution system. The city has been working to remove the lead pipes from the system since the 1960s during system upgrades and for the replacement of leaking galvanized water service piping replacement with Type K Copper tubing.

Wyman gave some background during the meeting on how the exploration process has progressed.

We knew that we had 1,037 that we had to come up with and find, Wyman said. The first year, we got lucky in the water tax, we're keeping track and keeping records of what we had in our systems. That year we replaced 47, and the second year we replaced 49. This last year, we explored 60 sites and found that 16 of those need to be replaced, and we have those recorded. So there were 181 left.

Wyman explained that the city now knows there are 528 pipes that there is little knowledge of in terms of erosion level or replacement needs.

The city is working with Pipetek, USI, in doing the exploration

MINIMIZING THE FOOTPRINT

Also in attendance was Mike Hagan, a representative with Pipetek's underground infrastructure services, who said the project will use modern technology to work with the concrete.

What we'll be doing is using a technology called hydro excavation, Hagan said. It's a large vacuum truck with high-pressure water on it, kind of like a power washer, where we can break up the ground and suck out that dirt to really minimize the footprint that we're using out there. Essentially, our goal is to dig down about a foot in diameter hole straight down to the water service and identify the materials from there.

Through that process, we'll dig downfield to verify the material, he added. Take pictures of them so that you guys have them for your records moving forward, and then backfill and restore the grass and then that small kind of foot diameter area.

The locations of the goosenecks are not known by record, but the city estimates there to be around 200. The total number of water services connected to the distribution system exceeds 2,400.

Wyman said they are hoping to work with area businesses to ensure the least amount of disruption.

We're hoping to get some ideas of what times aren't the busiest, Wyman said. We're going to leave the downtown area for the end of the project. We're going to try to do the best we can to figure out a program and what works on the outskirts of the town area when we get downtown.

The city is looking at two options for continued exploration and replacement of pipes for the downtown area. One would involve removing concrete squares individually and utilizing hydro excavation, or two, boring holes into the concrete to then hydro excavate the material. Either option does not avoid disruption, according to Hagan.

It would be a matter of what's convenient, Hagan said. I know it's never convenient, but we want to know how we can disrupt business and everything else the least amount in doing this work. The (coring) technology has been around, and there's a supplier that has the equipment and everything that I've looked into.

There was some concern from attendees about the coring method with epoxy filling cracking due to frost, but Hagan said there shouldnt be any major issues with breakage. The equipment for the coring is similar to the equipment used in manhole drilling.

Moving forward, the exploration will continue and workers will be moving around the city to identify piping.

According to Hagan, some residents and business owners may see markers.

We'll be communicating with Cody to schedule for what we have anticipated doing, Hagan said. Before we can actually do anything by law, we still have to do a MISS DIG ticket. So theyll go out there and locate some utilities for us, and there may be some markings on the properties. When you see those kinds of markings, thats kind of a one-week notice we're going to be on the property in the next couple of days.

MISS DIG is Michigan's only utility safety notification system and allows companies to request public utility lines to be marked safely.

The majority of the galvanized pipes will be identified for replacement in 2023.

For more information on the project, visit cityofbr.org or call 231-592-4020.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Town of Fairfield proclaimed April 30 National Therapy Animal Day in honor of Pet Partners.

The Pet Partners teams make millions of visits each year to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices.

Their therapy animals partner with human companions to bring comfort and healing to people who are in need of it.

Visit petpartners.org for more information about Pet Partners.

Annual Dogwood festival to return this spring

The Town of Fairfield Dogwood Festival is returning this spring for its 85th anniversary. It will be held this weekend at the Greenfield Hill Congregational Church, at 1045 Old Academy Road in Fairfield.

The event will be from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

There will be food, music, activities for children, and arts and crafts vendors.

People will also be able to enjoy the spring weather and admire the towns historical dogwood trees.

Visit greenfieldhillchurch.com/dogwood-festival/ for more information.

Birdathon returns for fifth year

The Fairfield location of the Connecticut Audubon Society is going to have its fifth annual Migration Madness Birdathon event May 13 through 15.

Some events are scheduled at the center at 314 Unquowa Road in Fairfield. People can also bird watch and take pictures on their own for other competitions.

There will be a friendly competition to see as many species as possible in the state. All skill levels will be welcome. People will be able to participate on their own, or with family and friends, or form a team.

There will be prizes for adults, young bird enthusiasts, teams and schools, along with the annual Birdathon photo contest.

Donations will support the conservation work throughout Connecticut.

There will be an entry fee of $10. People 12 and under are free.

People can also ask their friends to make a pledge to support the Birdathon event.

Visit ctaudubon.org for more information, to sign up or be a sponsor.

Fairfield U. continues summer enrichment program

Fairfield University will recruit and train up to 500 college students for the second year in a row to provide meaningful educational experiences for youths this summer as part of the Connecticut College Corps.

The program started last summer in response to Gov. Ned Lamonts plan to provide experiences to students in kindergarten through 12th grade who had academic school years disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is offered in collaboration with the Connecticut Office of Higher Education, the Connecticut State Department of Education, and other public and private higher education institutions across the state.

Lamont announced in April that the state will dedicate $8 million of federal American Rescue Plan funding to continue the program.

Fairfield University is actively recruiting undergraduate college students who attend school in Connecticut and Connecticut residents who attend college out of state to work as corps members for seven weeks. They will receive training from Fairfield faculty.

Those interested in the program are asked to visit fairfield.edu/collegecorpsct to learn more and apply.

The deadline to apply is May 10.

Fairfield Theatre Company announces 10th annual encore gala

The Fairfield Theatre Company is going to host its 10th annual Encore Gala event from 7 to 11 p.m., May 14, in the Warehouse at the Fairfield Theatre Company, 70 Sanford St.

The theme of the event is Lets Eat, Drink and Cut Loose.

The evening will feature cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a Rock n Stroll dinner by the On The March catering company, live music, art, film, theater and culture. There will also be a silent auction.

The festivities will continue after the dinner with Eggsperience in the Warehouse, including members of Eggy, and special musical guests.

Proceeds from the annual event enable the theater to further enrich the community by bringing the very best in arts, and entertainment to Fairfield County.

Individual tickets, and sponsorship packages are available.

Visit encoregala.com for updates, and ticket information.

Visit fairfieldtheatre.org for more information.

Fairfield professor elected president of American Theological Society

John E. Thiel, a long-time professor of religious studies at Fairfield University, will serve as president of the American Theological Society in the 2023-24 academic school year.

The society is the oldest theological society in North America. It meets annually at the Princeton Theological Seminary and is limited to 100 elected members at any given time.

Thiel has taught at Fairfield University for 46 years. He was also a visiting professor of religious studies at Yale University. Hes received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and has also previously served as the president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Thiel has also written books and articles.

League of Woman Voters to present legislative wrap up

The Fairfield League of Women Voters will present a 2022 legislative wrap up, from 10 a.m. until noon on May 14 at the Fairfield University Dolan School of Business event hall, 1037 N. Benson Road.

Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for coffee, and light refreshments.

The public will listen to their legislators and ask questions of them.

The event is free and open to the public. It will feature state Sen. Tony Hwang, and state Reps. Laura Devlin, Jennifer Leeper and Cristin McCarthy Vahey.
The state will no longer have the ability to claw back money that formerly incarcerated people win through lawsuits  unless individuals were convicted of certain serious crimes.

Legislators considered a bill this session that would have eliminated the states authority to collect so-called prison debt if the formerly incarcerated came upon a windfall via lottery winnings, inheritance or a lawsuit. But despite receiving a lot of media attention throughout the session, the bill did not get called for a vote in the House or Senate.

That was an important bill to us, given the impact on all communities, particularly communities of color, said Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven and co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, which held a public hearing on the bill and passed it out of committee.

But a provision of the budget lawmakers approved in the waning days of session reins in the states ability to charge people for having spent time in prison or jail. Now, the state can still take money gained through the lottery or inheritance, but it can take money awarded in lawsuits only if an individual is currently or was previously incarcerated for capital felony or murder with special circumstances, felony murder, first- and second-degree sexual assault, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, or aggravated sexual assault of a minor.

The measure also provides a $50,000 buffer for the currently incarcerated, providing them a possibility of holding onto some of their funds.

If you have a million bucks, [the state] is going to rob you blind, but youre going to be left with $50,000, said Dan Barrett, legal director of the ACLU of Connecticut, describing a scenario that a currently incarcerated person could now face. But if they were convicted of one of the listed crimes, you will not even be left with the $50,000; theyll take it all.

Barrett, whose organization has an ongoing lawsuit with the state over its prison debt practices, said that before the budget passed, the state had an array of ways it could collect debt from people who were released from prison, taking money they gained from lawsuits or inheritances, or property the formerly incarcerated leave to their loved ones.

Thanks to the law change, Barrett said, the state will not be able to take money from lawsuits, but the rest of the options remain on the table.

So, anyone who is inheriting money, anyone who has managed to save some money and wants to pass it along to their kids, and anyone who wins the lottery, theyre unaffected by the amendment, said Barrett.

The state deciding it is no longer going after peoples lawsuit winnings is a huge development, Barrett said. Think of somebody who gets out of prison and they get hit by a car crossing the street. What does that have to do with their prison debt?

Winfield said carving out people convicted of certain serious crimes is a part of the negotiating required to get the budget through the legislature.

There has to be agreement for things to go in the implementer, he said. There is a thought in the General Assembly among some that the people who have committed that class of crimes, no matter where they are in life, are forever who they were when they committed those crimes. And the way we deal with them is reminding them on a daily basis, no matter what theyve done, that they cant do anything more.

Winfield pointed out that some are individuals who served their time in the prison system and have since been released, but we cant wrap our heads around the fact that someone could have committed a terrible crime and still be a human being.

Advocates have been working for years to get rid of prison liens. Daee McKnight said he and Fred Hodges, both of whom work for Family Reentry/Community Resource for Justice in Bridgeport, have been advocating on the issue for the past decade. McKnight said they worked with a broad coalition this session  including Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, Quinnipiac Law School Professor Sarah Russell, Rep. Steven Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, and Winfield  to get the measure passed.

McKnight, who served 17 1/2 years in prison, said such liens keep formerly incarcerated people, who already have a hard time finding work because of the stigma of a criminal record, trapped in poverty.

The majority of people in prison come from impoverished communities, he said.

McKnight received money from lawsuit settlements from two separate car accidents after he got out of prison in 2005. He said the state came after him both times, taking half the money he received for his injuries.

Whatever award youre given is not a windfall. Its supposed to make you whole, because you were injured, he said.

The language in the budget implementer is progress, McKnight said, and he is grateful  but he hopes that one day the state ends prison liens against everyone, including those convicted of those serious crimes.

This is about ending economic sanctions that youre putting on poor people, he said. When you exclude a certain group of people, then it appears to be just what it is, which is a punishment.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

MIDDLETOWN  Dozens of students at Wesleyan University participated in the Reproductive Freedom Protest on Thursday outside the Usdan University Center in reaction to the anticipated overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The event was organized was in conjunction with protests from over 30 different campuses across the country, including Connecticut College, Amherst College and Middlebury College.

The collaboration was started by a student at Hamilton College, Dewayne Martin, who reached out to Annika Shiffer-Delegard, who leads the student group Wesleyan Reproductive Advocacy & Legislation.

Martin invited Wesleyan students to join their efforts.

Attendees were encouraged to wear green in solidarity as a nod to the Marea Verde (Green Wave) movement that brought groundbreaking reforms and progress in reproductive health and rights in Latin America.

At the protest, organizers, university staff and Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim addressed the crowd. Students were also invited to come up and speak.

Amy Du, one of the organizers, acknowledged the feeling of futility surrounding some protests, but noted the importance of solidarity and creating a space to process the decision together.

A lot of people on this campus wonder what is the good of protesting when it feels like we have no choice in this matter, because its a decision thats being made at the level of the Supreme Court, Du said. But were all here together to show support for one another, to acknowledge each others experiences and hurt in this event.

Yongxi Tan, a recent graduate, shared her experiences growing up in China, and how, because of the one-child policy, her mother had to terminate her pregnancy.

She was forced into an abortion, deprived of her own rights to decide what she wants for her body, Tan said. The pain that my mother went through is the exact opposite  yet, ironically  the same pain that so many women in America are going through and might go through in the near future, of the government taking away their reproductive rights

The last thing people need right now is the judgment coming from a legislator who doesnt even have a womb, and zero ideas of how their policy could ruin someones life, Tan added.

Livia Wallick, an alum and assistant director of annual giving at Wesleyan who sits on the board of the Tampa Bay abortion fund, shared a number of resources with the group.

Theres three things I would like you to take away from today, she said. The first is ineedana.com, where you can find information about where to get an abortion. Theres a lot of misinformation out there and misleading websites when you search I want an abortion online, so ineedana.com can help you find care.

The second, Wallick said, is the National Network of Abortion Funds information on every abortion fund in the country. If you or a friend need help accessing an abortion, need help paying for it, need child care, transportation, thats where to go, she added.

The third, she said is plancpills.org, where people can find up-to-date information on how to access the same abortion pills given in a clinic  online.

Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Victoria Pitts-Taylor also spoke, reading the National Women Studies Association statement on the leaked Supreme Court decision draft.

Although the protest was organized in conjunction with other colleges nationwide, Wesleyan organizers have tangible goals that they hope to achieve.

One is providing abortion pills at the Davison Health Center, Shiffer-Delegard said. We also need more comprehensive [sexually transmitted disease] testing and sexual health resources on campus. Thats something that goes hand in hand.

Shiffer-Delegard also noted the importance of abortion funds -- which provide direct financial and logistical assistance to those seeking an abortion who cannot afford it. There is currently no statewide abortion fund in Connecticut, however the REACH Fund of Connecticut is trying to establish one.

Abortion funds are mutual aid, and we all have something we can give, whether its driving people to a clinic, whether its child care, whether its providing tampons and pads and other stuff for people who are housing insecure, Shiffer-Delegard said. Thats what it is and thats the energy were going to try and bring into this movement.

Florsheim, who serves on the board of Pro-Choice Connecticut, emphasized his commitment to the cause.

We have to keep fighting, and, if were going to stand for anything in politics, in organizing, its the right for everybody for every person to have self-determination, Florsheim said. This is what this is really about. Economic self-determination, self-determination over your body, self-determination over your future.

Editors note: Hannah Docter-Loeb is a student at Wesleyan University.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden marked Cinco de Mayo on Thursday by honoring the impact that Mexican Americans and other immigrant communities have had in the United States as he hosted a White House party with Mexico's first lady as the guest of honor.

Beatriz Gutierrez Muller, wife of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, joined Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the Rose Garden reception that featured tables draped in orange, blue, lime-green and other party colors.

We are an immigrant nation. We say that, but people act like they don't believe it," said Biden who briefly left the podium to personally greet Gutierrez Muller. That is our strength.

The president urged lawmakers to approve an immigration overhaul he sent to Congress his first week in office that remains stalled. He said that if that measure does not pass, action could still be taken on smaller initiatives that have bipartisan support, including protecting people brought to the United States illegally as children.

About 100 attendees ate steak tacos, pork tamales, empanadas, ceviche, jicama salad and watermelon, as well as chocolate-dipped churros. Margaritas on the rocks, beer and other drink options, were also served, as a chef mashed avocados for guacamole in a large molcajete.

The day marks Mexico's triumph on May 5, 1862, over the French in the Battle of Puebla, where Mexican soldiers beat back Napoleon III's forces despite being vastly outnumbered. Cinco de Mayo has become more popular in the United States than it is in much of Mexico. It gives Mexican Americans a chance to celebrate Mexican heritage, but the day also is heavily promoted for commercial purposes by beer and snack companies.

Our relationship with Mexico is special," Jill Biden said, adding, Joe always says that politics is personal. And Im grateful to continue building our friendship.

U.S. presidents from both parties have tried to use Cinco de Mayo to celebrate the contributions of Mexican-Americans  a growing and powerful voting bloc.

The exception was President Donald Trump, whose centerpiece campaign promise before his 2016 election was vowing to wall off the entire U.S.-Mexico border. The 45th president didn't attend Cinco de Mayo ceremonies, though he released statements, including one in 2018, that hailed the significant contributions of Mexican Americans to the United States.

Trump also tweeted about the holiday before being banned from the social media site. As a candidate in 2016, he wrote that I love Hispanics while lauding the taco bowls on the menu at the Trump Tower office building in Manhattan.

Last year, Biden commemorated the day by visiting a Washington taqueria that had benefited from Biden administration program to help eateries that lost business because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Boeing Co. said Thursday it will move its headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area, where company executives would be closer to key federal government officials.

The company said it will use its campus in Arlington, Virginia, as its new headquarters, and it plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area.

The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders, and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent, Boeing CEO David Calhoun said.

The move marks a win for Virginias Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who campaigned last year on a promise to bring new businesses and jobs to the state.

The decision to call Virginia home shows that the Commonwealth is the premier location for aerospace companies," Youngkin said in a statement. I look forward to working with Boeing to attract even more talent to Virginia especially given its reputation for engineering excellence.

Youngkin retired in 2020 as co-CEO of private equity giant the Carlyle Group. He was personally involved in discussions about the move and had a prior business relationship with Calhoun, who also was an executive in the investment industry, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.

A spokeswoman for Virginia's economic development agency said the project will not receive any state incentives, nor will it receive any from Arlington County, a spokeswoman there said.

Boeing is a major defense contractor, and the move will put executives close to Pentagon leaders. Rival defense contractors including General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are already based in the D.C. area.

Company executives would also be near the Federal Aviation Administration, which certifies Boeing passenger and cargo planes.

Boeing's relationship with the FAA has been strained since deadly crashes of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, in 2018 and 2019. The FAA took nearly two years  far longer than Boeing expected  to approve design changes and allow the plane back in the air. Certification of new Boeing planes will take longer too.

The company has suffered financial setbacks in building a refueling tanker for the Air Force. And it has been hurt by the pandemic, which undercut travel and demand for new planes. Boeing lost $1.2 billion in this year's first quarter.

Boeing's roots are in the Seattle area, and it has assembly plants in Washington state and South Carolina. The company moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001 after an unusually public search that also considered Dallas and Denver.

Cai von Rumohr, an aerospace analyst for Cowen, said there were advantages for Boeing moving its headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area  or back to Seattle, where leaders again would be closer to the companys important commercial operations.

Chicago does nothing for them, von Rumohr said.

Boeing had 142,000 employees at the end of 2021, including 12% based outside the United States, according to a regulatory filing. The filing did not say how many work in Chicago.

Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with consultant AeroDynamic Advisory, said Boeing's Chicago work force is minimal, making the move easier.

Boeing said it would maintain a presence in Chicago and the surrounding region and did not say how many additional employees would begin working in Virginia.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, which investigated Boeing and the FAA after the Max crashes, criticized Boeings move to be closer to federal policy makers.

Boeing should focus on making safe airplanes, not lobbying federal regulators and Congress, he said.

Meanwhile, many of Virginias elected officials celebrated the news.

Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw called it one hell of a catch.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Boeings decision was a testament to Virginias skilled workforce and strong national security community.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, also a Virginia Democrat and a former entrepreneur and investor, indicated the deal had been in the works for quite some time.

For well over a year, Ive been making my case to Boeing senior leadership that Virginia would be a great place for its headquarters, and late last year, I was happy to learn that my efforts were successful, he said in a statement.

In an interview, Warner said he thought the new headquarters would reinforce Virginia's prominence as a home for businesses but that the research and technology hub might have an even longer-term economic impact.

The company's statement thanked both Youngkin and Warner.

Boeing will be following in the footsteps of Amazon, which decided to put a second headquarters in Arlington. Last month, local officials approved Amazon's plans to erect a 350-foot helix-shaped building.

Boeing's decision was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

BRUSSELS (AP)  Records amounts of cocaine are being seized in Europe while manufacturing of the drug is now taking place inside the the European Union, officials in charge of fighting and monitoring drugs use in the bloc warned on Friday.

More than 214 tons of cocaine were seized in Europe in 2020, a 6% increase from the previous year, and experts from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) believe that amount could reach 300 tons in 2022.

With a market retail value estimated at 10.5 billion euros in 2020 and about 3.5 million European citizens reporting having used it in the past year, cocaine is the second most used drug in the EU after cannabis.

Its availability in Europe has never been higher, with extremely high purity and low prices.

While most cocaine manufacturing still occurs in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, EU experts are worried by the processing now taking place inside the 27-nation bloc, particularly in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands.

Between 2018 and 2020, 45 illicit production laboratories were discovered in the EU.

Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, Laurent Laniel, a scientific analyst at the EMCDDA, said that cocaine powder is often smuggled from South America to Europe in carrier materials such as charcoal and plastics, then extracted in local laboratories.

Alexis Goosdeel, the EMCDDA director, said the availability on the continent of large amounts of cocaine base and paste increases the risk of seeing new forms of highly addictive crack emerging on European markets.

We are now facing a growing threat from a more diverse and dynamic drug market that is driven by closer collaboration between European and international criminal organizations," he said. This has resulted in record levels of drug availability, rising violence and corruption, and greater health problems."

The expansion of the cocaine market also saw a rise in violence and corruption in the EU, with fierce competition between traffickers leading to a rise in homicides and intimidation.

Violence nowadays is a key feature for criminal organizations to make sure that they are the strongest in their business area," De Bolle said. The violence has also a direct impact on citizens on the streets because we see people dying on the streets in the European Union."

EU experts also looked at the growing methamphetamine market, which has been spreading in recent years after being initially concentrated in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In 2020, a total of 215 methamphetamine laboratories were dismantled in the region, according to reports from nine EU countries.

According to Europol, the EU agency for law enforcement, European manufacturers of synthetic drugs are working in cahoots with Mexican cartels to increase production.

We see a clear link, Europe-Mexico," said Europol's executive director, Catherine De Bolle. Mexican people, drugs criminals from the cartels are active on the European soil. Chemists from Mexico come to the European Union because they are specialized in the production and in the use of methamphetamine. So we see that they are active in the labs."
A man found guilty of distributing heroin and fentanyl for a Waterbury-based drug network was ordered to serve more than four years in prison Wednesday, according to federal prosecutors and court documents.

A federal judge in New Haven sentenced Marbin Jimenez, 33, of Waterbury, to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl in November 2021.

The charge stemmed from a larger investigation into the drug trafficking organization. According to federal prosecutors, Jimenez, who was also known as Rabia, was a redistributor.

The organization, led by Nestor Sosa-Ortiz, received large quantities of heroin and fentanyl from suppliers in Connecticut and New York. Members of his organization would then sell the drugs throughout New Haven County, according to Leonard Boyle, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

The Drug Enforcement Administrations task force in New Haven and the Waterbury Police Department started investigating Sosa-Ortizs organization in February 2016. They used wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of narcotics throughout the investigation, court records state.

In May 2019, Sosa-Ortiz was arrested in New York City on a separate federal heroin and fentanyl trafficking charge. While incarcerated, he used smuggled cell phones to control his drug network and call various co-conspirators, including his sisters, Boyles office said.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 15 members of the Sosa-Ortiz drug trafficking organization with conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl in November 2019. A 16th defendant was added in January 2020, according to Boyles office.

Jimenez was later identified as a redistributor for the drug network, working with Sosa-Ortiz from May to October 2019, according to court documents. Investigators discovered that Jimenez was a supplier of heroin for Sosa-Ortiz in the past, according to court documents.

Investigators conducted three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Jimenez. In July 2020, a confidential source received a sample from Jimenez containing about 3 grams of fentanyl. Later that month, the source bought 49 grams of fentanyl from Jimenez for $2,500. In August 2020, the confidential source bought almost 100 grams of fentanyl from Jimenez for $5,000, according to court documents.

Jimenez was arrested on Aug. 31, 2020. Investigators also searched his home and found almost 152 grams of fentanyl concealed behind sheetrock in a bedroom closet, as well as kilogram presses, digital scales and a drug ledger, court documents state.

He has been detained since his arrest, according to Boyles office.

Jimenez pleaded guilty on Nov. 1, 2021 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

Sosa-Ortiz pleaded guilty to in July 2020 and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 5.
ATLANTA (AP)  Republican David Perdue has made election fraud the centerpiece of his run for Georgia governor. But if he hopes to win in this year's midterm elections, his supporters will have to use the same democratic system he says they shouldn't trust.

The only way to win a rigged election, he says, is to turn out in such high numbers that the Democrats can't get away with cheating.

If we get out the vote, if everybody votes, we will win, Perdue told his audience at a campaign speech last month.

Across the nation, Republicans who have embraced discredited conspiracy theories about the 2020 election are attempting a similar high-wire act: campaigning for votes by preaching skepticism about elections.

For GOP contenders, it's a tricky calculus. If they continue spreading former President Donald Trumps lies that the election was stolen, they risk undermining faith in democracy and having their supporters stay at home. But those who reject Trumps false claims face the wrath of the former president and his supporters, who wield sizable influence in many GOP primaries.

The tactic of campaigning on a distrust of democracy can confuse voters on whether their vote matters or not. Joe Kent, a Republican running for Congress in Washington, said voters sometimes ask him why they should bother voting at all, if elections are rigged. Kent said he believes Trump won and has said he would work to overturn President Joe Biden's win if elected, even though there is no legal mechanism for doing so.

I dont have a perfect answer for you, is what Kent said he tells voters who say they no longer trust voting. I wish there was a remedy. If you buy into Its all rigged and Im not going to vote, we are 100% going to lose.

In the 18 months since Biden defeated Trump, other issues have bubbled up to compete for the attention of candidates and voters: inflation, the bloody exit from Afghanistan, Russias invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and debates over vaccines and masks in schools.

Trump's false statements about the election, meanwhile, have been roundly disproved  by courts, law enforcement, elected election officials from both parties, and independent investigations.

We need to move on to solving problems for citizens, said Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican from southwest Washington state facing a primary challenge this year from Kent. Beutler has said she supported Trumps right to bring legal challenges, but theres no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Beutler is one of 10 House Republicans who supported Trumps second impeachment. She also voted to certify Biden's election victory, making her a major target for Trump and his supporters.

The former president began spreading doubts about the 2020 election years before the first votes were even cast, saying he would only accept the results if he was the victor. He's spent the last year and a half repeating those same claims, despite an absence of evidence. Now, he's using his power within the GOP to punish candidates for being insufficiently loyal.

When Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, a stalwart Trump backer, told a crowd of Trump supporters that it was time to move on from 2020, he was jeered. Trump ended up pulling his endorsement of Brooks in Alabamas Senate race.

He wanted the election rescinded and a do-over, Brooks later said. But theres no legal way to do it.

Many Republicans have leaned into Trumps conspiracy theories. In Missouri, Rep. Billy Long, who is running for the U.S. Senate, released a 30-second ad claiming the Democrats rigged the election. YouTube later removed the ad from its platform for violating its rules on misinformation.

In Texas, one survey of 143 Republican candidates for Congress this year found that only 13 stated that Biden was the elections rightful winner.

Georgia is perhaps the best example of how Trumps self-serving conspiracy theories continue to resonate with Republican voters, and the candidates hoping for their support.

Republican turnout in Georgia dropped in the January 2021 runoffs amid Trumps barrage of voter fraud claims in his own election defeat, leading many Republicans to conclude that Trumps messaging cost their party control of the Senate when Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock beat Perdue and fellow Republican Kelly Loeffler.

Perdue, now running for governor at Trumps behest, has made election fraud the centerpiece of his challenge to incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue and Trump blame Kemps refusal to attempt to overturn Trump's defeat in Georgia during the 2020 campaign for their losses.

In his campaign speech, Perdue pledged to eliminate Georgias Dominion voting machines, which Trump has falsely accused of flipping votes against him. But Perdue also said concerns about the machines shouldnt discourage Republicans from voting, noting that Democratic-leaning Virginia elected Republican Glenn Youngkin with votes recorded on Dominion machines.

Let's give you some hope. In Virginia, we just elected a Republican governor using these same machines, Perdue said. How did we do it? Well, Trump told people, he said: Look, they fixed some rules. We still use the machines. Its not perfect yet, but we can overwhelm it if we all get out and vote.

Perdue has also touted Republican efforts to recruit more poll watchers, saying they will help prevent fraud, although Perdues accusations have focused on the disproven claim that fraud in Georgia centered on absentee ballots that were returned in drop boxes.

Running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia, Herschel Walker has taken a different tack, saying he doesnt want to look backward at the 2020 election. During an April 20 interview with radio station WDUN-AM in Gainesville, Georgia, Walker acknowledged concerns about election fraud among Republican voters. He sought to reassure voters that Georgias restrictive 2021 election law will put to rest worries about absentee ballots by requiring driver license numbers on ballot applications and by limiting ballot drop boxes.

I dont know if there are problems with the 2020 elections, Walker said. One thing I have to worry about right now is that Im going to have a fair election, and that people can believe in our election when I run.

Surveys indicate that many Republicans have harbored doubts about Biden's win, skepticism that has been encouraged by Trump and his allies on cable TV and talk radio, along with conspiracy theories and misinformation spreading online.

Distrust of American institutions was already increasing when Trump began telling his supporters that the election was rigged if he lost. The COVID-19 pandemic then prompted many states to rush out new vote-by-mail rules that alarmed some conservatives and prompted even more falsehoods from Trump.

When the votes were counted, large numbers of those mail-in ballots helped tilt the outcome in states like Pennsylvania and Georgia toward Biden.

They view what happened in Pennsylvania and Georgia with suspicion, said Daron Shaw, a former campaign strategist and polling expert who now teaches at the University of Texas. But it was their guy who said dont vote by mail. Voters take their cues from partisan elites, but instead of pushing back on this (voter fraud claim), the party elites have acted as an accelerant.

___

Klepper reported from Providence, R.I.

___

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate will vote next week on legislation that would codify abortion rights into federal law as Democrats mount their response to the Supreme Courts leaked draft decision that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

The procedural vote, scheduled for Wednesday, will mostly be symbolic and once again show the limits of the Democratic majority in the 50-50 Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., does not have the necessary 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster and move ahead with the bill, which means the effort is certain to fail. But he said members of both parties need to go on record about where they stand.

Next weeks vote will be one of the most important we ever take, Schumer said Thursday. Because it deals with one of the most personal and difficult decisions a woman ever has to make in her life.

He insisted that bringing a bill to the Senate floor, after a similar measure failed in February, is not an abstract exercise. The House passed legislation protecting abortion rights in September.

The Democratic leader is hoping to put every single member of his conference, as well as Republicans, on record on abortion rights as both parties deal with the political fallout from the leaked draft opinion that would overturn the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. A final ruling, in a case from Mississippi, is expected this summer.

Democratic leaders, lacking the support needed to change Senate rules and pass an abortion bill on a majority vote, have signaled they intend to take the fight to voters during the campaign leading to the November election. Schumer noted that Republicans have been working for decades to bring about the end of Roe v. Wade.

Come next week, Senate Republicans will have to answer for everything theyve done over the years to embolden the hard rights hostility against a womans choice, Schumer said. The vote will tell next week, America will be watching."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who joined pro-abortion activists in protest on the Supreme Court steps Tuesday, reiterated how crucial it was  not just for her colleagues across the aisle, but for those in her party  to face voters on whichever decision they choose to make next week.

Its about pressing everyone at every level of government, federal, state and local, to acknowledge what it will mean if women have to resort to back-alley abortions or to taking off days off work that they cant afford to get access to a medical procedure that has been guaranteed as a matter of constitutional right for nearly half a century, Warren said Thursday.

Republican lawmakers have long been laser-focused on the high court, installing conservative justices intent on revisiting abortion and other social issues, including three ushered to confirmation by Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky during Donald Trumps presidency to build the courts solid 6-3 majority.

GOP lawmakers have focused their ire on the rare leak of the draft opinion, calling it a brazen attempt to pressure the justices into changing the ruling.

Urging the justices to stick to their process, McConnell promised that senators would have their backs, no matter what.

On Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was supportive of Democratic efforts to codify a right to abortion into federal law, but was pessimistic about its chances in the current Congress.

He did not feel we had the votes at this point in time, Psaki said. But certainly providing a moment for people to voice their view and voice their strong opposition to overturning Roe v. Wade is something we support Leader Schumer doing.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that a measure to protect voting rights, similar to one scheduled to be voted on next week in the Senate, failed in February, not in March.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
Ron Chapple / Getty Image

NEW LONDON  Two firefighters were sent to the hospital with minor injuries after battling a structure fire at a historic inn Tuesday afternoon, according to the New London Fire Department.

The fire department was called to the Light House Inn on Guthrie Place at 2:40 p.m. The first engine to arrive noticed smoke coming from the second floor and called for additional resources, according to the fire department.
29th Workshop on Space Technology for Socio-Economic Benefits:

"Access to Space for All: Bridging the Space Divide" In partnership with the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Paris, France, 16-17 September 2022, in conjunction with the 73rd International Astronautical Congress Venue: Paris Convention Center, 1 PL de la PRTE de Versailles Paris, 75015, Paris

INTRODUCTION

The United Nations, through its Programme on Space Applications implemented by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) are co-organizing the Workshop on Space Technology for Socio-Economic Benefits on the theme "Access to Space for All: Bridging the Space Divide" to bring together policy- and decision-makers, and the research and academic communities to discuss on different topics related to space and how space science, technologies and applications can support of sustainable economic, social and environmental development and the development of science, technology and innovation (STI) policies related to space.

The Workshop will be held in Paris, France, from 16 to 17 September 2022 in conjunction with the 73rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), and it will be the 29th in the series of such workshops.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

The Workshop will provide a forum for discussion on how space science, technologies and applications can support of sustainable economic, social and environmental development and the development of science, technology and innovation (STI) policies related to space and leveraging the Access to Space for All Initiative. Considering the direct and/or indirect relevance of space to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the workshop will address the specific elements of SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), in addition to SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals). The Workshop will serve as a platform to ensure inclusive development in the areas of space technologies taking people, students, private sectors, researchers, academia, innovators and other actors on board in bringing the benefits of space exploration to the end-users. The main objectives of the Workshop are to: Bring together policy- and decision-makers, and the research and academic communities to help integrate space into policy and the decision-making process. Raise awareness about the activities of international and national entities, space agencies, industry and civil society activities related to innovation and socio-economic benefits of space activities; Raise awareness about capacity-building efforts on activities to enable access to space and discuss synergies and common areas of work; Raise awareness of the efforts of the international space community on international cooperation efforts and partnerships involving space emerging nations and industries; Presentations made during the Workshop will be published on the website of the Office for Outer Space Affairs to increase awareness about the capabilities and benefits of space technology applications. The report of the Workshop and its recommendations will be distributed to the participants and the space technology user community.

PROGRAMME



Opening Ceremony

Session 1: Heads of Governmental Space Actors on Innovation, International Cooperation and Socioeconomic Benefits of Space

Governmental Space Actors bear the most responsibilities to serve social and economic development using space technologies and bring the benefits of space all over the world. The Access to Space for All Initiative works with various governmental actors to bring the access to space opportunities to United Nations Member States with particular attention to developing nations, to bridge the space divide.

Session 2: Session: Introduction to Access to Space for All

Access to Space for All is a joint initiative of UNOOSA and space agencies, research institutions and industry to offer access to space research facilities, infrastructure and information with the aim of developing technical know-how, engineering processes and infrastructure in the areas of hypergravity and microgravity, satellite development and space exploration and promote international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. This session will be focusing on the introduction of different elements of the Access to Space for All Initiative.

Session 3a: Science, Technology and Innovation from Hypergravity and Microgravity Experimentation

The Hypergravity and Microgravity experimentation aims at developing the knowledge, engineering processes and human workforce to conduct basic science and technology experiments in hypergravity and microgravity conditions. It works as the foundation of space technology and space exploration. Hypergravity and Microgravity experimentation contains ground facility experimentation and in-orbit experimentation, research outcomes, innovation ideas and cooperation efforts are welcome in this session.

Session 3b: Science, Technology and Innovation from Satellite Development

This session provides a chance in exchanging ideas on satellite development efforts, including educational efforts for developing technical know-how, engineering processes and satellite development case studies. Developing nations are especially encouraged to submit in this session.

Session 3c: Science, Technology and Innovation from Space Exploration

Thanks to an inclusive approach implemented by many space-faring countries, several developing, and space emerging nations are also delving into space exploration. Space exploration efforts by international and national entities, space agencies, industry and civil society, reveal the latest and future approaches toward space exploration are welcome in this session.

Closing Ceremony

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Specific workshops on filling in Access to Space for All Application forms would be held depending on number of participants and available resources.

REGISTRATION

Interested parties are requested to apply through this link.

The deadline for applications is 30 June 2022.

WORKING LANGUAGE

The working language of the Workshop will be English. All participants are required to have good English language skills.

SPONSORSHIP

The Office for Outer Space Affairs of the United Nations and IAF are responsible for organizing the Workshop. Sponsorship of the workshop is still open to other interested entities. Interested parties may contact Mr. Jorge Del Rio Vera, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

EXPECTED PARTICIPANTS

The Workshop is being planned for a total of 100 participants including, engineers, innovators, educators, and policy- and decision-makers and senior experts from the following groups: international, regional, national and local institutions, United Nations agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, research and development institutions, and also from industry. Participants should be in senior managerial or decision-making responsibility at governmental agencies, national and regional institutions, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations or industry. Applications from female applicants are particularly encouraged.

Participants funded by the Office might be eligible for a waiver on the IAC 2022 registration fee of the IAC.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Within the limited financial resources available, a limited number of selected participants will be offered financial support to attend the workshop. This financial support will defray the cost of travel (a round trip air ticket - most economic fare - between the airport of international departure in their home country and Paris, France) and/or the room and board expenses for the duration of the workshop. The co-sponsors of the workshop will jointly select participants on a competitive basis. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome within two weeks after the deadline.

LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE

Life/major health insurance for each of the selected participants is necessary and is the responsibility of the candidate or his/her institution or Government. The co-sponsors will not assume any responsibility for life and major health insurance, nor for expenses related to medical treatment or accidents. Please pay attention to the online application form when registering for the Workshop.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For additional information on the Workshop programme, please contact: Mr. Jorge Del Rio Vera or Ms. Hazuki Mori, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

The focal point for IAF is Ms. Isabella Marchisio
An updated program from the federal government offers free or discounted internet to many Americans, including many active duty families, veterans and their survivors.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), administered by the FCC, replaces the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program which, while open to more people, was a temporary program enacted during the COVID-19 crisis. It ended March 1, 2022.

Who Is Eligible?

Those eligible for the ACP include those receiving other federal benefits, such as:

A VA Veterans Pension

A VA Survivors Pension (also known as Death Pension)

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or food stamps

WIC (Women, infants and children) assistance

Medicaid

Free or discounted school lunch or breakfast

Pell grants

Supplemental security income (SSI) from Social Security

Those with an income that is at twice the federal poverty guideline or lower are also eligible. That includes a family of four earning no more than $55,500; a family of two earning no more than $36,620 or a single person who earns no more than $27,180. There are higher limits in Alaska and Hawaii.

Persons who have a Lifeline phone can also apply for the program. Others may be eligible as well; for more information, see the ACP website.

Even if you aren't eligible under these existing stipulations, you may be eligible for the program if you are eligible for discounted internet from your service provider.

What The Program Provides

The ACP program will pay up to $30 monthly ($75 for those residing on tribal lands) directly to the internet provider. That means if you have a discounted program like Internet Essentials from Comcast, the nation's largest internet service provider, it may cost you nothing as a participant in the ACP program.

The ACP program also provides a one-time discount of up to $100 to cover the cost of a device to access the internet. This can be a laptop or desktop computer or a tablet computer. It does not include mobile phones, large phones or "phablets" that can make mobile calls. The participant must contribute a portion of the total cost, and the device cannot cost more than $150. Many providers offer these devices at a large discount to low-income customers; for instance, Comcast's Internet Essentials program offers a choice of a windows or chromebook laptop computer for $149.99.

There is a limit of one device per household.

How to Apply

You can apply directly to the government, but in many cases, it may be easier to contact your local internet provider directly to see whether they participate in the program. The FCC has a list of all internet providers participating in the program to assist you in finding a local provider.

Either way you apply, be aware that lots of documentation will be required with your application. You need to show proof of eligibility: either a benefits letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or another qualifying agency; proof of address; copies of identification documents and other documentation. If you are applying based on income, you may need to submit copies of tax returns or other documents.

Stay on Top of Your Veteran Benefits

Military benefits are always changing. Keep up with everything from pay to health care by subscribing to Military.com, and get access to up-to-date pay charts and more with all latest benefits delivered straight to your inbox.
Blake Stilwell is a columnist for Military.com.

In the more than two years since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, veteran entrepreneurs and military-affiliated businesses are showing many of the same challenges that face businesses nationwide.

Although many veterans were able to adapt their businesses in some way to pandemic-related restrictions, finding good employees and the loss of regular customers still creates issues for many of those businesses, according to a recently released study from Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).

But perhaps most importantly, the 2021 National Survey of Military Affiliated Entrepreneurs, released in April 2022, also reveals that access to capital is still the top barrier facing new and existing veteran-owned businesses.

The 2021 survey included 220 questions, with more than 2,600 veteran and military-affiliated entrepreneurs responding. It also tracks responses from the individuals year over year, offering a long view of conditions and changes. Questions in the survey covered individual and business information, metrics and attitudes, and gauged access to networks, resources and mentorship. It also asked about local and economic factors for individual businesses and the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.

About 87% of participants said they were able to adapt their businesses to pandemic restrictions, with about 56% noting those same changes brought them additional opportunities.

Yet, 64% of respondents still reported losing business during the pandemic. And even more said they lost good employees during the same time period, noting that finding replacements has been even more difficult in the aftermath.

Although labor has always been an issue for veteran entrepreneurs, the ongoing "Great Resignation" has caused more and more veteran employers to list finding labor as a major barrier to business growth. That lack of employees has propelled the issue to a close second behind the veteran entrepreneur's perennial top issue: access to capital.

The majority of entrepreneurs responding to the survey reported feeling stressed about their businesses' financial situation, whether they were a startup or looking to grow. Both required some kind of financial support during the survey period.

Many of those were sustained by the CARES Act Disaster Loans and Paycheck Protection Program, but many found that taxes and federal regulations and policies were also significant barriers to entry and growth. Sixty-three percent of those who did seek federal funds reported that it wasn't helpful for their business.

About 27% of respondents weren't able to secure funding for growing their business at all, and 32% of those seeking financing from a creditor or lending institution were turned down. For 71% of new startups, capital came from their personal or family savings accounts.

Many business owners, 66%, relied on business or personal credit cards to grow or start up during the pandemic period, with half of those having almost all of their business debt on credit cards. Veteran entrepreneurs reported an average of more than $191,000 in business debt in 2021.

Venture capital, crowdfunding and the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) fund are the least-used sources of capital among veteran entrepreneurs. CDFI funds are sources of capital set aside by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for distressed communities. They offer funding and information, but 66% of respondents reported not knowing what CDFI fund sources are, even though they can be ideal for startups requiring less than $75,000 in capital.

The IVMFs survey was also meant to help veterans by providing a checklist of actions entrepreneurs and stakeholders -- family members, business partners and investors -- can take in mitigating some of the issues uncovered annually on page 78 of the final report.

These potential solutions include increasing awareness of CDFIs in the veteran community, utilizing available resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration and finding technical assistance through business incubators. Other groups, like The Institute for Veterans and Military Families have published resources also meant to steer veterans to help for their businesses.

Though the survey's results might seem to spell doom and gloom for new and existing veteran entrepreneurs, it does report that most veteran businesses were prepared or somewhat prepared for the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic and that half of those who responded say the pandemic had no effect on their desire to start or grow their business.

Previous IVMF studies have shown that veterans are more likely to own a business than nonveterans and tend to out-earn non-veteran entrepreneurs. Their military experience tends to give them a higher degree of independence, high self-efficacy and self-confidence, and shows they make good decisions, even in chaotic environments. All of which are traits that make vets good business owners.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.
Boeing will move its global headquarters to Arlington, Virginia, a stones throw from the Pentagon, the defense contractor announced on Thursday in a statement.

After more than 20 years at its current home in Chicago, the aerospace and defense firm will also build a new research and technology center in Northern Virginia.

The defense giant follows other top military contractors who over the last three decades have assembled nearer to the nations capital to accelerate their chances of securing major Pentagon deals.

Read Next: What the Military Records of the Oath Keepers' Leader Actually Say About His Service

"We are excited to build on our foundation here in Northern Virginia, Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a press release. The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders, and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent.

Boeing said it will continue to maintain a presence in Chicago and the surrounding region, but not everyone was happy about its decision to head to the Washington, D.C., metro area.

Boeings decision to leave Illinois is incredibly disappointing, Illinois two senators said in a joint statement.

Boeing is not, however, the first major defense company to move its corporate office in order to be closer to the Pentagon. Lockheed Martin found its home in Bethesda, Maryland, when the Lockheed Corporation merged with Martin Marietta in 1995. General Dynamics moved to Northern Virginia in 1991. Most recently, Northrop Grumman opened its headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia, in 2011.

While Boeing has some office space in Arlington already, the headquarters move has reportedly long been in the works and got some direct help recently from Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The decision to call Virginia home shows that the Commonwealth is the premier location for aerospace companies. I look forward to working with Boeing to attract even more talent to Virginia, especially given its reputation for engineering excellence, Youngkin said in a statement on Thursday.

The trend for major industry players to be physically close to Defense Department officials is built on the same idea that has pushed defense contractors to spend millions on D.C. lobbying firms -- lucrative procurement contracts are easier to secure when federal decision makers are within reach.

A Pentagon report released in February highlighted the state of competition in the defense industry and its consolidation since 1990 from roughly 51 main aerospace and defense contractors to now five. The report encouraged more competition within the defense industry, providing recommendations to increase opportunities for small business participation.

In the short term, however, the industry will continue to be dominated by a handful of rival defense firms.

Boeing has been searching for ways to boost its financial standing against its competitors as it continues to grapple with the challenges posed to the airline industry by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being one of the largest defense contractors by revenue, in the first quarter of this year, Boeing reported a $1.2 billion loss. It is also dealing with the aftermath of losses from an Air Force One jet deal.

Aside from providing troops with satellites and strategic missiles, Boeing is a leader in the commercial aircraft industry. With the corporate move in place, the company will soon likely be competing against other companies, like Amazon, which is building its second headquarters in Arlington, to hire talent across Northern Virginia.

Details on the transition, including incentives offered by the commonwealth of Virginia, have not yet been released.

-- Jonathan Lehrfeld is a fellow at Military.com. Follow him on Twitter @lehrfeld_media.

Related: Boeing CEO Laments Deal with Trump for Air Force One Planes
U.S. Army Alaska will be redesignated as the 11th Airborne Division this summer, and the force will be reintroducing the patch used decades ago, but with an Arctic twist.

The original unit, deactivated in 1965 and nicknamed "Angels," fought in the Pacific theater in World War II. It was eventually turned into an air assault test unit as the Army was drawing up helicopter tactics. Alaska's upcoming patch is identical to the old patch used until the division was disbanded, but with an "Arctic" tab on top of the airborne tab.

Right now most of U.S. Army Alaska's 12,000 soldiers wear the 25th Infantry Division patch. That division is based in Hawaii and is commonly associated with its specialty in jungle warfare, the opposite of Alaska's mission, gearing for combat in subzero environments. Its command element wears a unique bear patch that will also be replaced.

Read Next: Army Creating Second Paratrooper Division as Service Forges New Identity for Arctic Troops

Army tabs can both be awards, such as the prestigious Ranger tab, or simply be a part of a unit patch's design, such as the 10th Mountain Division.

The new Arctic tab for U.S. Army Alaska, which is being redesignated as the 11th Airborne Division.

Yet what is unique about the upcoming 11th Airborne Division's design is that the arctic tab is an award given to soldiers who complete Alaska's 11-day Cold Weather Leaders course, which teaches must-need survival skills in the frigid environment.

However, that award is unique in that it is geographically recognized by the Army, with soldiers only authorized to wear it in the Pacific region, mostly in units based in Alaska and Hawaii. The Army's Jungle tab has similar limitations.

It's unclear what impact the move to making the Arctic tab universal for the Cold Weather Leaders Course will have, but introduction of a unique patch to Alaska troops has been seen as a critical part of giving those units a distinct identity.

"We are going to be a division once again, unlike any other division in the Army -- with a unique mission and purpose," Maj. Gen Brian Eifler, commander of U.S. Army Alaska, said in a video on his Instagram. "We'll align, all of us under one patch, one unit, one identity."

This is the 11th Airborne Division patch that Alaska soldiers will start wearing soon.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Breakdowns, Ripped Clothing and Dying Batteries: Army Commits to Arctic But Still Figuring Out What Soldiers Need
A drill sergeant at Fort Lee, Virginia, has been fired from his position after being arrested in March on felony charges of soliciting prostitution with a minor as part of a police sting operation.

Staff Sgt. Cody Osmun was assigned to Alpha Company, 832nd Ordnance Battalion, and was tasked with training new soldiers coming into the Army. In addition to his drill sergeant duties, he is a Bradley Fighting Vehicle system maintainer.

Osmun, who was assigned to Fort Lee in 2020, was fired after his arrest on March 31, according to a spokesperson for the installation. He was charged but has not been convicted of any crime. The arrest came as part of a weeks-long operation by local authorities in Chesterfield Country, Virginia, just south of the capital Richmond.

Read Next: He Hinted at Hardened Service, but Oath Keepers Leader's Military Records Don't Back That Up

He was one of 16 people caught by law enforcement in a series of sting operations over the last month, according to reporting from WHSV 3. The suspects converged at a location where they thought they were meeting with a minor for paid sex, but it was a trap set by authorities.

Osmun has numerous criminal infractions, mostly traffic violations, stretching back a decade, according to court records.

However, in May 2021, he was arrested and found to have been driving with a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit. His license was suspended for a year, and he was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, according to court documents.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: What a General's Court-Martial Means for the Military's 'Old Boys' Club'
On Jan. 6, 2021, Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, leader and founder of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia group, was prepared to give an order he had no experience in giving.

That day, William Todd Wilson, a military veteran and one of Rhodes' acolytes, dutifully stored a rifle, a pistol, 200 rounds of ammunition, body armor, and a camouflaged uniform in his hotel room before heading to the U.S. Capitol, according to Wilson's account of that day included in court documents released Wednesday.

The arsenal was to be retrieved "if called upon to do so" -- a directive that would have come from Rhodes, according to the filing, the man who built his militia on the recruitment of current and former service members and their subsequent allegiance to him.

Read Next: What a General's Court-Martial Means for the Military's 'Old Boys' Club'

The recruitment pitch, often peppered with military jargon, was grounded in cryptic descriptions of Rhodes' own military service and a warped interpretation of the military's core ethos, painting the militia leader as a grizzled veteran keen to take up arms to defend his view of America.

But a copy of his Army retirement paperwork reviewed by Military.com reveals previously undisclosed details about Rhodes' career that show a soldier who served quietly and relatively unremarkably, despite the central role his military career plays in the fabric of the Oath Keepers. He was honorably separated from the Army after serving two years and seven months on active duty, leaving at the rank of specialist with a "temporary" physical disability, according to the document.

The Jan. 6 plot that his group hatched, as outlined in federal charges that have led to three guilty pleas from other Oath Keepers, leaned heavily on what they believed were elite military tactics. Militia members stored weapons across Northern Virginia, and "quick reaction force" teams were ready to storm the Capitol on Rhodes' orders. The court report referenced the Oath Keepers' use of a "stack" method, a military room-clearing formation that experts have pointed to as evidence of the Oath Keepers' inflated sense of capability.

Rhodes has pleaded not guilty to the sedition charges.

Over half of the Oath Keepers arrested that January -- including Rhodes -- had prior military service, something that Rhodes actively sought in public recruiting pitches that leaned on his own background.

"We need prior military, LEO, security professionals, skilled martial artists, emergency medical, communications, and intelligence personnel," wrote Rhodes in an archived blog post titled "Oath Keepers Deploying to DC to Protect Events, Speakers, & Attendees on Jan 5-6: Time to Stand!" posted two days before the attack on the Capitol.

"On your feet!" he wrote in November 2020 in a call to march on D.C. after the 2020 presidential election. "Stand up, hook up, check equipment ... and shuffle to the door my brothers and sisters," he added -- a reference to airborne military procedures, ones he experienced himself more than three decades ago. He signed off the blog post, in part, as both "Founder of Oath Keepers" and "U.S. Army Airborne disabled veteran."

Those messages were consistent with Rhodes' angle since founding the Oath Keepers in 2009. He used prior military service, including his own, as a rallying call to his members, actively recruiting veterans, requesting their own military records, and instilling a quasi-military culture in his acolytes by requiring militia members to take a reinterpreted version of the military oath of enlistment -- the result of which led many to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Tasha Adams, Rhodes' estranged wife, said in an interview that, when she met Rhodes in 1991, five years after he was separated from the Army, he was assertive and intelligent, but unsatisfied with how short his military career was.

"He identified heavily [with the military] even then," she said. "He wasn't happy that he wasn't able to be a career military person still, even years later."

So far, six of the 11 January arrestees tied to the Oath Keepers plot have confirmed military service, consistent with the militia's propensity to recruit military and law enforcement veterans. Rhodes even requests a DD-214 -- an official document that gives a summary of a service member's time in uniform -- from potential recruits, according to the Oath Keepers' website.

Andrew Mines, a research fellow at The George Washington University's Program on Extremism who focuses on those with military experience at the Capitol insurrection, told Military.com "the legitimacy that he brings to the movement when he tries to claim the prestige of our military is definitely outsized."

Screenshot of the Oath Keepers' website archive from November 2020 showing the military oath of enlistment.

Rhodes entered active duty on June 28, 1983, according to his own DD-214, reviewed by Military.com. During his service, he earned his parachutist badge; an Army Service Ribbon indicating he had completed his basic and initial training as an airborne infantryman; and two Army Achievement Medals, the most basic award "for meritorious service or achievement while serving in a non-combat area," according to military regulation.

He earned a "sharpshooter" qualification on the M16, the Army's primary rifle at the time of Rhodes' enlistment. Sharpshooter indicates that Rhodes successfully shot anywhere from 30 to 35 targets out of 40 potential targets on a controlled range, the middlemost qualification for the Army's rifle testing.

Mines told Military.com that militia groups often base their credibility on being tactically elite, with observers tending to "fixate" on alleged skills, but "when you talk to folks with a military background, it's really run-of-the-mill stuff. There's no 'wow factor' there."

Rhodes' last duty assignment was with E Company, 60th Infantry Regiment. The regiment transferred to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in 1996 as a basic training unit. He also earned a $5,000 enlistment bonus.

Rhodes separated from the Army in 1986. His record also notes almost eight months of "inactive service," which could indicate time in the National Guard or Reserve components but does not state so explicitly.

The record characterizes his separation as a retirement, but it does not state the specific incident that caused his separation, nor does it indicate which veterans benefits, if any, he received because of it. The record is unsigned by Rhodes, but shows his name, date of birth and Social Security number.

By Rhodes' account, he joined the Army out of high school, according to an archived biography on the Oath Keepers' website, which has served as the basis for most public knowledge about his service. Rhodes attended basic and initial paratrooper training until stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and then Fort Lewis, Washington, where he was "disabled in a rough terrain parachuting accident during a night jump," according to the biography. That biography didn't detail how long Rhodes served.

One of Rhodes' lawyers, Jon Moseley, confirmed the Oath Keepers founder's length of service and that he was separated in January 1986 after a training accident. Between 1986 and1989, he was going through the "bureaucracy" of getting disability benefits, of which his lawyer says he received 50%, but was not actively serving. Rhodes formally received his discharge paperwork in 1989. Moseley also said that Rhodes failed the Special Forces Qualification Course after the first week.

Moseley, who was disbarred in Virginia last month, told Military.com that he is still Rhodes' lawyer, but as his case is "in transition" from hearings by Congress' Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol to his criminal defense, Moseley's involvement has decreased. Phillip Linder and James Lee Bright are now taking the lead in defending Rhodes.

Linder confirmed that Moseley's status on the team is "in flux," adding "I think he will not be on the team as it gets closer to trial." Linder did not respond to Military.com's request for any additions or corrections to Moseley's January 2022 statements about Rhodes' military record.

Moseley said that during his testimony to the Jan. 6 Committee in January, Rhodes was asked whether he was specifically recruiting military veterans and active-duty service members. He replied, "No, they come to us."

As part of his plea agreement tied to his role in the plan, Wilson submitted court documents Wednesday alleging that Rhodes had tried to reach then-President Donald Trump after the riot at the Capitol began.

"Wilson heard Rhodes repeatedly implore the individual to tell President Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power," the filing said. "This individual denied Rhodes's request to speak directly with President Trump."

When asked whether Rhodes was overselling his military service in comparison to how pertinent it seems to the Oath Keepers, Moseley said "he would reject the idea that his military service was a necessary part of what they did."

Moseley added, "he was trying to encourage people to serve, teach them about, you know, what is a lawful order and what is not a lawful order."

Mines, the extremism researcher, is unsurprised at Rhodes' military record -- in his research he's studied extremists with both long and short careers. But for Rhodes, he says, "it just speaks to how easy it is for folks to transform their experiences into broader cults of personalities that end up building these movements."

Mines emphasized that "it's not anyone's place to say you can't build something [off your service] and your records being pretty sparse," in reference to Rhodes' relatively short service and how he used it to build the Oath Keepers -- in comparison to, say, veterans using their experience for employment opportunities.

Adams, Rhodes' estranged wife, said that he was using veterans' affinity for their service.

"I don't think he feels that sort of military pride," she said. "He understands that other people feel it and exploits it in others."

She noted that the Oath Keepers "actually made a little bit of sense when it first started," alluding to the premise of continuing service to the Constitution out of uniform. But now, specifically after the insurrection at the Capitol, she says that the Oath Keepers "betrayed" their original purpose.

"There is no oath left," she said.

-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence

Related: 'Why Are We Talking About It?' Congress May Face Impasse on Extremism in the Military
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Sluggishness, poor compliance with existing rules and little help from state public health officials crippled the response by Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration to a November 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at a northern Illinois veterans home that claimed 36 lives, according to a state audit released Thursday.

The review by Auditor General Frank Mautino contends the Illinois Department of Public Health did not identify and respond to the seriousness of the outbreak." For nearly two weeks after the problem was identified Nov. 1 at the LaSalle Veterans Home, IDPH officials failed to visit the site and offered no assistance. LaSalle staff testing for the virus was slow and poorly coordinated, the review said.

In total, 85% of the home's 128 residents and 38% of its 231 staff members contracted the illness during the outbreak, which Mautino noted occurred when infections statewide were rising rapidly and there was yet no preventive vaccine.

Pritzker, a Democrat, blamed Republicans who opposed tactics to stop the spread of COVID-19, suggesting non-compliant visitors unwittingly carried the virus into the LaSalle home.

We were working against Republican elected officials who told people to defy mitigation efforts..., Pritzker told reporters at the Capitol. Republicans told them that they did not need to wear masks. They told people that they didnt need to get vaccinated. They told people that COVID wasnt serious. Those lies put peoples lives at risk, especially the most vulnerable.

But an April 2021 report by the inspector general of the Department of Human Services reported that during an onsite visit, which didn't occur until Nov. 12, officials discovered ineffective, alcohol-free hand sanitizer in abundant use and no one responsible for replacing it, staff members reporting for duty by taking their own temperatures and initialing results, and scant availability and use of personal protective equipment such as face coverings.

Mautino reported that LaSalle administrators had reams of COVID-19-specific guidelines for stopping the spread available from both federal and state experts, as well as long-established pre-pandemic infection control policies.

Pritzker, who later acknowledged some management faults were to blame and said that as governor, I understand that these agencies are my responsibility, maintained that he held staff accountable, including firing LaSalle director Angela Mehlbrech in December 2020.

However, he said that to the extent that IDPH is at fault for not providing more assistance, the agency controlled the entire state response during the pandemic's worst surge and was dealing with hot spots in every direction. But at no time during the fall of 2020 or at any time during the pandemic did Pritzker or his team suggest IDPH couldn't keep up.

IDPH couldn't have been caught off-guard despite the precipitous statewide surge. The audit reports that the Pritzker administration was monitoring COVID-19 in 710 long-term care facilities across Illinois. The first week of November, 2020, only four of them reported more than 50 new cases and LaSalle was the only facility with more than 100.

That was a red flag that should have generated an alert and immediate administration response, Mautino said in an interview.

Rep. Lance Yednock, an Ottawa Democrat who led the House call for Mautino's audit, lamented a breakdown in inter-agency coordination which very likely led to more sickness and deaths." However, he acknowledged that the terrifying speed of infection might have rendered the best preparation inadequate.

Mautino's auditors found that last year's inspector general's report had wrongly tainted Anthony Kolbeck, then chief of staff for Veterans' Affairs. Instead of tracking the outbreak, Mautino reviewed scores of emails and determined that Kolbeck reported to IDPH regularly on the situation from its inception. When IDPH didn't act, the audit said Kolbeck requested the agency make a site visit and sought information on rapid tests and antibody treatments.

Kolbeck nonetheless resigned in the weeks following the outbreak's fallout. So did then-Veterans Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia, whom Pritzker replaced in spring 2021 with Terry Prince, a 31-year Navy veteran and former senior adviser to the U.S. Surgeon General.

Steve Levin, a Chicago attorney representing 27 families who filed a lawsuit against the state for the loss of loved ones at LaSalle, said the audit's finding of extreme negligence is another painful reminder to the families that this was a preventable tragedy. He demanded Pritzker negotiate a settlement to avoid a lengthy court battle.
As a lieutenant commander in 2008, Stephen Shedd never considered reporting the gifts and favors that he said some of the senior staff of the Navy's Seventh Fleet exchanged with the military contractor known as " Fat Leonard."

For starters, Shedd himself was engaged in much of the same alleged behavior  accepting hotel rooms, meals and the services of prostitutes from Leonard Glenn Francis, the gregarious contractor nicknamed for his girth.

Besides, even if Shedd had wanted to report misconduct by his superiors, he had no confidence it would go anywhere.

"We had an understanding of mutually assured destruction," Shedd testified Thursday to a jury. "We'd all go down in flames or we'd all be protected."

The hammer eventually fell, in 2017, when Shedd and eight other former naval officers were together indicted on bribery and conspiracy allegations, as part of Francis' ongoing scheme to corrupt strategically placed military members. Francis owned a Singapore-based husbanding company, which serviced visiting Navy ships in ports across Asia, and he counted on the influence and intelligence of naval officials to help him compete for contracts worth millions of dollars.

Shedd and three other co-defendants pleaded guilty before trial. This week, Shedd took the witness stand, testifying against the rest of his past colleagues: Former Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless; former Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman; and former Cmdr. Mario Herrera.

His testimony jumped from port to port  Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia  as he detailed the "Spring Swing" on which the Seventh Fleet's command ship, the Blue Ridge, embarked in 2008.

Officially, the ship and its command staff were making port calls to improve naval relations with five foreign allies. Unofficially, it was a chance for some of the highest-ranking officers to party large with Francis  attending gourmet dinners, staying in posh hotel suites and socializing, often privately, with prostitutes on his dime, Shedd said.

Shedd, the fleet's South Asia policy and planning officer at the time, was among the lowest ranking of the bunch. He primarily acted as a go-between messenger for Francis and some of the Blue Ridge officers, including Lausman, Loveless and Dolan, according to his testimony. He was key in organizing several "boys night out" parties that Francis hosted, including coordinating schedules and communicating plans, he said.

Much of the coordination happened over emails, many of which were displayed to the jury.

He also joined in some of the festivities himself.

In a hotel suite in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dolan, Loveless and another officer were entertained by Francis, Shedd said. The host then paired each up with a prostitute, and hand-in-hand the couples left for private rooms, Shedd testified.

With the important guests handled, Francis turned to Shedd, motioned to the remaining women in the suite and said "Go ahead if you want," Shedd recalled. So he did, grabbing a woman by the hand and having sex with her in his own room, he said.

The group had to be especially covert that night, Shedd testified, because the admiral had issued a no-liberty policy for that port visit, prohibiting sailors from leaving the ship unless on official business.

In Manila, it was less of a plan. Just meet up at Francis' room, the opulent Presidential Suite at the Makati Shangri-La. The party consisted of nine military members, including Shedd, Loveless, Dolan and Lausman, plus prostitutes, Shedd testified. Some, including Dolan, were summoned into an adjoining office to meet privately with Francis, he said, a practice he had seen before.

The group was dancing and drinking from a case of Dom Perignon or Cristal champagne that the butler had delivered to the room, Shedd said. Again, Francis paired off women with men, including Loveless and Dolan, who left the party for their own rooms, Shedd said.

The party continued the following evening in the same vein, this time with 10 to 15 women. Lausman was not present, Shedd said. But he acknowledged he doesn't remember much more. "I was pretty intoxicated," he testified.

As the go-between, Shedd said he was also often the one to pass on the confidential military information Francis was seeking, such as upcoming plans for ship movements. When the Navy went a different direction than expected and passed over Francis' company for a contract in Vladivostok, Russia, Shedd ran interference after coordinating with Lausman and Dolan, Shedd said.

The group had especially wanted Francis to get the contract  he had promised in an earlier toast to host another good time when the Blue Ridge arrived in Russia, Shedd said.

The last outing Shedd organized was the fall of 2008, days before he was set to transfer out of the Seventh Fleet for a post in Tennessee. It was karaoke bar-hopping in Tokyo with Dolan, Francis and Herrera, he said. At the advice of another officer, Shedd was training Herrera to take over his Francis coordination duties, Shedd said.

Francis had brought along his own female companion that night, and they befriended another woman at the bar, but it was Shedd's understanding that there were no prostitutes on the agenda that evening. When they returned to their individual rooms, one of the companions called Shedd to complain that a man was banging on her door. It was a "quite intoxicated" Dolan, Shedd testified.

He said Dolan told him in the hallway, "I want to get in there and (expletive) one of those girls."

Shedd said he had to wrestle Dolan, putting him into a headlock, to get him to go to his room.

Shedd was later promoted to commander, attributing it to his hard work in the Seventh Fleet but also to the relationships he had formed with some of the defendants.

He is expected to continue testimony on Monday, when he will be cross-examined by the defense. Shedd is believed to be among the final few prosecution witnesses to testify in the trial, now in its 10th week, before the defense puts on its case.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
UW Student Winners Selected in Decarbonization Prize Contest

UW student teams won cash prizes in the recent Decarbonization Prize contest. Presenting awards to students, were, from left, Scott Quillinan, from UWs School of Energy Resources, and Rob Klenner, of Baker Hughes; UW students Madison Brigham, of Star Valley Ranch; Drew Rone, from Casper; Moustafa Aly, from Suez, Egypt; Rami Alloush, of Damanhour, Egypt; Adam Bratland, from Cheyenne; Kim Sukle, of Parker, Colo.; and Vinh Do, from Baker Hughes. (UW Photo)

Winners of the Decarbonization Prize contest were selected from among diverse proposals submitted by University of Wyoming students.

Sponsored by the UW School of Energy Resources (SER), the Wyoming Energy Authority and Baker Hughes, the goal of the competition is to advance energy solutions through innovative applications for existing products and services, or to introduce new concepts that will drive decarbonization.

This years competition focused on accelerating the pace of technological development within the domain of hydrogen.

UW Ph.D. candidates Rami Alloush, of Damanhour, Egypt, and Moustafa Aly, from Suez, Egypt, were selected as the first prize recipients for their proposal titled A Self-Sustained Municipal Water Treatment Plant Utilizing the Baker Hughes NovaLTTM Hybrid Turbine and Semi-Artificial Photosynthesis.

The proposal outlined a self-sustained system to obtain clean water while relying not only on hydrogen as a clean energy source, but also reducing CO 2 emissions through the photosynthesis process.

I want to thank Baker Hughes and SER for this opportunity that allowed us to think outside the box and use existing products and services to help decarbonize the world, Alloush says. As Steve Jobs said, Creativity is just connecting things. I believe that we have a lot of existing tools and products that can be used in creative ways to solve many problems the world is facing.

Aly adds that competitions such as the Decarbonization Contest are beneficial to both industry and academia.

Real-life problems being solved by future industry leaders is the preparation students need, Aly says.

Both Alloush and Aly hold bachelors and masters degrees in petroleum engineering. The duo brought complementary expertise to the project with skills in the information technology field and its applications in the oil and gas industry, as well as lab experience with core flood studies, fluid and material properties.

Second-place honors went to the interdisciplinary team of Drew Rone, from Casper, and Madison Brigham, of Star Valley Ranch. Their proposal titled Synthesis and characterization of rGO-NiMo as a corrosion-resistant non-noble cathode in PEM water electrolysis aims to replace expensive catalysts with cheap non-noble materials, addressing one of the largest issues with hydrogen production: the cost.

Rone will graduate this semester with a degree in chemical engineering and will pursue a masters degree in chemical engineering at UW this fall. Brigham also will graduate this semester with degrees in chemistry and business management. She will attend UWs College of Law this fall to pursue a career as a patent attorney.

Cheyenne junior Adam Bratland and junior Kimberlee Sukle, of Parker, Colo, received third place in the competition for their proposal titled Separating Hydrogen through Polymers with Intrinsic Microporosity. UW chemistry Assistant Professor Laura Oliveira mentored the students. The team proposed taking measured and calculated properties of polymers of intrinsic microporosity and applying them to known machine learning techniques.

Both students are working toward chemistry degrees, while Sukle is on a pre-med track.

Student teams presented their proposals to representatives of Baker Hughes and SER for a chance at $5,000 in cash prizes.

The ideas and creativity by the students were beyond our expectations, says Rob Klenner, senior energy transition and strategy leader for Baker Hughes. Hydrogen is a fuel we see in our future, and to get students thinking about it today is what this competition was all about. Overall, we see this competition as a kick-start to further collaboration with the University of Wyoming on new energy technology.

With the success of the inaugural competition, organizers look forward to continued innovation from UW students in the future.
In early March, defense officials avoided even confirming the first Stinger missiles were being sent to Ukraine amid concerns of escalating the conflict as Russian troops marched toward Kyiv, and defense analysts counted the days until Russian President Vladimir Putin would likely control the government of his next-door neighbor.

But over the last two months, as Ukraine has made a stand and fought back against the invasion, the aid has ballooned to billions of dollars' worth of helicopters, armored vehicles, newly developed drones and artillery.

Reports this week that U.S. intelligence had helped Ukraine sink a Russian warship and kill Russian generals on the battlefield were the latest signs of what appears to be the Pentagon's slow, steady march to deeper involvement in the European war.

Read Next: What the Military Records of the Oath Keepers' Leader Actually Say About His Service

The Pentagon has now moved to releasing itemized lists of the thousands of weapons, ammunition and hardware now being shipped to allies in Kyiv. It has also announced a new Florida National Guard mission to train Ukrainians on the howitzers and radar systems in Germany, creating a rotating pipeline of skilled troops to fight the Russians.

The use of U.S. intel in the sinking of the ship Moskva by Ukrainian missiles and Russia's stunning loss of about a dozen generals in the war was not publicly acknowledged by the Pentagon, despite reports by multiple news outlets. Still, it was met with an acknowledgment that the military is sharing vital battlefield intelligence with Ukraine.

"We try to provide them useful and relevant, timely intelligence so that they can better defend themselves," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday. "But ultimately, they make the decision about what they're going to do with that information."

The loss of the Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, and the loss of generals have been an international embarrassment for Moscow, if not strategic victories that have shifted momentum to Ukraine.

The changing U.S. involvement is at least partly due to the changing nature of the war, which began Feb. 24 when Putin invaded Ukraine. Early in the conflict, the Ukrainians were seen as underdogs, but Putin's forces floundered, and the U.S. and the West became bolder in their assistance to Kyiv.

The war has now shifted to the eastern Donbas, a flat region where artillery will play a key role in the fight as it stretches into its third month. Ukrainian requests for armor and larger weapons have been granted.

The Pentagon has been authorized to send about $4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war, with the bulk of that coming over the past month. In mid-April, President Joe Biden ordered the first 18 of the M777 howitzers and 40,000 rounds be sent to Ukraine. The announcement detailed 1,400 Stinger and 5,500 Javelin shoulder-fired missiles, as well as 22 other categories of weapons and battlefield supplies, including armored personnel carriers, helicopters, radars and drones.

Another 72 howitzers and 144,000 rounds, as well as vehicles to tow the cannons, were authorized by Biden on April 21 -- a massive increase from the first tranche. The president is now requesting Congress approve a $33 billion aid package for Ukraine, with $16 billion of that directed to the Pentagon.

On Friday, the White House announced yet another package of "artillery munitions, radars, and other equipment." The new aid amounted to $100 million, according to Reuters.

In addition to the massive uptick in weapons headed to Ukraine, the Pentagon announced that U.S. troops would start training the Ukrainians on the equipment. A Florida National Guard unit recently pulled from Ukraine in the lead-up to Russia's invasion had never left the continent and is now heading up that mission, it said last week.

The 160 Guard troops assigned to the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as Florida's "Gator Brigade," are training the Ukrainians on the M777 howitzers and radar systems in Grafenwoehr, Germany, and other sites in Europe that the Pentagon did not disclose.

So far, the Guard has trained 150 Ukrainians on the howitzers. Another 15 have completed training on AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radar system, and 60 on the M113 armored personnel carriers, Kirby said Friday. Another 50 are in training on the M113 now, he said.

The military's involvement in the Ukraine war has "absolutely" increased since the start, said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"I see two things going on. One of them is an increased willingness to talk about what we're doing," Cancian said. "If you're an administration being criticized for not doing enough, the inclination is to say more about what you are doing.

"But there's no question we're doing more over time," he said.

In the early days of the war, the U.S. was sending Javelins and Stinger missiles that accounted for roughly $50 million per day. By last month, that average was closer to $100 million per day, according to Cancian.

The Ukrainians had already been training on those weapons, as well as some of the other Soviet-era weapons that the West had supplied to help in its war effort. But the addition of U.S. arms, such as the M777 howitzer and the Sentinel radar system, required training, which required the expertise of the Guard.

"Each step, you can see both an increase in cost and an increase in the scope of the activity," Cancian said.

The next step in U.S. involvement is likely to be the addition of defense contractors inside Ukraine to maintain the influx of American weapons systems, which are flooding into Ukraine and may risk being sidelined without proper handling and care, Cancian said.

Biden has insisted U.S. troops will not enter Ukraine. But the administration could find a workaround by funding Ukrainian maintenance contracts with foreign companies, he said.

"All the equipment that we're giving to the Ukrainians is just too extensive to be absorbed in the short amount of time that we're giving them," Cancian said. "I think we're just asking too much, frankly, and I think what's going to happen is that, when that becomes apparent, we'll start using contractors in some way."

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.
The USS The Sullivans, which had been taking on water and sinking, has been substantially righted, and operators of the Buffalo and Erie County Military & Naval Park are floating the idea of reopening the ship to the public by Memorial Day weekend.

The news comes about three weeks after the hull of the World War II-era destroyer was breached, causing it to list in the shallow waters of the Buffalo Inner Harbor.

"We are very happy to report today that the effort to save The Sullivans is on course, and the ship is righted and floating," Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown announced Thursday during a news conference at the naval park.

Origin APNews

Crews are now focused on containing oil spills in the Inner Harbor from the vessel.

"The emergency response phase is complete and we have started the maintenance and decontamination phase," Brown added.

The mayor was joined by Capt. Lexia M. Littlejohn, commander of the Buffalo sector of the U.S. Coast Guard, naval park President and CEO Paul Marzello and others.

Littlejohn said the current list of the ship varies between .1 and 3 degrees, which is a significant difference from three weeks ago when it was about 20 degrees.

At that time, the ship had taken on hundreds of thousands of gallons of water.

"Dewatering is about 95% complete. We've removed over 585,000 gallons of water from the vessel in total," Littlejohn said.

About 2,000 gallons of an additional oily water mix was removed from the ship, along with 9 cubic yards of oil soaked solids. Over 50 holes and gashes were plugged in the hull of the ship, patched with wood and a marine grade epoxy, she added.

"There are continuing assessments inside the vessel and outside the vessel to make sure that all of those temporary repairs that were put into place are holding, and those appear to be holding at this point," Littlejohn said.

She said the Coast Guard will continue to work with the naval park, the City of Buffalo and the state Department of Environmental Conservation to ensure that the contamination threat is mitigated.

She said officials are potentially looking at the permanent repair phase to begin, too.

Meanwhile, Marzello said naval park officials are working very hard to put together a reopening plan for the USS The Sullivans.

"Tentatively speaking, we're focused on Memorial Day weekend. That would normally be a very popular weekend for us," Marzello said.

He said the naval park is preparing to take down emergency fencing from areas where it is no longer needed.

Marzello and the mayor described the ship as a critical piece of U.S. naval and military history that the community is fortunate to have in its midst.

The ship is a floating tribute to a working class family in which five brothers were killed aboard the USS Juneau during World War II, when it was struck by a Japanese torpedo in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of 687 men.

Brown said it will cost millions of dollars to permanently repair the 80-year-old vessel. He speculated that funds would be sought from state and federal sources for the repairs.

Last year, a private fundraiser was spearheaded by developer Douglas Jemal that brought in more than $1 million to repair the ship's breached hull.

Marzello said it was too early to tell what the full extent of the damage has been to the ship.

___

(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.
As any general will tell you, winning a war is about logistics: getting the stuff to the fight. During World War II, the United States needed to get tons of war material and millions of men and women to overseas postings.

American industrialist and Liberty ship builder Henry Kaiser teamed with billionaire aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create a large cargo transport plane to do the job. Wartime restrictions on the use of steel and aluminum forced the duo to get creative with their solution. The result was the Hughes H-4 Hercules, a massive, wooden flying boat.

In the early days of World War II, Kaiser saw wartime seaborne shipping to Britain being sunk in overwhelming numbers by German U-boats. He wanted to mitigate that problem by taking cargo to the skies, but air cargo planes at the time could not possibly deliver supplies in the amounts needed to keep the Allies fighting in Europe and beyond.

Kaiser approached Hughes, who was then a film director while still being a pioneering aircraft engineer. Hughes agreed to design a prototype with Kaiser that could haul 150,000 pounds of materiel, the equivalent of 750 troops geared for combat or two Sherman tanks.

Secretary of State Cordell Hull congratulates Howard Hughes on his around the world flight in 1938. (Library of Congress)

Hughes and his chief designer, Glenn Odekirk, poured over possible designs for the airframe, including the number of engines (eventually, eight were needed) and the plane's construction materials. With wartime rationing in place, it was decided the prototype had to be made of wood, specifically birch.

The process used to produce an aircraft capable of heavy lift from a wood construction was called Duramold. Duramold laminated the birch together with a resin that made the material 80% stronger than aluminum. The process had been used to make fighter aircraft in the United Kingdom since the early 1930s.

Hughes' H-4 Hercules would be constructed almost entirely of Duramold wood, which earned it the nickname "Spruce Goose" in the press. Despite spending $22 million from government funding and $18 million of his own money, more than $515 million in todays dollars, Hughes didn't complete the project in time to make a difference in the war.

Kaiser would eventually leave the project in 1944 because the Allies no longer needed such a heavy cargo aircraft. The wartime need had shifted to heavy bombers, and Kaiser was frustrated with the long delay in producing the H-4.

When it was finally finished in 1947, the Spruce Goose's wingspan was more than 320 feet, the plane was 218 feet long and almost 80 feet high. It dwarfed the most common cargo plane of the time, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. The C-47's wingspan was less than a third of the Hercules and was less than 64 feet long. It was capable of carrying just 27 fully equipped troops.

At the time, the Spruce Goose was the largest aircraft ever built, and held the record until April 2019, when the Stratolaunch jet first took flight. Hughes' wood creation is still the largest propeller airplane, the largest wooden airplane and the largest seaplane ever constructed.

An aerial view of "Hercules" seaplane built by Howard Hughes during the closing months of World War II. (National Archives)

In the end, the H-4 Hercules only flew once, for 30 seconds at an altitude of 25 feet above the ocean in Long Beach Harbor, near its construction site in California. With his crew and engineers aboard, along with a handful of journalists, Hughes made an unannounced flight to prove the Spruce Goose was able to take off.

The Spruce Goose was warehoused for 33 years until Hughes died in 1976. Six years later, the plane was then put on display in Long Beach Harbor for public viewing. In 1992, it was moved to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where it can be seen today.

For more information about Howard Hughes and the Spruce Goose or to plan a trip to see the H-4 Hercules, visit the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum website.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

Want to Learn More About Military Life?

Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox.
Frank Cohn was born into an upper-middle class family in Breslau, Germany, in 1925. The family and their sporting goods store prospered for much of young Frank's life, but in 1933, everything for the Cohns took a turn for the worst.

That was the year Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. A wave of anti-semitism swept much of the country, including Breslau. When the anti-Jewish anger turned to violence and hostility, the Cohn family fled for the United States.

Not long after arriving, Frank turned 18 and was drafted into the U.S. Army, an event that would forever change his life. He would return to Germany on a road that took him through France and Belgium, at the end of which he met the Soviet soldiers who had unseated Hitler from the east.

Becoming an American, Cohn said, was one of the greatest highlights of his life.

Frank Cohn, left, with an Army buddy during World War II. (Courtesy of Frank Cohn)

When the Nazi Gestapo came knocking on the Cohns' door in 1938, Frank had already been ostracized from his public school classmates and enrolled in a private Jewish-only school. The Gestapo had come looking for his father, but luckily, Martin Cohn was with relatives in the United States on a visitor's visa.

The Cohns had already been forced to sell their store and now Martin was forced to stay in the U.S. for his own safety. Ruth, Frank's mother, applied for visitor's visas for herself and her son, so they could join him in the United States.

"It was lucky that there were no computers because had they known that my father was already in the United States, she wouldn't have gotten visitor visas because that would indicate we were refugees," Cohn said in an October 2021 interview during a visit to the Pentagon.

The rest of the Cohn family left for the U.S. via Holland with first-class tickets. This allowed them to avoid being processed through immigration on Ellis Island and thus avoid being deported back to Germany.

Later that same year, an anti-Jewish wave of violence struck throughout Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. It was Kristallnacht. For two days, angry mobs burned synagogues, destroyed Jewish businesses and homes, and killed Jewish members of their communities. Government officials did nothing to stop them as 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps.

Back in the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order that extended the visas of German immigrants in the U.S. to stay indefinitely. Frank Cohn learned English and was enrolled in the New York public school system. In 1943, with the U.S. fighting his former homeland, he turned 18 and tried to enlist in the Army.

"Technically, I was an enemy alien, so I was not allowed to enlist," he said.

Within a month, Cohn was drafted by the Army anyway, because the ban on enemy aliens serving in the military was lifted in 1943. During basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he became an American citizen and was sent to the 87th Infantry Division. He was finally on his way back to Germany, but this time he was on a U.S. Navy Landing Ship, Tank, or LST.

He landed at Normandy just a few months after D-Day in 1944 and was sent to an intelligence school because of his fluency in the German language. He was then sent to the Twelfth U.S. Army Group intelligence unit.

"Our mission was to go into the big cities in Germany as they were captured, and we would have intel dossiers on 'building' targets and 'personality' targets," he said.

His job was to assess buildings that were used by the Nazis and might contain vital records related to the crimes committed by Nazi organizations in the area. He was also on the lookout for prominent Nazis who might be on the run, so they could be arrested and tried for their crimes.

While in Belgium, he and his intelligence unit were caught up in the 1944 Battle of the Bulge, the last German offensive on the Western Front of World War II. The Nazis were using English-speaking infiltrators to disrupt the Allied response. His unit's job switched to outing those infiltrators.

In the early days of 1945, Cohn found himself in Cologne, Germany, where enemy artillery targeted his jeep. He barely survived the encounter. By April, he was in Magdeburg, greeting soldiers of the Soviet Red Army who had fought their way to the town from the East, trading American cigarettes for Russian vodka.

After the war's end, he was assigned to guarding the same Nazi war criminals he'd pursued when he first arrived in Europe, guarding other prisoners of war and securing German documents as evidence in future tribunals. He also decided he would remain in the Army as long as he could.

Retired Army Col. Frank Cohn, a World War II intelligence agent, speaks during a video interview at the Pentagon, Dec. 15, 2020. (Department of Defense)

Cohn would go on to serve in both the Korean War and in Vietnam. He retired as a colonel in 1978 after his last assignment, chief of staff for the Military District of Washington. The Russian government invited him to Moscow to commemorate the 60th, 65th and 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, invitations he always accepted.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

Want to Learn More About Military Life?

Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox.
Products

Frontrunner Vaccine Will Affact the Price of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder - Market Trend

CEO of Pfizer partner BioNTech says coming winter will be hard but by April, 300 million immunization units should be ready, which will have an impact on the global pandemic.

If coronavirus vaccinations are rolled out widely, life could return to normal by next winter, one of the scientists behind the front-running coronavirus vaccine told British television on Sunday.

Ugur Sahin, the Turkish co-founder of the German firm BioNTech, told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show that this winter will be hard, without any major impact from vaccinations.

Together with US giant Pfizer, BioNTech is developing the leading candidate in the worldwide chase for a vaccine. Israel has ordered millions of units of the vaccine, hoping that the first deliveries will arrive in the country by January.

Affected by the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, the Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next November 2020-2026 will show an oval but steady growth.

The price of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder continues to be affected by factors such as market growth momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2020 to 2026, the global Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that from today to next week, the price of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder will increase to a certain extent.

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder, the cost of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder will increase slightly from today to next week.

The market trend of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder?

The global Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powdermarket is constantly changing. The latest Global Market Report provides clear and accurate statistics and market estimates of the global Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder target market. The report includes an analysis of the different factors driving the market growth. It includes market drivers, constraints, opportunities and trends. This report is written by experienced and knowledgeable market analysts and researchers. It is an amazing compilation of important research that explores the competitive landscape, segmentation, geographic expansion, and revenue, production and consumption growth of the global Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder target market. In addition, the report provides a series of different market segments and applications that can promote market development during the forecast period. In-depth information is based on historical milestones and current trends. In addition, the Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder market report also covers development policies and plans, manufacturing processes and cost structures, marketing strategies, and then analyzes top Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder producers, distributors, marketing channels of Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder, potential buyers and Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder History of development. The report also lists import and export, supply and consumption data as well as costs, prices, revenue and gross margins by region.

The market demand for Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder?

The world's leading Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder target market report contains research on competitive dynamics. It also has a specific awareness that can help you choose the right business execution and steps. Market reports systematically display information in the form of organizational charts, facts, charts, statistics and graphs, which represent the status of related transactions on global and regional platforms. In addition, the report also includes the entire business chain, through which the growth rate and decline rate of specific industries in the market can be analyzed. The report also describes the total cost of manufacturing the product and analyzing its assembly process. In addition, the report also includes major developments in the market. The report involves value chain analysis and represents the workflow in the market. In addition, the market is classified by category, process, end-use industry and region. The report divides the market based on geographic location.

TRUNNANO (aka. Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd.) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. As a leading nanotechnology development and Micro Manganese Sesquioxide Mn2O3 Powder manufacturer, Luoyang Tongrun dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. Please send an inquiry as needed.

Li3N is short for lithium nitride, which is a metal nitrogen compound that is a purple or red crystalline solid, showing a light green luster under reflected light and a ruby color in transmitted light. At room temperature, metallic lithium can partially generate lithium nitride when exposed to air, and lithium generates lithium nitride in a nitrogen stream 10 to 15 times faster than in air. At this time, all lithium is converted into lithium nitride. Learn more knowledge about Lithium nitride from nanotrun website.

Inquery us
Catching up on some players returning to their teams active roster

The Astros reinstated Ryan Pressly from the 10-day injured list, and left-hander Parker Mushinski has been optioned to Triple-A to create roster space. Pressly hasnt pitched since April 13 due to right knee inflammation, but hell now return to his usual role as Houstons closer, though Rafael Montero did well in handling the ninth inning in Presslys absence. Before hitting the IL, Pressly recorded three saves in his first four appearances, posting a 2.70 ERA over 3 1/3 innings.

reinstated from the 10-day injured list, and left-hander has been optioned to Triple-A to create roster space. Pressly hasnt pitched since April 13 due to right knee inflammation, but hell now return to his usual role as Houstons closer, though did well in handling the ninth inning in Presslys absence. Before hitting the IL, Pressly recorded three saves in his first four appearances, posting a 2.70 ERA over 3 1/3 innings. Catcher Francisco Mejia was reinstated from the Rays COVID-related injured list. Rene Pinto was optioned to Triple-A after yesterdays game, so an open roster spot awaits Mejias return. Mejia missed just under two weeks recovering from a positive COVID-19 test, which interrupted a blisteringly hot start (.986 OPS) in his first 24 plate appearances of the 2022 campaign. Given how Mike Zunino has struggled, Mejia might earn a larger piece of the Rays catching timeshare if he continues to hit at anything close to that level.
5:29PM: Brash will pitch out of the bullpen at Triple-A, as reported by The Seattle Times Ryan Divish and other media members. Relief work could give Brash a quicker path back to the majors and allow him to better help the Mariners in 2022, even if the team still sees him as a longer-term starting pitcher.

2:47PM: The Mariners announced six roster moves, including the news that right-hander Matt Brash has been optioned to Triple-A. Left-hander Nick Margevicius was designated for assignment, and righty Matt Festa was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow tendinitis. Joining the roster from Triple-A Tacoma are right-hander Riley OBrien and left-hander Danny Young, with Youngs contract being officially selected. In addition, recently-designated right-hander Matt Koch has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A.

Brash has never pitched at the Triple-A level before, as the Mariners made the aggressive move of adding him to the Opening Day roster after an impressive Spring Training. A rather lightly-regarded prospect who was acquired from the Padres in 2020, Brash exploded into top-100 notoriety with a very impressive 2021 season with the Mariners high-A and Double-A affiliates.

Results were far more mixed for Brash in his first taste of the bigs, however. Brash has a 7.65 ERA over five starts and 20 innings, with almost as many walks (17) as strikeouts (19). Yesterdays start against the Astros saw Brash allow four runs over three innings, walking four batters and striking out three.

With Brash heading to Triple-A for more seasoning, Seattle has a hole to fill in the rotation. The Ms have a few days remaining to figure out their plans, whether theyll go with a bullpen game for Brashs next scheduled start or whether another Triple-A call-up could be in the works. Asher Wojciechowski, Daniel Ponce de Leon, and Darren McCaughan are all getting starts for the Rainiers but none have pitched particularly well, and Margevicius is now headed to the DFA wire.

Margevicius has also struggled, posting a 12.75 ERA over four starts and 12 innings at the Triple-A level. A veteran of three MLB seasons, Margevicius is trying to work his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and it isnt surprising that the southpaw is still getting on track following that major procedure. With this recent surgery in mind, teams might not claim Margevicius, allowing Seattle to slip him through waivers and outright him off the 40-man roster.

Festa is also no stranger to health issues, as he missed all of the 2020 season and most of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With this past procedure in mind, any sort of elbow problem is especially concerning, though tendinitis is usually a relatively minor problem. After tossing 30 2/3 innings for the Ms in 2018-19, Festa made it all the way back to the Show this season, but had only a 5.25 ERA over 12 relief innings.

Though OBrien has only worked as a reliever over six Triple-A appearances this season, he might also factor into the Mariners rotation picture given his track record as a minor league starter. Acquired from the Reds back on April 17, OBrien has a 3.36 ERA over 353 1/3 innings in the minors, mostly in the Rays organization from 2017-19. OBrien made his big league debut in cup-of-coffee fashion last season, tossing 1 1/3 innings in a single game for Cincinnati.

Now in his seventh pro season, Young is lined up to make his first MLB appearance. Young was an eighth-round pick for the Blue Jays in the 2015 draft, and has worked almost exclusively as a reliever over his 280 1/3 innings in the Toronto, Cleveland, and Seattle farm systems. While mostly a grounder specialist during his career, Young has boosted his strikeout numbers since the canceled 2020 minor league seasons, and has a 26.1% strikeout rate over 70 Triple-A frames (though also with a 5.14 ERA in Triple-A ball). Anthony Misiewicz is the only other left-hander in the Mariners bullpen, so Young should get some looks against lefty batters.
06.05.2022 LISTEN

Women in Technology (WIT), an initiative under Ghanas telecommunications giant MTN has mentored 80 young girls in the field of technical skills.

The mentoring exercise, Girls-in-ICT, (GIICT), is part of efforts to introduce the girls to various opportunities in ICT through a number of mentorship programs and to attach them to institutions where they will enjoy a week-long interaction with female achievers in the industry.

The girls drawn from the Central, Oti, Western North, and North East Regions were given unique opportunities to be mentored by some WIT members who already ply their trade in MTN Ghanas ICT and technology department.

Speaking to the press, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ama Pomaa Boateng stated the ministry and its partners in the Girls-in-ICT initiative have so far equipped 980 girls in the Central Region as of 2019.

She further indicated that 584 girls were trained in the Oti Region in 2020 and 1000 girls in the Western North and North East Regions.

Mrs. Boateng said the training will go a long way to inspire the girls to believe that they can take up lucrative professions in the male-dominated field.

She stressed that the girls were not able to come to Accra for the weeklong Open Day event due to the Covid 19 which hit Ghana and the world at large after their initial training in four areas.

According to her, several young girls are faced with numerous challenges in the digital world because most of them do not know of some of the safety issues and how to report them.

She said, with the training, the girls will be equipped with these skills as they are being trained on how to avoid cyberbullying, materials, and content that is not consumable.

Mrs. Boateng however advised the girls to use the internet properly in order not to fall into the hands of the predators.

Meanwhile, Senior Manager for Sustainability and Social Impact with MTN Ghana Foundation, Robert Kuzoe noted that the ultimate aim is to empower young girls to be aware of the numerous opportunities in ICT they could take advantage of.

He said that basic ICT skills are no longer considered a luxury.

It is in this regard, we partnering with other relevant bodies to unveil opportunities in the ICT sector through mentorship workshops and open day programs to prepare them for ICT-related professions in the future, he explained.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said Mali could collapse if a UN peacekeeping mission withdrew, but suggested an option could be an African Union force backed by a tougher operating mandate.

Guterres made the suggestion in an interview with the French radio station RFI ahead of a key decision on the future of the UN peacekeeping force in Mali.

The Security Council next month is to determine whether to renew the mandate of the Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), one of the UN's biggest peacekeeping operations.

"The true situation is that without MINUSMA, the risk of the country's collapse would be enormous," Guterres said in the interview, broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday.

"I am not going to propose that this mission be ended because I think that the consequences would be terrible.

"But it (MINUSMA) is operating in circumstances that really call for (not) a peacekeeping force but a strong force (entrusted with) enforcing peace and fighting terrorism," he said.

"This strong force has to be an African force, from the African Union, but with a Chapter Seven Security Council mandate and obligatory financing," he said.

Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter permits use of armed force in the event of a "threat to the peace."

MINUSMA, which has a current deployment of 14,000 troops and police, was created in 2013 to help support the fragile Sahel country in its fight against jihadist insurgents.

But the force has often been criticised for being shackled by a mandate that has left it unable to intervene robustly.

As a result, the security onus is thrust on Mali's poorly-equipped armed forces, in this view.

Most of the contingents in MINUSMA come from African governments.

Next month's decision comes in the context of a breakdown in relations between Mali and its traditional ally, France, which over the past nine years has stationed thousands of troops in the troubled Sahel state, backed by helicopters, jets and drones.

Those forces are being withdrawn from Mali after the two countries fell out following a military coup in August 2020.
Somalia will hold presidential elections on May 15, state TV announced Thursday, broadcasting a statement by a parliamentary committee tasked with organising the long-delayed polls in the fragile Horn of Africa nation.

The election is well over a year behind schedule, marred by deadly violence as well as a power struggle between President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmajo, and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.

Somalia's international partners have been pushing for the process to pick up speed, fearing the delays sap efforts to tackle entrenched problems, including the fight against Al-Shabaab jihadists and the threat of famine.

"In consideration with the current circumstances of the country, the members agreed 15 May to be the day for the election of the president," Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimu, a member of the parliament election committee, said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

A three-year $400-million (380-million-euro) aid package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will automatically expire by mid-May if a new administration is not in place by then, a move that would plunge the country into deeper peril.

After Farmajo's term ended in February 2021 without a new vote taking place, he attempted to extend his rule by decree, triggering violent street battles in Mogadishu as rival factions clashed.

Following international pressure, he appointed Roble to seek consensus on a way forward

But the process has progressed painfully, stoking fears of further instability.

In addition to the feud between Farmajo and Roble, the central government has also been embroiled in disputes with certain states, slowing down the voting process.

Deadly attacks

The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, which has been fighting the government for over a decade, has staged frequent attacks in recent months, including a suicide bombing in March that killed two local lawmakers.

On Tuesday, an attack on an African Union (AU) base killed 10 Burundian peacekeepers, according to Burundi's army. It was the deadliest raid on AU forces in the country since 2015.

As the militants have ratcheted up their assaults, the rift between Farmajo and Roble has continued to widen, with the election of the lower house speaker delayed last week by a dispute over who should provide security at the voting venue.

Meanwhile the country is grappling with a worsening drought which threatens to drive millions into famine, with young children facing the greatest risk.

Thursday's announcement "will come as a major relief for most Somalis and their international partners, as it signals the end of an electoral cycle that has dragged on for way too long and distracted from other priorities," said Omar Mahmood, an analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

"The rapid pace of developments over the past few weeks clearly points to momentum and a desire to wrap all of this up," Mahmood told AFP.

Somalia has not held a one-person, one-vote election in 50 years. Polls follow a complex indirect model, whereby state legislatures and clan delegates pick lawmakers for the national parliament, who in turn choose the president.

Al-Shabaab jihadists controlled Mogadishu until 2011 when they were pushed out by an AU force, but still hold territory in the countryside.

The militants regularly strike at civilian, military and government targets in Somalia's capital and elsewhere in the country.
Vale notes the disclosure by Tesla Inc today and confirms it signed a long-term contract with Tesla Inc to supply Class 1 nickel in the United States from its operations in Canada. This agreement is in line with our strategy to increase exposure to the electric vehicle industry, leveraging our low-carbon footprint and market-leading position as North Americas largest producer of finished nickel.

We are pleased to have the leading electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla among our customers, said Deshnee Naidoo, Vales Executive Vice President of Base Metals. This agreement reflects a shared commitment to sustainability and shows very clearly we are the supplier-of-choice for low-carbon and high purity nickel products essential for long-range batteries.

Vales target is to deliver 30% to 40% of Class 1 nickel sales into the fast-growing electric vehicle industry.

Underground electric vehicle at our Canadian operations. Credit: Vale

Vales Canadian operations produce some of the lowest-carbon nickel globally. Rounds from its Long Harbour refinery in Newfoundland & Labrador in 2020 had a verified carbon footprint of 4.4 tonnes CO2 equivalent per tonne of nickel, while pellets and powder from the Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery in Ontario had a verified footprint of 7.3 tonnes equivalent. This includes Scope 1 and 2 emissions from mining, milling and refining as well as upstream Scope 3 emissions from inputs.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday vowed to plough nearly 2 billion euros into supporting Ukraine in its fight with Russian armed forces.

Macron said France would give the sum to Volodymyr Zelensky's administration during a video address to an international donors' conference in Warsaw.

Last year France sent 1.6 billion euros worth of aid to Ukraine.

But since 24 February when the Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his country's military into Ukraine, France has sent in medical equipment as well as military supplies to the country.

Last Saturday during an hour-long phone call with Zelensky, Macron promised to send weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as part of the international effort to repel Russian forces.

Solidarity

Thursday's conference at Warsaw's National Stadium was held as a further sign of solidarity for Ukraine.

"The humanitarian needs of the population and the economic situation of the country call for a new effort by the international community which meets the needs linked to the destruction of civilian infrastructure," Macron said.

The Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, a co-host of the conference, said that just over 6 billion euros had been promised.

His co-host, Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, said the amount had exceeded their expectations.

Ukraine will win this war and we will stand by your side, Andersson told the conference.

Reconfiguration

Since the visit on Saturday of the top American politician Nancy Pelosi, the issue of reconstructing Ukraine has been discussed openly with a rebuilding programme akin to the package created by the American general George Marshall for European countries after World War II.

During the four-year initiative, the US pumped in more than 13 billion dollars, equivalent to 115 billion dollars today.

Last month, researchers from the Centre for Economic Policy Research said it will cost between $220 billion and $540 billion to reconstruct Ukraine in the wake of the devastation.

Charles Michel, the European Council President, said he hoped the conference could be a launch point for a Marshall Plan for Ukraine.

Rebuild

Ursula von der Leyen, Michel's counterpart at the European Commission, added: "Hundreds of billions of euros and reforms are needed to build Ukraine anew and pave its way into the EU."

The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, who travelled to the Polish capital for the conference, hailed the response and help from nations around the world following the start of the conflict.

"We are grateful for the crucial help at a time when the fate of our state is being decided," he said.

"We will build back betterwith technologically modern urban areas and energy efficient buildings.

"The new Ukraine will be an example for the world."
06.05.2022 LISTEN

Ghana does not need more than nine justices of the Supreme Court, a former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyapong said.

Currently, there are sixteen Justices of the Supreme Court including the Chief Justice but Mr Agyapong said there should be a cap on the number of Justices in the country.

There should be a cap, he said while speaking on Gh One television on Thursday May 5, adding that it should be more than nine.

On the issue of whether or not Ghana needs a new Constitution, he said he does not think Ghana needs a new document.

Asked whether Ghana needs a new set of laws, he said No, I don't think so.

Some Ghanaians including members of the Economic Fighters League , have said the current constitution of Ghana is to blame for what they describe as, rot, suffering and ill-governance being experienced in the country, which according to them, gives life to retrogression and discrimination.

In a statement to mark Constitution Day, the Fighters said the 1992 Constitution was deliberately drafted, gazetted and adopted just to benefit a few elites.

The Fighters have been at the forefront of the demand for a new constitution saying the current one has put Ghanaians through 30 years of retrogressive governance, constitutional dictatorship, poverty and underdevelopment.

To buttress their demands, the Fighters said every constitution must be the foundation upon which freedoms are built which they say is unfortunately missing in Ghana's constitution.

3news.com
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, May 4, 2022 ruled against an injunction application filed by some minority NDC Members of Parliament seeking to freeze the implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy.

The NDC members; Haruna Iddrisu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Mahama Ayariga, wanted the court to force government to stop the rollout of the new tax until a substantive case it has brought before the court challenging the legality of the tax is heard.

The court however ruled against the plaintiffs. Among other reasons, the court argued that the effects of halting the collection of the new tax is far greater than the cost of allowing it to continue until a final determination is made on the substantive matter.

The court however charged the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to keep proper records of the transactions to ensure that persons who are illegally billed with the tax can be refunded ig that becomes necessary after a ruling on the substantive case.

Read the courts reasoning below:

citinewsroom
06.05.2022 LISTEN

A 12-hour curfew has been imposed on Kwabenya and its environs in the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, Accra.

The 7pm to 7am curfew took effect on Thursday, 5 May 2022 and is expected to end on Sunday, 8 May 2022.

The curfew, imposed by the Kwabenya Traditional authorities is to pave way for the Royal burial and funeral rites of some two chiefs of the community.

Friday and Saturday, which are supposed to be market days have been cancelled.

This is in observation of the funeral rites for the late chiefs.

The entire Kwabenya community, which was already facing difficulities with light, the cause of which had not been explained by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), was in darkness on the first night of the curfew.

One could not tell whether the darkness was as a result of a technical fault from the power distributor or request by the traditional council, as the latter had requested residents to turn off lights outside their homes in observance of the funeral rites for the late chiefs.

Residents of the community who had gone to work outside the community but had not returned before the curfew returned home to empty streets and closed shops with no commercial vehicles plying the Kwabenya route at all.

Source: classfmonline.com
A private legal practitioner Mr Kwame Jantuah has told former President John Dramani Mahama that amending or repealing laws in Ghana is not the function of the Executive.

He said only Parliament has the mandate to do so.

He says Mr Mahama made a promise to remove the e-levy if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wins power, as though he knows how the 2024 elections will turn out.

Mr Jantuah further stated that in case the NDC wins the presidential election and does not win majority in Parliament, this promise will not be achieved, hence Ghanaians will be disappointed.

I dont know whether he knows what 2024 elections is going to turn out to be. It is not an executive decision to repeal the e-levy, it is parliament. If you dont have majority in Parliament how do you repeal it?

In terms of his comments that they will repeal it, it depends on Parliament. He spoke a little too soon, Mr Jantuah said on the New Day on TV3 Friday May 6.

Mr Mahama has said a government of the NDC would abolish the e-levy.

We in the NDC do not oppose taxation as a principle. We will not be pretentious and couch fanciful slogans to condemn the principle of taxation like the NPP did in the past. We are, however, implacably opposed to distortionary and burdensome taxes like the e-levy that only force Ghanaians to endure more suffering.

A new National Democratic Congress Government, God willing and with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana  in 2025  will repeal the E-Levy Act, he said while delivering an address titled Ghana at Crossroad on Monday May 2.

The controversial levy started on Sunday May 1 amidst public outcry.

The NDC heavily opposed the introduction of the levy. In their view, it is punitive and amounts to double taxation. The bill was passed by Parliament on Tuesday March 29 after the Minority staged a walkout.

They walked out after their leader Haruna Iddrisu said the NDC MPs remained united in opposing the policy.

On Tuesday April 19 they filed an application at the Supreme Court to block the commencement of the e-levy deductions but the Supreme Court dismissed the application on Wednesday May 4.

Following the dismissal, the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Godfred Dame told the NDC lawmakers who filed the injunction application that applicants do not go to court based on speculations and conjecture.

In his view, available records in Parliament showed that the House had the required number of members present in approving the e-levy.

You do not go to court with speculations and conjecture, you go to court on firm evidence.The applicants were unable to demonstrate any form of irregularity, he told journalists in Accra after the Supreme Court dismissed the application against the e-levy.

---3news.com
Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has said the technical challenge with one of its Smart prepayment system, Nuriprepayment, which resulted in customers inability to purchase or top up prepraid credits has been resolved.

The power distributing company disclosed this in a public notice on Thursday, 5 May 2022.

The company assured customers that: Pending transactions will be automatically updated to their metres.

It added: In the event that automatic updates fail, token numbers will be sent to their phones for manual top up of their credits.

The ECG had earlier said it was experiencing challenges with one of its Smart prepayment system, Nuriprepayment.

We are currently experiencing a technical challenge with Nuriprepayment system (one of ECGs Prepayment systems) resulting in customers inability to purchase or top up their prepaid credit, the company said in a statement.

The company however assured affected customers that its ICT team was working assiduously to rectify the challenge and restore the Nuriprepayment system back to normalcy.

Source: classfmonline.com
Private legal practitioner, Mr. Kwame Jantuah has said he believes John Dramani Mahamas pronouncement of plans to repeal the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) in the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was done in a haste.

On Monday, May 2, 2022, the former President of Ghana in an address on the theme Ghana at a Crossroads reiterated that the NDC still opposes the controversial levy introduced by the government.

He said although the largest opposition party is not against taxation, the party will abolish the E-Levy when it wrestles power from the ruling NPP in the next general election.

We in the NDC do not oppose taxation as a principle. We will not be pretentious and couch fanciful slogans to condemn the principle of taxation like the NPP did in the past. We are, however, implacably opposed to distortionary and burdensome taxes like the e-levy that only force Ghanaians to endure more suffering.

A new National Democratic Congress Government, God willing and with the votes of the sovereign people of Ghana in 2025 will repeal the E-Levy Act, Mahama shared.

Speaking on TV3 New Day show, Kwame Jantuah has said the declaration from the former President has come too soon.

He said even if the NDC wins the next general election, the power to repeal will not be in the hands of the President but with Parliament.

I dont know whether he knows what 2024 elections is going to turn out to be. It is not an executive decision to repeal the e-levy, it is parliament. If you dont have majority in Parliament how do you repeal it?

In terms of his comments that they will repeal it, it depends on Parliament. He spoke a little too soon, Mr. Jantuah noted.
The lawyer for the three opposition NDC Members of Parliament who filed an application at the Supreme Court that sought an injunction on the implementation of the Electronic Levy by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr Godwin Eduzi Tameklo, has responded to Attorney General and Minister of Justice Godfred Dame for describing his last court performance as embarrassing.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, threw out the Minoritys suit on Wednesday, 4 May 2022.

The plaintiffs were Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga.

The Supreme Court, in its ruling, however, ordered the Ghana Revenue Authority to keep accurate records of all e-levy deductions to enable a refund to payees if it is later determined that the law was passed unconstitutionally.

The court, composed of Nene Amegatcher as President, Her Ladyship Mariama Owusu, His Lordship Professor Ashie Kotey, Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo, Her Ladyship Lovelace Johnson, His Lordship Emmanuel Yony Kulendi and Her Ladyship Professor Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, said the Republic would suffer a great deal if the government is temporarily stopped from deducting the levy from electronic transactions.

The plaintiffs had filed an earlier suit at the apex court challenging the passage of the e-levy bill by a one-sided parliament.

They claim the number of legislators in the chamber when the bill was passed did not form a quorum as declared by the Supreme Court.

The opposition MPs want the Supreme Court to set aside the passage of the e-levy bill by the Majority Caucus present in the chamber of parliament on 29 March 2022 as unconstitutional, null and void.

They wanted the court to stop the commencement of the levy until the final determination of the first case.

Speaking to the media after the court ruling, Mr Dame told the media: You saw what happened in court today: It was an embarrassing spectacle.

The lawyer clearly was not able to demonstrate any form of irregularities with proceedings in Parliament, he explained, illustrating: The court asked him [Edudzi Tameklo]: So, is there any record that indicates that X number of MPs walked out at a certain stage?

He obviously said no. There was no evidence indicating whether there was a headcount of a number of MPs present in parliament who voted to support the bill, the Minister of Justice said.

There was also nothing indicated by the lawyer, which suggests there was a walkout of X number of MPs, so, I think we should ignore all that propaganda, he said.

Mr Dame added: You do not go to court with speculation and conjecture; you go to court on firm evidence, insisting: The applicants were unable to demonstrate any form of irregularity.

He welcomed the ruling, saying: Im fully satisfied with the courts ruling. Im content with the outcome and Im happy that the observation that we made about the application has been affirmed by the court.

It is very important to note that the court made a finding that: really, nothing irregular has been demonstrated by the applicant and so far as the proceedings in parliament in question were concerned, everything seemed regular and we have demonstrated the same from the processes that we had filed.

Meanwhile, South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has jumped to Mr Tameklos defence and tackled the Attorney General on his comments. You could make your legal argument, you could say that your argument, as canvassed in opposition to the application prevail, that is what we say to lawyers. But dont tell the general public that his performance today was embarrassing, he said.

In his view, as a practising lawyer who has also practised before in the Supreme Court on several occasions, I think Edudzi distinguished himself.

Edudzi was answering about four questions at the time from the judges. The judges didnt hound the AG in that manner. At a point, four judges were asking Edudzi four different questions at the same time. He was able to respond to each and every one of them for the AG to miss a course and take to the media to say that his performance today was embarrassing, is with all due respect to him, unacceptable, the NDC MP told Accra-based Joy FM.

Responding to the AG himself, Mr Tameklo said: I will prefer to be an embarrassment than a dishonest Attorney General, adding: This Attorney General has no regard for candour and honesty.

If he did, he would not appear before the apex court of the land with the March 29, 2022 votes and proceedings knowing very well that same has been corrected and that correction has been adopted, he explained.

It is the lowest that I have seen of an Attorney General and let be on the record, Mr Tameklo said.

Unfortunately, this is the Attorney General that we have to contend with, he added.

He sees himself more of an NPP propagandist than the Minister of Justice, Mr Tameklo added.

The NDC lawyer said the Attorney Generals childhood kernel has been cracked for him, adding: You remember not long ago, even after the Supreme Court gave an injunction order against the NDC MP for Assin North, he met the media once again and said what happened to Adamu Sakande should happen to the NDC MP, knowing that there was a substantive matter to be determined.

So, it is part of his making to prejudge matters before the court, Mr Tameklo noted.

Mr Tameklo said he restrained himself from commenting on the ruling until the AG went on his media attack, contrary to the practice among lawyers, and, so, when he decided to defer this law, I need to descend on him in equal measure.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Management of Sunyani Technical University has launched a 300 million-cedi Endowment Fund and the 55th anniversary celebrations of the institution during its 14th Congregation ceremony in Sunyani.

The event was under the theme, STU, 55 years of progress and achievement in TVET and engineering education: mobilizing excellence for leadership in Ghanas industrialization agenda.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Universitys Governing Council, Ing. Dr. Kwame Agyeman Boakye said the institution is focused to lead Ghanas industrialization agenda to reduce poverty and attain Ghana without aid, among others.

He, however, said this can only be achieved if all stakeholders will support with resources for a well-grounded sustainable human and infrastructure development that will help build the capacity of the youths expected to play key roles in the agenda.

Dr. Agyeman Boakye said the theme for the occasion is an indication that STU is not content with its past achievement, but very much focused on the present and the future of leading Ghanas industrialization agenda to achieve national objectives for poverty reduction, the competitiveness of enterprises, sustainable environmental management, industrial growth, and Ghana without aid.

To achieve this, the council chairman said it requires the support of all stakeholders to enable the institution to build the capacity of students with the right personnel and infrastructure.

He, however, said resources need to be marshaled and crystalized into an endowment fund to have the support institutionalized, strengthened, and sustained to achieve the desired objectives.

Endowment Fund

He therefore said the STU Endowment Fund is to help reduce the needs of the university and drive forward its human capital and infrastructure development per the Strategic Plan and Master Plan.

Dr. Agyeman Boakye therefore appealed to all stakeholders to generously donate to the fund to help the universitys development and the industrial development of Ghana.

Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Oseadeayo Dr. Agyemang Badu II, and the Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu Banahene, pledged 10,000 cedis each, while the council Chairman and Council members, the Vice-Chancellor, Management and Staff of the University, also pledged to contribute One Million Cedis to support the Endowment Fund.

The Council chairman also appealed to the government to provide an asphalt overlay for the major roads within the university which is dusty during the dry season and muddy when it rains.

He thanked the government for granting STU the full package of the AVIC Ultra-Modern Laboratory Complex Project, under the collaboration between the government of Ghana and China.

Determination

The Vice-Chancellor, Ing. Prof Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, urged the graduates to eschew complacency after school and strive to be self-reliant with the skills acquired.

He insisted they will succeed with determination if they make good use of the knowledge imbibed them at the university.

The VC said the structure of the academic programs at the STU has adequately prepared you to be self-reliant as employers and not employees and as job creators and not job seekers.

Though he admitted the Covid-19 pandemic has created gaps in the national and global economies, he said it also serves as opportunities for Engineering, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and Entrepreneurially-skilled graduates.

The institution was founded in 1967 as Sunyani Technical Institute to contribute to the technical human resource needs of Ghana.

It was upgraded to Polytechnic in 1997 when the government decided to emphasize Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

In 2016, it was converted to a Technical University following the promulgation of the Technical Universities Act, 2016 (Act 922) as amended.
Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana wants government to increase the education of the public on the electronic transfer levy in a bid to reduce the panic withdrawal at some mobile money vending stations.

According to the General Secretary of the association, Evans Otumfuor, the public must be informed that the deduction of the levy does not affect some transactions.

Mr. Otumfuor wants government to do more to educate the public about e-levy.

Most Ghanaians are still ignorant about how the deductions will be made, and this is affecting mobile money vendors across the country. There have been a lot of panic withdrawals these past few weeks. We need more education on the tax. We are sure that when this is done, panic withdrawals will reduce.

Evans Otumfour further urged agents of mobile money to continue with their business with hopes that all challenges with the new tax policy will soon be resolved.

The E-Levy has come to stay and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. We can only encourage our members to continue their business activities. We are hopeful that with time, Ghanaians will accept the tax and things will go back to normal.

Government commenced the implementation of the controversial levy on May 1, 2022, despite widespread condemnation of the tax policy.

The levy was reduced from 1.75% to 1.5% after several protests led by the opposition party, its Members in Parliament, and some civil society groups.

Government had hoped to rake in about GH7 billion from the collection of the 1.5% levy on mobile money and other electronic transactions, but the figure was revised downwards to about GH4 billion recently.

Transactions afftected by E-Levy

The E-levy affects transfers between two different users on the same mobile network (eg. AirtelTigo to AirtelTigo, two different users on separate mobile networks (eg. AirtelTigo to MTN), transfers from Bank accounts to Mobile money accounts, transfers from Mobile money accounts to banks and interbank transfers using mobile applications or other digital platforms.

---citinewsroom
The implementation of the electronic transaction levy (E-Levy) should not scare business owners from transacting business on the various electronic platforms.

There are numerous opportunities that business owners should exploit to make the maximum benefit out of the E-Levy regime, find ways of taking advantage of the policy to enhance their operations, and leverage their customer bases, Professor Emmanuel Osei Asiamah, a Governance Expert and a Business Trainer has stated.

He also advised business owners to ensure they register with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) are there benefits to be derived from regularizing your business, so as to avoid a situation that could affect their businesses.

Prof. Asiamah gave the advised during a seminar organized for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Tema monitored by Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) which aimed at empowering the small business operators in basic financial management skills at the Fountainhead Christian University College in Tema Community 12.

The days business seminar was on the theme: managing a successful business amid a global pandemic and the role of the private sector, aimed at helping artisanal and small-scale businesses thrive.

Prof. Asiamah noted that one needed to be financially disciplined to keep their business alive, noting that

Mr. Isaac Tonyi, Lecturer at Fountainhead Christian University College explained that the training was to empower the community, especially traders, dress makers, artisans, and other small business operators to tune-up for the post-COVID-19 era when businesses to regain their grounds.

He noted that the entrepreneurs would at the end of the seminar be able to make some gains and prudently manage their finances to keep them in business.

Mr. Tonyi stressed that one basic challenge that confronts many Ghanaian entrepreneurs was customer service adding that the seminar would widen the scoop of the entrepreneurs on how to render good customer service to their clients.
Kwaku Yeboah

06.05.2022 LISTEN

A man has allegedly shot his 22-year-old biological son after a slight argument over a television set.

The victim, Evans Oduro Yeboah, who sustained gunshot wounds in his stomach, is currently responding to treatment at the Nkawie Government Hospital.

The trigger-happy suspect, Kwaku Yeboah, of Essuowin near Nkawie, in the Ashanti Region, has since been apprehended by the police to face the law.

According to the police, Yeboah, after committing the heinous crime around 6:40pm on May 3, 2022, quickly went into hiding, perhaps to avert arrest.

The police, however, did not give up as they tracked and eventually arrested him from his hideout at Ahwerewa Road to assist in investigations.

Suspect Yeboah, a police report has confirmed, admitted to having shot his son after an argument over a television set, following a thorough interrogation.

The police have since retrieved the single barrel gun that the suspect used to shoot his son at close range, to help in their investigations.

A police report, sighted by DAILY GUIDE, said one Nana Serwaa of Essuowin alerted the police that Yeboah had allegedly shot his son, Evans, with a single barrel gun.

According to the police, Nana Serwaa added that the victim was bleeding profusely so he was rushed to the Nkawie Government Hospital for treatment.

Police upon receipt of the information, accompanied the complainant to the scene, but the suspect had already bolted, part of the police report disclosed.

Later, suspect was arrested from his hideout at Ahwerewa Road, and during interrogation he admitted having shot his son with a single barrel gun due to a misunderstanding that ensued between them on a television set, the report added.

The police report said the suspect has since been detained for further investigation, adding that, The said gun has been retrieved in a nearby bush at Essuowin.

---Daily Guide
Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFOI) Doris Lamptey of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has advised domestic Gas users to change the cylinder seal frequently to avoid gas leakages and also disconnect the cylinder from the burner when not in use to avoid fire outbreaks.

ACFOI Lamptey who is the GNFS Tema Regional Commander said investigations conducted by the service identified gas cylinder seal leakage as one of the triggers of the domestic fires.

She, therefore, advised users to regularly change the seal, anytime you fill your gas cylinder, change the seal, while urging gas station attendants to educate their customers about the need to change the seal, we must always play the safety card, stay safe and remain safe at all times.

Addressing officers and other ranks of the GNFS Tema Regional Command during the 2022 International Firefighters Day commemoration which was characterized by a parade and display of fire gadgets in Tema, ACFOI Lamptey commended the troops for their resilience over the years.

The 2022 International Firefighters Day is on the theme: Valuing the collective sacrifice of a firefighter, Our departed heroes, Our true pride, monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

International Firefighters Day was created in 1999 after five firefighters died tragically during a wildfire in Australia when the direction of the wind changed suddenly and engulfed them in flames.

It is celebrated on May 4th because that is Saint Florians day, and Saint Florian, who was said to be one of the first commanding firefighters of an actual Roman battalion and saved many lives, is the patron saint of firefighters.

ACFOI Lamptey recounted the immense contributions and selfless sacrifices made by fire personnel all over the world, stressing that saving lives and properties from ravages of fire is a high-risk venture.

She as part of the commemoration fire education team has deployed in the communities, churches, schools, mosques, various households, and industries to educate the public on the need to prevent fire.

ACFOI Lamptey explained that the fire education team would also enter the slums, ghettos, and other localities to sensitize them, no one would be left out in the fire education, as sometimes fire outbreak cases emanate from the slums within the region.

She also used the occasion to celebrate the local firefighters for dedication to duty as the protection of lives and properties at the risk of losing their lives; the firefighting work involves combating, extinguishing, and preventing fires, responding to render emergency medical services, and responding to and mitigating other emergencies.

The operation and maintenance of fire department equipment, apparatus, and quarters is an enormous task to undertake for which we commend our personnel.

ACFOI Lamptey urged all not to only turn off electrical gadgets when not in use but also unplug them from the sockets since current still flows within them.

As part of the commemoration, the GNFS personnel decorated their uniforms with a blue and red ribbon on their chest which signified that blue was the water used in the fighting fire which was noted as red.

A wreath-laying ceremony was held to pay respect to the departed souls in the GNFS who lost their lives in their duty of work.

Thereafter, emergency sirens were blown and water was showered for some minutes to pay homage to the departed souls.
Former Canadian Prime Minister and Chairman for the International Democrat Union Rt. Hon Stephen Harper has showered praises on Ghana.

He said Ghana is the leader in the Centre Right Democracy in Africa.

He made the disclosure during the Young Democrat Union of Africa (YDUA) high-level public lecture at the University of Ghana on Wednesday, 4th May, 2022.

According to the ICU chairman, Ghanas role in the last 7 years in the revitalization of the International Democrat Union and the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA) is unmatched.

He added that the leading role in Africa is built in the DNA of Ghana as the first sub-Saharan African country to attain independence under the leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

The lecture organized by YDUA under the theme, "Democracy and Geo-Politics: a Global Perspective on the Changing Dynamics of the International Order" in collaboration with IDU, DUA and the New Patriotic Party attracted over 3,000 young people from Ghana, Cote DIvoire, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Togo, Mozambique, Morocco, Liberia and other African Countries.

The event chaired by the Chief of Staff Hon. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare also had in attendance other high profile personalities including the Canadian High Commissioner, Ambassador of Morocco, Cote DIvoire and Germany.

The ruling New Patriotic Party was also heavily represented by General Secretary John Boadu, Organizer Sammi Awuku, Youth Organizer Henry Nana Boakye, former Chairman Peter Mac Manu among others.

President of YDUA Louisa Atta-Agyemang under whose auspices the lecture was organized said the drive to embark on this project was essential following the failure of the leftys regimes on the African Continent and how important it is for young people to know the global perspective of the changes in the global order.

She was confident that conversations like this will help shape Africas democracy and help further propagate and shape the ideals of the centre right.
The Ghana Optometric Association (GOA) has revealed that exposing the eyes of babies suffering from jaundice to sun rays in the mornings by 10:00 hours is dangerous.

The practice is now outmoded and seen to be problematic.

Studies has established that the children ended up with other conditions including sunburns as the sunrays were now dangerous due to environmental changes which had depleted the ozone layer which used to protect humans from the direct effect of being exposed to the sun.

Parents must report jaundice symptoms early to the hospitals for treatment, less severe jaundice cases in neonatal were often treated using light therapy by putting the babies under UV lights at the hospital and being monitored, Dr. Alfred Gardemor, GOA Public Relations Officer stated at the fifth Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Office and the Ghana Optometric Association fortnightly public sensitization initiative GNA-GOA: My Eye! My Vision!

The fortnight initiative is a collaborative public education advocacy campaign to promote the need for people to access eye care and also to draw attention to vision health was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult at Tema.

The GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision! The initiative also seeks to challenge the public and policymakers to focus on vision as a health issue, which forms a critical component of mankinds wellbeing but is often neglected.

Dr Gardemor, therefore cautioned parents with babies suffering from jaundice against exposing the babies eyes to the rays of the sun as a way of treatment such practices could expose the eyes of babies to Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and its resultant effects may be dangerous.

Speaking on the topic; Childrens Vision and Eye Health, Dr. Gardemor, who is also a Senior Optometrist at the Nsawam Government Hospital stressed that the neonatal jaundice that is the yellow discoloration of a newborn babys skin and eyes, occurred because the babys blood contained an excess of bilirubin which is a by-product of the breakdown of red blood cells.

Dr. Gardemor indicated that because the liver of a newborn was not fully developed, it could not get rid of the excess waste (bilirubin) generated from the breakdown of the red blood cells which ended up affecting the skin and eyes and could also affect some other organs including the brain.

Touching on other eye conditions children could suffer from, he mentioned amblyopia also known as lazy eye, allergies, refractive errors, and glaucoma among others.

He said many children with eye disorders were yet to be identified and treated, this he said affected their learning and education as it could lead to learning disorders.

Dr Gardemor, therefore, advised parents to get a first eye screening for their children from age six months, with a second one at age one, three, before pre-school and periodically to avoid future conditions and to detect any anomalies early for correction as some of the condition could not be corrected with time.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, GNA-Tema Regional Manager explained that the two professional bodies have agreed to work together on a public sensitization campaign dubbed: GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision to draw attention to vision health.

We are combining the forces of our professional calling as Optometric Physicians and Communication Experts to reach out to the public with a well-coordinated message.

We believe such collaboration would serve as a major platform to educate the public on vision health and also serves as a critical stage for the association to reach out to the world, Mr. Ameyibor noted.
An Islamic Leader, Imam Khalid Abdul-Rahman, Imam of the Peace-Be Central Mosque at Tema Community 25 on Friday urged Muslims to keep their piety just as they did during the Ramadan even though the fasting has ended.

Imam Abdul-Rahman said this when he led prayers of Muslim worshipers from Dawhenya, Community 25, Peace-Be, and their environs at the Devtraco car park which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) as part of this years Eid celebration.

He advised them to fear Allah and be vigilant in their worship, as they would soon return to him for accountability, which he noted, was undoubted.

He said, Brothers and sisters in Islam Ramadan is over but we still have our faith, we should endeavor to continue with the good deeds we used to do in Ramadan least we become victims in the 144 verse of the chapter of Imran.

He explained that in that scripture, Allah would reward the grateful and does not turn their back on him, therefore the need to continue to do good and follow the tenets of the religion.

The Imam further said Muslims must also endeavor to purify their deeds so that all their deeds should be towards pleasing Allah the supreme controller of the universe, and not the creatures.

The prophet is also reported to have said that his greatest fear for his followers is that God on the day of judgment would say to those who work to please human beings, go to those for whom you work to please and see if you will get your reward from them, he said.

He encouraged the Muslims not to forget to observe the six days in Shawmal, which he indicated the Prophet has said that he who fast in the month of Ramadan and follows it with six days of fasting is like the one who has to observe fasting for the whole year.

The Imam also advised the youth to guide against lawlessness when celebrating as that could go a long way to nullify all their act of worship in the just ended Ramadan

The Muslim worshipers prayed for Allahs blessings for themselves and the country during the Eid prayers.

The Muslims attended the prayers in their best attires of kaftan for the males, and lovely styled gowns with hijabs and veils for the female.
SIC Insurance PLC has revealed that Engineering and Construction Insurance Policies are critical to protect material damage to works against unforeseen and sudden physical loss for damage from any cause other than those excluded under the policy.

There is also a third party liability cover up to and not exceeding the amount specified for which the insured shall be legally liable consequent on accidental bodily injury or illness to third parties; and damage to property belonging to third parties.

Contractors All Risk and Erection All Risk; Machinery Breakdown and Construction Plant and Machinery; Electronic Equipment; Boiler and Pressure Vessel Insurance Policy are covers which seeks to provide cover, Mr Faris Attrickie, General Manager, Technical Operations of the SIC Insurance Company PLC, has stated.

Mr Attrickie stated at the 12 edition of the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office End of Month Stakeholder Engagement and Workers Appreciation Day seminar-an initiative which creates a platform for state and non-state actors to address national issues.

The monthly engagement also serves as a motivational mechanism to recognize the editorial contribution of reporters toward national development in general and the growth and promotion of the Tema GNA as the Industrial News Hub, which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult).

Mr. Attrickie noted that these policies pay all legal costs and expenses of third parties and all expenses and costs incurred with the written consent of the insurer.

Cover can also be extended for the loss of or damage to Contractor's plant and machinery used for the construction/erection, he said.

Explaining further, he said the Machinery Breakdown and Construction Plant and Machinery cover unforeseen and sudden physical loss or damage from causes such as defects in castling and material, faulty desi,gns or from any other causes not specifically excluded in a manner necessitating repair or replacement or cash payment whilst the machine is at work, at rest or being assembled.

While the Electronic Equipment policies cover indemnifies the insured for loss or damage resulting from causes such as negligence, operation, willful act by third parties, explosion, implosion, over-voltage, under-voltage. The cover applies whether the insured items are at rest, at work or being dismantled.

Mr. Attrickie noted that the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Insurance Policy provides indemnity against damage to the insured boiler as a result of explosion or collapse.

The policy also covers damage to the third party properties and bodily injury or death to third parties. All legal costs and expenses of third parties are paid as well as all expenses and cost incurred with the written consent of the insurer, he noted.

Mr Attrickie therefore appealed to the corporate bodies to seek for insurance knowledge at all times, let us not assume or just pretend that nothing wont happen. Events do occur and that is why there is the need for protection at all times.

Mr Francis Ameyibor, the Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency, said it was essential for the media to champion national discussion and ensure that; they carried everyone along the discourse including the people in the market place, the rural areas, the communities and those literate and illiterates.

He added that the media must reach out to all segments of society irrespective of their status as everyones voice matters in the public debate for national development.

As such, Mr. Ameyibor said the TEMA Ghana News Agency Regional Office has created three major flagship news platforms to serve the public through unbiased dissemination of truthful, factual, accurate, and balance news.
06.05.2022 LISTEN

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says it is holding talks with Ministry of Finance on the possible exclusion of investment transactions from the payment of E-levy.

SEC announced this in a statement on Wednesday, May 6, 2022.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wishes to inform all capital market operators and the investor community that, following the commencement of implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) Act 2022 (Act 1075) on May 1, 2022, by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the SEC is currently working with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) regarding the potential exemption of investment transactions from the E-Levy, it said in a statement.

SEC said until its request is granted, E-levy will apply to investment transactions in strict adherence to the guidelines of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

It further urged its members to update their customer investment records with their individual National Identification Card (Ghana Card) ahead of the second phase implementation of GRAs modified phased-approach.

It is estimated that by the start of the second phase (July 1, 2022) of the modified phased-approach adopted by the GRA, Charging Entities would have completed their integration with the GRA E-Levy Management System (Common Platform), thereby facilitating the complete identification of individuals, verification of daily threshold and exemptions across the various platforms of the Charging Entities, SEC said.

Read the full statement below:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (hereinafter referred to as the SEC) is the statutory body mandated by the Securities Industry Act 2016 (Act 929) to promote the orderly growth and development of an efficient, fair, and transparent securities market in which investors and the integrity of the market are protected.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wishes to inform all capital market operators and the investor community that, following the commencement of implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) Act 2022 (Act 1075) on May 1, 2022, by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the SEC is currently working with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) regarding the potential exemption of investment transactions from the E-Levy. The SEC notes that until such exemptions are granted, capital market operators shall strictly adhere to guidelines issued by the GRA regarding implementation of the E-Levy.

It is estimated that by the start of the second phase (July 1, 2022) of the modified phased-approach adopted by the GRA, Charging Entities would have completed their integration with the GRA E-Levy Management System (Common Platform), thereby facilitating the complete identification of individuals, verification of daily threshold and exemptions across the various platforms of the Charging Entities.

All capital market operators are therefore advised to update their customers' investment records using their individual National Identification Card (Ghana Card) and ensure full compliance with the directive issued by the SEC in July 2020 on Trust Accounts' opening, maintenance and operation SEC/DIR/003/07/2022 which shall become a key ingredient in seeking potential exemptions for the market.

For more information, please call 0302768970, the toll-free line 0800100065 or send an email to [email protected]

This Public Notice is issued pursuant to Sections 3 and 208 (c) of the Securities Industry Act, 2016.

(Act 929).

By Order of the SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION DATED: 3rd MAY 2022

---citinewsroom
06.05.2022 LISTEN

Presenter of BBC Focus on Africa, Peter Okwoche, has disclosed that a lot of Africans do not register with their countries Embassies or High Commissions when they travel abroad thereby making it difficult for the governments to know the exact number of their citizens in those countries.

I, myself, I am guilty of it. I have been in the UK now for 18 years. I have never gone to register myself with the Nigerian High Commission here. I've gone there to renew my passport so they might have some kind of record but if it comes to a census, I have not gone there to be part of a census, he said.

Okwoche commended the Zimbabwe Ambassador, whom he described as a formidable woman for her standing in subzero temperature waiting to evacuate her citizens.

She said she suspects there are between two hundred and five hundred Zimbabweans in Ukraine, and the reason why she doesn't have the exact number is that a lot of Africans when they travel, they don't want to go and register with their Embassies and High Commissions so the officials there have no idea whether you are living in the country or not.

He explained to 3FM Sunrise Morning Show hosts, Alfred Ocansey and Helen Ampafo on Friday 6 May 2022 that this phenomenon undermines the opportunity for the diplomatic missions abroad to extend support to their citizens in times of distress or crises such as the Ukraine Russia conflict.

The hands of these governments were tied in a particular and peculiar way. You guys know me, I am an apologist for any African government. I hold them to account, but this narrative that they were not out there doing anything was completely false. At least, these five or so countries that I witnessed there were doing their best under very very difficult circumstances Peter Okwoche emphasised

Peter debunked the notion that the African embassies and diplomats in Ukraine and neighbouring countries did not show much interest and support to their citizens trapped in the Ukraine Russia conflict.

Before I went to Poland, the narrative was very bad on social media that the African leaders were not doing enough to get their students out of Ukraine. When I finally got to the Polish Border, you now realized that that social media narrative wasn't true. The Nigerian ambassador had been at the border where I was for three days. He did a 18 hour ground trip just to get to the boarder to get some Nigerian students out of the boarder Peter expressed

He recounted some of the horroring experiences some Africans went through, a Nigerian female student and her colleagues who had to walk for 12 hours in subzero temperature because the Ukrainian soldiers wouldn't allow them to board the train.

Peter Okwoche was giving some insight into his documentary for the BBC Africa Eye dubbed 'Not Our war' on 3FM an Accra based radio station in Ghana.

---3news.com
Ghanaian Firefighters scored high marks as the global community marks the 2022 International Firefighters Day to reflect on the dedication of firefighters who have committed their lives to the protection of life and property.

The commitment of Ghanaian Firefighters who in all cases risk the ultimate sacrifice of a firefighter to save a life by losing their lives, information gathered by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) at Tema has established.

As part of the celebration, Mr. Julius Kuunuor, GNFS Chief Fire Officer also commended all firefighters in Ghana for their tireless, resilient effort and sticking to the noble course of saving lives and property from the ravages of fire and other life-threatening situations.

The individual and collective efforts of every one of you have undoubtedly culminated in our achievements so far, Mr Kuunuor stated as GNFS join the global community to mark the 2022 International Firefighters day which is a special time to stop and reflect on the sacrifices made by firefighters.

The day was marked significantly this year when fire sirens sounded for 30 seconds at noon on May 4, followed by a minutes silence in memory of, and respect for, all firefighters who have been lost in the line of duty or passed on to eternity.

On this our special day, we celebrate current and past firefighters for their contributions, especially GNFS personnel who proved their worth by responding and dealing with all incidents that have occurred, notable among them was Apeatse Explosion.

The heroic actions of firefighters were on full display endearing us to many hearts and giving meaning to our slogan, We Do Not Take Cover, the Chief Fire Officer stated.

This also brought to fore the risk Firefighters have to take just for others to be safe even at the peril of our lives and many other negative effects which we suffer as a result of the challenging nature of our job, he added.

CFO Kuunuor expressed his condolences to the family of ADO11 Joseph Baidoo of Agona Swredu Fire Station who simply responded to a call of duty and in the process of saving others gave up his life and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

We say condolences to the family of this fallen hero and others who have departed to glory, and may their gentle souls rest in peace, he said.

He added that five firefighters who had a fatal accident on the Kwame Danso- Atebubu road, responding to duty call was most regrettable but due to the quick response from the Sector Minister, the Fire Service Council, and management, the victims were flown to Accra and are currently in good health.

He mentioned that management of the service condemned the act of mob cases on their members and has instituted steps to delve deeper into the specific cases from all angles to find long-lasting solutions.

He assured the firefighters of the efforts and commitments made by the government to address some challenges that they have faced about their mandate despite their achievements.

He urged them all not to rest on their oars but to work even harder to achieve their aim.

CFO Kuunuor said, Ours is to educate, ours is to save lives, and ours is to protect properties, I pray that the Almighty God protects and preserves our lives as we risk ours to save others.
Policies and decisions made in the United States echo around the world and often have widespread implications. Take sexual and reproductive health, for example. Decisions made in the US have caused, and could cause, severe damage to progress in access to these services in developing countries.

The first US policy with implications for healthcare in other countries is the global gag rule , first enacted by Ronald Reagan in 1984. Under this policy, non-US organisations that receive US government funding cannot provide, refer for, or promote abortion as a method of family planning. Successive US presidents have decided whether to enact or revoke the policy. President Joe Biden set it aside when he took office in 2021.

Read more: US anti-abortion "gag rule" hits women hard: what we found in Kenya and Madagascar

The second is the decision before the US Supreme Court on the right of women to choose abortion. Recently leaked documents suggest the court may overturn the landmark 1973 decision, Roe v Wade , that gave American women this choice. The final decision is expected in a couple of months.

For countries that look to the US for guidance and for funding, the consequences will go beyond abortion. The striking down of Roe v Wade, coupled with the global gag rule (if and when it is reinstated by a Republican administration), empowers national and international opposition to sexual and reproductive health services such as family planning, abortion, and comprehensive sexuality education.

In African countries, where incremental gains are beginning to manifest in improved legislation and policies due to decades of advocacy and lobbying, this would be a devastating blow. For example, in 2020 we studied the impact of the global gag rule in Kenya. Our findings pointed to government officials using the US government position to restrict conversations around abortion in official meetings.

What happens in the US may effectively deny women their rights and set back the sustainable development agenda target of reducing maternal, neonatal, and child morbidity and mortality.

Global gag rule

In 2017, under President Donald Trump's administration, the US government reinstated and expanded the global gag rule . Republican administrations have typically reenacted the policy focusing on family planning assistance. But the Trump global gag rule expanded the scope to cover most categories of US government global health assistance instead of only family planning assistance.

Biden's administration has rescinded the policy. But the reverberations of its application between 2017 and 2021 are still being felt across the globe.

The US is one of the largest public health donors. Many African countries depend on external assistance for funding aspects of healthcare, including family planning and quality post-abortion care.

Read more: Insights into how the US abortion gag rule affects health services in Kenya

Roe v Wade

Roe v Wade stipulated that the US constitution protected a pregnant woman's right and freedom to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.

The leaked draft majority decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn this will set back gains made in sexual and reproductive rights and freedoms and improvements in maternal, neonatal, and child health indicators across the globe.

Increasingly, countries in Africa are moving towards liberalisation of abortion laws and, to some extent, decriminalisation of abortion. For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo is improving access to safe abortion . Many consider this as progress.

Even before the issue came before the Supreme Court, several US states had made laws that limit access to safe and legal abortion, allowing abortion for only up to six weeks of gestation. The US has strong institutions and systems to contest and possibly overcome such decisions. It could even codify legal abortion in the constitution.

But women in countries that look to the US for guidance and for funding may not have those options.

The right to choose

Evidence is clear that restricting abortion does not reduce the incidence of abortion. Instead, it makes abortion less safe. Women and girls who are denied access to safe procedures are forced to use unsafe methods and providers. Unsafe abortion can cause complications that range from moderate to life-threatening. More than 77% of abortions in Africa annually are unsafe.

Poorer and marginalised women and girls bear the heaviest burden when their right to choose is denied. Rich and powerful people can find a way to meet their needs. But poor people are forced to have more children than they can afford. The lack of family planning methods and safe and legal abortion is a danger to women's health. It also puts women and girls at risk of greater poverty .

US influence in African countries

US policies, particularly the impending Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, will permeate the international community. African governments that subscribe to conservative sexual and reproductive health norms may draw inspiration from such decisions.

The US ruling could lend support to African decision-makers who are against providing women with options. They might use it to deny women access to critical healthcare in contradiction of their rights.

Anti-choice civil society movements, too, will draw impetus and validation from such a ruling to oppose progressive actions and policies at the national and sub-regional levels .

Several sub-regional economic blocs in Africa are in the process of enacting sexual and reproductive health laws. For example, a sexual and reproductive health bill is currently at the East African Legislative Assembly. Reversal of Roe v Wade might stall or terminate such processes.

Boniface Ushie works for the APHRC, which receives funding from Sida.

Kenneth Juma works at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), which receives funding from Sida.

By Boniface Ushie, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center And

Kenneth Juma, African Population and Health Research Center
In keeping with the hallmark of being a caring and responsive company, employees of Newmont Ghana have donated funds to support health care delivery to the people of Appiatse who were impacted by a tragic explosion earlier this year.

Newmont Ghana facilitated the registration and renewal of National Health Insurance for 732 residents of the Appiatse community and also provided some Project C.U.R.E medical consumables including syringes, Band-Aids, dressings, and other first-aid supplies to the First Aid post at the Appiatse Relief Camp.

The company also made provision for Ghc 20,000 worth of fuel supply to support the Municipal Assemblys shuttle services for the communitys displaced school children.

Presenting the donation, Director of Communications and External Communications at Newmont Ghana, Agbeko Azumah, said that following the companys initial donation of relief items to the community, employees of the company launched a voluntary fundraising campaign to complement the companys efforts. The company double matched the amount that was raised.

He added that after a careful consideration of the immediate needs of the community, the company decided to channel their support towards healthcare relief for the Appaiste Community.

This gesture aligns with our value of Responsibility. We believe that this is the most impactful way to utilize the funds raised by our employees. We hope our efforts will contribute significantly to bringing the much-needed healthcare relief and help restore normalcy to the community, he added.

The companys medical services provider, ISOS, also conducted a needs assessment at the First Aid post to inform the companys subsequent support to the facility.

Receiving the donation on behalf of the community, the Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea Huni Valley, Dr. Isaac Dasmani, said "During this period, the combined effort and support of mining companies like Newmont Ghana and other benevolent companies as well as individuals have been of great help to the people of Appiatse. Everything, we have been able to achieve in the past few months is a result of the generosity of Ghanaians.

Earlier on 26th January 2022, Newmont Ghana presented construction materials and consumables to Appiatse in response to the governments call for support from the public towards the rehabilitation and rebuilding of the Appiatse community.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has disclosed that it is engaging the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to ensure that investment transactions are exempted from the deductions of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy).

This has been announced by SEC through its latest press release dated May 3, 2022.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wishes to inform all capital market operators and the investor community that, following the commencement of implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) Act 2022 (Act 1075) on May 1, 2022, by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the SEC is currently working with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) regarding the potential exemption of investment transactions from the E-Levy, part of the SEC release has said.

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, capital market operators shall strictly adhere to guidelines issued by the GRA regarding the implementation of the E-Levy until such exemptions are granted.

Meanwhile, all capital market operators are advised to update their customers' investment records using their individual National Identification Card (Ghana Card) and ensure full compliance with the directive issued by the SEC in July 2020 on Trust Accounts' opening, maintenance, and operation SEC/DIR/003/07/2022 which shall become a key ingredient in seeking potential exemptions for the market.

Below is a copy of the SEC press release:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (hereinafter referred to as the SEC) is the statutory body mandated by the Securities Industry Act 2016 (Act 929) to promote the orderly growth and development of an efficient, fair, and transparent securities market in which investors and the integrity of the market are protected.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wishes to inform all capital market operators and the investor community that, following the commencement of implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) Act 2022 (Act 1075) on May 1, 2022, by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the SEC is currently working with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) regarding the potential exemption of investment transactions from the E-Levy. The SEC notes that until such exemptions are granted, capital market operators shall strictly adhere to guidelines issued by the GRA regarding implementation of the E-Levy.

It is estimated that by the start of the second phase (July 1, 2022) of the modified phased-approach adopted by the GRA, Charging Entities would have completed their integration with the GRA E-Levy Management System (Common Platform), thereby facilitating the complete identification of individuals, verification of daily threshold and exemptions across the various platforms of the Charging Entities.

All capital market operators are therefore advised to update their customers' investment records using their individual National Identification Card (Ghana Card) and ensure full compliance with the directive issued by the SEC in July 2020 on Trust Accounts' opening, maintenance and operation SEC/DIR/003/07/2022 which shall become a key ingredient in seeking potential exemptions for the market.

For more information, please call 0302768970, the toll-free line 0800100065 or send an email to [email protected]

This Public Notice is issued pursuant to Sections 3 and 208 (c) of the Securities Industry Act, 2016.

(Act 929).

By Order of the SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION DATED: 3rd MAY 2022
CEO of EIB Network Nathan Kwabena Anokye Adisi widely known as Bola Ray has had the honor of visiting the Parliament of France following a special invitation from French MP and Minister for Africa and Middle East Amelia Lakrafi.

The invitation came just after the successful Accra in Paris concert held in Paris last week, organized by French Ambassador to Ghana Anne Sophie Ave and Bola Ray.

A good number of Frances government officials and Members of Parliament graced the event.

Elated about his visit to the French National Assembly at Palaus Bourbon, flying high the flag of Ghana, Mr Anokye Adisi described the experience as an insightful one.

The duo (Lakrafi & Bola Ray) engaged in conversations on how both nations can cooperate to meet mutually beneficial outcomes for both Ghana and France.

The two countries have forged a great relationship over the years and Bola Ray is leading the charge in this regard to ensure long-lasting sustainable cooperation.

Taking to his official Instagram page over his visit to the French Parliament as well as talks with Madam Lakrafi, he caption a photo of both of them Insightful moments with French Member of Parliament for Africa and the Middle East @amelia_lakrafi at the French National Assembly. Excited to hear about your awe-inspiring and plan of action for Ghana.

Bolas followers thronged his comment section with praises as many described him as the real Black Star of Ghana, with others calling for a national award in his name.
The ECOWAS Commission organized the Seventh (7th) Regional Meeting on the draft ECOWAS Offer, from the 25th 27th April 2022, on the Trade in Services Protocol under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Before declaring the meeting open, the Director of Bilateral, Regional and Multilateral Trade at the Ministry of Trade & Industry of the Republic of Ghana, Mr. Mickson OPOKU, expressed appreciation to the ECOWAS Commission for its support in building the capacity of Member States to effectively negotiate the Trade in Services. He underscored the critical role of the services sector to the development of both national and regional economies, and enjoined participants to work hard to finalise their Offers taking into account expectations of their respective countries and the overall objectives of the region.

On behalf of Mr. Tei KONZI, ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs & Free Movement, Mr. Kolawole SOFOLA, Acting Director of Trade, highlighted the support provided by the ECOWAS Commission to its Member States, such as technical assistance and capacity building, to ensure their draft Offers in the five (5) priority Sectors on Trade in Services are in line with the negotiations modalities as well as ensuring that the regional acquis is preserved.

Mr. Desiree LOUMOU, Senior Expert  Trade in Services at the AfCFTA Secretariat, on behalf of Mrs. Emily MBURU, Director of Trade in Services at the AfCFTA Secretariat, commended the ECOWAS Commission and its Member States for their active participation in the negotiation process, and for submitting their Initial Offers in the five (5) priority Sectors on Trade in Services. He reiterated the commitment of the AfCFTA Secretariat to support African Union (AU) Member States including ECOWAS in the finalisation of their Offers.

The 7th Regional meeting reviewed the draft ECOWAS Offer for the AfCFTA Trade in Services negotiations and held bilateral sessions between ECOWAS Commission and Member States to address the various technical issues to ensure they are compliant with agreed modalities and guidelines of the AfCFTA negotiations, as well as consider requests from third parties.

The meeting was attended by Trade in Services Experts from ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania; Officials from the ECOWAS and WAEMU Commissions; and representatives from the AfCFTA Secretariat.

Forty-two (42) African countries are now State Parties to the Agreement on the AfCFTA. Forty (40) State and Seven (7) non-State Parties have submitted their Offers. The five (5) Trade in Services priority sectors are Business Services; Communication Services; Financial Services; Tourism and Travel-Related Services; and Transport Services.

Source: ECOWAS
Parental concerns about childrens privacy are rising due to the growing use of diverse educational technologies to collect detailed information about their children. Schools collect lots of personal information from students without the knowledge or consent of their parents.

As soon as your child enters preschool, information is collected about him or her. The quantum of information grows throughout the child's school life. This information, whether collected by schools directly or by third parties, is often merged and analysed via algorithms to profile a students skills, strengths, abilities, and interests, and to predict future outcomes.

How this sensitive data may be used, with whom it can be shared, and how it can be protected are questions on many parents minds. Finding answers can be hard - schools often find themselves caught in the middle. Childrens school records contain highly sensitive information and even information about the family. The contents of student files are likely to have an impact on the overall educational experience of a child, and their current and future privacy as well.

It is therefore prudent for parents and schoolsowners, administrators, and managers - to be informed about laws and policies that govern student information. In Ghana, currently, there are no specific laws, guidelines, directives, regulations, or policies that entreat schools to manage student data (not that the writer is aware of).

Although no such explicit regulation of student data exists, we can comfortably rely on the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) to manage student data to the satisfaction of parents and all stakeholders. Ghanas Act 843 mandates the Data Protection Commission (DPC) to regulate all institutions (including schools) that process Ghanaian citizens' data. The DPC regulates how organizations collect, process, store, use, protect, disclose, and share data of Ghanaian citizenswhich includes children.

In the school environment, privacy abuses can range from grades pasted on notice boards to the non-consensual exposure of student information and photos on the Internet. In todays climate of heightened privacy and security, it is more important than ever for parents and adult-age students to be vigilant about who has access to their education records.

Privacy and Security Concerns

Privacy: Aside from the school, do you know who has access to your childs information? Even within the school, how is your childs information being used? Which other institutions have access to your childs academic records? What parents need to know is that their childs personal information could be shared within the school or with other third-party processors. Personal identifiable information like your childs name, address, phone number, weight, pictures, video, psychological profile, discipline records, health records, special education records, disability status, family information, income status (anything in your childs education record) can be shared outside of the school, with companies, researchers, government, and NGOs, without your consent or knowledge.

Security: How safe is the information when it is stored (at rest) or shared (in transit)? Essentially, how hard (or easy) would it be for a hacker to get access to your childs information? There are different levels of security, and not all data is encrypted when stored or transferred to other parties.

Rights of Parents/Students

Right to be informed

The right to information allows students/parents to know what personal data is collected about them/their children, why, who is collecting data, how long it will be kept, how they can file a complaint, and with whom will they share the data.

The right to give and withdraw consent.

Parents/students have the right to give their consent to the school to process their personal data. They also have the right to withdraw that consent and the process of withdrawal should be as convenient as it was given.

Right of access

Parents/students have a right to submit subject access requests and attain information from the organization about whether their personal information is being processed.

Right to rectification

The right to rectification allows parents/students to ask the school to update any inaccurate or incomplete data they have on their children/students.

Right to erasure

This right is also known as the right to be forgotten. It allows parents/students to ask for their personal data to be deleted if: the personal data is no longer necessary, consent is withdrawn, or the personal data has been unlawfully processed.

If a parent/student exercises their right to erasure, the school must notify any third parties with whom the data was shared and request the erasure of data.

Right to restrict processing

Parents/students can request that the school limits the way it uses their personal data. To put it plainly, the school is not obligated to delete the data, however, they must refrain from processing it.

Right to prevent the processing of personal data for direct marketing

Parents/students can request a stop to the processing of their personal data for direct marketing, as this is their absolute right.

Right to freedom from automated decision making and profiling

Parents/students have the right to freedom from the processing of personal data that is done without human involvement. This includes different profiling, which may include evaluating certain personal aspects relating to an individual that analyses or predict aspects of behaviour like performance at school, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, or location.

Right to compensation

Parents/students have the right to compensation where it can be established that some forms of damages have occurred as a result of the breach of the students privacy. Compensation may come in different forms and not necessarily in monetary terms.

Right to complain

Parents/students have the right to complain to the school first for any resolution regarding their personal data. If the matter is not adequately resolved, then the parent/student can complain to the Data Protection Commission for redress.

The Schools Responsibilities

notify parents when collecting personal information, which includes the reason for the collection and who to contact with further questions when needed

ensure student information is secure and protected in all formspaper-based or electronic using the technical and organizational means

provide parents and students access to their informationproviding the appropriate means for parents to always do so

seek consent from parents before disclosing a childs personal information for reasons unrelated to schooling

Schools and Social Media

Undoubtedly, social media platforms have become an advertising tool for schools to market their brands and services. The question is: are schools allowed to post pictures or tweets about my child? Schools and their teachers have a professional responsibility for using social media and should seek consent before posting identifiable information about a student. Inappropriate use of social media by schools or teachers may result in privacy harm to the child. This could lead to parental actions such as lawsuits, civil action, or even criminal charges against the school. Inappropriate use of social media includes:

posting student work that contains identifiable information without consent

posting photos or videos of students without consent

tweeting about a student in a way that discloses their personal information without consent

disclosing confidential information about the school, students, or colleagues

Author: Emmanuel K. Gadasu

(Data Protection Officer, IIPGH and Data Privacy Consultant and Practitioner at Information Governance Solutions)

For comments, contact author [email protected] or Mobile: +233-243913077
Police have asked residents of Dome-Kwabenya in the Ga East Municipality to disregard reports of a curfew placed on the community.

According to the Madina Divisional Police Command, the reports being circulated on social media are false and thus urged residents to go about their normal activities without fear.

This follows reports of an alleged curfew imposed on the Kwabenya township as part of activities leading up to the final funeral rites of the Kwabenya chief from Thursday, May 5 to Sunday, May 8.

Speaking to Citi News, the Madina Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Cosmos Alan Anyan, stressed that the burial ceremony expected to take place in the community is that of a sub-chief and not the Kwabenya chief.

He said they picked up information that the shops in the area had been directed to shut down due to the funeral activities.

But when we got to know about it, we quickly got in touch with the family [organising the funeral], and they denied that.

One of the youth leaders of Kwabenya explained the reason for the misinformation in a Citi News interview.

We, the Abbey-We family, did not call for a curfew. As we know, it is illegal, and only the appropriate bodies can call for a curfew. We only told residents to lock their shops when they close and switch off the lights because our customs demand we carry the body in the dark.

By Citi Newsroom
The Kumasi High Court has adjourned case involving Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey, a KNUST senior lecturer who is standing trial over the disappearance of his wife.

Two others  Yaw Boateng and Justice Appiah are also standing trial in the matter after Rhodalines phone was found in their possession.

His wife, Rhodaline Amoah-Darko, a senior lands officer at the Lands Commission in Kumasi, has been missing since August 30, 2021.

During the last court hearing, the first witness who mounted the box, who was a Teaching Assistant of the embattled KNUST lecturer, contradicted the claims by Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey as he stressed that the lecturer did not sleep in his house on the night of the wifes disappearance.

Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey had earlier told the police that he slept in his house with his teaching assistants and kids on the day the wife got missing.

The second witness was expected to mount the box today (May 6, 2022) but was unable to appear before the court due to ill health.

The court has thus adjourned the case to Thursday, 12th May, 2022.

---citinewsroom
Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has said land litigations in Accra and Kumasi are affecting the Agenda 111, project.

He however, said the government is working hard to ensure that these challenges are addressed to enable the project move on smoothly.

It is too early for me to predict whether we will finish or not. But optimistically, that is what we want to do and we try to push ourselves.

We still have challenges with even land especially in the big cities like Accra and Kumasi. We are now changing the infrastructural design so that instead spreading across bigger land area we want to go up. So they are doing designs.

Even in the communities, in the districts, some chiefs are coming and there are litigations in some areas, the Dormaa Central Member of Parliament said while taking delivery of some medical supplies from the Italian government on Thursday May 5.

President Akufo-Addo on Tuesday August 17 201 commissioned the Agenda 111 project which will ensure the construction of 111 hospitals across the country.

During the commission of the project in Trede in the Ashanti Region the President said among other things that the project will be providing 20,000 jobs for health professionals when completed.

He said the Ministry of Health is going to recruit more doctors, nurses and pharmacists when the project is done.

He also said that more indirect jobs are also going to be created by the project implementation.

The president further indicated that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed years of under investment in Ghana's health sector.

To that end, he said his administration is improving on the investment in the health sector of the economy.

He said I am glad that the biggest ever investment in the nation's healthcare is being made .We have met this morning because of the ravages of Covid 19 which has affected every country on the planet . For us in Ghana not only has the pandemic disrupted our daily lives, but it has also exposed the deficiencies with our healthcare system because of the years of under investment and neglect.

---3news.com
06.05.2022 LISTEN

Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong has bemoaned how people especially politicians have made it a habit to rain insults on people on radio.

Speaking to GHOne TV on the State of Affairs show, the experienced politician said insults on radio have become too rampant.

He said politicians now think insulting on radio is a way to make a mark to advance their political careers.

Insisting that it is completely wrong and unacceptable, Kwabena Agyapong stressed that politicians must endeavour to show civility.

When you listen to the radio, noise, and attack and insults people may think that you make a mark as a politician by how venomous you can be on radio or television. Thats completely unwarranted. You have to show civility, the former General Secretary of the NPP said.

Mr. Agyapong continued, You hear attacks and direct insults on the President, Chiefs and it happens across all the political parties. Sometimes senior political fingers. Some chairmen sit on National television and use unprintable words unethical and they are cheered on.

Meanwhile, Kwabena Agyapong has called on the Ghanaian public to pile pressure on security agencies to ensure they at all times investigate murder cases for the killers to be arrested and made to face the law.
06.05.2022 LISTEN

According to a 46-page legal filing to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague on December 6, 2021, Bill and Melinda Gates, Anthony Fauci, and Peter Daszak are the main named individuals charged with various crimes against humanity and war crimes in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine injuries/death.

A person about to receive the jab is rarely told that there are risks of blood clots, bleeding, cerebral thrombosis, myocarditis, and death, yet those risks exist.

The 12 others were named, including the CEOs of the leading vaccine corporations and the health leaders held accountable for the United Kingdom:

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer; Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna; Pascal Soriot, CEO of Astra Zeneca; Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson and Johnson; Tedros Adhanhom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO; Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister; Christopher Whitty, UK Chief Medical Adviser; Matthew Hancock, former UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care;

Sajid Javid, current UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care; June Raine, UK Chief Executive of Medicines and Healthcare products; Dr. Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation; Klaus Schwab, President of the World Economic Forum.

When the heads of the Ministry of Health as well as the Prime Minister presented the vaccine in the United Kingdom and began the vaccination of United Kingdom residents, the vaccinated were not advised, that in practice, they would be taking part in a medical experiment and that their consent is required under the Nuremberg Code. This as a matter of fact is a genetimedical experiment on human beings performed without informed consent under a severe and blatant offense of the Nuremberg Code.

Read the entire document at https://www.riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/modern-day-censorship/covid-19-pharmaceutical-giants-gates-fauci-uk-officials-accused-of-crimes-against-humanity-in-international-criminal-court-complaint/.

Klaus Schwab, a wickedly intelligent, perhaps diabolical German with double doctorate degrees in Economics and Engineering, is the founder of the World Economic Forum, a club for the wealthiest percentile of the worlds corporate and political elite. He is a power broker who has groomed many presidents, prime ministers, and tech CEOs who now view him with reverence and unswerving loyalty, posited Justus R. Hope, MD, in a 2021 article for The Desert Review. Visit https://www.thedesertreview.com/opinion/columnists/gates-fauci-and-daszak-charged-with-genocide-in-court-filing/article_76c6081c-61b8-11ec-ae59-7718e6d063ed.html.

The ICC began full-time operations in 2002 and currently has 123 member nations that have explicitly agreed to be bound by the Rome Statutes. The United Kingdom is a member while the United States is not.

Out of 123 member nations: 33 are African States, 19 are Asia-Pacific States, 18 are from Eastern Europe, 28 are from Latin American and Caribbean States, and 25 are from Western European and other States. The nations are listed at https://asp.icc-cpi.int/states-parties.

Citizens from each nation listed need to contact the ICC and speak up for justice. I recently discussed the contents of this column on the ICC Facebook page.

When men follow justice the city blooms, the earth bears rich harvests, and children and flocks increase; but for the unjust all nature is hostile, the people waste away from famine, and a whole city may reap the evil fruit of one man's ill deeds. Christopher Henry Dawson

Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is a syndicated opinion-editorial columnist. She lives in USA.
06.05.2022 LISTEN

A funeral for capitalism, planned by the global elites, is being arranged. In the communism coffin democracy, freedom, and liberty are being laid to rest  massacred by megalomaniacs leaders and followers of the propaganda policies of the World Government Summit and the World Economic Forum.

And their vehicle to dominance was and is the coronavirus pandemic. Both Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci, the deceptive duo, have alluded to another virus and another lockdown. And the fear-mongers at the United Nations and the World Health Organization will clap again when the minions of doom release more sickness and death upon the citizens. Is their agenda to depopulate working?

The World Government Summit opened the 2022 meeting with British journalist and CNN Abu Dhabi-based anchor Becky Anderson asking, Are we ready for a new world order?

But, of course, if anyone outside the clique dare discuss a new world order, they are branded as crazy conspiracy theorists.

Youll own nothing and youll be happy, proclaims a smirking Klaus Schwab, Founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF) along with the grinning Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai and creator/host of The World Government Summit established in 2013 for shaping the future of governments.Visit https://www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/home.

The world does not need a group of non-elected sociopaths and psychopaths to shape governments. Sovereign nations are already shaped with democracy, freedom, and liberty. Go shape away in your own backyard and leave the rest of us alone.

Among the speakers featured at past summits include President Barack Obama, WEF founder Klaus Schwab, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon  power people demanding more power. It's a power addiction.

Pretending to care about global access to food and water, shelter and land, healthcare and wellbeing, and equality, peace, and prosperity for all, they will promise a utopian dreamland on earth. How do you know when they are lying? When their lips move.

U.S. President Joe Biden is a fan of the WEF and has adopted its slogan Build Back Better, which means flush capitalism and democracy down the toilet. His new Disinformation Governance Board is a front for censorship and the slaying of free speech.

Read The Great Reset: Joe Biden and the Rise of Twenty-First-Century Fascism, a 2022 by Glenn Beck. Why hasnt Biden and his bunch of bureaucrats sued Becks pants off? Could it be true?

The tyrannical leaders of Canada, Australia, and Austria are traveling the violation of human rights road  while mainstream media turns the other way. Who owns mainstream media? Hmmm. Who do you think?

The goal of the cabal is the redistribution of wealth and global communism. Citizens own nothing and the elites own everything. They want to chinafy the entire population of humans. The world doesnt need more evil despots  we already have Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un.

A mammoth redistribution of wealth and a massive financial transfer is in the works, according to Nomi Prins and her books: Permanent Distortion: How the Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever (2022); COLLUSION: How Central Bankers Rigged the World (2018); All the Presidents' Bankers: The Hidden Alliances that Drive American Power (2014).

But theres more. The greedy global gangsters want a group of passive people they can control and manipulate with gaslighting turned up high. Scientists, physicians, and anyone who disagrees is discredited. Its a form of psychological warfare. And inciting fear is one of their greatest weapons.

Oh, mind manipulation on citizens to give up civil rights and accept lockdowns, masks, and experimental vaccines would never happen  really? Mind manipulation on citizens to accept a one world banking system with digital currency and a new world order would never happen  really? What about a planned food shortage, a planned Internet cyberattack blackout, and planned policing of noncompliance?

Citizens, are you connecting the dots?

Fact-checkers have dismissed the Great Reset conspiracy theory, but WEF founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab made it clear in June 2020 that the COVID-19 pandemic should be exploited as an opportunity to advance the globalist agenda promoted by his Davos conferences, which have pushed for numerous proposals, such as a worldwide carbon tax, to redistribute wealth and shift sovereignty from nation states to global entities, reports WND News Center. Visit https://www.wnd.com/2022/03/world-government-summit-ready-new-world-order/.

Only strong resistance from those who believe in democratic principles can stop it.  Glenn Beck

Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is a syndicated opinion-editorial columnist. She lives in USA.
06.05.2022 LISTEN

Many of us can no longer live in one country after toiling all our life. There is a friend that returned home after his sojourn abroad. As soon as his plane landed on African soil, he kissed the ground and exclaimed: Thank God Africa, where Black men are men. After clearing Immigration and Custom, we asked him why he fell on his face when he landed. He was not in a rescue mission from Libya, a Muslim praying or the Pope kissing Airport tarmac.

Mind you, his first cultural shock outside Africa was when he saw a Black man carrying a sign in a demonstration that read: I Am A Man! On his return back home, he swelled up, lifting up his shoulder in a pompous manner. Our friend claimed he has just regained his dignity as a proud African. Our first thoughts could have been that he got into trouble with the law, his wife or children abroad. Actually, he was too careful and respectable to put himself into such situations. But he saw too many Blacks in such trouble, he swore that it would never happen to him.

So why would he display such gratitude on landing in Africa? The answers and the emotional tolls he repressed for many years would be told later in a better atmosphere and a lighter mood. Apparently, he left Africa in the good old days and invested back home to enjoy some level of comfort on his return. During his time abroad, he studied, worked as a professional in the day and supplemented his savings with any second job he could get, so that his wife and children could live reasonably well.

Despite his success, he never got the respect he thought he deserved if he had made it in Africa. The environment was so hostile to Black men, no matter how successful they are, the level of reward for their hard work is lower in the Western world than those accorded to whites and Asians. Indeed, anyone can climb on Black men that championed Civil Rights which opened the way to success for others. The only sanctuary is at home with a lovely wife and children. Even then, if anything goes wrong at home, a Black man is guilty until proven innocent.

Africans or Blacks are inductively programmed, especially the ill-informed to disrespect one another and be courteous to others first when in doubt. So, you find Black on Black crimes worse in Black neighborhoods, tribal turfs or some slight misunderstanding in African/Black homes getting out of hand. Indeed, if Police are called, a Black man could be shot before the facts are known. You must have heard about the Black Talk in the families of Africans, when confronted by Police. Even if he needed protection and had called the Police!

It is the messages passed on to Black children when the most successful Africans like the late former Secretary of State General Colin Powell and former President Obama, shared experiences they had with Police and on the job. Yet, there are Africans that claim they have never experienced discrimination in their lives abroad. They live in self created bubbles unknown to their relatives and friends. Let the fools fool other fools.

In addition, many Africans claim they had worse experiences with Police in Africa. We have to be clear and not justify Police brutality in and outside Africa. The point here is that disrespect, humiliation and discrimination are separate from Police brutality outside Africa to Black men. Hardly would a depraved Police in Africa pick on you or even shoot you dead execution style for no other reason, other than the color of your skin.

What we have in African countries is violence we all dread during political struggles, campaigns for power and vicious crime bred by abject poverty. It can be brutal when Police are used against civilians. In many cases, armed gangs would fight the Police back. Some of the African Police are so scared, they refuse to wear uniforms in volatile areas for fear of being attacked. It means the Police have been used beyond their lawful duties of law and order. We cannot imagine one or two African Policemen executing an innocent man in broad daylight with a gun and walking away scot-free without being mobbed.

Those of us that have read the history of Black Wall Street''. how Symbionese Liberation Army were bombed out or seen what happened to Black men when they dared organize revolts against Police outside Africa, we know better. So we have to be careful in our consideration when comparing slights and outrageous crimes against Blacks/Africans at home and in the Diaspora. This does not prevent our Youths from taking the deadly risks through desert and sea to their "dream" countries since they lack opportunities at home.

The way most of the countries treat innocent Africans at the point of entry is so appalling, many of us dread going out just as others endure the shabby treatment at overseas airports as the price we pay for the criminals denigrating us outside. Mind you, that there are worse non-Africans criminals traveling unhindered around the world is not a justification. Many whites are more concerned about angry Black men than angry white men as a couple of legislators openly stated after the insurrection at the Capitol Hill in the United States.

In spite of all these, there is an African brain drain of professionals who think they are welcomed with the opportunity they never had at home. Dig deeper, it boils down to how much you are paid compared to African currencies. Foreign workers hardly learn that they will never get paid for their worth or as their coworkers. Foreign employers know devalued African money does not buy much at home and very little abroad. Whatever they pay, tickles you. Buying a plane ticket at home costs a fortune to convert. A fortune that could start some small businesses, only in Africa. If duly successful at home, taking a business or holiday trip abroad is refreshing.

Nevertheless, Africans are deemed the richest Blacks in America! Please bear with me. One of the reasons successful Africans become disillusioned abroad is that their success does not give them basic respect accorded to others. Even more devastating, is that Africans have to work two or three jobs to make the same or more money than their counterparts. They will never work that hard at home. Some of them die early hustling like a lion hunter to provide for their families and extended relatives at home. There is the African proverb that if a hunter thinks about what he has to go through to bring meat home, he would not share it with anyone.

The bottom line is, until African Youths tackle the demons in their individual countries and make them productive, Blacks, no matter where they are in the world will never be respected. It is insane that those in charge of African productivity are the same ones jetting out at will, using incomes they cannot earn fairly to buy exalted underused shelters abroad where they are disdained and least respected. If those they saw working hard to achieve abroad cannot earn the dignity they deserve, what makes money launderers think they can be respected anywhere?

Farouk Martins Aresa @oomoaresa
A communications team member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Kwadwo Agyei Yeboah popularly known as Nana Kay is pleading with President Akufo-Addo to tackle supposed corruption and illegal activities at the Ghana Revenue Authority at the country's port.

He said the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is currently violating the Act 891 Section 67 method 1 of the Act with regards to the importation of goods into the country.

According to him, the act is supposed to ensure that when one imports a car or any goods into the country the person is expected to send the invoice to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and customs for the goods to be cleared.

Nana Kay revealed that some officials at GRA have been interdicted over transaction invoice value.

Im not a Custom Officer but the corruption revelations from the Inquisitor Newspaper is sickening. Am pleading with President Akufo-Addo, Chief of Staff must take up this case and investigate with all the Ghana Revenue Authority officials who are involved in this scandal, Nana Kwadwo Agyei Yeboah exclusively told Adakabere Frimpong Manso on Accra-based Neat 100.9

He added, I think that when we put people in such positions, we expect much more from them and so the deterrent should be much higher than that."

Nana Kay says the punitive measures meted at the corrupt officials are not enough.

He said they should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to other people in public office who would use it for their personal interests.

But we kind of make it easy for people to think they can get away with the impunity of fraud. We ought to be having probably fast-track procedures on all these matters so that gradually that sense of fear of not beingof being high-risk will be sent to everybody who would want to engage in such acts.

Equality before the law means exactly that so if you are a president who misconducts yourself, the law should be able to deal with you. In the same way, if you are businessman who misconducts himself, the law should be able to deal with you.
A suspected thief has been beaten to death at Mankessim in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.

The body of the deceased who is said to be in his fortys was found in a gutter on Thursday, May 5, 2022.

According to reports, his body was retrieved in the evening with marks suggesting an assault.

While the actual cause of death is not yet confirmed by Police after investigations, eyewitnesses say it is likely he was lynched.

Assemblyman for the area, Hon. Cephas Arthur after being informed of the incident reported the matter to the Police as officers were assigned to take charge of the case.

The body of the deceased has since been conveyed to the Saltpond Government Hospital morgue for autopsy and preservation.

Hon. Cephas Arthur concerned with the alleged lynching of the man has urged the Police to investigate swiftly to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.

He has appealed for more visibility of police personel to help tackle the increasing crime rate in Mankessim and Mfantseman Districts.
The West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) scientists and their collaborators at the University of Ghana have published a paper on the tracking of the genetic diversity of SARS-Cov-2 infections in Ghana.

The paper, published today in the Nature Communications journal analyzes data collected from 2020-2021.

According to a statement by the University of Ghana, the study presents an advanced genomic analysis of SARS-Cov-2 in sub-Saharan Africa as it offers a well detailed analysis of the genomic diversity of the virus that has caused COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Ghana.

It indicated that, SARS-Cov2 is known to be the most evolving virus in the worlds recent history and the dynamics of localized epidemics that may rise to pandemics like COVID-19 need to be tracked to inform government policies on vaccine coverage and enhanced transmission control approaches.

In the statement, the center noted that, This manuscript reports on the analysis of 1123 SARS-CoV-2 whole genomes from patient isolates and presents the largest and most detailed genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in Ghana since the pandemic began. However, it should be noted that these samples were analyzed entirely before the emergence of Omicron (March 2020-September 2021)."

It added that, overall, the data describes the molecular evolution and spatio-temporal dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 variants in Ghana. The results indicate that local outbreaks were mainly driven by SARS-CoV-2 variants introduced into the country by travelers arriving from various countries across the world.

In addition to Alpha, Delta variants which have dominated transmission globally at different times, we observed that the B.1.1.318 lineage was a significant contributor to community transmission in Ghana. Indeed, our data show that B.1.1.318 displaced Alpha and became the predominant lineage in Ghana until the emergence of Delta variants.

The publication is expected to serve as a valuable reference for the continued monitoring of the evolution of SARS-Cov2 as the pandemic continues to hover above as a cloud in Ghana.

Read full statement here:

PRESS RELEASE

Tracking Genetic Diversity of SARS-Cov-2 Infections in Ghana from 2020-2021

Scientists from the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, and their collaborators have published a landmark paper; titled Tracking Genetic Diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Ghana from 2020-2021 . The paper was published today, May 6, 2022 in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. This study presents a detailed analysis of the genomic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 viruses that have caused COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Ghana. The work represents one of the most advanced genomic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 in sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrates the progress made in science capacity building in the region. The study also shows the power of local collaborations as the work was done by an extensive network of public health institutions across Ghana.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is one of the fastest evolving pandemics in recent history. The dynamics of localized epidemics need to be continuously tracked to inform government policies on vaccine coverage and enhanced transmission control approaches. This manuscript reports on the analysis of 1123 SARS-CoV-2 whole genomes from patient isolates and presents the largest and most detailed genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in Ghana since the pandemic began. However, it should be noted that these samples were analyzed entirely before the emergence of Omicron (March 2020-September 2021).

Overall, the data describes the molecular evolution and spatio-temporal dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 variants in Ghana. The results indicate that local outbreaks were mainly driven by SARS-CoV-2 variants introduced into the country by travellers arriving from various countries across the world. In addition to Alpha, Delta variants which have dominated transmission globally at different times, we observed that the B.1.1.318 lineage was a significant contributor to community transmission in Ghana. Indeed, our data show that B.1.1.318 displaced Alpha and became the predominant lineage in Ghana until the emergence of Delta variants.

The high quality of our sequence data allowed us to perform a deep analysis of mutations which revealed that all the variants of concern circulating in Ghana harboured high-frequency mutations on the spike protein gene. Thus, this publication serves as a valuable reference for continued monitoring of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 as the pandemic progresses in Ghana and Africa at large. Furthermore, this work represents a significant milestone in local capacity building for genome sequencing and analysis in sub-Saharan Africa as the entire work was done in Ghana and by local scientists.

We wish to convey our gratitude to all our institutional partners who collaborated with us to achieve this feat. We would also like to acknowledge our coalition of funders, who provided the much-needed funding and logistical support to make this happen. We would like to specially mention the Government of Ghana/Ghana Health Service, The Rockefeller Foundation, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD), African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Wellcome Developing Excellence in Leadership Training and Science in Africa initiative (DELTAS) and the World Bank African Centres of Excellence (ACE) Impact.

-END-
Mr Irchad Razaaly, The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana, says Ghana's economy is bouncing back despite current economic challenges.

Speaking at a Breakfast Meeting with editors in Accra on Friday, May 6, 2022, Mr Razaaly said Ghana's recent removal from the EU's Money Laundering list was indicative that the reforms implemented in the financial sector had yielded positive returns.

...I know this is not a relief for the people who are paying 10 cedis for petrol but the truth of the matter is, this work conducted along the years by the financial sector makes it more resilient and is helping the economy to bounce back because even (though) there is an economic downturn, the good news is that the economy of Ghana is growing and bouncing back in terms of GDP, he said.

Ghana's economy grew by 0.4 per cent in 2020 largely as a result of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

The economy bounced back to an appreciable rate, growing at 5.4 per cent in 2021  0.4 per cent above the government's growth target of five per cent for last year.

This year, the Government has projected that the economy will grow by 5.8 per cent.

Mr Razaaly restated the EU's commitment to the growth of Ghana's economy and said the global economic crisis would not affect the Union's financial commitment to the country.

He said the war in Ukraine had disrupted global supply chains and gave an assurance that the EU would continuously support its partners to build resilience to overcome the impact of the war on food security, health, and access to essential commodities.

The EU in Ghana and elsewhere in the world will not diminish its financial support because of the situation in Ukraine, he emphasised.

Last month, the EU signed a 203million agreement with Ghana under the Multiannual Indicative Programme for Ghana for 2021-27 to create green jobs, build smart and sustainable cities, and promote good governance and security.

Mr Razaaly said disbursements had not yet been made but there were ongoing projects being implemented as part of the programme.

The EU's meeting with editors was facilitated by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and formed part of the Association's activities to mark the 2022 World Press Freedom Day.

It also formed part activities to Mark the Europe Week in Ghana and the Europe Day, which is celebrated on every May 9 to commemorate a speech by French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, on 9 May 1950, which led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community the following year, leading to the formation of the European Union.

Mr Affail Monney, President of GJA, said the fallout of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war emphasised the need for journalists to sharpen their skills in solution-oriented journalism and be sensitive in their reportage.

Professor Amin Alhassan, Director General, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, appealed to media owners to resource journalists and pay them well to improve their economic conditions.

The poorly paid journalist is a threat to national security, he said.

GNA
The ability of the government to complete the Agenda 111 project is under threat by challenges regarding land in Accra and Kumasi, this is according to the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu.

Speaking to journalists after taking delivery of some medical supplies from the Italian government on Thursday, May 5, 2022, the Minister admitted that he is unsure whether the government can complete the Agenda 111 project.

It is too early for me to predict whether we will finish or not. But optimistically, that is what we want to do and we try to push ourselves, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said.

According to the Minister, the government has been forced to change plans due to land issues and has requested for new infrastructural design to dodge some of the land issues.

We still have challenges with even land especially in the big cities like Accra and Kumasi. We are now changing the infrastructural design so that instead spreading across bigger land area we want to go up. So they are doing designs.

Even in the communities, in the districts, some chiefs are coming and there are litigations in some areas, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu added.

The government is keen on completing the Agenda 111 projects to ensure the infrastructure gap in the health sector is closed.

As emphasised by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, he wants to commission all projects before leaving office on January 5, 2025, when his second term of office runs out.
06.05.2022 LISTEN

Member of Parliament for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos latest trip to the US aboard a commercial flight, as a Damascus experience.

Mr Ablakwas comments come on the back of President Akufo-Addos travel to the US aboard a United Airlines commercial flight despite having travelled on chartered flights previously.

According to the North Tongu legislator, the President must have heeded to advice amidst criticisms that he was travelling on chartered flights at the expense of the Ghanaian tax payer.

In a Facebook post on Friday, 6 May 2022, the North Tongu lawmaker said: I can confirm that President Akufo-Addo appears to have listened to good counsel from an overwhelming number of outraged Ghanaians and so flew commercial aboard United Airlines on his current trip to the United States.

Further tracking and our usually unimpeachable surveillance also reveals that he hasnt done a meet me there on this particular travel as he has completely avoided his favourite ultra-luxury toys which he seems addicted to in recent years.

Per the MPs estimation, the Ghanaian taxpayer has been spared some US$442,000.00 which translates to savings of 3.3million Ghana Cedis, from the Presidents latest trip.

He added: Considering the Presidents profligate and obstinate track record, we should probably consider his latest conduct as a Damascus experience, especially as he was on his way to speak at the Museum of the Bible, where he declared himself a Christian in politics.

Source: classfmonline.com
More than 45,000 persons have perished from road crashes from the year 2000 to 2021, says the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).

The Authority said the statistics implied that not less than 2,000 lives were lost yearly in road crashes in Ghana.

This was made known by Mr Daniel Hardy Wuaku, Deputy Director, Planning and Programmes of NRSA when he made a presentation on road accident statistics during a meeting between the Authority and mini-bus operators.

The meeting was to address increasing road accidents resulting from reckless driving on the part of some mini-bus drivers in the country, after the National Security Ministry in a letter drew the attention of the Authority to the issue.

He said 65 per cent of the accidents were recorded in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern and Central Regions of the country.

Mr Wuaku said from their checks, that most of the accidents in recent times were caused by mini-bus drivers.

Mr David Adonteng, Acting Director-General of NRSA, said they would ensure that drivers who engaged in reckless driving were punished or prosecuted.

He said the Authority would ensure that stricter punishment was meted out to offenders and said they would be an intensifying collaboration with the National Security and the Police in that regard.

We are going to move in a different and new direction this time around, we will ensure the enforcement of regulations to the letter, he stressed.

He, however, commended some bus operators, particularly the State Transport Commission (STC), PROTOA and Metro Mass Transit, for complying with road safety regulations.

The Authority in March 2021 outlined directives for bus operators, including the deployment of two drivers in a bus, installation of speed limiters, and road safety training for drivers at least twice a year.

Nana Poku, Manager of 2M Express Transport Limited, said they were committed to ensuring the safety of their drivers and passengers.

He said they had adopted digital tracking systems to track their drivers and vehicles with drivers who engaged in reckless driving identified and punished.

GNA
06.05.2022 LISTEN

The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has announced that the annual ban on drumming and noise-making within the Ga State of the Greater Accra Region will commence on Monday, May 9, 2022.

This is contained in a joint press release issued by the Ministry and the Ga Traditional Council on Thursday.

Please take notice that the annual ban on drumming and noise-making starts on Monday the 9th day of May 2022 to Thursday the 9th day of June 2022.

Take note that the ban affects any form of noise-making including the use of loudspeakers, drums, tambourine, clapping of hands and the use of any form of musical instruments within the Ga State during this period, parts of the joint press release reads.

To ensure compliance with the ban, a task force working with the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies has been set up to collaborate with the Ghana Police Service and the other Security Agencies to monitor and prosecute recalcitrant persons who fail in that regard.

Below is a copy of the press release:
Member of Parliament for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos latest trip to the US aboard a commercial flight, as a Damascus experience.

The president flew to the US aboard a United Airlines commercial flight despite having travelled on chartered flights previously.

According to the North Tongu legislator, the president must have taken cognisance of criticisms that he was travelling on chartered flights at the expense of the Ghanaian taxpayer.

In a Facebook post on Friday, 6 May 2022, the North Tongu lawmaker said: I can confirm that President Akufo-Addo appears to have listened to good counsel from an overwhelming number of outraged Ghanaians and so flew commercial aboard United Airlines on his current trip to the United States".

Further tracking and our usually unimpeachable surveillance also reveal that he hasnt done a 'meet me there' on this particular travel, as he has completely avoided his favourite ultra-luxury toys which he seems addicted to in recent years.

Per the MPs estimation, the Ghanaian taxpayer has been spared some US$442,000.00 which translates to savings of 3.3 million Ghana cedis, from the Presidents latest trip.

He added: Considering the presidents profligate and obstinate track record, we should probably consider his latest conduct as a Damascus experience, especially as he was on his way to speak at the Museum of the Bible, where he declared himself a Christian in politics.

Source: classfmonline.com
Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programme Manager, National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NACP) has reminded Ghanaians of the need for a comprehensive education to control the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

He said people have even forgotten that HIV still exists and they are relaxing, but I want to remind all that HIV and AIDS continue to be a major health and economic problem, which continues to affect our social life.

Dr. Ayisi Addo stated at the 12 edition of the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office End of Month Stakeholder Engagement and Workers Appreciation Day seminar-an initiative which creates a platform for state and non-state actors to address national issues.

The monthly engagement also serves as a motivational mechanism to recognize the editorial contribution of reporters toward national development in general and the growth and promotion of the Tema GNA as the Industrial News Hub, which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult).

He said HIV and AIDS were still causing havoc in society and there was a need for comprehensive education for the public to help eliminate the menace of HIV/AIDS.

According to him, the National AIDS/STI Control Programme explained that education has helped most pregnant patients and now they are giving birth to negative children which is very good, and hence more education will help to eradicate HIV in the country.

Dr. Ayisi Addo said there was a need to empower young girls through education to prevent HIV transmission considering the recent records of new infections, stressing that adolescent clubs created for the girls to reach out to them through the empowerment of their rights and assertiveness to ward off abusers.

He said there was the need to intensify sex education for them with an emphasis on preventive measures.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor the Ghana News Agency (GNA) Tema Regional Manager said the stakeholder engagement which comes on every month is a progressive media caucus platform created to allow both state and non-state stakeholders to interact with journalists and address national issues.

He said modern journalism practices demand a comprehensive dynamic approach to issues that affects society, through which the media provide a platform for proactive engagement and exchange of ideas towards shaping national development.

It is therefore essential for the media to champion national discussion and ensure that we carry everyone along with the discourse, the people in the marketplace, the rural area, the communities, and those literate or illiterate, lets not leave anyone out.

Mr. Ameyibor continued that the media must reach out to all segments of society irrespective of their status; everyones voice or opinion matters in the public debate for national development.
May 06, 2022

U.S. Pushes Fake Stories To Goad Russia Into Escalation

The geniuses (not) at the National Security Council want to goad Russia into direct attacks on U.S. forces or interests. That would give the U.S. an excuse to further escalate the war in Ukraine into an open confrontation. It would also diverts the attention away from domestic problems.

To achieve this the NSC has pushed a number of stories to the media which claim that alleged Ukrainian successes are based on U.S. intelligence.

U.S. Intelligence Is Helping Ukraine Kill Russian Generals, Officials Say, May 4, NYT

WASHINGTON  The United States has provided intelligence about Russian units that has allowed Ukrainians to target and kill many of the Russian generals who have died in action in the Ukraine war, according to senior American officials. Ukrainian officials said they have killed approximately 12 generals on the front lines, a number that has astonished military analysts. The targeting help is part of a classified effort by the Biden administration to provide real-time battlefield intelligence to Ukraine. That intelligence also includes anticipated Russian troop movements gleaned from recent American assessments of Moscows secret battle plan for the fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the officials said. Officials declined to specify how many generals had been killed as a result of U.S. assistance. The United States has focused on providing the location and other details about the Russian militarys mobile headquarters, which relocate frequently. Ukrainian officials have combined that geographic information with their own intelligence  including intercepted communications that alert the Ukrainian military to the presence of senior Russian officers  to conduct artillery strikes and other attacks that have killed Russian officers.

The story is obvious bullshit because there are only two Russian generals who have died so far during the Russian campaign in Ukraine.

Major General Andrey Sukhovetsky was killed on February 28 and Major General Vladimir Frolov was killed in early April. Both deaths were immediately officially acknowledged and reported in Russian media. Both men were buried with military honors.

All other 'killed Russian generals' are victims of the 'ghost of Kiev'. The Ukrainian propaganda apparatus likes such stories because it knows that 'western' media will pick up on them.

Russia does not hide the death of high officers. It is impossible to do so over longer periods as such men are known by many others. It would be bad for any government to get caught in such a scheme. There is also no reason to do so.

Some U.S. sources claim that a general's death will demoralize the troops he led. The opposite is the case. Generals getting killed on or near the frontline demonstrate to frontline soldiers that they are not alone in their fighting and that their officers are doing the job while carrying the same high risk than they do.

The Pentagon denied any involvement:

The Pentagon denied Thursday that the U.S. has shared intelligence with Ukraine with the intent of targeting and killing senior Russian military leaders, stressing that the goal of U.S. intelligence is simply to allow Ukrainian forces to defend themselves against Russia's invasion.

The generals in the Pentagon are keen to not become targets for Russian reprisals.

Here is another such story:

U.S. intel helped Ukraine sink Russian flagship Moskva, officials say, May 5, NBCnews

Intelligence shared by the U.S. helped Ukraine sink the Russian cruiser Moskva, U.S. officials told NBC News, confirming an American role in perhaps the most embarrassing blow to Vladimir Putins troubled invasion of Ukraine. A guided missile cruiser carrying a crew of 510, the Moskva was the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet. It sank on April 14 after being struck by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.

It is in fact still not clear what has happened to the Moskva. Russia only said that the ship had an explosion on board that ripped the hull below the waterline and caused a fire. There are other possibilities but hits by two Ukrainian anti-ship missiles seem unlikely.

The Pentagon again denied any direct involvement:

In a statement released after this story was published, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the U.S. did not provide Ukraine with "specific targeting information for the Moskva." "We were not involved in the Ukrainians decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out," Kirby added. "We had no prior knowledge of Ukraines intent to target the ship. The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case."

The last sentence is incorrect as Russia destroyed all Ukrainian naval radars that were stupid enough to radiate.

Russia will not react to such stupid stories. It knows that the U.S. is pushing all kinds of battlefield information as well as weapons to the Ukrainians. It is also assumed that foreign generals are 'consulting' the general staff of the Ukrainian forces. Neither will help the Ukraine to win the war.

Over the longer term Russia may well seek revenge for the U.S. proxy war against it. But President Putin is a patient man and revenge is a dish best served cold.

Posted by b on May 6, 2022 at 15:29 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page 
Occidental Petroleum Corp. shareholders rejected an environmental group's proposal for the oil explorer to set more rigorous targets for greenhouse-gas emissions.

Shareholders voted 83% against the proposal during its annual meeting on Friday, according to preliminary results issued by the company.

The vote was a blow to environmental activists that have mounted a more aggressive campaign to pressure major oil producers to lay out plans to combat climate change.

Dutch investor group Follow This proposed that Occidental set short-, medium- and long-term targets to reduce carbon emissions, including those of its customers, in line with the Paris Agreement. The proposal won support from a key proxy advisory firm, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., which issued its first recommendation that disagreed with a major oil company's position that it has Paris-aligned emissions targets.

"We have a rapidly closing window to take action," Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, said during the meeting. "The goals of the Paris Climate Agreement will not be met unless our medium- and large-scale reductions in global emissions come through today."

Occidental's board opposed the proposal, calling it "misdirected" because the oil producer was the first U.S. energy company to establish targets to zero out emissions from both its operations and its customers. The company has set 14 specific "goals" to reduce emissions the board believes align with the aim of the Paris Agreement.

The company plans to cut emissions from operated assets worldwide by at least 3.68 million metric tons per year by 2024, a 13.3% reduction from the company's 2019 emissions. It also looks to achieve net-zero emissions from its operations between 2035 and 2040. Ultimately, Occidental's goal is to reach net-zero emissions from both its operations and customers by 2050.

However, those goals rely heavily on capturing carbon dioxide and burying it, a technology that's so far been prohibitively expensive and is not yet commercial.

Occidental plans to build 70 carbon-capture facilities globally by 2035 that will each remove as much as 1 million tons per year of the greenhouse gas directly from the atmosphere. Construction on the company's first $1 billion direct-air-capture plant is expected to start later this year in the Permian Basin of West Texas, with startup slated for late 2024.

When fully built, the plant billed as the world's largest DAC project, will remove emissions from the equivalent of about 215,000 cars annually from the atmosphere, Occidental said. The company also is investing $100 million this year to develop three carbon sequestration hubs by 2025.
As industry is prodded by federal policies encouraging development of carbon dioxide capture and storage, Texas regulators are working to streamline the process.

The Railroad Commission is moving forward with its application process to gain primacy over Class VI injection wells from the Environmental protection Agency. These injection wells are used for underground storage of CO2 from energy production, power generation or industrial sources.

Primacy allows the EPA to delegate its authority to states, provided they meet the federal governments minimum standards. If granted, Texas operators would need only apply to the Railroad Commission for Class VI permits rather than to both agencies.

As part of the application process, the states three Railroad commissioners approved publishing proposed amendments to the agencys CO2 rules in the Texas Register for public comment. The proposed changes and other information, including how the agency intends to carry out its responsibilities and any applicable state statutes will be sent to the EPA as part of a pre-application process and allow EPA to start its review.

Railroad Commission spokesman Andrew Keese told the Reporter-Telegram by email that the proposed amendments would include, but arent limited to, a reflection of the consolidation of jurisdiction over geologic storage of CO2 into the commission. Applicants would be required to provide a letter of determination from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that drilling and operating a Class VI injection well would not impact or interfere with any previous or existing Class I injection wells, including any associated waste plumes or other injection wells if authorized. The amendment would also prohibit converting previously plugged and abandoned Class I injection wells.

Once the proposed amendments are published in the Texas Register, Keese said a public hearing will be held, and staff will prepare responses to public comments. Once the rule changes have been approved, the Texas Attorney General will be provided a description of how the states statutes and regulations meet minimum federal requirements and request certification. Once thats received, a letter from the governor will transmit the formal application requesting program approval.

We applaud the commissions efforts to develop rules governing the injection and storage of CO2. We testified in support of this legislation during the last regular session, Ben Shepperd, president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, told the Reporter-Telegram by email.

He added, Texas is again leading the way on innovative technologies. Oil and gas produced in the United States is produced in a cleaner way than in any other part of the world. These new rules will allow Texas to be a world leader in CO2 sequestration, as well.

Keese said the agency could not predict how long the process could take. Steve Melzer of Melzer Consulting said it took North Dakota about seven years and Wyoming about three years to receive primacy.

Louisiana thought they would conclude in two years, but it sounds like there is a lot of confusion about how to work with the new Environmental Justice portions of the permit/application, Melzer told the Reporter-Telegram by email. I suspect they will get that figured out and the process will settle in around two years for primacy. Texas timeline could be closer to Louisiana, but well see.

Melzer, who is also director of the annual CO2 Conference, said seeking Class VI primary for Texas is what we should be doing. (RRC) has the subsurface experience and know the state's subsurface much more thoroughly than can the EPA with all the states to oversee.

But, he added, what worries me about the stated eight-month turnaround time to a permit is that will be very misleading to a potential applicant. There is a lot of data that an applicant must obtain prior to having their official permit submitted. So, the eight months are just the time for the RRC to review all of the submitted data and make a determination. That time frame from project start to final RRC determination will be more like three years for a large injection project and two years for a small one.

Melzer also mentioned utilization of that CO2 in enhanced oil recovery projects, which have yielded billions of barrels of additional Permian Basin crude over several decades. He pointed out that applicants can store CO2 in a CO2 EOR project with just an overlay of reporting to the EPA called SubPart RR.

The oil produced in the CO2 EOR flood will be a much lower emission carbon oil because of the CO2 that is stored in the project and help meet some ESG goals for the operator, he wrote. We have an operator in Texas that has worked through the process and done all of that already and several more considering that as their desired alternative to the longer Class VI process. It is important also to remember that all the CO2 storage volumes that are monitored and reported to EPA (and the RRC) under SubPart RR will be eligible for the Federal Tax Credit called 45Q.
From 20 to 23 April 2022, Members of the African Union gathered for the AfCFTA 6th meeting of the Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin (RoO) to discuss outstanding issues and the draft AfCFTA RoO manual. The meeting was preceded by a one-day workshop on implications of HS 2022 amendments for RoO and schedules of tariff concessions, which was delivered on 19 April. The meeting and the workshop took place in Accra, Ghana. They were organized jointly by the AfCFTA Secretariat and the EU-WCO Programme for Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme), funded by the European Union.

Over 120 RoO experts took part in the meetings with 38 attending in person and 83 virtually representing 40 Member administrations, the East African Community, ECOWAS and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States. First, the experts attended the workshop where they were introduced to the HS 2022 amendments and where they discussed the impact that the amendments would have for the RoO and the AfCFTA schedules of tariff concessions. Thereafter, the experts gathered for the meeting of the Sub-Committee to examine the issues of RoO for which no agreement had been reached to date as well as to finalize the AfCFTA RoO Manual for the submission to the Council of Ministers.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Mohamed Ali, Director of Trade in Goods and Competition of the AfCFTA Secretariat expressed his appreciation for the support provided by the EU and the WCO on the implementation of the HS under the HS-Africa Programme. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that continued support be provided to the AfCFTA to fully implement HS 2022, and welcomed the opportunity to have a thorough review of the remaining questions. He thanked the Member administrations that were making strides in migrating to the new version of the HS.

During the Sub-Committee meeting, the participants were briefed on the state of play with regard to the AfCFTA Appendix IV on Rules of Origin. The meeting participants had in-depth discussions on outstanding Rules of Origin taking into consideration the implications of the HS 2022. In conclusion of the meeting, it was agreed that the AfCFTA would continue their cooperation with the HS-Africa Programme and the recently established EU-WCO Programme for Rules of Origin in Africa to fully implement and manage Rules of Origin.

For more details, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
DALLAS (AP)  A 2-year-old boy who was attacked by a coyote on the porch of his Dallas home is recovering after surgery, and officials searching for the coyote said Thursday that three that were acting aggressively have been killed.

The boy's father, Newton Thomas, told The Dallas Morning News in a text message Wednesday that his son underwent several hours of surgery and was in stable condition. The child was hospitalized in critical condition following the attack Tuesday morning.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Dozens more civilians were rescued Friday from the tunnels under the besieged steel mill where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol have been making their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategically important port city.

Russian and Ukrainian officials said 50 people were evacuated from the Azovstal plant and handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Russian military said the group included 11 children.

Russian officials and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said evacuation efforts would continue Saturday. The latest evacuees were in addition to roughly 500 other civilians who got out of the plant and city in recent days.

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

As the holiday commemorating the Soviet Union's World War II victory over Nazi Germany approached, cities across Ukraine prepared for an expected increase in Russian attacks, and officials urged residents to heed air raid warnings.

These symbolic dates are to the Russian aggressor like red to a bull, said Ukraine's first deputy interior minister, Yevhen Yenin. While the entire civilized world remembers the victims of terrible wars on these days, the Russian Federation wants parades and is preparing to dance over bones in Mariupol.

By Russias most recent estimate, roughly 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukrainian officials said before Friday's evacuations that a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to also spare the fighters. She said they would be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean filtration camps, prison, torture and death.

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will stand to the end without surrender, she told The Associated Press on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said influential states are involved in efforts to rescue the soldiers, although he did not mention any by name.

We are also working on diplomatic options to save our troops who are still at Azovstal, he said in his nightly video address.

U.N. officials have been tight-lipped about the civilian evacuation efforts, but it seemed likely that the latest evacuees would be taken to Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian-controlled city about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Mariupol where others who escaped the port city were brought.

Some of the plant's previous evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. They need our help badly. We need to get them out.

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on the Telegram messaging app that Russian troops had fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plant's grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

Moscow did not immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of the rest of Mariupol after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of more than 400,000. Perhaps 100,000 civilians remain there with scarce supplies of food, water electricity and heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris, and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings. Russian flags were hoisted.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port. It would also allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free some Russian troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Ukrainian officials said the risk of massive shelling increased ahead of Victory Day. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital. A curfew was going into effect in Ukraines southern Odesa region, which was the target of two missile attacks Friday.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas region and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia made no acknowledgement of the losses.

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth. Meanwhile, one person was reported dead and three more were wounded Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

In other developments Friday:

 A Ukrainian army brigade said it used an American Switchblade suicide drone against Russian forces in what was likely Ukraine's first recorded use of such weapon in combat.

 U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems. Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March. He called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through September.

 The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said residents of the city of Kreminna were being terrorized by Russian troops trying to cross the Seversky Donets River. Serhiy Haidai accused Russian troops of checking phones and "forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots. His statements could not be immediately verified.

 Haidia also said more than 15,000 people remain in Severodonetsk, a city in the Luhansk region that's seen as a key Russian target. He said he believes most residents wish to remain even though entire blocks of houses are on fire.

 The small village of Nekhoteevk, in Russias southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, was being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. His claims could not be immediately verified.

___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome, Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
JERUSALEM (AP)  A pair of Palestinian attackers went on a stabbing rampage in a town near Tel Aviv on Thursday night, killing at least three people and wounding four others before fleeing in a vehicle, Israeli authorities said.

Police launched a massive search for the assailants, setting up roadblocks and dispatching a helicopter. The stabbing, coming on Israel's Independence Day, was the latest in a string of deadly attacks in Israeli cities in recent weeks.

Early Friday, Israeli police said a search was underway for two Palestinian suspects from the occupied West Bank. The suspects, aged 19 and 20 years old, came from Jenin, the hometown of other assailants involved in recent attacks in Israel. The town and its surroundings have seen frequent Israeli military raids and clashes with Palestinian militants in recent weeks.

We will get our hands on the terrorists and their supportive environment, and they will pay the price, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said after huddling with senior security officials late Thursday.

Israeli-Palestinian tensions have soared recently, with the attacks in Israel, military operations in the occupied West Bank and violence at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site. The site, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, was the scene of new unrest earlier Thursday.

Alon Rizkan, a medic with Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service, described a very difficult call when he arrived at the scene in Elad, an ultra-Orthodox town near Tel Aviv. He said he identified three dead people at various locations. At least four others were wounded, one critically, officials said.

Israeli media quoted police as saying there were two assailants, and just before midnight, police said they were still searching for the attackers. They called on the public to avoid the area, and urged people to report suspicious vehicles or people to them.

Israel marked its Independence Day on Thursday, a festive national holiday in which people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered a closure on the West Bank, imposed ahead of the holiday and preventing Palestinians from entering Israel, to remain in effect until Sunday.

In Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said U.S. officials vehemently condemn the attack in Elad.

This was a horrific attack targeting innocent men and women, and was particularly heinous coming as Israel celebrated its Independence Day, Blinken said in a statement. We remain in close contact with our Israeli friends and partners and stand firmly with them in the face of this attack.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government administers autonomous zones in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, condemned the attack.

"The killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians leads only to more deterioration at a time when all of us try to achieve stability and prevent escalation, the official Wafa news agency quoted him as saying.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the attack and linked it to violence at the Jerusalem holy site.

The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque cant go unpunished," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said. The heroic operation in Tel Aviv is a practical translation of what the resistance had warned against.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam and is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It lies at the emotional heart of the conflict, and Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed there repeatedly in recent weeks.

Early Thursday, Israeli police entered the site to clear away Palestinian protesters, after Jewish visits that had been paused for the Muslim holidays resumed.

As the visits resumed, dozens of Palestinians gathered, chanting God is greatest. Scuffles broke out when the police went to arrest one of them. Police fired rubber-coated bullets on the sprawling esplanade as some Palestinians sheltered inside the mosque itself. The police could later be seen just inside an entrance to the barricaded mosque.

The police said they responded to dozens of people who were shouting incitement and throwing stones, and that one police officer was lightly injured. The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said two Palestinians were taken to a hospital after being struck with batons.

Unlike in previous confrontations, Palestinian witnesses said there was no rock-throwing initially. Some of those who sheltered inside the mosque began throwing stones and other objects when police entered the building. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it.

Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses Hamas of inciting the recent violence.

It has been some of the worst bloodshed in years. At least 18 Israelis have died in five attacks  including a stabbing rampage in southern Israel, two other shootings in the Tel Aviv area and a shooting last weekend in a West Bank settlement. Nearly 30 Palestinians have died in violence  most of whom had carried out attacks or were involved in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank. But an unarmed woman and a lawyer who appears to have been inadvertently shot were also killed.

Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war a year ago, fueled in large part by similar unrest in Jerusalem.
NEW YORK (AP)  A leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would abolish a nationwide right to abortion has thrust major companies into whats arguably the most divisive issue in American politics.

But while some are signaling support for abortion rights, many want to stay out of it  at least for now.

Experts say its tough to navigate these waters. Companies are facing increasing pressure from social media and their own employees to speak out. And while some of them have weighed in on issues like LGBTQ rights, voting rights and gun control, the thorny issue of abortion could prove to be more challenging.

This is the hottest of the hot potatoes, said Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce. While lots of issues are polarizing, this is ground zero for polarization. People are fanatically passionate one way or another.

Despite the risks, major companies have waded into the abortion issue in the past. In 2019, more than 180 of them  including H&M, Slack and Glossier  signed an open letter that said restrictive abortion laws were against their values and bad for business.

A similar letter was signed by more than 60 companies last year in response to a Texas law banning abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, forcing some women to travel out-of-state to access the procedure. Among others, jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co., the online reviews site Yelp, banking giant Citigroup and ride-hailing company Lyft pledged to cover travel costs for employees who have to travel long distances to access an abortion.

When the report of the draft court opinion set off a political firestorm this week, a few companies issued statements supporting abortion rights but stopped short of taking further action themselves.

Overturning Roe v. Wade will jeopardize the human rights of millions of women who stand to lose the liberty to make decisions over their own bodies," Yelp said in a statement. Turning back the clock on the progress women have made over the past 50 years will have a seismic impact on our society and economy.

Many others have remained quiet. They include Netflix, PayPal, Microsoft, Patagonia, Target, Walmart and Apple, which is reportedly covering travel costs for its Texas workers through its medical insurance. Microsoft and the Chamber of Commerce, the worlds largest business federation, said it had no comment; the rest did not respond to requests for comment. The Business Roundtable, which represents some of the country's most powerful companies, said it does not have a position on this issue.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment, though its chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, posted on her personal social media accounts on Tuesday that the document represents a scary day for women all across the country.

Adamson believes that many companies have held off weighing in on the Supreme Courts draft because they want to wait to see the court's final ruling.

This gives companies a chance to think this through, he said, noting that companies need to make a decision based on what the majority of their employees want.

Over the past few years, companies have added their voices to the Black Lives Matter movement and issues like same-sex marriage. After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, dozens pledged to halt donations to lawmakers who objected to Congress certification of President Joe Bidens victory, promises that turned out to be largely empty.

But taking a stance on controversial issues is seemingly becoming more challenging, oftentimes pitting companies against Republican lawmakers who seem increasingly eager to push back.

Delta, which declined to comment on the abortion issue, was the subject of attacks by the Georgia GOP last year for its opposition to the states restrictive voting rights bill. In response, Georgias Republican-controlled House voted to revoke a jet fuel tax break that benefits the Atlanta-based company, an effort that ultimately fizzled.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last month to dissolve the private government Walt Disney World controls on its property in the state as retribution for the companys opposition to a new law critics have dubbed Dont Say Gay. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill that would prohibit companies from claiming tax deductions for their employees' abortion travel costs or gender transition expenses for employees children.

State lawmakers are similarly taking aim at companies that offer help to women seeking abortions in states with less restrictive laws around abortions. Should Roe v. Wade get overturned, roughly half of states are likely to quickly ban abortion.

In March, Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, a Republican, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Citigroup, saying he would propose legislation barring local governments in the state from doing business with any company that provides travel benefits for employees seeking abortions. If enacted, Cain said the bill would prevent the New York-based bank from underwriting municipal bonds in Texas unless the bank rescinds its policy.

In South Dakota, GOP Rep. Scott Odenbach suggested lawmakers might look at legislation to discourage companies from covering the costs of employees who travel to another state for an abortion, noting that the states proximity to Minnesota, where abortion will remain legal even if Roe is undone, raises cross-border issues.

David Levine, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, said the legality of what states can or cant do to regulate companies who cover such costs can get murky. He said the easiest thing lawmakers can do is to remove tax breaks offered to companies who cover them.

Businesses face tough choices if they continue to operate in states that legislatively ban abortion, agreed John E. Katsos, a research affiliate at Queens University Belfast in Northern Ireland, who consults with multinational companies. Katsos predicted insurance companies would raise the premium rates of companies that operate in such states, because it costs more to insure a pregnant woman and children than to cover an abortion procedure.

Some corporations have long paid for their employees travel-related expenses for surgeries out of state under their medical benefits, noted Katy Johnson, senior counsel of health policy at The American Benefits Council, a lobbying group in Washington, D.C. She said she has fielded more interest from companies since the abortion ban in Texas to cover travel expenses for abortion procedures.

State abortion bans might make it harder for companies located in such states to recruit college-educated workers at a time of severe labor shortages, some experts said. That might outweigh any special tax privileges that helped to entice companies to locate there.

You would rather pay higher tax and have great people than struggle to recruit people to your headquarters in Texas, said Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business.

College graduates will have a lot of choices. And I think theres going to be a stigma and an aversion to moving to states that have these draconian laws."

____

Associated Press writers Doug Glass in Minneapolis and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report.
On 2 and 3 May 2022, the Americas and the Caribbean region held the XXIV Regional Conference of Customs Directors General in a virtual format, hosted by Honduras in co-ordination with the Regional Vice-Chair. The event brought together Heads and delegates from more than 20 Customs administrations, and representatives of development partners in the region.

The agenda of the event was dedicated to "Smart Customs connecting to a safer world" and different Directors General shared the experience and best practices of their Customs administrations on the use of information and technology in Customs-to-Customs cooperation, and for decision-making in the new digital age.

The WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, spoke to the region about the Organizations emerging priorities identified to address the growing needs and expectations from its Members and the society as a whole: Data Strategy, green Customs and fragile borders , two of which are also included as focus areas in the new WCO Strategic Plan. He thanked the region for the support given to the WCO despite the challenges or organizing and attending online meetings and reiterated the Secretariat's commitment to continue providing assistance to the region.

The region also discussed the draft WCO Strategic Plan 2022-2025, which was updated to reflect the input received during the 85th Session of the Policy Commission held in December 2021, and provided further input to enhance the plan.

Furthermore, the Chairperson of the Regional Group of the Private Sector, Mr. Alfonso Rojas, presented a proposal for a Letter of Intent to promote joint efforts between Customs administrations and the private sector of the region, for the promotion of integrity and the fight against corruption.

The second Joint Forum of Customs and the Regional Group of the Private Sector also took place on 4 May, under the theme "Customs and Private Sector, same objectives for safer trade". The meeting served as a platform for both sectors to share experiences and best practices in the conduct of Time Release Studies, implementation of integrity and anti-corruption initiatives, and enhancement of Authorized Economic Operator programmes and Single Windows.
Sophie Turner wants to return to England for the sake of her mental health.

The 26-year-old actress currently lives in the US with her husband Joe Jonas and their 20-month-old daughter Willa - but Sophie admits she'd love to return home at some stage in order to be closer to her friends and family.

Sophie - who is currently pregnant with her second child - told Elle UK: "I miss England so much. The people, the attitude, everything. Im slowly dragging my husband back.

"I really love living in America but, for my mental health, I have to be around my friends and my family."

Sophie - who was born in Northampton in England - admits her husband is yet to be convinced about making the switch.

The actress shared: "England would ideally be the final destination, but [Joe] might take quite a bit of convincing! My parents house is the epitome of the English countryside  horses, sheep, cows..."

Sophie previously opened up about her mental health battle, explaining that her parents didn't understand the benefits of attending therapy sessions.

The 'Game of Thrones' star also suggested that the UK lags behind the US in regards to mental health treatments.

She explained: "My parents are still like, 'Why do you go to therapy?' and Im like, 'Because Im depressed, remember?' Its a very British thing - that idea you should just get on with it, chin up."

Sophie conceded that attending therapy has been a huge help to her over recent years.

The actress - who has been married to Joe since 2019 - said: "Therapy is seen as a bit self-indulgent, a bit soft. But therapy and medication have helped me immeasurably."
WASHINGTON (AP)  John Roberts is heading a Supreme Court in crisis.

The chief justice has already ordered an investigation of the leak this week of a draft opinion suggesting the court could be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case legalizing abortion nationwide. What comes next could further test Roberts' leadership of a court where his vote already appears less crucial in determining the outcome in contentious cases.

This is a time when the court is under siege, both externally and internally now, said Roanoke College professor Todd Peppers, who writes about the court. "I just don't think the spotlight has ever been brighter on the court in recent history.

Speaking Thursday at a judicial conference in Atlanta, Roberts called the leak appalling, according to CNN.

Roberts' court was facing challenges even before the leak, which the chief called a betrayal of the confidences of the Court.Polling has shown a notable decline in the public's approval of the court. And there have been recent calls for term limits for the justices and for increasing the number of justices as well as for a code of ethics, particularly following reports that Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Virginia, implored Donald Trumps White House chief of staff to act to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Confirmation hearings for the court's newest justices have been contentious.

The addition of three conservative justices during Trump's presidency also means there are now five conservative justices to Roberts' right who no longer need his vote, and perhaps his moderating influence, to prevail in a case. The abortion decision could be another example of that, with the court's other conservatives prepared to go further than Roberts.

Roberts, 67, has noted the limits of his position in the past. Asked during a 2018 appearance how its different to be chief, Roberts responded: In many ways its different. In the most important its not. I have one vote. I participate in the decision-making of the court like any of the associate justices.

Still, there's a reason that the chief is called the first among equals and that historians refer to time periods at the court using the chief justice's name: the Marshall Court, the Rehnquist Court, the Roberts Court. The chief is the first to speak when the justices discuss cases at their private conference and guides that discussion. The chief decides who writes the opinion of the court when the chief is in the majority.

Roberts, an appointee of President George W. Bush, has faced other challenging times in his 16 years as chief. He's led the court through contentious cases on gay marriage, on President Barack Obama's health law and on Trump-era policies including building a U.S.-Mexico border wall and the travel ban.

In 2020, Roberts was in the spotlight presiding over Trump's first impeachment trial, though his role was modest. At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, he led the court through a period where it decided to postpone arguments for the first time in more than 100 years and then to conduct them by telephone for more than a year and a half.

Early in his tenure, in a speech at Georgetown's law school graduation and elsewhere, Roberts explained his philosophy in guiding the court and his preference for decisions where there could be broad agreement on narrow grounds.

There are clear benefits to a greater degree of consensus on the court. Unanimity or near unanimity promote clarity and guidance for the lawyers and for the lower courts trying to figure out what the Supreme Court meant," he said in 2006. He added: The rule of law is strengthened when there's greater coherence and agreement about what the law is."

Artemus Ward, a professor at Northern Illinois University who is one of the editors of a book of scholarly research on chief justices, said Roberts has been trying to achieve consensus, trying to rule narrowly. But following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal, and her replacement by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Roberts' vote is less powerful because there are five conservative votes even without him, Ward said.

There's been some evidence of the impact of that already.

Before Ginsburg's death, Roberts joined with the court's four liberals to reject a challenge to attendance limits California imposed on religious services because of the coronavirus pandemic. But about a month after Barrett joined the court, the justices ruled 5-4 the other way in a case about similar limits in New York, with Roberts and the liberals in dissent.

In September of last year, the court decided 5-4 not to block a new Texas law banning most abortions in the state. The dissenters were once again Roberts and the three liberal justices.

It was the same lineup in February when the Supreme Court put on hold a lower court ruling that Alabama must draw new congressional districts before the 2022 elections to increase Black voting power. And in April when the court reinstated a Trump-era water rule.

"Roberts Has Lost Control of the Supreme Court," was the title of an article written that month by professor Stephen I. Vladeck of the University of Texas School of Law.

It remains to be seen how divided and how sweeping the court will be in other decisions, including a major gun ruling, that are still to be released before the court breaks for summer.

Unknown too is how closely the final opinion in the abortion case will mirror the leaked draft, which was written by Justice Samuel Alito and distributed to other members of the court in February. Politico reported that Alito had the votes of four other conservatives to overturn Roe v. Wade and a later decision that reaffirmed a constitutional right to abortion services, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The three liberals planned to dissent, Politico said, while Roberts' ultimate vote was unclear.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania (AP)  Delivering good cheer  and gallons of ketchup  Jill Biden on Friday thanked U.S. troops deployed to Romania for serving as a check against Russian aggression as she opened a two-country European trip to learn about the refugee crisis caused by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. first lady flew overnight from Washington and landed just in time to help serve dinner at Romania's Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near the Black Sea and about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the border with Ukraine. The base is temporarily home to about 1,600 of the several thousand troops President Joe Biden deployed to Eastern Europe in the leadup to the Russia-Ukraine war.

In the food line, Jill Biden dished up macaroni and cheese and baked potatoes  and encouraged fatigue-clad troops to have some greens, too  before she greeted groups of them as they ate at round tables in the dining hall. They cheered when she revealed she came bearing ketchup, which was in short supply on the base.

I know its hard on your families," she told one servicemember, referencing her own experience when her son Beau Biden deployed to Iraq.

At another location on the base, the first lady joined Staff Sgt. Sharon Rogers to read the children's book Night Catch" on videotape for Rogers' son, Nathan, who lives in Texas. Biden thanked the boy for serving his country, too.

When your mom serves, the family serves, too, so thank you for your service," she told Nathan. She and Rogers embraced and Biden wished her a happy Mother's Day.

Before leaving the base and flying to Bucharest, Romania's capital, the first lady posed with troops who represent her home state through their service in the Delaware Army National Guard. She handed them a souvenir coin she designed, the first time she'd given away copies of the coin.

For weeks, the first lady has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of parents weeping over their childrens broken bodies in the streets, as she said in a recent speech. She's now using her second solo overseas trip to experience the crisis for herself by visiting Romania and Slovakia.

Its so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them," Biden told reporters Thursday night before she departed Washington.

NATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have taken in some of the millions of mostly women and children who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, triggering Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Biden is also using the trip to highlight issues she promotes at home, including support for U.S. service members, education and the welfare of children.

The centerpiece of the trip comes Sunday  Mother's Day  when the mother of three meets with displaced Ukrainians who sought refuge across the border in Slovakia.

Her daughter, Ashley Biden, had planned to accompany her, but backed out Thursday after learning that she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesperson. Ashley Biden tested negative, he said.

The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials and U.S. embassy personnel, the White House said.

Nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled their country since Russia's invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Hundreds of thousands have resettled in next-door countries, like Romania and Slovakia, or have gone elsewhere in Europe to rebuild their lives.

Biden has long shown an interest in the plight of refugees around the world.

In 2011, when her husband was vice president, she traveled to drought-stricken east Africa to visit with Somali famine refugees at the Dadaab camp in Kenya. In 2017, she visited refugees in Chios, Greece, as part of work by the aid organization Save The Children, on whose board she served.

Some refugee advocates said Biden's trip will send the message that the United States takes seriously its humanitarian commitment to the Ukrainian people.

Every first lady has a far-reaching platform to raise awareness and this trip will be an important tool for mobilizing additional support for those forced to flee their homeland, said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and formerly a policy director to first lady Michelle Obama.

Biden's trip follows other U.S. government representatives visiting Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees in March during a stop in Poland, the closest he's been to Ukraine during the war. The White House says there are no plans for him to visit Kyiv.

Jill Biden continues her trip Saturday in Bucharest with briefings on the humanitarian efforts, meeting with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis and touring a school where Ukrainian refugee students are enrolled. The first lady is a community college English professor.

On Sunday in Slovakia, Biden will visit a city-operated refugee center and a public school in Kosice that also hosts Ukrainian refugee students to participate in Mother's Day events with Ukrainian and Slovakian mothers and children. She'll also visit the Slovakia-Ukraine border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.

The White House declined to comment on whether she will cross the border and enter Ukraine.

Monday brings a meeting with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, the country's first female president, before Biden heads back to Washington.
Image provided

WINCHESTER  A Winchester woman has been charged in a single-vehicle crash in which she was seriously injured and a 2-year-old boy died, police said Friday.

Illinois State Police said Makayla D. Brown, 27, of Winchester was going south on Sand Road near Bloomfield Road about 2:50 p.m. Thursday when her vehicle left the road and struck a tree. She was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, police said.
Two new members have joined the Illinois Collage Board of Trustees.

Michael Bauersachs of Glen Allen, Virginia, and Luiz Guimaraes of Barrington were inducted during the board's winter meeting.

Bauersachs is co-founder and former president of Ramaco Resources. He is an investor, entrepreneur and consultant who primarily works with energy, real estate and mining companies. He previously held senior management positions with several companies, including Massey Energy Co.

He received a bachelors degree in economics, business and history from IC and has a Master of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Guimaraes has expertise in mergers and acquisitions dealing with environmental, social and health impact assessment, enterprise carbon management and climate governance through Environmental Resources Management. Guimaraes was promoted to North America director of services and innovation with Environmental Resources Management and has served in a number of technical, commercial and operational roles for more than 15 years in Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Guimaraes has a bachelor's degrees in mathematics from IC and in engineering environmental and public policy from Washington University in St. Louis. He holds an Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.
Hear me clearly, America is not a racist country. I have personally experienced the pain of discrimination  being pulled over for no reason and followed around in stores.

This contradictory statement was made by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina in 2021. Unsurprisingly, fierce reactions ensued immediately, with both sides of the political spectrum aggressively weighing in on social media. Hashtags such as #UncleTim, which were quickly removed from Twitter, and other intensely abrasive terms were hurled toward the senator from the left side of the political spectrum. The response from the political right was complimentary and endearingly laudatory.

While there were a number of things to take issue with Scotts rebuttal, it was the comment that America is not a racist country that opened a Pandoras box of commentary.

To be sure, Tim Scotts life is distinctive. In his rebuttal speech to President Joe Bidens first join address to Congress, he spoke about his upbringing and how he was raised in poverty by a single mother. Moreover, he is a darling son of the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party. He defeated the sons of the legendary, multiple-term, hard core segregationist senator Strom Thurmond and the popular, former governor Carroll Campbell, is revered by Donald Trump, and won election in what is the staunchest Republican state in the south, arguably in the nation.

The biggest problem is not Scott, even though his rhetoric is sometimes laced with intellectual dishonesty, but rather the frantic attempt by Republicans to convince others that they are not racist by employing conservative Black people like himself, including right-wing pundits Star Parker, Jason Whitlock, Candace Owens, Shelby Steele and Doreen Borelli to name a few. In essence, they provide cover for and espouse largely offensive commentary that many right-wing White conservatives do not dare to say in public. In other words, they tell racists what they want to hear as opposed to what they need to hear.

This is not to say all Black conservatives demonize other Black people for profit. Republican strategist Raynard Jackson and the late Colin Powell are examples of Black individuals who resided on the political right of the spectrum yet had no problem calling out what they saw as the shortcomings of the conservative movement regarding its disconnect with large segments of the Black electorate.

As a Black person born and raised slightly above abject poverty in hyper-segregated South Carolina, this region has always been hostile toward governmental assistance regarding upward mobility, especially Black upward mobility, Scott is (or certainly should) be aware of the devastating impact that poverty, sophisticated or subtle discrimination, and lack of access to mainstream society can have on the victims of such social inequities and inequalities. Economic and structural racism are undeniable factors in the lives of many poor people of color.

The truth is that racism does exist in America. Most sane, rational and honest Americans know this, regardless of their race or ethnic background. The question is not whether America is a racist nation, but whether we need to utilize legislation, government programs, and other forms of protection to target racism.

The fact is that Tim Scott and other Black conservatives, especially those over 45 years of age, know this all too well. But instead of acknowledging such brutal facts, they resort to espousing and promoting a dangerously misguided form of bootstrap politics that too often places the responsibility for change on those who are being disregarded and marginalized. The truth is one must have boots to be able to strap them. Such old-fashioned, buck up, forge forward, rugged individualism language is filled with nothing but empty platitudes. Its a disturbing act to witness to see these far-right Black conservatives resorting to the blame the victim mindset.

No reasonable person can deny that systemic and systematic racism are potently repulsive forces in American life. They are evident in our health, educational, environmental, judicial, and political systems. There is far too much concrete evidence to indicate otherwise. Deep down, more than likely, Tim Scott and other Black conservatives (as well as their white conservative cohorts) know this to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now!

Submit
Live updates | Biden: US sending another $150M in assistance View Photo

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russias invading forces.

Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March and called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through the end of September.

We are sending the weapons and equipment that Congress has authorized directly to the front lines of freedom in Ukraine, Biden said in a statement. U.S. support, together with the contributions of our Allies and partners, has been critical in helping Ukraine win the battle of Kyiv and hinder Putins war aims in Ukraine.

A U.S. official said the latest tranche of assistance includes 25,000 155mm artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, jamming equipment, field equipment and spare parts.

___

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 50 more civilians rescued from besieged Mariupol steel plant

 UN council backs UN chiefs peace effort in its first action

 Europes farmers stir up biogas to offset Russian energy

 With Ukraines ports blocked, trains in Europe haul grain

 US seeks to downplay role in sinking of Russian warship

 Jill Biden brings thanks, ketchup to US troops in Romania

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

___

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted its first statement since Russias military action began Feb. 24, expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The short statement adopted at a brief meeting Friday does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it. Russia, which holds veto power in the council, has blocked all previous attempts to adopt a statement or resolution.

Instead, the statement expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

During recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv, Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and the Azovstal steel plant where the last Ukrainian forces are holding out along with hundreds of civilians in underground bunkers.

___

ROME  The Italian finance minister has adopted a decree that will impede a mega-yacht from sailing away from a Tuscan port, after investigation indicated the luxury vessel Scheherazade has links to prominent elements of the Russian government.

The finance ministry also said in statement Friday evening that the probe, carried out by Italys financial police corps, found significant economic business links of the beneficial owner of the Scheherazade as well to other subjects included in a list issued in 2014 as part of European Union measures prompted by Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

There have been fears that the 140-meter (459-foot) long yacht, which has been in dry dock in the port of Marina di Carrara, was preparing to sail out of Italian waters soon. Based on the Italian investigation, Minister Daniele Franco adopted a freezing decree regarding the yacht, which flies the flag of the Cayman Islands and which had long been under the attention of the authorities, the statement said.

A few weeks after Russias war against Ukraine began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech to Italian lawmakers, urged Italy to continue freezing assets of Russian oligarchs and officials. He cited by name the Scheherazade, which, according to some reports, belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Italian ministry statement didnt identify the boats owner nor specify who are the prominent elements of the Russian government. But it said the actual owner of the Scheherazade should be included in the 2014 EU sanctions list.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The regional governor says one person was reported dead and three more were injured Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

Russia is killing civilians! On May 6, as a result of Russian shelling, one civilian of the Donbas was killed in Lyman. Three more people were injured, Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post.

The Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, encompasses the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Kyrylenkos claims could not be immediately verified.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  A top official from Ukraines interior ministry has warned against the activation of saboteurs and other criminal elements in the lead-up to Russias Victory Day on Monday.

Speaking to Ukraines state-run Ukrinform agency, First Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin said authorities were carrying out special operations in a number of Ukrainian cities to prevent possible provocations.

We receive information about the potential shelling of peaceful territories, and therefore I appeal to every Ukrainian, especially these days, not to ignore air raid sirens, he added.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

___

Fifty civilians were evacuated Friday from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.

In a statement, the Russian Interdepartmental Humanitarian Response Center says the 50 civilians include 11 children.

Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, also said 50 civilians left the plant without giving a breakdown of how many were children.

Both Vereshchuk and the Russian body said the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal will continue Saturday.

Ukrainian fighters holed up at the sprawling complex are making their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategic port city.

___

UNITED NATIONS  Members of the United Nations Security Council, including Russia, have agreed on a statement expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The council scheduled a meeting later Friday to adopt the brief statement, which would be the first approved by the U.N.s most powerful body since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

It does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it.

The statement, drafted by Norway and Mexico, expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and its last Ukrainian forces holdout at the Azovstal steel plant where hundreds of civilians are also still living in underground bunkers.

The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross have carried out two successful evacuations from Mariupol and surrounding areas so far and are currently trying to arrange a third from the steel plant.

___

Russian state agencies reported that two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Ukraines industrial east both appointed extraordinary ambassadors to Moscow on Friday.

Olga Makeeva, the deputy chair of the legislative assembly of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, was chosen by the territorys Russia-backed government as its representative. Her counterpart from the Luhansk Peoples Republic is Rodion Miroshnik, a foreign policy adviser to the separatist territorys leader.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman condemned the appointments, saying Makeeva and Miroshnik will likely face criminal punishment for high treason.

Its a country of crooked mirrors. Russia has created pseudo-republics. It appointed ambassadors, from itself to itself These diplomats will face the most severe responsibility. As will other traitors, Oleg Nykolenko wrote in a Telegram post Friday.

The Russian foreign ministry has released a statement congratulating Makeeva and Miroshnik on taking office, wishing them success in establishing and developing multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  Officials from Ukraines national security council warned residents Friday against the increased risk of shelling on Sunday and Monday, coinciding with Russias Victory Day celebrations.

A Facebook post published on the profile of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, urged Ukrainians not to ignore air raid sirens.

Since Russian troops cannot boast of any significant achievements on the front by Victory Day, the risk of massive shelling of Ukrainian cities these days is increasing, the post said.

Separately on Friday, Kyivs mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said authorities will not be extending the curfew in Kyiv; one has already been introduced. But street patrols would be reinforced.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

___

AIR FORCE ONE  White House press secretary Jen Psaki says President Joe Biden will meet virtually with other Group of Seven leaders Sunday along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The virtual meeting will occur just before Russias Victory Day on Monday. Psaki says the date of the meeting is significant because it shows the unity of the allies ahead of a day when Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped to mark his victory over Ukraine. But Russia has been bogged down by Ukrainian forces and hampered by financial and trade sanctions.

Speaking Friday aboard Air Force One, Psaki says the G7 countries will discuss the war, its global impact, Ukraines future and building on the existing sanctions.

Psaki says she does not have any additional sanction details to share.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian army said Friday it had made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth.

As a result of the offensive by units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, control was restored over the settlements of Aleksandrovka, Fedorovka, Ukrainka, Shestakovo, Pobeda and part of the village of Cherkassky Tishki, said a Facebook post published Friday afternoon on the official profile of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

___

A village in Russias southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, is being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, the regional governor said Friday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that as of Friday afternoon, fewer than 30 people remained in the village of Nekhoteevka, located directly next to a border crossing.

We have already taken most of the residents to a safe place, he said, adding that five houses had been damaged by shelling. His post featured two photos of what appeared to be the same damaged building.

The accuracy of Gladkovs claims could not be immediately verified, nor did his post specify the number of people currently living in Nekhoteevka. Russias 2010 census referenced the village as having 145 permanent residents.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region accused Russian troops Friday of terrorizing residents of a frontline city as they try to advance across the Seversky Donets River.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai said more than 3,500 residents of the city of Kreminna had found themselves in Russian-controlled territory.

The captured city is teeming with Russian military equipment. Fighting is going on in the vicinity, he wrote. The Russians are terrorizing the population in every possible way: from checking phones to forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots.  Almost every house has been looted.

He added that Kreminna suffered from food and electricity shortages and that mobile communications had been shut down.

The accuracy of his statements could not be immediately verified.

___

SONCHAMP, France  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

Theyll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce biogas. Its among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russias war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes arent  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the worlds breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europes energy dependence.

___

TURIN, Italy  Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestras upbeat, melodic entry for this months Eurovision Song Contest was written as a tribute to the frontmans mother.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland.

Stefania is the most-watched song on YouTube among the 35 national entries that are slated to compete when the Eurovision contest takes place next week in Turin, an industrial city in northern Italy.

While some oddsmakers and data analysts have predicted other contestants will win, the song by Kalush Orchestra is quickly becoming a sentimental favorite.

Ill always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed, Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote in the lyrics for Stefania.

His words have become more poignant as missiles pound Ukrainian cities and villages, forcing more than 11 million to flee since Russia invaded the country.

___

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines deputy prime minister said Friday that 41 more Ukrainians were released that day in a prisoner swap with Russia.

Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram that the 41 people whove been returned include 28 military personnel and 13 civilians.

___

MOSCOW  Russia has no intention of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday, a day after Moscows top diplomat in the U.S. chided Western officials for targeting it with baseless accusations.

Russia firmly abides by the principle that there can be no victors in a nuclear war and it must not be unleashed, Alexey Zaitsev said. He added that Russian nuclear doctrine does not envisage any scenarios for potential strikes which would apply to Moscows military goals in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Zaitsev added that any provocations whatsoever can be expected from Ukraine and the West, and that Russia has to be ready for any development in the media space and directly on the ground.

His statement echoed remarks made by Russias ambassador in Washington on Thursday.

In an interview with Newsweek, Anatoly Antonov slammed what he called a flurry of blatant misrepresentation of Russian officials statements on our countrys nuclear policy. He accused top U.S. military leaders  including the Defense Secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff  of falsely blaming Moscow for escalating nuclear tensions, calling their claims baseless and part of a propaganda campaign against Russia in response to the steps taken to neutralize threats to our national security emanating from the Ukrainian territory.

He also blamed the wider Western bloc for what he called its irresponsible handling of the situation in Ukraine, implying that NATOs rhetoric and continuing support for Kyiv contributed to heightening nuclear tensions.

The current generation of NATO politicians clearly does not take the nuclear threat seriously, Antonov told Newsweek.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russias parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin both asserted this week that Moscow would not use nuclear weapons first.

___

A Russian senator said Friday that Russia will remain forever in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, whose capital has been occupied by Moscows troops since early March.

Andrey Turchak from the ruling United Russia party visited Kherson on Friday, meeting with its Russian-appointed governor Volodymyr Saldo.

I want to say once again  Russia is here forever. There should be no doubt about it, Turchak is heard saying in a video published by Russias state RIA Novosti agency.

We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich thanks to the people who live here, he added.

When asked about the future formal status of the Kherson region, Turchak cautioned against running too far ahead and said that in any case, the status is determined by the residents.

___

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has invited Germanys head of government and its head of state to visit Ukraine on May 9, the day Russia marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Western officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the Victory Day holiday to make an announcement about the war  either declaring a victory or escalating the conflict.

Germany is part of the Western alliance supporting Ukraine, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz has yet to make a solidarity visit to the country. Scholz has traded barbs with Ukrainian officials in recent weeks because of Kyivs refusal to invite Germanys head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whom Ukraine accuses of cozying up to Russia during his time as foreign minister.

Speaking at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Steinmeier and invited both him and Scholz to come to Kyiv.

He said Scholz can make this very powerful political step to come here on the 9th of May, to Kyiv.

There was no immediate word on whether the German politicians had agreed. German Parliament President Baerbel Bas is scheduled to visit Ukraine on Sunday and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is due to visit soon.

___

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country is providing Ukraine with all the support we can give and also take responsibility for in its war with Russia.

Speaking to business leaders in Hamburg on Friday, Scholz said Russia must not gain the upper hand in the conflict, which he described as a war of destruction waged by Moscow against Ukraine.

The German leader said that Russias position as a global power with a seat on the U.N. Security Council means that if (Vladimir) Putin gets away with it then theres a risk of international lawlessness.

___

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still open to negotiations with Russia, but he repeated his position that Moscow must withdraws its forces to their pre-invasion positions.

Zelenskyy told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday that regaining the situation as of the 23rd of February  the day before the invasion  is a prerequisite for talks.

He said in that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally, and Ukraine could use diplomatic channels to regain its territory.

The British government, a key ally of Ukraine, has said Russia must be driven from all of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Despite Russias intensified attack on Ukraines eastern Donbas region, Zelenskyy said there is still space for diplomacy. He said not all the bridges are yet destroyed, figuratively speaking.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of the besieged port city of Mariupol, Zelenskyy said: Mariupol will never fall. Im not talking about heroism or anything  There is nothing there to fall apart. It is already devastated.

___

BERLIN  Police in the German capital are bracing for possible confrontations between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters around the anniversary of the end of World War II.

Berlin police said Friday that security around 15 memorial sites across the city will be stepped up on May 8 and 9, and officers will crack down on any attempts to glorify Russias attack on Ukraine.

The Russian government has tried to portray the leadership in Kyiv as Nazis  a claim both Ukraine and Germany have ridiculed.

Berlins police chief Barbara Slowik said authorities have banned the use of Russian or Ukrainian flags, the playing of military music or the wearing of uniforms or the orange and black ribbon of St. George showing support for the Russian military anywhere near the memorial sites.

German news agency dpa quoted police saying that some 3,400 officers will be deployed throughout the city on both days.

By The Associated Press
Mexicos president starts regional tour in Guatemala View Photo

GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador started a lightning, five-day tour to four Central American countries and Cuba on Thursday, stopping first in neighboring Guatemala.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard wrote in his social media accounts that meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and other officials focused on development, migration and strengthening bilateral ties.

Lopez Obrador hopes to stem the poverty and joblessness that sends tens of thousands of Guatemalans north  crossing Mexico to reach the United States  by expanding his tree-planting program to Central America.

The program known as Planting Life pays farmers a monthly wage to plant and care for fruit and lumber trees on their farms.

Ebrard said the program was starting up in the Guatemalan province of Chimaltenango. Mexico has asked the U.S. government to help fund the program, something that so far hasnt happened. Mexico is also touting another program that apprentices young people to companies. Critics say both programs lack accountability.

It is only be the third overseas trip in more than three years for Lopez Obrador, who is fond of saying that the best foreign policy is good domestic policy. The tour is an opportunity for Mexico to reassert itself as a leader in Latin America and will be welcomed by some leaders under pressure from the U.S. government and others for their alleged anti-democratic tendencies.

Both geographically and metaphorically, Mexico finds itself wedged between the United States and the rest of Latin America. Lopez Obrador has deflected criticism dating to the Trump administration that his government is doing Washingtons dirty work in trying to stop migrants before they reach the U.S. border.

Lopez Obrador will be received in Central America, in part, as an emissary of the United States when it comes to migration policy.

The U.S. government has been trying to build consensus ahead of the June Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to cement a regional approach to managing migration flows. In recent years large numbers of Central Americans, but also Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, Colombians and migrants arriving from other continents, have made their way up through the Americas.

Giammattei, meanwhile, has been under pressure from the U.S. government for backsliding on the countrys fight against corruption  a campaign central to Lopez Obradors image in Mexico.

Lopez Obrador will continue on to El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has faced international condemnation since imposing a state of emergency after a surge in gang killings at the end of March. So a visit from Lopez Obrador, who prefers a hugs not bullets approach to security, is a good opportunity to show hes not being isolated. El Salvadors security forces have arrested more than 24,000 suspected gang members in just over a month and human rights organizations say there have been many arbitrary arrests.

In Honduras, new President Xiomara Castro has forged a close relationship with the Biden administration. Last month, Honduras extradited former President Juan Orlando Hernandez to face drug and weapons charges in the U.S. She is desperate to activate the economy and create jobs, so could be open to Lopez Obradors proposals if there is money behind it.

The presidents agenda in Belize is less clear. The tiny country does not have a significant migration problem, but Lopez Obrador did hint at one topic for discussion earlier this week. One of his favorite projects is the construction of a tourist train around the Yucatan Peninsula that neighbors Belize. The Maya Train has been criticized for its environmental impact and lack of feasibility studies, but Lopez Obrador insists it will bring development to impoverished regions.

The presidents final stop in Cuba will be the most symbolic.

Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited Mexico for its independence celebrations last year. Lopez Obrador has largely governed as a nationalist and populist, but he has positioned himself politically as a a devoted leftist.

The visit is an opportunity for Lopez Obrador to show some independence from the United States. Lopez Obrador has criticized the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba and he said that he told U.S. officials that no country should be excluded from the Summit of the Americas. The Biden administration has signaled that Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua would not be invited.
Israeli minister touts plans to approve 4,000 settler homes View Photo

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel is set to advance plans for the construction of 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, the interior minister said Friday, drawing warnings of serious consequences from the Palestinian Authority.

If approved, it would be the biggest advancement of settlement plans since the Biden administration took office. The White House is opposed to settlement growth because it further erodes the possibility of an eventual two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, a staunch supporter of settlements, tweeted that a planning committee would convene next week to approve 4,000 homes, calling construction in the West Bank a basic, required and obvious thing.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the planned approvals would have serious consequences on the ground in an already tense West Bank. He did not say what those consequences might be, and the Palestinian Authority has no way of halting settlement building or any other Israeli measures.

Israels Haaretz newspaper reported that the Civil Administration, a military body, would meet Thursday to advance 1,452 units, and that another 2,536 units would be approved by Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

The Defense Ministry referred questions to COGAT, the military body in charge of civilian affairs in the occupied West Bank. COGAT did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters that the Biden administration has been clear on West Bank settlement expansion from the outset.

We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements which exacerbates tensions and undermines trust between the parties, she said. Israels program of expanding settlements deeply damages the prospects for a two-state solution.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built more than 130 settlements across the territory that are home to nearly 500,000 settlers. Nearly 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule.

Earlier this week, Israels Supreme Court upheld an expulsion order that would force at least 1,000 Palestinians out of an arid region in the southern West Bank where they say they have been living for decades. The military declared the area a firing zone in the early 1980s.

The Palestinians want the West Bank to form the main part of their future state. They view the expansion of settlements as a major obstacle to any future peace deal because they reduce and divide up the land on which such a state would be established. Most of the international community views the settlements as illegal.

All of these Israeli measures of demolition, eviction and settlement fall within the framework of the apartheid regime that the occupation applies to the Palestinians and their lands amid international silence, said Abu Rdeneh, Abbas spokesman.

Israels current government is split between parties that oppose and support settlements. As a compromise, it has ruled out any major peace initiative or any move to formally annex parts of the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a former leader of the main settler council, is opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Israel approved the construction of 3,000 settler homes in October despite a U.S. rebuke. Authorities have, however, paused some especially controversial projects in the wake of strong U.S. opposition.

Settlement construction can only be approved after a long bureaucratic process, and it was unclear how soon construction crews would be able to break ground on the 4,000 homes if they get a green light. The process also provides the opportunity for Israeli officials to pause or delay such projects.

___

Associated Press writers Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

By AREEJ HAZBOUN

Associated Press
Lawmakers approve $100M fund for youth center abuse victims View Photo

CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  A $100 million fund to settle sexual and physical abuse claims at New Hampshires state-run youth detention center is headed to the governors desk.

The state Senate voted 14-10 Thursday in favor of creating a fund to compensate those who were abused as children at the Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly the Youth Development Center. The Manchester center has been the target of a criminal investigation since 2019, and 11 former workers were arrested last year. Nearly 450 former residents have sued the state, with allegations involving more than 150 staffers from 1963 to 2018.

Under the proposed settlement fund, victims of sexual abuse would be eligible for payments of up to $1.5 million each, while payments to victims of physical abuse would be capped at $150,000.

The Republican-led Senate rejected an amendment offered by Democrats that would have increased those limits to $2 million and $200,000, respectively. Democrats also unsuccessfully argued in favor of expanding the definition of sexual abuse to include incidents such as forcing children to watch child pornography or subjecting them to indecent exposure.

Not knowing what we dont know and how many of these there might be, I think its appropriate to sit tight and wait before we broaden the scope, said Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro. Its not the end of the process. Lets let the process work.

The center is named for former Gov. John H. Sununu, father of current Gov. Chris Sununu, who has has expressed support for the settlement bill. The state currently spends $13 million a year to operate the 144-bed facility, though the typical population now is about a dozen teens.

The two-year budget signed in June included a mandate to close it by March 2023, but the House passed a bill Wednesday giving the state until June 30, 2024, to build a new six-bed facility. That bill now goes back to the Senate, which also had approved a deadline extension but called for up to 18 beds.

The settlement fund legislation was opposed by attorneys for the victims, as well as state and national organizations that advocate for sexual assault survivors.

This bill is a political move to fool the public into thinking the current political leadership actually cares about the children the state abused, attorneys Rus Rilee and David Vicinanzo said in a statement. Survivors of child abuse will not be duped by this political theater. The public should not be either.

Sen. Lou DAllesandro, D-Manchester, said the bill was incomplete, inadequate and neither victim-centered nor trauma-informed.

My vote today is on behalf of those victims who were horrifically abused as children. I can not fathom the pain and suffering they have endured. This is simply too much not to get right, he said. I will not support the bill, but I will support the children.

By HOLLY RAMER

Associated Press
Jill Biden brings thanks, ketchup to US troops in Romania View Photo

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania (AP)  Delivering good cheer  and gallons of ketchup  Jill Biden on Friday thanked U.S. troops deployed to Romania for serving as a check against Russian aggression as she opened a two-country European trip to learn about the refugee crisis caused by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. first lady flew overnight from Washington and landed just in time to help serve dinner at Romanias Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near the Black Sea and about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the border with Ukraine. The base is temporarily home to about 1,600 of the several thousand troops President Joe Biden deployed to Eastern Europe in the leadup to the Russia-Ukraine war.

In the food line, Jill Biden dished up macaroni and cheese and baked potatoes  and encouraged fatigue-clad troops to have some greens, too  before she greeted groups of them as they ate at round tables in the dining hall. They cheered when she revealed she came bearing ketchup, which was in short supply on the base.

I know its hard on your families, she told one servicemember, referencing her own experience when her son Beau Biden deployed to Iraq.

At another location on the base, the first lady joined Staff Sgt. Sharon Rogers to read the childrens book Night Catch on videotape for Rogers son, Nathan, who lives in Texas. Biden thanked the boy for serving his country, too.

When your mom serves, the family serves, too, so thank you for your service, she told Nathan. She and Rogers embraced and Biden wished her a happy Mothers Day.

Before leaving the base and flying to Bucharest, Romanias capital, the first lady posed with troops who represent her home state through their service in the Delaware Army National Guard. She handed them a souvenir coin she designed, the first time shed given away copies of the coin.

For weeks, the first lady has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of parents weeping over their childrens broken bodies in the streets, as she said in a recent speech. Shes now using her second solo overseas trip to experience the crisis for herself by visiting Romania and Slovakia.

Its so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them, Biden told reporters Thursday night before she departed Washington.

NATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have taken in some of the millions of mostly women and children who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, triggering Europes largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Biden is also using the trip to highlight issues she promotes at home, including support for U.S. service members, education and the welfare of children.

The centerpiece of the trip comes Sunday  Mothers Day  when the mother of three meets with displaced Ukrainians who sought refuge across the border in Slovakia.

Her daughter, Ashley Biden, had planned to accompany her, but backed out Thursday after learning that she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Michael LaRosa, the first ladys spokesperson. Ashley Biden tested negative, he said.

The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials and U.S. embassy personnel, the White House said.

Nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled their country since Russias invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Hundreds of thousands have resettled in next-door countries, like Romania and Slovakia, or have gone elsewhere in Europe to rebuild their lives.

Biden has long shown an interest in the plight of refugees around the world.

In 2011, when her husband was vice president, she traveled to drought-stricken east Africa to visit with Somali famine refugees at the Dadaab camp in Kenya. In 2017, she visited refugees in Chios, Greece, as part of work by the aid organization Save The Children, on whose board she served.

Some refugee advocates said Bidens trip will send the message that the United States takes seriously its humanitarian commitment to the Ukrainian people.

Every first lady has a far-reaching platform to raise awareness and this trip will be an important tool for mobilizing additional support for those forced to flee their homeland, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and formerly a policy director to first lady Michelle Obama.

Bidens trip follows other U.S. government representatives visiting Kyiv, Ukraines capital, to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees in March during a stop in Poland, the closest hes been to Ukraine during the war. The White House says there are no plans for him to visit Kyiv.

Jill Biden continues her trip Saturday in Bucharest with briefings on the humanitarian efforts, meeting with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis and touring a school where Ukrainian refugee students are enrolled. The first lady is a community college English professor.

On Sunday in Slovakia, Biden will visit a city-operated refugee center and a public school in Kosice that also hosts Ukrainian refugee students to participate in Mothers Day events with Ukrainian and Slovakian mothers and children. Shell also visit the Slovakia-Ukraine border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.

The White House declined to comment on whether she will cross the border and enter Ukraine.

Monday brings a meeting with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, the countrys first female president, before Biden heads back to Washington.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

Associated Press
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Dozens more civilians were rescued Friday from the tunnels under the besieged steel mill where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol have been making their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategically important port city.

Russian and Ukrainian officials said 50 people were evacuated from the Azovstal plant and handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Russian military said the group included 11 children.

Russian officials and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said evacuation efforts would continue Saturday. The latest evacuees were in addition to roughly 500 other civilians who got out of the plant and city in recent days.

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

As the holiday commemorating the Soviet Union's World War II victory over Nazi Germany approached, cities across Ukraine prepared for an expected increase in Russian attacks, and officials urged residents to heed air raid warnings.

These symbolic dates are to the Russian aggressor like red to a bull, said Ukraine's first deputy interior minister, Yevhen Yenin. While the entire civilized world remembers the victims of terrible wars on these days, the Russian Federation wants parades and is preparing to dance over bones in Mariupol.

By Russias most recent estimate, roughly 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukrainian officials said before Friday's evacuations that a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to also spare the fighters. She said they would be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean filtration camps, prison, torture and death.

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will stand to the end without surrender, she told The Associated Press on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said influential states are involved in efforts to rescue the soldiers, although he did not mention any by name.

We are also working on diplomatic options to save our troops who are still at Azovstal, he said in his nightly video address.

U.N. officials have been tight-lipped about the civilian evacuation efforts, but it seemed likely that the latest evacuees would be taken to Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian-controlled city about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Mariupol where others who escaped the port city were brought.

Some of the plant's previous evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. They need our help badly. We need to get them out.

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on the Telegram messaging app that Russian troops had fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plant's grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

Moscow did not immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of the rest of Mariupol after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of more than 400,000. Perhaps 100,000 civilians remain there with scarce supplies of food, water electricity and heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris, and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings. Russian flags were hoisted.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port. It would also allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free some Russian troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Ukrainian officials said the risk of massive shelling increased ahead of Victory Day. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital. A curfew was going into effect in Ukraines southern Odesa region, which was the target of two missile attacks Friday.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas region and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia made no acknowledgement of the losses.

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth. Meanwhile, one person was reported dead and three more were wounded Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

In other developments Friday:

 A Ukrainian army brigade said it used an American Switchblade suicide drone against Russian forces in what was likely Ukraine's first recorded use of such weapon in combat.

 U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems. Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March. He called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through September.

 The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said residents of the city of Kreminna were being terrorized by Russian troops trying to cross the Seversky Donets River. Serhiy Haidai accused Russian troops of checking phones and "forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots. His statements could not be immediately verified.

 Haidia also said more than 15,000 people remain in Severodonetsk, a city in the Luhansk region that's seen as a key Russian target. He said he believes most residents wish to remain even though entire blocks of houses are on fire.

 The small village of Nekhoteevk, in Russias southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, was being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. His claims could not be immediately verified.

___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome, Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP)  Firefighters in New Mexico took advantage of diminished winds Thursday to build more fire lines and clear combustible brush near homes close to the fringes of the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. They did so ahead of what is expected to be several consecutive days of intense hot, dry and extremely windy weather that could fan the blaze.

Today, the conditions were kind of moderated, Dan Pearson, a fire behavior analyst, said during a largely hopeful evening update by the U.S. Forest Service and law enforcement officials. And tomorrow is going to be another good day."

But Pearson warned that starting Saturday, clear skies will bring more intense solar heat accompanied by 30 mph (48 kph) winds with days of high winds to follow.

The fire has marched across 258 square miles (669 square kilometers) of high alpine forest and grasslands at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, destroying dozens of homes and prompting evacuations for thousands of families, many of whom have called the Sangre de Cristo Mountains home since their Spanish ancestors first settled the region centuries ago.

President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to the areas devastated by fire since early April. The aid includes grants for temporary housing and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other relief programs for people and businesses.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham traveled through northern New Mexico Wednesday and Thursday to survey the damage and chat with affected residents at a humanitarian kitchen, an evacuation shelter and an elementary school.

The start of the conflagration has been traced in part to a preventive fire initiated by the U.S. Forest Service to reduce flammable vegetation. The blaze escaped control, merging with another wildfire of unknown origin.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, who accompanied Lujan on a helicopter flight to view affected areas and meet with fire officials, on Thursday pressed a top Forest Service official to fully investigate the decision to start the controlled burn and disclose whether the agency considered the effects of climate change and a mega-drought afflicting western states.

What protocols or controls were in place to make sure a controlled burn does not get out of hand? Did the U.S. Forest Service follow these protocols," the congresswoman wrote to Forest Service Chief Randy Moore.

Evacuations that have now lasted weeks have taken a physical and emotional toll on residents. Classes were canceled at area schools for the week, some businesses in the small northeastern city of Las Vegas have closed due to staff shortages and some customers of the electric cooperative that serves surrounding areas have had no power for weeks.

San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez said firetrucks, a fleet of aircraft and other equipment have been brought in to the area to corral the flames and we're ready for anything that does come.

But it's still too soon to let people return to outlying areas that burned earlier because there are pockets of unburned brush and trees that can serve as fuel for the blaze within the fire's perimeter.

We've come to this crossroads on a few different occasions, where we were feeling good about it and we come up to a wind event and it hasn't went as planned, Lopez said.

Relatively calm and cool weather in recent days has helped firefighters to keep the fire in check around its shifting fronts.

Bulldozers scraped more fire lines Thursday while crews conducted controlled burning to to clear vegetation and prevent it from igniting. Aircraft also dropped more fire retardant in preparation for the heavy winds predicted this weekend.

Gusts up to 45 mph (72 kph) are expected Saturday afternoon along with above-normal temperatures and abysmally low" humidity that make for extreme fire danger, said Todd Shoemake, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Albuquerque. Sunday and Monday are probably looking to be even worse.

Nearly 1,300 firefighters and other personnel were assigned to fight the fire, while about 2,000 wildland firefighters are battling other blazes elsewhere in New Mexico and around the U.S.

Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory were warily tracking another wildfire that crept within about 5 miles (8 kilometers) of facilities at the U.S. nuclear research complex.

Wildfires have become a year-round threat in the drought-stricken West  moving faster and burning hotter than ever due to climate change, according to scientists and fire experts. Fire officials also point to overgrown areas where vegetation can worsen wildfire conditions.

___

Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press writers Anita Snow and Paul Davenport in Phoenix and Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
Jennifer Whitney /special to the Express-News

A spotlight will shine on San Antonios Westside this weekend as the 13th annual Paseo Por el Westside returns to the neighborhood on Saturday, May 7. The event is free and open to the public, allowing both Westside community members and other San Antonio residents to celebrate the community that embodies much of the citys history and culture.

Attendees will be able to experience that puro magic of the Westside firsthand as there will be a variety of workshops and activities. Residents will be able to learn more about the history of their home and contribute to the community archive of photos of the community dating back to the 1890s. There will also be more interactive opportunities like a soyrizo taco food demonstrations, curandero-inspired practices, washboard demonstration, DIY pinatas, and much more throughout the day.
Inti St Clair/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

After a two-year hiatus, the Wein and Saengerfest, a one-day festival, is back this weekend in New Braunfels. The event returns on Saturday, May 7 from noon to 10 p.m. at 500 Main Plaza in New Braunfels.

There will be sample wines from 16 wineries, including 11 Texas wineries, downtown shopping, kids activities, food vendors, wine, and craft beer for guests. Proceeds from the tickets and wine market sales benefit the New Braunfels Downtown Association and New Braunfels Parks Foundation for downtown beautification and enhancement projects, according to the event website.
CANAAN, Maine (AP)  A soldier killed in World War II when the aircraft he was in was shot down will be buried in his hometown a year after his remains were identified.

Nineteen-year-old Staff Sgt. Richard Salsbury, of Canaan, joined the Air Force a day after he turned 18 in 1941 and died Aug. 1, 1943, WMTW-TV reported Thursday.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  One of the men convicted of murder in the street chase and fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery spoke with his former boss, the local district attorney, several times by phone in the days and weeks following the 2020 killing, according to a court document filed Thursday.

Investigators found that the day after the shooting, then-Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson placed a phone call to Greg McMichael, a retired investigator for her office who initiated the deadly pursuit of Arbery. The call lasted more than nine minutes, prosecutors said in a misconduct case against Johnson said in the legal filing.

The filing opposes defense motions seeking dismissal of the case.

It listed 16 calls between phone numbers for Johnson and McMichael starting Feb. 23, 2020, when McMichael left Johnson a voicemail about an hour after the shooting, and ending May 5, 2020, the day graphic cellphone video of Arbery's killing leaked online. The video sparked a national outcry over the young Black man's death at the hands of three white pursuers.

More than half the calls lasted just a few seconds to a minute, suggesting some went unanswered and others involved voicemails. Seven calls lasted between just shy of three minutes to 21 minutes, according to the court record.

A grand jury indicted Johnson last year on a felony charge of violating her oath of office as well as a misdemeanor count of hindering a police investigation. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's office is prosecuting the case, which alleges Johnson used her position to protect McMichael and his son.

"The evidence shows that Johnson showed favor and affection for McMichael throughout the pendency of the case  including when she was making decisions as the DA over his case, the prosecutors' legal filing said.

Johnson has insisted she recused herself immediately from the investigation and turned the case over to outside prosecutors. Her attorneys have asked a judge to dismiss the charges, saying there is not a scintilla of evidence that she interfered with the police investigation.

Johnson's attorney, John Ossick, did not immediately respond Thursday to phone and email messages seeking comment on the calls between Johnson and McMichael. The legal filing by prosecutors gave no details of any of the phone conversations.

McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, armed themselves with guns and used a pickup truck to chase 25-year-old Arbery after spotting him running in their neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick. A neighbor, William Roddie Bryan, joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded the cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery at close range with a shotgun.

The men told police that Travis McMichael opened fire in self-defense as Arbery threw punches and tried to grab the shotgun. The McMichaels told police they suspected Arbery of being a thief. Arbery was unarmed when he was killed, and police found no evidence he had stolen anything.

All three men were convicted of murder by a state court jury last November and were sentenced to life in prison. They stood trial again in federal court, with a jury convicting them in February of committing hate crimes. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for August.

Johnson lost her reelection race for district attorney in November 2020 and blamed public outrage over the delay in arrests over Arbery's death, though she denied wrongdoing.

Hours after the shooting, Johnson enlisted District Attorney George Barnhill of the neighboring Waycross Judicial Circuit to meet with local police the next day and advise them on the case. Prosecutors in the misconduct case said Barnhill decided after one meeting not to seek charges.

Johnson waited until after that meeting to ask the Georgia attorney general's office to appoint an outside prosecutor to oversee the case. The legal filing says Johnson called the attorney general's office three days after Arbery's death and told a paralegal Barnhill had already accepted the case.

Johnson failed to disclose, however, that Barnhill had already reviewed the case and declared the case to be self-defense," the legal filing said. "Thus, Johnson effectively chose the outcome of the case despite having a conflict.

Barnhill ended up recusing himself. On April 3, 2020, when Johnson learned that Barnhill was stepping aside, there was a call from her phone to Greg McMichael, the court filing said.

The final listed call between them was made on May 5, 2020, when the video of the killing got posted online. The murder trial revealed the video was leaked to a local radio station by an attorney Greg McMichael had consulted.

The call consisted of Greg McMichael leaving a voicemail thanking Johnson for a referral, the legal filing said. He told her: Hes gonna run interference for me right now, and thats damn good advice, and I appreciate that very much.

Greg Michael and his son were arrested on murder charges two days later. Bryan's arrest followed after two weeks.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Rachel Thrasher, Boston University; Blake Alexander Simmons, Colorado State University, and Kyla Tienhaara, Queen's University, Ontario

(THE CONVERSATION) Fossil fuel companies have access to an obscure legal tool that could jeopardize worldwide efforts to protect the climate, and theyre starting to use it. The result could cost countries that press ahead with those efforts billions of dollars.

Over the past 50 years, countries have signed thousands of treaties that protect foreign investors from government actions. These treaties are like contracts between national governments, meant to entice investors to bring in projects with the promise of local jobs and access to new technologies.

But now, as countries try to phase out fossil fuels to slow climate change, these agreements could leave the public facing overwhelming legal and financial risks.

The treaties allow investors to sue governments for compensation in a process called investor-state dispute settlement, or ISDS. In short, investors could use ISDS clauses to demand compensation in response to government actions to limit fossil fuels, such as canceling pipelines and denying drilling permits. For example, TC Energy, a Canadian company, is currently seeking more than US$15 billion over U.S. President Joe Bidens cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

In a study published May 5, 2022, in the journal Science, we estimate that countries would face up to $340 billion in legal and financial risks for canceling fossil fuel projects that are subject to treaties with ISDS clauses.

Thats more than countries worldwide put into climate adaptation and mitigation measures combined in fiscal year 2019, and it doesnt include the risks of phasing out coal investments or canceling fossil fuel infrastructure projects, like pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals. It means that money countries might otherwise spend to build a low-carbon future could instead go to the very industries that have knowingly been fueling climate change, severely jeopardizing countries capacity to propel the green energy transition forward.

Massive potential payouts

Of the worlds 55,206 upstream oil and gas projects that are in the early stages of development, we identified 10,506 projects  19% of the total  that were protected by 334 treaties providing access to ISDS.

That number could be much higher. We could only identify the headquarters of project owners, not the overall corporate structures of the investments, due to limited data. We also know that law firms are advising clients in the industry to structure investments to ensure access to ISDS, through processes such as using subsidiaries in countries with treaty protections.

Depending upon future oil and gas prices, we found that the total net present value of those projects is expected to reach $60 billion to $234 billion. If countries cancel these protected projects, foreign investors could sue for financial compensation in line with these valuations.

Doing so would put several low- and middle-income countries at severe risk. Mozambique, Guyana and Venezuela could each face over $20 billion in potential losses from ISDS claims.

If countries also cancel oil and gas projects that are further along in development but are not yet producing, they face more risk. We found that 12% of those projects worldwide are protected by investment treaties, and their investors could sue for $32 billion to $106 billion.

Canceling approved projects could prove exceptionally risky for countries like Kazakhstan, which could lose $6 billion to $18 billion, and Indonesia, with $3 billion to $4 billion at risk.

Canceling coal investments or fossil fuel infrastructure projects, like pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals, could lead to even more claims.

Countries already feel regulatory chill

There have been at least 231 ISDS cases involving fossil fuels so far. Just the threat of massive payouts to investors could cause many countries to delay climate mitigation policies, causing a so-called regulatory chill.

Both Denmark and New Zealand, for example, seem to have designed their fossil fuel phaseout plans specifically to minimize their exposure to ISDS. Some climate policy experts have suggested that Denmark may have chosen 2050 as the end date for oil and gas extraction to avoid disputes with existing exploration license holders.

New Zealand banned all new offshore oil exploration in 2018 but did not cancel any existing contracts. The climate minister acknowledged that a more aggressive plan would have run afoul of investor-state settlements.France revised a draft law banning fossil fuel extraction by 2040 and allowing the renewal of oil exploitation permits after the Canadian company Vermilion threatened to launch an ISDS case.

Securing the green energy transition

While these findings are alarming, countries have options to avoid onerous legal and financial risks.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is currently discussing proposals on the future of investment treaties.

A straightforward approach would be for countries to terminate or withdraw from these treaties. Some officials have expressed concern about unforeseen impacts of unilaterally terminating investment treaties, but other countries have already done so, with few or no real economic consequences.

For more complex trade agreements, countries can negotiate to remove ISDS provisions, as the United States and Canada did when they replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Additional challenges stem from sunset clauses that bind countries for a decade or more after they have withdrawn from some treaties. Such is the case for Italy, which withdrew from the Energy Charter Treaty in 2016. It is currently stuck in an ongoing ISDS case initiated by the U.K. company Rockhopper over a ban on coastal oil drilling.

The Energy Charter Treaty, a special investment agreement covering the energy sector, emerged as the greatest single contributor to global ISDS risks in our dataset. Many European countries are currently considering whether to leave the treaty and how to avoid the same fate as Italy. If all country parties to a treaty can agree together to withdraw, they could collectively sidestep the sunset clause through mutual agreement.

The global transition

Combating climate change is not cheap. Actions by governments and the private sector are both needed to slow global warming and keep it from fueling increasingly devastating disasters.

In the end, the question is who will pay  and be paid  in the global energy transition. We believe that, at the very least, it would be counterproductive to divert critical public finance from essential mitigation and adaptation efforts to the pockets of fossil fuel industry investors whose products caused the problem in the first place.

[Like what youve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversations daily newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/how-treaties-protecting-fossil-fuel-investors-could-jeopardize-global-efforts-to-save-the-climate-and-cost-countries-billions-182135.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  Police and federal agents in Grand Forks seized video discs and other items from the home of North Dakotas longest-serving state senator after he had traded scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.

According to a police report obtained by The Associated Press, a Grand Forks police detective and two Homeland Security special agents searched Ray Holmbergs condominium on Nov. 17. The Forum of Fargo first reported about the search on Friday.

Im not talking to anybody, Holmberg, 79, told the AP by phone, referring questions to his attorney, Mark Friese.

Friese, a prominent North Dakota defense attorney, said he hasnt seen the search warrant and has had difficulty getting information from state and federal authorities on why his client is being investigated.

Holmberg, a Republican who rose to become one of the states most powerful lawmakers in a career that spanned 46 years, announced last month that he would resign June 1. His term was scheduled to end on Nov. 30 and he already had announced in March that it would be his last, citing stress and a weakened ability to concentrate on the matters at hand and effectively recall events.

The police report did not give a reason for the issuance of a search warrant. It came about three months after Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier as Morgan-Derosier was held in the Grand Forks County Jail.

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.

The state charges against Morgan-Derosier have been superseded by federal charges that include possession and distribution of child pornography and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

The police report said Holmberg was present during the search of his home, which came five days after a special session of the Legislature adjourned in Bismarck. Holmberg played key roles in legislative redistricting and appropriating federal coronavirus aid.

In addition to seizing CDRs and DVDRs in a nightstand drawer in a bedroom in Holmbergs condo, multiple other items were seized by officers and placed into evidence, the report said. The report did not identify the additional items.

The newspaper reported that the two federal agents and the Grand Forks police detective who searched Holmbergs home also investigated Morgan-Derosier.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  An Australian man was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison Tuesday for the 1988 murder of an American who fell off a Sydney cliff that was known as a gay meeting place.

The death of mathematician Scott Johnson was initially called a suicide, but his family pressed for further investigation. A coroner in 2017 found a number of assaults, some fatal, where the victims had been targeted because they were thought to be gay.

Scott White, 51, pleaded guilty in January and could have been sentenced to up to life in prison.

Justice Helen Wilson said she did not find beyond reasonable doubt that the murder was a gay hate crime, an aggravating factor that would have led to a longer sentence. She also said she applied more lenient sentencing patterns in place in New South Wales state in the late 1980s.

He must serve at least eight years and three months in prison before he can be considered for parole.

White was 18 and homeless when he met 27-year-old Los Angeles-born Johnson at a bar in suburban Manly in December 1988 and went with him to a nearby cliff top at North Head.

Whites former wife Helen White told police in 2019 that her then-husband had bragged about beating gay men and had said the only good gay man was a dead gay man.

She told the court on Monday that her husband had told her Johnson had run off the cliff. Scott White told police that he was himself gay and frightened that his homophobic brother would find out.

Wilson said it was not possible to draw any conclusions beyond a reasonable doubt about what had happened at the clifftop.

The offender hit Dr. Johnson, causing him to stumble backwards and leave the cliff edge, Wilson said.

In those seconds when he must have realized what was happening to him, Dr. Johnson must have been terrified, aware that he would strike the rocks below and conscious of his fate, Wilson added. It was a terrible death.

Wilson did not accept the defense lawyers argument that Helen White had been motivated to report him to police by a reward.

Under cross-examination on Monday, Helen White denied she had been aware of a 1 million Australian dollar ($704,000) reward for information on Johnsons murder when she went to police in 2019. She said she only became aware of a reward when the victims brother, Steve Johnson, doubled the sum in 2020.

Outside court, Boston resident Steve Johnson thanked prosecutors and the judicial system for ensuring White was sent to prison.

We didnt get compensation for Scott this week but what Scott got was dignity, the older sibling told reporters.

Younger sister Rebecca Johnson said she was satisfied with the sentence.

Today I feel like we've had answers and we've had justice, and that's for our brother and that's for gay men who were bashed or killed in that era, she said.

White had a record of violent crime before and after the murder but had not committed any offense since 2008.

It should be understood that the court is not sentencing a violent and reckless young man for a targeted attack on a gay man, Wilson said.

Because of the lapse of time, the offender is no longer the same angry young man who raised his fists to another on the edge of a cliff. Neither is the court imposing a sentence for a crime motivated by hatred for a particular sector of society. The evidence is too slender to support that, Wilson added.

She said a sentence for the same crime today would be much higher.

White's lawyers have appealed his conviction and hope he will be acquitted of the murder charge in a jury trial.

A coroner ruled in 2017 that Johnson fell from the clifftop as a result of actual or threatened violence by unidentified persons who attacked him because they perceived him to be homosexual.

The coroner also found that gangs of men roamed various Sydney locations in search of gay men to assault, resulting in the deaths of some victims. Some men were also robbed.

A coroner had ruled in 1989 that Johnson had taken his own life, while a second coroner in 2012 could not explain how he died.

Johnson studied at universities in California and at Cambridge in Britain before moving to Australia in 1986 to live with his Australian partner Michael Noone.

They lived in Canberra where Johnson studied at the Australian National University which posthumously awarded him a Ph.D. He was staying a Noones parents Sydney home when he died.
Getty Images /iStockphoto

After an arrest in connection with the theft of catalytic convertors, police are trying to return them to their rightful owners in the Hill Country. New Braunfels Police Department detectives are investigating recent thefts of catalytic convertors following the arrest of three individuals on Wednesday, May 4, according to a news release.

The three people, two men and one woman, all from Houston, were approached by police in a red Nissan passenger car at the Sac N Pac location in the 200 block of Loop 337. All three were taken into custody when police officers discovered that they were in possession of nine catalytic convertors, along with the equipment needed to cut them from vehicles, according to the release.
Drew Angerer /Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says the state bar intends to sue him and his "top deputy" over his lawsuit to try and throw out the 2020 election results. Paxton tweeted a statement the morning of Friday, May 6 that he was made aware of the Texas State Bar's intentions to sue over the 2020 election with the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit that was thrown out in December 2020.

He said in the statement that the state bar's "bias" shows with this "new line crossed."
San Antonio has lauded architect Atlee Ayres to thank for a group of its iconic buildings. In partnership with his son, Robert M. Ayres, the architect is responsible for the Atkinson-McNay House (now the McNay Art Museum), the Tower Life building, and Municipal Auditorium. The Ayres family is also behind a Spanish-style home for sale in Monticello Park.

After building the 24-room mansion now known as the art museum and the downtown tower, which was an impressive skyscraper at the time, the father-son duo moved on to a residential project at 222 Mary Louise Drive.

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

The home was part of a Monticello Park project in the late 1920s that aimed to build an eclectic assortment of homes on the street. Architects went in alphabetical order, so the Ayres-built house was one of the first. By May 1928, the home was completed and served as a cornerstone for the rest of the street, according to San Antonio Express-News archives. It's now part of a grand showcase of houses in Monticello Park. Express-News archives from the time called the development and converging of builders a "laboratory of ideas" and "architecturally perfect."

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

Brian Hembling and Evelyn Pereira lived in the home for two years. During their time in the home, they worked to restore the design to its 1928 glory by giving the paint a refresh and restoring the floors. They say they used newspaper archives to see what the home looked like back then.

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

Nearly a century later, the home is looking for a new owner. The piece of San Antonio history comes with 3,000-square-feet, luxurious amenities, and unique talking points with a price tag of $650,000.

Pereira, who is also the realtor for the home, says it's easy to spot similarities between the McNay Art Museum and the home. She says with textured walls, colored tile flooring, and iron works, the Mary Louise house "mimics" the museum. At one point, the home also had ponds like the McNay, she says.

Courtesy, Ismael Rodriguez

"It's like a smaller version of McNay," Pereria says.

While the home is like living in a San Antonio history book, modern upgrades have been added, like a plush backyard oasis with palm tree shade and a heated pool surrounded by a flagstone patio. There's also a detached "casita" on the property with a bedroom, kitchen, laundry, and full bathroom.

Those interested in finding out more information about the unique piece of San Antonio real estate are invited to contact Pereira at evelynpereira@kw.com.
My Nashville Post role has evolved since 2000 when I joined the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister publication in 2008 (when I began doing some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have been managing editor of the Post since late 2011.

Follow William Williams Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
(Natural News) There is no better example of why our Founding Fathers decided on a republic rather than a full-on democracy than the state of California.

There, a Democratic supermajority has ruled for so long that they no longer care about the U.S. Constitution let alone their own, and are now openly and blatantly discriminating  something that, if taken to the extreme, would be extended all across the country if their party ever takes permanent control of the federal government.

As reported by American Greatness, in our nations most populous state, discrimination is back in fashion!

The report adds:

Anyone who pays attention to the news knows all about this. Californias legislature has created a web of new laws designed to uplift the marginalized and punish the privileged. Recently, a Los Angeles County court struck down the states historic corporate diversity law, which created quotas for the representation of racial minorities and members of the LGBT community on corporate boards. Now that the legislature failed in its bid to institutionalize Jimenez Crow, the state-supported University of California is stepping up to the plate.

Last month, the president of the University of California system announced the creation of a program to cover all expenses including fees and tuition for Native Americans who enroll at one of the systems campuses. While other blatant attempts at open racism and discrimination have failed in courts, the UC system is hoping that aid, which is provided to students from federally recognized tribes (and possibly state-recognized tribes as well), will not technically be considered racial or ethnic discrimination, the report said.

Thats going to be a difficult position to defend, however, because the UC presidents announcement of the program made it crystal clear that at its core are ethnic and racial grievances.

The University of California is committed to recognizing and acknowledging historical wrongs endured by Native Americans. I am proud of the efforts the university has made to support the Native American community, said Dr. Michael V. Drake, a New York native who is also a physician.

In addition, American Greatness reported, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which is helping to fund the new scholarship program, claimed: In the spirit of our ancestors, we are driven to take care of our environment and our people.

And who do our people comprise? Native Americans, of course and only Native Americans.

So, how is it that anyone associated with this program considers it to be race-neutral when it is specifically aimed at lifting up only one ethnic group? It cant be considered as such is the correct answer.

Lets hope the state and federal courts do their jobs and remind Californias leadersagainthat every American has a moral and legal right to be judged based on his or her individual merits, the American Greatness report continued.

Are many potential Native American students in the UC system deserving of aid, based on academic merit or financial need? No doubt they are. Then let them apply for such aid and be granted or refused it according to the same fair, unbiased, and universal standards that apply, or should apply, to everyone else. That, after all, is the American way, the report noted further.

For the record, the report adds, the vast majority of Californians also dont want programs based on race and ethnicity (though their Democrat overlords obviously do). That was evidenced by the sound rejection of Proposition 16 in 2020, which would have legalized racial preferences in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution and existing federal statutes.

Now just imagine in a governing system where a pure democracy existed  mob rule, in other words  how much different America would look and be. There literally would be enclaves of liberty, freedom and equality and enclaves that permitted blatant racism and preferential treatment for only certain ethnic groups.

What a miserable place our country would be. And todays Democratic Party would make it that way.

Sources include:

AmGreatness.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) President Joe Biden and the Democrats have launched an all-out effort to force Americans to buy electric vehicles, claiming that they offer cost benefits for drivers. That couldnt be further from the truth.

Right off the bat, there are the increasing costs of charging an EV. In the U.S., it will cost up to $2,000 to install a charging station at home  not to mention the higher monthly home electric bills that come with it. With the nations already delicate power grid, electric cars will only add to the problem.

Repairs are also more costly because the EV market is new. Moreover, few mechanics are trained to repair them, so drivers will have to find repair shops, fewer and farther between, with higher labor costs due to the supply and demand.

Then, there are higher insurance premiums. Because EVs are more expensive to build and repair, fixing and replacing them involve greater risks for insurance companies, leading to higher premiums.

Some drivers who already have electric vehicles discovered that the government has no intention of letting them enjoy the supposed cheaper costs as new taxes await.

With Bidens disastrous energy policies sending gasoline prices upwards of $5 per gallon, many Americans are forced to buy a hybrid or an electric vehicle. However, with various local, state and federal governments taxing each gallon of gasoline, going electric will just mean that these taxes will morph into new taxes. And taxes dont generally make lateral moves: They always go up, not down.

States already adding hybrid and EV taxes to make up for lost gas tax revenue

Already, more than 30 states have started adding new taxes to their books for hybrid and electric car owners to make up for the loss in gasoline tax revenue, and EV drivers are now having buyers remorse for the costs it will incur them.

Kentucky is now set to double the registration fees for hybrids and EVs because gas taxes wont affect them, with others raising fees on hybrid and electric vehicle owners.

The National Conference of State Legislatures wrote last year that a growing policy trend is applying separate registration fees for certain hybrid or electric vehicles. These fees come in addition to standard motor vehicle registration fees and proponents support the fees to bring equity among drivers by ensuring all drivers pay for using roadways. (Related: Electric cars arent going to save the Earth  or California.)

Other governments are also considering making up for the lost gas taxes by adding them to charging stations, adding higher fees to home electric bills, and charging a per-mile vehicle tax.

Ohios Director of Transportation Jack Marchbank said it is not fair to expect drivers of gas-powered vehicles to bear the brunt of road taxes while EV drivers get off scot-free.

Up until this point, if you were driving an EV or a hybrid to the extent that you are not using gasoline you were not helping support the system on which you depend, he said.

The new registration fees will range from $50 per year in Colorado to a whopping $225 per year in Hawaii.

But the new taxes are not the only hidden costs of buying EVs. In March, it was estimated that the price of lithium, which is needed for EV batteries, has soared 472 percent year-over-year.

Moreover, Ford Motors noted that the world does not have the resources and supply chain to push the bulk of Americans into getting EVs. The company reported that it lost $3.1 billion on its electric cars, while Fords EV CEO RJ Scaringe noted that the world simply cant meet the demands for EV battery packs. (Related: SHOCK as green energy insiders admit 90% of supply chain does not exist to build electric cars.)

Put very simply, all the worlds cell production combined represents well under 10 percent of what we will need in 10 years. Meaning, 90 percent to 95 percent of the supply chain does not exist, Scaringe said.

While this is expected to even out in the coming years, it is a costly concern for now. And the hidden costs will cause hybrid and EV owners to blanch at the costs they never knew they were getting themselves into when they followed Bidens advice to go electric.

More news about electric cars can be found at RoboCars.news.

Watch the video to know more about the dark side of owning electric vehicles.

This video is from the Truth Health Freedom channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

New study claims electric vehicles pollute less than fossil fuel cars, but their batteries are another story.

Brooklyn-based startup teams up with DOE to develop wireless charging technology for electric vehicles.

Report: All new US cars and trucks can be electric by 2035, claim green energy advocates.

Californias massive power outages remind us all why electric cars are useless when the grid goes down.

Harvard study finds that wind turbines create MORE global warming than the fossil fuels they eliminate  and the same is true for scooters and electric cars.

Sources include:

WesternJournal.com

GetJerry.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) In light of the recent damage done to global food supply chains, left-wing German Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser has advised citizens to take precautions and begin storing emergency supplies.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany and the rest of its Western allies imposed severe economic sanctions against Russia. This has caused more damage to Germany because of its heavy reliance on Russian gas, putting into question the countrys ability to control food prices and keep electricity flowing. (Related: Collapse incoming: European nations start RATIONING food and fuel.)

Think, for example, of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, said the interior minister to the daily German-language business newspaper Handelsblatt. If the power goes out for a longer period of time or daily life is restricted in some other way, then it definitely makes sense to have emergency supplies at home.

Faeser referred to a list of emergency supplies published by the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. The agency recommends that people have enough food and water to survive for 10 days. The agency recommends storing 20 liters (five gallons) of water, four kilograms (8.8 pounds) of vegetables and 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of fruits and nuts per person.

We have to get up to speed here in order to be able to cope with the various crises, said Faeser. Among the concerns she brought up are the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the fallout Germany is experiencing from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Germany reinvests in its national security

Germany will also build up its crisis stocks by storing more medical equipment, protective clothing and medication for use in emergencies. In addition, Faeser said the federal government will check on the state of the countrys other protective measures.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a major policy and spending shift in Germany. After years of declining funding for the Bundeswehr, the Federal Defense Forces, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to increase defense spending by giving the armed forces an additional 100 billion euros ($106 billion).

In her interview with Handelsblatt, Faeser also said that Germany will increase spending on the civil protection office. This increased funding will be used to upgrade the countrys public shelter systems.

The public shelter system, known as the public protective building concept, was a program started during the Cold War to provide people with basic protection against the use of weapons of war.

The building of new public shelters was discontinued following the reunification of Germany in the 1990s, and their functional preservation was discontinued in 2007. Faeser announced that the dismantling of some existing public shelters has stopped and the government will consider investing in the ones that still exist.

There are currently 599 public shelters in Germany. There are also some that are used differently today. We will check whether we could upgrade more of such systems, said Faeser. It makes sense to reactivate some of them.

In addition to reinvesting in the public shelter system, Germanys federal government is working on proposals to strengthen underground parking lots, subway stations and basements so that they can serve as possible emergency shelters. The German government has also given 88 million euros ($93.4 million) to states to install new warning sirens.

But as far as nationwide coverage [of public shelters] is concerned, were not even close, said Faeser.

She also noted that the country has significantly strengthened its protective measures against cyberattacks. She warned that the risk of a massive cyberattack has increased since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Hackers are obviously looking for vulnerabilities in order to install malware, she warned.

Watch this episode of Brighteon Conversations as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, interviews sustainable living expert Marjory Wildcraft about the coming food scarcity.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russias Gazprom HALTS gas flows to Poland and Germany; Europe in PANIC as rolling blackouts are inevitable unless Europe finds RUBLES.

Price of wholesale goods in Germany post largest annual increase in 60 years.

Food prices in Germany increase by 20-50% amid conflict in Ukraine.

FOOD HYPERINFLATION begins in Germany RIOTS in Sri Lanka currency collapse and STARVATION coming worldwide.

Production costs in Germany rise by record-breaking 25.9% due to ongoing energy crisis.

Sources include:

FreeWestMedia.com

Feriantano.com

Reuters.com

BBK.Bund.de

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The globalists have been planning a global famine that would collapse American society as early as 2015.

This is according to Edward Szall, an investigative reporter who spoke to Stew Peters on The Stew Peters Show about a crisis simulation conducted in November 2015. This simulation was called the Food Chain Reaction: A Global Food Security Game and was conducted over the course of two days in Washington, D.C.

Present in the simulation was an international group of policymakers, academics and business leaders. The group includes representatives from the countries that produce the largest amount of food, including Brazil, China and Ukraine. (Related: Merritt Medical Hour: Starvation and famine will be weaponized to control people  Brighteon.TV.)

Also present were representatives from the World Wildlife Foundation, the Center for American Progress and the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded research and development center for the Navy and the Marine Corps.

The simulation takes place between 2020 and 2030. According to the projections made during the simulation, the decade brought about two major food crises which saw prices surging by nearly 400 percent.

The crisis simulation also predicted extreme weather events supposedly caused by climate change, several famines and refugee crises in Bangladesh, Chad, Myanmar and Sudan, and the toppling of the governments of Pakistan and Ukraine.

Some of these predictions ended up becoming a reality, especially regarding Ukraine and Pakistan. The ongoing war in Ukraine is already well known. But in Pakistan, former Prime Minister Imran Khan was recently overthrown and a new, more Western-friendly government has taken over.

Khan alleged that his ouster from power was organized by foreign elements, who used many members of Pakistans parliament to further their own goals.

Globalists preparing to institute global carbon taxes on food

The simulation also predicted that the world would experience a steep price spike with looming global food shortages in 2022. In response to these food shortages, the European Union in the simulation introduced a carbon tax on meat products which would only be reversed in 2025 when harvests return to normal.

Weve learned that a carbon tax is a possibility in years ahead, said Joe Stone, at the time the corporate vice president of Cargill and the companys representative in the simulation.

Szall remarked that it was very weird that the only response the crisis simulation had to famine was a global carbon tax.

The global response should be [to] plant more food, get back to the hyper localization of farming, prepare, said Szall. Their response was Were going to make your burger, your Big Mac, cost $20. And guess what  if you have any problem with it, youre a terrorist, youre a problem to the government, youre someone who should be monitored.'

During the crisis simulation, Szall said, several participants raised the point that people will have problems with being forced to pay more for food because of carbon taxes. The simulations solution to this, according to Szall, was for governments to build out some kind of network to watch them.

Szall pointed out that Cargill, one of the simulations main participants, is connected to Bill Gates through their initiatives to replace natural meat with lab-grown meat. Furthermore, the investigative reporter said the keynote speaker of the crisis simulation is John Podesta, the former manager of Hillary Clintons failed 2016 presidential campaign.

I cant say that Im surprised at all, said Peters. John Podesta, directly tied to Hillary Clinton, all of them in bed with Bill Gates. All of them, key components in this Luciferian global cabal, all a part of the Deep State.

Learn more about the global food crisis and how it may have been engineered by globalists at Globalism.news.

Watch this clip from The Stew Peters Show as host Stew Peters and investigative reporter Edward Szall talk in detail about the premeditated plan to plunge America into a famine.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

Slow-moving disaster has become a tsunami with the handwriting on the wall as more American stores look like Venezuela while engineered famine leads to engineered chaos.

Global food prices surge to record highs; FAO warns of possible famine all over the world.

Members of Congress are now using words like famine and starvation to describe what is coming.

PLANNED FAMINE: US government has been paying farmers to destroy crops and livestock for YEARS.

Senator Roger Marshall predicts a worldwide famine in 1-2 years, as fertilizer and fuel prices skyrocket.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Cargill.com

Geo.TV
(Natural News) Social media influencers on TikTok have been touting buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes for the supposed convenience when it comes to purchasing products and services. However, these installment schemes only serve to bury Generation Z deeper in debt.

BNPL apps such as Klarna, Sezzle, Zip, Afterpay and Affirm present themselves as easier and more seamless alternatives to credit cards. Goods purchased via BNPL schemes often divide the total amount into four or five payments, with the first installment serving as the down payment at the time of purchase. The rest of the amount is usually paid off either monthly or bi-weekly.

However, SFGATE Assistant News Editor Joshua Bote strongly criticized BNPL services as not just normalizing debt, but actually glamorizing it. Influencers heavily marketing the service on social media are also promoting the service as a way for trend-conscious young people to have all the coolest consumer goods, whether they have the cash on hand or not.

Two TikTok users voiced out concerns regarding BNPL services to SFGATE.

These BNPL programs incentivize people to spend above their means, because theyre like Oh well, its only this amount over four months. People almost brag or joke that Oh, it was only 24 payments of $20 or I got it with Afterpay, so its technically free,' said fashion influencer Celesta. The San Francisco Bay Area resident declined to give her last name.

Designer and blogger Briana Fountain, 27, said she first saw advertisements for BNPL companies on trendy fashion websites. As BNPL grew in popularity, [advertisements for it were] plastered on the front of clothing, makeup, and perfume websites, she continued.

The Atlanta-based Fountain pointed out that minorities are especially likely to use the services. The way in which [BNPL companies] targeted and marketed this toward people of color as the newest version of layaway, to me, was intentional  but also disgusting, she explained.

An analysis appeared to back up her claim: Figures from financial data firm Morning Consult found that 28 percent of Blacks and Hispanics signed up for at least one BNPL loan in January  twice the 14 percent of Whites who availed of the same.

Financial experts express concern with BNPL services

According to Bote, few of the BNPL services conduct credit checks on their customers. These checks, he wrote, would help determine whether people will be able to repay the succeeding installments.

He also cited two surveys that polled users from Generation Z who used the service. One survey found that 43 percent of consumers have missed at least one payment. Another survey found that 30 percent of consumers who availed of a BNPL scheme for something they needed missed at least two payments. (Related: Americans are taking on more debt than they can handle, most of it going to mortgages.)

Financial experts who spoke with SFGATE also shared Botes sentiment.

Marisabel Torres of the Center for Responsible Lending said BNPL companies are marketing very heavily to an audience that is younger, that might not just have as much experience on how to use credit and what credit implications are or what it means to have multiple loans at one time.

Credit has been made available to consumers very quickly and on a very large and international scale  without the really proper and appropriate consumer protections in place. Theres a lot of concern that consumers could be amassing large amounts of debt at a very quick pace without having a clear understanding of what the terms are.

Frontier Group policy adviser R.J. Cross, meanwhile, said BNPL companies are aware that by shrinking [the amount] of the upfront payment, its going to seem cheaper to people. He added: There are plenty of interviews, especially with younger consumers, who have said It does make it feel cheaper.'

DebtBomb.news has more stories about people and nations getting buried in debt.

Watch Leah Steele giving important advice about debt in the video below.

This video is from The Leah Steele Channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns worsen the debt mountain problem of the American middle class, which is being deliberately CRUSHED.

Debt-ridden millennials are vulnerable to the economic crisis from the coronavirus outbreak.

American household debt reaches record high of $15 trillion.

Payments panic and the ending of fiat currencies.

Sources include:

SFGATE.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed the Biden administration on Friday after they declared they were creating a Disinformation Governance Board

(Article by Niamh Harris republished from NewsPunch.com)

The governor said that he even thought the creation of the disinfo bureau was just a belated April fools joke

DeSantis said that the minsitry of truth which will be led by radical disinformation chief Nina Jankowicz, was being installed to put out false narratives, perpetuate hoaxes, and silence critics.

Its basically a Ministry of Truth, and what they want to do is they want to be able to put out false narratives without people being able to speak out and fight back, he concluded.

The Biden Administrations creation of a disinformation bureau within DHS is effectively a Ministry of Truth that is alien to our constitutional tradition. Florida rejects Bidens attempt to enforce regime-approved narratives and to stifle dissent. pic.twitter.com/fSnU2gk97x  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 29, 2022

Brietbart reports: DeSantis said that Biden administrations latest move was not acceptable and Florida would not tolerate it. 

They want to be able to say things like Russia collusion and perpetuate hoaxes and then have people like us be silenced, he continued, explaining that the left wants to be able to push coronavirus lockdowns, advocate school closures, and advance other things that are not supported by the evidence.

But then when you speak out, they want to stifle dissent, he said, making it clear that Florida rejects the bureau.

We believe its essential that individual Floridians and Americans are able to speak out against false narratives trying to be jammed down our throats by this regime, DeSantis said before mentioning the radical leader of the bureau, Nina Jankowicz  someone who herself has pushed fake news, advocating for lockdowns and pushing Russia collusion conspiracy theories. Jankowicz has said a number of radical things publicly, even once contending that online mockery of women such as Vice President Kamala Harris, and other women in power, is a threat to national security.

DeSantis said the Biden administrations latest move is not acceptable and reemphasized that Florida will not tolerate it.

Rather than listening to Americans and trying to do better, DeSantis said, the Biden administration is taking a different approach, trying to shut up everybody whos criticizing your bad policies.

It seems like theyre trying to do the latter. They want to stifle dissent, and I can feel, though, the public is sick of this and you also see it with Elon musk purchasing Twitter, he added, noting that there is a lot of momentum now behind having free speech and speaking the truth to a very decaying and discredited ruling elite in this country.

But clearly, our entire principles that the country was founded on, you cannot have a Ministry of Truth in this country, the governor added, promising that they are not gonna let Biden get away with this one.

Read more at: NewsPunch.com
(Natural News) A new study out of Sweden confirms that the mRNA found in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can infiltrate human cells and transcribe its message onto human DNA in under six hours.

This adds to a growing body of evidence that the vaccine could indeed be altering peoples DNA. For example, a different study from Sweden that was published in October 2021 found that spike protein makes its way into the nuclei of cells and impairs the mechanism they have to repair damaged DNA.

The cells nucleus is its main control center, and it is imperative for it to remain intact. When the vaccines first hit the market, pharmaceutical companies repeatedly insisted that mRNA vaccines did not enter the nucleus or alter DNA.

In the October study, the researchers concluded: Our findings reveal a potential molecular mechanism by which the spike protein might impede adaptive immunity and underscore the potential side effects of full-length spike-based vaccines.

Blocking the action that repairs DNA on a constant basis can cause cell death and the formation of cancer.

Findings like these inspired scientists from Lund University to investigate the effects of the Pfizer jab on human liver cells and determine whether its encoded spike protein RNA can be reverse transcribed onto DNA.

They found that not only is it possible, but it happens within just six hours. They wrote: Our study shows that BNT162b2 [Pfizers mRNA injection] can be reverse transcribed to DNA in liver cell line Huh7, and this may give rise to the concern if BNT162b2[injection]-derived DNA may be integrated into the host genome and affect the integrity of genomic DNA, which may potentially mediate genotoxic side effects.

The study marks the first time researchers have demonstrated in a petri dish how mRNA vaccines are converted into DNA in a human liver cell line  something fact checkers have long claimed could simply not occur.

The researchers did caution, however, that the findings were observed in petri dishes, and they cannot say for certain if the converted DNA is integrated into cellular DNA in the genomes or what the consequences of that could be.

More studies are needed to better understand potential effects

One of the studys authors, Professor Magnus Rasmussen, said that the attention the study is getting is not surprising, but he believes we need more studies like this.

We understood that the study would attract attention, but we think it is self-evident that this type of research should be pursued. We have a new vaccine, and it needs to be tested in cell and animal models and also in humans, in various ways. The result might be surprising, but it is also a bit surprising that such studies do not seem to have been carried out before, he said.

Renowned cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough said the paper suggests the CDCs insistence that vaccines do not change the human genome could be gravely wrong and believes there should have been monthly safety reports on the vaccines.

He said: This is getting into human chromosomes, at least this segment is. If it turns out that the entire code goes into human chromosomes, and if it expresses spike protein within cellsspike protein is an abnormal protein, it is not a human protein if this protein is expressed within human cells on a regular basis or on demand, and its passed from parent cells to daughter cells, and its passed to the developing embryo, were in trouble.

While we still dont know if what happened in the study will occur in living organisms or if the DNA converted from the mRNA in the vaccine will integrate with the cells genomes, it is certainly something that needs to be explored. The authors said that investigations in whole living organisms, like animals, are needed to better understand the effects of these vaccines.

Sources for this article include:

DailyExpose.uk

TheEpochTimes.com

LundUniversity.lu.se
(Natural News) A criminal probe into the Pentagons nefarious activities in Ukraine has revealed that American taxpayers were bilked out of at least a quarter billion dollars to fund the deep states bioweapons programs in Eastern Europe.

Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russias Investigative Committee, says the United States government is directly involved in military biological activities in Ukraine, including representatives of the U.S. Department of Defense and American companies with ties to it.

The U.S. secretly spent more than $224 million, we now know, on biological weapons research programs in Ukraine, which began at least as far back as 2005. These funds were used to equip and upgrade around 30 biolabs controlled by Ukraines defense, health, and agricultural ministries.

The results of said research had been evacuated to Kiev-controlled territory before the start of [Russias] special military operation, Bastrykin is quoted as saying, adding that his agency will continue to probe documents on the matter for further evidence of malfeasance.

Back in March, Moscow claimed that it found evidence of U.S. bioweapons funding in Ukraine. Both Washington and Kiev denied the claims, calling them a Russian propaganda campaign (Related: Russia says that Western aggression could lead to nuclear war).

At that time, senior U.S. diplomat Victoria Nuland admitted before Congress that Washington was, in fact, funding bioweapons-linked operations in Ukraine, but alleged that they were to prevent research materials from getting into the hands of Russian troops.

China enters ring, calls on Pentagon to come clean concerning bioweapons operations

In late February, Russia decided to invade Ukraine after the country failed to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, which were first signed in 2014. These German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state.

Since then, Russia has demanded that Ukraine officially declares itself as a neutral country that will never join the U.S.-led and controlled NATO military bloc, which the West is pushing.

Russia says its offensive was completely unprovoked, denying claims that it was planning to take over the two aforementioned Donbas republics by force. Russias claim is that it needed to deal with these Pentagon-run biolabs before they ended up being used against it.

I am American, and I believe the Russians on this one, wrote someone at Newspunch. [The Pentagon] did fund and technically support the Wuhan lab with U.S. taxpayer money, but no one has hanged for that one.

Fort Detrick (in Maryland) is usually where they do it, but they wanted to set China up so chumps like Trump can take the hate bait, suggested another.

Over at Natural News, someone called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to also do us a favor and aim for DC while he is in the process of cleansing Ukraine of deep state corruption and evil.

This is a giant money-laundering scheme by the U.S. and NATO, wrote someone else. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Still, another pointed out that since 1991, NATO has expanded its tentacles into 13 additional countries. NATO also set up training camps for soldiers in Ukraine, showing that the Eastern European country has been used as a deep state playground for many years.

It was NATO partner U.S. that had biolabs in Ukraine, this same person added. It was John McCain and Lindsey Graham who were giving arms to Ukraine years ago, and who still are now along with Ukraine, thus making them responsible for the 13,000 to 22,000 deaths in Donbas.

More related news about the U.S. deep states bioweapons operations in Ukraine can be found at BiologicalWeapons.news.

Sources include:

Newspunch.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The price of diesel has reached an all-time high of $5.321 a gallon, leaving the trucking industry reeling and the supply chain on the brink of collapse. Oil and gas prices have also increased, now standing at $4.187 a gallon, just a smidge down from the all-time high of $4.331 set on March 11.

The trucking industry relies heavily on the use of diesel fuel, and trucks that deliver food and other supplies from warehouses to retail stores require them, as well. The more expensive diesel gets, the more it will cost consumers to eat and live in general.

A year ago the average price of diesel was $3.086 a gallon, but now prices are about 72 percent higher. The average owner-operator doing 7,000 miles per month at around 6.5 miles per gallon can see his fuel bill jump by about $1,800 per month since the beginning of 2022.

These costs will eventually be passed on to consumers.

Patrick DeHaan, the head petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, said he does not see the situation improving drastically anytime soon. It will also take time and additional refining capacity to boost the supply of diesel and jet fuel back to adequate levels.

Ron Faulkner, the president of Faulkner Trucking and president of the California Trucking Association, wrote in an op-ed that truckers must increase the rates charged to haul freight if they want to cover the cost of diesel. These rates are then passed on to consumers through retail.

So, you are paying for high prices of fuel both at the pump and at the grocery checkout line, he said.

Faulkner noted that if truckers cannot afford to drive, then the goods will not move. If this happens, shelves will be empty at most grocery stores and it will become more difficult to find things that are normally easy to purchase. (Related: Rising gas prices to hit $7 a gallon if crude oil cost spikes and tension between Russia and Ukraine escalates.)

Trucking industry recession looms

Freight industry analysts suspect that the very fragmented and volatile trucking industry will experience another recession.

We see when fuel surges as much as it has over the past couple of months, thats usually when we see a lot of trucking bankruptcies follow, said Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of Freightwaves, an industry data tracker.

This amounts to bad news for the nearly two million trucking companies in America, the vast majority of which are small businesses with a handful of trucks. Most of these are also small operators who are not always prepared and dont have the balance sheets or the cash to absorb the shocks of these costs.

Tommy Davis, a small owner-operator, filled up his big rig in Mebane for $5.79 a gallon, costing him $1,300. However, he will have to fill up twice more on his trip to Fort Collins, Colorado. For a small company, owner operator, we cant keep doing it. The prices of everything are going up because everything moves with trucks, he said.

Diesel is known as the fuel that moves the American economy.

Tim Kraft, a North Carolina State University Operations and Supply Chain Management professor, said the goods that Americans buy and purchase flow through the supply chain in trucks, boats and planes, which are fueled by diesel.

So, when you see that diesel price goes up, the shipping cost goes up, which then translates to a higher cost of goods for the items that theyre shipping, so those higher costs are pushed onto us the consumer so we see higher prices that impact our wallet, Kraft said.

These levels that were seeing the costs theyre having to pay  their margins are being cut in half. And its just not sustainable when youre a small business and youre seeing this much volatility. (Related: White House turns to low-IQ TikTok influencers to put spin on why oil and gas prices are rising cue ridiculous explanations by clueless celebs.)

Follow FuelRationing.news for more on rising diesel and gas prices.

Watch the video below for more insight into the continuous increase in gas prices.

This video is from the Dr William Mount channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

State and federal regulations cause gas prices to surge in California.

Record gas prices are pushing up everyday costs, could lead to recession.

Biden is more to blame for skyrocketing US gas prices than Putin, report shows.

Sen. Cotton says gas prices will continue to rise, calls for deregulation of energy production in US.

Biden bans U.S. imports of Russian oil in ongoing war on AMERICAN consumers as gas prices skyrocket further.

Sources include:

SHTFPlan.com

FoxBusiness.com

CNBC.com

ABC11.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) A member of the European Parliament (MEP) has warned that the World Health Organization (WHO) is attempting to seize governmental power by means of a so-called pandemic treaty.

MEP Christine Anderson, who is part of the German far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, made the warning in a video. She mentioned that an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) established by the World Health Assembly (WHA) has been working to revise the treaties between the global health body and its member states since March 1, 2022.

The revisions aim to give the WHO de facto governing power over its member states in the event of a pandemic, without involvement or consultation with national governments or national parliaments. This serves as a direct attack on the rule of the people by the people, the most elementary principle of any democracy, she added. The German MEP also compared the move to nine foxes and a rabbit democratically voting on what to have for dinner.

A Dec. 1, 2021 press release said the WHAs decision following a special session empowers the INB to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

The INB held its first meeting on March 1, with a second meeting scheduled on Aug. 1. A progress report is set to be presented to the 76th WHA meeting in 2023, and the final draft will be turned in for consideration at the 77th WHA meeting the year after.

However, the AfD lawmaker explained: The plan, for anyone who can use [their] thinking skills, is easy to see through. A democratically non-legitimized body, into which the richest of the super-rich buy their way through donations, is to decide in the future whether a pandemic situation exists, in order to then directly take over governmental power.

She added that if the INBs pandemic treaty takes effect, the WHO can then restrict fundamental rights in its member nations, almost like a world government. (Related: Be warned: The World Health Organizations Pandemic Treaty will destroy all remaining freedoms and unleash a global MEDICAL DICTATORSHIP.)

Bigtree: Pandemic treaty supersedes elected officials

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked in the press release that the WHAs decision was historic in nature and vital in its mission.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the many flaws in the global system to protect people from pandemics  the most vulnerable people going without vaccines; health workers without needed equipment to perform their life-saving work; and me-first approaches that stymie the global solidarity needed to deal with a global threat, he said.

Anderson is not the only individual expressing disagreement over the pandemic treaty. The HighWire host Del Bigtree and journalist Jefferey Jaxen also joined the ranks of people critical of the WHOs encroachment on sovereignty, airing their thoughts on the matter.

Theyre planning on signing this treaty in 2024. This WHO pandemic treaty is really important because its a one-stop shop, its just like a lock and key. State sovereignty is over, country sovereignty is over. Top-down bio-surveillance, vaccine passports, turnkey everything for your country, essentially, said Jaxen.

Lets do something here. I want to put two thoughts together, folks. Ask [yourselves]: Is there really an agenda going on? The WHO obviously is not an American organization. It really wants to be the World Health Order, [and] that is what it is turning into, Bigtree said.

It wants to dictate. It wants to supersede your president, your senators [and] your congresspeople. It wants to be the governing authority if there just happens to be another pandemic 365 days after the last one  which should be 100 times faster than any natural form of a pandemic before.

Tyranny.news has more stories about the WHOs pandemic treaty and how it threatens sovereignty.

Watch American Journal host Harrison Smith explaining how the WHO pandemic treaty will destroy national sovereignty below.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

WHO using COVID omicron variant to push for global pandemic treaty.

The HighWire: Extending COVID emergency prolongs medical tyrants grip on the population.

WHO Pandemic Treaty: A power-grabbing act to control health responses of UN member countries.

Sign this petition to stop the WHO from destroying U.S. sovereignty in times of health emergencies

As the war in Ukraine rages, the WHO is quietly scheming to strip US and 193 other countries of their national sovereignty.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

RAIRFoundation.com

WHO.int

Brighteon.com 1

Brighteon.com 2
(Natural News) Lockdowns due to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) have resulted in a massive spike in mental health cases among children in the United Kingdom.

A new study found that COVID-19 lockdowns caused tens of thousands of British children to suffer clinical depression. A further examination of data published in the Royal Society Open Science journal indicated that British adolescents aged 11 to 15 showed greater levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of life satisfaction.

Researchers detected a 27.1 percent prevalence of depression among their sample, a number significantly higher than would have occurred without lockdowns. That number equates to an additional 60,000 children experiencing high levels of depression, according to the studys metrics.

The journal defined high depressive symptoms using a 13-item self-report measure of depressive symptoms during the previous two weeks, with possible total scores ranging from 0 to 26. Higher scores indicate greater depression.

After controlling for baseline scores and several school and pupil-level characteristics, depressive symptoms were higher in the COVID-19 group, the study found. These findings demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic increased adolescent depressive symptoms beyond what would have likely occurred under non-pandemic circumstances.

According to reports, 400,000 British children were referred to mental health specialists last year for things like eating disorders and self-harm. (Related: Experts warn impact of coronavirus pandemic on childrens mental health is increasingly alarming.)

An abrupt rise in childrens mental health issues has also been reported in the U.S. during the global pandemic. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts from February to March 2021 were more than 50 percent higher for teen girls and more than four percent higher for boys compared to 2019.

The substantially greater number of girls seeking help in the U.S. was in agreement with the finding by the U.K. study that the impact of the pandemic may have been greater in females. The U.K. study found that girls showed greater depressive symptoms, behavioral difficulties and lower well being post-pandemic.

Hospitals in the U.S. also saw significant spikes in visits from children and adolescents seeking help for mental health issues from April to October 2020, with a 31 percent increase in 12- to 17-year-olds and a 24 percent increase for ages five to 11. The mental health of children has spiraled down in connection to the lockdowns that banned them from going to school and doing outdoor activities with schoolmates and friends.

From June 2020 to late spring this year, an average of five children was admitted to the medical schools teaching hospital every week in East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. They were sent to the medical institution due to overdose on medications, including acetaminophen, Ritalin, antidepressants and even opiates.

Back in May, the Childrens Hospital Colorado (CHCO) declared a state of emergency because of the sharp increase in number of children it had to treat for mental health issues. Kids coming in for anxiety and depression had doubled and tripled in number, respectively. Substance abuse and eating disorder cases also increased compared to pre-pandemic levels.

We really have never seen anything like this rapid growth in kids presenting with mental health problems and the severity of those problems, said Jenna Glover, CHCOs director of psychology training.

UK doctors: Mental health pandemic to follow COVID-19 lockdowns

U.K. doctors have warned before that a mental health pandemic may occur due COVID-19 lockdowns. About 10 million people in England, including 1.5 million children may need treatment for various mental health concerns.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) and the National Health Service (NHS) Confederation officials told the Guardian that there are currently 1.6 million British people waiting to get mental health treatment. Around eight million of the population cannot even get on a waiting list despite being eligible for mental health assistance.

NHS Confederation Chief Executive Matthew Taylor said: For a worrying number of people, the virus is leaving a growing legacy of poor mental health that services are not equipped to deal with adequately at present. It is no wonder that health leaders have dubbed this the second pandemic.

Meanwhile, RCPsych President Dr. Adrian James noted that millions of children, young people and adults are seeking help from mental health services that are overstretched and under-resourced. We urgently need a fully-funded mental health recovery plan to ensure everyone with a mental illness can get the help they need, when they need it, James said.

Visit Pandemic.news for more news related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch the video below about how the pandemic lockdown depression caused children to call suicide hotline.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

An invisible danger: Coronavirus pandemic a threat to the mental health of Americans.

Coronavirus pandemic creating perfect storm for huge global mental health crisis.

Mental health crisis, tyrannical mandates characterize pandemic  Brighteon.TV.

Lockdowns, masks destroying mental health of children and young people.

Mental health matters: Doctors leaving hospitals in droves due to stress, anxiety from COVID pandemic.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

Breitbart.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Author and Islamic terrorism expert Robert Spencer has accused the Biden administration of ignoring the real terrorists on American soil. Instead, the founder of Jihad Watch said, the government is focusing on its fight against the so-called disinformation.

Fighting disinformation always involves censorship. Big Tech companies like Twitter, Facebook and Google only allow speech adhering to the standard. Making things worse is the Biden administrations establishment of the Disinformation Governance Board (DGB), under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

[This] suggests that people who dissent from the government line are going to be treated as terrorists. The Left, for many years, has been saying that speech [dissenting] from their agenda is tantamount to violence. Theyre now saying that to protect people who are vulnerable to this violence, we have to have the DGB, Spencer told Ohio-based lawyer Tom Renz during the May 3 episode of Lawfare with Tom Renz on Brighteon.TV. (Related: New DHS Disinformation unit is designed to spread the governments disinformation while criminalizing TRUTH.)

Spencer added that White House officials have been inconsistent in outlining the DGBs goal. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the board seeks to counter misinformation from Russia and the drug cartels. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki remarked that the board would tackle misinformation related to the 2020 elections  which Mayorkas subsequently echoed.

Ultimately, the only people who will be able to have a platform will be those who echo everything that the Left says, said Spencer.

Renz put in his two cents about the issue. There are three pieces to freedom  freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and bodily autonomy. Without any one of these, all others collapse. What [does] free speech mean? To me, it means that you have the freedom to speak and to say what you want to communicate in the way you want. I think thats pretty clear, [and] the words are fairly easy to understand, said Renz.

Its not enough for [President Joe] Biden that we have all of these private companies censoring free speech. He now wants to throw the First Amendment right into the toilet and have an official government ministry of truth. That works great for all the communist countries and they all love it, so it really fits well with Biden.

Spencer: Washington is not prepared against real terrorists

According to Spencer, the Washington D.C. is ill-equipped to fight against real terrorists and is more concerned about white supremacists.

The Biden administration is not prepared in the slightest degree, because not only [has it] opened the southern border, but [it has] also denied that there is any Islamic terrorism, Spencer said. You dont see white supremacist cells blowing things up and flying planes into buildings. The white supremacists theyre talking about, Tom, are you and me. In other words  ordinary people who are completely law-abiding [and] do not have criminal records, [but] dissent from their line. This DGB is all part of their overall effort to criminalize dissent.

Spencer also shared that he was deemed as a violent extremist by the Global Internet Forum on Counter-Terrorism (GIFCT) solely for his extensive work about Islamic terrorism. True enough, a July 2021 report by PJ Media revealed that his website Jihad Watch was classified under violent extremism alongside the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

The Islamic terrorism expert said GIFCT is underwritten by several Big Tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Twitter.

I actually had a lawyer challenge the GIFCT [by writing it] a letter [to] cease and desist. They wrote back, saying Are you kidding? This guys a violent extremist. Look at his website: Hes got Muslims blow this up, Muslims shoot these people and all this violence, Spencer related.

No, Ive never been violent. I dont have a criminal record, [and] I have never shot anyone. I dont call for [and] dont approve of violence. [But based on this,] reporting about what does not fit the establishment media narrative is now violence in itself. The jihad is still there [and] Jihad Watch is still reporting on it. But the elites dont want you to know that theres a jihad, and so they have done a great deal to silence it.

Spencer ultimately remarked that the GIFCTs campaign against him, and the DGBs future plans for dissenters, is a very skillfully executed and carefully organized program to make sure that the voices that dissent from the establishment agenda are discredited, marginalized and silenced.

The Brighteon.TV host agreed, saying: Its an interesting thing. They paint people like us as violent extremists then try and censor us, while allowing people who are actually violent extremists to be violent.

SpeechPolice.news has more stories about the Biden administrations censorship moves under the guise of fighting disinformation.

Watch the full May 3 episode of Lawfare with Tom Renz with Robert Spencer below. Tune in to Lawfare with Tom Renz every Tuesday at 11:30-12 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Tulsi Gabbard slams Disinformation Governance Board as Bidens propaganda arm, ministry of truth.

DHS disinformation unit headed by woman who said Hunter Biden laptop story was disinformation.

Watch: Bidens new disinfo queen goes full libs of TikTok.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

PJMedia.com
(Natural News) Chinese hackers stole intellectual property (IP) amounting to trillions of dollars from more than 30 companies, a cybersecurity firm reported.

Boston-based cybersecurity company Cybereason elaborated on the malicious operation called Operation CuckooBees in a May 4 post. The operation involved the theft of intellectual property and sensitive data from technology and manufacturing companies located in North America, Europe and Asia since 2019. Blueprints, diagrams, formulas and manufacturing-related proprietary data were among those compromised in the attack.

In addition, the attackers collected information that could be used for future cyberattacks, such as details about the target companys business units, network architecture, user accounts and credentials, employee emails, and customer data, stated the May 4 post. For years, the campaign had operated undetected, siphoning intellectual property and sensitive data.

Cybereason was first made aware of the malicious operation in April 2021 after a company flagged a potential intrusion during a business pitch meeting. Analysts from its incident response team reverse-engineered the cyberattack to determine how the clients network was compromised. They subsequently found that the bad actors maintained full access to everything in the network in order for them to pick and choose the right information that they needed to collect.

Cybereason CEO Lior Div expounded on the extent of the breach, telling CBS News that blueprint diagrams of fighter jets, helicopters and missiles were among those stolen. The pharmaceutical and energy industries were also not spared. IP of drugs for depression, diabetes and obesity were stolen from the former, while designs of solar panels and edge vacuum system technology were stolen from the latter.

Div noted that the full access enabled the hackers to obtain substantial amount of information needed to duplicate complicated engineering. For example  to rebuild a missile, there are hundreds of pieces of information that you need to steal in a specific way in order to be able to recreate and rebuild that technology.

Chinese hacking group APT41 behind Operation CuckooBees

According to researchers at the Boston-based cybersecurity firm, Chinese hacker collective APT41 was behind the intrusion. APT41 also goes by different names including Winnti, BARIUM and Blackfly. The group sponsored by Beijing is known for stealth, sophistication and focus on data related to technology, the researchers added.

Cybereason said APT41 has existed since at least 2010 and is believed to be operating on behalf of Chinese state interests. The communist country and entities aligned with Chinese interests  including APT41  frequently engage in IP theft.

But prior to the discovery of Operation CuckooBees, APT41 hacked the networks of six U.S. state governments beginning in May 2021. A report by the Reston, Virginia-based cybersecurity firm Mandiant confirmed this cyberattack in a March 8 report. The report, however, did not name the states impacted by the APT41 hacking. (Related: Report: China HACKED networks of at least SIX state governments in 2021.)

According to the report, APT41 hackers took advantage of a previously unknown vulnerability in a commercial web application used by 18 states for animal health management. They also exploited the LOG4j software flaw first discovered in December to illegally access state government data.

Geoff Ackerman, Mandiant principal threat analyst, said in a statement: We cannot allow other cyber activity to fall to the wayside, especially given our observations that this campaign from APT41  one of the most prolific threat actors around  continues to this day.

Rufus Brown, Mandiant senior threat analyst, pointed out that APT41s persistence to gain access into government networks  [shows] that whatever they are after is important. He added: We have found them everywhere, and that is unnerving.

The report noted that despite being indicted by the Department of Justice in September 2020, APT41 and hackers who are part of it continue to be undeterred in their cyberattacks against the United States.

CommunistChina.news has more stories about Chinese hackers stealing intellectual property at the behest of Beijing.

Watch the late economics professor Martin Feldstein discussing concerns about Chinese intellectual property theft below.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

New report shows China using students to steal American tech.

Claim: Chinese spies infiltrated Monsanto, stole GMO seeds and software algorithms.

US and allies condemn China for massive cyberattack against Microsoft email servers.

U.S. officials say Chinese hackers are stealing trade secrets about coronavirus vaccines.

Chinese immigrant found guilty of stealing $120 million worth of trade secrets for China.

Sources include:

CBSNews.com

Cybereason.com

ThePostMillennial.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) As covid-19 propaganda fades away into the puke bin of history, some of the most controlling and evil forces are still trying to force Americans to believe in this propaganda or face punishment from a federal disinformation board.

The Biden regime recently announced the formation of a disinformation board within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This disinformation board would create official government narratives that must be followed and believed by all Americans. The Biden regime has declared a monopoly on the facts, and wants to force their false authority and propaganda on everyone. Anyone who dissents is to be targeted, silenced and charged. Anyone who dares to speak the truth about crimes and injustices will be targeted and hunted down as a domestic terror threat.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was quick to denounce this Orwellian Ministry of Truth. DeSantis said the Biden administrations latest move was NOT ACCEPTABLE. DeSantis said Florida will NOT TOLERATE Bidens disinformation unit and the federal governments forced propaganda.

Americas Governor calls out Bidens latest act of malice toward the American people

Americas Governor, Ron DeSantis said he thought the disinformation bureau was a belated April Fools joke. Its basically a Ministry of Truth, and what they want to do is they want to be able to put out false narratives without people being able to speak out and fight back, he concluded. DeSantis said this disinformation bureau within the DHS is alien to constitutional tradition and is a desperate attempt to enforce regime-approved narratives and to stifle dissent.

DeSantis warned that the left wants to push coronavirus lockdowns, school closures and other totalitarian measures that are not supported by the evidence. The leader of the disinformation bureau, Nina Jankowicz continues to push for totalitarian controls over peoples bodies, behaviors and beliefs. When people speak out against these unlawful measures, the Biden regime hopes to use their disinformation board to shut these Americans down and silence their voice.

These same totalitarian tactics were used in the Fall of 2021 to target parents who spoke out at school board meetings. Parents are concerned that harmful ideologies and abusive physical restrictions are being imposed on their children. The Department of Justice claimed these parents were domestic terrorists.

Speaking the truth has never been more critical

Now, anyone can be declared a domestic terrorist for speaking the truth. Jankowicz once said that Americans who mock Kamala Harris and other women in power are a threat to national security. Jankowicz advocates for lockdowns and other Russia collusion conspiracy theories  completely ignoring that Obama and Clinton organized the spy campaign on Trump and tried to frame him for Russian collusion that never existed. Jankowicz also labeled the Hunter Biden laptop story as Russian disinformation  even though the incriminating laptop is on Congressional record and reveals Biden family corruption.

The Biden regime will not listen to Americans, and as more and more people speak up about fraud and abuse of government power, the more steps they take to silence them. The Biden regime refuses to course-correct their policies, and they will not relinquish their totalitarian tactics. The Biden regime is doing everything they can to cover up for historic crimes, which is why they resort to using government power to threaten people and shut them up.

DeSantis said the public is sick of this and there is now a lot of momentum behind free speech and speaking the truth to a very decaying and discredited ruling elite in this country.

We believe its essential that individual Floridians and Americans are able to speak out against false narratives trying to be jammed down our throats by this regime, DeSantis said. Speaking the truth has never been more critical, as criminals desperately cling to their false authority.

Sources include:

Newspunch.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A few years back, then-President Donald Trump highlighted the stupidity of continuing to fund NATO as a bulwark against Russia when one of the alliances founding members, Germany, was pursuing a natural gas deal with Moscow.

It is very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia, where were supposed to be guarding against Russia, and Germany goes and pays out billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia. Were protecting Germany, were protecting France, were protecting all of these countries, Trump said in 2018.

Because Joe Bidens handlers are Marxist socialists who want to tear down what remains of our founding republic, they instructed him to reverse Trumps decision a year later to sanction the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project because of Moscows ongoing gray zone warfare against the U.S. and our NATO allies.

Now, after Europe has spent years foolishly dismantling its fossil fuel infrastructure in deference to iffy, unreliable and expensive green energy and became overly reliant on Russia and other potential enemies, Moscow is turning the screws on its European customers even while President Vladimir Putin makes a natural gas pitch to another NATO and U.S. rival, China.

According to Strange Sounds, natural gas stocks in Germany are at historic lows, while at the same time Russia has cut off exports of much-needed fertilizers for food production  all while Putin has stationed some 100,000 troops on Ukraines border after spending years making his economy sanctions-proof:

Germany has begun searching for alternative gas suppliers in the event that imports from Russia are interrupted due to tensions in Ukraine.

Fossil gas covers more than 25% of Germanys energy consumption, all of which is imported cheaply by pipeline from Norway and Russia.

But as tensions mount in Ukraine, politicians in Berlin are getting anxious. In a near total reversal of the German position, Berlin is now looking at importing liquified natural gas (LNG) from the US, Qatar and other potential suppliers.

Exactly what Trump predicted is exactly what is happening now.

The Biden regime has made Qatar, the worlds leading producer of natural gas, a non-NATO partner in hopes of securing more supplies for Germany and Europe in general; why Biden doesnt rely instead on U.S. natural gas producers, who created surplus capacity under Trump, is another question.

Robert Habeck, the German vice-chancellor and minister for the economy and climate protection, told the German parliament late last month that though the U.S. funds most of NATO and has protected Europe for decades, American liquified natural gas would not be given priority or preference.

We will now address this question vigorously, he pledged, pushing back on fracked U.S. LNG. Where the LNG comes from will also be market-driven. We should buy where the LNG is cheapest.

His remarks came after Gazprom, the state-owned Russian gas company, announced how low European and German gas stocks had become.

On January 11, 2022, the amounts of reserves in European UGS Underground gas storage facilities hit all-time lows in the long history of observation, said a tweet from the company. UGS facilities in Germany and France are 37% and 36% full.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Putin arrived for the Winter Olympics in Beijing with a new Russian LNG deal for President Xi Jinping.

Some analysts have observed that Putins stance with NATO and the West over Ukraine appears unusually bold, even for him. But according to The New York Times, all of the moves he is making are due to years of planning, including insulating the Russian economy from sanctions that are sure to follow any invasion of Ukraine  from making new gas deals with China to protecting Russian infrastructure:

Russian economic officials are pretty proud, and have good reasons to be, for the work they have done to make the Russian economy more immune to sanctions, said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center. This transformation, among the most dramatic examples of what is known as sanctions-proofing worldwide, comes less than eight years after Western sanctions over Moscows annexation of Crimea in 2014 mired Russia in economic and political upheaval.

Trump foresaw all of this occurring, which is why the anti-American deep state stole his reelection.

Sources include:

StrangeSounds.org

Reuters.com

NYTimes.com
(Natural News) The computer repairman who became the focus of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal and whose business was ruined from the fallout is taking the fight to those who besmirched his good name.

John Paul Mac Isaac has filed major defamation lawsuits against House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and three media outlets  CNN, The Daily Beast, and POLITICO  for claiming that he was part of a Russian disinformation operation after turning over a hard drive copy of a laptop abandoned at his shop in 2019 to then-Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

The hard drive contained a plethora of damning materials indicating shady business deals that looped in his father, now-President Joe Biden, as well as his uncle, James Biden. Several of those deals involved figures linked to governments of potential enemies including Russia and China. Also, there were deals with Ukrainian companies, which helps explain why Joe Biden is so eager to pick a side in the countrys conflict with Russia, even to the point of sending tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded aid and weaponry.

Also, the laptop contained a number of incriminating photos involving Hunter Biden and various sexual partners. Some reports have suggested that some photos involve inappropriate sexuality with minors.

The first details gleaned from the laptop were published by the New York Post in mid-October 2020, just a few weeks before the November election that was eventually stolen from President Trump. Big Tech moved quickly to censor those reports with Twitter even locking The Post out of its account, while 51 intelligence community deep state figures published a letter claiming to believe the information was planted by Russia. Corporate media then used that phony intelligence assessment to downplay and then ignore the sordid details even though it was obvious that Joe Biden would be compromised as president.

Meanwhile, Schiff did his part by appearing on one news program after another to claim with certainty that the materials were Russian disinformation, all as Mac Isaac was attacked as being a dupe of Moscow. The accusations led to the closure of his Delaware repair shop, which was being routinely attacked by vandals, and his going into exile in Colorado with family for a year.

And now he wants satisfaction.

After fighting to reveal the truth, all I want now is for the rest of the country to know that there was a collective and orchestrated effort by social and mainstream media to block a real story with real consequences for the nation, the 45-year-old Mac Isaac told The Post.

This was collusion led by 51 former pillars in the intelligence community and backed by words and actions of a politically motivated DOJ and FBI, he continued. I want this lawsuit to reveal that collusion and more importantly, who gave the marching orders.

The outlet provided more details:

Mac Isaac came to legally own the laptop after Bidens son Hunter dropped it off at his store for repairs in April 2019 and never came back. The material on the laptop has raised serious questions about what Biden knew of his sons overseas business deals, during which he and the presidents brother Jim Biden often invoked his powerful name.

Mac Isaac handed over a copy of the laptops hard drive to the FBI in December 2019, and eight months later, alerted then-President Donald Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who provided a copy of the hard drive to The Post.

Twitter initially labeled my action hacking, so for the first day after my information was leaked, I was bombarded with hate mail and death threats revolving around the idea that I was a hacker, a thief and a criminal, Mac Isaac revealed.

Schiff also has some explaining to do, Mac Isaac noted.

Without any intel, the head of the intel committee decided to share with CNN and its viewers a complete and utter lie, Mac Isaac said. A lie issued in the protection of a preferred presidential candidate.

Sources include:

NYPost.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) During the recent military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden regime left behind $10+ billion in US military hardware, including aircraft, helicopters, armored vehicles, missiles, munitions, firearms and more. This was, of course, a deliberate effort to arm Americas enemies while depleting Americas own military hardware stockpiles.

The Ukraine conflict is yet another scheme where Biden, under the control of communist China, is disposing of Americas munitions by feeding them into the Russia grinder where these weapons are destroyed on their way to the front lines in Ukraine.

The goal of this is not merely to help Ukraine win the war (which looks hopeless at this point) but rather to deplete Americas weapons stockpiles in an effort to weaken America before Chinas long-planned invasion gets under way.

China is watching carefully and calculating the rapid draw-down of Americas anti-tank weapons, drones, armored vehicles, artillery units, artillery ammunition and other key elements that would be necessary for America to defend herself against a Chinese invasion. The more of these weapons are sent to Ukraine, the weaker Americas homeland defenses become.

The Biden regime is run by Obama, who has been working to weaken and dismantle the USA

Understand that Biden is run by Obama, and Obama has been working with globalists to destroy the United States from the very start of his administration in January, 2009. Some of the attacks on America that have been waged with the help of Obama include culture wars, racial division, extreme censorship, economic warfare, dumbing down of public education, mass depopulation efforts with deadly vaccines, the purging of conservatives from the US military and the carrying out of mass domestic terrorism by the FBI, which ran the Gov. Whitmer kidnapping false flag operation.

Despite all the attacks, America has a very strong military, so every effort is being made to wipe out USA military hardware and personnel. The shipping of hardware to Ukraine is only one small part of that effort, however.

The larger effort appears to be a deliberate attempt to provoke Putin into a retaliation against Americas military troops who are gathering in Poland in anticipation of a summertime counter attack against Russia. The most likely weapon that will be used in this escalation, according to our sources, is a Fuel Air Explosive weapon, also known as a thermobaric bomb.

A thermobaric bomb is devastating against personnel but unable to breach concrete bunkers or armored vehicles. However, it disintegrates the human body with horrifying efficiency, and it can cover a very wide area when deployed. Russia has possessed such weapons since the 1960s and has mastered their deployment.

Some people claim the following video records the deployment of a Russian thermobaric bomb in Ukraine, in early March. Although it appears to depict a mushroom cloud, there was no radiation from this blast, indicating it was not a nuclear weapon.

Biden is pushing Russia into escalating retaliation

Observing the fact that the Pentagon is now bragging to the NYT about taking part in the sinking of the Moskva (Russian flagship), it is apparent that Biden wants to goad Russia into an escalating retaliation against NATO and the USA.

Russias primary choices of weapons for that escalation are:

Hypersonic cruise missiles  impossible for NATO to stop, typically carry kinetic explosives

Thermobaric bombs (Fuel Air Explosives)  highly effective anti-personnel bombs which can destroy large numbers of people, but do not release radiation

EMP weapons  Plunges the target area into a 19th century existence without power, but may risk causing nuclear power plants to lose control, leading to meltdowns

Nuclear weapons  Unleashes radioactivity and invites international condemnation and possible breaking of ties with India and Turkey

Thus, the most obvious retaliatory weapon of choice for Putin to attack US and NATO troops stationed in Poland is the use of a thermobaric bomb.

Obama / Biden no doubt invite this because it would destroy the ranks of the US military and leave America even more defenseless against an invasion from China.

Remember: Everything Biden does is calculated by Obama to erode the defensive power of the US military, either through attrition of active duty soldiers or the disposal of US munitions. Bidens handlers are treasonous actors who hope to bring down America and see it conquered by communists.

Get more details in todays Situation Update podcast:

Brighteon.com/98df403e-d4b8-42dd-b02e-45ab8594b867

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

Telegram: t.me/RealHealthRanger

Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@healthranger

Gettr: GETTR.com/user/healthranger

Parler: Parler.com/user/HealthRanger

Rumble: Rumble.com/c/HealthRangerReport

BitChute: Bitchute.com/channel/9EB8glubb0Ns/

Clouthub: app.clouthub.com/#/users/u/naturalnews/posts

Join the free NaturalNews.com email newsletter to stay alerted about new, upcoming audiobooks that you can download for free.

Download my current audiobooks  including Ghost World, Survival Nutrition, The Global Reset Survival Guide and The Contagious Mind  at:

https://Audiobooks.NaturalNews.com/

Download my new audiobook, Resilient Prepping at ResilientPrepping.com
(Natural News) California will soon become a destination for women from anywhere in the country to get an abortion, should their own states decide to ban the procedure after Roe v. Wade gets overturned.

Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed on May 4 to turn California into a sanctuary state for unborn baby murder, just like it is already a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants.

This never [has] happened in our lifetime, Newsom stated at a press conference. Were taking away rights that have been affirmed over and over again and well established  wake up America.

Newsom joined Planned Parenthood supporters in holding up protest signs stating things like ban off our bodies and other such pro-abortion rhetoric. Newsom recently signed off on making abortion free in California, meaning taxpayers are forced to foot the bill.

The Joker, as many also refer to him, feigned emotion while warning Americans that the government is coming after them and their right to murder unborn children on demand.

I think folks should be really p***ed off at this moment, Newsom complained while calling the Republican Party extremist for wanting to protect the lives of unborn babies.

Newsom wants California taxpayers to pay for out-of-state abortions

Newsom added that he wants California taxpayers to also pay the bill for out-of-state women to travel to California to murder their babies, a move that Sen. Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) called insane.

What theyre doing is really over the top, Melendez told the Epoch Times. Paying for the abortions for women from all across the country? Thats just insane.

Since overturning Roe v. Wade will not ban abortion nationwide but rather leave it up to individual states to decide whether or not to allow the procedure, Newsoms plan is to make Californians pay for the abortions of women from red states who could soon find themselves without legal access to the procedure.

Newsom also proposed an amendment that will be presented to voters in the upcoming November general election that would codify in the states constitution the right to murder unborn children.

California is proposing an amendment to enshrine the right to choose in our state constitution so that there is no doubt as to the right to abortion in this state, announced Newsom, along with supporters State Senate Leader Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood).

We know we cant trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution. Women will remain protected here.

Babies, on the other hand, will not be protected in California, as their rights apparently stop the moment a woman decides that she does not want her child to live.

Well, why not? wrote a commenter at the Times. California is already a sanctuary state to illegals, the homeless and now abortions. How fantastic! Lets just erect a statue to Moloch.

Another wrote that Newsom obviously supports premeditated murder.

He needs to be indicted, tried and convicted of inciting premeditated murder, this person added.

Another wrote that it is disturbing to watch leftists melt down over the possibility that states will regain the right to make their own rules on the matter.

In all their crying and screaming, they never once mention anything about the babys life, this person added. And they call us the monsters?

Someone else pointed out that Newsoms signing of Californias new infanticide law, AB 2223, renders the state even worse than just a sanctuary state for abortion.

A mother can now have her child killed after birth, this person wrote.

More of the latest news about the Lefts obsession with murdering babies can be found at Abortions.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) If anything in this country truly exudes the spirit of white supremacy, it is Planned Parenthood, says T.W. Shannon, a U.S. Senate candidate who used to serve as the GOP Speaker of the Oklahoma House.

In a new campaign ad, Shannon calls Americas largest abortion provider the true face of white supremacy in America.

Shannon appeared on Fox News Digital to explain that he wants to educate and enlighten Americans as to the true racist history of Planned Parenthood, which kills more black people than police officers ever will.

The truth is, there is nobody, no organization, more racist than Planned Parenthood, Shannon said.

The ad features Shannon standing outside a Planned Parenthood butcher shop. He begins by calling organization founder Margaret Sanger a vile racist because of her longstanding support for eugenics, which largely targets people of color.

Back in 2019, we published a report about how the Left has been trying to rewrite the dark, racist history of Planned Parenthood.

Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton are both recipients of the Margaret Sanger Award

Simply put, Sanger hated black people. She called them human weeds, and one of her primary goals with Planned Parenthood was to eradicate them or at least keep their population numbers low.

Interestingly, failed presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton thinks very highly of Sanger. At one point, both she and Nancy Pelosi were given the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood.

Margaret Sanger enormously, her courage, her tenacity, her vision, Clinton is quoted as saying, adding that she is really in awe of Sanger for her early work in Brooklyn, New York.

Sanger was a queen of deception. Recognizing that she could not just eradicate black people outright, she once proposed hiring three or four colored ministers, preferably with social service backgrounds and with engaging personalities to trick blacks into going along with their own demise.

We dont want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, Sanger added.

Shannons ad focuses on Sangers tactics, revealing that eugenics is an inherently racist and ableist ideology that labeled certain people unfit to have children.

In the early 20th century, eugenic ideas were popular among highly educated, privileged, and mostly white Americans, Shannon says.

It is highly unlikely that anything has changed since that time. There is almost no chance that Planned Parenthoods agenda has somehow morphed into being anti-racist.

The fact of the matter is that tens of millions of black babies, along with white babies, have been exterminated since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the United States.

Dont tell me black lives matter until these lives matter, Shannon says about the innocent black babies who are being murdered inside the womb at the hands of Planned Parenthood eugenicists.

The Truth is that Planned Parenthoods founder, Margret Sanger, was a vile eugenicist who hated blacks, & that 400,000 black babies are aborted every year, Shannon tweeted.

Theres no greater killer of black people than the abortion lobby & Dems dont care.

You can watch Shannons campaign ad below:

Watching @KellyannePolls Speech at University of Iowa hosted by @yaf. Kelly mentioned an ad by @TWShannon. Never heard of him. I tried to YouTube it, and obviously couldnt find it. This video is an absolute mic drop and we need more people like @TWShannon running for office. pic.twitter.com/esdrh9VcHo  Daniel Duane ?? (@MrDanielDuane) April 29, 2022

Shannon is also an outspoken critic of left-wing cancel culture, which attempts to silence truths like these from ever seeing the light of day. It is surprising that Shannons campaign video is even allowed on Twitter at all in light of the prevailing censorship trends.

The latest news about abortion can be found at Abortions.news.

Sources for this article include:

En-Volve.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The Russian government has announced that on May 4 that its forces in the western enclave of Kaliningrad carried out simulated nuclear strikes near the regions border with the European Union (EU).

The announcement was made by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The simulated nuclear strike was conducted as part of war games held in the Kaliningrad region. (Related: Russian TV airs discussion about possibility of launching nuclear missiles against Berlin, Paris and London.)

During the war games, Russia practiced electronic launches of its 9K720 Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile systems. Missiles launched from the Iskander system can reach up to 500 kilometers (310.69 miles). It can also fire nuclear warheads.

Kaliningrad received its first Iskander missile system platforms in 2016. The capability of the missile systems was upgraded in 2018 as part of Russias strategy to counter the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO) deployment of an anti-ballistic missile defense shield in Europe.

Kaliningrad, which is the only region of the Russian Federation that does not share a land border with the rest of the country, is considered by the Kremlin to be its most important military base.

Dubbed an unsinkable aircraft carrier, the region adds significantly to Russias strategic depth and is a critical asset in Russian military plans for its potential to deny NATO and the EU capabilities to launch attacks from the Baltic Sea in case of an all-out war.

Russia has kept nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad even before the invasion of Ukraine. According to Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, Russia has used the presence of nuclear warheads in the region to threaten its neighbors.

Nuclear weapons have always been kept in Kaliningrad, said Anusauskas. The international community, the countries in the region, are perfectly aware of this.

Russia has a nuclear stockpile of approximately 4,477 nuclear warheads. Of these, around 1,588 are strategic warheads that can be deployed on ballistic missiles and at heavy bomber bases. In its reserve, Russia has another 977 strategic warheads and nearly 2,000 non-strategic warheads.

War games simulated strikes against EU states and fighting in radioactive environment

According to the Defense Ministrys announcements, the simulated launches were conducted near Russias borders with EU member states Lithuania and Poland.

During the war games, Russian soldiers stealthily moved rocket launchers to a designated spot and conducted the electronic launches aimed at the locations of their mock enemies.

In the course of the exercise, the rocket launchers moved stealthily to the designated position area, where, having equipped launching positions, they carried out electronic single and group launches at targets simulating missile launchers, airfields, protected facilities, the concentration of military equipment and the command posts of the mock enemy, wrote the Defense Ministry in a statement.

Following the simulated response to enemy attacks, the Russian soldiers in Kaliningrad also carried out maneuvers to redeploy their forces, including the Iskander missile batteries, to evade a possible retaliatory strike.

Officials from the Defense Ministry added that the combat crews of the Iskander missile units in Kaliningrad also practiced drills in conditions of radiation and chemical contamination, as well as to repel an attack by sabotage and reconnaissance groups of a mock enemy.

This strongly suggests that Russia is preparing its forces to maintain combat readiness even if the battlefields they are deployed in are contaminated by the radioactive and chemical fallout following a nuclear detonation.

The war games involved more than 100 soldiers of the Russian armed forces and about 20 units of special military equipment, including Iskander missile batteries.

Russias nuclear forces have been on high alert shortly after the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

Learn more about the threat of nuclear war at NuclearWar.news.

Watch this episode of Faith and Reason from LSNTV as host John-Henry Westen discusses Russias latest threat to turn the United Kingdom into a radioactive desert.

This video is from the LSNTV channel on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

A single nuclear sub strike would drown Great Britain in a radioactive tsunami, warns Russia.

USA//NATO gearing up for counterattack against Russian forces in July or August, with high risk of escalated retaliatory strikes by Russia using EMP or nuclear weapons.

Putin warns of lightning-fast response if America, West try to intervene in Ukraine war.

Russia warns that NATOs proxy war in Ukraine poses serious, real threat of NUCLEAR war.

Tension escalates as Putins Tu-160 nuclear bomber flies near Ukraine border.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

TheMoscowTimes.com

MissileThreat.CSIS.org

TheConversation.com

Independent.co.uk

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) For decades, the skeptics of vaccines and pharmaceuticals have been hammered with the same old mantra that everything created in a laboratory, since the 1950s, is safe and effective. Yet, weve all seen the damage done by vaccines, especially when you see how many young boys (at least 1 in every 60) are on the spectrum of autism, which mysteriously develops AFTER birth and mainly before 6 years of age, during the vaccine onslaught of 60-plus CDC-recommended toxic injections that are supposedly so safe and effective.

Top that carnage off with millions of adult Americans suffering from PDS (prescription drug syndrome), where they take multiple meds for multiple symptoms, each one addressing the side effects of the others, and these are the SICKEST people on the planet, until their (decades early) demise. Theres not even time to talk about the pharma-created and propagated opioid epidemic and all the conspiracy theories about those safe and effective prescriptions for death. Got PDS? You can blame the conspiracy theorists.

Conspiracy theorists call vaccines and prescription medications safe and effective because the CDC spreads that propaganda far and wide

Most of todays science conspiracies have to do with medicine, namely vaccines, prescription drugs and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the mainstream medicine core route for battling cancer, yet chemotherapy has been PROVEN to spread the cancer and even create new cancers throughout the body. Thats why it is a conspiracy theory doctors and oncologists are spreading when they tell their patients that chemotherapy is their best option or that it has any decent rate of success at all, when it fails 97 percent of the time.

Even when chemotherapy does help cancer to recede, the cancer tumors usually come back with a vengeance a few years later, but the cancer industrial complex doesnt justifiably attribute the nightmare relapse to chemotherapy. If they did, the world of chemotherapy victims would all be asking for a refund for $100s of thousands of dollars each.

The Earth is NOT getting hotter, and vaccines for COVID-19 are NOT safe or effective, those are just conspiracy theories

Every time theres a tornado, hurricane, flood, tsunami, earthquake or drought, the climate change conspiracy theorists go wild, saying see!  we told you so. Yet, these events have been happening regularly on Earth since the beginning of time, and there are no more now than before, and its not hotter each summer, if you look at data that dates back on a big scale. NASA has been found guilty several times of cherry picking data, creating phony pictures, and minimizing charts to make it look like its getting hotter now than ever before.

Thats how the conspiracy theories get to whirling around in the wind (pun intended). People hear it on the fake news, and read it in the fake news newspapers. The propaganda is everywhere, and the same few politicians make a fortune off the believers. Whats new?

So without further adieu, here are the top 10 science conspiracy theories in full effect right now:

Conspiracy #1: Vaccines work to prevent contraction, transmission, and bad cases of COVID-19.

Conspiracy #2: Masks work to prevent contraction and transmission of Wuhan Flu.

Conspiracy #3: Global warming is happening now and is man-made.

Conspiracy #4: Remdesivir is a viable option for treating COVID-19.

Conspiracy #5: COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

Conspiracy #6: Benefits outweigh the risks when it comes to vaccines.

Conspiracy #7: Green energy means zero carbon output.

Conspiracy #8: Men can birth babies.

Conspiracy #9: A male can turn into a female and a female a male at any given moment just by thinking it is so.

Conspiracy #10: The only way to end the pandemic is to do follow the CDCs advice, even though it completely changes regularly.

Dont believe the CDCs conspiracy theories. Do your own research and dont use Google. Try the search engine Brave BETA and get more truth news and real information. Bookmark Censored.news to your favorite websites for truth news thats being censored from the rest of media as you read this.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

Censored.news

NaturalNews.com
Two California condors were released into the wild to return the endangered birds to their natural habitat.

California Condor

The California condor is the biggest flying bird in North America, with a wingspan of 3 meters (10 feet). They may be found in California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California, where they live in forests, rocky shrubland, and oak savannas. The huge black body with white triangles under the wings and the red-orange bald head differentiates this New World vulture from other birds.

Condors in California have evolved specifically for their job as nature's cleanup staff. Despite digesting various bacteria, condors have a strong immune system and do not become sick when eating carrion (dead animal meat). They have large, strong beaks that can tear through thick skins while not having sharp talons. Their heads are bald for sanitary purposes; a featherless face stays cleaner when submerged in corpses. California condors often bathe in rock pools after their meals and spend hours preening their feathers. They clean their heads and necks by rubbing them against grass, pebbles, and branches if water is not available.

Also Read: Wind Energy Company To Breed California Condors, Replace Those Killed by Turbines

Endangered

California condors, which once ranged from Canada to Mexico along the western coast, were on the verge of extinction in the late 1970s, with only a few dozen birds remaining. Only ten California condors remained in the wild in 1987. They were all brought in for a captive breeding effort by biologists.

The condor population improved thanks to the hard work of personnel at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo as part of the California Condor Recovery Plan, and they were released back into the wild in 1992. There are around 400 California condors alive today, with little more than 200 in the wild. The IUCN Redlist, however, still lists the California condor as severely endangered.

Poison consumption continues to be a hazard to their population, particularly lead poison left in corpses by hunters. Illegal egg collecting, habitat destruction, and electricity lines are other hazards.

Rewilding Efforts

The Yurok Tribe, the National Parks Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated on the release on Tuesday in the northern California redwood forest, which contains some of the world's tallest trees.

The forest is now home to some of the world's biggest - and most endangered - birds.

The California condor formerly commanded the sky over western North America, throwing shadows on habitats ranging from dry scrubland in southern California to the forests of the Pacific Northwest.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the global condor population had decreased to 27 birds by the 1980s, destroyed in part by hunting and poisoning.

Extreme Efforts

Scientists took dramatic measures to keep the species from extinction: they grabbed them all. The idea was to establish a breeding program for the birds to someday release them back into the wild.

Birds have been re-established in sections of southern and central California, Arizona, and Utah, with a present wild population of just over 300 birds.

Until recently, condors have been missing from their northern range, including the coastal redwoods, until recently. According to a statement from the Yurok Tribe, these two condors are the first to fly in this area since 1892.

Two more condors will be released after the original release, according to the Yurok Tribe statement. Since 2008, the tribe has strived to reintroduce the bird, which has great cultural significance in Yurok history.

"Restoring condor habitat and returning condor to Yurok skies is, in a genuine sense, a clear restoration of the Yurok people, homeland, natural systems, culture, and way of life," Yurok Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen said in a statement.

According to the statement, the objective is to eventually rebuild a self-sustaining condor population in the northern redwood environment.

Related Article: Are Renewable Power Sources Hurting Bird Populations in California?

For more animal news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Trawlers have described the incredible moment they caught a scary unusual shark with 300 teeth off the coast of Portugal.

The five-foot-long frilled shark was dubbed a "living fossil" by scientists because of how little it has altered in the previous 80 million years.

It was retrieved from almost 2,000 meters below the water's surface.

An ancient frilled shark found in Portugal

According to the Portuguese news station SIC Noticias TV, researchers have been working with the EU to reduce the number of bycatches, or undesired captures, as a result of fishing activities.

Frilled sharks have already been moving in the depths since dinosaurs inhabited the Earth, and their massive hinged jaws are effective at grabbing squid and other fish.

Researchers characterized the shark as possessing a "long slender body and a snake-like head" in a statement issued by the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere.

According to Professor Margarida Castro of the University of the Algarve, the shark's 300 teeth "enable it to catch squid, fish, as well as other sharks in quick lunges," as per Daily Star.

Regardless of the fact that frilled sharks have been discovered in the Atlantic Ocean near the borders of Australia and Japan, little has been known about the ancient species, according to the statement.

It is unknown why the species has persisted so long, however, it is believed that the frilled shark inspired 19th century mariners' accounts of sea serpents.

Scientists do not know how many frilled sharks exist since they live at deep depths under continual darkness, crushing pressure, and extremely frigid temperatures.

A frilled shark thought to be unwell or injured was sighted near the water's surface in 2007 but perished not long after being moved to a marine park.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature considered the frilled shark to be a species of least concern, although they warn that an increase in deep-sea commercial fishing might increase the number of trawlers that are accidentally brought up.

Also Read: Freaky Frilled Shark Caught Off Australian Coast is a 'Living Fossil'

Frilled sharks

Frilled sharks, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, are an underwater invertebrate animal sharks that may grow to be 2 m long and are considered to achieve sexual maturity at 1.35 to 1.5 m.

They are dark brown or gray in color above, often lighter below, and also have six pairs of "frilly" gill slits in which the first gill slit is joined under their jaws forming a sort of collar.

Frilled sharks have large, flattened heads with short, rounded snouts.

Their nostrils are vertical apertures split by a leading flap of skin into incurrent and excurrent openings.

The eyes are horizontally oval and somewhat big (similar to a cat's).

They have short tricuspid teeth in both jaws and their mouth is placed at the leading edge of their snout (terminal) rather than below like other sharks.

Their teeth are somewhat widely spaced, with 19-28 teeth in the upper jaw and 21-29 teeth in the lower jaw.

Each tooth has three narrow, needle-like cusps that alternate with two cusplets. In contrast to other sharks, their exceptionally long jaws are positioned terminally (at the end of the snout).

They feature a short lobe-like dorsal fin positioned far back over their pelvic fins, as well as a bigger anal fin than their dorsal fin.

Related article: 5 Terrifying Deep Sea Creatures That Are Out of This World
The shortage of resources has a significant influence on food production.

Lacking water, people are unable to irrigate their crops and, as a result, are unable to feed the world's rapidly rising population.

According to a new study, agricultural water shortage is anticipated to worsen across more than 80% of the world's largest farmlands by 2050.

Water scarcity in agriculture

The new report analyses present and future water needs for agricultural production and estimates whether existing water levels, whether from rainwater or irrigation, will be sufficient to satisfy those demands in the face of climate change.

To do this, the researchers created a new index to evaluate and anticipate water shortage in agriculture's two key sources: rain-fed soil water and irrigation from rivers, lakes, and groundwater, as per ScienceDaily.

It is the first research to use this comprehensive index on a global scale to anticipate global blue and green water shortages as a result of climate change.

Agricultural production, as the greatest consumer of both blue and green water resources, is facing unprecedented problems, according to Xingcai Liu, an associate professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research and the study's primary author.

This index allows for a uniform evaluation of agricultural shortage of water in both irrigated and rainfed croplands.

The percentage of precipitation that is readily available for the plant in the soil is referred to as green water.

The bulk of the precipitation is converted to green water, which is typically disregarded since it is invisible in the soil and cannot be retrieved for other purposes.

The quantity of green water available for crops is determined by the amount of rainfall received in a region and the amount of water lost due to runoff and evaporation.

Farming techniques, plant cover, soil type, and slope of the terrain can all have an impact.

As temperature changes and rainfall patterns fluctuate as a result of climate change, and agricultural techniques intensify to meet the requirements of a rising population, the amount of green water available to crops is expected to change.

Also Read: How is Climate Change Impacting Agriculture Commodity Prices?

Rural-Urban divide

According to International Water Management Institute, agriculture, which accounts for over 70% of worldwide water outflows, is continually contending for a limited supply of water for household, commercial, and environmental uses.

Many people have sought to develop more efficient water monitoring systems in an attempt to solve this ever-growing challenge.

Access to clean water is essential for alleviating hunger in Africa.

It may appear straightforward, but we forget that food is tough to cultivate and considerably more difficult to keep and cook without access to a constant source of water.

Food production needs massive volumes of water. Consider this: worldwide, we utilize 70% of our water supplies for agriculture and irrigation, while just 10% is used for home purposes.

People in Sub-Saharan Africa are twice as likely as those in rural regions to have access to clean, safe water.

Sanitation is another area where we find the urban-rural gap. While rural communities frequently have limited access to sanitary services, the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa is dire.

Only 24% of the rural population and 44% of the urban population have access to sanitary services. This indicates that in Sub-Saharan Africa, less than one in every three persons has access to a proper toilet.

Related article: Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions Must Be Reduced According to Scientists
Rights activists, environmentalists, cultural activists and local people show victory sign in Tetultala playground of Kalabagan in Dhaka on Thursday after the government announced that the Kalabagan police would not continue the construction of a police station in the field.  Sourvav Lasker

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday said that no police station would be constructed on Tetultala field of Kalabagan area in Dhaka.

Addressing a press briefing at his secretariat office in Dhaka, the home minister said that he was making this announcement as per a directive from the prime minister

He, however, said that the field would remain under the supervision of the police and that the local people would be able to use the empty place of the playing field.

The announcement came amid protests from different rights, cultural, social and political groups against the construction of the Kalabagan police station at the playground.

The protesters erupted in joy as they came to know the decision and thanked the prime minister for her timely decision.

Institute of Architects Bangladesh president Mubasshar Hussein, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder and trustee Zafrullah Chowdhury, former caretaker government adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan spoke at a press conference among others later in the afternoon when they welcomed the decision.

Residents in the area expressed satisfaction over the decision and demanded the police hand over the ground to Dhaka South City Corporation to turn it into a proper playground.

Jamir Hossain, a resident adjacent to Tetultala playground, said they fear trouble in future as the place still belongs to the police as per the official document.

Our protest will continue until the playground is handed back to the Dhaka South City Corporation. We urge the mayor to take steps in this regard, he said.

On April 24, Kalabagan police picked up cultural activist Syeda Ratna and her underage son for leading protests to protect the Tetultala playground.

They were released after about 13 hours of detention in police custody.

The police took an undertaking that she would not get involved in any protests to protect the playground.

Syeda Ratna told New Age on Thursday that she could not express her joy in words as the home minister directed not to construct the police station at the Tentultala playground following a directive from prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

We urge the government to hand over the playground to the city corporation so that no one could grab it in future, she said, adding that if the land belongs to the police they may occupy it in future.

She said that they protested for more than two years to save the playground and the result came now.

Local residents, rights groups, cultural activists, and social and political groups were protesting for the last few days demanding an immediate stoppage of the construction workers on the playground.

The home minister on Wednesday told reporters that the field was never a playground. The protesters said that the place was marked as an open space in the Detailed Area Plan.
Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins (left) and Republican Congresswoman Amata Coleman Radewagen (Right).  BSS photo.

The US Congress has introduced a bipartisan resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of establishment of Bangladesh-US diplomatic relations.

Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins of New York introduced the resolution in the Congress on May 3, which has been co-sponsored by Republican Congresswoman Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa, according to a message received in Dhaka on Friday.

The resolution was referred to the USs House Committee on Foreign Affairs, it added.

It highlighted that the United States and Bangladesh shared a rich and multifaceted relationship focused on cooperation on a range of issues, including economic, security, governance, and development to advance a shared vision of a free, open, inclusive, peaceful, and secure Indo-Pacific region.

The resolution mentioned the recognition to independent Bangladesh by the United States on April 4, 1972 and subsequent acknowledgement of the recognition by then prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through a letter to President Nixon on April 9, 1972.

It also recognised the joint efforts made by Bangladesh and the USA in combating Covid pandemic, as well as the contributions of the two countries toward assisting Rohingyas who fled genocide in Myanmar.

The Congress resolution also cited Senator Edward Kennedys role in 1971 in support of Bangladeshs independence, and president Bill Clintons visit to Bangladesh in 2000 as the first US head of state.

It also mentioned president Joe Bidens pledge made in 2021 to contribute to climate aid to Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh embassy in the USA has welcomed the House resolution on the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-US ties.
A teenage boy was stabbed dead by some unidentified miscreants in Kurarghat area of Kamrangirchar at about 8:30pm on Thursday.

The deceased was Abdur Rahman, 15, son of Bahar Miah, of Shaheed Nagar in the capitals Lalbagh area.

Local rushed him to Sir Salimullah Medical College (Mitford) Hospital in critical condition where on-duty doctor declared him dead, said sub-inspector Kabirul Islam of the Kamrangirchar police station.

The body was kept in the morgue for post-mortem examinations.
A Dhaka court on Friday placed the three newly arrested youths, including a Dhaka College student, on three-day remand each in two cases filed over the clashes between students and traders in the New Market area in Dhaka on April 18 and 19 and the death of Nahid Hasan during a clash.

Metropolitan magistrate Musharraf Hossain sent Dhaka College student and Bangladesh Chhatra League activist Mahmudul Hasan Siam on three-day remand after Tariqul Alam Jewel, a Detective Branch inspector and also the investigation officer of the case, produced him before the metropolitan magistrate court with a seven-day remand prayer, said the courts general recording officer sub-inspector Shafayet Hossain.

Rapid Action Battalion investigators analysed footage of the attack on Nahid and confirmed that Siam, a third-year non-residential student of the college, beat Nahid with an iron rod.

Nahid, the RAB official added, first fell down after being hit by brickbats at about 1:30pm, when Siam hit him with the iron rod while Emon, a second-year Bangla department student of the college, stabbed him.

Five other accused  all of them Dhaka College students and BCL activists  were earlier arrested in connection with the same cases and are now in jail custody after they were put on two-day remand each.

The other two of the newly arrested three, Welcome Fast Food staff Moazzem Hossain Sajib and Mehdi Hasan Bappi, were also placed on three-day remand each by the same court in the case over violence currently being investigated by the New Market police.
A file photo shows workers sewing clothes at a garment factory on the outskirts of Dhaka. Bangladeshs single-month apparel export earnings from the United States topped the $1-billion mark for the first time in March as both export orders and unit prices witnessed a surge in the market.  New Age photo

Bangladeshs single-month apparel export earnings from the United States topped the $1-billion mark for the first time in March as both export orders and unit prices witnessed a surge in the market.

The export earnings almost doubled in March from the US compared with that of the same month of 2021, according to the US Department of Commerces Office of Textiles and Apparel data released on Wednesday.

The countrys RMG exports to the US in March 2022 posted a record increase by 96.10 per cent or $506.55 million to $1.03 billion compared with that of $527.01 million in the same month of 2021.

Apparel exports to the US, the single largest export destination for Bangladesh, grew by 62.32 per cent or $950 million to $2.47 billion in January-March of 2022 compared with that of $1.52 billion in the same period of 2021.

Exporters said that the US had been shifting its sourcing from China gradually and Bangladesh getting the benefit.

At the same time, the unit prices of products increased on the global market due to the price hike of raw materials.

In terms of volume, the apparel exports to the US from Bangladesh in the first quarter of 2022 grew by 50.12 per cent or 304 million square metres to 909 million square metres from 606 million square metres in the same period of 2021, the data showed.

In March 2022, the apparel exports to the US from Bangladesh increased by 77.70 per cent or 165.84 million square metres to 379.21 million square metres from 213.36 million square metres in the same month of 2021.

Bangladeshs exports to the US will continue to increase in the coming days as China is shifting its apparel manufacturing by itself and at the same time the US is shifting its sourcing from China in a big way, Md Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told New Age.

He said that Bangladesh was also getting additional export orders from the US due to political instabilities in Myanmar and Ethiopia.

Shahidullah said that the prices of apparel products increased on the global market but proportionately those were still lower than the price hike of raw materials.

The OTEXA data showed that the total US imports of RMG from the world in January-March of 2022 increased by 39.71 per cent to $24.31 billion compared with that of $17.40 billion in the same period of the previous year.

The US apparel imports from China in the first quarter of 2022 grew by 44.27 per cent to $5.32 billion from $3.68 billion in the same period of 2021.

RMG imports by the US from Vietnam in January-March of 2022 increased by $29.86 per cent to $4.45 billion from $3.42 billion in the same period of the past year.

Indias RMG exports to the US market in the first quarter of 2022 grew by 53.49 per cent to $1.49 billion from $976 million in the same period of the previous year.

RMG imports by the US from Indonesia in January-March of 2022 increased by 62.31 per cent to $1.45 billion while the imports from Cambodia grew by 39.99 per cent to $1.08 billion in the month, the data showed.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Shahbaz Gill alleged on Friday that PML-N leaders, including prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and interior minister Rana Sanaullah must be involved in the car crash  which he claims was an attempt on his life  on the M-2 Motorway in which he was injured a day ago, reports DAWN.com.

Shehbaz Sharif sahab, along with Rana Sanaullah and other friends, must be involved in this accident, Gill told reporters outside the Islamabad High Court as he described the circumstances of the incident.

Gill, donning a neck brace and an arm sling, added that he had given his lawyers the names of seven people that want to get me killed and who should be held responsible in case any harm came to him or former prime minister Imran Khan.

He said they harboured similar intentions for Imran Khan. As his chief of staff, I fear an attack on him [as well], he added.

Gill refused to divulge the names to reporters at the moment, however, he said he would be sharing the names with the few independent voices of the media in Pakistan.

The PTI leader said the seven people had even threatened him over the phone and he had also provided their phone numbers to his lawyers.

Gill explained that he was not revealing the names as it would give the impression of political point-scoring. He continued: And I dont have to name them. Everybody knows. Dont you see Maryam Safdars statement where she said they should be crushed? Dont you see Rana Sanaullahs statements?

I will not resort to political point-scoring on this matter and am leaving the rest to you, Gill told reporters.

On Thursday, Gill, along with three other people, had sustained injuries when a speeding vehicle struck his car near the Khanqah Dogran interchange, Sheikhupura.

That same day, state-run APP reported that prime minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered a probe into the incident, directing authorities to ensure justice.

Recounting the episode today, the PTI leader said the driver of the car that hit his vehicle was twice given room to move past his car but he deliberately did not overtake.

When he saw there were cars all around us and we had no way out, he hit us in a manner that nothing happened to his car and our car overturned  on his part, he had left us for dead, Gill said, adding that the events following the accident had played out like a films script.

Today, a man has come forward donning a t-shirt and tracksuit ... He has a particular style of moustache, you will see one kind of Gullu Butt every time, he said, alluding to Shahid Aziz, the infamous baton-wielding man who was caught vandalising property during violence in Lahores Model Town in 2014. Apparently referring to a suspect involved in the accident, Gill continued, His face, which I have seen on the media, is similar to that of the [Model Towns] Gullu Butt.

Its the same story, he said, as he went on to predict that you will see that his documents will be complete and he will get bail in around a month.

The PTI claimed that this was a new cycle of getting [people] killed that was conceived by those who had failed to suppress Imrans voice.

This conspiratorial and imported government knows that there is only Imran Khan and his few associates who speak up and if they are gone, this matter would be laid to rest, Gill further commented, adding that the matter, however, will not be laid to rest.

The Pakistani nation, he said, had risen and would not accept the incumbent imported government.

He said he respected all biradaris, including his, in Punjab, and that Jutts were facing a difficult time.

But we have been taught to stay loyal and it is my promise to you that ... I will [keep standing with Imran] and will not step back an inch even at the cost of my life, Gill added. Do whatever you want ... next time you may shoot me.

Gill further claimed that while he was in the US, he saw Imran being praised by people not just of Pakistani descent but also of India and Bangladesh.

In response to a question about the establishment being one of the reasons behind the PTI governments ouster, he said it was incumbent upon us to respect our army, which was our glory.

He also asked media persons to choose between those who only speak harshly and those who later slit your throats.

Gill then gave the examples of several journalists, saying that if it was their turn today for speaking up ... tomorrow it will be yours.

FIR registered, suspect arrested

Meanwhile, a first information report (FIR) of the incident was registered at Kaleke Mandi police station in Hafizabad under Sections 324 (attempt to murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was registered on behalf of Jabir Ali, who was one of the travellers accompanying Gill when the latters car met with the accident.

Jabir said in the FIR that Naqi Khan was driving Shahbazs car, who was sitting on the passenger seat in the front, while he and another person, Izhar, were sitting on the backseat.

A speeding vehicle hit our car near the Sukheki Interchange with the intention to kill us and fled, Jabir narrated, adding that their car somersaulted and eventually overturned.

He said he and three others in the car sustained severe injuries. Subsequently, others pulled us out of the vehicle, Jabir said, adding that they were taken to a hospital after first aid.

The complainant claimed that the accident was actually a conspiracy to kill us, especially Shahbaz Gill.

He called for action against those who planned and executed this conspiracy. They should be exposed, he added.

Separately, the National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) said that officials and Hafizabad police acted swiftly and arrested a suspect while also seizing his car.

During the interrogation, the suspect told officials that the incident was purely accidental and that there was no intention to target anyone. Hafizabad police are interrogating the suspect further, the motorway police said.
Clockwise from top-left: file photos show scenes from Prangonemors theatre productions Hasonjaner Raja, Ami o Rabindranath, Aurangzeb and Condemned Cell.

Renowned theatre troupe Prangonemor is celebrating its 20th founding anniversary staging four plays at different venues in the capital.

The troupe is staging its acclaimed productions, namely, Hasonjaner Raja, Ami o Rabindranath, Aurangzeb and Condemned Cell.

The troupe staged the 28th show of its 13th production titled Hasonjaner Raja at the Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium of Bangladesh Mahila Samity on Bailey Road on Friday.

The play, written by eminent writer Shakoor Majid, has been directed by renowned actor and director Ananta Hira.

Hasonjaner Raja revolves around Hason Raja, a Bengali mystic poet and songwriter from Sylhet, whose unique style of music made him one of the most prominent figures in Bengali culture.

The play brings to light the eventful life of the mystic bard through a fictitious meeting between a group of youths and Hason Raja on a full moon night. The play portrays Hason Rajas days as a zamindar, when he was addicted to wealth and women and his realisation of the meaningless worldly desires and possessions after his mothers death, through narrations and songs.

Ramiz Razu played the character of Hason Raja while Awal Reza, Sagor Roy, Shuvo, Prokriti, Preeti, Sujay and Badhon played different characters in the play.

Prangonemor will stage its ninth production titled Ami o Rabindranath at the same venue on Saturday marking its 20th founding anniversary and 161th anniversary of birth of Rabindranath Tagore.

Ami o Rabindranath, written and directed by Nuna Afroz, revolves around a Tagore fans imaginary meet with Rabindranath Tagore while visiting Shilaidaha Kuthibari in Kushtia.

The play revolves around mettings between Rabindranath Tagore, aged 21, 29, 69 and 80, and his fan named Othoi. Different phases of Tagores life have been portrayed in the play.

Nuna Afroz will play the character of Othoi while Sarwar Saikat will play Othois friend Nehal. The character of 21-year-old Tagore will be played by Ramiz Razu, 29-year-old Tagore by Sujon Gupta, 69-year-old Tagore by Ananta Hira and 80-year-old Tagore by Awal Reza in the play.

Besides, Prangonemor will stage Aurangzeb at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on May 13 and Condemned Cell on May 14 as a part of the troupes 20th founding anniversary celebration.

Theatre troupe Prangonemor was founded in 2003 with the aim to practice and spread the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagores plays. The troupe has already brought five theatre productions written by Rabindranath Tagore to the stage.

The troupes founding member Ananta Hira said, We founded our troupe with young members and they have been gaining experience for the past 20 years. The members have become more creative and organised during our journey.

We have tried our best to remain active in the countrys theatre scene. I hope that the troupe will continue to move forward, added Ananta Hira.

Prangonemor has brought 15 productions, namely, Sheymaprem, Swadeshi, Loknayak, Raktakarabi, Droho Prem Nari, Shesher Kabita, Irsha and others to the stage.

Besides, Prangonemor organised 11 theatre festivals and 15 workshops and staged 401 shows of its productions during its 20-year journey.

The troupe has staged 39 shows abroad and 362 shows in the country till date.
A representational image of Covid-19.

Bangladesh has advanced eight notches to rank 5th out of 121 countries across the globe on Nikkeis Covid-19 Recovery Index.

With a score of 80 on the index, Bangladesh ranked only below Qatar, the UAE, Cambodia and Rwanda in the latest edition of the index published Thursday.

Of the other South Asian countries in the list, Nepal ranked 6th, Pakistan 23rd, Sri Lanka 31st, and India were 70th.

Bangladeshs Covid-19 infections have been on a downward spiral in recent months. While the countrys total fatalities remained unchanged at 29,127, with no new fatalities reported for over a fortnight now.

The country placed 13th on the Covid recovery index in March.

Taiwans ranking has plunged in the latest edition of Nikkeis Covid-19 Recovery Index as the island transitions from a strict zero-virus strategy to living with the respiratory illness, even as infections surge.

The country tumbled out of the fourth spot to No. 94 in the latest ranking, tied with China, which fell 62 places from last month as the country battles its worst outbreak since the virus was first detected in the city of Wuhan more than two years ago.

The index, updated at the end of each month, assesses countries and regions on infection management, vaccine rollouts and social mobility.

The higher the ranking, the closer a place is to recovery, characterised by lower infection and death rates, better inoculation coverage, as well as fewer movement restrictions.

The index is maintained by Nikkei, Japans leading business publication group that includes the Nikkei, Nikkei Asia, and the Financial Times (of London).
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm late. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Some clouds and possibly an isolated thunderstorm late. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Multimedia Specialist

Anthony Zilis is a multimedia specialist at The News-Gazette. His email is azilis@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@adzilis).
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Mostly sunny. High 89F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
AP

President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russias invading forces
AP

Chicago police say a man has been charged with reckless conduct after he opened an emergency exit of a commercial jet, walked onto the wing and jumped to the ground as the plane taxied at O'Hare International Airport
AP

Dozens more civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under the besieged steel plant where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol are making their last stand
Polygenic risk scores (PRS) are promising tools for predicting disease risk, but current versions have built-in bias that can affect their accuracy in some populations and result in health disparities. However, a team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China, have designed a new method for generating PRS that more accurately predicts disease risk across populations, which they report in Nature Genetics.

Alterations in a gene's DNA sequence can produce a genetic variant that increases the risk for disease. Some genetic variants are closely linked to certain diseases, such as the BRCA1 mutation and breast cancer. "However, most common human diseases-;such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression, for example-;are influenced not by single genes, but by hundreds or thousands of genetic variants across the genome. Each variant contributes a small effect." says Tian Ge, Ph.D., an applied mathematician and biostatistician in the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine at MGH, and co-senior author of the paper. PRS aggregate the effects of genetic variants across the genome and have shown promise for one day being used to predict individual patients' chances of developing diseases. That would allow clinicians to recommend preventive measures and monitor patients closely for early diagnosis and intervention.

However, a PRS must be "trained" to predict disease risk using data from studies in which genomic information is collected from large groups of individuals. While many disease-causing variants are shared, explains Ge, there are important differences in the genetic basis of a disease between individuals of different ancestries. For example, a common genetic variant that is associated with a specific disease in one population may have a lower frequency or even be missing in other populations. When a genetic variant linked to a disease is shared across different populations, its effect size, or how much it increases risk, may also vary from one ancestral group to another, explains Ge. PRS trained using data from one population therefore often have attenuated, or reduced, performance when applied to other populations.

A major problem with existing methods for PRS calculation is that, to date, most of the genomic studies used data collected from individuals of European ancestry." Tian Ge, Ph.D., applied mathematician and biostatistician, Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine at MGH

That creates a Eurocentric bias in existing PRS, he says, producing substantially less-accurate predictions and raising the possibility that they could over- or underestimate disease risk in non-European populations.

Fortunately, investigators have increased efforts to collect genomic data from underrepresented populations. Leveraging these resources, Ge and his colleagues created a new tool called PRS-CSx that can integrate data from multiple populations and account for genetic similarities and differences between them. While there's still significantly more genomic data on individuals of European ancestry, the investigators used computational methods that allowed them to maximize the value of non-European data and improve prediction accuracy in ancestrally diverse individuals.

In the study, the investigators used genomic data from individuals in several different populations to predict a wide range of physical measures (such as height, body mass index, and blood pressure), blood biomarkers (such as glucose and cholesterol), and the risk for schizophrenia. Then they compared the predicted trait or disease risk with actual measures or reported disease status to measure PRS-CSx's prediction accuracy. The study's results demonstrated that PRS-CSx is significantly more accurate than existing PRS tools in non-European populations.

"The goal of our work was to narrow the gap between the prediction accuracy in underrepresented populations relative to European individuals, and narrow the gap in health disparities when implementing PRS in clinical settings," says Ge, who notes that the new tool will continue to be refined with the hope that clinicians may one day use it to inform treatment choices and make recommendations about patient care.

PRS-CSx could also have a role in basic research, says the study's lead author, Yunfeng Ruan, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. It could be used, for example, to explore gene-environment interactions, such as how the effect of genetic risk would depend on the level of environmental risk factors in global populations.

Even with PRS-CSx, the gap in prediction accuracy between European and non-European populations remains considerable. Broadening the sample diversity across global populations is crucial to further improve the prediction accuracy of PRS in diverse populations. "The expansion of non-European genomic resources, coupled with advanced analytic methods like PRS-CSx, will accelerate the equitable deployment of PRS in clinical settings," says Hailiang Huang, Ph.D., a statistical geneticist in the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit at MGH and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute, and co-senior author of the paper.

Ge is also an assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Huang is an assistant professor of Medicine at HMS.

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging, National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the Zhengxu and Ying He Foundation, and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research.
In a recent study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, researchers developed an epidemiological model to demonstrate that mask-induced variolation causes milder severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

There is enough data to prove that mandating face mask use substantially and effectively reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, a study published in 2020 by Gandhi & Rutherford suggested that the presence of face masks tended to reduce the infecting viral inoculum. Even if masks fail to completely prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission, wearing face masks could still help reduce disease severity.

Gandhi and Rutherford referred to SARS-CoV-2 transmission through small inocula that penetrated masks as variolation. Masks filter droplets containing virus particles and thus could reduce viral inocula. Syrian hamsters shielded by a surgical mask partition showed much less severe COVID-19 symptoms, indicating how masks could reduce the severity. Likewise, studies have found antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in individuals five months after a mild infection, thus showing the acquisition of immunity post mild infection that is enough to protect against reinfection.

Study: Face masking and COVID-19: potential effects of variolation on transmission dynamics. Image Credit: Mykola Tys / Shutterstock

About the study

In the present study, researchers investigated whether face masking promoted SARS-CoV-2 variolation and explored its potential benefits using a mathematical model. The study model was developed by expanding the standard susceptible-infectious-removed (SIR) model.

They derived analytical inferences concerning the potential for masking to cause a proportion of infections to be mild, diminishing the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection upon contact and altering the infectious period.

The model parameter, probability of mild infection (m), could be shorter and less transmissible. Three distinctive effects contributed to the overall effectiveness of mask-induced variolation- m, reducing transmission rate and shortening SARS-CoV-2 infectious periods. Additionally, the researchers assumed that the duration of immunity decay was the same after mild or severe infections.

Other model parameters included the relative transmissibility of mild infections ( m / s ) and the relative length of mild infections ( s / m ). The transmission rates of mild and severe infections (m, s) were independent of their probability of occurrence (m, 1m).

All the study parameters influenced initial epidemic doubling time (T 2 ), the peak prevalence of severe infections (I s ), the attack rate for severe infections (Z s ), and the equilibrium prevalence of severe infections. It is noteworthy that I s refers to several individuals who continue to contribute to transmission dynamics but suffer from a severe disease that will need substantial healthcare.

Furthermore, the researchers showed epidemiological risk metrics as a function of m corresponding to the original SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (WT) strain, and the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants. The estimated basic reproduction number (R 0 ) for WT, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron was set at 3, 4.5, 6.75, and 28.4, respectively.

Study findings

Assuming face masking influenced the probability of a mild infection, more effective masking strongly affected SARS-CoV-2 transmission, thus reducing R 0 and substantially lengthening T 2 , especially for less-transmissible variants.

Accordingly, the initial growth rate (r) of the epidemic was observed to be strongly dependent on m and was more sensitive to m if the variant was more transmissible. Additionally, variolation affected the I S , with the effect being substantially greater for more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants.

As the value of m increased from 0 to 1, T2 increased from 5.1 to 65 days, 2.9 to 11 days, 1.8 to 5.0 days, and 0.37 to 0.79 days for WT, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron, respectively. The risk measures related to severe infections declined substantially with m since the severe illness was eliminated when m approached a value of one, i.e., perfect variolation.

The expected number of severe cases during the initial wave of infections was also strongly dependent on m; however, not sensitive to transmissibility over the range of R 0 observed for SARS-CoV-2 variants. Also, the equilibrium prevalence of severe cases declined with m. Furthermore, if R 0 /, the effects of greater transmissibility of mild infections and longer infectious periods of mild cases were similar.

Conclusions

The study highlighted that the role of face masks as a tool for reducing the COVID-19 burden is under-appreciated. Clearly, a better understanding of the effectiveness of masking in promoting variolation could be of great value. It implies that more experimental data is needed to quantify the magnitudes of the effects that induce variolation from masking. It would also help expand the current study findings and make quantitative inferences that could usefully inform policy decisions.

A variolation strategy might contribute to COVID-19 mitigation in cases where vaccination is difficult and breakthrough infections continue in vaccinated populations.

Overall, increasing the effectiveness of mask-induced variolation would greatly reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission and reduce the magnitude of the epidemic peak by reducing the number of severe cases in the initial wave and at equilibrium.
Vulnerable groups in South Africa have a higher risk of disaster-induced depression, analysis suggests.

People living in communities affected by disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to experience depression, with women, black Africans and low earners most susceptible, analysis suggests.

Climate change is one of the most defining sustainable development challenges in the region and is causing increasingly frequent and intense weather events such as flooding and droughts.

South Africa recorded 54 natural disaster events from 2000 to 2019 - the third highest in Africa after Kenya with 60 events and Mozambique with 55, according to the review by South African researchers.

Up until now, they say, country-level studies on the potential link between depression onset and community disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa has been lacking. This prompted them to analyze data from 17,255 adults enrolled in the South African National Income Dynamics Study from 2008 to 2017 who were depression-free when the study began.

"The likelihood of depression due to community disaster exposure was particularly pronounced among females, black Africans and individuals with lower education or income," says Andrew Tomita, lead author of the study published last month (6 April) in PLOS Climate.

"Although climate change is one of the key drivers of disasters, there is not enough attention in Sub-Saharan Africa or large-scale evidence that speaks to the mental health impact of community disasters."

Tomita, a senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's School of Nursing and Public Health, in South Africa, tells SciDev.Net that the findings are consistent with evidence that exposure to stressful and catastrophic events such as flood, drought, mass unrest due to xenophobia and agricultural loss due to fire could lead to depression.

It is also not a surprise to find the association between cumulative community disaster exposure and first onset of depression among certain socially vulnerable populations, given the South African historical context that is marked by the legacy of patriarchal social structures and persistent poverty." Andrew Tomita, lead author of the study

Garret Barnwell, an independent practice clinical psychologist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, adds that the study brings in new information as stressful events such as catastrophic floods and major loss of life leaves a long-lasting impact on communities without access to resources at a personal level.

Barnwell explains that most people in South Africa are not insured and have little savings.

There is a history of failing municipalities and failing infrastructure in relation to disasters, says Barnwell,who published a report last year on climate change and mental health in South Africa. He says people often feel abandoned as the burden of responsibility is shifted from communities to the individual, creating a heightened sense of insecurity.

"This is a well-executed study using two datasets considered reliable," says Caradee Wright, a public health specialist leading the environment and health research group at the South African Medical Research Council.

"Disasters can certainly affect mental health so there is validity in conducting the study".

Tomita says that children who are also vulnerable to disasters were not included because of a lack of data on depression during the study period.

Despite women and black Africans suffering more from disasters, he adds, they have fewer resources and support to help them cope psychologically.

He suggests timely access to community-based interventions for disaster survivors, with priority given to socially vulnerable groups.

"This makes sense since many of these groups will not have the means to cope with recovery after a disaster and this can lead to mental ill-health, such as depression," agrees Wright.

The study recommends changes to disaster risk management policies and proposes food social grants that could cushion against income loss and crop loss resulting from disasters.

"[The study] helps to identify where investments should go and how we should be supporting people coming from these affected communities," Barnwell adds.

For Wright, a key question remains: "How will this information be fed to the right people to help make this change happen and translate the research to action?"
The world's first malaria vaccine will soon be available across Sub-Saharan Africa, according to PATH, partners of the vaccine developers, as positive results from the pioneering jab pile up.

The vaccine, known as RTS,S/AS01E and commercialized under the brand name Mosquirix, targets children as over three quarters of malaria deaths occur in under-five-year olds, according to the latest report from the WHO.

Findings from a WHO pilot held in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, showed that the pioneering vaccine caused a significant reduction in severe malaria and hospitalization among vaccinated children.

It means more countries in Sub-Saharan Africa will soon receive the vaccine, says John Bawa, Africa lead for vaccine implementation at Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).

These findings pave the way for an expanded distribution scheme that will see countries like Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia receive the vaccines, said Bawa during a webinar held in commemoration of World Malaria Day.

"The next is to deploy the vaccine to other endemic countries. Countries that are interested in the vaccine are expected to apply to GAVI from June to September," he said at the webinar organized by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), PATH and Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC).

"Countries like Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Nigeria have already written officially to express interest for the vaccine," Bawa said.

He said malaria vaccine coverage in Malawi was at 88 per cent in 2020 and 93 per cent in 2021. In Ghana, it was 71 per cent in 2020 and 76 per cent in 2021 and in Kenya, it was 69 per cent in 2020 and 83 per cent in 2021.

"These numbers indicate strong community demand and capacity of childhood vaccination platforms to effectively deliver the vaccine to children," said Bawa.

Currently, 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have received at least one dose of the first malaria vaccine.

These vaccines were distributed in a pilot scheme organised by WHO. The organisation has now recommended the vaccine for use among children in areas with moderate to high transmission rate of malaria.

This vaccine is not just a scientific breakthrough, it is life-changing for families across Africa. It demonstrates the power of science and innovation for health." Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

Vaccine procurement

In an arrangement to boost vaccine supply and coverage, GlaxoSmithKline, producers of the RTS,S vaccine, will transfer technology and patent to Bharat Biotech in India to manufacture the vaccines.

The WHO, in a press release, said more than US$155 million has been secured from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to support the introduction, procurement and delivery of the malaria vaccine for Gavi-eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The organization said it would provide guidance for countries that are considering the use of vaccines for the reduction childhood illnesses and deaths from malaria.

"For some countries, Gavi is paying about 80 per cent [of the] cost of the vaccine, while it is expected that the country's government would pay the [remaining] 20 per cent," Bawa said.

Wellington Oyibo, director of the Centre for Malaria Diagnosis, Research, Capacity Building and Policy at the University of Lagos, urged African leaders to ensure that their counterpart funds are available to purchase the vaccine.

He said the Nigerian government and the Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation malaria eradication project have applied to purchase the vaccine for Nigerian children.

Oyibo said while the initial rollout of the vaccine may not go around the country, the Nigerian government selected states with the highest malaria burden to begin with.
It's often said that a little stress can be good for you. Now scientists have shown that the same may be true for cells, uncovering a newly-discovered mechanism that might help prevent the build-up of tangles of proteins commonly seen in dementia.

A characteristic of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's  collectively known as neurodegenerative diseases  is the build-up of misfolded proteins. These proteins, such as amyloid and tau in Alzheimer's disease, form 'aggregates' that can cause irreversible damage to nerve cells in the brain.

Protein folding is a normal process in the body, and in healthy individuals, cells carry out a form of quality control to ensure that proteins are correctly folded and that misfolded proteins are destroyed. But in neurodegenerative diseases, this system becomes impaired, with potentially devastating consequences.

As the global population ages, an increasing number of people are being diagnosed with dementia, making the search for effective drugs ever more urgent. However, progress has been slow, with no medicines yet available that can prevent or remove the build-up of aggregates.

In a study published today in Nature Communications, a team led by scientists at the UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, has identified a new mechanism that appears to reverse the build-up of aggregates, not by eliminating them completely, but rather by 'refolding' them.

Just like when we get stressed by a heavy workload, so, too, cells can get 'stressed' if they're called upon to produce a large amount of proteins. There are many reasons why this might be, for example when they are producing antibodies in response to an infection. We focused on stressing a component of cells known as the endoplasmic reticulum, which is responsible for producing around a third of our proteins  and assumed that this stress might cause misfolding." Dr Edward Avezov, UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a membrane structure found in mammalian cells. It carries out a number of important functions, including the synthesis, folding, modification and transport of proteins needed on the surface or outside the cell. Dr Avezov and colleagues hypothesised that stressing the ER might lead to protein misfolding and aggregation by diminishing its ability to function correctly, leading to increased aggregation.

They were surprised to discover the opposite was true.

"We were astonished to find that stressing the cell actually eliminated the aggregates  not by degrading them or clearing them out, but by unraveling the aggregates, potentially allowing them to refold correctly," said Dr Avezov.

"If we can find a way of awakening this mechanism without stressing the cells  which could cause more damage than good  then we might be able to find a way of treating some dementias."

The main component of this mechanism appears to be one of a class of proteins known as heat shock proteins (HSPs), more of which are made when cells are exposed to temperatures above their normal growth temperature, and in response to stress.

Dr Avezov speculates that this might help explain one of the more unusual observations within the field of dementia research. "There have been some studies recently of people in Scandinavian countries who regularly use saunas, suggesting that they may be at lower risk of developing dementia. One possible explanation for this is that this mild stress triggers a higher activity of HSPs, helping correct tangled proteins."

One of the factors that has previous hindered this field of research has been the inability to visualize these processes in live cells. Working with teams from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Algarve, the team has developed a technique that allows them to detect protein misfolding in live cells. It relies on measuring light patterns of a glowing chemical over a scale of nanoseconds - one billionth of a second.

"It's fascinating how measuring our probe's fluorescence lifetime on the nanoseconds scale under a laser-powered microscope makes the otherwise invisible aggregates inside the cell obvious," said Professor Eduardo Melo, one of the leading authors, from the University of Algarve, Portugal.

The research was supported by the UK Dementia Research Institute, which receives its funding from the Medical Research Council, Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK, as well as the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.
In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* pre-print server, researchers demonstrated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants did not evolve further to escape from T cell-mediated immunity.

Study: SARS-CoV-2 variants do not evolve to promote further escape from MHC-I recognition. Image Credit: NIAID

Studies have demonstrated that mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 open reading frame 8 (ORF8) gene played a key role in modulating its pathogenesis and adaptation to the host by regulating major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) levels and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Notably, the ORF8 protein induces autophagic degradation of MHC-I and confers resistance to cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) surveillance. Henceforth, during the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, studies identified the rapid evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 gene.

Several unique mutations within the ORF8 gene have been identified in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs); however, none have increased the ability of ORF8 to suppress MHC-I expression. The MHC-I-induced antigen presentation is crucial for the cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8+) CTL activation, which kills virus-infected cells. Subsequently, researchers speculated that VOC and its ORF8 gene are evolving further to shut down MHC-I evading memory CD8+ T cell-mediated immunity established by prior infection or vaccination.

About the study

In the present study, researchers infected Calu-3 cells with SARS-CoV-2 variants and the ancestral strain (USA-WA1) to examine transcriptional levels of MHC-I genes, which differ for each SARS-CoV-2 variant. They also performed multiple sequence alignment of ORF8 protein sequences from SARS-CoV-2 variants to observe non-synonymous mutations.

Furthermore, the researchers investigated the prevalence of mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants, for which they downloaded 3,059 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence data from the global initiative on Avian influenza data (GISAID) database. The team also constructed six ORF8 mutants from SARS-CoV-2 variants to observe the variant-specific effect on the surface MHC-I expression levels of the infected cells.

Lastly, the researchers performed in vivo experiments wherein they infected C57BL/6J mice intranasally with a mouse-adapted (MA) strain of SARS-CoV-2 to analyze the MHC-I expression levels of lung epithelial cells two days after infection.

Study findings

Consistent with previous reports, the USA-WA1 strain significantly downregulated human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, B, and C genes. Likewise, the Alpha and Beta VOCs showed a similar reduction in HLA-A, B, and C messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression as the USA-WA1 strain.

Unique mutations are found in ORF8 gene of SARS-CoV-2 variants (A) Mutant proportion in the ORF8 genes of the indicated SARS-CoV-2 variants. The amino acid positions shown are selected based on the results of multiple sequence alignment performed in Fig.S1. The number of sequences analyzed for each lineage is shown above each graph. (B) Frequency of amino acids at the positions enriched for mutants in each variant. The amino acids shown in gray color correspond to WT. (C) Schematic diagram of ORF8 proteins from SARS- CoV-2 variants. (D and E) HEK293T cells were transfected with plasmids encoding C-terminally Flag-tagged SARS-CoV ORF8a/b, SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 WT, or SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 variants. Forty-eight hours after transfection, cells were collected and analyzed for the cell surface HLA-ABC expression. Data are shown in raw MFI (D) or as the ratio of MFI in Flag+ cells to Flag- cells normalized to the value of SARS-CoV ORF8a (E) (n=3). Data are mean  s.d. Data are representative of three independent experiments. ***, p< 0.001

Conversely, the Iota and Gamma variants showed weaker downregulation and upregulation of HLA class I genes, respectively. Overall, a majority of SARS-CoV-2 variants reduced HLA transcription just like the ancestral virus. It raised the possibility that many ISGs induced MHC-I processing and presentation pathways were attenuated in Gamma- and B.1.429-infected cells.

Regarding mutations, the authors observed seven non-synonymous mutations and two deletions in the 10 SARS-CoV-2 variants examined. In addition, they identified a premature stop codon at the Q27 amino acid position of the Alpha VOC, which truncated the ORF8 polypeptide length and likely altered its functionality. However, the R52I and Y73C downstream mutations did not impact the Alpha ORF8 protein.

Except for Alpha and Omicron, all other SARS-CoV-2 VOCs, including Beta, Gamma, and Delta, harbored mutations or deletions in the ORF8 protein. Although none of these mutations were conserved among different lineages, SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest, Epsilon, and Iota, had V100L and T11I mutations, respectively.

Furthermore, the authors found several unique lineage-specific mutations. For instance, the ORF8 L84S mutation identified in SARS-CoV-2 clade S was unique and not observed in any other variant. Many mutations discovered via multiple sequence alignment analyses were generally highly prevalent in the proportions ranging from 12.5 to 100%. These findings indicated that the lineage-specific mutations were acquired independently during SARS-CoV-2 evolution, and mutations in a particular amino acid were exclusive to a single lineage. Unlike the influenza A virus, SARS-CoV-2 completely shut down MHC-I induction within infected cells in vivo.

Conclusions

Presumably, SARS-CoV-2, like many other viruses, has developed ways to avoid the efficient MHC-I mediated antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells, as they play a vital role in the host adaptive immune response.

Upon investigating whether SARS-CoV-2 variants shut down the host MHC-I system, the authors discovered that it was not the case rather, the ability to reduce MHC-I expression remained unchanged throughout VOC evolution. Conversely, SARS-CoV-2 VOCs have evolved to limit the host type I interferon response. Therefore, it is highly likely that the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain was fully optimized to escape from CD8+ T cell-mediated immunity and was under no evolutionary pressure to further optimize its immune evasion strategy.

This finding also raised the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 utilizes multiple redundant mechanisms to suppress MHC-I expression to ensure escape from CTL killing. Additionally, unlike influenza A or Epstein-Barr virus, it impairs the priming of CD8+ T cells.

Taken together, the study data demonstrated the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to potently avoid the MHC-I-mediated antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells and the role of ORF8 in its efficient replication and transmission.

*Important notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are widely used to treat a variety of cancers; however, one serious side effect is the onset of type 1 diabetes. Now, researchers from Osaka University have discovered that stem cell therapy may protect against such side effects.

One strategy by which tumor cells evade recognition by the immune system is by upregulating factors that interfere with immune cell signaling  a process known as immune checkpoint. For example, the upregulation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) leads to increased binding to its receptor (PD-1) on T cells of the immune system, inhibiting T cell activation. The therapeutic use of immune checkpoint inhibitors can reverse these effects, restoring immune system surveillance and tumor cell killing. However, these anti-cancer drugs are accompanied by autoimmune side effects, including the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a serious autoimmune disease that develops when the level of insulin produced by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas drops below the required threshold, resulting in the body's inability to control blood sugar levels. Such patients are dependent on insulin therapy. When insulin-producing cells are completely lost, the control of blood sugar levels becomes severely compromised, resulting in clinical complications, impaired quality of life, and a poor prognosis. Strategies for the prevention or cure of type 1 diabetes are currently lacking.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is the most commonly used type of cell therapy. MSCs secrete factors that contribute to tissue regeneration, anti-fibrosis activity, and modulation of immune functions.

In the recent study at Osaka University, researchers showed that MSCs have therapeutic potential against immune-related adverse events. As Emi Kawada-Horitani, the lead author of the study, explains "We examined whether systemic MSC treatment could prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in a mouse model. First, we induced diabetes in the mice by administering a purified PD-L1 monoclonal antibody. Then, we injected human adipose-derived MSCs and analyzed immune cells in the pancreatic secretions." Kawada-Horitani continues, "Inhibition of the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction with an anti-PD-L1 antibody resulted in a diabetes incidence of 64% among the mice, compared with 19% when the mice were also administered MSCs."

Inhibition of the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction causes various changes in the immune system-;most notably, the massive accumulation of immune cells (particularly macrophages) in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, disrupting insulin production.

We found that MSCs effectively prevented this influx of immune cells, thereby avoiding the detrimental effects on pancreatic cells." Shunbun Kita, corresponding author

They further showed that MSCs secrete factors (such as exosomes) that protect the pancreatic cells against immune attack.

Their findings suggest that MSC transplantation can prevent the incidence of diabetes associated with immune checkpoint cancer therapy and is therefore worthy of consideration as a new type of adjuvant cell therapy.
A Monash University led study has found a promising new treatment for patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, the second most common form of dementia in the under 60s  resulting in a stabilizing of what would normally be escalating behavioral issues, and a slowing of brain shrinkage due to the disease. It is the second clinical trial to show that the drug, sodium selenate, may slow cognitive decline and neurodegenerative damage that is the hallmark of many dementias including Alzheimer's Disease.

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a rapidly progressing destructive disease and can occur in people as young as 35 years of age. It is characterized by behavioral disturbances and personality changes and can be highly disruptive and distressing for both patients and their families. Currently there are no treatments or cures for bvFTD and typical survival is 5-7 years from diagnosis.

The Phase 1 trial run in conjunction with the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the only one in Australia targeting non-genetic bvFTD, and one of a handful worldwide, showed that the drug, sodium selenate is safe and well-tolerated in patients with bvFTD over a period of 12 months. Importantly, the majority of patients receiving sodium selenate showed no change in their cognitive or behavioral symptoms, and reduced rates of brain atrophy over the trial period. The results from the trial, led by Dr Lucy Vivash, from the Monash University's Department of Neuroscience, have just been published in the journal, Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.

In almost half of the cases with bvFTD, the damage to the neurons in the brain is caused by the build-up of a protein called tau. This protein is a major target for research in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's and other dementias, as a way to reverse the neurodegeneration caused by this tau accumulation.

According to Dr Vivash, sodium selenate upregulates an enzyme in the brain that effectively breaks down the tau protein.

We have previously shown, in a Phase 2 trial, that sodium selenate given to patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease resulted in less neurodegeneration than in those who did not." Dr Lucy Vivash, Monash University's Department of Neuroscience

Importantly those patients in the trial with higher levels of selenium, a breakdown product of sodium selenate, in their bloodstream showed less cognitive decline.

The research group is now conducting a larger study at many hospitals across Australia and New Zealand to further test whether this drug is beneficial for patients with bvFTD.
COVID-19 vaccines have saved at least a million lives in the United States alone, but for many people, a lingering fear remains: if-;or when-;they get hit by the coronavirus, just how bad will it be? Will they breeze through with little more than a sore throat-;or will it saddle them with long-term complications, perhaps even push them to the brink of death?

Since SARS-CoV-2 first began storming around the world in early 2020, COVID-19 has claimed six million lives and counting, according to the World Health Organization. And yet, the vast majority of people who've contracted COVID-;some 99 percent of the more than 500 million confirmed cases-;have survived their brush with the disease.

So, why is it that some people are so badly affected by COVID when many are barely scratched by it? Age and other health conditions increase the risk of getting really sick, but a new study suggests that those who escape the worst symptoms might also have the right balance of a type of immune cells called macrophages.

White blood cells found in every tissue, macrophages-;part of a group of cells called myeloid cells, the guards of the immune system-;are healers. They're crucial in wound repair, streaming to an injury to help the body patch itself up. They also take on invaders, gobbling up and digesting anything that looks like it doesn't belong in the body, from dead cells to harmful bacteria. That attack mode helps keep us healthy, but it also seems to be a factor in severe COVID-19 cases. Evidence has been growing that many COVID deaths are caused by a hyper-immune response: rampaging macrophages attacking not just the virus, but also our bodies, causing excessive inflammation and damaging heart and lung tissue.

In a study published in Cell Reports, a team of researchers at Boston University's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) and Princeton University looked at why that was happening, examining COVID's impact on those who get dangerously sick-; and those who don't. By studying lungs that seem to easily deflect SARS-CoV-2 or quickly bounce back from infection, they found a set of genes that determine whether immune cells mount a solid defense-; or turn rogue and land someone on a ventilator. The findings could help efforts to develop new drugs that better prime immune systems for taking on the virus.

"If you can understand why most people are protected against COVID and how their body protects them, then you could potentially harness this knowledge to develop therapeutics and other advances," says Florian Douam, a BU School of Medicine assistant professor of microbiology who coled the study.

Why are some lungs protected against COVID?

After two years of sickness and swabbing, there's a lot scientists know about how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted and how our bodies react when we get it-;but there's also a lot they don't understand. Take the lungs: We know COVID-19 can leave lungs full of liquid and inflamed, sometimes scarred by sepsis. But most of what's known about COVID in the lungs is driven by samples taken from those who died from the disease-;not those who lived through it.

"You can only access the lung when the patient dies," says Douam, who's based at NEIDL. "You cannot obviously get someone who had a mild disease and tell them, 'Oh, give me your lung.' In contrast to lung autopsy samples from diseased patients, the lungs from milder or asymptomatic patients are just much harder to access. When you have the diseased lung, you get a snapshot of the end-stage disease."

To get around this challenge, Douam and the research team developed a new model-;a mouse engrafted with human lung tissue and bolstered with a human immune system derived from stem cells-;for monitoring the different stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. Douam says that mice with human lung tissue, but without the human immune system, don't react well to infection-;the lung tissues are damaged in a similar way to people with a severe case of the disease. But when they studied mice that also had a humanized immune system, it was different. "We were barely seeing any virus in the lungs," he says. "The lung was protected. Then we asked the question, 'Why is the lung protected?' And this is where we found the macrophages."

"Protection-defining genes"

According to Devin Kenney, a PhD student in Douam's lab and lead author on the latest paper, one signature of lungs that were more severely impacted by COVID was a lack of macrophage diversity. They were dominated by a pro-inflammatory macrophage-; the cells that usually respond to viruses and bacteria-;called M1.

"It seems they drive this hyper-inflammatory response," says Kenney (MED'27), "and it leads to a more severe disease state."

By contrast, those immune systems that mixed in more of the cells that typically help in wound repair-;M2 or regulatory macrophages-; fared better.

"If you have a more diverse macrophage population that has both regulatory and inflammatory macrophages, you can more effectively regulate the signals driving antiviral responses, shutting them off when appropriate," he says. "Then, the immune system can clear the virus really rapidly, protect the tissue."

The researchers tied this positive antiviral response to a set of 11 genes they called "protection-defining genes." In cases of effective resistance, these genes were working harder, or what's known as upregulated.

"We now know not only that macrophages can promote protection in the lung tissue," says Douam. "We also know the key set of genes that these macrophages need to express to protect the lung."

What they don't know yet is why some people can put a diverse mix of macrophages to work while others can't. That's a target for future studies.

What we're doing here is really upstream. If you can generate knowledge and better understand the molecular processes driving lung protection from COVID-19, then once you get this really good comprehensive picture of what's happening, you can start designing potential immunotherapy strategies." Florian Douam, assistant professor of microbiology, BU School of Medicine

And that's the end goal of this work. Knowing that some genes are critical in the COVID fight gives potential fresh targets for drugs. With new coronavirus variants springing up and taking root at a rapid rate, says Douam, it's important that scientists find alternatives to medications that target the virus itself.

"The virus, over time, can start escaping these types of drugs," he says. "It's not the virus itself that makes you critically ill, it's an overreaction of the immune system."

Finding drugs that help patients have a more balanced immune response could "complement the antiviral strategy."
The definition of "sanitation." An old court case that involves an underwear manufacturer. Whether people had a fair chance to express their opinions about wearing masks on planes.

These disparate factors are in the spotlight as the Biden administration challenges a U.S. District Court ruling that overturned a federal mask mandate on public transportation. The outcome could determine the limits of federal public health officials' power not only during the covid-19 crisis but also when the next pandemic hits.

Sound complicated? It is.

About the only thing that's clear so far is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask requirement for people traveling on planes, trains, and buses is not likely to make a comeback anytime soon. The Department of Justice's appeal of the Florida judge's decision to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could take weeks or months.

What might that appeal contain, and why is it important? The government has not yet filed its detailed arguments, so KHN spoke with several health law experts about what to expect.

For starters, some legal pundits noted that the Justice Department didn't immediately seek an injunction to block the judge's decision. Could this be a strategic decision? Maybe.

Proponents of this theory point to a 1950 Supreme Court case that involved Munsingwear, a manufacturing company alleged to have overcharged consumers for its underwear during World War II when governmental price control rules were in effect. But price controls ended while the case was being appealed, and the justices said that in such cases lower-court rulings should be "vacated"  meaning the initial decision is wiped out and left with no legal force.

Maybe the White House plans to file an appeal but is hoping the case will be moot by the time it comes before the court, because the mask mandate was set to expire May 3 anyway, said Ilya Somin, a professor of law at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, and a critic of the mask rule. "The base of the Democratic Party likes the mask mandates, so they want to signal that they tried to fight for it."

Other experts said they don't think the government is slow-walking its appeal in hopes it will no longer be significant.

The Biden administration "does not want to see any court decisions like this sitting there unchallenged or even vacated," said James Hodge, a law professor at Arizona State University. Even a vacated ruling could lead to "more judges issuing similar decisions because the reasoning was never shot down," he said.

This creates high stakes for the government.

The appeal could set the parameters for the CDC's authority in the next outbreak, and public health experts fear the lower court's decision effectively closes "off future actions for a disease like this one," said Erin Fuse Brown, a professor and the director of the Center for Law, Health & Society at Georgia State University.

Mask mandate opponents, however, say the federal government exceeded its authority in requiring collective action at the expense of personal freedom during the pandemic.

Where the appeals court will come down is not clear.

The 11th Circuit is one of the most conservative federal appeals courts in the country, with seven judges appointed by Republican presidents and four by Democrats. It sets precedent for much of the Southeast. Any ruling it makes could be appealed to the Supreme Court.

If that happened, what the justices would do is also not clear. They have ruled against some Biden administration pandemic policies. For instance, the court said the CDC did not have the power to extend an eviction moratorium to prevent the interstate spread of disease. The Biden administration also lost a challenge to a rule that set vaccinate-or-test requirements for large employers' workers. However, the court upheld the administration's vaccine requirement for health care workers.

"It's not like there is a clear path that the Supreme Court would take the government's side on this," said Fuse Brown. "But enough people say the risk is worth taking because right now the CDC is neutered."

Experts also pointed out that because of how the judge's decision was developed, the dictionary could become a star witness in future proceedings.

In her ruling, District Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, an appointee of President Donald Trump's, spent several pages discussing the meaning of "sanitation."

But why?

That word is part of the Public Health Service Act of 1944. It says the surgeon general has the power to make regulations deemed necessary to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The statute goes on to suggest several ways of doing that, including "disinfection," "fumigation," and, Mizelle's focus, "sanitation."

Mizelle's decision said her court researched present and historical dictionary definitions of the word and selected one. Mask-wearing, Mizelle said, did not meet that narrow definition because it "cleans nothing." (She rejected another definition, which meant to keep something clean, which might have included wearing protective masks.)

Her definition could be challenged, said Lawrence Gostin, who is a professor and directs the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. "If you look at the historic meaning in 1944 and before, sanitation was for hygiene and public health," said Gostin.

Even some critics of the mask mandate, such as Somin, said Mizelle's definition of "sanitation" may be too narrow. It would also preclude, he noted in a blog post for Reason magazine, a hypothetical CDC ban on "defecation" on the floor of a bus or airplane, since such a ban "does not clean anything."

Other elements of the public health statute create potential lines of argument, particularly a part saying government health officials can take "other measures" they deem necessary.

The Justice Department is likely to make the case that a mask mandate for interstate travel clearly fits into this category, said Hodge. But that would require the Biden administration to convince the court that Mizelle's decision was a "gross misinterpretation" of statutory law.

"If they nail it on that, they could win the case straight up," Hodge said.

Not so fast, said Somin.

The law should be read in a way "narrow enough to avoid giving the CDC power to restrict virtually any human activity that might potentially spread disease  which the Supreme Court (correctly) ruled is unacceptable" in the eviction moratorium case, he wrote in another recent blog post.

A second, very separate statute could also come into play.

One of the wonkiest elements of Mizelle's decision is her assertion that the government failed to follow the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that spells out how the federal government is to go about creating rules, including a requirement that it generally seek comments from the public on a proposed rule for at least 30 days. The mask rule was advanced without a public comment period.

"This is the strongest argument against the government in this case," Somin said.

The government has maintained that it had to move fast as the pandemic raged and that it is allowed a "good cause" exemption in such circumstances.

Deaths from covid in January 2021 were at record highs when the mask order was put forth, averaging more than 3,000 a day, and new variants were springing up.

The order took effect on Feb. 1, 2021.

Now, it all comes down to "either the CDC has the power or it doesn't," said Gostin. "It's hanging like a black cloud over the CDC. They want to get a ruling."
The Josep Carreras Institute becomes part of the Cancer Proteome project, an international initiative for the study of malignant tumors. It has the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, whose Minister, Diana Morant, visited the Josep Carreras Institute on Thursday and announced a grant of one million euros to promote the project.

The Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, led by Dr. Manel Esteller and with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, is joining the Cancer Proteome Project, a program to promote a line of research dedicated to the characterization of proteins in malignant tumors, which will allow us to learn more about the causes of leukemia.

On the occasion of the entry of the Josep Carreras Institute in the Cancer Proteome Project, the Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, visited the research center on Thursday and announced that the Ministry will allocate one million euros to promote this initiative. During her visit, Minister Morant was accompanied by Albert Carreras i Coll and Albert Carreras Perez, representing the Carreras family, the director of the Institute, Dr. Manel Esteller; the president of the Delegate Committee of the institution, Dr. Evarist Feliu and the acting managing director of the Institute, Ana Garrido. The mayor of Badalona, Ruben Guijarro, has also attended the event.

Over the last twenty years, many efforts have been made to identify the Cancer genome. Decoding the genetic alterations of human tumors has been largely possible thanks to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the United States, which sequenced the DNA of more than 500 tumor samples derived from every tissue and organ in the body.

However, there was still one key point missing in the research of the cell and molecular cause of cancer: the protein characterization, the product produced from our genetic material. In this respect, the NCI has recently launched the International Proteogenome Consortium (ICPC) program to obtain the profile of all altered proteins in all human tumors, the so-called "Proteome". The Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), led by Dr. Manel Esteller and with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, has officially joined the consortium with the aim to discover the leukemia proteome.

One in five cancers comes from blood or lymph nodes. Our work in this international program will be to disclose the proteome of leukemia, especially the so-called B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). We will study in detail the altered expression and modification of the protein in this disease in both adult and pediatric populations, as well as their consequences in the clinical management of these patients and the discovery of new treatments against the discovered altered targets." Dr. Manel Esteller, coordinator of the study

Dr. Henry Rodriguez, Founding Director of the Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research at the National Cancer Institute, and a member of President Joe Biden's Cancer Research Advisory Council, said, "It is a great pleasure to acknowledge the research work of the Josep Carreras Institute. I am convinced that their aberrant-proteins characterization in leukemia, coupled with data on genome-wide alterations, will be a major breakthrough in personalized cancer medicine that will improve the quality of life and survival of patients."
(Newser)  Update: It's been a year since the plane on which Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend were flying was forced to land so the pair could be detained by Belarus. Now, the latter has heard her official fate. Sofia Sapega, 24, was sentenced Friday by a Belarusian court to six years behind bars, with the court finding her guilty of inciting social hatred and discord. She was also deemed guilty of "illegally collecting and disseminating information about the private life of an unnamed person without his consent," per the BBC. Protasevich's trial has yet to take place. Our original story from May 2021 follows:

The girlfriend of Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich has also been detained after their Ryanair plane was forced down Sunday by Belarus on its way to Lithuania from Athens. Per Sky News, 23-year-old Sofia Sapega, a Russian national, has now emerged in a "confessional" video, apparently filmed at a Belarus detention center. The video uploaded Tuesday shows Sapega appearing to admit she'd been on the plane with Protasevich, and that she'd worked for a social media channel that gave up information on Belarusian government workers, which is illegal. "I am ... editor of Telegram channel Chernaya Kniga, which publishes private information about internal affairs officers," she said in the clip, after giving her full name, age, and nationality, per a Sky translation. CNN notes Belarus hasn't offered any evidence Sapega, who's reportedly being held in Belarus for at least two months, was tied to the Telegram channel.

Protasevich, 26, a critic of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, appeared in his own apparent confessional video the day prior, noting he was in good health and that he'd helped coordinate 2020 protests in Minsk, per Sky. Allies and family, however, say both Protasevich and Sapega appear to have given these supposed confessions under duress. "This is how Roman looks under physical and moral pressure," opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya tweeted Monday. Sapega's mother concurs, telling the BBC her daughter doesn't seem like herself in her video: "Even my friends called me and said ... this is an unusual manner for her. She sways, eyes in the sky, as if afraid of forgetting something." Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reports that Sapega could face criminal charges, per Insider. Protasevich, meanwhile, fears he could face the death penalty. (Anyone who flies should be concerned about what Belarus did, one columnist writes.)
(Newser)  For more than two decades, police in Southern California wondered who killed 22-year-old Christopher Harvey in his own apartment. Then they got a major hint contained in an anonymous note. The letter, submitted to police in January 2020, implicated Harvey's live-in girlfriend Jade Benning, who'd pointed the finger at someone else. Benning, also 22 at the time, claimed a Black male intruder entered the couple's Santa Ana apartment while they slept around 3am on Jan. 4, 1996, then stabbed Harvey multiple times in the torso during a struggle, reports the Orange County Register.

Neighbors overheard an argument lasting 15 minutes, per CBS News. Benning, who was also 22 at the time, gave only "general statements about the incident," Santa Ana police said in a Tuesday statement. She was never charged. With the anonymous note, detectives found a reason to seriously question her story. While they have yet to divulge what it said, they say it indicated that Benning, who moved out of state within five years of the death, was responsible.

It was some time before that could be confirmed, according to police. A detective "examined the case and conducted extensive follow-up to include forensic testing," according to the statement. Though a murder weapon was never found, per the Register, "ultimately, sufficient evidence was collected to obtain a criminal complaint, and a $1,000,000 warrant was issued" for Benning, police said. The 48-year-old was arrested by the US Marshals Service near her home in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, per Fox News. She's likely to be extradited to California to face a murder charge. (Read more murder stories.)
(Newser)  Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas may fight a Supreme Court ruling mandating that public education for all children, including undocumented immigrants, be provided free by the states. Texas already sued the federal government over the cost of complying with the ruling, the Hill reports. That was a loss for the state, in the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe. "I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again, because the expenses are extraordinary and the times are different than when Plyler versus Doe was issued many decades ago," Abbott said.

Texas changed its laws in 1975 to keep children who were not "legally admitted" to the US out of its public schools and refuse funding for their education, per KHOU. The US Supreme Court voted 5-4 in 1982 that the law was unconstitutional. The ruling guaranteed all children, documented and undocumented, a free public education. Abbott made the comments Wednesday on "The Joe Pags Show," a radio program. (Read more Texas stories.)
(Newser)  Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts went forward with an event Thursday as planned, despite the controversy swirling around the leaked draft opinion showing the high court plans to dismantle Roe v. Wade. Speaking at a meeting of lawyers and judges at the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference, in what was his first public appearance since the bombshell, Roberts said the leak is "absolutely appalling," CNN reports. However, he added, it's "just foolish" of whomever is behind the leak if they think it will impact the court's work, the Week reports. He added that the law clerks and other employees at the high court keep things running smoothly there, and he'd "hate for one bad apple to change the perception of that." Roberts' colleague Clarence Thomas is set to address the same group Friday.

Former Vice President Mike Pence also addressed the leak Thursday, the AP reports. I hope and pray that the Supreme Court draft opinion will hold and become part of the law of the land, returning the question of abortion to the states and to the American people, Pence said at an event for a South Carolina crisis pregnancy center. He went on to address the midterm elections: I also have no doubt that the women and men who are standing for public office at every level who have taken a strong stand for the unborn and the sanctity of life will be favorably impacted by this decision, particularly at the state level. (Read more John Roberts stories.)
(Newser)  A woman said she saw Shawn Williams with a gun at the scene in Brooklyn, NY, where his neighbor was shot to death in July 1993. The 19-year-old denied that he'd pulled the trigger. In fact, he denied that he was even in the state. It didn't matter. Williams spent the next 24 years in prison until his murder conviction was overturned in 2018. The female witness who lived across the street from the scene had by then recanted. She claimed former NYPD homicide detective Louis Scarcella pressured her to name Williams, saying her own son could otherwise become a suspect, according to a federal civil rights complaint, which has just prompted a $10.5 million settlement, per the New York Times.

It's believed to be the largest payout in a series of wrongful conviction cases tied to Scarcella since he was accused in 2013 of framing a suspect in the 1990 murder of a Hasidic rabbi, per the outlet. "No amount of money can give me back the years they took from me," the 47-year-old Williamswho filed the case against Scarcella, his partner Stephen Chmil, and another officersaid in a Wednesday statement. "But I am going to keep rebuilding my life and looking ahead to a brighter future." His legal team said records put Williams in southern Pennsylvania in the days before and after the killing. There was no forensic evidence placing him at the scene. "My childhood friend was murdered, and I was framed," he said upon his release, per the New York Daily News.

But a lawyer for Scarcella, who retired in 1999, says he "categorically denies" allegations of misconduct in the case. "He did nothing wrong," Richard Signorelli adds, per the Times. Williams' lawyer, David Shanies, scoffs at that. "Shawn has been through the fire for nearly 30 years," he says. "It's satisfying to see him come out the other side with his name cleared and some reparation for his ordeal." Others are still waiting for that opportunity. More than 70 cases tied to Scarcella have come under scrutiny. Williams' conviction was, at the time, the 14th to be overturned, per the AP, and New York City has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle complaints. The Times notes "several" cases remain unresolved. (Read more wrongful conviction stories.)
(Newser)  The sinking of Russia's Black Sea flagship last month was the biggest loss any navy has suffered in decadesand American intelligence played a role, NBC reports, citing senior US officials. The officials say Ukrainian authorities requested and received information about a ship sailing south of Odesa, and missiles were fired after American intelligence confirmed the ship was the Moskva and gave the Ukrainians its location. Some US officials tell the New York Times that the Ukrainians already had the targeting data and the US provided only confirmation, though others say American intelligence had a bigger role in the April 14 sinking.

The Kremlin has denied the ship was even hit by missiles, saying it sank while being towed to port after an unexplained fire. The US has acknowledged sharing intelligence with Ukraine, but after the NBC and Times reports, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the US had not supplied "specific targeting information" for the Moskva. "We were not involved in the Ukrainians decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out," Kirby said. "We had no prior knowledge of Ukraines intent to target the ship. The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case."

Kirby also denied reports the US has contributed to the high death toll among Russian generals, saying "intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military," the BBC reports. There were unconfirmed reports early Friday that another Russian warship, the Admiral Makarov, was on fire after being hit by a Ukrainian missile, per the Independent. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Amber Heard tearfully told jurors Thursday that Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle in an alcohol-fueled rage, the AP reports. The March 2015 incident in Australia, where Depp was filming the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, is sharply disputed and has been a focal point of the four-week civil trial in Fairfax, Virginia. The night ended with the tip of Depp's middle finger cut off, and him writing vulgar messages in blood on the walls of the house. Depp denies assaulting her in any way and says his finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him; Heard said she'd taken sleeping pills after she was attacked and was not awake when the finger was severed.

The graphic description of the sexual assault left Heard fighting for her composure as she described it to jurors. She said Depp had been angry as soon as she arrived in Australia, roughly a month after the couple had married in February 2015. He was accusing her of sleeping with co-stars in her movies, including Billy Bob Thornton and Eddie Redmayne, with whom she'd just shot the film The Danish Girlaccusations she denied. The fight escalated to the point where he threw her into a ping-pong table, breaking it, Heard testified. He ripped off her nightgown, and Heard said she was naked and exposed as she was assaulted. I couldn't get up. I thought he was punching me, she said. I could just feel this pressure on my pubic bone.

She said she thought he was assaulting her with his fist, but later figured out that she was being assaulted with a bottle, and realized that there had been numerous bottles broken in the fight. Heard described bizarre details in the aftermath of the attack, including seeing her shredded burgundy nightgown used to wrap a raw steak that had been left out. She said that when Depp's security team finally arrived to tend to his severed finger, Depp was still trying to leave vulgar messages for her, but was trying to write them by urinating on the wall. Much of the trial testimony has been repetitive of a civil suit Depp filed against a British newspaper. A judge there ruled against Depp in 2020, finding that Heard had in fact been assaulted multiple times by Depp. But the sexual assault allegations described by Heard on Thursday were not publicly aired in the UK trial.

(Read more Johnny Depp stories.)
(Newser)  SpaceX brought four astronauts home with a midnight splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, capping the busiest month yet for Elon Musks taxi service. The three US astronauts and one German in the capsule were bobbing off the Florida coast, near Tampa, less than 24 hours after leaving the International Space Station. NASA expected to have them back in Houston later in the morning. NASAs Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron, and the European Space Agencys Matthias Maurer, embraced the seven astronauts remaining at the station before parting ways, the AP reports. "Its the end of a six-month mission, but I think the space dream lives on," Maurer said.

SpaceX brought up their US and Italian replacements last week after completing a charter trip to the station for a trio of businessmen. That amounts to two crew launches and two splashdowns in barely a month. Musks company has now launched 26 people into orbit in less than two years, since it started ferrying astronauts for NASA. Eight of those 26 were space tourists. The newly returned astronauts said their mission was highlighted by the three visitors and their ex-astronaut escort who dropped by in April, opening up NASAs side of the station to paying guests after decades of resistance.

On the downside, they had to contend with a dangerous spike in space junk after Russia blew up a satellite in a missile test in mid-November. While the war in Ukraine has caused tensions between the US and Russia, the astronauts have stood by their Russian crewmates, and vice versa. As he relinquished command of the space station earlier this week, Marshburn called it "a place of peace" and said international cooperation would likely be its lasting legacy. Russian Oleg Artemyev, the new commander, also emphasized the "peace between our countries, our friendship" in orbit and described his crewmates as brothers and sisters.

(Read more International Space Station stories.)
(Newser)  Pope Francis authorized spending up to around $1 million to free a Colombian nun kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked militants in Mali, a cardinal testified Thursday, revealing previously secret papal approval to hire a British security firm to find the nun and secure her freedom. Cardinal Angelo Becciu's bombshell testimony could pose serious security implications for the Vatican and Catholic Church, since he provided evidence that the pope was apparently willing to pay ransom to Islamic militants to free a nun, who was eventually let go last year. Ransom payments are rarely if ever confirmed, precisely to dissuade future kidnappings. It's not known how muchif anyVatican money actually ended up in the hands of the militants, per the AP. Prosecutors have accused a Becciu co-defendant of embezzling around half that amount on high-end luxury items for herself.

Becciu said he turned to Italian self-styled intelligence specialist Cecilia Marogna for help following the February 2017 kidnapping of a Colombian nun, Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, in Mali. She'd been kidnapped by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has bankrolled its insurgency by kidnapping Westerners. Narvaez was released in October 2021, after more than four years in captivity. Soon after, she met with Francis at the Vatican. Becciu, who was once one of Francis' top advisers as the No. 2 in the Vatican secretariat of state, had withheld his testimony from the Vatican tribunal for nearly two years as a matter of state and pontifical secret.

But he spoke freely Thursday in his own defense after Francis released him from the confidentiality requirement, providing the most anticipated testimony of the yearlong trial to date. Becciu is one of 10 people accused in the Vatican's sprawling financial-fraud trial, which originated in the Holy See's $370 million investment in a London property and expanded to cover other alleged crimes. Prosecutors have accused the defendants of a host of crimes for allegedly fleecing the Holy See of millions of dollars in fees, commissions, and bad investments. Becciu, the lone cardinal on trial, is accused of embezzlement, abuse of office, and witness tampering, all of which he denies. (Much more here on Becciu's testimony.)
(Newser)  Ukrainian fighters battling Russian forces in the tunnels beneath Mariupols immense steel plant refused to surrender in the face of relentless attacks, with the wife of one commander saying they had vowed to "stand till the end." The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold of the strategic port city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a battlefield triumphor announce an escalation of the warin time for Victory Day on Monday, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, the AP reports.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, are holed up in a maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks. A few hundred civilians are also believed to be trapped there. The Ukrainian military said Friday the Russians, with aviation support, had resumed assault operations to take control of the sprawling plant. There are many wounded (fighters), but they are not surrendering," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address Thursday. "They are holding their positions." Zelensky added: "Just imagine this hell! And there are children there. More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death."

The Russians managed to get inside the plant Wednesday with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraines Internal Affairs Ministry. "He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory." More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks last weekend, but Ukrainian forces accused the Russians of opening fire during another attempt to evacuate civilians Friday, the BBC reports. In an intelligence update Friday, Britain's defense ministry said Russia has stepped up the offensive because of "Putins desire to have a symbolic success in Ukraine" by Monday.

(Read more Mariupol stories.)
(Newser)  In the mountains north of Santa Fe, NM, residents are known for being able to tough things out. Which helps explain why thousands are now refusing to flee in Mora and San Miguel counties, where the nation's largest current wildfire is still raging, reports Reuters. It has scorched more than 165,000 acres and destroyed 160-plus homes, and locals who are sticking it out are placing themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. "I have no doubt that we have people without power who are on oxygen," New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said at a press conference. "I have no doubt we have individuals who are running out of food and water."

But those who live in the region have a history and culture that "stretches back longer than the United States has existed," reports the New York Times, making them reluctant to ditch their homes as the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire burns. The paper notes that a good number of the farmers and ranchers who are at the center of the megafire, which President Biden has declared a disaster, count Hispanic settlers and Native Americans as their ancestors, with a rich heritage that reaches back so far that some can't remember when their family arrived. "It's more than just your place or your personal belongings and your material things," Matthew Probst, a doctor who lives in the town of Ojitos Frios, tells Reuters. "This is your land, your soul connected to it generationally."

"These fires are burning down a way of life that's lasted hundreds of years," New Mexico state historian Rob Martinez tells the Times. Firefighters have been battling the blaze, the second-largest ever in New Mexico, for more than a month, and it was only about 20% contained as of Friday morning, per CNN. State Rep. Roger Montoya is among those trying to help evacuees as they wait out the inferno, assisting with lodging and meals. "It's apocalyptic to see this beautiful place burning," he tells KRQE. Those who've been displaced agree, lamenting their situation from hotels and other temporary accommodations. "Mora means everything to me," one local says. "I've lived there all my life. It's heartbreaking." (Read more New Mexico stories.)
(Newser)  Four years ago, an art collector picked up an old stone bust at a Texas thrift shop for less than $40. It was money well spent: The sculpture has been confirmed to be an artifact straight out of ancient Rome. KHOU reports that Laura Young stumbled upon the bust, nestled under a table, while browsing the wares of a Goodwill store in Austin in 2018. She paid $34.99 for it, though she suspected it might be worth more than that. For years, Young conferred with auction houses and art history experts from the University of Texas at Austin, trying to determine the sculpture's provenance, reports USA Today. Then, eurekaa Sotheby's consultant informed Young it was an ancient Roman bust dating to somewhere between the late first century BC and the early first century AD.

The bust has a most "peculiar backstory," as CBS News puts it. Per the San Antonio Museum of Art, the sculpture had originally been under the ownership of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and was housed in Aschaffenburg, Germany, at the Pompejanum, a full-scale replica of a villa from Pompeii. Experts believe the bust was modeled after a son of Pompey the Great, whom Julius Caesar vanquished in a civil war. The king died in 1868, but the sculpture stayed putuntil World War II, when the Pompejanum was bombed by Allied forces and the bust disappeared.

It's not clear how it made its way to the States, though the museum speculates that a US soldier stationed overseas brought it home, as multiple military bases run by the US Army existed in Aschaffenburg after the war. Young says she experienced a few months of "intense excitement" after she realized what she'd gotten her hands on. But that emotion soon turned "bittersweet," as she knew her time with the bust could only be temporary (and that she wasn't going to get paid for the artifact). "Either way, Im glad I got to be a small part of [its] long and complicated history, and he looked great in the house while I had him," she tells KHOU. The bust will eventually head home to Germany, but it's on display at SAMA for the next year. (Read more discoveries stories.)
(Newser)  After more than half a ton of cocaine was found among a shipment of coffee beans at a Nespresso plant, the company reassured customers that its coffee pods would not provide a bigger jolt than customers were used to. "The substance in question did not come into contact with any of our products or production equipment used to make our products," the company said in a statement, per Reuters. "We want to reassure consumers that all our products are safe to consume." Workers at the Romont, Switzerland, plant alerted authorities after finding the drug while unloading sacks of beans, the BBC reports.

A "large-scale security perimeter" was set up around the plant during the investigation, police said in a statement. Police said they recovered cocaine from the shipment and they later found more in five shipping containers from Brazil. Investigators said more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine was recovered. The drug was more than 80% pure, with a street value of around $50 million, police said. Marc Andrey, head of security for the Fribourg region, described the find as an "extraordinary catch." (Last year, customs officers in the US intercepted a shipment of cocaine-coated corn flakes.)
(Newser)  In June, the United Kingdom will celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, a commemoration of her status as the only British monarch ever to have put in 70 years on the throne. And there will be four very special guests in attendance: Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle, and their two children, 3-year-old Archie and 11-month-old Lilibet, the latter of whom the queen will meet for the first time, reports CNN. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honored to attend the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children," a spokesperson for the pair tells the news outlet.

But while Harry, Meghan, and their kids are sure to get some face time with the 96-year-old royal matriarch during the event that runs June 2 through June 5, they won't be perched up high with her on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Color parade, as is the custom. Instead, there will be a more "slimmed down" entourage, per Town & Country: Harry's brother, William, and his family will be standing next to the queen, as will Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, and two of Charles' siblings, Edward and Anne. But Harry and Meghan, as well as Prince Charles' other brother, Andrew, will be watching from elsewhere, as only royals carrying out royal duties are getting balcony privileges, which was decided after "careful consideration," a royal spokesperson notes.

The Sussexes gave up their royal status (and hence the accompanying duties) in 2020 when they ditched Britain for the United States, and Andrew had his HRH title and royal duties yanked due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal he's wrapped up in. None of this necessarily means there's still unbearable tension among some of the royals, especially between Harry and William. After all, Harry and Meghan's firstborn, Archie, turned 3 on Friday, and the tot's extended family flooded online to send him well wishes, rift or no rift, per People. "Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday!" the queen's official Twitter account gushed. William and his wife, Kate Middleton, also posted their own birthday greetings, writing, "Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today." (Read more Prince Harry stories.)
(Newser)  Andrew Wilhoite won his primary this week for one of three open seats on the Clinton Township Board in Indiana. But as the Indianapolis Star reports, Wilhoite did so while jailed on charges that he murdered his wife in March. Prosecutors say the 40-year-old confessed to killing Nikki Wilhoite, 41, by throwing a large flower pot at her head during an argument. Nikki Wilhoite, who'd just completed her last chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, had filed for divorce the previous week, reports the Lebanon Reporter. Police also say she learned her husband was cheating on her.

Andrew Wilhoite told investigators that after his wife fell to the ground unconscious, he placed her into his truck and dumped her over a bridge into a nearby creek, according to the Indiana State Police. "Andrew was asked if Elizabeth was still breathing, and Andrew stated he didn't know because he didn't check," according to an affidavit quoted in the Reporter. She was reported missing when she didn't show up for work on March 25, and her body was found the following day.

In Tuesday's primary, Andrew Wilhoite received 60 votes on the GOP ballot, behind two other candidates. Only three people ran, meaning all of them won. No candidates ran on the Democratic line. Wilhoite's murder trial is to begin in August, and he'll be taken off the November ballot if convicted before then. If he's convicted after the November election, he won't be able to serve. It was, however, perfectly legal for him to run in the primary because he's only facing charges at this point. Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty, says Brad King of the Indiana Election Division. (Read more Indiana stories.)
(Newser)  Update: Rescuers were still searching Sunday for survivors of an explosion at a Havana hotel, which officials said killed more than 30 people. Cuban state TV said survivors could be trapped in the basement of the Hotel Saratoga, which blew up Friday. State media reported that 32 people had been killed, while the president's office said the death toll was 26, CNN reports. The office said a gas leak appears to be to blame. "Everything indicates that the explosion was caused by an accident," an official tweet said. Our original story from Friday follows:

A powerful explosion apparently caused by a natural gas leak Friday killed eight people and injured at least 40 when it blew away outer walls from a five-star hotel in the heart of Cuba's capital. No tourists were staying at the 96-room Hotel Saratoga because it was undergoing renovations, Havana Gov. Reinaldo Garcia Zapata told the Communist Party newspaper Granma, the AP reports. "It has not been a bomb or an attack. It is a tragic accident," President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who visited the site, said in a tweet.

Cuba's national health minister, Jose Angel Portal, told the AP that hospitals had received about 40 injured people, but estimated that the number could rise as the search continues for people who may be trapped between the debris of the 19th-century structure in the Old Havana neighborhood of the city. Granma reported that local officials said 13 people were missing. An elementary school next to the hotel was evacuated and local news media said no children were hurt. Police cordoned off the area as firefighters and rescue workers toiled inside the wreckage of the hotel, which is about 110 yards from Cuba's Capitol building. The hotel has been used frequently by visiting VIPs and political figures.

Photographer Michel Figueroa said he was walking past the hotel when "the explosion threw me to the ground, and my head still hurts. ... Everything was very fast." Yazira de la Caridad said the explosion shook her home a block from the hotel: "The whole building moved. I thought it was an earthquake." She added, "I've still got my heart in my hand." Mayiee Perez said she rushed to the hotel after receiving a call from her husband, Daniel Serra, who works at a foreign exchange shop inside the hotel. She said he told her: "I am fine, I am fine. They got us out." But she was unable to reach him after that.

(Read more Havana stories.)
We use cookies. By Clicking "OK" or any content on this site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Read more in our privacy policy
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Cloudy with rain and snow early changing to all rain and becoming intermittent late. High 44F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 28F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Japanese pharmaceutical and medical material makers are expanding domestic output of ingredients and production materials for vaccines in response to a creeping shortage of supplies globally.

Western manufacturers control nearly the entire market for vaccine active ingredients and production materials. When it comes to vaccine production, "Japan is dependent on Western makers," said Osamu Nagayama, who serves as president of the Japan Bioindustry Association and honorary chairman of Chugai Pharmaceutical.

Rising demand for COVID vaccines is expected to tighten supplies of related materials for some time. Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical is manufacturing a vaccine developed by U.S.-based Novavax. Shionogi & Co. and Daiichi Sankyo, also of Japan, are independently developing their own vaccine candidates. But without a stable supply of ingredients, domestic production may be disrupted.

Takara Bio, the country's largest producer of reagents, will manufacture and sell a reagent for messenger RNA vaccines. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines use mRNA.

Japan mainly imports these reagents, such as the ones made by U.S. company Thermo Fisher Scientific. But supplies reportedly have become scarce amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Takara Bio will make the mRNA reagent in Kusatsu, a city near Kyoto, and the company looks to put various reagents on the market this fall.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NEW FAIRFIELD  A Meeting House Hill School administrator has been selected to serve as head principal of both Meeting House and the incoming Consolidated Early Learning Academy starting next fall.

Allyson Story said shes honored and humbled to be selected for the recently-formed position and looking forward to bringing Meeting House and Consolidated together to work on one campus as two schools and helping them grow.

The head campus principal position was created after the district decided to shake up the leadership structure of New Fairfields two elementary schools ahead of the Consolidated Early Learning Academy building projects completion.

The Consolidated Early Learning Academy is a roughly 44,000-square-foot addition to Meeting House School for preschool through second graders that will replace the current Consolidated School. Its on track to be completed by the start of next school year.

Although Consolidated and Meeting House will operate as two separate entities, the district has decided to have one head campus principal and three supporting administrators lead both schools instead of one principal and assistant principal for each.

The new leadership structure was proposed following community conversations about combining Consolidated and Meeting House into one school  an idea that emerged during a school board budget workshop in January and received backlash from concerned community members.

One resident  whose Change.org petition against a merger has garnered more than 280 signatures  noted that taxpayers approved the $29.2 million Consolidated Early Learning Academy project in October 2019 with the understanding Meeting House Hill would operate as a separate school.

The school board decided to seek public input on the possible merger and held stakeholder listening sessions to get feedback and aid the district in developing a transition plan that would best serve students and make parents and staff comfortable.

After weighing the pros and cons presented during the sessions, Superintendent Pat Cosentino concluded that maintaining separate identities while allowing for a natural process to merge them into one school over time would be important and developed the new leadership structure for the two schools.

Cosentino said the new leadership structure is designed to work both now and in the future, while facilitating smooth operations on the campus.

Although were trying to keep the identity of two schools  its still one building, she said, noting the importance of having someone in charge (of) things like dismissal, buses and scheduling in a building with shared spaces.

With Story tapped to be the head campus principal of Consolidated and Meeting House, work is underway to fill the three supporting administrator positions by the start of next school year.

Storys educational career started 20 years ago, following her graduation from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

After working as a student-teacher and long-term substitute in Massachusetts, Story said she came to Connecticut to work as a third grade teacher at Wiltons Cider Mill School.

After 13 years at Cider Mill  during which she also worked as a math instructional leader and team leader  Story said took a job as a K-5 math specialist at Ridgefields Farmingville Elementary School in 2015.

Two years later, she joined New Fairfield Public Schools as an assistant principal at Meeting House.

Cosentino said Story is a good fit for the head campus principal position because shes not only a strong instructional leader, but shes prepared a comprehensive entry plan that will allow her to build strong relationships with staff, students and the community.

I am confident that Allyson will be an approachable leader who is supportive and kind and who puts children first, she said.

Being selected to serve as Meeting House and Consolidateds head campus principal is a dream come true.

Ive always had a dream of building my own school and being able to work with a community of educators who really want to work with students and do whats right for them, and this is my chance to do that, she said.

Story said shes excited to not only grow the relationships she already has with Meeting House students, staff and families, but develop strong ones with those of the Consolidated community.

To me, relationships are the key, she said. Its important for everybody to feel part of the community and valued.
The state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is investigating an incident involving an employee who allegedly sent an internal email containing a derogatory term and the word Jews in the subject line, officials said Friday.

An executive assistant sent the email Wednesday to the agencys equal opportunities officer and a state police colonel to discuss an upcoming interview with a job candidate, said Brian Foley, spokesperson for DESPP Commissioner James Rovella.

Foley said the body of the email was entirely related to the interview, but the subject line contained a derogatory term and the word Jews.

One of the recipients of the email notified the employee about the language, Foley said. When the employee realized what happened, the person immediately said it must have been an auto-correct and he meant to type interview, Foley said.

The employee apologized to the recipients, notified Rovella and requested an IT review to determine how the incident happened and how to prevent it in the future, Foley said.

Regardless of the source, we are aware of how painful and frightening these words can be, Foley said. As a result, and at the request of the employee who sent the email as well as the order of the commissioner, we have initiated an investigation.

Foley said the agency has also notified the Greater Hartford Jewish Federation and the American Defense League to make them aware of the incident and the investigation.

Hearst Connecticut Media Group has filed a public records request for the email and any documents pertaining to the investigation.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DANBURY  The owners of a Shell gas station are planning a $2.2 million upgrade that will feature an expanded convenience store and new pumps.

But to do so, the business needs the city to allow the owners to use almost 3,000 square feet of city-owned land on Old Sherman Turnpike for parking. Under the proposed license agreement, the owners of the 101 Newtown Road gas station would pay the city $1,000 a year for the property.

This is part of a series of upgrades at gas stations owned by CPD Properties in the area, said Tom Beecher, the attorney representing the owners. This includes the gas station near Interstate 84s Exit 5, he said.

Theyve been doing a program with many of their gas stations to give them face-lifts, improve them, he said.

The project calls for redeveloping the entire parcel with a new building, new plant and equipment, new site infrastructure, landscaping and lighting, Beecher wrote in a letter to the mayor. Two full-time and three part-time employees would be added with the expansion.

City Council has formed an ad hoc committee to consider the request for the city to negotiate the agreement.

Mayor Dean Esposito said he has no issues with the request, which has been reviewed by the public works and planning directors.

It's a pretty small piece of property that the city actually owns that will enable them to put more parking spots there in the enhancement of that property, he said.

Under the proposed agreement, the city would be able to terminate the license with 90 days written notice. However, Esposito cant imagine why the city would need to.

It's almost a useless piece of property to anybody but them, he said.

CPD Properties has operated the Shell station at the corner of Old Sherman Turnpike and Route 6 for 18 years.

This project would expand the convenience store, a Chestnut Market, by almost 4,700 square feet and add a canopied gas filling area with six new pumps.

The new exterior design and site aesthetics will nicely complement the much newer looking commercial properties surrounding this parcel, Beecher wrote.

City zoning regulations require additional parking for this kind of expansion. The Planning Commission must also approve the project.

The property owners already have reached a lease agreement with Connecticut to use state-owned land off of Newtown Road for parking and two driveway accesses into the property, Beecher said. He wasnt sure of the size of the state property or how many parking spaces that would create.

But the business could add seven parking spaces with almost 2,860-square-feet of city land alongside Old Sherman Turnpike, according to the letter.

Only parking spaces will be placed on city land, Beecher wrote. No other infrastructure above or below-ground will be added to the city property.

The agreement the owners proposed would last 10 years and automatically renew every decade unless terminated. Any new fees would be determined at the beginning of the renewal period, according to Beechers letter.

He said the proposed license agreement is almost exactly like one approved by the city for property at 34 Mill Plain Road. City Council approved Danbury to enter an agreement with Alpha Professional Building, LLC in September 2019 after the owner realized some existing parking spaces were on city property, according to meeting minutes.

Assuming the city licenses the space, the business would need to meet with the land use department for a preliminary meeting and file a proposal with the Planning Commission, Beecher said.

So were a few months away, depending on what the City Council decides to do, he said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DANBURY  The teen arrested for his alleged involvement in the fight that led to a shooting at the Danbury Fair Mall last summer has pleaded guilty to one of six charges brought against him.

Derek Sotelo, 19, has pleaded guilty to the class D felony charge of attempt to commit second-degree assault stemming from the August 2021 incident that resulted in a girl getting shot and a more-than-hour-long lockdown of the mall.

Danbury police responded to a report of shots fired at the mall around 7 p.m. Aug. 11, and found the 15-year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the left side of her throat.

She was transported to Danbury Hospital with a fractured vertebrae and later transported to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford for further treatment, according to police.

The shooting stemmed from a fight at the mall carnival two months prior, during which Sotelo was allegedly jumped by a group of juveniles, according to the warrant for his arrest.

Police said the 14-year-old boy accused of firing the shot that wounded the 15-year-old girl and subsequently charged with first-degree assault is believed to have been one of the juveniles who attacked Sotelo at the carnival.

A witness who was at the mall with Sotelo and the 15-year-old girl Aug. 11, told police a group  identified as the Ridge Kids  started yelling and clapping at them and Sotelo recognized the group as those who had jumped him at the carnival.

According to police, Sotelo grabbed a hammer from a car parked outside and was joined by four friends before walking back into the mall through Macys.

Danbury police said surveillance footage showed the 14-year-old accused shooter sitting alone on a chair inside the mall near Macys and Sotelo taking a seat on a nearby couch.

They were joined a short time later by their respective groups and things (got) heated after someone allegedly asked the Ridge Kids if they had a problem with her friends, according to the warrant for Sotelos arrest.

Police said video footage showed the 14-year-old boy getting up from his chair and back pedaling toward Jennys Spa before pulling a gun from his waistband and firing at least one shot, striking the 15-year-old girl.

Sotelo allegedly lunged toward the shooter with a hammer in his right hand, according to the warrant for his arrest, and the suspected shooter ran away in the opposite direction of Macys.

Police said Sotelo then ran back into Macys and out of the exit before discarding the hammer in the parking lot.

In addition to criminal attempt to commit second-degree assault, Sotelo is also facing first-degree reckless endangerment, inciting a riot, inciting injury to a person, risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace charges.

He remains held on a $150,000 court-set bond and has a disposition hearing scheduled for July 28, at state Superior Court in Danbury.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Forty years after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right to a public education for all students regardless of legal status, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says that decision is another longstanding precedent worth challenging.

The Republican is raising the idea of Texas mounting a renewed challenge over school funding for children living in the U.S. without legal authorization. It comes as the Supreme Courts conservative majority appears ready to overturn another decades-old ruling, Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the right to an abortion nearly 50 years ago.

The comments by Abbott, who is running for a third term in November and has elevated his national profile over the past year through hardline immigration measures, drew swift criticism from immigration rights groups and the White House.

Heres what to know:

WHAT WOULD TEXAS CHALLENGE?

The requirement that public schools teach all children was affirmed by a 1982 ruling in a case known as Plyler v. Doe. The 5-4 decision struck down a Texas law that sought to deny enrollment to any student not legally admitted" into the country.

The ruling held that the Texas law violated the Constitutions Equal Protection Clause. It is considered by legal experts to be a landmark case over public education.

Advocates for strict immigration limits have previously sought ways to weaken the decision. One of the more prominent tests came when California voters in 1994 approved Proposition 187, which prohibited immigrants in the country without legal authorization from receiving public health care, education or other social services. The law was overturned.

What the court recognized in Plyler is that youre creating a shadow population," said Geoffrey Hoffman, director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Houston Law Center. In other words, these children, therell be repercussions throughout their lives if they dont get an education."

WHAT DID ABBOTT SAY?

Texas Republicans have moved increasingly to the right during Abbotts seven years in office, particularly over immigration and border security, which Abbott has made the cornerstone of his administration.

One law Abbott signed in 2017 lets police ask during routine stops whether someone is in the U.S. legally. More recently, Abbott has spent billions of dollars on a sweeping border security mission called Operation Lone Star, which has resulted in state troopers arresting migrants on trespassing charges and thousands of National Guard members stationed on the border.

On Wednesday, a conservative talk radio host asked Abbott what he could do about the costs of educating children living in the U.S. without legal authorization, describing it as a burden on local districts. It is unclear how many such students there are or the costs, as Texas does not track citizenship in classrooms.

Abbott pointed to the Plyler decision in his answer.

I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again," Abbott said. Because the expenses are extraordinary and the times are different than when Plyler v. Doe was issued many decades ago."

Asked again about it Thursday, Abbott said the crux of the argument would be that the federal government should foot the bill amid the high numbers of migrant crossings.

Hoffman said Texas made those same economic arguments in the Plyler case and was rejected by the court.

WHATS BEEN THE RESPONSE?

Immigration rights advocates, Democrats and the White House bristled at Abbotts remarks.

One of the groups behind the Plyler case, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said Abbott was trying to inflict harm the court sought to avoid decades ago. Democrat Beto ORourke, the former presidential candidate who is running against Abbott in November, accused the governor of being against providing public education to all the children of the state of Texas."

WHATS NEXT?

Abbott gave no timeline of when or how Texas might bring a new challenge. Any new law drafted by Republicans would have to wait until 2023, when the state Legislature returns.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A man charged in an attack on comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl pleaded not guilty Friday to four misdemeanors.

Isaiah Lee, 23, entered the not guilty pleas in a Los Angeles courtroom to charges of battery, possessing a deadly weapon with intent to assault unlawfully crossing from a spectator area onto a stage at a theatrical event and interfering with or delaying such an event with unlawful conduct.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Terrell Osborne knows well what happens when urban renewal comes to communities of color.

As a child growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, in the 1950s and 1960s, huge swaths of his neighborhood of Lippitt Hill, a center of Black life at the foot of the stately homes of the citys elite East Side, were taken by eminent domain for redevelopment projects.

Hundreds of Black families and dozens of minority small businesses across some 30 acres were bulldozed. In their place rose an apartment complex catering to downtown workers and students and faculty at nearby Brown University, as well as a shopping plaza now anchored by a Whole Foods and a Starbucks.

Meanwhile, Black families like the Osbornes were scattered across the city and never compensated.

We had stores. People owned things. Money was circulating around, said Osborne, who now lives on Providences South Side. There was a whole community there, and they just took that neighborhood and we never got anything for it. Not even as much as a thank you.

As Providence gears up to provide reparations to Black residents for centuries of injustices, city officials are looking beyond the city's leading role in the Colonial transatlantic slave trade.

Theyre looking to atone, at least initially, for what happened during urban renewal efforts of the late 20th century, a period that saw Black and Native American communities such as Lippitt Hill razed to make way for new residential and business developments that paved the way for the city's modern economy, anchored around its universities and hospitals.

The approach builds off the blueprint in Evanston, a Chicago suburb that became the first in the nation to begin paying reparations last year with a program providing Black residents grants for mortgage payments and home repairs, in acknowledgement of the historic discrimination Black people endured when trying to buy homes.

By making progress on such modern day wrongs, communities can hopefully start to overcome longstanding resistance to reparations, says Justin Hansford, a professor at Howard Universitys law school who spearheads the African American Redress Network, which tracks reparations efforts nationwide.

Local cities and towns, college and even states are increasingly taking up reparations as efforts at the federal level have gone nowhere. Harvard University announced last week itll spend $100 million to atone for its slave ties while California is pioneering a statewide task force on reparations.

We know its a losing conversation to talk about slavery in the 1600s, said Raymond Two Hawks Watson, a member of Providences recently formed reparations commission whose family has long lived in the Lippitt Hill area. But we also know we dont have to go that far back. We know what happened with urban renewal and we can see whats happening with gentrification. Were able to show this is just a continuation of whats been going on for centuries.

Providences efforts also notably look to use some $15 million in federal COVID-19 funds to jump-start reparations work, something other city leaders have pursued recently.

In Athens, Georgia, Mayor Kelly Girtz says his proposed budget calls for using pandemic relief money to establish a housing fund for Black residents akin to Evanstons. Athens, like Providence, seeks to atone for the razing of the Black neighborhood of Linnentown to make way for University of Georgia dormitories and parking lots in the 1960s.

In Providence, centuries of discrimination have left communities of color far poorer than white enclaves: Median household income on the affluent, largely white East Side is nearly $180,000 a year, compared to nearly $19,000 in the citys predominantly Black and Latino South Side.

On Lippitt Hill, families werent compensated but instead offered priority in claiming a unit in the new residential development, which became known as University Heights, says Osborne. But the modern apartments were financially out of reach for most.

Cheryl Taylor, whose family was forced to move and shutter their repair business on Lippitt Hill to make way for another development, hopes the reparations process can help Black residents purchase their own homes. The few like her who remain living nearby are renters in an increasingly unaffordable part of town.

Theyre all white. I dont know these people, Taylor says of the neighborhoods newer residents.

Looking back, Osborne wonders if the destruction of his old neighborhood was an effort to dilute the growing power of the citys Black community.

Osbornes family was among a number of working class but upwardly mobile Black households on the hillside that separates the East Side from downtown.

His grandfather, Clarence Legs Osborne, was a trumpeter who played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington and other famous Black musical acts. His uncle, Jeffrey Osborne, went on to become a Grammy-nominated R&B singer with a string of hits in the 1980s, including On the Wings of Love.

Osborne, who heads a Providence organization that provides musical opportunities to youths, says hed like to see the city establish a college scholarship fund or programs to help Black residents build equity, rather than making direct payouts to impacted families like his.

The question with reparations is always where do you start. Why not start with something thats tangible? he said. Were here. Were not buried in the past, and we know something should have happened then. Maybe now is the time.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Jordan Cohen, George Mason University

(THE CONVERSATION) Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many of the worlds nations have sought to support Ukrainians by sending weapons. Even before that, though, many countries were offering limited help as a result of the Russian takeover of Crimea, in southern Ukraine, in 2014.

The United States has given more than US$3 billion in military aid and has sold an additional $165 million worth of weapons to the country. New legislation suggests that this number will continue to rise, both through a streamlined process of lending or leasing equipment to Ukraine and an additional $20 billion in military aid Biden has asked Congress to approve.

As an arms trade researcher and a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, I have observed that some countries have supplied items like tanks and helicopters. These help Ukraine prevent Russia from capturing and holding Ukrainian territory. But they are not the majority of weapons transfers. The four main categories of weapons that the West has sent Ukraine are basic guns and ammunition, missiles, attack drones and artillery.

Firearms

Guns and ammunition make up a large amount of the transferred weapons. The U.S. has sent Ukraine over 50 million rounds of ammunition for handguns, rifles and artillery. Canada, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia have also supplied ammunition.

The usefulness of guns and ammunition is fairly straightforward: Without them, Ukrainian soldiers  and the civilians who have joined them  cannot defend themselves. This equipment is also simple to learn how to use, and relatively small and lightweight, making it easy to ship large amounts from one country to another.

Missiles

Countries have provided Ukraine with anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, most notably the anti-tank Javelin. To date, the U.S. has provided more than 7,000 Javelins to Ukraine, and Ukrainian troops are reportedly finding them effective against Russian tanks.

Anti-tank missiles like the Javelin are easy to use, with military experts claiming it takes only 30 minutes to learn. Moreover, once fired, the Javelin requires no input from the gunner. This means that the user can fire the weapon and then flee combat without needing to steer the missile to its target.

The U.S. is currently shipping more Javelins to Ukraine than it can easily replace, so the U.S. supply may soon dwindle.

In addition, other countries are sending anti-aircraft missiles and missile systems to Ukraine. Stinger missiles are the anti-aircraft equivalent of the Javelin anti-tank weapon, light enough for one person to carry and fire, with no steering needed after firing. They can hit targets a maximum of only about 5 miles away.

German-made Gepard air-defense tanks are fast-moving armored anti-aircraft vehicles that can hit aircraft as far away as 10 miles.

The S-300 launching system, originally developed for the Soviet Union but now also used in Asia and by Slovakia and Slovenia, among other eastern European nations, is being transferred by Slovakia to Ukraine. It has a range of nearly 125 miles.

The S-300s and the Gepards are better than Stingers at fighting Russian drones, which Russia is using to fire bombs and missiles at distant targets in Ukraine.

Transfers of anti-ship missiles by the United Kingdom to Ukraine aim to prevent Russia from blockading Ukraines Black Sea ports.

Attack drones

Ukraine is using so-called attack drones made by the U.S. and Turkey to destroy Russian tanks and artillery. These weapons tend to be small  for example, the Switchblade drone that the U.S. is sending is 2 feet long and weighs 6 pounds. They range in capabilities but can destroy Russian tanks and artillery emplacements. Additionally, they were used to distract Russian missile defenses as decoys when attacking Russian ships.

[Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.]

The U.S. is considering sending more advanced drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper, which is twice as fast as the drones Ukraine is using now. The Reaper is also able to be controlled from more than 1,000 miles away  unlike the smaller drones, which need a controller to be within about 100 miles. There are concerns about whether international law might limit U.S. shipments of Reapers to Ukraine  and whether it would further entangle NATO in the war.

Artillery

Finally, countries have also recently begun sending Ukraine artillery, or large-caliber guns used for land warfare. The reason for sending these more advanced systems is that Russia is trying to use long-range shelling to drive back most of Ukraines forces and only then send in ground troops and tanks to secure the land, according to one analysis.

In this situation, artillery, while requiring more advanced training and more than one person to operate, has greater range than traditional ammunition and can help Ukraine continue to wear down the Russian forces, who still outnumber them.

The international military support for Ukraine is preventing Russia from holding land and establishing air superiority. If this continues, Russia will need to figure out a different way to wage war, one in which it can take and hold Ukrainian territory.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/ukraine-receives-weapons-support-from-around-the-world-182266.
WINNIPEG, MB, May 6, 2022 /CNW/ - Many Canadians struggle with mental health issues, but certain people in Canada face disproportionate challenges when it comes to mental health because of racism, discrimination, socio-economic status or social exclusion. The Government of Canada remains committed to promoting positive mental health for everyone, recognizing how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental health and substance use of many people in Canada.

Today, during Mental Health Week, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced an investment of $12.2 million for 10 projects across Canada to promote mental health and wellbeing in our communities.

The funding is being provided through the Government of Canada's Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF). The MHP-IF supports community-based programs in mental health promotion to increase health equity and address the underlying determinants of health. It also supports the development and implementation of culturally focused mental health programs for the mental health of refugees and new Canadians, First Nations, Inuit and Metis, 2SLGBTQI+ and youth and families.

Promoting mental health results in individual and population health benefits, including improved physical health, faster recovery from illness, healthier behaviours, higher levels of education and employment combined with a reduction of health inequities.

Quotes

"The past two years have been especially challenging for all of us. The Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund supports community-led solutions to promote mental health and address the root causes of poor mental health and mental illness, especially for Indigenous youth. Our government will continue to support projects with a holistic approach to healing by supporting individuals, families and communities."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health



"In these very difficult times (war, COVID, etc.), we are honoured to support refugee and newcomer children, youth and their parents. The funding from PHAC provides the necessary tools and supports around their mental health to enhance their opportunity to integrate into Canadian society."

Margaret von Lau

Chief Executive Officer, Newcomers Employment and Education Development Services (N.E.E.D.S.) Inc.



Quick Facts

One in three Canadians will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime.

Community-based projects focussed on mental health promotion have the potential to improve health outcomes over the life course.

Promoting mental health has several individual and population health benefits, including improved physical health, faster recovery from illness, healthier behaviours, higher educational achievement and increased employability combined with a reduction of health inequities.

Funding announced today has been distributed through the Public Health Agency of Canada's Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF). More information on the projects can be found here.

Mental Health Promotion Innovation Fund (MHP-IF). More information on the projects can be found here. Through the MHP-IF, the Government of Canada is investing $46.3 million from 2019-2029 to promote mental health among children, youth, and their caregivers.

is investing from 2019-2029 to promote mental health among children, youth, and their caregivers. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting people in Canada with their mental health through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. If you or a loved one is struggling, you can access the Wellness Together Canada portal, or call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 (adults) or 686868 (youth). The Wellness Together Canada portal provides free access to educational content, self-guided therapy, moderated peer-to-peer support, and one-to-one counselling with qualified health professionals.

Related Products

Associated Links

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

For further information: Maja Staka, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, Carolyn Bennett, 343-552-5568; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709; COVID-19 public enquiries: 1-833-784-4397
PRINCE ALBERT, SK, May 6, 2022 /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan today announced the grand opening of 14 affordable rental homes for persons with disabilities in Prince Albert.

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Alana Ross, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Prince Albert Northcote, on behalf of the Honourable Lori Carr, Minister of Social Services and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, joined representatives from Prince Albert Community Housing Society Inc. (PACHSI) to officially welcome tenants into their new homes that support their independence in the community.

The units are located at 861 River Street West in Prince Albert and include eight one-bedroom units, of which two are accessible, and six two-bedroom units, of which one is accessible. A peer support worker from PACHSI is available onsite to provide supports for tenants.

This project was made possible in part by a total federal investment of $2.1 million by the Government of Canada through the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) Agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan and the National Housing Strategy's (NHS) National Housing Co-Investment Fund.

The federal Budget 2022 proposes to advance $2.9 billion in funding, on a cash basis, under the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, so that all remaining funds from this program will be spent by 2025-26, accelerating the creation of up to 4,300 new units and the repair of up to 17,800 units for Canadians who need them most.

Quotes:

"Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Through our government's National Housing Strategy, our government is working hard to improve the living conditions for persons with disabilities here in Prince Albert and across the country. Brand new, safe and affordable homes like these are a foundation for good health and prosperity, and I know they will make a big difference for over a dozen families. This is the National Housing Strategy at work."  The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

"The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to support this project, alongside our federal and community partners, that allows people with disabilities to live independently in our community. Our government will continue to work with the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors to meet our commitment to improve housing affordability and better support people and families in greatest housing need."  Alana Ross, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Prince Albert Northcote

"Without the contributions from CMHC, PMHC, SHC and the City of Prince Albert it would not have been possible to construct this beautiful building by the North Saskatchewan River and keep the rents affordable. This project is a great example of how collaborating with different levels of Government can work to provide a safe, secure home for those most in need. The building was designed for our clients with a physical, mental or cognitive disability or acquired brain injury. The suites were completely occupied within two months of turnover from the contractor, showing the tremendous need in Prince Albert for units such as these."  Linda Boyer, Manager of PACSHI

"I am pleased to see that seniors and persons with disabilities will have access to these beautiful and affordable housing units in Prince Albert. Everyone in our community benefits from affordable housing, but for the tenants, it directly improves quality of life and provides opportunity to maintain financial stability. Thank you to all the partners for making this affordable housing project a reality."  His Worship Greg Dionne, Mayor of Prince Albert

Quick facts:

The total capital cost of the project is $3.3 million and was made available through the five-year cost-sharing Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) 2014-2019 Agreement with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). All funding provided under the IAH is cost-shared 50/50 by the federal and provincial governments across a broad spectrum of programs.

and was made available through the five-year cost-sharing with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). All funding provided under the IAH is cost-shared 50/50 by the federal and provincial governments across a broad spectrum of programs. In 2019, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada entered into an agreement through the National Housing Strategy. The Canada-Saskatchewan Bilateral Agreement will invest $449.9 million over 10 years, which is cost matched by the federal and provincial governments.

and the Government of entered into an agreement through the National Housing Strategy. The Canada-Saskatchewan Bilateral Agreement will invest over 10 years, which is cost matched by the federal and provincial governments. PACHSI is a non-profit corporation operating in Prince Albert since 1977, with a total housing portfolio of approximately 400 units. PACHSI will provide support for tenants of these rental units through a peer support worker and by referral from non-profit organizations including Canadian Mental Health Association-Prince Albert Branch , the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Our House, Native Co-ordinating Council, Metis Local and other organizations as required.

since 1977, with a total housing portfolio of approximately 400 units. PACHSI will provide support for tenants of these rental units through a peer support worker and by referral from non-profit organizations including Canadian Mental Health Association-Prince , the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Our House, Native Co-ordinating Council, Metis Local and other organizations as required. With a budget of $13.2 billion , the NHCF gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans and young adults.

, the NHCF gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans and young adults. Through the NHCF, the Government of Canada will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes.

will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes. Under the NHCF, investments are also planned to create or repair at least 4,000 shelter spaces for victims of family violence, as well as create at least 7,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and 2,400 new affordable housing units for people with developmental disabilities.

Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $72+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.

Related links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, please visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

In October 2012 , the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the Government's vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020. The Plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested more than $806 million to develop or repair more than 18,000 housing units across our province. To learn more, visit www.saskatchewan.ca.

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

For further information: Arevig Afarian, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]; Leya Moore, Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services, 306-787-3610, [email protected]
The Day 2 Mobility team is extremely excited about being a part of OCR Canada and the Barcodes Group of Companies. Tweet this

As part of OCR, Day 2's current customers will continue to experience the benefits of a single point of contact with telecom carriers, the provision of strategic mobile consulting, policy development and best in class support levels. Additionally, tools for streamlined procurement processes will reduce time to provision, provide security assurance and policy management. Overall, providing enhanced visibility into usage for more predictable operating expenses and lower capital expenditures with reduced total costs of ownership.

"Our Day 2 Mobility team is extremely excited about being a part of OCR Canada and the Barcodes Group of Companies. We are very proud of the reputation and brand we have established in North America, and we like to sincerely thank our long-standing customers for their confidence and trust that enabled our team to build a quality and valued portfolio of professional and managed services. We strongly believe that our new partnership will enable our company to expand our reach and solution portfolio, while continuing to exceed our clients' expectations and deliver an excellent customer experience." said Larry Glugosh, President, and Founder of Day 2 Mobility Ltd.

Day 2 & OCR's now combined organizations will provide current and future customers with even more advanced capabilities including:

Telecom Expense Management (TEM) & Analytics - Proactively manage and optimize your carrier-based expenditures with in-depth expertise and solutions for complete control of mobile devices through-out their lifecycle.

Mobile Device Security, Control and Life-cycle Management: Reducing the burden on your IT teams with supports for upgrading and refreshing your devices and fleets, repairs kitting, staging, and decommissioning.

Bi-lingual End-User Help Desk Services Scalable levels and terms of services working with both end-users and business partners to identify, troubleshoot and solve service requests with unparalleled responsiveness from issue identification through resolution teams of managed service experts.

Helping customers maintain control of your telecom networks through rigorous SLA management.

"I'm happy to welcome the Day 2 mobile device sales and service team to the OCR family. The addition of the Day 2 sales and service teams across the country solidifies OCR as Canada's industry leading mobile device and service provider." said Lesley English, Chief Financial Officer, and VP of Operations of OCR Canada.

Daniel Nettesheim, President & CEO of Barcodes Group, the parent company of OCR Canada, stated, "We are excited to invest in Day 2 as the company's capabilities align with our strategy to offer leading enterprise mobility solutions that enable our customers to further modernize and elevate their worker and customer mobile experiences. Day2, as the name implies, excels at procuring, deploying and then fully supporting, from day two and onward, mission-critical mobility solutions including partners like Apple, Samsung, Panasonic, Zebra, and Honeywell. I'm honored to partner with Larry and his team to build an even stronger business together."

About OCR Canada: Headquartered in Markham, Ontario with offices across Canada, OCR Canada is a leading information technology solution provider of products and services to automate organizations and their processes. Founded in 1981, the Company provides end-to-end data capture, managed services, and Wi-Fi solutions to its customers in the manufacturing, transportation, logistics, construction, utilities, warehousing and distribution, healthcare, government, hospitality, and retail industries.

About Day 2 Mobility: Established in 2012, with a national presence and bi-lingual support, Day 2 is a market leader in professional services (staging, deployment, onsite training, onsite support services) and managed contractual support services for the consumer grade smartphone devices. Day 2 Mobility is a carrier agnostic company that works with all major networks in North America.

About Barcodes Group: The parent company of Barcodes, Inc., and OCR Canada, headquartered in Chicago, IL, with corporate offices across the Globe, is a leading information technology solution provider with more than a 25-year history of providing products and services to automate businesses. Barcodes has partnered with Odyssey Investment Partners to leverage their private equity capital and experience to drive strategic growth.

SOURCE OCR Canada Ltd.

For further information: Contact OCR Canada: Toll free: 800-853-7226, Phone: (905) 475-5505, Fax: (905) 475-0566, Web: www.ocr.ca/ Email: [email protected], Head Office: 25 Royal Crest Court, Suite 100, Markham, Ontario, L3R 9X4, Canada; Eastern Canada - Toll free: (877) 853-7226, Montreal, Quebec, Moncton, New Brunswick, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Western Canada - Toll free: (888) 853-7226, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia |Day 2: Toll Free: 888-778-5991
SAINT-FERREOL-LES-NEIGES, QC, May 6, 2022 /CNW/ - The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, on behalf of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, and the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Higher Education and Member of the National Assembly for Charlevoix-Cote-de-Beaupre, Ms. Emilie Foster, on behalf of the Minister of Culture and Communications, Ms. Nathalie Roy, are pleased to announce $871,500 in funding for the renovation and redevelopment of the Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges Aux Sources municipal library.

The project will refurbish and retrofit the building in order to triple the surface area of the library. Planned work includes interior redevelopment as well as the refurbishing of the roof and part of the exterior siding, the addition of a new entrance, including a marquee, and the replacement of windows. Users will benefit from a larger collection of books, and new spaces for programming, exhibits, and the promotion of cultural heritage. The library's modernization will add to the vitality of the community.

For this project, the Government of Canada is investing $435,750 through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). The Government of Quebec is also investing $435,750 through its Cultural Infrastructure Development Assistance Program (PADIC). Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges will contribute $373,500 to the project.

Quotes

"Investing in our infrastructure is not just about putting money into brick and mortar. It's about investing in the daily lives of our residents. It's also about giving even more people in our communities places to gather, express themselves, move around and benefit from rich experiences or simply safe infrastructure on which they can rely. We continue to deliver for Quebecers through investments that will make a real difference in their daily lives!"

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

"This is excellent news that meets the local need for modern and high quality cultural infrastructure. This investment of more than $400,000 is a direct contribution to the improvement of the quality of life for families in Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges. I am certain that citizens of all ages can benefit from these new upgrades."

Emilie Foster, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Higher Education and Member of the National Assembly for Charlevoix-Cote-de-Beaupre, on behalf of Nathalie Roy, Minister of Culture and Communications

"This investment from the federal and provincial levels of government is excellent news for the municipality of Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges. The expansion of our library, which we've been hoping to realize for several years, will meet our citizens' expressed needs. Once the construction is completed, I am delighted that our families, students and seniors will benefit from a richer experience."

Melanie Royer-Couture, Mayor of Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges

Quick facts

Under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), the federal government plans to invest over $7.5 billion in Quebec between 2018 and 2028 for projects focused on community, cultural and recreational infrastructure, green infrastructure, public transit, and infrastructure in rural and northern communities.

Infrastructure Program (ICIP), the federal government plans to invest over in between 2018 and 2028 for projects focused on community, cultural and recreational infrastructure, green infrastructure, public transit, and infrastructure in rural and northern communities. The Government of Quebec's Cultural Infrastructure Development Assistance Program (PADIC) comes under the ICIP and the Integrated Bilateral Agreement.

Cultural Infrastructure Development Assistance Program (PADIC) comes under the ICIP and the Integrated Bilateral Agreement. Quebec's Ministere de la Culture et des Communications is implementing the cultural infrastructure sub-stream of the ICIP, which has an envelope of $100 million : $50 million from the federal government and $50 million from Quebec , for improving the quality and accessibility of the province's cultural infrastructure.

Related links

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map

Federal investments in Quebec infrastructure projects

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan

Cultural Infrastructure Development Assistance Program (PADIC)

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

For further information: Jean-Sebastien Comeau, Press Secretary and Communications Advisor, Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, 343-574-8116, [email protected]; Maxime Roy, Director of Communications, Minister of Culture and Communications, 581-989-6037; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll-free: 1-877-250-7154, Email address: [email protected]; Media Relations, Ministere de la Culture et des Communications, [email protected], 418-380-2388
World Health Organization's (WHO) COVID excess mortality estimates, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr. Balram Bhargava claimed that the country has a systemic data pool and that it does not need to rely on "modelling, extrapolations, and press reports" to determine COVID-related death

Following the World Health Organizations (WHO) COVID excess mortality estimates, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr. Balram Bhargava claimed that the country has a systemic data pool and that it does not need to rely on modelling, extrapolations, and press reports to determine COVID-related death.

As per WHO reports, India has the maximum number of Covid-19 deaths.

Dr. Bhargava, on Thursday, stated, We didnt have a definition of death when COVID deaths occurred. Even the World Health Organization lacked one. Will it be COVID death if someone tests positive today and dies two weeks later? Will it be COVID death if the person dies after two or six months?

Adding more to this, he further explained that the criteria look at all the data and determine if the patient dies 30 days after testing positive. The reason behind this is that 95% of the deaths that happened after testing positive for COVID-19 occurred within the first four weeks.

To determine COVID deaths, DR Bhargava focused on systemic data rather than modelling activities.

We have enormous volumes of data. More than 97-98 percent of the 1.3 billion people have been vaccinated with the first dosage, and approximately 190 crore vaccine doses have been used, according to our data. So, everything is systematically gathered said DG ICMR.

According to new WHO estimates, the total death toll related directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021 was roughly 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million).

According to the WHO research, COVID-19 is likely to have killed over 4.7 million individuals in India.

Meanwhile, India has expressed strong opposition to the WHOs use of mathematical models to predict coronavirus excess death estimates, claiming that actual data is available.

The validity and robustness of the models utilized, as well as the technique of data gathering, are questioned, according to the Health Ministry in a statement.
Saroornagar police in Hyderabad detained two relatives of Ashrin Sulthana alias Pallavi in connection with the murder of Billipuram Nagaraju on Thursday

Saroornagar police in Hyderabad detained two relatives of Ashrin Sulthana alias Pallavi in connection with the murder of Billipuram Nagaraju on Thursday.

Syed Mobin Ahmed, Ashrin Sulthanas brother, and Mohammed Masood Ahmed have been named as the suspects.

According to the Saroornagar police, both of the accused were detained on Thursday and are being held in judicial custody before the Honble Court.

LB Nagars DCP stated that a case was filed under IPC Section 302 and the SC/ST Act. However, the police is supposed to file an application with a fast-track court so that the trial can be completed quickly and the defendants punished. Meanwhile, the family of the victim would receive monetary and employment advantages.

On Wednesday night, a newlywed couple riding a bike was attacked with an iron rod and stabbed, with the guy being killed on the spot in Panjala Anil Kumar Colony of Saroornagar, Hyderabad.

According to authorities, both the suspects acquired a resentment against the deceased since he married Syed Mobin Ahmeds sister.

For more than five years, Billipuram Nagaraju of the SC-Mala group and Ashrin Sulthana of the Muslim community were in love. They were high school classmates who attended the same high school and college. She is the accused Syed Mobin Ahmeds sister. Mobin had earlier warned his sister for not being in relations with the opposite caste boy.

However, on the 30th of January 2022, she left her house in IDPL Colony, Balanagar, leaving her mobile phone behind. Nagaraju and Ashrin Sulthana married the next day at Arya Samaj in Hyderabads Old City.

Ashrin Sulthana, the deceaseds wife, said, When the incident occurred, Syed Mobin Ahmed and five other persons were present. I just recognized my brother and had no idea who the other people were.

She further stated, At the signal, Nagaraju was beaten by five members. I pleaded with everyone to let us leave. Why did the general public show up now? Cant the world see that he was murdered in front of everyone? At the light, I asked for assistance. I would not have been sad if I had died. By covering Nagaraju, I attempted to save him. However, five other people were pulling me away from him, and others were assaulting him.

Despite the fact that Nagaraju was wearing a helmet, his skull was wounded.

Syed Mobin and Masood Ahmed were captured by ACP LB Nagar and his squad within hours, and the centering iron rod and knife used in the crime were seized.
Vicki Gunvalson, a former cast member of "The Real Housewives of Orange County;" Jill Zarin, a former cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City;" Caroline Manzo, a former cast member of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" (Photos: Courtesy of the Ridgefield Playhouse)

Vicki Gunvalson, a former cast member of "The Real Housewives of Orange County;" Jill Zarin, a former cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City;" Caroline Manzo, a former cast member of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" (Photos: Courtesy of the Ridgefield Playhouse)

Whoop it up, Surprise and Let me tell you something about my family. For true Bravo fans, no further explanation is needed. These quotes are the iconic words of three original (OG) Real Housewives.

In 2006, a network called Bravo opened the gates (literally) to a wealthy, exclusive neighborhood in Orange County, Calif. Inside those gates, five women allowed cameras into their homes to document their everyday lives. The result was The Real Housewives of Orange County, the pioneer show of what would become a pop culture phenomenon. One of those women was Vicki Gunvalson. Two years later, The Real Housewives of New York City aired, starring Jill Zarin as one of five cast members, and that was followed by The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which introduced Caroline Manzo.

On May 18, the three "OGs" and old friends will be reuniting at the Ridgefield Playhouse for An Evening with the Celebrity Housewives. Though none of the women are currently on their franchises anymore, they will hit the stage to spill gossip and catch up with their loyal fans. Years later, nothing makes me happier than talking about Housewives with the fans, said Zarin.

She and Gunvalson recently let the cameras back into their lives for season two of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, airing June 23 on Peacock (an NBC network). They spent a week in the Berkshires at the home of former Real Housewife of New York City," Dorinda Medley. We caught up with Zarin and Gunvalson ahead of their trip to Connecticut.

(Some responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Q. Have you ever been to Connecticut?

JZ: Im there all the time in Westport. I love the town, and Ive been going to Stew Leonards since my sister (Connecticut Probate Judge and radio host Lisa Wexler) moved there; its one of my favorite places to shop. My nephew and niece went to Staples. Ive been there for so many occasions. The Ridgefield Playhouse is iconic. Ive never been there, but my friend Luann (De Lesseps) just performed there.

VG: I have never been to Connecticut. I just went to Massachusetts for the first time to film at Dorindas house...I love traveling; tonight I get on a plane to Florida at midnight. For me, as long as Im on a plane seeing the world, Im a happy girl. Im excited to go to Connecticut and the east coast; it's so different from out here  different style, fashion, weather.

(Q. Will you be arriving in a little family van?)

That is so funny. I was just asking my children, what was my funniest thing on the show, and my daughter, Briana, said, The family van.

I hope not!

Q. Do you know the other women you will be on stage with?

JZ: I havent seen Caroline in 10 years, and Vicki and I were on Girls Trip; I filmed with her back in September. I was excited that they could get Vicki and Caroline here (from California and New Jersey); for me its no big deal because of my sister and its in my backyard.

VG: Jill and Caroline are good friends of mine. I haven't seen Caroline in yearsTheres a synergy; were both strong women who don't like to be messed with. Jill and I just saw each other, and I just adore J

Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Image

Q. What can fans expect from the show?

JZ: Were definitely going to spill some juice, Im sure  even though were not supposed to. Things just spill out of our mouths.

Q. How did you get involved in the show?

JZ: I got a call from a producer and asked if I was available, and when I heard the potential lineup, I said, Absolutely. There have been some Ive said no but this oneI wanted to go. Of course, Ill be a guest on the Lisa Wexler show to promote it as well. Who would have thought 16 years after I got the first phone call about doing a show called Manhattan Moms (that would later become Real Housewives of New York City), that Id still be requested to come and talk about it?

I remember being in a photo shoot (after season one)...doing an interview and looking at each other and thinking, This is going to be big. NYC is the sixth housewife; it always has been. Its important after the pandemic to show that NYC is alive and well. I think Bravo has done a service showing what a great city New York is. And for that  my legacy  Im very proud.

Q. Whats the most iconic thing you did on Housewives?

JZ: Scary Island. Walking in and saying, Surprise.

VG: For some weird reason  I had never said Whoop it up in my life  but in my first season, I said itit just stuck with me.

Q. What questions do you think fans are going to ask in Ridgefield?

JZ: I think we're going to have a lot of catching up to do. Im a fan of (Carolines), so Id like to ask her questions about where she is in life right now. It will be so great to catch up with each other as well. I'm ready for anything. Hopefully they'll ask about (my daughter) Allyson and our business together, Jill and Ally. During the pandemic we started a mask company and it went viral because celebrities like Charli and Dixie (DAmelio)lots of Housewives...were wearing them.

VG: Is my love tank filled? Did I take a family van? Do I whoop it up everywhere I go? Im an open bookyou can't be private when you're filming a reality show.

Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images

Q. What was it like filming Girls Trip?

VG: We all call ourselves the ex-wives clubs because we're all not housewives of our franchises anymore. Some of us are still shaken and hurt from it; Tamra (former Real Housewives of Orange County cast member) and I are. Bravo wanted to bring in different people  younger.

Some people got along and some people didnt, and that always makes for good TV. For some reason people really like to see people fight. Staying at someone's home brings a level of stress, and rightfully so. It wasnt always easy on (Dorinda), so that caused stress, which caused drama, which caused fighting.

When I was there, my fiance broke up with me so that was hard on mebut that's real life stuff. It was what it was. Thank God I had Tamra with me because I was not in a good head space Time has passed and it's healed. I didnt know he was waiting for me to go to work to pack his bags he was cheating on me.

But, I think the show is going to be greatI like filming and being on TV. It's fun.

Q. Do you still watch RHOC?

VG: Its hard for me. Its like turning your baby over for someone else to raise.

Q. Were you nervous or excited to join Girls Trip?

JZ: I was more excited than nervous. I can only be myself. Being a reality person for me has always been easy because I can't be anything but me. My only hesitation was I would have liked to have gone to a fun location. I didn't get a private plane to Turks and Caicos (like season one); I got a private black car to the Berkshires, which is beautifulbut I would have liked to go on an African safari or something like that!

Q. How has the Housewives franchise changed? And would you join now if asked?

JZ: I don't know; I think Id be a little scared. To me, I had nothing to lose (at the time)but, I guess, my privacyI say yes to everything, more or less; I live my life that way. A lot of fantastic things came out of being on Housewives, but there are definitely challenges as well. People talk about the curse of the Housewives divorces, but Ive always thought its not a curse. I think it attracts women who may not be happy in their marriage and are looking for something else  and may not even realize it.

VG: I dont think I would. The whole thing has changed its course. Each new cast member that comes on thinks they have to be more eccentric than the last, like Noella (Bergener) with all her sex talk. I wanted to inspire women to not have to marry for money, and to keep finances in order, and to be a good mother, and cook dinner at night and be present with their family. I clean my own house and wash my own clothes. We have to get back to what real housewives do...Now its just about who is wearing what and who is saying what.

D Dipasupil/FilmMagic

Q. What attitude should fans have coming into the Ridgefield show? What should they be ready for?

JZ: Come with a lot of questions and try to stump us with questions we haven't heard before. I like to give a lot of life advice. I wrote a book called Secrets of a Jewish Mother with my mom and sister. I love questions about love life and things like that.

VG: I think it mimics Bravo Con where fans are going to come and be happy to see usThe people who come will love the three of us  or at least one of the three of us  and come to have fun. At the end of the day, we need to bring more fun into our lives. Come with a happy heart.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut man should not have been arrested years after a non-fatal shooting based on a warrant that only included a general description of the suspect and partial DNA evidence linked to several unknown people, the state's Supreme Court ruled Friday in dismissing the case.

The case called into question so-called John Doe warrants increasingly being used by police to solve cold cases around the country and get around statute-of-limitations issues. Such warrants, which have been ruled valid by many courts, typically include only a DNA profile of an unknown suspect and are used years later to make an arrest after testing links the DNA to a specific person.

The man, Terrance Police, appealed  and the Connecticut high court ruled 7-0 that the warrant for his arrest was unconstitutional because the DNA evidence it referenced was not from a single person known to be the suspect, but rather from several people who may or may not have been the perpetrators.

Senior Justice Christine Keller, who authored the decision, said it is believed to be the first such ruling of its kind in the country on John Doe warrants issued based on DNA profiles from multiple unknown people. The decision said Police's Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures was violated.

In the present case, the arrest warrant affidavit did not alert the judicial authority to the fact that the DNA profiles did not include the perpetrators unique DNA profile but, rather, were mixed partial profiles generated from the touch DNA of at least four different individuals, three of whom evidently had no involvement in the crimes at issue whatsoever, Keller wrote.

Nor did it apprise the judicial authority of the statistical probability that any person chosen at random from the general population would have those DNA profiles, she wrote.

Police, of Waterbury, was charged in May 2018 with assault and robbery in connection with an October 2012 shooting outside a Norwalk supermarket that injured a woman. His arrest came about seven months after the five-year statute of limitations expired, but was based on the John Doe arrest warrant signed by a judge a year earlier.

A month before his arrest, the mother of his child told authorities that Police confessed to her that he shot the woman. New testing was ordered comparing Police's DNA to samples found at the crime scene, and it linked Police to the shooting, officials said.

Police pleaded no contest to the charges in 2019 on the condition that he could appeal, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

His public defender, Mark Rademacher, said he expects Police to be released from prison within the next week because of the Supreme Court ruling. He called the case a cautionary tale of over-reliance by law enforcement on complex DNA evidence that leads them to not undertake other investigation techniques.

Assistant State's Attorney Timothy Sugrue said prosecutors are reviewing the ruling and will determine whether an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is warranted.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON (AP)  For the first time, the U.S. came close to providing health care for all during the coronavirus pandemic  but for just one condition, COVID-19.

Now, things are reverting to the way they were as federal money for COVID care of the uninsured dries up, creating a potential barrier to timely access.

But the virus is not contained, even if its better controlled. And safety-net hospitals and clinics are seeing sharply higher costs for salaries and other basic operating expenses. They fear they wont be prepared if theres another surge and no backstop.

We havent turned anybody away yet, said Dr. Mark Loafman, chair of family and community medicine at Cook County Health in Chicago. But I think its just a matter of time ... People dont get cancer treatment or blood pressure treatment every day in America because they cant afford it.

A $20 billion government COVID program covered testing, treatment and vaccine costs for uninsured people. But that's been shut down. Special Medicaid COVID coverage for the uninsured in more than a dozen states also likely faces its last months.

At Parkland Health, the frontline hospital system for Dallas, Dr. Fred Cerise questions the logic of dialing back federal dollars at a time when health officials have rolled out a new test-to-treat" strategy. People with COVID-19 can now get antiviral pills to take at home, hopefully avoiding hospitalization. Vice President Kamala Harris, who recently tested positive but is back working at the White House, is an example.

Test-to-treat will be very difficult for uninsured individuals, predicted Cerise, president and CEO of the system. If it's a change in strategy on the large scale, and it's coming without funding, people are going to be reluctant to adopt that.

Officials at the federal Department of Health and Human Services say the new antiviral drugs like Paxlovid have been paid for by taxpayers, and are supposed to be free of charge to patients, even uninsured ones.

But they acknowledge that some uninsured people can't afford the medical consultation needed to get a prescription. We hear from state and local partners that the lack of funding for the Uninsured Program is creating challenges for individuals to access medications, said Dr. Meg Sullivan, chief medical officer for the HHS preparedness and response division.

The nation has not pinched pennies on the pandemic before.

Were well short of universal health coverage in the U.S., but for a time, we had universal coverage for COVID, said Larry Levitt, a health policy expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. It was extraordinary.

Recently an urgent White House request for $22.5 billion for COVID priorities failed to advance in Congress. Even a pared-back version is stuck. Part of the Biden administration's request involves $1.5 billion to replenish the Uninsured Program, which paid for testing, treatment and vaccine-related bills for uninsured patients. The program has now stopped accepting claims due to lack of money.

That program, along with a less known Medicaid option for states, allowed thousands of uninsured people to get care without worrying about costs. Bipartisan support has given way as congressional Republicans raise questions about pandemic spending.

The Uninsured Program was run by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an HHS agency. Medical providers seeing uninsured people could submit their bills for reimbursement. Over the last two years, more than 50,000 hospitals, clinics, and medical practices received payments. Officials say they can turn the program back on if Congress releases more money.

The Medicaid coverage option began under the Trump administration as a way to help states pay for testing uninsured people. President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief bill expanded it to treatment and vaccine costs as well. Its like a limited insurance policy for COVID. The coverage can't be used for other services, like a knee replacement. The federal government pays 100% of the cost.

Fifteen states, from deep blue California to bright red South Carolina, have taken advantage of the option, along with three U.S. territories. It will end once the federal coronavirus public health emergency is over, currently forecast for later this year.

New Hampshire Medicaid Director Henry Lipman said the coverage option allowed his state to sign up about 9,500 people for COVID care that includes the new antiviral drugs that can be taken at home.

It's really the safety net for people who don't have any access to insurance, said Lipman. It's a limited situation, but in the pandemic it's a good back-up to have. It makes a lot of sense with such a communicable disease.

With COVID cases now at relatively low levels, demand for testing, treatment and vaccination is down. But the urgency felt by hospitals and other medical service providers is driven by their own bottom lines.

In Missouri, Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare CEO Craig Thompson is worried to see federal funding evaporate just as operating costs are soaring. Staff have gotten raises, drug costs have risen by 20% and supply costs by 12%.

Weve now exited this pandemic ... into probably the highest inflationary environment that Ive seen in my career, Thompson said. The health system serves a largely rural area between Kansas City and Springfield.

In Kentucky, Family Health Centers of Louisville closed a testing service for uninsured people once federal funds dried up. The private company they were working with planned to charge $65 a test.

Things are manageable now because there's little demand, said spokeswoman Melissa Mather, but if we get hit with another omicron, it's going to be very difficult.

Floridian Debra McCoskey-Reisert is uninsured and lost her older brother to COVID-19 in the first wave two years ago. In one of their last conversations, he made her promise she wouldn't catch the virus.

McCoskey-Reisert, who lives north of Tampa, has managed to avoid getting sick so far. But she's overshadowed by fear of what could happen if she or her husband get infected.

If either one of us get sick with COVID, we dont have a way to pay for it, she said. "It would likely bankrupt us if we cant find some other help.

Retrenchment on the uninsured mirrors some of the bigger problems of the U.S. health care system, said Chicago hospital physician Loafman.

Quite frankly, we as a society take care of the uninsured for COVID because its affecting us," he said. "You know, a gated community doesnt keep a virus out ... thats sort of the ugly truth of this, is that our altruism around this was really self-motivated.

___

Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.
Four people were federally charged last month after prosecutors say one man orchestrated kilograms of cocaine to be sent from Puerto Rico to his mothers apartment in West Haven.

During the investigation, law enforcement found about five kilograms of cocaine, according to Leonard Boyle, the United States attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Prosecutors alleged that 21-year-old Maria Alejandra Perez Torres would mail these packages of cocaine to the West Haven apartment. Jean Mangual-Castro, 34, of West Haven, would then give cocaine to Jashon Spearman, 34, of New Haven to distribute.

Spearman, who faces a potential five to 40 years in prison in this case, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Hartford Thursday, Boyles office said.

Law enforcement started investigating Mangual-Castro once they suspected he used the U.S. Mail service to ship the drugs from Puerto Rico to Connecticut. On Dec. 17, 2021, law enforcement believed a package containing cocaine was mailed to the apartment where his mother, 52-year-old Enid Castro, resided, court document state.

Investigators searched the home three days later and found two kilograms of cocaine, a Rolex watch, jewelry and about $2,900 in cash, according to court documents.

Mangual-Castro was arrested that same day, Boyles office said.

Law enforcement also searched another location connected to the investigation and found an additional three kilograms of cocaine that had been mailed from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, Boyles office said.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment on April 19 charging the four with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute. If convicted, Mangual-Castro faces at least 10 years in prison that could go up to a life sentence. Spearman, Castro and Perez Torres, if convicted, each face at least five years, and up to 40 years, in prison, according to Boyles office.

The indictment also charged Mangual-Castro, Castro and Perez Torres with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. This carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years that could go up to 40 years, Boyles office added.

Mangual-Castro has been detained since his arrest in December 2021. He was arraigned via videoconference Thursday afternoon, Boyles office said.

Spearman, who is also known as J and Deuce, was arrested on Feb. 4. He and seven others were later charged with narcotics distribution offenses in a related case in which law enforcement seized about 19 kilograms of cocaine, more than 7,000 bags of fentanyl and more than $780,000 in cash, according to Boyles office.

Spearman has been detained since his arrest. He was seen in Hartford Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the new charges, Boyles office said.

Enid Castro was arrested on April 22. She was released on $50,000 bond pending trial, according to Boyles office.

Perez Torres, who is also known as Alej and Alejandra Perez, of Villalba, Puerto Rico, was arrested in Puerto Rico on April 21. She is released on $10,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in Hartford on May 10, Boyles office said.

The investigation was conducted by members of the FBIs New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Services Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force.
TORRINGTON  Torrington Library Director Jessica Gueniat announced Thursday that the librarys Words and Wine Fundraiser, set for May 14, has been canceled.

We apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause, Gueniat said.

For a refund, ticket holders who purchased online can get a refund from the Eventbrite website.

Those who purchased their tickets in person from the library can recieve a refund check.

If they wish, ticket holders can donate the cost of their tickets back to the library.

For information, go to torringtonlibrary.org or call 860-489-6684.

Warner Theatre offers summer sessions for kids

TORRINGTON - The Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education is holding four one-week sessions for ages 7 and up, beginning July 18. Each session will meet Monday-Friday from 9 am-3 pm at the Warner Theatre.

Established in 1993, the Warner Theatre Summer Arts Program is a summer day camp licensed by the state Department of Public Health, where students can explore and develop their artistic talents in an atmosphere of encouragement and enrichment. Students engage in daily activities such as Acting, Improv, Musical Theatre Choreography, Visual Art, Creative Writing and Story Crafting, Technical Theatre, and much more. Sessions feature a fun Share Day performance for campers' families at the end.

Registration is open now. To register, and for more information about each session, go to warnertheatre.org/summerarts

HVRHS holding Project Graduation June 16

FALLS VILLAGE  The Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) Class of 2022 is holding Project Graduation June 16 at the high school.

Project Graduation is an opportunity for graduates to come together for a final time to celebrate their achievements in a safe, chaperoned, substance-free environment. Project Graduation is an all-night graduation party at the high school to provide students with a healthy alternative to riskier behaviors that are traditionally associated with that night. Inflatable games, laser tag, a dance party, photo booth, movies, video games, and prizes are all aspects of the celebration.

The event has been held at the high school since its inception in 2013, although this is the first time it will have been held since 2019, due to the pandemic. Since that time, generous donations by area businesses and community members have sustained the event, and parents from the junior class have collectively supported it with donations of food, chaperoning, and other in-kind gifts. Since 2013, participation has grown to include more than 70 percent of the graduating class.

Members of the public who would like to contribute should contact Sara Jack at sjack@hvrhs.org or 860-824-5123, ext. 1356. Any donation may be made out to HVRHS Project Graduation and sent to Sara Jack, 246 Warren Turnpike Road, Falls Village, CT 06031.

H.O.R.S.E. of CT holding volunteer day

WASHINGTON  H.O.R.S.E. of Connecticut, 43 Wilbur Road, is holding its Spring Volunteer Day from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 7, with a rain date of May 8.

If you love horses, heres your opportunity to come and help during our Spring volunteer day! Volunteer Day invites people over 12 years old to help with the various needs of the farm and horses. Volunteers may help with grooming, hand walking horses, cleaning paddocks and barns or repairing fences and outbuildings. Dress comfortably, wear waterproof shoes and bring your own tools if you have them. Lunch will be provided.

Staffed by a dedicated team of volunteers, H.O.R.S.E. has saved over 750 horses and maintains an ongoing commitment to educating the public regarding horse care. Volunteers have always been an important part of our organization. It was established in 1981, and moved to its permanent home on Wilbur Road in 1995.

While helping at the farm, volunteers will have a chance to meet other volunteers, as well as the many different horses. A few of the farms newcomers are Norman, a senior Quar-ter-horse gelding rescued from a kill pen in North Carolina and Horatio, a super friendly Shet-land pony gelding who loves everyone.

A tack sale will run from 12-3 p.m. for those looking for saddles, blankets and other equipment. H.O.R.S.E. of Connecti-cut is located at 43 Wilbur Road, Washington, CT. For more information, visit www.horseofct.org or call 860-868-1960.

Breast cancer care is focus of online seminar

TORRINGTON  Smilow Cancer Hospital will present a free, virtual Smilow Shares seminar focused on Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Care at 7 p.m. May 9, at the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center in Torrington.

Ashita Talsania, MRCP, MBBS, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine (Medical Oncology), Rachel Greenup, MD, MPH, Chief of Breast Surgery, and Maryam Lustberg, MD, MPH, Chief of Breast Medical Oncology and Director of the Center for Breast Cancer at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, will present on important topics related to patient care, specifically in the Torrington area. A live Q&A session will follow. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4Lmwm4XtRC6eN9SrF1pJDA

Email canceranswers@yale.edu with any questions.
In an effort to reign in out-of-control health care prices, Connecticut lawmakers this week passed a cutting-edge bill giving the state the power to limit how much overall health care costs can grow and to hold providers and insurers accountable for rising rates.

The legislations passage comes on the heels of a Hearst Connecticut Media Group analysis of once-secret data that revealed how costs hospitals charge to insurers can vary wildly  sometimes by many thousands of dollars  for the same procedure.

The bill, first proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont at the outset of the legislative session in February, will require hospitals, other medical providers and insurers to submit more such pricing data to the state office. The hope is that greater transparency will allow patients to better understand the cost options and employers to make better choices on behalf of their employees.

Paying for health care is a black box, Lamont said, in response to questions from the newspaper group. Its really complicated and a lot of people really dont know what theyre paying for. The differentiation in terms of quality and cost is all over the map, the likes of which I dont see in any other industry.

Once Lamont formally signs the bill, which he typically does in June, Connecticut will become just the fourth state to set so-called health care price benchmarks. The target will hold providers and insurers to a limit on how much they can increase prices, according to the states Office of Health Strategy.

That office will be responsible for setting the targets. It will hold public hearings for any providers and insurance companies that fail to meet the goals in order to apply public pressure, though the law lacks any monetary penalties.

The governors office put the bill forward as recent research from the Connecticut Health Foundation has shown close to one in five Connecticut households face health care costs that are unaffordable for their budget.

Vicki Veltri, executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, said during a Friday press conference at UConn Health the benchmarking law will normalize prices for everyone, from employers to average people.

We dont believe that were going to see an absolute reduction in spending over time, she said. The goal of this initiative is to reduce the rate of spending growth.

Her office said in a statement Friday the new data to be collected under the law will paint a clearer picture of what is driving up costs.

"Concrete corrective action ... requires understanding of how high health care spending is, how it varies across the state, and what is driving spending growth," a spokeswoman said.

But the bill also faces skepticism, with some experts questioning if the mechanisms for enforcing the benchmarks are strong enough.

With the legislative session closed for the year as of Wednesday, some say lawmakers have more work to do in the years to come to address the already-high cost of health care, with varying opinions on how the problem should be addressed.

One hope is that simply making the prices patients are exposed to more easily accessible will solve part of the problem.

The federal government began requiring that hospitals disclose the rates they secretly negotiate with insurance companies in 2021 in order to ensure consumers have the information they need to make fully informed decisions regarding their health care. Beginning in July, health insurance companies will have to do the same.

The government did not provide a way to compare prices across hospitals, however.

So, Hearst Connecticut Media Group collected records from roughly 30 Connecticut hospitals, finding costs can range by many thousands of dollars depending on the hospital and which insurance plan is picking up the bill. Consumers end up picking up a portion of that amount depending on the details of their health plan.

For example, Anthem has agreed to pay the St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport $10,988 for a C-section; the company negotiated a rate of about half that amount at the Bridgeport Hospital just three miles away.

You can explore more hospital prices across the state at: bit.ly/3EXrnUu.

But experts and advocates agree consumers rarely comparison shop before seeking out health care. And controlling the variations in costs is a tall order, given they are negotiated between insurance companies and hospitals behind closed doors.

Ellen Andrews, who leads the CT Health Policy Project, said consumers are willing to pay more if the higher price is attached to a better outcome.

Price variation by itself doesn't bother me. It's what it's linked to, and whether its linked to some value, she said. But varying prices seem to be random and not tied to quality, Andrews said.

Andrews was not a supporter of the governors bill, citing concerns with lack of transparency during its drafting and arguments that the measure will actually increase costs to patients.

Kathy Flaherty, executive director of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, said fewer of the nonprofits employees are opting to use its health insurance plan as costs have gone up and the level of coverage on the plan has gone down. The nonprofits insurance company has imposed double-digit increases in premiums almost every year, she said.

Flaherty said this same problem is affecting employers of all sizes, but especially small organizations.

At a certain point, people just aren't getting the care they need, and they're not getting it early enough because they can't afford it, she said.

Flaherty noted this issue disproportionately affects people with psychiatric disabilities, who the Legal Rights Project advocates on behalf of.

For example, the cost of a psychiatric evaluation at Danbury Hospital ranges from $64, when Medicaid pays, to $854 when a commercial insurer picks up the bill, according to the data Hearst Connecticut Media compiled.

Jill Zorn, senior policy officer at the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, said in response to the newspaper groups data collection that it is clear insurance plans at times pay much more than is necessary to cover hospitals costs.

But those prices can feel irrelevant to patients once they have hit their deductible, Zorn said.

Where patients suffer from this might not be the actual bill that they got for something that happened to them, she said. Where it does come back to haunt them is in the price of insurance, because all these high prices flow into the cost of care, which flows into how much insurance costs.

Simply capping costs for procedures could have unintended consequences, however, as hospitals may cut more expensive services as a result.

Zorn said other measures that passed through the legislature this session  such as one intended to slow down the clip of hospitals consolidation  should also subtly work to bring down high prices.

The Universal Health Care Foundation supported the cost benchmarking law, though Zorn said she is concerned it lacks teeth, and said public shaming may not be enough to convince hospitals to lower their prices.

Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford and the Senate minority leader, said the Democratic majority have missed multiple opportunities to lower costs, both during the session that ended Wednesday and in the years before.

Health care continues to remain unaffordable in Connecticut, despite the fact that they have the power to fix it, he said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Months ahead of Oregon's Democratic primary, many believed the race was former House Speaker Tina Kotek's to lose.

The progressive's political resume, leadership experience and support from colleagues had the Portland lawmaker in an enviable position.

But Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read hopes to capitalize on voter unrest and a seeming tack back to moderates when Democrats choose their candidate May 17 for the state's highest office.

Read, Kotek's most prominent primary opponent, has gained traction over the past two months. The 46-year-old has been endorsed by two former Oregon governors, attracted some supporters of Nicholas Kristof  a former New York Times columnist who was declared ineligible to run for governor due to not meeting residency requirements  and has placed part of the blame for Oregon's problems directly on Kotek.

Christopher Stout, an associate professor of political science at Oregon State University, says recent polling shows that the May 17 primary is close with Read within striking distance of Kotek and more than half of Democrats remain undecided.

Winning the Democratic primary usually means an almost certain victory in the fall, as a Republican hasnt been governor in Oregon in 35 years. But this year former longtime Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson is running as an independent and expected to be a strong candidate in November. Johnson doesnt have to compete in a primary.

Many Oregonians are critical of the handling of the pandemic, the homeless crisis, school closures, lack of affordable housing, increasing gun violence and a growing political divide.

During a recent debate both candidates were asked to use one word or phrase to describe Oregon right now. Kotek said, It is always beautiful. Read responded, Strained.

Read says in conversations with voters he can hear their visceral sense of anger, dissatisfaction and anxiety" that stems from a lack of follow through, including delays in unemployment benefits, dispersing rental assistance checks and the rollout of the state's long-anticipated paid family and medical leave program.

You dont get to just take credit for the good things and not take some accountability for whats delayed, Read said to Kotek during a recent debate. Kotek rebutted by saying state agencies are overseen by Gov. Kate Brown, who cant run again due to term limits.

Stout says Read is trying to position himself as an outsider," a move that could benefit him as many residents are not happy with the status quo in Oregon. Oregonians displeasure with current politics has been evidenced in Brown's historically low approval ratings. Opponents of Kotek have dubbed her as Kate Brown 2.0," linking similarities  both are liberal women who have represented Portland and identify as LGBTQ.

To say, 'Look weve kind of gone through this process before. As an outsider I can actually change things.' That could be effective," Stout said.

Read, who grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in Boise, Idaho, got his first taste of living in Oregon when he attended Willamette University in Salem. There he joined campaigns and staff for local lawmakers.

In 1999, he moved to Washington D.C., where he worked in the U.S. Treasury Department as executive assistant to Sheryl Sandberg, who at the time was chief of staff for then-Secretary of Treasury Lawrence Summers.

Sandberg is now the chief operating officer of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.

Read returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2001 to earn an MBA at the University of Washington. He says the degree helped him understand how to marry the interests of private enterprise and government.

Despite presenting himself as an outsider, Read has spent years immersed in Oregon politics.

The Democrat won his first legislative race in 2006 and served in the state House of Representatives for a decade, where he focused on economic matters  sitting on the House Revenue Committee, chairing the House Committee on Transportation and Economic Development, elected to Speaker Pro Tempore and a member of the primary budget writing body for the Legislature.

Hes shown throughout his career that he can do big things. From passing full-day kindergarten to implementing the first of its kind state retirement savings program, Tobias has delivered, said Sheryl WuDunn, the wife of ineligible gubernatorial candidate Kristof.

In 2016 Read was elected state treasurer, where he serves as the custodian of public funds, chief investment officer and oversaw growth of assets owned by Oregons public retirees from $73 billion in 2017 to more than $100 billion in 2022.

Read said his legislative and executive office experience sets him apart from other gubernatorial candidates. I think thats another really important distinction and contrast in the race," he said.

Former colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, have described him as hardworking, mild-mannered and pragmatic.

While Kotek has received significantly more endorsements  including from a third of current Oregon lawmakers, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, unions and large organizations such as Planned Parenthood  Read got the coveted nod from Barbara Roberts, Oregon's first female governor. She says the state "needs a governor with a statewide record of tackling tough issues."

In the eyes of some, Read has also positioned himself as more moderate-minded.

The split between progressives and moderates within the party has become increasingly evident.

The battle lines drawn during the 2020 primaries  largely between liberals like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Warren and a group of moderates from which President Joe Biden emerged  continue to shadow the party in 2021 elections, specifically in some of the nations most liberal cities, including Seattle and New York, progressive candidates stumbled.

Stout says although progressives and moderates have different names, they are nearly the same in other ways with very similar voting records and ideals  as seen with Read and Kotek.

When it comes to the homeless crisis both say they would be more aggressive in addressing the issue, expand shelter availability and make available more affordable housing options. Both say it is important to adequately fund police. Both are adamant in protecting access to abortions. And both take strong stances with ambitious goals when it comes to climate change.

When asked by The Associated Press if Read identifies himself as moderate he replied, I am a Democrat. I am happy to let others describe the positioning or the label associated with that.

-

Cline 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.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  Sweden said Friday that one of its citizens travelling as a tourist has been detained in Iran, in the latest incident to worsen relations between the two countries.

In a brief comment by email, the Foreign Ministry said that the man was in his 30s, and that the embassy in Tehran was "seeking information and is in contact with local authorities.
WALLINGFORD  Two Uber drivers were carjacked in Wallingford this week in two separate incidents after their passengers displayed guns, according to police.

In both incidents, the Uber drivers picked up the passenger, or passengers, in different towns. A passenger then would display a gun, force the driver out and steal the car. Police were called to South Turnpike Road for both incidents.

Neither driver was injured, according to the Wallingford Police Sgt. Stephen Jaques.

The first incident took place around 6 p.m. Monday. A man told police he was working as an Uber driver and picked up two passengers wearing ski masks in a different town. The two passengers showed the driver a gun, forced him out of his car, stole his 2012 Honda Accord and fled the scene, Jaques said.

Police received the second report on Wednesday around 6:30 p.m. The victim was also an Uber driver and picked up a man in a different town who was wearing an N95 mask and all black clothing. The passenger displayed a handgun, ordered the driver out of her car and stole her 2018 Nissan Rogue. He then fled the area at a high speed, according to Jaques.

The Wallingford Police Department urges citizens who work for Uber to use caution when conducting pickups of potential customers, Jaques said in a statement.

Wallingford Police officers assigned to both the FBI Safe Streets and New Haven Shooting task forces are investigating these carjackings.

Police are asking residents to report the cars if spotted. Jaques described the first car as a blue 2012 Honda Accord with a Connecticut registration of 2AUBH5. The second car was described as a gray 2018 Nissan Rogue with a Connecticut registration of AV56647.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents, or who sees these stolen cars, should call the Wallingford Police Department at 203-294-2800.
BRANFORD  Students at Branford High School students no longer will be allowed to bring cellphones, Apple Watches, AirPods or and other electronic devices into the classroom as of Monday.

Principal Lee Panagoulias Jr. made the announcement in a letter to parents this week. The effort is to help foster improved learning for everyone, he said, and is part of the schools goal of effective management of device use.

The ban on electronic devices in class will continue through rest of the school year and will be in effect next school year, according to Panagoulias.

Student cellphone use in class impacts our school goal of supporting a high level of instruction and experiences for all BHS students and maintaining a positive learning environment that is responsive and respectful of the needs of every student, Panagoulias said in his letter.

So far, parent and student reactions have been mixed, he said.

There has been a wide range of reactions from students and parents, but no matter the reaction, I know that we all still share the same goal to support a safe and positive learning, Panagoulias said.

What prompted the new rule, he said, was a discussion among the leadership team and staff about cellphone use in class. We view it as a nationwide trend we should discuss because it impacts student learning and wellness, he said.

According to the new policy, students will be required to hand over their devices to the teacher, who will keep them in a school-approved storage device and return them after class.

Students will use their school-issued Chromebook for class.

In case of an emergency, Parents and guardians should continue to contact the BHS front office, Panagoulias said.

Students will not be given back their devices when they get permission to use the restroom, according to the letter.

However, Students in an assigned study hall have access to cellphones and electronic devices in accordance with district appropriate use policies, the letter stated, but they must be placed in a storage device provided by the teacher when they are given permission to leave the classroom.

Cellphones and electronic devices (AirPods, Apple Watch) may be used in between classes and during lunch in accordance with district appropriate use policies, the letter continued.

VIOLATIONS

If a student violates the new policy, the letter outlines a punitive process.

For the first offense, a conversation between student and teacher to review BHS cellphone and electronic device expectations to understand the impact of the students action on their learning and classroom environment, according to the letter.

In the case of a first referral (in-class), the parent/guardian will be contacted by the teacher to review the cellphone policy and to understand the impact of the students action on their learning and classroom environment, Panagoulias said. The teacher also will issue an after-school detention.

In the case of the second referral (from teacher to administration), the phone will be turned over to the teacher, and a parent or guardian must pick up the device from the administration office, the letter said. There will be a one-week cellphone restriction on school grounds.

In the case of a third referral, a support plan will be developed with administration and support services staff and will include a two-week phone restriction and potential in-school suspension.

As we continue to work together, we ask that you help us to emphasize to your students the importance of adhering to our cellphone expectations, Panagoulias said. The partnership that exists between BHS families and our school is an essential piece of helping our students growth over time.

Our school goal is to support high level instruction and experiences for all BHS students, he said in an email. The leadership team saw this as an opportunity to have a staff discussion about the impact of in-class cellphone availability on our ability to achieve that goal.
Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta affairs, says if he is elected president, he will fight corruption in the same way as President ...

Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta affairs, says if he is elected president, he will fight corruption in the same way as President Muhammadu Buhari.

On Wednesday, Akpabio announced his intention to contest for president on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on Thursday in an interview with Channels Television, the former Akwa Ibom governor said he will harness the countrys human and natural resources towards actualising development.

The minister added that corruption and poverty are twin brothers, saying Buhari is fighting corruption by using social investment programmes to tackle poverty.

We will harness the resources that we have in the country. We will take care of the maritime industry. We will also take care of the mineral resources, he said.

We will have a better way of controlling the youthful population and giving them hope in order to bring out their intellect and become more resourceful.

Of course, we must continue the fight against corruption because if we allow it, corruption can kill us and I will continue the same way the president is doing  what he is doing that is right in terms of fighting corruption that was not done in the past.

Corruption has a twin brother and that twin brother is poverty. You cant fight corruption without fighting poverty with the social investment programmes put in place to assist the poorest in the country vis-a-vis empowering the people.

It means that as we tackle poverty, we are reducing corruption because corruption deepens poverty, while poverty leads to corruption.
The Vice President and presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, Yemi Osinbajo, has stated that he would start work immed...

The Vice President and presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, Yemi Osinbajo, has stated that he would start work immediately after he assumes office if elected in 2023.

Osinbajo was said to have stated this during his consultation visit to APC delegates and traditional leaders in Cross River and Bayelsa States on Thursday, which was contained in a statement signed by his media aide, Laolu Akande.

He noted that his seven years working as the Vice President, and experience in other aspects of public service has provided him with the sufficient knowledge, information and know-how to hit the ground running from day one if he is elected to be president.

Addressing the members of the Cross River State Traditional Council, Osinbajo noted that Nigeria would overcome its economic and security challenges.

The truth of the matter is that, every country is faced with peculiar challenges  in our case, we are faced with security and economic challenges. But we also know that God Himself equips us with all the necessary resources to defeat every challenge. I believe very strongly that God helping us, our economic and security challenges will not only be dealt with, but will be stepping stones for a greater nation and a more prosperous and secured nation, he said.

While at the Palace of the Obong of Calabar, the former Attorney-General of Lagos restated his invaluable experience in government, as Vice President and at some point, Acting President.

Your Royal Majesty and Paramount Ruler present, in my capacity as VP, I had the great fortune of working with President Buhari, who in every real sense exposed me to all one should know about governance at the highest level in our country.

Our country is complex, diverse, and rich in resources, and with the diversity and various complexities, it obviously requires some experience. I have had the good fortune of serving for 7 years, observing first-hand the intricacies of our nation. On occasions also, I have served as Acting President of our country.

I think that with all the experience I have been able to gather within that period, it is clear that Gods intention was that all that experience would become useful one day and I believe that that time has come when our country calls for a successor to President Buhari who by May 2023 by the grace of God, would have served for 8 years, Osinbajo was quoted as saying.

In Cross River, Osinbajo was received by the State Governor, Ben Ayade, accompanied by stalwarts of the APC in the South-South geo-political zone, including Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, former Minister Edem Duke, former NDDC Managing Director, Obong Nsima Ekere among others.

While in Bayelsa, the vice president was welcomed by the State Governor Douye Diri, and senior state government officials.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday in Abakaliki, reiterated that no one has the right to carry an AK-47. Buhari insisted that anyone seen...





President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday in Abakaliki, reiterated that no one has the right to carry an AK-47.





Buhari insisted that anyone seen in any part of the country carrying an AK-47 and he or she is not a law enforcement officer is a threat to the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians.





He said this while pledging that the Federal Government would deploy its strength to protect innocent and hardworking Nigerians from terrorists and those causing break down of law and order in the South East region.





This comes a few days after the recent gruesome murder of an army couple by bandits allegedly sympathetic to the agitations of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).





Recall that the Nigerian Army had alleged that its officers were beheaded by IPOB after their wedding in Imo State.





Speaking at a meeting with South-East leaders, during his two-day State visit to Ebonyi, the President expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the region, reiterating his directive to security agencies to flush out those perpetrating violence in the land.





This was contained in a statement by Buharis spokesman, Femi Adesina, on Friday.





Buhari said, I must register my deep and grave concern with regards to the deteriorating state of security affairs in this region.





In the last 48 hours, I have been informed of the latest in the round of brutal actions carried out by gun-wielding terrorists, who prey on innocent and hardworking citizens, unfortunately, these barbaric acts were visited upon those who have committed their lives to protect their fellow citizens, he said.





The President paid tributes to members of the Nigerian armed forces who recently lost their lives in the region.





There are many that fit this profile and the government owes them that obligation to protect lives and property.





I will once again repeat, no one has the right to carry an AK-47, and anyone seen in any part of the country doing so and is not a law enforcement officer is a threat to our peaceful coexistence and should be treated as such, he said.
A free series of lectures focusing on African American Genealogy will take place starting at 10 a.m. May 21 at the Jane OBrien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey.

10 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Introduction to African American Genealogy with Gaynell Brady.

Brady says the vast majority of African Americans are descendants of the 400,000 Black Africans brought to North America as slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since slaves had no legal rights, they are not found in many traditional record sources.

Brady does education and outreach work for the River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville. She also is the owner of Mammys, an educational resource that encourages people to research their family histories.

11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: DNA Testing with Jael Gordon

The scarcity of records makes African American genealogical research. Add to this the widespread destruction of records in the South in general, and tracing African ancestors can be difficult. This is where DNA testing comes in.

Gordon works for the Louisiana Division of Arts in Culture, Recreation and Tourism and for various plantations in south Louisiana, conducting research, tours and descendant outreach.

12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: The Challenge of African American Records with Antoinette Harrell

Harrell will discuss birth and death records, marriage certificates, church records, newspapers, and other documents including Louisiana African American Census Records, Louisiana church records and court resources.

Harrell, Ph.D., is a renowned genealogist and historian. She is the producer and host of "Nurturing Our Roots Genealogy Television Talk Show" and author of several books.

This workshop is open to the public; no registration is required.

EXTENDED HOURS: The East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, and the West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey, are now open an extra hour on Sundays. Each library is now open from noon to 5 p.m.

MINDFULNESS FOR KIDS: Being mindful has many benefits for kids, including increased calmness, greater ability to focus and a more positive outlook on life. A mindfulness session will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday, May 21, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.

Activities will include peaceful sounds, kid-friendly stretching, a butterfly meditation, coloring and an affirmation to take home. This event is open to kids 6 and older.

GENEALOGY SERIES: Gwen Kelley, a librarian who specializes in genealogy and local history, will lead a seminar on Tracing Female Records at 2 p.m. May 16, via streaming through the librarys website.

Visit the homepage of the librarys website and click on the link to join the meeting. For those who dont have computers, the sessions will be broadcast into the River Ridge (8825 Jefferson Highway) and North Kenner (630 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner) libraries on the east Bbank, and the Terrytown (680 Heritage Ave.) and Belle Terre (5550 Belle Terre Road, Marrero) libraries on the west bank. These sessions will be recorded and will be archived on the librarys website.

Boating Safety: The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will conduct a boating safety class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 21, at the North Kenner Library, 630 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner.

The class lasts between six and eight hours. Preregistration is recommended by going to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website.

Students who complete the course will be issued a vessel operators certification card.

COMPUTER CLASSES: Receive free computer training at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, and at the West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey.

Seating is limited, and online registration is required. Visit the Computer Classes page at jplibrary.net/training and click East Bank Regional Schedule or West Bank Regional Schedule.

Metairie classes include:

Basic Computer Skills: 10 a.m. to noon, May 11.

10 a.m. to noon, May 11. One-on-One Slot in Basic Computer Skills : 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., May 12.

: 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., May 12. One-on-One Slot in Basic Computer Skills : 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., May 12.

: 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., May 12. Introduction to Microsoft Word 2 : 10 a.m. to noon, May 20.

: 10 a.m. to noon, May 20. Introduction to Microsoft Excel, Part 3 : 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., May 23.

: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., May 23. 3D Printing: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., May 23.

Upcoming Harvey classes include:

Introduction to PowerPoint 1: 10 a.m. to noon, May 13.

10 a.m. to noon, May 13. Introduction to Microsoft Word 1 : 10 a.m. to noon, May 16.

: 10 a.m. to noon, May 16. Introduction to Microsoft Excel : 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., May 16.

: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., May 16. Beginner Computer Skills: 10 a.m. to noon, May 17.

Chris Smith is manager of adult programming at the Jefferson Parish Public Library.
The Libby app offers thousands of e-books, audiobooks, and more  in categories such as romance, mystery, fantasy, historical fiction, thrillers and nonfiction  and they're all available for free through the New Orleans Public Library.

To help you learn to use the Libby app, in your car, across devices or with offline access, the library is hosting a webinar May 18 on Zoom. Tune in at 10 a.m. to hear Libby experts guide you through the basics of how to access the Librarys digital collection.

More experienced Libby users can tune in around 10:45 a.m., for a deep dive into the app to get even more tips and tricks.

Want to learn Libby but can't attend live? Sessions will be recorded and emailed to everyone registered for the webinar. Visit events.nolalibrary.org to sign up.

Libby is free to all New Orleans Public Library Card holders.

EXPANDING ACCESS: The New Orleans Public Library has partnered with CORE NOLAs Resource Coordination Program to expand access to various resources throughout the Greater New Orleans area. The pilot program currently focuses on SNAP and Medicaid application assistance.

CORE representatives will be at Nora Navra Library, 1902 St. Bernard Ave., from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday in May and June, and at East New Orleans Regional Library, 5641 Read Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday through the end of June.

Assistance will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

COASTAL IMPACT SERIES: The librarys Witness to Change: Conversations on Coastal Impacts group will hold its final meeting on May 17 to discuss Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward. Led by Xavier University professor Dr. Robin Vander, Witness to Change is a four-part reading and discussion program developed by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities aimed at sparking conversations about the changing environment of our coastal communities.

Attendance is capped at 20 people, but each of the programs is recorded and posted on the New Orleans Public Librarys City Archives & Special Collections YouTube channel.

Visit events.nolalibrary.org for more information and to register for the program, which is sponsored by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library.

The New Orleans Public Library is seeking submissions to Crescent City Sounds, a new online streaming service that showcases and shares local music. With a focus on lesser-known artists in the community, Crescent City Sounds aim to give up-and-coming musicians an avenue to increase their exposure in the local music scene.

MUSIC STREAMING SHOWCASE: Up-and-coming musicians have a new avenue to get more exposure in the local music scene, and it comes through the New Orleans Public Library.

The library is seeking submissions to Crescent City Sounds, a new online streaming service that showcases and shares local music. The music library will be chosen by a team of NOPL staff and community curators who represent different facets of New Orleans diverse music scene.

Prospective artists must perform primarily in New Orleans, and submissions must have been recorded in the last five years. Submissions must include a minimum of four songs or be at least 20 minutes long.

For more detailed guidelines on how, what and where to submit, visit crescentcitysounds.org or email crescentcitysounds@nolalibrary.org with questions.

Jane LeGros is the director of marketing and communications for the New Orleans Public Library.
During the recent Girl Scout cookie drive, Cynthia Gros had a specific goal in mind  to sell at least 1,000 boxes. But things soon changed.

After I sold 1,000 boxes, I wanted to sell 2,000 and then 3,000, said Cynthia, a third grade student at St. Catherine of Siena School in Old Metairie.

So, when the annual sale wrapped up a few weeks ago, Cynthia, with the help of her parents, Monica and Adam Gros, her brother, Augustin, 11, as well other family members and friends, sold 4,001 boxes, making her the No. 1 cookie-seller for the Girl Scouts Louisiana East.

I sold cookies at my church, going door-to-door in my neighborhood, on my front lawn and calling family members and friends, said Cynthia, who at age 9 already has been a member of Troop 40561 for four years. And the part I liked the best was selling door-to-door.

Yet it was one of her phone calls that helped to make Cynthias cookie sales soar.

The donor, who wants to remain anonymous, said if Cynthia selected a local charity to send 1,000 boxes of cookies to, the donor would fund the donation as well as match it with 1,000 more boxes of cookies, Monica Gros explained. We couldnt believe it.

Cynthia chose two charities  Childrens Hospital, where she has been a patient, and Gigis Playhouse, a local organization that helps children with Down syndrome. And the donor selected the New Orleans Mission, which helps individuals dealing with addiction and homelessness.

As a family, we went to the New Orleans Mission to serve lunch, and it was quite a rewarding experience for all of us, Monica Gros said. After lunch, we handed out boxes of cookies. The residents there we so grateful. We plan to volunteer there in the future.

Girl Scouts Louisiana East serves over 7,800 Scouts from more than 20 parishes including Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist and St. Charles.

We are so proud of all the Girl Scout entrepreneurs for their innovation and leadership, said Rebecca Pennington, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts Louisiana East in New Orleans. However, Cynthia truly went above and beyond with her sales and philanthropy. We applaud her as well as her fellow cookie-sellers for setting and achieving their goals.

Julie Wilcox, the leader of Troop 40561, was full of praise for Cynthia.

The level of work Cynthia put into this, along with help from her family and friends, is very impressive, Wilcox said. It is truly an amazing accomplishment.

In addition to the Girl Scouts, Cynthia is a member of both the track and softball teams at Pontiff Playground. She also swims with a local organization throughout the year.

Cynthias parents hope Scouting and its activities help to inspire their daughter to do more and give back.

I want Cynthia to learn to be a go-getter and the importance of helping others, Adam Gros said.

Building self-confidence and helping our community  those are the things I hope Cynthia is learning, said Monica Gros, herself a former Girl Scout.

Cynthia said she is proud of her accomplishment and offers some simple advice for other Girl Scouts for the next cookie drive.

Just do your best, she said.
It was like Jazz Fest meets Lord of the Flies. On Thursday afternoon, roughly 40 dudes and dudettes dressed in matching tie-dyed T-shirts gathered in the grassy patch near the Fais Do Do stage for an annual ritual.

A member of the bunch unveiled a gleaming, green watermelon and chanting broke out. Everyone knew the rhyme.

"Watermelon, watermelon, red to the rind, the group repeated in unison. If you don't believe me, pull down your blinds. I sell them to the rich, I sell them to the poor. I sell them to the lady standing in that door. In that door, door, door.

On one hand, the chant was charming and nostalgic, reminiscent of an old-fashioned produce vendors sales patter. Yet it was also ominous, like the intonations of druids circling Stonehenge by torchlight.

The chanting became more fevered, frenzied even, as participants took turns fetishizing the cucurbit, which was viewed as a symbol of spring fecundity, or something like that. New Orleans Saints legend Steve Gleason was among the participants, sporting a fierce punk rock hairdo and ragged beard that perfectly befit the goings-on.

Locals' Day

At the climax of the lustful ceremony, a tall muscular member of the agitated mob took possession of the sacrificial watermelon, weighed it in his arms, then flung the heavy fruit several feet in the air.

After tumbling a time or two in the sky, like that cave mans bone in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the watermelon crashed back to the earth, shattering into juicy chunks. As cries of delight rang out, the tie-dyed druids scrambled to snatch pieces of the prize. Which they ate with gusto, oblivious of the unspeakable bacteria that doubtless flourish on the horse track/outdoor festival dance floor. As the compromised watermelon was consumed it was clear that the ceremony had not only survived the two-year COVID interruption, it could survive anything.

The Thursday before the second weekend of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is known as locals day, and all will agree that the watermelon sacrifice is an apotheosis of local behavior. Even Mary Kent, a visitor from Denver, recognized it as such.

I think its just another New Orleans crazy tradition to me, Kent said, like crazy singing and dancing.

Sword-wielding Tutu Man

This particular crazy tradition can be traced to 77-year-old Jack Tutu Man Varuso, a retired Department of Labor unemployment adjudicator, who is the high priest of the tie-dyed druids and other faithful followers. Back in 1977 or '78, Varuso said, he employed a handy household sword to cleave a watermelon into slices during a Fourth of July party.

Over the years, this became a private custom, which he eventually took public, making a practice of sacrificing watermelons on Oak Street for the amusement of the Maple Leaf Bar clientele on Cajun music night and elsewhere. Sometime in the 21st century, Varuso moved the tongue-in-cheek sacred rite to the Fais Do-Do stage at Jazz Fest.

On the fest site, Varuso prudently substituted the melon toss for the customary swordplay. How he smuggles a 25-pound contraband watermelon to the unauthorized ceremony is anyones guess.

The eerie chant, he said, is something he remembered from childhood, when there were still roving knife sharpeners and vegetable purveyors.

Underground Jazz Fest Triathlon

Back in the day, Varuso was a dedicated runner. He got his nick name Tutu Man for wearing a pink ballerina skirt in road races. At about the same time he began swording melons, he and buddies also instituted a road race around the horse track that surrounds Jazz Fest, amid the music fans. A time or two security guards and police officers chased them, Varuso said, trying to curtail the run, but it persists to this day.

Varuso says he hung up his running shoes 10 years ago, but a pack of new, energetic, enthusiastic and somewhat subversive athletes emerged at the right time to keep the custom moving forward.

In 1999 more or less, Hunter Higgins, a high school teacher, and pals founded an unofficial, underground Jazz Fest triathlon that includes a bike ride from City Park, a foot race around the track and a post-fest swim in nearby Bayou St. John. Based on journalistic observation, the consumption of canned beer plays a crucial role in all of this.

It was cosmically inevitable that the below-the-radar triathletes immediately hooked up with the down-low watermelon sacrifice devotees. And now they are firmly established, as spectator Kent observed, as another crazy New Orleans tradition.
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

Vote

View Results
Faced with labor shortages that could negatively impact the local health care landscape, north shore hospital administrators, as well as workforce, education and economic leaders, have announced a collaboration to identify personnel and infrastructure needs, address them and eventually market the area as a destination for health care tourism.

"Northshore Healthscape: A Collaborative Enhancing the Pulse of our Regional Healthcare Economy" was unveiled Wednesday at Northshore Technical Community College near Lacombe. Its a three-year pilot program spearheaded by St. Tammany Corp. that unites hospitals from St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes as they continue searching for critical personnel in a field pushed to the brink during the pandemic.

Its a spirit of competition rather than competition, said Joan Coffman, president and CEO of St. Tammany Health System.

We are cooperatively focused on our labor pool and elevating our region as a destination for world-class health care, she said.

Participating agencies include North Oaks Health System, Ochsner Northshore-Mississippi Gulf Coast Region, Our Lady of the Lake Northshore, Slidell Memorial Hospital, St. Tammany Health System and St. Tammany Corp. Northshore Technical Community College and Tri-Parish Works, part of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, are collaborating in the program.

Northshore Healthscape calls for a study to determine the needs of health care systems on the north shore, which will help administrators know which types of workers and facilities are most pressing across the local network of providers. A branding campaign to bring attention to the collaboration is planned in the first year, as well, as is an industry-impact report.

Another goal is for local health care providers to work with Northshore Technical to attract and train the employees they need, while Tri-Parish Works can help funnel jobseekers to employers.

St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Northshore Technical Chancellor William Wainwright said a dual-enrollment class is in the works that would allow area high schoolers to work toward college credit before becoming NTCC students, as well.

Health care is an economic force on the north shore, with more than 22,000 jobs in the tri-parish area and 5,000 unique job postings in the past 12 months, according to St. Tammany Corp. The group, which serves as the economic development arm of the parish, said projections indicate the local health care sector will grow 11% by 2026, adding to the $1.5 billion annual impact the industry currently has on the north shore.

That projected growth creates a long-term need for skilled health care workers, particularly nurses. The pressures of the coronavirus pandemic on people already in the field underscored the current needs.

Most health systems across the country are struggling with labor force and labor costs, and were no different, said Dr. Bryan Miller, a physician executive with Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group. I think most of the health care leaders here with me would agree that this has been our biggest struggle over the last year or so.

The idea for Northshore Healthscape came from quarterly meetings of local health care leaders, orchestrated by St. Tammany Corporation officials.

St. Tammany Corporation Board President Marty Mayer said hes seen other areas prioritize health care as an economic driver to great success. He said the north shore already attracts people because of its highly regarded health care options, but added that prospects for becoming a national hub for medical services are promising.

This is the convergence of health care, workforce, education as economic drivers for the jobs of the future, Myer said. The announcement today is groundbreaking in my opinion.  These people are in competition with each other, so the fact we could come together and find a (shared) mission speaks a lot.
Two years after a crush of coronavirus cases at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in St. John the Baptist Parish killed nearly a fifth of the homes residents, families of two veterans have filed lawsuits against the home, testing a state law that largely lets health-care providers off the hook for pandemic-related deaths.

Ras Deakles and Berlin Hebert Jr. were roommates who died within a day of each other when a cluster of coronavirus cases swept through the nursing home in the spring of 2020. The home tallied 28 coronavirus deaths between March 23 and May 7 of that year, and 50 total deaths within that timespan. Typically, about nine residents might die over a similar time period.

We sent my dad to one of the places where veterans are supposed to be treasured and kept safe, and now Im confident that they led to my dads death, said plaintiff Neal Hebert, whose father was 74 when he died.

The lawsuits are among the first to challenge a state statute that Gov. John Bel Edwards invoked when he declared a public health emergency in March 2020. The law holds that health care providers can not held liable for deaths or injuries during a public health emergency unless the cases involve gross negligence or willful misconduct  a high bar that some attorneys argued essentially erased two years worth of medical malpractice cases.

The plaintiffs say the deaths of Hebert and Deakles could have been avoided if the veterans home had only followed state and federal guidance for dealing with the coronavirus.

In mid-March of 2020, for example, the Louisiana Department of Health instructed all nursing homes to follow federal guidelines for containing the virus spread, which included canceling communal dining and other group activities. But in the days afterward, the nursing home posted photos on social media of groups of veterans playing bingo together and in other group settings, without wearing masks or other protective gear, the lawsuit alleged.

They need to fess up, said Betty Sue Deakles, who filed suit on behalf of her late husband, who died at 71. Deakles said she wants those who worked at the home to show remorse and help her family get justice for her husband.

Both lawsuits, which attorney Donald Hodge filed in the 40th Judicial District in St. John, say the plaintiffs' damages exceed $10,000.

A spokesperson for the veterans home defended the facilitys practices in response to this story, but declined to comment specifically on the suit.

Our staff provided excellent care to the veterans living at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home during an unprecedented and difficult time, said Brandee Patrick, the communications director for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. We are aware of these lawsuits; however, we cannot provide further comment at this time on this pending litigation.

Early warning signs

During the pandemics first wave in the spring of 2020, St. John led the nation for a time in per-capita coronavirus deaths, with deaths at the veterans home among the factors that led to that high death rate.

Health news in your inbox Reporter Emily Woodruff shares weekly updates and insights on local health news, including COVID coverage and medical research. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The veterans families said at the time that their loved ones were not being tested for the virus even after state officials identified a cluster of cases at the home. Some resorted to sending their loved ones bodies to coroners in other parishes to determine if COVID was their cause of death.

Medical review panels that reviewed the Deakles and Hebert cases found that the veterans home breached the standard of care in both, and that it rose to gross negligence in the case of Deakles. The panel  a prerequisite to medical malpractice lawsuits  found that Deakles should have been placed in isolation once nursing home workers suspected he had COVID.

Instead, Deakles was allowed to eat in the community dining room. The panel said, though, that they could not determine whether the breaches of care led to Deakles death because they were unclear about his cause of death.

Deakles daughter, Valerie, said her dad should still be alive today.

If he was still alive, he would want to fight for all the people in that nursing home that died that might not have died if they were wearing masks and they were in their rooms like they were supposed to be, she said.

Standard of care failures

The gross negligence finding in Deakles case means that his family may not run into problems with the statute that granted providers immunity from lawsuits during the pandemic.

But Heberts case is different.

The medical review panel in his case found that the nursing home failed to comply with the appropriate standard of care in his fathers case, but that the breach did not rise to gross negligence. The panel found that they also could not determine whether the nursing homes failures led to Heberts coronavirus diagnosis and death.

Due to this novel virus, implementation of policies and changes in residents habits were not able to be performed quickly, the panel said. The medical community as a whole did not understand the complexity of the effects of this virus during its early stages.

But Hebert said its clear the veterans home was not following the rules. He said he did not get to tell his father a proper goodbye, or even have a funeral for him.

I had to tell my dad goodbye over the phone, Hebert said. I said, Dad, I love you, you dont have to hold on for me anymore.' I never got to see my dad one last time.
By the time Natalie Cohen's son, Emmett, was diagnosed with autism at age 11 he had already been asked to leave several schools for exhibiting behavioral issues.

His mother was running out of options when she read about St. Therese Academy, a Metairie Catholic school for students with exceptional needs.

Shortly after he began at St. Therese, Cohen got a call from Head of School Shannon Bland to report that Emmett was threatening to run away. But by the time Cohen arrived at the school, her son was back in class as if nothing had happened.

Instead of telling Cohen to find another school, something she expected based on previous experience, Bland said the school would continue to work with Emmett.

"That was when I knew it was different," Cohen said. "It was life changing, as corny as that sounds."

Enrollment at St. Therese, which serves K-12th grade students with mild to moderate learning disabilities, has nearly doubled since it opened. That growth is prompting a change in location next school year from the former site of Our Lady of Divine Providence to St. Mary Magdalen in Metairie, which ironically is one of three schools the Archdiocese of New Orleans has announced will close at the end of this school year due to sagging enrollment.

The other two slated for closure are St. Rita Catholic School in New Orleans and St. Rosalie School in Harvey.

"In time where the national trends see decreasing Catholic school enrollment and K-12 enrollment overall in schools locally and nationally, for St. Therese Academy to have doubled its enrollment in two years during COVID with shutdowns and quarantines is a testament to their good work and the dedication of families, administration, faculty, and staff to be successful," said RaeNell Houston, superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese.

St. Therese opened in 2019 and enrollment was 114 students. The next year, despite the pandemic, enrollment grew to 134 students. It's at 182 this year and is expected to top 200 students next school year, officials said.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

For about three months after Hurricane Ida, classes were held at the Childrens Museum in City Park while the Metairie campus underwent repairs.

The school closures announced by the archdiocese earlier this year came on the heels of several other school closures in recent years. Public school districts across the region have also seen seen stagnant or declining enrollment.

Its been an incredible story to see that despite all the adversities with COVID and the hurricane we keep gaining, Bland said of the climbing enrollment at St. Therese.

The school serves students with a wide range of needs. Many have autism or are nonverbal, some have ADHD, others down syndrome or dyslexia, Bland said. Speech and occupational therapists work with students in the classroom; a music therapist teaches students numbers and addresses through song; if a student is overwhelmed, they can go to a sensory room.

This year's kindergarten has 18 students but 13 more are in the process of registering, Bland said. The St. Mary Magdalene campus will have 27 classrooms, which will allow additional sections of classes, as well as a recently renovated cafeteria and playground.

Annual tuition ranges from $10,775 to $13,915.

Cohen said her son is surrounded by kids who are different and don't judge him. Before his bar mitzvah, the school took a field trip to his synagogue, where he stood next to his rabbi and talked about his Jewish faith.

"He has so come into his own these last three years here," Cohen said.
In a classic illustration of checks and balances in a democracy, the New Orleans City Council has decided to give itself a say in the mayors choice of administration leaders, overriding Mayor LaToya Cantrells veto of a proposed change to the city's charter.

Most key influencers in Jefferson and Orleans parishes agree with the council, according to The Time-Picayune Power Poll. About 53% of respondents said the legislative branch of local government should have authority to block the chief executives appointments to departmental director positions.

Should the New Orleans City Council be given authority to block the mayor's appointments to departmental director positions?

Yes - 53%

53% No - 39%

39% Unsure - 8%

Among the arguments for empowering the council are ones philosophical and experiential.

The state Senate has the authority to review the cabinet selections of the governor, said Stan Harris, president and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Developing a process where the City Council provides advice and consent of city department heads provides transparency as to the appointee's background and qualifications for their designated role. It could also build a process of collaboration earlier in the mayor's term.

We would not be having a conversation about the City Council's desire to approve appointments if we could point to a history of stellar department heads who, with nary a whiff of nepotism, ran the city both efficiently and blind to personal profit, said Loyola University history professor Justin Nystrom, director at Center for the Study of New Orleans. The lack of accountability in city government would be funny if it weren't so sad.

'Partisan gridlock'

But Jeff Thomas, co-owner of WBOK radio and Think504s publisher and editor, cautions of other consequences.

The potential for partisan gridlock supersedes difference of opinion on job hiring, he said. We dont need to change the current power dynamics of our city government.

Conducted online Tuesday through Thursday, The Times-Picayune Power Poll is not a scientific inquiry. But because it asks questions of the top Jefferson and Orleans influencers in business, politics, arts, media, nonprofits and community affairs, it does afford non-partisan insight into the thoughts and opinions of those who steer the region. Of 620 Power Poll members surveyed this week, 112 voted, for a participation rate of 18%.

As to whether Louisiana should set a minimum wage, of at least $7.25 per hour as already required by federal law, for business employees, the Legislature says no but Power Poll respondents overwhelmingly say yes.

Should Louisiana establish a minimum wage, of $7.25 per hour or more, for business employees?

Yes - 71%

71% No - 21%

21% Unsure - 8%

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The average cost of a babysitter in Louisiana is $14.19 per hour. Without sufficient subsidized child care, parents cannot afford to work for $7.25, said Allison Plyer, chief demographer at The Data Center. Add to that declining immigration, 1.6 million people afflicted with long COVID and workers retiring in record numbers, Plyer said, and its no wonder employers can't find employees.

The contrarian view was voiced by Jon Gegenheimer, the clerk of court in Jefferson Parish:

Let the free market - not government fiat - determine the minimum wage, which will vary across state lines, depending on cost-of-living differences, he said.

Poll respondents split on whether Louisiana should let parents of K-12 students remove their children and their share of state education money from public schools and use the cash for private school tuition or homeschooling. The House Education Committee endorsed the idea April 6, but the bill sponsor, Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, later shelved it.

Should Louisiana let K-12 students use their share of state education money for private school tuition or homeschooling?

Yes - 38%

38% No - 44%

44% Depends on which students - 13%

13% Unsure - 5%.

And as for the New Orleans Saints, most think the team did fairly well in the 2022 draft.

Grade the New Orleans Saints' 2022 draft class.

A - 25%

25% B - 60%

60% C - 15%

15% D - 0%

0% F - 0%

Said Sherri Tarr, chief operating officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans: GEAUX SAINTS! WHO DAT!!!!!

The Times-Picayune Power Poll is a partnership between New Orleans' daily newspaper and powerpoll.com, a nonpartisan survey, news and information company focused on the opinions of influential people. Powerpoll.com is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and surveys in 30 metropolitan markets.
The newly discovered sinkhole on an Interstate 10 exit ramp near the Metairie-New Orleans line is deep enough to erect a ladder.

Workers used a backhoe Friday morning to clear caved-in asphalt from the driving lane of the eastbound I-10 exit ramp to Metairie Road and City Park Avenue. A large void was visible under the roadway when they were done.

There was no immediate word about what caused the void. However, there is a drainage grate near the sinkhole. Water is often responsible for washing away roadbeds, but it's not clear if that is the case here.

As of noon, workers had lowered a large extension ladder into the sinkhole and were using a tape measure to check the depth.

Chris Welty, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, said crews were investigating the cause and extent of damage related to the sinkhole.

Drivers can still use the exit, Welty said, but they should avoid the barricaded area. Most drivers are passing the orange cones and then crossing the white striped area on the right to get to the exit ramp.

The sinkhole was discovered around 10:45 p.m. Thursday, Welty said. There's no immediate timeline for repairs.

Sinkhole versus pothole

New Orleans has a long history with potholes and sinkholes.

Potholes are usually caused by failure of paving materials and are found in roads and parking lots, according to the U.S. Geological Service. While some can be big and cause damage to vehicles, they usually are smaller than sinkholes.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

In New Orleans, it takes an average of 204 days before the Department of Public Works paves over potholes reported through 311, according to a report from Inspector General Ed Michel.

A sinkhole has a void underneath and comes with the threat of additional collapse or caving in, USGS says. They can vary in size.

Sinky, the Canal Street sinkhole

One of the most famous sinkholes in New Orleans is Sinky, the sinkhole that opened up in 2016 at the base of Canal Street sinkhole and inspired a "Sinkhole de Mayo" party.

The massive sinkhole opened up in the 300 block of Canal Street and parts of the road fell into an old underground tunnel. The tunnel was originally intended to be part of the controversial French Quarter riverfront expressway that was killed in 1969.

The sinkhole repair project cost about $3 million.

Read more about the Canal Street sinkhole.

Sinkhole de Mayo party

Hundreds of people attended the Sinkhole de Mayo party in 2016 in New Orleans.

Watch this video from our archives (Can't see it? Watch here):
Emmy-Winning NBC Chicago Reporter Mary Ann Bergerson Ahern will deliver the keynote speech at her alma mater.

Bergerson Ahern, one of Marquette High School's most accomplished alumnae, will give an address to the class of 2022 at the school's senior breakfast at the Fremont Ballroom at Blue Chip Casino Hotel & Spa at 9 a.m. on June 6.

I have very fond memories of Marquette High School and look forward to celebrating with the graduating class on this important day in their lives, Bergerson Ahern said.

She joined NBC Chicago in 1989. She has covered the selection of Pope Francis, several presidential inaugurations, Princess Diana's visit to Chicago and the canonization of pontiffs John XXIII and John Paul II in Rome.

She conducted the late actor Christopher Reeves final television interview.

Bergerson Ahern graduated from John Carrol University and earned master's degrees from Northeastern Illinois University and Northwestern University.

Her many honors include a Peter Lisagor Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Headline Club.

Mrs. Bergerson Aherns career is one that every journalism student in America should strive to emulate. She embodies fairness and grace while maintaining an unwavering pursuit of truth. Were very fortunate to have her join us on June 6 and especially proud to call her an alumna and friend of Marquette Catholic High School, principal Casey Martin said.

Commencement will follow later that day at 6:30 pm inside the Richard and Louise Scholl Student Center with a Baccalaureate Mass slated for 5 p.m. at St. Mary's Church in Michigan City.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Distressed Unit Appeal Board, which governs Gary Community School Corp., is releasing a survey to ask the community its priorities regarding management of the district.

Responses in the survey are anonymous and it is available at in.gov/duab. Results will be used to develop the next manager contract.

DUAB will also hold a meeting at 5 p.m. May 18 at West Side Leadership Academy, where district manager MGT will present its plan for the next two years. Public comment will be available during the meeting.

The current plan is for MGT to lead Gary for a final two years, leading to the district exiting distressed unit status.

Senate Bill 567 designated Gary as a distressed political subdivision in 2018, allowing DUAB to govern the schools. The district has been led by an emergency manager since the state takeover.

The school corporation will no longer be considered a distressed political subdivision if it maintains financial solvency for the two-year period. It also must have a fiscal plan detailing how it will maintain financial solvency for the next five years, meet all other conditions defined by DUAB and have the board determine that it is financially stable.

GCSC regained local control of its special education services in September after nearly a decade of oversight from the Indiana Department of Education.

The district saw higher enrollment in the 2020-21 academic year, bringing the total number of students to 4,445 as of February 2021. For the 10 years prior to state control, GCSC lost 699 students a year, on average.

However, the Indiana Department of Educations fall 2020-21 transfer report shows that 6,990 students in Gary attended a school outside of GCSC that year. Of the 11,370 students who live in the district boundaries, 61% are at either a charter school or separate private school.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
LAPORTE  Little Learners Preschool allows general education students and students with disabilities to interact in the same classes and learn together.

The preschool primarily serves students with disabilities who are 3 to 5 years old, but began offering an inclusion class where students can interact and grow together. The classrooms typically have 60% general education students, with 40% students with individualized education plans (IEPs).

Becky Jeffers, director of Little Learners, said it is positive for the students on both ends.

Everybody is different, but they realize theyre still friends and can work together, Jeffers said.

The inclusion class allows students with IEPs to engage with typical peers, meaning people they would see every day outside of a special education classroom.

Jeanette Raymond, who teaches the pre-K level inclusion class, said students engage in a lot of different ideas during each day. A day typically begins with gross motor activities, which involve large muscles such as legs and arms. This might be jumping or hopping. Then students will work at tables and focus on writing or other activities.

Students also engage with STEM buckets, which allow them to creatively problem solve.

Another big part of the classroom day is zones. Students label how they are feeling at the beginning of the day in specific colors, with green being happy and red being angry. Raymond said this allows students to acknowledge their feelings in a safe way and she can address them privately.

Their goal by the end of the day is for every student to be in the green zone. She said she recently had a student label their zone as red because another student had hurt his feelings. Raymond would not have been aware without the zones and they were able to discuss the issue.

He was able to go over and move himself from red to green after it was taken care of, Raymond said. Its actually the best way for them to communicate their feelings in a safe and positive environment.

She said it is a major focus and they want kids to communicate their feelings from an early age.

By the end of the year, students are ready for the transition to kindergarten and are feeling very prepared.

Its a lot of hugs and tears at the end of the year, but it is very exciting for everybody because we can see theyre ready to go and they have accomplished so much, Raymond said.

Mark Francesconi, superintendent of LaPorte Community School Corp., said the teamwork and setting of the inclusion classroom is really exciting.

He emphasized the need for early childhood intervention and those with developmental delays being even further behind, so the preschool can help address their needs.

The program also recently changed sites and is now at the former location of Boston Middle School. Its previous location, LaPorte High School, limited enrollment due to the small classrooms.

Jeffers also mentioned that it was not ideal because the preschool students were only a few rooms away from high school students and would have to enter and leave from the same entrance.

In the new location, they have over 170 students enrolled and consistently get interest from families in joining the preschool. Any student with an IEP is welcome, while general education spots may be more limited.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
MERRILLVILLE  Students at Pierce Middle School had to be evacuated to the high school following the second bomb threat in the last month, a spokeswoman said.

Following an investigation, the Merrillville Police Department said no threat was found.

Merrillville police were alerted of the alleged bomb threat at 1 p.m., said Merrillville Cpl. Matt Vasel.

The school was evacuated and students were transferred to the high school, where they were dismissed at 2:15 p.m., said Merrillville Community School Corp. Public Information Officer Donna Stuckert.

Officers and Lake County Sheriff's police dogs searched the school and nothing was found. The Merrillville Police Department is continuing the investigation of the alleged threat. No further information was immediately available.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Vasel at 219-769-3531, extension 363, or mvasel@merrillville.in.gov.

The middle school students also had been sent to the high school March 22 in response to a bomb threat, officials said at the time.

"Our first priority was making sure everyone got out of the building safely," the parents of the middle school students were told by email following the March scare. "Law enforcement has completed a thorough sweep of the building and has determined the school is safe for reentry."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
CROWN POINT  A former Region couple paid $30,000 in restitution Friday to Down Syndrome Association of Northwest Indiana after reaching an agreement that allowed the wife to potentially avoid conviction and reduced the husband's charge to a misdemeanor.

William Buckley Jr., 45, and Dawn Buckley, 48, of Davenport, Florida, each told Judge Pro Tempore Matthew Fech about the good they did for the association but struggled to explain how taking money from the nonprofit helped it.

"There are no excuses for what you did," Fech told William Buckley Jr. "Only explanations."

Christine Longo, the association's volunteer executive director, asked Fech to reject the Buckleys' agreements because they didn't provide "adequate punishment" and effectively allowed the Buckleys to continue to benefit from their crimes.

"This case illustrates using the legal system and relationships to save themselves at the expense of some of the most vulnerable populations," Longo said. "That makes this even more despicable."

Longo said the Buckleys, who have a child with Down syndrome, never explained more than $500,000 in undocumented spending during the 10 years they controlled the association's financial records.

While the $500,000 was not necessarily stolen, the association lost far more money than the $30,000 the Buckleys agreed to pay in restitution, she said. The full amount was not discovered, because the Buckleys "stole 10 years of records."

Prosecutors' decision to allow William Buckley "to fall on his sword for his wife" did not make Dawn Buckley any less culpable, Longo said.

"She is the one who took her daughters to a local party place for a day of fun using organization funds," she said. "She is the one who bragged that she added a Disney gift card to transactions at local stores as a 'savings' account for their numerous trips and vacations."

Longo said the Buckleys used association funds to make home improvements and quickly sold their home in Northwest Indiana to "destroy any further evidence of their activities."

Because of the theft, clients lost services, including social and educational opportunities, and donors stopped giving, Longo said.

"One organization that donated $1,000 a month stopped paying us for 24 months before we rebuilt the trust the Buckleys betrayed," she said. "That's $24,000. And that is just one funder. Broken promises and a breach of trust has cost all of the families we serve."

Association members packed the courtroom for the hearing. Afterward, the Buckleys were escorted out through a hallway typically used by judges and their staffs.

Dawn Buckley entered into a pretrial diversion agreement, which required her to pay $30,000 in restitution jointly with her husband.

If she avoids arrest or any further criminal offenses, the Lake County prosecutor's office will dismiss two felony fraud charges and one count of felony theft.

"Do you realize how fortunate you are to be receiving this agreement?" Fech asked.

"I do," Dawn Buckley said.

William Buckley pleaded guilty to theft as a class A misdemeanor.

His plea agreement called for a one-year term in Lake County Jail, suspended in favor of probation. He also agreed to pay restitution jointly with his wife.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss all three felony counts against him.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Bruno said his office reached the agreement with the Buckleys, in part, because "most, if not all, records were lost or in disarray." Neither of them had any criminal history at all, he said.

"Nothing the state could ever do today could even begin to make them whole," Bruno said.

The Buckleys' attorney, William Padula, asked Fech to accept the Buckleys' agreements, which were the result of extensive negotiations.

The association also is pursuing a civil lawsuit against the Buckleys, he said.

Padula said people are frail and make mistakes, and the Buckleys' crimes were "opportunistic offenses."

"It's difficult to explain how these things come about, how they get started," Padula said.

Fech turned to William Buckley, saying he'd have to explain why the court should accept his plea agreement.

William Buckley said the case had "been difficult for our family as well."

He said he spent "an immeasurable" amount of time serving the organization and trying to keep it "whole."

"I wish I could change it," he said. "I feel beyond terrible how this has all worked out."

Fech said, "How is taking money from an organization trying to keep it whole?"

William Buckley said he didn't want to make excuses before turning to the gallery.

"I apologize to all of you," he said. "I wish it could be different. That's all I can say."

Dawn Buckley said she was sorry she "was involved" and that she "had the best intentions to try to do the best I could for the kids."

"I'm just truly sorry," she said. "I just don't know what else to say."

After the hearing, Longo said the association has worked hard to rebuild and currently serves 80 to 250 families throughout each year.

The Buckleys renovated a facility in Highland, but allowed the lease to expire when their crimes came to light, she said. As a result, the association had to pay to store its property until it opened another location in Schererville.

The association also operates a location in Crown Point and is looking to expand to Valparaiso, she said.

The services the organization provides are critical, particularly for people with Down syndrome who are younger than 5 and older than 22, Longo said.

Adults with Down syndrome can regress  in speech and other skills they work hard to develop as children  if they become isolated at home with only a caretaker, she said.

Longo's daughter, Olivia Longo, 21, said she loves going to the association's new center.

"I get to hang out with my friends," she said. "I get to do karaoke."

After the Buckleys left, the association removed age restrictions for social events to allow more clients and their families to enjoy a greater sense of connection, Christine Longo said.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the Gary Housing Authority followed proper procedures when it acquired through condemnation a since-demolished restaurant building at 624 Broadway.

The state's high court issued an order Thursday granting transfer in the case and vacating a Dec. 27, 2021, Court of Appeals ruling that negated the Gary Housing Authority's administrative taking of the property.

That actually was the second Indiana Court of Appeals decision in this case.

The first, which similarly ruled against the housing authority, was scuttled by Court of Appeals Chief Judge Cale Bradford on Dec. 2, 2021, three days after an article in The Times suggested the appeals court may have mistakenly applied the 2021 version of the eminent domain statute, instead of the statute in effect when the case commenced in 2019.

Now that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case, both the Gary Housing Authority, represented by Tramel Raggs and others, and 624 Broadway LLC, represented by Robert Welsh and Connor Nolan, will submit written arguments to the court in the months ahead, and get a chance to address and answer questions posed by the five justices at oral arguments, probably by the end of the year.

According to court records, the Gary Housing Authority is supported at the high court by nine additional Indiana municipal housing authorities, including the East Chicago Housing Authority.

A Supreme Court ruling is expected sometime in 2023.

At issue is whether the housing authority provided sufficient notice to the property owner prior to taking the property.

In its most recent ruling, the Court of Appeals said despite complying with the notice by publication provisions of Indiana law in effect at the time, the Gary Housing Authority had a further obligation under the U.S. Constitution to make an extra effort to directly contact John Allen, the registered agent for the building owners.

While the appeals court noted Allen managed to learn about the two condemnation hearings and attend them anyway, the court said it cannot say with confidence the Gary Housing Authority only would have paid $75,000 for the building had the proper procedure been followed, since Allen did not have an opportunity to present an appraiser's valuation of $325,000 for the property.

As a result, the appeals court said it was vacating the Gary Housing Authority's administrative taking of the property because it violated 624 Broadway's constitutional rights, and it ordered the Lake Superior Court to conduct further proceedings consistent with the ruling.

"Under the circumstances, the Gary Housing Authoritys use of notice by publication was not reasonably calculated to reach Allen. Rather, the Gary Housing Authoritys use of notice by publication was a mere gesture, which is not due process," said Appeals Judge Paul Mathias on behalf of the court.

Records show Allen was in the midst of renovating the building into the Nations Restaurant and Bar when the property was acquired by the Gary Housing Authority.

The housing authority in 2020 tore down the building, as well as the other structures in the 600 block of Broadway, as a prelude to constructing a new, mixed-use housing development in downtown Gary.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
EAST CHICAGO  An East Chicago man was sentenced to prison for procuring firearms using a "straw purchaser" on several occasions, courts said.

Terrence McCray, 22, was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Indiana.

The sentence came after McCray pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealers in connection with the acquisition of multiple firearms. This is known as "straw purchasing," in which firearms are purchased by an individual and given to another person who is not legally able to possess them.

In 2019, McCray conspired with three others to straw purchase 17 firearms on 14 different occasions, court reports said.

In each of the transactions, the buyers falsely certified on the federal forms that they were the actual buyer of the firearms. However, they were making the purchase of the firearms for McCray, who had selected and provided money to buy the firearms.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
MERRILLVILLE  Church leaders and community members gathered for National Prayer Day to rejoice together and to pray over struggling families, first responders, local youth, government leaders and pastors.

The National Day of Prayer was hosted Thursday by the Congregations of Merrillville at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center in Merrillville.

Pastors from several churches took turns leading the group in prayer, each speaking on a different subject such as justice, poverty, drug abuse, racism, leadership and the safety of local first responders.

Town Council Member Richard Hardaway, of Ward 2, had an opportunity to pray for fellow leaders both locally and nationally for guidance and strength.

"Anytime you get a group of believers together for prayer, it's important," Hardaway said. "The Congregations of Merrillville did a wonderful job and I appreciate their invite to participate as a lay person. ... All of the topics touched on today shows that, when you look at Merrillville, it's a very diverse community. It's one of the things that made me move here years ago and I think it continues to get better and better."

Earl Barton, a member of Impact Christian Church in Merrillville, said the event underlines why he loves being a part of the community of Merrillville.

"It's huge, with all of these different churches here, we may have slightly different minutia on how we do things, but we are gathered to celebrate what is most important," Barton said. "To call out to God to show Merrillville mercy, health and prosperity."

Throughout the event, the Merrillville High School Choir graced the gathering with songs of worship.

The Rev. Bob Szoke, lead pastor at Impact Christian Church in Merrillville, said this is the second year the Congregations of Merrillville has hosted a National Prayer Day gathering.

"It's an opportunity to get pastors and churches together for prayer," Szoke said. "We respect and support each other and we are united in Christ. As people of faith, we never want to send the message that we are a divided community. We are a united community."

Szoke prayed for people who are facing financial hardships, struggling with jobs and homelessness.

"A lot of it has to do with learning to trust the Lord, which can be easier said than done, and to lean on each other through these hard times," he said.

The Congregations of Merrillville is an organization that unites churches in the town to help the community with physical and spiritual needs. The group meets on the second Monday of each month and events are held year-round.

Additionally, every Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the organization members provide free meals at the First Presbyterian Church at 7898 Taft St. as part of its "Feed the Flock" program.

"It's very humbling to be in the presence of so many people who are pillars of faith," Szoke said. "We are all unique, and different, but not really. We want people to become involved with the faith."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Get creative about getting creative.

There isnt a mom around who wouldnt proudly display a handmade card, but you can go one better by helping your kids write her a song.

First, think of the core message you want to get across, maybe emphasizing one of her character traits, said Grant Shellen, bass player in the surf rock band, Aloha Screwdriver. Then try to paint a picture of a few moments in time, like playing at the park or making soup for a sick kid.

When it comes to song structure, three verses alternating with a repeated chorus works well, said Mr. Shellen. The chorus should have the lines you want to be the most memorable or representative of what the song is about.

If youre more Spielberg than Springsteen, mobile apps like Splice and InShot make it easy to stitch photos and videos into a short movie. Avoid special effects or transitions, which can cheapen the effect, said Dan Denegre, owner and filmmaker at Space Race Studio, which creates ads and documentaries for clients like Ubisoft and the British Broadcasting Corporation. And dont be afraid to trim video clips down to the specific moment that makes you feel something, he said. Its easier for a video to make an impact if it affects you right away.

Think about how the recipient might watch the video, said Mr. Denegre. If shes likely to want to project it up on the television, landscape is probably best. If you think shell share it on her Instagram story, portrait might be better.

Involving others can add a layer of meaning to a gift. When we gave my son a record player, we asked his older cousins to choose an album and write a note about why they love it, said Jordan Ferney, founder of Oh Happy Day, a website about celebrating. If you have siblings, collaborate on a handwritten list of things you love about your mom, said John Ruhlin, founder of Giftology Group, a corporate gifting consultancy.

Spruce up her surroundings.

Look around your space and think about what will make her feel cared for, said Marianne Canada, lifestyle expert for HGTV.com and host of the HGTV podcast Obsessed. If she wants to spend the day luxuriating in an empty house, Start with a clean slate and tidy up, said Ms. Canada. Make the bed with crisp, clean sheets. The kids can help. With a week to go, youve still got time to print and frame a special photo. How many of us have a hard drive of photos theyd love to print? she said.
THE CASE OF THE MARRIED WOMAN: Caroline Norton and Her Fight for Womens Justice, by Antonia Fraser

Many modern women may well remember a time when they could not open a bank account, or sign for a mortgage, without a countersignature from their husband or father. Antonia Fraser, in her 90th year, certainly will. What none of us, happily, can remember is the time when married women had no legal status at all. Once a woman married, her legal identity was subsumed into that of her husband. A married woman could not sign a contract, nor draw up a will. She had no debts  which sounds great, until you realize that she could not owe money, because all her money, even that she earned herself, belonged to her husband, as did all her possessions. As did her children.

That this changed was in part due to the heroic campaigning, and the tragic story, of Caroline Norton, as conveyed in Frasers new book. She was the granddaughter of the playwright and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan, author of The School for Scandal, a title that would come to seem all too apt. Born in 1808, 30 years before Queen Victoria came to the throne, she and her two equally beautiful sisters made a stir when they debuted in society. Her sisters married titled men, while Caroline married George Norton, who, while a younger son, had hopes of a title of his own  but would also turn out to be jealous, violent, petty and unremittingly vicious.

Their early married life was relatively smooth. The couple had three children even as their home became a political salon, with the lovely Mrs. Norton at its center. Indeed, as she shone and her husband increasingly took a back seat, he began to feel she was perhaps too much at the center. He may have been happy for his charming wife to use her influence with the prime minister, Lord Melbourne, to gain George a plum sinecure, but at home, he was less happy that she wielded such influence at all. Similarly, while George was delighted to spend the money Caroline earned as a writer of fashionable novels and verse, he resented that others were more interested in meeting the society author than the surly, laconic magistrate.

Since a wife was the legal property of her husband, and adultery reduced the value of that property, the wifes lover could be sued for financial compensation.

In 1836, after yet another episode of her husbands violence, Caroline went to stay with her parents. George moved their children (the youngest not yet 3) to his sisters house, where he forcibly detained them, refusing Caroline access. He also claimed her earnings as a writer. All this was, at the time, his legal right.
Frank Langella, who was fired in April from his leading role in a Netflix mini-series after a misconduct investigation, said on Thursday that his dismissal followed a love scene in which the actress playing his wife accused him of touching her leg  an action not in the script.

She then turned and walked off the set, followed by the director and the intimacy coordinator, Langella wrote in a column for Deadline, about a March 25 incident on the set of The Fall of the House of Usher. The series is based on works by Edgar Allan Poe and created by Mike Flanagan.

I attempted to follow, but was asked to give her some space. I waited for approximately one hour, and was then told she was not returning to set and we were wrapped, Langella wrote.

Langella said he and the actress were both clothed during the scene. During the ensuing investigation, he said, someone in human resources told him that the intimacy coordinator had suggested where the actors should place their hands during the scene. Langella called the instructions absurd, he said.
The info war has also reached Asia, Africa and South America, where Russia has mobilized diplomats and state-controlled media like the global RT network to press its case. The goal isnt necessarily to win support, but to keep unaligned countries on the sidelines. While some countries, most notably China, have taken Russias side, others, like India, have avoided antagonizing Russia so as not to lose Russian military or energy contracts.

Many others have done so simply because they know and care little about Ukraine. Russias line to them is that it is fighting to prevent the United States from creating a unipolar world that would swallow their country, with no one to support their interests. The strategy evoked memories of the assistance the Soviet Union gave to Vietnam, Angola and other postcolonial independence movements.

The United States has mounted its own diplomatic efforts to gain more support from countries like India and South Africa. And Ukraine recently posted a video on Twitter recently in which the commander of Ukrainian armed forces thanks 37 countries that, according to the tweet, have shown assistance and unwavering support in these hard times. The list is not entirely fair  some Asian countries missing from the list have provided nonlethal assistance  but it is still noteworthy that there were no entries from Africa or South America.

As the war rages on, attention in the United States and elsewhere is bound to flag, and questions about the impact of the war on energy and food prices worldwide are bound to intensify. A speech by Mr. Biden on Tuesday on the need to support Ukraine was lost in the brouhaha over the leak of a Supreme Court draft ruling. And the $33 billion he is seeking in military assistance and other aid for Ukraine is certain to meet resistance, especially since there is no idea when or how the war might end.

Dwindling Western commitment is part of Mr. Putins calculus. Though he seems to have misjudged the Wests fury and response to his invasion, his 22 years of increasingly autocratic rule have taught him that passions invariably wane and high costs erode commitment.

As a former K.G.B. agent, Mr. Putin sees the world as a battleground of conspiratorial maneuvers. In his speeches, the color revolutions in Ukraine and other former Soviet republics and the Arab Spring and other global upheavals are machinations to bolster American domination. As an heir to the Soviet worldview, he believes more than many Western leaders do in the importance of information warfare, both to give his regime a veneer of legitimacy and to challenge liberal democracy. On this battlefield, lies are ammunition in Mr. Putins long and increasingly personal struggle to stay in power.

As the war enters a new phase, as the images and horrors become familiar and the costs rise, it will become ever more difficult for the Biden administration and for Mr. Zelensky to sustain their early lead in the information war. That makes it all the more imperative for the West to press the message that this is not a war Ukraine chose and that the cost of allowing Mr. Putin to have his way in Ukraine would be far higher than the sacrifices required to block him.
Most especially, of course, Brand Elon, the maybe-soon-to-be Supreme Ruler of the Twitterverse.

4 Questions

Jeremy Stoppelman is a co-founder and the chief executive of the online recommendation service Yelp. He discussed reproductive rights in light of the leaked draft opinion on abortion from the Supreme Court. Ive edited his answers.

Your company was early in supporting employees to get access to abortion services as the restrictions in some states mounted. What is your reaction to the draft opinion leaked from the Supreme Court?

It was disheartening, but it wasnt shocking. Even though we knew this was likely to happen, Im still appalled by the opinion. Women have a human right to access the health services they need and to make decisions over their own bodies, and the vast majority of Americans agree with that sentiment. Anyone who didnt see this coming hasnt been paying attention.

This is why we expanded our health insurance coverage to include out-of-state travel costs for Yelp employees and their dependents who may need to access reproductive care outside their state due to local restrictions. Were remote-first now with employees in every state, and nearly half of them are women, so we wanted to make sure that all our employees had equal access to the health services they need. I wish this decision wasnt up to individual companies, but here we are. Now, its up to Congress to ensure that these rights are protected by codifying Roe into law.

Why are so few in tech doing this? Are companies exhausted by the persistent onslaught of social issues, or has Silicon Valley gotten more conservative over time?

Many outspoken and prominent leaders on these issues seem to have retreated during the Trump era, perhaps due to their exposure to government contracts or fear of being singled out by Donald Trump himself, and they havent come back. I dont believe Silicon Valley has suddenly become more conservative. Its just that a few well-known personalities have leveraged social media as a megaphone to espouse their particular worldview.

The silence on this particular issue is deafening, and I would like to call on other C.E.O.s and venture capitalists to join us. Lets not allow ourselves to be collectively cowed into staying quiet on this and other important social issues. Reproductive rights have very broad popular support and intimately impact 50 percent of your employees. Its time to stand up for them.
Justice Alito also sought to mitigate any concerns that his reasoning would jeopardize other modern-era rights. None of the others involved the destruction of a fetus, so they did not raise the critical moral question posed by abortion, he wrote.

We emphasize that our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right, he added. Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.

But that reassurance has been greeted with broad skepticism.

For one, it is not clear that contraception, which some states outlawed before a landmark 1965 decision and its progeny, is different than abortion. After all, Justice Alito has already accepted, in a 2014 opinion he wrote in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, that companies have a right to refuse to cover contraception in employees health plans if the owners believe, for religious reasons, that contraception is an abortifacient.

Moreover, should cultural and religious conservatives in state legislatures or Congress enact further laws violating Supreme Court precedents that established modern-era rights, proponents of those laws could invoke the same arguments to press the court to overturn those precedents, too. After all, matters like rights for same-sex couples equally have no deep historical basis and, in some peoples minds, also raise critical moral questions.

Laurence Tribe, a liberal-leaning Harvard Law School professor whom Justice Alito repeatedly cited for a 1973 law review article in which Mr. Tribe criticized the reasoning of Roe v. Wade, denounced Justice Alitos assertion that the draft opinion raised no doubts about precedents that do not concern abortion.

Thats not how principled adjudication works, Mr. Tribe wrote on Twitter. Either youre being a political hack or your only abortion bit is BS.

Justice Alitos opinion did purport to give greater fealty to precedents that helped him overturn abortion rights. Some supporters of abortion rights have argued that they could be held to come from a different part of the Constitution: the 14th Amendments equal protection clause. By that theory, laws barring abortion amount to sex-based discrimination against women.
The State Legislature in Louisiana advanced a proposal this week that would classify abortion as homicide, going further than anti-abortion measures in other states by making it possible for prosecutors to bring criminal cases against women who end a pregnancy.

The measure was approved, 7 to 2, by a committee in the State House of Representatives, energized by a leaked draft of an opinion indicating that a majority of Supreme Court justices would vote in favor of overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

Still, supporters argued that the legislation should not hinge on the Supreme Courts final decision. Instead, proponents are pushing for what they see as an urgent effort to halt access to abortion in Louisiana. The bill defines personhood as beginning from the moment of fertilization.

No compromises, the Rev. Brian Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church in Livingston and a leading supporter of the bill, told lawmakers before they voted on Wednesday. No more waiting.
I feel like Ive come back stronger, he said, joking that the stroke had helped him drop a few pounds. I fit into my clothing better.

A huge vote and a tough recovery

With Democrats holding the barest control of the Senate, the stroke threatened to do more than upend Lujans life. If he werent able to return, the party might have needed to delay a vote on President Bidens Supreme Court nominee, risking her confirmation.

I need to get out of here, Lujan recalled thinking. I need to be able to cast that vote, because in my head, I was the one that was going to prevent this from happening. And you didnt want that on your shoulders, right? That was bad for the country.

He said he was very proud to cast his vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson, who will become the first Black woman to join the Supreme Court, only a few weeks after leaving the hospital.

Lujan is an increasingly rare figure in a polarized Washington. Hes universally known in the Senate as a kind and thoughtful colleague, someone who builds relationships with adversaries, seeks out bipartisan projects and gives a cheery hello to everyone he passes in the hallways.

A 2019 Politico profile of Lujan, written while he was still an up-and-coming lawmaker, carried the headline, Can a nice guy like Ben Ray Lujan elbow his way to the top? Ultimately, he decided to run for Senate in 2020 instead of climbing the leadership ranks in the House.

While he was in the hospital, he received texts from Republican colleagues, even those he didnt know well. Several of them would reach out to me every day, he said. Just: Hey, man, youre on my mind. Checking on you. Sending you love and support.
WASHINGTON  Rudolph W. Giuliani, who helped lead President Donald J. Trumps effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election as his personal lawyer, on Thursday abruptly pulled out of a scheduled Friday interview with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol after the panel refused to let him record the session.

Mr. Giuliani has been negotiating with the panel about testifying for months, and had finally reached an agreement to speak about matters other than his conversations with Mr. Trump or any other topic he believes is covered by attorney-client privilege, said his lawyer, Robert J. Costello.

Mr. Giulianis sudden withdrawal threatens what could have been a major breakthrough for the investigation. His testimony could have included details about interactions with members of Congress and others involved in the plans who were not Mr. Giulianis clients, Mr. Costello said. And with Mr. Giuliani under a subpoena to testify, the standoff raises the specter of yet another protracted legal battle between the committee and a former Trump aide.

The impasse began when Mr. Costello told the committee on Thursday that Mr. Giuliani intended to record the interview on video. When the panels lawyers refused to allow him to do so, he canceled the meeting, Mr. Costello said.
Johnson & Johnson was eclipsed long ago by Pfizer and Moderna in the nations vaccination campaign; federal officials have said the mRNA vaccines produced by those companies are both safer and more effective. In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said the F.D.A.s action reflected the already-known risk of the side effect, not new data on the rate at which it occurs. But in a sign of the firms own flagging interest in its vaccine, it has stopped providing sales outlooks for the shot to investors.

Reports that the vaccine can trigger a condition known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome have bedeviled it from early on. In April 2021, not long after it was approved for emergency use, federal authorities paused distribution of the vaccine for a safety evaluation. Regulators lifted the pause 10 days later but added a warning to instructions for its use.

Then, in December, the C.D.C. recommended that adults seeking a booster shot choose Moderna or Pfizer instead of Johnson & Johnson, citing more benefits and lower risks. Coupled with a host of manufacturing troubles in the United States, some experts said, the agencys judgment illustrated that the federal government had all but written off Johnson & Johnsons vaccine.

According to the F.D.A. announcement on Thursday, federal authorities now have 60 reports of the blood-clotting disorder  or four times as many as were reported when last years pause in distribution was lifted. In the interim, the number of Johnson & Johnson doses administered has slightly more than doubled, while the number of Pfizer and Moderna recipients has skyrocketed.

The number of deaths attributed to the disorder triggered by the Johnson & Johnsons vaccine does not appear to have risen much, if at all. But there have been far fewer, if any, suspected deaths due to side effects from the mRNA vaccines, federal health officials have said.
HOUSTON  With the Supreme Court signaling a willingness to reverse decades-old precedents like the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said on Thursday that he would seek to overturn a 1982 court decision that obligated public schools to educate all children, including undocumented immigrants.

Mr. Abbotts comments opened a new front in his campaign to use his powers as governor to harden Texas against unauthorized migration. And they demonstrated just how expansively some conservatives are thinking when it comes to the kinds of changes to American life that the courts emboldened conservative majority may be willing to allow.

The latest proposal for closing public schools to undocumented children significantly widens the range of precedents up for debate. After a draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade leaked this week, focus had been primarily on other rights that could be legally linked to the 1973 decision, such as access to contraception and same-sex marriage.

Little has changed in the legal landscape surrounding the education of undocumented children since 1982, when the court issued a 5-to-4 decision to strike down a Texas law allowing schools to refuse admission to unauthorized migrant children, legal experts said. Several attempts over the years to chip away at the decision in the case known as Plyler v. Doe have been unsuccessful, including an effort by Alabama more than a decade ago and in California in the 1990s.
Growing up, she and her peers would refer to the general as Maam Faidherbe, Grandpa Faidherbe.

Louis Camara, a 72-year-old writer who lives on the island of Saint-Louis, said that he considered Faidherbe a tutelar figure whose legacy had shaped his childhood  he would play hide-and-seek around the statue  and that he had long played down Faidherbes offenses.

A lot of us have overlooked the dark side of the character, he said. But that is also part of history.

But the statue that used to tower over residents has disappeared. The official version still goes that it fell in 2017 because of strong winds and heavy rains. It was quickly reinstalled but removed in early 2020, officially to renovate the square.

Across the city, some students said they didnt even remember that a statue had once stood on the square. Others argued that regardless of its location, they had more balanced views on colonization than their parents.

At the former Faidherbe high school, now named after Omar Foutiyou Tall, an 18th-century Muslim scholar and political leader, Coumba Gueye, a 16-year-old student, said learning about both the crimes and changes that occurred during colonization  or what she called getting the full picture  made her feel good. Ignorance, one way or another, wont lead us anywhere, she said.

With or without Faidherbe, the last visible vestiges of the colonial presence are falling into ruin in Saint-Louis. Many families cant afford to renovate the colonial architecture that the island is known for, and the roof of Mr. Camaras house collapsed years ago. I sometimes cry when I walk these streets, he said.
Video Two assailants attacked passers-by in the Israeli town of Elad. The attack was the latest in a wave of violence by Arab assailants since late March. Credit Credit... Ammar Awad/Reuters

JERUSALEM  Two assailants, at least one of them armed with an ax, attacked passers-by in an Israeli town on Thursday night, killing at least three, according to initial reports from eyewitnesses, the police and emergency services.

The Israeli authorities described the assault, in which several other people were wounded, as a terrorist attack.

The attack followed a wave of violence by Arab assailants that had already killed 14 people in cities across Israel since late March, and came days after a Palestinian militant leader urged Arabs to get your cleavers, axes or knives ready.

Thursday's attack also came after clashes between Palestinian stone throwers and Israeli police at the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem over the last few weeks. And it raised the specter that Israel had entered a new period of prolonged violence.

Despite worries of another clash at the mosque on Thursday, Israels Independence Day, it was relatively calm there although the Israeli police arrested one Palestinian protester. Nonetheless, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas issued strident statements decrying the police action.

On Saturday, Yehya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, had warned that any further raids by the Israeli police inside the mosque compound would prompt a response. In a fiery speech, he urged members of Israels Arab minority to get your cleavers, axes or knives ready.

The attack on Thursday took place in Elad, a predominantly ultra-Orthodox town in central Israel, just after nightfall.

Emergency responders said they found the first fatality by a traffic circle in Elad and two more in a nearby park.

When we arrived we realized that this was a complex scene, said Alon Rizkan, a paramedic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service. He described the three people who were pronounced dead at the scene as men, all aged around 40.

Several more wounded men were transferred to hospitals, and hospital officials said at least two were in critical condition with head injuries.

Hours later, the police said they were still investigating the circumstances of the attack, including how many suspects were involved. Details remained sketchy: Some witnesses reported seeing two assailants, both carrying axes. Others said one was armed with an ax and another with a knife.

The assailants appeared to have escaped. The police said they had set up checkpoints along several roads, and officers in a police helicopter were searching for a vehicle seen fleeing the scene. The minister of defense, Benny Gantz, said soldiers would assist in the hunt.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday, but it was praised by a Hamas spokesman as a brave and heroic act and a natural response to the violations of the occupation against the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque.

The Aqsa Mosque compound is the holiest site in Jerusalem for both Muslims and Jews, who revere it as the Temple Mount, the site of two ancient Jewish temples.

Urged on by Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, protesters at the compound have tried to prevent visits by Israeli Jews during the hours set for non-Muslim visitors and tourists, and have thrown stones and fired fireworks at the security forces. The police have acted mainly to secure the visitors access, but the police actions, including using sponge-covered bullets, sound grenades and tear gas to disperse rioters, have fueled popular anger among Palestinians.

Palestinians view visits by ultranationalist Israelis to the compound, which have increased in recent years, as a provocation, and fear such visits are part of a gradual effort to undermine Muslim access to the site. The Israeli authorities say there has been no change in longstanding arrangements at the site.

Hiba Yazbek contributed reporting from Nazareth, Israel, and Iyad Abuheweila from Gaza City.
A man had his photo I.D. out and in his hand as walked up to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater on Broadway to see Come From Away, but no one checked it. The families streaming in to see The Lion King were told to have their tickets out and their masks on, but there was no mention of vaccine cards. And the Covid safety officers in neon yellow vests who used to patrol outside Six were gone.

Most Broadway theaters stopped checking the vaccination status of their patrons this week for the first time since they began to reopen last summer, easing safety protocols the same week rising coronavirus cases placed New York City into a higher risk level.

The industry hopes that doing away with vaccine checks  which have also been eliminated at New York City restaurants, movie theaters and other venues  will make theatergoing more attractive, and that the remaining mask mandate will help keep audiences safe as cases have risen, but hospitalizations and deaths remain low.

While some patrons welcomed the change, others said they felt uneasy about going into crowded theaters without the assurance that their seatmates were vaccinated, and several nonprofit Broadway theaters continue to require proof of vaccination.
Picture a standard, sterile hospital room. From behind a cabinet, an arm snakes out, followed by the rest of the body  a man with serpentine moves who slinks around and creeps under the bed. Immediately, the death implicit in the setting has become visible, corporeal, though still metaphorical, in a particular way. The man suggesting death is a dancer.

Last Ward, which Yaa Samar! Dance Theater premiered on Thursday at the Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, is a dance work, with choreography by the companys artistic director, Samar Haddad King. But its a play, too, with poetic text by Amir Nizar Zuabi, who also directs the 65-minute production. The uncommonly deft combination of dance and verbal theater heightens the impact of what might sound like a cliche: a profound meditation on life and death.

At the center is a patient, played by the accomplished Palestinian actor Khalifa Natour. He and a woman who appears to be his wife (Yukari Osaka) look bewildered as they enter the hubbub of the hospital. Dancers in scrubs skip around and gesture officiously, doing a stylized version of the inscrutable activity that any patient might recognize.

The stylization brings out the absurdity, and as Natour receives plant-bearing guests, the physical comedy continues. Two visitors who might be his grown children squabble over proximity to his bed. Later, the medicine hes given seems to induce hallucinations. A friend (the lithe Mohammed Smahneh, who also plays the serpentine figure at the start) appears to come undone, his body parts all going in different directions.
Its hard to digest New York City Ballets latest premiere without knowing the story behind it. In a roundabout way, its a story ballet, but not the kind in which a princess falls asleep after being pricked by a needle. Architects of Time, a collaboration between the choreographer Silas Farley and the composer David K. Israel, is a back-story ballet.

Its history dates to 1946. It was Igor Stravinskys birthday, and George Balanchine wanted to give his dear friend a gift. He composed a melody and set an acrostic poem to it, with the first letter of each line spelling the name Igor in Russian. Stravinsky, taken with Balanchines melody, harmonized the song.

The charming, quirky lyrics, translated into English, make it clear why Balanchine, the man as much as the choreographer, is sorely missed: Name day and birthday / Guests, noise and animation / Lets get drunk on Grand Marnier/Dont forget a glass for me, too.

Now its grown into something bigger, but not anywhere as charming or as quirky: Farleys ballet, created in honor of City Ballets current Stravinsky Festival. It was unveiled on Thursday at the spring gala, which seemed like the right place for it. It wasnt intended as just a piece doccasion, but its chances of surviving seem slim.
Maybe it would have been clearer if the more famous names had been relegated to these case studies, and the period rooms had been populated by those often overlooked. What do you think?

TILLET I actually wondered the reverse  I feel as if the more overlooked artists might still be a bit overshadowed by everything else going on in those period rooms. Thats probably why I liked the Zhao/McCardell staging so much. And I thought the director Janicza Bravo did a wonderful job transforming that Gothic Revival House library into a space in which Elizabeth Hawes, the fashion designer and critic of the industry, retreated.

FRIEDMAN Hawes is one of my favorite fashion writers (Fashion Is Spinach is a seminal text), but that room is so dark, I could barely see the clothes. And again, while I think its great that Hawes is being given a moment in the spotlight (even if its very dim), and credit for wit that preceded and presaged designers like Franco Moschino, here were zigging back to the history of how America got out from its European inferiority complex.

TILLET Well, I did appreciate Bravos emphasis on Hawess creative process. The sketches and scissors thrown on the floor remind me actual work is required to make those beautiful dresses. Regina King does this differently in the Richmond Room when she also displayed an unknown seamstress to represent the other Black women that the African American designer Fannie Criss employed to work alongside her in the 19th and 20th centuries. Even if we do not know their names, King wants to recognize those unknown hands that helped make Crisss coveted garments.
Season 2, Episode 10: Farewell

So after all that, all the Jurati-Borg Queen combination had to do was show up earlier and none of the this seasons craziness wouldve happened?

A very funny moment comes when an Excelsior crew member, during the Picard finales climax, wonders what happened to Rios, who was left behind in the 21st century. Picard snaps, Stay on task, helm. Thats an order. Thats essentially how the shows writers have treated the audience for most of its two-season run. Dont worry about the things that dont make sense. Just focus on where the story is going.

In this case, what the story reveals to us is that Q, in his dying moments, wanted to let Picard know that his mothers death wasnt his fault. (Why is Q dying? Of what? Its never explained.) And that the first step to Picard finding love was for him to love himself. Its a wonderful lesson, except, as Picard points out, there were innocent people who died along the way for a life lesson.

Not that Q cares. And neither does Picard, it turns out, because Picard gives his soon-to-be-deceased tormentor a hug. Its a touching moment. The thing is, everything weve seen in Picard has taught us that what is dead will never die. There is no reason to believe that Q is actually dying, in the traditional sense, because no major character dies in this show. This includes even the ones who do, because theyre just brought back later  sometimes with a literal snap of a finger, like our old friend Elnor. (If I was Picard, I might have asked Q for some other people to be brought back to life. Hey, while youre at it, instead of bringing back Elnor, whom Im not that close to, would you mind bringing back Data? Or Tasha Yar?)
Ukraine retakes ground from Russia

Fighting raged across eastern Ukraine  from the Kharkiv area in the north, where Ukrainian forces regained ground, to Mariupol in the south, where Russian forces sought to destroy the last pocket of resistance at the Azovstal steel plant and where about 200 civilians were holed up with fighters. Follow live updates from the war.

The ruined port city of Mariupol is a potent symbol for Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, as the home of the Azov regiment, whose origins in a far-right military group have lent a veneer of credibility to Putins claim of denazifying Ukraine. Russia also bombarded key points along the eastern front, launching missiles at the strategic city of Kramatorsk.

The Kremlin is determined to reach some kind of milestone, analysts say, by May 9, the day Russia commemorates the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany. But it is difficult to evaluate how the actual fighting is going. The Russian advance appears to have been sluggish, while Ukraine is still holding strong despite suffering heavy injuries.

U.S. intelligence: The Kremlin had a muted response on Thursday to a report in The Times that the U.S. had helped Ukrainian forces locate and kill Russian generals. Russia was already well aware that NATO and its member countries were sharing intelligence with Ukraine, said a Kremlin spokesman.
CAVITE, Philippines  Arnel Agravante, a YouTuber in the Philippines, told his followers last October that he knew how Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the presidential front-runner and his candidate of choice, had become wealthy.

The story, he said, was simple: Mr. Marcoss dictator father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., did not steal money from the government, as has been widely reported. Rather, he was given tons of gold by a secretive royal family in the Philippines. Thats what they call ill-gotten wealth, Mr. Agravante said, ridiculing Mr. Marcoss critics.

The gold story has been debunked by multiple fact checkers as well as by Mr. Marcos himself, but that has not stopped Mr. Agravante from repeating it. The way he sees it, he is part of the alternative media countering a mainstream press spreading stupid and wrong information about our history before next weeks election.
In Shanghai, the authorities sent people who tested positive for Covid to makeshift quarantine camps. It didnt matter that some of the people have recovered from the infection and have tested negative. It didnt matter whether they were 2 months old or 90 years old. The conditions of some quarantine centers are so abysmal that theyre referred to on social media as refugee camps or gulags.

Two young professionals documented some of the older people they encountered at their quarantine camps with a podcast, an article and photos on WeChat. They met one man who was recovering from a stroke and couldnt use the portable toilets, another who lost his eyesight after his medication ran out and a 95-year-old woman who was so frail that she had to be carried from the bus to the camp.

These older people would most likely have been much better off staying at home or at hospitals with proper care. Instead they ended up in the camps because of the governments order to take in all who should be taken in.

With the lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere, the Chinese government is moving resolutely in the direction of a social control mechanism deployed in Xinjiang that combines surveillance technology and grass-roots organizations, according scholars and human-rights activists.

There is a real fear that China could become more like Xinjiang or North Korea, said Maya Wang, senior researcher of Human Rights Watch who has done extensive work on the repression in Xinjiang. Watching Xi Jinping since 2013, she said of Chinas top leader, I think the Covid control is almost like a milestone toward deepening repression.

Nearly all Chinese people have a health code in their phone that indicates their Covid risk and dictates the parameters of their movement. Some people fear that the government will keep the system and use it post-Covid. For example, it could turn the health pass into a security pass and flag troublemakers to restrict their movements.
RADISSON, Quebec  Hundreds of feet below a remote forest near Hudson Bay, Serge Abergel inspected the spinning turbines at the heart of the biggest subterranean power plant in the world, a massive facility that converts the water of the La Grande River into a current of renewable electricity strong enough to power a midsize city.

Mr. Abergel, a senior executive at Hydro Quebec, has for years been working on an ambitious effort to send electricity produced from the river down through the woods of northern Maine and on to Massachusetts, where it would help the state meet its climate goals.

Yet today, work on the $1 billion project is at a standstill.

Over the past few years, an unlikely coalition of residents, conservationists and Native Americans waged a rowdy campaign funded by rival energy companies to quash the effort. The opponents won a major victory in November, when Maine voters passed a measure that halted the project. Following a legal fight, proponents appealed to the state Supreme Court, which will hear arguments on the case on May 10 about whether such a referendum is legal.
The deaths of five children and what may be an unusual group of more than 100 hepatitis cases in young children in the United States are under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency said on Friday.

The C.D.C. said it was examining cases involving 109 children in 25 states and territories who had or have what the agency is calling hepatitis of unknown cause.

Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases at the C.D.C., said most of the children had fully recovered. But more than 90 percent were hospitalized, 14 percent received liver transplants and more than half had adenovirus infections, he said.

The C.D.C. and experts overseas are exploring whether a type of adenovirus, a common virus that causes intestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, may be a factor in these cases. But the agency has not determined a cause for the cases or a common link among all of them, and it cautioned against drawing conclusions.
Ousmane Diakite and Francois Monge may be French, but they will be instantly familiar to American audiences: mismatched detectives thrown together by a case, they bicker all the time, only to eventually grudgingly broker a truce. They complement each other, you see.

As you might have guessed, The Takedown is a Gallic spin on buddy-cop movies, especially those from the 1980s and 90s. Unfortunately much of the humor, which includes several moldy gay-panic jokes, belongs to that era, too. Imagine, our two heroes must share a bed after a hotel runs out of rooms  the horror!
In 1970, three years before the Supreme Courts decision in Roe v. Wade, four states, New York among them, repealed their anti-abortion statutes. At the time, Merle Hoffman was a concert pianist who had recently given up her professional ambitions. The world of classical music was too hermetic, but the sweeping political currents of the 60s had not drawn her in either. She settled on graduate school in psychology, supporting herself with three jobs, one of them in the office of a doctor who wanted to open an abortion clinic and asked her to run it.

This was 1971. I was home reading Nietzsche and criminology and psychology and practicing Chopin, she told me two days after the country learned, via leak, of the Supreme Courts draft opinion set to overrule Roe. So this was not an obvious path.

In the half-century since Ms. Hoffman accepted the position, she has been at the forefront of the reproductive rights movement as an activist and as the founder and president of Choices Womens Medical Center in Queens, one of the first abortion clinics in the country, which grew to provide a range of health services. I asked her if, in the early years after Roes passage, she could have anticipated what now appears inevitable. The law never seemed precarious but it always seemed vulnerable, she told me. I should have seen it though because I was going to funerals of people who were murdered.

She recalled the service for her friend David Gunn in 1993, an obstetrician who performed abortions and who was shot to death outside his clinic in Pensacola by a fundamentalist Christian who had joined a fringe anti-abortion group, a few months earlier, headed by a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. I was in the bathroom, and Ellie Smeal opened her coat, she said. Eleanor Smeal had been the president of the National Organization for Women and helped found the Feminist Majority Foundation. She was wearing a bulletproof vest.
As of recently, some 90 percent of abortions in America occurred in the first trimester, but that number seems likely to change as states restrict abortions and it takes people longer to get their procedures. In this way, would-be first-trimester procedures that are outlawed in one state become second-trimester procedures in another.

The vast majority of abortions that I perform in my California practice are at six, seven or eight weeks of pregnancy  a period during which the gestational sac, a tiny piece of tissue that resembles a cotton ball, is about the size of a coin. While California has its own issues with health equity, my patients are largely able to get access to care so early because California has a large number of abortion clinics that are easy to get to. And, unlike in many states, including Oklahoma, it has a medical insurance structure that covers the cost of abortion.

In Oklahoma, the patients I saw were often one to two months further along than my patients in California typically are. Theyd driven five hours, sometimes 10, to visit the clinic. They had sometimes been to crisis pregnancy centers that may have intentionally misled them with false information about abortion or given them inaccurate pregnancy dating. They often spent weeks arranging child care, getting time off work, raising funds, finding a place to stay, arranging rides.

I asked the Trust Women staff members where they send patients whose procedures cant be done in the clinic. I was thinking about patients with complicated surgical histories, or those who want general anesthesia. They smiled wearily at my naivete. There is nowhere else, they said.

Nobody likes doing this, a mentor said to me the first time I witnessed a second-trimester abortion as a medical student, more than a decade ago. As we were examining the pregnancy that we had just removed from the patient, my mentor went on to explain that we do this work because people need us, and we do it because its the right thing to do.

Many second-trimester abortion providers I know balance ambiguity and a sense of responsibility: The work is sometimes hard and complicated, and it is our duty to provide the care those patients need.

Those who are staunchly opposed to abortion value the life of the fetus more than the autonomy of the pregnant person. For me, the autonomy of the pregnant person is more urgent. I have been pregnant three times, and am the mother of three children whom I adore, so I understand the physical, emotional and financial toll of childbearing. The thought of being forced to an unwanted pregnancy is horrifying. The idea of giving birth to a child and having to make the decision to parent a child I do not want or give that child up for adoption is heart-rending.
To the Editor:

The original Constitution, written by white men, did not provide for the right to vote for women or Black people, or the right to marry across race or gender lines, or the right to obtain and use contraception, or a childs right to go to equal schools.

Justice Samuel Alitos argument that there is no right to an abortion written in the Constitution is spurious. As if the authors would even have considered such a thing in 1787.

Elizabeth Faiella

Winter Park, Fla.

To the Editor:

While Justice Samuel Alito insists that Roe was egregiously wrong from the start because abortion is not a right delineated in the Constitution, remember that the number of women participating at the Constitutional Convention was zero.

David Senner

Edina, Minn.

To the Editor:

In 2006, Amy Coney Barrett signed an anti-abortion newspaper ad calling for an end to the barbaric legacy of Roe v. Wade. Having shown clear bias, Justice Barrett should have disqualified herself from hearing the Mississippi abortion case pending before the Supreme Court.
In other ways, too, Mr. Duterte is responsible for normalizing authoritarianism, which may be yet another thing Mr. Marcos effortlessly inherits. One of Mr. Dutertes first actions as president in 2016 was to transfer the elder Mr. Marcoss preserved corpse from the familys refrigerated mausoleum for burial in our national cemetery of heroes. And Mr. Dutertes daughter, Sara, is now campaigning with the younger Mr. Marcos and is the leading candidate for vice president, who is elected separately from the president.

Despite the incumbents apparent disdain for Mr. Marcos  Mr. Duterte has implied that he is a weak leader and a drug user  their shared affinities are undeniable as the younger pair promises to continue Mr. Dutertes grim legacy.

Their popularity indicates that our past fight for democratic freedom has been largely forgotten, with 56 percent of the Filipino voting population now between ages 18 and 41. A 2017 poll found that half of us Filipinos favor authoritarian governance, and an alarming number of us even approve of military rule. Yet the same poll showed that 82 percent of us say we believe in representative democracy. The contradiction seems to overlook what our history teaches about our giving leaders unchecked power.

No wonder we elected Mr. Duterte, who has bragged about being a killer. No wonder were poised to re-elect a family of thieves. And no wonder Mr. Marcos thrives as a mythmaker  varnishing himself and his family as harmless underdogs, victims of theft by an untouchable elite who stole his vice presidency, his parents tenure over our countrys so-called golden age and his familys right to control their own narrative against what he calls propaganda and fake news.

Yet even as Mr. Marcos casts himself as the heir to his familys dynasty, he refuses to acknowledge its many proven crimes, much less be held complicit for his role in defending the dictatorship. He has also pledged to protect Mr. Duterte from the International Criminal Court and has formed a political cartel with the Dutertes and two past presidents, who were both jailed for corruption. Worst of all, he has relentlessly shrugged off the facts of our nations history, telling everyone to move on from its long struggle against the authoritarianism he and his family led.

But as the present hurtles forward on May 9, the truths of our past matter more than ever. From that history, a martyred writer and our national hero, Jose Rizal, reminds us: There are no tyrants where there are no slaves. Yet so many of us have been shackled before by so many of those we freely elected to entrust our future to  from Adolf Hitler to Vladimir Putin to another brazen liar also named Ferdinand Marcos.

Miguel Syjuco, a former contributing Opinion writer, is the author, most recently, of I Was the Presidents Mistress!! A Novel.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
In his draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, Justice Samuel Alito blamed that 1973 abortion decision for sparking a national controversy that has embittered our political culture for a half century. He quoted Justice Antonin Scalia: Roe fanned into life an issue that has inflamed our national politics in general, and has obscured with its smoke the selection of justices to this court in particular, ever since.

As a matter of history, the idea that Roe ignited Americas culture wars is, at best, a distortion. The 7-2 decision was not nearly as politically divisive when it was decided as it is today. Catholics opposed it, but many conservative evangelicals did not; the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution calling for legal abortion in some circumstances in 1971, and then reaffirmed it in 1974. As the Dartmouth historian Randall Balmer has argued, evangelical leaders didnt seize on Roe until the contemporary religious right began to coalesce at the end of the 1970s, largely in response to the I.R.S. stripping segregated Christian schools of their tax exemptions.

But even if Roe had let loose the forces ripping this country apart, its end still wouldnt bring detente. Instead, the demise of Roe will exacerbate Americas antagonisms, creating more furious legal rifts between states than weve seen in modern times.

If you think its polarized now, you havent seen anything yet, said Mary Ziegler, a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and author of the forthcoming book Dollars for Life: The Anti-Abortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment.
Top Democrats are now left planning a vote on an abortion rights bill that they know has zero chance of passing. This is an empty gesture, coming after years of the Democratic Party failing to provide meaningful leadership on reproductive freedom despite the clear warning signs that Roe was endangered.

President Biden, as leader of the party, has an obligation to take the threat to Americans constitutional rights seriously by doing all he can to protect access to abortion where it still exists. The White House can encourage regulators to make it easier for women to get medication abortions and over-the-counter birth control, to challenge state laws that limit access to medication abortions and to lease federal property to abortion providers. This would at least show a commitment to the issue, even if legislative options are limited.

Overall, the outlook for reproductive freedom is bleak. In 13 states, trigger laws will automatically or very quickly ban abortions after Roe is overturned, as seems highly likely. In about a dozen other states, lawmakers are gearing up to severely restrict access to abortions, if not effectively prohibit them, as Texas has already done without interference by the Supreme Court.

The upshot: Within a few months, abortion could be illegal in more than half the states. The anti-abortion movement isnt stopping there. Efforts are already underway to impose a nationwide ban on abortion as soon as Republicans regain the White House and Congress, which could happen as soon as 2025.

For the foreseeable future, the real battle for reproductive freedom will be fought in the states, by regular Americans, and their state and local representatives, who are trying to protect this fundamental right while they still can. That means, first and foremost, securing more access.

California lawmakers are moving quickly to pass a package of bills that would make their state, the most populous in the country, also one of the most accessible for women seeking to exercise their reproductive freedom.

Those most in need of abortions are often the least able to afford them. States that want to protect reproductive freedom are helping to pay for the procedure and for the travel required to obtain it  costs that can easily run into the thousands of dollars and are prohibitive for many women. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the percentage of abortion services in Illinois and New York provided to nonresidents has already risen sharply over the past decade, a trend driven by increased restrictions on abortion in other states.
The Supreme Court is, and has always been, a political body. Thats true of the justices, certainly. Over the course of the courts history, most of them were chosen with political considerations in mind, to the point that many were politicians themselves. Its true of the institution as well. The Supreme Court deals with political issues  not simply abstract questions of law  and operates within the context of political conflict and political struggle.

And the Supreme Court, right now, is an avowedly partisan institution, an unaccountable super-legislature controlled by men and women drawn from a cadre of conservative ideologues and apparatchiks, acting on behalf of the Republican Party and its allies. Whatever legitimacy it had retained was sacrificed in the drive to build the majority that seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and open the floodgates to harsh restrictions on the reproductive autonomy of millions of Americans.

When McConnell led the Senate Republican caucus in a blockade of President Barack Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court in 2016 and then killed what remained of the judicial filibuster the next year to place Neil Gorsuch in the seat instead, they diminished the legitimacy of the court. When those same Republicans looked past a credible accusation of sexual assault to confirm Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, they again diminished the legitimacy of the court. And when, with weeks left before the 2020 presidential election, Republicans ignored their own rule from four years earlier  that an election-year vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president  to place Amy Coney Barrett on the bench in a rushed, slapdash process, they once more diminished the legitimacy of the court.

Whats more, their occasional protests notwithstanding (in a speech last year at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville, Barrett insisted the court was not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks), the courts conservatives have done almost nothing to dispel the view that their majority is little more than the judicial arm of the Republican Party. They use emergency orders to issue sweeping rulings in favor of ideologically aligned groups; they invent new doctrines designed to undermine voting rights protections; and as weve just witnessed, theyll let nothing, not even 50 years of precedent, stand in the way of a sweeping ideological victory.

No discussion of the Supreme Courts legitimacy, or lack thereof, is complete without mention of the fact that its current composition is the direct result of our counter-majoritarian institutions. Only once in the past 30 years  in the 2004 election  has anything like a majority of the American electorate voted for a president who promised a conservative Supreme Court. The three members who cemented this particular conservative majority  Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett  were nominated by a president who lost the popular vote and were confirmed by senators representing far fewer than half of all Americans.
I like to find the most impossible shot and then get really disappointed when it doesnt happen, the actress Greta Lee said, leaning over a billiards table in the Koreatown section of Manhattan. I dont know what that says about me.

She aimed at a solid red ball, which obediently dropped into a center pocket. Ms. Lee allowed herself a brief celebration: Mommys still got it, OK?

This was on a recent Wednesday evening, just before the premiere of the second season of the Netflix drama Russian Doll, in which Ms. Lee, 39, stars as Maxine, a best friend of Natasha Lyonnes time-trapped Nadia. A standout of the first season (people approach her on the street, parroting Maxines tag line, Sweet birthday baybeeee), Ms. Lee returns with a deeper performance, in delirious outfits and statement eyeliner.

She is also a star of the Apple TV+ drama The Morning Show, in which she plays Stella Bak, a tech genius and network president who favors Balenciaga and vintage Chanel.
After Amazon employees at a massive warehouse on Staten Island scored an upset union victory last month, it turned the unions leaders into celebrities, sent shock waves through the broader labor movement and prompted politicians around the country to rally behind Amazon workers. Now it also appears to have created fallout within Amazons management ranks.

On Thursday, Amazon informed more than half a dozen senior managers involved with the Staten Island warehouse that they were being fired, said four current and former employees with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

The firings, which occurred outside the companys typical employee review cycle, were seen by the managers and other people who work at the facility as a response to the victory by the Amazon Labor Union, three of the people said. Workers at the warehouse voted by a wide margin to form the first union at the company in the United States, in one of the biggest victories for organized labor in at least a generation.

Word of the shake-up spread through the warehouse on Thursday. Many of the managers had been responsible for carrying out the companys response to the unionization effort. Several were veterans of the company, with more than six years of experience, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
A former Colorado police officer was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of parole on Thursday for assaulting a 73-year-old woman with dementia while arresting her on suspicion of shoplifting around $14 worth of items from a Walmart.

The officer, Austin Hopp, 27, formerly of the Loveland Police Department, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on March 2 in connection with the assault on the woman, Karen Garner, now 75. She sustained a dislocated shoulder and a broken bone when she was thrown to the ground and pinned during the 2020 arrest.

Sarah Schielke, a lawyer for Ms. Garner, said in an interview Thursday that she was relieved at the sentence, handed down by Judge Michelle Brinegar of Larimer County District Court, and that five years is probably just the right amount of prison for Mr. Hopp.

We witnessed for too long too many police officers getting special treatment every step of the way, she said. While the process here with Hopp was not perfect, I think the outcome we got in terms of the criminal sentence was at least or in line with how normal citizens would be treated.
At the same time, staffing shortages at hospitals in the region have been compounded by a recent increase in infections among their staffs. At F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, N.Y., 45 of the hospitals 1,750 workers were out with the virus recently, and there are 252 unfilled job openings.

Covid is here, Covid is an issue, but the main challenge up here is the staffing, said Michael Stapleton, the hospitals chief executive.

Other hot spots are also putting pressure on health care systems. In Puerto Rico, 245 people on the island were in hospitals this week with the virus, more than five times the caseload from a month ago.

Though hospitalizations generally lag behind the trends in new cases, they remain among the most reliable kinds of data about the pandemic, experts agree  much more so than official reports of positive test results, which experts say significantly understate the true number of infections, especially with the rise of at-home testing. As of Thursday, the average number of new confirmed U.S. cases was almost 68,000 a day, nearly a 60 percent increase over the last two weeks, according to a New York Times database.

Hospitalizations are reported fairly rigorously. For hospital data, even given that all the people were not admitted because of Covid, we can be sure that the numbers are pretty accurate, said Dr. Eric S. Toner, a senior scholar at the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. So its the best data source we have now. The number of new Covid admissions is the number that I pay the most attention to.

About 11 percent of people hospitalized with coronavirus infections in the United States were in intensive care, as of Wednesday, according to federal data.

The C.D.C. is also keeping a close eye on the nature of hospitalizations. Were seeing less oxygen use, less I.C.U. stays, and we havent fortunately seen any increase in death associated with them, compared with earlier periods of the pandemic, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency director, said last week.
Two weeks after Johnnie A. Jones Sr. graduated from law school in 1953, he was thrust into a case that would set a template for the civil rights movement, and for his own legal career: He was recruited to help represent people who had been arrested during a bus boycott in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana capital.

Lasting eight days, it was the first large-scale bus boycott of the civil rights era. And it served as a model for other nonviolent resistance protests, especially the more famous yearlong bus boycott that began in December 1955 in Montgomery, Ala., spurred by the arrest of Rosa Parks. The Montgomery organizers, led by a charismatic young preacher named the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., consulted with Mr. Jones and others on tactics and strategy.

The Baton Rouge boycott also marked the beginning of Mr. Joness 57-year career as a persistent challenger to the race-based codes of the Jim Crow South. He was the first Black member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association.

Mr. Jones was 102 when he died on April 23. A goddaughter, Mada McDonald, told WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge that he had died at the Louisiana War Veterans Home in Jackson, La.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration will disband secretive teams within the U.S. Border Patrol by the end of September, after their role in internal investigations came under scrutiny earlier this year.

The critical incident teams, which have been around for decades, have multiple responsibilities, including collecting evidence for Customs and Border Protections Office of Professional Responsibility, which handles most inquiries into agent misconduct. The teams involvement in those inquiries raised questions about how accountable such investigations could be if the Border Patrol was, at times, investigating itself.

The elimination of the teams was announced Friday in a Customs and Border Protection memo. The decision, according to the memo from Chris Magnus, the agencys commissioner, was made to ensure our agency achieves the highest levels of accountability.

Mr. Magnus, a former police chief, came into the job late last year with a reputation for changing up police department operations to restore public trust. Disbanding the teams  which for decades operated with little to no public awareness  is one of his first significant policy changes at the Border Patrol, which has long been criticized as lacking accountability.
A throng of voting and civil rights groups had sued to block the Florida law, much of which raised new hurdles to obtaining and returning absentee ballots. One of the provisions blocked by Judge Walker sharply limited the hours and locations of ballot drop boxes, and required that each one be personally monitored by an election official at all times.

A second clause targeted voter-registration drives, which primarily attract young voters and voters of color, by requiring that new registrants be warned that their applications to vote might not be submitted in time to be valid. A third clause limited contact with voters waiting in line, prohibiting any activity with the intent to influence or effect of influencing a voter.

Critics said the vague wording of that clause would bar even nonpartisan activities such as handing out water or food to voters.

Judge Walker, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, cited what he called a horrendous history of racial discrimination in voting in deciding to block those provisions of the law. Because nearly nine in 10 Black voters support Democrats, he wrote, for White and Black voters in Florida, separating race from politics only works in science fiction.

That history, he wrote, justified requiring the state to clear election-law changes with the district court for the next decade.
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba  A Yemeni prisoner at Guantanamo Bay who was cleared for release nearly a year ago scolded an Army judge on Friday and refused to testify in the U.S.S. Cole bombing case, fearing he would place himself in jeopardy after 20 years of U.S. detention.

I am not here for you to take what you want from me, then throw me in the trash, Abdulsalam al-Hela, who is in his 50s, said in his first appearance at the war court. I have been waiting 20 years for justice.

Mr. Hela was called as a would-be witness, not a defendant. He told the judge, Col. Lanny J. Acosta Jr., that he was concerned that there are some evil people here who would use his testimony against him.

Defense lawyers for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi prisoner, sought Mr. Helas testimony to try to help exonerate their client. Mr. Nashiri is accused of orchestrating the Qaeda suicide bombing of the Cole off Yemen in October 2000, which killed 17 U.S. sailors.
An administrative law judge found on Friday that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene should be eligible to run for re-election, saying that he saw no evidence the Georgia Republican engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, as several legal challengers had asserted in an effort to have her removed from the ballot.

The ruling by Judge Charles Beaudrot of Georgias Administrative Court dealt another setback to a broader campaign by Democrats to hold the staunchest congressional allies of former President Donald J. Trump accountable for the deadly attack on the seat of American democracy last January.

The final say over whether Ms. Greene, 47, who has become one of the most polarizing figures in American politics since she was elected to the House two years ago, can seek re-election will be made by Brad Raffensperger, Georgias secretary of state.

A group of constituents from her Northwest Georgia district, backed by a liberal advocacy group, had sought Ms. Greenes removal from the ballot under the little-known third section of the 14th Amendment, which was adopted during the Reconstruction years to punish members of the Confederacy.
Frustrations with the demanding environment on Capitol Hill  long and unpredictable hours, low pay and paltry benefits, a lack of diversity and often mercurial bosses  have been exacerbated in recent months by the challenges of the pandemic and an atmosphere of fear and mistrust that has lingered in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot.

A January analysis published by Issue One, a bipartisan political reform organization, found that the median salary of Washington-based congressional staff in 2020 was $38,730 for a staff assistant, typically an entry-level position. (A living wage in Washington at the time, according to data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was $42,610 for an adult with no children.)

As part of the sprawling government funding package that became law in March, House lawmakers received a 21 percent increase in their office budgets, the largest such boost since 1996.

While lawmakers have the discretion to set their own budgets, Ms. Pelosi and other Democratic leaders who spearheaded the increase, including Representatives Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Hakeem Jeffries of New York, have urged that the additional funds be used to increase staff pay. The new minimum salary will effectively mandate that at least some of the additional money be devoted to staff pay.

With a competitive minimum salary, the House will better be able to retain and recruit excellent, diverse talent, Ms. Pelosi wrote in a letter to lawmakers announcing the change. Doing so will open the doors to public service for those who may not have been able to afford to do so in the past. This is also an issue of fairness, as many of the youngest staffers working the longest hours often earn the lowest salaries.
Its probably more normal than most people would think, said David Dahlstrom, who runs the dealership, where you could still buy a truck this week if you found a way to get to town.

Oslo, roughly 60 miles south of the Canadian border, has been flooding for about as long as it has existed, as a historical photo display at the community center attests. Black-and-white snapshots show four people boating down a city street and, in 1916, floodwaters reaching the schoolhouse. Until the 1970s, when an early flood protection system was installed, the streets of Oslo were vulnerable to flooding. And as recently as 2011, volunteers had to fill thousands of sandbags to fill gaps and shore up those flood protections, which eventually fell out of compliance with federal guidelines.

Residents were not rushing to fill sandbags on Wednesday, nor were they worrying about whether the levees would hold. Instead, they were playing kickball with the National Guard and grilling burgers on Main Street. A lengthy state-funded effort to rebuild the citys levee system, completed in 2016, has kept the town dry and calm during recent floods.

That project came at a significant cost: Several homes had to be torn down to build the new levees. But the underlying truce  the river can flood, and the town can stay dry  has helped Oslo survive.
No more LSATs?

A committee within the American Bar Association recommended late last month that law schools eliminate the requirement of a valid and reliable admission test as part of their admission process.

Its memo added, however, Law schools of course remain free to require a test if they wish.

The recommendation was made on April 25 by the Strategic Review Committee, four years after another group, the A.B.A.s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, approved similar changes to its standards for rules and admissions. The council is made up of 21 people, including lawyers, professors, administrators and others.

Issues concerning admission policies have been of concern to the council for several years, Bill Adams, the managing director of accreditation and legal education for the A.B.A., said in a statement.

Leaders in the bar association have said that they are less concerned about student performance on an entrance exam than how students do in law school  whether they remain enrolled and how soon they pass the bar exam after graduation.
MEXICO CITY  A powerful explosion rocked central Havana on Friday morning, destroying parts of a luxury hotel and damaging nearby buildings just yards from the Cuban Capitol building.

At least 22 people were killed and dozens were injured, the presidents office said. More were missing. Among the dead were a pregnant woman and a child.

The devastating blast came as Cuba is trying to revive a tourism industry that is a key pillar of its fragile economy and that had been upended by the pandemic.

Videos and photos shared on social media showed ambulances rushing to the scene and much of the facade of the Hotel Saratoga destroyed. Rubble was piled on the street, and smoke billowed into the sky.
Follow for live news updates as John Lee, a Beijing loyalist, is set to be named Hong Kongs next leader.

HONG KONG  When hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents took to the streets in 2019 to protest a proposed extradition bill, John Lee, the security secretary at the time, went before the citys Legislative Council to defend the governments position.

During the session, Mr. Lee, a former police officer, was questioned about the excessive use of force and tear gas on protesters by the police. Combative lawmakers shouted down with John Lee! One accused him of trying to sell out Hong Kong for personal gains in his dogged pursuit of a bill that would force some people to face trial in mainland China.

Mr. Lee, who spent decades in the police and security bureau, stuck to his talking points. And now he is set to become Hong Kongs new chief executive in a rubber-stamp election held on Sunday. More than half of the nearly 1,500 people authorized to cast ballots have already backed him, guaranteeing a victory. All dissent in the legislature has been silenced.
A court in Belarus on Friday sentenced a Russian law student whose boyfriend is a prominent dissident to six years in a penal colony, nearly a year after the countrys authorities diverted a commercial flight to Minsk in order to arrest them.

In a statement, the Belarusian court said it had found the student, Sofia Sapega, guilty of inciting social hatred and illegally disseminating private information. She had been under house arrest and was taken into custody in the courtroom to begin a prison sentence.

Last May, Ms. Sapega, 24, was traveling from Greece to Lithuania with her romantic partner, Roman Protasevich, a prominent opposition figure in Belarus, when the Belarusian air traffic control used a false bomb threat to divert their plane to Minsk, where they were both arrested.

The arrests sparked international outrage and Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus. Their detentions came after months of street protests that failed to depose Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, who is often described as Europes last dictator.
LONDON  The scandal engulfing Prime Minister Boris Johnson over lockdown-breaking parties took a twist on Friday when the British police decided to reopen an investigation into whether his political rival, Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, had also broken coronavirus rules.

Mr. Johnson and the chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, have already been fined for breaching Covid laws, prompting critics  Mr. Starmer included  to call on them to resign.

So a statement from the police in Durham, in the northeast of England, that they intended to look again at allegations against Mr. Starmer will be welcome news for Mr. Johnson.

A finding that Mr. Starmer broke the law would raise questions about the credibility of the Labour leader, given that he has called for Mr. Sunak to quit for briefly attending an illicit gathering in Downing Street to celebrate Mr. Johnsons birthday. He has been even more scathing about Mr. Johnsons leadership after news of the Downing Street parties broke.
The Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, was widely expected to win the most seats in elections for the Northern Ireland legislature on Thursday, an outcome that would represent an extraordinary coming-of-age for a political party that many still associate with years of paramilitary violence.

It would also be a momentous shift in Northern Ireland, one that could upend the power-sharing arrangements that have kept a fragile peace for two decades, since the signing of the Good Friday peace agreement.

In polls this past week, Sinn Fein held a lead of two to six percentage points over the Democratic Unionist Party, which favors Northern Irelands current status as part of the United Kingdom. The results are expected by Saturday.

Sinn Fein has run a campaign that emphasizes kitchen-table concerns like the high cost of living and the need for better health care  and that plays down the partys ideological commitment to Irish unification, a legacy of its ties to the Irish Republican Army.
Among the other likely big winners in the election was the Alliance, a centrist party that aligns with neither the nationalists nor the unionists. Analysts said the partys candidates had drawn votes away from soft unionists, suggesting that the sectarian conflicts of the past are less resonant, particularly with younger voters, than everyday concerns like housing, jobs and health care.

A plurality of voters in Northern Ireland say they are not nationalist or unionist, said Katy Hayward, a professor of politics at Queens University in Belfast. Now there seems to be momentum behind that view.

The overriding point Sinn Fein is making is, We want to be in government, Professor Hayward said. That is welcomed by people who are fed up by the dysfunction of the government.

In so-called first-preference votes, which were reported on Friday evening, Sinn Fein won 250,388 votes, the Democratic Unionist Party won 184,002, and the Alliance won 116,681. Under the territorys complicated voting system, candidates with the largest number of votes automatically win seats in the assembly.

But voters can express additional preferences, and seats are allocated according to the parties share of votes. That means that the final number of seats won by Sinn Fein and other parties will not be clear until Saturday.

For all the symbolism, the victory was as much about disarray in the unionist movement as the rise of the nationalists. Unionists have been divided and demoralized since Brexit, largely because the Democratic Unionist Party signed off on the British governments negotiation of a hybrid trade status for Northern Ireland, known as the protocol.

The arrangement, which imposes border checks on goods flowing from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland, has triggered a backlash among unionist voters, many of whom complain that it has driven a wedge between them and the rest of the United Kingdom. The British government, eager to mollify the unionists, is weighing legislation that would throw out parts of the trade protocol. But it has yet to act.
LONDON  When Queen Elizabeth II kicks off the Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years on the British throne, next month, she will do so with a slimmed-down royal family behind her: Neither Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, nor Prince Andrew will get a place on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to wave at the crowds.

Even the queens presence is not a certainty: The 96-year-old monarch rarely ventures into the public these days, after surviving a bout with the coronavirus and lamenting her trouble walking. But people with ties to the palace said she was intent on appearing on the balcony, the ultimate royal photo opportunity.

For that reason, the question of who appears alongside the monarch is laden with, well, palace intrigue. Officially, the queens decision to leave out Harry, her grandson, and Andrew, her disgraced second son, is purely a function of their revised job descriptions: neither are full-time working royals anymore.

Prince Harry gave up that status when he and Meghan moved to Southern California in 2020. Andrew lost the status after the queen exiled him from public life because of his ties to the financier and sex predator, Jeffrey Epstein. In February, he settled a sex abuse lawsuit brought against him in New York.
The advances by the Ukrainian army in the north have been modest, but they are emblematic of both sides strategy: maneuvering artillery to gain territory.

May 6, 2022

RUSKA LOZOVA, Ukraine  The Ukrainian major had a few tasks to complete as he made the rounds along his army battalions front line. One platoon commander needed anti-tank weapons. Another wanted to show off a new line of trenches that his forces had dug following a recent Ukrainian advance.

But as he drove between positions in his camouflaged armored van near the town of Derhachi, the clock was ticking. A Russian surveillance drone hovered above, watching, sending back coordinates to Russian artillery units, the major said. About twenty minutes later, at least three shells rained down, forcing the major and his team to scramble.

Theyre getting better, said the major, named Kostyantyn. They know our positions, but they saw the car coming and started to fire.

The Russian front lines north of Kharkiv were stagnant for more than a month. But over the last several days, Ukrainian forces have advanced outward from the city, launching a concerted offensive to the north and east that began with heavy shelling and an infantry assault supported by tanks and other armored vehicles.
Image Israeli security forces launching a drone in Elad late Thursday night to search for the assailants. Credit... Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images

TEL AVIV  Israeli forces were conducting a large-scale search on Friday for two Palestinians suspected of killing three Israelis the night before in an attack that further fueled tensions that have been building for more than a month.

Two attackers, at least one of them armed with an ax, killed three people and wounded several others in the predominantly ultra-Orthodox town of Elad in central Israel on Thursday night, according to witnesses and an Israeli defense official.

On Friday night, Israeli officials said that one of the victims had driven the two attackers to Elad, unaware of their murderous plans.

Oren Ben-Yiftah, 35, a father of six from Lod, Israel, had given the men a ride, according to two defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The attackers killed him in his car, and then went on to attack the others.

The police said that they were searching for a vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the attack.

We are investing a huge amount of intelligence and operational effort, the Israel Police commissioner, Kobi Shabtai, said on Friday, to track down their escape route.

The violence erupted on Israeli Independence Day, a national holiday. But many Palestinians commemorate the day as what they call the nakba or catastrophe.

The killings on Thursday brought the death toll to 19 from a wave of Arab attacks since late March  the worst spate of killings in years, outside of an all-out war. Israel has responded with a series of raids in the occupied West Bank and nearly 30 Palestinians have been killed in the violence, according to local media reports. Most of them were involved in attacks or confrontations with Israeli forces.

Video The funeral was held for two of the three Israelis killed in Elad, Israel. Israeli forces launched a large-scale manhunt for two Palestinians suspected of killing the victims and wounding several others in the predominantly ultra-Orthodox town. Credit Credit... Ariel Schalit/Associated Press

Israeli-Palestinian tensions have been heightened by repeated outbreaks of violence at Al Aqsa Mosque compound  the holiest site in Jerusalem for Muslims and for Jews, who revere it as the Temple Mount, the site of two ancient Jewish temples. It is a frequent crucible of violence that can quickly escalate into a much broader conflagration.

Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war a year ago, fed largely by disputes surrounding the same holy site. But both sides have signaled over the past month that they want to avoid another war.

Despite worries of another clash at the mosque compound on Thursday, it was relatively calm there. Nonetheless, the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank; and Hamas, the Islamist militant group that dominates the Gaza Strip, issued strident statements denouncing some Israeli police action during the day.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack in Elad, which was near an Independence Day gathering with hundreds of participants. It was not immediately clear whether the gathering was the target of the attack.

A Hamas spokesman praised the attack as a brave and heroic act and a natural response to the violations of the occupation against the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque.

On Saturday, Yehya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, had warned that any further raids by the Israeli police inside the mosque compound would prompt a response. In a fiery speech, he urged members of Israels Arab minority to get your cleavers, axes or knives ready.

The Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the attack.

The Israeli police said late Thursday that they had set up checkpoints along several roads and that officers in a helicopter had been deployed to search for the vehicle that was seen fleeing from the attack site in Elad.

The authorities said that they were searching for two suspects, ages 19 and 20, from a village near the West Bank town of Jenin. Several other assailants in the recent wave of attacks have also come from the Jenin area, and Israeli forces have been conducting arrest raids in and around the town that have erupted into gunfights at times.

An Israeli defense official said that the searches on Friday were focusing on Israeli territory and that forces were on alert in case the same assailants attempted to strike again. Unlike in previous attacks, the authorities published the names and photos of the suspects for fear that they would try to pose as Israelis, the official added.
JENIN, West Bank  Ramadan nights in this Palestinian city were normally spent staying up late watching drama and comedy series during what is peak TV season, praying or drinking coffee and smoking hookah pipes at all-night cafes.

But this year in Jenin, amid a widespread Israeli military operation throughout the occupied West Bank, residents were staying up late waiting for the next military raid in their city.

Were exhausted, said Israa Awartani, 32, who works at a theater. We start to think: When will it be my turn? When will it be my son or another family member?

Over the course of a week last month, Israeli forces carried out a widespread campaign of raids into towns and cities across the West Bank, killing at least 14 Palestinians, in a response to a wave of recent Palestinian attacks inside Israel that killed 14 people. The Israeli authorities imposed temporary economic sanctions and arrested dozens of people.
Illustrations by Sophi Miyoko Gullbrants

For Mothers Day, we asked Times readers to share the gems of advice that have gotten them through the tougher moments of mothering. We received nearly 3,000 responses  with practical tips (buy precut fruit), hard truths (loss is an inevitable part of the job) and funny observations (never, ever, try to argue with a 2-year-old).

Click the stickers below to read more advice from moms, and add your own pearls of wisdom in the comments.
Dozens of people taking part in a funeral in Peru were left shocked after the woman being laid to rest allegedly started banging on the casket from the inside.

Late last month, Rosa Isabel Cespedes Callaca, a 36-year-old woman from Lambayeque, Peru, her brother-in-law, and three of her nephews were involved in a serious car accident that claimed the lives of both adults and left the boys with serious injuries. On April 26, Rosas relatives gathered in Lambayeque to lay her body to rest. The solemn procession was going according to plan, according to eyewitnesses, but at one point people started hearing faint banging from inside the womans coffin. When the lid was opened, the funeral attendees were shocked to see Rosa staring back at them

She opened her eyes and was sweating, cemetery caretaker Juan Segundo Cajo said. I immediately went to my office and called the police.

Still in total disbelief, the womans family picked up the coffin and rushed it to the Referential Hospital Ferrenafe in Lambayeque, with Rosa still inside. Doctors there confirmed the womans vital signs, even though she had been pronounced dead days earlier, and put her on life support.

Unfortunately, Rosa died just hours after being brought to the hospital, for real this time. However, no one could ignore the fact that she had come back to life just moments before being lowered into her eternal resting place, and her family is now asking for answers.

We want to know why my niece reacted yesterday when we were taking her to be buried, Rosas aunt said. We have the videos in which she pushes and touches the coffin.



Police has already opened an investigation into this matter after the bizarre case went viral, but it has yet to report any findings. The womans family believes she fell into a coma after the car crash, but that begs the question: how did the doctors originally miss her vital signs?

Some people even went as far as to suggest that the hospital deliberately declared Rosa dead the first time because they didnt have enough resources to keep a woman in a coma on life support for what could have been a long period of time. They are asking for a thorough investigation to bring the truth to light.
Martin Sorrell

S4 Capital chairman Martin Sorrell finally issued his firms 2021 earnings on May 6, more than a month after PwC refused to sign off on the original release because it was unable to complete the audit.

Sorrell called the delay unacceptable and embarrassing and due to control weaknesses, staff turnover and lack of detailed documentation.

He promised upskilling S4 Capitals finance team and noted that a number of senior hires have already taken place this year.

Theres a full debrief planned to ensure all suggestions from PwC are captured and in place before the first-quarter results are announced at the end of May.

If Sorrell, 77, really wants to avenge his ouster from WPP by making a run at his old firm, hes got to get S4 Capital controls in order.

The holdup of the financials clearly shows that S4 Capital has a way to go before it can run with the Big Dogs.

The flap also overshadowed news that S4 Capital doubled its revenues to $844M last year but suffered a $51.7M operating loss vs. a year ago with $9.8M profit.

Russia and its oligarchs can no longer benefit from the UKs world class PR firms, according to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who announced a ban of services exports to Russia on May 4.

PR, accounting firms and management consultants make up about 10 percent of Russian imports in those sectors.

Our professional services exports are extraordinarily valuable to many countries, which is exactly why were locking Russia out, said Kwasi Kwarteng, Business Secretary. By restricting access to our world-class management consultants, accountancy and PR firms, were ratcheting up economic pressure on the Kremlin to change course.

London, of course, has been laundering the reputation of Russians and unsavory characters from places like Saudi Arabia and China for years.

The Public Relations and Communications Association welcomed the ban on Russia.

Nobody with any conscience can do business with Russia," said Francis Ingham, PRCA director general. "It is simply unthinkable given the barbarity of the Russian state. Putin has turned his country into a pariah state that sadly now has no place in the global community of civilized nations. It will not re-enter that community until its president leaves the Kremlin."

And Londons PR firms will be ready to position Putins successor as the best friend the West has ever had.

Truss will put a big "Back in Business" sign on the London PR laundermat.
The guests have been revealed for tonight's Late Late Show on RTE One.

There will be special performances and a chat with music stars Sharon Shannon, Liam O Maonlai and Fiachna O Braonain from Hothouse Flowers, Lucia Evans and Steve Wickham, as they join together for a new charity album Songs for Rosabel.



With more than a million minutes of live television under her belt, Sky News's Kay Burley has witnessed some of the most momentous moments in recent history. She'll join Ryan to chat about what Boris Johnson is really like, why attitudes to women in the House of Commons are 30 years behind the rest of the world and what the results of the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections might mean for relations on these islands.



From the hills of south Lebanon to the snow-covered Balkans and the monsoon jungles of Southern Asia, former Irish Special Forces Deputy Commander and Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week leader Ray Goggins knows what it is like to enter a warzone. As the war in Ukraine continues, he'll be discussing what those on the ground can expect over there, how to deal with a crisis and how the military mindset can be channelled into tackling any situation.



Powered by RTE, Junk Kouture, is back for its 12th year. Some of the finalists will be on the show to demonstrate their amazing creations where they turn everyday junk into Kouture. Over 300 secondary schools have taken part and the 10 finalists will be strutting their stuff to represent Ireland at the World Final later this year in Abu Dhabi.



Plus, ahead of their hugely anticipated album Sometimes We See More In The Dark, Mullingar rock band The Blizzards are back on the show and will perform 'Friction Burns'.
The very sad news came through last week that we had lost Paddy Heaney. Living in Cadamstown all his life, Paddy was known far and wide for his energy, his enthusiasm and his love for the history of the region.

Paddy died on Friday, April 29, peacefully, at Birr Community Nursing Unit.

He was predeceased by his parents and sisters Josie, Molly, Helen and Tess. Paddy will be sadly missed by his sister Madge (UK), and especially his nieces Elizabeth and Bernadette in Cadamstown, and his nieces and nephews in the UK, brother-in-law Pete, cousins, relatives, neighbours and his many great friends.

The tributes have been pouring in. "Im saddened to hear of the passing of a great man," said Deputy Carol Nolan, "our local historian Paddy Heaney who passed away on Friday night. Paddy was a great man who loved history and the Irish language and who did so much for our local area. Ar Dheis De go raibh a anam, ni bheidh a leithead aris ann!"

"Sad to hear of the death of Paddy Heaney," said Christina Byrne from Kinnitty. "Paddy was a great community person and did so much for his local village Cadamstown, Kinnitty and the Slieve Bloom Mountains. He had a great love for all things Slieve Bloom - songs, local history, heritage and environment, to name but a few. He welcomed many guests from all over the world to his home who came in search of their roots and always had time to sit down and chat to them. He guided many walks in the Slieve Blooms, was a great storyteller and took part with another well known local historian Paddy Lowry in the Slieve Bloom Storytelling festival for many years. He was a member of the Slieve Bloom Co-Operative Society and the Slieve Bloom Association. Paddy will be greatly missed. Ar dheis de go raibh a hanam."

"We are sorry to hear of the death of Paddy Heaney," said Offaly History, "late of Cadamstown and the genius loci of the place. He and the late Paddy Lowry did so much for the heritage and tourism of Slieve Bloom. Our sympathy to his family and friends. They will long be remembered."

Paddy's remains reposed at his residence on Sunday the 1st of May from 2pm until Rosary at 8pm. Funeral Mass took place on Monday at 12 noon in St. Lunas Church Cadamstown, and the burial afterwards was in St. Flannans Cemetery Kinnitty. Paddys family would like to thank everyone for their kindness and support during this difficult time.

A few years ago Midland Tribune journalist Darren Keegan wrote a long and fascinating interview about Paddy. During the interview Paddy said that before the famine Cadamstown's population was over 1,800 people and was halved after the famine; and today it's less than 400 and still falling. "Once there were shops and a thriving cottage industry," he remarked, "a school with two teachers and 60 pupils but today there is no employment opportunities whatsoever outside of farming and very few houses available for anyone who wants to live there."

Paddy recalled with great fondness the community meitheal of his younger days. "I remember many years ago when a new family needed a home the members of the community built it with them," with stones pulled from the mountain and tools that fell far short of today's teleporters and mixers. A new couple could expect to receive a home soon after marriage and the community toiled and celebrated shoulder to shoulder.

Paddy said he bought his house about seven decades ago with money he earned from selling a few cattle he reared in the mountain fields as a young man, and he had lovingly worked on it ever since  never borrowing a shilling or going into debt to do it all. There were nights Paddy was out with a flash-lamp working away on the building into the small hours. People lived on the site of his home since 1604. He pointed out that the epicentre of life in the village for the last few decades had been the local pub, Dempsey's, but that was dwindling and the small cosy premises didn't open every night any more and large crowds were rare, apart from some great musical nights which drew life into the village. Sadly, Dempsey's closed its doors in September 2020 and hasn't opened since.

Paddy was born in Cadamstown but lived in Glenleitir in his youth. He came back down from the mountains to Cadamstown in his mid 20s and remained in the village ever since, earning a reputation as being someone to chat to about your heritage and genealogy, where descendants of those who left the mountains and emigrated to all the far-flung corners of the planet regularly arrived unannounced at his door and received a friendly welcome and sometimes revelatory information.

Born in 1933, son of Brian Heaney and Brigid (nee Dillon), Paddy had six sisters  Molly, Helen, Josie, Tess, Madge and Anne.

Paddy's grandfather lived to be 106 and lived through the famine, but like most of his generation, he rarely ever spoke about the harrowing period in his later life and some recollections were handed down through his father.

Paddy remembered growing up in the lively home very fondly. His father was an accomplished uilleann piper and was a kind-hearted man who rarely opened up, but was a very good father. He passed on a love of music and singing, but couldn't understand Paddy's love of Country and Western music!

Paddy and his father worked hard side by side and planted potatoes, reclaimed land and worked in the fields and on the bog together. His father had lived for over 20 years in America and played the pipes at the first ever Sinn Fein meeting in New York City alongside famed piper Jack Toohey.

The rare time that he'd talk was when he'd sit in the kitchen and have a smoke  he'd sit down and smoke and I'd sit down and listen. He told me stories he heard from my grandfather about the famine where it was so bad there were bodies in the ditches around the Slieve Blooms, Paddy recalled.

Paddy's mother was one of the Dillons of Seskin and was once seriously injured during the War of Independence when a bullet shot from a Black and Tan's rifle struck her head. She was only 18 years of age at the time and never spoke about the incident in her later life and it wasn't until years later that Paddy heard about it.

Everything was kept secret at that time. My mother used to do dispatches at that time  she never told me, she'd tell you nothing  but years later another woman told me a dispatch came to Dillons of Seskin above in the mountain and my mother walked across to Langtons of Cumber with the dispatch over the top of the mountain at 12 o'clock at night.

When she got there Mrs Langton told her the lads were out on an engagement and so she walked across to Kilcormac from there to find them, but was told they were actually in Cloghan and so she set off walking to there with the dispatch hidden in the heel of her shoe. But in the end she had to take a pony and trap from Cloghan to Banagher where she met a man from Galway who was waiting on the bridge for the dispatch, Paddy recalled.

She was a member of Cumann na mBan with nine other women from the area and she used to visit the prisoners in Hare Park in the Curragh with Mrs Carroll, the local schoolteacher in Cadamstown, making the journey from the Slieve Blooms and back on a pony and trap.

Paddy's recollections of the local community were compiled into two books, 'At the Foot of Slieve Bloom' and 'Coolacrease' and his unrivalled knowledge of the area found him the national headlines when he explored the story of the Pearson brothers, who were both shot by the IRA in 1921 near Cadamstown.

Paddy's first book, 'At the Foot of Slieve Bloom,' examines the story behind all the different areas in the region and now fetches a princely sum when rare copies come up for sale online. Its examination of the pre and post famine period in the region is fascinating and painstakingly researched.

It is full of interesting stories and recalls that shortly after the famine one small field played an important role in the area's story in 1847 and became known as 'the oat and meal field' after the two neighbouring families that lived on either side of it found themselves in absolutely dire straits during the famine.

The father from one household, the Conroys who owned the field, pleaded with his neighbour, Luke Daly, to sell him a bag of meal in exchange for the three acre field. The exchange went ahead, but after much deliberation because the bag of oatmeal could barely be spared, and the desperate father received enough food to feed his family.

However, the story did not end there, because 100-years later, in 1947 the descendants of Luke Daly returned to the descendants of the Conroys and offered to give the field back, but although the gesture was warmly acknowledged the Conroys did not take back the field because their neighbours' kindness sustained them in their darkest times.

Today both families have long left the area and Paddy pointed out the field and recalled the story for visitors to Cadamstown, who were often very interested when he pointed out houses in the area that were now piles of rubble and told them he often used to drink tea in them.

Other stories in Paddy's collection include one about a man named Tom Scully, who could create cures from plants and herbs growing in the Slieve Blooms; including one which was particularly effective for curing yellow jaundice.

However, Mr Scully was fiercely protective of his secrets and all his cures went to the grave with him  further denoting the secretive nature of the older generations who lived in the Slieve Blooms.

Paddy was a dedicated member of the Ardara Hillwalking Club. He was involved in promoting the Slieve Blooms since Jim Fanning brought the first tourist bus to the area in 1975.

The last time Paddy stood on Ard Eireann, the highest peak of the Slieve Blooms, he was with Jim Fanning and was involved in founding the Slieve Bloom Association in 1975 with him. The group, which is still active today, started with a meeting attended by just four other people

After the meeting in Kinnitty Hall, the four founders later retired to Delahunty's parlour and drew up the Constitution of the Mountain and Paddy recalls Jim Fanning saying there was no point bringing visitors to the mountains unless the villages were brought up to scratch.

After receiving some start-up funding, the Association's first job was to create access to the stunning Glenbarrow waterfalls and since then dozens of successful projects have been undertaken by the group.

They were all laughing at us back then when we were talking about creating walks and people thought nobody would come and use them  but walking is everything here now, Paddy said.

Paddy was also a very active member of the Parish Council, who set up a drama group to fund the restoration of four churches in the area and by booking halls all over Laois and Offaly they cleared the debt in less than four years.

He was also instrumental in establishing the Cadamstown Tidy Towns Association, which remains active today despite dwindling numbers and who once won a Cup in 1976. He remained involved for over 40 years since he established it with Mary Hayden, Mary Donnelly, Tim Downey and Bernie Scully.

Paddy commented during the interview that he unfortunately saw the future as being very, very dark for his beloved Cadamstown and Slieve Blooms: There are no jobs, there are lots of derelict sites and all the farms are very small and it's hard to make a living with only a small bit of land now. All the young people have to travel for work.

It's a pity because I can see it deteriorating since my younger days and the community spirit is not as strong as it was. There are very few houses in it and lots of derelict sites and very few who will sell the derelict sites. There should be a compulsory order for people to make them sell the derelict sites so that places like this can come back to life again.

If people want to come and live in the mountains there are no proper roads and bridges for them and it would be very hard. Once the mountain people left, it all finished. I used to go and visit every person up the mountain before they died or left  I'd sit down by the fire and chat with them and that's how I got all the stories, but it's all gone now." He also thought it was a pity that the users of the new mountain bike trails were more interested in zipping by at lightning speeds on their bikes rather than coming to see and learn about the area.

He believed that walking was the best way of connecting with the landscape: Getting out and walking is the only way to see the mountains and I hope when people come here they get out and walk these hills  they're the best hills for walking in the whole world."
Two Queensland men have been charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing their gun into a vehicle in Brisbane last year.
A Queensland family is raising funds to go to Mexico in search of missing mum and sister Tahnee Shanks.
Ukrainian fighters holed up in a steel plant in Mariupol made their last stand to prevent Moscows takeover of the strategic port.
Berlin will start training Ukrainian soldiers on how to use the long-range artillery next week before it sends seven Panzerhaubitzen 2000 to Ukraine.
VE-Day marks Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender in WW2. Russia celebrates it on May 9 and many fear Vladimir Putin may use the opportunity to mobilize his country for all out war.
The Ukrainian leader wants the German chancellor and president to meet him in Kyiv on May 9, when Russia celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. DW has the latest.
Newsy 05 May 2022

Watch VideoThe World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15 million people were killed either by coronavirus or by its impact..
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the situation in Mariupol as "hell", while Ukrainian fighters prepare for what could be their final stand against Russia.
Amber Heard says Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her and threatened her life while she was visiting him in Australia in 2015.
Watch VideoIf, during your travels in the Holy Land, you decide to take the next step with your Palestinian sweetheart, you should..

Newsy 05 May 2022
Delhi Police said that the cops from Punjab did not inform local police before arresting Bagga from his residence in Delhi's Janakpuri.
Around two million children have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February. Most are now living in other EU countries. Witness travels to France to see how schools in the country are helping Ukrainian minors adjust to their new surroundings.
SeattlePI.com 09 May 2022

HAVANA (AP)  More bodies were pulled from the ruins of a luxury hotel in Cuba's capital on Monday, bringing the official death..
The 27 EU member states are deliberating a gradual ban on Russian oil imports. Some countries, such as Hungary, Slovakia and Cyprus, are concerned about the repercussions of such a move on their economies.
After the 4th round of peace talks, Russia laid out their requests to Ukraine, Zelensky pleas for more assistance from the US, and..

Rumble 19 Mar 2022
Sky News 08 May 2022

The Northern Ireland secretary will urge all political parties to form an executive as soon as possible after Sinn Fein's historic..
Watch VideoIsrael on Monday lashed out at Russia over "unforgivable" comments by its foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism..

Newsy 02 May 2022
(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Reuters MADRID: At least 17 people were injured, most of them lightly, in a strong explosion that rocked a four-storey building being renovated in central Madrid on ...
The help that sank the Moskva, the most significant loss by any navy in 40 years, is part of an administration effort providing real-time battlefield intelligence to Ukraine.
Ukraine Air Rescue is a group of self-funded pilots from Germany who fly medical supplies to the Ukrainian-Polish border, and help evacuate refugees on their return journey.
 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
Jill Biden's trip to the Slovakia-Ukraine border will be her most high-profile moment yet as first lady. On Mother's Day she meets with Ukrainian mothers and children who fled after Russia's invasion.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced in a meeting with senior government officials that discontinuing Beijing's zero-COVID policy will not happen anytime soon.
Vladimir Putin's new flagship naval vessel has been hit by Ukrainian missiles and burst into flames off the coast of Snake Island, according to officials in Kyiv.The 409ft (125 metre) Admiral Makarov has reportedly been struck by...
Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

Total fundraising in Europe during 2021 reached 118bn (US$ 124.27bn), 7% above 2020's figure and the highest level ever recorded, said a study by Invest Europe, an association representing private equity, venture capital, and infrastructure firms in Europe.

According to the study, a record number of 841 funds raised capital during the year, the highest number of funds recorded ever.

Funds of funds & other asset managers provided 23% of funds raised, followed by pension funds (20%), and family offices &private individuals (15%). Capital from France & Benelux accounted for the highest proportion of fundraising (31%), followed by North America (19%). In total, 32% was committed by investors from outside Europe.

The study revealed that venture fundraising saw a record year in 2021, with 18bn raised during the year. This amount is 14% above the 16bn seen in 2020. Funds focusing on all stages of Venture continued to raise the largest share (50%), whilst there was a strong increase in amounts raised by early-stage funds from the year before (34%).

Meanwhile, a record number of 350 venture funds raised capital in 2021. The top sources of funds were family offices & private individuals (20%), and corporate investors (18%). The France & Benelux region continued to be the principal source of capital.

Buyout fundraising reached 71bn in 2021, level with the average for the previous five years. 181 buyout funds raised capital in 2021, whic......................

To view our full article Click here
On Wednesday, 4 May, the Holy Father received in audience H.E. Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial talks in the Secretariat of State, satisfaction was expressed at the bilateral collaboration, evoking the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In this context, the contribution of the Catholic Church in many sectors of Japanese society was noted and appreciated.

Attention then turned to issues of an international nature, with particular attention to the war in Ukraine, stressing the urgency of dialogue and peace and expressing the hope, to this end, for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Vocation, like holiness, is not an extraordinary experience reserved for a few, Pope Francis affirms in his message for the 59th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which this year falls on Sunday, 8 May. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The Holy Father explains that reflecting on the broader meaning of vocation within the context of a synodal Church, a Church that listens to God and to the world, is essential in discerning the various vocations, charisms and ministries, and that the Churchs fundamental mission of evangelization requires everyones participation and unique contributions because we are like tiles of a mosaic. Each is lovely in itself, but only when they are put together do they form a picture. The following is the English text of Pope Francis message.

Called to Build

the Human Family

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At the time when the cold winds of war and oppression are blowing and when we frequently encounter signs of polarization, we as a Church have undertaken a synodal process: we sense the urgent need to journey together, cultivating the spirit of listening, participation and sharing. Together with all men and women of good will, we want to help build the human family, heal its wounds and guide it to a better future. On this 59th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, I would like to reflect with you on the broader meaning of vocation within the context of a synodal Church, a Church that listens to God and to the world.

Called to be protagonists together of the Churchs mission

Synodality, journeying together, is a vocation fundamental to the Church. Only against this horizon is it possible to discern and esteem the various vocations, charisms and ministries. We know that the Church exists to evangelize, to go forth and to sow the seed of the Gospel in history. This mission can only be carried out if all areas of pastoral activity work together and, even more importantly, involve all the Lords disciples. For in virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization (Evangelii Gaudium, 120). We must beware of the mentality that would separate priests and laity, considering the former as protagonists and the latter as executors, and together carry forward the Christian mission as the one People of God, laity and pastors. The Church as a whole is an evangelizing community.

Called to be guardians of one another and of creation

The word vocation should not be understood restrictively, as referring simply to those who follow the Lord through a life of special consecration. All of us are called to share in Christs mission to reunite a fragmented humanity and to reconcile it with God. Each man and woman, even before encountering Christ and embracing the Christian faith, receives with the gift of life a fundamental calling: each of us is a creature willed and loved by God; each of us has a unique and special place in the mind of God. At every moment of our lives, we are called to foster this divine spark, present in the heart of every man and woman, and thus contribute to the growth of a humanity inspired by love and mutual acceptance. We are called to be guardians of one another, to strengthen the bonds of harmony and sharing, and to heal the wounds of creation lest its beauty be destroyed. In a word, we are called to become a single family in the marvellous common home of creation, in the reconciled diversity of its elements. In this broad sense, not only individuals have a vocation, but peoples, communities and groups of various kinds as well.

Called to welcome Gods gaze

Within this great common vocation, God addresses a particular call to each of us. He touches our lives by his love and directs them to our ultimate goal, to a fulfilment that transcends the very threshold of death. That is how God wanted to see our lives and how he sees them still.

Michelangelo Buonarroti is said to have maintained that every block of stone contains a statue within it, and it is up to the sculptor to uncover it. If that is true of an artist, how much more is it true of God! In the young woman of Nazareth he saw the Mother of God. In Simon the fisherman he saw Peter, the rock on which he would build his Church. In the publican Levi he recognized the apostle and evangelist Matthew, and in Saul, a harsh persecutor of Christians, he saw Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles. Gods loving gaze always meets us, touches us, sets us free and transforms us, making us into new persons.

That is what happens in every vocation: we are met by the gaze of God, who calls us. Vocation, like holiness, is not an extraordinary experience reserved for a few. Just as there is a holiness of the saints next door (cf. Gaudete et Exsultate, 6-9), so too there is a vocation for everyone, for Gods gaze and call is directed to every person.

According to a proverb from the Far East, a wise person, looking at the egg can see an eagle; looking at the seed he glimpses a great tree; looking at the sinner he glimpses a saint. That is how God looks at us: in each of us, he sees a certain potential, at times unbeknownst to ourselves, and throughout our lives he works tirelessly so that we can place this potential at the service of the common good.

Vocation arises in this way, thanks to the art of the divine Sculptor who uses his hands to make us go forth from ourselves and become the masterpiece that we are called to be. The word of God, which frees us from self-absorption, is especially able to purify, enlighten and recreate us. So let us listen to that word, in order to become ever more open to the vocation that God entrusts to us! And let us learn to listen also to our brothers and sisters in the faith, for their advice and example may help disclose the plan of God, who shows us ever new paths to pursue.

Called to respond to Gods gaze

Gods loving and creative gaze met us in an entirely unique way in Jesus. The evangelist Mark tells us that, in speaking with the rich young man, Jesus looking upon him, loved him (10:21). This gaze of Jesus, full of love, rests upon each of us. Brothers and sisters, let us allow ourselves to be moved by this gaze to allow him to lead us outside of ourselves! Let us also learn to look at one another in such a way that all those with whom we live and encounter  whoever they may be  will feel welcomed and discover that there is Someone who looks at them with love and invites them to develop their full potential.

Our lives change when we welcome this gaze. Everything becomes a vocational dialogue between ourselves and the Lord, but also between ourselves and others. A dialogue that, experienced in depth, makes us become ever more who we are. In the vocation to the ordained priesthood, to be instruments of Christs grace and mercy. In the vocation to the consecrated life, to be the praise of God and the prophecy of a new humanity. In the vocation to marriage, to be mutual gift and givers and teachers of life. In every ecclesial vocation and ministry that calls us to see others and the world through Gods eyes, to serve goodness and to spread love with our works and words.

Here I would like to mention the experience of Dr Jose Gregorio Hernandez Cisneros. While working as a physician in Caracas, Venezuela, he wanted to become a Third Order Franciscan. Later, he thought of becoming a monk and a priest, but his health did not allow it. He came to understand that his calling was the medical profession, in which he spent himself above all in service to the poor. He devoted himself unreservedly to those who had contracted the worldwide epidemic known as the Spanish flu. He died, hit by a car, as he was leaving a pharmacy after purchasing medicine for one of his elderly patients. An exemplary witness of what it means to accept the call of the Lord and embrace it fully, he was beatified a year ago.

Called to build a fraternal world

As Christians, we do not only receive a vocation individually; we are also called together. We are like the tiles of a mosaic. Each is lovely in itself, but only when they are put together do they form a picture. Each of us shines like a star in the heart of God and in the firmament of the universe. At the same time, though, we are called to form constellations that can guide and light up the path of humanity, beginning with the places in which we live. This is the mystery of the Church: a celebration of differences, a sign and instrument of all that humanity is called to be. For this reason, the Church must become increasingly synodal: capable of walking together, united in harmonious diversity, where everyone can actively participate and where everyone has something to contribute.

When we speak of vocation, then, it is not just about choosing this or that way of life, devoting ones life to a certain ministry or being attracted by the charism of a religious family, movement or ecclesial community. It is about making Gods dream come true, the great vision of fraternity that Jesus cherished when he prayed to the Father that they may all be one (Jn 17:21). Each vocation in the Church, and in a broader sense in society, contributes to a common objective: to celebrate among men and women that harmony of manifold gifts that can only be brought about by the Holy Spirit. Priests, consecrated men and women, lay faithful: let us journey and work together in bearing witness to the truth that one great human family united in love is no utopian vision, but the very purpose for which God created us.

Let us pray, brothers and sisters, that the People of God, amid the dramatic events of history, may increasingly respond to this call. Let us implore the light of the Holy Spirit, so that all of us may find our proper place and give the very best of ourselves in this great divine plan!

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 8 May 2022, Fourth Sunday of Easter.

Francis
The following is an interview with the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union ( ebu ) on the importance of good journalism in a time of crisis. Curran expresses gratitude to Pope Francis for having underlined the role of journalists reporting on the ground in Ukraine, even risking their lives.

In war, information is everything. And serious disinformation can threaten lives. This is what ebu (European Broadcasting Association) is strongly emphasizing in these difficult months in Europe. ebu is the worlds leading alliance of public service media with 115 member organizations in 56 countries and an additional 31 associates worldwide. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, ebu has been committed to supporting journalists who report on the horror of war on the ground. In this interview with Vatican Radio, realized at the ebu headquarters in Geneva, the director general of the organization, Noel Curran, focuses on the need for accurate and credible journalism, especially in crisis situations such as the pandemic or this terrible war in the heart of Europe.

During the Covid pandemic, the public service media have been playing a very important role. What would you say with respect to their role in this terrible war in Ukraine, in the heart of Europe?

I think that public service media have played a vital role in terms of informing the public about the war in Ukraine. So much of our output is news, particularly on radio. I think weve been at the forefront in terms of reporting on the war and reporting on how it has impacted the Ukrainian people. I think with radio stations like Vatican Radio that coverage has gone worldwide, with other stations its been national, and theres also been a lot of regional radio coverage. Weve also provided quality trusted news, which is why public service media is so trusted. Weve also supported our members, the public service media broadcasters in Ukraine with satellites dishes, phones, equipment. Public service media have also supported the Ukrainian people. Over half billion Euros has so far been raised through initiatives  concerts, fundraising  from public service media. A huge range of different events have been organized by public service media. As director general of ebu Im very proud of how public service media have responded to this terrible war.

ebu is committed to supporting correct and accurate information, particularly in this difficult situation in Ukraine. Is there any initiative in this regard that youd like to share with us?

I think the most important thing that ebu and public service media provide is quality trusted news, investment in training of journalists, investment in sending journalists to war zones. There are other initiatives that ebu is involved in. Were involved in what is called Journalism Trust Initiative with partners like Reporters Without Borders and a range of other organizations which is all about verifying that organizations are providing trusted news and trusted coverage. Were part of what is also known as the tni initiative, Trusted News Initiative, which the bbc are involved in as well. We invest heavily as public service media in fact checking. We have a new initiative on freedom of speech from the ebu . We also have a lot of initiatives on training on safety of journalists particularly journalists working in war zones. We approach this from a wide variety of areas, and it is something that were very conscious of and very involved in.

Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to the journalists who risk their lives to report every day on the horror of war, of every war, not only this one unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. How much awareness is in European public opinion about the value of reporting on the ground, in war zones?

I think it was very important that world figures like Pope Francis have highlighted the issue of journalists. Everyone is very grateful when they see that. I think the public are aware because we see that they turn to public service media in such big numbers, we see that the trust figures they have for public service media are much higher than for commercial media and way higher than for social media. So I think that the public are aware. Do they know just how difficult it is on a day to day basis? Do they know the kinds of difficulties that organizations have even in getting reporters in to the war zones? Probably not. They probably dont know the full extent of that. Im not sure the public needs to know that. Thats our job. Its the job of journalists to do that and report but I do think that the public realize the value of what public service media is doing in these terrible war zones. I do believe they realize that.

As in the pandemic, this war in Ukraine also underlined the relevance of radio as a credible and reliable media while social networks are often vehicles for fake news and counterfeits

Radio is the most trusted source of media on information. All of our research shows that. Its most trusted by the public than TV. It is so much more trusted than social media. I think the connection between radio and the audience is absolutely unique. Thinking of the role of radio, as Ive said Vatican Radio has a worldwide role, but we shouldnt forget the national role of radio and also the regional role. Apart from news on counterfeits which is core, radio also allows the public speech much more than television and certainly more than social media platforms in so many ways. You hear public voices, you hear public experiences, public reflections and personal stories. And I think radio is also critical at times of crisis in terms of giving the public access to public information and we saw that during the Covid pandemic but were also seeing it in any crises that arise. I think radio has a unique role, it has a unique relationship with the public and long may that continue because public service radio has worked hard to earn that.

By Alessandro Gisotti
Lets begin from Africa since we set out from there. We human beings, scholars tells us, appear to have arisen in our original strain, in the so-called Dark continent. From the heart of great Mother Africa comes the Ubuntu culture, now also known here in the West, thanks also to shining examples like that of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Ubuntu is a real ethics of Sub-Saharan Africa that has the theme of reciprocal relationships among people at its core. The word comes from the Bantu language and means humanity towards others or benevolence towards others. It is thus a rule for life based on compassion, loyalty and respect for others. The most well-known phrase of this culture can be translated as, I am because we are, that is, I am who I am, by virtue of what we all are. The affirmation of ones self does not therefore exclude but arises from the we and the same goes for individual rights which exist alongside collective duties, because Ubuntu exhorts us to mutually sustain and help one another as though driven by an ideal longing and a desire for peace.

At the root of this culture is the belief in a universal bond of exchange that unites all of humanity, so that when one hurts another, they are doing so to the whole world, including themselves. In this sense it is similar to the spirit of the well-known affirmation in the Talmud which says that whoever saves one life saves the entire world. Responsibility is oriented not only horizontally, towards the other, but also vertically, towards past and future generations. This is why, as Professor Dirk Louw of Stellenbosch University in South Africa says, Ubuntu is characterized clearly by a religious dimension: the behaviour of each individual person in fact has to interact with the rest of humanity in a way that is in compliance with respecting and venerating the ancestors, and those who will live according to this principle of responsibility throughout their lifetime, will, in death, be able to reach unity with those who are still living.

In Steven Spielbergs film, Amistad, released 25 years ago, we see an African tribal chief who enters a Washington, D.C. courtroom in the mid 19th century, and he is not afraid. And yet he is there, alone in a hostile country, defending himself without even knowing the language, from an almost certain death sentence because, he says: I am not alone, my ancestors are with me. I will call into the past, far back to the beginning of time, and beg them to come and help me at the judgment. I will reach back and draw them into me. And they must come, for at this moment, I am the whole reason they have existed at all.

All this makes us reflect. At least, it should.

In the varied and vast world of the Web, there is a question that has been floating around in these days and which comes with an answer: How many people have ever lived on earth? A total of 107 billion people in the span of 200,000 years. In 8000 BC we were just 5 million. Today we number 8 billion living people. And 99 billion dead . We are unable here and now to verify if these numbers correspond to the truth. If anything, today, not tomorrow, is the time to ask ourselves another question that demands an answer: Do we feel the support and at the same time the burden of responsibility for these 99 billion people who preceded us?. We have to be accountable to them. To them and to those who will come after us. To these, our children, we should hand over the flame that 200,000 years ago was lit for the first time and kept alive by 99 billion men and women like us, our ancestors. Each one exists because we exist. Each of us is part of this relay that we can call `tradition that goes through history and that from the dawn of time has brought us here, to communicate with mobile phones, to send astronauts into space and create nuclear devices; it gave us Bachs music and Dantes poetry, Rembrandts paintings and Einsteins formulas, it created hospitals and leper colonies and planned genocides. And lastly, it has led us here, to the doors of Kyiv, and of Yemen and Syria, and the list would be long if it included also the countries torn apart by war within great Mother Africa, to whom, as her children, we should listen when she speaks and teaches.

Another African proverb often quoted by Pope Francis, says that it takes a village to raise a child. The village has spoken and it is teaching. It has been doing so for 200,000 years but not everyone heeds the lesson and they are there, on the dramatic threshold, which as Catholics we call free will, because one can take a life, ones own or that of others, or donate it, even to the extent of loving the enemy and forgiving, as was preached 2,000 years ago in Israel. But that Preacher was welcomed and also betrayed and repudiated, crucified. And yet we feel that precisely in the paradox of his message and his gift, there is the strength to come out of the impasse of that crossroads in order to orient our liberty towards the good.

Because thats the way it is, we are, each day, as always, at the crossroads: one path leads to the handing off of the flame, to transmit life, culture, beauty, humanity; the other leads to putting out, today perhaps permanently, that flame, so fragile and tenacious, which has been kept alive thanks to the efforts of 99 billion people. 99 billion reasons to ask and fight for peace.

Andrea Monda
MIAMI (AP)  A one-time ally of Hugo Chavez wanted for prosecution by his socialist successor Nicolas Maduro has quietly surrendered in Miami in connection to a major bribery scheme involving joint oil ventures with foreign partners.

Jhonnathan Marin was serving as mayor of the port city of Guanta in 2017 when he abruptly resigned and fled the country amid a major purge at state run oil giant PDVSA. Later, Maduros government ordered his arrest on corruption charges and banned him from running for public office.

He was last believed to be living in Mexico but surfaced in Miami on April 25, where he surrendered and was released the same day on a $100,000 bond, according to court records.

According to a criminal complaint, which has not been previously reported, Marin helped pay bribes on behalf of an unnamed co-conspirator who was awarded tens of millions of dollars in contracts from state run oil giant PDVSAs joint ventures with Chevron, Frances Total and firms from Russia and China.

As part of the scheme, Marin between 2015 and 2018 allegedly helped transfer more than $1.2 million from a bank account in Miami to one in Panama for the benefit of two unnamed Venezuelan officials.

He was charged with a single count of conspiring to commit an offense against the U.S., a lesser charge which carries a maximum term of 5 years in prison.

Theres no indication in the complaint that any of PDVSAs foreign partners participated or were even aware of the bribery scheme.

Marin, 43, was an early adherent to Chavezs Fifth Republic Movement and in 2008 was elected mayor of Guanta, a city at the gateway to the Orinoco Oil Belt, home to the worlds largest oil reserves and about half of Venezuelas current production.

He is being represented by Michael Nadler, a former federal prosecutor in Miami who made a name for himself targeting corruption in Maduros inner circle. Nadler declined to comment but Marin in the past has rejected the accusations levied by Maduros allies as part of a political vendetta based on falsified evidence.

We have nothing to hide, he said in a video posted on social media in 2019. On the contrary, this action provides us with an opportunity to say many things.



Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
Steve Cannon/AP

MIAMI (AP)  The Florida sheriff ostracized for his agencys response to the high school massacre in Parkland that left 17 people dead will again be heading a law enforcement agency as the police chief of a small South Florida municipality.

Former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel was appointed police chief of Opa-locka in an announcement made by city manager Darvin Williams at a ceremony Friday. Opa-locka is part of Miami-Dade County.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Another journalist was found dead in northern Mexico on Thursday, the ninth media worker killed in the country so far this year.

Prosecutors in the northern state of Sinaloa said the body of Luis Enrique Ramirez Ramos was found on a dirt road near near junkyard in the state capital, Culiacan.

Prosecturs said his body was wrapped in black plastic, and that he died from multiple blows to the head.

Ramirez Ramos, 59, was the ninth reporter or photographer killed this year in Mexico, making the country the most dangerous place in the world for the press outside war zones.

Ramirez Ramos news website, Fuentes Fidedignas, or Reliable Sources, said that he had been abducted near his house hours earlier. Prosectors said that he had not been reported missing to police.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said it lamented the killing and calls on authorities to urgently investigate this act.

Ramirez Ramos is listed as founding director of the website, which has reported relatively little on the drug cartel violence that plagues Sinaloa, which is home to the cartel of the same name.

Fuentes Fidedignas did, however, report on local political disputes, which is often a risky subject for reporters in provincial Mexico, especially in Sinaloa.

But the website also includes a section on good news about Sinaloa, and in its mission statement says just as we denounce vices and corruption, we also cover the industrious, hard working and generous nature that our good people give the state.

Francisco Chiquete, a fellow reporter in Culiacan, said Luis Enrique Ramirez was a very professional and capable journalist and noted he had expressed fears about retaliation for his work as long ago as 2015. Prosecutors said he had not reported threats at the time to police.

Chiquete said he wasnt aware of any more recent threats against his colleague, who also wrote columns for the Sinaloa newspaper El Debate.

Many killings of journalists in recent years in Mexico have been blamed on drug cartels, and journalists in the most violent cities, like Culiacan, often avoid the topic of cartels for their own safety.

But in a 2015 interview with MVS radio station after the killing of fellow reporter Humberto Millan, Ramirez Ramos said I don't write about narcos, I speak neither good nor ill of the narcos. Humberto Millan didn't either, and that was not enough to keep him alive and working.

What is happening? Humberto Millan and I only write about politicians, and now it turns out that we can't write about politicians either, so what are journalists in Sinaloa going to write about? he said at the time.

Mexico's state and federal government have been criticized for neither preventing the killings nor investigating them sufficiently.

While President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised a zero impunity program to investigate the killings, on Thursday the head of that program listed only six killings of journalists this year, even though there have been eight.

And the president continues his frequent verbal attacks on journalists whose stories he dislikes, calling them conservatives" and mercenaries, and using information from supporters  and apparently tax agencies  to publicize the income of reporters he dislikes.

Press groups say Lopez Obradors daily criticisms of journalists make them more vulnerable to violence.

In February, the Inter American Press Association called on the president to immediately suspend the aggressions and insults, because such attacks from the top of power encourage violence against the press.

And in March, the European Union approved a resolution that calls on the authorities, and in particular the highest ones, to refrain from issuing any communication which could stigmatize human rights defenders, journalists and media workers, exacerbate the atmosphere against them or distort their lines of investigation.
Rihanna's wildly popular lingerie line often praised for its inclusive size range is creating a physical retail store in downtown Detroit.

Although the address is unknown, Savage X Fenty announced its plans on the brand's Instagram page to open physical stores in Detroit as well as Long Island, Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago and Newark, Delaware.

Savage X Fenty launched in 2018 as an online-only brand carrying intimate apparel, loungewear and accessories and is now worth an estimated $3 billion, according to Forbes.

The success of the brand led to brick-and-mortar storefront openings this year. The inaugural Savage X Fenty store was unveiled at Fashion Show Las Vegas on Jan. 22, 2022.

"Well start with a limited amount of stores," Savage X Fenty co-president Christiane Pendarvis, told Forbes in January. "It will represent a small percentage of our business. This is about making sure were getting the right formula and assortment mix in stores."

The new stores are joining Savage X Fenty locations in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Rihanna's net worth, which is around $1.4 billion, wasn't earned in one place.

Aside from being a performer and the creator of Savage X Fenty, she co-founded Fenty Beauty, a makeup line that made $100 million in sales within its first month and more than $550 million in annual revenue after its first year. Forbes estimates that most of Rihannas fortune (around $1.4 billion) comes from the value of Fenty Beauty. The company itself is worth $2.8 billion.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

TOKYO (AP)  Japan should focus more on peaceful diplomacy with China instead of on military deterrence as tensions rise around Chinese-claimed Taiwan, the governor of the nearby southern Japanese island of Okinawa said Friday. He also urged that the burden on Okinawa of hosting a majority of the American troops in Japan be reduced.

We are strongly alarmed, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said of discussions in parliament about the possibility of a security emergency involving Taiwan, and concerns that Okinawa, 600 kilometers (370 miles) away, could become embroiled in it.

Tamaki was speaking online from the prefectural capital of Naha ahead of the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's return to Japan on May 15, 1972, 20 years after most of Japan regained independence from the U.S. occupation following World War II.

There is concern in Okinawa, with its continuing heavy U.S. military presence, over rising tensions resulting from Chinas increasingly assertive military actions in the region and its rivalry with the United States. There is also worry that the Russian invasion of Ukraine might embolden Beijing.

China claims independently governed Taiwan as its own territory, and controlling the island is a key component of Beijings political and military thinking. In October, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated that reunification of the nation must be realized, and will definitely be realized.

In what Beijing calls a warning to advocates of Taiwanese independence and their foreign allies, China has been staging threatening military exercises and flying fighter planes near Taiwans airspace, including on Feb. 24, the day Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

Any escalation of problems over the Taiwan Strait and the contingency of Okinawa being a target of attack must never happen or be allowed to happen, Tamaki said.

The ongoing tension has rekindled fears among Okinawans that they may be sacrificed again by mainland Japan, as in the Battle of Okinawa that killed some 200,000 people, half of them civilians, near the end of World War II.

Japan views Chinas military rise as a regional threat and has been shifting its troops to defend southwestern islands including Okinawa and its outer islands, deploying missile defense systems and other facilities, and increasing joint drills with the U.S. military and other regional partners.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Japan has been taking advantage of diplomatic activities to make an issue of China, play up regional tensions and hype the so-called China threat," and that Tokyo is looking for excuses for its military expansion.

The U.S. has consistently expressed support for ensuring that Taiwan can defend itself, and Chinese military action against the island in the short- to medium-term is generally considered a remote possibility.

Noting that China is Japan's biggest trading partner and that Japan is China's second largest, Tamaki said their close economic ties are indispensable.

I call for the Japanese government to always maintain calm and peaceful diplomacy and dialogue to improve its relations with China, while working toward easing U.S.-China tension, he said.

Okinawa at the time of its reversion asked Japan to make it a peaceful island free of military bases. Today, it still hosts a majority of the approximately 50,000 U.S. troops and their military facilities in Japan, and Tamaki said that burden should be shared by all of Japan.

Because of the U.S. bases, Okinawa faces noise, pollution, aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops on a daily basis, Tamaki said.

"That excessive U.S. base burden is still unresolved 50 years after the reversion, he said. "Okinawa's burden of the U.S. military bases is a key diplomatic and security issue that concerns all Japanese people.

The biggest sticking point between Okinawa and Tokyo is the central governments insistence that a U.S. Marine base in a crowded neighborhood, Futenma air station, be relocated within Okinawa instead of moving it elsewhere as demanded by many Okinawan people.

While development projects over the past five decades have helped Okinawa's economy, the average Okinawan's income remains the lowest among Japan's 47 prefectures, Tamaki said.

If land taken by the U.S. military is returned to the prefecture for other use, it would produce three times as much income for Okinawa, Tamaki said.
FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP)  An initiative by a Massachusetts district attorney to clear a backlog of more than 1,100 untested rape kits from his jurisdiction has resulted in an indictment in a 2010 sexual assault, authorities said Friday.

It is the first time someone has been indicted since Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn launched the Untested Rape Kit Initiative with a federal grant nearly three years ago.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee and South Carolina are joining five other states in extending health care coverage to women with low-to-modest incomes for a full year after childbirth, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on Friday.

The expansion of Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program comes as the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn women's constitutional right to abortion. That could make the coverage more urgently needed than ever if more women, especially older women or those in poorer health, end up carrying pregnancies to term. In Tennessee, a trigger law would outlaw abortion in the state if Roe v. Wade were overturned. South Carolina has a law banning most abortions after six weeks, and Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has said he would be willing to recall lawmakers to consider further restrictions, were Roe to be overturned.

States are currently required to provide 60 days of coverage after childbirth, but medical experts say women can die from pregnancy-related conditions up to a year after giving birth and that most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Maternal mortality is particularly serious for Black women, whose pregnancy-related death rate is three times that of white women.

Asked about the effect of an abortion ban on Tennessee women at a Thursday news conference, Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who opposes abortion, pointed to the extension.

It's important that we recognize that women in crisis need support and assistance through this process. For example, that's why we've expanded our postpartum coverage for women in TennCare, Lee said.

TennCare is Tennessee's version of Medicaid, the federal-state program covering about one in five Americans, from many newborns, to low-income adults and frail nursing home residents. The program pays for about four out of every 10 births in the United States.

About 700 U.S. women die annually because of pregnancy-related problems, a little over half after the woman has given birth, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 12% of maternal deaths occur 43 to 365 days after delivery.

The expanded coverage is made possible by a provision in the COVID-19 relief bill that will expire after five years unless Congress reapproves it or makes it permanent.

It was technically possible to extend coverage prior to the bill, but difficult. The COVID bill cuts the time and paperwork needed to obtain approval from Washington under Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program. Tennessee and South Carolina are joining Louisiana, Michigan, Virginia, New Jersey, and Illinois in extending postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is working with another nine states and the District of Columbia to extend coverage.

American women are far more likely to die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth than women in 10 other economically advanced countries, according to a Commonwealth Fund study. Countries that fare better include Canada, Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom. Lack of post-partum care in the U.S. was seen as a part of the problem.

Also on Friday, Becerra announced the launch of a new $3 million Maternal Mental Health Hotline. The service is free, confidential and will operate 24 hours a day. The hotline will launch this Sunday, on Mothers Day. Pregnant women and new mothers can reach counselors for mental health support by calling or texting 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS.

___

Meg Kinnard contributed to this report from Ridgeville, S.C.
New York, US (PANA) - A convoy carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid arrived in the capital of the restive Tigray region in northern Ethiopia last weekend, the UN reported on Thursday
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 246 illegal migrants were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya during the period from 24 to 30 April 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Twenty illegal migrants who were on a boat sailing to the European coasts, northwest of Zouara, 120 km west of Tripoli, were rescued by a Libyan coast guard patrol, according to a statement from the Protocol and Information Office of the Libyan Naval Forces Headquarters
Photo: (Photo : Getty images )

A young mom told her doctor that she was experiencing excruciating back pain. The doctor told her that it was because of "bad posture" while working from home. The doctors later found out that she had a tumor the size of a baby's head at the base of her spine.

She is now taking intense treatment, including monthly injections to shrink the tumor and eventually undergo surgery to remove the mass. She urges people suffering from back pain to take it seriously, as per DailyMail.

Bad working posture

Ellie Chandler first felt back pain after giving birth to twins Brooke and Parker Chandler in December 2019. When the pandemic hit a few months after, her symptoms worsened.

She visited the doctors several times in October 2021 when the pain increased rapidly. The doctors told her that it must be from bad posture from sitting at her desk. She was advised to buy a support pillow and take painkillers.

According to Daily Mirror, the pain became so severe that she would cry in pain. She could not sleep or sit, which affected her ability to use the bathroom.

She set an appointment with an orthopedic specialist and received a clear x-ray until her gynecologist felt a considerable mass from inside her rectum and vagina.

After several tests, doctors found that she had a rare 5.5-inch (14 cm) giant cell tumor on the base of the spine.

She said doctors did not necessarily suspect it was a tumor "because you are young and healthy, and they think of other things first." This must have contributed to how the mass grew so big it was the size of a baby's head when they found it.

People tend to normalize back pain, especially people who are working from home. She now warns people that back pain is not normal, and one should take the symptom seriously if it causes an impact on daily activities.

She encourages young people not to put off going to the doctor before the condition worsens.

Read Also: Moms Share' Rooming In' Experiences, Calls for Better Practice

Managing back pains

Physical therapist Eric Robertson, DPT, says that normal back pain is due to sitting too much and not moving enough, as per WebMD.

Robertson is also the spokesperson for American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). He gives the following advice for those who are suffering from back pains:

Avoid bed rest . Lying down for long periods can slow recovery and increase the pain. Being active as you can with back pain aids its recovery.

. Lying down for long periods can slow recovery and increase the pain. Being active as you can with back pain aids its recovery. Keep moving . Robertson says that most back pains are not severe, even if they may seem so painful. Not being afraid of motion and moving despite the pain is very important in healing the pain. Walking is also a good choice. Working with a physical therapist to learn to identify dangerous pain levels to know the right moves is the best.

. Robertson says that most back pains are not severe, even if they may seem so painful. Not being afraid of motion and moving despite the pain is very important in healing the pain. Walking is also a good choice. Working with a physical therapist to learn to identify dangerous pain levels to know the right moves is the best. Do not sit up with your bed hunched over your laptop.

Use cushioned chairs when sitting for long periods. Hard seats do not support your back and keep you from sitting up straight.

Related Article: Medications for Erectile Dysfunction such as Viagra and Cialis May Increase Eye Problems, Study Says
Photo: (Photo : KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)

The body of Kevin Poole Jr., one of three children last seen entering the Mississippi River near New Orleans, was found on Monday, May 2, according to a family spokesperson and the coroner's office.

According to NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans, the 15-year-old was located about two miles from where he and the other two kids fell in the water. The New Orleans Coroner's Office confirmed Poole's death on Wednesday, May 4, with the cause still under investigation.

Poole and two girls, ages 14 and 8, were last seen entering the Mississippi River on April 23. Poole's female companions have not been found yet. The Coast Guard said that rescue crews searched more than 93 miles along the Mississippi River over a combined total of 55 hours for the three missing kids before suspending its search.

New Orleans Mayor Cantrell offers condolences to the Poole family

According to family spokesperson Angela Chalk, Poole wanted to study environmental coastal management when he went to college. Chalk added that Poole always had a smile, and it would not be Kevin if he did not jump in to try to save his friend's life. Poole's mother said that his son's body was recovered around 11:15 a.m. on Monday. He was then later identified by the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell offered her condolences to Poole's family after news broke that his body was found. Cantrell posted a message on the social media platform Twitter, writing, "Today's news about the recovery of 15-year-old Kevin Poole Jr.'s body from the Mississippi River is absolutely heartbreaking. No parent should have to endure the tragedy of losing a child. Words can never be enough in such a devastating moment."

According to the New York Post, Poole was swept away after jumping into the Mississippi River to save his girlfriend last month. Poole and the two other girls were pulled underwater in the river near Crescent Park in New Orleans on April 23.

Read Also: Christie Cancer Patient Sammy Gray Gives Birth to Miracle Baby After Undergoing CAR-T Therapy

Poole tried to save his girlfriend Brandy Wilson

Family members have said that Poole was with his 14-year-old girlfriend Brandy Wilson, her 8-year-old sister Ally Wilson and their 5-year-old brother at the time of the incident. Brandy slipped on a piling and fell into the river near Crescent City Connection Bridge, with Poole and Ally following her in the water to rescue her.

They dove into the ripping current to save Brandy, but they were pulled underwater. Brandy and Ally's five-year-old brother was the one who reported the drowning to authorities. The missing sisters' father told WWL-TV that the evening his girls were swept away was the first time they had been allowed to leave the house alone.

Private dive businesses and local agencies like the New Orleans Police Department have continued to search for the kids after the U.S. Coast Guard decided to suspend its search operations. Family members of the missing kids held a vigil on the levee on Monday.

Related Article: Court Favors Mom Accused of Child Neglect for Using Medical Marijuana While Pregnant
Photo: (Photo : Getty images )

Octogenarian mom, Muddy Mildred Wilson, joined the Tough Mudder race for the third time, becoming the oldest person to finish the famous muddy 5k trail.

The Missouri-based 83-year-old said that her third race is to help her son raise money to drill a freshwater well in a rural African village. Her son leads a youth group raising funds for the said cause.

Tough mudder 5K

According to the Toughmudder website, the 2022 muddy event feature 5k, 10k, and 15k obstacles. The 5k course, which Wilson joined, is a three-mile course and is a fast-paced, team-oriented challenge that will get you through obstacles dubbed Kiss the mud, Everest, Mudderhorn, and Electroshock Therapy. The race is a mix of running with ten wet and muddy obstacles that offer contestants a "challenging, one-of-kind event."

The 10k is packed with 20 famous obstacles and is a mix of distance and challenge. The 15k event, on the other hand, has 30 world-famous obstacles.

Read Also: Children and Spouses in Long-Lived Families Have Lower Risk of Type II Diabetes

Racing the third time

Wilson has come a long way since she watched her son, the World's Toughest Mudder, in Vegas in 2019. Later, his son asked if she would like to do one. She said yes but vowed that if she did, she really would be able to do it and not just be out there.

She then went to her doctor, who approved her muddy challenge plans. She joined her local YMCA and worked on her strength, speed and stamina. She then competed in her first race in 2019 with her son by her side.

In 2021, she completed her second 5k and dedicated it to her late husband, Farell, who cheered her in her first race when she crossed the finish line. Her husband died two years ago after getting COVID-19 and having a heart attack while on treatment. Instead of mopping around to mourn her loss, she decided to be active and work through her sorrow.

She set up a GoFundMe page for her third race, saying that she would get muddy so others could drink clean water. She urged everyone to help her make her vision a reality.

She also said that her third race is for her son, Danny Wilson, who inspired her to try Tough Mudders, and is raising money to drill a well in Africa to provide safe and potable water to the community.

Her son is leading a youth group to help a village in Africa have access to potable water. As per her son, the town has a single water hole, and it has the same color as the Tough Mudder ponds that Wilson and Tough Mudder contestants crawl through early on in the 5k race. In a video, her son explains that when it rains, the villagers must travel through a mountain range to find a source of water.

The mother and son tandem has raised $650 of their target $5,000. Good News Network reports that the Tough Mudder organization donated $500 for the cause.

Related Article: Florida School Bans the Rhyming Book 'Everywhere Babies'
Today Apple TV+ held the world premiere event of Emmy Award-winning global espionage thriller "Tehran" season two in New York. Attendees at the red carpet premiere included: series stars Glenn Close, Niv Sultan, Shaun Toub, Shervin Alenabi, Arash Marandi and Shila Ommi; creators and executive producers Dana Eden and Moshe Zonder; co-creator, director and executive producer Daniel Syrkin; and more.

Set to premiere this Friday, May 6 on Apple TV+, "Tehran" season two follows Tamar (Sultan), a Mossad hacker-agent who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity to help destroy Irans nuclear reactor. But when her mission fails, Tamar must plan an operation that will place everyone dear to her in jeopardy.

Executive producer Daniel Syrkin, Glenn Close and executive producer and creator Dana Eden attend Apples Tehran season two premiere screening at the Robin Williams Center. "Tehran" season two premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 6th, 2022..

(Click on image to Greatly Enlarge)

Shervin Alenabi, Arash Marandi, Shila Ommi, Niv Sultan, Glenn Close and Shaun Toub attend Apples Tehran season two premiere screening at the Robin Williams Center. Tehran season two premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 6th, 2022.

For more photos and credits, read Apple's full press release.

Apple TV+ celebrates the world premiere of the new true crime documentary series "The Big Conn"

(Click on image to Greatly Enlarge)

Brian Lazarte and James Lee Hernandez attend Apples The Big Conn premiere screening at the Pacific Design Center.

On the opposite coast, Apple announced the world premiere of "The Big Conn" with an event that included a red carpet, screening and reception with executive producers and contributors at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.

The four-part documentary series The Big Conn tells the unbelievable true story of larger-than-life attorney Eric C. Conn, who defrauded the government and taxpayers over half a billion dollars in the largest Social Security fraud case in United States history. The series premieres on May 6, alongside an Apple TV+ Original companion podcast, exploring Conns con and outrageous lifestyle further with additional interviews and behind-the-scenes details.

For more photo and credits, see Apple's full press release:

In other Apple TV+ News

It was reported yesterday afternoon that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Joins has been cast to play opposite Jennifer Garner in the Apple TV+ limited series titled "The Last Thing He Told Me" from Reese Witherspoons Hello Sunshine. Actress and Producer Julia Roberts is part of this project. For more, read the full report from The Hollywood Reporter.

And lastly, it was likewise revealed yesterday afternoon that Apple is setting its sights on a major film-to-TV reboot of "The Prince of Tides" (YouTube 8 min. clip) that starred Nick Nolte and Barbara Streisand. For more, read the full report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Archive: Apple TV News
It's being reported today that hundreds of workers at a technology factory in China clashed with authorities and flooded past isolation barriers after weeks under lockdown, a stunning breakdown in the Communist Partys efforts to contain COVID-19 infections.

The Shanghai factory, which is owned by Taiwans Quanta Computer Inc. and makes devices for Apple Inc. among others, has been operating under tight restrictions since the beginning of April. In a video shared on Twitter and YouTube, workers rushed through barriers and tangled with guards in white protective gear who tried to keep them inside.

(Click on image to Enlarge)

Quanta is a critical partner for Apple, generating more than 50% of its revenue from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company as it assembles MacBooks and other devices

Quanta employees confirmed the clash occurred Thursday evening, while the company did not immediately provide comment. One worker said that people are worried about further tightening because there are positive Covid cases on the campus. The government is taking a central role in managing the plants operations, said another employee on-site.

The incident underscores the rising challenges for President Xi Jinpings hardline strategy in containing the pandemic. China has imposed sweeping lockdowns to quarantine the infected and prevent COVIDs spread, an approach that has sparked unusual protests and complaints in the 25-million strong city of Shanghai. The policy has also threatened Chinas economy, jeopardizing its ability to reach a target growth rate of 5.5%.

Tensions at the Quanta factory in the Songjiang district of Shanghai boiled over after workers tried to return to dormitories after their shifts, according to Taiwanese media outlet UDN. More than 100 jumped over a gate and ran past the staff without regard for their guidance, it said.

People are getting tired and frustrated under the controls, one of the workers said. For more, read the full Bloomberg report.

Below is the Twitter video of the mayhem at the Quanta Factory in Shanghai.

Translation of the Chinese Text in the Tweet above:

"[Suspected of dissatisfaction with "closed-loop production" epidemic prevention is too strict] [Quanta's Shanghai plant was shocked to hear that employees "rioted"] Shanghai Dafeng Electronics, a subsidiary of Shanghai Quanta, which has just partially resumed work, experienced an employee "riot" on the evening of Thursday (5th). As seen in the video, hundreds of young employees did not obey the command, jumped over the gate and ran away, and rushed out of the blockade to clash with the guards. It is reported that employees are dissatisfied with the epidemic prevention and control and want to go out to buy civilian materials."

Beyond the Quanta incident, the video below from April, shows the citizens of Shanghai clashing with authorities who are locking them out of even getting groceries.
Wrongfully charged e-levy has been refunded according to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).



The implementation of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy) commenced on Sunday, May 1, 2020.



However, some customers have already reported cases of wrong deductions. Even though the rate of 1.5% was to affect a transaction of GHC100 and above, some customers claim they were charged despite transacting below the threshold.



Patrick Frimpong Danso a member of the GRA E-levy technical committee speaking in an interview on Peace FMs morning show Kokrokoo said the wrong deductions were due to a system challenge.



"With the wrong deductions . . . so far over 128,000 have received a refund as of Thursday, according to the networks it was part of a system challenge, but a lot of people have had their monies refunded," he noted.









Panic withdrawal



Meanwhile, Mr. Danso has blamed the panic withdrawal on the long holidays that followed the commencement date of the levy.



According to him, "the panic withdrawal was not only because of the implementation of the e-levy. It was also due to the long holidays".





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has begun refunding wrongful deductions from mobile money users, a few days into the implementation of the Electronic Transfer Levy also known as E-Levy.



Some members of the public complained of what they described as excess charges after carrying out mobile money transactions below the GHC100 threshold.



The first day of the e-levy implementation was defined by technical snags including the deduction of the 1.5 per cent levy on transfers even below the stipulated baseline of GH100 while others were overcharged.



Many of the affected persons, from various mobile networks and banks, took to social media to complain and show screenshots and messages they had received with calls on the GRA to do the needful



Confirming the refund, Patrick Frimpong-Danso, Office of the Commissioner for the Domestic Tax Revenue Division (DTRD) of the Ghana Revenue Authority told Peace FM that they have refund the momo cash to over 120, 000 people who were wrongfully deducted on the first day of the implementation of the e-levy.



So far weve made refund to over 120, 000 people who were wrongfully deducted as in charging them for e-levy although they have not crossed the GHC100 thresholds on the first day of the e-levy implementation, he stated.



He said GRA has intensified education on the implementation of the e-levy in churches, lorry parks among other places.



Prior to the refund, GRA assures Ghanaians that wrongful deductions made on electronic money transfers on the first day of the E-Levy implementation would be refunded.



According to the Head of Project Management Unit at the GRA, Isaac Kobina Amoako, the reimbursements would be done after the claims have been investigated and ascertained.



According to Mr Amoako, the authority had received the complaints from some charging entities including the banks and telecommunication companies, but a daily report would be generated on all transactions for redress.



The feedback we got from one of the charging entities is that the configuration for off-net for less than 100 and below is being charged which is in two folds.



The first fold is that, 100 and below whether on net or off-net does not attract E-Levy irrespective, but at the moment its a technical hitch. So it will be rectified automatically once the transaction is detected, he said.



Mr Amoako explained that the Authority would run daily reports for all transactions below GH100 that were exempt from the levy and the charge would be reverted.



The customers dont need to do any intervention. If indeed the investigation shows that it was the first hundred cedis or below for the day, the amount will be refunded, he said.



Mr Amoako also explained that the challenge faced was as a result of the lack of a connected platform that would host the various charging entities as currently, the charging entities; Telcos, Banks, Payment Service Providers (PSPs) and specialised deposit-taking institutions; were charging from their individual systems.



In our engagement with the charging entities, we were going to go with a (project) where everybody was expected by May 1, to connect to a common platform and start charging using the common platform.



But at the last minute, we realised that some of the charging parties came to us that they needed an extension so they can fully configure their system to connect to the common platform, he said.



Since Sunday, all electronic money transfers that are done in a day and above GH100 are attracting a 1.5 per cent levy in line with the E-levy law which is expected to raise GH4.5 billion annually to support development projects.



The E-levy bill was passed on March 29, after the Minority caucus staged a walkout in the middle of sitting. The caucus is in court challenging the passage of the E-levy bill.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The need for constant reinvention has become a running theme within the corridors of Absa Bank Ghana Limited.



Hypothetically, the brand is only two years old in Ghana; however, its unvarnished focus on meeting the bespoke needs of its clients and customers is proving cutting-edge across the industry. With over a century of banking heritage in Ghana due to its erstwhile Barclays image, Absas unique banking approach - relentless commitment to finding new ways of supporting key sectors of the economy, industries, SMEs, individuals, and households - is elevating the role of banks in economic transformation.



Recently, the bank became the first in the history of Ghanas banking sector to cross the GHS1 billion mark in profitability (GHS1.1bn) and revenues (GHS1.6bn) when it announced its 2021 financial results last quarter. The bank proved what was possible, despite economic challenges due to COVID-19, by recording a whopping 55% increase in Profits-before-tax (PBT) and a 17% jump in revenues.



We focus on the basics of banking - our clients and customers are the reason we are in business. We understand our role as an enabler in making key sectors of the economy thrive, ensuring individuals and households feel empowered and supporting the communities in which we live and work, said Managing Director Abena Osei-Poku.



Absa Banks transition and rebranding process in Ghana began earnestly in 2018. This followed Barclays decision to exit its Africa business in 2017. It was not an easy task for the Ghana team back then; especially as it was almost beyond comprehension to attempt to transform over a century of brand value and reputation overnight. However, Absa Ghanas leadership team remained unperturbed.



We were determined to leave a mark and transform the minds of the prospective and current customers in terms of the new positioning, said Nana Essilfuah Tamakloe, Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations.



Steadily and progressively, the process went on and the formal launch took place in 2020. Abenas words on the launch day was poignant and decisive.



Today, we begin a new chapter as Absa Bank Ghana Limited, while we retain our 100-year heritage of indelible commitment to Ghanas economic growth. Our new brand demonstrates our commitment to building a bank that is centered on growth for our people through the provision of financial resources, services and opportunities that connect their dreams to possibilities."



In 2021, a year after entrenching the new identity, the brand value metrics proved that in one year the progress made was eye-catching. Total brand equity score fell only two points from equaling the figure Barclays recorded before the rebranding process.

Then came significant recognition from across a wide spectrum of acclaimed institutions including the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIMG) for Best Bank in Ghana, the Top Employer global platform for Number 3 Top employer in Ghana and Number 1 in the banking sector. Others streamed in; the best customer-centric bank at the Global Business Outlook Awards and Best in SME at the Sustainability and Social Investments Awards.



As if these were enough, just recently, the highly regarded Middle East and Africa (MEA) Innovation Awards, named Absa Bank Ghana the best bank in trade finance in the sub-region due to a concerted effort by the corporate and investment banking (CIB) team to lead the way in trade financing for public and private institutions and organisations across West Africa.



The Awards mentioned Absa Banks consistency in delivering innovative and advanced product solutions to elevate the client experience. Absa Bank Ghana was the only subsidiary in the Absa Group to have won an individual award. The other awards went to Absa Group itself in three categories - best bank in Africa for Cash Management, Trade Finance and Finance Platform Initiative. Organisers of the MEA Innovation Awards lauded Absa Ghana for implementing a multifaceted digital approach to its trade management operations. The online solutions platform enables clients to initiate, receive and manage full life cycle of products and services under trade finance. The platform is utilized through the banks best in class Absa Access Online tool which gives clients a single access point for all services under corporate banking.



As Ellen Ohene-Afoakwa, Director of Corporate and Institutional Banking (CIB) at Absa Bank said Ultimately, our role is to facilitate convenience and ease of transactions for our clients and customers. The digital age has more than ever, influenced and transformed the way we operate as a business, and we are inspired to continuously create value for them. We owe this recognition to our clients for always having the confidence to stay with us.



The MEA recognition is proof of the strength of Absa Banks Corporate and Institutional Banking (CIB) team in Ghana. The unit has been involved in a series of big-ticket deals across a variety of sectors including mining, agriculture, telecommunications, banking, and finance. Recently the bank was a lead manager of Ghanas Cocoa Marketing Boards syndication deal, worth over US1.5 billion.



There is a general recognition that the banks performance over this short period of existence in Ghana is testament to its dynamic leadership in Ghana with support from the Absa Group in South Africa. The brand is fast becoming mainstay amongst customers and the local communities where the business operates in Ghana.



Long-term brand building is a process that requires concerted dedication, commitment and belief. We have the right mindset and human resources to entrench the new brand image in the minds of both our current and prospective customers and we are committed to this, said Nana Essilfuah Tamakloe, Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Aston Martin Lagonda (AML.L) on Wednesday named former Ferrari NV (RACE.MI) boss Amedeo Felisa as its new chief executive officer as the British luxury carmaker works on emulating the Italian carmaker's success and electrifying its brand.



Felisa will take over with immediate effect from Tobias Moers, who joined the company in 2020 from shareholder Mercedes-Benz's (MBGn.DE) high-performance AMG brand and served as CEO and chief technical officer.



Felisa currently serves on Aston Martin's board and led Ferrari between 2008 and 2016 when it was still part of the Fiat group.



Most recently, Felisa served as a special adviser to Silk-FAW, a joint venture between U.S.-based automotive engineering and design firm Silk EV and Chinese automaker FAW (000800.SZ).



Billionaire Lawrence Stroll drove to the rescue of James Bond's car brand of choice less than two years ago while it struggled after a disastrous IPO.



Stroll has overseen a manufacturing makeover at Aston Martin to lift margins and help it become more like rival Ferrari with more customised car orders. read more



Now the carmaker's largest shareholder and executive chairman, Stroll told Reuters that Moers had stabilized the company when it "needed immediate manufacturing, operation attention" but now Aston Martin needed a CEO to "focus on the bigger picture".



"Nobody knows how to make ultra-luxury performance cars better than Amedeo," Stroll said. "He saw the movie, he wrote the script."



Aston Martin plans to launch its first fully-electric car in 2025.



Aston also named former Ferrari and BMW (BMWG.DE) executive Roberto Fedeli as its chief technical officer.



The latest appointments come just months after the company's former chief financial office also left Aston Martin.



Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois wrote in a client note that Aston Martin's new CFO and the appointment of Felisa "will hopefully help stabilize management across the company".



On Wednesday, Aston Martin reported a wider pretax loss of 111.6 million pounds ($139.15 million) for the first quarter, compared with a loss of 42.2 million pounds a year earlier, which was largely in line with expectations.

Source: REUTERS









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
BRAND South Africas Country Head for the United Kingdom (UK), Pumela Salela, has again been recognised for her sterling work in managing the reputation of the country.



Brand South Africa is the official custodian of South Africas nation brand with behind its drive in the UK.



The hardworking Salela was awarded the prestigious Euroknowledge Leadership Award 2022 on April 9.



Let me thank from the bottom my heart those who saw me fit to be deserving to have this award bestowed upon me, she said with doses of humility. It was totally unexpected and pleasantly surprisinged. , I was diligently doing my work when I received such correspondence from the organisers.



The award is given specially to very dynamic business leaders with a great track record of creating and building great global institutions that have made far-reaching and positive contributions to several nations.



Besides flying the South African higher in the UK, Salela has on many occasions spoken about how she has also prioritised positioning Africa to be force to be reckoned with in the world.



I have travelled to about 37 African countries, and my goal is to travel to all of them. Africa is at the centre of my dreams vision and I know it is going to be possible for me to do this. I am someone whos very patriotic and love playing a role in showcasing Africa as a continent that is equally capable in the global space.



Organisers of the prestigious Euroknowledge award lauded Salela when they said: This award is given specially to very dynamic business leaders with a great track record of creating and building great global institutions that have made far-reaching and positive contributions to several nations.



Euroknowledge said it had had followed Salelas great leadership and business track ek record of building lives and top organization to achieve success.



We are also beyond impressed that you continue to invest your resources, skills, experience into new ventures internationally, read the message.



The Brand South Africas head in the UK was presented the world renowned Euroknowledge Leadership Award at The House of Lords, London United Kingdom at a glittering event that was graced by doyens of the business community, policy makers, entrepreneurs, politicians, opinion leaders and the media.



What work of excellence motivated the organisers to bestow such a prestigious accolade on her?



My role at Brand South Africa A is to market South Africa in the UK, attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into South Africa, mobilise Global South Africans (GSA) abroad and to manage the brand reputation of South Africa, said Salela.



The high flying South African brand leaders star has always been among the brightest in the contienent. In 2018 she was featured as a Powerhouse in Destiny magazine. She is the 2018 recipient of the African Achiever Award. In 2019 she received the BRITISH Award for African Development.



Prior to serving in this role Salela was the Chief Director for Economic Policy Development and Planning at the then Department of Economic Development in South Africa.



The list of achievements goes on. The Rockefeller Foundation acknowledged Salelas contribution and innovation in formulating systems which address poverty by selecting her to be one of the 18 global recipients of its inaugural Global Fellowship on Social Innovation  which made her the only South African to receive such an honour.



Africas respected competitive identitynation brand specialist Pumela Salela also worked as a Consultant for the World Bank, based at the organisations headquarters in Washington D.C., United States.



These were preceded by her meteoric rise at the then Department of Trade and Industry where she was a Director:



Business Procvess Outsourcing (BPO) after she served time as a Deputy Director for Investment Promotion at the Trade and Investment South Africa (TISA).



A thought leader on competitive identity, Salela has also been a lecturer in Strategic Brand Management at VEGA  The School of Branding.



This was based on a background solid with colourful academic credentials. She completed her MBA with distinction (cum laude) in England after receiving a Nelson Mandela Scholarship. Upholding the legacy of Africas global icon after whom the scholarship is named, the diligent and highly gifted Salela didnt just pass her examinations with distinction, but also received the Council Award for being the Best MBA student.



She has since been elected the Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Scholarship Alumni Association and a Mentor to the Graca Machel Scholars.



Her lustre was canonised in 2013 when she was featured in the book with an apt title: South Africas Most Inspirational Women. And the 2018 recognition by Destiny was a follow up to her 2012 profile as one of South Africas Young and Powerful Achievers and the 2013 the showcase as one of the Top 40 young leaders, innovators and job creators in South Africa.



Her passion for entrepreneurship is insatiable. She has also served as an On-air Advisor to investors on an Entrepreneurship Television Show called Rize Mzansi (Rise South Africa).



With this experience, expertise and commitment to contributing to brand positioning South Africa as a viable destination for investment and tourism while at the same time helping to open market access opportunities for Made in South Africa service and product brands, nobody will have a whiff of doubt that our country is well represented in Salela.

Source: Phathisani Moyo and Saul Molobi









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has expressed his shock at the abysmal performance of Ghana on the latest World Press Freedom Index.



Reporters Without Borders recently released the index with Ghana witnessing a decline in its rating, the worst in nearly two decades.



On the global front, Ghana slumped from 30th to 60th place whiles on the African front, the country fell from 3rd to 10th place.



Reacting to the report, Kofi Bentil labeled the ranking as a 'dismal' reflection of press freedom.



Dismal press freedom credentials. What a mess!!!, he posted on his Facebook wall.



In a separate post, he urged the government to be tolerant of dissenting views whiles desisting from threatening free speech.



To improve our press freedom credentials. STOP THREATENING FREE SPEECH AND BEING INTOLERANT OF DISSENT!!. Is that hard??, he quizzed.



Meanwhile, the government has partly attributed Ghanas fall in the World Press Freedom Index to the change in methodology used.



According to a statement signed by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Ghana was not the only country affected as four others also slumped from their previous positions.



Due to this development, four (4) of the countries (Netherlands, Jamaica, Switzerland, and New Zealand) that ranked top ten (10) in 2021 significantly dropped in ranking, slumping out of the top ten (10) in the year under review.



It is worthy of note that Ghanas dip in ranking was largely influenced by two of the new parameters, namely, the Economic Context and Safety of Journalists where the country scored 47.22% and 62.25% respectively, part of the statement read.



















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Mr Lefhoko Kesamang, Senior Social Welfare Officer at the African Union Department of Social Affairs, has called on the Government to start the process to ratify the Social Protection Protocol, which seeks to protect the vulnerable by providing their basic needs.



He also urged the Government to ratify the African Union Protocol on Older Persons and the Disability Protocol to help deal with issues of inequality and poverty that plague many African countries.



Ghana is doing very well already in these areas, ratifying the protocols will not put further stress on the government but will rather enhance its efforts, he said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.



Mr Kesamang, who was a resource person at a national workshop on promoting rights-based legal frameworks on social protection in Africa on Thursday, said as of 2018, 11 countries had signed the AU Disability Protocol and three countries had ratified it.



The workshop, which brought together Civil Society Organisations, members of the African Platform for Social Protection (APSP), and officials from the African Union, was coordinated by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.



Ghana signed the AU Protocol on older persons on July 4, 2017, but is yet to be ratified.



Dr Tavengwa Nhongo, the Chairman of the APSP, said social protection was a right and not just about the poor or vulnerable but wealthy people also needed to be protected socially.



Social Protection should not be considered as a handout, he added.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
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.
A Russian woman woman faces prosecution after she sewed her mouth shut in protest about censorship of protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.



Nadezhda Sayfutdinova, an activist in her 30s, had sewn her own mouth shut, before taking to the streets of the city in a one-woman protest.



She held up a sign which read: "You cannot keep silent!!! You cannot keep silent!!! The price is our consciousness. War is not peace!!! Freedom is not slavery!!! Ignorance is not power!!!"







She hit out at the moral code in Putins Russia which gagged people over the war.



She was later grabbed by police in the eastern city of Yekaterinburg, using "brute force" to try to get her locked in a psychiatric facility.



Ms Sayfutdinova has managed to avoid being sectioned but she is still expected to face prosecution for discrediting the Russian armed forces.



She told representatives of the OVD-Info human rights group: "My mouth was really sewn with a needle and thread.



"An ambulance was called to the [police] station to inspect the damage and remove the threads.



"I sewed it myself."



She was taken first to a trauma clinic, and then to the citys psychiatric clinic No.3.



Her lawyer Fedor Akchermyshev and OVD-Info called for public support to secure her release.



The statement from her lawyer reads: "You can ring the clinic's reception or the prosecutor on duty and demand the illegal detention and forced hospitalisation of Sayfutdinova is stopped."



Ms Sayfutdinova said: "The police treated me without violations, but they called a psychiatric team, which used brute force against meI refused to go."



She termed what was done to her "punitive psychiatry".



She said:"I was in shock - this was punitive psychiatry. It was very scary."



She was set free after a massive public outcry, adding: "I am very grateful to the people who tried to help me and rang the [clinic's] reception, demanding to let me go."













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Nine Justices at Ghana's Supreme Court is enough, a former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyapong, has said.



According to him, there should be a cap on the number of Supreme Court Justices in the country - this is lesser than the current number of sixteen Justices serving in the ape court.



There should be a cap, he said while speaking on GHOne television on Thursday, May 5.



Agyapong added that the Justices should not be more than nine.



When asked if he thinks Ghana needs a new Constitution, he responded in the negative: No, I dont think so.



Some Ghanaian youth and civil society organisations including members of the Economic Fighters League, #FixTheCountry Movement, have pointed out what they believe to be errors with the current constitution of Ghana.



These groups say the current constitution is blamable for what they describe as, the rot, suffering and ill-governance being experienced in the country, which according to them, has birthed retrogression and discrimination.



In a statement to mark Constitution Day, the Fighters League said the 1992 Constitution was deliberately drafted, gazetted and adopted just to benefit a few elites.



To them, the 30-year-old constitution cannot be said to be of retrogressive governance, constitutional dictatorship, poverty and underdevelopment.



The group said every constitution must be the foundation upon which freedoms are built which they say is, unfortunately, missing in Ghanas constitution.









Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Telecommunication Company, AirtelTigo as part of this year's Girls in ICT Day celebration hosted a mentorship seminar for 80 girls from Central, Oti, Western North and North-East Regions of Ghana at their Head Office in Accra.



The event forms part of the Ministry of Communication and Digitalizations initiative to commemorate this years International Girls in ICT Day, to give opportunities to the selected girls to gain knowledge and practical experience in the working field of ICT.



Addressing participants at the event, Ag. CEO of AirtelTigo, Mr. Emmanuel Adjei encouraged the young girls to take their studies seriously for a brighter future and contribute to the socio-economic development of the nation through ICT.



He added that the Girls in ICT Day is an important initiative aimed at increasing the percentage of female professionals in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.



Mr. Adjei used the opportunity to reiterate AirtelTigos commitment to supporting educational initiatives in Ghana.

Mrs. Veronica Rita Sackitey, Director/Coordinator - Girls in ICT, speaking on behalf of Honorable Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of communication and digitization, applauded the Management of AirtelTigo for the warm reception and mentoring the girls.



She said, The motive behind the Girls in ICT Day celebration is to bridge the gap between men and women in the field of technology. Globally, it has been observed that young girls always shy away from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics popularly known as STEM studies, so this initiative is an intervention to address this challenge of which the Ministry of Communication and Digitization is passionate about.



Evelyn Sam, Chief Supply chain Officer urged the girls to take advantage of opportunities available to them to develop themselves constantly, since the pace of technological change continues to be rapid.



The girls were taken on a tour to various departments, where they were engaged by the staff and executives of AirtelTigo for them to understand how the business operates.

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.

Featured Video
Tension is still high within the New Patriotic Party (NPP)in the Fomena constituency of the Ashanti Region.



This follows a decision by the party hierarchy to put on hold the constituency executive election until further notice.



Although party executives in the constituency said the decision to put the election on hold was to ensure that the party goes through all the processes leading to the election, some aggrieved members of the party in the constituency think otherwise.



The aggrieved party members in the constituency who are suspecting some foul play claimed the decision to put on hold the elections is to favour a certain group of persons.



Currently, the party has only held the polling stations executive elections and is yet to hold the electoral area coordinators election that will pave the way for the constituency election.



The Chairman of the Constituency Election Committee, Henry Kwabena Kokofu, said the elections were not an event but a process and We are still going through the process and when the road is clear, we will hold the executive election.



We have just finished with the polling stations executive elections and would soon conduct that of the electoral area coordinators, he stated.



Dispute



However, some aggrieved party members in the constituency are accusing the party executives and the committee of manipulating the elections to favour the current Independent Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Andrew Amoako Asiamah and pave the way for him to contest on the ticket of the NPP.



Mr Asiamah, who is also the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, until the 2020 election was the incumbent NPP MP for the Fomena Constituency but as a result of some differences between him and the party decided to go independent and won the election.



They claimed the party gave the nomination forms to only the supporters of the MP who deserted the party in the last elections.



Rebuttal



However, Mr Kokofu rebutted the accusations claiming that the process was free and fair and those who refused to take part did so on their own volition.



He said the committee sent close to 4,000 nomination forms to the constituency  and besides that the forms were available online free of charge and no one can say that the forms were hoarded and given to a group of people.



Those who decided to abstain from the election were within their rights. We can't force anyone to pick forms to stand for election if they are not ready, he said.



Genesis



Prior to the 2020 parliamentary elections, Mr Asiamah was sacked from Parliament for deciding to contest the seat as an independent candidate after winning it on the ticket of the NPP.



His decision was as a result of a conflict between him and the then constituency chairman, Kwasi Ntim, who many described as a the king maker in the party in the area.



The decision to go independent created bad blood between Mr Asiamah and the NPP leading to an acrimonious electioneering campaign.



Decider



Just like the proverbial rejected stone, he became the cornerstone that the party needed to have a majority in Parliament when both the NPP and the NDC won equal number of seats (137).



He then decided to go back home to join forces with his mother party to have a majority in Parliament. This decision led to him being made the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament.



Rancour



Notwithstanding his support for the party in Parliament, his decision coupled with the seeming support he was receiving from the party, it did not go down well with some party supporters in the constituency.



They believed that his decision to go independent was an affront to the party and as such should not be given all the support he was receiving from the party.



The fear of the party supporters in the constituency was that the party was preparing the grounds for him to come back to contest on the ticket of the party in the next parliamentary elections.



Demonstration



A group of aggrieved party people in early March this year painted the party office in the constituency in the colours of the NDC with the posters of former President, John Dramani Mahama on it as a form of registering their displeasure at what they believed was an attempt by the party to circumvent the rules.



A member of the aggrieved persons and part of the Constituency Communication team, Emmanuel Dormah, told the Daily Graphic that the party was not being fair to those who stood by the party and helped the party to win the presidential elections.



The rebranded NPP office by aggrieved members of the party



He said the party rules stated that anyone who resigns from the party or is seen on another partys campaign platform forfeits his membership and would have to reapply to be admitted into the party.



He said even then, when the person is readmitted the fellow cannot immediately hold any leadership position because we need to observe the person to ensure he is not a mole before we appoint him into a leadership position.



Mr Dormah said as far as they are concerned, no process has started yet and we do not accept the results of the supposed polling stations election. We are still waiting to hear from the national executives of the party.



What we are doing is to protect the interest of the party and ensure that no moles infiltrate our ranks, he said.



Retention



During his recent visit to the Ashanti Region, the General Secretary of the party, John Boadu, hinted that the party might decide to retain the same constituency executive as it intended doing for Bawku area owing to the insecurity situation there.



However, he said nothing was assured yet and that discussions were ongoing.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The presidential hopeful seeking to represent the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general election, Omoyele Sowore, has held a rally inside a river in Ondo state.



Sowore had, on March 1, declared his intention to contest the presidency.



He was also the candidate of the AAC in the 2019 general election.



Sowore, who was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on August 2, 2019, was granted bail by different courts, but the agency had failed to release the activist until December 2019.



In October 2019, a federal high court in Abuja had granted a N100 million bail to Sowore, convener of #RevolutionNow Movement.

Source: today.ng









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. Chorus Aviation Inc. is reporting mixed earnings results, which beat revenue expectations but fell short on adjusted earnings in its first quarter as air travel began to pick up after the fifth wave of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
On May 1, the outgoing Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Iraj Masjedi, said critical water shortages arent exclusive to Iraq, but rather a regional problem from decreasing groundwater.

Speaking on Iraqs Dijlah TV, Masjedi denied Irans responsibility for shortages and said reports about Iran shutting off water supplies from his country to Iraq were negative media hype.

Masjedi urged officials in both countries to meet and discuss the water crisis.

The Islamic Republic has never reduced Iraqi water source, he declared.

That is false. In fact, Irans ongoing construction of dams and diversions of rivers and tributaries to supply its drought-stricken central and eastern regions have deprived Iraq of critical water.

Water stress  meaning a lack of enough water of sufficient quality to meet the demands of people and the environment  is becoming dire in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

In Iraq, climate change is a factor contributing to the deterioration of freshwater quality. Other factors include increasing population and growing demand for farming, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) reported in 2021.

The UNICEF report added: This is compounded in many countries by limited water management due to conflict, including wars and territorial disputes.

Many MENA countries depend on transboundary water. That includes Iraq, which largely relies on surface water originating from neighboring countries.

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers originate from Turkey and travel southeast in a parallel through Syria and Iraq, but most of their flow is in Iraq, where they empty into the Persian Gulf.

The basin of the two rivers is the location for the major water challenges. Several large tributaries of the Tigris originate from Iran and flow into the river in Iraq.

Decreasing flow in the two rivers has caused salt water from the Persian Gulf to travel upstream. This is a problem for the Iraqi city of Basra, where the two rivers meet in Shat al-Arab.

The contamination caused an outbreak of water-borne diseases in 2018 that required medical treatment for 118,000 people, half of them children, UNICEF reported.

Iraq blames Iran for causing a water shortage by diverting rivers and building dams, but Iran has also been facing water shortfalls since 2011.

The Pacific Council, a Los Angeles, California, organization dedicated to global engagement, reported in 2019 that Iran was pursuing more aggressive water policies after experts predicted that its western provinces would lose their reserves due to continuous flow into Iraq.

Of Irans total 10.2 billion cubic meters of water, almost two-thirds go to Iraq, the Council said.

Rivers in western Iran have been redirected to its central and eastern provinces to irrigate agricultural projects that consume 93 percent of the countrys renewable water resources.

Iran also has built dozens of small dams and announced plans to build 109 new dams. Some experts believe that Iran is using water to pressure Iraq into cooperation, as Iran faces international sanctions for its nuclear program.

[Iran wants to] ramp up the pressure on Iraq by pursuing a water blockade strategy to force it to get involved alongside it in challenging the international community, Iraqi expert Muayyed Salem al-Juhaishi told Diyaruna news, a U.S. military-sponsored Middle East news outlet.

In October 2021, Iraqi Minister of Water Resources Mahdi Rashid al-Hamdani told the New Arab news outlet that Iran had cut off several rivers flowing into Iraq.

Al-Hamdani said Iran was not abiding by the Algiers agreement, signed by the two countries in 1975, which aimed to settle disputes over borders and shared waterways.

Al-Hamdani said Iran has executed several projects to reroute shared waterways like the Karun River, Irans longest and a tributary of the Shatt al-Arab, and to divert the Sirwan River, as well as diverting the Little Zap River into Lake Urmia in Iran. Both are tributaries of the Tigris River.

Iraq also has a dispute with Turkey over water, but al-Hamdani said that while Turkey is cooperating to find common ground, Iran is ignoring the problem.

In April, officials in Iraqs Kurdistan Region warned about drought this year after water levels in the Dukan Dam reservoir decreased to less than half. Kurdish officials say low rainfall and the ongoing construction of dams in Iran and Turkey are to blame.

In August 2021, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) suggested falling farm production in Iraq due to a shortage of water boosted Irans exports to Iraq. Citing Iranian authorities, DW reported that since 2016, Iraq has imported 35% of Irans agricultural exports.

In October 2021, Iraqs Ministry of Agriculture said farming had decreased by 50 percent due to water shortages, spiking fears over deteriorating food security in the country.

That includes grain and vegetables crops, mainly in Iraqs Diyala province, which has been the hardest hit by Irans diversion of rivers, the ministry said.

Iran is also facing an unprecedented drought, compounded by mismanagement of resources. A report by Climate Change News said Iran is using 90 percent of its water for agriculture as the government seeks to achieve food self-reliance while facing global sanctions.

Farmers in Iran have been deserting their land and homes to live in settlements on the outskirts of cities, and villagers cant find clean drinking water. These conditions sparked anti-government protests in 2021 in the western province of Khuzestan. The protests later spread to other cities and the capital, Tehran.

Reserved water is also evaporating because of intense heat waves, Climate Change News said.

The Middle East includes 11 of the 17 most water-scarce countries in the world. The region is warming at twice the global average and by the end of the century, many cities will become uninhabitable. In the summer of 2021, Iraq recorded temperatures of 51.5 C (124.7 F), while those in Iran reached 51 C (123.8 F).

In August 2021, 13 aid groups warned that 12 million people in Iraq and Syria were threatened by collapsing food and water supplies. That included seven million Iraqis and large swathes of farmland, fisheries, power production, and drinking water sources have been depleted of water.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, UKRAINE  The United Nations raced Friday to rescue more civilians from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol and the city at large, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategic port.

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukraine has said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

"Our colleagues are currently on the ground," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said of the latest evacuation effort. "We are in an extremely delicate phase of this operation, working in close coordination with both the Ukrainian authorities and the Russian authorities.

He declined to share details "for the sake of the safety of those we're trying to get out, and, of course, for our own staff, which are there."

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to save the fighters. She said they'd be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean "filtration camps, prison, torture, and death."

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will "stand to the end without surrender," she told The Associated Press on Friday as she and relatives of some of the other members of the regiment drove from Italy to Poland.

It could takes days to know whether the latest U.N. effort to evacuate civilians succeeded, since people escaping Mariupol typically have to pass through contested areas and many checkpoints before reaching relative safety in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles to the northwest.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Friday on the Telegram messaging app that another "complex operation to evacuate people from Mariupol and Azovstal" was conducted and that nearly 500 civilians were rescued. Two previous evacuations negotiated by the U.N. and the Red Cross brought roughly 500 people from the steel plant and elsewhere in Mariupol. It wasn't clear if Yermak was saying more people had since been rescued.

Some of the plant's evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

"People literally rot like our jackets did," said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled along with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. "They need our help badly. We need to get them out."

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on Telegram that Russian troops fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plant's grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

Moscow didn't immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of Mariupol, aside from the steel plant, after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, which marks the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of over 400,000 but where perhaps 100,000 civilians remain with little food, water, electricity or heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings, workers repaired a model of a warship, and Russian flags were hoisted on utility poles.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "Mariupol will never fall. I'm not talking about heroism or anything."

"It is already devastated," he told a meeting at London's Chatham House think tank. He also said he remains open to negotiations with Russia, but repeated that Moscow must withdraw its forces.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Ukrainian officials warned residents to be vigilant and heed air raid warnings, saying the risk of massive shelling had increased with Victory Day approaching. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital.

The Ukrainian military's general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

The British Defense Ministry said Russia may be struggling to execute its plan in the Donbas partly because it's bogged down at the plant in Mariupol. The fighting at the plant "has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia," it said. "Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Avozstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas."

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth.

In other developments:

 A Ukrainian army brigade said it used an American Switchblade "suicide" drone against Russian forces in what was likely Ukraine's first recorded use of such weapon in combat.

 The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said more than 3,500 residents of the city of Kreminna found themselves in Russian-controlled territory as Russian forces were trying to cross the Seversky Donets River. Serhiy Haidai accused Russian troops of "terrorizing" the residents, "from checking phones to forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots." His statements could not be immediately verified.

 The small village of Nekhoteevk, in Russia's southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, was being evacuated Friday due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. His claims couldn't be immediately verified.
Boeing Co. is moving its global headquarters to the Washington, D.C., suburbs from Chicago, shifting senior executives of the aircraft and defense giant closer to federal regulators, lawmakers and the Pentagon.

The relocation to Arlington, Va., will also put the main corporate office geographically closer by about 400 miles to the planemaker's 787 Dreamliner operations in South Carolina.

Boeing announced the relocation May 5, after it was reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The move will position the company and executives near many of the nation's biggest defense contractors, government agencies and Congress. Boeing's defense business already is based in Arlington, where the offices of the new global headquarters will be.

In a statement, CEO David Calhoun said May 5 that the move "makes strategic sense" because of its proximity to customers and stakeholders and "access to world-class engineering and technical talent."

Boeing said it plans to establish a "research and technology hub" in the northern Virginia city.

The company stunned its longtime home of Seattle when it moved its executive offices more than 2,000 miles away to Chicago in 2001. It was one of its first major shifts away from the Pacific Northwest.

In a more recent example, the company shut down its original 787 line in Everett, Wash., and consolidated the program last year at its newer, non-unionized North Charleston Dreamliner plant. The program has been plagued by production issues and delivery delays.

Boeing's commercial aircraft business is still based in Seattle.

Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with AeroDynamic Advisory, said he saw a "missed opportunity" in the latest headquarters decision given the troubles within its commercial jet business, including the grounding of the 737 Max and 787 productions woes. By moving the executive suite back to its historic aviation stronghold in Seattle, he said, the company could have demonstrated a commitment to address its biggest problems and "double down" on its "most important business unit."

"I think it would send a more powerful message," Aboulafia said.

Cai von Rumohr, an aerospace analyst for Cowen, said there are advantages for Boeing moving its headquarters to Arlington  or back to Seattle.

"Chicago does nothing for them," von Rumohr said.

The decision to relocate the decisionmakers to the nation's capital was not a complete surprise, according to the Washington state-based aviation website Leeham News and Analysis. The "signs were there for all to see," Leeham said in a post Thursday, citing the fact that key communications staff had already relocated to the D.C. area and that Boeing has an "under-utilized" building in Arlington.

Last October, Reuters reported that the Chicago office, which is housed in a 36-floor skyscraper, was a "ghost town," according to a unidentified person. Boeing said Thursday it would still maintain a "significant presence" in the Windy City.

During the pandemic, Boeing, like many major employers, downsized on its office space and allowed employees to work remotely. In Thursday's announcement Calhoun, the CEO, said the company was "taking steps to be more efficient within a reduced footprint."

Boeing employs about 140,000 workers worldwide, including 5,521 in South Carolina at the start of 2022. Its headcount in the Palmetto State significantly shrank during the pandemic, falling from 6,869 two years earlier.

Boeing's South Carolina operations include the 787 campus off International Boulevard and a separate site in North Charleston that includes an engineering and research center and a plant that makes interior parts for the Dreamliner.

Boeing's relationship with the D.C.-based FAA has been strained since the two deadly crashes of its best-selling 737 Max in 2018 and 2019. The safety agency took nearly two years  far longer than the company expected  to approve design changes and allow the jet back in the air.

Also, the company has suffered financial setbacks in building a refueling tanker for the Air Force, which helped fuel a $1.2 billion loss last quarter. And it has been hurt by the pandemic, which undercut travel and demand for new planes.

All the while, deliveries of the North Charleston-made 787 have been continuously halted for about a year because of production flaws. Boeing said last week in its first quarter earnings report that its plan for resuming deliveries has been submitted to the FAA but declined to elaborate.
The residential house at 133 Cannon St. in Charlestons Cannonborough-Elliottborough neighborhood is painted a calming shade of light green. The two-story home has two covered porches, a triple-window and an old-fashioned lamp illuminating the front door. Next to the entryway is a plaque telling visitors the home won the prestigious Carolopolis Award in 2020 from the Preservation Society of Charleston given to exceptional projects that protect historic resources in Charleston and the Lowcountry.

Six years ago, the house was termite-ridden and boarded up after suffering from nearly two decades of neglect because of a long-running standoff between the neighborhood association that wanted to save the home and property developers who wanted to tear the dilapidated building down. Local residents believed the building would remain in that state forever, until Tift Mitchell decided to purchase it in 2018.

Mitchell was a real estate agent who had just started his own real estate brokerage and development group, Tift Properties. He had done small-scale renovation work helping friends and referral contacts fix up historic homes in the area, assisting them with navigating the various hurdles with the Charleston Board of Architectural Review and city zoning laws.

But he wanted to work on larger projects. He purchased 131 Cannon St., a building next to the 133 property that was also run-down, for $737,000 with his own money in 2017. He bought the second property in 2018 for $560,000, sure that he could revitalize both buildings in a way that aligned with the neighborhoods preservation goals.

Then COVID-19 hit.

The standoff

133 Cannon St. was formerly owned by the downtown Charleston real estate developer Patterson Smith. He purchased the building in 2015 for about $350,000 with the intention of tearing it down and turning it into a small park.

By then, the house had the lowest ranking on the citys scale of historically significant properties. A 2016 Post and Courier search of city property records found that the buildings rear was torn down in 1994, and that its upper porch was removed in 2007 because it was at risk of caving in.

Smith told The Post and Courier in a 2016 interview he thought everyone would agree that the building needed to be torn down. But the neighborhood association came out against him.

Since he couldnt remove the property, he simply walked away. He told The Post and Courier he planned to wrap a chain link fence around it and leave the falling-apart building as is, saying that one of his rights as a homeowner was to do nothing.

Mitchell approached him shortly afterward and purchased the property. He hired Andrew Gould, an architect from the firm New World Byzantine that specializes in historical architecture. Together they decided it would be best to restore the two historic buildings and construct three new ones on the now-conjoined properties.

By combining the two lots we changed the density requirements and could build more buildings on that piece of land, Mitchell said. Because it's so costly to do something like this, we wanted to spread out the cost of it.

Sign up for our real estate newsletter! Get the best of the Post and Courier's Real Estate news, handpicked and delivered to your inbox each Saturday. Email

Sign Up!

Mitchell met with the heads of the neighborhood association and got their plans approved by them before making any major changes. What helped was that Mitchell and Gould lived in the neighborhood and showed the association they were invested in giving back to the community.

Their plan was to redesign parts of the two existing historical houses and turn them into residential properties that could be rented out. They also wanted to construct a building in between the two existing ones that would house Mitchells office on the bottom floor and have rental residential units on the top.

Mitchell and Gould then planned to build two more residential rental properties in the backyard behind the existing building.

The two had a silent partner who helped with construction costs. The pandemic hit when two buildings were completed and they had 70 percent occupancy. But by about May 2020 those two buildings had approximately 20 percent occupancy.

All the money we saw coming in got canceled within two weeks, he said.

The silent business partner told Mitchell to just trust his own judgment, and Mitchell went forward with the project.

In 2021 the buildings, collectively called Wrens Nest, were completed. The 133 address had the original staircase from the 1800s as well as the original fireplace.

The two houses in the back, which Mitchell calls brother and sister houses, are done in an architectural style more synonymous with New Orleans, with iron railings. Mitchells wife, Taylor Mitchell, did the interior designs for all the homes. They commissioned a local artist, Dos Bandidos, to create some paintings for all the homes that can be viewed throughout the properties.

One thing that Mitchell said helped with the costs of the project was the abandoned building tax credit that he received. The tax credits are awarded as part of South Carolinas Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act and are offered as a way to promote the rehabilitation of eligible empty or underutilized buildings, according to the Municipal Association of South Carolinas website. Mitchell said these credits can be sold to another party to use on their tax returns.

Mitchell has recently purchased an underutilized building at 114 Cannon St. that he intends to turn into a commercial property. He will work with the same architectural and design team on the upcoming project.
PICKENS  A right-leaning parents activist group filed a civil rights complaint on April 21 with the U.S. Department of Education against a Pickens County middle school that tried to make students of color feel more secure at the mostly White school.

Pickens Middle School's principal James King invited motivational speaker Adrienne Young to host a virtual presentation on campus on April 15 for all students where she spoke about unity, according to a statement from the school district. Young is a middle school counselor who has spoken about unity for about 15 years.

Having speakers come to campus isn't an unusual occurrence. In the statement, the district said past speakers at the middle school have discussed topics such as motivation, kindness, inspiration and overcoming obstacles.

Young was supposed to present to all the students in the school on April 15. Afterward, there would be optional follow-up learning sessions for smaller groups of select students.

More coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Courier's Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab.

On April 11, King sent letters to minority students inviting them to attend these learning sessions during which pizza and dessert would be provided.

"The original intentions were to use these small group learning sessions as an opportunity for students of specific minority groups to ask questions to the speaker surrounded by others like them  to create an increased sense of security for them to be open and candid," the district said in the statement.

More than 85 percent of the students at Pickens Middle are White, according to data from the S.C. Department of Education.

"Again, these small group sessions were an option in addition to the main speech that was provided for all students," the district's statement said. "The plan was for all students to be included, but the intentions were for those most impacted by the topic to have an extra opportunity to have their questions answered."

Sign up for our Education Lab newsletter. Email Sign Up!

The school became aware that some parents had issues with the small learning session on the evening of April 14. Someone posted a picture of King's letter to minority students on social media, and the post spurred multiple parents to contact Pickens Middle saying it was unfair that only some students were receiving pizza lunches.

Teachers were told the following morning that all students were invited to attend the small learning sessions regardless of their race. Students were also informed about this during the morning announcement on April 15.

There were 83 students who were initially invited to the learning sessions. Fifty-five of these students attended them, along with an additional 40 students who previously were not invited. The school said that all the events occurred without incident, and that multiple students expressed gratitude for the opportunity.

The activist group Parents Defending Education filed a civil rights complaint with the federal Department of Education the following week. Parents Defending Education is a national grassroots organization that opposes teaching children topics like gender ideology and social-emotional learning in schools.

Donate to our Investigative Fund to support journalism like this Our public service and investigative reporting is among the most important work we do. Its also the most expensive reporting we do. We cant do it without your support. Donate Now

The group said the learning sessions violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that says no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

In the complaint, the group said the school gave no notification that the learning sessions would be open to all students or that participation was voluntary; the school informed students on April 15 that the sessions were open to all students and that they were voluntary, according to the district's statement.

In an emailed statement the Department of Education said as a policy, the Office for Civil Rights does not acknowledge complaints it receives until the allegations have been evaluated and accepted for investigation.

Young declined to comment.
WADMALAW ISLAND  Developers of a wetlands mitigation bank on this sea island must now submit a sediment sampling plan for approval by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control in order to receive a permit.

The permit was already approved by DHEC's staff, but environmentalists and Wadmalaw Island residents asked the agency to review the document and reverse the choice to let the work go forward.

Mitigation banks are private commercial entities meant to offset wetland destruction. While federal law requires building projects to avoid harming wetlands, when that is not possible, developers must pay to create more wetlands in the same watershed where the old ones were destroyed.

The banks do the work in advance, and entities can buy credits from them equal to the amount of the lost wetlands.

One concern is that this project near the Leadenwah Creek would introduce salt into a freshwater habitat used by a number of animals, including the threatened American wood stork.

The plan by Point Farm MB LLC is meant to enhance and restore tidal salt marsh on more than 2,000 acres in Charleston County, the company said in a permit application to the state. It expects to remove earthen dikes that have held back ocean water from fresh wetlands.

The proposal would change a salty pond to tidal salt marsh, turn 10.14 acres of freshwater impoundments brackish, and expand 20.60 acres of tidal salt marsh and creeks into currently impounded ponds.

Following a final review conference on May 5, the DHEC board voted to support its staff's initial decision, but with a special condition: The developers must now submit a sediment sampling plan for the department's approval.

Environmentalists are concerned that there hasn't been any soil or sediment testing to determine if there are any pollutants that went into the holding ponds for the 50 to 60 years they were used for agricultural purposes.

Point Farm already has plans to drain the ponds for testing before construction begins there, said Ross Nelson, president of American Mitigation Co., the firm that represents Point Farm.

"We want to drain everything out and make sure the sediments are right and in place and that they're ready for planting before we start removing the berms," Nelson said at the DHEC board meeting May 5.

If testing is done and it is determined the sediment contains toxins, they should be removed, said Dr. Joe Kelley, a former biology professor at The Citadel.

"If it turns out that the sediments are not highly contaminated, then that's what we hope for," Kelley said. The best case would be a freshwater pond that provides good habitat for birds and other organizations, he said.

Wadmalaw Island contains very little fresh water. The limited freshwater wetlands on the island have functioned for hundreds of years as important habitats for wading birds and other wildlife, said Jason Crowley, Coastal Conservation League's communities and transportation senior program director.

"And why would you want to lose that?" Kelley said at the board meeting on May 5.

Wadmalaw Island residents and environmentalists are also concerned that by only protecting a 50-foot strip of high ground next to the marshy mitigation bank, the property would be at risk of stormwater runoff if development happens close by, Crowley said.

Another concern covers the low-lying area's susceptibility to sea level rise and marsh migration. Crowley said the narrow buffer won't allow the marsh to move far as sea levels rise.

The vote on May 5 puts further stipulations on the planned mitigation that has already hit other roadblocks. Plans for the bank were stalled April 4 when the Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals denied two variance requests for the project.

Point Farm Investors LLC wanted the board to approve the removal of a grand live oak tree and allow encroachment into 1.3 acres of protected buffer next to tidal land. But the board voted unanimously to deny both requests because the property could still be used without variances.

The bank cannot be opened without the zoning permissions because of areas on the property where developers would have to breach berms that block tidal flow from coming in, said attorney Mary Shahid, who spoke on behalf of the bank at the BZA meeting on April 4.

Nelson, the American Mitigation Co. president, is a BZA member, and was appointed by Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt.

"If we could get maybe some clarification on what zoning amendments might need to be made to address any of that, I would appreciate a response," Honeycutt said at a County Council meeting last month.

The bank's developers have the right to appeal the zoning board's decision to deny the variance request.

The planned bank already has support from Charleston County, although it is uncertain if the project will move forward. The county has paid at least $14.8 million to reserve credits from the bank.

A copy of the county's Aug. 31, 2021, agreement with Point Farm MB and American Mitigation Co., said it bought into the bank to offset salt marsh impacts from transportation projects. Among those projects is the planned extension of Interstate 526 through Johns and James islands.

The county committed to buy 440 salt marsh mitigation credits at $45,000 each, according to a purchase agreement signed by County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor.

A deposit of $14,850,000, or 75 percent of the total purchase price, was due within 30 days of the effective date of the agreement to reserve the credits. County spokeswoman Kelsey Barlow confirmed April 7 the money has already been paid.

Barlow said the county was working on a path forward regarding the Board of Zoning Appeals' decision.

The agreement said if the bank fails to have access to the mitigation credits, the seller is required to return the county's deposit, in addition to all other payments made to the bank. This does not include payments made for credits already purchased and transferred to the county, but it's unclear if any of them have been delivered.
GREENVILLE  When former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint took to a Bob Jones University stage on May 2, their discussion on education happened at the same time as the regular meeting of the Greenville County GOP.

In years past, such Republican figures of national significance would have spoken in front of the county party, before a well-documented and bitter leadership takeover a year ago led to fractures at both the local and state level.

Now, the split has created a new Upstate political organization, the Fourth District Republican Club, which hosted the event at a packed BJU performance hall.

The Republican party break in Greenville County has revolved around a distilled issue: Who is most loyal to former President Donald Trump?

New leadership that was energized in the weeks after Trump's loss and amid claims of a rigged election has branded itself as a movement that has injected grassroots energy. They pushed out so-called "establishment RINOs"  Republicans in name only  who are framed as having betrayed the ideals of the GOP's current standard-bearer.

A year into the loyalty purge, the new Fourth District club watches and waits, replete with elected Republicans whose power is entrenched and who have found a new outlet for their political activism.

The result was expected, said Nate Leupp, president of the club and former head of the county party up until last year, when he didn't seek reelection.

County party meetings have at times devolved into shouting and physical confrontations, dwindling membership and leadership resignations, including the secretary, treasurer and the party executive committeeman.

"The local county party is imploding at a faster pace than we expected," Leupp told The Post and Courier. "We're right at one year right now, and they seem to be doing a very good job of imploding."

It's a characterization county GOP Chairman Jeff Davis said is inaccurate and is more evidence of "controversy seeded by the establishment."

The county party is powered by the passion of everyday activists, which unlike politicians entrenched in power results in spirited disagreement, Davis told The Post and Courier.

Davis pointed to an event being held May 6-7, "Rock the Red," backed by county party leaders that will feature speakers characterized as true MAGA supporters. Keynote speakers will be Lara Trump, who is Trump's daughter-in-law, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and former close Trump advisor Roger Stone.

"They're trying to bifurcate and be divisive within the Republican Party," Davis said of the Fourth District club. "We find it amusing. I don't know how they will grow."

The saga began in the weeks following Trump's November 2020 loss to President Joe Biden and unproven claims of widespread voter fraud.

Powered by the conspiracy theory, more people began to attend county GOP meetings in greater numbers, facilitated by a group Davis and others started, MySCGOP. It happened just as the party conducted its reorganization that occurs every two years.

In April 2021, a three-person slate of candidates backed by traditional party leaders was elected to lead the county apparatus, a vote conducted virtually because of the pandemic and before widespread distribution of vaccines.

A faction billing itself as the "MAGA slate" objected, claiming a rigged process. The faction met in person in a Greenville hotel ballroom that day and submitted paper ballots.

The MAGA slate lost in a close race, but come summer the insurgent group applied enough pressure to prompt the leadership's resignations. That's when Davis came into power, along with state executive committeeman Pressley Stutts, who a month later died due to COVID-19.

Throughout the course of the year, the county party led protests against vaccine mandates, acceptance of election results, detainment of some of those accused of participating in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot and a host of other far-right issues.

The county party at one point changed the party logo to feature Trump's signature swooping, orange combover.

Along the way, Leupp and others have stoked the flames within the county leadership. They posted video, for instance, in which a face-to-face confrontation during a meeting caused people to leave and ended without a quorum to vote.

In December 2021, Davis was censured by the South Carolina Republican Party's executive committee for what state party chairman Drew McKissick said were false statements and harassment, including a host of lawsuits, against other Republicans.

The censure was a theatrical display orchestrated to undermine leadership the established Republicans wanted to see fail, thereby "quashing the Average Joe Republicans," Davis said.

The rift has birthed dueling claims of which group is, in fact, a collection of party imposters.

Are these people really supporting the Republican party and the Republican platform," Davis said, "or are they supporting their own fiefdoms?

Leupp said the county group represents a more-fringe "QAnon group" who are apologists for the Capitol insurrection and claim allegiance to Trump even though the former president has endorsed congressional candidates in the upcoming June primaries that the group considers established elites.

"That's more the type that came out and got engaged a year ago, and now a lot of them are gone," Leupp said.

Following the split, McKissick endorsed new outlets so that party members and elected officials who used to participate in party meetings could find an outlet  and counter the current county group's ambitions of taking over the state party.

Trump endorsed McKissick in his race for state party chairman against challenger Lin Wood.

Recently, the former president threw his support behind District 4 U.S. Rep. William Timmons against challenger Mark Burns, an Easley pastor speaking at the "Rock the Red" event who was an advisor to Trump during the 2016 South Carolina primary.

"To them, establishment means anybody who's been there five minutes before them," McKissick told The Post and Courier. "You can only keep motivated with nothing but anger for so long. While the Fourth District club has been growing, the county party has been shrinking."

Davis said he and other county party leaders were surprised that Trump didn't endorse Burns or at least remain neutral, but in any case doesn't want to emulate the club's events that host prominent elected leaders.

I dont want a bunch of politicians coming in there," he said. "Were not a rah-rah crew for the elected establishment politicians.

The Fourth District club will wait and see what fate awaits the county party before any decision to potentially rejoin, which would come next March when the two-year reorganization process is once again in play, Leupp said.

I dont know the answer right now," he said. "Things are going very well with our club. That doesnt mean we dont want to come back in. We just dont want them taking over and representing South Carolina at the national level, which would be the joke of the nation.

"That's all well and good," Davis said, "but the rubber meets the road in 2023."
COLUMBIA  Two bills that would have greatly overhauled health care in South Carolina  one chopping up the state health agency and another that would have repealed hospital regulations  appear dead for this legislative session after a House committee panned Senate bills to do both.

One of the measures proposed splitting the Department of Health and Environmental Control into separate health and environmental agencies, while the other would have repealed the state's Certificate of Need laws that govern what hospitals and doctors can buy and build in the state.

The House Ways and Means Committee on May 5 did not pass the Senate version of the Certificate of Need bill after crafting an amendment that would have significantly reformed the laws, instead noting that many of the stakeholders would not compromise on even those reforms.

The same committee voted to move the DHEC legislation toward further study, leaving the Department of Mental Health alone for now, as advocates had hoped.

"It was the best possible scenario for the Department of Mental Health," said Bill Lindsey, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness South Carolina.

The group's members and other advocates had protested to the committee about the inclusion of mental health into a potentially massive health agency that would be created by the DHEC split, harming services.

"Evidently they listened," Lindsey said. "This one is a win."

Ways and Means Chairman Murrell Smith said the department is not entirely off the hook.

"I have some deep concerns about the direction mental health is going in right now," said Smith, R-Sumter.

In particular, he said, are the crisis stabilization units  temporary emergency stops for people with urgent mental health needs "that we created and never really got off the ground," Smith said.

But on a reform of Mental Health, there is a "need to study and do our due diligence," he said.

On the larger issue of splitting DHEC, while the Senate has debated that issue for years before passing it this session, "it has not been debated in the House," Smith said.

The bill before the committee was more than 100 pages and a number of concerns were raised about it. The legislation is "too voluminous" and has "too many questions at this point in the session for us to deal with," he said.

The 2022 session has only three days of work left and is set to end May 12.

As part of that further study, the state Department of Administration should weigh in on it, Smith said.

"We need for them to engage" and they are getting involved, he said. "If we're going to create a new agency and radically shift the health care agencies in the state, we need to be prudent and make sure that we are doing the right thing and we take our time to get it right."

That being said, Smith has heard little opposition to the idea of splitting DHEC into health and environmental pieces.

"I think most everybody is in support of that," he said, but there are concerns about how it will be done.

"We need more study on that," Smith said.

The push to do away with most of the hospital regulations, which govern where hospitals can build, move or add beds or expensive equipment, also ran up against the legislative deadline and a lack of consensus. An ad hoc committee had worked with stakeholders on a compromise that would address the most "egregious" excesses of those regulations, such as the ability of competitors to appeal project approvals and tie them up for years, said Rep. Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, who chaired that committee.

"Those parts of (Certificate of Need), of course, need to be dealt with," he said. There is support in general for reforming the rules, Simrill said.

"I didn't hear anyone tell me (the) status quo was a good option and I agree with that," he said. But with such a massive effort to find compromises, "I think time is what becomes our enemy to get this done," Simrill said. And in the end, some stakeholders would not agree to anything less than a full repeal, he said.

The next legislative session is a better opportunity to take up these issues and do them well, rather than push a flawed bill forward, he said.

"In some cases, no bill is better than a bad bill," Simrill said.

Even had it reached the House floor, it wasn't going anywhere, said Rep. William Herbkersman, R-Bluffton.

"No full repeal would have passed the House," he said. "There simply is not the votes for it."
When the Rev. James F. Miller took over the AME Churchs retirement office last summer, he became the first new director in two decades to tackle the role of safeguarding the clergys $127 million nest egg.

But he arrived at the departments offices in Memphis, Tenn., to a troubling sight: not a document in the place.

Six months later, in late January, Miller and a new team of advisers met with the churchs leaders. And dropped a financial bombshell.

The churchs pension fund wasnt worth $127 million after all, forensic auditors had determined. The vast majority of its supposed wealth was a mirage, trumped up by inflated estimates for investments that turned out to be worthless. More than two-thirds of the funds purported value  $88.5 million  had vanished seemingly overnight in risky investments, just a few years after its then-leader pledged conservative investment strategies and careful monitoring.

The federal government was investigating. So was an internal team. Lawsuits would follow.

Since that meeting, the global churchs leaders have provided scant details to the thousands of distraught ministers who are depending on the evaporated savings for their golden years. Church leaders insist they cant elaborate now with the federal investigation pending. But in an Easter message, they insisted: "The church is a victim, and we have been working daily to find the truth.

The Post and Courier obtained internal documents that shed new light. They show the pension fund invested tens of millions of dollars with a now-defunct venture capital firm in Texas before the company vanished without a trace. The newspaper also scoured public records to reveal new details about the funds ill-fated investments, including a luxury development in Florida that never materialized.

These findings raise new questions about decisions by the departments former long-time leader  and the track records of businessmen he entrusted with large sums of money from a retirement fund providing for nearly 5,000 participants. At least one failed investment was made in the early 2000s, suggesting unsound decisions went unnoticed for nearly 20 years.

In March and April, ministers across the Southeast filed federal lawsuits against the 2.5 million-member church alleging breach of fiduciary duty and negligence. Five suits are vying for class-action status.

The Rev. John Paul Brown, who retired from pastoral ministry after 45 years, got out of the pension plan just in time.

The widely known pastors retirement celebration in 2019 drew two Charleston mayors, a sheriff and two police chiefs. But beyond the jubilee, Brown quietly pulled his retirement savings out of the churchs pension fund and moved it.

He believed his money could be managed better elsewhere.

Now, he thanks God that he did.

'Asleep at the wheel'

Until Miller arrived at the retirement office last summer, the same man had helmed the department for two decades: the Rev. Jerome Harris, a pastor from Alabama.

In the years before his summer 2021 retirement, Harris reflected on how far the pension department had come under his tenure. Before he arrived in 2000, the department had not kept pace with the changing times, he wrote on its website. The AME Church, he added, had failed to seize upon the new opportunities available in the investment industry.

The department had largely assumed the role as caretaker of the retirement annuity funds rather than as an investment manager, he wrote.

His message suggested that he no longer thought it was enough for his department to simply stick money into slow-growing investments like annuities, which typically offer safe but modest returns. Until 2013, the retirement office was officially called the Department of Annuity Investments and Insurance, a nod to the kinds of products its members thought it was investing in.

Now, Harris wrote of a new mandate: increasing the investment returns  while safeguarding principal.

His office in Memphis operated with a tiny staff, even as its ambitions were growing larger. In recent years, Harris had just two or three employees, according to archived staff pages and department reports. Payroll for the entire office was only around $160,000 a year, audits show. The staff did not include an investment analyst.

At different times, it did include Harris wife as coordinator of quality control and his son as administrative assistant. The office had just one accountant, a longtime staffer who is not licensed as a CPA, according to the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy.

The department also hired an Illinois accounting firm to audit its books, but the reports did not reflect Harris more aggressive investments. The Post and Courier reviewed audits covering 2014 to 2018; they indicated that the vast majority of the money the department received went toward annuity and insurance payments.

The reports made only brief mentions of other kinds of investments, stating that they were limited  less than $1 million at a given time. Plus, the audits added, these investments were only short term in nature. The audit firm, Rodney Brown & Company, did not respond to requests for comment.

After taking office, Harris ran unopposed four times to keep his position. Key leaders  including the various bishops who chaired the retirement services commission during his tenure  gave Harris sole decision-making authority over the fund, at least one of the pension lawsuits alleges. The last to serve in that role was Bishop Samuel L. Green Sr., whose district spans South Carolina and its roughly 450 active pastors.

The AME Church and an attorney for Harris did not respond to specific questions. The churchs 7th District, over which Green presides, did not respond to a request for comment.

They were asleep at the wheel, really, said attorney Scott Lempert, whose firm filed one of the pension lawsuits. It all boiled down to one individual.

At the Jan. 31 meeting, Miller, the funds new leader, pledged that never again will we allow one person to count the money, one lawsuit says. Miller also said that counting the money after Harris left had been a challenge: According to the lawsuit, he said that after arriving at the Memphis office, he found only empty files and paperclips.

In a statement, the AME Church said it hired outside experts to investigate after Miller discovered potential problems. The church said it is working with law enforcement to "recover any misappropriated funds."

As Miller and advisers hired by the church dug into early clues that something was terribly amiss, they found a gaping hole. Outside of the annuities that the fund had actually purchased, the pension plan had few investments that were still worth much.

One of those sat off the coast of southwest Florida, on a T-bone-shaped island called Key Marco. It is a refuge from the development-packed resort town of Marco Island across the water, a place that still has more woods than homes.

The problem for the AME churchs pensioners is that for almost 20 years, theyd unwittingly invested in its development.

Island venture

Harris had a background in banking, but his biography did not indicate experience managing investments. He had worked as a corporate manager during a 30-year career at Regions Bank in Alabama while rising in the AME Churchs ministerial hierarchy.

Finally, in 2000, a church conference elected him to run the pension plan.

Harris had been in office for about three years when he made a bet on the future of Key Marco.

It was 2003, and he loaned $2.5 million from the pension fund to a business called Meridian/AMEC, property records show. Meridian was short for Meridian Land Co., which owned much of the island. AMEC stood for the AME Church. The venture bought five lots from Meridian.

They were supposed to become sites for mansions with views of the bay. At a cocktail party in 2007, Meridian and its partners unveiled model homes elsewhere on the island. They had names like Casa Del Mar and The Hamilton and featured mahogany floors and walk-around showers, in-home spas and slips at the islands marina, according to a local newspaper. The cheapest cost just under $4.5 million.

In return for financing the opulent development, the pension plan was supposed to receive quarterly interest payments over the following five years. Then the venture would pay back the initial loan. The churchs $2.5 million would grow to roughly $3.2 million.

That didnt happen. Its not clear whether the pension received a single payment. Records filed shortly before the loan was due in 2008 show that the outstanding balance had, in fact, grown: It was just over $3.2 million.

For Meridian Land Co., 2008 was a tumultuous year. The owners, including Key Marco developer Clay Winfield, also owned a small bank in Illinois that regulators shut down that year. It marked the states first bank failure in six years. Winfield also sat on the board of a multi-level marketing company called YTB International Inc. That year, Californias attorney general sued the company, accusing it of running a get-rich-quick pyramid scheme.

Winfield was listed in Florida business records as the founding manager of Meridian/AMEC. He did not respond to phone calls or a letter sent to his development companys office in Florida.

Meanwhile, in 2008, the church took control of the land. Recognizing that the loan would not be repaid, Meridian transferred ownership to an LLC controlled by the pension fund.

There is no record in Collier County, Fla., where the island sits, that the developers ever pulled a building permit for any of the five lots. Regardless, nothing was built.

The lots remain vacant 19 years later. The AME Church still owns them.

Broken trust

Among AME Church clergy and members, concerns about a lack of financial accountability are not new. They ring particularly familiar to the families of the nine people killed inside Charlestons historic Emanuel AME Church in 2015.

When the Rev. Sharon Risher heard about the missing pension funds, she thought: Here we go again.

Risher was an AME trauma chaplain in Dallas when a white supremacist murdered her mother and eight other worshippers inside Emanuel during their Bible study. After the tragedy, mourners around the world sent millions of dollars in donations to the church in touching gestures of shared grief.

But as money arrived by the bag-load, the shooting survivors and victims loved ones struggled to get information about the donations, such as evidence of how much the church had received and for whom it was intended.

One victims husband said he watched three women in the church open envelopes addressed to the families and remove cash and checks without keeping a log of the money. Emanuels secretary said that when she raised questions about the handling of the donations, she was let go. And church leaders never produced an itemized list of the money given, the families said.

As with the Emanuel donations, mismanagement of the pension fund reflects a broader lack of financial accountability in the church, multiple clergy told The Post and Courier.

The Rev. Shirley Brown, a local elder at Ebenezer AME in downtown Charleston, called the pension fund losses disturbing in a way that surpasses finances. It relates to trust.

Transparency has left the church, she said. Nobody wants to address that. But until that is addressed, we wont see any change.

The Rev. Lee Russell Brown agrees. While pastoring in Tennessee, he took a leave and is working at a seminary in Washington, D.C., and pursuing his doctorate. If he still had a congregation, he wouldnt put any more money into the retirement fund, even though church rules require 12 percent of pastors' salaries go into it.

The church seems to have subscribed to the evils of capitalism, he said, rather than focusing on its mission to bring light into the world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Brown is a fourth-generation AME member, from a family of AME pastors. He insists he loves the church. He has hope for it. But my hope means nothing if theres not a strategic and intentional goal toward fiscal accountability, worker justice and financial integrity.

Bishop Jeffrey Leath has been a key high-ranking voice calling for reforms  including bolstered oversight of the retirement department  for several years.

Long before the pension fund scandal broke, Leath took to his blog to call on the church to create a retirement plan board rather than have one person overseeing tens of millions of dollars. The management of our retirement funds should not rest with a single person having limited knowledge of, and participation in, major administrative decisions, the post says.

In a May 2 post, Leath criticized abuses of authority, including silencing critics and hiding and withholding information.

In a statement, church leaders argued that they cannot say much yet. As the federal investigation into the matter remains active, many details remain unavailable. When they learn more, they pledge to share details with plan participants and church members. (The church has not said which federal agency is investigating.)

The AME Church, like the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant denominations, is hierarchical. Power flows from the top down. Bishops of the church are largely accountable to no one, multiple clergy said.

In particular, AME bishops can move pastors in their districts essentially at will. If a bishop doesnt like what a pastor does, he can transfer the subordinate hours from home to a tiny church that can barely pay a modest salary.

This fosters a climate of fear and silence, pastors said, even among those seriously harmed by the retirement fund losses.

The Rev. Alexander Gatson, a newly retired presiding elder in Tennessee, is among those who have watched his retirement savings nearly evaporate. He is frustrated that more of his fellow ministers wont speak out.

I cant believe we are allowing this system to treat us this way, he said. Its the intimidation the bishops of the church hold over people.

In South Carolina, the Rev. John Paul Brown echoed that.

Even those who know you are right will turn their backs on you. That is why its hard for good people to do the right thing. It costs so much.

Some are also reluctant to criticize an institution so sacrosanct to the Black faithful.

The AME Church dates back to 1787 when formerly enslaved men established its precursor, the Free African Society. "The church was born in protest against slavery  against dehumanization of African people," its website says.

It has since grown into a global institution with members spanning five continents. Concentrations of AME churches stretch across the American South and along the East Coast. South Carolina alone is home to about 500, with long histories of providing spiritual sanctuary and political muscle to members fighting racism and injustice.

But now we have a whole different group of people with different needs, and they are not addressing the needs of the people, the Rev. Shirley Brown said.

The Rev. John Paul Brown, who is not related to Shirley Brown, said he is speaking up to prompt reforms that will strengthen the institution.

I love this church, he said. I believe in it. And I believe that at the end of the day, it will rise up and do the right thing. I believe that. I believe the bishops will be godly overseers.

Then, he quoted a directive from the Gospel: To whom much is given, much is required.

Phantom value

Word of the Florida land deal didnt begin to spread widely through the church until January, almost two decades after the first documents were signed.

It emerged at the meeting when Miller, the new retirement director, and his team outlined their alarming findings to church leaders. When Harris retired, he and his colleagues celebrated the pension funds growth. He'd inherited a fund worth $47.5 million. As he left, the department reported its value had ballooned to almost $127 million.

Now church leaders received a new message: Most of that money was just a number on paper.

The $127 million valuation, for instance, assumed that the Key Marco land was worth $1.5 million. Millers team said it was really worth $1 million, according to a copy of their presentation. (Collier Countys tax appraisal is even lower: just under $312,000.)

Other parts of the $127 million estimate were even more troublesome. Most of the supposed value was housed in a now-defunct Texas investment firm called Motorskill Ventures.

Video of the January presentation is not available to the public, but The Post and Courier obtained a summary of the meeting. Slides in it show investments in Motorskill accounted for $88 million of the $127 million, or 69 percent. In fact, that investment was worthless.

The records indicate that between 2005 and 2015, the AME pension fund put at least $35.3 million into Motorskill, both directly and through an intermediary. Motorskill then sent the church statements claiming the value was growing. In reality, according to the presentation, the higher valuations were baseless. More money never actually landed in the pension funds coffers.

Exceedingly little is known about how Motorskill invested its clients money. Its website has gone dark, and archived copies contain only vague references to investments in technology, health care and real estate, among other industries.

While it was still live, the site was loaded with indecipherable jargon, starting with its slogan: synergistic funding and support for new market innovation.

When one of Motorskills managers, Ryan Erwin, sat for a deposition in 2018, he didnt offer much more detail, according to portions made public. He described Motorskill as a company that makes investments in other private companies.

But he did offer one example: He said Motorskill had put money into a company called Uptown Solar, which sold solar systems to homeowners in places like California, Illinois, Louisiana and Texas. That business, he said, kind of took a dive.

In fact, the few kernels of information available about Motorskills founders point repeatedly to solar investments. Erwin and a business partner acknowledged in depositions that they were connected to multiple businesses in the industry, including one that manufactured solar panels and another that made devices to connect them to the grid. He said he believed at least one was partly owned by a Motorskill affiliate.

Erwin did not respond to messages. Phone numbers the business listed on annual reports to the Texas Secretary of State no longer work.

It would take years for the AME Church to learn that its investments in Motorskill had gone bust. According to court papers, the church wasnt notified until June 2021.

By then, it had been years since the state of Texas stopped recognizing Motorskill as an active business.

'Money into a hole'

Back in Tennessee, the AME Churchs home state, the Rev. Alexander Gatson fumes more over the lack of answers and accountability than the retirement savings he fears he has lost.

He was serving as a presiding elder, a middle manager between bishops and pastors, when his wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She then suffered two strokes. In October, at 65, he retired to care for her.

Given he had served 26 years in the active-duty Army, he figured he could live off his military retirement. His savings from 20 years as an AME minister would cover his wifes care, likely in a nursing home. His last statement showed he had almost $60,000.

But when he requested the money be sent to him, he received a letter. The retirement fund was frozen, it said, while the department underwent a forensic audit.

Three months later, he logged onto his retirement fund portal  and stared at the number, stunned.

His accounts new value: $17,000.

I trusted the system, Gatson said. But I appear to have been putting money into a hole.

He notes that Harris headed the retirement office for 20 years. Given that the bishop who serves as the departments chairman rotates every four years, Harris had five bishops over him.

Gaston wonders: Didnt each incoming chairman validate the assets in the fund when he took over?

The church has since unfrozen the fund, albeit at its new, lower valuation. Church leaders have pledged to repay the money put into the pension fund on behalf of each pastor, plus 1.5 percent-a-year interest. That would cost $45 million  and eat up a quarter of the national churchs budget for over a decade, internal documents show. In recent months, they have also considered selling land or taking out a loan.

The AME Church is committed to making every fund participant whole by restoring their full investment plus interest, a March statement says. The process of restoration has begun.

Meanwhile, as he waits, Gatsons daughter reminds him of the weekends he worked and the long vacations the family didnt take so that he could fulfill his pastoral duties. He did so willingly, he says, certain that his church would take care of him, as he had cared for the church.
The scientific research and discovery kicked off in 2013 by the now-defunct Gullah Society after the remains of 36 likely enslaved people were discovered near the Gaillard Center is bearing fruit.

The information is so compelling that articles have been published in prestigious scientific journals. Researchers have been studying not only DNA samples captured from the human remains, but DNA samples of the bacteria that lived in the mouths of the people who were buried at the Anson Street site.

Studying this dental calculus is giving the team insights about the general health of these Black ancestors, as well as clues about what they ate. This kind of inquiry has not been done before on the remains of Africans and African descendants that date to the 18th century, the researchers said.

They also examined isotopes to gauge levels of the mineral strontium, found in teeth enamel and bones. That helps them locate the geographical origins of these ancestors.

Over the course of the last nine years, a picture has emerged revealing some details about this group of people interred in Charleston between 1760 and 1790. At a May 3 public meeting, researchers Raquel Fleskes and Theodore Schurr described their findings.

The dead all were laid east-to-west in four distinct rows, suggesting they were interred with care. Artifacts discovered in the graves included old coins, which helped to date the burial ground; pieces of clay pipes; buttons; and nails and brass pins indicative of shroud wraps. One button was made of mother-of-pearl, a precious item likely left by someone in mourning.

Some juveniles were among the dead. Six adults were African, the rest were born in the Charleston area. Two died soon after arrival in North America, but the rest lived at least another 10 years.

Whole-genome analysis of 18 remains enabled researchers to trace the genetic origins of these ancestors to places across West and Central Africa, from Senegal in the north to Namibia in the south. One sample revealed a specific connection to Fula/Fulani populations of West Africa. Another showed links to indigenous populations of North America.

The team partnered with the University of Oklahoma to conduct analysis of dental bacteria; that work is just beginning to deliver results, Schurr said. As information is gathered it will be shared.

The public meeting was organized in part to mark the third anniversary of the reinterment. On May 4, 2019, remains were carried by horse-drawn carriage through the streets to the Gaillard Center site as participants in the ceremony chanted and beat drums.

Notes of appreciation written by members of the community were placed in the burial vault.

An effort is underway to erect a permanent memorial. The idea was first broached after the reinterment, said Joanna Gilmore, director of research and interpretation for the Anson Street African Burial Ground project.

In February 2019, New York-based architect Rodney Leon, who had designed a burial ground memorial for lower Manhattan in New York, came to Charleston for a presentation. Then COVID hit. Then Gullah Society founder Ade Ofunniyin died. The project went into limbo, Gilmore said.

It was revived in 2021 when the Charleston mayors office convened a meeting at which then-Spoleto Festival USA General Director Nigel Redden appeared. Spoleto Festival was interested in joining the effort to create a permanent memorial by the Gaillard Center and suggested North Carolina-based artist Stephen Hayes as the designer.

Hayes came up with the idea of creating a fountain with 36 pairs of hands, modeled after living people in the Charleston area, surrounding it. The water element would reference the middle passage. The hands would humanize the dead.

Although members of the community were involved in the development of the memorial idea (32 people are part of the ad hoc memorial committee), some felt that there was insufficient public engagement, Gilmore said.

At the public meeting moderated by the project's director of education and outreach, La'Sheia Oubre, panelists discussed what they perceived as failures in the selection process. Educator and author Al Fraser questioned why there hadnt been an official call for proposals, and why the community was simply informed that an artist had been recommended.

Tamara Butler, director of the Avery Research Center, suggested putting together a document that spelled out in detail how the community engagement process should work.

Now the project team is seeking ways to further the memorial effort and accommodate the ideas and concerns of more people, Gilmore said.
COLUMBIA  Russell Laffitte, the former chief executive for Palmetto State Bank, posted a $1 million surety bond to await trial on allegations he helped fellow Hampton socialite Alex Murdaugh steal $1.8 million from former law clients.

Circuit Judge Alison Lee set Laffitte's 7-figure bail at a May 6 hearing, but allowed the banker to post 10 percent, or $100,000, to be freed from Kershaw County jail.

Laffitte, 51, is required to remain under house arrest with GPS monitoring while awaiting trial. Defense attorney Bart Daniel said his client posted bail in the late afternoon.

Lee also ordered Laffitte's assets frozen until state prosecutors and his defense attorneys can reach an agreement on how his money would be safeguarded while the criminal case is pending.

A short time later, a separate court hearing also took place May 6 in Lexington County, where attorneys fought over a judge's order freezing Murdaugh's assets amid a slew of criminal and civil claims for compensation.

Laffitte was indicted last month on 21 felony charges that include criminal conspiracy, breach of trust with fraudulent intent and computer crimes. The indictments were announced May 4 by the S.C. Attorney General's Office. The charges against the banker carry a total of 170 years in prison.

The charges come four months after Laffitte was ousted as CEO of his family's bank amid concerns about his oversight of legal settlements that Murdaugh allegedly pilfered.

The indictments accused Laffitte and Murdaugh of conspiring to steal nearly nearly $660,000 in settlement proceeds owed to the family of Hakeem Pinckney, a deaf man who was left severely disabled after a 2009 car accident that also injured several of his relatives.

Laffitte also helped Murdaugh steal nearly $1.2 million from accounts he controlled at Palmetto State Bank, including to pay back loans Laffitte had issued him from a clients account, a grand jury alleged.

The Laffitte family purchased Hampton Loan and Exchange Bank in 1955 and expanded its footprint into nearby Allendale and Beaufort counties. Renamed Palmetto State Bank in 1970, the institution's assets steadily grew from $2 million to $700 million while providing steady work for generations of Laffittes.

The bank grew parallel to another Hampton institution  the law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, Detrick, which was founded by Murdaugh's great-grandfather in 1910. The bank housed the law firm's operating and client trust accounts. And according to prosecutors, its former chief executive also performed a series of costly favors for Murdaugh.

State prosecutor Creighton Waters said at the May 6 virtual bond hearing that Laffitte would "happily" cash out ill-gotten checks for Murdaugh.

Both men came from prominent Hampton families with a common history, Waters said. But more than that, he said, Laffitte had made substantial loans "off the books" to the cash-strapped attorney, leaving Palmetto State Bank exposed to significant risk if he defaulted.

"In addition to anything that (Murdaugh) might legitimately earn, he had to constantly beg, borrow and, allegedly, steal to stay afloat," Waters said.

Waters said Murdaugh used the stolen money to pay off debts to a family member, a law partner, and a member of Laffitte's family.

Justin Bamberg, attorney for the Pinckney family, said at the bond hearing that Murdaugh and Laffitte continued to steal money from Pinckney's settlement even after he suffocated in a nursing home, leaving him brain dead.

The "callousness" the defendants showed toward the devastated family was evidence that Laffitte was a danger to the community, Bamberg said.

Bamberg also raised concerns about guns owned by Laffitte, an avid turkey hunter. But defense attorney Matt Austin dismissed the idea that Laffitte would pose a danger to the community.

"He likes to hunt," Austin said. "There may be some danger to the local turkeys, but there is no indication that he is a danger to anybody else."

Laffitte had been employed by his family's bank for 24 years, rising through the ranks from vice president of loans to chief operating officer and, finally, chief executive. The Newberry College graduate had never lived outside South Carolina, his defense attorneys said, and had strong ties to his family's hometown of Hampton.

In fact, his attorneys said, he planned to return there if released so he could celebrate his teenage son's birthday May 6 with the rest of his family.

Bamberg said Laffitte's recent decision to put his Varnville home up for sale raised doubts about whether he planned to stay in the community.

Daniel said his client was selling the home in order to make restitution to victims. He said the money would be held in escrow. The judge said parties should discuss those arrangements and file a motion with the court if they reach an agreement on how to handle Laffitte's finances.

Like Laffitte, questions loom over how Murdaugh's wealth will be safeguarded and, potentially, divided as alleged victims of the Murdaugh family's misdeeds seek compensation in pending criminal and civil cases.

In a courtroom in neighboring Lexington County, attorneys sparred over control of Alex Murdaugh's finances and assets during a May 6 hearing in the legal battle surrounding the 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

Authorities alleged Paul Murdaugh, the youngest son of Alex Murdaugh, was driving the boat drunk when it crashed, ejecting Beach and other passengers into the water.

The Beach family's lawsuit accuses Paul Murdaugh's relatives of enabling his drinking and accuses Parker's convenience stores of selling an underage Paul Murdaugh alcohol on the night of the crash.

At the hearing, Murdaugh's attorneys said a freeze on Murdaugh's assets, ordered by Judge Daniel Hall in November 2021, is illegal and unsupported by legal precedent.

But Mark Tinsley, attorney for the Beach family, said the freeze was necessary to keep Murdaugh and his relatives from liquidating and disbursing his assets to pay off debts and limit the amount available for the Beach family and others to recover in civil lawsuits against Murdaugh.

Tinsley's assertions were backed by John Lay, one of two independent attorneys appointed to oversee Murdaugh's finances since last November.

"There was a tremendous amount of liquidation going on as we got into the case," Lay told Hall, saying Murdaugh relatives were selling off property below market value.

Hall did not rule on the issue May 6. He said he would take all sides' arguments into consideration before issuing a decision later.

Hall said he hopes to set a December trial date for the suit, but he ordered attorneys for all sides in the wrongful-death case to go through a second round of mediation to try to settle the claims before then.

Murdaugh's life began unraveling after his youngest son and wife, Maggie, were shot to death almost a year ago at the family's Moselle hunting lodge in Colleton County. He has sat in the Richland County jail since mid-October, accused of defrauding legal clients, law partners and other victims of nearly $8.5 million.

Murdaugh's former college roommate and fellow attorney, Cory Fleming, was indicted in March on accusations he also helped Murdaugh defraud a former law client out of a multimillion-dollar settlement. Fleming was released March 17 from jail on $100,000 bail. It was announced this week that he and Murdaugh also face new charges as the result of superseding indictments handed down by the grand jury.
LADSON  A man was charged with attempted murder on accusations he fired a gun at a Goose Creek police officer's home, forcing the patrolman and his family to relocate.

Charleston County sheriff's deputies arrested Trevon Tyrek Belton on May 4. The 26-year-old was initially charged with giving false information to police. More charges were added the following day: four counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a firearm in a violent crime.

Deputies responded just before 8 p.m. May 4 to a drive-by shooting on Farmwood Street in Ladson's Woodside Manor neighborhood, according to a Sheriff's Office incident report.

An unidentified 29-year-old patrolman, who was off duty at the time, had just arrived home in his marked police cruiser. He was standing outside with three other people when the driver of a passing white sedan fired a gun toward his home, according to the report.

No one was injured, but the patrolman immediately called in the shooting, Goose Creek Capt. James Brown said. Officers from the department responded to the scene to assist sheriff's deputies in the investigation.

Authorities began patrolling the area to search for the suspect vehicle, which had turned left from Farmwood Street onto Midview Drive.

Deputies spoke with several witnesses at the scene and conducted a walkthrough of the officer's property, looking for any damage. One deputy saw a small indent near the front door that could've resulted from a gunshot, but no bullet fragment was found, the report states. The officer's patrol car did not appear damaged.

A white sedan matching the suspect vehicle was found parked in a nearby community, Sheriff's Office spokesman Andrew Knapp said.

Belton, who matched the shooter's description, was seen walking in the neighborhood and was detained for further questioning.

Belton was booked into the Charleston County jail. A May 5 bond hearing was waived.

Detectives do not yet know a motive for the shooting, Knapp said.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m. May 6 for parts of Georgia and South Carolina, including Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.

Meteorologists expected wind gusts up to 70 mph and scattered hail up to 2 inches in size. There was also a low chance of tornadoes, according to the Weather Service.

A few showers were already circling the Charleston area around 4 p.m., but possible thunderstorms were still about 1 to 3 hours away, said Steve Rowley, a meteorologist with the Weather Service's Charleston office.

Rowley told residents to look out for any severe thunderstorm warnings, which could be issued later in the day.

"Plan your evening activities accordingly and keep an eye on the sky," he said.

A thunderstorm watch is less severe than a warning, which implies dangerous conditions are imminent or occurring. A watch means such conditions are favorable or expected.

Conditions were expected to completely clear up after midnight, Rowley added.
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.
FLORENCE  It was supposed to be a debate among five candidates vying for a seat in Congress representing South Carolina's 7th Congressional District in Washington.

At many points during that May 5 debate at Francis Marion University, that meant a circular firing squad among the Republican candidates over why the two frontrunners, incumbent Tom Rice  one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump  and the man he endorsed, Russell Fry shouldn't be.

In a two-hour debate, the three candidates  Garrett Barton, Ken Richardson and Barbara Arthur  traded barbs at the two frontrunners in the race, painting a picture of two Republicans out of step with members of their party as well as the voters in their district.

Ultimately though, the spotlight was on Rice and Fry.

In the weeks leading up to the debate for the seat covering Myrtle Beach and Florence, the two presumptive frontrunners traded barbs with one another on social media, at political rallies and on television. Fry, a state lawmaker, depicted Rice as a traitor to the conservative movement  even earning a rebuke from Lucifer himself in one early television ad, while Rice has sought to depict Fry as a moderate in disguise and an absentee representative in the Statehouse.

One recent advertisement highlighted his opponents' record of more than 600 missed votes throughout his tenure  a record Fry disputed. And where Rice maintains an 87 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union  the organization that hosts CPAC  Fry was only rated at 58 percent.

"Republicans don't like paying people not to work," Rice said. "Just saying."

Ultimately, there was very little daylight between the two frontrunners during the debate.

Since the incumbent's vote to impeach Trump in January 2021, Rice's re-election hopes  and his opponents' success  has hinged on one thing: the popularity of the former president in the Pee Dee.

The first person to announce their intention to run against Rice, conservative media personality Graham Allen, based his entire rationale for running around Rice's vote to impeach in a statement announcing his bid. And Fry, the person Trump ultimately endorsed, predicated his entire run on the idea the 2020 election was "stolen," that Trump was the true president, and that Rice had betrayed his constituents by voting to impeach him.

"If President Trump is elected in 2024  and I hope he is  do you think Tom Rice picks up the phone to call President Trump and asks if the Pee Dee needs something?" Fry asked onstage. "Do you think Trump answers the phone?" "Tom Rice failed us," he added. "And on June 14, we're going to vote to impeach Tom Rice at the ballot box."

Beyond impeachment, Fry hammered Rice as walking in lockstep with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the progressive members of Congress. He accused his family of accepting Paycheck Protection Plan funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted a past FBI investigation of a potential conflict of interest in a real estate transaction Rice had conducted. Rice was absolved in that case.

And through it all, Fry spoke the gospel of modern conservatism.

He called for the building of a wall on the Southern border with Mexico. He called for a balanced budget amendment  which Rice supports. And he echoed the populist undercurrent coursing through the GOP, saying the pinnacle of the America First movement is an appreciation for being a "Christian, conservative nation first."

Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email

Sign Up!

Fry referenced recent votes in the Statehouse as evidence, including his support of social conservative legislation to ban the teaching of critical race theory, barring transgender athletes from women's sports, and a 2018 ban on "sanctuary cities" for undocumented immigrants.

"I'm sorry, but you have to wait your turn," he said.

Facing questions about his conservative credentials, Rice  who voted in-line with Trump more than 94 percent of the time throughout his career, according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight  sought to remind the crowd of his record. Under a deluge of jeers from the crowd, he defended his vote to impeach the former President, focusing on the violence of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the people who died there, and Trump's inaction in stopping it.

He gave detailed explanations of foreign trade policy, and highlighted his work in writing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that he said supercharged American competitiveness, brushing off allegations by his opponents that the district was flailing.

"President Trump didn't do anything singlehandedly," he said. "Congress had to pass laws."

Meanwhile, the three other candidates in the race  Arthur, Richardson and Barton  used the May 5 debate to demonstrate what they would do differently in Washington D.C.

Richardson  who served as chair of the Horry County School Board  lambasted Rice and Fry's failures in securing funding for Interstate 73, and called for the abolition of the U.S. Department of Education.

Arthur railed against socialism, accused the media of being "trained in communist tactics by China," and accused Biden, a Catholic, of working with secular Democrats to remove Christianity from America.

Barton focused on jobs and, at one point, went into an impassioned indictment of economic development policy in Myrtle Beach.

To avoid a runoff, Rice requires a majority vote in the June primaries  a likely challenge in a district that gave Trump approximately 60 percent of the vote in 2020. Conventional wisdom is that Rice and Fry will meet in a runoff.

And he still has other candidates on his right to outflank.

The question now is whether any of those three can unseat either of the frontrunners. Nearly 84 percent of all cash reserves reported in the entire field at the start of April were held by two candidates: Rice, who had nearly $2 million to spend, and Fry, who had just over $448,000.

The third-leading fundraiser, Richardson, counted just $274,000 to spend in the closing months of the campaign, much of it his own money. The others, all relative newcomers to politics, face severe financial disadvantages.
You are the owner of this article.
George Washington University Law School Professor Jonathan Turley has posted his Hill column on the leak of the draft Alito opinion in the Dodd case here at his own site. He discusses the erosion of traditional norms otherwise applicable to the Supreme Court. I dont see Professor Turley engaging in both-sidesism here. He calls out Democrats and their allies among the Democrats media adjunct.

In the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing the left did everything but physically assassinate then Judge Kavanaugh to prevent his confirmation. In the introduction to the column on his site and on Twitter Professor Turley now points out that the White House cannot bring itself to denounce the latest development in the lefts war on the Court  insofar as it may resist or roll back the encroachments of the left. Someone is going to get hurt.

If neither the President nor the left can muster the courage to condemn such conduct, we have reached a tragic but familiar point in our politics:https://t.co/fMJx0sL7NJ  Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 6, 2022

Professor Turleys tweet prompted me to check the transcript of yesterdays White House press briefing by the psychedelic Jen Psaki. Here is the first exchange:

Q There have been concerns and theres stepped-up monitoring among law enforcement across the country for potential violence around this draft majority opinion and the ultimate decision by the Supreme Court. The justices have had to see their security stepped up in the last few days. Just curious what the President would make of that, if hes aware that thats had to happen; what the message might be to those who are upset by this and are contemplating the unthinkable. MS. PSAKI: Well, first, I would say the President  for all those women, men, others who feel outraged, who feel scared, who feel concerned  he hears them, he shares that concern and that horror of what he saw in that draft opinion. Its not a final opinion. What it has prompted is a redoubled effort across the administration and with Congress to take every step we can to protect womens healthcare. What he  his message directly would be to anybody out there who is feeling that frustration, is participating in peaceful protest, is: Ensure its peaceful; have your voice heard peacefully. We should not be resorting to violence in any way, shape, or form. Thats certainly what he would be conveying.

Good to know. But what about doxing the justices? That seems like a useful step toward resorting to violence in some form. I take it that it was Peter Doocy who followed up:

Q Do you think the progressive activists that are now planning protests outside some of the justices houses are extreme? MS. PSAKI: Peaceful protest? No. Peaceful protest is not extreme. Q But some of these justices have young kids. Their neighbors are not all public figures. So would the President think about waving off activists that want to go into residential neighborhoods in Virginia and Maryland? MS. PSAKI: Peter, look, I think our view here is that peaceful protest  theres a long history in the United States and the country of that. And we certainly encourage people to keep it peaceful and not resort to any level of violence. Let me tell you what I was referring to and what the President was referring to yesterday. Q Not about yesterday, though  just about moving forward. These activists posted a map with the home addresses of the Supreme Court justices. Is that the kind of thing this President wants to help your side make their point? MS. PSAKI: Look, I think the Presidents view is that theres a lot of passion, a lot of fear, a lot of sadness from many, many people across this country about what they saw in that leaked document. We obviously want peoples privacy to be respected. We want people to protest peacefully if they want to  to protest. That is certainly what the Presidents view would be. Q So he doesnt care if theyre protesting outside the Supreme Court or outside someones private residence? MS. PSAKI: I dont have an official U.S. government position on where people protest. I want it  we want it, of course, to be peaceful. And certainly, the President would want peoples privacy to be respected. But I think we shouldnt lose the point here: The reason people are protesting is because women across the country are worried about their fundamental rights that have been law for 50 years. Their rights to make choices about their own bodies and their own healthcare are at risk. Thats why people are protesting. Theyre unhappy. Theyre scared.

It was good of Professor Turley to take note, though I would like to amplify the outrage. The silence of the White House is almost  almost  unbelievable. As I say, someone is going to get hurt.
Remember when Democrats assured us that they just wanted to get rid of statues of Confederate generals, plus Jefferson Davis? That was the issue in Charlottesville. But of course it didnt stop there. Liberals dont hate the Confederacy, they hate America. So inevitably, the Great Emancipator is now in their sights.

Here in Minnesota, Democratic Representative Jamie Becker-Finn complains about having to see a portrait of Lincoln in the Minnesota House chamber. My colleague Bill Walsh reports:

Cancel culture has now reached President Abraham Lincoln, the man who wrote the Emancipation Proclamation declaring enslaved people shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free. Democrat Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL-Roseville) complained about Lincolns presence on the House floor this week during a debate on an education bill. We are asked to serve, we serve in this body, we have to look at President Lincoln every day we are in this space.

The humanity! Bill surmises, no doubt correctly, that Becker-Finns contempt for Lincoln stems from the Great Sioux Massacre of 1862. In that uprising, the Sioux committed the worst massacre by either side in the period from 1492 to the present, slaughtering, among many others, 100 children under the age of 10:

Rep. Becker-Finn describes herself as a Leech Lake Ojibwe descendant, so we assume her objection to Lincoln is based on his role in the Dakota War of 1862.  President Lincoln personally reviewed the case files of hundreds of Sioux who were sentenced to death for their roles in the uprising. After his review, Lincoln commuted the sentences of all but 38 of them after determining they were simply soldiers fighting in battle. He reduced the list to those guilty of individual murders and atrocious abuse of their female captives. Becker-Finn gives no credit to President Lincoln for his discretion in sentencing and apparently believes Lincoln should have acquitted all of the men convicted of these heinous crimes.

This is the kind of idiocy that we are used to, coming from the Left. The truth is that far more than 38 Sioux should have been hanged. But in many cases, their mass murders left no survivors to testify. In other instances, there were survivors but they were unable to identify under oath the specific Indians who committed murders and rapes. And no doubt some who should have been hanged escaped, or were killed in the encounters with actual soldiers, rather than women and children, that ended the war.

Years ago, Scott and I wrote an op-ed in the Star Tribune debunking leftist myths about the hanging of 38 murderers and rapists in Mankato. But the myths persist. Our governor participates annually in a horseback ride that culminates in Mankato, honoring the 38 murderers and rapists. He has officially apologized for what was in fact a miscarriage of justice only to the extent that so many vicious criminals went unpunished.

In the current issue of Thinking Minnesota, John Phelan has a sober and balanced account of the 1862 massacres and ensuing war. This is how it started:

On the morning of Sunday, August 17, four Lower Sioux  Killing Ghost, Breaking Up, Runs against Something When Crawling, and Brown Wing  were hunting deer near Acton Township in Meeker County. Coming across the farmstead of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson Jones, they found some eggs and debated whether to steal them. They goaded each other into doing rather more. They went to Jones store and then followed him to the house of his son-in-law, Howard Baker. There, they challenged Jones, Baker, and another visitor, Viranus Webster, to a shooting contest, which they accepted. Jones and Baker fired but did not reload. The Sioux then turned and shot the Joneses, Baker, and Webster dead. They rode away, passing Jones store where his 15-year-old daughter, Clara, was watching from the doorway. She, too, was shot dead.

The next morning, Sioux led by Little Crow, who had reluctantly joined in the spree killings, attacked the Lower Agency:

The Lower Agency was wiped out and Myrick was reputedly found with grass stuffed in his mouth. But some of Little Crows Sioux  perhaps no more than 200 out of 2,000  pursued fleeing survivors like Dr. Philander Humphrey and his family. Mrs. Humphrey was weakened from recent childbirth, so they rested in a house. Dr. Humphrey sent his 12-year-old son for help, but before he returned the doctor was shot dead and the house set on fire, burning his wife and two children alive. When Humpreys son returned, he witnessed Sioux cutting off his fathers head. The killings spread. More than 50 were murdered at Milford Township. At Lake Shetek, 15 were murdered including Willie, Belle, and Francis Duley, aged 10 years, 4 years, and 6 months respectively. Elsewhere, August Schwandt, then aged 12, recalled how Sioux approached his familys cabin, shot his father, and hacked to death his mother, two brothers, pregnant sister and her husband, and a hired hand. August himself was beaten and left for dead.

Many of those who fled fared no better. Helen Carrothers was among an ambushed group. She recalled how a Sioux took a baby belonging to a seriously ill woman named Henderson and holding her by one foot, head downwards, deliberately hacked her body, limb from limb, with his tomahawk, throwing the pieces at the head of Mrs. Henderson. Some of the Indians made a big fire and when it was burning fiercely, they lifted the feather bed on which Mrs. Henderson lay, and tossed bed and woman and the mangled portions of her children into the flames.

These are the crimes that are celebrated by Minnesotas far-left governor, Tim Walz. It is quite remarkable that in the aftermath of these appalling massacres, the U.S. governments response was so moderate. But that isnt how crazed leftists like Walz and Rep. Becker-Finn see it. Watch for the portrait of Abraham Lincoln to disappear from the House chamber before long.
Transnational Corporation Plc, (Transcorp Group) has reported impressive returns in all its major financial indices for the first quarter ended March 31.

Its unaudited results filed with the Nigeria Exchange Limited, showed that the conglomerate with interests in the power, hospitality, and energy sectors recorded a profit after tax of N5.0 billion, rising 147 per cent from N2 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2021; while profit before tax which stood at N2.5 billion last year, gained 129 per cent to N5.7 billion in the same period under consideration.

A further look at the results showed that revenue increased by 28 per cent from N24.4 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2021 to N31.4 billion as at March 2022, while operating income followed the same pattern as it grew by 45 per cent to N10 billion up from N6.9 billion reported the previous year.

An increase in expenses such as Inventories, prepayments, trade and other receivables, however, did not dampen the Groups total assets which rose to N417 billion in the period under review, up from N416 billion recorded at the end of the 2021 financial year; just shareholders funds also rose by three per cent to N151 billion, up from N146.3 billion.

Transcorps President/Group Chief Executive Officer, Owen Omogiafo, who was excited at what she described as a great start to a rewarding year, expressed satisfaction with the performance for the first quarter 2022, and noted that the result is in line with the groups strategy.

She stated This laudable performance was achieved as a result of the improved activities across all our businesses. We are excited with the results for the first quarter of 2022; delivering 28% rise in Revenue and 129% rise in Profit Before Tax; and we are confident in the strategic direction for the Group as it underlines the success of our long-term objectives of diversifying revenues and accessing new business opportunities to deliver superior values to all our stakeholders.

Ms Omogiafo re-emphasised the brands commitment towards producing long-term value and sustainable impact, adding that already, this has been evident from the results churned out by the business in the full year 2021, and Q1 2022, despite the unstable operating environment, adding, We will continue to work diligently as we remain well-positioned to provide significant value for our stakeholders.

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp) is a publicly quoted conglomerate, with a diversified shareholder base of over 300,000. Our portfolio comprises strategic investments in the power, hospitality, agribusiness and oil and gas sectors. Our notable businesses include Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Transcorp Hotels Calabar, Transcorp Power, TransAfam Limited and Transcorp Energy.
President Muhammadu Buhari is currently in a crucial meeting with the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo, South-east traditional Monarchs, and other leaders of the region.

The meeting is holding at the New Exco Chambers, Government House Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State.

President-General of Ohaneze, George Obiozor, is leading other leaders of Ohaneze to the meeting.

Chief Host and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, who is also Chairman of South-east Governors forum, is also at the meeting.

Ohaneze is expected to table critical issues about the region to Mr Buhari.

This includes the release of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.

Other issues expected to be discussed include the election of a president of South east extraction in 2023 and security situation in the region.

Mr Buhari is on a two-day visit to Ebonyi State.

Details later
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday told Igbo leaders that he would not order the release of Nnamdi Kanu and would allow the courts to decide the faith of the separatist.

Mr Buhari said this at a meeting with Igbo leaders in Ebonyi State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the meeting with the Igbo leaders was part of Mr Buharis itinerary during his ongoing official visit to Ebonyi State.

Details of the meeting were contained in a statement by Mr Buharis spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

Responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders in the region for the release of the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the president said:

I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.

Read the full statement by Mr Adesina below.

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abakiliki pledged that the Federal Government would deploy its strength to protect innocent and hardworking Nigerians from terrorists and those causing break down of law and order in the South East region.

Speaking at a meeting with South-East leaders, during his two-day State visit to Ebonyi, the president expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the region, reiterating his directive to security agencies to flush out those perpetrating violence in the land.

I must register my deep and grave concern with regards to the deteriorating state of security affairs in this region.

In the last 48 hours, I have been informed of the latest in the round of brutal actions carried out by gun-wielding terrorists, who prey on innocent and hardworking citizens, unfortunately, these barbaric acts were visited upon those who have committed their lives to protect their fellow citizens, he said.

The president paid tribute to members of the Nigerian armed forces who recently lost their lives in the region.

Responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders in the region for the release of the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the president said:

I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.

My worry is for our hardworking and innocent civilians, for whom life is already tough and would like to earn a decent and honest living.

There are many that fit this profile and the government owes them that obligation to protect lives and property.

I will once again repeat, no one has the right to carry an AK-47, and anyone seen in any part of the country doing so and is not a law enforcement officer is a threat to our peaceful coexistence and should be treated as such, he said.

On infrastructure, the president highlighted some of his governments achievements in the region, dismissing those peddling false narratives of lack of care and consideration for the people of the South-east by this administration

The president said he was proud of the reconstruction of the runway of the Akanu Ibiam International airport and ongoing work upgrade of the International Terminal Building, assuring Ndigbo that the N200 billion Second Niger Bridge and 10km six-lane expressway in Onitsha and Asaba will be completed before the end of the year.

He added that the 5.5 million dollars Diagnostic Centre in Umuahia is already operational.

In his remarks, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi said President Buhari would be remembered as a man who did not use the plight of the people of the South-east to play politics but came to their rescue severally.

The Governor urged Southern leaders to work towards finding a political solution in resolving some challenging issues, warning that the region is at crossroads.

On this issue of a political solution, I have never believed in IPOBs method of operation. I disagree with them but we have gotten ourselves to a very terrible and pitiable solution.

Advertisements





Some of us warned that we will get to this situation and some were playing politics with it.

Mr President, we are at crossroads. I have been to you and I have begged you for a political solution. Surprisingly and graciously you granted that. You said our people should initiate that and at the forefront is Nnamdi Kanus lawyer.

The governor, therefore, urged the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo to meet with elder statesman, Mbazuluike Amaechi, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South-east, the Chairman of South-east Traditional Rulers Council, Nnamdi Kanus lawyer and few others to initiate the political solution.

On the 2023 elections, the governor said he believed strongly in the demand for the presidency to be zoned to the South-east region on the basis of fairness, equity, justice and morality.

Mr Umahi, who is also a presidential aspirant, commended some leaders from outside the region for expressing their support for the next president of Nigeria to emerge from the South East.

The Chairman of South-east Traditional Rulers, Charles Mkpuma and CAN Chairman, South-east, Abraham Nwali, also spoke in favour of the President of Nigeria of South-east extraction come 2023.

The leaders while expressing support for a united Nigeria, appealed to the president to grant pardon and release the IPOB leader, urging other agitators to cease all forms of hostilities.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)
Editors Note: This post has been deleted because we wrongly reported that the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, was at the Presidential Villa where he allegedly declared his ambition. Further checks have shown that Mr Emefiele was not at the Presidential Villa on Friday and did not address journalists. We apologise to Mr Emefiele and our readers for the wrong information.

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government. For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour. By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all. Donate TEXT AD: To place an advert here . Call Willie - +2348098788999
A former governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yerima, has announced his presidential ambition.

Mr Yerima told State House correspondents Friday, after he met President Muhammadu Buhari, that he had briefed the president about his ambition and he would, later on Friday, purchase the APC presidential nomination form.

Mr Yerima joins over a dozen other politicians who have declared interest in becoming the APC presidential candidate for next years election.

The former Zamfara governor is well known by Nigerians for promoting the Islamic Sharia system when he governed Zamfara State (1999 to 2007)

His actions then are believed to have contributed to widespread violence across many parts of the country, tagged the Shariah riots.

On Friday, Mr Yerima said his aim as president would be to tackle three issues: insecurity, poverty and ignorance.

Details later
Early morning rain recorded across major cities and towns in Nigeria on Friday caused some candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to miss their examination schedule.

There were also others, especially at the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti, who could not sit the examination due to technical difficulties with the biometric data capturing machines.

The 2022 edition of the examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) kicked off across 750 centres nationwide on Friday and will continue till Saturday, May 14.

Those affected by the rain were the candidates scheduled to sit their examination by 7 a.m. as they claimed they suffered difficulties in accessing their centres due to flooding and traffic gridlock, especially in Lagos, Nigerias busy commercial nerve centre.

But JAMBs head of public affairs and protocol unit, Fabian Benjamin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that though he sympathised with the affected candidates, the rules guiding the conduct of the examination would not permit JAMB to reschedule them for another chance.

Experience in Lagos

Across some centres in Lagos especially at Adamspring CBT centre, Career Builders Academy, both in Badagry; WAEC Testing and Training Centre (WTTC) and Wisdom House Centre, off Yaya Abatan, both in Ogba; Command Secondary School, Ipaja, and Lagooz Schools Orile-Agege, among others, there were reports of candidates who arrived their centres late.

NAN also reported similar experiences at Timeon Kairos Polytechnic and Professional Institute, Ile-Epo, on Lagos Abeokuta Expressway.

At the WAEC centre, some of the affected candidates, who were nine in number, stood by the gate and appealed for reconsideration of their case by the examination body.

At least six candidates missed the examination at the two centres in Badagry, even as they were asked to go home by JAMB officials.

The resident monitor at Adamspring CBT Centre, Saliu Amolegbe, confirmed that the downpour did not only cause some students to arrive late but also caused some setbacks in the examination process.

The rain set us back a bit in everything today but because it is an assignment that has time, we had to come out to attend to the candidates. We had to give them an extra 30 minutes to get ready for the examination, Mr Amolegbe said.

He said: All centres around Badagry started the first session at 8:30a.m because of the rain so that we can allow time for latecomers. We didnt start the verification until 7:30a.m instead of 7 a.m. So all those who came after 8:40a.m couldnt write the examination because as soon as the questions were pushed on the server, no students could be verified again.

About three candidates came late and were asked to go home. If we allowed them we would be questioned.

He noted that the window of 30 minutes given should be enough for candidates to get to their centres and settle down for the examination.

The supervisor at the centre, Sonde Abiola, said the centre recorded no hitch as of the time our reporter visited.

The rain delayed us for a while during the first session but we are good. The network is fine, Mrs Abiola said.

At the Career Builders Academy, a parent, who identified himself simply as Mr Ikechukwu, said he brought his child for the 9 a.m. session and confirmed that three students were barred from writing the examination for coming late.

Mr Ikechukwu said: I got here a few minutes to 9a.m and I met some people who came late trying to get in for the 8a.m session, but after going up and down without success they left for their houses.

Meanwhile, some of the affected candidates who spoke to NAN, said they lived in communities in Ogun State and left their homes as early as 5:30 a.m. but were caught in a traffic logjam which they said was caused by flooding and broken down vehicles.

One of them, Chiamaka Ezeaputa, who lives in Ota, near Bells University of Technology (BELLSTECH), Ogun State, said she had alighted from the commercial bus and took a commercial motorcycle at an exorbitant cost, yet couldnt get to her centre until 9:20 a.m.

No rescheduling of examination for latecomers

JAMB spokesman, Mr Benjamin, told NAN that the development is unfortunate but that technical consideration would not allow the examination body to reschedule the examination.

He was quoted to have said: If for instance, something happened to a centre as a whole, or there is a technical collapse in a centre, that one is understandable and the board could start considering a way out of it.

But a situation where some candidates for the examination at a specific schedule attempted the examination, while others failed to, for whatever reason, that examination will not be rescheduled.

Advertisements





We do not reschedule examinations, it has come and gone. There are rules guiding all examinations; ours is not an exception.

Questions without comprehension

Meanwhile, at the Tip-Top Schools, located on Unity Road, Isasi, a border community between Ogun and Lagos States, candidates said there were questions that were not accompanied by the expected passages.

A candidate with registration number; 202210321095EF and examination number C58102067, Aishat Olokojobi, complained that she experienced a challenge with the English Language subject.

Miss Olokojobi, who gave her seat number as 067, said she was part of those scheduled for 9 a.m. and that when they complained, the officials at the centre only told them to move on to other questions.

We just saw the questions but no comprehension passages. I was not the only one. We complained but we were told to move on to other parts. We never returned to those questions and we didnt receive any assurance that they would be addressed.

Situation in FCT

GSS Zone 3, FCT, Abuja

The candidates and officials of the centres and the examination body expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination across many centres visited on Friday by PREMIUM TIMES reporters.

There were, however, some cases of minor technical hitches and overcrowded halls witnessed in some centres by the newspaper.

For instance, at the Government Secondary School, Zone 3, a centre named Dantata Universal Services had 200 candidates cramped together in a hall that is not big enough to provide a conducive atmosphere for the candidates.

The proctor at the centre, Ibrahim Hamzat, an engineer, said there was nothing he could do since the hall was what was provided for the examination.

He said: We cannot prevent some candidates from sitting for their exams because of the capacity.

An official of the school, who craved anonymity for fear of sanctions, said the school management made the halls available for JAMB candidates, and that its the responsibility of the officials to maximise it. We have provided the venue for exams. How the officials make use of it is their responsibility.

One of the candidates who sat the examination at the centre, who simply identified herself as Chidera, said there was a delay before the first session of the examination at the centre kicked off.

She said: I dont know what caused the delay but the process was well coordinated and went smoothly. there were no complaints about the computers used.

Also at the digital bridge institute in the Utako area of the FCT, examinations started early without hitches.

However, a candidate, Niima Garba, who just finished her test that was held during the second session scheduled for 9 a.m said she started almost half an hour late because she experienced difficulty putting on her computer.

She, however, said it was fixed and she was allowed the complete time for the test.

An IT staffer, Tope Ayo, said JAMBs head of media and protocols, Mr Benjamin, had earlier visited the school and that he expressed satisfaction with the process.

Schedule change

At the Leads British International School CBT centre in Abuja, the early morning downpour forced the examination timetable to be tinkered with.

Emmanuel Ezeh, a candidate at the centre who was supposed to sit the examination by 9 a.m had his time shifted to 11 a.m because of the delay experienced before the first session could hold.

The candidate, however, said the accreditation process was hitch-free. I was accredited within minutes, he said, adding that he didnt see any of his colleagues that were denied accreditation because of technical challenges.

However, another candidate, Michael Abbah, who was also scheduled for 9 a.m said there were a few hitches witnessed during the examination.

Many of us witnessed that some questions were not complete so it was difficult to answer them, he said.

Mr Abbah said when the candidates complained to the officials, they were told to leave the incomplete questions blank.

The candidate, however, noted some of his colleagues answered the incomplete questions.

PREMIUM TIMES observed that the face mask protocols were not strictly observed at the centre as some candidates could be seen entering the halls without facemasks.

A group of female students from Regina Pacis College in Garki, Abuja, were chauffeured in their school bus after taking their papers.

A staffer of the school who accompanied the students, Agatha Adikwo, said: Many of our students are in different CBT centres within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) for the exams.

We dropped them in their different centres. We have someone assigned to each centre to ensure they dont have challenges. In the end, we come and pick them up, she said.

Exam postponed in Ekiti

Meanwhile, NAN on Friday reported that the first batch of the examination at Ekiti State University (EKSU) CBT centre in Ado-Ekiti was postponed indefinitely due to a faulty biometric system.

The agency said its reporters who monitored the exercise across the 12 centres in the state, reported that the development left some of the affected candidates stranded for hours.

It said as of 11 a.m when the centre was visited, the first batch of the candidates, who were scheduled to begin their examination by 7a.m, had yet to be cleared through the biometric, as the system was malfunctioning.

NAN reports that the development also created an altercation between the parents of some of the affected candidates and the JAMBs chief external examiner in the state, Smaranda Olarinde, who was on a monitoring visit to the centre.

Some of the parents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that they had arrived in the state a day earlier with their children and that they had been at the centre as early as 6 a.m. only to be confronted with the biometric issue.

A candidate, Gideon Adejuyigbe, was said to have expressed disappointment with the indefinite rescheduling of the examination.

Adejuyigbe said the situation had further been compounded by the fact that some of the candidates were expected to commence their West Africa School Certificate Examination (WASCE) in a few days.

NAN reports that the second batch of candidates at the centre was later cleared through the biometric to undertake their examinations at about 1 p.m.

Mrs Olarinde said the clearance for the second batch of candidates was made possible due to the efforts of the JAMB technical personnel in the state.

Addressing the affected candidates, the JAMB official said that their examinations had been rescheduled and asked them to always check their profile portals for information on the new date.

We have been working round the clock to ensure that the technical problem is resolved but as it is now, your examination will be rescheduled.

Candidates for the second batch are already in the hall and they will be followed by the third batch. So I want to implore you to be patient and always check on your profile portals from now on for developments on the examination, she said.

Earlier, the JAMB Coordinator in the state, Akeem Alaaya, said that the exercise recorded significant improvement over the previous ones.

In a situation where you have only two or three candidates being absent out of 200 in a centre, I think its 95 per cent improvement compared with the previous exercises where more than 20 candidates could be absent in a centre.

NAN reported that other centres visited included: JAMB Ekiti office centre on New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, Afe Babalola CBT Centre, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti Centre and Federal University, Oye-Ekiti centre, amongst others.

Smooth sail in UI

Two CBT centres are taking part in the examination at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. One of the centres is located at the universitys Faculty of Technology on the institutions main campus and its Distance Learning Centre, located off-campus along Shasha road.

Some of the candidates who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday said apart from the heavy rain which delayed the commencement of the first session of the examination, the whole process was said to be seamless.

At the distance learning centre, the process was more organised with a clean environment, while many canopies and chairs were provided for parents who had accompanied their children and wards to the centre.

Businesses boom

Meanwhile, business owners such as food sellers, recharge card sellers and transporters, especially commercial motorcycle operators also recorded improved patronage.

At the UIs distance learning centre in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, food vendors and other business owners who said they came from the main campus to sell at the centre, noted that they paid a sum of N2,500 before they could be allowed to set up their items.

They said the fee would allow them to operate at the centre throughout the UTME examination this year.

Kehinde Yekebu, a baker, who has a space at the Student union building (SUB) on the UI campus, said business has been good since the rain stopped.

I never thought I could sell this fast because the rain dealt with us this morning. I was drenched but thank God it paid off, I have a few snacks left, she said.

Another vendor from the Faculty of Arts, who identified herself simply as Mrs Liasu, said she arrived quite late due to the rain but hopes to record more sales in subsequent days.

At the only POS centre, Grace Olanrewaju, said she is happy they allowed her at the centre as more people patronised her than on the campus due to the ongoing prolonged workers strike.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, said Nigerians would continue to miss the late President Umaru YarAdua as a leader with a heart for the people as envisioned by the party founding fathers.

The party stated this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in Abuja.

He said the PDP remembered with nostalgia Mr YarAdua (President from 2007-2010), who gave his all and died in the service of fatherland.

Mr Ologunagba described late Mr YarAdua as a beloved leader and exceptionally courageous, humble, honest, forthright and dependable statesman.

He said Mr YarAduas legacies in stabilising the nation, particularly in instilling the rule of law, equity and peaceful co-existence in line with the manifesto of the PDP, remained unparalleled.

He was an unrelenting advocate of the Rule of Law, who dignified the Office of the President of Nigeria by promptly executing Orders of Court in line with his Oath of Office even when such Orders are not favourable to his interest or that of his Party.

YarAdua was a detribalised Nigerian, an angel of peace who manifestly loved Nigerians without regard to ethnic, religious, class or political considerations and placed the peace, unity and wellbeing of the people above every other interest.

In spite his personal challenges, President YarAdua stood firm in the defence of truth, justice, fairness and laid a solid foundation for electoral reforms and credible elections in Nigeria.

Mr Ologunagba said the avowed commitment to the unity and peaceful co-existence of the nation was legendry through his Amnesty Programme.

He said the programme brought relative peace to the then restive Niger Delta region of the country and set the nation on the path of social and economic sustainability.

He said that the PDP, in remembering late Mr YarAdua, urges Nigerians to insist on the rule of law and credible elections in the country.

He said that such should be done by actively participating in the ongoing electoral process and voting en masse in the 2023 general elections.

Our Party salutes the widow of the Late President YarAdua and the entire YarAdua family for their courage and steadfastness in upholding the virtues, values and legacies of the departed President.

Late President YarAdua died on 5 May, 2010.

(NAN).
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says he is the most prepared of all aspirants in the 2023 presidential election.

Mr Osinbajo made the submission on Thursday in Yenagoa when he paid a courtesy visit to the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers in continuation of his consultations ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

The vice-president said he had the requisite experience needed to pilot the affairs of the country.

The chief objective of my coming is to formally let you know, in a domain where I am a chief, of my intention to run for the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

I made the formal declaration on April 11.

All of us are aware, I have served as the vice-president and God helping us, I will serve until May 29, 2023, in that capacity.

It is my desire that come that day, I will succeed our current president as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

As vice-president, I have served under a president that has given me the opportunity to see for myself and observe at very close quarters, all that is required to run this very complex, very diverse nation, Nigeria.

I have also served on many occasions as acting president when the president was away.

All of that have given me more than an insider view of how to effectively run the affairs of this country with its various challenges.

I will say of all the contestants, and I will say so most humbly, clearly that I am the most prepared to hit the ground running.

I will be ready on the first day of the assignment because I have seven years training; I have the experience, Mr Osinbajo said.

The vice-president said that in no distant time, he would have acquired eight years of experience as vice-president.

He said he believed that the reason God gave him the opportunity was so that he could offer such services to the country when it was most required.

And I believe that those services are required even now.

I ask for your prayers and your support; I know that I have your good wishes already, the vice-president said.

Earlier, Bubaraye Dakolo, Chairman, the Traditional Rulers Council of Bayelsa State, welcomed the vice-president and acknowledged him as a traditional title holder in the state.

The traditional ruler wished Mr Osinbajo well on his pursuit and presented a book he authored  The Riddle of the Oil Thief  to the vice-president.

We have before us here the vice-president on a brief visit; as you all know; he is the Ebidou Owei 1 of Izon Land, our own chief.

Your other mission is well known; it is season for politicking; so, I wont go into that but I will wish you the best in your endeavour.

Just to underscore the fact that Bayelsa is an oil hub; it has been producing oil for the past 70 years.

We have all kinds of issues about oil exploration and production.

I am not going to say much about it because I am presenting a book to you on that subject; it shall be of great interest to you, the chairman of the traditional rulers told the vice-president.

Advertisements





(NAN)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again shifted its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting earlier rescheduled for May 10 to May 11.

The partys National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, made the announcement in a statement he issued in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Anyanwu said the earlier date clashed with the local governments delegates election involving all members of the party.

He added that the venue of the meeting remained the partys NEC Hall at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

Although Mr Anyanwu did not disclose the agenda of the meeting, there are indications that it would discuss the zoning of the presidential ticket of the party.

The party had constituted a 37-member committee headed by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State to work out an acceptable zoning formula. The committee has since submitted its report.

In a separate statement, Mr Anyanwu also declared that the partys National Caucus meeting earlier scheduled to hold on May 10, would now hold on May 11 at the Akwa Ibom Governors Lodge.

(NAN)
A 40-year-old All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Nicholas Felix, has pledged to address security challenges in the country if elected in 2023.

Mr Felix, who stated this on Thursday in Abuja after purchasing his Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for the 2023 presidential election, said that securing a nation would have ripple effects on its economic stability.

The presidential aspirant, a U.S. based General Overseer and Founder of Miracle Center International Inc. said his dream was to take over the helms of affairs in Nigeria and make a change.

Mr Felix has the headquarters of his church in New York, the USA with branches in New Jersey, Texas Atlanta and West Africa (Nigeria).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presidential aspirant paid N65 million made up of N30 million for the Expression of Interest form and N35 million for the Nomination Form meant for the youth in APC.

He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC leadership for giving the youth a 50 per cent discount on the nomination form that enabled him to purchase it.

Mr Felix, who said he was the only youth to purchase the form to contest for the position of the president, said that addressing the challenge of insecurity would be his number one priority.

He said his intention to contest the countrys number one seat was to salvage the country and rescue it from the trenches for complete reformation.

My decision to run for president of Nigeria stems from my desire to change the Nigerian narrative through the support of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run law.

Also, bringing more young professionals home and abroad together to contribute toward the development of our great nation, he said.

Mr Felix, a 2019 presidential candidate, described himself as a successful businessman, a philanthropist and pastor, who would reposition the country in the post-Buhari period.

He said he came third in the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Coalition Party (PCP) after President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, polling 110,196 votes.

He expressed optimism that APC would provide the platform for him to fulfil his dreams of the presidency and ultimately bring about the desired change the people wanted.

Mr Felix said he had companies in U.S. and Nigeria and had hired thousands of people and that he was quite comfortable with every standard.

The presidential aspirant disclosed that his number one agenda if elected president was the protection of the citizens lives and property.

He expressed concerns that security was currently in a mess in Nigeria and that the level of security a nation has would determine its prosperity.

My primary aim and my number one agenda is security, and that is what I am bringing to the table trusting that 100 days after being sworn in, we will tackle insecurity with every force and every might.

We have our military who are very strong, we need to empower them, equip them and give them the free will to be able to go and fight insurgency.

Im big on security. In America, I have a security company, where I have hired over 2,000 people. Security is my main strength.

You must understand that there is no great economy without security, any country that is not safe, no matter how much you put in, you will not see it.

For example, the moment Ukraine was invaded and the war started, the economy crashed, that tells you that when a nation is not safe, progress will be stalled.

According to him, Mexico and Canada border America, yet Mexicans are suffering. Security is number one, when the country is safe, the economy will boom.

Every nation that wants to experience economic growth must make sure that the security is there because we need investors.

Advertisements





Most times, politicians go around that when you elect me I am going to provide 20 million jobs, it is a lie, the position at the federal level is filled up, the position at the state level is filled up who is going to create job?

It is the private sector that will create jobs and nobody will come to a nation that is not safe, he said.

Mr Felix also promised to resolve the nations electricity challenges by exploring alternative energy sources while also fighting other infrastructure battles.

He said it was time for the youth to move into the political arena, saying the sole aim should not be limited to registering only to vote for preferred candidates.

He urged them to also become registered and active members of a political party with voting rights, and the opportunity to choose preferred candidates amongst aspirants, over the influence of political godfathers.

Mr Felix expressed concerns that Nigerian leaders, despite the changes they witnessed in other climes, never thought of replicating the same in the country.

He said that they took pleasure in sending their children to schools abroad while impoverishing the nation.

He promised to change the narratives if elected, stressing that he would provide the political will to do the job.

What it requires is political will, our problem is not too complex, what we need is the political will to do the job, he said.

(NAN)
A faction of the African Action Congres (AAC) has countered the rejection of Omoyele Sowore as the partys presidential candidate in the 2023 General Elections by members of another faction of the party.

The Leonard Ezenwa-led faction of the party, on Wednesday, claimed that Mr Sowore had long been expelled from the office following his violation of the partys constitution, among other offences.

The party, AAC, was founded in the run-up to the 2019 polls by the publisher of Sahara Reporters who later emerged as the partys presidential candidate that year.

Mr Sowore at a point officially doubled as the AAC National Chairman and presidential candidate, a privilege Mr Ezenwa-led faction said was against the Constitution of the party.

The African Action Congress wishes to notify the general public that Mr Omoyele Sowore was expelled on August 9, 2019, at the partys National Convention held in Owerri, Imo State. He was first suspended from the party in May 2019 and his suspension was upheld by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction in Nigeria, the faction said.

The faction made this known in a statement signed by the factional spokesperson, Sylvester Cletus, on Wednesday,

Reacting to the claim challenging Mr Sowores legitimacy, a factional spokesperson of the party, Femi Adeyeye, on Thursday, said they are not disturbed by the formers resistance.

He accused Mr Ezenwas faction of doing the bidding of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and dismissed their membership of the party.

Mr Adeyeye said the members were also expelled in May 2019 after being found guilty of misappropriating party funds, gross sabotage, and numerous anti-party activities.

He said the renewed attack on Mr Sowore was in reaction to the gradual acceptance of the latter by potential electorates ahead of the 2023 elections.

Setting the records straight, we wish to reiterate, for the umpteenth time that these elements spreading fake news in the media are not members of our party. And the leader of this rogue squad was expelled as far back as 13th May 2019, after being found guilty of misappropriating party funds, gross sabotage, and numerous anti-party activities.

If these issues of corruption and abuse of office happened in the APC and PDP, the systems therein would probably have looked the other way. But as a revolutionary party which aspires to genuinely win the peoples mandate to rescue Nigeria, we cannot keep a thief within the party leadership. That would amount to sheer hypocrisy and a crime against the Nigerian people we swore to fight alongside with, Mr Sowore faction raid.

A check at the INEC portal by PREMIUM TIMES revealed Mr Ezenwa as the recognised National Chairman of the party by the commission.

The election umpire, also on Thursday, confirmed that AAC and its 17 other counterparts have submitted their membership registers in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

However, it was not clear who between Mr Sowore and Mr Ezenwa submitted the register.
Gunmen on Friday morning set one vehicle and a motorcycle ablaze at Ebebe Junction in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

According to sources, the gunmen intercepted the vehicle and a motorcycle and chased the occupants away before setting them ablaze.

The unidentified gunmen suspected to be enforcing a two-day sit-at-home order allegedly declared by unknown dissident groups in South-east, carried out the attack around 6:20 a.m.

Also, the motorcycle operator was said to have narrowly escaped being killed.

A resident of the area who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the gunmen shot several gunshots to instill fear in the residents.

I was still inside my shop because I slept there; I heard the gunshots but I discovered later that they left a vehicle burnt beyond recognition while a motorcycle operator told us that he narrowly escaped their bullets.

Its so unfortunate that we witnessed such an ugly incident in this area that is usually very peaceful and spiralling with business activities especially at evening periods, he said.

A team of policemen and the Ebubeagu Security outfit later arrived and condoned off the area.

Police spokesperson, Loveth Odah, said she was not aware of the incident.

Im just getting the information from you; Im not aware of the attack, Ms Odah said.

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently on a two-day working visit to Ebonyi State.

The region, comprising Ebonyi, Anambra, Enugu, Imo and Abia, has witnessed security deterioration since the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of a pro-separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), last year.

Mr Kanu was arrested and charged to court for alleged treason and terrorism. He remains in detention.

The police have accused IPOB of the series of attacks on security agencies, government facilities and high profile individuals but the group has repeatedly denied the accusation.
A former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has promised to restore stability in Nigeria if elected president in 2023.

Mr Saraki made the pledge Friday afternoon when he met delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State in his campaign for the partys ticket for the 2023 election.

Mr Saraki, who is also a former governor of Kwara State, said the security situation in the country had been giving him sleepless nights, vowing to make security his top priority if elected president.

Nigeria is in very bad situation. The security situation needs to be rejuvenated. In 2015, I came to Katsina for campaign and we went to Zamfara State through Jibia but we cant do that today because the roads are not safer. When you make me the president, I promise that you will be safe. We will ensure that the situation gets improved. We will put money and all the required equipment to ensure you are all safe, he said.

Mr Saraki said the level of killings and the attitude of the federal government in tackling the situation had been worrisome.

He also promised to provide employment for the youth.

Katsina is my home. I see you as brothers and sisters. Anytime I come here, I remember my brother, (Ex-president) Umaru Musa Yaradua of blessed memories. I have come here to make my home people know that I am seeking for the position of the president of Nigeria. And there is nowhere to start but home. That is why I am here in Katsina State.

A former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, said Mr Saraki has proven to be a man of character.

Mr Shema said President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC-led federal government are afraid of the former president Senate President.

When he (Saraki) was the Senate President, they tried to coerce him into giving them the go-ahead to acquire more debts for the country but he refused. They tried all they could but he stood his ground. Now that he is not in charge (of the Senate), the debts we have acquired is (are) scary. Only God knows when we will be able to pay the debts, he said.

He is a true Nigerian. A real definition of true Nigerian with good character, Mr Shema said.

Mr Saraki is one of the 17 aspirants who obtained forms to participate in the presidential primary. The party later said two of the aspirants failed its screening.

Earlier, Mr Saraki and the Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, were announced as the consensus candidates of the North by a former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Ango Abdullahi, although the three other candidates from the North who are in the race for the PDP ticket immediately rejected the declaration.

The other aspirants from the North are former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal and an economist and businessman, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
The Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo (PLO) has questioned the motive behind the planned parley among All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirants from the South-west.

Some leaders from the South-west convened the meeting after several politicians from the region entered into the race.

According to reports, former governors of Osun and Ogun States, Bisi Akande and Olusegun Osoba, both allies of one of the aspirants, Bola Tinubu, are conveners of the meeting.

The meeting is in progress.

Apart from Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, other presidential aspirants of the APC from the zone are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, and a pastor, Tunde Bakare.

PLO, in a statement by Kayode Ajulo, its convener, said the meeting, scheduled to hold on Friday at the Lagos Flag House in Marina, has ulterior motives.

Mr Ajulo said the venue should be changed to a neutral state, either Ibadan in Oyo State or Akure in Ondo State. He suggested that another meeting should be convened by other leaders in the region.

We look forward to a meeting convoke by South-west leaders of note like Chief Afe Babalola, Chief Femi Okunnu, Pa. Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Wole Olanipekun, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Iba Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba and frontline traditional rulers in South-west as well as the Governors from the Region, Mr Ajulo stated.

The group also alleged that there is a ploy to ensure that the meeting produces a pre-ordained consensus candidate, though he did not produce any evidence to back up the claim.

It is undoubted and without gainsaying that the meeting as conveyed with a prewritten communique without the inclusion of the above mentioned notable statesmen on the list of invitees is premeditated and planned to serve a purpose which will apparently not be beneficial to the southwest and Nigeria, Mr Ajulo said.

The aspirants from the South-west will have to contend with other aspirants from other regions.

In the race are a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, State Minister for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, Labour and Employment Minister, Chris Ngige, former Imo governor, Rochas Okorocha, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and former Abia governor and serving senator, Orji Uzor Kalu. They are all from the South-east.

Aspirants from the South-south are the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River, former Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

Those from the North-west are Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State and former governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yerima.

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is the only aspirant from the North-central region.
In September 2019, the management team of the UI University of Ibadan (UI)under the erstwhile Vice-Chancellor, Idowu Olayinka, paid a courtesy visit to the Deputy Senate Majority Leader, Ajayi Boroffice, in his office at the National Assembly in Abuja.

This courtesy visit, part of the last administrations strategy of reaching out to the University alumni, came about four decades after Mr Borrofice graduated from the institution.

On the visit, the lawmaker promised to endow the school with an atmospheric laboratory building in the Faculty of Science. The aim of the project, he said, was to enhance postgraduate research programmes in the area of lower atmosphere physics.

The project was awarded to Fortified City Technologies Ltd under the supervision of the Centre for Atmospheric Research of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Abuja.

The project, nominated by the senator as a Zonal Intervention Project (ZIP), was allocated N50 million in 2020 and N60 million for its completion in 2021, according to funding information available on the portal of the budget office of the federation.

However, UDEME could not get the exact amount released to the contractor from the agency in charge of the project due to a lack of response to an official request.

STATUS OF THE PROJECT

When UDEME visited the project site, it was discovered that the project is yet to be fully executed and work is not moving at a fast pace.

The security manning the site, Adebayo Segun, said he had not seen any worker on-site for some weeks.

Maybe there is no money on the ground. Since April 1st that I took over (from my colleague), I havent seen workers on this site. The carpenter only came once, he said.

The facility, located at the Olajuwon Olayide Extension opposite the universitys second gate, was halfway done with the ground floor partially completed.

Although the walls have been plastered, the inner part of the building was filled with dirt and dust. The outer part of the building was partially taken over by weeds. On the project site were some blocks, irons and other materials, indicating that work was abruptly stopped at some point.

The main building has been roofed. But some parts of the facility were without windows and doors. Also, there was no working borehole facility at the back of the building.

The project was kick-started at a ceremony in November 2020 by the immediate past vice-chancellor. But while the reporter could not get the contractor to speak about when and why work stopped, it was gathered that the project is running behind schedule already.

If completed, the laboratory is expected to be used for the study of the earth system from ocean to climate, air quality, space weather, and more.

It was meant to help the university provide research, observation, and computing facilities for the atmospheric and earth system science community.

Project ought to have been completed  HOD

The Head of Physics Department, UI, Oluseyi Oke, said that work ought to have been completed.

While ordinarily, we expected that the project ought to have been completed last year, to the best of our knowledge the project is not bad at all because there are three entities monitoring the project  ICPC, Ministry of Special Duties and National Assembly.

The timetable when the project started suggests that the project should terminate sometime last year, why it has not been terminated we are not in the best position to know, he said.

Adeniyi Mojisola, the coordinator of the atmospheric unit, said the laboratory would benefit everyone in the department.

All categories of students would benefit from the projects, from undergraduate to postgraduate students. We have an atmosphere. This (project under construction) is just adding to what we already have.

Agency, contractor lawmaker reacts

This reporter reached out to the project contractor through the office line made available on the project signpost but the receiver said it was a wrong phone number.

UDEME also reached out to the Centre for Atmospheric Research of NASRDA for comments on the exact amount released for the project and why it has not been completed but the receiver said the director of the centre was observing a public holiday (Good Friday). He advised this reporter to fill out the complaint form available on their website.

Today is a public holiday. If you have any message for him, I will deliver it. Fill the form, put your number, we will definitely contact you.

Advertisements





This reporter did as advised but the centre has yet to respond, several weeks later.

UDEME reached out again for comments through the centres telephone line. The receiver, Oluwaseye Adedoja, an official of the Engineering and Technical Support Unit of the centre, said work was ongoing and that he would direct that the official request be responded to.

Work is going on. I am sure of that. I will ask that your email be responded to. The funding and whatsoever is available, he said.

However, as of press time, no response was received and the website of the centre is not accessible any longer.

Kayode Fakuyi, the media aide to the Deputy Senate Leader did not dispute findings by this reporter but said that the Senate was in recess and he can only get quality information about the project when the Senate resumes plenary.

The Senate is in recess. When it resumes I can help you get quality information, he said.

Udeme is an accountability project of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). Premium Times has their permission to publish this article.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) got its first female presidential aspirant on Thursday as Uju Ohanenye bought the partys Expression of Interest and Nomination forms in Abuja.

She told journalists after picking the forms that male aspirants in the race would not succeed in intimidating her.

My fear is that men will want to muscle me out, but I am standing firmly for the people I am here to protect.

They will want to push me over, but I cannot be intimidated. I have been emboldened, she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APCs presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms sell for N100 million.

Female aspirants, youths and persons with disability vying for any elective office on the platform of the party are to pay 50 per cent of the cost, however.

Ms Ohanenye said like the male presidential aspirants, she had what it would take to lead the country to the next phase of development.

She said she would withdraw from the race for any aspirant with the vision and desire to address growing poverty and insecurity in the country.

The aspirant stressed, however, that as a mother, she had the magic wand to do things better.

It is so obvious and all of us know that it is time for a mother to come on board.

As it is today, considering the state of insecurity in the country and other things, children need motherly care; we can understand that from their attitude.

I have never been a politician, but because of what I have seen, I just felt I should come on board.

The major solution I am bringing on board is to involve the commoners and the less privileged in the governance of the country, she said.

Ms Ohanenye, a legal practitioner, said there was the need to involve the common man in the governance of the country and to create job opportunities for the teaming unemployed youths.

She said Nigerian youths were very intelligent and should not be allowed to be engaged in anti-social activities.

I am going to localise the construction of roads and many other things.

I wont copy the Westerners all through because they have their ways of constructing roads which makes the construction very expensive, she said.

She explained that locals would be engaged in road construction to get them involved and to enable them to earn incomes to reduce unemployment and keep the people busy and out of mischief.

Ms Ohanenye explained that she was not interested in contesting for the governorship seat in her state because she doesnt want to be limited to a particular region or place.

I want to be out for all Nigerians be you Christian, Muslim, male, female; I dont care. I just want to be there to ensure that everybody feels good.

Lack of love, selfishness and bias are the causes of insecurity; people no longer feel any sense of belonging or reason to live, she observed.

She said she would support the speculated consensus option to pick APCs presidential candidate on the condition that the major reason for her joining the race was addressed.

Those issues concerning the downtrodden must be addressed.

Advertisements





I dont really care if any other person other than I takes up the responsibility, but the person must be one who will look into solving the problems of Nigeria, she said.

More than 10 aspirants have so far joined the APC presidential race.

They are Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APCs national leader, Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation and Rochas Okorocha.

Others are Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi, Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chukwuemeka Nwajuba, the Minister of State for Education, Governor David Umuahi of Ebonyi, Tunde Bakare and Ken Nnamani.

Others still are Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi Ibikunle Amosun (APC-Ogun Central) and former two-term governor of Ogun and Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State.

The APC special presidential primary convention is scheduled to hold from May 30 to June 1.

(NAN)
The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom has announced the recovery of about $23.5 million in looted funds from the allies and family of a former Nigerian dictator, the late Sani Abacha.

The funds were retrieved as part of a wider pool of funds identified by the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) as having been stolen out of Nigeria in the 1990s by Mr Abacha and his accomplices, according to a statement posted on the U.K.s crime agency website on Thursday.

According to the NCA, the looted funds were recovered after the USDOJ requested enforcement of the U.S. forfeiture order relating to the seized monies after nearly seven years of litigation and international negotiations to secure the recovery order.

It said the funds have now been transferred to the Home Office of the UK for onward transmission to the USDOJ.

Billy Beattie, Asset Denial Senior Manager at the NCA, said the civil recovery of assets is a powerful weapon in the fight against corruption.

The official also added that the NCA is committed to ensuring that the UK is not a haven for criminals to launder their proceeds of crime.

The NCA is committed to ensuring that the UK is not a haven for criminals to launder their proceeds of crime, and the civil recovery of assets is a powerful weapon in this fight.

We work closely with the UK and international partners to tackle the threat posed by corruption, which disproportionately impacts the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.

We are committed to ensuring that those who perpetrate corruption do not benefit from their actions.

Nigeria had also in the past recovered several other tranches of Abacha loot, including the latest, US$308 million laundered by Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Bagudu, from Jersey.

In 2006, about $723 million in Abacha loot was returned to Nigeria from Switzerland but the use of the recovery was largely unaccounted for, Transparency International said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in August 2020, the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the government of Ireland and the Nigerian government for the return of 5.5 million stolen by Mr Abacha.

Mr Abacha was a notorious kleptocrat who was named by Transparency International alongside Indonesias Suharto and Mobutu Seko of Zaire (now DR Congo) as the worlds worst state official thieves.

Mr Abacha is thought to have stolen between three and five billion dollars, the majority of which came from Nigerias oil resources.

However, the NCA stated that the latest case of Mr Abachas loot recovery is still underway, with the USDOJ identifying further funds looted by Mr Abacha and his cronies.

Also, it is unclear if and how the latest recovery will be transferred to the federal government of Nigeria.

The Nigerian government has yet to react to it.
The gunmen terrorising Nigerias South-east have declared a two-day lockdown across the region to protest President Muhammadu Buharis visit to Ebonyi State.

The terror group made the declaration when they visited the Ariaria International Market, Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, on Wednesday.

They also reportedly made the announcement in other states in the region.

The group was said to have asked residents of the region to stay indoors between Thursday and Friday (Today).

The declaration came less than 24 hours to the scheduled two-day visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Ebonyi State to commission multiple projects executed by Governor Dave Umahis administration.

Mr Umahi had said the presidents visit would last between Thursday, May 5 and Friday, May 6, for the commissioning of the projects.

How residents hailed, cheered the gunmen

A video clip of the gunmen at the market has gone viral on various social media platforms.

In the 30-second clip, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the gunmen, numbering about 50, lined up in a section of the market, while one of them addressed congregated traders.

This newspaper could not hear what the gunmen said as the audio quality of the clip was poor.

But, a shop owner, in the market, Ifeanyi Chukwu, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen said the order was declared to ensure that residents do not welcome Mr Buahri.

Wielding heavy rifles and wearing masks on their faces, the gunmen shortly departed the market in a procession-like style. Most of them were clad in black attire

Some traders were heard hailing and clapping for the gunmen while they moved out of the market.

Odogwu, Odogwu, a voice was heard in the video apparently hailing the gunmen.

The word, Odogwu is an Igbo expression for the great one or a great people.

Unknown gunmen! another voice was heard from the crowd hailing the terror group.

Power, power, another voice from the crowd said.

Many residents defy order on first day

Despite the declaration of the lockdown by the group, the majority of the residents of South-east ignored the order on Thursday.

Economic activities went on unhindered. Markets, filling stations and banks opened for business in various parts of the region.

Some residents in the region who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES confirmed that roads were busy with both human and vehicular traffic.

The sit-at-home order was, however, obeyed on Thursday in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State.

Ariaria International Market, where the gunmen visited, did not open for business.

We did not open yesterday (Thursday). We are not sure of today, a shop owner in the market, who asked not to be mentioned, said Friday morning.

In fact, the whole of Aba was shut down yesterday, he said, wondering why traders in the area were made to suffer because of the presidents visit to another state.

Advertisements





The gunmen, believed to be part of Biafra agitation, had released a video where they threatened to disrupt the 2023 general elections in the South-east.

They are suspected to be the gunmen enforcing the suspended sit-at-home order in Nigerias South-east.

Insecurity has deteriorated in the region with attacks reported almost daily across the five states of the region. The states are Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu.

The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.

The Nigerian government had accused IPOB of being responsible for the attacks in the region. But the separatist group has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.

IPOB is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.

The leader of the separatist group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently being detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for alleged treason.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said the federal government would take over the management of the University of Medical Sciences in Uburu, Ebonyi State.

Mr Buhari stated this at a dinner held in his honour in Abakaliki, the state capital.

This was contained in a statement by the presidents spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

The president arrived in the South-east state earlier on Thursday, on a two-day visit.

Before the dinner, he had inaugurated some projects built by the administration of Governor Dave Umahi.

The projects include the Office Complex of the Wife of the Governor, Akanu Ibiam Lodge (New Governors Lodge), Ebonyi House (Governors Office), Light Tunnel Flyover and the Ebonyi Shopping Mall.

Mr Buhari said the ownership of the university was on and will be concluded soon.

On Mr Umahis request for the federal government to buy airport equipment valued at N10 billion, the president said he would find out the position of the Ministry of Aviation on it.

Read the full statement:

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

FG TO TAKE OVER MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES UBURU, SAYS PRESIDENT BUHARI

The Federal Government will take over the management of the University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, as a Federal Medical University.

President Muhammadu Buhari made the pronouncement at a state dinner in his honour on Thursday, in response to a request by Governor Dave Umahi on the university located in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the State.

The President told the people of Ebonyi that the process for the change of ownership of the university is on and will be concluded soon.

On the request by the State governor to buy airport equipment valued at N10 billion, the President promised to find out the position of the Ministry of Aviation regarding that.

The President thanked the State government for the honour of naming the State International Airport and magnificent 4-way Light Tunnel after him.

He expressed confidence that these facilities and many more will further the frontiers of economic development in Ebonyi State in particular and the nation at large.

President Buhari, who assured the government and people of Ebonyi State of the support of his administration to enable the Governor to accomplish his vision for the State, thanked them for the reception accorded him during the two-day State visit.

Thank you for keeping faith with our administrations development programmes and the manifestoes of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), he said.

The President recounted that the last time he visited the State in 2017 in the 2nd quarter of the first tenure of Governor Umahis administration, he had witnessed the commencement of mind-blowing projects.

I saw in Governor Umahi a strong desire to change the narrative of the State and meet the aspirations of the founding fathers.

I was enthused by Your Excellencys vision to create the needed environment and raise the economic status of the State.

I remember with pleasure, the hospitality that I received, how I was given a Chieftaincy title as Enyioha 1 of Ebonyi State and Ochioha 1 of South East by the Traditional Rulers of Ebonyi State and South-East respectively, he said.

Advertisements





I commissioned two twin-flyovers, 14 km Abakaliki  Afikpo Road, performed the foundation Laying Ceremony of the Shopping Mall as well as the 4-way Light Tunnel named after me.

At that time, your administration was in the opposition party, and yet you accorded me a spectacular reception. I thank Your Excellency and the good people of Ebonyi State.

The President told the Governor that he was honoured that in the life of my administration, Ebonyi State government and her people made the right choice to join our progressive Party, the APC. Again, I commend the Governor for the courage to join the party at the centre and for all his contributions in moving our nation forward.

Lauding the massive life-transforming projects executed by Umahi in the last seven years, the President told the Governor:

You have done your people proud. I am particularly amazed by the economic development records of the State under your administration, the wonderful network of roads, critical infrastructure and investment opportunities in the State.

He also commended the State for emerging as the second overall best in fiscal performance in Nigeria and for soaring high in fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability in the use of public resources, saying:

It shows you have zero tolerance for corruption and waste of public funds. Indeed, people of proven fiscal discipline and track records of performance are desired in our quest for nation building.

Umahi, while thanking the President for the various assistance to the State, said the financial assistance of infrastructural refund, payee refund, Paris club, bailout funds, agricultural loans, fertilizer support and budgetary funds are instances of great support to all States of the Federation.

As Chairman of South East Governors Forum, I must also thank Your Excellency for all the approvals you have made for the construction of the second Niger Bridge which is almost completed, rehabilitation of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt and Enugu-Awka expressway among others, he said.

The Governor pledged the support of Ebonyi people and indeed all South-East people, saying we value greatly this wonderful fatherly love and fair disposition to the plights of our people.

Before the dinner, the President had inaugurated Office Complex of the Wife of the Governor, Akanu Ibiam Lodge (New Governors Lodge), Ebonyi House ( Governors Office), Light Tunnel Flyover and the Ebonyi Shopping Mall.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

May 5, 2022
The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, has formally joined the 2023 presidential race under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Onu announced his bid to become the flag bearer of the ruling party on Thursday, at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.

In his speech, Mr Onu appealed to his party to make him the flag bearer of the party for him to be the chief servant of the nation.

Mr Onu, a former governor of the old Abia State, will face stiff competition from the other fellow Federal Executive Council (FEC) members, .

With the entry of Mr Onu, there are now five appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari in the race.

Earlier, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and Miniter of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba, had declared for president.

Aside from competition from the cabinet members, Mr Onu will also go head to head with the governor of his state, David Umahi of Ebonyi State. Both Messrs Onu and Umahi hail from the same town, Uburu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state.

Interestingly, Mr Buhari is currently in Ebonyi State, where he is commissioning major projects done by Mr Umahi.

In all, there are now over 17 aspirants in the party, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, National Leader of the Party, Bola Tinubu, Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Promises

Mr Onu, a former National Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), said Nigeria cannot develop without the development of science and technology.

He promised to deploy his experience as a former governor and minister to address the gap in science and technology in Nigeria.

Also, he promised to build on the infrastructural development of the incumbent administration.

The minister said, We must produce many of the things we need and use as people. Nigeria must be self-reliant.

Mr Onu and other cabinet members still face the uncertainty of section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, which makes it mandatory for political appointees to resign before participating in convention either as a delegate or aspirant.

The clause is still before the court, however, appointees at the state level have been complying with the law, while appointees of the federal government are yet to comply.
Nine members of the Kano State House of Assembly elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP).

The spokesperson of the Assembly, Uba Abdullahi, announced this in a statement he issued on Friday. He said the members have sent a letter to the Speaker of the House notifying the House of their defection.

He said some of the members cited a leadership tussle in the PDP at state and national levels for their action.

The affected members include Isyaku Ali Danja (Gezawa Constituency), Umar Musa Gama (Nassarawa Constituency), Aminu Saadu Ungogo (Ungogo Constituency), Lawan Hussain Chediyar Yan Gurasa (Dala Constituency) and Tukur Muhammad (Fagge Constituency).

The others are Muazzam El-Yakub (Dawakin Kudu Constituency), Garba Shehu Fammar (Kibiya Constituency), Abubakar Uba Galadima (Bebeji Constituency) and Mudassir Ibrahim Zawaciki (Kumbotso Constituency).

Earlier on April 29, the House announced the defection of a member representing Kano Municipal, Salisu Gwangwazo, from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), also citing an internal crisis in the main opposition party.

However, the latest defections are widely seen to be connected to the movement of a former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, from the PDP to the NNPP.

Mr Kwankwaso moved to the NNPP earlier this year and is expected to run for president on the ticket of the party.

His defection has triggered the mass defection of his followers from the PDP to the NNPP where some of them have taken party positions ahead of the partys primaries.
The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, on Friday, threw his weight behind Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, to run for another term of four years.

Mr Tinubu performed the ceremonial raising of hands of both men at a partys stakeholders meeting at Alausa, to applause from party members.

We have a brilliant governor at the helm of affairs, who is supported by his deputy to build an unbreakable team that has raised the bar of excellence in governance in Lagos, said Mr Tinubu.

I specially thank Dr Hamzat, who has been a very good assistant and a pillar of support to the governor.

Sanwo-Olu with Hamzat has raised an impenetrable team. I commend both of you and all members of the cabinet. You have all done wonderfully well and I must say that I am very proud of you.

The development comes days after the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the Lagos APC apex leadership body, had unanimously endorsed the duo for a second term.

It puts paid to speculation that Mr Sanwo-Olu would suffer the same fate as his predecessor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who failed to secure the nod of the party leadership for a second term in office.

Mr Tinubus raising of the governors hand was preceded by a motion moved by the Vice Chairman of APC (Lagos East), Saidat Oladunjoye, for open endorsement of the governor by the partys leadership.

Kehinde Joseph, a member representing Alimosho Constituency in the House of Assembly, seconded the motion.

No favouritism

Mr Tinubu said the party in Lagos would not prevent an aspirant vying for any position from testing their strength at the primaries.

He said candidates that would be fielded by the party across elective positions must go through a delegate electoral system.

Aspirants who are showing interest in positions from House of Assembly to governorship, go and get your forms; you are going to contest primaries. There will not be any favouritism in the primaries, he said.

We want you to contest and test your popularity. Nobody will ask to step down for another aspirant. Let all aspirants mobilise their supporters; if you win, you win. If you lose, there will not be a refund of the nomination form.

Mr Tinubu charged all leaders holding the party structure at the local government level to rise above their challenges and work with the community leaders in their respective councils to mobilise for the APC victory at the general election.

He directed the resolution of all grievances and disagreements causing disaffection among party members ahead of the primaries, stressing that division would not bring any good to party candidates standing for election.

Speaking at the meeting, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Mr Tinubu paid the N50 million fee for the expression of interest and nomination forms for his second term bid.

Asiwaju Tinubu is a generous man and he is doing a lot for people. He paid for my APC nomination and expression of interest forms to run for the second term, he said.

Mr Sanwo-Olu thanked Mr Tinubu for his guidance and the GAC leaders for standing by his government despite personal attacks they suffered from wayward children who turned against the party elders after benefiting from them.

The governor said it was time for the party members across levels to foster cohesion and work for the APCs success in the State and at the federal level.

Mr Sanwo-Olu, who described Tinubu as a priceless symbol of Lagos, said all hands must be on deck to ensure the state was not robbed of the presidential ticket of APC at the national primaries of the party.

It is time to come together as determined party members and show genuine love towards our national leader, who is our priceless symbol and pride in Lagos. We are taking him national and we must ensure his house is fully united.

The stakeholders meeting, convened at the instance of Mr Tinubu, was attended by Lagos APC chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, party executive members, GAC members, senatorial leaders, and stalwarts across all local councils in the State.
The UK government says it will not grant asylum to persons who have been involved with IPOB, MASSOB or any other violent Biafran group.

Persons who commit human rights violations must not be granted asylum, the UK government said in an updated migration policy. It added that if the person is excluded from the Refugee Convention, they will also be excluded from a grant of humanitarian protection.

According to the UK Visas and Immigration, if a person has been involved with IPOB (and/or an affiliated group), MASSOB or any other Biafran group that incites or uses violence to achieve its aims, decision-makers must consider whether one (or more) of the exclusion clauses under the Refugee Convention is applicable.

It noted that IPOB is proscribed as a terrorist group by the Nigerian government, and members of the group and its paramilitary wing  the Eastern Security Network  have reportedly committed human rights violations in Nigeria.

Although MASSOB has not been proscribed or declared a terrorist group by the Nigerian government, it has reportedly been involved in violent clashes with the authorities.

According to the British government, establishing a Refugee Convention reason is not sufficient to be recognised as a refugee.

The question is whether the particular person has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their actual or imputed convention reason, it added.

For an asylum application to succeed, decision-makers must consider each case on its facts, taking into account the legal status, profile, size, and organisation of the group/organisation to which the person belongs and its activities; whether a person in the UK would wish to continue their activism if returned to Nigeria (if not, why not) and whether the group/organisation has a presence in Nigeria as well as outside of the country and any evidence that it is being monitored by the government.

Other considerations include the persons profile and political activities (including those online) and relevant documentary or other evidence; the profile and activities of family members; past treatment of the person, and evidence that their activities in the UK may have come to the attention of the Nigerian security agencies.

Decision-makers will also need to take into account whether the person supports and is active on behalf of IPOB, which is a proscribed group in Nigeria, and whether they fear prosecution rather than persecution, the migration policy states.

The onus is on the person to demonstrate that they are of interest to the government because of their profile and activities and are at risk of serious harm or persecution.

IPOB is a separatist group seeking an independent country for the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria. It formed the ESN in December 2020 as an armed wing to allegedly defend Igbo interests, especially against armed Fulani herders whom it accused of attacking Igbo communities and farms.

IPOB was initially unarmed and its members were victims of extrajudicial killings by the armed forces and the police between 2015 and 2016, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation had uncovered.

Since the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by federal court order in 2017, more violent clashes have occurred between the separatists and security operatives.

In one incident in August 2020, the police stormed an IPOB meeting in Enugu and killed 21 members. Two police officers also died in the clash. Following the incident, IPOB called on its members to start practising self-defence.

The group has been accused of being responsible for the attacks bedevilling the southeast region of the country where dozens of police officers and other security officials have been killed in 2022. It has denied responsibility for the attacks.
Top media experts in Nigeria converged on Friday to discuss the challenges journalists face while carrying out their duties in Nigeria and also proffered possible solutions to them.

The event was held in commemoration of the 2022 World Press Freedom Day with the theme, What journalists need to do to keep safe, retain credibility and be sustainable.

It was organised by the International Press Institute (IPI) in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Among media personalities that attended the event are a former Director General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu; representative of the Director General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and representative of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

Charge

In his opening remark, President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, said the aim of the event was to enhance independent journalism and the operating environment for journalists and media organisations in Nigeria.

He stated that the IPI and its members are totally committed to credible and independent journalism, media freedom, freedom of speech and the free flow of news and information.

We will always stand firm and resist any measure or action that threatens these matters and principles for which we stand, he said.

Mr Mojeed lamented that journalists were often intimidated and harassed while carrying out their constitutional duty, adding that the IPI had launched a Black Book which will be used to document individuals whose actions threaten press freedom.

The records so gathered will be regularly updated and shared periodically with embassies, and all relevant international and human rights groups across the world. We will use the records to ensure named individuals are held accountable one way or another, he added.

Sustainable professional excellence

Also speaking at the event, Mr Iredia, a professor of mass communications at the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, drew the attention of journalists on the need for them to work towards the attainment of sustained professional excellence in their duties and general disposition.

The former NTA DG, who was the guest speaker at the event, also said credibility can best be attained by a profession which develops its members to embrace best practices and global realities in their operations.

He listed some of the responsibilities expected of journalists by the public to include setting of national agenda, monitoring of the society and serving as gatekeepers.

The guest speaker urged the media to communicate effectively to be understood by the public in order to avert attacks on journalists. According to him, inaccuracy leads to attacks on journalists.

We must ask ourselves if our report is always accurate because accuracy is important.

If you carry a story that is not true about someone, he has the moral right to attack.

Make efforts to be unbiased and give equal treatments to all stories because people think being in the media means that you can destroy a persons character, he said.

The veteran journalist emphasized on training and retraining of journalist on a regular basis.

There must be qualification that enables you to be a journalist.

In many professions, you cannot move from one grade to another if you have not been trained.

In todays media, so many people are on TV without passing through audition, he added.

One of the challenges he highlighted include the lack of legal constitutional backing which he said

Nigerian constitution does not specifically give power to the press.

Others, he noted are operation in obsolete facility, sycophancy and divided loyalty and concentration.

Advertisements





Some of the panelists who spoke at the event include Sani Zorro, a former President of NUJ and aide to First Lady, Aisha Buhari; Muyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police and Ladi Bala, President of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).
Farmers associations in the country have resolved to raise the N100 million to purchase presidential expression of interest and nomination forms for the Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele ahead of 2023 general elections.

The farmers say they decided to raise the N100 million as a form of appreciation for what Mr Emefiele did for farmers in the country.

They said the boss of the countrys apex Bank placed priority on commodity and agricultural value chain in the country.

Ibrahim Garba, one of the leaders of the coalition told reporters the group is made up of over 30 commodity associations from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mr Garba said commodity associations are the biggest stakeholders in the country ahead of the 2023 general elections. He added that food security is the shortest path to the countrys development.

Agriculture is the key to achieving national security. Through agriculture, millions of Nigerians are economically empowered and gainfully engaged, our industries are revived, a multifaceted value chain ecosystem created, and food security is ensured, he said.

He said in the last seven years, Nigeria has carved a niche for itself as a country that has achieved self-sufficiency in food production.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerians were never short of food. We were never hungry even when every country in the world shut its borders for nearly a year.

Only God knows what would have happened if we were importing the food we eat. There would have been war. But that was averted due to the resilience of Nigerian farmers and commitment to agriculture by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, one of the farmers leader from the South-east, Madu Ndubuisi, said.

Emefiele and presidency contest

Some newspapers reported on Friday that the CBN governor had picked the APC nomination presidential form, a claim that eventually proved to be incorrect.

Supporters and loyalists of the CBN governor have been rooting for him to join the presidential race.

Posters that indicated that Mr Emefiele was running for the countrys top job started appearing in several cities across the country weeks ago.

But Mr Emefiele has neither confirmed nor denied the rumour that he is interested in the presidential race.
A big crowd of governors and former governors, ministers and a few senators are sending in their applications, but they are not telling the selection committee  party delegates and the shareholders, Nigerian citizens of voting age  why they are applying for this specific job. Apparently, they are relying on the two normal stratagems  prayers and lobbying

In my career, I have headed organisations and one of my most difficult periods has been during recruitments. One is inundated by applications and the ambient feeling is that everyone has decided to apply, irrespective of whether they are qualified for the job advertised or not. Very few people appear to read the qualifications required for the job, as many simply apply and pray. They also seek out powerful people from their states or zones to lobby Oga for the job. When sifting through the applications, my first step is usually to see whether the application has mentioned the job being applied for and, secondly, whether the applicant states why s/he thinks s/he is qualified for the particular advertised job. My experience is that 90 per cent of applications do not and they simply rule themselves out of consideration. The normal opening line for applicants is that: I hereby apply for the job you advertised and my qualifications are as follows. Very few seek to relate their qualifications to the cognate experience required for the job advertised.

This memory is awakened by the hordes of applicants paying for the right to apply for the position of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which has been advertised. A big crowd of governors and former governors, ministers and a few senators are sending in their applications, but they are not telling the selection committee  party delegates and the shareholders, Nigerian citizens of voting age  why they are applying for this specific job. Apparently, they are relying on the two normal stratagems  prayers and lobbying, and dont ask a political scientist like me what lobbying means, I suspect it does not have the same meaning with what I learnt in school.

One candidate, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has explained his qualification. Nigeria, he said, needs a madman like him to turn things around. Again, my mind meandered off to when I was recruiting. What would I have thought of an applicant to work for my organisation who says s/he is qualified because s/he is mad? My readers can reflect on what their attitude should be. I recall that when Bola Tinubu visited President Buhari to tell him of his intention to contest for the vacancy, he told Nigerians that he is applying because he has always wanted the job. I dont know, but maybe Wike and Tinubu are the honest ones.

What I hear from the others is that ordinary people from across the country have put money together to buy them nomination forms to increase the pressure on them to contest, and that they are obliged to accept this gesture of goodwill. One of the parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), requires N100 million and I wonder how ordinary people can raise that type of money. The APC, however, is not wondering. Their sale of forms was to have ended today, May 6, but due to popular demand, they have decided to extend it for four more days. ThisDays lead story yesterday estimated that the party has so far made N30 billion from the sale of forms, so it might not be surprising that it wants to make more.

I have always argued that the pathway to deepening democracy is to get ordinary members take over control of their parties and if they are blocked, to move en masse to other parties that might be ready to play the democratic game. Nigerian political parties need members, not patrons and their clients. The attachment of citizens should be to political parties, not to patrons or godfathers who pay for their engagement

We the shareholders of the Nigeria Project, ordinary citizens, need to interrogate the political class on this matter. We know that nobody is paying for their forms, that they are paying out of their pockets, and because they think we are stupid, they are claiming that ordinary people are buying the forms for them. The question is: Where did they get the money from? As governors or ministers, none of them earned N100 million as legitimate income. We are forced to make the only possible conclusion that they must have stolen these monies from government coffers. If this is the case, they have disqualified themselves from the contest due to their criminal activities. A democracy cannot survive when those in power steal from the treasury and use that money to continue in power; this time occupying even greater offices. The reason most politicians go for the executive offices of president and governor is that the positions make it possible for them to access and use public resources without accountability.

These players are in the political arena to seek our votes, not for the public good, but to continue to divide and ruin Nigeria for their self-aggrandisement. As I have always argued however, the quality and ethical standards of our political class is very poor because we as citizens cannot continue to accept it as a given that our leaders lack integrity and competence and yet allow them to keep governing. By so doing, we are as guilty as the politicians in creating the ideological basis for excusing the political class from responsibilities for what they say, promise and do, or rather, do not do. As we all know, in representative democracy, the political class is by definition supposed to be composed of people with character and integrity, who keep their word and do exactly what they promise to do.

I have always argued that the pathway to deepening democracy is to get ordinary members take over control of their parties and if they are blocked, to move en masse to other parties that might be ready to play the democratic game. Nigerian political parties need members, not patrons and their clients. The attachment of citizens should be to political parties, not to patrons or godfathers who pay for their engagement in the political process. The mode of participation in political party activities, which is currently mediated by political bosses to whom people owe allegiance, must change.

Leadership requires people with a vision of what they want to achieve for Nigeria It is therefore important to define competence on the basis of track record of proposed candidates  professional background and accomplishments; community engagement and service; views expressed on political, economic and social issues. There has to be a minimum education standard; a degree or higher national diploma.

In my column of March 25, I argued that we must develop an overwhelming consensus that political leadership cannot remain the only job for which no qualification appears necessary, except to have a lot of money, usually, stolen money. It is clear that for as long as the current pattern of leadership recruitment continues, our troubles will continue. It is for this reason that we must find a way of bringing relevant criteria to bear on the selection of leadership. We have to find a way of making character, competence and capacity determine who leads Nigeria.

I, therefore, argued that only people of proven integrity should be considered for leadership. People know who the persons of good character are in their communities and the proposal is that before primaries, widespread discussions should be held to identify people with integrity to be considered for positions. Many such people may not propose themselves for public office, knowing the high level of monetisation of our politics and might therefore rule themselves out of consideration. The benefit of community involvement in the process is that resources could be raised collectively to support the candidature of those identified. People who have been known, formally or informally, to have been involved in corruption must be ruled out of consideration at the outset. Truthfulness is another important criterion for consideration.

Leadership requires people with a vision of what they want to achieve for Nigeria. Of course, those who want to present themselves can get good consultants to write up visions and programmes for them. It is therefore important to define competence on the basis of track record of proposed candidates  professional background and accomplishments; community engagement and service; views expressed on political, economic and social issues. There has to be a minimum education standard; a degree or higher national diploma. Finally, age and good health are key factors in leadership and Nigerians know a lot about this issue. People over seventy years should be encouraged to stay out of politics because they are unlikely to have the energy for the enormous work involved in running a country as large and complex as Nigeria.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
This raises the issue of whether during visits to countries, the UN Secretary-General should meet only with governments, while leaving out non-state actors. Can this be part of the problem; that the UN scribe is a chief servant with many masters who happen to be the governments of member states? Does humanity need a UN that is faithful to state agents rather than to the human race?

The tours through Europe and Africa from April 26, by Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, raised once again the powers, importance and relevance of the world body.

The tours reinforced my analysis that the UN scribe is basically a funambulist, an acrobat walking a tightrope or slack on the world stage. He has to be faithful to many masters with conflicting interests, especially the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, each of which, at will, can veto whatever he does or deny him a second term in office, as was done to Boutros Boutros-Ghali in 1996.

When Guterres visited Europe over the Ukrainian Conflict, he was aware that two permanent members, China and Russia, are on one side, and the three other members: the United States, Britain and France, are on the other. It was like a man tiptoeing through a landmine. He had visited Russia before crossing over to Ukraine. He received a barrage of attacks for not visiting Ukraine first. But did it really matter which country he visited first? Secondly, the visit, coming in the third month of the war, was late, when the UN, in the first place, should have prevented the war. True? Can the UN effectively intervene in a war in which its permanent members have no meeting point?

I think these attacks were tactics meant to intimidate Guterres into feeling some guilt that he had not championed the cause of Ukraine. Before this visit, Ukraine had attacked the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, for not allegedly being effective in addressing the humanitarian crisis in which 12 million persons are in need of assistance. It had also attacked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for alleged inaction. In fact, ICRC president, Peter Maurer, who visited Russia, was accused of being in bed with the former.

In Moscow, Guterres and President Vladimir Putin discussed proposals for humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, especially in the port city of Mariupol, where thousands of civilians, Ukrainian troops, and non-state far-right combatants, remain holed up in the Azovstal steel mill. Guterres said possible war crimes  a refrain of Ukraine and its supporters  will require independent investigation for effective accountability. He proposed the establishment of a tripartite Humanitarian Contact Group, comprising Russia, Ukraine and the UN, to look for opportunities for the opening of safe corridors, with local cessations of hostilities, and to guarantee that they are actually effective.

The UN scribe raised the energy and food crises the war has caused, adding that: This comes on top of the shock of the continued COVID-19 pandemic and uneven access to resources for recovery, that particularly penalise developing countries around the world. So, the sooner peace is established, the better  for the sake of Ukraine, Russia, and for the world. Guterres, who had repeatedly called for ceasefires, said: But it is my deep conviction that the sooner we end this war, the better  for the people of Ukraine, for the people of the Russian Federation, and those far beyond. But he had no ceasefire plan nor any for a negotiated settlement.

As in Russia, while he seemed worried about the war and its effects, he did not press for a ceasefire or immediate peace talks. Yet he knew that the war is devastating for humanity. When he flew to Senegal, Guterres told the African continent that its twin challenges of COVID-19 and climate change have, with the Ukrainian War, become threefold.

He was merely a messenger of peace. On April 28, Guterres crossed into Ukraine, visiting the Kyiv suburbs of Borodianka, Bucha and Irpin, claimed places of war crimes, where he said the horrific scenario demonstrates something that is, unfortunately, always true: civilians always pay the highest price.

He added: I fully support the International Criminal Court and I appeal to the Russian Federation to accept to cooperate with the International Criminal Court.

As in Russia, while he seemed worried about the war and its effects, he did not press for a ceasefire or immediate peace talks. Yet he knew that the war is devastating for humanity. When he flew to Senegal, Guterres told the African continent that its twin challenges of COVID-19 and climate change have, with the Ukrainian War, become threefold.

He emphasised that the war is aggravating a triple food, energy and financial crisis, which could push more people into hunger and result in socio-political crises. Guterres is aware that the combatants in Ukraine, their backers and cheerleaders, do not want an immediate end to the war, so despite his personal belief, he is not pushing for peace. All he does is make loud lamentations about the war. In the Niger Republic, where he arrived on May 2, his theme was about terrorism in the region.

Referring to the terrorism in Tillaberi, Tahoua and Diffa in the northwest, south and southeast of Niger Republic, and cross border attacks in the Maradi region by terrorists operating from Nigeria, Guterres told President Mohamed Bazoum that, peace, stability and prosperity in Niger and across the Sahel remains an absolute priority for the United Nations.

The UN says in Niger, where 80 per cent of the populace depends on agriculture, a combination of climate change and terrorism has forced many off the farms and that 15 per cent of its 25 million people, will require humanitarian assistance in 2022.

Just like Borno, these states are devastated, with many living for years now in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Does the Nigerian government not want these states and their terror victims to be assisted by the UN? Why is the government exhibiting the terrorist activities in the North-East for the world to assist, while seemingly keeping those in the North-Central under wraps?

The situation in Nigeria raised the issue of how much the UN and its leadership know and how the state can control access.

Guterres had visited Borno State this Tuesday and interacted with displaced persons and repentant Boko Haram members.

Based on this and what he saw, he said: I want to congratulate the governor for what I see today. I want to strongly appeal to the international community to understand Borno as a State of hope, to support humanitarian action in Borno, to recognise the enormous challenges that Borno faces with climate change and Boko Haram activities, and to invest in (the) Borno of hope.

While this is commendable, the question is why other major areas of terrorism, especially Plateau and Benue States  where terrorists, mainly from outside the country, occupy countless towns and villages, pillaging, murdering and seizing the homesteads of the people  were not on the schedule of the UN scribe.

Just like Borno, these states are devastated, with many living for years now in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Does the Nigerian government not want these states and their terror victims to be assisted by the UN? Why is the government exhibiting the terrorist activities in the North-East for the world to assist, while seemingly keeping those in the North-Central under wraps?

This raises the issue of whether during visits to countries, the UN Secretary-General should meet only with governments, while leaving out non-state actors. Can this be part of the problem; that the UN scribe is a chief servant with many masters who happen to be the governments of member states? Does humanity need a UN that is faithful to state agents rather than to the human race?

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.
The late Alaafin, Adeyemi III, who reigned for 51 years and five months, was one of the most progressive kings of his era, both in Yorubaland and throughout Nigeria. Deeply rooted in the Yoruba belief system, traditions, and history, His Imperial Majesty was proof that education must be combined with culture to produce knowledge. The Alaafin was known for his diplomatic and strategic approaches to political affairs. He drew his friends close and his enemies closer.

I knew the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III at a most personal level. We had such a cordial relationship that I had his private cellphone number. Professor Akin Alao of the Obafemi Awolowo University was our go-between, and he was at the palace with me many times. Oba Lamidi honoured me with his presence at conferences and showed me some of his draft papers. He accepted the idea of creating a museum at Oyo. He revealed his knowledge to me on the depth of his understanding of Yoruba history.

When he turned 80 in 2018, Professor Siyan Oyeweso of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding invited several professors, including my humble self, to a conference in his honour held at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo. At the opening ceremony of this conference on October 8, 2018, I called for the creation of Alafinology as a sub-field in the broader context of kingship and argued that we could have created degree courses around divination and kingship to strengthen our indigenous knowledge system. I knew him, and he knew me. We were united in advancing the project of the enhancement of African civilisation.

That was a memorable conference for reasons additional to the main objective of celebrating the Alaafin at 80. Ibadan was in an uproar over the decision of the governor, the late Senator Isiaka Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi, to fragment the Olubadanship into dozens of other titled Obas. I was tasked with being part of the delegation to talk him out of it. It was an unsuccessful mission, with the governor telling us privately that he could use his authority to remove the Olubadan if he did not cooperate with him. We were supposed to do the talking, but the governor was on that day suffering from acute verbal diarrhea. Still unsuccessful was the mission endorsed by the Alaafin for five of us to speak to the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi, over the style and substance of His Majestys public appearances and juvenile statements. The breakout of the Oluwos irregular psychotic episodes turned a correctional mission into expressions of condolence. October 18 was the last time I would see Chief Lekan Are, the notable Ibadan political gladiator and entrepreneur. Chief Are revealed a secret: He opened his cellphone to show me the devastating data on his health conditions. He did not recover from the terrible sickness. May his soul continue to rest in peace. There remains the living, many who attended the conference, including Professors Akin Ogundiran, J. Lorand Matory, and Tunji Olaopa, all of who gave the major addresses. Ogundiran has become the greatest Alaafinologist in African history with his well-received book, The Yoruba: A New History, which covers a long span of two thousand years.

Alaafin, Iku Baba Yeye

Whenever I come across a key part of his cognomen stated above  the most prominent words to address one of Africas most historically powerful kings  I marvel at the etymological ingenuity that went into coining such powerful lines to aptly portray the power and influence of the largest empire in Yoruba history.

Yes, the Alaafin remains renowned as the Iku Baba Yeye, but ironically, however, death is the ultimate leveler and regulator. Only in death does the poor church-mouse measure up to the extremely wealthy; of course, that is after the fanfare and glee of the richs burial ceremony, not in terms of the amount spent on coffins and all the glitz. Undoubtedly, everyone gets to die, so living to witness another persons burial is never a sign of advantage or supremacy over them. As a result, death is considered a natural phenomenon most feared, which no one, no matter how powerful, can evade.

Then, there is the Alaafin appellationSo, for a people to refer to their king as the owner of the palace, and not the owner of a palace, the respect and sovereignty accorded that king must be enormous. And such is the authority and power that all ascendants to the throne of the Alaafin have enjoyed, from the first Alaafin in an undated historical moment to Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, whose life and impact we are reminiscing on presently.

If death is the ultimate leveler and everyone gets to die, why then are the ascendants to the throne of Oyo, the historically rich city in Nigeria, referred to as children birthed in the loins of death? Omo Iku tiku kole pa, Omo Arun tarun kole se. The Iku Baba Yeye appellation has its etymological roots in the words: Iku Ni Baba, Iku Ni Yeye, literally translated as Death is both the father and the mother, the ultimate reality of human mortality and the gender-neutral anti-climax of life. It is the conquest of death in its spiritual essence. Thus, the Alaafin is not dead; rather, he only relocated his dwelling, first to the attic and then to the cloud. The cognomen signifies the depth of the Alaafins power and authority. Therefore, drawing such parallels between the Alaafin and death serves as a means of relating the unquantifiable nature of his power and significance.

Then, there is the Alaafin appellation. Alaafin, made soothing on the lips by transforming the two words, Oni and Aaafin  loosely translated as the Owner of the Palace. Now, it must take a deep sense of awe and reverence for His Imperial Majesty, the King of Oyo, to be referred to as the Alaafin within the Yoruba nation in the context of power and authority in Africa and the world at large. So, for a people to refer to their king as the owner of the palace, and not the owner of a palace, the respect and sovereignty accorded that king must be enormous. And such is the authority and power that all ascendants to the throne of the Alaafin have enjoyed, from the first Alaafin in an undated historical moment to Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, whose life and impact we are reminiscing on presently.

Oba Adeyemi III, now alive in the company of his ancestors in the Oranmiyan compound in the abode beyond the skies, ascended the throne of Oyo at a time the whole of Nigeria was undergoing a crisis. The Nigerian Civil War had just ended ten months before his ascension to the throne, and if anything, the country was not in a celebratory mood. Close to a million lives had been lost. It was also a politically tense period, with people hurt physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Any misstep from anyone, especially those in positions of power, could relapse into another war. Additionally, it was during the height of the military government that overthrew the First Republic. Coupled with the bitter taste of the dregs of the Civil War, the Alaafins ascension to the throne was in a period in which any monarch could easily get confused about where their loyalties should lie and how they should form alliances.

On the contrary was a lingering story that cut deep: the story of the politically masterminded deposition, in 1955, of Oba Adeniran Adeyemi II, the father of the recently deceased Oba Lamidi Adeyemi. Thus, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III ascended the throne in a politicised atmosphere that required him to be cautious, both for himself and his people. The politicians who humiliated his late father were still alive. The precarious situation shaped the philosophy of the longest-reigning king of Oyo: Be bold, be truthful, and be wary of poisonous snakes in human skin.

The late Alaafin, Adeyemi III, who reigned for 51 years and five months, was one of the most progressive kings of his era, both in Yorubaland and throughout Nigeria. Deeply rooted in the Yoruba belief system, traditions, and history, His Imperial Majesty was proof that education must be combined with culture to produce knowledge. The Alaafin was known for his diplomatic and strategic approaches to political affairs. He drew his friends close and his enemies closer. He was a deep-thinking and progressive monarch who earned the love and respect of his people and other kings alike. His influence spread beyond Oyo State to the Southwestern part of the country and even to other parts of Nigeria. He was a man who wielded power democratically and commanded respect from his strategic position in Oyo-Ile.

For a monarch of Yoruba extraction to sit on the throne of his ancestors for more than half a century, surrounded by the powerful (and much-dreaded) Oyo Mesi, the Ultimate Council of Kingmakers, this Alaafin was a regal, spiritual and political enigma, whose reign will be indelibly carved in the annals of Yoruba history.

Until his last days, Oba Adeyemi III was an active ruler and considering that he was a king who transcended different periods in Nigerias existence and evolution, it is applaudable and worthy of remembrance to note that the enthusiastic Oba Adeyemi, who ascended the ancestral throne of power in 1970, remained relevant and vibrant until his 83rd year when he journeyed to Baara. He was a king who witnessed the different eras of the Nigerian state  both military and democratic  and their attendant characteristics. Despite the sour history that preceded his ascension to the throne, he remained relevant even with the transition of time and approaches due to the way he intensified the need to unify the people of Oyo. The Alaafins extensive political acumen made him the Head of the Council of Obas in Oyo State for a very long time.

Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi III was a man who knew how to rule. He was not oblivious of the need to be close to the people, while ensuring that familiarity did not breed contempt. He was close enough to spend time with the Oyo people and win their respect; yet he was quick to make moves to warn those who wanted to plot against him. His Imperial Majesty showed political prowess and demonstrated that not all political power was lost. The Alaafin never shied away from promoting the Yoruba people and their culture. He was a man who had his people, their beliefs and traditions at the core of his system, as evident in the way he gave precedence to Yoruba religion and Oyo traditional practices.

On October 24, 2021, we hosted Alaafin Adeyemi III on the Toyin Falola Interview series. It was not my first encounter with him, but it was many peoples closest interaction with him  an encounter that helped them to see the Alaafin from some newer perspectives. During the interview, the Alaafin addressed the state of traditional rulership in Nigeria, the state of our institutions, belief systems, and cultures, and the role that he and other like-minded Obas played in ensuring that the traditional institutions were preserved. He was a king who did all he could to keep traditions and institutions alive. Remarkably, he was never wont to give his take on issues. He was diplomatic, yes, but fearlessly so. The transcripts of the interview with the Alaafin have now become a permanent record: They are on Facebook and YouTube.

Until he took his last breath, Iku Baba Yeye, the Alaafin of Oyo, was an energetic, people-embracing, knowledgeable, and powerful monarch. His sheer knowledge of the Yoruba nation, founded on his education in history at strategic cultural institutions, including at the Alakes Palace, where his father sent him for socialisation, was remarkably profound. The demise of the Alaafin has left a void at the core of the Yoruba nation. History, power, alliances, collaboration, and politics will not be the same with the transition of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III to the realm of ancestors, where he is now ruling in the unseen world.

For a monarch of Yoruba extraction to sit on the throne of his ancestors for more than half a century, surrounded by the powerful (and much-dreaded) Oyo Mesi, the Ultimate Council of Kingmakers, this Alaafin was a regal, spiritual and political enigma, whose reign will be indelibly carved in the annals of Yoruba history.

Remain alive, Iku Baba Yeye, Omo iku tiku o le pa!

Toyin Falola, a professor of History, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at The University of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland.
The statutory and ad-hoc delegates to the forthcoming primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State have unanimously assured Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who is also the leader of the party in the state and the South East geo-political zone, of their 100 percent loyalty and support in respect of his political decisions regarding the choice of candidates that will fly PDP flags in the 2023 general elections.

The delegates gave Ugwuanyi the assurance, when they paid him a solidarity and Thank-you visit at the Government House, Enugu, on Thursday. They told him that their loyalty and support are intact and unwavering, stressing that they would stand where the governor stands as their leader in the state.

Led by the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr. Edward Ubosi, the member representing Nkanu East/West Federal Constituency, Mr. Nnolim Nnaji, his Enugu East/Isi-Uzo counterpart, Mr. Prince Cornelius Nnaji, former Deputy Governor of the State, Bishop Ralph Nwoye, the PDP Zonal Chairman, Enugu East Senatorial District, Mr. Nnamdi Nwafor, among others, the delegates told the governor that their decision is unanimous and borne out of their unflinching loyalty and support to him and his leadership qualities as a peaceful and result-oriented leader.

Delivering their message, Mr. Ubosi disclosed that the delegates were among the people of Enugu East Senatorial District who organised the Oganiru Mega Rally last year, to remind all stakeholders that it is the turn of the senatorial zone to produce the next Governor of Enugu State in 2023, based on the existing rotational zoning arrangement in the state.

We are here to reaffirm our collective stance that where you ask us to go is where we will go. We equally came to reiterate that we are one family waiting to follow your directions. Just say a word and consider it done. We have 100 percent loyalty for you, the Speaker added.

Also speaking, the PDP Zonal Chairman, Mr. Nwafor maintained that the delegates are solidly behind the governor and came to show you our solidarity and that we are with you, saying: Where you ask us to go is where we will go.

In his speech on behalf of the Chairmen of the six local government areas of Enugu East Senatorial District, the Chairman of Enugu East LGA, Mr. Livinus Nze Anike told Gov. Ugwuanyi that We the people of Enugu East Senatorial District are with you in the morning, in the afternoon and in the night.

On his part, the Chairman of the PDP in Nkanu East LGA, Mr. Emeka Nwatu, on behalf of the PDP in the six LGAs of the zone, appreciated Mr. Ugwuanyi for his inclusive leadership style and commitment to their progress, disclosing that they are for him come rain, come shine.

The delegates endorsement message was crowned with a prayer by Bishop Nwoye who beseeched God to guide, protect and bestow the governor with the wisdom and strength to continue to lead the PDP and the state on the path of victory, peace and good governance.

The Deputy Leader of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Mary Onyinye Ugwu and other members of the House from Enugu East Senatorial District, former members of the Federal House of Representatives, Princess Peace Nnaji, Mr. Kingsley Ebenyi and Mr. Anayo Ede, were among the dignitaries at the event.

The State Chairman of the Party, Mr. Augustine Nnamani accompanied Mr. Ugwuanyi to receive the delegates.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Thursday dissolved the states executive council.

Mr Zulum made the announcement via a statement by a permanent secretary in charge of administration and general services, Danjuma Ali.

The dissolution is the first by Governor Zulum since he assumed office on May 29, 2019.

Mr Zulum said his action was necessitated by the need to allow members of his cabinet nursing political ambitions, ahead of the coming elections, to throw their hats into the ring.

A statement by the governors media aide explained that the members were directed to hand over affairs to permanent secretaries in their ministries.

The dissolution is to create an enabling environment for interested members of the EXCO to legally participate in forthcoming primaries and congresses of the All Progressive Congress (APC), the statement quoted the acting SSG as saying.

Governor Zulum expressed his deepest appreciation to members of the executive council for unquantifiable contributions while they held offices and wished them the best in future endeavors.

PREMIUM TIMES has not been able to obtain the original document emenating from the office of the acting SSG announcing the cabinet dissolution, thereby making it difficult to categorically determine if the sack also affected the non-portfolio members of the cabinet.

But a reliable government source said the cabinet dissolution affected only the 24 commissioners.

Mr Zulum had in 2019 and 2020 appointed a number of special advisers, senior special assistants and special assistants.
The police in Lagos have arrested a man dressed in full military regalia.

The police spokesperson in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, made this known in a statement on Friday via his Twitter handle.

He said they arrested the impostor, Samuel Msughter, 28, along the Epe/Ijebu Road.

The suspect specialized in escorting goods in full army uniform, the statement read.

Investigation is ongoing to unravel the full extent of his criminality, especially with the uniform. Suspect will be charged to court at the end of investigation.

Similarly, in April, the Army arrested 12 impostors who specialised in mounting roadblocks around the Ajah area of Lagos and extorting unsuspecting citizens.
The South-west presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet at the Lagos State House in Marina on Friday ahead of the party primaries which holds later this month.

The meeting is expected to begin at 6 p.m., PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

The aspirants billed to attend include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party and former Lagos governor; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Tunde Bakare, the overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church; Ibikunle Amosun, a serving senator and former governor of Ogun State.

Tunde Rahman, the spokesperson for Mr Tinubu, confirmed the meeting to PREMIUM TIMES but added that the agenda is unknown.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that two notable leaders and former governors, Segun Osoba and Bisi Akande of Ogun and Osun respectively, would meet the aspirants.

Mr Osoba also confirmed the meeting to PREMIUM TIMES.

This newspaper also learnt that party leaders in the zone are concerned about the number of aspirants from the region, saying it might jeopardise their chances during the party primaries.

Mr Amosuns spokesperson, Bola Adeyemi, said he cannot confirm if his principal will attend the meeting.

Laolu Akande, the spokesperson of the vice-president, and Yinka Oyebode, Mr Fayemis aide, did not respond to telephone calls.

Messrs Osinbajo and Bakare picked up the N100 million expression of interest and nomination forms on Thursday, days after Mr Tinubu received his.

Opposition

Ahead of the meeting, a group, Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo (PLO) kicked against the proposed meeting.

The Convener of the group and a Constitutional Lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, that it was a wrong motive and a wrong move.

Mr Ajulo said that the meeting, slated at the State House, Marina, Lagos, lacked some elements of credibility.

He agreed that the initiative was borne out of an earlier call on Yoruba leaders to hold a strategic conference to provide direction towards the fate of the South West in the forthcoming presidential election.

He noted that it was the utmost desire of the group that such an important meeting be conveyed with a view to establishing a consensus among aspirants of the APC in the South West.

He, however, said it should have been designed appropriately to promote fairness with genuine intention.

This above-scheduled meeting should have been a welcome development but for the following configurations which were not rightfully designed as it is ought to be.

The composition of personality invited for the meeting is a testament to our position that it is a sectional affair of the APC and not in the interest of the southwest and Nigeria, he said.

The group said that the choice of the venue in Lagos State, which is the flag House in Marina, belonged to Lagos State and associates and would not augur well.

This venue should not play host to such a meeting if it will be adjudged to be credible and fair.

The meeting, if it is in the collective good of the people, should be held at a neutral location like Ibadan, Oyo State, or Akure, Ondo State, he said.
Political leaders in the South-west and many presidential aspirants from the region on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) resolved at a meeting in Lagos Friday that the region must produce the next Nigerian president.

The aspirants met with two former governors of the party  Segun Osoba and Bisi Akande.

The aspirants in attendance were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party and former Lagos governor; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, and Ibikunle Amosun, a serving senator and former governor of Ogun State.

Also present at the meeting were Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the House of Representatives; Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing; Rauf Aregbesola, former Osun State governor, and Iyiola Omisore, the National Secretary of the APC.

Gboyega Akosile, the spokesperson for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who hosted the gathering, said the meeting ended with a one-point resolution, that is to make sure that the region is united on purpose, that the next president of Nigeria must come from the South West.

Shortly after the meeting, Mr Akande also briefed journalists about the resolution. He, however, did not entertain questions from journalists.

Many observers had expected the meeting to discuss the option of a consensus candidate from the region.

The four presidential aspirants who were at the meeting are among the leading presidential aspirants of the APC.

Three of them, Messrs Osinbajo, Tinubu and Fayemi were close allies and members of the ACN, one of the parties that merged to form the APC in the build up to the 2015 general election.

Mr Osinbajo had also served as attorney-general of Lagos in the eight years that Mr Tinubu was the governor of the state. The former governor also played a major role in Mr Osinbajos emergence as vice president in 2015.

A group loyal to Mr Osinbajo had earlier raised an alarm about the venue of the meeting and the organisers, saying it was being held to promote the candidacy of Mr Tinubu.

Mr Akosiles remarks, however, indicate that the issue of a consensus candidate was not discussed.

Apart from the four aspirants who attended the Friday meeting, the APC has over a dozen other aspirants including Ebonyi governor Dave Umahi, Kogi governor Yahaya Bello, transportation minister Rotimi Amaechi, and a pastor, Tunde Bakare, who is also from the South-west.

The APC concluded the sale of its nomination forms yesterday and about 22 aspirants are believed to have purchased the presidential nomination forms. The forms were sold for N100 million each.

The APC will elect its presidential candidate at the end of May.
Only subscribers with PAID Print or E-Edition subscriptions please enter here to gain access. If you are not already a Paid subscriber do not go through this portal. Please return to the subscription page to purchase one of our offers. Thank you!
Indonesia Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, revealed that the country's participation in the exhibition aims to provide updates on Indonesia's tourism, especially after the opening of Bali in February 2022.

"Bali has welcomed international tourists since early this year. This is also supported by the granting of Visa on Arrival for 60 countries," said the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Various policies implemented to attract foreign tourists, such as Visa on Arrival (VoA) and free quarantine, are already up and running for tourists who have completed two vaccinations. The 500 thousand rupiahs Visa on Arrival is more affordable at about a third of the cost of an e-visa priced at 1.5 million rupiahs. Three Middle East countries already included in VoA list, which are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

"The goal we expect from Indonesia's participation in the Dubai ATM 2022 is to increase the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia and increase country's foreign exchange income," Acting Deputy Minister for Marketing, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, explained about Indonesia's goal to participate in the ATM Dubai 2022.

In March, Indonesia successfully held MotoGP at the pride of Indonesia, the Mandalika circuit in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The event is located at one of the 'Super Priority Destinations' promoted by the Indonesian Government as a strategy for developing destinations outside Bali or 'The New Bali'. Later this year in October, Indonesia will host the G20 Meeting in Bali, a global international event that reaffirms global trust in Indonesia after the Covid-19 pandemic.

For real-time updates on Indonesia travel, please visit www.indonesia.travel

For further information, kindly contact:

Ms. Agustini Rahayu

Director of Tourism Marketing for EMEAA Regions

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia

Gedung Sapta Pesona, 10th Fl.

Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat No. 17 Jakarta 10110

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Republic of Indonesia is the Government Agency responsible for Tourism and Creative Economy development in Indonesia, which include the tourism destinations development, tourism and creative economy marketing, and empowerment of tourism and creative economy industry.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1810736/Wonderful_Indonesia___Newswire_01.jpg

SOURCE Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy
Holiday consumption trends highlight China's growth potential

Xinhua) 08:47, May 06, 2022

* Despite the impact of COVID-19, China's consumption has seen a boost during the five-day May Day holiday.

* To encourage holiday consumption such as tourism within provinces amid the pandemic, local governments have come up with various preferential policies including discounted or free tickets for scenic spots.

* Online businesses, represented by livestreaming shopping and takeout service, have highlighted holiday consumption.

CHANGSHA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- During the recently concluded five-day May Day holiday, many places in China introduced preferential policies to boost holiday consumption while strictly carrying out epidemic prevention and control measures.

The resurgences of the epidemic in multiple cities since March have weighed notably on consumption growth in China. On April 25, China unveiled guidelines to further tap the country's consumption potential, with detailed measures to tackle short-term bottlenecks and boost longer-term consumption vitality.

China saw a total of 160 million domestic tourist trips and 64.68 billion yuan (about 9.77 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue during the holiday which lasted from April 30 to May 4 this year, said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Wednesday.

Aerial photo shows tourists taking a boat tour at Baofenghu scenic area in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, May 3, 2022. (Photo by Wu Yongbing/Xinhua)

LOCAL TRIPS ENCOURAGED

Many provinces in China have encouraged residents to travel locally during the holiday, and many scenic areas have offered discounted or free tickets to attract local tourists.

In central China's Hunan Province, many scenic spots have launched preferential policies for locals during the holiday. For example, the Wulingyuan scenic area and Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie offered free tickets for residents from the province.

As of May 2, more than 50,000 visits had been made to Zhangjiajie over the holiday, and B&B bookings also increased 43-fold from the previous week.

In Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, six new double-decker buses started offering city tours, which were among the city's latest offerings for tourists.

"Haikou has newly packaged its tourism products to encourage people in the city and province to travel in Haikou and stimulate holiday consumption potential," said Wang Ke, director of the city's Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports.

Statistics show that Haikou received 307,100 tourists and generated 309 million yuan in tourism revenue during the five-day holiday.

People camp at a park in Jizhou District of north China's Tianjin, May 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

Camping was also a popular choice with holidayers. According to Dianping, the Chinese version of Yelp, searches for camping jumped 151 percent from the previous month and nearly threefold from last year.

"The Xi'an station of the 'HiKing Wild Luxury Camp' was fully booked more than 20 days in advance. Stations under the brand also reached their maximum reception capacity," said Wang Chunwang, who runs a camping business in Xi'an.

COUPONS STIMULATE CONSUMPTION

With the implementation of precise anti-epidemic measures, the overall COVID situation in most parts of China has stabilized, boosting the economic recovery in major shopping districts during the holiday.

In Hunan, tourists queued up to enter gourmet shops and took photos in Taiping Street, one of Changsha's most popular sites.

"I did a free nucleic acid test when I got off the plane. Here, you scan a QR code to enter public places, and shops provide hand sanitizer. Such policies make people feel reassured," said a visitor surnamed Zhang.

Zhang said the discounts offered by the shops were attractive, and he bought many souvenirs.

According to the commerce department of Hunan, the sales revenue of its 298 major retail enterprises and 72 major catering companies reached 2.02 billion yuan, up 0.6 percent year on year.

Customers visit a duty-free shopping mall in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, May 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

In order to stimulate consumers' enthusiasm, Hainan, Hunan, Shaanxi and many other provinces have adopted methods such as issuing consumption coupons and carrying out promotional events.

During the holiday, Hainan guided banks and business enterprises to participate in the distribution of consumption coupons for shopping, dining and tourism in the province, totaling more than 200 million yuan in value.

"It's a great deal using the coupons to buy duty-free products," said Li Xueru, a visitor from Shenzhen.

ONLINE BUSINESS

Online business, represented by livestreaming shopping and takeout service, has highlighted holiday consumption.

"I'm not in the mood to cook during the holiday. Although it's not allowed to dine in, it's very convenient to order takeout as restaurants offer self-pickup service and discounts," said Xie Yue, a Beijing citizen.

According to Chinese online food delivery giant Meituan, searches for pickup meals in Beijing increased by about 30 percent compared with before the holiday.

In Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province, livestreaming sessions on food, makeup and fashion were offered to stimulate people's holiday spending. On the first day of the holiday, the online retail sales in Fuzhou reached 360 million yuan, up 12.5 percent year on year.

The Ministry of Commerce said at a press conference before the holiday that it would work with local commercial authorities to promote consumption, introduce targeted measures to boost consumption based on local conditions, promote the sustained recovery of consumption and consolidate the fundamental role of consumption in economic development.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
The event witnessed participation from Hon Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer Mr Michael Sukkar MP and key representatives from industry, business and thought leaders across sectors of importance including Mr D D Saxena (Chairman CII IBF Australia and agriculture sector) Mr Ashok Mysore (Vice President Infosys), Mr Rajiv Mukerji (Vice President Tata Steel), Mr Leigh Obradovic (Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Toll Group), Mr Samir Vora (Executive Director, Adani Australia) and many more.

Speaking at the event, Hon Minister Michael Sukkar, emphasised "How this new free trade agreement with India will help deliver more Australian jobs and business opportunities for exporters, thereby bringing both countries closer together in a changing strategic environment.

I strongly feel that AIBC VIC should maintain close working relationships with its stakeholders including the Government of India, the Government of Australia and other industry actors. AIBC VIC should continue to work towards building platforms in facilitating and nurturing growth opportunities for business and investment between India and Australia."

Jim Varghese, National Chair and Director, Australia India Business Council Ltd, added, "It is encouraging to see AIBC Vic along with Deakin University and CII leading this discussion around the road ahead for Australia India ECTA. Such a discussion is critical in driving an understanding of contemporary India in Australia and fostering business opportunities that Indian businesses have in Australia and vice versa."

Mr Kean Selway, Executive Vice-President [Futures], Deakin University, said, "As a leading university in Victoria with over 28 years of presence in India, Deakin is in a position to play a leading role in catalysing initiatives such as this roundtable discussion. This roundtable is an opportunity for industries, businesses and thought leaders to come together to create channels for ease of doing business for Australian businesses in India and vice versa. With this initiative, Deakin is leading the way in setting the tone and direction for the Australia India bilateral trade relations story."

The key takeaway from the discussions emphasised the critical role AIBC, CII, Austrade, and AICC play in assisting businesses from both countries and how can help navigate business partnering opportunities across the sectors of importance.

About Deakin University

Established in 1974, Deakin University successfully combines excellence in teaching, research and effective partnerships with industry and government to deliver high quality courses and undertake research that makes a difference to the domestic and international communities it serves.

Deakin's South Asia operations commenced in 1994 at New Delhi, India, making it one of the first overseas education provider to set operations in this region. Here, Deakin engages with the government, industry, and the academia to share its vibrant culture of education and research.

For more information on Deakin University, please visit: www.deakin.edu

About Australia India Business Council

Established in 1986, the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) was founded to foster bi-lateral relations between the two countries. We are the only premier non-profit organisation, with a mission to promote trade dialogue between India and Australia through nurturing and maintaining close relationships in both Australia and India, with Federal and State government agencies, the diplomatic corporations and industry bodies.

The AIBC is a national membership organisation with active chapters in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra and maintains close relationships with federal and state government agencies, the diplomatic corps and industry bodies, and showcases opportunities to the Australian business community through an active program of events.

About Confederation of Indian Industry

CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, with over 9000 members from the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 300,000 enterprises from 294 national and regional sectoral industry bodies.

For more than 125 years, CII has been engaged in shaping India's development journey and works proactively on transforming Indian Industry's engagement in national development. CII charts change by working closely with Government on policy issues, interfacing with thought leaders, and enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and business opportunities for industry through a range of specialized services and strategic global linkages. It also provides a platform for consensus-building and networking on key issues.

Media contact :

David Das

[email protected]

Phone: +91 11 26544715 (D)

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1812260/ECTA.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713572/Deakin_University_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Deakin University
Athena's Entryway Security Solution has a

faster flow rate and improved detection of concealed weapons

AUSTIN, Texas, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Athena Security announces the launch of the company's fast, frictionless Entryway Security Solution, which is a multi-sensor walk-through metal detector allowing the faster flow of pedestrian traffic. "Society desires a safe and secure world while avoiding the feeling of entering a jail," said Athena Security Co-founder and President Lisa Falzone . "Our new walk-through metal detector overcomes this catch 22 allowing for the fast flow of traffic into buildings while providing a high level of weapons detection and security screening. The system automatically tells the difference between a weapon and a cell phone, keys and watches, eliminating the need to divest items required by legacy metal detectors. We see this as a perfect solution for institutions to deter and detect concealed weapons."

Airport Walk Through Metal Detector in Seattle

Customers using the new Entryway Security System

"Propeller Airports began working with Athena Security at the onset of the pandemic after learning about their novel thermal screening system that monitors for elevated body temperatures," said Brett Smith , CEO Propeller Airports LLC. "Their system was placed just prior to the TSA checkpoint and allowed us to unobtrusively check people's body temperatures before passing through security. Having Athena's system in place not only made our facility safer but continues to be of comfort to our passengers and staff. Our goal as a passenger terminal operator is to not only offer a seamless airport experience, but to have the safest environment possible. And so, when Athena introduced their concealed weapons detection technology, we did not hesitate to evaluate and install another of their cutting-edge solutions to add yet another layer of protection for our guests. Their technology is revolutionary insofar as it can detect concealed weapons prior to TSA security, something that is safer for all."

"My company just installed the Athena concealed weapon detection system, after a lot of research. With varying threats, it's important to work with local authorities, community leaders, and buy the best technology possible." said a small business owner in Minneapolis that wishes to remain anonymous after he was threatened with a gun, and the neighboring businesses were broken into and looted.

Athena customers also appreciate the RFID integration that offers accountability by identifying who is passing through, while maintaining a high traffic flow. Athena's access control integrations provide the ability to open or lock doors or a turnstile depending on the situation. Customers can also view and monitor alerts anywhere in the world from their current VMS security system.

About Athena Security

Headquartered in Austin, TX and founded by former Revel Systems Co-founders Lisa Falzone and Chris Ciabarra, Athena Security is a cutting edge Apple iPad temperature detection and gun detection security company. Athena Security's temperature detection is extremely accurate within +-0.2 degrees Celsius. The concealed weapon solution, now including Athena's new Entryway Detection System, uses multiple sensors to detect guns and mitigate risk. For more information go to Athena Security's website at http://athena-security.com .

Media Contact:

Jamie Diamond PR team

+1 (541) 441-4444

[email protected]

SOURCE Athena Security
VANCOUVER, BC, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (TSX: CMMC) (ASX: C6C) (the "Company" or "Copper Mountain") is pleased to announce that Mr. Don Strickland has returned to the role of Chief Operating Officer ("COO") from Executive Vice President, Sustainability, effective immediately. Mr. Strickland took on the role of Executive Vice President, Sustainability to establish a strong sustainability direction and focus for the Company, which was highly successful.

Mr. Strickland will continue to be responsible for the Sustainability and People functions, in addition to leading Operations and Technical Services. This change in structure supports the integration of the Company's Sustainability and People objectives fully within the Company's operations and growth initiatives. Copper Mountain will appoint a Vice President, Sustainability to work with Mr. Strickland and the team to continue advancing the Company's sustainability focus under Mr. Strickland's general leadership. The Company has eliminated the role of Senior Vice President, Operations and the Mine General Managers will report directly to Mr. Strickland. Copper Mountain thanks Mr. Eric Dell for his years of service and dedication to the Company.

The Company is also pleased to announce that Mr. Lance Newman will assume the position of Sr. Vice President, Project Development. Mr. Newman will add Australian Country Management to his overall leadership in Project Development and Construction.

About Copper Mountain Mining Corporation

Copper Mountain's flagship asset is the 75% owned Copper Mountain Mine located in southern British Columbia near the town of Princeton. The Copper Mountain Mine currently produces approximately 100 million pounds of copper equivalent per year. Copper Mountain also has the 100% owned development-stage Eva Copper Project, which is expected add approximately 100 million pounds of copper annually, in Queensland, Australia and an extensive 2,100 km2 highly prospective land package in the Mount Isa area. Copper Mountain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMMC" and Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "C6C".

Additional information is available on the Company's web page at www.CuMtn.com.

On behalf of the Board of

COPPER MOUNTAIN MINING CORPORATION

"Gil Clausen"

Gil Clausen, P.Eng.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Website: www.CuMtn.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". In this news release, certain forward-looking statements are identified, including the anticipated production at the Copper Mountain Mine and the Eva Copper Project. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include the risks set out in Copper Mountain's public documents, including in each management's discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Copper Mountain believes that the information and assumptions 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 where required by applicable law, Copper Mountain disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Copper Mountain Mining Corporation
A virtual background such as 3DCG (three-dimensional computer graphics) is displayed on the Crystal LED B-series display, which has features supported such as high resolution, high brightness, and wide color gamut. This enables video production that combines CG and live-action in real time without post-processing such as composition. The combination of the Crystal LED and VENICE delivers high-quality color reproduction and gradation expression, resulting in reduced editing work and high-quality content. Furthermore, the point cloud software "Atom View"  Sony Innovation Studios award winning and patented technology  scans existing places and objects and converts them into 3DCG models. This makes it possible to create photorealistic virtual backgrounds, as if the subjects were really there.

In Japan, Sony PCL began demonstration experiments of Virtual Production technology in 2020, and is now actively providing the solution. Sony PCL has already achieved results in various content production businesses such as commercials, movies, and music videos. Sony PCL will continue to provide cutting-edge production technology and creative work, including Virtual Production at the "Kiyosumi Shirakawa BASE," a new studio which was newly established in February this year.

"The SID Display Industry Awards recognize the best display products or applications introduced to the market during the previous calendar year," noted Wei Chen, SID's Display Industry Awards Committee Chairman. "We are proud to award Sony Corporation, Sony PCL Inc., and Sony Innovation Studios Inc. a 2022 Display Application of the Year honor for its Crystal LED virtual production system solution. We commend the company's ongoing commitment to innovation and to helping shape the future of display performance and solutions."

About the Display Industry Awards

Society for Information Display was formed in 1962 to promulgate display technology, and comprised of the top scientists, engineers, corporate researchers, and business people of the display industry.

The Display Industry Awards are the display industry's most prestigious honor, given annually since 1995 by the Society for Information Display to recognize the best display products or applications introduced to the market during the previous calendar year. There are three award categories: Display of the Year, Display Application of the Year, and Display Component of the Year.

SOURCE Sony Tokyo
MIAMI, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cuban Republican Caucus of Monroe County Florida has endorsed KW Miller for Congress in Florida's 28th district. The Cuban Caucus represents business owners and entrepreneurs who contribute significant economic revenue, employment and goodwill in Monroe County Florida.

The America First Political Committee Chairman KW Miller is running in Florida's newly created 28th Congressional District which includes a portion of southwestern Dade County and all of Monroe County Florida.

KW Miller for Congress. Cuban Americans Will Never Support Socialism.

KW Miller embraces his Spanish heritage and fully supports the Cuban American Community. He will continue will promote policies and laws to allow the Cuban community to continue to achieve the American Dream.

Americans from Spanish heritage should never forget why they and their families came to the United States. Socialism is where people become enslaved to the liberal elites.

KW Miller wants to lift the blockade against Cuba, but does not want to help the Communist Government of Cuba. We must first remove Socialist RINO Democrats like Carlos Gimenez from Congress to advance Cuba policy in Florida's 28th Congressional District and nationally.

The meaning of the Cuban Flag has significant historical meaning. The blue stripes represent the three Cuban districts at the time the flag was designed. The white stripes represent purity. The triangle is an equality symbol. The colors reflect those of the American flag.

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
Win marks seventh year for the company named in the esteemed annual ranking

SAN FRANCISCO, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Demandbase , the Smarter GTM company for B2B brands, today announces it achieved the top honor for the annual Best Places to Work in the Bay Area, Large Category, by the San Francisco Business Times. This is the seventh consecutive time Demandbase has made the list, supporting its commitment to being a great place to work by living out its values: to win together, make our customers successful, to be real and do what we say, and innovate with intention.

"Being named number one in our category is truly astounding! The Best Places to Work awards are always an honor because our employees do the judging," said Gabe Rogol, chief executive officer at Demandbase. "In addition to securing the top honor for the first time, making the list for the seventh year in a row is very exciting. This past year has been an exciting and wild ride to secure our place as the Smarter GTM company for B2B brands. Our employees are the champions behind our growth and I couldn't be more proud of our team."

In the past year Demandbase has grown its team by more than 150% and has been named a leader in its category by multiple analyst firms. The company has also accelerated its growth around the globe by adding customers in the UK, Benelux nations, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Spain, and beyond.

"In a year of expansive growth, including the acquisition of two companies, it's especially wonderful to know that we are co-creating a company culture where everyone feels respected and valued," said Landon Pearson, chief people officer at Demandbase. "We are a feedback-oriented, remote-friendly culture that has made many adjustments to the way we work based on what our employees care about, and in support of their lives."

To learn more about career opportunities with Demandbase, please visit: https://www.demandbase.com/company/careers/ .

About Demandbase

Demandbase is Smarter GTM for B2B brands. We help marketing and sales teams spot the juiciest opportunities earlier and progress them faster by injecting Account Intelligence into every step of the buyer journey and orchestrating every action. For more information about Demandbase, visit www.demandbase.com .

SOURCE Demandbase
At the meeting, in which other businessmen and leaders from Latin America also participated, it was Dionisio Gutierrez who emphasized the importance for Ibero-America of the fact that Spain supports and reinforces Western values that have built free, democratic and prosperous nations; far from left and right populism and authoritarianism.

President Sanchez expressed the intention of his government to attract investments from Latin America to Spain and Dr. Gutierrez insisted on the importance of Latin America returning to the path of democracy and liberal values in order to achieve the economic growth that the region needs; and that this will be the best way for companies to grow and aspire to be relevant investors in the great nation that is Spain.

Dionisio Gutierrez is a businessman, activist and communicator with a doctorate in Sociology and Political Science. He is President of the Latin American think-tank Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo and host of the weekly television program Razon de Estado. He is a member of the Georgetown University Latin American Council and the Harvard Kennedy School Council. In 2021 he became the only Latin American on the Freedom House Council.

For more information, visit https://fundacionlibertad.com/

SOURCE Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo
PORTLAND, Oregon, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Enduring Planet , the provider of fast, founder-friendly debt financing to climate startups, has launched from stealth.

The company uses a proprietary, automated online lending platform to provide non-dilutive financing to early-stage businesses focused on addressing the climate crisis.

Climate startups face limited options when it comes to securing the funding they need for their growth. This lack of alternative finance options constrains growth and keeps the world from meeting aggressive decarbonization and adaptation targets by limiting the commercialization of new climate innovations.

Multiple studies show that there is not enough capital invested in the market currently to hit either the 1.5C or 2C targets that have been set by the international community. For early-stage companies, the capital that is available is dilutive, expensive, and can actually limit the ability of businesses to effectively develop their solutions.

The credit products that exist on the market today are typically available only to late-stage climate companies, founders with existing personal wealth, or entrepreneurs who have raised money from top quartile venture funds (which is hard to find among the climate-focused investors which are typically only a few years old).

"The world is on fire and capital markets are failing us," says Dimitry Gershenson, the co-founder and chief executive of Enduring Planet.

Founded by Dimitry Gershenson and Erin Davis, Enduring Planet funds entrepreneurs through revenue-based financing without any complex covenants, collateral, or personal guarantee obligations. The company issues term sheets in under a week and can finance a business within thirty days using API integrations with Plaid, Stripe and QuickBooks to make underwriting easier.

The two founders met when Gershenson was at Meta leading the company's Energy Access program and Davis was working at the impact lending institution, SIMA, which she co-founded.

Since Enduring Planet was formed in May 2021, the team has raised a pre-seed round with participation from Climate Capital, Portland Seed Fund, Keiki Capital, KD Venture Partners, Common Sense Fund, Susquehanna Foundation, a large strategic corporate in the clean energy space, and a number of angel investors including Ernie Chow, Greg Richards, and others.

Enduring Planet also recently completed the first close of its pilot debt facility, Enduring Climate Fund 1, with support from a number of family offices, private foundations, and high net worth individuals. This also includes contributions invested from a pooled Donor Advised Fund by ImpactAssets.

The lender has backed two teams so far, New Sun Road and Aquaoso, with plans to lend over $5 million through the next 12 months.

"Enduring Planet is changing how to support and invest in climate entrepreneurs. Every sector of our economy needs a face-lift; as we undergo this climate transition, we believe it should be done equitably and inclusively," says Davis. "We estimate there are thousands of climate entrepreneurs who lack the right types of capital to scale. We're changing this in a way that's inclusive and gets money into the hands of underrepresented founders, managers, and companies serving underserved communities."

For more information, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE Enduring Planet Inc
According to the employee survey responses, including 600 comments from Everlaw employees:

More than 90% of the Everlaw employees surveyed fell into the highly engaged employee category, meaning they are highly favorable toward the company, actively advocate for it, intend to stay, and apply high discretionary effort.

93% of those surveyed said the senior leaders of the organization value people as their most important resource. The survey noted that year after year, this single factor proves to be one of the largest drivers of employee engagement.

Everlaw employees noted that "collaborative" best described the work environment at the company.

"I feel fortunate to be here, and I try to recruit everyone I know. We do good work in the world, and we are treated well. It has been a dream for me," an employee commented in the survey.

The Best Places to Work program measures a wide range of research-validated workplace factors that impact employee engagement and satisfaction. Companies on the Best Places to Work list foster a workplace where employees willingly go above and beyond in their work, advocate for the organization and intend to stay into the future.

"It's an honor to be recognized for our workplace culture and team satisfaction," said Everlaw Founder and CEO AJ Shankar. "Our employees create a thoughtful, collaborative, and low-ego environment that fosters innovation and long-term thinking. We're thrilled to support this approach as Everlaw continues to transform the legal industry."

Everlaw's Awards, Growth and Career Opportunities

This year Everlaw was ranked No. 4 on the prestigious Fast Company Most Innovative Companies for enterprise companies, and received the Legalweek Leaders in Tech Award , which honored the company working on precedent-setting, game-changing projects and initiatives for Everlaw's pivotal role in a Theranos lawsuit.

Everlaw has experienced rapid growth from the success of its platform and validation by the market for ediscovery solutions, announcing its $202M Series D round in November 2021 that propelled the company to a double unicorn status.

Everlaw has nearly doubled headcount since March 2020 and plans on increasing hiring over the next year. To learn more about Everlaw's career opportunities, please visit Everlaw Careers .

About Everlaw

Everlaw blends cutting-edge technology with modern design to help government entities, law firms and corporations solve the toughest problems in the legal industry. Everlaw is used by Fortune 100 corporate counsels and household brands like Hilton and Dick's Sporting Goods, 91 out of the AM Law 200 and all 50 U.S. state attorneys general. Based in Oakland, California, Everlaw is funded by top-tier investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, CapitalG, H.I.G. Growth Partners, K9 Ventures, Menlo Ventures, and TPG Growth.

Learn more at https://www.everlaw.com .

Media Contact:

Colleen Haikes

[email protected]

SOURCE Everlaw
COOKEVILLE, Tenn., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Nurses Week, Fortis Institute in Cookeville, Tenn., has announced it received accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) for its Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program. The institute is part of a network of schools managed by Education Affiliates, Inc., one of the largest nursing education providers in the U.S.

In order to receive accreditation, institutions must apply for and undergo a comprehensive review process that evaluates the quality and effectiveness of its nursing education program on multiple levels.

"Our program is committed to providing nursing students with a well-rounded education. Achieving accreditation is a testament to our nursing faculty's dedication and passion for the profession," said Fortis Institute in Cookeville Campus President James Williamson.

Fortis's ADN program educates students in response to the nation's increasingly complex healthcare needs and provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Once graduates pass the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX), they can pursue a career as an entry-level registered nurse in a variety of healthcare settings. The program incorporates hybrid courses and online instruction, which offers students more options when scheduling their classes.

Recognized as a primary accrediting body for nursing education in the United States by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education, ACEN recognition increases program value. Fortis Institute in Cookeville joins other Fortis campuses to have accreditation conferred by ACEN, including Fortis College in Cutler Bay, Fortis College in Orange Park, Fortis Institute in Pensacola, Fortis College in Centerville, Fortis College in Salt Lake City and Fortis Institute in Port St. Lucie.

"We are thrilled to add Fortis Institute in Cookeville to our family of nursing programs with ACEN accreditation," said Education Affiliates Vice President of Nursing Elaine Foster, PhD, MSN, RN. "Our innovative educational offerings transform students into valuable members of the nursing profession ready to impact the healthcare industry. We look forward to continuing to provide powerful learning experiences for Tennessee's nursing students."

Fortis, the leading nursing brand for Education Affiliates, is one of the largest nursing education providers in the U.S. Together with St. Paul's School of Nursing and Denver College of Nursing, Fortis has enrolled more than 5,000 nursing students nationwide and operates 20 nursing campuses in 10 states. For more information about the Fortis nursing programs, visit www.fortis.edu.

About Fortis Colleges and Institutes

A leading post-secondary network of colleges and institutes that engages students in powerful learning and training experiences, Fortis delivers focused career education programs in nursing, dental, healthcare, and the skilled trades at more than 30 schools in 14 states. The Fortis network offers career-based certificate, diploma and degree-granting programs. Program offerings and programmatic accreditations vary by campus. Each Fortis campus is accredited by a nationally recognized body.

SOURCE Fortis
RICHMOND, Va., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilb Group announced today that it grown its market presence in the Mid-Atlantic region through the acquisition of a Virginia-based employee benefits agency. The transaction became effective April 1, 2022.

About Hilb Group: The Hilb Group is a leading property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Hilb Group is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Hilb Group seeks to grow through strategic acquisitions and by leveraging its resources and expertise to drive organic growth in its acquired agencies. The company has completed more than 130 acquisitions and now has over 100 offices in 22 states. Hilb Group is rated as one of the Fastest Growing Brokers by Business Insurance, a Top P/C Agency by Insurance Journal, and one of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Inc. 5000. For more information on Hilb Group's growth as well as career opportunities, please visit our website at http://hilbgroup.com.

Media Contact:

Peter Lobred

804.548.4629

[email protected]

M&A Contact:

Ryan Havermann

804.414.6508

[email protected]

SOURCE The Hilb Group, LLC
DUBLIN, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Blood Collection Devices Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By End User, By Product, By Tubes Type, By Plasma/whole-blood Tubes Type, By Tubes System Type, By Method, By Application, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2021-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Blood Collection Devices Market size is expected to reach $8 billion by 2027, rising at a market growth of 6.2% CAGR during the forecast period.



Blood processing and collection are two significant steps to be performed in preanalytical laboratory testing. Legitimate blood collection and on-time processing by skilled staff utilizing efficient devices are required in order to assure test reliability. Blood collection devices have been considered inert specimen carriers. That is why laboratories are investing a bit of effort to access innovative blood collection devices with the help of which they are not required to monitor the device performance continuously.



Additionally, blood is collected with the help of blood donation processes such as WB (whole blood), and after that, various components can easily be separated from it by the process of apheresis. The quantity of blood drawn depends upon the person and ought not to be more than 1% of the donor's weight. The collection can be done manually or automatically by the use of automated equipment that can even collect particular components of blood.



Various advanced devices are being introduced in the market such as hematology analyzers. There are computerized and highly specialized machines which count the number of blood platelets, red & white blood cells, hematocrit level & hemoglobin present in the blood sample. With the help of a needle, phlebotomist is expected to rupture a vein and collect the blood into a glass tube which contains ETDA as additives to prevent blood coagulation.



In the past few years, some diseases such as coronavirus have put human health into a threat all over the world. Diagnostics is the foremost step to be taken for the treatment of infectious diseases. It is an important step to identify efficient diagnostic strategies urgently to provide better treatment. Furthermore, effective diagnostic techniques are also important for the identification & better treatment of diseases.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is an unexpected public health challenge for the whole world. The pandemic is anticipated to have a substantial impact on the blood circulation device market. Independent laboratories as well as hospitals were confused in deciding either to recommend to consult with laboratory hematologists for tests that involve higher risk or not offer tests that couldn't be performed securely. This has impacted the market adversely in the initial months of the pandemic resulting in a decline in the use of blood collection devices.



Whereas, rising alert and the increasing testing volumes, coupled with the requirement for regular body & health checkups will result in the growth of blood collection devices. Results presently take around four to six days for the normal population, significantly longer than two to three days required before. This is due to the prioritization of tests for symptomatic healthcare workers & hospital patients that on average take one day which is resulting in the delayed cycle.



Market Growth Factors:

Technological advancements in blood collection procedures and products

Collection of blood samples of patients from difficult venous access (DVA) is not easy and even is impossible sometimes. The traditional products used for blood collection products are sometimes unable to collect blood samples efficiently. This may lead to repeated attempts for collecting blood. Also, this increases the risk of anemia & the transfer of blood-borne pathogens to phlebotomists. In order to get over this issue, innovative hematology tube designs have been launched that support capillary blood collection along with reducing the risk of processing & collection errors in patients with DVA.



Rising prevalence of inherited blood disorders

If there is an issue with the blood, it may affect the total health of the body. Some types of blood disorders are platelet disorders, bleeding problems & excessive clotting that may affect the blood clots; anemia that happens when blood do not let the oxygen go through the rest of your body, blood cancers like myeloma & leukemia and eosinophilic disorders that is an issue with the particular type of white blood cells. As per the information provided by World Health Organization, hemoglobin disorders were mainly found in 60% of 229 countries and were affecting 75% of births. This encourages policymakers to find the most efficient treatment strategies. Hemophilia A affects 1 in every 5000 male births in the United States. Every year approximately 400 babies are born with hemophilia.



Market Restraining Factors

High cost of automated blood collection devices

The cost involved in initial investment for the adoption of automated blood collection by the use of apheresis devices involves high costs as compared to blood collection. Also, the cost of therapeutic apheresis is high as it further involves the cost of disposables. The higher cost of these devices is leading to the lower adoption of automated blood collection devices. As many of the smaller blood banks, hospitals cannot afford to use these blood collection devices. In addition, the cost of apheresis therapy is a matter of concern for the whole world. The cost for individual apheresis treatments may widely differ.

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology



Chapter 2. Market Overview

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 Overview

2.1.1.1 Market Composition and Scenario

2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market

2.2.1 Market Drivers

2.2.2 Market Restraints



Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global

3.1 KBV Cardinal Matrix

3.2 Recent Industry Wide Strategic Developments

3.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements

3.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions

3.2.3 Acquisition and Mergers

3.2.4 Geographical Expansions

3.3 Top Winning Strategies

3.3.1 Key Leading Strategies: Percentage Distribution (2017-2021)



Chapter 4. Global Blood Collection Devices Market by End User

4.1 Global Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, & Nursing Homes Market by Region

4.2 Global Diagnostic & Pathology Laboratories Market by Region

4.3 Global Blood Banks Market by Region

4.4 Global Others Market by Region



Chapter 5. Global Blood Collection Devices Market by Product

5.1 Global Blood Collection Tubes Market by Region

5.2 Global Blood Collection Tubes Market by Type

5.2.1 Global Plasma/whole-blood Tubes Market by Region

5.2.2 Global Plasma/whole-blood Tubes Market by Type

5.2.2.1 Global EDTA Tubes Market by Region

5.2.2.2 Global Heparin Tubes Market by Region

5.2.2.3 Global Coagulation Tubes Market by Region

5.2.2.4 Global Glucose Tubes Market by Region

5.2.2.5 Global Others Market by Region

5.2.3 Global Serum Tubes Market by Region

5.3 Global Blood Collection Tubes Market by System Type

5.3.1 Global Vacuum Tubes Market by Region

5.3.2 Global Non-Vacuum Tubes Market by Region

5.4 Global Needles & Syringes Market by Region

5.5 Global Blood Bags Market by Region

5.6 Global Blood Collection Systems/Monitors Market by Region

5.7 Global Lancets Market by Region



Chapter 6. Global Blood Collection Devices Market by Method

6.1 Global Manual Blood Collection Market by Region

6.2 Global Automatic Blood Collection Market by Region



Chapter 7. Global Blood Collection Devices Market by Application

7.1 Global Diagnostics Market by Region

7.2 Global Therapeutics Market by Region



Chapter 8. Global Blood Collection Devices Market by Region



Chapter 9. Company Profiles

9.1 Sarstedt AG & Company

9.1.1 Company Overview

9.1.2 Recent strategies and developments:

9.1.2.1 Acquisition and Mergers

9.2 ICU Medical, Inc.

9.2.1 Company Overview

9.2.2 Financial Analysis

9.2.3 Regional Analysis

9.2.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.3 Grifols, S.A

9.3.1 Company Overview

9.3.2 Financial Analysis

9.3.3 Regional & Segmental Analysis

9.3.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.4 Retractable Technologies, Inc.

9.4.1 Company Overview

9.4.2 Financial Analysis

9.4.3 Segmental Analysis

9.4.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.5 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated

9.5.1 Company Overview

9.5.2 Financial Analysis

9.5.3 Segmental Analysis

9.5.4 Recent strategies and developments:

9.5.4.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.5.4.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.6 Becton, Dickinson and Company

9.6.1 Company Overview

9.6.2 Financial Analysis

9.6.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.6.4 Research & Development Expense

9.6.5 Recent strategies and developments:

9.6.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.7 Haemonetics Corporation

9.7.1 Company Overview

9.7.2 Financial Analysis

9.7.3 Regional & Segmental Analysis

9.7.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.8 Terumo Corporation

9.8.1 Company Overview

9.8.2 Financial Analysis

9.8.3 Segmental Analysis

9.8.4 Recent strategies and developments:

9.8.4.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.8.4.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.8.4.3 Geographical Expansions:

9.9 Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

9.9.1 Company Overview

9.9.2 Financial Analysis

9.9.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.9.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.10. Cardinal Health, Inc.

9.10.1 Company Overview

9.10.2 Financial Analysis

9.10.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jlw0nu

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
Dr. Sen's chapter is on "Retinoschisis Retinal Detachment." Retinoschisis is a condition in which an area of the retina (the delicate tissue lining the back of the eye that transmits visual signals to the optic nerve and brain) has separated into two layers. The part of the retina that is affected by retinoschisis can lead to detachment of the entire retina and loss of vision. While this type of detachment is not the most common, it can be difficult to successfully repair.

In the textbook, Dr. Sen provides insights into preoperative, postoperative and management considerations with this type of retinal detachment and reviews the surgical approach and procedures that should be utilized. The chapter is featured in the section "Challenging Vitreoretinal Surgical Scenarios." Dr. Sen was recruited to write the chapter based on his surgical experience and ties to the Duke University retinal ophthalmology community.

Dr. Sen joined Eye Center South four years ago as a retinal surgeon in Dothan, AL. A year later, he was named Medical Director for all Eye Center South locations in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. He has extensive clinical, surgical, research, and teaching experience as a former faculty member of Duke University and the University of Kentucky and is a past Director of the Retina Service at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Sen received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed his Internship in Internal Medicine at his alma mater. He served his Residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Virginia and his Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at Duke University.

Dr. Sen has been published in numerous medical journals, collaborated in the development of the first intraocular sustained-release drug implant, and continues to be active in the clinical research of new medications to treat diabetic retinal disease. In 2020, as part of an international research trial, he performed the first-ever intravitreal injection of a drug with the potential to treat diabetic macular ischemia, a currently untreatable cause of permanent visual impairment in patients with diabetes.

Throughout his career, he has been listed in Best Doctors in America, and is currently a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. He is a member of the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha, a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Society of Retina Specialists. Call 800-467-1393 or visit www.eyecentersouth.net to learn more.

For a video of Dr. Sen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey6d7haAWts.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kim Smith, Eye Center South

334-798-5714

SOURCE Eye Center South
MENLO PARK, Calif., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) has ranked first on the list of Best Places to Work in the Bay Area (1,000+ employees) by the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Protiviti, Robert Half's consulting subsidiary, is also included on the list of Best Places to Work in the Bay Area (100-199 employees).

Nominees were selected based on scores obtained from an independent survey of workers in the Bay Area. The winning companies were those whose employees rated them highest on key dimensions including communication and resources, manager effectiveness, team dynamics, individual needs, personal engagement, and trust in leadership.

"Our focus has always been doing what's best for our employees and communities," said Lynne Smith, senior vice president of global human resources at Robert Half. "Being a Best Place to Work means putting our people first, creating a supportive and inclusive work environment, and providing opportunities for employees to grow and give back. As we look to the future, we will continue to act with purpose to deliver programs that resonate from professional and personal standpoints."

About Robert Half

Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions and business consulting firm that connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers. Robert Half offers contract and permanent placement solutions and is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm. Visit roberthalf.com and download our award-winning mobile app .

SOURCE Robert Half
Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical has cleared the various regulatory hurdles and now is actively enrolling patients in it's much anticipated COVID oral therapeutic Clinical Trial. In addition, the company recently entered a powerhouse strategic partnership with a Specialty Pharmaceutical Manufacturing company, one of the largest investors in the project to date, to help rapidly manufacture billions of capsules annually. This is a monumental milestone for the company and great news for their promising oral COVID-19 treatment.

HUNTINGTON, N.Y., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical, an innovative life sciences company developing a portfolio of revolutionary anti-inflammatories by repurposing existing molecules for novel combination therapy, this week began enrolling patients into their Phase 2 Clinical Trial for their promising oral COVID therapeutic. At the same time, the company has joined forces with KVK Tech that will provide access to world-class Formulation and Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls (CMC) for their COVID-19 therapeutic.

A collaborative team of scientists from several different countries have been working tirelessly in various time zones simultaneously to get approvals to commence the trial with the Nepalese governing bodies since late last year. The commitment and perseverance paid off and now they are underway enrolling patients into their Clinical Trial. These research efforts reflect a remarkable partnership between Sen-Jam, Duke-NUS Medical School, Duke University School of Medicine, and Global Clinical Research, which combined, makes up an esteemed group of international researchers.

Sen-Jam's investigational therapeutic for the treatment of COVID-19, SJP-002C is now actively enrolling patients for their clinical trial under a co-development agreement with Duke-NUS and Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Alexander T. Limkakeng Jr., MD, MHSc, FACEP, Professor, Vice Chief of Research and Director, Acute Care Research at Duke Emergency Medicine said, "The study design has several unique features, including using a combination therapy that is widely available as an approved drug in countries around the world; has a known safety profile and well-understood mechanism of action of its individual components; has been studied in other viral illnesses; and could have complementary effects, with one agent potentially reducing the known side effects of the other."

Kiran Vepuri, Director of Business Development for KVK-Tech, Sen-Jam's largest Strategic investor to date, said, "This is a fantastic fit for our organization. We pride ourselves on our commitment to deliver safe, effective and affordable FDA-approved pharmaceuticals to meet our customers' needs and ensure that patients have access to high-quality medicines when they need it. Sen-Jam and their talented team of innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs represent a perfect fit for our culture of excellence and our unwavering focus on delivering value."

Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical, affectionately known as the "Pharma for the people, people," is thrilled by this move that accelerates the advancement of these promising therapeutics. With a mission to bring accessible, affordable, highly effective and safe solutions to the world, this week was a massive step forward to achieving that dream.

About Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical

At Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical we disrupt pain and inflammation. Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical's mission is to improve societal wellbeing by developing therapeutics that are safe, efficacious, and accessible by all. Sen-Jam repurposes small molecules to develop novel therapeutics for large unmet needs with a focus on improving clinical outcomes. Using patented proprietary technology and the accelerated 505(b)2 pathway, Sen-Jam is on a mission to revolutionize inflammatory pain treatment and its unwanted side effects. Investor information available at Wefunder. Learn more at www.sen-jam.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical

Christine Leonard

781-913-1902

[email protected]

SOURCE Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical
Also available for download is a free PDF presentation that summarizes ideas in this book and an upcoming one

LAND O LAKES, Fla., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Christian author and blogger Francois Ntone announces the second edition of his book Grace and Truth: How the Biblical Narrative Affirms that Christ Is Supreme and Parts of the Bible Are Obsolete. The book follows the biblical narrative, tracking the evolving ideas and beliefs on matters of theology and ethics. Those ideas are shown to change irreversibly in time, pointing to Christ as the one and only true representative of the God of the Bible.

Grace and Truth

The Bible does not offer a consistent picture of God. In the Old Testament, he is sometimes described as a wrathful God bent on punishment and even violence, while also being described as compassionate and loving. It is therefore difficult to reconcile this picture of God with the one revealed by Jesus. Correspondingly, some aspects of the ethical teaching in the Old Testament present significant differences from New Testament ethics.

Defenders of the Bible often want to emphasize the good aspects of biblical theology and ethics, while avoiding to address the more negative aspects. However, the matter is complicated by the fact that churches, particularly evangelical ones, have embraced the assumption of biblical inerrancy which leads to the conclusion that all biblical pronouncements are divine and carry equal weight.

In this eBook, while the Bible is assumed to be divinely inspired Scripture, the positive and negative aspects of the biblical narrative are addressed with honesty. It is shown that the narrative itself suggests a progression from the unsettled picture of God in the Old Testament to the more settled picture revealed by Jesus. Accordingly, Jesus' ethical teaching must be viewed as the ultimate representation of God's will for humanity. Such a conclusion has immense implications in today's world where Christians clearly contribute to trends toward political divisions, inequalities, hate and violence. Also, readers of the book will gain a deep understanding of the biblical storyline, well beyond the fragmented understanding of the Bible they often get from typical church Bible studies.

A free PDF presentation that provides an insightful overview of the ideas discussed in the ebook is available and can be downloaded at the author's website (www.k-of-g.com). The presentation also covers material from an upcoming book that examines and challenges John Calvin's views about the old and new covenants, as expressed in his book Institutes of the Christian Religion.

The eBook is available at major online bookstores, which can be accessed at the following link:

https://books2read.com/u/49ljQY.

Information about the eBook is also available at https://k-of-g.com/book-grace-truth-biblical-narrative.

CONTACT:

Francois Ntone

(727) 916-7456

[email protected]

k-of-g.com

SOURCE Francois Ntone
SHENZHEN, China, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company" or "we"), a leading online personal finance company in China, today announced updates on its status under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the "HFCAA").

The Company is aware of the fact that it was identified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the HFCAA on May 4, 2022. The Company understands that this identification under the HFCAA and its implementation rules issued thereunder indicates that the SEC determines the Company used a registered public accounting firm whose working paper cannot be inspected or investigated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States (the "PCAOB") to issue the audit opinion for its financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

In accordance with the HFCAA, the SEC shall prohibit a company's shares or American depositary shares from being traded on a U.S. stock exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if the company has been identified by the SEC for three consecutive years due to the PCAOB's inability to inspect the registered public accounting firm's working paper related to such company.

The Company has been actively exploring possible solutions to protect the interest of its stakeholders. The Company will continue to comply with applicable laws and regulations in both China and the U.S., and strive to maintain its listing status on the New York Stock Exchange.

About X Financial

X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company") is a leading online personal finance company in China. The Company is committed to connecting borrowers on its platform with its institutional funding partners. With its proprietary big data-driven technology, the Company has established strategic partnerships with financial institutions across multiple areas of its business operations, enabling it to facilitate and provide loans to prime borrowers under a risk assessment and control system.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," "targets," "guidance" and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the credit industry, and marketplace lending in particular, in China; the demand for and market acceptance of its marketplace's products and services; its ability to attract and retain borrowers and investors on its marketplace; its relationships with its strategic cooperation partners; competition in its industry; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is current as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

X Financial

Mr. Frank Fuya Zheng

E-mail: [email protected]

Christensen

In China

Mr. Eric Yuan

Phone: +86-10-5900-1548

E-mail: [email protected]

In US

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

Phone: +1-480-614-3004

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE X Financial
"This year, World Ovarian Cancer Day falls on the same day as Mother's Day," said STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation Board Chair Nicole Andrews. "Because there is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer and for most women no cure, this disease robs some women of the chance to become mothers, and for others it limits the time they have as mothers."

STAAR OC is the only nonprofit in the United States dedicated to funding research into a rare form of ovarian cancer, low-grade serous carcinoma. While the average age of all ovarian cancer diagnoses is 63, the average age of a person diagnosed with low-grade serous ovarian cancer is mid-40s. The average survival is 10 years.

The global campaign launches on May 8  World Ovarian Cancer Day  and features women with low-grade serous ovarian cancer alongside the symptoms they excused before they were diagnosed. Through the global research charity Cure Our Ovarian Cancer, billboard space has been donated for the campaign across the world, including North America's largest billboard located in New York's Times Square, the United Kingdom, Vancouver, B.C., and New Zealand.

"Ovarian cancer is the 11th most common cancer in American women," said Dr. David Gershenson, a leading researcher of ovarian cancer at MD Anderson at the University of Texas. "This year, almost 20,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, mortality rates for this cancer have declined only slightly in the past four decades. It is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women, with almost 13,000 women dying of ovarian cancer this year."

Because there is no effective screening strategy, Gershenson said it is important for women to learn what the common symptoms are for ovarian cancer. These include persistent abdominal or pelvic pain, bloating, feeling full quickly, change in bowel habits, painful intercourse and frequent urination lasting two or more weeks. Anyone who experiences these symptoms for more than two weeks is urged to speak to their doctor.

"It is important that we raise awareness about both what ovarian cancer is and how it can present, so that women know the signs of this disease," said Dr. Rachel N. Grisham, section head of Ovarian Cancer for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and the Director of Gynecologic Medical Oncology at MSK Westchester. "It is equally important that women be aware of their family history and empowered to seek out genetic counseling, as early intervention can help to prevent the development of certain types of inherited cancers before they start."

Research has found that younger women are particularly at risk of delayed diagnosis. Many women mistakenly believe that regular pelvic exams and Pap smears will detect ovarian cancer, and often ovarian cancer is not considered when doctors examine younger women with symptoms because of their age. Anyone born with ovaries is at risk for ovarian cancer.

To help women become familiar with the symptoms, a new online symptom checker developed by Odicci can be found at ovariancancerchecker.org. It identifies the 10 most common symptoms of ovarian cancer, and aims to help people understand within 60 seconds whether they need to speak to a medical professional.

All the creative and space for the campaign was donated, with support from the creative digital agency Topham Guerin and Verastem Oncology.

Media Contact: Meagen Hagans, [email protected]

Find personal stories/photos, billboard art, background information in our online press kit: https://bit.ly/uswocd22

SOURCE COOC, STAAR and Verastem
"Sentry is a perfect fit within our long-term strategy of turning the data from our vast point of sale fleet into actionable insights for our global customer base of over 2,000 operators," said 365 Retail Markets CEO, Joe Hessling. "We will continue to invest in VMS and other data related technologies as the demand for self-service technology continues to rapidly expand. I would like to thank the teams at Sentry, 365 and our lead investor Providence Equity for their assistance in making this transaction a success. We intend to begin offering a 365 VMS product to the field within the summer of 2022."

The acquisition empowers Sentry to realize its full potential while contributing to 365's growth plans and larger product portfolio. 365 Retail markets will assume full ownership beginning May 6, 2022, thereby providing Sentry investors with an exit.

Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. acted as the U.S. legal advisor on the acquisition. The Koley Jessen team was led by Eric Oxley and Comran Sharif.

About 365 Retail Markets

365 Retail Markets is the global leader of self-service commerce technology to the foodservice industry. Founded in 2008, 365 provides a full suite of best-in-class, self-service technologies for food service operators. including end-to-end integrated SaaS software, payment processing and point of-sale hardware. Today, the Company's technology solutions autonomously power food retail spaces at corporate offices, manufacturing and distribution facilities, and more, in order to provide compelling foodservice options for consumers. 365's technology solutions include a growing suite of frictionless smart-stores, micromarkets, vending, catering, and dining point-of-sale options to meet the expanding needs of its customers. 365 continuously pioneers innovation in the industry with superior technology, strategic partnerships and ultimate flexibility in customization and branding.

For more information about 365 Retail Markets, visit www.365retailmarkets.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

About Sentry Sentry is a leading vending and micro market management software platform for operators in the Contract Foodservice industry. Sentry offers a range of software applications including Sentry VMS, SentrySuppliers, and SentryMobile which are used by vending and micro market operators to grow their businesses. Sentry offers a complete solution to operators seeking a modern, intuitive, and user-friendly platform to take their business to the next level. With a range of integrations on the horizon, Sentry is poised to grow from strength to strength.

For more information about Sentry, visit https://sentryvend.com.

Media Contacts

365 Retail Markets

Peter Flesvig

[email protected]

www.365RetailMarkets.com

Sentry

Simon Collins

[email protected]

+61409414746

https://sentryvend.com

SOURCE 365 Retail Markets, LLC
"RBS has made me more of a collaborative person, more open to ideas and willing to learn new things," she said. "I am also much more social now."

In August, Gandhi will begin working as an associate at Boston Consulting Group in Summit and New York. She interned for the company last summer. "I'm looking forward to gaining experience on projects in many different industries," she said.

But she is also going into the work world with a confidence gained from her advocacy work in Girl Up, the insights of professional women she met through Women BUILD and her role as student leader.

Gandhi's experience at Rutgers Business School dispels any notion that commuter students are less engaged. "Just being involved in so many student organizations has been one of my biggest accomplishments," said the senior, who is minoring in Women and Gender Studies.

Gandhi attended a STEM-geared magnet high school with an eye on a career in engineering. "I loved problem-solving and math, so it felt like a natural thing," she said. Her interest, however, shifted to business and marketing, inspired by her entrepreneurial parents.

"Business offered me a way to pursue problem-solving and explore my creativity," Gandhi said. After she was accepted to RBS, she said she sat in on a class and the energy in the room confirmed she made the right decision. "I found the BAIT major to be the exact thing I was looking for, and one I hadn't seen offered at other universities," she said.

Going from a high school with a graduating class of 40 to Rutgers University was a huge change. "I really wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone," Gandhi said.

Rutgers Business School itself was the first layer of community she found. "It's tight-knit and strong," she said. Gandhi immersed herself in organizations that matched her values and gave her room to grow as an individual.

She is most proud of her involvement in Girl Up, the United Nations Foundation's initiative that advocates for gender equality. A member since high school, Gandhi is now the Mid-Atlantic Regional Team Lead, overseeing clubs and campuses in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. "It's a core part of who I am," she said.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda "is where I really grew as a leader," said Gandhi, president of the Rutgers chapter since last May. She called her involvement a transformative experience. Gandhi has cultivated opportunities for students to prepare for and compete in state and national competitions.

Gandhi was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society, which provided another "pocket of community," she said. "It's amazing to be surrounded by highly motivated people."

A big part of membership in the honor society is giving back to the community. Now president, Gandhi was the director of community service, and had to get creative during the height of the pandemic. "It threw us for a loop for a few weeks," she said, "but we started virtual food drives and card-writing campaigns."

Through Women BUILD, Gandhi met female professionals from a variety of industries. "You find that there is no universal experience, and they've undergone different challenges," she said. "It's so helpful to learn their career progressions, and to have a community of women you can talk to."

Hearing from women in a variety of fields gave her insights that will help her as she begins her career. Participating in Women BUILD "solidified my commitment to business," she said. "I gained a lot of clarity learning from so many people."

Gandhi served as director of community with Women in Business, sat on the student advisory board of Rutgers Institute for Corporate Social Innovation, and served as secretary general of the RBS Dean's Council. She finished her senior year as a peer mentor and ambassador for the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program

Her favorite class at RBS was Business Policy and Strategy. "It pushed me to expand my thinking about and analysis of case studies," she said. "So much of it was discussion-based."

Gandhi also benefited from the expertise of engaging professors, including assistant professor Sara Parker Lue, who teaches Business Policy and Strategy; Erich Toncre, director of marketing education who teaches Brand Management; and Alexandra Kunish, assistant professor of professional practice in marketing.

Commuting also had its benefits. After long days on campus, Gandhi relished the drive home to unwind and then spending time with her parents and younger sister  and eating "my mom's amazing food."

SOURCE Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick
Another contributor to the shift in e-commerce in Latin America is the high rate of mobile phone usage in the continent. In 2019, there were 343 million mobile internet users in Latin America with the number expected to increase to 424 million by 2025.

Fintech Revolution in Latin America

In the past, Latin America has been an extremely hard environment for FinTech's to thrive in due to the regulations and traditional banks controlling the market. For example, in Brazil the top five banks control 80% of the market making it difficult for new entrants to break through successfully.

Recently, countries such as Mexico and Brazil have implemented fintech-friendly regulations to welcome Fintech companies into the banking scene. These new laws have made Latin America a breeding ground for venture capitalists and investors.

A niche on the rise

Buy Now Pay Later has become increasingly popular around the globe since COVID-19 impacted many people financially. This was no different in Latin America. Many people shifted to e-commerce payment methods allowing them to pay for their product or service over time.

Alchemy has worked with various clients throughout Latin America to build our end-to-end white-labeled BNPL solution. Our Point-of-Sale system instantly empowers our client's network to take in applications, pre-screen the customer with automated underwriting rules, and has the necessary documents for consumers to sign to start the services.

Learn more about our BNPL solution.

Alchemy in Latin America

Over the past couple of years, Alchemy has geared up our entrance into the Latin America Fintech market by powering banks, financial institutions, and small businesses to help them quickly launch credit products.

We have developed a true end-to-end lending experience for our clients. From the website or mobile app all the way to loan management and payment processing.

At Alchemy we stay connected with all our clients. We have team members around Latin America in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, El Salvador, and Mexico to support you throughout your journey in developing a premier lending platform.

If you are in Latin America and are interested in meeting our team visit our website to receive a demo.

About Alchemy

Alchemy is an embedded financing software company that powers FinTech, Merchants and Banks with an end-to-end cloud native experience. Our award-winning lending software provides a full package of powerful software modules, including our digital customer onboarding process, real time underwriting, loan servicing and management, real time payments gateway, customer and merchant communications, collections modules and many more. trustalchemy.com

Contact:

Jamal Dessouky

[email protected]

SOURCE Alchemy
CARY, N.C. and BASEL, Switzerland, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Altavant Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on patient-centric drug development in rare respiratory diseases, announced today that the company is presenting results from a preclinical study comparing rodatristat ethyl as a monotherapy and in combination with the type A endothelin receptor antagonist, ambrisentan, in an animal model of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Results describing changes in post-hypoxia occlusions as well as mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) with each treatment regimen will be presented in a poster at ATS 2022 being held in San Francisco, CA, May 13-18, 2022.

Presentation Details

Title: P943 - Rodatristat Ethyl Monotherapy and Combination with Ambrisentan Reverses Incidence of Vascular Occlusions to Baseline Normoxic Levels in the Rat SUGEN-Hypoxia Model of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Session: Session C56  Preclinical Models of Pulmonary Hypertension Date/time: May 17, 2022, 11:15 - 1:15 p.m. Pacific Time Location: San Francisco Marriott Marquis

About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, progressive disorder characterized by vasoconstriction, cellular proliferation, and remodeling in the small pulmonary arteries. These changes lead to high pulmonary arterial pressure, right heart strain, and ultimately, right heart failure and death. Although there are approved treatments used for PAH, they mainly help alleviate symptoms, primarily via vasodilation, and none reverse the disease process. Long-term survival rates for PAH are poor, with less than 40 percent survival at five years for high-risk patients.

About Rodatristat Ethyl

Rodatristat ethyl is a tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) inhibitor designed to reduce the body's peripheral production of serotonin. A significant body of scientific evidence supports dysregulated peripheral serotonin production as a trigger of aberrant proliferation and constriction of the smooth muscle cells in the wall of the pulmonary arteries, causing them to restrict blood flow in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). By lowering circulating serotonin levels, it is believed that rodatristat ethyl may halt or reverse the pathology of diseases that are driven by excessive serotonin production, such as PAH. Altavant is currently testing this mechanism of action in ELEVATE 2, a proof-of-concept Phase 2 study of rodatristat ethyl in patients with PAH.

About Altavant Sciences

Altavant Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on elevating patient-centric drug development in rare respiratory diseases. Altavant is currently developing two pipeline candidates: rodatristat ethyl and ALTA-2530. Rodatristat ethyl is a tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) inhibitor in Phase 2 development for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. By reducing serotonin production via TPH inhibition rodatristat ethyl may play a role in halting or reversing the vascular remodeling associated with PAH, offering a novel treatment option for patients living with this disease. ALTA-2530 is an inhaled interleukin-1 receptor antagonist under development for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), a life-threatening form of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) that may present following lung transplantation. ALTA-2530's unique mechanism of action may offer a novel treatment option for patients who suffer from BOS, a disease for which there are currently no approved therapies.

Altavant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitovant Biopharma Ltd. For more information, please visit https://altavant.com.

About Sumitovant Biopharma Ltd.

Sumitovant is a global biopharmaceutical company leveraging data-driven insights to rapidly accelerate development of new potential therapies. Through our unique portfolio of companieswholly owned Urovant, Enzyvant, Spirovant, Altavant, plus majority-owned Myovant (NYSE: MYOV)and use of embedded computational technology platforms to generate business and scientific insights, Sumitovant has supported the development of FDA-approved products and advanced a promising pipeline of early-through late-stage investigational assets for other serious conditions. Sumitovant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Pharma. For more information, please visit our website at sumitovant.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" concerning the development and commercialization of Altavant's products, the company's business development efforts and its expectations regarding its prospects. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are made as of the date of this press release. Actual results may vary. Altavant undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE Altavant Sciences
LAVAL, QC and VAUGHAN, ON, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bausch + Lomb Corporation ("Bausch + Lomb"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) ("Bausch Health"), today announced the pricing of its initial public offering ("IPO") of 35,000,000 common shares at a public offering price of $18.00 per share. A wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health (the "Selling Shareholder") is offering all of the common shares, and Bausch + Lomb will not receive any of the proceeds from the IPO. The Selling Shareholder has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 5,250,000 common shares of Bausch + Lomb to cover over-allotments, if any, at the initial public offering price, less underwriting commissions.

The common shares have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and conditionally approved for listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"). The common shares are expected to begin trading on the NYSE and on an "if, as and when issued basis" on the TSX on May 6, 2022, in each case under the ticker symbol "BLCO." The offering is expected to close on May 10, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

Following the IPO, Bausch Health, together with its subsidiaries, will hold approximately 90% of the common shares of Bausch + Lomb, or 88.5% of the common shares of Bausch + Lomb if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full.

Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are acting as joint lead book-running managers for the IPO. Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, Barclays, BofA Securities, Guggenheim Securities, Jefferies, Evercore ISI, Wells Fargo Securities and Deutsche Bank Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the IPO, and DNB Markets, HSBC, Truist Securities, AmeriVet Securities, Loop Capital Markets, Ramirez & Co., Inc., R. Seelaus & Co., LLC, Siebert Williams Shank and Stern are acting as co-managers for the IPO.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with, and declared effective by, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on May 5, 2022, and a receipt has been obtained for a final base PREP prospectus that has been filed with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada (other than Quebec) on May 5, 2022. The IPO is only being made by means of a prospectus. When available, copies of the final prospectus and the supplemented PREP prospectus containing pricing information and other important information relating to the common shares and the offering may be obtained from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, N.Y. 10014 or Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, N.Y. 10282, by telephone at (866) 471-2526 or by email at [email protected]. A copy of the supplemented PREP prospectus will be filed and will become available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com by May 9, 2022.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction.

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.

About Bausch Health

Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) ("Bausch Health") is a global company whose mission is to improve people's lives with our health care products. Bausch Health develops, manufactures and markets a range of pharmaceutical, medical device and over-the-counter products, primarily in the therapeutic areas of eye health, gastroenterology and dermatology. Bausch Health is delivering on its commitments as it builds an innovative company dedicated to advancing global health.

Forward-looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements about the potential distribution of the common shares of Bausch + Lomb that Bausch Health will continue to hold following completion of the Bausch + Lomb IPO, which may generally be identified by the use of the words "anticipates," "hopes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "should," "could," "would," "may," "believes," "subject to" and variations or similar expressions, including statements about the closing of the IPO, whether the underwriters will exercise their over-allotment option, the number of shares to be held by BHC following the IPO and the expectations relating to the listing of the common shares on the NYSE and TSX. 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. In addition, actual results are subject to other risks and uncertainties that relate more broadly to Bausch Health's overall business, including those more fully described 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.

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.

SOURCE Bausch + Lomb Corporation; Bausch Health Companies Inc.
In honor of Small Business Week, BlueVine recognizes its first-ever Resilience Program Winner with $10,000 award

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueVine , the leading provider of innovative financial services for small businesses, today announced Cut Seven , as the winner of its Small Business Resilience Program, awarding the boutique fitness studio $10,000. In November , BlueVine put out a call to action to small business owners across the country, encouraging them to self nominate for its Small Business Resilience Program by highlighting the leadership, optimism and grit they showed over the last year.

BlueVine SMB Resilience Award Winner

"Our commitment to small businesses is deeply ingrained into our company mission," said Eyal Lifshitz, CEO and co-founder of BlueVine. "While the pandemic impacted businesses both large and small, we saw firsthand how disproportionately impacted our small business community was and knew we had to do something. We designed our Small Business Resilience Program as a way to give back and call attention to the incredible stories of small business owners across the country. In celebration of Small Business Week, we want to not only highlight Cut Seven, but all of the incredible finalists who shared their stories with us."

BlueVine's CEO Eyal Lifschitz and Zack Miller, founder and managing editor of Tearsheet , judged this year's submissions and found Chris and Alex Perrin, co-founders of Cut Steven, displayed an immense amount of leadership, innovation, and grit. At the start of the pandemic, Cut Seven's founders emptied their personal savings and retirement accounts to keep their 26 employees paid. Like many others, they pivoted their in-studio business model to provide members with online exercise content during the shelter-in-place orders. Because of their tremendous efforts, Chris and Alex kept each staff member employed and remained open throughout the pandemic.

"Even during our most difficult days, we continued to bet on ourselves," said Chris Perrin, co-founder of Cut Steven. "We emptied out our bank account twice, once to pay our staff members and again to open our outdoor location. This not only put stress on the business and our staff, but it also put an incredible amount of pressure on our family, with a 4-year-old and 6 month old. We knew the risks involved, but we believed wholeheartedly in Cut Seven. Although we haven't won the fight yet, we have no doubt that we will be successful in the end."

In honor of Small Business Week and the incredible stories submitted as part of the Resilience Program, BlueVine extends its gratitude to the small business community for their leadership, innovation, and grit throughout the pandemic. To read all the inspiring stories of the program finalists and how you can support their businesses, check out the BlueVine blog for more details.

About BlueVine

BlueVine provides small and medium-sized businesses with fast and simple access to financial services built with them in mind. BlueVine's advanced online platform offers an intuitive, convenient solution designed to meet the banking and working capital needs of today's business owners with a suite of products including BlueVine Business Checking, Payments, and Line of Credit. Based in Redwood City, California, BlueVine has served more than 400,000 small and medium-sized businesses and is backed by leading private and institutional investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, 83North, Citi Ventures, ION Crossover Partners, SVB Capital, Nationwide Insurance, and M12 (Microsoft's Venture Arm). Lines of credit are issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC. Banking Services provided by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC.

For more information, please visit https://www.bluevine.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

SOURCE BlueVine
Nam compared the care that her friends were getting back home in South Korea with the country's extensive network of postnatal retreats to the absence of any kind of system or prescribed after labor care in the US. This experience convinced her of the necessity to bring this service that is now commonplace in her home country to the US and open a postnatal retreat stateside to ease the transition between hospital and home for new mothers.

During pregnancy, there is an abundance of information and focus on the mother's health; but after the baby arrives, the mother is put on the backburner. Offering a first-of-its-kind retreat-style experience focused on caring for mother and baby, Boram Postnatal Retreat aims to shift this paradigm, literally and figuratively filling in for the 'village' that's difficult to find in today's world. To describe the ethos of this new postpartum offering, Nam and Park landed on naming their company after the wife Boram, which aptly means in Korean "fruits of one's labor."

Boram Postnatal Retreat provides 24/7 baby care supervised by certified IBCLC nurses with staffing from nursing assistants and postpartum doulas. The staff assists with baby monitoring/recording vitals, feeding, diapering, bathing and sleeping, rounded out by offering a plan for moms, with postnatal massages, lactation assistance, sitz baths and foot baths. Providing a holistic postnatal recovery experience, with a preferred network of pelvic floor physical therapists and mental health practitioners, the center has also partnered with the signature, Every Mother program. Every Mother is the only clinically-proven, on-demand exercise therapy program addressing the most common core and pelvic floor issues mothers face. Boram also has a preferred network of pelvic floor physical therapists and mental health practitioners to connect mothers with the proper health care provider. Services are accompanied by top-of-the-line products for mom and baby including launch partner and modern baby care brand Coterie's highest performing, hypoallergenic, soft-as-cashmere diapers and 100% plant-based wipes, Novum hospital grade bassinets placed in each room, Soko Glam sheet masks, Then I Met You skincare products and more, to ensure a comfortable, elevated stay.

Boram's postpartum care plan also includes a balanced menu for guests that is delivered direct to their rooms, emphasizing nourishing and healing meals that are specially crafted for recovery, including blood replenishment, tissue repair, hydration & energy. The meticulously designed menu features ingredients that are easily digested, nutritious, low in sodium and high in fiber. Snack partners include nourishing, chef-crafted foods from Daily Harvest and tasty healing fare from Agni.

As Boram Nam, Co-Founder of Boram Postnatal Retreat said: "New York is one of the most amazing cities in the world. Yet after I had my second child, I realized there were no postnatal services for mothers immediately after giving birth like in South Korea, where my friends were checking into postnatal hotels to rest, recuperate, and go back to work in significantly healthier condition than their American counterparts. In the US, mothers are often dismissed from hospital 24 hours after birth and are supposed to figure everything out themselves. Extensive research has shown that nurturing women's health in this 6-week postnatal period with proactive post delivery care is critical to their health and their children. With this in mind, we decided to open Boram Postnatal Retreat, and make it our mission to make postnatal care essential in the US".

Nestled on the 9th floor of The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue, Boram Postnatal Retreat features 16 luxe rooms for families to stay in for periods of three, five or seven night stays beginning at $1500 per night. Key services in this postpartum care package include a baby room for when parents need rest sans their newest addition, a mother's lounge to build community among guests, along with a postnatal food and beverage space featuring broth, traditional Korean seaweed soup and a wide variety of healing tea.

Boram Postnatal Retreat also marks an innovation in the travel/retreat industry through its partnership with The Langham, which Richard Bussiere, Managing Director, adds: "We are well versed in providing post-surgical and post-treatment care to guests at The Langham, New York, given how many of our guests come to the city to visit its world-class hospitals. Through this affiliation with Boram, a forward-thinking start-up in the postnatal space, we are able to provide luxury hospitality to a group, until now, not addressed in the US and one that we feel we are uniquely capable of servicing at the highest level. We are very excited to launch this offering and showcase our renowned level of care in an innovative new fashion."

To ensure postnatal care becomes widespread, Boram Postnatal Retreat plans to expand to other US cities in the future and is also dedicating resources to make postnatal care an essential healthcare benefit offered by companies as part of maternity leave packages.

Reservations are now open for bookings online HERE .

Link to hi res imagery HERE

For press inquiries:

Nike Communications

[email protected]

Notes to editors:

About Boram Nam

Boram Nam is an entrepreneur with proven experience building innovative start-ups. Prior to co-founding Boram in 2022, Boram was an integral part of the founding team of DramaFever, a leading video on demand streaming service that became the largest destination for premium international movies and TV shows in just 5 years (acquired by telco giant Softbank), where she oversaw content acquisition and licensing operations. Boram also holds vast hospitality and travel experience, having worked in sales and operations at some of the top hotels in the world: The Four Seasons, The Plaza and the Shilla Hotel in Seoul. Boram has a Ph.D. in behavioral marketing, an MBA from Yonsei University and a BS from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Boram has two children with her husband and business partner Suk Park and lives in New York City.

SOURCE Boram
Dermatologist-Developed Skincare Brand Reaffirms Commitment to Supporting Nurses with Second Annual Installment of Docuseries in Recognition of National Nurses Week

NEW YORK, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Nurses Week, dermatologist-developed skincare brand CeraVe reinforces its commitment to the nursing community with the premiere of Heroes Behind the Masks Chapter 2: A Walk in Our Shoes. Returning for a second year, the digital content series recognizes the profound impact nurses have on their patients and their communities by sharing the unique stories of four exemplary nurses and giving an intimate glimpse into their daily lives.

CeraVe Heroes Behind the Masks Chapter 2: A Walk in Our Shoes shares the unique stories of four exemplary nurses.

"Over the last two years, the spotlight that was once on the nursing community has undeniably dimmed while the demands of their job remain, but we are proud to continue to support the selfless work of nurses and we feel it is more important than ever to do so," said Jaclyn Marrone, VP of Marketing at CeraVe. "We at CeraVe have a long-standing commitment to the medical community and we're honored that these four incredible nurses trust us to share their stories as an expression of our deepest appreciation for all that nurses do."

Each installment takes viewers on a walk in the shoes of a real nurse and will debut throughout National Nurses Week on HeroesBehindtheMasks.com and on CeraVe social media channels.

Monday May 9 th : Michelle Santizo , a street medicine nurse in California

: , a street medicine nurse in Tuesday May 10 th : Emily Danz , a cardiac surgery nurse practitioner and clinical nursing instructor in New Jersey

: , a cardiac surgery nurse practitioner and clinical nursing instructor in Wednesday May 11 th : Abby Recker , an emergency and labor and delivery nurse in Iowa

: , an emergency and labor and delivery nurse in Thursday May 12 th: Elaine Ahn , an operating room nurse in California

These four nurses were selected after CeraVe put out a call for submissions in November 2021, inviting nurses across the nation to share their stories for a chance to be featured in the content series and win $2,500 towards a vacation of their choice. The first 250 qualifying entries for the program also received a self-care kit including therapeutic CeraVe products.

"Nurses are the backbone in medical care, providing care to those in need at the hardest times," said Emily Danz, one of the program honorees. "I've learned that sometimes the simplest act, like sitting bedside with a patient, holding their hand and encouraging them to stay strong, can make a life-altering impact, and it's moments like those that have defined my career as a nurse."

The return of this campaign is an extension of the brand's ongoing commitment to the nurse and healthcare communities. As part of its nurse advocacy efforts, CeraVe launched a scholarship program with Her Campus this year to help support the future generation of nurses, giving away $50,000 for nursing education. Nursing students were eligible to submit an essay through Her Campus and ten students were selected for a $5,000 scholarship, which are also being announced during National Nurses Week.

CeraVe also offers an online community for nurses to come together for personal and professional empowerment and to be reminded of small self-care habits that can go a long way. Nurses can join this online community to stay in touch with the brand by joining the Shift Change: Nurse Essentials Facebook group.

As a brand rooted in the medical community, CeraVe is proud to offer affordable and effective therapeutic skincare products to help equip healthcare professionals improve patient outcomes in skincare. The full CeraVe portfolio is formulated with an exclusive combination of ceramides 1, 3 and 6-II that are essential to restoring and maintaining the skin's natural barrier. For more information on CeraVe and Heroes Behind the Masks, visit the brand at www.cerave.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About CeraVe

Founded in 2005 and developed with dermatologists, CeraVe is the first and only brand to offer a complete line of products containing essential ceramides and patented MVE technology to help restore the skin's natural protective barrier. CeraVe has a full line of skincare products to follow the dermatologist-recommended steps of: cleanse, treat, moisturize, and protect. The brand's mission is to provide therapeutic skincare for all. For more information, visit the brand on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or at www.cerave.com.

About L'Oreal

L'Oreal has devoted itself to beauty for over 100 years. With its unique international portfolio of 34 diverse and complementary brands, the Group generated sales amounting to 25.8 billion euros in 2016 and employs 89,300 people worldwide. As the world's leading beauty company, L'Oreal is present across all distribution networks: mass market, department stores, pharmacies and drugstores, hair salons, travel retail, branded retail and e-commerce. Research and innovation, and a dedicated research team of 3,870 people, are at the core of L'Oreal's strategy, working to meet beauty aspirations all over the world. L'Oreal's sustainability commitment for 2020 "Sharing Beauty With All" sets out ambitious sustainable development objectives across the Group's value chain. For more information visit www.loreal.com.

SOURCE CeraVe
By promoting Sempera Organics' high-quality functional mushroom, Christie & Co continues 30 years of supporting ethical brands.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global strategic branding and communications agency Christie & Co is continuing its 30 years of transforming ethical companies into winning brands with its latest signing, organic mushroom powder supplier, Sempera Organics. Christie & Co looks forward to serving as Sempera Organics' agency of record and cementing the company's position as the premier B2B functional mushroom ingredient supplier.

Christie & Co has added Sempera Organics to the extensive portfolio of plant-based wellness ingredient companies, one of its key sectors, it has served since 1992 and an even bigger list of global companies ranging across various industries. Specializing in working with ethical companies, businesses with missions to benefit humanity and the planet, Christie & Co aims to better the world by helping these companies reach new levels of success by telling their brand stories through a precise methodology based in its proprietary research, Brand Architecture, creative design, marketing, public relations, investor relations, advertising, and social media.

Sempera Organics delivers functional mushroom ingredients to food and nutraceutical developers through a reduced supply chain made possible by its cultivation of mushroom varieties in its own farm lab located in Morgan Hill, California. Its varieties include lion's mane, cordyceps, reishi, chaga, turkey tail, shitake, maitake, almond mushroom, agarikon, and king oyster, shipped in bulk powder as well as blends and extracts for immunity boosting activity recovery, anti-aging, and mental clarity.

With the agency's proprietary Organic Marketing Technology, that increases results by reaching target audiences in the way they want to be reached, Sempera will become recognized as a leader in their key sectors.

"We are very excited to tell the brand story of Sempera Organics, raise its brand presence as the highest quality and most reliable mushroom ingredient supplier, and take it to greater success," said Christie & Co Founder and CEO, Gillian Christie. "Sempera Organics is an ethical company with all the makings of an iconic brand, and we look forward to taking it to that level."

Christie & Co catalyzes the growth of companies pioneering the future through the fabric of ethical businesses rooted in purpose in agriculture, health & wellness, food & beverage, lifestyle, outdoor sports, technologies, and services. Media contact: Josh Grega, [email protected], 805 969-3744

SOURCE Christie & Co
With the purpose of promoting the internationalization of the Colombian capitals market and the attraction of foreign direct investment to the country, the eleventh edition of the event Colombia InsideOut has arrived.

NEW YORK, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Colombia InsideOut, the country's flagship event for the promotion of foreign investment abroad will be held next May 10 and 11, at the facilities of Citi's headquarters in New York City. Led by the Colombian Securities Exchange (bvc) and ProColombia, the government agency in charge of promoting foreign direct investment, the event is supported by Citi, a main ally and sponsor of the business meeting that celebrates its eleventh edition this year and its return to face-to-face encounters.

Colombia InsideOut will feature a streaming broadcast for the business audience from Latin America, Europe, Asia, and other parts of the United States who, along with the on-site attendees, will be able to learn more the country's developments in terms of economic recovery and growth, as well as investment opportunities in the capitals market and segments such as energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, tourism, agroindustry and IT, among others. One-on-one meetings will also be held between companies listed on the Colombian Securities Exchange (bvc) and potential investors clients of Citi.

"To come back in person and in a massive way to this meeting with current and potential investors, allows us to talk face to face about what has changed, how companies have kept working and growing, and how they've adapted to a new post-pandemic reality adjusting their vision to a much more sustainable world," pointed out Juan Pablo Cordoba Garces, president of the bvc.

The event will feature keynote speeches from representatives of the Colombian government such as president Ivan Duque; vice-president and chancellor, Marta Lucia Ramirez; minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Maria Ximena Lombana, minister of Transportation, Angela Maria Orozco, minister of Finance and Public Credit, Jose Manuel Restrepo, minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Carlos Correa, and minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa. Other notable interventions include the president of the Colombian Securities Exchange (bvc) Juan Pablo Cordoba, the ambassador of Colombia to the United States, Juan Carlos Pinzon, the president of ProColombia, Flavia Santoro, and representatives of Colombian companies, among others.

"Colombia InsideOut is the ideal scenario for showing the international business community the opportunities that Colombia offers as a regional investment hub and exporting platform. Our goals are to renovate and strengthen the interest in foreign investment in projects with social, environmental, and sustainable vocation for the development and competitivity of the country", said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.

"Colombia is strategic for the region. Bringing together government officials, corporate clients and global investors at our firm's global headquarters is a great opportunity to attract capital and materialize investment projects that enable progress, job creation and development of economic, social and environmental wellbeing", stated Pablo Del Valle, Citi Country Officer for Colombia.

The business event is framed within the celebrations of the 200 years of bilateral relations of Colombia with the United States, the 10 years of the Trade Promotion Agreement between Colombia and the United States, and the 30 years of ProColombia.

The United States is Colombia's largest trade partner, the main destination of Colombian exports, the largest issuer of international travelers to the country and the global leader in foreign direct investment in Colombia with an accumulated amount of US$ 24.5 billion in the last decade.

Registrations are open here.

SOURCE ProColombia
LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CommonWealth Partners (CWP), a leading national commercial real estate developer, investor and operator, has received the 2022 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. This marks the fifth year in a row the firm has received this recognition, and the third consecutive year they received the Sustained Excellence designation, the highest honor bestowed by the ENERGY STAR program.

Brett Munger, CEO and Managing Partner of CommonWealth Partners

CWP is recognized for its long-term commitment to fighting climate change and protecting public health through energy efficiency. The Award distinguishes the nation's leaders in driving value for the environment, the economy, and the American people.

"Industry-leading ESG practices are a cornerstone of our portfolio operations," said Brett Munger, CEO and Managing Partner of CommonWealth Partners. "These practices and principles not only help the environment, but also continue to keep our properties highly competitive with an increasingly ESG-focused tenant base and ensures we're managing our investments with an eye to the future."

Since 2013, the CWP portfolio has reduced Energy Use Intensity by 34%. Looking to the future, CWP established new targets of reducing emissions by 50% from a 2013 baseline and has committed to a Net Zero Carbon goal by 2050. In addition, the CWP portfolio is 100% LEED Certified, with 65% of Properties earning LEED Platinum status and 35% earning LEED Gold status.

"The work we do to reduce our carbon footprint and promote wellness in our properties is a direct result of our dedication to providing what our customers  our tenants -- want and deserve," said Travis Addison, a principal at CWP who directs the firm's sustainability efforts. "It is our mission to create and maintain environments that are safe, healthy and efficient while securing the financial health of our investors and tenants. Our most valued assets are not the structures we own and operate, but the occupants and partners who rely on us to make sound and lasting decisions."

The ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence award is just one of many recent ESG awards earned by CommonWealth Partners. CWP was awarded First Place in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) in their U.S. Office Corporate High-Rise peer group in both 2021 and 2020, and also received their prestigious Office Overall Regional Sector Leader award and a 5 Star Rating.

The firm was also recognized in 2021 with a Gold Award from Green Lease Leaders, a national program honoring owners, tenants and partnering real estate practitioners from a variety of sectors that incorporate green leasing to drive high-performance and healthy buildings.

About CommonWealth Partners

CommonWealth Partners, LLC is a vertically integrated, privately owned real estate investment, development and management organization. They are headquartered in Los Angeles and New York with over $10 billion of assets located throughout the United States, including New York, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Boston. They offer a wide array of services including investment and capital market transactions, portfolio management, asset management, property management, marketing, leasing, development, and reporting with a sharp focus on tenants and investors. Learn more about CommonWealth Partner's sustainability program at https://www.commonwealth-partners.com/sustainability/highlights/

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizationsincluding more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $450 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: https://www.energystar.gov/about and https://www.energystar.gov/about/origins_mission/energy_star_numbers

Media Contact: Great Ink  212-741-2977

Roxanne Donovan  [email protected]

Eric Gerard  [email protected]

SOURCE CommonWealth Partners
ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cross Screen Media, a tech firm specializing in optimized local TV and CTV ad planning and measurement, announced today that Jackie Vanover has joined the company as its new Chief Product Officer. Jackie brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in product management and engineering with global software companies to this new role.

Jackie has a proven track record of success, including managing $600M in programmatic spend per year and executing campaigns across video, CTV, mobile, and out-of-home channels. In her new role, Jackie will lead the company's product management and user experience efforts to build solutions specific to optimizing video advertising at the local level. Local advertising is the next battleground for convergent TV, with $55B in spend this year. Cross Screen Media is hyper-focused on building technology to help local advertisers consistently maximize campaign impact.

"We are very excited that Jackie has joined our team. Jackie's expertise will be instrumental in guiding our customer-focused product strategy across our portfolio of local planning, activation, and measurement solutions. Building solutions for local advertising is a whole different ballgame than the national level, and Jackie's knowledge and experience will help us continue to add value for advertisers and networks," said Michael Beach, CEO of Cross Screen Media.

Jackie previously served as Vice President, Product Management at MediaMath, an advertising technology company. Prior to MediaMath, Jackie served as Director of Product Development for the Visible World, one of the first companies providing targeted television advertising solutions for brands and agencies before being acquired by Comcast. Jackie holds a BS in Journalism from Texas Christian University and an MBA in Marketing & Management from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

About Cross Screen Media

Cross Screen Media is a marketing analytics and software company empowering marketers to plan, activate, and measure Connected TV and audience-driven Linear TV advertising at the local level. Our closed-loop solutions help brands, agencies, and networks succeed in the Convergent TV space. For more information, visit CrossScreenMedia.com.

SOURCE Cross Screen Media
LONDON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the ongoing failures at Green Vals Trust, the beneficiaries have filed a lawsuit in the Guernsey Court alleging significant failures and political pressure by the Trustee appointed by Credit Suisse. The lawsuit was the result of serious violations of the Trustee's obligations concerning the management of the beneficiaries' assets and disregarding the lawful interests of the client. The beneficiaries had raised those breaches a number of times in letters sent to the Trustee, which also confirmed that the Trust had been proposed and instituted by Credit Suisse to protect the interests of the beneficiaries and ensure disbursement as required.

On 4th March 2022, the beneficiaries requested a disbursement which the Trustee authorized only on 4th of April 2022, causing financial damage to the beneficiaries. During that time, the Trustee made unreasonable requests for information and referenced the "geopolitical environment in Eastern Europe" as justification for the delay, thereby failing to operate its primary function  managing the trust assets in the best interests of the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries have no links to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and have not been subject to any sanctions. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister of Georgia, holds dual nationality with France and Georgia only, is not and cannot be in any manner related to the list of sanctioned organizations and individuals. This information is publicly available and yet the Trustee failed to make even basic checks and suggests that Mr. Ivanishvili has not only been discriminated against by the Trust but is also subject to a campaign of political pressure by Credit Suisse.

The failed instruction of 4th March 2022 was not an isolated case. The same methods were utilized following the client's instruction of 14th April 2022, when the client issued written instructions for a further distribution of funds and included information to address outstanding issues. Despite this, the disbursement remains outstanding in violation of the rights of the beneficiaries. The assets managed by the Trustee and the amounts, which were to be distributed, are not related to any of the legal disputes or their outcomes; these assets are separate financial structures.

A spokesperson for Mr. Ivanishvili commented:

"Mr. Ivanishvili is extremely unhappy by how his assets continue to be managed. In fact, we are in a situation when the actions of the Trustee are in total conflict with the purpose and principles of the Trust. The reality is that the actions of the Trustee are contradictory, having no economic rationale and establishing a dangerous precedent. This position of the beneficiaries was clearly established in letters of 14th and 29th April 2022, while the latter was never responded to by the Trustee as it is clear it has nothing left to say. It is most interesting that the Bank is linking its actions or inactions to international politics, taking the form of political pressure or whether this has been driven by other factors. The client has his own explanation for this development and will provide details in due course. This is unrelated to the court disputes between the client and the bank or with the results thereof  the outcomes of the legal disputes are mostly clear and foreseeable."

The global litigation initiated by Mr. Ivanishvili against Credit Suisse and its units has been progressing for many years. On 29th March 2022, the Supreme Court of Bermuda handed down its judgement, fully granting the claims of the Plaintiffs, including Mr. Ivanishvili and his family. It is noteworthy that the Court of Singapore will consider the next chapter of the dispute in September 2022. Considering the similarity between the two cases, it is likely that Mr. Ivanishvili's claims will prove successful.

In addition, Mr. Ivanishvili is continuing to publicize his efforts to seek redress, the purpose of which is to inform the public of the proper assessment of the matter. In the coming weeks, Mr. Ivanishvili is intending to organize a series of press conferences for the international media. These will demonstrate in detail, how Credit Suisse and, in general, the Swiss banking system operate and how unprotected any client could be when investing in the Swiss finance sector. In addition, they will detail what type of investment products are offered to clients for managing investments, including trust structures which restrict the rights of clients and beneficiaries; and how the 'goodwill' of trustees can limit and even prevent access to disbursements. How the Swiss regulator  FINMA  has no effective tools to prevent gross violations in the Swiss banking system; how the Swiss Prosecutors' Office protects the Banks and is unable to hold them to account, instead bring charges only against one individual, described as a 'lone wolf.' The Swiss Judiciary, which ordered the Bank to repay funds confirmed as stolen to clients only once the funds had been recovered from third parties while the Prosecutor had already indicated that the funds should have been returned by the Bank. Despite this, the Bank has not repaid the stolen funds, arguing that these need to be recovered from third persons, including the deceased Relationship Manager.

Mr. Ivanishvili will dedicate each of the meetings with the media to each of the above topics and will break down the myths associated with so-called untainted image of Swiss banking and the judiciary. Alongside with the said topics, Mr. Ivanishvili will specifically speak regarding the recent political pressure and what he has discovered about the Bank and the Trustee.

For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit https://csvictims.com/

Information for editors

CS Victims was established by the representatives of certain clients of Credit Suisse.

They are victims of an estimated $1 billion fraud perpetrated by the Bank's personnel over seven years. At least one of Credit Suisse's employees has been convicted of fraud and FINMA has highlighted failures in Credit Suisse's systems and controls which led directly to crimes being committed.

SOURCE CS Victims
New locations in Bradenton East, Tampa Midtown and Orlando University Expand the Company's Retail Presence to 50 Locations in Florida and 133 Nationwide

WAKEFIELD, Mass., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA /OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf" or the "Company"), a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis, today announced plans to open three new dispensaries in Florida over the coming weeks. Curaleaf's latest expansion will increase the Company's retail footprint to 50 dispensaries in the Sunshine State and 133 locations nationwide.

Curaleaf Bradenton East, located at 4227 E SR 64, is an expansive, 5,000-square-foot retail facility that joins Curaleaf Bradenton as the second dispensary in the Central Florida town. The Company will celebrate the location's soft opening on May 6, followed by a grand opening on May 13, featuring on-demand commissioned poetry by Florida "poet-for-hire" Giovanni Cerro of Gios Typos. New and returning patients will also have access to exclusive promotions and double reward points on purchases.

Curaleaf Tampa Midtown, located at 612 Dale Mabry, will become the Company's sixth location in Hillsborough County. The 5,821-square-foot dispensary's soft opening will take place on May 12, pending regulatory approvals, with a grand opening ceremony to follow on May 20. The celebration will feature half-priced products, opportunities to earn double reward points and a live Potcast recording, hosted by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Ian Beckles.

Curaleaf Orlando University, located at 11311 University Blvd near the University of Central Florida, will open by the end of May, pending regulatory approvals. The 3,156 square-foot storefront joins Curaleaf Orlando East and Curaleaf Orlando South as the Company's third location in Orange County, Florida.

With a 21+ population expected to surpass 16 million by 2025 and the potential for an expansive adult-use market, Florida presents continuous growth opportunities for the Company. To meet growing patient demand and preferences, Curaleaf has continued to introduce innovative and tailored products, including Select Squeeze, Select X-Bites, Select Nano Bites, BlueKudu Chocolate, Select Live Rosin and its breakthrough vape hardware Cliq by Select. The Company's Florida growth strategy has allowed its statewide market share to increase to fifteen percent and laid the groundwork for future developments.

"Through our latest retail locations in Bradenton East, Tampa Midtown and Orlando University, Curaleaf has successfully opened eight new dispensaries across Florida in 2022 so far. We are pleased to provide more convenient experiences for patients across the Sunshine State through our ongoing expansion initiatives and our diverse selection of high-quality cannabis products," said Matt Darin, President of Curaleaf US.

For more information regarding Curaleaf's latest product offerings in Florida, along with openings and hours of operation, please visit www.curaleaf.com/locations/#florida.

About Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the Company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 22 states with 131 dispensaries, 26 cultivation sites, and employs over 5,600 team members. Curaleaf International is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe with a unique supply and distribution network throughout the European market, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information, please visit https://ir.curaleaf.com .

Forward Looking Statements

This media advisory contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or, "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning the opening of three dispensaries in Florida. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed March 9, 2022, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at http://www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

INVESTOR CONTACT

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Investor Relations

[email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.
Entrepreneurs can also drop off samples in person at TechTown Detroit (440 Burroughs St.) from Tuesday, May 10-Thursday May 12 during the following times each day: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.

The contest, which is returning for the first time since 2019, aims to promote small business economic development in Detroit. It takes place over a four-month span, including two rounds of public voting  Top 10 and Top 4 - allowing the community to vote for their favorite businesses to win.

The top 10 ideas will be introduced to the community for public vote to determine four finalists. A second public vote will help decide the contest winner. Each of the four finalists will compete in a "Hatch Off" event competition on Thursday, July 21 and pitch their business idea to a panel of judges and an audience of peers. Public vote and judges' deliberation determine the winner.

The winner of the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will receive $100,000 to support their business plan from Comerica Bank at the annual "Hatch Off". The winner will also receive technical assistance from Hatch Detroit, TechTown and their partners that includes accounting, legal, IT, public relations and counsel to help open a business in Detroit, Highland Park or Hamtramck.

"Our objective is to support and foster success in the businesses that enter, not just the winner of the contest," said Vittoria Katanski, Executive Director, Hatch Detroit. "Those who submit will receive feedback after the contest that will provide them practical next steps to opening."

Bolstering the 2022 contest is the newly formed partnership between Hatch Detroit and TechTown. Hatch Detroit's into TechTown's small business services program lineup provides a sustainable future for integration Hatch while creating synergies between the two organizations which both champion and support small businesses in and around Detroit.

Beyond the contest, Hatch Detroit provides funding, exposure and mentoring in support of its alumni entrepreneurs. Together, Hatch Detroit alumni have opened 49 businesses, employ over 500 people and have invested more than $7 million in their businesses. Over the years, the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has helped launch some of Detroit's most successful and well-known businesses, including, La Feria (2012), Sister Pie (2014), Live Cycle Delight (2015), Meta Physica Massage (2016), Baobab Fare (2017) and 27th Letter Books (2019).

Since 2012, Comerica Bank has contributed $550,000 to Hatch Detroit in startup funding to support the winners of the annual neighborhood retail competition and for the 2020 Small Business Alumni Relief Fund. Additionally, the Comerica Charitable Foundation has provided Hatch Detroit $110,000 in grant funding for direct organizational assistance.

For more information to submit business proposals to Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, interested entrepreneurs can visit HatchDetroit.com.

About Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank, a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated, has served Michigan longer than any other bank with a continuous presence dating back over 172 years to its Detroit founding in 1849. It is the largest bank employer in metro Detroit and has over 4,500 employees (FTE) statewide. With one of the largest banking center networks in Michigan, Comerica nurtures lifelong relationships with unwavering integrity and financial prudence. Comerica positively impacts the lives of Michigan residents by helping customers be successful, providing financial support that assists hundreds of charitable organizations, and actively participating in Detroit's downtown revitalization. Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Comerica, Twitter: @ComericaBank and Instagram: @comerica_bank.

About Hatch Detroit

Hatch Detroit supports both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck. Hatch Detroit was founded in 2011 to give residents and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to have a voice in neighborhood retail development and joined TechTown Detroit's suite of entrepreneurial programs and services in 2022. Beyond the contest, Hatch Detroit provides funding, exposure and mentoring in support of its alumni entrepreneurs. With support from Hatch Detroit, 49 alumni have opened businesses. They employ over 500 people and have invested over $10 million in economic development. To learn more, visit hatchdetroit.com.

About TechTown Detroit

TechTown is a nonprofit business service organization that provides programs, education and resources for early- to growth-stage small businesses and tech entrepreneurs. By building bridges for entrepreneurs to succeed, TechTown is accelerating an inclusive economy for Detroit and Southeast Michigan. Since 2007, TechTown has supported more than 4,500 companies, which created 1,600 jobs and raised more than $172 million in startup and growth capital. For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org.

SOURCE Comerica Bank
DUBLIN, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Data Center Power Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Europe data center power market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.05% during 2022-2027

EUROPE DATA CENTER POWER MARKET SEGMENTS

UPS systems are being widely adopted to provide backup power for cooling systems installed in the facility. Cooling systems are essential for the smooth operations of data centers since maintaining an optimal temperature will avoid malfunctions caused by overheating. The adoption of lithium-ion batteries is likely to increase during the forecast period as their price will continue to decline.

The increasing deployment of edge data centers with a total power capacity of less than 1 MW leads to the adoption of generator systems with a capacity of 0-1.5 MW. The construction of hyperscale facilities in developing regions will also reduce the need for low-capacity generators in the market.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

Data center operators in Europe have been early adopters of sustainable innovations in power technology, such as ecodiesel and natural gas generators, and HVO fuel. For instance, Interxion (Digital Realty) has started replacing diesel with HVO for powering its backup generators, with the first one being in its PAR08 data center in Paris, France.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

The Europe market is increasingly adopting software-defined power infrastructure in data centers. For instance, Equinix uses its own data center monitoring software platform, IBX SmartView that provides operators the insights into the data center infrastructure.



Various local governments are supporting the adoption of renewable energy by data center operators in the region. For instance, the French government has approved more than 250 wind and solar power generation projects with a capacity of nearly 2 GW in the country.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

5G will help in increasing edge data center investments. 5G is expected to increasingly be used in enterprise applications and AI integrated platforms in Europe . This is going to impact the data center market in Europe positively

. This is going to impact the data center market in positively Increasing procurement of renewable energy will drive the data center power market in Europe . About 25 European cloud and data center operators, including Equinix, Interxion (Digital Realty), OVHcloud, Scaleway Datacenter, Aruba , and others, and 17 industry associations have signed the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact.

. About 25 European cloud and data center operators, including Equinix, Interxion (Digital Realty), OVHcloud, Scaleway Datacenter, , and others, and 17 industry associations have signed the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact. The rising adoption of modular power infrastructure is contributing to Europe data center power market share. Modular data centers are a portable solution for implementing data processing capabilities where needed, with a small footprint and a large amount of power over time.

data center power market share. Modular data centers are a portable solution for implementing data processing capabilities where needed, with a small footprint and a large amount of power over time. The emergence of fuel cell generators is also positively impacting the European data center power market. In May 2020 , Rolls-Royce and Daimler partnered to develop generator systems with hydrogen fuel cells for data centers to run carbon-neutral facilities.

KEY VENDORS

ABB

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

Legrand

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Vertiv Group

OTHER PROMINENT VENDORS

AEG Power Systems

Aggreko

Aksa Power Generation

Ametek Powervar

Anord Mardix

BACHMANN

BENNING Elektrotechnik Und Elektronik

Borri

Bloom Energy

Centiel

Cyber Power Systems

Delta Power Solutions

Enrogen

Exide Technologies

FG Wilson

Fuji Electric

Generac Power Systems

General Electric

Genesal Energy

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

HITEC Power Protection

HITZINGER

INNIO

Metartec

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Panduit

Perkins Engines

Piller Power Systems

Pramac

Riello Elettronica

Riello Elettronica (Riello UPS)

Rittal Systems

SAFT (Society des Accumulators Fix et de Traction)

Siemens

Socomec

Toshiba Corporation

VYCON

WTI - Western Telematic

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study

4.4 Market Segments



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Power Architecture in Data Centers

7.2 Europe Data Center Electricity Pricing

7.3 Data Center Site Selection Criteria



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 5G to Grow Edge Data Center Investments

8.2 Increasing Procurement of Renewable Energy

8.3 Adoption of Cutting-Edge Ups Battery Technologies

8.3.1 Li-Ion Batteries

8.3.2 Nickel-Zinc Batteries

8.3.3 Prussian Blue Sodium-Ion Batteries

8.4 Software-Defined Power and Automation of Power Infrastructure

8.5 Rising Adoption of Modular Power Infrastructure

8.6 Emergence of Fuel Cell Generators

8.7 Sustainable Innovations in Data Center Power Technology

8.7.1 Ecodiesel Generators

8.7.2 Natural Gas Generators

8.7.3 Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (Hvo) Fuel



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Covid-19 on Data Centers

9.2 Increasing Data Center Investments

9.3 Impact of Tax Incentives

9.4 Data Regulations on Data Center Investments

9.5 Growing Power Consumption & Rack Power Density



10 Market Restraints

10.1 Location and Supply Chain Constraints

10.2 High Cost of Power Efficient Infrastructure

10.3 High Maintenance Cost & Inefficiency Drives Opex



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Investments: Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Power Capacity: Market Size & Forecast

11.4 Five Forces Analysis



12 Power Infrastructure

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 UPS Systems

12.3 Generators

12.4 Transfer Switches & Switchgear

12.5 Power Distribution Units

12.6 Other Electrical Infrastructure



13 Ups Systems

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 < =500 Kva

13.4 500-1,000 Kva

13.5 >1,000 Kva



14 Generator Systems

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 0-1.5 Mw

14.4 1.5-3 Mw

14.5 >3 Mw



15 Tier Standards

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Market Overview

15.3 Tier I & II

15.4 Tier III

15.5 Tier IV



16 Geography

16.1 Investment: Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Power Capacity: Snapshot & Growth Engine

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hqyytz



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aircraft Electrification Market by Technology (More Electric, Hybrid Electric, Fully Electric), Component, Application, System, Platform (Commercial, Military, Business & General Aviation, UAV, AAM) and Region - Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The market for aircraft electrification is estimated to be USD 6.0 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 20.0 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 14.3%

The growth of this market is mainly driven by increase in adoption of cleaner and greener aircraft, developments in advanced air mobility and alternative sources of energy.



The aircraft electrification market is dominated by a few globally established players such as Honeywell International Inc. (US), Safran (France), Thales Group (France), Raytheon Technologies (US), GE Aviation (US).

These players have spread their business across various countries including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. Industry experts believe that COVID-19 could affect aircraft electrification production and services by 7-10% globally in 2020.



Lithium-sulfur and lithium titanate batteries are fueling the battery segment which is projected to be the highest in the aircraft electrification market during the forecast period.

Based on component, the battery segment is estimated to lead the market during the forecast period, with a share of 24.3% in 2021. Lithium-sulfur is one of the battery technologies competing to supersede lithium-ion as the major battery technology of the next generation.

The ability of Li-S batteries to store and release energy offers an opportunity to create batteries that hold as much as five times more charge than lithium for a given size and weight of the cell. Lithium titanate or lithium titanium oxide is a type of rechargeable battery, it can charge faster than other lithium-ion batteries but has a lower energy density.



The hybrid electric segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on technology, the hybrid electric segment is projected to be the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft electrification market during the forecast period. Hybrid electric technology uses both airplane fuel as well as electricity to drive the propulsion system.

This technology helps reduce fuel burn, energy consumption, emissions, and noise for single-aisle passenger aircraft. Solar-powered and fuel-powered are two types of power sources available in hybrid propulsion.



The power generation segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on application, the power generation segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft electrification market during the forecast period. In an aircraft, power is generated with the support of an integrated drive generator, a variable frequency generator, an auxiliary power unit, and an external ground power unit.

In conventional aircraft, power is generated using mechanical hydraulic and pneumatic systems, while in advanced aircraft, power is generated by an electric generator. Key aircraft manufacturers prefer integrated drive generators over variable frequency generators in wide-body aircraft and very large aircraft, as these generators are more reliable and efficient.



The business and general aviation segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Based on platform, the business and general aviation segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft electrification market during the forecast period.

The growth of the business & general aviation segment of the market can be attributed to the increase in corporate profits, rise in the number of high-net-worth individuals, and an increase in the replacement demand for existing business jets with new ones.



The propulsion system segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Based on system, the propulsion system segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft electrification market during the forecast period.

Electrification of propulsion systems is expected to boost the power for take-off, thereby creating an efficient electrical replacement for a regular turbofan with a 2-megawatt liquid-cooled electric motor. Electrical propulsion systems are expected to reduce fuel burn substantially, leading to a decrease in atmospheric emissions.



The North American market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2021 to 2030

The key factor responsible for North America leading the aircraft electrification market is the high demand for new aircraft in the region.

The growing upcoming projects, and the emergence of several startups supporting the electrification in the aviation industry are additional factors influencing the growth of the North American aircraft electrification market.

Premium Insights

Increasing Need for Cleaner and Quieter Aircraft Expected to Drive Market from 2O21 to 2030

Fully Electric Aircraft Segment Projected to Lead Market from 2021 to 2030

UAV Segment Projected to Lead Market from 2021 to 2030

Market in Mexico Projected to Grow at Highest CAGR from 2021 to 2030

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Low Operational Costs

Growing Need for Cleaner and Quieter Aircraft

Advances in Batteries, Electric Motors, and Power Electronics

Rise in Demand for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Surging Demand for Electrical Systems in Aircraft

Restraints

Limited Range of Electric Aircraft

Power Density Limitations of Electric Propulsion Technology

High Voltage and Thermal Issues of Aircraft Electrical Systems

Increased Aircraft Weight due to Heavy Batteries

Opportunities

Emergence of Alternative Power Sources for Electric Power Generation

Development of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Development of Advanced Power Electronics Components

Emergence of Advanced Air Mobility

Challenges

Development of Batteries Having Higher Energy Densities

Battery Recharging Infrastructure at Airports

Ensuring Airworthiness of Electric Aircraft

Value Chain Analysis

Raw Materials

R&D

Component Manufacturing

OEMs

End-users

After-Sales Services

Market Ecosystem Map

Prominent Companies

Private and Small Enterprises

End-users

Trends and Disruptions Impacting Customer's Business

Rising Need for Cleaner and Sustainable Aircraft to Drive Market Growth

Tariff and Regulatory Landscape

European Aviation Safety Agency Framework for VTOL Aircraft

Federal Aviation Administration Rules for Unmanned Aircraft System

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Guidelines for Electric Motors in Aircraft

European Union (Eu) Ecodesign Regulation

Case Study Analysis

Joby Aerospace Completes All-Electric Flight with Electric Vertical Take-Off Air Taxi

Eviation Offers Alice, a 9-Passenger Electric Propeller-Powered Airplane

Extra Aircraft's Extra 330Le Electric Plane Powered by Siemens Electric Drive System

Rolls Royce's First All Electric Aircraft Completes Maiden Flight

Use of Electric Motors in More Electric Aircraft by Honeywell

Parker Used Ametek's Hydraulic Pump Motor for the Us Airforce's Next Generation T-X Jet Trainer Aircraft

Technology Analysis

Turbogenerators for Powering Electric Motors and Batteries

Electric Actuators

Fly by Wire

Industry Trends

Emerging Industry Trends

Upcoming Trends in Hybrid and Electric Propulsion

Multifunctional Structures for High-Energy Lightweight Loadbearing Storage (M-Shells)

Integrated Computational-Experimental Development of Li-Air Batteries for Electric Aircraft (Li-On)

High Voltage Hybrid Electric Propulsion (Hvhep)

Compact High Power Density Machine-Enabled by Additive Manufacturing

Design Environment for Novel Vertical Lift Vehicles - Cryocooling Hep Task (Deliver)

Fostering Ultra-Efficient, Low-Emitting Aviation Power (Fueleap)

Scalable Convergent Electric Propulsion Technology and Operations Research (Sceptor)

Distributed Electric Propulsion (Dep)

Electric Component Technology Trends

50Kg Electric Motor

Fuel Cell Technology

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Advanced Batteries

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S)

Nasa Future Aircraft Technologies

Nasa Future Aircraft Electric Machines

Nasa Future Aircraft Converters

Nasa Future Aircraft Materials

Soft Magnetic Materials

New Insulation Materials

High-Conductivity Copper/Carbon Nanotube Conductor

Development of the Superconducting Wire

Urban Air Mobility

Energy Harvesting

High Power Batteries and Motors

Cyclo-Rotor Evtol

Company Profiles

Honeywell International Inc.

Safran

Thales Group

Raytheon Technologies

General Electric

Ametek, Inc.

Meggitt plc

Bae Systems

Eaglepicher Technologies LLC

Astronics Corporation

Crane Aerospace & Electronics

Magnix

Pbs Aerospace

Acme Aerospace Inc. & Avionic Instruments, LLC

Nabtesco Corporation

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies

Hartzell Engine Technologies

Pioneer Magnetics

Radiant Power Corporation

Enersys

Crouzet Automatismes

Cts Corporation

Lee Air, Inc.

Electromech Technologies

Aegis Power Systems, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/eapj3x

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Data Center Server Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global data center server market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.10% during 2022-2027



In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included in this Global Data Center Server Market Report



This report covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The study covers both the demand and supply sides of the market. It also profiles and analyses leading companies and several other prominent companies operating in the market

GLOBAL DATA CENTER SERVER MARKET SEGMENTATION

Hyperscale operators such as Amazon Web Service (AWS), Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are developing their own customized server infrastructure with the help of the Open Compute Project (OCP) to improve the performance of data center facilities. For instance, in 2021, Microsoft launched Project Olympus to innovative cloud hardware designs with the help of OCP.

Due to edge data center and growing BFSI sectors, the micro server market is expected to grow during the forecast period. The countries such as Dell Technologies, IBM, and HPE are the prominent players offering micro servers in the market.

The data center blade servers are adapted to fulfill the requirement of the data center operators, that is minimum space with high power density.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

North America had the highest data center server market share of around 45% worldwide, followed by APAC and Western Europe, in 2021.

In APAC, India is emerging as a key market whereas, China & Hong has the highest market share, contributing around 65%, followed by Japan. Post COVID-19, the industry faced supply chain shortages; many Chinese companies as producing their own chips and servers. For instance, Alibaba announced a new 5nm ARM-based server chip for its data centers.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

The vendors are collaborating with operators to provide and innovate liquid cooling solutions. For instance, Iceotope Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) have signed an OEM agreement to provide liquid cooling solutions for edge data centers.

The data center operators are also deploying servers with x86 and x64 processors along with ARM-based servers. Datacenter operators are deploying servers in a collaboration with vendors. For instance, in April 2021, Microsoft partnered with Wiwynn in its Washington data center to test the deployment of two-phase immersion-cooled servers.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, and cloud is leading to increasing rack power density; this is increasing the demand for advanced servers in data centers, and data center operators' upscaling their existing infrastructure

The investment in server infrastructure is dominated by ODM servers, contributing a share of over 25% in 2021. Some major ODM server vendors include Quanta Cloud Technology (Quanta Computer) and Wiwynn, among others.

Rack servers will continue to dominate the market, with the adoption of blade servers not far behind. Increasing edge data center investments will boost the market share of micro servers in the market.

APAC is a rapidly growing market, with China & Hong contributing to around 65% of the market in 2021, followed by Japan . Owing to supply chain shortages, many Chinese companies, such as Alibaba, have started to produce their own chips and servers.

& Hong contributing to around 65% of the market in 2021, followed by . Owing to supply chain shortages, many Chinese companies, such as Alibaba, have started to produce their own chips and servers. Hyperscale operators such as Amazon Web Service (AWS), Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are developing their own customised server infrastructure with the help of Open Compute Project (OCP) to improve the performance of data center facilities.

Key Infrastructure Providers

ATOS

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Inspur

Intel

Lenovo

NetApp

Oracle

NEC

Other Infrastructure Providers

Black Box Network Services

Fujitsu

Tripp Lite (EATON)

Hitachi Vantara

Infortrend Technology

Iron Systems

Supermicro

VIOLIN

Quanta Cloud Technology

WISTRON (Wiwynn)

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study

4.4 Market Segments



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Report Overview

7.1.1 Key Market Highlights

7.1.2 Segmental Analysis

7.1.3 Vendor Analysis

7.2 Market Snapshot

7.3 Annualized Failure Rate by Server Component (Afr)

7.4 Virtual Cloud Servers



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Growing Adoption of Big Data & Iot

8.2 Adoption of Hyperconverged & Converged Infrastructure Platforms

8.3 Ai Adoption in Data Centers

8.4 Ocp Adoption by Various Vendors



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Impact of Covid-19 on Data Center Market

9.2 Data Center Construction to Drive Procurement of High-Density Servers

9.3 Edge Data Centers to Create Demand for Cost-Effective & Compact Servers

9.4 Rising Digitalization & Development of Internet Infrastructure



10 Market Restraints

10.1 Hardware Failure

10.2 Cyber Security in Data Center Facilities

10.3 Supply Chain Disruptions



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Five Forces Analysis



12 Sector

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 BFSI

12.3 Government

12.4 Cloud, It & Telecom

12.5 Other Sectors



13 Server Type

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Rack Servers

13.3 Blade Servers

13.4 Micro Servers



14 Geography

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l89hz6

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring & Safety Market by Detector (Gas-Filled, Scintillators, Solid-State), Product (Personal Dosimeters, Passive Dosimeters), Safety (Full-Body Protection), End-user (Hospitals, Non-Hospitals), and Region - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety is projected to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2027 from USD 1 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period.

Growth in this market is mainly driven by factors such as the growing geriatric population, the growing number of radio diagnostic procedures performed, the rising adoption of radiation therapy, and the implementation of favorable government initiatives, and the high prevalence of cancers.



The gas-filled detectors segment accounted for the highest growth rate in the medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety market, by detector type, during the forecast period



The medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety market is segmented into gas-filled detectors, solid-state detectors, and scintillators based on type of detector. The gas-filled detectors accounted for the largest share of the medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety market in 2021, mainly due to the favorable performance-to-cost ratio of gas-filled detectors and their wide applications in the medical imaging field.



Hospitals segment accounted for the highest CAGR



Based on end users the medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety market is segmented into hospitals and non-hospitals. In 2021, the hospitals segment accounted for the largest share of the medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety market. The increasing number of hospitals across the globe is driving the growth of this segment.



Asia Pacific: The fastest-growing region medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety market



The Asia Pacific region is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Factors such as the growing number of hospitals, the rising incidence of cancer, an increased number of installations of radiological imaging systems, and the rising adoption of radiation therapy for the treatment of diseases are driving the growth of the Asia Pacific medical radiation detection, monitoring, & safety market.

Premium Insights

Increasing Prevalence of Cancer and Growing Geriatric Patient Population to Drive Market Growth

Gas-Filled Detectors Segment to Dominate Market in 2027

Personal Dosimeters Segment to Dominate Market During Forecast Period

Full-Body Protection Segment to Dominate Market During Forecast Period

Hospitals to Dominate the Market in 2027

Asia-Pacific to Register Highest Growth Rate in Market During Forecast Period

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increasing Use of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy for Diagnosis and Treatment

Rising Prevalence of Cancer

Increasing Safety Awareness Among People Working in Radiation-Prone Environments

Growing Number of Orthopedic and Spine Surgeries

Growth in the Number of PET/CT Scans

Increasing Number of Trained Radiology Technologists

Opportunities

R&D for Technological Advancement

Challenges

Stringent Regulatory Requirements

High and Growing Cost of Lead

COVID-19 Impact on the Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring and Safety Market

Lists of Companies Profiled

Fortive (US)

Mirion Technologies, Inc. (US)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US)

Ludlum Measurements, Inc. (US)

IBA Worldwide ( Belgium )

) AliMed, Inc. (US)

Polimaster Ltd. ( Republic of Belarus )

) AmRay Group ( Ireland )

) Infab, LLC (US)

Burlington Medical (US)

Bertin Instruments ( France )

) Radiation Detection Company (RDC) Inc. (US)

Arrow-Tech, Inc. (US)

Centronic (UK)

SE International, Inc. (US)

ATOMTEX ( Belarus )

) Nucleonix Systems ( India )

) Alpha Spectra, Inc. (US)

LND (US)

Bar - Ray Products (US)

Trivitron Healthcare ( India )

) Micron Technology, Inc. (UK)

Scionix Holland (Netherland)

Lite Tech Industries, LLC (US)

BLOXR Solutions, LLC (US)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/uhq1zj

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: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
Get a sample of this data, download our sample report: https://spendedge.com/procurement-report/water-and-sewer-utilities-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Who are the Top Suppliers in the Water and Sewer Utilities Market?

The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several top suppliers. Some of the leading Water and Sewer Utilities suppliers profiled extensively in this report include:

American Water Works Service

Kurita Water Industries

Severn Trent Water

These are a few of the key suppliers in Water and Sewer Utilities market. Discover more about these vendors, including the detailed analysis of procurement strategies deployed by major category end-users across several industries while sourcing for Water and Sewer Utilities requirements.

Download a sample of this report: https://spendedge.com/procurement-report/water-and-sewer-utilities-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

What are the Most Adopted Procurement Strategies for the Water and Sewer Utilities Market?

The research includes a complete analysis of the most commonly used procurement strategies by buyers across sectors, as well as an insight into these strategies' innovation, regulatory compliance, quality, supply, and cost. Adopting these procurement tactics would enable buyers to minimize category TCO and achieve cost savings while sourcing Water and Sewer Utilities.

What Are the Most Effective Price Strategy That a Vendor Can Adopt and What is The Forecasted Incremental Spend?

It is critical to monitor current and future pricing changes in order to maximize the value of the purchase. Price forecasts can assist in purchase planning, especially when combined with constant monitoring of price-influencing factors. The market expects an incremental spend of USD 305.68 billion over the forecast period as a result of several market drivers prevalent across multiple geographies. In addition, the sourcing and procurement report discusses different cost-cutting factors by analyzing the following criteria:

Identify favorable opportunities in Water and Sewer Utilities TCO (total cost of ownership)

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities

Download the sample report to get detailed insights into few more pricing strategies.

Which are the Key Regions for Water and Sewer Utilities Market?

The Water and Sewer Utilities market will register an incremental spend of about USD 305.68 billion during the forecast period. However, only a few regions will drive the majority of this growth. Moreover, on the supply side, North America, Europe, and APAC will have the maximum influence owing to the supplier base. The growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing demand and adoption of the category across those few regions.

To get more information on the volume drivers that are driving the adoption of the category across regions, download our sample report.

Smart Procurement Starts Here:

SpendEdge's procurement intelligence platform is the go-to tool for companies looking to access latest procurement research insights and supplier data on an easy to use platform:

Subscribe now, to get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment.

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
BANGALORE, India , May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Glycerine Market is Segmented by Type - Crude, Refined, by Application - Cosmetics and Personal Care, Food, Tobacco, Polyurethane, Pharmaceutical, Alkyd Resins. Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2022 - 2028. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Chemicals Industry Category.

Glycerine Market size is estimated to be worth USD 2552 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 3518.8 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.5% during the review period.

Major factors driving the growth of Glycerine Market are

Glycerine Market growth is expected to be driven by an increase in demand for natural ingredients in cosmetics and personal care among individuals, as well as an increase in glycerine production in the pharmaceutical industry and an increase in production in the food and beverage industry.

In addition, increased biodiesel production is expected to fuel the glycerin market demand. Furthermore, the Glycerine market is expected to be driven by an increase in the use of glycerin as an alcohol substitute in herbal and botanical tincture preparation, chemical manufacturing, home care, and other specialty applications with other oleochemicals such as fatty alcohols, fatty acids, and esters.

Browse The Table Of Contents And List Of Figures At: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/global-glycerine

TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF GLYCERINE MARKET

Increasing demand for Cosmetics and Personal Care is expected to propel the growth of the glycerin market. Glycerol is found in many personal care products, such as toothpaste, hair conditioners, cosmetics, and moisturizers. It's used in skincare products to protect the skin from irritation. It can also help to keep skin smooth by bringing moisture to the skin's surface. For the same reason, it's added to hair conditioners, shaving creams, and eye drops. To keep toothpaste from drying out, it contains vegetable glycerin. As a humectant, it's commonly used in liquid soaps and lotions. Glycerol is used as a humectant, solvent, and lubricant in cosmetics.

Glycerol is a common pharmaceutical ingredient that improves the smoothness and taste of medications. Cough syrups contain glycerol to help prevent throat irritation, which causes coughing. It's also used to make it easier to swallow tablets. Thus the growing use of glycerine in the Pharmaceutical Industry is expected to drive the growth of the glycerin market.

The rising demand for glycerine in Food & Beverage Industry is expected to fuel the glycerin market during the forecast period. Glycerin is used in a variety of food and beverage products to add smoothness, bulk, and sweetness as well as to help retain moisture. Flavors and food colors are dissolved in glycerol. It's also used as a sweetener and as a humectant to keep food moist. Low-fat food products also use glycerol as a sweetener.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive overall impact on key players in the pharmaceutical glycerin market. The demand for glycerin has increased as it is used in the production of hand sanitizers, soaps, hand washes, and detergents. Sanitizers have been recommended as an effective tool in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus around the world. In order to make hand rubs, glycerol is used in small amounts. During the pandemic, the World Health Organization recommended combining glycerol with hydrogen peroxide, ethanol, and other chemicals in hand sanitizers, as well as NBSP. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for glycerin in hand sanitizer production has increased.

Get Your Sample Today: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

GLYCERINE MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

Based on type, Refined glycerol is expected to be the most lucrative segment. It is the preferred choice because of its use in the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food industries. Crude glycerol is used in a variety of applications, including the preparation of animal feed, where it is used to replace corn.

Based on application, the cosmetics and personal care sector is expected to be the most lucrative. Glycerin can be found in a wide range of products, including shampoos, moisturizers, hair conditioners, and toothpaste. It's also a component of eye drops. It is used as an additive in the food industry and is considered safe.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the most lucrative region. China is one of the world's largest glycerin consumers. Cosmetics and personal care are one of the country's fastest-growing industries. Makeup, skincare, haircare, personal hygiene, and fragrances are just a few of the industries covered.

Inquire For Customization: https://reports.valuates.com/request/customisation/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

Market By Region

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Inquire for Regional Report:

https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

Key Companies:

P and G Chemicals

Oleon

KLK OLEO

Emery Oleochemicals

IOI Oleochemicals

Musim MAS

Dow Chemical

Wilmar International

Pacific Oleochemicals Sdn

Vance Bioenergy

Cargill

PT SOCI MAS

Vantage Oleochemicals

Godrej Industries

Hangzhou Oleochemicals

Qingyuan Futai

Cambridge Olein

Shuangma Chemical

Inquire for Chapter Cost:

https://reports.valuates.com/request/chaptercost/QYRE-Auto-12R1605/Global_Glycerine_Market

Buy Now for Single User + Covid-19 Impact :

https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-12R1605&lic=single-user

SIMILAR REPORTS:

- The global Organic Personal Care Products Market size is estimated to be worth USD 13670 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 18640 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.3% during the review period.

- The global Vegan Cosmetics Market size is projected to reach USD 21780 million by 2028, from USD 15960 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 4.5% during 2022-2028.

- The global Cosmetics Market size was valued at USD 380.2 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 463.5 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 5.3% from 2021 to 2027.

- The global Feminine Hygiene Products Market size is projected to reach USD 41860 million by 2027, from USD 31960 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 4.6% during 2021-2027.

- The global Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Market size is estimated to be worth USD 6479.2 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 7919.4 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 3.4% during the review period.

- The global Food Glycerine Market was valued at USD 635 million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 899.2 million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 5.0% during 2021-2027.

- The global Perfume Market size is estimated to be worth USD 43420 million in 2022 and is forecast to be a readjusted size of USD 70830 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 8.5% during the review period.

- The global Consumer Skin Care Devices Market size is estimated to be worth USD 51380 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 149630 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 19.5% during the review period.

- Global and Japan Crude Glycerine Market Insights, Forecast to 2027

- Global Pharmaceutical Glycerine Market Insights and Forecast to 2028

- Global Glycerine Carbonate Market Insights, Forecast to 2028

- Global Glycerine Swabsticks Market Outlook 2022

- Global Food and Feed Grade Glycerin Market Insights, Forecast to 2028

Click here to see related reports on Glycerine Market

ABOUT US:

Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs.

Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs.

To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains a detailed research methodology employed to generate the report. Please also reach our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources.

CONTACT US:

Valuates Reports

[email protected]

For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225

For IST Call +91-8040957137

WhatsApp: +91-9945648335

Website: https://reports.valuates.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports

LinkedIn - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports

SOURCE Valuates Reports
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and SUZHOU, China, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Harbour BioMed ("HBM", HKEX:02142), a global biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel antibody therapeutics, is pleased to announce the appointment of Alexander A. Zukiwski, MD, to the Company's Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Zukiwski joined CASI Pharmaceuticals in April 2017 as Chief Medical Officer. Prior to joining CASI Pharmaceuticals Dr. Zukiwski was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Arno Therapeutics and had been a Director of Arno Therapeutics. Prior to Arno in 2007, Dr. Zukiwski served as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Clinical Research at MedImmune. Prior to MedImmune, Dr. Zukiwski held several roles of increasing responsibility at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development LLC (J&JPRD)and Ortho Biotech. Before joining J&J, he served in clinical oncology positions at pharmaceutical companies including Hoffmann-LaRoche, Glaxo Wellcome and Rhone- Poulenc Rorer.

Dr. Zukiwski has more than 25 years of experience in global drug development and supported the clinical evaluation and registration of many successful oncology therapeutic agents, including Taxotere, Xeloda, Procrit/Eprex, Velcade, Yondelis, and Doxil. He previously served as a Member of Medical Advisory Board at Gem Pharmaceuticals, LLC and served as a Director of Ambit Biosciences Corporation and currently serves as a Director of Oncolyze, Inc. Dr. Zukiwski holds a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from the University of Alberta and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Calgary. He conducted his post-graduate training at St. Thomas Hospital Medical Center in Akron, Ohio and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

"We're pleased to welcome Dr. Zukiwski to our Scientific Advisory Board," said Dr. Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Harbour BioMed. "His expertise in the field of oncology and deep experience in clinical evaluation and registration will be invaluable to HBM as we grow and advance our innovative pipeline to serve patients worldwide. He will work closely with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Humphrey Gardner and rest of the management team to drive our global clinical portfolio and to optimize the pipeline strategy."

"It's an honor to join the HBM Scientific Advisory Board. I'm impressed with HBM's global vision as well as innovative pipeline powered by its competitive research and development engine," commented Dr. Zukiwski. "I look forward to working with the other members of the SAB and Dr. Wang's talented team in bringing forward transformative therapeutics on a global basis."

About Harbour BioMed

Harbour BioMed (HKEX: 02142) is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel antibody therapeutics focusing on immunology and oncology. The Company is building its robust portfolio and differentiated pipeline through internal R&D capability, collaborations with co-discovery and co-development partners and select acquisitions.



The Company's proprietary antibody technology platforms Harbour Mice generate fully human monoclonal antibodies in two heavy and two light chain (H2L2) format, as well as heavy chain only (HCAb) format. Building upon the HCAb antibodies, the HCAb-based immune cell engagers (HBICE) are capable of delivering tumor killing effects unachievable by traditional combination therapies. Integrating Harbour Mice with single B cell cloning platform, our antibody discovery engine is highly unique and efficient for development of next generation therapeutic antibodies.

SOURCE Harbour BioMed
Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation of the pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Fetch actionable market insights on post COVID-19 impact on each product and service segments.

Top Incident and Emergency Management Software suppliers listed in this report:

This report offers detailed insights and analysis of the major cost drivers, volume drivers, and innovations of the Incident and Emergency Management Software procurement and sourcing market, which the global suppliers have been leveraging to gain a competitive edge across regions. Some of the leading Incident and Emergency Management Software suppliers profiled extensively in this report include:.

Lockheed Martin

Honeywell International

IBM

Fetch actionable market insights on post COVID-19 impact on each product and service segments:

www.spendedge.com/report/incident-and-emergency-management-software-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Top Selling Report:

1. Seafood - Forecast and Analysis: This seafood procurement market report provides a detailed analysis of procurement strategies deployed by major category end-users across several industries while sourcing for seafood requirements. In addition, most adopted and high potential pricing models considered by buyers have been analyzed in this report, which will help understand business scopes for revenue expansion.

2. Butter Sourcing and Procurement Report: The butter procurement market report provides a detailed analysis into various supplier selection criteria, RFX questions, supplier evaluation metrics, and the service level agreements that the buyers should consider adopting to achieve significant cost savings, streamline the procurement process, and reduce category TCO while sourcing for butter requirements.

3. Cheese - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: The report provides a detailed insight into the most adopted procurement strategies by buyers across industries and an analysis of these strategies with respect to innovation, regulatory compliance, quality, supply, and cost. Adoption of these procurement strategies will enable the buyers to reduce category TCO and achieve cost savings while sourcing for cheese requirements.

To access the definite purchasing guide on the Incident and Emergency Management Software that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis:

Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Incident and Emergency Management Software TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable?

How is the price forecast expected to change? What is driving the current and future price changes?

Which pricing models offer the most rewarding opportunities?

Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 1,200+ market research reports.

SpendEdge's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
"As an institution committed to preparing competent nurses and healthcare professionals, we want to recognize the hard work and dedication of our nursing community. On Nurse's Day, we want to shine a light on and continue a tradition of doing something special for the incredible nurses we have in our Utah community," said Sherry Jones, president and CEO of Joyce University. "Nurses are vital to our healthcare system and we are committed to providing the workforce with the most capable nursing graduates possible. The experiences they gain while attending college will prove useful from the day they start their job."

The University recently changed its name to better reflect its mission, values, and the excellence of their staff and students. The new name also underlines the importance of the nursing community and contributes to the state's reputation of having some of the top nursing schools in the country.

"We are so thrilled to partner again with our friends at Joyce University to thank nurses for all that they do! Nurses are such a critical part of our healthcare system and truly contribute to all of our wellbeing. I know we can all think of a nurse that has been there for us during our must uncertain or vulnerable times. They are always there to get us through." said Nicole Tanner, founder of Swig. "That's why what Joyce University does in training and preparing these nurses is so incredible. National Nurses Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to share a special thank you to all those deserving nurses! We love and appreciate them all."

For more information about Joyce University and its innovative nursing programs, please visit joyce.edu .

ABOUT JOYCE UNIVERSITY

Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences, formerly Ameritech College of Healthcare, is one of the largest nursing schools in Utah. Founded in 1979, Joyce University's mission is to prepare students to serve as competent professionals, to advance their careers, and to pursue lifelong learning. Located in Draper, Utah, Joyce University is proud to have helped thousands of students across the US graduate and launch lasting healthcare careers.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Joyce University
-GRAMMY Award-Winning Artist to Perform at Norwegian's Giving Joy Award Ceremony in Galveston, Texas-

-Company to Award 100 Teachers with a Cruise Aboard Its Newest Groundbreaking Ship Norwegian Prima and Three Grand Prize Winners with $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 for Their School-

-Norwegian's Giving Joy Contest is Now Open and Accepting Nominations at nclgivingjoy.com through June 3, 2022-

MIAMI, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAMMY Award-winning artist and superstar Kelly Clarkson today announced that she would join Norwegian Cruise Line in celebrating and rewarding educators as part of the "Norwegian's Giving Joy," annual recognition program hosted by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8998055-kelly-clarkson-ncl-celebrate-teachers-with-free-cruises-concert-on-norwegian-prima/

Kelly Clarkson and Norwegian Cruise Line to celebrate teachers with free cruises and an exclusive concert aboard the Companys newest ship, Norwegian Prima, during the ships debut in Galveston, Texas in October 2022. One hundred teachers across North America to be rewarded with a free cruise and a chance to win up to $25,000 for their school. Now through June 3, 2022, NCL is encouraging the public to nominate and vote for a deserving teacher at www.nclgivingjoy.com. #NCLGivingJoy Norwegian Prima, the first in her class of six vessels, will be the industrys most spacious new cruise ship when she debuts in August 2022, offering the most outdoor deck space and the most expansive accommodations of any new build. #NorwegianPrima Norwegian Cruise Line is rewarding 100 across the U.S. and Canada with a free cruise aboard its newest record-breaking ship, Norwegian Prima, and a chance to win up to $25,000 for their school. Now through June 3, 2022, NCL is encouraging the public to nominate and vote for a deserving teacher at www.nclgivingjoy.com. #NCLGivingJoy Travelers will enjoy spanning views from Norwegian Primas Ocean Boulevard, complete with infinity pools, dining options and a variety of experiences wrapping around the entire deck eight. Norwegian Prima to debut August 2022. #NorwegianPrima

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2  6, 2022), the songstress and TV host and producer concluded a week-long on-air celebration recognizing educators on her critically acclaimed program, "The Kelly Clarkson Show," by announcing that she would be joining this year's Norwegian's Giving Joy winners aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's record-breaking new ship, Norwegian Prima. Clarkson will perform during the award ceremony honoring these top 100 teachers across the U.S. and Canada, when the ship debuts in her home state of Texas on Oct. 27, 2022.

"Not only has Kelly been a wonderful friend of our Cruise Line since joining our NCL family as godmother to Norwegian Encore, but she has also been a steadfast supporter of educators through the years," said Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. "We all have a teacher who holds a special place in our hearts, and Norwegian's Giving Joy program provides a platform for us to publicly recognize and provide them with an experience of a lifetime. Kelly shares our strong appreciation for this community of unsung heroes, making her the perfect partner to help us bring this special program to life once again."

The annual program which recognizes the connection between travel and education and celebrates teachers for their unwavering dedication to inspiring students every day, has awarded 130 teachers with free cruises and over $185,000 to schools since 2019. This year, 100 teachers across the U.S. and Canada will win an exclusive sailing aboard the Cruise Line's newest groundbreaking ship, Norwegian Prima, during the inaugural five-day sailing from Galveston, Texas from October 27  31, 2022. In addition, the top three grand prize winners will receive an additional seven-day voyage for two from the U.S. or Canada, as well as a $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 donation respectively for their school.

"Teachers deserve every recognition for their relentless commitment to inspiring students every day," said Kelly Clarkson. "As the Godmother of Norwegian Encore, I'm so proud to partner with NCL on Norwegian's Giving Joy program. This community does incredible work, and through this annual program, I get to play a small role in showing our gratitude to these educators with an opportunity of a lifetime. I can't wait to celebrate the 100 deserving winners this October, as I welcome them to my home state of Texas before they set sail."

Norwegian Cruise Line is encouraging nominations of certified or accredited teachers in the U.S. and Canada now through June 3, 2022. To nominate a beloved teacher, to vote and for the contest terms and conditions, please visit www.nclgivingjoy.com.

For more information about Norwegian Cruise Line or to book a cruise, please visit www.ncl.com or call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784) or contact a travel professional. For Norwegian Prima's press kit and assets, click here.

About Norwegian Cruise Line

As the innovator in global cruise travel, Norwegian Cruise Line has been breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising for 55 years. Most notably, the cruise line revolutionized the industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal vacation on their preferred schedule with no assigned dining and entertainment times and no formal dress codes. Today, its fleet of 17 contemporary ships sail to over 300 of the world's most desirable destinations, including Great Stirrup Cay, the company's private island in the Bahamas and its resort destination Harvest Caye in Belize. Norwegian Cruise Line not only provides superior guest service from land to sea, but also offers a wide variety of award-winning entertainment and dining options as well as a range of accommodations across the fleet, including solo traveler staterooms, club balcony suites, spa-suites and The Haven by Norwegian, the company's ship-within-a-ship concept. For additional information or to book a cruise, contact a travel professional, call 888-NCL-CRUISE (625-2784) or visit www.ncl.com. For the latest news and exclusive content, visit the NCL Newsroom and follow Norwegian Cruise Line on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube @NorwegianCruiseLine; and Twitter @CruiseNorwegian.

SOURCE Norwegian Cruise Line
Knight-Hennessy Scholars cultivates and supports a multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University and delivers engaging experiences that prepare graduates to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders who address complex challenges facing the world. Knight-Hennessy scholars participate in the King Global Leadership Program and receive up to three years of financial support to pursue a graduate degree program in any of Stanford's seven graduate schools.

"While we face many challengesincluding the pandemic, racial justice, climate change, and ongoing conflictsthe accomplishments, dedication, and promise of these new scholars gives me hope for a better future." said John L. Hennessy, president emeritus and the Shriram Family Director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars develops emerging leaders who have a strong multidisciplinary and multicultural perspective, a commitment to the greater good, and the tools needed to drive meaningful change. The King Global Leadership Program is a core part of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars experience and offers a wide range of workshops, lectures, projects, and experiences that complement scholars' graduate school education and help them reach their leadership objectives.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars has no quotas or restrictions based on region, college or university, field of study, or career aspiration. Among new 2022 scholars, 50% identify as female and 46% hold a passport from a non-U.S. country. Sixty-three percent of U.S. scholars identify as a person of color, and 13% have served in the U.S. military. The scholars earned undergraduate degrees at 13 international and 29 U.S. institutions. Seventeen percent are the first in their family to attend college.

The inaugural cohort enrolled in 2018, and the fifth cohort brings the total scholar count to 339 to date. Scholars are selected based on their demonstration of independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and a civic mindset. "It is a joy to work with the scholars, who come from around the world and across the university, as they build a community that is dedicated to contributing to the greater good," said Tina Seelig, Executive Director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

The application for the 2023 cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars will open in July and is due in October 2022. The program offers online information sessions to describe the community, leadership development program, and admission process.

About Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Announced in 2016, Knight-Hennessy Scholars is named for Phil Knight, MBA '62, philanthropist and co-founder of Nike Inc., and John Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet Inc. and president of Stanford (2000-2016). Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed graduate fellowship in the world.

SOURCE Knight-Hennessy Scholars
The invite-only function, themed Timeless Moments with Loved Ones , took place at Wappo Hill, the private home of celebrated vintner and co-founder of LVE, Jean-Charles Boisset. LG SIGNATURE brand ambassadors  the international style authority Olivia Palermo and noted wine critic James Suckling  were among the evening's special guests, while other VIP attendees included LG SIGNATURE customers, retailers, journalists, wine reviewers and lifestyle influencers.

To begin the sophisticated soiree, John Legend and Jean Charles Boisset were joined by an LG SIGNATURE representative to share the story of the exclusive wine  from the original idea for their collaboration to an inviting description of the full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon's rich, complex flavors. The delighted guests were then serenaded by John Legend, who, accompanying himself on the piano, performed "You Deserve It All," the song he wrote for LG SIGNATURE, along with his hit "All of Me" and a selection of other favorites.

Bringing the evening back to the subject of wine, James Suckling then hosted a special session on wine preservation, offering up practical tips and outlining the impressive features and benefits of the specialist LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar. Before the evening came to a close, guests were treated to a gourmet three-course meal prepared by Boisset's head chef Rafael Molina and paired with LVE's delectable wine.

The limited-edition Legend X SIGNATURE wine is a 2018-vintage cabernet sauvignon crafted at Napa Valley's renowned Raymond Vineyards. Only 300 bottles have been made, with 50 served at the event and the remainder available exclusively to LG SIGNATURE VIP customers and those purchasing an LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar.

Complementing the wine's superb taste is an understated label design and sophisticated black bottle, which speak to the timeless quality and premium nature of LG SIGNATURE. The bottle echoes the look and feel of the minimal Black Diamond Glass used for the LG SIGNATURE Refrigerator, while the premium Textured Steel Finish of the LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar is expressed through the silver font etched into the label.

America's  and John Legend's  favorite red wine, cabernet sauvignon pairs perfectly with a wide variety food. Cabernet sauvignons from California's Napa Valley region are widely considered among the best produced in the 'New World,' rivaling those from the variety's native France in popularity with wine connoisseurs worldwide. The 2018 vintage from Napa Valley is noted for an exceptionally 'juicy' and well-rounded flavor profile resulting from the ideal weather conditions experienced that growing season. For optimal preservation, the Legend X SIGNATURE wine is best kept in the temperature- and humidity-controlled conditions offered by the LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar.

"It was a pleasure to celebrate our limited-edition wine with music in such an intimate environment for people to truly experience the magic of LG SIGNATURE and LVE," says Legend.

"Ever since LG SIGNATURE's launch more than six years ago, we've continuously worked to provide opportunities for people to connect with our premium brand and acquaint themselves with our unique vision for a truly luxurious lifestyle," said Lee Jeong-seok, head of LG Electronics' Global Marketing Center. "With ambassadors like John, who embody what this brand is all about, we're able to communicate the meaning and premium value of LG SIGNATURE to a much wider audience."

About LG SIGNATURE

LG SIGNATURE is the first ultra-premium brand across multiple product categories from global innovator LG Electronics. Designed for the most discerning consumers, LG SIGNATURE products deliver a state-of-the-art living experience that feels pure, sophisticated and luxurious. Combining the very best of everything LG has to offer, LG SIGNATURE products are designed with a focus on their "true essence" aligned with the brand's modern, distinctive design. For more information, visit www.LGSIGNATURE.com.

SOURCE LG SIGNATURE
CHICAGO, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The cold and long winter is officially behind us and it's time to spring clean your M&A habits! We are here to help you reflect on your techniques and workflows, achieve a fresh start for the new season, and blossom novel ideas.

Join us on May 19 for the M&A Science Spring Summit! Topics include go-to-market strategy planning, using an M&A plan, secrets to building out an M&A function, capturing revenue synergies, and more. See the full speaker lineup and agenda here. Sponsoring this summit is Valuation Research Corporation.

Following the theme of "out with old, in the new," this spring summit's format is changing from previous years. For the first time, registration for the summit is free for all attendees. While M&A Science Academy students will have access to summit session recordings after the event, anyone who wishes to tune in on May 19 can do so at no cost. Registration is available here.

In addition, the M&A Science team will be hosting an in-person, networking event following the summit. If you live in the Chicago area and are interested in attending, please contact our Events Coordinator at [email protected]. This post-summit social will be held in downtown Chicago.

About M&A Science:

M&A Science , founded by Kison Patel, offers educational and technological solutions for modern M&A practitioners. Originally a podcast series, M&A Science has evolved into a diverse community of M&A professionals looking to evolve the industry. Today, along with the M&A Science podcast, its portfolio offerings include the M&A Science Academy, the Agile M&A framework, consulting services, and a job board.

Media Contact:

Marsha Forester

(312-344-3442)

[email protected]

SOURCE M&A Science
CHICAGO, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Machine Condition Monitoring Market by Monitoring Technique (Vibration Monitoring, Thermography, Oil Analysis, Corrosion Monitoring, Ultrasound Emission), Monitoring Process (Online, Portable), Deployment, Offering - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Machine Condition Monitoring Market size is expected to grow from USD 2.8 billion in 2022 to USD 4.0 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 7.8%. The use of wireless communication technology-integrated machine condition monitoring systems and the inclination of manufacturing companies toward predictive maintenance techniques are the key factors boosting the growth of the market.

Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=29627363

Hardware segment accounted for larger share of the machine condition monitoring market in 2021.

Hardware offerings held a larger share of the machine condition monitoring market in 2021. Hardware components used in machine condition monitoring systems include vibration sensors, vibration analyzers, infrared sensors, spectrometers, ultrasound detectors, spectrum analyzers, corrosion probes, etc. The data collected by these components is further analyzed with the help of software solutions, thereby enabling manufacturing firms to carry out effective predictive maintenance programs to avoid costly downtime.

The vibration sensors segment is projected to hold the largest share of the machine condition monitoring for hardware offering in 2022.

Compact size, low weight, good temperature stability, and moderate prices of vibration sensors boost their deployment in machine condition monitoring systems. Moreover, vibration sensors can identify the exact location of the faults in machinery. They can detect the potential problems three months in advance, providing sufficient time to fix the issue. These sensors find applications in various crucial parts of rotatory machines, including motors, pumps, turbines, bearings, fans, and broken or bent parts.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Machine Condition Monitoring Market"

210  Tables

74  Figures

264  Pages

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=29627363

China to account for a significant market share of Asia Pacific from 2022 to 2027

China is projected to account for the major share of the machine condition monitoring market in Asia Pacific from 2022 to 2027. The country is a key manufacturer of electronic devices. It is the most significant economy in the region. Factors such as ongoing industrialization, the rising requirement for replacing aging plant equipment, and increasing adoption of preventive maintenance activities by manufacturing firms push the growth of the machine condition monitoring market in China.

Emerson Electric (US), General Electric (US), Honeywell International (US), National Instruments (US) and SKF (Sweden) are some of the key players operating in machine condition monitoring market globally.

Related Reports:

Asset Integrity Management Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Service Type (NDT, RBI, Corrosion Management, Pipeline Integrity Management, HAZID Study, Structural Integrity Management, RAM Study), Industry and Region - Global Forecast to 2026

NVH Testing Market with Covid-19 Impact Analysis by Type (Hardware, Software), Application (Impact Hammer Testing, Powertrain NVH, Sound Intensity Measurement, Pass-by-Noise, Vibration Testing), Vertical and Geography - Global Forecast to 2026

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/machine-health-monitoring-market.asp

Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/machine-health-monitoring.asp

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading all-in-one scheduling software for pet groomers, Moement, Inc. is currently suing competitor Groomore, Inc. for misappropriation of Moement's trade secret, infringement of Moement's copyright, breach of confidentiality obligations, and unfair business competition in the Central District Court of California (Case No. 2:22-cv-02871-MRW ).

Moement alleges that the Groomore team leveraged a copy of the Moement backend source code to build a comparable, competing scheduling software system in just four months. Contrastingly, Moement took four years to develop its leading, all-in-one scheduling software - MoeGo for pet groomers.

Moement contests that the Groomore platform and mobile app exhibit a high similarity to the MoeGo platform and mobile app, including visuals, features, functions, and screen transitions. Through this lawsuit, Moement seeks to recover all legal, equitable, and financial remedies available under U.S. federal and state laws, including compensatory and punitive damages, as well as injunctions against the Defendants.

About Moement, Inc.

Moement is a SaaS company focusing on the pet grooming business, dedicated to empowering all pet groom stores for success. Its leading, all-in-one scheduling software - MoeGo is a cloud-based pet grooming solution that allows salons and groomers to manage customer appointments, communications, and service agreements all from one place. MoeGo's scheduling tool allows users to view bookings, generate client-specific notes and reminders, manage employee accounts, and more. MoeGo integrates with a variety of third-party apps, including Stripe, Quick books and Google Maps, and more. The software is accessible for free as well as on a monthly subscription basis.

Moement seeks to create the most reliable, effective, yet simple-to-use solutions for everyone in the pet industry, enabling groomers to thrive and realize their aspirations. With a vision of building a harmonious and prosperous pet economy, Moement will leverage its tech advantages to benefit more businesses involved and adorable pets.

For more information, please visit MoeGo

Media Contact:

Emma Chen

+(1) 323 968 7848

[email protected]

SOURCE Moement, Inc.
SINGAPORE, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiple Public Version, from Multiple Protocol, is completely open to all users. After users use Multiple Public to connect their wallets, they can check all the position information of the corresponding account in UniswapV3. Multiple is compatible with all existing UniwapV3 position data, and displays it with a more clear and suitable data structure, and thus users can view the profit and loss performance of the positions more intuitively. Multiple provides more professional data support and more friendly UX design. It is useful for users to manage the range liquidity in more convenient and efficient way.

Check out complete article

 https://mulfinanceinfo.medium.com/multiple-public-mainnet-is-live-ad47856ea7d3

Certik Audit

Yet again it has passed the critical CertiK Tech security beta test. A comprehensive examination has been performed, utilizing Static Analysis and Manual Review techniques. https://certik.com/projects/multiple

Earnings by Uniswap users in 2022 Q1 on Multiple

Multiple Protocol #Mainnet has crossed $343k in earnings for the customers' wiz GP & LPs on https://app.multiple.fi This is not it. It will be launching the Mainnet #Beta soon to unlock more rewards and a better #UX as it grows together with users. #UniswapV3 #AMM

Visit  https://app.multiple.fi/#/vault

Multiple Protocol is defining evolution of DeFi 1.0 to DeFi 2.0 with a more connected community of investors and market makers in a secure and rewarding environment.

Web3.0 to witness the beginning of DeFi 2.0 with Multiple Protocol Beta Launch.

A simple yet robust dashboard for Active Liquidity Management & Market Making strategies on Uniswap awaits users.

Multiple Protocol is Decentralizing Money Market Funds.

Check out our latest article in Bitcoinist

https://bitcoinist.com/multiple-protocol-is-decentralizing-money-market-funds/)

GP's in Multiple Protocol are the strong pillars of Market Making on Proof of Profitability Consensus Algorithm. A unique proprietary proposition rewarding the best strategies with Liquid Funds of Liquidity Provider on Uniswap v3.

Learn more  https://mulfinanceinfo.medium.com/why-gps-play-an-important-role-in-multiple-protocol-amm-strategies-57139293564

Join as GP https://forms.gle/bpqvim9wB8MssQEt5

Customer earnings (LP & GP) earned $346k+ with TVL $4.05 Million in Multiple DeFi Protocol on Uniswap V3 in ETH, DAI, USDC and UNI pool.

The active liquidity pools on Multiple Protocol to facilitate concentrated liquidity to date are Ethereum (ETH) | USDC | DAI | UNI.

With launch of the upcoming Mainnet Beta Launch soon Multiple Protocol will add and provide market making strategies for newly launched projects on Uniswap V3.

Tech Updates:

New trade settings, created to support user switching options, and to remember the user's last option after switching:

Move into the position corresponding to the description icon to display the functional description.

New positions provide Lite and Pro versions for users to choose from, the Pro professional version is selected by default.

Lite Version provides an interface for adding liquidity parameter settings is available.

New Pair price information, data source: Uniswap (all data refreshed in real-time, refresh once in every 15s)

Adding liquidity confirmation information

Second pop-up window to confirm adding liquidity information

Price Range: The price range

Ticks Number: Number of ticks covered by the price range

Smart Contract

It has done some gas optimization, refactoring, reducing complexity, and increasing test coverage of smart contracts. While the current version continues to test internally, it is planning to iterate related product documentation for smart contracts.

About Multiple Protocol

Multiple Protocol is a Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocol based on Ethereum that allows expert traders (GP) to provide professional AMM liquidity strategies, which in turn ensures users (LP) securely benefit from the best yielding products.

More information on Social Media:

Discordhttps://discord.gg/4fQXr35NKS

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinanceMul

Medium: https://mulfinanceinfo.medium.com/

Telegram: https://t.me/multiple_official

SOURCE multiple protocol
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will speak to elementary school students about the future of space exploration Monday, May 9, and tour a lab working on robotic construction technologies Tuesday, May 10, during a trip to Florida. Both events will feature media availabilities.

Nelson and NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will speak about the agency's missions with students in grades three through five at Ventura Elementary School in Kissimmee, Florida, on Monday. They will also discuss the students' space curriculum and the missions that will take their generation  the Artemis Generation  to the Moon and eventually Mars.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. EDT and is open to media. At around 2:45 p.m., Nelson, Dominic, and Ventura Assistant Principal Amanda Soto will be available to answer media questions about NASA's role in STEM education, efforts to expand opportunities in underserved and underrepresented communities, and NASA's goal to land the first astronauts on Mars in the late 2030s.

The event will take place at Ventura Elementary School, located at 275 Waters Edge Dr., Kissimmee, Florida. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Jackie McGuinness at: [email protected] no later than two hours prior to the start of the event.

On Tuesday, Nelson will visit Redwire Space headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida to tour the Archinaut testing and robotics lab. Redwire is working on NASA's On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 2 (OSAM-2) mission, which will build, assemble, and deploy a solar array in orbit.

During the visit, Nelson will see firsthand Redwire's efforts to use lunar and Martian dust to 3D print on the Moon and Mars. The NASA administrator will be briefed on in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities, which support the national strategy announced by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Space Council to transform space architectures and help maintain U.S. leadership in space.

Media are invited to join a tour of the Archinaut lab at 1:15 p.m., followed by a media availability at 2:15 p.m.

The event will take place at Redwire Space headquarters, located at 8226 Philips Highway, Suite 102, Jacksonville, Florida. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Jackie McGuinness at: [email protected] no later than two hours prior to the start of the event.

https://www.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts aboard the Dragon Endurance spacecraft safely splashed down Friday in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, completing the agency's third long-duration commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 177 days in orbit.

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown at 12:43 a.m. EDT. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels recovered the spacecraft and astronauts. After returning to shore, the astronauts will fly back to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"NASA's partnership with SpaceX has again empowered us to deliver a crew safely to the space station and back, enabling groundbreaking science that will help our astronauts travel farther out into the cosmos than ever before. This mission is just one more example that we are truly in the golden era of commercial spaceflight," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "Kayla, Raja, Tom, and Matthias, thank you for your service and welcome home!"

The Crew-3 mission launched Nov. 10 on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Nearly 24-hours after liftoff, Nov. 11, Endurance docked to the Harmony module's forward space station port. The astronauts undocked from the same port at 1:05 a.m. May 5, to begin the trip home.

Barron, Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer traveled 75,060,792 miles during their mission, spent 175 days aboard the space station, and completed 2,832 orbits around Earth. Marshburn has logged 339 days in space over his three flights. The Crew-3 mission was the first spaceflight for Barron, Chari, and Marshburn.

Throughout their mission, the Crew-3 astronauts contributed to a host of science and maintenance activities and technology demonstrations. In addition, they conducted three spacewalks to perform station maintenance and upgrades outside the space station. This brought the total number of spacewalks for Marshburn to five, while Chari and Barron have each completed two, and Maurer one.

Crew-3 built on previous work investigating how fibers grow in microgravity, used hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth material, captured imagery of their retinas as part of an investigation that could detect eye changes of astronauts in space automatically in the future, and performed a demonstration of technology that provides measurements of biological indicators related to disease and infection, among many other scientific investigations. The astronauts took hundreds of photos of Earth as part of the Crew Earth Observation investigation, one of the longest-running investigations aboard the space station, which helps track natural disasters and changes to our home planet.

Endurance will return to Florida for inspection and processing at SpaceX's Dragon Lair, where teams will examine the spacecraft's data and performance throughout the flight.

The Crew-3 flight is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its return to Earth follows on the heels of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 launch, which docked to the station April 27, beginning another science expedition.

The goal of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station. This already has provided additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's microgravity testbed for exploration, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Learn more about NASA's Commercial Crew program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

SOURCE NASA
PHOENIX, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of National Nurses Week, Assisted Living Locators, a nationwide senior placement and referral franchisor, is offering nurses a 10% discount on their initial franchise fee to encourage and honor aspiring nurse entrepreneurs.

"The chaos of COVID-19 has resulted in many nurses considering leaving their jobs due to burnout, overwork, and high-stress levels," said Angela Olea, RN Assisted Living Locators CEO. "Opening your own business and relying on your skills as a nurse, can be a new opportunity. If you're an aspiring nurse entrepreneur, we encourage you to consider franchising."

She added that the Assisted Living Locators franchise system enables nurses to branch out from a traditional hospital role to be their own boss, make their own hours, and have unlimited earning potential, all while making a positive impact on seniors in their community.

"We have many nurse franchisees that have made the transition and now have thriving, growing businesses," said Olea.

Assisted Living Locators Arizona franchisee Lori Sears is a Registered Nurse in the senior healthcare industry helping families for more than 15 years in her community. "My knowledge as a nurse gives my clients the trust and confidence that I'm providing the right care solution," said Sears.

Patricia Russell, Assisted Living Locators Washington D.C. franchisee, has 25 years' experience as a long-term care nursing administrator before joining the company. "With my nursing experience and this franchise opportunity, I have helped many seniors and their families transition back into the community living with dignity and a better quality of life," said Russell.

Assisted Living Locators is a nurse-friendly franchisor with an affordable, low-cost investment and a comprehensive training and mentorship platform, according to Olea. With 140 franchisees in 36 states and the District of Columbia, the company is ranked in Entrepreneur's 2021 Franchise 500 and the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing private companies.

Olea stated that her company is addressing the needs of a soaring aging population. She noted that every day until 2030, 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 and seven out of ten of them will require long-term care services and support, making it a growing industry sector.

To learn more about Assisted Living Locators franchising, call 800-267-7816 or visit: www.assistedlivinglocatorsfranchise.com.

SOURCE Assisted Living Locators
RESTON, Va., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology leader, has been awarded two internationally competed contracts by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) to enhance the Alliance's ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities. The two single-award, firm fixed price contracts have a total estimated value of $90M and each contract has a four-year base period of performance with up to four optional maintenance years.

"We are honored to have the opportunity to continue our support to the NATO BMD Program," said Mike Rickels, Leidos Senior Vice President of C4ISR Solutions. "Our international team brings over 20 years of expertise in partnering with NATO, and we look forward to contributing to the enhancement of the Alliance's BMD capability."

Under the contracts, Leidos will lead an international team to define the NATO BMD Architecture, develop requirements for the NATO Command and Control (C2) systems, integrate and test the C2 systems, and operate, maintain and upgrade the NATO BMD Integration Test Bed (ITB).

Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the NCI Agency delivers advanced Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) technology in support of Alliance decision-makers and missions, including addressing new threats and challenges.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil and health markets. Leidos' 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit www.leidos.com.

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 1, 2021, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

Contact:

Melissa Duenas

(571) 526-6850

[email protected]

Thomas Doheny

(571) 474-4735

[email protected]

Jalen Drummond

(571) 992-5046

[email protected]

SOURCE Leidos Holdings, Inc.
DALLAS, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Mother's Day, Neiman Marcus Group ("NMG" or the "Company") is excited to formally announce its new Paid Parental Leave and Paid Family Leave programs and benefits for all of its associates. Fueled by its Power of One people strategy to harness individual talents into collective strength, the new programs aim to foster Belonging and leverage the power of working together, aligning, and delivering results.

"We have always believed in cultivating a culture of Belonging and we're excited to introduce these new benefits supporting parents of all kinds at NMG," said Eric Severson, Chief People & Belonging Officer, Neiman Marcus Group. "Our value-driven approach of leading with love underpins our NMG|Way culture to create an inclusive, flexible environment for all our associates."

Under this new Paid Parental Leave program, beginning on January 1, 2022, any associate who welcomes a new child, including those welcoming by adoption, surrogacy, or foster care, is eligible for 16 weeks of paid leave. This time is in addition to the allotted maternity leave time for birthing mothers, elevating the total amount of paid company leave to up to 24 weeks. All associates, full-time and part-time, are eligible for this new benefit.

In addition, all associates will also be eligible for the company's new Paid Family Leave program which will provide 2 weeks of paid leave for situations requiring an associate to take time off to care for a child, spouse, partner, parent, or other family members, as defined by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), effective August 1, 2022.

Supporting its associates' journeys into parenthood, NMG is proud to announce that full-time and part-time employees who have been with the company for at least a year are also eligible to receive $3,000 towards an adoption every year. The funds can be used towards agency and placement fees, legal expenses, medical expenses, and multiple other related costs.

"Through our NMG|Way of Working, we continue to promote work and life integration at NMG," said Severson. "Our aim is to empower and prioritize our associates by offering them flexible, innovative policies to make their lives extraordinary."

About The Neiman Marcus Group, LLC

Neiman Marcus Group is a relationship business that leads with love in everything we do for our customers, associates, brand partners, and communities. Our legacy of innovating and our culture of Belonging guide our roadmap for Revolutionizing Luxury Experiences. As one of the largest multi-brand luxury retailers in the U.S., with the world's most desirable brand partners, we're delivering exceptional products and intelligent services, enabled by our investments in data and technology. Through the expertise of our 9,000+ associates, we deliver and scale a personalized luxury experience across our three channels of in-store, eCommerce, and remote selling. Our NMG|Way culture, powered by our people, combines individual talents into a collective strength to make life extraordinary. Our brands include Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Last Call, and Horchow. For more information, visit www.neimanmarcusgroup.com .

SOURCE Neiman Marcus Holding Company, Inc.
DENVER, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Ovintiv Inc. (NYSE: OVV) (TSX: OVV) (the "Company") today announced that the following matters, as further described in the Company's Proxy Statement filed on March 23, 2022 (the "Proxy Statement"), were voted upon at its 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on May 4, 2022.

Election of Directors

Each nominee listed in the Proxy Statement was elected as a director of the Company. The results of the vote by ballot were as follows:

Name of Nominee Votes For Percent Votes Against Percent Peter A. Dea 181,052,519 97.67% 4,308,495 2.32% Meg A. Gentle 185,064,734 99.32% 1,257,914 0.67% Howard J. Mayson 185,666,639 99.64% 659,123 0.35% Brendan M. McCracken 185,712,436 99.67% 614,527 0.32% Lee A. McIntire 183,360,724 98.40% 2,964,280 1.59% Katherine L. Minyard 185,471,660 99.54% 856,324 0.45% Steven W. Nance 185,628,545 99.62% 693,631 0.37% Suzanne P. Nimocks 181,941,295 97.64% 4,386,577 2.35% George L. Pita 184,924,251 99.25% 1,396,304 0.74% Thomas G. Ricks 183,234,525 98.34% 3,085,321 1.65% Brian G. Shaw 185,057,328 99.31% 1,268,537 0.68% Bruce G. Waterman 183,560,190 98.51% 2,766,228 1.48%

Advisory Vote to Approve Compensation of Named Executive Officers

The results of the non-binding advisory vote for the compensation of the Company's named executive officers were as follows:

Votes For Percent Votes Against Percent 182,065,279 97.78% 4,123,657 2.21%

Increase Share Reserve of Omnibus Incentive Plan

The results for the increase share reserve of the Omnibus Incentive Plan were as follows:

Votes For Percent Votes Against Percent 181,330,791 97.35% 4,922,022 2.64%

Ratify PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Independent Auditors

The results for the ratification of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Accountants, as the Company's independent auditors were as follows:

Votes For Percent Votes Against Percent 202,015,794 97.60% 4,965,334 2.39%

Further information on Ovintiv Inc. is available on the Company's website, www.ovintiv.com, or by contacting:

Investor contact: (888) 525-0304 Media contact: (403) 645-2252

SOURCE Ovintiv Inc.
CALGARY, AB, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Parkland Corporation, ("Parkland", "We", the "Company", or "Our") (TSX: PKI) held its annual general meeting of shareholders on May 5, 2022 (the "Meeting").

The Company is pleased to announce that all ten of the nominees listed in its management information circular dated March 25, 2022 (the "Information Circular") were elected as directors of the Corporation and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Accountants, was reappointed as Parkland's auditor at the Meeting.

The results of these votes, as well as the results for the other items of business considered at the Meeting, are set out below:

Resolution 1

Election of directors of Parkland for the ensuing year.

Nominee Votes For %For Votes Withheld %Withheld John F. Bechtold 69,559,297 98.29% 1,213,403 1.71% Lisa Colnett 68,708,391 97.08% 2,064,309 2.92% Robert Espey 70,638,802 99.81% 133,898 0.19% Tim W. Hogarth 68,645,703 96.99% 2,126,997 3.01% Richard Hookway 69,628,364 98.38% 1,144,336 1.62% Angela John 70,628,630 99.80% 144,070 0.20% Jim Pantelidis 68,409,931 96.66% 2,362,769 3.34% Steven Richardson 67,676,971 95.63% 3,095,729 4.37% David A. Spencer 63,034,974 89.07% 7,737,726 10.93% Deborah Stein 67,910,704 95.96% 2,861,996 4.04%

Resolution 2

The reappointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Accountants, as auditor of Parkland for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

Votes For 70,545,377 99.24% Votes Withheld 537,255 0.76%

Resolution 3

The approval, on a non-binding and advisory basis, of Parkland's approach to executive compensation as more particularly set forth and described in the Information Circular.

Votes For 62,564,610 88.40% Votes Against 8,208,090 11.60%

Voting results for all matters have been posted on SEDAR.

About Parkland Corporation

Parkland's purpose is to Power Journeys and Energize Communities. We serve essential needs in our communities, providing our customers with the essential fuels they depend on to get around, quality foods and convenience items, while helping them achieve their goals of lowering their environmental impact. Through our portfolio of trusted and locally relevant brands, we serve well over one million customers per day across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean region and Central and South America.

In addition to leveraging our supply and storage capabilities to provide the essential fuels our diverse customers depend on; we are leading our customers through the energy transition. From electric vehicle charging, renewable fuels, solar energy and compliance and carbon offset trading, we are leaders in helping our customers lower their environmental impact.

Parkland's proven strategy is centered around organic growth, our supply advantage, acquiring prudently, and integrating successfully. We are focused on developing our existing business in resilient markets, growing, and diversifying our retail business into food, convenience, and renewable energy solutions and helping our commercial customers decarbonize their operations. Our strategy is underpinned by our people, as well as our values of safety, integrity, community, and respect, which are deeply embedded across our organization.

SOURCE Parkland Corporation
Multi-million-dollar vape company brings popular products to national stage at three-day trade show in New Jersey

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- QR Joy ("QR" or "the Company"), a premier retail manufacturer of the popular Fume brand ("Fume") salt nicotine vape products, wrapped up a successful week at the 2022 CHAMPS East Coast Trade Show in Atlantic City, NJ. Representatives from the Florida-based company brought their multi-million-dollar products to the national stage, engaging customers and making several sales that will take their products across all 50 states.

Fume, a product well-known among vaping enthusiasts who prefer superior quality and flavor, offers several options to consumers. From the Fume Extra with its seamless design to the Fume Ultra, with its longer-lasting pods, to the Fume Infinity, which goes on forever, today's vaping crowd has many options.

Thousands of retailers and consumers attend the highly anticipated CHAMPS show every year. The 2022 event was no exception as QR Joy came up aces with its multiple Fume vape devices, complete with 32 unique and enjoyable flavors. From the moment the show opened, the Company's representatives stole the show, engaging attendees representing retailers and wholesalers eager for new products to grow their sales.

"QR Joy has always been popular among both retailers and consumers, but this year's CHAMPS show took things to a whole other level," said QR Joy's CEO. "As always, CHAMPS provided us an excellent opportunity to get QR Joy front and center with retailers who are as serious about vapes as we are."

Each spring, CHAMPS East Coast takes place at the Atlantic City Convention Center and attracts strong attendance from retail and wholesale buyers from the Northeast, representing some of the most well-known brands and shops in the industry.

Fume will exhibit at the Alternative Products Expo in Medellin, Colombia, May 21-22, and at the CHAMPS Chicago show on June 7-9.

About QR Joy

QR Joy is a Florida-based corporation renowned for patented electronic cigarette devices of the highest quality and most tantalizing flavors. With multi-million-dollar brands such as Fume, and global success with consumers built on extensive market research, QR-Joy focuses on what customers want. Years of experience has made QR Joy vape products best-in-class all over the world. When the QR Joy name is on the label, there's guaranteed excellence inside. For more information, visit www.FumeVapors.com .

SOURCE QR Joy Inc.
Brand campaign highlights women's stories of strength as they take action to treat urinary incontinence

SAN DIEGO, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ACOG Annual Meeting  Renovia Inc. (Renovia), a women-led company that develops digital therapeutics for female pelvic floor disorders, has launched a new brand campaign titled, Stronger Women, at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting (ACSM). The campaign is intended to educate clinicians and women about urinary incontinence (UI) and the leva Pelvic Health System, a convenient, easy-to-use, at-home pelvic health program that can help women strengthen their pelvic floor and decrease the symptoms of stress, mixed and mild to moderate UI, including overactive bladder. Through the campaign, and by launching it at the ACSM, Renovia seeks to make first-line treatment for UI more accessible and accelerate the momentum supporting regular screening for female UI among clinicians.

The Stronger Women campaign centers on the importance of a strong pelvic floor in women's overall health and well-being. It highlights the stories of women who have taken action to reduce UI symptoms while showcasing the wide range of women impacted by the condition. Powerful images convey the confidence, inner strength and dignity achieved by women who are proactive about their health with a focus on the importance of a strong pelvic floor. The campaign also humanizes the issues associated with UI and, thus, seeks to make UI less taboo. These powerful visuals accompany statements of strength, such as:

Joan's toned in places you can't even see. Like her pelvic floor.

Maria makes strength look easy. Pelvic floor strength.

Cynthia finds inner strength in unlikely places. Like her pelvic floor.

Multiple studies show that Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT), commonly referred to as Kegel exercises, can offer effective, first-line treatment for urinary incontinence. However, most women cannot strengthen and train their pelvic floor effectively performing Kegels on their own. The leva Pelvic Health System is an FDA-cleared, prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) that combines a small vaginal motion sensor with a smartphone app that guides a woman through treatment, offering an easy, non-invasive, drug-free way for women to effectively strengthen their pelvic floor muscles to improve UI symptoms. leva requires just five minutes a day, which women can do at home, on their own schedule.

"In the U.S., UI is now experienced by 62% of adult women, and most aren't talking about it with their clinicians," said Samantha J. Pulliam, M.D, chief medical officer for Renovia. "While ACOG recommends annual screening for UI, treatment options often require drugs, surgery or access to physical therapy. There was little clinicians could offer in the way of easy, effective relief. leva changes this by making first-line therapy more accessible. It was also created with the knowledge that women are most successful when they work with their clinician, which is why leva offers the opportunity for clinicians to monitor and engage with women to support their success."

In April 2022, Obstetrics and Gynecology (The Green Journal), published a randomized controlled superiority study showing that leva was statistically and clinically superior to Kegels alone for improving symptoms of stress and stress-dominant mixed urinary incontinence. The study, "Digital Therapeutic Device for Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Controlled Trial," enrolled 363 patients remotely from four sites: Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, University of New Mexico, Southern California Permanente Medical Group and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Participants in the intervention group (i.e., leva users) saw significant improvement in UI symptoms as early as 4 weeks into treatment. leva users saw their leakage episodes decrease from almost two leaks per day, to only one leak every three days. Also, a significantly greater number of women in the leva group reported they were "much improved" or "very much improved" on the Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale.

"Women with untreated UI too often miss out on the activities and experiences that support their well-being," said Eileen Maus, CEO of Renovia. "leva is designed for stronger women everywhere. By offering an easy, at home way to effectively to relieve UI symptoms, women can live their lives with dignity and return to the activities they enjoy with confidence. We hope our campaign encourages more women to seize their inner strength, abandon the shame and loneliness that can arise from living in silence with UI and return to the activities that can improve their well-being."

The Green Journal study posted online early on March 10, 2022, appeared in the April 2022 print edition and can be accessed here or by visiting Obstetrics & Gynecology online.

About the leva Pelvic Health System

The leva Pelvic Health System offers a novel, non-invasive, medication-free way for women to train and strengthen their pelvic floor musclesat home in just five minutes a dayto treat urinary incontinence (UI). Combining a small FDA-cleared vaginal motion sensor connected to a smartphone app, leva offers precise visualization of pelvic movement in real-time, enables progress tracking and allows active physician involvement, all of which support women's success. Recognizing that level-one evidence shows pelvic floor muscle training is most effective when performed under the supervision of a skilled healthcare provider, leva is available by prescription only, allowing physicians the opportunity to treat UI on a broad scale and with deep involvement in patient success. leva is the first femtech product included in the Digital Therapeutics Alliance product library and has multiple clinical trials and published data from globally recognized medical centers supporting its efficacy in treating UI. leva received the 2021 Excellence Award for Research from Medical Device Network.

About Renovia

Boston-based Renovia Inc. is a women-led company dedicated to improving the lives of women with pelvic floor disorders. Renovia's flagship product, the leva Pelvic Health System, offers a novel, effective, first-line treatment for urinary incontinence (UI), an underreported condition affecting 20 million women in the U.S. alone. Renovia's technology enables non-invasive, drug-free treatment via precise visualization of movement in real time during pelvic floor muscle training, while monitoring usage and progress. For more information about Renovia or leva please visit www.renoviainc.com and www.levatherapy.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Important Indication and Other Information for the leva Pelvic Health System

The leva Pelvic Health System is intended for strengthening of pelvic floor muscles, and rehabilitation and training of weak pelvic floor muscles for the treatment of stress, mixed, and mild to moderate urgency urinary incontinence (including overactive bladder) in women. Treatment with the leva System is by prescription and is not for everyone. Please talk to your prescriber to see if leva is right for you. Your prescriber should discuss all potential benefits and risks with you. Do not use leva while pregnant, or if you think you may be pregnant, unless authorized by your doctor. For a complete summary of the risks and instructions for the leva System, see its Instructions for Use available at www.renoviainc.com and www.levatherapy.com.

Renovia Inc. and leva are trademarks or registered trademarks of Renovia Inc. in the United States and other countries. All Rights Reserved.

Media inquiries:

Shanti Skiffington

mobile: 617 921-0808

SOURCE Renovia Inc.
SAN DIEGO, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP regarding the OvaScience, Inc. Securities Settlement:

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

FADI DAHHAN, Individually and on Behalf

of All Others Similarly Situated,

Plaintiff,



vs.





OVASCIENCE, INC., et al.,

Defendants. ) No. 1:17-cv-10511-IT





CLASS ACTION





SUMMARY NOTICE OF (I) PROPOSED

SETTLEMENT AND PLAN OF

ALLOCATION; (II) SETTLEMENT

HEARING; AND (III) MOTION FOR

ATTORNEYS' FEES AND LITIGATION |

EXPENSES ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

TO: ALL PERSONS OR ENTITIES WHO PURCHASED OR ACQUIRED OVASCIENCE, INC. ("OVASCIENCE") COMMON STOCK BETWEEN DECEMBER 17, 2014 AND SEPTEMBER 28, 2015, INCLUSIVE (THE "CLASS")1

PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY; YOUR RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE SETTLEMENT OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PENDING IN THIS COURT.

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and an Order of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (the "Court"), that Lead Plaintiff and Class Representative Freedman Family Investments LLC, on behalf of itself and the Court-certified Class in the above-captioned securities class action (the "Action"), has reached a proposed settlement of the Action with defendants OvaScience, Michelle Dipp, Jeffrey E. Young, Longwood Fund, L.P., Longwood Fund, GP, LLC, and Richard Aldrich (collectively, "Defendants") for $15,000,000 in cash that, if approved, will resolve all claims in the Action.

A hearing will be held on July 26, 2022, at 2:45 p.m., before the Honorable Indira Talwani either in person at the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Way, Boston, MA 02210, or by telephone or video conference (at the discretion of the Court) to, among other things: (i) determine whether the proposed Settlement on the terms and conditions provided for in the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement dated March 4, 2022 (the "Stipulation") is fair, reasonable, and adequate to the Class, and should be finally approved by the Court; (ii) determine whether the Action should be dismissed with prejudice against Defendants, and the Releases specified and described in the Stipulation and the Settlement Notice should be granted; (iii) determine whether the proposed Plan of Allocation should be approved as fair and reasonable; (iv) determine whether Lead Counsel's motion for attorneys' fees and Litigation Expenses (including an award to the Lead Plaintiff) should be approved; and (v) consider any other matters that may properly be brought before the Court in connection with the Settlement.

If you are a member of the Class, your rights will be affected by the Settlement, and you may be entitled to share in the Net Settlement Fund. If you have not yet received the full printed Notice of (I) Proposed Settlement and Plan of Allocation; (II) Settlement Hearing; and (III) Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Litigation Expenses (the "Settlement Notice") and the Proof of Claim and Release Form (the "Claim Form"), you may obtain copies of these documents by contacting the Claims Administrator at OvaScience Securities Litigation, c/o Gilardi & Co. LLC, P.O. Box 43312, Providence, RI 02940-3312, 1-866-757-7818, [email protected]. Copies of the Settlement Notice and Claim Form can also be downloaded from the website for the Action, www.OvaScienceSecuritiesLitigation.com.

If you are a Class Member, in order to be eligible to receive a payment under the proposed Settlement, you must submit a Claim Form postmarked (if mailed), or online through the Settlement website, www.OvaScienceSecuritiesLitigation.com, no later than August 22, 2022. If you are a Class Member and do not submit a proper Claim Form, you will not be eligible to share in the distribution of the net proceeds of the Settlement, but you will nevertheless be bound by any judgments or orders entered by the Court in the Action.

If you are a Class Member that did not previously request exclusion from the Class in response to the Notice of Pendency of Class Action, and wish to exclude yourself from the Class, you must submit a written request for exclusion in accordance with the requirements set by the Court and the instructions set forth in the Settlement Notice so that it is postmarked no later than July 5, 2022. If you properly exclude yourself from the Class, you will not be bound by any judgments or orders entered by the Court, whether favorable or unfavorable, and you will not be able to share in the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund.

Any objections to the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, and/or Lead Counsel's application for attorneys' fees and expenses, must be filed with the Court and delivered to Lead Counsel and counsel for Defendants such that they are received no later than July 5, 2022, in accordance with the instructions set forth in the Settlement Notice.

Please do not contact the Court, the Clerk's office, OvaScience, any other Defendants in the Action, or their counsel regarding this notice. All questions about this notice, the proposed Settlement, or your eligibility to participate in the Settlement should be directed to the Claims Administrator or Lead Counsel.

Requests for the Settlement Notice and Claim Form should be made to:

OvaScience Securities Litigation

c/o Gilardi & Co. LLC

P.O. Box 43312

Providence, RI 02940-3312

1-866-757-7818

[email protected]

www.OvaScienceSecuritiesLitigation.com

Inquiries, other than requests for the Settlement Notice and Claim Form, may be made to Lead Counsel:

Ellen Gusikoff Stewart, Esq.

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

655 West Broadway, Suite 1900

San Diego, CA 92101-8498

1-800-449-4900

[email protected]

DATED: April 1, 2022 BY ORDER OF THE COURT United States District Court District of Massachusetts

Media Contact:

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

Shareholder Relations

Rick Nelson

(619) 231-1058

1 Certain persons and entities are excluded from the Class by definition and others are excluded pursuant to request. The full definition of the Class including a complete description of who is excluded from the Class is set forth in the full Settlement Notice referred to below.

SOURCE Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
Salisbury cannabis company selects industry veteran

SALISBURY, Mass., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Root & Bloom, a cannabis cultivation, extraction, and manufacturing operation, announced today that the Board of Directors has unanimously chosen Tom Regan to be Chief Executive Officer. Tom, who has been working as a strategic advisor to the company, will assume the new role immediately.

Tom Regan, CEO of Root & Bloom, a Massachusetts cannabis cultivation, extraction, and manufacturing company

Tom brings a wealth of expertise to this role, having served in several senior leadership capacities in product development, supply chain management, operations, and finance in high-growth companies and markets. Tom's early career spanned start-ups and tech companies and he spent ten years as a Director at Cisco Systems. Most recently, Tom was President of Mindful/TR Concentrates/Link Brands in Colorado and led the teams responsible for cultivation, extraction, compliance, distribution, branding and retail operations. Under Tom's leadership, the business scaled from $4M in annual revenue to over $30M in the highly competitive Colorado cannabis market.

"Root & Bloom sits at the forefront of one of the most exciting new market opportunities in our country," said Tom. "I look forward to working with the team to develop products and brands that resonate with consumers and to capture the market opportunity before us. Together we will unlock the potential in the Massachusetts cannabis industry and drive growth that benefits employees, shareholders, and the communities in which we operate."

"Tom is a strong leader with a proven track record of developing diverse and high-performing teams," said George Haseltine, founder. "And not just in the cannabis industry. Tom's experience in high tech combined with his background in the mature cannabis market of Colorado gives us a great competitive edge. As we enter the Massachusetts market, we are looking forward to having Tom lead the fast-growing Root & Bloom team."

Root & Bloom received a final license from the Cannabis Control Commission on April 8, 2022, and is expected to commence operations in the coming weeks. The 40,000+ square foot facility at 187 Lafayette Road in Salisbury houses more than a dozen rooms dedicated to cultivation and curing; FDA cGMP compliant, full-service manufacturing operations; and an extraction laboratory. Within the first year, Root & Bloom estimates it will hire approximately thirty-five full-time and part-time employees.

Root & Bloom is a cannabis cultivation, extraction & manufacturing company focusing on creating high-quality products while prioritizing sustainability, innovation, and giving back to our local community. www.rootandbloominc.com

Media contact:

Zoe Cohen

[email protected]

617-513-7801

SOURCE Root & Bloom
Bringing together best-in-class product offerings, technology solutions and global footprint to offer unprecedented client experience

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. and BURR RIDGE, Ill., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SIRVA, Inc. ("SIRVA") and BGRS, leading global relocation and moving providers, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine into a new organization initially named SIRVA BGRS, Inc. ("SIRVA BGRS"). The transaction is expected to close within the next 90 days and is subject to regulatory approvals.

By bringing together two of the world's leading relocation companies, the combined business will deliver unparalleled support to clients through:

Diverse product offerings and robust technology solutions . Clients will benefit from having access to the richest breadth of relocation and household goods service options, leading program flexibility and best-in-class technology solutions.

. Clients will benefit from having access to the richest breadth of relocation and household goods service options, leading program flexibility and best-in-class technology solutions. Expanded global presence and a talent pool steeped in mobility expertise. SIRVA BGRS's global footprint will include 4,000 employees across 66 offices in more than 170 countries  providing extensive local coverage and offering clients exposure to a larger, combined supply chain, whose increased scale will help create efficiency in the market.

Tom Oberdorf, Chairman and CEO of SIRVA, said, "This is a natural combination that allows us to meet the expanding and evolving mobility needs of our clients around the world. We look forward to combining our complementary industry expertise, footprint, and technological resources to create a single entity with greater efficiency, scale and local experience, well-positioned to shape the future of mobility and deliver greater value to customers."

Traci Morris, CEO of BGRS, added, "Both SIRVA and BGRS have a common customer-focused approach that drives everything we do, and we are thrilled at the prospect of joining forces. Together, we will create a differentiated leader with a truly unique set of value-added products, dedicated resources to invest in technological innovation and an unmatched global footprint."

The combined company will be headquartered in the Chicago Area, and Tom Oberdorf will serve as Chief Executive Officer. Traci Morris will be retiring after a successful transition period.

Following the closing of the transaction, existing SIRVA and BGRS owners, funds managed by Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Relo Group, Inc., respectively, will maintain interests in the new organization.

Kirkland and Ellis, LLP is serving as legal counsel to SIRVA. Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated is serving as financial advisor to BGRS, and Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP are serving as legal counsel.

About SIRVA, Inc.

SIRVA is a global leader in moving and relocation services, offering solutions for mobility programs to companies of every size. With 59 owned locations and more than 1,000 franchised and agent locations servicing 177 countries, we offer unmatched global breadth supported by localized attention and innovative technology that strikes the right balance of self service and human support. From relocation and household goods to commercial moving and storage, our portfolio of Brands (SIRVA, Allied, northAmerican, SIRVA Mortgage and SMARTBOX) provides the only integrated moving/relocation solution in the industry. By leveraging our global network, we deliver a superior experience that only a "one-stop shop" can provide.

About BGRS

BGRS develops and implements comprehensive mobility solutions for corporate and government clients worldwide. By combining deep industry experience and unparalleled insights on the future of mobility, we design products (BGRSflex, TripWise) and administer programs that align with our clients' organizational, and talent needs and reflect our focus on a customer experience that includes the choice and flexibility required for today's global talent. With more than 1,300 people across six continents, and service coverage in 185 countries, we blend global perspective with local market strength.

Media Contacts

SIRVA BGRS

Mike DeGraff / Ryan McDougald / Elizabeth Lake

Sard Verbinnen & Co

[email protected]

SOURCE SIRVA, Inc.
OSTERSUND, Sweden, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has divested the office building Nowy Rynek D in Poznan, Poland, to Eastnine for EUR 121 M, about SEK 1.3 billion. The transaction will be recorded by Skanska Commercial Development Europe in the second quarter 2022. The transfer of the property will take place immediately.

The D building is part of Skanska's Nowy Rynek office complex and has a leasable area of around 39,000 square meters, of which 96 percent of the office and retail space is leased. The anchor tenant is Allegro, the largest e-commerce platform of European origin. Office space have also been leased, among others, by tenants with strong, global brands like Rockwool and Arvato.

The building has received the WELL Health & Safety and Building without Barriers certifications and is the first investment in Poznan applying for a WELL Core & Shell certificate. It is also expected to obtain a LEED Core & Shell certificate. The construction was completed in the second quarter of 2021.

Nowy Rynek is a mixed-use project located in the central business district in Poznan. Once fully completed, it will offer approximately 100,000 square meters of useable space in five buildings. Nowy Rynek is Skanska's third commercial development in Poznan. While the investment includes a number of innovative solutions, it also aligns with the tradition and character of its location.

CONTACT:

For further information please contact:

Magdalena Ujda-Tarczynska, Corporate Communications Manager, Skanska Commercial Development Europe, tel +48 519 500 603

Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94

Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-divests-the-office-building-nowy-rynek-d-in-poznan--poland--for-eur-121m--about-sek-1-3-bill,c3561930

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3561930/1575935.pdf 20220506 PL divestment Nowy Rynek D ENG https://news.cision.com/skanska/i/image-20220506-pl-nowy-rynek-d,c3046806 Image 20220506 PL Nowy Rynek D

SOURCE Skanska
Wurman honored for his groundbreaking work in AI and robotics

TOKYO, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter Wurman, Director, Sony AI America, has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF). During the 2022 National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May 5, 2022, Peter was recognized for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence, specifically the co-development of Kiva Systems' Mobile Robotic Material Handling for Order Fulfillment .

While at Kiva Systems in the early 2000s, Wurman, Mick Mountz and Raffaello D'Andrea developed an entirely new approach for material handling in distribution centers that revolutionized warehouse order fulfillment. The group leveraged thousands of mobile robots and sophisticated control software to bring inventory shelves to workers, significantly improving all areas of fulfillment center operations from safety and productivity to cycle time and throughput.

"I am humbled by the honor bestowed upon me by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and proud to be recognized alongside my distinguished colleagues Mick and Raffaello for our work at Kiva Systems," said Wurman. "Throughout my career, I've sought to solve tough technology challenges that have an impact on our world as well as develop technologies and systems that enhance and augment actions we take in our daily lives. I hope to continue to make an impact through this work, and am excited to see what the future holds for my fellow inductees, my colleagues at Sony AI, and future inventors and creators."

Founded in 1973, NIHF is the premier nonprofit organization in America dedicated to recognizing inventors and inventions, promoting creativity, and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. The organization is committed to honoring the individuals whose inventions have made the world a better place as well as ensuring American ingenuity continues to thrive in the hands of coming generations.

"Innovation drives the worldwide economy forward and improves our quality of life," said NIHF CEO Michael Oister. "It's why at the National Inventors Hall of Fame we are privileged to honor our country's most significant inventors, who are giving the next generation the inspiration to innovate, create, and solve current and future problems."

Earlier this year, Wurman was the Project Lead on the new AI breakthrough unveiled by Sony AI: Gran Turismo Sophy (GT Sophy) , the first superhuman AI agent to outrace the world's best drivers of the highly realistic PlayStation4 racing simulation game, Gran TurismoTM (GT) Sport. He is recognized as the First Author in the paper, Outracing Champion Gran Turismo Drivers with Deep Reinforcement Learning , published in Nature in February 2022.

About Sony AI

Sony AI Inc. was founded on April 1, 2020, with the mission to "unleash human imagination and creativity with AI." Sony AI aims to combine cutting edge research and development of artificial intelligence with Sony Group's imaging and sensing technology, robotics technology, and entertainment assets such as movies, music, and games to accelerate Sony's transformation into an AI powered company and to create new business opportunities. To achieve this, Sony AI has launched four flagship projects to date aimed at the evolution and application of AI technology in the areas of Gaming, Imaging & Sensing, Gastronomy, and AI Ethics. For more information visit https://ai.sony .

SOURCE Sony AI
Including:

The Macklowe Collection

30 Masterworks from The Most Important Collection of Its Kind

The Modern Evening Sale

Among the Most Valuable Ever Staged

Contemporary Evening Sale

Including Standout Offering of Works by German Artists,

Led by Highest Estimated Work by Georg Baselitz ever to come to Auction

The Now Sale

In which Women Artists Outnumber Male Counterparts

NEW YORK, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the art market readies itself for the biggest season it has ever seen, the full complement of Sotheby's May auction week is today unveiled to the public in its entirety in Sotheby's New York Galleries.

Carrying a combined estimate in the region of $1 billion on a par with last November's record-breaking season  the exhibition and sales will be anchored by a dedicated evening sale of 30 masterworks from The Macklowe Collection - one of the greatest collections of any kind ever to come to the market. A previous sale of works from this collection  held at Sotheby's New York last November  realized a record-breaking total of $676.6m, making it the most valuable single owner sale ever staged. This season's offering is no less exciting, featuring important works by Gerhard Richter, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Sigmar Polke, Willem de Kooning, and many more. Highlights include:

A monumental Self-Portrait by Andy Warhol (estimate $15 /20 million). Painted in 1986, just months before Warhol's death in February 1987 , this larger-than-life portrait has only been exhibited twice before.

(estimate /20 million). Painted in 1986, just months before Warhol's death in , this larger-than-life portrait has only been exhibited twice before. An important & previously unseen work by Mark Rothko from 1960, a critical year for the artist (estimate $35 /50 million).

/50 million). Gerhard Richter's spectacular large-scale Seestuck (Seascape) (estimate $25 /35 million), an ethereal work which captures aspects of Richter's photo based paintings and anticipates his abstract tendencies.

The sale of The Macklowe Collection will be followed, the next day, but Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction  among the most valuable sales of its kind ever staged by Sotheby's. The sale will include:

A groundbreaking portrait of Marie-Therese Walter by Pablo Picasso completed in 1932 making its auction debut (estimate in Excess of $60m )

completed in 1932 making its auction debut (estimate in Excess of ) One of Claude Monet's Finest Works depicting Venice (estimated in the region of $50 million )

Finest Works depicting (estimated in the region of ) Expressionist Masterpiece Nile, by Philip Guston (estimate $20 / 30m  the highest ever for a work by the artist)

(estimate /  the highest ever for a work by the artist) Clairiere (The Glade), one of the largest landscapes ever painted by father of modern art, Paul Cezanne (estimate $30 /40 million).

The Now and Contemporary Evening Auctions will cap off the week's marquee offerings. The former marks a watershed market moment for women artists, who  along with their counterparts later in the sale  represent an unprecedented 60% of the total offering. The Contemporary sale, meanwhile, will shine a spotlight on the work of one of Germany's most celebrated living artists, Georg Baselitz, with an offering of four major works, none of which has appeared on the market before. Among them is Falle [Trap], one of the artist's celebrated 'Hero' paintings, which carries an estimate of $8-12m - higher than any ever put on a work by the artist.

Further highlights across the two sales include:

A Pope painting by Francis Bacon , first unveiled at the artist's landmark 1971 retrospective (estimate $40 /60 million)

, first unveiled at the artist's landmark 1971 retrospective (estimate /60 million) A silkscreen of Elvis by Andy Warhol from 1963 (estimate $15 /25 million), a historic paradigm of Pop Art created one year after Warhol had perfected his quintessential silk screen technique.

from 1963 (estimate /25 million), a historic paradigm of Pop Art created one year after Warhol had perfected his quintessential silk screen technique. The dynamic 'Beauty Examined' by Kerry James Marshall , sold to Benefit Loma Linda University (estimate $8 /12 million).

, sold to Benefit (estimate /12 million). Ed Ruscha's tribute to his beloved California ; 'Cold Beer Beautiful Girls' (estimate $15 /20 million), an exemplary of the artist's archetypal text paintings.

tribute to his beloved ; 'Cold Beer Beautiful Girls' (estimate /20 million), an exemplary of the artist's archetypal text paintings. Cy Twombly's 'Untitled' from 1969 (estimate $40 /60 million), a large-scale work which marked the artist's return to New York and subsequent shift to his signature monochromatic style.

'Untitled' from 1969 (estimate /60 million), a large-scale work which marked the artist's return to and subsequent shift to his signature monochromatic style. 'Birmingham' by Simone Leigh , Golden Lion winner at this year's Venice Biennale (estimate $150,000 - $200,000 )

The works will be on public view in Sotheby's New York galleries beginning this Friday, 6 May. See here for further details

SOURCE Sotheby's
NEW YORK, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- South Street Securities Holdings, Inc. ("SSSHI") is pleased to announce its partnership with Evertreen, an online platform that allows users to plant real trees worldwide and track them via satellite. The company's goal is to protect and restore forests on a massive scale, creating livelihoods for people living in extreme poverty.

Evertreen's network of 3,000+ local farmers plant trees to help fight global warming, prevent desertification, create new ecosystems and reduce industrial impacts like pollution. The platform's digital satellite tracking provides continuous updates on growth status, nitrogen concentration, photosynthetic activity, soil conditions and more.

"Innovative technology has always been an aspiration and driving force at our firm," says Stephen Mellert, Managing Director at Matrix Applications, "Evertreen is a prime example of a groundbreaking technological advancement, allowing anyone to support our planet from anywhere in the world."

As part of SSSHI's 2022 ESG initiatives, the firm has committed to planting 1,200 trees in Honduras on behalf of its employees and customers to contribute to a greener planet. This project aims to help offset our carbon footprint by contributing 180,000 kilograms of carbon absorption.

"Our partnership with Evertreen is an exciting addition to South Street's growing ESG efforts," says James Tabacchi, President and Chief Executive Officer of SSSHI. "It's our social responsibility to protect and care for our employees, customers and the planet."

To view SSSHI's Evertreen Company Profile, click here.

About South Street Securities Holdings, Inc.

South Street Securities Holdings, Inc. operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries. Affiliates include South Street Securities LLC, a repo dealer financing US Treasuries, Agency MBS, TBA mortgage origination hedging and equity finance, Matrix Applications, LLC, a technology and back-office services company, South Street Capital Management, LLC, an asset management company, and AmeriVet Securities, Inc., a service-disabled veteran and minority owned broker dealer.

Contact

Colleen Judge

[email protected]

SOURCE South Street Securities Holdings, Inc.
California's high cannabis taxes, as much as $90 per ounce, are hurting farmers and businesses while the illicit market captures two-thirds of cannabis sales.

LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- California could increase legal cannabis sales and bring in 123% more in total monthly cannabis-related tax revenue by 2024 by eliminating its cultivation tax, according to a new study by Reason Foundation, Good Farmers Great Neighbors, and Precision Advocacy.

"High taxes are undermining California's legal cannabis market," says Geoffrey Lawrence, director of drug policy at Reason Foundation. "California could double monthly cannabis tax revenues by 2024 by eliminating the cultivation tax. Without the cultivation tax, our data show lower cannabis prices would increase sales of legal products, increasing the state government's general sales tax revenue and more than replacing losses from the eliminated cultivation tax."

Due to high taxes, California's legal cannabis market has failed to meet expectations and is just one-third the size expected based on its population and adult usage rates. Nearly two-thirds of cannabis sales in California are still taking place on the illicit market, the study estimates.

California's state and local taxes on legal cannabis are as high as $90 per ounce, or $1,441 per pound. By comparison, cannabis taxes average $340 per pound in Oregon and $526 a pound in Colorado. Due to lower taxes and greater access to legal products, residents in Oregon spend 378% more per capita on legal cannabis and residents of Colorado spend 335% more per capita on legal cannabis than Californians spend, the report shows.

"We are experiencing first-hand a serious price compression in the California supply-chain in part as a result of the illegal market, high taxes and fees and a patchwork of inconsistent local taxes driving legal operators to the brink of a financial cliff," says Amy O'Gorman Jenkins, president of Precision Advocacy and legislative advocate of the California Cannabis Industry Association. "We cannot allow the largest cannabis market in the world to fail. This study provides a roadmap of tax policy solutions for the governor and state legislative leaders to consider immediately."

"California's cannabis farmers are experiencing the biggest challenges of their time. Many farmers are considering going fallow this year. Busy Bee Organics, one of the first woman-owned, sun-grown farmers in Santa Barbara, has already declared she's not planting this year," warns Sam Rodriguez, policy director of Good Farmers Great Neighbors. "California's cultivation tax is regressive and has only contributed to uncertainty about the future of the state's cannabis farmland economy and whether it can survive. The immediate elimination of the cultivation tax would be a first step in addressing critical issues impacting the state's legal cannabis market from seed to sale."

The study also recommends reducing retail excise taxes and encourages policies that could incentivize California's local governments to stop banning the sale of legal cannabis products. Oregon has one legal cannabis retailer for every 6,145 residents and Colorado has one legal retailer for every 13,838 residents while California has just one legal cannabis retailer for every 29,292 residents, the study finds.

Reason Foundation is a non-profit think tank that advances a free society and promotes free minds and free markets.

Good Farmers Great Neighbors is an alliance of mostly outdoor, sun-grown cannabis farmers and auxiliary businesses throughout the central coast.

Precision Advocacy is a lobbying firm with over two decades of experience in state legislative and regulatory development, and public affairs at the state and local levels.

SOURCE Reason Foundation
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Actuarial Foundation is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021-2022 Modeling the Future Challenge, a national scholarship competition where high school students take on the role of an actuary using models to predict future risk and help to solve world problems. The Challenge, now in its fifth year, was developed with our partner, the Institute of Competition Sciences. The winners were announced yesterday evening at the Virtual Symposium, the culminating event of the Challenge. The Symposium is a unique three-day experience where student finalists are immersed in career sessions, presentations from industry experts, and engaging group activities created in partnership with our generous corporate supporters and volunteers.

Participation in this year's Challenge set a record for the number of teams registering and completing phase one with 197 teams! Of those 197 qualifying teams, 13 finalist teams were invited to the Symposium to present their projects to a panel of actuary judges. The 2021-2022 Challenge was once again an open-theme, allowing students to choose which topics they wanted to tackle for their research projects, which as you can see in the winning projects below was wide-ranging. Students were also able to use the Actuarial Process to help them in every phase of their project. The Actuarial Process is a five-step framework, similar to the scientific method, that lays out the core structure of how to successfully identify, analyze, and manage risks. Each team was also assigned an actuary mentor to guide them during the research phase of their project.

Clinching first place and winning the $25,000 scholarship award were Jack Chen, Collin Fan, Aadit Juneja, Aayush Kashyap, and Nathan Ma from Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Their project detailed the costs and solutions to homicides in the city of Chicago. Coming in second place and winning the $15,000 scholarship award was Ashwin Bardhwaj from Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California. His project studied how environmental conditions and driver behavior affect the severity of car accidents in California. The third-place scholarship award of $10,000 went to Aditya Chattopadhyay, Philip Guo, Jihwan Kim, Jason Liu, and Dhruv Pai from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland for their project on characterizing the risk of melanoma screenings for insurance companies. Taking the fourth-place scholarship award of $5,000 were Anand Advani, Shyla Bisht, Alyssa Gorbaneva, Owen Rollins, and Lillian Sun from Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Virginia with their project on mitigating the risk of wildfires in California. Students from each winning team will share the scholarship awards, which will be sent to the colleges of their choice.

In developing the Challenge, the teams at the Foundation and the Institute of Competition Sciences wanted students to learn how mathematics applies to cutting-edge industries and technologies and to gain exposure to highly sought-after careers as actuaries and other math-related professionals. Not only are students judged on how they apply mathematics and build models, but they are also judged on their ability to communicate the results of their projects to the actuary judges. As Founding Sponsor Roy Goldman explained during his introductory remarks at the Symposium, "The goal of the Challenge is to show how mathematics combined with communication skills can be used to analyze real-world problems and make sound recommendations to insurers and policymakers. The Challenge emphasizes that problem solving is not only about the mathematics and the modeling. Often that is the easy part. The harder part is to build a story that can be communicated to those who don't have your technical backgrounds."

The Modeling the Future Challenge is made possible with the generous support of Pathfinder Sponsor RGA Foundation, Pacesetter Sponsors Lincoln Financial Group, and Principal Foundation, Builder Sponsors Nationwide, Helen & James C. Galt and Rick & Beth Jones, and Founding Sponsors Roy & Georgia Goldman.

About The Actuarial Foundation

The Actuarial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, is the philanthropic institution for the actuarial industry in the United States. The mission of the Foundation is to enhance math education and financial literacy through the talents and resources of actuaries. The Foundation's vision is an educated public in pursuit of a secure financial future. Further information is available at: actuarialfoundation.org

About the Institute of Competition Sciences

Since 2012, the Institute of Competition Sciences (ICS) has been defining best practices in competition strategy, design and operations. ICS aims to spark a new level of community engagement in science, technology and education by supporting a network of educational competitions. For more information, please visit: https://www.competitionsciences.org/

CONTACT:

Holly Monahan

The Actuarial Foundation

(847) 706-3659

[email protected]

SOURCE The Actuarial Foundation
HELSINKI, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dual Miners (www.dualminers.com/) have crossed the $45million USD mark on orders and pre-sales. The newly introduced mining rigs by Dual Miners have surpassed what we currently have in the cryptocurrency market. The reason is not farfetched; they have made mining distinctive and easy with this innovation. What makes it even easier is the installation manual that comes with the machine. You don't have to be a veteran in technology to understand how it works.

Image: https://journalists.medianet.com.au/Releases/Attachment?j=971241&s=2&k=6469100

Due to advances in ASIC chip technology, Dual Miners Ltd has developed three solutions that are pre-configured for ease of use and promise a return on investment in as little as one month. The company, which is led by some of the most experienced specialists in the Cryptocurrency mining industry, is based in the United Kingdom.

According to a corporate statement, the company's current offerings include DualPro, DualPro Max, and the most recent DualPremium, all of which are designed to support lucrative operations on the blockchain of choice.

Founded in London, Dual Miners is a chip design and manufacturing company that has offices in Finland, South Korea, and Australia in addition to its home base in the United Kingdom. It has a number of teams with in-depth knowledge on a variety of topics, including Blockchain technology and technological design, among others.

Consumers can purchase graphics processing units from the company, which also provides crypto wallet development services. The company has offices on three different continents. The fact that Dual Miners has accumulated a substantial amount of market experience has earned it a reputable reputation in the Blockchain business.

So as a result, Dual Miners will pay the costs of shipping as well as import tariffs, allowing consumers to spend no more than the cost of the gadget and yet receive everything they need to get started without incurring additional expenditures.

Concerning Dual Miners

Founded in 2015 with the intention of developing and marketing the world's first leading dual Cryptocurrency miners that use either SHA-256 or Scrypt technology, Dual Miners bills itself as the world's first dual mining company. The company claims to be the world's first dual mining enterprise. With the DualPro, we set out to give greater power at a lower cost than had previously been possible in the industry. Dual Miners is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and has offices in several other cities across the world, including the United States. The company's website, www.dualminers.com, provides additional information on the company and its products.

More information can be found at www.dualminers.com

SOURCE Dual Miners
DUBLIN, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Power Inverter Market Report and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to this report the global power inverter market size reached a value of about $71.17 billion in 2021. The market is further expected to increase at a CAGR of about 13.0% between 2022 and 2027 to reach a value of approximately $153.12 billion by 2027.

Power inverter is defined as an equipment which converts direct current into alternating current electricity, in order to power various electricity driven mechanisms. The design or circuitry of a power inverter affects the input voltage, output voltage and frequency, and overall power handling. Power inverters come in varied sizes such as 1000 watts, 3000 watts, and 5000 watts, among which, 3000 watts inverter is the most common. Modern power inverters come with USB outlets, digital screens, and mobile phone chargers. The major applications of power inverters include residential, commercial, and industrial. In addition to this, factors like no requirement of fuel, lubricants, or moving parts are the key advantages of this product.



The rising demand for power inverters from the residential sector, owing to the easy installation, rising rates of electrification, increasing standards of living, and growing investments in the preparedness in case of power cuts, is driving the market growth. The operating cost of inverter is low, require less maintenance, and are environment friendly, which are likely to be the invigorating factors of the market. The increasing adoption of high-end electrical equipment and appliances in the household will provide a push to the demand for the product in the forecast period.

Meanwhile, the increasing adoption of solar power systems in the commercial and industrial sector is anticipated to propel the demand for power inverters in the coming years. In terms of region, the Asia Pacific accounts for a significant share in the market owing to the rapid development of power plants, solar plants, and battery storage facilities in the emerging economies. For instance, in December 2021, Sungrow signed a contract with Rays Power Infra under which, a solar plant will be constructed in Bangladesh. Rapid urbanisation and residential and commercial development in India and China are also anticipated to provide impetus to the market in the forecast period.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Preface



2 Report Coverage - Key Segmentation and Scope



3 Report Description

3.1 Market Definition and Outlook

3.2 Properties and Applications

3.3 Market Analysis

3.4 Key Players



4 Key Assumptions



5 Executive Summary

5.1 Overview

5.2 Key Drivers

5.3 Key Developments

5.4 Competitive Structure

5.5 Key Industrial Trends



6 Snapshot

6.1 Global

6.2 Regional



7 Industry Opportunities and Challenges



8 Global Power Inverter Market Analysis

8.1 Key Industry Highlights

8.2 Global Power Inverter Historical Market (2017-2021)

8.3 Global Power Inverter Market Forecast (2022-2027)

8.4 Global Power Inverter Market by Rating

8.4.1 <_kw_br />8.4.1.1 Market Share

8.4.1.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.1.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.4.2 5kW to 100kW

8.4.2.1 Market Share

8.4.2.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.2.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.4.3 100kW to 500kW

8.4.3.1 Market Share

8.4.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.4.4 Above 500kW

8.4.4.1 Market Share

8.4.4.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.4.4.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5 Global Power Inverter Market by Application

8.5.1 Motor Drives

8.5.1.1 Market Share

8.5.1.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.1.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.2 UPS

8.5.2.1 Market Share

8.5.2.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.2.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.3 Rail Traction

8.5.3.1 Market Share

8.5.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.4 Wind Turbines

8.5.4.1 Market Share

8.5.4.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.4.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.5 EVs/HEVs

8.5.5.1 Market Share

8.5.5.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.5.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.6 Solar PVs

8.5.6.1 Market Share

8.5.6.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.5.6.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.5.7 Others

8.6 Global Power Inverter Market by End Use

8.6.1 Utilities

8.6.1.1 Market Share

8.6.1.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.1.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.2 Residential

8.6.2.1 Market Share

8.6.2.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.2.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.3 Commercial and Industrial

8.6.3.1 Market Share

8.6.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.3 Automotive and Transportation

8.6.3.1 Market Share

8.6.3.2 Historical Trend (2017-2021)

8.6.3.3 Forecast Trend (2022-2027)

8.6.4 Others

8.7 Global Power Inverter Market by Region

8.7.1 Market Share

8.7.1.1 North America

8.7.1.2 Europe

8.7.1.3 Asia Pacific

8.7.1.4 Latin America

8.7.1.5 Middle East and Africa



9 Regional Analysis



10 Market Dynamics

10.1 SWOT Analysis

10.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

10.3 Key Indicators for Demand

10.4 Key Indicators for Price



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Loans and Financial Assistance



13 Project Economics

13.1 Capital Cost of Project

13.2 Techno-Economic Parameters

13.3 Product Pricing and Margins

13.4 Taxation and Depreciation

13.5 Income Projections

13.6 Expenditure Projections

13.7 Financial Projections

13.8 Profit Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Company Profiles

14.2.1 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

14.2.1.1 Company Overview

14.2.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.1.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.1.4 Financial Summary

14.2.1.5 Certifications

14.2.2 SMA Solar Technology AG

14.2.2.1 Company Overview

14.2.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.2.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.2.4 Financial Summary

14.2.2.5 Certifications

14.2.3 Tabuchi Electric Co.,Ltd.

14.2.3.1 Company Overview

14.2.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.3.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.3.4 Financial Summary

14.2.3.5 Certifications

14.2.4 OMRON Corporation

14.2.4.1 Company Overview

14.2.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.4.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.4.4 Financial Summary

14.2.4.5 Certifications

14.2.5 SolarEdge Technologies Inc.

14.2.5.1 Company Overview

14.2.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.2.5.3 Demographic Reach and Achievements

14.2.5.4 Financial Summary

14.2.5.5 Certifications

14.2.6 Others



15 Industry Events and Developments

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yqx8r

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: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Underfloor Heating Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Product Type (Hydronic and Electric), By Application, By System, By Installation Type, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2021-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Underfloor Heating Market size is expected to reach $7 billion by 2027, rising at a market growth of 6.0% CAGR during the forecast period.

The installation of electrical or water systems to the floor to generate heat beneath the flooring is known as underfloor heating. Water systems employ the length of a pipe to pump water through a heat source to heat the floor, whereas electrical systems use electrical cables to generate heat. Electric underfloor heating systems are more suited to smaller spaces like bathrooms since water underfloor heating systems take more space and deployment time.

Underfloor heating (UFH) is a better and more efficient technique to heat a single dwelling. In addition, UFH softly give warmth to people and items in the room from the ground by using radiant heat technology. The benefits of underfloor heating are energy efficient, require low maintenance, design freedom and adaptability of floor heaters, as well as safety & ease of installation, which are among the important factors fueling the growth of the underfloor heating market in the coming years.

The Underfloor Heating Market is increasing over the world as new building approaches such as insulation and controls improve in quality. The expanding use of underfloor heating systems in the residential sector, refurbishment activities in developed countries such as the United States and Germany and rising demand for high-end amenities and flexibility are estimated to augment the growth of the market.

Along with that, government regulations for energy efficiency and standards for the use of electrical and electric appliances is expected toencourage the use of sustainable technologies, which boost market growth. Due to high operating costs and significant energy and heat loss, the new advanced underfloor heating systems are increasing the rate of replacement of legacy heating systems.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the growth of the overall business domain. The impositions of various restrictions like complete lockdown ban on imports & exports and shutdown of the manufacturing units has significantly impacted the production and sales of various products across the world. Manufacturers, on the other hand, are employing imaginative and innovative tactics to recruit workers in order to satisfy their minimum production requirements.

Various building and engineering projects around the world were shut down during the pandemic, causing a financial recession in the construction business in every country and creating job opportunities. However, as things are getting back on track, underfloor heating market is expected to recover from the pandemic and bode well in the upcoming years due to the rise in the construction of healthcare facilities across the world.

Market Growth Factors:

Growing investments in the development of new infrastructure

Romans were the first to use hydronic underfloor heating to heat their personal spaces. Following WWII, the sector saw fast technological and product design developments. Product demand will be boosted by continued rollouts of efficient and enhanced space heating solutions across smart cities, as well as an increase in the number of green construction projects. In addition, the growing commercial and residential sectors, as well as fast industrialization, is expected to enhance market trends.

Quick heating and easy to manage

Since underfloor heating products are easy to maintain and provide quick heating to the space, its popularity is rapidly increasing across the world. Major industry players are shifting their business strategies to focus on product differentiation and innovation for a broad range of products to meet a variety of client needs. Underfloor heating allows customers to construct their home however they want, taking advantage of every inch of wall and floor space. Users may still choose the type of flooring they want because floor heating works with laminate, wood, tile, stone, carpet, and more.

Marketing Restraining Factor:

High cost of installation

Electric systems allow for quick installation, with many systems being able to be installed in an average-sized bathroom in as little as 1-2 days. The cost of installation will vary based on the system users choose, the size of the room, and the installer's fee; labour costs for installation is expected to also be incurred by the customer till the time, it get ready to use. Customers also need to hire a competent electrician to connect the system to the power supply, which might take many hours and cost a lot of money.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology

Chapter 2. Market Overview

Chapter 3. Recent Strategies deployed in Underfloor Heating Market

Chapter 4. Global Underfloor Heating Market by Product Type

4.1 Global Hydronic Market by Region

4.2 Global Electric Market by Region

Chapter 5. Global Underfloor Heating Market by Application

5.1 Global Residential Market by Region

5.2 Global Commercial Market by Region

5.3 Global Industrial Market by Region

Chapter 6. Global Underfloor Heating Market by System

6.1 Global Heating System Market by Region

6.2 Global Control System Market by Region

Chapter 7. Global Underfloor Heating Market by Installation Type

7.1 Global New Installation Market by Region

7.2 Global Retrofit Installation Market by Region

Chapter 8. Global Underfloor Heating Market by Region

Chapter 9. Company Profiles

9.1 Uponor Corporation

9.1.1 Company Overview

9.1.2 Financial Analysis

9.1.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.1.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.1.5 Recent strategies and developments:

9.1.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.2 Honeywell International, Inc.

9.2.1 Company Overview

9.2.2 Financial Analysis

9.2.3 Regional & Segmental Analysis

9.2.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.2.5 Recent strategies and developments:

9.2.5.1 Acquisitions and Mergers:

9.2.6 SWOT Analysis

9.3 Robert Bosch GmbH (Bosch Sensortec GmbH)

9.3.1 Company Overview

9.3.2 Financial Analysis

9.3.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.3.4 Research & Development Expense

9.3.5 SWOT Analysis

9.4 Pentair PLC

9.4.1 Company Overview

9.4.2 Financial Analysis

9.4.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.4.4 Research & Development Expense

9.5 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

9.5.1 Company Overview

9.5.2 Financial Analysis

9.5.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.5.4 Research & Development Expense

9.5.5 SWOT Analysis

9.6 Emerson Electric Co.

9.6.1 Company Overview

9.6.2 Financial Analysis

9.6.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.6.4 Research & Development Expense

9.6.5 Recent strategies and developments:

9.6.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.6.5.2 Acquisitions and Mergers:

9.7 Schneider Electric SE

9.7.1 Company Overview

9.7.2 Financial Analysis

9.7.4 Research & Development Expense

9.7.5 Recent strategies and developments:

9.7.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

9.7.5.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.7.6 SWOT Analysis

9.8 Siemens AG

9.8.1 Company Overview

9.8.2 Financial Analysis

9.8.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.8.4 Research & Development Expense

9.8.5 SWOT Analysis

9.9 The Danfoss Group

9.9.1 Company Overview

9.9.2 Financial Analysis

9.9.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis

9.9.4 Research & Development Expenses

9.9.5 Recent strategies and developments:

9.9.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

9.9.5.2 AAcquisitions and Mergers:

9.10. Warmup PLC

9.10.1 Company Overview

9.10.2 Recent strategies and developments:

9.10.2.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r0fiuc

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: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
Tomorrow Farms Raises $8.5M in Seed Round Tweet this

"To feed 10 billion humans without burning up what's left of our planet, we need food and drinks that are not just lower carbon, but also tastier, healthier, and just plain cooler," said Lowercarbon Capital Co-Founder Chris Sacca. "Tomorrow Farms is making delicious food that will turn even hardened fast-food junkies into unwitting hippies."

Tomorrow Farms is building a portfolio of "next-generation" food products, powered by innovative science, unforgettable brands, and world-class operations expertise. The company, incubated at the SALT Fund in early 2021, is working towards a more equitable and harmonious food system by reinventing pantry and refrigerator staples so they're better for people, kinder to animals, and easier on the planet. With its first products launching to consumers this summer, Tomorrow Farms is hoping to win hearts, minds, and stomachs to fuel the sustainable food revolution.

Tomorrow Farms CEO and co-founder Ben Berman's passion for food started at a young age. He launched his first business venture at just 18 years old with a food truck, Mainely Burgers , which he eventually grew to three trucks and 16 employees. Years later, while attending graduate school in Philadelphia, the pandemic hit and his passion for food took a philanthropic turn when he serendipitously launched Good Pizza from his apartment. Using an electric oven, his pizza recipe, and a homemade pulley system, Berman lowered pizzas down to lucky winners each week to raise money for local charities. While Berman's efforts gained buzz with an appearance on Ellen, Good Pizza has raised over $100,000 in total and is now part of Philabundance, the largest hunger relief organization in Philadelphia. With experience in food entrepreneurship, management consulting, and a Wharton MBA, Berman brings to Tomorrow Farms the necessary blend of experience for a company looking at the future of food, for both people and planet.

"We're on the precipice of a complete paradigm shift in our food system, and that shift is necessary," said Ben Berman, the CEO and Co-Founder of Tomorrow Farms. "We are working to bring the future of food to consumers today, partnering with the most innovative food science companies in the world to create products that actually make a difference for people, animals, and the planet."

For more information on Tomorrow Farms, please visit www.tomorrowfarms.co or follow the sustainable food revolution on Instagram , Facebook , and LinkedIn to find out what's coming next for the company.

About Tomorrow Farms

Tomorrow Farms is on a mission to win hearts, minds, and stomachs to fuel the sustainable food revolution. The company partners with innovative food science companies to build irresistible food and beverage brands that are better for people, kinder to animals, and easier on the planet. A more equitable and harmonious food system is in sight -- and Tomorrow Farms is reinventing pantry and refrigerator staples to help us all get there. To learn more, visit TomorrowFarms.co or follow along on LinkedIn and Instagram . For questions, please email [email protected] .

Media Contact:

Kendall Huber, Power Digital Marketing

[email protected]

Nikole Norin, Power Digital Marketing

[email protected]

SOURCE Tomorrow Farms
PARK CITY, Utah , May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Uplift Aerospace (NRP Stone  Symbol: NRPI) is delighted to announce a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an NFT collector to travel to space aboard New Shepard, Blue Origin's suborbital rocket. On May 10th, 2022, Uplift Aerospace will release the "Launch Pass" NFT collection with 10,921 NFT artworksa nod to the Moon's circumference (in km). Every collector who acquires an NFT from this special collection is then eligible to apply for a job to fly to space on New Shepard. Applicants will be evaluated, and a finalist will be selected by the Uplift Aerospace team. Full details on entry requirements and the selection process will be available by May 9th, 2022, on www.spaceplus.xyz. Blue Origin reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to evaluate all potential astronauts and to approve or deny access to any mission of all or some potential astronauts proposed by Uplift Aerospace.

Space+ NFT Selection & Spaceflight Eligibility Requirements

Beginning May 10th, Launch Pass NFTs can be purchased through the project website: www.spaceplus.xyz. Thereafter, collectors who have purchased the NFTs will have the opportunity to apply to become an astronaut and represent the Space+ community in space.

Only owners of the Launch Pass NFT are eligible to apply for the opportunity and must be current owners to be considered. An applicant from the Space+ community will be selected at 11:59 pm EDT on May 22nd, 2022. The Space+ team will take a snapshot of the owners' wallets at the time of the deadline on May 22nd to ensure the applicant selected is a current Launch Pass owner.

Once a member from the NFT community has been selected from the applications for the spaceflight, all owners of the 10,921 Launch Pass NFTs will have the option to convert their Launch Pass to a Space+ NFT avatar character called Starborn. The Starborn profile pictures (PFPs), built for Space+'s upcoming metaverse, visually represent the future of humanity in space. The timing of this conversion option is programmed into the NFT "smart contract." No PFP can be revealed before the selected applicant is announced. The Launch Pass and Starborn NFTs will double as membership tokens for the holders to join the Starborn Space Program and access future additional space-related community benefits, contests, and products.

Starborn NFTs

The Starborn collection exemplifies Uplift Aerospace's vision for how humanity will maintain its self-identity and creativity within the restrictions of space travel in the future. The project also reflects the important role web3 technologies  such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), NFTs, cryptocurrency, and the blockchain  will play. Moreover, it will enable NFT holders to stretch their imagination and have experiences in Space+'s forthcoming metaverse tethered to what the company is creating in reality.

AR overlays on the artwork such as colored stripes on the spacesuits and illuminated helmets were used to enhance diverse Starborn personalities and make them look personalized and futuristic. Space+ can create over 120 billion unique Starborn options by combining over 120 artistic AR traits with multiple base characters, 10,921 of which have been selected for the NFT artwork collection.

Space+ in Web3

The long-term objective of Space+ is to use web3 technologies to create community connections between Earth and Space. The Starborn collection will provide a membership token to the Space+ metaverse. It will also provide access to real-life experiences, including suborbital and Zero-G flights, rocket launch events, professional networks, and "payload space" for exhibiting and showcasing items on the International Space Station.

Space+ and the Starborn NFT collection further affirm Uplift Aerospace's pioneering position in the aerospace industry, including agreements with organizations like NASA, Sierra Space Co., and Zero-G.

Following the rapid increase of innovation in the private space sector over the last five years, Uplift Aerospace is building the web3 infrastructure to create relationships between those on Earth and in space.

Visit https://www.spaceplus.xyz/ to see the latest updates on the project trajectory, Launch Pass, and newly revealed NFT membership token.

ABOUT UPLIFT AEROSPACE

Uplift Aerospace, Inc. is an emerging leader in the rapidly transforming space industry, pioneering revolutionary systems to manufacture, trade, and deliver products for a multiplanetary economy.

For more information, visit https://www.upliftaerospace.com/investors.

US OTC Symbol: NRPI; CUSIP: 62940J200. For the latest updates, visit upliftaerospace.com and follow @upliftaerospace on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter .

Disclosures and Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Expressions of future goals and similar expressions reflecting something other than historical fact are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance of products and technologies, economic and market factors, successful integration of acquisitions, the ability to secure additional sources of financing, the ability to reduce operating expenses and other factors. The actual results that the company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. The Company, its management, or affiliates, undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

SOURCE Uplift Aerospace
New role includes oversight of the company's accounting, financial and risk management departments

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Valor, an asset management and professional services company specializing in oil and gas mineral rights, has announced that Adam Powell, current director of accounting and risk management, has been promoted to the newly created position of chief accounting officer. Effective immediately, Powell is now responsible for the comprehensive oversight and direction of the company's accounting, financial and risk management departments. The creation of this new role and Powell's promotion is directly related to Valor's rapid growth over the past year, doubling in both size and revenue.

Adam Powell

"As we continue to expand our scope of services and develop additional service lines, we continue to grow and expand our accounting department," says Joseph DeWoody, CEO of Valor. "We've taken a proactive approach to align our accounting department to provide our clients the best service possible and Adam is imminently qualified to help lead this effort."

Valor's primary client-based services include the management and optimization of mineral rights, oil and gas accounting and land management. The company currently manages eight million gross mineral acres on behalf of their clients, whose non-operated oil and gas holdings generate more than $100 million in annual revenue. In addition, the company is rapidly expanding their scope and mission through Valor Ignite - an on-demand outsourcing solution for accounting, business process outsourcing, contract C-suite engagements and back-office support. As the company's new chief accounting officer, Powell will direct and lead all accounting and bookkeeping services for the full scope of Valor's professional services.

Adam has extensive experience in accounting and auditing both public and privately held assets in the oil and gas, manufacturing, distribution and healthcare industries. In addition, he's helped create innovative financial and accounting processes, controls and reporting packages. Powell is a member of both the Texas Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs and was recently named a finalist in D CEO Magazine's 2022 Financial Executive Awards. As the company's chief accounting officer, Powell will oversee Valor's multiple client sectors including individuals, families, partnerships, trusts, nonprofits, universities, institutions, investment funds and family offices  which includes clientele with assets in over 32 U.S. states.

"I'm honored to serve the company and its expanding client roster in this elevated capacity," stated Adam Powell, chief accounting officer for Valor. "My updated mission is to lead and direct a talented department of accounting professionals during this period of robust company growth and expansion." For more information on the company, please visit www.onevalor.com.

About Valor:

Valor is a comprehensive professional services provider that uses technology and innovation to ease the burdens of asset management in the oil and gas industry. We place the client first, providing flexible solutions and leveraging our team of experts to maintain the security, clarity and optimization of privately owned assets. Valor currently manages eight million gross mineral acres on behalf of their clients, whose holdings generate more than $100 million in annual revenue. Valor's professional services scope also extends beyond the energy sector with Valor Ignite - an on-demand outsourcing solution for accounting, business process outsourcing, contract C-suite engagements and back-office support . Explore the benefits of partnering with Valor to manage mineral rights and streamline business operations by visiting www.onevalor.com .

Media Contact:

Jeff Cheatham

Senior Strategist/Publicist

The Power Group

(972) 961-6171

[email protected]

SOURCE Valor
Highlights included luminary keynotes, 37 virtual sessions, acquisition news, new research published with Deloitte, and outstanding Visier customers recognized with the annual Vizzie Awards

VANCOUVER, BC, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Visier , the globally recognized leader in people analytics and on-demand answers for people-powered business, wrapped two days of its annual customer conference today, with over 1,800 attendees, 37 virtual sessions, keynotes from luminaries Susan David, PhD, Steve Cadigan, Ravin Jesuthasan, and Dan Riley; an acquisition announcement; and a celebration of some of Visier's most innovative customers.

"Outsmart is our biggest event of the year, and we always look forward to the great customer success stories shared at this event," said Ryan Wong, CEO of Visier. "This year was especially exciting for us, not only because we had record attendance, but also because of the exciting news we shared about our acquisition of Yva.ai and the great team we welcomed into the Visier family."

Visier announces important acquisition

Announced on the first day of the conference, the acquisition of Yva.ai extends Visier's people cloud vision with collaboration analytics that provides deep insight into how people work and how people work together. With this addition to Visier's category defining product family, this new capability provides unmatched insight into the human truth inside an organization, helping business and employees to win together.

More details on the combined product vision can be found here .

Deloitte and Visier unveil new research

Unveiled at Outsmart, Deloitte and Visier shared new research findings revealing a "people impact gap" that stands between a variety of scattered HR data sources and the people managers in the best position to make decisions on behalf of the business and the employee. The dramatic changes in the labor market, the rise of remote work, and changing expectations of employees, has forced leaders to become more responsive, people-centric, and data-driven in their decision making. This research finds many leaders to be "drowning in data while starving for actionable insights to address everyday business and people issues."

Get a free copy of the full report here .

Innovative customers celebrated

Visier also recognized five customers for their outstanding use of people analytics through the annual "Vizzie Awards." The category winners were:

Rapid Transformation Award; Winner: DocuSign  for combining HR metrics and survey data as one holistic picture of the workforce in one place, including monitoring headcount, hiring, promotions, attrition, and more.

for combining HR metrics and survey data as one holistic picture of the workforce in one place, including monitoring headcount, hiring, promotions, attrition, and more. Insightful Leadership Award; Winner: Standard Bank Group  for providing 5000+ line managers with daily insights by using a wide range of Visier applications, including Talent, Learning, and Planning.

for providing 5000+ line managers with daily insights by using a wide range of Visier applications, including Talent, Learning, and Planning. Hire Smarter Award; Winner: Anglo American  for using Visier to track and monitor over 40 different measures throughout the recruitment lifecycle process. Using Visier, they've saved hundreds of hours of work and focused on the qualitative aspects of recruitment.

for using Visier to track and monitor over 40 different measures throughout the recruitment lifecycle process. Using Visier, they've saved hundreds of hours of work and focused on the qualitative aspects of recruitment. Magnetic Workplace Award; W inner: Baptist Health  for using Visier to monitor their retention curve and project the estimated ROI of investments made to support retention, cutting turnover costs in half.

for using Visier to monitor their retention curve and project the estimated ROI of investments made to support retention, cutting turnover costs in half. Deeper Insights Award; Winner: Lego Group  for using Visier to drive fundamental changes in their business by enabling leaders to run their own analyses, with full transparency into the information they need to more effectively manage their teams.

Learn more about Outsmart and watch the session on-demand here .

About Visier

Visier is the recognized global leader in people analytics, providing on-demand answers to people-powered businesses. Behind every great brand, product, or idea is the Human Truth, and the Visier People Cloud reveals the fundamental questions and actionable truths capable of elevating your employeesand your businessto new heights. Founded in 2010 by the pioneers of business intelligence, Visier has 15,000 customers in 75 countries around the world, including enterprises like Adobe, BASF, Bridgestone, Electronic Arts, McKesson, MerckKGaA, Uber, and more. Visier is headquartered in Vancouver, BC with offices and team members worldwide.

For more information, visit www.visier.com .

SOURCE Visier
LAKELAND, Fla., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WellDyneRx, LLC ("WellDyne") is providing notice of an incident that could affect the privacy of information of certain individuals for whom it provided pharmacy benefit related services. While WellDyne is unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of individually-identifiable information, WellDyne takes this incident very seriously and is providing information about the incident, our response to it, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On December 2, 2021, WellDyne became aware of suspicious activity related to a WellDyne email account. In response, we began an investigation of the activity with the assistance of third-party forensic investigators to determine the nature and scope of the incident. We determined that there was unauthorized access to the account between October 30, 2021, and November 11, 2021. Although there is no evidence that individually-identifiable information contained within the email account was accessed or taken by an unauthorized party, WellDyne cannot rule out this possibility. In response, WellDyne undertook a comprehensive and time-consuming programmatic and manual review of the contents of the email account to determine the type of information stored therein, and to whom the information pertained. On March 11, 2022, we completed this extensive review process, and identified the scope of the information at risk and the population who may be affected. We have worked diligently since this time to confirm the contact information for the individuals who may be impacted and the types of information at issue for each individual, in order to provide an accurate notification.

What Information Was Involved? We conducted a thorough review of the relevant WellDyne email account to identify the types of information stored therein and to whom it related. Although there is no evidence that individually-identifiable information contained within the email account was accessed or taken by an unauthorized party, we cannot rule out this possibility. While the specific data elements vary for each potentially affected individual, the scope of information potentially involved includes: name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license number, treatment information, health insurance information, contact information, prescription information, and other medical/health information.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? WellDyne will be mailing notice letters to the individuals identified as impacted. If an individual does not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call WellDyne's dedicated assistance line, detailed below.

What WellDyne is Doing. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of personal information within our care is among our highest priorities. Upon learning of the event, we secured the compromised account and investigated to identify any individuals that were affected. We have taken additional steps to improve security and better protect against similar incidents in the future. We are also notifying applicable regulators, including the Department of Health and Human Services.

Whom Should Individuals Contact For More Information? If individuals have questions or would like additional information, they may call WellDyne's dedicated assistance line at (877) 389-2455 between the hours of 9am-9pm Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

What You Can Do. WellDyne encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements, explanation of benefits forms, and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors over the next 12 to 24 months. Under U.S. law individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report, place a fraud alert, or a security freeze. Contact information for the credit bureaus is below:

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); Social Security number; Date of birth; Addresses for the prior two to five years; Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, etc.); and A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/ https://www.transunion.com/credit-help 888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 833-395-6938 Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov ; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

SOURCE WellDyneRx, LLC
During the fashion week, a digital experience space, a virtual fashion idol group and a digital ordering platform were also launched, making the new season garments and virtual clothes display together while real models and virtual idols interact with each other.

Meanwhile, professional buyers at home and abroad who watched the show through the online live-streaming were able to order the goods online instantly.

With the trend of the digitalization, Shenzhen's fashion industry is developing towards high-end technology, creative diversity, brand internationalization and fashionable products, said Pan Ming, president of Shenzhen Garment Industry Association.

It is learned that there are 4,100 high-tech enterprises settled in Shenzhen's Nanshan District, the main venue of the fashion week, empowering digitalization of the fashion industry. Meanwhile, Lixiu clothing culture block within the district has attracted 600 clothing brands, becoming a gathering place for original fashion designers from all over the world.

In 2021, the business revenue of fashion industry cluster in Nanshan District reached 21.169 billion yuan, up 7.15 percent year on year.

See the original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/327714.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
GUANGZHOU, China, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yatsen Holding Limited ("Yatsen" or the "Company") (NYSE: YSG), a leading Chinese beauty company, today provides an update on its status under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the "HFCAA"). The Company was provisionally identified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") as a Commission-Identified Issuer on May 4, 2022 U.S. Eastern Time, following the Company's filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the SEC on April 22, 2022.

The Company understands that this identification under the HFCAA and its implementation rules issued thereunder indicates that the SEC determines that the Company used a registered public accounting firm whose working paper cannot be inspected or investigated completely by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States (the "PCAOB") to issue the audit opinion for its financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

In accordance with the HFCAA, the SEC shall prohibit a company's shares or American depositary shares ("ADSs") from being traded on a national stock exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if the company has been identified by the SEC for three consecutive years due to PCAOB's inability to inspect the registered public accounting firm's working paper.

The Company has been actively exploring possible solutions to protect the interest of its stakeholders. The Company will continue to comply with applicable laws and regulations in both China and the United States and strive to maintain its listing status on the New York Stock Exchange.

About Yatsen Holding Limited

Yatsen Holding Limited (NYSE: YSG) is a leading player in China's beauty market with a mission to create an exciting new journey of beauty discovery for consumers in China and around the world. Founded in 2016, the Company has launched and acquired multiple color cosmetics and skincare brands including Perfect Diary, Little Ondine, Abby's Choice, Galenic, DR.WU (its mainland China business), Eve Lom and Pink Bear. The Company's flagship brand, Perfect Diary, is one of the top color cosmetics brands in China in terms of online retail sales value. Leveraging its digitally native direct-to-customer business model, the Company has built core capabilities which enable it to launch and scale multiple brands quickly while offering a wide selection of products to a growing variety of customers. The Company reaches and engages with customers directly both online and offline, with expansive presence across all major e-commerce, social and content platforms in China.

For more information, please visit http://ir.yatsenglobal.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements which are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs, plans, outlook and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, which include but not limited to the following: the Company's growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to continue to roll out popular products and maintain popularity of existing products; its ability to anticipate and respond to changes in industry trends and consumer preferences and behavior in a timely manner; its ability to attract and retain new customers and to increase revenues generated from repeat customers; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; its ability to integrate newly-acquired businesses and brands; trends and competition in and relevant government policies and regulations relating to China's beauty market; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; and general economic conditions in China. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

In China:

Yatsen Holding Limited

Investor Relations

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Emilie Wu

Tel: +86-21-6039-8363

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Yatsen Holding Limited
VANCOUVER, B.C., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomd Technologies Ltd. (TSXV: ZOMD) (OTC: ZMDTF) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Zoomd Ltd. (collectively, "Zoomd" or the "Company"), the marketing technology (MarTech) user-acquisition and engagement platform, today announced that it has retained Toronto-based marketing firm, North Equities Corp. ("NEC") to provide the Company with investor relations and shareholder communication services.

The Company has entered into a 3-month marketing and consulting agreement with NEC (the "Agreement"). NEC specializes in various social media platforms and will seek to facilitate greater awareness of, and widespread dissemination of, news relating to Zoomd.

Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, the Company will pay NEC C$50,000, plus applicable taxes and reasonable expenses. NEC will not receive any securities of the Company pursuant to the Agreement. NEC does not currently own any shares of the Company.

About Zoomd:

Zoomd (TSXV: ZOMD, OTC: ZMDTF), founded in 2012 and began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in September 2019, offers a site search engine to publishers, and a mobile app user-acquisition platform, integrated with a majority of global digital media, to advertisers. The platform unifies more than 600 media sources into one unified dashboard. Offering advertisers, a user acquisition control center for managing all new customer acquisition campaigns using a single platform. By unifying all these media sources onto a single platform, Zoomd saves advertisers significant resources that would otherwise be spent consolidating data sources, thereby maximizing data collection and data insights while minimizing the resources spent on the exercise. Further, Zoomd is a performance-based platform that allows advertisers to advertise to the relevant target audiences using a key performance indicator-algorithm that is focused on achieving the advertisers' goals and targets.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

DISCLAIMER IN REGARD TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited of NEC to successfully provide the services pursuant to the Agreement. Forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, estimates, expectations and projections that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, technological, legal, privacy matters, political and social uncertainties (including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current war in Ukraine), the extent and duration of which are uncertain at this time on Zoomd's business and general economic and business conditions and markets. There can be no assurance that any of the forward-looking 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. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The reader should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Company Media Contacts:

Amit Bohensky

Chairman

Zoomd

[email protected]

Website: www.zoomd.com

Investor relations:

Lytham Partners, LLC

Ben Shamsian

New York | Phoenix

[email protected]

SOURCE Zoomd Technologies Ltd.
SHANGHAI, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK: 2057) ("ZTO" or the "Company"), a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China, today announced that it will release its unaudited financial results for the first quarter 2022 ended March 31, 2022, after the U.S. market closes on May 25, 2022.

ZTO's management team will host an earnings conference call at 8:30 P.M. U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, which is 8:30 A.M. Beijing Time on Thursday, May 26, 2022.

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States: 1-888-317-6003 Hong Kong: 852-5808-1995 Singapore: 800-120-5863 Mainland China: 4001-206-115 International: 1-412-317-6061 Passcode: 2110139

A replay of the conference call may be accessible through June 1, 2022 by dialing the following numbers:

United States: 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Canada: 855-669-9658 Passcode: 4204306

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at http://zto.investorroom.com .

About ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK: 2057) ("ZTO" or the "Company") is a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China. ZTO provides express delivery service as well as other value-added logistics services through its extensive and reliable nationwide network coverage in China.

ZTO operates a highly scalable network partner model, which the Company believes is best suited to support the significant growth of e-commerce in China. The Company leverages its network partners to provide pickup and last-mile delivery services, while controlling the mission-critical line-haul transportation and sorting network within the express delivery service value chain.

For more information, please visit http://zto.investorroom.com .

For investor inquiries, please contact:

Investor Relations

Tel: (86) 21 5980 4508

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.
United Nations, May 6 : While welcoming a high-level UN panel's recommendation to exempt the food purchases by the World Food Programme (WFP) from export restrictions, India has called for international cooperation to face the looming energy crisis sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Warning at the Security Council's meeting on Ukraine on Thursday that "the conflict is having destabilising effect with broader regional and global implications", India's Permanent Representative T. S. Tirumurti pointed out that "oil prices are skyrocketing and there is shortage of food grains and fertilisers" disproportionately impacting the developing countries.

"Energy security is equally a serious concern and needs to be addressed through cooperative efforts", he said.

He acknowledged the recommendation of the Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG) headed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to exempt from export restrictions the humanitarian purchases of food by the World Food Programme.

But he said that it was important to extend similar exemptions to all member states and stakeholders, "who are contributing to this global humanitarian effort", he said.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) limits how much countries like India where the government purchases food at support prices can export.

The GCRG recommended last month exempting WFP food purchases from WTO restrictions and making it formal at the WTO ministerial meeting in June.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "We need quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, by lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to those who need them, and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility".

While many countries are facing a food crisis because the conflict in Ukraine has disrupted the supplies from that country and Russia, which together account for an estimated 30 per cent of global wheat exports.

Tirumurti said India "has strongly condemned the killing of civilians in Bucha and supported the call for an independent investigation".

But that and reaffirming the commitment to the "UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states" were the limits of implied criticisms of Moscow that did not name Russia.

Reiterating New Delhi's neutrality, Tirumurti said, "India remains on the side of peace and therefore believes that there will be no winning sides in this conflict and while those impacted by this conflict will continue to suffer, diplomacy will be a lasting casualty." He said that India welcomed Guterres's visit to Moscow and Kiev for meetings with the leaders of the two countries.

Guterres briefed the Council on his meetings with Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Voldomyr Zelensky of Ukraine.

He said that he did not "mince words" in his meetings with them: "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations (and) it must end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world".

Of the one notable success of the world organisation in the Ukraine conflict, he said that he had emphasised to Putin the need for humanitarian evacuations and Russia agreed to it.

In two evacuations that have been completed 480 people have been brought out of Mariupol and another evacuation is underway, he said.

"It is good to know that even in these times of hyper-communications, silent diplomacy is still possible and is sometimes the only effective way to produce results," he said.

Tirumurti praised the UN evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and said, "We hope these efforts will extend to other areas as well." The GCRG was set up by Guterres to deal with the international fallout of the conflict.

The steering committee of the GCRG includes Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare and heads of several international organisations including the World Bank, WTO and the International Monetary Fund.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is designated as one of the six "Champions of Global Crisis Response Group." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Moscow, May 6 : Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to discuss the Ukrainian situation.

The leaders on Thursday paid special attention to humanitarian issues, including the evacuation of civilians held by militants of nationalist battalions from the Azovstal steel plant, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the Kremlin.

The Russian military is ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians, Putin said, adding that the Kiev authorities should order the remaining militants at the Azovstal plant to lay down arms.

"On the eve of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, which Russia and Israel celebrate on May 9, Putin and Bennett emphasised the special importance of this date for the people of both countries," the statement added.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Washington, May 6 : US President Joe Biden said that Karine Jean-Pierre has been named to be the next White House press secretary.

Jean-Pierre, 44, will step into the role replacing Jen Psaki, who will depart from the White House on May 13, Biden was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Currently principal deputy press secretary, Jean-Pierre will be the first African American woman to hold the position of chief White House spokesperson.

A long-time advisor to Biden, Jean-Pierre has served as a senior advisor to the Democrat's 2020 presidential campaign.

Psaki will reportedly join TV channel MSNBC as a streaming show host after leaving the White House.

As an assistant to the U.S. president, the White House press secretary provides daily briefings for the media on the administration's activities and agenda.
United Nations, May 6 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has hinted at an effort to loosen some aspects of the sanctions against Russia and Belarus to mitigate the food and energy crises that is engulfing the world.

"Let me be clear, a meaningful solution to global food insecurity requires reintegrating Ukraine's agricultural production and the food and fertiliser production of Russia and Belarus into world markets, despite the war," he said on Thursday while briefing the Security Council.

"I will do my best to help facilitate a dialogue to help make this a reality. We need quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, by lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to those who need them, and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility." After a visit to Russia and Ukraine late last month, Guterres went to Senegal, Niger and Nigeria, where he said: "I heard direct testimony from leaders and civil society on how the war is unleashing a food security crisis." Various international sanctions on Moscow, including those on financial transactions, have restricted its exports of foodgrains and on Russia and Belarus have limited the availability of key ingredients for fertiliser.

World Food Programme's (WFP) Chief Economist Arif Husain had warned on Wednesday that a shortage of fertilisers could affect the production of foodgrains in the next cycle and worsen the situation.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of intensifying the food crisis by its blockade of Ukrainian ports.

"Russia is actively halting Ukrainian agricultural production and blocking the ports that once provided food to those in dire need.

"While we work to stop this blockade and hold Russia to account for its actions, we will all be called to step up and prevent looming famines, and provide more food and funding in the name of decency and humanity," she said.

Russia and Ukraine together account for about 30 per cent of the global exports of wheat.

In his briefing, Guterres also highlighted the evacuation of civilians trapped in the "hellscape" of Mariupol, a Ukrainian city besieged by Russia, which is one significant achievement of the UN during the war.

"I entered an active war zone in Ukraine with no immediate possibility of a national ceasefire and a full-scale ongoing attack on the east of the country." But in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said he emphasized that "the imperative of enabling humanitarian access and evacuations from besieged areas, including first and foremost, Mariupol".

A short time later, the UN chief said he received Moscow's agreement and "I am pleased to report on some measure of success".

In two rounds of evacuations, 480 people have been able to leave the Mariupol area and another round is underway, he said.

"I hope that the continued coordination with Moscow and Kiev will lead to more humanitarian pauses to allow civilians safe passage from the fighting and aid to reach those in critical need." During his meetings with Putin in Moscow, he said that he did not "mince words", telling him that "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the UN".

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that her office has recorded 6,731 civilian casualties since the Russian attack on Ukraine started on February 24.

"Most of these casualties have been caused by the use of weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas, such as shelling from heavy artillery, including multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes." She said that her office has also recorded summary executions of Ukrainian men by Russian troops and "possible enforced disappearances of representatives of local authorities, journalists, civil society activists, retired servicemen".

Listing other atrocities in the war, Bachelet said: "My staff heard about cases of women having been raped by Russian armed forces in areas that were under their control, as well as other allegations of sexual violence by both parties to the conflict." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Lucknow, May 6 : There has been a spurt in cases of gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and dysentery in Lucknow since the past two weeks.

Major government hospitals have reported a 20 per cent increase in cases.

The Balrampur Hospital, which used to get 100 such cases daily until March, is now receiving 120 patients daily.

Similarly, at the SPM Civil Hospital, the number has gone up from 60 patients to 80 per day.

The number of patients has also gone up from 80 to 100 at Lok Bandhu Hospital.

Medical Superintendent, Balrampur Hospital, Dr Himanshu Chaturvedi said, "Such infection largely occurs due to bacteria found mostly in unhygienic conditions in street food stalls." Prof Qauser Usman of KGMU said summer and monsoon seasons are conducive for various types of bacteria and viruses and people should take extra precautions.

Medical experts say that during the month of Ramzan, people tend to eat out and taste the special delicacies that are prepared during this time.

"If the food is not stored in proper, hygienic conditions, it tends to get contaminated particularly when temperatures are soaring. Besides, if water intake is not adequate, it also causes dehydration," said Dr A.K. Ahirwal.
Los Angeles, May 6 : Hollywood actress Amber Heard broke down as she told a jury that her former husband and actor Johnny Depp had sexually assaulted her with a bottle during a fight in Australia.

According to 'Variety', Heard took the stand for the second day on Thursday, as she continued to recount a series of violent incidents that marked their relationship.

She said the fight in Australia during filming of the fifth 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film in March 2015 was prompted by Depp's jealousy and her concern about his drug use.

She said Depp had repeatedly hit her, threw bottles at her and choked her against a refrigerator, before finally getting her on top of a countertop and penetrating her with a bottle.

"I remember just not wanting to move," 'Variety' quoted the actress as saying.

She said she remembered thinking: "Please, God, I hope it's not broken." She said Depp repeatedly said: "I'll f***ing kill you."Heard is defending herself in a $50 million defamation trial. Depp has accused her of fabricating her domestic violence allegations to advance her career.

His lawsuit alleges that he lost out on the sixth 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film and other movie roles after Heard referred to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse" in a December 2018 op-ed.

Heard began her testimony on Wednesday afternoon, recounting how she first met Depp and fell in love with him.

But she said she also discovered that Depp could become extremely jealous, especially when drunk or high, and fly into rages.

On Thursday, she told the jury about a flight on a private jet in May 2014, when she claimed that Depp slapped her and then kicked her to the floor.

She also told the jury of other violent episodes, in Tokyo, and on Depp's private island in the Bahamas. She said Depp could be verbally cruel, calling her a "wh***", a "s**t" and a "fat a**".

Depp has denied ever assaulting Heard. He already told the jury his own version of events surrounding the Australia fight, alleging that she severed his fingertip when she threw a bottle at him.

Heard has previously testified about these incidents during a trial in the UK, but the details of the alleged sexual assault were kept confidential in that proceeding.

In her testimony on Thursday, Heard also said she ended up with cuts on her arms and feet from the broken glass.

She said, at one point, Depp had held a broken bottle to her jaw, and threatened to "carve up my face".

She said the next morning she found a series of messages that Depp had written on the walls in his own blood and in paint.

Heard also told the jury about a fight in December 2015, when she said that Depp dragged her by the hair up the stairs. He said the two got into a shoving match, and that Depp head-butted her squarely in the nose.

She said she instantly felt searing pain in her nose.

Depp previously testified that he was trying to restrain Heard from hitting him by putting her in a bear hug, and the contact was incidental.

Later that night, Heard said that she told Depp that she was going to leave him.

She said that Depp dragged her into another room, threw her on a bed, and kneeled on her back.

She said he repeatedly punched her, and screamed in her ear: "I fucking hate you!a She said she could not breathe.

"I thought, 'This is how I die'," she said.

"He's going to kill me now. He's going to kill me, and he won't even have realised it." The trial will take a one-week break before testimony resumes on May 16, when Heard will return to the stand. She is yet to complete her direct testimony, and Depp's lawyers will then have the opportunity to cross-examine her.

Judge Penney Azcarate told the jury that closing arguments are set for May 27.
Washington, May 6 : As record low levels of water threaten supplies for some 40 million Americans, the US government has announced unprecedented measures to boost water levels at Lake Powell, an artificial reservoir on the Colorado River and the second largest in the country.

According to a statement released by the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), authorities would delay the release of water from the severely depleted Lake Powell, which could keep 480,000 acre-feet (592,070,400 cubic meters) water in the reservoir, and release an additional 500,000 acre-feet (616,740,000 cubic meters) of water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir upstream 450 miles away into Lake Powell, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Glen Canyon Dam, in northern Arizona, built in 1963 to hold Lake Powell waters, is one of two huge Colorado River reservoirs that supply water to Nevada, Arizona, Southern California, and several other states.

It also supplies water to the downriver Lake Mead, the largest artificial reservoir in the US.

The two reservoirs are both "at the lowest level since Hoover Dam and Glen Dam were constructed", the USBR said.

Glen Canyon Dam is the second highest concrete arch dam in the country, behind only Hoover Dam that holds Lake Mead, according to USBR, calling it a "bank account of water that is drawn on in times of drought".

As of Thursday, Lake Mead's level is at 1,053.69 Feet MSL, 175.31 feet below full pool of 1,229.00 Feet MSL. And Lake Powell is at 3522.83 Feet MSL, 177.17 feet below full pool. If Lake Powell were to drop another 32 feet, the 1,320-megawatt plant would be unable to generate electricity.

"We have never taken this step before in the Colorado River Basin, but the conditions we see today and the potential risk we see on the horizon demand that we take prompt action," Tanya Trujillo, an Interior Department assistant secretary, told the media.

The Department described the move as an "extraordinary act meant to stave off increased uncertainty in water and electricity supplies in the West" .

The decision will keep more water in Lake Powell that "currently holds less than one-quarter of the amount it held when filled after the dam was built in the 1960s".

Last year, federal officials ordered the first-ever water cuts for the Colorado River Basin.

The western US region has experienced the driest period on record over the past two decades. Some experts say the term "drought" is inadequate because it suggests conditions will return to normal.
New Delhi, May 6 : Political blame game has begun a day after the WHO released data on the Covid deaths, which is about ten times higher than what the Centre has claimed.

The Modi-led government has refuted the WHO claims, raising objection to the process and methodology.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday tweeted, "47 lakh Indians died due to the Covid pandemic. NOT 4.8 lakh as claimed by the Govt. Science doesn't LIE. Modi does. Respect families who've lost loved ones. Support them with the mandated Rs 4 lakh compensation." The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that almost 15 million deaths globally were directly or indirectly associated with the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of 2021.

The WHO said most of the excess deaths -- 84 per cent -- were concentrated in South-East Asia, Europe and the Americas, and some 68 per cent in just ten countries globally. Middle-income countries accounted for 81 per cent of the 14.9 million excess deaths, while high-income and low-income countries each accounted for 15 and 4 per cent, respectively.

The global death toll was higher for men (57 per cent) than for women (43 per cent) and higher among older adults.

India has objected to the methodology adopted by the WHO to project excess mortality estimates based on mathematical models, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

"Despite India's objection to the process, methodology, and outcome of this modelling exercise, the WHO has released the excess mortality estimates without adequately addressing India's concerns.

"India had also informed the WHO that in view of the availability of authentic data published through the Civil Registration System (CRS) by Registrar General of India (RGI), mathematical models should not be used for projecting excess mortality numbers for India," it said.
New Delhi, May 6 : BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was on Friday detained by Punjab Police from his West Delhi residence in connection with a case lodged against him.

While senior Delhi Police officials are tight-lipped about it, no official communication has been made by Punjab Police either.

According to information, a case under section 153-A (creating tension between two communities) 505 (publishing rumours) and 506 (threatening) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was lodged by the Punjab Police.

Earlier too, the Punjab Police had come to the national capital to arrest him but failed as Bagga was not found at home.

He is reportedly being taken to Mohali.

Soon after his detention, BJP leader Kapil Mishra criticised the Punjab Police for the action. Another party leader Naveen Jindal accused the Aam Adami Party of misusing police, while Praveen Shankar Kapoor termed it "political vendetta".
New Delhi, May 6 : The Supreme Court on Friday referred to a constitution bench the power tussle between the Centre and the Delhi government in connection with control over the administrative services.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana clarified that the issue is only related to services, and it will be adjudicated by the constitution bench. The top court listed the matter for hearing before a 5-judge bench on May 11 for arguments who should control the services.

In 2018, a constitution bench had ruled that police, land and public order are the domain of the Centre, and the rest is under the Delhi government.

The Centre had moved an application seeking to refer the matter to a constitution bench for a holistic interpretation of Article 239AA of the Constitution.

"The applicant submits issues involve a substantial question of law requiring interpretation of a provision of the Constitution and the key issues involved in the present matter cannot be determined unless the same is decided by a constitution bench in terms of Article 145 (3) of the Constitution," said the Centre's application.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Delhi government, had submitted that once a constitution bench decides the matter, there is no point in referring back to it.

Singhvi insisted that every slightest thing pointed out cannot be referred to the larger bench. The top court said the issue is there were two parts of constitution provision, the problem arises when they refer to a provision but there's no conclusion, in that scenario it becomes a necessity to refer the matter to a larger bench.

Singhvi replied that it is not necessary to refer the issue to a larger bench and the present three-judge bench can also decide it.

The bench queried, "what prejudice will be caused...if referred?" Singhvi said the "question is why should it be referred?" He added that a constitution bench reference arising from another constitution bench is rare. He said, "I am not disputing your lordships' power to refer it..." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that there was a finding that there's been no consideration and judges asked the matter to be referred. Mehta pressed that this matter needs to be referred to a larger bench.

During the hearing, the bench noted that if a constitution bench is constituted, it would want the hearing to conclude by May 15. Both sides agreed that hearing in the matter can be concluded before the summer vacation commences.

The top court noted that it appears that the 5-judge bench had decided all issues of dispute between the Centre and the Delhi government, except the services. The top court noted this while pronouncing the order on Friday.

On April 28, after a detailed hearing in the matter, the top court reserved its order on the Centre's plea to refer its dispute with the Delhi government -- on the transfer and posting of officers in the national capital -- to a five-judge constitution bench.
New Delhi, May 6 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids in 18 locations in connection to a money laundering case related to the embezzlement of MGNREGA funds and illegal mining in Jharkhand.

The raids were conducted at Ranchi, Chandigarh, Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, and in several parts of NCR.

The house of a woman IAS official was also searched by ED teams.

"Hariom Tower of Ranchi's Lalpur area, Faridabad and other places are being searched. We have recovered a few incriminating documents in the raid. Residents of senior government officials are also being searched by the teams," a source said.

The raids started early Friday morning and are still underway.

The ED didn't release any official statement in this respect.

The ED team, which is being assisted by the local police, is also recording the statements of persons which will be used at the time of filing a charge sheet.
Srinagar, May 6 : A gunfight started between the terrorists and security forces in the Pahalgam area of South Kashmir's Anantnag district, officials said on Friday.

"Encounter has started at Sirchand Top (Jungle area), East of Batkoot Pahalgam area of Anantnag. Police and Army on job," police said.

The gunfight took place after a joint team of the police and the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about the presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where the terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
New Delhi, May 6 : The BJP on Friday hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for detaining Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga saying that his brazen misuse of Punjab police to target political opponents is not "unexpected".

Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police on Friday morning, the BJP leaders claimed.

Taking to Twitter, Lok Sabha member Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said: "Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha national secretary Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has just been kidnapped from home by some unknown people, I will ask Delhi Police and Haryana Police to take action as soon as possible." BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said: "The manner in which Kejriwal is misusing Punjab Police is condemnable. Punjab Police arrested Tajinder Bagga from his residence. Bagga and his father were treated inhumanely by Punjab Police. Kejriwal must remember that he cannot scare a true 'Sardar' through such action." In-charge of BJP's national information and technology department Amit Malviya tweeted: "Arvind Kejriwal's brazen misuse of Punjab police to target political opponents is not unexpected. He had been raging for this. But this won't go down well. We will fight to secure every single karyakarta of ours and ensure that Kejriwal learns how to handle power the hard way." In a tweet party's national spokesperson Nupur Sharma said: "50 Punjab policemen to arrest @TajinderBagga over a Tweet. His aged father was pushed around and beaten up. Early morning antics by @ArvindKejriwal. Was a fraction of this false bravado shown when investigating Patiala Violence?."
New Delhi, May 6 : The hiring activity in India registered 38 per cent growth (on-year) in April and worst-hit sectors like travel and hospitality and retail owing to two years of the Covid-19 pandemic bounced back with over 100 per cent hiring activity, a new report showed on Friday.

The education sector also grew at a phenomenal pace indicating a strong demand for talent.

Other sectors such as real estate, insurance, and banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) registered a significant jump in hiring activity in comparison to the last year, according to the 'Naukri JobSpeak Apr'22 Index'.

"The new financial year has witnessed a strong sentimental uplift when it comes to hiring activity across all parts of the country. These are good signs indicating that the nation is on the path to economic recovery," said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com.

Furthermore, industries like auto/auto ancillary, telecom/ISP and FMCG also observed a positive hiring growth.

Among metros, Mumbai (+63 per cent) registered the highest growth in demand for new talent across this month as compared to April 2021.

Delhi (+47 per cent), Pune (+38 per cent), Kolkata (+38 per cent), Chennai (+34 per cent) and Hyderabad (+32m per cent) also remained positive.

In non-metros, a positive hiring sentiment is observed with Coimbatore leading the race once again by showing a strong growth trajectory at +63 per cent in April.

Other cities such as Jaipur (+50 per cent), Vadodara (+32 per cent), Kochi (+24 per cent), and Ahmedabad (+22 per cent) also maintained positive hiring momentum, the report said.

Demand for professionals across all experience bands remained steady in April 2022, with freshers (0-3 years) witnessing the highest growth of +52 per cent compared to a year ago.
Lucknow, May 6 : A man has been arrested on the charges of teasing, blackmailing and even stalking girls and women from Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambhi.

The accused identified as Raghavendra Maurya was arrested after 113 complaints were received against him by the 1090 Women Power Line.

The complaints were received from 36 districts over a period of time.

"He had been warned several times but he continued with his activities. We had set up a team to arrest Maurya," said a senior official.

Details are awaited.
Mumbai, May 6 : Comedian Kunal Kamra got into a Twitter spat with the father of a boy who sang the patriotic song 'Hey Janmabhoomi Bharat' to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his recent visit to Berlin.

Ganesh Pol, the father of the boy objected to Kamra tweeting a 'doctored' video of the boy's song.

Tagging Kamra's now deleted tweet, Ganesh wrote on his Twitter, "He is my 7 year old son, who wanted to sing this song for his beloved Motherland. Though he is still very young but certainly he loves his country more than you Mr. Kamra or Kachra watever u are Keep the poor boy out of your filthy politics & try to work on your poor jokes (sic)." Mincing no words, Kamra replied to the tweet saying, "The video is in the public domain by a news Organisation. The joke is not on your son, while you enjoy your son sing for his motherland to the most popular son, there are songs that he should listen to from people of his country also (sic)." Kamra reportedly shared the purported video of Modi's interaction in Germany with the child but he replaced the song that the boy sang - 'Hey Janmabhoomi Bharat' - with 'Mehengayi daayan khaaye jaat hain'.

As per a media report, taking cognisance of the matter, apex child rights body National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has sought action against comedian Kunal Kamra for the doctored video. The NCPCR also sought immediate removal of the video after which Kamra deleted his tweet.
Seoul, May 6 : North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced Sweden and Finland for their expected applications to join the NATO and accused the US of political motives behind the move.

In a post on its website, the Ministry said that the NATO membership of the Nordic countries will only aggravate military confrontation with Russia and "upset" military balance in the Baltic Sea area, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"The above facts prove that the US and the West are taking the Ukrainian situation as a golden opportunity to compress the strategic space of Russia by tightening the encircling net around Russia," it argued.

The Ministry then warned that such moves by the US and other western nations will inevitably provoke stronger reaction from Russia.

Pyongyang's message came as the White House stated that Washington can "address any concerns either country may have about the period of time between a NATO membership application and the formal accession to the alliance".

In a separate statement, the ministry stressed that US sanctions against Russia have proven to be futile, saying that Moscow posted a current account surplus of $58 billion in the first quarter this year.

It also claimed that European countries are "recently crying out in fear" that the suspension of gas imports from Russia could lead to a serious economic crisis.

"The reality clearly shows that the stick of sanctions wielded by the US and the West against Russia rather turns out to be a boomerang which flies back to their throat muscles," it added.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, May 6 : The Assam Rifles (AR) has expressed its inability to accord a dignified funeral to its veterans and retirees being a North East centric para-military force.

In a recent official communication, the AR has said that the Force is deployed only in the north east region while its employees are from all parts of the country and after retirement, they go back to their respective native places.

Replying to the Confederation of the Ex-Paramilitary Forces Welfare Association, the AR further said that there is no scope to arrange a dignified funeral for the veterans in the areas other than North East.

Higher officials of the AR said that the other para-military forces have pan India presence and they can arrange the last rites of their veterans with the help of the nearest unit but in case of Assam Rifles, barring the north east region, it has no presence in the other parts of the country.

However, the AR continues to help the veterans financially in case of natural calamities at their places, for treatment and financial help to the widow of the martyrs for children's education or even help in daughter's marriage, the official communication said.

In November last year, the Central Reserve Police Force had issued guidelines for a decent last journey of the veterans and retirees with full dignity.

To ensure a decent and honourable farewell to CRPF veterans wherein on receipt of an intimation regarding the demise of a veteran, a CRPF officer of an appropriate rank from the nearest Unit or establishment will contact their family members and provide on the spot assistance, as required and also arrange for their last rites in a decent and befitting manner.

Expenditure so incurred on the wreath laying ceremony will be borne out of the welfare fund of the Unit, group centre or the establishment from where the individual proceeds on retirement and the amount so spent should not exceed Rs 8,000, the order said.

Also, a wreath should be laid by the designated officer on the mortal remains on behalf of DG CRPF.

The other Forces are expected to follow the same pursuit in case of the demise of the retirees.

Criticising the Assam Rifles' decision, the Confederation of the Ex-Paramilitary Force Martyrs Welfare Association said that decent last rites can be arranged through the other CAPFs which have the presence across the country.
Mumbai, May 6 : Bollywood actress Nushrratt Bharuccha has been promoting her upcoming release 'Janhit Mein Jaari' where she plays the character of a condom salesgirl, on her social media.

The actress was recently subjected to severe trolling by some people on the Internet. Earlier, she shared a few posters and creatives from her movie on her Instagram which were stormed by negative comments from trolls.

The actress decided to share the vulgar comments that were posted in the comments section. She shared a video where she can be seen talking about the filthy comments. She said in the video, "A few days back I added two posters from my film on Instagram, in which I, a woman, am seen promoting condoms but people took it in another way. Generally people share the best comments on their profiles but since yesterday so much has been happening with me so I decided to share the worst comments that I've received." She added, "Bass yehi soch toh badalni hai. Koi baat nahi, aap ungli uthao aur mein aawaz uthaungi (This is the type of thinking I want to change. But no worries, you point fingers at me and I will raise my voice)." Nushrratt received a lot of support from her followers in the comments section, who asked her to not hide the names of the trolls instead put them on display for everyone to see.

Talking about 'Janhit Mein Jaari', the film which also stars Pavail Gulati, Annu Kapoor, Anud Dhaka and Paritosh Tripathi, follows the story of a girl from Madhya Pradesh, who takes up the job of selling condoms in her city and how she fights against the societal taboos.
New Delhi, May 6 : The Delhi Police on Friday lodged two separate cases against Punjab Police in connection with the arrest of BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from his West Delhi residence, lawyer representing Punjab Police said.

R.K. Rathore, the lawyer representing Punjab Police, told IANS: "The first case was lodged under sections of kidnapping, while the second was lodged under section of assault. The second case was lodged on the complaint of Bagga's father. Delhi police has detained four Punjab Police personnel and taken them to Janakpuri police station".

Following all standard operating procedures, the Punjab Police had duly informed Delhi Police about the matter, he claimed.

He also produced a few photographs to prove his claims. However, the Delhi Police officials remained unavailable for any comment.

Bagga was picked up from his residence in Janakpuri area on Friday, a month after he was booked for his alleged remarks against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the latter's views on the movie "The Kashmir Files".

The Haryana Police reportedly stopped Punjab Police at Kurukshetra when they were taking the BJP spokesperson to Mohali.

BJP leaders have accused the ruling ruling Aam Aadmi Party of misusing the Punjab police.
Washington, May 6 : The US provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Moskva, Russia's flagship Black Sea missile cruiser, the media report.

Unnamed officials said Ukraine had asked the US about a ship sailing to the south of Odessa, to which Washington said it was the Moskva and helped confirm its location, the BBC reported.

Ukraine then struck it with two missiles, the officials were quoted as saying.

The officials said they did not know that Ukraine would target the Moskva after helping determine its location.

The 510-crew missile cruiser had led Russia's naval assault on Ukraine, and its sinking in April was a major symbolic and military blow, BBC reported.

At the time, the Russian Defence Ministry said ammunition on board the Moskva exploded in an unexplained fire and the ship tipped over while being towed back to port.

The US is yet to directly address the reports about the Moskva.

However Pentagon spokesman John Kirby denied earlier media reports that the US was providing information about the locations of senior Russian generals on the battlefield, so that Ukrainian forces could kill them.

"We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military," he said.

Kirby said Ukraine combined information that the US and others provided with their own battlefield intelligence.

"Then they make their own decisions, and they take their own actions," he said.

The White House National Security Council (NSC) also denied the US was helping Ukraine target senior Russian officers.

"We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals," NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Mumbai, May 6 : Bollywood actor Sikandar Kher will be seen playing a Gujarati shopkeeper in his next film title 'Dukaan'. The film centres on the theme of surrogacy, and it will mark the directorial debut of the duo Siddharth Singh and Garima Wahal who are known for writing scripts of films like 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela' and 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha'.

Shedding light on his character, Sikandar said, "The character is that of a Gujarati shopkeeper from a middle-class background and my preparation with my directors is trying to figure out how best to get the Gujarati accent. For that, Siddharth, Garima and I sat and we would be doing readings and other than that I would also be doing that at home constantly whenever I had the script I would just read through it again, trying to figure out and make it on my own, so that sometimes you want to improvise it should be in the dialect." Monika Panwar, who is known for her work as 'Guddi' in the OTT series 'Jamtara: Sabka Number Aayega', has been roped in to play the lead in the movie. Sikandar Kher will star opposite her in the film.

Sikandar added, "When Siddharth and Garima approached me for this role I was really looking forward to doing it, I was very excited because it was not something one would picture me doing it. And that's what is really exciting about this. For me as an actor to try to do things probably nobody would expect me to do, excites me."
New Delhi, May 6 : The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has decided to suspend the principal and a teacher, and terminate the services of the contractual staff of a school in the national capital's Bhajanpura area where two girls were allegedly molested by a man.

East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal on Friday said the decision was taken by EDMC authorities and an official order is expected to be issued later in the day.

The accused allegedly entered a classroom of the civic body-run school in East Delhi and sexually assaulted two eight-year-old girls before undressing himself and urinating in front of the students on April 30.

The police said no CCTV camera was installed at the entrance of the school and on the premises.

However, based on a sketch, a man has been detained on suspicion of being the accused in the case.

The Delhi Commission for Women has claimed that when the students informed the principal and class teacher about the incident, they were asked to keep quiet and forget it.
Srinagar, May 6 : Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists have been killed in an ongoing encounter in Kashmir's Anantnag district, police officials said on Friday.

The police said the encounter is underway in Pahalgam area.

The encounter took place after a joint team of the police and the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about the presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire.
New Delhi, May 6 : The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) on Friday welcomed the 'Delhi Startup Policy' which aims to support 15,000 startups by 2030 and generate new avenues of employment.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that the government will provide fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to youth who want to build startups.

"The National Capital Region, which is already a hub for start-ups in India, will see an accelerated transformation under the aegis of these integrated and effective policy pillars in the coming years," the ADIF said in a statement.

"The multiplier effect of this ambitious policy will help boost the startup ecosystem of our entire nation," added the foundation that represents hundreds of startups.

The Delhi government will pay up to 50 per cent of the rent of a startup's office lease or pitch in for a portion of the salaries that these startups will pay to their employees.

"We will also reimburse them for the costs incurred on applying for patents, copyrights and trademarks," Kejriwal said.

According to the Economic Survey 2021-22, Delhi has replaced Bengaluru as the startup capital of India.

Between April 2019 to December 2021, more than 5,000 recognised start-ups were added in Delhi while 4,514 startups were added in Bengaluru.

The Delhi government said it would also offer collateral-free and interest-free loans to incentivise incubation centres and fabrication labs.

A 20-member task force will also be set up to oversee the registration of startups.

"The policy targets a holistic growth of the capital's startup ecosystem and promises to manifest the ambitious goals envisioned by the youth," said the ADIF.
Chennai, May 6 : Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai on Friday announced that he would lift the palanquin with the Dharmapuram Adheenam Srilasri Masilamani Gnanasambanda Paramacharya Swamigal seated in it on May 22.

Opposing the DMK government's ban on carrying of the Dharmapuram Adheenam Pontiff in a palanquin by other human beings, Annamalai said the 'Pattina Pravesam' is a ritual of several centuries.

According to Annamalai, the carrying of the Pontiff in a palanquin is not like the DMK party members carrying the 'Gopalapuram Family' on their shoulders.

Late DMK President and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi lived in the Gopalapuram area and hence the term 'Gopalapuram Family'.

Attacking the DMK government, Annamalai said, the state government is anti-Tamil tradition and culture.

It is condemnable that by banning several century old traditions, the DMK government is trying to revive its failed policy, Annamalai said.

The 'Pattina Pravesham' is a several centuries old ritual of carrying the Dharmapuram Adheenam Pontiff in a palanquin by his disciples.

The Dravida Kazhagam had opposed the ritual saying that humans carrying another human in a palanquin is a violation of human rights.

The government's ban order came after Governor R.N. Ravi had visited the mutt.

The DMK is against Ravi and has demanded his recall by the Central government in the Parliament earlier.
Kolkata, May 6 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that he wants a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the the mysterious death of an activist reportedly associated with BJP's youth wing whose body was found hanging from an abandoned room near a railway line at Cossipore Road in Kolkata early on Friday.

He also said that his ministry will seek a detailed report from the state government on this unfortunate incident on Friday only.

Shah returned to Kolkata from Tinbigha in Cooch Behar district and from the Kolkata airport, went straight to the residence of the deceased youth, Aryun Chaurasia, 26, and interacted with his family members.

Accompanied by BJP state President Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, he also went to the room where the body of the youth was discovered.

"I talked to the family members of the deceased youth. They complained that they were even beaten up. The BJP will approach the court seeking an independent enquiry in the matter. I feel that there should be a CBI enquiry in the matter.

According to him, the unfortunate incident took place just a day after Mamata Banerjee completed a year as the Chief Minister of West Bengal for the third consecutive term.

"... Recently the Calcutta High Court has ordered CBI enquiry on many incidents in the state within a short period of time. This proves that neither the people of the state nor the judiciary have any faith in the state administration and the state police," the Union Home Minister said, alleging that the incidents of violence in West Bengal have surpassed all records of the previous Left Front government on this count.

Claiming that there is no rule of the law currently in West Bengal, Shah alleged the opposition leaders and party workers of the opposition parties are being constantly targeted by the ruling party and the state administration.
Chandigarh, May 6 : After heated claims and counter-claims over the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from his west Delhi residence, Delhi Police on Friday took his custody from its Punjab counterpart and sent him back to the national capital from Kurukshetra to be produced in a local court for transit remand.

Earlier, Delhi Police lodged two cases against Punjab Police in connection with the arrest.

The Punjab Police team taking the BJP spokesperson to Mohali near Chandigarh was stopped midway by Haryana Police after Delhi Police registered a kidnapping case on the complaint of Bagga's father.

Haryana Police took Bagga to a police station near Kurukshetra town where a team of Delhi Police arrived.

Reacting to Bagga's arrest, Punjab Advocate General Anmol Rattan Sidhu told the media in Chandigarh that the state government is going to file a habeas corpus petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court as "our police officers have been illegally detained by Haryana Police in Pipli".

R.K. Rathore, the lawyer representing Punjab Police, told IANS: "The first case was lodged under sections of kidnapping, while the second was lodged under section of assault. The second case was lodged on the complaint of Bagga's father. Delhi police has detained four Punjab Police personnel and taken them to Janakpuri police station." Following all standard operating procedures, Punjab Police had duly informed Delhi Police about the matter, he claimed.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have defended the arrest, saying Punjab Police are acting in an unbiased way and the action was taken after the BJP spokesperson refused to cooperate with the investigation even after notices were sent five times.

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said they have collected information about Bagga, who he claims uses "obscene, toxic and hateful language" on social media.
Mumbai, May 6 : As India remains among the countries worst-hit by anaemia, the day-long second World Congress of Anaemia (WCA) will discuss remedial measures, prevention, and control, the organisers on Friday.

"Organised by the 88-year-old Mumbai Obstetric & Gynaecological Society, the WCA theme is 'Iron Deficiency Anaemia', tools for effective prevention, management and control. The WCA is an initiative to achieve the goals of reducing iron deficiency anaemia in India and across the globe," Mumbai Obstetric and Gynaecological Society President Niranjan Chavan told IANS.

Affording a curtain-raiser to the mega-event, Chavan, of BMC's Sion hospital, said anaemia is widely prevalent among all age groups in India and the most vulnerable are pregnant women with 58 per cent prevalence, and 50 per cent among other women, 56 per cent adolescent girls, 30 per cent adolescent boys and a staggering 80 per cent among all children aged below two years.

Anaemia is a condition in which the blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells (RBCs) or dysfunctional RBCs in the body which results in reduced oxygen flow to the body's organs.

"The symptoms may include fatigue, skin pallor, breathlessness, light-headedness, dizziness or quickened heartbeats, and treatment would depend on the diagnosis," Chavan said.

Usually, iron supplements are used for iron deficiency, Vitamin B for low-vitamin levels, blood transfusions for blood losses and medication to induce blood formation if the body is unable to produce enough blood.

Citing World Health Organisation and Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, he said the global prevalence of anaemia is nearly 30 per cent in women of the reproductive age or equivalent to more than 50 crore women aged between 15-49 years worldwide.

Its prevalence was slightly less at 29.6 per cent in non-pregnant women of the same age group, but it poses a major threat to maternal and child survival in India and other countries in the world.

It can result in low-birth weight of the child, lower resistance to infections, poor cognitive development and decreased work productivity.

"The magnitude of anaemia along with the associated adverse health, developmental and economic consequences highlight the need for intensified action to address this major public health issue," Chavan said.

The WCA supported by the World Anaemia Forum is an environment that puts their expertise to work in translating global science into recommendations and observations for clinicians, creating guidelines, policies and processes, he added.

The WCA held on Saturday will attract 16 national and international speakers from 14 major organisations worldwide and would be chaired by President-elect, FIGO, Anne Beatrice Kihara; former President, FIGO, C. N. Purandare and Guest of Honour, FIGO President Jeanne Conry, besides Shyam Desai, Nandita Palshetkar, Sanjay Gupte, among others, Chavan said.
New Delhi, May 6 : What do you do when you have 9,000 cows generating 1 lakh kgs of cow dung daily? Few enterprising youngsters of the city have found a way to not only generate wealth from it but also provide livelihood to several.

Coming into existence in 2017, the 'Arth' is a venture started by a bunch of IIT alumni with the help of ENACTUS, IIT Delhi. With four machines, they started turning cow dung at Shri Krishna Gaushala in north Delhi's Bawana into cow dung logs first and then diya, havan cups, rakhis and now, the team has filed a patent for cow dung clay.

On Friday, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala handed over yet another machine prepared by Rashtriya Godhan Mahasangh to them.

This cow dung log machine, 'Go Kasht', is used to manufacture cow dung-based fuel wood in long log-like shape. It has mixture of cow dung and cattle waste (like dried waste paddy). This log is then sun dried and can be later used a fuel wood in various situations.

It can produce 1,500 kg of cow dung-based logs that can be used as firewood for the cremation of five-seven bodies, saving roughly two trees in each cremation. "It needs woods from two fully grown trees to cremate a body. All those trees can be saved of people adopt such practices. It can also help the gaushala to clear roughly 150,000 to 170,000 kg of processed cow dung every month and earn through it," Rupala told mediapersons.

Hoping that more and more goshalas adopt such practices, the minister also promised Rashtriya Godhan Mahasangh to facilitate including such machines under Agriculture category to be enable for a subsidy.

Earning by goshalas (cow shelters) is important as most of the Gau Shalas have large number of non-milking cows.

And process of preparing mix for cow dung cakes provides solution to waste management problems, provide an additional source of employment to its employees or nearby villagers, and contribute in reducing deforestation.

"We have a tripartite arrangement with the Shri Krishna Goshala. It is a facility spread over 50 acres. We have trained people from the Goshala to use the machine, prepare logs and then leave it for sun drying. The products we sell to corporates," Arth's Ayush Sultania told IANS after the event, and added that the revenue is shared equally by themselves, goshala owner and workers.
New Delhi, May 6 : The Supreme Court on Friday expressed discontent over the delay in deciding the bail application of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in a land grabbing case.

A bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and B.R. Gavai said Khan has been granted bail in all other cases, except this matter.

"This is travesty of justice. We will not say anything more," it said.

Counsel representing Khan submitted before the top court that the high court had reserved its verdict on the bail application. The bench noted that Khan has got bail in 86 out of 87 cases. After hearing arguments, the top court scheduled the matter for further hearing on May 11.

In December last year, the Allahabad High Court had reserved its decision on Khan's bail plea. Later, the state government requested the high court to allow it to bring on record certain new facts. The fresh affidavits in the matter were filed on Thursday.

The counsel for Khan submitted before the top court that the matter was heard on Thursday and the judgment has been reserved. The high court had reserved the order for Khan's bail plea in a case of grabbing of enemy property for his Mohammad Ali Jauhar University project.

In February, the top court had declined to grant interim bail to Khan for campaigning in the Uttar Pradesh elections. The court asked him to move the Allahabad High Court, where his bail plea is pending.

Currently, he is lodged in Sitapur jail in connection with a number of cases, which includes land grabbing, lodged against him in Rampur.

A case was registered against Khan and others for allegedly grabbing of enemy property and misappropriation of public money of more than hundreds of crores of rupees.
Islamabad, May 6 : Pakistan has reacted aggressively after the Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir submitted its much-awaited report to the Indian government on Thursday, calling it a "blatant attempt to disenfranchising and disempowering the Muslim majority population of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)".

The Delimitation Commission in its report recommended 43 Assembly seats for Jammu division and 47 seats for the Kashmir region. The Commission also recommended giving representation to Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons from 'Pakistan Occupied J&K' in the Assembly.

Pakistan on Friday summoned the Indian Charge d'Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad and handed over a demarche, sharing what it called "categorical rejection of the report of the so-called Delimitation Commission".

"The Indian side was conveyed that this entire exercise is farcical and has already been rejected by the cross-section of political parties in IIOJK. Through this effort, India only wants to lend legitimacy to its 'illegal' actions of August 5, 2019 (when Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was abrogated, removing the special status of the erstwhile state of J&K)," read a statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office.

"The ulterior motives of the Indian government is evident from the fact that under the garb of the so-called delimitation, the representation of Muslims in the re-designed constituencies has been reduced to their disadvantage," the statement added.

Pakistan maintained that the 'dented' motives of India "shattered the rationale pushed by the Indian government that the delimitation effort was aimed to empower the local population".

"However, in reality, the new electoral boundaries would further disempower, marginalise and divide the people of the 'occupied' territory. It would only pave the way for installing yet another puppet regime backed by the BJP-RSS combine," the statement read.

Pakistan also reiterated its demand to the Indian Charged D'Affairs that India should recognise and understand that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is an internationally recognised dispute and a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

"Any illegal, unilateral and mischievous attempt by India to allow disproportionately higher electoral representation to the Hindu population to the detriment of the Muslim population is a mockery of all norms of democracy, morality and India's obligation under the UN Security Council resolutions and international law," the statement added.

Pakistan also emphasised that the Indian government should refrain from bringing about what it called 'illegal' demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir and called for an immediate halt of what it termed as 'oppression' of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Let the Kashmiri people determine their own future through a free and fair plebiscite under the UN auspices as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions," the Foreign Office statement maintained.
Chennai, May 6 : Close on the heels of neighbouring Kerala ordering raids in eateries across the state following the death of a 16-year-old girl in its Kasargod district after eating shawarma, the Tamil Nadu Food Department has also commenced a similar raid across the state.

The raids, according to a senior Food Department official, seized stale meat and other food articles.

The Food Safety Department officials carried out raids in more than 1,000 restaurants, mostly those serving non-vegetarian fare, in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi, Tiruppur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Kanniyakumari, and other districts of the state, and seized stale meat including shawarma and other cooked meat products.

In a restaurant in Chennai, officials seized meat that was cooked and kept in the refrigerator.

In Madurai, the team led by Dr Jayaramapandian, the Divisional Food Safety Officer, conducted raids at 100 restaurants and seized stale meat to check its quality.

"The raids unearthed more than 300 kg of stale meat from several areas of the state, and notice was issued to all the eateries to produce all the relevant certificates, including food license, and the food articles used at the eateries," an official told IANS.

During the raids, officials also asked the eateries to produce the medical certificates of the employees, including their fitness certificates.

The Food Department has informed all the restaurants to produce all the licenses and certificates within a week failing which the shops would be sealed and the licenses cancelled.

There were reports that in several restaurants in Tamil Nadu, stale meat and old food were served.

"We have decided to conduct regular searches in all the restaurants of the state as we don't want to take any risks. More hands are required but we don't want the people to suffer from this," a senior Food Department official told IANS.
Imphal, May 6 : A powerful bomb, detonated by remote control, rocked Manipur's Imphal East district early on Friday, partially damaging four cars, police said.

This is the second blast within a day in the same district.

Police said that the blast took place at around 3.15 a.m. near the residence of R.K. Virendra in Khurai area.

"Since the blast occurred early in the morning, luckily, no casualties have been reported," a police official told the media.

Police suspect that the miscreants had planted the bomb over a dispute over contractual government works.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for any of the two blasts.

On Thursday, a powerful IED was exploded in front of a spare parts shop at Nagamapal in Imphal city. No one was injured as the blast took place early in the morning.
Chennai, May 6 : Murugappa Group's Coromandel International Ltd will acquire 45 per cent stake in the Senegal-based Baobab Mining and Chemicals Corporation (BMCC), a rock phosphate mining company.

According to Coromandel International, the acquisition will be at an outlay of $19.6 million (about Rs 150 crore) and it will also provide a loan of $9.7 million (about Rs 75 crore).

The acquisition is happening through its wholly-owned subsidiary Parry Chemicals Ltd.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of FY 2022-23 and is subject to satisfactory completion of conditions precedent as contained in the Agreements.

One of the largest private phosphatic fertiliser manufacturer and marketer in India, Coromandel International operates 3 fertiliser units for manufacturing about three million ton of phosphatic fertilisers.

Rock phosphate is a key raw material for manufacturing phosphoric acid, an intermediate used for phosphatic fertiliser production.

Coromandel has strategic tie up with leading integrated players like Tifert (Tunisia) and Foskor (South Africa) for meeting its phosphoric acid requirements.

Further, it has been augmenting its captive phosphoric acid production at Vizag plant and is sourcing rock from various countries.

As part of its strategy to strengthen the value chain, Coromandel has been evaluating opportunities in the phosphate mining to secure its rock phosphate needs, the company said.

The investment in BMCC will help in strengthening Coromandel's backward integration and will ensure long term supply security of the key raw material. At full capacity, BMCC can meet upto one-third of the Coromandel's rock phosphate requirement.

"Given the high dependence on rock phosphate imports, which is a key raw material for manufacturing Phosphoric acid, the proposed investment will be a step towards achieving long term sustainability and supply security goals for meeting country's fertiliser needs," Executive Vice Chairman Arun Alagappan said.
Patna, May 6 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dismissed the claim of political strategist Prashant Kishor that no development work has been done in the state in the last 30 years.

"Who is saying that development works have not taken place in Bihar. I would not give any importance to what somebody is saying. I want to tell you to analyse whether development has taken place or not. You should answer him about the development works that have been done in Bihar," Kumar said while interacting with media persons in Patna.

Kishor on Thursday claimed that during the last 30 years, two political regimes of two different ideologies ruled the state with the 15 years government of Lalu Prasad and 15 years of Nitish Kumar but adequate development works have not taken place in Bihar compared to other states.

"It is reflected in the analysis of Central agencies. The basic infrastructures in sectors like health and education are having pathetic situations in Bihar," Kishor said.

BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal claimed that Kishor is a political trader. He said, "A person (PK), who was involved in political trading in the country, is now coming into politics." Jaiswal also targeted Lalu Prasad, saying :"Goons, who were involved in booth loot in 1990s, came into the politics of Bihar at that time. In 2000, leaders involved in segregating people of Bihar, came into the politics and now a political trader is entering the politics of Bihar." Kishor had also announced to start 'Jan Suraj' (Good Governance) campaign in Bihar and conduct padyatra of 3000 km to connect with common people of the state.
New Delhi, May 6: India and Bangladesh will jointly work towards strengthening regional cooperation and development in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. That apart the changing geopolitical contours driven by the Russia-Ukraine crisis have also necessitated boosting of regional cooperation.

While External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar recently paid a visit to Dhaka, authorities of both the countries are set to continue holding regular meetings on the same.

"We have discussed the issue with India during the recent visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. We discussed how to strengthen regional cooperation. We will be holding more regional meetings," Dhaka-based newspaper, the Daily Star, quoted Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen as saying.

According to the Minister, initially the two countries will be in discussion but eventually it will be expanded to the other South Asian countries.

Global supply chain has been severely dented in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war and the Covid-19 pandemic.

South Asia is among the least integrated regions in the world, in terms of trade and people-to-people contact.

"Regional cooperation can support a green, resilient, inclusive development and an integrated recovery," Cecile Fruman, World Bank's Director, Regional Integration and Engagement for South Asia, earlier told India Narrative in an exclusive interview.

At present, intraregional trade is only 5-6 per cent of the total trade, and less than a third of its potential, she said.

"Intraregional investments are even lower at barely 0.6 per cent of the total inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the world, and 2.7 per cent of the total outward FDI to the world," Fruman said, adding that an increase in regional trade and investments would unlock productivity gains, employment opportunities and growth prospects.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, May 6 : India and Italy's Foreign Ministers met on Friday and deliberated upon closer industrial collaboration, including in the field of defence, and made commitment to closely work in countering common challenges related to terrorism, violent extremism, and cyber crime.

On his first official visit to India, from May to 6, Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, held bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar where they reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, including the progress in implementation of the 2020-2024 action plan adopted at the virtual summit in November 2020.

Both the Ministers welcomed the growing bilateral trade and investment linkages and agreed to expand them in new areas of common interest.

They also discussed the implementation of the India-Italy strategic partnership on energy transition announced in 2021 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Italy and agreed to explore partnerships in areas such as gas transportation, green hydrogen, bio-fuel and energy storage.

In addition, they agreed to jointly organise an India-Italy tech summit on energy transition and circular economy in New Delhi on November 17 this year.

The two leaders noted the potential for a closer industrial collaboration, including in the field of defence.

They reiterated their commitment to closely work in countering common challenges related to terrorism, violent extremism and cyber crime.

In the context of recent geopolitical developments, they also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interests including Ukraine, Afghanistan and Indo-Pacific and cooperation in multilateral fora, including G20.

On Ukraine, the two Ministers expressed their concern on the ongoing humanitarian crisis and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. They also underlined the importance to safeguard the international order based on the UN Charter, with special regard to the respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

During the visit, Di Maio also had a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and co-chaired a business round-table which saw participation of top business leaders particularly in the energy, defence, sustainable mobility, and infrastructure sectors.

He had visited Bengaluru on Thursday, where he met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and inaugurated the premises of the new Consulate General.

Di Maio also visited the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Indian Institute of Science along with representatives of their Italian counterparts, the Italian Space Agency and Elettra Sinctrotrone Trieste, with which scientific partnerships and joint projects are being developed.
New Delhi, May 6: Failing to trigger a cycle of violence on the pattern of the 2010 and 2016 street turbulence in Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370, the separatist operatives made an organised attempt at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid in the holy month of fasting in April.

It, however, failed as the mosque's management volunteers forced the saboteurs out and helped the police to identify, arrest and book them for the criminal offence.

During the investigation, Srinagar District Police seized smartphones of some saboteurs and retrieved their data that suggested not only their free access to the alleged killers of a police officer but also their contact through smartphones with their handlers in Pakistan.

"There was an organised plan of sabotage of peace and clear instructions to the local saboteurs to create a fresh season of violence from Jamia Masjid," SSP Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal, disclosed to India Narrative.

"We have booked the saboteurs and gathered technical evidence of their links to Pakistan through some under-trial prisoners. We have retrieved important data from their phones which they managed to smuggle into a high security jail," the SSP said.

"When the mosque opened for mass prayers after seven months of lockdown on March 4, 2022, the saboteurs received desperate instructions to trigger violence. They planned to start it on the first Friday of Ramazan on April 8." "Pehla jumma hai, achha mauka hai, logon ko bhadkana hai" (It is the first Friday, it is a good opportunity to instigate the people), was the instruction from across the border. However, the plan failed as the participants of the congregational prayers did not respond to the saboteurs favourably.

"There were thousands of devout Muslims in the congregational prayers. Immediately after the Zohar session concluded, some 20 youths began shouting slogans for azadi. The Police didn't interfere. The Jamia Masjid Intezamia Committee volunteers forced them to move out. Some were even beaten up. Later, we registered FIR, got the saboteurs identified, arrested and detained," the SSP added.

"In all we arrested 17 persons. Seven of them, who had entered the mosque with a Pakistani flag and an organised plan to disrupt the prayers, were booked under Public Safety Act. Some of them were in touch with the alleged killers of the slain Deputy SP Mohammad Ayyub Pandit in Srinagar Central Jail who received instructions from their handlers in Pakistan to start a fresh spell of violence," he said.

This, according to SSP Srinagar, forced the authorities to disallow the Friday afternoon prayers, including the holy month's most important Shab-e-Qadr and Jumat-ul-Vida prayers on April 29. However, the authorities granted permission to the Eid-ul-Fitr congregational prayers if they could advance the same to 7.30 a.m. The committee did not agree. When the authorities sought an undertaking from the committee that there would be no violence, the members expressed helplessness. Consequently, there were no Eid-ul-Fitr congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid.

Well-placed sources privy to the investigation revealed that the detained slogan shouters included four persons from South Kashmir -- two each from Shopian and Pulwama districts. One Omar Chhotu played a key role in the whole plan.

"They had remained in touch with DSP Pandit's killers in Srinagar Central Jail since long. They also managed to smuggle in their smartphone. On one phone, the under-trial prisoners exchanged messages with their handlers in Pakistan. There were strict instructions to start a fresh turbulence. We found one handler's IP address in Pakistan," said a source.

"They thought that the police would enter the mosque upon hearing the slogans. They had the plan of attacking the police so as to force it to open fire and generate violence." According to the source, one instruction said: "This is the last opportunity to trigger violence. It's now or never." "But fortunately the attendants of the mass prayers and the Intezamia Committee not only forced the gang out but also cooperated with the police in identification and detention of the saboteurs." He claimed that at least one Pakistani flag and some other incriminating material was recovered and seized.

Consequent upon this development, there were no congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid on the second, third and the last Friday as also on the Eid-ul-Fitr on May 3.

On occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, the largest congregational prayers in Jammu and Kashmir are held at the expansive Eidgah Grounds in Srinagar. However, traditionally the biggest congregation of Jumat-ul-Vida happens at Jamia Masjid. On other key festivals of the Islamic calendar, majority of the devout Muslims gather at the revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar.

The National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and his family and party have retained control over the administration of Wakf at Hazratbal for several decades. In 2003, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's PDP-Congress coalition amended the laws to bring Wakf directly under the State government's control. Even after that Farooq Abdullah continued to attend prayers and influence the management on important occasions at Hazratbal.

The Awami Action Committee leader, Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq, established his seat of power at Jamia Masjid. Mirwaiz delivers the sermon at the Friday afternoon prayers which are conducted by a different Imam. Mirwaiz Farooq was assassinated in a terrorist attack at his home on May 21, 1990. His successor-son Mirwaiz Umar Farooq took control of the Jamia Masjid Wakf administration when he was 18-years-old. In 1993, he was appointed as the separatist Hurriyat Conference's first chairman. After August 2019, Mirwaiz Jr. has been under 'house arrest'.

Due to the separatist political demonstrations, stone pelting and waving of ISIS flags on several occasions, the congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid have remained disrupted particularly after 2016. Dy SP Mohammad Ayyub Pandit, who was posted as incharge of Mirwaiz Umar's security, was lynched to death by a mob during Shab-e-Qadr mass prayers on June 22, 2017.

On June 2, 2018, a violent mob of over 200 stone pelters attacked a CRPF gypsy in close vicinity of Jamia Masjid. One of the attackers was killed as he came under the vehicle. However, the driver managed to drive away and save the deputy commandant and four other personnel.

On another occasion, one shopkeeper's head was smashed with a stick by the mobsters for refusing to close his shop on the day of Hurriyat-sponsored hartal. He later died at a hospital.

For security reasons, mass prayers were not allowed at Jamia Masjid from August 5 to December 18, 2019, when Mirwaiz Umar was under house arrest. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic after March 2020, the mosque remained closed for different periods. It was opened for mass prayers after seven months of lockdown on March 4, 2022.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Srinagar, May 6 : The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday said that they, along with other security forces, have arrested a hybrid terrorist and a terrorist associate linked with proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) from Baramulla district.

A police official said on a specific information regarding movement of terrorists, a joint checkpoint was established by police, the army, the CRPF and the SSB near Hilltop Cheradari area.

"During checking, the joint party observed movement of two suspicious persons who tried to flee from the spot on noticing the security team. However, the duo were apprehended," police added.

The arrested duo have been identified as Ashiq Hossain Lone, resident of Hyder Mohalla Ushkara, Baramulla, and Uzair Amin Ganie, resident of Kanthbagh, Baramulla.

"During their personal search, incriminating materials, arms and ammunition, including a pistol, a magazine, eight live rounds, two hand grenades and two UBGL grenades were recovered from their possession," police said.

The police added that preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested duo are linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and have obtained these illegal arms and ammunition through some foreign LeT terrorists with the intention to carry out terrorist activities in Baramulla and its adjacent areas.

A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
Mumbai, May 6 : In an embarrassment to Maharashtra's ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Mumbai City Civil and Sessions Court has observed that the Mumbai Police did not have sufficient grounds to invoke sedition charges against the independent politician couple, MP Navneet Kaur-Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana.

The observations came in Special Judge Rahul Rokde's bail order for the Ranas - who were granted relief on Wednesday and walked out of jail on Thursday - 12 days after they were arrested on April 23 for threatening to chant Hanuman Chalisa outside the private residence of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Among other charges, the couple was slapped with Indian Penal Code Sec. 124A that deals with sedition and is already under a heated legal debate.

In the order that was available on Friday, Special Judge Rokde has said: "It may be not that neither the applicants called anyone to bear arms nor any violence was incited in general as a result of the speech delivered by the applicants. In view of the matter, I am of the considered view that prima facie, decisive ingredients of section 124 A of the IPC are not made out at this stage." The Special Judge, however, also said that the Rana couple had undoubtedly crossed the line of freedom during their agitation, which they had subsequently called off in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mumbai the following day.

"Undoubtedly, the applicants (Ranas) have crossed the lines of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution. However, mere expression of derogatory or objectionable words may not be a sufficient ground for invoking the provisions contained in section 124A of IPC," he added.

Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said that the sedition charge was invoked by the police only after proper studying the case, and Transport Minister Anil Parab said that there's a difference between "observations" and "verdict" and the MVA government would study the court order.

In a strong reaction, Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, said: "The court has exposed the draconian and undemocratic policies and actions of this MVA Govt to shut the dissenting voices. Will the MVA government now apologise for wrongly confining the public representatives." Ravi Rana merely said: "We would not be saying anything on the order of the court.. We respect it," and pointed out that the people have witnessed the manner in which a woman (his wife Nanveet Kaur-Rana) was allegedly mistreated by the state government.
New Delhi, May 6 : The Supreme Court on Friday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government in connection with a case, where an 82-year-old Covid patient allegedly went missing from a hospital in Prayagraj.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana queried the Additional Advocate General (AAG) representing Uttar Pradesh, as to how could the man go missing, as his oxygen level was low and he was also unable to walk.

The bench, also comprising Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, said: "It has been one year he's been missing. Imagine the family's desperation. Look at the agony of family." The AAG submitted that the state has not left any stone unturned to trace the man and deployed all resources to find him, yet he is untraceable. As the bench further queried if the state government looked for his body, counsel replied that authorities concerned have checked all cremation centres in Prayagraj.

At this, Justice Murari remarked: "Means, he vanished in the air?" Counsel replied that the incident took place during the peak of the second Covid wave. She added that the Allahabad High Court has asked to produce the corpse, but in a missing person case, it is not possible.

Counsel further elaborated that the authorities have even put-up coloured posters and ran information regarding the missing person on TV and radio, however the high court has summoned 8 officers, including the Chief Secretary.

The bench then queried, how much compensation will the state government pay? "We are in your hands. He was 82 years old. He was a junior engineer in Kaushambi," said the counsel, adding that FSL is still examining the CCTV footage.

During the hearing, the bench told the counsel: "You don't comply with directions, last minute when contempt is sought you come." A habeas corpus petition was filed by the person's son before the Allahabad High Court seeking his father's release from the hospital's custody. In April, the high court directed the state government officials to produce the man before the court on May 6, failing which, the state officers were to remain personally present before it. The Uttar Pradesh government moved the top court challenging this order.

The top court issued notice in the matter and stayed further proceedings before the high court. It also directed the state to pay an amount of Rs 50,000 to the respondents as an initial amount to cover the litigation expenses.
Hyderabad, May 6 : Heroin, valued at Rs 125 crore, was seized at the Hyderabad International Airport in the last 10 days. However, the four accused, including three Tanzanian nationals, who have been caught with the contraband, had no information about the receivers.

According to central agencies, the 14 kg heroin seized in four different cases were meant to be transported to cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

The three Tanzanians and a fourth person of another nationality, were carrying the contraband from Johannesburg and Durban airports.

Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad is only seen as a transit point. Since drugs were recently seized in huge quantities at Mumbai and Delhi airports, investigators believed that the gangs were looking at airports in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. However, with the recent seizures at Hyderabad airport, they may now move to other airports in the south.

Police Commissioner C.V. Anand told the media on Friday that they are coordinating with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to join the missing links in the investigations to identify the receivers.

Those arrested at the airport don't know who are the receivers. The agencies could not gather any information during their interrogation. "Somebody calls and takes the drugs from them. They have no clue or contact numbers of the receivers," Anand said.

The agencies feel that since there is demand for drugs in the country, it is being brought in huge quantity.

As per NCB figures, around 8-10 crore drugs addicts are there and their consumption of contraband has increased in last 10 years.

He called for coordination among central agencies like the NCB, DRI, ED, IB, Customs, CISF, state police and drugs department to control the international drug racket.

"We have started coordination from our side. Few days ago we spoke to DRI and NCB officials. We will call a meeting soon to join the missing links," he said.

Revealing details about the arrest of a four-member inter-state drugs gang, the Police Commissioner said that they are looking for Mahesh alias Rayees, a resident of Nalasopara in Mumbai, who is considered kingpin in the supply of heroin/brown sugar from Mumbai to the rest of his gang.

He suspects that Mahesh may be having links with international supply gangs. "Cases like these may help in joining the missing links (in international drug rackets)," he said.

The arrested include a man from Mumbai while the remaining are residents of Hyderabad. Around 225 gram heroin and 28 kg ganja valued at Rs 23.61 lakh have been recovered from them.

-- Syndicated from IANS
New Delhi, May 6 : Axis Mutual Fund said on Friday that it has been conducting a suo moto investigation over the last two months since February.

The remarks came after it was revealed that SEBI is examining whether fund managers at Axis Mutual Fund engaged in "front-running" or trading securities through their personal accounts ahead of the fund's transactions, multiple reports said.

The asset management company (AMC) has used reputed external advisors to aid the probe, Axis MF said.

"As part of the process, two fund managers have been suspended pending investigation for potential irregularities," the AMC said.

"We take compliance with applicable legal/regulatory requirements seriously, and have zero tolerance towards any instance of non-compliance," it added.

"The media is requested not to give credence to market speculation and idle gossip, which are baseless and we strongly refute the same," the statement said.

Earlier, it was reported that a Lamborghini seems to have blown the lid of a huge front-running scandal in a private sector mutual fund.

There were loud whispers of a Rs 1,000 crore scam in a large mutual fund owned by a leading private sector bank involving front-running by the fund managers and dealers.

The said fund manager seems to have been using a Lamborghini and buying luxury apartments in and around Mumbai. He is said to be on the payrolls of brokers, and had accumulated small and midcap stocks on behalf of the mutual fund.

Axis Mutual Fund has carried out changes in fund manager responsibilities with effect from May 4 and Viresh Joshi, who was handling Axis Arbitrage Fund, Axis Banking ETF, Axis Consumption ETF, Axis Nifty ETF and Axis Technology ETF, does not find a mention in the new responsibilities.

Deepak Agarwal also does not find mention in the new structure.

As per Twitter comments, there is speculation that these two have been fired from the fund.

The same comments suggest that Joshi made Rs 500 crore and owned 14 apartments around Mumbai.

Joshi was said to be instrumental in buying small and midcap stocks and boosting them to place with the mutual fund once they crossed a certain size threshold.

There is also talk that this may be rampant in the Indian mutual fund industry, and what some said on Twitter, is an industry practice.

It is learnt that the CEO, Chandresh Nigam, is also under fire for overlooking these practices. Some of the holdings of the fund may face pressure in the markets as buzz spreads around this scandal.
Gurugram, May 6 : The Crime Branch unit of Gurugram Police has arrested two henchmen of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldi Brar gang, the police said on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Rajat alias Raka, a resident of Khera Khurampur, and Sagar, a resident of Shikohpur.

The duo was apprehended from Farrukhnagar in Gurugram on Thursday after a tip-off. The police have recovered two pistols and 20 live cartridges from their possession.

"The accused were present in Gurugram to commit a crime but were arrested before that by the police. The duo revealed that they are members of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldi Brar gang," said Preet Pal Sangwan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime).

In another breakthrough, the Crime Branch arrested a sharpshooter of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang carrying a bounty of Rs 5,000. The police have recovered three pistols, nine magazines and 20 live cartridges from his possession.

The police said the accused was involved in half-a-dozen heinous crimes.

The accused, who has been identified as Sanjeev Bishnoi aka Sanju, a resident of Rajasthan, was apprehended from the Mubarikpur junction along the Jhajjar-Farrukhnagar bypass on Thursday.

Bishnoi revealed that he was in constant contact with Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of Lawrence Bishnoi, and was present in Gurugram to commit a crime, the police said.
Ahmedabad, May 6 : As many as 600 Muslims from Gosabar in Gujarat's Porbandar district have filed an application in the high court seeking nod for euthanasia. A hearing on the petition will be held in the coming days.

This is the first that as many as 600 people have applied for euthanasia at the same time.

The petitioners said that over the last 100 years, around 600 people from 100 families have been involved in the fishing business and the Fisheries Department had granted them fishing licence.

However, the authorities of the department concerned do not allow them to anchor boats at Gosabar or Navi Bandar port and have been harassing them since 2016 due to which they are facing a lot of hardships and want to end their lives, the plea said.

Despite making several appeals to the higher authorities to resolve this issue, it still remains unresolved.

The petitioners in the application said they are not involved in any illegal activity and also provide security inputs to the security forces from time to time.

In the petition filed before the high court, it is argued that the state government is discriminating between Hindu and Muslim fishermen and is not providing the latter with adequate facilities.
Chennai, May 6 : A division bench of the Madras High Court said on Friday that the case against religious conversion of students in Tamil Nadu schools is maintainable.

The division bench comprising Justices R. Mahadevan and S. Ananthi said it was convinced with the maintainability of a case seeking a directive from the state government to frame guidelines to prevent forced religious conversion in schools.

The court directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a counter-affidavit to the PIL filed by advocate Jagannathan, and asked Advocate General R. Shanmugasundaram to ascertain that it is filed within four weeks.

Jagannathan in his PIL had alleged that religious conversion was taking place in government and government-aided schools, and accused the state government of tacitly supporting these activities.

In his PIL, the advocate also alleged that a Tamil media channel in a sting operation revealed religious conversion activities at schools in Nagercoil, Theni, Tenkasi and Thoothukudi.

A Class 12 student in Thanjavur had committed suicide in January alleging that she was forced to convert to Christianity by the warden of her hostel.

She had also complained that the warden made her do menial work at the school hostel, leading to her losing focus in her studies and that she had no other option but to end her life.
Srinagar, May 6 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday carried out a raid in the Regional Transport Office in Srinagar, official sources said.

Official sources said that the raid was conducted following complaints of wrongdoings by the officials of RTO Kashmir in registration of fresh and re-registration of different types of vehicles from outside states.

"There have been reports of a nexus between touts and some officials of the RTO office and some incriminating documents have been seized during the raid," a source said.

RTO Kashmir has confirmed the raid and said that officials have assisted the CBI team during the raid.
Patna, May 6 : Bihar Chief Ninister Nitish Kumar on Friday made an oblique reference to his stand on Citizenship Amendment Act which the Centre is hinting to implement in the country after coronavirus abates.

Nitish Kumar, while reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the issue, said that the way cases of coronavirus are increasing in the country, he should concern himself on a prevention plan.

"The way cases are increasing in the country, it is a biggest challenge for us. They should have to look after its prevention. We will think about any policies that would come before us," he said.

His statement of indicates that he wants to wait for the decision of the Centre on CAA implementation, before disclosing his plan of action.

The CAA, NRC and Uniform Civil Code are the three issues on which the stand of Nitish Kumar is different from the BJP, and are responsible for sour political relations between them despite they being alliance partners in Bihar and the Centre.

Nitish Kumar's JD-U believes that if it would support the BJP on these three issues, it would deeply hurt its minority vote bank. On the other hand, BJP wants to apply pressure on JD-U to support these measures.

Amit Shah on Friday said that the Centre will implement CAA in the country after the fourth wave of pandemic gets over.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Srinagar, May 6 : Two terrorist associates of proscribed terrorist outfit Ansar Gazwatul Hind (AGuH) were arrested from Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district in a joint operation by the police, the army and the CRPF on Friday, officials said.

Police said Budgam police, along with army's 62 RR and CRPF, the two in Huroo area of Budgam.

They have been identified as Amir Manzoor Budoo, resident of Dangerpora Razwan, and Shahid Rasool Ganaie, resident of Puttermulla Safapora, Ganderbal.

Ammunition and explosives, including a hand grenade and 25 AK-47 rounds were recovered from their possession.

A case has been registered and further investigation has been taken up.
Kochi, May 6 : Several leading travel company CEOs from Kerala and abroad said on Friday that ethical tourism is set to define post-Covid travel, necessitating all stakeholders to provide customised services to the visitors which sustain nature and support the local communities.

The CEOs were speaking at a seminar on the theme 'Changing Trends in Travel' organised at the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) in Kochi.

KTM is the signature event of the Kerala Tourism Department and has been widely-popular since its inception in 2000.

The four-day event organised by the KTM Society is being held after a two-year gap due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The common concern that was pointed out was the need to focus more on hygiene and healthcare to address the concerns of tourists after two years of haitus owing to the pandemic.

Long-haul travel will not be the norm in the next three years, when most tourists will be keen on domestic trips on an unprecedented scale, speakers at the seminar noted.

V. Venu, Additional Chief Secretary, Kerala, said that travel operators must equip themselves to address the "anxious traveller", who needs reassurance as life is returning to normalcy after the worldwide spread of Covid-19.

"Trips will become increasingly personalised; people will travel in small groups to relatively smaller destinations so the information provided to them should be authentic. Responsible tourism, which strives for sustainable nature and stronger role of local communities, will gain vitality," Venu said.

Berlin-based social anthropologist, Rika Jean Francois, said tourism should no longer be measured by gross revenues, but its impact on the local people.

"We must stop cultural erosion. Communities should be involved in much stronger ways. Destination management is far more important than destination marketing," she added.

Delhi-based Amit Sharma, who heads A&K Luxury Travel, said the travel industry is moving from being part of the service to experiential economy.

"We have to curate experiences and cater to customised services in the changed travel equations after the pandemic," he added.

Noting that domestic tourism is going to be the bedrock of the sector after the pandemic, hotelier M.C. Sameer said Covid-19 taught people the value of life in its broader sense.

"Several families have suddenly realised the necessity to maintain a healthy work-life balance and the need to be connected with near and dear ones. There is an increasing tendency to take quick and short breaks," said Sameer, Managing Director, Fortune Parks Hotel Ltd.

"Tourists want protected travel that guards them against any disease. So hygiene is highly important," he added.
Warangal : , May 6 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that Telangana's ruling TRS has a secret understanding with the BJP as the latter is not using either the ED or the CBI against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for his corruption.

Addressing a mammoth public meeting here, he also alleged that the BJP is using Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as a remote control in Telangana.

"BJP knows it can't rule Telangana directly. It needs remote control in Telangana. It knows Congress can never compromise with the BJP, that's why it wants the TRS government to continue," he said.

He recalled the support extended by the TRS to the three "black" farm laws brought by the Modi government in the Parliament.

Alleging that Rao is indulging in corruption of thousands of crores, he said the BJP government at the Centre is neither using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) nor the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him.

The Congress leader claimed that the coming Assembly election in the state will see a direct fight between the TRS and the Congress and exuded confidence that Congress will defeat TRS.

Ruling out any alliance with the TRS, he warned that any Congress leader raising this question will be expelled from the party.

"Congress will never have any truck with a person who betrayed Telangana, resorted to corruption and ruined dreams of Telangana's people. If any Congress leader wants to have an understanding with the TRS, he should go to the TRS or the BJP... We don't need such a person," he said, calling it a fight for Congress ideology.

He recalled that Telangana was not created easily as many youth and mothers shed tears and blood for it. "The state was not formed for one person. It was a dream of the people of Telangana. Eight years have passed. I want to ask you what happened to the dream of Telangana. Entire Telangana can see only one family benefited immensely," he said in a bitter attack on KCR and his family.

He said Congress stood by people of Telangana for the separate state and finally Congress and its chief Sonia Gandhi completed this task and delivered Telangana.

"Don't forget this was not easy for Congress. The party suffered a loss. We knew we would suffer loss but we stood by the people of Telangana and gave a new state to you," he said.

The Congress leader said the people of Telangana thought they would get a government of farmers, workers and poor.

Gandhi said Rao is not the Chief Minister but a king. "A Chief Minister believes in democracy, takes decisions after listening to people. A raja has nothing to do with democracy; he does whatever he thinks," he said.

The Congress leader, who interacted with families of some farmers who committed suicide, asked who would take the responsibility of families of thousands of farmers who ended their lives.

Describing farmers as the foundation of Telangana, he said the dream of Telangana can't be fulfilled if farmers remain weak.

Referring to the promises made to farmers in the Warangal declaration unveiled at the public meeting, Gandhi said every word of the declaration is the guarantee of the Congress.

He said the party would fulfill the promises made to farmers in Telangana as it fulfilled the promises made in Chhattisgarh.

"You will not have to wait long. Within a few months, Congress will come to power and work with you to fulfill the dream of Telangana," he told farmers promising loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh and minimum support price for their produce.

Stating that people gave opportunity to the TRS twice and it betrayed them, he appealed to people to give an opportunity to the Congress to form the government of farmers and poor.

The Congress leader also told the public meeting that only those party leaders who fight for people will get the tickets in the elections. The tickets will be given on the basis of merit. Those not standing with farmers and workers will not get tickets, he added.
New Delhi, May 6 : The International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) 2022 wrapped up on Friday with a call for a human-centred approach to building resilient infrastructure for a sustainable future.

The three-day hybrid conference featured 25 sessions, which included policy, regional, sectoral, and thematic, and were led by more than 90 global experts and thought leaders from 19 member countries of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

"This year's edition of the conference has chosen to focus on issues pertaining to the resilience of transitioning infrastructure systems. This is a step towards making us future-ready!" P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office, and CDRI governing council co-chair, said at the closing session of the event.

"The fact that the conference has attracted nearly 2,000 participants from across the world underlines the relevance and timeliness of the theme of this year's ICDRI," he said about the event held in hybrid mode after two back to back virtual meetings in previous years due to the pandemic induced lockdowns.

The CDRI was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Climate Action Summit in New York in 2019. It is a multi-stakeholder global partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programs, multilateral development banks, the private sector, academic and knowledge institutions.

During the three day summit, the CDRI members pledged to innovate and work collaboratively to create resilient infrastructure for safer societies. "The focus was on the most vulnerable and the sessions emphasized the need to put people and services at the core of resilient infrastructure solutions," said a member of the organising team.
Hyderabad, May 6 : Customs officials on Friday seized 6.75 kg heroin, valued at Rs 54 crore, from a South African woman at the Hyderabad International Airport.

The passenger arrived from Johannesburg via Doha by Qatar Airways Flight No QR-500.

"The contraband was seized from a packet concealed in the false bottom of the bag.The passenger has been arrested and further investigation is on," an official said.

This is the fifth seizure of heroin at Hyderabad Airport in less than two weeks. The authorities have seized heroin, valued at over Rs 150 crore, in the five cases.

On May 4, Customs officials had announced that they seized heroin, valued at Rs 11.53 crore, from a Tanzanian national.

A Customs official said 1,389 grams of heroin was seized from the male passenger who arrived from Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi on April 26.

The passenger purged 108 capsules containing the contraband heroin over a period of six days.

Eight kg cocaine, valued at Rs 80 crore, was seized from two passengers by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on May 1.

The contraband was seized in two separate cases. A male Tanzanian national, travelling from Cape Town to Hyderabad on a business visa and a woman passenger from Angola, with itinerary Angola-Mozambique-Zambia- Dubai-Hyderabad on a tourist visa were arrested.

A total of 8 kg of cocaine, each passenger carrying 4 kg, were seized from the passengers from the packets concealed in the false bottom of their trolley bags.

Earlier, the Hyderabad Customs along with DRI had seized 1,157 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs 11.57 crore, from a Tanzanian national. The passenger had arrived at Hyderabad Airport from Johannesburg via Dubai on April 21.

A total of 79 ingested capsules were recovered over a period of 5 days.
Srinagar, May 6 : The Jammu and Kashmir Police along with the Army on Friday neutralised three wanted terrorists belonging to proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), including its oldest surviving member Ashraf Molvi, in an operation at Sirchan Top in Anantnag district "On Thursday, Anantnag Police along with the Army had arrested a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist who was identified as Mohd Ishfaq Shergojri, a resident of Nowgam Verinag. During sustained interrogation, leads were developed and several cordon and search operations (CASOs) were conducted in various areas of Anantnag. One such operation launched in the forest area of Sirchan Top in Anantnag turned into an encounter," the police said.

During the operation, as the joint party proceeded towards the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired on the joint party which was retaliated, leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, three terrorists of proscribed terror outfit HM were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.

The slain terrorists have been identified as Mohd Ashraf Khan alias Ashraf Molvi/Mansoor ul Haq, Mohd Rafiq Drangay and Roshan Zameer Tantray alias Aqib.

As per police records, all the three slain terrorists were part of groups involved in several terror crime cases, including attacks on police, security forces and civilian atrocities.

"As per the records, slain terrorist Mohd Ashraf Khan was the oldest surviving member of Hizbul Mujahideen and figured in the list of most wanted terrorists. He had a long history of being involved in terror crime cases, which include attacks on police, security forces and civilian atrocities.

"He was also well-trained in fabricating and planting of IEDs as he had crossed over to PoK 1999 to get illegal arms training before joining the terror folds. He was also instrumental in reviving the network of HM in Anantnag by recruiting gullible youth into terror folds. On his directions, terrorists killed sarpanch Ghulam Rasool Dar and his wife Jawahara Begum at Lal Chowk in Anantnag in August last year," the police said.

"Similarly, Roshan Zameer Tantray was active since 2018 and was involved in several terror crime cases. Mohd Rafiq Drangay was active since 2019 and was involved in many terror crime cases, including attacks on police personnel and security forces," the police added.

Incriminating materials, including huge cache of arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of encounter.

IGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, congratulated the joint team for neutralising the most wanted terrorists and for conducting the operation in a professional manner without any collateral damage.

He also termed the operation as a major success as the site of the encounter was close to the Amarnath Yatra route, which indicates that the killed terrorists were eyeing to target the Yatra.
New Delhi, May 6 : Economic development of the northeast region contributes to overall development of the nation, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said on Friday.

In his address at the seminar organised by the Assam Rifle on "Economic growth is prerequisite to address deeply rooted insurgencies in the North East", he said that the vast potential of this sector will be unleashed by creating modern infrastructure and improving connectivity and development is now considered synonymous with the unity and integrity of the country.

Rai further said that the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFPSA) from some areas of the region also highlights the possibilities of huge development in this area.

He also said that the talks with various extremist groups have brought about a vast improvement in the security situation in the northeast and the youth are rapidly joining the mainstream of development.

"An amount of Rs 2,65,513 crore has been spent from the year 2014 to March 2021 for the development of various infrastructure projects in the northeast region, the result of which is visible in the form of development," he said.

The Minister also said that over the decades, the ideology of rebellion has shifted from social issues to political aspirations, hunger for unquestionable power and monetary gains. "The innocent youths of the region got caught in the vicious cycle of pseudo-nationalism and weapons. The economic deprivation and lack of job opportunities coupled with drug menace pulled this generation further into the web of extremism," he noted.

He also said that with a strong political resolve and commitment today for the development of transport, highways, communication, power and waterways in the northEast, now the security situation is under control and people have started receiving the benefits of development and infrastructure projects He said that the Assam Rifles, since its inception in 1835, has been instrumental in development and has contributed immensely in restoring normalcy in the northeast. This force is doing good work shoulder to shoulder with the Indian Army and has done a commendable job of resolving very sensitive situations with great ease.

"The government has given the Assam Rifles the powers under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act)... it was a well thought out decision, as a result the Assam Rifles has confiscated narcotics substances and drugs worth of about Rs 1,500 crore in the last one year," Rai added.
Guwahati, May 6 : A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in West Bengal that the government would implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic ends, an influential Assam party on Friday threatened to launch an agitation if the Centre goes ahead with it in the state.

Raijor Dal President and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi said that the people of Assam would never accept this "anti-people" law.

"The people of Assam would not accept the dictation of the Centre on CAA," Gogoi told the media terming the CAA as a "draconian act".

The firebrand peasant leader said that BJP should realise that all sections of people are against the CAA as it is "an anti-people law".

Gogoi, who is also the President of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, had spearheaded the massive protests against the contentious citizenship law in Assam since 2019. He was arrested in connection with violent protests in the state in 2019 and was charged under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

He was in detention for over one and a half years before being elected to the state Assembly as an independent MLA in the March-April assembly elections last year.

Amit Shah, while addressing a public rally at the Railway Institute Ground in Siliguri in north Bengal on Thursday, said that some people are saying that CAA would never be implemented in West Bengal.

"But I want to assure you that CAA will be implemented for sure once the Covid-19 situation is totally under control. CAA still has relevance and the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) cannot do anything to stop it from getting implemented," he said.

All eight northeastern states and neighbouring West Bengal witnessed violent protests for many since 2019 and early 2020 against the CAA. At least five people were killed in Assam in police firing and clashes during the violent agitation.

The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims minorities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who have migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, after facing faith-based persecution.
Chennai, May 6 : A special Tamil Nadu Police team investigating the murder and heist at the Kodanad estate, jointly owned by late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, questioned the brother of an AIADMK functionary on Friday, sources said.

The special team quizzed Sunil, the brother of Sajeevan who is a local AIADMK leader, at Coimbatore Police Recruits School premises.

Sajeevan had supplied furniture and refurbished the Kodanad Bungalow and had easy assess to Jayalalithaa and V.K. Sasikala, owners of the 920-acre Kodanad estate and bungalow.

The special police team had already questioned Sajeevan and his elder brother Sibi and is now interrogating Sunil as to whether he has any information on the Kodanad heist and murder, police sources said.

The special team had also questioned Sasikala in Chennai.

Some criminals had barged into Kodanad bungalow and estate on April 24, 2017, and killed security guard, Om Bahadur, and severely injured another guard, Krishna Thapa.

Five days after the murder and heist, the first accused in the case Kanagaraj was killed in a road accident on the Salem-Chennai highway. On the same day, the other accused K.P. Sayan met with an accident at Palakkad, his hometown. While Sayan escaped with minor injuries, his wife and daughter died in the accident. A few months later a computer operator of the Kodanad estate, Dinesh Kumar committed suicide at his residence.
Srinagar, May 6 : Transition of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory and scrapping of its so-called special status have opened up a new world for J&K's generation next.

The new ideas and concepts like having 'Youth Clubs' have made the youngsters understand that life exists beyond stone-pelting, street protests and guns.

Prior to August 5, 2019 -- when the Centre announced its decision to merge J&K completely with the Union of India -- the youth in Kashmir were like a rudderless ship, completely unaware about what to do with their lives.

Pakistan and the elements sponsored by it took full advantage of the situation and left no opportunity to put the youth on the path of self-destruction by radicalising them.

Kashmir's Gen-Next was provided with stones, guns and bombs to fight the proxy war of Pakistan. The cycle of violence had become so vicious that Kashmir-based politicians had declared that it would never end till Pakistan is taken on board.

Two-and-a-half years after the abrogation of Article 370, J&K has witnessed a sea change and the youth are leading from the front.

The 'Mission Youth' has helped youngsters shape their lives. They are chasing their dreams and in 'Naya Jammu and Kashmir' where everything looks achievable.

According to the official figures, till date, 4,522 Youth Clubs have been set up across 20 districts of the Union Territory and 74,000 youth have enrolled themselves with maximum 9,000 getting enrolled in Poonch district.

Former rulers used youth to serve their interests The former J&K rulers, mostly Kashmir-based politicians, never thought about engaging the youth through such measures. They used youngsters to cling on to their chairs. History stands testimony to the fact that the ones who ruled J&K after 1947 failed to explore the potential of youngsters and allowed them to play into the hands of the adversary.

In 2021, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, announced the government's decision to set up Youth Clubs across the Union Territory. The aim was to involve youngsters in volunteer activities through different programmes, and channelise their energies in a positive manner.

The idea worked as youth in every district came forward to become a part of these Youth Clubs. They found innovative solutions to the most difficult challenges faced by them.

They understood that indulging in violence won't take them anywhere. They found a place where they could interact with their counterparts and share ideas that could help them decide what they should opt for.

The Youth Clubs spread across 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir are creating awareness about various employment and self-employment schemes of the government, uniting young men and women to pursue their dreams.

These clubs have become energetic and vibrant partners of the panchayats and district administrations and are ensuring that governance effectively reaches to the grass-roots.

Kashmir's Gen-Next rejects terrorism J&K's generation next is taking keen interest in constructive activities. The youth saying no to violence has led to decline in local recruitment into militant ranks. This has led to foreign terrorists leaving their hideouts and coming out in the open.

Initially, majority of the foreign terrorists were on the quiet. They were projecting the local youth as the face of terrorist activities. As the number of local terrorists started drying down, foreign terrorists are now slowly getting exposed to encounters.

After August 5, 2019, the government has focused on roping in J&K youth. And the formula has worked. The schemes meant to empower the youngsters have helped them reject the idea of separatism and shun the path of violence and terror.

The number of foreign terrorists present in Kashmir is not that high and in the absence of local support, they won't find it easy to survive. Terrorism in Kashmir is on its last legs. The terror-sponsors sitting across the Line of Control (LoC) are running short of ideas as the youth of J&K, who were used as cannon fodder for the past 30 years, have turned their backs towards them. They are grabbing every opportunity that's being provided to them.

Fake narratives punctured The change is visible. The youth no longer talk about Kashmir's merger with Pakistan, nor are they interested in the so-called 'Azadi'. The fake narratives and slogans stand punctured.

The Youth Clubs have had a direct impact in empowering the youth. These clubs are not only deciding career prospects of the youngsters, but are also shaping their personality so they can emerge as leaders in their chosen walks of life.

Young people in these clubs are emerging as leaders and change-makers. They are becoming more socially active. They are learning new social skills like collaboration and problem solving that are vital to succeed in academics, at the workplace, and their personal lives.

Youth Clubs in J&K are playing a pivotal role in creating lifelong change among the youth and result in their overall personality development, which is the core agenda of Mission Youth, which runs the Youth Clubs in Jammu and Kashmir.

J&K youth prove politicians wrong The Kashmir-based politicians during their tenures never ever thought about coming up with initiatives like Youth Clubs. They had only one mission, i.e., to enjoy the perks and privileges provided to them by New Delhi. Had they made an attempt to create awareness among the youth, Kashmir would not have burnt for three decades and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism would not have survived.

The idea of 'Naya Jammu and Kashmir', which was conceived by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led regime soon after 2014, has been implemented in letter and spirit. Politicians who used to claim that Article 370 is a bridge between New Delhi and J&K have been proven wrong by Kashmir's Gen-Next.

J&K's youth are excelling in all the fields and are proving their mettle by emerging as stars. They are competing at all levels now. They have successfully wiped out the tags of being stone pelters and violence mongers.

The politicians who used to claim that nothing will change in J&K without Pakistan's involvement have been made to eat their words. Now, they are trying to create a space for themselves in 'Naya Jammu and Kashmir'.
Gurugram, May 6 : A 19-year-old youth was allegedly beaten to death by four men in Gurugram before being buried in Haryana's Rewari district and his decomposed body was recovered six months later wrapped in a plastic sheet, the police said.

According to the police, the victim, Ajay alias Golu, used to work as a helper at Balaji Medical Store located in Sector-52, Gurugram, in 2021.

The four accused persons -- identified as Amit, Arun aka Painter, Nishant alias Dinu and Rubal -- have been arrested.

The medical store owner, Amit, who has been arrested, suspected Ajay of stealing three of his mobile phones and held the latter captive for some days before he escaped.

However, Amit allegedly kidnapped Ajay and his father Satyapal on October 8 and 9, 2021.

Thereafter, Amit released the complainant Satypal but held his son captive and on October 12, he informed Ajay's father that his son had run away.

"The complainant kept asking whereabouts of his son but Amit did not disclose anything. Later the father reported the matter to the police and a case of kidnapping was registered at the Sector-53 police station," Preet Pal Sangwan, ACP (Crime), said.

During interrogation, it was revealed that Amit had suspected that his mobile phones were stolen by Ajay.

"They (accused persons) assaulted the victim and he succumbed to his injuries after which they buried the deceased's body at Aram Nagar in Rewari district, and mislead the father of the deceased that his son had escaped from their clutches. The police have recovered the remains of the deceased," the officer added.
New Delhi, May 6 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the murder of a 25-year-old man by his wife's brother and another person in Hyderabad in a suspected "honour killing".

It has issued notices to the state Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.

The Chief Secretary has been asked to submit report whether the state government has any policy to prevent such incidents of "honour killing" in cases of inter-caste or inter-religion marriage.

The DGP has been asked to inform the present status of the investigation in the case, steps taken to safeguard the wife of the victim and his family members along with any relief granted by the state government to them.

"The Commission would also like to know whether there were any lapses on the part of the police authorities in this case if so, what action has been taken against the guilty," the NHRC said in a statement.

"Police has reportedly stated that the brother of the girl was opposed to her inter-faith marriage and warned against it. The couple, as mentioned in the news report, were classmates in the school and college and were in love for more than 5 years even as the family of the girl was against the relationship," it noted.
New Delhi, May 6 : Vilas Lagarpuria, a criminal wanted in connection with a theft case of Rs 30 crore in Gurugram, has finally been nabbed by the Interpol from Dubai.

According to sources, formalities are being completed to bring him back to India by the concerned agencies.

Lagarpuria fled to Dubai using a fake passport, which he got arranged through his aide in Gurugram. With the help of this passport, Lagarpuria had travelled to many countries.

According to information received here, the Special Cell of Delhi Police had issued a look out circular (LOC)against Lagarpuria. A team of the Special Cell is in touch with the Interpol, and is planning to go to Dubai.

"On the basis of the LOC, Lagarpuria was nabbed from the Dubai airport. He is the mastermind behind the Rs 30 crore theft in Gurugram. He was booked under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act). A court had also declared him a proclaimed offender," said a source.

The theft took place in Gurugram's Kherki Daula area on August 5, 2021. Vilas Gulia of the Delhi Police, who was posted with the Special Cell, was found involved in the matter. He was held and during the course of investigation and it was learnt that Lagarpuria was the mastermind behind the heist.

"Lagarpuria and Gulia are from the same village and are close friends. The police have so far arrested 16 persons in this connection. The theft took place at a private firm which had initially said that only Rs 50 lakh were stolen. Later, it was found that it was a heist of Rs 30 crore," the source said.

The Special Cell is in touch with the Ministry of Home Affairs to bring Lagarpuria back to India.
Colombo, May 7 : Following Friday's island-wide trade union strike bringing Sri Lanka to a complete halt and ahead of planned continuous "hartal" (strike) from May 11 against the government, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared state of emergency from Friday midnight.

Emergency law gives sweeping powers to military to crackdown on protests and make arrests without court warrants.

President Rajapaksa declared state of emergency on the powers vested on him under the Public Security Ordinance.

"I am of opinion that by reason of a public emergency in Sri Lanka, it is expedient, so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community," he stated in the gazette notification on imposing of emergency regulation.

On Friday, hartal declared by trade unions demanding the President resign brought the country to a complete standstill. The trade union leaders threatened if Rajapaksa does not resign by May 11, they would resort to a continuous trade union action, halting the country by blocking transport, electricity, fuel and food supplies.

On April 1, Rajapaksa declared state of emergency, a day after hundreds of protestors tried to storm his private residence over unprecedented economic crisis. However, he withdrew the decision in fear of losing an attempt to extend it by a vote in the parliament.

People have taken to streets with severe economic crisis with no food, fuel, cooking gas and medicines and more than seven hour daily power cuts are scheduled with no fuel to run the power stations.

Latest updates on Srilankan Crisis
New Delhi, May 7 : Days after the Border Security Force (BSF) detected a cross-border tunnel in Jammu's Samba sector on May 4, the security force has ramped up patrolling on the border and keep eye on the fencing and nearby areas.

According to the sources, the BSF has been tasked to initiate anti-tunnel drive every alternate day and to closely monitor the ground along the fencing, especially during the night patrol.

Any "abnormality" at the fencing site must be reported, the sources further said.

On May 4 evening, the BSF patrolling team found the opening of a cross-border tunnel in the area of Chak Faquira opposite the Samba sector.

The search operation was stopped due to bad light and when they started to investigate the spot on Thursday, the BSF personnel found 150-metre-long freshly dug tunnel originating from Pakistan in which the oxygen was supplied through the 265-foot-long pipes found in the tunnel.

This was the first such structure unearthed by the BSF beneath the International Border (IB) in the past 16 months, taking the overall number to 11 in the past decade. Last year the force had detected two tunnels in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.

The officials in the security grid said that the patrolling has been intensified to prevent the infiltration and there has been a possible "threat" on the Amarnath Yatra this year.

The annual Amarnath pilgrimage will be commencing from June 30 and the terror outfits like Hijbul Mujahidin, Al Badr and The Resistance Front (TRF) have planned to destabilise the pilgrimage.

The security forces have been asked to intensify patrolling along the IB and line of control in Jammu and Kashmir to prevent the infiltration.

The sources said that tunnel might have used by the two terrorists who attacked on the CISF bus in Jammu on April 22 in which one Assistant Sub-Inspector was killed and several security personnel were injured.

Later the two terrorists were also neutralised by the security forces.
Kiev, May 7 : Ukraine and Russia on Friday conducted another prisoner exchange since the start of the conflict, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

As a result of the swap, 41 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including 13 civilians, returned home following their release by Russian forces, Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24. Since then, more than 300 Ukrainians have been released, Xinhua news agency reported.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
NFT-VIP.io June 19-22, 2022 Margaritaville Resort Times Square NFT-VIP.io is intended to drive continued engagement with blockchain technology by bridging the Web 3 tools with real-life applications and focus on Music, Fashion, Sports, Law, Tax and Marketing.

NFT-VIP, launched in 2022, is a startup whose mission is to shape the NFT industry into Inspiring Communities. Weve toured the globe to find thought-leaders and curious minds who share values and beliefs, aspire to drive positive change, and be part of something greater than before , said Executive Producer, Julie Lamb. Our objective is to empower our community with personalized access to innovators and icons.

To show their commitment and support to the growing NFT community, NFT-VIP will kick-off its first-ever event, NFT-VIP.io on June 19th 2022. NFT-VIP.io is a four day star-studded, exclusive event for the community to learn, share and inspire. It is an opportunity for curious minds and thought leaders to come together in an intimate, informal setting and is designed to power Web3 and personal growth. The event will take place in the heart of New York City at the one-of-a-kind tropical oasis of Margaritaville Resort Times Square, June 19-22, 2022. During Jimmy Buffetts poolside retreat, days are personalized with workshops, seminars and networking. The evenings offer exclusive VIP after parties to celebrate NFTs, Web 3.0, De-Fi and will feature live music performances from music icons and mentoring industry disruptors.

We collectively have the ability to deepen community connections through NFTs says Ms. Lamb. NFT-VIP.io is intended to drive continued engagement with blockchain technology by bridging the Web 3 tools with real-life applications and focus on Music, Fashion, Sports, Law, Tax and Marketing.

NFT-VIP.io will host comprehensive panels and discussions with the intention to : Advance voices of women in Tech & Web 3.0, Elevate our marginalized communities by inspiring creative expression

NFT 101 mentoring of older and younger community members with hand guided orientations into the space through workshops and panels and Empower our community with personalized access to innovators and icons. The agenda will include topics such as how to scale a DAO, DeFi regulations, VC in blockchain, and a game-based hiring platform, using immersive mobile games to pinpoint perfect-fit candidates for jobs

This is the first time ever that the ticket consumers purchase is an actual NFT. Whether youre a dreamer or a doer, a novice or an expert, this event has something valuable. Dont miss your chance to be part of this exciting event. Tickets are extremely limited and may be secured at mailto:team@nft-vip.io

For sponsorship information please contact Ravneet Kalsi, email: mailto:team@nft-vip.io

For additional information visit our website NFT-VIP.io and follow us on Twitter @_NFT_VIP
Video Production Camera Crews Why are we hoarding this vendor list of vetted freelancers and wouldnt it be more beneficial if everyone shared their referrals on an easily searchable database?

How do producer's normally find crew for their out of city/state productions? Generally, its probably by referrals from people they trust or via Facebook friends. This is seems to be the norm for the video/film industry. This method works well, but many producers reported that remembering who they were for the next project was difficult. To solve this issue, the team at BLARE Media created an internal database of the various crew vendors that they previously booked. In 2018, they thought to ourselves; "Why are we hoarding this vendor list of vetted freelancers and wouldnt it be more beneficial if everyone shared their referrals on an easily searchable database?" They unanimously agreed that the answer was YES and moved forward with creating Shoots.video in hopes that others thought the same.

As it turns out, a lot of people did think the same. Shoots.video is now the world's largest peer to peer referral network of video professionals. With Shoots.video, you can connect with top-tier video professionals in your area quickly and easily. We have a large pool of qualified professionals, so you're sure to find the perfect crew for your project!

Consider Shoots.video to be the "YELP" of the video production industry, where Producers may look up, discover, and vet a huge and widely distributed database of geo-located Talent and Production Crews before contracting them for their work. As an added benefit, Shoots.video does not charge any fees or get in the way of producers communicating directly with freelance talent.

On the other side of the equation, Cinematographers, Storyboard Artists, Sound Engineers, Directors, Actors, Makeup Artists, Location Scouts, and Hair Stylists may all be found on Shoots.video's easy-to-navigate platform. Video producers can utilize this site to identify and vet the teams they need to create their films. Just make sure you bring your A-Game each time so that the Producers who hire you can credibly offer a positive referral highlighting your abilities, work ethic and attitude.

Thats right, on Shoots.video, Producers who have worked and experienced positive results with talented individuals can then indirectly recommend them to other Producers, who may be searching our platform for the best talent available.

Reviews and referrals of talented professionals can be helpful in a couple of important ways; First, it narrows down a producers hiring options more quickly based on an intuitive rating system, and second, it allows professional crew members an opportunity not only to be found, but to be recommended in a word-of-mouth style of format.

To our knowledge, no other video & film industry directory provides any kind of evaluation or recommendation for the individuals featured on their sites. Yelp, Clutch, and UpCity (which are not video/film industry-specific platforms) do offer some evaluations, but they are usually focused solely on production companies and advertising agencies rather than freelance video professionals.

To get a better idea of how Shoots.video works, search Google for Los Angeles Video Production or Seattle Video Production and you should see Shoots.video displayed somewhere on the first page. Once you click on our link, search for your specific crew role and/or talent you need and youll arrive at a list of production professionals and companies where those with referrals are displayed near the top of the page.

We encourage you to try Shoots.video for your next video production project. Whether youre a content creator looking for more and better gigs, or a producer seeking the best talent/camera crews to staff your shoots, please check out https://www.shoots.video/ very soon. Hopefully you will discover that this is a great way to hire and be hired for work in the video production industry.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of WPOs 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies. Businesses that made the list must be privately owned, women-owned or led and meet the annual revenue requirements.

The companies that comprise the list represent a wide range of industries from STEM-related fields to consumer products. Last year, the 50 that made the 2021 list represented a combined $4.1 billion in revenue and collectively employed 24,000 people.

ICON Consultants has continued to grow year-over-year through its dedication to innovation in the human capital solutions space and delivering best-in-class service to its clients. Keys to my success have been tenacity, determination, and being customer-centric, states ORourke. They continue to be a leader in the staffing and recruiting industry by providing the latest direct sourcing AI technology powered by Opptly and developing proprietary independent contractor technology that ensures compliance and mitigates risk regarding contingent labor.

Honorees were celebrated at an awards luncheon on Thursday, May 5th, at the Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.

About ICON Consultants

ICON Consultants, LP is a Houston-based, woman-owned (WBENC Certified and WEConnect Certified in Canada) staff augmentation and employer of record firm. Founded in 1998 by Pamela ORourke, ICON has provided recruitment and payroll solutions for over twenty-four years with over 6,000 contractors on staff in the US and Canada. To learn more, go to ICONconsultants.com.

About Women Presidents Organization

Women Presidents Organization was founded in 1997 by Dr. Marsha Firestone. WPO is an organization that brings women business leaders together worldwide to share insights, support, and encourage each other in their professional development and business strategies.
Vibrant, resilient, and magnificent in all their complexity, Dorothy Hale and Clare Boothe Luce define the modern woman of the 1920sand the 2020s. It's been a great joy to honor their story.

Lady Be Good by Pamela Hamilton has received the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Award in the Historical Fiction category. The Benjamin Franklin Awards, one of the highest honors for independent publishers, are administered by the IBPA with help from over 160 book publishing professionals including librarians, bookstore owners, reviewers, and editors.

In her acceptance remarks, Hamilton said of her main characters, Determined, dynamic, and resilient, Dorothy Hale and Clare Boothe Luce define the modern woman of the 1920s and the 2020s. It's been a great joy to honor their story and introduce them to a new generation. In closing, she thanked the IBPA awards jury and her publisher, and she quoted Luce: Male supremacy has kept woman down. It has not knocked her out. The full text can be read here: https://pamelalhamilton.com/ibpa-benjamin-franklin-award/.

The award is the latest honor for Hamiltons novel, which is based on the true story of Dorothy Hale, the legendary 1930s socialite immortalized in one of Frida Kahlo's most famous paintings, and famed playwright and Vogue and Vanity Fair editor Clare Boothe Luce. The two friends defy tradition to pursue their dreams on their own terms and find themselves at the center of political intrigue.

Released to critical acclaim on March 31, 2021, Lady Be Good received a Kirkus starred review and was selected as a Kirkus Best Indie Book of the Year as well as a Booklife by Publishers Weekly Editors Pick. In addition, its been honored with several book awards: winner of the 2021 National Indie Excellence Award in the Chick-Lit category; winner of the 2021 Royal Dragonfly Book Award in the Fiction and Historical Fiction categories; National Indie Excellence Awards Silver Medal; Readers Favorite International Book Awards Silver Medal; American Fiction Awards Award-Winning Finalist; and IAN Book of the Year Award Finalist for Womens Fiction.

Lady Be Good is now a finalist for the Mark Twain Book Award for Humor and Satire and the Somerset Book Award for Literary and Contemporary Fiction, and a semi-finalist for the Goethe Book Award for Historical Fiction. Winners will be announced in June.

Publishers Weekly Booklife praised the novel, writing: Readers who love glamorous historical fiction will be mesmerized by the life of Dorothy Hale a woman determined to make a name for herself in a world ruled by men and governed by money, power, and connections. The elegant timeframe and high fashion of the era, replete with jazz music and roaring parties that would be the envy of Gatsbys crowd.

Pamela Hamilton is a writer and consultant who has worked with notable figures in business, US intelligence, music, and the arts, and has covered some of the most significant events of the twenty-first century. For more than a decade she was a producer for NBC News, and she was a producer on the award-winning documentary Grateful Dawg. Based in Manhattan, she serves on the board of the Society of Professional Journalists' Deadline Club. Visit PamelaLHamilton.com.

For more information, or to request a review copy of Lady Be Good, contact John Ekizian at the J.G. Ekizian Agency, johngekizian@gmail.com.
Cancer Nursing Today, an online platform that curates cutting-edge research, news, conference coverage, practice updates, and published literature for an oncology nursing audience, is excited to announce its partnership with beyond Oncology.

As part of this partnership, beyond Oncologys founder, Elaine S. DeMeyer, MSN, RN, AOCN, BMTCN, will join Cancer Nursing Today, as its first-ever Editor in Chief, bringing an experienced voice to the platform and leveraging nurse authors from beyond Oncologys unique writing mentorship program.

The goal of this partnership is to provide budding oncology nurse-writers with the skills and tools they need to be successful, through a robust mentorship program and an opportunity to be published on Cancer Nursing Todays powerful and wide-reaching platforms. Guided by experienced Mentors, the Mentee contributions will highlight current and emerging trends and best practices for nurses in all settings to replicate within their practices.

This partnership kicked off at The Oncology Nursing Societys (ONS) annual meeting, where a nurse mentee of beyond Oncology, Kate B. Hubbard, MSN, RN, OCN, NPD-BC, presented a poster, Pairing Novice Nurse Writers with Experienced Nurse Writers to Share Cancer Nursing Best Practices Through a Formal Writing Mentorship Program, outlining the program, and explaining how nurse Mentees can grow more experienced through writing mentorship.

Historically, nurses were limited to publishing opportunities in journals, books, or other print material. This new partnership will enable them to contribute to multi-platform content through regular features on the Cancer Nursing Today blogs, videos, social media, and email newsletters, allowing them to progress in their field and preparing them for other authorships. Our Mentors can help novice authors choose a topic, provide direction and editorial advice, and role-model how to navigate the publication process. Our goal is to make writing easy instead of starting too big and quickly becoming discouraged with the writing process, says DeMeyer.

Cancer Nursing Today and beyond Oncology share a deep commitment to empowering oncology professionals with the tools and resources needed to be successful in improving patient care, so this partnership is a natural fit in shared values. We are excited to collaborate and grow our digital platforms with this important partnership. Cancer Nursing Today remains dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals in their practice, says Courtney Leonard, Vice President of Operations at Cancer Nursing Todays parent company, Mashup Media.

About Mashup Media LLC

Mashup Media, based in Manalapan, N.J., is a multimedia publishing company passionate about providing health care professionals a platform to further publicize their work. Driven by data and analytics, Mashup Media produces cutting-edge products that deliver content from trusted sources and industry thought leadership. To learn more, visit http://www.mashupmediallc.com.

About Cancer Nursing Today

Cancer Nursing Today (CNT) is a leading platform in providing current, nursing-specific oncology news. CNT understands the leadership roles nurses have within multidisciplinary teams and curates cutting-edge cancer research, cancer news, conference proceedings, practice updates, and published literature. Using social media and leveraging insights of nurses in the field, CNTs goal is to highlight the very best content from influencers and key opinion leaders in the field. To learn more, visit http://www.cancernursingtoday.com

About beyond Oncology

beyond Oncologys commitment is to improve patient care by empowering oncology professionals with the tools and resources needed to change practice. beyond Oncology is led by nationally known oncology nurse leaders, educators, and medical writing experts. Their nursing experience spans over 40 years across the cancer care continuum: prevention, detection, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care. To learn more, visit http://www.beyondoncology.com
We have a great charitable platform and these donations underscore TruckPros commitment to make a difference," said Chuck Broadus, TruckPros Chief Executive Officer.

TruckPro, LLC (TruckPro), one of the nations largest independent distributors of heavy-duty truck and trailer parts headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, announced that through the TruckPro Gives Back charitable program, the company will make a donation of $120,000, its largest to date, to its long-standing charitable partners  St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Wounded Warrior Project, the Salvation Army and the Canadian organization, the War Amps.

TruckPro is committed to supporting organizations in the United States and Canada that strengthen and serve local community needs. Giving back is part of TruckPros culture and these tremendous organizations are making an important and positive impact on the lives of children, veterans and communities where we live and work, said Chuck Broadus, TruckPros Chief Executive Officer. We have a great charitable platform and these donations underscore TruckPros commitment to make a difference.

TruckPro announced the record charitable donations at its Sales Summit & Supplier Tradeshow at Nashvilles Gaylord Opryland Resort, which brought together over 275 regional and store managers from across the US and Canada, to connect with senior management to review TruckPros strategic vision and plans for the future, as well as to share information on key initiatives.

The three-day event also included a tradeshow with industry leading supplier partners, showcasing and demonstrating products and services, sharing valuable product information, and focusing on market trends and opportunities for the coming year. Additionally, TruckPro recognized its top operational and sales performers who were honored for excellence during an awards reception and dinner.

This is a special event for all of us at TruckPro and it was exciting to be back together, reflecting on successes and highlights of the previous years. It also provides time to connect and align on strategic initiatives for the year and forward. I see the passion, enthusiasm and commitment to success and the future of TruckPro has never looked brighter, said Chuck Broadus.

###About TruckPro, LLC

Founded in 1958, TruckPro, LLC is a leading distributor of heavy-duty truck & trailer products, and advanced repair services. Through a distribution network of 140 stores and advanced service shops, TruckPro delivers a comprehensive range of products to support commercial and government customer requirements in the areas of brake systems, electrical, engines, gear & drivetrain, and more. TruckPro is recognized for delivering measurable value and outstanding support to its customers and suppliers alike. Vast application expertise makes TruckPro an unbiased knowledge resource for product information, documentation, and training. For more information on TruckPro, please visit http://www.truckpro.com.
Daniel Cozad, General Manager, San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District (SBVWCD) Daniel has demonstrated remarkable collaboration throughout his career that has resulted in a legacy of significant water projects, said ACWA President Pamela Tobin. He is a visionary leader who has continually bridged differences to build successful collaboration among stakeholders.

Californias leading voice on water issues this week honored San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District General Manager Daniel Cozad with its 2022 Excellence in Water Leadership Award.

Praising him for his leadership and collaborative approach to water management issues, the Association of California Water Agencies said Cozads work has not only transformed the Conservation District, but has inspired several regional multi-agency projects that have significantly enhanced groundwater recharge, increased local water resilience, established expansive habitat conservation areas, and protected the economic health of thousands of families.

Daniel has demonstrated remarkable collaboration throughout his career that has resulted in a legacy of significant water projects, said ACWA President Pamela Tobin. He is a visionary leader who has continually bridged differences to build successful collaboration among stakeholders.

With plans to retire this month, Cozads 12 years at the Conservation District have yielded an impressive legacy of contributions, which gave rise to unprecedented cooperation among agencies throughout the region, including:



An Enhanced Recharge Collaborative Agreement, the first of many cooperative agreements and projects between local agencies.

The Plunge Creek Conservation Project, a model approach to water and habitat conservation, having received the states first Safe Harbor Permit in Southern California.

The San Bernardino Basin Groundwater Council, reflecting an unprecedented voluntary, regional approach to local groundwater management.

A Wildland Trails Conceptual Plan, providing important recreational/educational opportunities and helping to complete the Santa Ana River trail from the mountains to the coast.

Cozads work doesnt stop there. Similar collaborative transformations have followed him throughout this career, including:

Integrated Regional Water Management Plan: As General Manager of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, Daniel was instrumental in the development of this important program, and contributed significantly to establishing state grant funding to help support it.

Central Valley Salinity Coalition for CV-SALTS: Daniel took this project from a startup to an established 501 (c) 3 nonprofit with a 28-member Board of Directors that systematically changed water quality regulations to provide attainable regulatory compliance and sustainable water quality for communities and local management. As Executive Director, he organized a stakeholder-based regulatory process and a comprehensive salinity management plan.

Ventura WaterPure Program: Daniel established this project to improve the Santa Clara River Estuary and develop a water supply for the City of Ventura by treating effluent entering the estuary to create aquifer storage and recover potable reuse supplies for the city. This project required more than a dozen major environmental permits or approvals, complex funding, and support from diverse special interests.

Orange County Integrated Regional Planning Group: A countywide effort to review and improve on integrated planning, governance, structure, and competitiveness in Proposition 50 and Proposition 84 funding. This effort involved diverse stakeholders including the County of Orange and almost a dozen primary water agencies in the region.

The Excellence in Water Leadership Award, Building a World of Difference, recognizes individuals who have made a remarkable and visible contribution to California water. The award, sponsored by Black & Veatch Corporation, was presented during ACWAs 2022 Spring Conference & Exhibition in Sacramento where approximately 1,300 leaders from California public water agencies are attending programs and panel discussions on a variety of key water issues. For more information about ACWAs awards programs, please visit http://www.acwa.com/about/awards.

About the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District:

For nearly a century, the SBVWCD has stewarded the San Bernardino Valley water basin and the native species of the Upper Santa Ana River Wash. Its collaborative approach to project management assures high-quality local water supplies for people, agriculture, and the environment. This includes groundwater recharge and oversight, and protection of habitat and native species in the Wash. Visit http://www.sbvwcd.org.

Follow SBVWCD on Linked In and Facebook
The second edition of the event was a tremendous success and a confirmation that the US is  and hopefully will remain  our number one export market, said Matteo Ascheri, President of the Consorzio.

The Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani, successfully hosted the second edition of the Barolo & Barbaresco World Opening in Los Angeles this past weekend, on April 28th and 29th, 2022. A combined effort of over 200 producers pouring their wines for 800+ trade attendees and 400+ consumers secured the position of the Barolo & Barbaresco World Opening (BBWO), as the largest Appellation Tasting for Italian wine in the United States. The events included a gala reception in Hollywood at Paramount Pictures Studios, and tastings for both the public and trade/media.

On April 28th, Barolo and Barbaresco wines were presented to Masters of Wine, critics, sommeliers, and journalists from Europe and the United States. Later that evening, the overall vintage results were unveiled during an exclusive Gala Reception in Hollywood at Paramount Pictures Studios: 94.4 for Barolo 2018 and 98.3 for Barbaresco 2019. The gala featured celebrity host Billy Harris who entertained an audience of media, trade, producers, and celebrity guests to celebrate Piedmontese food and wine culture, where guests enjoyed options straight from the Langhe region.

The second edition of the event was a tremendous success and a confirmation that the US is  and hopefully will remain  our number one export market, said Matteo Ascheri, President of the Consorzio.

On April 29th, Barolo and Barbaresco wines were presented at a Grand Tasting for press, trade, and consumers. The tasting event focused on increasing the awareness of the numerous MGA (Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive), the term used to indicate single vineyard bottlings and the unique expression of each growth area in relationship to its specific locality and microclimate. The event featured three educational seminars, two hosted by the famed Italian Cartographer, Alessandro Masnaghetti, who focused on topography differences and the subtle nuances found in the wines of each MeGA. The last seminar focused on the Fontina PDO from Valle d'Aosta, and rice of Baraggia biellese and vercellese PDO.

Ascheri describes the 2018 and 2019 vintages as great. We are so pleased to have had the honor to present them in Los Angeles, CA."

The Barolo and Barbaresco World Opening events were a part of "Top Tales: A piece of Europe on your table," a larger project supported by the European Union aimed at promoting the PDOs of Barolo, Barbaresco Fontina Valle dAosta and rice of Baraggia biellese and vercellese.

For more information and the latest updates regarding Barolo & Barbaresco, please contact Carlotta Ribolini at cribolini@colangelopr.com or Michelle Erland at merland@colangelopr.com

About Top Tales: Top Tales is a project supported by the European Union aimed at promoting Fontina DOP from Valle dAosta, Rice of Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese DOP, as well as the DOCGs Barolo and Barbaresco. The European communication campaign Top Tales: A piece of Europe on your table, is designed to increase the awareness of the three DOP products in the United States market.

About the Consorzio Di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe E Dogliani: Founded in 1934 and representing 540 wine producers across multiple appellations, the Consortium is committed to the management, protection, and promotion of the Langhe, Alba, and Dogliani wine denomination. The Consortium ensures high quality by a set of formal production guidelines for the entire winemaking process, from agronomy to market surveillance. The Consortium continues to perform periodic sampling of wine products on the market to prevent fraud and to protect the wines authentication and reputation. Barolo & Barbaresco are registered trademarks in many countries throughout the world.

About Consorzio Produttori e Tutela della DOP Fontina: The Consortium was created in 1952 to protect Fontina DOP, its production and distribution. The entity releases the Fontina DOP trademark on every wheel of Fontina produced following the Consortiums rules.

About Consorzio di Tutela della DOP Riso di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese: the Baraggia Rice was awarded the PDO status in 2007 after the European Union verified its unique quality and nutritional characteristics. Today, the denomination covers 22,000 ha of paddy fields across 28 communes.

Media Contacts:

Carlotta Ribolini

cribolini@colangelopr.com

Michelle Erland

merland@colangelopr.com

The content of this promotion campaign represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency (REA)do not accept any responsibility for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
If youre thinking about opening a coffee shop  or if you have an existing coffee shop that is not yielding the profits and lifestyle you desire  give us a call at 888-800-9224. Wed be happy to chat about your goals and how we can help you achieve them. - Greg Ubert, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Designing an efficient coffee shop equipment layout is a vital step in learning how to open a coffee shop, according to Steve Bayless, a coffee shop startup consultant for award-winning coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.

Over the past decade, Bayless has helped open over 140 independent coffee shops all over the country, has conducted training at another 75 coffee businesses, and has developed the coffee bar layout for dozens of shops.

He said the ideal layout fits into the choreography of the business, promoting success by creating:



Happy customers, who receive delicious espresso-based coffee drinks in a matter of minutes.

Happy employees, who serve customers with an economy of motion and without bumping into one another.

Happy owners, who sell more drinks with less labor and enjoy increased business from happy customers.

Bayless offered three basic tips for efficient coffee shop equipment layout:

1. Because people follow their eyes, the first thing customers should see is the espresso machine. Lead customers to the espresso machine, and then locate the menu nearby.

2. The cash register should be two steps away from the espresso machine, with enough counter space between the register and the espresso machine to allow for exchanging money and serving the beverage.

3. Everything  including the espresso machine, cups, spoons, syrups, a refrigerator with milk, etc.  should be within the baristas reach.

Over the past 31 years, Crimson Cup has helped set up over 300 independent coffee houses in 30 states, saving owners thousands of dollars by teaching them how to lay out a coffee bar for maximum customer and employee satisfaction  and profitability.

Crimson Cup Founder and President Greg Ubert discusses coffee shop equipment layout in more detail in his book, Seven Steps to Success: a Common-sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee Industry.

Now in its second printing, this guide is the foundation of Crimson Cup's 7 Steps program, which includes consultation on writing a coffee shop business plan, choosing the right equipment, coffee shop layout, hiring and training staff and much more.

Unlike an expensive coffee shop franchise, Crimson Cup's 7 Steps program allows business owners to operate a coffee shop that reflects their individual style, from equipment layout to menus, marketing and more.

We offer all the support of a franchise without the franchise fees and loss of control, Ubert said.

As a one-stop shop for independent coffee shops, we also provide award-winning coffee, the best syrups, powders and other coffee shop supplies in the business, and ongoing support to help coffee businesses thrive, he added.

If youre thinking about opening a coffee shop  or if you have an existing coffee shop that is not yielding the profits and lifestyle you desire  give us a call at 888-800-9224. Wed be happy to chat about your goals and how we can help you achieve them.

About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.

Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup  driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.

Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into how much it costs to open a coffee shop.

Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
1906, a pioneer in cannabis edibles, today announced the company has secured a seven-figure investment from Connecticut Innovations (CI), Connecticuts strategic venture capital arm and the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticuts innovative, growing companies. It is a first-of-its-kind investment by a state venture fund in a cannabis business.

Along with our confidence in 1906s future prospects, CIs investment also recognizes the increasingly important role the cannabis industry will continue to play in the economic, health, and social development of the state, said Lauren Carmody, vice president of marketing at Connecticut Innovations. With its track record of innovation and success, 1906 is a great addition to CIs expanding portfolio. This investment will help accelerate the companys ambitious plans for growth and establish 1906 as the first of many cannabis industry leaders based here in Connecticut.

Widely recognized as a cannabis industry pioneer, 1906 has differentiated itself by setting the highest standards for every aspect of its business, from its fast-acting technology to formulations to R&D to marketing. The companys commitment to patient and consumer advocacy as well as its strong stance on pressing social justice issues has made 1906 a leading voice in the industry.

CIs decision to invest in 1906 was prompted by the companys leadership position as the number one cannabis pill in the U.S., successful revenue generation as well as its commitment to and leadership in the areas of employment, health and wellness, and social justice. The investment aligns with CIs mission to promote innovation and diversity in Connecticut and supports efforts to prioritize public health, public safety, social justice, and equity.

CIs investment in 1906 is a major milestone for the cannabis industry  institutional investors dont need to wait on the sidelines for changes to federal laws before they participate in the cannabis market (or funding the growth of this industry), said Peter Barsoom, CEO of 1906. The investment from CI will help us grow our business in the state and squarely positions 1906 at the center of the cannabis movement in the Northeast at exactly the right time. We are excited to bring 1906 and our products to Connecticut.

Connecticut Innovations joins other investors, including Arcview and Merida, in this current round of funding.

About Connecticut Innovations:

Connecticut Innovations (CI) is Connecticuts strategic venture capital arm and the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticuts innovative, growing companies. CI provides venture capital and strategic support for early-stage technology companies, financial support for innovation and collaboration, and connections to its well-established network of partners and professionals. For more information, please visit http://www.ctinnovations.com.

About 1906:

1906 is a leader in innovative self-care, creating groundbreaking functional formulations combining cannabis and plant medicines, currently available in five states. 1906s lineup delivers six distinctive experiences that promote sleep, energy, arousal, relaxation, cognitive focus, and a happy mood, all in consistently fast-acting formulations using organically-grown, pesticide-free cannabis. User-friendly, portable, and thoughtfully engineered, 1906 products deliver curated effects within 20 minutesfaster than any other edible on the market. The rapid-onset formulations help consumers get the most out of their days and nights while staying pleasantly in control. For more information on 1906, please visit http://www.1906newhighs.com.


The Toyota Military Rebate program is available at Downeast Toyota

Downeast Toyota, a dealership in Brewer, Maine, offers military personnel a $500 Military Rebate. With Veterans Day coming up, May is a great month for personnel to take advantage of this special program. Drivers can receive the $500 rebate toward the purchase or lease of any new Toyota vehicle financed through Toyota Financial Services.

Eligible military personnel include U.S. military active duty and inactive reserves military personnel, household members of eligible U.S. military personnel, U.S. military retirees within one year of retirement and U.S. military veterans within one year of discharge. Drivers who are interested in this special offer must provide proof of military status, receive a qualifying salary and receive credit approval by Toyota Financial Services through Downeast Toyota. Veritable proof of military status can come in the form of a Leave and Earnings Statement, a Military ID card, a DD Form 214, a Certificate of Release or a Certificate of Discharge from Active Duty.

Eligible personnel can apply for credit approval online or learn more on the dealerships website,downeasttoyota.com. Downeast Toyota is located at 652 Wilson Street in Brewer, Maine. Drivers can call 207-537-7535 to speak with a dealership team member.
I Am... Me: A Book of Positive Affirmations for Children: a positive message of understanding ones value. I Am... Me: A Book of Positive Affirmations for Children is the creation of published author Dr. Marisa Ugalde, a psychotherapist at Weslaco Counseling Center, PLLC, which is her own private practice turned group practice due to the high demand for the services offered. Ugalde resides in Texas with her loving husband, Gabriel, and their youngest daughter, Valeria.

Ugalde shares, This book created for families with young children will boost the young readers self-esteem and self-concept. It cultivates right attitudes and begins to instill the knowledge of our Creator. It is designed to touch the childs heart and expand their mind. The book reinforces positive thinking and optimism through a series of affirmations.

In I Am Me, Leah encounters different kinds of exciting, thought-provoking situations that give her an opportunity to affirm the good in herself. The heart glowing in the characters chest is a representation of the creative energy within. Your child will see Leahs heart glow and be filled with every affirmation she speaks. Through the artwork and Bible verses, I Am Me will have your child asking questions and sharing their own personal experiences with you.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Dr. Marisa Ugaldes new book will encourage and uplift young readers as they take to heart the messages found within.

Ugalde offers an important opportunity for young readers to reaffirm their value and find strength in Gods word within the pages of this delightful childrens work.

Consumers can purchase I Am... Me: A Book of Positive Affirmations for Children at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about I Am... Me: A Book of Positive Affirmations for Children, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Let Me Tell You a Story: an inspiring opportunity for reflection. Let Me Tell You a Story is the creation of published author Elfie F. Salisbury, the youngest of seventeen children who grew up in Northeast Ohio. Salisbury carries a bachelors degree in education and a master's degree in education administration and has served in education for over thirty-five years.

Salisbury shares, Rarely does a book quite like this one come along. Each story is unique. The stories are true insights into an epic journey of life growing up in a small rural town in Northeast Ohio. In addition, the stories include struggles of a little girl growing up in a Pentecostal church from the 1960s to the present years. Also included are stories about a career in teaching that has spanned thirty-five years, two states, and all grade levels and subjects.

The variety of stories may include glimpses into a large close-knit family of nineteen people. With a family that large, much was happening all of the time. You will read about struggles, triumphs, laughter, and challenges, and read encouraging words to inspire you to be a better person.

Each page will walk through a moment in time. That moment may be happy, sad, or thought-provoking but will always leave you to ponder about your own situation. In the midst of it all, you will find a unique focus on God. As you read the stories and understand the background of the author, you will see why the struggles were real. You will understand that if someone can honestly say they have been in your shoes, these stories represent just that.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Elfie F. Salisburys new book will tug at the heartstrings, evoke laughter, and challenge the spirit as readers consider the messages found within this unique devotional.

Salisbury shares in hopes of helping others to seek opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.

Consumers can purchase Let Me Tell You a Story at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Let Me Tell You a Story, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Josh Willey stands in front of the HBS sign on the Harvard campus. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to learn from the best at the Harvard Business School. Surrounded by 110 leaders from 37 countries and industries widened my perspective and challenged my views.

Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions Senior Vice President of Operations, Josh Willey, successfully completed Harvard Business Schools General Management Program (GMP).

Focused on strategy, leadership, and the organization, the program delivers the tools needed to capitalize on technological disruption and digital transformation, while playing a more strategic role in corporate success.

President and Owner, Matt Jesson could not have been happier to announce Joshs successful completion of the program. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Josh Willey for his incredible hard work and personal sacrifice over the last 4+ months from graduating Harvard Business Schools GMP Executive Program. All of us at Green Lawn and Green Pest are so happy for you and youre amazing achievement!

During his time in the program, Willey competed in the General Management Programs strategy finals and was selected as one of three winners out of over 110 fellow HBS students. The final month was spent living on the Harvard Campus in Boston, where Willey was both inspired and challenged by his classmates.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to learn from the best at the Harvard Business School. Surrounded by 110 leaders from 37 countries and industries widened my perspective and challenged my views. I look forward to staying connected as we step back into our careers.

Willey will now transition back into his role as Senior Vice President of Operations at Green Lawn Fertilizing and Green Pest Solutions. He will bring with him countless takeaways from his four intensive months in the program in order to improve the companies already stellar service and team member experience.

Josh could not be more appreciative of all the people that made his Harvard experience possible. Thank you, Matt Jesson and GLF / GPS, for providing me with this transformational opportunity!

Green Pest Solutions and Green Lawn Fertilizing is an independent lawn and pest control company that was founded in 2004. Under the leadership of Matt Jesson, President and Owner of Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions, the company has grown to over 250 team members and over 150 service vehicles in its fleet. They have a mission to become the leader in the lawn and pest industry by providing superior customer service. Over the last several years, highly reputable publications have taken notice of the company succeeding in that mission. The Philadelphia Business Journal named Green Lawn Fertilizing / Green Pest Solutions one of their Best Places to Work three consecutive years in 2019, 2020 and 2021 as well as one of their Soaring 76 fastest growing private companies in 2020. For nine of the last ten years the company received the Inc. 5000 award for being recognized as one of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the America. In 2018, Green Pest Solutions was named "Best of Philly Earth-Friendly Exterminator" by Philadelphia Magazine and in 2017 they were named "Best Pest Control by Philly.com. In 2017, the company received the Customer Service Excellence Award by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. The company was named to the Philadelphia 100 list of fastest growing private companies in the region in 2014, 2015, 2020, and 2021.
Carlo Habet Carlo Habet is the consummate businessman cum power broker with an unparalleled network.

Haute Residence and acclaimed real estate agent, Carlo Habet, take their partnership into its second year. As a Haute Residence member, Carlo Habet exclusively represents the high-end real estate market in Belize.

Carlo Habet is the consummate businessman cum power broker with an unparalleled network, unmatched communication and negotiation acumen, deep national knowledge across sectors, and a long and respected reputation for getting things done. A film and commercial video director, Carlos creative work has enhanced his ability to problem solve under tension and collaborate with others towards completing a project. Over the past dozen-plus years, 4Realty has been able to develop a niche market selling commercial and luxury investments and making 4Realty a full-service company that provides boutique quality care to its clients.

Carlo is a third-generation entrepreneur whose family has had a rich history in Belizes development. After acquiring his Bachelors in Business Management with a sub-specialty in Integrated Marketing Communications, Carlo joined Brothers Habet, the family business, and a leading hardware wholesaler/retailer nationwide. Seeing the opportunity for synergy with Brothers Habets own real estate developments, he decided to further his real estate education at Champions School of Real Estate in Plano, Texas.

He then founded 4Realty in 2009 after two years in the dual role of marketing and IT manager with Brothers Habet, maintaining his commitment to his familys company through thoughtful delegation. 4Realty immediately found a niche selling land to middle-income families, many of them first-time homeowners, but Carlo also found his own niche selling highly sought-after commercial properties in the citys commercial capital to local and international investors and businessmen.

Currently the President of the Belize National Association of Real Estate, he has been lobbying diligently for the establishment of regulatory legislation in the Belizean real estate industry. Over the years Carlo has served on various boards and dedicated his time to many causes, including the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Youth Business Trust Belize, The Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute, and most recently the National Bank of Belize Ltd. and the National Institute of Culture and History. He is also a partner at ARCH Consulting Group, an international development consulting firm serving Central America and the Caribbean region.

Visit Carlo Habet's Haute Residence Profile: https://www.hauteresidence.com/member/carlo-habet/

ABOUT HAUTE RESIDENCE

Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the worlds most extraordinary residences on the market and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners. The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts. HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more.

Access all of this information and more by visiting http://www.hauteresidence.com
"COVID-19 obviously was a net plus for POC, but the applications aren't limited to COVID-only."

A new report from market researcher Kalorama Information confirms what many in the industry have predicted for years: tests that can provide results at the point of care will see a greater market opportunity and growth rate than lab-based tests. The market research firm, part of Science and Medicine Group, said that in 2021, the POC market reached $41,149 million.

The firm notes that large market could be a temporary total depending and could decline based on how COVID-19 testing demand proceeds; however the market remains large and so does the growth rate, as the POC trend affects many segments including glucose, urinalysis and hematology.

"If you can get a result where it can make a difference, you are adding value that at least in aggregate of all products is getting around the price pressure on lab-based tests." said Bruce Carlson, SVP of Publications for Science and Medicine Group. "COVID-19 obviously was a net plus for POC, but the applications aren't limited to COVID-only."

Diagnostic tests performed outside the central laboratory or decentralized testing is generally known as point-of-care (POC), including rapid testing. POC tests are performed onsite in a medical facility while rapid testing can be run in various types of medical settings or at home.

Kalorama's analyst undergo detailed analysis of financial reports, medical journals and government data dn for two decades have made forecasts of IVD markets. projects that from 2023-2026, point of care technologies will grow nearly 8 percent in revenues per year. That's compared to 2-3% growth over in the IVD market.

The firm also notes:

Watch Wearable POC Test Devices: It is anticipated that the first diagnostic wearables will use what have been termed smartwatches. The most advanced in this area is Apples Apple Watch, with its built-in health and fitness apps and the HealthKit app development platform. Not only does HealthKit provide a set of tools for Apple Watch app developers, but it also serves as a cloud-based repository for patient-generated health data. It enables Apple Watches to collect and transfer data between compatible apps, to at-home health monitoring devices, and also to the EHRs of physicians and hospitals. Google Fit works on the Android phone operating system and is also courting EHR vendors and app developers who may want to leverage its repository of self-generated patient health information.

Kalorama notes that in December 2015, Google filed a patent potentially leading to a watch that can draw blood without a needle. This could have medical implications for patients with diabetes and other conditions where blood draws are a necessity. The device proposed would draw a minute drop of blood through a tiny particle shot at hyperspeed through the skin, without the wearer even really feeling the blood draw. Gentag (Washington, DC) has been developing wearable remote patient monitoring (RPM) biosensors for at least 10 years. The companys products have not yet been commercialized but claim to allow constant monitoring of physiological signals and provide a response to the need for monitoring individuals over weeks or months. In July 2016, Bellabeat (San Francisco, CA) launched their new Leaf Urban; a health tracker designed as a piece of jewelry for women that helps predict stress levels based on lifestyle habits. Bellabeat reported it has distributed over 400,000 devices.

Also to watch: Biosensors. Biosensor technology use substrates, nanomaterials and advanced spectroscopic or electromagnetic wavelength analysis methods to perform extremely sensitive testing on a small platform that signals results through an electronic digital system. Industry leveraging of biosensor and microfluidics technologies has been diverse with manifold products available on the market and in development. For instance, Scope Fluidics Group (Poland) introduced its PCR/One system. The PCR/One system is a 15-minute POC PCR for screening and syndromic testing that offers the most rapid detection of bacteria and viruses  up to 20 different pathogens and drug resistance genes. The system is designed to analyze samples in under 15 minutes and is compact making it suitable for use in almost any medical practice or hospital.

Kalorama notes that biosensoring is early in its development and proof of contribution to diagnostics, but the COVID crisis showed the need for faster results and results relevant to a patient.

"That doesn't mean the 'there is there' yet with biosensors as POC devices, but they are in the development mix," Carlson said. "And represent perhaps the ultimate point of care, maybe point before care which is even better."

For more information or to purchase The Worldwide Market for Point-of-Care (POC) Diagnostic Tests, 9th Edition, visit: https://kaloramainformation.com/product/the-worldwide-market-for-point-of-care-poc-diagnostic-tests-9th-edition/

About Kalorama Information:

Kalorama Information, part of Science and Medicine Group, has been a leading publisher of market research in medical markets, including the biotechnology, diagnostics, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries for more than 30 years. Our comprehensive, timely, quality research and innovative approach to analysis and presentation of market intelligence have made Kalorama Information a premier source of market information for top industry decision makers.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against General Logistics Systems US, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that General Logistics Systems US, Inc. violated the California Labor Code. The General Logistics Systems US, Inc. class action lawsuit, Case No. 34-2022-00318125, is currently pending in the Sacramento County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit filed, General Logistics Systems US, 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, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 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.

Additionally, General Logistics Systems US, Inc. allegedly administered a uniform practice of rounding, to the benefit of Defendant, the actual time worked and recorded by Plaintiff and California Class Members. As a result, Plaintiff and California Class Members were allegedly paid for less hours than the actual amount worked.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against General Logistics Systems US, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
As part of Preservation Month (May 2022), the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) will present 10 awards for noteworthy accomplishments in the preservation field, recognizing outstanding education, restoration, and revitalization projects, as well as organizational and individual leadership.

The 47th annual Maryland Preservation Awards, selected by MHTs Board of Trustees, will be live streamed to MHTs Facebook page throughout May. For a list of the events, go to facebook.com/marylandhistoricaltrust/events.

The following people, places, and programs will receive 2022 awards:

Calvert Prize - Theodore Ted H. Mack (Anne Arundel County) - Recipient of MHTs most prestigious award, Ted Mack has a lifetime of service in promoting Marylands African American heritage and has made a tremendous statewide impact in Maryland, particularly in his eight years as chair of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture.

Outstanding Individual Leadership at the Local Level - Susan Hanson (Frederick County) - Susan Hanson has advocated for the maintenance and preservation of Frederick Countys rural roads for more than 40 years. Building on her early success in the establishment of the Rural Roads Program, her current efforts are focused on continued protection and maintenance for historic roads, their landscapes, and safety.

Outstanding Organizational Leadership at the Local Level - Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Black History Program (Department of Parks and Recreation) (Prince George's County) - Founded in 1982, M-NCPPCs Black History Program has developed public programming on African American history for more than 40 years to enhance site interpretation and history education in Prince Georges County.

Excellence in Public Programming - Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park for Our Changing Waterfront (Anne Arundel County)- This new permanent exhibit connects residents and visitors with Annapolis maritime heritage and the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay. Exhibit highlights include high-tech digital interactives, virtual reality experiences, aquarium and outdoor habitats, and hands-on discovery.

Excellence in Media and Publications - Cathy Thompson and Nicole Diehlmann for In the Midst of these Plains (Charles County) - The result of many years of research and survey, In the Midst of These Plains is a 500-page, authoritative history of Charles Country as documented through its historic architecture and landscape.

Outstanding Stewardship of Archaeological Resources - Joe and Cheryl Smith for Barwicks Ordinary (Caroline County) - Joe and Cheryl Smith, stewards of the Barwicks Ordinary site (a colonial tavern associated with the first seat of Caroline County, 1774-1790), graciously host professional archaeological excavations with public education components to discover archaeological data.

Outstanding Stewardship by a Government Agency - Washington County with Gruber-Latimer Restoration and Building System, a Division of Lantz Construction, for Claggetts Mill Bridges (Washington County) - Built in 1840 and 1841, respectively, the Claggetts Mill Bridge and the Claggetts Mill Race Bridge were deteriorating until Washington County contracted with Building Systems and Gruber-Latimer Restoration to stabilize and restore both bridges.

Excellence in Commercial/Institutional Rehabilitation - CASA Baltimore for the Belnord Theatre (Baltimore City) - The LEED Gold rehabilitation of the 1921 Belnord Theatre in the East Monument Historic District restored the spatial volumes of the theater, repaired features such as the plaster ceilings, and reconstructed the original marquee. The project tripled CASAs service capacity to more than 11,000 clients annually, allowing greater access to job training, employment services, and social services.

Project Excellence: Community Impact - Ministry of Brewing (Baltimore City) - The Ministry of Brewing creatively converted the National Register-listed St. Michaels Catholic Church into a brewpub and a 37-unit apartment complex in East Baltimore, resulting in 25 new jobs and a fivefold increase in the local property tax base.

Project Excellence: Preservation Partnerships - Catoctin Furnace (Frederick County) - Preserving and interpreting the industrial village of Catoctin Furnace has been a collaborative effort over decades. Partnerships, cultivated and sustained by the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, have created a vibrant, diverse, and welcoming atmosphere in which visitors can learn the rich history of iron making and the individuals, enslaved and free, who labored there.
"We are very pleased to close our first investment, with the deal being fully committed just hours after the launch. Fairnances mission aligns with our ethos of positive social impact, in this case, for those excluded from traditional mortgages, and we are proud to help them on their journey."

Maydan Capital Ltd. (Maydan) today announced the successful closing of a seed round for Netherlands-based home-financing platform, Fairnance. With the mission to provide ethically-focused tech startups with visibility and access to investment, Fairnances fundraise marks the first completed deal for the UK equity investment platform.

Based on the concept of disintermediation in home-financing, Fairnance is trying to build an alternative home-financing solution that serves people in the Netherlands who are being excluded from homeownership for non-financial reasons.

Fairnance co-founder Amir Saleem said: We could not be more grateful for the support of investors who are joining Fairnance on its early journey and hope to reward that investor faith as we work towards our launch. His co-founder, Adriaan Brouwer, added: Beyond fundraising, we are delighted to have worked with a platform that shares our values and vision.We hope to continue our relationship with Maydan Capital in the longer term.

Maydan Capital CEO, Safdar Alam said We are very pleased to close our first investment, with the deal being fully committed just hours after the launch. Fairnances mission aligns with our ethos of positive social impact, in this case, for those excluded from traditional mortgages, and we are proud to help them on their journey.

As well as originating its own organic deal flow through its platform, Maydan will be working with selected partners to open up opportunities previously reserved for the Venture Capital and institutional markets. The announcement comes shortly after a signed partnership between Maydan Capital and Waed Ventures, the VC arm of the Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Centre, to support Saudi-based startups. Maydan has also partnered with other international organisations, such as the UK Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UKPCCI), which connects business circles in the UK and Pakistan to promote trade and investment between the two regions.

Safdar added, We believe it is important for all investors to have access to opportunities to grow their wealth in a meaningful way that directs capital to businesses that are aligned to their values. We will continue to bring more ethical deals like this one to the market.

Learn more about Maydan and its upcoming fundraising opportunities at maydancapital.com.

About Maydan Capital

Maydan Capital is an equity-focused private placement platform for early-stage and growth companies. Maydan connects retail, accredited and sophisticated investors directly to vetted equity offerings in emerging digital businesses, providing each a direct line to growth. Equity investments are not readily realisable and involve risks, including loss of capital, illiquidity, lack of dividends and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. Investments of this type are only for investors who understand these risks. You will only be able to invest in the company once you have met our conditions for becoming a registered member.

Maydan Capital Ltd. is registered in England and Wales (Company No. 13451691), registered office: 5th floor East Lansdowne House 57, Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, W1J 6ER, UK. Maydan Capital Ltd (FRN: 963613) is an appointed representative of Wahed Invest Ltd (FRN: 833225), an authorised and regulated firm by the Financial Conduct Authority.

maydancapital.com

About Fairnance

Fairnance is a Netherlands-based home-financing platform that strives to make homeownership accessible to those who are currently excluded. With an equity-based financing product that shares risks equally between homeowner and investor, Fairnance offers a suitable solution to a diverse generation already burdened by a large debt. Fairnance is working towards fairness in finance. 100% debt-free.
Rhode Island College educates the most economically, culturally and racially diverse cross-section of Rhode Islanders of any four-year institution in the state. Hispanic Serving Institution designation is a recognition of RIC's growing student diversity and its dedication to expanding access to higher education for all Rhode Islanders.

Rhode Island College (RIC) announced today that it has become the first institution of higher education in Rhode Island to earn federal Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) status. HSI status is defined by the Higher Education Act and designated by the U.S. Department of Education to acknowledge Title V-eligible colleges and universities where 25 percent or more of total undergraduate full-time equivalent student enrollment identifies as Hispanic or Latinx. Eligibility must be met annually.

As of 2021, there were 559 HSIs across 29 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, enrolling two-thirds of all Hispanic/Latinx undergraduates in the U.S. RIC currently has the highest percentage of Hispanic/Latinx students of any institution of higher education in the state, with 25 percent.

The designation makes the college eligible to apply for additional federal funding to expand educational opportunities for and improve the academic attainment of Hispanic/Latinx students. These funds are also intended to expand and enhance the overall academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of the college. The college fully intends to pursue a Title V grant this summer as well as other capacity building grants. With Rhode Islands Hispanic/Latinx population growing by nearly 40 percent over the last decade, from 12.4 percent in the 2010 Census to 16.6 percent in 2020, HSI status is aligned with the colleges mission to make a four-year degree accessible to all Rhode Islanders.

The designation is a recognition of RIC's growing student diversity and its dedication to expanding access to higher education for all Rhode Islanders. HSIs tend to serve high concentrations of diverse populations that have historically been underrepresented in higher education; have high percentages of low-income students; and serve a large number of first-generation college students. With nearly 40 percent of RIC undergraduates identifying as people of color and nearly half identifying as the first in their families to attend college, the school educates the most economically, culturally and racially diverse cross-section of Rhode Islanders of any four-year institution in the state.

One of Rhode Island College's greatest strengths is the diversity of our students. As a Latina born and raised in Rhode Island, I have seen and lived these demographic changes over the years, said Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anna Cano-Morales. Hispanic Serving Institution designation is a recognition of that growing diversity, as well as our commitment to ensuring that we also create actionable and institution-wide changes leading to equity and inclusion. We are proud that our campus community continues to be more representative of the state that it serves every year."

HSI status could also help increase enrollments. With the number of high school graduates in New England expected to decline by nearly 13 percent over the next 15 years, Hispanic/Latinx students represent one of the few growth areas for recruitment. Though 16.6 percent of the states population is Hispanic/Latinx, they account for 22 percent of all K-12 students in Rhode Island and approximately 68 percent of all Providence Public School students. Similarly, the school has identified transfer students as a high-priority opportunity to grow its enrollments. In 2018, Hispanic/Latinx students earned nearly one quarter of all associate degrees nationwide.

We are extremely proud to be the first school in Rhode Island to earn Hispanic Serving Institution status, said Rhode Island College President Frank D. Sanchez, the first Hispanic-American president of a college or university in Rhode Island. This is in keeping with our legacy of being the state's first public institution of higher education, as well as our ongoing mission to put a four-year degree within reach for more Rhode Islanders. With Rhode Island residents making up nearly 90 percent of our undergraduate students and more than 70 percent of our graduates continuing to live and work here, we truly are Rhode Island's college.

About Rhode Island College

Rhode Island College is a regional comprehensive public college that serves approximately 6,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students through its five schools: The Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Business, the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. Established in 1854, it is Rhode Islands first public institution of higher education.

The college is located on a beautiful 180-acre suburban campus in the vibrant city of Providence, and has satellite locations at the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center in Providences Innovation District and the Rhode Island College Workforce Development Hub in Central Falls, RI. Rhode Island College is known throughout the Northeast for its 200 high-quality academic programs, small class size, personalized, hands-on learning experiences, world class faculty, and high value compared to other four-year institutions. For more information, visit http://www.ric.edu.
You Have Victory in the Word: Overcoming Difficult Issues in Your Life through the Word of God: a potent reminder of the importance of having a strong spiritual life. You Have Victory in the Word: Overcoming Difficult Issues in Your Life through the Word of God is the creation of published author Rufus McDowell, Jr., D. Min., a native of Griffin, Georgia, and United States Army veteran who received his AAS in management and bachelors degree in health care administration from Wayland Baptist University.

McDowell shares, But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

The call and urgency for people to accept Jesus Christ as Lord is paramount for a victorious and abundant lifestyle. This book is designed to provide you with information that will be helpful and insightful in your intimacy and walk with Christ. From my own encounters through adversities, I have realized that it is utmost meaningful and significant to study the Bible and apply its truths in every situation and circumstance regarding mundane events of daily life.

During my Christian journey, I grasped how much believers need an example and ministerial help when undergoing trials and difficulty. Resultant from years of conducting pastoral ministry and counseling others, I determined that many do not know the Word of God nor the promises that are available to them. Thus, I began to preach and teach You Have Victory in the Word. The Spirit gave me revelation that all of lifes issues are addressed in the Bible. Simply put, I discovered that the Holy Spirit is not constricted to the pages of scriptures, but He wants to provide every believer with principles that will aid them to be successful in spite of the storms of life. This book will help you navigate the torrential and hammering degrees of lifes challenging moments.

Finally, the Bible describes in clear and unmistakable language how we should react to the Word of God in all its different forms. We must eagerly hear Gods Word and let it be our joy and delight. We must accept what the Word of God says, hide it deep within our hearts, trust in it, and put our hope in its promises.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Rufus McDowell, Jr., D. Min.s new book will inspire and encourage readers in their walk of faith.

McDowell shares in hopes of empowering others to lean into Gods Word to find strength during the valleys of life.

Consumers can purchase You Have Victory in the Word: Overcoming Difficult Issues in Your Life through the Word of God at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about You Have Victory in the Word: Overcoming Difficult Issues in Your Life through the Word of God, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Sandler Partners, a leading independent technology solutions distributor, and one of the nations fastest-growing private companies, welcomes Albert Herrera as Director, Channel  Florida. In his new role, he will help build and support the greater Florida market by assisting Partner agents in sourcing the ideal technology solutions for their customers.

Albert is well known and experienced in the channel, having been a prominent industry veteran representing notable technology brands including Dialpad, 8x8, and RingCentral over the past 25 years. This deep understanding of solutions, customer needs, and evolving leads into deals will help our Partners grow their business while expanding our overall community.

Florida is an incredibly important market in our country and for Sandler Partners future growth, states Mark Phaneuf, Sandler Partners' Senior Vice President, East. Alberts dedicated presence, enthusiasm, and experience in Florida is an asset that I know our Partners will appreciate, and come to rely upon.

I look forward to the opportunity to create deeper relationships with our Partners and help support their needs, as actively or hands-off as they need, adds Albert. Ive partnered with Sandler Partners in the past, and know the influence, competence, and impact they bring to every deal and solution deployment. It will be wonderful to contribute to the success of Floridas Sandler Partners community.

About Sandler Partners

Sandler Partners is Americas fastest-growing technology solutions brokerage and distributor of connectivity and cloud services. In 2021, Sandler Partners was included on the Inc. 5000 list of Americas Fastest-Growing Private Companies for the 12th straight year. Over the years, theyve expanded beyond their telecom roots to deliver best-in-class cloud, colocation, mobility, continuity, and security solutions from 200+ suppliers through a network of 9,000+ expert technology sales partners  agents, VARs, and MSPs  to thousands of small, medium, and enterprise organizations nationwide.

How Partners Benefit

Independently owned. Independent spirit. The Sandler Partners community gains access to an industry-leading support network of sales, marketing, and engineering professionals, plus the Sandler Portals Marketing Center (with customizable campaigns), and sales tools like SCOUTs real-time cable pricing and the Solution Finder. Sandler Partners also have the industrys strongest agreements and a team with a proven track record of ensuring all commissions are found, tracked, and paid.
Uniquely Made: My Journey Through Christianity: an encouraging examination of a life lived in search of Gods promise. Uniquely Made: My Journey Through Christianity is the creation of published author Stephanie Anderson, a loving wife and mother of five with two beloved children on Earth and three in Heaven.

Anderson shares, Isnt it encouraging when you hear someone share an experience they have gotten through? It can be discouraging though when no one seems to share similar experiences as you. It can make you feel alone and even think something is wrong with you.

Stephanie felt that way about her salvation story and other parts of her life. She wants to give you hope that you are not alone and encourage you. If she could get through abuse, self-hate, grief, relationships, ministry, and more on her journey of life and faith, then you can get through anything life throws at you too.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Stephanie Andersons new book offers readers a heartfelt explanation of her journey of faith with thoughtful reflections and relevant scripture.

Anderson shares in hopes of empowering others seeking a connection with God despite what life has thrown in the way.

Consumers can purchase Uniquely Made: My Journey Through Christianity at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Uniquely Made: My Journey Through Christianity, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
No Men in the Village: a gripping journey of personal and spiritual growth. No Men in the Village is the creation of published author Tanya L. Orr, a loving wife and mother with a passion for creating.

Orr shares, Love is an intimate part of who we are as human beings. Its the ebb and flow of our very existence. And when that flow is interrupted by such challenges as fear, disappointment, hurt, separation, and grief, we tend to run away from the one thing that gives us strength. We sometimes forget that love will never disappoint us, it wont hurt us or separate us or cause us to be afraid. In fact, love is the only thing we can truly count on.

Have you ever had something to say but was kept silent by a secret that only your heart knew but refused to tell? Well, Darius did.

Have you ever felt locked away while on the inside your heart was wide-open? Well, Darius did.

Have you ever felt unknown and yet longed to be known? Well, Darius did.

And have you ever been so in love with love but was frightened by its presence? Well, Darius was until the day a star from heaven fell into his arms and rescued him from all his fears. With her boldness, she intrigued him; with her kindness, she invited him in; and with her love, she changed him forever.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Tanya L. Orrs new book offers a fascinating murder mystery alongside a love story for the ages.

Orr continues to delight with affable characters, compelling action, and engrossing circumstance within the pages of her most recent work.

Consumers can purchase No Men in the Village at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about No Men in the Village, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Twig- Your Bank of Things It is an absolute honor to be named as the winner of the App category at Fasts 2022 World Changing Idea Award, a testament to our progressive and innovative solution merging fintech and sustainability. This recognition will continue to inspire our work and community.''

Twig, the Bank of Things, has been announced as the winner of the Apps category as part of the Fast Company 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards.

Twig is the fastest growing fintech in Europe, rooted in the circular economy principles.

Twigs mission is to empower consumers to value, unlock, and enjoy wealth they never knew they had, best described by its founder, Geri Cupi as the Bank of Things.

Twig allows its users to instantly tokenize real world and digital assets, in a sustainable manner, converting them into currency which they can spend freely.

Currently, users can sell or trade-in their fashion clothing and electronics in exchange for instant cash, which they use towards their next purchases.

In addition to the app, Twig has launched Twig Pay, a merchant- integrated payment solution allowing consumers to enjoy the convenience of circularity payments, seamlessly at the checkout.

Geri Cupi, Founder and CEO at Twig comments:

It is an absolute honor to be named as the winner of the App category at Fasts 2022 World Changing Idea Award, a testament to our progressive and innovative solution merging fintech and sustainability. This recognition means the world to us and our community, but most importantly it inspires us to look forward and contribute even more to a better collective future.

We thank Fast Company and its reader base for supporting Twig.

Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists, and more than 600 honorable mentionswith climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more. In addition, several new categories have been added this year including climate, nature, water, and workplace. The 2022 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Australia.

Fast Companys Summer 2022 issue (on newsstands May 10, 2022) will showcase some of the worlds most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling global challenges. The issues highlight, among others, probiotics for coral reefs, easy-to-assemble kit homes for refugees or disaster survivors, a 3D printed vaccine patch, an electric truck, a system to heat homes from the waste heat of a name-brand factory, and prosecutor-initiated resentencing for overly long prison sentences.

We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our societys most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges, says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution.

About Twig

Twig is a London, UK based new generation fintech, rooted in circular economy principles, founded by Geri Cupi in 2020.

Twigs central mission is to empower consumers to value, unlock, and enjoy wealth they never knew they had. Users have instant cash access while deposing goods they no longer want- in addition to enjoying traditional banking service benefits (debit card, domestic and international bank transfers). Vis-a-vis this activity, Twig powers the circular economy, making Twig a positive and compelling environmentally conscious choice for the consumer.

Twig recently released its first white paper How Twig Redefines the Future of Ownership and Empowers Gen Z to Live a Sustainable Lifestyle Download: https://twigcard.com/white-paper

About the World Changing Ideas Awards

World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Companys major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

Media relations and asset release

For more info, contact ben.demiri@twig-group.com
At UMHS, we offer academic support and career resources to help Canadian med students achieve their dreams. Dr. Bremner and Dr. Khan represent the type of purpose-driven and passionate physicians were proud to count among our alumni.

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences, (UMHS), a small, mission-driven medical school with a commitment to student support and a legacy of successful residency placements in the United States and Canada, today announced that it will host a livestream event, Pathways to Practicing Medicine in Canada: UMHS Alumni Share Their Experiences on Monday, May 9 at 7 pm EDT. UMHS alumni Rebecca Bremner, MD, a hospitalist at Lakeview Family Health in Trenton, Ontario and Shamim Shakeel Khan, MD, a family medicine physician at Dayspring Medical Centre in Bolton, Ontario, will discuss their individual journeys to medical school, describe their pathways to practicing medicine in Canada, review key differences between practicing medicine in the United States and Canada, and provide tips for students hoping to establish a medical practice in Canada. Following the presentation, Drs. Bremner and Khan will answer audience questions during a live Q & A session. The event will be livestreamed on the UMHS YouTube channel as well as on the UMHS Facebook and LinkedIn pages. The presentation will also be recorded for future viewing.

Determination, hard work, and persistence are critical for anyone who dreams of becoming a doctor, and for Canadians who go to medical school abroad and dream of returning home to practice medicine, the path can be even more challenging, said Warren Ross, president of UMHS. At UMHS, we offer academic support and career resources to help Canadian med students achieve their dreams. Dr. Bremner and Dr. Khan are two recent graduates whose courage and resolve in the face of additional hurdles, including a global pandemic, represent the type of purpose-driven and passionate physicians were proud to count among our alumni.

The UMHS livestream will kick off with each doctor describing their individual journey to medical school -- including what it was like for them to get on a plane for the first time in their lives to go to medical school in St. Kitts. Theyll also talk about their experiences of completing their residency in the United States, how they prepared to return to Canada to practice medicine, and describe a day in the life of a working physician. Dr. Bremner and Dr. Khan will also discuss how they are building their individual practices in Canada.

The virtual town hall event is the latest in the series of presentations featuring UMHS faculty and alumni sharing their expertise on topics targeted toward current and prospective medical students and healthcare professionals. Past events include:



UMHS Women in Medicine: A Conversation About the First Year of Residency

Cardiology: A Discussion About Cardiac Care & Careers in Cardiology

Non-Traditional Medical Students - Medical School Admissions and Residency Advisors Reveal All!

Black Women in Medicine: A Conversation About the Black Experience

Ask a Microbiologist

Suicide Prevention and the State of Psychiatry

LGBTQ+ Medicine and Theory

Links to view all past discussions may be found by visiting this link.

To join Pathways to Practicing Medicine in Canada: UMHS Alumni Share Their Experiences on Monday, May 9, at 7 pm EDT visit the UMHS live events and meetings page.

About UMHS

The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS), is a small, mission-driven medical school with a commitment to student support and a legacy of successful residency placements in the United States and Canada. UMHS was founded in 2007 by medical education pioneers Warren and Robert Ross to deliver a highly personalized school experience. Graduates of UMHS earn a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) and qualify to practice medicine throughout the United States and Canada. Students begin their Basic Science studies in St. Kitts, West Indies, and complete their clinical training in the United States. With an unprecedented 96% student retention rate, the vast majority of students that begin their medical studies at UMHS go on to obtain residencies. For more information, visit https://www.umhs-sk.org/.
Empowering Consumers Through Mental Health Initiatives

American advertisers are playing a bit of a long-term good cop / bad cop routine with the consumer public. After nearly a century of bombarding audiences' brains with slimmed down, sexed up, and entirely this way or the highway visual stimuli, brands are now turning to mental health support as a way to engage with key consumer bases  particularly younger, more impressionable ones. With one in five Americans experiencing a mental health challenge, and 82% of consumers preferring value-driven brands whose principles align with their own, the (admittedly ironic) shift from hard sell to soft support is just good business.

Mental healthcare a marketing goldrush for psychedelics?

The picture of what legal psychedelic-assisted therapy might look like is being shaped by the brand and marketing strategies of companies hoping to sell those same psychedelic products to the masses, pending FDA approval. For these alternative treatments to have a true impact, it is important for brands not to get too carried away. The Drum

Short film from Dove teaches teens about toxic media influences

Idealized beauty content on social media is proven to cause low self-esteem, especially among young girls, and Dove is fighting back with a new short film highlighting how toxic both media influence and influencers can be on teen's self perception. Dove

Big tech creates an employment portal for neurodivergent job seekers

Microsoft has developed a career portal for neurodivergent job seekers called the Neurodiversity Career Connector. The platform also posts jobs from Google, IBM, Dell, and a handful of other tech companies. Career Connector

L.L. Bean urges people to get outside for their mental health

The iconic Maine-based outdoor apparel company is encouraging its shoppers to spend more time outdoors by pausing all of its own social media for the month of May, which happens to be mental health awareness month. LL Bean

Creating Alternative Health And Wellness Destinations

Optimal wellbeing and physical health are guiding forces in consumers lives today, informing their preferred brands and products and ultimately driving purchase decisions and loyalty. Research in PSFK's latest report indicates the boom in healthcare and wellness markets provides an attractive and exciting opportunity for retailers looking to grow their customer base and expand their services in innovative and impactful ways.

Albertsons makes it easier to buy fresh food and medicine

In response to a heightened consumer focus on their personal health, Albertsons Companies is expanding affordable, convenient access to wellness products and fresh food for millions of shoppers with a new supplementary benefits program. Read More

Walmart and Snap debut AR lens encouraging healthy food choices

Snap Scan Shop is launched in partnership with Merediths Allrecipes, Snap and Walmart and offers a shoppable solution for home chefs looking for the perfect, and perfectly responsible, meal. PSFK

Walgreens opens health offerings in underserved communities

Since acquiring VillageMD in 2021, Walgreens Boots Alliance has been expanding the footprint of the doctor-staffed clinics at a breakneck pace, opening a new location nearly every three days. Read More

Download Today: A PSFK Guide to Health & Wellness Services

5 engagement strategies that leverage health and wellness trends to deliver superior, repeat-driven experiences. Details

PSFK's Guide for brands and retailers to win loyalty and repeat spend by providing health and wellness services to their customers.

For Community, By Community

It is a truth universally acknowledged that consumers want to have special people around them who make them feel better. They strive to exist within an ecosystem of things that matter to them and flatter their core values and life principles. Brands that tap into and support these beneficially-focused behavioral drivers are finding they can establish loyal communities and incubate real, positive change.

Reddit launches Community Funds initiative

Beginning next month, Reddit is inviting communities to submit ideas to its newly-official Community Funds project. During the projects pilot trial, Reddit funded projects including a comics tournament, a community-designed musical artist billboard in Times Square, and a digital conference for history buffs, bringing them to life with financial support. Reddit

New York's Hudson Valley CoHousing movement

The Cantines Island intentional co-housing community in New York's Hudson Valley is one part lifestyle, one part old-fashioned neighborhood, where members are committed to governing through consensus and own their own homes, as well as share ownership of common buildings and resources according to their location and need. Cantines Island

Dr. Martens brand attitude borrows from its different communities

Dr. Martens creative director Darren McKoy talks to The Face about the power of community and how he finds creative inspiration for the future in the uniquely independent ways different groups of consumer communities across the globe interpret the brands ethos. The Face

WhatsApp launches Communities a new vision for group chats

Metas WhatsApp messaging service will now allow users to participate in larger discussion groups, called Communities. The Communities feature will include added support for file sharing, 32-person group calls and emoji reactions, as well as admin tools and moderation controls. Meta

Every PSFK report now available for $495. Even the old ones. Maybe we have just the right insights to help you get smart quick on that topic you're working today? psfk.com/reports

Also In The News & Opinions This Week
In Killers Amidst Killers: Hunting Serial Killers Operating Under the Cloak of Americas Opiod Epidemic (Morrow, July), journalist Jensen investigates the cases of 30 women who were murdered in Ohio in the 2010s.

How did this book evolve?

It started off as a murder mystery. There were two women who were best friends. They both lived together, they both went missing, and their bodies were found outside of South Columbus, Ohio. And when I went to do that story, I learned of another girl who looked just like those two, who had gone missing a couple of years before. And then I started asking, Whats going on in this town?

What did you find?

I started seeing a trend, and as I got deeper into these womens lives, there was this vicious cycle that was going on, where they had been caught in the opioid epidemic, and had, for one reason or another, started taking pills. The pills got taken away. Usually, a boyfriend would introduce them to heroin. Then they would have to pay for the heroin somehow, and then they would have to engage in sex work, the most dangerous job in the world, and ended up being taken off the streets, but no one was writing about them.

What surprised you the most?

On top of these sex workers disappearing, you had a vice squad which had police officers who literally were picking up women on the street who were sex workers, and telling them either you can have sex with mewhich is rapeor you can go to jail. And they were raping these women, and then one of them fought back, and a cop, Andrew Mitchell, was charged by the local prosecutor with murdering her, though Mitchell claimed self-defense. Oftentimes, vice squads are one of the places in the police where things go awry, but this was beyond the pale.

You refer to the lack of information sharing among law-enforcement agencies playing a part in how these murders were mishandledcan you expand on that?

Theres no national unsolved murders database that could be used to investigate; the closest thing is the Murder Accountability Project, but there are no names of victims attached to the information there. Theres no missing persons databasethink about that. Theres a government-funded clearinghouse, NamUs, but law enforcement agencies arent forced to enter that information in there, just as with the Murder Accountability Project, which is also voluntary. So theres no effective centralizing of information. It used to be that you could rely on the press, but the press is so shorthanded now.
May 6, 2022

Ascension St. Vincent neighborhood hospital coming to Purdue University campus

The Ascension St. Vincent microhospital will join the growing Discovery Park District at Purdue, which includes corporate business ventures and collaborations with the university, key research hubs, and student and family housing. The district is adjacent to Purdue Universitys campus. (Purdue Research Foundation photo) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Ascension St. Vincent and Purdue University are pleased to announce plans to build a neighborhood hospital in the Discovery Park District at Purdue, adjacent to Purdue Universitys campus. Ascension St. Vincent has purchased seven acres of land from the university located at the northeast corner of Airport Road and Highway 231. The facility will bring inpatient and emergency care within the city of West Lafayette for the first time. Key features of the project include:

Eight private inpatient medical beds

Eight Emergency Department treatment rooms

CT and other imaging services

Laboratory services

Modern architecture

Convenient parking

State-of-the-art consumer-focused technology, including telemedicine

This neighborhood hospital is the first development of what will become a larger medical complex at the Purdue University campus that will focus mainly on outpatient care.

Our expansion in West Lafayette comes at a time when access to convenient health care options is more important than ever, said Jonathan Nalli, chief executive officer of Ascension St. Vincent Indiana. We are responding to the communitys need for new ways to access high-quality care in a way that fits into everyday life.

Neighborhood hospitals bridge a persistent gap, offering quick service and serving as a middle ground between larger hospitals and urgent care centers. Inpatient hospital stays have become less common, and neighborhood hospitals provide convenient alternatives that are close to home and smaller, with easily accessible surface parking, shorter wait times and lower costs.

This facility will bring more options and additional competition to the health care market in the region, bolstering efforts by the university to continue to provide high-quality health care while managing cost, said Chris Ruhl, Purdue chief financial officer and treasurer.

Ascension St. Vincent will assume possession of the site in late spring of 2022. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer of 2022.

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said the addition of a new medical facility is an important piece of the growing Discovery Park District.

When we first envisioned this new live, work, play district, access to health facilities was among the priorities, Daniels said. Ascension St. Vincent has stepped up to provide this much-needed new option for residents of our entire region.

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis said, The city of West Lafayette has been working toward bringing expanded medical services to the area for several years. Our growing permanent resident and student population has demonstrated the need for a comprehensive health facility in a convenient and accessible location. Were excited to welcome Ascension micro-hospital to the DIscovery Park District at Purdue University and the city of West Lafayette.

Lafayette mayor Tony Roswarski said, Greater Lafayette is very fortunate to currently have excellent health care providers in our community. Health care is constantly changing, and medical facilities are always looking for ways to put health care closer to the patient. The addition of the Ascension St. Vincent micro-hospital in West Lafayette will enhance our quality of life initiative by providing additional, efficient and convenient medical options for Greater Lafayette.

Kristin Glazner, general counsel and chief of human resources at Wabash, the innovative leader of engineered solutions in the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, said, As one of the largest employers in Greater Lafayette, we have a substantial interest in how our people are cared for outside of Wabash. Access to health care is key for communities to thrive and grow. Were pleased Ascension St. Vincents new facility will bring more choice and health care services to our employees and the community at large.

This project follows the announced expansion of the Ascension St. Vincent 86th Street Campus in Indianapolis, which consists of a dedicated brain and spine hospital, the relocation of Ascension St. Vincent Womens Hospital with the addition of 109 new, private neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) rooms, and a new parking garage.

About Ascension St. Vincent

Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based health care organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As one of the leading nonprofit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2021, Ascension provided $2.3 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 150,000 associates and 40,000 aligned providers. The national health system operates more than 2,600 sites of care  including 142 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities  in 19 states and the District of Columbia, while providing a variety of services including clinical and network services, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, risk management, and contracting through Ascensions own group purchasing organization.

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/.

Ascension St. Vincent media contact: Emily Garrett, 317-752-2008, emily.garrett@ascension.org



Purdue University media contact: Tim Doty, doty2@purdue.edu
Controversial University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax has jumped into hot water again.

In 2017, Waxs colleagues at Penns Law School attacked her as racist for writing a Philadelphia Inquirer commentary promoting bourgeois values like hard work, self-discipline, politeness, and getting married before having children.

As Frederick Hess notes in Forbes, no matter their race, most Americans agree with these views. Yet in politically correct academia, you can lose your job for saying such things.

Naturally, Wax faced a woke mob out for vengeance. Thirty-three of her law school colleagues condemned her statements; 4,000 others signed a petition to terminate her employment.

Say what you will about Wax, the lady has courage. In a December 2021 podcast with Brown University professor Glenn Loury, Wax claimed that the U.S. has too many Asians, warning about the danger of the dominance of an Asian elite in this country. Responding to a critic, Wax raised concerns about the large percentage of Asian and South Asian Americans voting for Democrats. Her conservative host, Loury, described Waxs statements as outrageous.

To his credit, Penn Law School dean Theodore Ruger defended Waxs free speech rights while also denouncing her views as xenophobic and white supremacist. Despite her having won a teaching award, Penn long ago banned Wax from teaching required courses, fearing her presence would emotionally trigger the Ivy League schools sensitive future attorneys, many of whom have repeatedly demanded her firing.

Now Wax is at it again. In April, on the Tucker Carlson show, Wax opined that non-Western peoples, including Americans of African, Asian, and South Asian descent, resent the superior achievements of Western societies. The pugnacious Wax even insulted the massive and hideous university bureaucracy investigating her, saying, Im not terribly worried about it.

Amy Wax is our fellow American. Like her, we agree that hard work and personal responsibility made America great. We also agree that the rule of law and limited government that is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution allows Americans to flourish.

We emphatically disagree about demographic diversity. Survey research and our own personal experiences show that across demographic groups, Americans share common values. Though British political thought did the most to shape American government, American values belong to no single race, religion, or continent of origin.

Wax should remember that in living memory, many feared that Jewish immigrants like her parents would undermine the nation. Luckily, in America, xenophobia usually lost out  or else Wax herself would not be here. As President George Washington wrote in welcoming our nations first synagogue, America is a free, diverse country where every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig-tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.

Fear is the key concept here. The way universities work, it is far easier for leftists to fire rightists than the other way around. Analyzing largescale surveys, political scientist Eric Kaufmann finds that over a third of conservative academics and PhD students have been threatened with disciplinary action for their views compared to fewer than one in ten liberals.

We predict that in the coming months, on one pretext or another, Penns massive bureaucracy will fire Professor Wax, not for poor performance but for stating beliefs that millions of Americans share but fear to say. Thats exactly how non-Western countries like Russia and China treat dissenters. Ironically, firing Wax will make her a martyr, increasing support for her ideas.

The First Amendment offers a better way. We challenge Professor Wax to debate whether demographic diversity makes America stronger or weaker.

Lets beat bad ideas with persuasion  not coercion. That may not be the University of Pennsylvania way, but it is the American way.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/06/2022



ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Loren Goldstone has revealed she's pregnant again with Baby No. 3!Loren and her husband Alexei Brovarnik are parents of sons Shai Josef, 2, and Asher Noah, nine months, and now the couple has another baby on the way.The pregnancy news comes only about nine months after the couple welcomed Asher into the world."Happy Early Mother's Day. We are so excited to finally say that baby #3 is on its way," Loren, 33, captioned two photos Friday on Instagram.One of the photos featured Loren, Alexei and their two toddlers, and the other image was a standalone of Loren showing off her growing baby bump in a green crop top and blue unbuttoned jeans."We are going to wait to see if it's a girl or a boy, either way we are so overjoyed!" Loren revealed in the post."Life will be crazy with 3 under 3, but we can't wait to meet you this fall, BabyB! #teambrovarnik #babyb #boyorgirl #lorenandalexeiafterthe90days."The new baby is going to arrive in Fall 2022."Thank you for all the kind words and well wishes. We are very excited!" Loren gushed in her Instagram Story on Friday, showing off her baby bump.Loren clarified in an interview with Us Weekly how she and Alexei want to wait "until the baby is born" to find out its sex."I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified -- I am," Loren told the magazine of expanding her brood even more. "But nothing we can't handle."The couple welcomed their first child , Shai, on April 14, 2020, just five months before their five-year wedding anniversary.And Loren, who announced she was expecting another baby in March 2021, gave birth to her second son on August 16, 2021.The pair therefore had back-to-back kids amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Loren previously acknowledged she was already thinking about having a third child shortly after bring Asher home from the hospital.Loren told Us in January 2022 that she hoped to have another baby and then focus on herself and undergo a "head to toe" transformation after that."I want to have a mommy makeover done within the next few years," Loren said at the time. "So time's ticking [on having another baby]."When asked what her makeover will consist of, Loren shared, "We're going to tuck [my chin] in and get [my breasts] out and we're going to tighten [my stomach and waist]. A little bit [of work on my arms].""I think it's crazy!" Alexei chimed in with a smile."Everything!" Loren insisted. "Nothing crazy. If I'm under [anesthesia], I'm under, so just do it!"But Alexei asked his wife to leave her face, including her nose and mouth, alone. Loren agreed and said she isn't interested in a facelift or anything like that.Loren admitted she "one million percent" feels pressure to bounce back, physically, after having children."I will say that's the downfall about sharing your postpartum journey on social media," Loren said. "But there's also a positive to it because not everybody bounces back like some people and that's okay.""I want to show people that women go through these life changes," Loren continued, "and you grow a human inside of you, so it takes time to let your body heal. And I actually loved sharing that journey with people."Alexei shared in January how Loren has always wanted a girl and they'd like to try for a girl. But Loren apparently changed her mind and came around to the idea of having three boys.Loren therefore joked they'll probably end up with twin girls, "knowing [her] luck."Loren and Alexei recently starred in a spinoff, Loren & Alexei: After the 90 Days, which premiered on January 10 on TLC.The couple's show immediately followed another new spinoff, David & Annie: After the 90 Days, which starred David Toborowsky and his wife Annie Suwan The series featured a pregnant Loren expecting the couple's second child.She and Alexei took a last-minute trip to Israel for Alexei, attended mommy-and-me classes, and enjoyed babymoons. And viewers also witnessed a scary trip to the NICU.After Asher was born, he spent a little time in the NICU before Loren and Alexei were able to take him home.The show then documented the couple bringing their newborn home and embarking on a life of raising two children under the age of two Loren from Hollywood Beach, FL, and Alexei from Nazareth Illit, Israel, initially appeared on Season 3 of followed by the first two seasons of : Happily Ever After?.After meeting on Loren's birthright trip to Israel, she visited Alexei five times in one year before he popped the question.Alexei said he applied for a Tourist Visa twice but got denied and so the couple decided to apply for a K-1 visa instead.Once Alexei got approved for the K-1 visa and traveled to America, the couple had to overcome some challenges, such as Loren having strippers at her bachelorette party, but they still got married during his 90-day visit in September 2015.Alexei and Loren, who took Alexei's last name of Brovarnik, also subsequently had a second ceremony in Israel in July 2016 so both of their families could celebrate and witness their union.It didn't take long for Loren to get baby fever after getting married.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
The man who allegedly rushed onstage and attacked comedian Dave Chappelle during his performance earlier this week at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles won't face felony charges.

ADVERTISEMENT

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon's office declined Thursday to file felony charges against 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, who was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after he appeared to tackle Chappelle during Tuesday's comedy show.

The district attorney's office opted against pursuing felony charges despite Lee carrying a replica pistol with a folding knife attached to it. The Los Angeles Times reported that Lee didn't appear to brandish the weapon during the incident, and the weapon was inside a bag that Lee was carrying.

"After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct," Greg Risling, spokesperson for the L.A. County District Attorney's Office, said in a statement. "The District Attorney's Office does not prosecute misdemeanor crimes within the city of Los Angeles."

The case instead was referred to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for misdemeanor filing consideration. In a short video message, L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer said his office will "vigorously prosecute this case."

Lee, who is still being held on $30,000 bail, is now facing multiple misdemeanor charges related to the incident, according to court documents. He has been charged with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault and two charges related to interfering with a performer.

"This alleged attack has got to have consequences," Feuer said in his video message. "My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously, and we're going to vigorously prosecute this case."

Footage of the alleged attack is sparse as attendees' phones were made inaccessible during Chappelle's stand-up performance. Phones could be used, however, in certain designated areas.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!

Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

Some patrons managed to film a man rushing onstage and tackling Chappelle before he was apprehended by security and reportedly Jamie Foxx , who attended the Netflix Is A Joke festival.

Other footage showed the aftermath of the alleged incident, with Chappelle seemingly unaffected. Chappelle also was joined onstage by Foxx and Chris Rock, who jokingly referenced Will Smith.

Chappelle also made multiple jokes following the alleged incident.

"It was a trans man," Chappelle quipped shortly after the attack, referencing the past controversy surrounding his Netflix stand-up special The Closer.

If convicted on the misdemeanor counts, Lee faces up to 1 1/2 years in jail and a $4,000 fine.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are celebrating their son Archie's third birthday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The duke and duchess of Sussex marked the occasion Friday by dedicating a post to their son on Twitter.

Harry and Markle shared a photo from Archie's christening at Windsor Castle in 2019. The picture also includes Harry's brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, and other family.

"Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today," Harry and Markle captioned the post.

The royal family's official Twitter account posted a photo that shows Harry and Markle introducing Archie to Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2019.

"Wishing Archie Mountbatten-Windsor a very happy 3rd Birthday!" the caption reads.

The Clarence House official Twitter account, which gives updates on Harry's father, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, re-tweeted the photo.

"Happy Birthday Archie!" the caption reads.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!

Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

Harry and Markle married in May 2019 and also have an 11-month-old daughter, Lilibet Diana. The couple moved to the United States in March after stepping back from the royal family.

Harry and Markle returned to the United Kingdom in April for the first time since their move and had a "great" visit with the queen.

The couple and their kids will attend the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration in June but will not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour, the palace said Friday.
Benedict Cumberbatch guests hosts Saturday Night Live, Sheryl Crow looks back on her life and career in Sheryl and Tehran returns for a second season this weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

In addition, The Wilds is back for Season 2, Ronda Rousey battles Charlotte Flair at WWE's WrestleMania Backlash and Omar Sy stars in a new buddy cop film.

Here's a rundown on some of the films and television shows that will be released this weekend.

Film

'The Takedown' -- Netflix

Lupin star Omar Sy and Laurent Lafitte are two cops with completely different styles who must work as a team in The Takedown, which premieres Friday on Netflix. The duo investigate a drug deal that turns out to be a high scale criminal case. The Takedown reunites Sy with Lupin director Louis Leterrier, who helms the buddy cop film.

'Marmaduke' -- Netflix

Pete Davidson voices classic comic strip dog Marmaduke in this family-friendly animated feature, which comes to Netflix on Friday. Marmaduke becomes famous after a video of the dog ruining a barbecue party goes viral. J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Jason Anthony, Shelby Young Stephen Stanton also provide voices. Mark A.Z. Dippe, Youngki Lee and Phil Nibbelink direct.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!

Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

TV

'The Wilds' Season 2 -- Amazon Prime Video

The Wilds is back for Season 2, which arrives Friday on Amazon Prime Video. The series stars Sophia Ali as Fatin Jadmani and follows a group of teenage girls who are stranded on a deserted island as part of an elaborate social experiment. Season 2 will introduce a new group of male test subjects who will be stranded on another island.

'Tehran' Season 2 -- Apple TV+

Glenn Close joins the ensemble cast of espionage thriller Tehran, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+. Tehran follows a Mossad agent who goes deep undercover on a dangerous mission in Tehran. Niv Sultan returns as Tmar Rabinyan. Shaun Toub and Shervin Alenabi also star.

'Bosch: Legacy' -- Amazon Freevee

Titus Welliver reprises his role as Harry Bosch as he becomes a private detective following decades of service with the Los Angeles Police Department in Bosch: Legacy, which arrives Friday on Amazon Freevee. Amazon Freevee is the new name for IMDb TV. The series takes place a year and a half from the events of Bosch Season 7. Madison Lintz and Mimi Rogers also star.

'The Big Conn' -- Apple TV+

Apple TV+ follows the true story of attorney Eric C. Conn who defrauded the government and taxpayers over half a billion dollars in this new documentary series, which comes to the streaming service on Friday. Conn committed the largest social security fraud case in U.S. history. James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte created the four-part series.

'Sheryl' -- Showtime

Sheryl Crow gets honest about her life and career in this new documentary film, which airs Friday at 9 p.m. EDT on Showtime. The film will feature archival footage from Crow's childhood and interviews with Keith Richards, Laura Dern, Joe Walsh, Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile and more. Amy Scott serves as director.

'Saturday Night Live' with Benedict Cumberbatch -- NBC, Peacock

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Benedict Cumberbatch serves as the guest host in the latest installment of Saturday Night Live, which airs Saturday at 11:30 p.m. EDT. The show will also be available to stream on Peacock. Arcade Fire are serving as the musical guests.

WWE 'WrestleMania Backlash' -- Peacock

WWE presents its newest premium live event on Peacock Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT. SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair defends her title against Ronda Rousey in an I Quit match following their contentious bout at WrestleMania 38. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will be teaming up with his cousins The Usos to take on RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre in a Six-Man Tag Team match.
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 40F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 40F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
R&R Secret Farm sells sunflowers during the downtown farmers market held at Creature Comforts on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Athens, Georgia. In addition to the bigger market running on Saturdays at Bishop Park, until mid-November, the downtown market will be held on Wednesdays at Creature Comforts featuring live music and local restaurant vendors. (Photo/Sydney Fordice, spf65007@uga.edu)
With music and the smell of food filling the air, people pop in and out of different booths that dot the land at the outdoor Brattleboro Area Farmers Market that opened for the season on Saturday, May 7, 2022, and will run every Saturday until Oct. 29.
WILMINGTON  Following a successful petition, a revote on allowing retail cannabis sales in town is set for May 10.
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.

Mary Alice Bisbee is a retired hospital and nursing home social worker now living in Montpelier. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
FALLS VILLAGE  The David M. Hunt Library will hold a special exhibition of the art of Robert Andrew Parker, in honor of his 95th birthday.

Beginning with a birthday reception from 3-5 p.m. May 14, the retrospective of paintings, drawings, etchings, and books will be on display during the librarys operating hours through July 2.
WINSTED  Following a request from the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager Josh Kelly has written an ordinance regulating public smoking, including cannabis.

The regulation, Kelly said, will likely be in line with an ordinance adopted this week by the Torrington City Council that bans smoking of any material, including cannabis, at town parks and other public spaces. He brought it up during Mondays Board of Selectmens meeting.

I took the boards request to find information on ordinances, and saw some that have been put together by other towns; Torrington is considering a similar one, he said. I have tried to seek as much input as I could in crafting this.

The ordinance is now in the hands of town attorney Kevin Nelligan for review. (T)here will be an update on this at the next Board of Selectmens meeting, Kelly said. By the end of the week, in fact, well have more information on what he wants changed, or hell say its OK the way it is.

The ordinance will carry penalties for violations, in line with what the Connecticut General Statutes have adopted, according to Kelly.

Its $50 for infractions, and no more than $100, and no more than $1,000 against a restaurant, if thats where the infraction occurs, he said. Theres an outline of areas where smoking is prohibited.

Now he wants feedback from the selectmen and the public. Once the ordinance is approved by the board, it will go to a public hearing.

This is part one of a multi-part process, to get this adopted by July 1, Kelly said.

Lawmakers approved the bill, An Act Concerning Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis, in June 2021, legalizing the sale and cultivation of marijuana for adults over 21. According to the bill, cities and towns can prohibit these businesses through local zoning ordinances, or restrict the location of retail establishments related to schools, churches and hospitals. Residents can also petition for a vote on whether a town should allow them.

The Planning & Zoning Commission is also preparing to adopt regulations for sales and growing cannabis, and that board has established three areas of town where a retail business or a growing/manufacturing business would be allowed. The commission is holding public hearings on the new zoning regulations in June.

The commission can grant a special permit to allow locating retail, hybrid retail, and micro-cultivation cannabis establishments in the Town Gateway, Town Center, and Production and Innovation, the commissions regulation states. It excludes Main Street from East End Park to the Beardsley Library.

Cannabis businesses, according to the regulation, cant be located within 200 feet of a residential zone, school or daycare building, place of worship or playground, (or) located on Main Street from East End Park to the Beardsley Library.

Selectwoman Candy Perez made a motion to move forward with the ordinance, which passed unanimously.

Selectman Jonathan Morhardt said that although he was at first against having an ordinance, he was voting in favor of it.

I feel now that this will be a great way to regulate it, he said.

While creating the new ordinance, Kelly said, hell be able to organize other parts of Winsteds regulations on smoking.

There are a number of smoking clauses in our ordinances, and this puts them all in one place, he said. We can go through the others and bring them all together.


This page requires Javascript.

Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Authorities in the southern province of Hainan have jailed a former journalist for "impeaching the reputation of heroes and martyrs" after he commented online about the portrayal of China's role in the Korean War (1950-1953) in a ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda movie.



Luo Changping was sentenced to seven months' imprisonment by a court in the resort city of Sanya, which found him guilty of the charge in connection with his comments on "The Battle at Lake Changjin." He was also ordered to make a public apology.



Critics of the movie outside China say it never mentions that the Korean War was triggered by the North's invasion of the South, and make it appear that the landing of U.S. forces at Incheon was an invasion out of the blue.



Soldiers in the film are led to believe that they are ultimately fighting to protect China from a U.S. invasion, and Luo made fun of them as "stupid" in a social media post commenting on the movie.



Luo was initially detained by police in Sanya in October 2021.



The court found that while Luo deleted his post and apologized shortly afterwards, it had already been widely seen by other internet users, and "caused strong public indignation."



"Luo Changping's remarks negated core socialist values and the spirit of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea, disrupted social order and harmed the public interest, to a very serious degree," the judgment said.



However, it said the sentencing had been mitigated by Luo's turning himself in, his guilty plea and acceptance of his punishment, as well as his willingness to pay 80,000 yuan (U.S. $12,000) in compensation to public welfare funds.



The trial was reported in state media, but no footage of Luo's guilty plea was used.



Friends of Luo's told RFA he will likely be released soon, as the sentence was equal to time already served in pretrial detention.



But calls to Luo's cell phone resulted in a shut down signal on Friday, while his accounts on WeChat and Weibo remained suspended.



'Kill the chickens to frighten the monkeys'



U.S.-based legal scholar Teng Biao said the crime Luo was convicted of is in itself a violation of Chinese citizens' constitutional right to freedom of expression.



"The authorities like to use cases like this to kill the chickens to frighten the monkeys," Teng told RFA. "The fact that even Luo Changping, who is a relatively well-known journalist, can still get arrested and sentenced to jail will make the deterrent even more effective."



"Even if others say similar things, the government can arrest them too, in their dozens, hundreds or even thousands, and jail them too," Teng said. "The environment for freedom of speech and expression in China is getting worse and worse."



"The CCP uses ... evil laws like 'impeaching the honor of heroes and martyrs' to deprive citizens of their basic rights and control them," he said.



A human rights lawyer who gave only the surname He agreed that such laws are problematic.



"The whole concept is absurd," He said. "How do you define a hero and what constitutes an insult?"



"If you insulted [World War II hero] Sun Liren and called him a butcher, I think you'd be fine, because he was in the Kuomintang [the CCP's political rivals]," he said. "But if you speak ill of a certain CCP general during the war against Japan, you could be guilty of this crime."



A fellow rights attorney surnamed Zhang said the CCP's "defamation" law works similarly, as it has been used to prevent public criticism of officials.



A resident looks out through a gap in the barrier at a residential area during a COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, China, May 6, 2022. Credit: Reuters Lockdown anthem arrest



Meanwhile, authorities in Shanghai have hauled a man in for questioning after he sang the Internationale, an anthem of global communism, from his apartment during lockdown.



"Arise, slaves to hunger and cold," the Chinese version of The Internationale begins. "Arise, all those who suffer around the world."



In a video clip uploaded to social media, four police officers in full PPE are shown at the door of the man's apartment.



"We heard the Internationale. Please cooperate with our investigation," one of them tells the couple. "We will investigate this and may issue a summons. Please cooperate."



The clip sparked intense discussion on Weibo, with many comments expressing incredulity that a communist anthem is deemed illegal in a communist country, particularly on the birthday of late supreme CCP leader Mao Zedong.



"So we can't even play the Internationale in socialist countries now?" one person commented, while another added: "What's wrong with playing it on Mao's birthday?"



Veteran Beijing political journalist Gao Yu said the song likely cut too close to the bone for the authorities amid ongoing public anger at CCP leader Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy.



The people of Shanghai are currently in the same situation as those slaves to hunger and cold in the Internationale, Gao told RFA.



"It's because it has that line about 'slave to cold and hunger' in it," Gao said. "Slaves have no personal freedom, and they're all in lockdown."



"They are living through cold and hunger right now," she said.



Former 1989 student leader Wu Jianmin said the CCP typically views expressions of public anger as an attempt to cause trouble for the regime.



"The police didn't just issue a reprimand; no, they will charge you with a crime straight away if you oppose Chinese government policy, Xi Jinping or the CCP, so many people don't dare to oppose them openly," Wu told RFA.



"But they still need to vent their feelings, and they have found something to express their mood in the lyrics of The Internationale," he said. "That's why they won't let people sing it during lockdown, because they think they are disrupting public order."



Gao said the CCP usually sings the anthem during its five-yearly national party congresses, the next of which is slated for later this year.



"Let's see if they sing it this time too," she said. "If they do, it means that everything they are singing is fake, because they won't let the people sing it."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Authorities in Myanmar have arrested more than 200 people for incitement and terrorism since late January in connection with posts they made to social media in support of opposition groups the junta has labeled terrorist organizations, according to official statements.

On Jan. 25, the junta announced that anyone posting content in support of the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), Committee Representing the Peoples Parliament (CRPP), or prodemocracy Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries  intentionally or not  would face lengthy prison terms as well as the loss of their homes and other property.

In a statement on Thursday, the junta said that it had arrested 229 users for violating the countrys Anti-Terrorism Law and a section of the Electronic Communications Law that prohibits distribution of anti-junta propaganda online since authorities began to monitor Facebook for such posts on Jan. 27.

Among those arrested was well-known comedian Kaung Kyaw, who was taken into custody on April 19 from his home in Yangons Thaketa township.

A source close to Kaung Kyaw, who spoke to RFAs Myanmar Service on condition of anonymity, questioned why he was arrested.

Kaung Kyaw just wrote some posts on Facebook, nothing like they accused him of, he said.

Kay Jay, a close relative to residents of Sagaing regions Shwebo township who were arrested in the crackdown, told RFA authorities had no right to target people for using social media.

People were arrested for their online activities  writing or sharing posts and political news or using the NUG logo as their profile pictures. But, when they were taken to court after interrogations, some were also charged with anti-terrorism laws, he said.

These people were just writing and campaigning online. As a citizen, I strongly condemn such arrests.

Others detained in the roundup include celebrities, politicians, businesspeople and doctors from Yangon, Mandalay, Naypyidaw, Lashio, Pakokku, Kawthaung and Hpa-an. Their ages range from 17 to 64. Of the 229 people mentioned by the military, some have been released, while others remain in detention.

When asked about the arrests, junta deputy information minister, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, told RFA they had been carried out in accordance with the law.

The NUG, CRPH and PDF groups are committing acts of terrorism in Myanmar, he said. We have said previously that they are subject to punishment under the Anti-Terrorism Act. People who support them or help them financially are also in violation of the Terrorism Act.

Arrested comedian Kaung Kyaw in an undated photo. Stripped of rights and legal protection

An IT technician from Yangon, who declined to be named for security reasons, said conversations on social media sites are traceable and warned users against posting politically sensitive content.

A digital footprint is always left on social media, he said. If an excerpt from a text you wrote on Facebook or Twitter is searched on Google, your digital footsteps can be tracked, and nothing can be done to prevent it.

Aung Myo Min, the NUGs human rights minister, said arrests over online content are in violation of the rights of freedom of expression and access to information.

It is deplorable that one could be arrested and face long prison terms for writing his or her beliefs on social media. People cannot print newspapers, bulletins or journals like before, and so they rely on social media to write their ideas, and share news and information, he said.

Now, [authorities] are not just repressing the media, but also punishing those who write on social media, and this is a serious violation of fundamental rights.

In addition to arresting social media users who post content in support of the opposition, the junta is also drafting a cybersecurity law that carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison for anyone using a VPN, or virtual private network, to cloak their IP address and access restricted websites.

A lawyer told RFA on condition of anonymity that the people of Myanmar have been stripped of their rights and legal protections.

I see this as a very worrying situation in which the rights and freedoms that a citizen deserves are truly gone, he said. Citizens now have zero protection under the law.

People who spoke to RFA said that despite the threat of arrest, netizens in Myanmar are still posting their ideas and sharing information on Facebook and Twitter.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Some of the victims were used as human shields while others were executed as they lay prone.

Military vehicles destroyed by a landmine outside of Butalin townships Otpo village, where troops killed nine people on May 2, 2022.

A joint force of military troops and pro-junta militiamen killed 20 civilians earlier this week in Myanmars war-torn Sagaing region, according to sources, who said soldiers forced some of the victims to serve as human shields and executed several others as they lay face down in the dirt.

The victims, who included men in their 70s and one young woman, were all killed on May 2 and included three people from Seikhun village and six from Nyaungbin Thar village; both in Shwebo township, nine from Butalin townships Otpo village, one from Khin-Oo townships Innpat village, and one from Ayardaw townships Malae Thar village, sources told RFAs Myanmar Service.

A resident of Otpo village, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal, said the victims were all civilians who had been hiding from the soldiers in an unoccupied Buddhist convent.

We heard the army was coming from Butalin  and the villagers fled in fear. Many went to the convent to take shelter and thats when they met the soldiers head-on, the resident said.

The detainees were told to lie on their bellies on the ground and were shot in the head. A child was ordered to go away from the site before they killed the victims.

The convents nuns, who might have served as a deterrent to the troops, had earlier fled the area after receiving reports of the advancing column, the source said.

Troops also set fire to several vehicles in and around Otpo village, he said.

On the same day, three villagers were killed, and six others were injured when troops engaged in a firefight with anti-junta Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries near Seikhun and Zeebyugone villages and shelled the area, other sources told RFA.

A resident of Seikhun, who also declined to be named, said the troops had come to the village from the seat of Shwebo township, around 7 miles to the north, to clear the area.

The soldiers entered the village, where there are monasteries. The people hiding in the monastery compounds were used as human shields, he said.

But before entering the village, they opened fire with heavy weapons from all sides. Three people died and six others were injured because of the shelling.

Of the three dead, one 25-year-old man was burned to death by the troops, while the other two died of gunshot wounds, the source said.

Residents told RFA that troops had come to Seikhun last year and destroyed village looms because people didnt pay their electricity bills.

A resident of Nyaungbin Thar said six villagers were shot dead on May 2 after the military raided the tract for the second time in a week.

They burned Kyar village earlier, stopped for a while in Panyan village, and then returned to Nyaungbin Thar. The local paramilitaries detonated a few landmines and held them off, so the troops withdrew and began shelling the area. Two villagers were wounded, they said.

After that, the soldiers moved towards Khin-Oo, where they killed five villagers. One man was killed inside a house where he was captured. The troops brought along Pyu Saw Htee from [nearby] Khun Daung Gyi village.

In addition to the killings in Shwebo and Butalin townships on May 2, sources said that at least one man died when troops set fire to more than 300 houses in Khin-Oos Innpat village and a blind man perished in another arson attack on Ayardaws Malae Thar village that day.

The aftermath of a May 2, 2022 military arson attack on Ayardaw townships Malae Thar village. Credit: Citizen journalist Completely inhuman

Graphic photos obtained by RFA of the aftermath of the incidents showed several victims lying crumpled on the ground in their own viscera. In some cases, the subjects of the images were unrecognizable because of the trauma inflicted on their bodies.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta Deputy Minister of Information Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the reported killings went unanswered.

Previously, the deputy minister has rejected reports of troops killing civilians as baseless accusations, and blamed such incidents on the PDF, which the junta has labeled a terrorist group.

The military cut off internet access to most townships in Sagaing region beginning in March this year when it launched a scorched earth campaign in the area. RFA has received frequent reports of arrests, looting, rape, torture, arson, and murder in the region.

Aung Kyaw, a former Member of Parliament for the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) in Butalin township, said the military is targeting innocent civilians because it is unable to defeat the PDF.

The PDF groups have planted landmines in the area and when [the army] suffers casualties, they kill anyone they encounter as an act of revenge, he said.

The military has become a band of terrorists, violating every law. They are completely inhuman.

Aung Kyaw said there are now daily protests in Sagaing against military persecution.

According to Data for Myanmar, which monitors troop arson attacks, a total of 11,417 homes have been destroyed by fire across the country since the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup. Sagaing saw the most arson attacks of any other state or region in Myanmar, with more than 7,500 homes burned.

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said security forces have killed 1,822 civilians since the coup and arrested some 10,535 others, mostly during peaceful anti-junta protests.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
The vibrant marketplaces destruction is seen is part of Chinas plan to force Uyghurs to assimilate.

Satellite images provided by PlanetLabs Inc. and analyzed by RFA show the rapid demolition of Kashgar Bazaar between April 4, 2022 (L) and May 4, 2022 (R).

The travel guide Lonely Planet advises visitors to Kashgar, China, to fight the crowds that gather at its Sunday Grand Bazaar and let their senses loose to the smells of spices, the softness of silks and the beauty of carpets carefully woven by locals. The marketplace contains everything of interest to foreign visitors, the short blurb states.

Not anymore. Lonely Planet and other guidebooks that promote the bazaar will need to be revised. Chinese authorities are in the process of destroying the famous marketplace.

An RFA analysis of satellite images of the Grand Bazaar provided by PlanetLabs Inc. shows dramatic changes in the market, including the removal of buildings and the roofs of stalls, between photos taken on April 4 and May 4.

According to one local official, a new tourist attraction will arise in its place.

Authorities are well known for taking the wrecking ball to historic streetscapes and buildings across China and replacing them with retro facsimiles to draw tourists. But Uyghur activists and foreign scholars say the destruction of the Grand Bazaar is really about the ongoing campaign by Chinese authorities to erase Uyghur traditions and customs in the region in a brutal campaign of forced assimilation.

The Kashgar Grand Bazaar was the largest international trade market in Chinas Xinjiang region, with 4,000 shops that sell more than 9,000 products on 250-acres of land. Goods from the region sold there include spices, teas, silk, dried fruit, carpets, Uyghur musical instruments, Central Asia clothing and skullcaps called doppas.

Now the shops are being destroyed and their owners forced to move to a new location away from the city, according to local officials and videos posted by shop owners on social media.

Authorities are cracking down on the criticism too, detaining and interrogating vendors who voiced their displeasure with the governments decision to tear down the marketplace, local sources said.

Kashgar has a 2,000-year history as a trading center on the famed historical caravan route known as the Silk Road. The Venetian merchant, explorer and writer Marco Polo visited the city as he traveled through Asia along the trade route in the late 13th century.

A Uyghur vendor makes a phone call while tending to his shop at a bazaar in Kashgar, in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang region, April 19, 2015. Credit: AFP

Modern times

In modern times, the oasis citys bazaar served as a wholesale hub for traders and businesspeople from neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and the former Soviet states in Central Asia, said Kasimjan Abdurehim, a Uyghur exile based in the U.S. who ran a shop at the bazaar from 1992 to 1998.

It became an international tourism destination for many who visited Kashgar, he said.

This market was very vibrant and mostly crowded, he said. It had all sorts of goods from both local traders and international producers.

Theres a saying about this market that anyone can find anything in this market except chicken milk, Abdurehim added.

Through interviews with local police and other officials, RFA learned that the market demolition was developed and implemented by the Politics and Law Commission of Xinjiang.

The approximate boundaries of the Kashgar Bazaar are highlighted in this Google Earth image taken July 14, 2021. (CNES/Airbus, Maxar Technologies)

Demolition completed

Officials at the Market Supervision Bureau in Kashgar told RFA in March that the Grand Bazaar was being torn down but declined to answer questions about why and how much of it had already been bulldozed.

Police  not officials at the Market Supervision Bureau  issued a notice of demolition to shop owners two or three months ago, and they stepped up their control of the market afterwards, local sources said.

The Politics and Law Commission is working on dealing with the shop owners and the demolition, said a police officer in Kashgar. They are not fully done with it yet.

Theres been dissatisfaction, for sure, the officer added. We have already [demolished] two-thirds of the market. We are still working on the rest right now.

A report by Chinas official Xinhua news agency reported on March 31 cited booming business at the Grand Bazaar, which continues to change and develop, and shop owners expressing their gratitude to Chinese government. It did not mention the sites demolition.

An official from the Urumqi Tourism Bureau told RFA that social media reports about the bazaars demolition were false and that foreign visitors were not being taken there because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is not correct, he said. You cannot trust information on social media.

But an employee at the Kashgar Huaan International Travel Agency told RFA in April that the Grand Bazaar had been destroyed and that the vendors were going to be relocated.

The Kashgar Grand Bazaar has already been demolished, he said. It has been moved to the east side of the city. It has been already a month since it was demolished. The whole market was demolished. Everything there had been moved to the east side of the city.

A Chinese police officer in Kashgar said the marketplace had been partially torn down when he saw it a month or two earlier.

Half of the Kashgar Grand Bazaar has already been demolished, and half is still there, he said.

An official from the Kashgar Chamber of Commerce and Industry also said the Grand Bazaar had been demolished and that business there had stopped.

We have demolished most of the market, he said. There are some shop owners who came from Hotan [Hetian] who are resisting. Thats why we have still not fully demolished all of it.

The Kashgar market management bureau official also confirmed the same information.

It has already been relocated, he said. It doesnt exist now. Some are moving to the new location. Some have refused to move.

Motorized scooters stand outside the crowded Sunday Bazaar in Kashgar, a Silk Road trading center in northwestern China's Xinjiang region, June 15, 2008. AFP

Process of dispossession

Though the demolition poses a major threat to the livelihoods of many locals, they have been forced to remain silent out of fear of being punished by Chinese officials in the region.

Kashgar was once one of the most important stops along the ancient Silk Road, the 7,000-mile overland trade route that stretched from China to India and onto Western Europe. Its status as an important marketplace for local trade has continued to present day.

An officer at the Kashgar branch of national security police told RFA that news of the bazaars razing sparked outrage among shop owners, although they apparently received at least some compensation from the city government.

It was not clear, however, how much they each received. Some locals said not very much. Shop owners were directed to set up shops more than 12 miles away in Awat village, local sources said.

Another officer in the same office told RFA that another tourist attraction will be built where the bazaar stood after the marketplace has been cleared. He said he did not know the name of the company that has purchased the land.

The demolition of the Grand Bazaar is part of the Chinese governments process of dispossessing Uyghurs and destroying their culture, Uyghur activists and academics who have studied Uyghur culture say.

Since 2017, Uyghur rights organizations, such as the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the World Uyghur Congress, have reported that the Chinese government has destroyed Uyghur cultural and religious sites such as cemeteries and mosques.

For the past five years, Chinese officials have also ratcheted up a crackdown on Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, detaining hundreds of thousands in internment camps and prisons and subjecting them and others to severe rights abuses, including torture, forced labor, and forced sterilizations and abortions.

A woman and child ride on a donkey cart past the Sunday Bazaar in Kashgar, in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang region, June 15, 2008. Credit: AFP

Still a Uyghur place

Anthropologist Darren Byler, who has written about the persecution of Uyghurs, said the demolition of the marketplace is another step by the Chinese government to force members of the larger Muslim community to assimilate into the mainstream culture.

It may have been that they hoped that the market would become a space like the Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, which is mostly owned by Han Chinese and visited by Han tourists, he said. The market in Kashgar is really still a Uyghur place. My feeling is that the government sees it as too autonomous.

When he last visited the Grand Bazaar in 2018, Byler said that Uyghurs and others had to line up and be electronically scanned before they entered the market.

The police were also checking peoples phones, he said. I also remember seeing how many stalls were locked. People I spoke with said that the sellers had been taken away.

Byler, a professor of international studies at Canadas Simon Fraser University, said the Grand Bazaar was a vibrant place where he enjoyed talking to the merchants.

I spent many hours there listening to medicine sellers diagnose my maladies, telling me their life stories while they checked my pulse, Byler told RFA. I also loved speaking with antique dealers and listening to them tell me the stories of their old books.

Abdurehim, the former shop owner, said in the 1990s the Chinese government tried to build Han Chinese markets in surrounding areas and move the Uyghurs there.

But that plan never succeeded because of the Uyghurs social cohesion and opposition, he said.

Because nearly all the vendors in the bazaar were ethnic Uyghurs, the marketplace was a living exhibition of Uyghur culture and spirit, said Abdurehim.

What we are seeing today is just the last remaining sections of the market that the Chinese government is trying to erase from history, he said.

Translated by RFAs Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Nguyen Thi Thinh Thy said authorities told her accepting the honor would cause unnecessary trouble.

A Vietnamese literary critic who won an award from a group of her peers has declined to publicly accept it due to what she said were threats from authorities.

Vietnams communist government has stepped up widespread crackdowns of those it considers its opponents, including independent journalists, bloggers and writers. The country was ranked 174th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2022 World Press Freedom Index.

Nguyen Thi Thinh Thys book Dare to Look Back won for the category of research-criticism at the 7th Van Viet Literature Awards. Van Viet is a forum created by authors who support free literature and the Vietnam Independent Writers Association (VIWA).

Van Viet published a letter from Thy, in which she declined to accept the prize.

How much longer will we suffer? Thy wrote. Is there anyone on earth, throughout the ancient and modern eras, in both eastern and western literature who has had to write a letter like this? One that asks for the award organizer to PLEASE KEEP THE AWARD FOR ME?

She wrote that she was honored to have won but could not accept the honor due to harassment from security officers. She said they told her, You should not go and receive the award to avoid undermining public security."

If you want to receive the prize, there should be no award presentation ceremony, no filming, and no posts on social media so that you can avoid getting into unnecessary trouble, she said the authorities told her.

RFAs Vietnamese Service requested an interview with Thy but she said she had written all what she wanted to say in the letter posted on Van Viet.

It was not the first time that authorities have threatened or assaulted writers over literature awards, Hoang Dung, a member of Van Viets judging panel told RFA.

Creating pressure to force this person or that person to withdraw their article or refuse to accept an award, or even physical attacks, is nothing new, Dung said.

Another Van Viet Literature Awards recipient, Thai Hao, was beaten by plainclothes security officers in March while he was on the way to a different award presentation ceremony held by VIWAs Campaign Committee.

Dung said that the government efforts to ban independent literature shows the weakness within the political system.

Please note that Ms. Tinh Thys incident is among a series of government reactions to Van Viet in particular and non-mainstream literature in general. They are always afraid, Hoang Dung said. They see enemies everywhere.

The Communist Party has long sought to control what gets written, but intellectuals and writers would persevere despite those efforts, he said.

I want to let our fellow compatriots know that there are still intellectuals with a conscience who have the courage to deal with government crackdowns. And I wish one day our country would be more open in terms of ideological issues, Hoang Dung said.

The most important thing right now is to make people see how things really are and raise their voices and join hands toghether to make our country a better place.

The Vietnamese International Writers Association was established in 2014 by more than 60 prominent Vietnamese writers who support freedom of literature.

Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Moscow has lost its standing as the region's main weapons provider as years of sanctions bite.

Russias arms sales to Southeast Asia have plummeted due to international sanctions imposed since the start of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 and the ongoing war will likely lead to a further decline, creating market opportunities for countries like China, a new report says.

An article in the bulletin ISEAS Perspective published by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, a Singapore-based research institution, has found that Russias defense industry has been hit hard, with export values reduced from $1.2 billion in 2014 to just $89 million in 2021.

Cumulatively Russia has been on top of the list of arms suppliers to Southeast Asia over the last two decades but the sales are likely to fall further and regional countries will look to divert their weapons contracts to other countries, the report says.

Data provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show that in 2021 alone, Russia has already slipped behind the United States and China.

According to the articles author, academic Ian Storey, the biggest reason behind the fall is sanctions and export controls that the U.S. and Europe imposed on Russias defense industry since its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Those restrictions havent necessarily prevented Southeast Asian nations from buying Russian arms, but there is less on offer as Russian manufacturers face difficulties in conducting financial transactions and accessing technologies and critical components.

It's also ended defense industry ties between Russia and Ukraine.

The conflict brought to an abrupt end longstanding and extensive cooperation between Ukrainian and Russian defense companies, especially in the production of engines for surface ships, helicopters and aircraft, Storey said.

Military visitors of Vietnam observe a Russian T-90MS tank during the International Military Technical Forum Army-2020 in Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 23, 2020. (AP Photo)

Another factor is a pause in the military modernization program in Vietnam, Russias biggest customer in Southeast Asia. Hanoi began the program in the late 1990s and in the period 1995-2021, it bought $7.4 billion worth of weapons and military equipment from Russia. That accounted for more than 80 percent of Vietnams total arms imports.

"Vietnam has put the military modernization program on hold because of concerns over Moscows ability to fulfill orders but also due to an anti-corruption drive," Nguyen The Phuong, lecturer at the Faculty of International Relations, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, wrote in July 2021 research paper.

Hanoi will still have to rely on Moscow to maintain and operate its Russian-made arsenal of six Kilo-class submarines, 36 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 aircraft, four Gepard 3.9 class frigates and two Bastion mobile coastal defense missile systems, but experts say it has already been on the look-out for alternative supply sources including Israel, Belarus, the U.S. and the Netherlands.

Downward trends

In the light of the Ukraine war, the new report says will be difficult for Russias defense manufacturers to revive their sales due to the imposition of tighter sanctions and export controls by a number of countries, the reputational damage caused by the poor performance of Russias armed forces in Ukraine, and its need to replenish battlefield losses.

Storey pointed out that the current sanctions on Russian banks, and their exclusion from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) international payment network, will make it harder for the countrys defense industry to conduct financial transactions with overseas clients.

Export controls imposed on Russia will also restrict Russian manufacturers access to advanced technologies critical in modern military hardware and components that Russia doesnt possess.

As a consequence, foreign buyers may decide to switch to more reliable sources of military hardware.

People walk past the headquarters of Russian Agricultural Bank in downtown Moscow, Russia, on July 30, 2014. It was one of the Russian banks hit by Western sanctions. (AP Photo)

Furthermore, losses suffered by Russian forces in Ukraine this year may have seriously damaged Moscows reputation as a military equipment powerhouse.

The problems facing Russias defense-industrial sector will create market opportunities in Southeast Asia for other countries, including China, the report says.

According to SIPRI data, Chinas arms exports to Southeast Asia in 2021 totaled $284 million, up from $53 million in 2020.

So far, China has refrained from condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine, and as the war drags on Moscows dependence on Beijing may deepen.

In return, China will seek increased access to Russias most sensitive military technology and even pressure Moscow to reduce military sales to Vietnam, Storey said.

A medium range surface-to-air missile weapon system is displayed during the 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai city, south China's Guangdong province, on Nov. 6, 2018. (AP Photo)





Ukraines arms sales

That would be a blow for Russian exporters but also for Vietnam, which has competing claims against China in the South China Sea.

The situation in Ukraine also disrupted the Ukrainian arms supply to Hanoi which totaled $200 million during 2000-2021.

Ukraine was part of the Soviet and then Russian defense industries even after proclaiming independence. It has been a major supplier of aircraft and spare parts, as well as armored vehicles and munitions.

During 2009-2014, up until the annexation of Crimea, Ukraine was among worlds 10 largest arms exporters, according to SIPRI.

In 2012, it was in fact the fourth-largest arms exporter. Kyiv sold $1.3 billion worth of conventional arms that year. Ukraines state-owned exporter Ukrspecexport had contracts with nearly 80 countries.

In its heyday, the company ran 100 arms-producing plants and factories, and employed tens of thousands of workers.

Besides Vietnam, in Southeast Asia Thailand and Myanmar were also big customers that spent $479 million and $111 million on Ukrainian weapons respectively during 2000-2021.

In 2011, Bangkok ordered 49 T-84 Oplot battle tanks and 236 BTR-3E armored vehicles from Ukraine. However the delayed deliveries of the Oplots due to the Crimea crisis forced Thailand to buy VT-4 main battle tanks from China instead.

Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia also bought weapons from Ukraine, though in much lesser quantities.

A Bangladesh military officer, Brig (Rtd) Sakhawat Hossain, told RFA-affiliated online news service BenarNews that the Bangladesh Air Force mainly uses Russian and Ukrainian MI helicopters and Antonov planes.

Many of the spare parts of the helicopters and planes are produced in Ukraine. The import of such spare parts and military hardware would now be stopped, Hossain said.

Another former Bangladesh serviceman, Air Commodore (Rtd) Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, said that the war in Ukraine would not create any problem in operating the aircraft in the short term.

But in the long run we may face problems as the Russian forces attacked the Antonov plant, he said.

BenarNews journalists Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka and Pimuk Rakkanam in Bangkok contributed to this report.
YEREVAN -- The Armenian capital has witnessed weeks of demonstrations with protesters' calls now growing louder for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to step down.



The demonstrations in Yerevan have intensified in recent days with dozens having been arrested amid clashes with police outside the parliament in what has been described as some of the worst unrest since snap elections in September 2021.

Opponents accuse Pashinian not only of bungling the 2020 war with Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, but claim his recent statements on the mainly ethnic-Armenian region indicate that his government is ready to make concessions to reach a formal peace deal with Azerbaijan.



Baku wants the peace deal to be based on five elements, including a mutual recognition of each other's territorial integrity -- and Pashinian has publicly stated that the elements are acceptable to Yerevan in principle.



That has angered many Armenians, many of whom have long called for the status of Nagorno-Karabakh to be resolved. Under Baku's five-point plan, there would be nothing to solve, since both sides would have given up any territorial claims on the other.

Besides a tougher diplomatic line, Baku has taken other bolder action in recent months, including military buildups along the border of the two countries and some military maneuvering to push deeper into Armenian-held territory.



After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan and Karabakh Armenians -- backed by Yerevan -- went to war, leading to mass displacement and ethnic cleansing. In 1994, the two sides signed a cease-fire agreement, leaving the Armenian side with de facto control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding territories that belonged to Azerbaijan.



Attempts to negotiate a durable peace agreement by the United States, Russia, and France under the auspices of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have proved unsuccessful. Major fighting broke out in 2016 and 2020.



The 45-day conflict in 2020 claimed more than 6,500 lives. It ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire after Azerbaijani forces had taken back most of the territories it had lost two decades earlier, leaving Armenians in possession of much less territory.

With Russia -- which has had a military force deployed in areas controlled by Armenia since the end of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war -- bogged down in Ukraine, analysts say Baku is now emboldened.



"I do think the 'five-point proposal' was certainly facilitated by the Ukraine war with Baku taking advantage of Russian and Western distraction, along with Armenia recognizing that they cannot depend on Russia any more after 2020. Mainly Russian difficulties in peacekeeping and the unpredictable nature of the country," explained Paul Stronski, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation's Russia and Eurasia Program, in e-mailed remarks to RFE/RL.



"Negotiations are indeed proceeding at a time of deep uncertainty in the region due to the Ukraine war," added Stronski, a former White House and State Department official.



Baku Takes Territory, Cuts Energy



Weeks after Russia launched its assault on Ukraine, Baku took aggressive steps in Nagorno-Karabakh. On March 8, a key pipeline supplying gas to the Karabakh Armenian population was cut off on Azerbajani-held territory, leaving those living there without heat for two weeks.



Azerbaijani forces then advanced into areas ostensibly under Russian peacekeeper control, forcing the evacuation of one Armenian village and taking control of strategic mountains inside Armenian-populated areas. Three local Armenian fighters were killed and 15 wounded on March 25 after Azerbaijan reportedly launched drone strikes.

To justify its actions, Baku pointed to the 2020 cease-fire agreement which stipulates the withdrawal of Armenian troops, although the status of local Karabakh Armenian forces -- the self-styled Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army -- is left ambiguous under terms of the truce.



"Azerbaijan has been testing the will and capacity of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, as their presence is the one major drawback from Azerbaijan's perspective in the cease-fire terms agreed in November 2020. Baku has insisted all along that they are temporary, as it wants to avoid their becoming a central component of some new 'frozen' situation," explained Laurence Broers, an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House, in e-mailed comments to RFE/RL.



EU To The Rescue?



Amid rising regional tensions, the European Union facilitated a third meeting -- hosted by European Council President Charles Michel -- between Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on April 6. The two agreed to instruct their respective foreign ministers to work on a peace treaty and convene a joint border commission by late April.

On April 12, Aliyev said that, during the April 6 meeting, Armenia had agreed to the five points spelled out by Baku, including, crucially, no territorial claims.



Addressing parliament a day later on April 13, Pashinian said Yerevan was facing international pressure to scale down its demands on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, and that there was no alternative to peace with Azerbaijan. Pashinian also stressed that the Karabakh issue was about rights, not territories, and peace negotiations should ensure security guarantees, rights, and freedoms for Karabakh Armenians, as well as clarify the territory's final status.

On April 13, de facto Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunian rejected as "impossible" Azerbaijani rule over the region, while the de facto Nagorno-Karabakh parliament on April 14 demanded an end to the "disastrous" Armenian position.

Back in Yerevan, on April 22, opposition parliamentarian and Deputy Parliament Speaker Ishkhan Saghatelian announced the start of a "nonstop street struggle" to oust Pashinian. The Armenian prime minister came to power in 2018 with massive street protests.



The current wave of demonstrations is spearheaded by Armenia's two opposition parliamentary factions -- Hayastan and Pativ Unem Alliances -- led by former presidents, Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian, respectively.



Pashinian should be able to weather the latest wave of protests, argued Stronski, who worked on Russia and Central Asian policy at the White House National Security Council from 2012 to 2014.



"The opposition repeatedly tried to tarnish [Pashinian's] image, claiming he is the most pro-Russian leader in the country's history, that he abused his power, led a disastrous war. So far, none of this has stuck because the opposition controlled by the former regime, former presidents -- all of whom have been in the public eye for far too long, offer no new ideas, and are deeply disliked by many Armenians," Stronski said.



In the West, however, Pashinian has been praised for being willing to make compromises.



Echoing the EU reaction, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Pashinian's conciliatory position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington on May 2.



He also said that the United States and Armenia are now working to "strengthen and deepen" their relations through a "strategic dialogue" that was launched in 2019 but subsequently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
French President Emmanuel Macron says it could take several years for Ukraine to formally join the European Union and proposed the creation of a new political organization for European countries that share common values.

Speaking in Strasbourg on May 9, Macron said the process of joining the EU under current entry rules meant it would take years.

"Even if we grant it candidate status tomorrow, we all know perfectly well that the process to allow it to join would take several years indeed, probably several decades," Macron said in a speech marking Europe Day.

Macron spoke after the European Commission said it aimed to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraine's request to become a member.

While the 27 EU members have been fully united in backing Ukraine's resistance to Russia's invasion, there is division over how quickly the EU could move to accept Ukraine as a member.

A fast-track procedure would lead to lowering standards, Macron said, and he suggested creating a parallel entity that could appeal to countries that aspire to join the bloc.

He said this "European political community" would be open to democratic European countries adhering to its core values.

"Joining it would not necessarily prejudge future EU membership," he said, adding that it would not be "closed to those who left it," in an apparent reference to Great Britain. He also noted the hopes of countries such as Moldova and Georgia.

Macron also warned against humiliating Russia, saying this would not serve efforts for restoring peace.

"Tomorrow we'll have a peace to build, let's never forget that," he told reporters. The terms of a peace deal will be set by Ukraine and Russia, but that will not be done through...the exclusion of one another, nor even in their humiliation."

Macron arrived later in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who described Macron's suggestion of a political community a "very interesting suggestion for dealing with the big challenge we face."

Britain, which left the European Union, could have a place in this political community, Scholz said.

He added that the EU shouldnt stop pursuing the accession process for countries that have already begun, citing North Macedonia as an example, saying its leader had taken "very brave" decisions in recent years.

"We should find a way that this bravery isn't disappointed," Scholz said.

Macron said countries that had already embarked on the membership route and are close to joining should continue their path. But others not as far along, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and others in the Western Balkans, may wish to consider joining a wider club instead.

Later in the evening, Macron and Scholz showed their support for Ukraine in a visit to Berlin's symbolically important Brandenburg Gate, illuminated in Ukraine's national colors.

Executive Opinion

Earlier on May 9, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that she had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and was looking forward to receiving the answers to Ukraine's membership questionnaire.

"The EU Commission will aim to deliver its opinion in June," she added.

Later she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the future of Europe was also "Ukraine's future."

Zelenskiy on April 18 handed a completed questionnaire for Ukraine achieving EU candidate status to the bloc's top official in his country and the document is now being examined.

Giving Ukraine formal candidate status would be decided by the bloc's members, who would act on the expert advice from the commission.

If approved as a candidate, Ukraine would have to go through a complex and potentially lengthy accession process that would imply meeting rigorous democratic and rule-of-law standards.

In the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, EU officials have said they will work to speed up the accession process as much as possible.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
Italian authorities have ordered the seizure of a $700 million superyacht that media reports and activists have linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Italian Finance Ministry said in a statement on May 6 that police investigations have indicated the owner of the boat had links to "prominent elements of the Russian government" and with people who have been hit by European Union sanctions.

The 140-meter Scheherazade has been undergoing repairs in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara near the seaside town of Massa for the past six months.

But recent activity suggested the crew of the yacht could be preparing to sail out to sea.

The ownership of the Scheherazade has been the subject of an investigation by financial police in Italy.

Before the latest order, a source close to the Italian police told the AFP news agency that "it's not always easy to attribute ownership" of a yacht.

The ship, built by the German firm Luerssen in 2020, has two helicopter pads, a swimming pool, and a movie theater, according to the SuperYachtFan website.

On March 21, the team of jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny published details about the superyacht, which they suspect belongs to Putin.

The team said in a video on its YouTube channel that all crew members, except the captain, of the Scheherazade are Russian citizens, and many of them are employed by the Federal Protection Service, the agency responsible for Putin's personal security.

Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine and the war that followed has sparked several rounds of crippling sanctions from the United States, the European Union, and many other allied countries against Russia, Putin, and many of the companies and billionaire oligarchs around him.

As part of the sanctions, several nations -- including the United States, Spain, France, and Italy -- have impounded yachts believed to be owned by targeted Russian oligarchs, leading some wealthy Russians to sail their vessels to places felt safe from Western sanctions, such as Turkey.

Most recently, authorities in Fiji seized a Russian-owned superyacht on May 5 under a U.S. warrant as part of the sanctions imposed by Washington on Moscow over its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

The seizure came two days after the Suva High Court said it had granted the order to seize the $300 million superyacht Amadea, which U.S. authorities say is owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov.

This ruling should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. laws. And there is no hiding place for the assets of criminals who enable the Russian regime, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on May 5.

With reporting by Current Time, RFE/RL's Russian Service, AFP, and Reuters
Immediately after it was released on April 16, doubts emerged about the authenticity of a video the Russian Defense Ministry said showed surviving crewmen from the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, which had sunk in the Black Sea three days earlier.



A photograph obtained by RFE/RL has deepened those doubts. It appears to be a still from the same video -- but the sailor it depicts has not returned to his family, and his mother, after initially being told he survived, was later told he was missing and still later that he was dead.



Questions about the Defense Ministry video added to the intrigue over the sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which Ukraine said it hit with two Neptune missiles fired from the shore  a claim the United States has backed up.

Russia has said only that the warship sank in a storm while being towed after ammunition on board exploded -- a claim that suggests it was an accident. After nine days of silence about casualties, the Defense Ministry said that one crew member was killed, 27 were missing, and 396 were safely brought ashore.



Doubts about the accuracy of those figures have been fueled in part by the Defense Ministry video, which showed two rows of sailors who appeared to number no more than 200. But there has also been widespread speculation that the video itself was shot before the sinking, not afterwards.

The photograph sent to RFE/RLs Siberia.Realities by an aunt of one of the sailors on board, Sergei Grudinin, 21, is some of the strongest evidence suggesting that the video is not what the Russian military made it out to be, but rather footage shot at some point before the sinking.



Looking identical to parts of the video, it shows Grudinin standing, chin up, in a row of sailors in dark uniforms and caps. A total of about 10 men are in the frame.

Grudinins aunt, Tatyana Grudinina, told RFE/RLs Siberia.Realities in late April that her nephew was still missing.



She said that his mother, Tamara Grudinina, was told when she called a hotline after the sinking that her son was alive -- but that she later got a call from a man who identified himself as Vakula  the last name of the Moskva captains deputy  and said that he was missing.



Separately, Tamara Grudinina told the BBC that another representative of the navy called later and told her that her son had gone down with the ship.



RFE/RLs Crimea.Realities contacted Grudinins parents in the Amur Oblast, in the Russian Far East, to ask them to confirm that the man in the photograph was their son. They said they did not want to talk to journalists, citing psychological trauma.



A cousin of Grudinins, Tatyana Tulupova, told the BBC that the family had last heard from him on April 10, when he said he said the ship was setting sail.

Grudinin was a conscript, meaning that, by law, he was not supposed to be sent into a combat zone. While Russia is fighting a war against Ukraine, with some of the fighting occurring along Ukraines Black Sea and Sea of Azov shores, the Defense Ministry has claimed that the ship was not involved in a combat operation.



Several other families have been seeking information about sailors missing following the sinking of the Moskva.



The loss of the flagship -- the worst disaster for the Russian Navy since the nuclear-powered submarine Kursk sank in 2000 -- was an embarrassing blow and one of many setbacks that the Russian military has faced since President Vladimir Putin launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Written by Mark Raczkiewycz based on reporting by Anzhelika Rudenko of RFE/RLs Crimea.Realities and by RFE/RLs Siberia Realities
"That's nonsense," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on May 4 when asked whether President Vladimir Putin planned to announce a military mobilization during Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebrations.

When asked whether Putin would formally declare war on Ukraine, Peskov's answer was the same: "That's nonsense."

Speculation has been rife that Putin could use the highly charged commemoration of the Soviet contribution to victory over Nazi Germany in World War II to set a new direction for Russia's war in Ukraine, which is in its third month and has clearly not proceeded the way Kremlin planners anticipated ahead of the February 24 invasion.

After Russian forces failed to capture Kyiv and break Ukrainian resistance, the Kremlin refocused its effort on securing the entire territory claimed by Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine -- the Donbas region -- and establishing a land bridge between those territories and the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

"I think Putin has to do something," Ukrainian military analyst Mykhaylo Samus said, adding that Putin's generals had promised him some significant success before the May 9 holiday.

"But in reality, they haven't achieved anything and there are no clear successes. Putin might make emotional declarations about war with Ukraine or mobilization, but de facto there won't be any changes," Samus said. "There won't be a real declaration of war, which would entail serious consequences including possibly the declaration of martial law."

'Partial Mobilization'

Ruslan Leviyev, an analyst with the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), a Russian group now based in Georgia that monitors the military, says Putin likely views a step like mobilization through the lens of "political consequences."

"There is a serious risk that his popularity would suffer," Leviyev said. At the same time, he said, it is clear "that with current force levels it won't be possible even to surround Ukrainian forces," much less achieve the declared goal of establishing control over the Donbas.

Sergei Zhavoronkov, a researcher with Moscow's Economic Policy Institute, says the effects of a declaration of war or a general mobilization could undermine support for the war. "The popularity of the war would fall sharply," he said. "It is one thing to watch it like an amusing computer game, but it is another when it directly affects many Russians and their families."

Leviyev said a more likely scenario would be a "partial mobilization in some border regions or involving some recently demobilized troops. If such a partial mobilization is undertaken, it would be realistic to add some 200,000 troops with their gear," he said.

Samus offers a similar prognosis. "You don't need mobilization to gather 100,000-200,000 troops in Russia," he said. "It is a big country and in the repressed regions there are sufficient people who would go fight if you paid them enough. I think it wouldn't be hard to find those people with an elementary recruitment campaign."

'A Week Of Training And A Uniform'

There are signs that such a partial mobilization is already under way in Russia, says Vladimir Milov, a former deputy energy minister who is now a leading opposition figure. "Thousands of people in the regions are writing to ask how they can avoid being conscripted and sent to Ukraine," Milov told RFE/RL. "They are already signing up everyone they can."

RFE/RL correspondents confirmed that several recruitment offices in the northwest were actively seeking discharged soldiers for contract service in Ukraine. They advertise, including on the job-seeking portal Superjob.ru, for men under age 50 with clean military records and no criminal convictions.

"The main thing is that you were in the army and carried a weapon," one recruiter in Petrozavodsk said. A recruiter in Chechnya's capital, Grozny, told RFE/RL that his office would sign up volunteers from any region of Russia and guarantee them training and equipment.

"Come here, you'll get a week of training and a uniform," the recruiter said, adding that contracts can be as short as three months. "The first month, you'll be paid 300,000 rubles [$4,600]."

"They need to find people who have recently served in the military and have the necessary military profiles," said Prague-based Russian military analyst Yury Fyodorov. "So far it is not clear whether they can gather the necessary quantity of people to replace their losses through help-wanted ads."

Heir To The Soviet Empire

Instead of major policy announcements, the Kremlin could use Victory Day to mobilize public support for the war -- by playing up nostalgia for Soviet-style global status and pandering to the widespread sense that Russia has been victimized by the West -- and to further Putin's draconian crackdown on dissent.

In his address at a Red Square military parade or in other comments on May 9, Putin may repeat his assertions that Russia is "fighting against Nazism," Moscow political analyst Natalya Shavshukova said, while adding that the Kremlin had "a distorted understanding of Nazism."

The Kremlin narrative is that this is "a war with the entire world: 'The whole world is against us, and we are fighting for some abstract justice, for our past, and so on,'" she said.

"People live poorly, in poverty," said Andrei Kolesnikov, a prominent political analyst. "They need to be constantly fed the idea that 'we are building a bright future for our children, and we just need to be patient a while and everything will be better.' And they need to find traitors and people to blame for the fact that things are going badly for them."

"People understand that something is wrong, and successes aren't coming," he added. "That means the guilty ones must be found. And who is to blame? Fifth- columnists, paid Western propagandists, national traitors. As Vladimir Putin's position worsens, the role played in our public life by the search for enemies grows larger."

Shavshukova said Putin's government had been hamstrung by widespread passivity that she and others contend the Kremlin itself has cultivated in Russian society.

"We have seen that trotting out public-sector workers for demonstrations in support of him has been rather difficult," she said. "People are ready to write social-media comments. They are ready to give silent assent. They are ready for anything that leaves them in peace so that they can go about their business. This is the consensus of an authoritarian society."

"Now Putin is trying to transform it into a totalitarian society -- to mobilize it," she concluded.

To that end, she predicts, Putin could make a symbolic Victory Day gesture such as restoring some Soviet-era military banners or emblems.

"I think one can expect some sort of new restoration of Soviet symbols and the assertion that Russia is the direct heir to the Soviet Union with claims to restoring the great empire in its 1991 boundaries," Shavshukova said.

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, Caucasus.Realities, Idel.Realties, and Current Time
At least 50 Ukrainian civilians were evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant amid the ruins of Mariupol, even as Russia continued to batter the strategic port city, Ukrainian officials said.

"Today we were able to evacuate from Azovstal 50 women, children, and elderly people," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on May 6 on her Telegram channel.



Vereshchuk added that, in the face of Russian attacks, the evacuation was extremely slowtomorrow morning we will continue the evacuation operation."

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The United Nations has scrambled to broker a deal to help evacuate some of the 200 civilians who are holed up along with an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters in the massive Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest in Europe.



Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of disrupting an agreed evacuation process by firing on vehicles attempting to transport people out of the plant.



Russia confirmed that some 50 people had been evacuated but did not comment on Ukrainian allegations of attacks on those leaving.



Throughout the day, Russian forces continued their assault on the sprawling steel factory against the Ukrainian fighters holding out there.

Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily assessment on May 6 that Russians were using aircraft as part of the renewed assault on the plant.

"There are many wounded, but they are not surrendering," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on May 5 in his nightly video address. "They are holding their positions."

Mariupol itself has been largely razed to the ground by weeks of street-to-street fighting and heavy bombardment. Azovstal has turned into a last stand for the Ukrainians troops struggling to prevent a complete Russian defeat of the city.

Zelenskiy said that, if Russian forces killed civilians or troops who could otherwise be released, his government would no longer hold peace talks with Moscow.



He said there was basically nothing left of the once-flourishing port city, only "this little turf, this little structure, the Azovstal steel mill, or what remains of it."

The fight for Azovstal also comes amid speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a battlefield triumph that he can showcase on May 9 when Russia marks Victory Day -- the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

"The renewed effort by Russia to secure Azovstal and complete the capture of Mariupol is likely linked to the upcoming 9 May Victory Day commemorations and Putin's desire to have a symbolic success in Ukraine," the British Defense Ministry said in its May 6 daily assessment.

"This effort has come at personnel, equipment, and munitions cost to Russia. Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas," the ministry said.

Losing Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port on the Sea of Azov. It would also give Russia the ability to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas.

The Ukrainians holed up in Azovstal's labyrinthine tunnels and industrial infrastructure have been posting videos and photographs to social media, appealing to the international community.

Soldiers are "dying in agony" due to the lack of proper treatment, Captain Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Battalion, said in a video address on May 5. He pleaded for international help to evacuate the civilians and wounded fighters there.

Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Zelenskiy, said on May 6 that nearly 500 civilians had been evacuated from the city and the Azovstal plant as part of a United Nations-led effort.



"The next stage of rescuing our people from Azovstal is under way at the moment. Information about the results will be provided later," Yermak said in a post on Telegram on May 6. Kyiv will "do everything to save all its civilians and military."

The fighting comes as Russia continues its offensive in the eastern Donbas, an offensive that has proceeded slowly and without major advances, as Ukrainian forces have blocked Russian movements and even regained territory.



Ukrainian forces have been increasingly equipped with heavy artillery and powerful anti-tank and antiaircraft weaponry supplied from NATO members.

Germany, which has come under pressure at home and abroad to step up its equipment supplies, said on May 6 that it would supply seven self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine after reversing its policy not to send heavy armaments to war zones.



Earlier, Berlin announced it would also be sending "Gepard" antiaircraft systems.



The Donbas offensive came after a thwarted campaign by Russian forces north of Kyiv in the early weeks of the war. The withdrawal of Russian troops from places like Bucha, near Kyiv, has led to a cascade of reports from witnesses who say Russian units committed atrocities that could amount to war crimes.



Rights watchdog Amnesty International said on May 6 there was compelling evidence that Russian troops had committed war crimes, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, when they occupied an area outside Ukraine's capital in February and March. Civilians also suffered abuses such as "reckless shootings and torture, the group said.



Russian troops had committed a "host of apparent war crimes" in Bucha, including "numerous unlawful killings," most of them near the intersection of Yablunska and Vodoprovidna streets, the report found.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and AP
While waging a devastating and unprovoked war in Ukraine, Russia prepares to mark the anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat 77 years ago. And the Kremlin's effort to weld its narratives of the two conflicts together rings badly wrong in Kyiv and the West.

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

On Parade

"Nazis," "liberation," and an unprovoked offensive cast as a valiant defense against an aggressor bent on destroying Russia, or at least bringing it to its knees: President Vladimir Putin's government insists it's not at war -- but judging by its false claims and rhetoric about the invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin wants the populace to think the country is fighting World War II.

In fact, of course, what's happening is an assault on an independent country, with evidence of war crimes mounting by the day as civilians are killed by bombs, missiles, mines, shells, and gunshots to the back of the head.

For Putin, though, the implied analogy with World War II may seem useful as a way to hide those truths from Russians and present a different narrative -- one grounded in the story of what Moscow calls the Great Patriotic War, which itself is based on the undeniable fact of the massive Soviet role in the Nazi defeat but has been altered and embellished by the state -- and Putin himself -- since he came to power more than two decades ago.

Particularly in the past 10 years, following his return to the presidency in 2012, Putin has used the Victory Day ceremonies on May 9 to advance his portrayal of World War II, even as the generations of Russians who remember what the war was really like disappear.

It's a black-and-white version in which the Soviet Union's enormous contribution to the Allied victory means that its legacy -- including the decades of oppressive postwar dominance over Eastern Europe -- cannot be a subject of debate, let alone criticism.

Some years, he has also used his speech at the Red Square military parade to issue veiled suggestions that the United States -- one of the Soviet Union's World War II allies, of course -- is nowadays a potential threat to world security, a disruptive force determined to dominate the planet.

That idea may be set out in sharper relief on May 9, when Putin presides over ceremonies against the bloody backdrop of the war he has unleashed in Ukraine.

In terms of Putin's propaganda, it may not be much of a stretch: Often, Russian officials and state media have been depicting Russian's military operations in Ukraine not as an offensive against Ukraine but as defensive actions against NATO aggression.

That's one of the ways the Russian state has described its war in Ukraine -- in fact, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a remarkable remark in service of that outlandish idea late last month, asserting that Russia does not consider itself to be at war with NATO but that "NATO, it seems, considers itself to be at war with Russia."

Putin and his government have also said one of the main goals of what they call Russia's "special military operation" is "de-Nazification" -- an assertion accompanied by wildly exaggerated claims about the influence of far-right groups in Ukraine, where no such party holds seats in parliament and the president was democratically elected.

The Lower Depths

Kyiv and the West say this is outrageous, and critics of the Kremlin point to signs that suggest it is also hypocritical, such as state-organized events and symbols of support for the war that they say contain echoes of fascism.

This framing of the war added to ire in Kyiv and the West this week when Lavrov asserted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's Jewish heritage did not undermine the Russian assertion that the country must be "de-Nazified."

Lavrov also suggested that Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots and said that "wise Jewish people say that the biggest anti-Semites are the Jews themselves" -- remarks that drew angry reactions from Israel, a country with which Putin has cultivated closer ties throughout his time in office.

On May 2, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Lavrov's remarks were "unforgivable and scandalous and a horrible historical error," adding, "The lowest level of racism against Jews is to blame Jews themselves for anti-Semitism."

Dani Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, called the comments "a severe blow to the victims of the real Nazism" and said Lavrov was spreading "an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory with no basis in fact."

After they spoke by phone on May 5, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said Putin had apologized for Lavrov's remarks. The Kremlin readout of the call made no mention of the matter.

Speaking at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe the same day, U.S. Ambassador Michael Carpenter decried what he called the Kremlin's "dehumanizing lies about Nazism and Ukraine."

"[The] Russian government contends that [Ukrainian] national identity is interchangeable with Nazism and tries to convince the Russian people to believe that the Ukrainian nation -- by its very definition -- is intent on waging genocide against Russians," Carpenter said. "We have seen these rhetorical devices before in history. And this hate speech is deployed on a repeat loop by Russian government officials and state media."

He contended that "it is clear there is a connection between the dehumanizing rhetoric spewed by the Russian government and its representatives...and the atrocities being committed by Russia's soldiers in Ukraine.

'Unspeakable Cruelty'

Russia's claim to be liberating parts of Ukraine where it has seized control is also one that has been met with angry derision from Ukrainians and others who point to allegations and evidence of the opposite -- oppression, broadly, and more specifically violent acts such as abductions, rapes, and killings by Russian forces.

On May 3, Human Rights Watch said it had documented cases of rape, summary executions, and other acts that "amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians" by Russian forces in areas they occupied.

The clearest evidence of war crimes so far has emerged after Russian forces have retreated from areas of Ukraine that they occupied at least briefly, such as cities and towns around Kyiv and Chernihiv in the north, including Bucha, Borodyanka, and many others.

Rights groups fear that many cases have gone unreported because Russian forces at least partially control the areas where they may have taken place, such as Mariupol, the Azov Sea port city that has been largely razed by Russian bombardments.

In terms of Russian propaganda, World War II and the war in Ukraine may come together in what one scholar wrote would be a "grotesque and horrific" spectacle -- a Victory Day parade in Mariupol, and where Ukrainian authorities say that thousands of civilians have been killed -- and that many are still trapped despite evacuation efforts amid the ongoing Russian offensive.

Whatever images the Kremlin creates in Mariupol on May 9, for some they will never replace indelible impressions from photos and footage taken during the onslaught that began there on the first day of the invasion, February 24.

In a video report from March, for example, a woman sits in a darkened hospital corridor, sobbing and cradling her surviving child in her arms as she describes the artillery strike that killed her other child -- and a child from another family -- as they sought shelter in a basement.

"You don't know where to run," she says. And then, "Who will bring the children back? Who?"
Weather Alert

...Fire Weather Concerns Across Vermont This Afternoon... A very dry airmass will remain over Vermont today with minimum relative humidity values dropping into the 15 to 25 percent range by midday. The continued dry conditions have allowed fine fuels to completely dry out. Winds will be from the east this morning, then the southeast this afternoon at 5-10 mph, except over Rutland and Windsor Counties where some afternoon gusts 10-20 mph are expected. Fires could quickly grow and get out of control today due to how dry the air will be this afternoon.
Sabrina Medora is a food writer and hospitality insider. Her pieces have appeared in Food & Wine, Plate Magazine, The Kitchn, Wine Enthusiast, and more. In 2018, she founded Un-Plated, dedicated to sharing the stories of those in the restaurant industry.

Follow Sabrina Medora 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
California's ban on foie gras, produced by force-feeding ducks and geese, does not prohibit out-of-state marketers from selling the product to Californians, a federal appeals court ruled Friday, upholding a judge's 2020 decision that narrowed the scope of the 2012 state law.

The gourmet product is made from duck and goose livers that are enlarged by forcibly feeding the birds through tubes. Californias law, backed by the Humane Society and allied groups, has been challenged by the meat industry since it took effect, with arguments that it conflicts with federal food regulation and interferes with interstate commerce.

While federal courts have rejected those arguments, in July 2020 U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson of Los Angeles ruled that the California law did not prevent Californians from ordering foie gras online or by telephone from out-of-state producers. On Friday, the states appeal was rejected by a conservative panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

When a product is purchased remotely, the sale takes place at the sellers location, Judge Ryan Nelson said in a 3-0 ruling. Former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and his successor, Rob Bonta, contended all sales to California customers occur in California, but the court disagreed.

The stated intent of the California law was to prevent complicity in animal cruelty, Nelson said. There is no indication that the Legislature intended to further its goal by banning consumption and possession of foie gras.

Nelson, joined by Judge Andrew Kleinfeld, rejected industry groups efforts to overturn the entire California law, which has prohibited in-state production and sales of foie gras. The ban applies to sales at California restaurants, which also have been barred from making the product a gift to customers.

Judge Lawrence VanDyke dissented from that portion of the ruling, saying the state law could not be reconciled with federal law, which allows and regulates force-feeding to produce foie gras. Nelson responded that the meat companies can still force-feed birds to make their products. They just cannot sell those products in California.

Ralph Henry, a lawyer for the Humane Society, said the ruling did not weaken the law significantly.

Only a narrow form of transaction  a sale by sellers outside the state, shipping to end-use consumers in the state  is still allowed, he said by email. However, all sales by any seller within the state  including by restaurants or retail saleswill not be allowed.

Lawyers for foie gras producers who challenged the law said they would ask the full appeals court for a new hearing before a larger panel. They provided a statement from one of their clients, a chef named Sean Chaney, who said that while he considers the law unconstitutional, Im also glad that 40 million Californians can continue to enjoy the foie gras products they buy online, and I hope to be able to cook it for them soon again.

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.

Other recent animal-protection laws in California have also been challenged by industry groups, with mixed results.

In 2012 the Supreme Court barred enforcement of the states ban on sales of pork from downer pigs, those too weak to walk before being slaughtered. The court ruled unanimously that the law conflicted with a federal statute that prohibited sales of meat from diseased animals but allowed selling pork from downer pigs that had passed federal inspection.

In 2016 the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Californias ban on possession and sale of shark fins, which are used to make shark fin soup. But after lower federal courts upheld a state law approved by voters in 2018, setting minimum space requirements for cages holding pigs and other animals, the Supreme Court agreed in March to take up an appeal by pork producers, backed by 20 Republican-led states. The court will hear the case in the term that begins in October.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Growing up during Americas deeply polarizing and increasingly vitriolic debates about Roe v. Wade, Emma Dauplaise, 27, a law student at Santa Clara University, always had a lingering fear that abortion rights could be revoked.

Now her fear is on the brink of coming true with the leaked revelation that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark ruling.

Its terrifying that this is potentially going to be a new reality for me, that Roe will not exist in my soon-immediate lifetime, said Dauplaise, who is active in If/When/How, a legal organization promoting reproductive justice.

Emmas mother, Kirsten Dauplaise, 56, of Ridgecrest (Kern County) never had those kind of worries in her own formative years in the Midwest.

Knowing Roe was the law of the land I always felt like that option was available to me and had no fears of that being taken away, she said in an email. I never felt as if abortion would ever become inaccessible.

Kirstens older female family members  her mother, aunts and grandmother  were very strong and politically aware, she said. My grandmother knew of back-alley abortions that went wrong and women got very sick and many died, so it was always an open discussion of how important safe and accessible abortion was.

As women react to the news that Roe v. Wade could soon be overturned, their ages sometimes color their outlooks. Women over 65 who lived through the pre-Roe era of illegal abortions feel pain that is more visceral; some even experience PTSD. Their middle-aged daughters, who grew up assured that abortion was a right, are also anguished over the news  but more on behalf of their own daughters. And for women of childbearing age, its immensely personal.

Within families, the seismic change heightens the urgency of what parents tell their children about reproductive health.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

Berkeley resident Sarah Hallinan, 41, said she and her husband are already thinking about how to communicate to their sons Milo, 7, and Tyler, 10, about what a world without Roe eventually could mean to them.

Of course, I want to teach them good values and hope they dont make mistakes, but condoms break, things happen, birth control doesnt always work, she said. If they go to out-of-state colleges and got a girl pregnant and there are no options; its so scary. I really hope we can keep an open dialogue with our boys.

Growing up in Berkeley, Hallinan said she had an easy back-and-forth about sexuality with her mother, and also felt supported by Berkeley Highs health center.

I had friends that in high school needed abortions because they werent ready to be parents at 15 or 16, Hallinan said. It wasnt difficult to get the help. Having that option was huge for those girls.

By contrast, Hallinans mother, Wendy Bloom, 67, remembers her slightly older high school friends telling her horror stories of having to seek back-alley abortions.

But then, in 1973, Roe v. Wade happened, legalizing abortion across the nation.

We were super-privileged to know that (abortion) was an option, when I was graduating from high school, to not have to worry in the same way people had before, Bloom said.

Bloom, a nurse at UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital in Oakland and a public health activist, had an abortion as a single mom with young twins just as she was starting her first nursing job.

I was trying to get on my feet; it was not the right time, she said. A year later, she had another daughter.

She was always open with all three of her children about the abortion, not wanting to frame it as shameful. Thats a really important message we can give our daughters: that it is your choice, she said.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

Attitudes about abortion are shaped by much more than ones age, of course. Thats demonstrated within Blooms family. Her sister, Amy Holt, 57, says shes neither pro- nor anti-abortion, but kind of in between.

After converting to Christianity in her early 20s (the Bloom family is Jewish), Holt believes that God chooses the origination of both life and death. Still, she always felt that abortion was understandable in cases of rape, incest or risk to a mothers life.

Over time, as she learned about children in foster care who were abused, or women who became pregnant with no ability to care for the children, her thinking evolved, Holt said.

I understand that children living in poverty is a terrible situation, Holt said. We need programs to support pregnant women and a pipeline to adoption if they cannot afford to have their baby. The foster care system needs to be improved.

And while she believes life begins at conception, she does not think Roe should be overturned. I worry there will be a lot of dead women who sought out unsafe abortions, she said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Another woman of the same generation, Hope Harper, 60, staunchly opposes abortion but also says that Roe should stand.

I think its tragic, but I think it has to be an option, to have a safer way, because women will have abortions; they always have, Harper said.

A younger member of her family felt pressured into having an abortion as a college student, Harper said, and grew to deeply regret it, to the point where she ran a clinic that advises pregnant women not to terminate.

Harper, a lifelong San Leandro resident and a pediatric nurse, said her strong Christian faith informs her views.

Ive always believed having an abortion is killing an unborn child, that all life is valuable, she said. But I have a heart of mercy toward those who have had an abortion. ... I understand that I cannot fully comprehend every circumstance that could lead to that.

Differing views about abortion are also influenced by ones environment.

Oakland resident Nathalie Castro, 28, grew up in San Diego. This is a very sobering moment, she said.

Her cousins and other relatives living in Mexico, who range in age from 20 to 60, are very conservative, very antiabortion, she said. Its the influence the church has on daily life. The same thing for my wife, shes from a rural town in Colombia; abortion is something very much looked down upon there.

For Wendy Bloom and Sarah Hallinan, one of the reverberations is the feeling that younger generations will grow up in a more limited world than their parents had.

Liz Ortega, 44, executive secretary-treasurer of the Alameda Labor Council, whose daughter is 15, expressed similar thoughts.

It breaks my heart because I know that my daughter and future generations wont feel that sense that they have a choice, she said. It feels like were going backward. Were supposed to be going forward.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A hundred years after the California College of Arts and Crafts made a leafy spot in North Oakland its home, students, faculty and alumni bade farewell Friday to the campus, which has relocated in recent years to a more spacious campus in San Franciscos Mission Bay.

The closure of the historic Oakland campus, which sits at the corner of Broadway and College Avenue in the Rockridge neighborhood, was announced quietly in 2016 then more officially in 2019.

Officials at the college, which changed its name to California College of the Arts in 2003, said the move was necessary because the Oakland campus was hemmed in and unable to expand, and because the college wanted to consolidate with its San Francisco campus.

On Friday afternoon, the final day of classes at the Oakland campus, students, faculty and alumni gathered on Macky Lawn on the campus to say goodbye. At an event titled To the Oakland Campus With Love, they wrote love letters to the Oakland campus then attended receptions.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Its been a long goodbye. Teri Dowling, an alumna whos now the college library director, said the closure of the Oakland campus had been discussed since she arrived in 2011.

The fact that were now doing it, it feels good to finally get going and moving ahead with the project, she said.

But many on campus said theyll miss the tree-shaded oasis and historic buildings, which many found inspirational.

We mourn its loss and will do everything we can to bring all of our memories with us, said Deborah Valoma, head of the textiles department and co-chair of the colleges Oakland Campus Legacy Project. Weve been talking about how to capture the history, the legacy of the campus and bring it over to San Francisco.

That included moving a bell from the 1930s, saving written memories that students hung on trees as love letters, and continuing to collect oral histories.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

For Yesenia Aguilar, a 2019 graduate and alumni engagement manager, those memories include meeting her now-partner in the library and long bus rides on the shuttle between the Oakland and San Francisco campus, during which she grabbed some extra sleep but lost hours that could have been spent in class or the studio.

Having a split campus was sometimes a difficulty, she said. It will be nice to have everyone back together in one place.

For Chris Johnson, a photography professor for 45 years, the move from a woodsy, natural campus to one with a modern and industrial feel will be challenging.

Were going to see whether we can capture the spirit of the school separate from this place, he said. So well see.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

According to the colleges website, the CCA entered into an agreement to redevelop the campus with community gathering spaces, affordable housing, office space for arts nonprofits and bike parking while preserving the campus cluster of historic buildings and trees.

Regarded as one of the top arts schools in the nation, the college started as the School of the California Guild of Arts and Crafts in downtown Berkeley in 1907. A year later it was renamed California School of Arts and Crafts.

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 school bought the 4-acre James Treadwell estate in Oakland in 1922 and spent four years preparing it for students and teachers to move in, and in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, more buildings were added to the campus. The institution gained college status and was officially named California College of Arts and Crafts in 1936.

California College of the Arts will now be housed entirely at its Mission Bay campus, built on the site of a former Greyhound bus maintenance yard. Beginning in the fall, all classes will he held on the San Francisco campus for the first time, according to college officials.

California College of the Arts

The private nonprofit college has about 1,600 students studying in the areas of architecture, fine arts and humanities and sciences.

Even though the closure of the Oakland campus, which will become official in September, has been long planned, Aguilar admitted it feels strange.

It will feel odd to get into our cars and drive away after 100 years, she said.

Michael Cabanatuan (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

California lawmakers are working to shield women who travel to the Golden State for abortions from legal liability if their home states ban the procedure, part of an effort to make the West Coast a safe haven for people seeking abortions and the doctors who help them.

Its part of a flurry of legislative action hastened by news that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and kick the question of whether to allow abortion to individual states. Some, like California, are working to increase access to the procedure. Others are hoping to not just ban abortions within their borders, but also to prevent women from traveling elsewhere to obtain them.

The work of the state Legislature has never been more important than it is today, said Assembly Member Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland. State legislatures are going to be the ones determining if people have access to safe abortion care or not.

Wicks has written a bill that would protect women from prosecution if they have an abortion. Its part of a package of legislation that aims to increase access and thwart efforts in other states to criminalize California abortions.

Wicks bill, AB2223, would strengthen protections in California law against prosecution of abortions and miscarriages. Inspired by stories of California women prosecuted for losing their pregnancies, Wicks said it could also help women traveling to California from other states.

Meanwhile, other state Legislatures are moving in the opposite direction. Louisiana lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill to classify abortion as homicide from the time of fertilization. After Texas banned most abortions and many Texans began traveling to Oklahoma for the procedure, Oklahoma passed its own abortion ban, which Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law Tuesday. Both measures target people who help women obtain abortions, including by helping them travel to clinics.

I want Oklahoma to be the most pro-life state in the country, Stitt wrote on Twitter. I represent all four million Oklahomans who overwhelmingly want to protect the unborn.

In Missouri, one lawmaker tried to go even further by barring women from traveling to other states to have abortions, although that effort failed amid questions about whether it was constitutional.

Even so, Missouri and many other states are expected to ban abortion within their borders if Roe is overturned.

California lawmakers are preparing for a huge influx of people from other states seeking abortions if that happens. The nonprofit Guttmacher Institute estimates that the number of women of childbearing age whose closest clinic is in California could rise from 46,000 to 1.4 million if Roe is overturned.

That dynamic will likely prompt efforts by prosecutors in other states to find ways to go after abortions that take place outside their borders, said David Cohen, a Drexel University law professor who studies abortion policies.

They are going to try, and they are going to try in a lot of different ways, Cohen said of efforts to criminalize women traveling out of state to seek abortion.

In response, California can act to ensure the doctors and other people who help with abortions, such as schedulers and clinic escorts, arent subject to prosecution.

Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, has introduced AB1666, a measure that would protect people who get or help others get abortions from civil liability in California.

The last thing we want is for our courts to be enforcing laws that are hostile to that access, she said.

Theres less California can do to help the women when they return to their home states, Cohen said.

That patient may face consequences when they go back home, he said. Thats unfortunate, but its not something California can fix.

Another bill, AB2091, would forbid health providers from releasing medical information about a person seeking or obtaining an abortion in response to a subpoena based on another states abortion ban.

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.

AB2091 essentially allows and ensures that we're protecting the medical privacy of patients who fear theyre going to be targeted by hostile anti-abortion laws in other states, said Assembly Member Mia Bonta, the Alameda Democrat who wrote the bill.

Bonta says she plans to add an urgency clause to her bill so that it can take effect before the start of next year, the default for most California laws. That means the measure will need approval from two-thirds of lawmakers, instead of a simple majority, but could take effect this summer, when the Supreme Court is expected to overturn Roe based on a leaked draft decision published Monday.

Even if Bontas bill becomes law, out-of-state prosecutors could still target women who seek abortions in California by buying cell phone or internet search data from data brokers, said Irina Raicu, director of internet ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Cell phone location data could reveal if a woman had entered an abortion clinic, for example, or internet search history could show she searched for information about abortion pills.

It might feel to some of us like if Roe is overturned, we would be going back in time, but were not going back in time, she said. Were really headed into uncharted territory, because before Roe was passed people didnt carry around phones that track their location data everywhere they went, and there were no companies like data brokers to collect that data and package it and then resell it to anybody who would pay for it.

She said Californias relatively strong data privacy laws that allow people to tell companies to delete their data are important, but that the ubiquity of data tracking and surveillance, on devices from smartphones to traffic cameras, still threatens women seeking abortions. She pointed to a guide from the Electronic Frontier Foundation as a good place for women, abortion providers and others involved in helping people access abortion to learn how to protect their data.

Despite the limitations of the package of bills California lawmakers are considering, Cohen said it would still provide important protections.

It doesnt solve everything, but it does assure California providers that they can care for these out-of-state travelers, he said. That goes a long way.

Sophia Bollag is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophia.bollag@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophiaBollag
The California Supreme Court ruled in 1981 that Medi-Cal must pay for abortions, because the insurance program for low-income residents already paid childbirth costs if women chose to give birth. The basis of the ruling was the courts conclusion that the right to abortion was protected by Californias Constitution.

Under Article 1, Section 1 of the state Constitution, which includes an explicit right to privacy, all women in this state  rich and poor alike  possess a fundamental constitutional right to chose whether or not to bear a child, Justice Mathew Tobriner wrote. And as far back as 1969, he said, three years before Californias voters had approved privacy rights and four years before the U.S. Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision, the states high court had recognized constitutional protections for the choice of childbirth or abortion.

Which raises the question of why Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders are proposing a November ballot measure that would amend the state Constitution to declare a right to abortion. They want the measure placed on the ballot by two-thirds votes of both Democratic-controlled legislative chambers.

We know we cant trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state Constitution. Women will remain protected here, Newsoms office said in a statement announcing the measure Tuesday. A day earlier, Politico had published a leaked copy of a draft Supreme Court opinion, joined by five of the nine justices, that would overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortions.

Previous decisions interpreted the right to abortion through the lens of right to privacy and are case law, said state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, legislative sponsor of the proposed amendment. While its unlikely that our courts would erode that case law, we are specifying the right to abortion explicitly.

The leaked draft opinion took the view of abortion not being in the U.S. Constitution, therefore not a right, Atkins said in a statement. California is directly responding to the U.S. Supreme Court by explicitly putting those words into our state Constitution.

Newsom noted that the draft Supreme Court opinion by Justice Samuel Alito had emphasized that the word abortion appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. By amending our Constitution, no future challenger will be able to make that argument in California, the governors office told The Chronicle in a statement.

Or as state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, told the Associated Press, Unless we are explicit about what we are protecting  someday some court could interpret privacy as not including my right to an abortion. And thats what were trying to protect against.

Skinner has introduced legislation to establish a state fund for women coming to California to obtain abortions, one of several bills anticipating abortion bans in as many as half the states if the high court overrules its 1973 decision.

The California Supreme Court, however, has shown no indication of reconsidering its abortion ruling in the 41 years since it was issued. During most of that period, the courts majority has consisted of justices appointed by Republican governors.

And there is another potential motivation for a ballot measure: politics.

While Newsom is expected to win a second term without difficulty in November, other Democratic incumbents face tougher challenges, and the outcomes of contested congressional races could also be affected if an abortion vote increased Democratic turnout.

As the governor put it in a tweet Wednesday, This will be the defining issue of the 2022 election.

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.

Some legal observers said theres nothing wrong with mixed motives.

A state constitutional amendment certainly may serve a political purpose, said Richard Hasen, professor of election law at UC Irvine. But it also seems a more secure way of explicitly guaranteeing a right to choose than reliance on a judicial determination that could potentially be overturned someday. If it is political, it would hardly be the first time measures (such as on same-sex marriage or the minimum wage) have been put on the ballot to boost turnout.

Erwin Chemerinsky, the law school dean at UC Berkeley, said adding abortion rights to the state Constitution will not add any additional protections. But it will be a symbolic statement from California voters to reaffirm abortion rights when so many other states are adopting restrictive laws. It also may mobilize Democratic voters, including to come to the polls in November.

The 1981 California ruling came a year after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which denies nearly all federal Medicaid funding for abortion. Tobriner, part of a four-justice majority in the California decision, noted the 1980 federal ruling but said California law and court precedent were more protective of abortion rights  for one thing, the right to privacy had been expressly established by the states voters, while Roe v. Wade relied on past birth-control rulings that found implicit privacy protections in the U.S. Constitution.

For several years before 1981, state lawmakers, and Gov. Jerry Browns budget, had withheld most state funding for Medi-Cal abortions. But the court said low-income women seeking abortions were entitled to the same rights as low-income women giving birth, and cited its rulings prohibiting the state from placing restrictions on its programs that deprived anyone of constitutional rights.

The first such ruling, in 1946, struck down state regulations that allowed private organizations to hold meetings in public school buildings unless an organization had subversive elements, an exception that the court said violated freedom of speech. The U.S. Supreme Court, meanwhile, was generally upholding Cold War laws against Communist and socialist advocacy.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Emilia Guerra took her first steps on Thanksgiving of 2020 as parents Laura and Rigo Guerra watched proudly. It seemed like the start of many holiday memories for the young family.

A month later, it was Christmas Eve and Rigo, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was in the hospital with COVID-19. He was dying. His daughter would never have her father at a holiday gathering again.

As the United States prepares to mark the grim milestone of 1 million dead from COVID-19, a close inspection of the data reveals one of the pandemics most heart-wrenching tolls: At least 32,500 children in California and more than 214,400 nationwide  more than 1 out of every 360  have lost at least one parent or primary caregiver to the virus, according to Hidden Pain, a report from the COVID Collaborative, a nonprofit advocacy group. At least 16,800 lost their sole parent or caregiver.

COVID orphans is the term used to describe these children, whether they lost one caregiver or two. More than 70% are 13 or younger.

The pandemics disproportionate impact on lower-income and minority communities is reflected among COVID orphans, said Daniel Treglia, who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, is a contributor to the COVID Collaborative and co-authored the Hidden Pain report.

In California, Hispanic children have lost caregivers to the virus at a rate 3.1 times that of white children. Black childrens losses are 2.4 times and Asian childrens are 1.6 times that of white children. Hawaiian/Pacific Islander children were hit even harder, losing caregivers at 5 times the rate of white children.

Moreover, children who lost their only parent or caregivers are largely in non-white households, Treglia said.

COVID-19 hit the most vulnerable children in the worst ways, he said. The disparities in COVID-19 caregiver loss are even higher than the disparities in COVID-19 deaths.

It had been an unusually quiet Thanksgiving for the Guerras. Rigo wasnt feeling well, so the family had dinner at their Riverside home without any guests. Although he had tested negative for COVID-19, he felt something was really wrong, Laura said.

Shortly after witnessing his daughters milestone, Rigo said he wanted to go to the hospital to get checked out.

We were hesitant to hug or kiss because so many others (at Rigos job) had tested positive, Laura said. I took him a glass of water to the car and said, Call as soon as they see you.

A U.S. Marines veteran who had been wounded in Iraq, Rigo decided to go to the nearest hospital, rather than the VA.

He texted, saying he had the coronavirus and pneumonia and would have to stay in the hospital. They talked daily by phone or FaceTime, as visitors werent allowed in those pre-vaccination days. Laura was worried, but kept reminding herself that Rigo was only 33. Someone so young and healthy would be out soon, she thought.

Allison Zaucha / Special to The Chronicle Allison Zaucha / Special to The Chronicle Allison Zaucha / Special to The Chronicle Laura leaves a cup of coffee for Rigo at his grave at Riverside National Cemetery. At top right, Laura reads with Emilia next to a stuffed animal sent by Rigo's Marine brothers. Above right, Laura shows a wedding photo and a tattoo on her arm of the last words that Rigo said to her. Photos by Allison Zaucha/Special to The Chronicle Top: Laura leaves a cup of coffee for Rigo at his grave at Riverside National Cemetery. Middle: Laura reads with Emilia next to a stuffed animal sent by Rigo's Marine brothers. Above: Laura shows a wedding photo and a tattoo on her arm of the last words that Rigo said to her. Photos by Allison Zaucha/Special to The Chronicle

A week later, doctors said his oxygen levels were dropping and he needed to be intubated, which involves being sedated.

They FaceTimed. Through his big oxygen mask, he said everything would be OK; our story was just getting started. He repeated that over and again, she said. That was the last time I talked to him.

On Christmas Eve, she was summoned to the hospital. Rigo was dying.

Her hand pressed to the glass, she stood outside Rigos room watching as his oxygen numbers plummeted.

I wasnt allowed in the room, she said. I stood there in disbelief, hitting the window, unsure of how this was happening, how the world around me could keep moving on.

Emila, now 2, points at pictures when someone says Wheres Daddy? but she doesnt really remember the gentle giant who took such joy in her birth and felt so responsible to care for her.

Shes a very happy baby and looks so much like her dad, Laura said. I know at this developmental stage, she might not understand that hes not physically here, but soon enough she will  and that will come with its new challenges.

Allison Zaucha/Special to The Chronicle

Losing a parent rips a hole in a childs life.

Recognizing that, some advocates and lawmakers want to create more support for COVID orphans.

Besides the unimaginable loss of losing your parents, this can be quite detrimental economically, said California Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. Shes proposed a bill, SB854, the HOPE for Children Act, to create modest financial cushions for children bereaved by COVID and foster children. (Foster children would be included regardless of whether they lost a parent to COVID.)

The bill, which backers say is the first of its kind in the nation, has two components. First, it would establish savings accounts for children under 18 who lost a parent or caregiver to the virus and for foster children.

Currently, the idea is to deposit about $4,000 in an interest-bearing account for children younger than 9 and double that amount for older kids, who wouldnt have as long for the money to compound. Bereaved children would receive the funds at age 18, by which time they might have amassed somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000. Disbursement criteria still need to be worked out, but ideally the money would go toward education, housing or other critical needs.

Most of us, when we turn 18, can rely on parents for first/last rent in our first apartment, or help with some college expenses  any number of things these children may not have, Skinner said. This would give them that hope that they will not be abandoned in the future. Were not talking inordinate amounts of money  talking about a bridge so a young person doesnt feel without support.

Secondly, the bill would provide monthly stipends equivalent to Social Security survivor benefits for children whose parents didnt qualify for the federal program. For instance, the parents may not have accumulated the required 10 quarters of work because they were too young, undocumented or incarcerated, or worked at informal jobs.

Allison Zaucha/Special to The Chronicle

Those children have a lifetime of grief ahead of them, said Chris Kocher, who started a nationwide group called COVID Survivors for Change to support people who lost loved ones to the virus. We can remove some obstacles of achieving a college degree or other life goals with baby bonds or scholarships.

At the national level, efforts are under way to identify and help COVID orphans.

We want to create a national clearinghouse so individuals who experience loss due to COVID have a single source for financial resources, resources to support a grieving child or sibling, (a list of) organizations in the U.S. doing this work, said Catherine Jaynes, senior director for external affairs at the COVID Collaborative.

In January, the COVID Collaborative organized dozens of leaders from health, education, governments and foundations to write to President Biden requesting he direct federal agencies to see if programs with current funding could support children who have lost a parent.

Its a call to unity, Jaynes said. As Americans, we want to support all children in grief but because weve had a 5 times increase in the number of children experiencing this grief, (due to COVID), it calls us all to action.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

When the pandemic started, Kate and Jason McLaughlin knew he was at high risk for severe disease. Hed received a kidney transplant in 2014 because he had polycystic kidney disease.

So they took extra precautions. He had quit his accountant job right before the pandemic started and they agreed he wouldnt seek a new job. The Santa Rosa couple and their daughter, Eala, now 4, would subsist on Kates income as an eighth-grade language and social studies teacher. Even when schools resumed in-person instruction, she applied to stay fully remote, teaching students who were also staying home.

Despite their efforts, Jason was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Jan. 12, 2021. A week later he was hypoxic and acting confused. Kate called 911. He was admitted to the hospital.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

On Jan. 23, Kate woke up unable to smell. She and Eala both tested positive. Kate had mild cold-like symptoms. Eala was asymptomatic.

That same day, Jason was intubated. For three weeks, he endured ups and downs.

Kate wasnt allowed to visit until the end. She and Eala FaceTimed with him before he was intubated, when he could still talk.

On Feb. 16, the doctors called Kate. Jason wasnt going to make it.

She was lucky in that the hospital allowed her to be in the room with him. It was pre-vaccination, but since she had recently recovered from COVID, they assumed she had some immunity. She wore some personal protective gear, but not a full suit.

I remember saying to the nurse, Its weird holding his hand with a glove on, and the nurse said, You can take your gloves off,  she said.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

Jason was unconscious.

How do you communicate with someone whos not communicating back? she thought.

She remembered when Eala was a newborn screaming during a diaper change. Jason had said, Just talk to her.

Those words came back to me, she said. So I shared the family gossip with him. Just what was going on. I said I loved him. I thought (about) how hard this whole situation has been and that he didnt deserve to die and that no one deserves it.

Then she had to break the news to Eala.

Bronte Wittpenn / The Chronicle Bronte Wittpenn / The Chronicle Kate and Eala embrace outside their Santa Rosa home. At right, a family portrait of Kate, her husband Jason and Eala. Photos by Bronte Wittpenn At top, Kate and Eala embrace outside their Santa Rosa home. Above, a family portrait of Kate, her husband Jason and Eala. Photos by Bronte Wittpenn

Telling a 3-year-old that their parent has died is very surreal, Kate said. I was more upset than she was; she didnt really understand.

When shes a little older, I want her to be able to have some mental health support, Kate said. I know there are summer camps for kids who lost parents. I think about what it will be like for her. In preschool, kids say weird things all the time. When she gets to elementary school, I worry about what that experience will be like for her. I dont want her to feel isolated because of it.

She and her family have spread Jasons ashes in some of his best-loved places  Cape Cod, a favorite park in Santa Rosa, Goat Rock Beach near the Russian River.

I feel like I want little pieces of him everywhere, she said. We joked that we should take some ashes to Fenway Park in Boston; he was a big sports fan.

Now talking to Eala about Jason is interwoven into her new life as a single mom.

Bronte Wittpenn/The Chronicle

When he first died, shed often tell strangers, My dads dead, very matter-of-factly, Kate said. People would get this look on their faces, and Id say, Sorry, its true. Its just part of our reality.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Filipa Ioannou/The Chronicle

San Francisco police arrested four city residents in the fatal stabbing of a man in the Mission District in March, police said Thursday.

Three suspects, identified by police as Alejandro Romero-Reyes, 38, David Garcia-Murillo, 41, and David Garcia-Ramirez, 21, were arrested on suspicion of homicide and conspiracy, police said in a statement. The fourth suspect, Lidia Ramirez, 42, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact, police said.
WASHINGTON  As abortion may once again become illegal in large swaths of the country, no delegation to Congress may have as much personal connection to the issue as the Bay Areas.

Of the 12 Democratic lawmakers who represent substantial portions of the Bay Area, half are women, all of whom reached adulthood before abortion was legalized nationally by the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Two of them, Reps. Jackie Speier of San Mateo and Barbara Lee of Oakland, are among the few members of Congress who have publicly shared their own abortion stories. At the vanguard of the delegation is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who often speaks on her support for abortion rights from her perspective as a devout Catholic mother.

Now, in the wake of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that would erase the 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion, this group is leading the charge to codify abortion rights into federal law. The effort wont be successful, as there remain fewer than the 60 votes required to advance legislation in the Senate. But their voices will be front and center as the nation grapples with a new era of reproductive politics. Adding to the charge will be another highly visible politician from the Bay Area  Vice President Kamala Harris, who has already been a forceful voice for abortion rights for the administration in the aftermath of the leak.

There is power in numbers, Rep. Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto said Friday at a news conference in Mountain View, surrounded by local female leaders. If this picture is a source of inspiration to you, we rejoice in that. ... Never before has this taken place in our country, a right taken away. We know what the implications, the devastating impacts of it. But in this power of numbers, we send a message: That more power in numbers need to turn out at the ballot box.

Lees abortion came before Roe was legal, when she was just 16 years old. Living in El Paso, Texas, at the time, she traveled to Mexico to have the procedure, and counts herself lucky it was done safely. She first opened up about the experience last year, and told Elle in a recent sitdown with Speier and other lawmakers sharing their stories: I knew what was happening to women who had these back-alley abortions, because then, for Black girls and women, that was a cause of death for so many of us. ... I thanked God that I survived, because I knew so many women hadnt.

Lee told The Chronicle in an interview that it took her a long time to reveal the experience. Even after Speier became the first member of Congress to reveal her own abortion story on the House floor in a dramatic 2011 debate, Lee said she congratulated Speier but didnt tell her own story.

I really didnt want to do this, Lee said. Believe me. But when Mississippi and Texas and all these terrible laws started coming down, I felt compelled. I couldnt not speak out.

She called the Northern California congressional delegation phenomenal, and said the personal perspectives make them a powerful force on the issue.

Experiences matter, Lee said. People want authenticity with their elected officials. And I have learned since I shared my personal story, I had no idea how many women and men whisper to me ... they had the same experience.

Lee, at 75, is among the younger members of the group. Speier is 71, Eshoo is 79, Pelosi is 82, Rep. Zoe Lofgren of San Jose is 74, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein is 88. Many of them were also elected at a time when few women politicians had reached Congress.

At the time, it was earth-shattering, said former Sen. Barbara Boxer, who retired in 2017. Its really extraordinary what the Bay Area did.

Boxer, who is strongly in favor of abortion rights, said she believes its important for people who knew life before Roe v. Wade to speak out.

At this moment in history when women are threatened ... you turn to the people who knew what it was like before Roe, and when you do that, you see this incredible group of women from California, and they should be listened to, hard, Boxer said.

If you talk to a younger person, theyll say, Youre exaggerating, women wont die, Boxer continued. Yes, women will die. ... Ill tell you how they died when I was a young person. They died because they self-inflicted abortions and got infections, or their boyfriends threw $300 at them and they went to Mexico. ... We dont even know how many women died because, remember, it was a crime, so if the parents buried their daughter they never could say why.

Pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker of the House and a longtime supporter of abortion rights, has spoken out on the issue for decades even as the Catholic Church, of which she is a devout member, stands against abortion.

When the archbishop of San Francisco called the law Pelosi ushered through the House codifying abortion rights heinous evil, she brushed his criticisms aside as a disagreement about who should decide this.

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.

I believe that God has given us a free will to honor our responsibilities, she told reporters. I keep saying to people who say things like that, when you have five children in six years and one day, we can talk about what business it is of any of us to tell anyone else what to do. ... Its none of our business how other people choose the size and timing of their families.

At the news conference Friday, Lofgren warned that Californians should not feel complacent about abortion rights in a state that guarantees them, a sentiment echoed by Boxer and Lee.

If you think that the states are going to be able to protect women, think again, Lofgren said. Because if the Republicans take control of the House and the Senate, they will pass a bill outlawing abortion in every state of this country.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned that if Democrats remove the 60-vote filibuster on advancing legislation, Republicans will do so, but has stated that Republicans will not be the first to erase the filibuster. He has, however, been at the helm of a Republican effort to confirm conservatives to the Supreme Court to overturn Roe.

Eshoo, Lofgren, Lee and Boxer presaged an intense midterm election fight over abortion. They exhorted California supporters of abortion rights to vote, donate, phone-bank, campaign and generally engage in the battle.

We stand on the shoulders of great, great suffragettes who took on what was then thought to be impossible, Eshoo said at the news conference Friday. We owe so much to the previous generations that pushed and marched. ... What weve discussed today is the chilling (prospect) that the hands of the clock will be turned back not hours or weeks, but much greater than a century of American history.

Tal Kopan (she/her) is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
Later this month, police agencies and the U.S. military will no longer be able to buy a target dummy resembling a man of African descent through a federal government website.

On May 27, the U.S. General Services Administration will terminate its five-year contract  called a GSA schedule  with California company Kistabra Inc., which has been selling the rubber figure through the GSAs website since 2019. The GSA procures equipment from commercial companies such as Kistabra and sells their products at discounted rates to federal, state and local agencies.

In an emailed statement, GSA spokesperson Andra Higgs said the GSA will remove the target dummy from its website after a contractually required notice period.

The decision came two weeks after a Chronicle column about Oakland artist Tracy Brown, who circulated an online petition calling for the GSA to stop selling the problematic product.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

Brown discovered the dummies in 2021 while researching guns and gun safety demonstrations online. On April 13, she used one of the 20-pound dummies as the centerpiece of an art installation in downtown Oakland that was both a commentary on the dehumanization of Black bodies in America, and the disproportionate government killings of Black men. That week, the GSA learned of Browns petition and said it was committed to reviewing the issue thoroughly.

The petition had nearly 750 signatures on Thursday.

Public concerns about the dummys facial features arent new. Social media users pointed out the design of the figures mouth and nose back in 2014, when Kistabra first began marketing the product on Instagram.

Kistabra President Mike Lessnick did not respond to a request for comment regarding the GSAs decision.

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.

Brown said last week she is proud of the GSAs decision to pull the rubber dummy but framed it as a first step that doesnt reflect the full resolution shes seeking.

Ending the contract with (Kistabra) is one thing. But the GSA needs to look at changing its own policies, which should include an audit of its catalog, so they can ensure they arent doing business with other companies that are selling racially problematic products, Brown said. Im going to continue working them so they understand why its important they make more systemic changes.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
The Berkeley flea market, which has occupied the BART station parking lot on Ashby Avenue for almost half a century, is facing relocation to make way for much-needed housing  but some are worried about what that could mean for its vendors and the Black, Latino and immigrant communities that use it as a gathering space.

When the market opened 48 years ago, sellers had to line up in the early morning to secure a spot. About 250 vendors filled the lot every weekend, selling everything from used bikes and records to incense and jewelry.

Over the past few decades, that number declined by half as housing prices went up, displacing South Berkeleys Black residents, said Yasin Khan, the markets general manager and board member of Community Services United, the organization that runs it.

When this place wasnt gentrified, there were a lot of people who (lived here) that were vendors, Khan said. Now, fewer than half a dozen are Berkeley residents, he said, with most vendors traveling from other parts of the Bay Area and as far as Sacramento to sell on weekends.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Despite the changes, Khan said, the market continues to serve a vital role for both the community and the vendors who count on their sales income.

City and BART officials said they are working with vendors to find a new location for the market near the station. The city has said it lacks enough vacant or underused property to develop the 9,000 more units required over the next decade to meet Californias housing goal  which makes the transit-oriented villages with up to 3,600 units at two BART stations, Ashby and North Berkeley, critical to their plans.

The City Council is expected to vote on the development on May 31.

While the Berkeley flea market will not have to move until 2025, at the earliest, many vendors are hoping city and BART officials do the right thing and make sure were taken care of to be able to continue the 48-year tradition, said vendor and board member Artrenia Harris.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

If the market remains in the area and its planned out well, it could probably even be better, said Harris, who sells her artwork and jewelry. But if its not, it could be a disaster.

James Allison, the transit agency spokesperson, said in a statement that officials believe the market is an integral part of the community fabric and that vendors are an important stakeholder in the planning process.

BART staff view relocating the market as a unique opportunity to strengthen the ties between the transit agency and the market, to provide a higher profile for the market, to enhance the amenities available to our riders and to find ways to make the market thrive, the statement read.

Allison said a relocation study and meetings with the markets representatives is under way, and officials are looking to include a linear market plaza, along Adeline Street, in the development plans as a possible alternative site. Proposals will first be presented to the flea markets representatives and vendors for approval and then to the City Council this fall or winter, Allison said.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Similar plans are under way in San Jose, where city officials approved a development that will shrink the Berryessa Flea Market, another historic market and a staple in the citys Latino community, after months of protests and a two-day hunger strike by some vendors in protest of the development.

This is not the first time that vendors have brought up concerns about the Berkeley markets future and further displacement of the areas residents because of new developments. Many have expressed worry in years past as city and BART officials have looked to build housing on the lot and rebuild parts of the neighborhood with its Adeline Street plan, which has been eight years in the making. Now, as city and transit officials green-light housing for Ashby Station, vendors say they hope they are not left behind.

Many Black businesses and residents were displaced in the 1960s and 70s when BART, using eminent domain, built Ashby Station, said market board President Charles Gary. As a result, many artists and activists gathered there to create what is now the Berkeley flea market, providing an economic opportunity for many residents, he said.

Gary and other vendors also said they want to see 100% low-income affordable housing in the development plan, because they fear the planned development wont provide enough affordable housing to low-income tenants.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

City and BART officials said they were working to increase the planned share of affordable housing, currently set at 35%, to 50% for each station. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said the City Council set a goal of achieving 100% at the Ashby BART Station.

Were working earnestly to try to see how we can go beyond that 35% because we desperately need more affordable housing, including housing for people at even the extremely low-income level, he said.

He stressed that he would advocate to keep the market at or near its current location.

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 flea market is a Berkeley institution (and) is really such a special place, he said. Im very committed to keeping it at or near Ashby Station in the South Berkeley community.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Lateefah Simon, a BART board member whose district includes Ashby Station, said the market continues to be a beautiful pulse for Blackness in the Bay Area and that she is committed to keeping the market at or near the station. She said she grew up attending the market.

I am 100% with our neighbors who are saying keep the flea market, make sure that as we develop we make room (for the market) and make priority for families and children of the descendants who have been pushed out of South Berkeley.

On a recent Saturday morning, Magi, who goes by his first name, organized his vending booth, carefully placing his crystal-embellished wooden walking sticks against a dolly as R&B music played in the background. The 75-year-old artist from Berkeley has been selling his jewelry and walking sticks at the flea market for more than 40 years.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Magis face lights up when he talks about what the market means to him. He calls his customers his family and can tell you about almost every vendor and what they have to offer. To him, no other flea market in the world compares to the one in his city.

Some people come here just to feel good, just to walk around and be able to talk to somebody, he said.

When asked for his opinions on the housing development, Magi said, Well, unfortunately, as time goes on, things do get developed.

I just hope that theyre looking out for the interests of the community, he said.

Jessica Flores (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
Welcome to the third installment of New in the East Bay, a monthly look at the latest restaurant and bar openings on this side of the Bay Bridge.

The eyes feast before the mouth, and new restaurants opening in the East Bay are delighting diners with creations that are both visual and taste treats.

Take the delicate phyllo-based pastries at an Oakland coffee shop teeming with faux flowers, where the owners are also serving up fragrant rose lattes and lemonades. And a Bay Area chain is hooking dessert lovers with soft-serve in whimsical fish-shaped cones.

Other noteworthy newcomers are serving Korean tofu stews, craft spirits and chapli kebabs. And popular hot chicken operation Hotbird made its return to Oakland, where it debuted in 2017 as one of the first to offer Nashville-style chicken in the Bay Area.

For more recommendations, see our monthly guide to the Bay Areas must-try new restaurants.

Hotbird returns to Oakland

San Franciscos Hotbird has moved to Oaklands Uptown neighborhood. The spicy chicken spot, owned by Aaron Nam and Caleb Longacre, was a fixture at Oaklands First Fridays in 2017 before moving to a food truck and eventual kiosk in Twitters Mid-Market building. The restaurant, featuring a mural of a fire-breathing red chicken, specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches: crispy fried meat lacquered with pepper-infused oil and served with apple-vinegar slaw, a signature sauce and dill pickles on a buttered bun. Fish and chips, wings and cheddar-infused grits topped with charred tomato and pickled corn salsa, round out the menu. Beers for sale include IPAs from Berryessa Brewing Co. and Oakland Unites black lager.

1951 Telegraph Ave. #2, Oakland. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. hotbirdoakland.com

Janelle Bitker/The Chronicle

Former Syrian restaurant owners open cafe

Pink paint and strands of frilly flowers adorn the former Jumpin Java space in Oaklands Rockridge district, now home to Damask Rose Coffee. The cafe serves the usual coffee-based drinks along with specialty beverages such as rose lemonade and lattes. Among the pastry offerings are baklava, warbat (an Arabic pastry similar to baklava) and birds nests cradling pistachio fillings. The coffee shop is run by the former owners of Old Damascus Fare, one of the Bay Areas few Syrian restaurants, which closed during the pandemic.

6606 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. 7 a.m-6 p.m. daily. damask-rose.square.site

Korean eatery replaces beloved Berkeley Italian restaurant

Korean Superette has opened up in the space of the former Rivoli on busy Solano Avenue in Berkeley. The mini-mart and comfort-food operation sells packages of instant ramen and homemade kimchi alongside mandu (dumplings), tofu stew and bulgogi. While its kitchen closes at 7:30 p.m., the market is open until 9 p.m., allowing home cooks the chance to run in and grab some banchan, Korean side dishes such as pickled radish, to go with their meals. The restaurant kept Rivolis patio, allowing diners the option of eating indoors or outdoors.

1539 Solano Ave, Berkeley. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, 510-529-4009

Distilled spirits up for grabs

Richmond distillery Dissident Spirits, which produces craft rum, vodka, gin and acquavite duva, a grape-based liquor, has opened a tasting room. If youre lucky, youll stop by on a day the staff is whipping up martinis and other cocktails with their small-batch booze. The distillery team is currently experimenting with amaro and whiskey, according to its Facebook page. Limited quantities of Dissidents spirits are available for purchase.

855 Marina Bay Parkway, Richmond. 1-6 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. Dissidentspiritsco.com

Liz Moughon/The Chronicle 2018

Instagram-worthy desserts arrive in the suburbs

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Bay Area dessert chain Uji Time has opened its sixth location in Concord. The shop is known for its taiyaki cones, where batter is poured into sizzling-hot griddles in the shape of an open-mouthed fish. Theyre topped with soft-serve flavors including matcha, ube, black sesame and vanilla, with an option to fill the cone with red bean paste or Nutella. Regular cones and tofu-based ice cream are also available.

1679B Willow Pass Road, Concord. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. ujitimedessert.com

Tri-Valley gets a new Afghan spot

Afghan restaurant 786 Kabob House has opened in a strip mall in the foothills of Danville. The eatery offers chapli kebabs, made with ground beef mixed with fragrant spices, plus chicken, lamb and tri-tip marinated in-house. For dessert, theres a regional take on baklava, plus firni, an Afghan pudding flavored with cardamom and topped with pistachios.

3407 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. 786kabobhouse.com

New espresso bar comes to Berkeley

Berkeley native Tommy Judt has opened the Line Coffee, serving espresso drinks made with beans roasted in Vallejo. Drip and cold brew are also available. The Line Coffee also serves pastries baked daily, including croissants and empanadas, with vegan options sometimes available. For heartier fare, there are caprese sandwiches, avocado toast and deep-dish quiche by the slice.

3001 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. thelinecoffee.co

Gwendolyn Wu (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com
The Bay Area has entered its moment of natural wine ubiquity, when seemingly every new bar is a natural wine bar and every new restaurant has a natural wine list.

That means that the cycle of what feels new, cool and interesting moves quickly. For now, at least, the latest, hottest natural wine spot is Key Klub, which opened in lower Nob Hill in December. The rise of this particular bar reveals a lot about the state of natural wine in San Francisco, showing how this subculture has evolved from something extreme and exclusive to something quotidian and inclusive. Key Klub is proof that the category of the natural wine bar is closely approaching the point of meaning everything and nothing.

This is a natural wine bar for everyone, the sort of place where Zoomers could bring their parents and all would feel at home. Earlier in the evenings, before the dancing kick in, it can feel like a restaurant, with diners enjoying a relatively quiet steak dinner. Next to a group drinking cloudy, sharp, recognizably natty wine might be a couple splurging on a $220 bottle of Barolo. Later, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, it grows into a shoulder-to-shoulder, four-people-deep bar scene.

While the party atmosphere is definitely not the full-on dance club of Bar Part Time, as co-owner Lalo Luevano put it, Key Klub often does feel like a party.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Its cavernous two-story space, formerly home to the craft-beer bar Hopwater Distribution, has been carefully lit with paper-lantern orbs and a neon-pink Key Klub sign that gives a moody, glowing aura to its exposed brick walls. They were going for something that feels Brooklyn, Luevano said (which I take to be code for exposed brick).

Bartenders are generous with wine samples; if youre unsure of what to order, they might ask you to identify five youre curious about, and theyll walk you through a series of pours. The wine list is divided into evocatively titled sections: Thicc Boys (full-bodied reds), Here to Party (sparkling wine). The place feels playful and alive.

Maybe its the nature of this moment in San Franciscos bar culture  a restless emergence from pandemic restrictions, coupled with a seemingly insatiable thirst for anything that calls itself natural wine  but Luevano is aware of the possibility that Key Klubs momentum might not stay so high forever.

So far, so good, but my only worry is if we can sustain it, he said. Thats just the nature of this business.

The good news for Luevano is that he and his business partner, Paria Sedigh, have a track record for keeping momentum going. Their other wine bar, Bodega, has been attracting impassioned crowds of young people fomenting late-night dance parties in North Beach for seven years. (I feel so old in there, Luevano said of Bodega. Everyone is so beautiful.)

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Back when Bodega opened, Luevano and Sedigh didnt see many other bars in San Francisco like it. The list of mostly European, minimal-intervention wines that Luevano stocked had not yet found the receptive audience they enjoy today. There were far fewer California wineries then making anything that they would have willingly called natural, and Luevano fielded frequent complaints from customers that he didnt stock enough local wines.

Key Klub Open 5-11 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 5 p.m.-midnight Thursday-Saturday. 850 Bush St., San Francisco. 415-494-9425 See More Collapse

In the span of a few short years, his approach morphed from radical to standard. Hard-to-sell bottles suddenly became easy sells. We couldnt sell a case of orange wine before the pandemic, Luevano said, not even bottles like amber-hued Ribolla Gialla from the northern Italian winery Gravner, now highly sought after. A far cry from two years ago, Luevano said, customers come into Bodega pointedly asking for the cloudy, high-acid bottle that looks like orange juice.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

And so its notable that at Key Klub, just as peoples palates have become whetted for the wildest wines, Luevano has taken a step away from natural wines hardest core, offering a menu that feels a little less obviously natty, a little more mainstream. Theres no official dogma here for what qualifies as natural: You can order a glass of Bordeaux (a very good Merlot from Clos Petit Corbin; $18), or a sparkling wine from Napas Carboniste (a bright, fruity take on Pinot Grigio; $15), neither of which is typically associated with the natural-wine scene. There are neighborhood regulars, Luevano said, who come in just for the Jolie-Laide  the Sonoma County producer specializing in esoteric French grapes like Trousseau Gris and Melon de Bourgogne. Key Klub always has one or two of the winerys bottles on its list.

The beer selection is more extensive than at Bodega, thanks to Sean Halpin, a new partner that Sedigh and Luevano brought on. Halpin, who formerly worked at San Franciscos Cellarmaker Brewing Co., has emphasized milder beers like lagers and pale ales, with a few IPAs that clock in at lower alcohol levels. Top local breweries like Russian River, HenHouse, Pacifica and Sante Adairius are well represented.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Luevanos gentler approach here is a testament to just how vague the term natural wine bar has become in todays Bay Area. If it once felt very specific, it can now equally refer to a Parisian-inspired bistro (Oaklands Snail Bar), a nightclub DJ rave (the Mission Districts Bar Part Time) or a snug alcove that feels like an old living room (Potrero Hills Ruby Wine).

By the time natural wine reaches the everything-and-nothing point, anyway, Key Klub may not be around anymore. The bar has a defined life span: When Luevano and Sedigh signed the lease, they knew that the building would be leveled in five years to make way for a condo development. Theyd done some research and discovered that the space had been home to a nightclub called Key Klub in the 1950s, and so they wanted to revive that name for its final years, to give Key Klub one last run, Luevano said.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

The deadline didnt deter them. Five years in this city  thats successful as far as this business goes, he said. Besides, in five years, who knows what a natural wine bar will be anymore?
As COVID-19 becomes as familiar as influenza, health experts warn that the comparison has its limitations, and that COVID is still no ordinary flu. Ten San Francisco police officers have been fired to date for refusing to get vaccinated, in accordance with city policies. Another 13 may soon follow. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects the number of COVID deaths to rise over the course of this month. And as the U.S. COVID death toll approaches 1 million Americans, at least 32,500 children in California and more than 214,400 nationwide have lost at least one parent or primary caregiver to the virus.

Sufferers from long COVID want to know where the treatments are

In the two years since patients and doctors identified long COVID, researchers around the world have scanned, poked and peered at thousands of people, hoping to uncover anything that might lead to a cure for the persistent symptoms ranging from exhaustion and brain fog to racing heartbeats and loss of smell. The still-murky nature of the syndrome has mystified doctors and caused drug companies to freeze in their tracks, unsure where to direct their treatment investments. Patients say they feel caught in the quicksand. Read more about long COVID and why a cure remains elusive.

New COVID hospital admissions edge up nationally

The number of people admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 infection in the U.S. rose nearly 17% in the past week, with the average of new daily admissions reaching 2,219, compared to 1,903 in the week prior, according to figures published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure remains well below the numbers reported during the winter omicron surge. Vaccination uptake has flattened with just 66.2% of the U.S. population now fully vaccinated. The proportion of people completing their vaccination series increased by 0.1% in the past seven days, while the number of people getting their first shot inched up by 0.2%. Over 20% of Americans remain unprotected against the virus.

Bay Area COVID cases, hospitalizations climbing

Coronavirus infections and hospitalizations are again climbing in the Bay Area as the region enters what public health officials say is the sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco now has the second-highest rate of infection in California, with an average of 40 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, according to state data published Friday, behind nearby Santa Cruz County, which reported 43 per 100,000. Read more about why public health experts are concerned about rising case counts.

Army officer convicted in first known COVID court-martial

1st Lt. Mark Bashaw, who formerly served as the Army Public Health Centers headquarters company commander, was convicted by a special court-martial Friday for refusing to comply with COVID-19 protocols at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, according to the Army Times. He reportedly came into his office without submitting to a coronavirus test or providing a negative result, according to an Army spokesperson, which is required of unvaccinated troops at Aberdeen. Bashaw was also found guilty of failing to wear a mask indoors. The military judge who oversaw his trial decided not to punish Bashaw, but the conviction gives him a criminal record. The Army has dismissed 426 active duty troops for refusing to receive the mandated COVID-19 vaccine. An additional 3,381 have received official reprimands.

U.S. government close to running out of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics

The Biden administration could run out of COVID-19 vaccines if it moves forward with a plan to offer all eligible Americans booster doses this fall, according to nearly 400 pages of budget documents obtained by media company STAT. To offer additional doses, the White House would need 87 million more vaccines for adults and another 5 million more for children. But it may not have enough funding to cover further doses with a $10 billion bipartisan deal for pandemic response in limbo. The document also suggests that the federal government is poised to stop purchasing vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel already told investors this week, Were also working toward assuming that theres no government order  or American order for vaccines. The Biden administration still owes Pfizer around $5 billion for the doses of the antiviral Paxlovid it previously committed to buying. The government may not have the funds for additional supply. The documents show most of the government resources were drained by the omicron surge at the beginning of the year. It says something about the state of our COVID response when the Biden administration has to dig for change in between sofa cushions, basically, at this stage of the pandemic, Zain Rizvi, a research director at Public Citizen, told STAT.

These four Bay Area counties are in the CDCs yellow community level as coronavirus cases rise

San Francisco, Santa Clara, Marin and San Mateo counties  as well as Santa Cruz County  had all fallen within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions yellow tier as of Friday morning, signaling that more than 200 cases were reported in the last week for every 100,000 residents although hospitalizations per 100,000 still remained below 10. The designation signals a medium level of coronavirus in each county, with the CDC recommending that high-risk individuals use face masks. Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Solano and Napa counties, along with the rest of California, were all in the low community tier, with fewer than 200 cases per 100,000 people. On the separate CDC community transmission rating, based on case numbers per 100,000 and test positivity rates, all nine Bay Area counties as well as the counties surrounding the San Joaquin River Delta and virtually the entire California coast, are classified as high, the worst level.

Opinion: A new COVID shot could make normal safe again. So why am I one of the few to get it?

Last week, I became one of a select few Americans to receive prophylactic monoclonal antibodies that will protect me from COVID if I am exposed to it, writes Dipti S. Barot in a Chronicle op-ed. The primary care physician in the East Bay is immune compromised and received an injection of a new drug called Evusheld that does not depend on the immune systems ability to make antibodies. It has shown a reduction of symptomatic cases of COVID by over 80%  even six months after treatment. But the treatment is not widely available or known, just another in a series of public health failures during this pandemic, where missed opportunities at the policy level are augmented by failures in education and implementation at the level of providers and patients. Read more about what has gone wrong in getting Evusheld to patients who would benefit from it.

As U.S. nears 1 million COVID-19 deaths, numbers show who virus hit hardest

Out of the nearly 1 million Americans to die from COVID-19, three out of every four deaths were people 65 and older, according to U.S. data analyzed by The Associated Press. In nearly every 10-year age group, more men have died from COVID-19 than women. White people made up 65% of the total deaths, the largest proportion of any race by far, but Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Black people had higher death rates when looking at COVID-19 deaths per capita. The surge that began in late 2020 was particularly rough for rural America, where people have been less likely to get vaccinated, more likely to be infected and more likely to die. Looking at deaths per capita, Mississippi had the highest rate of any state.

214,000 American children lost parents to COVID. They have a lifetime of grief ahead of them

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.

As the United States prepares to mark the grim milestone of one million dead from COVID-19, a close inspection of the data reveals one of the pandemics most heart-wrenching tolls: At least 32,500 children in California and more than 214,400 nationwide  more than one out of every 360  have lost at least one parent or primary caregiver to the virus, according to a report from the University of Pennsylvania. At least 16,800 lost their sole parent or caregiver. Read about the people whove come to be known as COVID orphans.

CDC recommends boosters for all nursing home residents

Nursing home residents who received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, or an additional primary dose, were better protected against infection during the omicron winter surge, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between February and March, residents at 15,000 skilled nursing facilities who received boosters lowered their infection rate by about 50% compared to those who received only the primary series, the researchers found. All immunocompromised nursing home residents should receive an additional primary dose, and all nursing home residents should receive a booster dose, when eligible, to protect against COVID-19, the study recommends.

Anti-COVID drug Paxlovid may help with long COVID

A tiny, preliminary study out of UCSF followed three patients with persistent long COVID symptoms who took Paxlovid. The antiviral drug from Pfizer is intended to ease COVID-19 symptoms and is supposed to be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms. UCSF scientists researching long COVID instead gave it to two patients with ongoing symptoms weeks after infection. One patient (who had had a second exposure to the virus), got the drug after seven weeks and reported feeling almost back to normal. The second, who got Paxlovid after three weeks, reported feeling less tired but still had shortness of breath and muscle pain. A third patient received the drug within just 24 hours of symptoms  but went on to develop long COVID weeks later. Dr. Michael Peluso, the studys first author, said the findings raise questions about when the drug should be given and for how long. He said larger, more rigorous studies of Paxlovids effect on long COVID are needed.

L.A. County tops 3,000 daily cases for the first time since February

Coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County have tripled off a low base in the past month, with the region reporting more than 3,000 new daily COVID-19 infections Wednesday for the first time since mid-February. The county reported just over 1,000 cases a month ago. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer characterized the current uptick as a wave but not a surge, as hospitalizations and deaths remain low. All of our waves have seen an increase in hospitalizations and deaths and its four weeks now and we havent seen either of those, she said during a virtual briefing. I hope that we dont see exponential growth. The county is reporting an average of 245 people hospitalized with the virus, and four COVID-19 deaths daily. But Ferrer cautioned that new variants could quickly change that picture. This is not the time to stop worrying about cases at all, she said. Los Angeles Countys coronavirus test positive rate is 1.7%, compared to 7.7% in San Francisco.

J&Js COVID-19 vaccine restricted due to blood clot risk

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday sharply limited who should receive the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine due to the risk of rare but serious blood clots. The agency said the one-shot vaccine should only be available to adults who cannot receive a different vaccine or who specifically request it. Use of the vaccine, developed by J&Js Janssen unit, was paused for 10 days in April, 2021 after early reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, a life-threatening blood condition, but then resumed. Still, the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna shots have long been promoted as the preferable vaccine against the coronavirus by U.S. health officials, who cited the lower effectiveness of J&Js vaccine. We recognize that the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine still has a role in the current pandemic response in the United States and across the global community. Our action reflects our updated analysis of the risk of TTS following administration of this vaccine and limits the use of the vaccine to certain individuals, Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

Omicron as deadly as previous variants, large study finds

Despite early assumptions made about its more transmissible but milder nature, the health impacts of the omicron variant of the coronavirus are as severe as previous mutations after adjusting for vaccinations, demographics and comorbidities, according to a study by scientists at Harvard Medical School. We found that the risks of hospitalization and mortality were nearly identical between periods, they said, in a comparison of omicron with phases when alpha and delta were dominant the U.S.. The findings, which are awaiting peer review, were based on records of 130,000 COVID-19 patients analyzed over the past two years. What made the omicron surge apparently less severe was widespread vaccination and prior infections.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HAVANA (AP)  A powerful explosion apparently caused by a natural gas leak killed at least 22 people, including a child, and injured dozens Friday when it blew away outer walls from a luxury hotel in the heart of Cubas capital.

No tourists were staying at Havana's 96-room Hotel Saratoga because it was undergoing renovations, Havana Gov. Reinaldo Garcia Zapata told the Communist Party newspaper Granma.

It's not a bomb or an attack. It is a tragic accident, President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who visited the site, said in a tweet.

Dr. Julio Guerra Izquierdo, chief of hospital services at the Ministry of Health, told reporters that at least 74 people had been injured. Among them were 14 children, according to a tweet from Diaz-Canel's office.

Diaz-Canel said families in buildings near the hotel affected by the explosion had been transferred to safer locations.

Cuban state TV reported the explosion was caused by a truck that had been supplying natural gas to the hotel, but did not provide details on how the gas ignited. A white tanker truck was seen being removed from the site as rescue workers hosed it down with water.

Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia said the hotel was scheduled to reopen Tuesday.

The blast sent smoke billowing into the air around the hotel with people on the street staring in awe, one saying Oh my God, and cars honking their horns as they sped away from the scene, video showed. It happened as Cuba is struggling to revive its key tourism sector that was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuba's national health minister, Jose Angel Portal, told The Associated Press the number of injured could rise as the search continues for people who may be trapped in the rubble of the 19th century structure in the Old Havana neighborhood of the city.

We are still looking for a large group of people who may be under the rubble, Lt. Col. Noel Silva of the Fire Department said.

A 300-student school next to the hotel was evacuated. Garcia Zapata said five of the students suffered minor injuries.

Police cordoned off the area as firefighters and rescue workers toiled inside the wreckage of the emblematic hotel about 110 yards (100 meters) from Cubas Capitol building.

The hotel was first renovated in 2005 as part of the Cuban government's revival of Old Havana and is owned by the Cuban military's tourism business arm, Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA. The company said it was investigating the cause of the blast and did not immediately respond to an email seeking more details about the hotel and the renovation it was undergoing.

The Hotel Saratoga has been used frequently by visiting VIPs and political figures, including high-ranking U.S. government delegations. Beyonce and Jay-Z stayed there during a 2013 visit to Cuba.

Photographer Michel Figueroa said he was walking past the hotel when the explosion threw me to the ground, and my head still hurts.... Everything was very fast.

Worried relatives of people who had been working at the hotel showed up at a hospital in the afternoon to look for them. Among them was Beatriz Cespedes Cobas, who was tearfully searching for her sister.

She had to work today. She is a housekeeper, she said. I work two blocks away. I felt the noise, and at first, I didnt even associate" the explosion with the hotel.

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.

Yazira de la Caridad said the explosion shook her home a block from the hotel: The whole building moved. I thought it was an earthquake.

Besides the pandemic's impact on Cuba's tourism sector, the country was already struggling with the sanctions imposed by the former U.S. President Donald Trump that have been kept in place the Biden administration. The sanctions limited visits by U.S. tourists to the islands and restricted remittances from Cubans in the U.S. to their families in Cuba.

Tourism had started to revive somewhat early this year, but the war in Ukraine crimped a boom of Russian visitors, who accounted for almost a third of the tourists arriving in Cuba last year.

The explosion happened as Cuba's government hosted the final day of a tourism convention in the iconic beach town of Varadero aimed at drawing investors.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is scheduled to arrive in Havana for a visit late Saturday and Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the visit would still take place.

Garcia Zapata said structures adjacent to the hotel were being evaluated, including two badly damaged apartment buildings. The neighboring Marti Theater, the Yoruba Association and the Capitol had broken glass and damaged masonry.

Mayiee Perez said she rushed to the hotel after receiving a call from her husband, Daniel Serra, who works at a foreign exchange shop inside the hotel.

She said he told her: I am fine, I am fine. They got us out. But she was unable to reach him after that.
Regardless of how one feels about abortion, we should all agree that the courts should never establish policy. That function of government rests with the peoples elected representatives in Congress and state legislatures.

It is then up to the courts to determine if that policy meets constitutional muster. Even the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was skeptical of the Roe v. Wade decision because of the Supreme Courts possible overreach in the establishment of a now 50-year-old policy.

Martin Marks, Oceanside, San Diego County

Power to the people

What would actually happen if Roe v. Wade was overturned? The common perception seems to be that it would result in a sort of blanket ban on abortion. That is not the case. It would simply return the power to regulate abortion to the states. Why is it a bad thing to let locals decide their own path?

Greg Stritzel, Oakland

Extend rights to unborn

Someone once decided that each of us living in the womb of our mothers had the right to live; why do we have the right to life but the unborn do not?

Piers Lahey, Daly City

Bill will help tourism

The disruption of global travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has put economic pressure on small businesses and workers that depend on international visitors. Fortunately, Congress has come together to provide essential relief to this vital sector by passing the Restoring Brand USA Act.

Tourism is part of the lifeblood of Californias economy, responsible for over a million jobs and $100 billion in economic output. After two long years of necessary pandemic restrictions, every sector of our tourism industry is eager to accelerate the return of visitors back to our state and community. That especially includes travelers from other countries.

International travel has been slow to recover in California. Brand USA is a smart public-private partnership that supports American jobs and economic activity by promoting international travel to the United States, all at no cost to U.S. taxpayers. Thats why we are so grateful to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her bipartisan leadership on the year-end spending bill, which included the Restoring Brand USA Act, a vital tool to jump-start international travel to California.

Stephen Revetria, president,

Giants Enterprises, San Francisco

Invest in desalination

Regarding Big state surplus may lead to $200 rebates (Front Page, April 29): There is a huge state budget surplus estimated at $68 billion. How about investing it in the most important commodity of all  water  by building desalination plants before our taps run dry. Without water, we will all die in a week. Nothing is more important.

I realize there are environmental issues, but, again, nothing is more important than water.
The Tenderloin has a new representative on the Board of Supervisors.

It's Dean Preston, a democratic socialist and tenants rights activist who takes over the area at the center of San Francisco's thorniest debates following a divisive redistricting process and in the wake of Mayor London Breed's declaration of an emergency over the deadly drug trade in the neighborhood.

Chronicle reporter J.D. Morris spent time with Preston and joins host Demian Bulwa to talk about Preston's challenges  including the homelessness and drug crises, and working with Tenderloin residents who want a more aggressive law enforcement approach.

Photo above: San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston, center, during a walk in the Tenderloin Wednesday.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

On June 7, San Francisco voters will decide the political fate of District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a former public defender elected in 2019 on vows to help create a more equitable system of criminal justice and to hold police officers accountable for wrongdoing.

Boudin came to power amid a wave of progressive prosecutor victories throughout the country, as a growing contingent of voters renewed calls to reject tough-on-crime laws that swelled prison populations.

But now, two years later, the judicial philosophy that propelled Boudins win may lead to his undoing as his detractors claim that his approach to criminal justice has made San Francisco less safe.

The race has become polarizing and vicious, with hyperbole often replacing nuance and facts. Here is what you need to know before casting your ballot.

For a full look at Bay Area elections and California primary races, visit the S.F. Chronicle Voter Guide.

What led to the recall election?

People seeking to oust Boudin say his policies, like his emphasis on rehabilitation and finding alternatives to incarceration, allow criminals to cycle through the justice system without concrete consequences. They often point to high-profile instances in which people accused, or even convicted, of previous crimes re-offend, such as when a man who was on parole and had numerous recent arrests struck and killed two women while driving intoxicated in a stolen car.

Viral videos of mass shoplifting in places like San Franciscos Union Square or of individuals making off with merchandise from Walgreens stores has also contributed to the notion that criminals operate with impunity in the city.

Critics also allege that Boudins management style has left the office in turmoil after waves of resignations and firings. Brooke Jenkins, a former homicide prosecutor under Boudin, has said the district attorney prioritizes politics over day-to-day prosecutions.

Boudins backers point to crime statistics that show few meaningful changes since Boudin took office, especially in comparison to other cities around the country. They also say Boudin cant prosecute cases his office doesnt receive, and point to low arrest rates for property crimes by the citys Police Department.

Boudins supporters argue that people pushing the recall are attempting to bring to San Francisco conservative, tough-on-crime approaches that in the past have led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black and brown people. They say the campaign intends to tap into public frustration with property crime and the citys enduring homelessness crisis.

Those against the recall say that office turnover is common with a changing of the guard, and that public offices throughout the Bay Area and the nation have been subject to the great resignation.

Further, officials in Boudins office said they have been filling vacancies quickly with highly qualified attorneys.

What are the key battlegrounds?

Boudins approach to handling drug dealing  particularly in the citys long-troubled Tenderloin district  has been among the most vigorous debates in the run-up to the election. Boudins critics say his office is failing to penalize those accused of drug crimes, and blame him for a spike in overdose deaths.

His supporters say the recall team is advocating for the same policies that led to the failed war on drugs, and addiction  the root cause of drug crimes  has never been solved by incarceration.

Instances of violence against the citys Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have also emerged as an impassioned area of debate.

Boudins critics lay blame on him for many of the high-profile instances of violence against the community  particularly its elders. The district attorney was blasted after being quoted saying that the suspect in the death of 84-year-old Thai man Vicha Ratanapakdee was having a temper tantrum prior to the fatal attack.

His supporters say its dishonest to attribute a national increase on AAPI attacks on a local elected official. They additionally point to Boudins expansions of victims services in his office, which include more language services and an AAPI Elder Abuse steering committee.

Is crime up or down in San Francisco?

While many San Francisco residents agree that the city feels less safe than it has before, crime data does not match this perception in large part.

Overall, violent crime in San Francisco has declined during the pandemic  which began about two months after Boudin took office in January 2020  and it remains lower than at any point since 1985, according to FBI data.

Murders and shootings have increased, though many major U.S. cities have seen a more dramatic increase in murders than has San Francisco.

San Franciscos property crime rate, meanwhile, has long remained higher than other cities. Burglaries began spiking starting in mid-2020 and have declined this year to their pre-pandemic rates. Motor vehicle thefts have remained elevated, a trend that is not unique to San Francisco. Overall property crime in San Francisco declined during the pandemic but did not hit historic lows.

A Chronicle data analysis has shown that wealthier San Francisco neighborhoods are experiencing crime trends differently from less-wealthy ones. On average, the 10 neighborhoods with the highest incomes saw a 7.8% increase in rates of major money-motivated crime types  motor vehicle thefts, larceny thefts, robberies and burglaries  from 2018 and 2019 to 2020 and 2021.

Research suggests district attorneys typically have little sway over crime trends. Magnus Lofstrom, a senior researcher at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, said there is no credible research pointing to a relationship between D.A.s and broader measures of public safety, such as crime rates.

What happens if Boudin is recalled?

Mayor London Breed, a moderate in San Francisco politics, will choose Boudins successor if he gets recalled. However, her pick could just be a placeholder until the next D.A. election, depending on the results of a June 7 ballot measure.

Voters will decide whether to amend city law to say that the mayor can still appoint an interim officer after a recall, but that the person could not run for election.

How much money has each campaign raised?

Pro-recall causes have outearned Boudins camp by more than a 2-to-1 ratio, according to the most recent finance reports. Four organizations that have raised money to oppose the recall collected about $2.46 million, while pro-recall groups have received more than $5 million, according to campaign finance reports.

Whos funding each campaign?

The top three donors to the recall campaign are: Shorenstein Realty Services and Affiliated Entities, a real estate group thats contributed $633,000 to Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, a PAC thats donated about $2.7 million for Boudins ouster; William Oberndorf, a Republican mega-donor who has put $651,000 into the recall and Neighbors PAC; and the California Association of Realtors, who gave $250,000.

The top contributors for Boudins camp are the ACLU of Northern California, which donated $350,000; Dignity SEIU Local 2015, a union of long-term caregivers that gave $140,000; and SEIU 1021, a union of local government employees that donated $115,000.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
San Francisco Fire Department

Four people were injured Friday after their car plunged off a cliff near San Franciscos famous Sutro Baths, NBC Bay Area reported.

The San Francisco Police Department told SFGATE that the crash took place on the 800 block of Point Lobos Avenue at 2:42 a.m. Friday morning. Police said the passengers  a 23-year-old male, a 22-year-old female, a 19-year-old female and a 17-year-old female  were subsequently taken to the local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A San Francisco student has been hospitalized after a brawl at an embattled local middle school.

KTVU reported Thursday that a 13-year-old boy is facing "life-threatening" injuries after an altercation with another student that took place Monday afternoon at Everett Middle School  a school in the Mission neighborhood that has faced a slew of high-level scandals in recent months. A spokesperson for San Francisco Unified confirmed the altercation in a statement to SFGATE.

On Monday, two students unfortunately decided to engage in a physical fight with the encouragement of several of their peers, said Everett principal Esther Fensel in a letter sent to parents Thursday provided to SFGATE. "During the altercation, one student got seriously hurt."

Details about the altercation remain scant, Fensel said in the letter, because of the students age  but both students are currently at home. In the letter, Fensel said that this major incident is part of broader issues in the district and nationwide, including an alarming and urgent rise in mental health concerns and behavioral incidents nationwide and staffing shortages due to unpredictable staff absences.

This exacerbates the challenges that urban public schools have faced for a long time  challenges that are rooted in societal issues that we must address together in community, Fensel wrote.

Everett is among the highest-needs schools in the district. More than 65% of the majority-Latino student body is eligible for free or reduced lunch, according to federal data, while Mission Local reports the school has more than 20 percent of students needing special education support.

But this news follows a bombshell report in Mission Local about untenable conditions at the middle school, including allegations of teachers being physically injured by students and a dearth of support for parents and teachers from administrative staff in addressing these conditions. Mission Local reported that one teacher resigned after only working for two months at the school.

"We went to the district, had meetings with them, Everett Parent Teacher Association co-chair Dheyanira Calahorrano told KTVU. Nothing happened. Nothing changed.

The mother of one student told the news station that, in a separate altercation, her child was trying to defend himself after being choked by other students.

This attack is reportedly the latest in a string of troublesome incidents. According to KTVU, parents allege that bullies target students whose families recently immigrated to the United States.

Other parents have said that this incident is the first theyve heard of any violence at the school. Elizabeth Rood, who has a seventh grader at the school, told SFGATE that her daughter has had a really different experience at the school than it seems like maybe some other other kids have been having.

When these things happen, she said, we are often not hearing about it firsthand from our kid, we're hearing about it through the school.

For Rood, the issues at the school stem from broader challenges that remain unaddressed.

What we need right now are more resources, more people, she said. We need to figure out how we fill the vacancies in the district so that when teachers need to take a day off, they know that somebody is going to cover their classes. Those are the root issues that need to be solved.

School principal Fensel will reportedly be departing from the school at the end of the school year.
One day before the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on faculty layoffs, San Francisco police began arresting protesters who have been camping outside of Conlan Hall on Thursday.

In one video posted on Twitter, a woman identified as CCSF dance professor Kathe Burick is seen being arrested and taken away by San Francisco police.

Teachers and faculty began camping out near an administration building on Tuesday to protest a proposal to lay off 218 full- and part-time employees. The final vote is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. (The meeting will be on Zoom here.)

CCSF has said that the layoffs are necessary due to a steady decline in enrollment, but faculty and staff contend that layoffs will just accelerate the drop in attendance.

"We've already seen cuts to 30% of our classes in the last three years here at city college," Adele Failes-Carpenter, Women and Gender Studies instructor at CCSD, told NBC Bay Area. "And we know a lot of students have been pushed out of the classes they need, have been waitlisted, have had to go to mother institutions and we don't want to see more of that."

In 2012, CCSF served 73,000 student. City College enrolled fewer than 25,000 students last fall.

This isn't the first time CCSF has faced the prospect of layoffs. In May 2021, the Board of Trustees voted to approve a contract with teachers that slashed pay across the board but resulted in no job losses.
NE ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) _ Gray Television Inc. (GTN) on Friday reported first-quarter net income of $49 million.

The Ne Atlanta, Georgia-based company said it had net income of 52 cents per share.

The broadcast television company posted revenue of $827 million in the period.

For the current quarter ending in July, Gray Television said it expects revenue in the range of $846 million to $864 million.

_____

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on GTN at https://www.zacks.com/ap/GTN
ALBANY  The insurance company for the driver of the limousine that crashed in Schoharie, killing 20, sent a $100,000 insurance payment for the victims to the Albany court that is overseeing the civil litigation in the matter.

The money being paid by Progressive Insurance, which insured Scott Lisinicchia, will eventually pay each of the 19 victims' estates $5,266. A payment will not be made to the estate of Lisinicchia, who was driving the limousine with 17 passengers on board when its brakes failed on Oct. 6, 2018, sending the vehicle plummeting down a hill and into a parking lot where everyone in the vehicle and two pedestrians died.

The payment is but a fraction of the money the families of the victims hope to ultimately obtain through litigation. But so far, the agreed-to settlements have been modest. The other insurance money due to victims is the $500,000 payout from Global Liberty Insurance Co. of New York, which had insured the Excursion and the limo company, Prestige Limousine of Wilton.

In that case, attorneys for Global Liberty Insurance are being paid $18,243.50 from that $500,000, with the remainder going to the victims' families, which will amount to about $24,087 each.

As of right now, all but Lisinicchia's family is guaranteed at least $29,353 in insurance payments from the limo company and Lisinicchia. That doesn't include any claims the families may have made on the policies of the victims such as life insurance policies.

But the families seek much higher compensation. Several have sued New York state, members of the Hussain family that owned Prestige Limousine, and Malik Riaz Hussain, a close relative of the Hussain family who lives in Pakistan and would sometimes provide financial support to his New York relatives. The estates are suing Mavis Discount Tire, which serviced the Excursion.

The civil litigation is being coordinated in state Supreme Court in Albany, where the insurance payments are being sent.

The cases could drag on for years and some defendants may ultimately be dropped from the case. Riaz Hussain, who has already answered questions in a deposition that was done with an Urdu translator, has asked the judge to drop him from the case.

Riaz Hussain is the founder of Bahria Town, which makes gated communities for middle-class families in Pakistan. He is considered to be one of the richest men in Pakistan. He is the uncle of Nauman Hussain, who managed Prestige Limousine at the time of the crash. Nauman Hussain's father Shahed Hussain was the legal owner of the business but had left for Pakistan in early 2018 and never returned.

Nauman Hussain, 31, pleaded guilty earlier this month to 20 counts of criminally negligent homicide in exchange for a sentence that spares him of prison time. His penalty includes five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service. The younger Hussain had been accused of failing to maintain the brakes on the Excursion.

Shahed Hussain, a longtime FBI informant, was never questioned by authorities after the crash, which remains the nation's worst highway transportation disaster in more than a decade.

The families are suing the state Department of Transportation and the state Department of Motor Vehicles for alleged missteps that allowed the Hussains to keep renting out the Excursion to the public even after it failed multiple DOT roadside inspections and the vehicle was ordered off the road until fixed. That lawsuit is still pending in the obscure Court of Claims where the public must sue the state and its agencies.

Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery struck the no-prison deal in part so that Nauman Hussain would be free to testify in the civil litigation cases.

Mavis is one of the most significant defendants in those cases because State Police investigators uncovered evidence that a Mavis employee forged the invoices of brake work that Nauman Hussain asked to have done at the Saratoga Springs shop. The district attorney's office has obtained video of interactions between Hussain and Mavis employees, who put a passing state inspection sticker on the limo just months before the crash even though the vehicle was not eligible for inspection at the repair shop.

Mavis has denied any wrongdoing.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

LONDON (AP)  Buckingham Palace on Friday answered one of the biggest remaining questions about Queen Elizabeth IIs Platinum Jubilee celebrations: saying that Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, wont be on the palace balcony when the monarch greets the public on June 2.

The balcony appearance is a centerpiece moment of many royal celebrations, with the royal family smiling and waving to fans at home and millions watching on television around the world. But the build-up to the ceremonies marking Elizabeths 70 years on the throne have been dogged by questions about whether Andrew, Harry and Meghan would be in such a public spotlight amid a sex scandal and family tensions.

The queen has now settled the matter, decreeing that only working members of the royal family will join her on the balcony to watch a Royal Air Force fly-past after the traditional military review known as Trooping the Color.

After careful consideration, the queen has decided this years traditional Trooping the Color balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the royal family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the queen, the palace said.

The decision comes amid a debate over Andrews status after he reached a multimillion pound settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual exploitation. Andrew stepped away from royal duties and was stripped of his honorary military titles amid the scandal caused by the allegations and his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Still, Britains media has been awash with reports that Andrew wanted a public role in the Jubilee after he settled the lawsuit.

Harry also kept open the possibility of a balcony appearance in an interview with NBC last month, though he said security issues and everything else might complicate such a decision. Harry and Meghan, also known as the duke and duchess of Sussex, stepped away from frontline royal duties and moved to California in 2020. They are locked in a legal battle with Britains Home Office over security arrangements when they travel to the U.K.

As plans for the Jubilee began to take shape, Harry and Meghan announced Friday they would travel to the U.K. for the festivities.

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are excited and honored to attend the queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children, a spokesperson for the couple said.

While Andrew and the Sussexes wont join the queen on the balcony, as members of the royal family they would be free to attend other events, a palace source said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with palace policies.

The queens decision means that she will be accompanied on the balcony by three of her four children and their spouses: Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Princess Anne and retired Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence; and Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

Prince William, Harrys older brother, and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, will also be on the balcony with their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis. William is second in line to the throne after his father Charles.

___

This story corrects the name of the prince in the penultimate paragraph to Prince Charles, not Prince Andrew.

___

Follow all AP stories on the British royals at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
NEW YORK (AP)  For more than 20 years, acclaimed Argentine filmmaker Victoria Alonso has helped steer Marvels cinematic juggernaut to ever-growing heights of success. With this weeks release of the Doctor Strange sequel, she is poised for another hit, and will fulfill a dream of debuting a superhero shes wanted to see onscreen since she started at Marvel Studios.

Alonso started at Marvel in 2006 co-producing Iron Man, the studios first film, which was released two years later. Since then, shes become one of Hollywoods most powerful executives and her 25 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies  including the recent Spider-Man blockbuster have grossed $23 billion worldwide at the box office.

Adding to the list this week is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness starring Benedict Cumberbatch  which continues to explore the notion of multiple realities and interconnected stories, in this case from WandaVision and Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film also introduces moviegoers for the first time to a young Latina superhero, America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez.

Alonso, who last year was promoted to president of physical and post production, visual effects and animation production at Marvel Studios, spoke recently to The Associated Press from Miami about multiverses, superheroes, her work and the future of cinema.

Remarks have been edited for brevity and clarity.

___

AP: If the possibilities for superhero movies seemed endless, the multiverse takes this notion to another level. How far do you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe can go?

ALONSO: For me, it has no limits. We have I think 6,000 characters in our library, so now that we have opened the door to the multiverse and the door to madness (laughs), nobody can stop us!

AP: The mix of universes in the latest Spider-Man was exciting for the audience, especially the inclusion of multiple actors who have portrayed the hero (Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire). What can you tell us about the multiverse of Doctor Strange?

ALONSO: Well, I think its a different movie in that respect. Spider-Man is Spider-Man and the meeting has been very exciting because the generations of people who have seen one, the other and the third (actors), to be able to see them together seems to have been a big dream for many. Having Doctor Strange as part of that movie also seemed to have been a great addition. To be able to have him now in his own film again, with the characters from his original story and also with Wanda Maximoff and the introduction of America Chavez, its a great opportunity to be able to take them to another place, a place we that havent been to.

AP: Speaking of America Chavez, what does it mean to you to have a Latinx superhero?

ALONSO: America Chavez is one of the characters that Ive been waiting for since I started working at Marvel Studios, and Ive been waiting for her with great desire and the eagerness to start telling her story. As you know, these characters sometimes have a minor part in a movie, then they grow, have their own film or their streaming show, like we have with Moon Knight. To be able to have her in our MCU is an honor.

AP: In terms of the multiverses and connection of stories, what was the most difficult part of the new Doctor Strange?

ALONSO: The most complicated part is telling you about a character that you have already seen in the last decade, that you know; to be able to tell another facet of who Doctor Strange is and what we can learn from him. Its like when youre meeting a person and you're captivated by that person, you want to know more about that person, thats how the friendship grows. In this case, it seems to me that the fans want to know something else about our characters, and I can assure that this movie has something different.

AP: Some outlets have referred to you as the most powerful woman in Hollywood. Do you feel that way, like the most powerful woman in Hollywood?

ALONSO: Honestly, no. What I feel is that I have to keep working, that there is a lot to do. I appreciate the titles, it seems to me that it is important for young women in the world who feel related in any way, who look at my career or look at me and say: Well, if it happened to her, it could happen to me. But besides that, to me, it continues to be about daily work, strength, dedication.

AP: What do you currently enjoy the most about your job?

ALONSO: Everything! Absolutely everything. I enjoy the difficult things, the stressful things. Discovering a character, being able to stage a story that didn't exist, seeing how we grow as a group of people, being able to see that our characters perhaps can help people in some way, be it a little or a lot. The fact that the world, on a global level, has opened its arms to us, its homes, its theaters. This for me is a privilege, and for as long as they let me do this job, I will be very grateful.

AP: Superhero movies are among the few productions that have successfully drawn audiences back to the theaters since the pandemic shutdowns. With the increased consumption of streaming, how do you see the future of cinema?

ALONSO: I hope that cinema is alive and kicking. For us, it is very important to be able to see our stories in community. We have supported cinema during all of this, and although we are producing a lot for Disney+, we will continue to produce our three or four films per year if COVID allows it and we can deal with the logistics. We continue to fight every day and we hope that, little by little, with the protocols established and the fears dissipating a little more, people return to the theaters and we can support art in community.

___

Follow Sigal Ratner-Arias on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sigalratner.
With Mothers Day approaching on Sunday, SFGATE asked Bay Area chefs about how their mothers influenced their culinary upbringing. Look for more upcoming features this week through Sunday that highlight the maternal mentors of some of the areas most well-known restaurateurs.

Since he was a boy, Charles Phan has had a taste for the elaborate. Growing up in Da Lat, Vietnam, the Slanted Door chef remembers getting excited when his aunt, Ah Nueng, would cook soy-braised pork belly with ginger and star anise, a classic Cantonese dish.

I liked it when she did the really complicated dishes, Phan said. One of them was pork belly that would go through three phases of cooking.

He recalls his aunt  who he says was the best cook in his family  blanching the pork belly in boiling water, then frying it, and finally soaking it, adding a sauce made with bean curd, oyster and soy sauce, star anise and ginger. His parents and his aunt were all Chinese but fled to Vietnam in the 1960s, so home cooking in the Phan household spanned both countries.

The pork belly is soft and tender, its very luscious, he recalled.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Phan still describes himself as a glorified home cook, despite becoming a powerhouse San Francisco restaurateur since he first opened the Slanted Door in 1995. Those supposedly amateur cooking skills have served him well, from opening numerous restaurants throughout the Bay Area to publishing two cookbooks to receiving several James Beard nods. He credits the women in his family  his aunt and his mom  with teaching him everything he needed to know about food.

I just remember hanging out with her in the kitchen, he said of his aunt. ... You pick up these little things, like which hand grabs the cornstarch.

When Phan was about 5 years old, his parents, who were busy running their general store, sent him to live with his aunt in Ho Chi Minh City. During that time, he started helping out where he could, observing her movements and soaking up her way around the kitchen.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

I was watching her cook more, he said. You kind of learn this basic stuff, and there's not a lot of explaining. I mean, that's why I wrote my first book  because it's kind of ingrained in you, these basic things, like you never steam something when the waters not boiling.

He remembers his mom, Quyen Tran, cooking, too, despite being very busy with work  from traditional Vietnamese recipes to making her own yogurt. But when the family of 10 immigrated to San Francisco in 1977, a 15-year-old Phan began cooking more regularly. It was out of necessity, as both of his parents were working two jobs.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Charles Phan makes (and tastes) his CP's No. 3 Banh mi at Chuck's Takeaway. (Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE) Charles Phan makes his CP's No. 3 Banh mi. (Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE)

My aunt didnt really work because she was a bit older, so she stayed back home and cooked, Phan said. I started picking up more chores, to help out with the cooking.

Phans newfound skill at cooking was put to the test in 1978, shortly after the Phan family moved to SF.

I was trying to assimilate the family into U.S. culture, so I decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner, Phan said. The funny part was my mom started making curry as the backup plan just in case the stuff was not edible. They didnt like the look of this turkey.

He cooked the entire Thanksgiving feast menu out of a copy of Gourmet magazine, from stuffing and apple pie to the oven-baked bird. His family didnt like it. Today, though, Phans family relies on him to cook every holiday meal, from Christmas to Lunar New Year  so it seems like they came around to his cooking.

Phan credits his upbringing, peppered with the lessons he learned from watching his mom and aunt in the kitchen, all as key ingredients that made him the chef he is today.

I think having all that flavor ingrained in my mind helped me quite a bit, he said. Because when I opened Slanted Door 27 years ago, I knew exactly what I would serve. Even as someone who had never cooked [professionally] before  I had total confidence it would work because these recipes are proven.

Phans childhood memories also ended up having a major influence on the menus at his restaurants. His upcoming new restaurant in Marin, Moonset, will feature a dish inspired by the crispy noodle stand behind his moms shop when he was growing up in Vietnam. In addition, the Slanted Doors signature peanut sauce is his mothers recipe. Someone gave her a tip on how to make it one day while she was waiting at a bus stop in the Mission District.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE A Salted Thai Chili Oil and Preserved Lemons available at Chuck's Takeaway. (Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE) (Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE)

She came home and she tried it and it was just amazing, Phan said. ... Thats how it was in the past: If you found out somebody knew how to do something and you asked, theyd teach you.

Phans aunt has since passed away, but his mom is still living in San Francisco. He often cooks for her at family occasions. The chef has also now raised three children of his own, to whom hes attempted to pass on some cooking knowledge. For a while, he didnt think any of it really stuck. But since his children have grown up and gone off to college, hes been surprised.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

All of a sudden, my son started texting me questions, like, What's the temperature of the oil for chimichurri sauce? Phan said. ... I started prodding him, like whats up, all of a sudden now you want to learn how to cook? He said there's a girl that likes my food.

Perhaps one day Phans son will ask him how to make soy-braised pork belly, and hell pass down his aunts recipe to a third generation.
After a 25-year run, Pomelo is shutting down  and the giant green fruit hanging above its front door will be going away for good.

Marcia Gagliardi, also known as the Tablehopper, first reported that the citrus-named restaurant located at 92 Judah Street, closed for the last time on April 30. It first opened in October 1997.

In a closure announcement shared on Instagram, owner Rolf Bachmann said, In addition to the loss of our lease and a financially devastating 2 years of pandemic, it has become an insurmountable challenge to keep up with ever increasing costs and supply chain issues, secure qualified staffing, and work through the city red tape.

Known for their refreshingly global menu, eating at Pomelo was like taking a tour of the world. Each menu item was inspired by the cuisine of a different country and named after a different city, which made for a truly unique dining experience in San Francisco. Menu highlights included the Havana, a Cuban-style fried rice with plantains and your choice of protein, Padang, an Indonesian slow-cooked beef curry with aromatic notes of lemongrass, lime leaves and ginger, as well as the Muravera, a toasted Sardinian couscous with fennel, saffron, fava beans and pancetta.

The restaurant had a second location at 1793 Church St. in Noe Valley, which opened in 2001, but dinner service was suspended at that location back in 2016.

On the restaurant's website, Rolf and his team  Nelson, Roger and Rafael  thanked everyone and said they would cherish the experience of running Pomelo for the rest of their lives.

Pomelos food might live on elsewhere, though. Keep following this account for a possible announcement about a collection of recipes which we might publish in the coming months, said the post.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP)  An Air Force staff sergeant facing allegations of making violent, antigovernment statements online before stealing ammunition from Fairchild Air Force Base has pleaded not guilty to additional crimes in federal court in Spokane.

John I. Sanger, 30, is one of six servicemembers named in an indictment handed down this week by a federal grand jury, charging them with crimes including theft of government property, possession of stolen ammunition and possession of an unregistered firearm.

The Spokesman-Review reported that authorities were first alerted to Sanger by social media posts he allegedly made between the 2020 presidential election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The poster, using the moniker problematicpatriot, expressed the belief that the election system had been defrauded and people have to die.

Sanger appeared briefly in court Thursday to answer the new charges, with a potential penalty of up to a decade in federal prison. He waived his right to a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Goeke to argue for release pending trial and was returned to the Spokane County Jail.

Staff Sgt. Eric Eagleton, 29, who was also arrested last week, appeared before Goeke on Tuesday and was released from custody, over the objection of federal prosecutors. He is charged in the grand jury indictment with five criminal counts, including possession of an unregistered firearm. According to the indictment, federal authorities executing a search warrant found a firearm suppressor, a device intended to quiet the sound of gunfire, without a serial number as required by federal law.

In a criminal complaint filed last month, an undercover Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent who was wearing a wire recorded Eagleton discussing his anti-Semitic views and dislike for Jews. Sanger, who was also present at the meeting in March, told Eagleton he enjoyed meeting other individuals who hated the government and the military, according to the complaint.

The indictment also names Shawn Robson, 40; Nathan Richards, 25; Jonah Pierce, 25; and Austin Limacher, 28. The men, identified as working either in the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance center on the base or at its armory, are accused of helping to falsify documents allowing the theft of thousands of rounds of green-tipped, 5.56 mm ammunition for an AR-15 rifle.

The criminal complaint indicated the stolen ammunition originated at Richards residence in Airway Heights. Authorities also say they found rounds consistent with the stolen ammunition at the residences of all six defendants.

Robson, Pierce and Limacher were listed in documents as continuing to live in the area. Richards had been reassigned in early April to Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada.

Appointed attorneys for the defendants either declined comment or did not return requests for comment, the newspaper reported.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Police in Alaskas largest city are reaching out to the public to see if people can provide new leads in the disappearance nine years ago of a 6-year-old boy.

DeShawn McCormicks mother said she last saw her son in the spring of 2013 during a visit to Alaska. She had previously moved out-of-state, and DeShawns father, Floyd L. Lee Jr., had legal custody and lived with the child in Alaska.

It was discovered that DeShawn was missing when later that year his father and his father's girlfriend were arrested by the FBI on unrelated securities fraud charges and a court granted DeShawn's mother custody of the boy.

Law enforcement officials, however, were unable to find DeShawn and said there was no indication that any other child other than the girlfriends two children were living at the home the father and girlfriend shared. Authorities determined DeShawn hadn't been seen or heard from since April 2013.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children lists the boys disappearance date as April 1, 2013. The FBI was the initial investigating agency, and the Anchorage Police Department got the case Feb. 10, 2014.

This case is unique being the length of time that DeShawn has not been seen, Police Detective Dave Cordie told reporters on Thursday.

However, he said there are success stories of children being found after long absences.

Ive seen cases 15, 20 years theyve been found. We always hold out hope, Cordie said.

Cordie became the lead investigator on the case in 2017, and this is his oldest missing person case.

We need some help from the community," Cordie said. We feel that somebody out there could assist us in this, and all it takes is that one little bit of information that could bring us back in the fore light, and we can move it forward to where we could possibly find DeShawn.

The case remains an open investigation. Theres always things we're looking at, but right now, as far as persons of interest or suspects? No," he said.

DeShawns father remained in Alaska after serving time in prison after being convicted of the securities fraud charges and Cordie said he has spoken to authorities about his sons disappearance.

Since the case is open, Cordie declined to give out some specific details, including what the father has told them and where the boys' mother now lives. He would only say she lives on the West Coast. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the father on Thursday were not immediately successful.

Anchorage police have worked with officials in several states in the Lower 48 and outside of the U.S. to try to solve the case but those leads have been exhausted, Cordie said.

Police distributed photos of DeShawn at the news conference, including an age-progression photo of what he could look like as a young teenager.

"We hold out positive hope that we can find Deshawn, Cordie said.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said DeShawn, which they spell Deshawn, is biracial with blonde hair and brown eyes. He has a scar in the middle of his forehead.
SYDNEY (AP)  Australia's defense minister said Friday that his nation wants to continue having a strong friendship with the Solomon Islands despite it signing a security pact with China.

Speaking on Australias Nine Network Today show, Peter Dutton said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has been very clear that he is not going to allow a Chinese military base to be built on the islands and Australia is taking him at his word.

The deal that has been signed between the Solomon Islands and China allows for a security presence on the Solomon Islands, thats the whole basis of the agreement," Dutton added.

He said Sogavare didn't have a bad word to say about Australia in the leadup to signing the pact with China last month.

Hes not saying that he doesnt trust Australia or that hes unhappy with the relationship, quite the opposite, in fact, but the Chinese operate by a very different rule than we do," Dutton said. "We see that in Africa and elsewhere, and the presence of a security force within the Solomon Islands is a key aspect of the agreement that theyve signed.

Sogavare told lawmakers in Parliament this week that opponents of the security pact have demonstrated a lack of trust and insulted his country.

Sogavare did not name the opponents. Both the United States and Australia have said a Chinese military presence in the Solomons  less than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from northeastern Australia  would not be tolerated. They haven't been more specific.

The pact has become an issue in campaigning before Australia holds elections on May 21.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his government's management of relations with the Solomon Islands, while opposition leaders have said the pact is an Australian foreign policy failure.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  Patrick Lyoya, a Black man who was killed by a Michigan police officer, died from a gunshot to the back of his head, according to the official autopsy, which matched the conclusion of an expert hired by Lyoya's family.

The report from the Kent County medical examiner also said that Lyoya's blood-alcohol level was 0.29, more than three times over the legal limit for driving, when his car was stopped in Grand Rapids on April 4, the Detroit Free Press reported Friday.

Lyoya, 26, a refugee from Congo, was killed during a physical struggle with Officer Christopher Schurr shortly after 8 a.m.

Schurr, who is white, told Lyoya that he had stopped him because the license plate didn't match the vehicle, according to video.

Lyoya began to run after the officer asked for a driver's license. Schurr quickly caught him, but the pair continued to struggle across a front lawn in a residential neighborhood while Lyoya's passenger recorded the scene on a phone.

Lyoya was on the ground when Schurr shot him. He had demanded that Lyoya take his hand off the officers Taser, according to video.

Dr. Werner Spitz performed a separate autopsy at the request of the family and announced the findings on April 19. He, too, said a shot to the head killed Lyoya. He believes the gun was pressed against the head.

It's highly significant that Dr. Steve Cohle found the identical findings of Dr. Spitz, said Lyoya family attorney Ven Johnson, referring to the county medical examiner.

He said Lyoya's blood-alcohol level was irrelevant.

Drinking and driving isn't punishable by execution, Johnson told The Associated Press. We can all debate, assuming the results are correct, what effect it had on my client's behavior. But it had nothing to do with the cause and manner of his death.

State police investigating the shooting submitted a report last week to the Kent County prosecutor, who will decide if Schurr will face charges. Chris Becker said he still wanted reports about the officer's Taser and body-worn camera.

Lyoya's parents want the officer fired and charged. Schurr, who was placed on leave, hasn't responded to requests for comment.

___

Find the APs full coverage of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Lyoya: https://apnews.com/hub/patrick-lyoya
CLACKAMAS, Ore. (AP)  Defective barcodes on an unknown number of primary election ballots in a Portland, Oregon, suburban county will likely delay election results on May 17, election officials said.

Clackamas County Clerk Sherry Hall said this week that an unknown number of ballots have blurred barcodes that cant be read by the countys ballot-processing equipment and election workers will need to fill out new ballots by hand for those voters before they can be counted. Oregon is a vote-by-mail state.

The county includes the southwest suburbs of Portland and parts of it are in the new 6th Congressional District, which was formed when Oregon gained a U.S. House seat following the 2020 Census. A number of Democratic and Republican candidates are vying to advance to November's general election in a closely watched primary.

Election officials didnt notice the printing error before the ballots were sent to voters, Hall said. The problem isn't expected to delay the vote tally significantly, but election officials won't have a good sense of how many ballots are affected until next week.

We have plans and procedures in place to competently and correctly respond with this situation and many others, Hall said in a statement.

There is no better election staff than the one we have here in Clackamas County and we expect to meet all deadlines for the release of tallies and certification of results in spite of the increase in workload.

At least two election workers registered with different political parties will participate in the transferring of votes to the new ballots and election observers will be present. The county will keep the damaged ballots on file.

It's not the first time the county has had elections problems.

Clackamas County drew national attention in 2013 when a temporary elections worker filled in races left blank on two ballots for Republican candidates. Deanna Swenson, 55, received 90 days in jail and three years probation for her actions, The Oregonian/Oregon Live reported. A citizen committee that reviewed the situation found that Hall followed protocol, but still suggested improvements to prevent something similar from happening again.

Hall, who has held the elected county clerk position since 2003, is being challenged this year by Catherine McMullen, who serves as a program specialist for the Multnomah County Elections Division and is certified as an elections administrator. The race will be on the November ballot.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Community activists and lawmakers traveled to a rural courthouse Friday in western New York to weigh in on the shape of the state's political district maps, and to ask a judge for more opportunities for the public to be heard.

The state judge overseeing the redrawing of New York's congressional and state Senate districts scheduled just one public hearing on the matter before the maps are due to be finalized May 20.

Anyone who wanted to speak publicly on the issue could either file something with the court in writing, or appear in person Friday in Judge Patrick McAllister's courtroom in Bath, New York, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Rochester.

The court is working on a tight timeline to get the maps done after the state's highest court ruled that previous versions drawn by the Democrat-controlled legislature were unconstitutional.

Jonathan Cervas, a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Institute for Politics and Strategy, faces a May 16 deadline to release his first draft of the replacement maps.

We urge you to have more hearings, particularly after the map is released, Esmeralda Simmons, special pro bono counsel to the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, said at Friday's hearing. We want you to know that New Yorkers deserve to be heard, and they are gonna wanna be heard.

Earlier this week, McAllister declined requests that he let people testify at the hearing remotely, saying that his court lacked the capability to allow large numbers of people to do so.

Regrettably I am not able to provide a remote option that allows for everyone throughout the state to appear and comment, the judge wrote in a May 3 letter to New York Civic Engagement Table Director Melody Lopez. But, a person can appear and testify in person.

The judge said the court will be reviewing records from hearings held by the state's independent redistricting commission last fall.

That commission's effort to redraw political district boundaries  something required every 10 years  collapsed because of partisan gridlock.

The Legislature then passed its own maps without any public input or hearings like the one held by the judge Friday.

Angel Vasquez, a Democrat running for state Senate in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood, urged the court to consider some of the committee's discarded proposals.

The court has ordered the state's primary elections for state Senate and the U.S. House moved to Aug. 23, from their originally planned date on June 28, so that there will be enough time to redraw the maps. State officials have asked a federal judge to approve the shift.

On Wednesday, former Democratic candidate Gary Greenberg filed a lawsuit asking McAllister to toss and order new state Assembly maps and delay Assembly races until August 23 as well.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (AP)  Connecticut Republicans  gambling on the second time being the charm  endorsed businessman Bob Stefanowki as their candidate for governor on Friday night. Nearly 50 miles away, Democrats backed U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal for a third six-year term.

Both parties kicked off their two-day conventions Friday, where faithful from both sides of the aisle will endorse candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state comptroller, secretary of the state and treasurer. Democrats control all those offices now, in addition to the five U.S. House of Representatives seats.

Stefanowski, who lost to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont in a three-way race for governor in 2018, overwhelmingly won the GOP's backing on Friday.

We did it, Stefanowski told the cheering crowd in the Premier Ballroom at Foxwoods Resort Casino. What a difference four years makes.

The 59-year-old former GE executives coronation was a marked change from his last run for governor. In 2018, then a political newcomer, Stefanowski bypassed the convention and won the GOP primary in an upset. This time, he went through the convention process and easily defeated one GOP rival, Susan Patricelli Regan, a former senior international marketing executive.

People are going to vote for a new vision, a change in the way we do things, said Stefanowski, who blamed mostly 40 years of Democratic control for Connecticut's challenges, which he said range from aging roads and bridges to high taxes.

Ben Proto, chairperson of the state's GOP, sees this year's election as a generational opportunity," given voter frustration over rising inflation, high gas prices and past mask mandates in schools.

At the end of the day, Connecticut has become unaffordable under the Democrats  and theyve had control of the state for roughly 40 years, on and off, Proto said.

But state Democrats appear optimistic about their chances in November, especially after closing out a three-month legislative session earlier this week marked by a new, revised one-year state budget that cuts taxes by $600 million and invests in social programs, child care services, and a wide-ranging mental health initiatives.

Democratic leadership continues to deliver balanced, on-time budgets that invest in our kids, support our most vulnerable and reflect Connecticut values, the state party's chairperson Nancy DiNardo said in a statement.

In a fundraising message to supporters, Blumenthal stressed how Democrats cant take a single seat for granted this year" and how the Senate GOP has already targeted me and has $44 million in the bank to flip this seat.

Weve been through a lot of tough fights together, and were in one of the most consequential as we speak: the battle to protect a womans fundamental right to reproductive healthcare, he said.

On Saturday, Democrats are scheduled to endorse candidates for attorney general, comptroller, lieutenant governor, governor, treasurer and secretary of state. Republicans will choose candidates for U.S. Senate, secretary of the state and comptroller.

Republicans on Friday also endorsed state Rep. Laura Devlin, R-Fairfield, for lieutenant governor; state Rep. Harry Arora, R-Greenwich, for state treasurer; and Norwalk lawyer Jessica Kordas for state attorney general.

The Republican convention began with Richard Grenell, former President Donald Trump's ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence, urging more than 1,100 delegates and guests to get involved in this year's election, describing it

If you don't fight and if you dont fight back, we are going to lose our country, he warned the crowd.

I'm tired of people saying they're worried about being canceled. We can't worry about that. We're half the country. Cancel them, he said, receiving a round of loud cheers and applause. As soon as you get comfortable that you're going to get called a racist, a sexist or a homophobe  or the new one, a Russian agent  then you will be able to stand up against these ridiculous attacks."
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  Crews searched waters off the coast of Georgia on Friday for the pilot of a small plane that officials said crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a statement saying its investigating what caused the Cirrus SR22 aircraft to go down in waters about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Savannah.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  New Hampshire Republicans on Thursday thwarted attempts by Democrats to respond to this weeks leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft by enshrining the right to an abortion in state law.

New Hampshire has outlawed abortion after 24 weeks gestation since Jan. 1, thanks to a budget provision Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law last year. Anticipating the Supreme Court action, Democrats have sought to enshrine abortion rights into state law and the state constitution, only to have the bills tabled in the House earlier this year.

In both the House and Senate, they tried Thursday to amend other bills to add abortion protections to state law but were turned back.

In the House, Republican Majority Leader Jason Osborne, of Auburn, accused Democrats of grandstanding over the outrage du jour and said taking up the bill was just a waste of our time.

Nearly seven hours later, the Senate voted down a similar amendment. Instead, it approved the underlying bill, which would eliminate the safety zone that keeps protesters at least 25 feet (7.5 meters) away from abortion clinics.

Democrats pointed to other states in arguing in favor of enshrining abortion rights into law. Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, of Portsmouth, noted that Oklahomas governor on Tuesday signed a bill prohibiting doctors from performing an abortion after fetal activity is detected in the embryo.

For years, Ive heard we dont need this in New Hampshire, and for many years that was indeed the case, she said. Times have changed, we do need these protections now. ... The writing isnt just on the wall, it is published and confirmed.

But Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, said the amendment was unnecessary because theres been no rush by New Hampshire Republicans to enact further restrictions or ban abortion outright in response to the leaked draft opinion, and abortion will remain legal in the state up to 24 weeks.

Not one thing has happened. Why? Because when we passed this, we were careful, and we were deliberative. Thats the New Hampshire way, she said. We are not impulsive.

Since enacting the 24-week ban, the Legislature has approved adding an exception for cases in which the fetus has been diagnosed with abnormalities incompatible with life, and Sununu plans to sign it. He described that bill Tuesday as a bipartisan measure to expand access" to abortion without mentioning his role in restricting it.

The draft opinion leaked this week suggests the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion throughout the country, sending the abortion fight to the states.

At least eight GOP-led states have already passed new restrictions this year, expecting change from the conservative majority on the high court. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law, and several states moved to expand or strengthen those protections this year.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP)  A retired sheriffs deputy posed as a guest at two Phoenix-area weddings to steal boxes of cards containing thousands of dollars, and is under investigation in a series of similar crimes, authorities said Friday.

Landon Earl Rankin, 54, was arrested Wednesday in the thefts at private venues in April and was being held without bond, according to Chandler police and court and jail records.

According to police, the two stolen boxes of wedding cards each contained between $3,000 and $6,000.

Rankin was a deputy with the Pinal County Sheriffs Office, joining the agency in 1994. He retired in 2015 but remained a reserve officer until 2017, office spokesperson Lauren Reimer said.

Rankin was jailed on suspicion of two counts of burglary. He also was booked on several drug possession and drug paraphernalia offenses because he had amphetamine and fentanyl on him when he was arrested, police said.

Court records didnt list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Surveillance video from one of the Chandler wedding venues showed Rankin grabbing the gift box, placing it in a bag, walking out the venue's rear door, running to his vehicle and driving away, police said in a probable-cause statement.

When interviewed by police, Rankin said he attended the weddings to hear the wedding vows because he was going through a divorce," the statement said.

During their investigation of the two Chandler thefts, police learned of at least seven similar crimes in other Phoenix-area jurisdictions, said Sgt. Jason McClimans, a Chandler police spokesman.

Rankin is now under investigation in those cases, and Chandler police have heard from four or five" additional newlywed couples regarding possible additional thefts, McClimans said.

Police urged victims of such crimes to contact appropriate law enforcement agencies.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP)  A former fraternity president has pleaded guilty in the hazing death of a Bowling Green State University student.

Daylen Dunson, 22, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty Thursday to several charges, including reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, obstruction and eight counts of misdemeanor hazing. The charges stem from the March 2021 death of Stone Foltz, 20, a sophomore from Delaware, Ohio.

Authorities have said Foltz died from alcohol poisoning after a fraternity initiation event where he was allegedly hazed into finishing an entire bottle of alcohol. He was found unconscious by a roommate after members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity dropped him off at his apartment.

Foltz died three days after he was put on life support.

By taking the deal with Wood County prosecutors, Dunson became the sixth person to plead guilty in the case. Each of these defendants could receive a jail term when they're sentenced later this year, but prosecutors have said they will likely receive probation.

Charges are still pending against two people, who are due to go on trial May 16.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  A judge in Guatemala ruled Friday that nine former police and military officers will stand trial for a range of alleged crimes, including forced disappearances, torture and killings during that countrys civil war.

In reading his decision, Judge Miguel Angel Galvez recounted testimony about acts of torture, forced disappearance and killing.

They put them on planes and tossed them into the ocean to get rid of evidence of torture, he said, also describing the ripping out of fingernails and tongues, sexual assaults and electrocuting mens genitals, all allegedly on the orders of the accused.

The case stems from a document from Guatemalas civil war recovered in 1999 known as the Military Diary. Inside, military officials logged forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the torture of 183 people.

The men on trial were high-ranking military and police officers arrested last year and implicated in the cases described in the document by nature of the command positions they held when the crimes occurred between 1983 and 1986.

In 2012, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights declared the Guatemalan government responsible for the forced disappearances of 26 people listed in the Military Diary, as well as for the violation of their rights to personal freedom, health and life.

Authorities victims were student leaders, labor activists, and guerrilla fighters. The document describes not only the victims, but details surveillance tactics, captures and killings.

Among the first victims registered in the document was Samayoa Morales, also known as Sheny, a member of the Urban Front of the Organization of People in Arms, one of the four guerrilla organizations. The entry included her photo and noted that she had visited Cuba, was later turned over to a Guatemalan military entity and then nothing else was recorded about her fate.

Some of the entries include code. For example, researchers determined that the number 300, meant killed. There are people in the document who survived and others who were never heard from again.

Rudy Gustavo Figueroa Munoz was an academic who was arrested October 12, 1984. He was allegedly the head of a guerrilla cell. A coded entry notes the day and location his body was later found.

His family knew he had been abducted. They searched jails, hospitals and military bases, but no one told them anything. Months later his body was dumped just yards from their home.
Almost two years after manhandling a 73-year-old woman with dementia, breaking her arm and celebrating the arrest with colleagues, former Loveland, Colo., police officer Austin Hopp is going to prison.

Hopp, who pleaded guilty to a second-degree assault charge in March, was sentenced on Thursday to five years behind bars, with three years of parole to follow. He faced up to eight years in prison.

During the hearing, Larimer County District Court Judge Michelle Brinegar called Hopp's actions toward the victim, Karen Garner, "deliberate, deceitful and calculated," according to the Denver Post.

"This case is not about a mistake," Brinegar said, according to the paper. "This about a young officer who used his position of power and authority to show off his toughness, disregarded any sense of humanity and showed an alarming deal of criminal thinking."

Hopp apologized in court and accepted responsibility for how he handled Garner's arrest, the newspaper reported.

"I am truly ashamed of my actions," Hopp said.

On June 26, 2020, employees at a Walmart in Loveland, a town about 50 miles north of Denver, called police to report that an elderly woman had walked out with about $14 worth of items. Employees caught up with her outside the store and took the items back. Garner left the store and started home.

She was strolling through a field, picking wildflowers, when Hopp, who was responding to the store's call for help, approached her and, within seconds, moved to arrest her, body-camera footage shows. But Garner kept walking, a bundle of flowers in her hands.

"I don't think you want to play it this way," Hopp said. " . . . Do you need to be arrested right now?"

The officer then grabbed Garner, who weighed 80 pounds, wrenching her arms back, video showed. For the next several minutes, she cried out that she was "going home." Hopp then wrangled Garner to the ground. As a result, she had a fractured arm and dislocated shoulder.

Soon, another officer, Daria Jalali, arrived and helped Hopp restrain Garner.

The officers then took Garner to the police station. Security footage released by Garner's attorney last year shows Hopp and others watching the body-cam footage from when Garner was detained.

"Ready for the pop? Hear the pop?" Hopp can be heard saying, referring to the sound Garner's shoulder made when he brought her to the ground.

The officers also mocked Garner, calling her "ancient" and "senile," and said the arrest "went great" and that they had "crushed it." Meanwhile, Garner sat in a booking cell crying in pain.

In April 2021, prosecutors announced they were pursuing the case after Sarah Schielke, an attorney representing Garner's family, released the body-camera footage, causing a public outcry. Hopp was soon suspended from the Loveland Police Department. That May, he was arrested and charged with using excessive force and misleading his supervisors. He later pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.

Jalali, the other officer at the scene, was charged with failure to report use of force, failure to intervene and official misconduct. Her case is ongoing.

Garner's family sued the city and several police officers and won a $3 million settlement last September. The city issued a public apology to Garner and her family for "what they have endured as a result of this arrest," Loveland City Manager Steve Adams said in a statement.

Garner's health has declined since the assault, her family told reporters after reaching the settlement. Garner, who has dementia and sensory aphasia, a condition that impairs her ability to communicate or fully understand speech, now has post-traumatic stress disorder. Her family said she has retreated, hesitates to hug loved ones and no longer goes on walks, which she once enjoyed.

The family's attorney did not immediately respond to The Washington Post's request for comment early Friday.

- - -

The Washington Post's Andrea Salcedo contributed to this report.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP)  The Federal Trade Commission has approved a $69 million settlement with Frontier Communications over allegations the tech company misrepresented internet service speeds to customers in Riverside and Los Angeles counties, officials said Thursday.

The deal resolves a civil enforcement action alleging deceptive business practices by Frontier in connection with the sale of residential internet services, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP)  In a bid to protect coastal communities from climate change and encourage investment, African nations are increasingly turning to mangrove restoration projects, with Mozambique becoming the latest addition to the growing list of countries with large scale mangrove initiatives.

Mozambique follows efforts across the continent  including in Kenya, Madagascar, Gambia and Senegal  and is touted as the worlds largest coastal or marine ecosystem carbon storage project. Known as blue carbon, carbon captured by these ecosystems can sequester, or remove, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a faster rate than forests, despite being smaller in size.

Mozambiques mangrove restoration project  announced in February alongside its UAE-based partner Blue Forest  hopes to turn 185,000 hectares (457,100 acres) in the central Zambezia and southern Sofala provinces into a forest which could capture up to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide, according to project leaders.

Blue carbon can be utilized not only to sequester tons of carbon dioxide but to also improve the lives of coastal communities, Vahid Fotuhi, the Chief Executive officer of Blue Forest, told the Associated Press. There are around one million hectares of mangroves forests in Africa. Collectively they're able to sequester more carbon dioxide than the total annual emissions of a country like Croatia or Bolivia. He added these projects would create green jobs and promote biodiversity.

Africas major mangrove forests have been decimated in recent decades due to logging, fish farming, coastal development, and pollution, leading to increased blue carbon emissions and greater exposure of vulnerable coastal communities to flooding and other threats to livelihood.

But the continent's growing attention on mangrove restoration can be attributed in part to the successful Mikoko Pamoja project, initiated in 2013 in Kenya's Gazi Bay, which protected 117 hectares (289 acres) of mangrove forest and replanted 4,000 trees annually, spurring other countries to also address their damaged coastal land and recreate its success.

Mikoko Pamoja, Swahili for mangroves together, centered its efforts around protecting the small communities in Gazi and Makongeni villages from coastal erosion, loss of fish and climate change. It was dubbed the "worlds first blue carbon project and earned the community of just 6,000 global fame, accolades, carbon cash and greater living standards.

Mikoko Pamoja has led to development of projects in the community, including installation of water, Iddi Bomani, the village chairperson of the Gazi community, said. Everyone has water available in their houses."

"It especially leads to improved livelihoods through job creation when done by communities, Laitani Suleiman, a committee member of the Mikoko Pamoja, added.

Several other projects have come to fruition since. In Senegal, 79 million replanted mangrove trees are projected to store 500,000 tons of carbon over the next 20 years. Neighboring Gambia launched its own reforestation effort in 2017, with Madagascar following suit with its own preservation project two years later. Egypt is planning its mangrove restoration project ahead of hosting the United Nations climate conference in November this year.

The projects have sparked a clamor for the sale of carbon credits, a type of permit that allows for a certain amount of emissions as remuneration for forest restoration or other carbon offset projects. Gabon was offered a recent pay package of $17 million through the Central African Forest Initiative due to its protection efforts, but complaints persist on the low prices offered to African governments.

Africa remains excluded from a lot of financing available under climate change," Jean Paul Adam, head of the climate division at the Economic Commission for Africa, said, adding that a lack of financing means nations on the continent are unable to build up their resilience to climate change.

He added that nature-based solutions and advocating for a fair development price of carbon would propel the African economy.

And the benefits of reforestation can be significant, according to Coral Reef Alliance's Marissa Stein.

Restoring and protecting our marine habitats plays a key role in maintaining the health of our planet, she said, adding that mangroves alone store up to four times more carbon per hectare than tropical rainforests. The Global Mangroves Alliance also estimates that mangroves reduce damages and flood risk for 15 million people and can prevent over $65 billion of property damage each year.

___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HONOLULU (AP)  A judge ordered a Hawaii man into house arrest Friday after a prosecutor argued his wealth makes him a flight risk and he poses a danger to his wife after allegedly killing her lover.

Prosecutors wanted Eric Thompson behind bars after a grand jury indicted him for murder.

Thompson was arrested on Valentine's Day, posted $1 million bail and was released.

Police said Thompson shot Jon Tokuhara in the face and head several times in January after Thompson learned Tokuhara and his wife were having an affair.

Thompson discovered the relationship through Instagram messages and videos, Honolulu Police Det. Kaiminaauao Mead testified at a hearing Friday.

Tokuhara was an acupuncturist treating Thompson's wife, Mead said.

Surveillance footage near Tokuhara's Waipahu office showed a man wearing a white bucket hat arrive in a white truck, walk into Tokuhara's office and then shows him leaving.

As the man was leaving, his hat fell onto the road, Mead said. Police tracked the hat to a homeless man who picked it up and DNA on it matched Thompson, Mead said.

Thompson planned this and committed this offense with a cold and calculated and nearly flawless execution, Deputing Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Rose said at Friday's hearing.

Thompson is a danger to his wife and her siblings, who he believed knew about the affair, prosecutors said. After discovering the relationship, Thompson forbade his wife from seeing her siblings, Mead said.

He believed that they knew about the affair and didnt tell him, Mead said.

Nothing has changed since bail was set at $1 million, argued Thompson's attorney David Hayakawa. Thompson surrendered to authorities, handed over his passport and posted bail at great expense to himself," Hayakawa said.

Prosecutors are using Thompson's successful business and expensive home to show that he's a flight risk, when those assets show otherwise, Hayakawa said.

Judge Paul Wong denied the request to revoke bail, saying Thompson has been cooperative and hasn't tried to flee. But considering the grave taking of life here, Wong ordered that Thompson be confined to his home and monitored electronically.

Thompson must remain under house arrest unless his attorney gets a court order allowing him to leave, Wong said.

After the hearing, Hayakawa said he respects the judge's decision.

Mr. Thompson has entered his not guilty plea and this case will proceed to jury trial, Hayakawa said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NEW YORK (AP)  Elvis Costello, Patti Smith and Mavis Staples will be among the dignitaries expected in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this weekend for the opening of the Bob Dylan Center, the museum and archive celebrating the Nobel laureate's work.

Dylan himself won't be among them, unless he surprises everyone.

The center's subject and namesake has an open invitation to come anytime, although his absence seems perfectly in character, said Steven Jenkins, the center's director. Oddly, Dylan was just in Tulsa three weeks ago for a date on his concert tour, sandwiched in between Oklahoma City and Little Rock, Arkansas. He didn't ask for a look around.

I dont want to put words in his mouth, Jenkins said. I can only guess at his reasoning. Maybe he would find it embarrassing.

It's certainly unusual for a living figure  Dylan is due to turn 81 on May 24  to have a museum devoted to him, but such is the shadow he has cast over popular music since his emergence in the early 1960s. He's still working, performing onstage in a show devoted primarily to his most recent material.

And he's still pushing the envelope. Murder Most Foul, Dylan's nearly 17-minute rumination on the Kennedy assassination and celebrity, is as quietly stunning as Like a Rolling Stone was nearly a half-century ago, even if he's no longer at the center of popular culture.

The center offers an immersive film experience, performance space, a studio where visitors can play producer and mix different elements of instrumentation in Dylan's songs and a curated tour where people can take a musical journey through the stages of his career. The archive has more than 100,000 items, many accessed only by scholars through appointment.

Museum creators said they wanted to build an experience both for casual visitors who might not know much of Dylan's work and for the truly fanatical  the skimmers, the swimmers and the divers, said designer Alan Maskin of the firm Olson Kundig.

The museum hopes to celebrate the creative process in general, and at opening will have an exhibit of the work of photographer Jerry Schatzberg, whose 1965 image of Dylan is emblazoned on the building's three-story facade.

Since Dylan's still creating, we're going to continue to play catch-up with him, Jenkins said.

So for a figure who was born and raised in Minnesota, came of musical age in New York and now lives in California, how does a museum devoted to his life's work end up in Oklahoma?

He's never seemed the nostalgic type, but Dylan recognized early that his work could have historical interest and value, Jenkins said. Together with his team, he put aside boxes full of artifacts, including photos, rare recordings and handwritten lyrics that show how his songs went through revisions and rewrites.

With use of those lyrics, two of the early displays will focus on how the songs Jokerman and Tangled Up in Blue took shape  the latter with lyrics so elastic that Dylan was still changing verses after the song had been released.

Dylan sold his archive in 2016 to the Tulsa-based George Kaiser Family Foundation, which also operates the Woody Guthrie Center  a museum that celebrates one of Dylan's musical heroes and is only steps away from the new Dylan center.

Dylan likes the Guthrie museum, and also appreciates Tulsa's rich holdings of Native American art, Jenkins said. Much of that is on display at another new facility, the Gilcrease Museum, which is also the world's largest holding of art of the American West.

I think it's going to be a true tourist draw to Tulsa for all the right reasons, said Tulsa Mayor G. T. Bynum. This is one of the great musicians in the history of humankind and everyone who wants to study his career and see the evolution of his talent will be drawn to it.

Bynum hopes that it also encourages others who may someday want to put their archives on display, and make Tulsa a center for the study of modern American music.

Dylan designed and built a 16-foot-high metal sculpture that will be displayed at the entrance to the museum. Otherwise, he had nothing to do with the museum's design and declined, through a spokesman, to offer a comment about the opening.

If Bob were telling us what we could or couldn't do, it would have felt like a vanity project, in a way, Maskin said. It was a tremendous relief not to have to satisfy Bob Dylan.

Still, it's safe to assume the lines of communication are open if necessary: Jenkins, the center's director, is the brother of Larry Jenkins, Dylan's long-time media representative.

In addition to a dinner to celebrate the opening this weekend, Costello, Smith and Staples will all perform separate concerts at Cain's Ballroom. Costello was asked to program a jukebox that will be on display at the museum and, within a day, submitted his suggestions for 160 Dylan songs and covers, Steven Jenkins said.

The Bob Dylan Center is open to the public on May 10.

Maskin has no expectation that Dylan will ever see the designer's work. Still, he indulges himself in a fantasy of a slow summer day, a security guard dozing in the corner, and someone slipping in wearing black jeans, sunglasses and a familiar mop of hair to wander among the displays.

To be honest, I don't think that's going to happen," he said. I think he's interested in the work he's doing, and not the work he's done.

___

Online: https://bobdylancenter.com/
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DELANO, Calif. (AP)  An incarcerated man died Thursday after he was attacked by two other men at a state prison in California's Central Valley, officials said.

Sidney Kang, 31, was attacked by two other inmates at about 10 a.m. in a maximum-security recreational yard at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, prison officials said.

He was treated for his injuries at the prison but died a short time later, officials said.

Two inmate-made weapons were found and the death was being investigated as a homicide, authorities said.

Kang was sent to prison from Los Angeles County in 2014 to serve 14 years for assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, prison officials said. He had a previous serious felony conviction and it was his second strike.

Prison officials said it's believed that Kang was attacked by Anthony Ramirez and Michael Caldera.

Ramirez, 40, was admitted to prison in 2008 from Los Angeles County and was serving a life sentence with a chance of parole. Two years ago, he received another 12 years for seriously assaulting someone in the Kern County prison and last year he received another two years for possessing or manufacturing a deadly weapon, officials said.

Caldera, 35, was sent to prison in 2010 from San Bernardino County and was serving 71 years and four months for several second-degree armed robbery convictions, authorities said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger accepted a judges findings Friday and said U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is qualified to run for reelection despite claims by a group of voters that she had engaged in insurrection.

Georgia Administrative Law Judge Charles Beaudrot issued a decision hours earlier that Green was eligible to run, finding the voters hadn't produced sufficient evidence to back their claims. After Raffensperger adopted the judge's decision, the group that filed the complaint on behalf of the voters vowed to appeal.

Before reaching his decision, Beaudrot had held a daylong hearing in April that included arguments from lawyers for the voters and for Greene, as well as extensive questioning of Greene herself. He also received additional filings from both sides.

Raffensperger is being challenged by a candidate backed by former President Donald Trump in the state's May 24 GOP primary after he refused to bend to pressure from Trump to overturn Joe Bidens victory in Georgia. Raffensperger could have faced huge blowback from right-wing voters if he had disagreed with Beaudrots findings.

Raffensperger wrote in his final decision that typical challenges to a candidate's eligibility have to do with questions about residency or whether they have paid their taxes. Such challenges are allowed under a procedure outlined in Georgia law.

In this case, Challengers assert that Representative Greenes political statements and actions disqualify her from office," Raffensperger's decision said. That is rightfully a question for the voters of Georgias 14th Congressional District.

The challenge was filed for five voters in her district by Free Speech for People, a national election and campaign finance reform group. They allege the GOP congresswoman played a significant role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot that disrupted Congress certification of Bidens presidential victory. They had argued that put her in violation of a seldom-invoked part of the 14th Amendment having to do with insurrection and makes her ineligible to run for reelection.

Greene applauded Beaudrots decision and called the challenge to her eligibility an unprecedented attack on free speech, on our elections, and on you, the voter.

But the battle is only beginning, she said in a statement. The left will never stop their war to take away our freedoms. She added, This ruling gives me hope that we can win and save our country.

Free Speech for People had sent a letter to Raffensperger on Friday urging him to reject the judges recommendation. They have 10 days to make their planned appeal of his decision in Fulton County Superior Court.

The group said in a statement that Beaudrot's decision betrays the fundamental purpose of the Fourteenth Amendments Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause and gives a pass to political violence as a tool for disrupting and overturning free and fair elections."

During the April 22 hearing, Ron Fein, a lawyer for the voters, noted that in a TV interview the day before the attack at the U.S. Capitol, Greene said the next day would be our 1776 moment. Lawyers for the voters said some supporters of then-President Trump used that reference to the American Revolution as a call to violence.

In fact, it turned out to be an 1861 moment, Fein said, alluding to the start of the Civil War.

Greene is a conservative firebrand and Trump ally who has become one of the GOPs biggest fundraisers in Congress by stirring controversy and pushing baseless conspiracy theories. During the recent hearing, she repeated the unfounded claim that widespread fraud led to Trumps loss in the 2020 election, said she didnt recall various incendiary statements and social media posts attributed to her. She denied ever supporting violence.

Greene acknowledged encouraging a rally to support Trump, but she said she wasnt aware of plans to storm the Capitol or disrupt the electoral count using violence. Greene said she feared for her safety during the riot and used social media posts to encourage people to be safe and stay calm.

The challenge to her eligibility was based on a section of the 14th Amendment that says no one can serve in Congress who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same. Ratified shortly after the Civil War, it was meant in part to keep representatives who had fought for the Confederacy from returning to Congress.

Greene urged, encouraged and helped facilitate violent resistance to our own government, our democracy and our Constitution, Fein said, concluding: She engaged in insurrection.

James Bopp, a lawyer for Greene, argued his client engaged in protected political speech and was, herself, a victim of the attack on the Capitol, not a participant.

Beaudrot wrote that there's no evidence that Greene participated in the attack on the Capitol or that she communicated with or gave directives to people who were involved.

Whatever the exact parameters of the meaning of engage as used in the 14th Amendment, and assuming for these purposes that the Invasion was an insurrection, Challengers have produced insufficient evidence to show that Rep. Greene engaged in that insurrection after she took the oath of office on January 3, 2021, he wrote.

Greene's public statements and heated rhetoric" may have contributed to the environment that led to the attack, but they are protected by the First Amendment, Beaudrot wrote.

Expressing constitutionally-protected political views, no matter how aberrant they may be, prior to being sworn in as a Representative is not engaging in insurrection under the 14th Amendment, he said.

Free Speech for People has filed similar challenges in Arizona and North Carolina.

Greene has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the law that the voters are using to try to keep her off the ballot. That suit is pending.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  A Florida man has been convicted of running an $80 million Ponzi scheme.

A federal jury in Tampa found Michael DaCorta guilty Wednesday of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, money laundering and filing a false income tax return, according to court records. The 57-year-old Sarasota resident faces up to 33 years in prison.

A sentencing date wasn't immediately set.

DaCorta ran an investment company named Oasis International Group Ltd. from November 2011 through April 2019. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, DaCorta and others persuaded at least 700 victims to invest in the company through promissory notes and other means, causing victims to lose over $80 million.

DaCorta induced victims to invest by falsely representing that Oasis was reaping enormous profits on foreign exchange trades, prosecutors said. The company actually had no true revenue but used victims funds to make Ponzi-style payments to perpetuate the scheme.

DaCorta used the victims' money to purchase expensive vehicles for his family, a country club membership, multiple million-dollar homes in Florida, college tuition for family, flights on private jets and lavish trips to Europe and the Cayman Islands, officials said.

DaCorta also underreported his income on his 2017 federal income tax return, claiming a negative income and receiving a tax refund.
BROOKS, Maine (AP)  A juvenile was charged in the fatal shooting of a man in his home in Brooks, state police said Friday.

The Waldo County Sheriff's Department responded to a disturbance and discovered the shooting victim Friday morning. The body of James Cluney, 49, was being taken to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy this weekend, officials said.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte smile and chat of their love of burgers and mango shakes on the election trail in a carefree YouTube video before breaking into a short rap penned for their campaign for president and vice president of the Philippines by a popular singer.

Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator who bilked the country out of billions and ruled for years with an iron fist, and Duterte, daughter of outgoing populist President Rodrigo Duterte, whose brutal anti-drug campaign has brought an investigation of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, like to keep things light.

Their carefully choreographed campaign whitewashes the past and is short on specifics about their vision for the future, but it appears to be resonating with the average Filipino, with the latest polls showing both with seemingly insurmountable leads in their races, which are held separately, in Mondays elections.

The campaign has made deft use of social media, primarily TikTok and YouTube, to push the simple slogan of unity  Uniteam" as they put it  and frame them as beyond politics and disagreements, said Adele Webb, a lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology and author of Chasing Freedom: The Philippines Long Journey to Democratic Ambivalence.

His message really is very well crafted with this avoidance strategy, Webb said. Lets stop talking about the past, lets stop fighting about what those martial law years really looked like, and lets look forward, lets move forward.

Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was ousted in 1986 as millions of people took to the streets in the largely peaceful People Power uprising to force a return to democracy.

Some of the assets obtained by Marcos, wife Imelda and their cronies were later seized and sold, with the money remitted to the Philippine government. The Presidential Commission on Good Government, created to recover ill-gotten gains, says it has so far collected more than $3.3 billion.

But rather than apologize for his father's excesses, Marcos Jr., who goes by his childhood nickname Bongbong or BBM in campaign posters, embraces his image. The 64-year-old portrays his fathers decades in office as a time of prosperity and national pride, glossing over the corruption and years of martial law with a harsh crackdown on dissent that scarred generations of Filipinos.

He's just projecting a youthful version of his father, because he's really banking on the Filipinos' ... nostalgic craving of Marcos rule, said Andrea Chloe Wong, a political scientist. They want to visit the golden age of the Philippines  and that's what Marcos is propagating.

With the median age in the Philippines of about 25, Marcos has taken advantage of the fact that many voters have no personal memory of his father's rule. He's avoided confrontation by refusing head-to-head debates, hand-selecting the journalists for the sole press conference he has held since his campaign started, and has limited the number of interviews he has given.

In one of those  with CNN Philippines a week ago  Marcos defended his family's opulent lifestyle, saying his parents always reminded him that any comfort or privilege that we enjoy comes from the people, and that's why we have to serve. He brushed aside criticism of martial law, saying there were people who wanted to bring down the government and the government had to defend itself.

This is actually true, that was what really happened, he said emphatically.

The rehabilitation of the Marcos name started decades ago, with the family returning to the Philippines  and politics  only a few years after Marcos died in 1989 in exile in Hawaii.

Imelda Marcos  whose expansive collection of jewelry and 1,220 pairs of shoes shocked the world after they were discovered in the presidential palace that was stormed in the uprising  ran for president herself in 1992 and 1998, losing both times.

The 92-year-old, who still lives in Manila, had faced some 900 civil and criminal cases after her return  from embezzlement and corruption to tax evasion. Most were dismissed for lack of evidence, and the few convictions were overturned on appeal. A 2018 graft conviction remains on appeal.

Marcos Jr. has held several political offices, including being elected to the House of Representatives in 1991 and the Senate in 2010, despite ongoing legal issues.

He has been dogged by a past conviction for failure to file his income tax papers and a government demand for a huge estate tax payment, which opponents unsuccessfully tried to use to disqualify his bid for the presidency. The petitions against his candidacy remain on appeal and could reach the Supreme Court.

Outside the Philippines, a U.S. District Court in Hawaii in 2011 found him and his mother in contempt of an order to furnish information on assets in connection with a 1995 human rights class action suit against Marcos Sr., fining them $353.6 million. That has never been paid, which could complicate any future possible visits to the United States if he is elected.

Rodrigo Duterte, in the first year of his presidency in 2016, helped the family gloss over its past, allowing the burial of Marcos in the country's heroes' cemetery, which had been blocked by previous administrations. The funeral with full military honors was condemned by human rights and left-wing groups.

By pairing up with 43-year-old Sara Duterte, Marcos has been able to combine his family's support in their northern home province and hers in the south to both of their advantage.

At the same time, there have been allegations  which Marcos denies  that he has enlisted an army of online trolls and commentators to smear his opponents and revise his family's history.

The approach has worked so far, with Marcos and Duterte, who is the mayor of Davao city, each with about 55% support in the most recent polls.

Marcos' biggest challenger, Leni Robredo  the current vice president who defeated Marcos in his bid for that office in 2016  has mobilized a groundswell of support against him and has drawn huge crowds with a message of reform and corruption-free governance, but she is still polling at less than half his number.

The vast majority of the country's 67 million registered voters are working class, and despite both being part of longtime political families, both Marcos and Duterte have been polling as well  or better  among them as with the upper classes.

Many have bought into Marcos' version of history, and also feel that the reform-oriented governments that came after Marcos Sr. failed to deliver, Wong said.

About a quarter of the population lives in poverty, government agencies and courts are seen as too weak to prosecute corruption and the gap between rich and poor remains wide. For many, good education is unaffordable and decent jobs found abroad.

Many of the ills besetting the Philippines can be traced to Marcos, who took huge loans that he could not repay to keep the country afloat while his regime imprisoned and tortured opponents and spurred rebellions  but that is carefully avoided in his son's election narrative.

People are fascinated, not of him per se but of the memory of his father's rule, Wong said. A lot of the young people didn't experience it but because of the propaganda being repeated over and over again, they think the Philippines was better off before.

At a recent rally in a Manila suburb, Shirley Quirit, a 38-year-old mother of five, was one of several thousands who turned out to see Marcos Jr. in a rally heavy on glitz with giant television screens, celebrities and a rock band.

She brushed off concerns about his past as being from people just trying to destroy them and said there was nothing that could change her mind to vote for him.

If the allegations they are hurling against BBM are true, they should have raised them a long time ago, not now when he's running," she said despite longstanding cases involving Marcos. The Marcoses have accomplishments from before that still benefit people, like hospitals, schools, foot bridges ... and he may do so much more.

Even though challenger Robredo's pink revolution" movement, named for the color worn by her volunteers, is trailing in the polls, it does show that if Marcos wins and slides into his father's old ways, a significant portion of the population could push back, Webb said.

There's a lot of energy in the country, there's a lot of spirit, there's a lot of hope and a sense of people power resurrected, where people aren't willing to give up on the democratic project yet," she said.

___

Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador started a five-day tour to four Central American countries and Cuba on Thursday by lashing out at the U.S. government.

Lopez Obrador criticized American officials sharply for being quick to send billions to Ukraine, while dragging their feet on development aid to Central America.

On his first stop in neighboring Guatemala, Lopez Obrador demanded U.S. aid to stem the poverty and joblessness that sends tens of thousands of Guatemalans north to the U.S. border. The Mexican leader had been angered that the United States rebuffed his calls to help expand his tree-planting program to Central America.

They are different things and they shouldn't be compared categorically, but they have already approved $30 billion for the war in Ukraine, while we have been waiting since President Donald Trump, asking they donate $4 billion, and as of today, nothing, absolutely nothing, Lopez Obrador said.

Honestly, it seems inexplicable, he added. For our part, we are going to continue to respectfully insist on the need for the United States to collaborate.

Lopez Obrador's pet program, known as Planting Life, pays farmers a monthly wage to plant and care for fruit and lumber trees on their farms.

Mexico has asked the U.S. government to help fund the program, something that so far hasnt happened. Mexico is also touting another program that apprentices young people to companies. Critics say both programs lack accountability.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard wrote in his social media accounts that meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and other officials focused on development, migration and strengthening bilateral ties.

Ebrard said Mexico was starting the tree program in the Guatemalan province of Chimaltenango.

It is only be the third overseas trip in more than three years for Lopez Obrador, who is fond of saying that the best foreign policy is good domestic policy. The tour is an opportunity for Mexico to reassert itself as a leader in Latin America and will be welcomed by some leaders under pressure from the U.S. government and others for their alleged anti-democratic tendencies.

Both geographically and metaphorically, Mexico finds itself wedged between the United States and the rest of Latin America. Lopez Obrador has deflected criticism dating to the Trump administration that his government is doing Washingtons dirty work in trying to stop migrants before they reach the U.S. border.

Lopez Obrador will be received in Central America, in part, as an emissary of the United States when it comes to migration policy.

The U.S. government has been trying to build consensus ahead of the June Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to cement a regional approach to managing migration flows. In recent years large numbers of Central Americans, but also Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, Colombians and migrants arriving from other continents, have made their way up through the Americas.

The visit is an opportunity for Lopez Obrador to show some independence from the United States. Lopez Obrador has criticized the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba and he said that he told U.S. officials that no country should be excluded from the Summit of the Americas. The Biden administration has signaled that Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua would not be invited.

Giammattei, meanwhile, has been under pressure from the U.S. government for backsliding on the countrys fight against corruption  a campaign central to Lopez Obradors image in Mexico.

Lopez Obrador will continue on to El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has faced international condemnation since imposing a state of emergency after a surge in gang killings at the end of March.

A visit from Lopez Obrador, who prefers a hugs not bullets approach to security, is an opportunity to show hes not being isolated. El Salvadors security forces have arrested more than 24,000 suspected gang members in just over a month and human rights organizations say there have been many arbitrary arrests.

In Honduras, new President Xiomara Castro has forged a close relationship with the Biden administration. Last month, Honduras extradited former President Juan Orlando Hernandez to face drug and weapons charges in the U.S. Castro is desperate to activate the economy and create jobs, so could be open to Lopez Obradors proposals if there is money behind it.

The presidents agenda in Belize is less clear, but his final stop in Cuba will be the most symbolic. Cuba President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited Mexico for its independence celebrations last year.

Lopez Obrador has largely governed as a nationalist and populist, but he has positioned himself politically as a a devoted leftist.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  The Mexican government said Friday it has closed a limestone gravel quarry owned by a U.S. company, a move likely to add fuel to an ongoing trade dispute with the firm.

The Environment Department said Friday it closed the quarry owned by Vulcan Materials near Playa del Carmen, on the Caribbean coast. Parts of the quarry have been excavated below the water table, and the department said the mining threatened water quality and subsoil conditions.

But the timing of the move raised questions: Vulcan has been operating the quarry for around three decades, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had recently threatened the company.

Lopez Obrador wants the water-filled quarry to be used as a theme park to rival the nearby XCaret park. He also wants Vulcan to build a cruise ship dock at a freight terminal it operates on the coast. He has pressured the Alabama-based aggregates company to sell the property to the government, or open a water park itself.

Vulcan issued a statement Thursday saying it strongly believes that this action by the Mexican government is illegal."

The Company has the necessary permits to operate and intends to vigorously pursue all lawful avenues available to it in order to protect its rights and resume normal operations, it said.

The company's property includes several adjoining sites; some have have already been quarried, and others haven't. In late 2018 the company filed for an arbitration panel under the old North American Free Trade Agreement, after Mexico refused to allow quarrying at some of the sites.

The company said a decision is expected in the second half of 2022. The Environment Department said the company is seeking about $1.5 billion in damages.

The Mexican government originally said a tentative agreement had been reached with Vulcan Materials, and the company said it was willing to open a water park and cruise ship facility. But it has no experience at doing either, and would really just like to continue mining gravel.

Lopez Obrador wants the gravel to use as ballast for another of his signature projects, the Maya Train, a 950-mile (1,500- kilometer) rail line that will run in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting Caribbean coast resorts with archaeological sites inland.

Controversially, and with no environmental studies, the president decided to cut down a swath of low jungle between Cancun and Tulum, near the quarries, to build the train line. He has raised the possibility that the future water park could be a stop on the train line.

The project needs huge amounts of gravel ballast to spread between rail ties to stabilize them, and it also needs a seaport like the one Vulcan has to get rails, cars and other train-building materials into the jungle.

Lopez Obrador has often used pressure and threats in a bid to get private and foreign companies to shore up his infrastructure plans and projects  state-run ports, terminals and rail lines that could become white elephants unless the private sector boosts them with real traffic.

Earlier this week, his administration announced it would force about 20% of the flights using Mexico City's International Airport to move to the Felipe Angeles terminal north of the city,  a project pushed by Lopez Obrador that has struggled to attract flights and passengers because of its distance from the city.

Moreover, it was inaugurated before rail and road links were completed, making it hard to get to. Passengers and airlines have avoided switching to the new airport, which currently handles only about six flights per day.
LIVONIA, Mich. (AP)  A Michigan lawmaker who pleaded guilty to driving drunk was sentenced to probation and fined Friday.

Rep. Mary Cavanagh, 30, received the recommended sentence of a $500 fine plus other fines, a 10-day work program, two years of probation and must appear for sobriety court.

The Redford Democrat pleaded guilty in April to operating while intoxicated following her Feb. 25 arrest in the Livonia area.

I just wanted to apologize to the court, to the community and also to myself for my decisions, Cavanagh told the judge. But I am looking forward to using this to become a better person, and I am seeing that there is another life, and its (a) sober life, and I am very much looking forward to that, given the opportunity to be granted into sobriety court.

It was Cavanaghs second time being arrested by Livonia police for drunken driving, the first time being in 2015. That time she pleaded down to a lesser impaired driving charge.

Sobriety court would require Cavanagh to receive treatment to get sober and would allow her to potentially get her license back with restrictions, including a required car breathalyzer.

Her lawyer, Todd Perkins, has said Cavanagh intends to utilize her time in sobriety court to educate others on the path to recovery.

Cavanaghs lawyer told WDIV-TV that she does not plan on resigning from her position in the Michigan House of Representatives.

On April 25, Livonia police said that Cavanagh was swerving on I-96 with two flat tires on the drivers side of the vehicle. An officer followed her onto a freeway, where she swerved between the right and center lanes.

During the traffic stop, the representative took a breathalyzer test and blew a 0.17, or more than twice the legal limit of 0.08. A later blood test showed Cavanaghs blood alcohol level was 0.20, officials said.
WALHALLA, N.D. (AP)  A Minnesota Army National Guard helicopter and crew moved two 5-ton pumps in place Friday to help lower floodwaters threatening an earthen dam in northeastern North Dakota.

The move came two days after a North Dakota Guard helicopter helped stabilize the Bourbanis Dam with more than 200 sandbags weighing 1 ton each. The dam is located on the Tongue River, a tributary of the Pembina River.
CLAYTON, Mo. (AP)  A St. Louis man has been found guilty of killing of a 94-year-old woman in his care nearly five years ago.

A jury found Tommie Coffer Jr., 58, guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of Geneva Richardson in her Florissant home in December 2017.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A man has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the death of a woman whose dismembered body was found in a freezer stored aboard an old bus parked beside a New Orleans home, District Attorney Jason Williams said Friday.

Benjamin Beale, 34, was charged Thursday by a grand jury in the death of Julia Dardar.
NEW YORK (AP)  A New York court halted the use of a DNA crimefighting tool that has helped crack cold cases and put murderers behind bars, but has also raised privacy and racial discrimination concerns, because state lawmakers never approved the practice.

Known as familial DNA searching, the technique allows law enforcement agencies to search the states DNA databank for close biological relatives of people who have left traces of genetic material at a crime scene.

A panel of judges on a mid-level appeals court ruled Thursday that regulations for the technique were invalid because a state committee implemented them without consent from the Legislature.

Three of the panel's five members voted to suspend the searches, which were challenged by a group of Black men who worried they could be targeted for investigation because their biological brothers were convicted of crimes and had genetic information stored in the state's DNA databank.

Judge Judith J. Gische, writing for the majority, noted that familial DNA searching is useful in investigating crimes  including in identifying serial killers in Kansas and California and a recent Bronx cold case arrest  and that the courts decision to stop the practice was based on concerns about government separation of powers.

We find that the overwhelming policy issues inherent in authorizing the use and limitations upon familial match searches of DNA information collected in the New York State databank warrants a conclusion that it is an inherently legislative function and that the challenged regulation cannot stand, Gische wrote.

The ruling pertains only to the states DNA databank, which is populated with samples from people convicted of crimes in the state, not databanks that are maintained by private companies such as Ancestry and 23andMe for genetic genealogy research.

Regulations on searching the state databank were adopted in 2017 by New York's Division of Criminal Justice Services, part of the state's executive branch, and the independent Commission on Forensic Science.

New York has approved just 30 applications from law enforcement to conduct familial DNA searches since adopting the technique. It has disclosed the names of matches to police in 10 cases, two of which resulted in arrests.

Janine Kava, a spokesperson for the Division of Criminal Justice Services, said the agency was reviewing the decision to determine next steps. Those could include bringing the matter to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals.

Authorities have, for decades, found suspects by matching crime scene evidence to convicted offenders DNA. Familial DNA testing comes into play when theres no match. It looks instead for people similar enough to be closely related to whoever left the crime scene DNA. From there, investigators can look for family members who fit as suspects and, if they find one, pursue enough other evidence to bring charges.

The state legislature authorized the creation of the state's DNA databank in 1994, but only allowed the collection and searching of samples from people convicted of crimes. In 2010, the state authorized the release of partial-match information to law enforcement, but not the technique of searching specifically for relatives of people in the databank.

Lawmakers debated further expanding the use of the databank over the years, but never passed legislation authorizing familial searches. That led the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Commission on Forensic Science to take action on their own. The commission voted to allow familial DNA searches in murder, rape and some other cases, including times when it could help exonerate someone already convicted.

The Legal Aid Society, a non-profit organization representing indigent defendants in New York City, sued the state February 2018, arguing that the Division of Criminal Justice Services had no authority to unilaterally expand use of the DNA databank.

The suit raised concerns that innocent people could be ensnared in a criminal investigation based solely on their genetic kinship with convicted individuals.

The lawsuit, filed in conjunction with the law firm Gibson Dunn, contended that people of color faced a higher risk of being investigated through familial DNA searching because the majority of DNA information in the state's databank is from people of color, and that the state did nothing to restrain police overreach or give recourse to people subject to suspicion less searches.

Jenny S. Cheung, supervising attorney of the Legal Aid Society's DNA Unit, said the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the forensic science commission "acted well outside their purview and authority by unilaterally promulgating this far reaching policy, one that should have been left to the legislature to debate.

We laud this decision which affirms our serious constitutional, privacy and civil rights concerns around familial searching, a technique that disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx New Yorkers," Cheung said.

__

Associated Press reporter Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

__

Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak
AKWESASNE, N.Y. (AP)  Six Indian citizens who tried to enter the United States illegally and didn't know how to swim were rescued from a sinking boat in northern New York, federal court documents stated.

A seventh individual, a U.S. citizen who made his own way to shore from the sinking boat, was charged with human smuggling and is being held pending trial.

The rescue happened April 28 in Hogansburg, New York, near the Canadian border after an off-duty police officer from Cornwall, Ontario, spotted a boat containing multiple people crossing from Canada to the United States, federal court documents said.

Officers from the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department responded and saw the vessel sinking in the St. Regis River about 30 yards (27 meters) from shore and about 800 feet (244 meters) from the international border with Canada.

While the numbers are low compared with the U.S. border with Mexico, organized human smuggling between Canada and the United States is relatively common.

Last winter four Indian migrants died in Canada not far from the border in North Dakota while they were trying to illegally enter the United States. A Florida man is due to go on trial this summer in federal court in Minnesota on a human smuggling charge related to the case.

Last month, Border Patrol agents made arrests in two separate human smuggling events in North Troy, Vermont. Also last month, Border Patrol stopped a car in Caswell, Maine, carrying five Romanian nationals.

Since the start of the pandemic, many illegal border crossers from Canada are returned to that country under Title 42, a public health measure.

In the upstate New York case, the Saint Regis police called for assistance from the Border Patrol and the Hogansburg-Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department, officials said.

The boat was almost completely submerged when the firefighters arrived, the officials said. The fire department deployed a boat to rescue the six remaining on board.

One of the Indian migrants apprehended in New York told Border Patrol agents he flew into Canada on April 21 before attempting to enter the United States by crossing the river.

The smuggler allegedly asked the migrants if they could swim. All six individuals responded no swim, the court documents said.

One of the migrants told agents in what is described as an excited utterance: I reached Canada, an agent let me on a boat, on a boat it sunk, we were going to die, police saved us.

Because the water temperature was just above freezing, all seven people were treated for hypothermia, officials said. There were no life jackets or other safety equipment on the boat, they said.

The six migrants were citizens of India ranging from 19 to 21 years old, CPB said. They were arrested and charged with improper entry.
Within days of the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, when body-camera video captured white troopers stunning, beating and dragging the Black motorist, the head of the Louisiana State Police wrote a stark note about the case in his journal: Realize there is a problem  must address immediately.

But well over a year went by  462 days to be exact  before Col. Kevin Reeves opened an internal investigation into the actions of the troopers involved, including one who was recorded boasting he beat the ever-living f- out of Greene.

Eleven pages from Reeves three journals were released Thursday in response to a subpoena from a legislative committee looking into a possible cover-up of the case. And the panels chairman says the troubling questions raised by those few pages were enough to demand that Reeves comply by turning over all his journals, with a threat of contempt charges if he doesnt.

The documents themselves show that Colonel Reeves knew early on that there was an issue and considered possible measures to address it but ultimately didnt, Republican state Rep. Tanner Magee said. This committee has sought to figure out why.

While the handwritten pages are in places difficult to decipher, a page of notes dated just 12 days after Greenes death are clear, a to-do list of possible actions in response to the case: suspending officers or putting them on administrative leave, opening up an internal probe and conducting a video audit of Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who boasted of beating Greene and had a history of turning off his body-camera video.

Reeves, who described Greenes death as awful but lawful and stepped down in late 2020 amid criticism, has sought to downplay his own involvement in the case.

His attorney, Lewis Unglesby, said the delays in the Greene case are not at the foot at all of Kevin Reeves, saying it fell to his subordinates to get to the bottom of what happened. Theres a difference between This is what I want yall to do and Im going to do it.''

Greenes May 10, 2019, death has been shrouded in secrecy and accusations of cover-up from the beginning, when authorities told grieving relatives and put in initial reports that the 49-year-old died in a car crash at the end of a high-speed chase near Monroe.

The Associated Press last year obtained long withheld body-camera video that showed what really happened: Troopers swarming Greenes car, stunning him repeatedly, punching him in the head, dragging him by his ankle shackles and leaving him prone on the ground for more than nine minutes. At times, Greene could be heard pleading for mercy and wailing, Im your brother! Im scared! Im scared.

Coming up on the three-year anniversary of Greenes death, still no charges have been filed in the case despite a federal civil rights investigation, a separate state criminal probe and the legislative investigation.

The bipartisan legislative committee formed in February in response to an AP report that Reeves informed Gov. John Bel Edwards within hours that troopers arresting Greene had engaged in a violent, lengthy struggle. Yet the Democrat stayed mostly silent on the case for two years as state troopers continued to raise the car crash theory, which was later debunked by a new autopsy commissioned by the FBI.

The governor has said that he held off on speaking out about the troopers actions  even after privately watching graphic body camera footage of the arrest  because of the ongoing federal investigation. Hes since called the actions of the troopers involved criminal and racist.

For weeks, the eight-member legislative panel has been interviewing state police and other officials in a bid to reconstruct the agencys handling of the case. Last week, one senior state police official told lawmakers he was mystified that no troopers have yet faced criminal charges. Another ranking official described Greenes fatal arrest as a complete disregard for the sanctity of human life.

Lawmakers have said they intend to investigate what Edwards knew and when he knew it, but no one on his staff has yet been called to testify.
PARKVILLE, Md. (AP)  Two people were injured in a shooting that involved an off-duty Maryland police officer, officials said.

Baltimore County police officers were called to Deanwood Road in the Parkville area around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday for a report of shots fired, the department said in a news release. Officers found two people with gunshot wounds and they were taken to hospitals.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HONESDALE, Pa. (AP)  A judge dismissed a temporary protective order against a candidate for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor on Friday after his attorneys attacked the motivation and credibility of the candidate's wife, who had testified he was verbally abusive and made threats.

Teddy Daniels claimed vindication after the ruling by President Judge Janine Edwards, telling reporters outside the Wayne County Courthouse, Justice was served today. I just want to go home and see my son.

Daniels, 47, is one of nine candidates seeking the GOP nomination in the states May 17 primary, running with the endorsement of a leading candidate for governor, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano.

Daniels' wife, who had obtained a temporary protection-from-abuse order against Teddy Daniels last week, testified that Daniels was incensed because he believed her family was cooperating in an unflattering magazine story about him. He threatened to put a bullet in the head of one of the people he blamed, the woman testified. She said Daniels then told her: And if I find out you're in on it, you're going down too.

Daniels' lawyers pointed out the woman had not previously reported the alleged threat, either to police or in her application for a protective order. In court, they suggested she only sought the protective order because Daniels had previously threatened to leave her.

Daniels himself did not testify and did not call any witnesses.

Our case was proven by cross examination of a witness who lied, Daniels lawyer, Jen Gilliland Vanasdale, told reporters. Obviously the court believed that, or the court would not have dismissed and denied the protection from abuse.

Neither Daniels' wife nor her lawyer had any immediate comment after the court hearing. A phone message was left at the lawyer's office.

Daniels, who is running for the GOP nomination in this months primary, had been was ordered to stay away from his home and forbidden from having any contact with his wife. The temporary order had also given Daniels wife temporary custody of their child and forced Daniels to turn over his guns.

In a handwritten petition, the wife told a judge that Daniels, who is 6-foot-4 and 360 pounds (1.9 meters and 163 kilograms), is always angry at me and continuously curses at her, threatening to kick her and their son out of the house if he loses the campaign. The woman said he stalked her at work, screaming at me, making me cry and that his anger toward her has caused her to have panic attacks.

Last August, she said, Daniels grabbed her shirt, pulled her to his face and said, Dont you ever speak to me like that, the petition said. He also threatened to kill the family dog and has made two previous attempts to take his own life, his wife said.

Daniels had claimed the allegations were unfounded and that he was the target of political terrorism meant to damage his campaign.

He said he was swatted, or targeted with bogus calls leading police to his home. Without offering evidence, he accused Rolling Stone magazine, which first published word of the April 26 protection-from-abuse order, of being closely involved with a series of phone calls made to police from out-of-state in which false police reports were made against me at my home. Rolling Stone has said it stands by its story.

Gilliland Vanasdale, Daniels' lawyer, said Friday an investigation is underway, declaring: The people and players who were behind this political hit job and character assassination of Ted Daniels will have justice coming on another day.

In court Friday, Daniels' wife said her husband grew increasingly agitated after police were called to the home for a wellness check on April 24. That's when she said he made the threat, getting in her face.

I started to get really scared, said the woman, who cried at times during her testimony. Noting the loaded guns he kept around the house, she added, I felt threatened.

She said she kept a personal journal in a safe deposit box at a bank because she feared Daniels would find it, read it and become angry. She said she wrote about times when Daniels was verbally abusive.

Daniels told reporters his wife had no reason to fear him, and he attacked political rivals who called for him to drop out of the race over the protection-from-abuse order.

We have a constitution. And every single person who said that should never hold office in this country, he said, repeating his contention that justice was served today in a court of law.

Justice was not served! a woman yelled from across the courthouse lawn, prompting Daniels to look in her direction.

Daniels is an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump. Daniels has said he  like Mastriano, the gubernatorial candidate who has endorsed him  was outside the U.S. Capitol during the insurrectionist riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California Democrats have accelerated their plan to make the nations most populous state a sanctuary for women seeking abortions, propelled by the release this week of an early draft of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has ignited a surge of activism among the states vast network of providers and advocacy groups.

The draft  which could change when a final ruling is issued, likely next month  would end nearly 50 years of federal abortion protections. Just hours after a leaked copy was published, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the states top legislative leaders said they would seek voter approval to make abortions a constitutional right in California, a move designed to shield the state from future court rulings and a potential federal abortion ban should Republicans win control of Congress.

On Thursday, Democrats in the state Legislature fast-tracked a bill that would block other states laws from imposing civil or criminal penalties on people who provide or aid abortions in California, setting up another likely prolonged legal fight over state sovereignty.

The California Legislative Womens Caucus has asked Newsom for $20 million to help pay for women from other states where abortion would be outlawed to come to California for the procedure  a sum the governor could announce in his revised budget proposal next week.

In just 48 hours after the draft ruling became public, Californias only statewide nonprofit that helps women travel to and within the state to get abortions raised $25,000  a quarter of its normal annual spending  while fielding a flood of calls from people volunteering to give free rides or a place to stay to women looking to end their pregnancies.

For Madilynne Hoffman, Californias preparations are comforting. The 22-year-old mother of two ended her pregnancy in December at an abortion clinic in the state's Central Valley.

When she returned to a different clinic later for birth control, she said a protester followed her to her car. That experience, coupled with the draft court ruling, prompted her to look for volunteer opportunities at clinics.

Thats really saddening to think that women have to fight for their bodies, she said. It should just be an automatic right."

California's legislative efforts represent the opening salvos in the next phase of the abortion rights battle, which will play out among state governments that are left to make and enforce their own rules if the federal protections are abolished. Already, Republican-led states like Oklahoma and Idaho have passed more restrictive abortion laws in anticipation of the courts ruling.

Democratic-led states like California, meanwhile, are passing laws to expand abortion access.

The Democrats who control all levers of power in state government have written 13 bills that would authorize more medical providers to perform abortions, create scholarships for reproductive care doctors, block other states from accessing some California medical records, and create a fund for taxpayer money to help pay for women in states where abortion is illegal to come to California to get the procedure. A measure that makes abortions cheaper by banning co-pays and deductibles has already been signed into law.

Meanwhile, abortion providers are busy hiring more doctors and adding space to receive a predicted surge in patients. Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the nations largest Planned Parenthood affiliate, is renovating and building new facilities in Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, Visalia and Reno, Nevada. When theyre finished, it will boost their capacity from 200 to 500 patients per week.

Weve been preparing for it for over a year  and honestly since November 2016, when Republican Donald Trump was elected president, said Andrew Adams, Planned Parenthood Mar Montes chief of staff and head of strategic communications.

Anti-abortion advocates are getting ready, too, by bolstering staffing and support at crisis pregnancy centers. These centers, which often locate near abortion clinics and are religiously affiliated, seek to convince women to forego abortion for adoption or other options.

Some of these centers in conservative states receive tens of millions of dollars in public money. California has been hostile to these centers, passing a law requiring them to tell clients about abortion services. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that law in 2018.

We believe that is the way people of faith and the pro-life community can really help to put our money where our mouth is, said Jonathan Keller, president and CEO of the California Family Council, which opposes abortion. No woman should ever feel like abortion is the best option for them.

While abortion has been legal in every state, its not easily accessible everywhere, especially for people who live in poor or rural areas. Across the country, nearly 100 abortion funds exist to help these women pay for things like travel, lodging and child care they need to make their appointments.

Since Monday, a national digital fundraising platform for these groups has raised about $1 million, according to Sierra Harris, deputy director of network strategy for the National Network of Abortion Funds.

California has one statewide abortion fund, known as Access Reproductive Justice. The group helps roughly 500 women each year, about a third whom come from other states, according to Executive Director Jessica Pinckney. Each woman gets an average of $300 to $400 in assistance.

That doesnt pay for everything. To fill the gaps, the group relies on a set of 50 core volunteers who stand ready to give rides, places to stay and extra cash. Those volunteers include Harris, who lives in Oakland.

Since the pandemic, most of the assistance Harris gives is cash. The mother of two small children, Harris recalled a time when she pitched in to buy another woman a plane ticket so she could travel to get an abortion. The woman was also a mother, and later sent Harris a card calling her an angel.

The woman said her help made it possible for her "to parent the child I have, Harris said. I think about that all the time.
NEW YORK (AP)  A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that overturned a health care executive's manslaughter conviction for fatally drugging her 8-year-old autistic son.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Manhattan Magistrate Judge Sarah Cave was wrong in 2020 when she ordered a new trial for Gigi Jordan, who was convicted in November 2014 of killing her son, Jude Mirra, in a Manhattan hotel room in 2010.

Jordan, a wealthy medical entrepreneur, admitted to plunging a lethal dose of medications down her son's throat with a syringe. She then ingested multiple medications herself and emailed a relative, who alerted authorities.

Jordan claimed at her trial that she had decided to kill herself and Jude because she believed that one of her ex-husbands was planning to have her killed, and that without her the boy would fall under the care of her other ex-husband and would be sexually abused. Both men denied her allegations against them.

Jordan was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The 2020 ruling ordering a new trial stemmed from an incident during the trial in which Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon acceded to a prosecutor's request to close the courtroom for 15 minutes, over strenuous objections from the defense.

Cave determined that closing the courtroom had violated Jordans Sixth Amendment right to a public trial, and Jordan was released from prison to home confinement.

In its ruling Thursday, the appeals court said that even if the trial judge erred in closing the courtroom, no precedent clearly establishes that a conviction following an erroneous closure must be vacated.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that his office was pleased with the ruling, which affirms that Gigi Jordan received a fair trial.

The ruling means Jordan will likely be returned to prison. Messages seeking comment were left with her attorney.
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Three planes carrying 117 Yemeni prisoners held by the Saudi-led coalition landed Friday in the southern port city of Aden as a truce between the country's warring parties entered its second month, the Red Cross said.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen announced last week that it would release 163 prisoners to its rivals  the Iran-backed Houthi rebels  in support of a cease-fire agreement between the warring sides. The agreement, brokered by the United Nations, aims to pave the way to an end of Yemen's 8-year civil war.

The Houthis however, denied that most were war detainees. In a statement the rebels' prisoner affairs body said that only five of the group were prisoners of war. Among the returned were Yemeni fishermen and nine foreigners of African nationalities who had no affiliation with the Houthis, it added.

Abdel Malak al-Ajery, a member of the Houthi body known as the National Delegation, tweeted that the men who were returned were Yemeni laborers who were arrested while working in Saudi. He did not offer any evidence to back up his claim.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which facilitated the repatriation, said in a statement that it had interviewed the detainees before they traveled to verify their identities and confirm that their wish was to return to Yemen.

It was unclear how the prisoners would make their way from Aden back home, to rebel-held north Yemen. Aden, in the countrys south, is controlled by Yemen's internationally recognized government.

We are pleased to see that humanitarian considerations are being prioritized for the sake of the families," said Katharina Ritz, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, said in a statement.

Videos aired on the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel showed men dressed in white robes getting off a Red Cross airplane and holding flowers inside the Aden airport.

The truce, which went into effect on April 2, is the first nationwide cease-fire in Yemen in six years. It came amid concerted international and regional efforts to find a settlement to a conflict that has devastated the Arab worlds poorest country and pushed it to the brink of famine.

But the full agreement has yet to be implemented. In late April, the warring sides failed to operate the first commercial flight in six years from the rebel-held capital of Sanaa as agreed under the truce. Houthi and coalition authorities have reported almost daily violations of the cease-fire, especially around the government-held central city of Marib, which the Houthis have attempted to seize for over a year.

The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, welcomed Friday's release of Houthi detainees by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as earlier detainee releases by the Houthis. However, he also called on both sides to make plans for a larger prisoner exchange stipulated under the cease-fire agreement.

Yemens conflicted erupted in 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized Sanaa, and forced the government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try restore the government to power.

The conflict has in recent years become a regional proxy war that has killed more than 150,000 people, including over 14,500 civilians. It has also created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  A Rhode Island man convicted of cheating food distributors out of more than $800,000 worth of seafood delicacies and prime cuts of meat, and of trying to run over an FBI agent investigating the case, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Paul Diogenes, described in court documents as an unrepentant and compulsive fraudster with a propensity to engage in violent behavior toward law enforcement, used stolen banking information from several businesses and created a fictitious catering company to purchase lobster, sea bass, shrimp, scallops, ribeye steak, and wild boar, from November 2020 until July 2021, according to federal prosecutors in Rhode Island.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP)  Animal services authorities are looking for the person who fatally wounded one of inland Southern Californias wild burros with an arrow.

Riverside County Animal Services officers responding to multiple calls found the wounded burro April 30 in the Reche Canyon area, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP)  U.S. service members were injured Thursday when a helicopter they were riding in made a hard landing at a military base in Virginia, U.S. Navy officials said in a statement Friday.

The service members were participating in a routine training at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, according to the statement from Capt. Sarah Self-Kyler, director of public affairs for U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
Former President Donald Trump asked Mark Esper, his defense secretary, about the possibility of launching missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs and wipe out the cartels, maintaining that the United States involvement in a strike against its southern neighbor could be kept secret, Esper recounts in his upcoming memoir.

Those remarkable discussions in 2020 were among several moments that Esper described in the book, A Sacred Oath, as leaving him all but speechless when he served the 45th president.

Esper, the last Senate-confirmed defense secretary under Trump, also had concerns about speculation that the president might misuse the military around Election Day by, for instance, having soldiers seize ballot boxes. He warned subordinates to be on alert for unusual calls from the White House in the lead-up to the election.

The book, to be published Tuesday, offers a stunningly candid perspective from a former defense secretary, and it illuminates key episodes from the Trump presidency, including some that were unknown or underexplored.

I felt like I was writing for history and for the American people, said Esper, who underwent the standard Pentagon security clearance process to check for classified information. He also sent his writing to more than two dozen four-star generals, some Cabinet members and others to weigh in on accuracy and fairness.

Pressed on his view of Trump, Esper  who strained throughout the book to be fair to the man who fired him while also calling out his increasingly erratic behavior after his first impeachment trial ended in February 2020  said carefully but bluntly, He is an unprincipled person who, given his self-interest, should not be in the position of public service.

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Esper describes an administration completely overtaken by concerns about Trumps reelection campaign, with every decision tethered to that objective. He writes that he could have resigned, and weighed the idea several times, but that he believed the president was surrounded by so many yes men and people whispering dangerous ideas to him that a loyalist would have been put in Espers place. The real act of service, he decided, was staying in his post to ensure that such things did not come to pass.

One such idea coming from Trump, who was unhappy about the constant flow of drugs across the southern border, came during summer 2020. Trump asked Esper at least twice if the military could shoot missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs.

They dont have control of their own country, Esper recounts Trump saying.

When Esper raised various objections, Trump said that we could just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly, adding that no one would know it was us. Trump said he would just say that the United States had not conducted the strike, Esper recounts, writing that he would have thought it was a joke had he not been staring Trump in the face.

In Espers telling, Trump seemed more emboldened, and more erratic, after he was acquitted in his first impeachment trial. Esper writes that personnel choices reflected that reality, as Trump tried to tighten his grip on the executive branch with demands of personal loyalty.

Among Trumps desires was to put 10,000 active-duty troops on the streets of Washington on June 1, 2020, after large protests against police brutality erupted following the police killing of George Floyd. Trump asked Esper about the demonstrators, Cant you just shoot them?

Esper describes one episode nearly a month earlier during which Trump, whose reelection prospects were reshaped by his repeated bungling of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, behaved so erratically at a May 9 meeting about China with the Joint Chiefs of Staff that one officer grew alarmed. The unidentified officer confided to Esper months later that the meeting led him to research the 25th Amendment, under which the vice president and members of the Cabinet can remove a president from office, to see what was required and under what circumstances it might be used.

Esper writes that he never believed Trumps conduct rose to the level of needing to invoke the 25th Amendment. He also strains to give Trump credit where he thinks he deserves it. Nonetheless, Esper paints a portrait of someone not in control of his emotions or his thought process throughout 2020.

Esper singles out officials whom he considered erratic or dangerous influences on Trump, with policy adviser Stephen Miller near the top of the list. He recounts that Miller proposed sending 250,000 troops to the southern border, claiming that a large caravan of migrants was en route. The U.S. armed forces dont have 250,000 troops to send to the border for such nonsense, Esper writes that he responded.

In October 2019, after members of the national security team assembled in the Situation Room to watch a feed of the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Miller proposed securing al-Baghdadis head, dipping it in pigs blood and parading it around to warn other terrorists, Esper writes. That would be a war crime, Esper shot back.

Esper also viewed Mark Meadows, Trumps final chief of staff, as a huge problem for the administration and the national security team in particular. Meadows often threw the presidents name around when barking orders, but Esper makes clear that he often was not certain whether Meadows was communicating what Trump wanted or what Meadows wanted.

He also writes about repeated clashes with Robert OBrien, Trumps national security adviser in the final year, describing OBrien as advocating a bellicose approach to Iran without considering the potential fallout.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv attack and sink the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-day-old war, according to people familiar with the matter.

The missile strike by Ukrainian forces in April, an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, these people said, underscoring how deeply Washington has become enmeshed in Ukraine's fight against Russia. It is unclear how many Russian sailors died in the attack, but U.S. officials believe there were significant casualties.

Despite providing intelligence on the Moskva, the United States had "no prior awareness" of Ukraine's decision to strike the warship, a U.S. official said. The official noted that the U.S. government shares maritime awareness with Ukraine to help the nation defend against threats. Russian vessels in the Black Sea have been launching missiles at Ukraine - and could be used to support an amphibious assault on the country, the official said.

Military analysts and experts have praised the Ukrainian military's strength and ingenuity as it repels a larger Russian force that many believed was more sophisticated and technically superior. But the U.S. intelligence has also given the Ukrainian forces a significant advantage, allowing them to locate Russian forces, equipment, and command and control centers.

Absent the intelligence from the United States, Ukraine would have struggled to target the warship with the confidence necessary to expend two valuable Neptune missiles, which were in short supply, according to the people familiar with the strike, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. NBC News first reported that the United States had provided intelligence on the Moskva.

Since before the war began, the Biden administration has treated the issue of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine as extremely sensitive. Officials have insisted they only provide assistance that helps Ukraine defend itself, worried that Russia could view the provision of information used in attacks as a justification for retaliating directly against the United States and its allies.

"Ukraine combines information that we and others provide with intelligence they're gathering themselves . . . and then they make their own decisions," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday in response to a New York Times report that U.S. intelligence had helped Ukraine target Russian generals in the field.

"We do provide them useful intelligence, timely intelligence," Kirby added, but he did not detail what that is or how it has been exploited.

To avoid sparking a wider war between two nuclear-armed superpowers, President Joe Biden has ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine, enforcing a no-fly zone over the country or providing certain categories of weapons, such as fighter planes, that could allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia.

"The [United States] provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Tuesday. "We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals."

That is a legal distinction that may make little practical difference to Russian leaders. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the Russian military is "well aware that the United States, Great Britain and NATO as a whole are constantly transmitting intelligence and other parameters to the Ukrainian armed forces."

"This is well known, and of course, coupled with the flow of weapons that these countries and the alliance are sending to Ukraine - these are all actions that, let's say, are not enabling a speedy completion of the operation," said Peskov, who added that the West nevertheless wasn't capable of preventing Russia from achieving its stated goals.

Asked if Russia would take specific measures in reaction to any intelligence-sharing that led to the deaths of Russian generals, Peskov said, "Of course, Russian forces are doing everything necessary in this situation," according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

The intelligence-sharing with Ukraine differs from past conflicts in which the United States has worked directly with allies to execute strikes. During the U.S.-led surge in Iraq in 2008, for instance, the U.S. military partnered with Iraqi forces to locate and attack insurgents and militants using cellular phone data tracked by the National Security Agency. And in counterterrorism operations in Africa, the intelligence community has provided security services with the ability to track militants' cellphones, for the purpose of trying to capture or kill them.

From the U.S. perspective, if Ukraine receives intelligence and then decides to take action in the country's defense, the United States did not provide "targeting" information that directed the Ukrainians whom or what to strike.

Kirby seemed to draw that distinction last month when asked during a news conference whether a U.S. Navy patrol plane in the Black Sea region "was tracking the Moskva before it was attacked by Ukraine and provided them targeting information."

Kirby said that the type of aircraft in question, P-8 Poseidons from a U.S. base in Italy, were used as part of NATO's "air policing missions" over the area. "There was no provision of targeting information by any United States Navy P-8 flying in these air policing missions," he said. He did not elaborate.

As the war has raged on, the United States has increased the volume and speed of the intelligence it is providing, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. In the early days of the conflict, some Ukrainian officials complained that information about Russian troop positions was slow to arrive and not precise enough to help the Ukrainians launch attacks.

Today the intelligence is flowing in "real time" and has proved to be a key enabler of the Ukrainian campaign, one senior Ukrainian official said. The U.S. has provided Ukraine a large amount of satellite imagery and reports about the Russian military, some of which are based on intercepted communications, according to U.S. and European officials.

The United States also took steps to provide intelligence about Russian positions in the south and east of the country that hadn't been provided before the invasion. Washington previously didn't hand over that information because it could have helped Ukraine launch offensive attacks on Russian and separatist positions on Ukrainian territory that had been occupied since 2014, officials said.

Before the invasion, on Feb. 24, the Biden administration declassified and released publicly intelligence, including satellite images, that pointed to a massive buildup in Russian forces along Ukraine's border in what appeared to be preparations for an attack.

The U.S. is not alone in helping Ukraine.

Baltic intelligence services have had an especially large role in helping Ukraine with information about the Russian military in the eastern part of the country, a European intelligence official said. The flow of assistance has been of growing importance in recent weeks as the bulk of Russia's military effort shifts to the region.

The Baltic assistance has been focused mostly on intercepts of phone calls and other battlefield communications within the Russian military, although it also includes intelligence analysis based on the those countries' deep experience with Russia's military organization, strategy and planning, the official said. Russian officers and soldiers have been using unencrypted cellphones and walkie-talkies to communicate with each other, which allows outsiders both to listen in on the conversations and to use the signal location to pinpoint the soldiers for strikes.

The Baltic intelligence contribution complements assistance the United States has been offering Ukraine, which has been more focused on southern Ukraine and the Black Sea region, the European official said.

Ukraine invested in the domestic development of anti-ship missiles after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and fueled a separatist war in the country's eastern Donbas region.

The Ukrainians have an extremely limited supply, however. Testing of the Neptune went on for years, but the Luch design bureau, which manufactures the weapon in Ukraine, was only due to supply the first division of Neptunes to Ukrainian forces this year.

The target the Ukrainians decided to use the missiles against was loaded with symbolism.

Launched in 1979, the Moskva was one of few guided missile cruisers in the Russian Navy's possession. Originally named the Slava, the vessel hosted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during his Malta summit with President George H.W. Bush in December 1989.

Russia initially attempted to conceal the Ukrainian strike on the Moskva. The Russian military said a fire had broken out aboard the ship, forcing the crew to evacuate. Later, Russian authorities said the ship sank during a storm while being towed back to port.

The Moskva played a role in the initial days of the war against Ukraine.

"I am a Russian warship," the Moskva's loudspeaker said to a group of Ukrainian border guards stationed on Snake Island in the Black Sea, demanding the Ukrainians lay down their arms and surrender. The Ukrainians responded, "Russian warship, go f--- yourself," a phrase that subsequently became a mantra of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion.

Initially, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian border guards had been fired upon and killed, but Ukrainian authorities later announced they may be alive and imprisoned by Russia in Sevastopol.

- - -

The Washington Post's John Hudson and Karoun Demirjian contributed reporting.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

VIENNA (AP)  A train carrying 2,000 metric tons of Ukrainian corn arrived in Austria on Friday, part of European efforts to elude a Russian blockade of Ukraines ports that has prevented critical supplies of wheat, corn and other grains from getting to countries in Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia.

Standing in front of a rail car adorned with the Austrian and Ukrainian flags, Austrias farming minister, Elisabeth Koestinger, said the shipment marked the establishment of a green corridor for important cargo shipments between the two countries.

Grain and animal feed exports cant leave Ukraine via the sea route. Thats why we are creating green corridors, Koestinger said.

The shipment comes amid a wider struggle to cope with disruptions to global food supplies triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with both countries two of the world's biggest suppliers of wheat, barley and sunflower oil. Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizers that farmers need to grow crops.

The potential loss of affordable grain supplies that millions around the world rely on for cheap bread and noodles has raised the risk of food shortages and political instability in countries where many people already were not getting enough to eat. With food prices already soaring, the high cost of fertilizers and cooking oils are further squeezing the global food chain.

To help ease the crunch in a small way, trains will carry up to 60,000 metric tons of grain from Ukraine to Austria every month, adding to similar shipments to Germany. Those exports circumvent Russia's blockade of Odesa, Ukraine's largest port, on the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Austria, Vasyl Khymynets, called the new land route an important symbol of Ukraines cooperation with its partners.

We are looking for routes to supply the world with food, he said.

Khymynets said 600,000 metric tons of Ukrainian grain could potentially be exported every month via various land routes  just a fraction of Ukraine's export capacity of 25 million tons.

The initial Austrian shipment was purchased by animal feed producer in that country. Subsequent cargoes were expected to find their way to the global south," Koestinger said, with Ukrainian food supplies in demand in central Africa.

The load of corn left Ternopil province in western Ukraine, and Austrian Railways picked it up in the Slovakian border town of Cierna.

Other countries also have started setting up their own green corridor routes, Koestinger said. Such land routes have been used during the war to help civilians trying to flee the fighting.

Austrian Railways already has been carrying Ukrainian cargo three times a week to northern Germany via Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland on trains that can carry up to 2,000 metric tons.

Now, it will ramp up the frequency with daily trains to Brake, Germany, near Bremen, where a port specializes in shipping animal feed and grain.

The Austrian government estimates that due to the war, harvest losses might be as high as 30% to 50% compared with pre-war production.

___

AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  The West Virginia Supreme Court on Friday let stand a lower court's disqualification of a state Senate candidate over a residency requirement.

Andrea Garrett Kiessling filed to run in next Tuesday's Republican primary in a Senate district spanning five counties. On Wednesday, a Kanawha County judge ruled in a voter's challenge that Kiessling could not seek office because she has not been a state resident for the required five years prior to the election as required by the constitution.

After attorneys for Kiessling appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court on Thursday, the justices released a brief order in which they declined a motion to temporarily stay the circuit court's order and refused a motion as moot for expedited consideration.

Kiessling was promoted by West Virginia Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, who lives in another Senate district, as the only true conservative in the 8th District race. Three other Republican candidates are running in the Senate district primary: Former Delegate Joshua Higginbotham, ex-Democratic Delegate Mark Hunt and Mark Mitchem. Democrat Sen. Richard Lindsay is running unopposed.

Republican Senate President Craig Blair issued a statement earlier Friday calling the circuit court decision insulting to the very institution of free and fair elections. A judge has no right to unilaterally decide whether a candidate is fit for office. That is a job for the voters and the voters alone.

Blair went on to say that Circuit Judge Duke Bloom's actions will not be forgotten.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin called Blair's statement as outrageous as it is dangerous. No person, party, or brand of government holds a monopoly on power.

The courts are doing their job, hearing the evidence, applying the law, and making the best decision it can  even when presented with a difficult issue and in a hyper-partisan political environment. There is no place for intimidation and bullying of one branch by another.

Among their arguments for a temporary stay, Kiessling's attorneys argued that the lower court order will almost certainly result "in the disenfranchisement of voters" who already cast ballots.

Early voting for the primary started April 27 and runs through Saturday. Secretary of State spokesman Mike Queen said hundreds of people have already voted in the district.

The state Election Commission on Thursday ordered Secretary of State Mac Warner to work with officials in Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Putnam and Roane counties to refrain from tallying votes cast for Kiessling. In addition, clerks in those counties were directed to immediately post signs on polling place doors stating that Kiessling is not an eligible candidate and that votes cast for her will not be counted.
By Emily Hoeven

CalMatters

"California will not sit back. We are going to fight like hell."

That was Gov. Gavin Newsom's initial response to Politico's explosive Monday night publication of a draft U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion that suggests justices are poised to strike down Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed the federal constitutional right to an abortion.

Hours later, Newsom and the Democratic leaders of the state Legislature announced plans to introduce an amendment "to enshrine the right to choose in our state constitution so that there is no doubt as to the right to abortion in this state." For the amendment to be incorporated into the constitution, it would need to be passed by two-thirds of lawmakers in both the Assembly and Senate and approved by voters.

Politico acknowledged the draft opinion has many caveats: It represents only the opinion of Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the draft for the majority. It's far from final -- the draft was written in February, and the court isn't expected to issue a final ruling until June or July. And vote breakdowns can change: Although four other Republican-appointed justices reportedly voted to back Alito in private conferences while three Democratic-appointed justices are working on dissents and Chief Justice John Roberts remains undecided, that lineup could shift in the final opinion.

The draft ruling -- which is the first to be released in the court's modern history while a case is still pending -- could supercharge an election season that's getting into full swing with the June 7 primary just a month away, raising the stakes in already competitive seats.

In his first campaign video of 2022, released Monday, Newsom strolls through a redwood forest while pledging to "always lead the California way."

One prong of that plan: Making California a "sanctuary" for out-of-state patients seeking abortion, including by helping cover the cost of the procedure, transportation, lodging, child care, food and lost wages. At the local level, two Santa Clara County supervisors are seeking $3 million to help out-of-state women access abortion care.

The Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade could result in 26 states immediately banning or severely limiting abortions -- making California the closest no-ban state within driving distance for as many as 1.4 million women, a nearly 3,000 percent increase from current levels, according to the pro-abortion rights Guttmacher Institute.

California has been preparing for this eventuality: No state does more to protect abortion access, as CalMatters' Kristen Hwang reports in this comprehensive explainer.

And it's seeking to go even further: As CalMatters' Alexei Koseff reports, California abortion clinics are building new facilities closer to transit hubs and training more staff. And a package of 13 abortion rights bills moving through the Legislature would expand the number of providers, provide financial assistance to women traveling to California to terminate their pregnancies, and legally protect the doctors who treat them. All of those bills have cleared their first legislative hurdle, though some faced intense opposition from anti-abortion protesters.

As the news sank in Monday night, some prominent California Republicans slammed the leak -- California Republican National Committee member Harmeet Dhillon deemed it "terrorism against the Court and against our nation" -- while Democrats promised to defend abortion rights.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla: "It's time for Congress to get off the sidelines. We must protect the fundamental right to choose."

Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California: "This is the nightmare scenario we in the reproductive health, rights, and justice space have been sounding the alarm about. ... To Californians, and people who may seek care here due to hostile bans in their home state, know this: Planned Parenthood health centers across California will remain open."

Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California: "There is nothing five or six justices can do to stop people from needing and seeking abortion care. What they can do -- and what overturning Roe will do -- is cost people their lives and livelihoods. ... We must organize, mobilize and vote like our lives depend on it. Because they do."

Copyright  2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
By Bay City News

The Sonoma County coroner's office has identified the victim of a head-on crash last month in Bodega Bay that left one man dead and another hospitalized with major injuries.

Aden Spencer Joseph, 46, was driving his BMW south on state Highway 1 at night on April 24 when he was struck and killed by a Toyota Tacoma traveling north. The Toyota, driven by a 16-year-old boy, crossed the double-yellow line into the southbound lanes and hit Joseph head-on, according to the California Highway Patrol. Joseph was pronounced dead at the scene.

The CHP is still investigating the collision.

Copyright  2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
San Antonio is preparing to help residents keep safe and cool this weekend as temperatures are expected to break the 100 degree mark and with an even higher heat index. The cooling stations will be open throughout town starting Saturday, May 7, through Monday, May 9, according to a news release.

The centers will be open to adults 65 and older, children 4 and younger, people with existing medical conditions, and residents who do not have air conditioning. There will be 16 cooling stations open Saturday through Sunday, May 8, and 25 cooling stations on Monday during normal business hours. All cooling stations can be found here.
Its so ubiquitous that you see it on a poster during the ferry ride to Angel Island from San Francisco. It could very well be one of the only things that you know about the state park in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. But describing Angel Island as the Ellis Island of the West is a ham-fisted comparison.

Unlike the island on the East Coast that welcomed European immigrants to the United States with general ease, Angel Island received immigrants from Asian countries with scrutiny and bias.

Approaching the front of the new Angel Island Immigration Museum, Casey Dexter-Lee removes her state parks ranger flat hat and explains there used to be two doorways into the building, one of which was labeled Non Europeans. During immigration, each person had to pass through these doors for their mandatory examination before entering the United States. Discrimination met them before even entering the door.

Courtesy of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

The hospital, located above the northeastern cove of the island, once provided medical inspections and care for thousands of patients a year from 1910 until 1940, when a fire burned the administration building nearby and ended the islands immigration operation.

The hospital then fell into disarray until an effort between State Parks and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation revived the facility to become a museum, which opened in January 2022.

Today the hospital is transformed to further detail the hopes and struggles of those who immigrated to the United States via Angel Island in the early 20th Century.

An estimated half a million people, a majority from China, Japan and other Asian countries, passed through Angel Island in the 30 years it was active. These immigrants were subjected to particular scrutiny, which led to days, weeks and, in the most egregious of cases, years of detention.

There is a dramatic contrast between Ellis and Angel islands for their detention rates. According to Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America by Erika Lee and Judy Yung, 80% of applicants passed the Ellis Island immigration inspection and medical examination and were on their way to New York or New Jersey within hours.

On Angel Island, nearly 60% of those immigrating were detained and confined for up to three days. For Chinese immigrants, who made up 70% of the entire detainee population, their stay was an average of two to three weeks.

As more stories are told about immigrants' experiences on Angel Island, it becomes clear that reframing how we view the largest island in the Bay Area is overdue.

A new museum, a new outlook

The museum can create a visceral experience for the visitor. For example, the room titled In the Shadows features exhibit walls that are purposefully compact and nearly claustrophobic to conjure a struggle. Some immigrants were subjected to dehumanizing conditions such as exclusion and weekslong detention.

A quote from an Angel Island detainee from China in 1939 credited to Mr. Lowe is printed on the wall: We stared at the scenery beyond the barbed wires - the sea, the sky and the clouds that were separated from us.

Upon entering the adjacent room, called Opening Doors, theres an immediate sense of relief. The exhibits are spread apart and colored in the red and yellow akin to the Golden Gate Bridge at dawn. The room is a celebration.

One video details the path of Tyrus Wong, who came to the United States as a "paper son" (meaning he used a different name to bypass exclusionary laws at the time) to become a visual artist for Disney's "Bambi."

Courtesy of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Dexter-Lee has been a state park interpreter for more than two decades and has seen firsthand how history is unwritten and continuously updated.

My tour is very different today than what it was 20 years ago. Weve learned from a lot of stories that were passed down, she said. When I first got here, a staff member debunked the tale about how fortune cookies were invented here to pass notes to the immigrants. Its a great story but we know better now.

The Angel Island of today offers a diverse experience for visitors. Theres a self-guided tour and unique trails for hiking and biking a loop that offers a 360-degree view of the Bay Area. School children from around the state visit the island and marriage proposals are not uncommon. However, visiting the state park is incomplete without an acknowledgment of its once discriminatory purpose.

When Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, it restricted Chinese immigration, and the island was a front line of discrimination. Chinese citizens continued to immigrate, either by abiding by the guidelines of the exempt categories of the law or by using a different name. The immigration station on Angel Island was used to determine who had legitimate exemption documentation or who was to be deported.

Courtesy of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

People will compare it to a concentration camp and I tell them that people were not murdered here. There was racist policy and practice but to our knowledge no violence, Dexter-Lee said. They referred to themselves as prisoners. There was a fence around the site with barbed wire. Angel Island was chosen for its isolation.

Acknowledging a complicated 140-year anniversary

Stanley Gee arrived at San Francisco from Hong Kong in 1938 and spent his first 10 days in America interned on Angel Island all because of the law.

He said he didnt really understand why they were keeping him there, his son Delbert Gee told SFGATE. His immigration papers said he was who he said he was. Which is different than other Chinese immigrants who came over with purchased identities, called paper sons.

Stanleys internment was due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, a federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882  passed 140 years ago today  that restricted Chinese immigration and wasnt replaced until World War II. Restrictions remained even after the act was superseded by the Magnuson Act in 1943, which only allowed a national quota of 105 Chinese immigrants per year, until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

Delbert, a judge for the Alameda County Superior Court for almost 20 years, said the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act stemmed from racism and the economy precarity. Immigrants were an easy target during a time of job scarcity.

In my opinion, he said, this is a very important piece of history. Not only to the country but to me personally.

Courtesy of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Edward Tepporn is the executive director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and visited the island the last week of April. He was dropping off supplies ahead of a monthlong commemoration of the Chinese Exclusion Act at the Angel Island Immigration Station.

The boxes held 140 LED candles, each representing a year since the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The candles will be on display in the sites Detention Barracks Museum for the month of May to help ignite a conversation over the ongoing impacts of this discriminatory legislation.

The violence that were seeing against Asian Americans over these last few years isnt new, Tepporn told SFGATE. Xenophobia made its way into the nations immigration policy with the Chinese Exclusion Act.

An unfair parallel

One of the first things you tend to learn about Angel Island is a false equivalence.

The comparison is so common: Have you visited the Ellis Island of the West? reads a poster on the wall of a ferry to Angel Island.

Historically, their equivalence was predetermined. As recounted in Lee and Yungs Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America, local papers began introducing Angel Island as San Franciscos New Ellis Island before the buildings on the island were even completed in 1910.

Fotosearch/Getty Images

The two islands offer an isolated and controlled environment with the intent of processing immigrants into the United States, but their resemblance begins to fray upon a closer examination.

Whereas the Emma Lazarus poem  Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free  is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty to celebrate a sense of welcome, this sentiment is lost on its West Coast counterpart.

Angel Island, on the other hand, was the main port of entry for Asian Immigrants and was characterized by the American immigration policies that excluded Asians and barred them from becoming naturalized citizens, write Lee and Yung.

The two islands do, however, share one clear unifying aspect. When architect Walter J. Matthews was hired to design the immigration station on Angel Island, he visited Ellis Island for inspiration. He was drawn to a cottage system and campus setting where each building was devoted to a specific function.

Today, the two remaining buildings from Angel Islands immigration history serve renewed functions to remind us of the injustices while promoting a future that doesnt repeat them.
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 5, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Caldwell County in south central Texas...

Northeastern Guadalupe County in south central Texas...

North central Gonzales County in south central Texas...

* Until 800 PM CDT.

* At 720 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Martindale,

or 7 miles southwest of Lockhart, moving southeast 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...

San Marcos, Lockhart, Gonzales, Luling, Martindale, Waelder,

Kingsbury, Staples, Fentress, Palmeto State Park, Brownsboro,

Tilmon, Joliet, Oak Forest, Stairtown, Maxwell, Reedville, Cost,

McNeil, and Redwood.

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 Thursday, May 5, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Central Guadalupe County in south central Texas...

Southeastern Comal County in south central Texas...

* Until 815 PM CDT.

* At 723 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Canyon Lake

Dam, moving southeast at 25 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...

New Braunfels, Seguin, Canyon Lake Dam, Canyon Lake, McQueeney,

Geronimo, Zorn, Hunter, Nolte, Zipp, Sattler, Freiheit, Gruene, New

Braunfels National Airport, Solms, and Redwood.

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 Thursday, May 5, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Caldwell County in south central Texas...

Northeastern Gonzales County in south central Texas...

Southwestern Fayette County in south central Texas...

* Until 830 PM CDT.

* At 751 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Luling,

moving southeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Trained weather spotters.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Gonzales, Luling, Flatonia, Waelder, Palmeto State Park,

Brownsboro, Delhi, Tilmon, Glaze City, Newtonville, Elm Grove,

Nickle, McNeil, Dilworth, McMahan, Little New York and

Thompsonville.

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 HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, May 6, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in League City has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

East central Fort Bend County in southeastern Texas...

North central Brazoria County in southeastern Texas...

South central Harris County in southeastern Texas...

* Until 545 PM CDT.

* At 521 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over eastern

Sienna Plantation, or over Fresno, moving northeast at 15 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Pearland, southeastern Sugar Land, Missouri City, Alvin, Stafford,

Manvel, First Colony, Astrodome Area, Fresno, Arcola, Brookside

Village, Iowa Colony, Thompsons, Westbury, Sienna Plantation, South

Acres / Crestmont Park, Central Southwest, Willowbend, Greatwood

and NRG Park.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
The National Defense Ministries of Vietnam and Cambodia offer cows to the poor in Kratie Provinces Snoul District in Cambodia on May 6.

Attending the receiving event was the Governor of Kratie Province, Tuy Bunsereyrathmony.



The event is part of the program offering breeding cows to the poor and scholarships to disadvantaged students that is co-organized by the Ministries of National Defense of Vietnam and Cambodia.

The program is expected to hand over 40 breeding cows and 100 scholarships to families and students in disadvantaged border districts and communes of the two countries. It is one of the activities of the first Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defense Friendship Exchange, which is scheduled to take place in May 2022.

The National Defense Ministries of Vietnam and Cambodia give 20 breeding cows to disadvantaged households in Kratie Provinces Snoul District in Cambodia. The National Defense Ministries of Vietnam and Cambodia hand over 50 scholarships to students in Kratie Provinces Snoul District in Cambodia.



By Bui Liem  Translated by Kim Khanh
Representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society received the signboard in support of "Humanitarian Month" in 2022 (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn)

This year's Humanitarian Month aims to call for the community's assistance for those in difficult circumstances. Above all, it aims to mobilize people to connect with each other through kind deeds. The special month is slated to last until May 31.



In particular, the month peak is from May 8 to May 19 with many practical activities to take care of poverty-stricken people. In response to the Humanitarian Month, all levels of the Red Cross and its affiliates registered to donate more than VND18 billion (US$782,000) to carry out 43 social projects, and 21 primary healthcare projects and help 44,500 people in need.

At the launching ceremony, the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society introduced a number of volunteer squads to support the community. In addition, the city Red Cross Society also gave charitable houses, pain treatment equipment with electromagnetic waves, water filtration systems at schools, poor patients in hospitals as well as money donated by the Vietnam Red Cross Society to 30 people in poverty lines.

By Hong Hai - Translated by Anh Quan
Elon Musk has secured about $7.1 billion of new financing commitments, including from billionaire Larry Ellison, a Saudi Prince, and Sequoia Capital, to help fund his proposed $44 billion takeover of Twitter Inc.

The equity commitments from 19 investors come as the Tesla Inc. billionaire marshals capital to bankroll one of the biggest tech industry takeovers. Musk had originally said he planned to fund the deal in part with a $12.5 billion loan against his shares in Tesla, the electric-vehicle company he runs. The new funding will allow him to reduce by half the size of that margin loan to $6.25 billion, making the deal less risky for both Musk and his lenders. It also slightly reduces the amount of cash Musk needs to put up personally.

CNBC reported that Musk plans to serve as chief executive officer of Twitter, at least temporarily.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of the board at Kingdom Holding Company, made the biggest contribution, agreeing to commit almost 35 million shares in Twitter -- worth $1.9 billion -- to retain a stake in the company following Musks takeover, according to an amended securities filing on Thursday morning. Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corp. who has a big stake in Tesla and a seat on its board, committed $1 billion through his trust.

Other investors named in the filing on Thursday include the worlds largest crypto exchange, Binance Holdings Ltd, Brookfield Asset Management, Fidelity Management & Research, and Qatar Holding.

Changpeng Zhao, Chief Executive Officer of Binance, which promised $500 million, tweeted that it was A small contribution to the cause.

With the financing picture becoming clearer, the market seems to be coming around to the idea that the deal will close. The gap between Twitters stock price and the $54.20 per share that Musk offered to pay for the company is narrowing to its lowest since April 26.

The worlds wealthiest person reached an agreement on April 25 to acquire Twitter using a financing plan thats alarmed some Tesla investors. In addition to pledging tens of billions of dollars worth of his Tesla shares to support margin loans, Musk vowed to line up some $21 billion worth of equity. That number has risen to $27.25 billion, according to Thursdays filing. Twitter shares rose 2.9% as the market opened in New York to $50.49.

In this game of high stakes poker, Ellison and the impressive list of backers will remove more of an overhang from Tesla shares as the Musk leverage of shares now becomes less onerous, said Dan Ives, analyst at Wedbush. This was a smart financial and strategic move by Musk that will be well received across the board.

Musk has sold more than $8.5 billion of Tesla stock to finance the deal.

Musks latest backers includes a bevy of traditional asset managers, venture capital firms, boutique hedge funds, and one of the worlds largest pools of capital. Qatar Holding, a unit of the nations wealth fund, has agreed to commit $375 million.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed previously rejected Musks bid, stating that it failed to come close to the intrinsic value of Twitter.

Musk is also in discussions with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey on contributing some of his shares toward the acquisition.

Ellison, 77, is the richest person in the group besides Musk. The corporate software titan has a net worth of $95.6 billion, placing him 11th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Hes not an active Twitter user -- his only tweet was a decade ago -- but he does share Musks political views. Ellison is a major Republican donor and hosted a fundraiser for Trump in 2020.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who has publicly feuded with Dorsey on Twitter, has agreed to commit $400 million via his fund A16Z. Fellow venture firm Sequoia Capital is putting up double that, with $800 million.

Several Tesla investors are among those committing support for Musks Twitter bid, including Ellison, who owns 1.45% of the carmakers outstanding shares, and Fidelity Management & Research Co., which owns about 1%. Both are among Teslas biggest investors.

Smaller investors include Witkoff Capital, the real estate-backed family office, and Cartenna Capital, a hedge fund set up by Peter Avellone, a former Millennium Management portfolio manager.
US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to appoint Indian-American Richard Verma as a member of his Intelligence Advisory Board.

FREMONT, CA: US President Joe Biden has expressed his intent to appoint Indian-American Richard Verma to his Intelligence Advisory Board. The President's Intelligence Advisory Board is a separate entity inside the President's Executive Office. Verma is presently the general counsel and head of Mastercard's Global Public Policy. He is in charge of the company's legal and policy functions in the United States and worldwide in this capacity. As per the statements given by the White House, Richard Verma had previously served as the United States Ambassador to India, where he directed one of the country's largest diplomatic posts and championed unprecedented advancements in bilateral relations.

Verma is also a former assistant secretary of state and former national security advisor to the Senate Majority Leader and a US Air Force veteran and has earned numerous military and civilian awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal and the State Department's Distinguished Service Award. He served on the WMD and Terrorism Commission and currently ministers on the boards of the Ford Foundation, Lehigh University, and the National Endowment for Democracy, among others. Verma possesses various academic degrees, including a doctorate (PhD) from Georgetown University and a law degree from American University. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

As per the White House release reports, Admiral (retd) James A. "Sandy" Winnefeld has been named chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. The President's Intelligence Advisory Board will also include Gilman G. Louie and Janet A. Napolitano. According to the statement, Admiral Winnefeld departed after serving as the Joint Chiefs of Staff's ninth vice-chairman. From 2009 to 2013, Napolitano was the Secretary of Homeland Security. According to the statement, Gilman Louie is the CEO and co-founder of America's Frontier Fund, a public-private partnership established to ensure that the United States leads the next wave of technological innovation. The President's Intelligence Advisory Board exists solely to help the President by offering an impartial source of advice on the intelligence community's efficacy in addressing the nation's intelligence needs, as well as the vigour and insight with which it plans for the future.
Daughter of Punjabi Sikh father and Ecuadorian mother to address challenges of everyday struggles in her community

FREMONT, CA: Victoria Virasingh, a progressive Democrat born and raised in Arlington, runs for the US House of Representatives from Virginia's 8th Congressional District. She is the daughter of a Punjabi Sikh father and an Ecuadorian mother. Virasingh is the first Latina, Asian, and woman to ever appear on the ballot for this election. She is also the first and only woman to run for this office. Her campaign is breaking down boundaries, motivating new voter involvement in the political process, and gaining support from organizations all around the country, she claims, ahead of Virginia's sole Democratic primary on June 21.

Given that minorities make up 48 percent of the population in VA-08, her lived experience as a Latina-Asian American provides her with unique insights into the everyday problems that many in her community confront, according to the daughter of immigrants. Her campaign claims that she is running for Congress to address these issues once and for all and that she is paving the way for future young women of color to follow in her footsteps. Virasingh has considerable professional experience in the government, non-profit, and commercial sectors, according to the statement. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations and a master's degree in Latin American studies.

It's not easy to be the first at anything. Nonetheless, according to the campaign, Virasingh has risen to the occasion with the support of a large community. Her campaign received 1,628 signatures from residents supporting her candidacy, well above the needed 1,000. In terms of funding, she elected not to take money from political action committees and instead solicited donations from over 1,000 individual individuals. According to the media, many national groups have endorsed Virasingh's congressional campaign because of her compassion, pragmatism, fearlessness, and daring. The 'Barrier to Entry' PAC, for example, supports candidates and campaign workers from working-class backgrounds as they carve out a place in politics. In the Democratic political landscape, there are several paths to go.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
And here she is now, over Zoom from Germany, where shes been working as a professional dancer, most recently in a show called Harmonia for German contemporary performance group Unusual Symptoms. It follows her work in Australia with Weave Movement Theatre and Rawcus.

That was the message I got from the beginning, she says, once people saw her less than 122-centimetre frame, the short limbs from her achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.

Leisa Prowd always wanted to dance. Professionally. Since she was a girl. But it never seemed to be an option for her. The world had apparently put it out of her reach.

I like to challenge the narrative that a particular type of body is the only one accepted in dance, she says. What do you think dance is? People think of these set choreographies, set bodies doing amazing set routines. But dance isnt just that.

She will return to Australia later this year to take part in a groundbreaking project at Arts House in North Melbourne: The Warehouse Residency, which over five years will commit $100,000 a year for artists with disability to explore ideas and showcase new work. The first year will also see residencies from artists who are deaf or autistic.

Prowd grew up in the 1970s and 80s: at the age of five, she started ballet classes at the local community hall. She loved it. At the end of the year, she was an oyster and the Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland, performing the shows only solo. She still remembers being wheeled through the audience in a teapot: the applause and laughter of the audience, the photo call for the local newspapers.

But as the eldest of seven kids in a one-wage family, pretty soon there wasnt the money for ballet classes. [My parents thought], well, shes not going to get a career out of it. She is what she is, she has what she has, and her body is like this. So we wont sacrifice that money.
While state governments and hospitals responsible for healthcare staffing are leading the recruitment drives, election promises to boost employment in healthcare will inevitably require foreign workers. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese meets healthcare workers at Cessnock Hospital, in NSW, last month. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Labor leader Anthony Albanese admits overseas workers are needed as a stopgap measure to fulfil his $2.5 billion aged care election pledge to put a registered nurse in every aged care facility. Prime Minister Scott Morrisons promise to create 1.3 million new jobs in five years, which will likely help plug shortages in healthcare settings, wont be possible without a pipeline of foreign workers, business groups warn. According to federal health department modelling, an extra 14,000 nurses would be needed to deliver the Morrison governments commitment to have a registered nurse on-site in aged care facilities for 16 hours a day by October 2023. An additional 2500 more would be needed to meet Albaneses promise to mandate 24/7 registered nurses from July 2023.

But poaching healthcare workers from countries that desperately need the medical expertise during a pandemic raises serious ethical questions. Public health experts also say that more doctors are graduating in Australia than we need. So, why do we look offshore? Australia has proved a coveted destination for healthcare workers. Credit:Peter Braig Australia leads the globe in doctor, nurse imports Australias relatively high wages and high-quality healthcare system have rendered the country a coveted destination for doctors and nurses from the UK and New Zealand, while the Philippines and India deliberately train excessive numbers of nurses in the hope they will work abroad and send money home. More than half of Australias doctors and more than one-third of the countrys nurses are born overseas, an OECD analysis from 2020 shows. One in five nurses working in Australia did their training here on temporary visa permits.

Australia is more reliant than any other OECD country on the supply of foreign-born healthcare workers, who play a vital role in filling vacancies in regional and remote hospitals and aged care settings. But the International Council of Nurses warns of a global shortage of six million nurses, with another 4 million nurses expected to retire in the next decade. Up to 180,000 health workers died in the first year of the pandemic, according to the WHO, while many have burnt out or quit. Loading State government health agencies desperate to replenish their battered workforce are actively poaching. Victorian government has offered a sixfold increase in financial incentives to lure foreign healthcare workers, Western Australia is running a $2 million recruitment campaign and New South Wales is advertising overseas and using recruitment agents to attract workers. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has fast-tracked the re-registration of clinicians, amid warnings from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners of a looming shortage of GPs.

Registered nurse Simon Spalding, who works with his wife Dr Sarah Romilly at the Balnarring Medical Centre, spent $25,000 on an agent, including legal and visa fees, to help them find a new GP from the United Kingdom. The couple had spent almost five years trying to recruit new GPs domestically, but to no avail. A failure in workforce planning Australias elite research universities urged whoever wins government at this months federal election to fund 1000 extra places every year for domestic medical students, warning it was unsustainable to recruit as many overseas medical graduates annually, as there are domestic graduates from Australian schools. Dean of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Andrew Coats, supported the call, but also warned of the need for substantially more places in the healthcare system for them to complete on-the-job training.

But some say the problem is not so much the number of healthcare workers, but getting them where they are needed. A lack of co-ordination between universities, hospitals and government policy has culminated in a glut of medical graduates who cant find traineeships or jobs at resource-strapped hospitals. Meanwhile, undersupplied specialities or neglected parts of the system, such as regional hospitals, continue to face chronic shortages. Professor Stephen Duckett argues it is wrong to poach healthcare workers from lower income countries. Credit:Jeremy Piper Grattan Institute health director Stephen Duckett said Australias dependence on skilled healthcare workers from overseas was a failure in workforce planning. He said it was wrong to poach workers from lower income countries to work in places that Australian graduates dont want to work, he said. Australias medical workforce grew to 104,461 from 2015 to 2019  an annual growth of 3.3 per cent, outstripping an annual population rise of 1.6 per cent. There is an oversupply of emergency medicine physicians, but an undersupply of psychiatrists, while some graduates move overseas or drop out.

Loading Medical colleges and unions warn not enough is being done to improve exhausting conditions for workers who are battling through their third year of the pandemic. Nurses need incentives to stay in hospitals, such as more flexibility, better pay, clinical supervision and improved leadership opportunities, Australian College of Nursing chief executive Kylie Ward said. Ward was recently notified about a nurse at a Victorian aged care facility who wet himself while caring for a deteriorating patient because he ran out of time to go to the toilet, due to a lack of back-up staff on site. Those arent the sort of working conditions that Singapore-based nurse Tan is expecting. In Singapore, where she is waiting for her visa to approved, Tan said she has practically no time to complete all of [her] work in one shift.
Shes one of the few Hongkongers I speak to who allows me to use her real name. She knows it gives her voice more weight. Its not like I can delete everything, she shrugs, referring to her social-media criticism. I dont want to delete anything. I dont want to be anonymous.

Born and educated in the then largely autonomous city, Maks interest in politics was ignited by the democracy protests that erupted there in 2019. That year was the turning point for me to not only pay more attention to Hong Kong politics but advocate more, she says. Its very clear to me whos in the wrong, whos in the right. I can totally see how oppressive the government is in restricting freedom of speech and all that, freedom of protest.

When China tightened its grip over Hong Kong in 2019, more than 2 million protestors  a good quarter of the population  took to the streets. Credit:Getty Images

A cafe much like this one stood directly across the road from the apartment block where my husband and I lived, in Hong Kongs middle-class Fortress Hill district, until the end of last year. The queue to get in often snaked around the block. But the easygoing residents of our very suburban district were happy to wait, clutching newspapers and umbrellas and chatting in Cantonese. Mak misses that life, those tastes and smells. The Hong Kong-style food she has found in Sydney just doesnt match up, she says. The food here is so much more expensive, and not nearly as authentic.

Many of the cafes patrons are keen for a taste of their home. Its traditional Chinese characters (different from Chinas simplified system of writing) are on signs on the wall. The functional formica tables and stools tell a Hong Kong story, as does the music playing, which includes, Mak tells me, a protest pop song.

Sitting in the Kowloon Cafe in Sydneys Chinatown, Mak chooses French toast  the waitress brings condensed milk to go with it, but Mak prefers maple syrup  and strong milk tea, also made with condensed milk. Spam also figures heavily on the menu of this resplendently Hongkong-esque venue.

Sophie Mak will probably never go home. She has been too vocal and too critical of both Chinas and Hong Kongs governments over the years, using Twitter to comment on the unfolding tragedy in her homeland, Hong Kong. With long black hair, a short-sleeved, bright red dress and a surprisingly deep and husky voice, Mak, 24, is a typical Hongkonger: enthusiastic, committed to democracy, and deeply aware of the dangers threatening her home.

Mak regularly demonstrated in those heady days, before coming to Australia in February 2020 to continue her University of Hong Kong arts/law degree at the Australian National University. By the time she finished the course a few months later, China, led by the increasingly authoritarian Xi Jinping, had crushed the protests with an extreme national security law. Formally called the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safe-guarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, it was passed in June by a committee of the National Peoples Congress, bypassing the need for Hong Kongs approval. It killed free speech and freedom of the press, undermined the rule of law, and transformed a once-freewheeling and bumptious society on the edge of China to a place of silence and fear.

Protests were originally ignited in 2019 by the introduction of an extradition bill, which could have seen some of the territorys alleged lawbreakers whisked off to the mainland. The demonstrations rapidly built in size and fury until the day when an estimated 2 million marchers  a good quarter of the population  took to the streets.

More than a million mainland Chinese people have moved to Hong Kong since the handover and locals claim that many of them have found plum government and corporate positions, inexorably altering the culture of the territory. Many homegrown companies, too, its widely thought, have been taken over by mainlanders. Locals had long quietly feared Chinas encroachment, hoping to keep the worst at bay until at least 2047, and possibly beyond, given Hong Kongs important position as a financial trading hub. But the crackdown came with lightning speed in 2020, and Hong Kong has suffered culturally and financially.

There had been disquiet in Hong Kong since 1997 when, after a century-and-a-half in control, Britain formally handed the colony back to China, with an agreement that it would retain a high degree of autonomy for 50 years. A Basic Law was introduced to protect freedom of assembly and freedom of speech and provide a certain level of universal suffrage for those five decades. It didnt quite work out like that.

These days, in the new Hong Kong, she could be prosecuted and jailed for her words. The likelihood of going home has dwindled to vanishing point, she says. The more I do, in regards to human-rights associations, or with interviews even, its gotten even more unlikely.

Her Twitter account, which has more than 10,000 followers, tells the story. Shes tweeted about the mass exodus from Hong Kong, the censorship and the draconian national security law. In January last year she tweeted, The government is brazenly purging the entire opposition camp and every last voice of dissent there is. Its coming for everyone.

Mak has worked with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on various projects, including verifying videos alleging excessive police force in Hong Kong as genuine. These days a human rights advocate in exile, Mak misses her old life, the citys busy streets, brightly lit until late at night, her friends and her family  and she doesnt want to talk about them, worried about reprisals.

They were all horrified by the vague provisions in the new law that prohibit whats defined as separatism, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with external forces. These elastic terms can encompass all manner of infractions and be punished by lengthy prison sentences, up to life. It got me really scared, Mak says. Things that are said, things that are posted on social media, they can always use it against you afterwards.

A human rights advocate in exile, Sophie Mak is one of the few activists prepared to reveal their name. Credit:Joshua Morris

Mak remembers sitting in an Airbnb apartment in Canberra on that chilly June day, watching the televised press conference introducing the security law on her laptop, and texting friends in Hong Kong on the encrypted messaging service, Telegram.

Opposition politicians were jailed for months on end under the national security law  with no possibility of bail, and often for trivial non-crimes such as communicating with foreign journalists. In July 2020, police arrested eight protesters who held up blank placards at a gathering after the resistance phrase Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times was banned. Its now illegal to use that sequence of words in Hong Kong  the authorities consider it an incitement to secession.

From that day, repeating a political slogan could get a protester arrested. Writing a critical article. Singing a protest song. School textbooks with sensitive content were withdrawn from circulation. Newspaper editors were arrested and journalists fired. Publisher Jimmy Lai, a prominent Beijing critic and enthusiastic democracy supporter, was arrested in August 2020; despite having a British passport, he was determined to stay. Hes still locked up. His Apple Daily newspaper was forced to close and a million copies were printed of the last edition in June 2021: locals queued for hours to buy a copy.

Hongkongers had long experienced polite police officers, safe streets, a well-run and efficient city and the freedom to express themselves. From mid-2019, police were accused of using excessive force, streets often became a battlefield filled with smoke and shouting, the much-used MTR subway was repeatedly disrupted by demonstrators, and stations and lines were sometimes shut down by police to impede protests.

We had lived in Jakarta and Bangkok for many years and spent a lot of time reporting from other variously dysfunctional Asian nations. Hong Kong had always seemed like an enclave of democratic values, where residents got cranky about everything from inadequate garbage removal to late buses, where its Independent Commission Against Corruption (set up in the 1970s under British rule) vigorously pursued misconduct, and newspapers published critical (and sometimes scurrilous) stories about government officials and business tycoons.

Like Mak, I abandoned the city, but I knew long in advance that a departure was inevitable  I was an expatriate with a long history of dipping in and out of the territory. I hated Beijings inexorable takeover of Hong Kongs freedom.

Hong Kong had always seemed like an enclave of democratic values, where residents got cranky about everything from inadequate garbage removal to late buses.

My husband and I lived in Hong Kong for two-and-a-half years until late 2021, our second long stint in the city. I had spent a lot of time there as a child and as an adolescent, and I was fond of the energetic Cantonese people. In 2019, I joined the massive protest marches, fled the tear gas and watched the city split along partisan lines. More than 10,000 protesters were arrested in those tumultuous months. The day the national security law was passed in 2020 was a day of melancholy. We knew Hong Kong would never be the same again.

Unable to go home, Mak is now working on her masters degree in international security at the University of Sydney.

I never planned to stay when I came here, she says. I was planning to leave in May [2020] after my exchange study ended. She regrets not being able to say goodbye. She never had the chance for a farewell tour of her favourite places, for one last face-to-face talk with her friends; one final hug from her closest relatives.

On a more personal level, the law sounded a final death knell for me. Constrained by the pandemic, we continued to live in limbo in our 30th-floor apartment in a no-frills block until the summer heat and terror politics drove us out. A friends spouse was locked up without bail for many months, no trial date set. Another friend, who had lived in Hong Kong for much of his adult life and who was an outspoken critic of Chinas incursions, reluctantly and sorrowfully emigrated to Britain. Reading the local news became a depressing business; so much lost, so many locked up. We finally left for good last December, waving goodbye to the city from Hong Kongs echoing, empty airport.

Hong Kongs rigid pandemic rules contributed to the citys massive upheaval. Hotel-room quarantine for up to three weeks  and the regular banning of flights from various airlines  kept residents effectively confined in the tiny territory. With far less at stake than home-grown Hongkongers, many of the citys shifting population of expatriates began to leave too, often despite a reluctance to ditch well-paid jobs and the cosmopolitan life.

Hongkongers have flooded into the UK, which has flung open its doors, and to a lesser extent to Canada, the US and Australia. Last year, 104,000 people with British National (Overseas) status  those born there before the handover to China, and their dependants  applied to relocate to Britain. Closer to home, about 8800 temporary skilled, temporary graduate and student visa holders based in Australia became eligible for new permanent resident visas in a specialised stream that opened in March this year.

Dismayed by the crackdown and the erosion of civil liberties, many thousands of Hongkongers made the painful decision to emigrate and start new lives abroad. The citys airport became the backdrop for an ongoing procession of tearful farewells.

Then, in June 2020, the national security law pushed Hong Kong from fury to fear, crushing the citys protests. Although it remained largely untouched by COVID-19 until early this year, the scourge provided the government with an excuse to ban social gatherings  which, of course, included protests.

Mak, like many of her compatriots who have recently settled in Australia, was keen to see Revolution of Our Times, a documentary about the Hong Kong protests. Hongkongers lined up for the premiere screening of the film at the Palace Norton cinema in Sydneys Leichhardt in April. Cantonese chatter bubbled up as friends were greeted and seats were found.

As the credits rolled, applause rang out in the darkness and a lone voice called out in Cantonese: Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.

Directed by Kiwi Chow, the emotional film is about the protesters  mostly young  who marched and organised, who communicated with each other via Telegram, who organised themselves into groups of medics, journalists, drivers and front-line warriors, who defended themselves with umbrellas, who picked up tear-gas canisters and hurled them back at the police, who threw Molotov cocktails, who occupied university campuses and who fought for their liberty and for their future for months on end.

As the credits rolled, applause rang out in the darkness and a lone voice called out in Cantonese: Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times. As one, the Sydney audience echoed the words: Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.

Tickets to see the documentary in cinemas across Australia sold out at warp speed, fuelled by social media. More than 6500 had gone when the team decided to increase the number of screenings. And then it bumped it up again. And again. In Taiwan, the film won an award and broke a box-office record in its first week of screening.

Mak saw the documentary in Sydney, and thought it a strong piece of filmmaking. She sat surrounded by Hongkongers, reliving those adrenaline-fuelled days. A lot of people were weeping, she says. It was a powerful reminder of all the sacrifice.

The clever and dogged protesters were always determined to make their point, mostly peacefully. In August 2019, tens of thousands joined hands to form an almost 50-kilometre-long human chain of resistance that wound through the city. One morning a month later, I noticed that the footpaths leading to the Fortress Hill subway station had been completely covered with photocopies of a picture of the face of Junius Ho, a much-disliked pro-Beijing legislator. Commuters had to tread on his face if they wanted to ride on the subway. Lines from Chinas national anthem, such as Arise ye who refuse to be slaves, and quotes from Mao Tse Tung were co-opted for a different cause.

During the 2019 protests, photocopies of a picture of pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho lined footpaths leading to a Hong Kong subway station, forcing commuters to tread on his face. Credit:Getty Images

As time wound on many protesters were detained and locked up; many were beaten, many fled into exile. Some died by suicide. In early 2021, Beijing tried to stem the flood of emigration by withdrawing recognition of Hong Kongs British National (Overseas) passports as valid documents, making it extremely difficult for many to withdraw their retirement money from the citys mandatory pension system.

Daniel Chau* is nearly 60, but looks far younger, and wears a long-sleeved shirt, a vest and round-framed glasses. He says he was inspired by the Revolution documentary to do more to help Hong-kongers fleeing their homeland. The scrapbooks he has brought to the nondescript cafe in Sydneys northern suburbs where we meet tell a story of sorrow and remembrance. A lawyer by training, he is careful and circumspect,

discussing the fire and passion of the desperate protests as a coffee machine burbles away in the background.

Like me, he and his wife arrived in Sydney at the end of last year. His elderly mother did not want to come with them to Australia; she couldnt face the exhaustion of starting again in a strange land.

So now just Chau, his wife and their adult son and daughter live in Australia. The reason we decided to come back is the political system is breaking down, he says. Im a lawyer myself and I see the legal system in Hong Kong is seriously breaking down because its turning from the rule of law to the rule of man. Its basically what the [Chinese] Communist government decides to do, the Hong Kong government follows suit.

He first emigrated to Australia in the 1980s, returning to Hong Kong a decade or so later, lured by the economic reforms then underway in China and the hope that democracy was on the front foot across Asia. Over the years, his disquiet slowly built. Then, in 2014, Hongkongers from the umbrella movement  so called for their chosen shield against police pepper-spray attacks  took to the streets to demand the right to have a say in choosing their leaders.

Beijing, it had been decided, would effectively select the candidates for the position of Hong Kong chief executive, even though, according to the Basic Law, the ultimate aim was for that role to be filled by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee. Beijing proclaimed candidates for chief executive had to love the country [China], and love Hong Kong, and the promise of some degree of universal suffrage began to recede over the distant Chinese horizon.

I remember interviewing children (some still in school uniform) and passionate youngsters in their blockaded encampment on a stinkingly hot thoroughfare in central Hong Kongs Admiralty district in 2014; we were surrounded by gleaming skyscrapers, at one of a number of protest sites. An hour in the relentless heat rising from the bitumen nearly killed me, but the protesters sat it out, coming and going as needs demanded, distributing bottles of water and singing solidarity songs. Some sat peacefully doing their homework.

I went back again and again; their determination remained undiminished. They stayed put for weeks, finally retreating in the face of increasing violence and sheer exhaustion.

A photo of a poster showing demonstrators in heavy rain, from the scrapbook of Daniel Chau, who left the territory for Australia. Credit:Joshua Morris

Chaus swirling fears for Hong Kongs future began to coalesce with these protests in 2014 and firmed as time went on. All this fear is realised now, he says, adding that he feels cheated. He had returned to Hong Kong in the 1990s, comforted by the freedoms guaranteed in the one country, two systems policy agreed to by China. His trust was misplaced.

In 2019, with democracy protests in Hong Kong growing again and Chinas grip tightening, Chaus family, Australian citizens since their first time here, bought an apartment in northern Sydney  an escape route for when life in Hong Kong became unbearable.

The people of Hong Kong are almost always civil. During my time living there, I never saw a bar fight or a brawl. They are usually incredibly law-abiding  lost wallets are usually returned, cash intact, with the finders going to great lengths to track down the owners. Its one of the safest cities in the world: I felt far safer walking the streets of Hong Kong than I ever have walking at night in Sydney. Hongkongers dont push and shove; they even queue quietly to get on the subway.

But they hold their freedoms dear, and in 2019 and 2020 they demonstrated a rock-solid determination to hang on to their liberty. For this, many were happy to break the law. An estimated one million citizens took to the streets on June 9, 2019, a big slice of the citys 7-million-plus population, many wearing white, marching to make their loyalties clear  they wanted no part of mainland rule.

I walked with them and their passion was evident. Their sheer weight of numbers was almost unstoppable, but the marchers were eventually met by police wielding batons and pepper spray.

A week later, they marched again, and this time as many as 2 million residents took to the streets, incensed by the police opposition and galvanised by the repression they feared was looming menacingly just over the horizon from the northern stronghold of Beijing.

We smiled and chatted as we shuffled along, the press of people preventing any show of speed or sudden movement. Many marchers were wearing black, mourning one of their own. The colour remained the favoured shade of protester wear for long months; eventually, the increasingly bellicose police were likely to stop and search any youngster seen wearing black.

A youngster was shot on the street. So we thought, We have to go; its time to go. 

Sophie Mak was somewhere in the press of regular marchers in the 2019 protests, as was Daniel Chau, appalled by the speed of the crackdown in Hong Kong.

By the day of the handover anniversary, on July 1, feelings were running high and a splinter group of furious protesters broke into Hong Kongs parliament (known as LegCo) and spray-painted slogans on the walls. They retreated of their own accord, leaving money for drinks taken from vending machines.

After the extradition bill we see police brutality, not rule of law, no due process, people arrested, people beaten up, Chau says, remembering the turmoil. The ammunition they were using was escalating in force. Tear gas, rubber bullets  people got hurt. They were using water cannons. Finally live ammunition; a youngster was shot on the street. So we thought, We have to go; its time to go. 

Loading

But the Chaus remained in Hong Kong, held back by family ties as the fury of 2019 spilled over into 2020. That is a very difficult decision. My in-laws dont want to go. My mum doesnt want to go. They are old, they dont want to go and live in a foreign place. The protests roiled on, diminished by the spectre of the pandemic and the consequent restrictions, but no less passionate.

In early June 2020, many thousands defied a government ban and gathered in Victoria Park for the citys annual Tiananmen Square commemoration, the only one held anywhere in China. They turned up to remember the fallen of Tiananmen, and to underline Hong Kongs independence from China.

I stood in the crowd that day, watching the massed bodies, the candles and the flowers, the masked faces, the passionate speeches, the sea of hands held up, fingers spread to indicate the protesters five demands: withdrawal of the extradition bill, an inquiry into alleged police brutality, the retraction of the rioters classification for protesters, amnesty for arrested protesters and universal suffrage. There was a warm feeling of shared hopes and aims. The locals who organised that event were later arrested.

In June 2020, thousands gathered for the annual memorial vigil in Hong Kongs Victoria Park to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Credit:Getty Images

A year later, in 2021, Tiananmen commemoration was all but dead, its spirit killed by fear of the national security law. Police officers roamed Victoria Park, much of it barred to pedestrians. I only saw a handful of protesters that day, including one elderly and undaunted woman known as Grandma Wong, wearing a face mask patterned with Union Jacks and marching across a street in nearby Causeway Bay, flanked by police officers.

Four brave youngsters stood on a footpath, masks on, eyes down, holding up a black banner with the date of the Tiananmen uprising. One elderly woman in thongs, her face obscured by a large mask and sunglasses, held up a placard of newspaper cuttings with a photo of Tiananmens famed Tank man, a demonstrator who stood peacefully in the path of the tanks. Police roamed the streets, looking for malefactors, but by then, Hong Kongs rebellious demonstrations had been almost entirely crushed.

The Chaus were dismayed by the introduction of the restrictive security law: it was another big push for them to leave Hong Kong. And yet they lingered. To relocate a family is not that simple, Chau says. You have to prepare for assets to be relocated, funds to be transferred. Qualifications to be admitted. You have to prepare parents, so they accept one day you are going.

The family has solid reasons to be wary of Communist China. Daniel Chaus parents were born in Macau, then a Portuguese territory adjacent to China, and they migrated to Hong Kong in the 1960s. His uncle had a post in mainland China. During the terror years of the Cultural Revolution, Red Guards found a letter sent to this uncle by his sister, Chaus mother, in Macau. They accused him of liaising with a foreign power  considered an appalling sin. His uncle took his own life to protect his family. We know what the Communists can do, how crazy they can become, Chau says.

Most Hong Kong people dont need independence. Hong Kong people just want what was promised in the Basic Law. It was a social contract.

His family, already split by the suicide, have been divided again by Chinas takeover of Hong Kong more than 20 years too early. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken a toll.

Most Hong Kong people dont need independence, he says. Hong Kong people just want what was promised in the Basic Law. It was a social contract. You promised us this; we decide to come here and work, and make this society prosper. You promised us. You cannot take it back after 20 years.  He pauses and shakes his head. I was naive to believe in the promises of the CCP.

Nathan Wong*, a 20-something finance student, was never an activist, but he joined a few marches in 2019 and was unhappy with the direction Hong Kong was taking. The protests grew and the crackdowns spread, and the idea of leaving Hong Kong became increasingly attractive.

He finally left in early 2020 after his family spent a month wrestling with difficult choices. At the time everyone in Hong Kong was so depressed, he says. There was social injustice, the national security law. I have no regrets coming here.

It took time for his parents to consider the circumstances and decide what was best for him and best for the family. Wong himself had few doubts. Honestly, everything started with the extradition bill, he says. As a youngster, I didnt see a future for myself in Hong Kong.

In his immediate family, though, opinions have been divided. His parents, still in their birthplace of Hong Kong with his younger brother, continue to call it home. His businessman father has dealings with mainland China and was more supportive than Wong of both the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, and more concerned about the economic effect of the protests.

He had no problem with the extradition bill, Wong says. His mother, a housewife, sympathised more with the protests, he says, but was increasingly concerned about the potential impact of the unrest on her son. Eventually, a family consensus was reached and Wong was on a flight to Sydney. He expects to stay in Australia and that his parents, probably, will stay where they are.

Some Hong Kong families are united in sympathy for the protests, but are resigned to difficult geographic separations. A fresh-faced young woman in her early 20s with long hair and glasses, Vanessa Chan* expects the upheaval in her homeland to divide her family along generational lines, probably forever.

Like Wong, she left Hong Kong in 2020 to study here, and recently finished her health degree course at a regional university. Australias decision to provide a path to permanent residency has encouraged her to settle here, but she has had difficulty finding a permanent full-time job in her field where she lives and may have to uproot again and move to another Australian city.

Loading

Chans parents still live in Hong Kong and have encouraged both Chan and her sister, now in the US, to stay away, far from their home. They want Chan to remain in Australia and eventually have children here  grandchildren theyre likely to see only rarely. They do not like the Chinese party, she says. They always said, If you have a chance, just emigrate.

Me and most of my friends here have decided to stay, and were trying to figure a way to earn a living, she says. We just cant imagine our future back in Hong Kong any more. So weve been trying to figure out another way to live our lives. And also for the next generation.

* Not their real names.

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.

The best of Good Weekend delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Sign up here.
Alumni and parents from Anglican schools fear church guidelines saying students struggling with their gender identity should honour the maleness or femaleness of their god-given body are a further sign of the diocese imposing its social conservatism on the classrooms.

Parents on Friday angrily wrote to Anglican schools and their boards, concerned about the Heralds revelations that principals and directors appointed to schools run by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney will have to affirm their opposition to gay marriage.

Clockwise: Shore, St Lukes, St Catherines and Kings School. Credit:Flavio Brancaleone, James Brickwood, Wolter Peeters, Dallas Kilponen

The story also prompted supporters of gay marriage within the church to propose a motion for next weeks National Synod, which said the rule was unprecedented in the history of the church and was a marked departure from the practice of ... individual freedom of conscience on moral matters.

Sydney Anglicans have also issued guidelines for schools on dealing with students who struggled with their gender identity, advising them to show compassion, reject bullying and abuse, and note that nobody was immune from brokenness, but to also tell students to honour and preserve the maleness or femaleness of the body God has given you.
Johnson faced his brothers killer again this week  this time with his wife Rosemarie, and two sisters, Rebecca and Terry, sitting beside him in the courtroom, where each provided moving victim impact statements. When we read them, all four of us noted Scott White was paying attention, says Johnson. We all spent a lot of time looking him in the eyes and he looked right back. I think as his guilty plea suggested, he feels some remorse. (White was given a discount of 10 per cent on his sentence for his guilty plea in January.) After a hardscrabble upbringing in Los Angeles with his brother and two sisters (we moved into 15 different places when I was a kid, mostly downward, winding up in the ghetto, he recalls), Steve Johnson made more money than he ever dreamed of in the 1990s when he developed a world-first algorithm that enabled images to be sent over the Internet. He believes that had he lived, Scott would have similarly prospered. There is no question Scott missed what would have been the golden age of nerds like us, he smiles. The internet only came along a couple of years after he died. I often joke with friends that it took me two years to come up with that invention [the algorithm]. If Scott had been alive, we might have done it on a long walk. These painful what-ifs, however, pale in comparison with the more than three decades of not knowing who killed his brother, which Johnson says took an emotional toll on his entire family. I pushed a bloke

Scott White was 18, the deeply troubled son of homophobic, alcoholic parents and was already known to police, when he met Scott Johnson in a hotel at Manly on that humid, slightly overcast afternoon of December 8, 1988. Johnson had a lot to be happy about that day. A brilliant mathematician, hed spoken that morning with his PhD supervisor at the Australian National University about his almost completed thesis. The prosecution submitted to the Supreme Court that White took Johnson to North Head with the premeditated intention of killing him, fuelled by his deep hatred of gay men, but Justice Helen Wilson acknowledged that while this was very likely, it couldnt be proved beyond reasonable doubt. In a 2020 interview, White told police an argument between the pair broke out on the clifftops, which had been a beat for decades. I pushed a bloke. He went over the edge, said White, after earlier saying he tried to save Johnson from falling. Justice Wilson told the court: What is established is that White hit Dr Johnson, causing him to stumble backwards; he threw a blow without provocation. Hearing Scott White talk about pushing my brother ... It left me in no doubt Scotts final few seconds were of absolute terror. Steve Johnson Asked to describe his emotions back in January when police revealed the evidence following Whites guilty plea, Johnson pauses for a moment, clearing his throat. It seems that no matter what I learn about my brothers final few hours, I want to learn more, he says slowly. First, hearing that it was just one person, not a gang, then hearing they may have met in Manly and walked up together to the cliffs... but hearing Scott White talk about pushing my brother was the most traumatic piece of information I received. It left me in no doubt Scotts final few seconds were of absolute terror. Johnsons voice catches with emotion. He was the last person to talk to my brother. My brother was 27 and Scott White was 18. I wish I could talk to Scott White, that he would open up about how events that day went, how they met.

Scott Whites former wife Helen  the pair were married from 1992 until 2008  told the court on Monday that her husband frequently bragged about bashing gays to her and their children. After she read a 2008 story about Johnsons death, she asked her husband whether he was responsible. Its not my fault, White allegedly replied. The dumb c--t ran off the cliff. Pinned to the noticeboard of Inspector Peter Yeomans office in East Sydney is an aerial shot of the North Head cliffs, with dots marking the spots where Scott left his clothes on the scrub-covered top, and where the body landed on the rocks a vertiginous 60 metres below. Pinned beside this is a smiling photo of the Johnson brothers in their twenties. Ive been with the police force for 42 years, says Yeomans. And I will probably never do a case like this again. The big breakthrough in the investigation was an anonymous letter sent to the police from Scott Whites former wife in early 2019. There was enough in the letter for us to identify its author, says Yeomans. I can say categorically she [Helen White] knew nothing about the reward at that time. Im fully aware of why she wrote that note, but I cant discuss it. Scott Johnsons siblings, Steve and Rebecca, outside the court on Tuesday. Credit:Peter Rae After he was arrested, Scott White told police he was gay, that it was the biggest secret he kept from his family. It may seem like an odd contradiction that the killer of a gay man might be gay himself. Justice Wilson ruled that although White may have chased Johnson over the edge of the cliffs, the evidence didnt meet the criminal standard required to call this a gay hate crime.
When retired architect David Aitken read in last Saturdays Herald that Cities Minister Rob Stokes wanted his colleagues to be bold in the upcoming state budget and commit to the full-blown transformation of Circular Quay, he was blown away and so happy.

Long before the current crop of politicians proposed turning the much-maligned Cahill Expressway into a pedestrianised high line - and well in advance of New Yorks famous high line - Aitken, 74, foresaw the Cahills potential as a waterfront walkway.

Architect David Aitken envisaged a high line at Circular Quay in the 1980s when the Labor government planned on demolishing the Cahill Expressway. Credit:Steven Siewert

In 1986, then roads minister Laurie Brereton promised the expressway would be demolished once the Sydney Harbour Tunnel opened in 1992. The architectural community and NSW chapter of the Royal Institute of Architects was, by and large, enthusiastic about the idea.

But not Aitken. Its nonsense, he says. Theres just so much energy in all this steel and concrete and everything else. I used to say, Have you been up there? Have you seen the views? Its magic.
Anthony Albanese continues to flick-pass simple policy questions to his human shield of Labor frontbenchers. Latest is he doesnt know the six points of his NDIS policy. It is clear he is on economic L-plates. Australians are confronted by major economic and security challenges. Is Albanese the man to lead us in these troubled times. John Shailer, East Lindfield I am getting increasingly frustrated by the media packs antics at press conferences. Albaneses so-called slip-up is akin to arriving at a maths exam to be asked a question on Act 3, Scene 1 of Hamlet.

Jenny Hawks, Kyle Bay If the rabid pursuit of our politicians continues, I suggest they return fire and require questions in writing in advance before press conferences. Why are corporate CEOs not pursued with the same determination in a business context? Michael Ross, Bankstown Albanese needs to do better when asked about six-point plans. How is it that Scott Morrison had no such trouble reeling off the six top priorities for his government: jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs?

Steve Forsyth, Wagga Wagga Journalists need to be more focused on a subjects knowledge of how an issue affects people, rather than using a dot-point approach to inform the public about a candidates ability. Shane Joseph, Marsfield

ICAC is essential Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: I admire Malcolm Browns confidence in the existing political system (Letters, May 6). Contrary to his statement, the opposition has limited effect on a majority government. The government controls parliamentary orders and all aspects of parliament. The opposition is often gagged. The evidence of this failure is there for all to see. The sports rorts, pork-barrelling and waste of taxpayers funds. We definitely need a federal ICAC with widespread powers to investigate waste and corruption. Barry OConnell, Old Toongabbie On the contrary, Malcolm Brown, both the opposition (obviously) and the media may be biased. An ICAC by its very nature must be impartial. It also has the power to do something about it, such as referring its findings to the police. Jaqui Fitch, Bayview

Knotty issue Is George Fishman suggesting that being short on substance, contradictory and confusing is more prime ministerial  whatever that means  than having policies and being able to talk about them without tying oneself in knots (Letters, May 6)? Tom McGinness, Randwick Safety first! I eagerly await the day  soon, surely  when we see our prime minister don a hard hat and safety vest to prepare to eat a raw onion. Jillian Rice, Vaucluse

Principled principals put to the ultimate test of faith To all the principals of Anglican schools in the Sydney archdiocese: The edict issued by the archdiocese to which you have stated your opposition is contrary to ones faith in Jesus Christ (I am livid: Anglican principals fury at edict against gay marriage, May 6). Your prime responsibility is to raise young people to have faith in someone who showed the world that the preservation and protection of human dignity is the highest aspiration to which we can all attain. You must oppose this edict for it not only devalues as unworthy those who have a special love for others of the same gender, but it destroys this very God-given gift of our humanity. Reverend Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT) Serious Christians have been in the conviction business for 2000 years. So when Anglican churches or schools ask their leaders to confirm they believe about marriage what most Christians around the globe have done for centuries, they are acting according to conviction. This is no different to the Greens refusing to admit to membership people denying climate change. Likewise, someone who wishes to be a candidate for the ALP must agree to abide by the party platform, and if they cross the floor, they are expected to resign or face expulsion.

The ability to uphold your convictions is fundamental to democratic freedom of association.

Sandy Grant, Dean of Sydney, Forest Lodge By requiring principals appointed to their schools to sign the new statement affirming they believe marriage is between a man and a woman, the Anglican Sydney Synod is ensuring that its future school principals will not be competent. Competent teachers, being skilled in judging arguments, know that St Paul was wrong both about the facts and about the morality of same sex attraction, just as he was wrong about the date of Christs return and the proper relations between husbands and wives. Martin Bibby, Beecroft An anonymous person who objects to Anglican principals being required to affirm they believe marriage is between a man and a woman thinks that requiring this to be affirmed is not Christ-like? Every Gospel records Jesus saying explicitly that God created them male and female, that a man leaves his parents and joins with his wife and the two become one flesh and that there is no divorce. I suppose the anonymous critic would say that Jesus was acting in an un-Christ like manner when he said such hateful and non-inclusive things. Richard Shankland, Pymble Surely it is time to remove the charitable status of the Anglican Church. With an open agenda that discriminates against members of the Australian community, the Anglican Church has walked away from offering charity to all. While the Church is entitled to its hateful ideology, this must now come at a cost  paying tax. Chris Andrew, Turramurra

Putting the boot in The state of healthcare, and hospitals in particular, in regional areas is appalling (Inquiry condemns Health, culture of fear in hospitals, May 6). Rather than try to remedy this situation, the state government is happy to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on football stadiums. Maybe they should explain to the good people of Wagga Wagga, Dubbo or Tamworth why it is more important to build fancy stadiums in wealthy Sydney suburbs than attend to local health needs. Ron Wessel, Mount St Thomas Back to the broad church I do not often disagree with Peter Beattie (To win, build a Hawke or Howard umbrella, May 6). However, I must disagree with his comment that the influence of religion has diminished. The elephant in the room for the Liberal Party NSW division is that economic/social divides within that broad church have been replaced by a much more vicious and divisive religious factional split to the point where preselections were delayed to ensure that candidates from the correct religious factions were chosen.

In NSW, we need less religion in the Liberal Party to try to turn it back to the party and broad church it once was. Terry Goulden, Wentworth Falls Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Poll-ease ... pull the other one While Michael Yabsley rightly notes that the pollsters got it so wrong in the 2019 election, he is mistaken in attributing the error to either their use of robocalls or the politeness of respondents (Pollsters beware of polite voters, May 6). The fact that pollsters got it wrong, regardless of whether they used the phone, internet or face-to-face interviews  as different pollsters did  shows it wasnt robocalling that did it. Equally, it cant have been a matter of politeness. Face-to-face interviewing may have encouraged politeness, but online polling or robocalling would not. In any event, why would saying you intend to vote Labor rather than Liberal have been the more polite answer? Murray Goot, member of the Inquiry into the Performance of Opinion Polls at the 2019 Federal Election

Bamboozling ballots With the election day only two weeks away, I have not heard anything about educating people on how to vote correctly without making an error and avoiding an informal vote. At the 2019 election, nearly a million votes were counted as informal. It is possible if some of these votes hadnt been informal they could have changed the election result not only in various seats but the government as well. As someone who has been handing out how-to-vote cards since I was a teen at every election since 1972, I am dismayed at the lack of knowledge by people who dont know how to complete their ballot paper correctly. We need to educate the public. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury Down and across My wife and I are inquiring after the state of David Astles mind (Puzzles, May 6). We finished todays usually abominable Friday crossword over breakfast in 27 minutes without any need to research on Google, ring grandma (who is the expert) or leave it for the day to recover emotionally. It felt like Monday! Get well soon DA. Richard Fry, Marrickville

Dont dissect Dylan Im sorry, David Free, but you just had to be there (Bob Dylan, a great poet? A great delusion more like it, smh.com.au, May 5). And I dont mean being around in the 60s and 70s. I mean hanging out in the smoke-filled cellar, with a Dylan vinyl record playing in the foreground, drinking rum and coke, and having deep and meaningful talks about life, the universe, love, war and everything. It often takes music, the music unique to that generation, to evoke that deep longing and search for purpose, and the glorious agony of the existential crises that adolescents need to experience.

The lack of coherence, the jumbled ideas, the deep mystery of the not knowing and the pursuit of oblivion were the whole point. Dylan was never meant to be dissected  he had to be experienced.

Christine Ahern, Suffolk Park Postscript The good and the bad news: two weeks left in the federal election campaign. Reading your emails as they land in the inbox, it appears many correspondents are in the enough please camp, wishing May 21 was behind them. Denis Suttling of Newport Beach described the situation well.This

election campaign is, without doubt, the most boring battle between two colourless personalities bereft of vision for a better Australia. Personal attacks, policy shortcomings and unsound economic promises seem to be all they can come up with. The next couple of weeks are going to be hard to take, he wrote. Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: This week, all but a few were horrified by Scott Morrisons comment describing the ICAC as a public autocracy, some writing the PMs choice of words highlighted his blinkered vision of good governance. Many, like Michael Shipton of Balgowlah Heights, wrote supporting teal independents: John Howard said that the strength of the Liberal Party was that it is a broad church. The problem is that now it isnt broad; they need to get some pews in the church for people who wear teal. Or voters will go to another church. Not everyone agreed. For some, Anthony Albanese is totally bereft of anything approaching prime ministerial material and others felt the ongoing criticism of the Coalition was a sure-fire way to spur them on to vote for the Liberals.
A Brisbane high school teacher accused of making and sharing child exploitation material, which included taking a picture of one of his students, has once again been released from prison.

Lucas John Gill is a former teacher at Mount Maria College in Mitchelton in Brisbanes north, and has now been charged with more than 100 offences.

Lucas Gill leaves the Brisbane Watchhouse on July 28, 2021, after his initial release on bail. Credit:Toby Crockford

The charges against the 42-year-old include 61 counts of distributing child exploitation material, 32 counts of making child exploitation material, two counts of using the internet to procure children under 16, and two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16.

In July, he was initially charged with six offences. He made a successful bail application the next day in Brisbane Arrests Court.
Scammers target Queensland families searching for rentals

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
So are they genuinely independent both of the parties and each other? Are they in fact a political party? And is all this somehow immoral? Independents, parties and obstacles Independents were the norm in Australian politics before the Australian Labor Party and conservative parties evolved through the 20th century and tweaked the electoral system to benefit themselves, making it ever more difficult for non-aligned candidates to run and win. Australian National University politics lecturer Dr Jill Sheppard says the major parties gave an incredible stability to Australian politics, but that stability bred laziness.

The parties have stopped listening, she says, and their support has crashed accordingly. Loading At the 2019 election, the combined major party primary vote in the House of Representatives slumped to its lowest since World War II. Hence the resurgence of the new breed of independents, despite the obstacles they face. The electoral advantages enjoyed by the parties include access to electoral rolls, staff and member salaries that are publicly funded, offices, cars, millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded pork-barrelling, party expertise and resources and year-round tax deductibility for donations. Everything in the system is designed to keep the system in place, says Claire Ferres Miles, the independent candidate for Casey, a peri-urban seat south-east of Melbourne. The independents, she says, by collaborating and accepting substantial outside donations, are trying to level the playing field.

Is Climate 200 a party? The Australian Electoral Act says that to officially register as a party, an organisation must have a constitution that includes an intention to endorse candidates and at least 1500 members. Cathy McGowan was the first giant-killer independent of the current era. Credit:Lucy Taylor Theyre [the independents] not part of a political party in the legal sense, says University of Queensland political professor Graeme Orr, who describes the current crop of independents instead as a nascent political movement. The independents, their backers and local supporters do, however, share resources and strategies across seats, not unlike an embryonic party  co-operation that has been encouraged by trailblazing former independent MP turned teal mentor, Cathy McGowan.

The teal movement started more than a decade ago with the founding of the Voices of Indi, a community organisation that helped McGowan take the Liberal-held Victorian seat of Indi in 2013 from its incumbent, Sophie Mirabella. This inspired others such as Zali Steggall, who successfully challenged former prime minister Tony Abbott for the Sydney seat of Warringah in 2019. McGowan describes the current independent phenomenon as a movement. There is definitely a thread there, she says. Community engagement, quality candidates and effective campaigns. Cross my heart and hope to die that all the campaigns we are supporting started from inside their own electorates. Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court As they argue that the teal movement is an undeclared party, their Liberal detractors point out that they also share policy priorities of climate, government integrity and gender equality  especially in wealthier urban electorates. The urban independents insist this is simply because such issues are the high-order concerns in their communities, and one which the sitting conservative MPs are not adequately addressing. McGowan notes that in rural seats such as Indi, water, infrastructure, health and social services are more important.

In keeping with the Indi model, Voices groups have emerged wherever communities are frustrated enough to organise. Typically, Voices groups withdraw after choosing a candidate and a separate campaign group is formed. In reality, the two often overlap. Loading University of Sydney political scientist Anika Gauja says the allegation that the independents are a party makes no sense because their very point is that they are the antithesis of the major parties  top-down organisations in which members have to toe the line. The teal independents, on the other hand, have been backed by grassroots organisations that have chosen them. Show me the money

Volunteers and grassroots organising are only part of what makes a competitive campaign. Since Gough Whitlam popularised television campaigning in the early 1970s, big money has been increasingly important to electoral success. And thats where Climate 200 comes in. Holmes a Court, a former Liberal donor, founded Climate 200 in 2019 after he was expelled from Frydenbergs fundraising arm, Kooyong 200, for publicly criticising Coalition energy policy. He describes Climate 200 as a giving circle, a vehicle through which thousands of donors have contributed more than $12 million to help independents in an electoral system they say is stacked against them. Simon Holmes a Court is backing candidates under the Climate 200 umbrella targeting Liberal MPs. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen In 2022, Climate 200 is supporting 22 candidates with about half a million dollars each to the high-profile campaigns of Allegra Spender in Wentworth, Monique Ryan in Kooyong and Zoe Daniel in Goldstein. Notable is that Climate 200-backed candidates tend to respond to questions about their funding in a uniform way, emphasising that Climate 200 contributions makes up less than half of their total budgets, rather than specifying amounts.

How Climate 200 works North Sydney independent candidate Kylea Tink. Credit:Michael Quelch For those independents who seek its support  and not all have  Climate 200 has a small campaign management team that works with candidates and supporters to assess the potential for electoral success, including the strength of candidates, volunteer numbers and extent of local fundraising. An eligibility checklist includes a candidate and volunteer codes of conduct, eligibility to nominate for parliament under Section 44 of the Constitution, and a no-foreign-donations code. On the policy front, Climate 200 requires broad commitments to a science-based response to the climate crisis, restoring integrity to politics, and advancing respect and safety for women. Holmes a Court insists Climate 200 has no say in where Voices groups emerge or the candidate or policies they support. He notes, for example, that Climate 200 is not supporting a candidate in the vulnerable Liberal seat of Higgins in Melbournes inner east.

Cross my heart and hope to die that all the campaigns we are supporting started from inside their own electorates, he says. Every single one is grassroots. But there is crossover and close working relationships between Climate 200 and some of the campaigns it supports. Climate 200 advisers are involved directly in campaigns, including helping build up volunteer bases, on strategies for consulting communities about policy, and in campaign tactics and media. Its media director, former ABC reporter Jim Middleton, is a paid member of Daniels campaign team in Goldstein and also provides paid media advice to North Sydney candidate Kylea Tink.

Holmes a Court is active in Ryans campaign against Frydenberg, though he says he recuses himself from Climate 200 funding decisions involving Ryan. Loading Spender, who is challenging Liberal MP Dave Sharma in Wentworth, says about one third of the $1.3 million she has raised is from Climate 200. She flatly denies Climate 200 has an influence on her policies. Scamps, who is up against Falinski in Mackellar, says her policies are based on the communitys priorities and are not determined by any party, faction or outside group. Steggall is defending her seat of Warringah and says she consults her community and relevant experts about policy, not Climate 200 or any other candidates.

Past party membership The most damaging of the fake allegations against the independents stems from the revelation that two candidates running in traditional Liberal seats  Ryan in Kooyong and Kate Chaney in Curtin  are former members of the ALP. Ryan was a member between 2007 and 2010, Chaney for a period in 2021. Josh Frydenberg and Monique Ryan at the debate at the Hawthorn Town Hall on May 5. Both say they do not feel at home with either major party. Chaney also has close links to the Liberal party. Her grandfather was a Menzies-era MP and her uncle, Fred Chaney, a frontbencher in Malcolm Frasers administration. Spender is the daughter of former North Sydney Liberal MP John Spender and the granddaughter of Sir Percy Spender, a Menzies-era MP. Daniels father, Peter, was actively involved in the ALP in Tasmania  which, she says, put her off Labor. Most say they are small-l liberal and have been swinging voters.

Influential Liberal-linked lobbyist Ian Smith says Climate 200-backed candidates such as Helen Haines (Indi), Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo), Spender and Daniel are best described as centrist. Loading Who would they back? The Coalition and journalists have repeatedly pressed the teal independents on what they would do in the case of a hung parliament, but most have kept their powder dry. Sharkie, a Climate 200-supported Centre Alliance MP in South Australia, said recently that in a hung Parliament she would negotiate first with the Coalition because it is the incumbent. But Prime Minister Scott Morrison has variously argued that a vote for the independents is a vote for Labor or for parliamentary chaos.

Invoking the spectre of Italian-style instability, Frydenberg said on Thursday: We do not, in Australia, need the uncertainty, the chaos and the confusion of a hung parliament. We need the stability and strength and certainty of government. Most candidates are careful not to pre-empt what they would do, arguing that to do so would weaken their ability to negotiate action on their policies. Spender says her decision would depend first on how many seats each party wins and, then, on the outcome of her negotiations with both sides. Independent candidate for Wentworth Allegra Spender. Credit:Jessica Hromas Daniel says she would talk to the Coalition and Labor and assess which party is best able, and sufficiently trustworthy, to deliver on her policies. Steggall says she will factor in how many seats each side has, but that she will vote on each bill on its merits, including supply bills. Ridley is a renowned small-l liberal who welcomes the idea of a hung parliament as an opportunity for independents to extract commitments about greater accountability and integrity. He says it makes strategic sense for the independents not to commit to one side or the other before the election.

But it would be a travesty if the independents were to enter a formal arrangement, for instance, with Labor. If they were to accept ministerial positions, all bets are off. They would no longer be independent. Yes, but transparency Seasoned observers say the debate around the teal independents and their relationship with outside influences such as Climate 200 has highlighted, perhaps inadvertently, major weaknesses in Australian political probity and electoral laws. Voices of Casey candidate Claire Ferres Miles. Credit:Eddie Jim Holmes a Court estimates that Climate 200s $12 million combined with local fundraising will give the 22 independents a total of about $20 million for this election. Such heavy reliance on one avenue of funds  Climate 200  will likely leave a cloud over the independence of the independents.

In their defence, the independents say they are having to raise and spend money to get the opportunity to address problems around political money and integrity. But in reality, their budgets are a pittance compared with the $500 million the Grattan Institute predicts will be spent on the campaign overall, with major parties and Clive Palmers UAP the biggest money spinners and spenders. Loading Voices of Casey candidate Ferres Miles acknowledges some public confusion around the independents and Climate 200, but says she is completely open about the $40,000 she has received  with no strings attached. Im happy to be transparent about where my funding is coming from and I ask all candidates to do the same, she says. Thats the bigger story. Despite their complaints about the source of the independents money and their spending, the Coalition gives away next to nothing about its own money.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sought to pit Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese against Mark McGowan by styling himself as an ally of the popular West Australian premier over a shelved policy from two years before that federal Labor opposed.

Speaking to a Perth forum on Friday afternoon, Morrison said he had got state and territory leaders, including McGowan, to agree to a single touch process to fast-track major projects under a plan that sparked claims it would damage the environment, with a bill shelved from criticism from Labor and the Greens.

WA Premier Mark McGowan and Anthony Albanese at Labors campaign launch in Perth on Sunday. Credit:Trevor Collens

Anthony Albanese and federal Labor sided with the Greens, and not Premier McGowan and myself, Morrison told the forum hosted by The West Australian. Anthony Albanese is no Mark McGowan. Federal Labor is not state Labor, theyre not the same thing.

The policy was revisited in the federal budget, with $128 million set aside in a plan Environment Minister Sussan Ley said would remove red and green tape hampering project developments and boost both the bureaucracy and jobs in regional communities.
When Scott Morrison strode into Ablas Pastries in gentrifying Granville on Thursday, it marked his fifth trip to the Labor-held seat of Parramatta in the past month - more visits than any other seat in the country.

He has not been going just for fun.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Parramatta candidate Maria Kovacic campaigning with business owner Milad Abla in Granville. Credit:James Brickwood

The seat suddenly looks winnable for the Liberals Maria Kovacic, a businesswoman and co-founder of Western Sydney Women. Retiring Labor MP Julie Owens had her margin slashed in 2019 from 7.67 per cent to 3.5 per cent - a swing of the same size would see the government pick it up this time.

While much attention has been paid to the Liberals struggles against teal independents in inner-city Wentworth and North Sydney (and the Katherine Deves show in Warringah), in Sydneys west the dynamics of this election are far from settled.
A crucial window of opportunity to resurrect Lismore after the nations worst flood event is in danger of closing, insurers and banks warn.

In a letter to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, the Insurance Council of Australia chief Andrew Hall and Australian Banking Association chief Anna Bligh last month urged the government to urgently identify key actions, resources and timing for any rebuild.

Without this NSW government direction, they fear that residents and business owners will either leave the region or use insurance payouts and government grants to reinvest in areas later deemed uninhabitable.

The city is reeling after the March 2022 flood killed four people, inundated 3045 residential, commercial and industrial buildings and damaged hundreds of millions of dollars worth of critical infrastructure. Lismore City Council this week said its central business district will be uninsurable for years until mitigation works are undertaken.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has lashed out at colleague Bernie Finn for saying he was praying for abortion to be banned and warned the upper house MP to be a part of the Liberal team or leave the party and sit on the crossbench.

Other Liberal MPs are furious with Finn over Facebook posts in which he also said rape victims should not be allowed to have abortions and, according to Liberal sources, are discussing the option of expelling him from the parliamentary party.

Liberal MP Bernie Finn addressing anti-government protesters at Parliament House last year.

On Wednesday night, Finn posted on his official Facebook page that civilised societies dont kill their young. He was responding to a leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court indicating that the Roe v Wade decision, which legalised abortion nationwide, could be overturned.

So excited the US is on the verge of a major breakthrough to civilisation, Finn said. Praying it will come here soon. Killing babies is criminal.
A trophy apartment with a $44,000 bond is for rent in Bondis tower of power.

The four-bedroom penthouse in the Pacific Bondi Beach development, with a sky pool and terraces overlooking Australias most famous stretch of sand, is asking $13,500 a week.

Offered fully furnished and with utilities included, a $44,000 bond seals the deal in the deluxe beachfront apartment block on Campbell Parade, where celebrities have traded properties in the decade since it launched.

Another penthouse in the Pacific compound is also available to rent, for $13,500 a week, and carries a $40,000 bond. This one has three bedrooms and doesnt have a pool.
Shanghai: Veronica thought she did everything right by sticking to all of the COVID-19 lockdown rules in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

After the entire city was shut down on April 1, her family of four scrupulously followed government orders to stay at home, stepping out the front door only for mandatory PCR testing.

When curbs were relaxed slightly in mid-April, letting residents walk about within their compounds, Veronica and her neighbours all wore masks. For weeks, their housing estate was free of COVID-19.

Even residents in locked compounds are catching COVID after isolating for weeks. Credit:Bloomberg

But in late April, after what Veronica thinks was her 12th PCR test, she, another member of her family, and a handful of neighbours tested positive.
On Tuesday, May 3, the world celebrated International Press Freedom Day, which inspired this article along with the recent press developments on our island. It is an honor to serve in this noble profession and I look forward to contributing towards the professions value, impact, and legacy.

As a member of the St. Martin press and representative of my media house, I have noted with deep concern the need to ensure that freedom of the press, as enshrined in article 10 of the constitution, is never trampled upon. Having been critical of the media policy issued by the Jacobs-led Council of Ministers, I am glad to see that the policy was not enforced as intended on May 1, 2022, and that the Prime Minister, Silveria Jacobs, will discuss the policy with the media. Reactive measures by heads of state can lead to devastating circumstances. Every dictator in history has proven that. Therefore such attempts by a government to sway, censor or control the media can never be tolerated in our democracy. That includes the Trumpian attacks on the media that several Members of Parliament have spewed.

The media is the fourth estate in the checks and balances system; a pillar of our democracy just like the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government. I am 100% in favor of a policy to ensure that order and professionalism are standards in the press briefing. Many can agree that theres room for improvement, but inclusion and respect cannot be forbidden to accomplish a deed by any means to an uncertain end. As a journalism graduate and having been trained to be a multimedia journalist I have to first admit that some media houses on St. Martin have had its moments where a disservice was rendered to the island whether it be in the framing of narratives, false publications, or baseless statements that lacked key facts, fairness or follow up. Nevertheless, no profession is without fault or failure, which is why I applaud the members of our local press whove decided to form a press association and set our own standards and guidelines, similar to that of our peers in the region and internationally.

As a society, we must also place a greater value on the work of the press, which includes financial support for qualitative, independent, and investigative journalism; it's a career that places you on the front lines of national and community development every day. Holidays, disasters, and other events do not stop the duty one has to report or investigate the news. And while the verbal intent of the policy was to raise the bar of information sharing by the government, the government also has a responsibility to respond to questions directly and truthfully. This includes responding to emails, letters, or messages in a timely manner. Every media house can attest to not having questions answered when submitted in either of the above mediums. That is a disrespect to our profession and the population. I encourage the nations leaders to refrain from adopting the mindset as stated in the following quote from the French military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte when said, Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.

This is why a government body cannot be the entity responsible for accrediting the media as outlined in the policy among several gross infractions which will be ironed out with the upcoming meeting with the Prime Minister. For example, the case of Gromyko Wilson and 721 News is one that led to a controversy a few weeks ago. Wilson has an economic license to run his media entity, received permission to run a business by a Minister, (civil servants need that permission- whether all are in possession of such is another story), and was given an off day during the date of the briefing yet was kicked out. Wilson is now exempted from receiving notices or press releases from the government which also limits his audience from official information. Without legal basis or liaison with the press core, such a phenomenon that can taint a governing administration.

This is just one of several matters that can be debated but the sole entity to accredit, and uphold industry standards for the media, is and must be the press association. Press freedom is a long-fought battle on St. Martin. It started with Jose Lake Sr. who was economically choked to the point where people had to hide to read his newspaper, the Windward Island Opinion, due to its critique of Claude Wathey and the Democratic Partys rule on the island. Theres also a history of intimidation, bribery, and abuse of power in order to silence or shut down journalists on St. Martin.

Therefore considering all mentioned, its only right that I end this Op-Ed with the expression from the creative element of Caribbean media, which is a line from the great Calypsonian, King Short Shirt who once said:

I was born in this land

Ah go die in this land

nobody go run me from where me come from

Nobody go run me, lard

me mumma mus nyam

me puppa mus nyam

me woman mus nyam

me picknee mus nyam.

PS- the above piece is the sole opinion of the author.

- Ralph S. Cantave.
~Workers will lose 3 vacation days for 2022.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Management of NV GEBE has opted not to not to make base changes in the salaries of their employees in order to implement the Temporary National Ordinance that was passed on March 16th, 2021.

An internal notice sent to the employees states that the management of NV GEBE has decided to deduct 3 vacation days will be deducted automatically from all employees, while the vacation allowances for 2022 will be reinstated effective immediately and will be paid in accordance with the employees' Collective Labor Agreement (CLA).

The companys management also informed its staff that the 2022 bonus will be paid as customary with the payroll of 2022.

The internal notice further states that it is important not to make changes to the base salary of its employees, as this relates to the core of their employment.

Below are the letters sent to the employees defining the decisions taken by the company regarding their salaries and benefits.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Sint Maartens Carnival Festival Village on Pond Island has been renamed, the Jocelyn Arndell Festival Village, after the person who contributed significantly to the identity, development, and progression of Sint Maartens culture.

On Tuesday evening May 3rd, 2022, during a ceremonial launch, the unveiling of the Jocelyn Arndell Festival Village sign took place at the entrance of the Festival Village.

The event which was hosted by the Honorable Minister of VROMI Mr. Egbert Jurendy Doran, also saw in attendance His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten, Drs. Eugene Holiday, Honorable Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, Chairlady of Parliament Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Honorable Minister of Education Culture Youth and Sport Drs. Rodolphe Samuel, Honorable Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion, Honorable President of the Collectivity Louis Mussington, Chair of Parliament Aruba and Curacao as well as Members of these respective Parliaments, Mrs. Ingrid Arndell, wife of the late Jocelyn Arndell and family, other invited family and friends of the late J. Arndell, St. Maarten Government Buildings Foundation SOG President Kurt Ruan and St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation President Alston Lourens.

The event started with words of welcome by the MC for the evening Mr. Fernando Clark, followed by a prayer by Mr. Harold Richardson.

This was followed by the Sint Maarten Song which was rendered by Mr. Leroy Brooks, known as King Beau Beau.

A heartwarming tribute was rendered by the Honorable Minister of VROMI Egbert Jurendy Doran.

In his speech, the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert Doran highlighted Arndells hard work, dedication, and contributions in his function as a Civil Servant as well as towards the cultural development of Sint Maarten often going above and beyond the call of duty to serve his country.

The Minister stated that in 1970 Mr. Jocelyn Arndell and his team were the initiators of the cultural village and festivities that have brought us to where we are today in terms of it being Sint Maartens largest cultural festivity.

Minister Doran quoted the late Martin Luther Kings words: Everybody can be great because everybody can serve and also encouraged everyone to play their role in serving Sint Maarten.

If Mr. Jocelyn Arndell had not served, we would not be standing here today, the Minister stated.

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was the crowd-moving renditions given by four (4) surviving members of the Tanny and the Boys band, of which Mr. Arndell who loved music with a passion was a member for decades where he played the guiro, the marimba, and the accordion.

Representing the family, Mr. Arndells son Everard (Ebby) Arndell, stated that his father, although--not seeking any--received various recognitions and awards throughout his lifetime, but that the naming the Festival Village in his honor, was like lighting the candle on top of his cake.

He expressed his gratitude to Minister Doran and the team and stated that if he had the opportunity to tell his father that the Festival Village was named after him, his father would have asked him which great mind came up with that idea?

The evening continued with more speeches and encouraging words given by The Honorable Minister Samuel, Mr. Kurt Ruan, and Mr. Alston Lourens.

During the unveiling of the sign that stated Jocelyn Arndell Festival Village, a beautiful rendition by Mr. Isidore York and Dows Musical Foundation was given.

The event closed off with a rendition by King Beau Beau with his song Sint Maarten Sweet, together with the Flag Lady Aishira Cecilia, who was joined by Roadmarch Queen Singing Olivia, Groovy Soca King Magicx, and the 2022 reigning Carnival Queens Talya Panthophlet and Doraniya Pascal.

The Honorable Minister Egbert Jurendy Doran wishes to thank the Council of Ministers, his Cabinet, the Secretary of VROMI and his Team, the family of Mr. Jocelyn Arndell, all participants in the program, and all who made it possible for the event to have been an astounding success.
Rheinmetall Boosts Profitability in the First Quarter: Operating Result and Margin Improved Further

a Consolidated sales of a1,266 million on a par with the previous year

a Consolidated operating result increases from a84 million to a92 million aA growth of 10%

a Further improvement in operating margin a 7.3% after 6.7% in the sameA quarter of the previous year

a Continued high growth in orders

a Annual forecast for 2022 confirmed

DAsseldorf-based Rheinmetall AG further strengthened its profitability in the first quarter of 2022 while maintaining stable business performance. As a result, the technology group is on course to achieve its ambitious profitability target for fiscal 2022 and further boost income.

The Rheinmetall Group confirmed its annual forecast from March 2022 and is anticipating growth in sales in conjunction with a higher operating margin and, in turn, a further improved operating result in fiscal 2022.

Armin Papperger, Chief Executive Officer of Rheinmetall AG: aRheinmetall is continuing its successful course. Along with consistently high sales, we even managed to further boost our performance in the first quarter. In the current security policy situation, we now consider ourselves well positioned to make valuable contributions to strengthening defence capabilities in numerous countries. Political leaders have sent clear signals. Now these have to be turned into concrete measures. We at Rheinmetall are ready for this. Responsibility for freedom and security a that is our mission through our security technologies business.a

Armin Papperger: aThanks to our civil sector activities, we are making valuable contributions to the technological transformation in the mobility sector. With a growing share of sales attributable to alternative drive technologies, we are well positioned to drive forward the transformation of the industry and leverage new growth potential for us. Responsibility is important here, too a for the transformation toward climate-friendly mobility and new forms of energy supply, for example by means of hydrogen technology.a

Rheinmetall AG: sales level unchanged a operating margin increases to 7.3%

At a1,266 million, consolidated sales in the first quarter of 2022 were on a par with the previous year (a1,268 million).

The operating result increased significantly in the first three months of the year compared with the same period of the previous year. At a92 million, the operating result exceeded the previous yeara?s figure of a84 million by a8 million. This improvement was achieved primarily through increased sales in the highest-margin division, Weapon and Ammunition. The operating margin of 7.3% exceeded the previous yeara?s level of 6.7%.

The consolidated operating result after taxes increased from a58 million in the same quarter of the previous year to a61 million in the first quarter of 2022, with earnings per share also increasing accordingly. Earnings per share from continuing operations improved in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 compared with the previous year from a1.05 to a1.08.

Vehicle Systems: orders worth almost a400 million acquired in the first quarter

The Vehicle Systems division, which operates in the sector of military wheeled and tracked vehicles, generated sales of a400 million in the first quarter of 2022, a9 million (2.2%) down on the previous yeara?s figure. The order intake compared with the previous yeara?s figure increased by a220 million to a398 million. This increase can be attributed primarily to the order for the shipment of Boxer vehicles in the Mechanized Infantry Vehicle (MIV) project in Great Britain. The order backlog also increased significantly from a9.2 billion (March 31, 2021) to a10.5 billion (March 31, 2022). This equates to growth of a1.3 billion (14.2%).

Despite a slight fall in sales, the operating result improved in the first three months of 2022 from a25 million to a29 million. This positive trend can be attributed to an improved product mix and strict cost management. The operating margin of 7.2% exceeded the previous yeara?s level of 6.2%.

Weapon and Ammunition: new order intake record

With its operations in the field of weapon systems and ammunition, the Weapon and Ammunition division generated sales of a258 million in the first quarter of 2022, up a37 million (17%) on the previous yeara?s level. This significant growth in sales can be attributed primarily to deliveries of ammunition and propellants to an international customer. The order intake in the first quarter of 2022 reached a record a1,145 million (previous year: a228 million), with a high-volume ammunition order from Hungary making a significant contribution here. As at March 31, 2022, therefore, the order backlog increased by a1.0 billion (37.4%) to a3.8 billion (previous year: a2.8 billion).

The operating result increased by a14 million to a32 million (previous year: a18 million), a trend that can be attributed not only to the growth in sales but also higher income from investments. This resulted in a significant increase in the operating margin to 12.3% (previous year: 8.2%).

Electronic Solutions: order backlog increases to a2.6 billion

The Electronic Solutions division, which develops and produces solutions in the field of defence electronics, generated sales of a168 million and so remained on a par with the previous year (previous year: a167 million). By contrast, the order intake increased significantly by a105 million (48%) to a323 million. Major new orders in the first quarter of 2022 included battle helmets for the German armed forces and an air defence project for an international customer. The order backlog as at March 31, 2022, was a2.6 billion (previous year: a2.3 billion).

The operating result in the first quarter of 2022 declined by a7 million to a4 million (previous year: a11 million), which can be attributed primarily to the acquisition of the activities of drone manufacturer EMT and to higher costs associated with the establishment of know-how in the field of cyber security. The operating margin, therefore, fell to 2.2% (previous year: 6.4%).

Sensors and Actuators: stable operating margin in a declining market environment

Sales in the Sensors and Actuators division, which develops components and control systems for reducing emissions and for thermal management on behalf of global automotive manufacturers, fell in the first quarter of 2022 to a347 million (previous year: a372 million). This a25 million (around 7%) decrease can be attributed primarily to reduced customer call-offs as a result of the global decline in the market for light vehicles. In contrast, booked business for the first three months of fiscal 2022 increased by a366 million to a volume of a1,022 million (previous year: a656 million), with 15% of this attributable to business in the field of e-mobility and trucks.

The operating result fell in the first quarter of 2022 by a2 million to a26 million (previous year: a28 million). However, at 7.5%, the operating margin remained at the previous yeara?s high level (previous year: 7.5%).

Materials and Trade: sales and operating result increased

The Materials and Trade division, which supplies plain bearings and structural components and is responsible for the global aftermarket business with automotive components, increased sales in the first quarter of 2022 to a190 million, exceeding the previous yeara?s figure by a31 million (around 19%). This growth in sales can be attributed primarily to strong aftermarket performance. In the first three months of fiscal 2022, the division achieved booked business of a210 million. This represents an increase compared with the previous year of around 21% (previous year: a173 million). More than 50% of booked business is attributable to projects in the field of e-mobility as well as truck and industry business.

In the first three months of 2022, the operating result of the Materials and Trade division increased from a14 million to a16 million. While the increased sales had a positive impact on earnings performance, material price increases had a negative impact on the result. The operating margin decreased slightly to 8.4% (previous year: 8.7%).

Outlook: strong sales growth with stable high margins

The annual forecast communicated to the capital market in March 2022 remains unchanged on the basis of currently available market forecasts. For fiscal 2022, the Rheinmetall Group is anticipating not only growth in sales but also an improved operating result along with a higher operating margin.

The Rheinmetall Groupa?s annual sales are expected to increase organically by between 15% and 20% against the previous yeara?s level in fiscal 2022 (previous yeara?s sales: a5,658 million). This growth forecast assumes that the German governmenta?s plans regarding possible procurements from the defence budget for 2022 and from the special German armed forces fund to be created will materialize as announced.

Based on this current sales forecast and taking into account holding costs, in fiscal 2022 Rheinmetall is expecting to see an improvement in the Group operating result and a Group operating margin of over 11% (previous yeara?s margin: 10.5%).

Forward-looking statements and projections

This publication includes forward-looking statements. These statements are based on Rheinmetall AGa?s current estimatesA and projections and information available at this stage. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance. They depend on a number of factors, include various risks and uncertainties and are based on assumptionsA that may prove to be incorrect. Rheinmetall is under no obligation to update the forward-looking statements in thisA publication.
Annual General Meeting

The Board of Griffin Mining Ltd (\the Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/griffin-mining-ltd/ ) is pleased to announce that all the resolutions put to the shareholders of the Company at the Annual General Meeting held today were duly passed.

Dean Moore and Linda Naylor have therefore been appointed directors of the Company.A Dal Brynelsen did not seek re-election as a director. A The shareholders and directors expressed their appreciation for Dal Brynelsena? s long standing contribution to the Company who has been instrumental in the drive, political and technical issues which have found, developed and operated the Caijiaying Mine and propelled the success of the Company. With his reputation unmatched, he remains a giant of the mining industry and his presence and enthusiasm at the holding company level cannot be replaced. Mr Brynelsen will remain a director of the Companya?s operating subsidiary in China, Hebei Hua Ao Mining Industry Company Limited, so the Company can continue to benefit from his mining expertise and his wealth of knowledge on operations, logistics and local issues in China.

Dean Moore is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales with extensive public company experience having previously been Chief Financial Officer at Cineworld Group plc, N Brown Group plc, T&S Stores plc and Graham Group plc and formerly non-executive Chairman of Tuxedo Money Solutions Limited. He is currently a Director and Interim Chief Financial Officer of Dignity plc and an independent non-executive director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee at Cineworld Group plc and Audit Committee Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Volex plc.

Linda Naylor is a graduate of the London School of Economics and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. A former partner in Grant Thornton UK LLP, her experience has been gained over more than twenty years working as a Nominated Adviser in the Capital Markets team and as an Audit Partner specialising in the natural resource sector. She was Chair of the Audit Committee whilst a Governor of Portsmouth University. As Finance Director of AIM listed Chaarat Gold Holdings Limited from 2009 to 2018, she worked as part of a small executive team. Her responsibilities encompassed financial reporting, investor relations and fund raising as that company transitioned from gold explorer to developer in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Additional Information

In accordance with the AIM Rules, the following information required to be disclosed in relation to each of the directors is set out below. Other than this information, there is no further information required to be disclosed under Rule 17 and paragraph (g) of Schedule Two of the AIM Rules.

Dean Moore

Full name and age:

Dean Roderick Moore, aged 64

Current directorships:

Dignity (2002) Limited

Dignity PLC

Thought Provoking Consulting Limited

Volex PLC

Cineworld Group PLC

Former directorships (previous five years):

Tuxedo Money Solutions Limited

Ordinary Shares held in the Company:

100 Ordinary Shares held in the Company

Linda Naylor

Full name and age:

Linda Naylor, aged 61

(Other/previous names: Linda Tipple, Linda Hayman)

Current directorships:

Silver Birch Mews Management Limited

Former directorships (previous five years):

Chaarat Gold Holdings Limited

Zaav Holdings Limited

Ak-Shirak Holdings Limited

At-Bashi Holdings Limited

Chon-Tash Holdings Limited

Goldex Asia Holdings Limited

Chaarat Zaav CJSC

Chaarat Operating Company GmbH

Central Asia Services Limited

Ordinary Shares held in the Company:

Linda Naylor has a beneficial interest in 20,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company (including 10,000 Ordinary Shares owned by Linda Naylora?s husband)

About Griffin Mining LimitedA

Griffin Mining Limiteda?s shares are quoted on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange (symbol GFM). Griffin Mining Limited owns and operates in China, through its 88.8% owned Joint Venture stock company, the Caijiaying Zinc Gold Mine, a profitable mine producing zinc, gold, silver, and lead metals in concentrates. For more information, please visit the Companya?s website www.griffinmining.com.

Further information

Griffin Mining Limited

Mladen Ninkov a ChairmanA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Telephone: +44(0)20 7629 7772

Roger Goodwin a Finance Director

Panmure Gordon (UK) LimitedA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Telephone: +44 (0)20 7886 2500

John Prior

Dominic MorleyA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

BerenbergA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Telephone:A +44(0)20 3207 7800

Matthew Armitt

Jennifer Wyllie

Deltir Elezi

Swiss Resource Capital AGA A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A info@resource-capital.ch

Jochen StaigerA A A A A

Griffin Mining Limiteda?s shares are quoted on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange (symbol GFM).

The Companya?s news releases are available on the Companya?s web site: www.griffinmining.com
Jake McLaughlin (Quantico) and Iantha Richardson (American Soul) are set as leads opposite Ramon Rodriguez and Erika Christensen in ABCs drama pilot Will Trent, from 20th Television.McLaughlin will play Michael, who was raised upper-middle class in the Atlanta suburbs and served overseas in the Army until an injury sent him home, where hes now a Detective with the APD. He has the vibe of a man who grew up watching tough-guy, anti-hero cops and now is excited to be one himself. Michael has a wife and kid at home, but youd never know it by talking to him.Richardson portrays Faith, Wills partner. Faith was born into a law-enforcement family, is armed with wicked wit and always considered herself one of the boys, then got pregnant at 14. But now shes pulled her life together to become a Detective. Faiths new assignment with Will is going to be her biggest challenge yet, but shes up for it, and she knows it could be a shortcut to becoming one of the top agents at the GBI.
New York, 1 May 2022 (SPS) - The International Criminal Justice Club and the Center for international Human Rights at John Jay College in New York, USA, organized on Friday a digital conference on Western Sahara: Africas Last Colony, during which the crimes of the Moroccan occupation in Western Sahara and its obstacles to the work of the MINURSO were reviewed.



Sidi Mohamed Omar, member of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front, representative to the United Nations and coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and lawyer Caitlin Thomas, who specializes in international law and conflict resolution, gave lectures during the conference, while the discussion was moderated by Dr. Charlotte Walker Said , Professor in the Department of African Studies and Director of the Master's Program on Human Rights at John Jay College.



In his intervention, Sidi Mohamed Ammar touched on the political history of the issue of Western Sahara and the stages of the Sahrawi peoples struggle against Spanish colonialism and Moroccan occupation. He also explained the nature of the legitimacy crisis inherent in the authoritarian Moroccan regime and its resort to the expansion policy as a means to manage its internal crises, as well as the geopolitical considerations of some international actors that bear responsibility for obstructing the decolonization of the last colony in Africa.



For her part, lawyer Caitlin Thomas presented the legal aspects of the Sahrawi issue in light of the ruling of the International Court of Justice and United Nations resolutions that "consolidate the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and clearly demonstrate that Morocco has no right to claim the territory that it continues to occupy illegally in complete contradiction to the rules of international law and international humanitarian law.

The lawyer also touched on her experience with MINURSO as a legal affairs officer in the mission, with reference to "the number of Moroccan obstacles that prevented the holding of the self-determination referendum and the failure of the UN Security Council to ensure the mission's implementation of the mandate established by the Council for it due to some geopolitical calculations", and concluded that the referendum remains the only way to achieve a lasting and just solution to the issue of decolonization of Western Sahara.

062/T
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HAMDEN  Mayor Lauren Garrett has halted all record destruction amid controversy over the recent destruction of Police Department files.

I have ordered an immediate stop to any further destruction of records town-wide while I review and initiate policies and procedures to ensure that requests for documents for destruction are communicated openly between Town and State officials, and to make sure that Hamden complies with record-keeping and record retention laws and also with the Freedom of Information Act, according to a release, Garrett said Thursday in a statement.

She also has ordered that the Police Department provide the town with a copy of each civilian complaint it receives, according to the statement.

Details of the controversial document shredding came to light Monday after police Commissioner Daniel Dunn told reporters he learned records he had requested under the Freedom of Information Act may have been destroyed.

Dunn filed a request Feb. 25, asking to review civilian complaints dating back to 2016.

Several weeks earlier, he made a separate request for internal affairs files during a police commission meeting. Both requests  and the delay in fulfilling them  remained a point of contention during an April commission meeting.

Yet by that point, the Police Department already had sought  and had been granted  state permission to destroy some of the records.

A form signed March 3 by Chief of Police John Sullivan asks the Connecticut State Library to approve destruction of unsubstantiated internal affairs files dating from 2018 to 2020. Garrett signed the request March 9.

By doing so, both signed a statement indicating the documents were not, in their opinion, subject to any pending action.

Garrett has said she was unaware of Dunns request when she signed the document and only learned last week that the records in question were related to a FOI request.

Sullivan repeatedly has declined to comment.

With all thats going on, he said Friday, ... I really cant talk. I really apologize.

He did, however, say the department has provided Town Attorney Sue Gruen with records relating to the incident in response to a request from the Strengthening Police & Community Partnerships Executive Committee.

The SPCP, which is operating independently of the town, launched its own inquiry into the matter. It seeks to determine whether the records destruction was intentional or the result of an oversight.

Gruen, who handles FOI requests for the town and Police Department, did not return multiple requests for comment this week.

The state library approved the destruction on March 17. After learning of the FOI request late last week, however, it halted disposition of destruction requests from the Hamden Police Department.

Though destroying records requires permission from the mayor, chief of police and the state library, Garrett wrote in her release, these permissions are not intended to override state regulations concerning record-keeping, record retention and FOIA requests, but only to certify when certain records can be disposed of consistent with those regulations.

Garrett has said the shredding did take place.

But it is unclear exactly when the shredding occurred. On the form documenting the destruction request, Hamden proposed carrying it out on whatever date it received the go-ahead.

Civilian complaints  the subject of Dunns FOI request  were among the shredded documents, according to the mayor. Fortunately, she said, most of the information is backed up electronically.

While the electronic files also were supposed to be destroyed, Garrett previously told the New Haven Register, they were not.

In her release, Garrett said she had been alarmed to learn that, after certain documents were requested by a member of the Police Commission under FOIA, the Police Department sought permission to destroy those documents from the State of Connecticut, Connecticut State Library, Office of the Public Records Administrator.

Those documents included citizen complaints, and though we still have most of the requested documents, the timing of this request gives an appearance of impropriety, she said.

We will continue to communicate with the Connecticut State Library, the agency that authorizes record destruction, as well as with the Freedom of Information Commission, for counsel and guidance in order to ensure that the Town of Hamden is in full compliance with these important laws.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Friday in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, in a new effort to organize humanitarian assistance for strife-torn Myanmar, a goal that critics feel falls short of addressing the causes of the crisis in the military-run nation.

The meeting, which some participants joined by video, was attended by high-level representatives from Myanmar and the other nine member states of ASEAN, its external partners, United Nations specialized agencies and other international organizations. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN.

No details of any agreements at the meeting were released. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is also ASEAN's special envoy on Myanmar, said at a news conference that progress had been made, and wrote on his Facebook page that the meeting produced promising outcomes and directions.

The meeting was part of an attempt to revive a five-point consensus on Myanmar reached by ASEAN in April last year. That consensus was reached in response to violence that swept Myanmar after the military in February 2021 seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and used lethal force to quash opposition to its takeover.

The consensus calls for the immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue among concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties. Prak Sokhonn said Friday's meeting added momentum to implementing the five-point consensus. He said he would make a second trip to Myanmar in his capacity of special envoy in the next few weeks.

Myanmar initially agreed to the consensus but then made scant effort to implement it. Its stonewalling led fellow ASEAN members to block Myanmar's leaders since last October from attending major meetings of the regional grouping.

At the same time, armed resistance to military rule has increased to the extent that some U.N. experts say the country is now in a state of civil war. Myanmars military has launched large-scale operations, including air strikes in several areas of the country, generating large numbers of displaced people.

In an effort to eliminate havens for armed opponents, the governments tactics have included burning down entire villages and restricting access to essential supplies such as food.

About 924,800 people remain displaced across Myanmar as of April 25, including 578,200 people who have fled their homes as a result of conflict and insecurity since the military takeover, according to an assessment by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Humanitarian access to conflict-affected and displaced people remains heavily restricted and there are significant gaps in assistance to these communities despite continued efforts by humanitarian partners and local organizations, it said.

Even if access to those in need is eased, relief efforts face funding challenges. Myanmar is one of the regions poorest countries, and its economy has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the political upheaval, making foreign assistance an imperative.

The U.N.'s 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks to reach a record 6.2 million people and requires $826 million, the world body announced last month. To date, it is only 4% funded, it said.

Critics of Myanmars military government suggest that any attempt to implement the five-point consensus is a waste of time.

ASEANs credibility depends on its ability to act in accordance with the reality of the situation in Myanmar, the non-partisan group ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights said in an open letter last month to ASEAN leaders. The group cannot expect the military to abide by the terms of the Five-Point Consensus or to any international or humanitarian norm for that matter.

The lawmakers group said it is imperative that the member states escalate measures to put real pressure on the military to stop it from brutalizing its own population and turning the country into a failed state.

Measures it suggested include the suspension of Myanmars membership in ASEAN, regional travel bans for Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and members of his ruling military council, and targeted sanctions against them that include their sources of economic support. Western nations such as the United States and Britain have already implemented similar bans and sanctions.

Critics of Myanmars military believe any breakthrough toward resolving the crisis must ultimately involve the countrys National Unity Government, the main organization representing opposition forces. The group, set up by elected lawmakers who were denied their seats by the army takeover, considers itself the countrys legitimate government and has widespread public support. The countrys military leaders, however, have officially designated it an outlawed terrorist organization and refuse to engage with it.

The open letter from the lawmakers group called on ASEAN to immediately and publicly meet with the NUG, an appeal that met with a positive response on Twitter from Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. He said he had informally met via video with the NUG foreign minister ahead of a conference of ASEAN foreign ministers in February.

Saifuddin later said Malaysia would propose that ASEAN engage informally with the NUG because no progress had been made in a year in implementing the five-point consensus.

We are not proposing for ASEAN to recognize other governments, but such informal engagement may be conceivable, especially on how humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar who are still in their country can be delivered, he said.

Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry quickly rejected his proposal as irresponsible and reckless."

-

Associated Press writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DANBURY  The city has officially earned a state grant that will cover 80 percent of the expected $164 million cost for its proposed career academy.

Its an achievement for the proposed landmark school that would serve about 1,400 middle and high school students and be constructed at the former Cartus Corp. property.

I want to express my appreciation for the passage of the special legislation for the Danbury Career Academy to receive a reimbursement rate of eighty percent for the new construction project including site acquisition, eligible costs and the associated Board of Education central facility project, Mayor Dean Esposito said in a written statement.

Approval of the grant comes about a month before the June 7 referendum where residents will vote on borrowing money for the project as part of a $208 million package for school projects and improvements.

School officials did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday afternoon.

The new school is modeled after a program in Nashville where Danbury students would study various career pathways through six academies. These opportunities will be available to students at the new school, as well as the existing high school.

The new school would host the Academy of Scientific Innovation & Medicine and the Academy of Global Enterprise & Economics. The existing high school would house the Academies of Innovation Technology & Cyber Security, Professional & Public Service, Art, Engineering & Design, and Communications & Design.

City and education officials see the school as a way to reduce overcrowding at the growing middle and high schools. Danburys enrollment has risen rapidly, and the citys building projects have been unable to keep up.

But the plans to purchase the 30 acre Cartus property, with potential opportunities to buy additional adjacent land, could give Danbury schools space for future expansion. The school districts central offices may also move to the campus.

Esposito praised state Rep. David Arconti, D-Danbury, for his passion and determination to get the legislation passed, saying that without his leadership we could not have achieved this remarkable opportunity for the Danbury Public Schools system, and the City of Danbury.

Im thrilled, Arconti said of the approval.

He was instrumental two years ago in getting previous legislation passed that would have paved the way for Danbury to earn an 80 percent reimbursement to build this school within the Summit development. That approval came down to the wire and would have created a pilot program to provide state grants for schools renovated within a commercial space.

When the school location changed to the career academy, the state needed to approve new legislation for the project.

This time, it was easier to get the money included in the state budget, Arconti said. The administration was on board, and officials had negotiated with the state Department of Administrative Services to get it in. The language related to the pilot program in the 2020 legilsation is now nullified, he said.

It was a pretty smooth process this year, Arconti said. It took a lot of work, but less tough negotiations than it was two years ago.

He said the Cartus property is a better choice for the school.

Im just really looking for to seeing the end product, said Arconti, adding the academy paradigm could become a model for other communities.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  U.S. Rep. Jim Himes gave Stamford High School students a brief lesson on civics and politics Friday morning and told them to beware of investment deals too good to pass up.

The lesson was part of a nationwide online competition that teaches students about personal finance and investing.

The annual event, dubbed the Capitol Hill Challenge, involves every American congressional district. Each district is paired with its corresponding congressperson, which in this case is Himes, a Democrat representing Connecticut in the House.

Students who take part in the challenge are given a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, cash and environmental, social and corporate governance investments, or ESG, and are expected to invest it into stocks. One caveat is that they can only invest up to 25 percent of their total into any one stock.

During a brief speech and a question-and-answer segment, Himes gave the students some investment advice.

Higher returns tend to come with more risky investments, he said to a small gathering of students from the high schools personal finance and entrepreneurship classes. So you just have to ask yourself, How much risk am I willing to take?

Another rule of thumb: If it sounds too good to true, it probably is, because there are scammers out there, said Himes, who was a banker for 12 years before becoming a congressman.

The Capitol Hill Challenge is organized by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Foundation, an educational nonprofit arm of the association. The umbrella organization is an industry trade group that represents securities firms, banks and asset management companies across the globe.

A trio of students at Stamfords Academy of Information Technology and Engineering, one of the districts three high schools, finished second place in the competition last year against a total of 10,000 students who participated in the challenge.

Each of the winning AITE students received a cash prize of $500 dollars for finishing in second place.

Sophomore Avi Shapiro was one of the students in the audience for Himes visit and asked the congressman about the role of Congress in developing and building the United States economy.

Himes answered with an example.

What value is it to have a movie theater if you cant drive there because the roads are terrible? he asked. Well, the city of Stamford needs to make sure the roads are good.

After the event, Shapiro said he enjoyed getting to hear Himes in person.

He helped explain some things that might have been complicated before and gave us good insight from someone who has experience in the field, he said.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NORTH BRANFORD  Gov. Ned Lamont and other state officials visited DeFrancesco Farm in Northford on Thursday to tour the farms greenhouses and learn about the steps the DeFrancesco family has taken to make their farm more environmentally friendly.

Lamont was joined by Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes and Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hulburt on the tour led by the DeFrancesco family, comprised of current owner Joe DeFrancesco and his wife, Linda, and their sons Joe, Alex and Michael. Their other son Darren was working but popped by to welcome Lamont.

DeFrancesco Farm has been in operation since 1907 and has more than 120 acres of fields and an additional 10 acres of greenhouses where plants are grown for wholesale.

During the tour, Linda and her son Joe detailed how the greenhouses have been updated over the years to become more efficient. The efficiency saves water, energy and gas.

Every roof has a weather station, Linda said, adding that the roof will adjust itself based on the current weather.

But, if a sudden storm or even a tornado, which Linda said has happened, rolls in, a worker can override the system manually. Her son Joe explained that the management systems in the greenhouses were also updated over the last few years to be controlled by smart devices.

Everything is completely automated, Linda said.

The hanging baskets in the greenhouses are watered by a drip irrigation system which conserves water and reduces waste. Plants on tables in the greenhouse are watered using a trough system, where the plant soaks up the water it needs from the bottom, and water is recycled once it gets to the end of the trough.

While walking through the greenhouses, Lamont asked the family about the farms history, where they source their clippings and plants from, and what flowers were most popular. The answer  geraniums.

Plants from the greenhouse are packaged by some of the roughly one dozen workers, plus the family, and sold wholesale throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey, the family said.

Linda told Lamont how fruits and vegetables used to be brought to New Haven by horse and buggy by their ancestors in the 20th century. The farmers would return to Northford with as much as $20 after a day of sales back then, she said.

I love how far these farms go back, Lamont said.

The farm and greenhouse both use beneficial insects instead of pesticide, which is handled by Michael and has been for 15 or 20 years he said.

There is a clump of sawdust in each plant where the bugs make their home, Michael said.

About a tablespoon of sawdust, with the insects are placed in each hanging basket of flowers.

Good bugs to eat the bad bugs! Michaels brother Joe said.

About once a week, the farm gets a delivery of the insects. Michael estimates the business spends about $45,000 to $50,000 on mites annually, which has cut their chemical costs by about 50 percent to just over $100,000 a year.

The greenhouses are also heated using wood chips and a biomass furnace, which can get up to about 1,000 degrees.

The family receives wood chips from arborists that would normally take them to the dump. Instead, the wood chips get used and the farm is able to reduce its gas usage.

Lamont was also interested in what event or holiday brought in the most sales. The family said Mothers Day, which made him laugh.

What about Fathers Day? Lamont laughed as he walked through the greenhouse.

After the tour of the greenhouses, the governor and other officials traveled slightly up the road to Alex DeFrancescos brewery, Stewards of the Land, which uses as many local and hyper-local ingredients as possible.

The brewery has a honey gold beer that uses local honey and had a maple beer back in February and March using local maple syrup.

Lamont tried the Cinco de Mayo special Milkshake IPA called Lime in Da Coconut while at the brewery and sat with the family on the patio to learn more about their business and farm.

I like your beer. This is so good, Lamont told Alex DeFrancesco with a smile.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
MILFORD  Fifteen student musicians from the Milford Public Schools represented the district at the recent CT All-State Music Festival, an annual program conducted by the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA).

The three-day festival was held in April at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford with more than 550 top student musicians invited to perform.

Milford Public Schools is so proud of these young musicians and their accomplishments, said Amy Perras, Instruction Supervisor for Music in the district.

The opportunity for Milford to be represented with so many talented musicians at the Connecticut All State Festival is a direct reflection of the amazing team of music educators we have here in Milford as well as the commitment Milford Public Schools has made to the arts, Perras added. These students represent our finest musicians, and we thank them for their commitment and dedication to music.

Students were selected through a rigorous audition process held earlier in the year during the CMEAs regional conventions in February. The audition process included performing a set of memorized scales, sight-reading, and the performance of a prepared solo audition piece.

The festival concluded with a student concert, performed for their families. Ikeoluwatomiwa Opayemi, a sophomore from Jonathan Law High School was awarded a solo in the concert as an alto vocalist.

The student vocalist from Foran High School was Olivia Salai (alto). The student vocalists from Jonathan Law were Angela Chu (alto), Jasper Chu (tenor), Kalli Kinsman (alto), Marisa Laviano (alto), Ikeoluwatomiwa Opayemi (alto), Eric Relucio (tenor), Rhyza Reyes (alto), Shruti Simhadri (soprano), Hannah Sullivan (alto), and Emma Vaccino (alto).

Instrumental participants from Foran High School included Noah Held (bass clarinet) and Ryan Purviance (string bass). Participants from Jonathan Law included Oliver Harrigan (clarinet) and Christopher Rickard (euphonium).

Joseph A. Foran High School Principal Max Berkowitz praised all the students who earned the prestigious honor of participating in the All-State Music Festival.

While their skill and talent are obvious, Berkowitz said, it is their passion, dedication, and commitment to their craft that is most impressive. Their love of music has such a positive impact on their lives and our entire school community.

Jonathan Law High School Principal Bryan Darcy concurred.

I want to congratulate all the students who participated, Darcy said. They have all worked extremely hard. Their passion for music education inspires all of us.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
Ron Chapple / Getty Image

NORTH HAVEN  A man was charged with attempting to break into a North Haven jewelry store earlier this year, according to police.

North Haven police officers were called to a jewelry store on Washington Avenue for an attempted burglary at around 4 a.m. on January 25. At the store, police noticed a window was significantly damaged, though no one actually went inside the store, according to the North Haven Police Department.
Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD  A collection of local activist groups will hold a march for abortion rights in front of the Stamford/Norwalk Judicial District Courthouse on Sunday, May 15.

Stamford-based feminist activist group Pink Wave Action, along with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Women's March, Ultraviolet, MoveOn, Ultraviolet and other community leaders, will gather from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. May 15 in response to the leaked Supreme Court majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

LONDON (AP)  Britains governing Conservatives suffered local election losses Friday in their few London strongholds and other parts of the U.K.  results that will pile more pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid ethics scandals and a worsening economic picture.

Voting held Thursday for thousands of seats on more than 200 local councils decided who will oversee garbage collection and the filling of potholes, but was also an important barometer of public opinion ahead of Britain's next national election, which must be held by 2024.

The left-of-center opposition Labour Party, which has been out of power nationally since 2010, won control of Wandsworth, Barnet and Westminster, three London boroughs long held by the Conservatives, and also made gains in Wales and Scotland, as well as some regions of England.

Johnsons party also lost ground to the centrist Liberal Democrats in the Conservatives southern England heartlands, where many middle-class voters are opposed to Brexit  a cause Johnson championed  and dismayed by lockdown rule-breaking by the prime minister and sexual misconduct allegations against other senior Tories.

With results in from most districts in England, Scotland and Wales, the Conservatives had lost more than 450 council seats and lost control of 10 local authorities to either Labour or the Liberal Democrats.

We are haemorrhaging support in parts of the country. Theres some serious issues going on, said Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood.

The election came after months of turmoil for Johnson, in which he became the first prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law in office. He was fined 50 pounds ($62) by police for attending his own surprise birthday party in June 2020 when lockdown rules barred social gatherings.

The issue of partygate kept coming up as a reason why many Conservative supporters were staying at home or were switching to a protest vote, said Conservative lawmaker David Simmonds.

Johnson has apologized but denies knowingly breaking the rules. He faces the possibility of more fines over other parties  police are investigating a dozen gatherings  and a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled lawmakers about his behavior.

The prime minister tried to shrug off the losses as midterm blues.

We had a tough night in some parts of the country," Johnson said. "But on the other hand, in other parts of the country, you are still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains in places that havent voted Conservative for a long time, if ever.

In some comfort to the Conservatives, Labour did not make big gains outside of the capital, especially in working-class northern England  areas that Johnson successfully wooed in the 2019 election with promises to improve local economies and opportunities after Britain's exit from the European Union.

John Curtice, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said the results showed that London is very much a one-party Labour fiefdom.

But outside of London  this isnt quite the degree of progress they might have anticipated.

Labours national campaign coordinator, Shabana Mahmood, said the results showed Labour was building a solid foundation to regain power after four successive national election defeats.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said the election was a big turning point for us.

Weve changed Labour, and now were seeing the results of that," he said.

Under Starmers hard-left predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, fighting between Labour's left-wing and more centrist wings roiled the party, which suffered its worst election defeat in more than 80 years to Johnsons Conservatives in 2019.

In Northern Ireland, voters were electing a new 90-seat Assembly, with polls suggesting the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein could win the largest number of seats and the post of first minister, in what would be a historic first. Full results there are not expected until Saturday, but early returns showed Sinn Fein increasing its vote share to become the most popular party, besting the long-dominant Democratic Unionist Party.

Across the U.K., election campaigns were dominated by the increasing prices for food and fuel, which have sent household bills soaring.

Opposition parties have demanded that the Conservative government do more to ease the cost-of-living crunch  driven by the war in Ukraine, disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic aftershocks from Brexit.

The prime minister also faces discontent within his own party, and the election losses could convince some Conservatives to try to replace Johnson with a less tarnished leader.

Party Chairman Oliver Dowden acknowledged there had been challenging headlines for the past few months."

But he said Labour are certainly not on the path to power and I believe that Boris Johnson does have the leadership skills, in particular the energy and the dynamism, that we need during this difficult period of time.
GREENWICH  Matching a trend reported statewide, the Greenwich Public Schools is seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases this week.

A total of 81 new cases was reported on Friday, according to the latest update on the districts online tracker.

That is the largest one-day COVID-19 report in the school district since Jan. 21, when 115 cases were seen, according to the tracker.

The state Department of Public Health has advised school administrators throughout the state that COVID transmission rates have been steadily increasing due to recent holiday gatherings and travel associated with school breaks, said Jonathan Supranowitz, director of communications and board of education liaison at Greenwich Public Schools.

We have asked the GPS community to help reduce potential risks to stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms and to test, he said.

The district reported 55 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 136 cases of COVID-19 for this week as the number of new cases continues to climb, according to the tracker.

The number of COVID-19 cases has been rising this spring, with 339 cases in April in the schools, even with a six days off for spring break.

COVID-19 cases among students and school staff have sharply increased across Connecticut over the past week, according to state data.

Statewide, 3,018 students had positive COVID-19 tests as of Wednesday, up from 2,261 a week earlier, a 33 percent increase, according to figures released Thursday by the state. Staff in schools also saw more COVID-19 cases, 1,013 on Wednesday, up from 803 a week earlier, an increase of 210 cases, or 26 percent week-over-week, figures show.

In Enfield, officials closed an elementary school Thursday and Friday after more than half of its staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

Active cases

As of Friday, Greenwich schools was reporting 86 active cases of COVID-19, up from 49 cases as of Tuesday and 45 active cases a week ago on April 29, according to the tracker.

Those 86 active cases impacted 75 students, 10 teachers and one service provider, according to the district.

Active cases of COVID-19 were reported in all 15 schools,with the highest numbers at Greenwich High, with 15 active cases; Eastern Middle, with 11 active cases; and International School at Dundee, with 10 active cases.

That was followed by Western Middle and North Street, with eight active cases each; Riverside, with seven active cases; Old Greenwich, with five active cases; Cos Cob and Glenville, with four active cases each; Julian Curtiss, North Mianus and Parkway, with three active cases each; Central Middle and Hamilton Avenue, with two active cases each; and New Lebanon, with one active case.

A number of families in the Greenwich Public Schools have been hit hard by COVID-19 this school year, with 451 families reporting 973 cases.

Trending up

Since the Spring Recess, which closed the Greenwich schools from April 15 to 24, the total number of COVID-19 cases reported is 243, according to the tracker.

In Greenwich schools, April ranks as third for the most cases of COVID-19 reported with 339. And it also saw some of the largest daily reports since January, when the omicron variant hit and the district reported 1,422 cases for the whole month.

Those 339 cases for April are more than double the 167 cases reported in the district in March, according to the tracker.

Since March 1, when the Greenwich school district moved to a mask-optional policy, a total of 642 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among students and staff.

According to the tracker, the monthly totals for new cases of COVID-19 reported in the Greenwich school district have varied widely, with 339 cases in April, 167 cases in March, 137 cases in February, 1,422 cases in January, 392 cases in December, 65 cases in November, 29 cases in October and 58 cases in September.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases reported since classes began Sept. 1, 2021, for this school year now totals 2,745, nearly quadruple the 700 cases reported in the entire 2020-21 school year, according to the tracker.

The school district updates its online tracker twice each week to keep the community informed on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous reporting by Staff Writer Jordan Fenster is included in this story.
There are people in Connecticut who think the most beautiful song in the bird world is the song of the wood thrush  a flute-like ee-o-lay heard at dawn and dusk in spring and early summer.

Wood thrushes migrate north in May. You can hear them singing in Connecticut well into the summer. But to do so, you have to work harder than you used to. The wood thrush population in the state has fallen by 2.4 percent a year, for 50 years.

Do the math. Thats a 73 percent overall drop. Basically, three out of every four wood thrushes have disappeared from the state.

That would be appalling even if it were an exception. But its not an exception. Depressingly, its become common. In 2019, a report in the journal Science showed that over the last five decades, North America has lost 30 percent of its birds.

Thats 3 billion birds. Gone.

As one of the authors of the Science report, ornithologist Peter Marra of Georgetown University, put it, after a revelation like that, conservationists cant just go back to business as usual.

Luckily, theres a chance now in Washington, D.C., to avoid going back to business as usual. A bill before Congress would provide states with an extraordinary tool to help bring back birds and other wildlife.

Earlier this year committees in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act. This bill is at the top of conservationists agenda and for several years has been supported by members of both parties in Congress.

Its beginnings go back to 2006, when Congress mandated that each state must write a Wildlife Action Plan and submit it for approval to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

But a plan without the money to carry it out is meaningless.

The Recovering Americas Wildlife Act would provide $1.3 billion a year from the U.S. Treasury to a fund to be distributed to the 50 states to carry out their plans. Connecticuts share is estimated at $11.8 million per year.

Most wildlife conservation money now comes from license fees and taxes paid by hunters and anglers. It is spent to protect and increase the number of game animals. The Recovering Americas Wildlife Act would provide money to protect wildlife you cant hunt, including Connecticuts birds.

In other words, the pieces are in place: the need (3 billion birds gone), the blueprints (federally approved state Wildlife Action plans), and the money ($1.3 billion a year).

In Connecticut, it isnt only wood thrushes that are vulnerable. The number of scarlet tanagers  colorful songbirds that nest in the forest canopy  has plummeted by 65 percent. Federally threatened piping plovers are hanging on only through extraordinary conservation efforts. Saltmarsh sparrows seem headed toward extinction within decades because of rising sea level.

Funds from the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act could help all those birds, and many others.

There are broader-scale benefits to passing the act as well. Connecticut Audubon showed in its recent Connecticut State of the Birds report that there is an extraordinary opportunity to improve habitat to both help bring back bird populations and get closer to the states climate change goals.

As explained in Connecticut State of the Birds, about 80 percent of the state has been identified as having high value for birds and high value for capturing and storing the carbon that is responsible for global warming.

It includes vast forests in the northwest and southeast of the state, urban and suburban areas throughout Connecticut, and tidal marshes along the coast.

Protecting and restoring those lands would bring Connecticut almost one-quarter of the way toward its carbon reduction goal.

Funds from the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act could be used for the habitat restoration work that would make that happen.

This is an unprecedented chance to do something that is good for wildlife and also good for people. And it is too important to miss.

Connecticut Audubon has made a strong recommendation in its 2019, 2020, and 2021 State of the Birds reports for passage of the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act.

The time for the U.S. Congress to do so is now.

Patrick Comins is executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society.
Bjoern Wylezich / TNS

A Norwich resident has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, after authorities said he tried to buy a handgun and a suppressor from undercover law enforcement and forged letters in an effort to get a lesser sentence.

Paul Marino, 57, also faces three years of supervision upon the conclusion of his prison sentence, the U.S. Attorneys office for the District of Massachusetts said. The former New Bedford, Mass. resident was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns in Boston, the office said. He had pleaded guilty to a charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition on Jan. 21, 2021.
Members of the community gathered at the steps of First Presbyterian Church in downtown Starkville on Thursday in observance of the National Day of Prayer.
Border policemen with the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point discovered, on Thursday, 37 citizens from Pakistan and India who tried to illegally cross the border into Hungary, hidden in a freight truck registered in Romania and driven by a Romanian citizen, loaded with plastic casseroles.

Furthermore, as part of activities conducted in the line of prevention and combating of illegal migration, border policemen with the Nadlac Border Police Sector discovered 14 foreign citizens, 9 from Turkey and 5 from Syria, hidden in a building near the border.

All the 51 foreign citizens, who intended to illegally reach a state in Western Europe, were taken over and transported to the headquarters of the border police sector for investigations. AGERPRES
A draft government ordinance on social vouchers is being currently considered as part of a programme worth 3.1 billion lei, Minister of European Investment and Projects Marcel Bolos said on Friday, adding that the list of final beneficiaries includes about 2,861,000 people.

"The total value of this programme is 3.1 billion lei and half of this money is European funds. The estimated number, the list of final beneficiaries, according to the records that are now with the pension houses and the National Social Payments Agency is about 2,861,000 people. (...) We hope the government will approve the mechanism whereby these lists of beneficiaries recorded by the pension houses and then those on the dock of the National Social Payments Agency are sent to the Ministry of European Funds. The ministry will then be the one to transfer the value of these social vouchers to the beneficiaries' social cards and then the beneficiaries will go to the grocery stores of the network that the card issuers have in order to be able to buy the basic food products they may need," Bolos told a news briefing at the end of a government meeting.

He added that at the same time the distribution of the cards will begin, but it will take a while for them to reach the final beneficiaries. AGERPRES
In a message this Friday on the occasion of the upcoming World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Margareta, said that she is proud of her fellow nationals' humanitarian mobilization in support of the Ukrainian refugees.

"The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day acknowledges our work for making Romania and the world a better place for everyone. In recent months, local communities have admirably helped Ukrainian refugees. Romanian Red Cross volunteers are permanently at the border cross-points and in refugee centers to provide protection, support, information and basics. I am proud of the humanitarian mobilization I see in our country! The generosity of the Romanian society makes me believe in the power of the good," Her Majesty Margareta, president of the Romanian National Red Cross Society, said in the message, as cited in a statement.

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is marked every year on May 8 in a tribute to the dedication and impact of the millions of volunteers who help out in their communities.

"Every day, Red Cross personnel and volunteers see on the ground how kindness drives away suffering, brings relief, brightens the darkest moments and restores dignity. In the midst of so many hardships, losses, and uncertainties, we encourage people around the world to believe in the power of good and to continue to show kindness," Romanian Red Cross director general Ioan Silviu Lefter is cited as saying.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent movement consists of the International Red Cross Committee, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and 192 national societies. Volunteers are the first to respond to the needs, working tirelessly to support the most affected and taking on-site action in areas affected by disasters and conflicts, providing first aid and distributing essential humanitarian materials.

In Romania, within one year of Covid pandemic, Romanian Red Cross volunteers helped 1.5 million people by responding to emergencies, providing and teaching first aid and supporting vulnerable people through social programs.

Now, in the most recent humanitarian crisis, Romanian Red Cross volunteers and personnel provided emergency assistance to 500,000 people fleeing the armed conflict in Ukraine: hot meals, specialized medical care, psychosocial assistance, financial support, social bonding and educational services for children, family reunification service, humanitarian transport across the border. AGERPRES
The First Lady of the United States of America, Jill Biden, will arrive to visit Romania, on Friday.

She left at night from Washington for a 4-day visit in Romania and Slovakia, in which she will highlight the USA's commitment for the Ukrainian refugees.

"On my way to Romania and Slovakia to spend Mother's Day with mothers and Ukrainian children who were forced to leave their homes because of Putin's war. Furthermore, I will be visiting the American troops and will express my gratitude for the aid granted by the neighboring countries and humanitarian workers," Jill Biden wrote on Twitter.

The wife of the American president will visit the Mihail Kogalniceanu base on Friday, where she will meet with American soldiers, after which, at night, she will leave for Bucharest.

On Saturday, Jill Biden will meet with the members of the Romanian Government, with the US embassy staff, workers involved in humanitarian aid, as well as teachers that are helping Ukrainian refugee children to be integrated in a safe and stable school environment.AGERPRES
Head of the Department for Romanians Everywhere (DRP), Secretary of State Gheorghe Carciu, will be paying a working visit to the Ukrainian region of Chernivtsi between May 7-9 alongside a DRP delegation, informs a post on the DRP Facebook page.

The agenda of the visit will include meetings with representatives of the local and regional authorities, of the Romanian associative environment, as well as with representatives of the Romanian-language media and clergy.

"Given the current geopolitical context and the interest that the Romanian state attaches to supporting the rights of Romanian ethnics in the vicinity of the country, the support of the Romanian community in Ukraine is a priority on the agenda of the Department for Romanians Everywhere," the source said.

Against this backdrop, Secretary of State for Romanians Everywhere Gheorghe Carciu will undertake his first working visit since taking office to the Ukrainian region of Chernivtsi.AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday that the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity was the only acceptable option in the country's negotiations with Russia.

The head of state welcomed the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

"One topic we discussed in depth was the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, which has led to the worst security crisis in decades, with multiple implications. We discussed the concrete ways in which we can support as effectively as possible the refugees who fled the war, highlighting Romania's complex efforts, including the humanitarian hub in Suceava. I also reiterated that Romania supports a thorough investigation by the International Criminal Court into all war crimes committed by Russian troops. As for the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, they should result in the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the only acceptable option being a solution in line with international law and Euro-Atlantic security interests," the Romanian president said.

He stressed that Romania supports the consolidation of the set of sanctions adopted against Russia.

"We are committed to continuing to coordinate with our partners and allies in this direction," Iohannis said.AGERPRES
Romania is Lithuania's trusted NATO ally and an important EU partner, and cooperation and unity are the strengths of this relationships, visiting Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Friday at the Cotroceni Palace after meeting with President Klaus Iohannis.

"Staying in touch with our partners and allies is of utmost importance in the current security setting. I strongly believe that unity and close coordination are our strengths. Romania is Lithuania's trusted ally in NATO and an important partner in the European Union. Our security and defense co-operation is instrumental in reinforcing the security of the eastern NATO flank. We are grateful for Romania's contribution to strengthening the NATO air policing mission in Lithuania, and today we thank President Iohannis for the Romanian fighter jets returning to the Baltics to carry out NATO's air policing mission in 2023. We also discussed the goals of the upcoming NATO summit in June in Madrid, and we expect ambitious decisions on military response options that would significantly enhance deterrence and defense on NATO's eastern flank," Gitanas Nauseda said in a joint statement with President Klaus Iohannis.

He said that support for Ukraine's fight for freedom and sovereignty will continue.

"With Russia's brutal military aggression in our neighborhood, Ukraine, we must increase our preparedness to the maximum. We also agreed to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom and sovereignty. Military aid, but also political, diplomatic and economic assistance are needed. Lithuania is a proponent for granting EU candidate status to Ukraine as soon as possible," he said.

Gitanas Nauseda stressed the need to step up efforts to put more international pressure on Russia.

"There is no chance that the horrific war crimes committed by the Russian army could stay unpunished. Russia must pay the price. That is why the sixth EU package of sanctions must hit strong, tighter sanctions for the financial sector are needed. There is a need for a strict embargo and sanctions against the Russian media propaganda. Sanctions should be put on Belarus as well for their role in this war against Ukraine," the Lithuanian head of state added.

He went on to say that the Republic of Moldova, which took in the largest number of Ukrainian refugees, should also be supported.

"I will be visiting Romania's neighboring country Moldova tomorrow. Moldova is receiving the largest number of Ukrainian war refugees per capita. Therefore it needs even more EU support to handle this influx. I welcome Romania's initiative, together with Germany and France, to launch a Moldova support platform. Lithuania has joined this initiative by allocating a financial contribution and providing shelter for Ukrainian refugees from Moldova. The security and stability of our region depend on our unity, our ability to coordinate our actions, and our commitment to stand for the defense of our values. I believe that together we are stronger," said the Lithuanian President.

The President of Lithuania, who is paying an official visit to Romania, was welcomed on Friday at the Cotroceni Palace by President Klaus Iohannis. He is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and Senate President Florin Citu.
Over 860,000 Ukrainians have entered Romania since the start of the conflict in the neighboring country, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informed on Friday.

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES, on Thursday, during the 24 hour interval, nationwide, 76,348 persons have entered Romania through border crossing points, including 7,733 Ukrainian citizens (going down by 5% from the previous day).

4,147 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania through the border with Ukraine (going down by 9.5%) and 1,502 Ukrainian citizens have entered via the border with Moldova (going down by 14.8%).

Since the start of the crisis in Ukraine (February 24) and until Thursday, nationwide, 866,916 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.

Furthermore, 901,445 Ukrainians have entered our country, starting with February 10 (pre-conflict period).
On Friday, President Klaus Iohannis had a telephone conversation with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, in which context they discussed the current developments regarding the security situation in the region and the multidimensional implications of the conflict in Ukraine on the Republic of Moldova and on the region, informs a press release of the Presidential Administration.

According to the same source, President Iohannis reiterated the full solidarity of our country with the Republic of Moldova, while analyzing together with his Moldovan counterpart new concrete options of support that Romania can offer, further, in this crisis, on all levels.

In this context, the head of state informed that he signed on Thursday the decree on the promulgation of the law for ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Republic of Moldova on the implementation of the technical and financial assistance programme based on a non-reimbursable financial aid of 100 million granted by Romania to the Republic of Moldova, which was signed in Chisinau on February 11, 2022. President Iohannis also assured that the direct financial support worth 10 million euros to be granted to the Republic of Moldova, as announced by Romania at the Conference on Support Platform for The Republic of Moldova, organized on April 5 in Berlin and co-chaired by Romania, Germany and France, will become available in the near future.

Recent developments in the separatist region of Transdniester were also addressed, with President Iohannis reiterating our country's position on full support for President Maia Sandu's call for calm and accountability.

"The two heads of state also condemned any provocations and attempts to involve the Republic of Moldova in actions that could endanger the peace and security of this country," the source was quoted as saying.

President Iohannis reiterated Romania's strong support for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova and our country's commitment to actively and concretely support this process, including through the assistance provided during this period to complete the second part of the questionnaire sent to the Republic of Moldova by the European Commission, in order to substantiate the Opinion for granting the status of candidate for EU accession.

In his turn, President Maia Sandu voiced her appreciation and thanks for the support measures offered by Romania, especially in this difficult context.

AGERPRES.
Romania and Lithuania support the elimination of the European Union's energy dependency, said, on Friday, President Klaus Iohannis after the meeting had with the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, currently on a visit to Bucharest.

"As regards the topic of energy, Romania and Lithuania support the elimination of the Union's energy dependence. A joint concern is also the attenuation of the impact of high energy prices on consumers and we will continue dialogue regarding the measures necessary to protect European citizens," said the head of state.

He added that Romania fully supports the integration of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia in the EU.

President Iohannis reiterated that the Republic of Moldova needs substantial direct financial assistance, both to manage the refugee flow it is facing, as well as to consolidate its energy security, public finances and to implement the ambitious reforms it assumed.

"Romania will host in Bucharest, together with Germany and France, the second edition of the Conference of the International Moldova Support Platform, in order to work on the commitments already made by participating states and we have invited Lithuania to be involved," said Iohannis.

The head of state also reiterated the necessity of strengthening the NATO's deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank, in the long-term, especially regarding the Black Sea.

He also referred to Romania's decision to resume participation in 2023 in NATO air policing missions in the Baltic area, the base for executing the missions to be hosted by Lithuania.

"This measure represents a responsible contribution of Romania to strengthening Allied collective security and proof of solidarity with the states in this region," said the head of state.

Discussions between the two officials also referred to deepening cooperation within the Bucharest 9 format and the Three Seas Initiative. In context, President Iohannis reiterated the importance Romania grants to the accomplishment of interconnection projects Rail2Sea and Via Carpathia.

The head of state thanked his Lithuanian counterpart for the constant support of his country for Romania's strategic objectives, such as accession to the Schengen Area, as well as the OECD.

President Iohannis also showed that bilateral trade with Lithuania is on the rise and there is potential.

"We must make additional efforts, including from the perspective of reciprocal investments. We have efficient cooperation in domains such as defence, internal affairs and research and we may extend this cooperation in other sectorial domains, such as innovative technologies or energy security," the head of state added.AGERPRES
The President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, was welcomed on Friday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace by President Klaus Iohannis with military honors on the ceremonial stage.

President Iohannis' delagation includes, among others, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, the presidential advisers Ligia Deca, Luminita Odobescu, Daniela Barsan, Delia Dinu.

The two presidents will have one-on-one and official talks, to be followed by joint press statements.

According to the Presidential Administration, the visit of the President of the Republic of Lithuania takes place in the context of the sustained Romanian-Lithuanian political dialogue and in order to continue the close coordination on the security situation caused by Russia's illegal aggression in Ukraine.

The two heads of state will address the modalities for the development of the Romanian-Lithuanian bilateral cooperation, with emphasis on the boosting of the economic exchanges, on the capitalization of the existing potential in the digital field and on the consolidation of energy security.

Discussions will also focus on measures to further support Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees, strengthen the deterrence and defense stance on NATO's Eastern Flank, and coordinate postures in preparation for the NATO Summit in Madrid.

Collaboration at the level of the European Union, as well as in the regional formats Bucharest 9 and the Three Seas Initiative are also on the agenda.

The Presidents of Romania and of the Republic of Lithuania will also address issues related to the active and comprehensive support that the Republic of Moldova needs in the current context.

The Lithuanian President, on an official visit to Romania, is also to meet with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and Senate President Florin Citu.AGERPRES
PSD (Social Democratic Party) leader Marcel Ciolacu on Friday stated that he has no special pension and will never have one, adding that the Parliament will take into account the observations of the Constitutional Court on the law regarding the granting of special pensions to MPs, after which a new bill will be tabled urgently.

"I don't have a special pension. And I will never have one. Because I always resigned before I had a full term as a MP. Therefore, I can speak openly on this subject. I have always been against these privileges. I have promoted several laws on taxing or cutting down special pensions as PSD leader. I will do the same this time," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook.

He added that the decision of the Constitutional Court on the law on special pensions for MPs "is binding" and Parliament will take it into account.

The Romanian Constitutional Court explained on Thursday that the law by which the special pensions of parliamentarians were eliminated was adopted in one day, "in violation of all the deadlines," "which represents a violation of the adoption procedure as a whole."

According to a press release of the CCR sent to AGERPRES, at Thursday's meeting, the Constitutional Court, while conducting a control of the laws after promulgation, with a majority of votes, admitted the constitutionality challenge and found that Law No. 7/2021 modifying Law No. 96/2006 on the Statute of Deputies and Senators is unconstitutional.
Nosorih/Rhino, the most recent work of Oleg Sentsov, the symbol filmmaker of the Ukrainian national resistance and armed defender of besieged Kyiv, was screened on Thursday evening at the opening of the European Film Festival (26.FFE), in the Auditorium Hall of the National Museum of Art of Romania.

"Together with the partners from EUNIC Romania, together with the European cultural institutes present in Bucharest, we have decided that it is very important to send this message of solidarity and have a special focus in the international context so complicated for Ukraine, focus that is materialized also through the film this evening, but also through other Ukrainian film programmed throughout the days of the festival, coproductions between various European countries and Ukraine. I believe [...] that through such a program as is the European Film Festival it's necessary to send this message of solidarity and empathy," said the President of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Liviu Jicman, at the opening gala of the event.

The head of the European Commission Representation in Romania, Ramona Chiriac, hailed the return to cinema halls.

She said she is "a fan" and "long-term partner" of 26.FFE and pleaded for "our dialogue regarding the future of Europe" in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Robin Ujfalusi, the director of the Czech Cultural Center spoke about the importance of continuing the European Film Festival in physical format in cinema halls, while the charge d'affairs of Ukraine in Romania, Paun Rohovei, thanked organizers for the inclusion in the festival of the section dedicated to Ukrainian film.

He stated he is impressed and thanked Romanian authorities and the civil society, as well as Romanians for the aid granted "since the first days of this barbaric war brought by the regime in Moscow."

Also speaking at the event were the artistic director of 26.FFE, Catalin Olaru, and director Monica Stan, honorary ambassador of 26.FFE, the author of the event's promotional clip, present in the 26.FFE program with "Imaculat" - Immaculate, three-time award winner at the Venice Film Festival.

A Ukrainian, Polish, German production, the drama "Nosorih/Rhino" (2021) was selected last year in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival and since then was present in various festivals around the world.

The film has Oleg Sentsov as director and screenwriter, with Bogumil Godfrejow responsible for cinematography, Karolina Maciejewska for editing, and Andriy Ponomariov for music.

The film's cast features actors: Serhii Filimonov, Yevhen Chernykov, Yevhen Grygoriev, Alina Zievakova.

"Rhino" is produced by Arthouse Traffic, Cry Cinema, Apple Film Production, Ma.ja.de Fiction and distributed by Sofia Neves - WestEnd Films.

"This is not a film about delinquency, crimes and shootings. It's about a man who lived through that and know is carrying an inner burden that he's trying to face," said Oleg Sentsov.

The film's plot seems the usual. At first a petty thief, young Rhino quickly climbs in the hierarchy of criminals of 90's Ukraine. Rhino only knew force and cruelty, but without anything to lose. "Could he finally find a way to save himself?" is the question that the filmmakers launch.

Oleg Sentsov is a film director, writer, former political prisoner and activist for human rights. He was born in 1976 in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine.

As a director, Sentsov is known for Gamer, which tells the story of a teenager who attends video game competitions and has a complicated life in an Ukrainian village.

Sentsov is convicted in Russia to 20 years in prison for terrorism after protesting in Kyiv's Independence Square against the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.

In 2018, while still imprisoned by Russian authorities, he received the Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament for Freedom of Thought.

The filmmaker was released in 2019, as part of a prisoner swap between Moscow and Kyiv.

Presently, since the first days of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, he joined the territorial defence units of Ukraine.

26.FFE will take place between May 5 and 11, bringing together 31 feature films, of which 21 will be screened in the national premiere. Ukrainian productions will make up an important part of the 2022 edition.

In Bucharest, the films will be screened at the Elvire Popesco Cinema and at the Eforie Cinema. The Timisoara edition will be marked by the organization of a gala event on May 10, at the newly rehabilitated Cinema Victoria, where the screening of the film "Numbers" by director Oleg Sentsov will take place.

Apart from the section dedicated to Ukraine, 26.FFE proposes "new and very new films" that have been to prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Rotterdam or Karlovy Vary. There are also event films, signed by big names in the world of cinematography such as Paolo Taviani, Christoffer Boe or the D'Innocenzo brothers.

26. The EFF will end, symmetrically, with Oleg Sentsov's dystopia - "Numbers", remotely directed from imprisonment with the help of his collaborator, Akhtem Seitablayev, and released in 2020.

The European Film Festival is organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute, with the support of the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, under the auspices of EUNIC Romania, in partnership with European embassies, centers and cultural institutes.AGERPRES
Military ceremonies, wreath-laying, as well as various commemorative events will take place all across Romania on May 9 and 10 to mark WWII Victory Day, Europe Day and Romania's National Independence Day, according to the Defence Ministry (MApN).

On May 9, at 09:00hrs, EEST, a military and religious ceremony will take place at the Monument of the Heroes of the Fatherland before the Carol I National Defence University.

On May 9 and 10, an international conference called "Wars of independence, diplomacy and society. New perspectives and approaches of the Eastern Question 1875-1878" will take place. The event marks the 145th anniversary of Romania's independence.

Similar military ceremonies, as well as themed exhibitions, film galas and other military activities will be held on May 9 and 10 at the country's major garrisons.

AGERPRES
As many as 730 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, by 45 more than on the previous day, on over 19,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Friday.

Of the new cases, 102 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 - 181, and in the counties of Iasi - 39, and Cluj - 49.

As of Thursday, 2,898,258 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania.

- Hospitalisations -

As many as 1,031 people with COVID-19 are hospitalised at specialist care facilities across the country, by 35 less than the day before; 65 of this total are children.

Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 171 are in ICUs, by 4 more compared to the previous day. Of the 171 ICU patients, 156 are unvaccinated for COVID-19.

- Deaths -

According to the Ministry, another 11 Romanians infected with SARS-CoV-2 - 7 men and 4 women - were reported dead in the last 24 hours, including three cases previously unaccounted for. The deceased patients had ages between 40-49 and over 80, and they all suffered from underlying conditions.

9 of the fatalities were unvaccinated. The vaccinated patients were aged between 69 and 72.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 65,551 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania.
At a meeting on Friday, the government approved a memorandum under which six airports in Romania will qualify for a state aid scheme worth 21,374,000 lei.

According to government spokesperson Dan Carbunaru, the memorandum provides for state aid to business operators managing airports that in 2019 reported a passenger traffic of more than 200,000 passengers, but less than 3 million, in order to overcome the financial difficulties they face amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"Pursuant to Article 107 (3) (b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak, a programme approved and promoted by the European Commission, the present piece of legislation establishes a state aid scheme of 21,374,000 lei to fund the eligible airports that face, for such reasons, a liquidity deficit. They are the airports of Iasi, Sibiu, Craiova, Bacau, Suceava,and Timisoara," Carbunaru told a news conference at the Government House. AGERPRES
SATURDAY

ENTREPRENEURSHIP  As part of Small Business Week, various organizations support a one-day Entrepreneurial Academy for business owners, offering 30 courses in finance, legal, marketing, HR, technology and accounting.

 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Morris University Center, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, 1 Hairpin Drive, Edwardsville, Illinois

 $247 includes networking lunch, dinner. To register, go to: www.theentrepreneurialacademy.com or call (314) 798-8710

TUESDAY

DIGITAL MARKETING  Score offers a free Zoom program on promoting your business on the internet.

 Noon-1 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

MBE CERTIFICATION  This free Zoom workshop from Score is for any minority-owned businesses interested in the MBE certification process.

 Noon-1 p.m.

THURSDAY

SALES  Online panel discussion aims to answer questions on sales and marketing.

 11 a.m.-noon
Health care software startup TCare Inc. hired former Centene executive Nate Moore as chief operating officer.

Moore worked in various leadership roles with Centene, most recently as chief solutions officer. Prior to Centene, he worked in EYs global consultancy focused on health care and health care technology.

TCare, which provides technology to help family caregivers for seniors, relocated to St. Louis from Wisconsin after being awarded a $50,000 Arch Grant in 2019. Since then, its team has grown from six to 120 full-time employees.

Moore earned a bachelors degree in engineering and an MBA from Washington University.
NEW YORK  A leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would abolish a nationwide right to abortion has thrust major companies into whats arguably the most divisive issue in American politics.

But while some are signaling support for abortion rights, many want to stay out of it  at least for now.

Experts say its tough to navigate these waters. Companies are facing increasing pressure from social media and their own employees to speak out. And while some of them have weighed in on issues like LGBTQ rights, voting rights and gun control, the thorny issue of abortion could prove to be more challenging.

This is the hottest of the hot potatoes, said Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce. While lots of issues are polarizing, this is ground zero for polarization. People are fanatically passionate one way or another.

Despite the risks, major companies have waded into the abortion issue in the past. In 2019, more than 180 of them  including H&M, Slack and Glossier  signed an open letter that said restrictive abortion laws were against their values and bad for business.

A similar letter was signed by more than 60 companies last year in response to a Texas law banning abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, forcing some women to travel out-of-state to access the procedure. Among others, jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co., the online reviews site Yelp, banking giant Citigroup and ride-hailing company Lyft pledged to cover travel costs for employees who have to travel long distances to access an abortion.

When the report of the draft court opinion set off a political firestorm this week, a few companies issued statements supporting abortion rights but stopped short of taking further action themselves.

Overturning Roe v. Wade will jeopardize the human rights of millions of women who stand to lose the liberty to make decisions over their own bodies, Yelp said in a statement. Turning back the clock on the progress women have made over the past 50 years will have a seismic impact on our society and economy.

Many others have remained quiet. They include Netflix, PayPal, Microsoft, Patagonia, Target, Walmart and Apple, which is reportedly covering travel costs for its Texas workers through its medical insurance. Microsoft and the Chamber of Commerce, the worlds largest business federation, said it had no comment; the rest did not respond to requests for comment. The Business Roundtable, which represents some of the countrys most powerful companies, said it does not have a position on this issue.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also did not respond to a request for comment, though its chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, posted on her personal social media accounts on Tuesday that the document represents a scary day for women all across the country.

Adamson believes that many companies have held off weighing in on the Supreme Courts draft because they want to wait to see the courts final ruling.

This gives companies a chance to think this through, he said, noting that companies need to make a decision based on what the majority of their employees want.

Over the past few years, companies have added their voices to the Black Lives Matter movement and issues like same-sex marriage. After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, dozens pledged to halt donations to lawmakers who objected to Congress certification of President Joe Bidens victory, promises that turned out to be largely empty.

But taking a stance on controversial issues is seemingly becoming more challenging, oftentimes pitting companies against Republican lawmakers who seem increasingly eager to push back.

Delta, which declined to comment on the abortion issue, was the subject of attacks by the Georgia GOP last year for its opposition to the states restrictive voting rights bill. In response, Georgias Republican-controlled House voted to revoke a jet fuel tax break that benefits the Atlanta-based company, an effort that ultimately fizzled.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last month to dissolve the private government Walt Disney World controls on its property in the state as retribution for the companys opposition to a new law critics have dubbed Dont Say Gay. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill that would prohibit companies from claiming tax deductions for their employees abortion travel costs or gender transition expenses for employees children.

State lawmakers are similarly taking aim at companies that offer help to women seeking abortions in states with less restrictive laws around abortions. Should Roe v. Wade get overturned, roughly half of states are likely to quickly ban abortion.

In March, Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain, a Republican, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Citigroup, saying he would propose legislation barring local governments in the state from doing business with any company that provides travel benefits for employees seeking abortions. If enacted, Cain said the bill would prevent the New York-based bank from underwriting municipal bonds in Texas unless the bank rescinds its policy.

In South Dakota, GOP Rep. Scott Odenbach suggested lawmakers might look at legislation to discourage companies from covering the costs of South Dakotans who travel to another state for an abortion, noting that the states proximity to Minnesota, where abortion will remain legal even if Roe is undone, raises cross-border issues.

Businesses face tough choices if they continue to operate in states that legislatively ban abortion, said John E. Katsos, a research affiliate at Queens University Belfast in Northern Ireland, who consults with multinational companies. Katsos predicted insurance companies would raise the premium rates of companies that operate in such states, because it costs more to insure a pregnant woman and children than to cover an abortion procedure.

Some corporations have long paid for their employees travel-related expenses for surgeries out of state under their medical benefits, noted Katy Johnson, senior counsel of health policy at The American Benefits Council, a lobbying group in Washington, D.C. She said she has fielded more interest from companies since the abortion ban in Texas to cover travel expenses for abortion procedures.

State abortion bans might make it harder for companies located in such states to recruit college-educated workers at a time of severe labor shortages, some experts said. That alienation might outweigh any special tax privileges that helped to entice companies to locate there.

You would rather pay higher tax and have great people than struggle to recruit people to your headquarters in Texas, said Maurice Schweitzer, a professor at University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business.

College graduates will have a lot of choices. And I think theres going to be a stigma and an aversion to moving to states that have these draconian laws.

Associated Press writers Doug Glass in Minneapolis and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  One of the biggest wins for Boeings St. Louis operations in a while could soon be on the chopping block.

Just a few years after kickstarting a new generation of St. Louis-made F-15 fighter jets, the U.S. Air Force is outlining plans to cut its order nearly in half, to 80 from 144, as they scramble to pay for next-generation priorities.

If left unchecked, the proposal would cost Boeing billions of dollars in contracts and years of work for more than 1,500 of its employees at a time it can hardly afford it. Its already fighting the Navys push to shut down the F/A-18 Super Hornet program, Boeings other big fighter line here, by mid-decade.

Theyve got big second-half-of-decade issues across the board, said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at AeroDynamic Advisory. Not good for St. Louis.

Boeing brushed off the proposal in a statement Friday, calling the new F-15EX a game changer for the Air Force thats already proving itself essential. Well continue to engage with Congress and our Air Force customer in the years ahead to deliver on this program, the company said.

Analysts noted that Air Force priorities can change, and could yet move in back Boeings direction.

The service has done it before. A decade ago, the F-15s days looked numbered as the U.S. and other allies shifted to Lockheed Martins newer, stealthier F-35, built in Texas. News reports then suggested the F-15 line, which began full production in 1972, could shut down by 2020.

Then in 2017, Qatar reached out with a $6.2 billion order that led to work on the updated version of the plane, the EX. And the U.S. Air Force liked what it saw.

By 2019, it was announcing plans to start buying EXs to replace its 1980s-era models, alleviate a fighter shortage and carry larger payloads the F-35 couldnt. And in 2020, the service said it expected to purchase a minimum of 144 jets, enough to keep the line running through the end of the decade. Boeing officials noted the contract could go as high as 200.

But not everyone in the Pentagon was on board. Some saw the plane as a spiffed-up relic of the Cold War taking away resources from more modern aircraft, said Loren Thompson, a longtime defense industry consultant and executive with the Lexington Institute.

This years budget proposal calls for an end to purchases after 2024.

It appears theyre looking to close out the F-15 in favor of the next generation, Thompson said.

In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee last week, Air Force officials said the planes were simply a casualty of competing priorities. The service has to modernize its nuclear missiles, pay for a new long-range bomber and develop the successor to the F-35.

But the decision is not the Air Forces alone. Congress will have the final say, and Boeing still has plenty of supporters there.

The F-15EX supports good-paying jobs in St. Louis and plays a vital role in meeting U.S. Air Force air superiority needs, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, said in a statement on Friday. As a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue working to secure robust funding for the F-15EX program.

Boeing officials have said the new-look EX model has also attracted interest from several other countries. Earlier this year, the Pentagon cleared the way for the company to pursue a deal in Indonesia. And in March, a U.S. general predicted F-15s would soon be offered to Egypt.

But those would be band-aids in the grand scheme of things. The company needs a new fighter to replace its decades-old programs, said Thompson, the consultant.

I hope they have some bright ideas, he said. It may be their last shot.

The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian fighters in the tunnels underneath Mariupols pulverized steel plant held out against Russian troops Thursday in an increasingly desperate and perhaps doomed effort to deny Moscow what would be its biggest success of the war yet: the complete capture of the strategic port city.

The bloody battle came amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a battlefield triumph  or announce an escalation of the war  in time for Victory Day on Monday. Victory Day is the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, marking the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, were holed up at Mariupol's sprawling Azovstal steelworks, the last pocket of resistance in a city largely reduced to rubble over the past two months. A few hundred civilians were also believed trapped there.

The defenders will stand till the end. They only hope for a miracle," Kateryna Prokopenko said after speaking by phone to her husband, a leader of the steel plant defenders. "They wont surrender.

She said her husband, Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko, told her he would love her forever.

I am going mad from this. It seemed like words of goodbye, she said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was preventing the evacuation of civilians remaining in the plants underground bunkers.

Just imagine this hell! And there are children there, he said late Thursday in his nightly video address. More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.

The Russians managed to get inside with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraines Internal Affairs Ministry.

He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory, Gerashchenko said in a video posted late Wednesday. Yesterday, the Russians started storming these tunnels, using the information they received from the betrayer.

The Kremlin denied its troops were storming the plant.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, pleaded on Ukrainian TV for the evacuation of civilians and wounded fighters from the steelworks, saying soldiers were dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment.

The Kremlin has demanded the troops surrender. They have refused. Russia has also accused them of preventing the civilians from leaving.

The head of the United Nations said another attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol and the plant was underway. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes."

More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks over the weekend. But many previous attempts to open safe corridors from Mariupol have fallen through, with Ukraine blaming shelling and firing by the Russians.

Meanwhile, 10 weeks into the devastating war, Ukraines military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only plodding progress in the Donbas.

The head of Britains armed forces, Chief of the Defense Staff Adm. Tony Radakin, said Putin is trying to rush to a tactical victory before Victory Day. But he said Russian forces are struggling to gain momentum.

Radakin told British broadcaster Talk TV that Russia is using missiles and weapons at such a rate that it is in a logistics war to keep supplied. This is going to be a hard slog, he said.

On Thursday, an American official said the U.S. shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of a Russian flagship before the mid-April strike that sank it, one of Moscow's highest-profile failures in the war.

The U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of warships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision to target the missile cruiser Moskva was purely a Ukrainian decision.

Fearful of new attacks surrounding Victory Day, the mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk urged residents to leave for the countryside over the long weekend and warned them not to gather in public places.

And the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a key transit point for evacuees from Mariupol, announced a curfew from Sunday evening through Tuesday morning.

In other developments, Belarus authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, defended Russias invasion of Ukraine in an interview with The Associated Press but said he didnt expect the conflict to drag on this way.

Lukashenko, whose country was used by the Russians as a launch pad for the invasion, said Moscow had to act because Kyiv was provoking Russia.

But he also created some distance between himself and the Kremlin, repeatedly calling for an end to the conflict and referring to it as a war  a term Moscow refuses to use. It insists on calling the fighting a special military operation.

Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, has come to symbolize the misery inflicted by the war. The siege of the city has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat.

As the battle raged there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian bombardment Thursday hit dozens of Ukrainian military targets, including troop concentrations in the east, an artillery battery near the eastern settlement of Zarozhne, and rocket launchers near the southern city of Mykolaiv.

Five people were killed and dozens injured in shelling of cities in the Donbas over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said, with shells hitting schools, apartments and a medical facility.

Ukrainian forces said they made some gains on the border of the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv and repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces "have largely stalled Russian advances in eastern Ukraine, and intensified Russian airstrikes on transportation infrastructure in the western part of the country have failed to stop Western aid shipments to Ukraine.

But the war has devastated the country's medical infrastructure, Zelenskyy said in a video link to a charity event in the U.K., with nearly 400 healthcare facilities damaged or destroyed.

There is simply a catastrophic situation regarding access to medical services and medicines, in areas occupied by Russian forces, he said. "Even the simplest drugs are lacking.

With the challenge of mine-clearing and rebuilding after the war in mind, Zelenskyy announced the launch of a global fundraising platform called United24.

At the same time, Poland hosted an international donor conference that raised $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid. The gathering was attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from many European countries, as well as representatives of nations farther afield and some businesses.

In addition, a Ukrainian cabinet body began to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan, while Zelenskyy also urged Western allies to put forward a program similar to the post-World War II Marshall Plan plan to help Ukraine rebuild.

Anna reported from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: 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.
Anna Maria von Phul was no stranger to tragedy during her life. But her artwork of St. Louis  surviving 200 years to provide important images and information of life here  still conveys more charm than hardship.

Her drawings and watercolors show intimate family scenes along with landscapes of the famous mounds in St. Louis.

She was, to my knowledge, the first American or European artist to depict the Indigenous earthworks here, says Hattie Felton, director of curatorial affairs and curator of fine and decorative arts at the Missouri History Museum. Plus, von Phul is the first female artist known to work in the Missouri Territory.

Von Phuls legacy includes images of a decaying Creole home, newer brick construction and the wooden fences that kept animals contained. In one drawing, a man and woman stand awkwardly near their home: It looks like she has just walked up to them and started sketching, Felton says. You dont get the sense she made up any of her work, she says.

The Missouri History Museum is displaying reproductions of von Phuls work in the museums atrium gallery, where some images are blown up to mural size. The original drawings and paintings are too fragile to be shown in the atriums natural light, Felton says. But the enlarged images will help visitors see details of the work; other images will be reproduced at scale.

Feltons More Than Ordinary: Early St. Louis Artist Anna Maria von Phul is the first in a series of books to document aspects of the history museums collections.

The museum received von Phuls sketchbooks and letters from descendants of Henry von Phul, the artists brother who became a wealthy merchant and steamboat owner. Museum director Charles van Ravenswaay was awed in 1953 by the boxes turned over by John Richardson Thomas and Henry von Phul Thomas, Felton says.

Van Ravenswaay said of the artwork: These are not the prim and mannered efforts of an untrained schoolgirl, but the deft work of a trained artist.

In fact, von Phul received drawing instruction in Lexington, Kentucky, as early as 1805 and likely before. Her prosperous father, and two siblings, had died in Philadelphia, where the family first lived. The father, a German immigrant, left debts, however, so his widow moved with four children to Kentucky after settling his estate.

Von Phuls earliest dated artwork is from 1804, but the painting shows she likely had been drawing for years, Felton writes in More Than Ordinary. In Kentucky, von Phul studied at Mary Becks Young Ladies Academy. Mary and George Beck, who had also moved to Lexington from Philadelphia, were European-trained artists.

Von Phul copied work from George Becks large collection of prints, and from his own work. Her brother Graff encouraged her to use Becks figure studies of live models for practice (female art students then rarely had access to models or anatomy lessons).

In 1808, von Phuls mother died. The next year her sister married, and Anna Maria moved in with the couple. But the brother-in-law died four years later, and the sisters were essentially homeless after his estate was sold at auction.

They were definitely relying on the kindness of friends, Felton says.

Their brother Henry would move to St. Louis, and Graff would join the Army (in a few years, Graff would disappear, perhaps drowned while trying to ford a river).

For a decade, Anna Maria von Phul lived with friends or family while continuing to work on her art, although sometimes her motivation flagged. She traveled to St. Louis several times, including in 1818, when she stayed with Henrys family or with her again-married sister, who by then lived in Edwardsville.

Both families provided von Phul with nieces and nephews, who may have been the subjects of some of her drawings of children holding babies. In watercolor paintings, women dressed in high-waisted Regency-style gowns pose seated with flowers or books.

Others depicted include Creole women with headwraps and work clothes. Another woman is shown in moccasins, blanket and beads, a rare depiction of a Native American in the American West in the 1810s, Felton writes. Von Phuls work helps document not only early St. Louis, but a changing era in a bustling and growing town.

Her art and letters also provide important information about female artists of the time, Felton says, who emphasizes that many other women, often little-known, have worked in St. Louis since.

Von Phul moved permanently to St. Louis in 1821. She died of a fever in Edwardsville two years later at age 37. Her grave site is unknown, as is the location of many artworks that she sent to friends.

Still, Felton concludes in her book, von Phuls sketchbooks have cemented her relevance in perpetuity as the earliest known woman artist working in Missouri.

What Painting Creole St. Louis  When May 7-Jan. 8; hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday-Sunday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday  Where Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Boulevard, Forest Park  How much Free  More info 314-746-4599; mohistory.com

Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Sluggishness, poor compliance with existing rules and little help from state public health officials crippled the response by Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration to a November 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at a northern Illinois veterans home that claimed 36 lives, according to a state audit released Thursday.

The review by Auditor General Frank Mautino contends the Illinois Department of Public Health did not identify and respond to the seriousness of the outbreak." For nearly two weeks after the problem was identified Nov. 1 at the LaSalle Veterans Home, IDPH officials failed to visit the site and offered no assistance. LaSalle staff testing for the virus was slow and poorly coordinated, the review said.

In total, 85% of the home's 128 residents and 38% of its 231 staff members contracted the illness during the outbreak, which Mautino noted occurred when infections statewide were rising rapidly and there was yet no preventive vaccine.

Pritzker, a Democrat, blamed Republicans who opposed tactics to stop the spread of COVID-19, suggesting non-compliant visitors unwittingly carried the virus into the LaSalle home.

We were working against Republican elected officials who told people to defy mitigation efforts..., Pritzker told reporters at the Capitol. Republicans told them that they did not need to wear masks. They told people that they didnt need to get vaccinated. They told people that COVID wasnt serious. Those lies put peoples lives at risk, especially the most vulnerable.

But an April 2021 report by the inspector general of the Department of Human Services reported that during an onsite visit, which didn't occur until Nov. 12, officials discovered ineffective, alcohol-free hand sanitizer in abundant use and no one responsible for replacing it, staff members reporting for duty by taking their own temperatures and initialing results, and scant availability and use of personal protective equipment such as face coverings.

Mautino reported that LaSalle administrators had reams of COVID-19-specific guidelines for stopping the spread available from both federal and state experts, as well as long-established pre-pandemic infection control policies.

Pritzker, who later acknowledged some management faults were to blame and said that as governor, I understand that these agencies are my responsibility, maintained that he held staff accountable, including firing LaSalle director Angela Mehlbrech in December 2020.

However, he said that to the extent that IDPH is at fault for not providing more assistance, the agency controlled the entire state response during the pandemic's worst surge and was dealing with hot spots in every direction. But at no time during the fall of 2020 or at any time during the pandemic did Pritzker or his team suggest IDPH couldn't keep up.

IDPH couldn't have been caught off-guard despite the precipitous statewide surge. The audit reports that the Pritzker administration was monitoring COVID-19 in 710 long-term care facilities across Illinois. The first week of November, 2020, only four of them reported more than 50 new cases and LaSalle was the only facility with more than 100.

That was a red flag that should have generated an alert and immediate administration response, Mautino said in an interview.

Rep. Lance Yednock, an Ottawa Democrat who led the House call for Mautino's audit, lamented a breakdown in inter-agency coordination which very likely led to more sickness and deaths." However, he acknowledged that the terrifying speed of infection might have rendered the best preparation inadequate.

Mautino's auditors found that last year's inspector general's report had wrongly tainted Anthony Kolbeck, then chief of staff for Veterans' Affairs. Instead of tracking the outbreak, Mautino reviewed scores of emails and determined that Kolbeck reported to IDPH regularly on the situation from its inception. When IDPH didn't act, the audit said Kolbeck requested the agency make a site visit and sought information on rapid tests and antibody treatments.

Kolbeck nonetheless resigned in the weeks following the outbreak's fallout. So did then-Veterans Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia, whom Pritzker replaced in spring 2021 with Terry Prince, a 31-year Navy veteran and former senior adviser to the U.S. Surgeon General.

Steve Levin, a Chicago attorney representing 27 families who filed a lawsuit against the state for the loss of loved ones at LaSalle, said the audit's finding of extreme negligence is another painful reminder to the families that this was a preventable tragedy. He demanded Pritzker negotiate a settlement to avoid a lengthy court battle.

Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
THURSDAY, May 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Citing the accumulated data on a raised risk for a type of dangerous blood clot, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday greatly restricted the recommended use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

With safer two-dose vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna widely available, the one-dose J&J shot should be limited "to individuals 18 years of age and older for whom other authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate," the agency said in a statement.

It may also be used by "individuals 18 years of age and older who elect to receive the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine because they would otherwise not receive a COVID-19 vaccine [at all]," the FDA advised.

While the J&J vaccine has appealed to some because it only requires one-dose, data soon emerged suggesting a higher risk in users of a rare form of blood clot known as thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

According to the FDA, TTS is "a syndrome of rare and potentially life-threatening blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets."

Some people -- often young males -- typically developed symptoms about a week or two after getting the J&J shot. The data accumulated on this risk now "warrants limiting the authorized use of the vaccine," the agency said.

Getting the J&J vaccine can still help prevent serious illness with COVID-19, so the shot "still has a role in the current pandemic response in the United States and across the global community," Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the statement.

But "our action reflects our updated analysis of the risk of TTS following administration of this vaccine," he said, "and limits the use of the vaccine to certain individuals."

Marks added that "the agency will continue to monitor the safety of the Janssen [J&J] COVID-19 Vaccine and all other vaccines, and as has been the case throughout the pandemic, will thoroughly evaluate new safety information.

The vaccine first received an emergency use authorization in late February of 2021. But after six cases of TTS were reported, the FDA placed a temporary "pause" on use of the J&J shot as it gathered more data.

That pause was lifted on April 23, 2021, when a total of 15 cases of TTS were reported from the more than 8 million vaccine doses doled out across across the United States.

At the time, "the known and potential benefits of Janssen [J&J] COVID-19 Vaccine outweighed its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older," the FDA said.

However, by December, the agency advised that mRNA COVID vaccines (those made by Pfizer or Moderna) were now preferred over the J&J shot.

In the latest assessment, the FDA noted that by March 18, 2022, "the FDA and CDC have identified 60 confirmed cases, including nine fatal cases," of TTS in people who'd received the J&J vaccine.

The risk still remains extremely rare: About three cases for every 1 million doses of vaccine administered. It's remains unclear if any specific factors place an individual at heightened risk for the blood clots after receiving the vaccine.

While very rare, TTS can quickly prove dangerous, however. Patients "may rapidly deteriorate, despite prompt diagnosis and treatment," the FDA said, and the clots "can lead to long-term and debilitating health consequences," including a high risk for death.

So, the latest recommendation is that the J&J vaccine be used only by people who might have a serious allergic reaction to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or those who (for whatever reason) do not wish to receive an mRNA vaccine and who would therefore otherwise remain unvaccinated.

More information

Find out more about COVID-19 vaccines at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug administration, news release, May 5, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults are no more likely to believe fake news than younger adults, with the exception of the very oldest, a new study finds.

Falling for fake news can have significant physical, emotional and financial consequences, especially for older adults who may have their life savings or serious medical issues at stake, the researchers said.

"We wanted to see if there was an age difference in determining whether news is true versus false," said lead author Didem Pehlivanoglu, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Florida, in Gainesville.

"We specifically wanted to look at this because we know that with aging, most people show some decline in their cognitive abilities. But we also know some information-processing abilities are preserved or even improved," Pehlivanoglu said in a university news release.

The study was conducted between May and October 2020. It included a group of older adults, aged 61 to 87, and a group of college students. Participants were asked to read and evaluate 12 full-length news articles about COVID-19 and non-COVID topics. Some of the articles were real and some were fake.

Older and young adults had similar levels of ability to detect fake news, according to the study. The results were published online May 2 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

Both groups were less likely to identify fake news about COVID-19 than news not related to the pandemic. That may be due to low familiarity with COVID-related information in the early months of the pandemic, the researchers suggested.

"People have this perception that older adults are going to perform worse than young adults across the board but that is not the case," said study co-author Brian Cahill, a psychology professor at the University of Florida.

The study did find that adults older than 70 were less likely to ferret out fake news about COVID-19 or other topics. But that's likely because they didn't look as closely at information or pay attention to details, the study authors added.

It's only in very late old age  when declines in thinking abilities can no longer be offset by life experience and world knowledge  that people may become especially vulnerable to fake news and other misinformation, the investigators noted.

Study co-author Natalie Ebner, a psychology professor at the university, said, "It is a particularly high-risk population with high stakes for wrong decision making, not just for themselves but also for society at large."

More information

The Stanford Center on Longevity has more on digital literacy for older adults.

SOURCE: University of Florida, news release, May 2, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
THURSDAY, May 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- During the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, structural racism and community unemployment were associated with an increased risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and preterm birth (PTB), according to a study published online April 21 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

Teresa Janevic, Ph.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues examined associations between neighborhood measures of structural racism and pandemic stress with SARS-CoV-2 infection, PTB, and delivering a newborn small for gestational age (SGA). The analysis included 967 patients from a prospective cohort of pregnant persons in New York City.

The researchers found an association between high structural disadvantage and risk for infection (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 2.6; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 3.9) and PTB (aRR, 1.7; 95 percent CI, 1.0 to 2.9) versus low structural disadvantage. For high versus low racial-economic segregation, there were associations for infection (aRR, 1.9; 95 percent CI, 1.3 to 2.8) and PTB (aRR, 2.0; 95 percent CI, 1.3 to 3.2). Similarly, for high community unemployment, there was increased risk for infection (aRR, 1.7; 95 percent CI, 1.2 to 1.5) and PTB (aRR, 1.6; 95 percent CI, 1.0 to 2.8). There was no association noted between COVID-19 mortality rate and either PTB or SGA.

"Our study demonstrates that pregnant persons of color are disproportionately impacted by SARS-CoV-2 infection and pandemic-related community stressors," the authors write. "Mitigating structural racism and socioeconomic inequity could reduce the impact of the pandemic on pregnant persons."

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Your chances of dying or having severe complications from COVID-19 are much higher if you're unvaccinated and have heart problems or heart disease risk factors, researchers warn.

In a new study, British investigators analyzed 110 previous COVID-19 studies that included a total of nearly 49,000 unvaccinated patients.

The researchers found that unvaccinated people with evidence of heart muscle damage when they were hospitalized for COVID-19 had a ninefold higher risk of death. This group was also more likely to have major complications such as severe lung failure (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and acute kidney injury. They also had higher rates of intensive care admission and mechanical ventilation.

In addition, unvaccinated people with pre-existing high blood pressure, diabetes or heart artery disease had a two- to threefold increased risk of death, and up to a 2.5-fold increased risk of COVID-19 complications, according to the report published online recently in the journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.

Those with diabetes had the highest risk of severe lung failure, the study authors noted.

"These findings present a strong case for these at-risk groups to be prioritized for vaccinations and other preventative measures. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries, where the impact of cardiovascular disease is particularly high," said study co-author Dr. Ajay Gupta, senior clinical lecturer at Queen Mary University of London.

"In more developed countries, groups with cardiovascular risk factors in addition to other vulnerable groups could be selected for booster and annual vaccination programs, similar to the influenza vaccination program," Gupta said in a university news release.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart artery disease were already common risk factors for heart attack and stroke, the study authors explained.

"These findings can help us identify unvaccinated individuals who are at a higher risk of worse outcomes, even without special tests," said study co-author Sher May Ng, of Barts Health NHS Trust. "This is particularly relevant where health care resources are limited but the proportion of unvaccinated individuals remains high."

More information

The American Heart Association has more on COVID-19 vaccines.

SOURCE: Queen Mary University of London, news release, May 4, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News)  Uterine cancer deaths have been increasing in the United States, particularly among Black women. Now, research appears to pinpoint a cause.

A rare but aggressive type of cancer known as Type 2 endometrial cancer is more difficult to treat and was responsible for 20% of cases and 45% of deaths identified in the study.

Deaths from this type of cancer increased by 2.7% per year during the eight years the study focused on, while deaths from a less aggressive uterine cancer remained stable. Therefore, uterine cancer death rates increased by 1.8% per year from 2010 to 2017 for women aged 40 and older.

The increases were more profound for women from certain racial and ethnic minority groups.

For example, rates increased by 6.7% annually for Hispanic women, 3.5% for Black women, 3.4% for Asian women and 1.5% for white women, after adjusting for hysterectomy rates, which vary by race. Women cannot get uterine cancer after hysterectomy, where their uterus is removed.

For Black women, rates were already high. The study found they had more than twice the rate of deaths from uterine cancer overall, and of the more aggressive cancer, compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

While obesity is considered a risk factor for less aggressive uterine cancer, there is no clear risk factor for the more aggressive cancer, said Megan Clarke, who led the study for the National Cancer Institute.

We think it is something that is more common in Black women and increasing in the population for all women, Clarke told the Associated Press. Its very puzzling and concerning.

More than 65,000 new cases of uterine cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. About 12,550 women will die from the disease. Though irregular bleeding can signal a problem, no recommended screening exists, the AP reported.

The findings were published in JAMA Oncology.

For most cancers, there have been improvements over the last 20 years. Its alarming that we havent had the same success with uterine cancer, Dr. Pamela Soliman, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, told the AP. She was not involved in the study.

This allows us to focus our efforts on specific areas that could potentially have a bigger impact on mortality, Soliman added.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on uterine cancer.

SOURCE: Associated Press

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
LONDON (AP)  The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15 million people were killed either by coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems during the first two years of the pandemic, more than double the current official death toll of over 6 million.

Most of the deaths occurred in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas, according to a WHO report issued Thursday.

The U.N. health agencys director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the newly calculated figure as sobering, saying it should prompt countries to invest more in their capacities to quell future health emergencies.

WHO tasked scientists with determining the actual number of COVID-19 deaths between January 2020 and the end of last year. They estimated that between 13.3 million and 16.6 million people died either due to the coronavirus directly or because of factors somehow attributed to the pandemics impact on health systems, such as cancer patients who were unable to seek treatment when hospitals were full of COVID patients.

Based on that range, the scientists came up with an approximated total of 14.9 million.

The estimate was based on country-reported data and statistical modeling, but only about half of countries provided information. WHO said it wasn't yet able to break down the data to distinguish between direct deaths from COVID-19 and those related to effects of the pandemic, but the agency plans a future project examining death certificates.

This may seem like just a bean-counting exercise, but having these WHO numbers is so critical to understanding how we should combat future pandemics and continue to respond to this one, said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious diseases specialist at the Yale School of Public Health who was not linked to the WHO research.

For example, Ko said, South Koreas decision to invest heavily in public health after it suffered a severe outbreak of MERS allowed it to escape COVID-19 with a per-capita death rate around a 20th of the one in the United States.

Accurately counting COVID-19 deaths has been problematic throughout the pandemic, as reports of confirmed cases represent only a fraction of the devastation wrought by the virus, largely because of limited testing. Government figures reported to WHO and a separate tally kept by Johns Hopkins University show more than 6.2 million reported virus deaths to date.

Scientists at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington calculated for a recent study published in the journal Lancet that there were more than 18 million COVID deaths from January 2020 to December 2021.

A team led by Canadian researchers estimated there were more than 3 million uncounted coronavirus deaths in India alone. WHO's new analysis estimated that missed deaths in India alone ranged between 3.3 million to 6.5 million.

In a statement following the release of WHO's data, India disputed the U.N. agency's methodology. India's Health and Family Welfare Ministry called the analysis and data collection methods questionable and complained that the new death estimates were released without adequately addressing India's concerns.

Samira Asma, a senior WHO director, acknowledged that numbers are sometimes controversial and that all estimates are only an approximation of the virus' catastrophic effects.

It has become very obvious during the entire course of the pandemic, there have been data that is missing," Asma told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. "Basically, all of us were caught unprepared.

Ko said the new figures from WHO might also explain some lingering mysteries about the pandemic, like why Africa appears to have been one of the least affected by the virus, despite its fragile health systems and low vaccination rates.

Were the mortality rates so low because we couldnt count the deaths, or was there some other factor to explain that? he asked, citing the far higher mortality rates in the U.S. and Europe.

Dr. Bharat Pankhania, a public health specialist at Britains University of Exeter, said the world may never get close to measuring the true toll of COVID-19, particularly in poor countries.

When you have a massive outbreak where people are dying in the streets because of a lack of oxygen, bodies were abandoned or people had to be cremated quickly because of cultural beliefs, we end up never knowing just how many people died, he explained.

Pankhania said that while the estimated COVID-19 death toll still pales in comparison to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which experts estimate caused up to 100 million deaths, the fact that so many people died despite the advances of modern medicine, including vaccines, is shameful.

He also warned that the cost of COVID-19 could be far more damaging in the long term, given the increasing burden of caring for people with long COVID.

With the Spanish flu, there was the flu and then there were some (lung) illnesses people suffered, but that was it, he said. There was not an enduring immunological condition that were seeing right now with COVID."

We do not know the extent to which people with long COVID will have their lives cut short and if they will have repeated infections that will cause them even more problems, Pankhania said.

Krutika Pathi and Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other top state leaders gathered at the Illinois State Library on Thursday to honor the lives of 11 fallen Illinois police officers, including two from the Metro East.

Pritzker, joined by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Secretary of State Jesse White and Comptroller Susana Mendoza, directed comments to the families of the officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2021.

Please know our state can never fully repay you, but we will spend every minute of every day trying because you deserve nothing less, Pritzker said.

The 11 officers honored included:

Brooklyn police Officer Brian Pierce Jr., who was fatally struck Aug. 4 by a fleeing car on the McKinley Bridge in Venice while he tried to place spike strips on the pavement.

Pontoon Beach Officer Tyler N. Timmins, who died Oct. 26 after being shot at a gas station at Highway 111 and Chain of Rocks Road. He was shot while approaching a vehicle he thought had been stolen.

Wayne County Sheriffs Deputy Sean I. Riley, who was killed about two hours east of St. Louis in late December, sparking a bistate manhunt in the St. Louis area that also included carjackings, robberies and a second shooting.

The other officers honored were Melrose Park police Officer Joseph T. Cappello III, Chicago Heights police Officer Gary S. Hibbs, Illinois State Police Senior Master Trooper Todd A. Hanneken, Hometown police Lt. James J. Kouski Jr., Cook County Sheriffs Officer Allen S. Giacchetti, Champaign police Officer Christopher N. Oberheim, Chicago police Officer Ella G. French and Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene R. Rittmanic.

Amber Oberheim, who has in the past year become an advocate for law enforcement, attended the ceremony with her family. Her husband, Chris Oberheim, was shot and killed while on duty in May 2021.

Oberheim said she hopes the memory of her husband and the other officers spurs change in Springfield.

We're one big family, and when one falls, we all feel it, she said to reporters after the ceremony. I think the sheer magnitude of people who were here with an expectation for some change and support for law enforcement must speak volumes, hopefully, to our leaders.

Mendoza, the state comptroller, agreed that elected officials need to do "more to stand up for our men and women in law enforcement."

Mendoza's brother, Joaquin Mendoza, is a Chicago Police Department sergeant who contracted COVID-19 in 2020 and is still recovering from the illness.

She asked the officers in attendance to not be afraid to seek help.

I also want to acknowledge the toll that this line of work can take on ones physical and mental health, Mendoza said. We dont talk about that enough. You know, asking for or seeking help when you need it is a sign of strength.

Her remarks were met with a standing ovation from most of the crowd.

Dave Johnson, president of the Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee, said he hopes the families of the fallen officers know their loved ones memories will be kept alive.

We come here and do this every year not to honor how your loved one died, but how they lived their lives, because thats the true mark that they left on this world, Johnson said.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Jason Cummings voted to convict an innocent man of second-degree murder.

So did the other jurors he led as foreperson in a trial in St. Louis in February.

They had no choice.

Thats what Cummings wrote to Circuit Court Judge Katherine Fowler in a letter asking her to go easy when she sentences 52-year-old Robert D. Smith on May 10.

The jurys hands were tied and had no choice but to convict an innocent man of second degree murder, Cummings wrote in his April 27 letter. This felt so wrong and still feels wrong  . While I know you did not create the law, I can firmly say that this particular law is completely broken, and as a result, an innocent man will lose a substantial portion of his life, simply due to a mistake that was made 20 years prior.

The law in question is known as felony murder. It is often charged when a person  say somebody robbing a bank  kills another person in the process of committing another felony. The statute that allows a felony murder charge in Missouri (which is charged as second-degree murder) does not allow a person to plead self-defense. The theory behind it is that the person committing a home invasion, for instance, cant get away with murder if he shoots a homeowner after the homeowner pulls a gun to defend their home.

Thats not what happened in Smiths case. In November 2019, he was cooking in the kitchen of the Hamilton Heights home he shared with two other men. One of the men, Todd Toston Sr., came at Smith with a knife and started stabbing at him. Toston, according to court records, was high on drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl.

Pinned to the ground, Smith grabbed a gun he carried for protection and shot Toston, who died.

Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner charged Smith with first-degree murder. But when it became clear before trial that public defender Josh Lohn would argue self-defense, and likely had the evidence to win such a case, the circuit attorneys office added the felony murder charge.

Thats because 20 years ago, when he was dealing with his own struggles with substance abuse, Smith was convicted of felony driving under the influence. That means he was a felon in possession of a gun, which, under Missouri law, would allow the felony murder charge.

The prosecutor effectively used the felony murder law as an end-run around a legitimate self-defense claim and the shameful thing is that the law allows him to do it, Lohn says. This law is bad. It just is. It erodes self-defense rights and allows for miscarriages of justice.

Steven Drizin agrees. Hes the co-director of the Center for Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern Universitys Pritzker School of Law. Drizin says states open themselves to prosecutorial abuses if they dont limit the use of a felony murder charge to only the most egregious crimes.

Most states have recognized how that kind of felony murder law divorces criminal liability from criminal blameworthiness and results in sentences that are disproportionate to the defendants crime, Drizin says. This is really the worst of both worlds. I would bet that very few prosecutors would do what happened here.

Of the countries that created their judicial systems based on the old English common law, the United States is the only one left that still has a felony murder charge on the books. Various legal advocates have been arguing for years  with some success  that it should be limited in its use. Illinois, for instance, added more restrictions to the felony murder rule last year.

Cummings letter to the judge makes it clear the jury believed that Smith was acting in self-defense, but because he committed a DUI two decades ago, that defense could not be applied to the felony murder charge. He and his fellow jurors are hoping for probation, so Smith doesnt go to prison. He has been held in jail with no bond since his arrest in November 2019.

When it comes to sentencing, had the shooting taken place a year later, probation wouldnt even be a possibility, because the Missouri Legislature in 2020 made the punishment for felony murder even worse than it already was. Smith faces up to life in prison for a crime that the jury says he didnt really commit.

The reaction of the jurors in this case should send a signal to the General Assembly that the law as it exists on the books in Missouri makes no sense, Drizin says. It needs to be changed.

From City Hall to the Capitol, metro columnist Tony Messenger shines light on what public officials are doing, tells stories of the disaffected, and brings voice to the issues that matter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
ST. LOUIS  A Jennings man who helped Nigerian romance scammers steal hundreds of thousands in cash and electronics from women in 25 states was sentenced Friday to five years and three months in prison.

Bonmene Sibe, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah Pitlyk for his role collecting packages from post office boxes in St. Louis and St. Louis County that had been mailed by victims between January and June of 2020. He and another man collected or tried to collect 87 packages or mail sent by people in Illinois and 24 other states.

The other man, Ovuoke F. Ofikoro, also 43, admitted last year that co-conspirators in Nigeria and the United States stole the identities of American military officers or created fake officers' identities and tricked women into sending cash or electronics to help them. Ofikoro is set to be sentenced May 27.

Sibe and Ofikoro also are jointly liable for more than $844,000 in restitution.

A third defendant, Trenice Hassel, 29, pleaded guilty last year to one count of making false statements to a federal agency and admitted enlisting a woman to open a post office box in Berkeley. She was sentenced to time served.

Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
CLAYTON  St. Louis County Executive Sam Pages office will soon grow from 12 employees to 45, with an annual budget that will swell from around $1.6 million to nearly $6 million. Thats because of a charter change approved last month by voters that requires the executives office to pay for all employees he appoints.

But the 33 added jobs  which include a dozen department heads whose jobs are created by the charter  arent new. Nor is the roughly $4.2 million that will pay for their annual salaries and benefits. The positions, nine of which are currently vacant, were already budgeted and accounted for this year.

Up until now, the appointees had been paid by other county departments in which they were assigned to work.

A state audit in 2020 slammed the longstanding practice of St. Louis County executives to stack their staffs with political appointees, but charge those salaries to other departments. In order to end the practice, the County Council last year voted 6-1 to ask voters to vote on the charter change.

The change also gives the council more firepower to scrutinize the executive branch, something Page critics, who make up a majority on the council, say they plan to do later in the year when it comes time to set the 2023 budget.

This will force the conversation come budget time, when we look at government in total and not just the county executives budget, said the sponsor of the ballot measure, Councilman Mark Harder, R-7th District.

Because the change took effect midyear, the county has to transfer $3,059,187  collected from the departments where the appointees were previously assigned  to Pages office to cover the salaries and benefits for the 33 reclassified appointees for the rest of the year. All told, the executive offices budget would rise to $6 million for all of 2022 to reflect salaries and benefits for the 45 employees, including the executive, who is is paid $140,000 a year, under a 2005 ordinance.

That includes the countys nine department heads, the county counselor, the municipal courts administrator, and the director of the fire standards commission  all jobs the county charter requires and designates to be filled by executive appointment. It also includes the countys information technology director and director of Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield.

Another $1.5 million funds 20 jobs created by Page or retained from his predecessors, such as director of diversity (a job Page created in 2019 for the late Hazel Erby, a former councilwoman), a chief diversity officer, a director of community engagement and a director of sustainability, a job created last year. It also includes a liaison to the council, a liaison to school districts, a jail liaison, a director of community engagement, multimedia coordinator, three policy analysts, two special projects coordinators, a communications coordinator and a communications specialist.

Council Chair Rita Days, D-1st District, had delayed an initial vote on the budget transfer Tuesday. She and other Page critics  Harder, Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, and Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-4th District  had questioned whether some of the appointees jobs, including nine that are currently vacant, could be consolidated.

Harder, who said the executives budget had to shrink, said that discussion will take place later this year.

Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, D-5th District, said the appointees salaries were always available to the council but the charter change was a formality that needed to happen in order to put practice into policy.

Clancy, a Page ally, said she would not eye any cuts further than what the executive branch might ask for in 2023.

It is my experience that county employees ask for what they need for services for residents, and we have a responsibility to make sure those needs are met, she said.

Four of the vacancies, which include three top advisory roles, occurred this year. Page spokesman Doug Moore said the administration aims to fill the jobs while it prepares to administer federal funds from $84 million in pandemic aid and incoming funds from a federal infrastructure plan.

Its shortsighted for the council to talk about consolidation of jobs when they dont know the workloads of each of the employees, who are seriously shorthanded right now, he said.

The 33 positions added to Pages office join the executive and 11 full-time employees, including a chief of staff, chief administrative officer, chief policy officer, transformation officer, and a special liaison to the countys dozens of boards and commissions.

Current vacant positions on Pages staff include:

 Chief Diversity Officer Veta Jeffrey, whom Page hired in 2020 to the newly created role, left the county this month for Omaha, Nebraska, where she will be CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

 Vaccine outreach coordinator Rochelle Walton Gray was fired from her public health job last month. Page said the ballot measure requiring her transfer to the executives budget would have violated a recent ordinance barring departing elected officials from political appointments for at least two years. Page hired Gray, a former District 4 councilwoman unseated by Webb in the 2020 August primary, to the job he created for her in early 2021.

 Director of Community Engagement Ethel Byndom retired this year. Byndom was one of two appointees originally hired by Pages predecessor, Steve Stenger, that Page kept on after replacing Stenger in 2019. The other is Paul Hampel, regional relations manager.

 The role of chief policy advisor is vacant after the death in March of former state legislator Cora Faith Walker.

Pages administration also lists vacancies for a deputy municipal court administrator, deputy director of communications, a communications coordinator and two policy advisers.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
ST. LOUIS  Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Thursday signed Aldermanic President Lewis Reeds long-debated bill to aid north St. Louis business corridors.

Jones was joined by five other aldermen and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, who supported channeling federal pandemic aid money that will cover the $37 million corridor aid, at the signing event at MC Appliances, a small business on Martin Luther King Drive. But Reed didnt attend.

Growing up in north St. Louis, I remember how communities were brought together around strong small businesses on thriving commercial streets, Jones said. To make our city stronger and safer, we need to work to build up our neighborhoods again.

The measure will make available $37 million for grants for businesses and nonprofit groups along 10 major streets in the economically depressed North Side, with the largest amount, $9.6 million, allocated to MLK Drive.

Reed had been at odds with Jones since last summer over the aid bill. The mayor vetoed an earlier $33 million version, arguing that it wouldnt fall in line with federal rules for spending American Rescue Plan Act funds  a point disputed by Reed.

Reed, in promoting his revised version, pointed to final ARPA regulations allowing wide discretion on using the funds if deployed in low-income census tracts such as the North Side areas the bill covers.

The mayor agreed to the latest bill after Reed and the Board of Aldermen agreed to some changes she wanted.

Jones said her office had invited Reed to the signing event but didnt hear back.

Reeds chief of staff, Tom Shepard, said later Thursday that Reed didnt attend because of a conflict with a previously scheduled appointment.

Were glad to see that the mayor signed the bill, Shepard said. The money can finally begin to get out and help some of these businesses in north St. Louis. Shepard also noted that the bill passed more than two weeks ago and could have been signed sooner.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
ST. LOUIS  Not surprisingly, the Hawley name is on one of the most controversial cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, an effort from Mississippi that could restrict abortion rights and overturn Roe v. Wade.

But its not the Hawley doing a fist pump outside the U.S. Capitol. Not the one attacking Democrats on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Rather, its Erin Morrow Hawley, the wife of U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who has been a key partner in his rise to power.

As senior counsel to the appellate team at Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF, a Christian legal advocacy group, she coordinated Supreme Court filings that helped bolster Mississippis effort to cap most abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy and, more broadly, potentially leave reproductive rights up to state legislatures across the land.

This past year I have been blessed to have a front-row seat on this case, Erin Hawley said in a keynote address in February at a Lincoln Days dinner in St. Charles. As a conservative mother, I can tell you it has been the project of a lifetime.

After Josh introduced her as the working attorney in the family, she told the Republican gathering that she took the youngest of their three children, less than 6 months old at the time, on airplanes to Mississippi and other states to support the legal effort to restrict abortions. She said that included attending meetings with some of the nations best lawyers.

It wasnt always easy, but for me it has been a reminder every day of why this case matters, she said of traveling with a baby in tow. There was something so powerful, so tangible, so real about helping with this case, a case that can change abortion culture in this country and save countless unborn lives.

According to public records, ADF brings in more than $75 million a year in contributions and grants per year. It exists to facilitate an alliance of like-minded influencers from every sphere of the public square affecting law and culture, and to mobilize this alliance to protect the core values of religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, freedom of speech, and marriage and the family.

ADF is perhaps most widely known in recent years for defending, free of charge, the Colorado baker who refused to make a cake celebrating a same-sex marriage.

Erin told the group in St. Charles that Mississippi lawmakers were right to restrict most abortions beyond 15 weeks because the baby can open and close fingers by then, hear its mothers heartbeat. She said contraception has become universal in the nearly 50 years since Roe v. Wade was decided. Erin said abortion wasnt mentioned in the Constitution, yet, to her, the Bible is clear in Psalm 139:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb.

This is the time, she said, drawing applause. This is the year that Roe must go.

From Washington to Missouri  and back

The draft ruling on the Mississippi case, an exclusive story reported Monday by Politico, signaled that the Supreme Court was indeed poised to overturn Roe. While Josh called the information breach a hit on the esteemed institution, the conclusion  overturning Roe  is consistent with what he and Erin have long advocated. In Missouri, one of 13 states that have adopted so-called trigger laws tied to the end of Roe, most abortions would become illegal.

Conservative Christian values bond Josh and Erin together, according to an Apple podcast the couple recently participated in called This is Living with Josh and Erin Hawley. The podcast portrays them as laid-back, everyday parents in their early 40s trying to get by the best they can as a traditional family.

In one segment, Josh encouraged men to vent their frustrations to the Lord, not their spouses. Erin encouraged women and mothers to make sure you focus on your husband.

Erin grew up in New Mexico. She studied animal science at Texas A&M University. Josh, raised in Lexington, Missouri, went to an all-boys Jesuit high school in Kansas City. He studied history at Stanford. They overlapped at Yale Law School, but it was as law clerks for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. in 2007  the same chief justice that is reexamining Roe today  that they got to know each other.

We literally shared an office, which meant Erin, you know, couldnt escape, Josh said in the podcast. I got to talk to her the entire day.

While their relationship blossomed at the high court, they tried to keep it a secret until after the clerkship. Both became appellate attorneys in Washington. Josh eventually proposed to Erin within view of the U.S. Capitol.

After that, they moved to Missouri, started a family. Both taught at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. And Josh launched his political career.

Religious freedom and reproductive rights laws have been main themes. That Josh was part of the legal team that won the Hobby Lobby case in 2014 resonated with conservative voters. The landmark decision exempted for-profit privately held corporations from being mandated to provide health care benefits to their employees that offer birth control. While Josh didnt present the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, Peter Dobelbower, general counsel of Hobby Lobby, has said that he provided unique insight into the arguments that made our case so successful.

In 2016, Josh was elected to be Missouris attorney general. Just two years later, he won the U.S. Senate seat and the Hawleys returned to Washington.

Very, very bright and ambitious

Along the way, Josh and Erin had a law firm, Hawley and Hawley. After Josh founded the Missouri Liberty Project in 2014, Erin wrote a U.S. Supreme Court filing for the now-defunct organization. Technically called amicus curiae, or friend of the court, the filings are submitted by outside parties who seek to influence the court by offering a relevant perspective.

It was in this realm that Erin had the front-row seat in the Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization.

Erin recently said in a prepared statement to the Post-Dispatch that ADF is proud to have worked closely with Mississippi officials on the case, including coordinating amicus support at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. is an extreme outlier in abortion law and policy, allowing late-term abortions and failing to protect the lives and health of unborn children and their mothers, she said. Because life is a human right, the Court should uphold Mississippis law protecting women and children and overturn the decision in Roe v. Wade.

Michelle Williams, chief of staff for Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, said by email that ADF has been a great partner to this office.

Erin Hawley is a skilled and experienced attorney and we are honored that she provided a solid sounding board to our team and a strong voice for empowering women and promoting life over the past year, Williams said.

There are dozens of amicus briefs attached to the Mississippi case, many with different interpretations of what empowering women means. One, written for Olympic gold medalists and other high-performing female athletes, says forced pregnancy and childbirth would undermine the ability to actualize their full human potential. An attorney representing a slew of health care organizations argues that current abortion rights allow women to live longer, more healthful lives. Another argues that state powers are already used to violate womens constitutional rights, and that the further consequences of overruling Roe would be far-reaching and disastrous for all pregnant women.

ADF wouldnt say which amicus briefs Erin helped coordinate for the Mississippi case. Nor would the firm disclose her salary. Erin is also a legal fellow at the Independent Womens Forum, which paid her  the Hawley Law Firm  $185,000 in 2020, according to public records.

She has written several articles about why she thinks Roe should be overturned. Shes also weighed in on the selection of Supreme Court justices. Writing for Real Clear Policy in 2018, she said: Democrats are right. Judge Brett Kavanaugh does have a jaw-dropping record with women  but it is one that should lead to womens support.

Jean Evans, former chairman of the Missouri GOP, said many people arent aware of Erins work.

Shes got three kids, Evans said. I should say, they have three kids. I think of them as a power couple. They are both very, very bright and ambitious. They work together well and support each other well. They seem to have quite a strong partnership.

While Josh spoke at the Lincoln Days event in February about fighting against the Democrats for the soul of America, Erin hit a similar theme regarding the most important case of our lifetimes.

This is not merely a court case to win, but the heart of a nation to live, she said.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
CLAYTON  St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Thursday endorsed Terry Wilson, a Jennings councilman running to unseat Councilwoman Rita Heard Days in the August primary.

Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, D-5th District, and Kelli Dunaway, D-2nd District, also endorsed Wilson against Days, a former state representative who joined the council in 2019.

In return, Wilson endorsed Page, who faces a Democratic primary challenger in longtime police attorney and lobbyist Jane Dueker.

Meanwhile, Councilman Tim Fitch, R-3rd District, said in a tweet Thursday that he would join a fundraiser for Days with St. Louis Aldermanic President Lewis Reed. Reed, a Democrat, had been a 2019 candidate for mayor against Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, whom Page had endorsed.

The alliances are hardly a surprise to county political observers after more than a year of bitter division between Page and Days.

Days broke with a four-person Democratic majority in 2020 over disputes between Page and her predecessor on the council, Hazel Erby, while also slamming the countys COVID-19 response in north St. Louis County.

Since 2021, Days has led a bipartisan majority that includes Fitch, Councilman Mark Harder, R-7th District, and Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-4th District.

Webb unseated former Page ally Rochelle Walton Gray in 2020. In early 2021, Page sued to block the election of Days as council chair instead of Clancy. Days and the new council majority prevailed. The relationship between the four and Page has not improved since then, and they have clashed on a range of issues, including mask mandates and the spending of federal pandemic aid.

Wilson on Thursday said his endorsement from Clancy and Dunaway was demonstrating he will have allies on the council to help get things done for North County.

Wilson, who announced his campaign last summer, is director of the Beyond Housing Pagedale Family Support Center and a former Jennings School District board member.

He was part of a group of North County officials who, in August, issued a flyer supporting a countywide mask mandate in response to a County Council 5-2 vote to reject a mask order by Page. Days and Webb joined three council Republicans to reject the mask mandate. Weeks later, they reversed course, and joined Clancy and Dunaway in voting 4-3 to uphold the mask order.

Wilson said he was proud to have Pages endorsement, though he said he and Page have not always seen eye to eye.

That appeared to refer to his 2020 endorsement of Mark Mantovani, a Ladue businessman who was among three Democratic challengers to Page in that years August primary. Wilson appeared in a Mantovani campaign ad blasting Pages COVID-19 response, including a decision to spend $2 million in federal aid on an emergency morgue. Page defeated the primary challengers to win election to complete two years of a term vacated by Steve Stenger.

On Thursday, Wilson said in a statement that Page has shown great leadership throughout the pandemic with providing direct assistance to North County including direct rental assistance, utility assistance, free COVID testing, vaccine deployment, and more.

Sam Page is a leader that shows up in North County and works with local leaders to listen and to solve problems, Dr. Page understands that community policing and fighting crime are our top issue for many of us in North County and he has taken steps to making our communities safer. We have not always seen eye to eye on issues but Sam Page is always willing to work with me to find solutions and get things done. Our campaign is powered by the people for the people and I am proud to have County Executive Page on our team!

In a statement, Page said Wilson isnt interested in political headlines.

Terrys work with Beyond Housing, on the Jennings School Board, and as Councilman in Jennings has shown me that he serves the community with passion, integrity, and dedication, Page said. He isnt interested in political headlines. He is interested in getting results for the people.

Wilsons campaign also listed endorsements from a group of North County mayors: Jennings Mayor Yolanda Austin, Wellston Mayor Nathaniel Griffin, Berkeley Mayor Babatunde Deinbo, and Dellwood mayor Reggie Jones.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri taxpayers could be in line for a check worth up to $500 this fall under a slimmed-down tax rebate program unveiled by Senate Republicans Thursday.

The cost of the proposal, sponsored by the chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, is capped at $500 million, meaning the checks, based on the 2021 tax year, could be adjusted downward if claims for the money exceed the limit.

It allows taxpayers to get some of their money back, said Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, who handles budgeting duties in the upper chamber.

The plan is the GOP-controlled Senates version of a proposal approved in the House last month, which would cost more than twice the amount.

Senators adopted an amendment backed by Democrats that would limit the rebate to taxpayers earning $150,000 or less, or $300,000 for a married couple.

I think we landed in a place thats a good place, said Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence. I believe we have a pretty good compromise here.

This is an opportunity to return money (to people) who maybe have had a rough couple of years, said Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City.

The measure did not advance to the House but was sent to a Senate committee for further review.

Like the House plan, the rebate would not be paid to Missourians who didnt pay income tax in 2021.

With the states coffers brimming with money from federal emergency pandemic aid and an unexpected boost in income tax revenue, lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol are looking at ways to return some dollars directly to taxpayers heading toward the 2022 election.

A House version would cost more than $1 billion, but it would not be subject to income limits.

The clock is ticking on Missouri lawmakers to complete the state budget. With a Friday deadline looming, the Senate and House are putting the final touches on the spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The legislation is House Bill 2090

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
JEFFERSON CITY  A Nashville-based limited liability company placed the winning bid last year for a Missouri property with a cave containing Native American artwork dating back more than 1,000 years.

Morning Star and His Friends LLC is the new owner of the 43-acre Picture Cave site, which fetched $2.2 million at auction in September. Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers in St. Louis declined to name the winning bidder.

But Carol Diaz-Granados, a Washington University researcher who studied the site and co-authored the 2015 book Picture Cave: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Mississippian Cosmos, identified the previous owners of the property to the Post-Dispatch.

Warren County assessors records show Morning Star and His Friends LLC purchased the previous owners land on Oct. 18.

Diaz-Granados said she found the name of the limited liability company curious.

Morning Star is one of the figures on the wall in the cave, she said.

Theres no actual persons name and address and phone number, stuff like that, Diaz-Granados said of the buyer. Its been kept very secret.

Morning Star and His Friends LLC was formed Sept. 10 in Tennessee, according to state business records, days before the auction to sell the site.

The Tennessee records say the company has two unnamed members. It lists the address of the Nashville law firm Bass, Berry & Sims as its principal office. Warren County property records also list the Bass, Berry & Sims address.

Media contacts at the law firm did not respond to emailed questions in March.

They also didnt respond to a request for comment Thursday when asked about a news release from the National Trust for Historic Preservation that lists the Picture Cave as one of the top 11 most endangered historic places of 2022.

Tribal leaders hope to encourage the new owner to provide access to the Osage Nation and to protect and respect this sacred place, the news release said.

The Osage Nation had hoped to purchase the land to protect and preserve our most sacred site and opposed the sale, calling it truly heartbreaking in a statement last year.

A spokesman with Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers attempted to ease concerns about possible damage to the site after the sale.

He told The Associated Press the auctioneers vetted potential buyers and that the site isnt easy to access.

The spokesman also cited Missouri statutes that state anyone who knowingly disturbs, destroys, vandalizes, or damages a marked or unmarked human burial site commits a class D felony.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania's top state elections official is pushing back against a county district attorney's plans to have detectives monitor ballot drop box locations ahead of the upcoming primary and prosecute violations, warning that the plan could intimidate voters.

Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman's letter sent late Thursday to Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin also said Martin's concerns about people dropping off more than one ballot needed to take into account the legal right disabled voters have to designate someone else to drop off their completed ballots.

As you can imagine, law enforcement officers, whether they be in uniform or in civilian clothes, positioned near a ballot drop box may very well dissuade eligible voters as well as authorized designated agents from legally casting ballots, Chapman wrote.

The state American Civil Liberties Union chapter and a group of like-minded organizations also wrote Martin this week, making many of the same arguments and asking him to immediately cease and desist the plan to monitor the county's five drop boxes and to stop dissemination of false information about return of mail ballots.

The groups called his public statements and plan to monitor drop boxes an intimidation tactic designed to discourage legal forms of voting.

Martin was asked by county elections officials to look into the local Republican Party's claims that drop boxes had been used in October and November to drop off more than one ballot. After a review of security video he concluded last month that the practice had likely occurred hundreds of times in Lehigh County last year.

He followed up last week by telling voters they were placed on notice about the law and said county detectives would be checking security video and monitoring drop boxes in person for the May 17 primary. He said violators could be prosecuted and that penalties of up to two years in jail and $2,500 fines were authorized under state law.

Were not in the business of trying to intimidate voters or deprive disabled people of the opportunity to have their ballots cast, Martin said in a phone interview Friday. Its overexaggerated by the people who have made those claims.

He urged the county to post more visible, more explicit warnings at the drop boxes and limit their hours but acknowledged no evidence has arisen to suggest the drop boxes have been used to tamper with votes or cast fraudulent votes.

As a result, additional signs have been posted but the hours were not changed, said county elections director Tim Benyo.

We found no smoking gun was the term I used, Martin said. We found multiple instances of people dropping more than one ballot. Usually two.

The state's website lists drop boxes in at least 22 counties, from rural areas with a single drop box to the populous suburban Philadelphia counties that maintain multiple locations. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at county elections offices.

The state Supreme Court gave its blessing to drop boxes in September 2020, two months before the presidential election in which Joe Biden carried the state over Donald Trump. Drop box supporters have noted the Legislatures own review found they have functioned properly and were secure.

Mail-in ballots, made widely available under a 2019 law in which Republican negotiators allowed their universal use in exchange for ending straight-ticket voting, have proven far more popular among Democrats. That has fueled Republican opposition and driven efforts to limit their use. Last month the state Senate voted on party lines to ban them, although Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf would likely veto the legislation.

Chapman said this week that by Tuesday's registration deadline, counties had received some 850,000 requests for mail-in ballots, and about 650,000 were from Democrats.

York County this week removed its only drop box, saying the government did not have sufficient staff to adequately monitor it. In Berks County, the existence of two drop boxes has been a bone of political contention. Berks' two boxes are each monitored by two deputies during the hours that they are open. They have double-locking mechanisms and get sealed overnight to prevent tampering.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
On social media, Richard Whitehead is a warrior for the American right. He has praised extremist groups. He has called for public executions of government officials he sees as disloyal to former President Donald Trump. In a post in 2020, he urged law enforcement officers to disobey COVID-19 public-health orders from tyrannical governors, adding: We are on the brink of civil war.

Whitehead also has a day job. He trains police officers around the United States.

The Idaho-based law enforcement consultant has taught at least 560 police officers and other public safety workers in 85 sessions in 12 states over the past four years, according to a Reuters analysis of public records from the departments that hired him. A Washington state training commission in 2015 temporarily banned Whitehead from advertising courses on its website because of instructional materials that referred to a turban-wearing police officer as a towel head and contained cartoons of women in bikinis, according to emails from the commission to Whitehead that were reviewed by Reuters. Other marketing literature touted Whiteheads deception detection technique that, among other things, teaches officers not to trust sexual-assault claimants if they use the word we in referring to themselves and their assailant.

The commission was responding to a student complaint citing offensive slurs and blatant misogyny. Whitehead said in an interview that the commission had given too much credence to one students opinion and caused him to lose business. Since then, he said, he has expanded the section of his course that caused that controversy, adding more pot-stirring material, including a slide that ridicules transgender people: Suspect is a gender-fluid assigned-male-at-birth wearing non-gender-specific clothing born Caucasian but identifies as a mountain panda. Whitehead said such barbs are intended to push back against pressures on law enforcement to espouse left-wing views on gender or race.

Whitehead is part of a trend in pushing a radical-right political agenda to American police forces. Hes one of five police trainers identified by Reuters whose political commentary on social media has echoed extremist opinions or who have public ties to far-right figures. They work for one or more of 35 training firms that advertised at least 10 police or public-safety training sessions in 2021, according to a Reuters analysis of scheduling data from policetraining.net, the main site where local departments connect with trainers. The news organization also reviewed materials describing classes by specific training companies.

The five trainers have aired views including the belief in a vote-rigging conspiracy to unseat Trump in the 2020 election. One trainer attended Trumps January 6, 2021, rally at the U.S. Capitol that devolved into a riot, injuring more than 100 police officers. Two of the trainers have falsely asserted that prominent Democrats including President Joe Biden are pedophiles, a core tenet of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Four have endorsed or posted records of their past interactions with far-right extremist figures, including prominent constitutional sheriff leader David Clarke Jr. and Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs, who is being prosecuted for his involvement in the Capitol riots.

Whitehead adheres to the constitutional sheriff philosophy, which holds that county sheriffs should ignore any law they find unconstitutional. The growing movement claims sheriffs are the supreme law enforcement authority in their jurisdictions  more powerful even than the U.S. president. A spokesperson for the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association disputed the characterization of its views as extreme and said it was neither right- nor left-wing.

In interviews, Whitehead and the other four trainers also said their beliefs are neither extreme nor far-right. Some said posts that appeared to urge the overthrow of the U.S. government were intended as humorous or figurative. They said they keep their politics separate from their training, which they said focused on officer safety.

Whitehead was listed in a database of members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government group, that was leaked in September by the nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, which says it aims to publish data in the public interest. The members list included some 15 other people who identified themselves as law enforcement trainers and dozens more who said they were retired officers or trainers, or firearms instructors, according to a Reuters review of the data. The anti-government militia group focuses on recruiting police and military personnel, according to some experts who track extremism, and claims to have thousands of members. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was charged with seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. He has pleaded not guilty.

Kellye SoRelle  an attorney for the Oath Keepers who has called herself the groups acting president during Rhodes pretrial detention  did not respond to a request for comment on the law enforcement officers listed in the database.

Whitehead told Reuters he was an Oath Keeper for about a year, in 2016 and 2017, and continues to support its ideology of defending the constitution. He said he filmed a promotional video at an event of a far-right militia, the Real Three Percenters, when Whitehead ran for sheriff of Kootenai County, Idaho in 2020. He praised the Three Percenters, who train for armed resistance of what they call a tyrannical U.S. government, as being all about community and also defending the constitution.

Private trainers work in an unregulated industry that largely has evaded the heightened scrutiny of U.S. policing in recent years in the wake of high-profile police killings of civilians. Trainers like those identified by Reuters, a half dozen police-training specialists say, highlight a lack of standards and oversight that allows instruction that can often exaggerate the threats that officers face, making them more likely to respond with excessive force in stressful situations.

U.S. law enforcement officers receive far less initial training at police academies than their counterparts in comparable countries, said Arjun Sethi, a Georgetown University adjunct law professor and policing specialist. That opens immense commercial opportunities for private trainers to fill the void with ongoing training of active-duty officers, often in a politicized manner that normalizes biased policing against Black people and other communities, he said.

Private trainers typically advertise their courses to police and sheriffs departments, who often pay for their officers to take them. But individuals can also seek out and pay for courses on their own to satisfy government or department requirements for ongoing training. The courses vary widely in content and in price, from hundreds to thousands of dollars per attendee.

State-based oversight institutions, often called Peace Officer Standards and Training agencies, set requirements for police training, such as the types of classes and minimum teaching hours that officers must complete. But the institutions have little power in most states to influence course content or set standards for private police trainers, in part due to budget constraints, said Randy Shrewsberry, a former police officer. He saw unregulated police training as such a problem that in 2017 he founded the California-based Institute for Criminal Justice Training Reform.

Some officers will subscribe to the extremist ideology of their trainers, Shrewsberry said, because they perceive instructors as having authority and credibility. Bad training is instilling bad behavior, he added.

Whitehead disputed the assertion that police trainers need more oversight, noting that many states review course material. That seems regulated to me, he said.

Support for QAnon, election conspiracies

On social media, some trainers have echoed core tenets of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which holds that some prominent Democrats and Hollywood celebrities are part of a cabal of Satanist pedophiles and cannibals.

Kansas-based trainer Darrel Schenck teaches firearms classes through his own company as well as through the law enforcement division of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the leading U.S. gun-rights lobby. Schenck has voiced the belief that Democrats are pedophiles, called reports of violence during the U.S. Capitol riots fake news, and declared the 2020 election illegitimate, commenting: election fraud is the real pandemic.

In an interview, Schenck stressed he was a professional whose personal views do not affect his training. The NRA did not respond to a request for comment.

Police instructor Adam Davis characterized Biden as a puppet and a pedophile on Facebook. In other posts, he slammed people who protest racial bias in policing as pawns in the scheme to destroy this nation.

Davis has worked as a contractor for Street Cop Training, one of the biggest private providers of law enforcement instruction. He spoke at an industry trade conference hosted by the company in October, and he gives lectures to police agencies nationwide. Street Cop Training did not respond to requests for comment.

Davis said in an interview that he did not know for a fact whether Biden was a pedophile. He said his criticism of anti-racism protesters was based on the property destruction that occurred during protests in various cities in 2020. He characterized his political views as middle of the road.

Texts with a Proud Boys leader

The lack of regulation gives individual trainers wide latitude to teach Americas police officers whatever they see fit. For trainer Tim Kennedy, that means training in martial arts, sharpshooting and strength-building.

In 2020, Kennedy posted on Instagram a video of himself taking out trash in combat gear, captioned: When you want to boogaloo but you still have a bunch of honey-dos to do, referring to household chores. That was an apparent reference to the anti-government boogaloo movement, whose adherents anticipate  and sometimes call for, or train for  a revolution toppling the federal government or a second U.S. civil war.

Two months later, Kennedy posted a photo of himself wearing a Hawaiian shirt and aiming a rifle. Hawaiian shirts are a trademark of the boogaloo movement. The picture was captioned: If you choose to be an ahole I picked out a special shirt for the occasion.

Kennedy said in an interview that he does not support the boogaloo movement. He said he loves Hawaiian shirts and owned many before they became a boogaloo symbol.

Kennedys Twitter account shows that he has been an associate of Joe Biggs, a leading organizer of the right-wing Proud Boys group who is being prosecuted for his role in the U.S. Capitol riots. Their online interactions were as recent as May 2018, several months before Biggs Twitter account was suspended.

In Twitter posts, Kennedy discussed going on motorcycle rides with Biggs; named Biggs as his Interior Secretary in an imaginary presidential cabinet; and posted screenshots of their text-message conversation about an anticipated rally by antifa, the loosely organized left-wing anti-fascism movement.

Going down town to cause havoc, wrote Biggs.

Same. Sounds like a date! Kennedy replied.

Biggs is currently detained pending trial. He was charged for his role in the Capitol riots with six counts including obstruction of an official proceeding, obstruction of law enforcement, destruction of government property, and conspiracy. Reached through a lawyer, Biggs declined to comment.

Kennedy told Reuters he believed Biggs had taken a radical turn and said he had not had any recent contact with him. He denied ever being friends with Biggs. Im pretty anti-antifa, and Im pretty anti-far right radical, Kennedy said. I like the middle, where logic and rational people exist.

Kennedy said he held about 200 training sessions across the United States in 2021. He offers individual officers a discount on his courses, which cost between $400 and $900 per student, because most police agencies refuse to pay for Kennedys training out of what he described as political reasons and ignorance. Kennedy said his courses focus on cultural understanding and de-escalation techniques as well as physical training.

One teaching method he cited, however, was a chart of different mental states  each assigned its own color  describing levels of preparedness, or the lack of it, to respond to threatening situations. The chart was developed by former U.S. Marine Col. Jeff Cooper, now deceased, as a means of setting ones mind into the proper condition when exercising lethal violence, according to a 2004 written commentary attributed to Cooper.

Kennedy features a fighting practice in an instructional video, showing him and students wrestling and trying to tackle one another. He described the practice as a form of stress inoculation that aims to improve officers performance under pressure.

The point of that is to induce stress onto a person, and then we make them try to solve a problem, such as intervening in a simulated mugging, he said. Such training is needed, Kennedy said, because officers are at unprecedented risk of death and assault. Police reform measures taken in the wake of the 2020 racial-justice protests across the United States have left them even less protected, he said.

Long-term data on police officer deaths shows a different trend. Officer deaths caused by felonies last year increased to 73, compared to an average of 49 in the previous four years. But 2021 was an anomaly, as crime surged amid the coronavirus pandemic and related economic turmoil.

Over the long term, police deaths per 100,000 officers, from both felonies and accidents, plunged from 81 to 20 between 1970 and 2016, a decline of 75%, according to a 2019 analysis of historical Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data in the journal Criminology & Public Policy. Deaths from crimes fell even faster than accidental deaths over the period.

The number of line-of-duty deaths has declined dramatically over the last five decades, the study concluded. The war on cops thesis is not supported by any evidence.

Kennedy disputed the FBI data and said he would send figures contradicting it. He never did. The FBI declined to comment on the study of officer deaths and on the police trainers identified by Reuters.

In light of such data showing declining dangers to officers, many training agencies long ago abandoned training that emphasized putting officers through simulations of threatening situations, said Gil Kerlikowske, who led the police departments of Seattle and Buffalo, New York, before serving as commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol from 2014 until 2017.

Thats the worst kind of training to give officers today, to make them feel more vulnerable, Kerlikowske said. You want people to have an awareness of violent threats, but you dont want them to be so hypersensitive that it impacts everything they do.

The mindset that trainers impart, such as a feeling of constant vulnerability, can be more influential than the technical knowledge they share, said Seth Stoughton, a law professor at the University of South Carolina and former police officer with expertise in law enforcement training. Stoughton said studies show that training which overemphasizes life-threatening situations can impart a warrior mentality, convincing the officers that they face constant deadly threats.

In a promotional video that Kennedy released in 2020, Chris Jackson, an officer who works for a California police agency operated by a Native American tribe, said Kennedys course had opened his eyes to the world and changed the way he would respond to threats. You never want to be a victim of anything, he said in the video.

Jackson told Reuters in an interview that the training, which his agency paid for, made him more aware of potential threats and prepared to respond with less hesitation. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to eliminate the threat, he said.

Asked whether Kennedys social media posts referring to the boogaloo movement and his association with Joe Biggs affected his perception of the training, Jackson said it did not. What he does on his own time is his own deal, he said.

Moonlighting on Jan. 6

Ryan Morris, founder of Pennsylvania-based training firm Tripwire Operations Group, said in an interview that he posts political content on social media to attract customers. Its all marketing, he said. We put it out there to all different realms, hoping to spark some kind of conversation  and then we generate classes out of that.

In social posts reviewed by Reuters, Morris and other Tripwire trainers have cast the 2020 election as a socialist plot to seize the U.S. government, echoing Trumps false stolen-election claims. You have just witnessed a coup, the overthrow of the US free election system, the end of our constitutional republic, and the merge of capitalism into the slide toward socialism, read a Facebook post that Morris shared about a month after the 2020 election.

Tripwire trains first responders and military personnel in explosives handling, shooting and de-escalation. Morris told Reuters that he and several other Tripwire trainers were employed at the Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the U.S. Capitol that devolved into a riot. He declined to say who hired them or how specifically Tripwire staffers were employed. He said Tripwire is sometimes hired to help law enforcement agencies or to protect high-level executives, because its staff consists of bomb technicians and active law enforcement officers.

Morris retired from his part-time position as a police officer in Washington Township, Pennsylvania, in early March. The township declined to comment beyond saying Morris no longer works there.

On the day of the rally, the official Tripwire Twitter account posted a link to a since-deleted Instagram photo. The post indicated the image was taken at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., midway into the three-hour breach of the building. Morris said he could not recall what was pictured in the deleted post, and that neither he nor any other Tripwire employees entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6.

Tripwire held about 50 classes in 2021, of which roughly half were attended by law enforcement officers, according to Morris. Law enforcement agencies, non-profit organizations, or officers themselves typically cover tuition, which ranges from $250 for a basic shooting class to $2,000 for more specialized training in how to handle explosives.

Tripwire instructors are politically neutral when it comes to training, Morris said. But political views are sometimes expressed in class, he said, because law enforcement, military have certain mindsets. Ill just leave it at that.

Political correctness

Richard Whitehead, the Idaho consultant, started his training firm in 1995 during his 25-year career in the sheriffs department of Travis County, Texas. He moved to Idaho and, in 2020, ran for sheriff of Kootenai County. During his campaign, he handed out cards identifying himself as an Oath Keeper. He ran on a constitutional sheriff platform, he said in an interview. Whitehead lost in the primary, placing third of four candidates.

Adherents to the constitutional-sheriff movement consider the federal government a grave threat to U.S. citizens. They argue that local law enforcement is a higher authority, with the power to countermand the decisions of legislatures, courts and presidents. They have advocated that sheriffs refuse to uphold certain laws, involving, for instance, background checks of gun buyers. Whitehead said he campaigned for sheriff because he wanted to block the government from imposing unconstitutional limits on citizens, including pandemic-safety regulations such as mask mandates or business restrictions.

Whitehead primarily trains police officers. He also advises a range of other public safety workers, including dispatchers, jailers and paramedics. At a paramedic training in Sandpoint, Idaho, in April 2020, he put on an appalling show, according to Lieutenant David Ramsey, who described the event in an email to his supervisor two days after the class. Reuters obtained the email in a public-records request.

Ramsey wrote that Whitehead dismissed the COVID-19 pandemic as a joke, called infection-control measures unconstitutional and showed a video mocking women for not saying what they mean. After showing students an image of a police car with an LGBTQ flag on the side, according to Ramseys email, Whitehead asked the class: Whats next? We have to have a Muslim flag to satisfy the goat fers?

Contacted by Reuters, Ramsey acknowledged writing the email but did not comment further.

Whitehead said he was not aware of Ramseys complaint. He said he stood by his view that putting an LGBTQ flag on a police car could create a slippery slope that drags law enforcement officers away from their mission of fighting crime. He denied making the comment about a Muslim flag.

Ozzie Knezovich is the sheriff in Spokane County, Washington, just across the state line from the Idaho county where Whitehead ran for sheriff. He slammed Whiteheads ties to militias and the constitutional sheriffs movement during his campaign. But Knezovich never realized until he was contacted by Reuters that Whitehead had been hired by the Spokane sheriffs office to run 15 deputy trainings since 2015.

Knezovich, shocked that an instructor from the lunatic fringe had trained his own deputies, said he would ensure it didnt happen again. The sheriff said a now-retired training coordinator had selected Whitehead.

Ill be having a conversation with my training unit to take somebody off the list, the sheriff said.

Whitehead gave a Reuters reporter permission to attend a training he gave last June for police officers in Killeen, Texas. In that class, Whitehead referred to COVID-19 as the China flu and mocked transgender people. He also blasted some states efforts to end the qualified immunity legal doctrine that gives officers broad protection from civil lawsuits when they injure or kill suspects. If qualified immunity goes away, that takes away your ability to make a mistake, he said.

In an interview after the session, Whitehead said his class was about teaching officers bulletproof methods of documenting incidents on the job, and not becoming susceptible to the winds of political correctness and appeasement.
TOKYO (AP)  The melancholic sound of Ukrainian violinist Vera Lytovchenkos music has echoed in subway stations, consoling people, some homeless, huddled in fear of Russian bombings.

A new music video called The Brave Ones has her in an online collaboration with more than 200 musical artists from various nations, including the U.S., South Africa, Japan and Canada.

The video, which includes news footage of neighborhoods reduced to rubble and the mournful but enduring faces of the people of Ukraine, is raising money for humanitarian aid for musicians in Ukraine, so far gathering more than $20,000.

Lytovchenko said she believes its important for people, especially musicians, to connect.

Maybe I dont have a choice. I just must do it. I must do what I do, and this is the place for me now, she said in a recent Zoom interview with The Associated Press.

When I know that I am useful, I can do something good, its not so scary. It gives me strength. You know, I dont consider myself a very brave person. Im just human.

After windows broke in her apartment in Kharkiv from shelling, she started practicing and recording in the basement. She has also performed there.

She said sirens go off frequently and there are explosions. One day in April, when the bombing was especially fierce near her home, she thought she might die.

She rarely leaves her apartment, except to get food and take care of cats her neighbors had to leave behind.

And she cant stop asking herself: Why?

I dont have the answer, she said. How could this be possible, now, in the 21st century, in Europe? I dont have words to describe my emotions, she said.

At first, when the war began, she even had doubts about playing music, and felt helpless. Maybe what the world needed were medical doctors and politicians who can stop war, she thought.

Then she saw how her music could help people, raise funds and tell the world about Ukraine. An outpouring of sympathy ensued on social media. Most of all, people loved her music.

I know it helps them. I saw their faces, I saw their tears and their smiles, she said. Now, I know my profession is useful.

She vows to keep playing. And she refuses to leave Kharkiv.

Its our home. We cant leave our home. And we should stay to protect it, try to save all we can save. And also we should stay to show the world that we are not afraid, she said with determination in her voice.

The online video, which includes the words, with the yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukraine flag, features choirs in South Africa, Canada, the U.S. and Britain. Singing the lead is Grammy Award-winning Judith Hill, who worked with Michael Jackson.

The producer and writer who put it all together has asked for anonymity. The participants were approached and given simple directions, and were not fully aware of what the finished product might be. The violinists section was recorded first.

The person behind the video, reached by email, said the project is about musicians helping each other and the hope for peace so music can be performed again as before, not confined to bomb shelters.

Manabu Sakai, who plays taiko, a Japanese drum, on the video, said he was approached through Instagram and relied on translation applications to work out details. Although he was playing a giant instrument, he knew the key was not to play too much.

Taiko is the kind of music that brings peoples hearts together. It is festival music and so I played in a way that I hoped people can feel a sense of that Japanese festival music, said Sakai, a member of the taiko group Dako-on.

I didnt play to show my musical skill. I played to show my soul. I tried to play, putting my heart into it, he said.

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The Minnesota Senate on Thursday voted unanimously to create a framework for distributing about $300 million that the state is receiving as part of a settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers.

Counties and cities across Minnesota will be receiving a portion of the settlement, including more than $42 million to Hennepin County, the state's most populous county, $10 million to the city of Minneapolis and $8 million to St. Paul.

About a quarter will go to the states Opioid Response Advisory Council while the rest of the funds  about $222 million  are meant to flow to cities and counties for treatment and prevention against the addictive painkillers, which have claimed the lives of more than 5,400 Minnesotans since 2000.

The Senate passed the bill on a 66-0 vote.

Unfortunately, there is a tremendous amount of work ... that needs to continue in stopping the illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl in our communities, Republican Sen. Julie Rosen, of Fairmont, the bill's chief author, said on the Senate floor before the vote. But for now, we can be assured that there is compensation for the abuse we have endured at the hands of these large companies.

The money is part of a $26 billion nationwide settlement with manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson last year to resolve more than 3,000 lawsuits against the four companies. Minnesota will receive about $296 million over the next 18 years with larger payment amounts frontloaded in the first five years.

The bill also extends the states license and registration fees imposed on opioid manufacturers by the Legislature in 2019. The fees were created to fund the advisory council and won't expire until the state has collected $250 million from the companies, which Rosen estimates won't be until 2031.

The League of Minnesota Cities, Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities and Association of Minnesota Counties sent a joint letter to lawmakers urging them to pass the legislation and get the funds to local governments to bolster treatment, enforcement and prevention efforts. The cities and counties worked with lawmakers and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to determine how much of the funds would go to local governments before landing at 75%.

Ellison, who represented Minnesota in the legal action against the companies, thanked lawmakers for moving the legislation forward and told reporters he hopes the funds start flowing to local governments as soon as possible. Ellison also thanked local Minnesota prosecutors for playing a role in the litigation by filing their own lawsuits against the companies.

That's another thing that's just been a team effort, because we believe public safety is public safety wherever it might be, he said.

Rosen told reporters after the vote that the House is expected to quickly pass the legislation, and the money is expected to start flowing to local governments as soon as Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signs the bill into law.

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.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  The United Nations raced Friday to rescue more civilians from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol and the city at large, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategic port.

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukraine has said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

Our colleagues are currently on the ground," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said of the latest evacuation effort. We are in an extremely delicate phase of this operation, working in close coordination with both the Ukrainian authorities and the Russian authorities.

He declined to share details "for the sake of the safety of those were trying to get out, and, of course, for our own staff, which are there.

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to save the fighters. She said they'd be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean filtration camps, prison, torture, and death.

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will stand to the end without surrender, she told The Associated Press on Friday as she and relatives of some of the other members of the regiment drove from Italy to Poland.

It could takes days to know whether the latest U.N. effort to evacuate civilians succeeded, since people escaping Mariupol typically have to pass through contested areas and many checkpoints before reaching relative safety in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) to the northwest.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Friday on the Telegram messaging app that another complex operation to evacuate people from Mariupol and Azovstal was conducted and that nearly 500 civilians were rescued. Two previous evacuations negotiated by the U.N. and the Red Cross brought roughly 500 people from the steel plant and elsewhere in Mariupol. It wasn't clear if Yermak was saying more people had since been rescued.

Some of the plant's evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled along with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. They need our help badly. We need to get them out.

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on Telegram that Russian troops fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plant's grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

Moscow didn't immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of Mariupol, aside from the steel plant, after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, which marks the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of over 400,000 but where perhaps 100,000 civilians remain with little food, water, electricity or heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings, workers repaired a model of a warship, and Russian flags were hoisted on utility poles.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: Mariupol will never fall. Im not talking about heroism or anything.

It is already devastated, he told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think tank. He also said he remains open to negotiations with Russia, but repeated that Moscow must withdraw its forces.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Ukrainian officials warned residents to be vigilant and heed air raid warnings, saying the risk of massive shelling had increased with Victory Day approaching. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgement of those losses.

The British Defense Ministry said Russia may be struggling to execute its plan in the Donbas partly because it's bogged down at the plant in Mariupol. The fighting at the plant has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia, it said. "Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Avozstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas.

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth.

In other developments:

 A Ukrainian army brigade said it used an American Switchblade suicide drone against Russian forces in what was likely Ukraine's first recorded use of such weapon in combat.

 The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said more than 3,500 residents of the city of Kreminna found themselves in Russian-controlled territory as Russian forces were trying to cross the Seversky Donets River. Serhiy Haidai accused Russian troops of terrorizing the residents, from checking phones to forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots. His statements could not be immediately verified.

 The small village of Nekhoteevk, in Russias southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, was being evacuated Friday due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. His claims couldn't be immediately verified.

An earlier version of this story was corrected to show that it wasn't clear if a new group of civilians had been evacuated from the plant. ___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome, Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: 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.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  The University of Missouri has proposed disciplinary sanctions against 13 students as part of its investigation into an October fraternity pledge party that left a student from Minnesota with brain injuries.

Federal student privacy law keeps the school from naming the students or providing details about the disciplinary decisions, tut the sanctions could include suspension or expulsion, the university said in a statement Thursday.

The students will have the option to contest the proposed sanctions at a hearing and can appeal any sanctions, the university said.

The universitys action comes months after Daniel Santulli, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, 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. A university police investigation found that Santulli and other Phi Gamma Delta pledges were forced to drink dangerous amounts of alcohol.

A lawsuit filed on Santulli's behalf says the pledges were each forced to drink a bottle of hard liquor. The national fraternity and university both suspended the Missouri chapter following Santullis hospitalization.

Santulli's family has reached settlements with 20 of the 23 defendants named in the lawsuit, according to the family's attorney. Details of the settlements have not been released. The national fraternity is among those with whom settlements have been reached, The Columbia Tribune reported.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Supreme Court draft ruling overturning Roe v. Wade raises just as many arguments and counterarguments as the original ruling that Justice Samuel Alito excoriated in his opinion, leaked this week to Politico. Alitos assertion that abortion rights dont fall under the 14th Amendment, and that the Constitution makes no mention of abortion as a right, calls into question a wide range of other supposed rights for which no mention of any kind appears in the Constitution.

Alito basically would establish an entirely new bar for basic rights that cannot be met under a strict reading of the Constitution  not just including divisive issues such as gay marriage but also whether there is a right for gun owners to possess ammunition. The Constitution doesnt specifically spell out a right for interracial couples to marry. Under Alitos rationale, all those supposedly settled issues, widely accepted as basic rights, now could be subject to challenge.

Alito argues the opposite, saying that this draft ruling applies only to the rights of the unborn. But under his rationale, the Constitution offers no spelled-out rights to the unborn. In fact, it specifically excludes the unborn from having rights under the very 14th Amendment that Alito dissects as the basis for the conservative majoritys opinion.

Consider the amendments opening phrase: All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof  followed by the stipulation that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due legal process and equal protection.

That opening paragraph specifically applies to women as a subset of all people who qualify as having been born  and it specifically does not apply to those who have not yet been born.

These are painful words to parse in such a literal way when talking about humans lives, but thats the standard Alito himself is setting. This is what the Constitution says and doesnt say. Yet Alito and the conservative majority have decided that the rights of the unborn supersede those of women even though no wording in the Constitution specifies any such distinction.

This ruling, if it survives, could force an impregnated woman in 33 states to give birth, in some cases like Missouri regardless of whether she is the victim of rape or incest.

Let the states decide without court intervention, Alito says. Yet court conservatives do favor taking away states rights on other divisive issues, such as limiting gun ownership and usage, even when the Constitution is squishy about such rights.

It appears that the majority only seeks a literal interpretation of the Constitution when it suits conservative justices political or religious beliefs. But when the wording doesnt suit them, they simply ignore it. A court whose politics overshadow reasoned constitutional interpretation is a court whose legitimacy deserves all the public scrutiny its now receiving.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif.  A rapidly spreading variant and close, indoor quarters are likely factors that have led to cruise ship passengers testing positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks, according to the CDC.

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said most cases have not been severe.

The vast majority of cases did not have severe outcomes, with only one COVID-19 hospitalization reported in the outbreak on the Ruby Princess, which is still under investigation, said CDC spokesman Nick Spinelli.

And avid cruisers arent likely to give up the ocean-going travel freedom they lost for so many months during the pandemic.

A robust 2022 cruise schedule remains unchanged at the Port of Los Angeles, a port spokesman said.

Dr. Anissa Davis, Long Beachs city health officer, said that while shes keeping a close eye on cases, protocols regarding cruise ships dont appear set to change.

Right now cases continue to be relatively low but are rising, Davis said in a written statement. We are concerned about every COVID-19 case in the city, including those on area cruise ships. As of now, no protocols regarding cruise ships are set to change, but we continue to watch the situation closely.

She urged people to practice prevention strategies, including getting vaccinated and boosted when eligible, wearing well-fitting masks where crowds gather indoors, and staying home and getting tested if having symptoms.

CBS News reported on Wednesday, April 26, that the Ruby Princess docked at the Port of San Francisco after a trip to Hawaii with 143 passengers who had tested positive, according to information provided by that citys health department to the news outlet.

Earlier this month, the Grand Princess returned to the Port of Los Angeles from a Hawaii trip with passengers who also tested positive.

The two ships are among 53 cruise ships currently sailing under the CDCs orange category  which means 0.3% of passengers and/or crew members have tested positive.

The news follows the much-anticipated resumption of cruising after the industry was shut down for 15 months during the pandemic.

At the Port of Los Angeles, an expected 200 sailings are scheduled throughout 2022, the most since 2008.

The industry is seen as one that will be increasingly important locally, with each ship call bringing in more than $1 million in economic activity, according to the Port of L.A.

Cruises out of the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach resumed last summer with a set of protocols and vaccine requirements.

The CDC dropped its COVID-19 risk advisory for cruise ship travel in March, but still urges passengers to determine their own health risks before taking a cruise.

Cruise travel is not a zero-risk activity, said the CDCs Spinelli in a written comment. COVID-19, like other illnesses, can spread quickly in group settings like cruise ships because of close indoor proximity and extensive social interactions among passengers on board.

Most of the cruises are categorized as highly vaccinated by the CDCs classification, meaning more than 95% of the passengers are vaccinated, with crew vaccination rates at 100%.

Kathy Julian of Ventura, one of the passengers on board the Grand Princess for the trip to Hawaii, said she and her travel mates only learned later that the ship had already been put into the liners orange category.

We hadnt checked the CDC Dashboard before our cruise or we probably would have canceled, she said.

She tested positive after she returned home.

Its certainly my choice to go cruising and I realize the risk involved, but it still seemed like there was a blatant lack of concern, she said, adding that masking on board was practiced loosely. All the way down the chain, things should have been done.

A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said ships continue operating in accordance with the CDC guidelines and were not at liberty to disclose case counts.

Long Beach resident Tina Tessina and her husband, Richard, were also on the Grand Princess Hawaii voyage and tested positive. But, she said, the Princess crew was prompt in arranging a well-appointed quarantine cabin with a balcony on the 12th deck, where others were also separately quarantined.

As for how the virus could have spread onboard, Tessina said there were stops along the way where groups disembarked to enjoy dinner out and other land-based activities before getting back on the ship. She also said someone may have tested negative when they got onboard initially but still may have already been exposed.

Its never going to be perfect, Tessina, 78, a psychotherapist and writer, said, adding she and her husband, 79, were careful about masking. Both had their fourth shots before the trip.

Still, she said, they were out and about during the trip. And masking onboard the ship wasnt strictly practiced.

People arent necessarily smart about it, Tessina said. They dont think of the consequences.

But, she added, even when being careful, the virus can spread, especially in a social atmosphere like a cruise ship.

Her case was mild, she said. Her husband took a little longer to rebound, but both recovered without complications.

There were some minor things that could have been executed better, she said.

We had very nice (quarantine) accommodations, Tessina said. The only problem was there was no information (provided) on what to do.

Tessina, a seasoned cruiser, said she asked for instructions and those were then provided. But, she added, others on the deck werent apparently offered the instructions automatically.

Passengers had to make their own beds and change out their own towels while in quarantine.

The meal ordering app on the TVs in the rooms, Tessina said, also could be hard for some passengers to navigate.

Princess, she said, didnt handle everything perfectly, but they did a pretty good job.

It was the first time she and her husband, a ballroom dance instructor, were able to take a cruise since 2020, Tessina said  and theyre game for more. They usually take four cruises a year and have been around the world.

Im not happy I got COVID, but Im not blaming the ship, Tessina said. I could have gotten it on shore. I think if Id needed a lot of care I would have gotten it  and sometimes you get better medical care on a ship than on land.

Still, it all comes as a reminder that some risk remains.

Theres always a risk, Tessina said. But I feel like Im in more danger in the grocery store where there are a lot of people not wearing masks.
What do traveling moms really want? Theyll tell you time together with their families. Grandmas, especially, are eager to make memories.

But after a glass of wine or two, Moms will likely confide that beyond the shared experiences, what they really want and need, after two years of this never-ending pandemic. is a little time for themselves. That might be nothing more than an IOU to babysit or prepare dinner-and clean up at the vacation rental. It could be a gift card for a spa treatment or an experience like a gallery or bike tour where you are visiting next.

Pampering could also mean anything that would make travel easier and more pleasant for moms. Before you peruse our suggestions, consider what bugs mom the most when you are traveling  being cold in the car or a plane? Bug bites? Shoes that arent comfortable? A rain jacket that doesnt do the job? Running out of juice for her phone?

Also consider what mom loves most about travel. Is it exploring new places? New food? Getting outdoors biking, hiking, or kayaking? Trying something she has never tried before?

Lastly, think about a place mom went and still talks about years later. Maybe it was a national park? Paris? A Broadway show? Now consider the place mom has been talking about going throughout the pandemic. Once this is over, were going to go to

Ready? You may not be able to give the women you love most their dream trip this Mothers Day. But our 2022 Taking the Kids gift guide will give you plenty of affordable ideas guaranteed to bring a genuine smile to their faces.

FOR THE NEW MOM TRAVELING WITH BABY FOR THE FIRST TIME: The Rickshaw Journey 4 in 1 diaper bag backpack organizer, newborn baby bag, travel crib (for use up to 15 months) with changing table and diaper tote all in one bag for $57.99, Another good bet: A gift card for BabyQuip, a top baby gear rental service at more than 650 locations guaranteeing everything is safe, clean and insured  everything from cribs and car seats to baby baths, high chairs, swings, baby monitors and toys can be delivered to your door. Mom can not only travel lighter but not worry if she forgets a key piece of gear (as I invariably did). Nor will you need that no-longer-safe crib from grandmas attic.

Grace Bastidas, editor in chief of Parents.com is a fan of Kibous Deliberately Minimal Diaper bag ($89) for plane trips. The gender-neutral fanny pack comes with a detachable changing pad and waterproof pocket for wipes, making it a great accessory for diaper changes in tight airplane bathrooms, she said.

FOR THE MOM WHO HATES BUG BITES: The soft and eco-friendly Essential Wrap, which is sustainably made in the USA of recycled cotton and Tencel, repels mosquitoes, ticks, flies, and more, and is EPA approved for pregnant, nursing women and infants. At just $59, its versatile enough for a campground, as well as a fancy resort.

FOR THE MOM CRAVING A NEW EXPERIENCE: A gift card from Tinggly.com. Mom gets the gift of an experience in a themed box (you choose the theme; she gets to choose the experience from 600 in over 100 countries  anything from a surf lesson to a city bike or food tour to wine tasting). Starting at under $100 and your gift plants trees too!

FOR THE MOM WHO HATES RUNNING OUT OF JUICE for her devices. A Take the Charge portable charger so small it can fit in the credit card slot of a wallet. It will charge BOTH iPhones and Androids with its built-in cables. (It can even charge iPads, Kindles, speakers, headphones and more with its micro-USB cable) Its $45.46 on sale at www.theaquavault.com.

FOR THE MOM ALWAYS LOSING HER SUNGLASSES. An affordable (well under $100), stylish pair from Eyeleos. With each purchase, a donation is made to support the causes of the Eyeleos curators and models.

FOR THE BEACH-LOVING MOM. A fast-drying, anti-microbial beach towel from FIVEADRIFT that folds very small  and will remove 75 plastic bottles ($49). The company hopes to remove 1 million pounds of ocean plastic in 2022.

FOR THE MOM WHO BEMOANS FINDING COMFORTABLE BUT CUTE SHOES AND SANDALS. More than a million pairs of the Kayla sandal ($139.95) from the Israeli company Naot have been sold. The sandal has a seal of approval from the American Pediatric Medical Association with an anatomic footbed that molds to the shape of your foot. Hikers and beach goers love Chaco with its adjustable strap system, rubber outsole and a podiatrist-certified footbed for all day comfort and support. Check out the Chaco z/Cloud ($100). Moms looking to elevate their sneaker style beyond running shoes, can look to Cocktail Sneakers (starting at just under $200) that pair as easily with jeans as a wedding dress. Send a used pair of sneakers in the shipping box your cocktail sneakers come in (there is a pre-paid shipping label) for Cocktail Soles to donate to Soles4Soles, which helps people in developing countries to start a business selling donated shoes. Cocktail Sneakers is promoting a 20 percent off Mothers Day special all month with code MOMMAY.

FOR THE MOM WHO CAN NEVER FIND HER BLACK SUITCASE AT THE AIRPORT CAROUSEL. A customized spinner from Ugobags.com. You can use one of the companys designs (how about the Northern Lights) or upload a favorite vacation snapshot. Great for a mom tired of her two-wheeled case! Available in three sizes starting at $199 with free shipping.

FOR THE MOM WHO HATES RAINY VACATION DAYS IN A RENTAL. Gift her a Baketivity kit that comes with pre-measured dry ingredients, list of ingredients you need to get, decorating supplies and more. (Maybe a cake pops baking kit for $34.95?)

Happy Mothers Day!

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kids Guide to Philadelphia and The Kids Guide to Camping are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)
Ukraine, as defined by a common language and cultural customs, first appeared about 1,500 years ago. This occurred at the same time Russia appeared. Russia managed to expand more rapidly than Ukraine and there are now six times more Russian speakers. Forcing others to adopt your language is a common tool for linguistic expansion. Ukrainians had much less ambition for imperial expansion. This means that the continued existence of the Ukrainian language and nationalism is something of an achievement, one that Russia is still seeking to suppress.

What is now known as Ukraine evolved from the unification of a number Slavic tribes speaking a common language (Ukrainian) and united around 900 AD when Swedish Vikings traded and raided into what is now Russia via major rivers like the Neva and Vistula, both of which allowed Viking longboats to travel deep into Russia. The earliest of these Nordic raiders were known back then as the Rus (old Norse for rowers), who eventually became Russia. This began in the 800s when the Rus captured Kiev and used it as the center of a Rus kingdom that came to include Kiev, portions of modern Belarus and Russia. This was the first Russian state and by the 1200s the Swedish influence had declined and been replaced by Ukrainian customs. The locals maintained some Nordic words and customs for centuries after that. The Kievan Rus empire was composed of many distinct Slavic tribes that all recognized the city of Kiev (to northern Slavs) or Kyiv (to the southeastern and southern Slavs) as the cultural and commercial capital of this empire that lasted about three centuries.

Russian and Ukrainians differ on the importance of the Kievan Rus empire with Russia seeing it as the cultural source of Russian/Ukrainian culture which Russia came to dominate. Ukrainian see the Kievan Rus empire as the origin of modern Ukraine while Russia evolved differently after the devastating Golden Horde (Mongol) invasion in the early 1200s shattered the unity provided by the Kievan Rus and was replaced by separate efforts to reunify as Russia and Ukraine. In the north a more successful effort was aided by the dominance of Eastern Orthodox Christianity while Ukraine always had a large number of Roman Catholics as well.

Russians concentrated on achieving access to the sea, in this case the Baltic Sea. The Ukrainians had to fight various groups of Mongols, Turks and even Italian colonies to gain access to the Black Sea. Mongol power was slowly diminished by local Russian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian princes, who ruled small principalities that sometimes fought as allies of the Mongols. By 1400 Mongol power was in decline and Ukraine and Belarus were a major component of the Polish-Lithuanian confederation, which defeated the Golden Horde as well as Germans advancing from the west. While powerful, the Polish-Lithuanian empire was surrounded by enemies and frequent internal conflicts.

Ukrainian history also honors the Ukrainian Cossacks, a frontier mounted militia that first appeared in the 1500s to protect southern borders from Turkic Kazaks and Tatars. The term Cossack came from an ancient Slavic work kozak, which meant a free man or adventurer. The need for kozaks arose when Ukraine established claims on lands in the south and southeast of what is now Ukraine but then was largely controlled by small numbers of mounted Tatars and Kazars. In return for official recognition and support (of individual land claims) bands of Cossacks emerged. Initially anyone could join, including Turks, as long as they swore allegiance to Ukraine and the elected leader (hetman) of each Cossack group (host). Sometimes the Polish nobles tried to renege on their promise of land title, and that led to the Cossack reputation for often being rebels, and effective ones on their own land. This led to a Ukrainian hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky leading a rebellion against oppressive Polish nobles that led to brief (1649-1657) independence from Polish control.

Polish and Lithuanian power was reduced in the 1700s by wars with a unified Russian kingdom (tsardom), persistent German attacks from the west and growing Turkish power in the south. Emerging in the early 1300s, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1452, ending the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) empire and giving the Ottomans control over access to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean. That control lasted until 1922, when an international treaty established limits on Turkish control over access to the Black Sea. In Russia, access to the sea (the Baltic Sea) was achieved in 1709,

The first (in 1547) tsar of Russia, Ivan Grozny, is known in the west as Ivan the Terrible. In Russian, "Grozny" means fearsome, menacing or, to many Russians, dreaded. Tsar Ivan spent most of his 37 years in power leading his armies against various enemies, as well as reforming the Russian government. He was largely successful against Turkic enemies that occupied what is now much of southern Russia and Ukraine. Ivan was ruthless and went full Grozny against his Turkic foes. Then he sought to take Livonia (Latvia and Estonia) to provide landlocked Russia with access to the Baltic Sea. At first Ivan was successful, but then Poland and Sweden intervened and turned Russia back into a landlocked empire until 1709 when tsar Peter the Great finally defeated the Swedes and made his new city on the Baltic, Saint Petersburg into the new Russian capital. Earlier (1686) Russia gained control of much of modern Ukraine, including Kyiv, via a treaty with Poland and Lithuania that was mainly about joint operations against the Turks. That campaign lasted until 1774 when Russia took over and the Ottomans renounced their claims to the Crimean Peninsula and a long-alliance with the Turkic Tatars. Earlier the Tatars had allied themselves with the Golden Horde and had long been a problem for Ukrainians. In some respects that is still true because the current Russian claim on Crimea traces back to their victory over he the Ottomans and Tatars in 1774.

The Cossacks largely disappeared during the two world wars because they were seen as fighting for Nazis (against Russians) or the for the Tsar (against rebels in general and communists in particular). Some fought for the Russians during World War II but after that they were outlawed everywhere. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 some Cossack groups reformed, pledging to serve the new Russian government. Some of these fight against Ukrainians in the Donbas.

In the 1800s nationalism became a major movement in Europe, with ethnic components of empires and large countries demanding independence. Russia had more of these independence movements than anyone else and Ukrainians demanded autonomy within the Russian empire. During World War I (1914-18) the Russian empire began to fall apart and by the end of the World War a civil war was underway in Russia that enabled the Ukrainians to declare independence in 1917 as the UNR (Ukrainian National Republic). Ukraine was a major battlefield for the civil war which the communists (Bolsheviks) won. Sensing that, the UNR allied itself with Poland and because of that Ukraine lost some territory as most of Ukraine became part of Soviet Russia.

During World War II many Ukrainians welcomed the invading Germans as liberators. The Germans disagreed and treated the Ukrainians as not worthy of self-rule. In response the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) formed in 1943 to fight both Germans and Soviets. After 1945 the UPA received some recognition, but little support, from the West and ruthless efforts by the Soviets eliminated the UPA by 1955. Russia did manage to convince the new UN (United Nations) that Ukraine was eligible to be a member of the UN. This gave Russia an additional vote in the UN general assembly, much to the disgust of most Ukrainians.

This violent history with Russia and the Soviet Union played a major role in Ukraine (and Belarus) insisting on independence when the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. Many Russians saw this Ukrainian independence as a temporary condition, something they went war over in 2022.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Eagle Graphite Incorporated (TSXV:EGA) ("Eagle Graphite", "Eagle", "We", or the "Company") has entered into a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") restructuring the terms of approximately US$2.4 mln of secured debt associated with a supply agreement that has remained unfulfilled since 2013.

The LOI, signed on May 5, 2022, provides for Eagle to:

Make three payments of US$75,000 by July 31, 2022, September 30, 2022, and March 31, 2023, respectively. Make available for pick up, from inventory, 30 tonnes of graphite by June 30, 2022. (The agreed value of the shipped graphite will be deducted from the total amount due.) Repay the balance of the outstanding principal of US$1,532,000 by September 30, 2023. Upon satisfaction of a. through c. above the debt would be considered fully paid.

Furthermore, providing payments are made as scheduled:

The purchaser has agreed to forbear from enforcing its security, and

Accumulated interest of more than US$870,000 would effectively be forgiven.

The CEO of Eagle Graphite, Jamie Deith, states "This agreement is an exciting achievement for us. This binding LOI markedly improves our financial situation, and is a crucial first step in our efforts to move the project forward. We are grateful to have a customer that supports our objective of being a long term reliable domestic source of graphite for North America."

As of the Company's most recent quarter end, the value of the unsatisfied commitment stood at US$1,532,000 (the "Principal") plus accrued interest of no less than US$867,918. Prior to executing the LOI the combined liability of no less than US$2,399,918 (approximately C$3,050,000) stood due upon demand.

About Eagle Graphite

Eagle Graphite owns the Black Crystal Graphite quarry, located 35 kilometres west of the city of Nelson in British Columbia, Canada, and 70 kilometres north of the state of Washington. Black Crystal is the only constructed graphite quarry with production history in Western North America. Eagle's shares are listed on the TSXV under the symbol "EGA".

Cautionary Statements

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Such information is based on assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management in light of its experience, current conditions and its expectations of future developments as well as other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information and accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on such information. Although we believe, in light of the experience of our officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because we can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Readers should carefully consider various factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Statements in this release are made as of the date of this release. We undertake no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of the Company or its securities, its financial or operating results.

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.

Eagle Graphite Incorporated

Jamie Deith, President & CEO

(604) 909-4237

[email protected]

SOURCE: Eagle Graphite Incorporated

View source version on accesswire.com:
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) praised today the confirmation of Dr. John Nkengasong as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally by the United States Senate. In his new capacity, Dr. Nkengasong will lead the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Nkengasong recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During his tenure as the head of Africa CDC, Dr. Nkengasong elevated the agency to a status of a leading global public health institution. I have no doubt that as a renowned scientist and capable administrator, he will ensure that PEPFAR will continue to flourish and save millions of lives, said AHF President Michael Weinstein. There are many difficult challenges ahead for the global AIDS response in a post-COVID world and a complex geopolitical environment  we wish Dr. Nkengasong success in this vitally important mission.

PEPFAR is the largest global bilateral HIV/AIDS program which is funded by the U.S. government. It supports lifesaving treatment for nearly 19 million people in 20 countries. Since PEPFARs launch in 2003 by President George W. Bush, AHF has been a strong supporter of the program, successfully advocating for its reauthorization by Congress in 2008, 2013, and 2018.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.6 million clients in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005478/en/

US MEDIA CONTACT:

Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF

+1.323.308.1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile

[email protected]

Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy & Communications, AHF

+1 323.308.1829

[email protected]

Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
May 16 event includes End User Panel, How to Protect Your Data, 1000 Node Cassandra Cluster on Amazon's EKS, and much more

OREGON CITY, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Data on Kubernetes Community (DoKC) today announced the schedule for DoK Day at KubeCon Europe 2022 with over 20 talks, musical interludes, and an interactive quiz. The virtual event is being held Monday, May 16.

According to the 2021 Data on Kubernetes Report, 90% of respondents believe Kubernetes is ready for stateful workloads, yet significant challenges remain. DoK Day brings together practitioners and end users describing the use cases, techniques, and best practices for running data on Kubernetes including:

Running Kafka on Kubernetes, across three clouds at Adobe  Grant Griffiths, core contributor and reviewer for the Kubernetes CSI and SIG Storage communities working at Portworx

1000 node Cassandra cluster on Amazon's EKS?  Matt Overstreet, Principal Solutions Architect for DataStax

Operating FoundationDB on Kubernetes  Johannes M. Scheuermann, FoundationDB SRE

Disaggregated Container Attached Storage, Yet Another Topology with What Purpose?  Nick Connolly, Chief Scientist, DataCore Software

DoK Day brings together technologists who are maximizing their investment in Kubernetes by learning how to run data-intensive workloads, said Melissa Logan, director of the Data on Kubernetes Community. As more organizations turn to Kubernetes to run and scale their analytics and AI workloads, the demand for DoK expertise will only increase. Join us on May 16 to deep dive on use cases and best practices while making connections with those in the vanguard of running data on Kubernetes.

Thank you to DoK Day sponsors anynines, Datastax, EDB, Ondat, and Timescale, and technical program committee members Gabriele Bartolini of EDB, Patrick McFadin of DataStax, and Lisa-Marie Namphy of CockroachDB.

The DoK Community continues to grow, to deliver, and to build a unique space where folks can share knowledge and have conversations that are shaping the next decade of data on Kubernetes, said Bart Farrell, head of community, Data on Kubernetes Community. We are scaling with more content, speakers, and now with in-person meetups delivered in London, Istanbul, and planned for other regions.

DoKC founding platinum sponsors include DataStax, EDB, MayaData, and Portworx by Pure Storage. The community has quadrupled in size in the past year and continues to grow in 2022 with over 11,000 members. Hosting 129 meetups along with community gatherings on awareness and connection, the community of DoK is flourishing and creating new opportunities for connection with new local meetup groups including DoK London, now meeting in person and virtually around the world. Meetup topics range from how Adobe operates stateful applications on Kubernetes across multiple data centers and regions to practical questions such as how to deploy production-ready Postgres to Kubernetes.

Pre-registration for Dok Day is required. To register, you must add it during your KubeCon + CloudNativeCon registration. Registrants will also receive details about the in-person after-party at a hotel across the street from the main KubeCon event (limited to the first 50 guests).

Additional Resources

About Data on Kubernetes Community (DoKC)

Kubernetes was initially designed to run stateless workloads. Today it is increasingly being used to run databases and other stateful workloads. The Data on Kubernetes Community was founded in June 2020 to bring practitioners together to solve the challenges of working with data on Kubernetes. An openly governed community, DoKC exists to assist in the emergence and development of techniques for the use of Kubernetes for data. https://dok.community/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005085/en/

Jesse Casman

[email protected]

415-730-2793

Source: Data on Kubernetes Community
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States.

BURLINGTON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Element Nutritional Sciences Inc. (CSE:ELMT; OTCQB:ELNSF; FRANKFURT: 93X) (the Company or Element) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced short form prospectus offering raising gross proceeds of $3.5 million for the Company through the issuance of 14,000,000 common shares of the Company (the Shares) at a price of $0.25 per Share (the Offering).

Canaccord Genuity Corp. (the Agent) acted as agent and sole bookrunner in connection with the Offering. The Agent received a cash commission equal to 8.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of Shares pursuant to the Offering. The Agent also received broker warrants (each, a Broker Warrant) equal to 8.0% of the number of Shares sold pursuant to the Offering. Each Broker Warrant entitles the Agent to purchase one Share at a price of $0.25 per Share for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering primarily for marketing expenses, research and development and general working capital. Further details regarding the Offering are contained in the Company's short form prospectus dated April 28, 2022.

About Element

Element is an innovative and research driven Canadian nutraceutical company specializing in the development of science-based products for the global consumer packaged goods market, with a portfolio focused specifically on men and women over the age of 50. Elements lead product, Rejuvenate, is a proprietary formulation that is clinically proven to assist in the rebuilding, restoration and rejuvenation of natural loss of muscle mass due to aging or other medical conditions. Element also offers JAKTRX, an elite brand of performance supplements. Element was founded in 2015 and is located in Burlington, Ontario.

To learn more about Element, visit elmtinc.com.

More information about Rejuvenate can be found at: www.rejuvenatemuscle.com

More information about JAKTRX and Promino can be found at: www.jaktrx.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward looking statements relate, among other things, to the anticipated use of the net proceeds of the Offering. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as 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 materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; expectations regarding the size of the United States and Canadian health, nutraceutical and wellness markets and changing consumer habits; the viability of the Companys products; availability of distribution channels for the Companys product offerings; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; successful development of the Companys proposed products; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions or recalls on the sale of the Companys products in the United States and Canada; customer and distributor relations; fluctuations in securities markets; and the inability of the Company to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005501/en/

Stuart Lowther

Chairman, CEO and President

[email protected]

416-467-5229

Marc Charbin

Investor Relations

[email protected]

416-467-5229

Source: Element Nutritional Sciences Inc.
Promotion to President will enhance HKWs ability to move forward

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HKW, an Indianapolis-based middle-market private equity firm, is announcing today Michael Foisys promotion to President. Mr. Foisy joined HKW in 2008 to help build out the operations pillar by optimizing HKW portfolio company operations. Over the last 14 years, Mr. Foisy has played a significant role in the evolution of HKW.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005019/en/

Mike Foisy, photo courtesy of Mark Watson, Spotlight Photography

Mikes history with HKW began as an executive with Control Devices, a prior HKW portfolio company, said Ted Kramer, CEO at HKW. His combined experience and talent in finance and operations has been a key component in improving HKWs portfolio company efficiencies. His success in these areas has led him to become President of HKW. He is a pros pro in our industry, and his elevation to President will enhance the firms capabilities to improve focus areas.

I am proud to take on the role as President of HKW, a firm I have been connected to for nearly 30 years, said Mike Foisy, President at HKW. Beginning in the early days at Control Devices and nearly 14 years overseeing operations for HKW portfolio companies has given me more gratification than I could ever imagine. I am excited to apply my operations skills to a greater role within the firm and to work closely with Ted driving HKW forward.

Prior to joining HKW, Mr. Foisy was Business Unit Manager at Sensata Technologies. Mr. Foisy also held various Finance and Operations roles at Honeywell, First Technology, and Control Devices, Inc. Currently, Mr. Foisy serves as Chairman of the Board for several HKW portfolio companies, including Brant InStore, Civix, PANOS Brands, and UAG - Urban Armor Gear.

About HKW

HKW is a middle-market private equity firm investing in companies with talented management teams in the US and Canada. HKW targets companies in Technology, Health & Wellness, and Business Services sectors. Since 1982, HKW has sponsored 66 platform transactions of lower middle-market companies throughout North America and 72 add-on acquisitions. For more information on HKW, please visit hkwinc.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005019/en/

Michelle Ball

[email protected]

317-705-8734

Source: HKW
Renewed agreement to benefit Symantec resellers and customers in small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) customer segment in North America

FREMONT, Calif. & CLEARWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, TD SYNNEX announced a new agreement to be the exclusive cybersecurity aggregator partner in the United States for Broadcom Softwares cybersecurity portfolio.

Under this new agreement TD SYNNEX will provide a range of advantages to its channel partner community enabling them to create and be financially rewarded for delivering outstanding customer experiences, increased customer retention and providing opportunity for growth. Through the agreement, TD SYNNEX will help partners drive key customer initiatives for Symantec cybersecurity solutions while offering strong margins, partner support and upsell/cross-sell opportunities.

This agreement marks an exciting new chapter for us and our partners that support or sell into the SMB space in North America, said Reyna Thompson, senior vice president, product management, advanced technology solutions- security, North America at TD SYNNEX. We see the huge demand in the cybersecurity space, and the Symantec products are a leading solution for the SMB customer segment. With the help of Broadcom, we will equip our resellers to establish themselves as trusted advisors to deliver secure digital transformation initiatives.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the SMB segment to the mutual success of Broadcom Software and TD SYNNEX, said Cynthia Loyd, vice president of Global Enterprise, Partner and Commercial Sales for Broadcom Software. Broadcom Software is committed to working with TD SYNNEX to provide channel partner programs, sales tools, value-based pricing options, incentives, and multiple ways to fuel growth in the SMB segment. Together we will work to deepen customer trust in the Symantec brand, ensuring it remains the go-to choice for cloud security solutions. If resellers are looking to power their cybersecurity businesses for tomorrow, I urge them to talk to TD SYNNEX today.

About TD SYNNEX

TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem. Were an innovative partner helping more than 150,000 customers in 100+ countries to maximize the value of technology investments, demonstrate business outcomes and unlock growth opportunities. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and Fremont, California, TD SYNNEX 22,000 co-workers are dedicated to uniting compelling IT products, services and solutions from 1,500+ best-in-class technology vendors. Our edge-to-cloud portfolio is anchored in some of the highest-growth technology segments including cloud, cybersecurity, big data/analytics, IoT, mobility and everything as a service. TD SYNNEX is committed to serving customers and communities, and we believe we can have a positive impact on our people and our planet, intentionally acting as a respected corporate citizen. We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive employer of choice for talent across the IT ecosystem. For more information, visit www.TDSYNNEX.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this news release that 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 involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to be materially different from any future performance that may be suggested in this release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release.

 2022 TD SYNNEX Corporation. TD SYNNEX, the TD SYNNEX Logo, and all other TD SYNNEX company, product and services names and slogans are trademarks of TD SYNNEX Corporation. Other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005092/en/

Bobby Eagle

Global Corporate Communications

727-538-5864

[email protected]

Source: TD SYNNEX
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The European Equity Fund, Inc. (NYSE: EEA) and The New Germany Fund, Inc. (NYSE: GF) (each, a Fund, and, collectively, the Funds) each announced today that its Board of Directors declared the distributions set forth below. GFs and EEAs total distributions will be paid in stock except that any stockholder of record as of May 16, 2022 may elect to receive such distribution in cash.

Details for each Funds distributions are as follows:

Declaration - 5/6/2022 Ex-Date - 5/13/2022 Record - 5/16/2022 Payable - 6/24/2022

Fund Ticker Net Investment Income

per Share Short-Term Capital Gains

per Share Long-Term Capital Gains

per Share Total Distribution

per Share The European Equity Fund, Inc. EEA $0.1425 $0.0000 $0.5827 $0.7252 The New Germany Fund, Inc. GF $0.0000 $0.0000 $0.7254 $0.7254

For more information on each Fund, including the most recent month-end performance, visit www.dwsfunds.com or call (800) 349-4281.

Important Information

Closed-end funds, unlike open-end funds, are not continuously offered. There is a one-time public offering and once issued, shares of closed-end funds are sold in the open market through a stock exchange. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the funds shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the fund. Therefore, the fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value.

The European Equity Fund, Inc. is diversified and primarily focuses its investments in equity securities of issuers domiciled in Europe, thereby increasing its vulnerability to developments in that region. Investing in foreign securities, particularly of emerging markets, presents certain risks, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic changes, and market risks. Any fund that concentrates in a particular segment of the market or a particular geographical region will generally be more volatile than a fund that invests more broadly.

The New Germany Fund, Inc. is diversified and primarily focuses its investments in equity securities of issuers domiciled in Europe, thereby increasing its vulnerability to developments in that region. Investing in foreign securities, particularly of emerging markets, presents certain risks, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic changes, and market risks. Any fund that concentrates in a particular segment of the market or a particular geographical region will generally be more volatile than a fund that invests more broadly.

Investing in foreign securities presents certain risks, such as currency fluctuations, and risks of currency and capital controls, political and economic changes, and market risks. Any fund that concentrates in a particular segment of the market will generally be more volatile than a fund that invests more broadly.

The shares of most closed-end funds, including the Funds, are not continuously offered. Once issued, shares of closed-end funds are bought and sold in the open market through a stock exchange. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of a funds shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the fund. Therefore, a fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below, or above net asset value.

War (including Russias recent invasion of Ukraine), US and other sanctions, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, trading halts, currency and capital controls, public health crises (including the recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus) and related geopolitical events could lead to increased market volatility, disruption to US and world economies and markets and may have significant adverse effects on the Fund and its investments, including making investments illiquid and/or difficult to value.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction.

Certain statements contained in this release may be forward-looking in nature. These include all statements relating to plans, expectations, and other statements that are not historical facts and typically use words like expect, anticipate, believe, intend, and similar expressions. Such statements represent managements current beliefs, based upon information available at the time the statements are made, with regard to the matters addressed. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. Management does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements: (i) the effects of adverse changes in market and economic conditions; (ii) legal and regulatory developments; and (iii) other additional risks and uncertainties, including public health crises (including the recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus), war, terrorism, trade disputes and related geopolitical events.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

NOT FDIC/NCUA INSURED  MAY LOSE VALUE  NO BANK GUARANTEE

NOT A DEPOSIT  NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

The brand DWS represents DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA and any of its subsidiaries such as DWS Distributors, Inc. which offers investment products or DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. and RREEF America L.L.C. which offer advisory services. (R-089710-1) (05/22)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005358/en/

For additional information:

DWS Press Office (212) 454-4500

Shareholder Account Information (800) 294-4366

DWS Closed-End Funds (800) 349-4281

Source: DWS
Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Veolia Environnement (Paris: VIE):

Corporate name of the issuer:

Veolia Environnement

21 rue La Boetie

75008 PARIS

FRANCE

(ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE)

Information

closing date Total number of shares forming

the share capital * Total number of voting rights * April 30, 2022 699,725,266 Total number of theoretical voting rights (1): 739,022,650 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (2): 726,551,511

* Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8). (1) Number of theoretical voting rights = after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of April 30, 2022 (39,297,384 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of April 30, 2022 (12,471,139 shares). (2) Number of voting rights that may be exercised = number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) - shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of April 30, 2022).

Veolia Environnement

Siege social/head office : 21, rue La Boetie - 75008 PARIS - France

Adresse postale/Correspondence address : 30, rue Madeleine Vionnet - 93300 AUBERVILLIERS - France

tel. : +33 (0)1 85 57 70 00 / Fax : +33 (0)1 71 75 10 45

www.veolia.com

A Public Limited Company (Societe Anonyme) with a share capital of 3,502,858,580

403 210 032 RCS PARIS

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005475/en/

Veolia Environnement

Source: Veolia Environnement
Subbaiyan Vaithinathan to discuss risk management, regulatory reporting best practices for Southeast Asian banks

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Wolters Kluwer Finance, Risk & Regulatory Reporting (FRR) is participating in a virtual panel discussion, How Can Banks Stay Competitive Despite Tightening Regulations? to look at ways that banks in Southeast Asia can more quickly adapt to increasing challenges they face from new age competitors such as digital banks and a rapidly evolving technology ecosystem. The webinar will feature Wolters Kluwer FRRs Subbaiyan Vaithinathan, Director, Regulatory Reporting & AML, APAC, and takes place Wednesday, May 18 from 11 am - 12 pm SGT.

Vaithinathan will be joined by Irene Liu, Chief Governance and Reporting Officer, Union Digital Bank; and Suen Sim, Lead for Regulatory Compliance, Mox Bank, in a session that will be moderated by Vincent Fong, Chief Editor, Fintech News in Asia.

Traditional banks in Southeast Asia have arguably been relatively slow in meeting newer customer demands in an environment of stiffening competition from the emergence of non-traditional banks, along with the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic have brought, which has further accelerated market demand for digital banking services. At the same time, regulators in Southeast Asia are tightening their compliance frameworks due to the growth of financial services, making the regulatory system more complex than ever.

All these factors are requiring all banksestablished or digitalto be more efficient in their regulatory compliance practices, while ensuring that their core and new businesses can withstand financial and operational risk exposures. The panel will explore approaches for more efficient regulatory reporting and risk management capabilities, providing a blueprint for transforming banks data architecture and automated systems.

Wolters Kluwer FRR, which is part of the companys Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) division, is a global market leader in the provision of integrated regulatory compliance and reporting solutions. These solutions support regulated financial institutions in meeting their obligations to external regulators and their own boards of directors.

Wolters Kluwers GRC division provides an array of expert solutions to help financial institutions manage regulatory and risk obligations. Wolters Kluwer FRRs OneSumX for Regulatory Reporting combines bank data into a single source of data to ensure consistency, reconciliation and accuracy and includes Wolters Kluwers Regulatory Update Service. Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions OneSumX for Regulatory Change Management solution, meanwhile, tracks regulatory changes and organizes them to create structured, value-added content through a single data feed that is paired with an easy-to-use software solution. The divisions legal solutions businesses are Wolters Kluwer CT Corporation and Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions.

About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk & Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to help ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance.

Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the healthcare; tax and accounting; governance, risk and compliance; and legal and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2021 annual revenues of 4.8 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,800 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220505005599/en/

Media Contacts for Wolters Kluwer GRC

(Including Wolters Kluwer Finance, Risk & Regulatory Reporting; Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions; Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions, and Wolters Kluwer CT Corporation)



Paul Lyon

Senior Director, Global Corporate Communications: Global Marketing, Communications & Planning

Governance, Risk & Compliance Division

Wolters Kluwer

Office +44 20 3197 6586

[email protected]



David Feider

Corporate Communications Manager, Banking & Regulatory Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance Division

Wolters Kluwer

Tel: +1 612-852-7966

[email protected]

Source: Wolters Kluwer
Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE: BLCO) today launched as a publicly traded company focused on protecting and enhancing the gift of sight for millions of people around the world when it began trading under the "BLCO" symbol on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange.1

"Today marks a tremendous milestone for Bausch + Lomb and an important step forward on the path to an independent company focused on eye health," said Joseph C. Papa, chairman and CEO, Bausch + Lomb. "Bausch + Lomb has long been associated with many of the most significant advances in eye health, and I am honored to work alongside our 12,000 global employees as we continue to focus on achieving our ongoing mission of helping people see better to live better all over the world."

As a fully integrated eye health company, Bausch + Lomb offers a comprehensive portfolio of more than 400 products spanning contact lenses, lens and eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter products and ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Since its founding in 1853, Bausch + Lomb has been dedicated to advancing eye health for people all over the world, and has pioneered hundreds of innovations, including SofLens, the first mass-produced soft contact lens. Bausch + Lomb's current portfolio includes market-leading products, such as Biotrue and renu multi-purpose solutions, Biotrue ONEday daily disposable contact lenses, LUMIFY redness reliever eye drops, PreserVision AREDS 2 formula eye vitamin and mineral supplements and VYZULTA (latanoprostene bunod ophthalmic solution), 0.024%.
By Hilary Russ and David Shepardson

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Starbucks Corp has asked for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden's administration after unionized workers talked to White House officials on Thursday, saying in a letter that most of its employees do not want to be members of a union.

Separately, an official with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint on Friday describing allegations of misconduct by Starbucks toward union members that constitute violations of U.S. labor law. Starbucks said the allegations in the complaint are false and lack merit.

In the letter to the White House, dated Thursday and released Friday, Starbucks said it was "deeply concerned" that Workers United, which is organizing hundreds of U.S. Starbucks locations, "was invited to the meeting while not inviting official Starbucks representatives."

The White House declined to comment.

On Thursday Biden met with workers and labor organizers seeking to represent workers at Amazon.com Inc, Starbucks and other employers.

Attendees included Christian Smalls, who heads the Amazon Labor Union, and Laura Garza, a Starbucks employee working with Workers United.

During the meeting, Biden said: "When I ran for president, I made a commitment that I would be the most pro-labor, union president in the history of America," according to video excerpts released by the White House Friday.

Starbucks said in the letter that its lack of representation "discounts the reality that the majority of our partners oppose being members of a union and the unionization tactics being deployed by Workers United." The coffee chain refers to its baristas and other employees as partners.

Workers at more than 50 U.S. Starbucks cafes have elected to join Workers United, while five stores voted against the union, out of roughly 240 altogether that have sought to hold elections since August. Workers United is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

"We have a drastically more positive vision for our partners and our company than Workers United," Starbucks asserted.

Workers United tweeted a statement from Garza who said it was "heartbreaking to read Starbucks' response." She said she was honored to represent all Starbucks partners at the meeting, "union or not."

In a complaint, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, the NLRB's regional director for Buffalo, New York, listed allegations brought to the agency by Workers United, including charges that Starbucks threatened, fired and conducted surveillance on union members in the state.

Starbucks' conduct, as described in the allegations, violates the National Labor Relations Act, the complaint by Regional Director Linda M. Leslie said. An NLRB judge will hold a hearing over the allegations on July 11, the complaint added.

Starbucks said in a statement that the complaint involves important issues but "does not constitute a finding by the NLRB."

It added: "It is the beginning of a litigation process that permits both sides to be heard and to present evidence. We believe the allegations contained in the complaint are false, and we look forward to presenting our evidence when the allegations are adjudicated."

(Reporting by Hilary Russ; additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Rosalba O'Brien and Cynthia Osterman)
FILE PHOTO: People test drive Dream Edition P and Dream Edition R electric vehicles at the Lucid Motors plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, U.S. September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Caitlin O'Hara

(Reuters) -Electric carmaker Lucid Group Inc on Thursday raised prices for most models from June as it deals with rising raw materials costs, but said it would honor current reservations in a move to avoid the blowback a rival faced.

From June 1, new reservations in the United States will be priced at $154,000 for Air Grand Touring, $107,400 for Air Touring and $87,400 for Air Pure models, the company said.

"Similar to many companies in our industry, we continue to face global supply chain and logistics challenges, including Covid-related factory shutdowns in China," Chief Financial Officer Sherry House said.

Despite the challenges, the company reiterated its annual production forecast of 12,000 to 14,000 vehicles.

Amazon-backed Rivian Automotive Inc had to earlier this year roll back price hikes on electric vehicles booked before March 1 after facing backlash from customers following a 20% increase in prices.

(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
By Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve said Friday the U.S. banking system remains strong despite heightened volatility and geopolitical risk, but cautioned them against prime brokerage services that come with heightened risk.

In its latest bank supervision report, the Fed offered an upbeat take on the strength of U.S. banks, noting they continue to enjoy robust capital and liquidity levels, and asset quality improved in the second half of 2021.

However, the central bank noted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has ramped up potential risk for the financial sector. While U.S. banks' direct exposure to Russia is relatively limited, there are several related factors that could weigh on the industry, including volatility in commodity prices and heightened cybersecurity risk.

The Fed said its supervisors will be closely monitoring banks to see how they weather the turmoil coming from those heightened geopolitical tensions.

Separately, the Fed also cautioned banks that offering prime brokerage services to large investment funds carries with it "significant risks." Citing the 2021 collapse of Archegos Capital Management, which left a handful of banks with billions of dollars in losses, the Fed noted that banks need to be on strict guard if they wish to do business in the highly complex and opaque area of the market.

"Strong risk management and controls are critical to the safety and soundness of a bank that provides these services," the report stated.

In December, the Fed warned banks, particularly those with large derivatives portfolios and relationships with investment funds, that they should not rely on incomplete or unverified information from fund clients, and should consider not doing business with firms that resist supplying the necessary information to gauge risk.

(Reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A.I.S. Resources Limited (TSXV: AIS, OTCQB: AISSF) (the Company or AIS) announces the Company has closed its non-brokered private placement of 16,240,000 units (Units) at a price of $0.035 per unit for gross proceeds of $568,400 (the Private Placement).

Each Unit consists of one common share and one transferrable share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share at a price of $0.05 per common share for a period of 12 months from the closing date of the offering. Insiders participated in the aggregate amount of $255,300 for 7,294,286 units. The Company shall pay finders fees totalling $766.50.

Closing of the Private Placement is subject to final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws. The proceeds will be used for exploration of the Companys Australian gold projects ($430,000), marketing ($50,000) and for general working capital ($88,400).

Martyn Element, Chairman of the Board stated, We are pleased to close this placement. We look forward to progressing the drill programs at the Bright and Toolleen Properties.

BrightFollowing on from the successful soil sampling program where high levels of arsenic were assayed which is the major gold pathfinder, plans are in place to confirm the drill hole targets in the Elgin Reliance reef and mine area, on the Hillborough track. The next drill program will be in the Golden Bar area once we receive assay results from hole two. Further work is being done on the Rose, Thistle & Shamrock mine for drill pad locations and best approach to drill from Landtax reef area. A detailed community engagement program is being put in place prior to any exploration work.

ToolleenAIS is in the process of applying for drilling permits for 10 RC drill holes to approximately 100-120m depth each. The geophysics has been reviewed by a geophysicist to confirm the structure identified in the gravity survey using different software and interpretation.

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Phillip Thomas, BSc Geol, MBM, FAusIMM MAIG MAIMVA(CMV) who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by the National Instrument 43-101 and is President, CEO of A.I.S. Resources Ltd.

About A.I.S. Resources LimitedA.I.S. Resources Limited is a publicly traded investment issuer listed on the TSX Venture Exchange focused on lithium, gold, precious and base metals exploration. AIS value add strategy is to acquire prospective exploration projects and enhance their value by better defining the mineral resource with a view to attracting joint venture partners and enhancing the value of our portfolio. The Company is managed by a team of experienced geologists and investment bankers, with a track-record of successful capital markets achievements.

AIS owns 100% of the 28 sq km Fosterville-Toolleen Gold Project located 9.9km from Kirkland Lakes Fosterville gold mine, a 60% interest in the 57sqkm Bright Gold project (with the right to acquire 100%), a 60% interest in the 58 sq km New South Wales Yalgogrin Gold Project (with the right to acquire 100%), and 100% interest in the 167 sq km Kingston Gold Project in Victoria Australia near Stawell and Navarre. AIS has further options to acquire three lithium licences in the Pocitos and Cauchari Salars in Argentina and, also has 20% joint venture interests with Spey Resources Corp. in lithium brines in Argentina at the Incahuasi and Pocitos Salars.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,A.I.S. Resources Ltd.Phillip Thomas, President & CEO

Corporate ContactFor further information, please contact:Phillip Thomas, Chief Executive OfficerT: +1-323 5155 164E: [email protected]Or

Martyn Element, ChairmanT: +1-604-220-6266E: [email protected]Website: www.aisresources.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.

ADVISORY: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. 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.

Source: A.I.S. Resources Limited
EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acadian Timber Corp. (TSX: ADN) (the Company) announced that the nominees listed in the management proxy circular for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders were elected as directors of the Company. Detailed results of the votes for the election of directors held at the virtual Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 5, 2022 are set out below.

Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Malcolm Cockwell 10,342,118 98.08% 201,931 1.92% Heather Fitzpatrick 10,505,338 99.63% 38,711 0.37% Karen Oldfield 10,496,554 99.55% 47,495 0.45% Erika Reilly 10,515,438 99.73% 28,611 0.27% Bruce Robertson 10,507,555 99.65% 36,494 0.35% Adam Sheparski 10,522,155 99.79% 21,894 0.21%

About Acadian Timber

Acadian Timber Corp. (Acadian) is one of the largest timberland owners in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S. and has a total of approximately 2.4 million acres of land under management. Acadian owns and manages approximately 761,000 acres of freehold timberlands in New Brunswick, approximately 300,000 acres of freehold timberlands in Maine and provides timber services relating to approximately 1.3 million acres of Crown licensed timberlands in New Brunswick. Acadians products include softwood and hardwood sawlogs, pulpwood, and biomass by-products, sold to approximately 90 regional customers.

Acadians business strategy is to maximize cash flows from its existing timberland assets through sustainable forest management and other land use activities while growing its business by acquiring assets and actively managing these assets to drive improved performance.

Acadians shares are listed for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ADN.

For further information, please visit our website at www.acadiantimber.com or contact:

Susan WoodChief Financial OfficerTel: 506-737-2345 Email: [email protected]

Source: Acadian Timber Corp.
Kissimmee, FLA, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- En Espanol

May 6, 2022, Kissimmee, FLA - A unique bilingual center designed to help Hispanics navigate the intricacies of applying for a home loan in Central Florida is now open in Kissimmee, FLA. Ameriunos Home Opportunity Center serves as a resource for prospective buyers as they navigate a financing process that poses challenges to Hispanics who make and save money in nontraditional ways.

The 1,500 sq. ft. center opened its doors in the Loop Mall at 3226 N. John Young Parkway. During a presentation to media, Ameriuno Managing Director Andy Insua explained that existing underwriting guidelines fail to consider financial strategies that are common in the Hispanic community even though many applicants have sufficient cash flow.

The way a loan application is evaluated is based on traditional employment history, credit scores, verifiable assets and length of employment. It does not take into account the norms and behaviors of Hispanics that do not necessarily fit into that box. As a result, these financial and community behaviors are counted against them, said Insua, who also gave the example of many Hispanics preference of cash over credit. Since many are reluctant to use credit cards, their credit history is weak or nonexistent resulting in low credit scores. In addition, Insua said, many Hispanic loan applicants hold several jobs or have multigenerational family members contributing to household expenses.

The cash flow is there but the way it is obtained is not recognized by the current system, Insua explained. Our Ameriuno staff takes the time to educate customers on how they can build up their credit in order to qualify for a home. Equipped with this information, they are in a much stronger position when it comes to making offers.

Insua cited data based on Ameriunos own experience working with applicants in the Orlando market over the last year that showed that Hispanic loan applicants are approved only 15 percent of the time while 68 percent require nurturing or education about what is required to be approved under traditional underwriting guidelines. The rest simply walk away, discouraged by a complex process that requires Spanish speaking buyers to sign documents written in English.

At the Center, Ameriuno staff provide financial education on the ins and outs of loan applications, credit scores, down payments, competitive cash solutions and more in a relaxed, welcoming setting that resembles more of a community or family center. Post-loan programs maintain the relationship so clients can take advantage of future homebuying opportunities.

By emphasizing personalized, face-to-face service with clients in a family-oriented setting, the Home Opportunity Center is bucking the trend of online mortgage banking.

"At a time when most mortgage companies are moving their operations online, Ameriuno is doing the opposite by encouraging our customers to come into the Home Opportunity Center, where we can learn more about their goals and help them throughout the process. And we encourage them to bring their family members and those involved in the decision-making process," Insua said. There is even space dedicated for kids and others family members who might accompany the principal buyer.

The concept aims to close the gap in Hispanic homeownership. Currently, approximately 50 percent of Hispanics own their home compared to 73 percent of non-Hispanic whites. But that trend is expected to change dramatically. Forecasters predict Hispanic buyers will comprise 70% of homeownership growth from 2020 to 2040.

The Center is outfitted with home buying information. Free classes are held to walk potential buyers through every step of the process, including helpful information about loan qualifications, credit scores, appraisals, and more. "We provide answers to just about every question they may have about what's involved in purchasing a home," Insua says. Meanwhile, a nearby game room keeps kids occupied while their parents work out a homebuying strategy.

And it works. Plans are in the works to build the next Home Opportunity Centers in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

About Ameriuno

Ameriuno first opened its doors in Winter Park, Florida, in August 2020 to serve the needs of Orlando's growing Hispanic population. As a full-service mortgage company, it provides Spanish translation and resources for a wide range of mortgage purchase, refinance, renovation, and construction options. These include government-backed programs (FHA, USDA, and VA) that allow many renters to qualify for a home loan through flexible credit guidelines, low down payment options and lower overhead costs. Ameriuno is a division of Amerifirst Financial Corporation, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Visit Ameriuno.com and Amerifirst.com for more information.

Melissa Correa Ameriuno 407-374-9995 [email protected]

Source: Ameriuno
BATON ROUGE, La., May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Three APTIM-administered energy efficiency programs have been honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy with the 2022 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award. The award spotlights the programs industry-leading efforts in fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health. The awardees, selected from thousands of ENERGY STAR partners, include the Entergy Louisiana Entergy Solutions Program, Entergy New Orleans Energy Smart Program, and Wisconsins Focus on Energy Program.

We are proud to be the program administrator for innovative programs that deliver utility bill savings and energy-efficient upgrades, said APTIM Energy Solutions Vice President Brenda Hopewell. These programs are aligned with our core mission to emphasize diverse partnerships and local economic growth, while improving quality of life for residents.

The annual ENERGY STAR program recognizes a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies.

APTIM has administered the Entergy Louisiana Entergy Solutions Program since 2018. The program, which also received an ENERGY STAR award in 2021, reduces the up-front cost of a variety of energy efficiency upgrades for Entergy Louisiana customers and partners with participating trade allies and retailers, who help customers find new ways to save around their home or business. Since 2018, more than $17.1 million in incentives have been given to Entergy Louisiana customers.

The Entergy Solutions Program provides valuable services to Entergy Louisiana customers through energy savings that translate to savings on customers bills and increases the comfort of their homes, said Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Phillip May. Our energy efficiency programs continue to exceed expectations and provide energy savings for our customers. It is an honor to have our APTIM and Franklin Energy teams recognized for the second year in a row for their hard work on behalf of Entergy Louisiana in providing savings to our customers.

Entergy New Orleans received the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its third straight year for the Energy Smart Program, administered by APTIM and implemented by residential program implementor Franklin Energy since 2017. The program offers comprehensive and innovative energy efficiency solutions to help Entergy New Orleans residential and business electric customers save energy and money by reducing the up-front cost of a variety of energy efficiency upgrades. The program works with participating partners, local trade allies, and retailers who help customers find new ways to save energy through installation or implementation of energy efficiency measures, with 30 percent of the commercial and industrial projects completed by disadvantaged business enterprises.

At Entergy New Orleans, we know that by reducing monthly energy bills, energy efficiency can lessen the strain of paying for energy, especially for families with high energy usage, said President and CEO of Entergy New Orleans Deanna Rodriguez. We are committed to delivering innovative programs to help customers manage electricity usage and help them recognize the benefits that energy efficiency can provide, such as lower utility bills, increased system reliability, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

APTIM has administered Wisconsins statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy program, Focus on Energy, since 2010. Focus on Energy seeks to empower the people and businesses of Wisconsin to make smart energy decisions with enduring economic benefits and provides $4.32 in economic benefits for every $1 invested in the program, as evaluated by a third party in 2020.

Focus on Energy provides great value for Wisconsin by growing the states economy, creating new jobs, and contributing to our carbon reduction goals, said Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Chairperson Rebecca Cameron Valcq. For the past 20 years, the program has made our state a national leader in renewable energy projects and has reduced customer utility bills statewide.

We know its going to take all of us working together to tackle the climate crisis, and the 2022 ENERGY STAR award-winning partners are demonstrating what it takes to build a more sustainable future, said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. These companies are showing once again that taking action in support of a clean energy economy can be good not only for the environment but also for business and customers.

For a complete list of 2022 ENERGY STAR winners and more information about the awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

###

About APTIMAPTIM is a global industry leader headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. With more than 4,000 employees worldwide, APTIM specializes in critical infrastructure, technical and data solutions, program management, environmental services, resilience, and sustainability and energy solutions. APTIMs dedicated people have proven experience and expertise to provide integrated services and solutions to government agencies, commercial and industrial clients, and energy customers. APTIM commits to accelerating the transition toward a clean and efficient energy economy; building a sustainable future for our communities and natural world; and creating an inclusive, equitable environment that celebrates the diversity of our people.

About Entergy LouisianaEntergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, La.

About Entergy New OrleansEntergy New Orleans provides electricity to more than 209,000 customers and natural gas to more than 110,000 customers in Orleans Parish, La.

Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana are subsidiaries of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans. Entergy powers life for 3 million utility customers across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Entergy is creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future for everyone with their diverse portfolio of low-carbon and carbon-free energy sources. With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, Entergy is a recognized leader in corporate citizenship and delivers more than $100 million in philanthropy and advocacy efforts to local communities each year. Their approximately 12,500 employees are dedicated to powering life today and for future generations.

About Focus on EnergyFocus on Energy empowers the people and businesses of Wisconsin to make smart energy decisions with enduring economic benefits. On behalf of 107 Wisconsin electric and natural gas utilities, Focus on Energys information, resources, and financial incentives benefit all Wisconsinites by implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that otherwise wouldnt happen or, in some cases, years sooner than scheduled.

About Franklin EnergyFranklin Energy delivers turn-key energy efficiency and grid optimization programs for more than 60 utility and government partners across the U.S. and Canada. Their integrated in-house services provide deep personalization and insights, helping their energy partners achieve their carbon-reduction and energy productivity goals. The company has served the utility industry for more than 26 years, with smart solutions implemented by over 1,100 energy professionals.

About ENERGY STARENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations  including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500  rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STARs impacts can be found at energystar.gov/impacts, and state-level information can be found at energystar.gov/statefacts.

Jenny Riley APTIM 8338627846 [email protected]

Source: APTIM
HORSHAM, Pa., May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc., a proud member of the Grupo Bimbo family, is honored to announce that it has received the 2022 ENERGY STAR Partner of the YearSustained Excellence award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy in recognition of its company-wide commitment to energy management strategy and leadership in the baking industry.

The Sustained Excellence honor is given, at the EPAs discretion, to organizations who have consistently earned Partner of the Year for several years in a row.

Bimbo Bakeries USA recognizes our role as a leader in the baking industry, and the important responsibility to lead in sustainability, said Ramon Rivera, Senior Vice President, Operations, Bimbo Bakeries USA. I am proud of our uninterrupted focus and continued outstanding achievements in sustainability and we are honored to receive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for the fifth consecutive year.

We know its going to take all of us working together to tackle the climate crisis, and the 2022 ENERGY STAR award-winning partners are demonstrating what it takes to build a more sustainable future, said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. These companies are showing once again that taking action in support of a clean energy economy can be good not only for the environment, but also for business and customers.

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health.

Key accomplishments for Bimbo Bakeries USA in 2021 include:

Earned ENERGY STAR certification for superior energy efficiency at 18 BBU facilities across the country, setting the record for the most ENERGY STAR certified plants of any company in any industry.

Won the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry at two bakeries, Atlanta, GA and La Crosse, WI. The Atlanta bakery reduced its energy intensity by 17.8 percent and La Crosse by 10.3 percent within two years. This is the Atlanta bakerys second time meeting this goal.

Joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Green Power Partnership.

Entered into an Energy Services Agreement with GreenStruxure to design, build, own, operate and maintain on-site renewable energy microgrid at six California bakeries.

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2022 winners and more information about ENERGY STARs awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

About Bimbo Bakeries USABimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) is a leader in the baking industry, known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. Our team of 20,000 U.S. associates operates more than 50 manufacturing locations in the United States. Over 11,000 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold, Artesano, Ball Park, Bimbo, Boboli, Brownberry, Entenmann's, Little Bites, Marinela, Mrs Bairds, Oroweat, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, and Thomas'. BBU is owned by Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B de C.V., the world's largest baking company with operations in 33 countries.

About Grupo Bimbo Grupo Bimbo is a leader in the global bakery industry. With more than 135 thousand associates, in 2019 it reported 15 billion dollars in sales. The Group has 197 production plants and about 1,700 Sales Centers strategically located in 32 countries around the world, across 4 continents. It produces more than 13 thousand items under more than 100 prestigious and recognized umbrella brands in categories such as sliced bread, buns and toast. It also has a broad distribution network in the countries where it is present and one of the largest in the Americas. In 2020, for the fourth consecutive year, Grupo Bimbo was the only Mexican company recognized as one of the 135 most ethical companies in the world according to the Worlds Most Ethical Companies in 2020, a list prepared by The Ethisphere Institute. Grupo Bimbo is listed in the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) as BIMBO. For more information about Grupo Bimbo, visit: www.grupobimbo.com. Look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrupoBimbo and Twitter: @Grupo_Bimbo.

About ENERGY STARENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizationsincluding more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STARs impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts and state-level information can be found at www.energystar.gov/statefacts.

CONTACT: Mikayla Ickes[email protected]610.228.4071

Source: Bimbo Bakeries
E-tailer completes leadership team with new Chief Revenue Officer, General Counsel, and Chief People Officer

NEW YORK, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boxed (NYSE: BOXD) (Boxed or the Company), an e-commerce grocery platform that sells bulk consumables and licenses its e-commerce software to enterprise retailers, today announced the addition of three C-Suite executives, to the roles of General Counsel, Chief People Officer and Chief Revenue Officer. The executive leaders will play a critical role as Boxed continues to accelerate growth, following its move from a private to public company.



Anna Meyer has joined the company as Chief Revenue Officer. A results-driven revenue executive, Ms. Meyer brings two decades worth of experience building high performing teams and driving profitable revenue streams in the retail technology sector. At Boxed, she will be tasked with acquiring new clients for the Spresso software business. Most recently, Ms. Meyer led the sales organization at Sezzle, a fast-growing fintech. In her three years at Sezzle, she built a team that grew the retail customer base by over 670% while scaling to ensure the customer value proposition remained high and churn remained at an all time low. Prior to Sezzle, Ms. Meyer worked at SPS Commerce for 14 years, building out their presence in Asia Pacific.

Additionally, Jung Choi has joined the company as General Counsel & Secretary. She brings 15 years of diverse legal experience at large public companies and in private practice. Ms. Choi will lead all legal and compliance matters and serve as a strategic advisor to management and the Board of Directors. Most recently, Ms. Choi served as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel & Assistant Secretary at Stanley Black & Decker, a diversified global industrial provider, where she was responsible for public company reporting, securities regulation, corporate governance and its ESG shareholder engagement strategy. She also oversaw the Global Ethics and Compliance department and the Global Privacy Office. Prior to Stanley, Ms. Choi worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a global biopharmaceutical company, and Davis Polk & Wardwell, a leading international law firm.

Veracelle Vega has also joined the Company as the new Chief People Officer. She brings 20 years of experience delivering and building high performing companies. Ms. Vegas responsibilities include leading and developing all People strategies including organizational effectiveness, compensation and total rewards, talent management, learning + development, employee engagement, talent acquisition and creating a world class work culture with a focus on DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging). Most recently, Ms. Vega served as the Chief People Officer at Resident, the direct-to-consumer mattress company.

We are entering a monumental period of growth at Boxed, and having Anna, Jung, and Veracelle join our leadership team with the breadth of knowledge and experience they bring, is critical to our long term goals, said Boxed Co-Founder and CEO Chieh Huang. Of these key hires, all identify as female and two identify as minorities, illustrating Boxed's continued commitment to diversity and inclusion.

About Boxed

Boxed is an e-commerce retailer and an e-commerce enabler. The Company operates an e-commerce retail service that provides bulk pantry consumables to businesses and household customers, without the requirement of a big-box store membership. This service is powered by the Companys own purpose-built storefront, marketplace, analytics, fulfillment, advertising, and robotics technologies. Boxed further enables e-commerce through its Software & Services business, which offers customers in need of an enterprise-level e-commerce platform access to its end-to-end technology. The Company has developed a powerful, unique brand, known for doing right by its customers, employees and society. For information visit www.boxed.com .

Media Contact
CALGARY, Alberta, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pieridae Energy Limited (Pieridae or the Company) (PEA.TO) will hold an event next week that features university students from across Canada who, along with faculty members from the University of Calgary (U of C), Mount Royal University (MRU) and the University of Toronto (U of T), will tour Pieridaes Jumping Pound Gas Complex, just west of Calgary, to learn more about the energy sector and opportunities for potential careers.

The 14 students who will visit the Gas Complex are from the Universities of Calgary, Alberta, Toronto, Waterloo and Western Ontario; majoring in such areas as: Geoscience, Geophysics, Civil Engineering, Public Policy and Sustainable Energy Development. They will also be joined by 11 alumni from the U of C, U of T, the University of Alberta, University of Waterloo and the University of Western Ontario.

This tour has been set up to give students an overview of how a large-scale gas complex operates and how many of us benefit every day from the products it produces. For example, the natural gas processed at Jumping Pound is used for cooking, in our gas burners and to heat our homes. It can also be used to generate electricity for our homes and businesses, fuel vehicles which transport the goods we use, and power air conditioning units.

At a time when much of the energy sector discussion revolves around the fundamental need for fossil fuels along with the practical energy transition to a lower carbon economy, this tour is important to advance that discussion and to highlight students aspirations and views about Canadas energy sector as they consider their career paths.

Certain members of the faculties and students will be available for interviews.

Event Details

Where Pieridae Jumping Pound Gas Plant Google Maps Link When May 12, 2022 9:30-10:30 a.m., MDT Who Conrad Kenny  Jumping Pound (JP) Site Superintendent Steve Collins  JP Maintenance ForemanMatt Gartner  JP Field Foreman Gurinder Parmar  JP Plant ForemanAmi Broom  Community Liaison Officer University Guests: David Eaton (U of C - faculty member)Giovanni Grasselli (U of T - faculty member)Katherine Boggs (MRU - faculty member)Gregory Galay (U of C - postdoctoral researcher)Jordan Phillips (U of C - staff)

About PieridaePieridae is a majority Canadian-owned corporation based in Calgary that was founded in 2011. The Company is focused on the exploration, extraction and processing of natural gas as well as analyzing options for a reconfigured LNG Project that fits with the current environment and would supply Europe and other markets. Pieridae provides the energy to fuel peoples daily lives while supporting the environment and the transition to a lower-carbon economy. After completion of all the transactions disclosed in this news release, Pieridae has 157,641,871 common shares issued and outstanding which trade on the TSX (PEA.TO).

For further information please contact:

Ami Broom, Community Liaison Officer | Jumping Pound Gas PlantTelephone: (403) 261-5900

Source: Pieridae Energy Limited
PHOENIX, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earnhardt Auto Centers has awarded a 2020 Honda Odyssey passenger van to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Cadet Program. The vehicle will assist with small group transportation needs for the cadet training program.

The gift acknowledges the vital role that law enforcement plays in Phoenix. It also represents the deep roots that the Earnhardts and their locally-run, family-owned company have in Arizona.

"Sheriff Paul Penzone and his officers shared with us the need for intermittent transportation assistance to and from training and other important activities," said Bull Earnhardt, Earnhardt Lexus General Manager. "While their request was for temporary assistance, we knew we needed to do more."

The EAC leadership decided to offer a passenger van to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Cadet Program. This would improve its ability to provide specialized law enforcement training and enrichment activities for new recruits.

The gift of a new passenger van was a logical move. Earnhardt Auto Centers is - and continues to be - a local resource for new and used vehicles. Arizonans have relied on Earnhardt for vehicle needs for over 70 years.

The 2020 Honda Odyssey van seats up to eight passengers. With its front-wheel drive and tight exterior dimensions, it is less cumbersome for drivers to handle. The interior has been engineered to provide maximum space for occupants. The rear cargo area can accommodate extra gear.

"We were just glad the MCSO officers educated us about the best ways we could help them achieve their mission," said Bull. "Clearly, the cadet program is vital to maintaining a strong, educated police force. The Earnhardts are proud to show our support of local law enforcement."

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office oversees 9,224 square miles. This area is bigger than four U.S. states. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Cadet Program prepares recruits to become part of the sheriff's 3,500-person workforce.

"The Earnhardt Family has always been about serving the community," said Sheriff Paul Penzone. "This selfless and generous contribution will provide a much-needed resource for our Cadet Program."

About Earnhardt Auto Centers

Founded by Tex Earnhardt as a single dealership with a single truck in 1951, Earnhardt Auto Centers is still a family-owned and -operated business. It has grown, however, to include 16 brands at 19 new car dealerships across Phoenix. The company also maintains an online inventory of good used vehicles. The famous tagline "No Bull" is well-known. More info on Earnhardt can be found at www.NoBull.com.

Media Contact: Earnhardt Marketing[email protected]

Related Images

Image 1: Earnhardt Lexus awards Maricopa County Sheriffs Earnhardt Lexus General Manager Bull Earnhardt (left) and Sheriff Paul Penzone shake hands to acknowledge the 2020 Honda Odyssey gift to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Cadet Program as Officers and Cadets look on. Image 2: Bull Earnhardt and Sheriff Paul Penzone Earnhardt Lexus General Manager Bull Earnhardt (left) presenting Sheriff Paul Penzone with the gift of the 2020 Honda Odyssey to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Cadet Program.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Earnhardt Lexus awards Maricopa County Sheriffs Earnhardt Lexus awards Maricopa County Sheriffs

Source: Earnhardt Auto Dealerships
DENVER, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Health eCareers is pleased to announce the winners of five nursing awards in commemoration of National Nurses Week. The Health eCareers Nursing Awards were established to recognize nurses and a student nurse who exceed expectations by demonstrating excellence in their approach to patient care and the breadth of their clinical expertise. These distinctive honors reward five exemplary individuals with a $1,000 monetary reward in three categories. Nominations were reviewed by an internal team with final winners being selected by three external nurse leaders: Susie P. Marks, State Director of the Arkansas Nurses Association, Carmela Townsend, DNP, MS, MBA, RN Executive Director of the American Nurses Association Massachusetts and the Foundation for Nursing Advancement in Massachusetts, and Jean Dyer, PhD, MSN, BSN, CNE, Executive Director of ANA-Maine. Over 400 nurses and nursing students were nominated with 9 other nurses and nursing students who were named as finalists. The other finalists were Alita-Geri Carter, Nancy Crego, Dayna Davidson, Julian Gallegos, Tiffany Hsu, Malcolm Johnson, Tiffany Marshall, Marsha Roddenberry, and Gail Shue.

These prestigious awards were presented in three different categories. The National Nurses Week Award was awarded to three nurses who go above and beyond the call of duty in providing compassionate care to their patients and making a significant difference to the profession of nursing. The three winners of this award are Lisa Burnell, Antonia Primus, and LaDonna Thomas.

The Health eCareers Nursing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award is awarded to LaDonia Patterson. This award category is for a nurse whose contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion are significant. Nominations in this category must demonstrate the nominee's advocacy of DEI in their organization or in the nursing profession overall.

The Health eCareers Student Nurse Award is awarded to Rachel Wolf. This award is given to a student nurse who exemplifies leadership in the classroom and demonstrates excellence in their clinical rotations and coursework.

"We are pleased to announce the winners of these inaugural nursing awards. The past few years have been unprecedented for nurses and nursing students," said Greg Chang, Managing Director of Health eCareers. "As we expand our reach to provide career resources for nurses, we want to make sure they are celebrated for the exemplary care they've continued to provide even during difficult times. We look forward to continuing this recognition program for years to come."

Throughout National Nurses Week - May 6-12 - Health eCareers will release further details on each winner to celebrate these outstanding professionals individually via Health eCareers website and Health eCareers social media channels.

Search Nursing Jobs

About Health eCareers: Health eCareers brings together physicians/surgeons, nurses, NPs, PAs, and CRNAs with jobs in every medical specialty. With thousands of healthcare employers across the United States and an exclusive network of premier healthcare associations and community partners, Health eCareers supports qualified healthcare providers in finding opportunities with employers looking for top talent.

To learn more, visit healthecareers.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. Health eCareers is a property of Everyday Health Group.

Media Contacts:

Health eCareersChristine Burke, Marketing DirectorEmail: [email protected]Phone: 703.477.3145

Related Images

Image 1: Health eCareers

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Health eCareers Health eCareers

Source: Health eCareers
CALGARY, Alberta and TORONTO, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magnetic North Acquisition Corp. (TSXV: MNC; MNC.PR.A) ("Magnetic North" or the "Company") announces that its principal regulator, the Alberta Securities Commission (the "ASC"), has accepted the Company's request for, and the ASC has granted, a management cease trade order (the "MCTO").

As previously announced on April 26, 2022, the application for the MCTO was made by the Company due to a delay in the preparation and filing of the Company's annual audited financial statements for the financial year ended December 31, 2021, the accompanying management's discussion and analysis and the related CEO and CFO certifications (collectively, the "Annual Filings"), which were due May 2, 2022.

The MCTO restricts all trading in securities of the Company, whether direct or indirect, by the Co-Chief Executive Officers, the Chief Financial Officer, and the directors of the Company until such time as the Annual Filings have been filed by the Company and the MCTO has been lifted. The MCTO does not affect the ability of shareholders who are not insiders of the Company to trade their securities. However, the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities could determine, in their discretion, that it would be appropriate to issue a general cease trade order against the Company affecting all of the securities of the Company.

The Company continues to work closely with its auditor and expects to file the Annual Filings no later than May 30, 2022.

During the MCTO, the Company confirms that it will comply with the provisions of the alternative information guidelines set out in National Policy 12-203 respecting Management Cease Trade Orders for as long as it remains in default, including the issuance of bi-weekly default status reports, each of which will be issued in the form of a news release. Further, if the Company provides any information to any of its creditors during the period in which it is in default of filing the Annual Financial Statements, the Company confirms that it will also file material change reports on SEDAR containing such information. The Company confirms that there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed as of the date of this press release.

About Magnetic North Acquisition Corp.

Magnetic North invests and manages businesses on behalf of its shareholders and believes that capital alone does not always lead to success. With offices in Calgary and Toronto, our experienced management team applies its considerable management, operations and capital markets expertise to ensure its investee companies are as successful as possible for shareholders. Magnetic North common shares and preferred shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the stock symbol MNC and MNC.PR.A, respectively. The TSX Venture recently announced that Magnetic North is a "2021 TSX Venture 50" recipient. For more information about Magnetic North, visit its website at www.magneticnac.com. Magnetic Norths securities filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Graeme Dick Stephen McCormick Investor Relations VP, Capital Markets 403-451-0939 403-451-0939 [email protected] [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 news release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain statements in this news release are "forward-looking statements", which reflect current expectations of the management of Magnetic North regarding future events or Magnetic North's future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this news release may be forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Magnetic North believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and Magnetic North assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties relating to Magnetic North and its securities can be found in the disclosure documents filed by Magnetic North with the securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com.

Source: Magnetic North Acquisition Corp.
SHANGHAI, China, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO; HKEX: 9866) (NIO or the Company), a pioneer and a leading company in the premium smart electric vehicle market, today announced the proposed secondary listing of its Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00025 per share (the Shares), by way of introduction on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the SGX-ST). The Companys American depositary shares (the ADSs), each representing one Share, will continue to be primarily listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE).

The Company has received a conditional eligibility-to-list letter (ETL) from the SGX-ST on May 5, 2022 for the listing and quotation of the Shares on the Main Board of the SGX-ST. The ETL is not an indication of the merits of the proposed secondary listing of the Companys Shares on the SGX-ST, the Company, its subsidiaries, the ADSs and/or the Companys Shares. An introductory document relating to the proposed secondary listing by way of introduction of the Shares on the Main Board of the SGX-ST is targeted to be issued later this month prior to the listing on the Main Board of the SGX-ST. Upon listing on the Main Board of the SGX-ST, the Shares listed on the Main Board of the SGX-ST will be fully fungible with the ADSs listed on the NYSE.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer or an invitation to buy any securities of the Company, nor shall there be any offer or sale of the securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About NIO Inc.

NIO Inc. is a pioneer and a leading company in the premium smart electric vehicle market. Founded in November 2014, NIOs mission is to shape a joyful lifestyle. NIO aims to build a community starting with smart electric vehicles to share joy and grow together with users. NIO designs, develops, jointly manufactures and sells premium smart electric vehicles, driving innovations in next-generation technologies in autonomous driving, digital technologies, electric powertrains and batteries. NIO differentiates itself through its continuous technological breakthroughs and innovations, such as its industry-leading battery swapping technologies, Battery as a Service, or BaaS, as well as its proprietary autonomous driving technologies and Autonomous Driving as a Service, or ADaaS. NIO launched the ES8, a seven-seater flagship premium smart electric SUV in December 2017, and began deliveries of the ES8 in June 2018 and its variant, the six-seater ES8, in March 2019. NIO launched the ES6, a five-seater high-performance premium smart electric SUV, in December 2018, and began deliveries of the ES6 in June 2019. NIO launched the EC6, a five-seater premium smart electric coupe SUV, in December 2019, and began deliveries of the EC6 in September 2020. NIO launched the ET7, a flagship premium smart electric sedan, in January 2021, and began deliveries of the ET7 in March 2022. NIO launched the ET5, a mid-size premium smart electric sedan, in December 2021.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as will, expects, anticipates, aims, future, intends, plans, believes, estimates, likely to and similar statements. NIO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about NIOs beliefs, plans and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: NIOs strategies; NIOs future business development, financial condition and results of operations; NIOs ability to develop and manufacture a car of sufficient quality and appeal to customers on schedule and on a large scale; its ability to ensure and expand manufacturing capacities including establishing and maintaining partnerships with third parties; its ability to provide convenient and comprehensive power solutions to its customers; the viability, growth potential and prospects of the newly introduced BaaS and ADaaS; its ability to improve the technologies or develop alternative technologies in meeting evolving market demand and industry development; NIOs ability to satisfy the mandated safety standards relating to motor vehicles; its ability to secure supply of raw materials or other components used in its vehicles; its ability to secure sufficient reservations and sales of the ES8, ES6, EC6, ET7 and ET5; its ability to control costs associated with its operations; its ability to build the NIO brand; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in NIOs filings with the SEC, the listing document issued with the SEHK and the introductory document issued with the SGX-ST. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and NIO does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.nio.com

Investor Relations Contact

[email protected]

Press Contact

[email protected]

Source: NIO Inc.
Dallas, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa, the community management industrys largest company, is pleased to announce that Sarah Clausen has been promoted to Director of Corporate Communications. Ms. Clausen joined Associa as Internal Communications Specialist in 2014. During her tenure, she has filled a number of key roles within the company, including Wellness Manager  and most recently  Employee Communications Manager.

As Director of Corporate Communications, Ms. Clausen will spearhead the development and execution of Associas internal communications, employee engagement, and community outreach initiatives. She will also evaluate and implement communication methods and avenues to ensure that the companys growing employee population remains well-informed and recognized throughout the organization. In her new role, she will work closely with the companys chief human resources officer and senior vice president of external affairs.

In addition, Ms. Clausen will support Associas chief executive officer and senior leadership team with video and written content for monthly management calls, company townhall meetings, and related executive communications. She will also continue to supervise the development and production of Associas internal communications vehicles, including its Need to Know, Vision Today, and Associa Stories newsletters.

Prior to joining Associa, Ms. Clausen worked as a photojournalist with multiple television stations throughout the United States, including WTVO (Rockford, IL); WKOW (Madison, WI); WZTV (Nashville, TN), and WSMV (Nashville, TN). In those roles, she shot and edited news stories, produced live shots, and conducted interviews with people from all walks of life, including community members, politicians, celebrities, and those fighting for justice and equality. This experience plays a key role in helping her identify and share the stories of Associas employees.

Sarah Clausen has a well-deserved reputation as a trusted colleague and dedicated team member who consistently goes the extra mile to get the job done, said Andrew Fortin, Associa senior vice president of external affairs. Both the company and her coworkers are extremely proud of her accomplishments and will be fortunate to benefit from her enthusiasm, expertise, and dedication well into the future.

Since joining the Associa family in 2014, the support, mentoring, and leadership Ive experienced have been incredible, stated Sarah Clausen, Associa director of corporate communications. To be where I am in my career today is a testament to the importance this company places on personal and professional growth. In particular, Im beyond proud to work for a company that understands the importance of mental wellness. We are continually looking for opportunities to let our team know its okay to not be okay and provide resources to ensure they feel supported. I look forward to the challenge of taking our employee communications and community programs to the next level and am grateful to have my Associa family members beside me during this next phase in my journey.

About Associa

With more than 225 branch offices across North America, Associa is building the future of community for nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 11,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise, and trailblazing innovation. For more than 43 years, Associa has brought positive impact and meaningful value to communities. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

Stay Connected

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa

Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa

Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa

Attachment

Tom Womack Associa 214-272-4107 [email protected]

Source: Associa
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simply Better Brands Corp. ("SBBC" or the "Company") (TSX Venture: SBBC, OTCQB: PKANF) announces today that further to its April 21, 2022 news release, it has settled outstanding indebtedness in the aggregate amount of $589,474.20 owing to the former holder of a promissory note dated March 3, 2021, through the issuance of an aggregate of 140,351 common shares of the Corporation at a deemed price of CDN$4.20 per share (the Debt Settlement). The common shares issued in connection with the Debt Settlement are subject to a hold period that expires on September 7, 2022.

Heavenly Rx Ltd. acquired 140,351 common shares pursuant to the Debt Settlement and the debt has now been extinguished. The Debt Settlement is an arms length transaction. 

About Simply Better Brands Corp.

Simply Better Brands Corp. leads an international omni-channel platform with diversified assets in the emerging plant-based and holistic wellness consumer product categories. The Companys mission is focused on leading innovation for the informed Millennial and Generation Z generations in the rapidly growing plant-based, natural, and clean ingredient space. The Company continues to focus on expansion into high-growth consumer product categories including CBD products, plant-based food and beverage, and the global pet care and skin care industries. For more information on Simply Better Brands Corp., please visit: https://www.simplybetterbrands.com/investor-relations.

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.

Contact Information

Simply Better Brands Corp.Brian MeadowsChief Financial Officer+1 (855) 553-7441[email protected]

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward looking statements" as such terms are used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information are based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and are subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, among others, that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the regulatory climate in which the Company operates, and the Company's ability to execute on its business plans. Specifically, this news release contains forward-looking statements relating to, but not limited to: settlement of the debt owing by the Company to Heavenly Rx LLC through the issuance of common shares and regulatory approval of the issuance of such shares.

Forward-looking statements and information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements and information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking statements and information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, that occurrences such as those referred to above are realized and result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company's financial condition and development plans change, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the CBD or broader wellness industries and to the Company, and as set forth in the Company's annual information form available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

The above summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking statements in this news release has been provided in order to provide shareholders and potential investors with a more complete perspective on the Company's current and future operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. There is no representation by the Company that actual results achieved will be the same in whole or in part as those referenced in the forward-looking statements and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law. 

Source: Simply Better Brands Corp.
San Diego, California, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skye Bioscience, Inc. (OTCQB: SKYE) (Skye or the Company), a pharmaceutical company developing proprietary, synthetic cannabinoid derivatives to treat glaucoma and other diseases with significant unmet need, announced that the peer-reviewed journal International Journal of Pharmaceutics published preclinical data demonstrating stronger and longer-lasting reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) when Skyes proprietary molecule, SBI-100, is formulated as a nanoemulsion containing the mucoadhesive agent Carbopol 940.

The results of the research were published March 2022 in a paper, Impact of mucoadhesive agent inclusion on the intraocular pressure lowering profile of 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-valine-hemisuccinate loaded nanoemulsions in New Zealand white rabbits, authored by C. Sweeney et al. from the University of Mississippi (UM).

Skye, in collaboration with UM, previously published preclinical data demonstrating SBI-100 formulated as a nanoemulsion (THC-VHS-NE) achieved greater reduction of intraocular pressure in non-pigmented rabbits than both latanoprost and timilol1, the current first and second line treatments for glaucoma, respectively. The current study was undertaken to determine if the inclusion of a mucoadhesive agent could prolong the intensity and duration of action of the THC-VHS-NE formulation through increased residence time or penetration, or both, to potentially achieve once- or twice- a day dosing.

In this study sponsored by Skye, researchers at the University of Mississippi compared the reduction of IOP in normotensive rabbits with a single treatment of THC-VHS-NEC (SBI-100 formulated as a nanoemulsion with Carbopol 940) compared to latanoprost, the commercial standard of care; THC-NEC (native THC formulated as a nanoemulsion with Carbopol 940); and THC-VHS-NE (SBI-100 formulated as just a nanoemulsion). When comparing each treatment group, THC-VHS-NEC, Skyes SBI-100 Opthalmic Emulsion, demonstrated the greatest intensity and duration of IOP-lowering.

Skye has been working aggressively to optimize a formulation of SBI-100 to advance toward a first in-human study, which is planned to start this quarter. We previously reported strong preclinical results that highlighted the superior IOP-lowering of our unique molecule formulated as just a nanoemulsion compared to other established commercial glaucoma drugs. This further evolution of our formulation, generating even more robust results, gives us strong conviction as we step into the clinic with SBI-100 Ophthalmic Emulsion, said Punit Dhillon, CEO and Chair of Skye.

Our aim with this program is to advance a new class of glaucoma treatment with a once or twice a day dosing regimen. Positive, prior third-party research relevant to our molecule and this preclinical work informed our selection of the best formulation of SBI-100 for this application. We appreciate that these results are peer-reviewed by a recognized scientific journal.

In comparison to THC-VHS-NE, THC-NEC and commercial latanoprost, THC-VHS-NEC (SBI-100 Ophthalmic Emulsion) exhibited a prolonged duration of action. THC-NEC and THC-VHS-NE formulations respectively produced an average maximum drop in IOP of 3.7 mmHg at 60 minutes and 4.8 mmHg at 150 min, while the IOP-lowering effect lasted for 240 and 360 min, respectively, in the treated eye (Fig. 4). In contrast, SBI-100 Ophthalmic Emulsion lowered IOP by 4.5 mmHg at 60 min and maintained this drop for at least 480 min in the treated eye.

A significant difference (p

1 Sweeney, C., Dudhipala, N., Thakkar, R. et al. Effect of surfactant concentration and sterilization process on intraocular pressurelowering activity of 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-valine-hemisuccinate (NB1111) nanoemulsions. Drug Deliv. and Transl. Res. 11, 20962107 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-020-00871-9** SBI-100 has previously also been referred to as THCVHS and/or NB1111

About the University of MississippiThe University of Mississippi, the state's flagship university, is among the elite group of R-1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity in the Carnegie Classification. The university has a long history of producing leaders in public service, academics, research and business. Its 15 academic divisions include a major medical school, nationally recognized schools of accountancy, law and pharmacy, and an Honors College acclaimed for a blend of academic rigor, experiential learning and opportunities for community action. Over 50 years ago, the university was awarded the first federal government contract to cultivate cannabis for research.

About Skye Bioscience Skye Bioscience, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company unlocking the potential of cannabinoids through the development of its proprietary cannabinoid derivatives to treat diseases with significant unmet need. The Companys lead program, SBI-100, is focused on treating glaucoma, a disease with no cure and the worlds leading cause of irreversible blindness. For more information, please visit: www.skyebioscience.com.

CONTACT Investor Relations Email: [email protected] Phone: (858) 410-0266

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This letter contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our product development, business strategy, the timing of clinical trials, and commercialization of cannabinoid-derived therapeutics. Such statements and other statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements that are based on managements current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, our business, operating results, financial condition, and stock price could be materially negatively affected. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology including anticipated, plans, goal, focus, aims, intends, believes, can, could, challenge, predictable, will, would, may or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. We operate in a rapidly changing environment, and new risks emerge from time to time. As a result, it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements the Company may make. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, our capital resources, uncertainty regarding the results of future testing and development efforts and other risks that are described in the Risk Factors section of Skyes most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as expressly required by law, Skye disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Source: Skye Bioscience, Inc.
Press Release

Extraordinary General Shareholders Meeting

held on Friday May 6, 2022

Paris (France), May 6, 2022  Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH, OTCQX: TCLRY, hereinafter referred to as the Company) announces that the Extraordinary General Shareholders Meeting of Technicolor SA, chaired by Ms. Anne Bouverot, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, was held today at Espace Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris.

All the resolutions proposed were approved by more than 99% of the votes, except the resolution No. 17, for which the Board of Directors had recommended a vote against, and which has been rejected. Accordingly, the proposed issuance of Mandatory Convertible Notes (MCN) to be subscribed by a group of named beneficiaries for a total nominal amount of EUR 300 million was approved and all necessary powers were given to the Board of Directors to implement these issues.

The Company's articles of association were also amended (with the approval of resolution No.18) with a view to allowing the Company to distribute reserves and premium in kind and therefore to make it possible the implementation of the envisaged distribution of Technicolor Creative Studios (TCS) shares, which remains subject to the approval of Technicolor shareholders. The latter will be invited to vote on such distribution (partial spin-off of TCS) during the Combined Annual General Meeting on June 30, 2022.

The detailed quorum and voting results are available on Technicolors website. The entire broadcast of the Shareholders Meeting is available on www.technicolor.com/investor-center/shareholders-meeting.

* *

*

About Technicolor

www.technicolor.com

Technicolor shares are admitted to trading on the regulated market of Euronext Paris (TCH) and are tradable in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADR) in the United States on the OTCQX market (TCLRY).

Investor Relations

Alexandra Fichelson

[email protected]

Media

Catherine Kuttner

[email protected]

Nathalie Feld

[email protected]

Attachment
WASHINGTON, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What do Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Prince William, as many as 130,000 high school students and the education-experience company WorldStrides have in common?

They all believe in a gap year as a critical path to future success.

Taking an educational break between high school and attending university is viewed by many experts as a useful way to gain world-life experience before advanced education. For the 2020-2021 academic year, as many as 130,000 students took gap years  compared with 40,000 to 60,000 before the pandemic, according to the Gap Year Association.

When asked why they take a gap year, students cite gaining life experiences and personal development, seeing the world beyond their hometown, exploring career interests and taking a break from burnout. In fact, one comprehensive study showed:

Only 45% of high school students feel prepared for college;

73% say taking a gap year helped them increase their readiness;

57% said it helped better determine what to pursue in college, and

81% would recommend taking a gap year to others.

To build on the growing gap-year trend, WorldStrides  the leader in educational travel and experiences  is introducing Gap Year: Dare to Undeclare. The 13-week modular program allows students to learn from a mix of classroom learning, community engagement and excursions.

The inaugural program begins Aug. 30, with an orientation in Rome and three sessions, each lasting four weeks. Students can experience up to four countries, with options including: Paris, Seville or Florence for the first session; Florence, Granada, Meknes or Prague for the second session, and Athens, Granada or Meknes for the final session.

Students can receive as many as nine credits for completing the core program and have them applied to their college transcript. With the average annual cost of college in the United States exceeding $35,000, WorldStrides new gap year program comes at a considerable savings. The program includes all tuition, coursework, housing, cultural activities and most meals.

Were proud to be leading the way with a gap year program that is both educational and experiential, while offering college credit, said WorldStrides CEO Bob Gogel. Taking a gap year is allowing students to get out from behind their computer screens and see the world in 3-D again. Beyond the academics, gap year students are developing life skills you cant measure on a report card, such as improvement in self-direction, communication skills and cultural awareness.

WorldStrides gap year program is built around sustainability and leverages local businesses wherever possible. Immersion into the local culture is achieved through homestays, volunteering, language lessons, local university courses and culturally appropriate excursions.

About WorldStridesWorldStrides is the global leader in educational travel and experiential learning. The company was founded in 1967 to provide middle school travel programs to Washington, D.C., and has grown to provide a wide range of programs for more than 550,000 students annually from more than 5,000 K12 schools and universities to over 100 countries around the world. WorldStrides offers experiential learning programs in educational travel, performing arts, language immersion, career exploration, service-learning, study abroad, and sports. Each of these experiences helps students to see beyond the classroom and to see the world  and themselves  in new ways.

Contact: Edward Ruddy Sloane & Company [email protected]

Source: WorldStrides
FILE PHOTO: The logo of technology company Nvidia is seen at its headquarters in Santa Clara, California February 11, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo

By Chris Prentice and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nvidia Corporation has agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle civil charges that the technology firm did not properly disclose the impact of cryptomining on its gaming business, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Friday.

In back-to-back quarters in fiscal 2018, Nvidia failed to disclose that cryptomining was a "significant element" of its revenue growth from sales of chips designed for gaming, the SEC said in a statement and charging order.

The firm, which did not admit or deny the SEC's findings, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $5.5 million. A spokesperson for Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia declined to comment.

In 2018, Nvidia's chips became popular for cryptomining, the process of obtaining crypto rewards in exchange for verifying transactions on distributed ledgers, the SEC said. The regulator alleged that Nvidia knew that information, but failed to share it with investors.

Those omissions misled investors and analysts who were interested in understanding the impact of cryptomining on Nvidia's business, the SEC said.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Chris Prentice in Washington; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Marguerita Choy)
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - May 6, 2022) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against technology company NVIDIA Corporation for inadequate disclosures concerning the impact of cryptomining on the companys gaming business.

The SECs order finds that, during consecutive quarters in NVIDIAs fiscal year 2018, the company failed to disclose that cryptomining was a significant element of its material revenue growth from the sale of its graphics processing units (GPUs) designed and marketed for gaming. Cryptomining is the process of obtaining crypto rewards in exchange for verifying crypto transactions on distributed ledgers. As demand for and interest in crypto rose in 2017, NVIDIA customers increasingly used its gaming GPUs for cryptomining.

In two of its Forms 10-Q for its fiscal year 2018, NVIDIA reported material growth in revenue within its gaming business. NVIDIA had information, however, that this increase in gaming sales was driven in significant part by cryptomining. Despite this, NVIDIA did not disclose in its Forms 10-Q, as it was required to do, these significant earnings and cash flow fluctuations related to a volatile business for investors to ascertain the likelihood that past performance was indicative of future performance. The SECs order also finds that NVIDIAs omissions of material information about the growth of its gaming business were misleading given that NVIDIA did make statements about how other parts of the companys business were driven by demand for crypto, creating the impression that the companys gaming business was not significantly affected by cryptomining.

NVIDIAs disclosure failures deprived investors of critical information to evaluate the companys business in a key market, said Kristina Littman, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Divisions Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit. All issuers, including those that pursue opportunities involving emerging technology, must ensure that their disclosures are timely, complete, and accurate.

The SECs order finds that NVIDIA violated Section 17(a)(2) and (3) of the Securities Act of1933 and the disclosure provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The order also finds that NVIDIA failed to maintain adequate disclosure controls and procedures. Without admitting or denying the SECs findings, NVIDIA agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $5.5 million penalty.

The SECs investigation was conducted by Brent Wilner of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, and supervised by Diana Tani and Ms. Littman of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit.
ORANGEBURG, S.C., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gulbrandsen is excited to announce its recent acquisition of the ACCULIN and ACCULINOL brand names from the International Group Inc.

The addition of ACCULIN Polyethylene Waxes and ACCULINOL Polyethylene Alcohols to Gulbrandsen's Specialty Polymer portfolio strongly reflects the company's long-term commitment to providing high-quality specialty polymer solutions to their customers throughout the world. ACCULIN and ACCULINOL will continue to be produced at Gulbrandsen's Mujpur (India) manufacturing site.

"For the past eight years, Gulbrandsen has been a premier manufacturer of specialty waxes and their derivatives for various applications such as expanded polystyrene, mold release agents, inks & coatings, personal care, and wax blends," said Patrick Lim (Global Business Director - Specialty Polymers).

He adds, "The recent addition of the ACCULIN and ACCULINOL brand names to our portfolio clearly reflects Gulbrandsen's relentless endeavor to deliver performance-driven solutions worldwide."

About Gulbrandsen Gulbrandsen is a global chemical manufacturing company specializing in cost-efficient and high-quality chemical solutions for a range of applications. For more information on Gulbrandsen, please visit www.gulbrandsen.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/acculin-and-acculinol-are-now-an-integral-part-of-gulbrandsens-specialty-polymers-portfolio-301541922.html

SOURCE Gulbrandsen
Khushi Gandhi immersed herself in nearly a dozen student clubs and campus organizations, taking leadership positions in many of them.

PISCATAWAY, N.J., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Khushi Gandhi's involvement at Rutgers Business School-New Brunswick (RBS) did a lot to prepare her for the corporate world.

"Business offered me a way to pursue problem-solving and explore my creativity." - Khushi Gandhi.

While double majoring in Business Analytics and Information Technology (BAIT) and Marketing, Gandhi immersed herself in nearly a dozen clubs and organizations, ascending to top leadership roles in many of them.

"RBS has made me more of a collaborative person, more open to ideas and willing to learn new things," she said. "I am also much more social now."

In August, Gandhi will begin working as an associate at Boston Consulting Group in Summit and New York. She interned for the company last summer. "I'm looking forward to gaining experience on projects in many different industries," she said.

But she is also going into the work world with a confidence gained from her advocacy work in Girl Up, the insights of professional women she met through Women BUILD and her role as student leader.

Gandhi's experience at Rutgers Business School dispels any notion that commuter students are less engaged. "Just being involved in so many student organizations has been one of my biggest accomplishments," said the senior, who is minoring in Women and Gender Studies.

Gandhi attended a STEM-geared magnet high school with an eye on a career in engineering. "I loved problem-solving and math, so it felt like a natural thing," she said. Her interest, however, shifted to business and marketing, inspired by her entrepreneurial parents.

"Business offered me a way to pursue problem-solving and explore my creativity," Gandhi said. After she was accepted to RBS, she said she sat in on a class and the energy in the room confirmed she made the right decision. "I found the BAIT major to be the exact thing I was looking for, and one I hadn't seen offered at other universities," she said.

Going from a high school with a graduating class of 40 to Rutgers University was a huge change. "I really wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone," Gandhi said.

Rutgers Business School itself was the first layer of community she found. "It's tight-knit and strong," she said. Gandhi immersed herself in organizations that matched her values and gave her room to grow as an individual.

She is most proud of her involvement in Girl Up, the United Nations Foundation's initiative that advocates for gender equality. A member since high school, Gandhi is now the Mid-Atlantic Regional Team Lead, overseeing clubs and campuses in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. "It's a core part of who I am," she said.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda "is where I really grew as a leader," said Gandhi, president of the Rutgers chapter since last May. She called her involvement a transformative experience. Gandhi has cultivated opportunities for students to prepare for and compete in state and national competitions.

Gandhi was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society, which provided another "pocket of community," she said. "It's amazing to be surrounded by highly motivated people."

A big part of membership in the honor society is giving back to the community. Now president, Gandhi was the director of community service, and had to get creative during the height of the pandemic. "It threw us for a loop for a few weeks," she said, "but we started virtual food drives and card-writing campaigns."

Through Women BUILD, Gandhi met female professionals from a variety of industries. "You find that there is no universal experience, and they've undergone different challenges," she said. "It's so helpful to learn their career progressions, and to have a community of women you can talk to."

Hearing from women in a variety of fields gave her insights that will help her as she begins her career. Participating in Women BUILD "solidified my commitment to business," she said. "I gained a lot of clarity learning from so many people."

Gandhi served as director of community with Women in Business, sat on the student advisory board of Rutgers Institute for Corporate Social Innovation, and served as secretary general of the RBS Dean's Council. She finished her senior year as a peer mentor and ambassador for the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program

Her favorite class at RBS was Business Policy and Strategy. "It pushed me to expand my thinking about and analysis of case studies," she said. "So much of it was discussion-based."

Gandhi also benefited from the expertise of engaging professors, including assistant professor Sara Parker Lue, who teaches Business Policy and Strategy; Erich Toncre, director of marketing education who teaches Brand Management; and Alexandra Kunish, assistant professor of professional practice in marketing.

Commuting also had its benefits. After long days on campus, Gandhi relished the drive home to unwind and then spending time with her parents and younger sister  and eating "my mom's amazing food."

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/action-packed-experience-at-rutgers-business-school-prepares-graduating-student-for-job-in-consulting-301541987.html

SOURCE Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Driven by historic mortgage origination activity and substantial increase in home values, the American Land Title Association reported title insurance premium volume increased 35.9% during 2021 when compared with 2020. The title insurance industry generated $26.2 billion in title insurance premiums during 2021 compared with $19.2 billion during 2020, according to ALTA's Market Share Analysis.

Overall, total operating income for the industry was up 33.4%, operating expenses increased 32% and loss and loss adjustment expenses were up 2.3 percent. In 2021, the industry paid more than $474.4 million in claims.

While the overall expense to purchase a home has increased significantly the past few years, the cost of title insurance coverage has decreased 7% since 2004. This means for each dollar of premium a consumer purchases, they get an extra $26 in coverage compared with 2004.

"Incredibly low mortgage rates lead to an unprecedented increase in real estate transactions and substantially higher home values," said ALTA CEO Diane Tomb. "Those factorscaused in part by the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemiccontributed to the record title insurance premium volume, which the title industry won't see again soon. The majority of title professionals were busier in 2021 than they ever have been, but even important than volume is thatno matter how busy they areALTA members continue to prioritize accuracy, security and efficiency to ensure homebuyers are protected before they even step over their new threshold."

Top 10 Underwriters

First American Title Insurance Co., 20.5% Old Republic National Title Insurance Co., 14.8% Chicago Title Insurance Co., 14% Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., 13.5% Stewart Title Guaranty Co., 8.9% Westcor Land Title Insurance Co., 5.9% Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co., 4.1% WFG National Title Insurance Co., 2.8% Title Resources Guaranty Co., 2.4% Doma Title Insurance Co., 1.9 %

Top 5 States

Texas, $3.52 billion (+39.5%) Florida, $2.89 billlion (+52.1%) California, $2.82 billion (+24.6%) New York, $1.45 billion (+42.8%) Pennsylvania, $1.18 billion (+42.4%)

Click here for more market share data. ALTA expects to release Q1 2022 market share data around June 1.

About ALTA

The American Land Title Association, founded in 1907, is a national trade association representing more than 6,000 title insurance companies, title and settlement agents, independent abstracters, title searchers and real estate attorneys. ALTA members conduct title searches, examinations, closings and issue title insurance that protects real property owners and mortgage lenders against losses from defects in titles.

Contact: Megan Hernandez Office: 202-261-0315 Email: [email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alta-reports-full-year-q4-2021-title-premium-volume-301542068.html

SOURCE American Land Title Association
COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While health care worker burnout intensifies as a public health crisis during the COVID pandemic, a potential tech-based antidote helped two student entrepreneurs walk away with the $30,000 grand prize of the recent 2022 Pitch Dingman Competition, hosted by the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Sanketh Andhavarapu '23, a neuroeconomics/individual studies and biological sciences major, and Veeraj Shah '21, a health policy and technology/individual studies and biological sciences major, were honored for their startup, Vitalize. The clinician-centric app and web-based dashboard is designed to help hospital leadership reduce employee burnout and promote mental and psychological well-being.

Launched in January 2020, the company participated in Terp Startup, a summer accelerator program for student entrepreneurs hosted by the Dingman Center. In addition to winning Pitch Dingman, the startup was awarded first place in UMD's 2022 Do Good Challenge just five days earlier on April 21, 2022.

"Vitalize isn't just a startup, it's a mission," said Andhavarapu. "We exist to restore the purpose and joy and improve the well-being of health care workers globally so that millions of patients get the best care possible."

Pitch Dingman, in its 12th year, returned to an in-person format at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union for the first time since 2019. The final round saw six student teams from a pool of 60 applicants compete for a share of $80,000 in startup funding.

"Pitch Dingman Competition is our signature program because it attracts the most talented student entrepreneurs across campus," said Holly DeArmond, managing director of the Dingman Center. "These are the student founders who are putting in the hard work and the skills building to make their idea a reality. The competition process and the funding will help them immensely."

At the semifinals earlier this month, teams across three competition tracks pitched their business models and growth strategies to a panel of UMD alum and entrepreneurs to make it to the final showdown on Tuesday evening.

Teams with scalable, tech or tech-enabled ventures competed in the David and Robyn Quattrone Venture Track. Vitalize, the winner, plans to allocate its winnings toward key product improvements like beefing up dashboard analytics, as well as for travel expenses to pilot sites and national health care conferences.

The Quattrone Venture Track's second-place honors went to Chat Health, led by Aishwarya Tare '22, an information science major focused on human-computer interaction. The team won $10,000 for its data analytics platform for university health centers.

Computer science major Bryan Houlton '23, and Ryan Downing '22, who's majoring in finance and computer science, took home the $1,000 third-place prize for Quandry, a new platform for small-cap traders to research, develop and deploy automated trading strategies. The team also received $10,000 for the first-ever Tom Savransky Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.

The Main Street Track featured small businesses with revenue and initial customers but less emphasis on scale. Winners included:

First prize, $20,000: Omega 3, created by Edwin Djampa '22, a nutrition and food science major, is a food brand emphasizing Omega-3 fatty acids and organic ingredients to sustain brain health.

Omega 3, created by Edwin Djampa '22, a nutrition and food science major, is a food brand emphasizing Omega-3 fatty acids and organic ingredients to sustain brain health. Second prize, $7,500, and $1,000 audience choice winner: MatMate, a patent-pending protective device that stops the driver's heel from wearing through their car's floor mat, launched by James Dawson '24, a business management major

MatMate, a patent-pending protective device that stops the driver's heel from wearing through their car's floor mat, launched by James Dawson '24, a business management major Third prize, $1,000: North Star Creations, founded by Mat Parsons MBA '22, assists with emotional and social development for children by providing educational materials and inclusivity-focused toys. North Star Creations also took a $2,500 second prize in last week's Do Good Challenge.

The Fearless Ideas Track, which showcased yet-to-be-developed ventures, granted $5,000 and guaranteed admission to the Terp Startup summer accelerator program to ReGlass, a company founded by Bennett Greenspun '24 that specializes in interchangeable lenses for glasses.

New to the competition this year, all Main Street Track and Quattrone Venture Track quarterfinalists and semifinalists were eligible to win $1,000 each for specialty categories. Those include:

Best Graduate: Gelectric Medical: Leah Borden Ph.D. '22, Matthew Dowling, James Borden Ph.D. '10

Gelectric Medical: Leah Borden Ph.D. '22, Matthew Dowling, James Borden Ph.D. '10 Best Smith Student Founder or Team: Pet Passport: Dorian Stephens MBA '22, Alex Sonnie MBS '22, Anthony Small MBA '22, Ogugua Obii-Obioha MBA '22, Shahriar Jahanbani MBA '22, Musangu Tanguy Bukasa MBA '22

Pet Passport: Dorian Stephens MBA '22, Alex Sonnie MBS '22, Anthony Small MBA '22, Ogugua Obii-Obioha MBA '22, Shahriar Jahanbani MBA '22, Musangu Tanguy Bukasa MBA '22 Ladies First Founders: Crys & Co Cosmetics: Crystal Pinckney '22

Crys & Co Cosmetics: Crystal Pinckney '22 Social Impact: WISE Cities: Marie Brodsky '24, Katherine-Aria Close

WISE Cities: Marie Brodsky '24, Katherine-Aria Close Sustainability: Repurpose Farm Plastic: Krisztina Christmon '22, Benjamin Rickles Ph.D. '23

This year's competition was sponsored by David Quattrone MBA '05, co-founder and chief technology officer of CVENT, and his wife, Robyn, along with Chris and Vidya Ballenger '89, Tom Parsons '93, MBA '10 and Amazon Web Services. Quattrone, Parsons and Chris Ballenger, founder and CEO of APEX Strategies, also served on the judging panel alongside Ngozi Azubike '82, chief operating officer, OBAN Corporation; Sarah Frimpong, founder and CEO, Wellfound Foods; and Akash Magoon '18, co-founder and chief technology officer, Nayya.

About the Dingman Center for EntrepreneurshipThe Dingman Center is one of the nation's preeminent institutions where the research, education and practice of entrepreneurship are pursued vigorously. The center, located at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, develops and executes curricular and co-curricular programs to support the startup community.

Contact: Greg Muraski, [email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/app-to-reduce-clinician-stress-burnout-wins-maryland-smiths-pitch-dingman-competition-301541742.html

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
MCLEAN, Va., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE: AAIC) (the "Company") announced today that the Company will release results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 after the market closes on Thursday, May 12, 2022 and will hold a conference call for investors at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Friday, May 13, 2022 to discuss the results.

Investors wishing to listen to the earnings call at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Friday, May 13, 2022, may do so via the Internet at: http://www.arlingtonasset.com/index.php?s=19

Replays of the earnings call will be available for 60 days via webcast at the Internet address provided above, beginning two hours after the call ends.

About the Company

The Company currently invests primarily in mortgage-related and other assets and has elected to be taxed as a REIT. The Company is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonasset.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arlington-asset-investment-corp-to-report-first-quarter-2022-financial-results-301541972.html

SOURCE Arlington Asset Investment Corp.
GUANGZHOU, China, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the successful conclusion of the 131st Canton Fair on April 24, the "Discover Canton Fair with Bee and Honey" activities ended with fruitful outcomes. Livestreamed on Canton Fair's official Facebook account, the events attracted about 1.4 million followers and potential buyers worldwide and boosted supplier and buyer matchmaking.

Khashing Cai from the Philippines is a first-time buyer to the Fair. He found the livestreams fascinating since they enabled immersive interaction with Chinese high-quality exhibitors despite time and space constraints. After receiving a preview, Shariful Islam Rasel, a Bangladeshi buyer, watched the first livestream. Shortly after the webcast began, a compact, multi-functional smart watch presented by Guangzhou Havit Technology Co., Ltd. piqued his interest, so he made a quick inquiry and connected with the company online.

He stayed tuned for the following events and talked with Zhuhai Gotech Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. about their coffee machines.

Feng Chengcheng from the Canton Fair told reporters that to satisfy the needs of buyers, they settled on eight topics that buyers were keen about, like "Technology Empowers Smart Home" and "Green Travel Brings Low-Carbon Life". Right after all event themes were determined, they began screening participating exhibitors. Round after round of comparison and evaluation were conducted, covering companies from specialized and sophisticated SMEs to outstanding manufacturers of specific products, from national high-tech companies to time-honored Chinese brands. Finally, the livestreams were joined by 31 competitive enterprises with extensive export expertise and attractive, high-quality products, and a national foreign trade transformation and upgrading base. The livestream team discussed with each of the chosen exhibitors to decide on the exhibits and elaborate the promotion process, aiming to demonstrate the charm of intelligent manufacturing in China and the strength of Chinese companies.

Alan Liu, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Canton Fair, said that the Fair would continue to work hard to deliver more concrete outcomes for supplier and buyer matchmaking. To that end, the Fair will continue to innovate and upgrade the "Discover Canton Fair with Bee and Honey" activities by adding new presentation formats and contents to highlight Chinese specialized and sophisticated enterprises, so as to promote online exchanges between buyers and suppliers, better serve the dual circulation of domestic and overseas markets, and help advance the high-level opening-up of China.

Visit https://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en-US for more opportunities.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bee-and-honey-promote-canton-fair-and-yield-fruitful-outcomes-301541573.html

SOURCE Canton Fair
PHOENIX, May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital mental health company, Bezyl, Inc. is collaborating with Ukrainian-based developer, Sigma Software for a world-wide release of the latest version of the Bezyl app, which builds mental strength and provides resources for assistance. The app will offer digital avenues for Ukrainians to build personal networks of support and find access to much needed humanitarian relief.

In response to the recent ruthless Russian attack on Ukraine and the resulting 10 million Ukrainian citizens being displaced from their homes who are now coping with extraordinary loss, both mentally and physically, Bezyl and Sigma collaborated on the development of a Ukrainian specific version of the Bezyl app to help Ukrainians get the help they need from each other and their global network of supporters.

Esther Howard, President and CEO, founded Bezyl in 2020 in response to the growing mental health crisis in the United States among military Veterans and first-responders suffering from PTSD. Ms. Howard, who has over 20 years in the clinical research industry, also adapted the app earlier this year to support cancer patients suffering from Cancer Related Depression (CRD), drawing upon her extensive career experience to address this issue, and giving clinical trial participants a digital platform to get the help they need and ultimately improve their mental strength as they navigate their health journey.

Howard comments, "The original plan was to globalize the company in 2023, but when the war started and Bezyl's entire development team was displaced from their homes, the right thing to do was get the app translated into Ukrainian and available in every country possible."

"After traveling to Ukraine last November to work with the Sigma team and build the 2022 product roadmap, we were able to witness firsthand, not only the beauty of Ukraine, but even more so, the genuinely friendly and passionate Ukrainian people."

"Helping and supporting Ukraine to keep their economy stabilized is just as important as their ability to win the war. Aside from government support for the military, everyone can support Ukraine by continuing to do business with the country and finding ways to expand scope of work, thus injecting money into the Ukrainian economy."

Bezyl's collaboration with Sigma expands their development and global outreach capabilities and taps into Sigma's broad expertise in design and business knowledge. Bezyl's goal is to be the leading digital mental health companya game-changing tool with a secure communication platform, enabling easier access to mental help. It's a simple solution with massive potential for ending the mental health pandemic in our world.

Learn how the app works here

Learn more about founder, Esther Howard here

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bezyl-inc-diversifies-mental-health-support-app-in-major-global-launch-to-aid-humanitarian-crisis-in-ukraine-301541440.html

SOURCE Bezyl, Inc.
The Ottoman Empire is one of the countries and forces that committed bloody massacres against the peoples of the region, including Arabs, Kurds, Armenians and Syriacs. Its granddaughter, the Turkish state, or the so-called neo-Ottomans, completes their massacres against peoples from Syria and Iraq to Libya, Armenia and others.

Occupation of the Levant

The Ottoman Empire occupied the Levant from 1516 until the end of World War I in 1918.

The sultans continued to rule the Ottoman Empire until the beginning of the twentieth century, when the Turkish nationalists, led by the Assembly of Union and Progress, succeeded in gaining power in 1908, so they worked to impose nationalism and the Turkish language on all other nationalities living under the Ottoman occupation.

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Ottoman Empire sided with the countries of the center bloc (Germany and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire) against the (the United States of America, Russia, France, Britain). It tightened its grip on the Levant, imposing taxes, conscription, and the Turkish language.

Chauvinistic politics ignited the revolution

Due to the failure of the Ottoman authorities to implement the decisions issued by the Paris Conference in 1913, which required Arab participation in the rule, and their enjoyment of autonomy within the Ottoman Empire at the time, and their continuation of their chauvinistic policies based on imposing control and plundering wealth, in addition to the Turkification policies of the linguistic and cultural heritage in the countries they occupied especially in the Levant (Syria and Lebanon) and Iraq, which led to the ignition of the roots of the revolution, especially among the intellectuals, politicians and sheikhs who demanded the exit of the Ottoman occupier.

When the revolutions began demanding the exit of the Ottoman Empire from the region, the latter increased the abuse of these peoples in an attempt to impose control over the country, through a policy of intimidation and executions that affected many revolutionaries, militants, politicians and intellectuals in those regions.

The Ottomans further tightened the screws on the people. The people, led by intellectuals and politicians opposing the Ottoman rule, revolted and organized campaigns calling for joining the Great Arab Revolt that started from the Hijaz to overthrow the rule of the Ottomans.

Executions and massacres did not force the rebels to surrender

Jamal Pasha al-Saffah resorted to various methods to undermine this revolution by accusing them of collaborating with Britain and France to overthrow them.

These accusations formed the ground for repression against leaders, intellectuals and politicians, intensified killing and terrorism, and initiated a series of executions against all those suspected of it.

Accordingly, Jamal Pasha issued death sentences to a number of intellectuals and patriots from Damascus and Beirut in a moot court in Mount Lebanon.

The Ottoman authorities implemented these sentences in two batches, the first on August 21, 1915, and the second on May 6, 1916, in which a larger number were executed, in both Burj Square in Beirut, which was later called Martyrs Square, and Marjeh Square in Damascus.

In order to cover up the crimes of Jamal Pasha, the butcher in the country, the Ottoman authorities removed him from Syria, and appointed Jamal Pasha al-Marsini (known as al-Saghir) in his place.

Then Jamal Pasha the butcher was killed in the city of Tbilisi in 1922 AD by an Armenian named Stephan Zaghkian, in retaliation for the massacres committed by the Ottomans against the Armenians in 1915, within a wide movement known as Operation Nemesis, meaning punishment that affected all those responsible for that genocide, which claimed more than a million lives and half a million Armenians.

The Syrians and the Lebanese did not succumb to the Ottoman practices. Rather, these practices contributed to perpetuating the fact that the revolution was the only way to get rid of the Ottoman occupation. The Great Arab Revolt of 1916 marked the beginning of the end for the Ottoman Empire that ruled the region for four consecutive centuries. After the revolutions success, the conference announced The Syrian National in 1920 the independence of Syria and Iraq from the Ottoman Empire.

History records the crimes of the Ottomans on its pages

The Syrian lawyer and politician, Alaa Al-Din Al-Khaled Kalou, spoke about this, saying: "The Ottoman history spanning more than six centuries has featured many names and personalities who deservedly occupied the leading positions in the lists of massacres and criminality for the worst sultans, rulers, governors, and leaders of the armies, the murderous criminals throughout history because of what they committed of massacres and crimes against humanity and humanity against the Arab, Kurdish, Armenian, Syriac, Assyrian, Chaldean, Bulgarian and other peoples who fell victim under their brutal, tyrannical rule, including Jamal Pasha, the butcher, who was one of these thugs and criminals.

He added, "The massacres perpetrated by the Ottomans on May 6, 1916 in Damascus and Beirut, which we celebrate as a day of martyrs in Syria and Lebanon against a group of their finest intellectuals, and writers who resisted the Ottoman occupation and worked to awaken the national spirit among their peoples for liberation and liberation from the yoke of Ottoman slavery, which was built on the bloods of all the peoples of the region.

He attributed the reasons for this to their crimes and massacres that affected all the peoples who occupied their lands, which are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity; The likes of Huseyin Inan, Yusuf Aslan and Deniz Kazmish, in clear and blatant defiance of the aspirations of the Turkish people to live in freedom and democracy.

The neo-Ottomans follow the path of their ancestors

The policies of the Turks in occupying neighboring countries and interfering in their affairs, and following the methods of Turkification, displacement, killing and destruction, did not end even after the elimination of the Ottoman rule in Syria.

Since Turkey began occupying Syrian lands effectively after an agreement with Russia, starting in August 2016 and occupying the cities of Jarablus, Al-Bab and Azaz, it has continued the policy of its Ottoman ancestors, in terms of committing massacres, displacing the people and imposing a policy of Turkification in the occupied areas. There are no accurate statistics on the number of civilians who were killed and injured in the Turkish attacks on these areas.

The occupation and massacres against the Syrians did not stop in these areas. On January 20, 2018, the Turkish occupation state launched attacks on Afrin, which lasted until March 18 of the same year until the occupation of the city, and within a period of only two months, Turkey committed 12 massacres against the residents of Afrin.

The Turkish occupation continued its approach of killing civilians, during its attack on the cities of Serekaniye and Gire Spi / Tel Abyad, in October 2019, to work on changing the demographics of these areas after their occupation.

Perhaps the bloodiest massacre during the Turkish occupations attacks on the city of Serekaniye was targeting civilian convoy on October 13, 2019 with direct bombardment, which led to the death of 13 civilians, including journalists, and the injury of more than 70 others, as well as the massacre committed by Turkeys mercenaries against the Secretary-General of the Syria Party The future Hevrin Khalaf on October 12, 2019 on the M4 international road between Tal Tamr and Ain Issa.

In addition to Syria, the Turkish occupation launched attacks on Southern Kurdistan and Iraq and intervened in Libya, Armenia and other countries.

On the crimes that Turkey is now committing under the rule of the Justice and Development Party, the Syrian lawyer said: "What we see today are continuous and systematic crimes and massacres committed by the Turkish government represented by the Justice and Development Party against all the peoples and countries of the region in general and the Kurdish people in both Syria and Iraq In particular, and for the right of the peoples of northern and eastern Syria in particular, it is nothing but an extension of the mentality of the policies of exclusion, Turkification, and the perpetration of massacres that it inherited from the Ottoman Empire, which are two sides of the same coin in terms of purpose and content.

He added, "Accordingly, we can say that these great martyrs, through their honorable ascension to the Ottoman and Turkish execution platforms without fear, were a clear and blatant challenge to the oppression and tyranny of the Ottoman occupier and the policies of subsequent Turkish governments; they succeeded in implanting the concept of freedom and uprising in the face of the occupier in the minds of many of their peoples, in addition to To win the hearts of millions of their people and all the peoples who are fighting for their freedom and the attainment of their rights.

'Today we are in dire need for the cooperation of all peoples in the face of the Turkish invasions'

In this context, the Syrian lawyer and politician, Alaa Al-Din Al-Khaled Kalou, sent a message to the peoples of the region, saying: "Today we are in dire need of solidarity, solidarity and cooperation of all the peoples of the region, regardless of race, religion, sect or belief, to stand united in the face of injustice and aggression." And the invasions of the government of justice and development and its aggressive, hostile and occupying policies and the liberation of all occupied lands so that all the peoples of the region would gain their freedom and their legitimate rights.

A

ANHA
Governor Gavin Newsom, California Workforce Development Board and nonprofit Jobs for the Future announce High Road Training Fund to help workers from communities historically underserved by public and private institutions prepare for careers in climate-resilient industries

OAKLAND, Calif., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jobs for the Future(JFF), a national nonprofit driving transformation in the American workforce and education systems, in partnership with Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), today announced the creation of the High Road Training Fund (HRTF), a new public-private partnership that will provide funding to help workers from communities that are underserved by public and private institutions train jobs in high-growth, climate-resilient industries.

"At a time of broad-based income inequality and growing climate threats, climate resilience and economic inclusion are two sides of the same coin," said Ana Bertha Gutierrez, senior director at JFF. "This work is about driving investment in inclusive models of workforce development that prioritize equity, economic growth and inclusive regional economies alongside climate resilience and environmental protection."

The State of California has invested approximately $62 million in public funding to expand High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) and High Road Construction Careers (HRCC), and has proposed significant additional funding in the 2022-23 budget. The HRTF is a separate private investment that can supplement areas historically not covered through public funding streams. Over the next three years, the HRTF will invest more than $18 million to support the needs of HRTP grantees in providing more holistic workforce approaches. The fund will provide resources to cover the barriers often faced by workers living in poverty, ranging from financial assistance to cover basic needs like housing and food insecurity, to capacity-building funding for local programs and community-based organization partners.

"We're building a workforce of the future to create a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous California," said Governor Newsom. "Public-private partnerships like these are critical to achieving our shared goals as a statean all hands-on deck approach to provide workers with the training and education needed for these new jobs as we create a more sustainable and resilient future for all Californians."

The Lumina Foundation has already invested direct and aligned seed funding. With support from the James Irvine Foundation, JFF is working with the CWDB to launch the new HRTF in late summer 2022. JFF's Inclusive Regional Economic Development team will serve as the fund manager and work collaboratively with state partners to share research and insights about how the fund is working to scale opportunities for greater inclusion in the workforce as the state economy moves toward a just climate transition.

"Climate risk reduction and inclusive economic growth are not mutually exclusive," said Aida Cardenas, deputy director of climate, equity, and jobs at the California Workforce Development Board. "Our goal is to drive toward a vision of shared prosperity by crafting policy solutions that reinforceand harmonizejob quality, equity, and environmental protection. This fund will help workers from communities underserved by public and private institutions throughout California prepare for better-payingand more resilientjobs of tomorrow."

The HRTP and HRCC are administered by the California Workforce Development Board, and provide training to help workers complete the transition to growingand sustainableoccupations and industries. They focus on empowering workers from communities underserved by public and private institutions to prepare for roles in other sectors of the economy, such as construction, forestry and agriculture, hospitality, public transit and utilities, healthcare, trade and logistics.

As the threat of global climate change continues to accelerate, the State of California is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2030. In 2018, the California Workforce Development Board announced an ambitious "high road" economic framework focused on advancing climate resilience and sustainability while strengthening equity and economic opportunity in communities that are underserved by public and private instiutions.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD: The overarching goal of California's Workforce Development Board is the reorientation and realignment of California's workforce programs and institutions to support a dynamic and globally successful state economy that offers all residents  including the most vulnerable  an opportunity for a higher quality of life. More information is available here.

ABOUT JOBS FOR THE FUTURE: Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the American workforce and education systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. www.jff.org.

ABOUT THE JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION: The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. The Foundation's focus is California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. Since 1937 the Foundation has provided more than $2.2 billion in grants to organizations throughout California. The Foundation ended 2021 with $3.8 billion in assets and provided $128.9 million in grants. For more, please visit our website at www.irvine.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-workforce-innovation-fund-will-invest-in-pathways-to-green-jobs-in-underserved-communities-301541894.html

SOURCE JFF
African American women are three times more likely to die from complications due to pregnancy.

Black women are disproportionately burdened by chronic conditions, such as anemia, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and obesity.

Evidence exists that racial differences in socioeconomic (education and employment) and housing outcomes results in systematic unequal treatment of Black women.

HOUSTON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- These are just a few of the reasons Houston's Leading Black Information Source is hosting the 2nd State of Black Women Health Forum at HISD's Young Women's College Preparatory Academy, 1906 Cleburne St., in Houston. The event scheduled on Wednesday, May 18 is two-fold with student assemblies in the morning and an adult program beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and a program at 6:30 p.m.

While the student portion of the event will focus on physical and mental health, the adult session will add a discussion on sexual health as a component. Health questions from the audience will be answered by black medical professionals who commonly address the health care needs unique to Black women. Admission is free with registration. Click on the link at Eventbrite.

"This forum brings Black girls and Black women together with women medical professionals to help provide a roadmap for their lifelong health journey," said Sonny Messiah-Jiles, CEO of the Defender Network. "We are grateful for our sponsors who recognize the importance of empowering Black women with health information to improve the quality of their lives."

Sponsors for the 2nd State of Black Women Health Forum are H-E-B., Texas Children's Hospital, J.P. Morgan Chase, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the City of Houston, HillDay Public Relations and The Steve Fund, an organization dedicated to the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.

"At H-E-B, our mission is to do our part to take care of Texans, and we're proud to support wellness initiatives that work to educate and improve the health of women and communities of color," said Winell Herron, H-E-B Group Vice President of Public Affairs, Diversity and Environmental Affairs. "H-E-B believes food plays an important role in a person's wellbeing, and we're committed to providing families throughout Texas quality, nutritional food to help them live happier and healthier lives.

"Black women, especially younger women, are more likely to have more aggressive breast cancers at an earlier age and die more often from the disease, making breast cancer screening, early detection and clinical trial enrollment especially important for our community," said Lorna McNeill, Ph.D., chair of Health Disparities Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. McNeill will speak on clinical trials and health disparities at the event.

"Texas Children's Hospital is incredibly proud to be a sponsor of this year's State of Black Women Health Forum," said Michelle Riley Brown, Executive Vice President of Texas Children's Hospital. "All Black women and girls should have access not only to quality medical care that specifically addresses their needs, but also to vital information essential for their long-term physical and emotional health. Thank you so much to all the participating speakers and panelists and to Sonny Messiah-Jiles for spearheading this critical conversation."

Black women organizations from across the city will encourage members to participate in the forum with the goal of winning the special attendance prizes: First prize $1,000, Second prize $500 or Third prize $250. The event includes swag bags for the first one hundred attendees, door prizes and lots of fun and information.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/closing-the-health-disparity-gap-for-black-women-301542080.html

SOURCE Defender Network
JACKSON, Mich., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, has declared a quarterly dividend on the utility's preferred stock.

The following dividend is payable July 1, 2022, to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 6, 2022: $1.125 per share on the $4.50 preferred stock (NYSE: CMS_pb).

CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan-based energy provider featuring Consumers Energy as its primary business. It also owns and operates independent power generation businesses.

For more information on CMS Energy, please visit our website at cmsenergy.com. To sign up for email alert notifications, please visit the Investor Relations section of our website.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumers-energy-the-principal-subsidiary-of-cms-energy-declares-quarterly-dividend-on-preferred-stock-301541913.html

SOURCE CMS Energy
VANCOUVER, BC, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (TSX: CMMC) (ASX: C6C) (the "Company" or "Copper Mountain") is pleased to announce that Mr. Don Strickland has returned to the role of Chief Operating Officer ("COO") from Executive Vice President, Sustainability, effective immediately. Mr. Strickland took on the role of Executive Vice President, Sustainability to establish a strong sustainability direction and focus for the Company, which was highly successful.

Mr. Strickland will continue to be responsible for the Sustainability and People functions, in addition to leading Operations and Technical Services. This change in structure supports the integration of the Company's Sustainability and People objectives fully within the Company's operations and growth initiatives. Copper Mountain will appoint a Vice President, Sustainability to work with Mr. Strickland and the team to continue advancing the Company's sustainability focus under Mr. Strickland's general leadership. The Company has eliminated the role of Senior Vice President, Operations and the Mine General Managers will report directly to Mr. Strickland. Copper Mountain thanks Mr. Eric Dell for his years of service and dedication to the Company.

The Company is also pleased to announce that Mr. Lance Newman will assume the position of Sr. Vice President, Project Development. Mr. Newman will add Australian Country Management to his overall leadership in Project Development and Construction.

About Copper Mountain Mining CorporationCopper Mountain's flagship asset is the 75% owned Copper Mountain Mine located in southern British Columbia near the town of Princeton. The Copper Mountain Mine currently produces approximately 100 million pounds of copper equivalent per year. Copper Mountain also has the 100% owned development-stage Eva Copper Project, which is expected add approximately 100 million pounds of copper annually, in Queensland, Australia and an extensive 2,100 km2 highly prospective land package in the Mount Isa area. Copper Mountain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMMC" and Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "C6C".

Additional information is available on the Company's web page at www.CuMtn.com.

On behalf of the Board of

COPPER MOUNTAIN MINING CORPORATION"Gil Clausen"

Gil Clausen, P.Eng.President and Chief Executive Officer

Website: www.CuMtn.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". In this news release, certain forward-looking statements are identified, including the anticipated production at the Copper Mountain Mine and the Eva Copper Project. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include the risks set out in Copper Mountain's public documents, including in each management's discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Copper Mountain believes that the information and assumptions 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 where required by applicable law, Copper Mountain disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/copper-mountain-mining-announces-executive-management-changes-301541592.html

SOURCE Copper Mountain Mining Corporation
Budding entrepreneurs have until Thursday, May 12 to submit business plan to Hatch Detroit powered by TechTown Detroit for brick-and-mortar storefront

DETROIT, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For entrepreneurs seeking funding to open a retail storefront in Detroit, Highland Park, or Hamtramck, the deadline is fast approaching to enter the 2022 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest in hopes of winning $100,000 from Comerica Bank. Interested applicants with a retail concept looking to open a brick-and-mortar location can submit their business plans via the Hatch Detroit website no later than Thursday, May 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Entrepreneurs can also drop off samples in person at TechTown Detroit (440 Burroughs St.) from Tuesday, May 10-Thursday May 12 during the following times each day: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.

The contest, which is returning for the first time since 2019, aims to promote small business economic development in Detroit. It takes place over a four-month span, including two rounds of public voting  Top 10 and Top 4 - allowing the community to vote for their favorite businesses to win.

The top 10 ideas will be introduced to the community for public vote to determine four finalists. A second public vote will help decide the contest winner. Each of the four finalists will compete in a "Hatch Off" event competition on Thursday, July 21 and pitch their business idea to a panel of judges and an audience of peers. Public vote and judges' deliberation determine the winner.

The winner of the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will receive $100,000 to support their business plan from Comerica Bank at the annual "Hatch Off". The winner will also receive technical assistance from Hatch Detroit, TechTown and their partners that includes accounting, legal, IT, public relations and counsel to help open a business in Detroit, Highland Park or Hamtramck.

"Our objective is to support and foster success in the businesses that enter, not just the winner of the contest," said Vittoria Katanski, Executive Director, Hatch Detroit. "Those who submit will receive feedback after the contest that will provide them practical next steps to opening."

Bolstering the 2022 contest is the newly formed partnership between Hatch Detroit and TechTown. Hatch Detroit's into TechTown's small business services program lineup provides a sustainable future for integration Hatch while creating synergies between the two organizations which both champion and support small businesses in and around Detroit.

Beyond the contest, Hatch Detroit provides funding, exposure and mentoring in support of its alumni entrepreneurs. Together, Hatch Detroit alumni have opened 49 businesses, employ over 500 people and have invested more than $7 million in their businesses. Over the years, the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has helped launch some of Detroit's most successful and well-known businesses, including, La Feria (2012), Sister Pie (2014), Live Cycle Delight (2015), Meta Physica Massage (2016), Baobab Fare (2017) and 27th Letter Books (2019).

Since 2012, Comerica Bank has contributed $550,000 to Hatch Detroit in startup funding to support the winners of the annual neighborhood retail competition and for the 2020 Small Business Alumni Relief Fund. Additionally, the Comerica Charitable Foundation has provided Hatch Detroit $110,000 in grant funding for direct organizational assistance.

For more information to submit business proposals to Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, interested entrepreneurs can visit HatchDetroit.com.

About Comerica Bank Comerica Bank, a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated, has served Michigan longer than any other bank with a continuous presence dating back over 172 years to its Detroit founding in 1849. It is the largest bank employer in metro Detroit and has over 4,500 employees (FTE) statewide. With one of the largest banking center networks in Michigan, Comerica nurtures lifelong relationships with unwavering integrity and financial prudence. Comerica positively impacts the lives of Michigan residents by helping customers be successful, providing financial support that assists hundreds of charitable organizations, and actively participating in Detroit's downtown revitalization. Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Comerica, Twitter: @ComericaBank and Instagram: @comerica_bank.

About Hatch Detroit Hatch Detroit supports both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck. Hatch Detroit was founded in 2011 to give residents and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to have a voice in neighborhood retail development and joined TechTown Detroit's suite of entrepreneurial programs and services in 2022. Beyond the contest, Hatch Detroit provides funding, exposure and mentoring in support of its alumni entrepreneurs. With support from Hatch Detroit, 49 alumni have opened businesses. They employ over 500 people and have invested over $10 million in economic development. To learn more, visit hatchdetroit.com.

About TechTown Detroit TechTown is a nonprofit business service organization that provides programs, education and resources for early- to growth-stage small businesses and tech entrepreneurs. By building bridges for entrepreneurs to succeed, TechTown is accelerating an inclusive economy for Detroit and Southeast Michigan. Since 2007, TechTown has supported more than 4,500 companies, which created 1,600 jobs and raised more than $172 million in startup and growth capital. For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deadline-fast-approaching-to-enter-the-100-000-comerica-hatch-detroit-contest-301541856.html

SOURCE Comerica Bank
HENRICO, Va., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Elephant Insurance, and its subsidiary Apparent Insurance (together, "Elephant Insurance"), values and respects the privacy of information which is why it is providing notice about a recent incident that may involve certain consumer information. This information either relates to current or previous Elephant Insurance customers or is information Elephant Insurance received as part of providing a quote for auto or other insurance coverage. Elephant Insurance is providing information about the incident, its response, and resources available to individuals.

What Happened? In April 2022, Elephant Insurance identified unusual activity on its network. Elephant Insurance promptly undertook a comprehensive investigation working with third-party specialists, to secure its systems and to confirm the nature and scope of the incident, as well as any impact to information on its network. The investigation determined that certain consumer information may have been viewed on or copied from Elephant Insurance's network between March 26, 2022 and April 1, 2022. Elephant Insurance undertook a comprehensive review to determine what information was impacted and to whom it related. On April 25, 2022, the review identified the individuals whose information was in the affected data.

What Information Was Involved? The investigation determined that the affected information includes name, driver's license number, and date of birth.

What We Are Doing. Upon identifying unusual system activity, Elephant Insurance took prompt measures to secure its systems, investigate this incident, and determine what information may be affected. Elephant Insurance reported the incident to federal law enforcement and is notifying appropriate state regulatory agencies. As part of its ongoing commitment to information security, Elephant Insurance is also reviewing and enhancing existing safeguards and procedures. Elephant Insurance is also taking steps to notify individuals and provide them with information and resources, including access to credit monitoring services, that they may use to help protect information.

What You Can Do. Elephant Insurance encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Individuals should promptly report any activity indicative of identity theft or fraud immediately to law enforcement. Elephant Insurance also encourages individuals to review the information it is providing regarding Steps Individuals May Take to Protect Information. These details may be found on Elephant Insurance's website at https://www.elephant.com/.

For More Information. Elephant Insurance understands that individuals may have questions that are not addressed in this notice and has established a dedicated assistance line to answer questions. Individuals may contact the dedicated assistance line at (855) 788-2603, which is available from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM EST Monday through Friday (excluding major U.S. holidays).

Steps Individuals May Take to Protect Information

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); Social Security number; Date of birth; Addresses for the prior two to five years; Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, etc.); and A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/ https://www.transunion.com/credit-help 888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 833-395-6938 Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-727-3400; and [email protected].

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-528-8662 or 1-888-743-0023; and www.oag.state.md.us. Elephant Insurance is located at 9950 Mayland Drive, Suite 400, Henrico, VA 23233.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violator. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov/.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; www.riag.ri.gov; and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. The number of Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident is not yet known.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/elephant-insurance-provides-notice-of-data-event-301542026.html

SOURCE Elephant Insurance
LA JOLLA, Calif., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 12-13, 2022, the Institute of the Americas is sponsoring a virtual forum, U.S. Policies Toward Authoritarian States in the Americas: Fresh Thinking Amidst Changing Geo-Politics featuring top diplomats, researchers, and thought leaders from across the Americas. The virtual forum will examine the strengthening of authoritarian regimes across hemisphere, learn about their roots and resilience, and examine innovative ideas and policies that the U.S. government, international actors, and civil society organizations need to pursue to address these developments.

Understanding the roots and resilience of the Hemisphere's authoritarian regimes with the war on Ukraine as a backdrop

The forum is being organized in anticipation of the United States hosting the IX Summit of the Americas next month in Los Angeles. The Summit marks the first time that the host government is not inviting governments which lack democratic credentials to attend, namely Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. This historic diplomatic fracture may have strong repercussions for inter-American relations going forward.

The Summit of the Americas' Declaration of Principles --signed by all 34 Heads of State of the Americas except Cuba at the first Summit in 1994-- was established on the premise of mutually promoting "development and prosperity based on the preservation and strengthening of the community of democracies of the Americas". That said, according to Richard Kiy, President & CEO of the Institute of the Americas, "two of the Declaration's original signatories, Nicaragua and Venezuela, are countries where today the pillars of democracy have been systematically weakened and dismantled."

The forum is being organized in an effort to better understand the roots and resilience of the Hemisphere's authoritarian regimes and the rapidly evolving international context that facilitates their survival, particularly in light of the war in Ukraine. It aims to elicit fresh perspectives to inform future policies of the U.S. government, other international actors, and engaged civil society organizations.

The forum is free and open to the public with simultaneous interpretation in English and Spanish. To register visit: https://iamericas.org/fresh-thinking-forum/

About the Institute of the Americas:The Institute of the Americas located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, is a non-partisan, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to be a catalyst for promoting economic development and integration, emphasizing the role of the private sector, as a means to improve the economic and social well-being of the people of the Americas.https://iamericas.org

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/institute-of-the-americas-forum-examines-us-policies-towards-authoritarian-states-in-the-americas-amidst-changing-geo-politics-301541544.html

SOURCE Institute of the Americas
DALLAS, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark today announced it has awarded 2022 Bright Futures college scholarships totaling $980,000 to 49 students for academic achievement and leadership in their schools and communities.

Now in its 30th year, Bright Futures provides scholarship grants worth up to $20,000, or $5,000 per school year, to children of Kimberly-Clark employees throughout North America. Recipients are selected based on academic performance, community service, work experience, and involvement in extracurricular activities.

Since its inception, the program has awarded $46 million in scholarships to nearly 2,300 students for full-time study at accredited colleges and universities.

"We are proud to recognize the Bright Futures class of 2022 for their commitment to academic excellence and service to their schools and communities," said Jenny Lewis, Vice President of the Kimberly-Clark Foundation. "These scholarship awards are a sound investment in our next generation of leaders, and we wish these exceptional students and their families the best as they pursue their goals in higher education."

The average GPA for this year's Bright Futures scholarship class is 3.96. Awardees will attend leading colleges and universities, including Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Wisconsin. Past scholarship recipients have gone on to pursue successful careers in medicine, education, the armed forces, and engineering.

Click here for more information on this year's award recipients.

About the Kimberly-Clark FoundationEstablished in 1952, the Kimberly-Clark Foundation is the charitable arm of Kimberly-Clark Corporation and is dedicated to supporting global causes that create lasting social change. supporting and strengthening families around the world. Together with funding from the corporation and employees, its primary focus is on social and community investments that increase access to sanitation, help women and children thrive, and empower women and girls.

About Kimberly-ClarkKimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

[KMB-C]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kimberly-clark-celebrates-30-years-of-bright-futures-with-college-scholarship-awards-301541865.html

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation
DALLAS, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Mother's Day, Neiman Marcus Group ("NMG" or the "Company") is excited to formally announce its new Paid Parental Leave and Paid Family Leave programs and benefits for all of its associates. Fueled by its Power of One people strategy to harness individual talents into collective strength, the new programs aim to foster Belonging and leverage the power of working together, aligning, and delivering results.

"We have always believed in cultivating a culture of Belonging and we're excited to introduce these new benefits supporting parents of all kinds at NMG," said Eric Severson, Chief People & Belonging Officer, Neiman Marcus Group. "Our value-driven approach of leading with love underpins our NMG|Way culture to create an inclusive, flexible environment for all our associates."

Under this new Paid Parental Leave program, beginning on January 1, 2022, any associate who welcomes a new child, including those welcoming by adoption, surrogacy, or foster care, is eligible for 16 weeks of paid leave. This time is in addition to the allotted maternity leave time for birthing mothers, elevating the total amount of paid company leave to up to 24 weeks. All associates, full-time and part-time, are eligible for this new benefit.

In addition, all associates will also be eligible for the company's new Paid Family Leave program which will provide 2 weeks of paid leave for situations requiring an associate to take time off to care for a child, spouse, partner, parent, or other family members, as defined by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), effective August 1, 2022.

Supporting its associates' journeys into parenthood, NMG is proud to announce that full-time and part-time employees who have been with the company for at least a year are also eligible to receive $3,000 towards an adoption every year. The funds can be used towards agency and placement fees, legal expenses, medical expenses, and multiple other related costs.

"Through our NMG|Way of Working, we continue to promote work and life integration at NMG," said Severson. "Our aim is to empower and prioritize our associates by offering them flexible, innovative policies to make their lives extraordinary."

About The Neiman Marcus Group, LLCNeiman Marcus Group is a relationship business that leads with love in everything we do for our customers, associates, brand partners, and communities. Our legacy of innovating and our culture of Belonging guide our roadmap for Revolutionizing Luxury Experiences. As one of the largest multi-brand luxury retailers in the U.S., with the world's most desirable brand partners, we're delivering exceptional products and intelligent services, enabled by our investments in data and technology. Through the expertise of our 9,000+ associates, we deliver and scale a personalized luxury experience across our three channels of in-store, eCommerce, and remote selling. Our NMG|Way culture, powered by our people, combines individual talents into a collective strength to make life extraordinary. Our brands include Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Last Call, and Horchow. For more information, visit www.neimanmarcusgroup.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/neiman-marcus-group-celebrates-mothers-day-with-new-extended-paid-parental-leave-and-paid-family-leave-programs-301541699.html

SOURCE Neiman Marcus Holding Company, Inc.
Prasad Alavilli to Lead Solutions and Cloud Practice at Growing IT Services Firm

CHICAGO, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SDI Presence LLC (SDI), an IT consultancy and managed services provider (MSP), announces that Prasad Alavilli has joined SDI as its Senior Vice President of Solutions, including its Cloud Services and ServiceNow businesses.

SDI Presence LLC (SDI) announces that Prasad Alavilli has joined SDI as its Senior Vice President of Solutions.

"Prasad's impressive resume makes him a key addition to SDI Presence  and we couldn't be happier to welcome him to our team," said Hardik Bhatt, President and Chief Growth Officer of SDI Presence. "With over 25 years of experience in both private and public sector IT, including engagements with Oracle, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the State of Illinois, Prasad will help accelerate our already remarkable growth in cloud services."

Prasad was most recently engaged with AWS as the business development lead for the finance and administration vertical, where he spearheaded business growth efforts focused on state and local governments. At AWS, Prasad launched and grew a multi-million-dollar finance and administration vertical by addressing customers' transformational business challenges, including the migration from on-premises to cloud.

Prior to AWS, Prasad was the chief of statewide systems at the State of Illinois, leading the enterprise applications and architecture team. There, he reported to the state CIO and drove major digital government transformation initiatives. His efforts supported the formation of a new agency, the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) and the launch of statewide IT governance and major enterprise systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Before working with Illinois, Prasad had a 17-year career with Oracle in a variety of roles. His career highlights included management of complex technology/business initiatives, a $16M consulting services department and a $25M IT portfolio of diverse technologies and market verticals. He helped implement innovative new law enforcement IT systems with the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police, managed the implementation of an Oracle portal for a health sciences company and managed, as part of the PMO, the largest PeopleSoft implementation at that time for the City University of New York (CUNY).

"I am excited to join a very talented SDI Presence team that's constantly striving to help customers achieve their business objectives," said Prasad. "Cloud services is an exciting space to be in  and SDI's investment in this services platform offers compelling value for clients that makes it truly unique in the marketplace. I look forward to helping current and prospective customers modernize their operations and accelerate their IT transformations."

Prasad received his BS in Engineering from Andhra University and an MS in Engineering from Michigan State University. He is a frequent blogger and industry speaker and has recently participated in notable roundtable discussions.

Prasad joins SDI as the firm has seen growth in its cloud services practice, which provides hybrid and multicloud solutions that include cloud readiness assessments and management/optimization services. SDI helps organization deliver on the value of the cloud with best-in class infrastructure services backed up by extensive experience as an end-to-end provider. These IT modernization services complement SDI's hallmark customer-centric IT managed services and consulting practices, which have earned the firm a 99 Net Promoter Score (NPS) in 2021. In 2021, SDI announced that the firm secured an infusion of private equity capital with Abry Partners, a Boston, Massachusetts-based private equity firm, to fund its growth.

Prasad Alavilli can be reached at [email protected].

About SDI Presence LLC (www.sdipresence.com)

SDI Presence LLC is an IT consultancy and managed services provider (MSP) that leverages its strong team presence to advance our clients to a secure digital enterprise. With a 25-year corporate resume, SDI delivers strategic managed services, IT consulting, and hybrid infrastructure solutions to optimize our clients' technology environments. SDI is a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), with a portfolio of clients that includes some of the nation's largest airports, utilities, commercial real estate portfolios, and government agencies. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Dawn Nash PfeifferSDI Presence LLCChief Markets Officer312.580.7516[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oracle-and-amazon-web-services-aws-veteran-joins-sdi-presence-301541764.html

SOURCE SDI Presence LLC
DALLAS, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Bank, as Trustee of the Sabine Royalty Trust (NYSE: SBR), today declared a cash distribution to the holders of its units of beneficial interest of $0.603540 per unit, payable on May 31, 2022, to unit holders of record on May 16, 2022. Sabine's cash distribution history, current and prior year financial reports and tax information booklets, a link to filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission and more can be found on its website at http://www.sbr-sabine.com/. Additionally, printed reports can be requested and are mailed free of charge.

This distribution reflects primarily the oil production for February 2022 and the gas production for January 2022. Preliminary production volumes are approximately 47,602 barrels of oil and 1,374,858 Mcf of gas. Preliminary prices are approximately $87.42 per barrel of oil and $4.26 per Mcf of gas.

This month's distribution is lower than the previous month's due to the decreased production of both oil and gas, primarily due to a shorter production month of February for oil.

The production from the new horizontal gas wells in Panola County, Texas, has contributed approximately $860,000 reflecting January production. They were averaging about 875 Mcf per day per well during December totaling over 217,000 Mcf during this time frame with an average pricing of $3.74 per Mcf. In addition to these proceeds, the additional 8 new wells which were paid upon for the single month of January, contributing approximately $200,000, reflecting an average of 265 Mcf per well, per day.

Additionally, another 3 new horizontal wells, also in Panola County, were paid on by another operator for the previous 3 months of production from December 2021 through February 2022 resulting in approximately 390,000 Mcf of gas, with an average of 1,608 Mcf of gas per well, per day and a net revenue to the trust of about $1.4 million for this month's distribution.

As more regular monthly receipts are made in the months to come, additional information will be made available.

The table below compares this month's production and prices to the previous month's:

Net to Trust Sales Volumes Average Price Oil (bbls) Gas (Mcf) Oil (per bbl) Gas (per Mcf) Current Month 47,602 1,374,858 $87.42 $4.26 Prior Month 70,536 1,430,163 $76.67 $4.62

Revenues are only distributed after they are received, verified and posted. Most energy companies normally issue payment of royalties on or about the 25th of every month, and depending on mail delivery, a varying amount of royalties are not received until after the revenue posting on the last business day of the month. The revenues received after that date will be posted within 30 days of receipt.

Due to the timing of the end of the month of April, approximately $1,935,000 of revenue received will be posted in the following month of May in addition to normal receipts during May. Since the close of business in April and prior to this press release, $4,637,000 in revenue has been received.

Sabine Royalty Trust, as it does after the end of each year, had a year-end Reserve Report prepared in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission's requirements. This report provides an evaluation of the estimated asset value as of December 31 of each year, which can be used to estimate the remaining life of the Trust.

The estimated net proved reserves, as of January 1, 2022, attributable to the Trust from the properties appraised are approximately 6.0 million barrels of oil and 42.8 billion cubic feet of gas with a future net value of approximately $470,140,000 with a discounted value at 10% of $207,703,000. With these estimated quantities of this year's reserve estimate of 6.0 million barrels of oil and 42.8 billion cubic feet of gas remaining, it could be estimated that the Trust still has a life span of 8 to 10 years. The report is an exhibit to the Trust's Annual Report on Form 10-K that was filed on March 25, 2022 and is available to all unitholders at this time on the SEC website and Sabine's website.

The 2021 Annual Report with Form 10-K and the January 1, 2022 Reserve Summary will be posted in the month of April on the Sabine website at http://www.sbr-sabine.com/.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sabine-royalty-trust-announces-monthly-cash-distribution-for-may-2022-301541721.html

SOURCE Sabine Royalty Trust
Partnership aims to position iCIMS for continued growth and innovation

AUSTIN, Texas and BOSTON and HOLMDEL, N.J., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- iCIMS, a leading provider of cloud-based talent acquisition solutions, today announced that TA Associates ("TA"), a leading global growth private equity firm, will invest in the Company alongside existing investor Vista Equity Partners ("Vista"). Vista, a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, first invested in iCIMS in 2018 and has since supported the Company's global growth. Vista and TA will maintain equal economic ownership in iCIMS and will partner together to further accelerate global growth and product development expansion at the Company. Susquehanna Growth Equity, which first invested in iCIMS in 2012 and made an additional investment in 2015, will continue to be a shareholder.

"iCIMS is a clear market leader in talent technology"

iCIMS powers talent transformation for more than 4,000 organizations worldwide, including CVS Health, Target, and IBM. Collectively, iCIMS customers employ more than 34 million people around the globe. Employers leverage the iCIMS Talent Cloud to attract, engage, hire and advance the right talent that builds a diverse, winning workforce. The company's award-winning product innovation, strong customer satisfaction and talented team members worldwide position iCIMS to continue leading the large and growing HR technology market.

Over the course of its partnership with iCIMS, Vista has enabled the company to increase its market share, expand its go-to-market strategy, increase its global customer base and strengthen its product suite through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. iCIMS is leading the market with its flagship applicant tracking system, its award-winning offer management product, and solutions to support organizations' diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The iCIMS Talent Cloud is further bolstered by iCIMS' strategic acquisitions, including Jibe (candidate engagement), Opening.IO (AI recruiting solution), EasyRecrue (video interviewing and skills assessments), Altru Labs (employee video content) and Candidate.ID (candidate recruitment marketing automation). These value creation initiatives and transformative expansions have resulted in an approximate 60% ARR growth over this period with a 50% increase in users to over 2.5 million.

TA brings a proven track record investing in and scaling technology companies across a wide variety of sectors and geographies. Vista and TA have partnered previously to help realize the next chapter in a company's growth trajectory. Moving forward, iCIMS will leverage TA's global network and integration capabilities and continue to benefit from Vista's proven operational expertise.

"Over the last three years, we've scaled iCIMS from a North American talent acquisition solution provider to the global leader in talent technology that empowers the enterprise to transform the hiring process," said Monti Saroya, Co-Head of Vista's Flagship Fund and Senior Managing Director. "We have partnered with TA on several occasions, and we are eager to leverage our combined value-add capabilities to enhance iCIMS' unique market position and realize additional growth."

"iCIMS is a clear market leader in talent technology, helping customers navigate the increasingly competitive and complex recruiting market, one of the most pressing issues facing businesses today," said Ashutosh Agrawal, a Managing Director at TA. "We are impressed by iCIMS' continued innovation and its commitment to the customer experience, and are thrilled to partner with Vista and the iCIMS team in the Company's next phase of growth."

"We're proud of the extraordinary results we've delivered over the last few years as part of the Vista family and are excited about the next chapter of growth at iCIMS," said Steve Lucas, CEO of iCIMS. "Now more than ever, talent acquisition and retention are critical business priorities, and we look forward to partnering with both Vista and TA as we continue to innovate with world-class solutions that deliver meaningful ROI for our customers."

"Given iCIMS' unique market position, proven management team and consistent growth trajectory, we see ample opportunity for continued expansion," said Harry Taylor, a Managing Director at TA. "We look forward to working with Vista, Steve and the entire iCIMS team to promote innovation, build new solutions and execute the Company's go-to-market strategy."

Additional financial terms were not disclosed.

About Vista Equity PartnersVista is a leading global investment firm with more than $93 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2021. The firm exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent capital, credit, and public equity strategies, bringing an approach that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and employees. Vista's investments are anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future  a healthier planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on Twitter, @Vista_Equity.

About TA AssociatesTA is a leading global growth private equity firm. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries  technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services  the firm invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth, and has invested in more than 550 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high quality growth companies. TA has raised $47.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968. The firm's more than 100 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

About iCIMS, Inc.iCIMS is the talent cloud company that empowers organizations to attract, engage, hire, and advance the right talent that builds a diverse, winning workforce. iCIMS accelerates transformation for a community of more than 4,000 customers, including 40% of the Fortune 100. For more information, visit www.icims.com.

Media Contacts

Andrea MeyeriCIMS[email protected]503-888-3543

Maggie BenoitTA Associates[email protected]617-598-6685

Brian W. SteelVista Equity Partners[email protected]512-730-2400

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ta-associates-joins-vista-equity-partners-to-accelerate-value-creation-at-icims-301541410.html

SOURCE iCIMS, Inc.
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WD Lab Grown Diamonds ("WD"), leading U.S.-based producer of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) laboratory grown diamonds, has named diamond wholesaler M. Geller, Ltd. ("M. Geller") as an Authorized Distribution Partner. WD is the first diamond company in the world to be third-party sustainability certified and to achieve net zero carbon impacts and 100% climate neutrality. Per the agreement, WD will provide M. Geller's customers with consistent, unmatched supply of the world's leading laboratory grown diamonds, created by WD in their Washington, D.C. area laboratory.

"In response to unprecedented and increasing consumer demand, WD is excited to enact this important step in the scaling of our global footprint," said Sue Rechner, CEO of WD Lab Grown Diamonds. "As origin traceability and provenance assurance become the increasing focus of the consumer, expanding access to our third-party sustainability certified, 'As Grown' in the U.S.A. diamonds through M. Geller's expansive customer network is critical."

M. Geller, an early adopter in the laboratory grown diamond space, has served the market for the past nine years, building their customer base at pace with the exponential growth of the product category. Through this distributor partnership, M. Geller has become third-party accredited by SCS Global Services, under the SCS-007 Sustainability Diamond Standard, to officially add WD's sustainability certified diamonds to their offering and maintain a closed and verified chain of custody.

"Our unparalleled knowledge and service, combined with the world's leading diamond grower, will provide our customers with an unmatched path to grow their lab grown diamond business. Our team is incredibly excited about this opportunity, and we look forward to building on our partnership with WD," said Marc Geller, Founder and CEO of M. Geller.

M. Geller customers will continue to benefit from the team's knowledge, service and support, owing to over 150 years of diamond expertise, and will enjoy 24/7 access to WD's premium diamond inventory and the newly unveiled WD Resource Center, an exclusive online learning and marketing portal.

About WD Lab Grown Diamonds Founded in 2008, WD Lab Grown Diamonds is a pioneering technology company and market leader in Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamonds, with laboratory headquarters in the Washington, D.C. area, and distribution under the brands WD Lab Grown Diamonds and Latitude. From the first diamond company worldwide to be third-party sustainability certified, each WD diamond is certified 100% climate neutral and backed by a full U.S. origin traceability guarantee. WD employs its industry-leading diamond growth technology to achieve bespoke gemstone production at scale, and offer new diamond applications in Advanced Material settings. WD is the exclusive licensee of a portfolio of patents covering single crystal CVD diamond growth technology developed by The Carnegie Institution of Washington. WD is jointly owned by Huron Capital, WD Management, members of its board of directors and The Carnegie Institution of Washington. For more information, visit wdlabgrowndiamonds.com and latitudediamonds.com.

About M. Geller, Ltd.Marc Geller opened the doors of M. Geller, Ltd. in 1984 with a vision and goal to become a leading source for special order diamonds. His formula for success more than 38 years ago is the same as what is in use today: a "never-say-no" philosophy in serving his customers. Combining that approach with outstanding inventory and innovative technology has enabled M. Geller, Ltd. to enjoy consistent growth and recognition as a preferred source for special order diamonds. For more information, visit www.mgellerdiamonds.com/

ContactBrittany LewisChief Marketing OfficerWD Lab Grown Diamonds[email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wd-lab-grown-diamonds-names-m-geller-ltd-an-authorized-distribution-partner-301541704.html

SOURCE WD Lab Grown Diamonds
SHENZHEN, China, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company" or "we"), a leading online personal finance company in China, today announced updates on its status under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the "HFCAA").

The Company is aware of the fact that it was identified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the HFCAA on May 4, 2022. The Company understands that this identification under the HFCAA and its implementation rules issued thereunder indicates that the SEC determines the Company used a registered public accounting firm whose working paper cannot be inspected or investigated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States (the "PCAOB") to issue the audit opinion for its financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

In accordance with the HFCAA, the SEC shall prohibit a company's shares or American depositary shares from being traded on a U.S. stock exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if the company has been identified by the SEC for three consecutive years due to the PCAOB's inability to inspect the registered public accounting firm's working paper related to such company.

The Company has been actively exploring possible solutions to protect the interest of its stakeholders. The Company will continue to comply with applicable laws and regulations in both China and the U.S., and strive to maintain its listing status on the New York Stock Exchange.

About X Financial

X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company") is a leading online personal finance company in China. The Company is committed to connecting borrowers on its platform with its institutional funding partners. With its proprietary big data-driven technology, the Company has established strategic partnerships with financial institutions across multiple areas of its business operations, enabling it to facilitate and provide loans to prime borrowers under a risk assessment and control system.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," "targets," "guidance" and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the credit industry, and marketplace lending in particular, in China; the demand for and market acceptance of its marketplace's products and services; its ability to attract and retain borrowers and investors on its marketplace; its relationships with its strategic cooperation partners; competition in its industry; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is current as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

X FinancialMr. Frank Fuya ZhengE-mail: [email protected]

Christensen

In ChinaMr. Eric YuanPhone: +86-10-5900-1548E-mail: [email protected]

In USMs. Linda BergkampPhone: +1-480-614-3004Email: [email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/x-financial-provides-update-on-its-status-under-the-holding-foreign-companies-accountable-act-301541519.html

SOURCE X Financial
GUANGZHOU, China, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yatsen Holding Limited ("Yatsen" or the "Company") (NYSE: YSG), a leading Chinese beauty company, today provides an update on its status under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the "HFCAA"). The Company was provisionally identified by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") as a Commission-Identified Issuer on May 4, 2022 U.S. Eastern Time, following the Company's filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the SEC on April 22, 2022.

The Company understands that this identification under the HFCAA and its implementation rules issued thereunder indicates that the SEC determines that the Company used a registered public accounting firm whose working paper cannot be inspected or investigated completely by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States (the "PCAOB") to issue the audit opinion for its financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

In accordance with the HFCAA, the SEC shall prohibit a company's shares or American depositary shares ("ADSs") from being traded on a national stock exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if the company has been identified by the SEC for three consecutive years due to PCAOB's inability to inspect the registered public accounting firm's working paper.

The Company has been actively exploring possible solutions to protect the interest of its stakeholders. The Company will continue to comply with applicable laws and regulations in both China and the United States and strive to maintain its listing status on the New York Stock Exchange.

About Yatsen Holding Limited

Yatsen Holding Limited (NYSE: YSG) is a leading player in China's beauty market with a mission to create an exciting new journey of beauty discovery for consumers in China and around the world. Founded in 2016, the Company has launched and acquired multiple color cosmetics and skincare brands including Perfect Diary, Little Ondine, Abby's Choice, Galenic, DR.WU (its mainland China business), Eve Lom and Pink Bear. The Company's flagship brand, Perfect Diary, is one of the top color cosmetics brands in China in terms of online retail sales value. Leveraging its digitally native direct-to-customer business model, the Company has built core capabilities which enable it to launch and scale multiple brands quickly while offering a wide selection of products to a growing variety of customers. The Company reaches and engages with customers directly both online and offline, with expansive presence across all major e-commerce, social and content platforms in China.

For more information, please visit http://ir.yatsenglobal.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements which are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs, plans, outlook and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, which include but not limited to the following: the Company's growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to continue to roll out popular products and maintain popularity of existing products; its ability to anticipate and respond to changes in industry trends and consumer preferences and behavior in a timely manner; its ability to attract and retain new customers and to increase revenues generated from repeat customers; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; its ability to integrate newly-acquired businesses and brands; trends and competition in and relevant government policies and regulations relating to China's beauty market; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; and general economic conditions in China. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

In China:

Yatsen Holding LimitedInvestor RelationsE-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]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yatsen-provides-update-on-status-under-holding-foreign-companies-accountable-act-301541503.html

SOURCE Yatsen Holding Limited
The company will expand its US base to test new components for the ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrains.

With certification of the ZA600 planned for 2024, ZeroAvia's second Dornier 228 aircraft to be retrofitted and tested in the coming months.

The US based aircraft will also be utilized to showcase a number of use cases for the company's powertrains, including passenger, cargo, and industrial applications

HOLLISTER, Calif. and KEMBLE, England, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZeroAvia, the leader in developing zero-emission solutions for commercial aviation, has received its second twin-engine 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft at its headquarters in Hollister, California. The new U.S. initiative will take the system developed in the UK HyFlyer II project and integrate it into the same type of aircraft. It will serve as the basis for testing new components and integrations as well as a testbed for working with the FAA ahead of the ZA600 engine's planned certification in 2024. The company will test new components and integrations under an FAA certificate ahead of the ZA600 engine's planned certification in 2024.

"This new project in California will allow us to use architectures from our Hyflyer II initiative, where we are working with the same aircraft, and apply those lessons as we further test and demonstrate the system across a number of different use cases," said Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia. "Ultimately, this will help us optimize our zero-emission powertrain design ahead of certification. This year we will have two demonstration aircraft flying on two continents powered by our hydrogen-electric powertrains which will further help us secure partner and customer commitments across the worldwide aviation industry."

ZeroAvia will work towards a hybrid engine configuration that incorporates both the company's hydrogen-electric powertrain and a conventional engine into the aircraft. The conversion is expected to take approximately 3-4 months to prepare the aircraft for test flights. After the engine is configured, it will enter into the flight testing and demonstration program, spanning passenger, cargo, and industrial use cases with a number of to-be-announced partners.

In addition to the launch of this program, ZeroAvia will be expanding its facility at Hollister to ensure adequate staff and resources to reach planned milestones. The company has added a new 15,000 square foot hangar to its footprint at the airfield, enabling space for conducting engineering work on the aircraft and its HyperTruck test bed platform, as well as ample office space to support its growing operations.

"There is huge potential for Hollister Municipal Airport to become a hydrogen hub," said Renee Wells, Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation of San Benito County (EDC). "There will be significant demand and since California leads the world in adopting zero-emission vehicles, zero-emission flight infrastructure is the next natural frontier. ZeroAvia's technology is an economically viable solution and the EDC is thrilled to support them as they become the first TTF business development at the Airport, bring 50+ new jobs by year end, and put Hollister on the map for innovative technology."

Last fall, ZeroAvia conducted the first program ground test of its HyFlyer II program and successfully tested the flight-intent 600kW powertrain with its 15-ton HyperTruck mobile ground testing platform. The HyperTruck, developed based on heavy-duty military trucks, is sized to also support testing the company's larger planned powertrain (ZA-2000, with shaft power over 1.8 megawatt) which can be used to test systems for 40-80 seat aircraft.

The HyFlyer II Project is co-funded by a 12.3m ($16.3m) grant through the UK Government's ATI Programme. Progressing the demonstrations of the two Dornier aircraft is an important next step for ZeroAvia's sequential R&D pathway to realizing the transformational possibilities of moving from fossil fuels to zero-emission hydrogen as the primary energy source for commercial aviation.

In the last quarter of 2021, ZeroAvia secured partnerships and funding with major airlines Alaska Air Group and United Airlines to accelerate the development of its ZA2000 engine, the largest of ZeroAvia's powertrain platforms, capable of producing between 2,000 kW and 5,000 kW. The company also recently announced their latest partnership with ZEV Station where the two will collaborate to develop hydrogen refueling infrastructure at airports in California. ZeroAvia was also just named as a Bloomberg NEF Pioneer for its efforts to decarbonize aviation.

About ZeroAviaZeroAvia is a leader in zero-emission aviation, focused on hydrogen-electric aviation solutions to address a variety of markets, initially targeting a 500-mile range in 10-20 seat aircraft used for commercial passenger transport, cargo, agriculture, and more. Based in the UK and USA, ZeroAvia has already secured experimental certificates for its two-prototype aircraft from the CAA and FAA, passed significant flight test milestones, and is on track for commercial operations in 2024. The company's expanding UK operations are supported by grants from UK's Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK, and ZeroAvia is part of the UK Government's Jet Zero Council. For more, please visit ZeroAvia.com, follow @ZeroAvia on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zeroavia-kicks-off-us-19-seat-aircraft-testing-and-demonstration-program-on-path-to-worldwide-application-of-its-powertrain-technology-301541437.html

SOURCE ZeroAvia
ghc-20220505

FALSE 0000104889 0000104889 2022-05-05 2022-05-05





UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

GRAHAM HOLDINGS CO MPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware 001-06714 53-0182885 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 1300 North 17th Street , Arlington , Virginia 22209 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

( 703 ) 345-6300

(Registrants telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading symbol Name of each exchange on which registered Class B Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share GHC New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 ( 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 





Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders





On May 5, 2022, Graham Holdings Company held its Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The following is a summary of the final voting results for each matter presented to stockholders.





Proposal 1: Election of Directors





The Companys stockholders elected the nine persons nominated as Directors of the Company as set forth below:





Class A Common Stock Nominees

For Withheld Abstain Broker Non-Votes Thomas S. Gayner 964,001    Donald E. Graham 964,001    Timothy J. O'Shaughnessy 964,001    G. Richard Wagoner, Jr. 964,001    Katharine Weymouth 964,001   





Class B Common Stock Nominees

For Withheld Abstain Broker Non-Votes Tony Allen 2,972,568 78,067   Christopher C. Davis 2,470,211 580,424   Anne M. Mulcahy 2,797,234 253,401  









Proposal 2: Vote to Approve the Companys 2022 Incentive Compensation Plan





The Companys Class A stockholders approved the Companys 2022 Incentive Compensation Plan, as set forth below:





Class A Common Stock





For Against Abstain Broker Non-Votes 964,001   





The Companys Class B stockholders approved the Companys 2022 Incentive Compensation Plan, as set forth below:





Class B Common Stock





For Against Abstain Broker Non-Votes 2,257,599 784,492 8,544 













2

Proposal 3: Advisory Vote to Approve 2021 Compensation Awarded to Named Executive Officers





The Companys Class A stockholders approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to the Companys named executive officers for 2021, as set forth below:





Class A Common Stock





For Against Abstain Broker Non-Votes 964,001   

3

Exhibit Index

Exhibit 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File, formatted in Inline XBRL and included as Exhibit 101.









4

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Graham Holdings Company (Registrant) Date: May 6, 2022 /s/ Nicole M. Maddrey Nicole M. Maddrey,

Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary












0001273441 false 0001273441 2022-05-04 2022-05-04 iso4217:USD xbrli:shares iso4217:USD xbrli:shares

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

GRAN TIERRA ENERGY INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Delaware 001-34018 98-0479924 (State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer

Identification No.)

Suite 900 , 520-3 Avenue SW

Calgary , Alberta , Canada

T2P 0R3

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

( 403 ) 265-3221

(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which

registered Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share GTE NYSE American Toronto Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Item 5.07. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (Gran Tierra) held its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the Annual Meeting) on May 4, 2022. The following is a brief description of each matter voted upon at the Annual Meeting, as well as the final tally of (1) the number of votes for, against or abstaining for each director, (2) the number of votes for, against or abstaining for each other matter, and (3) the number of broker non-votes with respect to each matter. A more complete description of each matter is set forth in Gran Tierras definitive proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 25, 2022 (the Proxy Statement).

Proposal 1  Election of Directors

Gran Tierras stockholders duly elected each of the nominees proposed by Gran Tierra to serve until Gran Tierras 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their respective successor has been duly elected and qualified. The tabulation of votes on this matter was as follows:

Nominee Shares Voted

For Shares Voted

Against Shares

Abstaining Broker

Non-Votes Gary S. Guidry 103,665,849 2,705,019 335,573 70,556,916 Peter J. Dey 87,911,653 16,790,829 2,003,958 70,556,916 Evan Hazell 101,024,231 3,687,499 1,994,709 70,556,916 Robert B. Hodgins 99,364,937 5,271,675 2,069,828 70,556,916 Alison Redford 102,220,046 2,277,191 2,209,202 70,556,916 Ronald W. Royal 102,253,165 2,332,143 2,121,131 70,556,916 Sondra Scott 99,637,172 4,984,846 2,084,421 70,556,916 David P. Smith 102,123,557 2,587,313 1,995,570 70,556,916 Brooke Wade 99,835,833 4,866,966 2,003,641 70,556,916

Proposal 2  Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Gran Tierras stockholders ratified the selection of KPMG LLP as Gran Tierras independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. The tabulation of votes on this matter was as follows:

Shares voted for: 170,088,249 Shares voted against: 6,495,233 Shares abstaining: 679,874 Broker non-votes: 0

Proposal 3  Approval of Named Executive Officer Compensation

Gran Tierras stockholders approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of Gran Tierras named executive officers, as disclosed in the Proxy Statement. The tabulation of votes on this matter was as follows:

Shares voted for: 94,910,820 Shares voted against: 10,923,981 Shares abstaining: 871,640 Broker non-votes: 70,556,915

Proposal 4  Approval of the Preferred Frequency of Solicitation of Stockholders Advisory Votes on the Compensation of Gran Tierras Named Executive Officers

Gran Tierras stockholders approved, on an advisory basis, Every Year as the preferred frequency of solicitation of stockholder advisory votes on the compensation of Gran Tierras named executive officers. The tabulation of votes on this matter was as follows:

Every Year: 88,490,938 Every Two Years: 1,655,691 Every Three Years: 9,191,649 Shares Abstaining: 7,353,011 Broker non-votes: 70,572,067

At the Annual Meeting, in accordance with the recommendation of the Board of Directors, Gran Tierras stockholders approved, on an advisory basis, Every Year as the preferred frequency of solicitation of stockholder advisory votes on the compensation of Gran Tierras named executive officers. In accordance with these results and its previous recommendation, the Board of Directors determined that future advisory votes on named executive compensation will be held every year until the next required advisory vote on the frequency of stockholder votes on the compensation of named executive officers, which Gran Tierra expects to hold no later than its 2028 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Proposal 5  Approval of 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended

Gran Tierras stockholders approved the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended. The tabulation of votes on this matter was as follows:

Shares voted for: 71,854,873 Shares voted against: 33,685,877 Shares abstaining: 1,165,690 Broker non-votes: 70,556,915

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
GREENBELT, Md.  A former U.S. Air Force officer has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to moving videos of child pornography from Maryland to New York, a federal prosecutor said.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said in a news release that a federal district judge sentenced Jason Daniel Ort, 36, of Waldorf, Maryland, on Wednesday to 11 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for transportation of child pornography.

After his release from prison, the judge said Ort must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he works and where he is a student under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Ort's plea agreement in January said the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office in New York received a complaint that Ort had placed a camera in a bedroom while visiting a home there. Military records showed Ort, who was stationed in Maryland, was scheduled for leave during that time to visit the New York home.

After the camera was found, a review of the SD card showed a girl using the bathroom, according to prosecutors.

Ort admitted placing cameras in the bedroom and other locations, authorities said.
CANBERRA, Australia  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday he is following security officials advice in managing relations with the Solomon Islands after its leader alleged he had been threatened with invasion.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told Parliament on Wednesday that opponents of his new security pact with China have threatened his country and insulted it.

Sogavare did not name the opponents. Both the United States and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that a Chinese military presence in the Pacific island nation less than 1,200 miles from northeastern Australia would not be tolerated.

We deplore the continual demonstration of lack of trust by the concerned parties, and tacit warning of military intervention in Solomon Islands if their national interest is undermined in Solomon Islands, Sogavare said.

In other words, we are threatened with invasion, Sogavare said.

On the threat of invasion, Morrison said, Of course, none of thats true.

Morrison rejected the center-left opposition Labor Partys advice to telephone Sogavare.

I can tell you very clearly that I am following very carefully the advice that I get from our security intelligence agencies in how we are responsibly managing the issues in relation to this matter, Morrison told reporters. That is exactly what Im doing.

Morrison said he had had contact with Sogavare "in the last few months, but did not specify when.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has promised closer engagement between Australia and its South Pacific neighbors if Labor wins elections on May 21.

The fact that the prime minister hasnt picked up the phone to Prime Minister Sogavare says an enormous amount ... about what is needed in terms of that relationship, Albanese said.

The government has dropped the ball on the Pacific right now, Albanese added.

Morrison said last month that Australia and the United States shared the same red line when it came to opposing a Chinese military base on the Solomon Islands. Neither Australia nor the United States has said how they might respond to such a Chinese presence.

Sogavare has maintained that there will be no Chinese base in his country.

We are being treated as kindergarten students walking around with Colt .45s in our hands, and therefore we need to be supervised. We are insulted, Sogavare said on Wednesday.

Sogavare condemned the "glaring hypocrisy of critics of his deal with China. The United States, Australia and Britain secretly negotiated a trilateral partnership announced in September that will allow Australia to obtain nuclear-powered submarines.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Sogavare's criticisms "reflected the shared voice of the Pacific island countries.

It also proves that the accusations made by the U.S. and Australia against China are purely double standards," Zhao said.

Morrison said Australia needed to be calm and composed in dealing with the Solomon Islands.

Mr. Sogavare has entered into a secret arrangement with the Chinese government, he has done that with a number of his Cabinet ministers, Morrison said.

That did not come as a surprise to our government and so now we just work responsibly with our partners to manage that situation to first protect the security interests of Australia but also of the Solomon Islands, Morrison said.

We are very concerned for the Solomon Islands. Were very concerned for the broader security in the Southwest Pacific. Other leaders that Ive been in regular contact (with) are equally concerned, Morrison said.

Labor has condemned the China-Solomon Islands pact as Australias biggest foreign policy failure in the Pacific since World War II.

Morrison said Australia remained the Solomon Islands preferred security partner despite the new pact.

Australia already has a security pact with the Solomon Islands and Australian police peacekeepers have been in the capital, Honiara, since riots in November.
HONG KONG  China is installing a career security official as the new leader of Hong Kong in the culmination of a sweeping political transformation that has gutted any opposition in the Asian financial center and placed it ever more firmly under Beijing's control.

John Lee, formerly the city's No. 2 official, is the only candidate Sunday in what is an election in name only. Well over half of the 1,500-member Election Committee that selects the chief executive has already endorsed him and he needs only a simple majority to win.

Speaking to supporters Friday, Lee acknowledged that Hong Kong has deep-rooted problems and reiterated his intention to bring a "results-oriented" approach.

"Hong Kong has to seize its opportunity, we cannot afford to wait, we cannot be late," the 64-year-old former police officer said. "We will have to consolidate Hong Kong as an international city, to develop Hong Kong's potential as a free and open society, to connect the mainland of China and the world."

Lee will replace Carrie Lam on July 1. Her 5-year term was marked by Hong Kong's most tumultuous period since the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

The election follows major changes to Hong Kong's electoral laws last year to ensure that only "patriots" loyal to Beijing can hold office. That also saw the legislature reorganized to all but eliminate opposition voices.

The elaborate arrangements surrounding the pre-determined outcome speak to Beijing's desire for a veneer of democracy. Though they will vote in a secret ballot, Hong Kong's electors have all been carefully vetted.

"Even autocracies today feel obligated to go through the motions of staging an election in order to project greater legitimacy to their own population and to the international community," said Yvonne Chiu, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College who has written extensively about Hong Kong politics.

The city's previous four chief executives were also all effectively Beijing appointees. A push to elect the leader by popular vote foundered in 2014 amid protests demanding Beijing also relinquish the right to approve candidates.

Lee's rise grew out of massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 that spiraled into violent clashes. As security secretary, he led the campaign to confront protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets, then rounded many of them up for arrest later.

Lam implemented Beijing's orders and was widely seen as the face of the crackdown. But the career bureaucrat still seemed out of step with China's hardline president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.

For her successor, Beijing opted for Lee, a former top police official and staunch advocate of the new National Security Law that outlaws subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. More than 150 activists and others have been arrested since its implementation.

Following passage of the law in 2020, the United States sanctioned Lee, Lam and other Hong Kong and mainland Chinese government officials, for "undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and restricting the freedom of expression or assembly."

Almost all government critics have been jailed, fled abroad or been intimidated into silence. Thousands of residents have voted with their feet, with many professionals and others leaving the city of 7.4 million people.

Lee has tried to soften his public image since emerging as the sole candidate for chief executive. He started his brief remarks Friday with a childhood anecdote that evoked his humble origins, describing his father saving money to buy a television, and family and neighbors gathering to watch it.

"Back then, it wasn't an easy thing to buy a TV set," he said. "In general, it was already not bad if you had a radio. So we were very happy, every time after eating, we would sit down and feel the warmth of togetherness watching TV."

The intensity of the 2019 protests appeared to have caught Beijing by surprise, prompting the imposition of the National Security Law the following year and the reorganization of the legislature to put pro-Beijing forces firmly in charge in 2021.

Among the unintended effects has been the further alienation of Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its territory. Beijing's crackdown was seen as a major factor ensuring the re-election in 2020 of pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen.

While Lee has said he would boost Hong Kong's competitiveness to ensure it remains "a gateway and bridge between our country and the world," his selection leaves little question that maintaining political stability is the priority.

That could come at the expense of Hong Kong's reputation as a safe place to do business with a clear regulatory structure and independent judiciary. Britain has removed two judges who had been appointed to Hong Kong's top court to ensure rule of law, saying their presence was "no longer tenable" because of increasingly oppressive laws enacted by China.

China's long-ruling Communist Party maintains that stability sets the stage for economic growth and development.

Hong Kong's once thriving free press has taken a beating, with the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily shuttered and its founder, Jimmy Lai, in jail.

Public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong has been brought to heel, and Hong Kong plummeted 80 places in the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index. The local Foreign Correspondents Club canceled its annual Human Rights Press Awards this year over national security concerns.

Fearing political repercussions, universities have cut ties with their student organizations, while the government has severed relations with the largest teacher's union.

People in Hong Kong still have greater freedoms than their counterparts in mainland China, but any hopes for greater democracy have been snuffed out and replaced by concern that the city is increasingly becoming like other Chinese cities, albeit one that is "a good place for everyone to pretend that it's just business as usual with China," Chiu said.

___

Moritsugu reported from Beijing.
China has ordered central government agencies and state-backed corporations to replace foreign-branded personal computers with domestic alternatives within two years, marking one of Beijings most aggressive efforts so far to eradicate key overseas technology from within its most sensitive organs.

Staff were asked after the week-long May break to turn in foreign PCs for local alternatives that run on operating software developed domestically, people familiar with the plan said. The exercise, which was mandated by central government authorities, is likely to eventually replace at least 50 million PCs on a central-government level alone, they said, asking to remain anonymous discussing a sensitive matter.

The decision advances Chinas decade-long campaign to replace imported technology with local alternatives, a sweeping effort to reduce its dependence on geopolitical rivals such as the U.S. for everything from semiconductors to servers and phones. Its likely to directly affect sales by HP Inc. and Dell Technologies Inc., the countrys biggest PC brands after local champion Lenovo Group Ltd. Shares of HP and Dell were both down about 2.5% in New York Friday morning.

Lenovo erased losses to climb as much as 5% on Friday in Hong Kong, while software developer Kingsoft Corp. also recouped its earlier decline to gain as much as 3.3%. On mainland Chinese exchanges, Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co., a server maker, gained 6% while peer Dawning Information Industry Co. jumped more than 4%. Inspur Software Co., an affiliate of the Inspur group, and China National Software & Service Co. both soared their daily 10% limits.

The push to replace foreign suppliers is part of a longstanding effort to wean China off its reliance on American technology -- a vulnerability exposed after sanctions against companies like Huawei Technologies Co. hammered local firms and businesses. That initiative has accelerated since 2021, when the Chinese central government quietly empowered a secretive government-backed organization to vet and approve local suppliers in sensitive areas from cloud to semiconductors.

The latest PC replacement project also reflects Beijings growing concerns around information security as well as a confidence in homegrown hardware: the worlds biggest laptop and server makers today include Lenovo, Huawei and Inspur Ltd., while local developers such as Kingsoft and Standard Software have made rapid strides in office software against the likes of Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Inc.

The campaign will be extended to provincial governments later and also abide by the two-year timeframe, the people said. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and State Council Information Office didnt respond to faxed requests for comment.

China has been encouraging use of home-made IT products in government agencies for at least a decade, regularly barring certain products from official procurement lists. In response, U.S. IT giants such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and Microsoft have set up joint ventures with firms backed by the Chinese government, to secure orders from the richest state-owned companies.

That process has long been dogged by inadequacies in Chinese-developed software and circuitry, forcing users to rely on imported equipment. That changed in recent years, as local champions such as Inspur and Lenovo gained global market share, though their products still rely on cutting-edge American components such as semiconductors from Intel Corp. or Advanced Micro Devices Inc. As of Friday, HP-branded machines were still available for purchase on a website used by central government procurement bodies, though its unclear if transactions would go through.

The latest government directive is likely to cover only PC brands and software, and exclude hard-to-replace components, including microprocessors, the people said. China will mostly encourage Linux-based operating systems to replace Microsofts Windows. Shanghai-based Standard Software is one of the top providers of such tools, one person said.

Certain agencies, including state-owned media and cybersecurity bodies, may continue to buy advanced foreign equipment under special permits as they always have, one of the people said. But that permit system could be tightened in future, the person said.
WASHINGTON - A strong international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is critical to deterring China from embarking on territorial conquests in Taiwan or the South China Sea, said Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.

China has been carefully observing the current situation of Russias aggression against Ukraine and they are paying particularly close attention to what kind of reactions the international community has been taking, Kishi told The Washington Post during an interview in Washington on Thursday.

The top Japanese defense official, speaking through an interpreter, said the worlds response will weigh heavily on Beijings actions in the Asian region going forward.

If the international community somehow allows or condones Russias aggression against Ukraine, it might send a wrong message that such actions can be tolerated in other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific, Kishi said. From that perspective, such actions of Russia cannot be tolerated.

Managing Chinas rise is a top priority for President Joe Biden, who will be visiting Asia later this month. His administration is poised to unveil a long-awaited China strategy in a speech by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the coming days. The address, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed after Blinken tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday.

Chinas military spending has more than doubled over the past decade, spurring fears that it will expand its dominion over disputed waters in the South China Sea or the island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory and has threatened to retake by force if necessary.

Tokyo, which has historically shied away from conflicts outside of Asia, has joined the United States and the European Union in imposing multiple rounds of crippling sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. It has frozen Moscows access to tens of billions of dollars worth of its currency reserves held in the central bank in Tokyo, cut off several Russian banks from the global interbank messaging system known as SWIFT and frozen assets of Russian officials and elites.

Japans ministry of defense has provided Ukraine with drones, bulletproof vests and humanitarian aid, and accepted evacuees from Ukraine using Japanese aircraft. In response, Russia has permanently barred entry to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and more than 60 other cabinet ministers, officials, journalists and scholars. On Wednesday, Russias foreign ministry accused Tokyo of launching an unprecedented anti-Russian campaign that has destroyed good neighborly ties and damaged the Russian economy.

Nevertheless, Kishi said Japan will continue as much support as we can to Ukraine. That message was echoed this week by Kishida who warned during a visit to Britain that Ukraine may be East Asia tomorrow. Kishida said that Japan plans to freeze the assets of 140 additional Russians and Russian banks and that it would stop exporting advanced technology to Russia.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed Kishidas comment, saying that Japan is hyping up a potential Chinese threat to gain public support to increase its defense spending. When pressed why Japan was noticeably absent following Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea, Kishi said the world has changed since the annexation.

During the last time, the response of the international community was not as united as this time, he said. The international community carefully looked and observed what happened then and that helped us move faster this time.

That unity is not lost on Beijing, but analysts say the lessons China learns are far from certain. China is clearly watching the forceful response from democratic countries, and they are likely surprised by its strength and unity, said Jacob Stokes, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security. At the same time, Beijing might conclude that Chinas larger role in the global economy or Taiwans unique political situation might be enough to prompt a weaker response. Kishidas comments are meant to disabuse Chinese leaders of such notions.

Chinese officials say the two disputes have little to do with each other. These are totally different things. Ukraine is a sovereign state, while Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinas territory, wrote Chinese ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, in a column following the invasion. We are committed to peaceful reunification, but we also retain all options to curb Taiwan independence.

U.S. officials have long feared that the growing ties between Russia and China could dampen efforts to raise the economic and military costs of Russias invasion. But thus far, while China has continued doing business with Moscow, it has not bailed out Russia militarily or economically. For now were not seeing significant support from China for Russias military actions, Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week.

Beyond China, Kishi noted that North Koreas streak of ballistic missile tests - more than a dozen this year - is prompting discussions in Tokyo about developing the capability to strike enemy military installations with its own fighter jets.

The possibility of Japanese fighter jets entering the airspace of an enemy country has worried some of Tokyos neighbors, including South Korea, given Japans imperial past. Kishi would not forecast the outcome of those deliberations but said Japan must consider what we should do to protect our people.

U.S. officials are hoping for an improvement in relations between Tokyo and Seoul - its two most important East Asian allies - following the election of a new government in South Korea. South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-Yeol has said he would like to improve relations with Japan and increase dialogue.

Kishi said he will ensure close communication with the new administration of Korea so that we can strengthen our Japan-U.S.-ROK trilateral cooperation, he said, referring to the Republic of Korea. I hope that the new Present Yoon will exercise his leadership toward resolving the various pending issues between Japan and South Korea, he said.

- - -

The Washington Posts Michelle Ye Hee Lee in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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.

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Career Day drew more than 500 middle- and high-school students from this U.S. airlift hub in Tokyo for a glimpse of their possible futures.

A regular event until it was sidetracked by the coronavirus pandemic, the career fair went on as scheduled Thursday for the first time in nearly three years at Yokota Middle School.

Booths lined the gymnasium and more than 120 volunteers represented 60 organizations, including Air Force and Navy recruiting, American Red Cross, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and West Point/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The fair attempts to get kids to broaden their thinking about possible professions, Daisy Alegre-Cruz, a social studies teacher and event co-organizer, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

Its really just to expose students to different career areas they can go into, not just from a military standpoint, but also lots of other civilian careers, she said.

Students quizzed presenters about their chosen careers. The science-fair format, with questions prepared for the middle-schoolers to ask, was designed to helped them engage with presenters, Alegre-Cruz said in an email to volunteers Tuesday.

Im really excited to ask people all these questions, why they chose their career choice and what circumstances they were looking through to decide what they wanted to do, eighth-grader Giselle Pinard, 14, told Stars and Stripes.

Another organizer felt the fair is just the thing to open kids minds to what is available for their futures.

It exposes the kids to things they dont even know exist. Most kids idea of what they want to do after high school comes from TV, middle-school counselor Skip Bennett said Thursday. Theres just a world of things they can do, and this just gives them some insight into that.
TOKYO  With war and talk of war familiar again on two continents, the world needs to pause and consider more peaceful methods to resolve its differences, the elected leader of Okinawa said Friday.

Looking at the tragic events occurring in Ukraine at the moment, I feel that there is no other thing so cruel, indeed, as war is, prefectural Gov. Denny Tamaki said during an appearance before the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.

Okinawa was the scene of World War IIs last major battle, a three-month fight in 1945 that claimed hundreds of thousands of combatant and civilian lives. Today, Russia continues its 2 -month-old invasion of Ukraine while U.S. and Chinese warships keep pace with exercises on the seas not far from Okinawa.

In order to make sure that the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa is not repeated, a battle that is described as disastrous and having brought together all forms of hell, it is necessary to make use of the wisdom that humanity has gained at great cost, Tamaki, speaking virtually from Okinawa, said through a translator.

Okinawa is doing its part by providing displaced Ukrainians housing and other support, he said.

Its moments like these that we really do need to have this mutual support that will lead to the mutual development of each of our countries, as well, Tamaki said.

He addressed the club ahead of the 50th anniversary of Okinawas return to Japan by the United States, which administered the island prefecture for 21 years under the 1951 treaty that formally ended the Allied occupation of Japan. Okinawa reverted to Japanese authority on May 15, 1972.

However, the continued presence of U.S. military bases impedes the prefectures development, Tamaki said. He objects to their scale and opposes the construction of a new airfield in the rural Henoko district to replace the Marine Corps air station in the heart of Ginowan city.

Japans government backs the new airfield at Camp Schwab, a Marine infantry base in northern Okinawa. But Tokyo is also contributing $3 billion to build Camp Blaz, a new, nearly $9 billion Marine base on Guam where some units from Okinawa will be relocated.

Tamaki conceded that young Okinawans generally are less interested in the base issue, but said they were behind a referendum in 2019 that found substantial opposition to building the replacement airfield.

Results of a Kyodo News poll released Thursday found 80% of all Japanese surveyed believed Okinawa bore more than its share of the U.S. military presence.

Fifty years ago, Tamaki said, Okinawa prefecture sought to become an island of peace and without bases. However, even today, despite the fact that Okinawa is a prefecture with only 0.6% of Japans total land, it hosts 70.3% of the total area dedicated to the U.S. military.

That presence creates challenges, from aircraft noise to tying up property and labor that could benefit the Okinawa economy, he said. Personal income remains about 70% of that in Japan as a whole, and one in three children live in poverty, he said.

Reducing the base footprint would allow commercial development to triple the 5% of general revenue the U.S. presence provides, Tamaki said. Employment, too, would increase from the 9,000 jobs provided Okinawans by the U.S. military to about 80,000 jobs in other sectors, he said.

Furthermore, more than 60 years have passed since the conclusion of the status of forces agreement, or SOFA, Tamaki said. SOFA outlines the rights and responsibilities of U.S. military forces and the accompanying civilians and families in Japan.

And yet this has not been amended a single time in this period, he said. This agreement does not meet the demands of today or the needs of the people in the context of a contemporary awareness of human rights and environmental issues.

Tamaki spoke for 10 minutes and answered questions another 50. He outlined plans for Okinawa as a digital hub in the Asia Pacific economy and spoke of Japans general alignment with the United States on security issues and its support for the American presence over Okinawas objections.

Japan, whose postwar constitution renounced offensive military power, relies on its 70-year-old alliance with the U.S. and its armed forces in the country as a safeguard against regional security threats. Although the pacifist section of Japans Constitution is sometimes questioned, it remains essentially intact, despite Japans record-level spending on its Self-Defense Forces.

Okinawa is close to the Miyako Strait, a key passage from the East China Sea into the Pacific Ocean. Its also less than 300 miles from the Senkakus, a cluster of uninhabited islets whose possession by Japan is challenged by China.

Okinawa is also less than 400 miles from Taiwan, which Chinese President Xi Jinping has said must one day be reclaimed by the mainland. The U.S. and, by extension, Japan, could be drawn into conflict over either territory.

When we look at the tensions between the United States and China, this really must not be responded to only by deterrence, Tamaki said. This is, indeed, why we need to have these new efforts in order to ease these kinds of tensions.
TOKYO  Japan announced Friday that its foreign minister will attend new South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration ceremony next week as part of an effort to bring the countries' strained relations back to normal.

Although the decision to send Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to Seoul signals Japan's willingness to improve dialogue with South Korea, the absence of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the event underscores the still unresolved issues that have been a constant thorn in their ties.

Japan sent a vice prime minister to the 2013 inauguration, and serving prime ministers attended the two previous ceremonies. No foreign guests were invited in 2017 for outgoing President Moon Jae-in's swearing-in.

Relations between the countries have plunged to their lowest level because of disputes over Japanese atrocities stemming from its 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, including brutal treatment of wartime Korean laborers and sexual abuse of women at military brothels.

The disagreements over history have been complicated by court rulings, including the 2018 South Korean Supreme Court order for Japanese companies to pay compensation to wartime Korean laborers.

Japan maintains all compensation issues have been settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing their ties and criticized South Korea for breaching international law. The disputes have affected trade relations and security cooperation, causing concern amid threats from China and North Korea.

Hayashi will make a two-day trip to Seoul beginning Monday as Kishida's special envoy, the Foreign Ministry said, stressing the importance to maintain communication with the new government in Seoul.

Hayashi is expected to hold talks with a number of top officials in Yoon's government, including his counterpart, but Japanese officials said details were still being worked out. Hayashi is the first Japanese foreign minister to visit South Korea since Taro Kono in 2018.

Last week, a delegation from Yoon's incoming administration held a series of meetings with top officials in Tokyo including Kishida, and they agreed to make efforts to smooth their ties.

Cooperation between Japan and South Korea, as well as with the United States, their mutual ally, is "indispensable for the stability in the region including their response to North Korea," Hayashi told reporters before his trip was announced.

"Although Japan-South Korea relations are in extremely severe conditions, we cannot leave them alone," Hayashi said. "In order to put Japan-South Korea ties back to healthy relations, I plan to closely communicate with President-elect Yoon and his new administration but by maintaining Japan's consistent position."
CAMP CASEY, South Korea  Sgt. Jaymin Chang, a South Korean soldier raised in Minnesota and attached to the 2nd Division at Camp Humphreys, was up at 3 a.m. Tuesday to put his land navigation skills to the test.

Afterwards, he and 49 other soldiers from 2nd ID and the Joint Security Area ran 1.5 miles in combat gear, completed an obstacle course and made a four-mile ruck march. And that was just day two of five grueling days of Week of the Warrior.

It was a good time pushing my limits, he said the next day, but really tiring.

Chang, of the 194th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, and the others contended for the titles Best Warrior and Best Squad during the competition at Camp Casey, roughly 15 miles from the border with North Korea.

The soldiers volunteered for the contest or were chosen by their commanders. Changs unit nominated him for the event.

Its a pretty unique opportunity so I didnt mind coming, he told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday. I didnt know what we were going to be doing specifically, but it was a good chance to represent the unit.

Nonetheless, Im just looking forward to it being over with, he said.

Warrior week is meant to identify the best of the best and to get soldiers back to the idea of mastering the fundamentals, Command Sgt. Maj. Albert Turner, the primary event organizer, told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.

The intent was to put them under a stressful environment and fatigue them, he said. I think weve done successfully with that  without pushing them too far.

The competitors passed the week with little sleep. They vied at basic skills and at wild cards thrown at them by the organizers, including water survival and air assault, Turner said.

First Lt. Joseph Meyer of the 71st Chemical Company, 23rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Battalion, came to the competition at his commanders recommendation.

Meyer, a California native and a prior enlisted soldier, said he entered to exemplify for his unit that theres nothing wrong with putting yourself out there and trying to accomplish something you want to do.

Whether its school or some other Army career option you can take  showing them that failure is OK  as long as you keep putting yourself out there, Meyer said.

The nine winners are scheduled to take part in Eighth Armys Best Warrior competition May 7-13. Those winners will advance to U.S. Army Pacifics Best Warrior competition.
The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv attack and sink the flagship of Russias Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-day-old war, according to people familiar with the matter.

The missile strike by Ukrainian forces in April, an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, these people said, underscoring how deeply Washington has become enmeshed in Ukraines fight against Russia. It is unclear how many Russian sailors died in the attack, but U.S. officials believe there were significant casualties.

Despite providing intelligence on the Moskva, the United States had no prior awareness of Ukraines decision to strike the warship, a U.S. official said. The official noted that the U.S. government shares maritime awareness with Ukraine to help the nation defend against threats. Russian vessels in the Black Sea have been launching missiles at Ukraine  and could be used to support an amphibious assault on the country, the official said.

Military analysts and experts have praised the Ukrainian militarys strength and ingenuity as it repels a larger Russian force that many believed was more sophisticated and technically superior. But the U.S. intelligence has also given the Ukrainian forces a significant advantage, allowing them to locate Russian forces, equipment, and command and control centers.

Absent the intelligence from the United States, Ukraine would have struggled to target the warship with the confidence necessary to expend two valuable Neptune missiles, which were in short supply, according to the people familiar with the strike, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. NBC News first reported that the United States had provided intelligence on the Moskva.

Since before the war began, the Biden administration has treated the issue of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine as extremely sensitive. Officials have insisted they only provide assistance that helps Ukraine defend itself, worried that Russia could view the provision of information used in attacks as a justification for retaliating directly against the United States and its allies.

Ukraine combines information that we and others provide with intelligence theyre gathering themselves . . . and then they make their own decisions, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday in response to a New York Times report that U.S. intelligence had helped Ukraine target Russian generals in the field.

We do provide them useful intelligence, timely intelligence, Kirby added, but he did not detail what that is or how it has been exploited.

To avoid sparking a wider war between two nuclear-armed superpowers, President Joe Biden has ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine, enforcing a no-fly zone over the country or providing certain categories of weapons, such as fighter planes, that could allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia.

The [United States] provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Tuesday. We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals.

That is a legal distinction that may make little practical difference to Russian leaders. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the Russian military is well aware that the United States, Great Britain and NATO as a whole are constantly transmitting intelligence and other parameters to the Ukrainian armed forces.

This is well known, and of course, coupled with the flow of weapons that these countries and the alliance are sending to Ukraine  these are all actions that, lets say, are not enabling a speedy completion of the operation, said Peskov, who added that the West nevertheless wasnt capable of preventing Russia from achieving its stated goals.

Asked if Russia would take specific measures in reaction to any intelligence-sharing that led to the deaths of Russian generals, Peskov said, Of course, Russian forces are doing everything necessary in this situation, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

The intelligence-sharing with Ukraine differs from past conflicts in which the United States has worked directly with allies to execute strikes. During the U.S.-led surge in Iraq in 2008, for instance, the U.S. military partnered with Iraqi forces to locate and attack insurgents and militants using cellular phone data tracked by the National Security Agency. And in counterterrorism operations in Africa, the intelligence community has provided security services with the ability to track militants cellphones, for the purpose of trying to capture or kill them.

From the U.S. perspective, if Ukraine receives intelligence and then decides to take action in the countrys defense, the United States did not provide targeting information that directed the Ukrainians whom or what to strike.

Kirby seemed to draw that distinction last month when asked during a news conference whether a U.S. Navy patrol plane in the Black Sea region was tracking the Moskva before it was attacked by Ukraine and provided them targeting information.

Kirby said that the type of aircraft in question, P-8 Poseidons from a U.S. base in Italy, were used as part of NATOs air policing missions over the area. There was no provision of targeting information by any United States Navy P-8 flying in these air policing missions, he said. He did not elaborate.

As the war has raged on, the United States has increased the volume and speed of the intelligence it is providing, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. In the early days of the conflict, some Ukrainian officials complained that information about Russian troop positions was slow to arrive and not precise enough to help the Ukrainians launch attacks.

Today the intelligence is flowing in real time and has proved to be a key enabler of the Ukrainian campaign, one senior Ukrainian official said. The U.S. has provided Ukraine a large amount of satellite imagery and reports about the Russian military, some of which are based on intercepted communications, according to U.S. and European officials.

The United States also took steps to provide intelligence about Russian positions in the south and east of the country that hadnt been provided before the invasion. Washington previously didnt hand over that information because it could have helped Ukraine launch offensive attacks on Russian and separatist positions on Ukrainian territory that had been occupied since 2014, officials said.

Before the invasion, on Feb. 24, the Biden administration declassified and released publicly intelligence, including satellite images, that pointed to a massive buildup in Russian forces along Ukraines border in what appeared to be preparations for an attack.

The U.S. is not alone in helping Ukraine.

Baltic intelligence services have had an especially large role in helping Ukraine with information about the Russian military in the eastern part of the country, a European intelligence official said. The flow of assistance has been of growing importance in recent weeks as the bulk of Russias military effort shifts to the region.

The Baltic assistance has been focused mostly on intercepts of phone calls and other battlefield communications within the Russian military, although it also includes intelligence analysis based on the those countries deep experience with Russias military organization, strategy and planning, the official said. Russian officers and soldiers have been using unencrypted cellphones and walkie-talkies to communicate with each other, which allows outsiders both to listen in on the conversations and to use the signal location to pinpoint the soldiers for strikes.

The Baltic intelligence contribution complements assistance the United States has been offering Ukraine, which has been more focused on southern Ukraine and the Black Sea region, the European official said.

Ukraine invested in the domestic development of anti-ship missiles after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and fueled a separatist war in the countrys eastern Donbas region.

The Ukrainians have an extremely limited supply, however. Testing of the Neptune went on for years, but the Luch design bureau, which manufactures the weapon in Ukraine, was only due to supply the first division of Neptunes to Ukrainian forces this year.

The target the Ukrainians decided to use the missiles against was loaded with symbolism.

Launched in 1979, the Moskva was one of few guided missile cruisers in the Russian Navys possession. Originally named the Slava, the vessel hosted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during his Malta summit with President George H.W. Bush in December 1989.

Russia initially attempted to conceal the Ukrainian strike on the Moskva. The Russian military said a fire had broken out aboard the ship, forcing the crew to evacuate. Later, Russian authorities said the ship sank during a storm while being towed back to port.

The Moskva played a role in the initial days of the war against Ukraine.

I am a Russian warship, the Moskvas loudspeaker said to a group of Ukrainian border guards stationed on Snake Island in the Black Sea, demanding the Ukrainians lay down their arms and surrender. The Ukrainians responded, Russian warship, go f--- yourself, a phrase that subsequently became a mantra of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion.

Initially, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian border guards had been fired upon and killed, but Ukrainian authorities later announced they may be alive and imprisoned by Russia in Sevastopol.

- - -

The Washington Posts John Hudson and Karoun Demirjian contributed reporting.
SONCHAMP, France  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europe's fight to free itself from Russian gas.

They'll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce "biogas." It's among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russia's war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes aren't  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the world's breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europe's energy dependence.

The European Biogas Association says the European Union could quickly scale up the production of bio-methane, which is pumped into natural gas networks. An investment of 83 billion euros  which, at current market prices, is less than the EU's 27 nations pay per year to Russia for piped natural gas  would produce a tenfold increase in bio-methane production by 2030 and could replace about a fifth of what the bloc imported from Russia last year, the group says.

The farmers around the Paris-region village of Sonchamp feel their new gas plant will do its bit to untie Europe from the Kremlin.

"It's not coherent to go and buy gas from those people who are waging war on our friends," said Christophe Robin, one of the plant's six investors, who farms wheat, rapeseed, sugar beets and chickens.

"If we want to consume green (energy) and to avoid the flows and contribution of Russian gas, we don't really have a choice. We have to find alternative solutions," he said.

Biogas is made by fermenting organic materials  generally crops and waste. Robin likened the process to food left too long in a container.

"When you open it, it goes 'Poof.' Only here, we don't open it. We collect the gas that comes from the fermentation," he said.

The gas from their plant could meet the needs of 2,000 homes. It will be purified into bio-methane and injected into a pipeline to the nearby town of Rambouillet, heating its hospital, swimming pool and homes.

"It's cool," said Robin. "The kids will benefit from local gas."

Like in the rest of Europe, the production of bio-methane in France is still small. But it is booming. Almost three bio-methane production sites are going online every week in France on average and their numbers have surged from just 44 at the end of 2017 to 365 last year. The volume of gas they produced for the national network almost doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year and was enough for 362,000 homes.

France's government has taken several steps to quicken bio-methane development since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The industry says bio-methane met almost 1% of France's needs in 2021 but that will increase to at least 2% this year and it could make up 20% of French gas consumption by 2030, which would be more gas than France imported last year from Russia.

The Sonchamp farmers took out 5 million euros ($5.3 million) in loans and received a 1-million-euro state subsidy to build their plant, Robin said. They signed a 15-year contract with utility firm Engie, with a fixed price for their gas. That will limit their ability to profit from high gas prices now but ensures them a stable income.

"We're not going to be billionaires," said Robin.

Workers are finishing the construction and the plant is almost ready to be connected to the network. Piles of agricultural waste  wheat husks, pulped sugar beets, onion peelings, even chicken droppings  have been prepared to be fed into the giant bubble-like fermentation tanks.

Winter barley specially grown to make gas will make up about 80% of the 30 tons of organic material that will be fed each day into the plant.

Robin insists that the barley won't interfere with the growing of other crops for food, which critics worry about. Instead of one food crop per year, they'll now have three harvests every two years  with the barley as extra, sandwiched in between, Robin said.

In Germany, the biggest biogas producer in Europe, the government is cutting down on crop cultivation for fuels. The share of corn permitted in biogas facilities will be lowered from 40% to 30% by 2026. Financial incentives will be provided so operators use waste products such as manure and straw instead.

Germany is estimated to have over 9,500 plants, many of them small-scale units supplying rural villages with heat and electricity.

Andrea Horbelt, a spokeswoman for the German biogas association, said the production of bio-methane could be doubled in a matter of years but also wouldn't be cheap.

"Using biogas for electricity is more expensive than solar and wind, and will always remain so," she said.

At the end of their gas-making process, the Sonchamp farmers will also get nitrogen- and potassium-rich wastes from the fermenters that they'll use to fertilize their fields, reducing their consumption of industrial fertilizer.

"It's a circular economy and it's green. That pleases me," Robin said. "It's a superb adventure."

Jordans reported from Berlin.
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania  Delivering good cheer  and 5 gallons of ketchup  Jill Biden thanked U.S. troops deployed to Romania as a check against Russian aggression for their service, as she began a four-day trip to Europe to see first hand the refugee crisis caused by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

After flying overnight from Washington, the first lady arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, near the Black Sea, in time to help serve Friday dinner to U.S. service members . About 1,600 of the several thousand U.S. troops President Joe Biden deployed to eastern Europe in the leadup to the Russia-Ukraine war were sent to the base, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Romania's border with Ukraine.

Jill Biden served mac and cheese and baked potatoes  and encouraged troops not to skip out on the greens  before greeting small groups of servicemembers at tables in the base dining facility. She also delivered bottles of ketchup, responding to a shortage of the condiment on the base, eliciting cheers from the troops.

"I know it's hard on your families," she told one servicemember, referencing her own experience when her son Beau Biden deployed to Iraq.

Later, in a small room at the same base, Biden was videotaped reading the children's book "Night Catch" aloud with Staff Sgt. Sharon Rogers, originally from Kenya, in a virtual story time session for Rogers' son, Nathan.

"Thank you for your service because when your mom serves, you serve too," Biden said in a comment directed at Nathan.

The first lady also posed for photos with troops from the Delaware Army National Guard before flying to Bucharest, Romania's capital, to continue the trip.

For weeks, the first lady has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of "parents weeping over their children's broken bodies in the streets," as she said in a recent speech. She's now using her second solo overseas trip to get an up-close look at the Ukrainian refugee crisis by visiting Romania and Slovakia, where Biden will spend Mother's Day meeting with displaced families in a small village on the border with Ukraine.

"It's so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them," Jill Biden told reporters traveling with her Thursday night, She said earlier in the week she wants the refugees to know "their resilience inspires me."

NATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have taken in some of the millions of mostly women and children who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, triggering Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Biden is using four days in Europe to highlight issues she promotes at home, including support for U.S. service members, education and the welfare of children.

The centerpiece of the first lady's trip comes Sunday  Mother's Day  when the mother of three meets with displaced Ukrainians who sought refuge across the border in Slovakia.

Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, had planned to accompany her mother to Europe, but backed out after learning Thursday that she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesperson. Ashley Biden tested negative, LaRosa said.

"I know that we might not share a language, but I hope that I can convey, in ways so much greater than words, that their resilience inspires me, that they are not forgotten, and that all Americans stand with them still," Biden said earlier this week.

The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials and U.S. embassy personnel, the White House said.

Nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled their country since Russia's invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Many have resettled in next-door countries, like Romania and Slovakia, or have gone elsewhere in Europe to try to rebuild their lives.

More than 850,000 Ukrainians have entered Romania since the invasion, while nearly 400,000 have crossed into Slovakia, according to government figures from those countries.

Biden has long displayed an interest in the plight of refugees around the world.

In 2011, when her husband was vice president, she traveled to drought-stricken east Africa to visit with Somali famine refugees at the Dadaab camp in Kenya. In 2017, she visited refugees in Chios, Greece, as part of work by the aid organization Save The Children, on whose board she served.

Some refugee advocates said Biden's trip will send the message that the United States takes seriously its humanitarian commitment to the Ukrainian people.

"Every first lady has a far-reaching platform to raise awareness and this trip will be an important tool for mobilizing additional support for those forced to flee their homeland," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and formerly a policy director to first lady Michelle Obama.

Biden's trip follows other U.S. government representatives visiting Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees during a stop in Poland in March. That's the closest he's been to Ukraine and the White House says there are no plans for him to visit Kyiv.

On Saturday in Bucharest, Biden was planning to be briefed on humanitarian efforts, meet with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis and tour a school where Ukrainian refugee students are enrolled before departing for Slovakia. The first lady is a community college English professor.

The following day in Kosice, Slovakia, Biden will visit a city-operated refugee center and a public school that also hosts Ukrainian refugee students, where she'll participate in Mother's Day events with Ukrainian and Slovakian mothers and children. She'll also travel to the Slovakia-Ukraine border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.

The White House declined to comment on whether she will cross the border and enter Ukraine.

Monday brings a meeting with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, the country's first female president, before Biden heads back to Washington.

The first lady has shown her support the Ukrainian people in several ways. She wore a sunflower  Ukraine's national flower  on her mask and a dress sleeve and traveled to a Tennessee hospital to visit with Ukrainian children flown there for cancer treatment.

She also had Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, sit with her during President Biden's State of the Union address in March.

The first lady's first solo overseas trip took her to Tokyo last year to represent the United States at the opening of the Olympic Games.
Leaders from the Group of Seven countries will discuss potential new sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine on Sunday, according to people familiar with the plan.

The call will give the nations the opportunity to coordinate -- and potentially finalize -- any new measures, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the preparations are private. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to join the call.

The U.S. and its allies are pushing to conclude new sanctions ahead of Russias May 9 Victory Day military parade. The celebration, which commemorates the end of the Second World War, has become a touchstone of the Kremlins campaign to whip up public support for the invasion and will likely feature a speech by President Vladimir Putin on Russias special operation in Ukraine.

The discussions come as the European Union is preparing a sixth package of sanctions that would phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year as well as ban European vessels and companies from providing services, such as insurance, needed to transport oil to third countries.

EU ambassadors were discussing the blocs measures on Friday, with Hungary holding back support as it demanded more time and money to drop imports of the Russian crude it relies on, according to people familiar with the situation. Negotiations are likely to drag into the weekend.

The U.S. is also discussing restrictions on consulting with Russian companies and imposing more export controls on chemicals, as well as mechanical engineering goods, the people said. The U.S. may also join the EU in banning its companies from providing oil-related insurance and services.

The other G-7 nations measures would likely follow some of the EUs actions, but with respective differences as has been the case in earlier rounds of sanctions, one of the people said. The U.S. and the U.K. have already announced plans to restrict Russian oil imports.

The EU is also proposing to:

- Cut Sberbank, Credit Bank of Moscow and the Russian Agricultural Bank off the SWIFT international payments system.

- Restrict Russian entities and individuals from purchasing property in the EU.

- Ban providing consulting services to Russian companies and trade in a number of chemicals.

- Sanction Alina Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast who is closely associated with Vladimir Putin, according to an EU document; and Patriarch Kirill, who heads the Russian Orthodox Church and has been a vocal supporter of the Russian president and the war in Ukraine.

- Sanction dozens of military personnel, including those deemed responsible for reported war crimes in Bucha, as well as companies providing equipment, supplies and services to the Russian armed forces.

- Introduce new sanctions on Belarus, including measures on banks and its main potash companies.

The U.K. announced earlier this week that it was barring Russian individuals and companies from using British accountants, consultants and PR firms.

G-7 allies recently discussed various other options to limit Russias oil revenue, including price caps, tariffs and special payment mechanisms, as well as legal frameworks to strengthen measures to go after the assets of sanctioned tycoons and entities.
NAPLES, Italy  A Freedom-class littoral combat ship that was put on the chopping block in the Navys most recent budget proposal has deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, a theater where the vessels never have operated before.

USS Sioux City, one of nine such ships targeted for decommissioning in the Navys 2023 budget, will support U.S. and NATO interests, 6th Fleet said Thursday in a statement.

The Sioux Citys deployment is an opportunity to highlight the relevance of these ships, particularly their ability to relieve larger surface combatants in key areas, said Cmdr. Scott Whitworth, Sioux Citys commanding officer.

The fleet didnt say when the Sioux City, commissioned in 2018, arrived in its area of responsibility, which includes Europe and Africa.

The agility of littoral combat ships allows them to operate in both near-shore and open-ocean environments, enhancing our ability to provide security and stability across the European theater, Vice Adm. Gene Black, 6th Fleet commander, said in the statement.

A detachment of two MH-60S Seahawk helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 supports the ships deployment, the Navy said.

In proposing to decommission the Sioux City and eight similar vessels, the Navy said it was seeking to discontinue legacy programs and fund its highest priorities, according to the 2023 Budget Highlights Book.

The Navy also has proposed decommissioning 6th Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney in 2026.

Three Freedom-class ships already were slated to be decommissioned in 2023, but the Navy proposed decommissioning six more, including the Sioux City.

Decommissioning the ships would save more than $1.4 billion, according to Navy budget documents. The ships would be replaced with Constellation-class guided missile frigates, the Navy said.

The Navy also announced Thursday that USS Arlington, a San Antonio-class dock landing ship, is in Volos, Greece, for the Alexander the Great training exercise.

The bilateral amphibious event will include elements of the Kearsarge Amphibious Readiness Group and the 22nd Marines Expeditionary Unit, both under the command of Task Force 61/2. It ends May 31, the Navy said.
KYIV, Ukraine (Tribune News Service)  A furious bid was underway Friday to rescue hundreds of civilians still trapped in the besieged Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian soldiers sheltering in a maze of underground tunnels have prevented Russian forces from fully capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol.

The next stage of rescuing our people from Azovstal is underway at the moment, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys office, said early Friday.

The rescue attempt  the third of its kind in the last week by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross  comes amid renewed ground assaults on the sprawling steelworks by Russian troops, despite earlier pledges that they would only seal it off.

At the same time, fighting continued in eastern Ukraine, where the Kremlins forces have redoubled their efforts to capture the Donbas region, which is home to many ethnic Russians. Ukraine has battled against pro-Russia separatists in the area for several years, and there are suggestions that Ukrainian soldiers could try to mount a counteroffensive to push back Russian troops from around the key city of Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest.

The attacks on the Mariupol steelworks are believed to be intensifying in order to subdue the last remnant of armed resistance in the southern city before Mondays Victory Day celebrations in Russia marking the Soviet Unions defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The annual patriotic event is highlighted by a military parade in Moscows Red Square and other cities, and the fall of Mariupol would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a symbolic victory at a time when most Western allies are uniting behind Ukraine.

In the latest show of such support, First Lady Jill Biden left the U.S. for a trip to Romania and Slovakia to visit U.S. troops and meet with Ukrainian refugees, whose ranks have swelled to more than 5.7 million since Russia invaded their homeland Feb. 24.

Its so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them, Biden told reporters before departing.

But a crack appeared in the relatively unified Western response to the war when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday that his country could not support a European Union proposal to ban Russian oil imports. Hungary, an EU member since 2004, relies on Russia for two-thirds of its oil supplies.

Orban said an embargo would be tantamount to dropping an atomic bomb on Hungarys economy. Slovakia, which is also heavily dependent on Russian oil, has also expressed reservations.

With Ukraine pleading for more military aid, Germany confirmed that it would send seven of its most advanced self-propelled howitzers  massive artillery guns mounted on tracked armored vehicles. The assistance comes after Germany lifted its policy of not sending heavy weapons to conflict zones last week after growing calls to do more to help Ukraines defense.

Ukraine desperately needs the West to maintain pressure on Moscow now that fighting is concentrated in the east, where Russian forces and Russia-backed separatists aim to widen their hold after their failure to capture the capital, Kyiv.

On Thursday, a U.S. official told reporters that Washington has been sharing intelligence with Ukraine, including information that ultimately led to the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian missile cruiser struck and sunk in the Black Sea last month.

Russias defense ministry said Friday that its forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the city of Kramatorsk and that its air defenses downed two Ukrainian warplanes in the Luhansk region, in the Donbas. The claims could not be independently verified.

Air-raid sirens also sounded in Kyiv overnight and early Friday afternoon. The capital region, which had braced for an assault by a column of Russian tanks in the opening weeks of the war, has largely been spared attack recently.

Mariupol has been the focus of close attention because its capture would allow Russia to link its forces in the northeast and southeast and would help establish a land corridor along the southern seacoast to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014. Russian control of Mariupols port would also choke off Ukraines access to the Sea of Azov, an important shipping hub.

Relentless shelling has created a humanitarian disaster in the city, but nearly 500 civilians were rescued in two evacuations in the last week, according to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers are believed to still be lurking beneath the Azovstal complex, which has been pummeled by Russian munitions.

Despite dwindling food and ammunition, the defenders remain determined to continue fighting.

They wont surrender, Kateryna Prokopenko, the wife of a Ukrainian commander at the site, told the Associated Press. They only hope for a miracle.

Russia has denied entering the steelworks and says the refusal by Ukrainian soldiers to surrender is endangering the lives of the remaining civilians.

Ukrainian officials say Russian troops gained access to the plant with the help of an electrician who knew the layout of the factory complex.

He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraines Internal Affairs Ministry, said in a video posted Wednesday, according to the AP. Yesterday, the Russians started storming these tunnels, using the information they received from the betrayer. (King reported from Kyiv and Pierson from Singapore.) 2022 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
VILNIUS, Lithuania - The Energy Ministry in this Baltic nation is located across a small street from a former KGB prison, where, during decades of Soviet rule, Lithuanian dissenters were interrogated, tortured and killed.

A museum in part of the building tells the story of those years, showing the dank cells and bullet-riddled execution chamber that the Soviets used to crush resistance during and after World War II.

From his office overlooking the former prison, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys says this history is the fuel that propelled Lithuania, an independent nation since the 1991 Soviet collapse, to spend years working to break free of Russian oil and gas.

During all of our history, we had to fight for our independence, for our survival, Kreivys said in a recent interview. In Lithuania, we say that energy is the second pillar, next to the military, of our national security.

Thats meant a years-long construction spree to build oil and gas import terminals, pipelines and other infrastructure to prepare the country to live without energy from the continents biggest supplier, Russia.

While Germany was helping build two undersea pipelines to dramatically increase its imports of Russian natural gas, Lithuania was spending its taxpayer money with the single-minded goal of breaking free. The effort paid off last month, when the nation of 2.8 million was able to halt its remaining gas purchases from Russia to protest the invasion of Ukraine. It broke its reliance on Russian oil years ago.

Long-simmering hostility toward Moscow and its historical subjugation of Eastern Europe is the propellant that has driven the continents most successful energy-independence movements. Fellow Baltic states Estonia and Latvia, as well as Poland, are years ahead of other European Union nations in rejecting Russian oil and gas.

Some say they tried to warn Germany over the years as it deepened its dependence on Moscow through the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia.

Germany was claiming that this project is fully an economic one, [that] it has nothing to do with politics, and they could see no issue [with] the independence of Germany and the whole of Europe, Anna Moskwa, Polands minister of climate and environment, said in an interview in Warsaw. For us it was an issue, taking into account the history we had, the whole of Europe has.

Polands efforts are now putting it in a position to help Germany as it races to kick its Russian habit. In talks in Warsaw last month, the countries discussed ways that Germany could use Polands oil infrastructure to break its remaining dependence on Russian supplies.

Lithuania has a long, bitter history of Russian occupation, starting with Catherine the Greats forces in 1795. The nation regained its independence after World War I, but external domination returned during World War II, when Germany briefly occupied the country and enlisted Lithuanian collaborators to help slaughter most of the countrys Jewish population. Lithuania then fell to the Soviet Union, which forcibly incorporated it as a Soviet republic in 1944.

Thousands of guerrilla fighters continued resisting Soviet rule in the postwar years, a movement eventually crushed through torture, execution and mass deportations to Siberia. In the basement execution chamber at the KGB museum, the discarded eyeglasses and shoes of some of these partisans are displayed on the floor next to a wall pockmarked with bullet holes.

Lithuania felt a different kind of pressure after it became the first Soviet republic to declare independence, in March 1990. By that time, Moscow had built a web of pipelines and refineries to deliver heavily subsidized oil and gas from Siberia to Eastern Europe, and it leveraged that network to punish its recalcitrant republic.

In April 1990, Moscow sharply cut oil and gas deliveries to Lithuania for more than two months, causing a spike in gasoline prices and the shuttering of many factories.

Lithuania desperately sought supplies from Norway and others, but it didnt have the money to pay or the power to steer foreign tankers around the Soviet navy. It was an early lesson that if Lithuania wanted to have sovereignty in its decisions, it needed to buy energy elsewhere, Kreivys said.

Russia always, always has used energy as a tool for geopolitical influence, Kreivys said.

As a first step after its independence, it hired an American firm to build a new oil import terminal that was completed in 1999. Buying oil that way was more expensive but freed Lithuania from relying on Russian pipelines.

The risk of such dependence was underscored later that same year, when Lithuania sold a stake in its Soviet-era refinery to an American bidder instead of a Russian rival, prompting Russia to impose a sporadic oil blockade on the facility through a pipeline the Soviets had named Friendship.

Energy pressure worsened after Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000, and after Lithuania joined the European Union and NATO in 2004. Russia started charging Lithuania significantly more for natural gas than it did other European customers. And after Lithuania chose a Polish buyer over a Russian suitor when its refinery came up for sale again, it once more found Russia shutting down shipments of crude.

That spurred Lithuania to accelerate its efforts to break free, drawing up plans for a new terminal to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) via Baltic Sea shipments.

When Putin warned against proceeding with the gas project, in a rare 2010 meeting with Lithuanias then-president, Dalia Grybauskaite, he only motivated Vilnius to move faster, said Romas Svedas, who was vice minister of energy at the time.

Grybauskaite is a very strong personality, and immediately she said, No, we are going to develop alternatives, Svedas said in an interview.

Weve been forced to build an extensive LNG terminal even though our neighbor is the richest country in the world for natural gas, he said. Its a paradox but basically Putin pushed, as he is pushing the whole world, to make a choice for democratic values.

The LNG plan still met resistance in Lithuanias Parliament, where some legislators questioned the wisdom of building such an expensive project in a small country. Kreivys and Svedas blamed Russian disinformation for the obstruction, which was eventually overcome.

Local opposition also cropped up when Lithuania tapped Chevron to explore for shale gas, which would have eventually required fracking to extract. Here again, Svedas suspected Russian handiwork.

A clutch of anti-shale billboards mysteriously appeared on the main highway out of Vilnius. When local journalists investigated, some of the billboard companies said a private individual had purchased them, but they wouldnt name the person, Svedas said. No central or local government officials would claim responsibility.

In Lithuania, normally if you have a position, you make it public. You go to the street and say, no for shale, no for war. Its OK, were a democratic country, he said.

Despite the odds, the LNG terminal began operating in 2014 and helped lower gas prices for Lithuania, officials say. The country continued buying some gas via pipelines from Russia, which lowered its prices to compete with the LNG supply.

But after Russia invaded Ukraine, Lithuania was the first European country to announce that it would immediately stop buying Russian gas. Latvia and Estonia quickly followed. Our terminal is supplying them as well, Kreivys said.

This week, Lithuania and Poland opened a new pipeline connecting the countries and enabling them to share gas - a timely development after Russia abruptly cut gas deliveries to Poland last week.

Together we say NO to Russian gas, NO to Russian oil, NO to financing the war, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda tweeted after the opening ceremony Thursday.

Shared electricity is the last remaining link to Russia that Lithuania is racing to cut. It still gets about 10% of its electricity from a network built in Soviet times and controlled by Moscow.

The transmission loop connects all three Baltic states with Belarus and western Russia, creating an interdependence that no one country can break without hurting itself and the others, said Rokas Masiulis, head of Lithuanias electricity grid.

Still, Vilnius is scrambling to build new electricity links to Poland and the E.U. with the aim of leaving the Soviet-era network.

By the end of 2025, well be ready to desynchronize from Russia, Masiulis said.
VIENNA  A train carrying 2,000 metric tons of Ukrainian corn arrived in Austria on Friday, part of European efforts to elude a Russian blockade of Ukraine's ports that has prevented critical supplies of wheat, corn and other grains from getting to countries in Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia.

Standing in front of a rail car adorned with the Austrian and Ukrainian flags, Austria's farming minister, Elisabeth Koestinger, said the shipment marked the establishment of a "green corridor" for important cargo shipments between the two countries.

"Grain and animal feed exports can't leave Ukraine via the sea route. That's why we are creating green corridors," Koestinger said.

The shipment comes amid a wider struggle to cope with disruptions to global food supplies triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with both countries two of the world's biggest suppliers of wheat, barley and sunflower oil. Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizers that farmers need to grow crops.

The potential loss of affordable grain supplies that millions around the world rely on for cheap bread and noodles has raised the risk of food shortages and political instability in countries where many people already were not getting enough to eat. With food prices already soaring, the high cost of fertilizers and cooking oils are further squeezing the global food chain.

To help ease the crunch in a small way, trains will carry up to 60,000 metric tons of grain from Ukraine to Austria every month, adding to similar shipments to Germany. Those exports circumvent Russia's blockade of Odesa, Ukraine's largest port, on the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Austria, Vasyl Khymynets, called the new land route an important symbol of Ukraine's cooperation with its partners.

"We are looking for routes to supply the world with food," he said.

Khymynets said 600,000 metric tons of Ukrainian grain could potentially be exported every month via various land routes  just a fraction of Ukraine's export capacity of 25 million tons.

The initial Austrian shipment was purchased by animal feed producer in that country. Subsequent cargoes were expected to find their way to the "global south," Koestinger said, with Ukrainian food supplies in demand in central Africa.

The load of corn left Ternopil province in western Ukraine, and Austrian Railways picked it up in the Slovakian border town of Cierna.

Other countries also have started setting up their own "green corridor" routes, Koestinger said. Such land routes have been used during the war to help civilians trying to flee the fighting.

Austrian Railways already has been carrying Ukrainian cargo three times a week to northern Germany via Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland on trains that can carry up to 2,000 metric tons.

Now, it will ramp up the frequency with daily trains to Brake, Germany, near Bremen, where a port specializes in shipping animal feed and grain.

The Austrian government estimates that due to the war, harvest losses might be as high as 30% to 50% compared with pre-war production.
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon has awarded eight contracts totaling $136.8 million to procure weapons and equipment for the war in Ukraine with another $1.45 billion sent to the Army and Marine Corps for the replenishment of U.S. stockpiles, a Defense Department official said Friday.

The majority of the contracts, $61.4 million, are for radios and other communication devices, while another $22.6 million, $19.7 million and $17.8 million will fund rockets, Puma surveillance drones and Switchblade drones that detonate on impact, said William LaPlante, the Pentagons undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment.

The last few weeks have really highlighted the intensity of international conflicts in 21st century and the demand for munitions and weapons platforms really outpaces anything weve seen in recent memory, LaPlante said.

The Defense Department is awarding the contracts, which also include deals for medical equipment, binoculars and ready-to-eat meals, under the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative, he said. The $300 million program allows the Pentagon to obtain weapons for Ukraine directly from the defense industry, rather than its own stockpiles.

Some of the most effective weapons in Ukraines defense against Russian forces  the anti-tank Javelin and anti-aircraft Stinger missiles  continue to be pulled from U.S. inventories. The Pentagon notified Congress this week that it is using the first $1.45 billion of a $3.5 billion replenishment fund to backfill the estimated 5,000 Javelins and 1,400 Stingers sent to Ukraine.

Senators said Tuesday that the U.S. had depleted one-third of its Javelin inventory and one-quarter of its Stinger stock. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin assured them that reserves of the weapons were in pretty good shape and said he would not allow stockpiles to fall to critical shortages.

The Army is actively negotiating to get more Stingers and expects to have a contract awarded for them at the end of the month, LaPlante said. But officials for Raytheon, the Stingers manufacturer, told analysts last week that it would not be able to begin restocking the missiles until 2023.

A contract for Javelins is imminent, LaPlante said, and will likely call for newer models of the weapon that have longer range.

The Pentagon is aiming for a one-to-one replacement of the weaponry shipped to Ukraine but outdated components of some systems could make that difficult, he said.

Were having to go through this calculation and so are the Europeans, our allies, LaPlante said. For example, the Poles sending Russian-made tanks, what do they want to replace them with? Everybodys going through the same calculation of what is the replacement.

The White House asked Congress last month to allocate an additional $5.4 billion to continue replenishing U.S. stockpiles as part of a $33 billion total assistance package for Ukraine. That request is sending a clear demand signal to the defense industry that is helping rally manufacturers and speed up production lines, LaPlante said.

Contractors submitted more than 300 proposals in the last two weeks detailing what weapons and equipment it could provide for Ukraine during the next few months, he said.

We are in contact with industry every day as requirements evolve and well continue to utilize all available tools to support Ukraines armed forces in the face of Russias aggression, LaPlante said.

Other parts of the supplemental bill now before Congress are expected to give the Pentagon more of a cushion for future crises. The $550 million Critical Munitions Acquisition Fund and another $50 million requested for a Defense Exportability Transfer Account would enable the Defense Department to continuously maintain stockpiles, LaPlante said.

We cant predict exactly which weapons are going to be needed, were not going to predict what the next surprise will be but at least [we'll] find [ourselves] not in the same situation, he said. Its a way to hopefully build up a little bit of a buffer for the next time.
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany  The Warthogs are back in Europe.

Ten Maryland Air National Guard A-10C Thunderbolt II jets arrived in Iceland on Thursday, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa said in a statement Friday.

Designed to destroy Soviet tanks during the Cold War, the iconic attack plane nicknamed for the guttural sound its cannon makes is expected to train over various parts of Europe.

They will support the U.S. Armys Swift Response, an exercise involving some 9,000 allied troops slated to last until May 20.

The training kicked off this week along with other exercises involving the U.S. military and its partners across Europe, with large concentrations of forces in the Baltic and Black Sea regions. The drills are intended to showcase rapid mobilization.

Four of the A-10s will head from Iceland to Norway on Friday while the other six are due to fly to North Macedonia on Saturday to support exercise operations, USAFE-AFAFRICA said.

The planes are also scheduled to make stops in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland to conduct what the Air Force calls agile combat employment. It entails the rapid dispersion and operation of aircraft from forward locations.

The Air Force did not say how long the A-10s, which are assigned to the 104th Fighter Squadron, are expected to remain in Europe.

The squadron is the second Air National Guard fighter unit to deploy to Europe this week.

Eight F-35 Lightning II jets from the Vermont National Guard arrived Monday at Spangdahlem Air Base along with Guard personnel from the Green Mountain State to bolster NATO and support its air policing mission, USAFE-AFAFRICA announced earlier this week.

The deployments coincide with Russias ongoing war on Ukraine, which has prompted the U.S. to fortify NATO countries along the alliances eastern borders.

A-10s were based in Europe for about 30 years during the Cold War. They had a permanent home at Spangdahlem for nearly 20 years before reduced defense funding and shifting priorities brought them stateside.

Warthogs have been the target of budget cuts over the years but have remained active in the Air Force fleet. They can fly lower and slower than other Air Force combat aircraft, a capability that allows them to take out tanks and other ground targets.
BOSTON  A military college student said in a lawsuit filed Thursday that armed services officials deemed him unfit for service because he tested positive for HIV.

The 20-year-old student from Revere, Massachusetts, said in the complaint against state and federal military officials that he tested positive for HIV in October 2020 during his sophomore year at the nation's oldest private military college, Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.

The student, who is identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe, said in the complaint filed in federal court in Burlington, Vermont, that he was deemed unfit for service and dropped from the Reserve Officers Training Corps and the Vermont Army National Guard despite being healthy, asymptomatic and on a treatment regimen that renders his viral load undetectable.

His lawsuit notes he was informed he would not be able to get a scholarship through the ROTC or be entitled to other benefits related to military service, such as a state tuition waiver and medical and dental coverage.

Lawyers for Civil Rights, a Boston-based group that filed the lawsuit on the students behalf, provided redacted copies of the student's discharge documents, which show he was terminated from the guard in January for being not medically qualified.

Spokespeople for the U.S. Department of Defense and the Vermont National Guard, which are both named in the suit, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

Under Department of Defense regulations, HIV is among a lengthy list of health conditions that automatically disqualify a person from enlisting, being appointed as a commissioned officer or enrolling as an ROTC scholarship cadet.

The students lawyers argue the militarys HIV policies date to the 1980s when little was known about the condition, which, if left untreated, can lead to AIDS.

A generation after they were first developed, the militarys policies are highly anachronistic and fail to reflect current medical reality, the Lawyers for Civil Rights organization argues in the lawsuit. Advances in medical treatment and prevention have transformed HIV from a progressive, terminal disease to a manageable condition.

A federal judge in Virginia ruled last month that service members who are HIV-positive cannot be discharged or barred from becoming an officer solely because theyre infected with the virus.

Sophia Hall, deputy litigation director with Lawyers for Civil Rights, said the student's case is unrelated because the Virginia ruling only applied to those already in military service.

The student, in a statement provided by his lawyers, said he hopes to restore his military standing in order to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncles who served in the armed forces. The lawsuit also asks the court to invalidate the military regulations and policies that led to his dismissal from the National Guard and ROTC.
U.S. Army Alaska will be redesignated the 11th Airborne Division with the aim of instilling a better defined sense of identity for soldiers as the service grapples with troop suicides in the state, the secretary of the Army told lawmakers Thursday.

U.S. Army Alaska has already instituted multiple initiatives aimed at lowering the risks of suicide or detecting those most vulnerable, even as soldiers there have been tasked with implementing the services ambitious Arctic strategy.

One of the things weve found that we think is contributing to what weve found in Alaska is that some soldiers there dont feel like they have a sense of identity or purpose around why theyre stationed there, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Soldiers under U.S. Army Alaska wear the Tropic Lightning patch of the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division, but the mission sets for soldiers in each location are quite distinct. Hawaii soldiers train for fighting in humid, jungle terrain, while Alaskas soldiers are now being organized, equipped and trained as a cold-weather fighting force that can carry out the Regaining Arctic Dominance strategy issued by the Army in March 2021.

Were not adding or subtracting force structure, Wormuth said. Its really sort of more of a new sense of common identity for the soldiers up there.

Reflagging to the 11th Airborne Division taps into a great history and heritage, and that means a lot to soldiers, Gen. James McConville, chief of staff of the Army, told the committee.

You build a cohesive team around a mission, and you give them focus, he said. You give them identity. Thats what brings them together, and thats what were going to try to do.

The division traces its lineage to World War II, where its soldiers first saw combat in the Philippines. It has been inactivated since 1965.

The Army maintains two other airborne divisions, the 82nd at Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 101st at Fort Campbell, Ky., although the latter is a light infantry division specializing in air assault operations.

The new 11th Airborne Division would become the Army's second paratrooper division, according to a news release Thursday from Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who sits on the Armed Services Committee.

The current 1st Brigade Combat Team, based at Ft. Wainwright, and 4th Brigade Combat Team, at Elmendorf-Richardson, will be redesignated as the 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams under the new division, according to the release.

Suicide among Alaska-based soldiers has been on the rise since 2019, with a dramatic leap in the number last year.

Seven soldiers died by suicide in the state in 2020, and that number jumped to 11 in 2021, a figure that excludes six soldier deaths still under investigation.

Soldiers in the state are primarily stationed at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks or Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, where U.S. Army Alaska is headquartered.

Wormuth told the committee that the Army is trying to surge a significant quantity of behavioral health providers to Alaskan bases in response to suicides. That includes sending chaplains and personnel from the Military and Family Life Counseling Program, she said.

That will be a six-month surge, and we will be doing a 100% mental health checks of every U.S. Army Alaska soldier, she said.

A report released last month by the Government Accountability Office concluded that service members stationed in Alaska, Hawaii and other overseas installations defined as remote appeared to be more at risk of attempting suicide than their counterparts in the U.S. mainland.
The Army and Air Force have removed a significant hurdle service women face in obtaining abortions, adopting new guidance just as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overturn the landmark ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide.

Both services have removed commanders powers to deny leave to service members seeking abortions. In addition, soldiers and airmen now need tell commanders only that theyre taking leave for a medical procedure.

Its unclear how many service women have been denied leave to get an abortion since 1973, when the Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade that abortion is a constitutionally protected right.

But the policy change has been long sought, particularly for service women overseas or on deployment, who often faced extra time, financial and travel obstacles.

Given the time-sensitive nature of the procedure, pregnancy termination will not require unit commander pre-approval, the updated Army policy states. Soldiers will keep their commander notified of any expected absences. ... (Soldiers) may do this without providing the specifics of the underlying procedure.

The Air Force revised its guidance in June to incorporate similar language. The change stems from an initiative to identify and address barriers to womens careers in policies, processes and programs, said Laura Tingley, an Air Force spokeswoman.

The new guidance includes guaranteed convalescent leave for women who miscarried or delivered a stillborn child.

The Armys policy change, announced late last month, likewise came in a directive regarding parenthood, pregnancy and postpartum care.

The intent is not to have someone go AWOL for two weeks and then show back up, said Amy Kramer, the manpower and reserve affairs lead action officer for the policy.

Instead, its intended to impress upon commanders that they must grant immediate leave for someone seeking a pregnancy termination, she said.

But it also allows soldiers to bypass commanders. Research by reproductive rights groups has found that many military women who seek an abortion prefer to do so without notifying their chain of command.

We hope that that paragraph makes it easier and puts the decision in the soldiers hands, Kramer said. It takes choice from commanders and gives it to soldiers.

Ibis Reproductive Health, a research group that has done numerous studies on military womens reproductive health care, said in a 2019 paper that requirements to tell commanders about pregnancies are one of the biggest obstacles to abortion access for deployed service women, second only to the militarys lack of abortion services.

We know from multiple studies that there was fear of reprimand for sexual activity, said Laura Fix, the studys lead author. And there are often concerns about perceived stigma about having an abortion.

But the future of abortion availability in the U.S. was thrown into disarray Monday, when a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked.

If the outcome heralded by the draft opinion comes to pass, abortion would be banned or severely circumscribed in some 23 Republican-led states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research group that focuses on reproductive health and supports abortion rights.

Abortion rights opponents in Republican-led states have been working to ensure that the strictest possible limits take effect if the Supreme Court reverses the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision.

Thirteen of those states have trigger laws that would go into effect immediately and outlaw nearly all abortions, without exception for rape or incest.

On Wednesday, Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill that would classify abortion as a homicide, allowing prosecutors to bring criminal charges against women who end their pregnancies.

The repercussions of a Roe reversal for pregnant women in the military would be profound.

The SCOTUS decision, if final, will make obtaining an abortion for active-duty women at most U.S. bases as difficult as overseas, said Dr. Jeffrey Jensen, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health and Science University.

Jensen, a Navy doctor from 1988 to 1992, said that over two years in the Philippines, he treated about a dozen sailors and family members hospitalized with infections after getting illegal abortions locally.

This is going to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable service women, Jensen said. It saddens me to think that women have to take on a clandestine act just to take care of their health.

But anti-abortion groups were jubilant over the draft opinion, which found that the reasoning for abortion as a constitutionally protected right in the Roe decision was exceptionally weak.

Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert, a Republican who introduced his states trigger law that would make performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, said the law could take effect within minutes of the Supreme Court decision, according to The Washington Post.

Ill be happy to see the butcher mill in Little Rock, Arkansas, shut down for good, Rapert told the Post.

Young enlisted women have high rates of unintended pregnancy, but military treatment facilities dont perform abortions, and military insurance doesnt cover it except in cases of rape, incest or a life-endangering pregnancy.

We are desperately looking for an Italian doctor or clinic who is willing to administer the abortion pill to us, said an unidentified service woman stationed in Italy, according to the 2019 Ibis report. However, we havent had any luck.

She had been seeking to procure a medication abortion from the Canadian telemedicine service Women On Web. Medication abortion uses a two-drug combination that can be taken at home and is authorized in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

For a few years after Roe v. Wade was decided, military women had wide access to abortion and made use of it. In one year in the mid-1970s, some 26,000 service women and dependents got abortions.

Most of them were done in military hospitals, and all of them were covered by insurance, according to a Congressional Research Office report.

Restrictions on access and insurance coverage began in 1976, when Congress banned the use of federal funds for the procedure. By the late 1980s, almost no abortions were being performed by military doctors or were covered by military insurance.
(Tribune News Service) As a lieutenant commander in 2008, Stephen Shedd never considered reporting the gifts and favors that he said some of the senior staff of the Navys Seventh Fleet exchanged with the military contractor known as Fat Leonard.

For starters, Shedd himself was engaged in much of the same alleged behavior  accepting hotel rooms, meals and the services of prostitutes from Leonard Glenn Francis, the gregarious contractor nicknamed for his girth.

Besides, even if Shedd had wanted to report misconduct by his superiors, he had no confidence it would go anywhere.

We had an understanding of mutually assured destruction, Shedd testified Thursday to a jury. Wed all go down in flames or wed all be protected.

The hammer eventually fell, in 2017, when Shedd and eight other former naval officers were together indicted on bribery and conspiracy allegations, as part of Francis ongoing scheme to corrupt strategically placed military members. Francis owned a

Singapore-based husbanding company, which serviced visiting Navy ships in ports across Asia, and he counted on the influence and intelligence of naval officials to help him compete for contracts worth millions of dollars.

Shedd and three other co-defendants pleaded guilty before trial. This week, Shedd took the witness stand, testifying against the rest of his past colleagues: Former Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless; former Capts. David Newland, James Dolan and David Lausman; and former Cmdr. Mario Herrera.

His testimony jumped from port to port  Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia  as he detailed the Spring Swing on which the Seventh Fleets command ship, the Blue Ridge, embarked in 2008.

Officially, the ship and its command staff were making port calls to improve naval relations with five foreign allies. Unofficially, it was a chance for some of the highest-ranking officers to party large with Francis  attending gourmet dinners, staying in posh hotel suites and socializing, often privately, with prostitutes on his dime, Shedd said.

Shedd, the fleets South Asia policy and planning officer at the time, was among the lowest ranking of the bunch. He primarily acted as a go-between messenger for Francis and some of the Blue Ridge officers, including Lausman, Loveless and Dolan, according to his testimony. He was key in organizing several boys night out parties that Francis hosted, including coordinating schedules and communicating plans, he said.

Much of the coordination happened over emails, many of which were displayed to the jury.

He also joined in some of the festivities himself.

In a hotel suite in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dolan, Loveless and another officer were entertained by Francis, Shedd said. The host then paired each up with a prostitute, and hand-in-hand the couples left for private rooms, Shedd testified.

With the important guests handled, Francis turned to Shedd, motioned to the remaining women in the suite and said Go ahead if you want, Shedd recalled. So he did, grabbing a woman by the hand and having sex with her in his own room, he said.

The group had to be especially covert that night, Shedd testified, because the admiral had issued a no-liberty policy for that port visit, prohibiting sailors from leaving the ship unless on official business.

In Manila, it was less of a plan. Just meet up at Francis room, the opulent Presidential Suite at the Makati Shangri-La. The party consisted of nine military members, including Shedd, Loveless, Dolan and Lausman, plus prostitutes, Shedd testified. Some, including Dolan, were summoned into an adjoining office to meet privately with Francis, he said, a practice he had seen before.

The group was dancing and drinking from a case of Dom Perignon or Cristal champagne that the butler had delivered to the room, Shedd said. Again, Francis paired off women with men, including Loveless and Dolan, who left the party for their own rooms, Shedd said.

The party continued the following evening in the same vein, this time with 10 to 15 women. Lausman was not present, Shedd said.

But he acknowledged he doesnt remember much more. I was pretty intoxicated, he testified.

As the go-between, Shedd said he was also often the one to pass on the confidential military information Francis was seeking, such as upcoming plans for ship movements. When the Navy went a different direction than expected and passed over Francis company for a contract in Vladivostok, Russia, Shedd ran interference after coordinating with Lausman and Dolan, Shedd said.

The group had especially wanted Francis to get the contract  he had promised in an earlier toast to host another good time when the Blue Ridge arrived in Russia, Shedd said.

The last outing Shedd organized was the fall of 2008, days before he was set to transfer out of the Seventh Fleet for a post in Tennessee. It was karaoke bar-hopping in Tokyo with Dolan, Francis and Herrera, he said. At the advice of another officer, Shedd was training Herrera to take over his Francis coordination duties, Shedd said.

Francis had brought along his own female companion that night, and they befriended another woman at the bar, but it was Shedds understanding that there were no prostitutes on the agenda that evening. When they returned to their individual rooms, one of the companions called Shedd to complain that a man was banging on her door. It was a quite intoxicated Dolan, Shedd testified.

He said Dolan told him in the hallway, I want to get in there and (expletive) one of those girls.

Shedd said he had to wrestle Dolan, putting him into a headlock, to get him to go to his room.

Shedd was later promoted to commander, attributing it to his hard work in the Seventh Fleet but also to the relationships he had formed with some of the defendants.

He is expected to continue testimony on Monday, when he will be cross-examined by the defense. Shedd is believed to be among the final few prosecution witnesses to testify in the trial, now in its 10th week, before the defense puts on its case.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.

2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Visit sandiegouniontribune.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Tribune News Service) -- Three service members were injured Thursday after the military helicopter they were in made a hard landing at Fort Story in Virginia Beach.

The helicopter was conducting routine joint training at approximately 4:15 p.m. when the landing occurred, said Capt. Sarah Self-Kyler, spokesperson for Fleet Forces.

The three service members were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

As of Friday morning, one remained hospitalized.

The military branch or branches involved in the training was not released. However, spokespersons with the Naval Air Force Atlantic and the Fifth District Coast Guard Affairs confirmed the incident did not involve the Navy or Coast Guard.

In a hard landing, the pilot maintains at least partial control of the aircraft, whereas a crash is uncontrolled.

2022 The Virginian-Pilot.

Visit pilotonline.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Five military families who filed a lawsuit over unsafe housing and shoddy maintenance work in homes rented at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., have reached a pending settlement with the company contracted to manage the homes, according to federal court records.

The notice of a pending settlement filed in federal court Wednesday does not describe the details of the settlement between the families and the Michaels Organization, the private company that manages MacDill housing. However, the notice states it will be on an individual basis.

A case management conference is scheduled for May 18, according to court documents. A settlement would put an end to the more than two-year-old case.

The suit was filed in December 2019 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, claiming Michaels knew the houses at MacDill had mold problems and did not protect the health and safety of service members and their families. Instead, the company, known locally at MacDill as Harbor Bay, took an incomplete, piecemeal approach to remediating mold problems that was ineffective, according to the suit.

Three Air Force families -- Joshua and Traci Lenz, Ryan and Erica Morgan, and Gary and Kayla Elbon -- and two Army families -- Jason and Amie Norquist and Jason and Jenny Genrich -- initially filed the lawsuit as a class action case, according to court documents.

We filed as class action because hundreds of similarly situated families have been affected by these issues, Shanon Carson, an attorney for some of the families, said in 2019. This is not an individual issue that only affects five homes at MacDill Air Force Base. It affects literally hundreds of homes. These are rental units, so it affects multiple tenants of the same home because the problems are not being addressed tenant to tenant.

The companys actions were negligent and a breach of contract, a violation of Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, according to the lawsuit. Other names for the Michaels Organization listed in the lawsuit include Michaels Management Services, Inc., Interstate Realty Management Company, AMC East Communities and Clark Capital Realty.

A representative for Michaels declined to comment on the pending settlement Friday.

Attorneys for the military families did not respond to requests for comment Friday.

Both sides decided on the pending settlement during mediation held April 1, according to court documents. The anticipated settlement will resolve all claims brought by the families and claims for additional class action members.

Non-monetary details of the settlement are still under negotiation between the parties and some aspects of the agreement might require court approval, according to court documents. After those details are sorted out, the parties agreed to file to dismiss the case.

However, the dismissal will request the court retain jurisdiction to interpret and enforce the terms of the settlement, if necessary.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration sought Friday to downplay the role of American intelligence in the high-profile sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, distancing itself from any direct role in one of the greatest embarrassments for Russia since it attacked Ukraine.

A day after an American official confirmed that the U.S. provided Ukraine with information on the location of the ship, the White House and Pentagon described a limited role in last month's attack and said the Ukrainians make their own decisions.

The effort reflected the fine line President Joe Biden walks as he touts increasing support for Ukraine while fighting off criticism he isnt doing enough and simultaneously trying to avoid dragging the U.S. into a direct conflict with Russia.

We had no prior knowledge of Ukraines intent to target the ship, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case. 

Amid strong, bipartisan support for Ukraine, the administration has provided more than $3.4 billion in military assistance, and U.S. forces are actively training Ukrainian troops in the use of howitzers, drones and other hardware in a war now focused on the eastern Donbas region of the country.

The White House announced an addition $150 million in military support Friday that included artillery rounds, radar systems capable of detecting artillery projectiles, and other equipment.

Asked about reports that the U.S. provided intelligence on the Moskva, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Ukraine receives relevant and timely intelligence from the U.S., but also gets assistance from other nations and makes its own decisions about how to use it.

And if they do decide to do something with that intelligence, then they make the decisions about acting on it, Kirby said.

American officials insist this is a fight launched by President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine, not a proxy war with the U.S., and the intelligence assistance stays within these limits.

The Pentagon spokesman said the U.S. had no advanced knowledge of the attack on the ship, the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet.

We provide them what we believe to be relevant and timely information about Russian units that will allow them to adjust and execute their self-defense to the best of their ability," Kirby said. The kind of intelligence that we provide them, it's legitimate, it's lawful, and its limited.

An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the Moskva using its own anti-ship missiles. But given Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of those ships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Biden administration has ramped up intelligence sharing with Ukraine alongside the shipment of arms and missiles to help it repel Russia's invasion. The disclosure of U.S. support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraine's resistance and as polls suggest some Americans question whether Biden is being tough enough on Russia.

Since Putin ordered the invasion in February, the White House has tried to balance supporting Ukraine, a democratic ally, against not doing anything that would seem to provoke a direct war between Putin and the U.S. and NATO allies. As the war has gone on, the White House has ramped up its military and intelligence support, removing some time and geographic limits on what it will tell Ukraine about potential Russian targets.

The official who spoke Thursday said the U.S. was not aware that Ukraine planned to strike the Moskva until after they conducted the operation.

Speaking earlier Thursday after a New York Times report about the U.S. role in supporting Ukraine's killing of Russian generals, Kirby said American agencies "do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intel that they themselves are gathering and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions," Kirby said.

-

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed.
Farmers will now be able to access site specific weather forecasts and data from their smartphones in a new partnership between global farm-management company CropX, and MetService.

MetService will provide weather data for CropX to share via its cloud based platform direct to an app on the farmers phone. The data will be backed by science, based on modelling as well as from local observations from specific weather stations in farming hubs.

This partnership means that as well as farmers having access to the data our soil monitors provide, they will have further and fuller information on the weather in order to make good water and nutrient management decisions to ensure the best outcomes for the pasture in the growing cycle, with minimal water and fertiliser inputs, says Eitan Dan, Managing Director of CropX New Zealand.

The agreement will see CropX using MetService weather data on its farm-management platform, with MetService now a licensed reseller of CropXs technology.

No business could be more at the mercy of weather than farming, says Eitan.

New Zealand farmers make important and costly decisions based on the weather multiple times a day - so accuracy and ease of accessing weather information is essential.

We want to provide this to our CropX customers to supplement the data they receive from our soil sensors.

MetService rigorously evaluated CropX technology, and were impressed by the consistency and accuracy of the data and the seamless setup and operation.

MetService is thrilled to partner with CropX, who provide a great service to New Zealand farmers and growers, says Peter Fisher, Business Development Manager at MetService.

We employ over 100 meteorologists in New Zealand, and operate the most in-depth weather observation network in the country, including New Zealands weather radar.

We are very impressed with both the hardware and software CropX has developed to monitor various aspects of soil, including moisture levels, and we see multiple exciting synergies with CropX.

We are excited to leverage off each others expertise to provide very specific data to sectors outside of agriculture. In partnership with CropX, we are exploring opportunities in the electricity sector to monitor the soil environment where assets are underground, says Peter.

Its really important for us that we engage with local business partners wherever possible, says Eitan. We use an international weather company in other countries we operate in, but this partnership recognises the credibility and track record MetService has in the provision of very accurate weather information which successfully guides businesses in New Zealand every day.

CropX was founded in New Zealand six years ago after angel investors provided capital for initial work carried out by Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, a New Zealand Crown Research Institute. The company then moved to Israel. It has recently returned to New Zealand after acquiring Regen, an effluent and irrigation decision support company.

Eitan is excited for CropX New Zealand to continue growing its national presence and to work with more New Zealand businesses to help Kiwi farmers and growers.

Were very much a New Zealand business and we want to provide products and services which respond specifically to the needs of growers and farmers here in New Zealand who take land and water management - in the best interests of the environment - very seriously. We are supporting them with this, explains Eitan.

New Zealand is an agricultural powerhouse and is already so advanced and efficient with its food production, we want to help further improve those efficiencies and continue to help reduce the sector's environmental footprint and see a long future in the sector for CropX here.
Much-loved food personality Annabelle White is encouraging people in the Bay of Plenty to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast to support Kiwi women affected by breast cancer.

Pink Ribbon Breakfast is the Breast Cancer Foundation NZs largest annual fundraising campaign. Each May, thousands of Kiwis come together for good to raise vital funds for the charity. People can now sign up to take part at: pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for New Zealand women, with around 190 women in the Bay of Plenty DHB area diagnosed with it annually. The money raised from every Pink Ribbon Breakfast goes towards ground-breaking research, awareness and education programmes, and patient support services.

This is a cause close to my heart, after a close family member was diagnosed and then successfully treated for breast cancer, says Annabelle White.

Fundraising for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ is such a good idea and spreading the message of early detection is key. Hosting a Pink Ribbon Breakfast is easy and fun, and the perfect way to show some love in these crazy times were living in!

Breast Cancer Foundation NZs chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner says it doesnt matter if your Pink Ribbon Breakfast is big or small, fancy or casual, homemade or store-bought  every effort makes a big difference for women living with breast cancer.

Your generosity will take us closer towards our ambitious vision of zero deaths from breast cancer, so please, sign up to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast this May.

To provide inspiration for a Pink Ribbon Breakfast menu, Annabelle has donated a delicious recipe she created in last years lockdown.

This recipe is based on a treat I enjoyed while in Austria some years ago, and while we may not be heading to Vienna for some time, we can recreate a Viennese afternoon tea with these cookies. They are elegant, very delicate and quite special  just as your guest will feel at your Pink Ribbon Breakfast this year.

Annabelles Austrian Plum Cookies

Ingredients

120g softened butter

30g cream cheese (standard not spreadable)

150g golden caster sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

220g flour, plus extra for rolling

 tsp baking powder

30g ground almond

1 -2 tsp grated lemon zest

Plum jam for filling (about  cup)

Icing sugar to decorate

Method

Into the mixing bowl, place butter, cream cheese and caster sugar  blend well until soft and creamy. Add egg and beat till smooth. Sift flour and baking powder and slowly work into mixture  when half worked in (using your mixer), stop and add ground almonds, zest and very briefly incorporate.

Stop and add remaining flour by hand. Knead to a soft dough  being very gentle. Form ball and wrap in baking paper and place in fridge for at least an hour.

Roll out half the dough on a floured surface to about 2mm. Using cookie cutters cut out shape and with the other half of dough cut out shape using the same cutter but with nozzle of a piping bag make a little circle in middle of each piece and remove, like a Shrewsberry biscuit.

Place on baking paper trays and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 8-9 minutes until just golden and place on wire rack. When cool, dust the biscuits with the hole in the centre with icing sugar and then sandwich together with a little plum jam.

Recipe makes 40 cookies. Store in an air tight container for up to five days. The uncooked dough freezes well. For more information and to register to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast, visit: www.pinkribbonbreakfast.co.nz
A lack of clarity from the government about the Three Waters reforms has led to unnecessary angst, according to a Bay of Plenty leader.

Western Bay of Plenty District mayor Garry Webber told Local Democracy Reporting if the government had implemented the working group and been clearer about asset ownership and co-governance of the entities before mandating the reforms for councils, they might've avoided a fair bit of unnecessary angst.

Webber was one of 20 members of the working group appointed by the government to address the concerns raised by the sector about the reforms.

Three Waters will see the management of drinking, waste and storm water handed to four regional entities, instead of being managed by each of New Zealands 67 councils.

The working group made 47 recommendations and last week Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson, announced the government would adopt most of them.

One of the concerns raised was around ownership of the assets and privatisation.

The working group recommended a council shareholding model where councils would hold one non-financial share in their entity per 50,000 units of population. For those with populations below 50,000, one share would be given.

This was adopted by government and means Tauranga City Council will have four shares in Entity B and Western Bay of Plenty District Council will have two.

Though councils will in effect own the water entities, the entities would be governed by a regional representation group, of which members would be a 50-50 split between local council representatives and iwi group representatives.

Tauranga City Council commission chair Anne Tolley says: It is encouraging to see that the government has accepted most of the three waters working group recommendations, but there are still some significant issues to deal with around entity formation and governance.

Another issue Webber and the working group raised was the need for improvement in the governments communication and engagement with the public.

The advertising programme from the government was less than professional and caused a lot of confusion that led to misinformation, says Webber.

Tolley previously told Local Democracy Reporting the government advertising campaign undertaken to raise awareness of the reforms was a missed opportunity.

An image from the governments Three Waters campaign. Supplied image.

The campaign showed cartoon people who were unhappy with poor quality water while a voice over said the government was working to ensure Kiwis could keep drinking straight from the tap.

Webber says some of the misinformation pertains to Maori ownership of the assets.

What we've made very clear is the assets will be owned by the councils, he says.

Right from the outset, Maoridom made it very clear from day one ownership of the assets was never on their agenda.

Iwi have only ever been interested in Te Mana o te Wai  the health and wellbeing of the waterways and waterbodies, says Webber.

Protection of water quality in the rivers, lakes, oceans and harbours, that's what their driver was, he says.

According to Tauranga City Council engagement on the reforms one of the concerns raised by the public was how the governance arrangement would work, including the role of iwi.

Others were, transparency around the ownership and transfer of assets, entity ownership and how councils and communities can influence entity decision making.

Tauranga City Council commission chair Anne Tolley. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Tolley says the council will review the modified proposal to see how the concerns expressed by the community and mana whenua have been accommodated.

Following the review process, we will be able to provide an update on what this means for Tauranga Moana, and consider the next steps required to maintain our dialogue with government and ensure the best outcomes for our people, she says.

Both Tolley and Webber agree reform is needed to meet future national standards.

The intent of the reforms is not in question - all New Zealanders should have access to safe and affordable drinking water and the health of our streams and rivers is paramount, says Tolley.

To achieve that, it will be important for government and local government to work collaboratively.

Webber says sewage ending up in harbours, including here in Tauranga, boil water notices and contamination of drinking water, are just some of the issues seen around the country.

If we're supposed to be a first world nation something had to change, he says.

The status quo is just not a solution.

During the announcement last week, Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson, said: "Fundamentally these reforms are about delivering clean and safe drinking water at an affordable price for New Zealanders.

Without reform, households are facing water costs of up to $9,000 per year, or the prospect of services that fail to meet their needs, he says.

Webber says the reforms are about being efficient and effective in the three waters space.

Putting the water quality of our rivers, lakes, harbours, and oceans at the top of the, of the priority list. That's what we're protecting.

Mahuta was approached for comment but did not responded in time for deadline.

-Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription.

Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service.
The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime.
Trinity and Queens awarded 3.8m to establish All-Ireland Centre of Excellence in Economics, History & Policy

Trinity economists, in collaboration with colleagues in Queens University Belfast, have secured 3.8 million to establish the ground-breaking All-Ireland Centre of Excellence in Economics, History and Policy.

The Centre will play a leading role in contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by connecting economic theories to real world applications, by building a durable and stimulating research and teaching infrastructure, and by engaging in outreach activities.

A research team composed of Associate Professor Gaia Narciso, Assistant Professor Marvin Suesse and TRiSS Director, Associate Professor Ronan Lyons, along with colleagues in Queens University Belfast, were awarded the grant under the North-South Research Programme, a collaborative scheme financed through the Governments Shared Island Fund.

Understanding the deep historical roots of major challenges like global inequalities and climate change can help policymakers address their consequences, according to Prof Narciso. Taking history seriously will significantly enrich the study of economics and help to deliver policy outputs relevant to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, she added.

The Centre will provide training to new generations of economic historians: from offering internship opportunities for undergraduate students, doctoral training and postdoctoral experience for early career researchers, as well as a series of outreach activities in secondary schools across the island.

Plans to launch the Centre in September 2022 are already underway. The Department of Economics at Trinity and Queens Management School will begin to advertise a series of high-quality academic and policy posts in the coming months.
In a nutshell: If, for some unknown reason, you recently decided to type the same word five times into a Google Docs document and found it crashed the app, don't worryyou're not alone. It was all the fault of a bizarre bug that Google has now fixed.

User Pat Needham wrote on Google's support pages (via ZDNet) that writing the text string "And. And. And. And. And." on a Docs page within Chrome crashed the app. He confirmed it was present in Docs in his personal, G Suite Basic, and work account, and other users said it was also present in Firefox.

The issue was discussed on Hacker News, leading to speculation that it could be somehow related to the programming language or perhaps just a coding error.

People then set about looking for other words that would also crash Google Docs when typed five times with a period between each one. Some of those discovered included Therefore, Anyway, But, Who, Why, Besides, However, Dearness, Although, Besides, and Moreover.

One user wanted to do a thorough search for trigger words, so they started running through the entire dictionary in batches of 500 words. They discovered that Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, and Fourthly cause the bug, but strangely enough, Fifthly and any words above it (i.e., sixthly, seventhly, etc.) had no effect.

It didn't take long for Google to respond to the post on its support page and confirm it was working on a fix. One assumes it couldn't have been too challenging to address the issue as the quirk now appears to be gone. No word yet on what was the cause.

Image credit: XanderSt
Canadian e-commerce company Shopify will be locking another huge deal following its announcement regarding the acquisition of Deliverr for $2.1 billion.

The Ontario-based retail platform is now preparing for the biggest acquisition that is yet to come.

In doing so, the "end-to-end logistics" for the company will cater to more than millions of merchants all over the world, per Shopify founder Tobi Lutke.

Shopify To Acquire Logistics Startup

Acquiring a new startup comes with a goal. That's why Lutke believes that it will be beneficial for the whole organization. According to him, Deliverr will provide a huge help for several businesses through its logistics platform. 2

"Our goal is to not only level the playing field for independent businesses, but tilt it in their favor - turning their size and agility into their superpower," Luke writes in a blog post about the upcoming acquisition.

To further improve its inventory management, Shopify will incorporate Deliverr with the Fulfillment Network (SFN), which lets the merchants comply with the pending orders.

Furthermore, that's not the only thing that Deliverr will bring to the e-commerce platform. Techcrunch reports that Shopify can take advantage of the Shop Promise service, which focuses more on the customer's end.

Specifically, it will give them the option to have a two-day or next-day delivery. In addition, other perks that they can receive include returns, storage, and freight expansion, and inventory preparation.

Shopify Shares Plummet in Pre-Market Trading

In another story written by CNBC on Thursday, May 5, Spotify has recently seen over a 13% drop in its shares following the first-quarter results that came out this week.

Per Refinitiv survey of analysts, the Ontario-headquartered firm had 20 cents per share (adjustment earnings). That's too far from what Wall Street expects from it at 63 cents per share.

Even though there's a slight growth of 22% in its year-over-year revenue, Spotify did not reach the projected revenue of $1.24 billion.

Before the company purchased Deliverr, it successfully completed an acquisition of 6 River Systems for $450 million. The acquired startup is known for producing mobile robots, aside from developing cloud-based software intended for shipping purposes.

Related Article: Shopify Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales Hit a Record $6.3 Billion

Best Ecommerce Platform Software in 2022

If you're into the e-commerce industry and you want your business to reach more customers, then you can rely on some of the e-commerce solutions that excel this year.

According to Tech Times, the first software that you can use if you're looking for an e-commerce solution is Shopify. It remains to be at an undisputed spot in providing this kind of service to the consumers.

For other alternatives besides Shopify, you can explore WooCommerce, BigCommerce, BetterCommerce, and A2X.

The article has a detailed list of their features and benefits so you can understand more how they work. You will also find out which one is suited for your plans in your business.

If you're just getting started with this e-commerce venture, you can read our previous article about it. Shopify expert Steven Ridzyowski has shared four important steps that you need to follow before diving into this business.

Read Also: Shopify's One-Click Checkout Service Shop Pay Now Available on Facebook Merchants in the US

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SpaceX allegedly threatens endangered shorebirds in South Texas. This alarming detail was confirmed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

(Photo : Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

A sign welcomes you to Boca Chica near SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas on February 10, 2022. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP)

If this issue is not resolved, then there's a high chance that the local officials in Boca Chica will not allow the launch site expansion of SpaceX in the area.

This will be bad news for SpaceX since it expects that the Starbase expansion in South Texas will help it enhance its Starship rocket development.

SpaceX Threatens Endangered Shorebirds in South Texas

According to Gizmodo's latest report, FWS' latest findings claimed that two shorebirds (piping and snowy plovers) had already drastically dropped in numbers.

(Photo : Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

SpaceX's first orbital Starship SN20 is stacked atop its massive Super Heavy Booster 4 at the company's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. - Elon Musk's SpaceX has reassembled the world's tallest rocket ahead of a highly anticipated update on the company's Starship program in South Texas. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP)

Also Read: Starlink's Portability Feature Lets You Connect Anywhere in the Country for Additional $25

The environment agency believes that the recent SpaceX failed launches and other activities might have harmed the at-risk shore animals.

Now, FWS decided to send its draft letter, which contains its findings, to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"This document transmits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's draft biological and conference opinion (BCO) based on our review of the effects of the proposed SpaceXStarship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program," said FWS via its official document.

The latest draft report of the Fish and Wildlife Service claimed that the SpaceX activities in South Texas affect various endangered animals, such as sea turtles and shorebirds.

SpaceX Effects' Severity

FWS said that piping plover is among the most affected species in Boca Chica. The agency explained that around half of its numbers vanished between 2018 and 2021.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that if SpaceX is the reason for the missing shorebirds, then its Starbase expansion will have a critical effect on the overall habitat in South Texas.

The environment agency also provided how SpaceX might have affected the endangered animals. It said that the space agency's launch explosions, debris, generated heat, and pressure, could be among the reasons why lots of shorebirds died.

Meanwhile, Starlink satellites served as solutions for Ukrainians who can't access the internet.

On the other hand, SpaceX's Dragon capsule recently delivered the all-civilian crew mission to the International Space Station.

For more news updates about SpaceX and other space agencies, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: SpaceX Starbase Texas Expansion May Harm Endangered Animals! Will FAA Approve This Business Enhancement?

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The pig heart transplant man is one of the most ambitious health operations this 2022. David Bennett, the first man who received s a pig's heart, had his medical operation on Jan. 7.

(Photo : Photo by Joern Pollex/Getty Images)

A pig looks out from its pen at the Ebsen organic farm on January 13, 2011 in Langenhorn, Germany. Organic foods retailers are reporting a surge in demand following the recent dioxin contamination scandal sparked by the announcement by the German company Harles and Jentzsch that some of the fatty proteins it had supplied to animals feeds.

However, after two months, he suddenly died. Health experts were confused by his sudden death since the cause is still unidentified.

The University of Maryland Medical Center said that there is no clear cause of his death. Now, MIT claimed that the man died from a pig virus called porcine cytomegalovirus.

Pig Heart Transplant Man Infected by Animal Virus?

According to Independent UK's latest report, the pig virus discovered in Bennett's body is a preventable infection that was caused by the heart transplant.

(Photo : Photo credit should read JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Researchers carry out an autopsy on a wild boar to determine by analysis whether the wild boar was suffering from the African swine fever virus (ASFV), during a press visit at the center for the autopsy and analysis of wild boar carcasses, in Virton, on October 19, 2018. - Since October 12, 2018, the European Commission has defined an area of 63000 hectare.

Also Read: Neuralink's Test Monkeys for Brain Implants Die in Lab But Claims No Animal Abuse-PCRM Disagrees

"We are beginning to learn why he passed on. Maybe was the actor, or could be the actor, that set this whole thing off," said Dr. Bartley Griffith, a transplant surgeon at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

However, this information still needs further investigation since Griffith and other health experts are unsure if the pig virus is the main cause of the man's death.

UMSOM Professor of Surgery Muhammad M. Mohiuddin said that the evidence lacks, but there are signs of porcine pathogens in humans.

If further findings prove that the pig virus is the main cause of Bennett's death, health experts will be more careful regarding animal-to-human transplants.

This means that more screening processes will be conducted before animal transplants are approved.

Is the Pig Virus Concerning?

Griffith said that the detected pig virus in Bennett's heart transplant did not concern him at all.

He added that if the man was really infected, then health experts can prevent it from happening again in future xenotransplantation operations.

Some individuals still believe that pig viruses in humans can lead to another pandemic.

However, Jay Fishman, a Massachusetts General Hospital transplant infection specialist, Jay Fishman, said that pig viruses couldn't actually affect human cells.

Meanwhile, a new study claimed that bee pollination could create natural medicine for parasite infections.

On the other hand, health researchers recently tried to put human immune systems in pigs.

For more news updates about animal-to-human transplants and other similar health operations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Pig Heart Transplant Patient Dies, Cause of Death Unknown-Xenotransplantation Not Yet Effective?

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : NASA)

An international team of researchers based from London to Japan is paving the way for faster and far more accurate detection parameters surrounding tsunamis. Conventional methods rely heavily on seismic sensors, but the group vies to bridge a less costly and more streamlined approach to the form through long-existing sophisticated GPS networks.

Their work was published in full via the Natural Hazards and Earth Systems Sciences journal nearly a month ago, highlighting their efforts specifically regarding a 2011 earthquake in Tohoku-Oki. The team's research consists of various GPS data, leveraging this information to identify alterations to radio signals affected by a wave that's reducing the electron density in the Earth's ionosphere.

A tsunami typically forms due to an earthquake occurring beneath the sea, as well as nearby volcanic eruptions or even landslides. Ocean water gets picked up in droves, starting first in deep ocean areas where the waves reach no more than about a foot in height. Upon reaching coastal land masses, said waves are now reaching incredible heights at speeds of up to nearly 500 miles per hour, which is a testament to the necessity of far faster data streams in relation to said natural disasters.

The question then is how this assorted international team figured out a way to detect such terrifying forces of nature at the average GPS satellite altitude of 12,550 miles from the Earth's surface. Utilizing the GPS satellite's radio signals, the team detected slight disturbances amid the ocean's surface. As mentioned previously, the Earth's ionosphere is key to the whole process.

Related Article: Moon Crimes May Soon Be Prosecuted By Canada With Proposed Criminal Code Amendment

Following a massive disturbance beneath the ocean, air drives skyward from the main point of commotion, followed by an acoustic wave, all of which ascends to the 186 mile-high ionosphere. Amid this journey, the wave grows in scale, blasting into the ionosphere, where GPS satellites can then detect the aforementioned reduced electron density caused by the initial wave.

These satellites work in tandem with ground receivers, sending back and forth a radio wave that acts as the buffer. Any major calamity can theoretically be charted at the point of its very birth or as close to it as is scientifically possible. In their report, the international team of researchers posited that in the case of the Tohoku tsunami disaster, GPS data readings may well have been able to spot the calamity and alerted authorities at least 10 minutes prior to the wave reaching landfall.

"In 2011, Japan's warning system underestimated the [Tohoku] wave's height," explains senior author of the report, Professor Serge Guillas, in a press release. "A better warning may have saved lives and reduced the widespread destruction that occurred, allowing people to get to higher ground and further away from the sea."

Contemporary methods with seismic sensors tend to offer little in the way of accurate and full-fledged details surrounding a tsunami or general disaster of the ilk. In most cases, seismic readings merely offer a potential when as opposed to where it started, how tall it may be, and how much time remains before inevitable impact.

Adds Guillas, "Our study, a joint effort by statisticians and space scientists, demonstrates a new method of detecting tsunamis that is low-cost, as it relies on existing GPS networks, and could be implemented worldwide, complementing other ways of detecting tsunamis and improving the accuracy of warning systems."

Although the science isn't there just yet, as some time still remains before the team can more accurately determine a tsunami's precise shape and size, the initial data proves incredibly worthwhile and is beneficial for the future.

Read Also: 'Star Wars' Day: Can We Build The Millennium Falcon? Here's What The Science Says

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Custom Mac Studio and MacBook Pro shipments are expected to be delayed. This means that consumers who order these devices via Apple's online Configure To Order (CTO) option will need to wait longer than usual.

(Photo : CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese girls walk inside an Apple showroom in Shanghai on September 22, 2017.

Since Mac products ordered via Apple's CTO are now delayed, the best option for consumers is to purchase the basic models.

But, if you are patient, then you can still wait for your CTO Mac Studio and MacBook Pro shipments. The question is, how long do you need to wait for them?

Custom Mac Studio, MacBook Pro Shipment Delays Expected

According to Apple Insider's latest report, custom Mac Studio and MacBook Pro units are now expected to arrive in 10-12 weeks.

(Photo : Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

People are seen behind the Apple logo in Apple's flagship London retail store on Regent Street on December 27, 2006 in London, England.

Also Read: Is Apple's Self Repair Program a Mistake? Reports Claim Hardships in Fixing iPhone Battery

This is a long wait time compared to the usual shipment arrival, which can only take around five weeks. Now, here are the new shipment date estimates for the popular Mac Studio and MacBook Pro CTO units:

14-inch MacBook Pro: July 6 to July 21

16-inch MacBook Pro: July 6 to July 21

M1 Max Mac Studio: June 24 to July 1

M1 Ultra Mac Studio: 10-12 weeks

Apple hasn't confirmed the reason behind the latest shipment delays of its customized items. Although the tech manufacturer hasn't provided many details, some rumors claimed that the stricter health protocols in China could be among the reasons.

The ongoing global SoC scarcity is also blamed for the custom Mac Studio and MacBook Pro shipment delays.

When Will Chip Shortage End?

Since the chipset shortage is most likely the main cause of the delayed customized Apple Mac devices, then many consumers will definitely want to know when will the SoC scarcity last.

Toms Hardware reported that the global chip shortage is expected to end soon. Counterpoint Research firm claimed that the SoC issue will probably end around the second half of 2022.

But, this doesn't mean that the SoC shortage will be gone completely.

As of writing, application processors, RF equipment inventory levels, and 5G-linked SoCs are increasing in numbers, which really help many countries to ease the chipset shortages.

William Li, a semiconductor specialist, said that they are seeing significant enhancement in SoC supplies.

Meanwhile, resellers are also making their own efforts to prevent chipset scalpers from getting all the SoCs.

If you want to see more details about the chipset shortage predictions of Counterpoint, you can visit this link.

Meanwhile, Foxconn China recently offered bigger bonuses to attract more workers.

On the other hand, Apple's Mac Mini redesign plan is expected to be changed.

For more news updates about Apple and its popular products, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: [RUMOR] Early iPhone 14 Production Now Expected After Apple Allegedly Orders Foxconn To Recruit More Workers

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google Nest cameras bring a new feature now for the public to use. It introduces Amazon Alexa's voice assistant for users to access via their home smart security system. Recently, Amazon allowed the use of its world-renowned voice assistant that brings an accessible experience for all, and it aims to expand more of the Nest cameras.

Google Nest Now Features Amazon Alexa Voice Assistant

(Photo : Unsplash/Dan LeFebvre)

Google Nest

Google's innovative home camera system is bringing a new feature to its devices, and it is the Amazon Alexa voice assistant availability on its devices. The venture is a massive part of Amazon's move to allow its technology on third-party devices, something that will help in the integration of many apps and technology to work under one AI assistant.

According to The Verge, there are more applications than Amazon focused on bringing this venture for everyone to enjoy, and Google's Nest cameras are only one part of it.

Nevertheless, it brings an integration that extends the feature to many devices, and it may include the iOS, Windows PC, and other tech devices for the home and work.

Read Also: Amazon Alexa Can Now Notify You If The Item On Your Cart Will Be On Sale

Amazon Alexa Allows Third-Party Use of its Technology

Amazon announced last week that it is allowing its Alexa voice assistant to the many systems available in the world now, and it will enable the third-party use of its technology for many devices out there. It also changes the way it uses the technology for security purposes.

Some of it is the smart home integration for many systems, and it also includes devices like the Roku Fire TV, Fire Tablets, the Google Nest, and many more.

Google Nest and Amazon Alexa

Google also has an artificial intelligence voice assistant available on its devices and the Android OS for everyone. Still, it gets another company's technology to be the feature for smartphones most of the time. However, it is also an advanced system that brings assistance to focus on helping users, particularly for stolen passwords.

It does have a lot of notable competition in the market now, and it is a fierce one as Samsung has Bixby, and Apple has Siri to bring them a voice assistant that can also do the same things. One of its most famous competitors is the Amazon Alexa AI voice, which became a global phenomenon after Siri's initial fame.

Now, Amazon allows many companies to have stakes on Google's Nest devices and fully utilize its AI voice needs.

Google Nest and Amazon Alexa's partnership is a new step towards a future that does not have any bars held when using technology from one device to another. Its partnership encourages a new age for Nest cameras with a more significant AI experience, with Amazon delivering the technology for them right at their command.

Related Article: Apple, Microsoft, and Google to Roll Out a Passwordless Sign-In Feature Across All Platforms

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Lucid Air EV is seeing another price increase for the famous luxury electric vehicle from the company, and it is coming by the start of June for all subscribers. Buyers would also see the price hike in the Canada region, but it is likely to apply its new prices to the United States and other areas it made itself available.

The luxury EV brand and its lineup will have an increase that comes after a previous announcement that changed its prices.

Lucid Air EV: New Price Increase for June 1 in Canada

(Photo : PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Lucid released its Q1 2022 investor earnings report for the company, and it brings good news to its stakeholders that the company drove up a massive revenue at the start of the year. However, this good performance by the company is not all good news for all, as Lucid announced that it is bringing a price increase for its electric cars.

Lucid said new reservations would be priced in the U.S. with new markups for the EVs.

Its Air Pure.3 sees $87,400 for the base model, $107,400 for Air Touring, and $154,000 for Air Grand Touring. Lucid's new Air Grand Touring Performance model, announced just two weeks ago, is not affected by this and will stay at $179,000.

The new prices would reflect by June 1, and it would also be the same prices in Canada come to the same date.

The company said it is still eligible for as much as $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs.

Read Also: Lucid Motors Cuts 2022 EV Production Forecast-Here's Why

Lucid's Lineup to Reach 13 Percent Difference

The EV lineup will see a significant price increase on the electric vehicles that are yet to deliver to the public, and it will change many things for Lucid come this time. There would be a 13 percent difference for the electric vehicle, and it is a massive increase for the company, bringing a change that would be a reason to reconsider buying the luxury EV.

(Photo : Lucid Motors)

Lucid and EVs Price Increase

Lucid is not the only one that jacks up its prices and brings an electric vehicle to a slightly more costly markup than it previously got, as there are hardships in sourcing EV parts and battery cells. There was once a prediction that Lucid might also join manufacturers for jacking up the EV prices in their lineup, and it finally came through for the company.

Other notable companies for this include the rivals in the industry, Tesla and Rivian, which have had multiple chances to their prices in the past months.

Rivian initially faced many disputes and criticisms from the public and its shareholders for increasing its prices among its buyers and those with stakes in the vehicle. It went to a point where CEO RJ Scaringe apologized to an investor regarding this matter, especially as it did not meet its initial promised prices.

Lucid joins the club with electric vehicles that initially promised prices but is now at a point where it also needs to increase its fees by a certain percentage to meet its needs and earn from its sale. For now, Lucid's only electric vehicle lineup, the Lucid Air, is seeing this price increase, and there is no saying if this is the last of the hikes to happen.

Related Article: Nvidia DRIVE to Power EVs from BYD, Lucid via Chipmaker's Self-Driving Software

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Ford Motor Company, owner of the 2.5% of the U.S. electric vehicle market, seems to be shading Tesla's CEO Elon Musk.

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

COLMA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: The Ford Bronco logo is displayed on a vehicle at Serramonte Ford on January 05, 2022 in Colma, California.

"Fly Away on Their Personal Spaceships"

In a video released on May 1, which also happens to be the International Labor Day, the automaker released the "Ford For The Builders | Built For America" to highlight the efforts of its workers, however, it also seemed like it was a taking a subtle dig to Musk.

"Right now it could seem like the only people who matter are the loudest," the narrator says in the introduction while the footage shows someone scrolling on a smartphone.

"Those who want to tear things down and then fly away on their personal spaceships when things get hard," the narrator also adds, "But we've got 182,000 people and they're building."





Despite leading Tesla, which is Ford's biggest competition in the electric-car industry, Musk is also leading SpaceX as well, a rocket company responsible for transporting astronauts to space, providing internet satellites, and many more.

Musk said that he wanted to advance human exploration to space and possibly help humanity in colonizing Mars.

But the new ad could also be a jab directed to Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, who has actually explored the edge of space on a rocket made by his SpaceX competitor, Blue Richard.

However, the most probable target could be Musk, since it remains to be Ford and other automaker's biggest competition since it owns at least 53% of the electric vehicle market.

Ford's ad seems to imply that unlike others who are exhausting their time, money, and resources to travel to space, their company is focused on providing jobs to Americans and building cars.

Furthermore, it was also their way of highlighting the 182,000-person workforce behind the company and their $50 billion plan to electrify their vehicles.

The ad was first noticed by AdAge magazine, it can be streamed on YouTube but it will also be making its broadcast debut in the upcoming Kentucky Derby.

This seems to be Ford's attempt in resonating with the sentiments of middle class Americans who may be tired of billionaires flexing their power over the space exploration race and the acquisition of social platforms like Twitter.

Read Also: Tesla Says It's Under Another Investigation by Federal Equal Employment Agency

A Tribute to Workers

In a statement with Insider, a Ford spokeperson said that "the goal of the ad campaign is to celebrate all workers, beginning with Ford, which employs more hourly workers in the United States and assembles more vehicles in America than any other automaker."

Must is known to respond to critics or anything against him by voicing it out on Twitter. But as of now, the billionaire has not responded to this ad.

Related Article: 25+ Organizations Urge Twitter Advertisers to Prevent Musk's Free Speech for All

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch its record-tying 12th space flight tomorrow, Friday (May 6), and everyone can watch the action unfold in real-time.

(Photo : Aubrey Gemignani/NASA via Getty Images)

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - APRIL 27: In this handout provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti onboard, on April 27, 2022 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

This two-stage Falcon 9 is equipped with 53 of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites to help it prepare for its flight off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, particularly at 5:42 a.m. EDT (09:42 GMT).

It will also be the 12th launch for Falcon 9's first stage, the second time for the company to achieve this reuse record. If the plan proves to be a success, it will once again fly after Friday and is aiming to land the booster on its drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which is stationed off the Florida coast.

Read Also: SpaceX Starlink Provides Internet for 150,000 Daily Users in Ukraine

Starlink Mission

Named Starlink 4-17, this mission will jumpstart up to four Starlink launches which are all set for May 2022. For the mission's expendable upper stage, SpaceX has decided that Falcon 9 booster B1058 will serve as the starting pack.

It will also be launched for reusable fairing, and for 53 Starlink V1.5 satellites into space where it could potentially make Falcon as the third booster to fulfill its 12th orbital-class in the last two months.

It is also worth noting that Starlink is SpaceX's hugest and ever-growing constellation of broad satellites. In fact, the company has launched more than 2,400 Starlink spacecraft to date, majority of them were set this year and 10 of SpaceX's 17 launches have been dedicated to Starlink missions.

According to Teslarati, the Falcon 9's mission is just as standard as the previous Starlink launches, since it will take its flight and burn for two and a half minutes before "separating, flipping around, reentering Earth's atmosphere, and landing around 634 kilometers (393 mi) downrange on drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas (ASOG) six minutes later."

Furthermore, the payload fairing will be separated into halves after the occurence of a booster separation. Afterwards, parachutes will be deployed to ensure soft and safe ocean landings and recovery.

"Falcon 9's upper stage will reach a parking orbit about nine minutes after liftoff, reignite for just a second 45 minutes after liftoff, and deploy all 53 Starlink satellites 53 minutes after liftoff," Teslarati detailed in a report.

How to Watch?

You can watch the livestreaming launch through SpaceX's Youtube Channel. Turn on their notifications to ensure that you don't miss the whole event!

SpaceX is expected to launch more flights soon. In fact, the next-generation version of Starlink is providing internet services to many areas around the world. Additionally, it has been keeping war-torn Ukrainians connected to the Internet.

Last April, the company has been particularly busy and productive with six mission such as the Ax-1, the first private crew that flew to the International Space Station, and the latest Crew-4.

Related Article: Rocket Lab Tries Catching an Electron Rocket Booster with Helicopter

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/Bangyu Wang) Apple

The workers at the MacBook Pro Quanta factory in Shanghai, China, have clashed with authorities over the country's strict coronavirus measures.

Hundreds of workers were reportedly shoving past security guards and surging over barriers.

Workers Riot Over Strict COVID-19 Measures

Quanta is one of the several Apple suppliers affected by the zero-tolerance COVID lockdowns imposed by the Chinese government since April.

Most recently, Quanta's Shanghai plant had been reported to be slowly resuming production of the MacBook Pro and other Apple devices.

According to Bloomberg, the tensions at the factory led to a riot once the workers tried to return to their dormitories after their shifts on May 5.

The workers were pushed by barriers, and security guards wearing white protective gear attempted to contain the workers.

Also Read: Apple Supplier Foxconn Closes Deal For Ohio Car Factory; Apple Cars Coming Next?

One worker reportedly told the local media that workers are worried about the increased lockdown tightening because there are already positive COVID-19 cases at the factory.

Separately, the order times for a lot of Apple devices, including the MacBook Pro, have lengthened considerably because the supply chain is badly affected by the restrictions.

On Apr. 12, Apple iPhone assembler Pegatron halted production due to surging COVID-19 cases.

On Apr. 14, Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory was back to normal after the COVID-19 lockdown was lifted.

Delay in MacBook Pro Production

According to AppleInsider, the orders for anything but the base specification of the Mac Studio or MacBook Pro are currently facing significant delays.

Apple's online Configure to Order options for the Mac Studio, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the 14-inch MacBook Pro have all been delayed.

Similar to when the devices were first launched, each of them is now back ordered for anywhere up to 10 to 12 weeks.

Currently, the base 16-inch MacBook Pro can be ordered and picked up at any time, while the base M1 Max Mac Studio can be delivered in eight days from the day that it was ordered, according to iMore.

The configured options show much greater wait times. Making any changes, from choosing a different processor to adding software, prolongs the wait time.

For M1 Max Mac Studio, the delivery time is from June 24 to July 1. M1 Ultra Mac Studio, the wait time is 10 to 12 weeks.

For the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the delivery time is July 6 to July 21, and for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the delivery time is July 6 to July 21.

Apple's Studio Display is also experiencing delays, with all configurations - different stands, optional nanotexture screen - taking 8 to 10 weeks to ship.

These types of delays are now familiar when a device has just been launched, and it is a demonstration of the original demand.

There can be similarly lengthening shipping dates when Apple is running down stocks in preparation for new Apple devices, but none of these models are likely to be replaced for the next couple of years.

It is possible that the delays are due to the global chip shortage, or it could be because of China's coronavirus lockdown procedures halting production at many suppliers.

Units in Stock at Apple Resellers

Despite prolonged backorder delays at Apple, Adorama, an Apple authorized retailer, has several MacBook Pro models in stock and is ready to ship with discounts of up to $300 off.

The standard Mac Studio is also currently in stock at Adorama.

Related Article: Apple iPhone 12 Production in India is Down as Workers Are Hit by COVID-19

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
To bolster support for local PC brands, China is pushing corporations and government agencies to replace their computers within two years of service.

The authorities aim to avoid potential sanctions that Western countries might impose on them.

China Wants to Replace Foreign PCs in the New Two Years

(Photo :  from Unsplash)

China is ordering the corporations and agencies to replace their foreign-made PCs by mid-2024. Here's why

According to a report by Bloomberg, China has instructed the state-supported firms and government agencies to dump their personal computers made from other countries.

The country is eyeing the use of domestically-manufactured PCs to eliminate the overseas products gradually. Particularly, China says that there will be a mandatory program that will grant the governments a two-year grace period to switch to foreign computers.

By mid-24, it is expected that the government agencies will be able to replace at least 50 million personal computers in the country.

Why China Wants to Kick Out Foreign PCs

In another report from Tom's Hardware, the Chinese government might have some agenda behind this decision. First, the authorities want to focus on improving the country's overall economy without any reliance on foreign firms.

Moreover, it's also possible that it desires to create its own technologies that can compete with prominent global brands. Aside from that, China is targeting to upgrade its security for its commercial entities.

Although many products are made in China, their components come from either Europe or America. It's a known fact that Chinese agencies use foreign-branded PCs with the likes of Dell and Acer, but the government says that it wants to see more of its local brands.

We could expect that the Chinese PC manufacturers might increase in numbers in the future following this implementation. However, the companies still need a more advanced technology before being able to compete with known tech firms around the world.

Related Article: Hackers Backed by the Chinese Government Has Compromised the Computer System of 6 US States

China's Reliance on West

What China wants is to showcase its domestic products to the world, but it won't be easy since it relies on Western technology. Replacing the Chinese software with American or European software is a smart move since it's already proven to be an efficient alternative.

If China wants to create high-quality products from scratch, it will first need some help from the firms outside the nation.

Throughout the years, we have seen how the nation struggles to avoid foreign technologies at all costs. However, it appears that it could not go independent in the process.

Meanwhile, Apple has been exploring an option to expand its manufacturing outside the Chinese region for some time, per Tech Times.

In reality, the Cupertino giant could suffer from various consequences if that happens, including revenue loss and changes in investor relationships. The iPhone maker will adjust big-time just in case this takes place all of a sudden.

Read Also: Tencent Unveils Three New Computer Chips | Is China Looking Forward to Boost Semiconductor Development?

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/Souvik Banerjee) Twitter

On Friday, May 6, Elon Musk denied a claim by the head of former US President Donald Trump's new social media company that Trump had encouraged him to purchase Twitter.

Elon Musk Denied Buying Twitter is Because of Trump

In reply to a New York Post article about the claim by Trump Media & Technology Group CEO Devin Nunes, Elon Musk just tweeted, "This is false."

Trump quietly 'encouraged' Elon Musk to buy Twitter: Truth Social CEO https://t.co/VJSY6jPlaA pic.twitter.com/OJw1pwLtJx  New York Post (@nypost) May 6, 2022

Musk also added that he had no communication, directly or indirectly, with Trump, who has publicly stated that he will be exclusively on Truth Social.

During an appearance on Fox Business, Nunes said that Trump's social media app, Truth Social, was all for Musk's move to purchase Twitter and take it private with a $44 billion offer, which is an eyebrow-raising claim since the platform is a competitor to Truth Social.

Also Read: Donald Trump's 'Social Media' is a WordPress Blog-Facebook, Twitter Ban Still Active

Nunes, a former Republican congressman from California, added that Trump went and purchased Twitter before Elon Musk bought it because the goal of Trump Media & Technology Group is to build a community where people are in a family-friendly, safe environment.

Also Read:

In 2021, Twitter banned Trump for what the social media company said was a "risk of further incitement of violence" following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

The mob that stormed the Capitol were Trump supporters who disrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's election.

Trump announced plans to launch Truth Social as a competitor to Twitter in 2021 and said his social media company would become publicly traded through a deal with the blank check company Digital World Acquisition Corp, according to Independent.Co.

On Apr. 25, Twitter accepted Musk's offer to purchase the social media company, contingent on regulators' and shareholders' approval.

Nunes suggested that Trump's purported urging of Musk to purchase Twitter dovetailed with the mission of Truth Social. He said that they "encouraged Musk to buy it because someone has to continue to take on the tech tyrants."

Trump Won't Return to Twitter

In April, Trump told CNBC's Joe Kernen that he would not return to Twitter even if the Tesla CEO took over and reversed the ban on his account.

Trump had more than 90 million Twitter followers before the ban. The former US president said that he would be on Truth Social, and the platform is already on schedule to roll out. He also said that a lot of people have already signed up for the platform.

Trump added that he likes Musk and called him an "excellent individual." The former President recalled when he was in the White House and claimed that they did a lot for Twitter.

Trump expressed his disappointment about how he was treated by the social media platform, which prompted his decision not to go back.

Statistics show that Trump, who averaged up to eight tweets per day in the last half of 2017 and the first half of 2018, steadily increased the average in the following years.

The former president eventually averaged up to 34 tweets per day in his last half-year in office before he was banned on the platform.

Related Article:Twitter Bans MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Anew For 'Ban Evasion'

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The search for life in another planet has long been the pursuit of many astronomers. While there are high possibilities of life forms outside our planet, spacemen have gone on expeditions and returned but have not yet brought with them any proof of life beyond the Earth.

The latest experiment may just add to the huge possibility of life outside the Earth. Even without the proof of aliens, scientists found signs of life when they grew leafy greens - or reds - harvested from space.

For the first time, the International Space Station (ISS) is set to sample fresh red romaine lettuce grown in the microgravity environment of their orbiting laboratory.

In the NASA experiment Veg-01, researchers are assessing the in-orbit function and performance of the plant-growing facility as well as its rooting "pillows" containing the seeds. Steve Swanson, Expedition 39 flight engineer, activated, watered and continuously cared for the first "pillows" in May last year - as in the normal on-Earth plant growth system.

Harvest time occurred after 33 days of growth; the plants were brought back to Earth in October 2014 and were analyzed in Florida for food safety by NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The second batch of Veg-01 "pillows" was activated on July 8 by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, 15 months after the seeds were kept at the station. Again, the "pillows" were watered and cared for, for another 33 days before harvesting time.

According to Dr. Ray Wheeler, Kennedy's Exploration Research and Technology Programs Office lead, the idea of LED lights in growing plants originated with NASA about two decades ago during the 90s. The latest harvested plants have a purplish-pinkish blue surrounding color which resulted from the red and blue light emitted by the LEDs.

Green LEDs emit less light compared to red and blue LEDs; however, to make the veggies appear more appetizing, the researchers doubled the amount of green LED light.

Members of Expedition 44 are now ready to eat the fruits - or veggies - of their labor, the plants will be sanitized with food-safe citric acid. Half of the harvest will be set aside for further analysis, while the other half will go straight into the space veggie-hungry stomachs of the researchers.

Photo: Life in Monrovla | Flickr

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Dark Side of Sunset Pointe

Written by: Michael Allan Scott

Available In: eBook|Paperback

Author Website: http://michaelallanscott.com/

Lance Underphal was devastated by his wifes death, and now, the down-and-out crime-scene photographer cant let her go. He wakes up plagued by premonitions. The double shooting of an Arizona real estate developer and his mistress/bookkeeper immerse Underphal in a world of incomprehensible phenomena. Frank Salmon, the hard-boiled homicide detective on the case, does his best to blow off Underphals visions. But the murders keep piling up and the visions are all-too real. Salmon reluctantly pursues Underphals twists and turns, leading him from a popular strip club to a failing community bank, adding a blackmailing strippers murder to the body count. Underphal struggles mightily with his psychic curse, teetering on the brink of insanity. His only hope for redemption is the voice in his head, the voice of his dead wife. Stumbling through dark vortexes of murderous intrigue, he comes to realize his visions will either kill him or lead to the capture of a killer-maybe more than one.
Blue House into the arms of the people after 74 years... On the first day of opening, what is the site?
The Rev. Nathan A. Ryan, center, gathers with Donna Yelverton, left, president of the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge board of trustees; and guest minister, the Rev. Gretchen Haley. Ryan was formally installed as senior minister recently.
Louisiana Right to Life director: State has work to do, to serve the lives saved from abortion
US fintech giant Block has given a strong indication that it could launch its hit financial app in Australia, as it pushes ahead with integrating Afterpay after last years blockbuster takeover.

Block, which bought Afterpay in a record-breaking deal, on Friday delivered its first financial results since the takeover of the buy now, pay later (BNPL) juggernaut was finalised at the start of this year.

Block CEO Jack Dorsey admits that integrating Afterpay has provided challenges. Credit:Getty Images

Despite dramatic declines in BNPL share prices this year amid rising interest rates, Block said Afterpays loans were performing in line with historical averages, as it maintained the merger between the two fintechs would turbo-charge both companies growth.

A key focus for investors is the expansion of Blocks Cash App, popular app available in the US and UK, which offers peer-to-peer payments and allows trading in shares and cryptocurrencies.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size On Monday evening, Mike Cannon-Brookes pulled out his phone and took a photo of an idyllic pastoral scene near his home in the New South Wales highlands: a golden-orange sunset, a sparkling river, gum trees silhouetted against the blue sky at dusk. He uploaded it to Twitter, then tapped out a message. Stunning country were lucky to live in, he wrote. Lets keep it that way. Just as the post was filtering through his 105,000 followers, news was beginning to break in the financial community about a bold plan the billionaire investor had quietly set in motion  to swoop onto the share register of AGL, Australias largest carbon polluter. AGL Energy chief executive Graeme Hunt and Atlassian founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, who is seeking to block a demerger of AGL championed by Mr Hunt. Credit:Louise Douvis, Justin McManus, Wolter Peeters Cannon-Brookes  co-founder of software developer Atlassian, a green energy advocate, and one of Australias richest people  had amassed an 11.3 per stake in power giant AGL by relative stealth, instantly making him its biggest shareholder. In his next Twitter post, at 7.01pm, a link to a website hed created, Keep it Together Australia, explained in detail his reasons why. AGL, Cannon-Brookes said, was headed down a path that would entrench fossil fuels in our economy and was wholly inconsistent with limiting global warming. Through a controversial demerger, AGLs board is proposing to spin out its carbon-heavy power stations into a standalone company that would continue burning coal until 2045  more than 20 years away. The demerger is going to a shareholder vote on June 15. And Mike Cannon-Brookes is prepared to do everything he can to stop it. This isnt any old energy company, this is the old energy company  the largest energy company with the most customers, he tells The Age and the Herald.

Advertisement

AGL is going to a vote that may change the course of Australia. When Cannon-Brookes talks about these threats he perceives, the tone of his voice is serious. But when he begins outlining his vision for AGLs future  a bigger, better green electricity supplier that fully embraces the clean energy revolution  his excitement, at some points, is impossible to contain. Lets be positive believers! Cannon-Brookes bursts, his eyes wide and hands upturned. This isnt just philanthropy. This is investment. Theres a huge opportunity in front of this company. And Im determined to make that happen. For its part, AGLs board is unwavering in its resolve, this week telling shareholders it wholly rejects the premise of Cannon-Brookes criticism. Chief executive Graeme Hunt accuses Cannon-Brookes of peddling false claims and rhetoric without having a proper plan behind it. Cannon-Brookes has signalled he wants AGL to quit coal by 2030  in line with calls from the United Nations. Hunt says such a timeline is overly accelerated and insists the demerger is the companys best option, as does Grant Samuel, an independent expert that reviewed the proposal. For AGLs shareholders, however, the answer is not so immediately obvious. Investors contacted by The Age and the Herald say Cannon-Brookes intervention has added to significant questions about AGLs role in the clean-energy transition and deepened doubts about the boards blueprint for the future.

Advertisement

Were not sold on the demerger, says Jamie Hannah, deputy head of investments and Van Eck Australia, one of AGLs top-10 shareholders. Its a big ask what AGL is trying to sell. Debby Blakey, chief executive of $64 billion superannuation giant HESTA, which holds AGL shares for members, has warned the fund is unlikely to support the demerger unless it sees a clear strategy to fund renewables and commitments to retire its coal plants earlier than currently proposed. Loading Small retail investors, too, appear to be responding positively to Cannon-Brookes campaign, with hundreds of individuals contacting him via social media to indicate their support. I own thousands of AGL shares and will do as @mcannonbrookes suggested, said one. Cant wait to block the AGL demerger, move off fossil fuels and build a renewable world, said another. Ive got AGL shares and Im on board to #keepittogether. Six weeks from the vote, the considerations facing AGLs investors have big implications  not only because AGL is the biggest domestic contributor to climate change, but also because its outcome could influence much about the direction of Australias electricity sector more broadly, which, similarly, is at an important crossroads.

Advertisement

There is little doubt what the end goal looks like  a green grid, powered by wind and solar, supported by big batteries and pumped hydro. The question is: how fast should we get there? Discussions like this surrounding the future of coal have driven some of Australias deepest political divisions for a decade or more. The difference today, explains Matt Pearce, KPMGs power and utilities lead, is that the debate is happening in real time. After years of extraordinary growth in renewable energy, the market is firmly in the midst of major upheaval, with power prices being pummelled to intraday lows where expensive fossil fuels can simply no longer compete. This isnt something in theory or far away, says Pearce. The rubber is hitting the road. By this time next year, AGLs Liddell coal-fired power station will have been switched off for good. By this time next year, AGLs Liddell coal-fired power station will have been switched off for good. By as early as 2025, Origin Energy will have closed the nations largest coal plant, Eraring, up to seven years earlier than originally planned. Then by 2028, EnergyAustralias Yallourn generator in Victoria will have shut  four years early. All the while, renewables are gaining ever-greater market share, reaching a record 30 per cent of the energy mix in the December quarter. For obvious reasons, many Australians who have long wanted to see the country act more urgently in embracing a greener electricity sector, see this trend as decidedly positive. Speeding up the retreat from coal will go a long way in cleaning up greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reducing the grids reliance on ageing, failure-prone and expensive-to-run generators. And because wind and solar are the cheapest sources of electricity, they say, power bills will go down, not up. Others, however  including Prime Minister Scott Morrison  describe coal as crucial to our electricity grid, and mount the case that moving too quickly to green energy risks causing volatility in the market when the wind isnt blowing and the sun isnt shining, which may send prices higher and raise the danger of blackouts.

Advertisement

For a country that still relies on black and brown coal for more than two-thirds of its power consumption, the prospect of getting rid of it almost entirely in just eight years time is not a small ask. Still, experts believe doing so is, in fact, achievable while also keeping the lights on and prices affordable  so long as there is a concerted effort across industry, government and customers to make it happen. It requires managing a number of risks, says KPMGs Pearce. A lot of things need to happen all at once. One is ensuring there is enough new renewable capacity coming into the system. Renewables are rapidly rising  but against the backdrop of so many coal plants closing in coming years and the looming spike in demand from power-hungry electric vehicles, will it be sufficient? Then there is the need for batteries, gas or pumped hydro, which can supply on-demand electricity when its needed most. Another focus must be transmission  poles and wires linking dispersed renewable energy zones to the centres of demand. If we can get in front of the transition and put the requisite steps in place, then you wont get the price shocks ... if we are playing catch-up, there could well be, says Pearce. AGL chairman Peter Botten. Credit:Bloomberg The decision to break up AGL into two entities was announced last year after it sank to a $2 billion full-year loss. Chairman Peter Botten declared AGL had reached an inflection point, as the influx of rooftop solar and wind and solar farms hammered power generators profits and cast a cloud over the companys outlook.

Advertisement
Brisbanes largest ever celebration of street art opens this weekend, showcasing local and international artists in a city still developing its creative side.

The Brisbane Street Art Festival will feature 50 live public murals and installations, fostering collaboration between artists and amateurs alike, in places like the Howard Smith Wharves, South Bank, and the Queen Street Mall. There will also be events and workshops.

A piece by Brisbane-born artist Russell Fenn, better known as Sofles. Credit:Brittany Campbell, Brisbane Street Art Festival

For the first time, the festival will also have a bustling central hub known as Superordinary Northshore, where a warehouse in a once industrial part of Hamilton  earmarked for an Olympic revival ahead of the 2032 games  will act as a drawcard.

Festival director Lincoln Savage said he hoped to see connections between artists, and between artists and the community, to build a shared appreciation of street art.
During a moment of respite, Lorraine told herself to never forget even the smallest details, like the missing button on her husband Harrys shirt, the cracked glass on a nurses fob watch, the shriek of laughter from another room.

Credit:Jim Pavlidis

But then came another wave of pain, and the alarming sight of her obstetrician pulling on the forceps, his neck veins popping. Christ! Youll rip its bloody head off! Harry said.

Loading

After an eternity of minutes, her baby arrived, red and puffy, and her world expanded exponentially.
Whats next for Tanya Plibersek? As this column revealed, the popular education spokeswoman was left off the invite list for Labors no-expenses-spared campaign launch in Perth last week.

But its good to see Pliberseks star appeal isnt lost on her other Labor colleagues. The turbo-telegenic Labor star is headlining a fundraiser next week for Bennelong challenger Jerome Laxale in the electorate on Sydneys North Shore.

Lending a hand: Kevin Rudd and Tanya Plibersek. Credit:Shakespeare

The marginal seat is held by outgoing Liberal tennis champ John Alexander and was once held  and lost  by former PM John Howard.

Laxale has also secured former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd for another moneyspinner in the same week. In an email blast sent titled First Tanya, now Kevin Rudd, Team Laxale waxes lyrical about securing Labor royalty.
Scott Morrison has confirmed that, if elected, he would deal with the issues of passing a Religious Discrimination Act and protections for gay and trans students separately.

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg today renewed his call for religious freedom laws to be dealt with at the same time as protections for gay and trans students.

Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg. Credit:James Brickwood

Thats a separate issue and would be function of the other matter first, Morrison said.

We would be dealing with RDA (the Religious Discrimination Act) first.

Our commitment was to go forward with the RDA and we will go forward with the RDA in its own right and I look forward to that getting the support in the parliament.

Bragg, who was poised to cross the floor in the upper house on the bill earlier this year to support more protections for LGBTQ students, told todays Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the issues must be dealt with closely together - although not necessarily in the same package of legislation.

All the issues on students and teachers need to be dealt with at the same time as the religious discrimination bill. This mustnt be a choice between people of faith and the LGBTQ community, Bragg told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The public dont have much regard for journalists and many people will be critical of the gotcha questioning that found Anthony Albanese on Thursday unable to recite the six points of his policy on the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Pursuing gotchas is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. Weve seen plenty of it recently. A while ago, Scott Morrison didnt know the price of petrol or bread. Because a leader cant rattle off a list doesnt necessarily mean they dont know a policy, and usually there are deeper questions the public would like explored.

Labor climate change and energy spokesman Chris Bowen and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese view their notes on Thursday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Having said that, the NDIS moment was unfortunate for Albanese. And he wasnt convincing when later on the ABC he denied hed been caught out, although hed win sympathy for his contention that one of the things that puts people off politics, I think, is the sort of gotcha game-playing.

The incident brought back memories of his stumble at the start of the campaign  when he couldnt recall the unemployment and cash rates  and it played into the impression he isnt good on detail. Before the news conference, he had been grilled on TV about whether he was really across his brief.
Richard Morecroft (66), former ABC news presenter, journalist and photographer, met Alison Mackay (56) in Far North Queensland 31 years ago when he was on holiday and she was working on a diving boat. He didnt know then that she was a dab hand with a sledgehammer.

Alison Mackay and Richard Morecroft: When Alison isnt around, I do think about what her perspective would be and thats helpful. Credit:Dean Dampney

Richard: I met Alison in 1990 when I was on holiday at Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland. I booked a scuba-diving expedition and Alison was working on the boat. We started chatting and I could see she had a fine, sparking mind and shared my passion for the natural environment. When I helped her carry the equipment up the beach, I realised how strong she was; it was very heavy. That was the beginning of a long pattern of me being in awe of her physicality. I asked her to join me for dinner and then we played pool: she was an elegant player, ruthlessly efficient. We didnt think wed see each other again since she was heading back to the UK; she gave me her parents address there, though.

One Valentines Day, I gave her a sledgehammer, which she wielded with glee and huge impact.

We exchanged letters and, in late 1990, I visited her in England. We had a wonderful few weeks together and, by then, I was very keen. When I returned to Australia, we kept writing; our rule was that it was only to be letters  theyre more considered than phone calls  and only written in fountain pen. We still have those letters more than 30 years later.
Sightings off Cronulla of a jellyfish that shares structural features with northern Australias deadly box jellyfish have prompted an expert to raise concern about first aid practices for jellyfish stings outside the tropics.

Its a heck of a find, said Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin, a Launceston biologist who has described more than 200 types of jellyfish. Needless to say, that sucker doesnt belong there.

Scott Belcher, who filmed a strange jellyfish off Cronulla last week (inset), at Cronulla on Friday. Credit:Main photo: Peter Rae

Gershwin said the jellyfish was definitely not the northern box jellyfish (commonly known as the Australian box jellyfish), the supercharged Ferrari of death that reigns as the worlds most venomous animal. But until the jellyfish filmed in Cronulla, in Sydneys south, is officially identified, she is holding equal space for the possibility the jellyfish is dangerous or harmless.

Ocean swimmer Scott Belcher saw the jellyfish about 800 metres from the shore twice last week. He circles Shark Island in Cronulla most mornings with the swimming group SIPS (Shark Island Psycho Swimmers).
The family of a three-year-old girl who was left in a minibus parked at a Queensland childcare centre for six hours say she is recovering minute by minute, but are angry she was forgotten.

Nevaeh Austin was airlifted from a Rockhampton to the Queensland Childrens Hospital on Wednesday and underwent a deep brain scan and treatment for kidney failure, her father Shane said earlier this week. She was in a serious condition.

Homepage composite of Nevaeh Austin, who was found unconscious in a bus outside Le Smileys Early Learning Centre in Queensland.

Her grandmother Pam on Friday morning said Nevaeh was recovering and improving minute by minute.

Shes doing absolutely fantastic, I couldnt have asked for a better outcome, she told the Today Show.
Barefoot and alone, the toddler of a missing Australian woman was holding a flashlight and repeating one word as she ran into a Mexican church: Mummy.

Australian authorities are working with Mexican police to find 32-year-old Tahnee Shanks, originally from the Whitsundays, who was reported missing to Mackay police on Wednesday.

Shanks disappeared in the popular tourist city Cancun and has not been heard from in days.

Her former partner, Jorge Aguirre Estudillo, is also missing.
There is a picture circulating on social media of a boulder hovering before a tree-topped cliff, seemingly suspended in the air. The caption reads: This picture is real and was not edited, the stone is real, the trees are real, the soil is real and the sky is real. Now the only thing you have to do is change your perspective. Look at the picture from upside down.

Turning your phone upside down, the picture is mundane. It shows a rock sitting in the middle of a creek. The sky and trees are reflected in the water. What appeared to be a cliff is the river bank.

Ben Roberts-Smith outside the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday. Credit:Peter Rae

It has been a turbulent few weeks for Ben Roberts-Smith in his defamation claim against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times. The second witness called to support his case was arrested and charged with a criminal offence shortly after stepping out of the witness stand, and the third liked an Instagram post apparently calling the newspaper lawyers f---tards among other spicy language.

By comparison, the testimony of Roberts-Smiths fourth witness was a model of credibility. Person 29 came across as considered and coherent against the previous witnesses unbridled machismo.
Premier Daniel Andrews has reportedly been secretly questioned by anti-corruption investigators over his association with an allegedly corrupt property developer.

The Australian on Friday revealed Andrews was probed in private hearings as part of Operation Sandon, a long-running Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission investigation of alleged corruption in the City of Casey, in Melbournes south-east.

Daniel Andrews has reportedly been questioned by anti-corruption investigators over his association with John Woodman. Credit:Joe Armao

The revelations come a week after The Age reported IBAC also interviewed the Premier in private as part of its investigation into allegations of branch stacking in the Victorian Labor Party, dubbed Operation Watts. Both IBAC investigations were prompted by reports in The Age.

One of the focuses of Operation Sandon was whether Andrews had been given the phone number of developer John Woodman, who has been accused of doling out more than $1.2 million in corrupt payments to Casey councillors and buying political influence by pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into Labor and Liberal party coffers.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison stopped talking to Manasseh Sogavare over concerns the Solomon Islands Prime Minister would become volatile and misrepresent the conversation.

Sogavare this week claimed his country had been threatened with invasion by opponents of its security agreement with China and suggested Russia was not the aggressor in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with his Solomon Islands counterpart Manasseh Sogavare in 2019. Morrison was this year advised not to pick up the phone to him. Credit:Nine

Australia has been critical of the recently signed security pact signed between Beijing and Honiara, fearing it could pave the way for a permanent Chinese military presence in the Pacific island nation and criticising the Chinese government for insisting the text of the agreement be kept secret.

Morrison and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne have been criticised by Labor for not doing enough to stop the deal from being signed.
The Simpsons Against the Liberals page told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that they are most popular among 25-34 year olds. This demographic maintains an almost-religious devotion to the show. A post from the Young Liberals making fun of Albaneses gaffe. Credit:Young Liberal Movement of Australia From the 90s and into the late 2000s, Channel 10 would constantly rerun classic Simpsons, giving millennials a particular nostalgia and familiarity with the show. Back then, there were only a couple of TV channels, the Simpsons Against the Liberals page said. The show has a much bigger cultural impact in Australia than it does in America, where it is from, as Americans had so many more TV channels to choose from.

Brendan Dando, the Australian host of the worlds most-listened to Simpsons podcast Four Finger Discount said, sitting in front of the TV at 6pm weeknights was a ritual for any Simpsons fan in the 90s. A post about Morrisons recent curry mishap. Credit:Simpsons against the Liberals Australia has one of the worlds most dedicated Simpsons fan communities, says Dando, this love of the show has carried over into how we all express ourselves online. Mark Cincotta, the face of the 100,000-member-strong Simpsons fan group Compuglobalhypermeganet Australia and New Zealand, also makes memes using images from the show. I remember becoming obsessed with it as a kid, watching it on TV whenever I could, and arguing with my Dad because we only had one TV, he said. I was always known for Simpsons quotes, I just remember thinking it was the best show and I watched it over and over for years.

The 25-34 age group dominates Facebook, which is widely used in Australian politics. This demographic has also grown up with the internet, and according to a 2016 study from Middlesex University, are the largest and most experienced users of social media. Young Liberal Simpsons post published during the 2022 South Australian Election. It features several Liberal candidates. Credit:Young Liberal Movement of Australia Simpsons Against the Libs was established the day after the 2014 Federal Budget. That budget was awful, and the page was made to make fun of the budget, said Simpsons Against the Libs. The page has become a prominent player in the Australian satirical space, even getting into an 11-hour comment war with Liberal MP Andrew Laming in 2016.

What we love about the Simpsons against the Liberals is that it truly is a community  people get involved, they submit memes, encourage people to enrol to vote, our marriage equality campaign, fundraising, and so on. We can thank Tony Abbott for this page. Simpsons memes have since seeped into official Liberal campaign materials. Just last week, the Young Liberal and Labor pages posted memes that used the same Simpsons joke format. The ALP and Liberal parties posting the same joke format. Credit:Facebook On Tuesday, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers compared the Prime Minister to the shows main character. Scott Morrison saying hes not focused on the politics is like Homer Simpson saying he is not focused on the doughnuts.

Dr Ariadna Matamoros Fernandez, a lecturer of digital media at QUT, says memes allow political parties to engage audiences that are difficult to reach through mainstream channels, and that the Simpsons is often used because of its broad appeal and recognisable style. Even if you werent born at the peak of the show, you still know the characters and what they signify. An examination of the official federal Liberal pages shows the Coalition started publishing Simpsons memes this year. The Coalition campaign headquarters told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that they use The Simpsons formats simply because the show is popular. Loading We create content for specific audiences, understanding that certain items appeal to different demographics, they said, The Simpsons is a show that has been popular for many years, therefore the content is applicable to a wider audience. Simpsons Against the Liberals believe they are at least partially responsible for the rise in political Simpsons content.
London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing calls to change his style or face mutiny after the Conservatives lost control of a string of councils across the United Kingdom as voters sent a message to the government over the Downing Street parties scandals and cost-of-living crisis.

The Tories have lost control of two flagship London councils, Wandsworth and Westminster, in what is likely to be viewed a symbolic defeat for Johnson by his enemies within the government.

British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in London. Credit:Getty

The results could fuel further speculation over Johnsons leadership after both he and his Chancellor Rishi Sunak were fined after attending a prime ministerial birthday party during lockdown, as well as more recent anger over the governments handling of the cost-of-living crisis.

Wandsworth had been held by the Tories since 1978 and was reportedly Margaret Thatchers favourite council, but it fell to the Labour Party early on Friday morning GMT. Westminster had been held by the Tories since 1964.
Belfast: Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA, looks set to claim top spot in elections in the British province of Northern Ireland for the first time this weekend (AEST), a historic shift that could bring the once-remote prospect of a united Ireland closer.

Sinn Fein secured 29 per cent of the first-preference vote compared with 21.3 per cent by the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), indicating it was likely to become the first Irish nationalist party to win the most seats in the regional assembly since the provinces creation in 1921.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald in Belfast. Credit:Getty Images

Sinn Fein on course to hold the first minister job is an earthquake for Northern Ireland politics, said Bill White, chief executive of polling company LucidTalk. This is seismic.

A Sinn Fein victory would not change the provinces status, as the referendum required to leave the United Kingdom is at the discretion of the British government and likely years away.
Washington: The US Senate confirmed Caroline Kennedy, a former ambassador to Japan and daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, as the US ambassador to Australia, an important ally to the United States.

Kennedy, 64, is an author and attorney. Her father was the 35th president of the United States, who served from 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. She previously served as US ambassador to Japan from 2013-2017 under former President Barack Obama.

Caroline Kennedy has been confirmed as the US ambassador to Australia. Credit:Bloomberg

She heads to Canberra as its relationship with Washington strengthens in response to Chinas growing power and increasingly assertive behaviour in Asia and beyond. Like Japan, Australia is a member of the so-called Quad grouping, along with the United States and India, which has been expanding cooperation in the face of Chinas rise.

Kennedy succeeds Arthur Culvahouse, who left the position in early 2021, when former Republican President Donald Trump left office.
Would you give up a kidney if your sibling really needed one? What about your child's kidney? And what if that sibling had spent his life undermining you? Does he still deserve one of your vital organs, when you have two? These are the questions Dr. Charles Gluck poses to the audience with his medical melodrama Our Brother's Son, now making its New York debut at the Pershing Square Signature Center. If you're like me, you won't ponder them for long.

The playwright introduces us to an American family, unhappy in fairly typical ways (or so it seems): Oldest brother Leo (Allen McCullough) runs the family business (a textile factory) with his younger brother David (Dan Sharkey), a recovering depressive who earns about a third of what Leo does. Their sister Gail (Leeanne Hutchison) has wisely opted to work elsewhere, but she still knows where the bodies are buried  complicity being a central feature of omerta.

And like a mafia don, Leo buys loyalty with patronage: He footed the tuition bill for Bradley (Harrison Chad), son of David and his salty wife, Mindy (Liz Larsen). But it's been 18 months since graduation and Bradley has rarely left the computer screen in his basement lair. So when it is revealed that Leo is suffering from advanced kidney failure and will require a transplant, he and his wife, Susan (Midori Nakamura), naturally look to Bradley, who doesn't seem to be doing much with his.

Gail (Leeanne Huchison), Mindy (Liz Larsen), and David (Dan Sharkey) listen as Susan (Midori Tashima Nakamura) and Leo (Allen McCullough) ask them to submit to a blood test to see if they are a match for organ transplant.

( Russ Rowland)

Dr. Gluck indirectly raises ethical questions surrounding the relationship between capital and unprecedented longevity, a theme that has been too rarely considered in the theater (most notably in Lucy Kirkwood's The Children). Personally, I'm waiting for someone to dramatize this Paul Krugman column that imagines America as a society ruled over by centenarian billionaires.

Leo is obviously a loathsome figure: We know this from his first scene, in which he berates David for not sharing his keen business sense. McCullough plays him with an arctic freeze that goes beyond the emotional decay one can expect from an American man of a certain generation. Even his moments of pathos feel calculated and reptilian. Taken with McCullough's naturally angular features, Leo comes off like Nosferatu in a cardigan. Sure, it's a matter of life and death, but it's hard to care when the character in question is already undead.

The playwright compensates for this lack of stakes with much screaming in the kitchen over shocking reveals that will make you gasp or guffaw, depending on your taste for these things. It was a mixed bag for me: While I saw Dr. Gluck setting up his dominoes from a mile away, it was still fun to watch the spectacular destruction that transpires when he knocks them all down.

Liz Larsen, Dan Sharkey, Midori Tashima Nakamura, and Allen McCullough appear in Charles Gluck's Our Brother's Son off-Broadway.

( Russ Rowland)

Much of this has to do with solid performances from the cast, especially Larsen, who gets all the harshest lines and slathers them with extra vinegar. David, played by Sharkey as the ultimate sad sack, never stands a chance. Nakamura brings a needling insistence to Susan that feels right for the role. As the sibling who resists, Hutchison embodies a painful fortitude. And Chad easily steps into the role of the hapless late millennial just waking up to the avarice of the older, richer people around him.

Director David Alpert partially succeeds in delivering a tight staging of a play that might work better as a movie with a rapid succession of short scenes. Adam Koch attempts to make the transitions speedy with a rotating set. He and lighting designer Alan C. Edwards seems to have gone hog wild at Lamps Plus with an array of floor, table, and hanging fixtures, the logic of which has remained on the design meeting table. A bed, two gray armchairs, and a sofa endlessly spin around the stage, looking like a West Elm showroom jazzed up with a giant lazy Susan. And it's still not enough to facilitate every space Dr. Gluck's script calls for: By the end, black-clad stage ninjas place and strike more chairs during blackouts (underscored by Nathan Leigh's urgent original compositions). The image of autumn leaves falling off tree branches acts as a giant metaphor painted on the upstage wall  a touch as subtle as anything else in this play.

As you might have guessed, Our Brother's Son is a vanity project by a retired gastroenterologist (the name above the title, "Family Pool Productions," suggests the sacrifices made to bring this play to the off-Broadway stage). Dr. Gluck is certainly better qualified than I am to comment on the ethics of organ transplants from the young to the old. And perhaps as someone who has spent a career witnessing hard choices, he wanted to let his audience off easy. As a new dramatist, however, it's tantamount to malpractice.
The art of letter writing (and reading) can often be found between the lines. This is especially true when you are corresponding with a person in an authoritarian society  like Nazi-occupied Poland. That is the case for the Hollander family in Karen Hartman's gripping and emotional The Lucky Star, now making its New York debut with the Directors Company at 59E59 as part of the inaugural Volt Festival.

It's summer 1939 and Joseph Hollander (Danny Gavigan, handsome and heroic) is the crack travel agent of Krakow. With the Wehrmacht just eight miles away and poised to strike, Joseph has secured safe passage and Portuguese visas for his entire family, all of whom are Jewish: Mother Berta (Dale Soules), older sisters Dola (Alexandra Silber), Klara (Eva Kaminsky), and Mania (Nina Hellman), Mania's husband, Salo (Mike Shapiro), and Klara's daughters, Genka (Skye Alyssa Friedman) and Lusia (Alexa Shae Niziak).

But while Joseph is dead set on leaving Poland, they aren't ready to assume the worst just yet. And that is certainly understandable when assuming the worst means abandoning a comfortable upper-middle-class existence for the life of a stateless refugee. "Not Anatevka, think Central Park West," our narrator says to help us see beyond our hindsight.

Sky Smith plays Craig, and Steven Skybell plays Richard in The Lucky star off-Broadway.

( Carol Rosegg)

That's Richard Hollander (Steven Skybell), son of Joseph and product of his father's decision to emigrate: After being turned away in Lisbon, Joseph lands in New York, where he begins a years-long battle for legal status. The whole time he sends what aid and comfort he can to the family back in Poland. The voices of the past echo onstage as the actors recite their furtive yet evocative responses, all of which had to make it past Nazi censors. Richard has curated these letters (which he discovered in a briefcase after his father's death) into a book titled Every Day Lasts a Year: A Jewish Family's Correspondence from Poland, which is real.

And yet, we cannot help but suspect that, like his letter-writing forebears, Richard is seeking to conceal something  or at very least, flatten his family's story into a tidy lesson about perseverance in the face of catastrophe. Skybell delivers a somewhat smarmy performance as Richard, gushing about his father's heroism, enthusing about his family's own amateur historical detective work, and pausing to highlight the line that became his title. It all feels like the kind of forced ease one puts on during a job interview.

Danny Gavigan plays Joseph Hollander, and Steven Skybell plays Richard Hollander in The Lucky Star off-Broadway.

( Carol Rosegg)

Director Noah Himmelstein masterfully builds tension and suspense in the first act, culminating in the late arrival of Richard's son, Craig (Sky Smith), to cast doubt on dad's inspirational Holocaust narrative  like Norman Finkelstein crashing the wrap party for Schindler's List. Smith artfully walks the line between loving son and caustic asshole, so that we simultaneously feel bad for Richard and at the same time wonder what exactly he's hiding.

At the risk of printing a spoiler, it's not much  which is just further credit to Himmelstein and his cast, who keep us on tenterhooks until the very end with a script that eventually does settle into a more tried-and-true Holocaust story about courage, sacrifice, and loss.

Alexandra Silber and Danny Gavigan star in Karen Hartman's The Lucky Star, directed by Noah Himmelstein, for the Directors Company at 59E59.

( Carol Rosegg)

Several performances stand out: Mike Shapiro and Nina Hellman make a memorably frightening turn as an American immigration officer and translator, hammering Joseph with cold and increasingly accusatory questions in an effort to wear down his resolve. Dale Soules easily slips into the role of Arnold Spitzman, a teenager who accompanied Joseph to New York and managed to survive into old age. And Silber is surprising and delightful as two different woman who find love in unlikely places.

Daniel Ettinger's set perfectly facilitates a story that leaps across oceans and decades, with Caite Hevner's projections of smartly selected historical photographs and Elisheba Ittoop's complementary sound helping to bring this history to life. David Burdick effectively costumes the actors to distinguish between multiple roles. Cory Pattak's lighting seems to invite the ghosts of the past to emerge from the shadows.

You'll want to hear what they have to say. The Lucky Star is a riveting dramatization of the lives of real people as preserved in their letters. It's the only way to hear their voices again as memory slips into history.
"We, the authorities, have to exercise the power that you have conferred on us, within the limitations that you have indicated to us. This is how democracy must be exercised. Do not take Decentralized Councils badly. All we want to do is turn our representative democracy into a direct democracy," he added.

Likewise, the Cabinet chief specified that the President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo, will arrive in the area to listen to the region's demands.

"In the next few hours, he will be here along with us to listen to you, your demands, your requirements (...) because authorities are merely your representatives. You are the holders of power; that is how we must understand democracy," he pointed out.

Moreover, the Prime Minister asked the holders of other portfolios to also seek solutions to projects such as the Ica-Pisco Road, workers' demands, tourism promotion, and construction of hospitals.

"Today, we have the challenge of crafting an agenda that is not only the responsibility of the National Government, but also of Regional and Local Governments, as well as civil society, and that we can agree on," he pointed out.

El premier Anibal Torres llego al Coliseo de Nasca, en la region Ica, para participar en el IX Consejo de Ministros Descentralizado, donde junto al gabinete ministerial, autoridades locales y la poblacion se trabajara la Agenda de Desarrollo Territorial. pic.twitter.com/MyD46GhMKn

Premier Anibal Torres: Hoy tenemos el reto de construir una agenda que no es solamente responsabilidad del Gobierno Nacional, sino tambien del Gobierno Regional y local, asi como de la sociedad civil; por lo tanto, es clave que todas y todos podamos consensuar. pic.twitter.com/WYZHJWZPlQ
At a signing ceremony held today, the FBI repatriated 16 cultural items to the Consul General with the #Peruvian Consulate in LA. Kristi Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office, was also joined by @StateDept @USAO_LosAngeles @UCLA. pic.twitter.com/wRBOMRCUxO
18:00 | Lima, May. 3.

"The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches must start to work together, unified, and implement this Constituent Assembly or, if it is not deemed as suitable, implement the reforms required by the Constituent Assembly," Torres said during his participation at Congress' Constitution Commission.









"This way, we must dialogue, without insults, without abuse, respecting the opinion of others. There must be discrepancies. Those of us who are lawyers here know that discrepancy is very useful. Contradictory ideas come from discrepancy, and the best solutions emerge from contradictory ideas," Torres expressed.





"We must work together, unitedly, seeking what you have said here with which I perfectly agree: seek advancement, the progress of our country, and put an end to poverty because those social and economic differences that exist are not typical of the civilized world," he added.





Dynamic policy





In turn, Justice and Human Rights Minister Felix Chero explained that both politics and law are dynamic, so changes in the Magna Carta should be considered through the Assembly.





"A preliminary debate opens here. What the population, meaning the Peruvian people, wants: that academicians and politicians debate this issue," he indicated.





The minister assured that the results of recent surveys on the Constituent Assembly are not consistent with what was observed by the Cabinet during visits to provinces.





"I do not perceive that at the Decentralized Councils of Ministers; reality reflects a totally different position () A great debate is opened in the country. Let's not close our eyes to reality, to social demands, to the academic debate raised with respect and coherence," he pointed out.
Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
1st submarine utilizes improved dry dock at shipyard

KITTERY, Maine (AP) - A key element of a $1.7 billion modernization effort at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was utilized for the first time with the docking of the USS Cheyenne, Navy officials said Friday.

The Los Angeles-class submarine was the first submarine to enter Dry Dock 1 without buoyancy assistance last month, officials said.

The so-called super flood basin is akin to a navigational lock that upgrades the shallowest of the shipyard's dry docks, allowing submarines to enter independent of tides and without buoyancy.

It performed exactly as it was designed to do.

Capt. Michael Oberdorf, shipyard commander, called it "a major milestone for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard" by helping to ensure the shipyard has the right capabilities to support the submarine fleet.

"It took a great deal of planning and construction work to get us where we are today," Oberdorf said Friday in a statement.

The Navy confirmed the first usage of the overhauled dry dock system a day after a ribbon cutting.

The seven-year project will eventually allow two submarines to utilize the Dry Dock 1 simultaneously. It also will accommodate Virginia-class attack submarines, in addition to the Los Angeles class.

The 222-year-old Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the nation's oldest continuously operated public shipyard. It repairs, overhauls and maintains nuclear-powered submarines.
YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin stated that the issue of his country's accession to NATO can be resolved this month, ARMENPRESS reports the Prime Minister of Finland said in an interview with the Japanese "Nikkei" newspaper.

"The decision on that will be made this month. The decision to join NATO will be made in the near future," said the Prime Minister of Finland.

Earlier, Finland and Sweden discussed the possibility of renouncing long-term neutrality and joining NATO amid hostilities in Ukraine.
During his visit to the United States the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with the International Republican Institutes (IRI) Regional Director for Eurasia Stephen Nix in Washington, the foreign ministry said in a press release.

May 6, 2022, 11:47 Armenian FM had a meeting with IRI Eurasia Director Stephen Nix in Washington

STEPANAKERT, MAY 6, ARTSAKHPRESS: FM Mirzoyan attached importance to the IRIs programs in Armenia that seek to support the reforms agenda in various areas of public administration.

Nix said that the IRI will continue its work aimed at support and development of capabilities of Armenias democratic institutions.

FM Mirzoyan noted that strengthening of democracy and the rule of law and the continuous fight against corruption are among the priorities of the Armenian government. He added that Armenia is taking consistent steps to increase transparency and accountability of state bodies and human rights-based inclusive development.
Fiji authorities searching a yacht seized on behalf of the US have found documents implicating its suspected owner, Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, in breaking US law, the FBI says.

The Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13, after an 18-day voyage from Mexico, and has since been the focus of a US bid to seize it as part of US sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Fiji police and FBI agents seized the Amadea at a wharf on Thursday, two days after a Fiji court granted a US warrant that linked it to money laundering.

Fiji's High Court on Friday refused a stay application by the vessel's registered owner, Millemarin Investments, to stop US authorities removing it from Fiji, Fiji's public prosecutor said in a statement.

The $US300 million ($A418 million) superyacht had been handed over to US authorities, it said.

The FBI said in an affidavit attached to the US seizure warrant that Fiji authorities had found documents on the Amadea showing breaches of US law because Kerimov was sanctioned by the United States in 2018.

"There is probable cause to believe that Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit caused US dollar transactions for the operation and maintenance of the Amadea to be sent through US financial institutions, after a time which Kerimov was designated by the Treasury Department," the FBI said.

The vessel had running costs of $US25 million to $US30 million, it said.

Lawyers for its registered owner, Cayman Islands company Millemarin Investments, have denied it is owned by Kerimov. The vessel's lawyer, Feizal Haniff, declined to comment to Reuters on Friday.

The US alleges Kerimov has beneficially owned the Amadea since August 2021 but evidence for this claim was redacted in the warrant.

The FBI said the Amadea had tried to avoid being seized "almost immediately" after Russian troops entered Ukraine.

"Amadea turned off its automated information systems (AIS) on February 24, 2022, almost immediately after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," the FBI said.

Story continues

The vessel's paperwork showed the next destination would be the Philippines but the FBI believed it was headed to the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok.

Many Russian oligarchs have attempted to move their yachts to Russia to escape US sanctions since March, the FBI said.

The US Justice Department's Taskforce KleptoCapture has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under strain in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, commenting on the seizure of the Amadea in Fiji, said in a statement: "The FBI, along with our international partners, will continue to seek out those individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russia's malign activities and ensure they are brought to justice, regardless of where, or how, they attempt to hide."
Unfortunately, in her latest interview with Glamour magazine she confirmed that was, indeed, a thing.

Yeah. So, I guess to drink each others blood might mislead people or people are imagining us with goblets and were like Game of Thrones, drinking each others blood.

"Its just a few drops, but yes, we do consume each others blood on occasion for ritual purposes only."

Ohh, sure. Only for ritual purposes. That's completely fine then!

Megan made it clear she's the more mature blood-drinker out of the two of them, as MGK is "much more haphazard and hectic and chaotic.

"He's willing to just cut his chest open with broken glass and be like, 'Take my soul'," she explained.

Megan, on the other hand, wants to just "shed a few drops of blood and... drink it".

Cool, cool, cool.
The CEO of chemicals company DGL said this about Nadia:

"When you've got Nadia Lim, when you've got a little bit of Eurasian fluff in the middle of your prospectus with a blouse unbuttoned showing some cleavage, and that's what it takes to sell your scrip [an alternative to cash], then you know you're in trouble."

"When you got a TV celebrity showing off her sensuality to hock scrip, then you know you're in trouble," he added.

Off the back of Simon's really interesting comments, we thought we'd take a look at all the times a successful business has been derailed by the existence of a women's breasts:

.

.

.

.

Oh, wait. That's literally not a thing.

And hey, would you look at that? Simon's company DGL has already been blacklisted by investment managers like Kiwi Wealth and Simplicity.

Soz, Simon - looks like you're the only problematic boob we can see!
For months the Aussies have been raving about it - now it's our turn.

Weve been obsessed with Cadburys Caramilk chocolate bar ever since it first premiered in Aotearoa as a limited season Chocolate back in 2018. The golden caramelised white chocolate block was such a hit that it inspired Facebook fan clubs. With such a passionate response from Kiwis that Cadbury quickly started selling it in Australia too. As Caramilks limited run came to an end there was a total frenzy in supermarkets with people hoarding boxes of the golden chocolate blocks before they were discontinued.

The following year Cadbury brought Caramilk back as a permanent fixture on supermarket shelves in New Zealand and Australia. Ever since then Caramilk has been the big chocolate muse for Kiwi and Aussie food bloggers. Our feeds have been filled with countless mouth watering Caramilk creations, from Caramilk cheesecakes, brownies, cookies, cocktails and lots of home-made ice cream.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as Assistant to the President & Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse listens during an event at the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, on May 4, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

States Sue Biden Administration for Pressuring and Colluding With Big Tech to Censor Free Speech

Two Republican-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other top administration officials for allegedly pressuring and colluding with social media giants with the aim of censoring and suppressing free speech.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on April 5, they announced in separate statements on Thursday.

The attorneys claim that Biden and other government officials worked with big tech companies like Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to censor conversation around matters relating to everything from COVID-19 and election integrity to the Hunter Biden laptop story, doing so under the guise of combating misinformation.

Others named in the lawsuit include Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the executive director of DHSs newly established Disinformation Governance Board, Nina Jankowicz.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Jen Easterly are also listed as defendants.

In announcing the lawsuit on Thursday, attorney Schmitt stressed the importance of freedom of speech which he said is paramount to a healthy society, adding that discourse, debate, and discussion have been the cornerstone of our country since the Founders codified that right in the Bill of Rights.

Schmitt stated that Americans use social media platforms to discuss an array of topics, noting that those topics have more recently, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, conversations regarding whether or not face coverings are effective in preventing the virus from spreading and whether the virus origins came from a lab leak in Wuhan, China.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a White House daily press briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on May 04, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responds to questions during a congressional hearing in Washington in a file image. (Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)

In direct contravention to the First Amendment and freedom of speech, the Biden Administration has been engaged in a pernicious campaign to both pressure social media giants to censor and suppress speech and work directly with those platforms to achieve that censorship in a misguided and Orwellian campaign against misinformation,' said Schmitt, referencing George Orwells dystopian novel about a totalitarian state, 1984.

The lawsuit filed on Thursday specifically accuses Biden and other government officials of working with big tech companies to remove truthful information related to the lab-leak theory, the efficacy of masks, election integrity, and more, Schmitt said.

It also accuses Biden and other officials of falsely attacking the Hunter Biden laptop story as disinformation along with tech giants like Twitter.

The story, which was first published by the New York Post in October 2020, detailed the contents of Hunter Bidens laptop that was abandoned in a Delaware computer repair shop, and which included compromising pictures and emails regarding allegedly corrupt foreign business deals.

Twitter labeled the story as potentially harmful and locked the New York Posts main Twitter account while simultaneously blocking Twitter users from publishing the link to the story.

Hunter Biden attends his father Joe Bidens inauguration as the 46th President of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters)

The New York Times and the Washington Post have since acknowledged the existence of Hunter Bidens laptop and emails.

Big Tech has become an extension of Bidens Big Government, and neither are protecting the freedoms of Americans; rather, they are suppressing truth and demonizing those who think differently, said Attorney General Landry.

Ripped from the playbook of Stalin and his ilk, Biden has been colluding with Big Tech to censor free speech and propagandize the masses. We are fighting back to ensure the rule of law and prevent the government from unconstitutional banning, chilling, and stifling of speech.

The lawsuit alleges that the federal government violated Missourians, Louisianans, and Americans First Amendment rights and coerced, threatened, and pressured social-media platforms to censor disfavored speakers and viewpoints by using threats of adverse government action.

As a result of those threats, the lawsuit states, the defendants are now directly colluding with social-media platforms to censor disfavored speakers and viewpoints, including by pressuring them to censor certain content and speakers, and flagging disfavored content and speakers for censorship. These actions violate the First Amendment.

The attorneys asked the court to declare that Biden and other defendants violated the First Amendment, exceeded their statutory authority, and to stop the officials from continuing to engage in their unlawful conduct.

Furthermore, they claim that the DHS and HHS officials conduct violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

The Epoch Times has contacted a White House Spokesperson for comment.
A City of Dallas Animal Service Officer removes a camera from a tree two doors down from where on May 3, 2022 a 2-year-old was attacked by a coyote in Dallas, on May 4, 2022. (Rebecca Slezak/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)

3 Coyotes Killed After Dallas Toddler Attacked, Officials Say

By Hojun Choi

From The Dallas Morning News

DALLASThree coyotes have been killed in the search for the animal that put a 2-year-old boy in the hospital earlier this week.

Adam Henry, a wildlife damage management biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said during a news conference on Thursday the goal of the operation is to eliminate coyotes that are showing aggressive behavior around the area where the attack occurred in Lake Highlands. The boys father has told The Dallas Morning News that his son is in stable condition.

Officials also set up a hotline for people to report coyote sightings.

Following the attack on Tuesday, a police officer found a coyote near the area and shot at it near a park in the area. But its unclear whether it was hit before it disappeared into the woods.

Henry told The Dallas Morning News that authorities are also looking for physical characteristics that fit the description of the coyote that attacked the toddler on the porch on Royalpine Drive, but added they may never possibly know if the animal is the same one.

Henry said the coyote killed overnight is believed to have approached a woman who was walking her dog Wednesday.

The physical markings on the coyote that was killed overnight closely resembled descriptions provided to wildlife authorities. The coyote that attacked the boy has been reported to be missing a patch of fur on its back and the tip of its tail is white.

It had very similar markings from the photos were seeing on social media platforms and those that have been given to us by residents, Henry said. All the others were very similar as wellits that close.

Henry said the number of coyotes near the area is not problematic. Instead, he and other wildlife officials who are trying to address the problem are focused on the behavior of the animals when they are around people.

Population size doesnt matter, Henry said. Aggression matters.

Multiple residents from the neighborhood have said they were upset with the citys delayed response to coyote activity in the area. In a Wednesday news release, Dallas Animal Services had said it was conducting a review of calls related to coyotes it received in the last three months.

Ann Barnes, field manager for Dallas Animal Services, said the department received 14 calls about coyotes from area residents prior to the attack on the toddler. She said not all of the calls described aggressive behavior.

We responded to all of the calls either by an officer going there in person, or by us contacting the complainant to get more information, Barnes said.

City officials said they will implement a new hotline for reporting coyote activity that is separate from 311.

Barnes urged residents to use the new reporting system once it is launchedpossibly this week.

We think that for us to do better, we also need the publics help to do so, she said.

Brett Johnson, the citys urban biologist, reminded residents to refrain from feeding wildlife, including coyotes. He said unintentional feeding, such as unsecured trash outdoors and food left out for stray cats, can attract the animals.

Stock photo of a coyote standing on a road. (pixabay)

If you do encounter a coyote, dont let it get comfortable around you, he said. Raise your hands, be mean.

Officials from Dallas Animal Services emphasized that they never intended to put blame on members of the Lake Highlands community for aggressive coyote behavior.

Jacob Darver, who has lived in White Rock Valley for about six years, said the department warning residents against feeding wild animals contributes to a false narrative.

Darver said he thinks the city should also do its part to not feed wildlife, pointing to trash cans along Goforth Road.

My question to them is how frequently are they emptying those trash cans? he said. They cant necessarily only bring in the neighborhood when there is city property that is sitting right there full of trash.

Heather Duge, who also lives in the area, said she does not believe that anyone in the neighborhood was feeding wild animals.

I think everybody in our neighborhood agrees that (coyotes) are not being fed, she said. Weve been doing the opposite; weve been doing everything in our power to get rid of it.

In a Facebook post, Dallas City Council member Adam McGough invited residents to a town hall meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at White Rock Elementary School. The meeting, in part, will focus on residents concerns about the citys protocol for reporting coyote encounters, according to the post.

2022 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Climate activists from Just Stop Oil blockade the Nustar Clydebank oil terminal in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on May 3, 2022. (Just Stop Oil/PA Media)

31 Climate Activists Charged After 60-hour Oil Terminal Blockade in Scotland

UK police have arrested and charged 31 climate activists from a group called Just Stop Oil, which blockaded an oil terminal in Scotland for around 60 hours.

The protest at the Nustar Clydebank facility in West Dunbartonshirewhich began around 4.10 a.m. on May 3has now ended, Police Scotland said on May 6.

The force said: 31 people were arrested and charged in connection with a number of offences.

Just Stop Oil supporters blocked access to the facility on May 3 by climbing on top of tankers and locking on to the entrance. Some activists entered the oil terminal and sat on the pipes or the silos to halt operations.

The activists said that they were taking action in support of their demand that the UK government end all new oil and gas projects in the country.

As the protest came to an end, the group said on Twitter that it had lasted 60 hours and was its longest ever occupation of an oil facility.

According to Police Scotland, 15 of the arrested activists have been charged with breach of the peace and 16 with a contravention of a section of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which relates to trespassing and alleged malicious mischief.

Chief Superintendent Lynn Ratcliff said: As a rights-based organisation, Police Scotland puts our values of integrity, fairness, respect, and a commitment to upholding human rights at the heart of everything we do.

This means that we will protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest or counter-protest, balanced against the rights of the wider community.

It was the first action of its kind in Scotland since Just Stop Oil began blockading fuel terminals in southeast England and the Midlands on April 1, leading to more than 1,000 arrests.

The UK government said that its commitment to a strong oil and gas industry in the North Sea will be affected by the protests.

A government spokesman said: We will not bend to the will of activists who naively want to extinguish North Sea oil and gas production. Doing so would put energy security and British jobs at risk, and simply increases foreign imports, whilst not reducing demand.

We are committed to a strong North Sea industry as we transition away from expensive fossil fuels over the coming decades, and our recent British Energy Security Strategy sets out a long-term plan to ramp up cheap renewables and nuclear energy.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Attorney Brad Geyer seeks information on unidentified "suspicious actors" at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Brad Geyer/Graphic via The Epoch Times)

80 Suspicious Actors and Material Witnesses Under Scrutiny by Jan. 6 Defense Attorneys

Court filing suggests entrapment operation run against Oath Keepers by highly coordinated group

Defense attorneys are seeking to identify and investigate 80 suspicious actors and material witnesses, some of whom allegedly ran an entrapment operation against the Oath Keepers on Jan. 6, 2021, and committed crimes including the removal of security fencing, breaching police lines, attacking officers, and inciting crowds to storm into the U.S. Capitol.

In a motion (pdf) and supplement (pdf) filed after 11 p.m. on May 5 in federal court in Washington, attorney Brad Geyer listed 80 people, some of whom he said could be government agents or provocateurs. The people are seen on video operating in a coordinated fashion across the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, the attorney alleged.

Geyers suggestion of an entrapment scheme will resonate with dozens of Jan. 6 defense attorneys, coming shortly after two men were acquitted of an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. There was a hung jury on charges against two other defendants. The jury in that case was allowed to consider FBI entrapment as a defense.

Geyer, who represents Oath Keeper defendant Kenneth Harrelson, is seeking a court order from U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta compelling federal prosecutors to help identify the individuals and disclose whether they were working for law enforcement or any government agency on Jan. 6. Geyer wrote that the information is exculpatory, which compels the government to produce it.

Other Oath Keeper defendants are expected to join in the motion.

The May 5 filing comes on the heels of an April 12 Oath Keepers motion that alleged that at least 20 assets from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were embedded in the crowd on Jan. 6.

More than a dozen suspicious actors flagged by defense attorneys line up on the east steps of the U.S. Capitol, shortly before they pushed past police and climbed to the Columbus Doors on Jan. 6, 2021. (Attorney Brad Geyer/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

According to the new filing, video evidence the defense gained access to only recently shows that some of the 80 people attacked police, other people, and members of the Oath Keepers; entered the Capitol on the west side with apparent permission or acquiescence of government actors; opened the Columbus Doors on the east side of the Capitol from the inside, possibly with even further assistance of government actors; and deployed sophisticated crowd-behavior techniques, orienting themselves between protesters and police.

Suspicious actors are seen on video associating, conferring and traveling with others, engaging in behavior to confuse law enforcement through body masking, facial masking, clothing changes, and disorienting skirmishing behavior, Geyer wrote.

The suspected people used earpieces, satellite phones, and other communication equipment.

Often it appears that these communications devices do not seem to be affected by capacity restriction or sophisticated jamming that was evident throughout the day, Geyer wrote in the motion.

If it can be established that these SAs [suspicious actors] were government agents, this could amount to entrapment defense that will dispose of this 7th indictment prior to trial, the motion says.

If it can be established that SAs, even without established government agency, from the west or elsewhere, were let into the Capitol and/or were assisted in opening the Columbus Doors from the insidea reasonable inference from video evidencea reasonable jury might conclude that one or more SAs had government sponsorship.

Eleven members of the Oath Keepers were charged on Jan. 12 with seditious conspiracy, obstruction of a government proceeding, and other counts. According to the government, the crimes were allegedly committed to prevent the certification of Electoral College votes for the 2020 presidential election.

Two Oath Keeper defendants of the original 11 accepted deals offered by prosecutors and pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction. Another Oath Keeper from North Carolina was charged on May 4 with the same counts and pleaded guilty on May 5. All three are expected to assist the FBI with its continuing Jan. 6 investigations.

Geyer suggested the Oath Keepers who entered the Capitol Rotunda through the famous Columbus Doors atop the east stairs were entrapped by suspicious actors who boxed them in and attempted to push them into the Capitol after the doors were opened from the inside.

Prima facie evidence of an entrapment scheme (very possibly without formal government agency) is becoming impossible to ignore on video, Geyer wrote.

Video shot by a French television crew, and surveillance footage under court seal raise significant concerns of informants, influencers, and inciters whose activities are now clearly observable, a footnote in the motion says.

Suspicious Examples

The now observable behavior suggests the exact kind of specialized training, coordination, logistical support, timing, and common goals and objectives that the government attributes to the Oath Keepers, Geyer wrote. Conduct alleged against the Oath Keepers seems to have been perpetrated by others before the Oath Keepers were brought in front of the Columbus Doors.

The new video evidence not only exculpates defendant Harrelson and the Oath Keepers in compelling ways, it also shows a large group of SAs that actually carry out the crimes of which the Oath Keepers are accused and which is the centerpiece of the governments case, the motion said.

The many unidentified individuals in the court filing are referred to by the hashtag nicknames assigned by the Sedition Hunters website.

James Dean Wannabe stood on a column near the Columbus Doors and led vicious attacks by SAs on police with chemicals and mace, Geyer wrote.

As soon as the inner doors to the Rotunda opened, James Dean Wannabe stepped inside the door and began violently pulling protesters into the Capitol, the document said. He also helped to trap Oath Keeper James Dolan into a tight space with a Capitol Police officer, the report alleged. He was later seen on the east steps after changing clothes and removing his hat.

Lemony Kickit and Lemon Zest, both known for their colorful hats, appeared at the first and second breach points of the day near Ray Epps, the alleged provocateur who was captured on video on Jan. 5 and 6 imploring protesters to go into the Capitol.

Video also showed Lemony Kickit and Lemon Zest pushing at police and breaching the police line on the east steps before they moved up the stairs to the Columbus Doors.

Columbus Doors Were Closed

Videos referenced in Geyers motion show that the 17-foot-high, 20,000-pound bronze Columbus Doors were closed when the crowd gathered at the bottom of the steps and then breached the police line. When the crowd reached the top, the fortress-like doors were still shut. Its not clear when, or why, the doors were opened.

That significant revelation backs up arguments made in January by attorney Jonathon Moseley, who told prosecutors his client, Kelly Meggs, couldnt have breached the doors because they are controlled from inside the Capitol.

The outer doors cast from solid bronze would require a bazooka, an artillery shell, or C4 military-grade explosives to breach, Moseley wrote in a letter to federal prosecutors. That of course did not happen. You would sooner break into a bank vault than to break the bronze outer Columbus Doors.

The 17-foot-high bronze Columbus Doors at the U.S. Capitol were closed when protesters and suspicious actors pushed past police on the east steps on Jan. 6, 2021. The 20,000-pound doors can only be opened from inside. (Attorney Brad Geyer/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The towering Columbus Doors that lead into the Rotunda on the east side of the U.S. Capitol are secured by magnetic locks that can only be opened from the inside by using a security code controlled by Capitol Police, Moseley wrote in an eight-page memo in January.

The two inner doors are secured by magnetic locks and cant be opened from the outside. Twice within an hour on Jan. 6, suspicious actors opened the inner doors from inside the Rotunda, surveillance video shows.

According to Geyers filing, a large number of suspicious actors controlled the scene directly in front of the Columbus Doors after the giant doors were opened. They chased away regular protesters with pepper spray and moved other actors into place. The Oath Keepers, each of whom was shadowed by at least one suspicious actor, were positioned and coaxed toward the entrance.

Six to eight suspicious actors attacked police with mace in preparation to breach the entrance, Geyer wrote.

The dynamic of the crowd makes this almost invisible or fleeting to almost all publicly available camera angles, so most people in the crowd could not have known these chemical assaults occurred and certainly no one could have known who was standing on the steps which is where the Oath Keepers were positioned at exactly this moment.

The net effect is that the Oath Keepers, who had come up the east stairs, were swept into the Capitol with the group of suspicious actors, the document alleged. The actors attacked police, breached the doors, and led a crowd inside the Rotunda.

Members of the Oath Keepers were flanked and followed into the U.S. Capitol by suspicious actors on Jan. 6, 2021. (Attorney Brad Geyer/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Some of the video evidence referenced in the court motion was redacted from the document because its part of the more than 14,000 hours of video under a protective court seal.

The court filing will bring fresh attention to the issue of alleged provocateurs at the U.S. Capitol. Epps, a former Oath Keeper from Arizona, denies he was working as a government informant on Jan. 5 and 6.

Federal prosecutors announced earlier this year they would disclose more information about Epps, whose photo was removed from the FBIs Jan. 6 most-wanted list. He hasnt been arrested or charged, despite urging crowds to enter the Capitol and being present when police lines were breached by protesters.

Some of the suspicious actors on Geyers list were also seen in the hallway outside the Speakers Lobby, where Ashli Babbitt was shot at 2:44 p.m. on Jan. 6. There are a number of other unidentified individuals who stood near Babbitt before she tried to climb out of the hallway and was shot and killed by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd.

Three witnesses to the Babbitt shooting were removed from the FBIs most-wanted list in April 2021 without explanation. Those men havent been identified or charged.
Four years after emerging from bankruptcy, Tops Markets is staging a comeback.

Tops is spending $120 million over four years to update many of its stores in the Buffalo market, where the Amherst-based grocer originated 60 years ago, before it will shift to stores in the central New York area. Cayuga County-area Tops stores are located in Auburn, Elbridge and Skaneateles.

The investment is a sign of better times for the once debt-strapped company that for the most part put remodeling its stores on hold in 2017 and declared bankruptcy a year later.

Now, Tops is in a better position. It merged with Schenectady-based Price Chopper/Market 32, owned by the Golub family, giving it a more solid financial base. Its latest upgrades are not only improving its look and product offerings, but also updating its technology and reducing electricity costs by using solar farms to provide renewable energy to many of its stores.

The project, which began in 2019, includes renovating 32 of its stores, most of them in western New York. Twenty-two of them have already been completed, with two more in Buffalo slated to be done this year.

These days, the grocer is committing between 5% to 7% of its sales revenue on capital expenditures  one of the highest amounts of any food retailer in the industry, according to Burt Flickinger, the managing director at Strategic Resource Group and an expert in grocery retail.

In western New Yorks competitive grocer marketplace, which will soon include a Costco coming to Amherst, it is essential that Tops  and every supermarket chain  make substantial investments in its stores to keep them attractive to shoppers.

It was time for us to invest in the stores in Western New York and come back home, said John Persons, president of Tops. It had been a while since we had come this way.

Flickinger said hes encouraged by the investment, part of what he describes as Tops' transformational turnaround out of bankruptcy. Typically, grocery retailers spend 1% to 2% of sales profits on capital expenditures, he added.

Tops is spending double or triple what is being spent by those very capable and well-capitalized supermarket competitors and it really takes the clock back to Tops great days between the 1970s and '90s, Flickinger said.

What are renovations doing

Tops footprint in western New York is significant, with 3.4 million square feet of retail covering eight counties.

But Tops' financial struggles took a toll on the supermarket chain. It spent nothing on capital improvements in 2018, Frank Curci, Tops chairman and CEO who now leads the merged company, told The Buffalo News in 2019. Struggling to manage its suffocating debt load, Tops virtually ran out of cash just before its bankruptcy filing.

Now, Tops is trying to catch up. The company ideally likes to remodel its stores every seven years, but many of its Buffalo stores had gone far longer without a makeover.

The investment into the store remodel program being undertaken has been fueled solely by Tops internal performance, Persons said.

Merged  but separate

Tops and Price Chopper continue to operate as separate and distinct companies, he added.

Tops operates 150 grocery stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, including five that are run by franchisees, while Price Chopper/Market 32, operates 130 grocery stores and one Market Bistro.

Renovations in the Buffalo area have reconfigured space in many of the stores with fresh foods in mind, such as produce, deli offerings, prepared foods and bakery products. Theres also been more of an emphasis on freezer space for frozen foods.

Its not that the traditional grocery aisles are shrinking, per se, in terms of sales, but the demand from consumers now really is in other areas, Persons said.

Technological capabilities have also been added in the refurbished stores.

Included in that has been the implementation of shop and scan, a phone app that allows customers to pay as they shop so they can bypass the register.

Also, there have been 260 self-scan registers rolled out, helping provide shoppers with a quicker, more modern way to pay for groceries.

Persons said Tops officials realized the importance of adding these limited interaction and limited touch elements during the pandemic.

Well continue to roll those out, he said.

It has also been important to create a new look and feel for customers.

A complete remodel was undertaken at the Transit and North French roads store in Amherst about two years ago, according to Michelle Marcilliott, the stores manager.

In addition to updates made to the outside of the building, a brighter decor scheme and color package was added inside. A Spot Coffee with a seating area also came to the store.

When you look around, everything old is new again, said Marcilliott, whos been with Tops for 28 years.

The changes in the store layout has made it easier to shop, and updates to technology are getting customers in and out of the store faster, Marcilliott said.

I think customers appreciate that, she said. Its just been that much easier for them to streamline their shopping experience.

Competition is stiff

The retail grocery market is competitive in Erie and Niagara counties. Theres local powerhouse Wegmans, as well as Walmart, Aldi, Dash's, Save a Lot, BJs Wholesale Club, Trader Joes, Super Target and Market in the Square, just to name some, and now Costco is coming to the Western New York marketplace.

So Tops has focused on ways to separate itself from the competition, most notably with its promotion-focused pricing strategy in a market where everyday pricing is widespread.

It is absolutely necessary to make sure were giving our customers and consumers a comfortable and up-to-date shopping experience and added elements that theyre looking for, Persons said.

One way has been to solidify its offerings of hometown brands throughout the state and not just focusing on private labels, according to Flickinger.

Persons said many of Tops growers, suppliers and manufacturers are local, including most of the producers it uses for dairy products.

This where we were born and where we grew up and we know how important that is, Persons said.

Tops is also offering enhanced loyalty programs, including its discounted gasoline program.

Unfortunately, the times are such that the gas points are that much more valuable to consumers, Persons said.

The pandemic has not slowed Tops from either a sales or renovation perspective. A number of stores were still being remodeled during some of the worst days of COVID-19 in 2020, according to Persons. It has, however, backed up the end date for the completion of the Buffalo-area renovations.

Tops officials intend to be done with these stores by the end of 2023 before moving on to projects in the Syracuse region. Renovations at Tops' Rochester stores will begin this year as well.

Included in the refurbishing of the Maple Road store in Amherst was the creation of the True Blue Cafe, a place for neighboring University at Buffalo students to gather. Persons, a UB graduate, said its an example of Tops understanding whats going on in the market they serve.

Connecting with our local shoppers and customer base is very important to us, he said.

Move toward sustainable energy

As part of the recent investment in its stores, there has been an effort toward improving sustainability.

That has included stores getting new LED lighting and energy management systems. Tops also is switching to a fleet of natural gas trailers, which saves over 1 million gallons of diesel fuel per year.

Tops has also created partnerships to help reduce food waste, including with Flashfood, an interactive in-store food waste program available at 50 locations that allows customers to purchase items nearing their sell-by date at up to 60% off.

In addition, more than half of the stores began using solar energy this year as part of a partnership with Convergent Power + Energy.

It can be a costly upfront endeavor, but Persons said in the long run its been the best approach to take.

There has been this effort made toward making sure we are a good community partner and corporate citizens as well. And that wont stop, Persons said.

Flickinger said Tops has been aggressive in investing in sustainable power. The investment in renewable energy is significant, because for grocery stores, power and electricity are their second-highest costs after labor.

Flickinger anticipates that Tops will be able to save about 40% on its power and electricity costs, and could pass some of those savings on to customers.

Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
'Forgiveness is a very powerful thing,' says the mom who once worked in the abortion industry

The life of a pastors daughter was changed forever when she was molested as a child, and raped at just 12 years old. Riddled with shame, the budding athlete lost faith that she was worthy of Gods love.

It took years of suffering, including drug and alcohol addiction, four abortions, and domestic abuse, before Kelly Lester of Richmond, Virginia, got the wake-up call she needed to relocate her faith and reclaim her life.

Speaking to The Epoch Times, Lester, 45, said that her turning point came when her father had a vivid dream of her being dead due to a fatal head injury, and he prayed for her protection. The vision coincided with the time her boyfriend was threatening to hit her on the head with a wooden board before dropping it.

That was definitely the final thing that led me to turn my life around. That was the wake-up call, Lester said. By this time, I was almost 30 years old, and just tired; tired of being tired, tired of running.

Kelly Lester, 45, of Richmond, Virginia. (Courtesy of Kelly Lester)

Lester was molested by her great-uncle at 3 years old. The trauma was internalized, but Lester was a bright child, and she fast-tracked into high school for her academic prowess. However, as a freshman at 12, Lester snuck out of the house to attend a party and fell victim to sexual assault. Terrified, she confided in her youth pastor.

She told me that if I hadnt left the house and gone to that party, that would never have happened, Lester said. I was feeling shame, because I had planned on waiting until I got married to have sex. For that to happen, and for her basically to blame it on me, I shut down. That is partly what led me down the path I was on.

Lester became promiscuous by her early teens while craving the love she felt she no longer deserved from God. She became pregnant at 15; desperate not to shame her family, she had an abortion, and went on with her life, graduating from high school two years later. Once a promising student who dreamed of becoming an astronaut, engineer, or professional dancer, her college career was short-lived.

I went to the University of Georgia for one semester, and then came back to Richmond and went to Virginia Commonwealth University for a semester. That was it, said Lester. We were partying really hard. I wasnt really going to school, and my grades were bad. My parents told me I needed to take a break and figure out what I wanted.

Kelly Lester speaks in a prayer rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. when it was announced that the Dobbs v. Jackson case would be heard in December 2021. (Courtesy of Kelly Lester)

Lester claims her parents, albeit loving and attentive, were sidetracked by her troubled younger sister who ran away from home around the time Lesters rebellion began.

Im not going to say they didnt see what was happening to me, but my need wasnt as dire in their mind, and I did a really good job of hiding it, she recalled.

Lester plunged into a world of shame-fueled drug and alcohol dependence, relationships with violent men, and three more aborted pregnancies roughly five years apart. She also experienced abortion from the other side of the counter: working in the abortion industry. Lester was bartending and living a really chaotic life. She was looking for a job when she noticed a local womens clinic was hiring for a receptionist. Attending the interview, she realized it was the same clinic that had performed her second abortion.

The thing about sin is, when youre dealing with the shame and the guilt and the condemnation from your sin, you oftentimes lead other people into it as a way to cover up, to make yourself feel betterI certainly wasnt trying to do that on purpose.

Kelly Lester with her husband, Robbie, and their kids. (Courtesy of Kelly Lester)

Lester now believes her insiders perspective informed the strength of her current pro-life stance.

She said: Everything about it alarmed me. When these women would come in for their appointment, the first thing we would do is hand them a Dixie cup with Valium. They would take the Valium, then they would sit in the waiting room.

Sometimes, women would come up and say, You know what, Ive changed my mind. We would say to them, Okay, we understand that you are currently under medication, so were required by law to monitor you. Once the Valium had kicked in, one of our nurses would come out and say, Now look, honey, you are here. Youve got the money. Weve got everything that we need to do this. Lets go ahead and take care of it for you today.'

Ironically, the interesting thing amid this feigned care, Lester said, was that the staff wanted those women out the door within 20 minutes even after having their procedure done under heavy sedation, which includes a cocktail of drugs, including fentanyl.

Lester recalls women hemorrhaging and not receiving the proper aftercare, and women being sent home, uninformed.

The majority of the procedures we did were under twilight sedation, a very heavy sedation where not only do you not feel much, but it actually erases your memory of what happened during the procedure and for most of the day. These women would have no idea what happened to them, and that bothered me, she explained.

Kelly Lester (L) with ProLove Ministries Executive Director, Pam Whitehead, in a rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Courtesy of Kelly Lester)

Yet, still shrouded in shame, it took a series of life-threatening accidents to convince Lester she could start over, and this time, holding firm to her faith in God.

Hit by a car while driving a Jeep in Phoenix, Arizona, Lester was thrown from the vehicle but felt something grab her and bring her back inside. I had two other people with me, she recalled; nobody had seatbelts on, nobody got thrown out, and nobody got injured.

On another occasion, Lester hit an embankment, and felt a presence envelop and protect her. [It was] almost like an airbag, but that was pre airbag age, she recalled. Ive had countless incidents over the years where there was undoubtedly the hand of the Lord protecting my life. I just wasnt ready to surrender my life to Him.

Lesters surrender came after a further incident in New Orleans, in which an abusive boyfriend threatened to hit her over the head with a length of wood. It led Lester to call her father to come get her.

She came back to the church and joined a womens Bible-reading group. She met and married her husband, Robbie, and moved to California, later returning to Richmond to help her father serve in his church.

Lester said her father was her best friend growing up, and their relationship remained strong until his passing in July 2021 at the age of 73. Lester and Robbie, who have six children together, have since bought the beloved Richmond home she grew up in.

Over those years, the Lord began healing those places in my heart that led me to sin, restoring my identity, restoring that He loves me in spite of what I had done, Lester reflected. Over the years of trusting Him more and allowing Him to work, my faith and trust became stronger.

Lester now works for Abby Johnsons ProLove Ministries as director of outreach and government engagement and has testified to help get legislation passed. She travels the country to spread the pro-life message, meets with investors, and leads sidewalk advocacy campaigns in her hometown of Richmond.

Ive been a woman whos had abortions, Ive been a woman whos worked in the abortion industry, and now Im a woman whos stood up against abortion clinics, she said. Forgiveness is a very powerful thing.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at The Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 24, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Appeals Court Reinstates Floridas 2021 Election Law

A federal appeals court on May 6 reversed a lower court decision, enabling Florida to enforce an election law.

Senate Bill 90, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2021, prohibited private funding for state or local election officials and tightened restrictions on drop boxes, among other provisions.

Various groups challenged the law, including the League of Women Voters, claiming it was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, an Obama appointee, ruled in March that the law did violate the Constitution, in part because he said it discriminated against minorities.

Walker barred enforcement of the law and ordered state officials to clear future election laws with him.

Thats no longer necessary, based on Fridays ruling, in which a panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit stayed Walkers ruling pending the outcome of the case.

Walkers order contains two flaws, the panel said. One was the determination that the law is intentionally discriminatory.

Walker failed to properly account for what might be called the presumption of legislative good faith, the panel said, referring to the Supreme Courts instruction that courts must presume the good faith of a legislature when assessing whether an approved law has discriminatory intent.

In his 288-page opinion, the judge imputed discriminatory intent to SB90 based in part on one legislators observation, when asked about the laws potentially disparate impact, that based on the patterns of use some voters may have to go about it a little different way once SB90 becomes law, the appeals court said. Applying the presumption of good faithas a court mustthat statement by a single legislator is not fairly read to demonstrate discriminatory intent by the state legislature.

The other flaw was a problematic analysis of the states actions, which stretched all the way back to shortly after the Civil War, according to the reversal.

The panel consisted of Judges Kevin Newsom, Barbara Lagoa, and Andrew Brasher, all Trump appointees.

The League of Women Voters of Florida, which won the initial ruling, declined to immediately comment on the reversal.

Christina Pushaw, DeSantis press secretary, called the stay a big win for election integrity in Florida.

Florida officials had previously panned the ruling, with state Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican who filed the appeal, calling it very far outside the bounds of what I would expect from a judicial officer and DeSantis saying the ruling would definitely be stayed.
Screenshot from virtual meeting where Jann-Michael Greenburg admits to using the name "Mark Greenburg" when on his computer. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

Arizona Parents Sue School District Over Alleged Dossier on Dissenting Views

Three Arizona parents have filed a lawsuit claiming an education board member for the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) kept a dossier on them to silence criticism of district policies regarding COVID-19 and other subjects.

Amanda Wray, Kimberly Stafford, and Edmond Richard claim former board president Jann-Michael Greenburg violated their constitutional rights of free speech by keeping their personal information on Google Drive and disseminating the information when deemed politically appropriate.

His father, Mark Greenburg, and his wife, Dagmar Greenburg, allegedly conspired to violate their constitutional rights of free speech and defamed the plaintiffs on social media, according to the 36-page lawsuit.

The civil complaint, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court on May 5, names multiple other school district officials as defendants.

The goal of [the] defendants conspiracy was clear: to silence and punish dissenting voices and frighten away other potential speakers who might dare to express an opposing point of view, the lawsuit alleges.

Screenshot of video made by Mark Greenburg while he reads social media posts to his son Jann-Michael. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

The suit alleges that the defendants amassed reams of public and private information about the parents, including their jobs, businesses, finances, medical and family histories, housing situation, and children.

They videotaped, photographed, and recorded the plaintiffs and their children. They used fake names and accounts to stalk plaintiffs social media activities and publicly berate them using false and grossly contorted information from their expansive dossier, the suit adds.

The suit alleges that in August of 2020, the plaintiffs and other district parents formed a private Facebook group called Scottsdale UnifiedCAN (Community Advocacy Network), with Wray as the group administrator.

The Facebook group initially began as a way for concerned parents to discuss issues related to SUSDs COVID-19 policies, but later expanded its focus to include general matters of concern such as curriculum, school budgetary priorities, and student safety, the suit states.

According to the lawsuit, the Greenburgs, with school district collaboration, began to collect information about people they regarded as political enemies, also stored on Google Drive.

Screenshot showing Jann-Michael Greenburg as the Editor of the image of Amanda Wray. (Courtesy of Kim Stafford.)

The drive included addresses, a full social security number, background checks, divorce records, photographs, videos, recordings, internal unredacted communications parents had with the district, and much, much more. This drive reached the size of 100 gigabytes of data, the complaint states.

The suit claims Mark Greenburg was primarily responsible for gathering and storing the information and strategically disseminating the dossier information to further the conspiracy.

Mark Greenburg literally wished death on those who criticized SUSD and Jann-Michael Greenburg, the suit alleges.

On July 7, 2021, Mark Greenburg allegedly recorded a video that included the comment: I really want Edmond [Richard] to die. Ill be so happy. Ill have a [expletive] party.

The lawsuit also claims Mark Greenburg collected sensitive and personal information about the plaintiffs and other parents, including employment history, mortgage records, and 15 background checks.

Mark Greenburgs monitoring of plaintiffs social media activities was relentless, the suit claims and added that he created at least 57 screenshots of Wrays social media activity and saved them on the Google Drive.

Screen captures of files in a Google Drive, created and filled by Mark Greenburg on parents who spoke critically of his sonScottsdale Unified School District School Bard President Jann-Michael Greenburgand the District at school board meetings and on social media, discovered by parents after Jann-Michel accidentally included the Google Drive address in an email. (Courtesy of Kim Stafford)

He also kept SUSD officials apprised of his conduct and regularly impersonated others on social media to gain access to private groups or attack others anonymously.

In one example, the suit claims that on Oct. 7, 2020 Mark Greenburg impersonated an African-American male and military veteran under the name of Frank Graham to gain access to the Facebook group, after which he saved an 89-page document on all group member names.

Whereas Mark Greenburg was using dubious public means to gather information, Jann-Michael and the district were curating and collecting plaintiffs and other parents personal information and communications and supplying it to be stored in the Google Drive to be unleashed against plaintiffs at the appropriate time, the suit alleges.

The district created and selectively enforced policies against the plaintiffs and other parents when it served to further the ends of the conspiracy.

On Sept. 29, 2021, when Amanda Wray discovered the staggering amount of information Mark Greenburg had compiled about her or purportedly about her, Ms. Wray became physically ill and vomited, according to the lawsuit.

Jann-Michael caught in the body cam video as Mark Greenburg prepares to go take photos of parents at Coronado High School for the Google Drive Dossier. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times)

The suit claims the defendants violated the plaintiffs First Amendment rights using retaliation for dissenting views, and accuses Jann-Michael Greenburg specifically of depriving the plaintiffs of their right to free speech.

It also accuses Mark and Dagmar Greenburg of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, defamation against Wray, and false light invasion of privacy.

The plaintiffs have requested a jury trial and unspecified punitive damages. Their attorney, John Wilenchik, did not return a call seeking comment.

In November 2021, the SUSD board demoted Jann-Michael Greenburg to board member in connection with the Google Drive dossier.
Australia Engaged in Zero Sum Game for Influence With China for the Pacific

Centre-right Coalition Senator James Paterson has warned that Australia is engaged in a zero-sum game for influence in the Pacific against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Paterson, who is chair of the Australian Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, said the federal government had known for some time that Beijing had expansive ambitions for the Pacific.

They have been wanting to establish a permanent and militarised presence in the Pacific for some time, and the government of the Solomon Islands is not the first one to receive an offer like this, and it wont be the last, he told Sky News Australia on May 5. We have to be on guard to this threat. It is a very serious one.

Paterson said those familiar with World War II would know the strategic importance of the South Pacific region, and it was one of the reasons why the Pacific Step-up engagement strategy was launched.

Our interests in the Pacific are very clear, and its the reason why we refocused our international aid program to the Pacific, he said. Were engaged in a zero-sum game for influence with China in the Pacific.

Liberal Senator James Paterson in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 21, 2016. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

The governing Coalition has received criticism from the opposition Labor Party over the recent signing of a security deal between the Solomon Islands and Beijing.

A deal that could lead to full militarisation in the region akin to the South China Sea and in an area located just 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles) from the northern Australian city of Cairns.

Penny Wong, shadow foreign affairs spokesperson, called the situation the greatest foreign policy blunder since World War II.

While Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers claimed the government had cut foreign aid to the Pacific nations, which opened the door for Beijing to build its influence.

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, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Paterson meanwhile panned the idea that more engagement with the Pacific could have prevented the Beijing-Solomons security deal from going ahead.

I think it does highlight that had just one more phone call being made, had one more visit occurred, had just one more dollar of aid been spent, that this wouldnt have happenedit highlights the absurdity of that, he said.

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has stood by the security deal despite appeals from Australian, Japanese, and U.S. authorities.

Sogavare is deeply unpopular in the countrywhich has a history of civil strifeand there are concerns he could attempt to prevent the 2023 national election from going ahead by engineering a false-flag event if he does lose power.

South Pacific expert Cleo Paskal has called for democratic nations to stop engaging with the prime minister in the hopes of changing his mind and to hold him instead to account for the implementation of the 2000 Townsville Peace Agreement, which ushered in an era of stability and national government for the country.

Retired U.S. Marine Col. Grant Newsham, meanwhile, has called on democratic allies to shine a spotlight on allegations of bribery perpetrated by the CCP.

Every deal signed with a Chinese or other foreign company in the Solomons should be exposed to public scrutiny, the senior fellow at the Yorktown Institute wrote in The Epoch Times. Besides undercutting Beijings subversion efforts, transparency and revealing corrupt activities bolster local politicians and groups that want honest and consensual government and oppose CCP domination.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (on screen) addresses the Australian Parliament in the House of Representatives chamber via a video link in Canberra, Australia, on March 31, 2022. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia Rolls-Out New Sanctions Targeting 110 Russian MPs, Separatists

The Australian government has continued pressuring Russia authorities following the announcement of a tranche of sanctions targeting another 110 individuals, including Ukrainian separatists from the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and members of the Russian Duma or Parliament.

In reiterating Australias unwavering support for Ukraine, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said 34 sanctioned Ukrainians were senior representatives of the separatist Peoples Council of the Peoples Republic of Donetsk and Peoples Council of the Peoples Republic of Luhansk.

The latest action brings the total number of individuals sanctioned by the Australian government to 812. A further 47 entities have been sanctioned.

These individuals have violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine through their assertion of governmental authority over areas of Ukraine without the Ukrainian governments authorisation, DFAT said in a release on May 4.

The department stated that the two separatist republics were not states under international law.

Smoke rises from the grounds of the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 29, 2022, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. (Andrey Borodulin/AFP via Getty Images)

Over 76 members of the Russian Duma have also been targeted by the Australian government, with DFAT noting that some individuals were included after voting in favour of a resolution calling for President Vladimir Putin to recognise Donetsk and Luhansk as independent regions.

Others were chosen due to their support for ratifying one or both treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the Russian Federation and the two breakaway regions.

DFAT also singled out Russian MP Oleg Matveichev for what it termed dissemination of disinformation and propaganda after Matveichev argued that Western nations should pay reparations for harm caused by the economic sanctions and the war itself.

The latest move comes after the Australian government announced it would supply a further $26.7 million (US$19.1 million) worth of military assistance, including six M777 lightweight towed howitzers along with ammunition, to bolster the countrys resistance to Russias brutal, unrelenting and illegal invasion.

The Australian Government is providing six M777 155mm, lightweight, towed howitzers and 155mm howitzer ammunition to support the Government of Ukraine, An M777 howitzer from 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, is prepared for transportation before being loaded onto a truck at Gallipoli Barracks, on April 27, in Brisbane, Australia. ( Major Roger Brennan, Australian Defence Forces)

Australia stands with the people of Ukraine and again calls on Russia to cease its unprovoked, unjust, and illegal invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton said in a joint release on April 27.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States and its allies of seeking to rule the world.

Speaking on Russian state televisions Channel 1, Lavrov, on April 26, accused the West of no longer recognising international law or recognised the sovereign equality of all states, despite Russias recent invasion of Ukraines sovereign territory.

FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a news conference following talks with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer in Moscow, Russia, on March 24, 2022. Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via REUTERS

They are trying to split the entire architecture that has been taking shape for many decades and based on consensus, the participation of all the main, major players, including the United States, Russia, India, Japan, China, Australia, he said.

They openly declare that they will be in charge, that NATO has every right to do what it wants, the Russian foreign minister said. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg can declare that NATO bears a global responsibility for security throughout the world, including in the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a press conference after visiting TEi engineering and steel fabrication company in the seat of Herbert, Queensland in Australia on April 26, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Australian Prime Minister Warns Against Teal Independent Vote

Ambitious 'teal' net-zero policies to usher in radical change to economy and society

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has continued to warn against voting for so-called teal independentsbacked by the Climate 200 groupsaying it would destabilise the government.

Over the last three years, in particular, weve had the strength of a majority government, the prime minister told reporters on Perth on May 6. If each and every day we had to go and negotiate for the governments existence with a cavalcade of independents or being pushed to-and-fro by others, then Australia would not have had the strength to push through the pandemic.

My warning is very clear to those seats where people are thinking about independents; I would say this: if they wont tell you how they would vote, how could you vote for them? Not just on who they support in government, but we cant have a government thats a weathervane, he added.

A day earlier, the prime minister said the independents posed a threat to Australias security and economy, saying a vote for independents is a vote for parliamentary chaos.

We dont support a 60 percent reduction in emissions that would be catastrophic for our economy, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on May 5.

This comes as the Climate 200 group are backing 22 independent candidates for the next federal electionmany of whom will contest once strong Coalition-held seats including North Sydney, Wentworth, Kooyong, and Goldstein.

Climate 200, backed by billionaire Simon Holmes a Court, are hoping to leverage growing sentiment among highly educated and affluent Australians for more ambitious climate change action policies including a 60 percent reduction in emissions by 2030the governments current policy is a 26 percent reduction target.

A more ambitious emissions reduction target would mean Australia would have to reshape its entire economy and power generation system to rely on new, untested energy sources.

Read More Tech Billionaires Bold Takeover Bid Lacks Understanding of Power Grid Stability

Further, the prospect of a hung Parliament after the May 21 election could also see Climate 200-backed candidates wield considerable influence if the major parties fall short of the required 76 seats to form government.

This will contribute to Holmes a Courts actual objective because holding the balance of power will make him the king-maker of whichever party eventually partners with his candidates, according to Eric Louw, former professor in political communication at the University of Queensland, wrote in The Epoch Times.

Taxpayers would also have to fund the costs of massive socio-economic disruption, unemployment, workforce re-training, and bankroll brand new bureaucracies needed to administer green subsidies and climate change action planning, he said.
Autopsy Determines Cause of Death of Mother Found Hanging From Border Wall

An autopsy says a Mexican woman found hanging on the border wall in southern Arizona choked to death in an accident when she became entangled in climbing gear.

The Pima County Medical Examiners report, conducted for the Cochise County Sheriffs office, said Griselda Anais Verduzco Armenta, 31, was discovered suspended from the border wall entrapped by a cord, tie-down straps, and seat belt around her neck, chest, and arms.

The report, released this week, said Verduzco Armenta had abrasions to the head, torso, and extremities, along with contusions, a laceration on her lower right leg, and a fractured vertebra.

The Cochise County Sheriffs Office previously said that the woman was found at approximately 11 p.m. on April 11.

Deputies were alerted by Mexican authorities of a woman who was ensnared on the border fence, the office said, describing her as being trapped upside down for a significant amount of time.

The woman was freed and rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The body showed attempts to revive her, according to the autopsy.

Migrants occasionally die attempting to cross the border wall, sometimes falling to the ground.

A 31-year-old man died in March after climbing a section of wall just west of the Paso Del Norte port of entry in Texas.

A Border Patrol agent, notified by a remote surveillance system, went to the area and found the Mexican man conscious but suffering from injuries that he allegedly sustained in a fall from the fence, Customs and Border Protection said.

The man was treated at a hospital but was eventually declared deceased.

After Verduzco Armenta died, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said that deaths from climbing the wall are not political, they are humanitarian realities that someone has lost a loved one in a senseless tragedy.

We have to do better in finding solutions to the challenges facing our border, and we have to do it for the right reasons. Regardless of opinions, it is the facts that should direct our progress and we will keep working towards a shared goal of border safety and security, he said.

Some of the last construction carried out before the end of former President Donald Trumps term was in the area where the woman was ensnared, with 30-foot-tall (9-meter) steel columns erected on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property.

President Joe Biden halted border wall construction almost immediately after taking office, a move that cost approximately $72 million. Blas Nunez-Neto, a top Biden administration official, told members of Congress this week that the border wall is effective in rerouting migration but that in more remote areas, we have found that it is still fairly easy for migrants to make holes in the wall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks during a COVID-19 update in the press theatre at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on March 10, 2022. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press/)

BC Judge Rejects Henrys Bid to Dismiss Petition Filed Over Her Vaccine Mandates for Health-Care Workers

A judge in B.C. has rejected a bid by Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry to have a petition, filed against several of her COVID-19 orders for health-care workers, dismissed from court.

In a ruling on May 4, Justice Simon Coval of the Supreme Court of British Columbia said the advocacy group that challenged Henrys COVID-19 vaccine mandates for health-care workers does in fact have standing to bring a constitutional challenge, which Henry sought to have thrown out.

The petition, filed by the Canadian Society for the Advancement of Science in Public Policy (CSASPP) last November, and amended in February, sought judicial review of Henrys orders that only health-care workers who receive two doses of COVID-19 shots may be employed or provide services in settings such as hospitals, residential care, and public health office.

The petition alleges that the impugned orders fail to provide reasonable exemptions and accommodations for individuals with religious objections, vaccination risks, immunity from prior infection, and recent negative COVID-19 testing.

It argues that the orders should be set aside as they infringe the charter rights of unvaccinated health-care workers, and that the orders are an unreasonable exercise of statutory powers contrary to the Judicial Review Procedure Act (JRPA).

In response, Henry submitted an application to the court in January to have the petition dismissed on grounds that the petitioners lack proper legal standing. The CSASPP countered that it has public interest standing, and therefore the court should hear their case.

The legal test to show that a public interest standing is warranted involves examining whether there is a serious issue raised as to the invalidity of legislation in question, whether the petitioner is directly affected by the legislation or has a genuine interest in the outcome, and whether the legislation is a reasonable and effective means to bring a claim to court.

On April 7, Henrys lawyers argued in court that her orders were reasonable, with the aim of limiting transmission in high-risk public settings and protecting public health, vulnerable populations, and the functioning of the provinces health-care system.

The lawyers said the CSASPP has no history of involvement in the issues raised by the petition, and the evidence connecting its membership to health care is vague and weak. They also alleged that the society was merely a purpose-built anti-COVID-19 measures entity.

Incorporated as a not-for-profit society, the Vancouver-based CSASPP describes itself as a non-partisan, secular organization created in response to popular community demand for a direct action initiative to counter BCs COVID-19 related measures, according to its website.

In its petition, the society said it sent a letter to Henry on Nov. 8, 2021, requesting a reconsideration of her orders on behalf of a broad class of health-care workers in B.C., which, according to section 43 of the Public Health Act, allows for such actions.

Henry, however, issued a reconsideration variance the following day, halting reconsideration requests except for medical reasons. On Jan. 17, Henry refused the societys request on the basis that it had sought exemption on non-medical grounds.

CSASPP challenged Henrys decision as an unreasonable refusal to consider its request, which includes a critique from Dr. Joel Kettner, former chief medical officer and chief public health officer of Manitoba from 1992 to 2012, arguing that the impugned orders failed to comply with generally accepted principles of public health governance and the charter.

In addition, CSASPPs reconsideration request had proposed to Henry alternative approaches such as accepting natural immunity, a negative PCR or antigen test less than 48 hours prior to attendance at a facility, and documentation from a doctor providing medical reason for not being fully vaccinated, all based on policies in other jurisdictions such as Alberta, the European Union, and Ontario.

But Henrys application in January argued that the interests of patients and the overburdened health-care system outweigh the interests of health-care workers who refuse to take the shots.

Coval said while creating a society committed to one side of an issue was not sufficient to fashion a genuine stake for purposes of standing, he found the CSASPPs reconsideration request showed an engaged, concrete adverseness counting in favour of standing.

Also counting somewhat in favour is the evidence, albeit vague and inferential, of CSASPPs stake based on the health care workers amongst its membership, he wrote.

The society told the court that it currently has about 170 members, with at least 41 of them working in B.C.s health-care sector.

The judge added that Henrys orders directly affected members of a defined and identifiable group in a serious way that, at least on the surface, relates to their charter rights.

CSASPP alleges that its alternative proposals reflect a superior approach, taken in other Provinces and elsewhere around the world, much less intrusive on health care workers Charter rights. In my view, this raises substantial questions that meet the threshold of clearly not frivolous, he ruled.

Regarding justiciability, the Petition challenges state action based on legislatively-delegated discretionary powers. In my view, the petitioners are correct that whether those actions comply with the Charter and JRPA are clearly questions suitable for judicial determination.
If you live in California, please review these bills and VOTE NO

California has also introduced six other bills seeking to enshrine tyranny into law, including bills to criminalize amplification of harmful content, create a centralized vaccination registry, strip funding from law enforcement that refuses to follow public health orders, mandate COVID jabs for school children, authorize minors to consent to vaccination, and require school districts to conduct routine COVID testing

Doctors have an ethical obligation to treat each patient as an individual, and to ensure each patient receives the safest and best care. Bill 2098 will turn doctors into government agents, leaving no one to advocate for patients health

Misinformation related to SARS-CoV-2 includes false or misleading information regarding the nature and risks of the virus, its prevention and treatment; and the development, safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. But as far as what might constitute misinformation or disinformation is unclear and basically left open for interpretation by the state

A California bill is now threatening to strip doctors of their medical licenses if they express medical views that the state does not agree with. California Assembly Bill 2098 designates the dissemination or promotion of misinformation or disinformation related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, or COVID-19, as unprofessional conduct warranting disciplinary action that could result in the loss of their medical license

If these new proposed bills pass, your doctors could have their licenses taken away, simply by speaking the truth about the COVID fiasco. To appease bureaucrats, they would have to censor their thoughts about lockdowns and vaccines, and even avoid advising you about effective treatments.

One of the most stunning parts of this pandemic has been the denial of basic science, and one of the most shocking developments from that has been the attack on medical doctors who try to set the record straight.

As reported by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya  professor of health policy at Stanford, research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and coauthor of the Great Barrington Declaration, which calls for focused protection of the most vulnerable1  a California bill is now threatening to strip doctors of their medical licenses if they express medical views that the state does not agree with.2

Bhattacharyas Personal Battle

Bhattacharya has first-hand experience with this kind of witch hunt. He was one of the first to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 in 2020, and found that by April, the infection was already too prevalent for lockdowns to have any possibility of stopping the spread.

Bhattacharya has called the COVID-19 lockdowns the biggest public health mistake ever made,3 stressing that the harms caused have been absolutely catastrophically devastating, especially for children and the working class, worldwide.4

After Bhattacharya co-sponsored the Great Barrington Declaration, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and his former boss, now retired National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins, colluded behind the scenes to quash the declaration from day 1.5

To that end, they set out to smear and destroy the reputations of Bhattacharya and the other coauthors of the declaration. In one email, Collins referred to the three highly credentialed and respected scientists as fringe epidemiologists and called for a press takedown of the trio.6,7,8,9 I detailed this treachery in Authors of Barrington Declaration Speak Out.

Big tech outlets like Facebook and Google followed suit, suppressing our ideas, falsely deeming them misinformation, Bhattacharya writes.10 I started getting calls from reporters asking me why I wanted to let the virus rip, when I had proposed nothing of the sort. I was the target of racist attacks and death threats.

Despite the false, defamatory and sometimes frightening attacks, we stood firm. And today many of our positions have been amply vindicated. Yet the soul searching this episode should have caused among public health officials has largely failed to occur. Instead, the lesson seems to be: Dissent at your own risk.

I do not practice medicine  I am a professor specializing in epidemiology and health policy at Stanford Medical School. But many friends who do practice have told me how they have censored their thoughts about COVID lockdowns, vaccines, and recommended treatment to avoid the mob 

This forced scientific groupthink  and the fear and self-censorship they produce  are bad enough. So far, though, the risk has been social and reputational. Now it could become literally career-ending.

Do You Want Your Doctor To Be Muzzled by the State?

California Assembly Bill 209811  introduced by Assemblyman Evan Low, a Silicon Valley Democrat, and coauthored by Assembly members Aguiar-Curry, Akilah Weber and Wicks, and Sens. Pan and Wiener  designates the dissemination or promotion of misinformation or disinformation related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, or COVID-19, as unprofessional conduct warranting disciplinary action that could result in the loss of their medical license.

This bill represents a chilling interference with the practice of medicine. The bill itself is full of misinformation and a demonstration of what a disaster it would be to have the legislature dictate the practice of medicine. ~ Dr. Jay Bhattacharya

Misinformation or disinformation related to SARS-CoV-2 includes false or misleading information regarding the nature and risks of the virus, its prevention and treatment; and the development, safety, and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. But as far as what might constitute misinformation or disinformation is unclear and basically left open for interpretation  by the state. As noted by Bhattacharya:12

Doctors, fearing loss of their livelihoods, will need to hew closely to the government line on COVID science and policy, even if that line does not track the scientific evidence.

After all, until recently, top government science bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci claimed that the idea that COVID came from a Wuhan laboratory was a conspiracy theory, rather than a valid hypothesis that should be open to discussion. The governments track record on discerning COVID truths is poor.

The bill claims that the spread of misinformation by physicians about the COVID vaccines has weakened public confidence and placed lives at serious risk. But how significant is this problem in reality? Over 83% of Californians over the age of 50 are fully vaccinated (including the booster) 

What is abundantly clear is that this bill represents a chilling interference with the practice of medicine. The bill itself is full of misinformation and a demonstration of what a disaster it would be to have the legislature dictate the practice of medicine.

The Shanghai Model

We dont have to guess at what life might look like if this and other bills like it are implemented, Bhattacharya warns. The drama currently playing out in Shanghai offers a clear look into what can happen when public health is dictated by the state rather than by qualified medical professionals rooted in sound science.

Shanghai is the model for the terrifying dangers of giving dictatorial powers to public health officials, Bhattacharya writes.13 The harrowing situation unfolding there is a testament to the folly of a virus containment strategy that relies on lockdown.

For two weeks, the Chinese government has locked nearly 25 million people in their homes, forcibly separated children from their parents, killed family pets, and limited access to food and life-saving medical care  all to no avail. COVID cases are still rising, yet the delusion of suppressing COVID persists.

In America, many of our officials still have not abandoned their delusions about COVID and the exercise of power this crisis has allowed. As the Shanghai debacle demonstrates, of all the many terrible consequences of our public health response to COVID, the stifling of dissenting scientific viewpoints by the state might be the most dangerous.

The Science Deniers Are in Power

As stressed by Bhattacharya, the California bill includes a number falsehoods and fails to acknowledge basic science, starting with natural immunity. High-quality studies have repeatedly shown that natural immunity is equivalent or superior to the COVID shots. Were this bill to pass, a California doctor could lose his license for taking a patients COVID history into account when recommending the shot.

It also negates doctors ability to prescribe off-label drugs for the treatment of COVID, even though this has been a common and uncontroversial medical practice for many decades. Its not uncommon for a drug intended for one condition to be used off-label for another. But for some reason, when it comes to COVID, this practice is now deemed hazardous and unprofessional.

The bill also falsely asserts that the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines have been confirmed through evaluation by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Anyone who has followed this circus over the past year realizes that the FDA has completely ignored loud and clear warning bells showing the shots are far from safe and nowhere near as effective as initially claimed.

The bill also ignores the fact that the safety depends on the individual patients medical history and current state of health. For example, there is an elevated risk of myocarditis in young men taking the vaccine, especially with the booster, Bhattacharya notes.14

Doctors have an ethical obligation to treat each patient as an individual, and to ensure each patient receives the safest and best care. Bill 2098 will turn doctors into government agents, leaving no one to advocate for patients health.

The false medical consensus enforced by AB 2098 will lead doctors to censor themselves to avoid government sanction. And it will be their patients, above all, who will be harmed by their silence, Bhattacharya warns.

Californians, Vote NO on COVID Tyranny Bills

California Bill 2098 isnt the only bill seeking to enshrine tyranny into law. Other pending California bills include:15

If you are a resident of California, please consider taking the additional step of contacting your respective senators and assembly members in addition to filling out the online portal. See Californians for Medical Freedom for step-by-step instructions on how to contact your local legislators as well as what to say if you decide to call (which is recommended).

The PERK website is also a very helpful way to track the hearing dates and status of these bills. In the comments, Donald Tipon has provided additional links for opposing AB2098 and AB1797 from A Voice for Choice Advocacy.

Front Groups Marshal the Ignorant

Regulating the medical views a doctor can and cannot have is dangerous in the extreme, and hopefully the Californians who are left to vote in that state will quash such efforts. On the national level, we must also stay vigilant against similar legislative proposals, and push back against phony front groups that promote this kind of medical tyranny.

This includes the No License for Disinformation23 (NLFD) group, which promotes the false information disseminated by the dark-money group known as the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

As most now know, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a medical doctor in his own right, has been the primary challenger of Faucis lies, and the NLFD has been instructing individuals to report him to the Kentucky Medical Board, with the aim of getting his medical license revoked.24

Just who are the NLFD?25 In November 2021, I wrote about the NLFD, pointing out that the bottom of their website declared, Created & Developed by EverydayAmericanJoe.26 At the time, I took a screenshot of it, in case theyd wise up and change it. Good thing, because that notice has since been deleted.

Originally published May 5, 2022 on Mercola.com

References
The logo for Boeing appears on a screen above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 13, 2021. (Richard Drew/AP Photo/file)

Boeing Leaves Chicago as City Struggles With Crime, Other Problems

Boeing said it is moving its headquarters from Chicago though it will still maintain a strong presence in the city, whose reputation as a major hub that welcomes corporations and their staff stands in contrast to a recent upsurge in crime.

The plane-making giant said in a May 5 statement that it will relocate its global headquarters to its Arlington, Virginia campus on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., where Boeing hopes to tap into an engineering talent pool and leverage the proximity of key stakeholders.

The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders, and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent, Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement.

Besides relocating to Northern Virginia, Boeing plans to develop a research and technology hub there.

Areas of focus for the hub will be cyber security, autonomous operations, quantum sciences, as well as software and systems engineering.

Incredibly Disappointing

Illinois lawmakers reacted to the news with disappointment while the mayor of Chicago offered assurances that the city remains hospitable for businesses.

Boeings decision to leave Illinois is incredibly disappointing, Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said in a statement.

We are working together to ensure Boeing leadership both understands how harmful this move will be and does everything possible to protect Illinoiss workers and jobs, the Democrat pair added.

Boeing said it will maintain a significant presence in Chicago and the surrounding region, with a Boeing spokesman telling the Chicago Tribune that the move will not lead to significant job cuts.

Calhoun said Boeing appreciates its continuing relationships in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois as the company looks to maintain a strong presence there.

Boeings announcement comes just days after the company reported a $1.2 billion loss in the first quarter and after the expiration at the end of 2021 of a tax subsidy agreement that helped draw Boeing to Chicago in the first place some two decades ago.

Clearly, Boeing was able to leverage the expiration of their Illinois financial incentives to get themselves a sweeter deal out of Arlington, Virginia, Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly told the Chicago Sun-Times in a statement.

Its disappointing to lose Boeing, he continued. But, if I were from Arlington, Id make sure its a very long-term deal because, the minute those terms expire, the company will leverage that for another raft of taxpayers incentives.

A Boeing spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the company is not taking any economic incentives from Virginia.

World-Class City

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot reacted to Boeings announcement in a statement that acknowledged the companys plans to maintain a presence in what she called a world-class city with a booming economy and good infrastructure.

We have a robust pipeline of major corporate relocations and expansions, and we expect more announcements in the coming months, she said. What remains to be true is that Chicago is a major hub for global corporations that recognize our diverse workforce, expansive infrastructure, and thriving economy.

While many major corporations continue to call Chicago home, the city has seen a number of departures over the years, as it has struggled with budget chaos and hikes to property and business taxes.

Another problem often cited in reference to Chicago is crime, which is up 35 percent so far this year compared to a year ago, according to police statistics (pdf).

Murders and shooting incidents are down 8 percent and 14 percent respectively, but property crimes have surged, with burglaries up 35 percent and theft up 67 percent compared to last year.

Recent studies done by moving companies show Illinois is one of the top states seeing an exodus, with high taxes cited as the top reason to leave by nearly half of Illinoisans polled by Paul Simon Public Policy Institute several years ago (pdf).
Wet wipes are popular hygienic products that are commonly marketed as being flushable. However, unlike toilet paper that disintegrates rapidly, they are non-biodegradable and remain intact long after flushing. Once wet wipes are flushed, the common euphemism "out of sight, out of mind" does not ring true for wastewater treatment operators, who must deal with the consequences.

Flushing a wet wipe contributes to the creation of a sewer system phenomenon known as fatbergs. The term fatberg is a recent moniker used to describe these conglomerations, in use at least since 2009. Fatbergs are formed when non-biodegradable solids (e.g. wet wipes, cotton balls, condoms, sanitary products, etc.) are combined with fats, oils and greases that have made their way into the sewage system. Many non-biodegradable products are designed in such a way that they retain their form, even when wet. Once in the sewer, these solid wastes snag on points of irregularity within pipes (e.g. hardened concrete drip, tree roots, sharp bends, etc.), and cooled fats, oils and greases tend to accumulate on the surface, eventually forming a clog.

A fatberg 820 feet long and weighing 140 tons was discovered underneath Whitechapel, London, in 2017, where aging Victorian sewers are rife with superficial irregularities and therefore more prone to forming fatbergs. The cost of removing this specific fatberg was estimated to be around 2 billion, and destruction and removal of the fatberg took nearly two months. Though we may not experience fatbergs of this magnitude in the United States, even smaller ones threaten the proper function of our sewage systems and prove costly to operators, municipalities, and taxpayers.

The damages caused by fatbergs are not inconsequential. Not only can they cause raw sewage to back up into homes, but they can also force untreated sewage to overflow from sanitary systems and into surface waters, adversely impacting water quality. This happened twice in Baltimore in the fall of 2017, resulting in the discharge of over 1 million gallons of waste into a Maryland stream. Fatbergs can also destroy equipment at wastewater treatment facilities. Pictured with this column is a recently damaged grinder from the town of Owasco's wastewater treatment facility. The teeth of grinders, a component of the treatment process that is designed to break up biodegradable solid waste, can gum up while attempting to masticate the unwanted masses. The parts and labor associated with repairing and replacing broken equipment, as well as the time spent manually removing fatberg clogs and extricating material from grinders, pose significant costs to treatment facilities. Those with septic systems arent safe either  though fatbergs may not form within septic systems, flushing wet wipes and other non-flushable items can cost homeowners in the form of more frequent tank pump-outs.

Solid waste conglomerations have been around for as long as weve had public sewer systems, but with the rise in popularity of wet wipes over the past several years, they have grown in frequency and in size, threatening the operation of wastewater treatment facilities.

The city of Auburn and town of Owasco request that the public do not flush the following items:

 Wet wipes (including baby and disinfectant wipes)

 Paper towels

 Towelettes

 Tissues

 Feminine hygiene products

 Plastic and latex items

 Dental floss, hair and other stringy materials

 Fats, oils, and greases

 Kitty litter and aquarium stone

 Diapers

 Glass, metal, gravel or sand

Jillian Aluisio is a watershed inspector with the Owasco Lake Watershed Inspection and Protection Division. For more information, visit owascoinspection.com.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Karina Gould, Canada's then-minister of international development, speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Dec. 10, 2019. (Blair Gable/Reuters)

Canada Open to Americans Seeking Abortions: Minister of Families

Following the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion indicating the courts intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, Canadas minister for families, children, and social development has said that her country welcomes Americans who wish to cross the border for abortions.

I dont see why we would not, Minister Karina Gould told CBC News. If they, people, come here and need access, certainly, you know, thats a service that would be provided. Gould also raised concerns about how Canadian women seeking abortions would be affected if Roe v. Wade were overturned.

Many Canadian women who do not live near a major city in the country access abortion services in the United States, she said. A spokesperson for Gould later told the CBC that Americans can obtain abortion services in Canada at a cost.

Americans accessing health care services in Canada would continue to have to pay for the service out-of-pocket or by their own private insurance if they are not covered by a provincial health insurance, by the Interim Federal Health Program or Non-Insured Health Benefits, the statement said.

In the leaked draft court opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court appeared to have voted to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Roe declared abortion to be a constitutional right and prohibited state governments from passing laws that restricted access to it. The court also overruled the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that upheld Roe v. Wade.

The leaked majority opinion called the reasoning behind the Roe v. Wade decision exceptionally weak, pointing out that it has had damaging consequences. The leaked document was from February 2022, during which time the judges were still in the early phase of considering the matter.

A final decision on the issue is expected over the next couple of months. Chief Justice John Roberts has asked the Supreme Court marshal to investigate the document leak.

Earlier on May 3, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to make his stance clear on the issue.

The right to choose is a womans right and a womans right alone. Every woman in Canada has a right to a safe and legal abortion. Well never back down from protecting and promoting womens rights in Canada and around the world, he wrote in a tweet.

The possible overturning of Roe v. Wade has triggered a heated debate over abortion in America. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, criticized the potential rollback of Roe v. Wade as a repressive measure that has never happened before in our lifetimes.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, called the leak of the draft opinion a judicial insurrection that was possibly an attempt to kneecap a potential majority through extra-constitutional means. A supporter of pro-life protections, DeSantis said such protections are based on science and are a reflection of who we are as a society.

The next important chapter in the legal story of abortion is going to involve how the state laws interact with each other, said Matthew Forys, assistant general counsel for Landmark Legal Foundation in Leesburg, Virginia.

A pro-life state allowing private parties to sue abortion providers could be thwarted by a pro-choice state that allows those private parties to countersue. And the pro-choice states could block out-of-state attempts to investigate or extradite their abortion providers, he said.

Many states have already taken action to become abortion sanctuaries, Forys said, noting that California is considering amending its state constitution to guarantee a legal right abortion.
An Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 approaches for landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 13, 2019. (Reuters/Chris Helgren)

Canadian Airport Delays Could See Some Relief by Summer: Official

Staffing shortages that led to long passenger lines this week at some of Canadas largest airports could see some improvement by the crucial summer travel season, an industry official said.

Monette Pasher, interim president of the Canadian Airports Council (CAC), said on Wednesday she is optimistic that recent recruitment efforts by Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), which screens passenger, baggage and airport workers, could help reduce delays by summer although there are no guarantees.

Were likely going to see longer lines than pre-COVID, but it should be better, Pasher said in an interview.

Surging travel demand, combined with staffing shortages after a pandemic-induced slump has left airports from Europe to Canada wrestling with delays in recent weeks.

Canada, which recently eased travel restrictions, has faced long-lines at airports in Toronto and Vancouver this week.

Pasher said she expects domestic airline seat capacity for June and July to be around 95% of 2019 levels for the same months, although actual passengers could be lower.

On Monday, passengers complained of long lines at Torontos Pearson International Airport, the countrys busiest.

Its an absolute gong show through security, said Matthew Green, a member of Canadas parliament, on Twitter about the long line-up for his morning flight from Toronto to Ottawa.

WestJet Airlines, the countrys second-largest carrier, said it is concerned about the state of services, given the rapidly increasing number of guests returning to travel this summer.

CATSA said in a statement that new recruits are joining airport teams across the country each week and it is working with partners to improve the situation.

Staffing levels at both CATSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with health checks on some international arrivals, are creating challenges, said the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which manages Pearson.

To prevent severe passenger congestion, airport and airline staff are forced to hold passengers on planes and deliberately meter the flow of arriving travellers into the customs hall, it said on Wednesday.

Air Canada was not available for comment.

As the air sector continues to recover, staffing remains an issue that the industry is working as quickly as possible to resolve, the office of the Ministry of Transport said in a statement.
Security is heightened around the Supreme Court ahead of its decision on overturning Roe v. Wade. Fencing was erected Wednesday night, and there are concerns about violent protests in the days to come.

The leak of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos draft opinion has shaken the institution, but what about the substance of what he wrote? We ask former judge and Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert what he thinks.

Pro-life groups are working to expose what they suspect are unlawful abortions at a D.C. abortion clinic. The groups found five babies that were allegedly killed after partial birth. We spoke to someone who was involved with that grim discovery.

With Title 42 potentially ending, is the Biden administration ready to handle the expected influx of illegal immigrants? Officials testified on what theyre planning to do, amid pushback from Republicans.

As the crisis on the southern border rages on, we had a chance to catch up with border state Texas Congressman Troy Nehls to get some perspective on how Texans are feeling with the impending removal of Title 42.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks about his strategy to end gun violence at the ATF headquarters.

Follow CapitolReport on social media:

Twitter https://twitter.com/capitolreport

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CapitolReport/

Gettr https://gettr.com/user/capitolreport
A general view of the Centers for Disease Control headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on April 23, 2020. (Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images)

CDC Investigating 109 Mysterious Hepatitis Cases in Children, Including 5 Deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating more than 100 cases of a mysterious form of hepatitis in children, saying that five have died so far.

Dr. Jay Butler, the CDCs deputy director of infectious diseases, said during a briefing said the agency is investigating 109 cases of acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, in 24 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The cause of the outbreak is not yet clear, he stressed, adding that about half of the children had adenovirus infections, although Butler said the CDC doesnt know yet if adenovirus is the actual cause.

Approximately 90 percent of the children required hospitalization, Butler said. Five have died so far, and more have required liver transplants, he added in the briefing.

Last month, the CDC issued a nationwide alert after nine acute hepatitis cases were discovered among children in Georgia. Since then, a number of state agencies have reported cases and several deaths.

Several days ago, the CDC issued a report saying that it found no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines caused the outbreak of hepatitis among children. None of the initial children in Abalama, the agency said, received the vaccine.

Meanwhile, other countries have reported similar outbreaks of hepatitis among children. On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency reported that (pdf) the countrys case count had risen to 163, dating back to early January, adding that 11 children have received liver transplants so far.

Adenovirus remains the most frequently detected potential pathogen. Amongst 163 UK cases, 126 have been tested for adenovirus of which 91 had adenovirus detected, said the agency. Amongst cases the adenovirus has primarily been detected in blood.

UK officials also ruled out the COVID-19 vaccine as a potential cause.

There are fewer than five older case-patients recorded as having had a COVID-19 vaccination prior to hepatitis onset, the report said, adding that most of the impacted children are too young to receive the shot. There is no evidence of a link between COVID-19 vaccination and the acute hepatic syndrome.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) told news outlets that there were at least 228 probable cases of hepatitis worldwide in at least 20 countries. That statement came before the CDCs latest announcement Friday.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by a viral infection, alcohol, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications acetaminophen, high doses of certain herbal supplements, toxins, and various medical conditions. Hepatitis viruses, which spread via bodily fluids, can also cause liver inflammation. The hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses are also well known to target the liver.

Symptoms include abdominal painnamely in the upper right part of the abdomen right below the ribsdark-colored urine, light-colored stools, and jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.
A worker holding wheat grains at a wheat mill, on March 21, 2022. China's food prices have climbed in a short period of time due to a combination of unfavorable factors. (Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images

China Corn Futures at Record High Due to Adverse Factors

Chinas grain prices have risen sharply in a short time due to adverse international and domestic factors. The corn futures reached a record high for two consecutive trading days at the end of April. Then on May 2, prices swelled to $487 a ton enabling a 13 percent price increase in Chinas corn futures from the beginning of 2022.

At the same time, corn prices on Chicagos Board of Trade (CBOT) were also approaching record highs, exceeding $8 per bushel. This represented a 35 percent increase from the beginning of the year.

Ukraine and Russia are the worlds largest exporters of wheat, barley, sunflower oil, and other agricultural products. The war between these countries is expected to weaken the global food supply and drive up international grain and food prices.

Russia ranks first in the world for wheat exports followed in second place by the United States, Canada third, and Ukraine fifth. Russia and Ukraine together account for more than one-third of global grain exports, including barley at 19 percent, wheat at 14 percent, and corn at 4 percent.

Although the Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted the worlds food supply chain, this is not the only reason Chinas food prices have risen so quickly. Another factor influencing the price jump was the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) harsh zero COVID policy to combat the pandemic.

Now that China is in the midst of its spring plowing season, the CCPs citywide lockdowns and zero COVID measures have made it difficult for farmers in the major grain-producing regions of the northeast to return to their hometowns and plant crops. Farmers are also incurring much higher prices to locate and pay for essential seeds and fertilizers. If this trend continues, China is likely to face a food shortage this year.

Since March, CCP officials say that Jilin Province, a major grain-producing region in the northeast, has reported more than 60,000 confirmed cases of COVID. The truth may be worse since the CCP tends to underreport information that makes it look bad. On April 20, Voice of America reported that many farmhands in the Jilin Province were stranded by lockdowns in cities like Changchun and unable to reach their worksites. Also, by the end of March, nearly one-third of Jilins farmers were unable to obtain sufficient fertilizer.

According to data released by Chinas National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), grain production in the Northeast region in 2021 reached 144,456,000 tons. This accounted for more than 20 percent of Chinas overall output. If the 2022 spring planting season is delayed as expected, Chinas grain production and food security will be seriously impacted.

Chinas grain production challenges are not limited to the short-term effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and deficient seed and fertilizer supplies. China faces multiple long-term concerns as well.

Official propaganda released by the CCP in 2021 states that China has enjoyed a bumper crop for more than a decade. But in fact, China has become the worlds largest importer of food and grains for several years in a row.

According to Customs data, China imported 111,440,000 tons of grain in 2019. In 2020, imports rose 27.97 percent to 142,621,000 tons. Then again in 2021, grain imports rose 18 percent to a record total of 165,000,000 tons.

Liao Shiming, a Hong Kong financial columnist told the Epoch Times that despite the CCPs continuing claims of a bumper crop, Chinas grain reserves are in short supply. To address the shortage, the country has been snapping up grain worldwide.

On Dec. 8, 2021, CCP leader Xi Jinping relayed his concerns about the food crisis to the Central Economic Work Conference. He said, In the past, southern food was transferred to the north, but now northern food is transferred to the south. In some places, a lot of lands were not even planted with food, but with flowers and fruits. So, what about food?

According to Liao Shiming, It was not until 1971, after the establishment of the Chinese Communist regime, that food production surpassed that of the late Qing Dynasty. Because food was the basis for the stability of the regime, CCP officials always claimed there were bumper crops year after year.

In China, peoples lack of willingness to farm is one of the main reasons food production is limited. One farmer from Chinas northeast told The Epoch Times, Nowadays, you cant make much money from farming, and you may even lose money, so who will farm? Seeds and fertilizers are so expensive, and the government gives some subsidies, but its not enough to pay for the villages fees.

Lack of arable land is another long-term reason for Chinas limited food production. Although the CCP claims it has 313 million acres of arable land, more than the minimum area of land under regular cultivationthe arable land red lineset at 300 million acres, the actual amount of arable land has been decreasing. Chinas media reported that Xi is concerned about this.

Chinas conversion of arable acreages began in 2002 when the CCP launched a nationwide campaign to return farmland to forest. Officials claimed the conversion would improve the ecological environment. By 2019, farmers had lost approximately 23 million acres to forest or grassland and additional losses due to soil-related problems were on the horizon.

Surveys by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in 2014 found that more than 40 percent of Chinas arable land had been degraded. According to the report, it was due to the black soil layer thinning, soil acidification, the organic content of the soil decreasing, etc.

The Ministries of Environmental Protection and Land & Resources reported at least 20 percent or 58 million acres of Chinas arable land had become contaminated. This was 133 percent higher than the 25 million contaminated acres reported in 2006. The specific contaminants included cadmium, nickel, copper, arsenic, mercury, lead, DDT, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Non-government observers like Liao Shiming once described Chinas lush southeastern provinces as economic growth engines. Now he says, the high-yield land there has been largely industrialized and Chinas new arable land is in the west. But due to poor rain and weather conditions, that land is unsuitable for farming.

Another observer, Antonio Graceffo, a U.S. economist and contributor to The Epoch Times, says China has been experiencing a systemic food crisis since 2020. The country has 60 percent less arable land per capita compared to other nations, but also its farmers have felt the impacts of record flooding, the pandemic, and the rising population. Now food prices continue to soar as people are demanding increased amounts of meat and farm-raised vegetables.

According to 2021 data provided by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), grain prices in the month of September that year rose 27.3 percent over the same period the previous year while food prices rose 32.8 percent.

The FAO notes that Chinas sudden and massive increase in food imports is putting pressure on global food supplies and creating uncertainty and unanticipated problems. FAO economist, Abdolreza Abbassian, says, the only thing we know is the food market will be more volatile in the future than it has been in the past.
Medical workers in protective suits collect swabs from residents during a citywide nucleic acid testing following cases of COVID-19 in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, on Jan. 5, 2022. (CNS photo via Reuters)

China Locks Down City of 10 Million Amid New COVID Outbreak, Apple Supplier Takes a Hit

Another Chinese megacity is under lockdown due to a recent COVID-19 outbreak. Zhengzhou city, the provincial capital of Chinas central Henan Province, is carrying out strict measures to contain the spread of the disease. But the lockdown could impact major manufacturers such as Apple supplier Foxconn, disrupting Apples supply chain.

Following Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, local authorities in Zhengzhou announced a week-long lockdown of the city with 10.5 million residents from May 4 to May 10.

According to official figures, around 70 cases were reported this week. However, due to Chinese authorities past record of underreporting infections and covering up information, it is difficult to assess the true scale of the current outbreak.

As soon as the lockdown order was announced, residents began panic buying, stocking up on food and supplies. Meanwhile, thousands of people tried to leave the city, causing severe traffic jams.

A screenshot of photos from Chinese social media Weibo show residents lining up at stores to stock up on food and supplies before the lockdown in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, on May 2022. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

COVID Measures

Chinese media reported on April 30 that COVID infections were first detected among employees at a railway station in Zhengzhou and then began to spread across various communities.

On May 3, the authorities issued an official notice, Order No. 73, requiring most residents to work from home, to extend the spring break for students, to implement traffic control measures, and to prevent residents from leaving the city unless they have special permission to do so. The authorities also announced that three rounds of city-wide mass testing would be conducted during the lockdown.

According to the notice, the citys buses and subways would reduce services, and taxis (including ride-hailing services) would operate on alternating schedules based on odd and even numbers of their license plates. Before boarding public transportation, passengers must have their health code scanned, body temperature checked, and wear masks. In addition, they also need to show proof of a negative nucleic acid test taken within 24 hours. The airport will continue to implement existing pandemic prevention and control measures.

The authorities also tightened control of people entering and leaving Zhengzhou, requiring all residents to remain in the city unless they get special permission to leave. People are not allowed to enter the city unless deemed necessary by authorities.

Authorities advised residents not to hoard supplies and not to panic. But after witnessing what happened to people in Shanghai after the lockdown, residents rushed to the stores to stock up on food and supplies.

Early last month, nearly 25 million residents in Shanghai were locked down, triggering a humanitarian crisis. Various media reported that people suffered from starvation and no access to medical care, and many committed suicide.

On May 3, a Zhengzhou resident surnamed Li told The Epoch Times: This afternoon, everyone in Zhengzhou is rushing to stores to hoard food and supplies. Goods in many supermarkets have been sold out very quickly. The city is about to be shut down tomorrow. I will definitely go out to buy some [supplies]. I am afraid that Zhengzhou will become the next Shanghai. Almost all supermarkets sold out of supplies.

The Epoch Times obtained a video shot by residents showing traffic jams and crowded supermarkets in Zhengzhou. Many people were rushing to buy food and supplies, and thousands tried to leave the city before the lockdown.

Apple Supplier Foxconn Affected by Lockdown

Taiwan electronics manufacturer Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, has a production base in Zhengzhou. The company said that its production in the industrial park will continue in a closed environment during the lockdown, causing manpower and supply shortages. However, authorities expect production to take a hit, and Apples supply chain could be affected.

Several Zhengzhou Foxconn recruitment staff posted on social media platforms that due to the lockdown, the company has suspended the recruitment of workers since May 4. At the same time, previous recruits cannot enter the factory to start working.

Taiwans Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua told the media on May 4 that the lockdown has an impact on Taiwanese business operations in mainland China. Wang said that the Chinese regimes ongoing pandemic control measures will affect the supply chain and raw materials of production.

Li Jing, Hong Ning, Yi Ru contributed to the report.
The storage site of hard coal for the coal-fired power plant of the German energy supplier Steag in Duisburg, western Germany, on April 5, 2022. (Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images)

China Removes Import Tariffs on Coal, Analysts Say the Move Likely Benefits Russia

New China-Russia railway completed, seeking to boost energy trade amid growing sanctions

The Russia-Ukraine war has brought significant constraints to the global energy supply as many countries have long depended on Russian exports of coal, oil, and gas.

On April 26, Chinas Ministry of Finance announced it would remove import tariffs for all types of coal, starting from May 1 to March 31, 2023. Analysts believe that this policy change may largely benefit Russia as the European Union and Japan have recently moved to ban coal imports from the country.

The current import tariffs range from 3 percent to 6 percent, depending on coal type. For anthracite and coking coal, primarily used in steelmaking, tariffs will be cut to zero from the current 3 percent. The rates for various types of coal will be cut down to zero from the current 5 percent to 6 percent, the ministry said in a statement.

Chinese coal mines have accelerated production due to the soaring global energy prices following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Chinas major coal-producing provinces and regions have expanded their production capacity to increase supply, according to its National Statistics Bureau.

In 2021, China imported 323.33 million tons of coal, about 8 percent of its total coal consumption. However, its coal imports are down 24.2 percent through the end of March this year as global prices have soared, the bureau said.

In April, the United States, the EU, Japan, and others have moved to ban Russian coal, further exacerbating the tight supply in the global coal market.

On April 8, the EU adopted its fifth package of restrictive measures against Moscow, which includes an import ban on all forms of Russian coal given a 120-day buffer period. Additionally, Russian and Belarusian freight road operators will also be banned from working in the EU, and Russian-flagged vessels will be prohibited from entering EU ports.

Immediately following the new EU measures, the United States and Japan, among others, also announced bans on Russian coal. As finding alternative coal sources has become a top priority, countries worldwide have rushed to purchase the material.

According to data from European shipping firm Braemar ACM, in March, Europe imported 7.1 million tons of thermal coal used for power generation and heating, up 40.5 percent year on year, the highest level since March 2019, CNBC reported. Thermal coal imports from Colombia were up 47.3 percent year on year, the United States up 30.3 percent, and imports from South Africa also increased significantly among them.

Meanwhile, in March, Japans coal imports were also up 15 percent from a year earlier.

Chinas Strategy to Cope With Surging Coal Prices

On April 18, Chinas National Development and Reform Commission warned that it would be illegal to drive up prices in the coal sector, emphasizing the need to ensure price stability in the domestic coal market and stable output of coal-fired power.

A week later, Beijing announced cutting coal import tariffs to zero.

A macroeconomics researcher at China Economic Information Network, Tian Shuo, told Chinese state-run media Sina News that the zero-tariff policy would ensure that Chinas energy supply remains stable amid the historic high coal prices.

The top sources for Chinas coal imports in 2021 included Indonesia, Russia, Mongolia, the United States, Canada, and South Africa.

Australia was Chinas largest source of imported coal until 2019. In retaliation against Australia on several issuesranging from Australias call for an international investigation into the origins of COVID-19 to the decision to block Huawei from Australias 5G network rolloutBeijing effectively all but banned coal imports from Australia as of December 2020 as part of its efforts to pressure Canberra.

An Aurizon coal train travels through the countryside in Muswellbrook, north of Sydney, Australia, on April 9, 2017. (Jason Reed/Reuters)

Indonesia has since become Chinas largest source of coal imports.

However, China turned to stranded Australian coal amid a power crunch nearly a year later. In October 2021, it released Australian coal from bonded storage despite a nearly year-long unofficial import ban on the fuel as it scrambles to ease a national power crunch stemming from a coal shortage, Reuters reported.

According to official customs data, China imported 8.5 million tons of coking coal in the first two months of this year, one-fifth of which came from the Australian coal previously stranded in Chinese ports. Among the 8.5 million coking coal imports, 26 percent came from the United States and 22 percent from Russia. Due to the pandemic, coking coal imports from Mongolia had decreased significantly, only accounting for about 13 percent.

Meanwhile, according to Sina News, Indonesia suspended its coal exports in January due to persistent rainfall, resulting in a 25 percent year-on-year reduction in Chinas thermal coal imports in the first two months of this year.

The tariff cuts will make no difference to Indonesian coal imports, as the tariff rates have been at zero, and no impacts on Australian coal due to imports ban, a Beijing-based coal trader told Reuters in an April 28 report.

Analysts: Russia Is Likely the Main Beneficiary

The report suggested that Russia is likely the main beneficiary of the Chinese tariff cuts.

I think this is a bold move, mainly to secure more coal from Russia, which is in decent discounts. But as far as prices are concerned, they will likely remain high given the volatility in the markets across the world, an India-based trader told S&P Global in an April 28 report.

Following Europes announcement of a coal ban on Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 29 that coal was in high demand and that Russian coal earmarked for Europe would be redirected to other markets if the EU refused it, Reuters reported. But Peskov did not mention a specific country for export.

In 2021, Russia exported 262 million tons of coal, 90 percent of which is thermal coal, primarily used to generate power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Of the total coal exports, more than 30 percent went to Europe, and more than 50 percent went to the Asia-Pacific region.

China imported nearly 25 percent of Russias total coal exports; Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Poland accounted for 24 percent; South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan accounted for 22 percent, according to EIA data.

In early February, China and Russia signed a yearslong deal, a $20 billion contract for China to import 100 million tons of coal from Russia.

As Western nations condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has refrained from directly criticizing Moscow and continued allowing Chinese firms to buy Russian oil and coal. Several Chinese firms used local currency to buy Russian coal in March, with the first cargoes arriving in April, according to a Bloomberg report citing Chinese consultancy Fenwei Energy Information Service Co.

The Chinese state-run Global Times touted a 28 percent year-on-year surge in China-Russia trade in the first quarter, reaching a trading volume of $38.2 billion.

Bai Ming, a deputy director at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on April 13 that the growth is in line with the recent trend of China importing more energy products from Russia to form multiple energy import channels.

With energy pipelines being built between the two countries as well as geological convenience, its a trend that China would buy more energy products from Russia, Bai said.

New China-Russia Railway to Be Open for Energy Trade

China had been importing Russian energy products from its eastern ports via the Sea of Japan and the Korean Strait.

However, amid Western sanctions on Russia, international shipping companies have avoided shipping Russian energy products, resulting in Chinese coal importers struggling to find cargo ships willing to transport Russian coal. And only a small portion of Russian coal was transported via railway.

According to Chinese state-run media Global Times, Russia completed the construction of its section of the first China-Russia railway bridge on April 27 and is expected to open within a month.

The new 4.5 mile-long bridge is intended to expand the bilateral trade and economic cooperation between China and Russia against a backdrop of growing global challenges, the report said, adding that Russia plans to utilize it for exporting iron ore, coal, minerals, fertilizer, and wood products to China.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Christian Schools Grow In Popularity Amid Pandemic, Public School Controversies

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va.For the first time in two decades, St. Paul VI Catholic High School has a waitlist. And it had not long ago moved to a larger campus that expanded the schools capacity by 20 percent, or 200 students.

Paul VI, as locals call it, has enjoyed double-digit growth for the past two years: 12 percent in the school year 2020-2021 and 13 percent in 2021-2022. With the current student count at 1,090, the school is anticipating another 8 to 9 percent increase in the school year 2022, according to Billy Atwell, chief communications officer of the Diocese of Arlington.

In the summer of 2020, Paul VI moved its campus from Fairfax to Chantilly, a city about 10 miles west and much closer to the neighboring Loudoun County. Before the move, enrollment from Fairfax County was a clear majority at 64 percent during the 2019 2020 school year, according to Ginny Colwell, head of school at Paul VI. Since then, the proportion of students from Loudoun grew steadily from 27 to 47 percent.

In recent years, Loudoun County has become a known name nationally for locals fight for parental rights and against critical race theory (CRT), a quasi-Marxist framework that says the United States is systematically racist and views society and institutions through the lens of race. Loudoun County Public Schools has repeatedly denied that its schools teach CRT. But parents have argued that CRT views have seeped into the daily teaching at schools under its program of social emotional learning, which has taken priority over academics.

For many parents, the pandemic, which caused schools to switch to virtual learning, offered them an opportunity to better understand what their children were being taught at school. This prompted growing protest against a range of ideas, including Marxist-rooted doctrines like CRT, being transmitted in classrooms.

As the pandemic dragged on, more and more parents were also raising objections to COVID-19 measures implemented by schools including virtual learning and mask-wearing. Parents, including those in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, began pressing their local public schools to reopen.

Paul VI reopened with hybrid learninghalf of the student body would be on virtual learning at any one time, done on a rotating schedulein the 2020-2021 school year. It returned to in-person learning in the next school year.

When Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkins executive order making mask wearing optional in schools took effect on Jan. 24, Catholic schools in the Commonwealth ended the mask mandate.

In contrast, Fairfax and Loudoun County public schools switched to hybrid learning in early 2021, and in-person classes in the fall of 2021. Loudoun County kept the mask mandate in schools until Feb. 17, after losing a case to parents in the Loudoun County Circuit Court. Fairfax County, meanwhile, didnt make masks optional in schools until March 1, the effective date of the change mandated by a new Virginia law.

Paul VIs head of school Colwell said this year saw an above-average number of transfers from public schools: 60 compared to between 30 and 40, the average amount per year. More than 30 of those are from Loudoun County Public Schools and nearly 20 from Fairfax, the largest public school district in Virginia with over 180,000 students from 198 schools compared to Loudouns 80,000 from 97 schools.

Between the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2021, Fairfax County lost more than 10,000 public school students, or 5.4 percent of the population, representing the most number of students lost by any district in the state, according to data from the Virginia Department of Education. Loudouns public schools lost 2,400 students, or 4 percent, the fourth-highest number of students lost by a school district.

For students that switched to Christian schools, the pandemic appeared to be a major driver.

Half of the public-school transfer students were unsure or would not have enrolled in the school if the pandemic had not happened, stated a 2021 report by the National Catholic Educational Association examining data collected in December 2020.

Michael Dewey, head of Evergreen Christian School, speaks at the schools dedication ceremony in Leesburg, Va., on Apr. 23, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

A New Christian School

This summer, Evergreen Christian School (ECS), a new high school in Leesburg, Loudoun County, finishes its first school year at its current location. It was founded in 2019 and began its first year with 37 students in 9th and 10th grades.

Its current enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year is 80 and growing. Earlier this year, the school moved to a new building with a maximum capacity of 250 students.

Michael Dewey, head of school at ECS, said he expected to hear from parents who transferred their children there that they were fed up with whats going on in public schools, given the county parents dissatisfaction with the state education system.

But to his surprise, it wasnt the sole driver for the move. Families told him that they had always thought about Christian education for their kids, believing it would help reinforce positive values and pass on their religious heritage.

Then, what happened in the pandemic and whats going on in public schools put them where they decided to finally act on it, Dewey told The Epoch Times.

The 80 students he had personally interviewed in the admission process also gave him a pleasant surprise. He expected to hear from the prospective students that the school was their parents choice. Instead, over half told him they had suggested the school to their parents.

That just blows me away, said Dewey, adding he expected to get exiles from public schools yet found himself with mission matchesbelievers of solid convictions and values. He said while higher testing scores are a usual draw for private education, faith was the dominant consideration for prospective entrants to his school because, being so new, the school hadnt yet proven itself with academic results.

Five years ago, Lou Giuliano, chairman of the board of ECS and a business executive, began his efforts to create a Christian school in Loudoun County.

We were not doing this as a response to whats happening in public education, he told The Epoch Times.

Instead, the initiative was based on his daughters and familys positive experience with a Christian school.

We want to partner with the family and the church to be a kind of a three-legged stool to support the growth and development of children to be disciples in the future, said Giuliano.

According to him, students with faith are laughed at in most of todays colleges.

They talk about what their faith means to them; they are told, You are delusional. So how are they going to withstand that if they are not grounded and havent tested their own faith beliefs with people who understand both sides of the story?

The schools Essential Questions project runs through all four years and culminates in a senior thesis project and oral defense before graduation. According to Dewey, its designed to help students articulate the Christian worldview and develop critical thinking skills. According to a school brochure, one question asks, Is science the enemy of faith? Another one asks, How has postmodern literary criticism impacted the notion of objective truth?

Amy Rogers, a parent of the Evergreen Christian School, with First Lady of Virginia Suzanne Youngkin (C) and her son Tyler (R) and daughters Avery (L) and Kelsey at the schools dedication ceremony in Leesburg, Va., on Apr. 23, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Amy Rogers, a mortgage advisor and mother of four, moved to Loudoun County seven years ago for its public schools. But growing frustration with the public education system caused her to move her son Tyler to ECS last year for 10th grade. Rogers has kept her two daughters in local public schools to finish their participation in existing learning programs and her youngest daughter is homeschooled.

All As and no substance, she said about Tylers public school education. For her, the decision to move Tyler to ECS was born out of a combination of a huge leap of faith and wanding to escape from public schooling.

Travis Lassiter (R) with wife Rachel, daughters Claire (L) and Kendall at Evergreen Christian School in Leesburg, Va., on Apr. 23, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Travis Lassiter, a business development professional at a local defense firm and father of two daughters, described the schools plan and vision as very, very solid. His eldest Kendall transferred from another Christian school in Fairfax County and joined ECS in 2021 in the 10th grade.

I felt like God was working in that area, for being able to provide Christian learning opportunities within Loudoun County, Lassiter told The Epoch Times.

We wanted to be a part of that and be a founding family to enable that for not just our daughter, but for other people within our community as well.

Over at St. Paul VI Catholic High School, head of school Colwell also sees that parents have given faith a higher priority in their childrens education.

I think that we have students who are Catholic who are in the public schools, and the parents had never really come to Catholic schools but suddenly see that we are open, and we are living our faith, and they are deciding that this is important to them, she said.

Eighty-two percent of the students at Paul VI are from Catholic families. My admissions director meets with parents, and most of them ask about the faith first before they ask about academics and sports, she added.

Growth in Christian and Catholic Schools

According to the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), the median member school in the United States grew its K-12 enrollment by 12 percent from the 2019 school year to 2020.

ACSI serves 2,079 Christian schools in 50 states. Information about the 2021 school year is not yet available.

Many school leaders indicated that their growth in enrollment was attributable to their schools reopening safely for in-person instruction, as well as the schools Christian mission which prospective families could see reflected in the school communitys care for each other during the challenges of the pandemic, ACSI said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

On the Catholic side, data from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) shows that Catholic school enrollment in the United States experienced its first increase in two decades.

The 2021-2022 enrollment in Catholic schools grew by 3.8 percent year on year to about 1.69 million across 5,900 schools. During the 2021-2022 school year, Catholic schools also experienced the least number of closures in two decades. Seventy-one Catholic schools closed or merged, compared to about 100 each year.

In addition, over a third of all Catholic schools had to put students on waiting lists for admissions for the 2021-2022 school year.

Although this years increase didnt bring the enrollment back to the pre-pandemic level of 1.74 million, Catholic schools have 40,000 more students than the NCEA had expected based on the 2 to 3 percent annual decline in recent years, according to Annie Smith, NCEAs vice president of data and research.

Overall, in 2021, Catholic elementary schools had a 5.8 percent increase in enrollment, while secondary schools had a slight decline of 0.4 percent. According to NCEA, enrollment in the primary grades is a leading indicator of long-term secondary enrollment.
Suzanne Malveaux speaks at an event in Georgia in a file photograph. (Ben Rose/Getty Images for UNICEF)

CNN Moves Partner of New White House Press Secretary Off Political Beat

The CNN reporter who is the partner of the new White House press secretary has been barred from covering politics as long as her partner remains in the position, CNN said on May 6.

Suzanne Malveaux, the reporter, is in a relationship with Karine Jean-Pierre, who has been the White Houses principal deputy press secretary and was named Thursday as the successor to outgoing press secretary Jen Psaki.

Malveaux is described on CNNs website as the networks national correspondent, covering national and international news.

Because of Jean-Pierres promotion, that coverage will not include politics, according to the network.

While Malveaux will continue as CNNs national correspondent, she will not cover politics, Capitol Hill, or the White House as long as Jean-Pierre is the White Houses press secretary, a CNN spokesman told The Epoch Times.

Malveaux will be free to cover all news that doesnt intersect with politics, as well as cultural events.

The CNN spokesman ignored a question about why the arrangement was not made earlier, considering Jean-Pierre already worked for the White House.

The outlet did note the relationship in its story about Jean-Pierres new position, saying that the womans family includes her partner, CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, and their daughter.

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre walks in the White House in Washington on May 5, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Some observers noted the relationship after the promotion was announced.

This is one of many examples of the corporate media LITERALLY in bed with the government it covers, Alex Marlow, Breitbarts editor-in-chief and author of Breaking the News: Exposing the Establishment Medias Hidden Deals and Secret Corruption, said on Twitter.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Psaki during a briefing congratulated Jean-Pierre and said her immediate plans are to sleep and read books amid reports saying she has secured a job with MSNBC.

I am still processing it because, as Jen said, at the top this is a historic moment and its not lost on me. I understand how important it is for so many people out there. So many different communities that I stand on their shoulders, Jean-Pierre said. It is an honor and a privilege to be behind this podium.

Prior to joining the Biden administration, Jean-Pierre was a spokeswoman for MoveOn.org; a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC; a political director during the Obama administration; a campaign official in Obamas 2012 campaign; and a manager for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Between working for the Obama and Biden administrations, Psaki worked at CNN as an analyst.
Police escorting Dairo Antonio Usuga David, in Bogota, Colombia, on May 4, 2022. (Colombian National Police via AP/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Colombia Extradites Feared Head of Gulf Clan to US

Colombia extradited the alleged head of the feared Gulf Clan to the United States Wednesday where he faces indictments in three federal courts.

Dairo Antonio Usuga David had been the countrys most-wanted drug trafficker before his capture in October 2021.

Colombian President Ivan Duque said he is comparable only to Pablo Escobar, referring to the late former head of the Medellin drug cartel.

Duque said Usuga David was also pursued in Colombia for sexual abuses against minors, the killing of environmental and social activists, as well as for the killing of police officers.

The former rural criminal had stayed on the run for more than a decade by corrupting state officials and aligning himself with combatants on the left and right.

He was transferred Wednesday in handcuffs and wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest from a prison in Bogota to a heavily guarded military transport air field.

Hes long been a fixture on the US Drug Enforcement Administrations most-wanted list.

He was first indicted in 2009, in Manhattan federal court, on narcotics charges and for allegedly providing assistance to a paramilitary group designated a terrorist organization by the US government.

Later indictments in Brooklyn and Miami federal courts accused him of importing into the US at least 73 metric tons of cocaine through Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Honduras.

Usuga David has also cycled through the ranks of several guerrilla groups, most recently claiming to lead the Gaitanist Self Defense Forces of Colombia after a mid-20th century Colombian leftist firebrand.

His victims argued that him leaving Colombia would violate their rights to justice and reparation in over 128 proceedings.

A court later dismissed this argument and a temporary suspension of the extradition.

Duque said that after facing a trial for drug trafficking in the US, Usuga will return to Colombia to pay for the crimes he committed.
Every Friday, The Citizen features a pet available for adoption from the Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York. This week, we spotlight Tots.

AGE: 20 months old

BREED: Beagle

COMMENTS: Tots has been at the shelter for a few weeks. He's looking to make his stay as short as possible and we're helping him do that.

Tots is a young man and very sweet, loves attention and affection, and has lots of energy. If you know anything about beagles you know that they need routine exercise. The recommendation is one, preferably two walks per day at a moderately brisk pace. Tots would love to be your exercise partner! Also, if you are a beagle fan, you know that once they catch a scent, it's difficult to refocus them. Tots is no different.

Tots will be heartworm tested, neutered and rabies vaccinated today. After a brief period of recuperation, he will be available for visits and adoption.

Q: Who is your best friend?

A: I have a whole shelter full of BFFs! You see, I am the baby dog here, and everyone wants to take care of me, show me the ropes and help me get adopted. But honestly, I would give up my place in the adoption line for my BFFs Athena, Gyro, Noah, Morgan and Piper. They are the best BFFs ever and I want them to go home. Please, good people, come by to check them out! Give them a second chance.

Q: What is your favorite toy?

A: I don't have a favorite. I love all of my toys and I have a real variety. I have tough chews, cuddly and smooshy stuffed toys, bones filled with yummy treats and puzzle toys to keep me busy. How can I decide on a favorite when they are all so much fun?

Q: What has been your worst experience?

A: That's a no-brainer. That happened the other day when my shelter peeps wanted to take my picture for this column. They really wanted me to sit still and that just wasn't going to happen. I did the best I could. My picture isn't great, so you must come to the shelter to check me out up close and personal. I am very handsome.

Q: What has been your best experience?

A: When my photo shoot was over! BOL!

Q: If you could have a job, what would that be?

A: I'm really too young to be thinking about employment. I am barely out of diapers, so to speak. However, if I were to be coerced into working for a living, I believe I would want to join the Beagle Brigade! You probably don't know what that is, but I'll try to explain in a few words. The Beagle Brigade is made up of super-beagles who work at airports and sniff out restricted meats, fruits and vegetables that are brought into the country by travelers. Some of these items are harmful because they hold harmful plant pests and foreign animal diseases. Well, you get the picture. I do believe the compensation is pretty good.

Q: Do you have an interesting fact to share?

A: This fact makes me very sad, but I will share it with you. Did you know that beagles are the No. 1 breed of dog used for animal testing? This is true, and there are many who are trying to stop this practice. On a brighter note, there is an organization dedicated to rescuing beagles from animal testing facilities called SOS (Save Our Snoopies). That's what I have for facts today.

Q: Do you have any advice for our readers today?

A: I do! I'm sure you have all heard of the Lake Avenue yard sale! Yes, that is happening tomorrow, and some of my shelter peeps will be there with pictures of all the shelter dogs and cats and information on our programs. If you happen to be around, please stop by to say hello! Thank you and much love and many licks (and a few howls)! Tots and friends.

The Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York is a New York state-registered shelter/rescue, registration No. RR-181. Pursuant to Article 26-A, Section 408 of the Agriculture and Markets Law, the registrant is authorized to operate as a registered pet rescue, in compliance with such law.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Drone Giant DJIs Russia Halt Pressures Other China Big-Techs

Russia has quickly become a wasteland for western tech brands, with names like Apple, HP and Dell all suspending local operations after the countrys invasion of Ukraine and a crush of western sanctions that followed. While such a vacuum might look tempting for Chinese companies, the reality is far less clear due to the potential for losing access to more important western markets if they stay in Russia.

Against the backdrop of that threat, leading global drone maker Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) announced on April 26 it would suspend its business activities in both Russia and Ukraine. Though western sanctions werent mentioned in the statement on its English website, it pointed out that the company is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions. The move made it the first Chinese company to officially shutter its Russian operations.

Now other companies with major operations in both Russia and the west, including the likes of Alibaba, Lenovo and Huawei, must decide whether to take similar steps or risk getting locked out of those markets and face other potential actions like losing access to foreign banking systems.

Since Russia first invaded Ukraine in February, both sides have been accused of using DJI drones, considered some of the worlds best, for military operations. Ukraine even claimed that the company was supplying military data to Russia. DJI also took flak at the start of the war for keeping its Russian business running even as western companies were halting their activities.

On March 27, Germanys biggest electronics retailer MediaMarkt pulled all DJIs drone products from its shelves, drawing international attention. DJI called the accusation that it made data only available to the Russian side groundless. On April 21, it published another statement saying that all its products were strictly for civilian use with no military designs whatsoever, adding it had refused to customize or modify its products for military purposes.

DJI controlled 76.1 percent of the U.S. drone market last year, and close to 80 percent of drones worldwide are manufactured by the company, according to data from Drone Industry Insight. The company emphasized it decided to suspend sales in Russia not to single out any country, but as a statement of principle. But observers largely see the step as defensive to prevent losing far more important western markets if it decided to stick with the Russians.

DJI is far from alone in such a dilemma. Other Chinese companies may see the current situation as a golden opportunity to expand their presence in Russia. But they also realize that doing so could cost them the entire western market and also subject them to sanctions, which would ultimately make any gains in Russia a hollow victory.

Fertile ground

Russia has become fertile ground for globally minded Chinese companies and their western counterparts in the last decade, seeking to tap one of the worlds largest developing markets. Take the smartphone sector, for example, where Chinas Xiaomi was Russias second biggest brand behind only global giant Samsung and ahead of No. 3 Apple, which has now left the market.

In PCs, U.S. giant HP was Russias largest brand with 21 percent of the market last year, with Chinas Lenovo as a close No. 2. Huawei was the markets biggest telecom equipment supplier, competing fiercely with Swedens Ericsson for local 5G contracts.

That said, those Chinese companies get far more business from the west. Xiaomis latest financial report showed it took 22.5 percent of Europes smartphone market last year, ranking second; it earned 163.59 billion yuan ($24.7 billion) outside China, close to half its total. The situation was similar for Lenovo, which made $8.49 billion in Europe, the Middle East and Africa combined in the first half of its last fiscal year through September, accounting for 24.4 percent of its total revenue. Its Americas business was even larger, generating $11.33 billion or 32.6 percent of its total.

Slashing deliveries

Xiaomi, Lenovo and Huawei have already slashed their deliveries to Russia over the past two months as a result of foreign exchange risks, after the ruble initially plummeted at the start of the war. Presumably they are now more worried that continued sales to Russia could make them susceptible to western sanctions, which could result in being kicked out of western markets.

Alibaba and Tencent are facing a similar quandary. Russia is a major market for Alibabas AliExpress, which helps Chinese businesses engage with buyers in other countries. It even set up a joint venture in Russia called AliExpress Russia, which had 35 million monthly active users. The venture generated $1.86 billion in gross merchandise volume in the first half of last year, up 36 percent year-on-year, accounting for around 10 percent of the Russian e-commerce market. The venture had planned to go public in Russia early this year, but pulled the plug when the war broke out and the ruble nosedived.

The Russian market is not significant to Alibaba in terms of overall revenue. But now the company must worry that its continued operation of AliExpress Russia might lead to sanctions that could deny the parent company access to markets in the U.S., France and Brazil, among others.

Even gaming isnt above the fray. Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov posted tweets calling for 12 gaming companies to end their sales to Russia, including Tencent. At the same time, tough stances against Russia by western companies like Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Ubisoft and Sony have created a huge headache for Tencent because two of its games are among Russias most popular. The Russian e-gaming market is also one of worlds fastest-growing and an important foreign market for Tencent.

Tencent has not signaled its intent in the market, though it has faced difficulties processing payments there after Mastercard and Visa stopped their Russian operations. Online payment platforms like Apple Pay are no longer in use either. Even Chinas own UnionPay is avoiding business with sanctioned Russian banks for fear of becoming collateral damage.

At the end of the day, the war in Ukraine has left Chinese companies in an unfamiliar global geopolitical minefield where they are only now learning how to tread. They dont want to jeopardize their Russian operations, nor appear unfriendly to one of Chinas closest allies. But they dont want to antagonize the west either. That means many will likely be forced to decide whether to follow DJIs example, or to take their chances by continuing to do business in Russia.

By Tina Yip



 2022 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Elon Musk Denies He Communicated With Trump Over Twitter Takeover Bid

Truth Social CEO says article making the claim is 'fake news'

The worlds richest person, Elon Musk, denied a report that he communicated with former President Donald Trump regarding his purchase of Twitter, with the CEO of Trumps Truth Social platform saying media outlets misreported his statements.

In response to a New York Post article published Friday, Musk wrote on Twitter that a claim that he spoke with the former president is false and hes had no communication, directly or indirectly, with Trump, who has publicly stated that he will be exclusively on Truth Social.

The newspapers article included a quote from Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes to Fox News where he said, President Trump, basically before Elon Musk bought it, actually said to go and buy it because the goal of our company is really to build a community where people are in a family-friendly, safe environment. The Post then included a claim in its headline that Trump quietly encouraged Musk to purchase the platform.

But Nuness team told Jan Jekielek of EpochTVs American Thought Leaders program on Friday the Posts headline about Trumps alleged quiet encouragement to Musk is itself fake news, and his team was referring to what Trump said in a previous FOX interview that was publicly aired.

The NY Post also did not reach out to Nunes, a former congressman from California, for clarification, according to his team. Its not clear why the newspaper put quietly in its article headline when Nuness comments to Fox make no such mention of that.

We encouraged Elon Musk to buy [Twitter], because someone has to take on these tech tyrants, Nunes also said in the Fox Business interview earlier this week. Donald Trump wanted to make sure that the American people got their voice back and that the internet was open and thats what we are doing.

After it was jointly announced Musk would purchase Twitter for $44 billion, there has been speculation about whether Trump would return to the platform, where he had amassed tens of millions of followers. But Trump has said several times that he has no intention of joining Twitter and instead will use Truth Social.

However, other conservatives have expressed hope that Musk, who has described himself as a proponent of free speech, would reinstate some prominent Twitter accounts that have been banned in recent months. Musk, meanwhile, has criticized Twitters current content moderation policies and recently said the company erred when it blocked the reach of a NY Post article detailing Hunter Bidens laptop.
CEO, and chief engineer at SpaceX Elon Musk and his mother, supermodel Maye Musk, arrive for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, on May 2, 2022. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Elon Musks Mother Criticizes NYT Article on Sons White Privilege Growing Up in South Africa

Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, criticized a recent New York Times article targeting her son after it claimed that Musk grew up detached from apartheid-era atrocities in South Africa.

Published Thursday, the NY Times alleged that Musk had white privilege, grew up in South Africas white communities, and was sheltered from the segregation and propaganda that was pushed by South Africas government at that time. It came about a week after Musk, who has described himself as a free speech absolutist, and Twitter announced that he would purchase the social media company for $44 billion.

The article included interviews with Musks old classmates, including one named Melanie Cheary who claimed that we were really clueless as white South African teenagers. Really clueless.

His mother, a former model, criticized the paper for suggesting Musk, who left South Africa when he was 17, could have done something about the apartheid-era governments policies. The apartheid government lasted between 1948 and 1990.

In South Africa, if you publicly opposed apartheid, you went to jail. In Russia, if you publicly oppose the war, you go to jail. @nytimes, are you going to blame children for decisions made by governments? she wrote.

Last month, days after the Twitter deal was announced, Elon Musk wrote that he was being attacked primarily by leftists and left-wing organizations due to his pro-free speech stance.

The Tesla CEO and worlds richest person had said that attacks against his character were coming thick and fast but mostly from the left, which is no surprise.

However I should be clear that the right will probably be a little unhappy too, Musk said on Twitter. My goal is to maximize area under the curve of total human happiness, which means the ~80% of people in the middle.

Several days later, a group of left-wing groups including Black Lives Matter Network Foundation, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Womens March, and Media Matters for America reportedly sent letters to corporations who advertise on Twitter, including Coca-Cola, Kraft, and Disney.

The group jointly wrote in their letter to the firms that as top advertisers on Twitter, your brand risks association with a platform amplifying hate, extremism, health misinformation, and conspiracy theorists. It continued, Under Musks management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time where trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low.

Although Twitter and Musk announced that he would buy the company and take it private, its not clear when the deal will be finalized. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and other company executives are still in charge of the firms operations.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks as he and Hungarian President Janos Ader give a statement to the media after their talks at the Presidential Palace in Budapest, Hungary, on April 29, 2022. (Bernadett Szabo/Reuters)

EUs Proposal Banning Russian Oil Is Nuclear Bomb for Hungary Economy, PM Says

The European Commissions current proposal banning Russian oil imports is under threat after Hungary warned it cannot accept the ban, stating that it would amount to a nuclear bomb for its economy.

Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban made the comments regarding the unacceptable proposal during an interview with public broadcaster Kossuth Radio on Friday.

Orban said the EUs proposal would be akin to dropping a nuclear bomb on the Hungarian economy, adding that its approval would be the end of the utility price caps according to local reports.

He warned that gasoline prices in the country could reach 700 Hungarian forints ($1.95) per liter while diesel could cost up to 800 forints ($2.23).

The battle I am fighting now is a battle to protect Hungarys utility price caps, Orban said, noting that replacing Russian imports of oil could take years and cost the country millions. Changes to Hungarys energy transmission system could also cost the nation billions, the prime minister said.

The investments needed to make those changes would take up to five years, he said, while appearing to take aim at the EU who he stated has allocated money to funding such developments but has yet to give us that money meaning that it cannot start the works until that arrives.

Orban, who is embarking on his fourth consecutive term in office, also took aim at European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in his comments on Thursday.

Noting that EU member states had previously agreed that the bloc should only take steps that take into consideration the sovereignty of each State over its energy resources, Orban, said that von der Leyen either willingly or unwillingly, attacked this hard-fought European unity.

Landlocked Hungary relies heavily on Russian oil, sourcing nearly 65 percent of its oil supplies, and 85 percent of its gas from the country.

While nations with seaports can receive energy supplies via ships, Hungary, among other landlocked countries are solely dependent on pipelines to transport the oil.

The pipeline leading to Hungary starts in Russia  that is a given, Orban said.

The Epoch Times has contacted a European Commission spokesperson for comment.

Orban did, however, state that Hungary was ready to negotiate any new proposal that would meet the countrys interests.

His comments come amid the European Commissions (EC) proposal of a complete import ban on all Russian oil seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined, by the end of the year in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine which began in February.

During the European Parliaments plenary session in France on Wednesday, von der Leyen confirmed the EC proposal which she said will see a gradual phasing out of European dependence on Russian oil.

We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets, von der Leyen said.

Thus, we maximize pressure on Russia, while at the same time minimizing collateral damage to us and our partners around the globe. Because to help Ukraine, our own economy has to remain strong.

Both Hungary and Slovakia had been given an extra year to make alternative arrangements under a revision earlier this week.

However, the proposal still needs unanimous agreement from the 27 members of the bloc before it can go into effect.

Orban said on Thursday that the process of weaning off Russian oil and making alternative arrangements would need five years to complete, adding that 1-1.5 years is not enough for anything.
Ex-Banker Charged With Conspiring in Murdaugh Money Scheme

COLUMBIA, S.C.A grand jury has indicted the former CEO of a South Carolina bank on charges of conspiring with once-prominent, now- suspended attorney Alex Murdaugh to defraud victimsincluding the family of a deaf man who became quadriplegic after a car crash  of $1.8 million.

Russell Laffitte, who headed Palmetto State Bank until he was fired earlier this year, now faces 21 charges of fraud, conspiracy, and computer crimes, state police announced Wednesday.

The charges build upon a scheme authorities say Murdaugh concocted to steal nearly $8.5 million in insurance settlement and other money from clients and other victims, including the sons of Murdaughs dead housekeeper and a state trooper.

Indictments issued last month accuse Laffitte of secretly sending Murdaugh money that Laffitte held in trust as a conservator for Murdaughs clients. The indictments also outline accusations that Laffitte sent more client money and bank funds to Murdaugh so Murdaugh could pay back loans issued by Laffitte from client funds in another case.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reported in January that Palmetto State Banks board fired Laffitte after the newspaper asked about requests from the state Supreme Courts Office Of Disciplinary Counsel for records of cases where Laffitte acted as an official to help Murdaughs clients and their families handle legal settlements.

One of those clients, Hakeem Pinckney, was a deaf man who became quadriplegic after a 2009 car crash. Police say Murdaugh took a $309,000 check intended for Pinckneys family and instead bought money orders that went to cover money he took from the accounts of other clients, to pay down a loan and get cash for himself and an unnamed family member.

After Pinckney died in a nursing home from the lingering effects of his injuries, Murdaugh received an additional $89,000 settlement on Pinckneys behalf, but deposited that check in his account without telling the mans family, prosecutors have said.

A new indictment also alleges that suspended attorney Cory Fleming, who represented Pinckneys mother, helped Murdaugh steal the $89,000 and used some of the familys money to book a private plane to fly himself, Murdaugh and a third attorney to the 2012 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

Its cold, its callous, said Justin Bamberg, an attorney for Pinckneys mother, on Thursday.

Fleming, a close friend of Murdaughs, is also accused of working with Murdaugh to defraud the sons of Gloria Satterfield, the housekeeper who died after a 2018 fall at the Murdaugh home. The sons said Murdaugh suggested they hire Fleming to sue Murdaugh for wrongful death without disclosing that Fleming had been his college roommate and godfather to at least one of Murdaughs sons.

Murdaughs career began unraveling shortly after his wife and son were found shot dead outside the familys home last June. State police have released little information about the killings and havent named any suspects. Murdaughs attorneys have insisted he had nothing to do with the deaths.

The 53-year-old heir to a legal dynasty in Hampton County, South Carolina has been jailed since October on an ever-growing list of charges including breach of trust, forgery, money laundering, and computer crimes. He is also accused of trying to arrange his own death so his surviving son could collect $10 million in insurance money. He faces a number of civil lawsuits as well.

Murdaughs lawyers have blamed years of opioid addiction for his behavior, saying he has sought counseling and wants to make things right for the clients he hurt.

Both Murdaugh and Fleming have since had their law licenses suspended by the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report.

By Michelle Liu
Ex-Clinton Lawyer Moves to Introduce FBI Notes During Upcoming Trial

Former Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann is moving to introduce notes taken by an FBI agent during his upcoming trial, according to new court filings.

Sussmann has multiple pages of handwritten notes that were taken by an agent at the FBI headquarters on the investigation into the theory that former President Donald Trumps business had a secret form of communication with a Russian bank, Special Counsel John Durham said in one of the filings.

Sussmanns attorneys listed the notes on their proposed exhibit list, or the list of documents they want to be free to introduce during the trial.

The defendant also has notes taken by multiple Department of Justice officials at a March 6, 2017 briefing by the FBI for then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions on various investigations related to Trump, including the one concerning the bank claims, Durhams team said.

The revelations were revealed in an objection to various items on Sussmanns exhibit list, with prosecutors arguing that the court should force Sussmanns lawyers to explain why they should be allowed to bring up the notes during the trial.

The defendant has objected to the governments admission of certain notes taken by FBI officials  and the government has explained in detail its bases for admitting such notes. Accordingly, the defendant should similarly proffer a legal basis to admit the notes he seeks to offer at trial, they said.

In a similar motion from Sussmann, representatives for the ex-Clinton lawyer said they have raised objections to the governments proposed exhibit list but cannot identify all possible objections because they lack the knowledge of why Durhams team wants to introduce each piece of evidence.

For example, in many cases, it is impossible from the face of a document to determine whether the special counsel intends to offer it for the truth of statements in the document, or whether the document may be admissible for a non-hearsay purpose or fit within a hearsay exception. Mr. Sussmann accordingly reserves his right to object to any exhibit offered by the special counsel at trial. This includes the right to object to any hearsay statement that the special counsel offers for the truth of the matter asserted, they said.

According to a partial copy of the list, prosecutors want to be able to use notes taken by former FBI official William Priestap and former FBI lawyer Trisha Anderson; records from the FBI and the CIA; and records from a slew of companies connected to the case, including Neustar.

Sussmann is due to go on trial on May 16.

He is accused of lying to the FBI when he told an FBI lawyer that he was bringing information about Trump on his own volition, not on behalf of a client.

At the time, Sussmann was representing the Clinton campaign and a technology executive named Rodney Joffe, who worked for Neustar at the time and hoped to secure a post in the government if Clinton won the 2016 election.

Trump ended up winning the election, but investigations into the Republican continued for years after he took office.
Ex-FBI Intel Chief Says Durham Probe Is Revealing Clinton Campaigns 2016 Disinformation

A former FBI intelligence chief said that the Democrats and Clinton campaign in 2016 used contrived disinformation to try to sway voters into thinking that then-candidate Donald Trump was a Russian asset.

In response to the Department of Homeland Securitys announcement to create a Disinformation Governance Board, retired Assistant Director for Intelligence Kevin Brock said that the agency wont reveal actual disinformation.

I think that disinformation is in the eye of the beholder, he told Just The News. I think most people suspect that all of this information will be information promulgated by one political party rather than the other. And so the danger of a governance board like this is that it will be beholden to the party thats in power in government at that time to silence or mute opposition viewpoints.

Instead, Brock argued that special counsel John Durhams investigation into the origins of the TrumpRussia collusion claims is better at exposing false narratives.

This is the way disinformation is really exposed, not by some contrived government agency, but by evidence presented in court that gets at the truth of what happened, Brock told the news outlet of Durhams recent filings in court. What Durham is methodically doing, is laying out a case that the Hillary Clinton campaign, the Democrat Party used contrived disinformation in a conspiracy, in a conspiratorial way, to deceive the American voter ahead of the election.

Durham recently has made a flurry of filings in connection to a case against former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who was charged last year with making false statements to the FBI when he told the bureau that he was not working on behalf of any client when he was being paid by the campaign. Sussmann had told the agency in late 2016 that he had evidence there was a secret backchannel between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank, a claim that was later determined to be insubstantial by the FBI.

Sussmann has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Hes scheduled to go to trial later in May.

But Brock said in the interview that other than Sussmann, other actors on behalf of the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party should be examined as they tried to push a narrative based on spurious evidence such as the largely discredited Steele dossier.

This is much more than an attorney for the Clinton campaign lying to the FBI, he said. He is using this charge to expose a larger story, a larger narrative.

Earlier this week, a federal judge allowed Durhams team to review documents that the Clinton campaign and other parties had previously argued were protected by attorneyclient privilege. Durham will now be able to obtain unredacted versions of documents from the Democrat-aligned Perkins Coie law firm, technology executive Rodney Joffe, and opposition research firm Fusion GPS.
EXCLUSIVE: Jan. 6 Defendant Says Judge Imposed Excessive Drug Charge Sentence Because of Role in Capitol Breach

'I'm being punished two times.'

An Indiana man who was sentenced to four years of incarceration and three years of supervised release for a drug charge from 2017 insists the judge took into account his presence in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, to punish him two times.

In February 2021, 33-year-old Kash Kelly of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced for conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana when he was a Latin King gang member in Chicago. The gang was founded there in the mid-20th century and has become a major drug trafficking organization, according to the Department of Justice.

According to the January 2017 complaint against the Latin Kings, charges against nearly 40 other gang members included arson, racketeering, and murder. Kelly was charged only with drug conspiracy and was allowed to go home on pretrial release. But hes currently being held at the Central Detention Facility in Washington pending his trial for misdemeanor charges from Jan. 6, along with several other Jan. 6 defendants.

While Kelly was on pretrial release in 2021, he traveled to Washington to protest against the certification of the 2020 election. As a condition of his pretrial release, Kelly was allowed to travel throughout the country as long as prosecutors approved the trip and knew where Kelly was going and how long he would be there, according to court documents. While Kelly said he received permission from his attorney to go to the Capitol for the protest, federal investigators claim they gave no such permission and that Kelly misled them by saying he would be going to Texas, not Washington.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court on Jan. 15, 2021, Kelly has been charged with two misdemeanor offenses related to his presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6: Knowingly entering a restricted area and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Kelly said police invited him in, and several videos from the Capitol security cameras show protesters walking in calmly with police ushering them forward.

According to Kelly, the severity of his current sentence had more to do with the judges prejudice regarding the Jan. 6 protest in 2021 than the 2017 conspiracy drug charge. Statements made by the judge and prosecuting attorney during the course of Kellys sentencing hearing, and other court documents, appear to support his claim.

A screenshot of an image from Kash Kellys cell phone shows him standing on the ledge of the staircase at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, waving an American Flag. (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)

According to the transcript of his Feb. 15, 2021, sentencing hearing, obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times, discussion about Kellys gang activity was followed by heartfelt character testimony, given by numerous people regarding the value and positive impact Kelly brought to his community in the years after he left the Latin Kings.

But Judge Philip Simon and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nozick also brought up Kellys presence in Washington on Jan. 6.

Nozick stated that Kelly wasnt supposed to be in Washington.

His motion said, I need to go to Texas. I agreed to it. The defense can make their arguments whether it was miscommunication between them, but certainly, theres reasonable inference that he didnt tell the Court and tell probation he was going to Washington because they knew what was going on in Washington and you, know, so he says he went to Texas.

Simon said they werent in court that day to sentence Kelly for what he did in Washington, but the judge also said he didnt operate in a bubble and began admonishing Kelly for his actions at the Capitol. Simon acknowledged that there could have been miscommunication regarding permission to go to Washington, but later says that what I know for certain is you did not ask permission to go to Washington.

While Kellys attorney, Joshua Adams, argued that his clients activity on Jan. 6 had nothing to do with his gang-related charges, Nozick said, its immaterial whether the new criminal conduct is related to this case or not. He was part of a violent insurrection on our nations Capitol.

Simon said that if Kelly had requested permission to go to Washington to protest and march peacefully, the judge would have said go for it, and that he had a constitutional right to state his beliefs.

But when you go inside the Capitol while the democratic process is actually occurring, while theyre actually counting the electoral votes for the peaceful transfer of power in this country, that is so fundamentally wrong. Its just wrong, Simon said.

Simon said he was particularly offended by the photo of Kelly standing on a platform with his arm around a statue.

When I see somebody inside the rotunda with a big smile of their face and the arm around one of our Founding Fathers, a statue, to say its a bridge too far doesnt quite capture it, he said.

Kash Kelly poses with the statue of Charles Brantley Aycock in the crypt beneath the Capitol Rotunda. (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)

In the photo, Kelly was posing with a statue of Charles Brantley Aycock, who was elected governor of North Carolina in 1900. The statue is in the crypt beneath the Capitol Rotunda.

Nozick went on to say he was troubled by Kellys statements accusing his attorney of neglecting to request permission for Kelly to go to Washington, and said it wouldnt have mattered if Kelly had gotten permission to be in Washington.

If the motion said he could travel to Texas and Washington and he got charged for what he did and did what he did at the Capitol, the sentence would be the same, Nozick said. The defendant isnt receiving extra time for whether the motion mentioned D.C. or just Texas. Obviously, being out of district is a violation but it was the actions and getting charges that is playing a role in determining the sentence.

The judge later agreed. Its not so much the travel to Washington that matters. Its what happened in Washington, he said.

There is a large discrepancy between what Kellys defense attorney believed was a fair sentence for the drug charge and what Nozick requested.

According to the sentencing memorandum filed Feb. 3, 2021, Kelly and his attorney requested a sentence of one year and one day in custody. Prosecutors requested four years and three months.

By the time of his sentencing, Kelly had spent two years helping federal investigators prosecute gang members, at serious risk to his own life, and had become a positive influence in his community, but the judge imposed a sentence of 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release, which is just three months shy of prosecutors request.

Kelly was standing before Simon to be sentenced for his 2017 conspiracy drug charge, not for allegations related to Jan. 6, 2021. Moreover, Kelly has been charged with two misdemeanors for his presence in Washington on Jan. 6 but he has not been convicted of any crime related to that day and has not yet had a hearing. In fact, Kelly contends his trial date keeps getting postponed.

This whole thing has been so crazy, Kelly said. Ive been waiting on a court date for so long. But they just keep continuing it and continuing it. I havent even had a preliminary hearing yet. I feel like I let myself get built up and prepared for an outcome and then Im told I got to wait. Its horrible. I havent had human contact for 16 months. Ive been here for so long now in our nations capital I feel like its the most unamerican place in America.

When Kelly became a father at the age of 18, he said he knew he had to turn his life around. By the age of 21, he had completely broken free from the gang. Since then, authorities have said he cooperated with federal investigators and has become a community leader advocating against gang involvement, encouraging witnesses to cooperate with police, and urging peace during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots.

In order to become a more positive influence in his community, Kelly became a volunteer with Reclaim Our Kids, an organization that helps kids escape gang life, and he was an active member of his church. Kelly also founded the Streetlights Unity Movement, to teach people how to be the change that they want to see in the world. His Streetlight videos are made to educate those in the black community about truth in politics.

I knew better, and I did better, and you cant do better until you know better, Kelly told The Epoch Times in an exclusive interview from jail. I was raised truly messed up, so for me to be who I became and who I am becoming and who I am now, Im proud of myself.

Erica Nicole Conklin and Kash Lee Kelly. (Courtesy of Erica Nicole Conklin)

Kellys girlfriend, Erica Nicole Conklin, said she was fully aware of Kellys past when they first got together, and she has stood by him for the past two and a half years. She too is absolutely convinced the judges sentencing was prejudiced by his opinions about Jan. 6.

I was really disappointed in the outcome of the sentencing, Conklin told The Epoch Times. I was expecting house arrest, maybe restitution, home confinement, or maybe a GPS monitor. I did not expect them to give him four years. I didnt even know how to respond. We had seven kids with us at the time. Then I had our baby. He was taking care of all of us. He was the provider for the family.

According to Conklin, Kelly had returned home after going to Washington and life was normal. He wasnt arrested until January 21, 2021. It caught me completely off guard, she said.

Image of Kash Kelly from his Streetlights Unity Movement website, where he encourages people to be the change they want to see in the world. (Courtesy of Kash Kelly)

Kelly said his sentence came as a shock to many in the community. This had come long after he had broken from the gangs and become a pillar of his community Even the police officers that came to my house to arrest me were saying they were sorry, and they knew I didnt have a lot to do with that, Kelly recalled. I told them I understood, and they brought me in.

I was sentenced to 48 months based on my previous case, Kelly said. The judges exact words were, I cant operate in a vacuum. He took into account Jan. 6 for my drug sentencing. So, Im being punished two times.
Protesters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A judge ruled on April 8, 2022, that the conspiracy case against 10 Oath Keepers will be split into two trials, one in July and the other in September. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FBI Trying to Fire Agents Who Attended Jan. 6 Rally: Whistleblowers

House Republican lawmakers say that whistleblowers have come forward to allege that the FBI is trying to terminate bureau employees who were present at a rally on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.

The employees did not enter the United States Capitol and have not been charged with any crime, but are allegedly still being fired, the House Judiciary GOP wrote in a Twitter post on May 6, citing unnamed whistleblowers at the bureau.

In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Republicans confirmed reports that the Department of Justices Inspector Generals Office is considering investigating whether the FBI revoked the security clearances of agents who attended the rally last year. Republicans in previous letters had argued that revoking their security passes essentially forces them out of a job because clearance is needed to work at the FBI.

FBI employees do not give up their rights to engage in political speech activity, reads the May 6 letter, which was signed by House Judiciary Committee ranking GOP member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). We have serious concerns that the FBI appears to be retaliating against employees for engaging in political speech disfavored by FBI leadership.

An example cited in the letter was an employee who had worked for the FBI for more than a decade and had previously served in the U.S. military for 20 years. While on leave, this unnamed employee and others attended public events in Washington, and they didnt enter the Capitol building, nor have they been charged with any crime, according to the whistleblowers.

With the latest actions that are allegedly being taken against those employees, Republicans believe that it creates the appearance that the FBI may be retaliating against them, the letter reads.

According to a Fox News report published on May 5, Inspector General Michael Horowitz told House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Jordan in a letter issued recently that his office will ask the FBI to provide the bases for the security clearance and personnel actions taken against the employees you reference in your letter.

In making such an assessment, we will also consider information about other employees who believe the FBI has taken administrative actions against them for engaging in protected activities on January 6, 2021, Horowitz wrote.

Jordan had reportedly written to Horowitz in April that those employees were suspended, even though they did not enter the United States Capitol, have not been charged with any crime, and have not been contacted by law enforcement about their actions.

Department of Justice officials didnt respond by press time to a request for comment.
A container ship unloads its cargo beside the Battleship USS Iowa at the main port terminal in Long Beach, Calif., on May 10, 2019. (Mark Ralston/ AFP via Getty Images)

Fleet Week to Return to Los Angeles Port This Month

LOS ANGELESFleet Week will return to the Port of Los Angeles this year, officials announced this week.

The event historically was scheduled for Labor Day weekend in the fall but has been moved up this year to Memorial Day Weekend from May 2730.

In 2020, the event was virtual and was postponed last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This years event will coincide with Fleet Week in New York.

Each year, LA Fleet Week draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from across Southern California to the Port of Los Angeles, showcasing the extraordinary history, culture and hospitality offered by the waterfront communities of San Pedro and Wilmington, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-Los Angeles), said in a release.

Fleet Week celebrates active military personnel as recently deployed military ships dock in several cities across the country for one week.

The Battleship USS IOWA Museum will serve as the anchor for the celebration. The location is home to the National Museum of the Surface Navy, expected to open in 2025 as the only national museum dedicated to the men and women of the Surface Navy.

Battleship Iowa is the ideal location to host a celebration of the history and traditions of the United States Sea Services, Jonathan Williams, president of the City of Los Angeles Fleet Week Foundation, said in a release.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said the return of Fleet Week was great news.

This year is especially exciting because for the first time ever, were honored to welcome the women and men from both the United States Army and Air Force to join our long-awaited celebration, Seroka said during a press conference May 6.

This is the largest annual event on the Los Angeles waterfront.

Activities at the event will include tours of active Navy ships, military displays, flyovers, and a science and technology exposition.

Galley Wars, a competition between military branches, will return for the event, Seroka said.

Fleet Week is also a platform for Los Angeles to conduct disaster management exercises between local first responders and service members from the Navy, Marines Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guard, he said.

Our military guests will have a great opportunity to enjoy all that Los Angeles has to offer, Seroka said.

This years event will feature the first Freedom of the Seas Maritime Leadership Symposium, an executive-level meeting between supply chain users, providers, policymakers, and others. Discussions are expected to include the strength and viability of U.S.-Indo-Pacific ocean trade, and supply chain issues, according to LA Fleet Week Foundation.

Live music will be on the menu all weekend. On Friday, May 27, American Idols will present a tribute to American heroes, featuring Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks. Then, on May 28, the event will feature Pearl, a country rock artist, and DJ Ravidrums, a high-energy fusion rock performer.

On Sunday, May 29, Sean Oliu & the Coastline Cowboys will deliver sweet country sounds and Coffey Anderson will play patriotic country.

On May 30, cover bands Identity Theft and Yachtley Crew will perform.

The music will be free. No reservations or tickets are needed.
The Purple Lancers Drum & Bugle Corps will offer six weeks of free music lessons this summer to students in grades 5-12 in the districts of Auburn, Cato-Meridian, Jordan-Elbridge, Moravia, Port Byron, Southern Cayuga, Union Springs and Weedsport.

Students will receive one half-hour lesson weekly beginning Monday, June 27, and continuing through Aug. 3. They will take place Mondays through Thursdays at four sites in the Auburn area, and will be led by area music professionals.

"Music education is core. Its fundamental, and its necessary for the development of all students," the Lancers said in a news release. "An irreplaceable component of total education, the study of music in Americas public schools increases self-esteem; it focuses on 'doing' as opposed to just observing, and more importantly, it fosters cooperation and problem solving. With the myriad of problems facing society today, students need to experience music more than ever. (COVID-19) and online learning has taken a heavy toll on so many school music programs, and it is our hope that summer lessons will help to give area school bands a boost."

The Lancers were founded in 1949 as an all-male drum and bugle corps consisting of World War II and Korean War veterans, and later local youth. In 1974, it was the first and only state corps to place in the top 12 of Drum Corps International. The ensemble hopes to return to competitive status in the next few years, it said.

The ensemble will present a full performance Friday, Aug. 4. Student showcases will also take place, including a performance at an Auburn Doubledays game. More information will be announced later.

For more information, contact the summer lesson program's coordinator, Andrea Birbilis, at apl.musiceducation@gmail.com or call (315) 253-9407.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Elections staff load ballots into machines as recounting begins at the Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office in Lauderhill, Florida on Nov. 11, 2018. (Joe Skipper/Getty Images)

Florida Appeals Court Reinstates Floridas Election Integrity Laws

'We expect this law to stand up to any further legal scrutiny.'

On Friday, May 6, a federal appeals court granted Floridas request to reinstate portions of the states election laws, struck down by a district court judge who ruled the measures unconstitutional and discriminatory.

On May 1, 2021, the Republican-controlled state Senate approved SB 90 (pdf), which overhauled Florida election law ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and 2024 presidential election. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law May 6, 2021, with immediate effect, strengthening voting rules in the state and establishing the nations first Office of Election Crimes and Security at the Department of State.

The law was immediately challenged by multiple liberal advocacy groups.

The law requires vote-by-mail ballot signatures to match the most recent signature on file to be counted. The measure also dictates that political parties and candidates cannot be shut out from observing the signature matching process.

Upon request, the law requires that a physically present candidate, a political party official, a political committee official, or an authorized designee thereof, must be allowed to observe the duplication of ballots. The observer must be able to observe the duplication of ballots in such a way that the observer is able to see the markings on each ballot and the duplication taking place.

The law further dictates that secure drop boxes shall be placed at the main office of the supervisor, at each branch office of the supervisor, and at each early voting site.

A supervisor shall designate each drop box site at least 30 days before an election. After a drop box location has been designated, it may not be moved or changed. On each day of early voting, all drop boxes must be emptied at the end of early voting hours and all ballots retrieved from the drop boxes must be returned to the supervisors office. Employees of the supervisor must comply with procedures for the chain of custody of ballots as required by s. 101.015(4).

As the three-member panel of judges for the Eleventh Circuit describes in its order (pdf): The district courts determination regarding the legislatures intentional discrimination suffers from at least two flaws, either of which justifies a stay.

Judges Kevin Newsom, Barbara Lagoa, and Andrew Brasher found the district courts historical analysis to be problematic.

In its assessment of SB90s historical background, the district court led with the observation that Florida has a grotesque history of racial discrimination. It began its survey of that history beginning immediately after the Civil War and marched through past acts of terrorism and racial violence that occurred during the early and mid-1900s. And it concluded by seeming to chide the Supreme Court for suggesting that [o]ur country has changed since the Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965.

The judges also ruled that the district court failed to properly account for what might be called the presumption of legislative good faith.

Chief Judge Mark Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012, said the law is discriminatory and ruled the measure to be unconstitutional on March 31. Walker also issued a permanent injunction barring enforcement of the bulk of the new rules.

Walker had also ordered Florida to get pre-approval from a federal judge for its election law changes, an order the Columbia Law Review defines as a seldom used path to federal preclearance of changes to state and local voting practices, which allows courts to force jurisdictions to get pre-approval on election law changes.

We are pleased to see that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed the district courts injunction of SB 90, our States 2021 election integrity law, Christina Pushaw, press secretary for DeSantis, said in a statement to The Epoch Times. We expect this law to stand up to any further legal scrutiny.

Despite partisan criticism, Pushaw insisted Floridas election integrity laws are constitutional because they protect every voter.

Safeguarding the integrity of elections is not only necessaryits common sense, noting that the real source of voter suppression is election fraud. It invites undue, outside influence into the election process and jeopardizes the fundamental American assurance that everyone gets one equal vote and every legal vote counts. We will always guard against fraud in elections in Florida, she said. This year, Floridians can cast their ballots with the confidence that their vote will count.

During comments delivered at an April 25 press conference in Spring Hill, Floridawhere DeSantis signed Senate Bill 524 into lawFlorida Secretary of State Laurel Lee said, In Florida, we make it easy to vote but hard to cheat.
Florida Immigration Lawsuit v. Biden Can Go Forward, Judge Says

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.A federal judge ruled on May 4 that a lawsuit filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody over catch and release of undocumented immigrants can move forward, rejecting the Biden administrations motion to dismiss it.

U.S. District Judge Ken Wetherell denied the motion filed by the U.S. Department of Justice to dismiss Moodys case that was filed last year.

The lawsuit alleged that the Biden administration had violated immigration laws through policies that have led to people being released from detention after crossing the U.S. border with Mexico. Also, it alleged that the releases affect Florida because of the negative impacts on education, health care and criminal justice services.

The Justice Department attorneys contended that the Biden administration has a non-detention policy.

However, Wetherell, formerly a state appeals court judge, ruled that the lawsuit should continue to move forward.

In the 37-page decision, the judge made blistering remarks about the Biden administrations policies.

Suffice it to say the court is wholly unpersuaded by defendants position that they have unfettered discretion to determine how (or if) to comply with the immigration statutes and that there is nothing that Florida or this court can do about their policies even if they contravene the immigration statutes, Wetherell wrote. This position is as remarkable as it is wrong because it is well established that no one, not even the president, is above the law and the court unquestionably has the authority to say what the law is and to invalidate action of the executive branch that contravenes the law and/or the Constitution. Thus, if Floridas allegations that defendants are essentially flaunting the immigration laws are proven to be true, the court most certainly can (and will) do something about it.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officers on March 20, 2019. (ICE/Flickr)

Moody has joined other states lawsuits as well as filed her own, challenging the policies of the Biden administration and publicly criticizing the policies that are allowing mass migration on the southern border.

Congress has not given immigration officials unbounded discretion regarding the detention of arriving aliens, the states lawyers wrote in a March court document. It has instead expressly commanded those officials to detain arriving aliens.

On the other hand, the federal government contends that officials have discretion in carrying out immigration laws. They list a number of issues such as limited detention space, humanitarian reasons, and prioritization of resources and say that Florida lacks legal standing to pursue the case.

In particular, plaintiff hypothesizes that paroled noncitizens might settle in Florida and, if so, then might commit crimes or require social services, the federal government argued in a court document filed in April. Plaintiffs predictions are too attenuated and uncertain to provide standing. If such incidental, conjectural consequences were sufficient  the federal courts could be drawn into every immigration policy dispute between a state and the federal government. Plaintiffs theory would characterize any increase of noncitizens within its borders necessarily as an injury.

Wetherell, appointed by then-President Trump refused to dismiss the case, as he wrote in his decision:

Florida has plausibly alleged that the challenged policies already have and will continue to cost it millions of dollars, including the cost of incarcerating criminal aliens and the cost of providing a variety of public benefits, including unemployment benefits, free public education and emergency services to aliens who settle in Florida after being paroled into the country.

Wetherell said in his decision that he had not discounted the federal governments argument that Congress has authorized it to establish immigration enforcement policies and priorities, specifically those related to allocating its limited resources, thereby conveying discretion.

However, Congress was presumably aware that defendants have limited resources when it enacted the detention requirement, yet it still chose to use language mandating detention, he wrote in his decision. Even if resource allocation and other policy priorities can be considered in defendants exercise of their limited parole authority  those considerations do not give defendants carte blanche to release arriving aliens without undertaking individualized case-by-case assessments as required by that statute, as they have allegedly done through the challenged policiesparticularly if, as Florida alleges, defendants have essentially created the problem the challenged policies seek to alleviate.
A parade to mark the 40th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Sheffield during the Falklands war takes place at Sheffield Cathedral on May 1, 2022. (PA Media)

French Knew Missile Which Sank British Ship In Falklands War Had Kill Switch

France may have kept secret the existence of a kill switch which negated the threat of its much-vaunted Exocet missile, which Argentina used to destroy a British warship during the Falklands War 40 years ago.

Pierre Razoux, a former French defence official, has told the Daily Telegraph the French knew of a way of stopping the incoming missiles but did not hand it over before the sinking of HMS Sheffield in May 1982.

The Sheffield, a Type 42 destroyer, was part of the Royal Navy taskforce sent to the South Atlantic to recover the islandsknown to Argentina as the Malvinasafter General Leopoldo Galtieri invaded the archipelago in April 1982.

On May 4, 1982, HMS Sheffield was hit by an Exocet missile launched by a French-made Super Etendard jet of the Argentinian air force. Twenty sailors were killed and the ship sank six days later.

Exocets also sank a cargo ship, the Atlantic Conveyor, which was part of the taskforce, and also damaged HMS Glamorgan. In total 46 lives were lost in the three incidents.

Razoux said French warships were capable of emitting a special signal which could neutralise Exocets if they were ever targeted by them but he said French President Mitterand decided not to hand over that crucial information to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the spring of 1982 because he did not want to give the keys to the safe to a major competitor in the international arms industry.

Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the House of Commons defence select committee, said the claim warrants further investigation and former Defence Secretary Liam Fox said France should be open and honest about its role in the 1982 war.

Commander Mike Norman, second in command of HMS Sheffield, told the Telegraph it would be terrible if the French had kept secret something that could have saved British sailors lives.

The claim would contradict previous reports that Mitterrand had actually supplied Britain with military secrets about the Exocet and the Super Etendard.

Mitterrands former aide, Jacques Attali, once recalled that on the day after the Argentinian invasion the French President called Thatcher and said: I am with you.

Attali said she was stunned by Mitterrands quick response, especially considering U.S. President Ronald Reagan had not yet pledged his support for Britains position and his Secretary of State Alexander Haig tried to negotiate a peace deal.

On the Margaret Thatcher Foundation website it quotes a 2005 Sunday Times article about the memoirs of Mitterrands psychoanalyst Ali Magoudi, who claimed the French President handed over crucial information after the attack on the HMS Sheffield.

Magoudi quoted Mitterrand as saying, of Thatcher: She is furious. She blames me personally for this new Trafalgar.  I have been forced to yield. She has them now, the codes. If our customers find out that the French wreck the weapons they sell, its not going to reflect well on our exports.

A BBC radio documentary in 2012 claimed France was actually helping both Britain and Argentina.

It claimed a technical team from the French aerospace company Dassault actually fixed faulty missile launchers during the war so the Argentinians could fire the Exocets.
A gasoline pump sits in a holder at an Exxon gas station in Washington, D.C., on March 13, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Fuel Prices in US Rising Faster Than Crude Amid Increased Exports to Europe

The price of fuel across the United States surged faster than crude oil prices in the last month, leaving Americans still paying more at the pump.

The skyrocketing price of fuel comes as the United States has shipped more refined products like gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil, abroad to supply European markets following Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine in February, further tightening the market.

Disruptions to global energy supplies since Russias invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on Moscow by the west have already impacted global gas prices.

U.S. refined product exports have averaged 6.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in the past month, verging on the fastest rate of export in U.S. history.

Meanwhile, the price of gasoline has increased by 30 percent in the United States, and U.S. heating oil futures, a proxy for diesel, have increased by 40 percent.

According to data from the automotive group AAA, the national gas average as of May 6 is $4.279, up from $4.164 a month ago and $2.941 this time last year.

States that have experienced the biggest increases in the past week are Michigan, Ohio, and Washington, D.C.

New data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) this week shows that total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 2.2 million bbl to 228.6 million bbl last week, while demand for gasoline increased from 8.74 million b/d to 8.86 million b/d.

The combined demand and rising oil prices have translated to more pain at the pump for Americans and EIA notes that pump prices will likely increase as oil prices remain above $105 per barrel.

Meanwhile, U.S. crude futures have risen nearly 17 percent since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Traders believe the worlds stockpiles of fuel are not likely to see much of a boost anytime soon, pointing to big producers like OPEC, who this week agreed only to a modest monthly increase of oil production of 432,000 barrels a day in June.

The tight market is creating angst among traders, who say that it shows refiners are struggling to meet demand even as more crude becomes available through big reserve releases, such as Washingtons release of millions of barrels from U.S. strategic reserves, announced in March.

Generally at this time of year, products lead crude, but in this case, the spread is much larger than normal. Its a sign the product market is screaming to refiners, Get to work, we need more supply, said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group.

The increasing fuel prices come amid the European Commissions (EC) proposal to ban Russian oil by the end of the year, although that plan has been threatened by Hungarys rejection to the ban, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban stating on Friday that it would amount to a nuclear bomb to his countrys economy.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy on May 5 announced a long-term replenishment plan for Americas strategic petroleum reserve in an effort to alleviate supply disruptions to domestic and global crude oil and replenish stockpiles.

Under the plan, the United States will take bids this fall to buy back 60 million barrels of crude oil for its reserve.

Reuters contributed to this report.
This combination of photos provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office in April 2022 shows Casey Cole White, left, and Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White. On Saturday, April 30, 2022, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office said that Vicky White disappeared while escorting inmate Casey Cole White, being held on capital murder charges, in Florence, Ala.. The inmate is also missing. (U.S. Marshals Service, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Garland: Escaped Murder Suspect, Guard Extremely Dangerous

WASHINGTONAttorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that an escaped murder suspect and jail officer who aided him are regarded as extremely dangerous and the U.S. Marshals Service has taken over leading the search for the two fugitives.

Law enforcement officials in Alabama have been looking for Casey White, who was awaiting trial on a capital murder case, and Vicky White, a jail official, since they vanished after leaving the Lauderdale County Detention Center last week. The two are not related, but had a special relationship, authorities said.

Garland said they should be considered armed and dangerous and that anyone who spots them should not approach them.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a news conference to announce actions to enhance the Biden administrations environmental justice efforts at the Department of Justice in Washington, on May 5, 2022. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

They worked together in designing this plan to escape, said U.S. Marshal Marty Keely, whose deputies are leading the hunt.

Last Friday, Vicky White, 56, told her coworkers that the 38-year-old inmate needed to go to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. She was escorting the inmate alonea violation of the sheriffs office policy. When she did not answer her phone or return in the afternoon, authorities realized the pair had gone missing. Authorities eventually learned that the evaluation was never scheduled and was just a charade to allow Vicky White to sneak Casey White out of the jail without suspicion.

The two left in a patrol car, which was found abandoned nearby in a parking lot where investigators believe Vicky White had parked a getaway car.

In the past week, authorities have learned that Vicky White purchased an array of weapons, including an AR-15 rifle in January and a shotgun two weeks before the scape. They also believe she has a 9 mm handgun with her and have received reports she may also have a .45 caliber handgun, Keely said.

Federal investigators believe they had been planning the escape for at least several months, Keely said. Vicky White sold her house for $95,000nearly half of the market valueand had also sold her car just before the escape, he said. She had also filed paperwork to officially retire from her job.

Police believe Vicky White had staged a getaway car nearbya 2007 orange Ford Edgethat had no license plates. She bought the car just a few days before the escape and paid for it with cash, Keely said.

It was well planned, Keely said of the escape. She has a lot of knowledge about law enforcement procedures.

The Marshals Service and the sheriffs office have interviewed a slew of associates, family members and others who knew both Casey White and Vicky White and have received numerous tips in the investigation. But despite their best efforts, investigators have not come up with any solid leads to locate them.

Weve vetted out all the leads and so far, we have no legitimate spotting, Keely said.

The Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 reward for information leading to Casey Whites capture and a $5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky White.

Authorities have said Casey White, who stands 6 feet, 9 inches (about 2 meters), should be recognizable by his size.

Casey White was being held at the jail on capital murder charges in the 2015 death of Connie Ridgeway. He confessed to the slaying in 2020 while in state prison for other crimes. Hes been linked to home invasions, carjackings and was also involved in a police chase, Keely said.

Family members and colleagues said they are bewildered by the involvement of Vicky White, who had worked for the sheriffs office for 16 years, with the inmate who was already serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other crimes.

By Michael Balsamo
A worker at German manufacturer of silos and liquid tankers, Feldbinder Special Vehicles, moves rolls of aluminium at the company's plant in Winsen, Germany, on July 10, 2018. (Fabian Bimmer/Reuters)

Germany Seen Tipping Into Recession as Factory Output Suffers Sharp Drop: Economists

Germany may be tipping into a recession amid a sharp drop in industrial production as many German firms faced difficulties completing orders due to supply chain snarls caused by ongoing pandemic restrictions and the Ukraine war.

Data released on May 6 by Germanys Federal Statistics Office showed that industrial output fell 3.9 percent month-over-month in March, a number thats nearly four times higher than the 1.0 percent drop economists expected.

If you are in search of bad news, just have a look at German macro data. Industrial production just wrapped up an entire batch of expectedly weak March data, INGs Global Head of Macro, Carsten Brzeski, wrote in a note, adding that the data points to a looming recession in Europes biggest economy.

We continue to expect a contraction of the German economy in the second quarter, he said.

Workers fit a hood on a car on a production line at German car manufacturing giant Volkswagens headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, on March 1, 2019. (John McDougall/AFP/Getty Images)

Besides the month-over-month decline in factory output, German industrial production was 3.5 percent down year-over-year.

The last time there was a sharper decline in German factory output was at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in April 2020, Germanys statistical agency said.

Many enterprises still have problems completing their orders because of interruptions in supply chains, which is due to continuing COVID-19 crisis restrictions and the war in Ukraine, the Federal Statistics Office said in a statement.

Slightly more than 80 percent of Germanys industrial firms said they experienced bottlenecks and other difficulties in procuring intermediate products and raw materials in March 2022, according to the ifo Institute for Economic Research.

The new lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine have not only created new supply chain and energy disruptions but also brought back last years supply chain frictions, Brzeski said.

Given the highly internationalised production processes in German industry, expect more semifinished products waiting in Germany for semiconductors or other input materials from Asia, he added.

Germanys statistical office also said that industrial companies received 4.7 percent fewer orders in March, marking the sharpest monthly drop since last October. The agency said the reason for the drop is fewer orders from abroad.

Other analysts have echoed INGs call for an imminent German recession.

Andrew Kenningham from Capital Economics said in a note that the figures likely mark the start of a deep manufacturing downturn which is likely to drag the entire economy into recession.

Supply shocks from Chinas zero-COVID policy, Ukraine war-related disruptions, along with surging food and energy costs all feature as factors in the growing number of recession calls for the entire euro area made by some top European CEOs.

For sure, we see a big recession in the making, Stefan Hartung, CEO of German tech firm Bosch, in an interview with CNBC.
An elderly woman pushes a cart after searching through rubbish bins to collect recyclable items to sell, along a street near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2021. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Globalization Under Review as China Faces Effects of Wars and Plagues

Commentary

Economies have undergone painful changes over the past several years due to international crises.

First, there was the response to a virus originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, which has led some to rethink globalization.

Now the more recent consequences of the Russian-Ukraine war have further added to discussions on global trade, with one example being ideas put forward by German macroeconomist Gustav Horn.

Currently in China, many are under strict lockdown measures that are also damaging the national economy, something revealed in the tourism figures for golden week which you can read further below. They offer a snapshot into the nations economic health, something that the propagandists from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would like to hide.

Cargo containers stacked at Yantian port in Shenzhen in Chinas southern Guangdong province on June 22, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Trade Policy Should Be Value-Based

Horn published an opinion piece on April 26, in Zeit Online, titled Germany Needs New Rules for Global Trade where he argued that the Russia-Ukraine war has made it clear that globalization as we know it is dead.

In the future, when doing business with functional trading partners, such as Russia and China, where a common set of values does not necessarily exist, we must use caution and foresight, Horn said.

There must be no dependencies that cannot be corrected or are difficult to correct. It should therefore be insisted that each of these trading partners can be replaced by others at any time, he said.

Transnational trade should no longer be based solely on the short-term profitability of the exchange. Rather, the state and social constitution of the trading partners should also play a decisive role. Trade policy should be value-based in the future, he said. The ultimate goal is to make trading safer andbased on the shared valuesfairer.

Horn suggested that its necessary to divide future trading partners into three categories:

Neighbors with similar values and geographical proximity are in the first category as preferred partners.

Nations that are geographically distant but have similar values, constitute the second layer.

Nations with whom one trades solely because of their profitability, are the least desirable trading partners and must be treated with much greater caution in the future.

Horn ended the article by saying that the future global value-oriented trade should be a trade that is no longer based solely on economic calculations, but one that should also meet criteria such as security of supply and protection against political blackmail. Above all, however, a value-oriented trade policy reconnects trade with peace.

Golden Week Loses Its Shine

One of the biggest beneficiaries of globalization over the past several decades has been China and its communist regime. The countrys economy currently faces a number of challenges, among them a COVID rebound with local tourism being one example of a sector greatly affected by strict-anti COVID measures.

April 30 to May 4 is Chinas Labor Day holiday, known as golden week which is generally a very busy travel week. But with 100 million trips expected this year, it was down about 62 percent from the same period in 2021, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport said on April 28. The average daily expressway traffic was also expected to be about 49 percent lower year on year.

The current situation of epidemic prevention and control in various parts of China is complicated, and travelers willingness to travel is low due to the impact of the pandemic, Chinas Civil Aviation Administration said at a press conference on April 28. According to airline ticket bookings, the average daily number of airline passengers during holidays is about 400,000, down 77 percent year-on-year.

A security guard wearing a face mask takes the temperature of visitors as they enter a public park in Beijing on April 30, 2022, the first day of the Labor Day holiday period in China. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

International credit rating agency Fitch Ratings said in its China Corporate Overview Report on March 25 that the pace of recovery in Chinas tourism industry has slowed since mid-2021 due to travel restrictions imposed across the country as a result of the COVID-19 rebound and will remain volatile in 2022.

In the first half of 2021, Chinas domestic tourist arrivals and tourism revenue only recovered to more than 60 percent of their 2019 levels, before falling to around 50 percent for the whole of 2021 and the recovery process will remain weak in 2022, the report said.

Fitch Ratings believes that authorities pandemic prevention policies have largely determined the recovery path of the sector, and the spread of COVID-19 is likely to continue to constrain tourism activities, thereby slowing the pace of Chinas economic recovery.

Wars and Plagues Spell Collapse

State-run media Xinhua News Agency downplayed the graveness of Chinas economic situation in an April 18 article titled, 10 Questions About Chinas Current Economy, saying, China has room to respond to the downturn because of its large economy and market size.

Shi Shan, a senior media and current affairs commentator in the United States, called this statement the CCPs self-hypnosis.

Shi said when an economic downturn trend has formed, it is very difficult to reverse it through external forces. While China is big and wont topple easily, once it falls, it will be very hard to get back up.

A Chinese paramilitary police officer gestures as he wears a protective mask while standing guard at the entrance to the Forbidden City as it re-opened to limited visitors for the May holiday, on May 1, 2020, in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Shi even predicts the possibility of the communist regimes collapse. He said on his news channel that two simultaneous events are likely to trigger the CCPs collapsewar and a plague.

Historically, large structural collapses in human societies have usually been accompanied by these two things, and both are here now, he said.

Although the Russia-Ukraine war is far away in Europe, Shi said, In the era of globalization, no one can escape.

In most cases, wars and plagues wreak havoc in societies primarily by destroying economies, Shi said.

Wars and plagues dont necessarily affect people directly, but through economic destruction. No one can escape.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Washington on Jan. 23, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

GOP Congress Members Probe ICE Contract; $17 Million Spent on Unused Hotels for Illegal Immigrants

A group of Republican congress members is investigating a recent inspector general report that said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wrongfully gave out an $87 million sole-source contract to a Texas nonprofit, resulting in millions of dollars of wasted taxpayer money.

ICE contracted the San Antonio-based nonprofit, Endeavors, to house illegal immigrants in hotels last year and spent approximately $17 million for hotel space and services at six hotels that went largely unused between April and June

2021, stated the report issued by the inspector general (IG) for the Department of Homeland Security.

The Republicans wrote a letter on May 4 to Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson, asking him to provide all documents and information surrounding the deal.

Wasting $17 million in unused hotel rooms paid for by the taxpayers is unacceptable, the letter states.

The 19 congress members raise concerns over the way ICE awarded the contract, as well as a potential conflict of interest with a staff member at Endeavors.

The IG report revealed that ICE awarded the contract to Endeavors after the nonprofit submitted an unsolicited proposal.

Rather than using the competitive procurement process, ICE awarded a sole source contract to Endeavors, which had provided an unsolicited proposal for housing migrant families in hotels, the report states.

ICE records showed that Endeavors had no experience providing the services covered by the sole source contract, including hotel beds or all-inclusive emergency family residential services.

The IG report said ICE had used a different contractor in 2021 to provide hotel services, but neither that contractor nor any other contractor was given the opportunity to submit a proposal.

The report also said its office has referred the actions surrounding the use of a sole source contract to its Office of Investigations.

The Republicans letter to Johnson suggests a potential conflict of interest between ICE and Endeavors.

Endeavors won this contract and even larger contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services through a no bid process after hiring Andrew Lorenzen-Strait as senior director for migrant services and federal affairs, the letter states, adding that Lorenzen-Strait is a political ally of the Biden administration.

Mr. Lorenzen-Strait served on the Biden-Harris transition team and is a former official at ICE.

The letter suggests Lorenzen-Strait may currently be interviewing to return to ICE as its Chief of Staff. The group of Republicans said they expect to receive the documents from Johnson by May 18.

Endeavors didnt yet respond to a request for comment on the accusations.

Lorenzen-Strait has been with Endeavors since early 2020, according to its website. Part of his role is advancing our mission and core values through Federal government program development and procurement opportunities, the Endeavors website states.

Aside from the procurement issues, the IG report said Endeavors didnt follow healthcare protocols around COVID-19 testing and mitigation, putting themselves and the public at risk.

The nonprofit also failed to follow required ICE standards to ensure the proper care for housing illegal immigrant families while in its facilities, the report stated.
Coal falls off a conveyer belt as it's off loaded from trucks from local coal mines at the Savage Energy Terminal on Aug. 26, 2016, in Price, Utah. (George Frey/Getty Images

Green Agenda Moves Forward in Utah, Coal Plants Prepare to Close

Within the arid landscape of Delta, Utah, the states largest coal-fired power plant is winding down toward retirement. The Intermountain Power Agency is moving forward with plans to transition the facility into a natural gas-green hydrogen plant by 2025.

Utah has 22 coal units, 14 of which are scheduled for closure by 2030. From those existing resources, five coal-fired plants currently produce power.

Energy generated from coal accounts for 61 percent of Utahs electricity production.

Green energy advocates claim this is a crucial and timely step toward weaning the public off coal, especially as historic drought conditions persist statewide.

However, some utility experts arent convinced.

The Echo Reservoir in Utah is roughly at half capacity due to a severe drought that has affected the entire state. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

PacifiCorp, which owns one of the states major utility companies, says closing coal plants has more to do with their long-term goals than drought concerns.

Our plans to retire existing coal plants and replace them with  wind, solar, and various energy storage projects have been a part of our resources planning for the last six to eight years, PacifiCorp spokesperson David Eskelsen told The Epoch Times.

He explained that water issues have always been a concern for the company but assured that PacifiCorp has enough resources to run their facilities without issue until the transition and phase out of coal is complete.

We have to balance any [coal plant] retirement with a fairly deliberate replacement of that generating capacity. So it has to be done deliberately and carefully, Eskelsen said.

PacifiCorp owns Rocky Mountain Power, the states largest energy provider, and uses an average of about 29,000 acre-feet of water per year at its two coal plants and three natural gas facilities.

Utah has been suffering extreme water scarcity for the past eight years. So far, 2022 has been the fourth driest year in the past 128 annual recordings.

Piles of coal wait to be burned at PacifiCorps Hunter coal-fired power plant outside of Castle Dale, Utah, on Nov. 14, 2019. (George Frey/AFP via Getty Images)

Regardless, some utility operators and regulators in Utah think its too soon to give up on coal. They argue shifting too fast could put the entire western grid at risk of blackouts since renewables come with a degree of instability.

One of my biggest concerns is that conventional wisdom is marching toward a system that is a whole lot of solar and a whole lot of wind in the hope that battery storage will continue to get cheaper and better, said Chris Parker, director of the Utah Department of Commerce public utilities division.

During a public utility commission hearing in June last year, Parker explained the western electrical grid is becoming increasingly interconnected, generating and transferring power across several states.

Further, he maintained that mandates against coal-fired power in places like Oregon and Washington create more pressure for Utah to maintain consistent energy production through stable resources like coal.

In the same June hearing, Colin Jack, chief operating officer at Dixie Power, dismissed the idea of market forces driving the shift away from coal power.

Its absolutely regulatory, legislation and public service commissions who are failing to mandate that utilities get the least cost, most reliable resource rather than getting the most politically correct, coolest, and the sexiest resource, Jack said.

Questions linger about the reliability of cleaner and renewable energy sources, but some experts say the ultimate deciding factor is cost. This is especially true of green hydrogen, which was nearly three times more expensive than natural gas in the United States last year.

Yet some estimates suggest green hydrogen could be cheaper than natural gas in at least 16 countries by 2050.

Meanwhile, Intermountain Power Agency is banking on green hydrogen, which plays a key role in their transition away from coal power.

Over a 10-year period, we negotiated new power sales agreements that will result in the construction of natural gas generating units at the site that will be capable of using 30 percent green hydrogen start up and transition to 100 percent green hydrogen by 2045, spokesperson for Intermountain Power Agency John Ward told The Epoch Times.

Power lines outside Delta, Utah, on March 28, 2016. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Julio Friedmann, a senior research scholar at Columbia Universitys Center on Global Energy Policy, thinks cost is the only significant hurdle green hydrogen faces in taking a more central role in U.S. energy production.

He asserts the United States produces and ships 70 million tons of hydrogen through pipelines every year, showing that distribution and the logistics are straightforward and reasonably well understood.

However, natural gas prices have also spiked since Russia began its military invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. On May 3, natural gas prices hit $8.169 per million British thermal units, its highest point since 2008.

This means consumers could end up paying higher prices for their electric bills in the short term.

Nevertheless, Shawn Teigenvice president and research director of the Utah Foundationsays theres a lot of momentum toward greener energy sources in the state, and Intermountains coal plant transition is the cornerstone.

As a result, the area could be one of the premier greener energy source hubs in the U.S. [and] with that will come a lot of green energy employment and an ongoing push toward greener sources, Teigen told The Epoch Times.
A Twitter logo is seen outside the company headquarters in San Francisco, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2021. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)

Groups Funded by George Soros, Unions, European Governments Irked by Twitter Takeover

Elon Musk, the worlds wealthiest man, has become the target of left-wing organizations following his announcement of plans to buy out Twitter in order to foster free speech on the platform.

Teslas CEO on May 3 called for an investigation into the groups that have urged businesses in a letter to boycott Twitter if Musk reverses the social media companys content moderation practices, a week after he reached a deal to acquire the platform.

Who funds these organizations that want to control your access to information? Lets investigate  Musk wrote on Twitter on May 3. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Musks response came after CNN reported on the letter (pdf) signed by more than two dozen left-wing organizations.

Interesting. I wonder if those funding these organizations are fully aware of what the organizations are doing, Musk wrote the next day in response to a Daily Mail article.

The article, which was shared by Musk, revealed that George Soros, Clinton and Obama staffers, and European governments are behind anti-Musk campaign that urged big corporations to boycott Twitter after Musks acquisition.

George Soros, founder and chairman of the Open Society Foundations, arrives for a meeting in Brussels, on April 27, 2017. (Olivier Hoslet/AFP via Getty Images)

The organizations sent the letter to big brands including Coca-Cola, Apple, Kraft, and Disney, asking them to pull their advertising spending from Twitter if Musk fails to follow specific rules. These rules include maintaining a ban on public figures and politicians who were removed from the platform.

The Black Lives Matter Network Foundation, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Womens March, Media Matters for America, and GLAAD were among the organizations.

According to the letter, the entities warned that as top advertisers on Twitter, your brand risks association with a platform amplifying hate, extremism, health misinformation, and conspiracy theorists.

Twitter risks devolving into a cesspool of misinformation under Musks leadership, they stated.

The Daily Mail article claimed that dark money groups like Soross Open Society Foundations; NGOs founded by former Clinton and Obama administration staffers; wealthy Democrat donors and their family foundations; labor unions; and the governments of European nations are backing these organizations.

The letter was signed by 26 groups led by Accountable Tech, Media Matters for America, and UltraViolet.

Sponsors

Among the signatories of the letter is Access Now, a nonprofit organization created in 2009 with the purpose of defending and expanding peoples digital civil rights throughout the world. The group, on its website, is opposed to Elon Musks takeover of Twitter.

More than 60 percent of the organizations funding comes from governments and development agencies, according to its website.

The German Federal Foreign Office, Swedens government agency Sida, Global Affairs Canada, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs were among the biggest donors to the organization last year.

Soross Open Society Foundations is also a major donor of the group.

In this photo illustration, news about Elon Musks bid to takeover Twitter is tweeted, in Chicago, on April 25, 2022. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Accountable Tech, another signatory of the letter, is a Washington-based group co-founded by Nicole Gill, a political campaigner and founder of the 2017 Tax March that held demonstrations throughout the country in 2017 to pressure former President Donald Trump to release his tax returns.

Gill founded Accountable Tech in May 2020 along with Jesse Lehrich, who is a former spokesman for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. Lehrich is also the nephew of David Axelrod, former senior adviser of President Barack Obama, according to the Daily Mail article.

Social media giants are eroding our consensus reality and pushing democracy to the brink, the organization states on its website. Accountable Tech is fighting back.

Media Matters for America, a co-signer of the letter, is a media watchdog founded in 2004 by David Brock, a former right-wing investigative reporter who is now a Democratic activist. Brock was described by Time Magazine in 2015 as one of the most influential operatives in the Democratic Party.

UltraViolet, another signatory of the letter, is a womens advocacy group founded in 2012. The progressive nonprofit organization describes itself as a powerful and rapidly growing community of people mobilized to fight sexism and create a more inclusive world.

According to the Daily Mail article, the group is backed by several labor unions, including AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Teachers, as well as, numerous family foundations, such as the NoVo Foundation established by billionaire investor Warren Buffetts son.

Access Now, Accountable Tech, Media Matters for America, and UltraViolet didnt respond by press time to requests by The Epoch Times for comment.

Critics are concerned that Musk would allow hate speech and harmful disinformation to flourish on the social media platform. Musk, however, questions whether sponsors who fund these groups are entirely aware of what theyre doing.

The billionaire acknowledged on April 27 in a tweet that attacks against him were coming thick and fast but mostly from the left, which is no surprise.

However, I should emphasize that the right will almost certainly be upset as well, Musk said in his tweet. My objective is to maximize the area under the curve of overall human pleasure, which corresponds to the 80% of individuals who fall somewhere in the center.

Musk made headlines by making a takeover bid for Twitter last month. On April 25, Twitter accepted the billionaires proposal of $54.20 per share in cash, which valued the firm at about $44 billion. The deal is expected to be closed this year.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
After a COVID-19 surge likely driven by omicron subvariants, active cases are on the decline again in Cayuga County.

The Cayuga County Health Department reported 51 residents are in isolation, the lowest number of active cases since Feb. 28 (40). The tally is based on laboratory results and at-home tests that are submitted to the department

It's a significant decrease since there were 219 active cases one week ago and 190 one month ago. But Cayuga County's case rate  235.06 per 100,000 people  remains elevated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the county has a high community level, which factors in the case rate, hospital admissions and percentage of staffed beds in use by COVID-positive patients.

According to the health department, 10 residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. Eight of the patients are ages 60 or older. One patient is in their 40s, while one is in the 10-19 age group.

Six of the patients are vaccinated and four are unvaccinated. It wasn't disclosed whether the vaccinated individuals have received booster shots.

The health department on Wednesday said two men in their 80s died after testing positive for COVID-19. No other information was released about the cases, including whether they were vaccinated.

The county's COVID-19 death toll is 145.

The vaccination rate hasn't changed much even as cases surged over the last two months. According to the CDC, 59.3% of residents are fully vaccinated. Among eligible residents ages 5 and older, the vaccination rate is 62.5%.

A similar trend has been observed with booster shots. The CDC reports that 57% of fully vaccinated Cayuga County residents have received at least one booster shot. More than three-quarters of fully vaccinated residents ages 65 and older (78.5%) have received their first booster.

Cayuga County has adjusted its vaccination strategy. Health officials said last week that clinics will be held for specific types of shots, such as boosters, and they may hold more clinics to accommodate residents.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Twitter logo is seen at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, on Oct. 4, 2013. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters)

I Am a Soviet Writer Now

Commentary

In recent weeks I have been canceled by Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, all without explanation.

I tried in each case but was unable to get one. In fact, I was even blocked on Facebook from any explanation other than the most generic community standards blather. I never used Instagram much in the first place.

In the case of Twitter, I was attempting to make my return after many monthsI had left on my own in disgust at the bias, not to mention the mysterious disappearance of my followershopeful that it might be a more collegial space with Elon Musk in the process of purchasing the company and promising free speech.

No such luck.

What I got for my troubles was something extremely bizarre. I was asked to authenticate myself by identifying one of six squares that contained an inaccurate shadow. I had to do this fourteen times, but on the fifteenth, I was told I was in error and sent back to one again. This happened several times. It was an obvious shell game set up by someone at Twitter. I was never admittedor told anything, for that matter.

I have no idea how many others were receiving the same treatment, but so much for Twitterwith or without Musk.

This is no joke. We are living deep in an era of thought control. For writers even slightly on the right, it is extending into many areas. I am someone who once wrote for the likes of Simon & Schuster, Random House, Universal Studios, and Warner Brothers. It is highly unlikelyalmost impossiblethat I could do so now.

And, of course, those are the big players with the big audiences and mass distribution, the major access points to middle America, those few that are left not on one side or other of our great divide and who might be persuaded of something.

Those of us anywhere to the right of Trotsky are not allowed to talk to them. (Thats an exaggeration, but not by much.)

So every day when I get up, I have a moment of anxiety when I turn on my computer. It is supposed to open automatically on The Epoch Times where I now write as well as get a substantial amount of my news? I am worried that it will still be there, whether I and/or it will be branded misinformation and disappeared?

Long may The Epoch Timesand those few others like itthrive. And thank you so much to the readers who keep them alive!

Nevertheless, this is all starting to remind me of the Soviet Union that I visited twice on cultural exchanges during the early glasnost (in the late 80s). In fact, the America of today has for some time.

I remember visiting two apartment buildings that were named Screenwriter I and II. They housed favored writers, screenwriters or not, and were sought after because, I was told, they contained the best medical clinics in Moscow on the ground floor.

In the Soviet Union, decent medical care was only available to party officials and othersscientists and cultural workerswho played along.

Writers who didnt had to find other access. The greatest writing of Soviet times was the clandestine samizdat (literally self-publishing in Russian), those who obviously had the courage to buck a vicious systemthe Solzhenitsyns, the Mandelstams, and so forth. Financial remuneration, not to mention the best medical care, was not for them.

Of course, we are building our own more open-minded structures, some in publishing, others in film. They all have good intentions. But for the most part, we are only allowed to preach to the choir. We are kept off in a corner, segregated.

Somehow this must be overcome. We must be able to reach the masses because we are the masses, not them.

What is going on in our country today is a full-on attack on free speech under a duplicitous, fascistic facade of making sure the public is correctly informed, that there is no misinformation (the big lie word of our times).

So when I say Im a Soviet writer now, I hope you know I mean those great writers who wrote samizdat in opposition to a totalitarian state. I have nowhere near their courage. I have nowhere near their depth. But I identify with them because my country is on the verge of being turned into theirs.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts in Northridge, Calif., May 4, 2022. (Ji Yuan/The Epoch Times)

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.Dr. Donald Eisner, a psychologist, author, and founder of the Eisner Institute of Professional Studies, and his wife Jordan, waited a long time to see Shen Yun Performing Arts.

The worlds foremost classical Chinese dance and music performance, Shen Yun is etched in the memories of people who just know that it is a performance they cannot miss.

Ive been wanting to attend like ten years, said Mrs. Eisner after watching Shen Yun at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts.

Shen Yuns mission is to revive the 5,000 years of divinely imparted Chinese culture from before the communist era.

And finally, a couple of years ago, I bought the tickets. I had to wait longer because of the COVID [pandemic.] I wanted to see the costumes, the dancing. Its beautiful, beautiful art, she said.

I loved the flower dance, said Mrs. Eisner referring to the piece Plum Blossom in Spring which demonstrates the fortitude of the plum blossoms as they transition from winter to spring.

Shen Yun also portrays stories through classical Chinese dance, accompanied by a live symphony orchestra comprised of Eastern and Western instruments. Each dance piece displays the essence of the traditional Chinese cultures core values, through stories from ancient times to the present day.

Donald Eisner attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing ArtsRosemont Theatre), Northridge, Calif. on May. 3, 2022. (Sally Sun Epoch Times)

Mr. Eisner said the performance was excellent and spectacular. Shen Yuns creativity and hard work are inspirational, he added.

Im inspired by  the amazing work they did with the background and the scenery. [The actors] come from the back and pop out of the screenits just amazing! exclaimed Mr. Eisner.

He appreciated the emcees who came out to give a brief introduction before each piece.

Its well-organized. I like that [the emcees] explain it because otherwise, you keep looking at the program, said Mr. Eisner.

Reporting by Sally Sun and Diane Cordemans.



The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to the media about the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, on Feb. 22, 2022. (STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)

Japan to Ease Border Controls in June, Impose Smoother Entry Process

Japan will begin lifting its border control measures in June and implement an entry process similar to that of other Group of Seven (G7) developed economies nations, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.

Kishida spoke at a press conference in London after his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on global security and strengthening bilateral ties.

In his speech, Kishida said that Japans COVID-19 response was one of the most successful in the world, which has allowed the government to fortify its health care system and increase vaccination rates.

We have now eased border control measures significantly, with the next easing taking place in June, when Japan will introduce a smoother entry process similar to that of other G7 members, he said, without going into detail.

Japan had banned new arrivals of foreign visitors since November 2021 to contain the spread of the Omicron variant and adopted the strictest border control measures among the G7 nations.

The Immigration Services Agency of Japan claimed that more than 400,000 people eligible for visas had been denied entry into the country as of January 4. Of those, about 152,900 were students pursuing study in Japan.

Japan has gradually lifted its entry ban on foreign students and business travelers and raised the maximum daily number of entrants to 10,000 in April, but foreign tourists remain barred from entering the country, according to local reports.

Reflecting on the steps to bolster the quarantine structure as well as the implementation of infection-prevention measures, we decided to review the daily quota to respond to the needs of those trying to enter, including Japanese nationals as well as foreign students, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on April 2.

Matsuno added that the government will gradually increase the coming and going of visitors from overseas.

According to the Foreign Ministry, all entrants would be subject to a 7-day home quarantine, but the quarantine requirement may be lifted if the third-day test result comes out negative.

It stated that travelers who have completed their third vaccination shots and are arriving from countries where the outbreak is under control could be exempted from quarantine.

Japan had also ended the most recent COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency in 18 prefectures on March 21, following a decrease in the number of new infections. The country reported 20,779 new cases on Thursday, a decrease from the previous weeks level of 41,750.
Elon Musk arrives at the In America: An Anthology of Fashion themed Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on May 2, 2022. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters)

Job Interest in Twitter Rises More Than 260 Percent After Musks Takeover Deal

Since Twitters board of directors accepted Elon Musks offer to buy the social media platform, interest in employment opportunities at the tech firm has accelerated, new data show.

In the week of April 24, interest in Twitter job openings on Glassdoor surged 263 percent, according to Daniel Zhao, a senior economist and data scientist at the careers website.

Zhao said the number is based on average daily clicks on Twitter job openings on the platform compared to all of March. While that might not relate to job applications, the notable jump reflects curiosity about work opportunities at the business.

The figures were posted after it was confirmed that once the takeover deal closes, Musk would serve as a temporary CEO of the social media outlet for a few months.

Well, the above data is made more relevant by todays news. Say what you will about Elon, he does have a large fanbase of ppl excited to work for him. Hes much more likely to capitalize on that attraction as CEO than owner, Zhao said in a tweet.

Elon Musks Twitter profile on a smartphone placed on printed Twitter logos on April 28, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Musk shared a Fortune article that reported on the news, tweeting that the company will be super focused on hardcore software engineering, design, infosec & server hardware.

I strongly believe that all managers in a technical area must be technically excellent. Managers in software must write great software or its like being a cavalry captain who cant ride a horse! he stated.

At the same time, he isnt too concerned about an exodus by the current crop of Twitter personnel.

Speaking to reporters at the Met Gala on May 2, he stated that hes fine with a supposed mass resignation effort at the San Francisco-based tech firm.

Its a free country, Musk said. Certainly, if anyone doesnt feel comfortable with that, they will on their own accord go somewhere else. Thats fine.

Indeed, there is an appetite to work for the billionaire CEO. In 2021, Tesla received nearly 3 million job applications. Moreover, the electric-vehicle maker recently announced that it created close to 100,000 direct new jobs in one decade and are planning to grow for years to come.

Blind, an anonymous community app for the workplace, shows that tech workers are split on Musks acquisition of Twitter.

Some hate him and are loud about it, a Twitter engineer wrote. The company has a strong woke culture and a lot are afraid to speak out against that.

A Microsoft employee stated on the website, If Elons Twitter actually embraces free speech and open sources the algorithms, it would become the first social media company I would actually consider working for.

An Amazon staff member said: Musk is known to not pay well. So company might do well but there will be exodus of engineers.

A former Twitter employee told Business Insider that any sense that an exodus is building is correct.

Employees planning to quit have been mocked by some on social media.

In April, when Musks stake was revealed, Substack, an online publishing platform for writers, had a message for these individuals:

Substack is hiring! Lulu Cheng Meservey, vice president of communications at Substack, posted on Twitter. If youre a Twitter employee whos considering resigning because youre worried about Elon Musk pushing for less regulated speech  please do not come work here.

Last month, Twitter executives held a virtual all-hands meeting to discuss what Musks acquisition would mean for the platform and its policies.

Vijaya Gadde, Twitters head of legal, policy, and trust, also met virtually with employees she supervises in the legal and policy departments to talk about the purchase. Twitters top lawyer reportedly explained that there are plenty of uncertainties as to what the tech giant would look like under Musk.

Musk has been open about his plans for Twitter to embrace free speech, championing many different proposals, such as open-sourcing its algorithm, eradicating spam bots, and loosening content moderation policies. He suggested that Twitter should only remove content if it is mandated by local laws, adding that users should not be permanently banned from the platform. Instead, the outlet could install time outs for individuals violating terms of service.

Musk revealed last week that Twitter would remain free for casual users, but businesses and governments might pay a slight cost to utilize the website.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Musk informed investors that he might return Twitter to the New York Stock Exchange in three years.
Judge Rules Against Group Challenging Marjorie Taylor Greenes Ability to Run for Reelection

Update: Georgias secretary of state said Rep. Greene is qualified to run for office.

Original story below.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) meets all the requirements for a congressional candidate and thus should be allowed to run for another term in office, a Georgia judge ruled on May 6.

The evidence is insufficient to establish that Greene engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or supported those that did, Georgia Judge Charles Beaudrot said in a 19-page ruling.

Challengers claimed that Greene, in her first term, violated the U.S. Constitution by helping facilitate the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, which they described as an insurrection.

The challenge was allowed to proceed by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, an Obama appointee, and Greene testified under oath during a hearing in Atlanta on April 22, saying she did not know beforehand of the plans to breach the Capitol nor was she involved in the execution of the breach.

Greene should not be required to prove a negative and affirmatively establish she did not engage in an insurrection, Beaudrot said. Challengers thus had to prove Greene violated the Constitution, and they did not so do, he ruled.

In short, even assuming, arguendo, that the [breach] was an insurrection, challengers presented no persuasive evidence Rep. Greene took any actiondirect physical efforts, contribution of personal services or capital, issuance of directives or marching orders, transmissions of intelligence, or even statements of encouragementin furtherance thereof on or after January 3, 2021, the judge wrote. Furthermore, there is no evidence Greene, who was inside the building and unaware of the breach until the session of Congress was suspended, participated in the breach herself, he added.

Challengers make a valiant effort to support inferences that Rep. Greene was an insurrectionist, but the evidence is lacking, and the court is not persuaded, the ruling stated.

Greene told The Epoch Times in an email that Democrats have seen how hard I fight for America First values with Republicans in the minority, so they are absolutely terrified to see me with the power of the majority, and that the challenge, which she described as an unprecedented attack on free speech, failed.

I applaud Judge Charles Beaudrot on his correct ruling and look forward to winning big on May 24th, she said.

Free Speech for People, the group behind the challenge, said in a statement that the ruling betrays the fundamental purpose of the Fourteenth Amendments Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause and gives a pass to political violence as a tool for disrupting and overturning free and fair elections.

The group urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to take a fresh look at the evidence presented in the case and reject the judges recommendation.

Raffensperger will, after receiving Beaudrots ruling, decide whether Greene is eligible for the May 24 primary.

Greene represents Georgias 14th congressional district. She won election in 2020 with 75 percent of the vote after emerging from the Republican primary and a subsequent primary runoff.

Joseph Lord contributed to this report.
A police car is parked in front of the Rosedale house where the body of a young girl was found in a construction-site dumpster bin, in Toronto on May 5, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn)

Toronto Police Prioritize Identifying Girl Whose Body Was Found in Dumpster

The body of the young girl found this week in a dumpster in Toronto was wrapped in crochet blanket with butterfly patterns, which was inside a plastic bag wrapped in another blanket, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) said Thursday. The girl was about three foot six, with black curly hair tied into four short ponytails.

The police said their first priority is to discover the identity of the girl, whose remains were discovered on May 2 in a construction site dumpster at an unoccupied residential property near the Castle Frank Road and Dale Avenue area.

The TPSs 53 Division immediately commenced an investigation, enlisting assistance from the services homicide and missing persons unit.

The investigators will leave no stone unturned, Insp. Hank Idsinga, head of the TPSs homicide and missing persons unit, told reporters at a press conference on May 5.

Kids dont just die.

A post-mortem examination completed May 4 confirmed the girl to be between the ages of 4 and 7, of African or mixed African descent, and with all her teeth. The cause of her death remains undetermined.

The police said while the body was likely left in the area recentlybetween April 28 and May 2they believe she died in late summer or fall 2021.

Idsinga said it is unusual for the pathologist to have to rely on forensic entomologythe study of insects colonizing a human corpseto determine the time of a victims death.

I dont recall, myself personally, any cases where the pathologist has had to rely on the entomology process to age the time of death of a victim and so its a very unusual circumstance that were dealing with right now that the potential time of death could have been even earlier than last summer, he said.

He said the police have also looked at several outstanding missing persons cases, and although some come close, none seems a definitive match so far.

Photos of the two blankets used to wrap the remains of a girl who was found left in a dumpster near Rosedale, Toronto, on May 2, 2022. (Toronto Police Service)

The TPS released images of the two patterned blankets used to wrap the girls body, hoping they will trigger someones memory.

Police are also looking through surveillance video from the nearby area. Investigators currently dont have video from a camera trained on the dumpster, but they are closely examining the cars and people going by within a possibly two-week period in which the remains may have been placed there.

Idsinga said there are several possible ways the remains could have been brought to the area, including being physically carried there. He said there are also many reasons the location was chosen to dispose the body, noting its close to the Don Valley Parkway by car and is within walking distance of the dense neighbourhood of St. James Town.

We will get to the bottom of it  no matter what it takes, he told reporters.

A small memorial has been built for the girl at the location of the now-removed dumpster, with cards and bouquets of flowers being placed at the end of the driveway.

Police encourage anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-5300, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or www.222tips.com.
Labor Party Confusion Over Live Export Policy Throws Industry Into Disarray

The centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP) has sent the live export industry into disarray after it appeared to back away from an earlier promise to ban live sheep exports.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said on May 6just a day after a Labor spokesperson confirmed the banthat the opposition would not put a timeline on when the party would phase out live exports if it wins government.

The amount of live exports has halved in recent times and well continue the summer ban, Albanese told reporters in Sydney.

We will consult with state governments, in particular the Western Australian state government, but well also consult with the agricultural sector about the issues around live sheep exports.

This photo shows sheep feeding on lush grass on the property of Australian farmer Kevin Tongue near the rural city of Tamworth in New South Wales, Australia, on May 4, 2020. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

Labors deputy leader Richard Marles did try to clear up confusion over Albanese remarks around the policy saying a Labor government would engage with the live export industry to discover a way forward.

This is an industry that has been in decline now for 20 years, we will work with the industry and we will work with the West Australian government about its future, he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Richard Marles addresses a media conference in the press gallery at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on December 07, 2020 (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

However, Mark Harvey-Sutton, CEO of the Australian Livestock Exporters Council, panned the ALP for its chaotic approach.

Speaking to The Epoch Times on May 6, Harvey-Sutton said the ALPs backflip was disruptive.

This confusion is not very helpful to the industry, he said. This is not a political plaything. We are talking about peoples livelihoods. It is disrespectful to peoples lives.

Harvey-Sutton noted that the industrys closure would affect cost of living and cause the cost of meat products to rise.

The industry employs around 3,000 Australians and is worth $160 million annually to the economy.

Harvey-Sutton also took umbrage with Marles comments about the industry failing, noting it had done incredibly well in the last year and work was being done to address livestock mortality rates.

According to federal government parliamentary reports, there were no reportable deaths during the export season from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2021.

Prior to that mortality rates decreased to 11 percent of total cattle exported, and 23 percent of buffalo and sheep exports.

Western Australia Labor Premier Mark McGowan voiced his support for continuation of the trade a day earlier before the policy reversal.

We put in place rules that required a suspension of exports over the northern summer because of the shocking outcomes that were occurring, particularly in the summer months, up in the Persian Gulf, he told reporters on May 5.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan at Dumas House in Perth, Australia on Dec. 24, 2021. (Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)

There was additional vet checks and additional monitoring put in place on some of the ships. I think those measures are effective and I think theyre appropriate.

AAP contributed to this report.
Haiti policeman stand guard after an overnight riot at the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, the largest prison in Haiti, left four inmates dead and two security guards injured. (Thony Belizaire/AFP via Getty Images)

Leader of Haitis 400 Mawozo Gang Indicted in US, Along With 3 Florida Residents

By Jacqueline Charles

From Miami Herald

MIAMIAt first blush, the oversized blue plastic barrels appeared to be shipments of simple household items like clothing, bottles of Gatorade and shoes for use in Haiti.

But a deeper search of the wrapped garbage bags would reveal something more sinister, and deadlier: AK-47 and M1A rifles, and ammunition capable of piercing armored police vehicles and dense concrete walls to take out an enemy a mile away.

On Wednesday, two South Florida residents, along with a Haitian national who lives in Orlando, were indicted in federal court, along with the leader of a notorious Haitian gang behind last years kidnapping of 17 American and Canadian missionaries. They are charged with criminal conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws by smuggling firearms and munitions to aid the gang 400 Mawozo in Haiti.

The indicted are Germine Joly (identified by U.S. authorities as Joly Germine) also known as Yonyon, 29, a Haitian national; Eliande Tunis, 43, a U.S. citizen, of Pompano Beach; Jocelyn Dor, 29, a Haitian citizen who had been residing in Orlando; and Walder St. Louis, 33, a Haitian citizen who had been residing in Miami. They are charged with conspiring to violate export control laws to defraud the U.S., violating export control laws , smuggling and laundering money.

According to the indictment unsealed Wednesday, the South Florida residents falsified Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms paperwork in order to purchase the firearms, which were later smuggled to Haiti in barrels. The transactions were done using the telephone messaging app WhatsApp in which Tunis, on calls with Joly, identified the best high-powered rifles and munition to get.

When a shipper complained that the barrels were heavy, Tunis, according to the criminal complaint in her arrest, replied that it was packed with rice.

While the three have pleaded not guilty and are being held pending trial, Joly has not yet entered a plea. During his first appearance Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Washington, D.C., before Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather, he was ordered detained pending further court proceedings. He was assigned defense attorney Allen Orenberg who said the case is complex. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Seifert.

Joly had been a prisoner in Port-au-Princes National Penitentiary until he was picked up Tuesday by federal agents on an international warrant. As leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, he directed operations from prison using cellphones, the indictment says.

Jolys indictment, along with his three co-defendants, offers a detailed look into the gun trade between South Florida and Haiti that is helping fuel the violence in the Caribbean nation.

Since Aug. 29, at least 39 civilians have died in the area east of Port-au-Prince, which is considered 400 Mawozos stronghold. The deaths are the results of a turf war between Jolys gang and a rival armed group known as Chen Mechan, or Mean Dog. The clash risks plunging an already unstable and volatile Haiti deeper into a humanitarian crisis and cutting the capital off from the rest of the country.

The U.S. indictment claims that, from at least September through November 2021, Joly and his Florida-based co-defendants conspired to acquire and supply high-powered firearms and munitions to members of 400 Mawozo, which as far back as Jan. 12, 2020, was engaged in armed kidnappings for ransom of U.S. citizens in Haiti.

U.S. prosecutors have identified at least 17 shotguns, pistols and rifles, including a long-range Springfield Armory M1A rifle, that were purchased between September and October. During that time, the Florida trio also falsified ATF forms eight times to purchase the firearms in Miami, Orlando, Pompano Beach and Apopka, according to the indictment.

The ATF forms state that firearms may not be exported without proper authorization from the U.S. government and warns that the firearms cannot be transferred to anyone else. The form also warns that any person who transfers the weapons without proper authorization is subject to a fine of as much as $1 million and up to 20 years imprisonment.

Using Tunis phone records and text and voice messages on WhatsApp, the indictment says the Florida defendants obtained from Joly the specifications for weapons and ammunition, which they then purchased from Florida gun shops and later shipped to Haiti by concealing them in blue barrels with household items.

Prosecutors say Joly and Tunis exchanged a number of WhatsApp text and audio messages over several months related to the purchases of firearms by all three South Floridians. There are also records of wire transfers of money from Haiti, the indictment says.

The group shipped the weapons to Haiti by breaking them down and wrapping them in garbage bags, and loading them into large multi-gallon barrels before covering them with various products such as clothes, shoes and Gatorade, the charges say. Tunis, an investigator said, took photographs of the shipment. She even pointed to where the firearm was hidden in one of the barrels with a pink backpack inside.

The indictment doesnt say who received the barrels. But the trios criminal complaint noted that the containers were shipped to an address in Laboule 16, which is located in the hills of the capital and far from the gangs stronghold in Croix-des-Bouquets, just east of Port-au-Prince.

In one instance, on Oct. 4, Joly had an 86-minute call with Tunis, during which he placed a three-way call to Dor, who was on the call for 46 minutes, the indictment said. Two days later, on Oct. 6, according to the criminal complaint, Dor sent an audio message in Creole to Tunis about a specialized ammunition for a Barrett rifle, explaining that the bullets were so powerful, when you shoot theyre like bombs. They do such damage.

Dor went on to say that she hoped to convince the store clerk to let her purchase five because they had not yet been tested. That same day, according to ATF records, a Barrett rifle was purchased for over $11,000 from a licensed firearms dealer in Florida.

One of Haitis most dangerous gangs, 400 Mawozo has been terrorizing the Haitian population for over a year. They are known for their mass abductions, taking people by the bus and carloads, and extorting local businesses. Last week, Dominican diplomat Carlos Guillen Tatis, who is also a U.S. citizen, was kidnapped by 400 Mawozo while headed to the border the Dominican Republic and Haiti share.

Early Wednesday morning, as Joly was becoming acquainted with his new abode, Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez announced on Twitter that Guillen Tatis had been freed after four days.

The gang remains engaged in an ongoing turf war east of the capital that had residents in Tabarre 27 waking up Wednesday to the sound of semi-automatic gunfire.

The ongoing conflict waged by gang members erupted two days after U.S. officials requested Jolys transfer to the U.S. A joint report issued Wednesday by the United Nations and Haitis Office of Civil Protection said an estimated 9,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes.

Though the export of guns to Haiti is restricted and subject to U.S. approval, the number of illicit firearms in the country has reached unacceptable heights, the United Nations said in a 2020 report.

The U.N. estimated that there were more than 270,000 illegal firearms in the hands of civilians, but noted that the number could be as high as 500,000.

2022 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a visit to United Performance Metals, a specialty metals solutions center, in Hamilton, Ohio, on May 6, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

RussiaUkraine War (May 6): US Sending Another $150 Million in Military Assistance for Ukraine

The latest on the RussiaUkraine crisis, May 6. Click here for updates from May 5.

Biden: US Sending Another $150 Million in Assistance

President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance to Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russias invading forces.

Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March and called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through the end of September.

We are sending the weapons and equipment that Congress has authorized directly to the front lines of freedom in Ukraine, Biden said in a statement. U.S. support, together with the contributions of our Allies and partners, has been critical in helping Ukraine win the battle of Kyiv and hinder Putins war aims in Ukraine.

A U.S. official said the latest tranche of assistance includes 25,000 155mm artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, jamming equipment, field equipment, and spare parts.

___

50 People Evacuated From Mariupol Steel Mill

Fifty civilians were evacuated Friday from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.

In a statement, the Russian Interdepartmental Humanitarian Response Center says the 50 civilians include 11 children.

Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, also said 50 civilians left the plant without giving a breakdown of how many were children.

Both Vereshchuk and the Russian body said the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal will continue Saturday.

Ukrainian fighters holed up at the sprawling complex are making their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategic port city.

___

US Offers $15 Million Reward for Information on Conti Ransomware Group

The United States on Friday offered a reward of up to $15 million for information on the Russia-based Conti ransomware group, which has been blamed for cyber extortion attacks worldwide, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

The FBI estimates that more than 1,000 victims of the Conti group have paid a total in excess of $150 million in ransomware payments, Price said in a statement.

In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting potential ransomware victims around the world from exploitation by cyber criminals, he said.

The reward comprises $10 million for the identification or the location of leaders of the group, and $5 million for information that results in the arrest of anyone conspiring with Conti.

Last year, the FBI said Conti was responsible for striking 16 medical and first responder networks in the United States.

Price noted that Conti was blamed for an attack in April on Costa Ricas tax and customs platforms, impacting the Central American countrys foreign trade.

In February, the Conti group vowed to attack enemies of the Kremlin if they respond to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

___

UN Security Council, Including Russia, Expresses Concern About Ukraine

The United Nations Security Council, including Russia, on Friday expressed deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and backed efforts by the U.N. chief to find a peaceful solution in the bodys first statement since Moscows invasion.

The Security Council expresses strong support for the efforts of the Secretary-General in the search for a peaceful solution, reads the statement, which also requests U.N. chief Antonio Guterres brief the council again in due course.

Guterres welcomed the councils support on Friday, saying he would spare no effort to save lives, reduce suffering and find the path of peace.

The Security Council statement was agreed upon despite a diplomatic tit-for-tat that has been escalating since Russia launched on Feb. 24 what it calls a special military operation and what Guterres blasted as Russias absurd war.

___

2 Self-Proclaimed Separatist Republics in Ukraine Appointed Ambassadors to Moscow: Russian State Agencies

Russian state agencies reported that two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Ukraines industrial east both appointed extraordinary ambassadors to Moscow on Friday.

Olga Makeeva, the deputy chair of the legislative assembly of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, was chosen by the territorys Russia-backed government as its representative. Her counterpart from the Luhansk Peoples Republic is Rodion Miroshnik, a foreign policy adviser to the separatist territorys leader.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman condemned the appointments, saying Makeeva and Miroshnik will likely face criminal punishment for high treason.

Its a country of crooked mirrors. Russia has created pseudo-republics. It appointed ambassadors, from itself to itself These diplomats will face the most severe responsibility. As will other traitors, Oleg Nykolenko wrote in a Telegram post on Friday.

___

Ukraine Announces New Prisoner Exchange With Russia

Russia has handed over 41 people, including 28 military members, in a prisoner exchange with Ukraine, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Friday.

Vereshchuk wrote on the Telegram messaging app that it was especially gratifying that a senior representative of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was among those returned to Ukraine.

___

Russian Foreign Ministry Summons UK Ambassador Over Media Sanctions

The Russian foreign ministry said on Friday it had summoned Deborah Bronnert, Britains ambassador to Russia, and strongly protested in relation to new UK sanctions on Russian media.

The ministry said in a statement Russia would continue to react harshly and decisively to all sanctions imposed by London.

Britain imposed sanctions on individual journalists and media organizations earlier in May in its latest wave of measures designed to increase pressure on Moscow to stop what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine.

___

G7 Leaders, Ukraines Zelenskyy to Hold Talks on Sunday

Group of Seven (G7) leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a video call on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of unity the day before Russia marks its Victory Day holiday, the White House said.

Talks will focus on the latest developments in Russias invasion of Ukraine, efforts to bolster the country and ways to demonstrate continued G7 unity in our collective response, including by imposing severe costs for Putins war, a spokesperson for the White Houses National Security Council said on Monday.

The leaders of the G7 countries, which include the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and Italy, will hold their virtual meeting with Zelenskyy on Sunday in the U.S. morning, the spokesperson added.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as Biden flew to Ohio for the day, Psaki said the timing of the session was significant because it will take place a day before Putin participates in Victory Day. The holiday on Monday marks the end of World War Two and includes military parades across Russia.

While he expected to be marching through the streets of Kyiv, that certainly is not going to happen, she said.

___

Russia Says Its Missiles Hit 31 Areas Where Ukrainian Forces Were Deployed: RIA

Russias defense ministry said on Friday its missiles hit a weapons depot near the eastern Ukrainian city of Popasna and hit 31 areas where Ukrainian forces were deployed, RIA news agency reported.

It also said Russian forces shot down one Ukrainian SU-27 warplane in the eastern Luhansk region, Interfax reported.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

___

Ukraine Warns More Shelling Amid Victory Day

Officials from Ukraines national security council warned residents Friday against the increased risk of shelling on Sunday and Monday, coinciding with Russias Victory Day celebrations.

A Facebook post published on the profile of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, urged Ukrainians not to ignore air raid sirens.

Since Russian troops cannot boast of any significant achievements on the front by Victory Day, the risk of massive shelling of Ukrainian cities these days is increasing, the post said.

Separately on Friday, Kyivs mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said authorities will not be extending the curfew in Kyiv; one has already been introduced. But street patrols would be reinforced.

___

Russian Village Being Evacuated Due to Ukraine Shelling

A village in Russias southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, is being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, the regional governor said Friday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that as of Friday afternoon, fewer than 30 people remained in the village of Nekhoteevka, located directly next to a border crossing.

We have already taken most of the residents to a safe place, he said, adding that five houses had been damaged by shelling. His post featured two photos of what appeared to be the same damaged building.

The accuracy of Gladkovs claims could not be immediately verified, nor did his post specify the number of people currently living in Nekhoteevka. Russias 2010 census referenced the village as having 145 permanent residents.

___

Russia Senator Says Russia Will Remain Forever in Kherson

A Russian senator said Friday that Russia will remain forever in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, whose capital has been occupied by Moscows troops since early March.

Andrey Turchak from the ruling United Russia party visited Kherson on Friday, meeting with its Russian-appointed governor Volodymyr Saldo.

I want to say once againRussia is here forever. There should be no doubt about it, Turchak is heard saying in a video published by Russias state RIA Novosti agency.

We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich thanks to the people who live here, he added.

___

German Chancellor Says His Country Is Providing Ukraine With All the Support They Can Give

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country is providing Ukraine with all the support we can give and also take responsibility for in its war with Russia.

Speaking to business leaders in Hamburg on Friday, Scholz said Russia must not gain the upper hand in the conflict, which he described as a war of destruction waged by Moscow against Ukraine.

The German leader said that Russias position as a global power with a seat on the U.N. Security Council means that if (Vladimir) Putin gets away with it then theres a risk of international lawlessness.

___

Ukraine Leader Open to Talks With Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still open to negotiations with Russia, but he repeated his position that Moscow must withdraw its forces to their pre-invasion positions.

Zelenskyy told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday that regaining the situation as of the 23rd of Februarythe day before the invasionis a prerequisite for talks.

He said in that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally, and Ukraine could use diplomatic channels to regain its territory.

The British government, a key ally of Ukraine, has said Russia must be driven from all of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

___

Ukrainian Officials Say Russian Firing Hampers Rescue of Mariupol Civilians

Ukrainian officials accused Russia of violating a ceasefire on Friday aimed at evacuating scores of civilians trapped in a bombed-out steelworks in the city of Mariupol, after fighting thwarted efforts to rescue them the previous day.

Mariupol, a strategic southern port on the Azov Sea, has endured the most destructive siege of the 10-week-old war, and the sprawling Soviet-era Azovstal plant is the last part of the city still in the hands of Ukrainian fighters.

U.N.-brokered evacuations of some of the hundreds of civilians who had taken shelter in the plants network of tunnels and bunkers began last weekend, but were halted in recent days by renewed fighting.

The head of Ukraines presidential staff, Andriy Yermak, said the next stage of the rescue was under way on Friday, but Mariupol authorities said Russian forces had fired at a car that was involved, killing one Ukrainian fighter and wounding six.

Russia had no immediate comment.

___

Documents Found by Fiji on Superyacht Implicate Its Russian Owner: FBI

Fiji authorities searching a yacht they seized on behalf of the United States as it presses Russia over the invasion of Ukraine have found documents implicating its suspected owner, Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, in breaking U.S. law, the FBI said.

The Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13, after an 18-day voyage from Mexico, and has since been the focus of a U.S. bid to seize it as part of U.S. sanctions against Russia.

Fiji police and FBI agents seized the Amadea at a wharf on Thursday, two days after a Fiji court granted a U.S. warrant that linked it to money laundering.

Fijis High Court on Friday refused a stay application by the vessels registered owner, Millemarin Investments, to stop U.S. authorities removing it from Fiji, Fijis public prosecutor said in a statement.

The $300 million superyacht had been handed over to U.S. authorities, it said.

___

Kremlin Says Time for Celebrating Victory Day in Mariupol Will Come

The Kremlin said on Friday it did not know whether there would be a parade in Mariupol on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet Unions victory in World War II, but that the time for celebrating Victory Day there would come.

Russian forces say they have captured Mariupol despite ongoing resistance from Ukrainian forces in the Donbass region citys Azovstal steel plant.

The time will come to mark Victory Day in Mariupol, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing on Friday, when asked about plans for May 9 in territory recently seized by Russian-backed forces.

___

Russian Will Not Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine: Foreign Ministry

Russia will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said on Friday.

Zaitsev told reporters the use of nuclear weapons by Russiaa risk that Western officials have publicly discussedwas not applicable to what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

CIA director William Burns said on April 14 that given the setbacks Russia had suffered in Ukraine, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons.

___

Hungarys Orban Rejects EU Ban on Russian Oil

A European Union embargo on Russian oil would be equivalent to dropping an atomic bomb on Hungarys economy and could thus not be accepted, the countrys prime minister said on Friday.

Speaking on state radio, Viktor Orban reiterated earlier statements from Hungarian officials that Hungary would not support a new round of proposed EU sanctions against Russia if they included a ban on Russian oil exports.

Orban said that while his government is willing to negotiate on any EU proposals that are in Hungarys interests, the countrys geography and existing energy infrastructure make a shutdown of Russian oil unfeasible.

We cannot accept a proposal that ignores this circumstance because in its current form it is equivalent to an atomic bomb dropped on the Hungarian economy, Orban said.

Hungarys government has firmly opposed EU plans to include Russian energy exports in its sanctions against Moscow, arguing that 85 percent of Hungarys gas and more than 60 percent of its oil comes from Russia.

On Friday, Orban said that converting Hungarys oil refineries and pipelines to be able to process oil from different sources would take five years and require massive investment.

___

Germany Will Supply Ukraine With Powerful Self-Propelled Howitzers

Germanys defense minister confirmed Friday that her country will supply Ukraine with seven powerful self-propelled howitzers to help defend itself against Russia.

Christine Lambrecht said Ukrainian soldiers will be trained in Germany to use the self-propelled Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery, which is capable of firing precision ammunition at a distance of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles).

Germany has stepped up its material support for Ukraine in recent weeks, after the governments initial reticence to provide heavy weapons drew widespread criticism.

___

Russian Effort to Seize the Steel Plant in Mariupol Continues

The Ukrainian military says the Russian effort to seize the steel plant in Mariupol continues.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a daily statement Friday saying that the blockade of units of the defense forces in the Azovstal area continues.

It added: In some areas, with the support of aviation, resumed assault operations to take control of the plant.

Elsewhere in the country, the Ukrainian military said Russian forces are conducting surveillance flights of territory. In the hard-hit areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraines military said it repulsed 11 enemy attacks and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles. There was no immediate acknowledgement of those losses by Russia.

___

Russia Says It Destroyed Large Ammunition Depot in East Ukraine

Russias defense ministry said on Friday that its missiles destroyed a large ammunition depot in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.

It also said its air defenses shot down two Ukrainian warplanes, an Su-25 and a MiG-29, in the eastern Luhansk region.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

___

Russian Fighting Destroys, Damages Nearly 400 Hospitals, Medical Centers: Zelenskyy

Russias invasion of Ukraine has devastated hundreds of hospitals and other medical institutions and left doctors without drugs to tackle cancer or the ability to perform surgery, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy said many places lacked even basic antibiotics in eastern and southern Ukraine, the main battlefields.

If you consider just medical infrastructure, as of today Russian troops have destroyed or damaged nearly 400 health care institutions: hospitals, maternity wards, outpatient clinics, Zelenskyy said in a video address to a medical charity group on Thursday.

In areas occupied by Russian forces the situation was catastrophic, he said.

This amounts to a complete lack of medication for cancer patients. It means extreme difficulties or a complete lack of insulin for diabetes. It is impossible to carry out surgery. It even means, quite simply, a lack of antibiotics.

In one of the most widely denounced acts of the war, a maternity hospital was all but destroyed on March 9 in the besieged port city of Mariupol. Russia alleged pictures of the attack were staged and said the site had been used by armed Ukrainian groups.

The Kremlin says it targets only military or strategic sites and does not target civilians. Ukraine daily reports civilian casualties from Russian shelling and fighting, and accuses Russia of war crimes. Russia denies the allegations.

___

Pentagon: Most Russian Forces Left Mariupol

The Pentagon says the majority of Russian forces that had been around the port city of Mariupol have left and headed north, leaving roughly the equivalent of two battalion tactical groups there, or about 2,000 troops.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that even as Russian airstrikes continue to bombard Mariupol, Moscows forces are still making only plodding and incremental progress as the main fight presses on in the eastern Donbass region.

He said he has seen no change in Russian behavior or momentum as May 9 draws near.

Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9, the anniversary of the Soviet Unions defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. There have been suggestions that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to tout a major victory in Ukraine when he makes his address during the traditional military parade on Red Square.

Kirby said the United States still assesses that Russia is behind schedule and not making the progress in the Donbass that it expected.

Spain Frees Ukrainian Politician Facing Alleged Treason

A court in Spain on Thursday ordered the provisional release of Anatoly Shariy, a Ukrainian politician and blogger who was arrested after being accused of treason in his home country.

Shariy was arrested on Wednesday near the coastal city of Tarragona under an international arrest warrant issued by Ukraine, according to Spains National Court. Court documents said Shariy is accused of high treason and incitement of hatred.

Citing the circumstances of the case and Shariys connections to Spain, the judge declined to keep him in custody. Instead Shariy was ordered to surrender his passport, report regularly to authorities and remain in Spain, where he has reportedly lived since 2019.

The court said the measures would remain in place for 40 days in order to allow Ukraine to formally request Shariys extradition.

His arrest in Spain was announced by Ukraines security services on Thursday, who said there was reason to believe Shariy was acting on behalf of foreign entities.

Shariy, the founder of a political party considered by many in Ukraine to be pro-Russian, has been a vocal critic of Ukraines government. As recently as Tuesday he tweeted that he had been warned that Ukrainian intelligence was trying to track him down.

Ukrainian media reported that a member of Shariys political party said in February, prior to the start of Russias invasion of Ukraine, that Shariy had been granted asylum in the European Union. It was not immediately possible to confirm that report.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Los Angeles City Council Orders Testing Near Former Toxic Dump Site

LOS ANGELESThe Los Angeles City Council Wednesday voted to begin off-site testing of wastewater, stormwater, and soil near a Lincoln Heights development project following reporting over the weekend about the sites toxic dumping history.

The motion, which was both introduced by Councilman Gil Cedillo and passed by council members Wednesday, cited Los Angeles Times reporting from Saturday about investigators with the District Attorneys Offices former Los Angeles Hazardous Waste Task Force finding 252 barrels filled with toxic chemicals buried at the site in 1984.

The Los Angeles Times also reported that testing at the propertywhich is located at 135153 W. Avenue 34in 2021 found that volatile chemical compound levels were more than 4,000 times higher than recommended for residential standards.

Toxins do not stop at property lines and there is an immediate need to perform further testing. This parcel sits across the street from an elementary school and residential housing, read the motion, which was seconded by Councilman Kevin de Leon.

The motion noted that one of the compounds found at the property is the dry cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, whichaccording to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventioncan cause harm to the nervous system, reproductive system, liver, and kidneys, and possibly cancer.

Chemicals had been dumped for four years before they were found in 1984, The Los Angeles Times reported. After the barrels were discovered, executives and employees of American Caster Corp., which operated the nearby manufacturing warehouse, served six months in jail and paid thousands of dollars in fines.

Real estate developers, who have agreed to assess contamination at the site, are seeking to build a five-story apartment complex in the warehouses place, along with space for retail and an underground parking garage. A community member found a 1984 article about the discovered barrels in the Los Angeles Times archive.

Following news about the chemicals dumped at the site, Cedillo presented a motion during Wednesdays council meeting to begin immediate off-site testing.

With the site being located adjacent to a residential population and sensitive uses, such as an elementary school, there is an absolute need for us to act today, Cedillo said. I have a long commitment in ensuring environmentally safe neighborhoods, from my landmark bill that cleans up Californias brownfields. Our continuous commitment to protecting the communitys health and safety is a matter of record.

The motion directed the Bureau of Sanitation to immediately lead off-site testing of wastewater, stormwater, and soil with assistance from the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Department of Building and Safety, the General Services Department, and the Bureau of Engineering. The Bureau of Sanitation will also request support from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
City

 Gregory M. Long, 31, 42 South St., Auburn, was charged May 2 with second-degree assault.

 Bernard J. Snyder, 49, transient, Auburn, was charged May 2 with second-degree criminal contempt and aggravated family offense.

 Scott A. Meyer, 33, 5597 Oakwood Road, Auburn, was charged May 3 with petit larceny.

 Kevin A. Tyler, 45, 77 Cottage St., Auburn, was charged May 4 with petit larceny.

 Rainna A. Genovas, was charged May 4 with first-degree criminal contempt.

 Mattthew J. Kuhlmann, 32, 82 Rochester St., Port Byron, was charged May 5 with first-degree operation of motor vehicle impaired by drugs.

 Charles V. Hunt, 46, 1576 Oak Hill Road, Tully, was charged May 5 with criminal mischief.

 Kira L. Ogonowski, 36, transient, Auburn, was charged May 5 with second-degree criminal contempt.

 Rainna A. Genovas, 32, 8 Venice St., Auburn, was charged May 5 with first-degree criminal contempt and resisting arrest.

County

 Jeffrey A. Holdridge, 55, 2779 Smithler Road, Cato, was charged May 3 with driving while intoxicated-first offense and aggravated driving while intoxicated.

 Jafar J. Torkpour, 33, 11 4th Dr., Brutus, was charged May 3 with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

 Lee. J. Wakefield, 29, 6 W. Cayuga St., Moravia village, was charged May 4 with aggravated driving while intoxicated with child passenger, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, endangering the welfare of a child and driving while intoxicated-first offense.

State

 Scott Hartle, 39, Elbridge, was charged May 3 with second-degree forgery.

 Joshua F. Perrault, 35, Cincinattus, New York, was charged May 4 with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

 Andrew J. Hulslander, 20, Cortland, was charged May 4 with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Love 0 Funny 3 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 2
Los Angeles Councilors Seek to Issue Emblem Placards to Licensed Cannabis Stores

LOS ANGELESAs a measure to protect cannabis consumers from untested and unregulated products at unlicensed businesses, two Los Angeles City Councilors introduced a motion on May 4 aimed at implementing a county program that issues emblem placards to licensed cannabis businesses.

Under the County of Los Angeless Emblem Program for Authorized Cannabis Stores, storefront and delivery cannabis businesses are able to apply for an emblem, obtain the requisite inspection and place the emblem on their premises in an area visible to someone outside the store.

Unfortunately, unlicensed commercial cannabis activity continues to undermine the legal commercial cannabis industry and threaten the health and safety of Los Angeles residents, said Councilman Paul Koretz, who co-introduced the motion.

I have been working on getting this emblem program designed and implemented for the past few years because consumers have a difficult time discerning legal and illegal businesses by appearance and may be unknowingly doing business with unlicensed operators, many of which sell unregulated products that are tainted, contaminated or mislabeled, and could cause serious illness if consumed.

The motion, if passed by the city council, would instruct the Los Angeles City Attorney to draft an ordinance implementing the county program in the city. Koretzs office said the emblem program would launch later this year if an ordinance is adopted.

Establishing an Emblem Program will allow patrons to make an informed choice of where they want to shop and spend their hard-earned money. This initiative will provide a comfort level that theyre at a business that is properly regulated and inspected by the county, said Councilman Curren Price, who co-introduced the motion with Koretz. Furthermore, such a program will inform customers of safe locations to shop for legal cannabis.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer commended the council members for considering having the countys largest city join the program, saying it would help ensure the safety of cannabis employees and consumers. Under the program, Public Health officials inspect a location and ensure it is in compliance with applicable public health laws and regulations.

[Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation] looks forward to facilitating, educating and verifying that our licensed operators also meet all public health standards which will allow the public to make informed and healthy consumer decisions, said Michelle Garakian, acting executive director of the citys cannabis regulation department. We welcome our partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; our collective aim is to partner to protect the health of consumers, employees and the community.
Man Charged With Hate Crime, Arson After Allegedly Burning Down Missouri Church

A man has been charged with a federal hate crime and arson for allegedly burning down the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri last year.

Christopher Scott Pritchard, 46, was charged for intentionally obstructing the parishioners of the church in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs and using fire to commit a federal felony, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a statement on Thursday, citing court documents.

If convicted, Pritchard faces up to 20 years in prisonwith a mandatory minimum of 10 years consecutive to any other sentencefor using fire to commit a federal felony.

Pritchard also faces a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge.

The fire broke out on April 18, 2021, and quickly engulfed the church. No one was inside the building and no one was injured. The church is considered a total loss.

Mark Welker, a prosecuting attorney in Cape Girardeau County, said at the time Pritchard deserved a hate crime due to being knowingly motivated for his actions by reason of a motive related to the religion of the people who worship at the church, KFVS reported.

Pritchards sister disagreed with the fire being called a hate crime, explaining her brother had been homeless for two years and also suffers from a mental illness.

Several days before the incident, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriffs Office said it had received a request for an extra patrol near the house of worship after church officials received threats from Pritchard, who allegedly threatened to assault a church bishop with a brick and then burn the church down.

Police said at the time the suspect admitted during an interview to making such threats toward the bishop, but he denied intentions of setting it ablaze.

The church was engulfed in flames at approximately 9:30 p.m. on April 18 and a couple living nearby reported a suspicious individual with a backpack watching the burning church. The suspicious individual was later identified as Pritchard. He was taken into custody at the Cape Girardeau County Jail on a no-bond warrant.

In addition, police also found items valued at $1,049 in Pritchards backpack that belonged to the church, including a laptop and hand tools.

From NTD News
Andre Jackson reacts before the jury reads the verdict for his murder trial at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse in Houston on May 3, 2022. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Man Gets Life in Prison for Fatally Stabbing Houston Boy

HOUSTONA man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for fatally stabbing an 11-year-old Houston boy as the child walked home from school in 2016.

Andre Timothy Jackson had chosen state District Judge Denise Collins to sentence him instead of the jury that had found him guilty of murder on Tuesday in the death of Josue Flores.

Before being sentenced, the 33-year-old Jackson read a lengthy statement to Collins in which he offered his condolences to Josues family but continued to maintain his innocence and question the validity of the DNA evidence that helped convict him.

I can assure you that Im a man with a beautiful personality I have traditional Christian Baptist values. I have ethics and morals that Ive picked up from the Marine Corps and my own experience in life, Jackson said.

Authorities say the sixth grader was killed as he walked home from a science club meeting at a school just north of downtown Houston on May 17, 2016. He was only two blocks from home when he was stabbed more than 20 times.

Witnesses told officers they heard loud screams and saw the boy struggling with a man. Prosecutors say they have not been able to determine a motive for the attack.

Josue Flores is somebody that will always remain with us in our community because of the future that was lost. I think every parent, its their worst nightmare and we cant imagine going through this, Harris County Assistant District Attorney John Jordan, one of the prosecutors in the case, said after the sentence was handed down by the judge.

Prosecutors had told jurors the boys DNA was found on Jacksons jacket, directly tying him to Josues death.

Police say the jacket was found in the room at the Salvation Army shelter where Jackson had been living in at the time of the killing. Surveillance video from the day of Josues death showed Jackson wearing the jacket.

Jacksons attorneys had suggested to jurors the small amount of DNA found on the jacket was so small that it could have been transferred onto it by someone else at the shelter. Jacksons attorneys said he didnt match the physical description of the suspect seen by people who witnessed the killing and Jackson had no history of violence.

The Marine Corps veteran was first arrested weeks after Josues killing. But prosecutors dropped the charge in 2017, saying there wasnt enough evidence to try Jackson or uphold a conviction.

He was rearrested in 2019 after prosecutors said newly tested DNA evidence connected him to the killing.

Jackson wasnt the first person charged in the case.

A 31-year-old man with a long criminal history was charged days after the killing, but that charge was dropped when detectives found evidence to support his alibi.

By Juan A. Lozano
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during a panel talk at the 2020 Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich on Feb. 15, 2020. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

Meta Deliberately Shut Down Major Facebook Accounts to Strong-Arm Australian Government

Staff told to leave no written record of intent to takedown Australian pages

Metas sweeping news ban across Australia in early 2021, which saw the Facebook pages of non-profits and government entities also shut down, was a deliberate ploy by the tech giants top brass to gain leverage during heated negotiations over an impending media payment law.

The U.S.-based Whistleblower Aid revealed on May 5 that it had filed disclosures with the U.S. Department of Justice and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on behalf of former Facebook employees.

A press statement said the social media firm had deliberately over blocked critical Australian Facebook pages belonging to emergency departments and even weather bureaus for five days between Feb. 17 to Feb. 22, 2021.

The move was an attempt to secure favourable amendments to the impending News Media Bargaining Code, which would have compelled Facebook (and Google) to enter discussions with local media outlets to negotiate payment rates for content.

The tech giant had warned months earlier that it could be compelled to simply remove news sites in response to the law; however, when the ban was actioned, it happened with no prior notification and went over and above blocking news sites.

Facebook soon after said it would reverse the ban, but did not apologize or claim responsibility.

They (Meta) used that power in a way that threatened public safety during fire season and in the midst of a global pandemic in order to coerce the Australian Parliament, according to Libby Liu, CEO of Whistleblower Aid. This wasnt just an example of a corporate actor behaving recklessly; Facebook intentionally put lives at risk to protect its bottom line.

In this photo illustration reports on Facebooks news ban on Australian and International content on Feb. 18, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Some organisations hit by the ban included the World Wildlife Foundation Australia, St Vincents Health, Suicide Prevention Australia, the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and Safe Steps Family Violence Response Center.

Further, Facebook has been accused of sidelining standard practicewhich could have prevented the blocking of non-news-related pagesto trigger a full rollout of the ban within hours.

Facebook did not develop or utilize lists of sensitive accounts that it should take care not to block for reasons of public health or safety and did not create any formal appeals process for sites that were improperly blocked, the statement said.

Facebook managers told lower-level staff not to make any written record of the intent of the takedown, it continued.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the tech giant did not use an established database of news publishers and instead created a new algorithmic news classifier that would block any page if over 60 percent of the content posted on it was news.

The leadership team, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Campbell Brown, head of news partnerships, sent congratulatory messages to staff after the news ban.

The thoughtfulness of the strategy, precision of execution, and ability to stay nimble as things evolved sets a new high standard, according to an email from Sandberg.

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Meta, speaks during a conference in Germany on Jan. 20, 2019. (Lino Mirgeler/DPA/AFP via Getty Images)

We were able to execute quickly and take a principled approach for our community around the world while achieving what might be the best possible outcome in Australia, Zuckerberg said.

We landed exactly where we wanted toand that was only possible because this team was genius enough to pull it off in zero time, Brown wrote.

However, Meta has refuted the claims in a statement on May 6 AEST.

The documents in question clearly show that we intended to exempt Australian government pages from restrictions in an effort to minimise the impact of this misguided and harmful legislation, a spokesperson said.

When we were unable to do so as intended due to a technical error, we apologised and worked to correct it. Any suggestion to the contrary is categorically and obviously false.

Rob Nicholls, associate professor in competition law at the University of New South Wales, at the time of the ban, said it was inconceivable one of the largest companies in the world could make such a significant mistake.

Facebook hires some of the brightest and best in terms of algorithm design and software engineering, he told The Epoch Times on Feb. 18. It is inconceivable to me that such a group would be unable to code the difference between a childrens cancer charity and a News Corp newspaper.

A pedestrian walks in front of the new Meta logo in front of Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

It has gone about it in a way that suggests either technological ineptitude of the highest order or a deliberate decision to block government health information (in the middle of a pandemic), cancer charities, helplines, and domestic violence support services, he added.

Nicholls also suspected Facebooks Zuckerberg played a major part in the decision.

The structure of Facebook, where Zuckerbergs shareholding has significantly more voting weight than ordinary stockholders, is likely to mean that Zuckerbergs views weigh more heavily than the decisions that would come from a traditional board structure motivated by directors fiduciary duties to shareholders, he said.

Meanwhile, the News Media Bargaining Code was eventually passed into law with some amendments. However, the tech giants, Google and Facebook, have since entered into multi-million payment deals with several major media outlets in the country without the need for the payment lawsetting a precedent for other nations to follow.
No Statutory Authority Exists to Back DHS Disinformation Board, Republican AGs Say, Warning Legal Action

A group of Republican attorneys general warned of legal action against the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) new Disinformation Governance Board, stating that no statutory authority exists to back its creation.

In a letter (pdf) submitted on May 5 to DHS chief Alejandro Mayorkas, Virginias Attorney General Jason Miyares, joined by 19 other Republican attorneys general, asked him to immediately disband the board that would police Americans protected speech.

No statutory authority exists to support your creation of a board of government censors, reads the letter to Mayorkas.

Although Congress has considered a variety of measures to address the perceived dangers of disinformation in the United States, none has passed. Instead, while the peoples elected representatives continue to debate this issue, you have arrogated to yourself the power to address it without congressional authorization, despite the far-reaching effects of the Disinformation Governance Board on Americans and our political process.

Mayorkas revealed the new initiative to lawmakers during a congressional hearing on April 27, claiming to protect civil liberties and free speech, as Russia, China, and other adversaries attempt to stoke division and spread conspiracy theories or falsehoods among Americans. White House asserted earlier this week that the recently convened board on misinformation will be nonpartisan and apolitical.

Yet the lack of details on how the working group will function and the potential consequences of a government entity identifying and responding to disinformation, have drawn widespread controversies.

Calling it an unacceptable and downright alarming encroachment on civil rights of free expression, the Republican attorneys general specified in the letter a chilling effect that it can bring about nationwide.

Americans will hesitate before they voice their constitutionally protected opinions, knowing that the governments censors may be watching, and some will decide it is safer to keep their opinions to themselves.

Republican members of Congress have already called for the board to be disbanded, before attorneys general threatened legal action in their latest message.

This is unconstitutional, illegal, and un-American, the Thursday letter concludes. Unless you turn back now and disband this Orwellian Disinformation Governance Board immediately, the undersigned will have no choice but to consider judicial remedies to protect the rights of their citizens, the group said.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia joined the letter.

A spokesman from the DHS didnt respond immediately to a request for comment.

Timing

The GOP attorneys general also went after what they called highly suspect timing of the DHSs announcement of the board a week ago, following Elon Musks Twitter buyout with the stated purpose to pursue free speech.

The Biden administration has been flagging problematic posts on social media by its own admission and engaged with Big Techs and private sectors to prevent disinformation, the group noted in the letter.

However, Twitter announced on April 25 that it had reached a final agreement to be acquired by Musk for approximately $44 billion. The billionaire tech mogul unveiled days later that the takeover attempt is to reduce the civilizational risk to freedom and democracy from excessive and opaque restrictions on expression, although Twitter has repeatedly denied claims of political censorship.

As [it] apparently loses a critical ally in its campaign to suppress speech it deems problematic, you have created a new government body to continue that work within the federal government, the attorneys general said.

The contemporaneous occurrence of these two events is hard to explain away as mere coincidence. It instead raises troubling questions about the extent of the Biden Administrations practice of coordinating with private-sector companies to suppress disfavored speech.

The appointment of the executive director of the board, Nina Jankowicz, flagged a clearer illustration, according to the letter.

The former disinformation fellow at Washington-based think tank Wilson Center previously questioned the veracity of stories about Hunter Bidens laptop and suggested the COVID-19 lab-leak theory was politically made up at the convenience of former President Donald Trump.

Jankowicz has come under fire for parodying a Christmas song to make it sexually explicit and adapting the Mary Poppins Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious song into a tune about fake news and disinformation.
(From L) Pete Hardin, Bryan Chehock, Michael Jacobs, and Todd Spitzer attend a debate, vying for the office of the Orange County District Attorney in Fullerton, Calif., on May 4, 2022. (Drew Van Voorhis/The Epoch Times)

Orange County District Attorney Candidates Squabble in Live Forum

FULLERTON, Calif.Candidates vying to become the next district attorney (DA) for Orange County faced off in a public forum May 4 hosted by the North Orange County Bar Association.

The debate, at Elks Lodge in Fullerton, will be the only event with all four candidates present running for office, including current OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer, business owner Pete Hardin, federal attorney Bryan Chehock, and former deputy district attorney Michael Jacobs.

The candidates were asked a variety of questions, with Spitzer and Hardin appearing to disagree the most on issues. The three men vying for Spitzers seat often used the questions to attack Spitzers first term in office, with Spitzer defending the work he has done in his first term when he was elected in 2019.

The reason Ive been elected so many times over 30 years is because the community trusts me and they know me, Spitzer said. Because after 30 years they understand that Orange County is Californias safest large county  that is not by accident. We enforce the law and societys most serious offenders get prosecuted.

In his opening remarks, Hardin contended that he is not the most experienced attorney running, yet said that is not what the job is about.

Make no mistake, I dont want to misrepresent myself, folks. I dont claim to be the most experienced trial attorney. I know that Im not. Thats not what this job is about, Hardin said. What I claim to be is a leader who will administer this office, this fundamental pillar of democracy in our community the way that it ought to be  because thats the leadership that we deserve an Orange County, not showmanship.

On the question of whether Spitzer is a micromanager and if deputy district attorneys would be allowed discretion in adding or removing penalties to offenders in court, such as being allowed to file enhancements, Hardin said Spitzers alleged micromanaging has led to office morale being at an all-time low, causing deputy DAs to quit.

Chehock said prosecutors need to have the discretion to handle cases appropriately, yet discretion should be given based on how long a deputy DA has had the job.

Jacobs said from his experience at the DAs office its usually the supervisors who decide items like enhancements anyway, so it really shouldnt be a problem.

Spitzer agreed with Jacobs in that there is not a problem.

Ive never interfered at all in the charging decision from the filing deputies, he said.

Another question asked was if women and people of color were underrepresented in the DAs office.

[In] my experience in the DAs Office, there never has been that kind of problem. Positions have been filled by merit and promotions have been filled by merit, Jacobs said. There are over 50 percent female deputies.

Spitzer said there was no problem, and that on his first day in office he promoted two women deputy DAs.

Women needed to be and now are fully represented and need to be represented at all times at management levels, he said.

Hardin used the question to attack Spitzer, saying women feel uncomfortable in his office and do not feel well represented.

Then the moderator brought forward allegations made against Hardin by his opponents, including that he had been charged with adultery while in the marines, was considered a womanizer who committed sexual harassment while a prosecutor in the DAs office, and broke into the home of his childs mother to speak with her.

Hardin denied the allegations, though contended the adultery charge was true. Later in the debate, he also admitted that Spitzer had put out his personnel file with the sexual harassment, which indicates it was real.

All right Pete, you just lied and we caught you, Spitzer said. There was a memo  that documented everything about you. It was reported about you by one of your fellow prosecutors. You then lied to the press and said theres no memo.

During the event, opponents of Spitzer sitting on the right side of the room routinely shouted over him when he was talking.

Tatiana Turner, a woman being charged by the Orange County District Attorneys Office for attempted murder after allegedly running over Trump supporters at a rally in 2020, appeared to be purposely coughing loudly only while Spitzer was talking. After repeatedly violating audience rules, she was asked to leave the room, and she did, but nearly caused the proceedings to end.

Chehock said the overall DA race needs to focus on real issues, not Spitzer and Hardin lobbing insults at one another.

We need to talk about real things and real problems that this county is facing. You cant put out pictures of a horrible scene in Los Angeles and a beautiful scene in Orange County, and suggest that [Los Angeles District Attorney George] Gascon and Pete Hardin are responsible for the horrible scene in LA and that Todd Spitzer is responsible for the beautiful beach scene in Orange County. Thats not a meaningful conversation about issues that were facing.

Hardin closed by saying crime is still up under Spitzers administration, and that it needs to change.

In the last four years, Todd Spitzer has entirely lost the trust of this community, Hardin said. Crime is up across the board and more in Orange County than it is in LA. [Spitzer] will blame George Gascon for the right time in LA but doesnt want to take responsibility himself for the rising crime in Orange County.

Spitzer shot back, saying Orange County is safe and does not need to change.

Its not time for a change. Its time to keep Orange County the way it is. Beautiful, crime-free, clean, no graffiti, no potholes, not homeless people living on every single intersection, he said.
Commentary

For over a month now, since April 5, 2022, Shanghaia city of 26 million people best known as a financial and trade hub of East Asia for more than a centuryhas been in total lockdown.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has told its citizens that the mass COVID testing and lockdown are necessary to control COVID cases.

But this zero-COVID policy in a city thats a center of finance, trade, manufacturing, and global transportation is having devastating consequences.

While the CCP engages in active censorship of the misery that Shanghais residents are currently experiencing, there are both immediate and long-term economic, psychological, and health consequences from this zero-COVID policy that may reverberate around the world.

Desperation in Shanghai

Residents have been confined to their homes, unable even to buy food or medication.

One Shanghai mom living with her children and elderly parents told reporters for ABC News that shes skipping meals so her family can eat, because the government isnt providing them with enough food. 

I cant cook, because we have nothing to cook, the mom said.

As people take to their balconies to chant that theyre hungry, to sing in solidarity with each other, or simply to talk to their fellow residents, government drones warn them via pre-recorded messages to stay inside.

Control your souls desire for freedom, a drone boomed. Do not open the window or sing. 

As an April 26 CNN video that has been censored in China reveals, the city is in chaos, struggling to cope with both a surge in cases of the virus and the extreme government mismanagement. 

Feeling trapped and desperate, people are venting their frustration by shouting, howling, and even sobbing from their balconies. Theyre sharing their despair on WeChat and other Chinese social media sites, even as the government swiftly censors them.

One video, which shows government employees in hazmat suits erecting fences to keep people caged in their residences, has been shared so extensively in Chinese cyberspace that the censors have not been able to erase it fast enough.

People are dying because of the lockdown itself. For example, as Radio France Internationale reported, one 44-year-old Korean man living in Shanghai was found dead in his apartment. He had a heart condition and no access to his medication. 

There have also been reports of people hurling themselves to their deaths, choosing to die by suicide rather than remain in such extreme isolation.

At least 152 people have already died because of the lockdowns, not COVID-19, according to a Radio Free Asia report. While its very difficult, if not impossible, to get accurate statistics from China on how many people have died as a result of the lockdown, one can simply imagine what would happen to patients who need dialysis, for example, and are denied access to the hospital. According to a CCTV report, there are about 20,000 such patients in Shanghai. Then what about patients with other life-threatening conditions, such as cancer or heart disease? 

The medical system has become so overwhelmed in Shanghai, according to another report, that an elderly man was mistakenly thought to be dead and taken alive to the morgue. If these stories werent verifiable, I would think they were taken directly from a horror movie. 

Zero-COVID Is Impossible

The SARS-CoV-2 virus was deadly to many at first. But the new Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 appears to be much less deadly. At the same time, COVID tracking data has shown that Omicron is unstoppable.

According to a peer-reviewed study published in March of 2022 in the Journal of Internal Medicine, the molecular profile of the Omicron variants, which have more than 50 mutations, manifests as a much milder disease. As the team of Italian scientists writes, The disease [caused by Omicron] so far has been mild compared to the Delta. 

The reason for Omicrons ability to spread so fast is still a topic of scientific debate, but what is clear is that Omicron is fast spreading, overtaking all the other variants very quickly. Once it spreads in any given community, it wont leave until almost everyone has been infected.

We know now that 99 percent of adults in the United Kingdom have COVID antibodies and that 94.7 percent of all current infections in the UK are caused by Omicron.

When China hosted the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in February, I feared that since Omicron was everywhere outside of China, it would be inevitable that some of the thousands of visitors would bring this strain into China. Once its in China and it starts to spread, it isnt stoppable.

And yet, Chinese leader Xi Jinping thought he could use his mighty state power to eliminate the virus. His zero-COVID policy is nonscientific and also against common sense.

Consequences of Draconian Lockdowns

Yet, despite the fact that this is likely a much milder form of the disease and that there are dire negative health consequences caused by terrorizing people, forcing them to self-isolate, and withholding medical care and medications from them (to say nothing of starving them), the CCP continues to forcefully carry out its zero-COVID policy, directed by Xi.

No scientific debate is allowed. In fact, scientists in Shanghai, including Dr. Wenhong Zhang, M.D./Ph.D., head of the center of infectious diseases at the Huashan Hospital of Fudan University in China, who had advocated for living with COVID, now has to toe the party line.

The U.S. has had its share of lockdowns.

While this remains controversial, we know now that lockdown policies did more harm than good, both in the United States and around the world. Children have suffered serious developmental delays, according to research done by Brown University researchers, especially those from socially disadvantaged families. 

States where lockdowns were most stringent, including California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, had extremely high numbers of deaths from COVID, huge numbers of jobs lost, and high unemployment rates and other economic declines, according to April 2022 research conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

By contrast, states where businesses and schools reopened more quickly, including Florida, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Utah, had lower death rates, fewer economic hardships, and fewer declines among children, according to the same report.

This report dovetails with earlier work done by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise from January 2022, A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lockdowns on COVID-19 Mortality. 

According to this team of economists: While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy institute.

Its now been more than two years since alarms were first sounded around the world about a novel virus. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has virtually been the American face of COVID policy, has recently admitted that we cant destroy the virus.

Its not going to be eradicated and its not going to be eliminated, Fauci told ABCs This Week. Each individual is going to have to make their calculation of the amount of risk that they want to take.

Dictatorship leads to stupid decisions such as the current misguided, anti-science, inhumane lockdown in China. Humans must be allowed to have free will and decide for themselves.

The West must notevergo back to lockdown policies.

Its time for governments around the world to start paying attention to the data and allowing people to live their lives again. For the sake of the lives of the Chinese people, I, a former resident of the great city of Shanghai, call on the CCP and Xi to stop the draconian lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere in China.

Jennifer Margulis contributed to this report.

References

(1) https://abcnews.go.com/International/patience-wears-thin-shanghai-residents-lockdown/story?id=84339140

(2) https://wamu.org/story/22/04/30/when-this-shanghai-building-went-into-covid-lockdown-my-wechat-message-group-blew-up/

(3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LA2JoWu6-A

(4) https://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20220504-%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E5%B0%81%E9%94%81-%E4%B8%80%E5%90%8D%E9%9F%A9%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E6%AD%BB%E4%BA%A1%E8%8E%B7%E9%9F%A9%E9%A2%86%E9%A6%86%E7%A1%AE%E8%AE%A4

(5) https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/shanghai-covid-04182022133810.html

(6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMGjcr3aAak

(7 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00129-z

(8) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/antibodies

(9) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prevalence-of-covid-19-remains-at-high-levels-across-the-country

(10) https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.10.21261846v1.full.pdf

(11) https://www.nber.org/papers/w29928

(12) https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/files/2022/01/A-Literature-Review-and-Meta-Analysis-of-the-Effects-of-Lockdowns-on-COVID-19-Mortality.pdf

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) (L), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), (2L) Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) (2R), and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) participate in a bill enrolment ceremony for the Postal Service Reform Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 17, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Pelosi Orders Minimum Pay Boost for House Aides to $45,000

Announces vote set to allow congressional staff to join union

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced on May 6 that she is ordering the minimum salary to be paid to congressional aides in the lower chamber of Congress to be increased to $45,000.

I am pleased to announce that  the House will for the first time ever set the minimum annual pay for staff at $45,000.

The deadline to implement the new pay order is Sept. 1, Pelosi said in a Dear Colleague letter to all 435 members of the House of Representatives.

With a competitive minimum salary, the House will better be able to retain and recruit excellent, diverse talent. Doing so will open the doors to public service for those who may not have been able to afford to do so in the past, Pelosi said.

This is also an issue of fairness, as many of the youngest staffers working the longest hours often earn the lowest salaries.

The government funding legislation enacted in March included a 21 percent increase in the Members Representational Allowance (MRA) for each office, which will more than cover this pay adjustment. It is highly encouraged that Members use this MRA increase to honor the committed work of your staff members.

Pelosis announcement also included her decision to schedule a House vote on a proposal to allow House aides to join a union.

The House will vote  on Congressman Andy Levins resolution recognizing congressional workers right to organize. When the House passes this resolution, we will pave the way for staffers to join in union, if they so choose, Pelosi said.

Congressional staffers deserve the same fundamental rights and protections as workers all across the country, including the right to bargain collectively.

The decision to raise House staff salaries is the latest development in a bipartisan effort that began several years ago to focus attention on the working conditions of the nearly 8,000 mostly young men and women working for individual senators and representatives on their personal office staffs in the nations capital and in district and state offices.

Aides routinely put in long hours and can be fired at will by their bosses. Those in entry and low-level positions are often paid below the $46,900 living wage threshold for single individuals living in the District of Columbia.

But aides also are critical factors in the lawmaking process because they are frequently decisive influences on how a senator or representative votes. Seasoned lobbyists know that and typically devote significant efforts to developing relationships with key staffers.

Today is a proud moment in congressional history and portends a significant advance in the working conditions for congressional staff, said Daniel Schuman, policy director for Demand Progress, a liberal-leaning nonprofit that supports the unionization proposal.

Pelosis decision addresses a serious issue where one-in-eight staffers earned below a living wage. Speaker Pelosis use of her authority to issue this pay order  will remediate a longstanding and unconscionable situation where some staff have been paid poverty wages, Schuman said.

Raising staff salaries is likely to receive support on both sides of the aisle, but House approval of the unionization proposal is far from certain.

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), the ranking Republican on the House Administration Committee, opposes unionization because he believes it will increase the hyper-partisan dysfunction that so often paralyzes Congress from taking needed actions with appropriate dispatch.

Allowing congressional offices and committees to unionize could potentially create numerous conflicts of interest by enabling unions to have undue influence over members and the legislative process, Davis told The Epoch Times earlier this year.

Unions can play an important role in workplaces. They just dont work with Congress unique political structure and constitutional responsibilities on behalf of the American people.

Furthermore, the majoritys plan to adopt regulations that were drafted 26 years ago, as outlined in the resolution supported by 144 of my Democratic colleagues, will create more dysfunction in Washington.

National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix told The Epoch Times that letting union officials negotiate working conditions for congressional staff will be productive.

They have obviously created such a toxic work environment that allowing government union officials to negotiate terms and conditions of employment and force workers who never asked for, voted for, or wanted under their collective power is the only fix, or the only one Pelosi can think of. If thats how they treat their own staff, it only underscores why Pelosi and her ilk should not be trusted to set labor policy for millions of businesses and tens of millions of workers.
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre gestures towards Jean Charest as Roman Baber, left, Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis, right, debate at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference, in Ottawa on May 5, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Poilievre and Charest Spar Over Trucker Convoy Protest During Leadership Debate

Conservative Party leadership candidates took the stage on May 5 in their first debate, where MP Pierre Poilievre said his initial support for the Freedom Convoy truckers in February remains unchanged despite what has transpired since.

When asked by the moderator if his support for the truckers in the convoy protest is a liability, as suggested previously by leadership rival Jean Charest, Poilievre said he maintained his position of supporting law-abiding and peaceful truckers who were fighting for their livelihoods and liberties, while condemning any individual who breaks the law, blocks critical infrastructure, behaves badly.

Former Quebec premier Charest accused Poilievre last month of being unfit for party leadership due to his support of the convoy, which demonstrated in Ottawa for three weeks this winter against federal COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

Mr. Charest learned about the trucker convoy on CBC, like other Liberals, and he misrepresented them, said Poilievre in defence of the truckers, prompting cheers from the crowd.

Poilievre then told Charest it was a little bit rich for him to talk about law and order due to the allegations of corruption surrounding illegal donations made to the Quebec Liberal Party during Charests time at the helm.

The Quebec anti-corruption unit looking at the matter announced in February it was stopping its activities, and no charges were filed.

Charest wasnt allowed to immediately respond to Poilievres criticism due to the debate format, but later reiterated his claim that Poilievre cannot run for leadership due to his support of an illegal blockade, referring to blockades of several U.S.-Canada border crossings set up by supporters in solidarity with the Freedom Convoy.

You cannot make laws, and break laws, and then say I will make laws for other people. Im sorry, but that is a question of basic foundational principles, said Charest, who was booed by the crowd and then cut off by the moderators for going over his allotted time.

The Freedom Convoy was polarizing for the Conservative Party and may have contributed to the ousting of former leader Erin OToole on Feb. 2, a few days after the trucker-led protest began in Ottawa.

OToole tread carefully on the matter, whereas some MPs like Poilievre expressed support. As the protest dragged out and border blockades sprung up in support across the country, newly appointed interim leader Candice Bergen told the protesters to leave while promising to carry the mantle of the fight against the COVID-19 restrictions.

Poilievre also criticized Charest on other issues during the debate, with Charest brushing it off during a post-debate scrum.

Being attacked, if you know anything about politics and debates, I take it as a compliment. It means something. I wouldnt be attacked if anyone felt that my candidacy in this race wasnt a threat, he said.

The debate was not an official one organized by the party but was rather part of the Canada Strong and Free conference taking place in Ottawa from May 5 to 7, a conservative networking event founded by former Reform Party leader Preston Manning.

Conservative Party leadership candidates were not obligated to attend but three others did: Roman Baber, Scott Aitchison, and Leslyn Lewis. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown did not participate, with his campaign saying he was busy selling memberships before the June 3 deadline when supporters must be a member in order to vote in the contest.

The first official English debate will take place on May 11 in Edmonton. The French debate will be in Laval on May 25.
Pro-abortion protester Joseph Price screams at pro-life protestor Joe Green outside the Supreme Court on May 5, 2022 (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Pro-Abortion Protesters Briefly Surround Lone Pro-Life Activist Near Supreme Court

WASHINGTON-Pro-abortion protesters outnumbered a lone pro-life protester near the Supreme Court by hundreds at one point on May 5 and briefly surrounded and screamed at the man.

By 5 p.m., the daily protest over a leaked Supreme Court opinion that could potentially undo Roe v. Wade had grown to about 200 people. Most present were young women, including some high schoolers.

One issue that got the most celebration from the crowd was vasectomies. One speaker said that men should get vasectomies. The crowd cheered wildly.

When did you get your vasectomy? Florida activist Kimberly Cox repeatedly asked pro-life protester Mark Lee Dickson. Cox attempted to follow Dickson and nag him by asking the same question dozens of times in a row.

If I had a baby right now, I would die. And where would that leave my children? she said.

[Expletive] men, one protester said.

The protest was primarily about the potential Supreme Court decision, but it often expanded to other issues that had little to do with Roe v. Wade. Speakers brought up transgenderism, the Equal Rights Amendment, and other issues.

The protest on Thursday was more organized than previous days, with printed signs reading Gen-Z for Reproductive Rights held by many of the protesters.

Pro-abortion protesters shout outside the Supreme Court on May 5, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Protest leaders struggled to prevent angry outbursts and to keep protesters concentrated on chanting together and listening to speakers.

A few yards away from the main protest, pro-life protestor Joe Green sat on a bike. He was debating with some pro-abortion protesters.

I started speaking up near the end regarding the eugenics and Margaret Sangers racism, he said.

When the main group of protesters noticed that he was pro-life, a large wave of them went toward him with a shout.

Protest leaders attempted to pull them back.

Some followed, but a sizeable core remained.

As he attempted to debate, many of them screamed at him repeatedly and called him names.

Why dont you go the [expletive] away? one screamed.

One protester argued that its better to abort kids than to have them grow up to live out destructive generational patterns.

If youre saying that you witnessed deficiencies in your raising, then as a parent you do better, Green said.

Protesters shouted in response.

You get the [expletive] out of here, shouted Joseph Price, his face contorted with fury.

Pro-abortion protester Joseph Price screams at pro-life protestor Joe Green outside the Supreme Court on May 5, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

You love democracy, right? Green asked Price.

No, Price responded. We love our rights!

Were not just representing pro-choice, but our rights and the protection of our rights, Price said, moments after he had stopped screaming at Green.

Im just like, trying to protect my own rights and the rights of, like, my friends, said Cameron Belair, another of the shouters.

As she talked, she gestured jerkily with her hands, pounding her fist against her palm.

I had a pregnancy scare when I was 16 in high school, and I considered throwing myself down the stairs because I didnt have the resources to abort, Belair said.

Eventually, the crowd around Green left him alone.

A pro-abortion protester screams at pro-life protestor Joe Green outside the Supreme Court on May 5, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Theyre Internet children. Theyre suburbanites. They dont know what theyre rooting for, Green said.

Green added that he grew up in Washington and opposes abortion because he has seen the devastating impact of abortion on the citys African American community.

These people are rooting to make it easier to kill off those kids that were my friends, he said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Wednesday that prohibits colleges from withholding student transcripts because of unpaid debts or charging those who owe debt a higher fee to obtain their transcript.

The law ensures that all students can access their transcripts when necessary to continue their education or find a job, Hochul said.

Transcripts are critical for students to continue pursuing their educational and career goals, she said. To hold transcripts hostage until outstanding debts are paid is an unfair, predatory practice that prevents our students from reaching their full potential.

The tactic of withholding student transcripts or overcharging for their release has been used by some colleges in the state to leverage collection of outstanding debts.

But one is not related to the other, Hochul said. Withholding a transcript punishes students with fewer resources, while making it more difficult for them to advance in higher education or get jobs that would allow them to pay off the debt, she said.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The original case was brought against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. (Aaron Chown/PA)

Puberty-Blocker Ruling For Children Under 16 Wont Be Challenged At British Supreme Court

A challenge to a ruling allowing children with gender dysphoria to take puberty blockers without their parents consent as long as their doctor agrees will not reach Britains Supreme Court.

The decision announced May 5 by the Supreme Court marks an end to the high-profile case of Keira Bell, who brought a legal fight against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, the UKs only gender identity development service for children.

Bell, 23, is a woman who began taking puberty blockers to transition to male when she was 16 and later detransitioned. Bell said she was given them as a teenager after only three hours of consultation.

Supreme Court Justices Lord Reed, Lord Sales, and Lord Stephens denied Bell permission to bring the case.

The announcement said the ruling would not be challenged at Britains highest court as it did not raise an arguable point of law.

The landmark case was originally won by Bell. But that ruling was successfully challenged by the NHS Trust. Children can take puberty blockers without parental consent, the Court of Appeal ruled.

The High Court ruled in December 2020 that children under the age of 16 lacked the capacity to give informed consent to medical treatment which delays the onset of puberty, limiting their use. It added that it was very doubtful that a child of 14 or 15 would understand the long-term consequences and highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be able to consent.

The original case was brought by Keira Bell in this undated photo. (Sam Tobin/PA)

I made a brash decision as a teenager, as a lot of teenagers do, trying to find confidence and happiness, except now the rest of my life will be negatively affected, Bell told the High Court in 2020.

But in 2021, judges at the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court ruling on the grounds that the court was not in a position to generalise about the capability of persons of different ages to understand what is necessary for them to be competent to consent to the administration of puberty blockers.

In their decision, three senior judges said it was up to doctors to exercise their judgment about whether their patients could properly consent, adding that the original decision placed patients, parents, and clinicians in a very difficult position.

A spokesperson for the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust said: We welcome the Supreme Courts decision. We are proud of our hardworking, caring, and thoughtful colleagues in GIDS (gender identity development service). They and the patients they support will be relieved by the end of this period of uncertainty.

In response to the news, Bell said she was disappointed in the decision but delighted at what has been achieved as a result of this case.

We have shone a light on the murky practices of one of the greatest medical scandals of the modern era, she added.

Director Gracie Bradley for the human rights group Liberty, which intervened in the appeal, told The Daily Mail that this ruling is a positive step forwards for trans rights in the UK and around the world.

As the court has recognised, trans children should be able to choose and receive the healthcare they need on the same basis as all other children, she added.

PA contributed to this report.
Six pro-life protesters from Rehumanize International stand in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the rain on May 6, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Rain Cools Protests Over Supreme Court Abortion Issue

WASHINGTON, D.C.Cold rain has kept Supreme Court protest numbers on both sides low going into the first weekend after someone leaked a draft court opinion against Roe v. Wade.

The protest has fired many pro-abortion groups to a feverish intensity as they face the possibility that states will once again decide on abortions legality.

You have no idea who they will come for next, former U.S secretary of state Hillary Clinton said.

Since May 3, pro-abortion protesters have appeared every day outside the Supreme Court, shouting for hours. Most of the time, they vastly outnumbered pro-life protesters.

Pro-abortion protesters are said to have screamed at and punched pro-life supporters.

At 11 a.m. on May 6, the rain kept the street outside the Supreme Court relatively quiet. Although protests have generally been smaller in the morning, the latest protests have been the smallest by far.

The first weekend after the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion will be wet and cold and the rival turnout numbers are unpredictable, police officers told The Epoch Times on May 6.

Throughout the week, hundreds attended night rallies when people got off work.

The issue has received considerable attention nationwide.

Conservative Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called the leak judicial insurrection.

President Joe Bidens White House indicated that defending Roe v. Wade took priority over the unprecedented leak.

Pro-abortion protesters Paul Mietz Egli (L), Josephine Ptacek (C), and stand in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the rain on May 6, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Theres no question that [the leak] raises eyebrows for many in the country, including those of us in the White House, said press secretary Jen Psaki.

But what our focus is on right now beyond the leak is how were going to protect a womans right to make choices about her health care with her doctor.

On May 6, fewer than a dozen protesters gathered. It may have been the first time pro-life supporters outnumbered their opponents.

Three pro-abortion protesters waited with umbrellas under a tree near the court.

I feel responsible, said visiting Santa Cruz, California, resident Paul Mietz Egli. I feel like if Im an American citizen, and I feel so strongly about an issue, that I have to speak up.

New York resident Josephine Ptacek passed out pro-abortion stickers. One read, Forced motherhood is female enslavement. She said she had attended several protests organized by the activist group Rise Up for Abortion.

You can still fight for it when you have the right, because I think itll be a lot harder to fight for it once its taken away from us, she said.

Ptacek said she plans to visit Nebraska on May 7 to organize protests there.

On the pro-life side, six people from Rehumanize International appeared, including the groups executive director Herb Geraghty. They carried umbrellas.

They chanted and sang, using megaphones to boost the volume.

Help us tell the nation we want a pro-life revolution, they sang.

Pro-life supporter Cassidy Shooltz stands in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in the rain on May 6, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Pro-life supporter Cassidy Shooltz said she had come from Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the protest.

Its really worthwhile, because were fighting for children who have no voice of their own, she said.

Earlier this week, pro-abortion protesters pushed her and other pro-lifers, she said.

We got shoved into a bush and forced out of the protests. Today is much more calm because of the rain.

The Rehumanize International members had paper signs that didnt handle the rain well.

After several minutes of singing and shouting, they walked away.
Recall Gascon Campaign Raises $6 Million, Reaches 400,000 Signatures

LOS ANGELES, Calif.The effort to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon reached another milestone as of May 1 surpassing 400,000 signatures and raising over $6 million to support the campaign.

This is the make-or-break phase of the recall, and if we can pull off this monumental task, Gascon will be voted out in a landslide, recall spokesman Tim Lineberger said in a statement.

To trigger a recall election, the campaign must collect 566,857 verifiable signatures from registered Los Angeles County voters, or 10 percent of the total current registered voters, by July 6 to make it onto the November ballot.

In addition to paid and volunteer signature gathering, campaign leaders said they are preparing to mail out petitions with pre-paid return envelopes to targeted county voters.

Since Gascon entered office in 2020, hes been accused by critics of being too soft on crime amid an overhaul of the countys criminal justice system.

The recall effort is supported by several prominent organizations, including the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, and the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

More than 34 cities, including San Gabriel, Santa Clarita, Beverly Hills, Pico Rivera, Whittier, La Mirada, and Covina have issued votes of no confidence in Gascon.
Russian naval vessels launch test missiles during "Thunder 2019," a massive nuclear war games drill that includes parts of the Arctic, on Oct. 17, 2019. (Russian Ministry of Defense via Reuters)

Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran Want to Use Nuclear Weapons Offensively

Deterrence thus requires US allies to increase their nuclear forces

Commentary

Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are toying with the offensive use of nuclear weapons rather than seeing them as a defensive deterrent. The American allies they target, including Ukraine, Taiwan, South Korea, and Israel, should strengthen their nuclear defenses in response.

On May 1, Russias state media threatened the United Kingdom with a literal nuclear tidal wave. One could be created, according to Russian anchor Dmitry Kiselyov, by exploding a nuclear bomb delivered by an underwater drone just off the west coast of Britain. The explosion would create a 500-meter tsunami, turning the British Isles into a radioactive wasteland.

Russia is trying to use a nuclear doomsday scenario to scare Britain into ceasing its military support to Ukraine. Britain reacted to the invasion quickly with the provision of materiel to Kyiv, which used Western aid generally, including from the United States and Germany, to roll back the Russian invasion from the capital to the Eastern outskirts of the country.

Ultimately, Ukraine could continue its roll, pushing Russian troops from territory occupied since the 2014 invasion, including Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine known as the Donbass.

But Ukraine and its allies must constantly think of one major risk: winning the conventional war against Russia would provoke Vladimir Putin into using his nuclear weapons against Ukraine, Britain, or even the United States. In this way, the threat of nuclear escalation helps Putins offensive in Ukraine by paralyzing the defense.

For years, China and North Korea have made similar, though lower-profile, offensive use of their nuclear weapons.

In 2016, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army flew a nuclear-capable H-6K bomber over Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. The flight came days after an international court ruling that recognized Philippine fishing rights around the tiny island, also within Beijings illegal nine-dash line claim to almost the entire South China Sea.

With the H-6K flight, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sought to scare the Philippines, and its ally, the United States, into backing away from internationally-recognized Philippine claims to the island and surrounding resources, which in the South China Sea more broadly includes up to $60 trillion in oil and gas.

Since at least 2017, the Beijing regime has used similar nuclear-capable flights near Taiwan. to scare the country into reunification with the mainland. Its nuclear saber-rattling has failed so far, but the drumbeat of war from Beijing keeps getting louder.

Taiwanese Air Force F-16 fighter jet flies alongside a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) H-6K bomber in the western Pacific, one of the Chinese military aircraft that reportedly flew over Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait near Japans Okinawa island chain on May 11, 2018. (Taiwan ROC Air Force)

North Korea is learning from Putins invasion that it could invade South Korea and hold the latters allies, including the United States, at bay with the threat of nuclear escalation.

It seems that North Koreas strategy has changed, professor Andrei Lankov, a Korea expert, told Josh Rogin at The Washington Post. When they started their nuclear program decades ago, they thought about deterrence and self-defense. Now they are working on a program which will one day make conquest possibleconquest of the South, of course, Lankov said.

Iran is also learning about nuclear offense from Putin. Watching the language of Russia and North Korea is a peek into what Iran would like to do, according to Seth J. Frantzman in the Jerusalem Post.

Iran is building its own nuclear weapons despite the threat of tough international sanctions from the West. Tehran frequently threatens the destruction of Israel, but appeasing it to the point of allowing an Iranian nuclear weapon would transform the country into a major regional power.

As Frantzman points out, The goal of the appeasers is often to give the nuclear-armed power a huge sphere of influence and not threaten or provoke it by supporting countries or people being suppressed by the nuclear power.

Nuclear weapons would give Iran the capability to suppress its own people and neighbors with much less worry of economic or military sanctions. It could then dominate Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and more.

What applies to Iran applies to the rest of the worlds dictators. Give them nuclear weapons, and they think they have rights to oppress and conquer at will. Conversely, democracies are by nature more decentralized and decentralizing in their approach to both domestic and international power.

But to defend themselves from their regional adversaries, allied democracies like Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel, and South Korea must massively increase their military defenses. Sole reliance on other countries security guarantees, as Ukraine did when it gave up its 5,000 nuclear weapons in 1994, is clearly a strategy that invites aggression.

Ukraine has a strong conventional military, but not strong enough to have stopped Russia from invading.

So Americas frontline democratic allies facing threats from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran must strengthen not only their conventional military forces, which are critical to defending space once an invasion starts, but nuclear defenses, to deter regional wars from starting in the first place.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Fijian authorities execute a seizure warrant freezing the superyacht named "Amadea" docked at Queens Wharf in Lautoka, Fiji, on May 5, 2021. (U.S. Department of Justice)

Russian Oligarchs Yacht Seized by Fijian Authorities on US Request

Authorities in Fiji seized a yacht belonging to Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov following a warrant from the United States, finding documents that have implicated the owner of violating American law.

The 348-foot-long luxury vessel, Amadea, arrived in Fiji on April 13 after an 18-day voyage from Mexico. The vessel has been the focus of Washingtons seizure attempt as part of Americas sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The $300 million Amadea was seized by Fijian police and FBI agents on May 4, two days after a local court granted a U.S. warrant that linked the vessel to money laundering.

On May 6, the court refused a stay application by Millemarin Investments, the vessels registered owner, which wanted to prevent American authorities from removing it from Fiji.

The yacht is currently in the possession of U.S. authorities.

Kerimov was sanctioned by the United States in 2018. The U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control designated him as part of a group of Russian oligarchs who profit from the Russian governments malign activity around the globe, including the annexation of Crimea, according to the warrant application.

The FBIs seizure warrant application for Amadea points out that documents found in the yacht show Kerimov had breached U.S. law.

There is probable cause to believe that Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit caused U.S. dollar transactions for the AMADEA to be sent through U.S. financial institutions, after a time which Kerimov was designated by the Treasury Department, the FBI said in the seizure warrant application.

Further, there is probable cause to believe that Kerimov had an interest in the AMADEA and the financial transactions for its benefit, and thus a license was required for U.S. dollar transactions, but not obtained.

In addition, the Russian oligarch and his co-conspirators conspired to and did cause funds to be transferred to, from, or through the United States with the intent to continue violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Amadeas operators attempted to avoid being seized almost immediately by switching off the yachts automated information system on Feb. 24. Though the paperwork filed by the vessel indicated that it would have next gone to the Philippines, the FBI stated in its warrant application that Amadea headed off instead to Vladivostok.

This seizure demonstrates the FBIs persistence in pursuing sanctioned Russian oligarchs attempting to evade accountability for their role in jeopardizing our national security, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, according to a May 5 press release by the Department of Justice.

The FBI, along with our international partners, will continue to seek out those individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russias malign activities and ensure they are brought to justice, regardless of where, or how, they attempt to hide.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Blasts HHS Vaccine Compensation Program for Lack of Clarity, Slow Pace

During a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing on May 4, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) accused Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra of a lack of urgency in compensating Americans harmed by COVID-19 vaccines.

In March, Hyde-Smith joined Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and other Republicans in introducing legislation to offer financial compensation to those who suffered adverse health reactions to the vaccines.

That measure sought to amend the existing Countermeasure Injury Compensation Program (CICP).

The CICP provides compensation for injuries that result from products delivered during certain public health emergencies, specifically for injuries and deaths as a result of covered countermeasures under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act).

Injuries caused by COVID-19 vaccines are covered under the CICP, but being eligible for compensation doesnt guarantee that a claimant will receive any assistance.

It is extremely difficult to obtain awards under the CICP, particularly related to COVID-19 countermeasures, Hyde-Smith said in the hearing.

Despite the fact that COVID-19 vaccines are covered by the CICP, few claimants have been able to receive compensation for harm caused by any of the vaccines.

As of April 1, 2022, data from the Health Resources Services Administration shows that 7,669 people filed claims with the CICP over damages caused by COVID-19 countermeasures, representing over 90 percent of all claims filed under the CICP program. Of those claims, 4,691 were for damages caused by COVID-19 vaccines specifically.

None of these claimants have received any compensation, public records show.

In the May 4 hearing, Hyde-Smith said Becerra and the HHS were not doing enough to ensure that those damaged by the vaccines received proper compensation.

I certainly still advocate for the vaccine, and I myself received the vaccine and encourage others to speak with their doctors about receiving it, Hyde-Smith said. However, as with any new medical product, some people will have side effects. The CICP exists for that very reason. I am very concerned by the amount of time it takes your agency to process claims and the lack of clarity given to these folks who were adversely affected.

As an example, Hyde-Smith cited the case of pilot Cody Flint, who filed a claim with the CICP after enduring severe side effects from his first in dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021. Ongoing issues from that reaction have prevented Flint from returning to work.

For more than a year, Mr. Flint has been painstakingly going through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program seeking compensation he may be entitled to based on his experience. I have worked with him to try to navigate this process, and I have been stunned not only by your agencys lack of urgency in reviewing such claims, many claims, but also by the total lack of transparency throughout the process, Hyde-Smith said.

Hes totally lost his income, she added. The financial burden is just unbelievable, but the frustration of trying to just get some answers of when something could be done for him for this compensation has been very great.

In a response to Hyde-Smith, Becerra acknowledged that CICP claims were backlogged, and admitted the need for further transparency in responding to those claims.

We have heard this story on many occasions. We know that millions have been saved because of the vaccine, but we know many people are still suffering, Becerra said.

The CICP has in the past been criticized for being overburdened by bureaucracy and a lack of transparency.

The CICP lacks the protections of the U.S. legal system. There is no transparency, no court, no judge, and no right to appeal. Decisions about compensation are made in a black hole by a nameless administrator, stated the Maglio Christopher & Toale Law Firm, which specializes in vaccine injury cases.

This government compensation program is very hard to use, Dorit Reiss, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of Law, told CNBC in December 2021. The bar for compensation is very high.

Harry Lee, Cindy Drukier, and Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
Sen. Warner Breaks with Fellow Democrats, Calls for Prosecution of Supreme Court Leaker

The person responsible for sharing a Supreme Court draft ruling with a news outlet should be prosecuted, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said on May 5.

I completely condemn the leak and whoever leaked it should be prosecuted, Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Fox News.

The White House and many Democrats in Congress have said the focus should be on the ruling itself, not the leak.

I dont care how the draft leaked. Thats a sideshow, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said this week in a statement. What I care about is that a small number of conservative justices  intend to deprive millions of women of reproductive care.

Dont let the dynamics of a leak distract from the significance of the opinion, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) added during a panel hearing on Capitol Hill.

The draft ruling was published by Politico on May 3. The news outlet said it obtained the opinion, dated Feb. 10, from a person familiar with the courts proceedings.

Some 63 people, including the nine justices on the court, are believed to be suspects. Theres also a possibility the ruling was obtained through a hack.

Chief Justice John Roberts has ordered the courts marshal to investigate the leak, which he referred to as a betrayal of the confidences of the court. It remains unclear if the person responsible could be held criminally responsible, with some legal scholars asserting the only way is if he or she lies during the investigation.

Many Republicans have called for the leaker to be prosecuted, and a group of GOP members urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to order a probe into the matter.

The group also asked for a description of all potential laws the person responsible violated.

The Department of Justice and FBI declined to comment.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), among the most vocal on the issue, said on Fox this week that he believes the person who did it is a woke little left-wing twit but Warner noted that it may have been leaked by somebody associated with conservatives.

I do hope your network, if it ends upand I have no foggy idea who did itbut if it ends up coming out it was leaked by somebody actually from the right-wing of the agenda that wanted to try to lock in these five votes, I hope youll continue to express outrage and make sure that person who leaked is fully prosecuted, Warner said.
People line up for coronavirus tests as part of mass COVID-19 testing in a residential community in Shanghai, on March 10, 2022. China is tackling a COVID-19 spike with selective lockdowns and other measures that are part of its draconian "zero tolerance" strategy. (AP Photo)

Shanghai Residents Bang on Pots and Woks to Protest Lockdown

It has been a month since Shanghai was put under lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and peoples frustrations are boiling over. More than 20 million residents of this large city have no food, no supplies, and no freedom. Feeling hopeless, many Shanghai residents began to protest the Zero-Covid Policy by banging on pots and pans on their balconies and in open windows. Some community residents broke through the blockade and took to the streets asking for daily necessities to be provided.

On the evening of April 28, many communities protested against the Zero-Covid Policy by banging on pots and woks. This was an action that Shanghai citizens organized through the internet to smash pots and ask for supplies and called it a concert to get around censors. Some citizens said, Tonight there is an uprising in Shanghai, to show Shanghai peoples perseverance.

Now that the lockdown of Shanghai has continued for a month, the dissatisfaction of the Shanghai people has reached its peak. On the evening of April 28, the videos recorded by Shanghai residents circulated on the internet showed that many communities in Shanghai are making noise to draw attention to their need for daily necessities. People shouting We want supplies and Give me back my freedom pierced the night while they banged pots and pans on their balconies. Some communities even hung the words We want supplies on the outer wall of the buildings to express their dissatisfaction. With the sound of banging in the background, some residents walked out of their homes and gathered in the street. On the videos, residents can be heard playing the Communist Partys anthem The International and protesting against the Communist Party by singing the lyrics Rise up, people who dont want to be slaves

Ms. Gao, a resident of Shanghais Pudong District, told The Epoch Times that on the evening of April 28, hundreds of thousands of people from various communities in Shanghai participated in the Smashing pots for supplies concert.

Ms. Gao said that Shanghai has done a very good job this time. Be it locals or foreigners, rich or not, all are united. This time, there were hundreds of thousands of people protesting together, and the gathering was huge.

Ms. Zhang, a resident who participated in the concert told The Epoch Times, Many local community residents now take out pots and pans and beat them on the balcony every night because they lack supplies.

Mr. Feng told The Epoch Times that one can see the Shanghai peoples perseverance, strong will, and unyielding couragenot bowing to evil, and courageously persevering in resistance. In the video, you see the people sent by the authorities shouting from loudspeakers dont believe rumors, dont spread rumors, but the residents simply ignore them.

The dozens of posters sent to reporters by Shanghai citizen Ms. Zhang showed that many communities participated in the concert that day.

Residents of the Second Jiangqiao Village put up posters that read: Return the supplies we should have. The background is a big fist, representing peoples anger.

Another poster was designed by residents of Lane 161 of Jintai Road, Pudong New Area, in which people are called on to pick up iron woks, shovels, and rolling pins to participate in the Smashing Wok Music Festival starting at 7 p.m.

Various activities were also launched throughout Shanghais Jianan, Zhabei, and Changning Districts.

Almost all related videos and pictures posted on Weibo have been deleted.

Police Did Not Act During Mass Protests

On April 27, after being locked down for more than a month, the residents of Jiangqiao Town, Jiading District, in Shanghai could no longer bear it, and a large-scale group protest broke out. The fuse was lit when residents discovered that the neighborhood committee was hiding vegetables. But the fundamental problem is that the daily supply of food and necessities for local residents is seriously insufficient, and the stealing of supplies by the neighborhood committee just added to the residents anger.

A video shows a large number of residents gathered in front of the Jiaxi Community in Jiangqiao Town, Jiading District. The photographer said that several boxes of vegetables hidden by the neighborhood committee were uncovered, chicken and meat had been transported away, only some rotten vegetables were left.

Residents asked the neighborhood committee where the supplies came from, but no one answered. More and more residents gathered in front of the neighborhood committee to protest, chanting slogans, Need supplies! Send supplies! There were a large number of policemen at the protest site, and police cars, but no action was taken as the protest continued into the night.

In this regard, Zhuge Mingyang, an independent writer, said that as a state machine, the police stand by and watch, its definitely not personal behavior, but following a directive from their supervisors. When a mass incident-mass disturbance occurs, the police must be present, but they must not interfere arbitrarily. It is unknown where this order came from.

He said: This reminds me of the June 4 event in 1989. In order to prevent students from marching in the streets, the government asked the police to stop them, but they were not allowed to hit the students. At that time, everyone sympathized with and supported the students from top to bottom. No one wants to do bad things. So a police officer asked their superior: What if the students forcefully charge? The superior said, Cant you just run away? This is what I saw with my own eyes at the time.

Donghua (pseudonym), a resident of Jiangqiao Town, said, We are residents of Jiangqiao Town, Jiading District. It is understood that when the government distributed supplies, there should be 2 bags of braised duck with brown sauce per household, but received only one bag. When the neighborhood committee distributed the supplies, I pulled the duck out of the box, and was seen by the residents recording a video from upstairs, the members of the neighborhood committee were stealing the cooked ducks from the box.

She said that one bag of Laotan sauerkraut instant noodles and a few Daliyuan buns were all she was given in two weeks of lockdown. I called and asked the Jiangqiao government and was told that there were no supplies, only government group purchases were available. Why are there not enough supplies for people but all kinds of foods is provided for the group purchases?

Angry People Tear Down the Barbed Wire

On April 23, the Shanghai authorities imposed hard isolation on the lockdown area and buildings, blocking roads and gates with barbed wire and hard steel plates. Residents rushed out and tore down the barbed wire.

Zheng Hao (pseudonym), a Pudong resident who has been under lockdown for more than 45 days, told The Epoch Times that barbed wire has been installed in a large area of Pudong and a hard isolation has been imposed, saying that it is for the purpose of dividing and separating Pudong piece by piece.

Zheng Hao said that the barbed wire in his community was pushed down. Many people rose up to resist. After they (the government) installed it, the residents pushed it down.

Zheng Hao said that Shanghais current lockdown is a total mess.
Shell CEO Warns About Impossibility of Tracing Refined Russian Oil

Even though the West is taking every measure to limit the use of Russian oil in their regions, it may be difficult to enforce these sanctions absolutely due to the impossibility of tracing Russian oil refined and resold by other nations, according to a major oil executive.

During a first quarter webcast with reporters on May 5, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said theres no way to test an oil sample to determine whether a particular molecule originated from a geological formation in Russia.

Diesel coming out of [an] Indian refinery that was fed with Russian crude is considered to be Indian diesel, van Beurden said. Its very hard to trace back what exactly is and isnt therefore Russian origin.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Shell announced its intention to withdraw from all Russia hydrocarbons in a phased manner. During the recent first quarter 2022 results presentation, Chief Financial Officer Sinead Gorman stated that Shell has stopped the purchase of Russian crude oil and liquefied natural gas at spot prices and that the firm will not renew any long-term contracts with Moscow.

Shell has also halted spot purchases of refined products directly exported from Russia. In the first quarter, Shell took post-tax charges of about $3.9 billion in relation to Russian gas and oil activities, Gorman said.

Van Beurdens comments come as the European Union is pushing forward with banning Russian oil imports as quickly as possible. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently proposed such a ban as part of the blocs sixth package of sanctions against Moscow for invading Ukraine.

This will be a complete import ban on all Russian oil: seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined. We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets, von der Leyen said in a May 4 speech at the European Parliament.

However, there has been a pushback against the proposal from some EU member states, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warning on May 6 that the oil ban was tantamount to dropping a nuclear bomb on his countrys economy.

Orban insisted on a five-year exemption from the oil ban. Hungary received 58 percent of its crude oil and oil product imports in 2021 from Russia.

Russias revenues from fossil fuels have soared since it invaded Ukraine in February, despite sanctions from the West.

In the first two months since the invasion, Moscow received 62 billion euros ($65.6 billion) by exporting oil, gas, and coal according to an analysis of shipping movements and cargoes by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Russia has doubled its revenues during this period, benefiting from surging prices even as volumes fell.
Firefighters work at the scene of a house fire that killed four people in Little Falls, Wis., on May 5, 2022. (Sparta Area Fire District via AP)

Sheriffs Official: 4 Children Die in Wisconsin House Fire

TOWN OF LITTLE FALLS, Wis.Four children died with their pets in a house fire in a small town in east central Wisconsin, authorities said.

Sparta Area Fire District Chief Mike Arnold said crews responded shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday to a report of a house fire with people trapped upstairs in the Town of Little Falls.

Captain Jeffrey Spencer of the Monroe County Sheriffs Office said the four victims were children. The sheriffs office and fire department have not released the names or ages of the victims.

The home was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters and sheriffs deputies arrived, officials said. Firefighters tried to get inside to rescue them, but were driven back by the intense heat, smoke, and fire, Arnold said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze from outside.

Arnold said one person who escaped to a neighboring property to call 911 had tried without success to alert others to the fire.

Arnold said the search for victims was hampered by the collapse of the second floor during the fire. He said the victims, along with several dead pets, were found on the first floor.

The cause of the fire hasnt been determined and Arnold said more information would be released after an investigation.

Little Falls, with a population of about 1,300 people, is about 140 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
Press Release

May 6, 2022 Big Crowds, Rousing Welcomes in Maguindanao, CDO Fortify Support for Lacson in Mindanao More at: https://pinglacson.net/article/big-crowds-rousing-welcomes-in-maguindanao-cdo-fortify-support-for-lacson-in-mindanao Big crowds, rousing welcomes and unequivocal affirmations of support in Maguindanao province and Cagayan de Oro City marked the town hall meetings of presidential aspirant Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson in Mindanao on Thursday. The show of support for Lacson in both areas also belied the projection of a survey firm that he may get zero votes in Mindanao on Election Day. In Maguindanao, Lacson - accompanied by senatorial candidates Minguita Padilla and Emmanuel Pinol - received an enthusiastic welcome at the Kamasi Multipurpose Hall in Ampatuan town, as some residents lauded him for being the first presidential candidate to visit them. During the town hall meeting, Lacson brought his and running mate Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III's message of hope and promise of good governance to residents of Maguindanao. He reiterated his advocacies of ending poverty in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and other parts of the country, by fixing the government's ills. "It's about time na matikman ng ating karaniwang mamamayan... saan mang region, saan mang lalawigan, maramdanan ang biyayang galing sa national government (It's about time ordinary Filipinos, whether they are from BARMM or anywhere else in the Philippines, to feel the benefits from the national government)," he said. He likewise fielded questions from participants, including one who asked him for an assurance that his administration will not tolerate discrimination against LGBTQ members Maguindanao. "You can have that assurance," Lacson replied, noting his administration will make sure all Filipinos will benefit from good governance, regardless of their inclinations. "Ang ating battlecry, napakasimple: Aayusin natin ang gobyerno para maging maayos ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino (Our battlecry is very simple: We will fix the government's ills to improve Filipinos' lives)," he emphasized. Maguindanao residents lauded Lacson for being the first presidential candidate to visit them and learn about their problems firsthand. When Lacson asked the audience if they know of any other presidential, vice presidential or senatorial bet who visited them, they answered: "Wala, kayo lang (No one, just you)!" In Cagayan de Oro City, Lacson, Sotto, Padilla and Pinol received a festive welcome from an even bigger crowd in the afternoon. With the reception he got Thursday - and similar welcomes in other parts of Mindanao such as Cotabato and Davao in past months - Lacson said he does not feel the supposed zero voters' preference as projected by Pulse Asia. He maintained he is not bothered by such survey projections as his conscience is clear. "Kalmado pa rin ako. There is no substitute to clear conscience, wala tayong ginawang masama, malinis ang ating serbisyo, napakaswerte ng Pilipinas kung kaming dalawa ang manalo (I remain calm. There is no substitute for a clear conscience. We did nothing wrong. The Philippines would be lucky if Sotto and I are elected into office)." On the other hand, Lacson said the zero preference may be a blessing in disguise as his supporters - particularly the Lacson-Sotto Support Group (LSSG) - will be motivated to work harder for his victory. "Medyo nagagalit at nacha-challenge sila (They felt angry and challenged); they are prompted to do more and work harder," he said, adding he no longer takes the pre-election surveys seriously as the "actual" survey on May 9 is fast approaching. "This election will expose the accuracies of the survey. We will see kung zero si Sen. Lacson sa Visayas and Mindanao. I know it is impossible (We will see if Lacson will indeed get zero vote in Visayas and Mindanao. I know it is impossible)," added Sotto.
When he was a teacher, state Sen. John Mannion had colleagues whose lives were disrupted by the effects of Lyme disease.

As a state lawmaker, he wants to do something to help.

Mannion, D-Geddes, has authored legislation that would extend workers' compensation coverage to workers who contract Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses while on the job. He announced the bill in the first week of May, which is Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

"I've seen in my own family and my own workplace how disruptive and long term Lyme disease can be," he said. "Unfortunately, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are generally hard to diagnose. Symptoms often mimic those of dozens of other illnesses and can be misdiagnosed as mental illness, depression, or nutritional deficiencies.

"I've seen teachers use up all their sick time and be forced to go on unpaid leave because of Lyme disease. My legislation will extend vital workers' compensation to New Yorkers who contract a tick-borne illness, including Lyme disease while they are on the job."

If approved, the bill could help workers who have outdoor jobs and are exposed to ticks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes New York as a state with a high incidence of Lyme disease. In 2019, the state had 2,847 confirmed cases of Lyme disease and 1,396 probable cases.

Climate change is a factor in the presence of ticks and the increase in Lyme disease, according to Mannion. New York is having longer and more severe tick seasons, but the majority of tick bites reported by individuals occur in the warmer months when ticks are most active.

The Central New York Lyme & Tick-borne Disease Alliance supports Mannion's legislation. Mannion presented the group with a state Senate proclamation honoring their efforts to raise awareness about Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.

Royale Scuderi, the alliance's executive director, said ticks and tick-borne illnesses are a growing threat in central New York.

"I have personally experienced the devastating impact of tick-borne disease on myself and my family," Scuderi said. "That's why I'm so passionate about increasing awareness and educating people about tick disease prevention. I don't want anyone to have to go through what I did."

Mannion's bill has been referred to the state Senate Labor Committee. There is a version of the bill in the Assembly that's been introduced by Assemblywoman Didi Barrett.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Former Detroit police chief James Craig, candidate for governor of Michigan, talks with reporters at a Trump rally in Macomb County on April 2, 2022. (Steven Kovac/The Epoch Times)

Signature Problems May Invalidate Nominating Petitions in Michigan

A ring of paid, out-of-state, petition circulators has helped throw Michigans 2022 primary nominating process into disarray.

Thousands of defective signatures on nominating petitions collected by a group of circulators hired by several campaigns may result in the disqualification of two Republican candidates for governor.

An error involving a petition heading may remove another GOP candidate for governor from the 10-candidate field.

It is legal and common practice for candidates and ballot proposal advocates to hire professional circulators to help their campaigns get the requisite number of valid signatures to appear on the ballot.

A man fills in his ballot, in Lansing, Michigan, on Nov. 3, 2020. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The tactics of the alleged scammers, slipshod petition crafting, and sloppy signature gathering on the part of several candidates of both parties around the state could lead to more possible disqualifications.

James Craig, a former Detroit police chief and current front-runner for the GOP nomination for governor, employed paid circulators to assist his campaign.

As a result of his contractors actions, Craig may have to leave the race.

Craig filed nominating petitions containing 21,000 signatures by the April 19 deadline.

Under normal circumstances that would have been a comfortable surplus as only 15,000 valid signatures are required to secure a place on the Aug. 2 primary ballot.

Challengers from the Michigan Democratic Party, along with a battery of law firms, exercising their right to examine any candidates petitions, claim to have discovered 6,933 potentially defective signatures on Craigs.

Among other irregularities, the challengers discovered peculiar patterns of signatures which they allege were forged by a group of eight circulators passing around one anothers petitions between them and signing other peoples names.

If the challenges are upheld, Craig would not have the required number of valid signatures.

The 23,000 signatures submitted on petitions by another Republican candidate for governor, businessman Perry Johnson, allegedly contain enough questionable signatures to disqualify him as well, according to the challengers.

Tudor Dixon, CEO of Lumen Student News, attends the Women for America First Summit, at Trump International Hotel in Washington on Oct. 5. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Democrat challengers also contend that an error in the heading of every one of the petition sheets filed by GOP candidate for governor, Tudor Dixon, should disqualify her.

Dixon filed 29,735 signatures, all of which the Democrats claim to be invalid because the heading says the four-year term of the next governor expires on Dec. 31, 2026, instead of high noon on Jan. 1, 2027.

Both Craig, Johnson, and Dixon have said in public statements that the problems are insufficient to warrant being denied a place on the ballot.

The final determinations will be made by the State Board of Canvassers in a meeting scheduled for May 26.

A poll conducted in late March by the Trafalgar Group found Craig leading the nine other Republicans vying for the right to take on incumbent Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer in November.

Craig polled 34 percent, Johnson 16 percent, Garret Soldano 14.7 percent, Ryan Kelley 6.8 percent, and Tudor Dixon 2.6 percent, with 12.4 percent undecided and the balance divided among the bottom five candidates.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft launches on the Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 30, 2020. (SpaceX via Getty Images)

SpaceX Brings 4 Astronauts Back to Earth After 6-Month Stint on International Space Station

A four-member team of astronauts launched to the International Space Station by SpaceX touched back down on Earth in the Gulf of Mexico on May 6.

The return via a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule came just one day after the group undocked from the space station following a six-month mission in which they conducted science experiments and did maintenance.

Dragon and Crew-3 astronauts consisted of Raja Chari, a U.S. Air Force combat jet and test pilot who served as mission commander, Tom Marshburn, a medical doctor and former NASA flight surgeon, Kayla Barron, a U.S. Navy submarine officer and nuclear engineer, and Matthias Maurer, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and materials science engineer.

They returned to Earth and splashed down off the coast of Florida at 12:43 a.m. ET on Friday. NASA expected to have them back in Houston later in the morning.

On behalf of the entire SpaceX team, welcome home  Its been an absolute honor to support you on this mission, Endurance Crew, and thanks for flying SpaceX, space officials said over SpaceXs livestream.

Thanks for letting us take Endurance  looking forward to watching more flights with Endurance in the future. It was a great ride and enjoyed working with the SpaceX and NASA team for getting us up to the space station and back so quickly, astronaut Chari said after they touched down.

The crew was first launched into space on Nov 10, 2021, at 9:03 p.m from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

They embraced the seven astronauts remaining at the stationCrew 4 commander Kjell Lindgren, pilot Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti; and three Russian cosmonauts, Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakovbefore parting ways.

Those replacement astronauts, from the United States and Italy, were taken up to space last week after completing a charter trip to the station for a trio of businessmen.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 by billionaire Elon Musk whose proposal to purchase Twitter for $44 billion was recently accepted by the social media platforms board of directors.

The Tesla CEO supplies the Falcon 9 rockets and Crew Dragon capsules that are flying NASA astronauts to orbit.

Astronauts returning from the latest expedition had to contend with a dangerous increase in space debris after Russia blew up a satellite in a missile test on Nov. 15, generating hundreds of thousands of pieces of space junk that posed potential threats to the safety of astronauts.

That incident created more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris according to U.S. Department of State spokesperson, Ned Price.

In total, roughly 36,500 pieces of debris at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide are currently floating around Earth, the ESA estimates.

The latest launch last week means that Musks company has now launched 26 people into orbit in less than two years since it began taking up astronauts for NASA. Eight of those 26 were space tourists.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In this June 8, 2017, file photo, fresh nuts, bolts and fittings are ready to be added to the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline near St. Ignace, Mich., as Enbridge prepares to test the east and west sides of the Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan. (The Canadian Press/Detroit News-Dale G. Young)

Still Non-Negotiable: Canadas Natural Resources Minister Redraws Line on Line 5

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is doubling down on Canadas assertion that the continuing operation of the Line 5 pipeline is non-negotiable.

Wilkinson made the comments in the House of Commons today following media reports that the cross-border pipeline is facing yet another court challenge.

On top of efforts by the state of Michigan to shut down the line, an Indigenous band in Wisconsin is now asking a judge there to do the same.

The Globe and Mail reports that the Bad River Band of Lake Superior is arguing that Enbridge Inc., the pipelines owner, no longer has the right to operate on its territory.

The band filed a motion in February seeking a summary judgment against Enbridgein other words, to shut down Line 5 without a trial.

That challenge comes as Enbridge tries to fend off Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who fears an ecological disaster in the Straits of Mackinac, where the twin lines cross the Great Lakes.

The continued operation of Line 5 is non-negotiable, Wilkinson said Friday in response to a question from Conservative MP John Brassard.

We will take appropriate steps to ensure the continued safe operation of this critical infrastructure. And we continue to work closely with the owner of Line 5.

In the Michigan case, Canada has invoked a 1977 bilateral pipelines treaty aimed at ensuring the uninterrupted flow of energy between the two countries, and has petitioned the court there to allow those talks to play out.

Its not yet clear whether the federal Liberal government will do so again in the Wisconsin matter.

Canada and the United States continue to be engaged in the process under the 1977 transit pipelines agreement to ensure the continued operation of Line 5, Wilkinson said.

Until this issue is resolved, I will continue to raise it with my U.S. counterparts as I have been doing on an ongoing basis.
Tall, heavy barricades surround the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on May 5, 2022 (Jackson Elliot/The Epoch Times)

Supreme Court Barricaded in Case of Violence, Police Say

WASHINGTONThe Supreme Court police surrounded their building with a set of 9-foot metal barricades sometime late in the evening or early morning on May 5.

Shortly after noon, the Supreme Court police were still busy zip-tying placards to the barricades. Two officers had to walk behind a small crowd of shouting pro-abortion demonstrators.

Area Closed by order of the Supreme Court Marshall, the placards read.

A day ago, the court was separated from the public by waist-high movable fences small and light enough to jump over or knockdown. The new fence is large, heavy, and durable.

Although the Supreme Courts police did not provide comment, several Washington police officers said the barricades were likely to prevent violence from reaching the Supreme Court.

The barricades were up Just in case, said officer Adams.

Adams said that so far, the protests havent been that bad. Although one pro-abortion protestor hit a pro-life protester last night, there hasnt been any extreme violence in Washington.

We had that one agitator, but thats pretty normal, he said.

A pro-abortion protester shouts at pro-life protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on May 5, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Washington police are used to protests, he said. As the home of Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court, local officers see a wide variety of demonstrations.

Although theres been a lot of shouting, the protests so far have mostly only been hard on peoples ears, he said.

This doesnt bother me, Adams said. Its the drums. When they bring those up and they hit the drums, that rings in my head.

So far, protests have been relatively small during the day, then much larger after 5 p.m. when people left work.

Overall, police remain uncertain how big the protests will become or how long they will continue, Adams said. Its hard to draw conclusions from the first week.

We dont know what its gonna look like on the weekend either, said Adams.

But the big moment for protests might be whenever the Supreme Court announces its final decision, Adams said. If the court chooses to decide as the leaked opinion suggests, it will be a monumental pro-life victory.

Chief Justice John Roberts has confirmed the majority opinion as authentic but said it didnt represent a decision.

Pro-abortion protestors strongly oppose the leaked opinion.

I cant imagine if once they officially say it, then if its gonna get worse, Adams said.

Washington police officer Parker (right) watches protests outside the U.S. Supreme Court on May 5, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

According to officer Parker, police started putting up the barricade around midnight. They started on the rear side of the Supreme Court building because protesters were also out late.

I dont really know why, but Im guessing they plan on playing something out thats not very cool, said Parker.

Another officer agreed that the barricades were likely to hold back protesters.

The one thing I could think is whats going on now, he said.

In front of the barricades, a group of pro-life protestors and a group of pro-abortion protesters stood outside the Supreme Court.

At first, the pro-life protesters stood closest to the wall. Then the pro-abortion protesters surrounded them and started yelling at them.

The pro-life protesters moved, ceding the pro-abortion protesters the space near the wall.

The pro-abortion protesters chanted loudly, while many of the pro-life protesters quietly prayed the rosary.

Several pro-life protesters with megaphones attempted to shout against the pro-abortion protesters, but the chanting was loud and consistent enough that they were mostly outmatched.

Keep your rosaries off my ovaries, the pro-abortion protesters chanted for minutes at a time.
An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter of the Helicopter Maritime Squadron (HSM 37) lands on the flight deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) on Feb. 23, 2016. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marcus L. Stanley)

Taiwan Says It Cant Afford New US Anti-Submarine Helicopters

TAIPEITaiwan signalled on Thursday that it had abandoned a plan to buy advanced new anti-submarine warfare helicopters from the United States, saying they were too expensive.

Taiwan had earlier said it was planning to buy 12 MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters, made by Lockheed Martin Corp. unit Sikorsky, but domestic media said the United States had rejected the sale as not being in line with the islands needs.

Asked in parliament about recent changes to Taiwans purchases of new U.S. weapons, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng mentioned the helicopter case first.

The price is too high, beyond the scope of our countrys ability, he said.

Two other arms purchases have also been delayedM109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer artillery systems, and mobile Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

The Raytheon Technologies Stingers are in hot demand in Ukraine, where they have been used against Russian aircraft, but U.S. supplies have shrunk and there are significant hurdles to producing more of the anti-aircraft weapons.

Chiu said they had already signed the contract for the Stingers and paid for them, and they would press the United States to deliver them.

We dont view arms sales as a trifling matter, and we have back-up plans, he added, without elaborating.

Taiwan says the United States has offered it alternatives to the M109A6, including truck-based rocket launchers made by Lockheed Martin called the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS.

Chiu said they were still considering their options on that.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to comment on specific platforms but said: The United States swift provision to Taiwan of defensive weaponry  is essential for Taiwans security, and we will continue to work with industry to support that goal.

Taiwan is undertaking a military modernization program to improve its capabilities to fend off a Chinese attack, including with precision weapons like missiles.

The Chinese regime claims the island as its own, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution.

President Tsai Ing-wen has championed the concept of asymmetric warfare, which involves developing high-tech, highly mobile weapons that are hard to destroy and can deliver precision attacks.

U.S. officials have been pushing Taiwan to modernize its military so it can become a porcupine that is hard for the Chinese regime to attack.

The Chinese regime has been ramping up its own military modernization and pressure against Taiwan.

Chiu said that recentlywithout giving a timeframethere were many enemy ships in the waters around Taiwan, which in principle stand off with Taiwanese forces. He did not give details.

Eight Chinese naval vessels, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning, passed between islands in Japans southern Okinawa chain on Monday, an area that is to Taiwans northeast.

By Ben Blanchard, Roger Tung, and Michael Martina
A U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter chaff flares during a training exercise near the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Philippine Sea on April 24, 2017. (US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano/Reuters)

Taiwan Says Price Tag for US Anti-Submarine Helicopters Is Too High

Taiwan may cancel its plan to acquire anti-submarine warfare helicopters from the United States because the price was too high, its defense minister said Thursday.

Defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told parliament that the deal to buy 12 MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters is likely to be terminated because the cost was beyond our capability, Focus Taiwan reported.

Taiwan initially allotted NT$34 billion ($1.15 billion) for the chopper deal, but according to local media reports a Taiwanese defense expert in February said that Washington had rejected the sale, saying it was incompatible with the islands principle of asymmetric combat power.

Delayed Stingers

Chiu said that Taiwan has paid for two additional arms purchasesnamely the M109A6 medium self-propelled Howitzer artillery systems and Stinger anti-aircraft missilesand pressed the United States to deliver them expeditiously.

But the Raytheon Technologies Stingers anti-craft missiles delivery to Taiwan has reportedly been delayed due to increased demand for the weapons in Ukraines defense against Russia.

It is true that due to the Russia-Ukraine war, we have been told recently that the delivery of Stingers could be delayed, Chiu said, adding that his ministry has prepared contingency plans to safeguard Taiwans combat readiness amid the delay.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said Monday that it was considering alternative weapons options after the U.S. informed the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers purchased by Taiwan would not be delivered until at least 2026.

According to local reports, the first eight Paladins were supposed to be delivered next year, followed by 16 more in 2024 and 2025, but Washington said they had been delayed due to a crowded production line for the weapons. The deal totaled $750 million.

The ministry said that Washington proposed alternative long-range alternative weapons such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, a truck-based rocket launcher made by Lockheed Martin Corp.

Considering the need for precise firepower to defend Taiwan and Penghu, we have cooperated with the U.S. to research and develop sophisticated alternatives to meet actual operational needs, it stated.

Two 8-inch self-propelled artillery guns are fired during the 35th Han Kuang military drill in southern Taiwans Pingtung county on May 30, 2019. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Cross-Strait Tensions

Tensions between self-ruled Taiwan and the regime in Beijing have been escalating, with China claiming the island as part of its territory and has vowed to conquer Taiwan by force if necessary.

The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy reportedly dispatched the Liaoning aircraft carrier group, consisting of eight naval vessels, into the West Pacific on Monday.

According to Japans Defense Ministry, the Liaoning and its five-ship strike group were first spotted approximately 350 kilometers (217 miles) southwest of Nagasaki prefectures Danjo islands on May 1. Another destroyer and a frigate joined the flotilla late on May 1 and early on May 2.

Taiwan said it issued radio warnings and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the movements of the Chinese naval vessels.
The Greens Partys Hypocritical Infatuation With Climate Change and Beijing

Commentary

The Greens Partys election policies are succinctly discussed on its official website. The available information enables commentators and potential members to ascertain the views of the Greens with regard to various issues, including what is called the climate change crisis and its relationship with Beijing.

With regards to climate change, the Greens promise that:

Well make big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share of tax to clean up the mess theyre making, fund the transition to 100% renewables, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, bring electricity costs down, and kick off a full-scale renewable export industry.

The Greens also advocate an immediate freeze on all new coal, oil, and gas projects to secure a safe climate future.

The language used by the Greens on its website reveals their prejudices. The Greens assume, without offering any proof, that billionaires evade their tax obligations and make a messa reference to emissions policies of corporationsand they make the claim that a transition to 100 percent renewables will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

These allegations are staggering in their simplicity and devoid of any real understanding of the relevant issues.

The Greens excoriate Australias current level of carbon emissions. But carbon dioxide is a life-promoting gas that is harmless in the quantities generated by human activity, and it does not drive the feared global warming.

In this context, John McRobert, a civil engineer with over 50 years of first-hand experience in and studying the cause and effect of extreme weather events, argues that science indicates that hot eruptions coming from sub-sea volcanic vents are actually responsible for surface warming cycles of the planet.

Specifically, he argues that natural emissions of carbon dioxide from those vents dwarf those of mankind, and this is now being recognised through more exploration of the largely unexplored seabed, making a mockery of meaningless Net-zero targets. Of course, it is unlikely that McRoberts views will have any impact on the obsessive determination of the Greens to pursue their climate change illusions.

A general view of the steelworks and coal loading facility in Port Kembla in Wollongong, Australia, on Feb. 1, 2021. (Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

As one ponders the neurotic concern of the Greens with climate change, its admiration for and defence of Beijing is surprising and inconsistent with its policies. Although it is true that, during the last decade, the Chinese regime has endeavoured to improve its climate change reputation, it is noticeably increasing its reliance on coal.

Beijing adopted the Paris Agreement in September 2016 and was a keen participant at the COP26 Glasgow Conference in 2021, which limited global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Chinese Leader Xi Jinping even announced that China would no longer build coal-fired power stations overseas.

But, although it signed a Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement with the United States, China continues to rely heavily on coal, thereby flouting its pretended concern for the climate.

The Greens also do not perceive any problem with the conclusion of a security agreement between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Solomon Islands, even though the Islands government bitterly complains in international forums about the impact of global warming on their country, with little recognition of natural climate change history in the Pacific.

This security agreement has generated a stream of commentary, which laments the loss of Australian influence in that region. Australian and American commentators have described the security agreement as a precursor to Beijing establishing a military base on the Islands, despite the protestations of the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, who called this criticism hysterical and hypocritical.

However, the Greens do not see any problems with Chinas infiltration of the Pacific. For example, Greens Senator Jordan Steele-John claimed in The Australian on May 1 that the Coalition was increasing tensions with China by allowing the United States to use Australia as an aircraft carrier. I dont see China as a military threat to Australia, he stated confidently.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (R) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang inspect honour guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 9, 2019. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

The Greens feel that the Solomon Islands, as a sovereign nation, is entitled to establish relationships with any country, and not just with Australia.

The CCPs infiltration into the Pacific is the most worrying consequence of the security agreement. Traditionally, Australia has helped its Pacific neighbours, even empathising with Pacific nations climate change concerns, but the CCP is now invading Australias backyard.

Senator Penny Wong, Labors Foreign Affairs spokesperson, has characterised the security agreement with Beijing as the greatest policy failure of the Morrison government. According to her, Australia should have done more to deal with the climate challenges of the Islands, but when she was asked in a recent 7.30 interview what the Labor Party would have done, she recommended throwing more money at the Solomon Islands, which is precisely what Beijing is doing.

The Greens lyrical admiration of Beijing was also captured well by Chris Johansen, writing for the Greens Western Australia, who stated that the one-party system of China has been more successful than the multi-party systems of South Asia in raising the masses from abject poverty.

A claim that is unverifiable given that real-world statistics from China are unavailable thanks to Beijings total control over statistical data in the country.

It is interesting that the Greens maintain their admiration of the Chinese regime even though its policies are often the opposite of those propagated by the Greens, especially in the field of climate change. Chinas economy is still very much dependent on coal, the mining of which the Greens want to stop with immediate effect. How is it possible for a political party to admire a regime that disregards its own holiest policies?

Why do the Greens criticise the climate change policies of the Coalition and Labor while at the same time applauding the so-called miraculous transformation of China into a world power, despite its disastrous air pollution and forestation policies?

Of course, the Greens Partys platform with regards to climate change and its relationship with China will continue to play to its target Australian audience. But it does not hide the fact that these policies are not much more than motherhood statements, bereft of detail and rationality.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The physiological consequences children are suffering could have repercussions for a generation

Dr. Avery Jackson, a board-certified neurosurgeon based in Michigan, performs complicated brain surgeries in the operating room as often as four times a week. During these surgeries, which can last for up to eighteen hours, Jackson, who is Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of Michigan Neurosurgical Institute in Grand Blanc, wears a surgical mask.

While masks make sense in the operating room, Jackson said, peopleespecially childrenshould not be wearing masks in their everyday lives.

As Jackson explained to a group of nearly 100 doctors and other health professionals at a two-day medical conference in Conroe, Texas, on April 29, wearing masks outside the operating room creates a host of health problems. Masking, Jackson said during his talk, is especially dangerous for childrens developing brains. Thats because masks can cause people to rebreathe a small amount of their exhaled carbon dioxideover and over again.

Inhaling Carbon Dioxide

Jackson started his talk by sharing research from a team of eight scientists who investigated the effect of carbon dioxide on the brain. Their research, which was published in the American Journal of Physiology in 1957, found that when rats were forced to inhale carbon dioxide at low, medium, and high concentrations, concerning changes in their brains occurred at every level of exposure. Carbon dioxide inhalation even at moderately high levels caused the rats to have brain seizures.

In 2014 scientists found that negative brain effects due to carbon dioxide exposure were even more pronounced for juvenile rats. This research, which was done by a team of Turkish scientists at Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, and published in the peer-reviewed journal Biotechnic and Histochemistry, found that carbon dioxide exposure markedly impaired brain function, causing problems with memory and spatial learning, and increasing anxiety in adolescent rats.

A study on human exposure to carbon dioxide had similar findings. In 2011, a team of scientists based in Dallas, Texas, sought to investigate whether inhaling carbon dioxide altered brain activity. For this study in humans, the scientists did brain magnetic resonance imaging after exposing 50 healthy human subjects (32 males and 18 females) to carbon dioxide enriched air. At even the lowest levels of exposure, this study found carbon dioxide reduced brain activity.

Although Jackson didnt reference it in his talk, a study published in 2021 in BMC Infectious Diseases of 11 healthy volunteers who ranged in age between 16 and 54, found that using masks resulted in significantly increased concentrations of carbon dioxide.

While these researchers concluded that the elevated levels should not be a concern for health care providers, they pointed out that the clinical implications of elevated CO2 levels with long-term use of face masks needs further studies.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) took on new significance during the pandemic, and some researchers tried to uncover what effect this may have on patients and health care workers. Several studies were published in April 2022 alone looking at different ways rebreathing exhaled carbon dioxide due to wearing a mask affected patients and health care workers.

A study published in April in BMC Anesthesiology looked at the effects of wearing surgical masks on patients being given oxygen via an oxygen mask placed over a surgical mask and found that oxygen was significantly lower after five minutes and their carbon dioxide levels higher.

Another study published in April by the Royal Academy of Medicine in Irelands Irish Journal of Medical Science looked at health care workers and noted an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the emergency department health care staff wearing N95 masks without a break for between 0 and 4 h. They suggested that this change should be noted in terms of PPE-induced hypoventilation.

Another April 2022 study, published in the German journal Lung, looked at the effects of vented and non-vented masks on patients being treated for hypercapnia, a condition of abnormally elevated carbon dioxide levels in the blood. The researchers warned that CO2 rebreathing from the mask  could influence the effectiveness of the ventilation.

According to Jackson, theres already ample evidence that the use of face masks is unhealthy. Any kind of oxygen restriction, Jackson said, may have negative brain effects, reducing neural activity and increasing learning problems and anxiety in some people.

Furthermore, the findings in the scientific literature dovetailed with what Jackson saw with his 8-year-old daughter, as well as some of her classmates. After the school forced all the children to wear masks, Jackson reported, his daughter developed headaches, began having difficulty concentrating, and started getting bad grades.

Jackson said that masking made another child at the same school feel so anxious that she threw up, twice, inside her mask. Despite this, the teachers insisted the child had to wear it.

Our children are having significant cerebral dysfunction when they wear masks, Jackson said, adding that the problems created by masking are both neurological and emotional.

Developmental Delays During COVID

Several studies have shown that babies and small children born during COVIDat a time when adults and children have been maskingare exhibiting myriad signs of developmental delays.

According to a preprint of a longitudinal study done by researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, the verbal skills of babies born during COVID have gone down.

We find that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic.

Led by Sean Deoni, an associate professor of pediatrics at Brown University, the research included 672 Rhode Island children, 308 born before January 2019, 176 born between January 2019 and March 2020, and 188 born after July 2020. The study found that babies had markedly worse cognitive, verbal, and motor skills than their counterparts born before COVID.

The researchers found that even in the absence of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 illness, the environmental changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic significantly and negatively affect[ed] infant and child development.

Another study found that COVID-era infants were less relational and vocal than babies born pre-pandemic. Put differently, COVID babies dont talk, babble, or coo as much as they should. As these vocalizations are precursors to speaking, these observations suggest that COVID babies may be verbally delayed compared to their peers.

Early talk is one of the most important factors shaping childrens brain development during the first few years of life, LENA, the nonprofit that conducted the study, explained on its website.

According to Harvard University, early experiences lay the foundation for future learning, behavior, and health in children. Compromising brain architecture early in life can have a profound effect on a childs future.

Just as a weak foundation compromises the quality and structure of a house, adverse experiences early in life can impair brain architecture, with negative effects lasting into adulthood, Harvards Center on the Developing Child explains. Wearing masks in school, social distancing from peers, and losing over two years of normal childhood development amid a worldwide panic-raising pandemic would seem to count as an adverse experience.

Though researchers and public health officials continue to defend the use of face masks, masking children as well as adults wearing masks around children may be one main reason for the developmental delays babies and small children have been experiencing during COVID.

Masking raises carbon dioxide levels in the body. Masking also makes it impossible for babies and small children to learn to read facial expressions, which in turn impedes language learning and emotional intelligence.

Faces are a complex and rich source of social, emotional and linguistic signals, wrote David J. Lewkowicz, a senior scientist at Haskins Laboratories and an adjunct professor in the Yale Child Study Center at Yale University in an article for Scientific American. We rely on all of these signals to communicate with one another through a complex and dynamic dance that depends on each partner being able to read the others signals.

Lewkowiczs work found that babies learn to lip-read when theyre around eight months old, which is a crucial step in learning to speak as well as to understand speech.

Adults of all ages have difficulty understanding what other adults are saying when theyre wearing masksboth because it is harder to hear a person speak through a mask and because much of the speakers face is not visible, making it difficult for the listener to read facial expressions and emotions. This is one possible explanation of why babies born during a time when most people in public places in America were masking have been experiencing cognitive delays.

Nearly two dozen countries have dropped mask mandates. According to Jackson, the cognitive harms caused by masking children clearly indicate that children should not be forced to wear masks.

Our children are having significant cerebral dysfunction when they wear masks, Jackson said. Now that we have knowledge, we have to do something about it. We know this is destructive for our kids.
Former president Donald Trump (L) listens as J.D. Vance, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, speaks during a rally hosted by the former president at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio on April 23, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump Endorsement Is No Golden Ticket; GOP Field Remains Open to Others, Analysts Say

The victory of Trump-endorsed venture capitalist and author J.D. Vance in the GOP senatorial nomination battle in Ohio on May 3 has led some commentators to issue judgments about Trumps continuing dominance of the party that fail to recognize a more nuanced reality on the ground, political consultants and strategists said this week.

Despite some of the hype in the media, the GOP field is still very much open to contestants who embody varying strains of Republicanism, they said.

The final results of the primary election showed a clear margin of victory for Vance, who garnered 340,991 votes, or 32.2 percent of the total, compared to 253,051 votes (23.9 percent) for Josh Mandel and 247,024 (23.3 percent) for Matt Dolan.

Following Vances win, Politico published an article with the headline, Trump Reasserts His GOP Dominance arguing that GOP voters in Ohio and beyond will turn out in large numbers to cast their ballot for candidates with Trumps seal of approval. But experts said that a number of factors were at work in Vances campaign and it is important not to overstate the degree of Trumps continuing sway within the party.

Keith Naughton, principal of the Maryland-based consulting firm Silent Majority Strategies, sees Vances rise in the polls following Trumps April 15 endorsement as relatively modest.

There is an overreaction. Vance went from 11 percent to 32 percent, so Trump is worth about 20 points. Note that Mandel and Dolan did not lose any voters after the Trump endorsement, in fact they gained a couple of points each, Naughton said.

Trumps Effect

The mainstream media are obsessed with Trump and are incapable of any impartial analysis. Trump scored a win, but he was not dominant, and it was in a state where he ran very strongly in 2020, Naughton said.

Nor is it correct to infer that Vances Ohio win has national implications and will set the stage for other Trump-backed candidates.

Trump candidates will get a little momentum, mostly from media coverage and perhaps some fundraising. But most voters vote on their own state issues and based on their own candidates. Pennsylvania voters dont care what people in Ohio think, Naughton added.

Mark Weaver, a political consultant based in Ohio, concurs with this view. Although Trump is still influential, it is important not to overreact to events in Ohio or misconstrue their significance, Weaver believes.

Vances victory will propel other GOP candidates to seek the Trump endorsement for primary elections. Other than that, it will have very little effect in other states, Weaver said.

Weaver predicted that, in the absence of a major scandal or misstep, Vance will win Ohios senatorial race in the fall, but said that has little relevance to the question of Trumps control over the party.

Republicans will usually vote Republican in a general election, especially this year. Trumps endorsement of any given Republican candidate would be superfluous in a general election, he added.

Paul A. Djupe, director of Data for Political Research at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, said that the Ohio primary was not a contest between candidates who favored Trump versus others who were trying to go in a radically different direction.

In Djupes view, the candidates competed to be like Trump in their stances, and Trumps endorsement came into play at a time when they enjoyed relatively comparable levels of support. Hence Vances victory is of significance within, but not beyond, Trumps base.

Trumps endorsement, therefore, was a strong signal among a motivated electorate and generated news coverage beneficial to Vance that gave him a roughly 15-point boost. I have doubts that Trump could elevate an underdog in an electorate that was not already concerned about his opinion, Djupe commented.

Moreover, support for Vance hardly broke down evenly in a diverse state with densely populated cities as well as large rural areas. Vances support was far stronger in the latter.

It is clear from the vote data that Vance won Ohios rural areas, which are heavily Republican. Urban Republicans went in other directions, though we should not overstate the differences. Vance, Mandel, and Dolan ran close across the state, and Vance did not win a majority of any of Ohios 88 counties, Djupe said.

The Role of Peter Thiel

Yet another factor suggesting that Trump does not call all the shots in the GOP and that primary elections are highly susceptible to other influences is the support that Vance received from billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel.

In Naughtons view, Thiel and his colleagues have learned from the mistakes of other megadonors who have thrown money at political races without tipping the balance decisively.

Money is important, of course, but only if you deploy it correctly, and you need to be able to afford a certain entry fee depending on the race and the state, Naughton said.

Thiel propped up Vance when he was struggling and clearly had a good regional strategy and knew what buttons to press. They didnt panic when [Mike] Gibbons took his brief lead. Without Thiel, Vance is a prodigal son, a niche candidate. I dont think Vance puts together the entry fee without Thiel, Naughton added.

Hence the field is open to GOP candidates who may more effectively balance their appeal and present themselves as attractive to both urban and rural voters. A candidate who speaks effectively to urban issues, as well as manifesting the kind of populist that Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy, was able to exert in the rural parts of the state, could potentially do far better than Vance.

A Tough Race Ahead

It is important not to read too deeply into Vances victory or to become overconfident about his prospects in the fall, even with Trumps endorsement, Djupe believes. GOP candidate Mandel did not do well against incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2012 or 2018, Djupe noted, and Tim Ryan, who will square off against Vance in November, is highly similar to Brown.

Theres also a modestly worrying sign in the primary vote data for Vance. After Trumps endorsement, support for Matt Dolan shot up. Dolan was the only candidate to express opinions that ran contrary to Trump orthodoxy, he said.

Yet another factor that may undermine Vance in the fall is the furor that has sprung up this week over the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting that the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. Such a highly controversial may not benefit GOP candidates in the end.

Its hard to say what role overturning Roe v. Wade might have on the 2022 election, but I think it is likely to shift energy to the Democratic Party. Many Republicans do not favor banning abortion or overturning Roe. In a tight race, the boost of energy to the left could prove important, Djupe said.

But Vance may benefit to some extent from macro trends in Ohio politics.

In a midterm election with Ohio shifting Republican in the last six years, Vance has a more than even chance of winning the seat, Djupe acknowledged.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts as he visits the Field End Infant school, in South Ruislip, in London, on May 6, 2022. (Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK Conservatives Got Tough but Mixed Results in Local Elections: Johnson

Britains ruling Conservative Party endured a tough night following Thursdays local council elections but the results were mixed, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

The ballots are still being counted, but the Conservatives have lost 10 local councilsincluding three London councils that they had held for decadesand more than 180 councillor seats in England, and early results in Scotland are also said to be disappointing.

Some ousted Conservative councillors have blamed the partys losses on the so-called partygate scandal in Downing Street, which has seen Johnson, his wife Carrie, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak fined for joining gatherings during lockdown in violation of COVID-19 laws.

Talking to broadcasters on Friday, the prime minister acknowledged that his party endured a tough night, but emphasised that it has been a mixed set of results for the Tories with gains in some places and losses in others.

It is mid-term. Its certainly a mixed set of results, he said on a visit to a local school in his constituency.

We had a tough night in some parts of the country but on the other hand in other parts of the country you are still seeing Conservatives going forward and making quite remarkable gains in places that havent voted Conservative for a long time, if ever.

Johnson said the voters message is they want the government to focus on the big issues that matter to them, such as fixing the post-pandemic economic aftershocks, fixing the energy supply issues, and creating high-wage, high-skill jobs.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer poses with Barnet Labour leader Barry Rawlings as he congratulates winning Labour Councillors at StoneX Stadium in Barnet, England, on May 6, 2022. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, hailed the election as a turning point after his party snatched three key London local authoritiesWandsworth, Barnet, and Westminsterfrom the Conservatives.

This is a big turning point for us, he told cheering supporters in Barnet. Weve sent a message to the Prime Minister: Britain deserves better.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also called the elections a turning point as he celebrated the partys big gains, which he said were due to voters seeking an alternative to the Conservatives amid cost-of-living concerns.

The dissatisfaction amongst lifelong Conservatives with the Prime Minister was really palpable, they dont think hes a decent man, he told the BBC.

Johnson could face a leadership challenge if 53 Conservative MPs15 percent of the parliamentary partywrite to the chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, Sir Graham Brady, calling for a vote of no confidence.

But Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden said it was not time for a change at the top.

Labour are certainly not on the path to power and I believe that Boris Johnson does have the leadership skills, in particular the energy and the dynamism that we need during this difficult period of time, he told Sky News.

PA Media contributed to this report.
ALBANY  Ethan Milich had never lobbied state lawmakers before but he did so Wednesday because the cause was painfully personal to him.

His mother, Jennifer Milich of Buffalo, had advocated for the same cause, urging lawmakers to end New York's prohibition against physicians facilitating the death of a terminally ill patient with a prognosis of less than six months left to live.

But last March, Jennifer Milich, three years after being diagnosed with kidney cancer, died from her disease after enduring pain and suffering for months, her son said.

"My mom spent her last few months as an inpatient at Hospice Buffalo, and she had no quality of life," said Ethan Milich, 23, of Amherst. "She was bed-bound. People helped her change and bathe. You couldn't really talk to her. She was laying there in a deep sleep. She didn't recognize me, my sister or her grandkids when we came into her room. She gave it a long fight. It was a very sad process."

The proposed Medical Aid in Dying Act would give terminally ill patients who are mentally stable the option of seeking a prescription for lethal medication from licensed physicians. Ten states as well as the District of Columbia have already enacted similar legislation. Over the past year, similar legislation has been introduced in 10 other states: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

"There comes a time when enough is enough," Jennifer Milich said in a video produced in 2020, explaining she wanted to have the ability to die peacefully because her suffering had become unbearable.

Medical groups that have endorsed medical aid in dying proposals include the New York State Academy of Family Physicians and the American Public Health Association.

In 2017, the state Court of Appeals ruled there is no constitutional right for terminally ill patients to have doctors facilitate their death. That ruling, as well as an earlier U.S. Supreme Court ruling stemming from the prosecution of a doctor charged with helping a patient commit suicide, both suggested that any change in the current prohibition is the province of the state Legislature.

The New York State Catholic Conference is among the opponents to the proposal before lawmakers now. It argues the bill lacks "important safeguards, making coercion or misapplication of the law a serious threat."

Such proposals, according to the conference that represents Catholic bishops, "send a dangerous message to society that when someone is considered a 'burden' to someone else, his or her life is no longer worth living."

The state Conservative Party has also registered its strong opposition to the measure.

At the Capitol on Wednesday, Ethan Milich was part of a group of advocates affiliated with the group Compassion & Choices, which organized the lobbying blitz with just 17 days in the current legislative session.

Corinne Carey, director of the group's New York campaign, said the organization has lost some of its most passionate advocates in recent months because they died from diseases that devastated their lives.

"It's very difficult to get lawmakers to sit down with our activists and look the in the face," Carey said. "Some of them are still on the fence. They have not sat down with Ethan Milich and heard how horrible it was to hear his mother beg for medical aid while she was dying so she wouldn't linger in a hospital bed."

As they seek to gain momentum in New York, advocates are pointing to a November survey by Susquehanna Polling and Research, which reported that 68% of likely voters believe a terminally ill person of sound mind should have access to medication that would result in them dying in their sleep.

While some disability rights advocates have come out against Medical Aid in Dying, citing the potential for abuse, Carey said she believes most people living with disabilities support the proposal as much as the rest of the population does.

"There is nothing to fear from this bill," she said. "The concerns that opponents raised about medical aid and dying more than 20 years ago are the same exact concerns that they repeat today. And none of those harms have ever come to pass in any of the states that have passed Medical Aid in Dying."

Last month, Oregon expanded eligibility for terminally ill people to get lethal drugs prescribed to them by dropping a residency requirement. Oregon authorities ended the requirement to settle a lawsuit brought by Compassion & Choices, which argued the requirement was unconstitutional.

Carey said the New York bill would advance out of the health committees in both houses if it gets the backing of just one or two more lawmakers.

Before heading home to Western New York, Ethan Milich said: "My mom always said, 'I'm not just a name on a piece of paper.' She said she doesn't have time to wait for politics, and this needs to get passed so she doesn't have to suffer, and so other terminally ill people don't have to suffer."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
UK Labour Leader Under Police Probe Over Alleged CCP Virus Rule Breach

The UKs main opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer is being investigated over potential breaches of CCP virus regulations, Durham police confirmed on Friday.

The force previously said it did not believe the Labour leader broke any rules in the so-called beergate affair but said it had reviewed the conclusion in light of significant new information without specifying what the information is.

Amid the partygate allegations that a number of rule-breaking gatherings occurred in the centre of the Conservative government during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus lockdowns, it emerged in January that Starmer was pictured having a beer in the office of Mary Foy, Labour MP for the City of Durham, at around 10 p.m. on April 30, 2021, when indoor mixing between households was banned under CCP virus rules.

The rules at the timeintroduced by the Conservative government and passed Parliament with the support of Labour and other partiesstipulated that colleagues can gather in larger groups or meet indoors where it is necessary for your work, adding, This does not include social gatherings with work colleagues.

Starmer said the team was working late on an election campaign and had to order takeaway before resuming work as restaurants were closed.

Durham Constabulary cleared Starmer and his team in February but said on Wednesday that it was considering the case after receiving a number of recent communications.

It was revealed last week that Conservative MP Richard Holden had written to Durham police on April 22 asking it to re-examine the case, 10 days after the Metropolitan Police issued fines to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and others earlier over a birthday get-together for Johnson ahead of a Cabinet meeting on June 19, 2020.

In a statement on Friday, a spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: Earlier this year, Durham Constabulary carried out an assessment as to whether COVID-19 regulations had been breached at a gathering in Durham City on April 30, 2021. At that time, it was concluded that no offence had been established and therefore no further action would be taken.

Following the receipt of significant new information over recent days, Durham Constabulary has reviewed that position, the spokesman said, adding that as the local elections on May 5 had concluded, the force can confirm that an investigation into potential breaches of COVID-19 regulations relating to this gathering is now being conducted.

Labour said its obviously happy to answer any questions there are but remains clear that no rules were broken.

Labour previously said Deputy Leader Angela Rayner was not present at the event in Durham, but Starmer confirmed on Sunday that Rayner was present, saying his party made a genuine mistake.
Unruly Air Passenger Incidents Decline Significantly After Mask Mandate Suspension

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday reported a sharp decline in unruly air passenger incidents just one week after a federal transportation mask mandate was vacated by a federal judge.

According to data released by the FAA, there were 1.9 incidents per 10,000 flights for the week ending April 24, compared to 4.4 reported incidents per 10,000 flights in the prior week.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDCs) mask mandate for airplanes and other forms of public transportation on April 18, saying the rule exceeded the agencys statutory authority because its implementation violated administrative law.

The FAA said the average rate in the last three months of 2020 was 2.45 incidents per 10,000 flights. Some airline officials had predicted the number of unruly passenger incidents would fall sharply when the mandate was lifted.

The decrease in incidents also comes as former FAA administrator Steve Dickson implemented a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passenger behavior in January 2021. The policy has led to numerous hefty fines instead of warning letters or counseling that were used in previous policies.

Last month, the FAA said that its zero-tolerance policy will become permanent even after the mask mandate was lifted. The policy has decreased the rate of unruly passenger incidents by nearly 60 percent, the agency said in a statement.

The FAA will continue to work with its airline, labor, airport and security and law enforcement partners to continue driving down the number of incidents, it said.

Airlines had reported a high number of incidents since early 2021more than 1,000 this year alone. About 70 percent of them involved passengers who refused to wear a mask.

Since January this year, the FAA has proposed approximately $2 million in fines, the agency said in mid-April. Among those civil penalties are its largest-ever fines against two passengers over alleged disorderly behavior on airliners.

About 80 unruly airplane passengers have been referred to the FBI for potential criminal prosecution.

In one latest case, a 23-year-old man who was restrained in his seat with tape after groping and assaulting flight attendants during a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami last year was sentenced on May 3 to 60 days in prison.

Maxwell Berry of Ohio had pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and initially faced up to 18 months in prison. The incident was captured in cellphone videos that went viral, bringing attention to the risks faced by flight attendants due to a growing number of unruly passenger incidents.

In an emailed statement, Berrys lawyer Jason Kreiss said the incident was truly an aberration in his clients life and hes a really good kid from a great family who was punished for his worst day.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
US Coast Guard Returns 49 Migrants to Cuba Following Interceptions Off Florida Keys

By Omar Rodriguez Ortiz

From Miami Herald

MIAMIThe U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday returned 49 people to Cuba after stopping four vessels off the Florida Keys.

Three of the four boats carrying Cubans were spotted in the span of half an hour on Sunday morning, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

At 10:30 a.m. Sunday, a Coast Guard crew found a rustic vessel about 2.5 miles southeast of Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, according to the agency. Just 10 minutes later, a crew detected another boat 23 miles south of Long Keyand 20 minutes after that another crew stopped a boat taking on water 16 miles south off Key West.

A fourth boat had been located earlier, at 8:20 a.m. Friday about 30 miles south of Key West, the Coast Guard said.

When our crews arrive on scene, no one is wearing a life jacket and the vessel is usually taking on water because these rustic, unsafe vessels are built with anything that floats, said Petty Officer Nicole J. Groll, a Coast Guard District Seven spokeswoman. These voyages are dangerous and the risk for loss of life is great.

The Coast Guard tallies the number of migrants detained by fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 of the following year. Since Oct. 1 of last year, Coast Guard crews have stopped 1,556 Cuban migrants compared to:

5,396 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2016

1,468 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2017

259 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2018

313 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2019

49 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2020

838 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2021

2022 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Virgin Atlantic Flight Turns Back Mid-Air After It Emerged Pilot Was Still in Training

A Virgin Atlantic flight headed to New York was forced to turn back to London after it emerged one of the pilots hadnt completed the airlines final internal flying test.

The Airbus A330which can carry nearly 300 passengerswas ordered to return to Londons Heathrow Airport on Monday about 40 minutes into the flight bound for New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport after the pilots became aware of a rostering error.

Due to a rostering error, flight VS3 from London Heathrow to New York-JFK returned to Heathrow on Monday, May 2 shortly after take-off, a spokesman for the British air carrier told the Daily Mail in a statement.

The qualified first officer, who was flying alongside an experienced captain, was replaced with a new pilot to ensure full compliance with Virgin Atlantics training protocols, which exceed industry standards, he said.

Both pilots havent breached any aviation or safety regulations and were fully qualified to fly under UK protocols, but they didnt meet the companys internal training protocols, a company spokeswoman told the New York Post in an email.

The pairing of pilots was not in breach of any aviation or safety regulations, but it wasnt compliant with Virgin Atlantics internal training protocols, hence our decision to turn back, said Grace Peatey.

The flights first officeror co-pilotis meant to support the captain with communication and assistance during the flight.

The co-pilot hadnt completed a final assessment yet that is part of the airlines protocols. The captain had also not been designated as a trainer and was not qualified to fly with a co-pilot that hadnt completed this final flying test.

Passengers on the flight arrived at New Yorks JFK two hours and 40 minutes later than scheduled after the first officer was replaced with a new pilot, the spokesman said, also offering apologies on behalf of the company for any inconvenience caused to our customers.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said Virgin Atlantic has made the statutory corporation aware of the incident. The UK aviation regulator also confirmed that both pilots were suitably licensed and qualified to undertake the flight.

None of the passengers were compensated for the flights delay because it is only payable if a flight arrives four hours late and if the company is held responsible, according to the Daily Mail.

From NTD News
White House Defends Planned Left-Wing Protest at Homes of Supreme Court Justices

The White House on May 5 defended the right of left-wing pro-abortion activists to protest at the homes of six conservative Supreme Court Justices, and avoided characterizing them as extreme, with outgoing press secretary Jen Psaki instead calling for peaceful protest.

After the leak on Monday of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion legal across the entire United States, protests erupted by progressive pro-abortion activists whom Psaki described as being outraged.

Barricades were erected around the Supreme Court and security was beefed up around the Justices.

Tall, heavy barricades surround the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on May 5, 2022. (Jackson Elliot/The Epoch Times)

Further, the left-wing organization Ruth Sent Us posted the supposed addresses of six conservative Justices and called for a walk-by protest on May 11.

At the homes of the six extremist justices, three in Virginia and three in Maryland. If youd like to join or lead a peaceful protest, let us know, the groups website states.

The group also calls for, and offers to pay, muralists and chalk artists to join the protests.

Psaki conveyed President Joe Bidens wishes that any protests remained peaceful but stopped short of characterizing them as extreme. This is while Biden on May 4 characterized a spectrum of the GOPwhat he called the MAGA crowdas the most extreme political organization in recent American history.

The president, for all those women, men, others, who feel outraged, who feel scared, who feel concerned, he hears them. He shares that concern and horror at what he saw in that draft opinion, she told reporters, noting that it wasnt a final opinion.

Pro-abortion protestors shout before the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on May 4, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Bidens direct message to anybody feeling frustrated by the Supreme Courts draft opinion, Psaki said, is to participate in peaceful protest.

Ensure its peaceful. Have your voice heard peacefully. We should not be resorting to violence in any way, shape, or form. Thats certainly what he would be conveying, she said.

Psaki declined to say if Biden also viewed the left-wing activists who are planning protests at the homes of the Justices as extreme.

Peaceful protest? No. Peaceful protest is not extreme, Psaki said.

Our view here is that peaceful protesttheres a long history in the United States, in the country, of that. And we certainly encourage people to keep it peaceful and not resort to any level of violence, she went on to say, referring to the walk-by protest.
With Elon Musk buying Twitter, everyone keeps asking the question: Will Donald Trump be allowed back on the platform? Meanwhile, a federal judge strikes down the mask mandate for public transportation, fentanyl smuggling across the border skyrockets under President Joe Biden, a Rhode Island bill would double the taxes of those who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, and a gang member vows to tattoo the name of the Los Angeles County district attorney on his face, and much more.

* Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List.

Follow EpochTV on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus

Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/EpochTV

Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@EpochTV

Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtv

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus

Gab: https://gab.com/EpochTV

Telegram: https://t.me/EpochTV
My first ever journalism experience was John Krulls reporting and interviewing class. On the first day he walked in and matter-of-factly told
ALBANY  Community activists and lawmakers traveled to a rural courthouse Friday in western New York to weigh in on the shape of the state's political district maps, and to ask a judge for more opportunities for the public to be heard.

The state judge overseeing the redrawing of New York's congressional and state Senate districts scheduled just one public hearing on the matter before the maps are due to be finalized May 20.

Anyone who wanted to speak publicly on the issue could either file something with the court in writing, or appear in person Friday in Judge Patrick McAllister's courtroom in Bath, New York, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Rochester.

The court is working on a tight timeline to get the maps done after the state's highest court ruled that previous versions drawn by the Democrat-controlled legislature were unconstitutional.

Jonathan Cervas, a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University's Institute for Politics and Strategy, faces a May 16 deadline to release his first draft of the replacement maps.

"We urge you to have more hearings, particularly after the map is released," Esmeralda Simmons, special pro bono counsel to the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, said at Friday's hearing. "We want you to know that New Yorkers deserve to be heard, and they are gonna wanna be heard."

Earlier this week, McAllister declined requests that he let people testify at the hearing remotely, saying that his court lacked the capability to allow large numbers of people to do so.

"Regrettably I am not able to provide a remote option that allows for everyone throughout the state to appear and comment," the judge wrote in a May 3 letter to New York Civic Engagement Table Director Melody Lopez. "But, a person can appear and testify in person."

The judge said the court will be reviewing records from hearings held by the state's independent redistricting commission last fall.

That commission's effort to redraw political district boundaries  something required every 10 years  collapsed because of partisan gridlock.

The Legislature then passed its own maps without any public input or hearings like the one held by the judge Friday.

Angel Vasquez, a Democrat running for state Senate in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood, urged the court to consider some of the committee's discarded proposals.

The court has ordered the state's primary elections for state Senate and the U.S. House moved to Aug. 23, from their originally planned date on June 28, so that there will be enough time to redraw the maps. State officials have asked a federal judge to approve the shift.

On Wednesday, former Democratic candidate Gary Greenberg filed a lawsuit asking McAllister to toss and order new state Assembly maps and delay Assembly races until August 23 as well.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri's Republican-led Legislature on Friday passed a roughly $48 billion state budget packed with extra funding for teacher pay, school busing, Medicaid and public colleges and universities.

The budget package earned largely bipartisan support, although some Republicans criticized spending so much money on government programs.

GOP heartburn over the uptick in spending was somewhat eased with a $500 million tax refund added to the budget Thursday.

Middle-income taxpayers are slated to get tax credits up to $1,000 for married couples filing jointly or $500 for single adults under the proposal, although the exact amount available per taxpayer is unclear and also depends on individuals' tax liability.

This is giving money back to taxpayers when were in a situation where we have too much of it, House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith said.

Under the program, refunds would go only to individuals earning less than $150,000 and couples making less than $300,000 annually. Refunds will be prorated, meaning taxpayers might not get the full amount if enough people qualify.

People must pay taxes to be eligible for a refund. In practice, people would receive a $1 refund for each $1 of tax owed until their tax bill reaches the refund limit of $500.

Other provisions in the budget include a new program to raise teacher pay to a minimum of $38,000 a year, with the state kicking in 70% of those costs if local school districts agree to pitch in the other 30%.

Parents and other caregivers could get up to $1,500 in grants or reimbursements to pay for tutoring and other resources to help K-12 students catch up after falling behind during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers bulked up funding to fully pay the state's share of public K-12 busing costs, which have been underfunded since 1991. The extra money could help prevent long walks to school for K-12 students and four-day weeks.

Additional transportation dollars from the state allows school leaders to shift local funds to other high-priority areas to further support students, teachers, and staff," Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said in a statement.

Public four-year colleges and universities are set to get a 5.5% funding increase, along with tens of millions more for construction projects at university and college campuses across the state.

Republican lawmakers caved and included money to pay for Medicaid expansion under the terms of the 2010 federal health care law signed by former President Barack Obama, as approved by Missouri taxpayers in 2020.

Despite voter approval, GOP lawmakers  who have cautioned against promising more people health care without knowing whether the state will be able to afford it  continued to fight the expansion, refusing to fund it last year.

They conceded after a judge last year ordered Republican Gov. Mike Parsons administration to allow newly eligible adults to enroll.

Republicans once again also banned any public funding from going to Planned Parenthood centers, including clinics that do not provide abortions.

Lawmakers were able to stop money from going to Planned Parenthood in the 2019 fiscal year by forgoing some federal funding to avoid requirements that the clinics be reimbursed if low-income patients go there for birth control, cancer screenings and other preventative care.

But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that lawmakers violated the constitution by making the policy change through the state budget, forcing the state to reimburse Planned Parenthood for health care provided to Medicaid patients.

Republicans have said they're hopeful this year will be different because they're working to pass laws outside the budget banning public funds for abortions. Democrats argued the effort is still unconstitutional.

Yamelsie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, called on Democratic President Joe Biden's administration to step in and enforce federal Medicaid law, which provides for patient access to all willing Medicaid providers.

The Biden administration must put their words into action and enforce the law," she said in a statement.

An Associated Press request for comment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federal Medicaid program, was not immediately returned Friday.

Missouri lawmakers also set aside more money in the upcoming budget for in-home care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as $12 million more for opioid addiction treatment programs.

About $250 million in one-time federal funding will go to grants to expand high-speed internet, plus another $20 million to equip cell towers for broadband, particularly in underserved areas.

___

Associated Press writer David A. Lieb contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NORWALK  Almost three months after former Republican Deputy Registrar of Voters Ellen Wink was arrested and charged with killing her tenant, the party hired a replacement for her vacated role.

Republican Registrar Brian Smith appointed last month Trinetta Ruffin as the new GOP deputy registrar. Ruffin confirmed her appointment, but declined to comment further.

Ruffin, wh has yet to be added to the citys or registrar staff directory, replaces Wink, who was fired in January following her arrest.

According to the Connecticut General Statutes title 9 on elections section 9-192, the partys registrar is responsible for replacing the deputy registrar.

Each registrar of voters immediately after his election shall appoint a deputy registrar of voters to hold office during his pleasure and may, at any time, fill any vacancy in said office, the statute reads.

The deputy registrar is mainly in charge of assisting the registrar of voters in their actions and, when necessary, fill in as registrar, according to the statute.

Quoting the General Statutes, Smith said, In case of death, removal or resignation of the registrar, the deputy shall become registrar and then appoint a deputy.

That was the case with me, Smith said. I was Karen Lyons deputy. She resigned in July 2020 and I became the registrar and appointed a deputy. The registrar has the rite to terminate their deputy at any time as I did in January 2022 and appoint a new deputy, which I have.

Wink was arrested Jan. 20 and charged with murder in the shooting death of her tenant Kurt Puff Lametta.

By Jan. 21, Wink was fired from her role in the citys Registrar of Voters and Elections Administration, Republican Town Committee Chair Fred Wilms said at the time.

According to police reports, Wink and Lametta had a contentious relationship dating back to at least September 2020, when the tenant allegedly stopped paying rent. In September, Wink was arrested after she locked Lametta out of the home and threw away his personal belongings, police said.

Wink was active in the Republican party in Norwalk, previously serving as the city clerk and running for a state representative seat.

Wink was initially held on a $1 million bond. The bond amount was increased to $2.5 million in February following the discovery of a video Lametta filmed on his phone leading up to the shooting, which authorities said contradicts Winks self-defense claim.

The video was sealed by court order at the request of the States Attorneys Office, but details of those final moments were described in a pair of search warrants by Norwalk Police Detective Lindsey Taylor and Lt. Art Weisgerber.

Wink remains in state custody and has not yet entered a plea, according to the state judicial database. No lawyer has yet been appointed to represent Wink, according to the database.

Wink is due in state Superior Court in Stamford on May 25.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Nashville Public Library is responding to library scrutiny in Tennessee with a goal to distribute 5,000 I read banned books library cards this month.

I want Nashvillians to know: Nashville Public Library will always respect your Freedom to Read  to independently determine what you read, and dont read, and to exercise your role in determining what your children read, library Director Kent Oliver said in a news release.
SUPAI, Ariz. (AP)  The Havasupai Tribe deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona has extended the pandemic-prompted closure of its reservation through the 2022 tourism season, the tribe announced Friday.

The reservation renowned for its towering blue-green waterfalls has been closed to visitors since March 2020.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Employers need employees. High school students need jobs. The Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce knows employers. Triad High School knows students. So, the first High School Student Job Fair was born. The event was held Wednesday at Triad.

This event concept came together in about 30 minutes, said Dawn Mushill, Executive Director of Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce. I think we all knew there was a need, and it was just a matter of figuring out the logistics.

Figuring out the logistics meant bringing together Triad teachers Todd Grigg and Stephanie Potthast, and Mushill. The Chamber knew they had the member businesses, and the Triad staff knew they had the venue and the students. Putting it on paper and orchestrating the details were next.

First, the students. They were asked to preregister online for the event and submit their general information into the portal provided. Grigg and his staff worked with the students to put together a resume that could be uploaded as well.

Students were also provided links to videos to assist them with more resume tips and interviewing musts. Remember, for most of these students, this will be their first job. The goal was to best prepare them to stand out and have a few skills under their belt prior to the event.

Next, were the employers. The Chamber scanned their membership database for employers who were most interested in students who were 15-18 years of age.

Some employers were a little skeptical as they had recently attended job fairs that had very low attendance. The Chamber assured them that their attendees didnt have any commute to the job fair  that the students were in the same building. That intrigued many to sign up immediately.

There were 30 employers who signed up and were in attendance, and it was estimated that 300 students walked through the doors.

This is just the first of many anticipated events for the future.

Our hope is to put together two High School Student Job Fairs each school year. We will also be reaching out to both Father McGivney and Maryville Christian School to assist with this type of event as well, said Mushill.

The Chambers goal is to bring connections and resources to our members.

For more information about the High School Student Job Fair or the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce, visit www.troymaryvillecoc.com or give them a call at 618-667-8769.
Bogdan Khmelnytskyi/Getty Images/iStockphoto

From fuel to staff shortages, there's probably a lot of plausible reasons that contribute to the cost of air travel in the United States.

Yet a new study from Net Credit shows it really depends on where you're flying out of that can make a difference for that domestic flight you're taking for your trip.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee will soon strictly regulate the dispensing of abortion pills, including imposing harsh penalties on doctors who violate them, under legislation recently signed into law by Republican Gov. Bill Lee.

The measure, which Lee signed on Thursday, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023. Once enacted, a medical clinician will be required to be physically present when abortion pills are administered to a patient even though federal regulations now allow mail delivery nationwide.

The issue has become even more important as the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as suggested through a recently leaked draft opinion. Notably, Tennessee is among the 13 states with a so-called trigger law that would make abortion illegal should Roe be overturned.

To date, 19 states have placed strict restrictions on accessing medication abortion. Under the Tennessee version, delivery of abortion pills by mail would be outlawed and anyone who wanted to use abortion pills would be required to visit a doctor in advance and then return to pick up the pills.

The drugs may be dispensed only by qualified physicians  which would include barring pharmacists from doing so. Violators would face a Class E felony and up to a $50,000 fine.

However, according to abortion law experts, its an unsettled question whether states can restrict access to abortion pills in the wake of the the Food and Drug Administration's decision earlier this year to no longer require women to pick up the abortion medication in person. The move allowed millions of American women to get a prescription via an online consultation and receive the pills through the mail.

The general rule is that federal law preempts conflicting state law, Laura Hermer, a professor at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, recently told The Associated Press.

No lawsuit has been filed challenging Tennessee's newly enacted restrictions.

Meanwhile, the in-person requirement had long been opposed by medical societies, including the American Medical Association, which said the restriction offers no clear benefit to patients

Use of abortion pills has been rising in the U.S. since 2000 when the FDA approved mifepristone  the main drug used in medication abortions. More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills, rather than surgery, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.

Two drugs are required. The first, mifepristone, blocks a hormone needed to maintain a pregnancy. A second drug, misoprostol, taken one to two days later, empties the uterus. Both drugs are available as generics and are also used to treat other conditions.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Changan Autos premium new energy vehicle brand AVATR announced that its valuation has surged to RMB6.26 billion ($938.16 million), soaring nearly 700% from before.

Photo credit: AVATR



This marked AVATRs second time to publicly disclose its valuation after its initial capital increase on November 5th, 2021. The companys then valuation was RMB788.2 million ($118.12 million).

The Changan Auto-CATL-HUAWEI-backed high-end intelligent electric vehicle brand debuted in November 2021. Since February 22nd, 2022, the company has been working on a new round of capital increase,which has been completed on March 25th.

After the transactions, AVATR transformed into a joint venture from a Changan Auto subsidiary. The companys business reports will no longer be included in Changan Autos statements.

Moreover, after the transactions, Changan Autos stake in AVATR was diluted from 95.38% to 39.02%. With a 23.99% stake, CATL has become its second-largest shareholder. Notably, NIOs stake in AVATR was also diluted from 4.62% to 1.13%, due to the lack of participation in the round of capital increase.

In addition, AVATR added that it has kicked off its Series A financing round, and it has plans for an IPO in the future.
Editors Note: In recognition of National Historic Preservation Month, local historian Cindy Reinhardt tells the stories behind some of Edwardsvilles historic buildings in a series of eight articles in the month of May.

Most long-time Edwardsville residents still think of this storefront as the Yonaka building since the landmark jewelry store occupied the building from 1959-2002, but the story of this building goes back nearly a century before Yonaka moved their business to the building.

It was built in 1865 for Ernst Gottlob Gaiser, a successful Edwardsville merchant who was originally from Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1832. He arrived in America in October 1854. Its not known why he chose Edwardsville as a place to settle, but by 1857 he had arrived in Madison County where he married Catherine Henickele. The 1860 census indicates he was already well established as a local merchant less than six years after his arrival in America. In 1865, he bought three building lots at the corner of South Main and East Vandalia Streets from George and Mary Lusk. The three lots faced South Main Street, but he chose to have his new corner building face East Vandalia instead. That same year, 1865, it became the first building on the block and a new location for his dry goods store.

Ernst and Catherine had five children, and after several moved to the Kansas City area, they decided to follow. In 1882, the following advertisement appeared in Edwardsville and St. Louis papers:

For Sale  Or Rent  The place known as Gaisers, in Edwardsville, Ill., being a corner lot 150 x 150, with two-story brick store and dwelling and two one-story frame buildings, stable, etc.; one square (block) from Court House and Wabash Railroad depot and four squares from Cincinnati, Toledo and St. Louis Railroad depot (later known as the Nickel Plate). One of the best stands in town.

In the end, he sold the business and the property to his oldest son, Charles A. Gaiser, who already had an insurance business in the building. Six years later, Charles sold the property to lumberman John Stolze. Charles later became a securities broker in New York City.

The Stolze sale included the building as well as property that stretched east to the alley. Stolze added three more storefronts (two buildings) along East Vandalia next to Gaisers original store. The Stolze Block includes the storefront where Stagger Inn Again is currently located. Like the Gaiser building, the new buildings both had businesses on the ground floor and apartments or rooms on the second floor.

The Gaiser building continued as a dry goods business for a while, but then had several different businesses including a meat market, Broadway Implement, and numerous short-term auto dealerships and garages in the 1920s. In December 1930, the Kroger Grocery and Baking Company moved in. They had previously been about a block away on Vandalia in a smaller storefront. An earlier store, at 204 N. Main St. continued in business even after the Gaiser Building store opened. Edwardsville continued to have two Kroger groceries until they built a new and larger store at 114 Hillsboro Ave. in 1950. The Vandalia and Main Street stores closed when the new store opened in the building that is now Edwardsvilles City Hall.

Through most of the 1950s the Vandalia Street building, along with the storefront next door, were Schaefers Railroad Salvage and Supply Company which sold canned goods, paint, hardware, appliances and numerous other items were sold there. Railroad salvage stores were what are called overstock stores today.

Then, in a dramatic change of merchandise, the storefront went from discount goods to diamonds when Yonaka Jewelry Store arrived. Yonakas was founded by Clarence Yonaka in 1947 and originally was located at 112 N. Main St. In December 1959, the store celebrated a grand opening at 100 E. Vandalia St. In addition to jewelry and watches, the store carried fine china, silver, glassware, and gift items. It was truly a family affair with their daughter and two grandchildren joining them in the business. Many in Edwardsville can remember visiting Yonakas for special occasions, engagements, EHS class rings and more.

Since Yonaka Jewelry Store closed in 2002, there have been numerous tenants at 100 E. Vandalia St. The building also has new owners who in 2015 restored/renovated the building, preserving the historical character of the building as much as possible. Its construction date of 1865 makes this building one of the oldest commercial buildings in Edwardsville.
Offer a personal message of congratulations...

You'll find individual Guest Books on the page with each announcement. By sharing a positive thought you add happiness to the lives of those who are reaching a new life milestone. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On May 6th, Chinese automaker SERES released an announcement about an upcoming price increase on its HUAWEI Smart Selection SF5 model.

SF5; photo credit: SERES

In line with other automakers in China, SERES explained that the company was also encumbered by the skyrocketing prices of upstream raw materials. Therefore, it decided to lift the prices of its HUAWEI Smart Selection SF5 model, effective on May 6th.

Specifically, with an increase of RMB20,000 ($2,993), the two-wheel-drive SF5 has an adjusted price of RMB236,800 ($35,440). At the same time, the four-wheel-drive SF5 saw its price grow to RMB266,800 ($39,929). Users who have placed orders before May 6th are not subjective to the price hike.

M7; photo credit: AITO



Additionally, HUAWEI and SERES cooperative auto brand, AITO, is on track to introduce its second production model, the AITO M7. Pictures of the M7 were unveiled by the Road Power-Driven Vehicle Manufacturing Enterprises and Products catalogue released by the MIIT (the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology).

The vehicle is positioned as a six-seater full-size SUV, and is larger than the M5. The M7 is powered by a 1.5T four-cylinder turbo charging range extender and HUAWEIs electric motor.
Veteran Nollywood comic actor, Chiwetalu Agu, has expressed appreciation for life after surviving a series of alleged spiritual attacks.

He revealed he almost died from a spiritual attack but God saved him.

Sharing his experience on social media , he said several arrows were shot at him spiritually, ranging from nails, keys, cowries, bullets, and mirrors.

According to him, the prophet who brought the objects out of his chest told him they were sent to his body by his enemies to kill him.

He reiterated his faith in God was his staying power. In his words, " a person who stands and believes in God can never be harmed by the evil ones, no matter how powerful their weapons are, and l am a living example of this.

What I see myself is like an agent of the Lord, to help humanity, to save those I can save from being killed by the enemy just as God has saved me from being killed by these people, he stated.

Ichie Chiwetalu Agu trend online after his Biafra costume caught the attention of Nigerian soldiers who arrested him for questioning. He was later released with apologies from the commanding officer in charge. He is a multi-talented filmmaker know for his indigenous slangs.

Some fans have reacted to his post. A user Cupid replies, The heart of a man is desperately wicked indeed. May God continue to protect us from harm. Amen!

Another react thus: "So gullible to believe what a fake prophet says. Thats why Nigeria is backwards and can never develop. Take out religion and you will see how the country will improve. "
No fewer than thirty Nigerian citizens have been reportedly nabbed in Saudi Arabia for displaying campaign posters of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the holy mosque of Kaaba.

The Nigerians who were on Umrah pilgrimage, were arrested by the Saudi police as they lifted up Tinubu's posters while walking around the Kaaba.

A source revealed that the arrest happened after the month of Ramadan, shortly before the Eid-El-Fitr (Sallah) celebration.

An eyewitness, Murtala Adamu Jega, a Nigerian who also performed Umrah at the time said; `` I'm a witness; I saw them lift Bola Tinubu's posters at the holy Kaaba.

"This is despicable. Instead of them to devout precious time to pray for peace to return to our country, 30 men made a mockery of our nation by lifting up a politician's posters in the holy place. Thank God, Saudi authorities were swift to have arrested them right there and then," he said.

Zainab Abdullahi, another Nigerian who was at the mosque, noted that; "the scenario was a very bad representation of Nigeria's image before the world, and I think politicians must desist from this bad behaviour".

Meanwhile, a Saudi Arabian source said those arrested would be convicted to face the law.

A renowned Islamic Cleric in Nigeria, Sheik Nura Khalid, commended the Saudi authorities for the arrest, saying, "Lifting up a politician's posters in the holy Kaaba has contravened Islamic traditions."
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Guangzhou Greater Bay Technology Co., Ltd. ("Greater Bay Technology", orGBT), which specializes in the production, development and sales of super-fast charge lithium batteries, announced on May 5 it bagged nearly 1 billion yuan ($149.894 million) in the A funding round, which attracted such investors as Borun Capital, Nan Yue Fund, Tencent Investment, Canton Financial Investment, and Xidea.



Photo credit: GBT



Upon completion of the aforesaid financing round, GBT will continue to step up the R&D of the super-fasting charging technology XFC (eXtreme Fast Charging), speed up expanding the production capacity of the XFC batteries, and promote the deployment of the XFC ecosystem, said the company.

To be specific, GBT will vigorously push ahead with the construction of the first-phase production base and the R&D center at its headquarters, and the building of the production capacity co-developed with partners. The company expects to add an annual production capacity of 8GWh XFC batteries next year, which would be able to serve around 120,000 NEVs.

Founded in Sept. 2020, GBT is the first high-tech company incubated by GAC Group with private investors taking the controlling stake. It is dedicated to the R&D, production, sales, and services of the XFC power batteries, and the next-generation high-performance energy storage devices and systems.

According to the business data inquiry platform Tianyancha, prior to the newly-unveiled A round, GBT had already closed two funding roundsthe Angel and the Pre-A rounds.

The company developed its XFC technology in April 2021 and installed it on GAC Motor's AION V PLUS EV in Sept. 2021, a sign that the technology has gone into volume production.
The Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun State Command, Commandant Emmanuel Ocheja joined other Service Commanders in Osun State to honour the retiring Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Osun State Command, Comptroller of Immigration Service (CIS) Samira Malomo Abdallah, psc, pcc, as she bows out of service.

The pull out parade which was held in her honour took place on the 5th May, 2022, at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Osun State Command headquarters at Ogo Oluwa, Osogbo the State Capital.

Commandant Ocheja describes CIS Abdallah as a hardworking woman who joyfully carried out the mandate of her Service and has made fantastic contributions in the cause of her career.

Commandant Emmanuel Ocheja wishes the retiring Nigeria Immigration Comptroller, CIS Abdallah sound health to enjoy her retirement and God's blessings in her future endeavours.

E-SIGNED

ASCII Atanda Olabisi

Public Relations Officer

Nigeria Security and Civll Defence Corps

Osun State Command.

For the State Commandant.


The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo paid a courtesy visit to Anambra chapter of the party. The purpose of the visit is in lieu of his presidential ambition come 2023 elections.

However, journalists were bared from live coverage of the events, allowing only the media aides of the VP in the hall of the meeting.

All efforts to hear from the state Chairman or high profile individual of the party proved abortive.

The vice presidential train left the premises headed for another occasion at Enugu.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, in Abakiliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, vowed to protect innocent and hardworking Nigerians from terrorists and those causing chaos and breakdown of law and order across the South East region.

Speaking at a meeting with South East leaders, during his two-day State visit to Ebonyi, the President expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the region, reiterating his directive to security agencies to flush out those perpetrating violence in the land.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Femi Adesina, he quoted the President saying; I must register my deep and grave concern with regards to the deteriorating state of security affairs in this region.

In the last 48 hours, I have been informed of the latest in the round of brutal actions carried out by gun-wielding terrorists, who prey on innocent and hardworking citizens, unfortunately, these barbaric acts were visited upon those who have committed their lives to protect their fellow citizens.

Adeshina noted that President Buhari paid tribute to members of the Nigerian armed forces who recently lost their lives in the region.

``Responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders in the region for the release of the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the President said:

I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.

My worry is for our hardworking and innocent civilians, for whom life is already tough and would like to earn a decent and honest living.

There are many that fit this profile and the government owes them that obligation to protect lives and property.

I will once again repeat, no one has the right to carry an AK-47, and anyone seen in any part of the country doing so and is not a law enforcement officer is a threat to our peaceful coexistence and should be treated as such, he said.

On infrastructure, the President highlighted some of his governments achievements in the region, dismissing those peddling false narratives of lack of care and consideration for the people of the South East by this administration

The President said he was proud of the reconstruction of the runway of the Akanu Ibiam International airport and ongoing work upgrade of the International Terminal Building, assuring Ndigbo that the N200 billion Second Niger Bridge and 10km six-lane expressway in Onitsha and Asaba will be completed before the end of the year.

He added that the 5.5 million dollars Diagnostic Centre in Umuahia is already operational.

In his remarks, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi said President Buhari would be remembered as a man who did not use the plight of the people of the South East to play politics but came to their rescue severally.

The Governor urged Southern leaders to work towards finding a political solution in resolving some challenging issues, warning that the region is at crossroads.

On this issue of a political solution, I have never believed in IPOBs method of operation, I disagree with them but we have gotten ourselves to a very terrible and pitiable solution.

Some of us warned that we will get to this situation and some were playing politics with it.

Mr. President, we are at crossroads. I have been to you and I have begged you for a political solution. Surprisingly and graciously you granted that. You said our people should initiate that and at the forefront is Nnamdi Kanus lawyer.

The Governor, therefore, urged the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo to meet with elder statesman, Mbazuluike Amaechi, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South East, the Chairman of South East Traditional Rulers Council, Nnamdi Kanus lawyer and few others to initiate the political solution.

On the 2023 elections, the Governor said he believed strongly in the demand for the presidency to be zoned to the South East region on the basis of fairness, equity, justice and morality.

Umahi, who is also a presidential aspirant, commended some leaders from outside the region for expressing their support for the next president of Nigeria to emerge from the South East.

The Chairman of South East Traditional Rulers, Eze Charles Mkpuma and CAN Chairman, South East, Very Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, also spoke in favour of President of Nigeria of South East extraction come 2023.

The leaders while expressing support for a united Nigeria, appealed to the President to grant pardon and release the IPOB leader, urging other agitators to cease all forms of hostilities,`` the statement read.
Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized over 1,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice in seized imported 12 trucks of the product from India contain a toxic malleable metallic element (lead).

The acting Comptroller, Hussein Ejibunu, who disclosed this in Lagos, said the truckload of rice totalling about 7,259 bags were smuggled into the country through the Republic of Benin.

According to him, after the seizure, a laboratory test was conducted by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which revealed that over 1,000 bags branded SIMBA contained lead, thereby making them poisonous to human consumption.

Ejibunu further said apart from the negative economic impact of importing foreign rice into the country, some of the imported rice is unhealthy for human consumption.

He thherefore advised consumers to desist from patronising foreign parboiled rice.

He said other items seized by the unit include 55,800 litres of PMS, 73 bales of used clothes, 82 units of used fridges, 104 pieces of compressors, 143 bales of new textile and 1,264 pieces of used tyres. Others are 156 cartons of frozen poultry, 7,960 pairs of new shoes, 240 pieces of ladies purses, 93 cartons of tin tomato, 11 pieces of used rugs and two units of foreign used vehicles with a duty paid value of N533 million.

The acting controller noted that 12 suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures and various customs offences.

He added that following a series of diligent checks on some initially-cleared cargoes, demand notices were raised to N111 million, which was collected as revenue for the Federal Government.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, today Friday, May 6, 2022 visited Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo at the Governor's Lodge in Amawbia.

Welcoming the Vice President to Anambra State, Governor Soludo remarked that the government and people of Anambra State were delighted to receive him in the State.

He commended the Vice President for his exemplary leadership role as the chairman of National Economic Council and in other areas where he has acted on behalf of Mr President.

Governor Soludo again called on the Progressives in the country irrespective of party affiliation to form a coalition in building a better and stronger nation.

He emphasised that once Nigeria and the federating States work, the country will ultimately be better for it.

On insecurity, Governor Soludo solicited the federal government's assistance in tackling insecurity in the State.

He commended the Armed Forces and other security agencies for working very hard to keep the country safe and secured.

He also used the occasion to brief the Vice President on his administration's urban regeneration efforts, road and traffic management as well as other programmes the State Government is embarking on.

Responding, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo expressed gratitude to Governor Soludo for the warm reception accorded to him and his entourage.

He described Governor Soludo as an asset to Nigeria whose advice he had always sought on economic issues.

Vice President Osinbajo reassured Governor Soludo of sustaining the existing partnership between Anambra State and the Federal government in tackling insecurity in the State.

He reiterated that issues about security remains the first order of business stressing that President Buhari has recently re-engineered the security architecture and assured that the strategic moves will soon begin to yield the desired result.

Present at the occasion were the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Ernest Ezeajughi and other top government functionaries.
Presidential aspirants and leaders of the All Progressives Congress in South West met on Friday and reached agreement to ensure that the presidential candidate of the party emerges from the region.

A former National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, who spoke to journalists at the end of a meeting with presidential aspirants from the zone on Friday night in Lagos State, stated that they have reached an agreement.

He said the South-West APC presidential aspirants, governors and other leaders are united ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The party stalwarts and aspirants also agreed to talk to themselves and the public with absolute decorum.

In his words, We are united as we will ensure that the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come to the South-West.

We had a fruitful discussion. We also resolved that everybody should maintain absolute decorum because we are united.

Those present at the meeting were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.

The governors included Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.

Also present at the meeting were the Ministers of Works and Housing, Trade and Industry and Investment, and Interior, Messrs Babatunde Fashola, Adeniyi Adebayo and Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola respectively.

Other APC leaders at the meeting were Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun; Chief Iyiola Omisore, the APC National Secretary; Otunba Moses Adeyemo, former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and Chief Pius Akinyelure, former National Vice Chairman of APC, South-West Zone among others.
Anutin favours ending Thailand Pass for Thai returnees

BANGKOK: Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul plans to propose ending the Thailand Pass system initially for returning Thais, and later also for foreigners.

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthtourismVaccine

By Bangkok Post

Friday 6 May 2022, 08:37AM

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul favours ending the Thailand Pass system for Thai returnees. Photo: File / Bangkok Post

Anutin, also deputy prime minister, said yesterday (May 5) that coronavirus-related deaths had gradually declined, as predicted by the Department of Disease Control.

The hospital bed occupancy rate was just 20%, which meant the country had enough doctors, medicine and beds to treat COVID-19 infected patients. Infections among people returning from abroad was only 0.001%, he said.

The health ministry would continue monitoring the COVID-19 situation for now, reports the Bangkok Post. If the situation could be controlled, more restrictions would be eased in preparation for the declaration of COVID-19 as an endemic disease, Anutin said.

He planned to propose to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) that the Thailand Pass system be scrapped for Thai returnees. Later, this could be expanded to include foreign visitors.

Anutin was speaking after a meeting with senior officials of the Public Health Ministry.

Whether the emergency decree should be extended or not was for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the CCSA to decide, he said.

In his view, the imposition of the emergency decree was not a problem because it made it easier to control the disease. If COVID-19 was declared endemic, the emergency decree may no longer be necessary. The public health system was at readiness, and it was not necessary to rely on the enforcement of a law to control the disease.

He urged people to get fully vaccinated in accordance with the governments goal, because in less than two months COVID-19 disease would likely be declared endemic. Full vaccination would help reduce the severity of the disease and the number of deaths, he said.
Flash flood, rough sea warning issued for Phuket

PHUKET: Officials have issued a new weather alert for Phuket and other provinces along the Andaman coast as wet days are forecast to continue through May 7-9.

marineweatherSafety

By The Phuket News

Saturday 7 May 2022, 02:54AM

Flash flood, wild water flow and high waves warning warning as posted by Phuket Info Center. Image: Phuket Info Center

The updated weather warning, posted last night (May 6) by Phuket Info Center, now mentions possible flash floods and "wild water flows" as well as includes the traditional warning for sailors.

As forecast, during the next 24 hours strong easterly and southeasterly wind would prevail over the Gulf of Thailand and Southern Thailand. In addition, an intense low pressure cell is now covering the central Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. This can cause heavy rainfalls in some areas in the Southern region. People in the region should beware of the dangers of heavy rains and accumulated rainfall which can cause water flows and flash floods, Phuket Info Center said citing Public Relations Region 5 Office.

Waves in the Andaman Sea can rise to two metres high and even higher in thunderstorm areas. Boat operators in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand should proceed with caution and avoid sailing in thunderstorm areas.

The intense low pressure cell covering the central Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea tends to intensify into a cyclone and will move to cover the Upper Bay of Bengal during May 7-9, the warning concluded.
Sa Ton Pho protest disbands on officials promises to uphold promises

PHUKET: The people of the Sa Ton Pho community, rendered homeless through government policy, disbanded their camp last night and left their camp site set up in front of Phuket Provincial Hall.

landeconomicspolitics

By The Phuket News

Friday 6 May 2022, 10:27AM

The confirmation came through an unusually early report posted by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) this morning (May 6).

The report gave no indication of where the people are now seeking refuge.

The gathering, number 78 people from 23 households, set up camp in front of the B486 million Provincial Hall, which officially opened only last November, to protest being evicted from unused state land in Rassada by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO).

The reason given for the eviction was that the land had not been officially designated for habitation by residents.

The eviction, enacted by legal means, not physical force, had left the community homeless, explained Chonthee Changruenkul, coordinator of the Phuket Community Rights Development Network.

The campsite protest was to highlight the communitys plight, long ignored by local officials despite a Cabinet resolution in 2010, he added.

The communitys needs were heard yet again by Phuket officials yesterday.

The group was represented during a protest in front of Phuket Provincial Hall in March, calling for the Phuket Provincial Government to finally take some action to uphold national government directives already approved to provide a means for poor people to be able to legally reside somewhere.

That protest highlighted that Phuket officials had taken no action on the national policy despite Governor Narong Woonciew signing the provincial order enacting the policy provisions at provincial level in Phuket on Feb 1 this year.

Yet, Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrabam yesterday delivered no promises other than that officials will continue to meet and discuss the issue.

However, that was enough to convince the group to disband the protest, said the PR Phuket report this morning.

Of note, the protest was proving to be an ugly blight in front of Phuket officials grand new home of administration.

Discussions yesterday led to the suggestion that the residents be allowed to live on unused state land near Saphan Hin controlled by Phuket City Municipality.

Provincial officials will meet with Phuket City Municipality next week to discuss the proposal, Vice Governor Anupap said yesterday.

Part of the agreement hammered out in the talks between Mr Chantree and Vice Governor Anupap yesterday was that Phuket officials will designate an area for the community to live, in line with an MoU already brokered by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) with the Phuket Provincial Government  and signed the Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR).

Of note, involved in the talks yesterday were local representatives of the Peoples Social Justice Movement (PMove), a national organisation supporting peoples rights.

Additional reporting Eakkapop Thongtub
Tourists urged to respect local shrines

PHUKET: Tourists are being urged to show more respect at shrines set up at local venues after a foreign woman sat at an altar for incense and offerings at a popular market on the outskirts of Phuket Town, ignorant of where she was sitting while fully engaged with her mobile phone.

culturereligiontourism

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 6 May 2022, 11:25AM

A Thai visitor to the market waits to pay her respects at the shrine while a young female tourists sits at the altar fully engaged with her mobile phone. Image: supplied via Eakkapop Thongtub

The need for tourists to be more respectful came to the fore after a young foreign woman sat at the Phra Phrom shrine, honouring Brahma, at the Chillva Market on Yaowarat Rd, near the Samkong Intersection.

A video of the woman was posted on TikTok on Wednesday, raising concerns among local residents.

The woman is seen sitting at the altar in front of the shrine, oblivious to a woman who had come to pay her respects. After minutes of waiting, the Thai woman asked the young foreign woman to move.

The foreign woman finally realised what she had done. She apologised and respectfully moved.

Pussadee Chakmanon, a clothing seller at the market, said that vendors at the market were understanding of the transgression. No one warned her because we understand that she did not know our culture, Ms Pussadee said.

Wirot Somchit, another clothing merchant at the market, noted the woman had plugged her phone into a power socket at the altar. She was probably worried her battery was going to run out while talking to her friend, he explained.

Regardless, comments posted after the video of the woman was shown online called for tourists coming to Thailand to be more aware, and more respectful, of local culture.
For affected residents who want to rebuild or start to move on with their lives, cleaning up after the Tunnel Fire's destruction remains an immediate obstacle, so Coconino County and community partners are now mobilizing to assist residents in cleanup efforts.

Coconino County provided some initial cleanup support in the form of publicly available dumpsters placed near affected properties. There are currently 14 dumpsters placed around the neighborhoods, with another 14-17 on the way, said Lucinda Andreani, deputy county manager.

Each dumpster has a capacity of roughly 20,000 lbs.

At least 30 homes were damaged or destroyed by the Tunnel Fire. Early assessments from Coconino County suggest that these properties sustained at least $20 million in damages.

The dumpsters currently on site have been filled and emptied, several times since their placement on April 25, Andreani said.

Between structural wreckage and green waste from burned trees, Andreani expects that millions of pounds of debris will need to be cleared from the fire-impacted neighborhoods. The structural debris in the area is littered with nails, glass, metal and burned drywall, while hazard trees loom and threaten to fall or drop burned branches.

This is dangerous work, Andreani said.

To help tackle the job, the county has entered into partnership with United Way of Northern Arizona, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and Team Rubicon (TR). United Way will deploy volunteers to help with unskilled aspects of the cleanup on Saturday, while SBC and TR expect to join the effort in the next two weeks.

SBC has served similar efforts following major fires in Colorado, said team leader Patty Kirchner.

We've seen identical destruction where the whole house is destroyed, she said. Even in such cases, she noted that its possible to recover valuables from the wreckage.

Often their teams are able to meet with homeowners, who can cue them to search for items such as jewelry or ceramics.

They tell us where they think it might be, and then we can move some of the large debris and sift the ashes, Kirchner said. We do find things.

TR will offer their expertise to operate heavy machinery to break up concrete foundations and fell tress, said metro administrator Jan Allbright. We can bring in small, medium, large skid steers, front-end loaders, even up to large excavators to handle the demolition and do a lot of the ash removal, he said.

Both Kirchner and Allbright expect their organizations will be serving the area for the next several weeks.

Looking at the disaster map and the number of bodies it's going to take, we're estimating 20 days, 30 people, Allbright said.

Unfortunately, the demand for post-fire cleanup assistance is spreading resources thin, Andreani said. TR has been able to offer assistance for the Tunnel Fire, but it is also currently gearing up to assist in operations following fires in New Mexico that have claimed hundreds of homes. Staffing issues also pose a challenge -- Andreani reported that the county is at a 36% vacancy rate for their equipment operator teams.

In the interest of equitably distributing limited assistance and respecting homeowner choice, the county and its partners will be working with homeowners to determine need on a case-by-case basis.

Theres a variety of options we're able to provide, said Ray Garcia, county project manager. But we can't do everything. We'll do what we can.

Based on the needs reported by homeowners, the county will offer assistance using a bottom up prioritization process so that those experiencing the greatest need receive priority assistance. Level of need will in part depend on the level of insurance coverage possessed by affected homeowners.

Andreani said the community so far has been on board with the approach.

People understand there's some people that don't have any insurance, Andreani said. We're trying to work with people from where they are.

Andeani said currently, the best way for people to assist the cleanup effort is to volunteer through United Way of Northern Arizona. Volunteers will need to sign up through the United Way of Northern Arizona volunteer hub. Those interested should be aware that cleanup work will be physical but wont require special skill, said former CEO Kerry Bloom, who is coordinating United Ways Tunnel Fire response.

There are options to serve on four- and eight-hour shifts, Bloom said, and they are looking to provide a crew of 100 volunteers for the cleanup effort on Saturday.

We still need volunteers, Bloom said. Were nowhere near 100.

The United Way of Northern Arizona volunteer hub can be found at nazunitedway.org/get-involved/take-action/

Sean Golightly can be reached at sgolightly@azdailysun.com

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Use sharks as a tourist attraction, says Kamala Chief

PHUKET: Jutha Dumlak, President of Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor), has suggested that if a shark actually bit an 8-year-old boy at Kamala Beach last Sunday, then Phuket should be using real sharks as a way of attracting tourists.

marineSafetytourism

By The Phuket News

Friday 6 May 2022, 12:43PM

It would be added as a new landmark to attract tourists from all over the world to visit the paradise island with abundant nature, Mr Jutha said.

The suggestion follows 8-year-old Naphat Chaiyarak Khrystenko suffering deep bites to his lower right leg at the beach last Sunday. In total, the wounds took 33 stitches to close.

Local lifeguards still maintain that they believe a barracuda inflicted the bites, despite Dr Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong, Director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and the leading marine biologist on the island, remaining adamant that a small shark was the culprit.

In response, Kamala OrBorTor has ordered the beach guards to ramp up patrols to keep an eye out for any potentially harmful predators and signs have been posted to warn visitors to the beach in English and Thai of potential danger in the water.

Mr Jutha argued that while the fish might have been a barracuda, he admitted it could have been a small shark, which in his opinion was possible.

Due to the situation of the COVID-19 outbreak over the past two years, natural resources in the area have recovered to become more abundant. Fish populations that disappeared years ago are now being seen again, he said.

However, if it were a real shark, experts estimate that a non-violent shark species will have a positive effect on the area, which may be added as a new landmark to attract tourists, Mr Jutha said.

This would have a positive effect on the tourism sector and attract tourists from all over the world to travel to visit Kamala Beach even more so in the future, he added.

Kamala OrBorTor has given importance to preserving the environment to be beautiful, clean, peaceful and safe to support tourists from all over the world who visit Phuket, Mr Jutha said.
Matt Billings has been involved in the Associated Students of NAU (ASNAU) since his freshman year and hopes to go into law after making some changes to his plans.

Billings, a political science major who will be graduating from Northern Arizona University this weekend, originally thought he was going to study environmental science, but switched to political science as it seemed more interesting.

He said hes always been interested in politics and that one of his earliest memories is of watching the 2008 presidential election results come in. He was in third grade at the time.

That was one of the rare occasions where I was able to stay up, and I just remember being so fascinated with why the states were red and blue, and everything that was going on, he said. Ever since then Ive always wanted to lead people to politics."

Billings grew up in Phoenix, saying the transition to NAU wasnt too bad despite not quite knowing what to expect of Flagstaff and the campus. He chose the school both for its Lumberjack Scholarship and because he wanted to try something new.

NAU for me had also had that sense of far enough away from home, but not too far, he said.

After graduating, Billings plans to return to Phoenix to pursue a paralegal certification and gain experience in paralegal work before going to law school.

As for his eventual career plans, Billings said he is "indecisive right now, but immigration law seems to be something that I keep coming back to.

During his time at NAU, Billings has spent a lot of time with ASNAU, for which he is the outgoing vice president of government affairs (VPGA).

He first joined the organization as a freshman in the New Student Government (NSG), the freshman student council. One of his high school friends was interested in joining NSG, he said -- which is why he got involved.

That friend is now the outgoing student body president and Billings never left the organization. He held a staff position through this year, when he became VPGA.

Every VPGA has done something different with the role, he said. One of the things that I definitely wanted to focus on was, in addition to voter registration efforts on campusstrengthening student relations within the community.

In his time as VPGA, Billings also arranged a town hall with Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and worked on voter education efforts. He also organized a community service event in the fall semester that was repeated in the spring with help from the LEAP office.

The fall event focused on a street cleanup, with teams working on each side of Butler Avenue from Milton Road to Sawmill Road.

ASNAU has helped me grow so much as a person, he said. ...Ive grown so much through several roles, but especially in this one, having to oversee people. I think I really understand what it means to lead by example and lead from behind because of this role and because of this organization.

Another organization Billings said was influential to his time at NAU was the Blue Key Honor Society, a local chapter of a national community service organization. Hes been involved since he was a sophomore.

I think I had always know what community service was, but that organization really taught me what it meant to serve your community, he said.

Billings was awarded the President's Prize in April for his work with ASNAU and Blue Key, among others. He encouraged other students to join ASNAU or to find other ways to get involved.

Find something you really care about, even if you feel other students dont necessarily think thats the most interesting thing," he said. "Try and find other people that do, though, and maybe make a club or an organization, because theres so many great opportunities for clubs on this campus, and before you know it, youre going to be packing up and getting ready to leave.

Billings is speaking from experience, as its finally starting to hit that Ill be leaving here.

He referenced a scene from one of his favorite shows, "Gilmore Girls," in which a character is opening a new inn.

Shes talking about how its so interesting that this inn has had such a long history before her and [will have] a long history after her and, for a brief moment, she gets to share the history with it, he said. I definitely feel that with NAU and this college -- that for four years, I got to share my life with the university, but the university has such a long history before me and itll have a long history after me.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
BETHALTO  1st MidAmerica Credit Union is joining the Selfreliance Foundation and the Illinois Credit Union Foundation in supporting the people of Ukraine.

All donations collected in support of Selfreliance Foundations Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund will be going to US-based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with Ukraine. Selfreliance Federal Credit Union is one of 12 Ukrainian credit unions founded in the U.S. and is based in Chicago.
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is set to host an in-person commencement for its spring 2022 graduates that will take place in four ceremonies across the weekend.

The ceremonies will be held in the Walkup Skydome, which will open 90 minutes before each ceremony -- with the universitys clear bag policy in effect. Those unable to attend in-person can view the program at NAU-TV.

The 11 a.m. Friday commencement will recognize bachelors, masters and doctoral degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters and the College of the Environment, Forestry and Natural Sciences.

The 4 p.m. Friday commencement will recognize graduates from the College of Education and the W.A. Franke College of Business.

Saturday's morning commencement will begin at 10 a.m. and recognize graduates from the College of Engineering, Informatics and Applied Sciences and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. And the 3 p.m. Saturday commencement will recognize graduates from the College of Health and Human Services as well as NAU Online, NAU Yavapai and NAU Yuma.

This years speakers will receive honorary doctorates to celebrate their achievements, according to a NAU press release. Speakers are Dom Flemons, Nancy Parra-Quinlan, Colleen A. Smith and Mickey Urdea.

Up-to-date information about traffic, parking, weather and emergencies during commencement is available by texting NAU to 237233. Participants are also encouraged to download the NAUgo app for another way to access commencement ceremony information.

Parking is available at several campus locations, with free shuttles running from the South Commuter parking lot (P62) and San Francisco parking garage (P96). ADA parking is available in the Skydome parking lot and will be accessible from Lone Tree Road. A map is available here.

Visitors should plan for extra time to reach their destination so they can be at the Skydome in time for the ceremony, the press release says.

It also says that the campus will be busiest in the hour before and after each ceremony and that traveling during ceremonies, if possible, will be easiest.

Specific traffic patterns have also been designated for the commencement. A map is available here.

More about NAUs commencement can be found at nau.edu/legacy/commencement.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man was charged in early March for a February armed robbery, according to court documents released Thursday.

Jakhari R. Alexander, 20, of Alton, was charged March 2 with two counts of armed robbery and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, all Class X felonies, and aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony.

The charged were sealed March 2 and released this week.

The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. According to court documents, on Feb. 17 Alexander allegedly shot a man in the thigh while robbing him. Court documents state that on Feb. 13 Alexander shot in the direction of a building in the 800 block of Gold Street while knowing there were people inside.

Bail was set at $150,000.

Felony charges filed May 5 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

Michael R. Parker, 47, of Granite City, was charged with escape and aggravated battery, both Class 2 felonies. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On May 3 Parker, who had been charged with aggravated domestic battery, escaped from the custody of a Madison County jailer and allegedly bit the arm of a sheriffs deputy. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Karina M. Vaillant Burgos, 24, of Granite City, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and battery, criminal damage to property under $500, and violation of an order of protection, all Class A misdemeanors. The case was presented by the Granite City Police Department. On April 25 Burgos allegedly strangled a household or family member; shoved s person, causing them to fall and hit their elbow on a door frame; caused under $500 damage to a victims smartphone; and violated a valid order of protection by communicating with a protected party electronically. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Raymond A. Grindstaff, 30, of Granite City, was charged with domestic battery (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On May 5 Grindstaff allegedly struck a household or family member by striking them on the mouth and throwing them onto a bed where they struck their head. He has a 2015 conviction for aggravated domestic battery out of Madison County. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Brian P. Schmitz, 40, of Edwardsville, was charged with unlawful violation of an order of protection (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Highland Police Department. On April 10 Schmitz allegedly violated a valid order of protection issued November 2021 by entering a protected address, the Highland Walmart. He has a prior conviction of violation of an order of protection out of Madison County in December 2021. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Chad C. Yount, 38, of Marine, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, both Class 4 felonies. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On May 4 Yount allegedly pointed a Lorcin 25 .25 caliber handgun at a Livingston police officer; and balled up his fists and charged a Madison County sheriffs deputy. Bail was set at $50,000.

 Dewon M. Willis, 46, of Collinsville, was charged May 4 with aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On May 3 Willis allegedly struck a senior citizen on the back of the head with a water bottle. Bail was set at $30,000.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Amnesty International says it has documented extensive war crimes by Russian forces in communities around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, including arbitrary executions, bombardments of residences and torture.

The pattern of crimes committed by Russian forces that we have documented includes both unlawful attacks and willful killings of civilians, Agnes Callamard, Amnesty Internationals Secretary General, said in a statement on Friday. It is vital that all those responsible, including up the chain of command, are brought to justice.

The organization said it collected evidence and testimony in eight cities near Kyiv, including Bucha. After Russian forces retreated from Bucha in April, corpses were found lying on streets, many with their hands bound behind their backs, and in mass graves. Kyiv regional governor Oleksandr Pavlyuk said that at least 1,235 civilian bodies have been found in the region.

Russia has consistently claimed that it hits only targets with military values. It has denied war-crimes allegations and claimed that the Bucha corpses were falsified as a provocation."

AIs report described the shooting in Bucha of Yevhen Petrashenko, a 43-year-old sales manager, who was shot in his kitchen while his wife and children were hiding in the basement. The Russian military allowed his wife, Tatiana, to enter the apartment, where she found her husbands corpse.

Yevhen was lying dead in the kitchen. He had been shot in the back, (near his) lungs and liver. His body remained in the apartment until 10 March, when we were able to bury him in a shallow grave in the courtyard, the report quoted her as saying.

Their neighbor Leonid Bodnarchuk, a 44-year-old construction worker, was shot dead by Russian soldiers as he climbed the stairs, and then the military threw a grenade into the stairwell, the report said.

The executions in Bucha were carried out with specialized rifles used by some elite Russian units, the report said. Amnesty International staff found 7N12 armor-piercing rounds with a 9x39mm black tip at the murder scene, which are used by elite units of the Russian army.

The investigation also described bombardment of the city of Borodyanka, in which at least 40 people were killed in indiscriminate bombings that destroyed eight residential buildings.

It quoted Borodyanka resident Vasyl Yaroshenko as saying he had left his multi-story residence for his garage when a bomb hit the house.

I saw a large gap in the building, he said, according to the report. My wife Halina was among those killed. I still see her by the door of our apartment, the home where we lived for 40 years.

The report says researchers found evidence documenting specific units of the Russian army that were involved, including training books that belonged to the driver of the 104th regiment of the Airborne Forces.

We have met families whose loved ones were killed in horrific attacks, and whose lives have changed forever because of the Russian invasion," Callamard said. We support their demands for justice, and call on the Ukrainian authorities, the International Criminal Court and others to ensure evidence is preserved that could support future war crime prosecutions.
EDWARDSVILLE  Drug-related charges were filed in six cases Thursday by the Madison County States Attorneys Office.

Brandan W. Wilson, 24, of Sorento, Illinois, was charged May 5 with unlawful possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and unlawful possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, both Class 1 felonies.

The case was presented by the village of Livingston.

According to court documents, on May 3 Wilson allegedly had 5-15 grams of methamphetamine, and one or more grams of fentanyl, with intent to deliver.

Bail was set at $150,000.

Other drug-related cases filed May 5 include:

 Michael R. Rehkemper, 41, of Breese, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony; and driving under the influence of a drug, a Class A misdemeanor. The case was presented by the Glen Carbon Police Department. On March 10 Rehkemper allegedly had less than five grams of methamphetamine and was driving a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado on Interstate 270 at mile marker 11 while under the influence of drugs or a combination of drugs. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Matthew P. Brinkley, 34, of Springfield, Illinois, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On Feb. 8 Brinkley allegedly had less than five grams of methamphetamine. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Michael A. Slusher, 30, of Edwardsville, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, and driving under the influence of a drug, a Class A misdemeanor. The case was presented by the Highland Police Department. On Jan. 25 Slusher allegedly had less than 15 grams of fentanyl and was driving a 2003 Pontiac Grand AM on Illinois 160 in Highland, while under the influence of a drug or combination of drugs, specifically fentanyl and methamphetamine. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Nicholas A. Bonk, 35, of Granite City, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and criminal damage to property over $500, both Class 4 felonies. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On March 14 Bon allegedly had less than 15 grams of fentanyl. On May 1 he allegedly caused more than $500 in damages to a 1997 Chevrolet 1500 pickup. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Mandy R. Tierce, 36, of Alton, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the East Alton Police Department. According to court documents, on Sept. 8 Tierce allegedly had less than 15 grams of cocaine. Bail was set at $15,000.
Dominic Genetti

Editor's note: We went one-on-one with Farmersville shooting survivor Chris Smith and broke his interview into a five-part series. You'll see Smith talk about what happened the night of Nov. 24, 2021 and how he's thankful to be here now to tell his story.

Chris Smith has a lot of hope building up as each day makes him stronger. He's hoping to be an inspiration for others who suffer from gun violence, and he's hoping justice is served on the man accused of shooting him.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

SONCHAMP, France (AP)  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

They'll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce biogas. It's among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russia's war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes aren't  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the world's breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europe's energy dependence.

The European Biogas Association says the European Union could quickly scale up the production of bio-methane, which is pumped into natural gas networks. An investment of 83 billion euros ($87.5 billion)  which, at current market prices, is less than the EU's 27 nations pay per year to Russia for piped natural gas  would produce a tenfold increase in bio-methane production by 2030 and could replace about a fifth of what the bloc imported from Russia last year, the group says.

The farmers around the Paris-region village of Sonchamp feel their new gas plant will do its bit to untie Europe from the Kremlin.

Its not coherent to go and buy gas from those people who are waging war on our friends, said Christophe Robin, one of the plant's six investors, who farms wheat, rapeseed, sugar beets and chickens.

If we want to consume green (energy) and to avoid the flows and contribution of Russian gas, we dont really have a choice. We have to find alternative solutions, he said.

Biogas is made by fermenting organic materials  generally crops and waste. Robin likened the process to food left too long in a container.

When you open it, it goes Poof. Only here, we dont open it. We collect the gas that comes from the fermentation, he said.

The gas from their plant could meet the needs of 2,000 homes. It will be purified into bio-methane and injected into a pipeline to the nearby town of Rambouillet, heating its hospital, swimming pool and homes.

Its cool, said Robin. The kids will benefit from local gas.

Like in the rest of Europe, the production of bio-methane in France is still small. But it is booming. Almost three bio-methane production sites are going online every week in France on average and their numbers have surged from just 44 at the end of 2017 to 365 last year. The volume of gas they produced for the national network almost doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year and was enough for 362,000 homes.

France's government has taken several steps to quicken bio-methane development since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The industry says bio-methane met almost 1% of France's needs in 2021 but that will increase to at least 2% this year and it could make up 20% of French gas consumption by 2030, which would be more gas than France imported last year from Russia.

The Sonchamp farmers took out 5 million euros ($5.3 million) in loans and received a 1-million-euro state subsidy to build their plant, Robin said. They signed a 15-year contract with utility firm Engie, with a fixed price for their gas. That will limit their ability to profit from high gas prices now but ensures them a stable income.

Were not going to be billionaires, said Robin.

Workers are finishing the construction and the plant is almost ready to be connected to the network. Piles of agricultural waste  wheat husks, pulped sugar beets, onion peelings, even chicken droppings  have been prepared to be fed into the giant bubble-like fermentation tanks.

Winter barley specially grown to make gas will make up about 80% of the 30 tons of organic material that will be fed each day into the plant.

Robin insists that the barley won't interfere with the growing of other crops for food, which critics worry about. Instead of one food crop per year, they'll now have three harvests every two years  with the barley as extra, sandwiched in between, Robin said.

In Germany, the biggest biogas producer in Europe, the government is cutting down on crop cultivation for fuels. The share of corn permitted in biogas facilities will be lowered from 40% to 30% by 2026. Financial incentives will be provided so operators use waste products such as manure and straw instead.

Germany is estimated to have over 9,500 plants, many of them small-scale units supplying rural villages with heat and electricity.

Andrea Horbelt, a spokeswoman for the German biogas association, said the production of bio-methane could be doubled in a matter of years but also wouldn't be cheap.

Using biogas for electricity is more expensive than solar and wind, and will always remain so, she said.

At the end of their gas-making process, the Sonchamp farmers will also get nitrogen- and potassium-rich wastes from the fermenters that they'll use to fertilize their fields, reducing their consumption of industrial fertilizer.

"Its a circular economy and its green. That pleases me, Robin said. Its a superb adventure.

___

Jordans reported from Berlin.

___

Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine,

Read AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A fired Dallas police officer who was cleared of ordering two killings in 2017 is now suing the detective who secured his arrest warrant.

Former Officer Bryan Riser is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees and court costs from Detective Esteban Montenegro in the civil rights lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Dallas, according to the lawsuit first reported by The Dallas Morning News.

An attorney for Montenegro did not immediately return a phone call for comment Friday.

Dallas Police Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez said the department is aware of the filing but does not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit alleges Montenegro, in requesting to arrest warrant, provided false information and used information from a man linked to one slaying and known to be an unreliable witness.

The arrest was based entirely on the uncorroborated statements of (Emmanuel Kilpatrick) directly linked to ... murders, according to the lawsuit.

Kilpatrick is currently serving a life in prison sentence for an unrelated murder conviction.

Montenegro knew the witness was entirely unreliable and had been informed by a fellow Dallas police officer that Kilpatrick was not only unreliable, but also had a history of attempting to con law enforcement, the lawsuit states.

The legal action also notes that Montenegro falsely reported when seeking the arrest warrant that cell phone data had placed Riser near the scene of the unconnected killings of Liza Saenz and Albert Douglas.

The claim was an error on my part, Montegro testified during the court hearing which Riser was ordered released.

Riser spent about a month in jail before being released in April 2021 by a judge after prosecutors said that they did not have probable cause to move forward with the capital murder case against him.

Montenegro is under investigation for perjury during the hearing and providing false information in the probable cause affidavit, according to the lawsuit.

Montenegro has been on paid leave since December, Gutierrez, the police spokesperson said Friday, but declined to elaborate why.

Riser, who was fired after his March 2021 arrest, is appealing his dismissal, seeking back pay, benefits and reinstatement as a police officer.

Gutierrez said Riser has not been reinstated.
DALLAS (AP)  Two Dallas police officers and one from the Dallas suburb of Garland were indicted Friday for aggravated assault for their actions during the 2020 protests following George Floyds killing by police in Minneapolis.

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzo announced Friday that Dallas officer Ryan Mabry faces six counts, former Dallas officer Melvin Williams faces four counts and Garland officer Joe Privitt faces one count after being indicted by a grand jury.

These indictments as returned by the Grand Jury are the result of almost 2 years of investigation by the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorneys Office, Creuzo said in a statement.

Garland Police Chief Jeff Byan said Privitt is a 32-year veteran officer who had no disciplinary actions taken against him.

I'm astonished and disappointed to learn that Officer Privett was indicted ... related to actions he took in assisting the Dallas Police Department during riots that occurred in Dallas almost two years ago," Brown said.

Bryan said Dallas police requested assistance and he authorized Privitt to join in controlling the protests that turned aggressive.

Bryan said protesters brandished weapons and threw bricks, rocks, frozen water bottles and bottles of urine at police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Friday that he hoped jurors who eventually hear these cases can look at it through the lens that the officers in those chaotic situations did."

Was every situation perfect? Absolutely not. There is no police chief that dealt with protests who could tell you everything they did was perfect," Garcia said. However, I can tell you that the intent of the officers was to protect the city, and Im not quite sure if there was criminal intent."

Mabry and Williams also face two counts of deadly conduct in addition to charges of official oppression announced in February.

Mabry and Privitt were placed on administrative leave while Williams was fired earlier this year for violating the departments use-of-force policy in a separate incident.

Attorneys for Mabry and Williams have called the charges a false narrative and said at least two of those injured provoked the officers. It was not immediately clear if Privitt has an attorney to speak in his behalf.

Dallas is not the only city under the spotlight. The tactics used by police nationwide during protests that swept the country after Floyd was killed have been the focus of reviews and lawsuits. Several police chiefs have resigned or been ousted as a result.

In February, a Texas grand jury indicted 19 Austin police officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In March, a jury ordered the city of Denver to pay $14 million to 12 protesters after finding police officers violated their constitutional rights by using excessive force during demonstrations.

In April 2021, a federal judge ruled that police in Columbus, Ohio, ran amok when responding to 2020 demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality and ordered officers to approach such scenarios differently.
Illinois Department of Transportation

SPRINGFIELD  Amid the onrush of new technology, Illinois officials are heralding an updated version of an old favorite: the folded highway map.

On Thursday the Illinois Department of Transportation announced the release of the new Illinois Official Highway Map. In addition to route updates, the map includes a new feature that shows mileage between towns and marked route junctions to help people plan their travels throughout Illinois.



While many of us now use smartphones for directions, paper maps remain an important resource, said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

___

Posts misrepresent outdated UK guidance on COVID-19 vaccines

CLAIM: A document shows that Pfizer currently recommends against receiving its COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

THE FACTS: The document was published by U.K. health officials in late 2020 upon first authorization of the shot, and the same document has since been revised in line with current recommendations that say the vaccine is safe and recommended for both groups. Social media users misrepresented the outdated regulatory document. Im sure itll be all over the mainstream news that Pfizer has now declared their COVID vaccines unsafe for pregnancy and breastfeeding after the government coerced and mandated thousands of pregnant women into having one, one widely shared tweet stated. The post included a screenshot of a document that said, pregnancy should be excluded before vaccination, and COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 should not be used during breast-feeding. The photo did not include the document title, date, where it came from or other identifying details. A review shows the information came from a 2020 version of a document called Regulation 174 Information For UK Healthcare Professionals that was publicly available when COVID-19 vaccines were first rolled out. Britain authorized Pfizers shot for emergency use on Dec. 2, 2020. Regulation 174 allows for the approval of a medicine or vaccine in a public health emergency with sufficient data on safety, quality and effectiveness, according to Chofamba Sithole, a spokesperson for the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The document was published by the agency as early as Dec. 8, 2020, an archived version shows. The guidance was updated on Dec. 31, 2020, to offer the vaccine to females of reproductive age without the need to provide a negative pregnancy test, and to high-risk pregnant women, said Dr. Victoria Male, a lecturer in reproductive immunology at Imperial College London. That can be seen in another archived version of the document from Jan. 3, 2021. The recommendation was updated again in April 2021 to allow all pregnant women to get the COVID vaccine. The current version of the document says animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to pregnancy. About breastfeeding, it says, it is unknown whether the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 is excreted in human milk. The updates were made as additional safety data and evidence became available demonstrating the vaccine's safety for such groups. This was our assessment at the time of approval for the vaccine, Sithole wrote in an email, referencing the 2020 version of the document. Since then new data which has come to light (both non-clinical and post-authorisation real world data) supports the updated advice on vaccinating those who are pregnant and breastfeeding. Keanna Ghazvini, a spokesperson for Pfizer, declined to comment on the specific documents being shared on social media but pointed to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization guidance that says any of the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines can be administered to pregnant or lactating women. The respective guidelines both state that experts believe COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to pose a risk to pregnant women or fetuses. Sithole said U.K. data also supports international findings. There is also no current evidence that COVID-19 vaccination while breastfeeding causes any harm to breastfed children or affects the ability to breastfeed, the spokesperson added.

 Associated Press writers Sophia Tulp in Atlanta and Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report.

___

Bill Gates owns a lot of American farmland, but not the majority

CLAIM: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates owns the majority of Americas farmland and the investment firm BlackRock holds the majority of single family houses in the country.

THE FACTS: The billionaire tech mogul and philanthropist has amassed nearly 270,000 acres of farmland across the country, but thats still a relatively small slice of the nations nearly 900 million total farm acres. BlackRock also does not own the majority of the countrys 80 million single-family homes. As Elon Musks bid to purchase Twitter has grabbed headlines in recent days, some prominent voices have taken to social media to claim that some other significant acquisitions by deep-pocketed individuals and corporations have largely flown under the radar. Bill Gates is buying up the majority of American farmland and BlackRock is buying the majority of single family houses but Im supposed to believe the biggest threat to us is Elon Musk buying Twitter? read one representative tweet thats been liked or shared on the platform more than 250,000 times. The Microsoft co-founder is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last years edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nations largest landowners. But a Gates spokesperson said in a statement that the claim that hes bought the majority of the nations farmland is false, pointing to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report from February that showed there were more than 895 million total acres of farmland in the country last year. That means Gates, whose net worth is estimated at some $134 billion according to Forbes annual ranking of the richest people in the country, owns less than one percent of the nations total farmland. So while the tech mogul certainly owns a large constellation of farms, its nowhere close to the majority nationwide. Gates, in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit last year, said his investment group was behind the purchases, and suggested it was linked to seed and biofuel development. BlackRock, meanwhile, is not the owner of the majority of single family houses in the country. There are more than 85 million single-family homes in the country, and only around 15 million of those are rentals, according to the latest American Housing Survey by the Census Bureau. Of those rentals, less than a third are owned by non-individual investors, according to a 2022 report by Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies. In emails, BlackRock spokesman Christopher Beattie told The Associated Press that the firm primarily invests in retail, office buildings, hotels and apartment complexes, rather than single-family homes, but he declined to provide a breakdown. The company also posted on Twitter to reject the false narrative. Weve never been one of the big institutional buyers of single family homes, BlackRock said in response to one tweet. The firm is a shareholder in Dallas-based Invitation Homes, which owns nearly 80,000 single-family rentals nationwide. That makes Invitation Homes the largest operator of single-family rental homes in the country, but still represents a tiny fraction of all such homes. BlackRock also suggested it was being confused for the similarly-named investment management firm Blackstone, which until recently owned Invitation Homes. Adding to the confusion, Blackstone was once a major investor in BlackRock, but sold off its stake in the 1990s.

 Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in Boston contributed this report.

___

Video shows tanks being moved for military exercise in Finland

CLAIM: Video shows Finland moving military equipment toward its eastern border with Russia.

THE FACTS: The video shows a train in Finland transporting tanks from the city of Tampere to the village of Niinisalo for a two-week military exercise called  Arrow 22, the Finnish Army confirmed to The Associated Press. Multiple social media users on Wednesday shared the video of tanks being moved by rail, incorrectly stating that the video showed Finland shifting the equipment closer to the Russian border. The two countries share a border that stretches about 830 miles (1,336 kilometers.) Media reports that Finland has begun an active transfer of equipment to the borders with Russia, a Facebook user sharing the video falsely stated. The video circulated widely on Twitter, Facebook and Telegram with the false information. But the train was on its way to Niinisalo, which is in the opposite direction from Russia. A geolocation search confirms that the video was filmed in Tampere. I can confirm that the video is really about tanks being moved to the exercise Arrow, Erikka Mannila, chief of public affairs with the Finnish Army confirmed in an email. More than 3,000 people will be part of the biannual military exercise that runs from May 2 to May 13. Visiting forces from the U.K., Latvia, Estonia and the U.S. will also participate. Col. Rainer Kuosmanen, commander of the countrys Armoured Brigade, also shared photos of the tanks on Twitter on May 2. A video has been circulating online claiming to show tanks being moved to Finlands borders. This is not true, Finnish Defense Forces tweeted on Wednesday. The tanks were being moved to the army mechanised exercise Arrow 22. The exercise takes place in Niinisalo and Sakyla. Russias attack on Ukraine led both Finland and Sweden to send assault rifles and anti-tank weapons to Kyiv, breaking their policy of not providing arms to countries at war, the AP has reported.

 Associated Press writer Arijeta Lajka in New York contributed this report.

___

Hong Kong protest video is from 2019, not 2022

CLAIM: Video shows people in Hong Kong rebelling against the COVID police state by cutting down and destroying security cameras.

THE FACTS: Despite suggestions that the video is current, it shows protesters, some holding umbrellas, downing a smart lamppost in August 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Hong Kong: people are cutting down facial recognition towers, a widely shared tweet of the video reads. Another tweet sharing the video claims: Hong Kong is rebelling against the COVID police state by cutting down and destroying security cameras. Footage of the same events can be seen in 2019 social media posts and in a still image captured by The Associated Press on Aug. 24, 2019. As the AP reported that day, protesters took to the streets to demand the removal of the lampposts over worries that they could contain high-tech cameras and facial recognition software used for surveillance by Chinese authorities. The same video was misrepresented in 2020 posts that claimed protesters were tearing down a 5G pole and falsely implied that 5G was responsible for the coronavirus. It was filmed near a large shopping mall in Hong Kong called MegaBox. In Hong Kong, the rising costs of Chinas strict zero COVID strategy have sparked a backlash, the AP has reported. Hong Kong reopened beaches and pools and relaxed other pandemic restrictions on Thursday.

 Angelo Fichera

___

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

___

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
Incumbent Howard Grodman will now run unopposed in the race for justice of the peace after his opponent, Bernadine Lewis, was disqualified due to signature concerns.

Both candidates turned in enough signatures by the April 4 deadline to qualify for the upcoming ballot. However, Grodman called Lewis' signatures into question in a complaint filed in Coconino County Superior Court on April 15.

Grodman alleged in his complaint that "at least 140" signatures appeared to be invalid, with reasons ranging from the signer belonging to a different political party or not being registered to vote in the Flagstaff Justice Court precinct.

The challenge went to the offices of the Coconino County attorney and recorder for an internal audit to determine the validity of the complaint.

Documents from the Coconino County Recorder's office show that 100 of the 137 contested signatures didn't qualify, putting Lewis 93 signatures short of the 569 required to be placed on the ballot.

Patty Hansen, county recorder, explained a signature can be disqualified for a number of reasons, such as someone not being registered to vote or registered in another district. They can also be considered invalid if the individual signed another candidate's petition first, is a member of a different political party or their signature does not match the one on file.

In Lewis' case, the Coconino County Recorder's Office found that most belonged to a different political party. Both candidates are Democrats.

Challenges aren't uncommon. The Flagstaff mayoral race recently narrowed from four to three contenders when Regina Salas withdrew from the race after an audit left her 120 signatures short of officially qualifying for the ballot.

With this, Grodman, who has held the office since 2011, will now run unopposed in the Nov. 8 general election. He's pretty much guaranteed the position barring a whirlwind write-in campaign by Lewis or any others.

Reporter Bree Burkitt can be reached at 928-556-2250 or bburkitt@azdailysun.com.

Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Mehmet Ozs rivals in Pennsylvanias competitive Republican primary for U.S. Senate are escalating their attacks on the celebrity heart surgeons connections to his parents native country of Turkey, raising it as a possible national security issue.

Oz, best known as TV's Dr. Oz, has rejected any suggestions he is a threat to national security and accused an opponent, ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick, of making bigoted attacks. If elected, Oz would be the nation's first Muslim senator, although Oz has not campaigned on that milestone.

The criticism of Oz and his ties to Turkey has mushroomed in the weeks after Oz won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who remains popular with conservative voters. With the state's May 17 primary in sight, Trump held a rally with Oz in western Pennsylvania on Friday evening, coming off a big win in Ohio's Republican Senate primary for Trump's candidate, JD Vance.

Oz, who was born in the United States, holds Turkish citizenship, served in Turkeys military and voted in its 2018 election, but says he would renounce his dual citizenship in Turkey if he is elected.

Trumps former secretary of state and CIA director, Mike Pompeo, who endorsed McCormick in the race, told reporters Friday that Oz owes an explanation about the scope and the depth of his relationship with the Turkish government.

Americans should know if Oz is fit for duty," Pompeo said.

As CIA director, Pompeo served side-by-side in the Trump administration with Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security adviser who drew Justice Department scrutiny because of lucrative consulting work he and his firm did that benefited the Turkish government.

Oz has financial ties to Turkey, as well.

In his financial disclosure report to the Senate, Oz disclosed property that he owns in Turkey, assets from his late father's estate that are tied up in legal proceedings there and an endorsement agreement with Turkish Airlines, which is partly owned by the Turkish government.

In recent debates, McCormick  a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran of the Gulf War  has accused Oz of unnecessarily holding dual citizenship in Turkey and tried to contrast Oz's service in the Turkish military with McCormick's in the U.S. Army.

Another rival, Carla Sands, Trumps former ambassador to Denmark who inherited a commercial real estate fortune, has suggested Oz has dual loyalties, calling him Turkey First, as a play on Trumps America First governing philosophy.

Fending off McCormick's attacks in March, Oz suggested that his religion is being targeted, accusing McCormick of making bigoted attacks that are reminiscent of slurs made in the past about Catholics and Jews.

Oz has maintained that he served in Turkey's military as a young man to keep his dual citizenship. He keeps it to this day, he said, so he has legal power in Turkey to make health care decisions for his mother, who has Alzheimer's disease.

Oz voted in Turkey's 2018 election when he was at the consulate in New York for meetings about his humanitarian work on behalf of Syrian refugees in Turkey, his campaign said.

He voted against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his campaign said, noting that it is not unusual for Americans with dual citizenship to vote in elections in other countries.

Voting in an election is far different from being actively engaged in the political work of the Turkish government, which Dr. Oz has never been involved with," Oz's campaign said.

Senate historians have been unable to find a U.S. senator who maintained dual citizenship.

Trump, in an hourlong speech at Friday nights rally, attacked McCormick for the first time by name, saying he'd been with a company that managed money for communist China.

McCormick is, Trump said, the candidate of special interests and globalists and the Washington establishment spending millions of dollars to defeat Oz and ripping off the United States with bad trade deals and open borders.

Trump did not specifically mention attacks on Oz's ties to Turkey, but boosted Oz to the crowd as a "warrior" and a longtime friend who has the best chance of winning the battleground state seat in the fall general election.

David Laufman, the former chief of the counterintelligence section at the Department of Justices national security division, said he thinks of a national security concern as individuals and organizations that present terrorist threats, cybersecurity threats or economic security threats, or are involved in influence operations directed at the U.S. on behalf of foreign powers.

I think we need to be careful about categorizing any American as a national security risk simply because of their ties to a foreign country, Laufman said in an interview.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the nonprofit does not comment on specific campaigns.

But in general, he said, the organization has seen attacks on one aspect of a candidate  such as their place of birth  as a stand-in for a more obviously racist attack, such as on their race or religion.

Flynn  Trumps former national security adviser  was ousted in the first month of the Trump administration after the White House said he lied about his Russian contacts during the transition period.

He later admitted in a criminal case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that his filings to the Justice Department when he registered as a foreign agent for his Turkish work included false statements and omissions.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at twitter.com/ap_politics

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at twitter.com/timelywriter
ALTON  The winners of Alton Memorial Hospitals first two Health Equity Scholarships consider the honors a very special Mothers Day gift.

Taryn Wallace, a senior at Alton High School, and Samara Helton, a senior at Edwardsville High School, were both raised by single mothers who have been steady influences in their lives.

Heltons mother, Nova, had Samara when she was 18 years old. The teen said her mom sacrificed a lot of her personal goals for her children.

She worked so hard to make sure we had everything we would need, Samara Helton said. When her classmates were packing up to move to college, my mother was changing my diapers.

"I work very hard to make sure that she knows that my hard work is not only for me but for her as well to show how far her sacrifice has come," she said. "In a way, her having me so young has become my biggest drive to become the most successful person I can be to show her what she could have been.

Samara Helton has five siblings  Nicholas, Joslyn, Hayleigh, Ronin and Lucy  ranging in age from 16 to 4, with another on the way in June.

My siblings are also a big part of my drive to make sure I can be the best role model for them as possible, Samara Helton said.

Wallace's mother, Amanda Wallace, is a nurse on Alton Memorial Hospitals Intermediate Care Unit.

My mom has been raising me on her own, with some help from family on occasion, since I was born, Taryn Wallace said. She went back to school and got her nursing degree when I was 8 years old to not only better our lives, but also to help people. My mom is the epitome of a hard-working and amazing individual. I will forever look up to her and her strong qualities.

Her cousin, Megan Flowers, is manager of the AMH Inpatient Pharmacy, and she also has an aunt in the medical field.

Growing up, Ive always had great role models in the medical field," Taryn Wallace saide. "Combining that with my love for chemistry, Ive become determined to be a pharmacist.

Taryn Wallace will graduate from AHS later this month and is enrolled at Lewis and Clark Community College to complete her pre-pharmacy courses. She then plans to transfer to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy to pursue a Pharm D degree.

Samara Helton attended Civic Memorial High School in Bethalto for three years and will graduate from EHS later this month. She plans to attend the University of Tampa this fall to study Biology on a Pre-Med track.

I plan on pursuing a career in the dermatology field, she said. Dermatology visits are not always covered by insurance and doctor visits can be quite costly. It will be my responsibility to have payment plans available for people of all incomes to get the treatments they need and deserve.

She said her interest in dermatology also came from watching Dr. Pimple Popper on You Tube and later on the Lifetime channel. Dr. Sandra Lee is the California dermatologist featured in the programs.

Im someone who loves to put smiles on peoples faces, and if I can make that happen by being their dermatologist, then Im going to make that happen," she said. "People often struggle with their image due to acne or some physical imperfection. Being a dermatologist would mean helping to remove insecurities.

Both scholarship winners dealt with school changes caused by COVID-19.

My high school years have definitely not been a cake walk, Taryn Wallace said. I was moved to online school starting the second semester of my sophomore year, and I remained that way all of my junior year.

"Remote learning was one of the worst experiences," she said. "Teachers hated it, students hated it, and it was overall mentally taxing. Im glad my senior year has been as close to normal as it can get. Its still been very difficult for me to keep my grades up along with my spirits during the pandemic, but Ive done it.

"Im glad that I pushed through and am graduating with honors, and many other personal achievements," she said. "Im also very grateful for the scholarship I have received and am so excited to see what the future holds for me.

This spring Madison County high school seniors or recent high school graduates who are part of historically marginalized populations could apply to Alton Memorial Hospital for scholarships of up to $5,000. The scholarships could be renewable for up to three years beyond the initial term (up to four years total) and could include employment while in school

Recipients will be asked to consider employment at Alton Memorial Hospital during and upon completion of their degree or certification. Annual renewal will be based on documentation of progress toward completion of program and a minimum 2.5 grade point average.

As we continue our journey to improve health equality, its an honor to offer these scholarships to some of the brightest local youth to ensure they are able to pursue health care careers without a large financial burden, said Brad Goacher, chief operating officer for Alton Memorial Hospital. The funding for these scholarships is being made available from generous donations to the hospital from members of our community intended to support training and education.

Samara Helton, right, with her mother Nova.

Taryn Wallace, left, with her mother Amanda.
ALTON  Each week award-winning photographer John Badman of The Telegraph captures images of the Riverbend.

Here is a sampling of his photographs from this week. They also appear in the weekend issue of The Telegraph.
Two senior citizen attacks bring arrests EDWARDSVILLE  Two people were charged Monday with aggravated battery after attacking senior...

Alton man faces burglary charge EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man was charged after allegedly breaking into a Wood River residence May...

Volunteers needed for tree planting in Alton EAST ALTON  Volunteers are needed to help the National Great Rivers Research and Education...
WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 5, 2022

_____

TORNADO WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Shreveport LA

148 PM CDT Thu May 5 2022

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL

RUSK COUNTY...

At 148 PM CDT, a confirmed tornado was located near Henderson, moving

northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Damaging tornado and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar confirmed tornado.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without

shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage

to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is

likely.

Locations impacted include...

Church Hill.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

To repeat, a tornado is on the ground. TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a

basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy

building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in

a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect

yourself from flying debris.

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Miller County in southwestern Arkansas...

Lafayette County in southwestern Arkansas...

Western Columbia County in southwestern Arkansas...

Northwestern Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana...

Northwestern Caddo Parish in northwestern Louisiana...

Bossier Parish in northwestern Louisiana...

Eastern Cass County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 245 PM CDT.

* At 148 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 9 miles south of Wake Village to 6 miles north of

Waskom, moving northeast at 55 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect considerable

tree damage. Wind damage is also likely to mobile homes,

roofs, and outbuildings.

* Locations impacted include...

Shreveport, Bossier City, Texarkana, Springhill, Stamps,

Lewisville, Vivian, Blanchard, Benton, Cullen, Plain Dealing,

Cotton Valley, Oil City, Sarepta, Fouke, Mooringsport, Bradley,

Taylor, Hosston and Buckner.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 600 PM CDT for southwestern

Arkansas...northwestern Louisiana...and northeastern Texas.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...

North central Freestone County in central Texas...

South central Henderson County in central Texas...

Northwestern Anderson County in central Texas...

* Until 230 PM CDT.

* At 148 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado

was located near Fairfield, moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without

shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.

Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree

damage is likely.

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of

north central Freestone, south central Henderson and northwestern

Anderson Counties.

This includes Interstate 45 between mile markers 200 and 209.

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile

home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and

protect yourself from flying debris.

...FLOOD ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 330 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive

rainfall continues.

* WHERE...Portions of Hill, Navarro, Ellis, and Kaufman counties.

* WHEN...Until 330 PM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas as

well as flooded low-water crossings and ponding water on roadways.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

-

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Waxahachie, Ennis, Terrell, Hillsboro, Kaufman, Mabank,

Crandall, Palmer, Combine, Italy, Itasca, Talty, Seven

Points, Kemp, Maypearl, Bardwell, Grays Prairie, Alma,

Cottonwood and Carl's Corner.

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not

drive on flooded roads.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Chinese scientific expedition team returns safely to Mount Qomolangma base camp

Xinhua) 09:03, May 06, 2022

Members of a Chinese scientific expedition team are on the way back to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on May 5, 2022. A Chinese scientific expedition team returned safely to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on Thursday, after reaching the summit of the world's highest peak. All 13 members of the expedition team are in good physical condition. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

MOUNT QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, Tibet, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese scientific expedition team returned safely to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on Thursday, after reaching the summit of the world's highest peak.

All 13 members of the expedition team are in good physical condition.

On Wednesday, the team established an automatic meteorological monitoring station at an altitude of 8,830 meters, making it the world's highest station of its kind.

At the summit, they measured the thickness of the ice and snow using high-accuracy radar for the first time, and collected samples for further research.

Members of a Chinese scientific expedition team are on the way back to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on May 5, 2022. A Chinese scientific expedition team returned safely to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on Thursday, after reaching the summit of the world's highest peak. All 13 members of the expedition team are in good physical condition. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Members of a Chinese scientific expedition team are on the way back to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on May 5, 2022. A Chinese scientific expedition team returned safely to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on Thursday, after reaching the summit of the world's highest peak. All 13 members of the expedition team are in good physical condition. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Aerial photo taken on May 5, 2022 shows members of a Chinese scientific expedition team on the way back to the Mount Qomolangma base camp. A Chinese scientific expedition team returned safely to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on Thursday, after reaching the summit of the world's highest peak. All 13 members of the expedition team are in good physical condition. (Xinhua/Dainzin Nyima Choktrul)

Members of a Chinese scientific expedition team are back to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on May 5, 2022. A Chinese scientific expedition team returned safely to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on Thursday, after reaching the summit of the world's highest peak. All 13 members of the expedition team are in good physical condition. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Members of a Chinese scientific expedition team are on the way back to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on May 5, 2022. A Chinese scientific expedition team returned safely to the Mount Qomolangma base camp on Thursday, after reaching the summit of the world's highest peak. All 13 members of the expedition team are in good physical condition. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Update: 06-05-2022 | 13:30:40

The Government of Laos has agreed with contractors to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of an expressway from Houaphanh province to the border with Vietnam under an agreement signed recently, Vientiane Times reported.

Illustrative image (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) inked between the government, Daochaleun Construction and THB Group, the 80-km expressway would run from Huanmuang district in Houaphanh to the Nam Soi - Na Meo International Border Checkpoint at the border between Laos and Vietnam.

It would be constructed under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model as part of the fourth phase of a larger expressway construction project linking Vientiane Capital with Houaphanh, for which a feasibility study is already underway.

It is expected that the construction of the section linking Houaphanh to Vietnam would take up to four years to complete./.

VNA
Elon Musk looks likely to become the temporary chief executive of Twitter after his 35billion takeover.

The 50-year-old will take on the job at the social media company alongside his role as chief executive of electric car maker Tesla as well as head of tunnel group The Boring Company and rocket firm Space X.

However, it is understood Musk hopes to appoint a permanent replacement for Twitter chief Parag Agrawal.

Elon Musk will looks set to become the temporary chief executive of Twitter alongside his role as chief exec of Tesla as well as head of tunnel group The Boring Company and Space X

Reports of his plans to take over the company  even if only temporarily  came as Musk won the backing of 18 investors who will collectively stump up more than 5.7billion to help fund his Twitter takeover.

In a regulatory filing, the worlds richest man said Oracle co-founder Larry Ellisons trust will invest 800million towards the 35billion purchase of the social-media platform.

Musk also revealed he has received commitment letters from investors including Sequoia Capital, which is providing 646million, and Brookfield, which is giving 202million, while Binance is pumping in 404million.

At the same time, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, already an investor in Twitter, will roll 35million shares into the bid vehicle, which at the offer price equates to a 1.6billion stake.

Prince Alwaleed, who initially tried to block Musks Twitter buyout, took to the platform yesterday to give a strong endorsement for the Tesla chief executive.

Great to connect with you my new friend Elon Musk, he wrote on the site.

I believe you will be an excellent leader for Twitter to propel and maximise its great potential.

Musk will continue to hold talks with existing holders of Twitter, including company founder Jack Dorsey, to contribute shares to the proposed acquisition, the filing showed.

Twitter stock jumped nearly 3 per cent to $50.5 following Musks investor announcement.
While tens of thousands of tourists from many places chose Hue as a travel destination to relax during the holidays, many residents of Hue decided to move to another land to have experiences and fun.

There has never been a time when the demand for faraway trips was as high as that on the occasion of the April 30th - May 1st holidays this year, after the tourism industry had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for a long time.

Many young people in Hue taking the faraway trips during the holidays of April 30th - May 1st. The photo showing the young woman Xuan Loc in her days of experiencing the Southwest Region of Vietnam. Photo provided by the character

Booking tours, making plans and then canceling. Not until now has the trip finally become a reality, many families eagerly shared about the trip on this occasion after many times of scheduling and postponing because of the pandemic outbreaks which resulted in closed tourist areas and transport suspension. Besides families, many young people also make their own way of traveling, in groups or individually, to satisfy their passion after the extended movement restriction.

Ms. Xuan Loc, a 28-year-old young woman working as an office worker in Hue City, decided to enjoy her holiday by taking a solo trip to the Southwest Region. Ms. Loc said that she would spend the whole 4 days off to go to provinces such as Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau.

It's been a while since I could travel, so I feel comfortable taking a trip. This is like a reward for myself after a series of stressful working days and the pressure of the pandemic, said Ms. Loc and joked that she would spend all her youth traveling, for taking a trip in the future would be either more difficult after she gets married and has children or not as enjoyable as solo-traveling.

Choosing Mang Den  a famous tourist destination likened to the second Da Lat of the Central Highlands" (in Kon Plong district, Kon Tum province)  as a destination for his familys vacation more than two years ago, not until now has that wish of Mr. Nguyen Bon (Hue City) finally come true. In the past two years, he had regretfully postponed his trip due to social isolation and travel control against COVID-19 pandemic, despite many times of planning, booking, and renting a car.

"Not until now could the whole family feel secure and comfortable to get in the car to travel together after nearly 2 years of being secretive and stressful, said Mr. Bon, adding that this is an opportunity for the whole family, especially the little ones, to enjoy the comfortable moments and have fun.

Traveling more than 300km from Hue to Mang Den, Mr. Bon said that he encountered many families, including many young people, traveling by car and motorbike. "Everybody is excited and cheerful," Bon said, adding that his family would stay for 2 days at a pre-booked homestay, and then make arrangements depending on the weather.

On this occasion, the family of Mr. Nguyen Cong Van (Hue City) also enjoyed quality time gathering together at a coastal resort in Da Nang which, in his words, was very meaningful. According to Mr. Van, it took his whole family 2 years to make the complete journey although he only traveled more than 100km from Hue. He said he had booked rooms and accompanying services twice, but the pandemic broke out on both occasions. The entry and exit regulations between the two localities, therefore, were tightened to ensure safety against the pandemic, which forced him to cancel the tour.

The outbreak of the pandemic after Tet holiday seemed to last for so long that we didn't know when we would be able to go on a trip. Fortunately, however, the pandemic has recently been almost controlled, and tourism has reopened. Therefore, my family decided to plan a vacation for everyone to enjoy, said Mr. Van.

Spending 3 days in Da Nang, according to Mr. Van, is an "indescribable joy". His whole family had fun and experienced many interesting services, so everyone was excited, just like relieving the psychological burden after a long time of being unable to travel.

Not only traveled to Da Nang, his whole family also moved to Hoi An for visiting and having a walk. "Seeing the tourism being revived, people traveling and having fun, and everyone smiling is very exciting, confided Mr. Van.

Unlike Mr. Van's family, Ms. Quynh chose to go on short-distance trips by private car. Many other Hue families chose to travel further to Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, or other even Southwestern provinces. In spite of the fact that traveling on holiday is difficult and the price of services is expensive, very few people would mind, believing that traveling on this occasion is not only fun but also helps stimulate tourism.

Story and photo: Nhat Minh
Robert Acuff chaired the Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday evening as it begin prioritizing the numerous projects which will receive funding from the American Rescue Plan.
No, the Supreme Court is not about to 'ban' abortion
The developers behind a $60 million mixed-use development for Kingstons Stockade District, a project that has sparked multiple lawsuits and sharply divided residents since it was proposed in 2017, will deliver a special presentation of the development to the city planning board on Monday, May 9.

The Kingstonian, a planned development of 143 apartments, a boutique hotel, a 427-space parking garage, and nearly 9,000 square feet of retail space, would span two busy intersections in the heart of a historic district known for its 18th-century architecture  where Wall and Fair streets meet North Front Street. In March, the Kingstonian cleared hurdles in securing approvals from two historic review boards, the Heritage Area Commission and the Kingston Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The planning board on April 18 referred the project to the county planning board and city agencies for feedback and recommendations. In addition to Mondays special planning board meeting, a separate public hearing on the project is set for Tuesday, May 17th.

The last time the planning board reviewed the Kingstonian, in 2020, approval was granted to combine properties and demolish buildings where a warehouse owned by one of the Kingstonian developers and a diner are currently located.

Project divides local residents

The scale of the Kingstonian project, which has received millions of dollars in public funding, has divided a city whose economy was once sustained by IBM and is in need of affordable housing as the city weathers an influx of new residents.

As with Beacon, after the Dia Beacon contemporary museum opened in 2003, and present-day Poughkeepsie, which is hosting a range of new developments, including Hudson River shore housing and The Academy food hall, event and residential space, change is sweeping through the Hudson Valley. Inflamed debate over the Kingstonian illustrates conflicting public sentiment over large-scale development within small, historic Hudson Valley cities, long before any ground is broken.

Kingston Mayor Steve Noble, a supporter of the project, said the Kingstonian would be the largest development in Uptown Kingston in at least 40 years. This is a transformational time for Kingston, he said.

The Kingstonian was one of six Kingston projects to receive funding through the states Downtown Revitalization Initiative grants, securing $3.8 million in 2018.

The Ulster County Industrial Development Agency in January 2021 overwhelmingly approved a 25-year, $26 million payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) property tax break for the development. The Kingston school board voted against the PILOT in December 2020, saying it is costing the city school district $18 million in tax revenue. Board of Education President James F. Shaughnessy Jr. has been a staunch opponent of the project.

Noble defended the tax break, saying the developer will build and maintain the public areas of the Kingstonian, including the parking garage, and full taxes will be paid after loans are paid off in 25 years.

He added that the proposal represents the third time in three city administrations that efforts were launched to redevelop the city parking lot property that would be part of the Kingstonian site. To me, it has really been kind of a missing tooth in the fabric of the streetscape in Uptown Kingston, Noble said.

Kwame Holmes, a Kingston resident who holds a Ph.D. in American urban history, said the proposal has become a flash point in a battle between those who appreciate Kingston as it is and those who wish Kingston were something else. Maybe its because the city was the states original capital that the question between the past and the future is that much more charged.

Holmes also worries that the Kingstonian developers want to bring class homogeneity to Uptown Kingston. The Rhinebeck-ization or the Beacon-ization of the (Stockade) District is something that would concern me, Holmes said. I get to see only well-heeled people in Rhinebeck, and Kingston has a different kind of a flavor. Id like to see that preserved.

In response to an email inquiry, a spokesperson for the project touted the Kingstonians benefits  a public plaza, public restrooms, affordable housing, ADA compliant access and the creation of 153 jobs. The Kingstonian spokesperson declined a request for a telephone interview with a member of the development team.

Citizens allege mutually beneficial business relationships

John W. Barry

The Kingstonian development team includes Brad Jordan, President of Herzog Supply Co.; New Windsor-based real estate development brothers Joseph Bonura and Michael Bonura; and Patrick Page of Patrick Page Properties in Newburgh. Herzog Supply owns part of the land that the Kingstonian would occupy; the other portion of the site is a city-owned parking lot.

In a state Supreme Court lawsuit filed Jan. 5, a group of plaintiffs that included Shaughnessy  who was acting as a private citizen outside of his capacity as president of the Kingston Board of Education  allege that Kingston Common Council Member Steve Schabot faced a conflict of interest in voting on matters related to the Kingstonian because he was employed by Herzog Supply.

The plaintiffs in their argument cited previous vote recusals by Schabot as evidence of his own perception of a conflict.

But City of Kingston officials said Schabots part-time, seasonal employment at Herzog Supply did not represent a conflict because Herzogs is not involved in the Kingstonian, although the companys president, Brad Jordan, is. The city also said Schabots recusals preceded legal advice he received saying there was no conflict.

In January the City of Kingston Board of Ethics investigated the matter and found the allegations against Schabot were unsubstantiated. On March 17, state Supreme Court Justice Richard Mott dismissed the lawsuit.

Downtime is the best time Make the most of your Hudson Valley weekend, every week with our newsletter.

Herzog Supply has served Kingston for more than 100 years and operates Herzogs Home Center in Kingston and Herzogs Home & Paint Centers with locations in Albany, Fishkill, Latham and Poughkeepsie. Herzog Supply also owns Kingston Plaza, a 310,000 square-foot retail center with 34 stores that sits adjacent to the proposed site for the Kingstonian. The Herzog warehouse that sits on part of the proposed Kingstonian site was once home to the now long-shuttered Kingstonian Hotel.

Ive come to use the word corrupt, said Shaughnessy. This whole thing stinks.

Fair Street Extension and affordable housing

John W. Barry

The city originally intended to discontinue a public street  the Fair Street Extension, a pedestrian and vehicle thoroughfare between North Front St and Schwenk Dr  to make way for the Kingstonian. Noble later designated it a partial abandonment, which would give the city continued ownership of the land and the developers the right to build on it.

Kingstons Common Council signed off on the transfer of the street in 2021, but a state court rescinded the transfer due to technical issues with the public hearing and held a rescheduled public hearing on Jan. 12 at George Washington Elementary School, which brought out more than 90 speakers, including dozens of supporters for the Kingstonian project.

Several written public comments submitted for the meeting also conveyed support. We are the parents of 7-year-old twin children who would like to continue to live in the greater Kingston area, and the Kingstonian will provide a much-needed economic boost to both Kingston and Ulster County, wrote Albert and Jennifer Gruner.

The Kingston Common Council in February voted 7 to 2 to allow the partial abandonment of the street, a clear win for the Kingstonian project. The two dissenting votes were cast by Alderwoman Naimah Muhammad and Alderwoman Michele Hirsch.

Hirsch, who took office in 2020, was initially a supporter of the Kingstonian but is now opposed to the project on the whole. While she appreciates the increase in housing units and public parking that the project will provide, she is concerned that only 14 of the 143 units will be designated affordable housing.

The Kingstonian does little to alleviate housing stress on a city of 24,000 people, says Hirsch, who noted that a county study conducted 15 years ago was even then signaling a housing crisis in Kingston, well before the pandemic.

Hirsch says a majority of her Ninth Ward constituents, who live in the Midtown and Rondout neighborhoods, are opposed to the Kingstonian. People are concerned about it ruining the fabric of the community, she said  a concern she shares. I dont think its going to improve life in Kingston.

Kingston resident Robert Cogliati echoed Hirschs sentiments.

On the surface, it seems like a good thing, he said of the development. My concern with something like that is it always needs to be done very sensitively. I think its always a challenge to actually get something like that right.
ALBANY  A judge sentenced Hassan Riddick to 25 years to life in prison Friday for the killing nearly two years ago of Dwayne Fenner but not before the victim's mother assailed Riddick for taking a father from his children.

Riddick was sentenced by acting state Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough. As he was led from the courtroom, Riddick muttered something to one of Fenner's relatives, setting off a brief argument.

Riddick, 29, of Colonie, shot and killed Fenner, 34, just after 4 p.m. on June 18, 2020, outside a home on Third Street.

He had no right to take my sons life.  I want him to pay for his sins murdering my son, Dwayne, said Fenner's mother, Olivia Fenner. This young man has no regard for human life, and I pray God has mercy on him.

She told the judge Fenner's wife, children, and siblings miss him dearly every day. "I love you Dwayne," she said, "until the day we meet again."

On March 21, Riddick was convicted of second-degree murder and weapons charges. The top count carried a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

In court, McDonough said that the calculated crime stemmed from a fistfight that occurred three years ago between Riddick and Fenner. He addressed Riddick prior to sentencing him, saying "the thought process of your actions equates to resentment toward an individual for a fistfight that became a motive for murder."

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 getaway driver in the killing, Alfonso Fuller, 31, pleaded guilty last fall to weapon possession counts to resolve a second-degree murder charge he faced in Fenner's killing.

Fuller also pleaded guilty in the 2014 killing of 23-year-old Jessie Overton. Prosecutors said Fuller confessed to the crime, was arraigned in City Court and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors said. He also admitted to killing a dog.

Fuller is serving an 18-year sentence in state prison.
Maggie and David Convy remember their stays at Camp Foster on Lake Okoboji in Iowa as summertime bliss.

For 10 straight years, they attended with the same group of friends from all over the Midwest. They would spend the week singing songs and playing games and pranks.

Life was so good, the then-Maggie Rudersdorf said.

The pair stayed friends, and even though David lived in Kansas City, Missouri, and Maggie in Omaha, she summoned up the courage to ask him to Marian High Schools senior prom.

David drove up after taking the ACT and stayed in one of my brothers bedrooms, she said. My dad made his famous waffles in the morning before David went back to KC the next day.

They stayed in touch when David went to Kansas State and Maggie to Marquette, and then reconnected in 2018 when Maggie attended a nursing conference in Denver, where David was living.

Sparks flew. It was like we had never left each other, they say.

David then visited Maggie in Chicago shortly after, and Maggie then made the move from Chicago to Denver.

They met back at Camp Foster again for another big moment. The proposal.

They were visiting Davids grandparents and after a long day of swimming and boating, they made the all-to-familiar drive to camp.

They walked around reminiscing and even found both their names written in paint on the mess hall walls. Davids name is engraved on a canoe paddle in the dining hall for winning the foster fling two years in a row.

Then they stopped at the chapel, the heart of the camp. Its where every morning started with announcements and evening talent shows were held on the center stage.

David and I sat in the back row talking about how we always used to eye one another from across the aisle, hoping to catch a sudden peek or laugh about the time we danced in the talent show, Maggie said. We stood up to walk out and David took my hand, got down on one knee, and pulled out a beautiful ring he had made with a family heirloom diamond, asking me to be his wife. It was a surreal moment.

They drove back to Davids grandparents house to find all of Davids family and Maggies parents ready to surprise them and celebrate. A banner read It was always you. Champagne toasts followed, with tears of happiness and lots of laughter.

We ended the night watching fireworks over Lake Okoboji, she said. It was beyond magical.

Magical ride

They knew they wanted to get married in the mountains  its where their love story really started to flourish. They often took weekend trips to Vail, Breckenridge and Keystone to explore everything the mountains had to offer.

David always says, you just feel different in the mountains, Maggie said. Its a dreamy, magical and romantic place  thats exactly what our vision was for our wedding. Lots of candles, greenery, elegant, and mountain rustic feels. We both love to ski the back bowls of Vail, walk the village of Vail sipping warm cocktails and dancing at The Red Lion. We wanted to share this love with our friends and family in the same place we rekindled our love. Its been a magical ride to fall in love at 8,150 feet.

The couple married in November, because they wanted a wedding during ski season so everyone could celebrate and then hit the slopes. They invited 200 and about 140 were able to attend.

Winter wonderland

Waking up to some gently falling snow the day of the wedding was just one of several special moments. There was also their first look at the creek next to the chapel, the tears in Davids eyes as Maggie walked down the aisle with her dad and a special Irish hand blessing by both their mothers.

Their favorite came after the ceremony, when the newly married couple went back to their room and took a moment to take it all in. This was really special sitting by the fireplace sipping champagne looking at our wedding rings, Maggie said. It was a once in a lifetime moment, with butterflies of excitement in our stomachs and so much love in our hearts.

Then came their first dance to At Last by Etta James, one of their favorites and 20 years after their first meeting a camp. David said in his final speech to everyone, the only way you could describe this day is as a fairytale.

Masking up

COVID-19 didnt make things easy. Maggie says she can laugh now about wearing N95 masks to go to her final bridal dress fittings, nail appointments, flower meetings, etc. They had to change a few plans, with last-minute cancelations or family members who were ill.

Overall we cant help but think it really helped us appreciate the celebration together even more with a new perspective, they say. This whole situation together has really made us enjoy this time in our lives where we can focus on everything were truly thankful for.

Keeping organized

To stay organized, they got a large binder to keep all their wedding contracts, emails and contacts. Binder separators kept each element separate.

If marrying later in the day, consider a first look. The day goes so fast, and that gives you lots of photos, videos and memories as a couple. David says make it easier by surrounding yourself with easy-going people.

They participated in a Pre-Cana retreat in Denver, giving them uninterrupted time to sit with each other and talk about their goals and dreams. The reception location in Vail offered a full-service coordinator to help with planning.

That was incredibly helpful to pass off all vendor information and not have to stress about coordinating, Maggie said. She helped so much with planning. She was incredible.

Etsy was also a great source for ideas.

The trip said it all

Their favorite gift was having both sides of their immediate families in Vail as well as so many of their friends make the trip. Davids four grandparents were all in attendance. Their maid of honor, Katie Williams Huerter, also attended Camp Foster with them.

Maggie wrapped her wedding bouquet with pearls from her late grandmother that have been passed down. Maggies cousin Kay, who passed away from cancer two years ago, also wore them at her wedding. So these pearls are incredibly special, she said. Maggie also wore a wedding diamond from her other grandmother.

Together at last

During their planning, they would step back to remember the why. Navigating the planning process in such unprecedented times was stressful, but it constantly kept them in check about what the wedding day is truly about  spending the rest of your life with your best friend.

I specifically remember looking up at David and getting butterflies in my stomach, thinking to myself, Its David Convy. I cannot believe I am marrying my Camp Foster crush, Maggie said. David always says, the hard part of finding each other was over and now we get to spend forever together (even if he had to wait 15 years to finally kiss me).

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina district attorney says the shooting death of a woman who was mistaken for a panther was a tragic and heart-wrenching accident for which no charges will be filed.

District Attorney Andrew Murray wrote this week that Rachel Buchanan, 19, her boyfriend and another couple were at a home outside Hendersonville on Oct. 20 when the two men left on foot to retrieve a phone charger, news outlets reported. Both men were armed because of word that a black panther was prowling in the woods and had been sighted, Murray said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WATERVLIET  Without a penny of college debt, 16 local students accepted well-paid, skilled jobs Thursday that theyll start as soon as they graduate from high school.

Amid growing criticism about the cost of college and increasing demand for skilled jobs that arent taught in four-year college programs, apprenticeships are making a comeback.

School and labor officials used to call apprenticeships an alternative to higher education. Thats the wrong way to characterize it, Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said.

Its another way to earn your ticket, she said. They have skills and they havent had to pay for it.

She also said more employers should hire high school graduates and train them.

"Everywhere I go, business owners say, 'I can't find the skilled workers I need.' This is how you do it," she said. "And it's a great way to diversify your workforce."

She cheered on the students as they formally accepted their first career jobs during the Capital Region BOCES Signing Day, which mirrors the highly publicized day some high school athletes get when they announce what college team theyre joining.

There was no shortage of employers eager to offer apprenticeship-style jobs to the teenagers, who have spent two years in BOCES technical programs, learning skills ranging from carpentry to machining. Union representatives noted the students will receive competitive pay and benefits.

Allison Umstadter, 18, of Scotia, was one of only two women in this years graduating class. She accepted a job at Greno Industries, where she has been working as a machinist since November. Almost all of the students have been working for their chosen employer for months, getting on-the-job training before their job offer.

Umstadter is the only woman machinist at Greno. She chose the job because she loves the feeling of making things with her own hands, she said.

Greno human resources manager Patrisia Sheremeta added that Umstadter impressed everyone with her skills and self-possession from the start.

She walks in, only woman on the production flood, half their age, and shes earned their respect because she has the skills, Sheremeta said.

Sheremeta hires every machinist she can find. There are projects Greno cant take because it doesnt have enough machinists.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

At this point, if you want a good machinist, youre going to have to grow your own, she said. If you dont start now, in 10 or 15 years you wont have a business because youll have no one to run the machines.

Also hiring high schoolers Thursday was Albany Medical Center, which snapped up Joe Lawyer, 18, of Schoharie. Hes been working in the sterile processing unit for a year and was thrilled to get a job offer.

Fantastic. Its a little relieving, he said.

Lawyer cleans surgical tools so theyre ready for the next surgery. He wanted to work in the medical field because its a way to help people, he said. While he works at Albany Med, he will also take courses at Hudson Valley Community Collect to get a radiology technologist certificate.

Reardon hopes more students take note of these students success at getting well-paid jobs immediately after graduation.

Everybodys going to need post-secondary training, but not everyone needs four years post-secondary, she said. Apprenticeship is a system thats been around since the Middle Ages.
Running for the school board has long been a way for people to dip their toes into the political process. At times candidates may be backed - publicly and/or privately - by political parties.

But amid national political debates about racial justice and equality, school board elections across the country are increasingly mirroring the same discord - with pandemic lockdowns and mandates since 2020 ramping up people's interest in pushing political issues through local school districts.

School board races from Texas to Wisconsin have been called a symbol of "culture wars" and are becoming "partisan and venomous."

While races in the Capital Region do not appear to be as fiery, the same issues are present. Some candidates in local races being decided May 17 are referencing the terms "parent rights" and "commonsense" to refer to stopping teachers from discussing racism, LGBTQ issues and sex education in schools. The Times Union found at least 18 candidates from a dozen school districts expressing such views online in connection to their candidacies.

In Bethlehem, the town Republican committee has criticized the school districts diversity, equity and inclusion policy, and said candidate Doug Lloyd would help the district return to sanity.

Voorheesville Central School District board candidate Erika Smitkin is one of several candidates in the Capital Region who want to require teachers to provide all materials to families before they are given out in class.

At a recent candidate forum, Smitkin said she wanted to keep learning focused on just education, right, not on anything having to do with race-based things or, you know, sexual things that push onto our younger-age children.

At an Averill Park Central School District forum, candidate Darryl Borton said the state Education Department is pushing critical race theory and "gender theory." Teachers shouldn't teach that, he said.

"They need to stay in their lane, let the family values be taught at home," he said.

However, sometimes candidates are being unwittingly listed as "parent rights" candidates, without a clear idea of what that platform stands for.

A Shenendehowa Central School District candidate was surprised to find out he had been listed on a Facebook page list for parent choice candidates throughout the Capital Region. There, parents are concerned about a range of items, including sex education, teaching about racism, adding a diversity, equity and inclusion official or teachers mentioning anything related to LGBTQ people.

Again, its not clear which candidates on the list support which issues, though they described themselves as like-minded. While some candidates nominated themselves to the list, others were nominated without their knowledge.

Shen candidate Jason Little was nominated by someone else, and he quickly disavowed the group during an interview with the Times Union.

When I started my legal career, I was a civil rights attorney, he said. There is no room in our world for any discrimination.

But, he said, the groundswell of concerns showed him that districts need to be more responsive.

I think parents think they dont have a voice, he said.

Politics and school boards

Some local Republicans say they have to now take action because school boards were already politicized by the left. Among their examples was Schenectady school board member Jamaica Miles, who was elected to the city school board last year and has joined student protests.

We would rather stay out of school board elections, said city of Schenectady Republican Chairman Matt Nelligan. The history of school board elections is theyre supposed to be nonpolitical. I think thats a very good goal.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

But thats no longer the case, he said.

The board unfortunately has become politicized. When (Miles) was elected last year, she brought her political agenda to the board  Helping kids to figure out how they can walk out of school and protest during the school day, thats the opposite of good leadership, he said. If the extreme left backed away from the school boards, then we would back away from the school boards.

The liberal group All of Us, which was co-founded by Miles, issued a statement saying schools are the latest front in the culture war.

These are attempts to roll back the progress weve made as a country, not just in recent years but in decades passed. They are threatened by change that moves us towards a more equitable and just society, one that gives everyone access to opportunity, not just the good ole boys club,'" the group said in a statement.

Twelve years ago, Schenectady school board candidates went to great lengths to create their own party, SCOPE, specifically avoiding any political groups.

Now, Nelligan is bringing traditional political tactics to the race. He is trying to get copies of candidate petitions to see if anyone made mistakes that could get them thrown off the ballot.

Albany County Republican Committee Chairman Randy Bashwinger said political parties should get involved because school boards are more important than people realize.

School taxes are most of our taxes we pay. Many people dont vote in school elections. It is important to get involved, people complain about the schools and dont get involved, he said. A lot of parents have seen the issues come up over the past year or so and now realize its time to speak up. I am hoping that this will also get more people interested in the political work.

He added that its exciting to see so many competitive races.

In the past, many school board races have been uncontested, and in some cases seats had to be filled through write-ins because there werent enough people on the ballot.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel is set to advance plans for the construction of 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, the interior minister said Friday, drawing warnings of serious consequences from the Palestinian Authority.

If approved, it would be the biggest advancement of settlement plans since the Biden administration took office. The White House is opposed to settlement growth because it further erodes the possibility of an eventual two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, a staunch supporter of settlements, tweeted that a planning committee would convene next week to approve 4,000 homes, calling construction in the West Bank a basic, required and obvious thing.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the planned approvals would have serious consequences on the ground in an already tense West Bank. He did not say what those consequences might be, and the Palestinian Authority has no way of halting settlement building or any other Israeli measures.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that the Civil Administration, a military body, would meet Thursday to advance 1,452 units, and that another 2,536 units would be approved by Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

The Defense Ministry referred questions to COGAT, the military body in charge of civilian affairs in the occupied West Bank. COGAT did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters that the Biden administration has been clear on West Bank settlement expansion from the outset.

We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements which exacerbates tensions and undermines trust between the parties," she said. Israels program of expanding settlements deeply damages the prospects for a two-state solution.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built more than 130 settlements across the territory that are home to nearly 500,000 settlers. Nearly 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule.

Earlier this week, Israel's Supreme Court upheld an expulsion order that would force at least 1,000 Palestinians out of an arid region in the southern West Bank where they say they have been living for decades. The military declared the area a firing zone in the early 1980s.

The Palestinians want the West Bank to form the main part of their future state. They view the expansion of settlements as a major obstacle to any future peace deal because they reduce and divide up the land on which such a state would be established. Most of the international community views the settlements as illegal.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

All of these Israeli measures of demolition, eviction and settlement fall within the framework of the apartheid regime that the occupation applies to the Palestinians and their lands amid international silence, said Abu Rdeneh, Abbas' spokesman.

Israel's current government is split between parties that oppose and support settlements. As a compromise, it has ruled out any major peace initiative or any move to formally annex parts of the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, a former leader of the main settler council, is opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Israel approved the construction of 3,000 settler homes in October despite a U.S. rebuke. Authorities have, however, paused some especially controversial projects in the wake of strong U.S. opposition.

Settlement construction can only be approved after a long bureaucratic process, and it was unclear how soon construction crews would be able to break ground on the 4,000 homes if they get a green light. The process also provides the opportunity for Israeli officials to pause or delay such projects.

___

Associated Press writers Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

COHOES  All these decades later, Christa Thomas life has come full circle.

Thomas, who was incarcerated nearly 30 years ago at Bedford Hills, will return to the prison for women on Sunday, Mothers Day. This time she'll be behind the wheel of a van ferrying about two dozen local residents to spend part of the holiday with their mother or other female relatives serving time at the correctional facility in Westchester County.

I can see my kids every day of the week so Mothers Day to me is just another day. But for somebody that doesnt have those means or the transportation to get them there, thats why I volunteer my service to make sure that we can get them there," said Thomas.

By we, she means Tech Valley Hospitality Shuttle Inc., the Cohoes-based company that after a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic is again offering the roughly two-hour road trip, free of charge, to anyone with a loved one serving time at Bedford Hills. Led by Trent Griffin-Braaf, the company offers charter service to customers in the Capital Region.

Thomas, a mother of two children, ages 19 and 12, is Tech Valleys fleet manager. She also has her commercial drivers license.

Im willing to volunteer my time for other mothers that arent able to see their kids, she added.

Tech Valley, which started off in Schenectady, also offers transportation to other prisons in New York for visits with family or friends.

Cohoes Police Chief Todd Waldin said the Cohoes police officers union donated $250 to help defray the cost of rides to Bedford Hills.

Waldin said he was impressed with the company's commitment to giving felons a second chance. He is on board with sponsoring events or assisting in any way he can because of the organization's commitment toimproving the community.

Griffin-Braaf, Tech Valley's president, said when the company took a bus of about 20 people to Bedford Hills in 2020, it was the last time they made the trip before the pandemic prompted the state to suspend prison visits.

It was one of our most in-demand services because really theres nothing like it in the state, and were just excited to be able to restore it, said Griffin-Braaf.

For Cohoes police, the blossoming partnership with Tech Valley is an outgrowth of state-mandated police reforms coupled with Waldins admiration of the company and its goals.

Waldin said the two sides are exploring other initiatives, including one aimed at educating teens about the pitfalls of crime.

We see this as an ability to just keep building, and whatever ideas hes (Griffin-Braaf) coming up with from the shuttle to correctional facilities to speakers in schools to prevent kids from falling into the same trap as they did, we will be there to facilitate those relationships and connections through donations or whatever we can do, Waldin 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.

Griffin-Braaf said they plan to take people on visits to other state prisons, including Great Meadow, Oneida and Sullivan correctional facilities, on at least three other holidays  Father's Day as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thomas, the bus driver, said she was uplifted during her 18-month, early 1990s stint in prison by visits from her mother and sisters. She declined to talk about her conviction, saying only that it was tied to an addiction to drugs.

It was big for me, I looked forward to those times, she said. It makes the time go faster, and when you come out, you know those people were still living life while you were inside, and the things that they were doing.

As of late last week, 14 people had registered for the trip.

Griffin-Braaf served prison time for selling cocaine. He said that it was only afterward that he realized the tremendous impact constant visits from his family during his 3 years behind bars had on him and his life once he left prison.

Looking back on it, I do see the benefits of how it helped me stay connected to what was going on, it also allowed me to prepare for my return home, he said. I had a support system so they were already looking for a job opportunity, they were already looking for ways I could better myself.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  Fed up with low pay and little job security, the nontenured teaching faculty at Skidmore College have vowed to unionize. And to emphasize their commitment, faculty, students, alumni and regional union leaders rallied outside of the campus Case Center on Friday afternoon saying that the time has come to press the administration for a living wage.

For some time now, Ive been talking with my colleagues from across our very beautiful campus and I have heard their stories and I have listened to their concerns and they have heard mine, said Gregory Spinner, a professor of religious studies at Skidmore, who spoke to the cheering crowd of about 75 at the event. Its not all negative. Far from it. I have heard how much people love teaching, despite it being a difficult task under the best of circumstances. These talks have boosted my own admiration for everyone who undertakes these kinds of intellectual labors. But the thing is this, intellectual labor is still labor.

Spinner was among the nontenured faculty members who spoke at the outdoor rally organized with the help of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the union that they have pledged to join.

Sean Collins, an organizer with SEIU Local 200 United/Troy Area Labor Council AFL-CIO, said there is no date yet for the faculty to vote on union membership. About 60 percent of the school's approximately 170 nontenure-track faculty have promised to get on board with SEIU's national Faculty Forward movement. Still, Collins said the nontenure-track faculty, 100 of whom are full-time, expect the college's administration to fight back.

They do not want (nontenured) faculty to have a seat at the table, Collins said. They dont want them to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment. They do not want them to have security and pay equity and they are going to fight tooth and nail to prevent them from organizing.  We need everyone in the entire campus community to overcome this fight.

The Skidmore College administration, in a statement, did not say it would try to prevent a union from forming. Rather, the statement from the administration's spokesperson said it respects the nontenure-track faculty, their contributions to Skidmore and their right to join a union. The statement also emphasized that union membership is a personal choice and the administration would work with the union, if one is formed.

Employees have a right to vote by secret ballot in an election conducted by federal officials, the statement read. It is not the Colleges place to preemptively substitute its judgment for that of individual employees, nor would it be appropriate for the College to waive our employees right to vote. If the union is certified as the employees representative, Skidmore will, of course, work constructively and bargain in good faith, just as we do with the six other employee unions on campus, with which we have good working relationships.

After the rally, Collins said there is little transparency regarding pay levels. However, he said full-time, nontenure-track professors earn about $52,000 to $53,000 a year. Part-timers are paid about $1,400 to $1,500 per credit hour or about $4,200 to $6,000 for a three- or four-credit semester course. The Times Union was not able to verify the average salary of Skdimore tenured professors, of which there are about 200.

Ruth McAdams, a nontenured English professor, said its not enough to live on, especially in Saratoga Springs.

The incredibly low pay for nontenure-track faculty is totally out of step with the cost of living in the area, McAdams said. The nontenure-track faculty is really struggling to meet their basic economic needs.  We all do this because we love teaching, we love working with students. Skidmore students are wonderful young people. Its just an honor to teach them. But what we do is labor and it needs to be fairly compensated.

She said that many nontenure-track faculty have to rely on their partners making a living wage, work two jobs or, as she knows in at least one case, go on public assistance.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Moreover, she said there are an extremely bewildering variety of contract structures for the nontenure-track faculty that offer absolutely no job security.

We are on these short-term contracts of one or two years, despite the fact that we fulfill teaching needs that are clearly permanent, said McAdams who teaches freshman writing, a class that is required of all students.

She says the short contracts make it difficult to plan a future.

In addition to job security and pay equity, 68 nontenure-track faculty members signed a letter to the Skidmore community stating that they seek a voice on campus when it comes to shaping policy. The letter also requested that the administration voluntarily recognize the union and to begin good-faith negotiations.

The faculty, students and alumni have also said that righting the inequities inherent in the nontenure-track salaries, contracts and resources will also better the Skidmore community as a whole and aligns with the values of equity and inclusion that Skidmore purports to espouse.

Spinner concluded his speech with its the right thing to do and now is the time to do it.

If not now, when? he asked. If Im only for myself, what am I? ... Collective bargaining will make Skidmore a better place for both teachers and students to do this important intellectual labor.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ALBANY  With COVID-19 here to stay  albeit in a less lethal, endemic form  scientists hope the monitoring of traces of the virus in wastewater will eventually serve as an early warning system, enabling governments to better anticipate, track and respond to outbreaks.

Since the New York State Wastewater Surveillance dashboard went live in January, some county health officials, including in Albany, have used it to alert communities of elevated coronavirus rates, but the science is still limited, experts say.

The state Department of Health-run program shows whether a pathogen causing COVID-19 is present in a community and whether community levels are rising or falling, according to Syracuse University researcher Dustin Hill, who designed the dashboard. Humans shed the virus in feces, even if they are asymptomatic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Similar monitoring systems have cropped up on the municipal level  New York City is working on its own wastewater testing project  and several college campuses, including Loudonville's Siena College, have been experimenting with the program on a smaller scale.

But the data is still patchy, varying based on the method and frequency of sample collection, the coverage area of a particular sewage treatment plant and the weather, which can dilute the sample, according to Hill.

"Sometimes outbreaks may happen in the suburbs and if we are monitoring a treatment plant in the city, we may not get that outbreak ahead of time and that's why the expansion of this program will be important," Hill said.

The two-week trend line is often more important than a single point in time, as evidenced by the state's most recent COVID-19 surge, driven by new omicron variants BA.2.12.1 and BA.2, that emerged in central New York in early April and has since spread to most counties north of New York City.

Three weeks ago, "we had three sites in central New York where there's been this hotbed of activity and it seemed like we were heading downward, but the next week, we were back up," Hill said.

In order for its full utility to be realized, the technology must be streamlined across a broad geographic area, experts say.

In New York, wastewater surveillance began in August 2020 as a six-week pilot program in Erie, Onondaga, Albany, and Orange counties and gradually expanded across the state.

Now samples are drawn from 88 waste treatment plants in 48 New York counties. The dashboard is managed by the state Department of Health, Syracuse University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The map estimates the probability of transmission (low, moderate or substantial to high) in participating counties based on levels of RNA in the sewer system and the state's estimated number of cases in that community.

Currently, RNA levels in wastewater across the state correlate with a substantial to high risk of transmission or greater than 50 cases per population of 100,000.

"It's not a perfect science yet and we are still working to improve it ... but what we are seeing now is that levels are higher than we'd want them to be from a public health perspective," Hill said.

Several other states are tracking the virus in wastewater and the CDC recently created its own dashboard to aggregate the state-level data.

Wastewater surveillance has been around for decades but it had never been used for respiratory diseases.

Pre-COVID-19, public health experts searched for environmental causes of a disease based on the way the pathogen was transmitted, according to David Larsen, an epidemiologist and Syracuse University professor who directs the state's wastewater surveillance network,

Wastewater testing made sense for polio and cholera, for example. Those diseases are transmitted fecally and orally, he said.

In early 2020, Dutch scientists found that the pathogen causing COVID-19 could be detected in wastewater using DNA testing methods before an outbreak.

Using wastewater to track a respiratory illness is "a paradigm shift" for epidemiologists that will have implications for the management of influenza, tuberculosis and other communicable diseases, according to Larsen.

"Wastewater surveillance provides intelligence; it provides an understanding of the burden, it provides an understanding of direction," Larsen said.

But the data is only as good as the frequency of samples drawn. To refine the program and make it more efficient, scientists are looking to incorporate in-stream "biosensors" that supply real-time data and DNA analyzing techniques that can indicate the severity of an infection.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Once the infrastructure is in place, experts say wastewater testing has the potential to become a powerful and cost-effective public health tool that, in addition to monitoring disease, can track things like opioid use and antimicrobial resistance.

Over the course of the pandemic, the wastewater dashboard has gotten more attention from public health officials as the state's clinical testing metrics became less reliable, due to asymptomatic cases and the availability of at-home tests, which are rarely reported. COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are now seen as more-accurate indicators of an outbreak than the number of positive tests in a community, but those figures tend to lag infection rates by weeks.

College campuses, as smaller, more-controlled environments, offer a model of how wastewater testing can be incorporated into a robust COVID-19 mitigation strategy.

When Siena College environmental studies professor Kate Meierdiercks first approached Siena officials in September 2020 with the idea of creating a wastewater monitoring program on the campus, she imagined it would be a one-semester educational experiment.

But as the pandemic evolved, so did the campus wastewater surveillance program.

The program was useful as an early warning system in the early days before COVID-19 tests were widely available on the 3,300-student campus.

Wastewater samples were drawn at each dormitory. When the water in a particular building turned up "hot," or with detectable levels of the virus, the college would direct resources to students in that building.

At the time, the only way to manage the virus was with measures like masking, contact tracing and quarantining after exposure.

Now that the campus population is vaccinated, the system is used to observe campuswide trends rather than to locate outbreaks, according to Meierdiercks.

With untraceable at-home tests widely used, "it's more of a check on whether or not the clinical tests that are being reported to the college match what we see in the wastewater," she said.

There are pros and cons to the method. The wastewater monitoring system is less invasive and more cost-effective than other types of surveillance testing used at colleges and universities.

Unlike the batch testing used to catch infections on State University of New York campuses, wastewater surveillance cannot link an infection to a specific person or even identify how many in a particular building are infected.

"We use the Swiss cheese analogy," she said. "The wastewater data is not going to be 100 percent, but we also know that clinical testing is not perfect. Neither method is perfect but when we use them together, it can be a pretty powerful tool to understanding what's happening on campus."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ALBANY  The repeal of both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey could lead to a swath of legal battles between states over whether providers and patients could be held responsible for abortions that, had they occurred in an anti-abortion jurisdiction, would ignite either civil or criminal judicial proceedings.

State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, D-Bronx, and Assemblyman Chris Budrick, D-Bedford, have introduced legislation that would create a cause of action, giving individuals coming to the state for reproductive or gender-affirming care civil protections if they were subjected to litigation or criminal charges upon returning to their home state.

In Connecticut, the state Legislature passed a similar bill and lawmakers elsewhere are considering introducing legislation to protect providers and patients from laws in anti-abortion states.

According to some legal experts, there hasnt been much of a precedent to determine whether these laws would work. Under Article IV of the U.S. Constitution, states are required to assist each other in the enforcement of criminal laws. In addition, one state cannot be sued in another states court system because of immunity provisions.

Professor Roderick Hills from the New York University School of Law says that a cause of action in these cases could be best implemented against a private individual that tries to sue someone that had an abortion in a pro-choice state.

Although, its not that simple.

For the law to work, New York would need to have "personal jurisdiction," or some connection over the person that is trying to sue the individual that came to this state for the procedure, which the state Supreme Court could allow since the claim would be in response to an action that occurred here.

Assuming the original claimant didnt show up to court, the state could issue a default judgment and take it to the anti-abortion state, asking the courts to enforce a judgment issued in New York.

That states court could then consider the decision void because of the lack of personal jurisdiction over the claimant that initially filed the lawsuit.

However, Hills noted, the anti-abortion state might be required to comply with the courts decision because of a constitutional rule requiring states to give "full faith and credit" to the judgments of other states.

"The question is whether either law can be enforced because the two states' courts might not be able to get jurisdiction over the non-resident," Hills said. "And thats a federal question. That can go to the U.S. Supreme Court."

That pertinent post-Roe legal issue has only come up twice after the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision, according to a forthcoming paper in Columbia Law Review authored by professors David S. Cohen, Greer Donley and Rachel Rebouche from Drexel University, University of Pittsburgh and Temple University, respectively.

In 1975, a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, Bigelow v. Commonwealth of Virginia, targeted a Virginia statute that barred publications from advertising abortion. A local weekly printed an ad for a service in New York, shortly after the state legalized the procedure, stating that it could refer people to providers in the northern state.

The case was considered a First Amendment issue, but the court added in its ruling that Virginia could not stop its residents from traveling to New York for the procedure or prosecute them for going there.

A Missouri state senator recently introduced legislation that would give private residents the ability to sue out-of-state physicians and anyone that helps a pregnant person obtain the procedure in another jurisdiction.

The real fear, experts said, is that states begin passing legislation that would criminalize the actions of receiving or performing an abortin.. Alabama has a law in place classifying abortion as murder and the Louisiana statehouse advanced legislation that would consider an abortion homicide.

The lack of state bills introduced that would protect pregnant people is concerning to Donley, the University of Pittsburgh law professor.

"It is a real problem that the patient who travels back home to Missouri afterward, or Texas, or the mother who helps her get there, all of a sudden, could, when they get home, be prosecuted theoretically, or civilly liable," Donley said.

Its unclear if local pro-life organizations would consider the repeal of Roe v. Wade a local achievement since it could lead to an influx of individuals coming to the state for the procedure.

In a written statement, Kristen E. Curran, director of government relations at the New York State Catholic Conference, said: "We believe the state should focus on its own residents and making New York a more welcoming culture for women in crisis pregnancies who would choose to keep their babies if only they had the supports and resources they deserve."
WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 5, 2022

_____

TORNADO WARNING

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...

Northeastern Panola County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 300 PM CDT.

* At 226 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado

was located near Beckville, or 9 miles northwest of Carthage,

moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without

shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.

Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree

damage is likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near...

Deberry around 255 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest

floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a

mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter

and protect yourself from flying debris.

Southwestern Panola County in northeastern Texas...

Southeastern Rusk County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 315 PM CDT.

* At 227 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado

was located over Minden, or 13 miles southeast of Henderson, moving

east at 20 mph.

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of

southwestern Panola and southeastern Rusk Counties, including the

following locations... Dotson.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN FREESTONE AND

SOUTHEASTERN NAVARRO COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe

limits, and has exited the warned area. Therefore, the warning has

been allowed to expire.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 600 PM CDT for central and

north central Texas.

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH

SATURDAY EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR

THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND ALL BUT THE

NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE...

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 National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a Fire

Weather Watch for strong winds and low relative humidity, which

is in effect from Saturday morning through Saturday evening.

* Affected Area...In Oklahoma...Cimarron and Texas. In Texas...

Dallam...Sherman...Hansford...Hartley...Moore...Hutchinson...

Oldham...Potter...Carson...Gray...Deaf Smith...Randall...

Armstrong...Donley...Collingsworth and Palo Duro Canyon.

* 20 Foot Winds...Southwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* Relative Humidity...As low as 6 percent.

* Red Flag Threat Index...3 TO 7.

* Timing...10 AM UNTIL 9 PM.

A Fire Weather Watch means that the potential for critical fire

weather conditions exists. Listen for later forecasts and

possible red flag warnings.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL FREESTONE COUNTY

IS CANCELLED...

The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.

Therefore the warning has been cancelled.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 600 PM CDT for central Texas.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Monte Murkle hadnt introduced a United States Senator before. His life spent farming in the Sunland area didnt prepare him for all the business formal outings, the handshakes with some of the states and countrys top officials.

But some time into his work in the LEAD Program Class 39, he was tasked with introducing Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse to the rest of his class.

I went out in the hallway and visited with him for five or six minutes, Murkle, who lives in Clatonia, said. You learn through the process how to glean some information Then you go in and introduce yourself. And then you introduce him, using the information you got. I was a little nervous.

Murkle said its those lessons, in softs skills and networking, that make the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Councils LEAD (Leadership Education/Action Development) Program so worthwhile. The Nebraska LEAD Program is accepting applications for LEAD Class 41 until June 15.

Beginning in the fall of 2022, the program will take its participants across the state and even out of the country.

Program Director Terry Hejny said he first encountered LEAD as high school agriculture instructor in Geneva, Nebraska.

I just saw the impact the LEAD Program makes on the lives of its participants, Hejny said. LEAD graduates take it to another level.

The program offers twelve three-day, theme-driven seminars from mid-September through early April. Participants visit almost all public and private colleges and universities in Nebraska over the course of the two year program.

Hejny said the first year focuses on local, state and national issues. The second year looks at international issues and includes a two week international study.

Murkles class was unable to travel abroad due to COVID-19, but they got to spend two weeks touring the West Coast.

In California, Murkle said they interacted with a number of farmers facing problems similar to those in Nebraska.

We were talking to this rhubarb farmer, and hes like, You cant get those people in Sacramento to understand what were dealing with, Murkle said. Again theyre outnumbered like we are here. People in bigger cities dont necessarily understand whats going on in ag. And thats part of what LEAD is all about. Its to get agricultural people involved so they get their stories out there.

Hejny said telling those storiesand telling them wellis essential for the future of the agriculture sector.

Were going to help them find out what theyre really passionate about, he said. And whos going to tell the story of a farmer and rancher better than a farmer or rancher?

Murkle said the program is full of names, faces and things to learn.

They introduce you to a lot of different stuff, he said. Youre introduced to people from different universities and governmental agencies.

Murkle said participants gain experience in networking and talking to leaders. With the dozens of officials and business professionals the program brings its participants in touch with, Murkle said he had plenty of opportunities to ask important questions.

The first time you stand up to ask a question, you can hardly remember your own name, he said. And then as you go on in the two years, you build confidence. You can formulate a question and can make sense.

The program is aimed at agricultural workers between the ages of 25 and 55. Hejny said the estimated value of the program is $15,000, and participant fees total just $2,500 over the two years.

For more information, visit www.lead.unl.edu.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Firefighters in New Mexico are taking advantage of diminished winds to build more fire lines and clear combustible brush near homes close to the fringes of the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. The blaze has charred hundreds of square miles of tinder-dry forest, destroying dozens of homes and triggering the evacuation of thousands across an expansive stretch of rural northeastern New Mexico
The best gaming laptops come in all shapes and sizes, for different needs and budgets. Because while a tricked out $5,000-plus model with the highest-end graphics and best display might give you the best gaming laptop experience, most of us can't afford a rig like that. Our picks here are often high-end models (we're an enthusiast site, after all), but most come in a variety of configurations at various price points.

Thankfully, there are more gaming laptop options now than ever, from budget-friendly to desktop replacements. Some come with full-size Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards, while others go for the more efficient Max-Q designs that enable thinner chassis and (sometimes) quieter fans.

While many of the best gaming laptops come with a 1080p display and high refresh rates, some include 4K screens, so you can pick between fidelity and resolution. Several gaming laptop go as fast as 360 Hz.



There is more choice than ever in components, too. While Intel is still a popular option, AMD's Ryzen processors are becoming more common, though the majority of notebooks in general still use Intel. On the GPU side, Nvidia's RTX GPUs are in far more laptops, though AMD is slowly starting to pair its own graphics cards with hits CPUs for what it calls an "AMD Advantage."



The latest technologies in processors include Intel's 12th Gen "Alder Lake" processors, which use a hybrid design with Performance and Efficient cores, and AMD's Ryzen 6000 CPUs. Just like desktops, anything with the latest graphics cards can still be hard to come by right now thanks to a global components shortage.

To help you find the best gaming laptop today, we've compiled a list of the best models we've tested and reviewed recently. For much more on how to narrow down your list of best gaming laptop considerations, check out our best gaming laptop buyers guide. But here are a few quick tips to get you started down the road to the right portable gaming rig for you.

While many gamers may go to desktops to get the most performance for their money, try lugging a tower, monitor and keyboard around in your backpack. When you need a powerful rig you can take with you, there's no substitute for a gaming laptop.



The picks on this list should be ready to run Windows 11, if it didn't come preinstalled already.

Quick Gaming Laptop Shopping Tips

Focus on the GPU: Most games are dependent on the GPU, and those arent upgradeable. If you splurge on a powerful GPU now, youll be gaming comfortably for a few years.



Most games are dependent on the GPU, and those arent upgradeable. If you splurge on a powerful GPU now, youll be gaming comfortably for a few years. You can upgrade some parts later: While the best CPUs for gaming and GPUs are almost always soldered down, most gaming laptops let you replace the RAM and storage, so you can buy cheaper now and add more memory and a bigger hard drive or SSD down the road.



While the best CPUs for gaming and GPUs are almost always soldered down, most gaming laptops let you replace the RAM and storage, so you can buy cheaper now and add more memory and a bigger hard drive or SSD down the road. Battery life will probably be bad: Very few gaming notebooks get 8 hours or more on a charge, and you need the power supply to get the best gaming performance anyway. However, we've seen some strong times from AMD's Ryzen processors, and Nvidia suggests its improved Optimus technology may help turn the tide.

Best gaming laptops at a glance

Best Overall: MSI GE76 Raider (Core i9-12900HK) Best Thin and Light: Razer Blade 15 (2022) Best 17-inch: Alienware x17 R2 Best Budget: Acer Nitro 5 All-AMD: Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition Best Esports: Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 16-inch Esports Option: Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Best Dual-Screen: Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE GX551

Best Gaming Laptops You Can Buy Today

The Best Overall Gaming Laptop: MSI GE76 Raider (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

1. MSI GE76 Raider The Best Overall Gaming Laptop Specifications CPU: Intel Core i9-12900HK GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Display: 17.3 inches, 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz Weight: 6.39 pounds (2.9 kg) Today's Best Deals View at Amazon View at Amazon View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Strong CPU and GPU performance + Plenty of ports + Striking RGB light bar Reasons to avoid - Fans run loud - Display is dimmer than prior model - Expensive at top-tier configurations

If you're looking for a laptop with desktop-level power, the MSI GE76 Raider is about as close as you'll get, though you may also have to spend a ton of money to get there. Still, with its high-end components like the Intel Core i9-12900HK and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti.



We'd be remiss to point out that the Raider has a large RGB light bar on the front, which, when combined with per-key lighting, makes for quite an effect in the dark (or you can turn it all of if you prefer something a bit less showy).



The 17.3-inch, 1080p display goes up to 360 Hz, which is great for esports players, but everyone else might want to consider a 1440p or 4K display, depending on available configurations.

We tested this laptop at $3,999, which is enough to make you tear up when you check your bank account. That's an awful lot to spend on a laptop (we imagine DDR5 memory partially brings that price up), but it's also the best performer we've seen recently.



Read: MSI GE76 Raider Review

Best Thin and Light Gaming Laptop: Razer Blade 15 (2022) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

2. Razer Blade 15 (2022) Best Thin and Light Gaming Laptop Specifications CPU: Intel Core i7-12800H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Display: 15.6 inches, 2560 x 1440, 240 Hz Weight: 4.4 pounds / 2.01 kg Today's Best Deals View at Razer View at Amazon View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Strong gaming performance + Excellent build quality + Great webcam and ports Reasons to avoid - Mixed productivity performance - Competitors have better screens - Pricey

Razer has simplified its Blade 15 lineup, removing the "Advanced" and "Base" models, but what's left is still a very good, thin, stylish gaming notebook. The Blade 15 remains a favorite because it has strong performance (with a Core i7-127800H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti in the model we reviewed) but is just 4.4 pounds and 0.57 inches thick.



You still get a variety of ports, like Thunderbolt 4, both USB Type-C and Type-A as well as an SD card reader, so there's plenty of expansion for peripherals and extra storage for games. It would even work great for productivity, though we did find some competing gaming laptops were better in non-gaming benchmarks.



To get Razer's premium look and feel, you do have to pay a premium. This notebook starts at $2,499 and we reviewed it at $2,999. It's pricey, but it's also maintained a spot among our favorite gaming notebooks for years for a reason.



Read: Razer Blade 15 (2022) review

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

3. Alienware x17 R2 Best 17-inch Gaming Laptop Specifications CPU: Intel Core i9-12900HK GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Display: 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz Weight: 6.82 pounds / 3.09 kg Today's Best Deals View at Dell View at Dell Check Amazon Reasons to buy + Excellent productivity and gaming performance + Stunning design Reasons to avoid - Expensive - A bit larger and heavier than the competition - Battery life could be better

The Alienware x17 R2 goes up to an Intel Core i9-12900HK and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, some of the most powerful parts on the market. In our review, the laptop showed strong performance in both gaming and productivity.



Alienware's design, which debuted last year, is lovely. It's still clearly a gaming notebook, but it's futuristic and minimal. That being said, it's a bit larger than some competitors, and at 6.82 pounds, you probably won't want to carry this around too often.



If you have a bit of extra cash, we highly recommend the optional $50 Cherry MX mechanical keyboard, which feels excellent, and everyone on our staff who has tried it has enjoyed it.



Read: Alienware x17 R2 review

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

4. Acer Nitro 5 The Best Budget Gaming Laptop Specifications CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Display: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080, 144 Hz Weight: 5.51 pounds / 2.5 kg Today's Best Deals View at Amazon Low Stock View at Amazon View at Amazon 92 Walmart customer reviews      Reasons to buy + Affordable + Clean design + Decent performance for the price Reasons to avoid - Way too much bloatware - Display is a little washed out

The Acer Nitro 5 has long been our favorite gaming laptop for those on a tight budget. The latest model we've tested, with an Intel Core i5-12500H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti offers decent performance for the price, as long as you're willing to turn down the settings on some games.



Acer has given the Nitro 5 a new, more adult design. It's less angular, and with fewer red accents, doesn't scream as much that it's a gaming notebook. We've seen that aesthetic become popular on expensive notebooks, it's nice to see a toned-down design on a gaming laptop that's $899.99. (Don't worry, there's still an RGB backlit keyboard for those that are into that sort of thing.

There's a bit of room to upgrade inside, too. Acer includes a SATA cable in the box for people who want to open the laptop and add a 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD. The RAM, NVMe SSD, and Wi-Fi card are all easily accessible, too.



The big downside for buying on a budget is the amount of bloatware Acer preinstalled on this thing. You may want to spend a bit of time removing some of the extras.

Read: Acer Nitro 5 review

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

5. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 A Thin, All-AMD Gaming Laptop Specifications CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6800S Display: 14-inch 2560 x 1600, 16:10, 120 Hz Weight: 3.79 pounds / 1.72 kg Today's Best Deals View at Amazon View at Best Buy View at Microsoft US Reasons to buy + Long battery life + Sleek, portable design + Asus finally added a webcam + Surprisingly good speakers Reasons to avoid - Some keyboard touchpoints run uncomfortably warm - Pricey

If you're a PC gamer on the go, a thin PC like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 may be up your alley. The Zephyrus uses an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and an AMD Radeon RX 6800S, as well as the company's proprietary features like SmartShift (to move power between the CPU and GPU) and SmartAccess Memory.



For the latest update, Asus added a webcam, which was a glaring omission on previous models. The all-AMD model has also moved to a taller, 16:10 aspect ratio.



On our battery test, the Zephyrus ran for over 10 and a half hours, suggesting you could last all day on this notebook when you aren't gaming.



It is, however, a bit pricey. The Zephyrus starts at $1,599.99, while we reviewed it with the top-tier specs at $2,499.99.



Read: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review





The Best Esports Gaming Laptop: Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

6. Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 The Best Esports Gaming Laptop Specifications CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Display: 17.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, 360 Hz Weight: 5.95 pounds / 2.7 kg Today's Best Deals View at Amazon Reasons to buy + 360 Hz Refresh Rate + Comfortable keyboard + Strong productivity performance + Bassy Audio Reasons to avoid - Divisive Design - Short charging cable

If you want to play esports like a professional, you'll want a laptop with the fastest screen you can find. The Asus ROG Strix Scar G733 offers a 360 Hz refresh rate on its FHD screen and has top-end components to power esports titles to get to frame rates that can actually use it.

The design feels premium but has an interesting mix of dark materials and clear plastic. It's reminiscent of both a hot rod car and a 90's MP3 player, which might turn some people off.



But the comfortable keyboard, strong overall performance and bassy audio all contribute to a strong gaming experience, even if you don't like seeing the inside of your laptop.

Read: Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733 review



A 16-inch Esports Option: Lenovo Legion Pro 5 (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

7. Lenovo Legion 5 Pro A 16-inch Esports Option Specifications CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 165 Hz Weight: 5.4 pounds / 2.45 kg Today's Best Deals View at Best Buy Check Amazon Reasons to buy + Beautiful, high-res display + Strong performance + Comfortable keyboard Reasons to avoid - Bulky design - Middling Audio

If you're willing to sacrifice your refresh rate for higher resolution, the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro is one to check out. While some other gaming notebooks opt for 300 Hz, the Legion's 165 Hz, 2560 x 1600 screen is a stunner in its own right. It also has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which we appreciate for productivity use.



Our review unit came with a Ryzen 7 5800H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, which together offered competitive performance across our suite of gaming benchmarks. Our system also included 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM.

We were also impressed with this laptop's keyboard, which seems to have benefitted from the excellence of Lenovo's business-oriented ThinkPads.



The system is, however, a bit thick. If you don't want to deal with bulk, you may want to consider other options on this list.

Read: Lenovo Legion 5 Pro review

The Best Dual-Screen Gaming Laptop: Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 GX550 (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

8. Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE GX551 The Best Dual-Screen Gaming Laptop Specifications CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Display: 5.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 primary display, 3740 x 1100 ScreenPad Plus Weight: 5.29 pounds / 2.4 kg Today's Best Deals Check Amazon View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Excellent productivity performance + Bright, colorful displays + Good battery life (for a gaming laptop) Reasons to avoid - No webcam - Input devices are awkward

Asus' latest ROG Zephyrus Duo uses AMD's top-end RYzen 9 5900HX paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 for powerful results, while using a second screen that lifts up to provide more ventilation to improve cooling.

The two displays are both bright and colorful, and at a bit over 4 hours and 52 minutes on our battery test, it's endurance is good (for a gaming notebook, anyway).



The keyboard and mouse are in an awkward position, like most dual-screen notebooks on the market (most people will likely use an external mouse for gaming). So you'll have to decide if that second screen  which is great for chat programs, gaming guides or music apps  is worth a more difficult typing experience.



Read: Asus ROG Zephyrus Do 15 SE GX551 review

Best Gaming Laptops Compared

*Up to CPU GPU RAM Storage Display (inches) Weight (Ibs) MSI GE76 Raider Core i9-11980HK* RTX 3080 32GB* 1TB* 15.6, 1080p, 300Hz 5.3 Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model (Late 2021) Intel Core i7-11800H RTX 3070 16GB* 1TB* 15.6, 1440p, 240Hz 4.4 Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model Core i7-10875H* RTX 2080 Super Max-Q 16GB 1TB* 15.6, 1080p, 300Hz 4.7 Alienware m17 R4 Core i9-10980HK* RTX 3080 32GB 2x 1TB RAID 0 17.3, 2160p, 360Hz 6.6 Acer Nitro 5 Core i5-12500H RTX 3050 Ti 16GB 512GB 15.6, 1080p, 144Hz 5.5 Asus ROG G15 Advantage Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX RX 6800M 16GB 512GB 15.6, 1080p, 300Hz 6.6 Asus ROG Strix 17 G733 Ryzen 9 5900HX RTX 3080 32GB 2x 1TB 17.3, 1080p, 360Hz 5.9 Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Ryzen 9 5900HX RTX 3087 16GB 512GB 15.6,1600p, 165Hz 5.4 Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE GX551 Ryzen 9 5900HX RTX 3080 32GB 2x 1TB RAID0 15.6, 2160p, 300Hz 5.3

Discounts on the Best Gaming Laptops

Whether you're shopping for one of the best gaming laptops or another model that didn't quite make our list, you may find some savings by checking out our lists of Dell coupon codes, HP coupon codes, Lenovo coupon codes, Razer promo codes or Newegg promo codes.

MORE: How to Buy a Gaming Laptop

MORE: Best Gaming PCs

MORE: Best Ultrabooks and Premium Laptops
The latest press release from one of our favorite activists features MANY worthwhile lines and insights that speak to the worsening disconnect betwixt voters & elected officials . . .

Moreover . . .

Apropos for #TBT we shouldn't forget that he's the only person to ever win a citywide vote on rail transit and some of his preservation efforts have defined Kansas City's landscape. Even more importantly, he's a friend of the blog.



Here's what he has to say . . .



Activist Clay Chastain challenges KC's Players...Liberal Main Stream Media, Mayor Lucas, City Hall and our Elites...to a Face to Face Q&A news conference (May 21-noon-at Union Station) to air out (before the public) the details, goals and feasibility of Clay's 2022 Petition - the grassroots Initiative to rebuild and revitalize Kansas City around a new Citywide "Green Alternative Transportation System."

But watch:



Even though the people are readily signing this epic petition (in support of placing before voters the most innovative and far-reaching infrastructure-improving project in our City's history and one that could inject $1 billion of federal infrastructure money into Kansas City's economy to help us build it) none of these disinterested "Players" will attend the news conference to ask questions and inform the public.



But rest assured many of these players (especially Mayor Lucas) will be in attendance when the establishment is trotting out info on... a needles $850 million Downtown Ballpark, a $160 million 6.6-acre Fake Freeway Park over 670, or the $90 million per mile extension of the establishment's antiquated, limited and slow-moving streetcar system that runs in traffic, appeals mostly to tourists and has an intrusive overhead wire system!



So here is your chance...Mayor Lucas, doubting City Council members, the biased media (KCUR, KCPT, the Star, the Pitch, Channel 5, etc.) to grill "attention-seeking", "he doesn't even live here", "his ideas are Pie in the Sky", Activist Clay Chastain.



But watch:

Even though Clay Chastain is out on the streets of Kansas City gathering signatures and informing the people of the 2022 Petition Initiative, the heroic "Players" of Kansas City will not show themselves in public and will continue bashing Clay Chastain (and mocking his "silly unworkable ideas") behind the scenes in the safety of their privileged seclusion.



Kansas City Activist, Clay Chastain

###############

Developing . . .


Nebraskans will cast their ballots for primary candidates on Tuesday, May 10.

In Beatrice, voters will face a decision on the LB840 ballot proposal, which authorizes cities to collect money and put it toward economic development. Voters and the City Council have approved the plan, which gets its funding through Electric Department revenue and not through a sales or property tax, every ten years since 1992.

The ballot proposal will adjust the annual input for economic development from $250,000 to $300,000. The Council will then assess if the program needs more money in five years.

Beatrice voters also must decide on who will advance to the November election for the packed Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education Race. The race features 11 candidates, including the three incumbents Doris Martin, Eric Trusty and Erin Chadwick and eight non-incumbents, including Sabrina Glynn, Joseph Brewer, Roger Aden, Charles Riedesel, Brandon Vetrovsky, Crystal Anderson, Matt Anderson and Nelson Dungan. Eight will advance to the November Election.

Ward 3 of the Beatrice City Council is on the spring ballot, with three candidates running. Voters in Ward 3 must decide which two of the threebetween Caleb Sabatka, Paul Fanning and incumbent and Council president Mike McLainwill advance to the November election.

Beatrices mayoral race can only have two candidates in the November election. Four non-incumbents are seeking the position left open by two-term Mayor Stan Wirth: City Councilmen Bob Morgan and Gary Barnard, Jake Speakman and Ashley Mason.

Only one seat will be featured on the May ballot for the Gage County Board of Supervisors. District 7 incumbent Terry Jurgens and Randy Frerking are both seeking the seat. Both candidates are Republicans and there was no Democrat challenger, so the race will be decided in the spring primary election.

Voters in Beatrice wards should report to the following polling locations to cast their ballots:

Ward 1- YMCA at 1801 Scott Street.

Ward 2- Christ Community Church at 2727 Lincoln Street.

Ward 3- Beatrice Public Library at 100 N 16th Street.

Ward 4- Christ Community Church at 2727 Lincoln Street.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Once again, not even midway through 2022, the local homicide count outpaces the past two DEADLY RECORD BREAKING YEARS in this cowtown's history.

Here's the first report . . .



Homicide 8300 block of E. Gregory Blvd.

This evening just before 11:30pm, officers were called to the 8300 block of E Gregory Blvd in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival, they located the victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds outside in front of a residence. EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to the hospital. Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to their injuries and was pronounced deceased.



Detectives and Crime Scene Personnel have responded to the scene. They will be processing the scene for evidence and canvassing for any potential witnesses.



If you have any information, you are asked to call detectives at 816-234-5043. Or you can remain anonymous by calling the Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 cash for information leading to an arrest in this case.

#################



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Kansas City Police investigating homicide near E. 71st and E. Gregory KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Police are investigating a homicide in the 8300 block of E. Gregory. Police say they were called to the area about 11:30 p.m. on a reported shooting. When they arrived, they found a victim had been shot outside of a home in that area.

1 killed in overnight shooting Kansas City, Missouri, police are investigating a deadly shooting on the city's east side.Police got a call around 11:30 p.m. Thursday for a shooting near East Gregory Boulevard and James A. Reed Road.When police arrived, they found someone shot on a front porch.

Developing . . .
The prospect of COVID recovery isn't likely for this town's oldest party place which endured more gunfire early this morning.

More importantly, we ask . . .

WILL WESTPORT VIOLENCE WORSEN GIVEN THE HISTORIC PACE OF KANSAS CITY'S CURRENT HOMICIDE COUNT?!?!

We ask this question and encourage discussion because it's a debate that many party people will have to resolve before a night on the town.

For the record . . .

Over the past year & a half, even amid the pandemic, Westport has suffered more than half a dozen shootings where multiple people have been hit . . . Most of them even made the news.



Meanwhile . . .



Here are more deets and info on the gunfire aftermath . . .



A shooting early Friday morning in Westport left three people injured, including one victim who was critically wounded, Kansas City police said.



Just after 12:30 a.m., officers with the Kansas City Police Department responded to a shooting in front of Johnny Kaws Yard Bar located in the 4100 block of Mill Street, said Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the police department.



Witnesses told police that shots were fired from the World Market lot in the direction of Johnny Kaws. Two men standing outside and a woman inside the bar were struck.



Both men were taken to an area hospital. One suffered critical injuries and another had serious injuries, Drake said. The woman suffered a graze wound and was treated at the scene.





Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Three shot at Johnny Kaws Yard Bar from World Market parking lot KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Three people were injured in a shooting in the area of World Market and Johnny Kaws Yard Bar early Friday morning. Police were called to the area of Westport Road and Mill Street just after midnight on reports of a shooting taking place in front of Johnny Kaws Yard Bar.

Three injured in shooting early Friday outside Westport bar, Kansas City police say A shooting early Friday morning in Westport left three people injured, including one victim who was critically wounded, Kansas City police said. Just after 12:30 a.m., officers with the Kansas City Police Department responded to a shooting in front of Johnny Kaw's Yard Bar located in the 4100 block of Mill Street, said Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the police department.

3 injured in Westport shooting Friday morning KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Three people were injured in a shooting in the Westport neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, early Friday morning. KCPD was called to Johnny Kaws Yard Bar around 12:30 a.m. Officers located three people with gunshot wounds. Witnesses said shots were fired from the World Market parking lot toward the bar.

Kansas City Police say three people were wounded after an overnight shooting in Westport Kansas City, Missouri, police say three people were hurt after a shooting early Friday morning in the popular Westport area.Officers said someone in the World Market parking lot at the corner of Westport Road and Mill Street opened fire, striking three people at Johnny Kaw's Yard Bar across the street.That shooting happened just after midnight.

Developing . . .
We celebrate another post-pandemic milestone that suffers a bit of Springtime rain.



Still, we're not to gloomy to share a bit of celebration and a few local resources . . .



5 Secrets To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo in Kansas City * Blake Nelson * Kansas City Real Estate It's hard to believe but spring is here, and Cinco De Mayo is on its way! If you're planning on celebrating, here are some of Team Blake's favorite places to enjoy Mexican food in Kansas City. Charleston's Restaurant 8817 State [...]

Why historians believe Cinco de Mayo prevented the Confederacy's win in the Civil War French Emperor Napoleon III had planned to trade weapons for cotton with Confederate states during France's invasion of Mexico. However, Mexico's resolve at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 prevented France from supplying weapons to the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Taco Cacao finds recipe for success as it expands across the metro Cacao Restaurant at the corner of State Line Road and 103rd Street has renamed itself as Taco Cacao Taqueria. Instead of offering a broad menu with full service, customers now place their order at a walk-up counter and staff deliver it to their table.

Guadalupe Centers welcomes back Cinco de Mayo Fiesta This weekend, Guadalupe Centers will host its annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta after a nearly two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, Guadalupe Centers, the longest continuously operating organization serving Latinos in the United States, has continued to focus its effort on program and service delivery.

The History of Cinco de Mayo and How It's Celebrated There is more to this celebration of Mexican heritage than beer, mariachi bands and wild parties. More than being an excuse to treat oneself to nachos, tacos, mezcal and margaritas, Cinco de Mayo has a history that runs deep and continues to serve as a vehicle conveying Mexican culture, pride and values.

As always, our song of the day is Cinco De Mayo by War.
Police reported four new residential break and enters in York between May 3 and May 9.
A fire has broken out at an industrial site near Brock Road and Highway 401 in Pickering.
Police concerned for safety of man who went missing more than a month ago from downtown Toronto
NURSE: Andrea Bouchard, BSN, RN

EMPLOYER: St. John's United

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana State University - Bozeman

FOCUS: Case Management

YEARS OF SERVICE: 9

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

In high school, Andrea Bouchard thought she wanted to be a nutritionist. However, she ended up in college pursuing a biology degree to become a pharmacist. She loved the biochemistry aspect of pharmacy and even went so far as to get a job as a pharmacy tech while in school.

Nursing wasnt even on Bouchards radar until one of her professors suggested it. She had been told of her empathetic ways and heard people say she had a servants' heart but never considered it because she so enjoyed the science part of pharmacy.

Im thankful my professor said something, Bouchard said. Ive always loved helping people, and nursing is much more hands-on.

As a case manager at St. Johns United - Mission Ridge, Bouchard is beyond hands-on  shes the resident liaison, advocating for residents. Bouchard guides the residents and their families as they transition into or out of independent living or assisted living.

Without a doubt, I love helping and advocating for our residents, Bouchard said. I love taking a challenging, complicated situation and helping our residents navigate it with the dignity they deserve.

Bouchard not only dives in nose-first, but she anticipates the needs of others before they know what they need. She thrives on being prepared, remaining practical and having options available. Its why she loves the quote by Louis Pasteur, Chance favors the prepared mind.

Andrea is the go-to for all things nursing at Mission Ridge, said Karna Rhodes, senior administrative officer at St. Johns United. She treats each resident as though they are family. Its a delight knowing she advocates with such passion and knowledge to ensure the community of Mission Ridge is happy and healthy.

NURSE: Beth Brosam, BSN, RN

EMPLOYER: Stillwater Billings Clinic

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana Tech of the University of Montana

FOCUS: Clinic and Ancillary Services

YEARS OF SERVICE: 11

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

It was inevitable.

Beth Brosam has memories of wanting to become a nurse that dates back to around age four. Raised by what she says had to be one of the coolest nurses around, Brosam remembers observing her moms work ethic and skillset and noted her passion and perseverance.

I remember viewing nurses as superheroes at an early age  I was raised by one, Brosam said. I have memories of being at my moms work whenever she had to work late  and I watched everything she did. She would frequently tell me that I would be a nurse one day. It was never a question for me when it was time for college.

In addition to Brosams mom, her aunt was also a nurse. Between the two, she took advantage of many opportunities to shadow areas of nursing while still in high school. Fast forward to becoming a nurse, Brosam took on her moms work ethic and thirst to learn. Her experience includes prison rotations, drug and rehabilitation, trauma, clinic, and floor settings - to name a few.

For me, being a nurse is an all-inclusive position, Brosam said. There hasnt been a role or field that I havent loved.

Today, Brosam serves as clinical coordinator at Stillwater Billings Clinic. Passionate about providing the resources the community needs - the integrated hospital and clinic facility brings together a physician clinic and hospital services in a convenient and hometown feel. Those characteristics of Stillwater drew Brosam in four years ago, confirming her niche  community.

When I came to Stillwater Billings Clinic, I felt like my heart was in the community, Brosam said. I love being able to make a personal connection out in the community such as the local grocery store and also be their care provider.

In addition to a sense of community, Brosam says kindness is the key. Many of the patients the clinic sees are in their most vulnerable state. Brosam said bringing a little positivity and kindness to the room is the least she can do in their bout of weakness. Growing up, I learned  if youre not kind, youre the wrong kind.

Beths abundance of kindness, warmth, compassion, and love for all life embodies what nurses should strive to be, said Natasha Sailer, director of clinic and ancillary services at Stillwater Billings Clinic.

To Brosam, it comes naturally. Perhaps, it was the superhero that raised her. Sailer went on to say that Brosams compassion and kindness for others spill over to the staff she leads daily. She leaves an impression on every heart she encounters, Sailer said.

When asked about her steadfastness during the pandemic, she didnt flinch. Brosam acknowledged the challenges and adjustments needed, but her resolve to love others well never wavered.

Sure, it was a difficult time, Brosam said. But, whether its a pandemic or something else, the route of what we do has not changed  the attitudes have. Attitudes are ever-evolving, so I always tell my staff to keep their attitude right, and the rest will fall into place regardless of our circumstances.

NURSE: Jayden Mueller, RN

EMPLOYER: Billings Clinic

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana State University - Bozeman

FOCUS: Inpatient Cancer Care

YEARS OF SERVICE: 2

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

Jayden Mueller never imagined shed be a nurse, let alone begin her career during a historical pandemic. During high school, she decided her career trajectory would be teaching. But one day, her mom suggested she try health care.

I jokingly thought she was crazy for suggesting that path, Mueller said. However, I ended up shadowing one of her nurse friends during spring break of my senior year. I came home from my first day and told my mom I wanted to be a nurse.

Mueller reflected on her time shadowing in a surgery center and shared how she admired the various positions. Yet, it was the pre-and post-operative nurses that resonated with Mueller.

I remember thinking thats what I want, Mueller said. The pre-and post-operative nurses were directly involved with the patients  while they were awake. I knew at that moment that was the kind of relationship I wanted with my patients.

She had half of the equation under her belt. It was Muellers preceptorship at a fusion center that determined the field. While there, she saw some of the same cancer patients regularly and formed the deep relationships she so enjoyed.

So, oncology it was. Today, Mueller works as a registered nurse on the inpatient cancer care floor at Billings Clinic. The patient population on the floor primarily consists of patients with cancer and have other medical needs and patients receiving chemotherapy but need to be monitored and require inpatient care.

I love forming relationships with all of my cancer patients, Mueller said. I love getting to know their stories, but I also love their outlook on life. I find my patients extremely positive despite what theyre going through. You can learn a lot about someone if you listen. Theres so much more to a patient than whats going on with them physically.

For Mueller, listening and showing empathy is like second nature to her, and part of that process is anticipating the needs of others. She treats each patient based on the kind of day theyre having; their specific personality; and then meets them where theyre.

When I walk in their room, I know what kind of day it is, Mueller said. I know my patients well and realize sometimes they may need a joke or a hand to hold while they cry. I try to fulfill their needs and meet them where theyre at for that particular day - and sometimes moment.

Jayden advocates for her patients and cares for her team well, said Austin Bourassa, nurse manager of inpatient cancer care at Billings Clinic.

Its been nonstop for Mueller. The last two years of her young career have certainly been difficult, but she feels better equipped than perhaps someone else who only has two years under their belt  with no pandemic experience.

Its not something you wish for  a pandemic, Mueller said. I had to hit the ground running after nursing school. The last two years have shaped me as a nurse. But Im thankful for everything I had to learn so fast. Ive learned to become quick on my feet and can take on critical situations with ease.

Bourassa shared how Mueller has been a light in such a dark time. He raved about her work ethic and positivity. He also noted her keen willingness to learn and grow and her desire to be part of the solution to problems that may arise. When I think of an outstanding nurse, Jayden is at the top of the list, Bourassa said.

Its one of the most fulfilling jobs, Mueller said. And, because of my team, during the last two years, Ive never felt more supported. Ultimately, my patients need my nursing care, but they also need my shining, smiling face or maybe a hug, a joke, or just a listening ear. At the end of the day, as a nurse, I know Ive impacted someones life, and thats unmatched.

NURSE: Krista Goudy, BSN,RN

EMPLOYER: Billings Public Schools

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana State University - Bozeman

FOCUS: School Nurse

YEARS OF SERVICE: 24

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

Taking care of others is all Krista Goudy has ever known. Growing up, her mom was a nurse, and as a teenager, she helped patrol the slopes and hills with her dad, a ski medic.

At Montana State University, she took a popular common course of action and worked as a certified nursing assistant. Upon graduation, she began her career at St. Vincent Childrens.

I always knew I wanted to work in the maternal and child health field, in some capacity, Goudy said. Those are the most vulnerable populations, and I wanted to make a difference. There was a time when I thought Id go back to school to be a nurse-midwife, but Ive just really enjoyed my work with pediatrics and have never left.

For the last 11 years, Goudy has worked for Billings Public Schools. The district serves over 16,000 students in grades K-12, including 22 elementary schools, six middle schools and three high schools. Goudy works between two schools; one elementary school and one middle school.

While I currently dont work with the high school students, the little kindergarteners up to the eighth graders provide me with plenty of variety, Goudy said. I enjoy the different medical incidents that come across my plate each day  I never know what to expect.

Goudys role as a school nurse is to provide comprehensive health services to the students to optimize their learning. It isnt always about a Band-Aid or the occasional ice pack  theres much more. Her role includes many more behind-the-scene services and forms of care. Goudy provides assistance and education for preventive and screening services and immunizations. She also comes alongside the families to assist and care for children with chronic conditions.

Krista is like the Swiss Army Knife of care for us, said Angie Gray, associate principal, Ben Steele Middle School. She takes care of our students with significant health needs and helps with the daily mishaps that happen at school, and she does it with a smile and a caring heart. Krista has been invaluable in helping us navigate COVID-19, contact tracing, and making sure were following the updated CDC and county guidelines.

Krista is an amazing, kind, and considerate nurse and individual, said Tamra Covington, director of student services, Lincoln Center. Ive never seen her without a smile on her face.

NURSE: Samantha Grover, RN

EMPLOYER: Billings Clinic

NURSING PROGRAM: City College at Montana State University  Billings

FOCUS: Labor and Delivery

YEARS OF SERVICE: 5

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

It took being in labor to decide a final career path for Samantha Grover. Something about Grovers first birthing experience sparked an idea  a desire. It dawned on her that she could share her heart for moms and babies by becoming a labor and delivery nurse.

I could tell my labor and delivery nurse loved her job, and to me  that spoke volumes, Grover said. I realized in that instance that I could be part of helping moms bring life into the world while also helping calm their nerves and seeing them through it.

At the time, Grover worked as a hairdresser and also in the laboratory at the Billings Clinic. With a new baby in the mix and her two steady jobs in tow, she began taking college courses as a nontraditional student.

Today, Grovers primary concern is putting her patients first, ensuring they have the best experience possible. And with Grover, that includes every patient. Before heading to labor and delivery, Grover started her career on the cardiac floor. She stressed how every patient (and their family members) deserves the same care and experience. It's no wonder Grovers favorite aspect about being a nurse is making connections with her patients and their families.

If you think about it  its different when youre sick, and theres something wrong with your heart, Grover said. Thats definitely a different experience versus coming in and having a baby. For the most part, women giving birth are healthy and happy to be at the hospital. However, many patients with cardiac issues dont want to be at the hospital  but they deserve the same type of warmth, friendliness, and exceptional care as anyone else.

Giving birth is an emotional and stressful experience for moms where changes are happening fast. No matter the story, the type of patient, or the situation  Grovers invested in each of her patients.

Sam quickly makes personal connections with her patients and their families and peers, said Angela Lile, nurse manager, inpatient obstetrics at the Billings Clinic. She has an uncanny ability to remain calm and kind in every situation. Were lucky to have Sam on our team.

NURSE: Jana Hinkle, RN WCC

EMPLOYER: Advanced Care Hospital of Montana

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana State University  Billings

FOCUS: Wound Care

YEARS OF SERVICE: 20

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

Hospitals have a lot of codes, and theyre usually not the good ones. However, at Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, one code couldnt be more welcome  Code Irvin. When you hear this code over the intercom, theres a big celebration to follow. The hospital has a ceremony for every single patient that leaves the facility.

It's called Code Irvin because that was the name of the first patient ever discharged from our facility, said Jana Hinkle, wound care team lead nurse. The ceremony includes the staff lining the hallways while we clap them out of the building. Its one of the best things about my job  watching our patients leave out the front doors.

Uncertain of her career path after high school, Hinkle began working as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). That decision was a game-changer and led her back to school to eventually become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Hinkle worked as an LPN in long-term care and clinic nursing for several years and eventually bridged into the nursing program to become a registered nurse.

When I arrived here 12 years ago, I realized that long-term acute care hospitals see a lot of wound care patients, Hinkle said. I initially split my time between the medical-surgical floor and wound care. As the years have gone by, Ive worked more in wound care, but I also work in critical care in our step-down intensive care unit. Our patients spend so much more time here than in a traditional hospital because theyre recovering from a serious illness or injury.

Hinkle said her patients have already spent their time at one of the larger hospitals, but theyre too sick to go home or to a nursing home or even a rehabilitation facility. She said the average length of stay for a patient is around 26 days; however, extensive wound care healing can take weeks and sometimes months to heal.

Patients at Advanced Care Hospital often require additional critical care services for medically complex conditions such as trauma, infectious diseases, wound healing, cardiovascular disease, stroke, amputation and ventilator weaning.

With long-term acute care, my role is to get them to a place where they can manage at home by themselves, Hinkle said. Im always excited to see my patients improve and progress in their treatments and look forward to where they go from here.

Being a wound care nurse is not for the faint of heart. It can be challenging and requires compassion, patience, meticulousness and a strong stomach. According to Aubrey Peterschick, CEO at Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, Hinkle surpasses those traits. Jana is one of the most passionate, hardworking nurses Ive ever met, Peterschick said.

NURSE: Anessa Hopf, BSN, RN

EMPLOYER: SCL Health, St. Vincent

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana Technological University

FOCUS: Oncology

YEARS OF SERVICE: 3

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

Growing up, Anessa Hopf was always a helper. Her mom worked in daycare, and she remembers helping with the little kids - volunteering for anything that came her way. Hopf loved every minute of it, so becoming a nurse was the natural step.

Hopf was drawn to the oncology field because it hit close to home. A grandpa she never got to meet passed away from colon cancer, and her aunt was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer. Shes had other special people in her life be affected by cancer too.

It runs in our family, Hopf said. Maybe that drew me into wanting to know what the procedures were for somebody going through cancer. Ive seen many types of cancer throughout my life, and its rewarding for me to process with them.

As an oncology nurse, Hopf sees the good, bad and ugly. She works on the medical, oncology and palliative floor; the staff there refer to it as 3Fortin. In addition to oncology, she also treats patients on the medical-surgical floor who may have, for example, pneumonia or a kidney injury. Hopf also works with palliative patients.

With palliative care, were taking the last leg of their life and helping them stay comfortable, Hopf said. We focus on doing what we can, but sometimes that leads to inpatient hospice.

No matter which area of 3Fortin shes working, Hopf is notorious for building emotional connections with her patients. Shes emphatic about speaking to her patients at eye level. Hopf says she gets on her knees or squats to look directly into their eyes.

I make it a point to get on their eye level, Hopf said. I hold their hand, talk, listen, and we even laugh together. Its the best part of my job. I try to give them hope, telling them it will be OK, and Im here for them.

Hopf said her oncology patients at St. Vincents receive chemotherapy infusions and could be there for a couple of days, or her patients may have to receive chemotherapy for 24-hours a day for five days straight. After creating the emotional connections, she said its even better when her patients return after chemotherapy to tell her theyre in remission.

Forming those relationships can also make it hard, Hopf said. With our floor also handling palliative patients, we see a lot of end of life. Some days are tough. Im fortunate enough to have my sister work with me as a nurse. She works on the same floor, and were able to talk and support each other emotionally.

Hopfs invested in seeing her patients get better. She leads by example and loves others unconditionally. Nurse manager Crystal Holy Cross shared, Anessa is extremely driven and strives to advocate for each patient while providing the best care. Her compassion and kind heart show with every encounter she has.

For Hopf, shes just doing her job and trying to lead by example. To her - its simple. I always ask myself, if this was one of my family members, how would I want them treated, Hopf said. I think having that mindset helps ensure theyre getting the best care from me.

NURSE: Emily Pester, BSN, RNC-OB

EMPLOYER: SCL Health, St. Vincent

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana State University - Bozeman

FOCUS: Labor and Delivery

YEARS OF SERVICE: 11

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

A music major in college, Emily Pester never had nursing on her radar. However, listening to and studying alongside her dormmates in the nursing program brought music to her ears. It was a fluke that she shifted her interest to nursing.

My goal was to be a music teacher, but I lived in a dorm with several nurses, Pester said. I realized I enjoyed what I was learning and switched majors. It was definitely an accident.

Pester began her career as a cardiac nurse. She was open to anything upon graduating and not set on any field. With so many options, the possibilities were endless. After gaining some experience, she switched to labor and delivery, where shes been bringing new life into the world for eight years.

Working in labor and delivery is an amazing thing to be a part of, Pester said. I have the privilege of bringing new life into the world while simultaneously helping a mom give birth with dignity. Its a remarkable way to help moms during such a huge adjustment in their lives.

She tries to make the mood lighter and as stress-free as possible. Realizing each mom and their circumstances are different, she meets each one where they are at any given moment. Sometimes thats with extra love or a little humor.

Pester shared that its also a time for her to support moms who arent as fortunate to take their babys home. She has a heart for those suffering through sorrow and loss. With an already established bereavement program in place for moms, dads and family members, Pester immediately got involved.

Bereavement is such a hard spectrum of care in the world but so important, Pester said. Making sure theres exceptional care and memories for those who have to leave the hospital without their baby is one of my passions. Part of the grieving process starts with ensuring each woman knows they are cared for and preserving their babys memories.

The traits of a nurse like Pester bring a sense of ease to her clinical supervisor, Betsey Romulus. Emily is lively and loving. She is a compassionate nurse and has a huge heart for our labor and delivery bereavement program. She is a tremendous asset to the team.

NURSE: Shara Boschee, RN

EMPLOYER: RiverStone Health

NURSING PROGRAM: Miles Community College

FOCUS: Hospice

YEARS OF SERVICE: 8

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

After high school, Shara Boschee enrolled in the navy as a boatswains mate (BM) petty officer. Not sure of her career path at the time, this versatile position was an ideal choice. Boschee called it a grunt position, but its much more. Without one, a ship cant get underway. BMs are responsible for the ships hull, deck maintenance and operations. They can also serve as helmsmen and lookouts or stand as security watches. Its often referred to as the lifeblood of the navy.

During the last two years, Boschee has been the lifeblood for homebound patients all over Yellowstone County. Equipped with home health care experience and training, she vaccinated RiverStone homebound patients during the pandemic.

Sharas contributions to the pandemic response were invaluable, said Kimberly Brown registered nurse supervisor at RiverStone Health Hospice Home. She provided countless COVID-19 and flu vaccines to our patients within RiverStone Health Home Care Services who might otherwise not have been able to receive them.

Boschee made these visits in addition to her usual work responsibilities as a nurse at RiverStone Health Hospice Home. Two years later, she continues to work full time at night at the Hospice Home and provides vaccinations for homebound patients once a week.

Riverstone began community vaccination sites for COVID-19 as soon as the vaccines rolled out, Boschee said. I worked several of these clinic sites and was asked at one of them if Id be willing to vaccinate Riverstones homebound patients as I had homecare experience and training. It became a ripple effect, and word spread throughout the community.

Boschee has always loved the geriatric field, but it increased after seeing her grandmas treated. It prompted her to become a certified nursing assistant after serving in the navy and later becoming a registered nurse.

When I returned from the navy, my grandma was in a nursing home, Boschee said. I noted that she had been wearing the same clothes for five to six days in a row, and I said  thats enough and jumped ship. Before starting at RiverStones Hospice Home nearly six years ago, I spent much of my nursing career in nursing homes. I love that population!

At the Hospice Home, she makes patients feel safe, respected and heard. She shared how shes a part of their journey until the end.

Sharas been providing thoughtful and compassionate care to our Hospice Home patients for several years, Brown said. Her skill set, kindness and empathy are infused upon everyone she comes into contact with.

NURSE: Dianne Kimm, BSN, RNC

EMPLOYER: SCL Health, St. Vincent

NURSING PROGRAM: Montana State University - Bozeman

FOCUS: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

YEARS OF SERVICE: 42

By Jennifer L. Mason, Brand Ave. Studios Contributing Writer

Dianne Kimm never really considered anything other than nursing. She remembers helping others as early as middle school and decided on nursing, specifically for babies.

I always enjoyed taking care of babies, so I knew Id probably be a pediatric nurse somewhere along the way, Kimm said. But when I was in nursing school, I learned about the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and decided to become a neonatal nurse.

Kimm also learned about transporting babies by air from smaller communities to larger hospitals and thought that would be exciting to do for a while. She was a neonatal flight nurse for roughly 25 years.

Being a flight nurse was challenging and rewarding, Kimm said. It was time to move on, and I switched to the NICU.

With 40+ years under her belt, Kimm has managed to stay up-to-date on the most current and best practices in an ever-evolving field. Kimms manager, Melissa Jennings, shared, Dianne is able to integrate new information in the care she provides to infants.

Kimms favorite part of being a NICU nurse is knowing she can make a difference in the life of a tiny human and the babys family. Moms and dads are in a situation theyve never anticipated, and its hard, Kimm said.

Faith plays an important role in Kimms work as a nurse. Ultimately, she wants to bring glory to God through her work with parents and coworkers. In fact, she prays for it  that He would use her as a beacon of light through her work in the NICU.

It helps me to remember that whoever Im dealing with  theyre all image-bearers of God and; therefore, deserve to be treated as such, Kimm said. I consider it a privilege, and it motivates me.

Jennings expressed the uncertainty parents are going through with a baby in the NICU. When you imagine wholl be taking care of your sick baby, you hope its someone like Dianne.

NICU nurses care for the most fragile patients that often require around-the-clock care. While the field can be one of the most difficult, its also rewarding. Kimm takes the time needed with each parent and listens carefully to their questions and concerns.

Diane has a way of slowing down the overwhelming NICU world that can swirl around parents and help them see each feature and personality trait of their infant, Jennings said. Shes compassionate and tender with each family she cares for and has been monumental in getting them through some of the toughest days of their lives.

To view the honorees online, visit go.billingsgazette.com/nurses2022

Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Missouri Headwaters State Park near Three Forks is one of those Montana places that feels almost holy. Its been a meeting place for thousands of years. Its impossible to visit and not feel the weight of the many generations that came before.

Its also been the place of unspeakable horror. In June of 1973, David Meirhofer slit open a tent where 7-year-old Susan Jaeger was sleeping with her family while they were camped at the Headwaters campground. Meirhofer kidnapped the girl and killed her shortly afterwards, disposing of her body in an abandoned ranch in the Horseshoe Hills, near his home of Manhattan, a small town outside Bozeman.

The FBI used clues found at the crime scenes and Meirhofers taunting phone calls to create a psychological profile of him, the Bureaus first attempt at something that is now common practice.

After a manhunt that stretched for over a year, Meirhofer was finally arrested by the FBI and the Gallatin County Sheriffs Department on Sept. 28, 1974. He confessed to three more murders, those of Sandra Smallegan, 19, Bernard Poelman, 13 and Michael Raney, 12. The day after his arrest and confession, Meirhofer hung himself in the Gallatin County Jail.

Meirhofers case is the focus of a new book by Ron Franscell, called ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling. Franscell has become a big name in the true crime world, propelled by the success of his book The Darkest Night, which dissects a murder in his hometown of Casper, Wyoming, hes written 18 books in all, most of them narrative nonfiction works about crime.

Franscell first came across Meirhofers case years ago, when he was a reporter covering the American West for the Denver Post. It was first introduced to him as the story of a kidnapping that helped create the FBIs offender profiling process.

But when I started looking into it, he said, I saw that it was much more than that It was a bigger and more ghastly crime, or set of crimes, than I initially believed.

He was particularly interested in telling the story of the birth of profiling. You cant turn on the TV without seeing Criminal Minds or Mindhunter, or any number of crime dramas using profiling as if its just another thing that we do every day, he said. I just look for stories that have something more than typical true crime exploitation. Im looking for a bigger, deeper story.

He found that in Meirhofer case. Franscell started researching in earnest in 2018, filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI to look at their case files on the case. The FOIA resulted in 13,000 pages of documents, but Franscell, who got his start in journalism, is a traditional shoe-leather reporter.

He interviewed around 150 people for the book, including two of Meirhofers siblings. Hes especially indebted, he said, to three key interviewees. One was Marietta Jaeger, the mother of Susan, the young girl Meirhofer snatched from Headwaters. Jaeger worked with the FBI throughout their manhunt. As good as the profile was, Franscell said, without her, I dont believe that Meirhofer is captured. He called her the hero of the story.

He also mentioned FBI profiling pioneer Howard Teten, and Gallatin County Deputy Don Houghton, who was one of the cops who arrested Meirhofer, and still lives in the area 50 years later.

All in all, Franscell said, the process involved 18 months of research and another nine months of writing.

It wasnt all just interviews and documents. Meirhofer, in all his awfulness, was a product of Montana, born in Bozeman, raised in nearby Manhattan, and buried in Three Forks.

Franscell visited Montana four times for five weeks during his research. It was important to him to walk the same Manhattan streets that Meirhofer did, to visit the same campground he stalked, to go to the decrepit ranch where he cremated and dumped his victims bodies.

I believe in being there, he said. The reader deserves to trust that I saw it, or I heard it, or I touched it You have to have your boots on the ground. And landscape plays a role in any story thats told by a westerner, or is about the west. Manhattan itself is a kind of supporting character in this story.

Franscell now lives in northern New Mexico, but he feels a kinship with Montana. It reminds him of where he grew up in Wyoming. Theyre two sides of the same coin, he said about the two states. I was comfortable [in Montana]. I know these people, even though weve never met.

That doesnt mean he was always embraced while doing research about Manhattan and the Gallatin Valleys bloodiest bit of recent history. Even in the friendly little town, Franscell said, people are cautious about outsiders who blow into town and ask uncomfortable questions.

Still, creating that foundation of trust, as Franscell calls it, was integral to the books creation. The story that I write probably wont make everybody happy, he admitted, but theyll respect that you looked them in the eye and tried to get it right. Thats another good reason to be there.

Meirhofers case, despite its significance in helping the FBI develop techniques that are still used today, is still relatively unknown, both in Montana and in the true crime community at large. Franscell isnt sure why that is. But one good bet is because of how much is still unknown about Meirhofers life and the extent of his crimes.

Meirhofer killed himself shortly after being captured, and he only admitted to crimes committed in Gallatin County. Its possible that despite his short life  he died at 25  he could be responsible for more murders than the four hes usually associated with. Much of his life is unaccounted for, including a stint in Vietnam in the Marine Corps. Hed already killed at least one person before enlisting.

But the real question mark behind Merihofers crimes are the lack of similarities between his victims, and the methods he used. His known victims were two pre-teen or early-teenage boys, a young girl, and a late-teenage woman. Meirhofer used knives, strangulation, blunt force trauma and a gun. Hes a serial killer, but, as Franscell noted, theres no serial to it.

Its easier to digest cliches like Ted Bundy killing dark-haired women, or John Wayne Gacy, Jr. targeting young men. Meirhofer is much more complicated than that. Hes difficult, even impossible to understand.

Franscell wanted answers to those unknown questions when he started out. But they didnt come. I cant fill in the blanks, he said.

While researching, Franscell talked to police departments around Montana and California, where Meirhofer lived for a time, with cold cases that might match Meirhofers murky modus operandi. Reopening the investigation into the unsolved murder of five-year-old Siobhan McGuinness, who was killed in Missoula in February 1974, resulted in the case being solved. It wasnt Meirhofer who was implicated, but another man, a truck driver named Richard William Davis, who died in 2012.

There arent easy answers here. Or any answers, a lot of the time. Mysteries continue to exist long after [a serial killer] is gone, Franscell said. Theres no obvious solution to any of those mysteries. And thats kind of sad. But thats reality. Thats life.

Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 4 Sad 0 Angry 0

Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Following a number of serious accidents at the Macoya Intersection on the Priority Bus Route
With time running out in the 2022 legislative session, Georgia lawmakers took up a bill to regulate raw milk.

An amendment suddenly got tacked onto the House version of the bill, although the new wording had nothing to do with dairy. The language called for legalizing the use of strips that test drugs for fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid fueling a wave of fatal overdoses across Georgia and the U.S.

The amendment, said Sen. Jen Jordan, an Atlanta Democrat who sponsored it, was a commonsense solution to save lives.

The revised milk bill passed overwhelmingly on the last day of the General Assembly session. If the bill doesnt draw a veto from Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia will join a growing list of states decriminalizing the use of fentanyl testing strips as the drugs scourge has spread across the nation.

Governors in New Mexico and Wisconsin this year signed bills allowing test strips in those states, and legislatures in Tennessee and Alabama recently passed similar legislation. In Pennsylvania, although a state law prohibits test strips, the mayors of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have ordered bans on prosecuting people possessing them. The states attorney general said he wont charge people for having the test strips. Alaska state health officials, horrified by a surge of overdose deaths, have started giving out free test strips. A vending machine in Ohio offers the fentanyl-detecting devices alongside naloxone, a medication for reversing overdoses.

But the Florida legislature balked this year at a bill that would decriminalize the testing strips. Fentanyl test devices  prohibited under drug paraphernalia laws adopted decades ago  remain illegal in about half of states, drug policy experts say.

Many public health and addiction experts, though, promote the rapid testing devices as whats known as a harm reduction tactic to help prevent overdose deaths from illicit drugs that users may not know are laced with fentanyl.

We hope all the states would come to realize the dangers of contamination are so high and that fentanyl test strips empower a person taking drugs to know whether they have fentanyl, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.

Street versions of fentanyl, an approved painkiller thats being produced illegally, largely come into the U.S. from Mexico. Fentanyl is up to 100 times as powerful as morphine. It is commonly found in what is sold as heroin  often taking its place entirely. It also can be mixed into cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit street pills sold as opioid medications  substances that many buyers are not expecting to contain fentanyl.

The spread of fentanyl has helped lead to a stunning rise in drug overdose deaths. Synthetic opioids  including fentanyl  were involved in about two-thirds of U.S. drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended in November 2021. And three-quarters of overdose deaths from cocaine last year were associated with fentanyl, Volkow said.

Fentanyl is so potent that it can stop your breathing at very low doses, she said.

The fentanyl epidemic also has exacerbated racial inequities, Volkow added. From 2019 to 2021, fentanyl overdose deaths more than tripled among teenagers  and surged fivefold among Black teens, according to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data produced by the advocacy group Families Against Fentanyl.

Last month, the Drug Enforcement Administration sent a letter to federal, state, and local law enforcement officials warning of a nationwide spike in fentanyl-related mass-overdose events. Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate, said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. Already this year, numerous mass-overdose events have resulted in dozens of overdoses and deaths.

The testing strips are inexpensive, costing about $1. A drug user can take a small quantity of the substance, add water, and dip a strip briefly into the solution. If one red stripe appears on the strip, fentanyl is present; two stripes mean none of that drug is found.

A downside is that the test strips dont gauge the amount of fentanyl in the drug.

Still, the strips are effective in detecting very small amounts of fentanyl, said Brown University epidemiologist Brandon Marshall, part of a team that has studied illicit drug users and the devices in Rhode Island. Many of the participants who tried the strips, Marshall said, discarded the substance if fentanyl was present, used the drug with someone else present, or had naloxone available during use.

A similar study of North Carolina intravenous drug users found 3 in 4 people indicated that fentanyl strips made them feel better able to protect themselves from overdose.

In South Carolina, which has made fentanyl test strips available, the state sends an anonymous survey to anyone who receives them. Sara Goldsby, director of the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, said survey responses indicate that people who use the strips report using fewer drugs, with some choosing not to use the drugs altogether, and that they feel safer in preventing overdoses.

The testing strips, Browns Marshall added, are not going to be a silver bullet to address the overdose crisis, but they can be an important tool to help people stay safe.

In Georgia, where the testing bill awaits the governors approval, public health officials said fentanyl-related overdose deaths jumped after the start of the covid-19 pandemic, doubling between May 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, compared with the same span in 2019 and 2020.

And fentanyl-related overdoses recently spiked in Savannah, Georgia, according to Dr. Jay Goldstein, medical director of the emergency department at Memorial Health. He said that many overdose patients said they were surprised at the potency of the drug they had consumed, but he fears that giving them strips wont stem its use.

Sad to say, but some users want fentanyl in their drugs because it gives them a more intense high, though the risk of crashing and burning is much worse, he said.

Current drug paraphernalia laws may discourage states or organizations from applying for grants to buy test strips or creating programs to distribute them, said Jon Woodruff, senior legislative attorney for the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association. But in many states that havent decriminalized the strips, people who possess the papers arent being prosecuted.

In Georgia, people can be charged, but its generally not prosecuted, particularly if its these testing strips, said Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, which supported the testing strips amendment.

Despite the current Georgia prohibition, the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition organization said it distributes the strips to individual drug users and other community members.

Meanwhile, families in Georgia who have seen loved ones die from fentanyl overdoses support making the testing strips more available.

Doreen Barr of Fayette County in suburban Atlanta lost a son to a combination dose of heroin and fentanyl seven years ago. She has set up a nonprofit foundation in Ryan Barrs name to educate people about addiction.

Barr said she believes testing strips can save lives.

Why not have the fentanyl strips? she said. Cocaine or a fake pill can have fentanyl in it. One time could kill you. If they had a test strip, maybe they wouldnt take it.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
If Russian troops destroy people at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, any further talks with Russia will be impossible, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

He said this at a virtual event held by Chatham House on Friday, May 6, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"If they kill people who can now be exchanged if they are military, or released if they are civilians, or helped if they are wounded military or civilians, there will be nothing to talk about with them at the diplomatic level," Zelensky said.

On May 6, during a ceasefire at the Azovstal steel plant, Russian invaders used anti-tank guided missiles to hit an evacuation vehicle moving toward civilians. One fighter was killed and six were wounded by the shelling.

Fighters of the Azov Regiment, who are defending Mariupol, called on the international community to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant and urged the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to take care of the wounded soldiers.
Creating a food crisis in Ukraine and around the world is likely to be one of Russias intentional goals in the war against Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Russia has already stolen about 400,000 tonnes of grain within the temporarily occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia Region, Kherson Region, Donetsk Region and Luhansk Region. This accounts to a third of all reserves in these regions.

Given that the stolen grain was to be used for the next harvest, this has already increased the threat of famine, Kyslytsya said.

In his words, Russia is also attacking grain elevators, agricultural infrastructure and fertilizer depots, as well as stealing agricultural vehicles.

According to Kyslytsya, the robbery of granaries, the blockade of Ukrainian ports and the mining of sea routes are threatening the global food security.

Kyslytsya mentioned the UN report, based o which more than 1.7 billion people in the world might be at risk of poverty and hunger as a result of disruptions in the food production system caused by Russias full-scale war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation continues to deliberately block the sowing campaign in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side demands that Russia stop illegal grain theft, unblock Ukrainian ports and restore the freedom of navigation.

We call on the international community to strengthen economic sanctions against Russia in order to stop its military aggression against Ukraine, prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and the global food crisis, Kyslytsya stressed.

mk
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has condemned an act of vandalism committed at the Yonkerbos War Cemetery in the Dutch city of Nijmegen.

The ministry said this in a statement released on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

"We strongly condemn the act of vandalism committed on the Jonkerbos War Cemetery in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. We consider this act a brutal insult to the memory of the victims of the Second World War and a provocation, including against Ukraine," the statement said.

In the Netherlands, unidentified individuals staged a provocation and committed an act of vandalism at the Yonkerbos War Cemetery in Nijmegen.

Russian propagandists blamed the Azov Regiment for the act, claiming that vandals spray painted Azov symbols and the Ukrainian flag there.

Maksym Zhorin, former commander of the Azov Regiment, denied involvement in the vandalism and said representatives of the movement condemn any damage to World War II monuments.

According to Zhorin, the purpose of this vandalism is obvious - to settle the conflict and quarrel the peoples.

Every year on May 5, the Netherlands celebrates Liberation Day.

Photo: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry
The Baltic states were the first to provide support for Ukraine, when the Russian invasion started, both with weapons and diplomatic efforts.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting with Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Eva-Maria Liimets, Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkevics and Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to the Office of the President of Ukraine.

You are our closest and most reliable friends, because you were the first to support Ukraine from the very beginning of this war, from the very beginning of the threat from the Russian Federation. You supported us with both weapons and your actions in diplomacy. Your people, the population supported us in all aspects and in all directions, Zelensky told.

The President of Ukraine stressed that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are the best advocates of Ukraine both in the European Union and in the whole world.

Thank you for this meeting, for the support of Ukraine, for this signal to our people, Zelensky said.

In their turn, the Baltic Foreign Ministers underscored their support for Ukraines European integration aspirations.

According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, they offered to help Ukraine rebuild the social infrastructure destroyed by the war, including secondary and nursery schools.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to the importance of increasing sanctions against the Russian Federation on the part of the EU and the entire international community.

It is extremely important not only to increase sanctions pressure, but also to maintain the integrity of sanctions. They must be as effective as possible. We must not allow the aggressor to circumvent them and continue to finance the criminal war against Ukraine, Zelensky stressed.

A reminder that, on May 5, 2022, the interior ministers of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland visited the city of Hostomel and signed a joint declaration on cooperation and assistance to Ukraine in mitigating the effects of Russian military aggression.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

mk
On May 19, 2022, NATOs highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet in person in Brussels, Belgium.

The relevant press release was published by NATO, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

NATOs highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet in person on 19 May 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee, will preside over the meeting, which will be attended by the Allied Chiefs of Defence, the report states.

One of sessions will be dedicated to Russias war in Ukraine, and the Chiefs of Defence from NATO Partner Nations Finland, Sweden and Ukraine will join the discussions.

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.

mk
Putin's brutal aggression is directed not only at Ukraine, but it also contradicts the idea of peaceful cooperation, destroys Russia and creates a "new reality" in Europe and the world.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this at a forum in Hamburg, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Putin's hatred of a free Ukraine is greater than his interest in the economic and social development of his own country. His imperialist and revanchist ideology of Russian power and greatness means more to him than the well-being of his own people. Thus, Putin's brutal aggression is directed not only at Ukraine, where the Russian army is inflicting incredible suffering and destruction, but it is also directed against any economic mind. This contradicts the idea of peaceful cooperation for the benefit of all and the interests of the Russian people. In this way, President Putin has created a radically new reality in Europe and around the world," Scholz said.

He stressed that in this new reality one must be able to act and to establish oneself in it in the future.

Scholz reiterated his thesis that Russia should not win the war of aggression against Ukraine, because it is about the future of any rules-based world order.

Therefore, he stressed, Germany, together with its allies and partners, provides all possible support to Ukraine, including the supply of weapons necessary for its effective defense.

In addition, the West has imposed tough sanctions and is steadily tightening them, and the Russian economy, according to the chancellor, has already suffered badly, and the lack of spare parts, semiconductors and other high-tech components reduces Russia's ability to wage war effectively.

"At the same time, we guarantee that Ukraine receives comprehensive financial and humanitarian support. Within the G7, together with international financial organizations, we are making a significant contribution to the mobilization of $50 billion," Scholz said.

In this context, he mentioned the strategic partnership between Hamburg and Kyiv, which was agreed upon by the First Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Such a partnership provides the necessary assistance in difficult times and creates prospects for the recovery of infrastructure and the economy in the future.

"Together with all our friends and allies, we strongly oppose revanchist, imperial and expansive ideologies - today, tomorrow and in the future. By helping Ukraine defend its democracy and freedom, we are also defending our democracy and our freedom," Scholz said.
Dressed in an embroidered African print shirt tailored especially for the occasion, Firmin, 36, walked with his family across the wet tarmac of Gbadolite city airport towards a waiting United Nations Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) plane on a one-way trip home.

Earlier that November day, a downpour, perhaps a shower of blessing, had accompanied Firmin and 40 fellow Central African refugees on a 45-kilometre journey to the airport across rugged terrain from Inke camp, in the North Ubangi province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The camp had been their home since fleeing armed conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2013.

It is really a strong emotion, to finally go home after eight years, Firmin said. We have three children who have never met their grandparents and uncles. Seeing them again after all this time will be fantastic.

As they waited to take off on the short half-hour flight, Firmins wife, Victoire, cuddled their baby and checked on their other children, while his own thoughts drifted back to the time when he and his family were forced to flee for their lives.

I was in the neighborhood of Obongo in the capital city of Bangui, he recalled. People were killed everywhere. And there were bullets whizzing around, people weeping, screaming, dying on the ground. It was very hard to bear.

More than 200,000 people fled CAR to neighboring DRC after a violent armed conflict broke out in 2013 when an armed group, the Seleka coalition, seized the capital Bangui. While the peace process in CAR is ongoing, the situation has calmed enough in some areas for many who fled to make the decision to return home.

Voluntary returns began in July 2019 but were halted due to COVID-19 and a resurgence of electoral violence in CAR in December 2020. They resumed in October 2021, when UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners facilitated the voluntary return of over 5,500 Central African refugees from the Inke, Mole and Boyabu camps in DRCs North and South Ubangi Provinces.

In 2022, UNHCR plans to continue to support voluntary repatriations for an estimated 20,000 refugees who have expressed their desire to return to areas of CAR assessed as safe. UNHCR is thankful for all of the government, civil society and host community efforts that make both the reception of refugees and their return in safety and dignity possible.

Firmin and his family spent the past eight years in Inke camp, far from the insecure border area between the two countries. There are approximately 18,000 CAR refugees in Inke who have access to clinics and hospitals, schools, clean potable water and basic hygiene facilities such as toilets and bathrooms. Firmin received tools to help him feed his family and build a home which provided a roof over their heads.

With training from UNHCRs partner Association pour le Developpement Social et la Sauvegarde de lEnvironnement (ADSSE), Firmin eventually became a teacher in the local school. While he was grateful for these opportunities, the conflict in CAR destroyed his dreams of studying geography at university.

Firmin holds his son as they wait to board a flight from Gbadolite, in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the Central African Republic.  UNHCR/Alexis Huguet

Firmin's son is tested for COVID-19 before the family boards a flight home.  UNHCR/Alexis Huguet

A Central African refugee family wait to compete exit procedures before boarding a flight home.  UNHCR/Alexis Huguet

More refugees from Inke camp wait to board a repatriation flight at Gbadolite airport. More than 450 the camp's residents have opted to return to the Central African Republic.  UNHCR/Alexis Huguet

A young refugee looks out of the plane window during the repatriation flight.  UNHCR/Alexis Huguet

At the multi-media center at the camp, Firmin and his compatriots kept abreast of the developments back home. With peace gradually returning to some areas, an increasing number of refugees expressed an interest in returning to CAR.

It is my country. We were following the news in real time, so I knew the time was right, finally, to go back and reach my family again, Firmin said.

When they touched down in Bangui, Firmin and the other returnees were welcomed by the Government and UNHCR. After the immigration formalities and the disbursement of money for transport to their final destinations, Firmin and his family reached his wifes childhood home in Bangui. Firmin was overwhelmed by the changes to his hometown in the intervening years.

As we passed through the city we saw old houses, new houses, [and] a huge traffic jam, because there are lots of people, he said. The population has increased dramatically in Bangui.

On arrival at his in-laws house in Bangui, Firmins family was welcomed with coffee and a traditional dish of chinchard fish to celebrate their long-awaited return. Without a local phone connection, Firmins own family were initially unaware of his long-awaited return, but after buying a SIM card he finally contacted them to give them the happy news.

Despite the relief of being home, returnees like Firmin still face many challenges as most of them return to CAR as they left  with close to nothing.

To ease the transition, UNHCR facilitates cash for transport, essential items and food to each returning family. The CAR government offers access to documentation services. However, more support is needed to provide longer-term solutions that will help returnees restart their lives.

The support given by UNHCR will help us to settle down, but afterwards I will need to find another job for us to survive, said Firmin.

He believes that CAR refugees returning from neighboring countries will have a key role to play in the future of the country.



I would like to urge my refugee brothers who are still outside the CAR to be courageous and come back home to work on the development of our country. The same courage, the same resilience that we have shown during our stay abroad is the strongest asset we have to give our country.
A Billings resident accused of child sex abuse in March is now facing additional charges.

Jude Babs Longmire, 41, pleaded not guilty Friday in Yellowstone County District Court to sexual abuse of children, attempted sexual abuse of children and 11 alternative counts of sexual abuse of children. Longmire is one of several people accused in district and federal court of arranging to rape a child in Yellowstone County.

State and federal officers arrested Longmire in Billings on March 15, according to court documents. Since February, Longmire had allegedly been in contact with someone online she thought was offering sex with an underage girl. During the course of that conversation, court documents say Longmire shared a video of a man raping a child.

An FBI agent was granted a search warrant of Longmires Billings residence March 14. Police placed Longmire in custody the next day and searched the home. They seized multiple items as evidence, according to court documents. Longmire declined to speak with investigators, and was booked into Yellowstone County Detention Facility.

County prosecutors initially charged Longmire with attempted child sex abuse, sexual abuse of children and an alternative count of sexual abuse of children, to which she pleaded not guilty March 17.

FBI agents extracted data from Longmires cell phone and SD card in April, according to the latest charging documents. They allegedly found more than 100 images and videos of actual and computer-generated child sex abuse material. The data also allegedly showed Longmire sending the images and videos to others from late January through early March. During that time, she distributed child sex abuse material at least 10 times, court documents claimed.

Longmire is alleged to have told one of those recipients in February she was planning on raping a 12-year-old girl in the upcoming weeks.

The information gathered by investigators prompted Yellowstone County prosecutors to amend the charges against Longmire. In the alternative to one count alleging she shared a video of a child being raped, she faces 11 counts of sexual abuse of children accusing her of possessing and distributing child sex abuse material.

If convicted of distributing child sex abuse material, Longmire could face up to life in prison. A conviction for attempted sexual abuse of children could lead to a 100-year sentence without the possibility of parole for the first 25 years. She is currently in custody at YCDF on a $250,000 bond.

Johnathon Wesley Kenneway, a former Montana National Guard captain charged with five counts involving child sex abuse, also appeared in court Friday. Kenneway, 40, is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a minor in September 2020. He was charged in October 2020 after Billings police reported him missing earlier that month.

Kenneway was released on a $100,000 bond shortly after pleading not guilty to the charges. In April, county prosecutors filed to revoke his release, alleging that hed reached out to the family of the victim.

He was booked back into YCDF on May 4, and appeared before District Judge Ashley Harada via teleconference. Kenneway, who was living in Great Falls with his grandmother after his release, was contacting a family member of the victim through social media, prosecutors said in court. They asked Judge Harada to set a $100,000 consecutive bond, citing the seriousness of the alleged release order violation and that Kenneway was a flight risk.

Harada requested a special hearing on whether to revoke Kenneways release. She also decided on an additional $75,000 to his existing $100,000 bond.

Im not joking around here. You are to have zero contact with the victimand any witnessesYou are going to ghost everybody. You cant use social media to contact people. If you are going to start doing that, youre going to be facing charges, she said.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 8

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Billings Symphony is seeking veterans to join a community-wide project, "American Veteran: A Story Without Words." Photographer and veteran Marcus Doc Cravens will be creating portraits of veterans that will become part of a photographic essay to encourage new bonds between veterans and their communities.

Cravens is collaborating with Ilse-Mari Lee, a composer, concert cellist and dean of the Montana State University Honors College, who will write an original piece of music based on the portraits. The piece featuring Lees composition and Cravens photos will make its world premiere as part of the Billings Symphonys 2022-2023 season on Nov. 12 at the Alberta Bair Theater. American Veteran: A Story Without Words will also feature Tage Larsen on the trumpet, and Katharina Wincor as a guest conductor.

Tickets for the concert go on sale July 9, and subscription packages are currently available at billingssymphony.org.

Portraits sessions will take place at the following:

Tuesday, May 17: Adaptive Performance Center, 1420 Broadwater Avenue, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 18: Adaptive Performance Center, 1420 Broadwater Avenue, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Thursday, May 19: Billings Symphony office, 2820 Second Avenue North, 10 a.m. - noon

For more information, contact the Billings Symphony at (406) 252-3610 or email symphony@billingssymphony.org.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
On May 15, the Zonta Club of Billings and The Montana Native Womens Coalition are partnering with local community experts and leaders to host the third annual MMIP march to recognize the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). This event, called the 2022 MMIP March, is being held in downtown Billings. This public event is for activists, community members, and supporters to raise awareness of and bring justice to the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people and to ensure this crisis is not forgotten amidst the turbulence of our current events.

The march starts at the Wise Wonders parking lot (2nd Avenue North and North 31st Avenue) with prayer and drumming and ends at Skypoint (2nd Avenue North and North Broadway) with speakers, dancing, drumming, and prayer.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. and end at 3 p.m. Speakers will include State government representatives, survivors, and local community advocates  discussing legislation, sharing stories, and providing updates on local, state, and federal action to combat this crisis.

The Billings community continues to band together to bring awareness to this issue as COVID-19 exacerbates violence and trafficking across the country. The urgent need to address the violence affecting Native Americans continues. More information is available on the Zonta Club of Billings Facebook event page. It is recommended to wear the color red  ribbon skirts, regalia, hats or shoes.

This event is an opportunity for the community to come together in a safe way for healing and progress. All participants are asked to wear a mask to ensure that the community stays safe.

To donate to this cause, visit the GoFundMe set up for this event. Any questions can be directed to Anna Schmitt at annaschmitt333@gmail.com.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Earlier this week, Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, announced the next steps in the process to identify the University of Nebraska at Omahas next Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

The UNO campus is invited to attend upcoming listening sessions that will be taking place from Monday, May 9, through Wednesday, May 18, to help shape the positions job description.

Our universitys leadership can only be effective if we are truly serving our campus community, Chancellor Li said. We need to hear from you to make that happen.

Listening sessions will be designed to hear from UNOs key faculty, student, and staff constituencies as well as open sessions for any campus constituency or members the public to attend. These 45-minute sessions will be held on Zoom with several options available for in-person attendance:





Monday, May 9

1 P.M.  Staff

2 P.M.  Open





Tuesday, May 10

1 P.M.  Faculty

3 P.M. - Students (also in-person at the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, Room 132)





Thursday, May 12

3 P.M. - Students





Monday, May 16

2 P.M.  Faculty (also in-person at the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, Room 132)





Tuesday, May 17

3 P.M.  Staff (also in-person at Mammel Hall, Room 113)



Wednesday, May 18

3 P.M.  Open





Feedback from the listening sessions will be reviewed by a search committee in partnership with Diversified Search, a national-recognized search firm specializing in higher education administration.

Kim Morrisson, Ph.D., senior managing director, and Euris Belle, managing director, will be leading the search on behalf of Diversified Search. Morrisson has more than 20 years of experience conducting executive search assignments including for provost, president, dean, vice president, and endowed chair positions. Belle has executive search experience including serving as CEO of a specialty retained search firm focused on middle-to-upper management positions across multiple industries and disciplines. She has successfully assisted clients in placing diverse candidates in various executive level positions across multiple industries.

We are grateful to have such a highly-respected firm joining us in this effort, Chancellor Li said. They have a significant record of accomplishment of identifying and placing top-tier executive talent at some of the nations leading higher education institutions.

Chancellor Li also announced the members of the search committee who will be working with Diversified Search throughout the process. The group of individuals, led by search committee chair John Bartle, dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, represents a cross section of students, faculty, staff, and community members to identify the most qualified candidate who best fits UNOs mission as Nebraskas leading urban higher education institution:

John Bartle , Ph.D., Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service

, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service Keristiena Dodge , Chancellor's Chief of Staff

, Chancellor's Chief of Staff Michelle Trawick , Ph.D., Dean of the College of Business Administration

, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Business Administration Jaci Lindburg , Ph.D., Associate Vice President of Digital Education and IT Strategy, NU System

, Ph.D., Associate Vice President of Digital Education and IT Strategy, NU System Rich Klein , Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Strategic Institution and Student Success

, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Strategic Institution and Student Success Silva Raker , Chief Executive Officer of Kiewit Luminarium

, Chief Executive Officer of Kiewit Luminarium Kaitlin Carlson , Staff Advisory Council Incoming President

, Staff Advisory Council Incoming President Peggy Jones , MFA, Faculty Senate Incoming President and Associate Professor of Theatre

, MFA, Faculty Senate Incoming President and Associate Professor of Theatre Sarah Edwards , Ph.D., Assistant Vice Chancellor for Curriculum and Programs and Professor of Teacher Education

, Ph.D., Assistant Vice Chancellor for Curriculum and Programs and Professor of Teacher Education Tori Sims , Student Body President/Regent

, Student Body President/Regent Ramon Guerra, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and DEI Faculty Fellow

"[With Diversified Search] working together with our search committee, there is no doubt we will find the perfect candidate to champion our shared academic vision," Chancellor Li said.

In addition to the listening sessions, Diversified Search will spend time gathering information from UNO deans as well as Office of Academic Affairs and its units.

Additionally, a website is being developed in support of the Senior Vice Chancellor search. The website, when launched, will also provide the campus community an opportunity to provide anonymous input.

The search for UNOs next Senior Vice Chancellor was launched this April following the announcement that Sacha Kopp, Ph.D., who had served as UNOs chief academic officer since 2019, was stepping down from his position.

Kopp will remain in his role as Senior Vice Chancellor until June 6. Deborah Smith-Howell, Ph.D., who currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies will lead UNOs Office of Academic Affairs in the interim until a permanent Senior Vice Chancellor is hired.

"I hope that everyone will get the opportunity to join one of our listening sessions," Chancellor Li said. "I look forward to hearing from all of you throughout this process."
A new partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and employers across the greater Omaha area will provide UNO students with unprecedented access to paid internship opportunities.

UNO Career Connect is a new collaborative program pairing UNO with area companies and organizations to guarantee paid internship positions for many UNO students. This mutually beneficial program provides Mavericks with a direct path from college to career experience while also ensuring that area employers are able to hire the interns they need to support operations.

UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA announced the new program at a news conference held Monday at UNOs Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center. Nearly 50 employers have pledged to join the partnership, guaranteeing students internship positions with Fortune 500 companies, small and large businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Participating employers include Union Pacific, Mutual of Omaha, Heartland Family Service, Dundee Bank, CQuence Health Group, and dozens of others.

Employers must be quick to adapt to their shifting workforce needs to stay competitive. As Nebraskas urban institution, UNO moves quickly, too, adapting our curriculum and our partnerships to meet ever-evolving needs for both employers and our students. UNO Career Connect is a monumental step toward that goal, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared to be not only successful employees, but leaders in their organizations and in our communities. Guaranteeing access to paid internships ensures our students can grow personally and professionally while also being able to support themselves and their families, Chancellor Li said.

Li was joined by representatives from the Mayors Office of the City of Omaha, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, and the Governors Office of the State of Nebraska at a news conference Monday to announce the new program.

UNO Career Connect looks to be another winning move by the university to train the next generation workforce and keep them here in the Omaha area, filling jobs and supporting businesses in our community, David Brown, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber said. Todays announcement connecting students to paid internship opportunities is the next step toward strengthening a thriving business community here in the Omaha area. Internships open doors to opportunities for students, provide organizations with top talent and fresh ideas, and more often than you might realize, lead directly from internship to full-time career.





Who's Involved

To take part in UNO Career Connect, employers must pledge at least one paid internship position for a UNO student in their organization. The internship program can apply to students in any field of study at UNO; however, in alignment with the state of Nebraskas workforce needs, the university is particularly focused on filling internship positions with area employers in fields designated by the state as high demand, high skill, and high wage occupations. These often include positions in industries reliant on STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.





Information for Students

Students looking for additional information on internship opportunities through UNO Career Connect can find information on Handshake. This platform, provided by UNOs Academic and Career Development Center, enables UNO students and alumni to find internship and job postings. Students seeking internship opportunities should use the Internship filter in the job search section to see all available positions.

UNO will continue to expand its network of employer partners as part of UNO Career Connect. Interested companies and organizations who can pledge to provide paid internships for UNO students, regardless of the number of positions available, should visit careerconnect.unomaha.edu for more information.





What Others Are Saying

Anthony Goins, Director, Nebraska Department of Economic Development

Internship opportunities, and specifically paid internship opportunities, set the stage for graduates to succeed after college. That, in turn, sets the stage for growing Nebraska. That makes this program essential, and deserving of our recognition, support and appreciation. I want to commend UNO, Chancellor Li, and everyone involved for committing to the students here at UNO, and for answering the call to help build Nebraskas workforce for the future.

Mike Cassling, President and CEO, CQuence Health Group

Professional experience in information technology and computer science can be the boost they need to launch their career. Most importantly, paid internships mitigate potential financial burdens in the process. For all these reasons and more, we are big believers in paid internships at CQuence Health Group and proud to be part of the UNO Career Connect program.

Tom Warren, Chief of Staff for Mayor Jean Stothert, City of Omaha

"Developing, recruiting, and retaining a talented workforce here in the city, particularly as students wrap up their undergraduate degree programs, is a big piece of the puzzle. I have the great honor of joining you today not only to share with you how excited Mayor Stothert is about UNO Career Connect, but also to take action. Im proud to share that the City of Omaha will be joining UNO Career Connect as one of its employer partners."

Mike Cassling, President and CEO, CQuence Health Group

"Professional experience in information technology and computer science can be the boost they need to launch their career. Most importantly, paid internships mitigate potential financial burdens in the process. For all these reasons and more, we arebig believers in paid internships at CQuence Health Group and proud to be part of the UNO Career Connect program."
(@FahadShabbir)

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal Friday asked Ministry of Interior to ensure security review meeting to be held every month on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th May, 2022 ) :Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal Friday asked Ministry of Interior to ensure security review meeting to be held every month on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Minister gave the direction while chairing a meeting to review the security progress on CPEC projects, said a press release issued here.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary Ministry of Interior, Secretary Ministry of Information and other relevant stakeholders.

The Minister emphasized the need for building a safe and secure environment for CPEC and to effectively tackle kinetic/non-kinetic challenges.

"CPEC is a flagship project of Pakistan and China Economic Cooperation which can enable Pakistan to become an industrial economy. It is unfortunate that the momentum of 2013-18 couldn't be sustained," said the Minister.

He also expressed concern that Pakistan's side of CPEC's joint working group on security has not been meeting frequently.

He directed the ministry of Interior to regularly convene its meetings on a monthly basis. As without a coordinated effort there can be gaps which must be filled, he added.

Minister Iqbal stated that National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) should function as per their laid down role and objectives to provide gov't with in depth assessment of security challenges that are grounded in socio-economic of the country.

It would help the government to expand its security lens by addressing socio-economic grievances of the people that may if left unaddressed translate into security challenges, he added.

Government security lens must also focus on limiting the vulnerability of our youth towards violence, extremism and propaganda," said the Minister who vowed to undertake measures to ensure that youth is not alienated in socioeconomic development process especially in less developed regions of Pakistan.

He also directed all line ministries to ensure that laid down security protocols are followed by Chinese working on CPEC.

Meanwhile, he stated that propaganda against CPEC is an attempt to deny people of less developed regions in Pak from positive socio-economic externalizes that will stem from CPEC.

It was noted that after the recent incident in Karachi, the government had decided to ensure foolproof security of Chinese working across the country.

The Minister also directed the Secretary Ministry of Information to engage local regional media to engage youth of Balochistan.
Seoul, May 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th May, 2022 ) :Peace with North Korea and a "fair and just" society in the South: outgoing President Moon Jae-in made big promises, but after five years in power, he has failed to deliver, analysts say.

Talks between Washington and Pyongyang that Moon brokered have collapsed, North Korea is test-firing long-range missiles again, and leader Kim Jong Un last week said he was strengthening his nuclear arsenal "at the fastest possible speed".

Domestically, Moon's key housing policy backfired, landmark anti-discrimination legislation never materialised, and top luminaries in his government and party became ensnared in sex and bribery scandals.

Public frustration with his administration is what galvanised a political opposition in disarray, analysts say -- Moon will hand power on May 10 to Yoon Suk-yeol, whose conservatives he ousted from government five years ago.

"Moon's biggest legacy will be the election of Yoon as president," Gi-Wook Shin, a sociology professor at Stanford University, told AFP.

An avowed anti-feminist and right-wing security hawk, Yoon is the antithesis of Moon, and his threats of a pre-emptive strike on North Korea have already undone much of Moon's cherished attempts at inter-Korean rapprochement.

Moon's diplomacy has come to nought anyway, with Kim recently issuing a veiled threat to use his nukes more expansively, Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute told AFP.

His decision to send "warm greetings" in a farewell letter to Kim last month showed "questionable" judgement in light of the fact Pyongyang is preparing for a nuclear test, Cheong said.

- Historic run - Unquestionably, Moon has enjoyed a historic run in office: in 2018, he became the first South Korean president to give a speech to the North Korean public, receiving a standing ovation in Pyongyang.

"I propose that we should completely end the past 70 years of hostility and take a big stride of peace to become one again," Moon told a packed May Day Stadium.

He helped facilitate talks which resulted in groundbreaking summits between then-US president Donald Trump and Kim, but the efforts collapsed in 2019.

Since then, Pyongyang has labelled Moon a "meddlesome mediator", blown up a Seoul-financed joint liaison office north of the border, and in March test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.

Satellite imagery now indicates the North is preparing to resume nuclear testing.

Moon is the only South Korean president to hold three summits with Kim but he "gave too much credit to North Korea's bandwidth for engagement and peacebuilding," said Soo Kim of the RAND Corporation.

"Kim has shown us that he cannot be convinced to give up his weapons, in any shape or form, since they're so closely tied to his own survival," she told AFP.

"It's difficult to tell whether Moon's North Korea legacy bears any positive impact on inter-Korean relations." - 'Fair and righteous' - Moon swept to power after his predecessor was impeached over a scandal that involved academic favours for the daughter of a presidential confidante.

In his inaugural speech in 2017, Moon promised: "Opportunities will be equal. The process will be fair, and the result will be righteous." But his own key aide Cho Kuk was later caught in a scandal involving bribery, and Moon was seen as excessively sympathetic while his successor Yoon won praise as a fair-minded prosecutor overseeing the case.

Moon's administration has competently handled the Covid-19 pandemic, but his housing policies "failed miserably", said June Park, a political economist at Princeton University.

His repeated attempts to rein in inequality unintentionally ended up deepening it -- with research by Seoul National University's Shared City Lab showing apartment prices in the capital rising nearly 120 percent since Moon took office.

One of Moon's landmark policies, raising taxes on owners of multiple homes, made no sense economically, Park said.

The policy "does not equate to the market principles", Park told AFP, adding that the government did not recruit housing experts for policymaking.

And when ministers in his cabinet were revealed to have more than one house, contravening their own policy, it caused "chaos", Park said.

As a result of Moon's housing policies, the average South Korean's daily life has become "more palpably difficult", said Sharon Yoon, a Korean studies professor at the University of Notre Dame.

The affable-seeming Moon remains personally popular in South Korea, with an approval rating of 44 percent -- nearly double that of many previous presidents at the end of their terms.

But his failures have left his followers disillusioned while energising and motivating opposition conservatives, Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

"It was a presidency with much promise in the beginning, but little of the promise was realised in the end."
(@FahadShabbir)

North Londonderry, United States, May 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th May, 2022 ) :French dairy giant Lactalis is betting big on North America, adapting to local preferences to attract consumers while it manages country-specific issues, such as the extreme volatility of US milk prices.

On the new production line at Stonyfield Farm in Londonderry, New Hampshire, a Lactalis subsidiary since 2017, 800,000 yogurts are pumped out every week.

The organic brand is seeing strong demand for its products aimed at babies and children, so Stonyfield plans to build a second production line for them this year.

To nibble at US market share in the yogurt sector, where Lactalis is behind Danone, Chobani and Yoplait, the company has also adopted targeted strategies.

Unlike Europeans, who often eat yogurt at the end of a meal, Americans "have yogurt for breakfast or as a snack," said Esteve Torrens, Stonyfield's CEO.

"So the yogurts must be more nutritious, and in larger portions," he adds, noting that individual cups in the US market generally weigh 170 grams, compared to just 125 grams in France.

The company also is monitoring changes in taste, like the thick, high-protein and low-sugar Icelandic yogurts from the Siggi's brand, acquired by Lactalis in 2018.

"When I came to the United States as a student, a lot of foods were full of sugar," founder Siggi Hilmarsson recalls, noting that the best-selling yogurt at the time contained proportionally more sugar than a soda.

He introduced Icelandic skyr to the American market in 2006, but sales really took off in 2012 and 2013 when "sugar replaced fat as public enemy number one in healthy eating," he said.

- Driver shortage - He decided to sell his business four years ago to Lactalis in order to promote his yogurt in other countries. The brand is now available in France, Australia, Canada and South Korea.

With Siggi's and Stonyfield, as well the natural, specialty and organic cheeses acquired from Kraft in 2021, and the labne and other dairy products from Karoun integrated into its portfolio in 2017, the United States will become Lactalis' largest market this year after France.

It is just ahead of Canada where the group, with an annual turnover of 22 billion Euros, has grown in recent years, especially after buying Ultima Foods.

The firm relies on its experience in the sector and its global reach to relaunch products whose financial performance no longer satisfied their former owners, and to expand some promising brands.

Most of the new machines installed at the Stonyfield production site come from Europe "because we have historical relations with our suppliers and they know what we need," production manager Mathieu Le Duey told reporters during a tour of the plant.

A private company founded in Laval, France in 1933 and still controlled by the Besnier family, Lactalis first entered the North American market when it opened an import-export office in the early 1980s to introduce French products.

The group has expanded through various acquisitions and now has 30 sites and 7,400 employees in Canada and the United States.

More recently it has had to grapple with issues particular to the American market, including labor shortages and volatile dairy prices, which are based on trading on the Chicago exchange.

"For two years, it's been hellish. We can't find carriers because they have trouble finding drivers," said Gilles Meziere, the group's North America chief executive.

"We have very high turnover rates in our factories," sometimes forcing the temporary suspension of production lines, he adds.

At the Stonyfield factory, the group "had to bring in executives for a day because we couldn't put the products in the boxes."
US President Joe Biden on Sunday will attend a virtual G7 meeting joined by Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CNN reported a National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson as saying on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) US President Joe Biden on Sunday will attend a virtual G7 meeting joined by Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, CNN reported a National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson as saying on Friday.

"On Sunday morning, President Biden will participate in a G7 virtual Leaders meeting chaired by German Chancellor Scholz.

The Leaders will be joined by President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," the spokesperson said.

The G7 leaders will discuss the latest developments in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the operation's global impact and the efforts to support Ukraine by imposing severe costs on Russia, the spokesperson added.
North Dakota lawmakers sought to tighten or change election procedures last year through dozens of bills, but the few that passed won't result in many visible changes for voters in June.

The 2021 Legislature handled more than 40 such bills in the wake of the 2020 election, a trend nationwide amid former President Donald Trump's baseless claims of election fraud. Perhaps the most significant bill to pass, at more than 50 pages long, was largely an update to the state's election laws.

"It really shouldn't make voters see any difference this time," Deputy Secretary of State Jim Silrum said of the bill's changes.

The bill implemented language updates as well as provisions for matching absentee ballot application signatures, helping people with disabilities vote and enabling technology additions, such as QR codes for smartphones -- which could come into play in 2024 for generating remotely marked absentee ballots, when the technology is available.

Burleigh County Election Manager Erika White said, "There are some good changes in there, some needed updates to the language, but nothing that should affect a voter's experience."

Absentee ballots for the June 14 election became available to all North Dakota voters on Thursday.

Early in-person voting begins as early as May 30, but varies county by county. Early in-person voting begins June 8 in Burleigh and Morton counties at the Bismarck Event Center and Disciples Church in Mandan, respectively.

The bill also extends the time frame for county canvassing boards to meet, from six days after each election to 13 days, to provide more time to record in the state's central voter file who has voted.

The change also benefits voters who cast a so-called "set-aside" ballot and must later present their North Dakota ID, or who must resolve signature-mismatching issues.

Additional changes resulted from lawsuits in 2020 relating to the disputed residency of some candidates and a "cure" for how to resolve voters' mismatched signatures, Silrum said.

One update clarifies that disputes of residency may be resolved only by a court order. Another update implements "a cure process" for absentee voters whose ballots were rejected because of mismatching signatures, Silrum said.

That process entails notification to the voter so he or she can show an election official the ID used for his or her ballot application.

Another change puts a 30-minute time limit on voters to mark and cast their ballots. Silrum said that law is aimed at being "proactive" against sit-in protests. He said it's "not a hard and fast rule" that poll workers will time voters in the middle of the day. The time limit has no penalty.

Voters still marking their ballot when polls close have the option of casting their ballot as marked or continuing to mark it and forwarding it to the canvassing board to add in the final tally.

The provision is largely for poll workers to "wrap up their night, do their reporting and get results back to the county auditor's office," McKenzie County Auditor/Treasurer Erica Johnsrud said.

"The voters will know when they come in if that's applicable to them," she said of the time limit. "During the day they won't notice anything different. They can take all the time that they need to vote in the polling location."

Another provision prohibits and penalizes with a Class A misdemeanor -- punishable by up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine -- the acceptance of nonpublic funds for elections, with exceptions including food for poll workers and use of private buildings for polling places.

Many counties two years ago filled out applications and reported how they spent grant money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life. The group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg notified them in 2020 of available funds for elections, which counties used for personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer and ballot boxes. Some conservatives around the country, including some North Dakota lawmakers, questioned the funding doled out in numerous states.

"I don't see this as any issue moving forward," Johnsrud said of the ban.

Voting by mail

Voting by mail has increased since 2016 in North Dakota.

Ballots cast before the November general election increased from 38% in 2016 to 48% in 2018 to 75% in 2020, according to legislative testimony. The June 2020 election was held entirely by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Another bill that passed last year allows ballots to be processed but not tabulated up to three business days before Election Day, until polls close. The bill mirrored an executive order by Gov. Doug Burgum in fall 2020, when counties handled more mail ballots due to the pandemic.

Some voters experienced voting by mail for the first time in 2020, "and maybe they said, 'Wow, this was pretty easy,' and they will probably continue with that because of how easy they felt it was," Silrum said.

But mail ballots also brought "vitriol expressed by certain members of the ultra-right," he said. Trump made baseless claims about election fraud linked to mail ballots. One defeated bill in the Legislature last year sought to limit who could vote absentee.

White expects absentee voting to increase slightly over Burleigh County's 2018 numbers.

Johnsrud expects 40-45% of McKenzie County voters to participate by absentee or mail, which allows them time to research issues and vote at home without feeling rushed.

"And a lot of times, you never know what the weather's going to be in North Dakota on election day," she quipped.

Questioning elections

Silrum said legislative races on the June ballot might be the most interesting contests.

Ninety-eight seats in the Legislature are up for election, and many of them have intraparty Republican contests, including incumbents who gathered signatures to run against newcomers endorsed instead of them. The winners will move on to November's general election.

North Dakota's dominant Republican Party has seen fissures in recent years between establishment and ultraconservative members -- evident at the party's convention last month in the U.S. Senate endorsement bids of incumbent John Hoeven and state Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck. Hoeven narrowly won the endorsement, and Becker bowed out.

Silrum said the Secretary of State's Office continues to deal with questions "about the accuracy of elections and the integrity of elections" on a daily basis.

"To me it's unfortunate that some people are spending a considerable amount of their time sowing distrust in the election as opposed to working for solutions, getting involved, participating, and I hope they do participate in this upcoming election so that they can see how filled with integrity election administration already is," he said.

Election officials last year demonstrated voting machines for state lawmakers during the legislative session, which Johnsrud commended.

"We're always about education," she said.

The June election will decide city and school elections and political parties' nominees. County, judicial, legislative, state and congressional races will be determined in November.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
US President Joe Biden in coming days will sign a new weapons package for Ukraine worth at least $100 million, Reuters said on Friday in a report, citing three US officials

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) US President Joe Biden in coming days will sign a new weapons package for Ukraine worth at least $100 million, Reuters said on Friday in a report, citing three US officials.

The weapons package will likely include more munitions for systems such as Howitzers, which were provided to Ukrainian forces by the Biden administration in a series of previous defense assistance deliveries, the officials reportedly said.

The announcement comes following a Biden administration proposal to Congress in late April for a $33 billion funding package for Ukraine, including $20 billion in defense assistance.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Some of the artworks from the Morozov collection are already displayed at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow after they were brought back from Paris, gallery's head Zelfira Tregulova said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) Some of the artworks from the Morozov collection are already displayed at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow after they were brought back from Paris, gallery's head Zelfira Tregulova said on Friday.

On Thursday, Tregulova said that all 33 artworks have returned to the museum "in perfect condition without any changes in preservation." She also mentioned that the gallery will participate in the summer exhibition of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, similar to the one that was in Paris.

"The works that are not involved in Pushkin Museum's exhibition have returned to the (gallery's) hall," Tregulova told Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

The gallery's head referred to the two artworks by Konstantin Korovin and two by Valentin Serov.

On Thursday, Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said that the collection, consisting of more than 160 masterpieces from the French and Russian painters, returned to Russia after months of uncertainty amid Russia's operation in Ukraine.

"The Morozov Collection. Icons of Modern Art" exhibition, which ran in Paris from September 22 to April 3, brought together a selection of works by Manet, Rodin, Monet, Pissarro, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Sisley, Cezanne, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Repin, Korovin, Serov, Malevich and others. It was visited by over one million people.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, whose presence at the head of US President Biden's press team has made her into one of the faces of the administration, will be departing the position on May 13 to pursue other opportunities.

Biden announced on Thursday that Psaki will leave the position on May 13 and be replaced by current Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

US media reports have speculated that Psaki plans on switching sides from government spokesperson to media member herself, with network MSNBC thought to be a potential new home for her.

Psaki, who got her start in presidential politics during the Obama administration as a White House communications official and State Department spokeswoman, left work as a political commentator at CNN to resume work under the Biden administration in November 2020.

Psaki gained fame in her role at the State Department, where her frequent confusion and sharp attacks on Moscow turned into a common object of criticism and parody.

Jean-Pierre, Psaki's replacement, will serve as the first black woman and open member of the LGBT community to serve in the position.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) Former Defense Department Secretary Mark Esper confirmed in an interview that President Donald Trump's administration wanted to deploy 250,000 active-duty US troops to the southern border to deter migrant caravans.

"(Then-Trump adviser) Stephen Miller, we're in a meeting waiting for the President to come out, we're standing around the resolute desk and he's behind me and this voice just starts talking about caravans are coming and we need to get troops to the border and that we need a quarter of a million troops," Esper told CBS news in a video clip released on Thursday.

Esper, after realizing the request was serious, said he told the Trump adviser that the Department of Homeland Security could handle the caravans headed to the border. However, according to Esper, Miller responded by saying, "no, we need a quarter of a million troops."

Esper said defense officials in his department had been working on the plan without his knowing but he immediately terminated it when Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley discovered it was in the works.

Moreover, Esper added, the United States did not have 250,000 troops to send to the border.

"And to do what?" the former defense chief asked rhetorically.

The plan was reportedly proposed in the spring of 2020 as an influx of migrants arrived on the US southern border seeking asylum.

If the deployment was approved, it would have been the largest use of the American military inside the United States since the US Civil War.

According to The New York Times, citing Esper's soon to be released book, Trump asked about potentially launching missiles into Mexico to destroy drug labs and eliminate cartels while maintaining that it could be kept secret.

The US president felt the Mexican government was incapable of slowing the flow of drugs, Esper wrote in the book previewed by the Times on Thursday.

"They don't have control of their own country," Esper quotes Trump as saying in his book, according to the report.

Esper's book, "A Sacred Oath," is scheduled to be released on May 10.
The US authorities have indicted Mining Capital Coin (MCC) CEO Luiz Capuci Jr. indicted for allegedly choreographing a $62 million global investment fraud scheme using a fake cryptocurrency mining and investment platform, the Justice Department said in a press release on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) The US authorities have indicted Mining Capital Coin (MCC) CEO Luiz Capuci Jr. indicted for allegedly choreographing a $62 million global investment fraud scheme using a fake cryptocurrency mining and investment platform, the Justice Department said in a press release on Friday.

"Capuci Jr. ... misled investors about MCC's cryptocurrency mining and investment program, under which investors could invest in MCC by purchasing "Mining Packages," the release said. "Under this program, Capuci and his co-conspirators touted MCC's purported international network of cryptocurrency mining machines as being able to generate substantial profits and guaranteed returns by using investors' money to mine new cryptocurrency.

"

Capuci, 44, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, sold the MCC's cryptocurrency Capital Coin to potential investors as a decentralized autonomous organization that was stabilized by revenue from the biggest cryptocurrency mining operation in the world, the release said.

However, Capuci did not use investors' money to mine new cryptocurrency, but took the money and secreted it in his own cryptocurrency wallets and used them to purchase luxury goods, the release added.

Capuci is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering, and faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted, according to the release.
The United States did not provide Ukraine with specific intelligence to allegedly target the Moskva warship, such reporting in US media is inaccurate, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2022) The United States did not provide Ukraine with specific intelligence to allegedly target the Moskva warship, such reporting in US media is inaccurate, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday.

"Well, let me first say, to speak to the reports, they're inaccurate," Psaki told reporters during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One. "We did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva, we were not involved in the Ukrainians decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out.

We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's intent to target the ship."

On Thursday, The New York Times reported, citing US officials, that the US provided Ukraine with intelligence to target Russia's flagship Moskva in the Black Sea in April, which, according to Moscow, sank on its way to the port of Sevastopol after a fire led to the explosion of ammunition. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby has denied reports on the US intelligence assistance to Ukraine to target the flagship.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th May, 2022) The Biden administration is determined to confront Russia in Europe as an "acute threat to the international system" and simultaneously face off against China as its global pacing challenge in the Indo-Pacific theater, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said on Friday.

"Russia poses an acute threat to the international system, as illustrated by its ongoing war of choice and its brutal tactics. Our National Defense Strategy fully accounts for Russia's threats in Europe and beyond," Hicks said in prepared remarks at the Ronald Reagan Institute.

However, Hicks also said that the United States simultaneously had to confront China as its main global strategic competitor.

"But even as we confront Russia's aggression and malign activities, the strategy is clear that China is our military's most-consequential strategic competitor and pacing challenge," Hicks said.

Therefore, the current US campaigning efforts would be focused on the Indo-Pacific and Europe, she added.
Juliet Mukakabanda was hiding with her husband and three children in a small church in southern Rwanda when the family was lured to a nearby school by local leaders, who promised them "protection" from gangs of genocidal killers

Nyamagabe , Rwanda, May 6 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th May, 2022 ) :Juliet Mukakabanda was hiding with her husband and three children in a small church in southern Rwanda when the family was lured to a nearby school by local leaders, who promised them "protection" from gangs of genocidal killers.

As a Hutu married to a Tutsi, Mukakabanda and her husband were prime targets for the Hutu extremists who unleashed a wave of terror across the country in April 1994.

One of the grimmest episodes in this nightmare unfolded in Gikongoro prefecture, where the family were sheltering.

There, they found themselves plunged into a bloodbath allegedly orchestrated by local leaders including prefect Laurent Bucyibaruta -- who goes on trial in France from Monday accused of genocide, complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity.

The terrified family had first fled to a local church in Gikongoro (since renamed Nyamagabe) after Hutu mobs torched the homes of Tutsi residents in their village.

They then decided to join throngs of people taking refuge in Murambi Technical School in Gikongoro, persuaded that the hilltop site was their best chance of escaping the militias roaming Rwanda with guns and machetes.

But it was a trap.

Just a few days later, at around 3 am on April 21, their supposed safe haven came under attack.

"We heard bullets being fired outside the school compound. The killers had guns, grenades, clubs, machetes and all sorts of killing weapons. My main worry was my children, I did not know how to protect them," Mukakabanda told AFP.

Mukakabanda, now 58, recounted her ordeal at the school site which has become one of Rwanda's main genocide memorials, where rows of black granite monuments bear the Names of the dead and former classrooms house their skeletal remains.

- '34 survivors' - As the killers besieged the school building, her husband and other men decided to go out and fight, leaving the women locked inside classrooms with their children.

"They were fighting with everything they could, including stones and sticks, but they were no match for bullets and grenades." When the mobs broke down the door, Mukakabanda says she knelt to the ground, her one-month-old daughter cradled on her back, and started praying and pleading for mercy.

Seeing her Hutu identity card, the killers told her to stay outside as they stormed the building, going from room to room and massacring everyone inside, including her husband and two of her children.

According to accounts of the grisly events at Murambi, the local leaders had assured the Tutsi population they would be able to offer them better protection in a single location than if they were dispersed, and promised them food and water.

Instead, the authorities cut off the water supply to the school and deprived those inside of food, making it difficult for them to resist the attack.

Mukakabanda pointed the finger of blame at Bucyibaruta, who disputes the charges and any involvement in the killings, according to his lawyers.

"He is the one who ordered the police and security forces to find Tutsis who were hiding in churches and other places and gather them together in one area, under the pretext of providing them with protection," she said.

Mukakabanda and her baby were among just 34 people thought to have survived the Murambi slaughter that the Genocide Archive of Rwanda says claimed the lives of about 50,000 mainly Tutsis.

Her surviving daughter Pauline is now a 28-year-old mother of two, studying business administration in Kigali.

The widow herself is still living as a farmer in Nyamagabe, and is preparing to make the journey to Paris to testify at Bucyibaruta's trial.
North Dakota Poet Laureate and award-winning author Larry Woiwode died April 28. He was 80.

Woiwode was a Sykeston native and author of numerous books, including the 1969 bestseller "What I'm Going To Do, I Think" and 1975's "Beyond the Bedroom Wall," a National Book Award nominee.

He also wrote short stories, poetry and nonfiction, and garnered accolades including the John Dos Passos Prize, William Faulkner Foundation Award and Medal of Merit from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Woiwode's most recent book, "A Legacy of Passion" about the Scheel family and store franchise, was published two weeks before he died.

Gov. George Sinner in 1992 presented Woiwode with the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, the state's highest honor. His portrait hangs in the North Dakota Hall of Fame in the state Capitol.

The 1995 Legislature appointed Woiwode as the state's poet laureate. He said in 2019 he had "dedicated 24 years to this office, reached thousands of North Dakota students and probably that many community members, also."

He lived on a farm with his family near Mott.

Woiwode was writer in residence at the University of Jamestown from 2007-20.

University President Polly Peterson said in a statement, Larry was a student favorite. He shared his passionate love for writing in a way that made it fun for all learners. He believed that every student had talent, and as much as anything, he had a way of encouraging them to believe in their own unique talents. Many went on to graduate school because of his inspiration.

Among his books was "The Dignity of Grace," about the life of Sister Thomas Welder, a longtime president of the University of Mary in Bismarck.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Woiwode family. He will be dearly missed by the University of Mary," school spokesman Tom Ackerman said.

Gov. Doug Burgum in a statement said Woiwode "inspired and mentored countless writers during his long and distinguished career.

"Through it all, he always remembered his North Dakota roots, from serving as our states poet laureate since 1995 to conducting many classes and workshops for aspiring writers in his home state," Burgum said. "His award-winning work earned widespread praise and instilled immense pride in his fellow North Dakotans. (First lady) Kathryn and I extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all who found joy and inspiration in his writing.

Services were held Tuesday at New Hope Lutheran Church in Jamestown.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
State officials for a second time have refused to wade into a debate over who owns the historic Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge, potentially leaving the courts as the last option to settle the matter before the structure is demolished.

State Sen. Tracy Potter, D-Bismarck, earlier this month asked Attorney General Drew Wrigley for an opinion, but Wrigley in a letter to Potter on April 25 declined.

"There are ... some situations which are unsuited for an attorney general opinion, including when the question presented requires a factual determination," Wrigley wrote. "Such matters are best reserved for another forum where the factual assessments can be weighed and rendered."

The Friends of the Rail Bridge nonprofit believes state ownership of the bridge spanning the Missouri River would bolster the group's efforts to stop BNSF Railway from razing the 139-year-old structure to make way for a modern bridge. FORB earlier this year sought an attorney general's opinion, but Assistant Attorney General Carl Karpinski determined one was not warranted "due to the fact that no state agency or other state entity is involved in the ownership dispute," according to an email obtained by the Tribune.

Potter's request was not tied to FORB, but he made a similar argument -- that if the state does indeed own the bridge, the structure could not be destroyed without approval from the State Historical Board. State Historic Preservation Officer Bill Peterson has already determined that the bridge is historically significant and that removal would be "an adverse effect on a historic property."

Potter in a statement to the Tribune said he's disappointed in Wrigley's refusal to issue an opinion.

"Make no mistake, the states unwillingness to be involved as the owner of the riverbed will cause serious future injury to the people of North Dakota," he said.

FORB's claim of state ownership is based on legal principles including that the government owns and protects certain natural resources for public use, according to a memo it sent to the Coast Guard, which decides on projects proposed along that part of the Missouri River. The preservation group maintains North Dakota has held ownership of "the bed of the Missouri River up to the high-water mark, as well as any permanent fixtures attached," since statehood.

BNSF Railway has called the claim of state ownership "absurd" and questioned the timing of its proponents. The permitting process for a new bridge has been ongoing for years, and the Coast Guard in about a month is set to release a final environmental impact statement -- one of the final steps in the permit process.

A draft statement released last year lists removing the existing bridge and constructing a new one as a proposed alternative, and retaining the bridge and building a new one with three potential designs as others.

FORB President Mark Zimmerman after the state's initial refusal to become involved said the group "is working with the United States Coast Guard, (federal) Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and BNSF Railway on the question of bridge ownership."

Zimmerman has said the group had no knowledge of the ownership question until it had an attorney willing to do the research. He told the Tribune on April 30 that FORB will be visiting with its attorney and evaluating options.

The bridge was built in 1883, with the spans replaced in 1905. A 2019 feasibility study conducted by North Dakota State University estimated the cost to turn the structure into a foot bridge at just under $7 million. The preservation group has not said how much money it has raised.

Reach News Editor Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Show more Show less

This week on Healthy Living, a look at work health and safety. Dr. Jean Sylvain Bonny, professor of occupational medicine at the Felix Houphouet Boigny University in Abidjan, discusses ways to improve the health and safety of workers in Africa. Also, health officials are tackling another Ebola outbreak in the DRC. Plus, the kangaroo method keeps some premature babies in the warmth of their mothers. These stories and more in this week's program! S2, E148
A Juba-based economic analyst says South Sudan will continue to experience a protracted economic crisis following an announcement by the countrys finance minister that South Sudans crude oil has been sold up to 2027; Police in the Northern Bahr al Ghazal State capital, Aweil say they are interrogating three Sudanese traders for their alleged involvement in defiling and killing a six-year-old girl on Wednesday before they are charged with defilement and murder; Around 30 political detainees in Sudan have entered a second day of hunger strike to protest their illegal months-long detentions without charges. The detainees demand they be released immediately or charged in a court of law.
More civilians evacuate from the besieged port city of Mariupol, as Ukraine sees an increase of fighting across the country ahead on Mondays Victory Day over Nazi Germany in Moscow. How important is that day for Russian President Vladimir Putin? Plus, students from 64 countries stand ready to compete in an international science fair, including a handful from Ukraine.
An irate Chinese boss is screaming at his African workers as they take a lunch break, urging them to work harder or else the company wont make any money. While intended to be funny, the new Egyptian TV commercial -- since pulled for fear of offending Beijing -- reveals widely-held African perceptions about the way Chinese companies on the continent treat their local staff.

Last month, a Rwandan court made a significant statement against the mistreatment of its citizens by sentencing mine manager Sun Shujun to 20 years in jail after a video of him whipping a tied-up worker went viral.

The case sparked outrage across the continent and even elicited a rare response from the Chinese Embassy in Kigali, which warned its citizens in Rwanda to abide by local laws and regulations.

The Rwandan incident is not the only example of recent Chinese rights abuses in Africa. A report last year by the U.K.-based Business and Human Rights Resource Center found 181 human rights allegations connected to Chinese investments in Africa between 2013 and 2020, with the highest number of incidents in Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Last year a Kenyan waiter was awarded more than $25,000 in damages after he was whipped by his Chinese restaurant boss. The abuse was captured on video and showed the boss laughing while the waiter begged for forgiveness. A Kenyan court found the man had also suffered continuous sexual harassment, corporal punishment, verbal abuse and confinement while working at the restaurant.

There have also been reports of Chinese employers mistreating locals who worked on a Chinese-built railway in Kenya documented in 2018 by The Standard newspaper. Separately, a Chinese trader was deported in a highly publicized case after using racial slurs against Kenyans, including calling the president a monkey in 2018.

Due to its massive mineral wealth and large number of Chinese-managed mines, the Democratic Republic of Congo is another country where rights abuses are regularly recorded. On Wednesday, a Congolese investigative journalist released a report detailing how small-scale Chinese cobalt miners are using child labor.

Josue Kashal, a lawyer from Congolese NGO Le Centre dAide Juridico-Judiciaire, represented a local mine worker earlier this year who was injured in an accident at China Molybdenums Kisanfu cobalt and copper mine. A landmark decision by the court ordered the mine to pay the workers hospital costs and lost wages.

There are lots of violations of workers rights, he told VOA, adding that local miners in DRC are paid small salaries and have shoddy protective equipment.

In Zimbabwe too, abuses by Chinese employers of local workers have been recorded, with one of the most egregious examples in 2020 when a Chinese employer, Zhang Xuen, shot and seriously injured two Zimbabwean workers after a wage dispute at a mine in the town of Gweru. Zhang was charged with attempted murder and the case is still pending.

The Chinese national was taken to court and the embassy in Harare said it was highly concerned about the shooting but stressed it was an isolated incident. The embassy statement continued, "any possible illegal acts and persons who violate the law should not be shielded.

Shamiso Mtisi, deputy director of the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), disagrees with the embassys statement saying the incident was isolated. He said there is a pattern of abuse by Chinese employers in Zimbabwe.

ZELA is aware of several cases of abuse of Zimbabwean workers by Chinese employers, and this happens on a regular basis at some of the Chinese mining companies, he told VOA. I think the problem is they see themselves as superior.

Mtisi said workers at Chinese-owned mines in the country are paid low wages and given poor personal protective equipment. However, he noted, it falls on the Zimbabwean government to uphold workplace standards and protect its nationals, and he says they are failing to do so because China is the countrys largest foreign investor.

The challenge is the Chinese appear to be getting some protection either from government or some politicians, so they normally get away with it, he said.

With Chinese leader Xi Jinpings trademark Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese are huge players on the continent. Rival superpower the United States is increasing vying for influence with African leaders who favor Beijings no-strings-attached approach, providing loans without judging countries human rights issues.

But the public raft of abuses by Chinese employers on the continent have prompted the Chinese government to respond.

The Chinese Embassy in Namibia published a guide this week for Chinese expats in the southern African country on its WeChat page informing them of best practices while working abroad and how to avoid transgressions.

It included advice on how to handle wage disputes with local workers, not brandishing firearms to threaten staff, not intimidating or coercing striking workers, and always handling such matters by involving local authorities instead of taking things into ones own hands.

And it seems some Chinese citizens living on the continent are also worried about the behavior of their compatriots. An anonymous man blogging under the name Africa Bob, who says hes a business owner in Rwanda, took to Weixin to express his disgust over the recent whipping case and Sun Shujuns actions.

In this matter, Mr. Sun from China is indeed doing something wrong. We are now in another country, and the first thing we should do is abide by local laws and regulations, he wrote. But he continued by writing, the sentence is really too high.

Africa Bob then wrote a list of good behavior tips for Chinese nationals living on the continent, urging his compatriots not to be racist.

There are so many outstanding people in Africa  There are many excellent people, how can you arbitrarily say that Africans are not diligent? he said. I hope that one day we (Chinese) can be respected in Africa  and this requires the efforts of every Chinese in Africa.
Indias government has rejected a new World Health Organization report that says the countrys death toll from COVID-19 is about 10 times higher than the official count, and the highest in the world.

How many lives were lost in India due to the pandemic has been a hotly contested subject. The study by WHO puts Indias COVID-19 death toll at 4.7 million through the end of 2021, while the government's tally puts the number at 481,000.

Other studies, including one by the medical journal Lancet, released last month, have said that Indias fatalities have been undercounted. They estimated the death toll at six to seven times higher than the official number.

The WHOs estimate includes people who died either directly from COVID-19 or indirectly through the pandemic's wider impact on health systems.

But the government has slammed the methodology used and said that the WHO has published the excess mortality estimates "without adequately addressing India's concerns" or taking into account authentic data submitted by India.

The health and family welfare ministry said in a statement that the country's size, diversity and population of 1.3 billion meant the 'one size fits all' approach and model used by the United Nations body may not be applicable to India.

Experts however say the study should be taken seriously because the WHO numbers are more or less in line with independent estimates of undercounting in India.

The modelling systems used for these studies are fairly standard and if the Indian government had a rebuttal, they should provide their argument for rejecting them, says Gautam Menon, professor of Biology and Physics at Indias Ashoka University and a mathematical modelling expert. They have not been very specific but only said that the countrys mechanisms for recording deaths are very good.

Others point out that even recent data made public by the Indian government suggests a higher death toll compared to official numbers. This week the government released data showing 8.1 million excess deaths in 2020 -- that is 6% higher or about half a million more deaths compared to the previous year. In 2020, India counted 149,000 deaths due to COVID-19.

Excess deaths are a measure of how many more people died than expected compared with previous years.

The government has however said the higher numbers of deaths in 2020 could not be attributed to the pandemic. There is a public narrative in the media, based on various modelling estimates, that Indias COVID-19 deaths are many times the reported figure - that's not the case in reality," V.K. Paul, a top health official spearheading Indias fight against the pandemic, told state television. He said modelling can lead to overestimation, absurd estimation.

Indian health officials have consistently maintained that the countrys total infections and death toll as a proportion of its massive population were lower than those in many countries, including developed nations and said that this underlined the countrys success in battling the pandemic.

But experts underline the need to estimate accurate numbers.

I dont know why they are so exceptionally stubborn and are digging their heels in on the question of deaths due to the pandemic, says Prabhat Jha, director of the Centre for Global Health Research in Toronto, and a member of the expert working group supporting the WHOs excess death calculation. Every government does not want bad news. But India has done very well in areas such as its vaccination program. Accurate mortality data would only help judge how this program has helped reduce mortality.

Through April 2022, India has reported 524,000 COVID-19 deaths and 43 million infections -- the highest numbers after the United States and Brazil.

India is not the only country where the death toll was underestimated, according to the WHO report. It says countries such as Indonesia and Egypt had the same problem.

There is information that was collated from government data itself of a large number of excess deaths particularly during the deadly Delta [variant] wave last year, points out Menon. This suggests there may have been similar undercounting throughout the pandemic.

As the health system in many parts of the country buckled during the Delta wave, there had been reports of mass cremations as crematoriums overflowed with COVID victims and bodies washing up in the Ganges River, which local media reports said could be people who died after getting the virus.

Menon however cautions that there could be a margin of error in the studies on Indias death toll  he estimates the number may have been closer to 3 million.

Experts point out that Indias issue with counting deaths from COVID-19 is partly rooted in a longstanding problem  the cause of many of the deaths in India is often not accurately classified. For example, a death caused by respiratory problems after contracting the infection may not be attributed to the virus.

Two-thirds of the more than 1.3 billion people live in villages where there are few hospitals and health systems are inadequate.

But proper mortality data, say experts, would only help in framing policies to improve health care systems.

Counting the dead due to the pandemic would help the living. Its a social responsibility to know where we are going with this health crisis, says Jha. Why should we battle COVID blindfolded?
More civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol, a Ukrainian official said Friday, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategic port city.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 50 civilians were evacuated from the plant Friday. The Russian Interdepartmental Humanitarian Response Center said 11 of the 50 were children.

The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold, a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught, appeared increasingly desperate. About 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks  and they have repeatedly refused to surrender.

Local authorities in Mariupol accused Russian forces Friday of firing on a car traveling to evacuate civilians from the vast steel works, killing a fighter and violating a cease-fire agreement, Reuters reported.

As the drama in Mariupol continued to unfold, Pope Francis on Friday called the war in Ukraine "barbarous" because of the Christian-against-Christian nature of the conflict. He made the comment to members of a Vatican office that promotes Christian unity among Catholics, Orthodox and other Christian churches.

Today, in the face of the barbarism of war, this yearning for unity must be fueled again, he said.

Russian forces control all but the steel works in the devastated city on the north coast of the Sea of Azov. Mariupol has been repeatedly targeted by Russia during its 10-week offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was Russias attack that was keeping an estimated 200 civilians pinned down in the plant's underground bunkers.

"Just imagine this hell! And there are children there," he said late Thursday in his nightly video address. "More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death."

Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier assured Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a phone call that Moscows forces were prepared to allow safe passage for those trapped in the steel plant, with daytime pauses in fighting through Saturday.

In Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price expressed skepticism about Russias commitment to a cease-fire.

In other news:

The U.N. Security Council, which includes Russia, agreed on a statement with strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine. A vote to adopt the statement, which was drafted by Norway and Mexico, could happen as soon as Friday and would be the first such statement from the UNSC since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Reuters reports that Russian President Putin will send a doomsday message to the West on May 9 at an event marking the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Unions victory over Nazi Germany.

A Russian foreign ministry spokesman said Friday that Russia has no intention of deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Ukraine.

Russia firmly abides by the principle that there can be no victors in a nuclear war, and it must not be unleashed, Alexei Zaitsev said.

Ukrainian officials from the countrys national security council said Friday that Victory Day could mean more shelling in parts of Ukraine.

Since Russian troops cannot boast of any significant achievements on the front by Victory Day, the risk of massive shelling of Ukrainian cities these days is increasing, the officials wrote on Facebook.

The Pentagon distanced itself from reports it had helped Ukraine sink the Russian missile cruiser Moskva.

The U.S. did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Friday, adding that the U.S. does share intelligence with Ukraine.

We were not involved in the Ukrainians decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out, he added. We had no prior knowledge of Ukraines intent to target the ship.

The U.S. also rejected earlier reports that it had supplied Ukraine with intelligence to target Russian generals. On Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the reports inaccurate.

The White House said Friday that U.S. President Joe Biden and other G-7 leaders will have a virtual meeting Sunday with Ukraines President Zelenskyy.

The U.N.s Food and Agricultural Organization said there were signs Russia is stealing grain from Ukraine.

Theres anecdotal evidence that Russian troops have destroyed storage capacity and that they are looting the storage grain that is available. They are also stealing farm equipment, said Josef Schmidhuber, deputy director of FAO markets and trade division when speaking to reporters Friday in Geneva.

U.S. first lady Jill Biden arrived Friday at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania to start her European visit to show support for U.S. troops and Ukraine. After visiting Romania, she will head to Slovakia, where on Sunday shell meet with displaced Ukrainian families.

Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Press and Reuters.
Guinea's military government this week announced plans to prosecute ousted President Alpha Conde and 26 of his former officials for murder, rape, kidnapping and other crimes. Guinea's coup leader also proposed a three-year transition back to civilian rule.

In 2010, Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president, but accusations of corruption and authoritarian behavior mounted throughout his time in office. Last September, after winning what critics said was an illegal third term, Conde was overthrown in a military coup.

Conde had altered the constitution to allow himself to run for a third term, sparking violent protests and a deadly crackdown by police.

The charges against Conde and his government were issued in response to a complaint filed by the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC)  the group that had led the protests.

Gilles Yabi, director of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank in Dakar, said while it is important the proceedings shed light on Conde's regime, he is concerned they risk being perceived as a political tool.

"When it comes to the fight against impunity, in order for it to be credible it must not raise suspicion of political manipulation," he said. "Given the current context in Guinea, that could be difficult."

The other officials facing charges include former security officers, speakers of parliament and a prime minister.

"It's a bold move by the junta," said Barka Ba, a West Africa political science researcher. "Do they have enough time and political legitimacy to conduct these proceedings? Because the people who are being charged are well respected and thought to be innocent. They will have a right to a defense."

Leaders of the West Africa bloc ECOWAS had called on Guinea's military government to announce an "acceptable" plan to transition to civilian rule by April 25 or face immediate sanctions.

Guinea's interim president, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, a former special forces commander, missed the deadline. On Saturday, he said he was considering a transition period of more than three years.

ECOWAS defense leaders are meeting May 6, 2022, to discuss security in the Sahel and could announce sanctions against Guinea's military government.


Despite an overall trend of decline in press freedom around the world, there are a few bright spots in countries that are striving to improve their governing systems.

Their gains showed up in the 2022 Global Press Freedom Index, released this week by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

One is Seychelles, located off the coast of east Africa. The island nation ranked 13th in RSFs index, which rates 180 countries and territories, making it the top African nation for press freedom.

One reason is that journalists there havent been targets of violence as they have been in places like Mexico, Russia, India, Myanmar and other global hot spots.

Its really a country where there are no severe actions committed against journalists, said Arnaud Froger, head of the Africa Desk at RSF.

You don't have journalists being assaulted amid demonstrations, for example. You dont have journalists being arrested for their work, Froger said. Its a safe place to be to be a journalist.

Seychelles is small, with only about 100,000 inhabitants. A former British colony, it gained independence in 1976 and is a democratic republic. There are currently about 10 media outlets, including three private television and radio stations, according to RSF.

Media diversity has grown and that helped boost its ranking, Froger said.

What Seychelles was missing a few years back was that there was not so much pluralism in the media landscape, he told VOA. It was restricted under the influence of politicians and authorities, which is not the case anymore.

The first private news network, TeleSesel, was launched in 2017, paving the way for journalists to produce stories independently from the government.

You can pretty much investigate anything now in the Seychelles, Froger said. There is more independence for the media outlets.

The archipelago nations reputation as a tourist destination has helped, Froger said.

The country wants to safeguard that paradise image of the country, he said, and undermining the exercise of journalism would be bad for tourism.

New scoring regime

In compiling its annual index this year, RSF used a new rating method that measures the political, legal, economic, sociocultural and security conditions in each country.

The more detailed approach helped vault two other small, Southeast Asian countries to the upper ranks, which historically have been dominated by big Western democracies.

East Timor gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after decades of violent struggle. It has a population of 1.3 million. The country ranked 17th in RSFs new index.

Bhutan, bordered by China and India, is a landlocked nation of 775,000 that sits in the Himalayas. In 2007, it went from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one, holding its first ever election in 2008. Bhutan ranked 33rd in the press freedom index.

In both countries, democratic institutions and the media are maturing in tandem.

Twenty-five years ago, tradition-bound Bhutan became one of the last countries to allow access to television and the internet. Now, the media landscape in the kingdom is evolving rapidly, according to Daniel Bastard, the Asia-Pacific director at RSF.

What we can see in Bhutan and East Timor is that all the powers, including the government, the parliament and the judiciary, recognize press freedom and journalists in general as genuine partners in the building of these democracies, he said.

In addition to state-owned television and newspapers, several influential private publications have emerged in a way that has bolstered journalism.

The fact that private media outlets in Bhutan are not owned by powerful businesses helps the independence of newsrooms in these organizations, Bastard said.

In East Timor, a traditional deference to those in authority can be an obstacle for journalists, sometimes making it hard to criticize leaders.

If you watch news in East Timor, you will see much fact-based reporting versus more analytical coverage or investigative journalism, said Parker Novak, a U.S.-based expert on East Timor who has lived and worked there.

The cons of being small

While journalistic endeavors are growing, challenges remain. Legal protections for the press are always vulnerable to abuse. And reporting in a small country can get personal.

In the case of Bhutan, it would be badly seen if you criticize the monarchy, and you may have bad reactions even from your colleagues, Bastard said. So, I think people won't dare to tackle this issue. If they did so, they would be very, very careful.

In East Timor, he said, being critical of the Catholic clergy is considered taboo. Catholics are estimated to make up 95% of the population.

The press in East Timor would talk about problems within the clergy in other countries, and they would be totally transparent about it, including covering issues like child molesting by Catholic priests in Australia and other countries, Bastard said.

Not so for East Timor. Does this mean that [molestation] rarely exists? he said. Or does it mean that journalists censor themselves about such issues?

The East Timorese parliament passed a media act in 2014 that observers see as an obstacle to the governments stated commitment to safeguarding press freedom.

The law gives the countrys Press Council authority to grant journalists work permits, potentially allowing the government to lock out reporters it doesnt like.

The rapid spread of smartphones and social media to trade information  and disinformation  also poses challenges.

Thats a trend worth keeping an eye on as to something that could prove to be a societal asset or it could also prove to be a challenge as many other societies, including neighboring Indonesia, are grappling with, analyst Novak said of East Timor.
The role of cigarettes in Chinese wedding celebrations; a daughters use of photography to chronicle her mothers mental health struggles; the dwindling young community of the Scottish Western Isles. Freelance journalist Ye Charlotte Ming focuses on stories often hidden from public view.

Stories that intrigue me the most are not that straightforward, but more nuanced and can bring different arguments to the table, Ming told VOA. So, I like to tell stories that are a bit unexpected and that challenge stereotypes.

A Chinese journalist based in Berlin, Germany, Ming is one of two International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) Kim Wall Memorial Fund grantees. )

The memorial honors Kim Wall, a 30-year-old reporter killed while on assignment in Denmark in 2017. The family of the Swedish journalist have worked with the IWMF since 2018 to offer $5,000 grants to women who share Walls approach to reporting.

Wall worked extensively with the IWMF on reporting trips and was involved in the foundations African Great Lakes Reporting Initiative.

She pursued stories that were often unreported on and beyond the popular narrative, and thats what made her sing, said Charlotte Fox, director of communications at the IWMF.

Mings work stood out to the IWMF because she shares that same drive, Fox said.

She also knew Wall. The pair worked together between 2016 and 2017 on a story about casinos in predominantly Chinese-speaking communities in Connecticut. Ming was the photographer and acted as a translator for Wall, who was reporting the story.

Because of Walls murder, the story was never published. But the assignment was typical of her focus on creative and untold narratives: an approach that Ming said she hopes to carry on with the grant.

Reporting with [Kim] was full of adventures. She always wanted to talk to everyone, visit everywhere and leave no stones unturned, Ming told VOA. I learned a lot from the way she reported. She gravitated toward characters who are underdogs, independent women, and storied elderly  she was a natural journalist.

The IWMF, which supports female journalists and works to diversify bylines through fellowships and grants, also named Astrid Landon as a 2022 grantee.

An audio editor based in Paris, Landon focuses predominantly on the mental health system and healthcare in France and the U.S.

Previous honorees of the Wall Memorial Fund used their grants to cover cultural or community driven stories.

It's pretty incredible the lengths to which this reporting can go and what legacy and impression it can make on the grantees, said Fox. I think there's no greater way to recognize Kim than with that type of reporting.

For Ming, the memorial is a way to honor Walls approach to journalism.

I can continue to tell underreported stories about cultures and places that can deepen people's understanding of them, she said. I think Kim would be interested in those stories, too.
Delivering good cheer  and 5 gallons of ketchup  Jill Biden thanked U.S. troops deployed to Romania as a check against Russian aggression for their service, as she began a four-day trip to Europe to see first-hand the refugee crisis caused by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

After flying overnight from Washington, the first lady arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, near the Black Sea, in time to help serve Friday dinner to U.S. service members stationed there. About 1,600 of the several thousand U.S. troops President Joe Biden deployed to eastern Europe in the leadup to the Russia-Ukraine war were sent to the base, which is about 100 kilometers from Romania's border with Ukraine.

Jill Biden served mac and cheese and baked potatoes for the troops  and encouraged them not to skip out on the greens  before greeting small groups of servicemembers at tables in the base dining facility. She delivered bottles of ketchup to the soldiers, responding to a shortage of the condiment on the base, eliciting cheers from the troops.

"I know it's hard on your families," she told one service member, referencing her own experience when her son Beau Biden deployed to Iraq.

For weeks, Jill Biden has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of "parents weeping over their children's broken bodies in the streets," as she said in a recent speech.

Now Biden is using her second solo overseas trip to get an up-close look at the Ukrainian refugee crisis by visiting Romania and Slovakia, where she will spend Mother's Day meeting with displaced families in a small Slovakian village on the border with Ukraine.

"It's so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them," Jill Biden told reporters traveling with her Thursday night, she said earlier in the week she wants the refugees to know "their resilience inspires me."

NATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have taken in some of the millions of mostly women and children who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, triggering Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Biden also will use her four days in Europe to highlight issues she promotes at home, such as support for U.S. service members, education, and the welfare of children.

The centerpiece of the first lady's trip comes Sunday  Mother's Day  when the mother of three meets with displaced Ukrainians who sought refuge across the border in Slovakia.

Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, had planned to accompany her mother to Europe, but backed out after learning Thursday that she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesperson. Ashley Biden tested negative, LaRosa said.

"I can only imagine the grief families are feeling," Jill Biden said this week. "I know that we might not share a language, but I hope that I can convey, in ways so much greater than words, that their resilience inspires me, that they are not forgotten, and that all Americans stand with them still."

The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials and U.S. Embassy personnel, the White House said.

Nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled their country since Russia's invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Many have resettled in next-door countries, like Romania and Slovakia, or have gone elsewhere in Europe to try to rebuild their lives.

More than 850,000 Ukrainians have entered Romania since the invasion, while nearly 400,000 have crossed into Slovakia, according to government figures from those countries.

Biden has long displayed an interest in the plight of refugees around the world.

In 2011, when her husband was vice president, she traveled to drought-stricken east Africa to visit with Somali famine refugees at the Dadaab camp in Kenya. In 2017, she visited refugees in Chios, Greece, as part of work by the aid organization Save The Children, on whose board she served.

Some refugee advocates said Biden's trip will send the message that the United States takes seriously its humanitarian commitment to the Ukrainian people.

"Every first lady has a far-reaching platform to raise awareness and this trip will be an important tool for mobilizing additional support for those forced to flee their homeland," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and formerly a policy director to first lady Michelle Obama.

Biden's trip will be the latest to the region by a U.S. government representative following recent visits to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees during a stop in Poland in March. That's the closest he's been to Ukraine. The White House has said there are no current plans for him to visit Kyiv.

After her time with the U.S. service members, Jill Biden was set to spend Saturday in Bucharest, Romania's capital, being briefed on humanitarian efforts, meeting with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis and touring a school where Ukrainian refugee students are enrolled before she departs for Slovakia. The first lady is a community college English professor.

On Sunday, she heads to Kosice, Slovakia, to visit a city-operated refugee center and a public school that also hosts Ukrainian refugee students, where she will spend time with Ukrainian and Slovakian mothers and children as they participate in Mother's Day activities. Afterward, she will travel to the Slovakia-Ukraine border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.

The White House declined to comment on whether she will cross the border and enter Ukraine.

She'll also visit a small Greek Catholic chapel in Vysne Nemecke that serves refugees.

Monday brings a meeting with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, the country's first female president, before Biden heads back to Washington.

The first lady has shown her support the Ukrainian people in several ways. She wore a sunflower  Ukraine's national flower  on her mask and a dress sleeve and traveled to a Tennessee hospital to visit with Ukrainian children flown there for cancer treatment.

She had Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, sit with her during President Biden's State of the Union address in March, and she went to the Army's Fort Campbell in Kentucky to visit with the families of U.S. soldiers, who were deployed to Europe to assist with the Ukraine crisis.

The trip is the first lady's second overseas by herself. She flew to Tokyo last year to represent the United States at the opening of the Olympic Games.
The U.S. Supreme Courts first major ruling on the meaning of the First Amendments Establishment Clause was in Everson v. Board of Education, in 1947, when it upheld a state law that provided busing of students to parochial schools. The courts entry into this constitutional maze foreshadowed the controversy that surrounds to this day governmental acts and programs that promote religion.

At issue in Everson was a New Jersey statute that authorized local school boards to reimburse parents, including those whose children attended Catholic parochial schools, for the cost of bus transportation to and from school. Arch Everson, a local resident and taxpayer, contended this program violated the Establishment Clause, which provides: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

Justice Hugo Black delivered the courts 5-4 opinion, which began with a review of the history of the Establishment Clause and the contributions to it of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Justice Black said of the meaning of the clause: Neither a state nor the federal government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions or prefer one religion over another. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach and practice religion.

And then, in words familiar to Americans across the land, Black added: In the words of Jefferson, the clause against the establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a wall of separation between church and State.

Justice Blacks review of the background to the Establishment Clause emphasized that American settlers believed that religious liberty could best be achieved by a government stripped of all power to tax, support, or otherwise assist religion. For this conclusion, he relied on the writings, teachings and efforts of Jefferson and Madison who, in 1785-86, led a successful fight against a tax to support Virginias established church.

Madisons famous essay, Memorial and Remonstrance, written in 1785, championed a complete separation of church and state, which he believed was the only guarantee of the equal right of every citizen to the free exercise of religious liberty. Madison, who was the principal author of the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights, conceived of religious freedom as an unalienable right to be exercised solely on a voluntary basis. Religion, he asserted, should be exempt from the power of society, the legislature and the magistrate. A true religion, he contended, did not need the support of state tax dollars. Its standing hinged on the support of its faithful.

Madisons elaborate argument led to the rejection of the tax measure and to the enactment of Jeffersons famous Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.

Justice Blacks historical review of the origins of the Establishment Clause seemed to point the way to a ruling that would declare the New Jersey law unconstitutional. To the surprise of his colleagues, however, he pivoted and upheld the law on grounds that the state assistance was a public safety measure enacted to protect students and not to be interpreted as aid to church-related schools.

Black introduced the Neutral Benefit principle and explained that the Establishment Clause requires the state to be neutral in its relations with believers and non-believers alike. The state, he said, should neither favor nor handicap religion. The state should not be an adversary of religion. The busing program, he asserted, provided no funds to parochial schools, but simply sought to assist parents in getting their children to school safely.

Drawing on Jeffersons words, Black concluded that there was no violation of the Establishment Clause. The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. The wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.

Four Justices dissented. They shared Blacks analysis of the historical origins of the Establishment Clause yet believed he had erred in applying that history to the case at hand. In short, they thought he had missed the point.

Justice Robert Jackson wrote a dissent in which he declared that the undertones of Blacks opinion were at odds, indeed, utterly discordant with its conclusion. The case which irresistibly comes to mind as the most fitting precedent, he wrote, was Lord Byrons epic poem, "Don Juan," in which Julia, who whispering I will neer consent, consented.

Justice Wiley Rutledges dissent characterized Everson as the courts first breach in the wall of separation between church and state and forecast a future in which additional breaches would occur: Thus with time the most solid freedom steadily gives way before continuing corrosive decision.

Whether subsequent church-state cases would constitute a breach of the wall would be the subject of considerable, often heated debate. Yet, as we shall see, the high, erect wall envisioned by Jefferson and Madison, has become, through the courts interpretations, a winding, serpentine wall, leaving citizens in a state of confusion about the legal line separating church and state.

David Adler is president of The Alturas Institute. This "We the People" series is provided by the North Dakota Newspaper Association and Humanities North Dakota.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.

Recap of May 6

FIGHTING

* Russian forces resumed their assault on a sprawling steel factory in the devastated Ukrainian port of Mariupol, using aircraft to pound Ukrainian fighters holding out there.

* Local authorities in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol accused Russian forces of opening fire on a car on its way to evacuate civilians from a vast steel works, killing a fighter and violating a cease-fire agreement.

HUMANITARIAN

* Twelve civilians, including children, have been evacuated by bus from the Azovstal complex in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the Russian state news agency RIA reported

* A second bus, carrying 13 civilians including one child, left the Azovstal complex in Mariupol, RIA reported.

* Ukraine has appealed to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) to help evacuate fighters holed up in the vast Azovstal steel works in Mariupol that is surrounded by Russian forces.

* Amnesty International said othere was compelling evidence that Russian troops had committed war crimes, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, when they occupied an area outside Ukraine's capital in February and March.

ECONOMY

* The world's largest brewer launched production of a popular Ukrainian beer in Belgium and said all profits made from its global sales would go to humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

* Ukraine hopes to grow export capacity by 50% in the next few months by expanding facilities on its western border, but it will still be far short of pre-war levels.

* Nearly 25 million tons of grains are stuck in Ukraine and unable to leave the country due to infrastructure challenges and blocked Black Sea ports including Mariupol.

DIPLOMACY

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still open to negotiations with Russia, but he repeated his position that Moscow must withdraw its forces to their pre-invasion positions.

* Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted about a meeting with visiting European parliamentarians, during which Ukraine asked them to streamline Ukraines integration into the European Union.

* U.S. first lady Jill Biden is using her second solo overseas trip to get an up-close look at the Ukrainian refugee crisis by visiting Romania and Slovakia, where she will spend Mothers Day meeting with displaced families.

SANCTIONS

* Hungary's prime minister has reiterated his government's stance that it will not back the European Union's new proposed sanctions package against Russia, which includes an embargo on oil imports.

* A meeting of European Union foreign ministers will be held next week should countries from the bloc fail to reach an agreement over an oil embargo against Russia by the weekend.

MEDIA

* A Moscow court ordered the arrest in absentia of Alexander Nevzorov, a prominent Russian journalist accused of spreading false information about what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT:

9:31 p.m.: Leaders of the G-7 countries and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet virtually Sunday to discuss Western support for Ukraine's war against Russia, Agence France-Presse reported. The White House described the meeting as a demonstration that Moscow is failing, according to the AFP report. Officials in Germany, which currently chairs the group also including Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, gave little detail Friday, when it was reported, about the upcoming talks.

8:37 p.m.: VOA United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer reports: The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted its first statement since Russias military action began on Feb. 24, expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war.

7:06 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he invited German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz to visit Ukraine on Monday (May 9), the day Russia marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II, The Associated Press reported. There was no immediate word on whether the German politicians had agreed, AP reported.

6:26 p.m.: U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new weapons package worth $150 million for Ukraine, as it fights against Russian forces, who invaded the country on February 24.

"I am announcing another package of security assistance that will provide additional artillery munitions, radars, and other equipment to Ukraine," Biden said in a statement. However, he also warned that funding was close to running out and urging Congress to authorize more. "For Ukraine to succeed in this next phase of war its international partners, including the U.S., must continue to demonstrate our unity and our resolve to keep the weapons and ammunition flowing to Ukraine, without interruption. Congress should quickly provide the requested funding to strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield and at the negotiating table."

5:09 p.m.: The U.S. Defense Department denied providing intelligence on the locations of Russian generals on the battlefield so that Ukrainian forces could kill them, Agence France-Presse reported. "We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, AFP reported. Kirby was responding to an explosive New York Times report on U.S. support for Ukraine's military.

Separately, U.S. media reports had reported that Washington had shared intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva last month, AFP reported. But a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the United States does not "provide specific targeting information on ships.

4:25 p.m.: Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said that, if the fighting in neighboring Ukraine spills over into her country, it would mean that a state, which never wanted to join NATO and did not make any efforts to do so, is drawn into the war. Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in the capital Chisinau on May 5, she said there were no imminent risks of the conflict spreading to Moldova but that, if it did, other countries would also then be drawn in.

3:28 p.m.: In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv, a local Red Cross chapter has formed a group of volunteer cyclists to deliver essentials to vulnerable elderly people. The city is being shelled constantly by Russian forces and water supplies have been severed.

2:30 p.m.: President Joe Biden is expected to sign a new weapons package worth at least $100 million for Ukraine as soon as later on Friday or this weekend, four U.S. officials told Reuters.



2:04 p.m.: The U.N. Security Council, including Russia, has agreed to express "deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine" in the body's first statement since Russia invaded its neighbor ten weeks ago, diplomats said on Friday, according to Reuters. Statements of the Security Council are agreed by consensus. The brief text drafted by Norway and Mexico is due to be formally adopted at a meeting later on Friday, diplomats said.

1:46 p.m.: Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted Friday about a meeting with visiting European parliamentarians, during which Ukraine asked them to streamline Ukraines integration into the European Union.

1:20 p.m.: On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will begin a two-day visit to the Republic of Moldova, VOAs U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer reported. During his stay in the country, Guterres will express his solidarity and thank Moldova for its steadfast support for peace, and for its peoples generosity in opening their hearts and homes to almost half a million Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war, U.N. spokesman Stephan Dujarric said. In the capital Chisinau, the Secretary-General will meet with President Maia Sandu, as well as with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita and with the Speaker of Parliament, Igor Grosu, Dujarric said. The Secretary-General will also visit a refugee center run with the support of UN agencies, Dujarric added.



1:09 p.m.:

12:43 p.m.: A second bus, carrying 13 civilians including one child, on Friday left the Azovstal complex in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is besieged by Russian forces, the Russian state news agency RIA reported on Friday, citing its correspondent on site. Earlier on Friday, 12 people including children were brought from Azovstal to the Russian-controlled town of Bezimenne, hours after Ukraine had accused Russia of violating a ceasefire aimed at evacuating civilians trapped underground in the bombed-out steelworks, Reuters reported.



12:30 p.m.: U.N. spokesman Stephan Dujarric on Friday gave an update on the civilian evacuations from the Azovstal steel plant in Ukraines southern port city Mariupol, according to VOAs U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer. Our colleagues are currently on the ground supporting a third safe passage operation in coordination, hand in glove, with the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), Dujarric said. We are in an extremely delicate phase of this operation, working in close coordination with both the Ukrainian authorities and the Russian authorities, he said "As soon as we feel people are out and safe we will have a confirmation for you," Dujarric added.



12:24 p.m.: A Russian senator said Friday that Russia will remain forever in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, whose capital has been occupied by Moscows troops since early March, The Associated Press reported. Andrey Turchak from the ruling United Russia party visited Kherson on Friday, meeting with its Russian-appointed governor Volodymyr Saldo. We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich thanks to the people who live here, Turchak said in a video published by Russias state RIA Novosti agency. When asked about the future formal status of Kherson region, Turchak cautioned against running too far ahead and said that in any case, the status is determined by the residents.



12:19 p.m.:

12:05 p.m.: The world's largest brewer launched production of a popular Ukrainian beer in Belgium on Friday and said all profits made from its global sales would go to humanitarian relief in Ukraine following Russia's invasion, Reuters reported. Anheuser-Busch InBev has halted production of the Chernigivske lager and other beers at its three breweries in Ukraine because of the war, which began after Russia invaded on February 24. Ukraine's ambassador to Belgium, Oleg Shamshur, attended the roll-out of the first cans at AB InBev's large brewery in Leuven on Friday and welcomed the launch as a way of showcasing Ukrainian products to the world.



11:51 a.m.: U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said Friday that Russia poses an acute threat to the international system, VOAs National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin reported.

11:43 a.m.: A Moscow court on Friday ordered the arrest in absentia of Alexander Nevzorov, a prominent Russian journalist accused of spreading false information about what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine according to Reuters. Investigators had opened a case against Nevzorov in March for posting on social media that Russias armed forces deliberately shelled a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Nevzorov, who has more than 1.8 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, called the investigation against him ridiculous and wrote an open letter to Russias top investigator calling on him to close the case.



11:37 a.m.:

11:34 a.m.: Twelve civilians, including children, have been evacuated by bus from the Azovstal complex in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is besieged by Russian forces, the Russian state news agency RIA reported on Friday, citing its correspondent on site. Ukrainian officials had accused Russia of violating a ceasefire on Friday aimed at evacuating scores of civilians trapped underground in the bombed-out steelworks, after fighting thwarted efforts to rescue them the previous day, Reuters reported.



11:31 a.m.: U.S. President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a virtual meeting on Sunday, a spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said on Friday.



11:28 a.m.:

11:26 a.m.: Police in the German capital are bracing for possible confrontations between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters around the anniversary of the end of World War II, The Associated Press reported. Berlin police said Friday that security around 15 memorial sites across the city will be stepped up on May 8 and 9, and officers will crack down on any attempts to glorify Russias attack on Ukraine. Berlins police chief Barbara Slowik said authorities have banned the use of Russian or Ukrainian flags, the playing of military music or the wearing of uniforms or the orange and black ribbon of St. George showing support for the Russian military anywhere near the memorial sites.



11:18 a.m.: When the war in Ukraine started, composer and cello player Ian Maksin immediately spoke up, condemning Russias aggression. Today, Maksin, who is of Russian descent, is touring the U.S., performing in a series of concerts to raise money to help Ukrainian children. From Los Angeles, VOAs Angelina Bagdsarvan has the story.

11:11 a.m.:

10:41 a.m.: "That's nonsense," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked whether President Vladimir Putin planned to announce a military mobilization during Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebrations. When asked whether Putin would formally declare war on Ukraine, Peskov's answer was the same: "That's nonsense." Speculation has been rife that Putin could use the highly charged commemoration to set a new direction for Russia's war in Ukraine. "I think Putin has to do something," Ukrainian military analyst Mykhaylo Samus said, adding that Putin's generals had promised him some significant success before the May 9 holiday. Robert Coalson has this report for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.



10:34 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still open to negotiations with Russia, but he repeated his position that Moscow must withdraw its forces to their pre-invasion positions, The Associated Press reported. Zelenskyy told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday that regaining the situation as of the 23rd of February  the day before the invasion  is a prerequisite for talks. He said in that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally, and Ukraine could use diplomatic channels to regain its territory. Despite Russias intensified attack on Ukraines eastern Donbas region, Zelenskyy said there is still space for diplomacy. He said not all bridges are yet destroyed, figuratively speaking.



10:23 a.m.:

10:17 a.m.: President Vladimir Putin will send a "doomsday" warning to the West when he leads celebrations on Monday marking the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany, brandishing Russia's vast firepower while its forces fight on in Ukraine, Reuters reported. Defiant in the face of deep Western isolation since he ordered the invasion of Russia's neighbor, Putin will speak on Red Square before a parade of troops, tanks, rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles. A fly-past over St Basil's Cathedral will include supersonic fighters, Tu-160 strategic bombers and, for the first time since 2010, the Il-80 "doomsday" command plane, which would carry Russia's top brass in the event of a nuclear war, the Defense Ministry said.

9:53 a.m.: Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestras upbeat, melodic entry for this months Eurovision Song Contest was written as a tribute to the frontmans mother. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland, The Associated Press reported Friday. Stefania is the most-watched song on YouTube among the 35 national entries that are slated to compete when the Eurovision contest takes place next week in Turin, an industrial city in northern Italy. While some oddsmakers and data analysts have predicted other contestants will win, the song by Kalush Orchestra is quickly becoming a sentimental favorite.

9:28 a.m.: Ukraine hopes to grow export capacity by 50% in the next few months by expanding facilities on its western border, but it will still be far short of pre-war levels, the deputy infrastructure minister said on Friday. More than ten seaports carried 75% of Ukraine's foreign trade, but they were closed after the Russian invasion and the country was forced to trade through small Danube river ports and use railway terminals on its western border. "Western borders and Danube ports today is the only way to export and import. We have already quadrupled the volume of trade through the Danube ports," Yuri Vaskov told a news conference, according to Reuters.

9:13 a.m.: U.S. First Lady Jill Biden is using her second solo overseas trip to get an up-close look at the Ukrainian refugee crisis by visiting Romania and Slovakia, where she will spend Mothers Day meeting with displaced families in a small Slovakian village on the border with Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. Biden, who opens the visit Friday in Romania, told reporters traveling with her, Its so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them. She said earlier in the week she wants the refugees to know their resilience inspires me. NATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have fled the war.

9:02 a.m.:

8:56 a.m.: Local authorities in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol accused Russian forces on Friday of opening fire on a car on its way to evacuate civilians from a vast steel works, killing a fighter and violating a ceasefire agreement, Reuters reported. "During the ceasefire on the territory of the Azovstal plant a car was hit by Russians using an anti-tank guided weapon. This car was moving towards civilians in order to evacuate them from the plant," Mariupol city council said in an online post. "As a result of the shelling, 1 fighter was killed and 6 were wounded. The enemy continues to violate all agreements and fails to adhere to security guarantees for the evacuation of civilians," it added. Russia did not immediately comment on the city council's statement. Reuters could not verify the city council's statement.



8:47 a.m.: The international sanctions imposed on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine have opened a new front in the Ukraine conflict, an economic one. Moscow is now trying to curb inflation and maintain the value of its currency, the ruble, while European countries are discussing the possibility of stopping their purchase of Russian hydrocarbons. VOAs Moscow bureau has this story.

8:23 a.m.: Amnesty International said on Friday there was compelling evidence that Russian troops had committed war crimes, including extrajudicial executions of civilians, when they occupied an area outside Ukraine's capital in February and March, Reuters reported. Civilians also suffered abuses such as "reckless shootings and torture" at the hands of Russian forces during their failed onslaught on Kyiv in the early stages of the invasion launched by the Kremlin on Feb. 24, the rights group said in a report. "These are not isolated incidents. These are very much part of a pattern wherever Russian forces were in control of a town or a village," Donatella Rovera, Amnesty's senior crisis response adviser, told a news conference in Kyiv.



8:04 a.m.: Two months of war in Ukraine is creating a child protection crisis of extraordinary proportions, the likes of which we perhaps havent seen before, according to an official with the U.N. Childrens Fund (UNICEF). Aaron Greenberg, UNICEFs regional advisor for child protection for Europe and Central Asia, made his comments during a press briefing at the U.N.s offices in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday. The war has impacted all childrens psychosocial wellbeing. All of them. Children have been uprooted from their homes, separated from caregivers and directly exposed to war, Greenberg said. Children have been shaken by bomb explosions and the blaring sirens of missile alert systems. Nearly all children are coping with the absence of their fathers, older male siblings or uncles as nearly all men between the ages of 18-60 are mobilized for the war effort. And, most importantly, many children have witnessed or experienced physical and sexual violence, he said in his press briefing.

7:59 a.m.:

7:56 a.m.: A meeting of European Union foreign ministers will be held next week should countries from the bloc fail to reach an agreement over an oil embargo against Russia by the weekend, the EUs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday, according to Reuters. The European Commission is proposing changes to its planned embargo on Russian oil in a bid to win over reluctant states, including Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Florence, Borrell reiterated he had faith in reaching a solution that is shared, as not all countries are in the same situation, adding a deal had to be found quickly.



7:42 a.m.:



7:33 a.m.: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will take part in a G7 virtual discussion on Sunday on the situation in Ukraine that will be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a German government spokesperson said, according to Reuters. Scholz will also give a televised address to the German people on the evening of May 8, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War Two, the spokesperson added. The date takes on special meaning this year as two countries that were once victims of Nazi Germany are now at war, added the spokesperson, referring to Ukraine and Russia.



7:27 a.m.: More civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol, a Ukrainian official said Friday, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategic port city, The Associated Press reported. The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold of a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate. Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russias most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks  and they have repeatedly refused to surrender.



7:10 a.m.: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that there was hostile rhetoric coming out of Poland, and that Warsaw could be "a source of threat," Reuters reported. Poland has led calls for the EU to toughen sanctions and for the Western NATO alliance to arm Ukraine as it tries to resist Russian forces that have poured into its east. Polish environment and climate minister Anna Moskwa said on Monday that "Poland is proud to be on Putin's list of unfriendly countries."

7:03 a.m.:

7:00 a.m.: Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward. Steve Gutterman from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty recaps the events in this report headlined The Week In Russia: Carnage and Celebration.



6:53 a.m.: Information that Russia is stealing grain from Ukraine is likely to be fake, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, after a U.N. food agency official said there were signs that Russia had been trucking grain out of occupied regions of its neighbor. "We have no information, it appears to be fake," Peskov said, according to Reuters.



6:42 a.m.: Nearly 25 million tons of grains are stuck in Ukraine and unable to leave the country due to infrastructure challenges and blocked Black Sea ports including Mariupol, Josef Schmidhuber, FAO Deputy Director, Markets and Trade Division told a Geneva press briefing via Zoom on Friday, Reuters reported. The blockages are seen as a factor behind high food prices. Ukraine had been the worlds fourth largest exporter of corn in the 2020/21 season and the number six wheat exporter, according to International Grains Council data.

6:38 a.m.: Ukraine received $6.5 billion in pledges at an international donors conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday. VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze discussed the outcomes from the conference and other issues with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in the Polish capital.

6:27 a.m.: Hungary's prime minister has reiterated his government's stance that it will not back the European Union's new proposed sanctions package against Russia, which includes an embargo on oil imports. Speaking on state radio on Friday, Viktor Orban said the embargo would be like dropping an atomic bomb on the Hungarian economy. But he also said Budapest was open to other proposals if they didn't harm Hungary's interests. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has this report.



6:21 a.m.: Ukraine has appealed to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) to help evacuate fighters holed up in the vast Azovstal steel works in Mariupol that is surrounded by Russian forces, Reuters reported. Ukraine's Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories posted details on its website on Friday of a letter to the medical charity in which Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk expressed concern about "deplorable conditions" at the plant. It quoted Vereshchuk as saying the MSF charter provided assistance to people in need or victims of armed conflict.



6:19 a.m.:

6:14 a.m.: Russian forces have resumed their assault on a sprawling steel factory in the devastated Ukrainian port of Mariupol, using aircraft to pound Ukrainian fighters holding out there. As many as 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, plus hundreds of civilians, were believed to remain on the grounds of the Azovstal plant, whose defenses were breached earlier this week by Russian forces. The United Nations said another evacuation effort was under way, and a top Ukrainian official said nearly 500 civilians had been evacuated so far. Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily assessment on Friday that Russians were using aircraft as part of the renewed assault on the plant. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has this report.



6:10 a.m.: Germanys defense minister confirmed Friday that her country will supply Ukraine with seven powerful self-propelled howitzers to help defend itself against Russia, The Associated Press reported. Christine Lambrecht said Ukrainian soldiers will be trained in Germany to use the self-propelled Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery, which is capable of firing precision ammunition at a distance of up to 25 miles. Germany has stepped up its material support for Ukraine in recent weeks, after the governments initial reticence to provide heavy weapons drew widespread criticism.



6:07 a.m.:

6:03 a.m.: Russia will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, foreign ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said on Friday, according to Reuters. Zaitsev told reporters the use of nuclear weapons by Russia - a risk that Western officials have publicly discussed - was not applicable to what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine. CIA director William Burns said on April 14 that given the setbacks Russia had suffered in Ukraine, "none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons."



5:58 a.m.:

5:52 a.m.: The New York Times reports that almost 500 civilians have been evacuated Mariupol and the Azovstal steel plant.

5:07 a.m.: Germany will supply Ukraine with seven self-propelled armored howitzers 2000, CNN reports. The artillery system resembles a tank and has a firing range of up to 40 kilometers.

4:02 a.m.: An adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Ukraine, says that Russia's use of "filtration camp" detention centers has turned the city into a "concentration camp," Al Jazeera reports.

3:07 a.m.: The Pentagon says there are no indications Belarus plans to get involved in the conflict in Ukraine, Al Jazeera reports.

2:04 a.m.: CNN reports that the Pentagon denied news reports saying the U.S. provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva.

"We did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement Thursday. "We were not involved in the Ukrainians' decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out. We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's intent to target the ship."

1:02 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K.'s defense ministry says Russian efforts to complete the capture of Mariupol, including its Azovstal steel plant, are likely linked to Russia's plans to celebrate Victory Day on May 9. Victory Day marks the Soviet Union's 1945 victory over Nazi Germany. Putin, the update says, wants to have a symbolic success in Ukraine.

12:02 a.m.: The Washington Post reports that the western Ukraine city of Ivan-Frankivsk is warning its residents about possible shelling ahead of Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebration.

Russia uses Victory Day to celebrate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany; it's a traditional celebration of national pride. Leaders in Ivano-Frankivsk fear that this year it'll lead to increased Russian attacks. They're telling residents to evacuate or to stay inside, and they've canceled all public events, the Post reports.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
A powerful government-backed Libyan militia on Thursday rejected accusations of killings, torture and forced labor, insisting it upholds the law and threatening to sue Amnesty International for its report.

Amnesty on Wednesday had accused the Stability Support Authority (SSA) of a string of abuses, including "unlawful killings, arbitrary detentions, interception and subsequent arbitrary detention of migrants and refugees, torture, forced labor, and other shocking human rights violations."

The SSA said it "upholds Libyan law" and holds its members accountable for "any illegal act."

The group also said it "reserves the right to sue Amnesty International for defamation and slander against the Libyan state and its official institutions."

The SSA, created under a decree by former Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in January 2021, is led by Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, one of the most powerful men in the North African country's capital, Tripoli.

Amnesty said al-Kikli, known as "Gheniwa," had been appointed despite a "well-documented history of crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations committed by militias under his command."

Libya plunged into violent lawlessness in 2011 with the NATO-backed revolt that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Armed groups have vied for control of territory as a string of interim governments have come and gone.

Many such groups have been integrated into the state, partly in order to access a share of the country's vast oil wealth, and rights organizations have often accused them of abuses.

The country is now once again split between two rival governments.

In March, United Nations investigators said that serious rights violations including possible crimes against humanity were continuing with impunity across much of the country.
The Hong Kong governments crackdown on the media has left a void for news  with one news outlet determined to fill it.

reNews Hong Kong was launched in April, with the goal of reporting on political issues in the city that will be presented through social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.

Founder Lam Yin-pong told VOA he started reNews after several media outlets were forced to close, following the enactment of Hong Kongs Beijing-imposed national security law.

Actually, its a one-man platform. Im focusing on political news or news about politics and a little bit about court issues and depending on my own capacity some kind of interview and features about people that have been charged by the [Hong Kong] SAR [Special Administrative Region] government, Lam said.

Plenty to cover

The 37-year-old from Hong Kong has been a journalist for most of his 16 years in the media industry. Hes had stints with Hong Kong Cable TV, Hong Kong Economic Times and Television Broadcast Limited (TVB), all before working for the now-defunct Stand News until its closure in December.

For reNews, Lam said he wants to fill the news space left by his former employer.

My main audience is formerly of Stand News, Citizen News and Apple Daily because after 2022 we find a lot of people saying on the internet there is no news worth reading in Hong Kong. To me it is not that true, there are a lot of things happening in Hong Kong but there is a lack of trustworthy outlets and interesting angles to attract them, he added.

Online news site Stand News was shut down after police officers raided its newsrooms as part of a sedition investigation. Independent news sites Citizen News and Mad Dog Daily soon followed in closing their outlets, citing uncertainty within the city.

In 2020, the Chinese government enacted a national security law in Hong Kong to prevent political dissent, and authorities have used the legislation to target the citys media.

Although sedition is not among the offenses listed under the security law, recent court judgments have enabled authorities to use powers under the law to target suspects.

Determined to bring news back to Hong Kong, Lam aims to put out four reports per day, describing reNews as an online news outlet, rather than citizen journalism.

I cant cover every bit of news in the city, so Im only focusing on a few pieces a day that I think are really important. I would like to repackage and reinterpret news for my audience, instead of [just] knowing what happened but knowing why, he said.

For other new media publications focusing on Hong Kong, the risks of reporting within the city are still too great, forcing them to operate elsewhere.

Flow HK is a news magazine that launched in January and has headquarters in Taiwan. The publication runs online and has a quarterly print edition.

And Commons Hong Kong is an online platform based in Britain and Taiwan focusing on news of Hong Kong people overseas. It has a team of eight, some formerly from the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. It launched in October 2021.

A penalty of life

Apple Daily was forced to close last June after several of its executives were charged under the security law, prompting authorities to freeze the companys financial assets, making the newspaper unable to pay its vendors and staff.

Jimmy Lai, the founder of the newspaper, has been in prison since the end of 2020. He faces three charges under the security law and could be sentenced to life in prison.

The wider impact of the media crackdown has seen journalists struggle to get their sources to speak on the record or at all. Some media outlets have avoided reporting on certain political angles altogether.

Obviously the red line in Hong Kong  no one knows where it is. But there are some obvious red lines we cannot cross, like the advocacy for foreign sanctions or the Hong Kong independence movement, Lam said.

But on the other hand, it's important to tell people in the city that someone is working hard to try to uphold certain values in this place, like freedom of press and freedom of speech. After the closure of Stand News these last few months have been very quiet on the social media of Hong Kong.

A fake news law?

Lam said he resisted founding reNews with other partners because he does not want anyone else facing potential investigations should the authorities come knocking one day. But he is also aware that reNews could be on borrowed time.

Im not trying to avoid any risk, Im just trying to prolong the whole thing. And if anything bad happens  and Im expecting that to happen in half a year  at least I can take all the responsibility myself and I won't put any harm to others, Lam said.

The journalist is also aware that more laws could be coming to affect Hong Kong's press freedom.

The Hong Kong chief executive elections are scheduled May 8, with former chief of administration John Lee the only candidate to become the city's new leader.

Lee has previously made it known that a fake news law has been considered for Hong Kong, but journalists in the territory have raised their concerns that authorities may label any news as "fake" if they disapprove.

As for Lam, he still intends to report and wants more news outlets to launch like reNews.

Its impossible for Hong Kong to have such a large influential online platform ever again. So, what we should try to do is, the authorities won't allow such influential liberal media to ever exist again, so we better just break into little pieces and try to do our best on our own, try to fill up the gap together.

Im looking forward to more and more citizens, journalists and small platforms and altogether we can fill up the vacuum that is left, he said.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders recently announced its World Press Freedom Index for 2022, with Hong Kong scoring a rank of 148, or near bottom of the 180 rated countries and territories.
A Mexican journalist was found dead in the northwestern state of Sinaloa on Thursday, authorities said, marking the ninth death of a media worker in an unprecedentedly bloody year for the country, which has drawn international scrutiny.

Luis Enrique Ramirez, a veteran journalist and columnist at El Debate, was found dead on the side of a highway, the state's attorney general said on Twitter.

Ramirez's body was discovered by security forces in a black bag and wrapped in plastic, his employer said.

Ramirez was a recognized figure in Sinaloa and beyond, having worked at some of the country's largest papers across a 40-year career, according to El Debate.

Ramirez had previously been on the receiving end of "aggressions," Juan Vazquez of Article 19, a human rights organization dedicated to press freedom, told Reuters.

"I do feel the imminent danger that I am the one who follows, because there is a pattern [of murders], in which I fit," Ramirez said in an interview with local media several years ago.

Presidential spokesperson Jesus Cuevas said on Twitter on Thursday afternoon that the federal government would work with state and local governments to investigate Ramirez's death and that they would "reinforce security measures for journalists."

Violence against the press has skyrocketed during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration, according to an Article 19 report published in April.

During his administration alone, 34 journalists have been killed, according to Article 19's count, including Ramirez.

United States Senators Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio called on the U.S. to urge Mexico to do more to protect journalists in February, criticizing Lopez Obrador for lashing out against his critics in the media.
The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has deteriorated economic and humanitarian conditions in the war-torn nation, prompting tens of thousands of people to cross into Pakistan seeking asylum and a resettled status abroad.



Pakistani officials say that since the Taliban regained power in Kabul last August more than 100,000 urban Afghans, mostly well-off and educated professionals, have arrived in the country on valid visas.



They are largely vulnerable Afghans seeking to move to the United States and other Western countries under refugee resettlement programs. Most of them have ended up in hotels, commercial guesthouses and apartment buildings in and around the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.



The Afghan migrants are now facing multiple problems because of their extended stay in Pakistan. They allege delays in processing their resettlement applications by relevant Western embassies, a lack of help from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Islamabad, and issues related to extending their Pakistani visas.

Some of the migrant families want the UNHCR to register them as refugees. They say they don't want to return to their native country, citing the Taliban's ban on girls' education and other restrictions on women.



"I have applied for a P-2 case. Generally, the process is going very, very slow," said one Afghan asylum-seeker. The man, who declined to provide his name for security reasons, says he is a member of the Hazara Shi'ite minority community, which has been repeatedly attacked by the Islamic State terrorist group in Afghanistan.

"We are waiting for an email either from the RSC (Resettlement Support Center) or from the U.S. Embassy," the man said.



"My son and my daughter-in-law are serving American army forces, which is a great threat," he said, noting he himself was an employee of a foreign media group's office in Kabul.

Educated Afghans and minorities flee

The United States' Priority 2, or P-2, program is meant to help relocate at-risk Afghans such as journalists and rights activists who are otherwise ineligible for a decade-old U.S. special immigrant visa program open to interpreters and others who worked with American troops in Afghanistan.



Islamic State has stepped up attacks against Hazara schools and places of worship since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan nearly nine months ago. The violence has killed scores people over the past few weeks alone.

Up to 10% of Afghanistan's estimated 40 million people are Hazara. The community is considered the most persecuted group and is discriminated against by many in the Sunni-majority country.



Fatima Sadaat is also waiting to hear about her P-2 visa application. The young female Afghan asylum-seeker tells VOA she used to work as a news presenter at one of Afghanistan's TV stations but lost her job after the Taliban captured the country.



Sadaat was invited to attend a seminar in Pakistan several months ago to discuss issues facing women under Afghanistan's new Islamist rulers.



"I used to broadcast anti-Taliban news and I knew sooner or later they would target me and possibly kill me for my work. That's why I decided against going back to Afghanistan," she said.



Sadaat urged Pakistani authorities to allow her and other Afghans to live comfortably in the country by relaxing visa restrictions and demanded Western embassies speedily address their resettlement requests.



"I can understand the world attention has shifted on Ukraine. But I hope the issue of Afghanistan is not forgotten in the process because security and human rights conditions in my country have even worsened after the Taliban takeover."



Pakistan, which already hosts at least 3 million Afghans, both refugees and illegal economic migrants, announced last year that it would not accept new refugees from Afghanistan and tightened border controls to block illegal entrants after the Taliban takeover.



Islamabad's ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmed Khan, told VOA that every day the mission is issuing 700 to 1,000 multiple entry visas to Afghans intending to travel to Islamabad for business reasons, for medical treatment and for visa interviews in American and Canadian embassies, as well as other Western embassies.

"We are issuing visas to Afghans more liberally than any other neighboring country or any other country in the world. We are doing so to help address Afghans' humanitarian concerns," Khan said.



"But if they (Afghans) want their status to be converted into a refugee status, that will not happen nor will we allow it," he stressed. "We simply don't want an increase in refugees."



The exodus has allegedly encouraged corruption and bribes both in Kabul and Islamabad as Afghans seek to secure or extend Pakistani visas.



Many asylum-seekers admit they prefer to pay bribes to get their visas renewed in Pakistan because they don't want to go back to Afghanistan. The say the trip would be more costly and it would expose them to questions from the Taliban, who have been accused of blocking the departure of educated and skilled Afghans from the country.

P-1 option

Vulnerable Afghans who do not meet the P-2 criteria may be referred under the pre-existing Priority 1, or P-1, refugee program. However, U.S. officials say the application process in all cases can take 14 to 18 months or more.



Qaisar Khan Afridi, the UNHCR spokesperson in Islamabad, told VOA his office is working with local authorities to help address the challenges facing the Afghan community.



"We are currently discussing with the government of Pakistan the way forward on registration and documentation of asylum-seekers," Afridi said. "There might be therefore delays in the process, which we systematically convey through our communication with communities."



Afridi explained that his organization operates "hotlines and dedicated email accounts" to respond to Afghans "facing serious risks and/or having vulnerabilities" that require support from UNHCR or its partners.



He stressed, however, not every Afghan individual or family may qualify for resettlement in a third country because the program is reserved for refugees "with significant protection needs and vulnerabilities."

"Some countries have announced opportunities for Afghan nationals who have worked or been affiliated with those countries to apply for permission to travel to those countries," Afridi said.



"These programs are established by those countries and UNHCR does not refer people to the programs or process applications," he said in response to allegations his office was not providing timely and adequate assistance to Afghan asylum-seekers.



The last U.S.-led foreign troops withdrew from Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021, ending nearly two decades of war with the Taliban.



Although Washington and its allies evacuated more than 124,000 at-risk people from Kabul after the Taliban takeover, tens of thousands of other vulnerable Afghans who were left behind are struggling to find a pathway to safety.



Pakistan also helped the U.S. and other Western countries to evacuate thousands of at-risk Afghans for their onward journey to the country of their resettlement. Last month, a group of about 300 Afghans was flown out of Pakistan to Germany while thousands more who worked for German forces in Afghanistan remain behind, said officials in Islamabad.

The Taliban's ban on girls' education has added to the problems of stranded Afghan families as their children are still unable to resume classes.

Shahpour Yousaf, a medical doctor, left Afghanistan with his family three months ago and has applied for a P-1 case at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. He said he had missed the U.S.-run evacuation flights out of Kabul in August because the chaotic situation at the time prevented them from reaching the city airport.



Yousaf, a father of three, said he was heading the drug demand reduction national program at the Afghan health ministry and was running partnership projects with the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

"There is no delay from the U.S. side but the UNHCR is taking time to process our case. We request the UNHCR to speed up our application process because our Pakistani visas will soon expire and we may face legal issues here," said the Afghan doctor.

Yousaf explained that before leaving Afghanistan, he sold his vehicle and is using that money to pay for the rent and other expenses. His wife is also a doctor and they have two sons and a 10-year-old daughter. One of his sons graduated from a law college and the other was studying at a medical university in Kabul.

"My elder son is jobless right now. My younger son nor my daughter can resume education because neither one have enough money to fund it nor our current status in Pakistan allows them to attend a local institution."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this report misspelled Shahpour Yousaf's first name. VOA regrets the error.
Ajak Jok Ajak is perusing case files on a rainy afternoon in Nairobi.

The 28-year-old South Sudanese refugee  who grew up at the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya - never dreamed he would work one day as an intern at a major law firm.

Kenya has been hailed for passing a law giving hundreds of thousands of refugees living in the country better access to education and employment. While some refugees in Kenya are reaping the benefits of the 2021 legislation, many face challenges that include the governments plan to shut down refugee camps by the end of June.

Ajak, now a law school graduate says thanks to Kenyas Refugee Act, getting a job is much easier than it used to be.

You had to obtain a research permit before you start research, he said. You had to obtain [an] internship permit before you start your internship - all those things. Now it means, you will not need another additional procedure, but just only your qualifications.

The Refugee Act that was signed into law last year went into effect in February. Some 500,000 refugees who live in Kenya stand to benefit from the measure.

Jamin Kusuania, project manager at the International Rescue Committee in Nairobi, said the old policy restricted refugees' movements.

The biggest problem that refugees have had in this country since 1991 has actually been the incumbent policy where refugees are domiciled to live within particular camps, Kusuania said. And what we see in the Refugee Act of 2021 is that it moves toward removing that aspect of incumbent.

Implementation of the Refugee Act has been slow. Speaking to VOA, Stanley Mwango from the Department of Refugee Services noted that parliament has not passed the regulation framework for the new law.

The new law is part of the Kenyan governments refugee integration program, he said. Refugee camps currently house more than 400,000 people, mostly from South Sudan and Somalia.

Kenya's government has said it will shut down the camps at the end of June, and previously cited security reasons. So far, there have been no evictions and relatively few people have left the sites voluntarily. For most of the refugees, home is the Dadaab camp, bordering Somalia, or Kakuma, which borders South Sudan.

Kenya has one of Africas largest refugee populations. Aid agencies say more work needs to be done. Kusuania said authorities need to be proactive in tackling the issues at hand.

The government will need to relook at the timelines that are actually in place, but also take cognizance of now the Refugee Act of 2021 and begin a rethink in terms of how then do we need to handle refugees in the country, Kusuania said. How do we need then to transition refugees from the camps? Because it needs to be a roadmap towards solutions.

For Ajak, the new law couldnt have come at a better time. After being held back because of his refugee status, the new law has allowed him to apply for admission as a lawyer at the High Court of Kenya and a job promotion.

It has enabled the refugees to actually access certain services without them being restricted, he said. And thats why you see some of us are very hopeful.

Ajak has also left the camps and now lives in Nairobi. If the Refugee Act is put into action, more refugees like him may see their futures become brighter.
A Moscow court on Friday ordered the arrest in absentia of Alexander Nevzorov, a prominent Russian journalist accused of spreading false information about what Moscow calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

The court said Nevzorov, who has been put on Russia's international wanted list, would be detained for two months if he ever returns to Russia or is extradited.

Nevzorov's wife wrote on Instagram in March that she and her husband were in Israel, but that the couple had no plans to move there permanently.

Investigators had opened a case against Nevzorov in March for posting on social media that Russia's armed forces deliberately shelled a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Ukraine and its Western allies condemned the hospital attack as an atrocity. Russia denied bombing the hospital, accusing Kyiv of a "staged provocation."

Nevzorov, who has more than 1.8 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, called the investigation against him ridiculous and wrote an open letter to Russia's top investigator calling on him to close the case.

Eight days after invading Ukraine on February 24, Russia passed a law providing jail terms of up to 15 years for those convicted of intentionally spreading "fake" news about Russia's military.
The third long-duration astronaut team launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS) safely returned to Earth early Friday, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida to end months of orbital research ranging from space-grown chilies to robots.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying three U.S. NASA astronauts and a European Space Agency (ESA) crewmate from Germany parachuted into calm seas in darkness at the conclusion of a 23-hour-plus autonomous flight home from the ISS.

The splashdown, at about 12:45 a.m. EDT (0445 GMT) was carried live by a joint NASA-SpaceX webcast.

The Endurance crew, which began its stay in orbit on Nov. 11, consisted of American spaceflight veteran Tom Marshburn, 61, and three first-time astronauts -- NASA's Raja Chari, 44, and Kayla Barron, 34, and their ESA colleague Matthias Maurer, 52.

Camera shots from inside the crew compartment showed the astronauts strapped into their seats, garbed in helmeted white-and-black spacesuits.

It took splashdown-response teams less an hour to reach the capsule bobbing in the water, hoist it onto the deck of a recovery vessel and open the hatch to let the astronauts out for their first breath of fresh air in nearly six months.

The return from orbit followed a fiery re-entry plunge through Earth's atmosphere generating frictional heat that sent temperatures outside the capsule soaring to 1,930 degrees Celsius.

Two sets of parachutes billowed open above the capsule in the final stage of descent, slowing its fall to about 24 kph before the craft hit the water off the coast of Tampa, Florida.

Applause from the SpaceX flight control center in suburban Los Angeles was heard over the webcast, which showed infrared images of the capsule on its final descent.

The newly returned astronauts were officially designated as NASA's "Commercial Crew 3," the third full-fledged, long-duration team of four that SpaceX has flown to the space station under contract for the U.S. space agency.

SpaceX, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc. who recently clinched a deal to buy Twitter, supplies the Falcon 9 rockets and Crew Dragon capsules now flying NASA astronauts to orbit from U.S. soil.

The company also controls those flights and handles the splashdown recoveries, while NASA furnishes the crews and launch facilities at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and manages U.S. space station operations.

Microgravity cotton & combustion

California-based SpaceX has launched seven human spaceflights in all over the past two years -- five for NASA and two for private ventures -- as well as dozens of cargo and satellite payload missions since 2012.

Crew 3 returned to Earth with some 250 kilograms of cargo, including loads of ISS research samples.

Aside from carrying out routine maintenance while in orbit some 400 kilometers above Earth, the astronauts contributed to hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Highlights included studies of the genetic expression in cotton cells cultured in space, gaseous flame combustion in microgravity and the DNA sequences of bacteria inside the station. Crew members also tested new robot devices, harvested chili peppers grown in orbit and conducted experiments in space physics and materials science.

Barron and Chari performed a spacewalk to prepare the station for another in a series of new lightweight roll-out solar arrays, to be used eventually on the planned Gateway outpost that will orbit the moon.

Crew 3's return comes about a week after they welcomed their replacement team, Crew 4, aboard the space station. One of the three Russian cosmonauts also now inhabiting the station, Oleg Artemyev, assumed command of the ISS from Marshburn in a handover before Endurance departed early Thursday.
A presidential amnesty decree issued by Syrian President Bashar al Assad to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has many families anxiously waiting to see if their loved ones will benefit from the pardon. The amnesty does not include those with blood on their hands, and it is not clear how it will affect thousands of Syrians who have fled the country during a bitter civil war, which began in March 2011.

Thousands of Syrians have been waiting near an iconic bridge in Syria since a presidential amnesty was issued earlier this week, to see if their loved ones might be among those released as a result of the amnesty decree.

One young woman who had been waiting patiently to see her father, who she thinks is being held at the infamous Sednaya Prison, said she is seeking any tidbit of information about him.

She said that her father was taken prisoner nine years ago and all she wants to know is if he is being held or not, and if he is alive or dead.

Another young man waiting for his loved ones said his father was detained 11 years ago and transferred from one prison to another, then back again, and that his brother, a military officer, was detained nine years ago, and he wants to find out if they are alive.

Most of those being held were detained as part of a terrorism decree issued by the Syrian government in 2012. Judge Nizar Sadiqni, deputy minister of justice, explained to Syrian TV which alleged crimes committed by detainees are included in this week's presidential amnesty.

He said that crimes covered by the amnesty include any act which may have affected security in the country, caused fear or panic by the public, or damaged public infrastructure, no matter how it was done, and so long as no blood was spilled as a result of it (as per the terrorism law of 2012).

Khattar Abou Diab, who teaches political science at the University of Paris, told VOA that he thinks the Syrian president issued his amnesty decree in order to improve his government's image abroad after a video appeared in Britain's The Guardian newspaper showing a 2013 massacre of prisoners in the Damascus suburb of Tadamon.

He said the plight of the families waiting for loved ones at a Damascus bridge shows a clear lack of humanism by the Assad regime. He added that the Syrian government might have issued the amnesty because it is starting to feel isolated due to its support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine and damage from video of a 2013 massacre.

The government move, he went on to say, doesn't make a lot of sense, because it doesn't appear to have resulted in the release of many prisoners or have revealed the fate of many of those who disappeared.

Syrian government military prosecutor Col. Mohammed Hossam told Syrian TV that he thinks the amnesty is needed because it puts in writing decisions to exonerate people that were made after many towns and cities in the country surrendered to government forces during the past several years and signed reconciliation agreements. Those agreements, he insists, need to be codified.

Syrian government analyst Ghassan Youssef also told Arab media he thinks that political reconciliations between various Arab governments such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE with Turkey will probably result in Turkey reducing its support for many Syrian opposition groups and ultimately lessening tensions inside the country.
The Taliban say that Muslim clerics will meet to decide on the reopening of schools for girls above sixth grade as pressure mounts on the group to allow girls secondary education in Afghanistan.

The Taliban spokesperson for the ministry of education, Aziz Ahmad Rayan, told VOA on Friday that clerics have been given the duty to reach a consensus on girls secondary education.

A senior Taliban member, Anas Haqqani, told a gathering in the southeastern province of Khost on Wednesday that an assembly of Muslim clerics will be called to settle the issue of girls schools, without mentioning the exact date for convening the gathering.

The scholars would have meetings and consultations on the issue after Eid. Then this will be finalized, and there is much hope, God willing, that these meetings would have a positive result, said Rayan.

According to Save the Children, about 80% of secondary school girls are barred from attending school. The Taliban backed off at the last moment from a promise to reopen secondary schools for girls in March.

The majority of secondary schoolgirls  about 850,000 out of 1.1 million  are not attending classes, the report said.

The Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021, have imposed strict restrictions on women in Afghanistan, including the ban on girls secondary education.

Before the Talibans takeover, Afghan women made some achievements. About 3.5 million girls, out of roughly 9 million students, were going to school. About 30% of the civil servants and around 28% of parliamentarians were women.

Afghan womens rights activists in Afghanistan and around the world have been protesting against the Talibans takeover, which has curbed the rights and freedoms they won over the last 20 years.

The Taliban, however, have said that they are not against girls education and that they are working on a plan to reopen the schools in accordance with Islamic law.

In an interview with VOAs Afghan service, Mohammad Naeem, the spokesperson for the Talibans diplomatic office in Doha, Qatar, repeated that the group is committed to reopening girls secondary schools.

We are working on it. Girls under the sixth grade are going to school. Universities are open. Female students are getting an education. This is a small issue, and it will be solved. But others should not use this as a political tool.

But the pressure has been mounting on the Taliban to reopen girls secondary schools.

Afghan clerics and activists across the country have been calling on the Taliban to reopen girls secondary schools.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA that the U.S., together with its partners and allies, has been discussing the reopening of girls secondary schools with the Taliban.

We call on the Taliban to overcome whatever impediments exist to allow girls to access education at all levels and honor their commitment to the Afghan people, said the spokesperson.
The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum is hosting "Canvas, Cocktails, and Cookies: To the Depths of the Universe" from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Kim Eslinger, a working artist, instructor, and gallery and exhibits director for North Dakotas Gateway to Science, will lead an evening of hands-on painting inspired by NASA's recent launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. The event will include a cash bar and space-themed cookies will be available.

Easels, canvases, paints and brushes will be provided during the program, which is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts. Tickets are $20 and seats are limited. Register at shsnd.eventbrite.com.

For more information, contact Erik Holland at 701-328-2792.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this week used what has become a customary tour of Southeast Asia to rally support for sanctions on Russia and affirm his countrys commitment to defending the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

By visiting Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand midway through his first year in office, Kishida was following in the footsteps of his two immediate predecessors, Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga.

Thailand is likely for economic reasons, explained Hsi-hsun Tsai, a professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. Suga previously only visited Vietnam and Indonesia. This time, Kishida visited Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Of these, Indonesia and Vietnam are bordering the South China Sea and promote freedom of navigation.

Unlike his predecessors, however, Kishida was as much preoccupied with Russian aggression in Ukraine as with Chinese behavior in Asian waters.

Japan considers Russia's unprovoked war as a move that shakes the foundation of international order not only in Europe but also in Asia, according to a foreign ministry statement issued just a day after Russian troops rolled into Ukraine on February 24.

A major purpose of Kishida's trip, said Kei Koga, assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, is to call on the international community to unite against such acts.

The three countries are increasingly influential in ASEAN, so Kishida wants to use the trip to convince them to take a tougher stance against Russia in order to maintain the international order, he told VOA.

Indonesia is especially important in that regard as this years chair of the Group of 20 major economic powers.

President Joko Widodo has invited both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to this years G-20 summit in Jakarta, despite the pressure from several Western countries to exclude the latter.

Thailand, meanwhile, is chair of this years Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which is scheduled for November. Putin appeared at last years summit via teleconference but has not announced plans for this year.

Both Thailand and Indonesia voted in favor of a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine but have been hesitant to take any further action.

Vietnam, for its part, abstained on the General Assembly vote, and has closer ties to Russia, a major source of its military weaponry. From 2000 to 2019, over 80% of Vietnams weapons imports came from Russia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

However, Hanoi is engaged in long-running maritime disputes with China over islands in the South China Sea and may be susceptible to arguments that the global rules-based order is at stake, according to Tsu-chaing Huang, assistant professor at National Taiwan Normal University.

After meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on May 1, Kishida told reporters that he and Chinh "agreed to strongly oppose any attempts to change the status quo by force in the South China Sea."

The premiers also agreed to enhance cooperation on Vietnam's maritime security and on Japan's Self-Defense Forces helping the country to strengthen its cybersecurity skills, according to Japans Kyodo news service.

Tsai, the Tamkang University professor, said Japan has been helping Vietnam to build its military capacity for many years with the goal of countering China's maritime threats. Most recently, two training ships from Japans Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted a three-day visit to Vietnams Tien Sa port in February.

Kishida also announced a new defense agreement with Thailand on the last day of his Southeast Asia tour before continuing to Europe for stops in Italy and Britain. The agreement would facilitate the transfer of Japanese defense hardware and technology to Thailand. Japan already has such deals with other ASEAN members, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

While welcoming such aid, some ASEAN countries may want to keep a distance from Japan because of its close strategic alliance with the United States, said Huang, the National Taiwan Normal University professor.

He said countries in the region are eager to maintain and increase their economic cooperation with both the U.S. and China, even as the rivalry between the two superpowers intensifies.

If ASEAN countries fail to maintain a consistent position, resulting in the polarization of the political spectrum, the result of the imbalance will inevitably make ASEAN countries lose their flexibility towards both the U.S. and China, Huang said.

Koga said that while most ASEAN countries tend not to align with either the U.S. or China, some of them have a clear preference between the two, and there is a desire to test the waters of the U.S. commitment towards its regional allies.

Countries such as the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia that have a high level of regional security and economic commitment from the U.S. will have policies that lean toward the United States, Koga said. And conversely, countries such as Laos and Cambodia that have no commitment with the U.S. will have lower expectations of the U.S.

Still other ASEAN countries may have closer ties to Japan, he said. These countries, such as Cambodia, are where Japan can function as an effective middleman, deepening its cooperation with that country to keep China in check and strengthen its strategic security deployment across the Indo-Pacific.
The U.N. Childrens Fund, UNICEF, reports the war in Ukraine is having a devastating impact on children, with tens of thousands requiring psychological and social care.

Millions of children in Ukraine have suffered from more than two months of relentless bombing and shelling, a lack of food, the inability to go to school, and the loss of other essential services.

This psychological trauma, says UNICEF, has created a child protection crisis of extraordinary proportions.

U.N. agencies report more than 6,800 civilian casualties, including more than 3,300 killed. Some 7.7 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine and more than 5.7 million others have sought refuge in neighboring countries, including nearly two-thirds of all children in Ukraine.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine February 24, more than 90,000 children were living in institutions, orphanages, boarding schools, and other care facilitiesnearly half of them are children with disabilities.

Speaking from the western city of Lviv, Aaron Greenberg, UNICEFs Regional Child Protection Adviser for Europe and Central Asia Region, said tens of thousands of these children have been returned to families. Unfortunately, he said, many children are not receiving the care and protection they require, especially children with disabilities.

The war has impacted all childrens psychosocial well-being. All of them," he said. "Children have been uprooted from their homes, separated from caregivers, and directly exposed to war. Children have been shaken by bomb explosions and the blaring sirens of missile alert systems. And, most importantly, many children have witnessed or experienced physical and sexual violence.

Greenberg said UNICEF and partners are working to help these traumatized children. Since the war started, he said more than 140,000 children and their caregivers have received mental health and psychosocial services. He said UNICEF currently has 56 mobile units operating across the country, including in the east where fighting is most intense.

Over 7,000 women and children have been reached by violence prevention, risk mitigation and violence response services, including GBV, gender-based violence, including in the eastern areas of the country," he said. "But it is not enough. And although we are all working in overdrive, I think we must be prepared with more specialized services for child survivors of physical and sexual violence.

Greenberg noted that children with disabilities have suffered disproportionately in this war and must receive urgent support. He added that the government, UNICEF, and partners are scaling up more services to these very vulnerable children.
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on virtual currency mixer Blender, accusing it of being involved in one of the largest cryptocurrency heists on record and of being used by North Korea, the U.S. Treasury Department said.

The Treasury also identified new virtual currency addresses it said were used by the North Korean hacking group often dubbed "Lazarus" to launder illicit proceeds, accusing the group of carrying out the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of cryptocurrency tied to the popular online game Axie Infinity.

"We are taking action against illicit financial activity by the DPRK (North Korea) and will not allow state-sponsored thievery and its money-laundering enablers to go unanswered," Brian Nelson, the Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the statement.

The Treasury said it was the first time the U.S. imposed sanctions on a virtual currency mixer.

North Korea has stepped up efforts to launder stolen cryptocurrency, significantly increasing its use of mixers, or software tools that pool and scramble cryptocurrencies from thousands of addresses, blockchain analytics and cybersecurity firm Chainalysis said.

The Treasury said Blender is a virtual currency mixer that operates on the Bitcoin blockchain, accusing it of facilitating illicit transactions by obscuring their origin and destination.

It said Blender was used in the laundering process for North Korea's Axie Infinity heist, accusing it of processing over $20 million in illicit proceeds.
With the coronavirus killing an estimated 15 million people worldwide, including nearly 1 million in the United States, the Biden administration, despite a lack of funding for domestic and international pandemic response, is set to mobilize a global effort to end the acute phase of COVID-19.

The move comes as the World Health Organization announced that the COVID-19 pandemic directly or indirectly caused 14.9 million deaths worldwide from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.

The U.S. will co-host the second Global COVID-19 Summit on May 12, following the first in September 2021. The virtual summit will mark a shift from a crisis management strategy to the more sustainable approach of building resilient public health systems.

"The virus  after omicron particularly  has shown us that we have to evolve our strategy," a senior administration official told VOA. The goal, the official said, is to reduce transmission, deaths and hospitalizations rather than eradicate the virus.

The summit will focus on "supporting locally led solutions" toward global goals, which include getting shots into arms, enhancing access to tests and treatments, and generating sustainable financing for future pandemic preparedness.

"We cannot have just one solution, which might fit all of these different situations," Dr. Thierno Balde of the World Health Organization's Africa regional office told VOA. "The reality is to try to understand that, and therefore to have the most appropriate solution constructed commonly, with different countries, with different partners."

To galvanize international support, the U.S. will co-host the event together with CARICOM (Caribbean Community) chair Belize; Group of Seven president Germany; Group of 20 President Indonesia, and African Union chair Senegal.

No pandemic funding

The U.S. has not released details of any new pledges it will bring to the summit table. The administration's request for $22.5 billion in additional COVID-19 response money, including $5 billion for global pandemic funding, has been stuck for weeks largely because of Republican lawmakers who insist they won't pass it unless the administration brings back Title 42. The Trump-era order allows authorities at the Mexican border to turn away migrants during a pandemic emergency.

The lack of funding jeopardizes the administration's global pandemic response, including Global Vax, an international initiative launched in December to turn vaccines into vaccinations in 11 African countries, and which is set to run out of money in September. It could also undermine the administration's ability to galvanize other countries' commitments, particularly at an event that has been designed with a "step up to speak up" approach, meaning that countries can secure a speaking role only if they bring either financial pledges or policy commitments to support summit goals.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told VOA the summit would highlight to Congress the need for more funding so that the U.S. "can continue to be the arsenal of vaccines for the world." She noted that even without the additional funding, the U.S. remains the largest contributor to the global fight against the pandemic.

Lack of global coordination

The first two years of the pandemic were marked by rich countries stockpiling more doses than they needed for boosters and protection against new variants, which threatened supplies to lower-income countries, where vaccination rates were low.

Now, with 2 billion doses of vaccine being produced each month, the problem is not a lack of supply but slowing demand and poor delivery capacity  problems that activists argue also stem from lack of coordination.

"If we'd had a coordinated global plan to end the pandemic, we wouldn't now be in the situation where there's quite a lot of vaccine doses but not enough money to actually distribute them in countries that need them," Tom Hart told VOA. Hart is president of the ONE Campaign, an advocacy organization that fights preventable disease.

Beyond vaccines, the summit will also seek to improve access to testing and treatment, including by scaling up production and diversifying local and regional manufacturing capacity. Current efforts to achieve that include technology transfer agreements and the so-called TRIPS (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver proposal by South Africa and India at the World Trade Organization that called for intellectual property waivers on COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics. While the proposal is supported by more than 100 member countries, negotiations have been gridlocked for months.

Test to treat

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has recently rolled out a national "test to treat" program that tests people for COVID-19 and immediately treats them with the Pfizer antiviral drug Paxlovid if results are positive. It now aims to introduce similar pilot projects in other countries.

"The exact model may be different because the health systems are different," the administration official said, noting that additional hurdles need to be addressed, including securing supplies of the generic drugs nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, which make up Paxlovid  a drug that is prohibitively expensive for lower- to middle-income countries.

Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, founding director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, told VOA that it would be up to Pfizer, Merck and other companies that already have antivirals on the market to work with countries and existing multilateral systems to get these "test to treat" pilot projects in place so when the money and the supply ramp up, countries can scale up quickly.

In March, the Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed organization, signed agreements with 35 manufacturers in 12 countries to produce nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, but these are unlikely to be on the market until 2023. Udayakumar said the U.S. was working to make an affordable generic version of Paxlovid available within several months.

The Global COVID-19 Summit aims to secure pledges to help close the gap of about $15 billion in funding that the WHO says the world needs. While those pledges will be made, advocates are pessimistic.

"It's not clear whether that's being coordinated, whether one country or one region will have more than it needs and another region will go without," Hart said. "That's the problem with no coordination and no global plan."
The United States "vehemently" denounced a "horrific" attack that left three people dead in central Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press statement Thursday.

"This was a horrific attack targeting innocent men and women, and was particularly heinous coming as Israel celebrated its Independence Day," Blinken said.

"We remain in close contact with our Israeli friends and partners and stand firmly with them in the face of this attack."

Three people were left dead and several injured in an attack in Elad, a suburb of Tel Aviv that is the home of some 50,000 people, many of them ultra-orthodox Jews.

Police said that a manhunt using helicopters and roadblocks had been launched, with a larger number of officers and army units pursuing "one or two terrorists."

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan also said Thursday the United States was "appalled" by the attack.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the victims' families and wish a full recovery for the injured," he tweeted.

"As always, we stand with Israel as it confronts this terrorist threat."

Last month, Blinken spoke with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities, calling on them to "end the cycle of violence" after sharp escalation in Jerusalem's Israeli-annexed Old City at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The mosque is one of the holiest sites in Islam and also the holiest site in Judaism, in which it is called the Temple Mount.
It took just a few days for El Salvador's new law banning messages about gangs to impact the media.

Three days after the country's congress passed the measure, a member of the ruling party announced on Twitter that he planned to file a complaint against Gabriela Caceres and Oscar Martinez, who work for the El Faro news magazine. The journalists had reported on the release last year of a convicted leader of the MS-13 gang, who was set free despite an ongoing case against him.

"At that moment, for me, everything was clear," said Caceres. "This is going to limit me to do my job; they are going to find a way to silence me and to intimidate me."

Passed in early April, the new law  part of President Nayib Bukeles effort to combat gangs after a violent weekend left 87 people dead  bars reproducing or transmitting "messages or statements  from said criminal groups that could generate anxiety and panic," a translated copy of the law says.

Those who violate it face hefty sentences of up to 15 years.

In El Salvador alone, about 70,000 people belong to either MS-13 or another gang, according to authorities. About 16,000 gang members are behind bars.

News websites, including El Faro, Revista Factum and Gato Encerrado, have reported on the gang phenomenon in Central America for years. Their coverage has included reports on negotiations between former Salvadoran governments and gangs designated as terrorists.

'We are not going to stop'

In conversations with VOA, journalists who cover gangs and public security spoke about how the new law could affect their reporting and how they plan to continue.

"We are not going to censor ourselves," said Jessica Avalos, editor in chief and corruption investigator at Revista Factum.

"We have published an editorial in which we say that silence is not an option, that we are not going to stop investigating. But we are going to be careful that they do not use each publication as a pretext or excuse to attempt a visceral persecution against our journalists and against the media."

Avalos said that the Law for the Prohibition of Gangs seeks only to "criminalize the journalistic profession."

"To what extent can it help the population if the media stop reporting on the gangs?" she said. "If it's known that the gangs extorted, raped, killed, this is because the media put that reality on the table, and this has always bothered the authorities."

In an interview with VOA, the vice president of El Salvador, Felix Ulloa, defended the measure and said media have nothing to fear if they do not violate it.

"(The law) seeks to combat criminal acts that are reproduced not only by the media," he said. "A general rule has been given to combat this mechanism of promotion and defense of crime."

Ulloa added, "If any international media come (to El Salvador) and do their job, you won't find any problems here. Nor is freedom of the press threatened."

Crime beat

For the past two decades, El Faro has investigated alleged connections between gangs and the government.

In 2021, the media outlet revealed that the then-Prosecutor's Office was investigating secret negotiations between the Bukele government and imprisoned members of the country's three main gangs, all of which are designated terrorist organizations.

The gangs allegedly agreed to decrease the number of killings in exchange for better prison conditions.

The revelations prompted the U.S. Treasury Department to impose sanctions on two Salvadoran government officials in December.

In response to the new law, some news outlets, including Gato Encerrado, have solicited legal advice.

"The first thing is that we are not going to stop doing journalism. We are not going to stop publishing about human rights, about victims, about the work of the authorities in the matter of public security," Ezequiel Barrera, founder of Gato Encerrado, told VOA. "Now, despite the economic limitations, we have included a lawyer in our team."

The magazine also sought alliances with other media in an attempt to lessen the likelihood of prosecution.

"There is fear that this government will fulfill one of its objectives, which is to silence critical voices, and journalists are among those voices," Barrera said.

Accusations of censorship

Outside El Salvador, media rights groups say that the Bukele government has, in effect, legalized censorship.

"Any law that seeks to control media is imposing censorship," Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, told VOA.

The passage of the law leaves journalists from El Salvador in a "very worrying" situation, he said, but he believes journalists "will not remain silent."

Similar laws have been seen elsewhere in the region, including Nicaragua, said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.

But, she added, the Salvadoran law appears to be "part of a pattern of behavior not only of President Bukele but of all his control of power and of the government that has come to attack the human rights defenders and journalists."

El Salvador is ranked 112 out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders 2022 press freedom index, with 1 being the most free. The media watchdog cited the president's attacks on media critical of his government.

This story originated in VOA's Latin America division.



Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated Jessica Avalos' title. VOA regrets the error.
CAPE TOWN  While South Africas African National Congress-led government has refused to condemn Russias war on Ukraine  preferring to take a neutral stance and calling for mediation  the Democratic Alliance Partys John Steenhuisen isnt mincing his words.

He said seeing the destruction of the towns on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was heartbreaking.

Steenhuisen said besides showing Ukraines citizens that there are South Africans who care, he also went there to build networks, which could help him make informed decisions.

To put it in perspective, one out of every three slices of bread in Africa and the Middle East comes from grain in this region," Steenhuisen said. "Cooking oil, theyre the number one producers of cooking oil and fertilizers, which are essential to growing of crops in our own country. Theres been a 300% increase in fertilizer costs in South Africa, which is going to have a huge impact on domestic food security as well. And thats obviously also tied in with rising fuel prices as a result of the instability in the region.

The leader of the Democratic Alliance said Africa is particularly vulnerable because of the high levels of poverty.

There are 30 million South Africans who live below the poverty line," Steenhuisen said. "And thats obviously exacerbated by an almost 50% unemployment rate.

Not everyone was pleased with Steenhuisens visit. Critics said he seemed more interested in far-off conflicts than those happening in South Africa and the rest of the continent.

Well, I would say that those criticisms are frankly a little bit childish," Steenhuisen said. "Firstly, I have been to conflicts in Africa. I spent some time in Somaliland. Ive been to Mozambique.

Ukraines ambassador to South Africa, Liubov Abravitova, welcomed Steenhuisens visit.

I think it is important from Ukrainian point of view to receive a message that some South African people are supporting Ukraine," Abravitova said. "It will also give some impetus to other political parties not only in South Africa but in Africa in general to have dialogue with Ukraine.

When asked whether she would like to see South Africas president, Cyril Ramaphosa, visit, she said, Of course, yes. She added that, during a recent telephone conversation with her president, President Ramaphosa said he would visit.

And I believe this visit will happen as soon as the security situation allows, Abravitova said.

South Africas Department of International Relations said it was not commenting on Steenhuisens visit to Ukraine at this time.

Questions sent to the spokesperson for the ruling African National Congress, Pule Mabe, about Steenhuisens allegations that the ANC-led government is not neutral but siding with Russia, were not answered. Neither were several phone calls to Mabe.
More civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol, a Ukrainian official said Friday, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategic port city.

The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold of a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate. Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks  and they have repeatedly refused to surrender.

Local authorities in Mariupol accused Russian forces on Friday of opening fire on a car on its way to evacuate civilians from a vast steel works, killing a fighter and violating a cease-fire agreement, Reuters reported.

SEE ALSO:

As the drama in Mariupol continued to unfold, Pope Francis on Friday called the war in Ukraine "barbarous" because of the Christian-against-Christian nature of the conflict. He made the comment to members of a Vatican office that promotes Christian unity among Catholics, Orthodox and other Christian churches.

"Today, in the face of the barbarism of war, this yearning for unity must be fueled again," he said.

Russian forces control all but the steel works in the devastated city on the north coast of the Sea of Azov. Mariupol has been repeatedly targeted by Russia during its 10-week offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was Russia's attack that was keeping an estimated 200 civilians pinned down in the plant's underground bunkers.

"Just imagine this hell! And there are children there," he said late Thursday in his nightly video address. "More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death."

Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier assured Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a phone call that Moscow's forces were prepared to allow safe passage for those trapped in the steel plant, with daytime pauses in fighting through Saturday.

But in an online video, Captain Sviatoslav Palamar, a deputy commander of Ukraine's Azov Regiment, said, "Heavy, bloody fighting is going on. Yet again, the Russians have not kept the promise of a cease-fire and have not given an opportunity for the civilians who seek shelter ... in basements of the plant to evacuate." It was not clear from where he was speaking.

In Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price expressed skepticism about Russia's commitment to a cease-fire.

"What we have consistently seen, and we've seen this even in recent days, is the tendency on the part of the Russian Federation to embrace a so-called humanitarian pause to cloak itself in the guise of an actor that has humanitarian concerns  only to quickly and promptly resume shelling and violence, including against civilians who are trapped in besieged areas, including in Mariupol."

Belarus drills

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told The Associated Press he did not think Russia's military action in Ukraine would "drag on this way," but he accused Ukraine of "provoking Russia" and being uninterested in peace talks. Russian forces used Belarus as a staging point ahead of their February 24 invasion, operating under the pretext of military exercises as Putin denied he would attack Ukraine.

Belarus launched its own military exercises this week, but Lukashenko said they posed no threat.

"We do not threaten anyone, and we are not going to threaten and will not do it," Lukashenko told the news agency. "Moreover, we can't threaten  we know who opposes us, so to unleash some kind of a conflict, some kind of war here in the West is absolutely not in the interests of the Belarusian state. So, the West can sleep peacefully."

Meanwhile, the World Food Program has received $26.4 million from the European Union to provide food assistance to people affected by the conflict in Ukraine and for displaced people from Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova.

WFP says over 7.7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine and almost half of the people in the country are worried about finding enough to eat.

Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Press and Reuters.
A man awaiting sentencing for murder in the hit-and-run death of a 77-year-old Mandan man has pleaded guilty to Burleigh County charges from the same day.

Wade Bison, 39, of Wakpala, South Dakota, did not dispute the testimony of a police officer who said Bison was the driver of a stolen pickup truck that was pulling another stolen vehicle during a chase that ended in a rollover near Motel 6 in Bismarck.

I believe that hes telling the truth, your honor, Bison told South Central District Judge Pamela Nesvig during a Friday hearing.

He pleaded guilty to two felony theft charges, fleeing police, possession of drug paraphernalia, and misdemeanor driving under suspension. Bison represented himself. Nesvig ordered a presentence investigation, which will include chemical dependency and mental health evaluations.

Bison is in prison and awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to murder in the March 21 death of Erwin Geigle, who was at the All Seasons Arena in Mandan early that morning to pick up his granddaughter. Bison during an April 21 court appearance told a judge he was upset because Geigle walked in front of him in the parking lot, and that Bison only meant to rev his engine when he put his foot on the accelerator. He struck Geigle, pushing him into the wall of the arena, which is attached to Mandan High School.

Bison said he freaked out after seeing how badly Geigle was injured, then intentionally ran over him and hoped that I gave him some mercy. A presentence investigation is underway in that case.

Bison was taken into custody by Bismarck police later the day of Geigle's death after a crash on State Street that sent the pickup he was driving and an SUV he was towing down an embankment and into a chain-link fence outside Motel 6. The crash followed a police chase that reached speeds up to 50 mph.

A judge earlier this week revoked Bisons probation in five previous cases -- an array of drug, theft, fleeing police and reckless endangerment charges -- and ordered four-year sentences in three of them. Bison also pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors from May 2021, court documents show. He did not have an attorney to represent him during the hearing.

Bison could face life in prison without parole on the murder charge.

Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A grassroots coalition of child care organizations and advocates from across North Dakota is holding a listening session in Bismarck on child care needs.

The event from 6-8 p.m. Monday at the Ramada Inn is part of a series of listening sessions being held by the North Dakota Child Care Action Alliance. The sessions aim to facilitate discussions involving parents, providers, child care workers and business owners.

The economic and public health crises impacting our communities have shattered our already fragmented child care system," said alliance member Erin Laverdure, a mother of two from Stanton. "North Dakotas families desperately need real solutions to the child care crisis, and it will require addressing the needs of both our rural and urban communities including addressing the child care desert, limiting child care costs for families, and raising wages for thousands of North Dakota child care workers."

Erin Oban, state director for the federal Rural Development agency, will attend the Bismarck session.

Go to www.ndccaa.com for more information.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Candidates for two high-profile statewide offices outlined their views in an early candidate forum.

Republicans Michael Howe and Marvin Lepp and Democrat Jeffrey Powell are running for secretary of state, to succeed retiring Republican incumbent Al Jaeger.

Democrat Tim Lamb is challenging Republican Attorney General Drew Wrigley, whom Gov. Doug Burgum appointed in February to fulfill the remaining term of longtime officeholder Wayne Stenehjem, who died Jan. 28 at 68 from cardiac arrest. Wrigley needs to win in November to continue serving.

Howe and Lepp will square off in the June primary for the right to advance as the Republican nominee in the November general election. None of the other candidates at the forum faces a challenger in the primary.

The North Dakota Newspaper Association hosted the candidates at the forum in Bismarck on Thursday night. Absentee ballots for the June election became available to voters the same day.

Secretary of state

The secretary candidates discussed election administration, including what changes, if any, they might pursue. Former President Donald Trump has pushed baseless claims of election fraud in 2020.

Powell, a college student adviser at Mayville State University, said "from a procedural viewpoint, I do not have major changes that I would recommend." He said he would advocate for ranked-choice voting for state House seats -- or voting for candidates by ranked preference -- and for approval voting, which is at use in Fargo, where voters select as many candidates as they like, and the winner is the candidate with the most votes.

"Thinking of ways to modernize our elections is something that I am interested in doing, but we do have a secure voting system," Powell said.

Howe, a Casselton-area farmer and state representative, said he is "comfortable with our election process the way it is," but "that doesn't mean I am not willing to improve on things," such as by making it "easier to vote and harder to cheat."

He advocates transparency in election administration, notably in mail ballots; as well as speed and efficiency in business registration. He was elected to the House in 2016, and serves on the House Appropriations Committee, helping write state agency budgets.

Lepp, a business adviser in Bismarck, said he has "a lot of concerns about the elections, period," having heard fraud concerns from residents. He too advocates transparency in election administration, and would push for updated election software.

"In North Dakota, there should never be a shadow of a doubt in our process," Lepp said.

The secretary of state's annual salary is $114,486.

Attorney general

Lamb and Wrigley outlined their views of the job's membership on the state Industrial Commission, among other topics.

Transparency of the governor-led, three-member commission would be a focus of his, if elected, Lamb said. He served 15 years on the Grand Forks School Board and 20 years in the military.

The commission oversees state interests such as the state-owned bank, mill and elevator, and has regulatory authority of the energy industry. Lamb expressed openness to adding members or advisers to the board.

Wrigley, a former lieutenant governor and former U.S. attorney for North Dakota, said the attorney general must provide "one-third of the wise stewardship of interests, and you have to blend a lot of interests," including regulation of industry, disbursements of grant programs and oversight of the state interests. He called the board's process "very transparent."

"Anybody in the state or on planet Earth for that matter can livestream the meetings," said Wrigley, who added that when closed executive sessions occur, they are for narrow topics and are followed by open votes.

The attorney general's annual salary is $165,845.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Something 65 feet tall caught the eye of Alecia Fedorenko when she was considering buying the house at 1910 Laforest Ave. in Bismarck a few years ago.

She made the purchase, and now shes the owner of a tree that not only shades her house in the hot summer months but has the distinction of officially being the biggest green ash in North Dakota.

Its one of the reasons I bought the house, she said. Its such a beautiful tree.

The tree on the boulevard in front of Fedorenkos home is among three new entries to the North Dakota Register of Champion Trees, a list of the largest of various types of native and non-native trees in the state. Its patterned after the National Big Tree Program sponsored by the American Forests conservation nonprofit. The NDSU-North Dakota Forest Service updates the state list yearly.

A champion tree stays on the list until its dethroned. North Dakota hasn't had a champion green ash for a few years. The most recent was a Fargo tree owned by the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, according to Beth Hill, outreach and education manager for the North Dakota Forest Service.

"It was measured and crowned in 1998, and from what I can tell, that tree no longer stands," she said.

The tree fell into the theater's driveway when no one was around about 15 years ago, according to theater Costume Director Shelly Hurt-Geist. Officials aren't sure if it fell because it was diseased or because it was struck by lightning. The rest of the tree was later removed.

"Shelly also remembered that the gigantic stump remained for quite a while, measuring at least 6 feet across, until that too was removed," General Manager Lucas Rutten said.

The empty green ash space on the state champions list was filled when outdoors enthusiasts Susan Wefald and Nancy Willis last year volunteered with the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District to hunt for champion trees around the city. The two retirees who have been friends for decades focused on green ash, bur oak, cottonwood, American elm and linden trees.

Over the years the Forestry Department and citizens have planted a lot of those trees around town, because theyre very hardy, of course -- theyre native to our region, Wefald said. City Forester Doug Wiles gave us equipment and information on how to measure.

They scoured the city for big trees for a couple of hours a week from January through October.

We surveyed the city by walking, by driving around, by asking people if they knew where any of the largest trees were of a certain species, Wefald said. It was a lot of legwork, but we had good weather last spring and summer.

They were pleased with the reception they got from property owners.

We werent talking about politics, we werent talking about COVID -- we wanted to talk about their tree, Wefald said. So they were real excited when we said, We want to measure your tree to see if its a champion.

Willis said measuring a tree canopy isn't a simple process.

"You walk out under it -- you go out in four directions" and measure, she said. "Then you have to divide it by four, then you have to divide it by four again, because a tree isn't the same all the way around."

The green ash they found on Fedorenkos property measured 65 feet tall, with a trunk just under 12 feet around and an average crown spread of 71 feet.

"This ash tree was a good one because it kind of stood alone, because it had all that area to expand, and some trees don't have that," Willis said.

She and Wefald also came across what is now the runner-up champion green ash, at 2005 St. Joseph Drive in Bismarck, owned by Chantell Slaubaugh. It measures 60 feet high, with a circumference of about 8  feet and a crown spread of 62 feet.

Wefald and Willis nominated some other trees, as well.

But those didnt quite make the cut, Wefald said. Fargo, because they get more rain, they tend to have more champions in the eastern part of the state.

Bismarck does have four other state champion trees that have been on the list for several years:

Horse chestnut, 1418 Porter Ave., owned by Peter Feist.

Amur maple, 530 E. Capital Ave., owned by Glaser Properties.

Sycamore, 905 N. 12th St., owned by the city.

Red oak, 920 Arthur Drive, owned by Jim Fuglie and Lillian Crook.

The other two champion trees crowned this year were a Russian olive in Fargo and an Ohio buckeye in Valley City, according to State Forester Thomas Claeys.

North Dakotas largest tree is a cottonwood in Steele County that stands 105 feet tall, has a girth of 30 feet and an average crown spread of 108 feet.

Willis said searching for champion trees often takes a person "really into the brush," but that "it was an adventure. It was fun." She hopes she and Wefald will do it again.

"There are more kinds of trees we could go after," she said. "I would love it."

Arbor Day celebration

The champion tree project will be one of the focuses of the city's Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, beginning at 1 p.m. at Custer Park. The theme is Planting Trees Since 1872."

Each year a ceremonial Arbor Day tree is dedicated to a local resident whose efforts have made a significant contribution to Bismarck's urban forest. This year's tree planting will recognize Public Works Service Operations Director Jeff Heintz, a city employee for more than three decades.

The event also will include various awards and recognitions, and a celebration of Bismarck's 45 years as a Tree City USA.

For more information, go to www.bismarcknd.gov/forestry or call 701-355-1700.

The state of North Dakota also recognizes Arbor Day on May 6.

"We invite people to plant a tree as a symbol of resilience and hope," State Forester Thomas Claeys said. "A tree planted today can enhance the quality of life for present and future generations.

The state Arbor Day celebration will be held next Wednesday at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, the states newest Tree Campus Higher Education campus.

Reach News Editor Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
News comes after woman attacked by wild boar in Rome.

A case of African Swine Fever (ASF) has been detected among Rome's wild boar population in what is the first of its kind outside the area of northern Italy where an outbreak occurred earlier this year.

The highly contagious disease - which is fatal to pigs and wild hogs but not transmitted to humans - was detected in the 740-hectare Insugherata nature reserve in the northern fringes of the capital.

Tests carried out on the carcass of the wild boar confirmed that it had died of ASF, leading health authorities to seal off the affected area.

The Lazio region has activated a task force and launched a toll-free number - 803555 - to report any findings of other wild boar carcasses in Rome.

The video that everyone is talking about in #Rome this week: a dozen wild boar walking calmly through traffic on Via Trionfale. #cinghiali pic.twitter.com/ZrLfK49lOZ  Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) September 22, 2021

Ettore Prandini, president of Italian farming organisation Coldiretti, has called for "immediate action to contain the population of wild boar that have invaded the countryside and cities, including the capital, causing economic damage for breeders and risks for the safety of citizens".

Coldiretti estimates there are 2.3 million wild boar in Italy, with around 20,000 of the tusked animals living in the province of Rome.

The case of ASF in Rome has led to nationwide concerns in the pork industry over the risk of the disease spreading to other regions and has triggered renewed calls for authorities to cull the wild boar population.

ASF originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia, leading to the deaths of hundreds of millions of pigs worldwide and causing considerable financial losses to the farming sector.

The disease was detected in Italy in early January after tests were carried out on a dead wild boar in Ovada, about 120 km southwest of Milan, Reuters reported.

News of the first case of ASF in Rome follows a recent incident in which a woman was attacked by a wild boar in the Balduina district in the north of the capital.

The woman, 44, was taking rubbish to the bins on the street at night when she was chased and jumped on by a large sow, with seven piglets in tow.

"If it had not been for my dog defending me I don't know what would have happened", she told newspaper La Repubblica, paying tribute also to a passing motorist who came to her aid.

While dramatic, this is far from the first such incident involving the animals which can be extremely dangerous to humans if approached when there are young cinghiali present.

The wild hogs have also caused multiple road accidents at night, posing particular risks for motorcyclists.

The animals have shown up outside hospitals and at school gates, leading some Roman neighbourhoods to impose curfews for safety reasons.

Last summer the animals were even photographed outside Italy's foreign ministry near the city's Stadio Olimpico.

Once confined to nature reserves such as Insugherata, in recent years cinghiali have discovered that it is easier to rifle through the city's trash than go foraging for food in the woods.

"The people of Rome are being held hostage by wild boar," David Granieri, head of the Lazio region's agricultural association, told news agency ANSA recently.

The question of who exactly is in charge of Rome's wild boar is complex, with the city and the Lazio region both pointing the finger at each other.

There are multiple agencies involved, complicated further by the animals moving from nature reserves between public and privately-owned land.

The case of ASF and its associated risks may however spur authorities into tackling a situation which many Rome residents believe is out of control.

Photo La Repubblica
Swiss Guards have protected popes for more than 500 years.

Each year on 6 May the Vatican holds a pomp-filled ceremony to swear in new recruits into the Pontifical Swiss Guards, among the oldest standing armies in the world.

The annual event, held in the S. Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, sees a cohort of new guards take a solemn oath of allegiance to the pope.

The swearing-in ceremony commemorates 6 May 1527, when 147 Swiss Guards died protecting Pope Clement VII from the army of the Holy Roman Emperor.

The pope fled via the 800-m Passetto di Borgo passageway to the nearby refuge of Castel S. Angelo.

Origins

During the Middle Ages, Swiss mercenaries were much sought after by foreign armies due to their military professionalism and their proven capabilities on the battlefield.

Swiss guardsmen began serving the Papal States in the late 14th and 15th centuries.

Swiss Guards. Photo credit AM113 / Shutterstock.com.

In 1505 a Swiss bishop at the Vatican, Matthaus Schiner, suggested creating a permanent Swiss corps that would operate under the direct control of the pope.

The Swiss Guard was established by Pope Julius II in 1506, with the first contingent of 150 soldiers arriving in Rome on 22 January of that year.

Who can join the Swiss Guards?

Swiss Guards must be male and of Swiss nationality, as well as being Catholic, unmarried, aged between 19 and 30, and be a minimum height of 174 cm.

They must also have undergone military training and have completed a degree or a high school diploma.

Photo credit: Riccardo De Luca - Update

Since the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, there has been a greater emphasis on the guards' non-ceremonial roles, with enhanced training in unarmed combat and counterterrorism techniques.

In addition to protecting the pope, the soldiers perform ceremonial duties, provide security and assist at Vatican functions.

Swiss Guard uniform

The guards carry ancient halberd weapons and swords and normally wear blue doublets and berets.

However they are best known for the blue, gold and red Renaissance-style uniform which, contrary to legend, was probably not designed by Michelangelo.

Worn on ceremonial occasions, the uniform has evolved over the centuries and the current model, redesigned by the Swiss colonel Jules Repond, dates from 1914.

Photo credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com

The guards serve for between two and 25 years at the Vatican, in the service of the pope. They are independent of the Swiss armed forces and are employed directly by the Vatican.

In 2022 plans were announced to rebuild the Swiss Guard residence in the Vatican with single rooms and private bathrooms, leading to speculation in the media that Pope Francis or a future pontiff might decide to allow women to join the elite force.

Led by Commander Christoph Graf, the Swiss Guards currently comprise around 135 soldiers, with 36 new recruits to be sworn in on 6 May 2022.

Photo credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com.
Placeholder while article actions load

Where stock-market investors see digital disruption, buyout firms see opportunity. The cheap valuations of strategically challenged stocks are proving a draw to private equity firms. But the corporate prey are hardly soft targets: Traditional takeover premiums are  rightly  proving inadequate for some beaten-down shares. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The latest example is Temenos AG. U.S. buyout firm Thoma Bravo has approached the Swiss financial-software provider about a potential deal, Bloomberg News revealed last week. Prior to that, Temenoss share price had almost halved since June amid fears the companys core banking customers could defect to new rivals that rent software online.

Temenos is itself switching from a license model to multiyear subscriptions. The shift will reduce short-term cash flow as previous lump-sum sales will be spread out over time. Even bearish analysts agree with the strategy, and management has set out ambitious revenue-growth guidance. But the stock market sees upfront pain and wont take a successful transformation on trust.

Advertisement

There are echoes here of Apollo Global Managements recent failed attempt to acquire educational publisher Pearson Plc and Elliott Management Corp.s March deal, in partnership with Brookfield Asset Management, to buy TV-ratings business Nielsen Holdings Plc. Temenos, Pearson and Nielsen were trading at the low end of their five-year valuation range when bidders pounced.

All can also service considerably higher borrowings that would help a buyout bidder fund a transaction. Such targets offer private equity the chance to nab an asset at a discount, reset the strategy away from the public glare and sell the spruced-up company a few years later.

But buying companies whose shares have fallen rapidly isnt as easy as it sounds. For instance, a 30% takeover premium on Temenoss undisturbed market price would imply an offer at 108 Swiss francs ($110) a share. The stock was trading above that level as recently as February, and such a bid would be well below the 12-month high. These benchmarks tend to matter in M&A: No one wants to sell below recent trading prices if they dont have to.

Advertisement

Pearson rightly rejected a proposal from Apollo at a 36% premium (after adding a dividend), and just above the shares 12-month high. In their offer for Nielsen, Elliott and Brookfield are close to matching the stocks recent peak. They are still being vigorously opposed by the top shareholder. That said, the premium crunches out at an unusually fat 60% and is good enough for the Nielsen board.

Apply the same top-up to Temenoss undisturbed share price and an offer would be worth 134 Swiss francs per share. The full transaction value including including assumed net debt would be $11 billion, or $3.8 billion above its late-April market value (Temenos reports in dollars.) This could still be a tough sell since the shares were trading higher than that as recently as November. The valuation of 23 times this years earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization would compare with a five-year trading average of 26 times.

A deal would need a sizable equity check  say $8 billion, assuming lenders provided debt up to around six times this years expected Ebitda. But growth might compensate for limited leverage. Some analysts forecast Temenoss revenue could expand by around 75% from 2022 to 2027. Assuming profit margins hold firm, this then approaches a $20 billion business at the same earnings multiple.

Advertisement

What if an exit could be achieved at a higher valuation? Normally thats a reckless assumption, but in transformation situations it may be more reasonable. Factor in some debt reduction, and its plausible that even with a large premium, a buyout could achieve the requisite doubling in equity value over around five years.

Of course, buying companies that need a drastic makeover isnt risk-free. Private equitys fee structure incentivizes firms to put money to work on deals, so its wrong to assume that the buyout industry is necessarily a lot better than the stock market at spotting bargains. But when private-equity firms go bottom fishing, the best insurance policy against sellers remorse is to be shameless about demanding a takeover premium that would normally be seen as greedy.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

Advertisement

 Elliott Meets Its Match in a $16 Billion Tussle: Chris Hughes

 Intels Paying a High Cost for Its Towering Ambition: Tim Culpan

 Spirit Blunders in Spurning JetBlue Offer: Brooke Sutherland

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Chris Hughes is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals. He previously worked for Reuters Breakingviews, as well as the Financial Times and the Independent newspaper.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

Europe dominates global oil trading, oil financing, oil shipping, and oil insurance. If the legal text survives the current negotiations in Brussels, and European companies interpret it strictly, as lawyers tend to do when sanctions are involved, Russia will face significant obstacles to finding new markets for the oil that Europe wont be buying anymore. The impact would almost equal, in practical terms, the secondary sanctions Washington has imposed in the past to extend the reach of its penalties. Brussels dislikes the so-called extra territoriality of U.S. secondary sanctions, which the White House used with great effect on Iran. But it dislikes even more the prospect of Russia selling the oil the continent once bought, at perhaps even higher prices, to subsidize its war machine in Ukraine. Talk to any energy diplomat in Brussels, and its clear that Europe is targeting oil revenue  not merely oil flows  and for that it needs to prevent Russia from redirecting its crude. For Europe and the U.S., the key is stopping Putin from launching an oil-for-friends diplomatic offensive. Robert Habeck, the German economic minister, explained the thinking in a recent interview with ZDF television: Putin would come along and say: `you see what happens, the capitalist West is making you poor, Ill help you out and you can get a 20% discount from me. I just want you to be my ally.Since the war started, I have argued that a Western oil embargo on Russia was a question of when, rather than if. Now, I believe that the U.S. and Europe will use tools akin to secondary sanctions, plus diplomatic pressure, to force Russian oil production down, rather than passively witness all the Russian oil they once bought going elsewhere.For now, the aim is to convince allies of two objectives: do not buy more Russian oil than you did in 2021, and if you buy a little extra, do so only on condition of asking for huge discounts. Thats the message that India has gotten, for example. In public and private, Western diplomats are saying to allies: do not undermine our sanctions. Can the policy work? Its unclear. The Western oil trading houses will stop handling Russian oil, but as Iran demonstrated, new trading outfits operating in the shadows, would replace them. Still, the longer the war goes, the more pressure Washington, London and Brussels will put on Russian oil. Yet, as oil prices climb further, Brussels and Washington may have to accept more Russian oil flowing into Asia.So far, Moscow has seen its production drop by nearly 1.1 million barrels a day, or 10%, from its February level, to an average of 10.05 million barrels a day in April. Another big drop is likely in May. Russian official media report that output is actually rising, but the whispers among Russian oil traders point to the opposite. If you believe them, production, which was 11.1 million barrels a day in February, has dropped to less than 9.5 million barrels a day right now.Oil prices arent much higher thanks to the covid outbreak in China and Beijings heavy-handed covid-zero policy. The fear, every day more palpable, of recession in both Europe and the U.S. by late this year is also restraining prices. But many appear to be underestimating Russias supply losses and their effect on the countrys economy: they are real, and they are deepening.
Placeholder while article actions load

The European Union is striving to tighten sanctions by halting purchases of Russian oil. Getting to consensus on this  necessary for joint EU action  hasnt been easy. But now that Germany has withdrawn its earlier opposition, the prospects for more effective restrictions have improved. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Germanys position is crucial  because of its influence within the EU, the size of its economy, and its disproportionately heavy dependence on Russian energy. Its change of heart on oil is welcome, but its efforts can and should go further. In particular, it needs a plan to shut down imports of Russian gas.

Until recently, Germany bought some 55% of its natural gas from Russia. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, its cut that to 35%. German officials now say theyre making plans in case Putin imposes a gas-export ban of his own, as he has on Poland and Bulgaria in what was seen as a warning to Berlin. Germany should accelerate these plans  and, regardless of Putins calculations, act on them as soon as possible. Despite what skeptics say, its feasible to halt German imports of Russian gas this year.

Advertisement

While theres no easy fix, and such an abrupt change would impose costs, smart planning would make the burden bearable. One respected German think tank has explained what would be required.

First, Germany would need to import gas from elsewhere. This is harder than switching away from Russian oil and coal, because gas requires more infrastructure  and, sadly, Germany has spent years building gas-supply pipelines according to the Kremlins master plan. Even so, supplies piped from Norway can be increased. LNG terminals elsewhere on Europes northern coast have spare capacity, allowing gas from other suppliers to be shipped in and piped through the existing network. Building new fixed terminals wouldnt make sense, because it takes too long and demand for natural gas needs to fall once this crisis is over. But more temporary capacity can be added by leasing floating storage and regasification units.

On conservative estimates, these steps could quickly replace roughly half of the gas still being imported from Russia. On more optimistic (but not implausible) assumptions, they could replace all of it.

Advertisement

Next, the remaining gap, if any, could be bridged by curbing demand. Higher energy prices have already led industry and consumers to economize  but theres room to go further. More Germans can insulate their homes and install heat pumps, for instance, while many industrial consumers have scope to switch to alternative sources of power, including electricity and/or renewables. (Note that none of this relies on reversing the ill-advised decision to phase out nuclear power, which is difficult in the short term.)

The bottom line is that Germany, by the end of this year, can find a way to live without Russian gas. To be sure, changes like these are bound to be disruptive and, whether voluntary or imposed by Moscow, would impose an economic cost. Another study estimates that an immediate halt to all Russian energy supplies, while manageable, would cut Germanys gross domestic output by between 0.5% and 3%. These costs could be partly offset with fiscal support. But the main thing is that a determined and coordinated effort to direct the shift could make it less damaging.

German industry has understandably taken a more pessimistic view. But given the will, the strains should be tolerable in the short term and more than rewarded in the long term. Germanys leaders would be wise to take the initiative  piling the pressure on Russia while mitigating the damage their country might end up facing regardless.

The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

For almost two decades, lawmakers in Washington have been pushing legislation that would rein in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Facing a near-certain presidential veto, the proposal has never crossed the finish line. Now, the legislation is getting a new look amid surging gasoline and oil prices. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight 1. What would the legislation do?

The bill -- dubbed the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act, or NOPEC -- would empower the U.S. Department of Justice to file an antitrust lawsuit against OPEC for trying to control oil production or to affect crude prices. It would do this by amending the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, the law used more than a century ago to break up the oil empire of John Rockefeller. Even if the Justice Department were never to act on its power to sue, the mere existence of this option might be enough to force the cartel to change its behavior.

Advertisement

2. Does this have a chance of becoming law?

A recent vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee paves the way for full Senate consideration, but its unclear when, or if, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will bring the measure to the floor. The Biden administration has expressed concern about unintended consequences of the legislation as the war in Ukraine stokes volatility in energy markets. Versions of the bill were approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2007, but the idea got no further under a veto threat by President George W. Bush. Former President Donald Trump supported the NOPEC idea before becoming president, and OPEC was a frequent target of his on Twitter, but during his four-year term the legislation was never brought to the floor for a vote in either chamber.

3. Who opposes NOPEC?

Advertisement

Both the American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have come out strongly against the bill, fearing retaliatory action against U.S. companies abroad if it becomes law. U.S. shale producers also benefit from OPECs discipline in bolstering prices when they fall too low without any of the risk.

4. What would be the possible repercussions for the oil market?

Makan Delrahim, Trumps antitrust chief, told a Senate hearing in December 2018 that NOPEC could very well lower the price ultimately to the consumer. But in the short-term, passage could potentially boost prices, especially if fears of retaliatory action escalated.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

Asked this week about a Republican economic plan that would raise taxes for 75 million Americans, President Joseph Biden called it extreme  as most MAGA things are. He elaborated: This MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization thats existed in American history, in recent American history. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight I have never been a supporter of former President Donald Trump or his Make America Great Again movement. Still, the current president is missing an important point: Extreme ideas do not have to be bad. In fact, extreme ideas are more common than most people realize.

Calling something extremist is not an effective critique. Its a sign that the speaker or writer either doesnt want to take the trouble to make a real argument, or is hoping to win the debate through rhetoric or Twitter pressure rather than logic. Its also a bad sign when critics stress how social media have fed and encouraged extremism.

Advertisement

I favor plenty of extremist ideas. For instance, I think that the worlds major cities should adopt congestion rush-hour pricing. (I know, it hardly sounds extreme, but I assure you that many drivers consider it extremely outrageous to have to pay to drive on roads that were free a few hours before.) London and Singapore have versions of congestion pricing, with some success, but given the public reaction and that most other major cities do not seem close to enactment, it has to count as a relatively extreme idea.

I also favor human challenge trials, arguably an even more extreme idea. In human challenge trials, rather than waiting for a virus to infect those vaccinated (randomly) with the placebo, scientists recruit volunteers and infect them deliberately and immediately. This accelerates the speed of a biomedical trial. To many people there is something repugnant about asking for volunteers and then deliberately doing them harm by injecting them with the virus.

Maybe human challenge trials arent a good idea. But calling them extreme or repugnant does not help explain why.

Advertisement

Or consider same-sex marriage. As recently as the presidency of Barack Obama, it was seen as an extreme idea, and Obama himself refused to endorse it. Now it is a popular idea and the law of the land. Calling an idea extreme can say as much about the speaker as about the idea.

Some other extreme ideas include abolishing the Senate, considerably enlarging the Supreme Court, or adding some new states to the union, not only Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia but also Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I do not favor any of these ideas. But I would not consider it satisfactory to dismiss them simply on the grounds that many people, including myself, consider them extreme.

In some cases, perhaps, there are only extreme ideas on the table. The U.S. locks up, tortures and murders many millions of animals a year in factory farms, which I consider to be an extreme state of affairs. Yet I would agree that abolishing factory farms would also be extreme. One of these ideas has to be better than the other, so it is hard to avoid favoring at least some extreme ideas.

Advertisement

In fact, one might even say that much of American society itself is based on a set of extreme ideas called Christianity. I myself am not religious, but it seems to me that in this respect Christianity is not unlike many other religions.

Speaking of religion, the debate over abortion may be one where the only acceptable positions are extreme. Decades of fierce political fighting over this topic suggest a real middle ground cannot easily be found, and the leak of a draft opinion overturning Roe suggest that it will remain elusive.

Some of those who level the charge of extremism may have something else in mind  namely, that there is some set of right-wing fascist and semi-fascist arguments that do not deserve to be taken seriously. But that practice would make it hard to teach people what is wrong with these very bad ideas. And many thinkers have a mix of very good and very bad ideas  consider Mohandas Gandhi, Friedrich Nietzsche or Karl Marx. It is better to learn from them than to dismiss them.

Advertisement

Former President Donald Trumps proposal to build a wall was mocked at the time for being absurd and extreme, along with many of Trumps other immigration policies. Now President Joe Bidens administration is in the midst of furious debates about just how much of Trumps immigration policies to keep. Im not going to criticize either side for being too extreme, however, because I favor a threefold increase in legal immigration to the U.S.  an even more extreme position.

What the U.S. needs is more consideration of more extreme ideas. If you see someone inveighing against extremism or extremist ideas, beware: That is itself an extreme position. True moderation lies in calm and reasoned debate.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 On Telegram, Ignoring Lies Could Protect the Truth in Russia: Parmy Olsom

Advertisement

 More Surveillance Wont Solve Right-Wing Extremism: Cathy ONeil

 Can the U.S. Defuse Violent Right-Wing Extremism?: Romesh Ratnesar

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a professor of economics at George Mason University and writes for the blog Marginal Revolution. His books include Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

On the surface, the tiny Ukrainian navy, just 5,000 active-duty sailors and a handful of small coastal boats, appears to be significantly overmatched by Russian maritime forces. The Kremlins Black Sea fleet consists of over 40 frontline warships. The Russians seem poised to cut off the Ukrainian economy from access to the sea  essentially re-creating the Anaconda strategy U.S. President Abraham Lincoln used in the 19th century to choke off the Confederacy.

But Russian success is hardly guaranteed, as the Ukrainians are proving as surprisingly stalwart at sea as they have been on land, already pulling off a handful of successful engagements against Russias naval forces.

What does the maritime component of the Ukrainian war look like in the months ahead?

Just over a decade ago, I visited the Crimean port of Sevastopol and had lunch with the Ukrainian chief of naval operations, Viktor Maksimov. We were able to walk out onto the bridge wing of his flagship and surveil the Russian navy just up the waterway.

Advertisement

This was before the 2014 invasion of Crimea by the Russians, but even then, the Ukrainian admiral correctly said: Sooner or later, they will come for this port. And their fleet is much stronger than ours.

At the time, I discounted the idea of a full-fledged invasion, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has now proved me wrong twice. Sevastopol is very much in Russian hands, and it affords them a distinct advantage in potential combat at sea.

The Russians have over three dozen capable combatant ships with immediate access to the crucial waterways of the northern Black Sea, and at least partial control over 60% of Ukraines coastline from Crimea through the Sea of Azov to the Russian mainland. Ukraine has lost its major warships, which were seized or destroyed in 2014, and has to take a guerrilla approach. So far, it is playing a weak hand very well.

Advertisement

The shocking sinking last month of Russias Black Sea flagship, the cruiser Moskva, was a good example of how the Ukrainians are going to approach war on their coast. They used an indigenously produced short-range cruise missile, the Neptune, and caught the Russians off guard. A failure of the Russian air-defense system, coupled with poor damage control, led to the loss of the ship, its heavy cruise-missile battery and (according to the Ukrainians) hundreds of its crew of around 500.

Last week, the Ukrainians announced they used Turkish-manufactured drones (which are appearing more and more frequently on battlefields globally) to sink two Russian patrol boats.

The upshot of both the strike on the Moskva and the sinking of the two gunboats is that the Ukrainians intend to contest control near the coast. Western hardware will be essential of course  the U.K. has pledged to deliver hundreds of antiship Brimstone missiles this month  but so will real-time intelligence and targeting. In war at sea  where ships cannot hide behind terrain features, obviously  this is crucial. The battle of Midway in World War II, for example, turned in Americas favor almost entirely on the ability of U.S. intelligence to direct the outmanned naval force.

Advertisement

The Russians will have to come up with new strategies. This might include using the sea as a flanking zone to come around the lines of the Ukrainian defenders on land, similar to the bold move by General Douglas MacArthur in landing at Inchon on the Korean peninsula in 1950.

Another possibility would be blockading Ukraines most vital port, Odesa, to try to sever the Ukrainian economy from global markets. Third, the Russians will likely try to provide intense supporting fire from the sea against Ukrainian targets ashore  they recently demonstrated the ability to launch a land-attack cruise missile from a submarine, for example.

To counter, the Ukrainians can take a page from their land forces, which have been destroying Russian tanks and armored vehicles by the hundreds using relatively inexpensive weapons provided by Western allies. The U.S. Navys SEALs have a good range of capabilities to disable shipping, and some of these systems should be made available to the Ukrainians.

Advertisement

President Joe Bidens proposed $33 billion assistance package for Ukraine includes coastal-defense hardware. And other North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, such as Norway, have very good coastal systems they could provide.

Its worth considering an escort system for Ukrainian (and other national) merchant ships that want to go in and out of Odesa. This would be similar to the Operation Ernest Will escorts provided to merchants in the Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. (I participated in those as operations officer on a U.S. cruiser).

The West could also give training in anti-ship warfare to the Ukrainian navy outside the country, perhaps in nearby Constanta, Romania. (The Romanians recently began providing an outlet for Ukrainian goods from that port.)

At the high end of the confrontation/risk spectrum, the allies might consider a humanitarian maritime mission to evacuate civilians (or even Ukrainian military forces) from the doomed city of Mariupol. Designating this a humanitarian effort would make it difficult for Moscow to attack the ships taking part, but they should be appropriately armed combatants prepared to defend the mission.

Advertisement

The vast Black Sea is mostly international waters. NATO warships are free to travel nearly wherever they want, including into Ukraines territorial waters and its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. Conceding those waters to Russia makes no sense. Instead, look for them to become the next major front in the Ukraine war.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Russias Sunken Warship Is a Warning to All Navies: James Stavridis

 In Germany, Scholz the Bold Reverts to Scholz the Smurf: Andreas Kluth

 Ukraine War Is Depleting Americas Arsenal of Democracy: Hal Brands

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

James Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former supreme allied commander of NATO, and dean emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is also chair of the board of the Rockefeller Foundation and vice chairman of Global Affairs at the Carlyle Group. His latest book is 2034: A Novel of the Next World War.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

Two years ago, China was being lauded by the World Health Organization for its success in beating the coronavirus. But its insistence on adhering to a so-called Covid Zero policy is leaving it increasingly isolated as other countries, most of which suffered far worse outbreaks and higher death tolls, wean themselves off harsh countermeasures and return to a semblance of pre-pandemic life. Their populations have built up a large degree of protection through previous infections and more effective vaccines. Chinese officials have said vaccines alone arent enough and stringent curbs aimed at wiping out the virus are needed to avoid a health care calamity. President Xi Jinping has pledged to try to reduce the economic impact of the strategy, which Hong Kong also follows. But continued flareups, including an extended one in the financial capital Shanghai, are putting it to the test as never before, prompting a more defensive tone from the top.

1. Does Covid Zero mean zero cases?

Ideally, but its not that simple. Beijings perception of Covid hasnt changed much since the virus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan: Its a public health threat that must be eliminated at all costs. Thats why China requires at least two weeks in quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad. Any outbreak domestically is met with a barrage of targeted testing, contact tracing and quarantines to try to nip it in the bud, with citywide lockdowns as a last resort. That approach, which has become known as dynamic clearing, acknowledges that infections occur but aims to stop onward transmission. The highly infectious delta and omicron variants have made it more difficult for China, which hasnt gone a day with zero new local cases reported since October. In early April the daily tally topped 20,000 -- surpassing the opening days of the pandemic in China, when testing wasnt readily available -- before falling back.

Advertisement

2. Why is China sticking to it?

In its calculus, the benefits outweigh the costs. The government estimates the strategy has avoided 1 million deaths and 50 million illnesses. It has acknowledged fewer than 5,000 deaths from Covid on the mainland, mostly early in the pandemic. That compares to almost 1 million in the U.S., which has a population less than a quarter the size of Chinas. Beijing has used those figures to portray its system of governance as superior. Covid Zero also allowed the Chinese economy, the worlds second biggest, to grow while other major economies contracted in 2020. Growth continued last year and 2022 got off to a stronger-than-expected start, although the outlook has been clouded not only by Covid but the global repercussions from Russias invasion of Ukraine. That worry hasnt led to any easing, however. Xi said in March that China would strive to achieve the maximum prevention and control effect at the least cost and minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development. But by May top leaders had dropped pledges to reconcile the two goals and warned against any questioning of Xis Covid Zero strategy.

3. Whats the domestic impact been?

Advertisement

As the virus has become more contagious, its led to more frequent outbreaks, some of which have resulted in hardcore lockdowns, where most people are required to stay home. A handful have dragged on for more than a month, such as in Shanghai and the northeastern industrial province of Jilin, leading to economic and social hardship and distress for people with chronic medical conditions. In the western city of Xian, one woman suffered a miscarriage and a heart attack victim died after difficulty accessing emergency care. On the other hand, the giant tech hub Shenzhen emerged from just a week of lockdown relatively unscathed, with some factories continuing to operate under a new closed-loop system. Workers are effectively put in a bubble, ferried between their company-run dormitories and the plant -- or sleeping on the floor at work -- with regular testing and temperature checks. Authorities in Beijing and other cities including Hangzhou, home to tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., sought to avoid full lockdowns by initiating testing blitzes and other restrictions immediately after the first cases turn up. All the disruption and fear of infection have weighed further on the economy. People have avoided travel, shopping and dining out. Even partial lockdowns have snarled industrial supply chains. Economists have been steadily downgrading their growth forecasts, with Morgan Stanley cutting its projection for this year by 40 basis points to 4.2%, well below the governments target of around 5.5%.

4. What are the hurdles to getting back to normal?

There are several:

Advertisement

 While nearly 90% of the population has been vaccinated and a growing number received boosters, the rates are lower for the elderly: 82% for those between 70 and 79 and about 51% for those over 80, health officials said in mid-March. (In Hong Kong, which had similar problems vaccinating the elderly, people 65 and older accounted for more than 90% of the more than 9,000 Covid-related deaths in the city this year through April.)

 Many analysts point to the lower efficacy of vaccines developed in China. The most widely used are inactivated shots, which offered less protection against infection caused by the original strain of the virus in clinical trials than the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc., BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. The mRNA shots are the backbone of immunization in much of the world but are unavailable in mainland China.

 The inactivated vaccines also appear to produce fewer protective antibodies against the omicron variant than those induced by shots developed in the West after three doses, though the Chinese vaccines do appear to protect against severe disease and death.

Advertisement

 Chinese health officials have made it clear that vaccination alone isnt enough, since breakthrough infections are common even with Western vaccines. Researchers at Peking University estimated China would face a colossal outbreak, with more than 630,000 infections a day if it were to reopen in a similar manner to the U.S. -- and that was before the more-infectious omicron became predominant.

 The run on hospitals across the world, both in under-resourced places like India and in the developed world, is a constant reminder about how Chinas patchy hospital network could easily crash under a sudden spike in infections.

 Switching tactics to let the virus infect a large swath of the population could create bad optics ahead of the national congress of the ruling Communist Party slated for later this year, where Xi is expected to try to extend his power.

Advertisement

5. Whats the cost to the rest of the world?

Covid Zero has sent ripples through the global supply chain. Outbreaks have led to temporary production halts at the China-based factories of top carmakers in the northern port city of Tianjin for people to undergo mass testing. Foxconn briefly suspended operations at its Shenzhen sites, one of which produces iPhones. The monthlong lockdown of Xian caused disruption for leading chipmakers Micron Technology Inc and Samsung Electronics Co., while Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG had to suspend production at factories in Jilin. But abandoning the policy could cause far greater disruptions, at least temporarily, if workers were too sick to show up at work, given how much the world relies on China for everything from raw materials to finished consumer and industrial products. In the worse-case scenario of omicron spreading out of control and China imposing a national lockdown, Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that could slow Chinas economic growth to 1.6% this year -- the lowest in more than four decades -- and send shock waves through the world economy. Among the likely results: lower commodity prices, and a more gradual pace of Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes.

6. Whats the endgame for China?

Advertisement

Government officials havent explicitly said how or when they expect the pandemic to end. In the meantime, China has given no sign of backing away from its strategy of trying to contain each flareup as quickly as possible. While local lockdowns cause economic disruption and spur complaints on social media, people in the rest of the country can generally carry on with normal life. The countrys top virus expert said in March that China should stick to its strategy, while fine-tuning some measures to be more targeted and deployed quicker to deal with omicron. Ma Xiaowei, head of Chinas National Health Commission, called in April for a clear-cut stance in opposing the wrongful thoughts of living with virus. Some experts think the strategy will eventually crumble as the virus becomes too transmissible to control. Another possibility is a new variant may emerge thats mild enough for the government to relent without harming the population. Some outside experts think the policy will be dismantled gradually, rather than in one fell swoop.

7. Whats the outlook for Hong Kong?

The financial hub and gateway to China has prioritized aligning its policy with the mainland in an effort to reopen the border. Successive outbreaks on both sides have kept that from happening. As omicron swept through Hong Kong early this year, public hospitals became overcrowded and the governments priorities shifted to vaccinating the elderly and reducing fatalities. In March, after acknowledging that public tolerance was fading, city leaders suspended a plan for mandatory citywide testing and instead sent kits to all residents and asked them to test themselves at home. With daily case numbers falling, the city eased social-distancing restrictions in mid-April and again in May. But officials said talks on reopening borders would have to wait, even as it tries to make life easier for travelers.

Advertisement

 Bloomberg Opinions Shuli Ren looks at the role fear of the virus plays in China, and Therese Raphael and Sam Fazeli examine why China cant loosen up yet.

 Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg Intelligence analyzed three ways China could exit Covid Zero, and heres six indicators that could signal its coming.

 Businessweek digs into the mounting economic damage from Covid Zero, and a Big Take looks at the havoc it wreaks.

 More QuickTakes on what we know about omicron and Covid therapies.

 Some of the stranger things that have been in Chinas crosshairs.

 Bloombergs Resilience Ranking charts the best and worst places to be during the pandemic.

(Updates with top leaders warning against abandoning Covid Zero strategy in section 2)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

Bill would classify abortion as homicide Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Republicans in the Louisiana House advanced a bill Wednesday that would classify abortion as homicide and allow prosecutors to criminally charge patients, with supporters citing a draft opinion leaked this week showing the Supreme Court ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. The legislation, which passed through a committee on a 7-to-2 vote, goes one step further than other antiabortion bans that have gained momentum in recent years, which focus on punishing abortion providers and others who help facilitate the procedure. Experts say the bill could also restrict in vitro fertilization and emergency contraception because it would grant constitutional rights to a person from the moment of fertilization.

Discussing the legislation less than 48 hours after the leaked Supreme Court draft proposing to overturn the 1973 ruling that has protected abortion rights, lawmakers and advocates who spoke in support of the bill appeared energized by the prospect of a long-sought imminent victory.

Advertisement

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. confirmed on Tuesday that the draft opinion was authentic but emphasized that the decision written by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. was not final.

If the Louisiana bill passes the Republican-led House and Senate, it would head to Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), who has supported antiabortion legislation in the past.

Louisiana is one of 13 states that has a trigger law, which would make abortion illegal as soon as Roe is overturned.

 Caroline Kitchener

Tornadoes strike Texas, Oklahoma

A storm system spawned several tornadoes that whipped through areas of Texas and Oklahoma, causing damage to a school, a marijuana farm and other structures.

There were no reports of serious injuries following the Wednesday night tornadoes, but the system was causing flooding in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas, and more stormy weather was expected Thursday.

Advertisement

Significant damage was reported in the Oklahoma city of Seminole, about 60 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.

Nearly 4,500 customers were without power early Thursday afternoon, according to Oklahoma Gas & Electric, 96 percent of the utility customers in the city.

In Texas, a large and dangerous tornado was spotted Wednesday in the rural community of Lockett, about 170 miles northwest of Dallas, said the National Weather Service office in Norman, Okla.

 Associated Press

GiftOutline Gift Article
Police and federal agents in Grand Forks seized video discs and other items from the home of North Dakotas longest-serving state senator after he had traded scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.

A Grand Forks police detective and two Homeland Security special agents searched Ray Holmbergs condominium on Nov. 17, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press. The Forum of Fargo first reported about the search on Friday.

Im not talking to anybody, Holmberg, 79, told the AP by phone, referring questions to his attorney, Mark Friese.

Friese, a prominent North Dakota defense attorney, said he hasnt seen the search warrant and has had difficulty getting information from state and federal authorities on why his client is being investigated.

Holmberg, a Republican who rose to become one of the states most powerful lawmakers in a career that spanned 46 years, announced last month that he would resign June 1. His term was scheduled to end on Nov. 30 and he already had announced in March that it would be his last, citing stress and a weakened ability to concentrate on the matters at hand and effectively recall events.

The police report did not give a reason for the issuance of a search warrant. It came about three months after Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages with Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier as Morgan-Derosier was held in the Grand Forks County Jail.

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.

The state charges against Morgan-Derosier have been superseded by federal charges that include possession and distribution of child pornography and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

The police report said Holmberg was present during the search of his home, which came five days after a special session of the Legislature adjourned in Bismarck. Holmberg played key roles in legislative redistricting and appropriating federal coronavirus aid.

In addition to seizing CDRs and DVDRs in a nightstand drawer in a bedroom in Holmbergs condo, multiple other items were seized by officers and placed into evidence, the report said. It did not identify the additional items.

The Forum reported that the two federal agents and the Grand Forks police detective who searched Holmbergs home also investigated Morgan-Derosier.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 2
Placeholder while article actions load

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia  Officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met Friday in Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh, in a new effort to organize humanitarian assistance for strife-torn Myanmar, a goal that critics feel falls short of addressing the causes of the crisis in the military-run nation. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The meeting, which some participants joined by video, was attended by high-level representatives from Myanmar and the other nine member states of ASEAN, its external partners, United Nations specialized agencies and other international organizations. Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN.

No details of any agreements at the meeting were released. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is also ASEANs special envoy on Myanmar, said at a news conference that progress had been made, and wrote on his Facebook page that the meeting produced promising outcomes and directions.

Advertisement

The meeting was part of an attempt to revive a five-point consensus on Myanmar reached by ASEAN in April last year. That consensus was reached in response to violence that swept Myanmar after the military in February 2021 seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and used lethal force to quash opposition to its takeover.

The consensus calls for the immediate cessation of violence, a dialogue among concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties. Prak Sokhonn said Fridays meeting added momentum to implementing the five-point consensus. He said he would make a second trip to Myanmar in his capacity of special envoy in the next few weeks.

Myanmar initially agreed to the consensus but then made scant effort to implement it. Its stonewalling led fellow ASEAN members to block Myanmars leaders since last October from attending major meetings of the regional grouping.

Advertisement

At the same time, armed resistance to military rule has increased to the extent that some U.N. experts say the country is now in a state of civil war. Myanmars military has launched large-scale operations, including air strikes in several areas of the country, generating large numbers of displaced people.

In an effort to eliminate havens for armed opponents, the governments tactics have included burning down entire villages and restricting access to essential supplies such as food.

About 924,800 people remain displaced across Myanmar as of April 25, including 578,200 people who have fled their homes as a result of conflict and insecurity since the military takeover, according to an assessment by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Humanitarian access to conflict-affected and displaced people remains heavily restricted and there are significant gaps in assistance to these communities despite continued efforts by humanitarian partners and local organizations, it said.

Advertisement

Even if access to those in need is eased, relief efforts face funding challenges. Myanmar is one of the regions poorest countries, and its economy has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the political upheaval, making foreign assistance an imperative.

The U.N.s 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks to reach a record 6.2 million people and requires $826 million, the world body announced last month. To date, it is only 4% funded, it said.

Critics of Myanmars military government suggest that any attempt to implement the five-point consensus is a waste of time.

ASEANs credibility depends on its ability to act in accordance with the reality of the situation in Myanmar, the non-partisan group ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights said in an open letter last month to ASEAN leaders. The group cannot expect the military to abide by the terms of the Five-Point Consensus or to any international or humanitarian norm for that matter.

Advertisement

The lawmakers group said it is imperative that the member states escalate measures to put real pressure on the military to stop it from brutalizing its own population and turning the country into a failed state.

Measures it suggested include the suspension of Myanmars membership in ASEAN, regional travel bans for Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and members of his ruling military council, and targeted sanctions against them that include their sources of economic support. Western nations such as the United States and Britain have already implemented similar bans and sanctions.

Critics of Myanmars military believe any breakthrough toward resolving the crisis must ultimately involve the countrys National Unity Government, the main organization representing opposition forces. The group, set up by elected lawmakers who were denied their seats by the army takeover, considers itself the countrys legitimate government and has widespread public support. The countrys military leaders, however, have officially designated it an outlawed terrorist organization and refuse to engage with it.

Advertisement

The open letter from the lawmakers group called on ASEAN to immediately and publicly meet with the NUG, an appeal that met with a positive response on Twitter from Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. He said he had informally met via video with the NUG foreign minister ahead of a conference of ASEAN foreign ministers in February.

Saifuddin later said Malaysia would propose that ASEAN engage informally with the NUG because no progress had been made in a year in implementing the five-point consensus.

We are not proposing for ASEAN to recognize other governments, but such informal engagement may be conceivable, especially on how humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar who are still in their country can be delivered, he said.

Myanmars Foreign Affairs Ministry quickly rejected his proposal as irresponsible and reckless.

-

Associated Press writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

BEIJING  A building collapse one week ago in central China killed 53 people, state media reported Friday as the search of the large pile of debris ended after rescuers found 10 survivors. Authorities said at a news conference that all the missing had been accounted for as of 3 a.m., state broadcaster CCTV said in an online post.

The residential and commercial building in the city of Changsha suddenly collapsed the afternoon of April 29. Aerial photos showed it pancaked to about the second story between other buildings about six stories tall. At least nine people have been arrested on suspicion of ignoring building codes or committing other violations.

Survivors were pulled out of the rubble over several days. The 10th and last one was pulled out shortly after midnight on Thursday, 5  days after the collapse. All of the survivors were reportedly in good condition after being treated in a hospital.

Advertisement

The arrested include the building owner, three people in charge of design and construction and five others who allegedly gave a false safety assessment for a guest house on the buildings fourth to sixth floors. The building also had residences, a cafe and a restaurant.

Rescuers used search dogs, hand tools, drones and electronic life detectors.

In an account of Mondays rescue of the eighth survivor, state media said rescuers faced an unstable pile of rubble that they had to work around rather than demolish. Prior to the rescue, they were able to feed in video equipment to communicate with the girl and establish that one of her legs was trapped. They also fed in saline solution for her to drink.

An increase in the number of collapses of self-built buildings in recent years prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to call for additional checks to uncover structural weaknesses.

Poor adherence to safety standards, including the illegal addition of extra floors and failure to use reinforcing iron bars, is often blamed for such disasters. Decaying infrastructure such as gas pipes has also led to explosions and collapses.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

KYIV, Ukraine  Amnesty International says it has documented extensive war crimes by Russian forces in communities around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, including arbitrary executions, bombardments of residences and torture. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The pattern of crimes committed by Russian forces that we have documented includes both unlawful attacks and willful killings of civilians, Agnes Callamard, Amnesty Internationals Secretary General, said in a statement on Friday. It is vital that all those responsible, including up the chain of command, are brought to justice.

The organization said it collected evidence and testimony in eight cities near Kyiv, including Bucha. After Russian forces retreated from Bucha in April, corpses were found lying on streets, many with their hands bound behind their backs, and in mass graves. Kyiv regional governor Oleksandr Pavlyuk said that at least 1,235 civilian bodies have been found in the region.

Advertisement

Russia has consistently claimed that it hits only targets with military values. It has denied war-crimes allegations and claimed that the Bucha corpses were falsified as a provocation.

AIs report described the shooting in Bucha of Yevhen Petrashenko, a 43-year-old sales manager, who was shot in his kitchen while his wife and children were hiding in the basement. The Russian military allowed his wife, Tatiana, to enter the apartment, where she found her husbands corpse.

Yevhen was lying dead in the kitchen. He had been shot in the back, (near his) lungs and liver. His body remained in the apartment until 10 March, when we were able to bury him in a shallow grave in the courtyard, the report quoted her as saying.

Their neighbor Leonid Bodnarchuk, a 44-year-old construction worker, was shot dead by Russian soldiers as he climbed the stairs, and then the military threw a grenade into the stairwell, the report said.

Advertisement

The executions in Bucha were carried out with specialized rifles used by some elite Russian units, the report said. Amnesty International staff found 7N12 armor-piercing rounds with a 9x39mm black tip at the murder scene, which are used by elite units of the Russian army.

The investigation also described bombardment of the city of Borodyanka, in which at least 40 people were killed in indiscriminate bombings that destroyed eight residential buildings.

It quoted Borodyanka resident Vasyl Yaroshenko as saying he had left his multi-story residence for his garage when a bomb hit the house.

I saw a large gap in the building, he said, according to the report. My wife Halina was among those killed. I still see her by the door of our apartment, the home where we lived for 40 years.

The report says researchers found evidence documenting specific units of the Russian army that were involved, including training books that belonged to the driver of the 104th regiment of the Airborne Forces.

We have met families whose loved ones were killed in horrific attacks, and whose lives have changed forever because of the Russian invasion, Callamard said. We support their demands for justice, and call on the Ukrainian authorities, the International Criminal Court and others to ensure evidence is preserved that could support future war crime prosecutions.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

GUATEMALA CITY  A judge in Guatemala ruled Friday that nine former police and military officers will stand trial for a range of alleged crimes, including forced disappearances, torture and killings during that countrys civil war. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight In reading his decision, Judge Miguel Angel Galvez recounted testimony about acts of torture, forced disappearance and killing.

They put them on planes and tossed them into the ocean to get rid of evidence of torture, he said, also describing the ripping out of fingernails and tongues, sexual assaults and electrocuting mens genitals, all allegedly on the orders of the accused.

The case stems from a document from Guatemalas civil war recovered in 1999 known as the Military Diary. Inside, military officials logged forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the torture of 183 people.

Advertisement

The men on trial were high-ranking military and police officers arrested last year and implicated in the cases described in the document by nature of the command positions they held when the crimes occurred between 1983 and 1986.

In 2012, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights declared the Guatemalan government responsible for the forced disappearances of 26 people listed in the Military Diary, as well as for the violation of their rights to personal freedom, health and life.

Authorities victims were student leaders, labor activists, and guerrilla fighters. The document describes not only the victims, but details surveillance tactics, captures and killings.

Among the first victims registered in the document was Samayoa Morales, also known as Sheny, a member of the Urban Front of the Organization of People in Arms, one of the four guerrilla organizations. The entry included her photo and noted that she had visited Cuba, was later turned over to a Guatemalan military entity and then nothing else was recorded about her fate.

Advertisement

Some of the entries include code. For example, researchers determined that the number 300, meant killed. There are people in the document who survived and others who were never heard from again.

Rudy Gustavo Figueroa Munoz was an academic who was arrested October 12, 1984. He was allegedly the head of a guerrilla cell. A coded entry notes the day and location his body was later found.

His family knew he had been abducted. They searched jails, hospitals and military bases, but no one told them anything. Months later his body was dumped just yards from their home.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

JERUSALEM  Israeli security forces took part in a massive manhunt Friday for two Palestinians suspected of carrying out a stabbing rampage near Tel Aviv that left three Israelis dead. The stabbing on Thursday, Israels Independence Day, was the latest in a series of deadly assaults deep inside the country in recent weeks. It came as Israeli-Palestinian tensions were already heightened by violence at a major holy site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims.

Police said they were searching for two suspects, 19 and 20 years old, from the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, which has re-emerged as a militant bastion in the latest wave of violence  the worst Israel has seen in years. Several attackers have come from in or around Jenin, and Israeli forces have launched arrest raids that have ignited gunbattles there.

Advertisement

We will get our hands on the terrorists and their supportive environment, and they will pay the price, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said after huddling with senior security officials late Thursday. Authorities said the attackers fled in a vehicle.

Medics described a horrific scene in Elad, an ultra-Orthodox town near Tel Aviv. In addition to the three killed, four others were wounded, one of them critically. Police said at least one of the assailants wielded an axe in the attack.

Israeli media identified those killed as Yonatan Havakuk, Boaz Gol and Oren Ben Yiftah, three fathers in their 30s and 40s who together are survived by 16 children.

Ben Yiftah, 35 years old and the father of six, was from the central city of Lod. The citys mayor, Yair Revivo, said our heart breaks into tiny pieces in a Facebook post, calling it a great tragedy.

Advertisement

Israel marked its Independence Day on Thursday, a festive national holiday in which people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz extended a closure on the West Bank, imposed ahead of the holiday to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel, to remain in effect until Sunday.

In Washington, Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the horrific attack targeting innocent men and women.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who strongly condemned the attack in Elad, according to a statement from Lapids office.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government administers autonomous zones in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security, also condemned the attack.

Advertisement

The killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians leads only to more deterioration at a time when all of us try to achieve stability and prevent escalation, the official Wafa news agency quoted him as saying.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the attack and linked it to violence at the Jerusalem holy site.

The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque cant go unpunished, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said. The heroic operation in Tel Aviv is a practical translation of what the resistance had warned against.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam and is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It lies at the emotional heart of the conflict, and Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed there repeatedly in recent weeks.

Advertisement

Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it.

Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses Hamas of inciting the recent violence.

At least 18 Israelis have been killed in five attacks since March, including another stabbing rampage in southern Israel, two shootings in the Tel Aviv area, and a shooting last weekend in a West Bank settlement.

Nearly 30 Palestinians have died in violence  most of whom had carried out attacks or were involved in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank. But an unarmed woman and two apparent bystanders were also among those killed, and rights groups say Israel often uses excessive force.

Advertisement

Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war a year ago, fueled in large part by similar unrest in Jerusalem.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem  which includes Al-Aqsa and other major religious sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims  in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state. The last serious peace talks collapsed more than a decade ago.

___

Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Hamilton, Canada, contributed to this report.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Placeholder while article actions load

SANAA, Yemen  Three planes carrying 117 Yemeni prisoners held by the Saudi-led coalition landed Friday in the southern port city of Aden as a truce between the countrys warring parties entered its second month, the Red Cross said. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen announced last week that it would release 163 prisoners to its rivals  the Iran-backed Houthi rebels  in support of a cease-fire agreement between the warring sides. The agreement, brokered by the United Nations, aims to pave the way to an end of Yemens 8-year civil war.

The Houthis however, denied that most were war detainees. In a statement the rebels prisoner affairs body said that only five of the group were prisoners of war. Among the returned were Yemeni fishermen and nine foreigners of African nationalities who had no affiliation with the Houthis, it added.

Advertisement

Abdel Malak al-Ajery, a member of the Houthi body known as the National Delegation, tweeted that the men who were returned were Yemeni laborers who were arrested while working in Saudi. He did not offer any evidence to back up his claim.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which facilitated the repatriation, said in a statement that it had interviewed the detainees before they traveled to verify their identities and confirm that their wish was to return to Yemen.

It was unclear how the prisoners would make their way from Aden back home, to rebel-held north Yemen. Aden, in the countrys south, is controlled by Yemens internationally recognized government.

We are pleased to see that humanitarian considerations are being prioritized for the sake of the families, said Katharina Ritz, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, said in a statement.

Advertisement

Videos aired on the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel showed men dressed in white robes getting off a Red Cross airplane and holding flowers inside the Aden airport.

The truce, which went into effect on April 2, is the first nationwide cease-fire in Yemen in six years. It came amid concerted international and regional efforts to find a settlement to a conflict that has devastated the Arab worlds poorest country and pushed it to the brink of famine.

But the full agreement has yet to be implemented. In late April, the warring sides failed to operate the first commercial flight in six years from the rebel-held capital of Sanaa as agreed under the truce. Houthi and coalition authorities have reported almost daily violations of the cease-fire, especially around the government-held central city of Marib, which the Houthis have attempted to seize for over a year.

Advertisement

The U.N. envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, welcomed Fridays release of Houthi detainees by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as earlier detainee releases by the Houthis. However, he also called on both sides to make plans for a larger prisoner exchange stipulated under the cease-fire agreement.

Yemens conflicted erupted in 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized Sanaa, and forced the government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try restore the government to power.

The conflict has in recent years become a regional proxy war that has killed more than 150,000 people, including over 14,500 civilians. It has also created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

GiftOutline Gift Article
Ella Scott, left, and Alyssa Hoy, co-founders of Vandegrift High Schools banned book club, speak at a rally for the right to read. (Montinique Monroe for The Post)

Students around the country say it's crucial to read about difficult and challenging ideas.
Placeholder while article actions load

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine  When the moist concrete walls deep below ground and the mold and the cold and the weeks without fresh fruit or vegetables became too much to bear, some in the bunker underneath Elina Tsybulchenkos office decided to visit the sky. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight They made their way, through darkness lit by flashlights and lamps powered by car batteries, to a treasured spot in the bombarded Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian holdout in the ruined city of Mariupol. There, they could look up and see a sliver of blue or smoky gray. It was like peering from the bottom of a well. For those who could not, or dared not, climb to the surface, it was as distant as peace.

But seeing the sky meant hope. It was enough to make Elinas adult daughter, Tetyana, cry.

The Tsybulchenko family was among the first to emerge from the steel plant in a tense, days-long evacuation negotiated by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross with the governments of Russia, which now controls Mariupol, and Ukraine, which wants the city back. A brief cease-fire allowed more than 100 civilians to flee the plant.

Advertisement

They arrived safely in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia this week. There, they described for The Associated Press their two months at the center of hell, and their escape.

Hundreds of civilians and Ukrainian fighters remain trapped at the plant and Russian forces have pushed their way inside. The seizure of Mariupol is expected to play a central role in Moscows celebration on May 9 of Victory Day, historically marking the end of World War II.

In the earliest days of Russias invasion Tsybulchenko, 54, was shocked by the bombardment of her city. Like many residents with memories of civil defense drills, she knew the steel plant had the only real bunkers in town. When she, her husband Serhii, her daughter and her son-in-law Ihor Trotsak decided to hole up in the one under her office, she assumed they would stay a few days.

Advertisement

We didnt even take toothbrushes, Elina said. But a few days turned into 60.

They had brought only their documents, three blankets, two dogs and fruit carried in a basket they used for Orthodox Easter. They didnt think they would mark the holiday there weeks later.

The steel plant has a maze of more than 30 bunkers and tunnels spread out over its 11 square kilometers (4 miles), and each bunker was its own world. Evacuees had little or no communication with those elsewhere in the plant; they would eventually meet on the buses to Zaporizhzhia and compare experiences.

Their isolation complicates estimates of the number of civilians and Ukrainian fighters who remain. A few hundred civilians are still trapped, the Ukrainian side said this week, including more than 20 children. Another evacuation effort was reported underway Friday.

Advertisement

The number of those surviving underground threatens to drop every day. Some evacuees recalled watching in horror as the wounded succumbed to their injuries while first aid supplies, even clean water, ran short or ran out.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko. The weary foreman at the plant fled along with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker; 30 were left behind. They need our help badly, he said. We need to get them out.

In another bunker, the Tsybulchenko family lived among 56 people, including 14 children ages 4 to 17. They survived by dividing among themselves the bare rations that fighters brought down tinned meat, porridge, crackers, salt, sugar, water. There was not enough to go around.

The familys old cocker spaniel suffered, shivering and staring at them with wide eyes. The dog had to die, they decided. It was an act of mercy. They asked a soldier for sleeping pills, but he said the dog might survive and suffer more.

Advertisement

Let me shoot it, he said.

The dog was given a hurried burial above ground amid the shelling; rubble and scrap metal were placed atop it, to protect it from other, starving pets.

There was little comfort. The bunker shook from bombardment. We went to bed like this every night and thought, Will we survive? Elina said.

The Tsybulchenkos and others slept on benches padded with the uniforms of steel plant workers. For toilets, they used buckets. When the bombardment became too heavy to empty the buckets upstairs, they used plastic bags. To pass the time, people made up board games or played cards. One carved bits of wood into toys.

A room in the bunker became a playground for the children. People found markers and paper and held an arts and crafts contest, with the children drawing what they would like to see the most. They drew nature and the sun. As Easter approached in late April, they drew Easter eggs and bunnies.

Advertisement

The drawings were posted on walls that dripped with moisture. Dank-smelling mold crept from the corners and migrated to clothing and blankets. The only way to keep something dry was to wear it. Even after evacuation and after their first proper showers in months, the Tsybulchenkos worried they smelled of mold.

While they tried to collect rainwater, they often used sanitizer to clean themselves and their dishes, to the point where Elinas hands showed an allergic reaction. In the early days, she went up to her office and brought down lotion, deodorant and a few other personal items she had left there.

Then it became too dangerous to go above. Half the building, including her office, collapsed in the bombardment.

Again and again over the two months, people in the bunker would hear word of possible evacuations from Mariupol, only to learn they had failed. When news arrived of the U.N.-negotiated evacuation, there was skepticism and fear. But the planning began with decisions on who should leave first.

Advertisement

Others said the Tsybulchenkos should go because Elinas cramped legs had started to blacken and give her trouble. But there are small children here, and they should go, she said. The others insisted. They assumed the evacuation would continue in the days ahead and take everyone, even the fighters. Some hesitated, wanting to see whether the first evacuation was a success.

A small girl staying behind, Violeta, took a marker and drew a flower, a heart and Good luck on Elinas arm. The bunker residents had shortened the girls name to Leta, or sunlight.

Everyone in the bunker agreed to meet to celebrate at a cafe in Zaporizhzhia when the evacuation was complete.

Were so sorry, the Tsybulchenkos told the others as they started toward the surface.

Dont worry, they replied. Well follow.

Advertisement

___

Elina didnt recognize her workshop. The roof had been blown away. Walls were in ruins. The ground was pocked with craters and strewn with unexploded shells.

As they emerged from an opening in the rubble, the family and other evacuees blinked. After two months, the sunlight hurt their eyes.

It was quiet. The Russian bombardment, for once, had stopped.

The weather was brilliant, said Ivane Bochorishvili, the U.N. deputy humanitarian chief in Ukraine, who approached the plant to await the evacuees. The one when you are waiting for the perfect storm, like the blue sky.

A dangerous stretch lay ahead. A railway bridge near the plant was the receiving point for evacuees. The waiting buses were another kilometer away.

For the evacuation, the Russians had tried to retrieve the mines they had planted. But the machine hadnt detected everything, Bochorishvili said.

Advertisement

As he and a colleague approached in their vehicle, the Russians shouted from hundreds of meters away -- Dont move! The U.N. workers were told to get out and go back carefully to the last checkpoint on foot. The de-mining machine was brought in again. Eight more mines were found.

Ukrainian soldiers walked ahead and behind the evacuees as they finally emerged, making sure the column of people placed their feet safely.

Thank God we didnt see any bodies along the way, Elina said. The Russians had removed them.

Twenty-one people emerged the first day. The rest came out the next. As the second group met the first, there were all these hugs and kisses. Theyd been in Azovstal but hadnt seen each other, didnt know what happened to each other, said Osnat Lubrani, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine.

The buses set off through a ruined city. Makeshift graves lined the streets. People held their heads in grief and disbelief or hugged each other. These people are going to have longtime nightmares, said Esteban Sacco, the U.N. official responsible for the first leg of the bus journey to safety.

And yet they could still see signs of life. It was market day. There were people walking or biking, even children. Some peered through windows of bombed-out buildings.

The evacuees were still far from safe. The buses at first headed not west toward Ukrainian-held territory but east toward Russia. Even the U.N. staffers at first thought they were going there, Sacco said.

In a camp at Bezimenne, near the border, the evacuees said they faced pressure from the Russians to go to their side. The Russians even tried to board the buses, saying they wanted to offer the children candy, but they were kept out.

A Russian priest asked evacuees why they were going to Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine will cease to exist very soon, Elina Tsybulchenko recalled him saying.

The evacuees were questioned and searched, even stripped at times to check for military-style tattoos. Some Russians were polite, said Ihor, Elinas son-in-law. Others were mocking or insulting, especially if he slipped and spoke Ukrainian instead of Russian. Why are you speaking a foreign language? they asked.

The buses turned west for the slow route toward Zaporizhzhia and safety. We always had this fear, Ihor said. We knew we couldve ended up going to Russia.

As the convoy slowly arced around Mariupol, they could see faraway flashes as the Russian bombardment resumed. Two civilian women at the steel plant were killed and 10 civilians wounded, said Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of Ukraines Azov Regiment there.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces pushed into the plants perimeter with heavy, bloody battles.

The evacuees had entered their bunkers in winter. They emerged to a black-and-gray landscape, a grotesque spring. Only after passing through no mans land did Elina notice green and yellow fields again.

They entered Ukrainian-held territory after a harrowing, final stretch of more than 20 checkpoints.

Ukrainian officials had urged residents of Russian-controlled communities to climb aboard the convoy along the way. But in the end, the buses were not allowed to take them. Elina and other evacuees cried as they passed people standing near the road, waiting in vain.

We really felt shame, Elina said. We never stopped.

___

Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, contributed.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

GiftOutline Gift Article
"A clear victory for citizens of North Dakota who value transparency in government and the importance of the free press."

-- Tim Purdon, attorney for The Intercept nonprofit online news organization, after the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled that thousands of documents relating to construction security for the heavily protested Dakota Access Pipeline are public records.

q q q

"All the natural gas processing plants were down, some as briefly as nine hours. Some are still down six days later. The recovery is extreme."

-- State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms, on the impact to the Bakken oil patch of a recent blizzard, which also significantly impacted oil production.

q q q

Our complaint alleges that Glasser Images had been experiencing serious financial problems for years but falsely blamed the business closure on the pandemic. Despite the businesss serious undercapitalization, Jack Glasser continued to borrow from banks, the government, friends and family, while simultaneously enjoying a lifestyle of high-end dining, travel, and luxury vehicles, all at the expense of his business customers.

-- North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley, after his office sued the Bismarck photography studio that abruptly shut down and refused to offer refunds to clients who had already paid for services. The business's lawyer disputed the claims.

q q q

I think we're looking at the final opinion. The writing has been on the wall for some time. It's what we've all been bracing for.

-- Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Womens Clinic in Fargo, the states lone abortion clinic, after a leaked draft opinion indicated the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the procedure.

q q q

Our vision was always more than just buying a power plant. This was about preserving a way of life and preserving these communities.

-- Rainbow Energy and Nexus President Stacy Tschider, after the companies completed a sale of the Coal Creek Station power plant in McLean County and the transmission line that carries electricity across North Dakota into Minnesota.

q q q

Larry was a student favorite. He shared his passionate love for writing in a way that made it fun for all learners. He believed that every student had talent, and as much as anything, he had a way of encouraging them to believe in their own unique talents. Many went on to graduate school because of his inspiration.

-- University of Jamestown President Polly Peterson, after the death of North Dakota Poet Laureate and award-winning author Larry Woiwode, who was writer in residence at the university.

q q q

"Whether that's nature and science or history and geography, we're really trying to use the beauty and the nostalgia of state parks in order to accomplish that hands-on learning."

-- State Parks and Recreation Education Outreach Coordinator Josh Steffan, on the agency partnering with the Department of Public Instruction to offer outdoor K-12 education activities in state parks.

q q q

Its been an incredible year for cattle ranchers. First, they were dealing with severe and persistent drought, and then record-breaking storms delivered a one-two punch in the midst of calving season. The first storm was bad enough on its own, and then the second had a compounding effect on the animals that were already weak and stressed."

-- McVille rancher Dan Rorvig, president of the North Dakota Stockmen's Foundation.

q q q

"As these new variants continue to emerge, we will need to continue to watch what impacts they have on infectivity, illness severity, previous immunity and treatment."

-- Kirby Kruger, head of the state Health Department's disease control division and forensic pathology section, on a new descendant of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The Reserve Bank of Australia said it will need to raise interest rates further as unemployment is forecast to drop to the lowest level since 1974, fuelling wages growth and underpinning consumer-price growth.

Both headline and core inflation are seen remaining above the 2-3 per cent target this year and next before easing to 2.9 per cent at the end of the forecast period in June 2024, the RBA said in its Statement on Monetary Policy Friday. The cash rate is assumed to be 1.75 per cent at years end and 2.5 per cent at the end of next year, it said.

Higher labor costs in response to a tight labor market are expected to become the primary driver of inflation outcomes later in the forecast period, the RBA said. Firms are now reporting that they are paying larger wage increases or that they expect materially higher wages growth over the coming year.

A tight labour market will keep inflation higher, the RBA says. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Australias economy is surging in response to fiscal and monetary stimulus during the pandemic and, like much of the developed world, policy makers are grappling with an inflation outbreak. The central bank raised rates by a larger-than-expected 25 basis points on Tuesday as Governor Philip Lowe pivoted to a more hawkish outlook, just ahead of the Federal Reserves half-point hike.

Economists expect the bank to keep hiking this year, with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. forecasting the benchmark will be 2.6 per cent by years end. The RBA forecast the economy will expand 4.2 per cent this year, easing to 2 per cent at the end of 2023 as the reduction of stimulus weighs on growth, the quarterly update showed.

Unemployment is seen at around 3.5 per cent in early 2023, the lowest level since 1974, and remain around that level thereafter, the bank said. It said reopening of the border could, in time, help alleviate labor shortages in some industries, while also adding to demand in the economy.

The expansion is likely to be driven by robust consumption growth as spending on discretionary goods and services continues to recover, underpinned by strong household balance sheets and high real household disposable income, despite rising prices, the RBA said.

The central bank highlighted that Chinas lockdowns to combat the coronavirus will add to existing pressures on global supply chains, while Russias war on Ukraine remains a major source of uncertainty.

Still, it said, the resulting high commodity prices driven by the conflict will boost national income in Australia and probably see the terms of trade reach a new peak in the first half of this year.

Bloomberg
Mothers Day, I was told recently, is just a recent American import, designed to promote consumerism. I didnt inquire too deeply, as I assumed the person making the claim was merely trying to avoid the $12.70 expense of a box of cheap chocolates and, if pressed, the expense of a wilted bunch of carnations bought from the local service station.

Back in my day, wed hand make something at school. This doubled as a method of proving the recipient really was your mother. Youd bring home some misshaped clay lump, optimistically label it an ashtray, and await the response.

As soon as she said, oh thats beautiful, thank you darling, youd know she was actually your mother, as no one else would be able to summon up such an optimistic review for your frankly execrable work.

Available in white or avocado, its one of their Instant Gifts for Mother. Just add a ribbon. Credit:Illustration: Kathleen Adele

Admittedly, the department store gift was part of Mothers Day from as early as I can remember. Newspapers and magazines were full of ads for vacuum cleaners, steam irons and mops, always labelled a perfect gift for Mothers Day.
Regions like central Queensland stand to be the biggest beneficiaries of whats happening as our economy changes and the energy mix changes in this country, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said on a recent Gladstone trip, in which he promised 600,000 new-economy jobs, 500,000 of them for the regions. Ursula Colgan has been campaigning for a new Blackwater hospital for years. Shes been burned too many times to buy any political promises this time around. Credit:Zach Hope For his part, Prime Minister Scott Morrison last month announced more than $100 million for various Gladstone hydrogen projects. The ABC has even filmed episodes of Insiders and Q+A there. But there are no shiny new hydrogen hubs coming to the coal towns of the inland. Gladstone is a workers town and that [hydrogen investment] is great  it will create jobs for people in and around Gladstone, Storch says. But what about to the west?

Labor strategists have proffered Flynn as winnable, but polling suggests the party is not bridging the gap with the Coalition in Queensland the same way it is in Victoria and NSW. Last election, Labor haemorrhaged central Queensland votes to Pauline Hansons One Nation, which picked up close to 20 per cent of Flynns first preferences, and closer to 30 per cent in many inland booths. Everything here is neglected, says Ursula Colgan, a support worker and member of the local progress association, which has been pushing for a new hospital, doctors, childcare and an aged care home as part of the broader campaign to hold onto families in the age of fly-in fly-out. Whatever party gets in, they dont listen to the salt-of-the-earth people who understand whats needed. Colgan believes the census data obscures the reality of towns like Blackwater by not sufficiently accounting for the large number of FIFO coal miners who use the local services. The doctors do fine work, she says, but there are just not enough. Shes personally been waiting a fortnight for a GP.

Helpfully for Labor candidate Matt Burnett, his state counterparts in Brisbane have picked the election campaign to release tenders for the new and improved Blackwater Multipurpose Health Service. Colgan says its the second time theyve spruiked the plans in the lead-up to an election, and shes not buying it, at least not yet. Loading Have any of the parties been making a compelling case for Blackwater? Mate, all Ive seen is a promise for the hospital. Not another thing, Colgan says. You turn the TV on and all you hear is about how bad ScoMo did, instead of Labor getting on there and advertising what theyre going to do to help the country. No, all theyve done is run the other party down. And the other party, they havent even advertised. Have you noticed that?

As a matter of fact, yes. Labor has saturated the TV ad breaks, apparently deciding on Morrisons thats not my job quotes as the most damaging attack lines for this part of the country at this point in the campaign. Meanwhile, Clive Palmers United Australia Party screams from a bright yellow billboard, Net zero means no jobs, thanks LNP, a notable shift in tactics from the 2019 campaign, when Palmer directed his tens of millions almost exclusively to bringing down Labor. This masthead has canvassed dozens of views from several central Queensland towns, the kind of people and communities Storch, the Blackwater retailer, would consider to be Forgotten Bastards of the Inland. There is a common message which, if precariously distilled, might read something like: More doctors, better roads, less politics. The big yellow billboards of the UAP spread across the nation. Credit:Zach Hope Coal and the myriad fights attached to it are, at least in this unscientific poll, more subtle burns  ever-present, though not necessarily top of mind among the locals busy with their families and businesses. Voters have had months to digest the LNPs decision to join Labor in committing to net zero, and the Adani (now Bravus) coal mine is no longer an election issue.

Many are practically sceptical of net zero: The worlds population needs ever-more energy, and the metallurgical coal, rich in the Bowen Basin, will be sought after as long as humans seek steel. But the miners drinking in the Capricorn Hotel agree when  if  the soaring global demand for coal turns into a trickle, it would be the end of towns like Blackwater. Im not saying I dont care about the environment, but Ive built my whole life and my whole family around it, says one man who, like most coal workers employed on good money, asks his last name be kept from print. Loading Its not just me, its my father: his whole life has been mining. When its done, Ill be done by then, but my boy is 16  hes talking about it ... You cant buy a house on retail wages.
In two weeks time, there will be more. The Steggall success in Warringah three years ago appeared to be a bit of a one-off, a very specific repudiation of Tony Abbott. It turns out to have been the tremor preceding the earthquake. There are six truly competitive teal candidates running for seats in the House of Representatives in this election. It seems likely that two or three will win their seats, and possibly four. All are running against sitting Liberals. Giving rise to John Howards dismissive tagging of them this week as anti-Liberal groupies. They are not true independents, according to the Liberals. They are Labor-lite, or Labor in disguise. This sort of condescension shows that the Liberals have learned nothing since 2019, says Steggall. Scott Morrison at Todd Park with the Kogarah Cougars junior rugby league club in the seat of Cook. Credit:James Brickwood Its incredibly insulting to the people who voted for her, many of them formerly lifelong Liberal voters. Many people feel the Liberal Party left them, not the other way around. I think theres a realignment under way, says the former Olympic skier and barrister. To describe seats as historically Liberal is assuming the current Liberal Party reflects the values traditionally associated with the Liberal Party.

The claim that most offends Steggall, however, is that Warringah and the other Liberal-held seats at risk of going teal are Liberal seats by right, as Peta Credlin, Abbotts former chief of staff, puts it. Loading Arrogance, laziness and entitlement, exclaims Steggall. The idea that these are Liberal seats by right says it all  sheer hubris compared to the real principles of what we should stand for. The most extraordinary fact of this election campaign is that the Liberal leader dare not campaign in the Liberals traditional heartland seats. Morrison may be the head of the party, but hes lost its heart. The prime minister is such a liability that he spends his efforts scouting to win red seats in anticipation of losing traditionally blue. Hes forced to seek votes in the marginals because he is losing the centre as it turns teal.

The sure-fire way for Scott Morrison to lose seats in Sydney and Melbourne is to go and campaign in them, says a senior Liberal minister. Morrison has visited Wentworth but only to visit his mother, who lives there, rather than to lose more votes for the Liberal member, Dave Sharma, by campaigning there. Loading On the current electoral state of play, each of the major parties is having difficulty assembling a majority of seats for the next parliament. Accepting this reality, each of the parties is pursuing a Plan B as a fallback. While its a race to 76 seats to form a majority government, Plan B is a race to 74 seats. For the Coalition, if it can win 74 seats, its confident that it can win over the extra two to guarantee confidence on the floor of the House. It counts Bob Katter of Katters Australia and Rebekha Sharkie of Centre Alliance in its column. In Labors case, if it can get to 74, it expects the support of the Greens Adam Bandt and Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie to guarantee confidence. But if either major party cant get to 74 to start with, the teals are suddenly crucial. Thatd be time for Plan C.

Usually known as a hung parliament, Steggall prefers to call it a parliament of balance. The teals could end up as the pivot point in deciding the balance. The teals share the same three top priorities as matters of urgency: action on climate change; the creation of a federal anti-corruption agency; justice and respect for women. Those imperatives align more closely with Labor than the Coalition. Morrison has put himself in an extraordinary position. By bad-mouthing the idea of a meaningful integrity agency as a kangaroo court and a public autocracy, he is seen to be opposed to integrity and, by implication, tolerant of corruption. By refusing to revise Abbotts 2030 emissions targets, hes seen to be anti-science. And by his mishandling of demands for justice and respect, hes seen to be disrespectful of women. As the former deputy leader of the federal Liberal Party Fred Chaney put it this week, Liberal members are no longer able to execute what the electorate demands and the party is now being held hostage by its extremes and those of its Coalition partner. A top Liberal moderate says Morrisons electoral calculus is to hold his conservative seats, and then try to negotiate with the teals whove just replaced his moderates to put together a minority government.

Is this a hopeless cause, for Morrison to be able to win the support of teal MPs? The Liberals tell themselves that its not, that because they would be representing traditionally Liberal seats theyd face pressure to give the Coalition a guarantee of confidence ahead of Labor. Loading And there is some basis for this. The teals broadly speaking are not pro-union, socialist or redistributive. In Steggalls case, she has voted with the Coalition 51 per cent of the time on legislation, on her count. In Helen Haines case, its 90 per cent. But, like Steggall, Haines most urgent priorities are an integrity commission and climate action. Steggall describes her electorate of Warringah as aspirational  people of all income levels work hard to get ahead, they dont want the traditional socialist way of viewing the economy. That might fit the traditional Liberal profile, but she continues: her supporters like competition, free trade, small government, opportunity and they dislike Morrisons extraordinary debt and deficit accumulation and his autocratic tendency to intervene in the market, she says. Morrison has abandoned all of these Liberal principles, she says.

The Liberal seats falling to teal independents have long been bastions of rock-ribbed conservative voters, highly educated, wealthy, with swags of business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs. They are electorates that produced prime ministers and the partys proudest offspring. Loading In Sydney, the blue-ribbon Liberal seats at risk of turning teal are Wentworth, formerly Malcolm Turnbulls seat, North Sydney, held by Trent Zimmerman, and northern Sydneys Mackellar, held by Jason Falinski. In Melbourne, the Liberals in greatest trouble are Tim Wilson in Goldstein and Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong. Yes, the seat of Robert Menzies, the partys founder. If it should lose some or all of these, the composition of the Liberal caucus will become more right-wing populist and even less traditional Liberal. If it should lose Frydenberg, a moderate and the leading candidate to replace Morrison, Peter Duttons claim on the post-Morrison leadership becomes much firmer. In the short run, the bottom line is this: is it realistic that Morrison could negotiate with the teal women who could be the pivot of power in the next parliament? Steggall publicly has said shed find it difficult to work with him.
Washington: Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has encouraged Australians to vote for independents if they reflect their values, a month after he declined to say if he would vote for Liberal MP Dave Sharma in his old seat of Wentworth.

In an intervention likely to infuriate the ex-colleagues Turnbull led to victory in 2016, the former Liberal leader has entered the fray in a speech concluding that even if the members of a political party cannot escape from the thrall of the dominant faction, their traditional supporters in the electorate can do so by voting for an independent who has a real chance of success.

Malcolm Turnbull, right, with former Liberal prime minister John Howard, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and former treasurer Peter Costello in March. Credit:Oscar Colman

Due to address the Washington Harvard Club at 8am Friday (AEST), Turnbull is expected to say that the Liberal Party had once been a broad church of liberal and conservative traditions, but since his deposition in 2018, moderate voices had become increasingly marginalised, especially on the toxically controversial issue of climate change where the political right, supported by [Rupert] Murdochs media, have opposed effective action for many years.

In a copy of the speech provided to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, he notes there is also growing grassroots support for small-l liberal independent candidates who are typically progressive on climate and social issues and are now threatening his former colleagues in once-safe Liberal seats.
Friends and family say Lacye Knudsen was born to be a nurse. While that may be true, she said watching her mom actually give birth was what led her down her chosen career path.

I discovered I wanted to be a nurse at the age of 11 when I was present for my youngest siblings' birth. I immediately fell in love with labor and delivery and the nurses that took care of my mom, said Knudsen, a registered nurse.

Knudsen, a Montana native, graduated in 2008 from the Licensed Practical Nursing Program from the University of Montana College of Technology in Missoula, Montana. In 2010, she completed a registered nursing associate's degree and in 2019 she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Western Governors University.

Knudsens nursing career started at the Community Medical Center in Missoula, where she worked in a variety of areas including general medical-surgical, ICU/PCU, orthopedics, outpatient oncology infusion clinic and NICU. In 2016, Knudsen and her family moved from Missoula to Bismarck, and soon after she started working at the Cardiac Cath Lab and Heart and Vascular Center at CHI St. Alexius Health.

Knudsen was nominated by her peer, Ashley Meyer, for The Bismarck Tribunes Nurses: The Heart of Health Care award, for her talents, skills and compassion as the cardiac cath lab resource nurse.

Lacye is the definition of a nurse that we all strive to be. She continually goes above the call of duty in the Cardiac Cath Lab at CHI St. Alexius. She saves lives every day wearing a smile, Meyer said.

Knudsen was selected by a panel of judges. She and 12 outstanding nurses will be honored at a luncheon on May 11.

Meyer praised Knudsen for her compassion for her patients and her co-workers.

She cares deeply and passionately not only for each and every patient that passes through the department, but also for her peers both within and outside of the nursing profession. Shes the glue that holds us all together, healing patients and spreading kindness wherever she goes, Meyer said.

Knudsen, 35, plays a key role in the procedures at the Cath Lab including cardiac catheterizations. During those procedures, X-rays of the heart are taken while dye fills the coronary arteries. The visualization helps determine possible blockage in the coronary arteries.

I care for patients and their loved ones in emergency, urgent, and scheduled outpatient settings, Knudsen said.

While Knudsen admits she has always been a caregiver, there are a lot of reasons why she enjoys nursing.

It is hard to summarize all the things I love about nursing, there are just so many things: building relationships with patients and their family members, being a support system during very vulnerable times; there is always something new to learn, literally saving lives, opportunities to advance, wide variety of jobs, and being inspired by patients on a daily basis.

In the future, Knudsen hopes to further her education and obtain the Cardiac Vascular Nursing Certification (CV-BC).

I aspire to help mentor smart and compassionate nurses into the family here at the Cardiac Cath Lab at CHI, she said.

In her spare time, Knudsen enjoys doing 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles, Barre exercise classes, and spending time with family and friends. Knudsen and her husband, Cory, have two children, Emmett, 12 and Charlie, 3.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Tanner Hammers journey to becoming an emergency department staff nurse at Sanford Health Bismarck has been exciting, even though she wasnt always sure she was on the right path.

To be completely honest, being a nurse was something that I did not know how much I would enjoy until I started my first job, Hammer said. Early in my 20s, as many young people experience, I felt very lost and pressured to pick the right career path. When I first enrolled in my (nursing) program, I did not know how I would like it, if I would succeed and if it would be a sustainable career for me.

Hammer, who grew up on the West Coast, originally enrolled in the licensed practical nursing (LPN) program at Sumner College in Portland, Oregon. She graduated in 2017 and went to work at the Lewis County Jail in Chehalis, Washington. She continued her studies while working full time at the jail and earned both an associate degree in registered nursing from Sumner College and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Boise State University in 2020.

She said this demanding stage of her life made her stronger.

One of the main highlights of my career in nursing, honestly, was my journey through the second half of my schooling. During this time, I was single, had recently bought my first home, worked full-time night shifts, and traveled two hours each way to attend in-person school for two years, Hammer said. I look back now, and I am thankful I was able to persevere and complete my program. It was definitely an experience I will never forget.

Hammer, 28, said her first nursing job at Lewis County Jail helped prepare her for her future in the emergency department.

This (Lewis County Jail) is truly where I feel I learned the core of my nursing values and found true meaning in being a nurse, Hammer said. For many, this probably sounds odd because who would love working in a correctional facility? But it is truly where I found my passion, drive and love for nursing.

Hammer was promoted to health services administrator at Lewis County Jail in March of 2020. About 16 months later, she and her husband, DJ, decided to leave Washington for Bismarck. That is when Hammer decided to seek a job in the emergency department.

This has truly been what I have always wanted to do as a nurse, she said.

Despite working at Sanford Healths emergency department for less than a year, her compassion and skills have been recognized by her patients. Lillian Crook, a patient, nominated Hammer for The Bismarck Tribunes Nurses: The Heart of Health Care award.

Tanner knocks it out of the park for patient care! Crook wrote in her nomination.

Hammer was selected as a finalist by a panel of judges. She and 12 other nurses will be recognized for their contributions to health care at a luncheon May 11.

Hammer said shes grateful for being honored for something she loves to do.

Every day you do not know what will be coming through the door. The day can change so quickly based off what patients we see, the acuity of the situation and that makes for a very exciting place to work, Hammer said.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Public relations is the practice of creating mutually-beneficial relationships by providing relevant and timely information to an audience that already exists. Content marketing, meanwhile, is all about creating content that attracts and retains new audience members.

While these concepts may seem like opposite ends of the communication spectrum, combining content marketing and PR offers a new approach to lead generation for your organization.

Current Challenges in Lead Generation

Customer acquisition costs (CAC) are on the rise. About 60% of marketers say that their CAC has increased over the past three years, making it more important than ever for companies to both identify potential leads and increase the chances that these leads are quickly converted into paying customers.

Content marketing excels at the second part of this equation. As a result, companies are earmarking more of their marketing budgets for content-based campaigns; as noted by the Marketing Insider Group, the most successful companies now spend up to 40% of their total marketing budget on content-driven campaigns. PR budgets are also growing as companies look to keep existing connections strong  in the U.S. alone, businesses now spend more than 6 billion per year on public relations efforts.

The result? Spending to keep current customers and drive conversions is on the rise. However, for many companies, lead generation is hampered by content nets that are too wide to capture the ideal audience, and PR approaches that focus too much on maintaining the status quo.

Can you use PR for lead generation? Yes. By combining traditional PR approaches with content marketing strategies, its possible to leverage existing audiences as a jumping-off point for new connections.

On its own, PR is designed to keep current audiences interested and disseminate key information about business operations to relevant news and industry outlets.

By integrating techniques that content marketers use to drive engagement (quizzes, questionnaires or user generated content), its possible for PR teams to generate new leads that have existing connections with current audiences in order to capture more of the target market.

How Content Marketing and PR can Work Together

PR and content marketing are two sides of the same coin. Both focus on creating and communicating valuable information  just for two different audiences.

When it comes to PR, the goal is to educate existing audiences, such as loyal customers, stakeholders, and social media followers, about topics of interest. Assets created by public relations teams  such as press releases, white papers, or eBooks  are often posted on news sites or shared with industry publications to reach an audience thats already listening.

Content marketing teams, meanwhile, focus on consistently creating high-value content thats both timely and relevant and then sharing this content in hopes of generating new customer interest and expanding the overall audience. Content marketing teams are often responsible for email campaigns that encourage users to click through on new products or download reports; they may also create newsletters and social media posts and coordinate marketing partnerships such as those with social media influencers.

Combining these two approaches makes it possible to find and generate leads that are likely to become loyal customers.

Not sure where to get started with lead generation under a content marketing/PR model? Weve got you covered with seven strategy options.

How to Generate Leads with Content Marketing and PR Strategies Find new channels Combine science and art Repurpose content Talk up your accomplishments Create a reciprocal content framework Lean on established connections Keep communications open

1. Find new channels

News travels fast. So fast, in fact, that even digital news outlets often cant keep up. For businesses, this means that it remains important to submit PR pieces to familiar news sources and industry publications. Its also worth finding accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn that offer similar news coverage at speed.

By using a combination of familiar and fast-moving options for content distribution, companies can increase their reach and their impact.

2. Combine science and art

While PRs focus has long been on written content press releases and white papers that contain the science of data collection and statistical interpretation  theres a growing demand for visual content that offers a lower bar to entry.

The result? Marrying the in-depth content created by PR teams with more broadly-applicable infographic art developed by content marketing experts will help your content reach the widest audience possible.

3. Repurpose content

When it comes to content marketing and PR combined, theres nothing wrong with copying yourself, so long as you do it the right way.

Heres what it looks like in practice: You create a white paper or eBook about a new product, then repurpose this content to create multiple, shorter blog posts. The result? You capture both PR and content markets with similar  but not identical  content.

4. Talk up your accomplishments

Dont be shy about awards youve won or honors youve received. Often listed on press releases, companies may be reluctant to mention awards in content marketing efforts for fear of veering too far away from social conversation into sales.

In reality, its worth highlighting what youre good at, both on your website and in any content marketing campaign efforts. While theres a balance to strike here between self-love and self-awareness, the evolving nature of consumer expectations has customers seeking out brands who have the credentials to back up big claims.

5. Create a reciprocal content framework

Your content doesnt exist in a vacuum. Consider a white paper used by PR teams and then reposted as a blog and social media link by content marketers. If content teams can prompt engagement from potential customers, such as giving feedback or leaving comments, this can help inform the focus of the next piece of PR content, which in turn gives rise to the next content campaign.

6. Lean on established connections

Both what you know and who you know matters in marketing. Its worth leveraging PR connections to help drive content strategies. These could be social media influencers, industry experts, or even long-term customers who are willing to share your content.

For influencers, this could mean an ongoing freelancer arrangement that requires a specific number of posts. For long-term clients, discounts or other offers could pave the way for content sharing.

7. Keep communications open

Last but never least in the fast-moving world of consumer purchasing trends? PR and content marketing teams need to stay in constant communication. This both reduces the risk of redundant or outdated content making it to news outlets or onto social media sites and helps ensure that new campaigns are coordinated for maximum effect.

Examples of Content Marketing and PR Lead Generation Strategies

So what does this combination of PR and content marketing look like in practice? Lets take a look at four real-world examples.

1. Wells Fargo

PR is about digging into the details, while content marketing focuses on the outcome. Both work in favor of Wells Fargo, which donates up to 1.5% of its total revenue to charitable causes every year.

As a press release this is good information, but as part of a larger content marketing campaign, especially during the covid-19 pandemic, its a great way for the company to show themselves doing some good and connect with new customers.

2. Ford

Ford is focusing on sustainability and has committed $22 billion for vehicle electrification efforts to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Its an ambitious goal with a substantial timeline  but it also fits neatly with the current public focus on green initiatives.

By creating a narrative around this sustainable approach, Ford has the potential to reach environmentally-conscious consumers who would have otherwise avoided the popular vehicle maker.

3. Google

Google is also committed to energy reduction but has had more impact on the social side of corporate social responsibility (CSR) thanks to its outspoken CEO, Sundar Pichai, who is willing to engage both industry and world leaders in areas of social responsibility and equality.

As a result, Google is not only able to leverage its massive data resources to deliver relevant PR statistics but can back it up with socially-conscious action that makes for compelling content.

4. Netflix

Streaming giant Netflix offers paid parental leave for parents  most take between four and eight months but they can take up to a year  putting them well ahead of most corporations.

While the parental leave itself is a great talking point, combining information about this program with details about the ongoing success of the company at scale creates a great content narrative, one that could pay significant dividends over time as companies grapple with the ongoing impact of The Great Resignation.

PR and Content Marketing: Making the Most of this Dynamic Duo

PR and content marketing together can bring lead generation opportunities to the table. Public relations offers relevant information for interested parties to help create reciprocal relationships, while content marketing makes it possible to streamline the process of lead-to-customer conversion.

By combining forces, these disparate delivery methods become a dynamic duo, capable of generating leads that are more likely to convert  and more likely to share their experiences with other potential customers.

Want to make the most of this practical pairing? Use PR to establish and reinforce relationships with industry insiders and influencers, then lean on their connections to distribute purpose-built content that helps generate high-quality leads across your target audience.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2010 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Boeing says it plans to move its corporate headquarters from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area. The company made it official on Thursday. Boeing is a major defense contractor, so the move would put its executives close to customers in the Pentagon. It would also put them near the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates Boeing's business of building passenger airplanes. Boeings roots are in the Seattle area, and it has assembly plants in Washington state and South Carolina. The company moved its headquarters to Chicago in 2001 after an unusually public search that also considered Dallas and Denver.
AO



Left And Right Don't Exist

The first lesson I learned as a student pilot is that left and right dont exist. Maybe driving on a highway or in a parking lot, left and right is precise enough to describe the location and movements of slow-moving bikers, pedestrians, and cars. But at 36,000 feet in the air in a steel tube hurdling almost 200 miles an hour? Left and right just dont cut it.

During one of my first flights in as mall Cessna-182, my flight instructor ordered me to scan the horizon for approaching aircrafts. To my right, I caught a glimpse of one: another Cessna with maroon stripes, the suns reflection glinting off its windows. Gesturing vaguely to my two oclock, I informed my flying instructor, Theres a plane to the right.

No, to your right. From his position, what direction does he see you? From his angle, I was to his left. In that moment, I realized that perspective and precision of language is everything. The radio chirped: Cessna One-Eight-Two Sandra, heading north to John Wayne Airport. Over.

I navigate using my compasss north, east, south, and west directions because every pilots vantage point differs from each other both vertically and horizontally, creating opposite perspectives. My right was that pilots left.

Through flying, I began to consider all points of view, regardless of my personal perspective.

Perhaps it was my ability to scan the horizon to communicate a single story, uniting contrasting outlooks, that drew me to my love for journalism and the diverse melting pot that was my community.

To me, journalism modernizes the ancient power of storytelling, filled with imperfect characters and intricate conflicts to which I am the narrator. As editor-in-chief for my school newspaper, The Wildcats Tale, I aim to share the uncensored perspective of all students and encourage my editorial groups to talk  and listen  to those with whom they disagree. Starting each newspaper edition with a socratic, round-table discussion, I ask the other journalists to pursue stories that answer the questions: why did this happen and where will it lead?

Expanding beyond the perspectives of my classmates, I began writing articles for the Korea Daily, and later, the Los Angeles Times High School Insider. I schedule interviews with city council candidates, young and old voters, and mayors of my town, obtaining quotes and anecdotes to weave into my writing. My interviews with both Democratic and Republican voters have taught me to thoroughly report polarizing-opposite opinions through an unbiased lens. As a journalist, I realized I cannot presume the opinions of the reader, but instead simply provide them with the tools necessary to formulate their own conclusions.

However, differences in perspective in my articles are not solely limited to politics. I found that in my suburban community, people love to read about the small-town hospitality of their own friends and neighbors. Quirky traditions, like our Fourth of July carnival clown and local elementary schools Thanksgiving talent show, are equally as important to me as national headlines are. My favorite stories to publish are the ones taped onto fridges, proudly framed on the mom-and-pop downtown diner, or pinned into the corkboard in my teachers classroom. I discovered the size of my story does not matter, but the impact I leave on the reader does.

In my time as both a student pilot and journalist, I grew to love these stories, the ones that showed me that living life with blinders, can not only be boring, but dangerous. Whether I was 36,000feet in the air or on ground level, by flying and writing, I realized that the most interesting stories of life come straight from the people most different from me.



From Christianity To Different Truth

 Ella, what did you think of Douglasss view on Christianity? I gulped. Increasingly powerful palpitations throbbed in my heart as my eyes darted around the classroom  searching for a profound response to Dr. Franklins question. I took a deep breath while reaching the most genuine answer I could conjure.

 Professor, I dont know.

Dr. Franklin stared at me blankly as he attempted to interpret the thoughts I didnt voice. My lack of familiarity with the assigned text wasnt a consideration that crossed his mind because he was familiar with my past contributions to class discussions. I was a fervent critic of the corrupted culture behind Christianity of the Puritans in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown and modern evangelicals involved in the puzzling divinity of Donald Trump. He arched his flummoxed brows as he began to open his mouth.

 Professor, what I mean is that Im not sure whether or not I even have a say on Douglasss statements on Christianity in his Narrative of the Life.

In class, I often separated the culture of Christianity from the religion. To tie these immensely disparate concepts as one and coin it as Christianity would present fallacies that contradict with the Christianity I knew. Lack of tolerance and hostility were products of humans sinful nature  not the teachings of Christ. People were just using Christianity as an excuse to exalt themselves rather than the holy name of Jesus. These were the facts.

My greatest realization came when Douglass declared Christian slave-holders as the worst slave-holders he ever met because of their deceptive feign of piety and use of Christianity to justify the oppression of their slaves. I realized that I couldnt bring myself to raise the same argument that I used to convince myself that my Christianity of love was the only true Christianity. To Douglass, Christianity was the opposite. I didnt want to dismiss his story. People use this sacred religion to spread hatred, and to many, this is the only Christianity they know. Their experiences arent any bit falser than mine.

Christianity isnt the only culture that harbors truth that transcends the facts. Americas less of a perfect amalgamation of different ethnic cultures and more of a society severed by tribal conflicts rooted in the long established political culture of the nation. Issues such as racism, white privilege, and gender disparity are highly salient topics of current political discussion. However, during a time when people can use online platforms with algorithms that provide content they want to see, we fail to acknowledge the truth in other peoples experiences and express empathy.

As a Korean-American in the South, I am no stranger to intolerance. I remember the countless instances of people mocking my parents for their English pronunciation and my brothers stutter. Because their words were less eloquent, people deemed their thoughts as less valuable as well. I protect my family and translate their words whenever they have a doctors appointment or need more ketchup at McDonalds. My protective nature drives my desire to connect with different people and build understanding. To do so, however, I step outside my Korean American Southern Baptist paradigm because my experiences do not constitute everyone elses.

Excluded from the Manichaean narrative of this country, I observe the turmoil in our nation through a separate lens - a blessing and a curse. Not only do I find myself awkwardly fixed in a black vs. white America, but I also fail to define my identity sandwiched between Korean and American. In the end, I find myself stuck amongst the conventional labels and binaries that divide America.

 You seem to work harder than most to understand other peoples points of view, Dr. Franklin said after I shared these thoughts to the class.

 I find this easier because I spent my childhood assuming that my culture was always the exception, I replied. As an anomaly, accepting different truths is second nature.

  -  -  (44 bytes) (49 reads) 05/05/2022 21:32:15

  -  -  (0 bytes) (4 reads) 05/06/2022 05:15:38

 

-  -  (188 bytes) (15 reads) 05/06/2022 08:18:15

 priviledge - windyLL -  (0 bytes) (8 reads) 05/05/2022 21:57:59

 Douglass 

-  -  (245 bytes) (53 reads) 05/05/2022 22:14:31

 yalePrincetonessay - windyLL -  (0 bytes) (8 reads) 05/05/2022 22:20:45

  -  -  (0 bytes) (2 reads) 05/05/2022 22:47:48

 Dr  - windyLL -  (0 bytes) (5 reads) 05/05/2022 22:50:07

  -  -  (0 bytes) (4 reads) 05/05/2022 22:54:46

 intellectual+T3YP - windyLL -  (97 bytes) (47 reads) 05/05/2022 23:01:57 (1)

 CC show off cheat shot - randomness -  (144 bytes) (29 reads) 05/06/2022 05:25:11

 AO12AOessayAO - windyLL -  (183 bytes) (15 reads) 05/06/2022 07:52:35

 Fred DouglasSAT -  -  (71 bytes) (37 reads) 05/06/2022 06:20:48

 PPT -  -  (0 bytes) (1 reads) 05/06/2022 10:08:21

 google -  -  (0 bytes) (2 reads) 05/06/2022 10:23:46

 AO - randomness -  (0 bytes) (7 reads) 05/06/2022 05:13:47

  -  -  (0 bytes) (0 reads) 05/06/2022 06:21:45

 Accept or not, identity is not political, but personalThey are equally good, equally convincing. The legend says, when one of their peers picks up the essay from the floor littered with essays, one could return it to the rightful writer. These two essays are very personal, personally identifiable. - yude -  (266 bytes) (33 reads) 05/06/2022 06:32:51

 the Manichaean narrative of this country - tibuko -  (0 bytes) (4 reads) 05/06/2022 06:33:16

 No, to your right. From his position, what direction does he see you? From his angle, I was to his left. In that moment, I realized that perspective and precision of language is everything. The radio chirped: Cessna One-Eight-Two Sandra, heading north to John Wayne Airport. Over. -  -  (799 bytes) (19 reads) 05/06/2022 09:47:33

 ,  -  -  (0 bytes) (6 reads) 05/06/2022 10:11:18

 growthcommunityimpactpriviledgecommunityimpact - windyLL -  (216 bytes) (22 reads) 05/06/2022 10:18:03

 AO -  -  (0 bytes) (4 reads) 05/06/2022 10:19:50

 AOEssayrate-limiting step - windyLL -  (0 bytes) (0 reads) 05/06/2022 10:22:54

  -  -  (0 bytes) (0 reads) 05/06/2022 10:12:00
The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV.
California woman Amanda Christine Riley was sentenced to five years imprisonment Tuesday after using a fictional cancer diagnosis to fundraise from friends and followers.

In yet another example of crowdfunding gone awry, Riley used her extensive network of social media followersspread across various platforms like Facebook and Twitterto con $100,000 out of a crop of charitable souls. In addition to her social media, Riley, 36, created a blog that documented her "condition" and "treatment."
In November 2020, author Alan Dean Foster revealed that Disney had stopped paying him the royalties he was owed from decades of writing novelizations of movies such as Star Wars and Aliens. Disney, in turn, claimed that when it had only purchased the rights to those properties, not the liabilities that accompanied those rights. Sure, they now owned all of the Star Wars content ever produced, including the rights to re-publish and profit from novels written by people like Foster, but as far as they were concerned, they did not purchase the legal obligations attached to all of that content they acquired.

In April of 2021, the Science Fiction Writer's Association launched a taskforce to represent writers from various organizations, working together to make sure that Disney paid creators what they were actually owed.

One year later, the #DisneyMustPay taskforce has published an update on its efforts. While there has been some progress, it sounds like #DisneyMustPay is still working the part where Disney actually pays people:

You've paid some authors what you owed them. But there are other creators that you don't want to talk about. And, because you did not take our advice, new creators are coming forward who are owed money, too. You still refuse to recognize your obligations to lesser-known authors who wrote media tie-in works for Marvel, for Star Wars, for Aliens, for Predator, for Buffy: TVS, and more, universes that you've bought the rights to, along with the obligations to those creators. You've re-published their works but have failed to do even the bare necessities of contract and talent management. You've failed to pay these writers royalties they're legally owed and have not given them the courtesy of royalty statements and reprint notices.

The taskforce also shared a list of Disney-owned properties for which it "verified reports of missing statements and royalties," including for reprinted works.

It sounds like Disney has made good on payments to some higher-profile writers, while still exploiting the work of less-powerful creators. One such writer, who asked to remain anonymous in order to remain employed, spoke with journalist Graeme McMillan about the complications of the payment plan, and what it would take to get the money they're owed:

I asked the creator if they'd considered taking legal action against Marvel to recover what they're owed, only to be told that such a course of action would likely require a great deal of effort for what is likely to be little reward. "The amount of money involved is honestly pretty low. Like, small-claims-court-low," they said. "It's hard to justify even looking for an attorney who'd be willing to get involved. Let alone going through the complicated process of actually suing Disney." The mention of a small amount of money leads into perhaps the most obvious question of all: with Marvel not communicating with them at all over the issue, did the creator have any idea of just how much money Marvel owed them in royalties by this point? The answer was, bluntly, no: "There's the incentive payment for the collections that have been printed since I got my last royalty check years ago. And there's the question of digital sales. The comics I worked on are still available for purchase on comiXology," they told me. "I've never received a statement saying how many have sold, let alone received money for them. So I really have no idea how much I'd be making if they actually chose to make payments."

Something interesting worth noting: according to this creator, the incentive payment system for paperback and hardcover collections is based on the number of books printed, not sold. Though again, it's hard for the creators to know what those numbers actually are  and even if they knew, it might not matter, because Marvel's contracts are written to ensure that any royalty payments are in fact entirely optional:

The plan explained that Marvel was the sole arbiter of who gets incentive payment money, and that all such payments are voluntary on their part. It also stated that Marvel can change the incentive plan at any time.

An Open Letter To Disney [Writers Must Be Paid]

A Year Later, Disney Must Pay (Still) [Graeme McMillan / Comics, FYI]
The Almeida Theatre has released details today for two upcoming world premiere productions.

Firstly, Tom Hollander (The Night Manager) will return to the London stage in Patriots by Peter Morgan (The Crown), starring alongside Will Keen, Yolanda Kettle and Luke Thallon, with further casting to be announced.

Set in 1991, during the fall of the Soviet Union, the play revolves around billionaire businessman Boris Berezovsky on a journey from the president's inner circle to public enemy number one.

Under the helm of the Almeida's artistic director Rupert Goold, the creative team also includes set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Kinnetia Isidore, lighting designer Jack Knowles, sound designer and composer Adam Cork and casting director Robert Sterne.

Patriots will run from 2 July to 20 August 2022, with an official opening set for 12 July.

Next up is The Clinic, written by Dipo Baruwa-Etti (An unfinished man) and directed by Monique Touko (Fair Play), with casting to be confirmed.

The piece follows a woman named Wunmi and is billed as "a tense and transfixing portrait of a woman with a hunger for change, a family on fire and how to rise from the ashes of a broken world."

It runs from 3 September until 1 October 2022, officially opening on 12 September.

Goold commented: "We announce two world premieres today  the first from one of the UK's most successful writers across stage and screen, and the other by one of the country's most exciting emerging talents. Patriots is Peter Morgan's first stage play since The Audience nine years ago and we're delighted to welcome him to the Almeida for the first time. Dipo Baruwa-Etti also makes his Almeida debut with The Clinic  he has been involved with the theatre since 2018 when he joined the Almeida's Youth Advisory Board, and this play was written during a year-long residency at the Almeida as part of Channel 4's Playwright's bursary."




You walk in to a homely, rough-hewn room, knocked together out of blondewood with guns racked on the walls, bright shiny bunting across the ceiling and long tables down the sides. From the moment of that arrival to its devastating conclusion, Daniel Fish's production of Oklahoma! destabilises and surprises you.

It is the most thorough rethinking of Rodgers and Hammerstein that you are ever likely to see, a sensational reassessment of a classic show that both asserts its greatness and casts it in an entirely fresh light. I think it is a masterpiece.

It's been in Fish's mind, being honed and refined, ever since he first mounted a student production at Bard College in New York state in 2007. It reached Broadway in 2018, and now  finally  arrives in London with two original cast members and Arthur Darvill and Anoushka Lucas leading the British contingent as Curly and Laurey, the young wannabe lovers whose romance is at the centre of the tale.

Fish's genius is to locate the toughness at the heart of this story of a pioneer community, on the verge of statehood in land that was once Indian territory, banding together to assert its strength. It's not just Laura Jellinek and Grace Laubacher's community hall setting that makes this point. It's also the stripped back score, orchestrated by Daniel Kluger, played by a bluegrass band of banjo, drum, bass, cello, violin, mandolin and guitars. The songs retain their power to rouse, but you hear them afresh.

The company

 Marc Brenner

Within this embrace, the cast, in contemporary shirts and denim, perform in ways that are both naturalistic and stylised. They are never not conscious of the audience, and they deliver some songs and some lines through hand-held microphones, but their characters are entirely realised and felt. Their natures are thoroughly examined. Nothing about any of them is taken for granted  they are capable of being many things at once. Aunt Eller (the wonderful Liza Sadovy), normally a jovial creature, is a clear-eyed, hard-headed woman, prepared to suspend the rules to get her way and preserve her tribe; Curly in Darvill's steely performance, is a jealous, charming chancer rather than just a straight-forward hero.

Crucially, Jud Fry, usually a sinister, threatening figure is played Patrick Vaill (who has been with the show since its student days) as a muddled misfit, sincere in his longing for a better life, desperate to be a part of things. The sadness and pain that floods his face at his perpetual rejection and the intensity of his feelings for Laurey make him a nearly tragic figure. This means that Laurey, embodied by Lucas with a voice as clear as a bell and emotion flooding through her face, is faced with a real choice between him and Curly. They embody different directions that her life could take.

I had never heard before how clearly her line "I want things I've heard of that I've never had before" echoes Jud's despairing longing for "all of the things I wish for." Nor had I noticed, until Fish's subtle direction (assisted in the UK by Jordan Fein) stressed that this love triangle is a skein of miscommunication. Laurey and Curly don't listen to each other; Jud specifically tells Laurey that he told her what he felt but she "didn't listen."



 Marc Brenner

The production carefully sets these complications against the second, lighter love triangle between Ado Annie (Marisha Wallace, charming and magnificent), a girl who just can't say no when it comes to her two suitors - the haplessly dense Will Parker (played with comic precision by James Davis, also from the original cast) and the clever Alik Hakim, whom Stavros Demetraki turns into a smart and attractive schemer.

The production is full of audacious touches  a pugnacious dream ballet, full of ache and passion, choreographed by John Heginbotham and beautifully performed by Marie-Astrid Mence in a top that reads "Dream Baby, Dream"; the scene in the smokehouse where Curly suggests Jud hangs himself, acted in darkness, with closeups of the men's faces beamed in huge video black and white on the wall. Scott Zielinski's lighting and Drew Levy's sound design both keep springing changes of mood.

But its greatest triumph is that it can be so many things at once. It is a dark version of Oklahoma! but it is also supremely funny and life-enhancing. It is political about the world we live in  Curly's line about "World's changing, got to change with it" carries such ambiguous weight. But it doesn't allow any overall message to dominate. It pays each scene, each song and each character the courtesy of treating them as if they were freshly minted, revealing their complexities and contradictions.

In this sense, it is truly Shakespearean  and absolutely revelatory.
Marketing and Communication Consultant, Belgrade, Serbia

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

Country: Serbia

City: Belgrade

Office: UNDP Belgrade

Closing date: Tuesday, 10 May 2022

2427 Marketing and Communication Consultant

Location : Belgrade, SERBIA

Application Deadline : 10-May-22 (Midnight New York, USA)

Type of Contract : Individual Contract

Post Level : National Consultant

Languages Required : English

Expected Duration of Assignment : May 2022 - December 2022

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Purpose

The purpose of the position is to provide marketing and communication advice within the Memorandum for Provision of Management and Other Support Services signed between UNDP and MCTI.

Objective

To provide necessary marketing and communication and expertise and inputs within the transportation area, one of the three areas under MCTI jurisdiction, for the purpose of result-oriented, effective, efficient and accountable implementation of the Project by applying evidence-based approach.

Background Information

The Project shall support the Ministry of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure (MCTI) to strengthen administrative capacity and at the same time support the MCTI in their work with other relevant state institutions and state-owned companies to plan for and deliver construction and infrastructure investment projects of strategic importance by further enhancing MCTI`s policy planning, project development and other relevant capacities.

The Project will address increasing capacities of MCTI to deliver large strategic investment projects in construction, transport and infrastructure areas that are managed in well-coordinated, transparent, efficient and quality manner. In order to assist Ministry to efficiently use the available funds, implement properly and effectively all necessary reforms, continue fulfilling successfully the requirements of the EU accession process, there is a need to establish the Project Implementation Unit (PIU).

In order to successfully contribute to the enhancement of MCTI capacities for marketing and communication expertise within the transportation area, UNDP seeks to engage an experienced Marketing and Communication Consultant.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

Under direct supervision of the UNDP Capacity Building Manager Consultant will do the following:

Provide expert advice to the MCTI management and railway company related to further improvement of its communication strategy and branding plan, in line with the results of the ongoing activities stipulated in the previously produced "SrbijaVoz" communication strategy and branding plan;

Conduct the ex-post assessment of the ongoing and already conducted promotion activities, and prepare thorough recommendations and steps for further promotion of the Serbian railway transportation and railway company;

Conduct assessment of the use and reach of the application/software produced for the purpose of the "SrbijaVoz" railway company promotion and sales, and prepare evidence-based recommendations for the application upgrade;

Provide continuous on-the-job expert support over six-month period to relevant staff of the Serbian railway company in implementing the new communication strategy and branding plan, and the related activities (i.e. promotion of visual identity, brand, and realization of social campaigns) for the purpose of more efficient and customer-oriented functioning of the railway transportation in Serbia.

DELIVERABLES AND INDICATIVE TIMELINE

Deliverables

Due dates

Expert advice to the MCTI management and railway company related to further improvement of its communication strategy and branding plan, in line with the results of the ongoing activities stipulated in the previously produced "SrbijaVoz" communication strategy and branding plan, provided;

10th June 2022

Ex-post assessment of the ongoing and already conducted promotion activities, and prepare thorough recommendations and steps for further promotion of the Serbian railway transportation and railway company conducted;

20th July 2022

Assessment of the use and reach of the application/software produced for the purpose of the "SrbijaVoz" railway company promotion and sales, and prepare evidence-based recommendations for the application upgrade, conducted;

30th September 2022

Continuous on-the-job support over six-month period to relevant staff of the Serbian railway company in implementing the new communication strategy and branding plan, and the related activities for the purpose of more efficient and customer-oriented functioning of the railway transportation in Serbia, provided.

30th November 2022

Deliverables will have to be quality reviewed and approved/accepted by UNDP Capacity Building Manager, UNDP Project Manager, in consultation with the National Project Director.

All deliverables should be submitted in English language.

Competencies

Excellent analytical skills;

Excellent writing/reporting and presentation skills;

Ability to deliver when working under pressure and within changing circumstances.

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UNs values and ethical standards;

Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;

Capacity to work across the sectors;

Ability to express ideas clearly;

Proven ability to develop educational content in high quality through the portfolio of previous work;

Approach to work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

BA in marketing or journalism, psychology, philosophy or any other social studies;

MA would be considered an asset

Work experience:

5 years of relevant professional experience in marketing, PR sector and communications;

Previous involvement in preparing visibility and brand portfolio strategies, and implementing them

Experience in working with public institutions / ministries / local self-governments.

Knowledge:

Excellent understanding of Serbias public sector;

Understanding of major development challenges and trends within the public sector;

Knowledge in the use of computers and office software packages and handling of web-based management systems.

Language:

Excellent knowledge of written and spoken Serbian and English.

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS.

Application Procedure: Qualified and interested candidates are asked to submit their applications via UNDP Web site: UNDP in Serbia under section "Jobs" no later than 10th May 2022.

Application should include:

CV in English language containing date of birth, contact information (home address, phone number, e-mail) and timeline of work experience (including description of duties).

Offerors Letter (only PDF format will be accepted) confirming Interest and availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) Assignment. Can be downloaded from the following link: https://rs.undp.org/content/dam/serbia/downloads/confirmation.docx. The Offerors Letter shall include financial proposal specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement with a breakdown of costs.

In order to apply please merge above listed documents into a single PDF file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.

The shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide copies of diplomas and any other certificates providing evidence of their education and experience in relevant fields.

Any request for clarification must be sent by standard electronic communication to the e-mail vacancy.rs@undp.org. The procuring UNDP entity will respond by standard electronic mail and will send response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants.

The shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide copies of diplomas and any other certificates providing evidence of their education and experience in relevant fields.

Financial Proposal:

Lump sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

In case of travel, costs incurred will be covered by project. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

Evaluation

1. Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight; 70%

* Financial Criteria weight; 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Criteria

Weight

Max. Point

Technical

70%

70 points

Criteria A

Desk review of CVs based on experience in preparing communication strategies, media materials and branding plans, especially for large/public companies

30

Criteria B

Desk Review of CVs based on the experience in implementing various marketing campaigns for companies

25

Criteria C

Desk Review of CVs based on the experience in market analysis, marketing practices and strategies

15

Financial

30%

30 points

Additional Information:

Individual Contract (IC) will be applicable for individual consultants applying in their own capacity. If the applicant is employed by any legal entity, IC would be issued upon submission of Consent letter from the employer acknowledging the engagement with UNDP. Template of General Conditions on IC could be found on: Template of General Conditions on IC could be found on: https://rs.undp.org/content/dam/serbia/downloads/General%20Conditions%20for%20Individual%20Contracts.pdf

Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) will be applicable for applicants employed by any legal entity. Template of RLA with General Terms and Conditions could be found on: https://www.undp.org.rs/download/RLA%20with%20General%20Terms%20and%20Conditions.doc

In the case of engagement of Civil servants under IC contract modality a no-objection letter should be provided by the Government entity. The no-objection letter must also state that the employer formally certifies that their employees are allowed to receive short-term consultancy assignment from another entity without being on "leave-without-pay" status (if applicable), and include any conditions and restrictions on granting such permission, if any. If the previous is not applicable leave-without-pay confirmation should be submitted.

Engagement of Government Officials and Employees

Government Officials or Employees are civil servants of UN Member States. As such, if they will be engaged by UNDP under an IC which they will be signing in their individual capacity (i.e., engagement is not done through RLA signed by their government employer), the following conditions must be met prior to the award of contract:

(i) A "No-objection" letter in respect of the individual is received from the Government employing him/her, and;

(ii) The individual must provide an official documentation from his/her employer formally certifying his or her status as being on "official leave without pay" for the duration of the IC.

The above requirements are also applicable to Government-owned and controlled enterprises and well as other semi/partially or fully owned Government entities, whether or not the Government ownership is of majority or minority status.

UNDP recognizes the possibility that there are situations when the Government entity employing the individual that UNDP wishes to engage is one that allows its employees to receive external short-term consultancy assignments (including but not limited to research institutions, state-owned colleges/universities, etc.), whereby a status of "on-leave-without-pay" is not required. Under such circumstance, the individual entering into an IC with UNDP must still provide a "No-objection" letter from the Government employing him/her. The "no objection" letter required under (i) above must also state that the employer formally certifies that their employees are allowed to receive short-term consultancy assignment from another entity without being on "leave-without-pay" status and include any conditions and restrictions on granting such permission, if any. The said document may be obtained by, and put on record of, UNDP, in lieu of the document (ii) listed above.

Link to the organizations job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1651244655073
Pipeline for National Cancer Control Planning Experts, Field

Organization: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Closing date: Sunday, 31 July 2022

Pipeline for National Cancer Control Planning Experts

( PIP-TC-001 )

Organization: TCCT-Division of Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy

Primary Location: Field (i.e. outside regular IAEA duty station)

Job Posting: 2022-01-28, 4:45:16 PM

The IAEA is the worlds centre of cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the worlds "Atoms for Peace" organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The IAEA Secretariat, a team of 2300 multi-disciplinary professional and support staff from more than 100 countries, is headquartered at the Vienna International Centre in Vienna, Austria.

The IAEA, WHO and IARC in collaboration with their partners, support Member States to introduce, expand and improve their cancer control capacity to effectively reduce the cancer burden.

Main Purpose

In order to provide qualified candidates to IAEA Departments for multiple positions, the Division of Human Resources keeps a roster of interested National Cancer Control Planning (NCCP) Experts. Qualified NCCP professionals and experts worldwide who are available for short-term and/or temporary assignments are encouraged to register and complete an online application. The NCCP expert will provide lead guidance and tools to the Ministry of Health (MOH) working group throughout the NCCP development stages to ensure quality of process and NCCP product, alignment with the IAEA, WHO and IARC standards and guidelines, and provide gender and health equity specific guidance. The NCCP expert will regularly liaise with designated IAEA, WHO, and IARC Officers, the MOH working group, and other designated stakeholders. The expert will be contracted for work conducted virtually and in-country, latter if feasible, for a period ranging between 2-8 weeks depending on the scope of work.

Registration into the Pipeline does not constitute in any form a commitment on the part of the IAEA for taking a particular application into consideration in the recruitment process for any vacancy. Pipeline registration is only valid for 2 years. Candidates need to re-register again after two years of initial date of registration to be considered as an active pipeline applicant.

Role

Reporting to a Section Head or Director, the NCCP Experts a re senior professionals in national cancer control policy formulation or programme development; management of national cancer services and workforce; partnership building and resource mobilization; performance management; and, multi-disciplinary team management.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities/Candidate Eligibility

The successful candidates:

Effectively collect, analyse, and present technical data and information to policy and decision makers, government health authorities and technical professionals.

Analyse and convert scientific evidence-based standards, guidelines and protocols (e.g. by the IAEA, WHO, IARC or other relevant authorities) into SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) recommendations for low- and middle-income countries.

Published in international peer-reviewed journals, membership in professional medical societies, etc.

Are able to provide timely, clear, comprehensive reports (in English).

Demonstrate tact, diplomacy and communication acumen, preferably in the health sector setting.

Strong interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Possess advanced computer skills and internet search capabilities.

Education, Experience and Language Skills

Advanced University degree in area(s) related to global public health, with preferably additional qualifications in cancer or non-communicable diseases control or management.

International or region-specific experience, preferably in low- and middle-income countries, and covering comprehensive cancer control.

Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of French or Spanish highly desirable. Knowledge of other official languages (Arabic, Chinese, or Russian) an asset.

Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are encouraged

Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. The IAEA is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. As part of the United Nations common system, the IAEA subscribes to the following core ethical standards (or values): Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for diversity. Staff members may be assigned to any location. The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or with a different contract type, or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above. Testing may be part of the recruitment process.

Link to the organizations job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1651338678220
I'm starting to think that the streaming wars will never come to an end. With each streaming service trying to "out exclusive" the next by gaining the rights to beloved properties, the formerly affordable streaming model is becoming more expensive than cable. And that doesn't even account for the massive spate of original programming that each service provides its viewers.

Of all the original series offered by streaming services, there were only two shows that I refused to watch on principle alone: Belair and Saved by the Bell. Well, it seems as if the rest of the planet shared my apathy for the latter offering. Earlier this week, Peacock announced that Saved by the Bell wouldn't return for a third season.

"We are so proud to have been the home of the next iteration of Saved by the Bell for both new and OG fans. Saved by the Bell has been a cultural mainstay for more than 30 years and the new series, led by Tracey Wigfield's superfan enthusiasm and signature witty humor, seamlessly continued the show's legacy, all while allowing more audiences to feel seen. We're grateful to Tracey, Franco Bario, our partners at UTV, the beloved cast, and the fans who have continued to champion one of the most iconic shows of all time," said a Peacock spokeswoman.

Dripping with references to the old series, the Saved by the Bell revival brought back several cast members from the first series in an effort to milk that sweet nostalgia teat.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says avian flu has been found on three more farms in Western Canada  two in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan.

A chicken feeds on a hobby farm in Maple Ridge, B.C., Monday, Apr. 5, 2004. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says avian flu has been found on three more farms in Western Canada, two in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan. CP PHOTO/Richard Lam

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says avian flu has been found on three more farms in Western Canada  two in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

A statement from the agency says the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza was identified in all three flocks on Wednesday.

It says the Saskatchewan outbreak is in a commercial flock in the Rural Municipality of Baildon, south of Moose Jaw.

The B.C. outbreaks involve small, backyard flocks in the north Okanagan and in the central Okanagan.

All three farms have been quarantined and federal and provincial officials are taking other necessary measures to control the spread of the extremely infectious illness.

The CFIA has said the global outbreak of avian flu is likely being spread by contact between wild migrating birds and farmed flocks.

Cases in Canada have been reported in every province except Prince Edward Island.
Its a rainy Friday night in late April and most of the tables at Low Life Barrel Houses brand-new space are occupied for the brewerys soft opening, where staff are pouring eight beers and two varieties of a fizzy grape-based beverage called piquette.

Its a rainy Friday night in late April and most of the tables at Low Life Barrel Houses brand-new space are occupied for the brewerys soft opening, where staff are pouring eight beers and two varieties of a fizzy grape-based beverage called piquette.

Among those surveying the room is Adam Carson, co-founder of Low Life with Tyler Birch of Barn Hammer Brewing Co.

Theres brewer Chris Young, one of the quieter members of the Low Life crew, who pops his head out from the brewing area in the back to periodically say hello.

Jesse Oberman, Low Lifes winemaker and assistant brewer (as well as the brains behind Next Friend Cider  a project that sees him foraging fruit from backyard trees and turning them into cider), is more the extrovert type, chatting away with anyone within earshot.

General manager Lucas Gladu is seemingly everywhere, overseeing patrons and the brand-new bar staff all at once.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS From left: Adam Carson, owner, Chris Young, brewer, Lucas Gladu, general manager, and Jesse Oberman, winemaker, celebrate the opening of Low Life Barrel House.

I had wanted to chronicle a brewery build from start to finish for some time, and following Low Lifes progress at 398 Daly St. N. has proved to be quite the learning experience.

The challenges theyve faced are even more acute because, unlike other locals, theyll be making a range of barrel-aged beer, wine, cider and other drinks. And, of course, all the challenges have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has been a long, exhausting road to Low Lifes opening. Carson looks happy, relaxed, visibly relieved.

Its a far cry from the stress hes experienced on this yearlong journey, one that has taken up all of his time, a lot of his money and frayed relationships with friends and business partners.

APRIL 2021

I meet the 37-year-old Carson for the first time just weeks after he and Birch, also 37, signed the lease to take over the former Electra Sign office just off Pembina Highway. Theyre in demolition mode, smashing through office walls and opening up the space that will hold the brewing and winemaking equipment, large oak barrels and taproom.

When the pair first started brewing together, Carson was a partner at Clearview Rentals, which is the equipment rental agency he still runs, while Birch had helmed TNT Fenceworks.

"Before we started Low Life I used to go over to Tylers house and brew in the basement, make this gigantic mess. The very first beer that we brewed that was doable was very close to the Grandpas Sweater," says Carson, referring to Barn Hammers oatmeal stout, now a staple in their lineup.

MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The exterior of the new home of Low Life Barrel House, the former Electra Sign office on Daly Street North, just off Pembina Highway

Birch mentioned to Carson that he wanted to get into the beer industry full time, sold his fencing business and got to work on what would become Barn Hammer Brewing Co.

Carson helped out with the build at Barn Hammer before he and his wife relocated to Toronto in 2018. Despite the move, it was around that time Carson and Birch decided to start their own brewing project, and the pair began brewing in earnest out of Barn Hammers facility in early 2019.

Rather than brew under the Barn Hammer name, Carson and Birchs funkier, often barrel-aged beers were released under the name Low Life Barrel House.

"We started doing it as a side project for us; it definitely wasnt for the money," says Carson. "Wed release one beer at a time."

MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Construction is about to take a place at the new site for Low Life Barrel House.

Carson was mulling opening a bricks-and-mortar brewery in Toronto when the pandemic hit. When things started shutting down, including his wifes fitness studio, they returned to Winnipeg.

At that point, he and Birch began searching in earnest for Low Lifes own space while continuing to make their barrel-aged beers in dribs and drabs at Barn Hammer.

In what was maybe fate, both Carson and Birch got separate emails from different real estate agents about the same Daly Street building, and they started swinging hammers in the space March 1, 2021.

The plan is to open the 100-person taproom in September. But for that to happen theyll need in place both the brewhouse and the large oak barrels, called foeders (pronounced FOOD-ers), which will help impart Low Lifes signature flavour profile.

The brewhouse  essentially the engine of a brewery, which consists of brewing equipment including the kettle, brite tank and fermenters  is slated to arrive mid-summer, and the foeders shortly thereafter.

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS From left, Adam Carson and Tyler Birch in the space that will eventually become home to Low Life Barrel House.

First there are the water upgrades to attend to so the building can handle the increased need for water required in the brewing and cleaning processes. Each regular-sized batch of beer they brew is about 20 bbl (beer barrels), the measurement used in the industry, which is the equivalent of around 2,300 litres. So theres the water involved with making the beer, plus the cleaning of the tanks and barrels, the dishwashing, washrooms and more. Low Life had to upgrade the water line in the building to facilitate brewing, a fix that cost upwards of $25,000.

Instead of spearheading the brewing themselves, Birch and Carson hired Chris Young, longtime head brewer at Half Pints Brewing Co., who also moved to Toronto briefly and worked at Indie Ale House before returning to Winnipeg. "Hes been an absolute revelation," Carson says. "Chris has brewed two new beers for us that are in mini foeders (at Barn Hammer), a dark saison and a Berliner hes been amazing."

On brett and barrels DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Making beer in foeders takes time  months, rather than the days or weeks typically involved with making beer. One of the signature features of Low Life Barrel Houses beer is the fact theyre infected, for lack of a better term, with brettanomyces (or brett). Brett is a particular strain of yeast, which is often used in lambic beers and other Belgian and Belgian-style brews. It typically imparts earthy, funky flavours that, in moderation, bring additional complexity to beers. At a facility such as Low Life, brewer Chris Young and winemaker Jesse Oberman will need to be careful to ensure airborne brett particles dont infect the wines and ciders. While a bit of brett in such products can add similar complexity to beer, those funky flavours can easily overwhelm wines. click to read more One place brett thrives particularly well is in oak barrels  hence the bakers dozen of 2,300-litre large oak vessels called foeders in Low Lifes taproom. As is the case with wine, aging beer in oak barrels imparts different flavours than when finished in stainless-steel tanks before bottling. Barrels allow minute amounts of oxygen in and out, which ramps up the bretty notes and ages a beer differently. In addition to the taproom foeders, Low Life has a range of smaller vessels onsite, as well. Making beer in foeders takes time  months, rather than the days or weeks typically involved with making beer. Hence the fact that, until Low Life can start packaging or kegging some of their foeder-aged beers in the next month or two, theyre focusing on making brews that reflect their unique flavour profiles but without the use of wood. For more detail on Low Lifes innovative beer styles, visit lowlifebarrelhouse.com Close

One of the reasons the business is called Low Life Barrel House (rather than, say, Low Life Brewing Co.) is that the plan is also to operate an urban winery in the space, making reds, whites, roses and sparkling wines with organic fruit purchased from Ontario. To that end, Carson and Birch hired Oberman, who has taken part in harvests in Ontario and Europe, worked as a sommelier in London, operates a wine-importing agency focusing on minimal-intervention "natural" wine producers called Elevage Selections and makes cider under the Next Friend name.

"I was really into natural wine for years. I learned about it in Montreal when I was on my honeymoon," says Carson. "We went to London right after that, and natural wines everywhere  it blew my mind. Jesse and I moved back to Winnipeg around the same time, so I reached out to him."

"It was serendipitous timing," says Oberman, who was in France when the pandemic hit and, like Carson, retreated to Winnipeg. "Adam said he wanted to start making wine, and I was making cider in my basement." Inspired by the minimal-intervention wines of southern France, the Alsace region as well as neighbouring Germany, the wines Obermans looking to make will be relatively low in alcohol, hazy in appearance due to being unfiltered and made in a hands-off style  all the hallmarks of "natural" winemaking.

"Its like pretty thrilling to make wine in Winnipeg," Oberman says (a sentence I never thought Id hear uttered by anyone). "I wanted to be a winemaker, and I wanted to live in Winnipeg. And I just didnt think the two were compatible."

With a brewery, winery and cidery licence, the plan is for Oberman to move his Next Friend cider operations from Barn Hammer to Low Life, where hell have access to more space and barrels. Theyll also make piquette, a slightly spritzy, beer-strength beverage made from grape pomace, which is leftover skins and seeds, and water.

Until the barrel house can open, the modest revenue from sales of existing Low Life stock, as well as Carson and Birchs income from their other businesses, is whats keeping the demo work going.

JULY 2021

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS From left, Tyler Birch and Adam Carson work in the space that become home to Low Life Barrel House.

Low Life Barrel House isnt yet looking anything like a spot to enjoy a pint. Over the sound of heavy machinery and heavy metal (Iron Maiden, to be precise), the pair point out where everything is going to end up  the brewing equipment, taproom, washrooms, cooler and more. "Were also planning to get a still to make some whisky," Birch notes. "We want to, say, get a Chardonnay barrel, age a brett beer in it, take that out and put whisky in there and see what happens."

The big snag right now is paperwork from the city. "Were just waiting on permits for everything  its now is in zonings hands," says Carson. "I contacted zoning this morning they wont tell me where I am in the queue. Just give me a ballpark  are we talking number 300? Number two? Just so we can prepare better, talk to our subtrades some trades will go elsewhere. The plumbers are going, Well, I have another job to take."

That paperwork will set off a chain of events that will move Low Life much closer towards completion. "Once we get our permit, the inspector will come, sign off on the plumbing, we can pour the concrete, let that sit, and then the floors come in and then, go time."

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A liquor licence application notice outside Low Life Barrel House.

In the meantime, arrangements are being worked out with the Manitoba Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority that will allow the first step in the brewing process to happen at Barn Hammer, then have the non-alcoholic grain juice transferred to Low Life for fermentation and aging in the foeders. "Wed basically make the beer there, then drive it over here, pump it into the foeders and just let it sit."

The 13 foeders slated to sit in Low Lifes tasting room have arrived, but until the concrete can be finished and the floor installed theyre sitting empty at Clearview Rentals. Theyre a key part of what sets Low Life Barrel House apart from most other local craft drinks-makers.

"One of the trickier points about Low Life is that many people dont really know what we do or how we do it," Carson says. "The taproom will solve a lot of those problems. You come in and go, What are these big barrels? Thats what we age our beer in." Adds Birch, "Thats why we were very interested in having them on display."

The brewhouse, meanwhile, is another story. "We ordered it in December, and it was due to come in July," Carson says. "Now its pushed back to September."

All of which makes their initial September opening date likely unattainable. "I think October might be more realistic but honestly, its probably going to be November," Carson admits.

SEPTEMBER 2021

Sure enough, delays and setbacks along the way mean the September opening isnt going to happen. This isnt a huge surprise, as anyone who has opened a brewery can tell you.

And while things arent progressing on schedule, when I pop in to Daly Street to catch up with Carson and Birch in the fall of 2021, there has certainly been progress. The cooler in the back area, where grains and finished cans and kegs of beer will be stored, is done, with the exception of the door. "We just sent the cheque this morning  its supposed to be here for the first week of October," says Carson.

The refrigeration units, meanwhile, will be installed on the roof later in the week, and the drywall in the space (being finished in large part by Birch and his father, who owns Brandons Black Wheat Brewing Co.) is nearly done. Once its finished, the urethane floor will be installed, but that cant happen until the refrigeration units are out of the space and on the roof. "And another big thing were waiting for right now is the electrical to get switched over," says Birch. "We need more power."

If we didnt order by the day we did, they went up some 25 per cent in price. And since then, theyve gone up again.  Adam Carson

Carson expresses frustration at the delays theyve encountered, many of which were due to supply-chain issues. One particular snag theyll encounter repeatedly along the way is with doors  particularly bay doors for the front of the building and fire-rated units needed for installation between the brewhouse and taproom. "The bay doors, which we ordered in late April, early May, it looks like theyre coming the sixth of November," says Carson. "And normally thats something that you should be getting, like, two to four weeks after you order. Today I contacted two different Hutterite colonies to build them, just to see if they could get them quicker."

He also notes the cost of materials, including the bay doors, are skyrocketing. "If we didnt order by the day we did, they went up some 25 per cent in price. And since then, theyve gone up again."

Carson expects the brewhouse to arrive the week after the urethane floor is installed; the fermenting tanks have already arrived, and are for the time being stored at Clearview Rentals with the foeders.

Meanwhile, they have added Lucas Gladu to their roster. He was formerly in charge of the bar at Forth, and will act as general manager and salesperson. Hes working part time for now with the intention of going full time in January.

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The drywall has to be finished before the urethane floor can be installed.

And while the delays have caused significant headaches and dented Carson and Birchs cash flow, theyve taken what theyve learned from the Barn Hammer build and put it to good use.

"When I did Barn Hammer, I got an architect to just mostly approve stuff, and we kind of designed it ourselves for budget reasons, which ended up with some regrettable oversights," Birch says. "This has been much more planned out and organized in that way."

But he is starting to find hes less able to keep tabs on things back at Barn Hammer.

"I spend all my time here," he says. "I keep trying to do Barn Hammer stuff, but I have to finish so many things here. Before we do the wall, we need to put the draft lines in, finish the drywall so that the electrical guy can do his thing."

I keep trying to do Barn Hammer stuff, but I have to finish so many things here. Before we do the wall, we need to put the draft lines in, finish the drywall so that the electrical guy can do his thing.  Tyler Birch

Low Life has also been broken into twice in the past couple of months. "I had all my tools stolen," Birch says. "The first time they took my cordless angle grinder, and then the second time they came and just cut the hinges off the door with that same cordless angle grinder. Just peeled it back like a banana and crawled in."

But Carsons still somewhat optimistic, noting that if installation of doors and approvals from the city come through, theres still a chance to open in 2021, albeit with some temporary fixes for smaller missing pieces. "We could perhaps have a soft opening lets say mid-November. I could deal with Dec. 1," he says. "But were not missing the holidays, I can assure you of that."

NOVEMBER 2021

Birch and Carson meet me again at Daly Street, where things are visibly coming together, although far from completion. The floors are done, the brewhouse is in place and the 13 foeders line one of the taprooms walls. Its shaping up to be a brewery unlike any other in the city.

While the bay doors still havent arrived, Carson expects them soon, and most other door-related issues appear to have been resolved. "Getting material is out of control. But we got doors. We had to pay extra and they were rushed through. We ordered them last week and we get them in three weeks."

Both Young and Oberman continue to make beer, piquette and cider at Barn Hammer, although production on Low Life beer continues to scale down as more materials are brought to Daly Street.

"Jesse is the hardest-working person. Hes there from mornings until midnight doing beer stuff, his cider stuff, wine stuff," Carson says.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Tyler Birch, left, and Adam Carson, check out the progress of Low Life Barrel House.

Both Birch and Carson are cognizant of the toll building Low Life has taken on their respective psyches.

"I think the last time we were here with you I was a bit down about it all," Birch says to me. "But were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Carson agrees. "I feel the same way. We were both down and negative, with so much going on. But yeah, I think there is a clear ending ahead."

As to when they expect to arrive at the end of the tunnel, Carson remains optimistic.

"I think we could maybe be brewing in three weeks," he says. In terms of an opening date, however, hes less specific. "I think wed open the minute we were allowed to. We need some money coming in."

JANUARY 2022

MMIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Despite supply-chain issues, cost increases to materials and the like, there has been more visible progress.

The holidays have come and gone, and Low Life is still neither open nor making beer on site. Carson, visibly downcast when I drop by in January, rattles off many of the same problems that plagued them on my last visit  supply-chain issues, cost increases to materials and the like.

But again, there has been more visible progress. The brewhouse is completely installed, the taproom fridge and merchandise area completed, the washrooms and plumbing nearly done and the kitchen (essentially just a dishwasher for glassware  therell be no food prepared at Low Life) is close, too.

Other progress is less visible, namely the preparation of the oak foeders to receive beer for aging. Theyve been steamed, and will first be filled with whats called a "trash wort" a low-alcohol beer that can be dumped after use (unless it tastes good, of course)  to help with conditioning and mellowing out the woody notes in the barrels. "Water doesnt do it  its not acidic enough," says Birch. "I think the lower pH of the beer actually takes some of that oakiness out."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The foeders have been steamed, and will first be filled with whats called a "trash wort" a low-alcohol beer that can be dumped after use (unless it tastes good, of course)  to help with conditioning and mellowing out the woody notes in the barrels.

One of the unwelcome holiday gifts for the Low Life crew has been contracting COVID  both Oberman and Young tested positive, while Birch was laid up with what he assumed was COVID, as well. Only Carson managed to dodge getting sick.

Production of Low Life beers at Barn Hammer has pretty much stopped in anticipation of getting up and running on Daly Street. "We have a couple beers in foeders at Barn Hammer and thats it," says Birch, whose drywalling and construction duties at Low Life have wrapped up, allowing him a bit more time at his Wall Street brewery.

For Oberman, unlike the others, witnessing any kind of a build first-hand is new, and has been a revelation.

"Adam works in construction and Tyler has built a thousand things. Chris has opened breweries before, too. Theres a lot of problem-solving every day," he says.

We were both down and negative, with so much going on. But yeah, I think there is a clear ending ahead.  Adam Carson

"Every time something comes up, Im like, Oh, my God. Its going to ruin everything. And theyre like no, no"

He hopes to have some piquettes ready to go in March that he reckons will be made at Barn Hammer, while Young gets to know the newly installed brewhouse.

I hesitate before asking again about an opening date, risking sounding like a broken record, but Birch sounds confident. "Theres not that much to do in here, although I know it doesnt look like it," he says, laughing. "Its definitely not 2 1/2 months from now. Theres no way it will take that long."

APRIL 2022

MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "We canned and packaged some beer that was very satisfying," Young says.

In early April, 2 1/2 months later, theres not been much news from the Low Life camp, which I figure isnt a good sign, so I email Oberman, Birch and Carson about meeting again, with the hopes things are nearly ready to go one year after we first met to chat.

After locking in a time to meet at Daly Street, Carson informs me Birch is no longer part of the project. Its odd to be back in the space without Birch there, but Carson offers his take on his departure.

"Owning and running one brewery is a hell of a lot of work, plus he owns Mammoth Canning (a mobile canning facility used by many local breweries). And then navigating it through a pandemic, while trying to open another brewery during the pandemic and with a young family I imagine its a bit overwhelming, a bit much for anyones plate," says Carson, who has a young child of his own and another on the way.

"Im not saying he cant handle that workload. But youve got to focus on your priorities. If you own all of Barn Hammer and half of Low Life, what would you rather save? If you lose Barn Hammer, youre totally screwed."

MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Head brewer Chris Young in the back room.

Carson explains he and Birch officially ended things a few weeks back. "We had a conversation in December where he was going to step back in some form. Then in mid-January, he was back on, had figured his situation out differently. And then it just kind of petered out again, back to where we were."

With all the big pieces in place in the facility, however, things really are looking near completion. The taproom bar and furniture are in, lighting looks to be mostly done and, lo and behold, theres beer, brewed on site and in cans and kegs, although theyve not been aged in foeders  theres just no time. About half of the foeders are filled with beer aging away for future release.

"We canned and packaged some beer that was very satisfying," Young says. "And as much as I dont mind doing other things here, its good to be able to just make beer. But I know this same story from every other brewery thats ever opened  theres so many things that go into it."

Carson, who seems exhausted but with a glimmer of optimism, jumps in. "I wish I knew what he knew. Im in construction and we just install. This has been a lot different than anything Ive ever been a part of. There were a lot of moving parts."

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS In addition to the eight beers and two piquettes on tap, there are several offerings in cans to go.

Speaking of parts, the cost of wood has skyrocketed over the last year. "We have a beautiful exterior design and patio, which is 90 per cent wood," Carson says. "And were just holding off from doing it. Wood has gone up in price so much that its not doable right now. So were going with a temporary patio, which aesthetically is not going to be as nice. Thats not putting your best foot forward, but thats the reality." Carson says the patio will have room for an additional 60 guests.

And the bay doors that will lead to the patio have yet to arrive. "Were still waiting on the overhead doors we ordered over a year ago. Theyre still not here," Carson says, almost laughing. "Theyre supposed to ship today from Nebraska. Theyre beautiful  glass with black trim. Lights going to be pouring in here. Its going to look great."

Hes pleased about the look of the taproom, although some of the first choices on particular elements didnt come through. And those changes came with a cost. "These last-minute changes, you hear, Oh, that tile, by the way  its unavailable. The one you wanted, which is X amount per square foot this ones twice as much, but its all we can get in time for you to open," he says. "I need more chairs. So I emailed two weeks ago about chairs, and they are $110 more each than they originally were."

DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS People check out Low Life Barrel House on the establishments long-awaited opening day.

Asked about cost overruns on the project as a whole, Carson doesnt get into specifics  and I dont ask  but he says there have been enough of them.

"Its not double, but its not far off," he says, wincing. "And a lot of that was due to COVID. You cant just make that money back. Its not like you can say, Oh, we paid an extra 20 per cent for this countertop, so now were charging a percentage on the beer."

Not all of the 20 taps behind the taprooms dark porcelain bar will have beer, wine or cider flowing from them when the place opens, but many are already spoken for. Carson anticipates seven beers will be available on tap initially with offerings including a piquette, two different grape ales, a house saison, a small pale, a dry-hopped sour and a dark mild, none of which will have been aged in foeders but which will still be representative of Low Lifes unique take on brewing.

Tasting notes MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The first four beers below were brewed at Low Lifes new location, albeit not aged in foeders, due to the time it takes for barrel-aging. Theyre available at the brewery, and have started rolling out to Liquor Marts and beer vendors. The latter two brews were aged in oak, although they were brewed at Barn Hammers Wall Street location; as such they cant be sold at Low Life, but are at Liquor Marts and beer vendors, and may still be available at Barn Hammer. click to read more The first four beers below were brewed at Low Lifes new location, albeit not aged in foeders, due to the time it takes for barrel-aging. Theyre available at the brewery, and have started rolling out to Liquor Marts and beer vendors. The latter two brews were aged in oak, although they were brewed at Barn Hammers Wall Street location; as such they cant be sold at Low Life, but are at Liquor Marts and beer vendors, and may still be available at Barn Hammer. House Saison (5.2 per cent alcohol by volume, $3/355 ml can) A typical Belgian-style saison comes with higher carbonation, plenty of fruit and spice notes. Low Lifes house variety is pale straw and hazy in appearance. Bread dough, spice, floral and slightly grassy aromas. Dry, light-plus bodied and crisp, fresh citrus (lemon rind), grassy and subtle spice notes. Complex but easygoing. Dark Mild (4.4 per cent ABV, $3/355 ml can) Pale cola in colour with an off-white head. Up-front malt, toffee and dried fruit (raisin) aromas. Slightly off-dry, pronounced toasted almond and malt flavours, very low bitterness, hints of dried fruit. A rainy-day beer that brings dark-beer flavours with far less weight than most. Small Pale (3.4 per cent ABV, $3/355 ml can) Pale straw and hazy in appearance. Bright tropical (pineapple, papaya) and grassy aromas. Dry, crisp, moderately hoppy, citrus rind and tropical flavours, underlying malt notes. An ideal post-lawnmowing beer offering remarkably intense flavours while landing with lower alcohol content. Cabernet Franc Saison grape ale (5.7 per cent ABV, $5/355 ml can): Grape skins in contact with the beer give a slightly pinkish look to this gold, hazy beer. Berry, spice, bread dough and malt aromas are most prominent, all of which persist on the mainly dry, light-bodied, tart and complex palate. There isnt anybody combining beer and wine elements quite like this  especially using organic Ontario grapes. Berliner Weisse (4.9 per cent ABV, $3.65/355 ml can): Pale gold and hazy in appearance. Funky, earthy aromas as well as vanilla, wheat and subtle banana. Dry and light-plus bodied with slightly salty, tart citrus, bread dough and subtle woody flavours. A good introduction to brett beers, as both the oak influence and funkier notes are discernible without being overpowering. Kiss Kiss Apricot Brett Saison (Six per cent ABV, $4.75/473 ml can): Medium gold and slightly hazy in appearance. Tart balsamic and subtle apricot aromas that come with that funky brett note. Dry, medium-bodied and slightly tart, with a more pronounced barrel note that comes with the slightly nutty apricot component. A wild mix of fruit and funk for more adventurous palates.  Ben Sigurdson Close

In the big wooden barrels are some of Low Lifes staples  the Blood Cut brett IPA, Tempestarii saison, Low Light brett table beer and Majik concord grape saison with brett. Also in the foeders is a pilsner, which will likely get the brett treatment as well. But theyll not be ready until late May or June.

Oberman, meanwhile, has been working with his Ontario grapes on some of his first creations. For the most part, production on the wine started at Barn Hammer and will be finished at Low Life  initial offerings will include a rose made of skin-macerated Vidal grapes as well as Cabernet Franc, three sparkling wines, another skin-contact Vidal that will be an "orange" wine and a white blend, of which there will be two iterations  one for Low Life and one for Barn Hammer.

And while Carson seems in slightly better spirits, the stress is still palpable, much of which he attributes to dollars and cents. "If anything ever really bad happened to my other company, Id be in trouble. And now Im spending almost all my time here," he says, echoing Birchs sentiments before he stepped away. "Unless youre working 80 hours a week, you ignore one business. And your family. My daughter is due in a month."

He pauses before continuing. "Its been the worst year of my life. Im a very positive person and very upbeat, high energy. I usually try to kid around and laugh, and now I cant sleep. But, you know, the last couple of weeks, Ive been trying to be a little bit more positive. Because I can see it. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Drinking some of these new beers that Chris is making, with zero guidance for me the last couple hes made have been fabulous.

"Im really excited about this place we just need to get the doors open at this point."

And, he says, barring any last-minute snags on approvals from the city and the like, Low Life Barrel House will have its soft opening on April 29, and officially open to the public May 4.

DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A few of the offerings brewed on site and for sale at Low Life Barrel House.

A couple of days later, I stop by Barn Hammers Wall Street taproom to touch base with Birch about the split. When I arrive, hes working the canning line for the initial offering from Super Fun Beverage Co., a project he and Carson both still co-own and whose initial offerings will be craft seltzers. Birch steps away from the line for a few minutes, visibly more relaxed than during our previous Low Life visits.

"What I wanted from Low Life and what (Adam) wanted from Low Life was different. We just wanted to go in different directions," he says. "The other part was that Barn Hammer was really suffering  I was doing the construction at Low Life, spending so much time there. And I have a young family it was like, I just cant do it. Even if it was going super-well I probably would have backed away."

Birch notes the pandemic was particularly hard on Barn Hammer  add in the rebranding theyre rolling out, upcoming renovations to the space and other projects such as Super Fun and Mammoth Canning, and it was all too much.

And while hes disappointed he wont be a part of the facility he helped build, Birch has no regrets about the decision to step away and focus on Barn Hammer.

"Its been so much easier," he says. "Im way happier, way less stressed."

DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Patrons gather at the bar to order drinks and chat on opening day.

Its the evening of April 29, my last official visit. The construction noises have been replaced by the din of human voices  a taproom filled with people chatting and drinking beer under large domed light fixtures, that fabulous wall of foeders offering a beautiful backdrop.

The menu of beers on the wall behind the bar is missing a couple of letters and not all the lights are lit quite yet, but its finished enough. Once those new bay doors are installed and the evening sun is shining through, it will be quite a sight.

Tonight the rain from the latest Colorado low to blast the city is just starting to fall.

In addition to the eight beers and two piquettes on tap, there are several offerings in cans to go, none of which have been aged in barrels but which bring Low Lifes tasty left-of-centre, adventurous approach to beer. Theres also glassware, T-shirts, hoodies and more for sale. Staff are pouring drinks as Carson, Young, Oberman and Gladu circulate and chat with the various invited tradespeople involved in putting the place together.

DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Allison Carrasco pours a drink while working on opening day of Low Life Barrel House.

Oberman and Young say theyve found working together both inspiring and educational, although the chaos of getting ready to open and the fact that Oberman is still doing Next Friend cider stuff at Barn Hammer means the pair havent collaborated extensively at Daly Street, with the grape ales pouring on tap and in cans their first true tag-team effort. Theyre an unlikely pairing, but one that seems destined to bring a real sense of adventure to Winnipegs craft beer and wine scene.

And the doors do officially open to the public Wednesday with photos of the handsome foeders, hazy beers and slick new taproom already spreading across social media. Low Life has already had many requests for special-event bookings for later in the year, and between the barrel wall, the innovative beers and the spacious taproom, its easy to see why.

One of the things Ill take away from chronicling Low Lifes journey from side project to stand-alone drinks-maker is that cost overruns and delays are pretty much the norm, although in this case they were escalated by the pandemic. And while the beers taste great and the almost-completely finished facility looks spectacular, both front and back of house, theres so much hard work and behind-the-scenes issues to contend with that anyone considering opening their own brewery better have lots of free time, an abundance of patience and even more money.

DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "I think Winnipegs really going to embrace it. Its a brewery, but its a little bit different," Carson said.

Carsons not the tallest drink of water out there, but on this occasion he seems to stand taller and is visibly more lively  he looks as though the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders. I corner him for some last words.

"The last week of getting ready to go was beyond stressful. But everybody pitched in, from top to bottom. Im a bit overwhelmed," he says. "Im looking forward to just getting through this weekend and really seeing the public come in enjoy the place.

"I think Winnipegs really going to embrace it. Its a brewery, but its a little bit different."

ben.sigurdson@freepress.mb.ca
Andrew Callaghan of Channel 5 went to The Satanic Temple's SatanCon in Scottsdale, Arizona. He spent a good amount of time interviewing Christian protestors outside the convention center. They all seem to think the great anti-MAGA bogeyman George Soros funded the event.

From Wikipedia:

The Satanic Temple, often abbreviated TST, is a nontheistic religious and human rights organization that is primarily based in the United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Co-founded by Lucien Greaves, the organization's spokesperson, and Malcolm Jarry, the organization uses Satanic imagery to promote egalitarianism, social justice, and the separation of church and state, supporting their mission "to encourage benevolence and empathy [among all people]." The Satanic Temple has utilized satire, theatrical ploys, humor, and legal action in their public campaigns to "generate attention and prompt people to reevaluate fears and perceptions", and to "highlight religious hypocrisy and encroachment on religious freedom."
A major furniture company is closing its Winnipeg production site, taking over 200 jobs with it.

A major furniture company is closing its Winnipeg production site, taking over 200 jobs with it.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

DeFehr Furniture announced its East Kildonan production facility would shut down Aug. 10. The closure will affect 224 employees.

Severe supply chain disruptions and raw material sourcing challenges were among the companys reasons for the closure, according to a statement on DeFehr Furnitures website. Balancing the pace of price increases that were passed to customers also contributed.

The wind down will be carried out in a controlled and orderly manner, the statement reads. All obligations to suppliers and employees will be honoured as we work to complete and fulfill customer orders on hand.

DeFehr Furniture will offer affected employees support programs during the transition, its statement said.

The company has operated for over 75 years. Its products have furnished homes and hotels across Canada, and it employs over 400 Canadians, according to its website.

It closed its plants on Pandora Avenue and in Morden in 2008, centralizing its operations at its 125 Furniture Park facility.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Dozens more civilians were rescued Friday from the tunnels under the besieged steel mill where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol have been making their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategically important port city.

Injured Natalia Rudneva, 59, reacts as her son was hospitalised after night shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Thursday, May 5, 2022.(AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP)  Dozens more civilians were rescued Friday from the tunnels under the besieged steel mill where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol have been making their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategically important port city.

Russian and Ukrainian officials said 50 people were evacuated from the Azovstal plant and handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Russian military said the group included 11 children.

Russian officials and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said evacuation efforts would continue Saturday. The latest evacuees were in addition to roughly 500 other civilians who got out of the plant and city in recent days.

Teenagers on bicycles pass a bridge destroyed by shelling near Orihiv, Ukraine, Thursday, May 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The fight for the last Ukrainian stronghold in a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

As the holiday commemorating the Soviet Union's World War II victory over Nazi Germany approached, cities across Ukraine prepared for an expected increase in Russian attacks, and officials urged residents to heed air raid warnings.

These symbolic dates are to the Russian aggressor like red to a bull, said Ukraine's first deputy interior minister, Yevhen Yenin. While the entire civilized world remembers the victims of terrible wars on these days, the Russian Federation wants parades and is preparing to dance over bones in Mariupol.

By Russias most recent estimate, roughly 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holed up in the vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukrainian officials said before Friday's evacuations that a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and fears for their safety have increased as the battle has grown fiercer in recent days.

A woman walks past tanks of Donetsk People's Republic militia in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Wednesday, May 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

Kateryna Prokopenko, whose husband, Denys Prokopenko, commands the Azov Regiment troops inside the plant, issued a desperate plea to also spare the fighters. She said they would be willing to go to a third country to wait out the war but would never surrender to Russia because that would mean filtration camps, prison, torture and death.

If nothing is done to save her husband and his men, they will stand to the end without surrender, she told The Associated Press on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said influential states are involved in efforts to rescue the soldiers, although he did not mention any by name.

We are also working on diplomatic options to save our troops who are still at Azovstal, he said in his nightly video address.

People stand in line for registration at the aid distribution center for displaced people in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, Thursday, May 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

U.N. officials have been tight-lipped about the civilian evacuation efforts, but it seemed likely that the latest evacuees would be taken to Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian-controlled city about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northwest of Mariupol where others who escaped the port city were brought.

Some of the plant's previous evacuees spoke to the AP about the horrors of being surrounded by death in the moldy, underground bunker with little food and water, poor medical care and diminishing hope. Some said they felt guilty for leaving others behind.

People literally rot like our jackets did, said 31-year-old Serhii Kuzmenko, who fled with his wife, 8-year-old daughter and four others from their bunker, where 30 others were left behind. They need our help badly. We need to get them out.

Fighters defending the plant said Friday on the Telegram messaging app that Russian troops had fired on an evacuation vehicle on the plant's grounds. They said the car was moving toward civilians when it was hit by shelling, and that one soldier was killed and six were wounded.

An Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft is seen in the hangar destroyed during recent fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, May 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Moscow did not immediately acknowledge renewed fighting there Friday.

Russia took control of the rest of Mariupol after bombarding it for two months. Ahead of Victory Day, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of the city, which had a prewar population of more than 400,000. Perhaps 100,000 civilians remain there with scarce supplies of food, water electricity and heat. Bulldozers scooped up debris, and people swept streets against a backdrop of hollowed-out buildings. Russian flags were hoisted.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port. It would also allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free some Russian troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and a surprisingly fierce resistance.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country and flattened large swaths of cities.

Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Wednesday, May 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

Ukrainian officials said the risk of massive shelling increased ahead of Victory Day. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said authorities would reinforce street patrols in the capital. A curfew was going into effect in Ukraines southern Odesa region, which was the target of two missile attacks Friday.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas region and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putins ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia made no acknowledgement of the losses.

The Ukrainian army also said it made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth. Meanwhile, one person was reported dead and three more were wounded Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

In other developments Friday:

People walk along an urban beach along the river Dnipro as the sun sets in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

 A Ukrainian army brigade said it used an American Switchblade suicide drone against Russian forces in what was likely Ukraine's first recorded use of such weapon in combat.

 U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems. Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March. He called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through September.

 The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region said residents of the city of Kreminna were being terrorized by Russian troops trying to cross the Seversky Donets River. Serhiy Haidai accused Russian troops of checking phones and "forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots. His statements could not be immediately verified.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

 Haidia also said more than 15,000 people remain in Severodonetsk, a city in the Luhansk region that's seen as a key Russian target. He said he believes most residents wish to remain even though entire blocks of houses are on fire.

 The small village of Nekhoteevk, in Russias southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, was being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. His claims could not be immediately verified.

___

Gambrell reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome, Yesica Fisch in Zaporizhzhia, Inna Varenytsia and David Keyton in Kyiv, Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstyslav Chernov in Kharkiv, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and AP staff around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
SONCHAMP, France (AP)  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

French farmers stand as they talk in a gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

SONCHAMP, France (AP)  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

They'll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce biogas. It's among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russia's war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes aren't  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the world's breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europe's energy dependence.

The European Biogas Association says the European Union could quickly scale up the production of bio-methane, which is pumped into natural gas networks. An investment of 83 billion euros ($87.5 billion)  which, at current market prices, is less than the EU's 27 nations pay per year to Russia for piped natural gas  would produce a tenfold increase in bio-methane production by 2030 and could replace about a fifth of what the bloc imported from Russia last year, the group says.

The farmers around the Paris-region village of Sonchamp feel their new gas plant will do its bit to untie Europe from the Kremlin.

Its not coherent to go and buy gas from those people who are waging war on our friends, said Christophe Robin, one of the plant's six investors, who farms wheat, rapeseed, sugar beets and chickens.

If we want to consume green (energy) and to avoid the flows and contribution of Russian gas, we dont really have a choice. We have to find alternative solutions, he said.

Biogas is made by fermenting organic materials  generally crops and waste. Robin likened the process to food left too long in a container.

Framer Christophe Robin gives a phone call in a gas plant outside the village of Sonchamp, south of Paris, Tuesday, May 3, 2022. In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas. Theyll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce so-called biogas. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

When you open it, it goes Poof. Only here, we dont open it. We collect the gas that comes from the fermentation, he said.

The gas from their plant could meet the needs of 2,000 homes. It will be purified into bio-methane and injected into a pipeline to the nearby town of Rambouillet, heating its hospital, swimming pool and homes.

Its cool, said Robin. The kids will benefit from local gas.

Like in the rest of Europe, the production of bio-methane in France is still small. But it is booming. Almost three bio-methane production sites are going online every week in France on average and their numbers have surged from just 44 at the end of 2017 to 365 last year. The volume of gas they produced for the national network almost doubled in 2021 compared to the previous year and was enough for 362,000 homes.

France's government has taken several steps to quicken bio-methane development since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The industry says bio-methane met almost 1% of France's needs in 2021 but that will increase to at least 2% this year and it could make up 20% of French gas consumption by 2030, which would be more gas than France imported last year from Russia.

The Sonchamp farmers took out 5 million euros ($5.3 million) in loans and received a 1-million-euro state subsidy to build their plant, Robin said. They signed a 15-year contract with utility firm Engie, with a fixed price for their gas. That will limit their ability to profit from high gas prices now but ensures them a stable income.

Were not going to be billionaires, said Robin.

Workers are finishing the construction and the plant is almost ready to be connected to the network. Piles of agricultural waste  wheat husks, pulped sugar beets, onion peelings, even chicken droppings  have been prepared to be fed into the giant bubble-like fermentation tanks.

Winter barley specially grown to make gas will make up about 80% of the 30 tons of organic material that will be fed each day into the plant.

Robin insists that the barley won't interfere with the growing of other crops for food, which critics worry about. Instead of one food crop per year, they'll now have three harvests every two years  with the barley as extra, sandwiched in between, Robin said.

In Germany, the biggest biogas producer in Europe, the government is cutting down on crop cultivation for fuels. The share of corn permitted in biogas facilities will be lowered from 40% to 30% by 2026. Financial incentives will be provided so operators use waste products such as manure and straw instead.

Germany is estimated to have over 9,500 plants, many of them small-scale units supplying rural villages with heat and electricity.

Andrea Horbelt, a spokeswoman for the German biogas association, said the production of bio-methane could be doubled in a matter of years but also wouldn't be cheap.

Using biogas for electricity is more expensive than solar and wind, and will always remain so, she said.

At the end of their gas-making process, the Sonchamp farmers will also get nitrogen- and potassium-rich wastes from the fermenters that they'll use to fertilize their fields, reducing their consumption of industrial fertilizer.

Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"Its a circular economy and its green. That pleases me, Robin said. Its a superb adventure.

___

Jordans reported from Berlin.

___

Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine,

Read AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate.
NFI Inc. continues to suffer through significant supply challenges, recording a 20 per cent decline in revenue to $459 million for the first quarter of the year.

NFI Inc. continues to suffer through significant supply challenges, recording a 20 per cent decline in revenue to $459 million for the first quarter of the year.

The company disclosed that delivery of a key electronics component will continue to be undersupplied until August and last week the company was forced to lower its financial guidance for the year.

SUPPLIED PHOTO Brian Dewsnup will be acting president and CEO until Soubrys return.

And on Thursday it announced that long-time president and CEO Paul Soubry will be taking an immediate medical leave of absence after being diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm that requires treatment.

Soubry took part in the regular analysts call on Thursday and said that he would be off for a few months.

The board of directors has named Brian Dewsnup as acting president and CEO until Soubrys return.

Dewsnup has been president of NFI Parts since 2017.

Brian Tobin, chairman of the board of NFI Inc. said, We support Paul in his request to take a leave and wish him the very best as he focuses on his health at this time. The board has complete confidence in the strong management team that Paul has built which includes stand alone leadership of each business unit. Brian Dewsnup and the entire management team are well positioned to continue to implement the business strategy and run the day-to-day operations while Paul takes a leave.

As the company faces supply-chain issues and now a medical issue for its CEO, it is also in the midst of negotiations with its banking syndicate for covenant relief. Soubry and company officials told analysts that it was confident that an agreement will be reached.

But company officials also took pains to ensure that when the parts supply issues are resolved all the other market conditions are favorable for NFI to continue to maintain its leadership role in the industry, with a very strong order book and with plenty of demand from transit authorities.

As well, the portion of higher-cost, more profitable zero-emission bus orders continues to rise and government funding for public transit in the U.S., Canada and the U.S. are at historic highs.

Soubry said, The future remains very bright, as demand for our vehicles has never been higher and the first rollouts of record government investments in public transit are starting to reach our customers. Our multi-year backlog, market leading products and positions and deep customer relationships leave us extremely well positioned for recovery as supply chains normalize and parts availability recovers.

NFIs stock has taken a beating this year falling from the $20 range at the beginning of the year to close at $11.75 on Thursday, up 27 cents from the opening.

Analysts have been lowering their target prices on NFI for some time.

Last week Cameron Doerksen of National Bank of Canada Financial Markets reduced his 12-month target price from $19 to $14.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

After the release of the first quarter results on Thursday, Doerksens note to his clients was, We believe the company will receive additional covenant relief and supply chain problems will eventually ease, but see limited upside for the stock in the near-to-mid-term until there is more visibility on resolving these challenges.

Jonathan Lamers of BMO Capital Markets reduced his target from $15.50 to $13.00 last week.

Company officials were adamant on the analyst call and during the virtual annual general meeting on Thursday that the company continues to be confident it will be able to take advantage of the market opportunities.

Although the company recorded a net loss of $28 million for the quarter and negative $17 million in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) the company said increased volumes of high margin zero-emission bus sales, the re-opening of private tour operations and significant cost savings from an extensive company-wide efficiency program will mean it will be able to generate EBITDA of between $400 million and $450 million by 2025.

And whereas revenue over the last 12 months was $2.2 billion, the companys target for 2025 is in the $3.9 billion-to-$4.1 billion range.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
HALIFAX - Nova Scotias two largest airports are getting $19.3 million in provincial funding to attract new airline routes.

An arrivals and departures information screen is seen at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Halifax on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - Nova Scotias two largest airports are getting $19.3 million in provincial funding to attract new airline routes.

The Halifax International Airport Authority is getting $13 million for its air access fund, which is used to encourage airlines to land at Halifax's airport.

The province says the fund for Halifaxs Stanfield International Airport was originally intended to attract international flights.

But some of that funding can now be used to try and bring back domestic routes that were cut by Canadian airlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The remaining $6.3 million is destined for the Sydney Airport Authority's air access fund and for upgrades at the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Planned upgrades include repairs to the primary and secondary runways and renovations to the main terminal building and the main road to the airport.

"Our airports are a key part of Nova Scotia's economic growth and prosperity, Economic Development Minister Susan Corkum-Greek said in a news release Friday. Air access helps increase trade and competitiveness, brings new investment and supports our tourism sector.

Marie Manning, a vice-president of the Halifax International Airport Authority, said air service connections are critical to the Atlantic region's economic recovery.

Now more than ever we need to partner with our airlines to ensure service is returned to our region in a timely manner, allowing our tourism markets to gain back the momentum they've lost since COVID-19," Manning said.

Mike MacKinnon, CEO of the Sydney airport, said the provincial funding will help the airport authority with its capital plan, which has sat idle for the last two years because of the pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2022.
OTTAWA - The unemployment rate fell to another record low in April even as the pace of job creation slowed, suggesting a tightening of the labour market.

A woman checks out a jobs advertisement sign during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Statistics Canada will release its latest reading on the job market on Friday. The agency will release its labour force survey for April. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

OTTAWA - The unemployment rate fell to another record low in April even as the pace of job creation slowed, suggesting a tightening of the labour market.

Statistics Canada said Friday the jobless rate fell 5.2 per cent for April as the economy added 15,300 jobs.

That's down slightly compared with the previous record low unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent set in March when 72,500 jobs were added.

"All of these indicators that we look at all tell the same story, and that is a story of a shrinking labour pool and an overheated labour market, said Tu Nguyen, economist with accounting and consultancy firm RSM Canada.

Nguyen pointed to the record low unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent for core-aged workers aged 25 to 54 and the lowest rate of involuntary part-time employment on record at 15.7 per cent as indicators of how tight the job market has become.

Statistics Canada also said the adjusted unemployment rate  which includes people who wanted a job, but did not look for one  was 7.2 per cent in April, below the pre-pandemic level of 7.4 per cent.

Bank of Montreal chief economist Douglas Porter said the moderate gain in employment is a sign of much more normal conditions, but also one where the supply of new workers may be beginning to be the binding constraint on growth.

"For the Bank of Canada, this will do nothing to dissuade them from their tightening path, not with headline inflation aiming at seven per cent," he wrote in a note to clients.

Inflation in March reached 6.7 per cent, and the Bank of Canada has said it expects inflation to average almost six per cent in the first half of the year. The central bank has indicated additional interest rate hikes are on their way in the coming months.

"The one item of news here that may help contain just how much the Bank ultimately needs to hike is the ongoing calmness of wages," Porter said.

Average hourly wages were up 3.3 per cent year over year in April compared with a year-over-year gain of 3.4 per cent in March.

Statistics Canada did note that the proportion of those making less than $20 per hour in April made up 25.9 per cent of all employees, down from 35.5 per cent in April 2019. Meanwhile, employees earning $40 or more per hour represented 24.5 per cent of employees, up from 18.0 per cent three years earlier.

The jobless rate in April fell to its lowest point since at least 1976, which is as far back as comparable data goes, as the number of jobs in professional, scientific and technical services rose by 15,000 in April and the public administration category gained 17,000.

The number of people working in retail trade fell by 22,000 in April and those working in construction dropped by 21,000.

However, the effects of the pandemic continued to be felt in the economy as the total hours worked in April fell 1.9 per cent compared with March, due in part to illness-related absences from work. A blizzard in Manitoba also affected the hours worked in that province.

Looking ahead, Nguyen said she expects the job market to remain tight through the summer as business and consumer demand remain strong and workers cant materialize out of thin air.

Businesses and consumers still have quite a lot of savings from the pandemic and they are still going out purchasing goods and services and we dont have a whole lot of additional supply to the labour market, she said.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

However, Nguyen said she's watching the proportion of long-term unemployed among the jobless.

Long-term unemployment accounted for 20.6 per cent of total unemployment in April compared with 15.6 per cent in February 2020, before the pandemic.

Nguyen said it points to an issue of a mismatch between the skills of people who have been unemployed for a long time and an overheated labour market that's looking for workers

Maybe these workers feel like theyre being left behind because wherever you look now, you see reports about a heated labour market and yet they can't seem to find jobs, she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2022.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version incorrectly stated the number of jobs gained in April.
TORONTO - Uber Technologies Inc. has fought off a unionization attempt from Toronto drivers for its premium Uber Black service with a settlement it signed with the private sector union trying to represent the workers.

An Uber driver's vehicle is seen in Vancouver on Jan. 24, 2020. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Canada, representing Toronto drivers for Uber Technologies Inc.s premium Black service says it has reached a settlement in a case it was pursuing to help the workers unionize. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

TORONTO - Uber Technologies Inc. has fought off a unionization attempt from Toronto drivers for its premium Uber Black service with a settlement it signed with the private sector union trying to represent the workers.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Canada on Friday confirmed the settlement, which it said had been in the works since January, five years after the union started pursuing a case against the ride-hailing giant.

Debora De Angelis, the union's regional director of Ontario, said the settlement includes commitments that will see both parties explore new rates for commercial insurance, which tend to be high for gig workers, spend more on marketing airport rides that have dropped during the pandemic and increasingly involve drivers in product development.

Both sides will also team up to advocate with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority and municipal governments on shared interests impacting the hundreds of Uber Black drivers, who ferry customers around in premium cars, often making trips to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport and downtown Toronto.

Uber spokesperson Laura Miller confirmed the settlement in an email, saying it was "made possible" because of an agreement the company signed with the UFCW in January that will see the union provide dispute resolution to Canadian drivers, but the deal does not unionize workers.

The two sides reached a resolution in the case because they realized they could agree on several issues and help each other, meaning the Ontario Labour Relations Board will no longer be making a ruling in the case, De Angelis added.

The union took the settlement, she said, because ultimately, what was that decision going to be? We don't know.

We heard what the drivers were saying and we were able to actually make sure that they have a voice.

The union had been pursuing the case since 2018, when an Uber Black service driver was seeking representation after his account on the Uber app had been deactivated over a trip cancellation issue.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

De Angelis recalls that the driver had a vehicle leased for $1,330 per month and once the app was deactivated, he lost his ability to earn a living and felt helpless.

The union and the driver eventually filed unionization papers on behalf of 300 Uber Black workers, but in labour board hearings in 2020 Uber argued union had not met the threshold of 40 per cent of the Uber Black driver population needed to become the drivers' bargaining agents.

The settlement will put an end to one of several cases Canadians working for Uber have pursued in recent years in hopes of unionizing, being designated as employees and earning rights like vacations, sick pay and better wages.

Uber has fought such asks in several countries, arguing the flexibility it offers workers to choose when, how often and where they work should not require it to give workers increased benefits, allow them to unionize or dole out more benefits.

In recent months, the company has lobbied provinces and territories to force Uber and other app-based companies to create a self-directed benefit fund to disperse to workers for prescriptions, dental and vision care, RRSPs or tuition.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2022.
VIENNA (AP)  A train carrying 2,000 metric tons of Ukrainian corn arrived in Austria on Friday, part of European efforts to elude a Russian blockade of Ukraines ports that has prevented critical supplies of wheat, corn and other grains from getting to countries in Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia.

A train driver looks out of his locomotive at the arriving of a Ukrainian freight train with fodder maize, in Vienna, Austria, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Theresa Wey)

VIENNA (AP)  A train carrying 2,000 metric tons of Ukrainian corn arrived in Austria on Friday, part of European efforts to elude a Russian blockade of Ukraines ports that has prevented critical supplies of wheat, corn and other grains from getting to countries in Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia.

Standing in front of a rail car adorned with the Austrian and Ukrainian flags, Austrias farming minister, Elisabeth Koestinger, said the shipment marked the establishment of a green corridor for important cargo shipments between the two countries.

Grain and animal feed exports cant leave Ukraine via the sea route. Thats why we are creating green corridors, Koestinger said.

The shipment comes amid a wider struggle to cope with disruptions to global food supplies triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with both countries two of the world's biggest suppliers of wheat, barley and sunflower oil. Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizers that farmers need to grow crops.

The potential loss of affordable grain supplies that millions around the world rely on for cheap bread and noodles has raised the risk of food shortages and political instability in countries where many people already were not getting enough to eat. With food prices already soaring, the high cost of fertilizers and cooking oils are further squeezing the global food chain.

To help ease the crunch in a small way, trains will carry up to 60,000 metric tons of grain from Ukraine to Austria every month, adding to similar shipments to Germany. Those exports circumvent Russia's blockade of Odesa, Ukraine's largest port, on the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Austria, Vasyl Khymynets, called the new land route an important symbol of Ukraines cooperation with its partners.

We are looking for routes to supply the world with food, he said.

Khymynets said 600,000 metric tons of Ukrainian grain could potentially be exported every month via various land routes  just a fraction of Ukraine's export capacity of 25 million tons.

The initial Austrian shipment was purchased by animal feed producer in that country. Subsequent cargoes were expected to find their way to the global south," Koestinger said, with Ukrainian food supplies in demand in central Africa.

The load of corn left Ternopil province in western Ukraine, and Austrian Railways picked it up in the Slovakian border town of Cierna.

Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Other countries also have started setting up their own green corridor routes, Koestinger said. Such land routes have been used during the war to help civilians trying to flee the fighting.

Austrian Railways already has been carrying Ukrainian cargo three times a week to northern Germany via Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland on trains that can carry up to 2,000 metric tons.

Now, it will ramp up the frequency with daily trains to Brake, Germany, near Bremen, where a port specializes in shipping animal feed and grain.

The Austrian government estimates that due to the war, harvest losses might be as high as 30% to 50% compared with pre-war production.

___

AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
The chief of flood-hit Peguis First Nation, which has been submerged for a week, wants Ottawa and the province to commit money to build permanent flood protection to prevent future disasters.

The chief of flood-hit Peguis First Nation, which has been submerged for a week, wants Ottawa and the province to commit money to build permanent flood protection to prevent future disasters.

Glenn Hudson said he plans to speak with both levels of government about a solution following the Interlake communitys latest flood, a one-in-100-year event which has forced about 1,600 residents to leave their homes.

We need long-term flood infrastructure in place, whether thats a diversion or a reservoir, he said Friday.

A diversion was proposed about 10 years ago following a devastating and disruptive flood in 2011, with a price tag of about $90 million, Hudson said.

I think its a far cry (from) having to have a community of nearly 5,000 people experience disruption in their lives for a month, he said about the cost. This is the fourth time in 12 years its happened.

The cost of the 2011 flood  for things such as fighting water levels, recovery and rebuilding of homes  was about $18 million, and some people remain displaced a decade later, Hudson said.

He anticipates this flood could end up costing about $30 million, with long-lasting disruption for residents of the First Nation, which is about 170 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Indigenous Services Canada spokesman Matthew Gutsch said Ottawa and Manitoba in 2006 paid for a $3.1 million study to examine flooding and protection on the Fisher River.

The study by AECOM Canada was expanded about eight years ago to look at scenarios include a one-in-100-year flood, at a cost of $178,000.

It looked at measures such as a floodway and a dike, but concluded while mitigation measures were possible, they would likely cost several hundred million dollars and likely not prevent all types of flooding, including overland, said Gutsch.

He said Ottawa has flood-proofed the most vulnerable homes in Peguis and helped the community build infrastructure above the 2011 flood level.

Although there has been a significant amount of work done, ISC acknowledges there is still more to do, and will continue to support Peguis First Nation as they continue to rebuild, Gutsch wrote in an email.

Johanu Botha, assistant deputy minister, emergency management and head of Manitobas Emergency Management Organization, said the province is open to discussing long-term solutions with Peguis and Ottawa.

We recognize the devastation in the community and how challenging it is to respond to an event like that, said Botha.

Hudson isnt satisfied with Ottawas response so far.

We have been discussing things, but no money has flowed to us, and this is day seven. People in the community are giving it their all, so I must applaud them, he said.

The federal government has not agreed to Hudsons request for military aid, saying existing resources have not been depleted.

Gutsch said federal departments are working with Peguis, the province and the Canadian Red Cross to help the flood fight and support residents with needs such as health care.

Peguis First Nation has been submerged for a week. (David Lipnowski / The Canadian Press)

Ottawa has provided funding for equipment, including the rental of extra pumps, trucks and trailers, and for food and water, he said.

Meetings between ISC and the First Nation will continue on a daily basis as we work together until the flood risk subsides, said Gutsch.

The province had not received additional requests for help from ISC as of Friday afternoon, but it is ready if needed, said Botha.

Manitoba has sent equipment, including 25 pumps, and experts such as an engineering team, which was assessing the flow of water.

More than 700 homes have been hit, with swaths of the community still submerged after the Fisher River spilled its banks last weekend following significant precipitation and an ice jam.

It is the worst flooding in the area since 1962, according to the province.

Peguis, which was already in a state of local emergency when disaster struck, has issued a mandatory evacuation order.

Some flooded houses, where residents have stayed behind, cannot be reached by vehicle or boat.

Peguis is using a private medical evacuation helicopter to rescue people in an emergency or with health concerns.

Within two hours of the air ambulance arriving, it was used to airlift a 17-day-old baby, said Hudson.

As of Friday, the helicopter had been used to help 17 residents leave the flood zone, he said.

If we lose one life, the cost of that helicopter is a non-issue, said Hudson.

Hundreds of evacuees are staying in hotels in Winnipeg, Gimli, Selkirk and Brandon. The communitys school and its teachers are working to make sure childrens education continues, said Hudson.

After fighting floodwater for a week, many who remain in the community are tired and upset. About 400 people are involved in the effort, said Hudson.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

In the short-term, Peguis needs more sandbags, temporary dams, which use water-filled tubes as a barrier, and equipment such as high-volume pumps, he said.

We just need a reprieve from this situation, said the chief, who is hoping for dry and warm weather in the coming days.

More rain headed to Manitoba this weekend is not expected to affect the flood situation, the province said.

The Fisher River has peaked at most locations, and flood forecasters expect it to recede within its banks in Peguis on or about Monday. A flood warning remains in effect.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching
Nearly 10,000 Manitobans hoping to get a drivers licence are stuck in a massive traffic jam thats being blamed on the pandemic and seasonal delays.

Nearly 10,000 Manitobans hoping to get a drivers licence are stuck in a massive traffic jam thats being blamed on the pandemic and seasonal delays.

Road-test appointment waits are stretching into months; Manitoba Public Insurance is now booking tests in August.

Winnipegger Daneige Lepage, who successfully got her licence last week on the first try, said she thought her driving instructor was joking when he told her to book an appointment months ago, even though she wasnt even halfway through her training.

"I couldnt believe it," the 36-year-old Lepage said. "I was very, very surprised.

"Im glad (my instructor) pushed me a bit. He said I should book it because of the wait, but I didnt think I was ready. I was three months out when I first booked it."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Daneige Lepage (left) just got her driver's licence after getting lessons from Harold Tabin (right), owner of A Confidence Driving School.

Lepage said when she made the road test appointment for April in January she had had only a few lessons since beginning in November.

"I was still learning how to drive," she said. "I hadnt learned to park yet."

Harold Tabin, owner of A Confidence Driving School, said he has been encouraging all of his students to book appointments much earlier than they expected.

"It is just crazy, just crazy," Tabin said. "Ive been doing this for 30 years and this is the worst it has ever been.

"If they havent booked already, people have to wait two to three months until they can take a test; who can afford to pay for the lessons so youre ready again?"

It is just crazy, just crazy. Ive been doing this for 30 years and this is the worst it has ever been."  Harold Tabin, owner of A Confidence Driving School

Tabin said he has also heard that MPI, which administers the exams, is test-driving a road-test simulator.

"They want you to pass (on) the simulator and then you take a road test," he said. "But even the examiners who have tried it have a hard time passing. I get frustrated even thinking about it."

Kristy Rydz, MPIs manager of communications, said the Crown corporation administers about 600 Class 5 road tests at all of its driver-testing locations weekly, but the demand is way up because of the extra-long winter weather and the need to catch up from COVID-19.

"Many applicants prefer to take their road test during the summer months and we anticipate this to be the case this year, in particular, with the challenging winter that we have experienced," Rydz said.

"As well, there are still remaining COVID-19 impacts along with some limited cancellations (and) rescheduling of appointments due to weather conditions this year."

Many applicants prefer to take their road test during the summer months and we anticipate this to be the case this year, in particular, with the challenging winter that we have experienced."  Kristy Rydz, MPIs manager of communications

Rydz said it also doesnt help that only about 38 per cent of students pass their first attempt at a Class 5 road test and those who dont often immediately book another appointment to try again.

To meet the demand, Rydz said MPI is adding new test slots when it can and offering staff overtime hours. MPI has also put in place a 14-day waiting period before a driver can take another test and is requiring applicants to take a minimum of two hours of professional instruction before taking another exam if they have failed four previous times.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"We are also training new driver examiners with the goal of increasing capacity in the coming months," she said.

The situation was much the same last year. From May to August 2021, there were 10,665 scheduled Class 5 road-test appointments, MPI said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
In health care nowadays, there aren't too many topics that rank higher than health equity and workforce development.

Kaleida Health's John R. Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo got a major grant Friday that will boost its efforts toward both initiatives.

KeyBank and the First Niagara Foundation donated $1.5 million to Oishei to help it further develop and sustain a program to address maternal health and racial equity and ensure all Western New York women receive quality maternity care. The program also is expected to address the need for all-encompassing prenatal services and provide support for community health workers interacting with expectant mothers.

With the funds, Oishei also will develop a program this year that will provide a stipend to assist nurses with two-year degrees to work toward four-year degrees.

"This is a great example of community collaboration and what we can do together because programs like this not only are really effective and we know are needed in order for us to have good healthy workforces, but in this case, it also helps us support good healthy outcomes for our community at large," Oishei President Allegra Jaros said.

Jaros called the $1.5 million gift a significant investment, noting Oishei is usually happy if it can get $2 million in grants during the course of an entire year.

It's a large grant for the bank, too, noted Elizabeth Gurney, director of corporate philanthropy for KeyBank and executive director of the First Niagara Foundation.

"This one really is a tripleheader for us, if you will," she said. "Our three focus areas are workforce, education and neighbors being in healthy, safe and thriving communities. So clearly, this fits that to help the health care for our moms and our kids, for healthier families throughout our region."

KeyBank's local loans and investments surpass $1 billion The loans and investments were part of a five-year community benefits plan Key launched across all of its markets, in conjunction with Key's acquisition of First Niagara Bank.

Since 2013, KeyBank and the First Niagara Foundation have given Oishei nearly $2 million in grants. Gurney noted the bank had previously made a $300,000 donation to Kaleida to underwrite all non-labor costs for the move of Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo to Oishei on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

For KeyBank, based in Cleveland but one of Buffalo Niagara's largest banks after its 2016 acquisition of First Niagara Bank, the grant fits into its $40 billion National Community Benefits Plan, to be spent across its 15-state footprint.

Locally, KeyBank has made $1.1 billion in loans and investments in the Buffalo area over a five-year period through the end of 2021.

Jon Harris can be reached at 716-849-3482 or jharris@buffnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByJonHarris.

Buffalo Next Must-read local business coverage that exposes the trends, connects the dots and contextualizes the impact to Buffalo's economy. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Three years after his disappearance, Eduardo Balaquits body still has not been found.

Three years after his disappearance, Eduardo Balaquits body still has not been found.

But now that a jury has convicted Kyle Pietz of manslaughter in the 59-year-old family mans death, investigators will return their focus to finding his remains, Winnipeg Police Service Sgt. Wade McDonald said Wednesday night following the verdict.

Barbara Stoppel, 16, was strangled at the St. Boniface doughnut shop where she worked in December 1981.

Balaquits disappearance is one of many cases that continue to haunt investigators.

McDonald, head of Winnipeg polices homicide unit, said of the 175 deaths police have investigated in the last five years, 16 remain unsolved.

While he wouldnt provide specific details on those investigations, he said the files are still open.

These cases are constantly being assessed regularly and continually, he said. We continue to look at them with new investigators and with DNA.

What drives investigators is the knowledge each of the victims is remembered and loved by people who knew them  and it is especially difficult when there isnt a body.

Christine Jack, 33, disappeared in December 1988.

The disappearances are always challenging and overwhelming, McDonald said. The loss is felt by family and friends.

McDonald said he has worked in other WPS units, but homicide is unique because of the connections forged between officers and victims families.

I still get families who have called me from cases 10 years ago  even when we have made an arrest on them, he said. I cannot imagine what these families go through.

McDonald said homicide investigators arent looking only at unsolved cases; they continue to review historical files that went to trial  in some cases repeatedly  but did not, ultimately, produce convictions.

JOE BRYKSA/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Amber McFarland, 24, vanished after leaving a nightclub in October 2008.

Including the slayings of Barbara Stoppel and Christine Jack.

Stoppel, 16, was strangled at the St. Boniface doughnut shop where she worked in December 1981. Thomas Sophonow was tried three times for murder. His first trial ended with a hung jury. He was convicted in the other two, which were later overturned on appeals.

Sophonow spent 45 months behind bars before his second conviction was overturned in 1986 by the Manitoba Court of Appeal, which ruled he couldnt be tried again unless the Crown brought new evidence. The Supreme Court of Canada upheld the acquittal and he was released. He later received $2.3 million in compensation for the miscarriage of justice.

Jack, 33, disappeared in December 1988. The Crown alleged her husband Brian Jack, who had played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, killed her. His lawyer argued that the mother of two simply left her husband by driving off and never returning.

RCMP Jennifer Catcheway disappeared June 19, 2008 and police and her family have been searching for her ever since.

After three trials and appeals, the Supreme Court finally ruled a fourth trial would be an abuse of process and Jack was released.

Manitoba RCMP currently have two prominent unsolved homicide investigations from 2008, both originating in the Portage la Prairie area.

Amber McFarland, 24, vanished after last being seen leaving a nightclub in that city in October 2008. Her boyfriend and another man were arrested a year later, but released without charges.

Jennifer Catcheway phoned her mother on June 19, 2008, to say she was on her way home in Portage to celebrate her 18th birthday. She never arrived, and police and her family have been searching for her ever since.

Thelma Krull was last seen on July 11, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Winnipeg Police Service, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

RCMP spokeswoman Tara Seel said both investigations are ongoing and police encourage anyone with information to come forward. She said there are other cases that remain open from past years.

We have 77 unsolved homicide investigations that date back to 1962, she said.

To provide some context to that, our solve rate for homicide investigations for the past four years is 85 per cent. The homicide investigators in RCMP major crime services are truly dedicated officers who work extremely hard to find answers for victims and their families.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Other unsolved Manitoba homicides:

Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press Files Colten Pratt disappeared shortly after he moved to Winnipeg looking for work in 2013.

 Thelma Krull left her home for a walk on July 11, 2015, and was last seen strolling past a surveillance video camera in her Grassie Boulevard neighbourhood. A hunter in the RM of Tache found the 57-year-old grandmothers skull in the fall of 2018 and. Police identified a suspect, a heavy-set man with a bowl-shaped haircut, but there have been no arrests.

 Claudette Osborne called several family members from a payphone at Selkirk Avenue and King Street on July 25, 2008 sometime after leaving a McPhillips Street hotel, but she hasnt been heard from since. Her family continues to organize vigils in the citys North End for the woman who was 21 when she disappeared.

 Sunshine Wood was 16 when she was last seen holding the door at the former St. Regis Hotel in downtown Winnipeg on Feb. 20, 2004. Wood, a member of the Manto Sipi Cree Nation, had come to Winnipeg to attend high school.

 Colten Pratt hasnt been seen since leaving the Marlborough Hotel on Nov. 6, 2014, on his way home in St. Vital. Police said the 26-year-old man may have been seen early the next morning at a bus shelter near Main Street and Redwood Avenue.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Child care advocates are blaming bureaucratic bungling for failing to get daycare subsidies to Manitoba families in need.

Child care advocates are blaming bureaucratic bungling for failing to get daycare subsidies to Manitoba families in need.

In February, an estimated 12,000 more daycare spaces qualified under the expanded Manitoba Child Care Subsidy Program. It was part of the Stefanson governments promise to achieve the federal goal of $10-a-day child care by 2023, and a 50 per cent fee reduction by the end of the year.

However, one Winnipeg daycare operator says shes sitting on more than $100,000 she cant distribute to parents in need because of bureaucratic red tape.

"Ive done this for 40 years  I can tell you this is the worst ever that Ive ever seen, ever (in terms) of how the government is handling all of this and the communication and the whole accounting," said the operator, who didnt want to be named.

Manitoba joined the federal governments $30-billion universal child care plan in August 2021, to the tune of $1.2 billion over five years.

In February, Manitoba altered its formula so households with a net income of $37,116 (or below) qualify for a full subsidy, while households with a net income of $82,877 could qualify for a partial subsidy. The change is estimated to save families an average of about 30 per cent in out-of-pocket child care fees.

Ive done this for 40 years  I can tell you this is the worst ever that Ive ever seen, ever (in terms) of how the government is handling all of this and the communication and the whole accounting.  Daycare operator

Three months into the expansion, the Winnipeg operator said the onus has been put on daycares to distribute funding, despite many parents not even being aware they qualify, due to a lack of government messaging.

Rather than directly cut costs, she said, the province is instead forcing parents and operators to jump through hoops to possibly receive subsidized child care.

"Nobody has sent anything out to the parents, the only communication has been the daycares themselves. And really, its not up to us to do this, because its not our money, its the parents money and theyre dumping it on to us," she said.

"But theyre also leaving it sort of very open, because I really dont know at this point how were going to account for all of that."

Meantime, already overwhelmed daycares are forced to take time normally used for operations to "launder (the provinces) money," the operator added.

Manitoba has some of the lowest child care costs in the country, and is receiving more money than ever to be spent on child care, but the barriers to access are causing a "death by 1,000 cuts" situation, according to University of Manitoba Prof. Susan Prentice.

Nobody has sent anything out to the parents, the only communication has been the daycares themselves. And really, its not up to us to do this, because its not our money, its the parents money and theyre dumping it on to us.  Daycare operator

"All of it is what in my biz is called administrative burdens; theyre inefficient, they require management, they cost money to monitor and maintain and its a very different approach from a nice, clean fee reduction, lower fees for everybody," one of Canadas leading child care experts said.

"Whats really important to understand is that in Manitoba, the price of child care is not changing, and the price of child care is changing in every other, Quebec aside, in every other of the provinces and territories."

Prentice said she hasnt heard of any other province deciding to expand subsidy eligibility  rather than more directly lower the price of child care.

Prentice criticized what she called "a much less inclusive, generous and, in fact, less efficient approach to child care" because parents are forced to prove theyre still eligible for the subsidy several times a year, and can lose the subsidy if their income situation changes.

"When things are only made accessible to parents because they meet certain quite punitive assumptions what the province is functionally doing is saying, See, all these new parents will get a subsidy and so they will pay less money, and so the amount that parents pay will go down and so its (like it) dropped the fees," she said.

Youre not a consumer with rights on a subsidy, youre kind of a supplicant.  Prof. Susan Prentice

"Except its really quite different. Because youre not a consumer with rights on a subsidy, youre kind of a supplicant."

The child care subsidy being paid to facilities on behalf of the parents is standard practice for the Early Learning and Child Care program, a spokesperson from the province said, adding facilities have received funding in advance to ensure they remain stable while families apply for subsidies.

"Manitoba is using the subsidy threshold increase as a first step towards reaching the average $10 per day parent fees," the spokesperson said in an email. "This approach allows for more lower- and middle-income families to pay fees related to actual net household income levels."

The spokesperson noted there is a three-month advance available that allows facilities to waive parent fees while waiting for applications to be processed.

In Saskatchewan, licensed facilities receiving funding from the government put it directly toward parent fees without the parents having to apply.

"We looked at lots of different options, and the one we landed on was the one we thought was fair to all the parents in the province, that would reduce the child care costs for everybody," assistant deputy minister of education Gerry Craswell said.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Both of her children, Solomon Carriere, 6, and Isabelle Carriere, 4, use daycare and while Lori Isber learned she wasnt eligible for the expanded funding, it took her hours and more than one try to get there through the online application program.

Jumping through Manitobas hoops was an "atrocious" process for mother of two and chairwoman of the Fort Rouge Child Care board Lori Isber. Both of her children use daycare and while Isber learned she wasnt eligible for the expanded funding, it took her hours and more than one try to get there through the online application program.

"I work in web design and the user experience is pretty bad. It hasnt been improved in a long time, and thats sort of whats creating a bottleneck," she said. "A lot of people start and then just give up."

Her concern is people who arent as digitally-savvy or possibly speak English as a secondary language or are newcomers wont be able to navigate the subsidy process at all, meaning funding is going untouched by those who may need it most.

"I cant believe that it isnt front and centre, why people arent out championing it. I just dont understand why theyre being quiet and hush-hush."

The province said plans are currently underway to improve the application process and increase messaging about the subsidy.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
With his wife struggling to breathe Saturday, Russ Mohr watched as the ambulance he called went whipping by on the north Perimeter Highway looking for a place to access Sturgeon Road.

With his wife struggling to breathe Saturday, Russ Mohr watched as the ambulance he called went whipping by on the north Perimeter Highway looking for a place to access Sturgeon Road.

"Im pretty pissed off, you know," Mohr said, calling for Sturgeon Road access to be reopened at the Perimeter.

The ambulance could have avoided a long, roundabout detour if Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure hadnt ripped up the median in September to prevent vehicles from crossing the Perimeter. The department says its removing many local access points to make the highway encircling Winnipeg safer for increased traffic and to support an international trade hub in a city expected to eventually grow to one million people.

The median opening at Sturgeon Road and south access from the Perimeter was closed to eliminate dangerous left turns at Sturgeon by moving them to safer intersections, a government spokesman said. A detour is required to get to Sturgeon Road both north and south of the Perimeter  area residents say thats a problem when minutes count.

Russ Mohr and Nicole Dureault-Mohr had to wait 45 minutes for an ambulance on Saturday. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

Nicole Dureault-Mohr suffered an asthma attack, on top of having COVID-19, Saturday afternoon.

Her husband called 911 and went to the end of their driveway near Sturgeon Road on the north side of the Perimeter to watch for the ambulance in case it had problems finding them or accessing the road.

While his 60-year-old wife struggled for air, Mohr struggled with what to do as the wait grew.

"Do I come back in the house, put her into my vehicle and drive towards the ambulance  where I think the ambulance is going to come?" Mohr said in an interview this week, saying he was worried help would arrive too late. "Do I take her straight to the hospital, myself, and risk that?"

When he saw the ambulance on the eastbound lane of the Perimeter, he waved his arms; it flashed its lights acknowledging him but kept going because it couldnt turn left onto Sturgeon Road.

It had to make a detour, driving to the next exit at Route 90, then backtrack to Sturgeon Road, which, for now, is still accessible from the westbound lane. It took the ambulance 45 minutes to arrive, Mohr said.

His wife was taken to Grace Hospital, treated and able to return home late that night.

Mohr said hes worried the lack of access slows down emergency responders and the next person may not be as fortunate as his wife.

Shared Health confirmed there were delays in this case, but said they had nothing to do with road access.

"We believe lack of familiarity with the area resulted in some wayfinding challenges for the responding crew," a spokesman said Wednesday.

The Medical Transportation Co-ordination Centre that receives, triages and dispatches all rural 911 calls in Manitoba uses a flexible dispatch model that assigns the closest available unit to a call, he said.

"In this instance, the responding crew was the closest to the area but was from another provincial zone," he said.

The co-ordination centre took part in meetings concerning changes to access and egress to and from the Perimeter Highway and ambulances in each provincial zone are aware of the changes to access, including those made to the northern section of the Perimeter in the past year, the Shared Health spokesman said.

Access to Sturgeon Road across the Perimeter median has been closed, so a detour is required to get to Mohr's property (in red zone). (Google Earth / Maxar Technologies / Winnipeg Free Press)

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure reviewed plans for restricting access to the Perimeter from Sturgeon Road with the Rural Municipality of Rossers emergency services and added an emergency vehicle turnaround between King Edward and Ritchie Street, a government spokesman said.

The turnaround is several kilometres away from Sturgeon Road, not properly marked and was not plowed during the winter, said Reeve Frances Smee.

"In general, it really does not provide reasonable access for emergency vehicles, and it certainly does not provide reasonable emergency access to the area between highways 6 and 7," said the reeve, who has a meeting next week with Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk to discuss access concerns.

"It is one of the issues we want to work with the province to improve. The safety issues are what keep us up at night. Its impossible to get off the highway as youre going east until you come to Highway 7 from (Hwy.) 6."

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

There is alternate access available to all locations where the median was closed or uncontrolled access to the Perimeter was removed, and the infrastructure department has discussed the project on numerous occasions with the RM to identify concerns and develop solutions, the government spokesman said.

The province consulted virtually with concerned residents in July, said community member Val Gough. At first, she was opposed to restricting access to the Perimeter because of its inconvenience. Since shes seen the impact of the loss of access at Sturgeon Road, Goughs concern has shifted to safety.

"Its a lifeline for the community," said Gough, who commutes via the Perimeter to work in south Winnipeg.

She circulated a petition citing safety concerns and asking the province to reconsider removing local access to the Perimeter. It had 750 signatures when it was tabled in the legislative assembly on Nov. 26 by NDP infrastructure critic Matt Wiebe.

"There are safety improvements that can be made on the north Perimeter and we support those, but instead of making any announcements or improvements, essentially what the government did is they just went ahead and closed the access points and that created a whole host of other problems," said the MLA for Concordia.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Coun. Scott Gillingham kicked off his drive for the Winnipeg mayors chair with a call for unity, and side orders of economy and green space.

Coun. Scott Gillingham kicked off his drive for the Winnipeg mayors chair with a call for unity, and side orders of economy and green space.

As a city, we have a lot of opportunities we need to seize as we come out of the pandemic, Gillingham told the Free Press at the launch of his 2022 mayoral campaign Thursday afternoon at St. James Burger & Chip Co.

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Scott Gillingham speaks at his mayoral campaign launch at St. James Burger & Chip Co. on Thursday.

I also believe I have the track record of bringing people together  to unite people. If we are going to tackle our challenges, we need to do it together.

The two-term city councillor (St. James) last month resigned from the executive policy committee and stepped down from the role of finance committee chairman in the lead-up to registering as a candidate for mayor in the Oct. 26 vote.

Gillingham said his experience in council (including Winnipeg Police Board and council liaison for labour relations) has shown him what the city needs.

Gillingham told the assembled crowd of supporters he plans to clean up Winnipegs rivers and restore its urban forest. He said the city is not on track to meet its Million Tree Challenge, a campaign to plant one million trees over the next 20 years.

Winnipeg needs to power our economy, Gillingham said. We need stronger, more resilient, climate-friendly infrastructure so we can deliver safe, reliable transportation sources.

Gillingham said he would also target crime if elected, while pushing for smarter policing and safer shelters for those experiencing homelessness. We need the strength of compassion to face the problems of addiction and homelessness.

Those values were expressed when residents of St. James  and the city at large  supported the creation of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, he added. An entire city rallied to overcome mistrust, misconception, suspicion and resistance.

Among those gathered at the local restaurant to offer a public endorsement were former Long Plain First Nation chief Dennis Meeches and Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River).

Scott has been an ally, right from Day 1, Meeches said. Ive briefed our chiefs on your support, and Im sure they would be very happy to see you in the mayors chair come this fall.

I have witnessed (Gillingham) demonstrating progressive, responsible leadership that complemented key political acumen and interpersonal insight, said Chambers, first elected in 2018.

I think one of the things Scott does really well is communications. He can reach out to people, and people feel like they can approach him.

With Brian Bowman not seeking a third term, the 2022 mayoral race is expected to be a wide-open affair.

Registration with the City of Winnipeg for candidates for mayor began May 1 and is open until Sept. 20.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Seven have already thrown their hats into the ring: Gillingham; grocery worker Chris Clacio; security company owner Don Woodstock; business consultant Jenny Motkaluk; former Winnipeg Centre MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette; outdoor equipment store owner Rick Shone; and policy analyst Shaun Loney.

Several other prominent Winnipeggers have dropped hints they, too, are mulling a run.

Among them had been Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry).

On Thursday, however, Orlikow confirmed he would not be putting his name in the mix. The current deputy mayor thanked his supporters on Twitter, adding: It is not the right decision for me to run at this time.

Orlikow said he has yet to decide if he will seek re-election. Registration for candidates for city council opens June 30 and closes Sept. 20.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
Is it pure, partisan political posturing, or an earnest endeavour seeking accountability and justice?

Chances are, the decision by Manitoba Liberal Party leader Dougald Lamont to initiate a court proceeding aimed at holding Premier Heather Stefanson to account for conflict-of-interest (COI) violations qualifies as pretty much equal measures of both.

Mr. Lamont took the highly unusual action  unprecedented, in the assessment of the provinces ethics commissioner, Jeffrey Schnoor  in response to revelations (first reported by the Free Press in January) that Ms. Stefanson, while serving as a cabinet minister, breached the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Conflict of Interest Act by not declaring the sale of three properties in 2016 and 2019, for a total of $31 million, in which she had financial interest.

Citing the toothlessness of the current COI legislation to impose any meaningful consequences on elected officials who violate the acts provisions, the Liberal leader took it upon himself to pay a $300 fee  as is the right of any citizen  and file a detailed affidavit in Court of Queens Bench asking a judge to authorize a hearing into the matter.

DANIEL CRUMP / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Liberal Party leader Dougald Lamont will appear in court on May 18 to ask that the case be heard.

Mr. Lamont will appear in court on May 18 to ask that the case be heard.

As has been well documented, the issue at hand stems from reports Ms. Stefanson failed to file, as required, statements disclosing the sale of three properties that had for years been listed among her assets but which she had suddenly stopped including on the list. When confronted with the unexplained omissions, she passed their absence off as "an oversight."

"It is a pretty extraordinary situation where a minister was selling millions of dollars of property, and that minister failed to disclose that to the legislature," said Mr. Lamont.

Surely, even in the deep-pocketed circles in which the current premier clearly travels, it stretches plausibility past the breaking point to suggest $31 million in asset sales is something one might offhandedly forget.

Under the provinces current COI legislation, the commissioner has no power to investigate alleged breaches of the act by an MLA. The only legal recourse that might lead to punitive consequences  in this case, measures ranging from moderate suspensions or fines to removal from office and a demand for restitution  is the avenue down which Mr. Lamont has opted to tread.

It is a pretty extraordinary situation where a minister was selling millions of dollars of property, and that minister failed to disclose that to the legislature.  Dougald Lamont

There does exist new legislation that affords a newly renamed COI commissioner more direct recourse options, but the current government  for reasons unexplained but not overly difficult to decipher  opted to have the Conflict of Interest (Members and Ministers) Act not come into effect until after the next provincial election.

That is, of course, nonsensical. The new law should have been enacted immediately upon its passage. And the cynical manner in which the now Stefanson-led government has handled its creation renders any accusations that Mr. Lamonts court foray is political gamesmanship flatly impotent.

Perhaps the best way to expose the folly of a preposterous law and an absurd denial of responsibility is with a peculiarly fanciful legal gambit. Fighting inanity with frivolity, so to speak.

"This is not personal, and it is not political. This is about the law," Mr. Lamont said in a news release issued last week. One might be inclined to edit the statement slightly, excising "not" from its two strategic positionings and inserting an additional "and" in order to create a unified assertion that is truly reflective of its full intent.

This is not personal, and it is not political. This is about the law.  Dougald Lamont

And presumed purpose notwithstanding, Mr. Lamont has set in motion a process that might require from Ms. Stefanson, in terms of explanation, something more elucidative than languid protestations of a $31-million oversight.
BEIJING (AP)  A building collapse one week ago in central China killed 53 people, state media reported Friday as the search of the large pile of debris ended after rescuers found 10 survivors.

This photo released by Xinhua News Agency, shows the site of a collapsed self-constructed residential building in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province on April 29, 2022. (Chen Zeguo /Xinhua via AP)

BEIJING (AP)  A building collapse one week ago in central China killed 53 people, state media reported Friday as the search of the large pile of debris ended after rescuers found 10 survivors.

Authorities said at a news conference that all the missing had been accounted for as of 3 a.m., state broadcaster CCTV said in an online post.

The residential and commercial building in the city of Changsha suddenly collapsed the afternoon of April 29. Aerial photos showed it pancaked to about the second story between other buildings about six stories tall. At least nine people have been arrested on suspicion of ignoring building codes or committing other violations.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Survivors were pulled out of the rubble over several days. The 10th and last one was pulled out shortly after midnight on Thursday, 5 1/2 days after the collapse. All of the survivors were reportedly in good condition after being treated in a hospital.

The arrested include the building owner, three people in charge of design and construction and five others who allegedly gave a false safety assessment for a guest house on the buildings fourth to sixth floors. The building also had residences, a cafe and a restaurant.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, medical workers evacuate the 10th survivor pulled alive after being trapped 132 hours from the debris of a self-built residential structure that collapsed in Changsha in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday May 5, 2022. Rescuers in central China have pulled the woman alive from the rubble of a building that partially collapsed almost six days earlier, state media reported Thursday. (Chen Sihan/Xinhua via AP)

Rescuers used search dogs, hand tools, drones and electronic life detectors.

In an account of Mondays rescue of the eighth survivor, state media said rescuers faced an unstable pile of rubble that they had to work around rather than demolish. Prior to the rescue, they were able to feed in video equipment to communicate with the girl and establish that one of her legs was trapped. They also fed in saline solution for her to drink.

An increase in the number of collapses of self-built buildings in recent years prompted Chinese President Xi Jinping to call for additional checks to uncover structural weaknesses.

Poor adherence to safety standards, including the illegal addition of extra floors and failure to use reinforcing iron bars, is often blamed for such disasters. Decaying infrastructure such as gas pipes has also led to explosions and collapses.
A fire-damaged century-old brick industrial building on the edge of the Scajaquada Creek  where workers once made lap blankets from bison hides to warm passengers in carriages  may soon be torn down to make way for a $15 million waterside apartment building.

Savarino Companies wants to demolish the derelict two-story manufacturing warehouse facility, damaged in a devastating fire in July, that sits at the end of a dead-end street in the city's Black Rock neighborhood.

Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week.

In its place, the Buffalo developer owned by Samuel Savarino would construct a 66,000-square-foot L-shaped apartment building, featuring four floors of residential units above a level of below-grade parking.

Plans by Elev8 Architecture and Carmina Wood Morris call for 55 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom apartments, with both market-rate and affordable units. Savarino said the blend of units is "fungible at this point" and will depend on a market study. The building will also feature a fitness center and a fourth-floor tenant porch overlooking the creek, plus 54 parking spaces  43 underneath the structure and 11 on a surface lot.

Savarino said the site is appealing because of the "improving prospects for the Scajaquada corridor"  where waterfront and environmental advocates are promoting a cleanup and restoration of the dirty creek  and the improved apartment market overall.

The fire damage led the former owner to agree to more reasonable terms for a sale, Savarino said. The vacant building had already been declared as a safety hazard with several violations, Savarino said, and the fire left most of the rest of the structure damaged.

Savarino's team already completed soil testing of the site and concluded that the property is "grossly contaminated."

The firm has submitted the property to the state Brownfield Cleanup Program, which would result in significant tax credits.

"Remediation is impossible, really, without demolition," he said of the cleanup.

The developer has met with adjacent neighbors for a pair of informational sessions, coordinated through North District Common Council Member Joseph Golombek. But the plan may still face resistance, including from preservationists.

Located on a half-acre lot at 1 Howell St., adjacent to the Wegmans supermarket on Amherst Street, the 24,488-square-foot building was constructed in the late 1890s, with its former iconic mansard-roofed tower standing as a landmark in the neighborhood, although overshadowed by the twin towers of nearby Assumption Church. That roof is now gone.

It was home to the American Buffalo Robe Co., which used bison hides to make robes and later blankets to warm passengers' laps in open-air carriages and early cars. Most recently, it was occupied by Mar Con Erectors, a general contractor.

The site is zoned as neighborhood residential, and Savarino needs variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals for density and building height. Under the Green Code, the site would be allowed just 25 apartments, not 66, while the height would be capped at 40 feet, instead of the proposed 49 feet. The current building is 46 feet tall.

The firm has submitted an application to the ZBA, and expects a public hearing on its application in mid-May. Engineers are currently fine-tuning the plan, at which point Savarino will seek Planning Board approval, with a public hearing at the end of the month.

The property is also located in a Waterfront Revitalization area. It's sandwiched between Buffalo State College to the south - on the other side of the creek and highway - and the Chandler Street redevelopment corridor to the north.

Buffalo Next Must-read local business coverage that exposes the trends, connects the dots and contextualizes the impact to Buffalo's economy. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The union representing Dells area EMS workers is lambasting an investigation into and the reinstatement of Lake Deltons public safety director, who was cleared last week of wrongdoing after employees levied accusations of sexism, racism and abuse of power.

Daniel Hardman, who is also Lake Deltons chief of police, was reinstated to his positions on April 27 following the two-plus month investigation, which was conducted by an outside law firm.

In a response Wednesday, International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 5026 issued a letter  authored by President Spencer Nett  criticizing a deplorable, so-called investigation and the villages exceedingly troublesome decision to reinstate Hardman.

Local 5026 Vice President Tyler Greenwood also criticized the investigative process and its ultimate result.

In February, Dells-Delton EMS employees issued a vote of no confidence against Hardman, who oversees the public safety agency. The union sent a letter, penned by Nett, on Feb. 7 to the Dells-Delton EMS Commission claiming poor working conditions as well as allegations from Dells-Delton EMS employees of workplace harassment, abuses of power, unwanted physical touching, sexism, and racism against Hardman.

By not affording us a fair or thorough investigation, I think that theres really only one conclusion that can be made with that, Nett said in an interview, adding that the outcome showed that the village is condoning those actions.

In addition to the vote of no confidence letter, past and present EMS employees submitted independent letters further detailing the allegations. Among the allegations in the letters, one claims Hardman referred to Mexican people as Cucarachas (cockroaches in Spanish) and another alleged Hardman repeatedly called an employee with a digestive disorder Gerber because the employee could only eat soft food.

Ultimately, what were looking for is better working conditions and justice for the multiple victims that have come forward, Nett said. We had all 16 members of our staff sign that initial vote of no confidence attesting to the working conditions.

Attempts to reach Hardman for comment were unsuccessful.

Village response

Village administrator Tim McCumber refuted allegations made in the unions latest letter, including claims of coercive tactics to try and get EMS employees to recant their vote of no confidence and that only select members of Dells-Delton EMS were interviewed for the investigation by Madison-based law firm Stafford Rosenbaum LLP.

The allegations being made by the unions leadership are absolutely false, McCumber said in an email. Every single member of the IAFF was interviewed by Attorney (Ted) Waskowski, who was referred to us by the League of Municipalities.

The actions by the unions leadership to attempt to debate a very thoughtful and intentional process through social media is not acceptable and will not be addressed any further, McCumber added.

Nett said the instances listed in the independent letters had multiple implicated witnesses, which he said is another reason why the integrity of the investigation needs to be questioned.

How are you going to say there was no findings when you had 30-plus people come forward? Nett questioned.

Nett and Greenwood said they are both currently making efforts to prevent resignations from Dells-Delton EMS.

We have multiple pending resignations, Nett said. I have urged my membership to give this time to play out. Let justice do its thing. Let these victims get answers before they make any rash decisions.

Despite wanting his fellow union members to show patience, Nett said he understands their desire to resign following the investigation.

Theyre in a really hard place, he said. Working conditions were bad enough for all of us to speak up, not just with the allegations that were written in the independent letters, but in the vote of no confidence. The overall egregious working conditions that we were forced to go through for years just arent acceptable.

No written report

The union also criticized how the investigations findings were delivered orally at a closed session of the Village Board, with no written documentation released. Greenwood feels the absence of a written report displays a lack of transparency that leaves questions unanswered for EMS employees and taxpayers.

We talk about the transparency in local government being so important and its for this exact reason, Nett said.

Nett added that written documentation would have allowed him and union members to go through the findings and how that would bring justification to the investigations outcome. He called the lack of a written report completely unprecedented, adding it left union members shocked.

McCumber did not have an exact figure on the villages costs for the investigation, but predicted it will be around $60,000.

As a taxpayer, I think it should be very alarming and concerning that taxpayer funds are getting spent on this, but theyre getting no answers, said Nett. Thats another thing the village needs to answer for.

Village attorney Benoit LeTendre, of West & Dunn law firm, defended the strictly oral delivery of the findings. He said that releasing a written report to the public could reveal the identities of people who provided statements in the investigation.

This in turn could discourage witnesses in future investigations from coming forward and speaking freely with the confidence that their identities will be protected, LeTendre said in an email.

McCumber agreed with LeTendres reasoning and added that only Waskowski knows who spoke for and against Hardman during the investigation and did not reveal anyones name or opinion when delivering the findings.

The practice of delivering an oral report is not unusual when nothing in the investigation rises to the level of criminal activity or egregious levels of impropriety in the work place by Chief Hardman, McCumber said in an email.

Village meeting

Greenwood said that McCumber displayed a dismissive attitude towards the union when it submitted its vote of no confidence on Feb. 7, claiming that he said nothing interferes with bowling night.

When the EMS employees met with McCumber and LeTendre on Feb. 8  the day Hardman was placed on paid leave  Greenwood claimed they told the members to imagine how he feels, referring to Hardman.

Never once did they (LeTendre and McCumber) acknowledge these claims that we presented to them or their severity, let alone refer to any of us as victims or give us any sort of victim rights, Nett said. If anything, they did the exact opposite and shamed the victims.

LeTendre declined to comment on how Greenwood and Nett characterized the meeting.
A familiar face may return to the Sauk County Board after a recently elected supervisor moved out of the district, making him ineligible to serve in the position.

Chairperson Tim McCumber announced Thursday that Sup. Craig Braunschweig, who won the District 9 seat representing a portion of the city of Reedsburg in the April election, had moved outside the district. Braunschweig won in an unopposed race with 253 votes.

Tommy Lee Bychinski held the seat for 20 years. He chose not to seek reelection this year. But he may take the seat back, McCumber said, after expressing an intent to return if no other candidate steps forward.

Tommy Lee Bychinski had that seat and is willing to come back, but I thought it would be more fair to let the public know its vacant before I make an appointment like that, McCumber said.

Per board rules, if there is a board vacancy, the chair is authorized to appoint a qualified elector of the supervisory district which would then be conditional upon the approval of the board at the next regular board meeting.

Qualified elector means a resident of the city of Reedsburg who lives in Ward 7, 8 or 9 and is old enough to vote and eligible to cast a ballot.

The deadline for anyone interested in filling the seat is 4:30 p.m. May 21. McCumber said applicants can email a letter of interest to him at timothy.mccumber@saukcountywi.gov.

Whoever is chosen for the seat is likely to serve the remainder of the term, which ends in April 2024, though McCumber said the board possesses the ultimate decision over whether the appointee is approved or if the person or people would have to be chosen through a special election.

If the board wants to have that and you get more than one candidate to apply, then its worth it, but historically weve never, McCumber said. I get to make the appointment, but the board gets to determine whether theres a special election.

McCumber said the last time a vacant position was filled, it was through an appointee, and that is generally the case because there are usually not a large number of people looking to sit on the board.

After the appointee is chosen, the person will be considered by the full board during its June 8 meeting, where supervisors will be able to vote on how to proceed.

Follow Bridget on Twitter @cookebridget or contact her at 608-745-3513.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The bang of gunshots rang through the halls of county buildings Friday in Baraboo.

Each shot was a blank, with no true threat to employees there, but the sound was meant to prepare them for the real thing if it were to ever happen, said Emergency Management Director Jeff Jelinek.

It was part of six drills aimed to help people prepare for scenarios where they may be in danger, from bomb threats to an active shooter or an intruder with a knife. Jelinek said the threat is real, with employees at the Human Services building in Reedsburg recently receiving a call from someone who claimed to be on their way to the location and threatened their lives with a handgun.

There is no goal for time, only to make sure everyone knows what to do and where to go.

Its not so much response time, were just looking to make sure they follow the plans, Jelinek said.

Each department has a reference chart, he said. There are also kits with materials aimed to help control bleeding and barricade items like boards and rope, depending on the situation.

One of the scenarios is a bomb threat. A calm voice announced over the speakers that everyone in each building needed to get out and where the fake bombs were placed in the building, thanks to the employees who received the call asking the right questions. Though organizers noted a number of employees were not working for the day, those who were there left the buildings calmly and walked to the designated meeting space.

Once all of the drills were completed during the morning hours with the oversight of city and county law enforcement and emergency management officials, Jelinek said a survey will be sent out to gain feedback from all participants on how well the drills were executed.

Jelinek also met with floor captains after convening with fellow organizers to discuss how well employees responded and to address issues, which included things like improper door barricades and a lack of emergency materials.

Training for these scenarios spans more than three hours each year. The focus is also on muscle memory, Jelinek said, which organizers agreed seemed to be implemented as floor captains oversaw the safety of their employees.

Some things, like a lack of awareness of fake explosive materials during the bomb threat evacuation, could use some work, organizers said. Communication could be better as well, organizers noted as they talked about reporting phone calls to let officials know everyone was accounted for at the emergency meeting space.

Baraboo Fire Chief Kevin Stieve, who also serves as emergency management director for the city, said nearly everyone seemed well prepared and only one or two departments seemed to need more materials or extra training to understand how they should respond.

Overall I think it went pretty well, Stieve said. Some people probably skipped out on the day just because, but it sucks to be them if it really happens.

Follow Bridget on Twitter @cookebridget or contact her at 608-745-3513.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Scott Smith became the new Dodge County Jail Administrator on April 7 and is bringing with him roots that lead back to the first days of the facility along with hopes and an ambition to lead the jail into the future.

Smith started as a correctional officer for Dodge County in 1998. Then-Dodge County Sheriff Steve Fitzgerald hired Smith and other correctional officers who were needed to fill the new jail. At the time, the jail was still on Main Street in Juneau, Smith said.

We opened up here in early 2001, Smith said.

At the time, Smith was able to help plan for the facility that he now leads. He was a jail supervisor, which is now known as a sergeant.

It was a night to day change not only in size, but in operations, Smith said. We tripled the number of beds and changed from an old, linear-style jail built in the 1950s to a modern, direct supervision-style facility with modern security electronics, its own kitchen and laundry facilities as well as medical facilities and classrooms for programs. It took all of us working for several years to plan, write new policy and also hire and train many new staff.

Smith said they were all new officers when the facility opened and were problem-solving through each and every shift.

We not only had our own local county inmate population, but had to learn how to manage contracted inmates and detainees from first, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections but ultimately federal detainees from the U.S. Marshal and ICE, Smith said. Those experiences developed a real sense of family and teamwork that I hope we can continue to carry with us as a legacy into the future.

In 2010, Smith said he was moved to the dispatch center to head up the team receiving some of the most important calls in Dodge County. This was part of a cross training program that was implemented under then-Sheriff Todd Nehls.

When Nehls and then-Chief Deputy Blaine Lauersdorf retired in 2013, Smith first became the interim chief deputy before taking on the role permanently until his retirement in 2018. Smith said he always planned on working after he was able to retire from the Sheriffs Office and explored some private sector roles including a funeral director apparatus and working in the security office at St. Marys Hospital in Madison.

Eventually, he came back to Dodge County and worked part-time transporting inmates before becoming the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator in 2020 shortly before the pandemic lockdown. Smith said he was kept busy with COVID testing.

Smith said he does not know if he ever expected to take over the role as the jail administrator, but he always wanted to apply for it if it opened up.

When I saw the opening, I knew I had a decision to make, Smith said.

Smith said now that he is in the role, he knows there are some requirements like budgeting, but it is working with the people that he feels is one of the most important parts of his new position.

I believe in the culture of the Sheriffs Office, and I have learned that who you work with is important, Smith said. This seems like home to me.

Smith said his goal is to work as part of the team with two deputy administrators and eventually 72 correctional officers who will fill the facility. He said that every day will bring new challenges, and he wants to be there helping to bring solutions.

One issue that the jail has been dealing with, Smith said, seems to be coming to an end  a shortage of staff.

We had a lot of great candidates, and we are now five or six short of being fully staffed, Smith said.

The jail still has Pod H, with 135 beds, shut down, but Smith said they tentatively believe that the pod will gradually be opened again this summer.

Smith said that when the facility opened they knew that a lot of people would be entering retirement at the same time, so he isnt surprised about the shortage of correctional officers that the jail had for a while, leading to the shutdown of the pod.

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt implemented a 12-hour shift for the correctional officers in a way to deal with the limited number of staff members. Smith said that it has become more popular in the jail since it allows more days off in row and has reduced overtime.

Smith said he hopes to spend more time with the correctional officers in the facility rather than just sitting behind a desk.

I cant be chained to a desk, Smith said. I want to be back in the secure part of the jail.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
National Research Foundation rates three Witsies for the first time as world leaders in their fields

The NRF has awarded new A-ratings to three Wits academics in the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Health Sciences respectively.

Wits academics to whom the National Research Foundation (NRF) awarded A-ratings in 2022 for the first time include Professor Victor Houliston in the School of Literature, Language and Media; Professor Hilary Janks in the Wits School of Education, and Professor Frederick Derick Raal in the School of Clinical Medicine.

In addition, Professor Jean Lubuma joined Wits in January 2022 as a Distinguished Professor in the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, with an NRF A2-rating awarded in 2020.

Peer-reviewed and recognised worldwide

The NRF operates a peer review system that considers the impact that individual researchers have had in their field of research in the last eight years.

An NRF A-rating is awarded to researchers who are unequivocally recognised by their peers as leading international scholars in their field for the high quality and impact of their recent research outputs.

An A1-rated researcher is a researcher who is recognised by all reviewers as a leading scholar in his/her field internationally for the high quality and wide impact (i.e., beyond a narrow field of specialisation) of his/her recent research outputs.

An A2-rated researcher is recognised by the overriding majority of reviewers as a leading scholar in his/her field internationally for the high quality and impact (either wide or confined) of his/her recent research outputs.

Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, says, We acknowledge the commitment and research excellence worldwide of our newly A-rated researchers, which brings to 27 the total number of A-rated scientists at Wits. We are inspired by these world-leaders in their fields  as we are by all NRF-rated academics at Wits  who are conducting research for good, particularly at a time when the University celebrates its centenary and works to advance its research agenda.

Morris is herself an NRF A1-rated scientist. She is one of two A-rated scientists on Wits Senior Executive Team; the other is Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Director of Wits VIDA.

A history of religion in English literature

Emeritus Professor Victor Houliston in English Studies in the School of Literature, Language and Media (SLLM) received an NRF A1 rating in 2022. He has taught in the English department at Wits since 1988. He was appointed Professor Emeritus at the end of 2019 and continues to be active in research and in directing graduate writing programmes. He has recently enrolled as a student in the MA in Creative Writing at Wits.

Houlistons status as a leading researcher in early modern literature and history has been cemented in recent years through the publication of the first volume of his edition of the Correspondence of Robert Persons, a highly controversial figure in Elizabethan England. As the superior of the Jesuit mission to Protestant England, he took great risks. Persons himself escaped to the continent, where he founded seminaries and wrote numerous books attacking the Elizabethan regime. Houlistons edition has been described as one of the most important editorial projects in Renaissance studies in recent years. The second volume is soon to be published, and a third is in preparation.

Recognition of research in language, literacy and power

The NRF awarded Emeritus Professor Hilary Janks an A2 rating in 2022. Janks has 47 years of experience in English education in a multilingual context  six years as a secondary school English teacher and 41 years as a teacher educator. Her qualifications are in English Literature and Applied Linguistics, the latter after she recognised the importance of educating teachers to work in diverse, integrated, multi-graded classrooms in post-apartheid South Africa.

Janks research focuses on the relationship between language, literacy and power. Her work in critical literacy in the South African context contributed to Peoples English locally and the development of critical literacy internationally. Critical literacy is now taught in teacher education courses in South Africa and is part of the national curriculum for the FET phase of education. Janks remains active as a researcher and as a teacher of postgraduate students at universities in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Scotland, Sweden, and the US.

I have been a B1 researchers since 2002 and I am thrilled to receive an A-rating with which to end my career, she says.

Mathematical modelling of infectious diseases

Professor Jean Lubuma joined Wits in January 2022 as a Distinguished Professor in the School of School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. An A2-rated researcher since 2020, Lubuma joins Wits from the University of Pretoria where he was Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (2015-2019), founding holder of the DST/NRF SARChI Chair in Mathematical Models and Methods in Bioengineering and Biosciences from (2013-2015) and Head of the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (2004-2013).

Lubumas research area is ordinary and partial differential equations and integral equations. The emphasis is on the quantitative, qualitative and computational analysis of models that arise in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET). This includes life sciences, where he models natural processes, specifically emerging and re-emerging human infectious diseases such as cholera, Covid-19, Ebola, Hepatitis B, HIV/Aids, malaria, syphilis and tuberculosis.

I am excited about my appointment at Wits. This is for me an excellent opportunity to create a vibrant research network to provide adequate responses to new diseases and to old forms of new diseases such as Covid-19, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases that pose a massive threat to the development of the African continent, says Lubuma.

The worlds largest cohort of FH patients

The NRF awarded Professor Derick Raal an A1 rating in 2022. His research interest is lipid disorders, particularly familial or inherited hypercholesterolaemia (FH). The major focus of his research remains the clinical, biochemical, genetic and therapeutic management of this condition.

Raal is Head of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Director of the Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism Research Unit in the Department of Internal Medicine in the School of Clinical Medicine. Research in the unit includes the epidemiological, clinical and biochemical aspects of common diseases affecting lipid, and glucose metabolism in the different ethnic groups of Southern Africa. These include FH and other lipid disorders, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus as well as other related metabolic disorders. The unit is nationally and internationally recognised for its work on FH and has one of the largest cohorts of homozygous FH patients in the world.

In addition to an NRF A1-rating, Raal was one of the Facultys most highly cited researchers in 2019 and 2021. Highly cited researchers publish in ISI indexed journals and their highly cited and hot papers are ranked in the top 1% and 0.1% of all articles by number of citations, respectively.
Unleashing the potential of university-based archives

Towards the creation of a future Civil Society and Human Rights Archive and Research Hub at Wits.

The recent reintegration of the South African History Archive (SAHA), one of the most important social justice archives in the country, into Wits University once more raises the status and role of archives as well as the crisis many archives face in South Africa. This article does not seek to be repetitive. Rather, Gabriele Mohale, Acting Head and Archivist, Historical Papers Research Archive and Wits Digitisation Centre, The Willem Cullen Library, investigates the importance of archives in universities as active sites of research and custodians of collective memory.

What has emerged over several decades now is the fact that universities, particularly public-funded institutions, are increasingly becoming custodians of not only private and prestigious collections, but more so of organisational, corporate, and even government records, for various reasons.

This trend can be observed globally, and again, its cause is manifold. But at the heart of it lies a certain confidence, in that universities would qualify to be worthy keepers. This perception might suit the depositors of such collections, but where does it leave the university, with is core existence and mandate firmly placed in teaching, learning and research?

Related to the latter is a delicate spread of funding and resources at universities, much of which is geared toward their mandate. And yet, looking at the South African landscape, a number of universities are home to extensive and most outstanding independent archives.

What then informs a universitys commitment to archives, given the extent of resources needed for the upkeep of a physical archive, and often its digital repository, and what is the potential that these archives hold for the institution?

Archives for research and learning

The role of publicly funded universities is crucial for heritage holdings, in a country where government institutions are severely under-resourced and neglected. As much as universities too are facing serious financial challenges, they seem to be in a favourable position to uphold that continuity, stability, reliability, and support that many state-owned entities can no longer provide.

Universities also have the intellectual capacity to shape engagement and discourse, be it within the academy or beyond. At the same time, they have a vested interest in assets that can contribute meaningfully to teaching, learning and research.

Universities attract funding from organisations and the corporate world precisely because of their status of being capable partners. It is for these reasons that the holdings which this university keeps on its campuses, be it in archives, museums, libraries and galleries, should yield returns.

Towards an archive and research hub at Wits

The framework which was developed during the conceptualisation of the reintegration of SAHA at Wits University, outlined benefits as well as responsibilities, both for SAHA and for the University, which can be applied to the three main independent archives at Wits University, being the Historical Papers Research Archive, the South African History Archive (SAHA) and the Gay and Lesbian Archive (GALA).

The proposal highlighted the most outstanding aspects around the archives as institutions of heritage but more so as a gauge for the level of democracy in South Africa, or any state for that matter. It also paid specific attention to the potential of the archives for teaching, learning and research, particularly through collaborative projects with academic departments such as the Wits History Workshop, the latter having been a longstanding and guiding partner for the archives.

The proposal culminated in a suggestion for the development of a future Civil Society and Human Rights Archive and Research Hub at Wits University, based on the following points:

Teaching and research for the promotion of historical awareness

In the post-1994 South Africa, research and archival institutions had to reposition themselves in the context of the new democratic dispensation. One of the defining moments which characterised that period was the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 1996. Throughout its work, followed by its comprehensive report and recommendations, the archives became a focal point for investigating and exposing apartheid crimes.

Nearly 25 years later archives have remained absolutely committed to documenting, supporting and promoting greater awareness of South Africas colonial and apartheid history, and past and contemporary struggles for justice.

By creating a Civil Society and Human Rights Archive and Research Hub it would be possible to harness our collective strengths to contribute more systematically to teaching and research programmes at the University.

This could develop in a number of overlapping ways, through augmenting each archives role as sites of research; expanding our partnerships with civil society and community groups; promoting the development of archives from below; becoming a site of training for community-based archivists; and to create an opportunity to consider the development of an interdisciplinary postgraduate course on archives and public history.

Archival institutions for deepening our democracy

Going forward, the shaping of the intellectual terrain around archives remains essential for the upholding and deepening of our democracy. Here, archives have been catalysts, advocates and activists, particularly through community engagement, the promotion of access to information, history education, educational publications, workshops and exhibitions, as well as using national and international platforms. All this in order to ensure administrative duties of the state and to serve the citizens in all aspects of administrative as well as transitional justice.

Building capacity in communities to tell their own history

In addition to being at the forefront of archival activism, there has been a sustained focus by the archives on building capacity in communities to collect and tell their own history, not only in South Africa, but also on the African continent, even emphasising wider connections with the global South. The archives, together with the Wits History Workshop, have made their mark in the latter and have provided a platform to pursue archival activism. Bringing them together at the university will create a strong, independent, and unique archival centre of excellence and research hub in South Africa, in the interest of knowledge creation and progressive activism for civil society.

Consolidating archival activism

Having outlined the above, it is imperative to stress that essentially there are only two regional centres of archival activism in South Africa, one being in Johannesburg at Wits University, and the other at the Mayibuye Archive at the University of the Western Cape. These institutions have particularly positioned themselves in respect of archival activism, mainly due to the character of their archival holdings, and to a strong collaboration with academic colleagues in their respective institutions.

Creation of a combined archival digital platform

Another strong point for the formation of an Archive and Research Hub at Wits University is the fact that the archives have excellent reputations for working to archival standards and good practice, allowing them to adopt a strategy for their content to be digitised and made available on a standard based digital platform. This has created excellent possibilities for global access to the collections in our archives.

A digital repository with the combined archival holdings of all archives, together with a number of existing projects such as the Afrapix Consolidation Project, the MEDU Consolidation Project and the Robert Sobukwe Learning Centre and Museum, is a resource which can presently not be matched by any other academic institution in South Africa.

This is the Vision (with a capital letter) which was put to the University and has been embraced by this institution with a strong message of commitment by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, which he delivered at the relaunching event of SAHA.

And this is where the circle closes. Let us unleash the potential of the archives at Wits University.
YOUNG ADULT

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart; Delacorte Press, 320 pages ($19.99) Ages 12 and up.

...

On her family's private island off Martha's Vineyard, a 15-year-old girl is found shivering naked on a beach with a head injury and no memory of how she got there. Cadence Sinclair's struggle to remember what happened to her  and the shocking reveal when her memory returns  made for a thrilling read in E. Lockhart's 2014 blockbuster hit "We Were Liars," which was named a best book of the year by NPR, Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe.

This absorbing prequel, going back a generation, is set on the same private island, exclusive domain of the wealthy Sinclair family, and is told from the perspective of Caroline "Carrie" Sinclair, Cadence's aunt. It's framed as her response to a loved one's question: "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

The new novel can be appreciated without reading the first book but it does contain spoilers; a family tree in the beginning clarifies the relationship of the Sinclair generations.

In the summer of 1987, 17-year-old Carrie and sisters Penny and Bess are returning with their parents to Beechwood Island a year after 10-year-old sister Rosemary drowned. Carrie feels that she is the only one truly mourning Rosemary. Her parents and sisters never talk of her; Rosemary's things have been boxed and moved to the attic.

Over the winter, at her father's insistence, Carrie underwent painful facial surgery that required breaking her jaw; complications from an infection and a second surgery left her addicted to codeine. Once on the island, she starts stealing her father's sleeping pills and Rosemary's ghost starts appearing to her. The combination of addiction and grief raises questions about Carrie's mental stability and the reliability of her account of events. Then she unearths an upsetting family secret when she finds an old photo of her mother with a strange man, his face scratched out, hidden in a drawer.

Her summer is upended further when her Uncle Dean arrives with his young son, 18-year-old daughter and three of the daughter's friends, and Carrie falls in love with one of the boys, a heedless youth who is careless with his affections.

As she did in the original, Lockhart uses fairy tales and a shocking twist to powerful effect as she explores family secrets and betrayal against a backdrop of a casually affluent lifestyle and the pressure "to be a credit to the family" that comes with being born into privilege.

GRAPHIC NOVEL

Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo; Graphix/Scholastic; 245 pages, $24.99 hardcover, $12.99 (paperback), ages 8 to 12. Also available in a Spanish edition.

Suyapa, the frizzy-haired, rebellious, manga-loving daughter of Honduran immigrants, wants to attend summer arts camp with her New York City friends but must instead fly with her family to visit relatives in rural Honduras, where  against her wishes  a quinceanera celebration is planned to celebrate her 15th birthday in this charming graphic novel from Honduran-Colombian illustrator Kat Fajardo.

Fajardo, a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York, offers a loving portrait of family in this lively coming-of-age tale as Sue, with the support of her grandmother and older sister, gradually warms up to the idea of a party while insisting on remaining true to her own style choices. An afterword includes more about the quinceanera tradition.

CHILDREN'S

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat; Candlewick Press, 368 pages ($17.99) Ages 8 to 12.

...

In this thrilling adventure of a mapmaker's young assistant and their voyage beyond the known world, the versatile Christina Soontornvat again displays the impressive talent for world building that made her 2021 Newbery Honor book "A Wish in the Dark" so compelling.

Soontornvat conjures up a vivid world of poverty and privilege in the island Kingdom of Mangkon, where success entirely depends on family connections and lineage and where lineals or gold chains indicate status.

Sai, an expert forger, lives with her con man father, Mud, in the disreputable Fens district, a muddy marshland crisscrossed by wooden walkways, when she gets a chance to become the assistant to elderly master Mapmaker Paiyoon. Sai does not tell Mud about her new job, hiding her change of clothes and the coins she earns in a mangore tree in the marsh. When Paiyoon becomes aware of Sai's remarkable skill at copying, he invites her to join the royal expedition which offers a prize to the one who can map a mysterious continent in the southern ocean.

Along with a colorful cast of characters including a female ship captain and a pickpocket/stowaway, Soontornvat offers vivid details of the voyage, fairy tale elements and surprise twists even as it touches on issues of colonialism and environmental exploitation. (In a disturbing scene, a baby whale is caught and used to lure other whales for slaughter.)

Jean Westmoore

Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
W&M student Commencement speakers to discuss community, power of a good story

William & Marys graduates will hear from two of their own during the universitys Commencement ceremonies later this month. Eli Rothleder 22 will speak at the undergraduate ceremony on May 20, and Augustine Manga J.D.22 will speak at the graduate student event on May 21.

Both ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Zable Stadium, with Fridays beginning at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. Mellody Hobson, chair of the Starbucks board of directors and a nationally recognized voice on financial literacy, is expected to serve as the keynote speaker for Commencement.

Manga, who holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, will be graduating with a law degree. During her time at W&M, she served on the executive boards of the Black Law Students Association, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Competition Team and the Honor Council. She has worked with multiple law firms, served as a research assistant in criminal law and completed an externship with a federal district court. After Commencement, Manga will be studying for the bar exam and moving to Ohio to start her legal career as a labor and employment associate.

A Monroe Scholar, Rothleder majored in economics with a minor in Russian and post-Soviet studies and worked with several research teams in economics. While at the university, he also served on the executive board of the Club Water Polo team, ran an unofficial film club for students and friends on campus and worked as a senior interviewer intern, a tour guide and an orientation aide. This summer, he will move to Boston to pursue a career in Economic Consulting at Charles River Associates.

W&M News recently caught up with Manga and Rothleder to discuss why they wanted to speak at Commencement and what they will discuss.

Why did you want to speak at Commencement?

Rothleder: I really love W&M, maybe more than is healthy, and I wanted to be able to describe why it was so important to me and connect with the rest of my class  many of whom Ive come to know really well, and many of whom I wish I knew better  over the huge event of moving on. Its one of those things that is both good and bad, and I felt like I had a nice way to talk about that and represent all the people here that I care about.

Manga: I wanted to speak at Commencement because I love motivating, encouraging and inspiring people. I love talking to people, giving advice and helping people feel empowered to tackle whatever they seek to accomplish. So, when the opportunity to apply to be Commencement speaker presented itself, I knew that I had to give it a shot. As the Commencement speaker, I will have the chance to address the entire Class of 2022 one last time before we enter the real world and begin the next chapter of our lives, and I do not take this opportunity lightly. The Class of 2022 has a special place in my heart, so being able to sing my class's praises and leave them with words of encouragement means more to me than words can express.

Can you give us a preview of what themes your speech will touch on? What do you want fellow graduates to take away from it?

Manga: The overall theme of my speech is the power of a good story. I want my fellow graduates to know that each one of us has a story to tell, and because there is power in a good story, we should all be intentional about crafting an honest, authentic story that we would not only want to read but would also want to share with others.

Rothleder: I dont want to say too much, but the main focus of my speech is community and the bonds and shared experiences we have as a graduating class. I really want people to take away both the memories of our time here that weve had, and the importance of the other people in the class and our lives and the effect we have on one another.

What are you looking forward to about Commencement weekend?

Rothleder: Im really excited for the senior walk. It seems like such a cool, reverse-convocation moment where we get to spend one last time all together and experience campus and all the memories and feelings associated with it. Im also looking forward to getting to spend time with everybody without any stress of class or other stuff hanging over us and just having fun.

Manga: I am looking forward to celebrating the end of my law school journey with friends, family and the Class of 2022. I am looking forward to showing my friends and family the school and the town that I have called home for the past three years. And I am looking forward to finally receiving my law degree!
A Buffalo man who was high on cocaine and alcohol when he fatally injured another driver pleaded guilty in Erie County Court on Thursday to aggravated vehicular homicide, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said that at 11:15 p.m. Dec. 1, 2021, Justice C. Coniglio, 31, was speeding eastbound on Clinton Street when he rear-ended another vehicle that was stopped at the intersection of Babcock Street. The force of the crash caused the victim's vehicle to rear-end another vehicle at the intersection.

The driver of the vehicle struck by Coniglio, 47-year-old James Boyd of Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at the scene. Coniglio was taken to Erie County Medical Center where he was treated for serious injuries. The driver of the third vehicle suffered minor injuries.

Coniglio faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept 8. He was remanded without bail.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Just before 9 a.m. April 28, police pulled over Joshua Gotthart as he drove from his house on Wright Avenue, on the eastern edge of Buffalo.

The 29-year-old man had a loaded ghost gun in a holster strapped to his right hip, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office. He was also wearing a bulletproof vest.

At the same time, Buffalo Police SWAT, joined by officers from multiple agencies, raided Gotthart's house. Using a search warrant, they said they found three unregistered handguns in a bedroom and what the DA's Office described as an "arsenal" of rifles, shotguns and magazines. They also found gun-making tools  used to assemble ghost guns  and a large amount of ammunition in the house, the DA said in a statement.

The arrest and raid are among a series that law enforcement officials have conducted across the city.

Their aim: reducing gun violence.

"The focus is guns," said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. "What drives the violence is guns."

The Buffalo Police Department's Intelligence Unit is working closely with officers and investigators from the Erie County Sheriff's Office Narcotics and Intelligence Unit, State Police squads including the Community Stabilization Unit and Violent Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team, the DA's new Narcotics and Intelligence Unit, as well as the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and other federal agencies.

They are going after the "trigger pullers and the gun traffickers," Gramaglia said.

Last Friday afternoon in the lobby of Buffalo police headquarters, detectives laid out some of the firearms they seized over the past few days, some of them just hours earlier  revolvers, semi-automatic pistols and assault rifles. Three of the weapons were ghost guns that don't have serial numbers and are bought as parts and then assembled. Detectives had so many guns, they ran out of room on the table and went to get a second table. They filled that one up, too, along with a plastic bag filled with a quarter kilo of fentanyl and another bag containing 4 ounces of crack cocaine.

"We're getting a lot of weaponry off the streets," Gramaglia told reporters at a news conference.

17 arrested in raids

Five locations were searched on April 28 and 29  Gotthart's house on Wright Avenue, a house on Grider Street, a house on Oakmont Street, a business on Clinton Street and an apartment on East Amherst Street  in addition to a car stop in the Town of Tonawanda.

Five people were arrested:

Gotthart was charged with felony weapons possession charges, as well as unlawful wearing of a body vest.

Gotthart's attorney, Robert Goldstein, said police had warrants to search Gotthart, his car and his house.

"We'll be evaluating the history and the information that was used to obtain those search warrants," he said.

On April 28, detectives with the Sheriff's Office led a raid at an apartment on East Amherst where they said they found an illegal loaded pistol and a digital scale with suspected cocaine residue on it. Later, Lemuel Figueroa, 35, of Buffalo, was stopped in a vehicle in a parking lot on Milens Road in the Town of Tonawanda. Investigators allegedly found a loaded handgun in the vehicle.

Arrested in the raids April 29 at the Grider, Oakmont and Clinton locations were Couron L. Virgil-Mack, 32, of Buffalo, his wife, Brianna T. Virgil-Mack, 32, and his father, Desmond McCloud, 52. In those raids led by the Sheriff's Office, investigators allegedly found guns and 5 pounds of marijuana at the Grider Street house, 10 pounds of marijuana at the Clinton Street business and firearms, cocaine and a digital scale at the Oakmont house. One of the guns recovered was reported stolen in Buffalo in October 2017, officers said. The three were each charged with felony counts of weapons possession. The Virgil-Macks were also charged with felony counts of cannabis possession. New York's new cannabis laws prohibit the possession of more than 5 pounds of marijuana. McCloud was charged with another felony, possession of a controlled substance.

On March 3, state police led raids at a house on Concord Street in the Broadway-Fillmore section of Buffalo, leading to the arrest of 12 people. Investigators said they found five illegal guns, including a ghost gun and one reported stolen from Alabama. They also found crack cocaine, heroin and packaging paraphernalia, officers said.

75 people shot in 2022

The number of shootings in Buffalo rose dramatically in 2020 and the first half of 2021, but the rate has slowed since. Many cities across the U.S. have experienced a similar pattern in shootings over the last two years.

As of Thursday, 75 people have been shot in Buffalo this year, according to Buffalo police data. Twenty of those victims died, including a man shot Wednesday night on Person Street. That reflects about a 30% decrease in the number of shooting victims compared to the same period last year. However, it's still above the 10-year average of about 62 people through the end of April.

Police and prosecutors are determined to keep driving those numbers down.

One issue they face: a lot more guns on the streets.

"They are so easy to get, and the market is flooded," said D.J. Granville, chief of the Sheriff's Office narcotics and intelligence unit, of guns that aren't legally owned.

It used to be that the norm was to turn up one or two guns during a raid. "Now, we're running into houses and there are five, six, 10 guns," he said.

Police say they know that a very small number of people  about two dozen  are behind most of the gun violence, and that is who they want to target.

"They're the trigger pullers," he said. "They're the ones who are going to do the hits."

They also realize that the raids can be alarming to law-abiding neighbors. To allay some of those concerns, the Buffalo police send their Neighborhood Engagement Team officers to blocks after a raid to answer questions and identify other problems in the area.

"We need to have a direct line of communication to the community," said Capt. Tommy Champion.

Buffalo police and officers from the other agencies come together weekly to review each shooting to help connect the dots between cases.

The State Police Community Stabilization Unit and Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Teams are among the squads from local agencies brought in to aid in investigations.

"These units are comprised of highly skilled troopers and investigators who specialize in these types of investigations," said Major Eugene J. Staniszewski, the Buffalo-area trooper commander.

The police rely heavily on data from the Erie County Crime Analysis Center to identify suspects as well as "micro hot spots" of gun and drug activity, Gramaglia said. Patrol officers are then directed to spend down time during their shifts at these hot spots to deter crime, as part of an effort funded by the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination grant program.

To streamline these cases, the DA's Office reconfigured its narcotics bureau into a narcotics and intelligence bureau, District Attorney John J. Flynn Jr. said.

"I wanted to have a bureau in my office that mirrors what the Sheriff's Office and the State Police have," he said. The idea is for prosecutors to work in tandem with the police agencies on gun-related cases.

The authorities know that there is no way to get every illegal gun off the streets of Buffalo. But they hope that the raids and arrests teach a lesson.

"It sends a message that we're being proactive," Flynn said. "We're being aggressive. We are doubling down on getting guns and drugs off the streets and doubling down on getting the individuals who are selling drugs and traffic guns off the streets as well."

News staff reporter Aaron Besecker contributed to this story.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
This is the report delivered by M. Thevarajah to the 2022 International May Day Online Rally held on May 1. Thevarajah is a member of the political committee Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka. To view all speeches, visit wsws.org/mayday.

M. Thevarajah, leading member of the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka)



At the beginning of 2020, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), in its New Year statement published on the World Socialist Web Site, characterized this decade as the decade of intensifying class struggle and world socialist revolution. Developments since have powerfully vindicated this prognosis, which was achieved through a Marxist analysis of the objective global political, economic and social crisis, within a historical and international context.

Although the development of class struggle globally suffered a temporary setback in mid-2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, workers from many sectorsauto, health, education, power, transport, mining, bankingin the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, including South Asia, have entered into struggles. This includes strikes and protests, starting in late 2020, over a series of demands, including higher wages, better working conditions, job security, and protection against deadly unsafe conditions during the pandemic.

The immense economic, political and social crisis of global capitalism, highly intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and the US-NATO proxy war against Russia, has propelled workers, youth and the oppressed masses into action. We can see the expression of this global development in class and social struggles throughout South Asia, and particularly the ongoing popular uprising against the Sri Lankan government of President Gotabhaya Rajapakse.

Marking an important turning point in the development of this anti-government mass movement, the working class has now begun to enter into the struggle as an organized class. The April 28 general strike involving millions of workers from all sectorspublic, private, semi-government and, most importantly, the plantationswas a clear indication of that. This was unprecedented not only due to the massive participation, but also in that the working class as a class came out in the streets on an open political demand: the resignation of the government.

After blocking an independent intervention of the working class in the popular protests demanding the resignation of Rajapakse and his government, the trade unions were forced to call the strike due to the immense pressure from their members. However, the unions aim in calling the action was to contain growing working class opposition and politically tie it to an interim government trap promoted by the bourgeois parliamentary oppositionthe Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)to keep the popular movement within the confines of bourgeois rule.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) intervened powerfully in the April 28 general strike, in an important step in its continuous active political intervention in the ongoing mass uprising. The SEP advocates an independent program for the working class, based on a revolutionary socialist perspective. We distributed thousands of copies of a party statement outlining its socialist program of action for the working class among striking workers in several areas of the island.

Our statement calls for the abolition of the autocratic executive presidency and the repeal of all repressive laws. It also states: Against the IMFs austerity program that the Rajapakse government and opposition parties are all intent on carrying forward, we present a socialist program of action that puts the basic social needs of working people ahead of the profits of big business.

The Tamil bourgeois parties are playing a particularly reactionary role in propping up the Rajapakse government against mass protests. The main parliamentary party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and associated Tamil nationalist groups maintained a deafening silence over the developing popular protests for weeks.

Finally, on April 13, TNA leader M.A. Sumanthiran broke the silence by boasting that he had been negotiating behind the backs of workers and the Tamil people with leaders of the Rajapakse government and some other politicians in the Colombo bourgeois establishment, including Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and former presidents Maithipala Sirisena and Chandrika Kumaratunga. He admitted: I have been involved in many of the ongoing negotiations to try to bring stability to the political situation.

That is, the TNA leader had been conspiring with the government and other bourgeois leaders to bring political stability to capitalist rule, by ending protests, so that this or any interim government can go ahead with the IMF-dictated austerity measures.

This treacherous collaboration of the TNA with the Rajapakse government has strengthened the governments hands as it prepared for a brutal crackdown on the protesters. Just six days from Sumanthirans remarks, one worker, Chaminda Lakshan, was killed and dozens more injured in a brutal police shooting against thousands of people protesting against higher fuel prices in Rambukkana.

Plantation workers are increasingly intervening in the popular uprising. During the April 28 general strike, production was completely shut down in the hill country plantation district, shops were also closed in several towns in areas like Hatton and Kotagala in support of the workers action, and striking workers flooded towns in mass demonstrations.

The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the main plantation union, which is also functioning as a political party, has been actively supporting the governments assault on the basic social and democratic rights of the working class, as a partner of the government. The CWC refused to take a side in the anti-government popular protests for weeks. Now, facing growing opposition of workers, it has announced that it will act as an independent group in the parliament and also support the no-confidence motion prepared by the main opposition SJB.

The CWCs move has nothing do with any concern for the unbearable conditions confronting workers, but is rather aimed at channeling anger behind the bourgeois opposition parties to form an alternative capitalist government only to continue with the same IMF-dictated austerity measures.

Against all those parties of the bourgeois political establishment, including the SJB, JVP and TNA, along with their pseudo-left hangers on and the unions, the SEP is fighting to mobilize the working class in an independent political movement, rallying poor farmers and other oppressed masses, to overthrow the Rajapakse government. In opposition to an interim bourgeois government, we fight for a government of workers and peasants, which will be committed to socialist policies.

For this, the workers need to break from all unions, which are acting as an industrial police force for the government and employers, and form their own action committees.

The SEP, which has taken the initiative in forming such action committees in various sectors, including among plantation workers, health workers, education workers and artists, is ready to provide all political assistance for workers to form such committees. Through our action committees, we are fighting to make the workers in the plantations aware of their historic tasks and make them conscious of their leading role in the developing struggles.

In its struggle for the establishment of a government of workers and peasants, the Sri Lankan working class needs to form the most powerful bonds of unity with their class brothers and sisters, particularly in South Asia, including India, as part of a global movement of the international working class for world socialist revolution.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the Times May 3 that he would expel any Labour MP who did not declare unshakeable support for Nato.

Starmer, who has repeatedly declared Labour to be the party of NATO during its proxy war with Russia in Ukraine, said he was very clear that support for the military alliance was at the root of the Labour Party.

Jeremy Corbyn (left) and Sir Keir Starmer at an event during the 2019 General Election when Corbyn was party leader (Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

Times Radio had reported earlier that Starmers allies wanted him to force hard-left MPs out of his party before the next general election. When asked by the Times about the report, Starmer replied, Weve been very clear about the expectations of our members of parliament when it comes to issues like antisemitism, when it comes to the false equivalence that some argue between Russian aggression and the acts of Nato. Ive been very, very clear about that. And Ill be very clear and firm on those issues.

Asked to clarify whether he would act against his own MPs, Starmer replied, Yes, these are principles that are absolutely the root of the Labour Party, the centre of the Labour Party

Starmer has indeed made clear not only that the de facto expulsion of former leader Jeremy Corbyn will be made permanent, but that it will be followed by similar treatment meted out to any of Corbyns allies not prepared to issue a grovelling pledge to support NATOs war.

The only thing possibly preventing expulsions, given that hundreds of thousands of the socialist-minded members who joined Labour under Corbyn have since left the party, is the utter lack of political principle that characterises the Corbynite left.

On February 24, 11 Labour MPs, the rump of the Corbynite Socialist Campaign Group (SCG), collapsed in the face of a threat from Starmer to withdraw the party whip if they did not remove their signature from a Stop the War Coalition (STWC) statement calling for a halt to NATOs eastward expansion and a negotiated settlement with Russia. All did so within an hour, including Corbyns closest allies, former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, and SCG leader Richard Burgon.

Another 11 SCG MPs had on January 21 announced a new group that would try to pressure and steer Starmer rather than resist or remove him.

One day later, February 25, Starmer suspended the Twitter account of the partys youth wing, Young Labour, and scrapped its annual conference for criticising Labour for backing Nato aggression.

McDonnell made his amends by addressing a pro-Ukraine demonstration in London alongside the warmonger Paul Mason, while Abbott said in a TV interview, Nobody wants to attack NATO I am a loyal supporter of Keir Starmer. Both subsequently withdrew from the platform of an STWC rally.

Britains Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, left, embraces Jeremy Corbyn, the then leader of Britains main opposition Labour Party during his speech on stage during the Labour Party Conference at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, England, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The only MPs now backing the eviscerated remnants of the STWC are Corbyn and Claudia Webbe, both having already had the Labour whip removed. Despite this, demands persist for McDonnell and Abbott to be removed along with as many Corbynites as possible, according to Blairite sources.

The Times cites one source saying, Keir should have booted them out then Forcing them to back down wasnt enough. He still has to share a party with them. Another said Starmer would not necessarily need a pretext like the STWC letter, because when you control the NEC [national executive committee] there is always going to be a way.

The collective spinelessness of the Corbynite left is nauseating. Both McDonnell and Abbott will be septuagenarians by the time of the next general election, with fat pensions awaiting them on retirement. But they would rather end their days in the Labour Party covered head to foot in political filth than take a stand on the supposed principles on which they have built their reputations over decades.

However, this is not a betrayal of JC by his disciples, as some of Corbyns despairing supporters maintain. He leads these political scoundrels and set the tone for their response to the Blairite threats with his own constant retreats during his five-year term as party leader and following his replacement by Starmer. Not for nothing did McDonnell most recently reply to Starmers attacks on Corbyn for criticising NATO by tweeting, A commitment to Nato has been Labour policy democratically determined by party conference and accepted by every Labour leader for inclusion in every Labour manifesto, including by Jeremy Corbyn, since NATOs inception.

It was already obvious that there was no pathway back to being a Labour MP for Corbyn. On October 29, 2020, the Equality and Human Rights Commission issued a report that was the product of the witch-hunt organised by the Blairite and Zionist groups, denouncing critics of Israels suppression of the Palestinians as anti-Semites. Corbyn never opposed the expulsion of even his closest supporters on such trumped-up charges. But six months after being replaced by Starmer, he commented that the scale of the problem of anti-Semitism within Labour was dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media.

Corbyn was suspended from the party that same day. He was readmitted by the NEC on November 17, but Starmer refused to restore the party whipforcing him to sit as an Independent in parliament. Corbyn was told he must unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation apologise for his comments before readmission would be considered. Last November Starmer said Corbyn might not be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate in Islington North in the next general election unless he did so.

For months Corbyns only political response to his expulsion was to set up the Peace and Justice Project. This one-man vanity operation gives him a platform from which to pontificate on the official left and peace movements around the world, while he speaks in a personal capacity at innumerable small demonstrations and small events mounted by Constituency Labour Party branches and local trade unionscarefully avoiding any conflict with the party that has driven him into this political wilderness.

On April 20, Corbyn gave two media interviews that underscored the miserable character of his opposition to Starmer et al. On Times Radio, Corbyn asked rhetorically, Do military alliances bring peace? He added, I would want to see a world where we start to ultimately disband all military alliances.

After issuing these political bromides about a future without militarism, Corbyn stressed, I dont blame NATO for the fact that Russia has invaded Ukraine and reassured his right-wing audience that if he was Labour leader, he would be supporting Ukraines right to defend itself.

An interview with the Standard that same day was an extended appeal for Starmer to let bygones be bygones. Stressing that he wanted to stand for Labour at the next general election, when he will be 73, Corbyn noted that he had not spoken to Starmer for two years. If he had the chance to do so, Id say I think Keir we need to move on and I should be reinstated into the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] It was irritating the way Ive been treated. And I have not indulged in any kind of personal attacks of vendettas and dont intend to as far as Im concerned

He told his Islington North London constituents, Im proud to be your member of parliament, and I hope to be your member of Parliament in the future as a Labour MP.

Asked if he would stand as an independent if he is not readmitted to the Labour Party, he replied evasively, lets deal with that bridge when we get to it.

Four days later, Starmer predictably reiterated to the BBCs Sunday Morning, It is very difficult to see how Corbyn could ever be readmitted to the party following his mealy-mouthed comments on NATO.

Corbyns prostration before the right-wing continues to exact a toll on his political allies. Even as the vicious offensive against even the most partial expression of popular anti-war sentiment escalates, the anti-Semitism witch-hunt rumbles on. With both Corbyn and McDonnell scheduled to speak at the Socialist Workers Partys (SWP) Marxism 2022 event, the Jewish Chronicle denounced him for mounting a platform with anti-Semites. After slandering well-known rapper Lowkey and Palestinian academic Shahd Abusalama of Sheffield Hallam University, the newspaper reported that the Union of Jewish Students was demanding that Queen Mary University in London cancel the upcoming event.

However, the conditions have emerged for overcoming the damage Corbyn did to the political development of the working class.

Corbyn became Labour leader in 2015, and defeated a move by the Blairites to unseat him in 2016, because broad layers of workers and young people were looking for a way to oppose the destruction of their living standards and democratic rightsand because of Corbyns long record of opposing war and imperialist oppression. His downfall was not because he held these views, as the big-business media asserts, but because he betrayed those who believed he would fight for them.

Today there is nothing left of the claim, trumpeted by pseudo-left groups such as the Socialist Party and SWP, that Corbyn was leading a socialist transformation of the Labour Party. Labours policies are further to the right today than when Corbyn first became leader. Most fundamentally, Starmer is competing with the Conservative government to be the premier representative of imperialist warmongering against Russia.

As for Corbyn himself, he has rejected all pathetic appeals for him to head up a new left party. Instead he has made it known that his pacifism does not extend to opposing NATOs plans to wage a war for regime change in Russia, even when this raises the threat of nuclear annihilation. His express aim is for Starmer to grant him an audience where they can discuss his reintegration into a party of austerity, militarism and war, led by McCarthyite witch-hunters.

These spent forces are in no position to capture a working class radicalised by price rises, pushing for a renewed wave of industrial action and repelled by the insane war propaganda of all the official parties and the media. That movement will find a political way forward in the Socialist Equality Partys record of opposition to Corbynism over the past seven years. Defending the working class at home and opposing the drive to war means joining the SEP.
The School of Health Professions at St. Bonaventure University has been renamed in honor of a man who championed the university's health professions initiative from the moment he officially became its president in June 2017.

More than 150 people turned out Thursday in the San Damiano Room of Francis Hall to celebrate the dedication of the Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions.

DePerro died March 1, 2021, as a result of complications from Covid-19.

Without his vision, we wouldnt be here today, said former university trustee Jim Meyer in a statement. What we should remember about the kids who are going to graduate from this school is that they are so needed, particularly in the communities around St. Bonaventure and in Western New York.

DePerro was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the university after his death.

The university's class of 2022, which graduates May 15, is the last class to share a full pre-pandemic year with DePerro at the helm.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The young Russian violinist Dmitry Smirnov was awarded the Osnabruck Music Prize at the concert in this city in northwest Germany that was held under the motto Dont burn bridges. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the program for the concert was changed, and the 27-year-old soloist played a violin concerto by the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov instead of the originally planned Haydn concerto. In addition to another work by Silvestrov, the orchestra also performed Symphony No. 8 by Dmitri Shostakovich.

Its a statement to do a concert like this, where everyone works together, the events conductor, Daniel Inbal, explained. And music, after all, embodies the ideal of humanity coming together and building bridges. In the laudatory speech for the prize the artistic director of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Benedikt Stampa, said via video, that Smirnov represented a new generation of musicians whose music easily transcended borders.

Smirnov himself, who has declined to make any public declaration on the war, emphasized that he was on the side of all those who want to build bridges. He had friends and family in both Russia and Ukraine. In an interview, he called for universal recognition of the composer Silvestrov.

Dmitry Smirnov at the ARD Music Competition 2021 (PhotoYouTube)

As a young Soviet composer, Silvestrov, a longstanding cultural heavyweight in Ukraine, belonged to the Kiev avant-garde, which refused to comply with the stifling dictates of the Stalinist artistic policy of Socialist Realism and instead embraced international compositional trends. He later turned away from atonality, and his diverse oeuvre, partly influenced by Romanticism, ranges from symphonies to naive piano bagatelles. Resembling the work of the former Soviet-Estonian composer Arvo Part, Silvestrovs music today is tinged with religion.

The young violinist Smirnov was fascinated by the stylistic diversity of the Violin Concerto, which is clearly related to Silvestrovs international conception of music. In 2018, when the Violin Concerto was premiered in Weimar, Silvestrov was asked by a journalist whether a Ukrainian musician could best understand his work. Silvestrov responded in the negative and declared that he regarded himself as a European composer and pointed to the close links between Ukrainian and Russian culture. There are many Ukrainian influences, for example, in the work of the world-famous Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

These international cultural links are looked upon unfavorably by todays warmongers who seek to build artificial walls ideologically harkening back to the era of Stalin and Hitler when artists, whose loyalty to the state was in doubt, were denounced as hostile, rootless cosmopolitans. In the same vein, the former head of the Green Partys Heinrich Boll Foundation in Kiev, Sergei Sumlenny, denounced Smirnov for being a Russian living in Switzerland and winning a German prize. Drawing from the playbook of racialist identity politics he described Smirnovs interpretation of the Silvestrov violin concerto as cultural appropriation.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk ranted on Twitter. I will never visit Osnabruck again. Have a nice day, you hypocritical bridge builders. Such musical bridges lead straight to hell. Melnyk had already demonstratively refused to attend a solidarity concert for Ukraine in March organized by the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who had also invited Russian musicians.

A number of people on Twitter have expressed their solidarity with the Russian artist, declaring they were happy to do without Melnyks visit. Several tweets alluded to Melnyks glorification of the Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera and recommended that Melnyk quit Germany, stating there was no place for right-wingers like him in the country. Recently, both Melnyk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demonstratively backed the Azov Battalion, which is rooted in fascist traditions.

Shostakovichs 8th Symphony played at the concert was a timely reminder not only of the invasion of the USSR by the German army in 1941, but also of the fact that Ukrainian and Russian soldiers defended the Soviet Union together against Hitler during WWII. The symphony, completed in 1943, is one of Shostakovichs war symphonies, along with his famous 7th, Leningrad, Symphony, and his 9th Symphony.

Today, Dmitri Shostakovich is one of the most popular modern composers internationally. Almost everyone is familiar with his Leningrad Symphony. He has assumed a classic status like that of Beethoven. Both men were shaped by great social upheavalsBeethoven by the French Revolution and Shostakovich by the October Revolution. Inspired by the progressive years of the early Soviet Union, Shostakovich wrote works exalting the humanist ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity.

The 8th Symphony was written in the summer of 1943, a few months after the victorious Battle of Stalingrad, during the largest tank battle of World War II on the Eastern Front near Kursk. Against the backdrop of Hitlers looming defeat, the symphony resembles a tentative reflection on what the future would hold. The victory over Hitler was not a complete victory because there was still Stalin. There are long stretches of subdued tension in the symphony, until a hammering repetitive beat begins in the third movement, along with grotesque elements and violent outbursts, until the symphony ends after several dialogues between individual instruments played with a strangely enraptured calm.

The lack of patriotism evident in the 8th Symphony outraged the Stalinist functionaries in Moscow. In the course of the state campaign that began in 1948 against formalist art, i.e., art not rooted in the people, the symphony was banned, as was the subsequent 9th Symphony. The symphonies were only played again after Stalins death. Apparently, they had struck a chord in listeners too close to the times.

The moving Osnabruck Symphony Concert also struck a chord with an audience worried about the renewed danger of fascism and war. The decision in favor of a program featuring Ukrainian and Russian music, performed by the young Russian prize winner Smirnov and the internationally staffed Osnabruck Symphony Orchestra, contains in essence the correct orientation against this danger: the international cooperation of workers, friends of culture, and young people against the attempt to put art in the service of a US-NATO led war against Russia, for which the Ukraine war is only the trigger.
Despite official propaganda about the end of the pandemic, 1,500 people are falling victim to the coronavirus every week in Germany. New strains are spreading that are even more infectious than the BA.2 Omicron variant.

Nevertheless, all the parties in the Bundestag (federal parliament) are removing the last remaining protective measures and are prepared to accept tens of thousands more deaths. This is illustrated by the recent decisions of the federal and state governments to shorten the isolation period to five days.

The new Infection Protection Act passed in mid-March reduces coronavirus measures to basic protectionmandatory mask-wearing on short- and long-distance transport, as well as in nursing homes and hospitals. At the beginning of April, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (Social Democratic PartySPD) also tried to completely lift the quarantine requirements but had to withdraw this proposal just one day later due to public anger.

People wait to make a corona test in the city center of Essen, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

On 28 April, the federal and state governments nevertheless decided to shorten the isolation period to five days. On 2 May, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) updated its guidelines on isolation and now recommends a quarantine period of only five days. A negative test after the five days is only a recommendation. Previously, a quarantine period of 10 days applied, with the possibility of release after seven days.

The concrete implementation of these guidelines is left to the individual federal states. In Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Bremen, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia, the quarantine period has already been reduced to five days. Berlin, Brandenburg, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania follow on 6 May. What is also new is that quarantine is completely waived for all contact personseven if they are unvaccinated and live in the same household as an infected person.

The cut in the quarantine period is emblematic of the profits-before-lives policy of the ruling class. Following the lie of the end of the pandemic, coronavirus protective measures have been all but abandoned. As a result, infections have spread massively in the population, causing a loss of working hours due to illness that threatens to reduce the profits of the banks and corporations. Therefore, even potentially infectious people must be forced to continue working.

By spreading mass infection in workplaces, the government is putting the health and lives of tens of thousands of workers at risk. Yet it is fully aware of the consequences of its policy.

Lauterbach himself regularly warns on Twitter of the effects of a COVID infection. On 1 May, for example, he wrote, Even if you are in top shape, a coronavirus infection can change everything for you. A well-trained body usually protects you from severe COVID disease. Unfortunately, not nearly as well from Long Covid.

That does not stop him from immensely increasing everyones risk of COVID by shortening the quarantine period.

The federal government is still pursuing the plan to abolish quarantine altogether. Liberal Democrat (FDP) parliamentary group leader Christian Durr, for example, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that the rules on isolating infected people should be lifted completely. Anyone who has tested positive but is symptom-free should be allowed to leave the house with a mask while observing social distancing, he said. I am firmly convinced that people can make a decision on this issue on their own responsibility. There is no longer a need for government regulation for this.

In addition to cutting back quarantine, other pandemic measures were dropped in numerous German states on 1 May. In Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein, testing is no longer mandatory at schools.

In Saarland, the number of tests was reduced from three to two per week. Berlin follows on 9 May. Thuringia even plans to test only once a week from 6 May. There is no longer a mask-wearing requirement for schools in any of the federal states. Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are also no longer considered hotspots, so wearing a mask is no longer compulsory in retail outlets there.

Contrary to the claims of politicians and the media, however, the pandemic is far from over. Although the number of registered infections has fallenafter testing capacities were reduced and compulsory testing was abolished in almost all areasit is still at a very high level. The seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants is close to 600, with more than 750,000 infections reported in one week.

In medical treatment facilities, as well as old peoples homes and nursing homes, the number of outbreaks increased compared to the previous weekfrom 94 to 101 in medical treatment facilities and from 314 to 368 in old peoples homes and nursing homes. Between 35 and 160 people died in each of these outbreaks.

However, due to overburdened health authorities and because not all infected persons have a PCR testonly those tested appear in the statisticsexperts assume a very high rate of under-reporting. This is underlined by the figures of the RKI. According to the institute, 55 percent of all transmitted test results are positive.

The situation at hospitals also remains extremely fraught. The adjusted number of hospitalised COVID-19 patients is about 7,000 per week, with 1,446 people currently needing intensive care.

The number of deaths is particularly alarming. Since the reduction of coronavirus measures to the level of so-called basic protection in March, 12,000 people have already died. Every week, about 1,500 people fall victim to the virus.

Numerous scientists warn that the situation is getting worse. Lars Kaderali, a bio-informatician and member of the Coronavirus Experts Council, believes it is possible that the Delta variant could return in autumn. That would be problematic because Omicron infection does not protect well against an infection with Deltaunlike vaccination. So there really is an immunity gap.

The recombination of Delta and Omicron strains and the emergence of new variants are also a danger, he said. It could be that we get another Omicron variant or even a completely new variant. I think the only thing that can be said for sure is that by autumn the coronavirus pandemic will not be over.

In South Africa, Omicron mutations BA.4 and BA.5 are already causing a rapid increase in infections. According to current information, the two variants are considered significantly more contagious than their Omicron siblings.
Socialist Equality Party (SEP) campaigners spoke to students and youth this week in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and Queensland where the party is running election candidates for the federal Senate.

Thao, a Vietnamese psychology student at Western Sydney University spoke with Max Boddy, one of the partys two Senate candidates for NSW.

Thao with SEP Senate candidate Max Boddy at Western Sydney University

I currently live with my husband in a house that has shared rooms. We only live in one room out of the whole house and our rent is $300 per week. This is very expensive. I work casually, so my pay is not fixed, but because I get a slightly higher pay rate I dont get called in much and barely get 20 hours work a week.

My husband works full-time40 hours a weekand his pay is just $600 a week and so between us we bring in $900 a week. There is $300 for the rent and between $250 and $300 for food because prices have gone up. With fuel we used to spend $100 maximum a week for both of us driving. This has doubled and is now $200.

Sometimes Id rather stay home than go to work because it costs more to drive there. We dont eat out and I skip mealsbreakfast and sometimes lunch as well. Its very expensive to eat at the university because it is all private companies so I just bring cookies to eat, which are not nutritious or fulfilling, but just so I can get past the day, she stated.

The stress of having to make money to pay rent, petrol and tuition fees impacts on my studies. Im a permanent Australian resident, which means Im not eligible for HECS loans, so I pay roughly $4,000 a semester. Its miserable.

The cost of living is going up because of the war and COVID. COVID has impacted workers. Lots of people had to stay home and those who are close or casual contacts must isolate. But since the governments have opened up its just gotten worse, which I dont understand, she said.

Boddy explained the SEPs global campaign for coordinated international measures to eliminate COVID-19. Thao agreed and added, This would have a very positive impact. As I understand it, people who are in the upper class are doing just fine and not facing the losses were experiencing. My family has been lucky not to suffer any death but we are struggling financially.

I think it is a good idea for income to be spread out evenly. I can now say that while I had known that classes exist, I am now actually experiencing the differences in classes and how they cope with crises such as COVID and war. Take the floods, the government doesnt do anything at all, she added.

Im anti-war because I came from a country of war, Vietnam, which was invaded even before the Americans. We lost members of our family and people have suffered long term effects after the war, from trauma and Agent Orange. This lasts for generations, it doesnt stop when the war ends.

The war in the Ukraine shouldnt be happening. The US and NATO pushed Russia to a point. They made Russia feel threatened, Russias response was a defence mechanism. What Russia did was wrong, people are dying, but there was a cause to it, Thao said.

Josh, a first-year student at Griffith University in Brisbane, spoke with SEP candidate for the Senate in Queensland, Mike Head.

War is a very real threat for the entire planet, Josh said. Countries, especially America, have too many interests in other territories. It is not good and is escalating. Its a real problem that we need to address. Its a power struggle. Its power-hungry governments always looking to gain more and more of an advantage and control over other territories.

Mike Head explained that the SEP and the International Committee of the Fourth International opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine but that Putin was goaded into it by the US pushing NATO closer and closer to the Russian border and overturning the government in Ukraine in 2014. He said the US was seeking to overthrow the regimes in Russia and China to establish US domination.

Josh responded: Yes, I do believe that the US does play a role in building the conflict between countries that is not necessary. Its just an attempt to gain more power and control over the planet.

Referring to COVID-19, Josh said: Governments have not sufficiently handled the pandemic and the fact that they have just lifted all the restrictions recently is causing a lot of problems. I dont believe its a good thing. I know many peopleclose friends and colleaguesthat have fallen sick because its just running wild now. Ive had friends who have been hospitalised by it and its quite distressing.

Its nowhere near finished, he continued, rejecting government and media claims that the pandemic was over. There is so much more to go, and we need to start working on that now. We need to have a plan in place to help everybody and ensure everyone is supported. Josh said scientific health advice had been overruled to boost corporate profits and added, You constantly have to purchase RAT tests. They cost $20 each, every time you get flu-like symptoms. Its unbelievable.

Asked about climate change, Josh said: The planet is burning and its a real concern. Were still using coal and oil and mining and everything like that, which is unfair for the planet and future generations. Think about my future kids perhaps, or grandkids. What is the planet going to look like for them?

Josh also spoke about some of his working conditions, I recently got a new job in the kitchen at Subway. The wage will just get me by, with the hours I have to work, which is about $20 an hour. Im forced to work at least 20 hours a week, when the recommended is only 15, just so I can afford to live. Capitalism is an inherently flawed system. The wealth is always going to the top and not to the bottom and nobodys being helped. Its not the right way.

Ellen

Ellen, a University of Newcastle engineering student, spoke about her personal experiences over the past two years. Im at university and studying engineering but thinking, what am I doing this for? It used to be, go to uni, get a job, buy a housetick, tick, tickbut now Im looking at my future. Ive already got a part-time job but am thinking that Ill probably never be able to afford a house. What am I working for if I cant even afford rent and going out is too expensive? The cost of living is so much that its not worth working anymore.

My university work has suffered a lotthis is my sixth year of studyand Ive had to study part time so that I can afford to pay rent. I delayed my degree so that I can work, but then I have also failed a couple of subjects. It hasnt gone very well because my mental health has been declining.

I looked at my HECS debt the other day for example, and I almost had a breakdown thinking how am I going to pay this off? I dont know what I am even paying for at university anymore and dont feel supported by the faculty. It feels like I am paying a ridiculous amount of money to be given power-point slides, Ellen said.

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.
The German Supreme Court ruled on April 26 that the Bavarian Constitutional Protection Law of 2016 is largely unconstitutional, almost five years after a constitutional complaint was filed against the law.

The Supreme Court in Karlsruhe

The Bavarian Constitutional Protection Law (BayVSG) was considered the state law with the most far-reaching surveillance powers. As such, it was the model for similar regulations in other states.

The ruling will not significantly restrict the work of the Secret Service. Nevertheless, it is politically damning: the agency that is supposed to protect the Constitution is itself a danger to it and tramples elementary fundamental rights underfoot in its work.

The constitutional complaint had been initiated by the Society for Freedom Rights (Gesellschaft fur Freiheitrechte, GFF) in 2017 and was directed against a number of regulations contained in the BayVSG. The case was heard orally in Karlsruhe on December 14, 2021.

The GGF filed the constitutional complaint on behalf of three plaintiffs, all of whom are members of the Association of Victims of the Nazi Regime (Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes, VVN-BdA), an association that was placed under surveillance by the Bavarian Verfassungsschutz (Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Secret Service) for a long time. The decision by a Berlin tax office to strip the VVN-BdA of its non-profit status, which threatened the organisations financial existence, was based upon this surveillance.

Among the powers in the Bavarian Constitutional Protection Law which the GFF declared disproportionate and therefore unjustifiable under constitutional law are the collection of telecommunications data (Article 15(3)), large-scale eavesdropping (Article 9), online searches (Article 10) and the use of undercover agents and informants (Articles 18 and 19).

The Bavarian Verfassungsschutz was the only state intelligence agency allowed to access data retention records, which are reserved for investigating police authorities. The Supreme Court declared this regulation not only unconstitutional, but also null and void with immediate effect. The norm violated Article 10 (1) of the Constitution [secrecy of correspondence, post and telecommunications] because it authorises data retrieval without the service providers concerned being obliged or entitled under federal law to transmit this data to the state office.

The regulation on widespread snooping attacks (acoustic and optical surveillance of living quarters) was also not compatible with the Constitution. According to the judges in Karlsruhe, Article 13 (4) of the Constitution (restrictions on the inviolability of the home) only allows acoustic or optical surveillance of living quarters to avert urgent dangers. The measure had to be definitively aimed at averting the danger. The BayVSG did not contain such a limitation. Moreover, the constitutional requirements for the protection of the core area of private life were not fully met in the case of home surveillance.

An online search may only be permitted to avert a danger that is at least concrete in a police sense. However, the measures permitted by the BayVSG were not limited to this purpose.

The regulations on undercover agents and confidential informants are unconstitutional because there were no sufficient thresholds for intervention and there was no provision limiting the circle of permissible surveillance addressees, provided that the use is specifically directed against certain persons. In other words, it is up to the discretion of the Secret Service to determine when and against whom it uses informants and provocateurs. In addition, there was a lack of the necessary independent prior control.

The regulation on surveillance outside the home, which allows the state office to observe a person covertly for longer than 48 hours or on more than three days within a week, also using technical means, violated the fundamental right to informational self-determination. The regulation also does not contain sufficient thresholds for intervention.

Finally, the Supreme Court judges criticised the fact that according to Article 25, the Secret Service is allowed to pass on the information it obtains to other state agencies, including police authorities, practically without limit. This largely abolished the separation of police and the secret services, a lesson learned from the Nazi regime with its powerful Secret State Police (Gestapo).

When the new law on the Bavarian Verfassungsschutz was enacted in 2016, the World Socialist Web Site had warned:

This same authority has now been freed from further parliamentary scrutiny and is receiving expanded powers. It is clear that the issue is not about the protection of the population, but rather the build-up of an apparatus with close ties to the far-right terrorist scene which can be used against future social opposition.

It would be illusory to expect the judges in Karlsruhe to provide fundamental protection against the Secret Service. The restrictions imposed on the Verfassunschutz are not critical. Rather, the court declared that it should work more systematically, in a more targeted manner and more effectively. In addition, the agency, which has been deeply discredited by the NSU scandal, is to receive a renewed basis of legitimacy.

Karlsruhe has not banned surveillance of living quarters, online searches, observations, mobile phone tracking, the use of undercover agents and informants or the passing on of intelligence, but only stipulated when and how. The Legal Tribune Online commented:

For the work of the intelligence authorities, the Karlsruhe ruling brings further legalisation in an area that has so far been characterised by loopholes, internal guidelines, and case-by-case examinations.

The Bavarian State Interior Minister, Joachim Herrmann, who had campaigned in 2016 for the then most far-reaching powers of his Verfassungsschutz, was pleased that the ruling strengthened the Secret Service in Germany overall. It made clear that the court considers the activities of the intelligence authorities fundamentally important and correct and necessary.

In addition, the Police Tasks Law (PAG), which was amended in 2018, contains similarly far-reaching powers for the Bavarian police. Lawyers describe it as the toughest German police law since 1945. Four years ago, 40,000 people took to the streets against it in Munich. The Society for Civil Liberties and the #noPAG alliance have also filed a constitutional complaint against it.
Sometimes it might seem like parts of Niagara Falls are in a time warp.

On Friday, that came in handy.

The Moonlite Motel at 78th Street and Niagara Falls Boulevard isn't a typical movie set, but Tom Hanks' upcoming comedy, "A Man Called Otto," needed just what the old-fashioned one-story motel offered.

"I think they found it was a perfect sort of place," said Tim Clark, commissioner of the Buffalo Niagara Film Office, which helps set up locations for filmmakers.

They wanted a "vintage motel with a pool in the front," Clark said. "The owners were very cooperative and very accommodating."

Friday was the last day of filming for the project, which Sony Pictures is preparing for a Christmas Day release.

Besides the motel, whose owners signed a nondisclosure agreement preventing them from talking to the media, the crew also shot on one of the now-retired diesel Maid of the Mist boats and at Prospect Point at the brink of the American Falls.

Using the cataract as a movie backdrop isn't unusual, but taking over part of a Niagara Falls neighborhood is.

"I think it's nice, an A-list celebrity out here in the Falls," said Samar Hamilton, a neighborhood resident who brought his 3-year-old daughter Ciara to see the excitement. "It's nice to see good things going on in the city for once instead of bad news."

Steve Urbaniak, another neighborhood resident, said the movie crew's trucks showed up around 6 a.m.

A limousine van brought in a squad of extras about 9 a.m., as shooting was about to start. They trooped single-file into a motel room.

"I think it's very exciting," Laurie Casilio said of the filming.

Part of 78th Street beside the motel was blocked off for a food truck and a catering tent, or "craft services" as the movie folks call it.

The parking lot of an adjoining vacant Pizza Hut also was a staging area, and police blocked the curbside eastbound lane of the boulevard from 77th Street to 79th Street.

The movie seems to be set around 1980, judging by the old cars placed in the motel parking lot as a backdrop.

Hanks, who plays the title character, was not in the area for Friday's filming, but his wife, actress Rita Wilson, was on the set. She is one of the movie's producers, according to the Internet Movie Database.

The comedy also includes a role for Hanks' son, actor Truman Hanks.

As local media and a few residents looked on from across Niagara Falls Boulevard, Truman Hanks and actress Rachel Keller shot several takes of a scene at the Moonlite's ground-level pool.

Mayor Robert M. Restaino said the Niagara Falls Fire Department had filled the pool with water for the occasion. Police stopped traffic on the boulevard for every take, evidently to prevent traffic noise from spoiling the soundtrack.

"I'm into movies, so it's pretty cool to watch them film it," said Heather Johnson of Kenmore, a social worker at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. "In New York City we stumbled on 'Law and Order' once, but this is pretty big, Tom Hanks is pretty big, so it's pretty fascinating watching all this commotion."

Director Marc Forster ran the show as an extra, wearing a turquoise and white beach towel over his shoulder, walked in front of a table beside the pool, set beneath a red and white beach umbrella.

Meanwhile, a light blue early 1980s Cadillac convertible drove slowly behind Keller and the younger Hanks, seated at the table, as they recited their lines.

After each take on an overcast 53-degree morning, crew members draped parkas over the actors, who were wearing short sleeves.

According to IMDB, the plot summary of "A Man Called Otto" is, "A cranky retired man strikes up an unlikely friendship with his boisterous new neighbors."

It's a remake of a 2015 Swedish film, "A Man Called Ove," which in turn was based on a novel of the same name.

The talk around the set was that the Falls was chosen for location shooting because characters honeymooned in Niagara Falls. The crew also filmed in Pittsburgh and in Ohio before coming to the Falls.

Clark said the filmmakers brought a traveling crew, which booked hotel rooms in Niagara Falls, as well as hiring about 80 local residents as extras and stand-ins in addition to crew members.

"I really am very thankful for the municipal support," Clark said. "The movie company is reimbursing the city for the expenses. One call to the mayor and all this stuff gets accomplished very, very quickly. They're all important partners. We can't do it without them."

Restaino said the city had two weeks' notice to prepare its resources to help the filmmakers. "Sometimes we've gotten 48 hours' notice, and that's a little more hectic," the mayor said.

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The USS The Sullivans, which had been taking on water and sinking, has been substantially righted, and operators of the Buffalo and Erie County Military & Naval Park are floating the idea of reopening the ship to the public by Memorial Day weekend.

The news comes about three weeks after the hull of the World War II-era destroyer was breached, causing it to list in the shallow waters of the Buffalo Inner Harbor.

"We are very happy to report today that the effort to save The Sullivans is on course, and the ship is righted and floating," Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown announced Thursday during a news conference at the naval park.

Crews are now focused on containing oil spills in the Inner Harbor from the vessel.

"The emergency response phase is complete and we have started the maintenance and decontamination phase," Brown added.

The mayor was joined by Capt. Lexia M. Littlejohn, commander of the Buffalo sector of the U.S. Coast Guard, naval park President and CEO Paul Marzello and others.

Littlejohn said the current list of the ship varies between .1 and 3 degrees, which is a significant difference from three weeks ago when it was about 20 degrees.

At that time, the ship had taken on hundreds of thousands of gallons of water.

"Dewatering is about 95% complete. We've removed over 585,000 gallons of water from the vessel in total," Littlejohn said.

About 2,000 gallons of an additional oily water mix was removed from the ship, along with 9 cubic yards of oil soaked solids. Over 50 holes and gashes were plugged in the hull of the ship, patched with wood and a marine grade epoxy, she added.

"There are continuing assessments inside the vessel and outside the vessel to make sure that all of those temporary repairs that were put into place are holding, and those appear to be holding at this point," Littlejohn said.

She said the Coast Guard will continue to work with the naval park, the City of Buffalo and the state Department of Environmental Conservation to ensure that the contamination threat is mitigated.

She said officials are potentially looking at the permanent repair phase to begin, too.

Meanwhile, Marzello said naval park officials are working very hard to put together a reopening plan for the USS The Sullivans.

"Tentatively speaking, we're focused on Memorial Day weekend. That would normally be a very popular weekend for us," Marzello said.

He said the naval park is preparing to take down emergency fencing from areas where it is no longer needed.

Progress reported at the USS The Sullivans; its stern has begun to float again The U.S. Coast Guard and Buffalo Naval Park revealed that more than 33 holes have been plugged in the USS The Sullivans and the ship is not listing as much. The list, once measured at 20 degrees, had dropped to 4 degrees by Friday's measurement,

Marzello and the mayor described the ship as a critical piece of U.S. naval and military history that the community is fortunate to have in its midst.

The ship is a floating tribute to a working class family in which five brothers were killed aboard the USS Juneau during World War II, when it was struck by a Japanese torpedo in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of 687 men.

Brown said it will cost millions of dollars to permanently repair the 80-year-old vessel. He speculated that funds would be sought from state and federal sources for the repairs.

Last year, a private fundraiser was spearheaded by developer Douglas Jemal that brought in more than $1 million to repair the ship's breached hull.

Marzello said it was too early to tell what the full extent of the damage has been to the ship.

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Who decided that school board elections should become a public display of how red or blue ones politics are? Dont teachers and principals have enough difficulty dealing with Covid, electronic device impaired attention spans, and bad parenting? Why make their curricula subject to political whims and power struggles? The purpose of education is to expose our children to new ideas, and let them develop to the full extent of their abilities.

I am more worried about students being harmed by guns, drugs or limited job opportunities, than by encountering a controversial idea. If we teach them to reason, research, ask questions and intelligently discuss the resulting thoughts, they can defend themselves. They will grow and get wise, something that wont happen if we limit what teachers can say. How will our children deal with climate change, race relations, new developments in biology and artificial intelligence if we tell them history ended in 1950.

Book burning and banning are wrong. Using our children as political pawns is worse. Ideas and beliefs must compete in the free market place of the mind to acquire depth, meaning and utility. The values people want to give their children are the results of this intellectual process. Thinking and talking lead to a much richer life than one based on slogans, fears and prohibitions. Teaching children that thoughts are dangerous and must be controlled is the wrong message. It is the message used in totalitarians states to control and confuse.

We cant be afraid to let our kids think, talk and be different from their parents. The job of the school board is to enable and encourage this growth, not to stick their own egos in the path as roadblocks.

Charles Kucharski

Hamburg
Americans broadly support abortion rights, but many have complicated and conflicting feelings on the matter, with the timing and circumstances of an abortion a key factor, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center.

The survey found 61% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 37% said it should be illegal most or all of the time. Most of the public, however, has at least somewhat mixed feelings on the matter: Only 19% said it should be legal in all cases, and a minuscule 8% said it should be illegal in all instances. There are also broad differences between when Americans think abortion is moral and when they think it should be legal.

Pew conducted the poll, which surveyed 10,441 American adults, from March 7-13 in anticipation of the Supreme Courts ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Center, a case about the legality of a 15-week abortion ban passed in Mississippi. A draft ruling in the case that would overturn Roe v. Wade and strike down abortion rights in the United States, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, leaked earlier this week.

The ruling is not yet final, but if handed down, abortion would quickly become illegal in almost all cases in roughly half of the 50 states. Some Republicans have discussed trying to pass a nationwide ban on abortion.

The survey did not ask directly about the decision, or its political implications. Instead, Pew focused on Americans feelings about abortions morality and legality.

A majority of Americans  56%  say how long a woman has been pregnant should be a factor in deciding whether abortion is legal. At six weeks, 51% say abortion should be legal, while 26% say it shouldnt be and 19% say it depends. At 14 weeks, roughly the end of the first trimester of a pregnancy, 41% say abortion should be legal, while 33% say it should be illegal and 22% say it depends.

After the point of viability, when a fetus could survive outside the womb, support for legal abortion drops: Just 29% say abortion should be legal at 24 weeks, while 48% say it should be illegal, and 18% say it depends.

Story continues

Nearly three-quarters of Americans ages 18-29 think abortion should be legal, as do 62% of those ages 30-49, according to a new Pew Research poll. (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Nearly three-quarters of Americans ages 18-29 think abortion should be legal, as do 62% of those ages 30-49, according to a new Pew Research poll. (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The overwhelming majority of abortions take place early in a pregnancy, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. In 2019, the last year for which data was available, 93% of abortions took place in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. Another 6% took place between the 13th and 20th week of pregnancy, with just 1% taking place after the 20th week.

Roe v. Wade protects abortion rights up until the point of viability, though many Democratic elected officials have also fought against restrictions after that point.

Theres also broad support for abortion rights in specific instances: 73% of Americans say abortion should be legal when the pregnancy threatens a womens life or health, including 62% of Republicans. Similarly, 69% say abortion should be legal if the pregnancy is a result of rape, including 56% of Republicans.

The situation is slightly more complicated if the baby is likely to be born with severe disabilities or health problems: 53% say it should be legal, while 19% say it should be illegal. Theres a much bigger split between the nations two major political parties on the issue: 68% of Democrats say it should be legal, while just 38% of Republicans say the same.

While GOP elected officials have often rhetorically supported exceptions to abortion bans for rape and the life and health of the mother in the past, they have been more willing recently to jettison those qualifiers and support all-out abortion bans.

Overall, 80% of Democrats say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while just 38% of Republicans agreed. Democrats have become more supportive of abortion rights in recent years. In 2007, 63% of Democrats thought abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Republican opposition to abortion rights has remained steady.

Americans do see significant differences between abortions morality and legality: 46% of Americans say abortion is morally wrong in most or all instances, while 52% say its either not a moral issue or is acceptable in most or all instances. But nearly half of the country  48%  believes abortion should be legal in some situations where they feel it would be morally wrong.

Further complicating the picture, Americans often hold seemingly contradictory views about abortion rights. A full third of Americans agree that human life begins at conception, so a fetus is a person with rights  a position often associated with conservative attempts to severely restrict abortion rights  and the decision about whether to have an abortion should belong solely to the pregnant woman. The latter position is generally associated with liberal attempts to protect or expand abortion rights.

There are also significant splits by age on whether abortion should be legal. Nearly three-quarters of those 18-29 think abortion should be legal, as do 62% of those ages 30-49. Republicans in those age groups are more likely to support abortion rights than their older counterparts: 47% of Republicans ages 18-29 think abortion should be legal most or all of the time.

By comparison, just 55% of people ages 50-64 think abortion should be legal most or all of the time, and 54% of seniors said the same. Only about a third of Republicans in those age groups think abortion should be legal most of the time.

Religion, unsurprisingly, is also a major dividing line on abortion rights. Pews survey found 74% of white evangelical voters think abortion should be illegal most or all of the time, a number that far surpasses any other demographic group. At the same time, 84% of people with no religious affiliation think abortion should be legal most or all of the time  also a number that surpasses most other demographic groups.

Despite the Catholic Churchs strict anti-abortion stances, a 56% majority of Catholics said abortion should be legal most or all of the time, compared to 42% who said it should be illegal most or all of the time.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Human Hand Placing A Coin On Increasing Coin Stacks In Front Of House

Written by Adam Othman at The Motley Fool Canada

Real estate investing is widely regarded as an exceptional approach for Canadians to generate long-term wealth growth through the appreciation of real estate assets. Many Canadian investors also rely on real estate assets to generate a passive income through rental income. Rental properties can be excellent assets to create a passive-income stream, but they have several drawbacks.

The initial cash outlay necessary to acquire a house is astronomical. And depending on how much you could afford to put forward as a down payment, it could take several years to enjoy active profits from your investment. Besides, rental property investment is not exactly a true passive-income generation source.

From dealing with tenants to keeping up with maintenance, rent collection, taxes, and much more, managing an investment property requires putting in a lot of hard work. You can always consider hiring a property manager to handle the hassles of owning rental property, but that can eat into your returns.

Investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs) is a viable alternative to buying a rental property if you want to generate monthly income without the hassles of being a landlord . Today, I will discuss two high-quality REITs you can consider investing in for this purpose.

BSR REIT

BSR REIT (TSX:HOM.U) is a $1.45 billion market capitalization REIT headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. If you ever wanted to own resort-style apartments in the southern U.S. as investment properties, BSR REIT would be your best bet. The trust owns and operates a portfolio of multi-family residential properties in some of Americas fastest-growing cities.

BSR REIT trades for $19.46 per share at writing, and it boasts a 3.27% 12-month trailing dividend yield. The trust raised its dividend payouts by 4% earlier this year, and the recent pullback in the broader market makes it a more attractive investment today.

Granite REIT

Story continues

Granite REIT (TSX:GRT.UN) is a $6.25 billion market capitalization Canadian REIT headquartered in Toronto. The company boasts an extensive portfolio of industrial and logistics properties throughout North America and Europe.

Industrial real estate demand is high worldwide, and Granite REIT enjoys nearly 100% occupancy. Its rental rate growth has been substantial through the years, translating to better returns for its shareholders.

Granite REIT trades for $95.14 per share at writing, and it boasts a 3.20% 12-month trailing dividend yield. The trust has delivered annual dividend hikes for the last 10 years. Its compounded total yearly returns have been a staggering 18.86% over the previous five years.

With a high-quality tenant base and strong financial performance, Granite REIT could be an excellent investment at current levels.

Foolish takeaway

If you are inexperienced with real estate investing and want to begin foraying into the industry, you should be wary of the hassles of the traditional approach.

Owning and operating a rental property takes a lot of time and effort. Finding good tenants is always challenging. While collecting rent, you might not recover all the amount necessary to cover taxes, building maintenance, and utility costs. Keeping an investment property in good shape to attract high-quality tenants also requires significant capital investment, reducing your total return from rental income.

REITs offer you a hands-off method to generate a monthly passive-income stream like a lazy landlord without the hassles of owning a rental property.

You do not require a substantial upfront amount to invest in REITs, because you can purchase shares of these trusts on the stock market. Your monthly returns will depend on the number of units you own and the payout yield .

BSR REIT and Granite REIT could be excellent investments to consider as more affordable alternatives to buying a rental property.

The post 2 Dividend Stocks Better Than Buying Rental Property for Passive Income Right Now appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

Before you consider Granite Real Estate Investment Trust, we think youll want to hear this.

Our nearly S&P/TSX market doubling* Stock Advisor Canada team just released their top 10 starter stocks for 2022 that we believe could supercharge any portfolio.

Want to see if Granite Real Estate Investment Trust made our list? Get started with Stock Advisor Canada today to receive all 10 of our starter stocks, a fully stocked treasure trove of industry reports, two brand-new stock recommendations every month, and much more.

See the 10 Stocks * Returns as of 4/14/22

More reading

Fool contributor Adam Othman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BSR REAL EST INVST and GRANITE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST.

2022
Behind the Atelier is a fashion-focused series that examines the unique backstories and design processes behind the fashion industrys most captivating talents. Pulling back the curtain on each designers creative space and practice, Behind the Atelier will highlight and give an inside look into the industrys most exciting names.

For the tenth installment of the series, Hypebae spoke with New York-based designer, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nominee and founder of Black Boy Knits, Jacques Agbobly. In a candid conversation with the rising design talent, Jacques walked us through their design and creative influences as a first-generation Togolese immigrant, ways they are able to cultivate community and joy through custom, handmade knitwear and new, soon-to-be released garments as well as how knitwear is merely just the beginning for the expansion and evolution of the Black Boy Knits universe.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

Originally born in Togo, Africa, the dynamic artist vividly remembers watching tailors and seamstresses cut traditional African fabrics and patterns from inside their childhood home at an early age. Becoming enamored with beautiful woven textiles, patterns in rich hues and the process of personalizing a garment for the wearer  it's no surprise that the designer would later translate these beloved memories and cultural references that pay tribute to their heritage in order to fuel the creation of knitwear.

At the height of the pandemic, Jacques Agbobly officially launched Black Boy Knits with a three-piece offering of made-to-order knits that were fully customizable in size, color and style, allowing each wearer to feel unique and seen in their BBK knit. Imbued with bright bursts of colors, innovative uses of materials and timeless silhouettes that subvert the norm, Jacque's highly-skilled hand and unmatched design sensibility caught the attention of the CFDA  they are now a finalist for this year's Vogue Fashion Fund in addition to being accepted into the knitwear program at Central Saint Martins.

Story continues

With an array of vibrantly-rich colors, threads and textiles, one cant help but approach Jacques garments with exuberance and cheerfulness as the groundbreaking knitwear designer invites clients to wear their clothes with confidence and a sense of unrefined ease. In a market limited by gendered sizing, these designs are masterfully executed to transcend traditional silhouettes, allowing the wearer to present themselves in new forms that suit and represent their most authentic selves.

The handmade work harmoniously melds African archetypes and queer identities, proving that self-expression does not exist in a vacuum, but rather exists as a celebration of our collective experiences. As Black Boy Knits steadily gains visibility in the fashion industry, its clear that the brands core ethos and design methodology will continue to remain strong through Jacque's mission to celebrate queer joy in all forms, and varieties.

To get to know the designer, Hypebae sat down with Jacques Agbobly to talk about how they inspire Black joy through their designs, how gender norms are challenged through their garments and how these influences will live on with the future plans of Black Boy Knits.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

Where did you grow up?

I was born and partially raised in Togo, Africa before immigrating to the Westside of Chicago with my family in 2007, at the age of nine.

How has your upbringing influenced the way you approach creativity and fashion as a whole?

I grew up in Togo, and most of my early childhood memories were the intimate moments I was able to share with my grandmother where she rented part of her house to tailors and seamstresses to afford rent. I think as a kid, especially a young queer kid who grew up very sheltered, those times are some of my favorites. I used to spend so much time hiding under the cutting tables watching the tailors just create the most unique pieces. They were always bright, color-printed African textiles and I think that was one of those moments where I truly fell in love with fashion.

It was not until I was older that I realized it wasnt the clothing itself that drew me towards fashion, but the excitement that radiated off of clients when they tried on their custom pieces. As a child I was encouraged to hop through different mediums like dance, musical theater and fine arts, but never felt as though I could connect with people the way I best wanted to. I always found myself going back to that memory of witnessing magic happen in those workrooms which drew me to finally start designing. I look at clothing as a medium that connects us the most. You get to really see how people are feeling through what they wear, especially in a place like New York City.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

What was your experience like while studying at The New School?

My experience at Parsons was a roller coaster. As a first generation college student being in spaces with students who had more access to the industry than I did, it often felt as though I was racing alongside people who were already at the finish line. I had a strong community back in Chicago and when I moved to New York, I had to learn the importance of what it means to depend on myself. I did not have any financial aid from family members so I was always working multiple jobs in order to support my education and survive. I was not taking care of my mental or physical health and that ultimately ended with me feeling burnt out towards the end of my senior year. A big part of the reason I survived was because of the strong BIPOC community I cultivated while there.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

What inspired you to launch and pursue creating one-of-a-kind knitwear?

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I think the pandemic put so much into perspective for many of us. Witnessing the amount of violence that occurred towards Black bodies while being stuck indoors was a breaking point for many of us. While violence has existed forever, many of us got to a place where we were desensitized to what was happening around us. The fashion industry specifically has never been a space that was inclusive to Black workers and consumers. Seeing the performative activism from so many brands during that time, just showed so many of us of the lack of diversity in terms of race, gender and body within the industry. I witnessed so many designers of color feeling unwanted in fashion spaces and it made me want to focus on gaining the necessary business skills to develop a brand in a sustainable and ethical environment.

Seeing all of those disgusting moments happen back to back, I wanted to bring in some joy not only to myself as a Black designer, but to other Black consumers in the industry that needed some joy. I wanted to bring an element back into fashion where people felt empowered to be themselves and show up in something that just emphasized the parts of them that society has shunned for so long. While nothing in the world felt sane during the pandemic, Ive always felt in control and empowered through knitting and I wanted to start sharing it with the world.

How does your brand focus on celebrating community and paying homage to history through custom print and patterns you make by hand?

I want my brand and everything that I do in the future to be a love letter to all of the ancestors who came before me. I know that so many sacrifices were made for me to be here and I think thats what keeps me grounded in my work. I try to always tell a story with whatever I make. I look at family photos, listen to family stories and look at my own immigrant community for inspiration.

I wouldnt be able to accomplish a lot without the community that I have around to uplift and help me when Im feeling uninspired. At the forefront of everything that I do, I want to make sure that my community has access to me and my work and is able to partake in BBKs celebration, because this wouldnt exist without them.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

As a designer who focuses on Black, queer and immigrant narratives, how do you make sure those narratives come through in your knitwear and designs as a whole?

I migrated to the United States at a very early age, and that was always something I grappled with because I wasn't able to fully immerse myself in my culture the way I wouldve back home. The word I always go back to is "community" and solely because it was often at the forefront of everything I achieved. Being a Black knitwear designer meant that I had to find different ways to tell a story through colors and shapes because I wanted it to be a representation of my identities and those who helped me get where I am today. Its really easy for us to isolate ourselves into identity boxes and think we are by ourselves in them, but I learned quickly that Im not alone in my struggles. My designs are for the ones who believe theyre alone, and I think hopefully, it can help someone see that no matter, theres someone out there who is going through similar situations.

I see certain similarities within my own queerness and although I wasn't part of the events that took place back then, those memories are rooted in my own history and have such a big impact on the way I see myself in my work. Knitwear is such a malleable medium and the possibilities are endless which in turn makes this such a great surface for building upon narratives through texture and color.

What was the inspiration and meaning behind your latest collection?

The aim of the collection is to highlight Black joy through the use of bright colors and playful silhouettes while simultaneously paying homage to some of the archetypes and dress practices rooted in the Black identity from a global perspective.

The first look in the collection combines two archetypes found in West African culture and Black American culture: The Nigerian Aunty and Sagging. I wanted to bring together two worlds that are often looked at as existing on two different spectrums. The Nigerian Aunty archetype often is looked at as an embodiment of wealth while sagging is considered to represent something that is low-class often by non-black folks. The resulting silhouette aims to subvert the boundaries of masculinity within the Black community. While doing the finalized touches on the first look, the two models highlight westernized ideas of dressing and I combined them for a seamless look. This eventually inspired me to expand on my work further and create the second and third look.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

How does your brand transcend the traditional confines of gender through introducing non-binary silhouettes that appeal to any and all types of people?

I think my brand wants to see silhouettes existing outside of the binary and instead focus on custom clothing that gives both me and my clients the freedom to create a look that's fit specific to them. All bodies are different, and while clothing for so long has been gendered, I still see all of them existing outside of the binary. BBKs identity is always to encourage the individual to celebrate whatever they want to wear regardless of their gender and/or body. To even check myself as being a part of the issue, is making sure that I question the language that surrounds sizing in the fashion industry. My brand is using gendered sizing, and in the future I want to be able to create my own sizing chart that doesn't follow the rules thats been set in stone by the industry.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

How would you describe your design aesthetic and ethos to people who are unfamiliar with your brand?

I would say my design aesthetic is just fun and colorful. For me fashion is still a collaborative process so Im always ready and willing to advise a client on something that would possibly be best suited for their wardrobe needs. The fun part of knitwear is being able to bounce ideas off of a client and get them excited about the finished product. Clothing is meant to make you feel something and for me the best way to do that is to make sure I create something that people can always have fun in and show up as their best self.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

What is your design process like when creating a new collection or garment?

The design process for each project is always unique, but I always begin with the materials. I would often have ideas in my head of what kind of materials I want to use/experiment with and then think of the silhouette. I respond to colors and materials the most so its what I often start with. This process can sometimes involve me going to the library, watching a film or even walking around the city and seeing a color or material that I respond to. I try to mimic or replicate the texture through a process of experimentation with the mediums that are accessible to me.

How does your affinity for materials and rich textiles play into your design process?

Its often what I gravitate to first. Theres instances where I become so fixated on a particular material and build multiple projects around it. I would say though that sometimes I find myself romanticizing or stuck in the material and color experimentation phase of a project which can become unhealthy when youre working on a deadline, but I think as an artist. Overall, its important to indulge and enjoy the process so you dont get burnt out. Theres always room to iterate and come up with various ideas when youre working with materials.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

How do your designs push beyond the traditional confines of how gender can revolutionize fashion?

I think the best way to answer this question will be to really look at our current times. Fashion has always been a way for everyone to express their identities and our gender is often one of the first things people assume when they see someone, especially if you dont fit certain peoples versions of gender expression. We are finally now starting to move beyond those binary thoughts and really seeing how people are using fashion as a tool to subvert expectations and realities. I also dont want for any designer who is queer and/or nonbinary to become the poster child for revolutionizing gender expression in fashion. Folks express themselves every day, whether its through a queer-owned brand or a cool piece they found at a thrift store. My work itself is a mixture of all of my different identities and as someone who is still figuring it out. Its important that I create a space for the people who consume my work to feel that they are able to exist and see themselves in any shape or form. Whether that is through the silhouette or color choices.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

How does history and family traditions play a role in your design process?

With the new collection, I am interested in looking back at all of my projects as a whole and bringing back the brands core elements in order to establish house codes. Theres a lot of structural shifts that are happening that I cannot discuss in detail as I am waiting to confirm some things. However, I will say that I am expanding beyond knitwear. Knitwear is the foundation of the brand and will always be a big player in every project moving forward, however I think in order to continue to expand and highlight the multiplicity and complexities that lie within identity as a whole, I want to expand the kinds of materials I am offering to my clients.

This is a continuation of "Collection 001: Afropolitan" which looks at the African identity on a global scale. So, really thinking about Africans who exist outside of the direct continent, and thinking about how their dress practices shift culture to culture. That includes looking at a lot of historical dress practices that have helped shape what we view as the West African identity.

Im looking at everything from family history to thinking about the drinks and snacks I grew up eating in Togo. I want to be able to arrive at something that you can visually see and remind you of what you grew up either eating or drinking and can take you back to some happy times in your life.

jacques agbobly black boy knits fall winter new collection knits made to order accessories

How have you been able to foster and cultivate a sense of community with your brand?

The response to BBK has been so great and I feel like we were able to create a mini community. I can't tell you how happy I get whenever people actually wear their outfits and tag me in it. That's not a feeling I think I will ever get used to. So many of my friends or people who follow me have also sent me photos of people that they see wearing my clothes and it makes me so happy to see how my work resonates with so many people. Deciding to go into my own brand right outside of school was challenging but rewarding and I am so excited to see how things continue to evolve in the future.

What inspired you to branch out of knitwear and create a series of captivating denim silhouettes?

Denim and knitwear have their own complex, yet important history. I view denim as such a huge part of Black American culture and I think because of that, its something that is often overlooked and not seen as a staple or as timeless as other pieces. My brand focuses on highlighting Black narratives, and Black folks have influenced and contributed so much to the culture. Leaving denim out of the brand isnt realistic.
GALESBURG  In Viola, American flags hang from telephone pole after telephone pole. In Alpha, blue ribbons are tied around trees, mail boxes, stop signs and mile markers  almost anything that can be adorned.

The displays represent the impact of Nicholas Weists death on the surrounding communities after the Knox County sheriffs deputy was killed in the line of duty on Friday, April 29. Employees, patrons and owners of local businesses remember him as a kind and positive person.

He was always happy. He was never in a bad mood, he always had good spirits, Jena Pierce said, a kitchen manager of a Circle K in Aledo. Pierce said Weist would check on the gas station during the hours she worked from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

A public memorial service for Nicholas Weist, the Knox County Sheriff's Deputy killed in the line of duty Friday, will be held Saturday afternoon at Galesburg High School, 1135 W. Fremont St.

I felt really uncomfortable third shift, and he was someone who really made me feel comfortable. He was always really friendly, always talked, Pierce said. We were all pretty sad when he went to Galesburg, he was one of our favorite cops here.

Mikki Coulter, a sales associate at the same Circle K, said she knew Weist from the time he first swore-in as a police officer in Aledo to when he left to work in Knox County. Coulter said that Weist always had something nice to say and that she was with her manager Amy Smock when she heard the news of his death.

It was heart-wrenching, Coulter said. It was very heart-wrenching because he has small children and he was such a good guy and he wasn't out to harass people, he was out to do his job.

More: Nicholas Weist updates: Volunteers needed Friday to help set up 2,000 American flags

I mean I cried, I'll admit I cried, Smock said. I think he did an amazing job. It's just sad.

Lora Scott, a waitress at Arianas Cafe in Aledo, said her eldest daughter attended Winola Elementary School in Viola at the same time as one of Weists children. When Scott heard that the deputy had died, she remembered one specific day when she was walking up to the school and she saw Weist dancing for his kid.

Story continues

He was a great guy, Scott said. Yeah, everybody loved him.

Jason Clawson, a regular at Beer Bellys in Aledo, said he remembered talking to Weist when the officer would stop in the bar during slow nights. Clawson said it can be easy for police in a small town to single people out, but thats not something Weist ever did.

He was very personable and friendly and kind of understood he was working in a small town, Clawson said. He didn't screw with any of us and it seemed like when things were going on, he did a great job.

More: Funeral services set for fallen Deputy Nicholas Weist, who leaves behind wife, 2 children

Heather Jordan, a manager at Caseys General Store in Viola, said that Weist and his family would come in to the convenience store all the time.

Very, very, very nice people. He was always very pleasant and did a lot for the community, Jordan said. It's devastating.

Rae Ann, owner of Mi Casa Mexican Cuisine in Aledo, said that Weist would also often come to the restaurant with his family.

He was super nice, probably one of the nicest people that came in, Ann said. Always polite, loved his family, clearly. Just fun to have around. He was always a good customer.

Reggie Larson, principal of AlWood Elementary School, located in Alpha a few miles up from the intersection where Weist died placing spike traps, said he was not notified by police until after the crash occurred. The school day wasn't interrupted, but Larson said he was grateful for Weists service.

"Deputy Weist, his sacrifice, saved potentially a lot of lives here in town and at our school, with the timing of everything. So we're very grateful for his service and sacrifice," Larson said.

More: What we know about the death of Knox County Deputy Nicholas Weist

Heather Kopp, owner of the Koffee Junktion coffee shop in Aledo, is holding a benefit for Weists family on Friday, May 6, and Saturday, 7. All of the proceeds from the pay it forward event will go to Weists family.

When some people see police officers they don't necessarily always think of them as friendly and want to help or whatever. They're nervous. But you didn't feel nervous around him, Kopp said. He was just like anyone else, you know. He was really down to earth.

Brook Allcock, an employee at Koffee Junktion, agreed that Weist was more than an officer who would just sit there and write tickets or sit in a speed trap. Allcock remembered that Weist would visit Mercer County High School during the schools lunch period and sit down with students, striking up conversations.

Though Allcock said she only had a few encounters with Weist, including an hour-long talk they once had while she was a waiter for his family at Joes Pizza, she said he still made a mark and is having trouble processing that hes gone.

"I have not stopped thinking about it since I found out (he died) last Friday," Allcock said. "So almost a week and I think about it everyday, which is crazy because I really didn't know him that well.

As Allcock was explaining how Weists death impacts everyone in the small town, a car in the Koffee Junktions drive thru donated $100 for the Weist family benefit. Kopp said the action was indicative of the community rallying together and that Weist deserves to always be remembered.

Right now everyone's heart is there. But you know five years down the road, we want when people say his name, for people to still know who he is," Kopp said. We have to still keep his memory alive.

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: How Illinois remembers fallen deputy Nick Weist: 'Everybody loved him'
Ludacris was given an honorary degree on Wednesday by Georgia State University during commencement exercises at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, GA on May 4. The Bachelor of Science in Music Management was bestowed upon the noted rapper, actor and entrepreneur, whose real name is Chris Ludacris Bridges, though the Grammy winner could easily teach an entire curriculum on the music business, considering his track record and still flourishing career.

Ludacris attended Georgia State in the 1990s before signing a record deal that would launch his career in hip-hop.

More from Variety

My time on campus sharpened my skills, Ludacris told more than 800 masters degree recipients. It gave me confidence that my path was preordained. That I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

Though I left school I was never gone because this institution had become a part of me, Bridges continued. It was a part of my fabric and DNA. My heart never strayed far from its steps and my commitment to someday return, and finish, was ever-present.

Georgia State awarded multi-platinum GRAMMY award-winning artist, actor and entrepreneur Chris Ludacris Bridges an honorary degree May 4. - Credit: Steve Thackston/ Georgia State U

Steve Thackston/ Georgia State U

Ludacris has become heavily involved in the Georgia State community in recent years. He joined the Creative Media Industries Institute in 2019 as an artist-in-residence, sharing with students his experiences and insights on the music and film industries. He also partnered with the College of Law on a course dissecting his career.

My pledge is to continue my support of the university and to live up to its standards, Bridges said. Hopefully, I will continue to make you proud and be an example of Georgia States determination and resilience.

Wednesdays ceremony was one of several scheduled throughout the week to recognize nearly 5,300 new associate, bachelors, masters and doctors degree recipients, the largest graduating class in Georgia States history.

Story continues

Ludacris will next be seen in the latest installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, Fast X, which is currently filming and scheduled for release in 2023.

Georgia State awarded multi-platinum GRAMMY award-winning artist, actor and entrepreneur Chris Ludacris Bridges an honorary degree May 4. - Credit: Meg Laskey Buscema/ Georgia Stat

Meg Laskey Buscema/ Georgia Stat

Best of Variety

Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
Colin Firth as Ewen Montagu and Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Cholmondeley

Operation Mincemeat, a richly engaging World War II spy drama from director John Madden, opens with voiceover narration which asserts that a good story contains that which is seen, and also that which is hidden. Over the course of two-plus hours, the film then proceeds to both illustrate that axiom and excavate its deeper truths.



Based on fascinatingly improbable real-life events, the film has enough cloak-and-dagger intrigue and period detail to satisfy the type of hardcore sub-genre enthusiasts who made the exhaustive, 39-volume Time Life Books series on World War II a perennial Fathers Day gift. But its also shot through with a humanizing sense of uncertainty, moral complication, and even wistfulness about the manner in which this work weighs upon its practitioners, for an altogether rewarding experience even for those viewers who traditionally eschew wartime dramas.

Read more

In early 1943, as Allied forces weigh a plan to splinter Axis power and break Adolf Hitlers grip on occupied Europe, they struggle with a formidable challenge. A frontal assault on Sicily makes the most sense, but is also the most obvious. Aiming to mitigate casualties, the Twenty Committee, a special British interdepartmental intelligence team, undertakes a disinformation campaign. Their aim is to make Germany and Italy believe that the Allied point-of-attack is actually Greece, and redirect some of their forces accordingly.

As part of this strategy, intelligence officers Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) seize upon a throwaway detail in an old war memo credited to their superior, Admiral John Godfrey (Jason Isaacs), and championed by outside-of-the-box thinker and aspiring novelist Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn). The idea, self-admittedly cribbed from Basil Thomsons The Milliners Hat, is to plant misleading military documents on a dead soldiers body in order to fool the Nazis.

Story continues

Despite the fact that Godfrey doesnt have much faith in the ruse, the aforementioned pair is tasked with implementing it and, abetted by Fleming, they set about breathing life into the plan. Ewen and Charles start by obtaining the body of a recently deceased homeless man, then construct an elaborate personal history for the newly named Captain William Martin. Months of meticulous work culminate with his placement off the coast of Huelva in southern Spain, an ideal spot for a variety of reasons. From there, an entirely separate game unfolds, trying to make certain the corresponding phony documents find their way into the hands of German agents.

All this espionage plotting and narrative density recall Firths 2011 Cold War-era spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Like that film, Operation Mincemeat is a well-crafted project which invites audiences to sink into the enveloping procedural crevasses of its story. Based on the same-titled book by Ben Macintyre and adapted for the screen by Michelle Ashford, the script is a marvel of condensed structure, artfully channeling bureaucratic and political machinations through compelling characters. More importantly, though, theres a certain elegiac quality that hangs over the entire movie without overshadowing or suffocating its thriller elements.

The basic story here (previously adapted in 1956s The Man Who Never Was, starring Clifton Webb, as well as a recent stage show) would be easy to sell on merely its more outlandish elements and its many feints. But in the hands of Ashford, the creator of Masters of Sex and also Emmy-nominated for The Pacific, it becomes something more deeply considered.

The character of Jean Leslie (Kelly Macdonald), an MI5 clerk who provides a sweetheart photograph for the fictitious Martin and then uses that to become more involved in the plot, at first seems a questionable or distracting inclusion to an already unlikely story. Ashford, however, develops Leslie in order to plumb all of the surrounding characters with greater insight. She establishes a sort of love triangle between Ewen, Jean, and Charles, creating tension without ever yielding to the consummation that would really qualify the movie as a romantic drama. Ewen, a Jew whose family has been sent off to America, develops a strong bond with the widowed Jean, who returns the depth of his feelings. The somewhat hapless Charles, meanwhile, working in secret and living with a mother who pines for his war hero brother, nurses an unrequited crush on Jean. The way in which these characters go about collectively building this backstory of Bill and Pam, waxing romantic about a wholly constructed love affair, deepens their characterizations in an affecting manner that intensifies the story overall.

Ashford also doesnt shy away from the storys inherent absurdity, despite the gravity of its stakes. She allows for gallows humor, taking special delight in concocting a sequence in which Godfrey tortures his charges for a letter-perfect rewrite on staid military correspondence. She also folds in a number of Easter eggs (Fleming is rumored to have actually written part of Godfreys initial, so-called Trout Memo) which will elicit amused smiles from James Bond fans.

British director Madden remains best known Stateside for helming the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love. But despite a filmography studded with plenty of movies of the sort which are most stereotypically associated with English filmmakers, he also knows his way around both this specific time and place (Captain Corellis Mandolin) and political thrillers more generally (The Debt). Working in lockstep fashion with cinematographer Sebastian Blenkov and editor Victoria Boydell, Madden crafts an unassuming, attractive-looking film which feels at once tidy and expansive, manicured and propulsive. His assurance and deft touch with the films counterintelligence plottingwhich comes to a head in a third act featuring double or sometimes triple agentsare atypical among peers, many of whom would feel the need to adopt a more aggressive visual style.

The movies performances also fit together quite appealingly. Isaacs unwelcoming, perturbed demeanor seems to feed perfectly into Firths buttoned-up straightforwardness, giving Godfreys suspicion that Ewens eccentric, Communist-sympathizing younger brother Ivor (Mark Gatiss) is a Russian spy a layer of parallel intrigue. Macfadyen imbues Charles with a poignant sadness, while Macdonald similarly conveys an expanse of tangled, private feelings. Together, this core trio provides Operation Mincemeat with a sense of enlivened history, and show that a strong sense of duty need not be a shiny, uncomplicated thingthat it can be weighted with all types of ambiguities, differently colored motivations and, yes, regrets.
Indonesian officials announced on Friday that a Russian influencer and her husband will be deported from Bali after they staged a naked photoshoot on a sacred 700-year-old tree three years ago.



Alina Fazleeva, who has over 18,000 followers on Instagram, staged a nude photoshoot in 2019 at a weeping paperbark tree inside Babakan temple grounds in the Tabanan Regency. She uploaded the photos, taken by her husband Andrey Fazleev, and in the caption described hearing her ancestors voices when she hugged the tree, saying that she had become a part of an endless chain.



Fazleevas Instagram posts were recently discovered by and enraged local Hindu-Buddhist Balinese communities. Balinese entrepreneur Niluh Djelantik then reported the photos to local police, prompting an investigation into the incident. In Balinese Hindu culture, elements of nature, such as trees and mountains, are considered a sacred home for the gods.



Before Fazleeva turned herself in, she and her husband revisited the sacred tree with a local man to ask its forgiveness. She then went to the police station where she cooperated with local authorities and also reached out to Djelantik to apologize.



Both of them are proven to have carried out activities that endanger public order and do not respect the local norms, Bali Immigration Chief Jamaruli Manihuruk told reporters per Times Malta. So they will be sanctioned with deportation.



The couple had to participate in a cleansing ceremony with temple caretaker Kurnya Wijaya, who explained that doing so would clear the tree of the obscenities. They have also been banned from entering Indonesia for a minimum of six months.



On her Instagram account, which is now private, Fazleeva apologized for her actions, stating that she had made a big mistake.



There are a lot of sacred places in Bali and not all of them have information signs about it, as in my case, Fazleeva wrote. And, it is very important to treat these places and traditions with respect.







Featured Image via Tribun News (left), Warta Kota Production (right)

Story continues

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Asian Woman Punched in the Head by Group of Teens in New Jersey

Jollibee Closes 255 Stores After Losing $240 Million During Pandemic

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rebrands company name to Meta to focus on VR/AR

Lawyer attempted to discredit R. Kelly accuser in court by bringing up MSG in Chinese food
Amber Heard returned to the stand Thursday and continued to testify about her past relationship with her ex-husband Johnny Depp, who filed a libel lawsuit against her.

Depp is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court, saying her 2018 Washington Post op-ed defamed him when she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. The article never mentions Depp by name, but Depps lawyers say he was defamed nevertheless because its a clear reference to abuse allegations Heard levied in 2016.

At the start of Heard's testimony Thursday, her attorney Elaine Bredehoft asked her why she decided to take photos of Depp passed out during a trip to the Bahamas in July 2013.

"He wouldnt either remember or deny it or accuse me of something that happened and it didnt," Heard testified, alleging that Depp's team would take care of him in the midst of substance abuse, but she didn't feel supported.

I had no one to back me up, Heard said.

Prior to the Bahamas trip, she claimed, "He had a stint of sobriety before this and it started to change with his friend Paul Bettany."

Here's everything else Heard said during her testimony Thursday.

Amber Heard alleges Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her with liquor bottle

In graphic testimony, Heard alleged that, during one attack from Depp, he penetrated her with a liquor bottle.

During the alleged incident, Heard said Depp repeatedly threatened to kill her while pushing a liquor bottle against her pubic bone. When asked to clarify if Depp penetrated her vagina with the bottle, Heard began to hyperventilate and well with tears, saying under her breath, "I can't believe I have to do this."

"Johnny had the bottle inside of me and was shoving it inside of me over and over again," she said.

Heard said the incident caused her vagina to bleed but she was too overcome with emotion to focus on the physical pain.

"I was heartbroken. Eventually, I realized that I could be hurt because I was bleeding, but I convinced myself it wasn't broken, that the bottle wasn't broken, or else it would be a lot worse," she said. "The discomfort I was feeling afterward paled in comparison to how scared (and) shocked I was. I was scared. I just married this man. I just married him."

Story continues

Heard recalls first time she hit Depp

Heard recalled using violence for the first time against Depp in an incident during which she says the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star hit her in the face and threatened her sister.

He had his hand on the back of my head, my hair, yanking me down and hit me in the face with this cast he had," she said.

Heard said her younger sister Whitney Heard was present for the incident and that, as the struggle continued, Whitney put herself between the couple.

"She just threw herself in the line of fire," Heard said, adding that she saw a flight of stairs behind Whitney as her sister confronted Depp.

"Johnny swings at her, and I dont even wait," Heard said. "I swung at him. In all of my relationship to date with Johnny, I hadnt landed a blow. And I, for the first time, hit him. Actually hit him, square in the face."

Heard says Depp accused her of having affairs with James Franco, Eddie Redmayne

At separate points in her testimony, Heard said Depp accused her of having affairs with actors James Franco and Depp's former "Fantastic Beasts" co-star Eddie Redmayne.

Heard appeared in the 2015 film "The Danish Girl," which starred Redmayne. She was filming in London, while Depp was filming another project in Australia.

"We communicated and it was positive until it started to change. I got the sense that he thought I was sleeping with the director and then it was with the actor I was filming with," Heard said, clarifying Redmayne was the actor in question.

Heard claimed earlier that throughout their relationship she had to "bargain" with Depp about taking on certain roles due to his jealousy.

Heard said Depp got aggressive when she began filming "The Adderall Diaries" with James Franco in 2014. "He hated James Franco and was already accusing me of having a relationship with him in the past because we already did Pineapple Express together," she said.

The actress recalled fighting with Depp over the phone since she was filming in New York and he was filming a project in Washington state. The two would reunite in person on a private plane to go to a birthday party for Lily-Rose.

On the plane, Heard said she was attacked in front of his staff.

"It went from asking me about how the kissing scene went or how the sex scene went to asking me what James Franco had done in the scene and being really explicit about my body," she said, noting that she was "embarrassed" because the conversation was occurring around his team.

Heard cried during testimony as she alleged Depp became furious and threw ice cubes and utensils at her, kicked her in the back, and hit her in the face.

"Nobody said anything, nobody did anything," she recalled. "I felt so embarrassed that he could kick me to the ground in front of people."

Depp, who testified earlier in the trial, described the incident differently. He denied that he'd drank excessively before getting on the plane, and said Heard initiated an argument and pursued him until he felt compelled to hide in a bathroom.

But jurors heard a recording Heard made toward the end of the incident, in which it sounds like Depp is howling and babbling incoherently. And the jury has seen a text message Depp sent Bettany shortly after the flight, in which he says he's going to properly stop the booze thing because the flight got ugly." He also texted Bettany saying, Im admittedly too f in the head to spray my rage at the one I love for little reason as well.

Heard broke up with Depp shortly after Lily-Rose's birthday. They later got back together after he promised he would get sober, she said.

Heard details violent fight before 'Mortdecai' premiere in Jan. 2015

Following a lunch break, Heard recalled an incident that she said turned violent in a Tokyo hotel room in January of 2015, while Depp was promoting his film "Mortdecai."

"I said something snotty to him that provoked him," Heard said. "When I walked into the hallway he grabbed me by the arm and slammed me up against the hallway wall... I managed to get out of his grasp and take a few steps and curved around and went into the closet. By the time I went into the closet he had me by the hair."

In this Jan. 26, 2015 file photo, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard arrive at Haneda international airport in Tokyo to promote his latest film "Mortdecai."

Heard claimed Depp hit her in the back of the head and wrestled her down to the floor, which she said "wasn't a fair shot" because she had been walking away and couldn't properly defend herself.

"He was screaming at me that he hated me he didn't want to marry me it was over," Heard said. "That it was a mistake and everyone hated me. I remember crying on the floor. ... It broke my heart. I wanted to marry him so bad."

Heard said she was worried about bruises showing in her red carpet photos afterward.

Heard recalls "Lone Ranger" press tour fight with Depp in July 2013

Heard's attorney asked her to recall her time in London with Depp who was doing a press tour for "Lone Ranger" in July 2013. Depp's children, Lily-Rose Depp and Jack, were also with the couple.

"Johnny screamed at me in the hotel room and all I could think about was the kids were in an adjoining room. What if they could hear us?" Heard recalled. "I had just met them and I didnt want them to think poorly of me and hate me not knowing what was going on behind doors."

Heard recalls Depp's marriage proposal in December 2013

Depp proposed to Heard in December 2013 in London when she was filming "London Fields," Heard said.

"He promised me that every day when I would wake up he would make me smile at least once," Heard recalled. "I was so in love ... I cant describe that kind of joy."

She said Depp's jealousy heightened following their engagement. He had proposed an ultimatum when it came to one role, Heard said.

Jurors saw a text sent from Depp to Heard that read: "You want me to the roll the dice??? This sounds more like an aggravated ultimatum than the soft words that could help make us both feel better!!! Don't test me, please..."

Experts testify: Psychologist alleges Amber Heard suffered PTSD, sexual abuse in Johnny Depp relationship

Heard claims Depp did drugs with her father

Heard recalled having an engagement party with Depp, which they had planned to be bigger than their wedding.

During the event, she claimed Depp snuck off and she found him "sharing drugs with my dad (David Heard)."

"My dad at the time was addicted to the same thing Johnny was  They needed more of course and had to leave the party," she said.

Heard alleges Depp broke her nose after the 2014 Met Gala

During the actress' testimony, she recalled several instances of jealousy from Depp. One of the instances that she said escalated was following the Met Gala in May 2014 where Heard, who identifies as bisexual, said Depp accused her of flirting with another woman.

When they returned to their hotel, Heard testified, "Johnny shoves me and grabs me by the collarbone area."

"He threw a bottle at me. It missed me, but it hit the chandelier  At some point, he just whacked me in the face," Heard said of the incident. "I was unsure what that feeling was but I suspected I had a broken nose. And other than that I remember my nose being swollen in discolored."

Johnny Depp's agent testifies: Agent says Amber Heard's abuse op-ed 'catastrophic' to actor's career

Heard discusses Depp's detox in the Bahamas in August 2014

After Depp vowed to stay sober, he began a total detox in the Bahamas in August 2014 with the assistance of Dr. David Kipper and nurse Debbie Lloyd, Heard said.

"It was okay at first," Heard recalled. She later claimed Depp had a range of extreme moods throughout their stay including "bursts into anger."

The actress alleged her ex-husband slapped her and yelled at her for embarrassing him.

"I felt bad. I still feel bad," she said. "I didn't know how to detox someone. I shouldn't have been there ... It was hell."

Depp previously testified that at one point Heard allegedly denied giving him medication that would help him with withdrawal symptoms because it was earlier than the time they were supposed to be administered.

"It feels like the inside of you is trying to escape the body, so it's obviously very painful," Depp said.

A fight resulted in the couple returning to Los Angeles where he opted to detox alone and without the aid of medications, he testified.

Heard details fraught relationship with Depp in first day of testimony

During Heard's first day of testimony Wednesday, she recounted the first time Depp allegedly hit her, telling the jury, "It changed my life."

As Heard continued her testimony, she alleged a pattern of Depp abusing alcohol and cocaine, displaying erratic behavior including holding his dog out the window of a moving car and accusing Heard of an affair she says she didn't have, and Depp physically and sexually abusing her on multiple occasions.

Johnny Depp, Amber Heard libel trial: Everything that's happened so far, including Heard on the stand

Depp says he 'never struck' Heard

In Depp's earlier testimony, he also detailed a fraught relationship with Heard, saying she abused him. He also denied physically abusing her, telling the courtroom, "I never struck Ms. Heard in any way."

Depp argued that he would remove himself from the room during fights with Heard to avoid escalation. Citing an incident in which Heard allegedly severed the tip of Depp's finger, he told the courtroom, "I would try to get away so that nothing escalated because if given the chance to allow things to escalate, Ms. Heard would take it to the very extreme, which ended up with my finger being chopped off."

"The only person I ever abused in my life is myself," he added, referring to his struggle with substance abuse.

The trial has now entered its fourth week. It is expected to last six weeks, with a one-week break beginning May 9 and resuming May 16.

'Did he just hit me?': Amber Heard tearfully testifies about Johnny Depp's alleged abuse, drug use

Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff and Charles Trepany, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amber Heard alleges Depp sexually assaulted her with liquor bottle
Fashion has resisted regulation in the past, and lawmakers the world over  until now  werent sure of how fashion fit into the fossil fuel puzzle.

Thats less so the case today.

More from WWD

Who would have thought just a few years ago wed be having so many conversations on fashion policy? said Elizabeth Cline, director of advocacy and policy at Remake, in a session on fashion policy at the Fairchild Media Group Sustainability Forum held virtually on April 28. It was something that wasnt really on lawmakers radar, and now theres this flurry of interest. Its really an exciting time.

Remakes aim as an industry watchdog is to ensure garment workers get paid fairly. Where policy can help accomplish that mission, the organization has played a leading role.

Stateside, California Gov. Gavin Newsom passed the Garment Worker Protection Act in September 2021, which aims to do exactly as the name suggests by building joint liability (and fair wages) into Californias vast garment manufacturing districts. More than 140 businesses, including Reformation and Eileen Fisher, came out in support of the bill alongside advocacy groups. Meanwhile, the Fashion Act or Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act is on the roster for New York States current legislative season.

Fashion has its own unique challenges, and the Fashion Act specifically puts fashions unique social and environmental issues on the radar of lawmakers, reiterated Cline. What [Remake] is asking for is for lawmakers to look at whats happening with the human rights due diligence space in Europe. We think that is what they set out to do with this law, and to ensure the law is ahead of the regulatory and legislative curve because we believe strongly that if New York is going to do this, then we should be out in front and be a leader on these issues.

Story continues

The bill spurred countless support, including at least two open letters digging into labor and circularity nuance (the former spearheaded by Remake and the latter penned by Circular Services Group, with signatories like ThredUp). Resellers like ThredUp believe circularity needs to be at the forefront of the conversations brewing in Washington, D.C. and Albany.

Were in a really interesting position right now in terms of public policy across the board. Lawmakers have myriad issues that are being lobbed at them every single day, said Seth Levey, ThredUps head of public policy and sustainability. We want to make sure that sustainable fashion is moved higher up the priority list for lawmakers. Thats why we think the Fashion Act, for instance, is very important in setting a pathway for conversations around sustainable fashion. We believe that reuse should be at the top of the waste hierarchy. Reuse and textile waste management are currently left out of the act. We think that its a huge opportunity for textile waste management to be integrated into public policy.

Levey reiterated ThredUps support for the Fashion Act overall and anticipates working with other players for building a pipeline of viable public policy initiatives both at the state, federal and international level for sustainable fashion.

Working at the intersection of sustainability, design strategy and impact for much of her career, Ibada Wadud, Parsons School of Design faculty, founder of Lulah and founding member of the New York Fashion Workforce Development Coalition, is keen on taking things back a few paces when it comes to policy.

I think its really interesting to analyze across sectors and particularly as it pertains to the fashion industry, to analyze some of the root causes of the issues that were facing today, particularly understanding not only the current landscape of the industry but how we arrived to where we are, Wadud said. Once we have a deeper understanding of some of the gaps that exist  essentially our industry operating within a black box, for most of this century  we then can appropriately respond. And that requires folks from multiple and diverse capacities, skill sets and knowledge  and also strategy to actually get there and accomplish those goals.

The way it works with the Council of Fashion Designers of America  a trade, membership-based not-for-profit organization that also operates a separate foundation for education initiatives  is also a little unique.

We are not directly positioned under our mission to lobby, however, we do engage with many ecosystems of alliances and stakeholders, said Sara Kozlowski, vice president of education and sustainability initiatives at the CFDA. Currently, we are very happy to be collaborating with trade member peers including the AAFA [American Apparel and Footwear Association, and] the Accessories Council. Our membership at the CFDA is over 400 foremost American brands. However, many of them would qualify as SME or SMP in terms of their revenue.

Continuing, Kozlowski expressed the organizations excitement at engaging in the policy opportunities the Fashion Act could bring about, as well as honing in on where the gaps are.

The aim, she said, is to ensure, in the future, we can have a voice on transformative governance and use our influence in the fashion sector to ensure that all voices are heard  businesses in the fashion sector of all sizes  small, medium and established  woman-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses. We are really looking forward to policy that not only helps to regulate but helps to [incentivize] and get us where we need to be with decarbonization efforts.

I think we all agree were at the tipping point.We are moving in the wrong direction, Kozlowski said. I think weve warmed 6 percent with greenhouse gas emissions last year, and yet were all talking about unifying and meeting the 1.5 [carbon] cap in eight years and a net-zero transition by 2050, when in fact, were already going to be exceeding 1.5-degrees Celsius by 2030 or 2032. In fashion, so much of our problems lie in our supply chains, specifically within materials. But the answers lie there as well.

Circularity, nonrenewable energy and de-fossilizing of materials (moving away from synthetics) are part of the solutions playbook, according to Kozlowski. The CFDA is increasingly looking to the U.N. Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action (which contains the vision to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050), the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Science Based Targets Initiative, or SBTi, as examples of industry alignment. The CFDA also launched a number of free sustainability resources, including a new directory tailored to ESG targets.

One of the biggest challenges, especially for small brands, is the funding, Kozlowski said.

Regarding how brands are scaling up sustainable solutions, even in spite of funding constraints, Wadud affirmed: Its different for everyone. Theres not a universal definition of what sustainability may look like.

The key point is that its intersectional  meaning that there is an aspect of environmental responsibility and justice, theres social, economic as well as cultural [aspects] depending on what value you are promising as a brand or as a customer, Wadud said. I think for other stakeholder groups  including communities and individual citizens  it may look different as to how you create shared value, whether that is through a business model, through philanthropy or public-private partnerships or some other fashion. Whats important is that you have a firm grasp on what that strategy is. 

And mapping brand ecosystems with intention is inherent to that. Disconnects happen when values are misaligned.

Sustainability is a road map for profitability and for innovation, Wadud said. If we want to move toward a future in which we are leading in innovative ways, we also have to consider sustainability as a key component of that, and that it does need to interact with those pieces. It doesnt function in silos.

And neither should policy.

Levey agreed circularity is critical and Europe is one to watch for policy inspiration  but so are other industries. Sustainable fashion advocates need to not be so insularly focused but instead, he said, find ways to build a cohesive value chain approach to sustainable fashion policy, while linking arms with advocates from other industries.

In its resale report, ThredUp cites 36 billion pieces of clothing are thrown away every year, so the problems are palpable.

In many places, sustainability is going to come through making things easier. Its going to come through consumers understanding the right choice is the sustainable choice, is the affordable choice, Levey said, reiterating that ThredUp  as a brand and resale platform  wants say-so in the new policy frontiers, and believes alliances are key to that shift.

Incentives and lawmaker education werent at all glossed over in the policy banter.

Theres got to be, at some point, serious money put into fashions efforts to decarbonize. Ive seen numbers that its going to cost the industry trillions to decarbonize, said Cline. I think Remake [and advocacy] serves a really important function in providing that public pressure that companies often need to make a commitment to the people and communities in their supply chain, and I hope this is just a strategy we use until we have stronger regulations in place.

Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
Jon Batiste attends The Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute benefit gala on Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York.

Jon Batiste, the Grammy award-winning musician who currently serves as bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, announced Thursday that he and his team tested positive for Covid. As a result, his upcoming Carnegie Hall performance will be postponed. He also is canceling other commitments, including the Colbert show. Batiste, 35, recently attended the Met Gala this past Monday in New York City wearing Ralph Lauren.

On Thursday morning, he took to Instagram to share a picture of rehearsal in preparation for Saturdays scheduled show. Day 7 in rehearsal, he wrote. I am grateful to share my first symphony at @carnegiehall #AmericanSymphony.



Read more

Later that day, he shared a press release revealing his diagnosis along with an upbeat message for fans. I thank all my supporters for their love and understanding. See you all soon, it stated.

At last months Grammy ceremony, Batiste took home a total of 5 awards which included the prestigious album of the year title for We Are. Stunned by the win for his 8th studio album, he stated during his acceptance speech the importance of every musician when it comes to making art.

I believe this to my core, there is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor, Batiste expressed. The creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most. Its like a song or an album is made and its almost like it has a radar to find the person when they need it the most.

The Juilliard alum is scheduled to make his acting debut as Grady in Blitz Bazawules remake of The Color Purple. A new date for Carnegie Hall has yet to be announced.
Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito in their first and only Youtube video uploaded to their channel.

Less than a year since the disappearance and murder of 22-year-old Gabby Petito of North Port, Lifetime has announced it is making a TV movie about the case that triggered a national search and widespread interest last fall.

Lifetime said Emmy-nominated actress Thora Birch, who has been seen in The Walking Dead, American Beauty and Ghost World, will make her directorial debut with the film, tentatively titled The Gabby Petito Story, and will play the Nicole Schmidt, the mother of the social media influencer.

Authorities said Petito was killed by her boyfriend, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, whose parents also live in North Port, during a cross-country trip that began last July in New York State and ended with her death from strangulation near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Actress Thora Birch, seen at a 2018 movie premiere, will direct and co-star in a Lifetime movie about the disappearance and murder of Gabby Petito.

Court cases: Lawsuit alleges Brian Laundrie's parents withheld information on Gabrielle Petito's death

More on Gabby Petito case: Trial date set for lawsuit filed against parents of Brian Laundrie

The 23-year-old Laundrie returned to his parents home alone on Sept. 1 before he disappeared. Authorities conducted numerous searches over five weeks in the 168-acre Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port before his body was found. They said he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The couple documented their van trip on social media, and the widespread news coverage of the case led many followers to search for her after she failed to return home.

In a statement, Lifetime said the film will explore Gabby and her fiance Brian Laundries complicated relationship and what may have gone wrong during their cross-country trip that resulted in Gabbys tragic murder. The movie will be shot this summer in Utah and is expected to have its premiere later this year.

Notebook confession: FBI says Brian Laundrie admitted to killing Gabby Petito in recovered notebook

The movie will bring to life Gabby and Brians doomed love story, including the warning signs that Gabbys life was in danger, the ensuing search for her, the eventual discovery of her murder and ultimately, Brians suicide, the network statement said.

Story continues

The film will be written by Gregory Small and Richard Blaney, who previously wrote the Lifetime film Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret and worked on the series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.

Other casting will be announced later.

The network, well known for its movies about women in danger, said it is developing several projects about violence against women whose cases did not receive the same media attention.

Last December, Peacock aired the documentary The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies and Social Media.

Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Gabby Petito: Alleged death at hands of Brian Laundrie to be Lifetime movie
Hundreds of college students will be accepting diplomas in Aberdeen Saturday.

Commencement ceremonies for both Northern State University and Presentation College are planned, with more than 130 students set to graduate at Presentation and another 281 at Northern.

Here's what you need to know if you plan to attend either graduation.

Northern State

Graduation is at 10:30 a.m. in the Barnett Center on campus. Tickets are not required, and the ceremony is open to the public. A livestream of the ceremony can be found on the university Facebook page or at northern.edu/academics/graduation-and-commencement.

U.S. Sen. and former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is the guest speaker.

The vast majority of graduates are receiving bachelor's degrees, while 16 are receiving associate degrees and 82 master's degrees.

Forty percent of Northern graduates are first-generation college students, according to a news release from the school.

Presentation

Graduation is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the Strode Center on campus. It is open to the public, and no tickets are needed.

At Presentation, 125 students will receive bachelor's degrees, nine master's degrees, two associate degrees and two certificates.

Hoffman

Holly Hoffman of Eureka is the guest speaker. She was a contestant on "Survivor Nicaragua" and is a professional motivational speaker and author who shares a message of positivity, determination and confidence, according to a news release from the school.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Northern State University, Presentation College graduations Saturday
London mayor Sadiq Khan and new leader of Wandsworth Council Simon Hogg celebrate after the Labour gain of Wandsworth council during local elections. (Photo: Hannah Mckay via Reuters)

London mayor Sadiq Khan and new leader of Wandsworth Council Simon Hogg celebrate after the Labour gain of Wandsworth council during local elections. (Photo: Hannah Mckay via Reuters)

Labour has taken two major scalps by winning the flagship Tory councils of Westminster and Wandsworth.

The totemic victories came amid fresh calls from Conservatives for Boris Johnson to quit as party leader.

In another boost for Keir Starmer, Labour gained Barrnet Council in north London from the Conservatives.

Labour has also won the new Cumberland Council, where all three local MPs are Tory.

Wandsworth, renowned for its low taxes, turned blue in 1978, a year before Margaret Thatcher, who considered the council her favourite, was elected prime minister.

Boris Johnson losing Wandsworth is monumental. This was the Tories jewel in the crown, a Labour source said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that history has been made with the victory.

Khan tweeted a photograph of himself standing beside Labour councillor Simon Hogg, the councils new leader.

Alongside the photograph, Khan wrote: The three words weve wanted to hear for so long: WANDSWORTH LABOUR GAIN.

The three words we've wanted to hear for so long: WANDSWORTH LABOUR GAIN



The first Labour council leader of Wandsworth in 44 years..



Congratulations @CllrSimonHogg! pic.twitter.com/RQT1KvZZyn  Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) May 6, 2022

Westminster has been held by the Tories since its creation in 1964, and was where Johnson cast his ballot yesterday.

In Barnet, the outgoing Conservative leader Daniel Thomas said: I think this is a warning shot from Conservative supporters and I think our loss today is not only due to the fact that I have just mentioned but also a fair number of Conservative voters who just didnt go out to vote, stayed at home.

Story continues

He added: Clearly if Labour are to get a majority in Parliament they need to win Barnet. They won the council, if they win our parliamentary constituencies as well, then it doesnt bode well for us to form a Government in future general elections.

The Tories also lost Worcester to no overall control, with gains for the Greens and Labour.

Labour also gained Southampton from the Tories, who only won control of the council last year.

But there were signs Labour was struggling to make significant gains elsewhere outside the M25.

Meanwhile, the Lib Dems took Kingston upon Hull from Labour and were also edging towards winning West Oxfordshire from the Tories.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: This is a great night for the Liberal Democrats. Were making progress all over the country  building on our historic by-election victories last year.

The elections are set against the backdrop of the partygate scandal and a cost-of-living crisis that could turn into a recession.

Council seats are also up for grabs in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England, while Northern Ireland is electing its new assembly in what could be the most significant vote of them all, with Sinn Fein seeking to become the largest party.

Many of the English seats were last contested in 2018, during Theresa Mays chaotic administration, meaning there may only be limited opportunities for opposition parties to make further gains.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.

Related...
The Queens Platinum Jubilee planning is underway, and details are beginning to emerge about Prince Harry and Meghan Markles participation in the weekend festivities. Their appearance has been confirmed, but the couple will be taking a lower-profile role in accordance with their step away from their senior positions.

That means the duo will not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour  and Prince Andrew is also excluded. After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this years traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen, a palace representative told People.

More from SheKnows

.@TinaBrownLM's new book, #ThePalacePapers, reveals one of the challenges Meghan Markle faced while adjusting to royal life. https://t.co/StufIDNzW7  SheKnows (@SheKnows) May 5, 2022

Commemorating the Queens 70 years on the throne is a momentous occasion, and the Sussexes arent traveling to the U.K. alone  they are bringing son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 11 months. Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honored to attend The Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children, a spokesman for the couple told People. Whats even more exciting is that Harrys family will get to celebrate Lilibets first birthday on June 4, so it will make the weekend an extra-special time for the family.

Click here to read the full article.

Story continues

Harry and Meghan recently snuck in a visit with Queen Elizabeth before they headed to The Netherlands for the Invictus Games, so its nice to see them also making the trip with their entire family for the historic occasion in June. Harry has been open about safety concerns for his two children because security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK. He took his case to court, and while a resolution has not been made public, something must have happened behind the scenes because the family of four is officially confirmed for the Platinum Jubilee weekend. While the family relationships are far from perfect at the palace, its an important time for the royals to be together.

Before you go, click here to see the 100 best photos of the royal family from the past 20 years.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle

Launch Gallery: 9 Photos of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Long-Awaited Return to The Invictus Games

Best of SheKnows

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter.

For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Family matters. As the big celebration gets closer, fans are wondering: why did Queen Elizabeth ban Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony during her Platinum Jubilee festivities?

Harry and Meghan are barred from the traditional balcony appearance during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace on May 6, 2022. The palace confirmed, After careful consideration, the Queen has decided this years traditional trooping the colour balcony appearance on Thursday, 2 June, will be limited to Her Majesty, and those members of the royal family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen. Those who are excluded from the celebrations include Prince Andrew, who was involved in a Jeffrey Epstein case and had his titles stripped in January 2022.

More from StyleCaster

Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal duties in February 2020. The couple subsequently moved to California with their son, Archie, now 3. They went on to welcome their daughter, Lilibet Diana, in the States in June 2021. Shortly after the palaces announcement, Meghan and Harry confirmed that they will go to the UK to celebrate Harrys grandmothers jubilee. Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honored to attend The Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children, a spokesperson of the couple announced. This will mark their daughter, Lilibet Dianas, first trip to the UK.

Click here to read the full article.

Harry visited his grandmother last month in April 2022 before heading to the Invictus Games in the Netherlands. [It] really nice to get to catch up [with] her, the 37-year-old father of two said to the Todays show Hoda Kobtk. Shes always got such a great sense of humour with me and Im just making sure shes protected and got the right people around her. When asked if he was going to attend Jubilee, he said with security issues and everything else, is making it harder, but he and his family are trying to make it possible. Little did they know, it was indeed possible.

Story continues

Buy: Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family $11.15

Image: Courtesy of Dey Street Books.

For more about Prince Harry and Meghan Markles time in the British royal family, read Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durands New York Times bestseller, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family. The book tells all on the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs relationship, from how they met to their wedding to the birth of their son, Archie. Finding Freedom also dives into the true story of why Harry and Meghan left the royals at the end of 2019 and moved to the United States amid their secret drama with their family. Consisting of interviews and accounts with Harry and Meghans closest confidants, Finding Freedom is a must-read for any royal follower.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think youll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

New Entertainment Newsletter

Best of StyleCaster
President Donald Trump looks on as Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao speaks during a January 2020 event at the White House. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Donald Trump made xenophobic remarks about his Cabinet secretary Elaine Chao, a new book reports.

His comments came during an interview with the authors of "This Will Not Pass."

Since leaving office, Trump has continued to tear into Mitch McConnell, who is Chao's husband.

Former President Donald Trump repeated xenophobic attacks suggesting his former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was compromised by ties to China during an interview with two New York Times reporters.

Trump made the comments during a mid-April 2021 interview at his Mar-a-Lago resort, during which he sharply criticized Chao and her husband, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"Not content merely to insult McConnell as a legislative leader and tactician, Trump attacked the Kentucky senator's family in racist language, smearing a woman who had served in his Cabinet for all but two of the final weeks of his presidency," Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns wrote in "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future," which comes out on Tuesday.

Trump, speaking of Chao, told the authors she is "not an innocent babe in the woods." Chao has been a top GOP official for decades. She previously served in the Reagan and both Bush administrations, including as George W. Bush's Labor secretary.

Since the 2020 election, Trump has repeatedly torn into McConnell for not supporting his election lies.

Spokespeople for Chao, McConnell, and Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former President Donald Trump in January 2018. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Chao was born in Taiwan and emigrated to the US when she was a child. Her family still owns a New York-based shipping company that has benefited from close US-China ties, The New York Times previously reported.

Trump suggested that these ties compromised Chao, who served in his Cabinet until she resigned in the wake of the Capitol insurrection.

"Just ask China  ask China whether she is or not," Trump told the authors, in what they describe as, "alluding to online conspiracy theories."

Story continues

McConnell and Chao are no stranger to these attacks. Shortly after the election, Trump claimed McConnell was "too busy working on deals with China for his wife."

West Virginia Senate hopeful Don Blankenship went even further in 2018, releasing an entire ad that attacked McConnell for having a father-in-law that is "a wealthy Chinaperson." Blankenship is best remembered for trying to give McConnell the moniker "Cocaine Mitch," a nickname the top Senate Republican later enthusiastically embraced.

Trump raised further doubts about whether China is committing human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in the same interview with Martin and Burns. The Biden administration was so outraged by China's conduct that it contributed to the US' diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Shooting

A man suspected of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend in Apache Junction was arrested Wednesday in Southern California, according to the Apache Junction Police Department.

The man was identified as Ulises A. Cruz Peraza, 34.

According to Lt. Daniel Saldana with the Apache Junction police, the department received a 911 call from the victim Sunday at about 4 p.m. during which she told police she had been shot.

Officers located the victim, identified as Maria Guadalupe Godinez Ramirez, 28, near Old West Highway just west of Winchester Road.

Further information as to how the shooting transpired was not provided.

Police attempted lifesaving measures and took the woman to a hospital where she later died from her injuries, Saldana said.

While investigating, police identified Peraza as the suspect and learned he was Ramirez's ex-boyfriend.

Police learned Ramirez had a protection order against Peraza since December 2021 because "she feared for her safety," Saldana said.

Detectives from the Apache Junction Police Department and the U.S. marshals task force located Peraza in California and arrested him, according to Saldana.

The department is in the process of extraditing Peraza back to Arizona to face charges, Saldana said.

Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at lsepulveda@lavozarizona.com or on Twitter @lauradNews.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man suspected of killing ex-girlfriend in Apache Junction is arrested
While a slowdown in China weighed heavily on Adidas in the first quarter, the companys executives remained optimistic, predicting a return to growth.

Adidas blamed ongoing challenges in the Chinese market  once seen as the sportswear giants best opportunity for growth  for the fact that first quarter revenues fell 3 percent, currency neutral.

More from WWD

Adidas net sales rose only 0.6 percent to 5.3 billion euros in the first quarter and EBIT fell 38.5 percent to 437 million euros.

The results have much to do with the fact that, in late March, the whole equation around the Chinese market changed, Adidas chief executive officer Kasper Rorsted said during an online press conference revealing the companys quarterly results. And its not just us. Youve heard this from almost every company, whether they are large German chemicals companies or Starbucks, he explained.

Until recently, each of Adidas three main markets  Europe, America and China  brought in roughly a third of the brands revenues.

In the first quarter, revenues from Greater China fell 34.6 percent to generate 1 billion euros, and revenues in the rest of Asia Pacific dropped 15.7 percent to make 506 million euros.

Currently, 45 cities in China are under lockdown due to the countrys zero COVID-19 policy, Rorsted noted. Compared to other brands, like Puma, the speedily growing but smaller German sportswear brand, Adidas is much more exposed to the Chinese market.

Around a quarter of Adidas stores in China are currently closed. Even in cities that had come out the other side of a lockdown, like Shenzhen and Wuhan, traffic at retail was still down by around a quarter, Adidas calculated, whereas in large cities like Shanghai and Beijing, where restrictions were still in place, there was no retail footfall at all. Business in Shanghai makes for almost a tenth of Adidas China revenue.

Story continues

Unlike the initial [COVID-19] outbreak in 2020, we are not observing a spike in our e-comm channel either, Rorsted cautioned. Much-hyped special product releases were still faring well but mainstream products were suffering and consumer sentiment was heavily affected.

Recently, market analysis from the likes of Credit Suisse and Baader Bank expressed concern that Adidas China business might never return to previous form. But Rorsted disagreed.

In the future, you will see a growth economy in China [again] but right now, the predominant inhibitor of growth is the lockdown, he argued. But that will also be the primary opener for growth [when lockdowns end].

Adidas expects revenues in China to continue to decline right up until the third quarter of this year, the companys chief financial officer Harm Ohlmeyer added. Throughout the second half of the year, the brand expects sequential improvement as China learns to better manage the pandemic and its lockdowns, but Chinese revenues are still likely to end the year down in the low-double digits, Ohlmeyer said.

Adidas slowdown in the first quarter had been expected. The last quarter of 2021 brought a similar dip and the company had forecast a mid-single-digit decline in revenues for first quarter in 2022.

Also weighing on Adidas first-quarter numbers were lingering impacts of pandemic-related lockdowns in its main manufacturing hub in Vietnam late last year as well as freight problems. The brand estimated these challenges would likely cost it 600 million euros altogether over the first half of the year. By the third quarter though, supply issues would no longer be a problem.

The numbers in all other territories were far healthier than those in China, with the categories soccer, running and outdoor doing particularly well over the first quarter, Adidas reported.

In the Europe, Middle East and Africa territory, Adidas brought in 1.93 billion euros, reflecting growth of 9.1 percent. The closure of Adidas Russian operations, due to that countrys invasion of Ukraine, only had an estimated impact of around 1 percent in this territory.

Over the coming year, Adidas planned to put more emphasis on culture and lifestyle in key cities like Paris, London, Berlin and Dubai, Rorsted said, listing collaborations with Gucci, Prada and Y3 as well as the ever-popular Yeezy range.

Asked whether Adidas had felt any change in consumer sentiment due to the war in Ukraine or rising inflation, Rorsted said it had not. We saw very good trading in April in Europe and our order backlog is very strong, the executive noted. We also take into account that we are operating in a pricing space that is affordable  were not selling cars or electronics  so we are not seeing that [a downturn] at this stage.

In North America, Adidas revenues grew 12.8 percent to hit 1.4 billion euros. We want to double down on this, Rorsted stressed.

A newly minted deal with Footlocker stores globally should triple retail sales for both companies up to 2 billion euros by 2025, he noted, adding that Adidas expected to make 100 million euros in incremental net sales from the deal this year alone. Footlocker would also play the lead in Adidas new take on its basketball offerings, Rorsted said.

Increases in these markets averaged out at 13 percent over the first quarter of 2022 and were more in line with what Adidas experienced between 2015 and 2020, when it saw around 13 percent growth annually.

Sales in those territories in the black make up about 70 percent of Adidas business and the company is also expecting a return to growth in the rest of Asia, which would then add up to 80 percent of the total business, Rorsted concluded optimistically: We are growing double digits in parts of the business that are within our control. And we have to adapt to the challenges we have in China, which are mostly out of our control.

Despite the decreases, Adidas sales figures actually slightly outpaced market expectations. Analysts had predicted, on average, operating profit of 395.5 million euros and sales of 5.22 billion euros this quarter.

Adidas also confirmed most of its guidance for the year, although the company cautioned that this would now be at the lower end of what it had predicted. It slightly lowered its outlook on gross margin and operating margin, by about one percentage point, to 50.7 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively.

The company planned to increase product prices in the second half of this year in the mid- to high-single-digit range, finance boss Ohlmeyer pointed out. Marketing and other costs were rising and the price increases would balance this out, he said.

Adidas forecast that its revenues would still grow by between 11 and 13 percent over the full year and it expected net income of between 1.8 billion and 1.9 billion euros in 2022.
Heather Allen took a picture showing fire in the tree in front of her home west of Redding. The tree caught fire Wednesday night, May 4, 2022 when branches hit PG&E power lines.

For about the past 10 years, Heather Allen has been dealing with trees growing close to power lines near her house west of Redding, but the problem literally exploded Wednesday when a branch fell onto the electrical lines.

The fire did not spread past the tree, but Allen said what happened when the branch hit the line was alarming and reminded her of the risk of wildfires from trees growing near power lines.

"(We're) definitely on edge, given the events in the past and whole towns being wiped out because of fires. And my parents, you know, we lost my family home in the (2018) Carr Fire," Allen said.

Allen said she called 911 Wednesday evening. Emergency dispatchers called out the fire in the 800 block of Equestrian Trail shortly before 6 p.m.

"There was an explosion that I have never really heard. The sound that it made, it was like a supersonic kind of sound," Allen said.

The sound was accompanied by a frightening vibration she said she could feel.

"My daughter was here, and she was outside. And so I just wanted to make sure that she was completely away from any of it. It was right in my front yard," Allen said.

At least one tree branch fell into Pacific Gas and Electric Company power lines west of Redding on Wednesday, sparking a small fire.

A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crew showed up to take care of the fire hazard, Allen said. And a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. crew trimmed away branches from the electrical lines.

Other neighbors who live nearby said a PG&E crew worked on the tree and the line until late in the night Wednesday.

She said PG&E notified her nearly two years ago that she had a "problem" utility pole near her house. The utility came out and cleared away branches near the pole and cut down one of two gray pines growing near the electrical lines, she said.

The second tree remained. And at least one of the limbs from that tree hit the power lines Wednesday, she said.

More: PG&E settles Dixie Fire lawsuit with DAs in Shasta County and four others

A PG&E spokesman said Thursday that he was working on finding out more about the incident.

Story continues

A truck moves a bulldozer to another location in Old Station on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 as smoke from the Dixie Fire rises in the background. The fire's proximity prompted authorities to order residents to evacuate on Wednesday night.

Allen said she was aware of the damage caused by fires ignited by PG&E equipment and power lines over the past five years.

Last summer's Dixie Fire, which burned 963,309 acres and destroyed 1,329 structures, started when a tree hit PG&E utility equipment in Butte County. That fire was the second-largest in state history.

Cal Fire said the Zogg Fire, which burned 56,000 acres, killed four people and destroyed 204 buildings in 2020, also was ignited when a gray pine hit utility lines off Zogg Mine Road in Igo.

In this long exposure photo, flames from the Dixie Fire spread in Genesee, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

And in November 2018, PG&E utility equipment ignited the Camp Fire in Butte County, which became the deadliest and most destructive fire in state history. That fire killed 85 people, destroyed nearly the entire town of Paradise and burned 153,336 acres.

While Allen said she understands PG&E has its hands full maintaining its power grid, she also is concerned about the dangers around her, living west of Redding with its tree-and-brush-covered hills.

More: PG&E: Millions more trees within 'strike distance' of power lines

"And so it's not like I'm against PG&E, but I do have concerns that what they're dealing with is an issue," Allen said.

"The grid itself, and the potential hazards that they're dealing with. It's not that they're being neglectful, but there's just so much that they have to try to (do)," she said.

More: PG&E reaches $125M settlement with California regulators for igniting Kincade fire

Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlights resources and environment reporter. He is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Tree limbs hit PG&E power lines west of Redding, spark small fire
Olena Zelenskyy and Jill Biden

GINTS IVUSKANS/AFP via Getty, Roy Rochlin/Getty

Dr. Jill Biden is bringing aid to the people of Ukraine and Eastern Europe this Mother's Day.

During a preview of her interview with MSNBC's Symone Sanders, airing Saturday, the first lady said that she received a letter from Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenskyy with "her list of things that they needed."

"They need so much. They have so many children without parents, so many orphans that need childcare, that need clothing, that need health supplies. They need food," Biden, 70, said. "I mean, they need so much. And so, she gave me a list and we're working on it."

RELATED: First Lady Jill Biden Will Spend Mother's Day with Displaced Ukrainian Families

She also had a phone call with Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda ahead of her trip, during which she will spend the holiday with displace Ukrainian families.

"I knew Mother's Day was coming up and I said to Joe, 'I'm going to go stand with the mothers of Ukraine. They have to know that we're standing with them,' " she recalled to Sanders in the preview. "Because I don't know about you, Symone, but when I see those mothers with all their children, they are so resilient.

ZAPORIZHZHIA, UKRAINE - MAY 02: Women from the frontline town of Orikhiv wait on a bus after arriving at an evacuation point for people fleeing Mariupol, Melitopol and the surrounding towns under Russian control on May 02, 2022 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Dozens of refugees were expected to arrive here from Mariupol, including the Azovstal steel facility, following extensive negotiations between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Chris McGrath/Getty Evacuees Arrive In Zaporizhzhia

"And you just wonder, don't you? You ask yourself, 'Could I do that? Could I leave my country, my husband, everybody I love and move on to something unknown. ... So I will be there on Mother's Day standing with the mothers of Ukraine," Biden said.

She announced this week that she'll visit Romania and Slovakia for five days as she meets with U.S. service members, embassy personnel, humanitarian aid workers and Ukrainians displaced amid the Russian invasion.

"I think that they have shown us so much strength and they've been my inspiration, really. Because if they can be strong, then I can be strong for them," Biden said in the preview of her MSNBC interview. "So, I hope I bring strength. ... I hope that they know that I have the hearts of everyone in the United States, I'm carrying the United States with me to say we're standing with you."

Story continues

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24  the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.

A view of damaged sites aftermath of the battle for Malaya Rohan in Kharkiv, Ukraine on April 01, 2022.

Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty

Details of the fighting change by the day, but thousands of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. Millions of Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.

"You don't know where to go, where to run, who you have to call. This is just panic," Liliya Marynchak, a 45-year-old teacher in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, told PEOPLE of the moment her city was bombed  one of numerous accounts of bombardment by the Russians.

The invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.

RELATED VIDEO: As Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Continues, Citizens Around the World Still Manage to Uplift Each Other

With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks  so far unsuccessful  while urging his country to fight back.

Putin, 69, insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy, 44, vowed not to bend.

"Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness."

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
Blake Wright/Unite America

Rob Stein saw it coming.

The political activist and former government official died this week at the age of 78.

While much of America was shocked by this weeks bombshell leak of Justice Samuel Alitos draft opinion striking down a womans fundamental right to control of her own body, two decades ago Rob described exactly how we were going to get to this point.

After serving in the Clinton administration, which is where I met him, Rob began to analyze the right wing in America. Even then, conservatives were coordinating to take control of critical elements of our systemfrom statehouses to the judiciary.

Putin Must Be Stopped Once and for All

Following the 2002 elections, Rob produced a study of Republican funding networks. He found the GOP to be exceptionally disciplined in the way it played the long game.

Conservatives wanted to win elections, sure, but their real focus was on institutionalizing their own power, so they could impose their views for decades to comeeven after massive demographic shifts in the US would be unfavorable to them. I will never forget sitting with him in 2003 during one of our periodic breakfasts at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington as he unveiled his presentation called, The Conservative Message Machines Money Matrix.

By the time he had prepared his analysis of the years-long effort by the GOP to win at the statehouse levelso they could control districting initiatives to support candidates who shared their views on campaign finance and voting rightsthe U.S. had already been rocked by the politicization of the Supreme Court, as manifest in its Bush v. Gore decision.

The 2002 midterms were a rare instance when the party in the White House actually strengthened its hold on the Congress and a majority of state legislatures. Rob saw what was happening, and worried that if the Democrats did not undertake a similar effort, there would be a point of no return after which the US would no longer be functioning as a democracy.

Story continues

He was not content to offer analysis and warnings, however. The stakes were too high.

Rob reached out to donors he knew and put together something called the Democracy Alliance. The goal was not just to raise money, but to allocate it in informed ways to races that really mattered, to be as strategic and disciplined as the other side was being. Since Rob founded the group, it has raised a reported $2 billion and also helped create anti-right-wing disinformation groups like Media Matters.

Several years ago, after he discovered he was ill with the disease that would ultimately claim his life this week, Rob called me up and suggested we have lunch. I went and greeted him with a typical, How are you doing? And he responded, Im dying, adding that he probably only had a few years left.

I was, naturally, shocked and wanted to know more about the diagnosis and treatment. He said, no, that was not why he wanted to have lunch. He wanted to talk about me.

Few people were as selfless in friendship as Rob. After our former boss, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, died in 1996 along with several of our colleagues and friends in a plane crash, it was Rob who consoled the inconsolable (including me). Despite the devastation he felt, he made it his mission to make others feel comforted.

At our lunch, so soon after learning of his imminent mortality, he said to me: Ive been thinking about you and reading and watching your work. You are now at an important juncture in your life.

I responded with some disparaging joke about my age, which he brushed off and replied: No. This can be a new start. This is the beginning of the third act of your life. This can be the best one. You can make a difference. But you need to decide to do that. And I want to help you with that decision if I can.

Ill admit, it was, for me, a revolutionary viewand an inspiring one. But just as he did with American politics, Rob not only saw the challengeshe constantly sought out solutions.

Bidens Facts Dont Care About Putins Feelings

The crisis in our democracy he predicted two decades ago is now more extreme than it has ever been. From the assaults on the rule of law of the Trump years to the attempted coup; from the corrosive effect of the Big Lie to using the Senate to pack the courts and render them into engines of pure politicsRob called it.

The point of no return he warned me of is looming.

For Rob, as manifested in every aspect of his life, the answer was to search harder for answers, to work more energetically to produce change, to fight more fiercely for the values in which we believe.

In other words, Rob not only saw the current crisis coming (and sought to avoid it), he also saw clearly organized, strategic, informed, intensive action as the only solution to the challenges we face.

Somehow, if we can just capture his clarity, vision, commitment, resourcefulness, intelligence and reality-based optimism, we can achieve the goal he soughtand set the country on the path to a great next act in the American story.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/chaneyjonesssss/2831339659771929262/?hl=en

chaneyjonesssss/Instagram

Kanye West and Chaney Jones are getting away.

The Grammy Award winner, 44, stood with the model, 24, on a bridge overlooking Tokyo's high-end retail-centric street Omotesando as she rested her head on his shoulder in a sweet photo she posted Thursday to her Instagram Story.

The duo was also seen wandering the streets of Shibuya near the famous Harajuku street, with fans sharing photos of the couple on social media.

Rapper Kanye West and girlfriend Chaney Jones attend a game between the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena on March 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Ronald Martinez/Getty

RELATED: Chaney Jones Congratulates Kanye West on His Grammy Wins: 'So Proud'

Their trip comes amid strict ongoing travel restrictions in Japan, where travel for tourism is still not permitted and U.S. citizens are permitted to enter on a very limited basis, according to the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that he plans to loosen travel restrictions next month, according to Bloomberg.

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.

West was first romantically linked to Jones in February when they were photographed shopping together in Miami's Bal Harbour. He appeared to confirm the romance on Instagram in March, commenting on photos of them with a black heart emoji.

The couple has since been spotted sitting court-side together at a Los Angeles Lakers game in March, and she congratulated him on his latest Grammy wins last month. "THE BIGGEST  SO PROUD," Jones wrote after West won best melodic rap performance and best rap song.

RELATED VIDEO: Kim Kardashian Reveals the Kanye West Divorce Joke She Cut from SNL Sketch: 'So Sensitive for Him'

The Donda 2 artist's new romance comes after he and Julia Fox, 32, called it quits in February after a whirlwind relationship that began on New Year's Eve. "Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators but they are no longer together," her rep told PEOPLE in a statement on Valentine's Day.

"I tried my best to make it work. I already had a jam-packed life," Fox told The New York Times. "How do I fit this really big personality into this already full life? It just wasn't sustainable. I lost like 15 lbs. in that month."

West is currently in the middle of a divorce with Kim Kardashian, with whom he tied the knot in Italy in May 2014 and shares daughters North, 8, Chicago, 4, and sons Saint, 6, and 2-year-old Psalm. In March, a judge ruled Kardashian, 41, legally single.
A second Ohio State University student has died from apparent drug overdoses Wednesday night at an off-campus house, according to the university.

"It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I share that our second student who was hospitalized in critical condition has passed away," OSU President Kristina Johnson said in a statement released late Friday morning.

As was the case in the letter sent to students Thursday informing them about the incident and the first death, Johnson did not identify the students.

Just before 11 p.m. Wednesday, Columbus Fire medics responded to a residence on the first block of East Lane Avenue just east of North High Street on a report of three drug overdoses, Columbus dispatchers confirmed. Two victims were transported to a hospital in critical condition, and a third was transported in stable condition.

According to preliminary information from Columbus Fire obtained by The Dispatch, the two patients who were taken in critical condition were a 27-year-old female and a 20-year-old of unspecified gender.

Both of those patients have since died, one Thursday and one Friday.

Columbus police Deputy Chief Smith Weir confirmed Friday that the division's drug crimes unit is investigating the students' deaths as suspected drug overdoses. The type of drugs involved have not been officially confirmed, he said.

Police have released no names of the three students involved and no incident report was available as of mid-afternoon Friday.

Counterfeit pills: Fake prescription pills kill kids, inexperienced users in latest version of epidemic

Tips for parents: How to keep your kids safe from counterfeit prescription pills

A 911 call obtained by The Dispatch indicates a female student said she came downstairs and found her roommate and two of the roommate's friends unresponsive.

The caller said there was a "white substance" on the counter.

"I think they did some kind of drug," the caller said, telling dispatchers that two of the people were turning purple and appeared to not be breathing. The third was dry heaving, according to the caller.

Story continues

"I don't think I feel anything," the caller told dispatchers when they asked if she could determine if the two who appeared to not be breathing had a pulse.

No one answered the door Friday afternoon at the Lane Avenue duplex where the overdoses occurred.

Columbus Public Health recently shared warning about fake Adderall pills containing fentanyl

While the university did not confirm the cause of death, Johnson warned students in the letter about the dangers of using drugs because of sales of contaminated drugs.

It is critical for everyones safety to be aware of the possibility of contaminated drugs in our community, Johnson said in the letter.

Columbus Public Health on Thursday shared an alert about fake Adderall pills, which appear to contain the deadly opioid fentanyl, causing an increase in overdoses and hospitalizations in the Ohio State University campus area.

"We want to alert the community that's out there so that others will be aware and take the necessary precautions to try to prevent that from happening again to someone else in our community," said health commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts.

She said Columbus Public Health received information about the overdoses through local hospital and EMS databases the agency has access to, which can show them the status of patients sent to emergency departments.

Roberts said people should only take medicine that comes from a licensed pharmacy, but noted that counterfeit drug manufacturers make it difficult to distinguish between the two. If someone believes they have counterfeit drugs, they can test it using fentanyl test strips. She also suggests carrying Narcan if an overdose does happen and taking medication with someone else in the room.

To safely get rid of counterfeit drugs, Roberts said people can drop them off at a drug disposal site. Some of the sites around Greater Columbus include the Franklin County Government Center lobby and the Dublin, Pickerington and Reynoldsburg police departments, according to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio website.

What is Adderall used for?

Adderall is a prescription drug and stimulant used to treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), among other uses. However, the drug has gained a reputation for use among college students as a study drug, according to a National Center for Health Research study, which found 7% to 33% of all college students abuse Adderall at some point during their college years.

A file drone aerial shot of Ohio State University's South Oval and South dormitory buildings.

Melissa Shivers, OSU's senior vice president for student life, urged students not to purchase prescription medications from somewhere other than a pharmacy, because drugs obtained on the street could be counterfeit and laced with other chemicals.

Shivers urged students to consider picking up a free Naloxone kit or fentanyl test strips, which are available at the student health center at 1875 Millikin Road during regular business hours.

The rise of counterfeit drugs

Brian McNeal, public information officer for the Drug Enforcement Agency, Detroit field division, said the agency is seeing an increase in the amount of counterfeit drugs not just in Ohio, but nationwide.

Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, or any number of other illicit drugs, and seized by the DEA have jumped nearly 430% since 2019. DEA laboratory testing further reveals that two out of every five pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. Additionally, methamphetamine is increasingly being pressed into counterfeit pills.

"Just three years ago, 20% of the counterfeit pills that we seized contained the lethal dosage of fentanyl," he said. "Now that's up to 42%.

"The Mexican cartels are taking advantage of our comfort level with taking pills. There's a stigma attached to putting a needle into your arm, but not necessarily swallowing a pill."

The most common counterfeit pills he's seeing include oxycodone, Xanax, Percocet and Adderall. And the rise in counterfeit pills is not just happening on college campuses, but everywhere.

"The problem doesn't know real demographic boundaries," McNeal said. "I don't want to single out college students because we're seeing young, old, rich, poor  it runs the gamut."

Overdoses occur just days before Ohio State's spring commencement

The drug overdoses occurred just days before Ohio State's spring commencement Sunday at Ohio Stadium.

DEA: Surge of counterfeit pills flooding the internet, claiming lives

Read more: Nations drug-related overdose and death epidemic continues to worsen

Johnson said students who need emotional support should not hesitate to reach out to the Office of Student Life's Counseling and Consultation Service. University employees who need support should contact the Employee Assistance Program.

Dispatch reporter Sheridan Hendrix contributed to this report.

CBehrens@dispatch.com

@Colebehr_report

mwalker@dispatch.com

@Micah_walker701

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State drug overdose leads to 2 student deaths, 1 hospitalization
WARSAW, Poland, May 6, 2022 /CNW/ - The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), today concluded a successful visit to Europe, which included stops in Belgium, France and Poland. Throughout the week, the Minister met with key European allies and European Union (EU) partners to discuss the ongoing crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine and reaffirmed Canada's commitment to helping the world's most vulnerable.

In Brussels, Belgium, the Minister met with representatives from the EU, including the European Commission, the European Council and ProtectDefenders,eu, as well as with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Front Line Defenders, the International Organization for Migration and the Migration Policy Institute Europe, to discuss Canada's response to the crisis in Afghanistan and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Minister and his counterparts also explored continued opportunities for collaboration on international migration and refugee protection.

Minister Fraser also met the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson. Together, they discussed the need to better support the growing number of displaced people worldwide. Accompanied by the Belgian State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Sammy Mahdi, Minister Fraser also visited a Belgian refugee registration centre designed to welcome and support Ukrainians.

During a stop in Paris, the Minister spoke at an event to promote Francophone immigration opportunities in Canada, and he engaged with potential immigration candidates from Europe, the Maghreb and other Francophone countries around the world. He also visited a visa application centre to better understand the client experience when accessing services.

While in Europe, Minister Fraser delivered a keynote address at an event hosted in Warsaw by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the Ukrainian crisis. The Minister highlighted Canada's solidarity with Ukraine and reaffirmed our commitment to welcome Ukrainians seeking temporary safe haven in Canada.

Story continues

In Warsaw, Poland, the Minister announced the expansion of overseas services for Ukrainians seeking temporary safe haven in Canada by launching the Canada Information Centre, as well as a second temporary biometric centre in Berlin that will provide up to 1,000 biometrics appointments per day.

While in Poland, the Minister also met with Pawe Szefernaker, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland and officials from the municipality of Lublin, Poland to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and our respective efforts to support individuals fleeing the country. Also in Lublin, the Minister visited a base of operations for humanitarian organizations that are receiving and distributing essential relief items from around the world for Ukrainians fleeing the war, including items donated by the Government of Canada.

Minister Fraser looks forward to the continued partnership between Canada and our EU counterparts in addressing the ongoing humanitarian situations in Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as refugee protection, economic migration and the successful integration of newcomers.

Quote

"I was humbled to see first-hand the important efforts underway to respond to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and Canada will continue to do everything it can to support Ukrainians before and after they arrive in Canada. We have a proud tradition of welcoming the world's most vulnerable, and I look forward to continued collaboration with our European allies and counterparts to address the crises in Ukraine and Afghanistan."

 The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

Launched on March 17, 2022, the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) provides Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality with the opportunity to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to 3 years. They are also eligible for a free open work permit or study permit, which allows them to take a job with almost any Canadian employer or enrol in an education program in Canada.

Between March 17 and May 4, 2022, IRCC received over 204,000 CUAET applications and approved close to 91,500 applications. Key figures are updated on a weekly basis.

Associated links

Follow us:

SOURCE Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Cision

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2022/06/c3524.html
Nathan Apodaca, aka Doggface, who rode to fame in a YouTube video, was to host the Yakima Latino Art Rally on Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Wapato, Wash., before it was shut down by the Yakima County Sheriff's Office.
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. &&
Valentine Wulf, a Running Start student at North Seattle College, is photographed on campus at North Seattle College Monday, May 2, 2022.
The final decision on which countries will be invited to the upcoming Summit of the Americas is up to President Biden. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

The Biden administration plans to exclude Cuba from the upcoming Summit of the Americas, a major global meeting to be held in Los Angeles in June that typically welcomes all governments in the Western Hemisphere, a senior U.S. official told The Times.

The summit, which is held every three or four years, is being convened in the United States for the first time since its 1994 inaugural session in Miami. Los Angeles was chosen as the venue earlier this year.

The administrations refusal to invite Cuba is likely to anger several other Latin American countries as President Biden and the State Department attempt to repair damaged relations in the region.

We expect the democratic nations of our hemisphere to gather for a conversation, Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, said in an interview, referring to the summit.

Cuba, he said, is decidedly not part of that group, especially after demonstrations in July in which Cubans demanded political and economic freedoms. Many people were arrested and at least one died. In addition, Washington has opposed Russian influence in communist-ruled Cuba, its lack of free speech and its human rights record.

Numerous advocates who support improved relations with Cuba  including some in Congress  had hoped the Biden administration would reopen diplomatic, political and trade ties with the island that were frozen under President Trump. Trump reversed a historic opening initiated by President Obama, who sought to end a half-century of Cold War hostilities.

However, President Biden has done little to roll back Trumps rebukes of Cuba, which included adding the country to a U.S. government list of state sponsors of terrorism. And the administration is only slowly reestablishing U.S. consular services in Havana that would help Cubans obtain visas for legal travel.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel visits with residents in Caimanera in 2019. (Ismael Francisco / Associated Press)

In addition, a U.S. policy on remittances, money that people, including Cuban Americans, can send to island residents, remains under review, strangling a lifeline for many. Flights by American carriers, trips by U.S. tourists and cultural exchanges also remain problematic without clearer guidelines from the administration.

Story continues

Meanwhile, a tough economic embargo on the island that dates to the Eisenhower administration remains in place.

The hard line on Cuba appears to have carried over to the Summit of the Americas.

For many summits after the inaugural session, all held in Latin America or the Caribbean, Cuba has not been invited or has declined an invitation.

More recently, however, its government began to participate, invited despite it engaging in practices that other members of the regions diplomatic bodies, such as the Organization of American States, have harshly condemned.

The U.S. decision, which has not been formally announced and will ultimately be made by Biden, is already attracting criticism in the region.

In addition to Cuba voicing opposition to the move, officials in Mexico, a key U.S. ally, indicated they were not pleased. In a phone call on April 29, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged Biden to invite to the summit all the countries of the Western Hemisphere, without excluding anyone.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard held closed-door meetings with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Tuesday in Washington. Ebrard said later at a news conference at the Mexican Embassy that he asked Blinken to reconsider denying invitations to Cuba, as well as to Nicaragua and Venezuela, which are also expected to be excluded. Ebrard said he came away without a definitive answer.

On April 11, 2015, on the sidelines of a Summit of the Americas in Panama, Obama met and shook hands with then-President Raul Castro of Cuba, the first contact between leaders of the two countries in decades. Obama said at the time that he believed the two countries could disagree in the spirit of respect and civility and that the time was coming to turn the page.

President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shake hands during a meeting at the Summit of the Americas in Panama in 2015. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press)

Within months, the two revived diplomatic ties between their countries, reopened various economic and trade arrangements, and Obama made a historic trip to Havana.

Trump reversed those actions, ending travel and freezing remittances and reversing diplomatic overtures. And Biden has not chosen to reinstate Obamas diplomatic approach.

For the Summit of the Americas, it is also unlikely that the U.S. will invite Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega has conducted what the U.S. and many other nations and democracy groups call a sham election that gave him yet another term in office.

And Venezuela is always the skunk at the picnic, with President Nicolas Maduro shunned at most international gatherings. The question is whether Biden will invite Juan Guaido, a Venezuelan opposition leader whom the U.S. government has recognized as the rightful leader of the country despite little domestic support.

Yet some questionable democracies will be invited because of overriding ties they have with the United States, Nichols and other officials said.

El Salvador, for example, has such long-standing ties with the U.S., dating to its civil war in the 1980s  in which the Reagan administration backed the Salvadoran government and numerous U.S. church and civil rights groups supported the opposition  that the country should not be excluded, Nichols said.

We obviously have deep and long-standing ties with El Salvador and their millions of Salvadorans in the United States, Nichols said, noting that ties were particularly strong to Southern California.

We have very substantial differences with President [Nayib] Bukele on a number of issues, particularly related to democracy, the separation of powers and transparency, [yet] I believe that it will be important for El Salvador to participate, Nichols said, referring to recent actions by Bukele to erode judicial independence and silence dissent and journalists critical of his administration.

The summit will be a forum to discuss immigration, trade, climate change and ways to reinforce democracy, among other topics. Nichols said it was likely the regions leaders will produce a Los Angeles declaration on promoting safe, humane orderly migration and ensuring that migrants can be protected where they are, and there are opportunities for them to remain in place.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.
Budapest is among 100 European cities picked by the European Commission to participate in a program for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, Mayor Gergely Karacsony said in a post on Facebook.

Karacsony said the cities of Miskolc (180 km northeast of Budapest) and Pecs (170 km southwest) were also picked for the program, dubbed the Cities Mission.



The cities will act as experimentation and innovation ecosystems to help all other European cities in the transition to becoming climate-neutral by 2050, he added.



The European project has a budget of EUR 360 million.
Completion of the upgrade of Hungary's Paks nuclear plant is in Hungarys economic and security interest, Peter Szijjarto said after talks with Alexey Likhachev, the head of Russia's Rosatom.

At the talks in Istanbul, Rosatom leaders assured the Hungarian side that in terms of technology they are able to complete the project, the foreign minister told MTI.



The Hungarian atomic energy authority is in the process of reviewing permit applications, and once those permits are issued, construction may enter its next phase, Szijjarto said.



The project to add two new blocks to the plant will make Hungarys energy supply more secure and more predictable, he said. Global energy markets, he noted, face appalling challenges.



Countries like Hungary which fundamentally rely on imported energy will be especially impacted by those difficulties. It is in Hungarys interest to increase its energy production, which requires increased capacities, he said.



Nuclear energy offers the greatest potential to achieve that goal, he added.



Nuclear energy is cheap, safe and environmentally friendly, and could be instrumental for Hungary to retain the achievements of the utility cuts programme and meet environmental protection goals, he said.





MTI Photo: Tamas Soki
A delegation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Director-General of Swiss-based charitable international humanitarian organisation Terre des Hommes, Barbara Hintermann, had talks with Deputy Mayor of Budapest Ambrus Kiss and his team at City Hall on Wednesday.

UNHCR was among the first international organisations that made contact and offered cooperation after the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine, it added.



According to their information, around 100,000-140,000 Ukrainian refugees are currently staying in Hungary, mostly in Budapest, but very little confirmed information is received about them from official sources, the statement said.



UNHCR continually monitors shelters provided by the city and they have received good assessment, the Mayors Office said.



These will be further developed in cooperation in the future, it added. We will be working on jointly establishing facilities for refugees where a more comprehensive range of services will be offered, it said.



Consultations were held with Hintermann, accompanied by Dorina Ardeleanu, head of operations for Europe, Asia and Latin America at Terre des hommes, the Mayors Office said.



The organisation currently offers support at two shelters operated by the metropolitan council, and they plan to expand their presence to all facilities, it added. The Swiss organisation is also actively involved in the metropolitan councils work to make sport safer for children.
Hyundai has increased the prices of its SUVs like Venue, Creta and Alcazar in the Indian market. The South Korean automaker has joined various other brands like Toyota, Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra and others who previously hiked the prices of their models. The timing of the price hike is crucial as Hyundai has announced the launch of the 2022 Creta. The price hike has affected all petrol and diesel variants of the Venue except the Diesel SX MT variant.

It is to be noted that the Venue models are now more expensive by Rs 12,000. However, Hyundai Creta is now more expensive at Rs 27,000, but the price for the petrol S MT trim remains the same. The Hyundai Venue petrol variant is now priced between Rs 7.11 lakh and Rs 11.82 lakh. Similarly, the diesel variant is now priced between Rs 9.99 lakh and Rs 11.83 lakh.

Also read: Tata Nexon now among top 3 cars in India, remains best selling SUV overall

Similarly, the price of the Hyundai Alcazar has risen by Rs. 10,100. The Petrol Signature (O) dual-tone 6-seater and all three Diesel Signature (O) trims, on the other hand, are unaffected by the price increase.

It is to be noted that Hyundai has launched the Hyundai Creta Knight Edition with black colour covering and the special knight badge on the body. Moreover, the company is also set to launch the updated version of the Hyundai Creta and Hyundai Venue down the line.

The new Hyundai Creta will feature a new parametric grille with uniquely designed LED DRLs, an updated bumper with a slimmer and wider air-inlet, new LED taillamps, and a tweaked tailgate design that adheres to Hyundai's new design language.

The updated Venue, like the new Creta, will feature the brand's new parametric grille, revised bumpers, new rectangular-shaped headlamps, L-shaped tailgate with new LED inserts, and newly designed alloy wheels. We anticipate that the Venue facelift will include an upgraded infotainment system and new BlueLink connected car technology.

Source
Tata Nexon, the compact SUV from the homegrown automaker is not only the best selling Tata car ever, but for some time, it's the best selling SUV in India. Now, the Nexon has ranked among the top 3 best selling cars of India, outnumberig even the hatchbacks, that have held the position for long. With this, Tata Nexon has also become the first SUV to feature among the top 3 best selling cars of India

Tata Nexon posted a total sales of 13,471 units in April 2022 as against 6,938 units during the same period last year with a YoY growth of 94 per cent, the highest reported growth among the top 10 cars. Not just Tata Nexon, Tata Punch is also performing well and was the second Tata SUV to feature in the top 10 list at the 10th spot with overall sales of 10,132 units.

Also read: Upcoming Tata Motors electric cars to launch in India: Nexon EV MAX, AVINYA and more

The total sales of Tata stood at 41,590 units in April 2022 as against 25,096 units during the same period last year with a positive YoY growth of 68 per cent, making it the third largest car seller in the country right at the heels of Hyundai.

As compared to March 2022, the sales fell by only 1.7 percent, when Tata sold 42,295 units. Tata Motors had a total market share of 142 percent, behind Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai.

Tata Motors will launch the new long-range Nexon EV called the Nexon EV MAX on May 11, 2022. The electric vehicle from the homegrown automaker is expected to have an increased range of 400 km with a bigger battery pack. The new electric SUV will get some additional upgrades in terms of features to keep up with the competition like MG Astor and others.
The new generation of Mahindra Scorpio has been one of the most awaited cars in the Indian market. There have been countless instances of the leaked photos of the SUV while it is being tested before the launch. However, this time the spy shots are not showing the car's exteriors but the complete interiors.

We can now have a preliminary look at the interior of the Mahindra Scorpio owing to UCL (upcoming car leaks). Looking at the leaked pictures, it is clear that the new Mahindra Scorpio's interiors are quite different from the ongoing model. Like most other new models of old cars, the new SUV will have dual-tone interiors with a bigger infotainment touchscreen system. In this iteration, it also gets vertical vents.

Moreover, the instrument cluster of the new Mahindra Scorpio has been upgraded to display more information. It has a layout that presents the speedometer and tachometer on the sides while other vital information is displayed in the middle. Moreover, based on the spy shots, it will display things like tyre pressure monitoring system, range, temperature, and average speed displayed beside other information.

Also read: Hyundai Creta, Alcazar, Venue SUV prices hiked by upto Rs 27,000; details here

Furthermore, the seating layout in the new Mahindra Scorpio has been changed. The SUV will now get front-facing third-row seats replacing the jump seats in the ongoing model. This will have an impact on the boot space of the car, which was one of the most favoured features of the car.

Moving on, the new version of the SUV remains spacious with big seats. In addition, the SUV gets rear AC vents, a sunroof, a start/stop button and roof-mounted speakers with more modern features like wireless charging, driver mode selector and height-adjustable driver seats.

The new Mahindra Scorpio is expected to launch soon this year. It is expected to have two engine options for sale in the form of a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine and a 2.0-litre mStallion turbo petrol engine. The engines will be mated with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.

Source
Airlines are engaging in the "unfair practice" of denying boarding to passengers who arrive at the airport on time, according to the Indian aviation regulator DGCA. In an e-mail sent on May 2, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) instructed all Indian carriers to provide compensation and services to customers who were denied boarding or faced financial penalties.

Sources alleged that Indian carriers have been overbooking their flights as COVID-19 cases are receding, and when the number of passengers exceeds the number of seats in the aircraft, the airlines do not take them on board.

The DGCA's email said, "It has come to the notice of this office that various airlines are denying boarding to passengers holding confirmed tickets on a flight, although they have presented themselves for boarding within the time specified by the airline."

Also read: Kedarnath Yatra: How to book helicopter ride, timings and price - Know it all

This "practice is extremely unfair" to the passengers and brings a bad name to the aviation industry, it added.

To address such a situation, the DGCA had in 2010 issued a regulation that specified minimum compensation and facilities airlines must give to passengers who have been subjected to "denied boarding, cancellation or delay in flight", it said.

The DGCA's e-mail directed the airlines to comply with the 2010 regulation at the earliest opportunity available, preferably at the airport, if the passenger has reported on time.

"Any non-compliance of the provisions of the CAR (civil aviation requirement) will be viewed seriously, and strict action will be initiated against the erring airline, including imposing financial penalties as per regulations," it mentioned.

The 2010 regulation of the DGCA states that when the number of passengers who have been given tickets for a flight and have reported at the airport for boarding the flight on time are more than the number of seats on a flight, the airline must first ask for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange of certain benefits.

However, in the absence of enough volunteers, the airline can evade giving any compensation if the affected passenger -- who has been denied boarding as the original flight is overbooked -- is given a ticket on an alternative flight that is departing within one hour of the original flight's departure.

The airline has to give an amount equal to 200 per cent of basic fare plus fuel charge in case the alternate flight is scheduled to depart within 24 hours of the original flight's departure.

The airline has to give an amount equal to 400 per cent of the basic fare plus fuel charge in case the alternate flight is scheduled to depart more than 24 hours after the original flight's departure, as per the regulation.

In case the affected passenger does not opt for an alternate flight, a refund of the full value of the ticket and compensation, equal to 400 per cent of basic fare plus fuel charge, has to be given, the regulation said.

With inputs from PTI
Jet Airways, the former full-service carrier of India, under their new promoters Jalan-Kalrock Consortium conducted its maiden test flight to and from the Hyderabad airport on Thursday in a step towards obtaining the air operator certificate. This is the first flight of Jet Airways in three years, which has not flown since April 17, 2019, is currently in the process of re-launching operations.

A test flight is conducted to prove the aviation regulator DGCA that the aircraft and its components are operating normally. After the test flight on Thursday, an airline has to conduct proving flights after which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will grant the air operator certificate (AOC).

And, shes here! Our aircraft, VT-SXE, operated a positioning flight this evening from Hyderabad to Delhi as 9W101. Some photos here of the aircraft in Delhi and of colleagues celebrating this momentous day! #JetAirways #OnCloud9W pic.twitter.com/6sYfmlm0Jm  Jet Airways (@jetairways) May 5, 2022

Jet Aiways shared images and video on social media platforms to highlight the test flight. The airline's CEO Sanjiv Kapoor said on Twitter that the test flight's operation was a very emotional moment "for all the wonderful folks who have been working hard to get Jet back in the skies".

The Thursday's flight was a test flight, not a proving flight, he clarified. "The aircraft will position to Delhi this evening. Proving flight to be scheduled in the coming days from Delhi," he added.

Also read: Ajay Devgn starrer Runway 34 movie receives backlash from Indian pilots

Proving flights are similar to commercial flight with DGCA officials and airline officials as passengers and cabin crew members on board. The Thursday's test flight was conducted with Boeing 737 aircraft of registration code VT-SXE.

Jet Airways recently announced that they will follow the Vistara's model to hire cabin crew. The company will first hire female cabin crew and will hire male air crew later, just like Vistara, who hired male crew 3 years after hiring female crew.
New Delhi: Vedantu is the latest edtech startup that has laid off its employees. The unicorn company has laid off nearly 200 employees. The layoffs at Vedantu have come at a time when major Indian edtech startups such as Unacademy, Lido Learning, and WhiteHat Jr, among others, have recently let go hundreds of their employees.

In a statement to IANS, Vedantu said that from over 6,000 employees, 120 contractors and 80 full-time academics or assistant teachers (3.5 per cent of its total workforce) were being "re-evaluated".

"We have an annual contract with them, and at the beginning of every academic year, we follow a process of load rebalancing where we rejig pertaining to these roles, based on our growth expectations," the company told the agency.

According to Vedantu, "reassessment cannot be done in the middle of the year as the learning experience and continuity of the teachers throughout the year is our first priority".

"With more technology intervention, restructuring of the class format, and changes in the categories, we relook at these roles of our academics and assistant teachers," said the edtech platform.

"As we synchronise our growth goals for this year, we are also hiring more than 1,000 employees in various teams including more than 100 for similar positions," a company spokesperson told IANS.

Currently, the edtech industry is facing turbulent times, as schools across the country reopen after almost two years. With schools and colleges now 100 per cent open, edtech companies are witnessing a significant dip in the demand for online learning. Companies are either shutting shop or cutting down on their budgets. Also Read: LIC IPO: Retail portion subscribed fully, offer receives tepid response from QIBs, NIIs so far

In the past few months, edtech unicorn laid off nearly 600 employees, contractual workers and educators -- nearly 10% of its 6,000-strong workforce. Also, IANS reported that WhiteHat Jr asked its nearly 3,000 sales and support employees to report to either Mumbai or Gurugram (out of its 5,000-strong workforce that includes teachers who are on a contractual basis and hence not full-time employees), from April 18, forcing most of them to tender their resignations. Also Read: Taken home, car loan? Your EMIs could soon increase as 2 big banks hike lending rates, check details

Live TV

#mute
New Delhi: Every child shares a special and sacred bond with their mother as she's been the first friend, caretaker, confidant, teacher for many of us. From picking us up from school, cooking delicious meals for us, helping us ace our exams and talking us through a tough day - mothers always stood by us through thick and thin. Mother's Day is a celebration of this love and care, a way to say thank-you for all their sacrifices and effort. It's a way to appreciate the countless times they've pushed us to be better people and improve on ourselves.

It should also be noted that motherly affection can be received from anyone we love and who cares for us deeply. So, this isn't only a day of celebration for those with biological mothers.

Date

This year, India will celebrate Mother's Day on Sunday, May 8. It is celebrated on different dates all across the world but the day commonly falls in the months of March or May.

Significance

It holds significance to each one of us as our bond with our mothers is different and unique. Some of us share a healthy and good relationship with our mothers, however, others may have faced a few roadblocks into getting to know their mothers. Whatever it may be, it's special and different for every individual.

History

It is believed that Mother's Day originated in America in 1907 when Anna Jarvis held a service of worship at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia in honour of mothers.

She had expressed her wish to commemorate Mother's Day as a recognised holiday in 1905 when her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis passed away. Two years later, the first recorded Mother's Day was celebrated.

In India, Mother's Day holds no particular significance to our culture or religion but has been adopted ubran populations.

Mother's day has been criticised for becoming too commercialised as brands try to lure customers into buying their products in order to celebrate the holiday. However, the spirit of the day remains unfazed and unchanged.
Yamaha Motor has unveiled the "E01" electric scooter. The Japanese corporation also stated that its presentation would begin in five Asian nations and Europe. Yamaha's "E-01" is an electric bike that blends motorcycle and electric vehicle technology.

"The main feature is that it is an EV vehicle equivalent to a 125CC bike developed by Yamaha. The motorbike has the ability to run at a maximum speed of 100 km per hour. It has an ability to cover 100 km at 60 km per hour," said Takuya Maruo, Yamaha Motor.

The electric scooter is good for commuting for short to medium distance. The electric drive makes it easy to move the motorcycle backward. Journalists took a test drive and gets impressed by the performance.

Also read: ATUM charge installs Indias first solar-powered EV charging station in Mumbai

"It is convenient to go to school and for shopping. I think it suits the use and scope of the scooter rider. Even when the speed is low, it was easy and stable, and I enjoyed riding it very much," said Tadashi Kohno, a Motorbike journalist.

Its key point is the battery and charging facility. It gets fully charged in an hour. The battery`s performance is based on temperature and circumstance. Thus, demonstration experiments are held in the temperate zone in Japan and Europe, in subtropics Taiwan and in the tropics of Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

"Looking at the difference in temperature between regions and the way customers use EVs, we will get various data and analyze them in this demonstration experiment to gain knowledge of further development. As for Yamaha`s corporate mission, I would like to aim for the spread of EVs that do not emit exhaust gas while being strongly aware of the recent carbon-neutral environment. I would like to develop a new model concerned with the environment and the customer`s enjoyment and passion. Through this demonstration experiment, we want to catch the points which make riders happy and utilise them to develop the next model," said Takuya Maruo from Yamaha Motor.

The targeted countries will have a sharing service or B to B rental services. After the demonstration experiment, Yamaha Motor will obtain driving data of different countries. It will be considered for the manufacturing and development of electric scooters and vehicles in future.

With inputs from ANI
New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut's reality show Lock Upp is nearing its grand premiere where one of the contestants will lift the trophy to win th first season. Controversial celebrity Poonam Panday became the latest one to get evicted from the show just days ahead of its completion.

POONAM PANDEY EVICTED FROM LOCK UP

After her shocking eviction, Poonam opened up about her life and struggles in marriage. Poonam told ETimes TV in an interview, "I cant smell things, I ask people around me about the smell. Thats how I smell things. When the domestic violence happened with me, I lost the sense of smell completely. With brain haemorrhage, it is connected. But honestly, I am mentally and physically much stronger right now."

While on the show also, she once mentioned about facing domestic violence. Poonam had revealed that her estranged husband Sam Bombay once beat her so much that it caused her brain haemorrhage.

POONAM PANDEY'S EX-HUSBAND SAM BOMBAY

Poonam Pandey got married to her boyfriend Sam Bombay in a private ceremony in 2020. Soon after the wedding news, she filed a complaint against him saying that he has molested, threatened and assaulted her. The incident reportedly took place in Canacona village in south Goa where Pandey was shooting for a film and later Sam was arrested.

Sam who was born and brought up in United Arab Emirates Dubai is an ad filmmaker and a producer.
New Delhi: Four accused of a horrific murder case have been arrested in Haryanas Gurugram on Friday. It has been reported that the incident took place six months back and the accused buried the body.

The victim, Ajay was killed by the accused six months back in a brawl. The accused assaulted Ajay suspecting him of mobile theft.

After killing Ajay, the accused buried his corpse in the ground at Gurugrams Rewadi.

Gurugram police had lodged a complaint of kidnapping six months ago in Sector 53 of ut since then Ajay could not be traced during the search for the youth.

However, the police finally recovered Ajay's body on Friday from Rewadi.

According to Ajays family, he worked in a medical store.

On October 12, due to the suspicion of theft, the four accused- Nishant Yadav, Amit, Rubal and Arun had beaten up the deceased Ajay badly.

It has been reported that the accused poured salt into the pit so that the body would decompose quickly and could not be traced.
New Delhi: In a peculiar incident, an Assam woman cop arrested her own fiance on fraud charges in Nagaon district on Thursday (May 5, 2022).

According to the police, Junmoni Rabha, who is serving as a Sub-Inspector in Nagaon, came to know about alleged crimes committed by Rana Pogag, filed an FIR herself, and arrested him.

The police officials also informed that the accused had reportedly falsely claimed to be a Public Relations Officer of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and allegedly duped many people of lakhs of rupees by promising them to provide jobs in the ONGC.

(Credits: Twitter)

During the investigation, the police found 11 fake seals of ONGC and many incriminating documents including fake identity cards from Pogag`s home.

ALSO READ | Rags to riches: Indore vegetable vendor's daughter clears MPs civil judge exam

Meanwhile, Rabha, in an interview, informed that she and Pogag had ceremonially got engaged in October last year and planned to hold the marriage ceremony in November this year.

(Credits: Twitter)

Rabha had hit the headlines earlier in January as well, after a telephonic conversation of her with Bihpuria MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan got leaked on social media.

(With agency inputs)
Morgans comments about Senora Arendt: Middle school, especially eighth grade, was a hard time for me, but I looked forward to Senora Arendts class every day because she made me feel like I was achieving something and growing, Chaffee said. I had stopped caring about my accomplishments in school, but her encouragement made me excited to learn and promoted self-motivation in a way I hadnt experienced since early elementary school.

Senora Arendts comments about Morgan: Morgan, also known as Teresa in my 8th-grade class, is one of the most intrinsically motivated students I have had the pleasure of teaching in my career, Arendt said. My favorite memories of Morgan were from our Spanish trip to Peru. Morgan thrived during this trip. She inspired others to speak Spanish and embrace each experience with a humble and positive attitude. Thank you, Morgan, for pushing me and so many others to be better human beings.
New Delhi: Reacting to BJPs Tajinder Pal Singh Baggas arrest, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has "sublet" the police force to his Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal to help him in "settling his petty personal scores"

The SAD leader also condemned the arrest adding that Punjabs law and order situation is at its worst right now.

Asking Mann not to become a puppet in the hands of Kejriwal, the SAD President said, "CM should take review meetings of the law and order situation as well as ensure those responsible for flaring communal tensions in the recent Patiala clash are brought to task instead of keeping himself busy by deputing Punjab Police teams to Delhi to arrest opponents of AAP."

The Akali Dal leader further added that the people of Punjab did not elect Mann to set act on Arvind Kejriwals political vendetta by using the state resources.

"Punjabis did not elect AAP for this task. Punjabis want to witness the meaningful change promised in the state. It is condemnable that instead of fulfilling the promises made to the people, the AAP government is registering cases against its political opponents like Tejinder Bagga who was arrested and later freed from the clutches of Punjab Police by Haryana Police, added

Asserting that all this was unwarranted, he asked the Punjab Police chief to refrain from obeying the "illegal commands" of the AAP government. "

Punjab Police is known as a professional police force but the manner in which it is being misused by the AAP government has made a mockery of it. The state DGP should show requisite courage and not become a party to vendetta politics."

Meanwhile, Tajinder Singh Bagga has been taken back to Delhi by the capital police from Kurukshetra.

(With IANS inputs)
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asserted that he attached "no importance" to his administration's uncharitable assessment of Prashant Kishor, who has taken the political plunge giving up his earlier role of a backroom operator for other players.

Kumar was asked by journalists about the remarks of Kishor, popularly known as PK, who on the previous day here launched "Jan Suraaj", a campaign aimed at providing a political alternative in the state which might, at a later stage, evolve into a party fighting elections.

"I give no importance to whatever somebody says. It is for you journalists to decide whether or not my administration has been able to meet expectations," said Kumar with a smirk.

Kishor had contended that Kumar's administration had brought in economic growth but did not succeed in propelling Bihar for a great leap forward, a reason why the state was still at the bottom of the country in terms of various development indices.

Incidentally, Kishor had also handled Kumar's campaign for the 2015 assembly polls and, upon a huge success at the hustings, was later rewarded by the latter as he was appointed as an advisor to the chief minister-- a cabinet rank post.

The chief minister, however, ducked queries about Union Home Minister Amit Shah's averment that the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be implemented once the Covid pandemic is over.

"This is a policy decision of the Centre which we will look into separately. As of now, our primary concern is Covid cases are again on the rise and protecting people against the fresh surge is our priority," said Kumar.

The CAA has been a thorny issue for Kumar's JD(U) which voted in favour of the bill proposing expedited citizenship for non-Muslims fleeing Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan because of "religious prosecution" but has been opposed to a nationwide NRC which the BJP keeps pressing for as a subsequent measure.

Kishor, who had by then been inducted into the JD(U) and elevated to the post of national vice-president, had adopted a strident stance on the issue of CAA and NRC. It ultimately brought him into conflict with Kumar, who then headed the party, and culminated in his expulsion from JD(U).

Kumar was also asked about the power crisis which has resulted from a decline in coal supplies.

"We will make all possible efforts to alleviate the situation. This crisis is very widespread," replied the chief minister.
Kolkata: A BJP worker was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Kashipur area of north Kolkata Friday morning and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal, will visit his residence in the afternoon.

The body of Arjun Chowrasia, a BJP Yuva Morcha activist, was found hanging in the Ghosh Bagan area inside an abandoned building, police said.

The BJP has alleged that he was murdered by the ruling TMC, which has denied the charge. A senior state BJP leader said Shah, who is on a two-day visit to the state, will visit Chowrasia's residence this afternoon.

"He was an efficient party worker. We found him dead this morning," state BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

Another senior BJP leader said Shah was upset after hearing the news. "He told us to cancel his grand welcome at the NSC Bose airport," he said.

Shah will arrive in the city from north Bengal in the second leg of his two-day visit.

Refuting the BJP charge, TMC MP Santanu Sen said "The allegations against us are baseless. Let the police investigate the matter".

The police said the investigation into the incident has been launched.

Chowrasia's family has demanded a CBI inquiry into his death, while BJP activists staged a protest as the police tried to take away his body from the spot.

A huge police contingent was rushed to the spot to control the situation. Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar said, "It is shameful that a BJP worker was mercilessly killed and that when the union home minister is in the state. Law and order have broken down completely in the state".

TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh wondered whether it was a case of suicide or killing due to infighting in the saffron camp to create an issue during Shah's visit. "It is a well-crafted screenplay by the saffron camp," he said. Shah had on Thursday slammed the TMC government over the killings of BJP workers in the state.
New Delhi: Amid loudspeaker row in the state, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said on Friday (May 6) that the Union government should come out with a policy on the use of the public address system.

Talking to reporters after holding a meeting to review the law and order situation in the state, Dilip Walse-Patil thanked people from Hindu and Muslim communities for maintaining peace amid the loudspeaker row.

"The Centre should bring a policy (on loudspeakers) for the entire country. But I will thank the Muslim and Hindu communities. This issue could be handled peacefully and law and order could be maintained in the state because of their cooperation, Walse-Patil said, as per PTI.

Last month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray had demanded that the loudspeakers used in mosques be removed by May 3, failing which Hanuman Chalisa would be played at high volume to drown out azaan.

In another development, an independent MP from Amravati Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana was released from prison in Mumbai a day earlier. They were arrested on April 23 on the charge of sedition after they announced to recite Hanuman Chalisa outside 'Matoshree', Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition that sought the installation of loudspeakers in a mosque, saying it is "not a fundamental right", ANI reported.

As per the news agency, a division bench of the high court also said that delivering azaan is an integral part of Islam, but giving it through loudspeakers is not a part of Islam.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: You might have heard and read about several bizarre tricks and methods that thieves use to steal peoples priced possessions, however, this one might blow your mind.

A man in Tamil Nadus Chennai swallowed jewellery worth Rs 1.45 lakh in order to steal the jewel with Biryani. Yes, with Biryani.

The police on Thursday recovered 1.45 lakh worth of jewellery from the stomach of a 32-year-old man who swallowed it with biryani during the Eid celebrations at a friend`s residence on May 3.

The incident came to light when the host noticed that jewellery including a diamond necklace, a gold chain, and a diamond pendant worth Rs 1.45 lakh was missing from her home.

The woman approached the police and lodged a complaint at the Virugambakkam police station. The accused was later questioned and confessed to the crime upon interrogation.

How was the jewellery recovered?

According to the police, the man underwent scanning at a private medical centre, doctors identified the jewels in his stomach and he was given an enema to retrieve the swallowed jewels.

Virugambakkam police told IANS that the jewels were recovered on Thursday.

After the jewels were recovered, the woman withdrew her complaint and said that she didn`t want to proceed with the case.

Police said that the man was drunk during the Eid party.

A senior officer with the Virugambakkam police station told IANS that as the woman had withdrawn the complaint, the identity of the persons involved in the crime and the complainant could not be revealed.

(With IANS inputs)
New Delhi: Amid fear of a fourth wave of the coronavirus, as many as 11 cases of Covid-19 were reported from Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School in Jharkhand's Chatra district in the past two days, PTI reported.

Eight girls from Class 12 and two from class 11 tested positive for Covid-19 on May 4, while another was detected Covid-19 positive on Thursday, PTI reported.

"We were provided with the test report on May 4 in which 10 students were reported to be positive with Covid-19," Arundhati Dutta, in charge of Kasturba Gandhi Residential schools in Chatra, told the news agency.

As per Dutta, there were no visible symptoms among the students of the institute. On April 27, random testing was conducted by the administration of the institution, wherein samples of as many as195 students, as well as staff were taken.

"Of the 10, eight students went home after their examinations. In view of the test report, a rapid antigen test (RAT) was carried out in the school on Thursday," she said.

Among the 95 students in classes 6, 7, 8 and 11, one tested positive for Covid-19. "Students of class 9 will go for testing on Friday," Dutta said.

"All precautionary measures are being taken to prevent the spread of the virus. The institution is being sanitized," Chatra district superintendent of education, Jitendra Sinha, told PTI.

(With agency inputs)

ALSO READ: India rejects WHO's Covid-19 mortality figures, says its 'data collection questionable
New Delhi: Paving the way for assembly polls in the Union Territory, the delimitation commission on Thursday finalised its report recommending 90 Assembly constituencies and two nominated members of the Kashmiri migrant community for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

A day before the expiry of its term, the panel has recommended two nominated members (one of them a female) from the Kashmiri migrant community who will be given power at par with nominated members of the Legislative Assembly of Puducherry where the nominated members have the right to vote.

The delimitation commission, headed by Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai and comprised Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Sushil Chandra and State Election Commissioner (SEC), KK Sharma, recommended 90 Assembly constituencies, changed the names of some constituencies and shifted a few Tehsils and Patwar Halqas from one segment to another.

It has also made a significant recommendation for the nomination of two Kashmiri migrants including a woman to the Legislative Assembly. For the refugees of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), it has recommended that the Central government may consider giving these displaced persons some representation in the Assembly by way of the nomination of their representatives.

Nine constituencies have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and seven for Scheduled Castes (SC). All seven SC reserved seats fall in the Jammu division while out of nine constituencies reserved for STs, six are in Jammu region and three in the Kashmir division. The number of seats to be reserved for the SCs and STs in the Assembly was worked out on the basis of 2011 Census.

Gulabgarh (Reasi district), Rajouri, Budhal and Thanna Mandi (Rajouri district), Surankote and Mendhar (Poonch district) in Jammu region while AGurez (Bandipora), Kangan (Ganderbal) and Kokernag (Anantnag) district in Kashmir division have been reserved for ST candidates.

Ramnagar (Udhampur district), Kathua (Kathua district), Ramgarh (Samba), Bishnah, Suchetgarh, Marh and Akhnoor (Jammu district), all in Jammu region have been reserved for SC candidates.

The commission has given 47 Assembly seats to the Kashmir division, increase of one seat and 43 constituencies to Jammu region, increase of six seats as compared to the last assembly which was dissolved in 2018.

In the Kashmir division, the commission has renamed Tangmarg constituency as Gulmarg, Zoonimar as Zadibal and Sonwar as Lal Chowk. It also accepted representations pertaining to shifting of tehsils from one constituency to another.

In Jammu division, Darhal tehsil has been shifted from Budhal Assembly segment to Thanna Mandi while in Kashmir Srigufwara tehsil has been shifted from Pahalgam to Bijbehara, Kwarhama and Kunzar tehsils to Gulmarg and redrawing Wagoora-Kreeri Assembly seat having Kareeri and Khole tehsils and part of Wagoora and Tangmarg tehsils.

The commission has redrawn the Anantnag Parliamentary constituency in Kashmir by adding Rajouri and Poonch Assembly seats to it those fall in Jammu region. There are five Parliamentary constituencies in the Union Territory with each having 18 Assembly seats.

Five Parliamentary seats include Baramulla, Srinagar, Anantnag-Rajouri, Udhampur and Jammu. None of them is reserved either for SCs or for STs.

After draft proposals, the commission conducted a final round of internal meetings to examine suggestions and changed the names of some constituencies including Padder as Padder-Nagseni (Kishtwar district), Kathua North as Jasrota, Kathua South as Kathua (Kathua district), Khour as Chhamb (Jammu district), Mahore as Gulabgarh (Reasi district) and Darhal as Budhal (Rajouri district) in Jammu region.

According to the statement issued by the commission, "The commission has seen the Jammu and Kashmir region as one single Union Territory. Therefore, one of the Parliamentary constituencies has been carved out combining Anantnag region in the Valley and Rajouri and Poonch of Jammu region. By this reorganisation, each Parliamentary constituency will have an equal number of 18 Assembly constituencies."

The commission, which visited the Union Territory twice during which it interacted with delegations as well as officials, associated five members of Lok Sabha elected from the UT of Jammu and Kashmir in its work. These were nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Notably, the delimitation order will come into effect from the date notified by the central government. As per the final Delimitation Order, out of the 90 assembly constituencies, 43 will be part of the Jammu region and 47 of the Kashmir region.

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra told ANI that one of the parliamentary constituencies has been carved out combining the Anantnag region in the Valley and the Rajouri and Poonch of the Jammu region. By this reorganisation, each parliamentary constituency will have an equal number of 18 assembly constituencies each.

Chandra was further quoted as saying that the Commission ensured that every assembly constituency shall be contained entirely in one district and the lowest administrative units - patwar circles (and wards in Jammu Municipal Corporation) were not broken and were kept in a single constituency.

Delimitation Commission has become extension of BJP: Mehbooba Mufti

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said that the commission has become an "extension of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)", adding that the panel was set up to disempower the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

In an interaction with media, she said, "What delimitation? One that has become an extension of the BJP? That overlooked the basis of population and acted as per their wish. We outrightly reject it. We don`t trust it. Its recommendations are a link to the abrogation of Article 370 - how to disempower the people of J&K."

Mufti further said that what is happening across the country today is a matter of concern. The atmosphere that is being created, especially against the minorities, is not being created by goons but BJP governments are supporting the `Gunda elements`.

Pakistan rejects J&K Delimitation report, hands a demarche to India's Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has summoned India's Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad and handed a demarche conveying Islamabad's categorical rejection of the Delimitation Commission report.

On Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Office, which summoned India's Charge d'Affaires to the ministry, told the Indian diplomat that the Delimitation Commission was aimed at "disenfranchising and disempowering" the Muslim majority population of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan categorically rejects the report of the so-called 'Delimitation Commission' for Jammu and Kashmir, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Citing the statement, a PTI report said that the Indian side was conveyed that the entire exercise was farcical and had already been rejected by the cross-section of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir because, through this effort, India only wanted to lend 'legitimacy' to its illegal actions of August 5, 2019.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019 by the country's Parliament was its internal matter.

(With Inputs from Agencies)
New Delhi: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday clarified that his state received a call from Delhi police saying that people from Punjab have kidnapped Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga and the police have acted upon the input, reported ANI.

Also Read: Bhagwant Mann sublet Punjab Police to Arvind Kejriwal, says Sukhbir Badal on Tajinder Bagga's arrest

Addressing a press conference on the controversy, Khattar said, They picked him up (Tajinder Bagga) from his home at 5 am. His father filed FIR (in Delhi) that he has been kidnapped by some people who took him away in a vehicle. Delhi Police informed Haryana Police that people from Punjab picked him up.

Punjab Police said that they will approach the court, it is up to them. Ultimately, Haryana Police handed them over to Delhi Police. Both Punjab and Delhi Police can take it from there: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga's arrest pic.twitter.com/Pj594V97ZG  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

The chief minister further added that the Haryana Police acted on the inputs given by Delhi Police and rescued BJP leader Tajinder Bagga from Kurukshetra.

Haryana Police became alert and stopped them in Kurukshetra, near Pipli. Since we had information from Delhi it was our duty to hand them over to Delhi Police. Amid this, they revealed their identity that they're Punjab Police and are taking him with them. We did our work, ANI quoted Khattar as saying.

Khattar further added that the Punjab police has said they will approach the court, however, he clarified that the Harayana police only acted on the inputs recieved and that Delhi and Punjab Police can deal from that point onwards.

Punjab Police said that they will approach the court, it is up to them. Ultimately, Haryana Police handed them over to Delhi Police. Both Punjab and Delhi Police can take it from there, Khattar added.

Punjab Police did not follow protocol: Khattar

CM Khattar addressing the media said that the procedure wasn't followed in the case of Tajinder Bagga's arrest.

"It is a political issue as during polls Bagga had delivered speeches. Speeches normally include political content and blame against each other. If something happens, EC takes cognisance and then police look into it," he added.

I think the more it is condemned the less it is: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on arrest of BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga pic.twitter.com/qxMN21aKDL  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

"Political issues don't unfold like this. But forcing Punjab Police to pick up a political figure in this manner...there should at least be a little amiability. If enmity between political parties rises like this, there'll be problems. This shouldn't have been done," Haryana CM added.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was allegedly detained from his residence in Delhi by Punjab Police on Friday, several BJP leaders have claimed.

The father of Tajinder Pal Bagga has claimed that he was punched in the face when he attempted to capture the incident on video.

However, AAP has refuted the BJPs claims of a political vendetta behind the move and said Bagga was arrested on the merits of a case in which he is accused of inciting communal violence in Punjab.
New Delhi: The police in India is often accused of refusing to register cases citing the jurisdiction of another police station, district or even state. However, today we got to witness a new avatar of the police.

In today's DNA, Zee NewsAditi Tyagi analysed the role of the police of three states Punjab, Delhi and Harayana in the drama that unfolded after Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Baggas arrest.

The Punjab Police arrested Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from his house in Janakpuri in the national capital and left for Mohali. While Baggas father Preetpal Singh alleging abduction filed a kidnapping case against the Punjab Police at Delhi's Janakpuri police station.

After the FIR was registered, the Delhi Police swung into action and on the basis of a search warrant, sought help from Haryana Police to locate Bagga. By then the team of Punjab Police accompanying Bagga reached Haryana. After getting to Bagga's location, Haryana Police put up a blockade near Kurukshetra and stopped the Punjab Police team from returning to Mohali.

After this, a letter was sent from the Punjab Police to the DGP of Haryana, along with a copy of the FIR registered against Bagga in Mohali by an AAP leader. The Punjab Police, in its letter, said that they took the action as per the rules and said that the Haryana Police had obstructed the official work by illegally stopping them.

Bagga was still in Peepli, Kurukshetra, when Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij announced that they would hand over Bagga to the Delhi Police, not Punjab.

Following this, senior officers of the Delhi Police reached Kurukshetra and left for the national capital with Bagga, where he was also provided security.

Moreover, the Delhi Police also registered two cases against Punjab Police in Tajinder Baggas arrest case. The first FIR was for kidnapping the leader, while the second was based on the statement of Bagga's father who alleged assault by the Punjab police personnel.

This high voltage drama lasted for about 8 hours, wherein both side kept accusing each other.
Baramulla: A hybrid terrorist and one terrorist associate were arrested in Jammu and Kashmirs Baramulla on Friday (May 6).

Jammu and Kashmir police said that joint forces of Baramulla Police, Army 46 RR, 53 Bn CRPF and 2nd Bn SSB established routine MVCP near Hilltop Cheradari Baramulla. The movement of two unknown persons who were coming towards Cheradari was observed.

The duo tried to flee the spot after seeing the party, however, they were nabbed eventually. During interrogation, the duo was identified as Ashiq Hossain Lone resident of Hyder Mohalla Ushkara Baramulla and Uzair Amin Ganie resident of Kanthbagh Baramulla.

A pistol, one pistol magazine, 8 live rounds of 9 mm pistol and 2 HE 36 grenades were recovered from the possession of Ashiq Hussain Lone while 2 UBGL grenades were recovered from the possession of Uzair Amin Ganie.

It is pertinent to mention here that these terrorists obtained these illegal arms and ammunition from links with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist organisation through some FTs, with the intent to carry out terrorist activities in Baramulla and its adjacent areas, the police said.

Meanwhile, Budgam Police also arrested two terrorist associates of the terrorist outfit AGuH.

A police officer said Budgam Police along with 62 RR and 43 Bn CRPF arrested two OGWs of proscribed terror outfit Ansar Gazwat ul Hind in Huroo area of Budgam.

Arrested OGWs have been identified as Amir Manzoor Budoo resident of Dangerpora Razwan and Shahid Rasool Ganai resident of Puttermulla Safapora Ganderbal.

Incriminating material of proscribed terror outfit AGuH, one hand grenade and 25 AK-47 rounds have been recovered from their possession.

ALSO READ: Anantnag encounter: Longest surviving Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander among three terrorists killed in J&K
When Erica Mitchell was a student at North High School, she was in the school districts American Indian Education program. The coordinator helped students learn about their culture, make regalia for powwows and learn other crafts from their heritage.

The program is literally to help teach the Native American students in our district and keep them connected, she said. It was so helpful when I was younger. I know how much it helped me to be in the program. It strengthens the Native American community within the schools.

Fast-forward 20 years, and Mitchell, 37, now leads the program. Its something she never thought was possible, and without taking the right classes at Chippewa Valley Technical College, she doubts she would have had the skills to land the job.

In the liberal arts program, she learned record-keeping, developmental psychology and numerous computer programs.

If I hadnt taken those classes at CVTC, I dont know if I would have made it this far, Mitchell said. The liberal arts program for me was supposed to be a transition. Im so glad I went this route.

This job is a perfect fit for her.

Its a labor of love, really, she said.

The American Indian Education programs goal is to cater to native American students. Recently, Mitchell, of Rock Falls, planned a beading event where native American students learned about their culture.

Its a safe space, and somewhere the kids can go to hang out and get to know each other, Mitchell said. I have an opportunity to teach them what they didnt know about themselves.

Its also an opportunity for her to connect with students and make sure they have the resources they need, and that the high school students are ready for graduation.

Michael Nickels, 39, CVTC mathematics instructor, taught Mitchell during the spring semester of 2021. He was impressed by her motivation.

Early on in my class it was easy to tell that she had a passion towards her culture and heritage, he said.

It is no surprise to me that she was chosen to be the American Indian Education Coordinator for ECASD. She advocates for and supports the needs of American Indian students in the district.

Nickels said throughout the class, she became a group leader.

What amazed me about Erica (Mitchell) was her ability to make almost instant connections between the concepts we talked about in our course and how they could be modified and applied to her current life, he said.

Mitchell is pretty proud of herself, too.

Im glad that in all of the COVID business I kept my head down and kept going with school. I made it a priority, she said. I still cant believe I work here doing what I do.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
New Delhi: Ashrin Sulthana, wife of a Hindu man, who was allegedly assaulted and killed by her Muslim brother, said that she begged for her husband's life but the man did not show any mercy, reported ANI.

Narrating the brutality of the incident, Sultana told ANI, I begged my brother to spare her husband`s life, he was ready to convert to Islam for me, but my brother did not listen to me and killed him.

Her brother Syed Mobin Ahmed is accused in the matter along with Mohammed Masood Ahmed.

Speaking to ANI, Sulthana informed that her husband was ready to convert to Islam and become a Muslim to save his marriage but her brother did not approve of him.

"My brother was against my marriage. My husband told my brother earlier that he will become Muslim and will marry me. But my brother didn`t approve. Even before the marriage, my brother had beaten me because I wanted to marry him, Sulthana told ANI

Elaborating on the time of the incident, Ashrin Sulthana said that she initially did not know her brother was one of the attackers until she saw his face.

"We were going home when my brother along with another person come on a motorcycle and pushed my husband (Nagaraju) & started beating him. In the beginning, I didn`t know it was my brother who was attacking him. They kept on beating him on his head, he was bleeding a lot. I sought help from people around me, but nobody came forward to help. I saw the face of my brother. I begged him to leave my husband and stop beating him, but he did not listen to me, she added.

Nagaraju was wearing his helmet, but due to the assault, it was damaged and so was his head," she said.

The victim also expressed anger with the people who saw the assault happening but did not come forward to help him.

If they wanted, they could have helped but nobody did. I begged the people around for help while my husband was being beaten, however, none of the passers-by came forward to help," she said.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad`s Saroornagar police arrested two relatives of Ashrin Sulthana alias Pallavi for their involvement in the murder of Billipuram Nagaraju on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Syed Mobin Ahmed, brother of Ashrin Sulthana and Mohammed Masood Ahmed. The ACP LB Nagar along with his team apprehended Syed Mobin and Masood Ahmed within hours and seized the centring iron rod and knife used in the crime.
New Delhi: BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was on Friday detained by Punjab Police from his West Delhi residence in connection with a case lodged against him. "Today morning, following due process of law, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has been arrested from his home in Janakpuri, New Delhi. He is being brought here and will be produced in Court. Further investigation being done by SIT of SAS Nagar Police," the Punjab Police has confirmed.

His father, Preetpal Singh Bagga told a news agency, "Today morning, 10-15 police personnel came to our home and dragged Tajinder out. When I picked up my mobile phone to record a video of the incident, police took me to another room amd punched me in the face." Bagga's father also said, "The police personnel who came to our home today morning said that Tajinder gave a death threat to Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi Police had no information about the incident."

According to information, a case under Section 153-A (creating tension between two communities) 505 (publishing rumours) and 506 (threatening) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was lodged by the Punjab Police, reported IANS. Earlier too, the Punjab Police had come to the national capital to arrest him but failed as Bagga was not found at home. He is reportedly being taken to Mohali.

Reacting to the charges, Manpreet Singh, SP Rural, SAS Nagar, Punjab, said, "There is a proper video recording (of his arrest). An FIR is registered with us at cybercrime Mohali. We served proper notice&arrested him as he didn't join the probe. We arrested him at 9 am today."

Soon after his detention, BJP leader Kapil Mishra criticized the Punjab Police for the action. Another party leader Naveen Jindal accused the Aam Adami Party of misusing police, while Praveen Shankar Kapoor termed it "political vendetta".

Also read: Shashi Tharoor's poem on Arvind Kejriwal's mannerism at PM Narendra Modi's meet is a must read

"Tajinder Bagga illegally detained by Punjab Police. They didn't allow him to even wear his turban. A complaint has been filed over manhandling of Tajindar Bagga by his father. Kejriwal's Hitler-like act will cost him. Punjab Police is acting on directions of Kejriwal," said Adesh Gupta, Delhi BJP President.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: On May 5, poll strategist Prashant Kishor announced a 3,000-km padayatra in Bihar, in what is being considered a trial run before the launching of a political outfit. As a strategist, Kishor has worked with several national and state parties, and his record has been outstanding, to say the least. But the question on everyones mind now is, can he do an Arvind Kejriwal in Bihar?

That wont be easy and he knows that well. Lets have a look at the major challenges Kishor the politician faces in Bihar.

Lack of mass base

While ruling out a political party, for now, Kishor had said he would first like to reach out to the people and know their problems. With this, the poll strategist would try to sign up more volunteers for his cause. But this also brings out a major drawback that he faces in the state  a lack of grassroots connections.

To present himself as a formidable alternative in Bihar, Kishor would need sizeable support to challenge the well-entrenched political parties such as BJP, JD(U) and RJD. Many older politicians have time and again scoffed at Kishors over-reliance on technology in churning out electoral arithmetics. Also, social media popularity is not always an indicator of political acceptance. The poll strategist will have to get his boots dirty this time, and hes literally starting from scratch.

The caste conundrum

In all probabilities, Kishor will pitch his campaign on the issues of education, healthcare, employment and social justice. But can his progressive thinking break Bihar out of its caste-infused politics?

Caste calculations have always played a crucial role in voting patterns, and therefore, in ticket allotments. Kishor is a Brahmin, and his community, which forms merely 5 per cent of Bihars electorate, is firmly behind the BJP.

Backward caste politics have influenced electoral outcomes in Bihar since the late 1980s, and most major contenders shy away from deviating from this path. In such a scenario, what would Kishors stand be? Can he rise above caste politics or will he toe the same line in Bihars overcrowded electoral arena?

Little acceptance for Third Fronts

Over the last three decades, politics in Bihar has mostly revolved around the BJP, JD(U) and RJD, with the Congress, Left and a few others mostly on the fringes. These are the three parties that formed the government, often in different combinations or playing the role of major Opposition. Kishor himself once brought together long-term BJP ally JD(U) with the RJD to form the government.

There has, however, been little acceptance for a Third Front. Kishors policies can be said to be socialist, but this space is already occupied by the JD(U) and RJD. Additionally, the BJPs socialist card has a saffron tinge on it.

Earlier, caste-based parties such as Upendra Kushwahas RLSP, Jitan Ram Manjhis HAM, Mukesh Sahanis VIP, or policy-based parties such as Pushpam Priya Choudharys Plurals, showcased themselves as alternatives and had to bite the dust. These parties either went into oblivion or joined the major players for survival. In such a scenario, it remains to be seen as to what different can Kishor bring to the table.

Stand on Hindu, nationalist issues

Kishor fell out with Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and since then has been working to forge an anti-BJP front. The BJP is firmly in control of the right-wing space, and any opposition to Hindu or nationalist issues will only cut into the votes of other parties. On the other hand, strategic support to Hindu causes may not find many takers.

Elite image

Kishor, who has worked eight years with the United Nations, carries with him the image of a man belonging to the higher echelons of society. In contrast, Bihar lags behind in almost all human development indices. It has a poverty rate of over 50 per cent and a literacy rate of 62 per cent, while almost 90 per cent of the population is rural.

From PM Modi who regularly flaunts his chaiwala credentials to Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mamata Banerjee who do not shy away from their humble roots, every big name in Indian politics has successfully maintained an aam aadmi image. So will Kishor too go for an image makeover or is he attempting to change Bihar politics in more ways than one?
Mumbai: At least six persons were killed and seven others injured after a container truck hit a three-wheeler in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra on Friday, police said.

The incident occurred around 8 am near Masudpur Phata under the jurisdiction of Kopargaon city police station, approximately 240 kms from Mumbai, an official said.

"A speeding container truck hit the three-wheeler Ape rickshaw, which was carrying passengers. At least six persons, including two students and two women, died in the accident, while seven others suffered serious injuries," he said.
Warangal: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday ruled out any alliance with the TRS in Telangana and launched a scathing attack on its president K Chandrashekar Rao, saying he was acting like a "king" instead of a chief minister.

Addressing the 'Rythu Sangharshana Sabha' -- a farmers' rally organised to highlight their plight -- Gandhi said as soon as the Congress forms its government in Telangana, farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived and farmers will get right MSP (minimum support price) of crops.

In an apparent swipe at Rao, popularly known as KCR, he said that while the dream of Telangana's progress remained unfulfilled, only one family had "benefitted immensely" after the state was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

He asserted that going forward, the Congress would have no truck with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and that the assembly polls next year will be a direct fight between the Congress and the KCR-led party.

BJP knows Congress will never end up in a deal with them, which is why it wants TRS govt in Telangana. Its proof is that Telangana CM can steal as much money as he wants and BJP govt (Centre) doesn't send ED after him: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Warangal, Telangana pic.twitter.com/SsLwX4yp40  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

Gandhi said any Congress person who wants an understanding with the TRS could either cross over to that party or the BJP. "Congress will not have any understanding with the person who ruined the dream of Telangana, betrayed it and stole lakhs and crores (of rupees) from the youth and the poor," Gandhi said.

He also asserted that Congress knew it will suffer politically but it stood with the people of Telangana to give them a new state in 2014.

The people of Telangana thought a government for the poor will be formed but it did not happen and today there is a "king" instead of a chief minister, he said.

Gandhi alleged that KCR was not listening to farmers but to his 2-3 "crony capitalist friends".
New Delhi: Amid huge uproar about the World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Covid-19 deaths in India, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said that no data in the national capital has been fudged or tampered with, reported ANI.

"Delhi numbers are authentic and correct. Almost 25,600 deaths have taken place and each of them has been counted. In Delhi, the data has not been fudged even for a single death," Jain told ANI.

The controversy erupted after WHOs report claimed that India amounted to the maximum Covid-19 deaths in the world at 4.8 million.

While the Central government has refuted the claim saying that the model and logistics used for the valuation are flawed, the opposition has been targeting the ruling BJP government for the poor management of the pandemic.

India has strongly objected to the use of mathematical models by the WHO for projecting excess mortality estimates concerning coronavirus and has said that authentic data is available.

Referring to excess mortality estimates, the Health Ministry said in a statement that the validity and robustness of the models used and methodology of data collection are questionable.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the WHO report and said "Science does not lie, Modi does".

"47 lakh Indians died due to the Covid pandemic. NOT 4.8 lakh as claimed by the Govt. Science doesn`t LIE. Modi does. Respect families who`ve lost loved ones. Support them with the mandated Rs 4 lakh compensation," tweeted Gandhi.

47 lakh Indians died due to the Covid pandemic. NOT 4.8 lakh as claimed by the Govt. Science doesn't LIE. Modi does. Respect families who've lost loved ones. Support them with the mandated 4 lakh compensation. pic.twitter.com/p9y1VdVFsA  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 6, 2022

The BJP came down heavily on the Congress leader for his tweet and said that Gandhi is trying to "defame" PM Modi.

"It`s sad that politics is being played on COVID death numbers. Look at the situation and population of our country. We have done better than the developed countries. Rahul Gandhi was the first person to tweet on the WHO data. He is trying to defame PM Modi. He has been doing this since 2014," Sambit Patra said while addressing a press conference here.
New Delhi: Amidst a possible cyclone formation in the Bay of Bengal, Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Kumar Jena on Thursday (May 6, 2022) said that the state government is ready to face any eventuality. Jena said that 17 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, 20 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and 175 fire fighting teams have been kept on standby in the state.

These can be mobilised at any moment as per the need of the hours. The ODRAF teams can be further divided into 60 sub-units in case of any eventuality and requirement, Jena said.

According to news agency PTI report, Odisha government has asked collectors of 18 districts to be prepared for a possible cyclone coming in from Bay of Bengal.

As a precautionary measure, collectors of 18 districts of Odisha from Malkangiri to Mayurbhanj have been asked to stay alert. Due to a possible cyclone in Bay of Bengal, 17 NDRF, 20 ODRAF & 175 teams of Fire Services dept are ready to tackle the situation if necessary: PK Jena pic.twitter.com/NR1egUuX8S  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2022

Read key highlights here:

- The India Meteorological Department has informed the Odisha government that a low-pressure area is likely to form over South Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood in the next 48 hours under the influence of a cyclonic circulation and then move in north-westward direction.

- Odisha Special Relief Commissioner wrote to 18 district collectors in the state, including Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Kandhamal, and asked them to prepare in advance to reduce the impact of the possible cyclone.

- Jena directed the district collectors to keep a close watch at IMDs forecasts and send a compliance report on the recommended measures with detailed information on arrangements made in their respective districts by today.

- Jena also asked the district collectors to identify the vulnerable people and shift them to safe shelters, prepare a detailed evacuation plan for those living in kutcha houses, near the coast or in low lying areas.

- The states Special Relief Commissioner instructed the officials to make sure elderly, the disabled, women and children are sent to designated geo-tagged shelter buildings.

- All safe shelter buildings, permanent or temporary, should be geo-tagged and a team comprising three local officials - two male and one woman such as ASHA workers, lady teachers, lady constables and home guards should be put in charge of each of them, he instructed.

- They should check the water supply, functional toilets, generators, inflatable tower lights, mechanical cutters and other equipment available at these shelters, Jena said in the letter.

- The district emergency operation center and control rooms of other offices must operate round the clock with adequate manpower and ensure that all communication equipment are in working condition, the letter added.

- Additionally, the IMD indicted that conditions are favourable for the formation of a storm next week.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to virtually address the inaugural session of Jain International Trade Organisation`s `JITO Connect 2022` on Friday (May 6, 2022).

According to a release issued by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) is a global organisation connecting Jains worldwide.

JITO Connect is an endeavour to help the industry by providing an avenue for mutual networking and personal interactions.

"At 10:30 am tomorrow, 6th May, I will address the inaugural ceremony of JITO Connect. This platform, organised by the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), will bring together young businesspersons who are doing work in different fields," PM Modi tweeted on Thursday.

At 10:30 AM tomorrow, 6th May, will address the inaugural ceremony of JITO Connect. This platform, organised by the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), will bring together young businesspersons who are doing work in different fields.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 5, 2022

JITO Connect 2022 is a three-day event being organised in Pune from May 6-8 and will encompass multiple sessions on diverse issues relating to business and economy.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Friday called the 'Popular Front of India' a dangerous organisation for the unity of India and said that some political parties are backing it for their own interest, reported ANI.

While speaking at a book launch event, Ravi said, "Popular Front of India is a very dangerous org...essentially its aim is to destabilise this country from within...There are political parties that are supporting them for their own political vested interest. It's a threat we need to be very careful about."

#WATCH | TN Gov says, "Popular Front of India is a very dangerous org...essentially its aim is to destabilise this country from within...There are political parties that are supporting them for their own political vested interest. It's a threat we need to be very careful about.." pic.twitter.com/QvKPFgvfBl  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

The governor also lashed out at political parties who use violence to manipulate the public and said such acts amount to terrorism.

Use of violence as a political resource is an act of terrorism. There shouldn't be any confusion about it, whether it's a Maoist, whether it's in Kashmir or in the northeast. Any entity in this country that uses violence as a political resource is an act of terrorism, ANI quoted Ravi as saying.

Use of violence as a political resource is an act of terrorism. There shouldn't be any confusion about it, whether it's a maoist, whether it's in Kashmir or in the northeast. Any entity in this country that uses violence as a political resource is an act of terrorism: TN Governor pic.twitter.com/nmeV0Qm7qg  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

By and large all acts of terrorism that we have had in the country were inspired, instigated & many a time abetted by foreign sources. Number of countries have played this game on India, he added.

Ravis speech comes at a time when several incidents of communal violence and clashes are being reported from different parts of India.

The case in point is the recent Jodhpur clashes on the occasion of Eid and Akshay Tritiya and Delhis Jahangirpuri violence, which took place during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Delhi BJP leader Tajinderpal Singh Bagga's father Preetpal Singh on Friday alleged that Punjab Police personnel punched him in the face and did not even allow his son to wear a turban while they were arresting him.

Preetpal Singh, who said a group of 10-15 Punjab Police personnel broke into their Janakpuri home, was accompanied by Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta when he went file an FIR. Delhi BJP workers staged a protest outside the Janakpuri police station and raised anti-Punjab Police slogans.

Delhi | Today morning, 10-15 police personnel came to our home & dragged Tajinder out. When I picked up my mobile phone to record a video of the incident, police took me to another room & punched me in the face: Preetpal Singh Bagga, father of BJP leader Tajinder Pal S Bagga pic.twitter.com/TsmXymFw7H  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

Recounting the events of the morning, Preetpal Singh said the family, including Bagga, had finished breakfast at their west Delhi home when two Punjab Police personnel came in. The two policemen had visited the family earlier as well.

"We offered them tea and they behaved and talked calmly and Tajinder was sitting there. A few minutes later, 10-15 Punjab Police personnel broke in. They dragged Tajinder out and did not allow him to cover his head.

"When I tried to make a video of the incident, my mobile phone was snatched and I was punched in the face and forced to sit down," the Delhi BJP spokesperson's elderly father told reporters.

Punjab Police said it has arrested Bagga, who is also national secretary of the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha, from his Delhi residence in connection with a case registered against him in Mohali last month.

Delhi BJP president Gupta said a complaint has been lodged at the Janakpuri police station against Punjab Police allegedly beating Bagga's father. He also alleged that Bagga's father was beaten and gagged.

"The action against Bagga is shameful. Kejriwal got Punjab Police to beat, misbehave with and gag an elderly person. Punjab Police indulged in hooliganism and did not allow a Sikh to put on his turban," Gupta said in a tweet in Hindi.

Punjab Police had booked Bagga last month on charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader from Mohali Sunny Ahluwalia.

The FIR referred to Bagga's remarks on March 30, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the chief minister's residence in Delhi.

Bagga has been vocal in his criticism of Kejriwal on social media. He came under fire from the AAP, which is ruling both Delhi and Punjab, for his tweet against the Delhi chief minister over the film "The Kashmir Files".
The chance for Chippewa Valley residents to engage in an experience of raucous revelry is but a fortnight away.

A brand-new Wisconsin renaissance festival is heading to Chippewa Falls this year. Newbourne Village is a fairytale-themed renaissance set to take place on Saturdays and Sundays from June 11 through July 3 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. rain or shine at the Eagle Ridge Festival Grounds in Chippewa Falls. Tickets for each day of the event will be $10-$15 at the door.

Renaissance festivals get people outside and get them engaged with family and friends, Newbourne Village executive director Mark Lakowske said. They celebrate life. Whether you are a performer, a vendor, or a patron, there is a sense of community here. Everyone is welcome, from children to the young at heart.

Each day of Newbourne Village will be different, Lakowske said, as special guests and events will vary from day-to-day to keep things fresh for attendees. A few of the featured activities will include an era correct hypnosis stage show, an armored knight giving a blunted weapon combat demonstration, cooking and blacksmithing demonstrations, blue horse theater, a living statue, a smattering of childrens shows and a host of other attractions.

Lakowske said the inspiration to put on the Newbourne Village event came after he saw other festivals straying away from the interactions and immersion that initially made him fall in love with these types of events.

Everyone seemed down, sad, worried and panicked about the pandemic, Lakowske said. We wanted to create a place where people can escape that for a while. Our mission is that we want to create joy, happiness, and cheer people up. There is a lot of unpleasantness in life right now and we want to help turn that tide.

Whether you are new to renaissance festivals, or you have your costume all ready to go, Newbourne Village is primed to offer Chippewa Falls and experience they havent had in quite some time.

For more information on Newbourne Village visit its website newbournevillage.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
New Delhi: Ankita Nagar, daughter of a vegetable vendor in Madhya Pradesh`s Indore, has cleared the recruitment examination of the civil judge exam.

In an interview, Ankita Nagar said, "I wanted to become a doctor but medical studies cost much more so I began to prepare for civil judge examination instead. I did most of my studies on a government scholarship."

Beating all the odds, Ankita secured 5th rank in the SC category of the Civil Judge exam.

The scholar also used to help his father sell vegetables to make both ends meet after finishing her studies.

"Got a lot of time to study during the lockdown. I studied online on YouTube. Although I received a scholarship from the government, there was financial trouble," she added.

"To those children who do not study despite the privilege, I would like them to focus on their goal. There was a financial crisis to fill the form during and after the lockdown but I managed. Many people said, get married, but my parents asked me to concentrate on my studies," she said.

Ankita`s father Ashok Nagar is a vegetable vendor in Musakhedi area of the city. Ankita`s father Ashok Nagar said his family struggled a lot and saved money for her daughter`s education.

"We wanted to give our daughter a fair chance in life. We compromised a lot in the past six years for her education. She studied without any privilege and cleared the exam. We are proud of her. No one should force their daughters to marry but rather get them educated," said her parents.

"We have no words to express our happiness. We struggled a lot and didn`t have much money but still saved little money and taught our daughter Ankita," her father said.

"People differentiate between son and daughter. I would ask them not to do it. A daughter is better than a son. Today everyone is coming to congratulate me. I have three children, one son has done MBA, the youngest daughter is married, and the middle daughter Ankita studied and became a judge. Girls should also get educated," added Ashok.

Laxmi Nagar, Ankita`s mother said, "Our family runs only by selling vegetables, we used to keep the money for the daughter`s education. The last 5-6 years were very difficult for our family. I have given equal importance to my sons and daughters and educated them."

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation, who launched the global Movement to Save Soil from extinction in March this year, will address leaders from 195 nations at the 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as the keynote speaker.

COP15 will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from May 9-20. The theme for the session is Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity.

Sadhguru will speak on May 9 and 10 and will urge heads of state to introduce policy reforms in their countries to save soil. COP15 is expected to galvanize member nations to concrete action as the planet races against time to halt and reverse rapid land degradation that could lead to global desertification and soil extinction.

Sadhguru is currently on a 100-day, 30,000-km lone motorcycle journey through Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East as part of the Movement to Save Soil. He is meeting with global leaders, scientists, environmental organizations, soil experts and other stakeholders to press for urgent policy-driven action to save soil from becoming extinct.

The UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that desertification could lead to a 40% drop in food production by 2045 even as the worlds population crosses 9 billion. According to the UNCCD, if land degradation continues at current rates, 90% of the planet could turn into a desert by 2050- less than three decades from now.

The catastrophic impact of soil extinction includes global food and water shortage, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and unprecedented mass migrations leading to brutal civil strife around the world in a fight for survival.

Since Sadhguru began his journey in London on March 21, the Save Soil Movement has garnered global interest and support. The Movement is supported by world leaders, leading environmental organizations and scientists, soil experts and several UN bodies. Political parties and leaders from more than 70 countries have already pledged to save soil in their countries. Some have signed MoUs with the Save Soil Movement.

The primary objective of the Save Soil Movement is to urge nations to ensure that agricultural lands contain a minimum of 3-6% organic content to keep them alive and productive. This will ensure global food and water security, mitigate climate change impact and protect biodiversity by halting further species extinction.
New Delhi: Hours after BJP Delhi leader Tajinder Baggas arrest by Punjab police, Bharatiya Janata Party workers staged a huge protest outside Aam Aadmi Partys office in Delhi against the arrest, reported ANI.

A video released by news agency ANI shows BJP workers gathered in large numbers outside Arvind Kejriwals AAP headquarters with placards and BJP flags.

Delhi | BJP workers trespass police barricading outside Aam Aadmi Party's office as they protest the arrest of Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by Punjab Police. pic.twitter.com/dF5Fwi0BBl  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

#WATCH Delhi: | BJP workers protest outside Aam Aadmi Party office in view of Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga's arrest by Punjab Police from Delhi, earlier in the day. pic.twitter.com/k6FHd5QFuL  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

In the video, the police can be seen blocking BJP workers entry at the office while the party workers try to hussle with the baracdes to barge inside the AAP office.

BJP workers & leaders protesting outside Aam Aadmi Party's office detained by Delhi Police pic.twitter.com/EFR4WDfIpE  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

Delhi BJP leaders and workers headed by state president Adesh Gupta staged a protest against arrest of party spokesperson Tajinderpal Singh Bagga by Punjab Police on Friday.

The protesters raised slogans against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and the Punjab Police even as police here tried to stop them from moving to AAP headquarters on DDU Marg.

Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Delhi BJP vice president Virendra Sachdeva, Vikram Mittal, party spokesperson Praveen Kapoor and many other leaders were present in the protest.

Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police from his home in Janakpuri area in connection with a case registered in Mohali last month.

In a high-voltage drama, a Delhi Police team took Bagga's custody in Kurukshetra, Haryana from the Punjab Police after having them stopped by their Haryana counterparts.

Bagga was booked by the Punjab Police on charges related to making provocative statements, promoting enmity, and criminal intimidation.

The case was registered on a complaint made by AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia.

Meanwhile, Tajinder Bagga has been taken back to Delhi after Haryana Police handed him over the the capital police later in the day.

The BJP has alleged foul political play by Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann on Tajinder Baggas arrest claiming that the move was motivated by political vendetta.
New Delhi: Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, who was on Friday morning arrested by the Punjab Police, was taken back to the national capital by the Delhi Police. Bagga was taken back to the national capital after the Haryana Police handed him over to the Delhi Police.

Delhi Police have also filed an FIR against Punjab Police for the alleged kidnapping of Bagga.

How things unfolded

On Friday morning, Punjab Police arrested BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from his Janakpuri residence. Following outrage by BJP leaders, the issue has snowballed into a dramatic tug of war involving three state police forces.

The Punjab police team taking Bagga to Mohali was intercepted en route by Haryana cops. Delhi Police also registered a kidnapping case on the basis of a complaint by Bagga's father.

Haryana Police surrounded the Punjab Police vehicle carrying Bagga and escorted them to a police station in Kurukshetra. A team of Delhi police also reached there.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders defended Bagga's arrest and that the Punjab Police acted in an unbiased way. They stated that the action was taken after Bagga refused to cooperate with the investigation even after notices were sent five times.

Saurabh Bhardwaj, a senior AAP leader, said they have collected information about Bagga who often uses "obscene, toxic and hateful language" on social media.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal claimed a huge posse of Punjab policemen stormed into Bagga's Delhi home at around 8:30 in the morning and arrested him.

Bagga's father has alleged that around 10-15 cops entered their home, punched him and dragged his son out to take him to Punjab. He said the police snatched his phone when he tried to record a video and seized both his and his son's phones. He also registered a complaint of kidnapping.

Punjab Police have sent a letter to Haryana's top cop clarifying that it's not a kidnapping case and that the Haryana police are stopping them needlessly. Delhi Police claimed they were not given any prior information regarding the arrest. Punjab police have, however, refuted the allegation saying prior intimation was given and one of their teams has been at the Janakpuri police station since last evening.

Bagga was being taken to a Punjab court on the basis of a complaint filed against him in Punjab's Mohali district. The charges against Bagga include making provocative statements, promoting religious enmity, and criminal intimidation.

Bagga is a vocal critic of Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on social media. His tweet against Kejriwal over 'The Kashmir Files' movie drew a sharp response from the AAP.
New Delhi: The political drama surrounding Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga's arrest today by Punjab Police from his Delhi residence has now snowballed into a political slugfest. Delhi Police has now registered a kidnapping case after the arrest of BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by Punjab Police over his alleged threat to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. The case has been registered at Delhi's Janakpuri police station.

"Today morning, following due process of law, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga has been arrested from his home in Janakpuri, New Delhi. He is being brought here and will be produced in Court. Further investigation being done by SIT of SAS Nagar Police," the Punjab Police has confirmed.

As per reports Punjab cops, who are taking Bagga with them, faced resistance in Haryana.

Haryana | Punjab Police with BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga at Khanpur, Kurukshetra; Haryana Police present at the spot Bagga was arrested by Punjab Police in Delhi pic.twitter.com/AmhydG2tfw  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

SSP SAS Nagar (Punjab) has written to SSP Kurukshetra (Haryana) that "police party stopped by Haryana Police". He, in his letter, states that it "tantamounts to illegal detention and interference in the administration of criminal justice system" and asks that they be released.

Tajinder Bagga arrest | SSP SAS Nagar (Punjab) writes to SSP Kurukshetra (Haryana) that "police party stopped by Haryana Police". He, in his letter, states that it "tantamounts to illegal detention & interference in admn of criminal justice system" & asks that they be released. pic.twitter.com/DZt1rOBllt  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

Earlier in the day, Bagga was detained by Punjab Police from his West Delhi residence. His father, Preetpal Singh Bagga said, "Today morning, 10-15 police personnel came to our home and dragged Tajinder out. When I picked up my mobile phone to record a video of the incident, police took me to another room and punched me in the face."

Bagga's father also said, "The police personnel who came to our home today morning said that Tajinder gave a death threat to Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi Police had no information about the incident."

The arrest of Bagga has turned into a political slugfest with BJP attacking Arvind Kejriwal's AAP for indulging in political vendetta.

"Tajinder Bagga illegally detained by Punjab Police. They didn't allow him to even wear his turban. A complaint has been filed over manhandling of Tajindar Bagga by his father. Kejriwal's Hitler-like act will cost him. Punjab Police is acting on directions of Kejriwal," said Adesh Gupta, Delhi BJP President.

Slamming BJP, AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj said, "Tajinder Bagga tweets to instigate violence in Punjab; it means BJP leaders in Delhi trying to spread communal violence in Punjab. The Punjab Police is working to maintain peace in the state. The public is seeing Delhi Police and Haryana Police trying to protect such gundas."

The Punjab Police on Friday said it has arrested Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga from his residence in the national capital in connection with a case registered against him in Mohali last month. He is being brought to Punjab and will be produced before a court, it said. Last month, the Punjab Police booked Bagga on the charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali. The FIR registered on April 1 referred to Bagga's remarks on March 30, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the chief minister's residence in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu targeted Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann for using Punjab Police for political vendetta.

Tajinder Bagga could be from a different party, one could have ideological differences. But Political vendetta, of @ArvindKejriwal & @BhagwantMann, to settle personal scores through Punjab police is a cardinal sin Stop tarnishing the image of Punjab Police by Politicising it..  Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) May 6, 2022

"Tajinder Bagga could be from a different party, one could have ideological differences. But Political vendetta, of@ArvindKejriwal,@BhagwantMann to settle personal scores through Punjab police is a cardinal sin Stop tarnishing the image of Punjab Police by Politicising it.." Siddhu tweeted.
Srinagar: An unidentified terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces at Sirchan Top, east of Batkoot area of Pahalgam woods of Anantnag district of in South Kashmir on Friday (May 6, 2022).

One terrorist neutralised in Anantnag encounter; Operation underway: Kashmir Zone Police  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

A police official said, on a specific human input generated by Jammu Kashmir police about the presence of militants in the area, a joint team of Police, Army's 3 RR and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation.

The police official added that as the joint searching team of forces approached the suspected spot, terrorists fired upon them which was retaliated and an encounter broke.

IGP Kashmir too confirmed the exchange of fire and said, Encounter has started at Sirchan Top (Jungle area), East of Batkoot Pahalgam area of Anantnag. Police and Army on the job. Further details shall follow.

Meanwhile, the hills of Pahalgam are being sanitised nowadays in view of the upcoming Amarnath yatra.

Sources in the police said that input is about the presence of two to four terrorists who are believed to be trapped in the area. However, the actual number can be said once the operation concludes.
New Delhi: In a land grabbing case, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan`s interim bail plea will now be heard by the Supreme Court next week. The apex court, which observed that 137 days have passed but no order has been passed till date, termed the delay as a "travesty of justice" and said it will hear it on Wednesday.

An advocate told a bench headed by Justices L Nageswara Rao that the Allahabad High Court had on Thursday reserved its order on the bail application of Azam Khan in the case.

An apex court bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai noted that Azam Khan has got bail in 86 out of 87 cases, and said it would hear the matter on May 11. "He (Khan) has been out on bail in all matters except one for so long, this is travesty of justice. We will not say anything more. We will hear it on Wednesday," the bench is quoted as saying by a PTI report.

In his plea, Azam Khan sought the SC to grant interim bail to him in FIR bearing Case Crime No. 312 of 2019, dated 19.09.2019, registered at Police Station Azeem Nagar, Rampur, UP under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 447, 201 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section 3 of The Prevention of Damage to the Public Property Act, 1984 till the final outcome of Bail Application by the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.

The plea, filed by advocate Lzafeer Ahmad, earlier informed the SC that the order has been reserved for his bail by the Allahabad High Court in December 2021.

Later, the UP government submitted a fresh application to present some new facts related to the matter and then his bail plea was heard again by Allahabad High Court.

Notably, this is the only case where Azam Khan`s bail application is pending. Khan has been lodged in Sitapur jail since February 2020 last year as many cases are registered against him.

An FIR was lodged against Khan and others for alleged grabbing of enemy property and misappropriation of public money of more than hundreds of crores of rupees, at police station Azem Nagar in Rampur under the IPC and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

It was alleged in the FIR that during partition one Imamuddin Qureshi went to Pakistan and his land was recorded as enemy property, but Khan in collusion with others grabbed the 13.842-hectare plot.

Earlier in February, the apex court had refused interim bail to Khan for campaigning in the Uttar Pradesh elections and asked him to approach the court concerned for expeditious disposal.

The plea filed by Khan had contended that the State has adopted all means available to purposefully delay the proceedings so as to ensure that he is incarcerated during the recently held Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Friday (May 6) dismissed a petition that sought the installation of loudspeakers in a mosque, saying it is "not a fundamental right", ANI reported.

As per the news agency, a division bench of the high court also said that delivering azaan is an integral part of Islam, but giving it through loudspeakers is not a part of Islam.

The division bench comprising Justice Vivek Kumar Birla and Justice Vikas said, "The law has now been settled that use of loudspeaker from mosque is not a fundamental right. Ever otherwise a cogent reason has been assigned in the impugned order. Accordingly, we find that the present petition is patently misconceived, hence the same is dismissed.

A petition was filed by one Irfan of Budaun, that challenged the order issued by the Bisauli Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Badaun district on December 3, 2021, and sought permission to play azaan using loudspeakers in the Noori Masjid.

Earlier, the Badaun SDM had refused permission to install a loudspeaker at Noori Masjid in Dhoranpur village for azaan, IANS reported.

The petitioner said in his plea that the SDM's order was "illegal" and that it "violates fundamental rights and legal rights".

Amid the row over the use of loudspeakers in mosques in states including Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently directed that the sound from loudspeakers at religious places should not be heard outside the premises, adding that no new permits will be issued for loudspeakers.

Following this, the volume of loudspeakers at 17,000 religious places including mosques and temples in UP was lowered to the standards set for all the religious places.

(With agency inputs)
India has taken strong exceptions to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report, according to which more than 4.7 million people in India are thought to have died because of Covid-19. This is the highest number in the world, that's 10 times the official figures, and accounts for almost a third of Covid deaths globally, says report. But India has strongly objected to the use of mathematical models by the WHO for projecting excess mortality estimates concerning coronavirus and has said that authentic data is available.

The WHO report also mentions that the global figure was 15 million - more than double the official figure of 6 million. After WHO's excess mortality estimates for Covid, the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Balram Bhargava said the country has a systemic data pool and it does not need to rely on "modelling, extrapolations and press reports" for ascertaining Covid-related death.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Bhargava said, "When we had Covid deaths occurring, we did not have a definition of deaths. Even WHO did not have one. If one gets positive today and dies after two weeks, will it be Covid death? Or the dies after two months or six months - will it be Covid death?"

"So, for that definition, we looked at all the data and we came to the conclusion that 95 per cent of the deaths that occurred after testing positive for Covid-19 were occurring in the first 4 weeks. So, a cut-off of 30 days was laid for the definition of death," he stated. Dr Bhargava laid emphasis on systemic data instead of modelling exercises to ascertain Covid deaths. "We have such large amounts of data. We have data of more than 97-98 per cent of 1.3 billion who have been vaccinated with the first dose and nearly 190 crores vaccine doses have been used. So, all that is systematically collected. Once we have this systematic data, we do not need to rely on modelling, extrapolations and taking press reports and utilising them for putting into a modelling exercise," stressed DG ICMR.

As per PIB, a government statement read, "India has been consistently objecting to the methodology adopted by WHO to project excess mortality estimates based on mathematical models. Despite Indias objection to the process, methodology and outcome of this modelling exercise, WHO has released the excess mortality estimates without adequately addressing Indias concerns."

The statement also mentions, "India had pointed out the inconsistencies in the criteria and assumption used by WHO to classify Countries into Tier I and II as well as questioned the very basis for placing India into Tier II countries (for which a mathematical modelling estimate is used). India had also underlined the fact that given the accuracy of the Mortality Data collected through an effective and robust statutory system, India doesnt deserve to be placed in Tier II countries. WHO till date has not responded to Indias contention."

It adds, "India has consistently questioned WHOs own admission that data in respect of seventeen Indian states was obtained from some websites and media reports and was used in their mathematical model. This reflects a statistically unsound and scientifically questionable methodology of data collection for making excess mortality projections in case of India."
San Francisco: Elon Musk is likely to take over as a temporary CEO of Twitter when the $44 billion takeover deal is through, the media reported on Thursday.

According to a CNBC report, Musk has detailed the plans in presentations to possible funders for the takeover.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has been leading the micro-blogging platform since November, after taking over the helm from Jack Dorsey.

CNBC's David Faber, who first broke the news about Dorsey stepping down as Twitter CEO, has now claimed that Musk will be the temporary CEO at the company for a few months.

A fresh US SEC filing on Thursday also revealed that Musk has secured nearly $7.14 billion in equity commitments from friends and other investors to acquire Twitter.

Musk received $1 billion from Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and $5 million from Honeycomb Asset Management, which invested in his SpaceX company, the report mentioned.

Twitter stock jumped nearly 3 per cent after the latest news, while Tesla's shares went down more than 4 per cent.

Amid fear of mass exodus from Twitter, employees last week grilled Agrawal about their uncertain future once Musk takes over.

In a town hall meeting on Friday, the employees demanded answers from Agrawal as to how the company is planning to handle an "anticipated mass exodus prompted by Musk".

Agrawal replied that he believes "the future Twitter organisation will continue to care about its impact on the world and its customers".

Twitter under Agrawal fears that Musk's 'free speech' agenda can hurt its $4.5 billion a year advertising business.

Advertisers are having nightmares as free speech can hamper their prospects on the platform as their brand's name may appear alongside hate speech and abusive or dangerous content without moderation.

Nearly 26 activist organisations and NGOs have signed a letter to Twitter advertisers, asking them to boycott the platform if Musk makes content moderation changes.
The rise of extremism has left Christians without hope for a future in the birthplace of their faith, according to a new petition to David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband.

Thousands of evangelicals who attended Spring Harvest are calling on the Conservative, LibDem and Labour leaders to set aside party differences and take new steps against persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

The 4,496 Christians warn that the faith is at serious risk of extinction in the region.

"Whatever the outcome in May, they are urging these leaders in the strongest terms to work across party and international lines to defend ethnic and religious diversity in the Middle East, which is crucial for the stability and prosperity of the region, said the charities Open Doors UK and Ireland, Bible Society and Spring Harvest.

A representative from Aleppo in Syria, whose name is not being disclosed for security reasons, told senior figures from all three parties about the work being done by the charities, the total devastation and the need for diversity if the region is to have a stable future.

Lord Feldman of the Conservative Party said the persecution was "terrible, shocking and catastrophic for the region, as Christians are a glue that holds the region together."

Rising Islamic extremism in the form of Islamic State and other groups has accelerated the exodus of Christians from the Middle East. In Iraq there are now fewer than 300,000 Christians left, compared to more than 1.2 million at the beginning of the 1990s. After IS swept through Mosul and Qaraqosh in 2014, an Open Doors field worker reported that "since 20 August until now [15 October], approximately 5,000 Christian families have emigrated."

The video showing the murder of up to 30 Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians in Libya by IS, coming soon after a similar video of the murder of 21 Coptic Egyptian Christians, has increased the fear that Christians have no future in the Middle East.

Many have decided to flee, some by taking the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in the over-crowded boat journeys that have already claimed the lives of more than 1,700 migrants since January 2015.According to Open Doors, an international charity serving persecuted Christians in more than 50 countries, an estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation.
New Delhi: Superstar Ajay Devgn has a massive fan following eagerly waiting for his projects to hit the screens. His latest outing and directorial venture Runway 34 also hogged the attention and fans appreciated the performances. There's another thing which has often made it to headlines - his equation with Shah Rukh Khan.

(Old viral photo of the two stars dining together)

In a recent interview with IndiaToday.in, Ajay Devgn reflected on the alleged cold war with Shah Rukh Khan. He said, "The six-seven of us, who were from the 90's generation who started practically together or maybe one or two years here and there, we share a great rapport. We all support each other. I mean whatever the media can write about some issues with me or Shah Rukh Khan or something else, they are not there. We speak over the phone, we are all fine. Whenever one has a problem, the other is standing by. We trust each other, we believe in each other, that if somebody says 'we are there with you' it means they are going to be there. So we have never had a problem ever."

He added, "Sometimes what happens is they're also created. Not just by the media, but sometimes by fanatic fans, who we don't have control on. So, when they start fighting with each other, people think two actors are fighting and so that is a perception that goes out. Then we actually speak together about controlling them. But, I would like to tell all the fans that we are all as one and, so, the next time they are fighting over us, please don't fight."

Ajay Devgn's recently released film, Runway 34 features Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh, among others. He has Singham 3, Bhola, Thank God and Maidaan to look forward to.
Los Angeles: Actress Amber Heard says a perceived affair with fellow actor James Franco led to ex-husband Johnny Depp assaulting her on a cross-country flight in 2014.

Taking the stand for a second day as part of a multi-million dollar defamation trial, Heard cast Depp as deeply troubled by jealousy and drugs, reports bbc.com.

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over an article in which she said she was a victim of abuse, reports bbc.com.

She is countersuing for $100 million.

On Thursday, Heard reportedly said that much of her ex-husband's anger was caused by his belief that she was seeing James Franco, whom she said Depp "hated". Franco starred alongside Heard in 'Pineapple Express' and 'The Adderall Diaries'.

That jealousy, she claimed, led an angry Depp to repeatedly question her on a flight from Boston to Los Angeles, in which he allegedly kicked her.

"He just kicked me in the back. I fell on the floor," she said.

"No one said anything. No one did anything. It's like you could hear a pin drop on that plane."

The court also heard a recording allegedly of Depp on the flight, which Heard said showed him "howling" while suffering from the effects of drug use.

Following the incident, Heard said he met her in New York to apologise and to prove he was sober and committed to change.

Jurors have repeatedly heard about the incident on the flight. In his own testimony, Depp said that he took Oxycodone pills and fell asleep to avoid her.

During her testimony, Depp could sometimes be seen closing his eyes or donning his sunglasses. At one point, he shook his head quietly.

Heard alleged she had the fight with Depp after an argument about his daughter Lily-Rose, who was about 14 at the time.

"She was so young," Heard said. "I felt protective."
Los Angeles: Hollywood actress Amber Heard broke down as she told a jury that her former husband and actor Johnny Depp had sexually assaulted her with a bottle during a fight in Australia.

According to 'Variety', Heard took the stand for the second day on Thursday, as she continued to recount a series of violent incidents that marked their relationship.

She said the fight in Australia during filming of the fifth 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film in March 2015 was prompted by Depp's jealousy and her concern about his drug use.

She said Depp had repeatedly hit her, threw bottles at her and choked her against a refrigerator, before finally getting her on top of a countertop and penetrating her with a bottle.

"I remember just not wanting to move," 'Variety' quoted the actress as saying.

She said she remembered thinking: "Please, God, I hope it's not broken."

She said Depp repeatedly said: "I'll f***ing kill you."

Heard is defending herself in a $50 million defamation trial. Depp has accused her of fabricating her domestic violence allegations to advance her career.

His lawsuit alleges that he lost out on the sixth 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film and other movie roles after Heard referred to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse" in a December 2018 op-ed.

Heard began her testimony on Wednesday afternoon, recounting how she first met Depp and fell in love with him.

But she said she also discovered that Depp could become extremely jealous, especially when drunk or high, and fly into rages.

On Thursday, she told the jury about a flight on a private jet in May 2014, when she claimed that Depp slapped her and then kicked her to the floor.

She also told the jury of other violent episodes, in Tokyo, and on Depp's private island in the Bahamas. She said Depp could be verbally cruel, calling her a "wh***", a "s**t" and a "fat a**".

Depp has denied ever assaulting Heard. He already told the jury his own version of events surrounding the Australia fight, alleging that she severed his fingertip when she threw a bottle at him.

Heard has previously testified about these incidents during a trial in the UK, but the details of the alleged sexual assault were kept confidential in that proceeding.

In her testimony on Thursday, Heard also said she ended up with cuts on her arms and feet from the broken glass.

She said, at one point, Depp had held a broken bottle to her jaw, and threatened to "carve up my face".

She said the next morning she found a series of messages that Depp had written on the walls in his own blood and in paint.

Heard also told the jury about a fight in December 2015, when she said that Depp dragged her by the hair up the stairs. He said the two got into a shoving match, and that Depp head-butted her squarely in the nose.

She said she instantly felt searing pain in her nose.

Depp previously testified that he was trying to restrain Heard from hitting him by putting her in a bear hug, and the contact was incidental.

Later that night, Heard said that she told Depp that she was going to leave him.

She said that Depp dragged her into another room, threw her on a bed, and kneeled on her back.

She said he repeatedly punched her, and screamed in her ear: "I fucking hate you!a She said she could not breathe.

"I thought, 'This is how I die'," she said.

"He's going to kill me now. He's going to kill me, and he won't even have realised it."

The trial will take a one-week break before testimony resumes on May 16, when Heard will return to the stand. She is yet to complete her direct testimony, and Depp's lawyers will then have the opportunity to cross-examine her.

Judge Penney Azcarate told the jury that closing arguments are set for May 27.
New Delhi: Actress Karisma Kapoor recently hosted a dinner party at her lavish home for her close friends including Karan Johar, sister Kareena Kapoor, Maheep Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Karan Johar, Amrita Arora, Manish Malhotra and Malaika Arora.

The celebs shared glimpses of the dinner get-together on social media, giving fans a peek into the star-studded, intimate event. Karisma's dining table looked beautiful with a delicious food spread and beautiful table cloth. Everyone from Malaika to Kareena had decked up for the occasion and looked charming as ever. Kareena's comfy look in a printed, boho kaftaan and Malaika's co-ords were to die for!

Take a look at the pictures from the dinner party:

The Kapoors, Aroras often hold parties and dinner together along with Karan Johar and fashion desginer Manish Malhotra.

On the work front, Karan recently announced that the highly-anticipated new season of his show 'Koffee With Karan' is ready to roll; this time exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar.

On theother hand, Kareena will next be seen in 'Laal Singh Chaddha' starring Aamir Khan.

The film is an adaptation of Robert Zemeckis' 1994 comedy drama 'Forrest Gump', which starred Hollywood icon Tom Hanks in what is considered as one of his iconic characters.

On the personal front, Malaika recently spoke about her relationship with beau Arjun Kapoor. Speaking to Bombay Times, Malaika shared, Its sacred and important to me. I feel we are at a place where were thinking of the where-next and what-next parts. We discuss things a lot. Were on the same plane, with similar thoughts and ideas. We really get each other.
New Delhi: 7th Pay Commission Latest update-- The government might announce another round of hike in the Dearness Allowance (DA) in the coming months, thus bringing more joy to the central government employees, media reports have said.

As per reports the government might hike DA for the second time this year around July.

The Dearness Allowance of central government employees is revised twice a year. The first is given from January to June, while the second comes from July to December. Now that the first increase in dearness allowance for the year 2022 has been announced in March, new reports are stating that the next revision in July is likely due to the increase in the AICP Index.

March AICPI index figures, which is instrumental in DA revision decision, have shown promise for a DA hike.

In December 2021, the AICPI figure stood at 125.4. But, in January 2022, it declined by 0.3 points and fell to 125.1. The All-India CPI-IW for February, 2022 decreased by 0.1 points and stood at 125.0 (one hundred twenty five). On 1-month percentage change, it decreased by 0.08 per cent with respect to previous month compared to increase of 0.68 per cent recorded between corresponding months a year ago. For the month of March, there was a jump of 1 point. The AICPI index figures for March stands at 126.

How much DA is likely to be hiked in July?

If reports are to be believed, there could be a further four percent hike in DA. This means the total DA could reach upo 38 percent. It may be recalled that the Union Cabinet had on March 30 hiked Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) by 3 per cent to 34 per cent to compensate for the price rise, benefitting over 1.16 crore central government employees and pensioners.

The additional instalment is be effective from January 1, 2022. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. With the recent announcement, the hope for the next DA hike, which usually is stipulated for the month of July, has also taken pace. However, one bad news could be that the DA hike, scheduled for July may not be announced.
New Delhi. Account holders of Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) are eligible for several financial benefits along with universal access to banking services.

The benefits include having one basic savings bank account for unbanked person; no requirement to maintain any minimum balance; earning interest on the deposit in PMJDY accounts; and getting access to Rupay Debit card is provided to PMJDY account holder.

Among a prominent financial benefit is free Accident Insurance Cover. PM Jan Dhan Yojana Bank Account holders are eligible for getting Rs 1 lakh (enhanced to Rs 2 lakh to new PMJDY accounts opened after 28.8.2018) as Accident Insurance Cover, available with RuPay card issued to the PMJDY account holders. General Insurance Cover of Rs 30,000. They are also eligible for an overdraft (OD) facility up to Rs 10,000.

PMJDY accounts are eligible for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA) scheme.

However, it is to be noted that the benefits upto Rs 1.3 lakh can be availed only if the account is linked with Aadhaar card. The government has made it mandatory to link the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana bank account to your Aadhaar card under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

How to link Aadhaar with PM Jan Dhan Yojana Bank Account?

There are four ways using which you can link your Aadhaar with PM Jan Dhan Yojana Bank Account by going to the bank physically, by using SMS facility and by going to your ATM.

Important Documents required for linking Aadhaar with Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana Bank Account

- Aadhaar number

- ATM Card

- Aadhaar registered mobile number to receive the OTP and send SMS

- Bank passbook

The PMJDY was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2014, and was simultaneously launched on August 28, 2014, to foster financial inclusion.

This national mission was launched to ensure people have access to financial services, namely, banking, remittance, credit, insurance, pension in an affordable manner.
New Delhi: PM Kisan 11th installment is all set to be rolled out by the Central government in the coming days. Eligible farmers will receive the financial benefit, promised under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, directly into their bank accounts.

For the unversed, PM Kisan is a centrally sponsored scheme offering financial assistance to crores of marginalised and poor farmers across the country. As part of the scheme, eligible farmers receive Rs 6000 in a year directly in their bank accounts. The sum is provided to the farmers in three installments of Rs 2000 each.

The 10th installment under PM Kisan yojana was transferred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 1, 2022. Farmers now must be eagerly waiting for the 11th installment to be credited to their bank accounts.

When Farmers Will Recieve the 11th PM Kisan Installment?

As of now, the Central government hasnt made an official announcement regarding the date of release of the 11th PM Kisan installment. However, if reports are to be true, the Central government could release the 11th PM Kisan installment on or before May 14, 2022. It is important to note that the government had released the installment last year on May 14, 2021.

So, this means that eligible farmers could receive the benefits under PM Kisan Yojana in just a few days. However, beneficiaries must note that they should have completed their eKCY to receive Rs 2000 in their bank accounts.

The government recently extended the last date to complete the eKYC process to May 31, 2022, providing farmers more time to complete the mandatory formalities. If you havent completed the eKYC process, you can do so by following a few simple steps. Also Read: iPhone 14 series launch may get delayed due to THIS reason

You can know about the step-by-step process for completing PM Kisan eKYC here. Also Read: Amazon Summer Sale 2022: Samsung, Xiaomi, Apple phones selling at big discounts; check top offers

Live TV

#mute
New Delhi: Embattled real estate major Supertech Ltd on Friday informed the Supreme Court that it is in talk with the financial creditor Union Bank of India to resolve the dispute over the payment of dues.

The top court was informed by amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwal that the company Supertech Ltd does not have sufficient amount in its account to make the refund to home buyers of the to be razed twin towers in the Emerald Court project.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant told Agarwal that a way out has to be found to pay the home buyers of the Twin Towers as per the orders of the court.

Agarwal said that he has filed a report in a sealed cover as per the direction of the court in which a separate list of 107 home buyers of Twin Towers, who are remaining to be refunded is given.

The Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) has stated in the report that there are no sufficient funds in the accounts of the company to be paid to the home buyers of the Twin Towers, he said.

The amicus further said that he has been informed that the erstwhile management of the real estate firm that has filed an appeal before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) challenging March 25, 2022, by which a corporate insolvency resolution process has been initiated against Supertech Ltd., and it is listed on May 17.

I have also been informed that erstwhile management is trying to settle the dispute with the financial creditor--Union Bank of India -- on whose application the insolvency process has been initiated, he said.

Agarwal added that if the issue with the financial creditor is resolved then the status of 107 home buyers out of over 711 will be back to what it was earlier before the start of the insolvency process.

Senior advocate S Ganesh, appearing for the erstwhile management of Supertech Ltd, said that they have held several rounds of meeting with the bank and more meetings are likely to take place to resolve the dispute over dues.

We are hopeful that the issue will be resolved before the next date of hearing in the NCLAT, Ganesh said.

The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on May 18.

On April 4, the top court said it will protect the interest of home buyers of 40 storey twin-towers of Emerald Court project of real estate developer Supertech Ltd, which has been now declared bankrupt by NCLT, and directed them to file by April 15 their claims for refund of payments.

The realty firm had informed the top court that it will be filing an appeal against the order of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) declaring it bankrupt on a plea filed by the Union Bank of India for non-payment of around Rs 432 crore worth of dues.

The amicus had earlier said that there were a total of 711 home buyers of the twin towers out of which the company had settled the claim of 652 home buyers.

On February 28, the NOIDA authority informed the top court that the work for the demolition of Supertech's twin 40-storey towers in its Emerald Court project, which have been held illegal for a violation of norms, has commenced and will be razed completely.

The authority in the status report said that after the demolition of these massive structures, the entire debris will be cleared of the site by August 22.

The top court had asked all the stakeholders including NOIDA and Supertech Ltd to strictly abide by the timeline given in the status report and listed the matter for further hearing on May 17.

On August 31 last year, the top court had ordered the demolition of Supertech Ltd's twin 40-storey towers under construction within three months for violation of building norms in "collusion with NOIDA officials, holding that illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.

The NOIDA authority had received a rap on its knuckles as the top court pointed out multiple incidents of collusion of its officials with Supertech Ltd in the Emerald Court project and violations of norms by the realty major in the construction of the twin towers. Also Read: Online tax dispute resolution scheme 2022 eliminates personal appearance: 5 big points you want to know

The top court had directed that the entire amount of home buyers be refunded with 12 percent interest from the time of the booking and the RWA of Emerald Court project be paid Rs 2 crore for the harassment caused due to the construction of the twin towers, which would have blocked sunlight and fresh air to the existing residents of the housing project adjoining the national capital. Also Read: L&T Infotech, Mindtree announce mega merger: 5 important things to know

Live TV

#mute
San Francisco: Despite a strong track record with his other business ventures, tech honcho Bill Gates said that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could potentially make the micro-blogging site Twitter a 'worse' platform.

According to CNN, Gates sounded a note of caution on Musk's $44 billion takeover deal of Twitter, saying Musk "actually could make it worse".

While Gates did not precisely define what he meant by "worse" in remarks at the Wall Street Journal's CEO Summit, he questioned whether Musk is committed to preventing the rapid spread of public health misinformation and vaccine skepticism on social media.

"How does he feel about something that says vaccines kill people, or you know, that Bill Gates is tracking people -- is that one of the things he thinks should be spread?" Gates was quoted as saying.

"If all you need is money and hiring great engineers, he is probably as good a person as any" to guide Twitter through its next chapter, Gates added, but said he does not expect Musk to replicate Tesla and SpaceX's "mind-blowing" performance.

Public attention has zeroed in on Gates' relationship with Musk in recent weeks after Musk tweeted an unflattering picture of Gates and accused him of shorting Tesla's stock, the report said.

On Wednesday, Gates said that Musk's tweeting "doesn't bother me" and declined to say whether he has bet against Tesla.

"It's possible that the stock went down and whoever shorted the stock made money, I don't know," Gates said.

"Did it go down in the last month? I don't know. I don't think whether one is short or long Tesla is a statement about your seriousness about climate change. I am putting billions of dollars into climate change innovation; I applaud Tesla's role in helping with climate change," he added.
New Delhi: In September this year, Apple is likely to release a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. According to reports, the iPhone 14 debut may be delayed as a result of manufacturing constraints imposed in China in response to a recent rise in Covid-19 cases.

Apart from the ongoing semiconductor scarcity, Apple suppliers and supply chain partners have been hurt by the escalating number of Coronavirus cases in several parts of China.

According to a report, because of the current COVID-19 outbreak in China and other countries, many Apple suppliers' factories have been forced to close or curtail output, therefore making timely delivery of components for the iPhone 14 series extremely challenging for them.

Due to Covid-19, the iPhone 12 series was launched in October in 2020, as opposed to the September launch time frame for every year's iPhone launch.

The Apple CEO recently told shareholders on the sidelines of announcing the company's quarterly results that the ongoing global chip crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the company's business, leading the company to halt its production facilities in China.

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will cost $1099 and $1199, respectively, due to growing component costs and Apple's drive to separate Pro from non-Pro iPhones. Apple is also likely to replace the iPhone 13 mini with a Max model, which would result in a $300 price increase.

According to rumours, the 2022 iPhone 14 series will include various enhancements over the Pro model, including a redesigned design, a better camera, and more. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are also said to come with a taller profile and improved camera module to fit the new internals.

Both iPhone 14 Pro variants will come with a triple rear camera arrangement that includes a 48MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, and telephoto lens. The iPhone 14 series is expected to feature 8K video.

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro will include 8GB of RAM and a 120Hz display refresh rate. The iPhone 13 model, on the other hand, comes with a 128GB storage option.

When it comes to design, the camera bump on the 2022 high-end iPhone will be 4.17 mm thick, or 0.57 mm larger than the bump on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. To accommodate the hump, the space it takes up on the back of the iPhone will grow by about 5% in each dimension, from 35.01 mm to 36.73 mm and 36.24 mm to 38.21 mm in width and height, respectively.
Social Scientists Association

25 April 2022

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the worst economic crisis in its post-independence history. Foreign reserves of the country have dangerously dwindled, incapacitating the government to import essential supplies such as fuel, cooking gas, fertiliser, and medicine, among other things.

As a result, Sri Lankans are going through unprecedented suffering. Severe shortages of almost all essential items have had a crippling effect on their daily lives. For many weeks, people across the country have been standing in long queues to obtain access to essentials. They are forced to suffer long hours of power cuts. The current crisis has not only disrupted peoples lives at home, but also adversely impacted the economic activities of many sectors such as agriculture, transportation, hospitality, small businesses, and manufacturing. The livelihoods of many are teetering on the edge of collapse. Childrens education, already disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, has further suffered due to lack of transportation, electricity, and even writing papers. Hospitals have almost run out of essential medicines, costing lives. The crisis has reached such a high point that any corrective measure, no matter how well thought out, will take at least months to have some positive effect on peoples everyday lives.

We share the public perception that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government is primarily responsible for aggravating the financial crisis and bringing it to a head. In the backdrop of intensifying popular protest against the difficulties people face, the President and his government are fast losing legitimacy. Although economic mismanagement was the immediate cause of the current crisis, we cannot ignore the role of political institutions and processes in producing the overall crisis. Since independence they have nurtured a corrupt, authoritarian, ethnicised, dynastical, and undemocratic political culture, paving the way for the current disaster of unprecedented magnitude. Resolving the immediate economic crisis is undoubtedly a major priority. However, we believe that restoring democracy and reforming the countrys political culture are equally important and urgent for establishing a just and fair society.

Indeed, this is the call from ordinary citizens who have been protesting over the last month night and day, in the sunshine and rain, offline and online. The protests which started as small neighbourhood candle-light vigils about the hardships faced by people due to the power cuts and gas and fuel shortages have now grown into an unprecedented nationwide uprising that has crossed the ethnic divide. One of the slogans of these protests is kagetha me balalvegaya? Jathi thune balavegaya (Whose movement is this? This is a movement of all three communities). A number of protests have been punctuated by Iftar celebrated by Muslim participants at the protest ground. Young people including university students, who have never been involved in any protest, are at the forefront of the agitation. This is a spontaneous citizens protest movement with a multi-class, multi-ethnic character. It is a culmination of a wave of protests commenced by farmers, teachers, fishermen, etc. against economic hardships a few months ago.

This spontaneous uprising of people independent of political parties call for the removal of the Rajapaksa family and all 225 Members of Parliament. We see this call as a metaphor of the deep disenchantment shared by many citizens with the whole political class in this country. This wave of protests gives a clear message that citizens are deeply disappointed with the way in which the countrys system of democratic institutions and practices have been abused by the political elites as well as the bureaucracy. The slogans and demands being put forward embody a thorough critique of the system, suggesting ideas and directions for far reaching reforms and reconstructions. It is also a call for a new political culture of democracy, accountability, and integrity without political corruption. Citizens and civil society organisations committed to Sri Lankas democracy have come together to support and sustain this movement in the long term.

We unequivocally condemn the use of violence against unarmed citizens exercising their right to protest and are deeply saddened by the death of one protestor at Rambukkana on the 19th of April 2022. More broadly, we recognise that there are efforts to infiltrate this movement and divide and demonise the protesters as anarchists and extremists. Counter protests are being staged to bring back ethnic divisions. Social media experts have also warned that efforts are underway to splinter and dilute the core message coming from the people. Therefore, participants and well-wishers of this new democratic movement in Sri Lanka need to be vigilant to defeat such efforts at undermining this movement. Moreover, the Prime Minister in his address to the nation on the 11th of April appeared to issue a veiled threat against the protesters, while falsely asserting that the protestors are insulting the armed forces.

This is a new and rare democratic moment for Sri Lanka. Let us not miss it. We urge all political and civil society actors to respond to the messages coming from the protesting young citizens with utmost seriousness and responsibility.

In that context, we would like to state the following:

We welcome the current democratic activism of all Sri Lankans, especially the youth, who have got onto the streets to express their deep disappointment and anger against the rulers. It is a new democratic movement of citizens that has emerged independent of political parties and politicians.

We urge the current government to respect the demands of the citizens and pave the way for a new interim government setup, and take effective steps to resolve the economic crisis immediately.

We urge the government to suspend those responsible, immediately as well as indirectly, for opening fire on unarmed civilians pending an independent investigation into the killing of one protestor in Rambukkana. We are conscious that such action by the police has been normalised through a long history of impunity.

We stress the importance of reforming the political system of the country as a part of the solution to the current economic crisis by:

Re-establishing the primacy of parliamentary democracy, checks and balances on the Executive as well as the Legislature to prevent arbitrary and corrupt government, and institutions and mechanisms of accountable government.

Introducing new institutional and procedural mechanisms to facilitate citizens participation in, and supervision of, policy-making and implementation.

Reforming and democratising political parties, their structures, and practices to be truly representative of citizens, freeing the parties from the control of families, business elites, and corrupt vested interests.

Introducing reforms to re-establish independence of the bureaucracy, Judiciary, and law enforcement institutions including the Attorney Generals department and the Police, on the principle that their primary institutional duty is to serve the people and protect their rights, and not the interests of the rulers.

Adopting economic policies that encourage economic and social development, while providing adequate social protection measures to safeguard living standards of the poor, the unemployed, and the working people.

Putting in place an institutional framework that would ensure citizens participation in the affairs of government.

Introducing an institutional framework that would establish equal status of all economic, ethnic, cultural, and gender groups while protecting their rights.

Ensuring that any programme of resolving the economic crisis would not transfer its burden to vulnerable social groups.

Addressing the long-standing demand for greater devolution of political power from the Tamil minority; and

Accounting for past and present atrocities committed by the State against all citizens, including minority communities.

We call for a broad coalition of all protesting groups to sustain this movement for democracy and economic justice in the long term.

Social Scientist Association
The future of Greater Nebraska hasnt looked any brighter for decades. And we can prove it!

At Nebraska Community Foundation, we do lots of things. We help communities identify their local assets, teach them about the value of building endowments, train committed volunteers on a variety of community development topics, and much, much more. For over 25 years, weve also been working diligently to build what we call an optimistic, confident brand for Greater Nebraska. If you are reading this column, you are no doubt familiar with some of the negative stigmas and storylines attached to rural places  that they are fading into oblivion, unworthy of our investment and attention. Though our work in changing this tired rural narrative may never end, it has certainly become easier in recent years, in part thanks to the tireless efforts of NCFs 1,500 volunteers across the state who are helping their hometowns not just survive but thrive.

This isnt just a feeling. There are a variety of factors that are contributing to my confidence in the future of our rural communities and numerous critical data sets that point to a more prosperous future. First, the latest U.S. Census shows that Nebraskas population growth has been steady and now equals the U.S. average for the first time since 1900. The Center for Public Affairs Research at UNOs analysis shows Nebraskas net migration has also improved over time with net gains in the last three decades. This growth isnt just limited to urban places. Population increased in 183 of Nebraskas 529 communities during the 2010s, up from 142 in the 2000s.

Second, the way young Nebraskans feel about their rural Nebraska hometowns has shifted drastically in recent years. Through Nebraska Community Foundations Youth Surveys  a study of thousands of Greater Nebraska high schoolers  we made some very unexpected and exciting discoveries. Any idea what Nebraskas Generation Zers identify as the top three features of their ideal community? Internet access? Restaurants and nightlife? Nope. Its safety, good schools and proximity to family. Surprised? We were too! This is extraordinary news for our small communities where safety, good schools and proximity to family already exist. In other words, Greater Nebraska already has what Gen Z wants. Yet another reason to feel optimistic.

Finally, Nebraska Community Foundations latest Transfer of Wealth Study reveals the incredible abundance that exists in our great state. More than $100 billion in Nebraska wealth will pass from one generation to another over the next 10 years. Over 50 years, the figure swells to $950 billion. Imagine all the ways this abundance could be used to improve quality of life and continue to build communities of choice. Were already seeing it in places like Diller, Red Cloud, Norfolk, Hebron, ONeill, McCook, Laurel, Ainsworth, Ogallala, Pender, Imperial, Stuart, Ord, Bertrand, Howells and my community of Columbus.

If you share my belief in the future of Greater Nebraska, I hope youll take a minute to visit www.fivetothrivene.orgwhere youll learn more about why our Nebraska hometowns are worthy of our investment. I also ask that you consider joining us in the Five to Thrive movement  a call to action for all generous Nebraskans to consider leaving 5% of their assets to a local charitable cause, a collective act that would result in billions of dollars to be reinvested into the future of our hometowns and state. Remember, when we all leave five, our hometowns thrive!

KC Belitz is chief operating officer at Nebraska Community Foundation, a community development organization that is unleashing abundant local assets, inspiring charitable giving and connecting ambitious people to build stronger communities and a Greater Nebraska.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Mumbai: Every year, the world celebrates Mothers Day to honour all the amazing moms in society. The world is surely incomplete without our mothers and to make sure they enjoy their special day, &flix and &PriveHD have created a binge of fun & happy movies for them this Mothers Day. The line-up includes Bad Moms, A Bad Moms Christmas, The Farewell and Volver.

The day starts with the Bad Moms Franchise, an extremely relatable yet humorous saga of three overworked and under-appreciated moms who are pushed beyond their limits. Finally, they ditch their conventional responsibilities for a jolt of long overdue freedom, fun and comic self-indulgence. Continuing the laughter riot, the next movie in the line is The Farewell. The heartfelt drama film narrates the story of a Chinese family that discovers that their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decides to keep the fact hidden from her. They schedule a wedding to gather before she dies. The film adeptly captures complicated family dynamics with a touching, well-acted drama that marries cultural specificity with universally relatable themes. Volver also takes the viewers through a special story of a mother-daughter bond.

Make sure you make this Mothers Day happening for your moms with the amazing lineup of movies that help unwind & enjoy the day all at once!

Watch a line-up including the genres of your choice this March on &flix and &PriveHD
New Delhi: In a horrifying sight for Ponte Vedra High School in Jacksonville, United States, a dead shark was found on Thursday morning hanging from the rafters outside.

According to New York Post, officials said some students hung the dead shark on Wednesday night after gutting and freezing it.

A group of five high school students at Ponte Vedra High School hung a gutted shark on the rafters of the school courtyard, Alex AuBuchon, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC), was quoted as saying by Miami Herald.

Newsweek reported that one of the students claimed it was a prank by senior students.

The FWCC added that the shark was caught on Tuesday night and stored in the freezer before being hanged. The fish carcass was removed by the school staff at 8 am on Thursday. According to Jim Gelsleichter, associate professor of biology and director of the Coastal and Marine Biology Flagship Program at the University of North Florida, it was a sandbar shark, First Coast News reported.

That is a prohibitive species in Florida, and so we are not able to land those particular species and that's really because the sandbar, their populations have been pretty depleted over the past several decades from over fishing," he told First Coast News.

The St. Johns County School District is investigating the matter.
KOLKATA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday arrived in Kashipur and met the family members of BJYM leader Arjun Chowrasia, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances earlier this morning.

Assuring his family of a speedy probe, the Union Home Minister said, We will ensure that those behind the murder of Arjun Chowrasia are punished.

West Bengal | Union Home Minister Amit Shah today met the family of BJYM leader Arjun Chowrasia, in Kashipur MHA has taken cognizance of the "murder" of the BJYM leader and has sought a report from the West Bengal government. pic.twitter.com/VnD8OYoMta  ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2022

Expressing shock over the alleged murder, Amit Shah said that the Union Home Ministry is taking serious note of Chowrasia's death and has sought a report regarding it.

Demanding a CBI probe into the death of BJYM worker Arjun Chowrasia in Kolkata's Kashipur, Amit Shah on Friday said a "culture of violence and a fear psychosis was prevalent in Bengal."

Slamming the Mamata Banerjee government and her Trinamool Congress party, Shah said, No matter where I go in Bengal, I get reports of political violence, revenge attacks.

Arjun Chowrasia, 27, a BJP worker was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Kolkata on Friday morning, hours before Amit Shah`s visit to the city.

Bharatiya Janata Party unit in West Bengal alleged that deceased Chowrasia who was Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Mondal Vice-President, North Kolkata was brutally slaughtered and hanged.

Speaking to ANI after gathering information about the incident, BJP Vice-President Dilip Ghosh said, "This (BJYM worker`s murder) is a pre-planned strategy to disturb and threaten our workers. Our worker Abhijit was killed on May 2 last year and 60 murders took place since then. Nobody has been punished, no chargesheet has been filed...It can`t be solved without CBI."

Following the mysterious death of a BJP worker in Kolkata today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah cancelled all welcome events planned for him in the city.

Notably, this is Shah`s first visit to West Bengal after BJP lost the State Assembly polls in 2021. The Bengal police said an investigation into the death had started.

Police officers faced protests from BJP activists at the spot as they tried to take away the body. Later a large police contingent was rushed to the spot to control the situation and it took away the body to R G Kar Medical College and Hospital for post mortem.
United Nations: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world to unite and end the war in Ukraine, calling it senseless, ruthless and "limitless in its potential for global harm." The top UN human rights official said even a one-day cease-fire would prevent dozens of civilian deaths and injuries and allow several thousand others to flee Russian attacks.

The UN Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine heard a briefing from Guterres on Thursday on his recent meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents that led to the first two evacuations this week from the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol and its last Ukrainian stronghold, the Azovstal steel plant. Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said a third convoy left for Mariupol Thursday, expects to arrive Friday morning, and hopes to evacuate civilians from the plant.

Guterres said he did not "mince words" with Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country's February 24 invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the country's territorial integrity and the UN Charter and "it must end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia and the entire world."

In his meetings with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Guterres said he also focused on the need for quick action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets.

ALSO READ | Russia using 'missile terrorism' in wide attacks: Ukraine

He stressed that "a meaningful solution to global food insecurity requires reintegrating Ukraine's agricultural production and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into world markets, despite the war." Russia and Ukraine together produce 30 per cent of the world's wheat supply, 20 per cent of its corn, and 75 per cent of its sunflower seed oil.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law keep increasing every day. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, she said, 6,731 civilian deaths and injuries have been recorded and "the real figures are considerably higher."

From late February for about five weeks, she said, Russian forces in areas around Kyiv targeted civilian men whom they considered suspicious, detaining, beating, summarily executing them and in some cases taking them to Belarus and Russia. In other Russian-controlled areas including the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, she said her office continues to document arbitrary detentions and possible enforced disappearances of local officials, journalists, civil society activists, retired members of the armed forces and other civilians by Russian troops and affiliated armed groups.

"As of May 4, my office has documented 180 such cases, of which five victims were eventually found dead," Bachelet said, adding that her staff has also heard about cases of women raped by Russian armed forces in areas under their control, and other allegations of sexual violence by both Russians and Ukrainians.

A one-day cease-fire would spare the lives of at least 50 civilians, prevent 30-70 civilians from being injured and a dozen from becoming disabled, and allow several thousand civilians "to safely leave areas where they are currently trapped in hostilities."

"Most importantly, a cease-fire will show that the horror in Ukraine can be stopped," Bachelet said.

Griffiths, the UN human rights chief, said "the reverberations of this war are being felt worldwide," and the UN which has reached more than 4.1 million people with some form of aid across the country will try to get food and medical supplies to more Ukrainians.

The UN will also keep pushing for more civilians to leave Mariupol and the Azovstal plant, and explore "all options to reach more people in places where needs are the greatest, in other parts of Ukraine where civilians are so deeply impacted by fighting," he said.
Washington: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday (May 6, 2022) said that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that has been administered to more than 18 million Americans can potentially cause "life-threatening blood clots", and thereby warranted "limiting the authorized use of the vaccine."

"After conducting an updated analysis, evaluation and investigation of reported cases, the FDA has determined that the risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a syndrome of rare and potentially life-threatening blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets with onset of symptoms approximately one to two weeks following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, warrants limiting the authorized use of the vaccine," the FDA in a statement.

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine was authorised for emergency use in February last year.

"Our action reflects our updated analysis of the risk of TTS following administration of this vaccine and limits the use of the vaccine to certain individuals," Peter Marks, director of the FDA`s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.

Marks further said the FDA has been closely monitoring the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and the occurrence of TTS following its administration and has used updated information from its safety surveillance systems to revise the authorization.

Through March 18 this year, the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified 60 confirmed TTS cases, including nine fatal cases, according to the FDA.

In December last year, the CDC`s vaccine advisory committee issued an updated recommendation on Johnson & Johnson`s vaccine, saying it makes a "preferential recommendation for the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over the Janssen adenoviral-vectored COVID-19 vaccine in all persons aged >=18 years in the United States," CNN reported.

Cases of TTS typically begin one or two weeks after vaccination. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, neurological symptoms like headaches or blurred vision, or red spots just under the skin called petechiae beyond the site of vaccination.
Every year at Columbus Days, the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes a King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in honor of the similarly-named Spanish monarchs who funded Christopher Columbus' voyage. May 5, the chamber opened the nomination window for the prestigious positions.

Nominees are those who have made significant contributions to the community, according to the chamber's Membership and Community Engagement Director Sandie Fischer.

Our previous people have been those who volunteer in the community, do things in the community, Fischer said.

The current king and queen, Scott and Pat Mueller, are just those type of people, Fischer added. The Muellers were a bit of a different pairing because they are husband and wife, something that hasnt happened since Jim and Connie Hellbusch in 2010.

Scott and Pat have given so much to the community, like with the Cattlemans Ball. Theyre both very involved in the community, Fischer said.

Pat Mueller said receiving the title was unexpected but appreciated.

It was a very nice honor to be chosen by our peers and different folks from the community. There were many many others deserving of this, so it was a surprise; a nice one, Mueller said.

She initially wanted Scott to be King Ferdinand and for her to just be left out of it, but the votes said otherwise.

I was like Oh, great, Scott can be King Ferdinand and Ill just stay here in the background, right? But they told me it was a package deal, Mueller joked.

Its an easy position, Mueller said, as job duties are pretty simple.

Were happy to represent Columbus in that capacity. There arent a lot of royal decisions to make, Mueller added.

Mueller explained that to her and Scott, the position is for someone who contributes a lot to the community outside of their business or even volunteer lives.

Theres so many people working behind the scenes, these small acts like getting groceries for someone or driving someone to church who can't make it that are oftentimes not recognized, Mueller said. You definitely want to give a shout out to them and promote volunteering.

Anyone can nominate anyone, Fischer explained, by filling out a form detailing the nominee's business accomplishments, community service and a little bit about them. The form even advises attaching a resume.

Former kings and queens pore over the nominations and select their top three King Ferdinands and top three Queen Isabellas. From there, those six nominations are sent to the chamber of commerce board to decide on a final pair.

Columbus Days this year is themed "Nightmare on 13th Street," with a spooky theme, Fischer said. There will be a night parade and a Michael Jackson "Thriller" tribute dance to go with that theme. The chamber has already set up skeletons around their offices, she added.

The window for nominations closes May 27. Those interested in nominating someone can find information as well as the nomination form at columbusdays.com or by calling the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce at 402-564-2769.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
A Philadelphia man faces charges after police say he was driving a stolen vehicle in the township, police said.

Police say officers were dispatched at 3:20 a.m. May 2 for a report of suspicious activity at a business in the 1100 block of South York Street in Upper Allen Township. An investigation determined that multiple people had cut a hole in a fence that led to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The culprits then drove multiple stolen vehicles through the damaged fence and onto the westbound lanes of the turnpike, township police said. After a pursuit by state police, one of the vehicles was stopped.

Joel A. Cardona-Thompson, 37, of Philadelphia was identified as the driver, police said.

State police arrested Cardona-Thompson and transported him to Dauphin County Central Booking where he was charged by Upper Allen Township police with felony theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy to commit theft.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 26.
In a unanimous vote Friday, the Board of Governors of Pennsylvanias State System of Higher Education selected Dr. Charles E. Patterson to be the next president of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

The announcement was made in a news release issued Friday by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Patterson, who takes over the new position immediately, had been serving as the interim president of the university since June 30, 2021. He was previously president of Mansfield University, a State System university in Tioga County, beginning in July 2019.

I am honored to be selected to serve Shippensburg University as its 18th president, Patterson said in the news release. I continue to be inspired by the important scholarly work of our Ship students and faculty. I look forward to working collaboratively with our many stakeholders, partners, and friends of the university to ensure Ship is recognized as the flagship institution it deserves to be.

Dr. Patterson has led Shippensburg for nearly a year with a strong commitment to student success and listening to all voices on campus, State System Chancellor Dan Greenstein said. Shippensburg is an outstanding institution and with his remarkable experience as a university leader, Charles is a perfect match for the university. He has been a great partner at the State System, and I look forward to continuing to work with him.

Before leading Mansfield, Patterson served as senior adviser for outreach at the US Department of Educations Office of Federal Student Aid from August 2017 until he arrived at Mansfield.

He began his higher education career in 2003 as assistant director for sponsored programs at Baylor University. Six years later, he joined Georgia Southern University as chair and vice president for research and economic development of the universitys Research and Service Foundation Inc. Patterson was appointed interim president of Georgia Southwestern State University in January 2015, a position he held for more than two years before joining the Department of Education.

Patterson earned a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular bioscience from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2002. He graduated in 1993 from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry.

As interim president of Shippensburg University and former president of Mansfield University, Dr. Patterson has demonstrated that he is the right person to lead the university forward, Board Chair Cindy Shapira said. We believe his commitment to working with students, faculty and staff will help guide Shippensburg on its mission to provide an affordable and high-quality education. We are confident in our choice of Dr. Patterson to continue the great work thats happening at Shippensburg.

Email Jeff at jpratt@cumberlink.com or follow him on Twitter @SentinelPratt.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Its been two months since the contentious, once-a-decade process to redraw Pennsylvania legislative districts wrapped up, and now a couple hundred candidates hoping to unseat or succeed state lawmakers are rushing headlong into the homestretch of a primary election that will greatly cull their numbers.

The states legislative redistricting commission produced a map reflecting dramatic shifts in demographics and giving Democrats hope they can gain seats in a General Assembly that has been controlled by Republican majorities for nearly all of the past three decades.

For many incumbents, the changes are requiring them to introduce themselves  and sell themselves  to thousands of potential new constituents.

Going before voters in the May 17 primary election will be candidates for all 203 House and 25 of 50 Senate seats.

In the House, 32 members are not seeking reelection, including a handful running for Senate or other offices. Five Senate seats, all held by members of the Republican caucus, are open because of retirement.

More than 60 state representatives and four senators face no primary or general election opposition, so they effectively have already won another term, simply by qualifying for the ballot. In 24 House and two Senate districts, the incumbent faces only a primary challenge, so even if they lose their party will keep the seat.

All told, voters can expect a choice in the fall between a Republican and a Democrat in about half the House and in 19 Senate districts.

Local races

All but one of the local legislative races will be contested in November.

Assuming there are no write-in campaigns to put a Democratic challenger on the ballot for the 193rd Legislative District race, incumbent Rep. Torren Ecker will likely keep his seat this year.

Outside of Ecker, all incumbents will see at least a fall challenger in this years election. The biggest change locally will be for Harrisburg incumbent Rep. Patty Kim, whose district moves mostly out of Dauphin County to encompass most of Harrisburg along with parts of the West Shore. That newly redrawn district has attracted the most candidates of any local legislative race, with Kim challenged in the primary by Camp Hill Democrat Heather MacDonald, and two Republicans  David Buell of Camp Hill and Jennie Jenkins-Dallas of Harrisburg  seeking their partys nomination. Former Mayor Linda Thompson had initially campaigned for the seat but dropped out of the race.

With incumbent Rep. Greg Rothman seeking a Senate seat, his House seat in the 87th district has also attracted newcomers. Lower Allen Township Commissioner Thomas Kutz and Upper Allen Township resident Eric Clancy seek the Republican nomination, while Upper Allen Democrat Kristal Markle is the only balloted candidate for her party.

With more subtle redistricting changes in two other districts  the 199th Legislative District in the Carlisle area received some South Middleton Township precincts and lost some western municipalities to the 193rd, and the 88th Legislative District lost some West Shore municipalities  both incumbents will see a challenger this fall. Assuming no write-in campaign unseats a balloted candidate, Rep. Barb Gleim will face Democrat Alan Howe in the 199th, and Rep. Sheryl Delozier will face Democratic Mechanicsburg Borough Councilwoman Sara Agerton for the 87th.

Primary challenges

GOP primary challengers have targeted some veteran incumbents, among them Speaker Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County and Appropriations chair Stan Saylor of York County. In both districts, no Democrat is running.

In his primary race, Cutler is defending how he has handled former President Donald Trumps defeat in 2020s presidential election, fetal tissue research funding and the states response to the COVID-19 pandemic  maybe surprising for a Republican chosen as leader after years of being a reliable conservative vote in Harrisburg.

Cutler said that voters current mood in his rural district seems driven by the pandemic, and that he has tried to direct that displeasure toward the states Democratic governor and Democratic majority Supreme Court.

The concern from the electorate is very real in terms of frustration with government, Cutler said. I just think we need to focus more appropriately on the true causes.

Three pairs of House incumbents are fighting it out after being drawn into districts together.

In Perry County, Rep. Perry Stambaugh faces a GOP primary against his neighbor to the north, Rep. Johnathan Hershey. And southwest of Allentown, the battle between Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Gary Day has raised eyebrows among fellow Republicans.

Mackenzie, who has served in the Republican caucus with Day for a decade, put up a website attacking Day as greedy, gutless and insufficiently conservative on guns and taxes.

Philadelphia Democratic Reps. Isabella Fitzgerald and Chris Rabb are running against each other, along with a third Democrat. A Republican is also on the ballot.

In an Allegheny County district, newly sworn-in state Rep. Martell Covington has four Democratic opponents, his reward for winning a special election last month after Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey left the Legislature.

Its been a unique challenge for me personally with trying to assume office and still campaign, Covington said this week, the morning after participating in two candidate forums. Its definitely been a balancing act. But its been exciting.

Seats flipping

Redistrictings effects are showing up in the Harrisburg suburbs, where two Republican-held House seats will definitely flip to Democrats later this month. GOP Reps. Sue Helm and Andrew Lewis both decided not to seek reelection after redrawn boundaries made their districts overwhelmingly Democratic. Republicans did not field primary candidates in either race.

Four state representatives are hedging their bets, seeking reelection while pursuing higher office: Democratic Reps. Summer Lee for Congress in Pittsburgh, Austin Davis for lieutenant governor and Malcolm Kenyatta for U.S. Senate; and Republican Rep. Russ Diamond for lieutenant governor. Two other lieutenant governor hopefuls, Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso, R-Allegheny, and Rep. Brian Sims, D-Philadelphia, are relinquishing their legislative seats.

In the state Senate, unopposed in both the primary or general elections are Democrats Christine Tartaglione of Philadelphia and Wayne Fontana of Allegheny, and Republicans Pat Stefano of Fayette and Camera Bartolotta in Washington.

There are five Senate districts without an incumbent. Republican Sens. Tommy Tomlinson of Bucks, Bob Mensch of Montgomery, Jake Corman of Centre and Mario Scavello of Monroe all opted against running again, as did the chambers lone independent, Sen. John Yudichak of Luzerne, who has caucused with Republicans.

Corman, the Senates highest-ranking leader and a candidate for governor, saw his district get moved by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission to the West Shore suburbs of Harrisburg, where population is growing. Yudichak opted not to run again after being drawn into a district with Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, and his seat was moved to the Lehigh Valley.

The Sentinel contributed to this report.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
HONESDALE  A judge dismissed a temporary protective order against a candidate for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor on Friday after his attorneys attacked the motivation and credibility of the candidates wife, who had testified he was verbally abusive and made threats.

Teddy Daniels claimed vindication after the ruling by President Judge Janine Edwards, telling reporters outside the Wayne County Courthouse, Justice was served today. I just want to go home and see my son.

Daniels, 47, is one of nine candidates seeking the GOP nomination in the states May 17 primary, running with the endorsement of a leading candidate for governor, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano.

Daniels wife, who had obtained a temporary protection-from-abuse order against Teddy Daniels last week, testified that Daniels was incensed because he believed her family was cooperating in an unflattering magazine story about him. He threatened to put a bullet in the head of one of the people he blamed, the woman testified. She said Daniels then told her: And if I find out youre in on it, youre going down too.

Daniels lawyers pointed out the woman had not previously reported the alleged threat, either to police or in her application for a protective order. In court, they suggested she only sought the protective order because Daniels had previously threatened to leave her.

Daniels himself did not testify and did not call any witnesses.

Our case was proven by cross examination of a witness who lied, Daniels lawyer, Jen Gilliland Vanasdale, told reporters. Obviously the court believed that, or the court would not have dismissed and denied the protection from abuse.

Neither Daniels wife nor her lawyer had any immediate comment after the court hearing. A phone message was left at the lawyers office.

Daniels, who is running for the GOP nomination in this months primary, had been ordered to stay away from his home and forbidden from having any contact with his wife. The temporary order had also given Daniels wife temporary custody of their child and forced Daniels to turn over his guns.

In a handwritten petition, the wife told a judge that Daniels, who is 6-foot-4 and 360 pounds, is always angry at me and continuously curses at her, threatening to kick her and their son out of the house if he loses the campaign. The woman said he stalked her at work, screaming at me, making me cry and that his anger toward her has caused her to have panic attacks.

Last August, she said, Daniels grabbed her shirt, pulled her to his face and said, Dont you ever speak to me like that, the petition said. He also threatened to kill the family dog and has made two previous attempts to take his own life, his wife said.

Daniels had claimed the allegations were unfounded and that he was the target of political terrorism meant to damage his campaign.

He said he was swatted, or targeted with bogus calls leading police to his home. Without offering evidence, he accused Rolling Stone magazine, which first published word of the April 26 protection-from-abuse order, of being closely involved with a series of phone calls made to police from out-of-state in which false police reports were made against me at my home. Rolling Stone has said it stands by its story.

Gilliland Vanasdale, Daniels lawyer, said Friday an investigation is underway, declaring: The people and players who were behind this political hit job and character assassination of Ted Daniels will have justice coming on another day.

In court Friday, Daniels wife said her husband grew increasingly agitated after police were called to the home for a wellness check on April 24. Thats when she said he made the threat, getting in her face.

I started to get really scared, said the woman, who cried at times during her testimony. Noting the loaded guns he kept around the house, she said, I felt threatened.

She said she kept a personal journal in a safe deposit box at a bank because she feared Daniels would find it, read it and become angry. She said she wrote about times when Daniels was verbally abusive.

Daniels told reporters his wife had no reason to fear him, and he attacked political rivals who called for him to drop out of the race over the protection-from-abuse order.

We have a constitution. And every single person who said that should never hold office in this country, he said, repeating his contention that justice was served today in a court of law.

Justice was not served! a woman yelled from across the courthouse lawn, prompting Daniels to look in her direction.

Daniels is a supporter of former President Donald Trump. Daniels has said he  like Mastriano, the gubernatorial candidate who has endorsed him  was outside the U.S. Capitol during the insurrectionist riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
When planning our estates and thinking about how to pass our property to our loved ones, most of us think of preparing a will. An awful lot of people will go to an attorney to prepare a simple will that specifies how their property will be divided up when they die. This type of estate plan is inexpensive up front, but there can be higher costs in the long run than you might realize.

The first long-term cost of a will is the cost of its administration. The movies present a simple picture of how a will works. They show the entire family heading over to a tidy office right after the funeral, still dressed in black with veils over their faces, listening to a stuffy lawyer read the will out loud or watching a video of the decedent reading the will out loud, and immediately receiving their inheritances on the spot.

I have spoken with a number of people who believe this movie theater scenario is exactly how things will play out in real life. That could not be further from the truth.

In order to administer a will, your executor must contact the local Register of Wills to open probate and receive a court order appointing them as the executor of the estate. This begins a process that typically takes a year or longer to complete. During that process, your executor must contact financial institutions, give notice to heirs and creditors, review claims, handle objections, file accounting records, pay your outstanding debts, and seek court approval at various stages of the process before your heirs can receive anything.

If done correctly from start to finish, legal fees to administer an estate through probate range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. Fees depend upon the value of the estate and must follow state regulations unless the attorney is charging by the hour. If done incorrectly, the process will take longer, and legal fees to correct the initial mistakes will be even higher.

Another cost is inheritance tax. The state assesses an inheritance tax on all of your probate property (property passing through your will) and some non-probate property passing through beneficiary designations, based on the relationship between yourself and the person receiving your property. This can be up to a 15% tax, depending on the relationship. This is typically paid through the estate, but if that is not done, your beneficiaries can be personally liable for their share of inheritance tax.

By far the largest cost, though, is the cost of potentially losing everything if you have a significant health crisis and your estate planning failed to include a plan for your care and your needs while you are still alive.

If you become incapacitated and are unable to manage your own finances and you did not previously appoint a durable general power of attorney, someone will have to go through a court proceeding to obtain guardianship. This will cost thousands of dollars in legal fees, plus fees to compensate expert witnesses. That is a relatively small price compared to the cost of the delay before your potential guardian has legal authority to do anything to help you, at a time when you are in crisis and every day is expensive. Those costs include the cost of your care in the hospital or facility where you are placed during the time it takes your loved one to navigate that proceeding, or the cost of your declining health when you cannot get treatment because there is no one able to authorize your care.

If you need skilled nursing care, the average cost in Pennsylvania is $14,676.04 per month. Medicare only pays as long as that skilled care is for the purpose of rehabilitation, and is succeeding at rehabilitating you. If a doctor determines you will need a higher level of care long-term, Medicare will no longer cover the cost of that care.

At that point, the full cost of skilled nursing care becomes an out-of-pocket expense unless you have long-term care insurance or you qualify for Medicaid to pay for your care. If you fail to plan for this potential situation, this cost may quickly burn through your entire life savings, leaving nothing behind to pass through your will.

If your family reaches out to an elder law attorney in that moment of crisis, it is possible to preserve some of your estate, but only if you have a thorough Power of Attorney that provides the tools they need. With good quality advance planning, we can help you preserve a lot more, perhaps even everything you have built up over your lifetime, to provide for your family into the future.

For someone who is young and healthy, a will is generally an important part of an estate plan, but it should certainly not be the entire plan. Early planning should also include a Financial Power of Attorney, Health Care Power of Attorney, life insurance, consideration of long-term care insurance, and thinking about how to set up your property and beneficiary designations so your heirs may not have to open probate to administer your estate. If you have minor children, you should also consider who you would like to take care of them if you are not able to. If you want to leave any of your property to your minor children, you should consult with a lawyer about how to set that up.

For someone who is over 60 and has health concerns or whose spouse has health concerns, a simple will could be very costly in the long run. There comes a time in life when you should really consider some enhanced estate planning options. Those options cost a bit more in the short term, but they will deliver returns and save you many times the initial cost in the long run.

Find additional articles & resources at www.KeystoneElderLaw.com or join their Facebook group Later in Life Planning and Resources. Keystone Elder Law P.C. is located in Mechanicsburg. Call 717-697-3223 for a free telephone consultation with their Care Coordinator.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The Leadwood Board of Aldermen met last week and fielded more angry questions from residents regarding the water project that has been ongoing for almost a decade.

Leadwood is in the throes of using a federal USDA loan, plus a state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant to be put toward the loan, and its coordinating with Taylor Engineering to be sure its infrastructural plans for replacing the water system are compliant with DNRs requirements.

Over the course of the project, the people in the elected mayoral and aldermanic seats have changed, and unlike many of the other, slightly larger cities in St. Francois County, Leadwood does not employ a city manager to navigate large municipal projects without the distraction.

According to the meetings minutes, residents Robert McGuire and Danielle Mercer spoke to the aldermen with their concerns about the perceived lack of progress on the water project.

McGuire, according to the report, asked the board for an update. Alderman Charlie Lewis told him the city has met with representatives from the DNR and USDA, as well as the project engineer, and we only know what they tell us.

Alderman John Vickers told McGuire the city had received a letter that day from DNR asking 15 questions that needed to be answered by Taylor Engineering within 15 days. Water Supervisor Kevin Brooks added he intended to work with Engineer Tim Robbs to come up with the answers as soon possible.

Lewis, according to the minutes, said citizens calls help move things along, and later implied the tardiness of the project was due to engineering delays. Mayor Ed Austin said he has been in talks with representatives of DNR and USDA, and paperwork was recently turned in for the water project which will comply with bids out this winter and construction in the spring.

Brooks said he had been in touch with a chief engineer from DNR, who indicated they are in process of approving Leadwoods water project. Resident Robby Crump asked if the project included the original plan of using Leadwood water instead of piping it in from Park Hills, and the alderman assured him it did. Last winter, aldermen voted against working with Park Hills on water delivery, although they indicated DNR has suggested it still be considered as an option. Doing due diligence and researching the engineering feasibility of the Park Hills option also prolonged the project.

According to the meetings minutes, resident Danielle Mercer told the board she spoke to State Rep. Mike Henderson, R-Desloge, regarding the project, as well as other officials. She said she was told the grant will expire next March.

Austin clarified the grant can be rolled over if necessary, if the appropriate paperwork was filed to get an extension. He said he hoped the project would stay on track so the extension wouldnt be needed.

Mercer claimed she also spoke to Claire McClaskill, who has not represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate since January 2019, and said McCaskill had thought the project was already done. Mercer said she just wants clean water and fixed roads.

Mercer asked if the engineering firm could be charged with fraud, since they have not produced, according to the meeting minutes. Reportedly, members of the board assured Mercer the process of working with two governmental agencies on a massive, municipal engineering project is a slow one, but incremental progress is being made.

Brooks provided a brief history of the water project, saying it had begun in 2014 but the direction and scope had taken several turns over the last eight years. COVID-19 reportedly took a toll on the progress, as well as the detour time taken to research the Park Hills option. The city is on its fourth mayor, and the members serving on the board have shifted names and faces.

Brooks said he feels approval is about to happen and theyre drawing closer to breaking ground.

Resident Blake Childs brought up water rates. Mercer said the current flat rate, strongly encouraged by USDA as a means of making sure the loan could be paid, was unfair and penalized smaller households while rewarding larger households.

Austin said the new systems water meters will better gauge the usage and charge residents accordingly.

In other news, the board:

Certified the April 5 election results and swore in Vickers and Penberthy, with Alderwoman Sheila Wisdom to be sworn in at her next availability. Lewis was voted as mayor pro tem.

Adopted the 1-cent sales tax ordinance April 5 voters approved to augment public safety budgets.

Heard a police department update from Chief Emily Portell, who said there were three reports and two citations for last month.

Voted to retire slain Bonne Terre patrolman Lane Burns badge, from the years when he worked for Leadwood Police.

Discussed tree trimming at the City Park, as well as removing Bradford Pear trees.

Sarah Haas is the assistant editor for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-518-3617 or shaas@dailyjournalonline.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Crozet Spring Arts & Crafts Festival: More than 120 jury-selected artists, craft demonstrations, live music, childrens activities, food trucks and Virginia wines and beers, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Claudius Crozet Park, (434) 326-8284, $7, $6 seniors and military members, weekend passes $12 and $10, children 12 and younger get in free.

Music on the Patio with The Bennie Dodd Band: 2:30-5:30 p.m., DuCard Vineyards in Etlan, (540) 923-4206, no cover, reservations recommended.

It Shoulda Been You: 8 p.m., Four County Players, (540) 832-5355, $18, $16 seniors and students, $14 ages 12 and younger. Play contains explicit language and adult situations; parental discretion is advised.

Robert Jospe Trio: 2-5 p.m., Glass House Winery, (434) 975-0094, no cover.

Matt Johnson: Noon-4 p.m., Keswick Vineyards, (434) 244-3341.

The Children: 8 p.m., Live Arts, (434) 977-4177, $25, $20 students and seniors.

Tayla Lynn and Tre Twitty: 3 and 7:30 p.m., Cooke-Haley Theater at Louisa Arts Center, (540) 967-5200, sold out.

Charlottesville Ballet Presents: Connections: 2 and 7 p.m., Paramount Theater, (434) 979-1333, $45-$25, $40-$20 youths, students, seniors and military members. Democracy & Dance event at 4:15 p.m. is $20-$15. $75 VIP ticket includes premier seating and beverage.

Chris Hanks: 1-4 p.m., Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery and Tap 29 Brewery in Leon, (800) 800-WINE, no cover.

The Unsuitables: 5-8 p.m., Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery and Tap 29 Brewery in Leon, (800) 800-WINE, no cover.

Zephyrus: Requiem by Manuel Cardoso to benefit Ukrainian war refugees, St. Pauls Memorial Church, (434) 963-4690, donations accepted for U.S. Refugee Agency. Masks recommended indoors. Vaccination requested.

Mihali (from Twiddle) with Baked Shrimp: 8:30 p.m., The Southern Cafe and Music Hall, (434) 977-5590, $18, $15 advance.

Camp Revel: Annual fundraiser for The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, 7 p.m., Visible Records, (434) 218-2060, $75 and $25, 21 and older.
At the invitation of the ROK government, President Xi Jinpings special representative, Vice President Wang Qishan, will lead a delegation to the ROK to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on May 10.

Phoenix TV: We notice that Japan has been very active on the international stage lately, with many political figures visiting countries in Asia, Europe and America. On May 5, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during his visit to the UK that Japan is deeply concerned over unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, rapid but obscure military building activities and economic coercion. When mentioning the cross-Strait relations, Fumio Kishida also said that Ukraine may be East Asia tomorrow. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: State-to-state cooperation should contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity. It should not target any third parties or undermine their interests. The Japanese side has kept slipping its own agenda in diplomatic activities, played up regional tensions by making an issue out of China and hyped up the so-called China threat. By doing so, Japan aims to find excuses for beefing up its military capabilities and undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries. This is not conducive to regional peace and stability and will win no support. China firmly rejects relevant words and deeds of the Japanese side.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. The Taiwan question is purely Chinas internal affair, which can never be mentioned in the same breath with the Ukraine situation. Japan bears grave historical responsibilities to the Chinese people on the Taiwan question and should thus exercise greater prudence in its words and actions. It has no right to spout off on this issue. On maritime issues, China firmly defends its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. We also stand ready to properly resolve differences with countries concerned through negotiations and consultations to maintain regional peace and tranquility.

If the Japanese side is sincere about maintaining peace and stability in East Asia, then it should immediately stop provoking major-country confrontation, and do more things that will promote mutual trust between regional countries and peace and stability in the region.

Yonhap News Agency: You just announced that Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President in the ROK upon invitation. Can you share Chinas consideration behind the Vice Presidents attendance?

Zhao Lijian: Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol in the Republic of Korea at the invitation of the ROK government as President Xi Jinpings special representative. The two sides are having consultations on the specific arrangement.

China and the ROK are and will remain close neighbors. We are also important cooperation partners. We wish the ROK prosperity in all its endeavors and hope that China-ROK friendship and cooperation will continue to be elevated to higher levels. We are convinced that under the concerted efforts of the two sides, China-ROK relations will continuously make progress in keeping with the times.

Associated Press of Pakistan: More than 20 people have been killed due to heavy floods in several provinces of Afghanistan. Being a neighbor of Afghanistan, what is Chinas response?

Zhao Lijian: The recent severe floods in several Afghan provinces have caused casualties as well as property damage. The Chinese side is deeply saddened by the loss of lives and extends sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured. Afghanistan is Chinas friendly neighbor. We stand ready to provide disaster-relief assistance to the best of our capability according to the Afghan sides needs in the wake of the flooding.

Xinhua News Agency: Tomorrow is May 7. Twenty-three years ago, on May 7, 1999, NATO bombed the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists and wounding more than 20 Chinese diplomats. Now, 23 years later, as this special day approaches, what message does China want to send?

Zhao Lijian: The Chinese people will never forget that on May 7, 1999, the US-led NATO bombed the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese journalists and wounding more than 20 Chinese diplomats. The Chinese people will never forget such barbaric atrocities of NATO and will never allow the historical tragedy to be repeated.

NATO claims to be a defensive organization, but in fact it has repeatedly violated international law and wantonly waged war against sovereign states, undermining global and regional peace, and killing and displacing a large number of innocent civilians. In its blind pursuit of absolute security, NATO engaged in five consecutive waves of eastward expansion after the end of the Cold War, which did not make Europe safer, but rather sowed the seed of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, reigniting conflict on the European continent.

The Cold War is long over. The common aspiration of all countries in the world is promoting peace, cooperation and development. The US-led NATO should naturally grasp the situation and make necessary adjustments. It should discard the Cold War mentality, stop provoking bloc confrontation and creating tension in Europe, the Asia-Pacific and the world. The US and NATO should take concrete steps to make solid contributions to world peace, stability and development.

Reuters: The Olympic Council of Asia says that it will postpone the Asian Games originally set to take place in September in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. It also says that it will cancel Decembers Asian Youth Games in the Chinese city of Shantou. Can the foreign ministry comment on the reason for this postponement and whether it is due to COVID?

Zhao Lijian: The Olympic Council of Asia has issued a press release. For more specifics, I would like to refer you to the competent authorities.

Hubei Media Group: According to reports, the IAEA released a technical report on its review teams visit to Japan in February this year to assess the handling of nuclear contaminated water in Fukushima. The report noted the significant progress Japan has made in preparation for discharging the nuclear contaminated water into the sea. Does China have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: China has noted and is looking at the relevant technical report. It seems to be a summary of the IAEA technical Task Forces review mission to Japan in February, without any conclusive opinions. The report put forward a number of suggestions for technical improvement on issues such as the characterization of the nuclear contaminated water in Fukushima, environmental impact assessment, source and environmental monitoring programs, and stakeholder participation. This also confirms the legitimate concerns of the international community over Japans disposal plan. The Japanese side has yet to provide a convincing explanation about the international communitys concerns about the reliability of data on the nuclear contaminated water, the effectiveness of treatment facilities and the uncertainty of environmental impact.

It needs to be pointed out that the Task Force did not assess other disposal options except for the ocean discharge plan. As a result, the IAEA was unable to conduct a thorough assessment on what is the best option. Just as the Task Force was conducting its review mission, Japan has been pushing ahead approval procedures regarding the ocean discharge plan and relevant infrastructure construction. Such acts in disregard of various parties concerns in an attempt to create a fait accompli is extremely irresponsible.

Once again we urge Japan to take the reasonable and legitimate concerns of the international community and the Japanese public seriously, and look for a proper means of disposal through full consultation with relevant international agencies and all stakeholders including its neighboring countries instead of sticking to and pushing forward its ocean discharge plan.

Phoenix TV: Under Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security Robert Silvers said at a think tank event on May 3 that China is the US most significant long-term strategic rival and its hacking activities pose threats to the US. He added that Chinas investment in developing countries digital infrastructure could expand Chinas monitoring of content in cyberspace, and the launch of the Declaration for the Future of the Internet by the US is an important step in response to Chinas actions. Besides, former Chief of Staff of the US Air Force said the US will be unable to respond if China and Russia cooperate in the field of cyber warfare. Do you have any response?

Zhao Lijian: We firmly reject the US officials' remarks which are inconsistent with facts and made out of political purposes.

In fact, in order to maintain its advantages and monopoly position in cyberspace, the US has broken rules and acted irresponsibly and unscrupulously to hinder Chinas Internet and digital development.

In order to limit Chinas development, the US has violated rules and even gone so far as to divide the Internet and coerce some countries into signing up to the so-called Declaration for the Future of the Internet, abandoned multilateralism and UN platforms, and attempted to replace multilateral rules with a set of rules that suit its small cliques.

In order to suppress Chinese companies, the US has used all possible means and tricks to hobble and sanction Chinese companies under the pretext of national security and human rights, and at the same time peddled its own immature products as an endorsement for US companies. What the US is doing is actually pursuing a malicious industrial policy in the name of human rights and security. This is not fair competition, but ill-intentioned obstruction.

Speaking of cyber attacks, the US has for many years conducted mass, systematic, indiscriminate data and cyber theft across the world. It has also provided offensive cyber technologies and weapons to other countries, spared no effort to integrate the cyber attacking forces of its allies, spread the disinformation about hacking from China and tried to pursue forward deployment in Chinas neighborhood. All these are highly irresponsible behaviors.

In pursuit of its own self-interests on cyber-related issues, the US has created division, incited confrontation and coerced other countries. This has seriously undermined the solidarity of the international community and hindered the global efforts to promote global governance in cyberspace.

Cyberspace is shared by all humanity. To maintain an open and inclusive cyberspace and follow the law of cyber economic and technological development is the overriding trend of the world. To maintain a peaceful and secure cyberspace and share the dividend of cyber and digital progress in a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment is the shared aspiration of all. The US should stand on the right side of history, proceed more from the common interests of the international community, and immediately stop its irresponsible remarks and behaviors.

Global Times: Admiral Charles Richard, commander of US Strategic Command, said at a hearing on May 4 that Washington faces a heightened nuclear deterrence risk when it comes to Russia and China, and that China will likely use nuclear coercion to its advantage in the future. What is Chinas comment?

Zhao Lijian: Some individuals in the US have been hyping up various versions of the so-called China nuclear threat. No matter how many times they have been rehashed, these allegations are too often full of speculation and prejudice. These people are sensationalizing the topic in order to gain a larger share in the Congress budget tussle, and the ultimate goal is to maintain and beef up the US own nuclear capability. The official you mentioned again called for the development of new low-yield nuclear weapons by the US after playing up the so-called nuclear threat by China and Russia. His real motive of touting military expansion is laid bare.

As is known to all, the US is the biggest source of nuclear threat in the world. With the worlds largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal, the US is still investing trillions of dollars to upgrade its nuclear triad, developing low-yield nuclear weapons and lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. Not only so, the US has withdrawn from legal instruments on arms control including the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and refused to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. It continues to deploy global anti-missile systems and seeks to deploy land-based intermediate ballistic missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific. It is building small cliques obsessed with Cold War mentality by selling nuclear submarines to Australia and strengthening the US nuclear umbrella. Not long ago, the US sent negative signals about the nuclear posture review by refusing to give up the nuclear deterrence policy based on the first use of nuclear weapons.

China follows a self-defensive nuclear strategy and keeps its nuclear forces at the minimum level required to safeguard national security. We stay committed to no first use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and undertake unequivocally and unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. This policy remains clear and consistent. China opposes any form of China nuclear threat theory.

The US officials should immediately stop the trick of playing a thief calling "stop the thief" and shifting the blame to others. The US should, in line with international consensus, earnestly should assume its special and primary responsibilities toward nuclear disarmament, continue to further substantively reduce its nuclear arsenal in a verifiable, irreversible and legally-binding manner. The US should take the same nuclear policy with China to make due contribution to reducing nuclear threats and promoting nuclear disarmament.
The Charlottesville School Board wants to pass a resolution that would allow school employees to collectively bargain, but members want to learn more about the process first.

We have all voiced support to move through the process but theres a lot about the process that we dont understand yet, school board chairwoman Lisa Larson-Torres said at a meeting Thursday.

The board unanimously voted Thursday to authorize schools Superintendent Royal Gurley Jr. to start working with the Charlottesville Education Association on the specifics of a resolution for collective bargaining.

Gurley said the boards vote will allow him to work on behalf of the board on that resolution. He plans to meet with CEA, which proposed its own resolution three weeks ago, as well as board members to find out what the board needs moving forward from the process.

The school division has not had a full-time director of human resources since last July.

Several board members said they need more information about collective bargaining will work and time to talk with one another about the issue. The board has a retreat in June, which several members said would be a good opportunity to have those discussions.

If we can trust in a healthy process and we have trust in each other, then I think we can do this, school board member Sherry Kraft said. I dont think any of us are trying to stall or slow anything but please allow us as board time that we need to talk to each other. This is new for all of us, and we just really need that in order to fully move forward with confidence.

Before the boards vote, Charlottesville teachers and community members expressed concern during public comment about the proposed language for that authorization, which wouldve allowed the superintendent to develop a proposed resolution in consultant with various stakeholder groups and the school board attorney as well as the Charlottesville Education Association.

Teachers who are part of the CEA wanted the board to better outline the associations role in developing the resolution. Most of the school board has expressed support for collective bargaining and said Thursday that they wanted to see CEA involved discussions about the resolution.

Why are we taking two steps back when we have a path forward? asked Rae Regan, a reading specialist at Walker Upper Elementary School and chair of CEAs organizing campaign.

Under a state law that went into effect May 2021, teachers and other public-sector employees can negotiate a contract that would cover wages, hours and other work conditions. For this to occur, the School Board must first adopt an ordinance or resolution allowing those collective bargaining, which it doesnt have to do.

Gurley said he had no intention writing his own resolution.

The only intent moving forward is for us to be partners, he said.

After the boards vote, CEA members thanked the board for its support and said they would help answer any questions.

I very much look forward to sitting down with with you and whoever is from the board to work on this resolution, said David Koenig, a teacher at Lugo-McGinness Academy and co-chair of CEAs organizing committee. I hope that we hear from you very, very soon because we stand here ready to begin work.

Teachers and community members attended Thursdays meeting, wearing red to show their support for collective bargaining. Nine people spoke at the beginning of the meeting in support of collective bargaining; no one was publicly opposed.

Imogen Campbell, a fifth-grader at Walker Upper Elementary, said teachers deserve better pay and a say in how the school is run.

They work hard for us, so we should give them the respect that they deserve by allowing collective bargaining, she said.

Imogens sister, Gudrun, said she has seen teachers make sacrifices for their students. The CHS freshman added that collective bargaining would help students as well.

Well-paid teachers with good working conditions have less to worry about allowing them to focus on students, she said. To keep the best teachers you need to treat them like the best teachers.

CEA organizers had hoped to have a resolution adopted before the end of the school year.

Bekah Saxon, a local director with the Virginia Education Association, said she understands that the school board members might need some time to develop common vision of what they want and need from bargaining.

We are all operating without a clear set of instructions, which is both exciting and a little nerve-wracking, Saxon said. Having a clear understanding that you want your employees to be full partners in this process will set the tone of collaboration that you all have indicated that you desire.

Saxon also addressed the recent comments from interim City Manager Michael Rogers who said on Monday that the state law permitting collective bargaining for public employees did not apply to elected school boards. He walked back those comments Wednesday following an inquiry from the Daily Progress.

The City Manager did not intend to express any legal opinion as to statutory interpretation, Rogers office said in a statement. Rather, he was speaking from a practical and budgetary perspective.

School boards dont have taxing authority, and any action related to collective bargaining will be subject to availability and appropriation of federal, state and local funding, according to the statement.

No collective bargaining resolution adopted by the school board could be implemented by the school division as a stand-alone approach, and the state law does not mandate City funding, city staff said in the statement.

Saxon said that Charlottesville teachers are aware of the budget process and that local funding will affect the bargaining process.

We understand that ultimately, the funding for any contract we negotiate will depend on the allocation of monies by City Council, Saxon said.

At Mondays council meeting, Rogers said the city needed to discuss the issue further with Gurley.

Because in our conversation, he thinks that they may move forward with something and I just want to make sure that were in sync and whether they are under an ordinance that is adopted by the council, then they need to wait on us, he said.

The city is currently interviewing consultants who will help create a collective bargaining ordinance. Rogers told councilors he expects to bring an ordinance that would permit collective bargaining for city employees to council in early summer.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Food and Drug Administrations proposed ban on the selling of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars last week is facing opposition from tobacco giants such as Henrico County-based Altria, the largest supplier of cigarettes in the U.S.

In a statement, Altria spokesperson Jennifer Kelly said, We believe harm reduction, not prohibition is the better path forward.

Strategies to reduce tobacco use are aimed at lowering the health risks linked to nicotine and can include making it easier to access programs that help people quit smoking, increasing the tax on cigarettes and limiting the promotion of higher-risk products.

A 2022 report from the American Lung Association monitoring progress made toward reducing tobacco use ranked Virginia among the worst in the country for tobacco prevention.

And Mignonne Guy, a tenured professor of African American studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and a faculty investigator for the VCU Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, said she cant imagine Altria endorsing additional taxes or solutions that would impact its revenue without another drug to replace the loss.

I agree with them that harm reduction is 100% the way to go. That is what we need, Guy said. And we will reduce harm when we ban menthol.

Then, Guy continued, additional support is needed to help people manage issues related to withdrawal.

The state spends 51 cents per smoker on services to help them quit versus the national average of $2.21. While Virginia receives nearly $400 million in tobacco-related revenue per year, the state spends $13.1 million on tobacco-control programs.

Since 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the state spend nearly seven times that figure to reduce tobacco use.

Before 2020  the same year the General Assembly tabled a bill banning the sale of flavored cigarettes including menthol  Virginia also had the second-lowest cigarette tax per pack of 20.

At the current 60-cent tax, the state is ranked 43rd in the country alongside Wyoming. The American Lung Association suggests increasing the tax by at least $1.

Still, the Tax Foundation, a tax policy think tank, projects the sales ban on menthol cigarettes could cost Virginia $121 million in revenue within the first year.

The Virginia Department of Health estimates the state spends almost 26 times that  or $3.1 billion  on annual health care costs related to tobacco use. More than $900 is spent per household covering smoking-related costs through taxes.

Per VDH, the human toll of tobacco use in Virginia is roughly 10,300 adults dying from smoking each year. An additional 1,600 nonsmokers die because of secondhand smoke. With current smoking levels, VDH estimates 152,000 kids in Virginia will ultimately die of smoking.

A statewide VDH survey on tobacco use in 2018 also found that menthol use by race is a particular concern.

Nearly 90% of Black Virginians who smoke prefer menthol cigarettes, compared to about 35% of whites, the group reported to be the least likely to prefer menthol products. Black residents were also the most likely to report wanting to quit after their last cigarette at 89%.

A study released in 2018 from University of North Carolina researchers detailed a potential link to this disparity: increased advertising and cheaper cigarette prices for menthol products were common in neighborhoods with more Black, young or low-income residents.

Menthol can make it both easier to start smoking and harder to quit, according to the FDA. That, combined with tobacco use being the leading cause of cancer, drove the FDAs proposed standards, according to a release.

Its likely the ban would take at least one year to go into effect if the proposal is passed by federal regulators, which would happen after the public comment period closes on July 5. Even then, the adoption of banning menthol cigarette sales could be delayed if legal battles against the decision ensue.

This is a racial justice issue. This is a financial issue and this is a health justice issue, Guy said. And its time to get it right.

***

On its website, Altria announced a push toward moving beyond smoking and being known as a tobacco-harm reduction company that helps people shift from smoking to potentially lower-risk alternatives.

Guy said that implies the alternatives are still harmful.

Altrias market share of menthol is 9.4%, but how much Altrias marketing budget goes toward promoting reduced-risk products or how much of its revenue comes from the sale of menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars is not available because the corporation doesnt disclose its budget, said Kelly, Altrias spokesperson.

She also added that taking these products out of the legal marketplace will push them into unregulated, criminal markets that dont follow any regulations and ignore minimum age laws. We will continue to engage in this long-term regulatory process.

Altrias website currently states that existing science and evidence do not support these potential product standards.

Public health experts disagree.

In an interview, Guy said Altrias statement is gaslighting America without evidence to support the theory that the removal of menthol cigarettes would result in an underground market. Guy also referenced data from the FDA that has found the majority of people who smoke menthol cigarettes would quit smoking if they didnt have access to those cigarettes.

The tobacco industry is going to use any kind of scare tactic that they can in order to generate support that works in their favor to maintain their multibillion dollar industry, Guy added.

Sarah Birckhead, a regional coordinator with the VDH who works with local health districts as part of the agencys Tobacco Use Control Project, said the regulation will save lives through prevention and through helping adults quit.

I really would love for us to ... accept and talk about nicotine as a true addiction. For how it affects the body. Its become one of the few acceptable health behaviors that can still be shamed, Birckhead said. There is no shame in becoming addicted to a product that is marketed to people to use. Its everywhere.

Birckhead noted that one strategy to counter is making information on how to quit available on social media or in TV campaigns. Another is increased funding to level up on the number of services the agency is able to provide, which can include providing behavioral support or free nicotine replacement therapy.

She also suggested combining forces with medical providers so that if patients use tobacco products, theyre referred to services to help them quit like VDHs Quit Now Virginia program.

VDH data found that 75% of Virginia tobacco users want to stop smoking, and about two-thirds of those users tried to quit at least once in the past year.

Birckhead said her mission is to equip anyone who is ready to quit with the tools to quit, so theyre not frustrated, so it doesnt take them seven or 30 times to quit for good.

Our ultimate goal is to [help Virginians] live longer and lead healthier lives, Birckhead said. And to empower Virginians to make choices to help them lead their healthiest life possible.
As a retired member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, I was proud to represent America in seven countries over more than 20 years of service. I write this in advance of Foreign Service Day on May 6, a day designated by Congress to honor our active-duty and retired members of the Foreign Service.

From the Afghanistan withdrawal and evacuation to the war in Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis, diplomacy has been greatly tested this past year. Coming on the heels of a pandemic that forced great changes to the practice of diplomacy, this has been a challenging time for members of the Foreign Service who live and work in U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, serving as Americas first line of defense.

Despite the challenges, the work of diplomacy continues. I applaud our diplomats members of the Foreign Service and my former colleagues  who work in the countries where theyre posted and with U.S. allies around the world to resolve conflicts and help keep America safe.

On this Foreign Service Day, I write to recognize the service of our diplomats and urge the U.S. government to fully fund the Foreign Service to support our diplomatic efforts at home and abroad. More resources are needed to do this work, not least including increased staffing and ongoing training. Lets make sure our representatives around the globe have the necessary personnel and resources to meet the needs of the American people.

Susan Shultz

Keene, Virginia

Member, American Foreign Service Association
Linn County Sheriffs dispatcher of the year for 2020 is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from the law enforcement agency over the course of three years.

Tara Ann Trudell, 34, is accused of seven counts of first-degree theft.

Meanwhile, via motions filed with the court, her defense attorney is implying she may not be the only one, just the only one being prosecuted. He's demanding personnel records of other Sheriff's Office employees, including the sheriff herself.

Court documents allege Trudell stole at least $11,000 from the Linn County Sheriffs Office between Jan. 27, 2019, and March 13.

The actual total is nearly double that, Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan said.

Earlier this year, it was brought to my attention that an employee may have taken a large amount of paid leave time over a three-year period and purposely did not submit the proper documentation to have it removed from her time banks, Duncan said by email.

The Benton County Sheriffs Office investigated the case, which found "the amount of time alleged to have been improperly taken is approximately 670 hours of leave time, Duncan wrote.

That number of hours is equal, Duncan said, to about $20,195 of paid time off that was not deducted.

Trudell was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation which is ongoing, according to Duncan.

According to a March 12, 2021, Facebook post from the Linn County Sheriff's Office, Trudell was the agencys 2020 dispatch employee of the year.

With her hard work and dedication, Tara brings the best of her to work every day," the post says. "The Sheriff's Office is lucky to have her and she gives her best to the citizens of Linn County!

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Trudell was arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court on April 13 on seven counts of first-degree theft, but she has another arraignment scheduled for May 23, according to Oregons online court database.

Portland-based attorney Daniel Thenell is representing Trudell. Prosecutor Douglas Prince is representing the state.

There is also an open case regarding Trudell with the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. According to that agency's website, the case was opened April 27 and is under review. The reason for the case is listed as arrest/criminal disposition.

Thenell's court filings suggest that there may be similar cases within the Linn County Sheriff's Office.

In a motion filed with the court Thursday, May 5, the defense asked the court to authorize a pretrial subpoena for documents to be produced before trial from the Linn County Sheriffs Office. They include copies of time sheets for other LCSO employees, including Duncan herself, former dispatcher Ann Otto who died in 2018, Undersheriff Micah Smith and Capt. Dave Snippen.

Other requested documents include revisions to those time sheets  described as "audit trails showing changes"  relevant emails and other documentation involving alleged time sheet inaccuracies from 2013 to the present.

A second motion filed defense filed with the court on Thursday requested all documents, reports, email decisions, probable cause affidavits and case dispositions regarding an alleged Albany Police Department investigation of Snippen.

In a response to the motions, Prince filed on Friday an objection to the subpoenas without explanation.

"Myself, Micah Smith and Dave Snippen have all been employees throughout our careers that were so dedicated to this office and our community we often lost our own vacation time because there was work to be done," Duncan said in an email. "When you go over the maximum amount of accrual, you lose it. This has happened more than once to all three of us."

Duncan said she believes the motions were filed in an attempt to "smear" the agency's reputation.

"When the issue arose regarding Trudell, we conducted a check of all employees, and her records were the only ones that were suspicious," Duncan said in the email. "This is why I requested the outside agency to investigate her and her alone."

Trudells next court appearance in the matter is scheduled for May 23.

Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 4

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Six out of the nine candidates to represent Corvallis and Benton County in Congress attended a debate at the Whiteside Theatre on Thursday, May 5, but Democratic frontrunner Val Hoyle was not among them.

That had the others taking shots at her.

We have somebody whos probably going to get the nomination who has accepted a lot of money from big oil, who has accepted a lot of dark crypto money, and shes claimed to have laryngitis now for about 60 days, Jake Matthews, an actor and Corvallis resident, said.

She keeps not showing up for events. We are here to represent you.

About 50 members of the community attended the debate to ask questions and get to know the 4th Congressional District candidates before casting their ballot for the Oregon primaries later this month.

Eight Democrats are competing in the primary for the right to square off with Republican Alek Skarlatos in November. The victor replaces longtime U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio in Oregons 4th, which has been slightly redrawn to include Lincoln County but exclude Linn and Josephine counties.

It's the first time since 1986 that there's been no incumbent in the race.

All nine candidates were invited to Thursday's event. Attending were Democrats Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, a member of the Corvallis School Board; community activist-attorney Doyle Canning; OSU professor John Selker, Airbnb exec Andrew Kalloch, Matthews and personal banker Tommy Smith.

Noticeably absent were Republican Skarlatos, who lost to DeFazio in 2020 and is best known for helping to prevent a terrorist attack on a European train, Democrat Steve Laible, an author  and Hoyle. The latter ditched her reelection effort as Oregon Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries to run for Congress. DeFazio has endorsed her.

The other candidates present Thursday also dug into Hoyles absence and acceptance of large donations, with Canning calling her a handpicked, billionaire-backed establishment candidate.

Albany Human Relations Commission representative Robyn Davis moderated the two-hour event sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Corvallis.

The candidates shared similar stances on almost all topics, which included climate change, homelessness, protecting democracy, transgender military service and the recent Supreme Court leaked draft decision that would overturn Roe V. Wade's protection of abortion rights.

This is a basic health care question, in addition to being a question of equality, of privacy, and integrity, and of liberty, Kalloch said about abortion. These are American values.

The spectrum of views widened, however, on the issue of reducing aid to Israel. Kalloch was the only candidate to recognize the recent series of attacks on Israel, saying he would not reduce funding, while Smith called Israel an evil occupation.

Canning said she supports restricting aid rather than reducing it, and Matthews, Selker and Al-Abdrabbuh said that while they would not reduce aid, Israel still needs to be held accountable and Palestinians need a place to call home.

We need to acknowledge within a few-miles radius that are anti-Semitic, xenophobic and Islamophobic attacks, and uses of force that are very harmful to the Jewish and Muslim communities, Al-Abdrabbuh said. We need to stand very firm and strong that our discussion about that foreign policy is not going to let us here allow any xenophobic or anti-Semitic attacks.

As an environmental attorney, Canning was eager to share her views on ending handouts to fossil fuel industries and looking instead to renewable energy options.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Your decision in this primary will echo for a generation, she said. And we don't have another generation to wait for leadership for our climate, for Medicare for All, for investments in affordable housing, to rein in the raging inequality in this country that is greater than at any time since the Gilded Age.

The Primary Election will be May 17, and the General Election is Nov. 8. More information on each of the candidates is available in the Oregon voters pamphlet.

Joanna Mann (she/her) covers education for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6076 or Joanna.Mann@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @joanna_mann_.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.




On Thursday 5 May 2022, the Chinese Embassy hosted its second session of Information Salon interactive program to update the media and the general public on the Global Security Initiative, Chinas economic development and China-Sierra Leone relations.

The online event was attended by Chairman of Sierra Leone Independent Media Commission Dr. Victor Massaquoi, CEO of Radio Democracy Mme. Asmaa James, representatives from the media and Sierra Leone-China friendship organizations, Minister Counsellor Mr. Li Xiaoyong and other diplomats of the Chinese Embassy.



Mr. Li Xiaoyong said that the Global Security Initiative, first proposed by President Xi Jinping in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2022 annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia, fully represents Chinas wisdom and solution to make up for the global security deficit and guard world peace and tranquility. With "six commitments" as its core meaning, the initiative further promotes the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture on the basis of the common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable concept of security, which echoed the global call for peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit.



Mr. Li added that as a responsible major country, China always stands on the right side of history and the right side of international fairness and justice. In response to the calls of the times, China will double its efforts to work with other countries for lasting peace and universal security.



Updating Chinas economic development, Mr. Li said that despite challenges from fresh COVID-19 outbreaks and geopolitical uncertainties, China's GDP in the first Quarter of this year expanded 4.8 percent from a year earlier. The fundamentals of Chinas economy are strong and resilient, with enormous potential, vast room for maneuver and long-term sustainability.



Mr. Li also briefed the latest significant progress of China-Sierra Leone cooperation in health, infrastructure, education, etc.



Dr. Massaquoi and other guests spoke highly of the Global Security Initiative, congratulated China on its economic development achievements and appreciated the results of Sierra Leone-China cooperation. They said that the global security initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping is timely and rich in connotation. Its advocacy of adhering to a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept is conducive to the establishment of an international order of mutual respect, equality and mutual trust, and provides a new direction for maintaining world peace and tranquility, eliminating the root causes of international conflicts and achieving long-term peace and security in the world. Sierra Leone is ready to participate actively in global security initiatives and work with China and other countries to build a safer and better world.



The diplomats of the Embassy had an in-depth interaction with the participants and exchanged views on China's economic development and the fight against epidemics, Sino-Sierra Leone cooperation in fisheries and Chinas stance on the Ukrainian issue.










The getaway vehicle used by a man wanted for murder in Alabama and the jail official suspected of helping him escape after a jailhouse romance was found in an impound lot in Tennessee, where it sat for nearly a week before authorities realized they had it, officials said Friday.

Sheriff Rick Singleton of Lauderdale County, Alabama, told a news conference the Ford Edge with distinctive burnt orange paint was found on a roadside and towed the same day that Casey White, charged with murder, and former assistant corrections director Vicky White disappeared. The vehicle was found in a rural area off Interstate 65 about 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) from the jail in Florence, Alabama.

Authorities in Williamson County, Tennessee, realized they had the vehicle Thursday night, which was hours after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the two, who arent related, are regarded as extremely dangerous, and the U.S. Marshals Service has taken over leading the search.

Officials have said they hoped Casey Whites size  6-foot-9 and 340 pounds  would help lead to his capture since its hard for him to be inconspicuous. He also has identifiable white supremacist tattoos. He and Vicky White appeared to have had a jailhouse romance before his escape, Singleton said.

They found the car before we even knew they were gone," said Singleton. Some of Vicky White's belongings were found in the vehicle, which someone had attempted to spray paint, he said.

The tow truck driver who hauled the vehicle to a lot likely saw news coverage about the escape and notified police in Tennessee, Singleton said.

There's no fault or blame on anyone, he said.

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle had been found in Bethesda and there was no indication the two remained in the area.

A nationwide manhunt has been ongoing since the pair disappeared April 29. Casey White was awaiting trial in a capital murder case and Vicky White was assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County. She appears to have helped him plan and execute the escape, Singleton said.

Authorities are now trying to determine whether any vehicles had been reported missing in the area, he said.

Were sort of back to square one with a vehicle description, said Singleton.

The two likely had mechanical problems with the car and left it where it was found in a remote area, said Singleton. The sheriff said he was worried for the safety of his former employee because Casey White is volatile and could turn on her at any time.

No weapons were found in the car, indicating that the two are still armed, said Singleton. My gut is telling me they are obviously on the run, he said.

On the day the pair disappeared, Vicky White, 56, told her coworkers that the 38-year-old inmate needed to go to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. She was escorting the inmate alone  a violation of the sheriffs office policy. When she did not answer her phone or return in the afternoon, authorities realized the pair had gone missing. Authorities eventually learned that the evaluation was never scheduled and was just a charade to allow Vicky White to sneak Casey White out of the jail without suspicion.

The two left in a patrol car, which was found abandoned nearby in a parking lot where investigators believe Vicky White had parked a getaway car.

In the past week, authorities have learned that Vicky White purchased an array of weapons, including an AR-15 rifle in January and a shotgun two weeks before the escape. They also believe she has a 9 mm handgun with her and have received reports she may also have a .45 caliber handgun, a federal marshal said.

Federal investigators believe they had been planning the escape for at least several months. The Marshals Service and the sheriffs office have interviewed a slew of associates, family members and others who knew the both Casey White and Vicky White and have received numerous tips in the investigation. But despite their best efforts, investigators have not come up with any solid leads to locate them.

The Marshals Service is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information leading to Casey Whites capture and a $5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky White. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey added a reward of $5,000 each for the two.

Both Casey White and Vicky White pose a major threat to the public, and they must be apprehended," she said in a statement.

Casey White was being held at the jail on capital murder charges in the 2015 death of Connie Ridgeway. He confessed to the slaying in 2020 while in state prison for other crimes. Hes been linked to home invasions, car jackings and was also involved in a police chase, Keely said.
Chinese speakers in demand as factories expand

Chinese factories are ramping up recruitment of Chinese-speaking Vietnamese personnel for expanding projects in Vietnam.

Workers are seen at a factory of Goertek Vina in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Photo courtesy of Goertek Vina

Solar panel manufacturer Jinko Solar Vietnam in the northern province of Quang Ninh is looking for 5,000-8,000 workers, with most of them required to have basic Chinese communication skills. So far, less than 1,000 have been hired.



"Manufacturing workers, technicians, quality control managers, we need them all. But not many suitable candidates are available," said Dang Tran Hoang Anh, an HR officer with the company.

As one of the worlds largest solar panel manufacturers, Shanghai-based Jinko entered Vietnam in 2020, and is looking for people in 40 different job categories to make high-quality products that are shipped to Europe.

Anh said that Jinko pays well above average wages to secure the best talents in Vietnam. He just hired a worker who can speak Chinese fluently for a monthly salary of VND29 million ($1,263), 70 percent higher than what she was being paid at her old company.

"We want the best Vietnamese workers who can communicate in Chinese to complete many projects."

Jinko is one of many companies that are scrambling to find Chinese-speaking Vietnamese workers as they set up factories in Vietnam to take advantage of the countrys low labor cost and export potential. Higher costs and risks in China, including its trade war with the U.S., motivated companies from many countries to make a shift to Vietnam.

Taipei-based electronics manufacturer Wistron Infocomm in the northern province of Ha Nam is recruiting people for 10 job categories including project management consultants, procurement officers and engineers, with most of them required to have basic or fluent Chinese language skills.

Car tire manufacturer Jinyu Tires in the southern province of Tay Ninh is looking for 50 students who can speak Chinese for a training program to find the best future employees.

Popular recruitment platforms VietnamWorks and JobStreet have 140-200 job postings for Chinese-speaking candidates, mostly as procurement officers, quality control managers and engineers.

The recruitment rush for Chinese-speaking workers began at the end of last year and grew stronger in the first quarter, with strong demand seen in northern industrial hubs, said Ngo Thi Ngoc Lan, northern region director at recruitment firm Navigos Search.

The provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang have a large supply of workers who can speak Chinese, but companies are seeing strong competition for them, she told VnExpress International.

In the provinces of Phu Tho and Quang Ninh, there is less competition but it is more difficult to recruit high-skilled workers, she added.

China has consistently been among the top 10 foreign direct investors in Vietnam in recent years.

Mainland China ranked fourth in registered capital in the first four months at over $1.07 billion, while Hong Kong and Taiwan secured the seventh and eighth places.

Together, the three territories registered $2.1 billion in capital, second only to Singapore at $3.1 billion.

Chinas Goertek Vina, one of the key suppliers for Apple, increased its investment in Vietnam by $306 million to over $565 million this March.

The company had nearly 28,000 workers in its plant in the northern province of Bac Ninh as of February, up from an average 23,000 last year.

Another 5,000 jobs will be added when its plant in the central province of Nghe An begins operations in June, and by 2023, it will have 30,000 employees.

Another Apple supplier, Foxconn, said last year that it would pour an additional $700 million into its Vietnam operations on top of its $1.5 billion investment.

Lan said that U.S.-China tensions, which began several years ago, have pushed many Chinese companies to move to Vietnam, generating a large demand for local employees.

Chinese employees have higher requirements than Vietnamese peers in terms of salary and benefits, so it is more cost-effective to hire Vietnamese, she added.

She predicted that the trend of recruiting Chinese-speaking Vietnamese in factories will keep rising for at least five more years.

"This will surely encourage workers and students to learn Chinese as they see the career potential."

At present, however, finding Chinese-speaking Vietnamese people is not easy.

Anh of Jinko said it was difficult to find suitable Chinese-speaking candidates because many do not want to move from Hanoi to Quang Ninh to work.

"We have to train most candidates, either in Chinese or in their professional skills, to get the people we need."

Lan said that companies are also seeing challenges in recruiting because candidates either have the professional skills and lack language fluency or vice versa. Some companies also want employees to be able to speak English, she added.

Chinese firms offer salaries that are 40-50 percent lower than European and American companies, while requiring employees to work on Saturdays. These are some drawbacks that discourage candidates, she said.

Jinko Solar Vietnam used to have Chinese nationals account for 70 percent of its employees in Vietnam, but the company has reduced the ratio to 50 percent now, because Chinese staff often work for six to 12 months and return to home. The factory, meanwhile, needs long-term personnel.

"We are offering salary of up to VND70 million a month for some directors jobs, and we only want Vietnamese candidates."

Dat Nguyen
Many agriculture companies and farmers are facing losses amid surging input and operation costs.

HAGL Agrico reported a losing streak in four consecutive quarters with losses of VND113 billion ($4.92 million) in the first quarter this year. It reported profits of VND7 billion in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the agricultural branch of steel giant Hoa Phat posted losses of VND56 billion against profits of VND392 billion last year.

Dabaco Vietnam saw its profits shrink 98 percent to VND9 billion, the lowest in 10 recent quarters, while dairy giant Vinamilk reported profits slipped 12 percent.

HAGL Agrico management attributed the losses to higher costs of fertilizer and raw materials, whose prices have surged 130 percent since the beginning of this year.

Transportation further financially burdened the company, as sea freight costs skyrocketed by 237 percent to $2,650 per container. It also faced a shortage of refrigerated containers, while custom clearance time prolonged from 12 to 35 days.

Higher input costs and supply shortage were also considered the main factors bringing Vinamilks profits down.

Animal feed prices jumped 30-40 percent last year and are set to continue to rise this year; while transportation costs rose 20 percent domestically and 500 percent globally last year, the company said.

In the last three years, the company has seen its gross profit margin declining from 49 percent to 42.5 percent.

Dabaco's management said the industry is being hit hard by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which disrupted supply chains and raised prices of animal feed.

Higher input costs also drained many farmer's wallets.

Kim Thuy from southern Tra Vinh Province said she is struggling to feed 30 pigs, as feed prices have been adjusted upward at least three times since the beginning of this year.

"Animal feed prices have surged faster than pig prices since the end of 2020. At the current costs, I only break even if no problem occurs," she said.
Bags of World's Best Rice Contest winner Vietnam's ST25 are seen in a shop in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

With Thailand hot on its heels, Vietnam is seeking to maintain its top spot as rice exporter to several Southeast Asian countries by transitioning to higher value varieties.

With a combined population of nearly 700 million, the region imports many agriculture items from Vietnam, with the Philippines and Indonesia being the biggest buyers of rice, Vietnams ASEAN commercial counselors said at a forum Thursday.

Data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade shows exporters have increased shipments of the high-quality 0-5 percent broken rice to Philippines and Indonesia from 35 percent to 75 percent.

They are focusing on exporting higher quality products to Indonesia since its per capita income has reached nearly $4,350 and people are looking for premium rice.

"In this segment, Vietnams rice is competing directly with that of Thailand," Pham The Cuong, commercial counselor in Indonesia, said.

Though Vietnamese rice is sold in large quantities in traditional markets and supermarkets, not many Indonesians are aware of Vietnamese brands since there is no marketing strategy to promote them, he said.

Vietnams award-winning ST24 and ST25 brands would surely be competitive, but more marketing is needed since many Indonesian importers do not know about them, he said.

Challenges Vietnamese exporters could face in Indonesia are the rising popularity of Thai rice varieties and the governments policy of promoting domestic products, he added.

Cao Xuan Thang, the Vietnam commercial counsellor in Singapore, considers the island a promising export market but rice only accounts for 0.15 percent of Vietnams agricultural exports to it.

People there prefer quality products even if prices are high, he added.

Vietnam exported 6.15 million tons of rice last year, second biggest globally behind India, and plans to bring the figure down to 4 million by 2030 and focus more on quality and higher prices.
With as many as seven bird hits in the last 10 days, forcing aircraft to undergo maintenance, the civil aviation authority is reporting a spike in such accidents.

Following a flight from Da Lat in the Central Highlands to HCMC on April 25, authorities found a dead bird inside an engine of the Airbus A321. The next day, blood was found on the tip of a Boeing 787 that had just flown in from Hanoi to HCMC, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Blood was found on several plane sections of the A321 on April 29 after it flew from Tuy Hoa in the central region to HCMC. On May 1, the A321 made another flight from the southern island of Phu Quoc to HCMC, and technicians detected more blood on its hull. The plane had to be grounded for maintenance.

Most recently on May 3, blood was found on the hull of the plane after it flew from Phu Quoc to HCMC, forcing more maintenance work on the aircraft.

The civil aviation authority said birds have been slamming into planes more often in recent months. Airports that have frequently encountered such incidents include HCMCs Tan Son Nhat Airport and those in Da Lat and Phu Quoc. These have large fields and are locations where birds migrate to and from.

On Thursday, the civil aviation authority requested relevant units to chase birds and other wild animals away from airports, especially Hanois Noi Bai and HCMCs Tan Son Nhat.
A brutal ISIS terrorist faced justice in April when he was found guilty of participating in the heinous acts that led to the violent kidnapping, torture, and deaths of American aid workers and journalists, as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals, in Syria.



A federal jury in Virginia convicted former British citizen El Shafee Elsheikh for his role in a hostage-taking scheme that held more than two dozen people captive during the Islamic States reign of terror between 2012 and 2015. The scheme resulted in the murder of three American men  journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and humanitarian aid worker Peter Kassig  and one woman -- aid worker Kayla Mueller.

The three men were beheaded, and their murders were filmed and used for propaganda videos. Kayla Mueller was forced into sexual slavery and repeatedly raped by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before she died under unknown circumstances.



In a statement, the U.S. Department of Justice noted that evidence presented during the trial showed that Elsheikh and two other ISIS members, dubbed the Beatles by the hostages because of their British accents, supervised the terrorist organizations jails and detention facilities at which the hostages were held. They were known for engaging in a prolonged pattern of physical and psychological violence against hostages.



Thirty-five witnesses testified during the trial, including 12 former hostages, who detailed violent and persistent beatings, sexual assaults, water boarding, and forcible exposure to the murder of other hostages.



The jury found Elsheikh guilty on all eight counts, including hostage-taking resulting in death, conspiring to murder Americans outside the United States, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Elsheikh faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced in August.



After the verdict, Diane Foley, mother of slain journalist James Foley, praised the American justice system, pointing out that Elsheikh had four attorneys defending him. El Shafee Elsheikh was treated with a great deal of mercy, she said. Hopefully we were able to turn this into justice, not revenge.



The case also highlights that either in a court of law, or on the battlefield, a message for terrorists sent by President Biden earlier this year holds fast: We will come after you and find you.
Even before Vladimir Putins unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, landmines and explosive remnants of war were a serious problem there. Since 2014, when Russia sent its troops into eastern Ukraine, the 250-mile-long contact line that runs through the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and separates the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Russias proxy forces has been heavily mined.

According to Reliefweb, by 2021, some two million Ukrainians were exposed to a multitude of such explosive hazards. At the time, Ukraine ranked fifth in the world for civilian casualties resulting from landmines and explosive remnants of war, and in the top three for anti-vehicle landmine accidents. In 2021, Ukraines Donbas region was one of the most mine-contaminated regions in the world.



Since 2014, the United States has cooperated with partners and non-governmental organizations toward the clearance of explosive hazards from the battlefields of eastern Ukraine and the destruction of excess conventional weapons there.



The Department of State, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development work together with foreign governments, private companies, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to reduce excess small arms and light weapons stockpiles, implement best practices for properly securing and storing conventional weapons, and carry out de-mining programs, said Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Bonnie Jenkins.

Since 2014, the U.S.-funded community outreach through our Explosive Ordnance Risk Education programs has prevented countless injuries in Ukraine. Prior to Russias full-scale invasion in February, U.S.-funded programs provided outreach to populations along the Line of Control [Contact], conducting over 670 explosive ordnance risk education sessions to prevent injuries and deaths in 2021 alone.



Unfortunately, Putins premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified further invasion starting on February 24th of this year has already undone our earlier progress while exposing exponentially more Ukrainian civilians to the threat of explosive remnants of war, said Under Secretary Jenkins.



"The Russian Federations bombing and shelling of civilian apartment blocks, grocery stores, hospitals, schools, and even a nuclear power plant is making this situation catastrophic.

The cleanup from Russias indiscriminate attacks will take many years and a well-coordinated international response, said Under Secretary Jenkins. The United States is dedicated to supporting efforts to help the people of Ukraine rebuild their lives safe from the threat of Russian bombs.
125 YEARS AGOMay 1, 1897: Jake Nelson of the Nevada Stables, has just received two new covered buggies and two new sets of harness. This addition to his establishment makes it possible for him to give his patrons first-class rigs. The stables are kept open at all hours of the day and night.



Garcia has received 6 new bicycles among the number being several ladies wheels. He can now supply the increased demand. In addition to these, he has a Texas wheel for new beginners. The handles of this spread out like a steers horns and when you go to fall, all you have to do is spread out on the handles and you will drop softly to the ground.



P.H. Cannon is in from Gold Creek, Nev., where the Gold Creek Mining Company is doing so much and says that work is progressing on a most extensive scale. At the big reservoir several hundred men are finding employment, and in a few weeks the washing of gravel will begin on a scale more extensive than has ever before been attempted in Nevada. Gold Creek, says Mr. Cannon, promises to develop into one of the most energetic camps that have risen in the West.

100 YEARS AGOMay 3, 1922: A deal that has been pending for some time was completed yesterday when the Homer Andrae Ranch at White Rock, consisting of 250 acres was sold by Andrae to Garat and Company for a large consideration. The Andrae ranch is one of the best in the Whiterock section and it is doubtful if there are any tracts of land in the county of the same size which are as intensively cultivated for hay. Years ago when the mining camps of Tuscarora, Edgemont and Mountain City were prosperous, the ranchers of the Whiterock section raised an excellent quality of grain in great quantity and always did its share towards furnishing a big grain crop every year. By the purchase, the Garat Company secures virtually all of the irrigated land in the vicinity of Whiterock. It was only about two months ago that the same purchasers took over the Winter Ranch holdings. Mr. Andrae retains his horses, a large number of them in the country north of Whiterock.

May 5, 1922: J.H. Detweiler, of Twin Falls, a member of the Contact townsite company, spent today in Elko. With the commencement of work on the Idaho Central railroad, the well-known county mining camp will come to the front in a hurry according to Mr. Detweiler.

75 YEARS AGOMay 2, 1947: R.A. Kinne, former city engineer of Elko, who has been working with the Newmont Exploration, Ltd., at Bullion, today confirmed the report reaching Elko yesterday that conditions look good at Bullion. He said the companys tunnel has been driven into gossan at about 800 feet from where it was started. Present indications are that the development work will open up a valuable ore body. Values are in silver, copper, and lead. Kinne returned from Bullion yesterday. It is located approximately 30 miles southwest of Elko. Operations at the mine are under the direction of W.F. Jamieson. The Newmont Company is one of the largest in the world and began operations at Bullion one year ago yesterday. There are 10 men working at the mine at the present time. The camp is located 17 miles from Palisade, with a good road part of the way to that shipping point.

May 3, 1947: Police court was quiet Sunday for the first time since Justice of the Peace George Boucher took office in January. Usually, Boucher conducts court on Sunday to enable those included in the daily police line-up being held on minor charges to either begin serving their sentences or else pay their fines and go home. This week, however, he went fishing. Appearing this morning in the police line-up which extended over a two-day period were 11 men who had been picked up on drunk charges over the weekend.

May 7, 1947: Dr. A.U. Ricciardi, State public health dentist, has been in Elko for several weeks examining the teeth of grammar school children. Parents have been advised by the dentist of work needed to be done and a limited amount of dental work was done by Dr. Ricciardi on those cases requiring emergency attention. The dentist presented an instructive talk before the school children on care of the teeth.

50 YEARS AGOMay 1, 1972: A group of 86 Himalayan snow partridge were released this week near Harrison Pass in the Ruby Mountains according to Allen Flock, area manager stationed in Elko with the Nevada Fish and Game Department. The snow partridge, large cousins of the chukar partridge that have become a popular game bird in northern Nevada, were raised on a game farm at the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area near Yerington and transported this week to Green Mountain Creek near Harrison Pass for release. Merlin McColm, game biologist with the fish and game department, noted 19 of the snow partridge were released in 1963 near Robinson Lake in the Rubies, but no authenticated sightings of survivors of that planting has been made since 1966. He noted the young adult birds released along Green Mountain Creek averaged from four to five pounds in weight and said full grown snow partridge attain weights as high as eight pounds.

May 2, 1972: Bids for the construction of twin tunnels for Interstate 80 through Carlin Canyon will be opened on July 20 in Carson City. The notice is an official call for bids on the tunnel project, which is estimated at a cost of $9.5 million. With the bid opening slated, work on the twin tunnels is expected to start some time during the coming summer, and highway officials have indicated the project will require about 1 years for completion. The contract that is to be issued on the basis of the bids now being sought will be for boring and completing the tunnels, which will be 1,450 feet in length.

May 4, 1972: Lido Puccinelli and Harry Lipparelli, who operated the Club 449er for 26 years, recently closed the doors of the popular downtown Elko bar. The two natives of Elko formed a partnership to operate the 449er in 1946 after they returned here from U.S. Army service in World War II. They purchased the property formerly operated as Henrys Cafe and Drakes Grill from Mr. and Mrs. Louis Wintermantel. Puccinelli, operated the Club Elko here prior to entering the military service in 1942, At that time he sold the club to Bill Rahas. Lipparelli operated the Elko Newsstand from 1935 until 1944, when he entered the army and sold his business to Mr. and Mrs. Mel Lundberg

25 YEARS AGOMay 2, 1997: Elko Police Officers Rich Genseal and Aaron Hughes are back patrolling city streets from their bikes during warm weather. The officers said the bike patrol program is designed to ease the downtown traffic congestion problem, make it easier for the officers to negotiate the busy downtown streets and provide more visibility to the police. Elko Police Chief Bill Bogue said he has received positive responses to the bike patrol and hopes someday to expand them to residential areas.

If you can identify the Mystery Photo, call the Northeastern Nevada Museum at 775-738-3418, ext. 102 or email archives@museumelko.org.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
This artist's illustration shows supernova 2013ge, with its companion star at lower right. The companion star is impacted by the blast wave from the supernova, but not destroyed. Over time astronomers observed the ultraviolet (UV) light of the supernova fading, revealing a nearby second source of UV light that maintained brightness. The theory is that the two massive stars evolved together as a binary pair, and that the current survivor siphoned off its partner's outer hydrogen gas shell before it exploded. Eventually, the companion star will also go supernova. Credits: Illustration: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI)

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a witness at the scene of a star's explosive death: a companion star previously hidden in the glare of its partner's supernova.

The discovery is a first for a particular type of supernova - one in which the star was stripped of its entire outer gas envelope before exploding.

The finding provides crucial insight into the binary nature of massive stars, as well as the potential prequel to the ultimate merger of the companion stars that would rattle across the universe as gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime itself.

Astronomers detect the signature of various elements in supernova explosions. These elements are layered like an onion pre-supernova. Hydrogen is found in the outermost layer of a star, and if no hydrogen is detected in the aftermath of the supernova, that means it was stripped away before the explosion occurred.

The cause of the hydrogen loss had been a mystery, and astronomers have been using Hubble to search for clues and test theories to explain these stripped supernovae. The new Hubble observations provide the best evidence yet to support the theory that an unseen companion star siphons off the gas envelope from its partner star before it explodes.

"This was the moment we had been waiting for, finally seeing the evidence for a binary system progenitor of a fully stripped supernova," said astronomer Ori Fox of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, lead investigator on the Hubble research program. "The goal is to move this area of study from theory to working with data and seeing what these systems really look like."

Fox's team used Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 to study the region of supernova (SN) 2013ge in ultraviolet light, as well as previous Hubble observations in the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. Astronomers saw the light of the supernova fading over time from 2016 to 2020 - but another nearby source of ultraviolet light at the same position maintained its brightness. This underlying source of ultraviolet emission is what the team proposes is the surviving binary companion to SN 2013ge.

This infographic shows the evolution astronomers propose for supernova (SN) 2013ge. Panels 1-3 show what has already occurred, and panels 4-6 show what may take place in the future. 1) A binary pair of massive stars orbit one another. 2) One star ages into its red giant stage, getting a puffy outer envelope of hydrogen that its companion star siphons off with gravity. Astronomers propose this is why Hubble found no trace of hydrogen in the supernova debris. 3) The stripped-envelope star goes supernova (SN 2013ge), jostling but not destroying its companion star. After the supernova, the dense core of the former massive star remains either as neutron star or black hole. 4) Eventually the companion star also ages into a red giant, maintaining its outer envelope, some of which came from its companion. 5) The companion star also undergoes a supernova. 6) If the stars were close enough to each other not to be flung from their orbits by the supernova blast wave, the remnant cores will continue to orbit one another and eventually merge, creating gravitational waves in the process. Credits: Illustration: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI)

Two by two?

Previously, scientists theorized that a massive progenitor star's strong winds could blow away its hydrogen gas envelope, but observational evidence didn't support that. To explain the disconnect, astronomers developed theories and models in which a binary companion siphons off the hydrogen.

"In recent years many different lines of evidence have told us that stripped supernovae are likely formed in binaries, but we had yet to actually see the companion. So much of studying cosmic explosions is like forensic science - searching for clues and seeing what theories match. Thanks to Hubble, we are able to see this directly," said Maria Drout of the University of Toronto, a member of the Hubble research team.

In prior observations of SN 2013ge, Hubble saw two peaks in the ultraviolet light, rather than just the one typically seen in most supernovae. Fox said that one explanation for this double brightening was that the second peak shows when the supernova's shock wave hit a companion star, a possibility that now seems much more likely. Hubble's latest observations indicate that while the companion star was significantly jostled, including the hydrogen gas it had siphoned off its partner, it was not destroyed. Fox likens the effect to a jiggling bowl of jelly, which will eventually settle back to its original form.

While additional confirmation and similar supporting discoveries need to be found, Fox said that the implications of the discovery are still substantial, lending support to theories that the majority of massive stars form and evolve as binary systems.

One to Watch

Unlike supernovae that have a puffy shell of gas to light up, the progenitors of fully stripped-envelope supernovae have proven difficult to identify in pre-explosion images. Now that astronomers have been lucky enough to identify the surviving companion star, they can use it to work backward and determine characteristics of the star that exploded, as well as the unprecedented opportunity to watch the aftermath unfold with the survivor.

As a massive star itself, SN 2013ge's companion is also destined to undergo a supernova. Its former partner is now likely a compact object, such as a neutron star or black hole, and the companion will likely go that route as well.

The closeness of the original companion stars will determine if they stay together. If the distance is too great, the companion star will be flung out of the system to wander alone across our galaxy, a fate that could explain many seemingly solitary supernovae.

However, if the stars were close enough to each other pre-supernova, they will continue orbiting each other as black holes or neutron stars. In that case, they would eventually spiral toward each other and merge, creating gravitational waves in the process.

That is an exciting prospect for astronomers, as gravitational waves are a branch of astrophysics that has only begun to be explored. They are waves or ripples in the fabric of spacetime itself, predicted by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. Gravitational waves were first directly observed by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.

"With the surviving companion of SN 2013ge, we could potentially be seeing the prequel to a gravitational wave event, although such an event would still be about a billion years in the future," Fox said.

Fox and his collaborators will be working with Hubble to build up a larger sample of surviving companion stars to other supernovae, in effect giving SN 2013ge some company again.

"There is great potential beyond just understanding the supernova itself. Since we now know most massive stars in the universe form in binary pairs, observations of surviving companion stars are necessary to help understand the details behind binary formation, material-swapping, and co-evolutionary development. It's an exciting time to be studying the stars," Fox said.

"Understanding the lifecycle of massive stars is particularly important to us because all heavy elements are forged in their cores and through their supernovae. Those elements make up much of the observable universe, including life as we know it," added co-author Alex Filippenko of the University of California at Berkeley.

The results are published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Former President Donald Trumps endorsement of Joe Lombardo for governor on April 27 gave the Clark County Sheriff a major boost in the race where Lombardo was already the acknowledged frontrunner among the GOPs 15-candidate field.

In his endorsement message, Trump wrote As Governor, Joe will fiercely protect our under-siege Second Amendment, oppose sanctuary cities, support our Law Enforcement, veto any liberal tax increase, protect life, and secure our elections.

Trump concluded, Joe Lombardo is the leader Nevada needs, and he has my complete and total endorsement for Governor!

The endorsement came as a blow for other GOP gubernatorial candidates who have attempted to ingratiate themselves to Trump.

Former Sen. Dean Heller repeatedly said he would love to have the former presidents endorsement and went so far as calling Joe Biden an illegitimate president.

Hellers political comeback campaign has been hobbled as a result of his failure to support Trump in 2016, an act not forgotten or forgiven by Nevada Republicans.

Ex-professional boxer Joey Gilbert was an early Trump from the Jump supporter. Without proof, Gilbert claims Trump won Nevada by 44,000 votes in 2020 despite certified election results showing Biden winning by 33,596.

Gilbert, a personal injury and criminal defense attorney, was on the Capitol steps during the January 6, 2021 riot.

While the ardent wooing of Trump by Heller and Gilbert failed, Lombardo took a more restrained approach saying he would accept the former presidents endorsement if Trump agreed with his agenda and policies.

Lombardo told the Nevada Independent that he recognizes Biden as the legitimate president and the evidence was not brought forward that we could prosecute on [election fraud].

Lombardo said he was humbled to accept Trumps endorsement.

From his tough on crime policies to his unwavering support for law enforcement, I know that there has been no greater friend to veterans and law enforcement than President Trump, Lombardo said.

In addition to the Trump endorsement, Lombardo has dominated campaign fundraising among GOP candidates.

On April 15, he reported raising an additional $824,000 in campaign contributions through the first three months of 2022. Lombardo has $2.95 million in cash on hand.

By contrast, Heller, fading in polls, raised $155,000 during the first quarter and ended the period with $241,000 in available cash. Lombardo has a 12-1 cash advantage over Heller approaching the June 14 primary.

North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, a recent GOP convert, reported raising $652,000 with $500,000 coming as his personal campaign loan. Lee, rising in polls, has $169,000 left in cash.

Far-right firebrand Gilbert has only $41,000 cash remaining.

Venture Capitalist Guy Nohra and surgeon Dr. Fred Simon, running largely as self-funded political newcomers, have negligible statewide support, polls show.

Lombardo, 58, is a U.S. Army veteran who joined Las Vegas Metro in 1988.

A lifelong Republican, Lombardo now leads Metro overseeing 5,700 police officers. Narrowly elected sheriff in November 2014 (51%-49%), he was re-elected in June 2018 with an impressive 73% of the vote, defeating four challengers.

Lombardo has positioned himself as a law and order candidate critical of Democrats focusing on felons rights, weakening penalties for crimes and handcuffing the police.

Lombardo says he would block teaching critical race theory in schools, establish an election integrity commission and defend the Second Amendment.

He promises to veto any proposed tax increase and supports school choice alternatives to traditional public schools.

Polls show Governor Sisolak vulnerable in November and Lombardo his strongest GOP opponent.

Two most recent polls have Lombardo solidly leading the Republican field.

A respected Suffolk University/Reno Gazette Journal poll taken in early April showed Sisolak with a net unfavorable rating (42% approve vs. 45% disapprove).

In that poll, Lombardo topped Sisolak by a 2% margin (39%-37), an ominous political sign for an incumbent six months before election day.

Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
At the reception (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn)

He made the statement during his reception for Ms Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, on May 5.

At the reception, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc thanked UNICEF for its support of the citys child support project for the period 2017-2021, adding that the city's leaders always care about and want to create the best conditions and environment for vulnerable people, including women and children.

Regarding problems in the implementation of cooperation projects between the two sides, he said that both UNICEF and relevant agencies of the city need to strengthen exchanges and find ways to handle difficulties, minimize administrative procedures, and ensure the effectiveness and good social meaning of the projects. Ho Chi Minh City wants UNICEF to accompany it in its activities of caring, protecting and developing children, he added.

Ms. Rana Flowers shared the difficulties of the people, especially the children of Ho Chi Minh City during the recent pandemic outbreak. She said that Ho Chi Minh City is facing many challenges in its development, including issues related to children. Therefore, UNICEF wishes to continue working with the city to have effective programs and campaigns in child care and protection.

According to Ms. Rana Flowers, in the coming time, UNICEF will promote cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City in fields related to the protection of children with disabilities; interventions and risk assessment for children concerning climate change and environmental pollution; improvement of children's skills, focusing on emotion management skills, raising awareness and taking action to respond to climate change. UNICEF in Vietnam is ready to listen and will always accompany and give the best support for Ho Chi Minh City in child care and protection, she confirmed./.
Ukraine in May expects $500 mln grant from US, CAD 1 bln loans from Canada, EUR 150 mln from Germany, EUR 200 mln from Italy, $300 mln from Japan  Finance Minister

The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine expects in May to receive a number of loans and grants from both partner countries and international financial organizations, but the main instrument that they hope for is special drawing rights (SDR), Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"We have high expectations about what we can get from our partners in the near future. This is an additional $500 million grant from the United States, EUR 150 million from Germany, the Italians have agreed a new loan of EUR 200 million. Another 1 billion Canadian dollars from Canada, which has agreed such amount through the IMF Administered Account. We expect these funds in the near future," he said.

Marchenko added that Japan, after negotiations, confirmed an additional loan of $300 million, which is also expected to be received in May.

According to him, among other resources that the Ministry of Finance is counting on this month, is new funding from the Netherlands, $200 million of the first tranche of a $1 billion loan from the International Development Association of the World Bank, another $100 million from the World Bank to cover the costs of payments to internally displaced persons, as well as $60 million to cover social benefits.

"The British, through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund, confirmed an additional guarantee to what they have already provided in the amount of $500 million. We expect EUR 10 million from each of Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Austria, another $10.5 million from Switzerland, EUR 20.5 million from Denmark. In addition, Poland and Finland are now deciding the amount and mechanism of assistance. Another EUR 20 million from Norway, also through a trust fund. Iceland should provide EUR 470,000 in May," the finance minister said.

He noted that in addition, the EUR opean Investment Bank should re-profile existing projects worth about EUR 1.1 billion, for which the decision of the EUR opean Commission is expected, and a loan from France is possible.

"But the instrument on which we pin our main hopes is special drawing rights. There was a letter from the prime minister to the countries - potential donors which can share SDRs. It was about 10%. Now we are working on the mechanics of this process," the minister said.

According to him, the state budget deficit in April amounted to UAH 89.7 billion compared to UAH 80.6 billion in March. In the income of the general fund of UAH 76.2 billion, grant assistance amounted to UAH 22 billion.

Commenting on the $5 billion monthly support and funding the deficit in April announced together with IMF, Marchenko acknowledged that insufficient funds were received, but the problem, as in March, was eliminated through liquidity management.
Ukraine in talks with intl partners on provision of $11 bln, of which about $5 bln received  Finance Minister

Ukraine is negotiating with international partners on the allocation of about $11 billion to the country's state budget, of which about $5 billion has been received, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has said.

"We are negotiating about $11 billion, of which we have already received $5 billion to the budget," he said at a briefing at the Lviv Media Center on Friday.

According to him, the key partners of Ukraine are the United States, Canada, Great Britain, as well as the EU.

"We expect to receive other amounts in the near future. We count on further support from our international partners," the minister said.
Finance Minister pleased with work of state-owned banks, sees no reason for personnel changes

Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko denies the need for personnel changes in state-owned banks and is generally satisfied with their work.

"I see no such grounds either with this [PrivatBank] or with other banks," the minister said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

PrivatBank paid UAH 28 billion in dividends in March. This is the most active bank, it revised its own credit policy during the war, Marchenko recalled.

"I am satisfied with the work of state-owned banks," he stressed.

Earlier, NBU Deputy Governor Yaroslav Matuzka noted that the supervisory boards of all state-owned banks are currently coping with their work, in particular, Matuzka positively noted the work of PrivatBank.
PrJSC Ukrhydroenergo bought 1 MW on a flat schedule at a daily auction of NPC Ukrenergo for the distribution of interstate section capacity for exporting electricity to Poland on May 7.

According to the results of the auction, the ceiling price for a section was 1 UAH/MWh.

Another 62 MW out of 63 MW offered as of May 7 at the same price was bought by DTEK Zakhidenergo, which was the only exporter of 190-210 MWh of the resource on the last day of March and all of April, after Ukrenergo resumed auctions towards Poland at the end of March. The only exception was on March 30, when a cross section of 210 MW was bought out by D.Trading LLC.

According to the ENTSO-E website, in May, electricity exports to Poland began on the fourth day  mainly 210 MW hourly, with the exception of the first three hours of the day, when exports came at a capacity of 70-190 MW. On May 5 and May 6, exports are planned on a flat schedule of 210 MWh.

For May, Ukrenergo, after a break related to the process of synchronizing the European and Ukrainian power systems, held a monthly auction for export to Poland, as a result of which DTEK Zakhidenergo bought 147 MW of distributed capacity, with the exception of the first three days of the month, when the cross-sectional capacity was 0 MW.

Another 63 MW was bought by DTEK Zakhidenergo at daily auctions.
The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development of Poland have agreed to cancel permits for all carriers engaged in international transportation of fuel, the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure reported on Friday.

"Russian missile strikes on oil refineries and oil depots have created a critical situation in the fuel market. The goal of the Infrastructure Ministry's team in these conditions is the complete liberalization of international freight traffic to solve this problem. The new rules have already entered into force, and both Ukrainian and Polish carriers can take advantage of them. I am grateful to the Polish side for constructive work," Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov was quoted as saying.

According to him, work will continue on simplifying cargo transportation and creating the most simple and understandable rules for carriers of goods necessary for Ukraine.

To enter the territory of Poland without a permit, fuel carriers must register by filling out the form: https://forms.gle/waid3FnRX1duve9z8.

One must fill out the form no later than one day before crossing the border.

As reported, in April, Ukraine and Poland also agreed to increase the volume of rail transportation of Ukrainian exports to the EU and to world markets through Europe. In particular, the parties will set up a joint logistics venture in the near future.
This illustration shows the accretion disk, corona (pale, conical swirls above the disk), and supermassive black hole of active galaxy 1ES 1927+654 before its recent flare-up. Credit: NASA/Sonoma State University, Aurore Simonnet

A rare and enigmatic outburst from a galaxy 236 million light-years away may have been sparked by a magnetic reversal, a spontaneous flip of the magnetic field surrounding its central black hole.

In a comprehensive new study, an international science team links the eruption's unusual characteristics to changes in the black hole's environment that likely would be triggered by such a magnetic switch.

"Rapid changes in visible and ultraviolet light have been seen in a few dozen galaxies similar to this one," said Sibasish Laha, a research scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "But this event marks the first time we've seen X-rays dropping out completely while the other wavelengths brighten."

A paper describing the findings, led by Laha, is accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

The research team analyzed new and archival observations across the spectrum. NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and ESA's (European Space Agency) XMM-Newton satellite provided UV and X-ray measurements. Visible light observations came from Italy's 3.6-meter Galileo National Telescope and the 10.4-meter Gran Telescopio Canarias, both located on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. Radio measurements were acquired from the Very Long Baseline Array, a network of 10 radio telescopes located across the United States; the Very Large Array in New Mexico; and the European VLBI Network.

In early March 2018, the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae alerted astronomers that a galaxy called 1ES 1927+654 had brightened by nearly 100 times in visible light. A search for earlier detections by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System showed that the eruption had begun months earlier, at the end of 2017.

When Swift first examined the galaxy in May 2018, its UV emission was elevated by 12 times but steadily declining, indicating an earlier unobserved peak. Then, in June, the galaxy's higher-energy X-ray emission disappeared.

Explore the unusual eruption of 1ES 1927+654, a galaxy located 236 million light-years away in the constellation Draco. A sudden reversal of the magnetic field around its million-solar-mass black hole may have triggered the outburst. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

"It was very exciting to delve into this galaxy's strange explosive episode and try to understand the possible physical processes at work," said Jose Acosta-Pulido, a co-author at the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) on Tenerife.

Most big galaxies, including our own Milky Way, host a supermassive black hole weighing millions to billions of times the Sun's mass. When matter falls toward one, it first collects into a vast, flattened structure called an accretion disk. As the material slowly swirls inward, it heats up and emits visible, UV, and lower-energy X-ray light. Near the black hole, a cloud of extremely hot particles - called the corona - produces higher-energy X-rays. The brightness of these emissions depends on how much material streams toward the black hole.

"An earlier interpretation of the eruption suggested that it was triggered by a star that passed so close to the black hole it was torn apart, disrupting the flow of gas," said co-author Josefa Becerra Gonzalez, also at the IAC. "We show that such an event would fade out more rapidly than this outburst."

The unique disappearance of the X-ray emission provides astronomers with an important clue. They suspect the black hole's magnetic field creates and sustains the corona, so any magnetic change could impact its X-ray properties.

"A magnetic reversal, where the north pole becomes south and vice versa, seems to best fit the observations," said co-author Mitchell Begelman, a professor in the department of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. He and his Boulder colleagues, post-doctoral researcher and co-author Nicolas Scepi and professor Jason Dexter, developed the magnetic model. "The field initially weakens at the outskirts of the accretion disk, leading to greater heating and brightening in visible and UV light," he explained.

As the flip progresses, the field becomes so weak that it can no longer support the corona - the X-ray emission vanishes. The magnetic field then gradually strengthens in its new orientation. In October 2018, about 4 months after they disappeared, the X-rays came back, indicating that the corona had been fully restored. By summer 2021, the galaxy had completely returned to its pre-eruption state.

Magnetic reversals are likely to be common events in the cosmos. The geologic record shows that Earth's field flips unpredictably, averaging a few reversals every million years in the recent past. The Sun, by contrast, undergoes a magnetic reversal as part of its normal cycle of activity, switching north and south poles roughly every 11 years.

Goddard manages the Swift mission in collaboration with Penn State, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia. Other partners include the University of Leicester and Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom, Brera Observatory in Italy, and the Italian Space Agency.



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
The Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe, together with the Revival of the Region Foundation created and financed with its support, has allocated UAH 10.2 million to support the Ukrainian armed forces of Dnipropetrovsk region.

According to the company's press release on Friday, Interpipe and the Regional Revival Charitable Foundation have been helping Ukrainian defenders, hospitals and internally displaced persons for more than two months.

At the same time, the Revival of the Region charitable foundation is financed mainly by the company, trade unions of Interpipe enterprises and contributions from caring employees. During this time, more than UAH 3 million has been sent to help military units and territorial defense forces: spare parts and tools for the repair of trucks, barbed wire for fortifications, generators, as well as walkie-talkies, collimator sights, quadrotors, tablet computers and laptops are purchased.

Almost UAH 5 million was spent on equipment and ammunition  mainly bulletproof vests for defenders. In addition, unloading, T-shirts, balaclavas and other equipment for the mobilized employees of the company were purchased.

Some UAH 2 million was aid in the medical provision of hospitals and the military, including the mobilized workers of Interpipe. General first-aid kits are being formed for the defenders, medicines are being delivered to military units and to the front line. Artificial blood, painkillers, consumables, dressings, as well as additional equipment for hospitals that receive victims from the combat zone are being purchased.

Some UAH 180,000 amounted to humanitarian aid, in particular, support for local shelters and the delivery of European humanitarian supplies for doctors, shelters and military units.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his efforts to evacuate Ukrainian citizens from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, Donetsk region, and asked him to assist in removing all the wounded from Azovstal, according to the Ukrainian head of state's website.

"The lives of the people who remain there are in danger. Everyone is important to us. We ask for your help in saving them," the President said during his telephone conversation with Guterres on Wednesday.

Zelensky informed Guterres about the successful completion of the first stage, during which 121 people were evacuated from Azovstal, and expressed hope for a successful continuation of the ongoing evacuation operation.

The President of Ukraine thanked the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which demonstrated the possibility of making progress in the most difficult humanitarian crises.

"The whole world has learned about the role of the UN and the ICRC in this. This has shown that international organizations can be effective," the President said.
The Ministers of Internal Affairs of the Baltic States and Poland visited Ukraine, where they signed a multilateral agreement on cooperation in preventing cross-border crime and restoring the sphere of activity of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine after the end of hostilities.

Estonian Interior Minister Kristian Jaani said that his country will continue to fully support Ukraine, the press service of the Estonian Interior Ministry said on Friday. This applies to both direct political and practical support for Ukraine, including humanitarian support, as well as post-war reconstruction, the imposition of tough sanctions against Russia, Jaani said.

He said that Estonia would fully support granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for membership in the European Union.

The minister noted that the total contribution of Estonian humanitarian aid is more than EUR16 million, including support for civil society and the private sector.

Marine rescue and sapper suits, folding beds, tents, generators, VoIP phones and much more have been sent to Ukraine through the Interior Ministry of Ukraine.

"At 48 hours' notice, we are ready to send sappers," Jaani said.
Zelensky: Russia has brought to Ukraine such medical problems, which until recently could not be imagined

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, addressing participants of the Brave Ukraine fundraiser, said that Russian aggression had brought medical problems to Ukraine, including a lack of antibiotics, which until recently one could hardly imagine.

"If we take only the medical infrastructure, to date, Russian troops have destroyed or damaged almost 400 health facilities. These are hospitals, maternity hospitals, outpatient clinics. In the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine - in the east and south - the situation with access to medical services and medicines is just catastrophic. Even the simplest medications are missing. Russia has brought to Ukraine and Europe such problems that we could not have imagined a few months ago," Zelensky said in his video address.

According to him, this is in fact a complete lack of treatment for cancer patients. This is an extremely difficult or impossible access to insulin for diabetics, and it's the inability to perform surgery.

"It's just a lack of antibiotics! These are the consequences of the Russian occupation for a part of our land, " the president noted.
The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing almost $387 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in response to Russia's unprovoked aggression.

"On March 24, the president announced the United States was prepared to provide more than $1 billion in new funding toward humanitarian assistance for those affected by Russia's war in Ukraine and its severe impacts around the world, including a marked rise in food insecurity. Today's announcement is a contribution toward that figure and a recognition of continued global needs," USAID said in a press release on May 5.

"This additional assistance will provide lifesaving food assistance to people in hard-to-reach areas inside Ukraine, as well as cash-based transfers for people in areas with functioning markets. In addition, this support will provide safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, critical medical supplies and health care, and coordination support for the humanitarian community," the report says.

"The United States is the largest single country donor of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. Since Russia's further invasion began on February 24, the United States has provided more than $688 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to the needs of people in Ukraine and those who have fled to neighboring countries," it reads.
Finland's public broadcaster Yleisradio launched a news service in Ukrainian on Wednesday, Suspilne reports.

"Russia's attack on Ukraine has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes and seek asylum in other countries. It is estimated that between 40,000 and 80,000 refugees will arrive in Finland alone. For our part, we want to support the daily lives of refugees and other Ukrainians living in Finland, and to help integrate them into Finnish society. One way to do this is to provide news in your native language," Suspilne reports Yle news director and editor-in-chief Jouko Jokinen as saying.

The news in Ukrainian is based on information from the Finnish news service Yle News. Reportedly, "the news is translated from Yle News into Ukrainian using machine translation. A Ukrainian-language journalist will always check the translations before publishing the news."

Ukrainian news will be published on Yle.fi.
The aggressor continues to block units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces near Azovstal in Mariupol, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"In the city of Mariupol, the blockade of Defense Forces units in the area of Azovstal continues. In some areas, supported by aviation, assault actions to take control of the territory of the plant have been resumed," reads a message posted on Facebook on Friday morning.

In Volynske, Poliske and Siverske directions, the enemy was not active.

In Slobozhanske direction, the enemy continues shelling residential areas and suburbs of Kharkiv with rocket and gun artillery.

There is information that there are up to 300 wounded in the hospital set up by the occupiers at Kupyansk city hospital.

The aggressor continues to conduct active combat operations in Donetsk and Tavrycheske directions.

In Lymanske direction, the enemy is shelling Ukrainian positions.

In Popasnianske direction, the enemy's main efforts are focused on establishing full control of Popasna and resuming its offensive on Lyman and Siversk.

In Severodonetsk, Avdiyivka, Kurakhove, Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhia directions, the enemy exerted fire to restrain Ukrainian troops and destroy artillery units, but did not engage in active combat.

"The enemy did not conduct active combat operations in the Pivdenny Buh (South Bug) area, held the occupied positions, and reinforced air defense and electronic warfare systems. It shelled the positions of our troops. In the north of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, the enemy was shelling abandoned settlements," the General Staff reported.

The enemy conducted aerial reconnaissance in the area of Oleksandrivka, Serhiyivka and Volodymyrivka.
The Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine calls on the international medical organization Doctors Without Borders to form an evacuation mission to rescue the Ukrainian military defending the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol.

"The miserable conditions in which all those surrounded at Azovstal are, the lack of access to medical care, the deterioration of their physical and psychological condition are a clear violation of Section IX of Article 55 of the Charter of the United Nations," Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereschuk said in a letter to MSF Chairman in Ukraine Michel-Olivier Lacharite," the MSF press service said on Friday.

It is specified that Iryna Vereschuk also noted that, according to the charter, MSF provides assistance to the population in trouble or is the victims of armed conflicts.

"Therefore, based on the principles that MSF is guided by, the Ministry of Reintegration asks to form a mission to evacuate the defenders of Mariupol, who are now at the Azovstal metallurgical plant. Assess their physical and mental condition, collect evidence of the conditions in which they are, and provide medical assistance to Ukrainians whose human rights have been violated by the Russian Federation," the agency reported.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal says that according to partner intelligence services, Russia has intentions to declare a full-fledged war on May 9.

"According to partner intelligence services, Russia has such intentions to declare a full-fledged war on May 9. Such conversations, we understand that there are, such opportunities are being discussed in the top political leadership, according to partner intelligence services. We will see if this happens," Shmyhal said on briefing on the results of the working visit to Poland.

The Prime Minister noted that if such a scenario occurs, it will be another confirmation that Russia has declared war on the civilized democratic world.

"Ukraine will defend its freedom, its territory, its sovereignty, the lives of our families and our land. In any case, we will fight until complete victory over the occupier," he said.
Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense forces in Belhorod-Dnistrovsky district shot down a missile with which the Russian occupiers were trying to launch another strike against the infrastructure of Odesa region, the Operational Command Pivden (South) reported.

"Fragments of the missile that fell on the auxiliary building of one of the infrastructure facilities, as evidence of a crime by the enemy against Ukraine, were seized by the investigative and operational group of the National Police, who was working at the scene," the report says.

According to the operational command, there were no casualties.
US eyes nuclear freedom by hyping Chinas nuclear threat

By Global Times editorial (Global Times) 09:11, May 06, 2022

House of Hegemony Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Charles Richard, the head of US Strategic Command, which oversees the nuclear arsenal, warned Congress Wednesday that Washington faces a "heightened nuclear deterrence risk when it comes to Russia and China," claiming that China is "watching the war in Ukraine closely and will likely use nuclear coercion to their advantage in the future." He also warned the lawmakers that the US is facing "a crisis deterrence dynamic right now that we have only seen a few times in our nation's history."

Sensationalizing China's "nuclear threat" to justify actual US nuclear expansion has become a familiar trick of Washington. Last month, Richard told lawmakers at a closed-door hearing that China's "breathtaking expansion" of its strategic and nuclear arsenal is a quickly escalating risk for the US. In March, he said he is "very concerned" about potential "cooperative aggression" from China and Russia. If the efforts are to expand the budget for the department he's in charge, Richard made it - according to the Biden administration's recently submitted fiscal year 2023 defense budget, total spending on nuclear weapons and systems research and procurement grew to $34.4 billion from $27.7 billion for fiscal year 2022.

Of course, this is part of Washington's series ways to justify its arbitrary "nuclear freedom" and "nuclear hegemony" by pretending to worry that "deterrence is no longer sufficient." That is why politicians and media in Washington either hype disinformation like "China is building missile silos in its northwest part," or promote ridiculous fantasies, such as "China might use nuclear weapons in the Taiwan Straits," based completely on hypothetical assumptions. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it was the US and Western media and politicians who hyped the risk of nuclear war and wanted to "bind" China to Russia, even though China had nothing to do with the war.

These public opinion campaigns were "complemented" by a substantial step-by-step erosion of nuclear weapons limitations from the US. The Biden administration on one hand continues the nuclear weapons modernization efforts it inherited from the Trump administration. It increases investment to accelerate upgrading nuclear weapons and their delivery system, and maintain a low threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. On the other, the Biden administration has not corrected its predecessor's behavior of withdrawing from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which has undermined the international arms control system. The US has also further extended its nuclear forces beyond its territory. Under the leadership of Washington, NATO has expanded the scope of its "nuclear sharing" arrangements and actively promoted the forward deployment of nuclear weapons. And there have been voices in countries like Japan calling for "nuclear sharing" with the US.

Everyone knows that the US is already the "nuclear giant" on earth. According to the estimation of foreign think tank on arms control, the number of nuclear warheads in the US and NATO member countries is about 20 times that of China's. The amount of China's nuclear weaponry and that of the US and its NATO allies is not on the same level. The US sits on the world's largest nuclear arsenal, splashes huge sums of money to modernize its nuclear weapons and constantly relaxes the restrictions of using nuclear weapons. The risk of strategic misjudgment caused by all those will be incalculable.

China's nuclear policy is open and transparent. Of all five nuclear weapon states in the world, China is the only one that pledges no-first-use of nuclear weapons. China has made it clear it will not engage in any nuclear arms race with any other country and will keep its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security.

This means that the development of China's nuclear force has its own established pace and China will not dance to the tune of US hype. In contrast, Washington has deliberately upheld strategic ambiguity on the use of nuclear weapons, trying to leave room for self-interpretation for the use of nuclear weapons in the future. People seem to see that Washington is pointing at other people's noses with one hand, while its other hand is quietly unscrewing the bottle and letting the devil out.

A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. At the beginning of this year, leaders of five nuclear weapon countries, China, Russia, the US, the UK and France, issued the Joint Statement on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, which stressed it again. It also expressed the common willingness to avoid military confrontation and prevent arms race. Washington should honor its commitment, rather than make petty moves of an arms race while shouting "deterrence crisis." On the nuclear issue, the "absolute advantage" and "absolute security" it pursues doesn't exist at all. Its strange logic will make all countries, including the US, feel unsafe. Washington should not be stubborn and should wake up in time.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endurance in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, at 12:43 a.m. EDT after 177 days in space.

Teams on the Shannon recovery ship, including two fast boats, now are in the process of securing Dragon and ensuring the spacecraft is safe for the recovery effort. As the fast boat teams complete their work, the recovery ship will move into position to hoist Dragon onto the main deck of Shannon with the astronauts inside. Once on the main deck, the crew will be taken out of the spacecraft and receive medical checks before a helicopter ride to board a plane for Houston.

The Expedition 67 crew was back to normal on Friday following the departure of four commercial crew astronauts early Thursday morning. The seven International Space Station astronauts and cosmonauts will live and work in space together until late summer.

The SpaceX Crew-3 mission ended at 12:43 a.m. EDT on Friday when the Dragon Endurance crew ship splashed down off the coast of Tampa, Florida. Nearly 24 hours earlier, Crew-3 Commander Raja Chari with Pilot Tom Marshburn and Mission Specialists Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer undocked from the Harmony module's forward port inside Dragon.

After saying farewell to the Crew-3 astronauts early Thursday, the orbiting lab's four newest astronauts, who arrived the week before aboard the Dragon Freedom spaceship, closed the station's hatches, went to bed about two hours later, and took the rest of the day off.

On Friday, NASA Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren, who is one week into his second spaceflight, stowed emergency gear and checked out hydroponic hardware for the XROOTS space botany study. ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti, who is also on her second mission, spent her day maintaining orbital plumbing systems.

First time space-flyers Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins partnered once again in the Columbus laboratory module studying how the central nervous system adapts to weightlessness. Hines and Watkins were both selected as members of the 2017 class of astronaut candidates in August of the same year.

The station's new commander, Oleg Artemyev, started his day installing video gear before continuing his weeklong research on ways to maximize the effectiveness of a space workout. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov also participated on the space exercise study before working on networking equipment. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Denis Matveev checked out systems inside the Rassvet and Zarya modules before performing Russian orbital maintenance tasks.

On-Orbit Status Report

Payloads:

eXposed Root On-Orbit Test System (XROOTS): The crew continued the inspections and water-management troubleshooting of the XROOTS experiment hardware with a goal of determining if the system is able to support its plant growth modules. The XROOTS investigation uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques to grow plants without soil or other growth media. Video and still images enable evaluation of multiple independent growth chambers for the entire plant life cycle from seed germination through maturity. Results could identify suitable methods to produce crops on a larger scale for future space missions.

General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator-1 (GLACIER1): The crew assessed possible damage to one of the GLACIER sample trays and replaced the desiccants in the GLACIER1 unit. Depending on the types of samples placed in the GLACIER, it can be used as a refrigerator or freezer with temperature capabilities of as warm as +4C (39F) and as cold as -160C (-301F). The crew can perform maintenance and monitor the hardware. The GLACIER can also be commanded and monitored from the ground.

Gravitational References for Sensimotor Performance: Reaching and Grasping (GRASP): Several sessions of the GRASP seated science protocols were performed using the virtual reality headset. The purpose of the GRASP investigation is to better understand how the central nervous system (CNS) integrates information from different sensations (e.g. sight or hearing), encoded in different reference frames, in order to coordinate the hand with the visual environment. More specifically, the science team seeks to better understand if, and how, gravity acts as a reference frame for the control of reach-to-grasp.

Systems:

Onboard Training (OBT) ISS Emergency Simulation: The full crew participated in a simulation to practice emergency responses based on information provided by simulated displays. They translated through ISS to appropriate response locations and practiced procedure execution and decision making based on cues from the simulator. Following the training, they conducted a review session with Houston and Moscow Control Centers.

Robotic Operations: Today, ground operators translated the Mobile Transporter (MT) from Worksite 2 to Worksite 6 and performed a Mobile Servicing System (MSS) maneuver to walkoff the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to the Node2 Payload Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF) in preparation for the OFT-2 mission.

Regenerative ECLSS Recycle Tank Operations: Today, the crew setup the recycle tank to drain to the brine processor using the brine processor transfer hose. As part of the setup, the crew removed and installed a new brine bladder into the brine processor. The ground then performed the tank drain using the Urine Transfer System (UTS) and the crew changed out the offload EDV. Lastly, the crew configured the Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) fill drain valve and connected the UTS transfer compressor hose for nominal processing operations.

Emergency Equipment Return to Nominal: The crew returned the emergency equipment that was once stowed in Crew-3 Endurance back to a long-term stowage configuration until it's needed for Crew-5 arrival. As part of this activity, the crew audited the emergency items in order to give the ground team time to work any needed actions prior to Crew-5 arrival.

Completed Task List Activities:

ESA-PAO INTERCULTURA

Today's Ground Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

MT Translation from WS2 to WS6

SSRMS Walkoff to Node 2 PDGF

Look Ahead Plan

Saturday, May 7 (GMT 127)

Payloads:

Photocatalyst filter check (Ax-1/ISS)

Systems:

Housekeeping

Sunday, May 8 (GMT 128)

Payloads:

Photocatalyst filter check (Ax-1/ISS)

Systems:

Crew Off-duty

Monday, May 9 (GMT 129)

Payloads:

Acoustic Diagnostics BPW, CAL MTL jumper check, HRF blood and urine setup, Photocatalyst filter check

Systems:

Crew Holiday

Today's Planned Activities:

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

Cold Atom Lab MTL Jumper Leak Check

GRASP science performance in seated position

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain

Environmental Health System (EHS) Air Quality Monitor Vent Vacuum

GRASP science performance in seated position

GRASP science performance in seated position

Emergency Equipment Return

iWatch Charge for SpX CREW DRAGON

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis

Photocatalyst Filter Check

GRASP science performance in seated position

RS items gathering for disposal in NG-17

Handover RS items to US crew for disposal on NG-17

Urine Transfer System Offload EDV Swap

ESA Weekly crew conference

Dragon Station Support Computer 22 Swap

XROOTS Troubleshooting

Public Affairs Office (PAO) Event in JEM

Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3

Review Emergency OBT Simulator Functionality

Emergency OBT Simulator Drill

Flight Director/ISS CREW CONFERENCE

ISS Emergency Drill OBT Conference

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has returned his proposals to the Verkhovna Rada on the law "On amendments to some laws of Ukraine to improve the effectiveness of sanctions related to the assets of certain persons", adopted by Parliament on April 21, 2022, the press service of the head of state has reported.

"This document establishes a new type of sanction through the recovery of assets owned by a natural or legal person, as well as assets that he may directly or indirectly dispose of," the message says.

It specifies that the law "does not establish clear criteria by which a person can be included among those who are subject to such a sanction. "This does not meet the requirements of the Constitution of Ukraine," the Presidents Office stressed.

They note that the law also gives new powers to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) to identify and search for assets to be blocked, individuals and entities specified in the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).

"These powers of the NACP go beyond its competence, defined by the law of Ukraine "On the prevention of corruption," the Presidents Office reported.

In addition, it is noted that the document proposes to supplement the Law of Ukraine "On sanctions" with provisions on the implementation of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) of administrative proceedings on cases of sanctions through recovery of assets to the state. At the same time, it does not provide for relevant amendments to the law "On the HACC", which defines the basis of the organization and activity of the HACC.

"In view of the above, President Zelensky returned this law with his proposals to the parliament for reconsideration in the session hall," the Presidents Office said.
Russian occupiers in the city of Sorokine (Luhansk region) are forcing Ukrainian citizens displaced from the recently occupied territories to take "passports" to the so-called "LPR", the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reports.

"Preventive conversations are being held with people. It is reported that in case of renunciation of the citizenship of the pseudo-republic, people will lose any means of subsistence and repressive measures will be applied to them," the message on the telegram channel says.

"People are deprived of their homes, property and money. Therefore, they are forced to agree to these conditions, because it is only possible to receive payments in rubles, food packages and medical assistance," the Main Intelligence Directorate reported.

It is noted that at the moment most of the employees of the so-called "law enforcement agencies of the LNR" have been sent to the combat zone in the territory of Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson regions.

"And the hastily gathered 'recruits' have practically no service experience," the intelligence service said.

Therefore, in particular, from May 1, the patrol units of the "LPR People's Militia" have to stop checking private vehicles and personal documents at checkpoints near Sorokine.
The threat of an amphibious landing of Russian occupation troops and reconnaissance by UAVs, also of the strike type, continues in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, according to Operational Command Pivden (South).

"The enemy continues to hold tension in the northwestern Black Sea by the presence of its ship group, the threat of an amphibious landing, and reconnaissance by UAVs, including strike-type reconnaissance," a message posted on Facebook on Thursday reads.

Residents of coastal areas are warned that the sounds of explosions and gunshots, may be an appropriate accompaniment to activities to counter the aggressor.

In addition, residents are warned that during wartime, it is forbidden: to visit beaches and other prohibited areas, to use small and other watercraft in the sea area, to expose themselves to danger and interfere with the actions of the Ukrainian military.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) has registered 6,731 civilian victims of the war in Ukraine since February 24, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.

She said her Office has recorded 6,731 civilian casualties since 24 February. We know the real figures are considerably higher, she continued, pointing out that most of those casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide effects in populated areas. She went on to say that her office is also documenting the devastating consequences of the conflict on other human rights, including incidents of families shot as they tried to escape in convoys and the arbitrary detention and possible forced disappearances of civilians by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups. Bachelet told the UN Security Council in New York on Thursday.

She noted that in areas around Kyiv since the end of February, for about five weeks, Russian troops have been targeting male civilians who were considered suspicious.

Bachelet pointed out that men had been detained, beaten, executed without trial, and in some cases taken to Belarus and Russia.

According to her, in other regions controlled by the Russian military and affiliated armed groups, such as Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, the OHCHR continues to document arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances of local authorities, journalists, civil society activists, retired servicemen and armed forces, and other civilians by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups.

As of May, she said, her office documented 187 cases, of which five victims were found dead.

In addition, the OHCHR also documented eight possible and enforced disappearances of people believed to be pro-Russian in government-controlled territory.
Buying Ukraine's eurobonds and VRIs (value recovery instruments) is currently inappropriate, despite the really attractive market situation for these instruments, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"Firstly, there are no funds for this, and secondly, our partners will have a question - where do you use our money. But the situation is really favorable to buy back VRIs and eurobonds. We are working on this. We cannot say that the Ministry of Finance constantly rules out this. But so far it does not look appropriate at a particular point in time," Marchenko said.

He noted that Ukraine plans to continue servicing its debt obligations.

Commenting on from time to time sounding proposals for restructuring the state debt, the minister stressed that this issue is quite sensitive.

"I don't like it when people who are not involved in such issues, who are not experts in this area, express some positions. This is an internal issue. A matter of reputation, trust. You can take advantage of the moment, but in the future it will hurt us a lot. Even talks about potential restructuring are very harmful to us and our plans," the minister said.

He said that in the short term he does not see any problems with servicing external debt, in particular, for May, all external payments of Ukraine - a little more than $ 200 million, the same applies to June, July, August.

"Yes, the question of September will arise: we are waiting for a payment of $900 million on eurobonds. We are currently working on this, but I would not like to say that we are preparing some kind of decision, whether we are ready to offer anything," Marchenko stressed.

In early February of this year, the Ministry of Finance announced that it had recently bought back approximately 10% of eurobonds maturing in September 2022, reducing their outstanding volume to $912 million.

In addition, the Ministry of Finance carried out several operations to buy back GDP warrants, bringing their volume in state ownership to about 20% of the total nominal amount of securities.
Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko has handed over to the command of the Army of Ukraine 5,000 high-class armored vests and 5,000 kevlar helmets, which the capital received with the support of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC).

"I handed over to the command of the Army of Ukraine military equipment received from our American friends. My brother [Volodymyr Klitschko] and I appealed to the UWC. And he, within the framework of the global action Unite with Ukraine, raised funds and bought 5,000 high-class armoured vests and 5,000 kevlar helmets for Kyivs territorial defence for $4.5 million. Since the situation in the capital is calmer and the territorial defence is already provided with equipment, we decided to transfer the body armour and helmets to the command of the Ground Forces because our fighters on the front line need this equipment today," he said on his Telegram channel.
Civilian casualties from February 24, when Russia launched the war against Ukraine, to 24:00 May 4 totaled 6,731 civilians (6,635 in the report the day before), including 3,280 dead (3,238), the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Wednesday.

"OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration, " the report reads.

According to it, this concerns, for example, Mariupol (Donetsk region), Izium (Kharkiv region), and Popasna (Luhansk region), where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties. They are subject to further verification and are not included in the above statistics.

"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, " it says.

The UN confirmed that 1,183 men, 749 women, 86 boys and 72 girls were killed, while the gender of 73 children and 1,117 adults could not been determined yet.

Among the 3,451 wounded, there are 85 boys and 74 girls, and 169 children whose gender could not been determined yet.

Compared to the previous day's report, four children were killed and six more were wounded.

OHCHR indicates that as of midnight on May 5, there were 1,622 (1,599) deaths and 1,278 (1,260) injuries in government-controlled territory and 105 (101) deaths and 417 (392) injuries in territory controlled by self-proclaimed "republics" in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In other regions of Ukraine under government control (in Kyiv, as well as Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions) the UN recorded 1,553 (1,538) deaths and 1,756 (1,745) wounded.

The daily report traditionally states that the increase in numbers to the previous report should not be attributed only to cases on May 4, as the Office verified some cases from previous days during this period.

More news: https://t.me/interfaxuk_eng
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed support for Ukraine amid the Russian aggression at a meeting in Kyiv with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

"You are our closest and most reliable friends, because you were the first to support Ukraine from the very beginning of this war, from the very beginning of the threat from Russia. You supported us both with weapons and with your diplomatic actions. Your people, the population supported us in all aspects and in all directions," Zelensky's press service said, citing him.

The head of state also thanked the representatives of the countries, noting that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are the best lawyers for Ukraine in the European Union and around the world.

For their part, Foreign Ministers of the Baltic States, Eva-Maria Liimets (Estonia), Edgars Rinkevics (Latvia), Gabrielius Landsbergis (Lithuania) noted support for Ukraine's European integration aspirations and offered to provide assistance in the post-war restoration of social infrastructure.

Special attention during the meeting was paid to the importance of strengthening sanctions pressure from the EU and the entire international community on Russia.

"It is extremely important not only to increase sanctions pressure, but also to maintain the integrity of the sanctions. They must be very effective. Do not give the aggressor the opportunity to avoid them and continue to finance the criminal war against Ukraine," Zelensky said.
Since the beginning of Russian military operations in Ukraine, the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has eliminated over 140 enemy subversive reconnaissance units and exposed 4,000 collaborators, SBU spokesperson Artem Dekhtiarenko has said.

"In Kharkiv region, during a special operation by the SBU, some 11 Russian snipers were captured. The detainees were part of the so-called 115th regiment of the subversive reconnaissance unit, which fired at Ukrainian positions," Dekhtiarenko said in a video statement posted on the SBU Telegram channel on Friday.

According to him, in Khmelnytsky region, the SBU military counterintelligence neutralized an enemy subversive reconnaissance unit of three people who were planning sabotage in the region.

In Zhytomyr region, as the SBU spokesperson said, an agent of the Russian special services was detained, who collected intelligence on the number and combat readiness of the aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "The attacker turned out to be an official of one of the defense enterprises of our state," Dekhtiarenko said.

The spokesperson of the Ukrainian special service also said that in Sumy region, the head of one of the city councils, his deputy and a local deputy were exposed for cooperation with the enemy.

"Two more collaborators were detained in Kyiv region, who contributed to the 'quartering' of the aggressors, helped them navigate the terrain of Bucha district, and took part in looting and abducting of Ukrainian patriots," Dekhtiarenko said.
On Friday, the Ukrainian servicemen hit the Russian frigate Admiral Makarov using a Neptune anti-ship missile in the Black Sea, Odesa edition Dumskaya said, citing its own sources.

"New information is coming in about another failure of the Russian fleet near our shores. Unofficial Russian sources report that troubles have overtaken the newest missile frigate Admiral Makarov," the publication said.

It specifies that the ship was commissioned in 2017. It was equipped with modern air defense systems and armed with Caliber cruise missiles.

"According to preliminary information, the frigate was unable to dodge the Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile. The ship is badly damaged, but remains afloat for now," the journalists said.

Information about the defeat of the Admiral Makarov frigate has not yet been made public at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, however, in the report of the General Staff on the losses of the Russian army in Ukraine over the past day, the number of damaged and destroyed ships of Russia has increased by one.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday, when asked about information about the attack on a Russian ship in the Black Sea: "We do not have such information."

More news: https://t.me/interfaxuk_eng
'Fortun Ridge' Imaged on Ingenuity's Flight 27: NASAs Ingenuity Mars Helicopter scouted this ridgeline near the ancient river delta in Jezero Crater because it is of interest to Perseverance rover scientists. Enlarged at right is a close-up of one of the ridgelines rocky outcrops. The image was captured on April 23, during the rotorcrafts 27th flight. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter recently surveyed an intriguing ridgeline near the ancient river delta in Jezero Crater.

The images - captured on April 23, during the tiny helicopter's 27th flight - were taken at the request of the Perseverance Mars rover science team, which wanted a closer look at the sloping outcrop.

"Ingenuity not only provides imagery from an aerial perspective, but allows our team to be two places at once on Mars," said Ken Farley of Caltech, Perseverance's project scientist. "Sending the rover to survey and prospect in one location while launching the helicopter to survey another hundreds of meters away is a great time-saver. It can also help us explore areas the rover will never visit, as in this case."

The ridgeline, which the science team calls "Fortun Ridge" after a parish in Norway, is a geologic feature of interest because data collected from orbit, and at a distance by Perseverance, indicates it is the boundary between the two major rock units on the crater floor.

Previous images suggest tilted layers of rock in this area of Mars are uncommon (unlike on Earth, where plate tectonics and earthquakes cause tilting). The science team will also have an opportunity to compare the Flight 27 images of this feature with data collected by both Ingenuity and Perseverance of an angled ridgeline nicknamed "Artuby" in the "South Seitah" region of the crater. Comparing Ingenuity's shots of the two angled ridgelines may help team scientists better understand the history of the crater floor and, possibly, the forces that were at play in this part of Jezero Crater billions of years ago.

This recent science-oriented foray by Ingenuity follows scouting the helicopter performed to view the backshell and parachute that helped the Perseverance rover safely land on Mars with Ingenuity attached to its belly. Those images have the potential to help ensure safer landings for future spacecraft such as the Mars Sample Return Lander, which is part of a multimission campaign that would bring Perseverance's samples of Martian rocks, atmosphere, and sediment back to Earth for detailed analysis.

More About Ingenuity

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which also manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity's development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.

More About Perseverance

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
G7 leaders to discuss possibility of additional sanctions against Russia on May 8

The leaders of the G7 countries plan to discuss possible new sanctions against Russia during a video conference on Sunday, Bloomberg said, citing informed sources.

Agency said the online meeting will give countries the opportunity to coordinate, potentially refine any measures.

Earlier, Western media said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would also take part in this video meeting.

This week, U.S. President Joe Biden said that Washington is always open to new sanctions against Russia and will discuss this with partners in the G7.

"We're always open to additional sanctions," Biden said at the White House.

The G7 meeting will take place against the backdrop of preparations in the EU for the sixth package of anti-Russian sanctions. The permanent representatives of the EU countries cannot yet reach a consensus on new measures, in particular, on the introduction of a ban on the import of Russian oil.
Estonia has supplied weapons and munitions to Ukraine worth EUR 230 million.

"Since the start of the conflict, we have continued supporting Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance, and we also supported the sending of large amounts of aid to Ukraine on a private initiative. Military assistance worth 230 million euros in total has been sent from Estonia to Ukraine," Director of the Estonian Center for Defense Investment Magnus-Valdemar Saar said at a press conference on Friday.

Among them, he mentioned a large number of weapons systems and munitions, including mortars, anti-tank grenade launchers and guided anti-tank systems, as well as various auxiliary gear, saying the assistance has already been delivered to Ukraine.

"We are also sending 4x4 propulsion wheeled armored vehicles to Ukraine," Saar said.

Estonia is looking for ways of providing additional assistance, including medical services and the training of troops, he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky invited Iceland to take part in the energy modernization of the country.

"We are already preparing for the restoration of our country. And in order to ensure a truly free and comfortable life, in order to guarantee prosperity to our people, we invite our friends and only friends to take part with us in the implementation of the program for the restoration of Ukraine," he said on Friday, addressing via video link to the Icelandic Parliament.

"I invite your country, your companies to take part in the restoration of Ukraine, in particular in energy modernization of our country. So that your energy efficiency experience will also help us, our people. I believe that soon we will be able to start this work," Zelensky said.

"But first, let us defend freedom," he said.

More news: https://t.me/interfaxuk_eng
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the forced deportation of Ukrainians from Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia to its outlying regions is being carried out so that they become a silent labor force there.

Speaking before the Icelandic Parliament, the head of state said the nature and weather conditions in Ukraine create favorable opportunities for agriculture.

"However, look at the full-scale war that continues on our soil. Look at what the Russian military is doing. Even in such comfortable conditions, they managed to create inferno. For what? Everything is very frank: so that we never have democracy, so that we there has never been independence. So that our land, our nature can be used against our interests. So that our resources work for a foreign state. And so that our people are just a silent labor force," Zelensky said in his video addressing.

He also called on the Icelandic parliamentarians to pay attention to the number of Ukrainian citizens deported to Russia.

"More than 500,000 of our people have already been deported to Russia. They were forced to go there. Everything is taken away from them. Their documents are taken away, their means of communication are taken away. They are sent to outlying regions of a foreign land. Russia. They are trying to assimilate by force there. Some 500,000 deported people! This is a large number. And you know, this is more than the total population of your beautiful country," Zelensky said.

More news: https://t.me/interfaxuk_eng
By their actions and statements, Russian diplomats are provoking tensions in relations between Russia and Israel, which contributes to increasing Israel's support for Ukraine. The Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk stated this at Ukraine24 TV channel.

A delegation from Hamas, an organization that is considered a terrorist majority in the world, arrived in Moscow, and this was extremely negatively perceived by the Israeli leadership. And then there was the statement of the speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Zakharova that in a regiment of NGU Azov there are Israeli mercenaries. That is, we see that the conflict not only does not subside, but also develops. And I, to be honest, would establish a prize for Russians who do such unacceptable nonsense. After all, all this will lead to Israel supporting Ukraine even more. Of course, Russian diplomats are helping Ukraine with such actions - due to their ignorance, their drowsiness, - he said.

The Ambassador stressed that official Jerusalem supports Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression.

Israel has a sanctions policy against Russia and has been helping Ukraine since the first day of the aggression with a number of very important humanitarian projects - from a field hospital to food in Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odessa. A few days ago, we met with the Israeli Foreign Minister and agreed on the treatment of Ukrainian wounded, both civilian and military. The conversation of the defense ministers was the impetus for Israel to provide Ukraine with means of protection - helmets and bulletproof vests, - the head of the diplomatic mission said.

Yevhen Korniychuk added: Israeli citizens unequivocally support Ukraine, even those who came to Israel from Russia, because they left tyranny and support us in the fight against this aggression. We are supported by public organizations and companies that voluntarily refuse to cooperate with Russia. Official Kyiv has to work more with the Israeli government, - he said.

The Ambassador also said that since the beginning of the Russian aggression, about 25,000 Ukrainians have found temporary refuge in Israel.
On Friday, another exchange of prisoners took place, some 41 people were released from Russian captivity, including 11 women, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereschuk has said.

"Another exchange of prisoners took place. Some 41 people were returned, including 11 women. Some 28 servicemen and 13 civilians are returning home. It is especially joyful that today among the released there is the rector of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," Vereschuk said in her Telegram channel.

More news: https://t.me/interfaxuk_eng
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking via video link at the Chatham House analytical center, expressed confidence that Russia's nuclear blackmail is born out of a sense of impunity.

"The challenge is, in fact, nuclear blackmail. For the first time in many decades. Absolutely frank. Russian state propagandists use their media resources to calculate how long it will take for nuclear missiles to hit the capitals of Europe. They talk about it publicly, frankly. They tell how to detonate nuclear charges in the ocean so that everything on the British Isles is washed away by a radioactive wave. They prepare infographics, that is, they take this seriously. They brag that Russia can destroy any state in 'nuclear ash.' Moreover, 'nuclear ash' is their quote, which they repeat like a mantra," Zelensky said.

This happens, according to the head of state, for the reason that Russia is confident in its impunity.

"They are used to the fact that business, as usual, always returned to the relations of all states with Russia. And even now in Europe there are politicians who are not shy about ties with the Russian state after everything that the Russian army has done in Ukraine," he stressed.

More news: https://t.me/interfaxuk_eng
German chancellor's visit to Ukraine on May 9 would be powerful step  Zelensky at Chatham House

The visit of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Ukraine on the day of the victory over Nazism in the Second World War on May 9 would be a powerful step, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky believes.

Speaking in a video link to the participants of the Chatham House analytical center, the head of state said he had repeatedly invited Scholz to come to Ukraine.

"Such a visit on May 9 would be a powerful step," Zelensky said, adding that he had spoken with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier the day before, who was also invited to pay a visit.

"Ukraine is open. Although today, when we have a war, our door is not open, because we do not have a door. Come in and support us," he said.
It is necessary to continue deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has said.

At a press conference with the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Estonia and Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday, Landsbergis said it may seem to some that Ukraine has already received a lot of weapons and a lot is still coming to Ukraine. But the war has not yet been won. There is a day of victory, it will be. The prime minister said that in order to achieve this victory, more needs to be done Lithuania must continue the supply of weapons.

He said that no country should now think that they have already done everything for Ukraine.
About 1 million people have returned to Ukraine in the past few weeks, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

"About 1 million people have already returned to Ukraine in the past few weeks. The return flow is now bigger than the outflow from Ukraine," Shmyhal said in an interview with Poland's state-run television channel TVP.

According to research and government data, 99% of Ukrainians who had to leave the country in light of current events have plans to return home as soon as the situation becomes more or less safe, the prime minister said.
Martian surface frost, made up largely of carbon dioxide, appears blueish-white in these images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera aboard NASAs 2001 Odyssey orbiter. THEMIS takes images in both visible light perceptible to the human eye and heat-sensitive infrared.

Scientists were baffled last year when studying images of the Martian surface taken at dawn by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.

When they looked at the surface using visible light - the kind that the human eye perceives - they could see ghostly, blue-white morning frost illuminated by the rising Sun. But using the orbiter's heat-sensitive camera, the frost appeared more widely, including in areas where none was visible.

The scientists knew they were looking at frost that forms overnight and is made mostly of carbon dioxide - essentially, dry ice, which often appears as frost on the Red Planet rather than as water ice. But why was this dry ice frost visible in some places and not others?

In a paper published last month in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, these scientists proposed a surprising answer that may also explain how dust avalanches, which are reshaping the planet, are triggered after sunrise.

From Frost to Vapor

Launched in 2001, Odyssey is NASA's longest-lived Mars mission and carries the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), an infrared, or temperature-sensitive, camera that provides a one-of-a-kind view of the Martian surface. Odyssey's current orbit provides a unique look at the planet at 7 a.m. local Mars time.

"Odyssey's morning orbit produces spectacular pictures," said Sylvain Piqueux of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, who led the paper. "We can see the long shadows of sunrise as they stretch across the surface."

Because Mars has so little atmosphere (just 1% the density of Earth's), the Sun quickly warms frost that builds up overnight. Instead of melting, dry ice vaporizes into the atmosphere within minutes.

Lucas Lange, a JPL intern working with Piqueux, first noticed the cold-temperature signature of frost in many places where it couldn't be seen on the surface. These temperatures were appearing just tens of microns underground - less than the width of a human hair "below" the surface.

"Our first thought was ice could be buried there," Lange said. "Dry ice is plentiful near Mars' poles, but we were looking closer to the equator of the planet, where it's generally too warm for dry ice frost to form."

In their paper, the authors propose they were seeing "dirty frost" - dry ice frost mixed with fine grains of dust that obscured it in visible light but not in infrared images.

Thawing Frost and Avalanches

The phenomenon led the scientists to suspect dirty frost might also explain some of the dark streaks that can stretch 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) or more down Martian slopes. They knew the streaks resulted from, essentially, dust avalanches that slowly reshape mountainsides across the planet. Scientists think these dust avalanches probably look something like a ground-hugging river of dust releasing a trail of fluffy material behind. As the dust travels downhill over several hours, it exposes streaks of darker material underneath.

These dark streaks are not the same as a better-documented variety called recurring slope lineae, which recur in the same places, season after season, for weeks (instead of hours) at a time. Once thought to result from briny water slowly seeping from mountainsides, recurring slope lineae are now generally believed to result from flows of dry sand or dust.

Mapping the slopes streaks for their recent study, the authors found they tend to appear in places with morning frost. The researchers propose the streaks resulted from the vaporizing frost creating just enough pressure to loosen the dust grains, causing an avalanche.

The hypotheses are further evidence of just how surprising the Red Planet can be.

"Every time we send a mission to Mars, we discover exotic new processes," said Chris Edwards, a paper co-author at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. "We don't have anything exactly like a slope streak on Earth. You have to think beyond your experiences on Earth to understand Mars."

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Estonia will help Ukraine to restore Zhytomyr region, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets has said.

At a press conference with the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday Liimets said Estonia would like to focus its attention on Zhytomyr region, to help this region with the reconstruction.

Liimets also said Estonia has already received a certain understanding of the needs and plans to provide assistance based on the information received.

The foreign minister said Estonia is a small country, but its idea is to attract other partners, in particular financial partners and other countries, to jointly join the restoration of houses, kindergartens and ensure the implementation of large infrastructure projects.

According to her, Estonia also plans to send a team of demining experts to help clear mines in the liberated regions of Ukraine.

Liimets said they fully support Ukraine's obtaining the status of an EU candidate. Estonian officials would like to acknowledge the great work that has been done to fill out the EU questionnaire. They continue to support Ukraine in many ways and in every possible way.

She also said Estonia has received more than 35,000 Ukrainian refugees.

The prime minister said they continue to provide humanitarian assistance and recently voted to allocate additional EUR 3 million for humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.
Latvia fully supports Ukraine's obtaining candidate status at the next EU summit, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics has said.

At a press conference with the Lithuanian foreign ministers, Estonia and Ukraine in Kyiv on Friday, Rinkevics reiterated the full support for Ukraine to become a candidate for the next EU summit. According to him, Latvia and Ukraine will have quite fruitful discussions and debates in the coming weeks.

The minister said Latvia supports the need to impose an embargo on the supply of oil from Russia as part of the sixth package of EU sanctions.

Rinkevics said Latvia will join the restoration of Ukraine, it is also working with partners to create various centers for women and children who have been forced to move. According to the prime minister, Latvia is also trying to join projects to restore schools, kindergartens and hospitals.
The Chiefs of General Staffs of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden will take part in the meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium on May 19, according to the alliance's website.

"The meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session (MCCS) will enable the 30 Allied Chiefs of Defence to meet and discuss issues of strategic importance to the Alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will join the Chiefs of Defence for the first session to address the geostrategic context and preparations for the Madrid Summit in June," the NATO said in the statement message.

The second session will be dedicated to Russia's war in Ukraine, with the Chiefs of Defence from NATO Partner Nations Finland, Sweden and Ukraine joining the discussions.
A conference in support of Ukraine will be held in Slovakia in early June under the auspices of GLOBSEC, President of the organization Robert Vass (Slovakia) said.

"GLOBSEC is preparing a large conference in Bratislava for June 2 to June 4 to mobilize military, humanitarian, economic and financial support for Ukraine, where prime ministers, presidents are invited and offered Ukraine the chairmanship of the event," the Verkhovna Rada said on its website on Friday, citing the words Vass at the meeting of the delegation of parliamentarians of the EU Member States (GLOBSEC) with heads of the Verkhovna Rada committees and First Deputy Chairman Oleksandr Korniyenko.

Vass said that an international group of European parliamentarians, created under the auspices of GLOBSEC, came to Kyiv to support Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and independence.

Vass said Ukrainians are not just fighting for its soil, but also for Europe. These are the fundamental foundations of international law, so it is GLOBSEC moral duty to help Ukraine so that Ukrainians are not alone in this struggle. Today, the future of the West is determined in the East. Ukraine has shown that its place is in Europe, in the world of Euro-Atlantic values. GLOBSEC will help in Ukraine's official accession to Europe, the president of the organization said.

Kornyienko urged European colleagues to involve their parliaments and governments in the restoration of Ukraine, to become partners of Ukrainian regions and cities.

"We heard your message about the conference and our participation in it. We will form both government and parliamentary delegations at the highest level in order to substantively discuss all issues, in particular, specific restoration projects," Kornienko said.

A delegation of European parliamentarians, together with MPs of Ukraine, visited Bucha and Borodianka destroyed by the Russian Nazis in Kyiv region.

GLOBSEC is an analytical center in Central Europe and organizer of the annual Bratislava Forum.
Ihor Zhdanov, Information Defence Project , Open Policy Foundation

Information Defence of Ukraine provides a daily review of the military-political situation in Ukraine as of the past day of May 5th, based on an analysis of open sources.

PLEASE NOTE! The first review was published on February 26th. All experts of the Information Defence of Ukraine project work free of charge, on a volunteer basis. We need your help. Each of your charitable donations is important to us. Your help in UAH can be transferred to the Oschadbank card: 5304 0999 9952 1978, Beneficiary name: Ihor Zhdanov. Your help in US dollars can be transferred to the account: IBAN number: UA513226690000026207001378162; Name of bank: Acc. 04-095-334 PJSC State Savings Bank of Ukraine, Hospitalna str., 12 G, Kiyv, Ukraine; SWIFT: COSB UA UK KIE. Beneficiary name: Ihor Zhdanov (  ). For more information about our team, see the link in the end of this review.

1. The Armed Forces of Ukraine heroically restrain the enemy's attacks in the decisive battle for the Donbas.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the russian troops are trying to increase the pace of the offensive attacks in Eastern Ukraine in order to come as close as possible to the administrative borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as to strengthen an offensive attack in the Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih areas.

In the Donetsk direction, the main efforts of the enemy are focused on conducting an offensive attack on the settlements of Lyman, Orikhove, Popasna, Velyka Novosilka, Huliaipole, Komyshuvakha, and Orikhiv.

During the day, in the Lyman direction, the enemy made unsuccessful attempts to gain a foothold in the village of Oleksandrivka.

In the Severodonetskyi direction, the occupiers launched an offensive attack in the direction of the settlement of Voievodivka, but were unsuccessful.

In the Popasnianskyi direction, the enemy tried to expand control over the settlement of Orikhove, but was unsuccessful.

Blockades and attempts to destroy the Ukrainian units continue in the Azovstal district in Mariupol. In some areas, with the support of aircraft, the enemy resumed the offensive attack in order to take control of the plant. It was not successful.

In the Novopavlovskyi direction, the occupiers attempted to storm the settlement of Novosilka. The enemy sustained losses and retreated.

In the Pivdennyi Buh and Tavriia directions, the occupiers, forces of separate units of the 8th and 49th Army, the 22nd Army Corps, the Black Sea Fleet Coast Guard, and the Airborne Forces are fighting to hold temporarily occupied territories and create conditions for inadequate actions in the directions Kherson - Mykolaiiv and Kherson - Kryvyi Rih.

In the Slobozhanskyi direction, there is an enemy group consisting of separate units of the 6th General Army of the Western Military District, the 41st General Army of the Central Military District, the coastal troops of the Baltic and Northern Fleets. Air strikes and shelling continue in Kharkiv. The russian occupiers in the Valuysky district of the Belgorod region deployed an auxiliary command post of the 36th Military Army of the Eastern Military District.

In the Izium direction, the enemy is trying to seize the initiative and conduct offensive operations in the Izium-Barvinkove direction. Moreover, the enemy is carrying out artillery shelling of Ukrainian troops' positions in the areas of the settlements of Hrushuvakha, Nova Dmytrivka, and Kurulka.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced the transition of the Defence Forces of Ukraine to counter-offensive operations in the Kharkiv and Izium areas.

The total combat losses of the enemy from February 24 to May 5 were: approximately combatants 24,700 (+200) were eliminated, tanks - 1,092 (+15) units, armoured combat vehicles - 2,651 (+41) units, artillery systems - 499 (+8) units, MLRS - 169 (+6) units, air defence means - 83 (+2) units, aircraft - 196 (+2) units, helicopters - 155 (+0) units, motor vehicles and tank trucks - 1 907 (+40) units, ships / boats - 10 (+0) units, UAVs of operational and tactical level - 312 (+9), special equipment - 38 (+0), cruise missiles - 89 (+2).

The heaviest losses the enemy were sustained in the Popasnianskyi direction yesterday.

2. Information summaries, reviews and assessments of foreign, Ukrainian intelligence and think tanks.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, quoted by Ukrinform , believes that enemy missile strikes on important infrastructure should have hindered the supply of military aid to Ukraine.

He stressed that they (russians) tried to hit what we think are critical infrastructure targets in the west (Ukraine), including electricity supply facilities, transportation hubs, etc.

Kirby assured that despite such strikes, the United States retains all the capabilities to supply military assistance, including the weapon systems. According to him, the United States and other Western countries have many ways to transport the necessary aid to Ukraine.

The New York The Times , citing the US officials, reports that the United States provided intelligence on russian troops, which allowed Ukrainians to attack and kill many russian generals during russia's war in Ukraine.

According to the UK intelligence review, sudden exercises in Belarus do not pose a threat to its neighbours, but russia can use them to keep the Ukrainian military in the north.

UK intelligence has noted that Belarusian ground forces are moving from garrisons to training grounds. It is noted that this is in line with seasonal norms, as Belarus is entering the culmination of its cycle of winter exercises in May.

russia is likely to try to inflate the threat posed to Ukraine by these exercises in order to keep Ukrainian forces in the north by not allowing them to take part in the battle for the Donbas, the report has stated.

3. The russian occupiers are violating international humanitarian law and committing genocide against Ukrainians.

International and national investigation into the genocide of the russian occupiers against Ukrainians. During the 70 days of the war against Ukraine, the russian military committed more than 9,800 war crimes. And this is just what is known - the unblocking of Mariupol and the de-occupation of territories will open even more horrific cases for investigation, said the Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova at a hearing of the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress.

The Kyiv region police exhumed the bodies of two young men. On February 25th, the occupiers killed two civilians in the car. But this was not enough for the invaders - the russian occupiers used their heavy vehicle to move over the car with two people inside.

The russian aggressors kill Ukrainian children. As of the morning of May 5th, more than 629 children were injured in the russian aggression in Ukraine . According to the officials, 221 children were killed and more than 408 were injured.

The children were affected mostly in the Donetsk region - 139, the Kyiv region - 116, the Kharkiv region - 95, the Chernihiv region - 68, the Kherson region - 46, the Mykolaiiv region - 44, the Luhansk region - 37, the Zaporizhzhia region - 27, the Sumy region - 17, in Kyiv City - 16, the Zhytomyr region - 15.

The russian occupiers kill and abduct civilians, hold them hostage and torture them Dmytro Vasyliev, the secretary of the Nova Kakhovka city council in the Kherson region, was released after 46 days of captivity. Vasiliev was abducted on March 16th. Earlier, his wife reported that he was subjected to physical and moral pressure, including torture.

On May 2nd, the russian military seized the premises of the Chornobaiivska Village Council in the Kherson region, conducted a "rummage" of the village head Ihor Dudar, after which he was hospitalised, and abducted the Deputy Chairman Yevhen Rodionov.

For several days, the russian military has been blocking the arrivals and departures from the Kherson region to Mykolaiiv and other cities controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.

The russian invaders are launching missile and bomb strikes on civilians, towns and villages. During the night of May 5th, the russian troops shelled the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as fired missiles at the Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions. Ukrainian air defence sirens signals have worked in some regions.

The Kyiv region: in the evening the air defence system shot down a missile over the Brovary district. As a result of the falling of the debris bushes and reeds were burning. There were no casualties.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, in the evening there were two missile attacks. One rocket was destroyed. Another rocket hit the railway infrastructure. There is destruction in the area. No one was injured.

In the Kirovohrad region, approximately after ten o'clock in the evening, the rocket fell down on infrastructure sites. As it was noted, there were no casualties.

The Cherkasy region: yesterday, at about ten o'clock in the evening, the air defence system near Cherkasy worked. Two missiles were shot down. There were no victims.

The Kharkiv region: there were several shellings on the outskirts of the city at night, no one was injured. An 11-year-old boy in the Lozivskyi district was wounded in the shelling during the past 24 hours. One person died in Balakliia region.

The Luhansk region: during a day, there were seven powerful artillery shellings of Severodonetsk, seven more in Popasna and Hirske communities, four in Lysychansk.

During the night, in Novodruzhesk, 2 houses were set on fire, and in Lysychansk, the houses were also set on fire. 5 civilians were killed.

The Donetsk region: The centre of Avdiivka was under missile air strikes was the. At least 15 houses were damaged, the premises of two gas stations were damaged.

Today at four o'clock in the morning, air-to-ground missiles have fired at Kramatorsk, as a result of which 9 residential buildings and secondary school No. 2 were damaged, the gas pipeline was depressurised on the territory of the Enerhomashspetsstal plant, other buildings were damaged. During the shelling, 25 civilians were injured, 20 of them were treated on the spot, 5 were sent to hospital.

In the evening and at night, there was from time-to-time shelling of Marinka, as well as shelling in Chasiv Yar, in the Bakhmut district. 17 houses were damaged, one civilian was killed.

Seven refugees were injured in a shelling by the russian troops of the Sviato Uspenska Sviatohirska Lavra (The Holy Mountains Lavra of the Holy Dormition) in the Donetsk region.

The Kherson region: the situation in the region remains difficult, there were explosions and shelling in the region.

The Mykolaiiv region: last night one of areas of Mykolaiiv was fired from MLRS. Residential buildings and gas pipes were damaged, and the Elektrotrans contact line was cut off. As a result of the shelling, 4 fires broke out. According to preliminary information, one person was injured.

4. Evacuation of civilians, exchange of prisoners.

On May 4th, 344 people were evacuated as a part of the Mariupol Humanitarian Corridor. These were women, children and the elderly people from Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak, and Vasylivka. All of them have just arrived in Zaporizhzhia.

russia has said that a humanitarian corridor will be opened from 8 am on May 5th to evacuate civilians from the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, with no mention of the military, including the wounded.

5. Political and socio-economic situation in Ukraine, economic losses due to russian aggression.

Economic losses due to russian aggression. According to Yuri Shchyhol, the head of the State Special Service , the occupiers are deliberately destroying Ukraine's television and broadcasting infrastructure to deprive Ukrainians of the opportunity to obtain truthful information about the war and the situation in Ukraine.

The Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant has run out of coal, which cannot be supplied due to the temporary occupation of Enerhodar by the russians and hostilities in the south of Ukraine - the operation of the thermal power plant has been stopped.

6. International support and assistance to Ukraine.

Political support for Ukraine. President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier had a telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was reported by DW .

According to the Federal President's Office, a "misunderstanding from the past" was resolved during the 45-minute conversation. The President of Germany assured Ukraine of full support. The President of Ukraine called the conversation with Steinmeier "good and constructive".

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Israel expressed outrage at Sergey Lavrov's anti-Semitic statements. Now an official apology is expected from the head of the russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Military assistance to Ukraine. Finland will send additional military equipment to Ukraine and is preparing to provide another 70 million euros in aid.

Financial assistance to Ukraine. An international donor conference on fundraising for war-torn Ukraine raised $ 6.5 billion.

A donors' conference is being held in Warsaw on May 5th, co-organised by Poland and Sweden, in partnership with the European Council, the European Commission and the United Nations. The event is designed as a platform to discuss assistance to Ukraine in the short and long term.

In his interview with Interfax - Ukraine , the European Council President Charles Michel said that the donor conference in Warsaw could be a starting point for Marshall's European plan for Ukraine. He calls for the confiscation of the assets of russians under sanctions in order to continue to use them to compensate for the damage caused by russia in the war against Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recalled that since the start of the full-scale war, the EU has provided $ 4 billion in economic support to Ukraine,  3.5 billion to help Ukrainians leave for the EU  1.8 billion to help internally displaced persons,  200 million will arrive in the nearest future.

The Prime Minister of Sweden has announced $ 23 million to support the organisations that provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainians.

The United Kingdom and in Ukraine, have legally enshrined the abolition of import duties and tariff quotas in bilateral trade. This was reported by the Ministry of Economy. The agreement will be valid for 12 months, but may be extended by agreement between the parties for a new term.

Humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The United Kingdom has announced additional funding to help vulnerable people in Ukraine and those who have fled the war. This was reported Sky News .

A total of  45 million will be donated to charities and UN agencies working to support those affected by the war.

Hungary is ready to take part in rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed during the war in the Kyiv region and will accept Ukrainian soldiers for treatment.

7. Statements, provocations and fakes of the russian aggressors.

In Mariupol, the russian occupiers plan to change the clothes of almost 2,000 men they hold in the so-called filtration prison into Ukrainian uniforms and involve them in a parade of prisoners on May 9th.

This was stated by the Mariupol Mayor's Adviser Petro Andriushenko on the national marathon: We have information that today almost 2,000 men are being held in a filtration prison. These are the villages of Bezimenne and Kozatske. They were taken out of Mariupol almost 4 weeks ago.

These men are being held and told that they would be dressed in Ukrainian uniforms and brought to the so-called "parade of prisoners" in Mariupol, because they do not have enough real prisoners. It will be such a grotesque picture to create another propaganda picture.

8. Political and socio-economic situation in russia, the impact of international sanctions on it.

New sanctions and restrictions against russia. After the European Union and the United Kingdom announced new sanctions against russia, the US President Joe Biden has said that "we are always open to additional sanctions."

The negative impact of sanctions on the russian economy. The average price of Urals oil in April fell from $ 79.8 per barrel to $ 70.5. This was reported in the Ministry of Finance of the russian federation, Interfax reports.

The average price of the Urals for the period from March 15th to April 14th was $ 79.81 per barrel. Thus, the discount price of russian Urals oil to the main grade of Brent oil continues to increase.

Due to the closure of the stores of the largest international fashion chains, clothing sales in russia from February 21 to April 10 fell by 23% in a year.

Energy giant Shell has said that Shell's executives, management and technical staff have left russia's Sakhalin II oil and gas project.

***

The Open Policy Foundation (hereinafter - the Foundation, http://openpolicy.org.ua ) is a well-known public organisation that conducts analytical research and information campaigns, in particular on Ukrainian and foreign policy, protection of the rights of young people from the temporarily occupied territories to receive higher education in Ukraine.

With the beginning of the russian aggression, the Foundation's experts, together with other leading Ukrainian analysts, have joined a team to implement the Information Defence of Ukraine project. Experts of the project prepare daily reviews of the military-political situation in Ukraine in Ukrainian, English, and Russian, the first review was released on February 26th, moderate the telegram channel Information Defence of Ukraine, https://t.me/info_defense_ua .

For three months now, we have been working on a volunteer basis, free of charge in the conditions of hostilities, sometimes under the sounds of air attack sirens.

If you like our reviews and want to continue to receive a quality analytical product that describes the objective picture of the Ukrainian-russian war, we ask you to provide charitable assistance to our team.

Help in UAH: you can transfer the money to the Oschadbank card 5304 0999 9952 1978, on the name of Ihor Zhdanov.

Help in USD: you can transfer to the account

1. Beneficiary name (exact name of bank account holder): Ihor Zhdanov (  )

2. Beneficiary city and country:

City Kyiv

Country Ukraine

3. Name of bank: Acc. 04-095-334 PJSC State Savings Bank of Ukraine

4. IBAN number: UA513226690000026207001378162

6. Swift number: COSB UA UK KIE

7. Full address of bank (street, city and country): Hospitalna str., 12 G, Kyiv, Ukraine

8. Other information (Bank code, ABA number, BSB number): Intermediary bank: Citibank NA, New York, Swift: CITIUS33

Thank you for each of your donations, it is very important and necessary for us.

Glory to Ukraine!
Jordan's King Abdullah II will visit Washington on Friday for talks with US President Joe Biden.
The Ministry of Religious Endowments allocated on Saturday 600 outdoor spaces at large mosques nationwide for the millions of worshippers who are expected to partake in the Eid El-Fitr prayers, ending a ban on outdoor Eid prayers - in place since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Egyptians have traditionally performed Eid prayers, which are held after sunrise on the first day of the religious feast, in open spaces due to the large mass of worshippers.

In a statement on Friday, the endowments ministry said that mosques across the country will be allowed to open their doors for congregants at least 30 minutes before the prayers to utter the Takbeerat  a set of religious supplications chanted ahead of Eid Prayers.

Areas designated for women in large mosques nationwide will be open as well, the ministry stressed.

Children will be allowed [this year] to attend the prayer to bring cheer and joy to them, the ministry added.

Outdoor prayers for both Islamic Eids  El-Fitr and El-Adha  have been banned since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they were allowed last year indoors at large mosques only.

Eid El-Fitr is set to start on the Monday, 2 May, as per astronomical calculations.

Dar El-Iftaa  the main authority responsible for issuing religious edicts in Egypt  said it will attempt on Saturday evening to spot the crescent that would herald the advent of the month of Shawwal and the beginning of Eid El-Fitr.

The ministrys decision on Friday to allow prayers outdoors this Eid is a reversal to its previously announced decision to hold the prayers only inside major mosques without opening outer courtyards.

The ministry noted that the new decision was taken in coordination with the relevant authorities that are tasked with managing the pandemic.

Egypt has been witnessing a sharp drop in coroanvirus cases and linked deaths, registering a daily average of 89 coronavirus infections and six deaths from 16 to 23 April.

Last week, the ministry allowed Ramadans late-night prayers (Tahajjud) at all large mosques nationwide on the last three nights of the holy month.

The ministry made the decision following a public outcry due to a previous announcement that these prayers would be suspended due to health concerns related to the coronavirus.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Israel's Supreme Court has upheld a long-standing expulsion order against eight Palestinian hamlets in the occupied West Bank, potentially leaving at least 1,000 people homeless, an Israeli rights group representing the villagers said Thursday.

The verdict, issued late Wednesday as Israel largely shut down for its Independence Day, marks the end of a more than two-decade legal struggle by Palestinians in the Masafer Yatta region of the southern region of the occupied West Bank to maintain communities they say go back decades.

``Without warning in the middle of the night, the Israeli High Court of Justice published a verdict with unprecedented consequences,'' the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which has represented the residents throughout the process, said in a statement.

``The High Court has officially authorized leaving entire families, with their children and their elderly, without a roof over their heads,'' it said.

Roni Pelli, an attorney at the association, said the verdict is final and it's not clear if there are any further legal steps that can be taken. The forcible displacement of the communities could happen at any time, she told The Associated Press.

The military declared the area a firing and training zone in the 1980s. Israeli authorities have argued that the residents only used the area for seasonal agriculture and had no permanent structures there at the time. In November 1999, security forces expelled some 700 villagers and destroyed homes and cisterns, the association said. The legal battle began the following year.

In its ruling late Wednesday, the Supreme Court sided with the state and said the villagers had rejected a compromise that would have allowed them to enter the area at certain times and practice agriculture for part of the year.

The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The families say they have been there for decades, from long before Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war. They practice a traditional form of desert agriculture and animal herding, with some living in caves at least part of the year, but say their only homes are in the hardscrabble communities now at risk of demolition.

``The occupation court just decided: My community will be destroyed,'' tweeted Basel Adra, a prominent activist from the area. ``The army can now place us on trucks, 2,400 people, and expel us from our ancient villages, one by one.''

The West Bank has been under Israeli military rule for nearly 55 years. Masafer Yatta is in the 60% of the territory where the Palestinian Authority is prohibited from operating. The Palestinians want the West Bank to form the main part of their future state.

Jewish settlers have established outposts in the area that are not officially authorized by Israel but are protected by the military. Last fall, dozens of settlers attacked a village in the area, and a four-year-old boy was hospitalized after being struck in the head with a stone.

Israel halted plans to formally annex parts of the West Bank in 2020, but it retains overall control over the territory, with the Palestinian Authority administering major population centers and cooperating with it on security matters. Nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, which is home to nearly 3 million Palestinians.

David Mintz, one of the Supreme Court justices issuing the verdict on Masafer Yatta, lives in the West Bank settlement of Dolev.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is opposed to Palestinian statehood and routinely refers to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria, the biblical name of the region. He and other nationalist leaders view the West Bank as the historical heartland of the Jewish people.

The last serious peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down more than a decade ago. Bennett's government has ruled out any major initiative to end the conflict but has taken steps to improve economic conditions for the Palestinians.

Three major human rights groups have said Israel's policies, particularly in the West Bank, amount to apartheid, allegations Israel rejects as an attack on its very legitimacy.

One of those groups, the Israeli organization B'Tselem, said that in the Masafer Yatta ruling the justices ``once again fulfilled their role in Israel's regime of Jewish supremacy and paved the way for the crime of forcible transfer to be committed.''

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Heavy fighting raged Thursday at the shattered steel plant in Mariupol as Russian forces attempted to finish off the city's last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port.

The bloody battle came amid growing suspicions that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a major battlefield success _ or announce an escalation of the war _ in time for Victory Day on Monday. That is the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar, marking the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany.

Ten weeks into the devastating war, Ukraine's military claimed it recaptured some areas in the south and repelled other attacks in the east, further frustrating Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv.

Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting village by village, as Moscow struggles to gain momentum in the Donbas, the eastern industrial heartland that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective.

In the most searing example of how Ukrainian forces have slowed Russia's progress, Ukrainian fighters _ 2,000, by the Russians' estimate in recent weeks _ were holed up in the tunnels and bunkers under the sprawling Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, the last pocket of resistance in a city largely reduced to rubble over the past two months.

A few hundred civilians were also believed trapped inside the plant.

Ukraine said its fighters drove back a Russian thrust on the plant, which was also being heavily bombed from above. Videos shared online appeared to show the steel mill targeted by intense shelling at dawn.

``The Russian troops entered the territory of Azovstal but were kicked out by our defenders,'' Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Ukrainian television. ``We can say that the fighting is ongoing.''

The Kremlin denied its troops were storming the plant.

A Ukrainian officer leading defenders inside the last Mariupol bastion pleaded with the world to pressure Russia into allowing more civilians to be rescued along with wounded troops. About 100 civilians were evacuated over the weekend.

``Wounded soldiers are dying in agony due to the lack of proper treatment,'' Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, said in a video statement.

Mariupol's fall would be a major battlefield success for Moscow, depriving Ukraine of a vital port, allowing Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and freeing up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas.

Some analysts have suggested Putin may use Victory Day to expand what he calls the ``special military operation'' and declare all-out war. That would allow the Russian leader to introduce martial law and mobilize reservists to make up for significant troop losses. The Kremlin has dismissed such speculation.

Ahead of Victory Day, the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a key transit point for evacuees from Mariupol, announced a curfew that would be in force from Sunday evening through Tuesday morning. Similar long curfews have been put in place in other Ukrainian cities near the front lines for fear of attacks.

In other developments, Belarus' authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, but said he didn't expect the conflict to ``drag on this way.''

Lukashenko, whose country was used by the Russians as a launch pad for the invasion, said Moscow had to act because Kyiv was ``provoking`` Russia. But in the interview, in which he seemed to direct his comments to the West, he created some distance between himself and the Kremlin, repeatedly calling for an end to the conflict and referring to it as a ``war'' _ a term Moscow refuses to use.

Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, has come to symbolize the misery inflicted by the war. The siege of the city has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, medicine or heat.

As the battle raged there, Russian forces shelled elsewhere in the Donbas and kept up their bombardment of railroad stations and other supply-line targets across the country to try to disrupt the supply of Western arms, which have been critical to Ukraine's defense.

Ukrainian forces said they made some gains on the border of the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv and repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas.

Five people were killed and at least 25 wounded in shelling of cities in the Donbas over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said. The attacks damaged houses and a school.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces ``have largely stalled Russian advances in eastern Ukraine,'' and intensified Russian airstrikes on transportation infrastructure in the western part of the country have failed to stop Western aid shipments to Ukraine.

With the challenge of mine-clearing and rebuilding after the war in mind, Zelenskyy announced the launch of a global fundraising platform called United24.

At the same time, Poland hosted an international donor conference that raised $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid. The gathering was attended by prime ministers and ambassadors from many European countries, as well as representatives of nations farther afield and some businesses.

In addition, a Ukrainian cabinet body began to develop proposals for a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan, while Zelenskyy also urged Western allies to put forward a program similar to the post-World War II Marshall Plan plan to help Ukraine rebuild.

Belarus announced the start of military exercises Wednesday, stirring fears that the Russian ally might jump into the war. Britain's Defense Ministry said that it does not believe the drills pose any immediate threat to Ukraine but that they could be used to tie down Ukrainian forces in the north and prevent them from joining the battle for the Donbas.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday his country's army was "still ready" to allow safe passage for civilians trapped at Mariupol's steel plant, the Kremlin said.

The Russian army had on Wednesday announced a three-day ceasefire at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine, saying it would allow civilians to leave.

But a commander of Ukraine's Azov regiment, Svyatoslav Palamar, on Thursday accused Russia of breaking its promise.

Speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett later Thursday, Putin said civilians could still be allowed to leave the besieged plant but Ukrainian troops must lay down their arms.

"The Russian military is still ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians," Putin told the Israeli prime minister, the Kremlin said.

"As for the militants remaining at Azovstal, the Kyiv authorities must give them an order to lay down their arms."

Putin and Bennett spoke amid raging tensions after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking about Ukraine, suggested that Adolf Hitler had "Jewish blood".

The two leaders discussed "historic memory", the Holocaust and expressed interest in developing ties between their two countries, the Kremlin said.

"Mutual interest was expressed in the further development of friendly Russian-Israeli relations and the maintenance of useful contacts between the leadership of the two countries," the Kremlin said.

Putin stressed that of the six million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust "40 percent were citizens of the USSR."

Bennett for his part "noted the decisive contribution of the Red Army to victory over Nazism," the Kremlin said.

Since Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, Israel has sought to keep a delicate balance between Moscow and Kyiv but remarks by Lavrov caused an uproar in the country.

In an interview to Italy's Mediaset released last Sunday, Russia's top diplomat said: "I could be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood".

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid condemned Lavrov's remarks as "a terrible historical error."

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Only a Fantasy: Stewart Rhodes (Oath Keepers) Phone Call to Trump

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Jonathon Moseley, Attorney

May 6, 2022



BURKE, Va., May 6, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- Over the last 48 hours, as Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes' former attorney in a civil lawsuit and the House of Representatives January 6 Committee, Jonathon Moseley has been swamped with media questions.



Moseley announced: "In response to many media inquiries to me, partly from my own concern and curiosity, I confirmed from multiple sources that the phone call did not happen. The report is yet another fantasy about protests on January 6, 2021, which most participants engaged in peacefully and respectfully."



On May 3, 2022, Prosecutors charged William Todd Wilson by "Information" in Criminal Case # 1:22-cr-00152-APM-1. But the very next day Wilson entered a plea deal on May 4.



Prosecutors included the allegation:

44. At the Phoenix Hotel, Rhodes gathered Wilson and other co-conspirators inside of a private suite. Rhodes then called an individual over speaker phone. Wilson heard, Rhodes repeatedly implore the individual to tell President Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power. This individual denied Rhode's request to speak directly with President Trump. After the call ended, Rhodes stated to the group, "I just want to fight."

Two sources, who know, report that no such events or conversation happened, explaining:



First, the allegation itself proves that the Oath Keepers had no ability to communicate with Trump.



Rhodes in December 2020 posted an "open letter" publicly on the Oath Keepers' website encouraging Trump to invoke the [Anti] Insurrection Act of 1807. This is 100% legal. But Rhodes had no way to send it directly to Trump.



No Oath Keeper ever sought to "oppose the transfer of presidential power" forcibly or otherwise. The term of every President ends at Noon on January 20, under the Twelfth and Twentieth Amendments. No exceptions. The transfer of power cannot be stopped. No force was used or implied.



Witnesses place Rhodes at his hotel resting when prosecutors claim "Wilson, Rhodes, and others marched to the United States Capitol." Rhodes only left his hotel to demand that Oath Keepers leave the Capitol area after seeing news reports.



Rhodes openly chastised those Oath Keepers who had gone inside the U.S. Capitol as "dumb asses" and led them away from the area.



Rhodes gathered that night with his leaders like operations leader Michael Greene at an Olive Garden in Virginia  not at his hotel.



SOURCE Jonathon Moseley, Attorney



CONTACT: Jonathon Alden Moseley, 703-656-1230


Israeli authorities announced Thursday the expropriation of 22,000 dunums (about 5,436 acres) of Palestinian-owned land to the south of Jericho city in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Younes Jaafar, a Palestinian rights activist, told Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) that the land expropriated by the Israeli military order belongs to the village of Sawahera Al-Sharqiya, and is part of the E1 Israeli colonial project.

The project, initiated first in 2012, is aimed at isolating Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and disrupting the territorial contiguity between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank.

Israel uses the Absentee Property Law to claim the lands it forced the Palestinians to abandon in the 1948 and 1967 wars. It also deploys a range of tactics to declare all unregistered lands  left out by the Ottoman and British authorities and believed to be two-thirds of the West Bank  as possible state land.

This came hours after Israeli occupation police forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque Thursday morning and occupied it to allow for settlers to enter the mosque, according to media reports.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Top justice officials from the five English-speaking members of the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance held talks with Ukraine's prosecutor general on investigating war crimes, the US Justice Department said Thursday.

The attorneys general of the United States, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada met virtually Wednesday with Iryna Venediktova, their Ukrainian counterpart, on Wednesday as Kyiv seeks action on thousands of suspected war crimes resulting from Russia's invasion.

The six "discussed their coordinated efforts to hold accountable individuals whose criminal actions are enabling war crimes in Ukraine," the US Justice Department said in a statement.

"Our commitment to working with our international partners, including Ukraine's prosecutor general, to investigate and prosecute those responsible for atrocities in Ukraine remains steadfast," said US Attorney General Merrick Garland in the statement.

"We will be relentless in our efforts to bring to justice those who facilitate the death and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine."

Last week Venediktova told Deutsche Welle, the German broadcaster, that Ukraine investigators had identified 8,600 suspected war crimes cases, and another 4,000 connected to war crimes, linked to the war which began on February 24.

The alleged crimes documented include "killing civilians, bombing of civilian infrastructure, torture" and "sexual crimes" that are being reported in the "occupied territory of Ukraine", Venediktova said.

The Justice Department said Garland also updated his counterparts on US efforts to penalize billionaire oligarchs who support Russian President Vladimir Putin, and on the $33 billion in new aid for Ukraine that the White House has requested from Congress.

Also on the call were British Attorney General Suella Braverman, Australia's Attorney General Michaelia Cash, Canadian Minister of Justice David Lametti, and New Zealand's Attorney General, David Parker.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


A total of 1,745,408 preparatory school students have been examined since November in Egypts initiative for the early detection and treatment of hepatitis C, according to the Ministry of Health and Population on Thursday.

The initiative, which is running for the fourth year in a row under the larger 100 Million Healthy Lives presidential initiative, aims to screen 2.5 million preparatory school students during the 2021-2022 school year, said the ministry. The current school year will end later this month.

The initiative is set to continue next year.

According to the ministry, 166,427 students have been screened for hepatitis C in Giza followed by 160,070 students in Cairo, 136,537 students in Sharqiya and 128,931 students in Beheira during the current phase of the initiative.

The examinations are being carried out by 419 medical teams from the General Authority for Health Insurance, the ministry said.

Students who test positive for the virus are referred to the authoritys nationwide liver centres to obtain the required treatment free of charge, the ministry affirmed.

The ministry has announced that millions of preparatory and secondary school students as well as university students have been tested since the launch of the initiative in 2018.

Over the past two years, 9.5 million students have been screened under the initiative, a top ministry official told the state-owned Akhbar El-Yom newspaper last August.

The country launched the initiative for early detection and treatment of hepatitis C and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in 2018 and screened over 60 million people out of Egypts 102 million population.

In July 2020, the health ministry announced that Egypt has become the first country to succeed in becoming free of hepatitis C thanks to the national initiative to end the infectious disease.

The country has also screened millions of people under several health initiatives launched over the past few years under the umbrella of the 100 Million Healthy Lives presidential initiative.

This includes an initiative for the early detection of anemia, obesity and dwarfism among primary school students, an initiative to support womens health, and an initiative for the early detection of genetic diseases.

In March, Egypt also launched an initiative for the early detection and treatment of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) - liver cancer, the sixth most prevalent cancer in the globe.

Egypt is also considering launching an initiative for the early detection of autism in children aged two and older, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said early in April.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Israeli medics say at least three people were killed in a stabbing attack near Tel Aviv on Thursday night.

Police said they suspect it was a militant attack and that the assailant fled in a vehicle. Security forces set up roadblocks in the area around where the killings occurred, in the town of Elad, and a helicopter could be seen hovering over the area.

The Magen David Adom emergency service said three people were killed and four others were wounded; two of the wounded were in serious condition.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the attack and linked it to violence at a holy site in Jerusalem, but did not claim responsibility for it.

"The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque can't go unpunished,`` Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said. "The heroic operation in Tel Aviv is a practical translation of what the resistance had warned against.''

Israel marked its Independence Day on Thursday, a festive national holiday in which people typically hold barbecues and attend air shows.

The identity of the assailant was not yet known. But Israeli-Palestinian tensions have soared in recent weeks after repeated aggression and military operations in the occupied West Bank and violence at the holy site in Jerusalem.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third holiest site in Islam and is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It lies at the emotional heart of the conflict, and Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed there repeatedly in recent weeks.

Israeli police entered the site to clear away Palestinian protesters on Thursday, after Jewish visits that had been paused for the Muslim holidays resumed.

As the visits resumed, dozens of Palestinians gathered, chanting ``God is greatest.'' Scuffles broke out when the police went to arrest one of them. Police fired rubber-coated bullets on the sprawling esplanade as some Palestinians sheltered inside the mosque itself. The police could later be seen just inside an entrance to the barricaded mosque.

Unlike in previous confrontations, Palestinian witnesses said there was no rock-throwing initially. Some of those who sheltered inside the mosque began throwing stones and other objects when police entered the building. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it.

Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses the Islamic militant group Hamas of inciting the recent violence.

* This story has been edited by Ahram Online

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

Ceasefire in doubt

President Vladimir Putin says the Russian army is "still ready" to give safe passage to civilians trapped in Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks, where Ukrainian forces are making a last stand.

He is speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett after a Ukrainian commander says Russia has "violated" a promised truce at the site, leaving civilians hiding from shelling in the basement of the sprawling plant.

The Russian army has announced a three-day ceasefire at the site, but Svyatoslav Palamar, a commander of the Azov regiment which is defending it, says in a video on Telegram "heavy bloody fighting continues".

"As for the militants remaining at Azovstal, the Kyiv authorities must give them an order to lay down their arms," the Kremlin quotes Putin as saying.

UN convoy heads to Azovstal

A new UN convoy is heading to the Azovstal steelworks to try to evacuate civilians, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths tells a Ukraine donors' conference in Warsaw.

"Today as we speak, a convoy is proceeding to get to Azovstal by tomorrow morning hopefully to receive those civilians remaining in that bleak hell... and take them back to safety," he says.

West slowing, not hindering operation: Kremlin

The Kremlin accuses the West of preventing a "quick" end to Russia's military campaign in Ukraine by supplying weapons and intelligence to the country.

But its spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the West is "incapable of hindering the achievement" of the goals of Russia's military operation.

"The United States, Britain, NATO as a whole hand over intelligence... to Ukraine's armed forces on a permanent basis," Peskov tells reporters.

"Coupled with the flow of weapons that these countries are sending to Ukraine, these are all actions that do not contribute to the quick completion of the operation."

$6 billion raised

More than six billion euros ($6.3 billion) are collected at a Ukraine donors' conference in Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says.

Separately Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launches a global crowdfunding platform -- United24 -- to help Kyiv win the war with Russia and rebuild the country's infrastructure.

Ukraine's government in April estimated the cost of rebuilding after the war to be at least $600 billion (570 billion euros).

Sell seized assets: EU chief

The European Union should confiscate and sell Russian assets it has seized and use the proceeds to rebuild Ukraine, EU chief Charles Michel says, echoing an idea already floated in the United States.

The EU said early last month it had frozen 30 billion euros ($31.5 billion) in assets linked to blacklisted Russian and Belarusian individuals.

Eastern assault continues

The governor of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region Pavlo Kyrylenko says at least 25 civilians were wounded in an overnight Russian strike on the city of Kramatorsk.

Moscow seeks to establish "full control" of the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, and to maintain a land corridor to occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian army meanwhile says it has retaken control of "several settlements on the border of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions".

Russia, Israel and the Holocaust

Israeli prime minister Bennett says Putin has apologised for remarks made by Moscow's top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, who claimed Adolf Hitler may have had "Jewish blood".

The comments had sparked outrage in the Jewish state.

A Kremlin summary of the Bennett-Putin call, which came as Israel marked 74 years since the creation of the Jewish state, made no mention of a Putin apology.

It did, however, note that the leaders discussed the "historic memory" of the Holocaust.

Zelensky invites German leaders

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has yet to commit to visiting Kyiv, even after Ukraine's leader invited him and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, three weeks after the German president was snubbed by Kyiv.

NATO, Sweden and the Baltic Sea

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance could heighten its presence around Sweden and the Baltic Sea to protect the country from Russian interference during a potential membership application.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Russian forces have almost encircled Severodonetsk, the easternmost city in Ukraine held by Kyiv, and are trying to storm it, a local official said Friday.

"The city is almost surrounded by Russian and (separatist) Lugansk People's Republic troops," Oleksandr Striuk, the head of the Severodonetsk military administration said on Ukrainian television.

"They are trying to storm the city through nearby villages," he said, indicating moves for a multi-pronged attack.

Severodonetsk's capture would be a major gain for the Russian army which has refocused its efforts on taking the whole of the eastern Donbas region.

Striuk said there was ongoing fighting in a village just north of Severodonetsk.

He said the Ukrainian army was so far "repelling these attacks" but the Russians were pressing on.

"The city is holding on, but one can feel that they are trying to get around."

Striuk said around 15,000 people remained in Severodonetsk, which had a population of around 100,000 before the war.

Evacuation rates have slowed, he said, with "about 10 people a day that can be persuaded to leave".

Regional authorities have for weeks been urging people to leave the city, an industrial hub in Ukraine's Lugansk region.

It is divided from nearby Lysychansk by the Donets River.

Both cities are key targets for the advancing Russian army.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


For weeks, first lady Jill Biden has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of ``parents weeping over their children's broken bodies in the streets,'' as she said in a recent speech.

Now Biden is using her second solo overseas trip to get an up-close look at the Ukrainian refugee crisis by visiting Romania and Slovakia, where she will spend Mother's Day meeting with displaced families in a small Slovakian village on the border with Ukraine.

After flying overnight from Washington, Biden arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, near the Black Sea, in time to help serve Friday dinner to U.S. service members stationed there. Some of the several thousand U.S. troops who President Joe Biden deployed to eastern Europe in the leadup to the war were sent to the base, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Romania's border with Ukraine.

Jill Biden told reporters traveling with her Thursday night, ``It's so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them.'' She said earlier in the week she wants the refugees to know ``their resilience inspires me.''

NATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have taken in some of the millions of mostly women and children who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, triggering Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Biden also will use her four days in Europe to highlight issues she promotes at home, such as support for U.S. service members, education, and the welfare of children.

The centerpiece of the first lady's trip comes Sunday _ Mother's Day _ when the mother of three meets with displaced Ukrainians who sought refuge across the border in Slovakia.

Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, had planned to accompany her mother to Europe, but backed out after learning Thursday that she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesperson. Ashley Biden tested negative, LaRosa said.

``I can only imagine the grief families are feeling,'' Jill Biden said this week. ``I know that we might not share a language, but I hope that I can convey, in ways so much greater than words, that their resilience inspires me, that they are not forgotten, and that all Americans stand with them still.''

The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials, and U.S. embassy personnel, the White House said.

Nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women, and children have fled their country since Russia's invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Many have resettled in next-door countries, like Romania and Slovakia, or have gone elsewhere in Europe to try to rebuild their lives.

More than 850,000 Ukrainians have entered Romania since the invasion, while nearly 400,000 have crossed into Slovakia, according to government figures from those countries.

Biden has long displayed an interest in the plight of refugees around the world.

In 2011, when her husband was vice president, she traveled to drought-stricken east Africa to visit Somali famine refugees at the Dadaab camp in Kenya. In 2017, she visited refugees in Chios, Greece, as part of work by the aid organization Save The Children, on whose board she served.

Some refugee advocates said Biden's trip will send the message that the United States takes seriously its humanitarian commitment to the Ukrainian people.

``Every first lady has a far-reaching platform to raise awareness and this trip will be an important tool for mobilizing additional support for those forced to flee their homeland,'' said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and formerly a policy director to first lady Michelle Obama.

Biden's trip will be the latest to the region by a U.S. government representative following recent visits to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees during a stop in Poland in March. That's the closest he's been to Ukraine. The White House has said there are no current plans for him to visit Kyiv.

After her time with the U.S. service members, Jill Biden was set to spend Saturday in Bucharest, Romania's capital, being briefed on humanitarian efforts, meeting with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis and touring a school where Ukrainian refugee students are enrolled before she departs for Slovakia. The first lady is a community college English professor.

On Sunday, she heads to Kosice, Slovakia, to visit a city-operated refugee center and a public school that also hosts Ukrainian refugee students, where she will spend time with Ukrainian and Slovakian mothers and children as they participate in Mother's Day activities. Afterward, she will travel to the Slovakia-Ukraine border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.

The White House declined to comment on whether she will cross the border and enter Ukraine.

She'll also visit a small Greek Catholic chapel in Vysne Nemecke that serves refugees.

Monday brings a meeting with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, the country's first female president before Biden heads back to Washington.

The first lady has shown her support for the Ukrainian people in several ways. She wore a sunflower, Ukraine's national flower, on her mask and a dress sleeve and traveled to a Tennessee hospital to visit Ukrainian children flown there for cancer treatment.

She had Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, sit with her during President Biden's State of the Union address in March, and she went to the Army's Fort Campbell in Kentucky to visit with the families of U.S soldiers who were deployed to Europe to assist with the Ukraine crisis.

The trip is the first lady's second overseas by herself. She flew to Tokyo last year to represent the United States at the opening of the Olympic Games.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


More civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under a besieged steel plant in Mariupol, a Ukrainian official said Friday, even as fighters holed up at the sprawling complex made their last stand to prevent Moscow's complete takeover of the strategic port city.

The fight in the last Ukrainian stronghold of a city reduced to ruins by the Russian onslaught appeared increasingly desperate amid growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin wants to finish the battle for Mariupol so he can present a triumph to the Russian people in time for Monday's Victory Day, the biggest patriotic holiday on the Russian calendar.

Some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters, by Russia's most recent estimate, are holed up in a vast maze of tunnels and bunkers beneath Azovstal steelworks, and they have repeatedly refused to surrender. Ukraine said a few hundred civilians were also trapped there, and as the battle has ramped up in recent days, fears for their safety have only grown.

``We conducted another stage of a complex operation to evacuate people from Mariupol and Azovstal. I can say that we managed to take out almost 500 civilians,'' the head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said Friday on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not clear if that figure referred entirely to new evacuations or included around 100 who were rescued over the weekend in a United Nations-assisted operation. It was also not clear how many might be left underground, but U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday that the organization ``must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes.``

People escaping Mariupol typically have to pass through congested areas and many checkpoints, sometimes taking days to reach relative safety in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) to the northwest.

Ahead of Victory Day, which marks the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany, municipal workers and volunteers cleaned up what remains of Mariupol, a city that is now under Russia's control apart from the steel plant. Bulldozers scooped up debris and people swept streets, with a backdrop of buildings hollowed out by shelling. Workers repaired a model of a warship, and Russian flags were hoisted on utility poles.

The fall of Mariupol would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up troops to fight elsewhere in the Donbas, the eastern industrial region that the Kremlin says is now its chief objective. Its capture also holds symbolic value since the city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war and surprisingly fierce resistance.

While they pounded away at the plant, Russian forces struggled to make significant gains elsewhere, 10 weeks into a devastating war that has killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee the country, and flattened large swaths of cities.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said Friday that its forces repelled 11 attacks in the Donbas and destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, further frustrating Putin's ambitions after his abortive attempt to seize Kyiv. Russia gave no immediate acknowledgment of those losses.

Ukrainian chief of defense, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, meanwhile, said Thursday that a counteroffensive could begin to push Russian forces away from Kharkiv and Izyum _ two cities key to the Russian campaign in the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops for eight years. Already, Ukrainian fighters have driven Russian troops some 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Kharkiv in recent days.

The goal could be to push the Russian out of artillery range of the city, which has been pummeled by strikes, as well as forcing Moscow to divert troops from other areas of the front line, according to an assessment from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War on Thursday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are making only ``plodding'' progress in the Donbas, while the institute said their operations there were ``ineffectual'' and had not secured any significant territorial gains in the preceding 24 hours.

In fact, the extended standoff at the plant in Mariupol was helping to hinder Russia's plans for the Donbas, the British Defense Ministry said in an assessment on Friday.

The fighting at the plant ``has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia,'' it said. ``Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Avozstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in southern Donbas.''

The Ukrainians say Russian troops have stormed the steelworks and are also striking it from the air, but the wife of one commander at the plant said they had vowed to ``stand till the end.''

``They won't surrender,'' Kateryna Prokopenko said Thursday after speaking by phone to her husband, Denys Prokopenko. ``They only hope for a miracle.''

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was similarly defiant in his nightly video address.

``There are many wounded (fighters), but they are not surrendering,'' he said. ``They are holding their positions.''

``Just imagine this hell! And there are children there,'' he added. ``More than two months of constant shelling, bombing, constant death.''

The Russians have pulverized much of Mariupol, which had a prewar population of over 400,000, and a two-month siege that has trapped perhaps 100,000 civilians with little food, water, electricity or heat. Civilians sheltering inside the plant have perhaps suffered even more _ hunkering underground without seeing daylight in months.

The Russians managed to get inside the plant Wednesday with the help of an electrician who knew the layout, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry.

``He showed them the underground tunnels which are leading to the factory,'' Gerashchenko said in a video.

The Kremlin has denied its troops were storming the plant, and Russia has also accused the fighters of preventing the civilians from leaving.

More than 100 civilians were rescued from the steelworks over the weekend. But many previous attempts to open safe corridors from Mariupol have fallen through, with Ukraine blaming shelling and firing by the Russians.

On Thursday, an American official said the U.S. shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of a Russian flagship before the mid-April strike that sank it, one of Moscow's highest-profile failures in the war.

The U.S. has provided ``a range of intelligence'' that includes locations of warships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the decision to target the missile cruiser Moskva was purely a Ukrainian decision.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Over 40 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians captured by Russia, among them 11 women and a cleric, have been freed in a new prisoner exchange, Kyiv said Friday.

"Another prisoner exchange has taken place: 41 people, including 11 women were brought home," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement on Telegram.

Among those released were 28 soldiers and 13 civilians, one of whom was a member of the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

She did not say how many Russians were released in exchange.

A number of prisoner exchanges have taken place between Kyiv and Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, with the last swap taking place on April 30, in which 14 Ukrainians were freed, among them pregnant women.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Yasar Kemal, one of Turkey's best-known novelists with worldwide readership, has died, his doctor said on Saturday. He was 91.



Kemal died at Istanbul's Capa Hospital where he was admitted on Jan. 14 and was being treated in its intensive care unit for multiple organ failure, Dr. Mehmet Akif Karan said.



Kemal was the author of "Memed, My Hawk" a story about feudal relations in Turkey's traditional southern regions in 1955. Like most of more than 35 other novels, he has written, it was widely translated.



The character of Memed was drawn in part from Kemal's memory of his mother's brother, an outlaw named Mayro  "the best-known outlaw in the eastern Anatolia, Iran and Caucasus areas."



Kemal's ability to delve into human nature and bring out the universal traits in his characters has made his novels widely accessible. Nine of his novels were made into films.



"My adventures are aimed at exploring the mystery of the human," he said during an award ceremony at the presidential palace in December 2008.



When he was a boy, he listened to his father sing Kurdish songs on a hilltop overlooking their village in the southern province of Adana. These were sagas of Kurdish heroism  of wars, lost sons and migrations in past centuries; of nostalgia for lands left behind.



Kemal never promoted his Kurdish background. Few people actually knew he was a Kurd.



"I'm a Turkish writer  of Kurdish origin," he once said.



However, he felt the push to speak during heydays of clashes between autonomy seeking Kurdish guerrillas and Turkish troops in the mid-1990s. But he was convicted for an article denouncing racism against minorities in Turkey, especially Kurds. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison for "inciting hatred and promoting racism." The sentence was suspended.



"I couldn't sleep at nights for a year," Kemal said. "I had pangs of conscience. 'You are a writer. You have to speak up,' I kept telling myself."



Kemal is survived by his son, Rasit Gokceli, and his second wife, Ayse Semiha Baban.
Faith Leaders Call Upon President Biden to Condemn Any Attacks, Threats or Intimidation by Pro-choice Activists Against Catholic Churches and Other Faith Traditions

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Christian Defense Coalition

May 6, 2022



WASHINGTON, May 6, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Christian Defense Coalition is also asking President Biden and the Department of Justice to enforce the provisions in the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) which protect places of worship and people exercising their right of religious freedom.



FACE prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship. It also prohibits intentional property damage at a place of religious worship.



Groups like Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights and other pro-choice groups are planning disruptive actions against Catholic churches this weekend, which is Mother's Day.



Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition and an ordained Presbyterian minister, states;

"President Biden often talks about his deep commitment to his Catholic faith and his support of religious freedom. If this is true, he would come out this weekend and condemn any harassment, intimidation or threats against the Catholic Church or other faith traditions.



"It is unconscionable for the President to remain silent in the face of public threats against the Catholic Church. Every American should be able to freely worship according to the dictates of their beliefs and conscience free from intimidation or harassment. We need this Administration to speak out in support of religious freedom.



"Over the next several weeks if any places of religious worship are vandalized, disrupted, intimidated or attacked, the Department of Justice must aggressively pursue federal charges against those involved according the provisions in FACE. Religious freedom in America must be protected and embraced."

For more information or interviews call

Rev. Patrick Mahoney at: 540.538.4741



SOURCE Christian Defense Coalition



CONTACT: Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741


Cairo's Sixth International Forum for the Arabic Novel was launched on Sunday 15 March after a five-year hiatus, with participation of 200 writers, critics and novelists from across the Arab world, and critics from USA, Italy, Britain and France. This year's edition is in honor of the late Egyptian writer Fathy Ghanem.

The forum was inaugurated at the small hall of Cairo Opera House, with keynote speeches from Egyptian critic Salah Fadl, Moroccan novelist Mohammed Barrada, and the head of the Supreme Council for Culture, the organiser of the forum, Mohammed Afifi.

Historian Zebeida Atta delivered the speech of Fathy Ghanem's family on their behalf.

The forum, which is held this year between 15 and 18 March, under the title "The Transformations and Aesthetics of the Novelistic Form," will grant a LE200,000 ($26,000) prize on its closure. This term's prize was doubled from LE100,000.

Late Saudi novelist Abdel-Rahman Munif, Egyptian writer Sonallah Ibrahim, late Sudanese novelist Tayyeb Saleh, Egyptian writer Edward El-Kharrat, and Libyan writer Ibrahim El-Kouny won the prize in previous terms.

Minister of Culture Abdel-Wahed El-Nabawe was absent from the inauguration due to attending the economic conference in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Critic Salah Fadl said that Egypt had two setbacks in the modern history, the first was in 1967, when Egypt's Army was defeated in the Six Day war, that left a deep wound in the psyches of Egyptian Intellectuals, and the other one was when the Muslim Brotherhood tried to "steal the Egyptian Revolution."

The renowned critic said that enlightenment, however, has never ceased in Egypt and the Arab World.

Fathy Ghanem's family thanked the state represented by the ministry of culture, and Egypt's book organisation, that reprinted his works, for commemorating the memory of Ghanem, saying the speech that Ghanem's real passion was literature, though journalism consumed most of his time.

"The novelist doesn't die, he is alive in his novels, as long as there are those who read and appreciate the value of his words, Fathy is still alive in the pages of his novels. Though he took many leading posts in journalism, as a CEO of Al-Gomhouria newspaper, or at the Middle East News Agency and as an editor in chief at two other newspapers, literature was his real passion, and his novels depicted the social transformations, and predicted the terrorism wave during the Sadat era," his family said.

Moroccan novelist Mohammed Barrada pointed out in his speech that novels are always tied to their present time and can't jump over it as it is always tied to the questions raised by the present time even if it chose to depict a past time.

"For this I think we are all here today as Arab novelists to have a dialogue and review the achievements of the Arabic novel in the past five years, that were full of the questions about the present of Arab societies, a present that is blazed with bloody conflicts, and burning questions of the divisions and civil wars and the domination of repressive regimes that puts a brake on freedom and any possibility of change," he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden invited executives from 19 tech firms to the White House last month and told them, "These chips, these wafers... batteries, broadband -- it's all infrastructure. We need to build the infrastructure of today and not repair the one of yesterday. The plan I propose will protect our supply chain and revitalize American manufacturing." Companies like Intel and TSMC of Taiwan moved quickly to respond to Biden's call. Intel decided to restart its chip manufacturing operations, which it halted years ago, while TSMC now wants to build six new chip plants instead of just one. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who visited Washington last month, has also agreed with Biden to invest in semiconductors, 5G communications and artificial intelligence. Japan and Taiwan are stepping up to respond to the U.S.' call to form a new semiconductor supply chain to diversify from over-dependency on China.

But Korea is showing no signs of responding. Samsung, the world's No. 1 memory chip maker, has made no progress on its pledge to build a chip plant in the U.S., while the government and ruling Minjoo Party have only held hearing with corporate representatives and formed one of their endless special committees. It's understandable that Korea is mindful of agitating China, which buys 40 percent of its semiconductor exports, but that does not mean it can sit on its hands.

Korea's microchip industry has no future unless it jumps on the U.S. bandwagon. Armed with overwhelming technological superiority, the U.S. still dominates the global high-tech industry. When Japan overtook the U.S. in the global memory chip industry in the 1980s, the U.S. tamed it with anti-dumping investigations and intellectual property lawsuits. Samsung and TSMC found lucrative niches and ended up thriving.

So far the U.S. has allowed Korea to take up 70 percent of the global DRAM market because it does not harm America's strategic interests. In other words, Korea's industry has thrived thanks to the strong alliance with Washington. The future of Korea's semiconductor industry goes hand in hand with the alliance. Korea must therefore consider a two-track approach of building system semiconductor plants in the U.S. to strengthen its weak points and manufacturing and selling ordinary chips in China. This cannot be done at the corporate level alone. What is needed is smooth cooperation between the government and businesses. When President Moon Jae-in sits face to face with Biden later this month, he must present him with a detailed semiconductor strategy or risk repeating Japan's defeat in the 1990s.


Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly apologized to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for antisemitic comments made earlier this week by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov reportedly said "the biggest antisemites are the Jews themselves" and that Hitler had Jewish blood, among other long-discredited antisemitic tropes while speaking to an Italian television journalist.

"The prime minister accepted President Putin's apology for Lavrov's remarks and thanked him for clarifying his attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust," Bennett's office said.

A readout of the call from the Kremlin did not mention the apology, but said, "The President of Russia recalled that of the 6 million Jews tortured in ghettos and concentration camps, killed by the Nazis during punitive operations, 40 percent were citizens of the USSR, and asked to convey wishes of health and well-being to the veterans living in Israel. Naftali Bennett, in turn, noted the decisive contribution of the Red Army to the victory over Nazism."
A record 506,000 Koreans juggled two jobs last year, data from Statistics Korea show, up around 100,000 from five years ago and suggesting that the quality of jobs is deteriorating.

The figure increased among both salaried workers and the self-employed. The number of salaried workers juggling two jobs stood at 302,000, up 23.3 percent compared to five years ago, while 157,000 self-employed people worked two jobs, up 37.1 percent.

The increase appears to be due to salaried workers in small or mid-sized companies whose overtime pay shrank once the working week was capped at 52 hours, and self-employed people who were hit by lockdown.

One 33-year-old owner of coin-karaoke parlors in Gwanak, Seoul started delivering food last October. Even though he had 16 karaoke parlors, his income declined in the coronavirus pandemic, so now he earns around W4 million a month delivering food but has sold all but one of the karaoke parlors (US$1=W1,265).

Ninety percent of the self-employed who started moonlighting amid the pandemic were small store owners without staff.
Actress Kang Soo-yeon (56) was rushed to hospital on Thursday afternoon with cardiac arrest.

According to police, Kang's family reported that the actress complained of unspecified pains. An emergency crew rushed to her home in Seoul's upscale Apgujeong district and found that she was unconscious and her heart had stopped.

She was taken to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

A hospital staffer declined to comment on her condition. Kang's family told emergency services that the actress had recently been complaining of pain in her head and foot.

Kang was Korea's top actress in the 1980s and 1990s, winning several international awards. After debuting at the age of three, she rose to stardom in a teen drama in the 1980s. She starred in six movies in 1987 alone, attesting to her popularity, and won best actress at the 1987 Venice International Film Festival for her leading role in director Im Kwon-taek's film "The Surrogate Woman."

In 1989, Kang won best actress award at the Moscow International Film Festival for her role in the film "Come Come Come Upward," also directed by Im.


North Korea seems to have failed again in testing an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday after a previous failure in March, sources here said Thursday.

State media have kept quiet about the launch attempt, which is itself a good indication that it went awry. A government source here said, "It seems that the North failed to solve a defect in the missile," which is believed to be the same one that blew up in mid-air a few seconds after launch on March 16.

According to a military source, the ICBM's second-stage engine stopped for unknown reasons during ascent after the first-stage engine was extinguished.

South Korean military radars detected debris from the missile, which seem to have been shed when it was deliberately blown up to prevent the first-stage engine from falling on a residential area.

The missile, dubbed Hwasong-17 by Western boffins but not North Korea, was unveiled during a military parade in October 2020. It is 23 to 24 m long and had to be carried on a 22-wheeled mobile launch vehicle.

With its estimated range of 13,000 km, it would be capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. The missile was also on display during a nighttime parade marking the 90th anniversary of the North Korean army last month.
The ruling Minjoo Party has bulldozed through a bill that strips prosecutors of their investigative powers and President Moon Jae-in, though on his last legs and gone in less than a week, has immediately promulgated it in order to prevent his successor Yoon Seok-youl from exercising his veto. These are shenanigans worthy of a banana republic. In fact, a president must exercise his veto right on a law passed by the National Assembly if it violates the Constitution. This is not a president's choice but a duty. But so keen is Moon to shield himself and his cronies from prosecutorial investigation that he has at last thrown any remaining shred of decency overboard.

One MP lawmaker said 20 Cheong Wa Dae officials "could go to jail" if the bill failed to pass and she no longer wants any part in its passage. Surely any law specifically designed to keep a select few out of jail violates the principle of equality and is unconstitutional. But the law now remains in effect until the Constitutional Court rules against it. Already steps are being taken to speed up the process.

A group of academics has filed a petition with the Constitutional Court arguing that the revised law violates the basic constitutional rights of Koreans. If prosecutors are prohibited from investigating cases and must make indictments only based on what police investigate, they say, the full extent of a crime could remain hidden, and therefore perpetrators could be judged improperly and victims could also suffer more. The main opposition People Power Party, meanwhile, has filed a complaint against the MP, which has a super-majority in the National Assembly, for using all underhanded tactics at its disposal to pass the bill. The Justice Ministry and prosecutors also plan to file a lawsuit against the move. Even the National Court Administration under the Supreme Court has voiced concerns that stripping prosecutors of their investigative powers is unconstitutional. Another clause that prevents accusers from objecting to a decision by police to drop charges may also be unconstitutional.

The trouble is that eight of the nine Constitutional Court judges were appointed by Moon and five of them are left-leaning lawyers from Lawyers for a Democratic Society and other government claques. A recent survey shows that more than 60 percent of Koreans opposed passing the prosecutorial reform bill before Moon's term ends. The Constitutional Court must pull itself together and rule fairly on the controversial law. Judges are not politicians and the public is watching them closely.


By Yoshino Matsui, KYODO NEWS - May 6, 2022 - 08:30 | Feature, All, Japan

When she was growing up, third-generation Korean resident Ku Ryang Ok felt her small community in western Japan was like one big family. Residents would only have to call out in front of each other's houses for someone to appear for a chat.

But when Ku was around 10, she started to notice that her ethnic Korean district -- a place called Utoro in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture -- was different from the Japanese neighborhoods surrounding it.

Houses in Utoro were generally small and shabby, with weeds growing long in the summer. When it rained, the smell of sewage wafted through the community, which only had vault toilets.

"I started feeling embarrassed to have friends come over, fearing they might say, 'You live in a place like this?'" said Ku, recalling her childhood.

But however uncomfortable she may have felt about the area's appearance, the warmth and closeness between residents remained deep in her heart, becoming an emotional rock of support even after her family moved out of Utoro when she was 13.

In August 2021, the area was targeted for an arson attack that gutted or damaged seven buildings in the 2-hectare district by a man motivated by prejudice against Korean residents. Ku, now a 39-year-old lawyer with expertise in international human rights law, felt deeply affected herself.

"To me, Utoro is my identity. Seeing (Utoro houses) burned down is like being told, 'Your presence is not needed, you are in the way.' It feels like my body was set on fire," she said.

The suspect, a 22-year-old Japanese man, told Kyodo News in written correspondence from his place of detention that he committed the crime to draw attention to what he called "the illegal occupation" of the properties in the district by the Utoro residents, referring to a time in the past when they were seeking to prevent a real estate developer that had bought up the land from evicting them.

He also mentioned the Utoro Peace Memorial Museum, which has just opened to pass down the history of the Korean community there, whose construction was about to begin at the time of the attack. The man called it "an unnecessary plan I detested."

The Utoro community has its origins in Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. It was formed by descendants of wartime Korean laborers who were left abandoned when their workplace -- an airfield -- came to a halt in 1945 with Japan's defeat in World War II.

The residents fought a decade-long court battle with the developer from the late 1980s. Although they eventually lost, they received donations from both Korean residents of Japan and Japanese, along with members of the South Korean public, and public funds from the South Korean government, enabling them to purchase about a third of the properties on the Utoro site by 2011. The "illegal occupation" status was resolved a decade ago.

"Perhaps his source of information is all online," said Ku, who is offering support as a lawyer to the arson victims. "I think he came to think that way after reading posts that were not fact-checked, including fake news, and developed antipathy (toward ethnic Koreans) on his own."

Hundreds of thousands of people with Korean backgrounds live in Japan. Most of their ancestors came to Japan before and during the war, with the Korean Peninsula under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

Naoki Mizuno, professor emeritus of Kyoto University specializing in modern Korean history, said Japan's grip over the peninsula in the 20th century resulted in an exodus of Koreans on a scale comparable to that of Ukrainians observed in the two months following Russia's invasion launched in February 2022.

Estimates show that as of 1945, more than 2 million Koreans were in Japan, nearly 2 million in northeastern China and roughly 200,000 in regions of the former Soviet Union.

That means that a total of 4 million Koreans, or roughly 15 percent of the population at the time, "had to live away from their hometowns, and even away from their country," Mizuno said.

According to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees tallying the situation in Ukraine, more than 5 million people, or over 10 percent of its population, had fled Ukraine by late April since the start of the conflict on Feb. 24.

During the period of Japanese rule, Koreans came to Japan for various reasons. Some wanted to study or do business, but some were compelled to come as forced laborers.

"There were many motives and circumstances that led them to Japan, but broadly speaking, it must be said that Japanese colonial rule was behind their arrival," he said.

Between 2017 and 2019, Ku studied cases of hate crime and hate speech in the United States as a visiting scholar at New York University's School of Law and researched international human rights law at the University of Essex in Britain where she obtained a master of laws degree.

She focused her studies on human rights following her experience of working as a member of a legal team for an elementary school for Korean pupils, which was victimized by hate speech.

Members of a Japanese xenophobic group chanted anti-Korean slogans via loudspeakers outside the elementary school in Kyoto, demanding that Korean schools be shut down and claiming that the Korean children's parents were spies. The school was Ku's alma mater.

The case ended in a legal victory for the school. The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal from the xenophobic group in 2014, finalizing a high court ruling ordering it to pay some 12 million yen ($92,000) in damages to the school's operator and banning it from demonstrating near the school.

"Through my work on cases of hate crimes, I felt that it was highly necessary to analyze the inadequacies of the Japanese legal system from the perspective of international human rights law," Ku said.

She herself experienced verbal abuse as a child. Female students at Korean schools can be targeted because they wear traditional Korean dress as uniform.

The most horrific abuse occurred when Ku was about to board a train on her way to her junior high school. A male stranger pulled her ponytail from behind and yelled at her, "Don't get on the train first, you Korean."

As a high school student, Ku began to think about the root causes of the discrimination she experienced and decided to become a lawyer, remembering the dedication Japanese lawyers had shown when supporting the people of Utoro during the eviction trial.

Ku believes Japan needs to educate its public more on why there are ethnic Koreans in the country. "Prejudice comes from not knowing," she said.

Related coverage:

Ethnic Korean singer hopes hometown's changeover will spur inclusiveness

FOCUS: Descendants of wartime Korean workers remember their past in new museum
KYODO NEWS - May 7, 2022 - 06:15 | All, World

The U.N. Security Council on Friday adopted a president's statement on the ongoing Ukraine crisis, expressing "deep concern" over the situation in the country as it fights against Russia's military aggression.

It is the first time for the often-divided council to issue a statement on the matter since Russia started its attack on Ukraine in late February. The document was adopted unanimously, with support from Russia along with the other members.

The statement is not legally binding and does not mention Russia by name.

The United States, this month's holder of the rotating presidency, said in the statement that the council "expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine."

"The Security Council recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means," it added.

It also hailed Secretary General Antonio Guterres' efforts toward a peaceful solution.

"Today, for the first time, the Security Council spoke with one voice for peace in Ukraine," Guterres said in a statement responding to the council's move. "I welcome this support and will continue to spare no effort to save lives, reduce suffering and find the path of peace."

Russia, one of the council's five permanent members, has blocked the key panel of the global body from sending a unified message on the crisis by vetoing resolutions criticizing its invasion of Ukraine.

Repeatedly thwarted by veto-wielding Russia, the Security Council has been seen as dysfunctional in resolving international disputes. The development has also fueled calls for revamping the decades-old structure of the 15-member panel dominated by the five nuclear-weapons states -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
KYODO NEWS - May 6, 2022 - 10:06 | All, World

President Joe Biden will make clear during his trip to Japan and South Korea later this month the "ironclad" U.S. commitment to defend its allies including through nuclear deterrence, amid the threat from North Korea, the White House said Thursday.

The commitment to providing so-called extended deterrence to the two Asian allies will be reaffirmed in light of "North Korea's continued destabilizing actions in the region, including the test-launch of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles," Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a press briefing.

In March, North Korea conducted its first launch of an ICBM since November 2017, marking an end to a self-imposed moratorium on test-firing such missiles that had stretched back to April 2018. It had also tested an ICBM system in prior missile tests.

Concerns are now growing that Pyongyang could also move ahead with a nuclear test for the first time since September 2017.

CNN reported Thursday that the U.S. military and intelligence agencies assess that North Korea could be ready to resume underground nuclear testing this month at the Punggye-ri site, citing three U.S. officials.

Signs of personnel and vehicle activity at the Punggye-ri site, which North Korea insisted it demolished in 2018, have been seen through satellite imagery, but the officials do not know if the regime has placed nuclear material in an underground tunnel there, according to CNN.

Psaki said concerns over North Korea's provocative actions will not affect Biden's scheduled visit to South Korea and Japan between May 20 and 24.

"I would say we certainly always assess security as we do with any of the president's travel, but that has not been a concern as it relates to his travel coming up in just a few weeks," she said.

During a series of meetings to take place in South Korea and Japan, Biden will discuss efforts to support Ukraine as the Eastern European country continues to fight back against Russia's military aggression, ways to hold Russia to account for the war, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues.

In Tokyo, Biden will also take part in a summit of the "Quad" group with the leaders of Japan, Australia and India. The Biden administration places value on the partnership of the four major democracies in the Indo-Pacific amid its efforts to push back against China's growing clout in the region.

Related coverage:

Japan, U.S. to deepen ties to deter status quo change in Indo-Pacific

North Korea fires ballistic missile as South Korea readies new gov't

Nearly 80% of Japanese think Okinawa's base-hosting burden unfair
By Azernews





Azerbaijan and Romania have discussed the opportunities for green energy production and its export to Romania at the expense of huge wind resources existing in the Azerbaijani part of the Caspian Sea.

The discussion took place during the meeting between Azerbaijani and Romanian Energy Ministers Parviz Shahbazov and Virgil Daniel Popescu within the "Southeastern Energy Transition: Regional Cooperation on Energy Security, Diversification and Green Transition.

The ministers discussed energy volumes to be transmitted through Georgia and the Black Sea via a submarine power cable.

Taking into account the importance of the project in terms of expanding electricity export opportunities between the region and the European market, the parties agreed to hold a trilateral online working meeting between the stakeholders in a short time to intensify the discussions.

During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on a number of other issues related to the development of bilateral energy cooperation.

Azerbaijan and Romania are cooperating in various spheres of the economy. SOCAR operates in Romania through SOCAR Petroleum SA, established in 2011, and owns SOCAR-branded petrol stations in 26 regions of Romania.

The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $215.5 million in 2021, with exports amounting to $120.5 million, and imports to $94.9 million.
KYODO NEWS - May 7, 2022 - 02:11 | All, World, Japan

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel will visit Japan next week and meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the European Union said Thursday, with Russia's war against Ukraine and China's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region expected to be discussed.

The EU said the summit, scheduled to be held on May 12, will provide "an opportunity to display the increasingly deep and dynamic alliance" between the regional bloc and Japan, which have similar values including a commitment to defending the rules-based international order.

It will be the two EU chiefs' first visit to Japan since they took office in December 2019.

They and Kishida will discuss further cooperation and alignment on sanctions against Russia and tangible ways of providing humanitarian, political, financial and material support to Ukraine, the EU said.

They are also expected to talk about China's growing regional assertiveness and confirm the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Beijing regards the self-ruled democratic island as a renegade province to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Agenda topics will also include strengthening collaboration on climate change and digital partnership, as well as the lifting of travel restrictions that have been implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kishida said Thursday in London that Japan will further ease its border controls in June to bring them in line with other Group of Seven nations.

At the end of the talks between the Japanese and EU leaders, a joint declaration is expected to be adopted. The last EU-Japan summit held in May last year took place via videoconference due to the pandemic.

During the visit, Michel will travel to Hiroshima, one of the two Japanese cities devastated by U.S. atomic bombings shortly before the end of World War II, according to a senior EU official.

He is expected to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and deliver a speech, the official said.

Related coverage:

Manga of book on Soviet women's war tales captivates Japanese readers

FEATURE: Ex-Chernobyl evacuee forced this time to leave homeland by war

Russia bans entry of Japan PM, 62 others indefinitely
KYODO NEWS - May 6, 2022 - 20:31 | All, World, Japan

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will attend South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration ceremony next week, the government said Friday, amid expectations of a thaw in relations over wartime history.

Hayashi will visit South Korea for a two-day trip starting Monday as a special envoy of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and hold talks with key members of the South Korean government during his stay, the government said.

From South Korea's main opposition, Yoon is set to be sworn in on Tuesday, replacing Moon Jae In, who, while in power, saw bilateral relations with Japan sink to their lowest point in years.

It will be the first visit to South Korea by a Japanese foreign minister since June 2018. Arrangements are being made for Hayashi to meet with Yoon and incoming Foreign Minister Park Jin, a Japanese government source said.

The dispatch of Hayashi is meant to show Japan's intention of keeping in touch with the incoming Yoon administration so that frayed ties will return to what Tokyo hopes will be a "healthy" state.

There had been much focus on who the Japanese government would send to the inauguration ceremony following a recent visit to Japan by a delegation representing Yoon for a series of meetings with Kishida and Hayashi, among others.

Speaking to reporters, Hayashi said bilateral relations are in a "severe" state at a time when bilateral and trilateral cooperation involving the United States is important for regional stability in the face of North Korea's missile and nuclear development.

"Based on our consistent stance, we will closely communicate with the next president and administration to restore bilateral relations to a healthy state," Hayashi said.

Expectations have grown of an improvement in bilateral ties since Yoon, who has called for a "future-oriented" approach, won the presidential race in March.

Issues resulting from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula have loomed large over relations between Tokyo and Seoul, both U.S. allies.

Despite emerging signs that Japan is willing to restore bilateral ties, it has not budged over its stance that the issues of "comfort women," or South Koreans procured for Japanese wartime military brothels, and Korean laborers have been settled by bilateral agreements.

Caution remains among some quarters, especially in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, that Japan should not be perceived as too conciliatory.

Tokyo-Seoul ties have been frayed during the current Moon administration, partly because of South Korean court rulings demanding Japanese companies to pay compensation for what South Koreans claim was forced labor.
KYODO NEWS - May 6, 2022 - 22:30 | All, Japan

The Japan Coast Guard continued its search Friday of the sea around a Russia-controlled, Japan-claimed island off Hokkaido, two weeks after a tour boat accident that left 14 people dead and 12 missing.

A patrol boat searched the area near Kunashiri Island, one of four islands claimed by both countries, after Moscow permitted the boat to operate based on a bilateral accord on maritime accidents.

A Tokyo-based company, hired by the coast guard, specializing in saturation diving is scheduled to begin its search of Kazu I, operated by Shiretoko Yuransen, on Sunday. No other bodies have been found since three were discovered on April 28.

Nippon Salvage Co.'s camera-equipped ship will arrive at the Abashiri Port, a gateway to the Shiretoko Peninsula near the accident site, on Saturday afternoon to search using a technique that allows divers to work at great depths for lengthy periods by reducing the need for decompression at the end of every dive.

Divers use a pressurized chamber during the assignment to acclimatize.

Meanwhile, other boats and airplanes searched around the peninsula close to where the sunken tour boat was located on April 29. Local fishermen stopped assisting the search on Thursday.

The 19-ton Kazu I was carrying 24 passengers and two crew members when it went missing on April 23 after leaving port in Shari, Hokkaido, for a cruise along the peninsula despite a bad weather warning.

Police have searched the inside of the boat, which currently sits at a depth of 120 meters off the peninsula, using a camera-equipped device, but there were no signs of those missing.

The search around the Kunashiri Island came after Russia's coast guard agreed to allow Japanese vessels into the area in line with the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue. A territorial row over who owns it and three other islands has prevented the two nations from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.

According to the Japanese coast guard, the Russian coast guard told the Japanese side that it had spotted someone in a life jacket drifting at sea on April 27 but could not perform a rescue due to turbulent weather conditions.

The peninsula in the northeast of Hokkaido was designated as a World Natural Heritage site in 2005. It is known as a popular destination for spotting drift ice as well as unique plant life and many rare species of animals such as brown bears.

Earlier in the week, the coast guard searched the operator's office, suspecting the tragedy was caused by gross professional negligence. Shiretoko Yuransen was found to have violated safety rules, according to sources close to an investigation into the incident.

On Friday, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said Seiichi Katsurada, the operator's president, will hold a meeting with family members of those aboard to discuss compensation for the accident.

Related coverage:

Search for missing people on sunken boat extended to disputed isle

Sunken Hokkaido boat searched with camera, 12 people still missing

Coast guard searches sunken Hokkaido boat operator's office
Motorists queue up at a filling station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 5, 2022. Sri Lanka was facing a shortage of diesel as a foreign exchange crisis worsened, said Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera on Thursday. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua)

COLOMBO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of diesel as a foreign exchange crisis worsens in the South Asian country, said Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera on Thursday.

The minister told parliament that the country needs 4,000 metric tons of diesel per day. However, the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is currently only releasing 1,000 to 1,500 metric tons a day.

Currently there is no shortage of petrol supply in the country, he said, adding that around 3,000 metric tons of petrol has been released on a daily basis, and that a ship carrying 40,000 metric tons of petrol arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday night.

Sri Lanka has been suffering a diesel shortage since February, which led to hours of daily power cuts.

Finance Minister Ali Sabry said on Wednesday that Sri Lanka only has less than 50 million U.S. dollars in usable foreign reserves. 

Motorists queue up at a filling station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 5, 2022. Sri Lanka was facing a shortage of diesel as a foreign exchange crisis worsened, said Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera on Thursday. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua)
Rescuers work at the collapse site of a self-built residential structure in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 4, 2022. The death toll of a self-built residential structure collapse in central China's Hunan Province has risen to 26 as of Thursday night, local authorities have said. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

CHANGSHA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of a self-built residential structure collapse in central China's Hunan Province has risen to 26 as of Thursday night, local authorities have said.

The building collapse took place in Wangcheng District in the provincial capital Changsha on April 29. A total of 23 people were believed to have been trapped in the building and 39 others near the site were missing, according to a preliminary investigation.

Relevant departments are accelerating efforts to verify the identities of the 26 victims, Zheng Jianxin, mayor of Changsha, told a press briefing on Thursday.

By 9 p.m. Thursday, 10 people had been rescued. Among them, nine are in stable condition, according to medical expert Ouyang Wen.

Zheng said that every effort will be made to search for further survivors and treat the injured.

Changsha has launched a mass safety rectification campaign in the field of housing construction. As of Wednesday, a total of 403,359 self-built houses have been inspected, and efforts are underway to defuse hidden dangers. 

The tenth survivor is rescued from the debris about 132 hours after a self-built residential structure collapsed in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, at around 12:00 a.m. May 5, 2022. The death toll of a self-built residential structure collapse in central China's Hunan Province has risen to 26 as of Thursday night, local authorities have said. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

A press briefing on the collapse of a self-built residential structure is held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 5, 2022. The death toll of a self-built residential structure collapse in central China's Hunan Province has risen to 26 as of Thursday night, local authorities have said. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Rescuers work at the collapse site of a self-built residential structure in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, April 29, 2022. The death toll of a self-built residential structure collapse in central China's Hunan Province has risen to 26 as of Thursday night, local authorities have said. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang has urged the United States to stop politicizing China-U.S. business and trade ties and cancel the additional tariffs on Chinese goods that Washington still hasn't let go.

Qin made the remarks during a recent interview with Forbes magazine, which was conducted at the Chinese embassy in Washington on April 29 and was published on Thursday.

"Our trade and business relations have made remarkable achievements, benefiting the two countries and benefiting the world. We are natural partners, because our economies are highly complementary," Qin told the magazine's Shanghai bureau chief Russell Flannery.

Qin said many of the "uncertainties and instabilities" surrounding the China-U.S. business and trade relations these years are caused by the U.S. side. "The Section 301 tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration are still going on. And the United States is now defining China-U.S. relations as intense competition. Under such circumstances, business and trade are being politicized."

"So we hope that the United States should stop politicizing our business cooperation and stop using trade as a tool, so that we could provide more stability and predictability to investors," he said.

Speaking of the additional tariffs on Chinese imports imposed during the Trump administration, Qin said it "hasn't reduced the trade deficit of the United States. On the contrary, it brings more costs to American companies and American consumers."

"I think it's time for the U.S. administration to reconsider and to cancel it as early as possible," he said, adding "if the U.S. side still wants to continue, I don't know if they are prepared for more losses. If they will continue, we have to live up to it." 
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee convened a meeting on Thursday to analyze the new development of COVID-19 and arrange key measures for better and more rigorous epidemic control. General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech.

It was noted at the meeting that since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have always put the people and their lives first and worked hard to prevent both inbound cases and domestic resurgences. We have upheld a dynamic zero-COVID policy and kept adjusting epidemic prevention and control measures in light of new developments. Through such efforts, we have achieved major strategic progress.

Since March this year, with concerted efforts nationwide, we have withstood the most challenging COVID-19 control test since the anti-epidemic battle of Wuhan in early 2020 and attained major achievements. Practice has proven that our epidemic control strategy is decided by the Party's nature and mission, that our policies can stand the test of time, and that our measures are science-based and effective. We won the battle of Wuhan and will surely win the one in Shanghai.

The global COVID-19 pandemic situation is still severe, the virus has been constantly mutating, and the development of the pandemic is still full of uncertainties, meaning we still have a very long way to go before we can relax our efforts, according to the meeting. As a populous country with a huge number of senior citizens, unbalanced development between different regions, and insufficient medical resources, China will definitely see a wide range of infections if we ease up on epidemic prevention and control, which will cause a huge amount of severe cases and deaths, severely threatening social and economic development as well as the people's health and safety. We should have a profound, complete, and comprehensive understanding of the prevention and control policies of the CPC Central Committee, and address deficiencies in understanding, preparation, and practical work. We must never underestimate the situation, take a carefree attitude, or make arbitrary decisions regarding COVID-19 control. Rather we must be sober-minded, unswervingly adhere to the dynamic zero-COVID policy, and combat any rhetoric and actions that distort, doubt, or deny our country's anti-epidemic policies.

Victory comes from perseverance, the meeting noted. Currently, we are at a critical juncture which is like sailing against the current: you either forge ahead or drift downstream. Party committees and governments at all levels should bolster confidence, be keenly aware of the complex and onerous nature of the fight against COVID-19, and fully implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee. Maintaining our fighting spirit, we will build up firm shields against the epidemic, consolidate the achievements we have made in our epidemic response, and rise to every occasion to fulfill our responsibilities.

It was emphasized at the meeting that regional outbreaks must be dealt with in a timely manner. All those who should be tested, quarantined, placed under medical observation and treated must be handled accordingly. Important links involving nucleic acid tests, epidemiological investigations, quarantines, the transferring of patients, and community-level containment measures must be well coordinated so that the infected and their contacts can be identified as soon as possible.

We must further improve our prevention and control capacity, and strengthen coordinated regional prevention and control measures and overall planning at the provincial level. We must secure sufficient manpower and materials for epidemic response. We must timely refine prevention and control measures, strengthen the research and prevention efforts on virus mutations, and never take any measures in an oversimplified or one-size-fits-all fashion. Enough efforts must be made at the same time to guarantee people's basic needs and the supply of daily necessities, and ensure medical services are provided where they are needed.

It was stressed at the meeting that routine prevention and control measures must be strictly implemented, inbound cases must be controlled by strictly screening people, goods and surroundings, and related sectors and departments must be held accountable for their responsibilities. Support from the people makes a difference to our response to the epidemic, and we must make sure that they are well informed, and timely respond to their concerns. We should make sure the general public have a strong sense of responsibility, enhance awareness for self-protection, and consciously assume responsibilities and obligations for epidemic prevention and control. Daily preventive measures for individuals and households must be implemented, and vaccination be strengthened to forge a strong defense line against the virus.

It was stressed at the meeting that Party committees and governments at all levels, and all sectors must align their thinking and action with the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee to ensure they remain on the same page as the CPC Central Committee ideologically, politically, and practically. They should never let down their guard, get beaten by frustrations, leave things to chance, or slacken their efforts, but rather should mobilize all people and make overall arrangements, and lose no time in carrying out all prevention and control work in a solid and meticulous manner. Party organizations at all levels, Party members, and officials should charge to the frontline and work with tenacity, playing a primary and exemplary role. Exemplary individuals and their deeds that emerged during the fight against COVID-19 should be publicized in order to encourage all officials and people to stay confident, stand united, and work together in the fight against the epidemic.

Other matters were also discussed at the meeting. 
HONG KONG, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Most of anti-epidemic medical supplies from the mainland have arrived in Hong Kong in good order and have been distributed to frontline personnel and residents in need through various channels.

These medical supplies were transported with a view to stabilizing the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Friday.

A spokesperson for the CEDB said with the staunch support of the central government, more than 30 types of medical supplies broadly under five main categories, namely testing, personal protection, disinfection, medication and equipment, procured with the coordination of the central government, have been received.

The supplies include 260 million rapid antigen test (RAT) kits, more than 400 million masks, around 120 million sets of personal protective equipment, and 1.6 million pulse oximeters.

The HKSAR government expressed gratitude to the central government for its donation of 600,000 boxes of anti-epidemic proprietary traditional Chinese medicines.

All of them have been distributed through the Food and Health Bureau of the HKSAR government to residents subject to "restriction-testing declarations," and through the Hospital Authority to confirmed patients in isolation facilities and those receiving treatment at 18 traditional Chinese medicine clinics.

On Friday, Hong Kong registered 144 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 180 additional cases through self-reported RAT, official data showed. 
BUDAPEST, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission (EC)'s planned oil embargo against Russia can be considered as a "nuclear bomb" on Hungary's economy, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday.

If adopted, the embargo will mean the end of utility price caps, while fuel prices could reach 700 to 800 forints (1.94-2.22 U.S. dollars) per liter, Orban told local public radio MR1.

Household utility prices were fixed in Hungary to their 2014 level, while last year the Orban government put a limit on prices of petrol and diesel per liter at 480 forints.

European Union (EU) leaders have previously agreed that only such steps should be taken that take into account the member states' differing energy structures and their sovereign right to determine their energy mix, but the president of the EC has challenged the great difficulty of creating European unity, according to Orban.

The transformation of the Hungarian energy system would take years and thousands of billions of forints in order to replace Russian oil, Orban recalled.

"The introduction of sanctions is not a good solution, but Hungary's veto on the most important issues from our point of view must be maintained," he stressed.

Orban said he had been willing to approve the first five packages of sanctions but made it clear that the energy embargo would be a red line.

The EU will phase out Russian crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who announced the sixth package of sanctions against Russia. (1 forint = 0.0028 U.S. dollars) 
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

Khatai Arts Center is pleased to announce the 5th Republican Kids Art Festival "My Azerbaijan".

Over 1,500 young artists submitted more than 2,000 art works to the art contest. The finalists of the competition will be determined after May 10.

Kids Art Festival is co-organized by the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery and the Khatai Arts Center with the support of the Culture and Education Ministries, Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting, Khatai Executive Power, the Azerbaijan Artists' Union and the Union of Artists of Nakhchivan.

The main purpose of the art project held within the framework of the Year of Shusha in Azerbaijan is to develop the abilities of young talents as well as to promote the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijan's liberated territories.

For more information, please visit Khatai Arts Center's Facebook page.

Notably, the 4th Republican Kids Art Festival "My Azerbaijan" was held last May. The art festival featured plein air for 16-21 years old artists.

The winners of the plein air Eshgin Guliyev, Ayten Mammadova and Nazrin Ibrahimzadeh were awarded with diplomas.
Photo taken on April 14, 2022 shows a tourist displaying her choice of ice cream at Gulandam ice cream shop in Yining city, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Wang Zhihua/Xinhua)



URUMQI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Upon his arrival in Yining, one of China's westernmost cities, Liu Junjie, traveling all the way from the southern coastal province of Guangdong, could not wait to savor the local signature street food -- Ili ice cream.

"I've anticipated it for a long time, and finally got a taste of it," said Liu. "I can eat it all day. I'll definitely recommend it to my friends."

Gulandam, the ice cream shop that Liu visited, is located in a tourist destination in Yining, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Ili ice cream is a time-honored local specialty known for its thick, yet silky texture and creamy flavor. The handmade treat is a fusion of the characteristics of ice creams of various ethnicities living in the prefecture.

Photo taken on April 14, 2022 shows a view of Gulandam ice cream shop in Yining city, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Wang Zhihua/Xinhua)



Built in 2019 in a former courtyard, Gulandam soon became a hit with the rapid development of local tourism. It can receive more than 3,000 diners a day during the busy season, according to Wang Cheng, the shop owner.

"Our ice cream combines the traditional ice cream-making techniques of the Uygur and other ethnic groups," said Wang, who has developed over 30 flavors with more than 20 ingredients.

Ili ice cream has also drawn a legion of fans online. In video clips and photos posted on social media platforms, visitors can be seen enjoying an ice cream buried beneath thick layers of jam, nuts and dried fruit, or posing against the picturesque scenery with an ice cream in hand.

Constant industrial development and the business acumen of local businesspeople have also made it possible for people in other parts of China to indulge their sweet tooths with the frozen treats on their doorstep.

Amatjan Abduriyim decided to open an ice cream factory in Yining after getting a degree in food science and engineering.

"Our business is getting on track," said Amatjan Abduriyim, adding that orders from other parts of China are increasing.

Since last year, over four tonnes of ice cream have been sold to southwest China's Chengdu city, central China's Henan Province and other regions, Amatjan Abduriyim said.

"I never thought the ice cream that used to be peddled along the streets of Ili would develop into an industry with such a big market," Wang said. 
HEFEI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed and three others injured in a pileup involving a car and three trucks on a highway in Jieshou County of east China's Anhui Province, according to the provincial emergency management department on Friday.

Four people died on site when the accident happened at about 1:50 a.m. Another person died later despite emergency treatment. The three injured people are being treated in a local hospital and are now in stable condition.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. 
BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Facts have already proved that sanctions cannot bring peace but only make the world economy worse, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday.



Spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said that the United States, as the world's largest economy, should do more that is conducive to the recovery of the global economy and the stability of the global supply chain.

Zhao made the remarks when asked to comment on report that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently downgraded its 2022 global economic growth forecast to 3.6 percent.

Noting that economic recovery is the common aspiration of people from all countries, Zhao said that in the face of instabilities and uncertainties, China's economy has always contributed positive energy to the world economy.

National economic data for the first quarter of 2022 showed that China's economy has continued to sustain its recovery and development momentum, and its foreign trade and foreign investment continued to improve, showing strong resilience and vitality, he said.

China stands ready to work with all parties to contribute to stabilizing global industrial and supply chains, promoting world economic recovery, and boosting global confidence in development, the spokesperson said.

Zhao also stressed that global economic recovery requires the concerted efforts of the international community.

Facing a sluggish and fragile global economy, the United States and a handful of other countries are sticking to their own interests and blindly increasing unilateral sanctions, Zhao said. He said facts have already proved that sanctions cannot bring peace but only make the global economy worse, and the big stick of sanctions is actually hitting the people of all countries.

As the world's largest economy, the United States should think more about the right to subsistence and development of people around the world, and do more that is conducive to the recovery of the global economy and the stability of the global supply chain, he said. 
CANBERRA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Extra medical students are needed to avert a looming workforce crisis, top Australian universities have warned.

The Group of Eight (Go8), a coalition of elite research universities, on Thursday published a policy paper, calling for the federal government to fund at least an additional 1,000 extra places for domestic medical students every year.

It warned that relying on recruiting internationally-trained doctors was unsustainable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic due to increased burn-out, putting Australia on a path to a medical workforce crisis.

The policy paper has been backed by leading doctors' groups, medical experts and government health departments.

"They agree that delivering Australia's future medical workforce will require a step change and bold reform. The Go8's starting point is an immediate increase in the national supply of domestically trained medical practitioners," Vicki Thomson, chief executive of the Go8, said in a media release.

"The Australian community needs certainty around health services and a secure supply of domestically trained medical practitioners will assist this greatly. To increase our sovereign capacity -- even without increasing the total number of doctors in Australia -- requires at least an additional 1,000 domestic graduates per year."

Go8 universities, which include the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney, educate 62 percent of Australia's medical graduates, according to the Brisbane Times.

The policy paper noted that of Australia's 105,000 medical practitioners, 30 percent completed their initial qualification outside of Australia and New Zealand.

"The Go8 is definitive in stating that securing the future of our medical workforce requires a serious long-term commitment," Thomson said.

A report published by Edith Cowan University (ECU) researchers in September 2021 revealed that medical practitioners were facing burnout and mental distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

Forty-two percent of respondents said they were less willing to work than they had been prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

As of Thursday 7,424 total COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Australia, with more than 6 million total cases.

There were 3,131 active cases being treated in hospitals around Australia on Thursday including 133 in intensive care. 
COLOMBO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Speaker of Parliament on Friday suspended parliamentary sessions till May 17 as protesters gathered outside the building calling on lawmakers to find a solution to the ongoing economic crisis.

Police tried to disperse the crowds using tear gas and water cannons.

The speaker then adjourned sessions and called for an immediate report on the attacks against the protesters.

Security was heightened in the area and some lawmakers told Xinhua that they were unable to immediately leave the parliament premises due to the tense situation outside.

Sri Lanka has been plunged into weeks of political instability and economic crisis stemming from a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a shortage in essential supplies such as fuel, food and medicines. 
Jiang Shijun (L), a nurse with the Chinese medical team, and Jacob Pitia, the physiotherapist in Juba Teaching Hospital, take part in an event on World Hand Hygiene Day in Juba, South Sudan, on May 5, 2022. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)

South Sudanese medics and their Chinese counterparts on Thursday teamed up to popularize the importance of hand hygiene within health facilities in a bid to prevent and control infectious diseases.

JUBA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- South Sudanese medics and their Chinese counterparts on Thursday teamed up to popularize the importance of hand hygiene within health facilities in a bid to prevent and control infectious diseases.

The move coincided with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring World Hand Hygiene Day across the globe.

Mario Dumba, the theater attendant in Juba Teaching Hospital, hailed members of the ninth batch of the Chinese medical team for using the day to sensitize medical staff and patients on the importance of handwashing.

"We have nowadays COVID-19 which is now affecting people, so if you don't wash your hands it means you cannot protect yourself, and for us in the theater before any operation is conducted you must wash your hands because without washing hands it means you cannot do any operation," he told Xinhua in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Jiang Shijun, a nurse with the Chinese medical team who oversaw the sensitization exercise in the main referral hospital, said the event was aimed at emphasizing to her South Sudanese colleagues the importance of improving hand hygiene of medical staff and also preventing nosocomial infection.

Jiang Shijun (2nd L), a nurse with the Chinese medical team, shows the method of hand washing during a World Hand Hygiene Day event at Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan, on May 5, 2022. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)

"Hand hygiene has finally been recognized by global decision makers, medical managers, medical staff and the public, it has become the cornerstone of infection prevention and control," said Jiang.

Nosocomial infections, also called hospital-acquired infections, are a subset of infectious diseases acquired in a health care facility.

The World Hand Hygiene Day was initiated by the WHO in 2009 and this year's theme is focused on recognizing the culture of safety and quality through cleaning of hands.

The WHO added that strong quality and safety culture will encourage people to clean their hands at the right times and with the right products.

Jacob Pitia, the physiotherapist at Juba Teaching Hospital, said he recognizes the importance of hand hygiene, saying it has helped him prevent infecting his patients.

"When you touch anything or patients you have to wash your hands like now we are here working on a patient, hand washing is very important especially in a health facility since we get in contact with many patients on a daily basis," said Pitia.

Rose Achiro, the laboratory technician, said they always maintain hand hygiene as safety precautions in the main laboratory of Juba Teaching Hospital. "We are very grateful for the day and we thank the Chinese who came to introduce this to us because safety in the laboratory is a top priority, without safety we are going to do nothing in the laboratory."

The Chinese medical team also donated hand sanitizers and liquid soap to several departments within Juba Teaching Hospital.

A succession of Chinese medical doctors have been treating patients and also training local doctors over the years since the independence of South Sudan in 2011. 
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The current situation of the COVID-19 epidemic in China is taking a turn for the better, said an official with the National Health Commission (NHC) Friday.

Wu Liangyou, deputy head of the disease control and prevention division of the NHC, said at a Friday press conference that during the five-day Labor Day holiday, the epidemic situation in the country has remained largely under control.

According to Wu, Shanghai is seeing a continuous decline in the number of daily new infections. In the meantime, Beijing has diminished the risk of the virus spreading by conducting mass nucleic acid testing in key areas and adopting active containment measures.

However, Wu also warned that provinces including Liaoning, Zhejiang and Henan are seeing new waves of the epidemic, and the sources are yet to be determined.

Urgent efforts are needed to respond to regional cluster infections, added Wu.

The NHC, as well as other related departments, will continue to guide regional authorities in strictly implementing epidemic prevention and control measures, so as to reinforce the defense against the virus. 
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has released a list of the six most-wanted fugitives for their involvement in major crimes of abduction and trafficking of women and children.

Police have encouraged the public to provide tip-offs, promising protection and rewards to those who provide useful information.

The list was released amid intensified efforts by the Chinese government to protect women and children. The MPS launched a 10-month nationwide operation, starting from March 1, to crack down on the abduction and trafficking of women and children to better protect these groups. 
by Chen Junxia and Martina Fuchs

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland, May 6 (Xinhua) -- While the world still has to "walk the last mile" in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Jose Manuel Barroso, chair of the Gavi vaccine alliance, warned that new variants and future pandemics could easily emerge if we fail to tackle complacency.

"The supply constraints are easing now and there is increasing confidence that we have enough vaccines. We now have to walk the last mile because some of the countries are still difficult to reach in terms of distribution," Barroso told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the 51st St. Gallen Symposium this week.

"That's why we're now putting our emphasis on actual delivery," he said, stressing that there is still a big inequity gap across the world.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, more than 11.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have so far been administered worldwide, as the global confirmed cases have reached 516 million with over 6.2 million deaths.

Despite progress in vaccine accessibility, Barroso expressed his concern that the risks of new variants and future outbreaks would linger on.

"We are seeing surges of COVID-19 in some parts of the world, the reality until now is that every four months on average there is a new variant," said Barroso.

"We have to be prudent," he continued. "I'm in touch of course with the best scientists in the world. What the scientists tell me is that we should avoid all forms of complacency."

Noting that new variants with higher transmissibility and severity will probably arise, Barroso said that Gavi is working with partners to build resilience in the international community in a bid to "face the next pandemic more successfully."

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world's children against some of the world's deadliest diseases.

In April, the 2022 Break COVID Now Summit co-hosted by Gavi, alongside Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, and Senegal saw world leaders commit 4.8 billion U.S. dollars to help lower-income countries boost vaccinations.

Barroso hailed the event as a success, saying that it helped "to create and launch a pandemic vaccine pool to support future procurement of new COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of COVAX."

Co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund and other partners, COVAX is the only global initiative working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available to both high-income and lower-income countries.

Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped vaccinate over 888 million children, averted more than 15 million future deaths and halved child mortality in 73 lower-income countries, according to its website.

Barroso said Gavi is also working on a project to reach zero-dose children who don't receive a single dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine.

"The goal is to reduce the number of zero-dose children by 25 percent by 2025, so very soon, and to reduce that number by 50 percent by 2030," he told Xinhua.

"It's the last mile but it's the most difficult one. It's like when you climb a mountain, the last meters are sometimes more difficult than the rest. But I'm confident we are going to reach that goal," Barroso added. 
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature will review 24 new legislative bills this year, according to the annual legislative agenda by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

According to the agenda, the legislative bills set to be reviewed include revising the law on prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, the civil procedure law, and formulating the laws on pre-school education and social assistance.

Another 15 legislative bills submitted to the top legislature will continue to be deliberated, including reviews of anti-telecom and cyber fraud laws, and the Yellow River protection law. 
By Azernews





By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani carpets have never ceased to amaze with their harmony of colors and unique patterns.

In 2010, UNESCO included Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

According to their technical aspects, they are classified as flat-woven (pileless) and knotted (pile).

The flat-woven carpets are linked to the earlier period of carpet weaving. There are several kinds of pileless carpets such as Shadda, Verni, Jejim, Zilli, Sumakh, Kilim, and Palas.

Celebration in Shusha

Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art has been highlighted in Shusha. Through an interactive performance, the Azarkhalcha OJSC has delighted the guests of the International Culinary Festival with the history of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan.

The Azarkhalcha OJSC presented an interactive performance related to the carpet weaving process.

The performance was dedicated to the Carpet Weaver's Day traditionally celebrated on May 5.

The event highlighting the traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving aroused great interest among the audience as the visitors themselves also took part in the weaving process.

Carpet Museum events on remarkable day

The National Carpet Museum (ANCM) has celebrated Carpet Weaver's Day with several events.

First, the museum held a ceremony of cutting the carpet, named Thoughts, off the loom.

In her speech, Carpet Museum Director, Honored Cultural Worker Shirin Malikova noted that in 2016 President Ilham Aliyev ordered establishing the Carpet Weaver's Day on May 5.

"Our museum has a wonderful team, wonderful artists and carpet weavers, who have been doing very important and necessary work for many years. The museum has a very rare collection of carpets, and from year to year, it is enriched with new exhibits. On the basis of these rare and ancient carpets, the museum conducts research work, creates small replicas of these carpets, and studies ancient technologies of carpet weaving art. We also revive technologies that have been forgotten. Along with this, the Traditional Technologies Department creates experimental carpets," she said.

The carpet Thoughts was created in 2021 based on a sketch by artist Eldar Ibadullayev, the winner of the international carpet sketch competition, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum for the 880th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi.

For seven months, weavers from the museum's Traditional Technologies Department worked on the carpet. Carpet artists, including the museum's chief artist, Honored Artist Tarier Bashirov, also took part in the preparation of a technical sketch, color selection, etc.

Honored Artist Tarier Bashirov mainly works in the abstract genre, and it took him about a month to create a sketch of the Thoughts carpet.

For the first time, his work has been transferred to the carpet. With the use of carpet ornaments, the artist brilliantly created a portrait of the Azerbaijani poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi. A total of 40 colors and shades were used for the carpet sketch.

On Carpet Weaver's Day, the museum also held a master class on weaving patterned hasir mats.

Mats, the earliest samples of which date back to the Neolithic era, are considered the "ancestors" of the Azerbaijani carpets.

An indispensable household item for centuries, they also had artistic value due to their delicate designs. Unfortunately, today this art form is gradually disappearing.

Therefore, the Carpet Museum is implementing the project "Sustainable development of cultural heritage: the art of weaving mats" in order to attract public attention to the protection and revival of this craft.

At the invitation of the museum, the master class is conducted by Rufat Rzayev, a resident of Astara's Kakalos village.

On their professional holiday, the museum staff did not forget about young visitors.

The puppet show "Flying Carpet" was greeted with great interest. The performance was staged by the museum's Kids Department within the Year of Shusha in Azerbaijan to popularize Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art among youth.




BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on Friday said the Global Security Initiative carried forward the spirit of the UN Charter and offered a fundamental solution to eliminating the peace deficit.

Le made the remarks when delivering a speech at an online dialogue of global think tanks of 20 countries.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic has been raging for three years now and the flames of war have been re-ignited in Europe, which presented unprecedented challenges to peace and development, the underlying theme of the times.

"China is determined to act as a responsible major country. We have made great efforts to safeguard international peace and security and to explore the way forward for humanity," he said.

Eight years ago at the Shanghai Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. This new vision on security has been proven by events to be both a correct and effective one, Le said.

Recently at the Boao Forum for Asia, President Xi proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI), he said, adding that the idea is to take the new vision on security as the guiding principle, mutual respect as the fundamental requirement, indivisible security as the important principle, and building a security community as the long-term goal, in order to foster a new type of security that replaces confrontation, alliance and a zero-sum approach with dialogue, partnership and win-win results.

"This major Initiative carries forward the spirit of the UN Charter, offers a fundamental solution to eliminating the peace deficit and contributes Chinese perspectives to meeting international security challenges," the vice foreign minister said. 
UNITED NATIONS, May 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed a Security Council statement in which the council "spoke with one voice for peace in Ukraine."

"Today, for the first time, the Security Council spoke with one voice for peace in Ukraine. As I have often said, the world must come together to silence the guns and uphold the values of the UN Charter," the UN chief said in a statement.

"I welcome this support and will continue to spare no effort to save lives, reduce suffering and find the path of peace," said the secretary-general.

Earlier in the day, the council released a statement expressing "deep concern" for the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine.

"The Security Council recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means," said the statement.

"The Security Council expresses strong support for the efforts of the secretary-general in the search for a peaceful solution. The Security Council requests the secretary-general to brief the Security Council in due course after the adoption of the present statement," it said.

Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev last week.

The visits led to joint UN and International Committee of the Red Cross operations evacuating 500 civilians from Ukraine's port city of Mariupol and the besieged Azovstal steel plant in recent days.

A draft Security Council resolution that would have deplored Moscow's special military operation was vetoed by Russia on Feb. 25. The international community has been concerned about the unity of the council in regard to its attitude toward the Ukraine crisis ever since. 
Chinese Ambassador to Madagascar Guo Xiaomei (L) and other guests are seen during the inauguration ceremony of a reading room at the school Le Petit Nid in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on May 5, 2022. The Chinese government on Thursday donated nearly 3,000 books in Chinese and bilingual Chinese-French to the Malagasy school. (Xinhua/Sitraka Rajaonarison)

ANTANANARIVO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government on Thursday donated nearly 3,000 books in Chinese and bilingual Chinese-French to a Malagasy school.

"China is delighted to donate 3,000 books in Chinese language and bilingual Chinese-French for this reading room," said Guo Xiaomei, Chinese Ambassador to Madagascar, during the inauguration ceremony of a reading room at the school Le Petit Nid in Antananarivo.

Guo said the donation included books for children with contents covering the four great Chinese classics, as well as the Chinese culture and China's traditional customs.

"I am confident that these books will provide a window into China for the school's young friends," Guo said, adding that she hopes the young Malagasy will enjoy reading, gain new knowledge, and extend their vision in this reading room.

Ratsimisetra Felambohangy, the Secretary General of the Malagasy Ministry of National Education, said that books, whether in physical or electronic form, represent one of the preferred tools of knowledge.

"We are confident that, owing to your help, the educational tools available to the children of Le Petit Nid school will allow them to open other windows, especially that of China," she added.

Meanwhile, Ramahafalisoa Sahoby Mampionona, CEO of Ecole Le Petit Nid, described the donated books as "a noble gesture since books offer wisdom."

"Learning languages is about exchanging words and culture," she said.

Established in 1987, Le Petit Nid school contains pre-school, primary, secondary and high school education. Chinese language classes have been taught at the school since 2013, while the Confucius Class opened at the school in 2017. 
NAIROBI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- A faster rise in merchandise imports widened Kenya's trade deficit from 999.9 billion shillings (8.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020 to 1407.6 billion shillings in 2021, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

The KNBS said in the 2022 Economic Survey released on Thursday that expenditure on imports rose by 30.9 percent to 2151.2 billion shillings in 2021, largely on account of increased expenditure on petroleum products, iron and steel, animal fats and oil as well as vehicles.

The gradual easing of the COVID-19 containment protocols resulted in the opening of economies culminating in improved global trade in 2021.

In Kenya, the trade volume amounted to 2894.9 billion shillings in 2021 rising from 2287.3 billion in 2020. This was occasioned by a 30.9 percent growth in imports together with a 15.5 percent increase in total exports, according to the survey. 
BISHKEK/TASHKENT, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed at Kyrgyz-Uzbek border after the border guards of Uzbekistan fired guns against them, the Kyrgyz border service said Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek section of the state border in Dobo-Korgon area of Jalal-Abad Oblast's Ala-Buka region, the press service of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan said.

The three people were citizens of Kyrgyzstan, who were then taken to the Ala-Buka regional hospital and died from the bullet wounds, the press service said.

Those people were smugglers, who "illegally transported material assets from the territory of Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan in large volumes," Uzbek security service said.

In order to clarify the circumstances of the incident, the border representatives of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan held meetings on Thursday and Friday. 
CANBERRA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists have made a breakthrough in developing new treatments for malaria, discovering why the parasite is resistant to some drug therapies.

In a study published on Friday, the team from the Australian National University (ANU) characterized two proteins -- PfMDR1 and PfCRT -- that transport drugs away from where they are effective in malaria parasites toward areas that render them ineffective.

Sarah Shafik, a co-author of the study from the ANU Research School of Biology, said some existing treatments for malaria are only effective if the drugs are inside the parasite's stomach while others work best outside the stomach.

"We knew that parasites can be resistant to some drugs while simultaneously being susceptible to others, but we didn't know how this occurred," she said in a media release.

"Our work shows that PfMDR1 and PfCRT work together to alter the distribution of the drugs within the parasite, helping it to evade the killing effect of one drug. But in turn, this means that the parasite becomes more susceptible to another drug."

The research team is hopeful that their findings could lead to new treatments that target PfMDR1 and PfCRT to nullify them.

Shafik said that if scientists can render the proteins inactive they could inhibit the malaria parasite's ability to build resistance to treatments and eventually eradicate the disease, which kills more than 600,000 people globally in 2020.

"Our intention is to target the ability of PfMDR1 and PfCRT to control the movement of drugs inside the parasite, but also to inhibit the essential natural function of proteins which helps the parasite grow," Shafik said. 
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir said on Friday that they killed three militants, including a commander, in a gunfight in the restive region.

The gunfight broke out inside a forest area near village Batkoot-Pahalgam in Anantnag district, about 80 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, the police said.

The gunfight was triggered after government forces launched a search operation based on specific intelligence information suggesting the presence of the militants.

The government forces have not suffered any damage in the stand-off, the police added.

A guerrilla war has been going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. 
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York May 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Thursday to end the "cycle of death and destruction" in Ukraine.

As he briefed the UN Security Council on his shuttle diplomacy last week in Russia and Ukraine, Guterres said that he "did not mince words" when he spoke with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine about ending the conflict.

The conflict must "end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world...the cycle of death, destruction, dislocation and disruption must stop," the secretary-general said at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

"In my meeting with (Russian) President Putin, I therefore stressed the imperative of enabling humanitarian access and evacuations from besieged areas, including first and foremost, Mariupol," said Guterres, appealing strongly for a safe and effective humanitarian corridor for civilians to reach safety from the Azovstal plant, where hundreds have been living underground for weeks.

"We must continue to do all we can to get people out of these hellscapes," said the UN chief.

Reporting on "some measure of success," Guterres outlined the complex humanitarian operation underway, led by the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"It began on April 29 and has required enormous coordination and advocacy with the Russian Federation and Ukrainian authorities," he said. "So far, two safe passage convoys have been successfully completed."

The first stage at the weekend saw 101 civilians safely evacuated to safety to the north of Mariupol, while the second phase on Wednesday night led to "more than 320" from the region finding a safe haven.

While a third operation is underway, Guterres would not provide any details until it is completed, "to avoid undermining possible success."

"It is good to know that even in these times of hyper-communications, silent diplomacy is still possible and is sometimes the only effective way to produce results," he said.

The UN chief said the United Nations will continue to scale up humanitarian operations to save lives and reduce suffering, and that he also discussed worldwide food security during his talks with both leaders.

"A meaningful solution to global food insecurity requires reintegrating Ukraine's agricultural production and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into world markets, despite the war," he said. 
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Both Russian and Ukrainian leaders had telephone conversations with heads of state of other countries on Thursday, discussing ties and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. The following are the latest developments regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Thursday to end the "cycle of death and destruction" in Ukraine.

As he briefed the UN Security Council on his shuttle diplomacy last week in Russia and Ukraine, Guterres said that he "did not mince words" when he spoke with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine about ending the conflict.

The conflict must "end for the sake of the people of Ukraine, Russia, and the entire world ... the cycle of death, destruction, dislocation and disruption must stop," the secretary-general said at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

- - - -

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday to discuss the Ukrainian situation.

The leaders paid special attention to humanitarian issues, including the evacuation of civilians held by militants of nationalist battalions from the Azovstal steel plant, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Russian military is ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians, Putin said, adding that the Kiev authorities should order the remaining militants at the Azovstal plant to lay down arms.

- - - -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had separate conversations with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Zelensky tweeted that he discussed future joint international legal events and the issues of defensive support for Ukraine at the talks with Johnson.

Commenting on the conversation with Steinmeier, Zelensky said it was "good, constructive, and important."

Steinmeier's plan to travel to Kiev in April together with other European leaders was refused by Ukraine, But a statement by the German president's office said that Steinmeier expressed respect and support for the Ukrainian people.

- - - -

Belarus will not participate in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Lukashenko said Belarus stands for peace and has repeatedly called for the end of the current Russia-Ukraine military conflict.

- - - -

The ongoing Ukraine crisis is negatively affecting East Africa's food security through reduced food supplies, accessibility and high prices of food, fuel and fertilizer, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned Thursday.

Export restrictions on grains, vegetable oil and fertilizers have surged since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the scale having reached the levels of the 2008 global food crisis in terms of share of global trade, the WFP said in its latest situation update on the food security conditions in Eastern Africa. 
MOSCOW, May 6 (Xinhua) -- While Western countries are calling for an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, "they are doing everything to prevent this" with their actions, a Russian diplomat said Friday.

Arms deliveries to Ukraine are increasing and the United States alone has sent 3.8 billion U.S. dollars worth of military products, Alexei Zaitsev, deputy director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing.

Military supplies from Western countries will prolong hostilities, cause new destruction of civilian infrastructure, and cost more civilian lives, he said.

Against this backdrop, the Russia-Ukraine peace talks are "in a state of stagnation," Zaitsev said.

Meanwhile, the diplomat denied the allegation that Russia could use nuclear weapons during its special military operation in Ukraine, calling such speculation "a deliberate lie."

Russia firmly adheres to the principle that "there can be no winners in a nuclear war, and it should not be unleashed," Zaytsev noted. 
By Azernews





Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov and Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca have discussed cooperation and the regional situation, the ministry has reported.

The meeting took place on May 5, as part of Elnur Mammadovs visit to Latin America, the report added.

The necessity of convening the third round of political consultations between the two nations was emphasized during the meeting, which expressed satisfaction with the level of mutual political dialogue.

The sides underlined current opportunities for extending collaboration in a variety of fields, including agriculture, energy, culture, and humanitarian spheres, and emphasized the importance of collaborative events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations in 2023.

Mammadov informed the opposite side of the region's new political realities following the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan's large-scale restoration and reconstruction projects in the liberated regions, and the rising importance of international transport corridors passing through Azerbaijan.

The parties also discussed bilateral cooperation in international organizations as well as regional and international security issues of mutual interest.

Secretary-General of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry Simas Magalhaes and the head of the Azerbaijani-Brazilian friendship group in the Brazilian Congress, MP Claudio Cajado also attended the meeting.

The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on October 23, 1993. In addition to the embassies, each country created the Brazil-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group in 2012 and 2013.

The trade turnover between the countries amounted to $267 million in 2021. Azerbaijan's mainly exports industrial fatty acids, oils, and alcohols to Brazil and imports meat, tobacco, and machinery.
KIEV, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine evacuated 50 civilians from the Azovstal plant in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Friday.

"The evacuation was extremely slow. However, today we managed to free 50 women, children and the elderly from Azovstal," Vereshchuk wrote on Facebook.

The evacuation will continue on Saturday morning, Vereshchuk said.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said that Ukraine had evacuated about 500 civilians from Mariupol.

Mariupol, a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine, saw one of the worst bouts of violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 
KIEV, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine and Russia on Friday conducted another prisoner exchange since the start of the conflict, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

As a result of the swap, 41 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including 13 civilians, returned home following their release by Russian forces, Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24. Since then, more than 300 Ukrainians have been released. 
WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Karine Jean-Pierre has been named to be the next White House press secretary.

Jean-Pierre, 44, will step into the role replacing Jen Psaki, who will depart from the White House on May 13, said Biden.

Currently principal deputy press secretary, Jean-Pierre will be the first African American woman to hold the position of chief White House spokesperson.

A long-time advisor to Biden, Jean-Pierre has served as a senior advisor to the Democrat's 2020 presidential campaign.

Psaki will reportedly join TV channel MSNBC as a streaming show host after leaving the White House.

As an assistant to the U.S. president, the White House press secretary provides daily briefings for the media on the administration's activities and agenda. 
Indore: The demand for Sundar Kand and Hanuman Chalisa has increased a lot in Indore following the ongoing loudspeaker controversy across the country. The demand for both these religious texts has increased by 25 to 30 per cent compared to the usual days. The special thing is that not only Hindi in Indore, but also the Hanuman Chalisa of Urdu is in great demand. Amid the controversy over the removal of loudspeakers from mosques and religious places, the atmosphere over Hanuman bhakti has increased in Indore. According to the religious bookseller, earlier 200 to 250 Hanuman Chalisa used to be sold in a day, but now they are being sold from 350 to 400.

Earlier, apart from the Hindi, there was a sale of Hanuman Chalisa of other languages, but now people are buying Hanuman Chalisa written in Urdu. Trilochan Singh, a seller of religious books, said Sindhis and Sikhs who have come to India from Pakistan can read Urdu better than Hindi. Due to this, the sale of Urdu Hanuman Chalisa is going on tremendously.

Sunny Sahayata says he left Pakistan with his entire family in 2008 and moved to India. In Pakistan, there is always a situation of fear due to looting. There is peace and harmony in India. I don't know Hindi, so I recite Hanuman Chalisa in Urdu. I'm learning slowly. Reciting the Hanuman Chalisa brings new energy to the body. The largest shop for religious books in Indore, more than 100 years old, is the Sardar Sohan Singh Book Centre. Lal Bahadur Singh, the owner of the shop, said that in Indore, though the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa is mostly done in Hindu families, but now people of other languages are also reciting it. These days, the shops in the city are getting Hanuman Chalisa in Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Telugu, English and Urdu languages along with Hindi.

Fierce fire in hardware warehouse, heavy damage

These big banks gave a big blow to the customers, it will directly affect the pocket

Govt to launch 75 digital banking units in India on Aug 15: PM
New Delhi: S Jaishankar, the Union Minister for External Affairs has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July 2017 visit to Israel was a "goosebump moment" for him. Jaishankar was speaking on India's relationship with Israel, which he described as "really special," . He made the statements during a speech in Delhi commemorating Israel's 74th year of independence. Naor Gilon, Israel's envoy to India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, was also present at the ceremony.

"When I reflect on our relationship over the last several years, the goosebumps moment for me was in Tel Aviv in July 2017, when the Prime Minister became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel." And our relationship has blossomed since then "Jaishankar expressed. He also emphasised the two countries' knowledge-based relationship, which encompasses cooperation, innovation, and research. Israel, he said, is an important part of India's "Make in India" programmes.

He also discussed the countries' future prospects, saying, "As I envision the future of our relationship, one of the most hopeful signals for me is intellectual, students in large numbers are moving from here to there, research project we're doing."

Following Jaishankar's speech, Israel's envoy to India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan, Naor Gilon, expressed gratitude for the Indian EAM's participation on Israel's 74th Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Israel. "I would like to quote our Guest of Honour, who stated during his visit to Israel in October that our relations do not date back 30 years. It's a link between very old civilizations that's likely the foundation for the two modern countries' very healthy bilateral relations "In his speech, Gilon said in his speech.

"This is a particularly memorable event for us since it marks the 30th anniversary of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel. We're also celebrating 75 years of independence, and these momentous anniversaries enable us to look forward to new vistas in our growing ties "He said. "Focus is on knowledge-based relationships, and Israel is a key partner in the 'Make in India' partnership," EAM Jaishankar said of the Jewish community's contributions to India.

India Germany sign MoUs on triangular development cooperation and renewable energy partnership

EAM Jaishankar arrives in Bhutan, strengthens India Bhutan bilateral ties

India's status is clear on Russia-Ukraine War: EAM Jaishankar
Zelensky says Russia wants to turn Ukrainians into silent labor force 6 May, 20:39 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo:Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)

Russia wants to turn Ukrainians into a silent labor force, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address to the parliament of Iceland on May 6.

"They have been saying for a long time that we allegedly have no right to exist on our own," he said.

"And they want to erase any reminders of our culture, despite the fact that our culture has millennium-long roots."

The Ukrainian president said that Russia wants Ukraine to never have democracy or independence.

 

"So that our land, our nature could be used against our interests," he said.

"So that our resources could work for another state. And so that our people could be just a silent labor force."

Zelensky said that more than 500,000 Ukrainians had already been deported to Russia.

"Ukrainians are being sent to remote regions of Russia and deprived of their means of communication," he said, adding that the aggressor country was also taking away their documents.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
Kathmandu, May 6

It has been 12 days since contractors have stopped working on development projects commissioned by the government. Contractors, citing a hike in the price of construction materials, have stopped working on over 3,500 projects across the country.

This is quite worrisome as development work has completely stopped during the major season when these things should have moved forward at a rapid rate. While this is happening, the government has done nothing as all development works are in a state of coma.

The effects of this are being seen in the countrys economy too as it is facing a liquidity crisis with the capital expenditure not happening as much as it should have.

According to Financial Comptroller General Office, the country, after April 24, has only spent Rs 5.59 billion of the allotted capital expenditure, taking its total to Rs 107 billion. The government had planned to spend Rs 378 billion as capital expenditure. This is only 30 per cent of what it wants to spend as the government officials fear that the government will not be able to spend even 50 per cent of the money set aside as capital expenditure.

The reason for halting the project is the price hike. Federation of Contractors Associations of Nepals president Rabi Singh says the contractors will not restart projects until the government addresses the hike in prices of materials.

We need the government to address this issue because we cant work and incur losses, says Singh. Well only start work when the government will help us and pay us accordingly.

Contractors say they have put their demands in front of ministers. Urban Development Minister Ram Kumari Jhakri has said she knows about the issue, adding their demands are being taken seriously.
Home  Business  The Russian invasion of Ukraine affects Nepals exports to Europe, the Americas

Kathmandu, May 6

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected Nepals exports to Europe and the Americas, complain the traders.

It has already been two months since the orders from European and Asian countries have been affected as they have been hit hard by the war, informs Durga Bikram Thapa, a vice-president of the Federation of Export Entrepreneurs Nepal.

Naresh Lal Shrestha, the first vice-president of the Export Council of Nepal, says the export industries that were severely troubled by the Covid pandemic are receiving another blow.

Shrestha says the export has been affected by 25 to 50 per cent by the crisis. Our European purchasers are worried about how long the war will continue.

Nepal exports garments, pashmina, felt, handicrafts, and woodcrafts worth Rs 50 billion every year, according to traders.
By Uditha Jayasinghe and Alasdair Pal

COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday following a day of anti-government strikes and protests over a worsening economic crisis.

The measure, which drew immediate criticism from opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and from Canada's ambassador, is effective immediately and was taken in the interests of public security, a government notice said.

Police earlier fired tear gas at dozens of demonstrators outside parliament, in the latest in more than a month of sporadically violent anti-government protests amid shortages of imported food, fuel and medicines.

Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and government tax cuts, Sri Lanka has been left with as little as $50 million in useable foreign reserves, the finance minister said this week.

Details of the latest emergency regulations were not yet made public, but previous emergency laws have given greater powers to the president to deploy the military, detain people without charge and break up protests.

His order must be approved by parliament within 30 days.

Calling on Rajapaksa to resign, Premadasa said the state of emergency "runs counter to seeking any solution to the crisis".

Canada's ambassador to Sri Lanka, David McKinnon, said the decision was unnecessary.

"Over the past weeks, the demonstrations across Sri Lanka have overwhelmingly involved citizens enjoying their right to peaceful freedom of expression, and are a credit to the countrys democracy," he said.

'SICK AND TIRED OF POLITICIANS'

Hundreds of university students and other protesters gathered on Friday on the main road to parliament where they had started a sit-in on Thursday.

Some hung underwear on barricades as an insult to the political leadership.

"We are here because we are sick and tired of politicians lying to us. We want the president and this government to go home," said Purnima Muhandiram, a 42-year-old advertising professional.

Story continues

Thousands of shops, schools and businesses closed earlier on Friday as public and private sector workers went on strike, demanding the president and the government step down for their handling of the island's worst financial crisis in decades.

Commuters were left stranded as private bus and train operators joined the strike.

Healthcare workers also joined the strike, though emergency services remained operational.

Rajapaksa has refused to step down, repeatedly calling for a unity government led by him, but opposition leaders plan to move a no-confidence motion against the president and the government next week.

Rajapaksa previously declared a state of emergency on 1 April but rolled it back after five days.

(Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe and Alasdair Pal; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Frances Kerry and John Stonestreet)
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, the Asante King, opened his speech Thursday afternoon to a crowd at the University of Memphis by talking about the importance of education.

"It has been a policy, wherever our leaders have taken us, to seek to engage the youth in the educational system," the king said. "Not only as a reflection of the priority we have put in education, but also because of our recognition that creating understanding in the youth is the surest way to ensure the future of the world."

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, the Asante King speaking at the University of Memphis.

The speech, titled Contemporary Challenges in United States and Africa Relations," was a part of the Memphis in May International Festival, a week-long series of programs to learn about the festival's "honored country," which is Ghana this year. Memphis in May first picked Ghana as the honored country in 2020, but the pandemic upended the city's signature festival and events. Organizers decided to honor Ghana this year with national and local COVID-19 restrictions largely gone.

"Citizens of Memphis, you can be proud of this city for its foresight in establishing the Memphis in May International Festival," the king said. "...we have traveled several hundred miles from across the oceans, in the very heart of Africa, to celebrate with the city this year and it is only right that we make the most of the opportunity to foster greater understanding as a contribution to the continental relations of the people of our two countries."

Much of the 15-minute speech focused on educating the attendees on the history and culture of the Asante Empire and Ghana.

Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II will celebrate his 72nd birthday during Memphis in May International Week.

The Asante king, who will celebrate his 72nd birthday Friday in Memphis, is the 16th Asantehene and a direct descendant of the first Asante King, who founded the Asante Empire in 1701. A powerful state that resisted British colonization until the very end of the 19th century, the empire's former territory is now part of modern Ghana, a presidential republic.

Story continues

The king is not Ghana's head of state. Ghana is a democracy with an elected leadership and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was re-elected in December of 2020, but the king still has significant influence. According to a Memphis in May press release, "His platform as King focuses on furthering peace among the region and developing the education, economy, and health of His people."

Memphis in May: Ghana king visits the Bluff City for International Week

BSMF highlights: From Memphis rap to the '90s: 10 highlights from Beale Street Music Festival

"He invited all the states and said to them 'we are one people, speaking one language. Why should we continue to exist as little states sometimes quibbling amongst ourselves and sometimes battling other states, when we can unite and become one powerful kingdom against which no other force can stand," the king said about the first Asante King. "He yelled before them the vision of one kingdom able to defend itself against all others and capable of withstanding and trading with other nations to bring prosperity to all people. The state bought into the remarkable vision."

If circumstances, such as education, had been different, the king said, the world would be studying the words of the Asante Empire with the same "zeal" it studies the Federalist papers.

"The kingdom grew to become one of Africa's great warrior kingdoms," the king said.

The speech also touched on the struggles that come with a democracy. The king spoke of the pride he had in assisting in arbitration when it comes to political turmoil.

"As you may know too well, the adversarial nature of democratic politics has a tendency to raise tensions among political combatants," the king said.

The speech ended as it had started, with the king talking about the vital importance of education, both for Ghana itself and the world as a whole.

"We established the foundation to support the education of children of poor backgrounds," the king said. "It has become so far the largest private intervention in education in the country and has provided for students who would have otherwise been deprived of a basic education."

Gina Butkovich covers DeSoto County, storytelling and general news. She can be reached at 901-232-6714 or on Twitter @gigibutko.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The Asante King speaks at the University of Memphis
By Azernews





Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov has endorsed an amended list of checkpoints across the state borders of the country, Trend has reported.

Under the endorsed list, Azerbaijan has established two checkpoints on the border with Armenia. They are the Eyvazli checkpoint across the state border of Azerbaijan with Armenia in Eyvazli village of Gubadli region. Another checkpoint is established in Gazanchi village of Zangilan region on the border with Armenia.

Azerbaijan also establishes crossing points at the Fuzuli International Airport, Mirzajamalli village of Fuzuli region, and the Zagatala International Airport, Mukhakh village of Zagatala region.

On April 6, 2022, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and EU Council President Charles Michel met in a trilateral format in Brussels again. Both Aliyev and Pashinyan expressed a willingness to work quickly toward a peace agreement between their countries. To that end, it was decided to instruct foreign ministers to begin work on drafting a future peace treaty that would address all of the issues.

At the same time, it was also agreed to convene a Joint Border Commission by late April. The Joint Border Commission's mandate will be to delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and ensure a stable security situation along and in the vicinity of the borderline.
Responding to Elon Musks claims that he is shorting Tesla stock, Bill Gates says such a position is just an investment, not a move against helping solve climate change.

Elon Musk accused the Microsoft billionaire in a tweet last week of betting as much as half-a-billion dollars that shares of the electric-car company would fall.

In a text exchange between the two billionaires leaked online that Musk said was authentic, the Tesla CEO asked Gates if he was still shorting the stock. Gates said he was, and that he wanted to talk to Musk about philanthropy. Musk denied the request outright.

Sorry, I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change, Musk reportedly said in the text exchange.

But Gates told the BBC in an interview Wednesday that his bet against Tesla is unrelated to advocacy for pro-environmental projects and government policies.

"That has nothing to do with climate change. I have ways of diversifying, Gates said in an interview.

He added that just because he was betting against Tesla doesnt mean he was against the rise of electric cars.

"The popularity of electric cars will lead to more competition for selling those cars. So there's a difference between electric cars being adopted, and companies becoming infinitely valuable, he told the BBC.

Musk and Gates have a history of frosty relations, and Musk has attacked Gates on Twitter repeatedly.

After Gates said he was concerned about the range and premium price of Tesla vehicles in a 2020 video with YouTuber Marques Brownlee, Musk said in a tweet that his conversations with the former Microsoft CEO have been underwhelming tbh.

More recently, amid Musks takeover of Twitter, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted a picture of Gates side by side with an emoji of a pregnant man, saying, in case u need to lose a boner fast.

Gates told CNBCs Squawk Box in July 2020 that Musk should cut back on his controversial vaccine comments and focus on electric cars and rockets. In a New York Times podcast later that year, the Tesla CEO responded to Gates comments about Musks lack of experience with vaccines, calling Gates a knucklehead. Musk has also attacked Gates in tweets regarding his vaccine advocacy.

Story continues

In a tweet last week, Musk said he was moving on from attacking Gates for shorting Tesla. But Gates appears unruffled.

"Theres no need for him to be nice to me, Gates said of Musk in the BBC interview.

Disagreements and attacks between the two men have drawn outsize attention because of their immense wealth. Musk overtook Gates as the worlds second-richest person in 2020 and later surpassed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to take the top spot. The Tesla CEO is currently the richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, while Gates sits at fourth on the list. Gates has pledged to give away most of his fortune over his lifetime.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Wonder of the Seas Godmother to be Named this Summer Ahead of December Ceremony in Port Canaveral, Florida

MIAMI, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Family cruise line Royal Caribbean International is looking for the Godmother of the world's newest wonder, Wonder of the Seas, and the search begins today on TikTok. U.S. users of the popular video-sharing platform can now take part in the #SearchForWonderMom contest by nominating a mom who inspires those around them to discover, wonder and make memories. The call for submissions is open through Monday, May 16, at 11:59 p.m. ET, and the winner will be announced on Royal Caribbean's TikTok this summer.

"The role of a Godmother is an important and longstanding maritime tradition, and it began with naming prominent public figures to now recognizing everyday heroes like moms," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "With a combination of brand-new adventures and signature favorites across entertainment, thrills, dining and nightlife, Wonder of the Seas is designed to inspire wonder and awe in children and travelers of all ages. Moms do just that and more day in and day out."

Wonder's Godmother will have the honor of bestowing a blessing of safekeeping on the ship, its crew and the millions of guests who will sail in the years to come during the new ship's naming ceremony in Port Canaveral, Florida, in December. Plus, the honoree and their family will set sail on an exclusive cruise to the cruise line's private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas, which features 13 waterslides  including the tallest in North America, Daredevil's Peak  private overwater cabanas at the Coco Beach Club escape and the sky-high helium balloon adventure, Up, Up & Away.

What is also in store for the Wonder Mom and their loved ones is an epic vacation, including a 7-night Caribbean sailing on board Wonder in the one-of-a-kind Ultimate Family Suite, first-class flights, three nights in a five-star hotel before the cruise and up to $1,000 in spending money. In addition, four finalists can enjoy all Wonder has to offer on a 7-night cruise in a balcony stateroom for up to four guests.

Story continues

Entry Guidelines:

Users must follow @RoyalCaribbean on TikTok.

Submissions must be posted on TikTok and share why their nominee would be the ideal Godmother for the world's largest cruise ship.

Uploaded videos must use Royal Caribbean's original #SearchforWonderMom contest audio track pinned on the cruise line's profile.

Entries must tag @RoyalCaribbean and include #SearchForWonderMom and #Contest

The world's largest cruise ship and Royal Caribbean's latest in the lineup of revolutionary Oasis Class ships, Wonder is primed for memory making with a thoughtfully crafted combination of new adventures and fan favorites across eight unique neighborhoods  a Royal Caribbean first. Highlights include the Suite Neighborhood, the new, eighth neighborhood that welcomes Royal Suite Class guests to an elevated experience; and a brand-new underwater-themed play area for kids, Wonder Playscape, with slides, climbing walls, interactive features, puzzles and more.

Wonder also features more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, including The Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar that serves up Southern staples and classics with a twist for brunch and dinner with loved ones, and in the late night, along with live country music and more. Plus, returning favorites like The Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea; the FlowRider surf simulator; rock climbing walls, The Perfect Storm racing waterslides, newly designed areas just for kids and teens; and original entertainment across four "stages": air, ice, water and theater.

Beginning November 2022, Wonder returns stateside to its new year-round home in Port Canaveral, Florida, after a summer in Europe sailing in the Mediterranean. The action-packed ship will set course to idyllic destinations on 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, including Perfect Day at CocoCay, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Mexico and Honduras.

Full details on the #SearchForWonderMom TikTok contest are available on Royal Caribbean's contest webpage.

About Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International, owned by Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL), has been delivering innovation at sea for more than 50 years. Each successive class of ships is an architectural marvel that features the latest technology and guest experiences for today's adventurous traveler. The cruise line continues to revolutionize vacations with itineraries to 240 destinations in 61 countries on six continents, including Royal Caribbean's private island destination in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, the first in the Perfect Day Island Collection. Royal Caribbean has also been voted "Best Cruise Line Overall" for 19 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.

Media can stay up to date by following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers can call their travel advisor; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

Royal Caribbeans Wonder of the Seas, the ultimate vacation for travelers of all ages. Across eight distinct neighborhoods  a Royal Caribbean first  theres a variety of brand-new experiences and returning favorites, such as the new Suite Neighborhood; Wonder Playscape, an interactive, outdoor play area for kids; southern restaurant and bar The Mason Jar, and the cantilevered Vue Bar. The signature adventures in store include The Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea; the FlowRider surf simulator; and more.

The Suite Neighborhood, the new, eighth neighborhood on Wonder of the Seas, debuts the grandest Ultimate Family Suite yet for a family of 10. From an in-suite slide to a cinema and karaoke area, as well as a private balcony and whirlpool, the one-of-a-kind suite redefines family time with a variety of ways to make memories across two floors of luxury.

A vibrant pool deck with Caribbean vibes, live music and more is on deck aboard Wonder of the Seas. From one sun-soaked destination to the next, vacationers can enjoy the new, cantilevered Vue Bar, signature bar The Lime & Coconut, The Perfect Storm high-speed waterslides, kids aqua park Splashaway Bay, casitas, the largest poolside movie screen on a Royal Caribbean ship, and more.

The all-new Wonder Playscape, an underwater-themed, outdoor play area for families with kids. With 11 different ways to play day and night, including multilevel slides, climbing walls, imaginative puzzles, an interactive mural that comes to life by touch and light shows, the adventures join the lineup of signature experiences that engage young travelers from bow to stern on Wonder of the Seas.

(PRNewsfoto/Royal Caribbean International)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/calling-all-moms-royal-caribbean-launches-tiktok-search-for-godmother-of-worlds-largest-cruise-ship-301541682.html

SOURCE Royal Caribbean International
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chubb today announced that Paul Johnstone will assume the role of Country President of the company's business operations in Canada, subject to regulatory approvals. Currently, Mr. Johnstone serves as Chief Operating Officer in Canada. In his new role, which becomes effective July 1, Mr. Johnstone will have executive operating responsibility for the organization's retail property and casualty insurance business, including its high-net-worth personal lines and accident and health offerings for Canadian-based clients served by independent brokers and agents.

Paul Johnstone named President of Canadian Operations (PRNewsfoto/Chubb)

Mr. Johnstone succeeds John Alfieri, who will retire from Chubb in July after serving the company for nearly two decades. Mr. Johnstone will report to Chris Maleno, Senior Vice President, Chubb Group and Division President, North America Field Operations.

"With nearly 30 years in the Canadian insurance market, Paul is poised to take on his new leadership role," said Mr. Maleno. "His background is broad and deep, with experience in underwriting, marketing and distribution across key client segments and product groups. Chubb has a reputation for its deep management bench, and Paul's promotion demonstrates the strength of our leadership team in our diverse and thriving businesses in Canada."

Mr. Maleno added, "John has been a tremendous colleague and influential leader throughout his career at Chubb. He joined the company in 2004 and played many pivotal roles, including developing the New York Region into what it is today and shaping our Client Executive team and overall field structure for our division that serve large national and multinational commercial clients. Under John's leadership, Chubb's Canadian commercial and personal lines of business have experienced significant growth, in turn preparing his successor to further that upward trajectory. We thank John for his many contributions and wish him the very best in his retirement."

Story continues

Mr. Johnstone has nearly three decades of experience in the Canadian insurance market, spanning the reinsurance and P&C sectors. Prior to ACE's acquisition of Chubb in January 2016, he served as Senior Vice President, of Chubb's Personal Risk Services business in Canada, where he oversaw the modernization of its operating systems and strategic expansion of distribution. He joined Chubb in 1994 as an associate in Commercial Insurance. Mr. Johnstone holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Windsor and holds a CRM and a Certificate in Public Administration.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com.

Chubb Insurance Company of Canada has offices in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver and provides its products and services through licensed insurance brokers across Canada. For additional information, visit: chubb.com/ca.

John Alfieri to retire after nearly two decades of service. (PRNewsfoto/Chubb)

SOURCE Chubb
PLAIN CITY, OH / ACCESSWIRE / May 6, 2022 / Mixt Solutions , a company dedicated to helping brands use the Amazon platform more intelligently through its consulting, logistics, and marketing services, has announced that it has finished expanding its headquarters in Plain City, Ohio. In addition to being a full-service agency for brands selling on Amazon, Mixt Solutions will now offer FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) prep and 3PL (Third-Party Logistics) services, primarily for the consumer-packaged goods industry.

Mixt Solutions, Friday, May 6, 2022, Press release picture

"It is an exciting time for Mixt Solutions to be expanding," says Austin Keller, Chief Executive Officer of Mixt Solutions. "As consumer interest in e-commerce continues to increase, we have had the opportunity to assist brands of all sizes in scaling their Amazon sales. With our expansion, we will be even more equipped to work with new brands through refining their Amazon listings, targeting their ideal customers, and taking their sales to new levels."

Mixt Solutions states that it is also exploring plans to expand outside of the Amazon U.S. marketplace and into Canada and the United Kingdom.

"E-commerce, as we all know, is truly a global industry," the company says. "By offering our features to international businesses, we hope to help more brands to take advantage of the potential benefits of selling on Amazon."

Mixt Solutions adds that it is currently undergoing a GDP (Good Distribution Practices) audit. "Its purpose is to help ensure that a brand's products are being handled, stored, and shipped in a professional manner," Mixt Solutions explains. "We are looking forward to receiving this and adhering to the recommended practices so that our customers can benefit."

The company reveals that in late 2021, Mixt Solutions was named one of the fastest growing companies in Central Ohio as well as one of Inc. 5000's Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America for the third time. "Since Austin started Mixt Solutions out of his parents' basement in 2014, we have grown to be a $30M company primarily from selling on Amazon." the company states. "We were honored to be recognized for our hard work in helping brands to scale on Amazon."

Story continues

Mixt Solutions states that it will continue to partner with brands that understand its long-term approach to building brands both on and off Amazon. "Our strategy will remain the same," it says. "We will be consistent and provide high-quality service to our customers so that we are an extension of their teams and online strategies."

Mixt Solutions first began selling products on its small website in 2014 with just $1,000 in capital. Its team bootstrapped their way through their startup phase and gained a reputation for fixing problems for brands on Amazon. Since then, Mixt Solutions has grown its team to sixteen employees, who all focus on building relationships with clients and delivering results.

For more information about Mixt Solutions, please see https://www.mixtsolutions.com/ or contact:

Austin Keller

844-466-4981 or 844-GO MIXT 1

Austin@MixtSolutions.com

SOURCE: Mixt Solutions





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/700457/E-Commerce-Problem-Solver-Mixt-Solutions-Completes-Expansion-of-Headquarters




KINGSPORT, Tenn., May 06, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) today announced that it has entered into an accelerated share repurchase (ASR) agreement with Wells Fargo, NA and Mizuho Markets Americas LLC to repurchase $500 million of Eastmans common stock. With the execution of the ASR, Eastman will have made significant progress towards its target of repurchasing greater than $1 billion of shares in 2022, with approximately $750 million completed in the second quarter.

ASR repurchases will be under the remainder of the February 2018 $2 billion Board of Directors share repurchase authorization as well as the December 2021 Board $2.5 billion share repurchase authorization. Upon completion of the ASR, Eastman will have authorization to repurchase another approximately $2.12 billion of shares.

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Willie McLain said, "This accelerated share repurchase demonstrates our confidence in our companys market value and our commitment to continue delivering value to our stockholders through share repurchases."

Eastman expects approximately 80% of the share repurchases under the ASR agreement (3.8 million shares) on May 9, 2022, based on the companys closing price of $105.67 on May 5, 2022. The ASR repurchases are expected to be completed by third quarter 2022, with the total number of repurchased shares based on Eastmans volume-weighted average price during the term of the agreement, less a discount.

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The companys innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2021 revenues of approximately $10.5 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Story continues

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220506005208/en/

Contacts

Media: Tracy Kilgore Addington

423-224-0498 / tracy@eastman.com

Investors: Greg Riddle

212-835-1620 / griddle@eastman.com
Even before the tragic deaths that closed its open-all-night doors, the dilapidated antebellum Mississippi mansion known as "Graceland Too" was essentially a haunted house  haunted by the memory if not by the ghost of Elvis.

Long a place of irreverent pilgrimage for boozy after-hours Ole Miss students, Memphis daytrippers, indie rockers and other aficionados of the bizarre from around the world, the two-story, memorabilia-crammed Holly Springs shrine to Elvis Presley was closed in 2014, after its Elvis-fanatical owner, Paul MacLeod, shot and killed Dwight David Taylor Jr., 28, a local handyman, on the mansion's front porch. Two days later, MacLeod, 70, died on that porch, of a heart attack.

Although the saga of Graceland Too inspired some magazine articles, a book of photographs and a few songs (check out "Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth" by Parquet Courts), the story in recent years has been more or less forgotten, even by those true-crime podcasters and streaming-service dramatists for whom surreal calamity is catnip.

Elvis memorabilia: Meet the new 'Elvis Presley Barbie' doll, a celebration of the King's iconic look

Elvis trivia: Think you know everything about the King? Try to answer these questions

Charles F. Wagner IV is real-life Elvis fanatic Paul MacLeod in the New York play "Graceland Too," written and directed by Memphians Nicole Hughes and Maxx Reed.

"It had been on my mind, but I kept thinking, 'It's too good a story, someone else will write it,'" said Nicole Hughes, a Cordova/Memphis native who now lives in New York. "I guess I didn't have the confidence to think I'd be the one to do it until I realized nobody else was doing it."

This week, Graceland Too has reopened its doors, so to speak, but in an unlikely location: The mansion, its troubled inhabitant, and its strange history have inspired a new play, "Graceland Too: The Building Elvis Never Left," written by Hughes, 31, and directed by another Memphis transplant to New York, Maxx Reed, 32.

A third member of the New York Memphis mafia, Matt Wood (a classmate of Reed's at Bolton High School), composed music for the show. "It's really funny how all of us came together again in New York," said Wood, 38, whose Memphis band as a teenager, Perspective, used to play such venues as Newby's and the New Daisy.

Story continues

Elvis Week 2022: Elvira to join Priscilla at Elvis Week 2022: Here's a look at what's planned.

Memphis music: Priscilla Presley, Mavis Staples, Booker T. among Memphis Music Hall of Fame class of 2022

The Elvis flowers connection

"Graceland Too," the play, made its debut Monday night during the New York Theater Festival, an annual event that provides what Hughes calls an "off-off-Broadway" showcase for new productions. Performances were set to continue Friday and Sunday. After that, the play's future is uncertain.

Hughes said she visited Graceland Too only once, in 2008, when she was visiting friends at Ole Miss while she was a student at Auburn University. But she said that visit revealed a "weird" if loose linkage between her and MacLeod.

Hughes said her great-uncle, Frank Hill, worked at Memphis Funeral Home, "and his claim to fame, I guess, is he embalmed Elvis."

As a result, Hughes said, the family had some flowers that had been used during Elvis' funeral service, which Hughes' grandmother pressed and framed. The "Elvis flowers" became a major totem of family lore. "At the end of the day, they're just dried flowers, right? But no, they aren't just flowers, they're Elvis' flowers."

At Graceland Too, Hughes learned during her visit, MacLeod also had what he called "Elvis graveside flowers, but his were in a plastic bag taped to the wall." Even so, here was another house with a proud display of Elvis flowers. "I thought, what if in some weird way we're connected through those flowers?"

New Elvis movie: First look at 'Elvis' movie: Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler on new biopic, Memphis and the King

The story behind Graceland Too

An Elvis-obsessed Detroit native, MacLeod moved to Holly Springs in the 1970s. In 1990, he transformed his so-called "Graceland Too" home into a self-made tourist attraction. The Graceland Too moniker was unsanctioned by Elvis Presley Enterprises, but arguably not unjustified: Built in 1853, the house  sold in auction after MacLeod's death  does sort of resemble a mini-Graceland, with its colonial-style columns and stone lions.

Graceland Too never closed to visitors. Anybody who showed up at MacLeod's door at any time of day or night on any day of the year was welcome, as long as the person had the $5 admission price.

What that five-spot bought was a MacLeod-guided tour that was not only a ramble through the home's claustrophobic Elvis-stuffed interior but a rummage through an equally precarious Elvis-stuffed mind. Highlights included MacLeod's performance of "Jailhouse Rock" and his display of Polaroid photographs in which ectoplasmic evidence of Elvis' approving spirit was supposedly visible in the lens flares. Said Hughes: "He definitely thought Elvis lived in the flickering lights."

Qaasim Middleton is Dwight David Taylor and Charles F. Wagner IV is Paul MacLeod in the play "Graceland Too."

Disturbing or amusing? The answer, for most visitors, was "both." But the pendulum swung to the dark side on the night of July 15, 2014, when MacLeod killed Taylor with what a Paris Review story called "one of his many guns." The men supposedly had been sometimes close, sometimes combative friends; according to reports, Taylor had come to Graceland Too to seek payment for some fix-it work he had done for MacLeod. In any case, MacLeod was dead two days later, and within a year his home and his Elvis collection had been sold at auction.

How the 'Graceland Too' play came together

According to Hughes, "Graceland Too: The Building Elvis Never Left" is a work of "historical fiction," inhabited by actors portraying real people in a dramatized scenario. In musical terms, "Our first act is blues and our second act is gospel," Hughes said.

Charles F. Wagner plays MacLeod, while Qaasim Middleton is Taylor. A barbecue restaurateur character who represents "the heart and soul" of Holly Springs is played by Toni Seawright, who in 1987 was the first Black woman to win the Miss Mississippi pageant and represent that state in the Miss America competition.

The Elvis archive: Inside Graceland's private vaults

Remembering Elvis: Elvis fans return to Graceland in droves to remember and honor the King during Elvis Week

While focusing on the particular personalities of the two men, the play also delves into other relevant topics, including gun ownership, mental health, "Elvis culture" and race. MacLeod was a white man, Taylor was a Black man; Holly Springs police did not charge MacLeod after the shooting. "Dwight didn't really get any justice," Hughes said.

Reed said Hughes has "a very, very special gift for story," but in tandem he and Hughes made what he called "a perfect partnership" for the project: Hughes is white, while Reed  her fiance as well as collaborator  is Black.

The play is being produced in cooperation with the Taylor family. "We are honored, because the Taylor family allowed us to use his name and tell his story," Hughes said. The family contributed an open letter about Taylor to the play's program guide (he was "a loving, kind, and sweet child who was taken from us unexpectedly") and asks theatergoers to make a contribution in Taylor's memory to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.

Matt Wood, composer of the original music for "Graceland Too: The Building Elvis Never Left," poses with the play's writer/producer, Nicole Hughes, and a cardboard cutout of a friend during New York rehearsals.

After years of contemplating the material, Hughes said she wrote the play relatively swiftly, specifically for submission to the New York Theater Festival. After it was accepted in July, she and Reed had to raise money to produce the play for the event. A crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo website raised close to $10,000.

Auditions, casting and rehearsals were accomplished in the space of a few weeks before the play's debut. "It was a mad scramble to get it produced," said Reed, who has his own Graceland if not Graceland Too connection: His aunt, Dr. Susanne Taylor, is a veterinarian whose clients have included the horses at the Presley estate (including Moriah, Lisa Marie's Shetland pony).

The duo's arts experience helped them accomplish their "mad scramble." Hughes earns a living working for a digital health company, but she long has been involved in various stage, film and social justice projects (she was a social-action campaign producer for the documentary "Coded Bias," now on Netflix). Reed  who trained at New Ballet Ensemble here  is an actor, dancer and producer who appeared on Broadway in "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark."

"It's good to have it on its feet," Hughes said of "Graceland Too." But will the house remain standing? With close to 90 plays, one-acts and sketches running in the New York Theater Festival through July, getting noticed can be difficult.

"We certainly hope to bring it to Memphis, but also would love an off-Broadway run, or whatever," she said. "We're hoping it lives on."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Elvis-haunted home Graceland Too the subject of new play in New York
By Francesco Guarascio and Robin Emmott

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed changes to its planned embargo on Russian oil to give Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic more time to shift their energy supplies, EU sources said, although failed to reach a breakthrough on Friday.

The EU executive set out the embargo this week as part of its toughest-yet package of sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. But Hungary and other EU member states said they were worried about the impact on their own economies.

The tweaked proposal - which EU envoys discussed on Friday morning without reaching an agreement - would give the three countries help to upgrade their refineries to process oil from elsewhere and delay their exit from Russian oil to 2024, the sources said.

The initial proposal called for an end to EU imports of Russian crude and oil products by the end of this year.

There would also be a three-month transition before banning EU shipping services from transporting Russian oil, instead of the initial one month - to address concerns raised by Greece, Malta and Cyprus about their shipping companies, one of the sources added.

Diplomats said talks were complex but many expressed confidence all 27 EU governments could agree before next week.

One said the Commission was in talks on Friday afternoon to find a compromise with Budapest and possibly Bratislava.

"I don't think we'll see a breakthrough today, more likely at the weekend," the diplomat said.

'AN OBJECTIVE PROBLEM'

Under the original proposal, most EU countries had to stop buying Russian crude oil six months after adoption of the measures, and halt imports of refined oil products from Russia by the end of the year. Hungary and Slovakia were initially given until the end of 2023 to adapt.

Under the changes, Hungary and Slovakia would be able to buy Russian oil from pipelines until the end of 2024, and the Czech Republic could continue until June 2024, if it does not get oil via a pipeline from southern Europe earlier, the sources said.

Story continues

Bulgaria had also asked for exemptions, if others obtained them, but was not offered concessions on deadlines, "because they don't have a real point," one official said. The other three countries that were granted more leeway "have an objective problem," the official added.

One of the sources said the extended deadlines were calculated on the likely construction times for pipeline upgrades. The official said Hungary and Slovakia accounted for only 6% of the EU's oil imports from Russia, and the exemptions would not change the impact of the ban on the Russian economy.

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said on Friday he would call an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers next week if no deal was reached by the weekend.

Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, said earlier on Friday that Hungary would need five years and huge investments in its refineries and pipelines to transform its current system, which gets about 65% of its oil from Russia.

One diplomat familiar with the talks among EU envoys in Brussels dismissed Orban's comments as "mostly bluster", describing instead a constructive atmosphere in the negotiations.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio, Robin Emmott and Philip Blenkinsop Editing by Andrew Heavens and Mark POtter)
Transparency Market Research

Rise in demand for household cleaners and laundry detergents due to increase in the global population is creating lucrative prospects in the glycerol carbonate market

Albany NY, United States, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glycerol carbonate is being increasingly used in the production of different products such as cements, detergents, paints & coatings, fuels, and plastics, owing to several physicochemical properties such as high stability, low toxicity, low inflammability, high boiling point, and good biodegradability. Therefore, rise in demand for these products is prognosticated to propel the global glycerol carbonate market in the upcoming years.



Researchers at Transparency Market Research (TMR) project the global glycerol carbonate market to register growth at a CAGR of 7% during the forecast period between 2020 and 2030.

Players operating in the global glycerol carbonate market are concentrating on the development of environment-friendly and safe solvents. Hence, they are seen increasing cash in-flow in R&D projects. Moreover, major companies in the market are seen boosting their production capabilities in order to cater to the rising product demand globally, specifically from developing and developed nations, notes research report by TMR.

Get PDF Brochure for More Insights  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=63957

Biofuel is being increasingly used as a substitute to fossil fuel resources. As a result, many players in the market for glycerol carbonate are focused on gaining efficiency in converting glycerol into valuable products. Companies in the glycerol carbonate market are using different conversion technologies such as etherification, selective oxidation, reduction, and polymerization.

The glycerol carbonate market in Asia Pacific is expected to gain promising expansion opportunities, owing to many factors including increase in the production of surfactant products and polymers across many emerging economies such as India, China, and countries in ASEAN sub-region. China is a leading contributor to the Asia Pacific glycerol carbonate market, as the country has a presence of many key market players.

Story continues

Get Covid 19 Analysis - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=covid19&rep_id=63957

Glycerol Carbonate Market: Key Findings

Glycerol carbonate plays a key role in detergents production due to its different advantages such as advanced hand-feel performance, reduced pH of wash liquor, and solubility of laundry powders. Hence, rise in the consumption of different detergents around the world is boosting the sales in the glycerol carbonate market.

In the construction industry, glycerol carbonate finds application as a curing agent in cement and concrete. It is known for decreasing dusting and cracking, owing to its ability to stop quick water evaporation. Thus, the expansion of the construction industry is anticipated to fuel profitable prospects in the global glycerol carbonate market during the forecast period.

Plastic is one of the highest used products across different industries, owing to numerous advantages such as its highly appealing nature, sustainability, and functional properties. Moreover, it is used in place of many materials such as concrete, wood, and metal due to its corrosion-proof, lightweight, and cost-efficient nature. Surge in the use of bio-based materials, including glycerol carbonate for the production of plastics-based products is resulting in high sales prospects in the glycerol carbonate market.





Request a Sample  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=63957

Glycerol Carbonate Market: Growth Boosters

Rise in the use of glycerol carbonate as a chemical intermediate during polymer production bolsters market growth

Expansion of plastics industry is creating promising sales prospects in the glycerol carbonate market

Glycerol Carbonate Market: Key Players

Some of the key players profiled in the report are:

Eurisotop [Cambridge Isotope Laboratories, Inc. (CIL)]

Huntsman International LLC

Inkemia Green Chemicals Inc.

UBE Industries India Private Ltd.

Carbone Scientific Co., Ltd.

TCI Chemicals (India) Pvt. Ltd.

GLACONCHEMIE GmbH

Acros Organics B.V.B.A. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Company)

ANHUI MEISENBAO CHEMICAL CO., LTD.





Make an Enquiry Before Buying - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=63957<ype=S

Glycerol Carbonate Market Segmentation

Application

Solvents

Fuel Additives

Monomers

Chemical Intermediates

Others (including Concrete Mineral)





End Use

Detergents

Cements

Fuels

Paints & Coatings

Plastics

Others (including Cosmetics and Personal Care)

Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa





Chemicals & Materials Industry battles Tangible Impact of Economic and Cultural changes, Explore Transparency Market Researchs award-winning coverage of the global Chemicals & Materials Market:



Copper Ammonium Carbonate Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/copper-ammonium-carbonate-market.html

Cesium Carbonate Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cesium-carbonate-market.html

About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyse information.



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.

For More Research Insights on Leading Industries, Visit our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8e-z-g23-TdDMuODiL8BKQ

Contact

Rohit Bhisey

Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

Albany NY - 12207

United States

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com

Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/glycerol-carbonate-market.htm




Content creators and streamers to inspire their audiences to donate from May 6-20 to build 25 computer labs for children in poverty

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting tomorrow, Compassion International will launch "2 Weeks of Light," a two-week-long charity streaming event hosted on Twitch. During the event, more than 30 Christian content creators and streamers will come together to raise awareness for children living in poverty and raise funds to build 25 computer labs for Compassion-assisted children in Bolivia.

Calendar for "2 Weeks of Light" charity streaming event, running from May 6-20.

Content creators and streamers will "go live" at various times from May 6 through May 20 and inspire the gaming community to get involved through fun donation challenges. Over the two weeks, influential gamers and streamers might wax their legs, get a pie to the face, or take on a dare from their audiences  all to benefit children in Bolivia.

Bolivia has the lowest per capita income of any country in South America, and its income inequality is the highest in Latin America and one of the highest in the world. Many parents and caregivers are unemployed or underemployed. However, these computer labs will help secure a different future for more than 4,200 Bolivian children living in poverty. With internet access and laptop computers, children can further their education, gain valuable technology skills, and even earn certificates that will help accelerate their careers once they graduate from Compassion's child development program.

Bernie Mapili, founder of Guardians Gold streaming management company, shares, "Since the day we attended a Christian concert and were introduced to Compassion, we knew it was a ministry we needed to get behind. This event will help the second poorest country on this side of the planet with hope that only God can provide eternally. I've been a gamer my entire life and now that I can help, I'm here to make an impact with those who also care about people in the gaming space. God can use anything to bring goodness and show the world the light of Jesus' love amidst any situation."

Story continues

Compassion first piloted a philanthropic gaming event in October of 2021 to raise relief funds for Haiti following a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake in the southwest side of the country earlier that summer. The earthquake impacted more than 15,600 Compassion-assisted children, who lost homes, family members, and their sense of safety. In partnership with 10 Christian gaming groups, Compassion hosted "Hope for Haiti" and raised more than $30,000 for these children in 40 hours alone. The money went towards rebuilding and repairing homes for children and their families who lost their homes in the earthquake. The initiative highlighted the depth of passion and generosity of the online gaming community to fight poverty and use their influence for good.

Gamer and Twitch affiliate, tsun4m1_g4ming, explains, "For me, streaming and content creation is a ministry. If I can use my ministry that God has blessed me with exponentially to be able to raise awareness and support  then I will. We're all fishers of men, and the ocean can be anything."

He plans to go live on May 13 at 12 p.m. Central, kicking off the second week of Compassion's "2 Weeks of Light."

Courtney Dahl, innovation specialist at Compassion, concludes, "My exposure to the gaming and streaming world has opened my eyes to how God is moving in the digital space. Countless Christians are using Twitch and YouTube as their mission field to bring the light of Christ to the lost. It was only natural for Compassion to partner with these influencers to empower them to not only share the gospel  but to also rally their communities together to make an impact in the lives of children in poverty around the world."

About Compassion International

Compassion International is a Christian child development organization working to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Founded in 1952, Compassion partners with more than 8,500 local churches in 27 program countries to deliver spiritual, economic, social, and physical care to over two million babies, children, and young adults in poverty. Ranked No. 10 in Forbes' America's Top Charities List in 2021, Compassion is a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. For more information, visit compassion.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Allison Wilburn

219-384-8177

awilburn@compassion.com

Compassion International Logo (PRNewsfoto/Compassion International)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/online-gamers-team-up-with-compassion-international-to-bring-internet-to-more-than-4k-bolivian-children-301540462.html

SOURCE Compassion International
Proactive

New York, May 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proactive, provider of real-time news and video interviews on growth companies listed in the US and Canada, has covered the following companies:

About Proactive:

Proactive is a unique tech-enabled platform providing companies globally with a comprehensive investor engagement solution across their business lifecycle.

With six offices on three continents, Proactive works with innovative growth companies quoted on the worlds major stock exchanges, helping executives to engage intelligently with investors.

In 2020, Proactive featured in 809 million search results, our content was viewed over 165 million times and our readers spent over 10 million hours on our websites. Proactive has produced over 300,000 articles and 20,000 executive interviews since it was established in 2006.

For more information on how Proactive can help you make a difference, email us at action@proactiveinvestors.com

Story continues








China to introduce greater support for smaller businesses and self-employed households, stabilize and upgrade foreign trade

Xinhua) 09:32, May 06, 2022

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China will provide greater relief to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and self-employed households, to promote employment stability by keeping the operations of market entities stable, according to the decision made at the State Council's Executive Meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday.

The meeting also decided on policy steps to stabilize and upgrade foreign trade, in an effort to keep the economy and industrial and supply chains stable.

"There is now quite big pressure on the employment front. The many MSMEs and self-employed households across sectors are a key underpinning for steady economic and job growth, yet market entities concerned have currently encountered much difficulty. We must step up support for them. This will also help keep the industrial and supply chains stable," Li said.

Policy measures that have been developed such as tax refunds and reductions and fee cuts, deferred payment of social insurance premiums, open and smooth logistics services and early resumption of full-capacity production of enterprises should be effectively implemented.

All outstanding VAT credits will be refunded by June 30 to micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and self-employed households. The time limit will be made applicable to eligible medium-sized firms to complete their tax refunds ahead of schedule.

This year, large state-owned banks will add over 1.6 trillion yuan of inclusive loans for MSEs. The banks should renew loans, extend and adjust repayment arrangements, and waive default interest for MSMEs and self-employed households as appropriate, and their credit records will not be affected.

Business scope of state financing guaranty funds and government financing guaranty institutions will be expanded to cover more MSMEs and self-employed households. Specific measures to support the healthy development of platform economy should be introduced as quickly as possible.

Local governments should earmark special relief funds for MSMEs and self-employed households, to subsidize the rentals, guarantee fees and loan interests borne by those in difficulty.

Local authorities will be encouraged to adopt temporary preferential policies on electricity price for MSEs and self-employed households; the supply of water, electricity and gas will not be cut off due to fee arrears, and such payments may be completed within six months. The average broadband and dedicated internet service rates for MSMEs will be discounted by another 10 percent.

"Support policies that have been developed should be delivered at a faster pace, to help enterprises stay alive. Meanwhile, policy support, especially financial assistance, will be stepped up. Banks will be guided toward more proactive services," Li said.

A comprehensive review will be launched before the end of May on the outstanding payments that government bodies, public institutions and large enterprises owe to MSMEs. All undisputed overdue bills will be promptly cleared. Those with difficulties in paying the arrears should make specific repayment plans before the end of June.

Clearing overdue payments will be made a priority in the audit-based oversight and the State Council's accountability inspections this year, and arrears in disguised forms will be investigated and brought to account. Measures to shorten the payment period of commercial acceptance bills will be introduced at a faster pace.

Responsibilities especially those of local governments will be fully enforced, with a focus on addressing the impediments to policy implementation.

"Last year, foreign trade played a very important role in supporting economic growth and boosting employment. This year, due to domestic and external factors, the growth of import and export is much lower than previous years and is under immense pressure. We must find ways to retain orders and stabilize foreign trade," Li said.

To help foreign trade enterprises meet the difficulties and challenges, the meeting also decided to ensure stability in the production and circulation in foreign trade, work out lists of key foreign trade enterprises and support their production, logistics and employment.

Transportation of goods to and from seaports and airports will be unclogged at a faster pace, to increase the efficiency of logistics and customs clearance. Air cargo capacity will be better harnessed to ensure transportation of important components and products. Irregularities of freight rates in foreign trade will be duly investigated and handled.

Policies will be swiftly rolled out to facilitate cross-border e-commerce returns and exchanges. Eligible cross-border e-commerce firms will be supported in applying for the status of high- and new-technology enterprises.

Steady growth of processing trade will be supported. Labor-intensive processing trade in central, western and northeastern regions will be included in the national catalogue of encouraged industries. The inclusion of large medical equipment and robots in the scope of bonded repair services will be explored. Bonded re-manufacturing of automobile engines will be piloted.

"Dedicated efforts should be made to retain orders and stabilize imports and exports of key industries and labor-intensive processing industries. This is crucial to stabilizing employment," Li said.

It was emphasized at the meeting that credit loans issued to MSMEs in foreign trade will be increased. Banks will be supported for not blindly withdrawing, cutting off or withholding loans to those firms experiencing temporary hardship. Eligible firms in urgent need of funding will be given support on a priority basis.

The scale of short-term export credit insurance services will be expanded and the time needed for claim-settlement shortened. Insurance policy-based financing will be increased.

The RMB exchange rate will be kept generally stable at an adaptive, balanced level. Services by such platforms as the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) will be improved, to reinforce interactions with cross-border e-commerce businesses.

Localities should make good use of the special funds for international economic and trade development, and support MSMEs in participating in exhibitions overseas. More innovation demonstration zones for import trade will be developed.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
By Azernews





A competition for the title of Best Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Platoon has been conducted in the Azerbaijani armed forces, the Defense Ministry said on May 5.

The competition was held under the approved annual training plan, the report added.

"During the competition, tasks were completed to detect toxic substances, conduct radiation and chemical reconnaissance, and also improve the practical and field skills of military personnel in aerosol camouflage during various combat operations of the troops," the press release added.

Azerbaijan periodically holds drills to improve the combat readiness of the military personnel and are aimed at improving interaction and combat coordination among the servicemen during operations, as well as to develop commanders' military decision-making and unit management skills.

Furthermore, in 2021 Azerbaijani, Turkish, and Pakistani special forces conducted joint drills, codenamed Three Brothers to improve communication and coordination among the military personnel during the combat operations.

Azerbaijan and Turkey periodically hold joint drills to improve interaction and communication between their army units. In 2021, a series of joint drills were held with the participation of servicemen of the two nations.

Azerbaijani servicemen also attended the army games held in Kazakhstan and Iran as well as NATO joint drills in Georgia in 2021.
TORONTO, May 6, 2022 /CNW/ - RBC Global Asset Management Inc. ("RBC GAM Inc.") today announced April mutual fund net redemptions of $670.4 million. Long-term funds had net redemptions of $622.2 million and money market funds had net redemptions of $48.2 million. Mutual fund assets under management decreased by 4.8 per cent.

RBC Logo (CNW Group/RBC Global Asset Management Inc.)

"As clients navigate this challenging market we continue to see strong interest in globally focused equities solutions, as RBC Emerging Markets Equity Fund was our top selling solution this month," said Doug Coulter, President of RBC Global Asset Management Inc.

Mutual fund sales results information is based on preliminary data from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) and only include Canadian prospectus qualified mutual funds.

Please consult your advisor and read the prospectus or Fund Facts document before investing. There may be commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses associated with mutual fund investments. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. RBC Funds, BlueBay Funds and PH&N Funds are offered by RBC GAM Inc. and distributed through authorized dealers in Canada. RBC GAM Inc. is a member of the RBC GAM group of companies and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 88,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.

Story continues

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.

About RBC Global Asset Management

RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and includes money managers BlueBay Asset Management and Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. RBC GAM is a provider of global investment management services and solutions to institutional, high-net-worth and individual investors through separate accounts, pooled funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange-traded funds and specialty investment strategies. The RBC GAM group of companies manage approximately $580 billion in assets and have approximately 1,500 employees located across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

SOURCE RBC Global Asset Management Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2022/06/c0559.html
Visiongain Ltd

The " Search Engine Optimization Services Global Market Report 2022, By Type, Organisation, End-User Industry"

This report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global search engine optimization services market as it emerges from the COVID-19 shut down.

Reasons to Purchase

Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 50+ geographies.

Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates.

Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis.

Identify growth segments for investment.

Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market.

Understand customers based on the latest market research findings.

Benchmark performance against key competitors.

Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing.

Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis

Best Indian SEO Agency @ https://www.quickseohelp.com/

Major companies in the search engine optimization services market include Axel Springer SE, Google, Bing, Baidu, Ask and Yahoo.



The global search engine optimization services market is expected to grow from $51.74 billion in 2021 to $63.19 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.1%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $134.26 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 20.7%.



The search engine optimization services market consists of the revenues generated from sales of SEO advisory services by entities (organizations, sole traders, or partnerships) that provide advisory services for businesses to optimize their websites. Search engine optimization companies advise their clients in optimizing their websites and their content to enhance the websites' visibility in search results.



The main types of search engine optimization services are agency SEO services and freelancer SEO services. An SEO agency is a business that specializes in search engine optimization. It benefits companies by increasing their web visibility. The different organizations include small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises and are used by various sectors such as professional services, IT services, e-commerce, hospitality, recreation, real estate, others.



Asia Pacific was the largest region in the search engine optimization services market in 2021. Africa is expected to be the fastest growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



Rising penetration of mobile, tablet and other electronics and rising data consumption will drive the web content, search portals, and social media market. Rising sales of electronics lead to an increased number of people that own internet-accessible devices and increasing access to digital platforms. For example, the average time spent on the internet by each person in the US is increased to 282 minutes per day in 2021, giving companies the opportunity to generate more revenue per user. This rising average internet use is expected to drive the search engine optimization services market.



Government regulations may restrain the search engine optimization market's growth. For instance, the concept of net neutrality means internet service providers (ISPs) cannot block content based on its source or destination discriminate against certain applications (such as BitTorrent), or impose special access fees that would make it harder for small websites to reach their users. Regulations such as net neutrality arguably stop the market from acting freely and give preferential treatment to websites that pay internet service providers.



The competition for search traffic is significant amongst major players like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Strategic partnerships are seen amongst the major competitors, contributing a large share to their revenues. For instance, Apple uses Google as its default search engine which has contributed as much as $8.8 billion to the annual revenues of Google, and Yahoo switched to Microsoft Bing.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Report Structure



3. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Characteristics

3.1. Market Definition

3.2. Key Segmentations



4. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Product Analysis

4.1. Leading Products/ Services

4.2. Key Features and Differentiators

4.3. Development Products



5. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Supply Chain

5.1. Supply Chain

5.2. Distribution

5.3. End Customers



6. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Customer Information

6.1. Customer Preferences

6.2. End Use Market Size and Growth



7. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Trends And Strategies



8. Impact Of COVID-19 On Search Engine Optimization Services



9. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Size And Growth

9.1. Market Size

9.2. Historic Market Growth, Value ($ Billion)

9.2.1. Drivers Of The Market

9.2.2. Restraints On The Market

9.3. Forecast Market Growth, Value ($ Billion)

9.3.1. Drivers Of The Market

9.3.2. Restraints On The Market



10. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Regional Analysis

10.1. Global Search Engine Optimization Services Market, 2021, By Region, Value ($ Billion)

10.2. Global Search Engine Optimization Services Market, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, Historic And Forecast, By Region

10.3. Global Search Engine Optimization Services Market, Growth And Market Share Comparison, By Region



11. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Segmentation

11.1. Global Search Engine Optimization Services Market, Segmentation By Type, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

Story continues

Agencies SEO Services

Freelancer SEO Services

11.2. Global Search Engine Optimization Services Market, Segmentation by Organisation, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES)

Large Enterprises

11.3. Global Search Engine Optimization Services Market, Segmentation By End-User Industry, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

Professional Services

IT Services

Ecommerce

Hospitality

Recreation

Real Estate

Others

12. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Metrics

12.1. Search Engine Optimization Services Market Size, Percentage Of GDP, 2016-2026, Global

12.2. Per Capita Average Search Engine Optimization Services Market Expenditure, 2016-2026, Global

Hire Dedicated SEO Team @ https://www.quickseohelp.com/




Russian fighters have been sharing tips with one another about how to deliberately damage their own equipment and hamper Russian President Vladimir Putins war plans in Ukraine, according to recordings of alleged Russian troops phone calls that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) intercepted.

In one regiment, one Russian soldier allegedly said theyve been pouring sand into the tanks fuel systems to clog them up.

I don't follow stupid orders, I simply refuse, one fighter can be heard telling a comrade. The motherf*cker sent me to tanks, motherf*cking piece of shit. I f*cked it up and that's it.

When the fellow Russian soldier on the other end of the line heard the unit wasnt punished for the insubordination, he indicated he might repeat the tactic later in his own unit.

Another Russian fighter shared with a family member that he and his comrades deliberately damaged their tankthe last one left in their regimentto interfere with an attack plan, as well, according to another intercept the SBU shared.

We have one tank left in the regiment, he said. In short, we broke our tank ourselves in the morning so as not to go.

Throughout the invasion, Russian battle plans havent gone the way Putin has wanted them to, leaving Putin frustrated and on edge, according to a senior U.S. defense official. One of his major goals was to capture the capital, Kyiv, and install a pro-Putin puppet government. But his troops faltered outside of the capital for days and had countless logistics problems, and in particular had troubles with the fueling, according to the defense official.

And while some U.S. officials have said for weeks that its at times been unclear if Russias militarys failings are due to lack of planning or just poor execution of plans, the intercepted calls suggest in some cases the answer is much simpler. The troops themselves are disobeying orders and sabotaging the war effort on purpose.

A mainstay of the war has been images of Russians abandoning their equipment and weapons. Russian military morale has been low from the beginning of the invasion, and its not getting any better; Russian troops have begun posting on social media begging for donations to the war effort, showing a side-by-side comparison between their dismal first-aid kits and the Ukrainians.

Story continues

Putin Put on Blast Over Pathetic War Gear for Russian Troops

The Russian war effort isnt only being hampered from the inside. Inspired by the Russians intercepted phone calls, Ukraines government encouraged other Russian troops to disobey orders and refuse to attack, echoing earlier calls to surrender and abandon the war path.

The SBU welcomes this practice, the SBU said in a statement Friday. "But even it can be improvedjust give up and leave the war in Ukraine!

Ukrainians have been putting up a stiff resistance from day one of the war, surprising Putin along the way, according to the Pentagon.

The Pentagon, too, has been providing key intelligence that has helped the Ukrainians target key Russian assets, including the Russian warship the Moskva, which sank in the Black Sea after Ukrainians hit it in a missile strike in April, according to The Washington Post.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby has acknowledged the intelligence-sharing effort but said the U.S. had no part in the targeting.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
President Donald Trump with Defense Secretary Mark Esper during a full honors welcoming ceremony for Esper at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

President Donald Trump in 2020 asked Mark Esper, his defense secretary, about the possibility of launching missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs and wipe out the cartels, maintaining that the United States involvement in a strike against its southern neighbor could be kept secret, Esper recounts in his upcoming memoir.

Those remarkable discussions were among several moments that Esper described in the book, A Sacred Oath, as leaving him all but speechless when he served the 45th president.

Esper, the last Senate-confirmed defense secretary under Trump, also had concerns about speculation that the president might misuse the military around Election Day by, for instance, having soldiers seize ballot boxes. He warned subordinates to be on alert for unusual calls from the White House in the lead-up to the election.

Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

The book, to be published Tuesday, offers a stunningly candid perspective from a former defense secretary, and it illuminates key episodes from the Trump presidency, including some that were unknown or underexplored.

I felt like I was writing for history and for the American people, said Esper, who underwent the standard Pentagon security clearance process to check for classified information. He also sent his writing to more than two dozen four-star generals, some Cabinet members and others to weigh in on accuracy and fairness.

Pressed on his view of Trump, Esper  who strained throughout the book to be fair to the man who fired him while also calling out his increasingly erratic behavior after his first impeachment trial ended in February 2020  said carefully but bluntly, He is an unprincipled person who, given his self-interest, should not be in the position of public service.

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Esper describes an administration completely overtaken by concerns about Trumps reelection campaign, with every decision tethered to that objective. He writes that he could have resigned, and weighed the idea several times, but that he believed the president was surrounded by so many yes men and people whispering dangerous ideas to him that a loyalist would have been put in Espers place. The real act of service, he decided, was staying in his post to ensure that such things did not come to pass.

Story continues

One such idea emerged from Trump, who was unhappy about the constant flow of drugs across the southern border, during summer 2020. Trump asked Esper at least twice if the military could shoot missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs.

They dont have control of their own country, Esper recounts Trump saying.

When Esper raised various objections, Trump said that we could just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly, adding that no one would know it was us. Trump said he would just say that the United States had not conducted the strike, Esper recounts, writing that he would have thought it was a joke had he not been staring Trump in the face.

In Espers telling, Trump seemed more emboldened, and more erratic, after he was acquitted in his first impeachment trial. Esper writes that personnel choices reflected that reality, as Trump tried to tighten his grip on the executive branch with demands of personal loyalty.

Among Trumps desires was to put 10,000 active-duty troops on the streets of Washington on June 1, 2020, after large protests against police brutality erupted following the police killing of George Floyd. Trump asked Esper about the demonstrators, Cant you just shoot them?

Esper describes one episode nearly a month earlier during which Trump, whose reelection prospects were reshaped by his repeated bungling of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, behaved so erratically at a May 9 meeting about China with the Joint Chiefs of Staff that one officer grew alarmed. The unidentified officer confided to Esper months later that the meeting led him to research the 25th Amendment, under which the vice president and members of the Cabinet can remove a president from office, to see what was required and under what circumstances it might be used.

Esper writes that he never believed Trumps conduct rose to the level of needing to invoke the 25th Amendment. He also strains to give Trump credit where he thinks he deserves it. Nonetheless, Esper paints a portrait of someone not in control of his emotions or his thought process throughout 2020.

Esper singles out officials whom he considered erratic or dangerous influences on Trump, with policy adviser Stephen Miller near the top of the list. He recounts that Miller proposed sending 250,000 troops to the southern border, claiming that a large caravan of migrants was en route. The U.S. armed forces dont have 250,000 troops to send to the border for such nonsense, Esper writes that he responded.

In October 2019, after members of the national security team assembled in the Situation Room to watch a feed of the raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Miller proposed securing al-Baghdadis head, dipping it in pigs blood and parading it around to warn other terrorists, Esper writes. That would be a war crime, Esper shot back.

Miller flatly denied the episode and called Esper a moron.

Esper also viewed Mark Meadows, Trumps final chief of staff, as a huge problem for the administration and the national security team in particular. Meadows often threw the presidents name around when barking orders, but Esper makes clear that he often was not certain whether Meadows was communicating what Trump wanted or what Meadows wanted.

He also writes about repeated clashes with Robert OBrien, Trumps national security adviser in the final year, describing OBrien as advocating a bellicose approach to Iran without considering the potential fallout.

OBrien said he was surprised and disappointed by Espers comments.

 2022 The New York Times Company
FILE PHOTO: The logo of technology company Nvidia is seen at its headquarters in Santa Clara

By Chris Prentice and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nvidia Corporation has agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle civil charges that the technology firm did not properly disclose the impact of cryptomining on its gaming business, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Friday.

In back-to-back quarters in fiscal 2018, Nvidia failed to disclose that cryptomining was a "significant element" of its revenue growth from sales of chips designed for gaming, the SEC said in a statement and charging order.

The firm, which did not admit or deny the SEC's findings, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $5.5 million. A spokesperson for Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia declined to comment.

In 2018, Nvidia's chips became popular for cryptomining, the process of obtaining crypto rewards in exchange for verifying transactions on distributed ledgers, the SEC said. The regulator alleged that Nvidia knew that information, but failed to share it with investors.

Those omissions misled investors and analysts who were interested in understanding the impact of cryptomining on Nvidia's business, the SEC said.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Chris Prentice in Washington; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Marguerita Choy)
(Bloomberg) -- It may have taken an investor rebellion, a pandemic and a war in Europe, but U.S. shale oil and gas producers are now on the cusp of making back their losses from the last decade.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The industry is on course to make $172 billion of free cash flow this year, enough to wipe out 60% of its losses from 2010 through 2019, according to Deloitte LLP. With smaller gains already chipping away at the $292 billion deficit in 2020 and 2021, U.S. shale should be back in the black next year.

Its been a long road. When small domestic oil and gas producers pioneered the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the 2000s, it seemed like a wealth of riches was imminent. But they were almost too successful, pumping so much that natural gas prices spiraled into a long-term decline through the 2010s. A surge in oil output followed, and OPEC allowed crude prices to collapse in 2014 in an attempt to win back market share from the U.S., which later overtook Saudi Arabia as the worlds biggest producer.

Investors also got burned. Shale companies borrowed heavily to fund production growth, resulting in massively negative cash flow. Energy went from more than 16% of the S&P 500 Index in 2008 to 2% in 2020.

All those trends have now reversed. Shareholders pushed shale to become more financially disciplined, while the pandemic forced executives to cut back on production and spending. Now, with the war in Ukraine causing oil prices to soar above $100 a barrel, the turnaround is almost complete.

The industry is now leveraging the short-cycled nature of shales to quickly monetize an opportunity, without giving away discipline, said Amy Chronis, managing partner of Deloittes Houston office. The recent oil and natural gas price surge has given the shale industry a shot in the arm.

Story continues

Investors are taking notice. Nine of the 10 top-performing stocks in the S&P 500 this year are oil companies. Energy is now 4.4% of the S&P 500 Index, up from 2.7% at the beginning of the year. Brent crude has advanced 42% this year to $110.69 a barrel as at 2:13 p.m. in New York.

(Updates chart source, adds crude price in final paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
When Adam Blosser arrived at Wilderness Elementary School on the morning of Friday, Oct. 22, he could hear from the parking lot the sounds of his son Hudson, 9, screaming inside the school.

Principal Dianne Holmes met Blosser in the school office and walked with him to Hudsons self-contained autism classroom.

We walked into the classroom. Hudson was lying on his back on the floor being held down by his teacher, his occupational therapist and the assistant principal, Blosser said.

When Hudson saw his father, the three staff members released him and Blosser did what any parent would do with a child in distress.

I comforted my son, he said.

It was not until days later, after going through all of Hudsons daily school reports from August through October with the boys private applied behavior analysis provider, that Blosser was able to understand what hed witnessed and process its significance.

Hudson had been placed under physical restraint, an intervention that restricts a childs movements and is disproportionately used on students with disabilities, according to a 2019 Government Accountability Office study on how the practice is used in K12 schools.

The Virginia Department of Education has regulated the use of physical restraintas well as seclusion, in which children are isolated in a room or spacesince 2015, when the General Assembly enacted legislation requiring the department to do so.

Despite what Blosser saw on Oct. 22, Spotsylvania County Public Schools did not officially acknowledge that Hudson had been restrained until April, after the Blossers initiated a complaint this spring with the Department of Educations division of Special Education and Student Services.

The complaint alleged that Hudson was unnecessarily and illegally restrained at Wilderness Elementary at least once and that school staff failed to follow Virginia Code and division policy in properly reporting the use of restraint.

The Blossers settled their complaint with the school division through mediation in April.

In an April 4 report, Tedra Richardson, executive director of student support services, wrote that SCPS failed to inform the parents of the use of restraint in the educational setting on Oct. 22, that illegal use of restraint occurred because not all staff members involved in the restraint were trained in the practice and that the division failed to properly report the incident to the VDOE.

Richardson also acknowledged that on Oct. 25, Hudson was subject to illegal use of restraint by being held down on the floor, which the Mandt System of crisis intervention does not support, and that the division again failed to properly notify the Blossers and the VDOE of the incident.

In December, Hudson transferred to another county elementary school, where he has stabilized and made progress, Blosser said.

He said he is not angry with Hudsons teacher at Wilderness Elementary or with Richardson about the incident. But he does see a possible systemic problem in how restraint and seclusion are documented and reported by the school division, and he believes division policy on the practice is not in compliance with state code.

Ive been able to advocate for Hudson, Blosser said. Ive been able to accomplish what we needed to accomplish for him, but only because we forced [the school divisions] hand at every turn. The reality is that not every child has the same support system as Hudson does, so I feel a responsibility to raise awareness.

It must be an emergency situation

The VDOE regulations on restraint and seclusion were most recently updated in January 2021.

They permit the use of restraint and seclusion in only five instancesto prevent a student from inflicting serious physical harm or injury to self or others; to quell a disturbance or remove a student from the scene of a disturbance in which such students behavior or damage to property threatens serious physical harm or injury to persons; to defend self or others from serious physical harm or injury; and to obtain weapons or controlled substances from a student.

In state code, the threshold is very high, Blosser said. It must be an emergency situation.

The restraint and seclusion polices in place at Stafford County and Fredericksburg City public schools only permit the practice in the same five circumstances described in the state regulations.

Spotsylvanias policy, most recently revised in February 2020, permits restraint in less critical situations, such as to prevent imminent destruction to school or another persons property and to direct the movement or actions of a student to avoid the undue or deliberate disruption of the learning environment.

VDOE regulations also prohibit the use of mechanical restraint, but this is not prohibited in Spotsylvanias policy.

In addition to bringing its policy into compliance with state codewhich he calls the bare minimumBlosser would like to see Spotsylvania prohibit the use of both prone, or face down, and supine, or face up, floor restraint.

Fairfax County Public Schools in December 2021 announced that it would prohibit both types of floor restraintin addition to completely phasing out the practice of seclusionas part of a settlement agreement the division reached with parents and disability rights advocates who had initiated a lawsuit.

No doubt that it is under-reported

Blosser is also advocating for the school division to study how restraint is reported.

I have no doubt that it is under-reported, he said.

He said he thinks Hudson was restrained more frequently than the school division has acknowledged.

Beginning on Oct. 18, Hudsons daily school reports document his teachers physical response to Hudsons behavior challenges, which had been increasing throughout the fall and included throwing classroom objects, climbing on furniture, kicking and head-butting.

In the daily reports, the teacher describes holding on to students arm, giving pressure on the floor, [holding] students shoulders, put[ting] [Hudson] in not ready position, [giving] pressure while [holding] on to him and [grabbing] him off furniture.

The daily reports also document Hudson being put in the body socka stretchy pouch often used in occupational therapy to provide a sensory experience.

[The body sock] has to be used proactively rather than reactively, Blosser said. We are concerned that Hudsons teacher started using the body sock as a means of controlling Hudson rather than meeting his sensory needs.

State code defines physical restraint as a personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a student to move freely but notes that the term does not include incidental, minor, or reasonable physical contact.

Blosser said that to him, the daily notes show that physical restraint was used more often than the two times acknowledged by the school division, and that Hudson would have experienced everything described by the teacher as restraint.

A student with autism doesnt understand what is happening, he said. The teacher escalated her behavior to address his. Once she restrained him, all trust was gone.

In her narrative of the Oct. 22 and Oct. 25 incidents, the teacher described holding] down [Hudsons] legs and arms and [laying] him down ... while teacher held on to arms.

Blosser said this vague terminology resulted in those incidents of restraint not being reported to him, the school division or the VDOE.

Holmes, the Wilderness Elementary principal, told Blosser in a Dec. 6 email that after reviewing the daily notes, she could not identify any times that indicated [Hudson] was restrained.

Richardson wrote in a Nov. 30 email to Blosser that the incident reports and daily communication sheets do not document any instances of restraint in the educational setting.

Four months later, SCPS acknowledged that Hudson was restrained on Oct. 22 and Oct. 25.

For Blosser, this points to a systemic problem with how school personnel understand and report restraint when it happens, which leads to it being under-reported.

I am not naive to assume that this was an isolated occurrence, he said.

The 2019 study by the Government Accountability Office found that U.S. schools routinely underreported how often students are restrained or secluded, entering that zero instances occurred when, in fact, the data isnt available and the field should be left blank.

Fairfax County Public Schools was among the larger school districts that reported zero instances of restraint and seclusion for multiple years. However, after reviewing its use of seclusion and restraint to manage student behavior, the district announced in April 2019 that there were actually 1,679 such incidents affecting 203 students in the 201718 school year.

Blosser addressed the Spotsylvania School Board at its April 11 meeting, asking for the school divisions policy to be brought into compliance and for floor and mechanical restraint, as well as seclusion, to be prohibited.

Youre going to hear more from me on this topic, he said. I hope we can work together to pursue what is best for the safety and well-being of both students and staff in Spotsylvania Schools.

In a follow-up email to the School Board, Blosser asked for a full review of the policy to include a full review of the past and present use of restraint and seclusion in our schools.

He stressed that he does not believe there is any intent on the part of school personnel to harm students, but said, We could be harming students even if no one intends to harm them.

Blosser said that since his April 11 comments, Acting Superintendent Carol Flenard told him via email that Richardson had pulled the divisions restraint and seclusion policy to complete a full review.

He said he wont stop advocating for change on behalf of his son and all special education students.

[Restraint] takes a difficult situation and never makes it better, Blosser said. If you use it, it will make the situation worse. It will eliminate the threat, but that should be the only time you use it.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Another spring weekend in Fredericksburg will feature yet another stretch of cool, cloudy and damp weather.

This springs overall pattern resembles an infinite loop, with cool and not-very-nice outdoor conditions for Fredericksburgs weekends. This weekend continues that trend as a large upper level low pressure slowly swirls from the Ohio valley across the Appalachian mountains. A complex surface weather setup will keep things very unsettled across the Old Dominion.

A strong southerly wind flow ahead of that upper level system is dragging copious amounts of moisture northward into the region. The overall effect will be a very wet weekend, with the graphic indicating up to 2 inches of rain for the Fredericksburg vicinity. Moreover that moisture, coupled with the atmospheric dynamics associated with the upper level low, is setting the stage for severe weather over much of Virginia on Friday.

As of Friday morning, the southern parts of Spotsylvania and Caroline counties are under a Slight Risklevel 2 of 5for afternoon severe storms. The remainder of the Fredericksburg area is under a Marginal Risk (level 1 of 5) on both Friday afternoon and evening. The chief threat for the entire region will be damaging straight line winds and large hail. However, the tornado potential is not zero, and that threat ramps up considerably southward toward the Richmond area.

Overnight Friday, that upper level low will spawn surface low pressure, which will crawl across Virginia on Saturday. After Friday afternoons temperatures in the low 70s, that surface low center will usher in cool damp air via vigorous northeast winds. Thermometers in the Fredericksburg vicinity will struggle to reach a Saturday afternoon high of 60 degrees under cloudy skies and more rainfall.

The cloudy and damp conditions look to stick around Sunday as that surface low slowly moves off the East Coast. Showers will also continue intermittently, with gusty north winds bringing in very chilly air. Fredericksburg area high temperatures will only make it to the mid-50s(!). Thats almost 20 degrees below average for this point in May.

To reiterate Fridays severe weather threat, folks need to make sure to have more than one way to receive warnings (NOAA weather radio, local TV/radio, smartphone apps, neighbors, etc.). This is especially true since severe storms may arrive Friday evening while folks are asleep. A loud warning tone is needed to awaken deep sleepers, giving them time to take shelter in an interior room on the lowest level of the residence.

Stay safe Friday and enjoy a cool, damp weekend.
IT PAINS ME to criticize a fellow Republican. However, Crystal Vanuch, first-term supervisor on the Stafford Board, is waging a scorched earth, dishonest campaign in her run for the 7th Congressional District Republican nomination for the U.S. House, which demands a response.

In an April 19 board meeting, she argued that a single senator should be sent a bill for $58 million because he voted for two bills that Vanuch alleges cost state taxpayer funds that would have otherwise been paid by developers and builders to the county. This is little more than a political trick.

Heres why Vanuch missed the mark in such a grandiose fashion.

Two bills are cited by Vanuch to support her math.

The first bill amended Virginia Code Section 15.2-2260, which effectively permitted landowners and developers to bypass the local planning commission when subdividing 50 or fewer lots in favor of a staff review enforcing the same ordinance provisions.

There are no proffer funds that can be generated by subdivision plan approval, whether for 50 or 150 lots. Proffers can only be instituted during a rezoning.

By right development, those developments not requiring a rezoning to proceed, do not go through a process where proffers can be accepted by the locality. Vanuch references about 334 houses built in the last two years in rural areas, i.e., by right development.

The 2014 amendment did not affect any funds coming to the county from these units whatsoever. Its sole purpose was to make the subdivision approval process for small developments less time consuming. No money to the county was at issue before or after 2014.

Vanuch also cites the 2016 legislation that amended Code Section 15.2-2304.4, that sharply curtailed the countys ability to accept proffers not directly tied to the impact of the proposed development. This, after all, was what proffers were originally intended to addressthe impact of the development.

However, over the years, Stafford County turned proffers into a mandatory process that required present development to make up for the infrastructure not addressed by past development. Staffords last per-house cash proffer was approximately $44,000.

The reality about the cash proffer abuse period prior to 2016 is that there were no rezonings, except retirement communities. Moreover, any cash proffers already in place would still have to be paid.

Non-retirement residential rezonings between 2016 and 2019 were very rare. In 2019, much of the proffer authority was restored, which Vanuch fails to mention.

When the proffer restoration bill was passed, Vanuchs fellow supervisor, Meg Bohmke, praised the amendment. Vanuch suggests the county lost $40,000 per new home due to the 2014 and 2016 bills, and now contends Bryce Reeves owes Stafford this sum for every house built since 2016, virtually all of which were approved by Stafford prior to 2016 or were by right development.

It is phantom money; she assumes that with sufficient smoke and mirrors no one will figure out her calculation is as vacuous as it is motivationally reprehensible.

Facts and truth can be stubborn things in politics. Reeves supported the 2014 and 2016 bills because of the abuse of the proffer by many localities. As a true conservative, he advocates for low taxes and limited government regulation. Virginia has a long tradition of support of property rights and choice of landowners on how to utilize their properties.

Reeves also supported the 2019 bill that restored the reasonable use of proffers by the localities. Vanuchs tax bill for Reeves is illustrative of a newer brand of desperate campaigning applied by politicians short on substance.

Fitz Johnson is president of Johnson Realty Advisors, Inc., in Fredericksburg.
By Azernews





It is not a secret that Armenia is a state that supports terrorism at the highest level. It is there where terrorists are glorified, monuments are built to them, and schools, lyceums, and streets are named after them. And the recent events only confirm this, Baku-based news website Day.az has reported.

Recently, Armenian police detained Ambik Sasunyan during protests in Yerevan. Armenian human rights activist Ruben Melikyan was the first to report this, and a few hours later, Sasunyan himself got in touch. He stated that he had taken part in a protest rally during which he had asked the police why they were arresting young people, after which he was detained and taken to a police station. He was later released.

It is worth noting here that Sasunyan is a member of the Armenian terrorist organization fighters for justice in the issue of the Armenian genocide. In 1982, he killed the Turkish consul-general in Los Angeles, for which he was sentenced to life in prison without the right of appeal, in San Quentin Prison in California.

Then U.S. President Ronald Reagan condemned the Turkish consul's murder, calling it a seeming act of terrorism.

It should be noted that under California law, prisoners who have spent more than 25 years in prison are eligible to apply for parole, and Sasunyan has repeatedly tried to use this right since October 2007. With the Turkish Foreign Ministry's interference in 2006, 2010, 2013, and 2015, a U.S. court rejected all of his petitions. However, he was eventually paroled in 2021. At that time both official Ankara and Baku condemned his release.

"The release of the Turkish consul-general killer in Los Angeles, who was sentenced to life in prison without the amnesty, will not only undermine confidence in justice but will also encourage those devoid of humanity to use terrorism to achieve their goals," Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay said.

"Sasunyan's statement, when he was still in prison, in an interview with Armenia's Hay Zinvor military magazine in 2012 that he was an Armenian soldier and was ready to fight in Karabakh - in the territory of Azerbaijan, which was still under occupation at the time, demonstrates that this terrorist has not changed at all, official Baku stated.

He is now in Armenia, and the presence of a professional terrorist in the rows of the protesters at a time when the "revanchists" are openly talking about their readiness to use any methods to fight for power is very symbolic.

It is also notable that the Armenian parliament, in the walls of which an act of terrorism has already been committed once, was almost the main target of the protesters. And this happens at a time when some progress is being made to normalize Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

Given that Sasunyan was eventually released, it is very likely he will show himself again. In a country where terrorists come to opposition rallies, anything is possible.
During the month of May, Methodist Fremont Health is giving the public the opportunity to say thank you and honor any staff member of Methodist Fremont Health.

Methodist Fremont Healths patients, families, and community members often ask about ways they can honor its staff  now is your chance. Recognize those workers through the Fremont Health Foundations Honor a Methodist Fremont Health Hero.

Your gift of $25 in honor of a Methodist Fremont Health staff member will support essential healthcare workers and help meet the health needs of MFHs communities. The public can also honor Methodist Fremont Health heroes during the Fremont Area Big Give on May 10 or anything through May 23.

The details:

 Any Methodist Fremont Health employee or department at any Methodist Fremont location can be honored

 Deadline to donate is May 23, 2022

 The Fremont Health Foundation will host a celebration honoring all employees who received donations in their honor. Each employee will receive a framed recognition certificate, and each donor will have their name listed on a sign in the Methodist Fremont Heath lobby.

Donations can be made at fremontareabiggive.org or at fremonthealthfoundation.org.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Build your health & fitness knowledge Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Omaha Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold its next meeting for all Catholic women on May 10. Rural North Central Deanery (RNC) will be hosting.

The location of meeting is in St. Boniface Parish Hall, 55770 894 Rd., Fordyce. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the spring executive board meeting will be 9:30-10:30 a.m. All ladies are welcome for the whole day.

During the executive meeting hour, the other ladies will have time to pray the Rosary and have some visiting time. Mass will be across the street at St. Boniface Church at 11:30. Lunch will be served after Mass.

The OACCW spring meeting will be from 1-3:30 pm. Presentations will be given by Leadership, Service and Spirituality Commissions. All ladies of the Archdiocese are invited to attend the day of fellowship, spiritual nourishment and blessings.

Contact Leonarda Arens (RNC) at 402-253-5120 if you have any questions.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
No one was reported injured in a school bus accident Tuesday morning near North Bend.

A North Bend Public Schools bus was westbound on County Road R when the accident occurred near the intersection of County Road 18. The bus was carrying 15 students.

The Dodge County Sheriffs Department reported that due to road conditions and a build-up of mud on the bus tires, the rear end of the bus began to slide. The bus driver attempted to correct the slide. However, the bus continue to slide from right to left.

It then caught the ditch line, causing the bus to tip onto its side.

All passengers were transported by another bus to Methodist Fremont Health to be checked out by medical staff.

The accident became a topic of conversation at the Dodge County Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday morning.

Dodge County Board Chairman Bob Missel said County Road R has had a lot traffic due to the new U.S. Highway 30 thats under construction. A contractor whos moving landfill to the new road has been using County Road R.

When you get a lot of truck traffic, it takes a lot of gravel off the road, he said.

Missel said Highway Superintendent Scott Huppert has a signed agreement with the contractor stating its their responsibility to take care of that road.

We got all the rain and the road was what I would call in poor condition relative to what youd expect, Missel said. You had not only the bus tip over, but a firetruck got stuck as well.

Missel said townships, not the county highway department, take care of the roads within those townships.

Townships are a separate, legal subdivision with their own taxing ability and they maintain such roads.

Missel said, however, that Huppert sent out his own equipment and is seeing that the road is maintained.

A couple, whose children were on the bus when the accident occurred, expressed their concern to the board.

Missel said the man who spoke was very respectful and the board agreed 100% that action needed to be taken.

We were all very lucky that nobody was injured and grateful for that, Missel said, adding, This issue is being addressed.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation has announced that County Road 16 between County Road R and County Road T in Dodge County will be closed to through traffic at 7 a.m. Monday, May 9.

In conjunction with that closure, County Road S from 15 Boulevard to 17 will be closed to through traffic.

This closure is necessary to allow for the grading and culvert work necessary to realign a portion of County Road 16, and is planned to last for two weeks.

This work is weather dependent and start times and durations may need to be adjusted due to weather. This closure will be removed as soon as practicable.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The state said the killing was first-degree murder. That Barnes kicked his way into the house, just as he'd threatened to do in texts later deleted, after she told him their relationship was over and not to come home.
Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If youre new to the newsletter or havent subscribed yet, you can do so here.

IS-K attacks bust Talibans security claims

I report about how a recent surge in deadly attacks by the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) militant group targeting religious minorities has busted the Talibans claims that it has established security in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has repeatedly claimed that it has defeated IS-K, but the rival militant group remains resilient and has regularly launched attacks against Taliban fighters and officials.

The IS-Ks primary aim is to prevent the Taliban from transitioning into a [functional] government from an insurgency, Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based researcher tracking the group, told me.

Experts say that IS-K is trying to undermine the Taliban-led government while bolstering its own credentials.

"They are also trying to use their status as the most potent militant group operating against the Taliban inside Afghanistan," said Zia Ur Rehman, an independent journalist tracking militant groups.

Afghanistan's leading broadcaster muzzled

Mike Scollon reports on how the Talibans crackdown on independent media outlets has forced Afghanistan's leading broadcaster to water down its programming.

Sister networks Tolo News and Tolo TV have radically altered their offerings following a Taliban ban on foreign soap operas and music shows. And their once hard-hitting political debates have been overshadowed by the arrests and disappearances of guests who had voiced their dissent on air.

Lotfullah Najafizada, a journalist who once oversaw news operation at Tolo, sees the Taliban engaging in systematic attacks against the media.

"We've got dozens of incidents since last August where the Taliban have been pressuring and harassing at times, arresting and also torturing journalists and media professionals," he told us.

Eid under the Taliban

Radio Azadi reports on Afghans complaining about their first Eid al-Fitr festivities under Taliban rule. Afghans say the Talibans restrictions and the dire economic conditions in the country have prevented them from celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

During past Eid festivals, we used to go to parks and other recreational places for picnics but this year we only went to the houses of a few relatives because of our economic difficulties, said Maryam, a Kabul resident.

The Talibans ban on music also put a damper on the festivities. Afghan musicians, who often release new songs during Eid, were prevented from performing on TV.

"I told musicians to come to my show without their instruments, but they didn't show up," one television presenter told us.

Worshipers avoid mosques after attacks

Radio Azadi reports on the residents of the northern province of Parwan being too scared to attend prayers in mosques following devastating attacks against Shiite and Sufi worshippers that killed scores in three Afghan cities last month.

My family is reluctant to let me go to mosques because they fear bomb blasts, particularly the suicide attacks, said Ghulam Saeed.

The 26-year-old is a follower of Sufism and frequented a local Sufi mosque in Parwans provincial capital, Charikar. But he said the Taliban has closed some of the mosques for fear that they will be targeted.

I hope you found this weeks newsletter useful, and I encourage you to forward it to your colleagues.

If you havent subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Yours,

Abubakar Siddique

Twitter: @sid_abu

P.S.: You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.
Colorado Springs is responsible for identifying a site for a passenger rail station that would serve Amtrak and intercity commuter trains, and the staff has narrowed the options down to four sites in the downtown area.

You voted:
By Azernews





Today, justice, rooted in ancient history, is going through tough times, Baku-based website day.az has reported.

Despite the past millennia, it often becomes more and more difficult to achieve it, as the double standards established by the West violate basic democratic principles. International organizations or individuals, which are involved in the propaganda campaign of Western democracy, are acting in an unfair, biased, or fundamentally wrong way.

This is especially palpable in comparison with the recent events in Armenia. The turbulent situation due to protests has been going on for over a week in the phony state. Human rights are violated there every day. These particularly include illegal arrests and the use of brute force by the police. The West openly and unashamedly turns a blind eye to the brutal dispersal of the crowd and violations of human rights in Armenia.

Human rights have always been respected in Azerbaijan, but the bitter experience with double standards suggests that Western circles deliberately try to exaggerate any event in our peaceful country, no matter how insignificant. It is no doubt that if a similar situation had taken place here, Western society would have now been relentlessly critical and raised hysteria. Meanwhile, in Armenia, which is in tatters, rallies, arrests, and violence are occurring every day, but the West is not reacting to it, as if blind. Moreover, there was no condemnation even when the prime minister's motorcade knocked down a pregnant woman to death in the middle of an empty road.

Indeed, Western tendencies to condemn some and complete ignorance of violations of others have a strange, illogical pattern. For instance, against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine, any country that comes into contact with sanctions-imposed Russia becomes a target of the United States - some restrictions or threats are also introduced against them. China is a prime example of this. Meanwhile, Armenia openly supports separatists in Ukraine, Armenian flags are raised in Russian military units, pro-Russian rallies are held in Yerevan, Armenia exists on Russian money, and there is no reaction from the US and the West.

Instead of condemning Armenia in line with other countries, Americans invite Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to discuss mutual cooperation. What kind of cooperation can impoverished Armenia have with the USA? The question is rhetorical, because, first, none (the Biden administration is simply acting for the Armenian audience that voted for him), and second, no one has forgotten the so-called democracy summit. Everyone, especially Russia, remembers very vividly how enthusiastically the Armenian prime minister will participate in it, despite the fact that Russia has repeatedly made it clear that it would not want to see any of its CSTO allies in this anti-Russian and anti-Chinese summit.

Armenia's crimes against Azerbaijanis and territories have also escaped condemnation. There is no pressure on Yerevan to leave their worthless revanchist thoughts or not to slow the peace process that Azerbaijan proposes for the benefit of the entire region.

As one can see, the West never applies sanctions against Armenia. On the contrary, Western officials and politicians make trips there and carry out various events. Their goal is clear - they try to make this self-proclaimed and artificially created third Armenian "republic" live, assert itself and prove to the global community that it is a viable "state".

Double standards have become an integral part of Western policy in the last few decades. For some reason, there is an opinion in the West that they have built the most humanistic system that has ever existed on our planet. Their system of values includes respect and strengthening the rights of minorities, which is all good, but because of the one-sided approach, it often leads to excesses.

The creator of such a system definitely needs an enemy. And as a rule, developing countries pursuing an independent foreign policy take this role, being accused of violating human rights only because they need a reason to exert political pressure.

Double standards are a weapon that Western democracies use widely and overtly against our country. And they have for a while now. Since gaining independence, Azerbaijan has fallen victim to the countries of the "civilized world", European and international structures.

The West does not approve of the fact that developing countries pursue an independent foreign and domestic policy, and do not want to fall into anyone's sphere of influence. They like to poke their nose into other people's affairs and pretend to be a "hotbed of democracy".

But before even attempting this, it is necessary to return to the fundamental principles of international law, and develop and set up mechanisms for the implementation of adopted decrees, decisions, or resolutions of international structures. And all these decisions must be respected by all members of the international community, going as far as exclude from international structures the ones who violate these principles. And the first in the list of these countries, in view of the many violations of human rights, international law, and crimes against humanity, should be Armenia.
The name of the person who made a Colorado Open Records request for the names of Douglas County School District teachers who participated in a sick-out in February has been released by the district.

Mike Kane, a law partner of KHOW radio host Dan Caplis, made the request, he said, after he heard Caplis call for someone to find out the names.

The sick-out on Feb. 3 came as teachers attended a rally in support of embattled Superintendent Corey Wise, who was fired the next night by the school board.

In a statement, Kane said, "I submitted the open records request for my own use as a parent of children within the Douglas County School District. As a favor to and at the request of the District, I withdrew the submission and never received any of the names."

Media outlets, including The Gazette, subsequently submitted a public records request to learn who made the request for the teachers' names.

When Kane told the district to withhold his public records request, the school district denied media outlets' request by saying the initial request is no longer a public record.

This week, a Douglas County judge rejected the district's contention, forcing the immediate release of the requested information on Kane's filing.

Bill to protect Colorado educators from doxxing on its way to governor Colorado lawmakers passed a bill Friday seeking to protect educators from doxxing, sending the legislation to Gov. Jared Polis for final consideration.

Douglas County school board selects next superintendent in 4-3 vote Douglas County School District's next superintendent, selected by a divided school board to take the reins of the state's third-largest district fractured by public disagreement among its elected leaders, is Erin Kane.

The judge's ruling came after Kyle Clark, a news anchor at 9News in Denver, sued the district. He and other media representatives argued that their CORA request occurred before the district decided to withdraw Kane's request.

This meant, First Amendment attorney Steven Zansberg argued in an April 29 hearing, that it could not be changed from a public record to no longer being a public record.

The school district issued a statement Thursday defending their argument that "a withdrawn CORA request is not a public record," but added "that it is important to protect our teachers and staff who may have been absent on Feb. 3."
A December shooting in which a Colorado Springs police officer shot a suspect shortly before the suspect shot and killed himself has been ruled justified, officials with the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Sgt. Jason Reeser, part of CSPD's Tactical Enforcement Unit during a standoff Dec. 23 in the 6900 block of Palace Drive, shot the suspect, Zillanz Falcon, as he was going to the second floor of his home, causing Falcon to fall down the stairs and fatally shoot himself in the head with a handgun he was carrying, officials said.

Police were first alerted Dec. 22, when a neighbor called and told them that Falcon had fired two shots at her house. According to officials, Falcon had caused property damage to the neighbor's home in the past, including breaking her windows and shooting out a floodlight they had pointed at his residence. The neighbor also had a protection order against Falcon.

Officers set up containment and made multiple efforts to contact Falcon, giving him several verbal commands in the process. During that time, police obtained arrest and search warrants for Falcon on suspicion of illegal discharge of a firearm into a residence, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and violation of a protection order.

After around 90 minutes of trying to negotiate with Falcon, police breached the main door of Falcon's home with an armored vehicle and deployed an unarmed surveillance drone which Falcon shot and disabled in response, officials said. He also fired at the officers outside his residence, according to officials.

Two hours later, police decided to remove Falcon's mother, who was hard of hearing and suffering among other infirmities and was on the second floor.

As police attempted to do so, Reeser was positioned near the breached front door. Reeser saw Falcon move to climb the stairs. Reeser knew officers were upstairs assisting Falcon's mother. He shot Falcon once, hitting the suspect in the thigh, causing him to either move down of his own accord or possibly fall down the stairs and fatally shoot himself in the head, officials said.

"Sergeant Reeser had an objectively reasonable belief that Mr. Falcon did in fact pose an imminent danger to multiple police officers including himself, to his elderly mother present in the home, to civilians in surrounding homes, and to civilians present in surrounding areas," the statement from the DA's office reads.

"A gunshot wound from one of Mr. Falcons approximately 50 unjustifiably fired rounds would pose a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death."
Colorado Springs police have arrested a man wanted on suspicion of shooting two at a local convenience store Monday evening, officials with the department announced Thursday.

Detectives identified 23-year-old Kevarris Norris from Colorado Springs as the suspect in a shooting which injured two at a Circle K in the 3200 block of Austin Bluffs Parkway Monday.

Detectives obtained a warrant for Norris' arrest on suspicion of two counts of attempted first degree murder. Officials said Norris was arrested Thursday and taken to the El Paso County Jail without incident.

Police thanked the public for their assistance in identifying Norris.
By Trend

On 4 May 2022 Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, who arrived in our country on a visit, Trend reports citing Uzdaily.

The parties noted with satisfaction the productivity of the just concluded meeting of the Uzbek-Hungarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

The heads of the foreign ministries discussed topical issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as interaction within the framework of international and regional organizations.

The importance of continuing the dialogue at the highest level was stressed. The parties agreed on the need to organize the next round of inter-MFA political consultations this year.

There has been an increase in the dynamics of cultural and humanitarian interaction, especially in the field of education. The Hungarian side announced the allocation of additional scholarships for the education of Uzbek students in higher educational institutions of the country.

The Hungarian side highly appreciated Uzbekistans efforts to strengthen stability in the region and promote the peace process in Afghanistan.

Mutual interest was expressed in developing cooperation within the framework of the UN, the EU, the OSCE and the Organization of Turkic States. A schedule of upcoming events at various levels was considered.
Two students at from Mitchell High School were hospitalized Friday following a shooting that took place at a nearby fast food restaurant, according to Colorado Springs School District 11 spokesperson Devra Ashby. This is footage from the scene in the aftermath, courtesy of our news partners 
FILE PHOTO - Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden's daughter Ashley Biden speaks by video feed during the 4th and final night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as participants from across the country are hosted over video links from the originally planned site of the convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 20, 2020. 2020 Democratic National Convention/Pool via REUTERS
By Trend

European consumers requests for Russian gas remained high at 98.9 mln cubic meters as of May 6, Gazprom Spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov told reporters. Gazprom continues supplying gas for transit to Europe as normal, Trend reports with reference to TASS.

"Gazprom supplies Russian gas for transit through Ukrainian territory as per normal in accordance with requests of European consumers - 98.9 mln cubic meters as of May 6," he said.

European requests reached the highest level of 109.6 mln cubic meters in early March.

On Thursday, 98.9 mln cubic meters of gas were also requested, which is lower than deliveries under long-term booking for gas transit via Ukraine (around 109.5 mln cubic meters per day).
By Trend

France will increase the total amount of its support for Ukraine to $2 billion.

French President Emmanuel Macron said this in his video address to the High-Level International Donors' Conference in Support of Ukraine held in Warsaw on Thursday, Trend reports citing Ukrinform.

"France will provide $2 billion in global aid in response to the needs expressed by the President of Ukraine. France will continue to act in a coordinated manner, within the EU, together with our European partners, as well as within the G7 and international financial institutions, so as to collectively respond to Ukraine's needs," Macron said.
Across 89 pages and roughly 75 amendments, the Legislature has hammered away at its primary attempt at addressing the fentanyl crisis.

Two committees in each chamber have worked the measure, and hours  and hours  of debate have been spent sparring over criminal penalties and how the state should tackle an unprecedented overdose wave.

Three of those amendments took barely three minutes combined to address. They were so noncontroversial that they were adopted without even a vote. They're somewhat technical  Medicaid payments, some regulatory nudges, a small appropriation. With no debate or consternation, each was swiftly approved in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

But those three amendments have the potential to help make Colorado unique in the United States for dispensing naloxone, an antidote used to reverse opioid overdoses. They clear regulatory red tape for hospitals, and they would require that the state Medicaid program to reimburse hospitals for dispensing naloxone to Medicaid patients.

The cost: $360,000 for the first year and beyond. Or, as emergency room and addiction medicine doctor Don Stader called it, "budget dust."

In March 2021, Stader, who works at Swedish Medical Center in metro Denver, launched the Colorado Naloxone Project, an effort to get naloxone into every emergency department in the state. The goal was for doctors to hand the treatment to patients, or their families, who were at risk of overdosing from fentanyl, heroin or a prescription opioid. While providers could write a prescription for naloxone that could be filled at a pharmacy, rarely would a person or their family do it. Stader has said the fill rate was between 2% and 30%. Much more effective, he said, is directly giving patients the naloxone.

In its first year, the project  which Stader has since expanded beyond emergency departments and into other states  has been incorporated by 107 hospitals and emergency departments. More than 5,500 naloxone doses have been dispensed as a result, saving an untold number of lives.

In March, Stader said the few hospitals that hadn't signed on were primarily rural and were either concerned about regulations that would chew up limited staff time or about ongoing costs. The naloxone given to the hospitals has been funded through a grant by the state's Office of Behavioral Health. While hospitals could get reimbursed for naloxone given to patients with insurance, they had to eat the cost for those on Medicaid.

Enter the amendments. Stader said he reached out to Democratic Sen. Brittany Pettersen, a co-sponsor of the fentanyl bill, last week. Rather than work behind the scenes and lobby Medicaid, or jockey to loosen regulations, he figured he could try to get the changes made now, while the legislature was hyper-focused on overdoses and fentanyl. At this late stage, it was a "hail Mary," he said.

Prayer answered. Pettersen presented the amendments to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning. One would remove regulatory requirements around storage and record-keeping. Another would require Medicaid to reimburse hospitals that dispensed naloxone to Medicaid patients. The third allocated the initial $360,000.

No objections. No debate. Swift approval. On Thursday, as the full Senate spent several hours debating the bill, nary a moment was paid to the three amendments adopted the day before.

Stader said he was walking around with a "stupid Cheshire grin" on his face after he heard the amendments had been adopted. If those provisions become law, Colorado would become the first state in the country, he told lawmakers in an email, "to have incorporated take-home naloxone programs into standard medical care, and provided a reimbursement mechanism that makes this program sustainable."

The changes would also be key in Stader's expansion plans. While he started pushing naloxone into emergency rooms, he has targeted labor and delivery departments next: Overdose is a leading cause of death for new and expecting mothers, and getting naloxone to the providers who see them is key, he has said.

The impact may go beyond reversing an overdose. Stader said he hoped more doctors dispensing more naloxone would spur more physicians to get the additional training needed so they can write prescriptions for buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid addiction. Those same doctors who give pregnant women or emergency patients naloxone could be a gateway to treatment.

Three amendments, three minutes, $360,000, and, for providers and users alike, immeasurable impact.
When asked why he supports a zero tolerance approach to simple possession, Marshall Weaver said when he was selling heroin and meth in 2019, the General Assembly passed the law that made possession of less than 4 grams a misdemeanor.
Siemens Gamesa, a global leader in the wind power industry, has appointed Tim Dawidowsky as its new Chief Operating Officer.

Dawidowsky, who has been a member of the Board of Directors of Siemens Gamesa since 2020, joins the company on May 5 from Siemens Energy where he was serving as Senior Vice President, Project Excellence. In this new role, Dawidowsky will be based in Madrid.

In a career spanning more than 28 years in the Siemens group of companies, across a range of engineering and manufacturing sectors, Dawidowsky has held leading functional positions in service, supply chain management and manufacturing as well as a number of CEO roles in different countries.

He joined Siemens AG in 1993 after graduating from the Technical University of Berlin with an MSc in Industrial Engineering and Business. Since then he has worked across numerous industrial sectors including oil and gas, marine, steel, mining, pulp and paper, traffic systems, power generation and transmission.

His career has covered postings in multiple German cities as well as Austria and China.

Between 2012 and 2015 he was CEO of Siemens AGs Transmission Solution business unit, where he led the unit from a restructuring program back to profitable growth and market leadership.

A similar turnaround was effected at the Large Drives business unit, where Dawidowsky acted as CEO between 2015 and 2019, restoring a loss-making business to profitable growth.

Lauding the appointment, CEO Jochen Eickholt said: "Dawidowsky has the ideal blend of skills and experience for this role in Siemens Gamesa right now. He has a proven track record of effecting successful turnarounds in businesses operating in complex circumstances like those we are facing."

"His expertise in supply chain management, procurement and project management will be very important for us given the huge challenges we face in that area right now. This is a critical appointment for Siemens Gamesa and I am pleased we have been able to attract such a high caliber executive," noted Eickholt.

During the past two years at Siemens Energy, Dawidowsky has been responsible for establishing world-class Project Management practices ensuring excellence in project execution. He will undertake similar programs at Siemens Gamesa, he added.

On his new role, Dawidowsky said the wind energy industry is a vital element in the energy transition and the battle against climate change, but at the moment the manufacturing sector is facing a perfect storm of issues that are threatening its progress.

"I am really excited about joining this challenge and helping to solve these issues so that we can unleash the full potential of Siemens Gamesa, and return it to leadership in this industry," he added.

Following his move, he will step down from the Siemens Gamesa Board of Directors and a replacement will be announced in due course.-TradeArabia News Service
Again and again, teachers and administration laud the impact of computer science at Osage Community School District. Part of that dynamic is its relationship with the wonderfully named New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative, or NewBoCo for short.

From this collaboration Osage has become a trailblazer.

They focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and computer science, said Osage Superintendent Barb Schwamman of NewBoCo. We were early adopters because we had outstanding teachers who said yes to the opportunity. Were a beneficiary of trainings paid for by NewBoCo, and it helped us get off the ground sooner than most school districts in Iowa.

For five years, Osage Media Specialist Kelley Molitor has worked hand-in-hand with Samantha Dahlby of NewBoCo, which operates out of Cedar Rapids.

The relationship began in the summer of 2017, when Molitor and Osage math instructor Chris Kyhl attended a conference in Houston, Texas, where they participated in NewBoCos first Code.org Professional Learning Program cohort. This program is designed to prepare instructors before and during their first year of teaching computer science concepts and principles.

According to Schwamman, most schools are struggling to get one teacher with a computer science degree in place. She describes Dahlby as a computer science guru.

In turn, Osage has begun training other districts.

Dahlby has been a rock star in every sense of the word for us, Schwamman said. Because shes found dollars, funding and training. Shes come to Osage and partnered with us and allowed other schools to come here to see what were doing.

According to Dahlby, Osage has made huge strides on integration just in the past year, but it is still bringing teachers into the fold without a full playbook.

Last summer, Dahlby and partner Alison Mohr were able to train with 80 percent of the Osage faculty.

Its expensive to train teachers and get the curriculum, where this was offered at no cost, Molitor said. That was the big starting point, then Chris (Kyhl) and I began teaching it at the high school and the middle school.

Computer science eventually spread to Lincoln Elementary School. Its success there is evidenced by Osage being the only district in Iowa to have two consecutive Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) nominees, Deb Huftalin in 2021 and Lori Randall in 2022.

Both teachers have always done good work, Molitor said. However, given the chance to further integrate computer science, they both rose to the challenge.

According to Dahlby, Molitor understands what computer science education can do for students, and Molitor has made it a reality.

She has been amazing at seeking out a variety of training opportunities for Osage staff, Dahlby said, writing an unbelievable amount of grants, and brainstorming what can come next to support continued growth.

Osage has definitely been a leader with computer science in Iowa and beyond. They saw the positive impact on students when they first started, and have really made it a part of their long term goals to make sure students have quality educational experiences that are relevant for today and for the future.

In July, an Iowa law goes into effect requiring all schools to offer a computer science course. Schools must also develop a K-12 computer science plan.

And we have been doing this for five years now, Schwamman said. NewBoCo and Dahlby have helped put this trajectory in place, and Molitor has been instrumental in making this happen.

Schwamman believes one reason Osage is successful is because computer science is no longer taught specifically as a class. Instead, each subject is seen through its filter.

Osage started by adding computer science-specific courses, but hasn't stopped there like many do, Dahlby said. They have continued to seek out opportunities to support their teachers and become more experienced and intentional about integrating computer science into more and more areas of their district.

These lessons do not stop at the front door of the school, but become integral as graduates enter the workforce or leave for college. According to Dahlby, all companies are now tech companies.

Not all students will become software developers or IT professionals, she said. But theyll be working in a world where theyll need to work with others and use software or technology infrastructure to solve problems.

Schwamman echoed Dahlbys sentiment, saying Osage is attempting to get students to look at everything differently.

Instead of being consumers, how are we creating opportunities for ourselves? Schwamman said. Our kids are getting a deeper understanding of problem solving and creativity due to NewBoCo. They have been an invaluable resource here at Osage, and were glad our paths crossed and we continue to use them for support.

The Osage team has such a fantastic group of people working on, championing and supporting this initiative, Dahlby said. I believe that is a big part of why theyve been so successful so far.

Jason W. Selby is the community editor for the Mitchell Country Press News. He can be reached at 515-971-6217, or by email at jason.selby@globegazette.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
A man is under arrest after multiple area law enforcement agencies responded to a residence on the 300 block of First Street Northwest in Mason City on Friday.

Police on the scene said that around 1 p.m., an Iowa State Patrol officer attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by Cody Dakin, and a brief chase ensued.

Dakin, whose age and address weren't readily available, is said to have struck a tree at the corner of North Madison Avenue and First Street Northwest, fleeing on foot. He then entered a nearby home through the back, where he apparently holed up in the attic for over three hours.

Officers surrounded the house and used a loud speaker to instruct Dakin to exit the property, eventually calling in his mother and sister to assist in persuading him to surrender.

After negotiations failed, state troopers could be seen breaking windows and firing canisters of teargas into the home.

15 minutes later, Dakin emerged, and was taken into custody without incident. He was treated by EMTs on the scene after getting sick outside of the house and noting shortness of breath.

No residents appeared to be inside the house during the incident, and no injuries were reported.

Mason City Police Department, Mason City Ambulance, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa Department of Vehicle Enforcement assisted at the scene.

Lisa Grouette is the Local News Editor and Photo Editor at the Globe Gazette. Reach her at 641-421-0525 or lisa.grouette@globegazette.com. Follow Lisa on Twitter @LisaGrouette

Love 2 Funny 4 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 10

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The 29-year-old New Jersey native moved to Danville seven years ago and loves her adopted city.

Moving to Danville is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me, and I will take every chance I get to share that same good fortune with others, Belko wrote in a news release. With the [Caesars Virginia] casino bringing new jobs and people to the area, it would be wise to have my perspective on City Council to help make informed decisions to promote workforce retention and Danville pride.

Belko is one of four candidates who have filed to run, who also include Petrina Carter and City Council incumbents James Buckner and Mayor Alonzo Jones. Two other seats on council are also up for election, those held by Vice Mayor Gary Miller and Bryant Hood.

City Council elections will be held on Nov. 8. The deadline to file to run is 7 p.m. June 21, said Danville Registrar Peggy Petty. Those wishing to run can file at the registrars office at 530 Main St., Suite 100, inside the First Citizens Bank office building.

Belko is running for City Council because she is tired of my friends moving away, she said, adding that it has been difficult to retain young workforce talent in the area.

Career-growth opportunities, housing, social outlets and accreditation challenges for local schools are all factors her peers have struggled with when deciding whether to stay in Danville, she wrote.

Belko moved to Danville in 2015 after graduating from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, where she majored in business economics and public policy. She arrived in the area with no money and knew no one but her sister, who had relocated to Danville just a couple of months before.

The citys low cost of living and engaging community inspired Belko to make Danville home, she wrote.

Belko works as an asset manager with Noblis on Bridge Street in the River District.

Vice president of the board of directors for Middle Border Forward, Belko has also served on the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerces Young Professional board and is a 2020 graduate of the chambers Leadership Southside program.

She also started Danvilles only ultimate frisbee league by collaborating with Danville Parks and Recreation to bring lighted fields during the winter. She also partnered with Middle Border Forward to sponsor discs for new players.

In addition, Belko is co-founder of the LGBTQ group, Collidescope, which was started in 2018 and hosts LGBTQ Pride Month every June. Danville City Council proclaimed the annual recognition.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Achievers

Brooks Ann McKinney, Cone Healths director of vulnerable populations, will serve on a statewide council aimed at bringing an end to homelessness.

According to a 2020 report by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, an estimated 9,280 people are experiencing homelessness on any given day in North Carolina.

Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed McKinney to the North Carolina Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs. McKinney will represent hospitals and health systems on the council that includes individuals from public and private entities across the state. Together, members of the council will advise the governor, his cabinet and other state agencies and partners on strategies and policies to reduce and end homelessness in North Carolina.

* * * *

American Trucking Associations Transportation Security Council recognized a number of fleets for their commitment to trucking industry security and loss prevention efforts.

The winners were recognized at ATAs 2022 Safety, Security and Human Resources National Conference and Exhibition.

The ATA Excellence in Security, sponsored by ZeroEyes, went to Old Dominion Freight Lines in Thomasville.

* * * *

The State Highway Patrol recently swore in 16 new troopers at a ceremony held for the 155th Basic Highway Patrol School.

Local troopers and the duty stations include: Keith Selton Benfield Jr., Reidsville; Cristian Garcia Pacheco, Greensboro; and Jason Trever Warf, Winston-Salem.

These new state troopers will report to their respective duty stations on May 25 to begin a field training program. For information, visit www.facebook.com/NCHighwayPatrol.

* * * *

The North Carolina State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners has announced that 24 candidates passed the Uniform CPA Examination in March.

Local individuals included: Shelby Elizabeth Horton of Colfax, Katherine Elizabeth Bagley of High Point and Mathias Steven Nasisse of Oak Ridge.

* * * *

Justin Kilby and Jay Kirkpatrick, senior financial advisers at Merrill Lynchs Greensboro office, have been recognized on the 2022 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list published April 7. Also, JJ Marus and Gregg Williamson, wealth management advisers at Merrill Lynch, Merrill Lynchs Greensboro office, have been recognized on the 2022 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list published April 7.

Activities

Culp recently received a visit from the U.S. Embassy at its Culp Upholstery Fabrics facility located in the CODEVI industrial park in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. The CODEVI park sits on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As part of their tour of the western Dominican Republic, the U.S. Embassy team chose to visit CODEVI along with other sites important to commerce. The CODEVI industrial park is home to many internationally well-known textile/apparel companies, and Culp had the honor of being one of two facilities selected by CODEVI leadership for the embassy tour.

Leading the tour was general manager of Culps Haiti facilities, Edgar Alfaro, along with members of the leadership team for Culp Upholstery Fabrics Haiti  Monica Sanchez, Silvia Garcia and Massiel Marcelino. Charge dAffaires of the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, Robert Thomas, and his team walked the floors of the recently completed building, speaking to Culp employees and learning about the cut and sew process.

In addition to the tour, Culp management gave a presentation to the embassy visitors about various initiatives Culp takes to improve the workplace such as round table discussions, leadership training and classes and more.

Announcements

Family owned and operated Allen Industries, based in Greensboro, acquired the Mount Airy production facility of national sign company Kieffer|Starlite (previously Burton Signworks) on April 6.

Allen Industries got its start in 1931 with neon signs, growing into a full-service signage and architectural elements manufacturer and installation company. The fourth-generation sign-maker has a national footprint with manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Florida, Arizona and Ohio. The Mount Airy facility will be Allen Industries seventh location. Allen Industries completed nearly 2,000 national and international installations last year.

Allen Industries plans to add employees and bring back the numbers and culture of the former Burton Electric Signs/Burton Signworks and welcomes all applications. For information, visit www.allenindustries.com/careers.

Awards

The Public Lands Alliance awarded the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and National Park Service the 2022 Public Lands Partner Award on April 20 for their joint project to rehabilitate the exterior of Flat Top Manor at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park in Blowing Rock.

The award recognizes a partnership for a stunning achievement to protect and preserve public lands and enhance the experiences of their visitors and users. The award is presented to both the nonprofit and agency partners for their shared achievements.

For years, the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone was desperate for repairs that far exceeded the parks funding. Peeling paint, crumbling woodwork, decaying columns and boarded-up windows at Flat Top Manor marred its original grandeur. The NPS turned to the foundation to help save the circa-1901 Colonial Revival style home that serves as the centerpiece of the 3,500-acre estate.

To view a video of the foundation and NPS acceptance speech, visit BRPFoundation.org/partneraward.

* * * *

The UNC System Council of Student Body Presidents has honored UNCG Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam Jr. with the 2022 William C. Friday Lifetime Achievement Award. It is given annually to a public figure who has exhibited exemplary service to students.

Council member and UNCG Student Government Association President Hazael Mengesha nominated Gilliam for the award. He accepted it on Gilliams behalf April 22 on the campus of Western Carolina University during the councils end-of-year banquet. Mengesha presented the award to Gilliam in person on April 25, at a meeting of the UNCG Board of Trustees.

The award is named after revered statesman of American public education, William Friday, who was president of the UNC System for 30 years. He worked to repeal the 1963 Speaker Ban Law, which made it illegal for critics of the government to appear on campus. He oversaw the racial desegregation of the University System and its expansion to include all of its 16 sister institutions.

* * * *

Randolph Community College President Robert S. Shackleford Jr. was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine on April 27 as the college not only honored its president, but also hosted a long-awaited ribbon cutting for the Dr. Robert S. Shackleford Allied Health Center as part of a celebration of the presidents upcoming retirement.

Members of the board of trustees and the foundation board, faculty, staff, students, state legislators and members of the Randolph County community were on hand for the festivities, which were held on the front lawn and in the lobby of the center.

Founded in 1963, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine is the highest honor bestowed by the governor. It is reserved for those who have shown exemplary service to North Carolina and their communities, made a significant impact and strengthened the state.

* * * *

Volvo Group North Americas Keith Brandis, vice president of system solutions and partnerships, recently was presented the Industry Distinguished Service Award by the University of California, Riversides Bourns College of Engineering  Center for Environmental Research and Technology.

Brandis was recognized for his contributions and leadership in several innovative transport initiatives, including the award-winning Volvo LIGHTS (low-impact green heavy transport solutions) project. He received the honor during the universitys 30th annual awards ceremony at the Riverside, Calif., research center earlier this month.

The Industry Distinguished Service Award is a long-honored tradition to recognize an outside affiliate who has contributed to CE-CERTs growth and advancement of its mission. Brandis worked closely with CE-CERT throughout the Volvo LIGHTS project  a collaboration between 14 public and private organizations to pioneer a range of vehicle, charging and workforce development innovations critical for the commercial success of heavy-duty, battery-electric trucks and equipment. To support the Volvo LIGHTS project goals, CE-CERT used project data to develop algorithms to improve truck routing and reduce impacts on local communities.

Fellowships

Rongfang Liu, UPS endowed professor in marketing and supply chain management at N.C. A&Ts Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics, will travel to Israel as part of the 2022 Summer-May Faculty Fellowship Program of Jewish National Fund-USA.

Among the 33 participants chosen for the competitive program, Liu is the only one representing a North Carolina-based institution and the only participant from a historically Black college or university.

During the trip, Liu and her fellow participants will travel throughout Israel, meeting Israeli professors from their respective disciplines and with the same, or similar, research interests, all with the goal of developing collaborations, research projects, co-authoring articles and establishing exchange programs between faculty and students.

They will be exposed to contemporary Israeli society, culture, historical sites, the people and the way of life in Israel.

Supported by JNF-USAs Boruchin Fund and individual donors, the tour is a fully paid annual program to Israel for full-time U.S.-based academics from a recognized university or learning institution. More than 300 faculty members have participated to date.

Send press releases to people@greensboro.com.
REIDSVILLE  Police say they have charged a man with death by distribution of narcotics in connection with a death that occurred in Reidsville on Dec. 18, 2021.

Kevan Allen Pearson Jr. was arrested in Forsyth County on April 28 and placed in Forsyth County Jail under a $500,000.00 bond, according to a news release from the Reidsville Police Department.

The news release cited statistics from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services that show more than 28,000 state residents lost their lives due to drug overdoses between 2000 and 2020.

"We are diligently working to prosecute anyone who distributes narcotics which causes death," police officials said in the news release.
Happy Nurses Month!

I am honored to speak on behalf of the phenomenal nurses of North Carolina as president of the North Carolina Nurses Association. This is a time to recognize the efforts of nurses, let them know how much we appreciate them and look for ways to support the profession.

The impact of COVID and all we experienced in the past couple of years has exacerbated our weaknesses and also magnified our strengths.

Nurses and other health care professionals are still overworked and often on the brink of burnout. Many of these problems already loomed before COVID-19 arrived.

NCNA is continuing to work with policymakers, hospital administrators and other stakeholders to improve these conditions and reshape the states health care system so it is more sustainable and creates better outcomes for patients.

We have proven through our living that we are stronger than we could ever fathom. This spring, we must spring forward into a season of renewal and restoration.

The theme for Nurses Month 2022 is You Make a Difference.

For the 20th year in a row, Gallup has recognized nurses as the most trusted profession in the country. There are 4 million nurses in America, and in North Carolina we are 150,000 strong!

We have an intricate network of movers, shakers and innovators that impressively advance our profession.

Nurses are helping provide care in schools, in the military, in prisons, in corporations, and every type of workplace in between. Nurses are at the bedside and in the C-suites, serving as leaders at the highest levels of health care.

Nurses spearhead groundbreaking research projects and serve in the North Carolina General Assembly. We proudly reflect North Carolinas population in our own diversity, whether it be race, gender, age or any other number of other demographic metrics.

Nurses, you are part of a profession that has proven that you truly make an indelible difference in lives of the precious patients we serve and in every capacity we engage.

If you are a nurse who has not yet joined NCNA, I encourage you to learn more about what we do each day to improve the profession we love. We provide nurses with the tools they need to level up their careers and their profession, access professional development opportunities, quality continuing education, networking with colleagues from across the state and advocacy for important policy changes.

If you are not a nurse, please take a moment to reach out to friends and family members who are nurses. Tell them you appreciate what they are doing. Trust me, it will mean the world to them.

In closing, I am reminded about the story of the starfish:

An old man was walking on the beach one morning after a storm. He saw a young woman picking up starfish and gently throwing them back in the ocean.

Young lady, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean? The girl replied, The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in, they will die.

But young lady, do you not realize that there are many miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You cannot possibly make a difference.

The young woman listened politely, then threw another starfish into the sea. She responded, I made a difference in that one.

Fellow nurses, continue to rise above your current situation and make a difference in each person you meet and in every encounter you have.

Continue to seize opportunities and know that you do amazing things to advance our profession.

Celebrate Nurses Month, rest, relax and renew.

At North Carolina Nurses Association, we proudly say thank you for helping us advance Nursing Forward.

Happy Nurses Month.


The congressional briefing focused on Indias steep decline in the latest Press Freedom Index ranking by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which plunged from 142 in 2021 to 150 in 2022 among 180 countries.

TCN News

Support TwoCircles



Washington, DC  The Indian government has begun mirroring China in its dictatorial treatment of journalists through harassment as well as forcing them into self-censorship, said Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific Director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in a Congressional Briefing titled Indias Crackdown on Free Speech on May 4.

Nobody wants to see India become a very strong dictatorship like China, but the situation is becoming more or less the same in some aspects, he added, saying that Indias aggressive attempts to silence and imprison Kashmiri media persons was similar to Chinas treatment of Tibetan journalists.

The briefing focused on Indias steep decline in the latest Press Freedom Index ranking by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which plunged from 142 in 2021 to 150 in 2022 among 180 countries. The accompanying report lambasts India for violence against journalists, the politically partisan media and the concentration of media ownership, which all demonstrate that press freedom is in crisis.

We have received a lot of testimonies from journalists who were working for mainstream media who tell us there are many subjects that they dont dare to tackle anymore its safer for the journalists and [their] chief editors not to mention these embarrassing problems for the government, said Bastard.

We have reached a stage where there are large sections of the government who believe that they can bludgeon the small section of the media thats still trying to hold truth to power Those who are in power are not just intolerant; theyve become vengeful, said Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, a veteran journalist and filmmaker.

Journalists who ask questions are immediately branded as traitors [and] anti-nationals weve seen the laws on defamation misused, weve seen law enforcement agencies  including the Income Tax Department [and] the Enforcement Directorate  becoming weapons to target those who are critical of the government, Thakurta said.

It is not alarmist, he added, to claim that the Indian government is sliding towards a dictatorship: The media has played a sterling role, a most important role, in spreading Islamophobia in India. One out of seven Indians in a country of close to 1.4 billion has been demonized and made to feel they are second-class citizens.

Narendra Modi started his tenure in 2014 by attacking journalists As far as I know, talking [about] criticizing policies of the government has become a crime, said Niranjan Takle, investigative journalist and author of the upcoming book Who killed Judge Loya.

[There are] physical attacks on the journalists, physical attacks on the family members, attempts to humiliate them, attempts to control them on social media.

The media, instead of being the watchdogs, have become amplifiers of the government narrative. And it has led to the creation of an ecosystem of vigilantes loyal to the ruling dispensation, which serves to intimidate and punish independent journalists, said Pamela Philipose, public editor of The Wire.

You find that in the last seven, eight years, investigative journalism [has been] killed The irony is that when we are talking about attacks on free speech, not a single [government] agency or a single pillar of democracy will come to rescue you, said Bhasha Singh, a Consulting Editor with the web portal Newsclick.

It is a great shame that India has slipped to 150 in the latest press freedom report India doesnt need state broadcasters because Republic TV and Times Now are precisely doing the same job, said Salil Tripathi, Chair of PEN Internationals Writers in Prison Committee.

US government agencies such as USCIRF have specifically drawn attention to violence against journalists for the past 3 years as a reason for the State Department to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern, said Nikhil Mandalaparthy, Advocacy Director at Hindus for Human Rights. Given that Secretary Blinken has recently stated that the US government is monitoring human rights violations in India, its time to put these words into action.

The briefing was co-hosted by Genocide Watch, World Without Genocide, Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, International Christian Concern, Jubilee Campaign, 21Wilberforce, Dalit Solidarity Forum, New York State Council of Churches, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America, India Civil Watch International, Center for Pluralism, American Muslim Institution, Students Against Hindutva Ideology, International Society for Peace and Justice, The Humanism Project and Association of Indian Muslims of America.
HIGH POINT  Authorities are looking for a man they say took keys from unlocked lockers at two Planet Fitness locations and used them to steal wallets out of cars in the parking lot.

Warrants are out for the arrest of Denzel Gooch, 28, of Durham, who also is accused of using stolen credit cards to purchase gift cards, according to a news release from the High Point Police Department.

Police said in the release that the incidents happened on the following dates and at the listed locations:

March 23 at 1116 Eastchester Drive

March 30 at 2850 S. Main Street and 1116 Eastchester Drive

Gooch is wanted for three counts of breaking or entering a motor vehicle, 10 counts of financial card theft, three counts of misdemeanor larceny and two counts of financial card fraud, police said in the news release.

High Point detectives said they identified Gooch with the assistance of the Greensboro Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of High Point at 336-889-4000.
A new Durham charter school is getting a second chance to open after state lawmakers required municipalities to provide water and sewer service to these non-traditional public schools.

The State Board of Education approved a request Thursday from North Oak Academy to delay its opening by another year to 2023 as it tries to resolve a lawsuit with the city of Durham over access to utilities. The schools leaders had at one point agreed to give up their charter before changing their mind when legislators mandated that charters get access to municipal utilities.

They have had a difficult time securing utility approvement from the city of Durham for water and sewer, and because of a law passed by the General Assembly, they are currently in litigation and hoping to have that resolved this summer and should be able to proceed with the purchase of the land and upfit of their facility, state board member Amy White said Thursday.

North Oak Academy plans to open in northeast Durham and eventually serve 688 elementary and middle school students. It will be managed by National Heritage Academies, a for-profit company based in Michigan that is fronting the start-up costs.

Durham opposes North Oak

Charter schools are taxpayer-funded schools that are exempt from some of the regulations that traditional public schools must follow.

Durham has 14 of the states 203 charter schools, giving the county one of the highest percentages of students attending charter schools in the state.

In 2020, the state board approved North Oak (originally called Oak Grove Academy), over the objections of the Wake County school system and Durham Public Schools. Durham school leaders argued the new charter would hamper efforts to improve nearby Glenn Elementary School and increase segregation and socioeconomic isolation in eastern Durham.

Many of those same concerns about school resegregation were voiced by Durham city leaders when they turned down North Oaks request to connect to municipal utility service. This prompted National Heritage Academies and North Oak to sue the city.

The school was originally approved to open in 2021. But its now gotten two extensions because school leaders say they cant open without water and sewer service.

Lawmakers respond to Durhams refusal

Durhams refusal to approve the water and sewer service was cited by Republican state lawmakers in filing legislation that limits the ability of municipalities to restrict charter schools.

The legislation requires municipalities to extend water and/or sewer service, if they have the capacity, when requested by charter schools. The bill was included in the state budget passed by state lawmakers in November.

At one point, North Oaks board had voted to surrender its charter to the state. But following the new law, the school refiled litigation against Durham.

Despite the welcomed action from the Legislature, Durham continues to prevent our school property from accessing water and sewer utilities. Gerald McNair, chairman of North Oaks board of director, wrote in a letter to the state requesting a delayed opening to 2023. We have joined NHA in legal action against the city and intend to seek an outcome that will still allow us to open North Oak Academy in the location we feel is in the best interest of students.

We are disappointed by the decisions implementing great hurdles to North Oak Academy, but we know families in Durham County deserve an additional high-quality school choice.
GREENSBORO  Several local colleges and universities are busy preparing to celebrate their latest graduates this weekend  while keeping a close eye on the weather.

UNCG

UNCG is holding its commencement at 10 a.m. today in the Greensboro Coliseum. The university plans to confer 2,137 bachelors degrees, 598 masters degrees and 103 doctoral degrees, officials announced in a news release.

The universitys doctoral hooding ceremony took place Thursday morning at UNCG Auditorium.

The commencement speaker during todays ceremony will be Broadway legend Beth Leavel, 80 MFA, who will also receive an honorary degree. The Tony Award-winning actress has performed in 13 shows on Broadway and is preparing for the lead role in Elton Johns musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada in Chicago this summer.

Todays ceremony will also mark the universitys first class of students to graduate from the masters sustainability and environment program.

Seating in the coliseum is open and no tickets are required. Parking is free and no passes are required for students or guests.

High Point University

High Point University plans to hold an outdoor commencement ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday on Roberts Hall Lawn. Campus leaders are preparing a backup rain plan in the Qubein Arena, which would affect the number of guests allowed for each graduate.

We may not make a decision to change the location to the Qubein Arena until 6:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to the universitys website.

If enacted, the rain plan would allow for a total of four ticketed family members  and two different graduation ceremonies would be held in the Qubein Arena, officials said.

For more details, visit highpoint.edu/commencement/rain-plan/.

Rain or shine, the university will confer 1,285 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees, campus officials said in a news release.

Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of KIND Snacks, will be the commencement speaker.

The ceremony is not open to the public.

Greensboro College

Campus leaders at Greensboro College have also planned for an outdoor commencement ceremony while preparing a rain plan if needed.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday on the Front Campus. There is no limit to the number of guests who can attend.

If there is light rain, the ceremony will still be held outside. Ponchos will be provided for graduating students, faculty members and others on the platform. Guests are welcome to bring umbrellas.

If heavier rain or severe weather is forecast, the college will hold commencement in the Gail Brower Huggins Performance Center.

Each graduating student will receive two tickets for family and friends to attend.

Graduating students may receive their tickets this morning at commencement rehearsal.

It was not immediately known at press time Thursday evening if the college would invoke its rain plan.


Authorities said the seminary had illegally occupied part of government land while seminary authorities contested the police claims.

Muhammad Raafi | TwoCircles.net

Support TwoCircles



NEW DELHI  After the local municipal authorities in Kanpur city of Uttar Pradesh bulldozed Madrassa Islamiya Inter-College alleging that the buildings were partially constructed on government land, the Madrassa authorities have contended that the demolition of the buildings was illegally carried out without serving any prior notice to the Madrassa authorities.

The motive behind the action is to incite communal tensions, one of the administrators of the Madrassa said.

Without serving any notice they ran bulldozers on our property, he said, They bulldozed the Masjid, desecrated the Quraan, and also razed the masjid boundary. He said the municipal authorities neither mapped the land nor served any notice before running the bulldozer.

The demolition drive was carried out on Wednesday, a day after Eid-ul-Fitr.

The administrator said that the officials were accompanied by the police. We contacted the SDM who assured that the Madrassa will not be damaged and assured that he will come to the spot.

However, the SDM did not turn up and the madrassa was razed.

The administrator said that they have legal documents of the ownership of the land and insisted to the officials check the documents before razing the property. They did not listen and were unwilling to check the documents.

Another official of the Madrassa said that the only reason for razing the Madrassa is that it is a Muslim property and Muslim students study here. They think this is a Muslim institute and hence should be razed to the ground. All classrooms have been destroyed and it is a loss of around rupees 5-6 crores.

He said that the Madrassa authorities reached out to many officials in the administration who assured them that nothing will happen to the Madrassa or the Masjid. But, when the officials started bulldozing the property, the same administration officials did not receive the calls.

The Kanpur administration, in the meanwhile, has maintained that the Madrassa buildings were partially constructed on government land. A senior official of the administration told TwoCircles.net.

The official also claimed that the madrasa was allotted 14 biswa (18,900 sq.ft) land of its own, but the building of the madrasa spawned over 4 bighas (1,08,000 sq.ft). Pucca construction was done by illegally occupying five bighas and six biswa of government land, which was used for a barn, pond, and a pond pit.

Meanwhile, the Madrassa administration has demanded a probe into the illegal demolition of the buildings and also sought action against the officials involved in the demolition drive.

Kanpur admin bulldozed Islamiya inter-college in Ghatampur yesterday. The madarsa authorities said that mosque was demolished and the Quran was also desecrated without serving any notice. Around 50 classrooms were razed. pic.twitter.com/mhdEqFWeTz  Waquar Hasan (@WaqarHasan1231) May 5, 2022

A video also surfaced on social media showing people accusing the administration of desecrating the Quran as they were not allowed to salvage copies of the Quran and other books.

An Islamic Madarsa in Kanpur Uttar Pradesh was razed to the ground on Eid Day. were suddenly bulldozed by Hindu Police. Holy books like Quran and other books were desecrated Madrasa student were not even given a chance to extract Quran & other holy books pic.twitter.com/NgzNExQT3v  Crime Reports India (@AsianDigest) May 4, 2022

The Kanpur Police issued a statement on social media responding to the video, saying that the process of razing the Islamia secondary school was done in a completely peaceful procedure. The SDM of Ghatampur said, No religious sentiments were hurt, and no holy books were desecrated. The entire procedure was carried out in a peaceful manner.

According to media reports, the municipality had been planning to demolish the illegal construction for the last 1.5 years, but due to the non-availability of resources first and then elections, the work kept getting postponed.

In the year 1994, madrassa operators had got government land registered in their names by manipulating the revenue record, after which a lawsuit followed. In the year 2020, the land under dispute was reclaimed by the government. Since then, efforts were on to demolish the madrasa.

Muhammad Raafi is a journalist based in New Delhi. He tweets at @MohammadRaafi
DECATUR  Archer Daniels Midland Co. confirmed Friday plans to locate two laboratory facilities inside the former Meda Pharmaceuticals manufacturing facility near downtown.

The 113,000-square-foot space at 705 E. Eldorado St., which ADM purchased for $2.2 million from Meda parent company Mylan in 2018, has sat vacant since the pharmaceutical company closed its doors in 2017.

The global food processing giant plans to rename the facility "ADM Specialty Manufacturing" as it will be the site of a microbiology lab and a probiotics lab.

Operations of ADM's existing microbiology lab in its east plant will move to the new space, which is more than double the size. The number of employees in that lab is expected to grow from 10 to 15. The probiotics lab will employ about two or three people.

The company recently received a building permit from the city for an interior remodel with a cost estimated at just over $650,000, though ADM director of R&D operations Bruce Nielsen said that altogether, the company's total investment in the space is just under $3 million.

The labs will only occupy about one-third of the existing space, leaving room for future expansion or for more operations to move into the site.

"This is just the start," Nielsen told the Herald & Review in an interview.

"We're really excited about it," he added. "We're putting a large investment in right now and the investment that will come behind that's gonna be much larger. So we're super excited about it and really excited about the fact that ... it's located in a nice, central place within the city."

The building expands ADM's footprint around downtown Decatur, which is already home to the ADM City Centre and its Global Technology Center. In both cases, the company moved into mostly empty buildings.

Nielsen said that ADM was attracted to the space because there was already labs and lab equipment in place that came with the building, which had long been home to pharmaceutical companies since it was constructed in 1979.

The target opening date is late September, Nielsen said.

Work at the microbiology lab will essentially be quality control, ensuring that there's no contamination of the company's products. The lab will receive products from 30 manufacturing plants across the central portion of the United States, Nielsen said.

The probiotics lab will examine the shelf life of probiotics among other things.

In a 2018 news release announcing the property acquisition, a company spokesperson said it would be used expand and develop our portfolio of specialty ingredients and products as we continue to grow that aspect of our business.

The work could be done elsewhere, but Nielsen said they decided to double down on Decatur.

"I've been at ADM for 28 years and we are at an exciting space right now where we really are looking forward ... very strongly from the science and technology front," Nielsen said. "And so for me, it's a super exciting time to see these things, especially for being a lifelong area resident and to see this path that we're actually moving forward and growing in this space."

It's not the only investment ADM has announced in recent months. The company said in April that plans to invest $300 million to expand its alternative protein production capacity in Decatur.

And the company also said it would open a new "Protein Innovation Center" in Decatur.

Meda Pharmaceuticals wrapped up operations in Decatur in June 2017 in the wake of the company being purchased in 2016 by Pennsylvania-based Mylan.

Contact Brenden Moore at brenden.moore@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter at @brendenmoore13.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
DECATUR  Jalecia Thomas first got interested in carpentry working with her uncle when she was a child.

On Friday, she signed a letter of intent to enter an apprenticeship with Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Apprentice and Training Program. She'll earn while she learns.

I used to do stuff with my uncle, like build things, said the MacArthur High School senior. It's great. I'm happy.

Decatur Public Schools has put an increasing emphasis on career readiness in the last few years, said Ashley Grayned, executive director of Innovative Programs and Strategic Planning, and that means recognizing that college is not the goal of every student. Some, like Jalecia, want to get right to work, and the trades have partnered with the school district to provide internships and opportunities to make that happen.

Dennis Huffman is also headed to a carpentry apprenticeship. He took a construction trades class at MacArthur High School with Ed Walton, and realized that was what he wanted to do for a career.

Walton said that the building trades class began with a partnership with Habitat for Humanity. That gave the students an opportunity to get real world experience, while saving the district the material costs that had been associated with the class in the past. Formerly, the district financed the building of a house that was then sold, while working with Habitat meant that students could provide labor without costing the district anything.

It was a win-win because we didn't have to provide the materials; they provided the materials, Walton said. And it was a win for them because their houses were getting built. Since then we've built a veteran a house and a two-story house on Wood Street, and the full circle of that house is that one of (the district's) custodians is the family that moved into that house. So that was really cool to see.

The partnership with the carpenters union means that their curriculum is available for the high school students and the students, when they leave the program, go directly into the apprenticeship program and will earn $20 an hour.

For Kayla DeLeon, nursing was the goal. Several members of her family are nurses, and she signed her letter of intent to work as a certified nurse assistant at HSHS St. Mary's Hospital. Community sourcing strategist Benie Kalala of St Mary's, who was at the event, told families that the HSHS system offers a scholarship program that will provide students like Kayla up to $20,000 to help pay the expenses of acquiring a nursing degree, with a guarantee of employment with an HSHS hospital when they finish.

In all, 14 students signed letters on Friday.

I am so super, super proud of each and every one of you, said Superintendent Rochelle Clark. Let's think about this. We went to school, we held down a job, did our best at our job, and was invited back.

When I go to schools, I always tell the kids, whether it's pre-K or high school, that it's our job to make sure you get a high-quality education, said Jeff Dase, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, and that you leave this district better prepared for life. Some people go off to college, some to careers, and for you all to have this before you actually leave the district, is a testimony to the outstanding work from the department of innovative learning and it just says that we're doing a lot of things right in this district, but ultimately, that you did a lot of things right.

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
SPRINGFIELD  A new report from the states auditor general found more fault with the Illinois Department of Public Health in its response to a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at a state-run veterans home than was found by a previous watchdog report that investigated the matter.

A November 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home resulted in 36 resident deaths, leading the Illinois House to pass a resolution in April 2021 requesting an audit of the outbreak from Auditor General Frank Mautinos office.

The outbreak also led to the firing or resignations of LaSalle home administrator Angela Mehlbrech, then-director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Linda Chapa LaVia and IDVA chief of staff Tony Kolbeck.

The report released Thursday by the auditor general found IDVA did in fact have infection control guidance in place at the time of the outbreak, contradicting an April 26, 2021 report from the Department of Human Services Office of the Inspector General and an outside law firm.

The 2021 OIG report, which was conducted at the request of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, found leadership deficiencies at IDVA which led to the director abdicating her responsibilities to subordinates. It also stated the home did not develop comprehensive COVID-19 policies.

While both reports pointed to staff attending a Halloween party and failing to socially distance as potential causes for the outbreak, the auditor general found there was no evidence to support that a lack of policies and procedures resulted in a failure to contain the virus.

The virus hit the home very quickly with a large number of residents and staff positive within a few days, the auditor general report stated. As a result, it was unclear whether non-adherence to policy caused the virus to spread so quickly or whether the rapid spread was due to other factors.

Other factors may have included community spread, which led to a 212 percent increase in COVID-19 cases in the region from the month prior, or the fact that guidelines at the time did not require rapid COVID-19 testing before entering the home, allowing for asymptomatic spread.

The auditor generals report described the OIG report as flawed for its reliance on interviews rather than documentation.

At an unrelated news conference in his office Thursday, Pritzker faulted Republicans for questioning mitigation guidance at the time and said the audit failed to convey that IDPH was the central responsible agency for the entire pandemic.

So, just while this veterans home was having its outbreak, they were occurring all over the state, in schools, in other nursing homes, in other congregate care settings, he said.

Pritzker said IDPH was following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance not to visit a congregate facility and risk disease spread when a phone call would suffice. He said he held officials at IDVA accountable and credited new director Terry Prince who took over the job in April 2021 in the wake of the OIG report.

The auditor general report largely focused on a 13-day span at the beginning of November 2020, when the case count grew from four to over 170 at the LaSalle home between residents and staff.

It was Nov. 1, 2020, when Kolbeck, the IDVA chief of staff, reported four cases to the governors office and the Illinois Department of Public Health among others. Eleven days later, IDPH performed a site visit at the home. By the next day, IDVA reported 83 residents and 93 staff positives, all but six of which were current, along with 11 resident deaths and four hospitalizations.

The report stated that Sol Flores, deputy governor for health and human services under Pritzker, and an assistant may not have realized the significance of the outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home as the virus continued to progress through the home.

Flores told auditors that her office thought leadership at IDVA and the home were communicating and taking actions regarding the employees under their responsibility to ensure things were being done.

The audit further noted that an assistant to Flores emailed Kolbeck on Nov. 2, 2020, to ask if more support was needed from IDPH and if hed been in contact with the state medical officer.

Kolbeck replied the next day, I cant think of anything specific we need at LaSalle. Youll see shortly, its not improving though. I have traded emails with the state medical officer on getting a call with the administrators and her team but we havent locked in on a date/time yet.

According to the audit, Kolbeck first inquired about a potential site visit on Nov. 9. A response didnt come until Nov. 11, and that was after the medical officer spoke to IDPHs chief of staff, who relayed that Pritzker was very concerned and wanted IDPH to visit the home.

The email citing Pritzkers concern came 22 minutes after an IDPH infection control consultant determined that the processes being done are sound at the LaSalle home, relaying that an infection control nurse at the home feels they are doing okay and doesnt feel the need for someone to visit.

The audit postulated that a site visit might have taken even longer without Pritzkers intervention.

The audit also found that IDPH failed to act in the first week of November, even though it was the largest outbreak in any of the states congregate care facilities.

It was Kolbeck who reached out to IDPH about the home receiving rapid tests on Nov. 9 and monoclonal antibody treatments on Nov. 11. By the time rapid tests arrived, more than two-thirds of the homes residents had tested positive.

From the documents reviewed, management at IDPH did not offer any advice or assistance as to how to slow the spread at the home, offer to provide additional rapid COVID-19 tests, and were unsure of the availability of the antibody treatments, the report stated.

The auditor recommended that IDPH should clearly define its role in monitoring COVID-19 outbreaks at veterans homes and develop policies and procedures that clearly identify criteria which mandate IDPH intervention at the homes.

IDPH accepted the recommendation, but the department noted antibody treatments were not available for distribution at the time of the LaSalle outbreak and an infection preventionist assigned to IDVA died unexpectedly two weeks prior to the outbreak.

IDPH said its oversight task included communicating with 97 local health departments and preparing for distribution of the vaccine which arrived one month later.

The audit also recommended IDVA develop policies that mandate timely testing of residents and staff during outbreaks. It outlined testing periods that occurred over three days, extending the time when results would be sent to labs, compounding processing delays.

The audit also recommended that the IDVA director work with IDPH and the governors office during COVID-19 outbreaks. IDVA agreed with the recommendations.

The report also noted IDVA and IDPH put new policies in place in April 2021 to establish a comprehensive and integrated infection prevention and control program at all Illinois veterans homes that included new training requirements.
SPRINGFIELD  As rain steadily fell in Springfield Thursday morning, there was a somber feeling among the law enforcement officers and elected officials who gathered at the Illinois State Library to honor 11 fallen officers killed in the line of duty in 2021.

I have a heavy heart when I think about the loss of these 11 individuals; its a sad day for all of us, Secretary of State Jesse White said.

The 11 officers honored were Officer Joseph T. Cappello III of Melrose Park Police Department; Officer Gary Steven Hibbs of Chicago Heights Police Department; Trooper Todd A. Hanneken of Illinois State Police; Lt. James J. Kouski Jr. of Hometown Police Department; Officer Allen Serta Giacchetti of Cook County Sheriffs Police Department; Officer Christopher Neil Oberheim of Champaign Police Department; Officer Brian Russell Pierce Jr. of Brooklyn Police Department; Officer Ella Grace French of Chicago Police Department; officer Tyler Nathaniel Timmins of Pontoon Beach Police Department; Deputy Sean Ian Riley of Wayne County Sheriffs Office; and Sgt. Marlene R. Rittmanic of Bradley Police Department.

Family members of the fallen officers were presented with plaques from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and received a wreath to commemorate their loved one.

Amber Oberheim, widow of Officer Christopher Oberheim, said in a follow-up interview that the event speaks volumes to lawmakers and elected leaders because when someone loses a loved one while on duty, they all feel it.

I think the sheer magnitude of people who were here with an expectation for some change and support for law enforcement, I think will speak volumes, hopefully, to our leaders, she said.

Officer Oberheim was shot and killed at 3:20 a.m. May 19, 2021, while responding to a domestic disturbance call at an apartment complex in Champaign. He served with the Champaign Police Department for 13 years.

In an emotional tribute to fallen officers, Comptroller Susana Mendoza said the job is too often thankless and the individuals willingly choose to take an oath to protect and serve people they have never met and are willing to give their life to protect others.

This is a horribly difficult and painful thing, Mendoza said. Theres nothing any of us, certainly not us politicians, can say to make you feel better.

Mendoza said she believes its important that all officers take care of their mental and physical well-being due to the toll the job can take.

She shared the story of her brother, who worked at the Chicago Police Department for more than 20 years on third shift, didnt always make the healthiest lifestyle choices and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

In November 2020, Mendoza said her brother was hospitalized for more than 17 days with COVID-19 and struggled with life-threatening conditions, such as a stroke and losing both kidneys. She said he survived and is slowly recovering, but that his life will never be the same.

Mendoza said she wants every officer to understand that youre human and its OK to ask for help when needed and to lean on others for support, and that mental and physical well-being should be the utmost priority.

Speakers went on to give thanks to officers for making immense, and even sometimes ultimate, sacrifice to protect those in and around their community.

Pritzker also recognized Knox County Deputy Nicholas Weist, who was killed in the line of duty April 29, 2022.

According to a news release from the Illinois State Police, Weist was responding to an emergency call about an individual with a gun at a Circle K Gas Station in Galesburg when he was hit and killed by the suspect vehicle as he was setting out spike strips.

Each of these officers' communities has been forever altered, teams forever bereaved, families that will never be made whole again, Pritzker said.

The names of the fallen officers will be engraved on the memorial statue that sits on the west lawn of the State Capitol.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
About 10 years ago, a story about Target Corp.s uncanny ability to detect a customers pregnancy made waves. An angry man had gone into a Target store in Minneapolis, demanding to speak to a manager and flashing coupons that his teenage daughter had received in the mail for baby clothes and cribs. Are you trying to encourage her to get pregnant? he asked.

It turned out his daughter was already pregnant, and Target had figured this out before he had.

Data mining by companies has only improved since then, but fortunately so have our tools for protecting privacy. A leaked draft ruling reported by Politico suggests the U.S. Supreme Court is in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that gave women the right to abortion. This would make online privacy more critical than ever for women and health care providers, as secrecy around abortion would become integral not just for personal reasons but to avoid potential legal ramifications or blowback from vigilantes.

Its unclear who would be legally liable for an abortion in close to a dozen or more U.S. states that would like to ban it. But many women will want to hide their online activity out of caution. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden warned on Tuesday that every digital record  from web searches, to phone records and app data  will be weaponized in Republican states as a way to control womens bodies.

One of the first things many women do when they find themselves needing an abortion is seek advice online. That wont change no matter what the Supreme Court rules. But if they happen to live in one of 22 states that would probably outlaw abortion in the absence of Roe v. Wade, theyd be wise to hide their browsing history and use encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal to talk to others about their plans. Should abortion pills also be outlawed, women may turn to the Dark Web to procure them  something they already do, according to a study from the University of Texas.

Women may also turn to VPNs to stop mobile network providers and search engines from seeing their browsing habits. Theyll clear their web histories, use incognito windows or download more privacy-focused browsers like Firefox.

Such tools, normally associated with political dissidents in autocratic regimes, could become far more important for American women in a post-Roe v. Wade world. Tech news site Motherboard reported on Monday that a location-data firm has already been selling information related to peoples visits to abortion clinics, including where visitors had come from and how long they stayed, by tracking apps on groups of phones.

The internet presents risk, but also help, such as telemedicine services that offer abortion medication. Many women in the U.S. have flocked to services like Aid Access to acquire such medication; the website Women on Web offers services to women around the world.

In the meantime, a forthcoming law in the European Union that reins in the power of large technology companies may have the unintended consequence of making peoples data in the U.S. more vulnerable to surveillance.

Social media and search platforms have for years been exploited by the surveillance advertising industry. How much will they resist future government efforts to enforce abortion bans? What happens if state prosecutors order Facebook or Google to identify women who are breaking the rules?

Given the libertarian ethos of many Silicon Valley billionaire founders and the legal fallout from whistleblower Edward Snowden, its hard to see such firms giving in to government demands to break their encryption and hand over such details. But put enough financial pressure on a business and anything can happen.

For now, encryption and online privacy tools are a sacred right for women seeking an abortion. They mustnt turn into a luxury.

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology.

Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Judy Woodruff, in a PBS NewsHour segment on Ketanji Brown Jacksons Supreme Court hearings, noted that three Republicans might support Jacksons nomination. Woodruff added that in todays climate, three Republican votes might be a landslide. Her observation drew a chuckle from the panelists, but made sense.

When the final 53-47 vote, including three Republicans, was announced, most Republicans left the Senate chambers in typical take-their-ball-and-go-home fashion. Before I could react, a nostalgic blip hearkened to Barry Goldwater, Howard Baker, Robert Dole, Lyndon Johnson, Edmond Muskie, and Mike Mansfield: three Republican and three Democratic law makers from my formative years. I trusted their devotion to sound governance. Essentially, I wanted them to be good people regardless of ideology.

Johnsons legacy is tainted by Vietnam, but without him when would we have passed the Civil and Voting Rights Acts?

By the time I could vote, I felt confident that they all had Americas best interest at heart whether I supported them or not.

What a difference a generation makes. The safety net of decency that I took for granted has devolved to a laser-focused race to secure/steal the next election. We can no longer expect the candidate we voted against to honor loyal opposition voters.

In your guts, you know he nuts, the Democrats chanted about Barry Goldwater.

Today, I wish we had more nuts like him.

Jim Newton, Itasca

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1
A resolution introduced to the Sullivan County Commission last month proposing to charge jail inmates $35 a day is beginning to be discussed.

While officials agree the resolutions intentions are good, there are questions about its feasibility and how well it would work.

I think it's a good concept, [but] getting the inmates to even pay their fines and costs is extremely difficult, Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy said. I would love to relieve the taxpayers, but it's something thats one of those things that would never be accomplished.

County Commissioner Hershel Glover, the main sponsor of the resolution, said talks on the proposal are still in the early stages.

We have a lot to work on, Glover said. This is to get us started to work toward this point.

The resolution is intended to alleviate the amount of taxpayer money spent on the jail, which has an annual budget of nearly $12 million, and to generate funds for the construction of the new jail.

As drafted, the resolution would charge a $35 fee daily to inmates committed to the jail for at least 24 hours, plus other costs accrued, like for medical expenses and meals.

All of the money would go to the countys general fund with 90% going to the jail obligation bond, 6% to pay raises for jail employees and 4% to jail maintenance.

Commissioner Dwight King, a co-sponsor of the resolution, said rising jail costs are forcing the county to act.

The taxpayers of Sullivan County are very concerned about the cost of our jail, King said. They're getting to the point that they are wanting something done.

According to Glover, the program could help reduce overcrowding in the jail, which is over capacity by more than 300 inmates.

I think it would be a great thing, Glover said. I think it would help deter crime.

Inmates could earn money to pay the fees through community service hours paid at minimum wage, according to the draft, and potentially other work opportunities.

We need to start some work programs for them while theyre in there so they can maybe earn some money, Glover said.

If approved, the program could generate upwards of $10 million a year  thats if inmates pay on time and in full.

For Cassidy, actually getting the money from inmates seems unrealistic.

I dont think it would be successful because we wouldn't get the money, Cassidy said. They just wouldn't pay.

Hawkins County, Tennessee charges its inmates $15 a day, according to Chief Deputy Tony Allen, who admits recouping that money is difficult.

I know for a lot of incarcerated people, its hard for them to pay back their fines, Allen said.

Washington County, Tennessee doesnt have a pay-to-stay program, but Sheriff Keith Sexton said he wouldnt be against it.

If they ended up in the jail, it's really not fair for the taxpayer to have to (pay) it, if it doesnt have to be done, Sexton said. If (inmates) have the ability to pay, I feel like they should pay.

Sullivan County commissioners are seeking input from county judges and the district attorney on the proposal, Glover said. When contacted, District Attorney General Barry Staubus had no comment.

Theres a lot to be discussed about it, but I think weve got to do something, King said. Weve got to find some kind of solution to cut what the taxpayers are spending on the jail.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Dr. Shanthi Ramesh, chief medical officer with Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, saw patients in Richmond following news that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark law guaranteeing the right to abortion.

She answered their questions and tried to tried to address concerns. One woman traveled across Virginia and was early in her second trimester of pregnancy.

The woman was terrified that that she wouldn't be able to be seen, Ramesh said, and "just very concerned that if she couldnt get this done today this was her last chance. So we did a lot of educating that she could absolutely get this done today, and even if she wasnt ready to do this today, that abortion was still legal certainly in Virginia and in the country.

The organizations and medical personnel who provide abortions anticipate that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 high court ruling guaranteeing it as a right, will be overturned by the Supreme Court this year. If Roe is overturned, states would each decide abortion policy and could choose to restrict or ban it.

Politico reported Monday night that the Supreme Court, which will soon rule on a Mississippi law that would halt most abortions after 15 weeks, had voted in conference to overturn Roe v. Wade.

That is not a final decision, and even if the law is overturned, abortion would remain legal in Virginia unless the General Assembly acts to change that. Democrats hold a 21-19 edge in the state Senate and Republicans hold a 52-48 edge in the House of Delegates. All 140 seats are up for election in 2023.

Medical providers said they're working to educate women about where things stand, and help alleviate confusion.

Ive seen patients actually every day this week since the leak came out," Ramesh said. I did abortion care on Tuesday and several of those patients said, What does this mean? Is this final? Would I be able to access this in a year? 

Many patients are simply trying to access health care and aren't thinking about the news, she said, and will be blindsided if the court overturns Roe.

"Theyre not thinking of it at all like a right that they could lose because of a Supreme Court decision," she said.

Report that court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade shocks Va. politics A midterm election playing out as a referendum on President Joe Biden could now become, at least in part, a referendum on abortion rights.

Abortion is legal in Virginia through the second trimester of pregnancy, and is legal in the third trimester in limited cases in which three doctors approve. The state has 16 separate abortion providers.

And Virginia clinics are already seeing more patients traveling from states where abortion rights have been restricted.

One of them is Texas, where state lawmakers banned most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, starting on Sept. 1.

Ramesh said Planned Parenthood's clinics are seeing patients from Texas and other states with more restrictive abortion laws. This week, she said, she saw a patient who drove over five hours from West Virginia. Ramesh said she worries about patients who may have trouble getting access to an abortion because of transportation and child care expenses or the ability to get time off work.

Every day I see people who struggle to access it when its still fully legal, so I can only imagine, across the country, what thats going to look like for patients exactly like mine."

Youngkin decries leak of Alito opinion reportedly overturning Roe v. Wade Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday criticized the leak to Politico of Supreme Court Justice Samu

Rae Pickett, communications director with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said that if Roe is overturned, at least 26 states either have "trigger laws" that would ban abortion or have legislatures expected to quickly vote to ban abortion in those states.

That will mean even more of a role for Virginia, she said, and potentially new patients traveling from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi or Florida.

In Virginia, abortion is legal," she said. "Providers are seeing patients every day and they will continue to see patients every day no matter what.

Pickett said she spoke with a nurse who lives in Texas who flew to Virginia last year to get an abortion. The woman is in her 40s, has children, and she and her partner made the decision mutually, Pickett said. The nurse had ability to take time off and pay for a round-trip flight and hotel.

Tarina Keene, executive director of the organization Pro-Choice Virginia, also said abortion providers have told her they're seeing patients from Texas here.

Its amazing that people have to travel so far to get the care that they need," Keene said.

We know on day one when Roe is overturned that we will see an influx of patients coming in from our border states  Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee - which will move almost immediately to ban abortion in their borders.

Schapiro: Abortion debate has both Va. parties retooling Not two hours after the first reports on the leaked draft opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court 

The number of abortions peaked in Virginia in 2008 (27,410) and in Richmond in 2004 (2,943), according to Virginia Department of Health statistics.

Virginia saw 15,167 abortions in 2020, down 45 percent from 2008. The number of abortions in Richmond in 2020 was 1,021, also down significantly from previous years.

(804) 649-6061

Staff writer Sean McGoey contributed to this report.
With its draft decision to overturn reproductive choice for women, the U.S. Supreme Court has plunged feet first into Americas culture wars, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said Wednesday.

He is right to worry that, now engaged in restricting human rights, the justices will sink deeply into letting politicians dictate more personal behavior of Americans in inappropriate ways. If the court overturns Roe v. Wade, will access to contraception be next?, the states senior senator wondered on a media call.

The answer can be found in the effort of abortion opponents to ban sales of emergency contraception, the so-called Plan B or morning after pill that women can use to stop pregnancies in the first few days after unprotected sex. The pills generally keep fertilized eggs from binding to the uterine wall, keeping a woman from getting pregnant.

The FDA established the right of women to have access to this birth control without a prescription in 2013.

The life-begins-at-conception crowd considers that tantamount to abortion. A measure of the power of what law professor Sherry Colb calls the forced-pregnancy-and-birth movement comes in an update from the Guttmacher Institute, which studies sexual health. As of May 1, Guttmacher reported that nine states already restrict access to emergency contraception. Texas does not include emergency contraception as part of its states family planning program. Arkansas and North Carolina do not include emergency contraception in their contraceptive coverage mandates. Arizona, Illinois and Mississippi allow pharmacies to refuse to stock emergency contraception. Six states give individual pharmacists the right to refuse to sell it as a matter of religion.

Warner has good reason to worry that overturning Roe v. Wade will trigger a dramatic rollback of American rights. So does everybody else.

Warner said a 13-year-old rape victim and her parents and doctors might not be allowed to choose how to deal with her violation except to have the baby.

The tone and tenor of Justice Samuel Alitos draft court decision could extend beyond reproductive rights to other personal behavior, allowing states to control gay rights and other major cultural issues.

Ill stick by my characterization that this is feet first into the culture wars, Warner said in response to a question by The Daily Progress. And I think it is an indication that womens health care may only be the first of what could be a line of attack against contraception, against gay rights, against marriage equality. Its got me gravely worried.

Warner, a Democrat, believes that many Virginians, regardless of political affiliation, dont want the Supreme Court heading in that direction.

Virginias Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin doesnt seem to mind. He said he would be happy to have control of womens reproductive rights vested in the states.

States rights facilitated Virginias most egregious violations of people. These include legal segregation, sodomy laws used to persecute and prosecute homosexuals, and a ban on interracial marriage that required Supreme Court intervention to undo. States rights allowed slavery. It was the Souths excuse for seceding from the Union, starting the Civil War. States rights has a lousy record when it comes to human rights in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has always been viewed as kind of beyond politics, Warner said. Now, he pointed out, the notion of America always moving forward is grossly under assault in this decision should it stand.

When would-be Supreme Court justices say they will abide by settled law and precedent to get lifetime appointments, then pursue political and cultural agendas, there is a single answer.

The only place where people who are upset can work to ensure that a womans right to choose is protected is to change the composition of the Congress and make sure that the composition of the legislature in Virginia protects those rights, Warner said.

The senator did not mince words about how that happens.

Get out and vote for people willing to enshrine human rights in law.
People prayed for healing, strength and peace in downtown Hickory on Thursday during the National Day of Prayer.

The United Prayer Rallies group organized the day-long event and had people from 24 churches, schools and law enforcement agencies lead prayers and songs on the CommScope Stage in Union Square.

A Ukrainian American, Lydia Cottrell, 60, of Hickory, led prayers for Ukraine. She said she has many family members and friends in Ukraine who are being impacted by the Russian invasion.

As Cottrell prayed for the welfare of the Ukrainian people, a plane flew over the square prompting her to say, Let these planes flying over remind you of the planes that are flying over (Ukraine) and shooting missiles. She asked the audience to think of Ukraine and pray every time they hear a plane in the sky.

We pray for Russian soldiers, that as (God) opened the blinded eyes of the Roman Centurion to gaze upon the one he had pierced and to turn his heart toward what he could see, Cottrell said. So also might (God) open their eyes to the work they have been driven to do, that they might see and leave Ukraine and her land.

Cottrell wore a traditional Ukrainian dress with embroidered red poppies and a vinok, which is a traditional head piece made of flowers. Her vinok was made of poppy flowers. She said Ukrainians wear different vinoks and embroidery designs to signify which region of Ukraine they are from.

(Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to wipe out our Ukrainian independence, Cottrell said. Wearing our national clothing is part of how we are standing up against him.

Cottrell said her grandfather emigrated to America from Ukraine in 1917. Cottrell was born in America but reconnected with family members in southwest Ukraine while doing missionary work in 1993 and 1994.

People at the prayer rally danced with colorful silk flags in the grass as students from Hickory Christian Academy sang a worship song called Closer by Maverick City. Several students from the academy led prayers, including 11th-grader Will Gemme.

Lord, I pray right now, Lord, Gemme said. If (people) feel like theyre not worthy enough to come to you with their problems. What I pray right now, Lord, is that they will realize, Lord, that you are enough and that you will take them in and you will bring them closer to you.

After Gemmes prayer, the students of Hickory Christian Academy gathered around Jenny Sigmon, a former counselor at the school. Sigmon is in Hospice care. The students sang a song of prayer and blessings then one by one gave Sigmon hugs and expressed their love for her and her family.

I love all of those students and, of course, I love the Lord, Sigmon said. I am out here to just worship the Lord and pray for revival. It is amazing to be able to face death and have no fear through Jesus Christ.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
CONOVER  Veterans Coffee Connection, a coffee group for veterans of all ages and branches of military service, will meet Wednesday, May 11, at 8:30 a.m. This month, the coffee will be held at Shining Hope Farms, located at 6347 St. Peters Church Road in Conover.

Shining Hope Farms will provide a tour of their facility and share information about their Saddles and Salutes program, which serves veterans as part of their support for veteran wellness. Through this program, veterans are taught riding and horsemanship skills which have physical and emotional benefits while having the opportunity to bond with other veterans.

The Veterans Coffee Connection, sponsored by Carolina Caring, is designed to be a welcoming place for veterans to meet other veterans in the area. This free gathering, which meets on the second Wednesday of every month, is a great place to share a cup of coffee, enjoy doughnuts provided by Krispy Kreme and swap stories.

Carolina Caring for Veterans is proud to be a Level IV partner of the We Honor Veterans program, an awareness initiative spearheaded by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

For more information, contact Cindy Stamey, Carolina Carings Director of Community and Veteran Relations, at cstamey@carolinacaring.org or by calling 828-466-0466.

Carolina Caring, founded in 1979, is an independent, community-based, nonprofit health care provider. It specializes in programs that offer relief from chronic conditions, serious illnesses, and the challenges they bring, including palliative medicine and hospice care for all ages, primary care and grief counseling. Currently, Carolina Caring serves 12 counties across western North Carolina and the Charlotte region. For more information about Carolina Caring, call 828-466-0466 or visit www.CarolinaCaring.org .
The Wisconsin Farm Discovery Center was the site of a graduation celebration for the dairy management program at Lakeshore Technical College. The four-year-old educational complex located in Northeast Wisconsin has a banquet facility that was the ideal location to celebrate the students accomplishments. Each graduating student received their plaque for completing the program from Craig Lallensack, the dairy herd and agricultural business instructor.

Each student recognized their internship farm as well as the dairy operations and veterinary clinics that opened their facilities to the students on a rotational basis. The internship opportunities were not limited to dairy farms, but also included a cheese factory and the Wisconsin Farm Discovery Center. The young adults were able to choose an agricultural position that was of great interest to them.

A highlight of the evening is the Hoards Dairyman Award presentation. The large plaque depicts the Foster Mothers of the Human Race painting. Each winners name is engraved on the award that hangs in the colleges dairy department. A smaller plaque is also presented to the winner for the recipient to keep. While there are numerous recognitions that students can receive inside and outside the classroom for various talents, the Hoards Dairyman Award is somewhat different.

No other college or university presents a Hoards Dairyman Award besides Lakeshore Technical College. The award is voted on by fellow students (and not professors or administration) who apply a 1 to 10 score in the areas of character, academics, and community focus. Additionally, their involvement in class activities is considered.

The 2022 Hoards Dairyman Award was presented to Brenden Wenzel. Wenzel is the fourth generation on the Wenzel Hilltop Dairy. His grandparents and parents influenced his passion for farming and machinery. Wenzel was active at Brillion High School FFA and received his American Degree this past fall. After high school, Brenden enrolled at Fox Valley Technical College where he started his studies in ag power. He completed one year of the program and decided to get a more well-rounded agriculture degree, focusing on dairy.

He enrolled at Lakeshore Technical College in the Dairy Herd Management program in 2021. He set the goal of completing his associate degree by May of 2022. Determined to follow his plan, Wenzel took nine additional general education credits and completed courses over winter break, on top of his dairy program classes. In addition to a busy school schedule, Wenzel created his own maple syrup enterprise called Hilltop Sugar Shack, LLC. He is also a volunteer firefighter for the Potter Fire Department.

From the Hoards Dairyman team, we congratulate Brenden on all his efforts, graduation, and recognition by his peers. Best of luck to all the students as they embark on the next steps in their careers.





The author is the online media manager and is responsible for the website, webinars, and social media. A graduate of Modesto Junior College and Fresno State, she was raised on a California dairy and frequently blogs on youth programs and consumer issues.
Friday, May 6

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 7

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Old Courthouse Theatre is hosting a Community Yard Sale. The cost to participate is $10 to rent a parking space for vendors - rent multiple spaces if needed. Space rental and vendor setup starts at 6 am. First come first served. The sale opens at 7 a.m. to the public. Email info@octconcord.com with any questions. OCT will be selling refreshments.

Monday, May 9

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Tuesday, May 10

The Cabarrus County Retired Nurses meeting will be at Punchy's Diner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call Gayla Spears 704-786-0333 if you have questions.

Thursday, May 12

Old Courthouse Theatre presents The Addams Family: A New Musical. Performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com or at the door 45 minutes prior to the show starting.

Kannapolis Farmers Market is open 4-7 p.m. at the corner of Vance St. and Dale Earnhardt Blvd. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, spices, crafts, and prepared foods and sauces.

Friday, May 13

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Old Courthouse Theatre presents The Addams Family: A New Musical. Performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com or at the door 45 minutes prior to the show starting.

Saturday, May 14

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Old Courthouse Theatre presents The Addams Family: A New Musical. Performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com or at the door 45 minutes prior to the show starting.

Sunday, May 15

Old Courthouse Theatre presents The Addams Family: A New Musical. Performance will be at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com or at the door 45 minutes prior to the show starting.

Monday, May 16

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Tuesday, May 17

The Cabarrus County Council on Aging will hold its first meeting of 2022 at 1 p.m. at the Concord Senior Center. Cabarrus County Sheriff Van Shaw will speak about senior scams. Light refreshments will be provided by the COA in place of a covered dish luncheon. Dues can be paid at this time: $3 per person or $5 for two people. Non-members are welcome.

Wednesday, May 18

The Cabarrus Senior Center Photo Club is alive and clicking away. If you like taking photos, come join the members on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Cabarrus Senior Center, 331 Corban Ave. SE, Concord, and share your photographic creativity. Whether you are a seasoned photographer or strictly amateur, all are welcome.

Thursday, May 19

Kannapolis Farmers Market is open 4-7 p.m. at the corner of Vance St. and Dale Earnhardt Blvd. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, spices, crafts, and prepared foods and sauces.

Friday, May 20

The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination.

Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846.

Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Old Courthouse Theatre presents The Addams Family: A New Musical. Performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com or at the door 45 minutes prior to the show starting.

Saturday, May 21

The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products.

Old Courthouse Theatre presents The Addams Family: A New Musical. Performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com or at the door 45 minutes prior to the show starting.

Sunday, May 22

Old Courthouse Theatre presents The Addams Family: A New Musical. Performance will be at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com or at the door 45 minutes prior to the show starting.

The Piedmont Prime Time Community Band is presenting a concert titled "Movie Music & More" at 4 p.m. at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Rd, Concord. The concert will feature familiar music from the movies and celebrates John Williams' 90th birthday. Selections include music from James Bond, Star Trek, Star Wars, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Wizard of OZ, and more favorites. The band consists of community members of all ages from the local area, and is directed by Chris White, who is also the band director at Hickory Ridge High School. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

Wednesday, May 25

American Legion Post 51 is hosting a Blood Drive from 1:30-5:50 p.m.

Join the American Legion and the Red Cross on this lifesaving mission by scheduling an appointment with the Red Cross: 800-733-2767. American Legion Post 51 is located at 165 Wilshire Ave. Southwest.

Thursday, May 26

Kannapolis Farmers Market is open 4-7 p.m. at the corner of Vance St. and Dale Earnhardt Blvd. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, spices, crafts, and prepared foods and sauces.

Friday, May 27 The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination. Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846. Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 28 The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products

Monday, May 30 The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination. Wednesday, June 1 The Cabarrus Senior Center Photo Club is alive and clicking away. If you like taking photos, come join the members on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Cabarrus Senior Center, 331 Corban Ave. SE, Concord, and share your photographic creativity. Whether you are a seasoned photographer or strictly amateur, all are welcome. Thursday, June 2 Kannapolis Farmers Market is open 4-7 p.m. at the corner of Vance St. and Dale Earnhardt Blvd. Vendors offer a wide variety of fresh, local produce, as well as meat, eggs, spices, crafts, and prepared foods and sauces. Friday, June 3 The Concord Duplicate Bridge face-to-face games through Concord Parks and Recreation at Hartsell Recreation Center, 60 Hartsell School Road, at noon. Cost is $5 per player. You must have a partner and provide proof of vaccination. Heavenly Hot Dogs at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, 301 Mount Olivet Road, will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free delivery for orders of more than $15, and takeout is available. Homemade desserts and chicken noodle soup are available. For more information, visit www.mtochurch.com or call 704-782-8846. Hot dogs at McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, will be sold along with fried bologna and barbecue sandwiches and desserts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 4 The Piedmont Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to noon at 518 Winecoff School Road. It features lots of local produce, meat, flowers and other products. New Gilead Reformed Church is hosting a hot dog sale and yard sale. The yard sale will be held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hot dogs and homemade desserts are available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., dine in or carry out. The church is located at 2400 Old Salisbury-Concord Road, Concord.

Got news or events?

Does your community group or nonprofit agency have an upcoming event that would be of interest to the public? Email it to mplemmons@independenttribune.com.
CONCORD  The Cabarrus Events Association will recognize seven winning pieces of art from its Salute to Essential Workers community poster contest during a ceremony on Thursday, May 12.

The ceremony will be held at the ClearWater Arts Center & Studios in Concord, where all youth artwork submitted through the contest is currently on display in the Main Gallery. The community is encouraged to visit the gallery and support the budding artists.

The Salute to Essential Workers community poster contest was held in conjunction with the TrueCare 93rd Concord Christmas Parade. Participants were encouraged to display their posters along the parade route to honor local essential workers. After the parade, entries were collected and reviewed by a panel of six judges comprised of local artists and members of the Cabarrus Art Guild. Seven winners from a total of 35 submissions were selected.

The following winners will receive a prize and an award certificate at the ceremony:

 Leah Mills, age 15

 Brooklyn Austin, age 6

 CJ Beckford, age 10

 Fletcher Krug, age 7

 London & Luke Troutman, fourth grade, first grade

 McKenzie Luckey, age 9

 Emmanuel Simmons, age 10

The winning artwork, along with all the poster submissions, are on display through May 12 at ClearWater Arts Center & Studios. The Centers gallery is open to drop-in visitors Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. However, community members are welcome to make an appointment to visit the gallery outside those hours by calling 704-784-9535.

Additionally, anyone who entered the poster contest and would like to keep their artwork can pick it up from ClearWater Arts beginning Friday, May 13. Participants will have up to two months to collect their artwork.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!  Matthew 18: 4, 5, 6, 7

Tuesday afternoon and it is actually almost warm. I do have my front door open. It seems the temperature fluctuates. When I got home this morning it was warm and humid. By noon there was a chilly wind. The morning rain we had early made me want to just stay in bed, but work must be done.

So I got up and went about my daily regimen. But you know what? I was so glad and thankful that I could. Praise God!

I wonder if anyone noticed the sky Saturday evening. It lookeddifferentto say the least. We were spared of a storm. We did get some rain and some of the raindrops hit the vent pipes pretty hard.

We watched what looked like a pretty severe (is that an oxymoron? Pretty severe?), anyway, it looked severe going around from the west to the north. The sky had a funny, reddish color. Was it hail?

Anyway, Saturday wasnt too bad. Sister Coro took us to Plainview Schools end of term program. We were so glad she did. Otherwise we might not have got there.

They had a very good program. The singing was so good and meaningful as were the poems the children recited. All the singing and recitations were from memory, of course.

We appreciate our dedicated teachers. They do a good job.

Once again, I was so thankful for the structure of our schools, as well as churches, etc. It is such a blessing that we have the privilege of having our own church schools. May we never abuse that privilege.

Our mom had her 94th birthday, so in honor of that we girls  Louise, Ferne, Barb and I  and friend Nancy Gates took Mom to Yoders Monday morning and ate breakfast with her.

I felt like I didnt have time and yet, one cant always keep his/her nose to the grindstone, now can we? So I actually enjoyed my time off.

Barb, Mom and I went out to Prairieland Greenhouse before coming home. Oh my! The flowers! They are so beautiful! But I restrained myself. I only bought one, a pink Mandevilla.

I had some time before I needed to pick up hubby. I couldnt go home and go back and it was too soon to go out to the workshop so I went to the library. Oh my! I hadnt been in there since the shutdown in 2020. They remodeled and is it ever nice. I forgot how much I like going to the library. But I think now Ill try to make time to go again.

I still picked up Erwin early and it was good that I did. A few minutes later and our corner probably would have been blocked off.

A semi-tanker with fertilizer couldnt make the turn and his tank ended up on its back in the ditch.

I was so distracted by all the hullaballoo by the corner. Erwin wanted coffee when we got home so I fixed, or rather started, a cup for him and yes, I got distracted. By the time I remembered it was almost cold. So I said Ill just heat water and add some hot water. Well, the teakettle almost boiled dry before I remembered, so I just started over fresh. And stayed with it until it was done.

We had all kinds of traffic at the corner, fire and rescue trucks, tow trucks, cop cars and backed up traffic for several hours.

I think they either need to redirect the semis or make the corner wider. Several years ago a milk truck laid his tank on the side. This winter, when the roads were snowy, a lumber semi made a wide turn and slid in the ditch. He wasnt totally on his side but almost.

I just went out to get the mail and yes, that wind is cold. Ill have to at least wear a sweatshirt when I go mow yard.

In closing: May we be strengthened by yesterdays rain, so straight into tomorrows wind and cherish each moment of the sunshine today.

Like ham loaf? Try these hamburgers

1 1/2 lb. fully cooked, boneless ham

1/4 lb. pork

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup crushed pineapple plus 3 Tblsps. juice

1 Tblsp. spicy brown mustard

1/4 Tsp. ground cloves

8 slices Swiss cheese

8 Kaiser rolls, split

2 large tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup honey mustard salad dressing

Pulse ham in food processor until finely ground. Mix with pork, eggs, cracker crumbs, sugar, pineapple and juice, mustard and cloves.

Shape into eight patties. Using fingertips make a shallow indentation in center of each patty so it remains flat while grilling. Refrigerate one hour.

Grill burgers, covered, over medium-high direct heat for 5-6 minutes; turn and grill another 3-4 minutes. Add a slice of cheese to each burger; grill, covered, until cheese melts, 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat when thermometer reads 160 degrees. Place a burger on bottom half of each roll; add tomato slices. Drizzle with honey mustard dressing. Replace top half of roll. If desired, serve with additional dressing.

Millie Otto of Arthur is a member of the Old Order Amish. Contact her by writing to 1584 CR 2000N, Arthur, IL 61911.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Make your house a home For the holidays: Get inspiring home and gift ideas  sign up now! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Flagship Chinese space telescope to unravel cosmic mysteries

Xinhua) 09:48, May 06, 2022

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China's flagship telescope, slated to be launched at the end of 2023, is expected to provide humankind with fresh knowledge about distant galaxies, mysterious dark matter and dark energy, and the past and future evolutions of the universe.

WIDE-FIELD TELESCOPE

Chinese Survey Space Telescope, also known as the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) and Xuntian Space Telescope, is a space-based optical observatory for astronomers to carry out sky surveys, capturing a general map or images of the sky.

The CSST is a bus-sized facility with a length equal to that of a three-storied building. It has an aperture of two meters, a bit smaller than the Hubble Space Telescope, but its field of view is 350 times larger than Hubble in area, said Liu Jifeng, deputy director of National Astronomical Observatories Of China (NAOC), in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"The field of view is the area of the sky a telescope can see at one time," said Li Ran, project scientist of the CSST Scientific Data Reduction System. Hubble's field of view is approximately one percent of the size of a fingernail at an arm's length, thereby the telescope, in its thirties, observed only a tiny fraction of the sky, Li added.

The CSST, under construction, has a three-mirror anastigmat design that helps it achieve superior image quality within a large field of view, according to the researchers.

Also, it is a Cook-type off-axis telescope without obstruction that can, in principle, achieve better precisions in photometry, position and shape measurements when properly sampled.

"It has an advantage for survey observations since it can scan a large part of the universe fairly quickly," said Zhan Hu, project scientist of the CSST Optical Facility.

The CSST will be installed with five instruments including a Survey Camera. The main focal plane of the camera is equipped with 30 81-megapixel detectors that will take images and spectra of roughly 17,500 square degrees of the median-to-high galactic latitude and median-to-high ecliptic latitude sky in multiple bands, according to the researchers.

Other four instruments mounted on the CSST are designed to observe individual objects or small fields, like mapping star-forming regions of the Milky Way, obtaining instantaneous color of fast varying objects such as comets and spinning asteroids, studying the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies and star formation in the nearby part of the universe, and direct imaging of exoplanets in the visible.

CSST is likely to be the largest space telescope for astronomy in the near-ultraviolet and visible in the decade before 2035, Zhan said.

Li used the analogy of photographing a sheep flock to explain CSST's capabilities. "Hubble may see a sheep but the CSST sees thousands, all at the same resolution," he said.

FLYING WITH SPACE STATION

The telescope, during its normal observations, will fly independently in the same orbit as China's space station but will maintain a large distance apart. China is scheduled to complete the in-orbit construction of its space station by 2022.

Zhan said the telescope was designed, in its initial plan, to be mounted on the space station, but there would be disadvantages such as vibration, potential contamination, stray light and line-of-sight obstruction from the space station. Later, a bold design was adopted -- putting the telescope in the orbit of the space station but keeping them far away from each other during normal operations and docking it with the space station when necessary.

The CSST can dock with the space station for refueling and servicing as scheduled or as needed, making its maintenance more affordable than Hubble.

The U.S. space agency NASA launched space shuttles in five servicing missions from 1993 to 2009 to perform repairs, replace parts and install new instruments for Hubble.

The CSST is expected to start scientific operations in 2024 and has a nominal mission lifetime of 10 years, which could be extended in principle.

UNRAVELING COSMIC MYSTERIES

The CSST will take pictures of 40 percent of the sky and transmit massive data back to the Earth that scientists all over the world can study, Li said, adding that its main objective is to address the most basic problems about the universe.

It will observe well over one billion galaxies and measure their positions, shapes and brightness which may help explain how those galaxies evolve.

"We have known that our universe is expanding with an acceleration and we can calculate its current expansion rate, but it's still unknown what causes the acceleration," said Li. "CSST observations may offer answers and unveil new physics."

The telescope will also be able to help determine the upper limit of neutrino mass and shed light on the mysterious dark matter and dark energy. They're believed to account for the majority of mass-energy content of the universe.

The versatile telescope can undertake many more intriguing studies such as drawing galactic dust map of the Milky Way, observing how super-massive blackholes are gobbling up surrounding materials, exploring exoplanets and discovering new peculiar celestial bodies.

"The orbital period of Uranus is more than 80 years. Hubble has made observation for many years. The CSST could continue the work to examine how Uranus moves in one complete period," Li said.

"The telescope can bring China's research in optical astronomy to the forefront of the world and help cultivate world-class Chinese scientists," Li added. "It can also take breathtaking visible pictures, allowing the public to directly feel and understand the universe."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
I have a confession when it comes to the culture war our society is mired in: I consider myself a pacifist on this front. As the battles rage on between the woke left and the anti-woke right, it seems clear to me that there will be no winners, only losers. Those losers are the majority of Americans, in the middle, who want a government that actually governs.

James Davison Hunters 1991 book, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, focused on the convergence of Christian fundamentalists, Orthodox Jews and conservative Catholics in a battle against their progressive counterparts for control of American secular culture, the book cover states. The culture wars have certainly evolved in the 31 years since. But at its heart, as always, is a struggle for Americas cultural identity.

The culture wars are a response to the conflict between the secularization of society and the values many Americans still adhere to. Then there are those who inflame these grievances and resentments for political gain. The culture wars are used as a cudgel for both the right and the left, who typically portray the other side as an existential threat to their very survival.

In March, Floridas Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, signed the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which reinforces parents rights to make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children. The bill prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and prohibits instruction that is not age appropriate for students and requires school districts to adopt procedures for notifying parents if there is a change in services from the school regarding a childs mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.

Critics of the bill started calling it the Dont say gay bill, even though there is no mention of the word gay in the bill. The bill is vague and would make it difficult for school districts and teachers to comply. As with most issues in our politics today, the bill came under a national spotlight.

After DeSantis signed the bill, woke employees of Disney World  the top employer in central Florida  demanded that the Walt Disney Corporation condemn the bill, and Disney Chief Executive Bob Chapek vowed to fight for its repeal. DeSantis retaliated by asking Florida lawmakers to repeal a provision, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, that gives Disney the right to govern itself like a city since 1967. Disney can raise its own revenues to pay for municipal infrastructure expenses like roads, water, waste services, and fire safety and ambulance services at Disney World. Reedy Creek also issues bonds and levies taxes on properties within its boundaries effectively on behalf of Disney. Those bonds total $1 billion.

If its revoked, the state of Florida acknowledges it will not be able to cover the improvement districts bond obligations. The new bill is slated to take effect on July 1, although the changes wont become enforceable until June 2023.

The losers in this current battle are the improvement districts 300 employees, who could lose their jobs, and the taxpayers who were warned that their property taxes may jump by 20% to cover the cost of the districts services.

I am by no means suggesting that our society should not be debating how to deal with change, to decide what is important to our communities, and to decide the values we want to hold. I am proposing that the culture wars be removed from politics.

When politicians and elected officials spend their time engaging in culture war issues, they stop spending their time on the pragmatic tasks of governing. I imagine there are plenty of Floridians who could identify far more urgent issues worth addressing.

Lynn Schmidt is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
President Joe Biden likes to say that we are locked in a global battle pitting democracy against autocracy.

In Seattle last week, he described a phone conversation he'd had with Xi Jinping in which the Chinese leader argued that democracy doesn't work anymore. Among other things, Xi said, democracy requires consensus, and mustering a consensus takes too long in a fast-moving world. Only autocracies are equipped to meet the extraordinary challenges of modern times.

Biden, as he does every time he tells the story, dismissed the idea that democracy is passe or unworkable.

But I've begun to wonder whether Xi might be on to something.

We Americans often treat our liberal democracy as a national religion, and routinely assert, as if no evidence were needed, that it is the most moral, just, effective and admirable system on Earth.

But few would deny that there's been some disturbing evidence to the contrary in recent years.

The Jan. 6 riot, of course, was a low point. Then there was the chaotic, inefficient, politicized response to the pandemic. The continuing legislative paralysis in Washington.

The strongest evidence of democracy's weakness, however, has got to be the tepid U.S. response to climate change over the last 25 years.

An epochal, Earth-threatening catastrophe is barreling toward us, poised to upend life as we know it. As one of the world's wealthiest countries and greatest historic emitters of carbon, we obviously should be leading an urgent and aggressive charge to protect the planet. But we're not.

Elected officials have no incentive to support policies that require pain and sacrifice today in exchange for future gain. Pay twice as much for gas? Don't drive? Don't fly? In most cases, courageous politicians who supported such policies would be voted out of office.

What's more, too many Americans believe the climate crisis is terribly exaggerated, despite a scientific consensus that it's not. This anti-intellectual strain has always existed in American political culture, but the number of science-skeptical voters seems to have grown during the Trump years.

Even post-Trump, we face a deep, bitter, partisan polarization. A dysfunctional Congress. An ongoing effort to undermine the 2020 election. An assault on voting rights.

Add to that a host of long-standing structural problems.

A system that allows congressional district lines to be manipulated for partisan advantage.

Campaign finance laws that let mega-rich Americans and giant corporations spend unlimited amounts to influence elections.

An anachronistic Electoral College and filibuster rules that are undermining the notion of majority rule.

And good luck fixing these problems. Making reforms and passing laws in a country this divided is extremely difficult, and amending the Constitution is nearly impossible. A newly empowered conservative Supreme Court won't make it easier.

In recent years, Freedom House, which rates and ranks democracies around the world, has downgraded the U.S. so that it now ranks close to Panama and Romania, and 10 points below "traditional peers" such as the United Kingdom and Germany.

And it's true that the United States has never lived up to its own lofty ideals. Liberty, equality, fairness, the evenhanded rule of law  these are aspirations, not yet achievements.

But here's the flip side: Despite democracy's glaring flaws, autocracy isn't the answer. Those who see hope in the Orbans, the Le Pens and the Trumps, much less in the Xis and Putins, should think again.

Freedom House, for the record, says China is "increasingly repressive" and is "tightening control over all aspects of life." Describing Russia, Freedom House refers to "loyalist security forces, a subservient judiciary, a controlled media environment, and a legislature consisting of a ruling party and pliable opposition factions."

These are not the conditions under which most people would choose to live. But beyond that, there's no evidence  despite Xi's assertions  that China or any other autocratic country has a much better track record on addressing climate change or solving its domestic problems.

The unsatisfying reality is that democracy is difficult work. Americans need to fix the Senate. Disentangle money and campaigns. Ban gerrymandering. Restore democratic norms.

To do so, citizens must understand the issues, vote their consciences, agitate for change  and act cooperatively, even with opponents.

We have a long distance to go (and with regard to climate change, very little time).

But democracy is a long-term project. It doesn't come wrapped in bright colors with a bow around it. You've got to fight for it.

Nicholas Goldberg is an associate editor for the Los Angeles Times.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Chief Justice John Roberts has confirmed the accuracy of a leaked document that revealed an initial majority vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. In that memo, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the 1973 case overturning restrictive state abortion laws was egregiously wrong from the start. So where do the 64 million babies aborted in the U.S. since that historic decision go for justice?

The leak of the SCOTUS internal document is hardly unprecedented, but it is rare, and the person who leaked it almost certainly had a political motive. Chief Justice John Roberts, whose vote was not revealed in the memo, must assemble the entire court, including clerks, and discover the one responsible for the leak. At a minimum they should be fired or prosecuted if they broke any law or violated any condition of employment.

Predictably, those supporting abortion were swift to react. Were they prepared for the leak? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued a joint statement in which they lamented the loss of a womans bodily autonomy. What about the babys bodily autonomy, especially those that have developed sufficiently to live outside the womb if given the chance?

Some believe that Roe has led to a modern version of Old Testament child sacrifices to pagan gods. Modern gods are more sophisticated. We worship pleasure and wrong decisions without consequences. The widespread availability of contraceptives, pregnancy help centers and adoption services for those who have unplanned pregnancies do not deter the pro-choicers. To them, abortion is a faux sacred rite.

Whats next? Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was quick to issue a statement calling on the Senate to get rid of the filibuster so a majority might codify Roe in legislative law.

Assuming the draft memo reflects the Supreme Courts intent  and especially if Chief Justice Roberts joins with the majority, making it a more substantial 6-3 outcome  there is the matter of enforcement. The issue will return to the states as things were prior to Roe. California and New York, along with some other states, will surely pass laws reflecting the content of Roe. Voters will then decide whether to punish or reward their legislators.

What about states that have  or will have  restrictive abortion laws, including outlawing the procedure in most or even all cases? Will women seeking an abortion within those states be arrested and prosecuted? Will those who perform them be similarly dealt with? An abortion pill is likely to become more widely available so that women who wish to abort at home wont have to visit a medical facility.

The media can be counted on to look for any situation featuring an arrested woman or abortion provider and craft it in a way that promotes the pro-choice position.

The hysterical reaction from many on the left again reveals their belief that they are the sole arbiters of all things and those who disagree must conform or be smeared with what have become familiar pejorative labels.

A Gallup survey in 2010, reported in USA Today, found that support for making abortion broadly illegal (was) growing fastest among young adults. This was a sharp change from the late 1970s, when seniors were substantially more likely than younger age groups to want abortion to be illegal. The number of pro-life young adults has likely grown in ensuing years, especially now that high-grade sonograms show details of the unborn child.

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe, it wont be the end of abortion, but it is likely to sharply reduce the number.

Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.
Kalvin Michael Smiths appeal of his conviction in the 1995 assault of Jill Marker at the former Silk Plant Forest store is in limbo.

The Forsyth County District Attorneys Office has declared a conflict, and the N.C. Attorney Generals Office, which has defended Smiths conviction in previous appeals since 2008, has declined to take on Smiths latest effort to prove his innocence, which was filed in Forsyth Superior Court in late November.

And at a hearing Thursday in Forsyth Superior Court, Assistant District Attorney Penn Broyhill said his boss, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill, has not had any success in getting prosecutors outside the county to take on the case. ONeill, Broyhill said, has also approached prosecutors with the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys, with no success.

(Jill Marker) and her family would like to be involved but without having counsel, whether outside our office or in, without a conflict, its hard to find a way to go forward, Broyhill said Thursday.

That also means Smiths third attempt in Forsyth Superior Court to prove he is innocent is, for now, stuck in place.

Smiths case represents the most prominent allegation of a wrongful conviction in Winston-Salem since Darryl Hunt was exonerated about 20 years ago for the murder of Deborah Sykes, a copy editor at The Sentinel, the citys former afternoon newspaper. Hunt killed himself in 2016, the same year that Smith, who has never been exonerated, was released from prison on a technicality.

In November, Smith filed an appeal known as a motion for appropriate relief, asking a judge to vacate his conviction based on newly discovered evidence of his innocence. That evidence includes a new witness who told the host of a 2016 MTV documentary that he and a friend saw a white man matching the description of Kenneth Lamoureux, a prime suspect in Markers attack for the first six months of the police investigation, carrying a Maglite flashlight and walking to the back of the store. Several other witnesses told police they saw a white man matching Lamoureuxs description in the Silk Plant Forest store or in the shopping center where the store was around on the day of the attack. Lamoureux had a history of violence and had been known to harass and stalk Marker in the months before the attack.

Winston-Salem police inexplicably dropped Lamoureux, who died in 2011, as a suspect after he moved to Charlotte.

The new appeal also said that Jenna Schopfer, a former supervisor at a daycare center where Marker also worked, talked to Marker minutes before the attack during which Marker told her that Lamoureux had come into the store to ask her out and that he became angry and stormed out when she refused. Before hanging up, Marker said, Hes here! Hes here! It appears that Marker was telling Schopfer that Lamoureux had come back into the store. Based on the evidence, Marker was attacked soon after that phone call, according to the appeal.

Marker, an assistant manager, was brutally beaten on Dec. 9, 1995, resulting in severe brain injuries that put her in a coma for a period of time. She lives in Ohio where she is under 24-hour care.

Jim Coleman, co-director of the Wrongful Convictions Unit at Duke University School of Law and Smiths attorney, wrote a letter to Senior Resident Judge Todd Burke, who ordered the Forsyth County District Attorney to submit a written response to the appeal by June 6.

Broyhill filed a motion asking for a six-month extension because outside counsel had not been obtained. Coleman opposed the motion.

Judge Michael A. Stone of Forsyth Superior Court extended the deadline to the week of Aug. 1 and scheduled a status conference on the week of June 6 to see where the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office was in getting outside prosecutors assigned to the case.

In court, Agustin Baler, a second-year law student at Duke who was allowed to argue on Smiths behalf in court Thursday, said Smiths attorneys are not opposed to an extension but that six months seems excessive. A prosecutor who doesnt have any conflict and is assigned to the case should decide on when to issue a written response. He said Broyhills motion was premature.

Broyhill said that no matter who is assigned the case will have to contend with the voluminous case file accumulated over the past 25 years since Smiths conviction.

He said ONeill contacted the N.C. Attorney Generals Office two weeks after Smiths appeal was filed and was told that the AGs office did not have sufficient staff to handle the case.

Mr. ONeill was surprised as anyone to find out that they didnt have the manpower to handle this case, he said.

Broyhill noted that Josh Stein is the current attorney general and that this comes a year after Stein beat ONeill for the office.

Nazneen Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Attorney Generals Office, did not respond Thursday to a request for comment.

Since his release from prison in 2016, Smith has been in and out of the Forsyth County Jail on a number of charges, including larceny, assault and drug possession. Smith also has a child with a woman he was eventually convicted of assault. Coleman has said that many of Smiths problems stem from his alleged wrongful conviction. Smith also has been homeless and has dealt with substance abuse.

He is currently in the Forsyth County Jail on misdemeanor larceny charges based on allegations that he stole liquor from an ABC store. Forsyth County prosecutors have indicted him for felony habitual misdemeanor larceny, and Coleman said Smith is being pressured into accepting a plea deal or facing more prison time if he is convicted at trial.

In either case, Mr. Smiths punishment will be enhanced by the erroneous conviction in this case, Coleman said in court papers.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the Journal asked various folks with local ties to reflect on a K-12 teacher who made an impact on their lives.

Carlos Bocanegra is a local musician and owner of Monstercade, a club on Acadia Avenue that bills itself as the Strangest Bar in North Carolina.

Bocanegra spent most of his formative years in Winston-Salem but also lived for a while in Peru. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, Bocanegra said there were very few Hispanics (and hardly any Peruvians) in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, making it difficult for him to fit in.

Janie Livengood, his 7th grade social studies teacher at what was then Ashley Middle School, recognized that he needed extra attention at a sensitive time in his life.

One day, she started talking about Black and white history, and so something clicked inside me, and I raised my hand and said, What about me? She stopped teaching and I could tell something clicked with her, and she started paying me a lot more attention. She started sending me to these special field trips with at-risk kids, and I heard from the principal that Mrs. Livengood said that I needed to go. And I remember being angry being placed with kids who were serious delinquents, like Why am I being singled out?

She was on me all the time, and I didnt understand why. My grades werent bad. What did I do? But the thing is, is that anger turned into determination for me. Something clicked with me. I am different and there was this determination not to fall into obscurity. I know my brown skin makes me different, and she recognized that and put special attention on me so that I can try to find out what I can be in life, the positive in being different and that you can do better than what you think you can.

I do know that she believed in me. As soon as I hit high school, I was my own person. I had confidence, and she was the person who planted that seed that its OK not to fit in.

Jennifer Solis is a Spanish teacher at Hanes Middle School and the 2021 Teacher of the Year in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Raised in the small town of Somerset, Pennsylvania, Solis was a hardworking student whose academic talent was nurtured by orchestra teacher, Melinda Forry, who taught her from grades 7-12 at Somerset Junior and Senior High School.

The impact she had on me did not end in the classroom. I played violin up to 10th grade and Ms. Forry saw I put so much work in it to be excellent on the instrument. But when you are a violinist, you have a lot of competition, and most of the kids I was up against (for first chair) had tons of private lessons. Ms. Forry asked me, Would you like to play viola? She wanted me to go to districts and tri-county. Well, if you know anything about stringed instruments, the viola is the only one played in the C-clef, so I had a whole new key signature to learn. My mom was like, I cant afford private lessons.

Ms. Forry had me come clean her house on weekends, just finding things for me to do, in exchange for private lessons. She went out to an auction and bought a viola for the school that she said I could use. So I used that viola, and I got to tri-county, and I made it to district and came one chair from going to the state, within two months of learning the instrument. I will always remember that kindness.

She was always looking out for you. She was like a guardian angel.

Chris Stamey is a musician and producer best known for his work with the dBs, a trailblazing indie pop band that included fellow Winston-Salem residents Peter Holsapple, Gene Holder and Will Rigby. Stamey published his memoir, A Spy in the House of Loud, in 2018.

Bob Smith, a music teacher at Reynolds High School, was an early mentor.

Bob Smith taught a real music theory course at Reynolds in the 70s. And changed my life. He wasnt sugarcoating it, either. It was Bach, Gershwin. And very pragmatic. I remember asking him, How do you modulate? and he said, simply, Find a way to get to the V7 of the new key. Aha! Brilliant. A door opened.

He was so clear, and so deep. I dont think I encountered anything new in music theory at UNC later for the first two years there. He opened up a new world for me, and Im forever grateful. There was only one time when I had to correct him. Coming from a jazz background, he thought song credits always listed the music guy first, lyricist second, so he felt sure that Lennon had written all the music for the Beatles, with McCartney supplying just the words.

Rebecca Alexander, a longtime professor of chemistry at Wake Forest University, grew up in the small town of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Though she was already excelling in science by the time she took Jane Persons advanced placement biology class at East Stroudsburg High School, Alexander credited Person with pushing her academically and serving as a role model for what a woman could accomplish in science.

Person, as Alexander recalled, was the only woman in the high schools science department. The two women still keep in touch through social media.

Because she taught both advanced students and basic biology and environmental science, I would say that she instilled in me, way before we used words like inclusive, to make sure everybody was educated, independent of their abilities or future path, and that we need well-informed citizen voters educated in science.

She enjoyed challenging us and talking about her farm. At the end of our senior year, she invited some of the seniors over for dinner. She embodied the whole person as a teacher. She gave us glimpses into her personal life as well as communicating knowledge.

I would say that she and her husband (Dick Person, a chemistry teacher at the same high school), encouraged us all to pursue our dreams to the best of our ability. I felt that support. I knew once I became a teacher, she was happy for me and proud of me.

Annette Scippio represents the East Ward on the Winston-Salem City Council. Born and raised in Winston-Salem, Scippio has worked in research in several corporations and has a long history of community service.

She said with a laugh that she had too many impactful teachers to name, but she narrowed her choice to Flonnie Anderson, a legendary teacher in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools who taught English and drama at several local schools. Scippio had her for English at Anderson High School, which served the citys Black community.

She was a Renaissance kind of woman. She didnt do anything traditionally. It was always with a flair. We would come into her room and you were transformed into a different environment. There was always something amazing for us every day. And it was like, You can do things that way? She was teaching us to be creative, to not be mediocre. Add some color, add some pizzazz to anything you do. I didnt grow up in that kind of atmosphere. My guardian was the school secretary. Everything was very regimented. But Ms. Anderson brought color and flavor, and I took that with me.

I found even in college if you stepped out, maybe not outside the boundaries, but you can go to the edge of things and do something different and not get in trouble, and the more color and flavor you brought to situations was more exciting for other people. She unleashed all of our possibilities.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Triad residents can expect stormy weather Friday with the threat of strong winds and hail  along with a possible tornado, forecasters say.

More than one round of severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes and damaging winds will likely roll through central North Carolina between 1 and 10 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

Rainfall will likely begin between 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Friday in Forsyth and Guilford counties with multiple storms and showers, said Chrissy Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. That weather will continue Friday afternoon and evening, she said.

The Triad could receive a quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain through Saturday, Anderson said. Wind gusts will reach 17 mph to 25 mph, and thunderstorms could produce 60 mph wind gusts, she said.

Hail could be a quarter-inch to 1 inch in size, Anderson said.

A warm front lifting to the north and a cold front moving east into the region will produce the stormy, unsettled weather, Anderson said.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
WALKERTOWN  David Long said he was overwhelmed on Thursday as he walked into a free home that he now owns without a mortgage, thanks to a partnership between Truist and the Military Warriors Support Foundation.

Long, a former U.S. Marine, got a law enforcement escort from Walkertown Fire Department to his new home just off Old Hollow Road, and stood in the front yard as an honor guard approached in uniforms with flags flying late Thursday morning.

After several speakers talked about his service to his country and handed the microphone to Long, he ventured to make some remarks himself, but had to stop as the tears came. Finally he simply told the crowd of more than 50 people standing in his front yard that he loved them.

Long wont have to worry about buying a lawn mower because a riding mower is on the way as part of the deal. Of course, hell have to decide things like where to put the couch, how to decorate the windows and what to hang on the walls.

Im just overwhelmed walking through the door, he said. Thats going to take some time, I guess.

A Truist official said it was the 13th house that the bank has given away mortgage-free by working with the Military Warriors group, which works across the nation to help combat-wounded veterans and families of veterans killed in action with programs that focus on housing, transportation, outdoor recreation and leadership development.

The group has provided more than 900 mortgage-free homes and over 130 payment-free vehicles in all 50 states.

Long served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 2005 to 2009 and was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was injured in Iraq. He received a Purple Heart, a Combat Action Ribbon and other awards. Since his return, he has worked with non-profit groups to help veterans struggling with physical and mental health challenges. He was recently voted junior vice commander of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, and likes skydiving, fishing and bike riding.

His mother, Connie Chandler, said Long has been living with her in Walkertown.

He said, Mom, theyre going to give me a house,  Chander recalled, describing how she found out. I was shocked, but Im glad. Im very thankful. God is truly blessing us. I was really, really shocked, but Im thrilled for David.

The program was supposed to include a parachute drop by a team flying over from All Veteran Group, but the wind conditions werent right for the group to land in Longs front yard.

But there were neighbors aplenty to come over, give Long a hug and a handshake, and promise to make him welcome in his new home.

Dena Lyerly, visiting with her husband Stan, said she realized during the event that her new neighbor Long was someone they had known for some 13 years.

We had no idea we were going to be neighbors, she said. When we saw his face, we had to rush up here. He is a great guy.

Longs father, also named David Long, said more veterans should be getting the help that his son received with the new house.

It is a good program that they are doing, he said, as he waited for his son to arrive.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A recent report on the state of the UNC System drawn by the American Association of University Professors  a prestigious and influential national academic group  affirms what some have been saying for a while now. But theres nothing about the confirmation that feels good.

The University of North Carolina System is in trouble, the report reads. And not the kind of trouble that record enrollments or good rankings can fix. It is the kind of trouble that festers and spreads.

Its trouble that began in 2010 after Republicans took control of the state legislature and began to tinker with the UNC System  trouble that has diminished the reputation and operations of our educational flagship.

Many in the majority believed that the system, governed for decades by Democratic-leaning appointees, had become dominated by what they considered out-of-control liberalism to the detriment of conservative viewpoints, the report says. They saw the UNC board of governors, with its broad agenda-setting powers, as the key to transforming the university system.

And they turned that key.

The 38-page report, the result of a thorough investigation that involved interviews with more than 50 faculty members, current and former administrators and trustees, as well as members of the systems Racial Equity Task Force, codifies incidents that include:

Outgoing Republican Gov. Pat McCrory signing legislation that stripped his Democratic successor, Roy Cooper, of the power to make appointments to campus-level boards, resulting in near-total Republican legislative control of the university system.

Forcing the resignation of system President Thomas Ross  a Democrat  in 2015 despite finding no fault in his performance.

Forcing the resignation of his replacement, former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, a George W. Bush Cabinet member, three years later for being insufficiently conservative.

Banning Chapel Hills law school from participating in litigation, an invaluable tool for training attorneys.

Meddling in the appointments of university leadership  exemplified in the 2021 selection of Darrell T. Allison as chancellor at Fayetteville State University, despite his absence from the official search committees list.

The report also cites heavy-handed attacks on COVID procedures and academic freedom.

But even worse is the reports analysis of racial tension being fed on UNC System campuses, exemplified by the poor handling of incidents surrounding Silent Sam, the Confederate soldier statue at Chapel Hill, as well as the turmoil around the job offered to The New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. The report concludes that racism is institutionalized in the system.

House Speaker Tim Moore responded to the report in a statement, saying, Our State Constitution gives the legislature the sole responsibility to govern the university system, and Republican members of the General Assembly will always ensure that the voices of the taxpayers across this state who fund U.N.C. are heard in its governance.

While hes right about the first part, Moores claim of sole responsibility puts the second in doubt. The Republican-led legislature has often used its ability to govern to ignore the voices of taxpayers  and of UNC representatives, including academic staff and faculty.

That higher-education institutions are overly liberal is a deeply ingrained conservative belief.

But prior to the 2010 shift, the legislature usually sought to make appointments of political moderates and to maintain a degree of partisan balance on the university boards it oversaw, respondents told investigators. The legislatures clumsy attempt to season UNCs character has been detrimental to its reputation and its ability to serve the states residents. Rather than accomplish their stated goal of making UNC less political, legislators have made it more so.

The American Association of University Professors has no binding authority, but others pay attention to its reports  including academics and administrators we may want to lure to the state in the future.

We need to make sure there is not a single party that is unilaterally controlling the Board of Governors and boards of trustees, Michael C. Behrent, a professor of history at Appalachian State University in Boone, who heads the North Carolina chapter of the organization, told The New York Times.

The first public university in the United States, the UNC System has grown to include 17 major campuses with a record enrollment of 244,000 students in 2021. Its still a powerhouse.

But its a powerhouse in decline  a decline that will only increase if legislators dont take this warning to heart and change course.
Persecuted Christians Struggle To Practice Their Faith in Iran

Assyrian Christian women praying in Mart Maryam Church in Urmia, Iran. ( Ehsan Soleimanpour/Wikipedia Commons) Ali Shahvari grew up in a traditional and religious Muslim family in Iran. He was devoted to his country to the extent that he twice volunteered to fight on the front lines in the devastating Iran-Iraq War. But after one of his brothers was killed and another wounded in the 1980-88 conflict, he turned to drugs.

Two decades later he found salvation on satellite television. After initially questioning the messages of Jesus Christ broadcast in Persian from abroad, Shahvari eventually converted to evangelical Christianity under a new name, Iman (Faith).

But his path resulted in multiple arrests, a year in detention, and charges of blasphemy, acting against national security, and engaging in evangelical activity with the aim of attracting others to "deviant thoughts."

That is because it is illegal for Muslims to convert in Iran, where unrecognized religious minorities are barred from assembling.

Article 18, a London-based nonprofit organization that promotes religious freedom in Iran and advocates on behalf of its religious minorities, has documented the experiences of many who, like Shahvari, were forced to flee abroad to pursue their religious beliefs or who remain and are persecuted in Iran.

The organization's latest annual report, produced jointly with other religious advocacy groups, reports more than 120 incidents of arrest, detention, or imprisonment of Christian converts, Iran's largest Christian community.

The joint report says that one of the most striking trends in 2021 was the increased involvement of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the crackdown on Persian-speaking Christians. The IRCG was responsible for 12 of the 38 documented incidents of arrests of Christians or raids on their homes or house churches in 2021.

The report covering 2020-21 also notes the Iranian authorities' increased focus on cracking down on evangelism online, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advancing a so-called "cyberarmy" to "protect" the Islamic republic from perceived threats.

Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Twelver Jafari School of Shi'ite Islam was named as Iran's official religion under the constitution, which also states that all Iranian laws be derived and consistent with Islamic doctrine.

Three minority religions -- Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity -- are constitutionally recognized, but others are not and their followers are barred from holding services or possessing religious materials in Persian. That includes Christian coverts, who are not considered indigenous Christians.

"Indigenous Christians are mostly from Armenian, Assyrian, and Catholic churches, with some belonging to the Assemblies of God denomination," said Kiri Kankhwende of the U.K.-based religious advocacy organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which also contributed to the report. "While several converts have joined the Assemblies of God denomination, others belong to various evangelical house-church networks."

In February 2021, Iranian lawmakers amended Articles 499 and 500 of the Penal Code, paving the way for converts to be handed sentences of five years in prison for "engaging in propaganda that educates in a deviant way contrary to the holy religion of Islam."

CSW's Kankhwende told RFE/RL that the "situation remains bad and alarming" for Christian converts in Iran, and that the trend of arrests "is ongoing."

Last month alone, there was a raft of cases involving Christian converts.

Among them were the sentencing of three Christian Iranian men by the Rasht Revolutionary Court to five-year prison terms for "propaganda activities" related to their alleged teachings of a "deviant sect."

Two of the three members of the non-Trinitarian Church of Iran -- Ayub Purrezazadeh and Ahmad Sarparast -- were arrested in September in an IRGC raid on their house church. The third, Morteza Mashoodkari, was arrested the same month at his home.

Article 18 said that efforts by prosecutors to cast the three as "Satan-worshippers" due to their interpretation of the Trinity appeared to be "an obvious attempt to vilify the group and lessen public sympathy for them."

Fariba Dalir, a 51-year-old Christian convert who was arrested in the summer of 2021 along with six others, began serving a two-year sentence on April 16 for "acting against national security by establishing and leading an evangelical Christian church."

Dalir was sent to Tehran's notorious Evin prison the day before Easter. Four of the others, including her husband, were sentenced to 10 months in prison for membership of the banned church.

Another woman, Sakineh (Mehri) Behjati, was sent the same day to serve a two-year prison sentence at Evin prison on charges of "acting against national security" through her involvement with a house church. She was reportedly later allowed to transfer to another facility in the northern city of Rasht so she could be closer to her young child.

Following the arrest of Christian convert Rahmat Rostamipur in Bandar Anzali, a city on the Caspian Sea, on April 20 by 12 Intelligence Ministry agents, his wife was also summoned and interrogated and materials including Bibles were taken from their home, according to RFE/RL's Radio Farda. Rostamipour has yet to be formally charged with a crime.

And in late April, an Iranian Christian pastor who was initially sentenced to death for "apostasy" but subsequently given a reduced sentence for promoting "Zionist Christianity," was returned to prison after a brief furlough following a coronavirus outbreak in his ward at Evin prison.

The UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has criticized the imprisonment of Yusef Nadarkhani of the Protestant Evangelical Church of Iran. It said Nadarkhani was legitimately exercising his religious freedoms, was discriminated against, and that he was not granted a fair trial or due process.

CRW's Kankhwende says that Christian converts charged under the revised Penal Code have limited legal recourse. "Depending on many circumstances, including financial resources, some are allowed to employ lawyers," she said. "But it is not always possible for the lawyers to represent their clients properly."

There have been cases of apparent leniency. In what was seen as a positive development, the Supreme Court ruled last year that the prison sentences of nine converts should be reviewed because their practicing of Christianity in a house church did not fit the verdict that they had harmed national security.

And some converts were temporarily released from prison last year over Christmas, and others, such as Pastor Nadarkhani, were granted furloughs due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has harshly impacted Iran's overcrowded prisons.

But such incidents, according to Kankhwende, "depend largely at the discretion of the secret police and the supreme leader and are sometimes influenced by Iran's relationships with the international community and the impression it wishes to convey."

Iran has also been widely criticized abroad for the treatment of its recognized religious minorities, including obstructions that prevent members of faiths from attending services conducted in their native Persian.

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, in his latest report expressed concern over the "continued repression of religious minorities, including through the forcible closing of houses of worship on national security grounds."

Rehman cited cases of pressure against Sunni Muslims, members of the Baha'i community, and the arrests of Christian converts despite the Iranian government's statements that religious minorities were respected and Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians were constitutionally free to perform their religious rites.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2022 redesignated Iran as a "country of particular concern," in part because it continues to "arrest, charge, sentence, and jail scores of Christians on charges including 'propaganda against the regime.'"

Numerous efforts have been launched in support of religious minorities in Iran, including a statement released in May by 25 Iranian Christians condemning Tehran's deprivation of Persian-speaking Christians' right to work.

Others, such as the online campaign #Place2Worship, decry the hurdles placed in the way of Iranian believers who want to attend religious services in their own language, giving them no option but to worship in private homes.

Until Iranian converts can practice their religion freely in their home country, many are expected to seek sanctuary abroad.

Atena Fooladi Helabad, whose experiences were documented by Article 18 in March, told the organization that after she and fellow church members were sentenced to one year in prison, she had no choice but to flee.

After seven years abroad, she said, "I feel like a child separated from its mother, having been separated from Iran."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

Michael Scollon is a senior correspondent in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom in Prague.
A 27-year-old Lincoln man was sentenced on Thursday to up to 40 years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at his central Lincoln home last summer, according to court filings.

Brandt Mullen had pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault and felony child abuse after he was arrested for the crimes in August.

On Thursday, a Lancaster County judge sentenced the Lincoln man to 25 to 40 years for the sexual assault conviction and one to three years for child abuse, according to filings. Mullen, who has been incarcerated since his arrest, received credit for 275 days served.

The two prison stints will run concurrently, and Nebraska's good time law will allow Mullen to be released in 2041, barring any violations that result in revocation of good time earned. He will be parole eligible in 12 years.

The sentence comes more than nine months after a 14-year-old girl told police she and her 15-year-old friend met Mullen while riding a city bus, and he invited them back to his house near 23rd and G streets to smoke marijuana, police said in court records.

Only the 15-year-old entered the house with Mullen, Lincoln Police Investigator Robert Norton said in the affidavit for Mullen's arrest. The 15-year-old later told her friend that she had been having sex with Mullen since first meeting him, Norton said.

Officers went to Mullen's house on July 25, where he said he knew the 15-year-old but had never had sex with her, according to the affidavit.

Mullen told police the 15-year-old wasn't in his house, but officers detained him and entered the home, where they found the girl, who later told investigators Mullen had sexually assaulted her and threatened to hurt her if she told anyone, Norton said in the affidavit.

The 27-year-old was arrested Aug. 4 and taken to the Lancaster County jail, where he remained until Thursday, when he was transferred into the custody of the state corrections department.

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

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
There's not a lot the attorneys disagree with at a murder trial that started Thursday over a fatal shooting in a Lincoln apartment last September.

The prosecution and defense both agree Lendell Harris, 24, shot Alonzo Jones, 28, twice in the chest, one of the bullets going through his heart and killing him in less than a minute.

The issue? One side says it's second-degree murder and the other says it's self-defense.

"Control, opportunity and reason. That's what this case is about," Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amy Goodro told the jury in opening statements Thursday afternoon.

She said on the morning of Sept. 5, Jones left for work at Spreetail, but was promptly sent home.

When he returned to the Tanglewood Apartments near 44th and R streets, where he lived with the mother of his child, he was surprised to find her in the bathroom getting ready to smoke marijuana with Harris, who also was seeing her.

Jones forced the bathroom door open and shoved Harris into the living room.

"When suddenly Mr. Harris fires two shots into Mr. Jones' chest," Goodro said.

She said Harris had lost control and seized an opportunity to control the situation, to control Jones, and to rid his life of him.

Goodro called his reaction to the situation "wholly unreasonable."

Defense attorney Michael Fitzpatrick agreed Harris was the one that pulled the trigger on the Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun he brought pretty much everywhere.

"What trial should prove, what we anticipate it will prove, is very much the same thing that the state is alleging. But for the fact my client had no intent to kill anybody," Fitzpatrick said.

He said Harris feels terrible that Jones lost his life.

Fitzpatrick said Harris was trying to walk out the door, but Jones, who had 50 pounds on him, was enraged, spun him around and went for his gun.

"This was a split-second thing and he (Jones) obviously was not thinking clearly because he was so upset and rightfully so. Who could possibly blame him?" he said.

He said Harris shot for one reason.

"Mr. Jones was going for his weapon and my client was reasonably afraid that if Mr. Jones got that weapon he was going to turn around and use it against him," Fitzpatrick said.

Trial is set to last about a week.

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

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
He sits solitary on the front porch of the most famous literary home in Nebraska, bundled in a purple ski jacket to endure the too-cold April morning.

The fact that hes perched on Willa Cathers childhood porch on a frigid Monday gives Tim Youd away as an outsider. So does the GoPro hes harnessed to his chest to video-record his work.

But its what Youd is doing that grabs the attention of the stray motorist driving down Cedar Street in Red Cloud  or would, if the driver glanced toward Willas house, rolled down a window and heard a sound from a bygone era.

Clack-clack-clackclackclack-clack. Ping!

Youd is typing on an Oliver Model 3 typewriter, believed to be the model Cather herself used. Hes retyping Cathers The Song of the Lark,  every word of it  during his 19-day trip to this 1,000-person Nebraska town, the place Cather grew up and mined for characters and scenes for her most well-known books.

He is typing on this April morning in Red Cloud like he has typed another Cather classic in Lincoln, and will in early May type a third in Omahas Old Market. Hes rewriting the entire thing on a single sheet of paper, banging the same keys to the same parchment again and again until Cathers words bleed together, indistinguishable.

It has become an ocean of black ink bordered in white. It has become a work of art  the 73rd novel Youd has retyped during his 100 Novels Project, equal parts performance art and one mans decade-long literary meditation.

Hes on Page 360. His typewriter clacks, blending with the birds chirping in the nearby city park and the occasional semi-truck rumbling down the brick Main Street. Then its quiet. Only the sound of the typewriter pierces the small-town silence.

Sixty pages left.

When I started this, I didnt know it was going to be 100 novels, he says as he continues to type Cather on the front porch where little Willa once played. I didnt even know it was gonna be two.

The idea came to him as he was visiting Ernest Hemingways house in Key West, the one famous for the six-toed cats still roaming the grounds. Youd visited like so many others, another tourist checking an obligatory box on his Key West journey.

It made him a little depressed. It made him think: What is a literary pilgrimage, really? What can truly bring me closer to a great writer?

Then Youd read that Hunter S. Thompson retyped The Great Gatsby so he could know what it felt like to write a great novel.

So Youd sat down and retyped Thompsons Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

He found himself reading the book more closely than he had before. He felt connected to the book, his brain, his fingers.

Your senses can become totally activated when you do this, he says. I can find almost a euphoric state when Im fully engaged. Its the greatest high you can have.

He decided to do it again. He got an idea: Maybe he could use the typewriter of the author he was retyping. He got another idea: Maybe he should travel to the spot where the great novelist wrote, lived, came of age.

He went to a Brooklyn sidewalk, around the corner from where Henry Miller grew up. He began to type Millers Tropic of Capricorn. He put out a sign that asked people not to disturb him.

Within an hour, he took the sign down.

I realized that people wanted to talk, that conversation and curiosity was a part of this. Thats what books do.

And now: Some of the best conversations in my life have been talking about a book.

He has been doing this for more than a decade. He has retyped the Bukowski novel Post Office outside the Los Angeles post office where Bukowski hated to work.

He retyped Hemingways A Farewell to Arms at the Italian hotel where Hemingway recuperated after being wounded during World War I. He has retyped William Faulkner at Faulkers Mississippi house and Raymond Chandler at Chandlers California house and Virigina Woolf at Woolfs English cottage.

He has typed in a prison tower at Sing-Sing and on a bridge in Big Sur and on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Word of the project reached Karin Campbell, a curator of contemporary art at Omahas Joslyn Art Museum.

In March 2020, she and the LA artist began to talk about a Cather-inspired trip to Nebraska. Youd had long ignored Cather, thinking she wrote, Little House on the Prairie stuff.

Then, on a recommendation from a friend, he decided to read O Pioneers.

He realized he loved it.

Cather isnt some fussy fiction writer. She really gets right at it. Its profound. Its moving, he said of O Pioneers. Its a sex and murder story!

Then COVID-19 hit, the world shut down, and Youd found himself retyping novels alone in his studio.

Campbell got an idea. The Joslyn was closing for its massive expansion and remodeling in May 2022. What if Youd came then, to show Nebraskans that the Joslyn could still connect the public to art, even with the museum closed?

This is literally right on the street, and anyone who wanders by can connect to this experience, Campbell said. The reality of performance is you can only plan it so much. When you put it in a public space, it changes the rules. Each one becomes distinct.

In early April, Youd typed My Antonia in Lincoln, often while sitting in the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Willa Cather Archive.

In early May, hes re-typing O Pioneers in the Old Market, surrounded by street performers and both Omahans and tourists curious about the typewriter and the man using it.

In between his trips to Nebraskas two biggest cities, he journeyed to Red Cloud. There, he re-typed The Song of the Lark at Cathers childhood home, and also at homes that feature prominently in her books.

On one of the nicest days, he moved his typewriter to the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie. Alone save for a photographer, he typed surrounded by 600 acres of never-plowed ground. He typed surrounded by native grasses blowing in the spring wind.

Back at the Cather childhood home on this April Monday, he is clacking away, typing two-fingered. The frigid morning has turned warmer, sunnier. As he types, he talks about how he has given the better part of his adult life to this project. How he has become obsessed with typewriters. How he has become a much better reader, focusing on the authors words and intent.

He estimates that the 100 Novels Project will take six more years to complete. Maybe he will finish in New York City, Los Angeles, London.

But he likes it here in Red Cloud, where the only sounds are the birds and his typewriter. Where you can close your eyes and imagine Cather herself typing away.

I wanted to get as close to her as I possibly could, he says as he sits on her childhood front porch. And I feel very close to her right here.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration sought Friday to downplay the role of American intelligence in the high-profile sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, distancing itself from any direct role in one of the greatest embarrassments for Russia since it attacked Ukraine.

A day after an American official confirmed that the U.S. provided Ukraine with information on the location of the ship, the White House and Pentagon described a limited role and said the Ukrainians make their own decisions.

The effort reflected the fine line President Joe Biden walks as he touts support for Ukraine, while fighting off criticism he isnt doing enough and simultaneously trying to avoid dragging the U.S. into a direct conflict with Russia.

We had no prior knowledge of Ukraines intent to target the ship, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case. 

Asked about reports that about U.S. providing intelligence on the Moskva, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Ukraine receives relevant and timely intelligence from the U.S., but also gets assistance from other nations and makes its own decisions about how to use it.

And if they do decide to do something with that intelligence, then they make the decisions about acting on it, Kirby said.

Amid strong, bi-partisan support for Ukraine, the administration has provided more than $3.4 billion in military assistance, and U.S. forces are actively training Ukrainian troops in the use of howitzers, drones and other hardware in a war now focused on the eastern Donbas region of the country.

But American officials insist this is a fight launched by President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine, not a proxy war with the U.S. and the intelligence assistance stays within these limits.

The Pentagon spokesman said the U.S. did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information on the Moskva and had no advanced knowledge of last month's targeting of the ship, the flagship of Russias Black Sea Fleet

We provide them what we believe to be relevant and timely information about Russian units that will allow them to adjust and execute their self-defense to the best of their ability," Kirby said. The kind of intelligence that we provide them, it's legitimate, it's lawful, and its limited.

An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the Moskva using its own anti-ship missiles. But given Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. has provided a range of intelligence that includes locations of those ships, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Biden administration has ramped up intelligence sharing with Ukraine alongside the shipment of arms and missiles to help it repel Russia's invasion. The disclosure of U.S. support in the Moskva strike comes as the White House is under pressure from Republicans to do more to support Ukraine's resistance and as polls suggest some Americans question whether President Joe Biden is being tough enough on Russia.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February, the White House has tried to balance supporting Ukraine, a democratic ally, against not doing anything that would seem to provoke a direct war between Putin and the U.S. and NATO allies. As the war has gone on, the White House has ramped up its military and intelligence support, removing some time and geographic limits on what it will tell Ukraine about potential Russian targets.

The official who spoke Thursday said the U.S. was not aware that Ukraine planned to strike the Moskva until after they conducted the operation.

Speaking earlier Thursday after a New York Times report about the U.S. role in supporting Ukraine's killing of Russian generals, Kirby said American agencies "do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intel that they themselves are gathering and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions," Kirby said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russias invading forces.

Biden said the latest spending means his administration has nearly exhausted what Congress authorized for Ukraine in March and called on lawmakers to swiftly approve a more than $33 billion spending package that will last through the end of September.

We are sending the weapons and equipment that Congress has authorized directly to the front lines of freedom in Ukraine, Biden said in a statement. U.S. support, together with the contributions of our Allies and partners, has been critical in helping Ukraine win the battle of Kyiv and hinder Putins war aims in Ukraine.

A U.S. official said the latest tranche of assistance includes 25,000 155mm artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, jamming equipment, field equipment and spare parts.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

 50 more civilians rescued from besieged Mariupol steel plant

 UN council backs UN chiefs peace effort in its first action

 Europes farmers stir up biogas to offset Russian energy

 With Ukraines ports blocked, trains in Europe haul grain

 US seeks to downplay role in sinking of Russian warship

 Jill Biden brings thanks, ketchup to US troops in Romania

Follow all AP stories on Russias war on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

UNITED NATIONS  The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted its first statement since Russias military action began Feb. 24, expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The short statement adopted at a brief meeting Friday does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it. Russia, which holds veto power in the council, has blocked all previous attempts to adopt a statement or resolution.

Instead, the statement expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

During recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv, Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and the Azovstal steel plant where the last Ukrainian forces are holding out along with hundreds of civilians in underground bunkers.

ROME  The Italian finance minister has adopted a decree that will impede a mega-yacht from sailing away from a Tuscan port, after investigation indicated the luxury vessel Scheherazade has links to prominent elements of the Russian government.

The finance ministry also said in statement Friday evening that the probe, carried out by Italys financial police corps, found significant economic business links of the beneficial owner of the Scheherazade as well to other subjects included in a list issued in 2014 as part of European Union measures prompted by Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

There have been fears that the 140-meter (459-foot) long yacht, which has been in dry dock in the port of Marina di Carrara, was preparing to sail out of Italian waters soon. Based on the Italian investigation, Minister Daniele Franco adopted a freezing decree regarding the yacht, which flies the flag of the Cayman Islands and which had long been under the attention of the authorities, the statement said.

A few weeks after Russias war against Ukraine began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a speech to Italian lawmakers, urged Italy to continue freezing assets of Russian oligarchs and officials. He cited by name the Scheherazade, which, according to some reports, belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Italian ministry statement didnt identify the boats owner nor specify who are the prominent elements of the Russian government. But it said the actual owner of the Scheherazade should be included in the 2014 EU sanctions list.

KYIV, Ukraine  The regional governor says one person was reported dead and three more were injured Friday as a result of Russian shelling in Lyman, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

Russia is killing civilians! On May 6, as a result of Russian shelling, one civilian of the Donbas was killed in Lyman. Three more people were injured, Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post.

The Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, encompasses the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Kyrylenkos claims could not be immediately verified.

KYIV, Ukraine  A top official from Ukraines interior ministry has warned against the activation of saboteurs and other criminal elements in the lead-up to Russias Victory Day on Monday.

Speaking to Ukraines state-run Ukrinform agency, First Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin said authorities were carrying out special operations in a number of Ukrainian cities to prevent possible provocations.

We receive information about the potential shelling of peaceful territories, and therefore I appeal to every Ukrainian, especially these days, not to ignore air raid sirens, he added.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

Fifty civilians were evacuated Friday from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.

In a statement, the Russian Interdepartmental Humanitarian Response Center says the 50 civilians include 11 children.

Ukraines deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, also said 50 civilians left the plant without giving a breakdown of how many were children.

Both Vereshchuk and the Russian body said the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal will continue Saturday.

Ukrainian fighters holed up at the sprawling complex are making their last stand to prevent Moscows complete takeover of the strategic port city.

UNITED NATIONS  Members of the United Nations Security Council, including Russia, have agreed on a statement expressing strong support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute in Ukraine.

The council scheduled a meeting later Friday to adopt the brief statement, which would be the first approved by the U.N.s most powerful body since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

It does not mention a war, conflict or invasion as many council members call Russias ongoing military action, or a special military operation as Moscow refers to it.

The statement, drafted by Norway and Mexico, expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine and recalls that all member states have undertaken, under the Charter of the United Nations, the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the evacuation of civilians, first and foremost from the besieged southeastern port city of Mauripol and its last Ukrainian forces holdout at the Azovstal steel plant where hundreds of civilians are also still living in underground bunkers.

The U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross have carried out two successful evacuations from Mariupol and surrounding areas so far and are currently trying to arrange a third from the steel plant.

Russian state agencies reported that two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Ukraines industrial east both appointed extraordinary ambassadors to Moscow on Friday.

Olga Makeeva, the deputy chair of the legislative assembly of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, was chosen by the territorys Russia-backed government as its representative. Her counterpart from the Luhansk Peoples Republic is Rodion Miroshnik, a foreign policy adviser to the separatist territorys leader.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman condemned the appointments, saying Makeeva and Miroshnik will likely face criminal punishment for high treason.

Its a country of crooked mirrors. Russia has created pseudo-republics. It appointed ambassadors, from itself to itself These diplomats will face the most severe responsibility. As will other traitors, Oleg Nykolenko wrote in a Telegram post Friday.

The Russian foreign ministry has released a statement congratulating Makeeva and Miroshnik on taking office, wishing them success in establishing and developing multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries.

KYIV, Ukraine  Officials from Ukraines national security council warned residents Friday against the increased risk of shelling on Sunday and Monday, coinciding with Russias Victory Day celebrations.

A Facebook post published on the profile of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation, under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, urged Ukrainians not to ignore air raid sirens.

Since Russian troops cannot boast of any significant achievements on the front by Victory Day, the risk of massive shelling of Ukrainian cities these days is increasing, the post said.

Separately on Friday, Kyivs mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said authorities will not be extending the curfew in Kyiv; one has already been introduced. But street patrols would be reinforced.

Moscow commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 9 each year.

AIR FORCE ONE  White House press secretary Jen Psaki says President Joe Biden will meet virtually with other Group of Seven leaders Sunday along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The virtual meeting will occur just before Russias Victory Day on Monday. Psaki says the date of the meeting is significant because it shows the unity of the allies ahead of a day when Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped to mark his victory over Ukraine. But Russia has been bogged down by Ukrainian forces and hampered by financial and trade sanctions.

Speaking Friday aboard Air Force One, Psaki says the G7 countries will discuss the war, its global impact, Ukraines future and building on the existing sanctions.

Psaki says she does not have any additional sanction details to share.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian army said Friday it had made progress in the northeastern Kharkiv region, recapturing five villages and part of a sixth.

As a result of the offensive by units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, control was restored over the settlements of Aleksandrovka, Fedorovka, Ukrainka, Shestakovo, Pobeda and part of the village of Cherkassky Tishki, said a Facebook post published Friday afternoon on the official profile of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A village in Russias southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, is being evacuated due to shelling from Ukrainian territory, the regional governor said Friday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that as of Friday afternoon, fewer than 30 people remained in the village of Nekhoteevka, located directly next to a border crossing.

We have already taken most of the residents to a safe place, he said, adding that five houses had been damaged by shelling. His post featured two photos of what appeared to be the same damaged building.

The accuracy of Gladkovs claims could not be immediately verified, nor did his post specify the number of people currently living in Nekhoteevka. Russias 2010 census referenced the village as having 145 permanent residents.

KYIV, Ukraine  The Ukrainian governor of the eastern Luhansk region accused Russian troops Friday of terrorizing residents of a frontline city as they try to advance across the Seversky Donets River.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Haidai said more than 3,500 residents of the city of Kreminna had found themselves in Russian-controlled territory.

The captured city is teeming with Russian military equipment. Fighting is going on in the vicinity, he wrote. The Russians are terrorizing the population in every possible way: from checking phones to forcibly disappearing Ukrainian patriots.  Almost every house has been looted.

He added that Kreminna suffered from food and electricity shortages and that mobile communications had been shut down.

The accuracy of his statements could not be immediately verified.

SONCHAMP, France  In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europes fight to free itself from Russian gas.

Theyll soon turn on the tap of a new facility where crops and agricultural waste are mashed up and fermented to produce biogas. Its among energy solutions being promoted on the continent that wants to choke off funding for Russias war in Ukraine by no longer paying billions for Russian fossil fuels.

Small rural gas plants that provide energy for hundreds or thousands of nearby homes arent  at least anytime soon  going to supplant the huge flows to Europe of Russian gas that powers economies, factories, business and homes. And critics of using crops to make gas argue that farmers should be concentrating on growing food  especially when prices are soaring amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine, one of the worlds breadbaskets.

Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of how to reduce Europes energy dependence.

TURIN, Italy  Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestras upbeat, melodic entry for this months Eurovision Song Contest was written as a tribute to the frontmans mother.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland.

Stefania is the most-watched song on YouTube among the 35 national entries that are slated to compete when the Eurovision contest takes place next week in Turin, an industrial city in northern Italy.

While some oddsmakers and data analysts have predicted other contestants will win, the song by Kalush Orchestra is quickly becoming a sentimental favorite.

Ill always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed, Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote in the lyrics for Stefania.

His words have become more poignant as missiles pound Ukrainian cities and villages, forcing more than 11 million to flee since Russia invaded the country.

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines deputy prime minister said Friday that 41 more Ukrainians were released that day in a prisoner swap with Russia.

Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram that the 41 people who've been returned include 28 military personnel and 13 civilians.

MOSCOW  Russia has no intention of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday, a day after Moscows top diplomat in the U.S. chided Western officials for targeting it with baseless accusations.

Russia firmly abides by the principle that there can be no victors in a nuclear war and it must not be unleashed, Alexey Zaitsev said. He added that Russian nuclear doctrine does not envisage any scenarios for potential strikes which would apply to Moscows military goals in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Zaitsev added that any provocations whatsoever can be expected from Ukraine and the West, and that Russia has to be ready for any development in the media space and directly on the ground.

His statement echoed remarks made by Russias ambassador in Washington on Thursday.

In an interview with Newsweek, Anatoly Antonov slammed what he called a flurry of blatant misrepresentation of Russian officials statements on our countrys nuclear policy. He accused top U.S. military leaders  including the Defense Secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff  of falsely blaming Moscow for escalating nuclear tensions, calling their claims baseless and part of a propaganda campaign against Russia in response to the steps taken to neutralize threats to our national security emanating from the Ukrainian territory.

He also blamed the wider Western bloc for what he called its irresponsible handling of the situation in Ukraine, implying that NATOs rhetoric and continuing support for Kyiv contributed to heightening nuclear tensions.

The current generation of NATO politicians clearly does not take the nuclear threat seriously, Antonov told Newsweek.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russias parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin both asserted this week that Moscow would not use nuclear weapons first.

A Russian senator said Friday that Russia will remain forever in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, whose capital has been occupied by Moscows troops since early March.

Andrey Turchak from the ruling United Russia party visited Kherson on Friday, meeting with its Russian-appointed governor Volodymyr Saldo.

I want to say once again - Russia is here forever. There should be no doubt about it, Turchak is heard saying in a video published by Russias state RIA Novosti agency.

We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich thanks to the people who live here, he added.

When asked about the future formal status of the Kherson region, Turchak cautioned against running too far ahead and said that in any case, the status is determined by the residents.

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has invited Germanys head of government and its head of state to visit Ukraine on May 9, the day Russia marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Western officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the Victory Day holiday to make an announcement about the war  either declaring a victory or escalating the conflict.

Germany is part of the Western alliance supporting Ukraine, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz has yet to make a solidarity visit to the country. Scholz has traded barbs with Ukrainian officials in recent weeks because of Kyivs refusal to invite Germanys head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whom Ukraine accuses of cozying up to Russia during his time as foreign minister.

Speaking at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday, Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Steinmeier and invited both him and Scholz to come to Kyiv.

He said Scholz can make this very powerful political step to come here on the 9th of May, to Kyiv.

There was no immediate word on whether the German politicians had agreed. German Parliament President Baerbel Bas is scheduled to visit Ukraine on Sunday and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is due to visit soon.

BERLIN  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country is providing Ukraine with all the support we can give and also take responsibility for in its war with Russia.

Speaking to business leaders in Hamburg on Friday, Scholz said Russia must not gain the upper hand in the conflict, which he described as a war of destruction waged by Moscow against Ukraine.

The German leader said that Russias position as a global power with a seat on the U.N. Security Council means that if (Vladimir) Putin gets away with it then theres a risk of international lawlessness.

LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is still open to negotiations with Russia, but he repeated his position that Moscow must withdraws its forces to their pre-invasion positions.

Zelenskyy told a meeting at Londons Chatham House think-tank on Friday that regaining the situation as of the 23rd of February  the day before the invasion  is a prerequisite for talks.

He said in that situation we will be able to start discussing things normally, and Ukraine could use diplomatic channels to regain its territory.

The British government, a key ally of Ukraine, has said Russia must be driven from all of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Despite Russias intensified attack on Ukraines eastern Donbas region, Zelenskyy said there is still space for diplomacy. He said not all the bridges are yet destroyed, figuratively speaking.

Asked whether Russia would soon take full control of the besieged port city of Mariupol, Zelenskyy said: Mariupol will never fall. Im not talking about heroism or anything  There is nothing there to fall apart. It is already devastated.

BERLIN  Police in the German capital are bracing for possible confrontations between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine protesters around the anniversary of the end of World War II.

Berlin police said Friday that security around 15 memorial sites across the city will be stepped up on May 8 and 9, and officers will crack down on any attempts to glorify Russias attack on Ukraine.

The Russian government has tried to portray the leadership in Kyiv as Nazis  a claim both Ukraine and Germany have ridiculed.

Berlins police chief Barbara Slowik said authorities have banned the use of Russian or Ukrainian flags, the playing of military music or the wearing of uniforms or the orange and black ribbon of St. George showing support for the Russian military anywhere near the memorial sites.

German news agency dpa quoted police saying that some 3,400 officers will be deployed throughout the city on both days.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana hoped to raise $1 million to fund a signature-gathering effort aimed at putting a pair of initiatives before voters this November.

But a pair of tragedies  a major donor to the campaign died in a plane crash earlier this year while another was diagnosed with a terminal illness  has left the initiative with roughly $30,000 cash.

With two months left to collect roughly 87,000 signatures, Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart, who co-chairs Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, said the campaign is forging ahead as a grassroots effort.

"This campaign is going to have to come across the finish line in a very nontraditional way," Wishart said. "No campaign has ever done it before, but if there's any that can do it, it will definitely be this signature drive."

Instead of hiring professional signature-gatherers to canvass neighborhoods and attend high-traffic events, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana plans to put petitions at 100 locations across the state, including tanning salons, law offices and other local businesses.

Those who care about putting the issue before voters will have to seek out the petitions, Wishart said, which puts the onus on Nebraskans, particularly as the campaign attempts to collect the names of 5% of registered voters in 38 counties.

"If every single person who cares about this issue participates, we will get across the finish line successfully," she said.

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana will host an online news conference Friday afternoon to detail its plan and direct volunteers and voters to its website (nebraskamarijuana.org) for more information about how it plans to proceed.

The switch from a fully funded campaign to a grassroots effort marks the latest twist in the attempt to legalize marijuana for medical purposes in the Cornhusker State.

In 2020, powered by about $2.5 million in donations, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana gathered some 196,000 signatures in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, easily exceeding the number needed.

According to Wishart, roughly 100,000 of the signatures collected were gathered in one month, even as the shutdowns due to COVID were still in effect.

"The last time we did this, we didn't have the College World Series, we didn't have active farmers markets, we didn't have Snoop Dogg concerts," Wishart said. "People were not gathering and were not allowed to gather in certain circumstances."

Still, even though the effort surpassed the number of signatures needed by more than 100,000, the Nebraska Supreme Court blocked the initiative from appearing on the ballot on a 5-2 vote, finding it violated the state's single-subject rule for petition drives.

Wishart, along with Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld, filed a pair of petitions last summer in order to address concerns raised by the Supreme Court.

The first petition would require state lawmakers to enact new laws protecting doctors who recommend medical cannabis to their patients, and for patients who possess or use cannabis.

The second petition would require the Legislature to enact statutes protecting private entities that produce and supply medical cannabis.

To date, Wishart said, both petitions have been signed by roughly 25,000 people. Both will need more than 62,000 people to sign over the next two months to meet the requirements set forth in state statute.

"It's absolutely enough time for the remaining amount of people we need to go to a store and sign this petition," she said.

Crista Eggers, the statewide campaign coordinator whose 7-year-old son, Colton, has drug-resistant epilepsy, said while having the funding in place would have made the campaign's push to the finish easier and less stressful, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is better organized in 2022.

"We have more people on the ground and I do believe we have more momentum and support," Eggers said.

There has been some opposition, notably from Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has appeared in advertisements sponsored by Smart Approaches to Marijuana urging Nebraskans to not sign onto the petitions.

Eggers said recent polling has shown 80% of Nebraska voters support legalizing medical cannabis, which she says shows the importance of finishing the campaign.

"I have to believe that we have a chance to get this done, and it is really going to lay with the voters of the state," she added. "We don't have time to go to them; they are going to have to come to us."

Wishart said the prospect of families like Eggers leaving the state to seek medical cannabis treatments elsewhere, or others being forced to split up, kept Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana moving forward.

The last few days have been filled with "intense and tough conversations" about how to proceed, she added, but ultimately, the decision was an easy one.

"There is no giving up when that's the reality you're facing," she said. "It's just not an option."

Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS

Love 0 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
RACINE  A five-hour critical incident that began Friday morning in the City of Racine concluded with a man wanted for parole violation being taken into custody at around 1:45 p.m. Friday afternoon.

The man was seen in handcuffs being calmly led out of an apartment building at 4918 Byrd Ave., at Byrds intersection with Perry Avenue two blocks west of Ohio Street, while surrounded by law enforcement personnel and Racine Fire Department firefighter/paramedics.

No injuries were reported, although the suspect was taken to be medically cleared after being arrested, the Racine County Sheriffs Office reported.

The suspect has been identified by the RCSO as Shadaun J. Marks, 26, with his address being listed as the apartment building he was arrested in. According to the RCSO, Marks was wanted for a parole violation for a burglary conviction in Wisconsin and a failure to appear on a charge of possession of methamphetamine from Indiana.

Marks has a history of fleeing law enforcement and being in possession of firearms.

The Sheriffs Office reported that when the Racine County Metro Drug Unit and U.S. Marshals arrived to arrest Marks on a warrant, he barricaded himself within the residence, at which point a perimeter was established and negotiators were called in.

Don't believe everything you see online Rumors circulated throughout the day Friday that a "critical incident" on Byrd Avenue was somehow related to a body being found on Taylor Avenue Wednesday or the April 24 killing of a mother of six from Racine, Brittany Booker. In the end, according to law enforcement, the standoff was entirely unrelated to those other high-profile cases, but rather was the result of a man wanted for parole violation who barricaded himself in his apartment.

Events

According to RCSO Lt. Michael Luell, the operation began at 9:12 a.m. Friday.

An alert from the Sheriffs Office that was sent to smartphones in the late morning Friday advised those within two blocks of the area to shelter in place and for the public to avoid the area.

Multiple witness said that, in the late morning, they saw a woman and multiple children exit the apartment; the woman and children were then taken away in an ambulance.

Several dozen law enforcement officers were in the neighborhood for more than four hours, many of them armed with rifles and wearing protective tactical gear. A SWAT squad arrived on scene at around 12:10 p.m. A Racine County Sheriffs Office armored vehicle also responded.

A Journal Times reporter on scene heard a law enforcement officer on a megaphone at around noon, saying that a suspect was under arrest.

At around 1:05 p.m., a flash bang was deployed.

Soon after, law enforcement moved in on the building. Luell said there was no reported use of force against Marks as he was taken into custody.

An all clear message was issued at around 2 p.m.

The neighborhood surrounding 4918 Byrd Ave. includes number of apartment buildings, the Home Harbor of Racine Assisted Living Community, Starbuck Middle School, Hantschel Park, the former Giese Elementary site and the Star Roller Rink.

Agencies involved in Fridays operation included the RCSO, U.S. Marshals, Racine Police Department, Racine Fire Department and Racine Fire Bells.

In a statement, Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said I want to thank the citizens who patiently allowed the Racine Police Department, the U.S. Marshals, and the Sheriffs Office to work together to take Mr. Marks into custody  while the Racine Fire Department stood at the ready to provide any needed emergency medical care. One of the most important jobs in law enforcement is public safety, and I am proud of the teamwork demonstrated by all of the agencies today. I also appreciate the support and understanding of the public.

Marks

According to online court records:

In Kenosha County in 2016, Marks was charged with attempted homicide and armed burglary in relation to a Sept. 14, 2016, home invasion. He later pleaded guilty to felony first-degree reckless injury and felony armed burglary as a party to a crime. His sentence was four four years in prison followed by three years of probation.

One year prior, he pleaded guilty to a theft and was sentenced to 60 days in jail with credit for 52 days of time served.

The Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune reported in January 2021 that Marks was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle without a license and misdemeanor possession of a scheduled substance.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

Alex Rodriguez Reporter Raised just outside of Mchenry, Illinois, Alex is a business reporter and a photographer for The Journal Times. He considers himself a Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen all-in-one. Alex is a graduate of SIUC in Carbondale, Illinois. Twitter:@arodatjt Follow Alex Rodriguez 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
RAYMOND  A Milwaukee man has been accused of selling heroin at the 7 Mile Fair flea market.

Anthony L. Ball, 32, was charged with four felony counts of bail jumping and felony counts of delivery of schedule I or II narcotics and manufacture/deliver heroin less than or equal to 3 grams.

According to a criminal complaint:

On Jan. 30, 2021, an investigator with the Racine County Sheriffs Office utilized a confidential informant to purchase heroin from a man known as Dreads at 7 Mile Fair flea market, 2720 W. Seven Mile Road.

The confidential informant met with the suspect vehicle and noticed that Dreads wasnt in the vehicle. Instead, he bought the suspected heroin from Ball. The suspected heroin weighed 1.2 grams and tested positive for the presence of both heroin and fentanyl.

Ball was given a $5,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is on May 12 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
RACINE  An alleged Racine drug dealer has been accused of having ammo, marijuana and Oxycodone in a room shared with a toddler.

Kalib P. Crandall, 21, of the 900 block of Peck Avenue, was charged with six felony counts of bail jumping, two felony counts of possession of firearm by adjudicated delinquent, felony counts of possession with intent to deliver narcotics, possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture marijuana less than or equal to 200 grams, maintaining a drug trafficking place and a misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer.

According to a criminal complaint:

An investigator with the Racine Special Investigations Unit reported that in March and April he conducted an investigation into the sale of controlled substances and possession of firearms at the 900 block of Peck Avenue.

The suspect was identified as Crandall.

On Tuesday, a search warrant was executed on the residence and Crandall was seen leaving the driveway. As Crandall saw officers approaching, he produced a handgun and turned away. Crandall then fled on foot before being stopped at a metal fence and detained.

A search of Crandall found:

Two baggies containing 4.5 grams of marijuana

Six 5mg Oxycodone pills

A handgun with a round in the chamber and five in the magazine

An AR-15 with the butt stick removed, a round in the chamber and 30 rounds in the magazine

Officers made contact with a woman and a toddler at the residence. The woman said she rented the residence and that Crandall lived there with the toddler. The south bedroom belonged to Crandall and the toddler. A search of the bedroom found:

An empty prescription bottle for Oxycodone

A baggie with marijuana weighing 22.5 grams

The butt stock piece belonging to the AR-15

A laser tactical attachment for the rifle

A rifle magazine

A loose rifle cartridge

A digital black scale with marijuana residue

$660 in cash

A small glass pipe with marijuana residue

An open box of rifle ammunition

Additional boxes of ammunition in the closet

Crandall was later interviewed at the Racine County Jail where he said he was leaving the house to meet with someone and wishes he had never answered the phone call.

Crandall was given a $15,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Thursday. A preliminary hearing is on May 12 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show.
RACINE  Rodney Brushwood was struggling. The then-high school sophomore had been homeschooled the previous decade, was still adjusting to public education and had just incorrectly filled out a history assignment.

The history teacher took time to help Brushwood redo the task. He ultimately passed the class. That dedication sparked Brushwoods interest in education.

I was like, OK, I want to be a teacher now, he said.

That interest solidified over the next couple years as teachers repeatedly helped Brushwood navigate high school.

My teachers inspired me so much that I wanted to go into education, Brushwood said. Thats important because, as a kid, you feel like people really care and they really want to help you.

Brushwood, now a senior at Horlick High School, plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, then return to Horlick and teach English.

High school is at that level where youre just about to send people off to do their own thing and go into the world, Brushwood said. Youre giving (students) the final stepping stones to becoming who they want to be.

A new collaboration is intended to streamline the process for students like Brushwood, while also addressing a local teacher shortage. Beginning this fall, a partnership between the Racine Unified School District, UW-Parkside and Carthage College will make high school students pursuing education pathways at Horlick, Case and Park (via RUSDs Academies of Racine) eligible to receive one semester of college credit from the two colleges through what are known as concurrent enrollment courses.

Its rare to see an education pathway locally where students can earn this level of credits and where post-secondary institutions have collaborated to ensure that the credits will transfer between institutions, DeAnn Possehl, Parkside assistant provost for student success, said in a statement.

In essence, the program will give high school students in an RUSD education pathway a head start in getting a teaching degree.

Rodney is a perfect example of how this all works, said RUSD Superintendent Eric Gallien.

The partnership was made official Thursday morning after an agreement was signed by Gallien, Parkside Chancellor Debbie Ford and Carthage President John Swallow at Horlick High School, 2119 Rapids Drive.

Gallien said the initiative will ideally result in RUSD students, particularly students of color, attending local colleges and returning to teach in the school district they attended.

Theres a really bad gap in providing teachers of color, Gallien said. These programs will allow us to do some of that by growing our own and really nurturing our own students.

In the 2018-19 school year, about 85% of Racine Unified teachers were white. Thats compared to about 92% in 2010, according to Wisconsin Policy Forum. About 60% of Unified students are either black, Hispanic or mixed race.

Swallow said the collaboration can hopefully alleviate the area teacher shortage.

This is a tribute to getting things done locally, Swallow said. We know that there are not enough teachers. Its a problem thats been around for a while, and its getting worse.

Ford said the partnership is a creative way to have more homegrown teachers.

This is a build your own talent pipeline, Ford said. In order to really provide the education opportunities that we need today, we have to continue to evolve and innovate.

The signing occurred during national Teacher Appreciation Week, through which school leaders recognized educators.

You are so underappreciated for what you do each and every day to inspire our youth, Ford said, addressing teachers. Never forget the importance of what you do.

Brushwoods story is one example highlighting the importance of teachers, and he lightheartedly expressed jealousy that he cannot take advantage of the new initiative.

For future teachers, Brushwood said the education pathways initiative will emphasize the value of starting college with a leg up.

One (semester of) college credit means a lot more than no college credits, Brushwood said. When you get to college you already know somewhat what youre going to be doing, and this gives you just a little step ahead in that  This is going to spark interest for kids.

A history teachers assistance sparked Brushwoods interest in education, and if the partnership works, more students like him will follow.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Minnesota-based Medica paid $232.7 million last year to own 55% of Madison-based Dean Health Plan, Medica spokesperson Greg Bury said Friday.

Medica  based in Minnetonka, a suburb of Minneapolis  had been serving western Wisconsin. Investing in Dean, which serves south-central Wisconsin, gives Medica more of a presence in the state. Dean also has other plans, such as Prevea360, with services in the northeastern part of the state.

Dean Health Plan provides coverage to about 476,000 people overall, which is roughly half the size of Medica. The health insurer now puts its total membership at about 1.5 million people.

Dean previously was solely owned by St. Louis-based SSM Health, which owns St. Marys Hospital in Madison.

Investing in Dean Health Plan is one way we are achieving our vision of serving more communities and demonstrating our unwavering commitment to high quality affordable health care, Medica CEO John Naylor said in a statement.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
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

View Results
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High 93F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High 93F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will become overcast later during the night. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
KEARNEY  When Angie Wagoner started teaching at Crete High School in 2009, there were just five students in the advanced placement Spanish class.

Now that number is 45.

This increase reflects a trend across Nebraska, where roughly 12% of residents speak a language other than English at home. As the state and nation continue to diversify, bilingualism and biliteracy become even more valuable.

We have a lot of students in Crete and other pockets of Nebraska who grow up hearing and using Spanish often because their parents are from a Spanish-speaking country. But they also grow up in an area where English is the dominant language, so many times they lose the literacy ability, such as reading and writing, Wagoner said.

For these students, studying Spanish is a way to refine their skills and reconnect with their familys heritage while developing a stronger sense of identity.

For others, learning a second language allows them to meet more people, experience another culture and view the world in a new way.

Both groups benefit from a job market that places a premium on candidates who can communicate with customers, clients and co-workers in multiple languages. Being bilingual can boost an employees pay by up to 20%, according to some estimates, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 24% increase in the demand for interpreters and translators from 2020 to 2030.

Whatever career they choose, it will benefit them in the long run, Wagoner said.

The Crete teacher brought 27 of her students to the University of Nebraska at Kearney last week to participate in a program promoting biliteracy.

Since spring 2021, the UNK Department of Modern Languages has offered the opportunity for high schoolers to take language proficiency tests that can earn them the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy. A collaboration between the Nebraska International Languages Association and Nebraska Department of Education, this award recognizes students who have achieved a high level of proficiency in English and at least one additional language. The seal is one way employers and postsecondary institutions can identify people with multilingual skills.

There are multiple ways to qualify for the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy, but many students, particularly those attending rural schools, dont have access to the necessary exams or advanced coursework. UNK purchased licenses from Avant Assessment, allowing students to test on campus at a reduced rate.

Assistant Spanish professor Janet Eckerson views the program as both an outreach effort and recruitment opportunity.

We think students who have already invested significant time and energy into learning languages in high school and students who are heritage speakers of languages are great future language students for our department, she said. Theyre invested in continuing to study and theyre the kind of student who might consider majoring or minoring in a language theyve been studying.

The STAMP 4S language proficiency test offered at UNK evaluates four skills  reading, writing, listening and speaking. Its available in Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and several other world languages.

The first-ever Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy in Somali Maxaa will be awarded this year to a student who tested here at UNK, Eckerson noted.

In addition to Crete, high schoolers from Arlington, Columbus, Gibbon, Lexington, Lincoln and North Platte have taken the STAMP 4S exam at UNK this academic year. Students who earn the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy receive advanced placement in UNKs Modern Languages courses, saving them money and expediting their path to graduation.

Were proud to honor the effort and skills students bring to our department by awarding that credit, which gets them one step closer to a major or minor at UNK, Eckerson said.

The UNK Department of Modern Languages offers undergraduate degrees in French, German and Spanish, as well as Spanish translation and interpretation and modern languages education. Minors are available in French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

Students who come for the proficiency test are able to tour campus, attend a languages class, eat lunch in the dining hall and visit the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion.

That aspect of the program is also important, according to Wagoner, who teaches many first-generation high school graduates.

We have a lot of students from diverse backgrounds, she said. Bringing them to a campus where they see people who look like them is a big deal. They feel like they can belong.
The public is about to learn more about a devastating Chippewa Falls murder case after a key document is unsealed.

In the 12 days since 10-year-old Lily Peters was found dead, we have learned little about her alleged murder and rape by someone she knew in Chippewa Falls.

The 14-year-old who is being addressed as C.P.-B made his second virtual court appearance Thursday, with strict orders to not be photographed by the media. The appearance was a review hearing, with several media outlets requesting the criminal complaint and warrants to be unsealed.

I have little to no information about this case and I certainly dont want to be finding out about it first from some media outlet, the accuseds lawyer Michael Cohen said.

Judge Benjamin Lane granted the request by media to have the complaint unsealed, with names of juveniles or witnesses, dates of birth, and any addresses in the complaint to be redacted. The warrants relating to the case are also sealed, and both the prosecutor and Cohen said they wanted these to remain sealed at this time.

The two-page document will likely become available Friday or Monday. Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell didn't object.

The accused will return to court for a status conference on June 24.

At 9 p.m. Sunday, April 24 the Chippewa Falls Police Department was contacted by Lilys father, who reported that Lily had not returned home from a visit to her aunts house in the 400 block of North Grove Street.

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 East Birch Street. Officers and family checked the area and contacted family and friends.

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.

Peters body was found at 9:15 a.m. Monday, April 25 near the Duncan Creek Trail in downtown Chippewa Falls, at which point her missing persons case became an active homicide investigation.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The public is invited to attend the annual Vernon County Police Memorial Service, which will be held Tuesday, May 17, at 10 a.m., outdoors, in front of the sheriffs office, 1320 Bad Axe Court, Viroqua.

Everyone is welcome to attend. The guest speaker this year will be Phil Stittleburg of La Farge. In the event of rain, the service will be moved inside the sheriffs office.

This is an opportunity for law enforcement to remind the public of the sacrifices made daily by officers in protecting the lives and property of our citizens. Each year approximately 60,632, law enforcement officers are injured in the line of duty, and in 2021, 616 officers were killed in the line of duty. So far in 2022, 102 officers have been killed in the line of duty. COVID-19 took the lives of 438 officers in 2021, four being from Wisconsin.

Sheriff John B. Spears would like to remind everyone that throughout the nation National Police Week will be observed May 15 through May 21, with National Peace Officers Day observed Sunday, May 15, in Washington, D.C. The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony will be held at the Capitol in Madison on May 20.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
MADISON, Wis.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is excited to announce the 2022-2023 fishing season will open on Saturday, May 7. All regulations and license requirements apply.

No matter where anglers decide to fish, all Wisconsin residents and non-residents over the age of 16 are required to purchase a fishing license. You can buy licenses through Go Wild, the DNRs license portal, or from a license agent.

Over the past year, DNR staff have worked hard to responsibly manage Wisconsins fishery resources by maintaining and enhancing critical fish habitats, conducting fish population surveys, adding classified trout waters, and stocking millions of fish into inland lakes, streams, and Great Lakes.

As anglers head out to their favorite fishing locations, the DNR would like to remind them to:

 Always wear life jackets

 Practice safe and sober boat operations

 Know the regulations

 Release your catch responsibly

 Minimize the spread of aquatic invasive species by removing plants and animals from your boat before and after launching, draining all water from compartments and never moving live fish away from any waterbody

Fishing Forecasts

Based on early season fishing reports, the DNR predicts anglers across the state will have a successful opening weekend despite a slower spring thaw.

Spring has been slow to arrive across the state, and with the late ice thaw on northern lakes, the fish will be hungry and eager to bite, said Justine Hasz, DNR Bureau Director of Fisheries Management.

Anglers searching for panfish will find them in warm, shallow water near trees and stumps, though with the late warm-up, they may be sluggish. Expect to catch some perch in the weedy bays and at the mouths of smaller tributaries around the Winnebago System.

With minimal precipitation and shorter vegetation along streams, anglers should be stealthy while fishing for trout. Brown trout and splake are abundant this year in Lake Superior and can commonly be found in the shallow waters of the Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay region in the spring. Brown trout are also in the shallow waters around the shores of Lake Michigan, and you can find lake trout around harbors and rocks.

Cooler temperatures have delayed walleye spawning in the northern parts of the state. As a result, they will likely be hanging around shoreline habitats. Anglers can expect to find plenty of walleye over 15 inches in the St. Louis River, its estuary areas and along Wisconsins Lake Superior south shore. Anglers should focus on fishing Lake Wisconsin for the opener as walleye make their way back after spawning on the Wisconsin River.

Like panfish, bass have remained sluggish, and anglers should head to deeper waters to find those that havent moved into shallow, warmer waters. Northern pike will likely be in post-spawn mode and actively feeding.

Steelhead are just finishing their spawning runs, though anglers may still find them in rivers and harbors, and Coho salmon are starting to make their annual northward migration along the Lake Michigan lakeshore.

Contact your local fisheries biologist for more information or find a launch or fishing location near you.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
A 30-year-old La Crosse man is being held on a $2,500 cash bond after allegedly attempting an armed robbery May 4 at a Gould Street residence in La Crosse.

Melvin I. Benitez Monserrate was charged Thursday in La Crosse County Circuit Court with felony counts of attempted robbery with use of force and burglary with a dangerous weapon and a misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property.

According to the criminal complaint, a woman told La Crosse police that Benitez Monserrate forced his way into her apartment unit and asked where her boyfriend was. She said Benitez Monserrate brandished a hunting knife, told her that the boyfriend owed him money and demanded to know where he was. The complaint says she later admitted she and her boyfriend owed Benitez Monserrate $40 in drug debts.

The apartments landlord told police that the door was dented and had to be repaired.

The complaint says police contacted the boyfriend, who confirmed the drug debt. The boyfriend said he received multiple text messages from Benitez Monserrate and that one of the texts threatened his girlfriends life.

Benitez Monserrate, who lives in the same apartment complex, was arrested later in the day. He denied going to the womans apartment but said the boyfriend owes him money for tattoo work.

La Crosse County assistant District Attorney Gideon Wertheimer asked the court for a $2,500 cash bond. He said Benitez Monserrate has recent arrests in Puerto Rico for drug and weapons charges but couldnt confirm whether any of them led to convictions.

Public defender Vincent Rust asked for a signature bond. He said Benitez Monserrate has a job and a family and needs to remain employed.

Benitez Monserrate made a plea on his own behalf.

My wife just had surgery, and I dont have any money, Benitez Monserrate said through an interpreter.

Judge Scott Horne rejected the request for a signature bond.

The charges are recent and serious involving controlled substances and weapons ... and suggest some ties to the drug community, Horne said.

Benitez Monserrate faces a maximum of more than 30 years in prison if convicted on all three counts. His next court appearance is a May 11 preliminary hearing.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The city of La Crosse is looking to spend $262,000 on maintenance and operations at Houska Park, which it is using as a campground this summer to house individuals experiencing homelessness.

The Finance & Personnel Committee approved the spending plan at its Thursday night meeting with no discussion. The money will come from the citys American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Some of the largest spending needed for the park is staffing and power infrastructure, which will cost $80,000 and $90,000, respectively, according to a cost breakdown provided by the city.

Other expenses include $20,000 for security, $10,000 for port-a-potties and wash station, and $5,000 for reseeding of the park.

Another $25,000 was labeled to be used for invoices received related to Houska Park, and $10,000 was earmarked for miscellaneous purposes.

The city has explored fencing around the park, though that idea appears to have been scrapped. Instead, an amendment to allow for privacy fencing for the nearby wastewater treatment facility will move through the city council next week.

Additionally, $5,000 is set aside for the fencing of the dog park at Houska Park, though its unclear exactly what work would be done.

These funds are coming directly from the citys spending category for bridge housing projects, where $1.5 million of ARPA funds were set aside for issues relating to homelessness.

Other expenses for the park include $8,000 for dumpsters, $5,000 for utilities and $4,000 for bathroom cleaning.

This will still need to be approved by the La Crosse Common Council next Thursday.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The city of La Crosse received its second notice from the state for being out of compliance with its property assessments last fall, a notice that expedited the upcoming city-wide revaluation, but city staff said it is still on track to correct the issue.

According to a letter dated January 2022 and shared with the Finance & Personnel Committee on Thursday, the city received a second notice from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue on Nov. 4, 2021, indicating the city was still not up to date on its property assessments.

The city has been aware of its noncompliance status for some time now, though the exact window of time the city had to correct the issue was miscommunicated within the assessors office, staff stated.

The state requires all properties to have assessed values within 10% of market value once every five years, meaning its estimated value must fall within a price range of similar properties. If found out of compliance with these standards, municipalities have five years to correct the issue.

The letter, sent by lead property appraisal specialist Shannon Neumann to city leadership earlier this year, stated that the city has been out of compliance for five consecutive years and that if an assessment was not completed this year, the state would conduct its own revaluation.

A state-run revaluation was estimated to cost more than a million dollars, at the expense of the city, and would mean the state attempting a full inspection on every property in the city.

Neumann, who is new to her role, told the committee that she was unaware the city had already received its first notice of non-compliance with the state.

In her previous role in the assessors office, Neumann said she was under the impression that the city had been deemed non-compliant in 2019, but it was actually when the city received its first notice  a separate action that comes after the initial non-compliance news  something she said was not communicated by her predecessor.

I knew that we had time. So what I was planning on doing was doing a revaluation for 2023, not knowing that the person before me had already received a first notice, Neumann said.

She said she was quite surprised and alarmed when the city received the second notice in November, realizing there was less time to complete the revaluation than previously thought.

But it wasnt a total scramble, Neumann said, saying she had already been working with contractors from Forward Appraisal, LLC, who were working on assessments for the citys commercial properties. The group has agreed to help the city with its full revaluation of both commercial and residential properties this year.

We havent been sitting on our hands doing nothing, Neumann said. Its just that there was miscommunications on how to get the funding going.

The city announced through the mayors office in February that a city-wide revaluation would be done to meet compliance.

The revaluation will cost $120,000, according to a resolution, money that will come from the citys contingency fund. Forward Appraisal will be paid $75,000 for its work.

Thank you for being proactive, and I think this is a learning experience for everyone, council president Barb Janssen told Neumann Thursday. Theres been a lot of transition in city hall, and so I think youve made the best of this.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Equestrian and physician Emily Dolan wont be in the audience at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, but the competitive rider has a trusty steed at the ready should she opt to swap her stethoscope for the reins.

Dolan, an internal medicine doctor at Gundersen Health System, was mounting horses long before she began seeing patients, taking up riding at the age of 6. An animal lover, she felt drawn to horses, and while the rest of her family didnt share her interest, Dolan was a natural from the start.

Monthly sessions increased to weekly, and Dolans trainer recognized her innate skill. Within a year, Dolan was traveling to compete, and at age 9 she was surprised with Annie, a gray pony gussied up with a giant purple bow.

When it came time to pursue an undergraduate degree, Dolan enrolled at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, with the east coast offering more competitive riding opportunities than the La Crosse area, where she was raised. Dolan balanced her biology studies with competing in the hunter jumper division, where a rider enters a ring and the horse completes several jumps over a course.

Making time for both coursework and competitions might seem overwhelming, but for Dolan the pressure didnt manifest.

When I go to the barn, it feels like an escape. Somewhere where I can turn off work, turn off my studies and recharge, Dolan says. I feel very fortunate to have a tool, to really be present with the horse, which in my eyes is one of the most beautiful, powerful animals that there is.

Senior year of college, Dolan rode at the highest level and earned the most points in her region, which qualified her for a national competition. Out of 37 collegiate riders from across the country, she placed seventh.

It was the most validating experience Ive had in my life so far, Dolan says.

Dolan chose to return to Wisconsin for medical school, and opted to complete her residency at Gundersen, where her father, Michael Dolan, is also an internal medicine physician. It wasnt a difficult choice  she noticed the residents had this glow to them, it seemed like they were enjoying life.

During medical school, Dolan volunteered with the nonprofit HorseSense and helped rehabilitate one of the horses, Bella. When she learned Bella was being sold, she didnt hesitate to pony up some money.

I had such a deep connection that we developed that summer that I actually ended up buying her, which from a financial position and time commitment position was not a very good idea, Dolan says. But I knew in that moment it was going to be the best decision for me.

To go through med school, to go through residency without a horse in my life  it was going to be terrible, Dolan continued. Horses are such a big part of me, and I needed to have that companion, that outlet, in order to be successful and in order to be happy.

Dolan competed with Bella in one show post college, and currently rides other horses in competitions, including a recent event in Florida. Now a practicing physician, riding  both competitively and for leisure  remains Dolans escape.

I think everyone in medicine has to have some outlet  its a mentally taxing job, Dolan says. If you arent able to recharge that is a recipe for disaster.

After a long work day if I can get out to the barn, spend some time with my horse, spend some time in the saddle, I know Ill be able to show up for my patients, my colleagues, my nurses, as a happier and healthier version of myself, Dolan continues. If I dont take care of myself, I cant take care of other people.

Horses serve as a link between Dolan and her Gundersen colleagues, several of whom she goes trail riding with, and her patients, who sometimes ask how a competition went or request to see a photo of Bella.

(Health care and horses) are two huge pieces of how I identify as a human being, Dolan says. They dont necessarily overlap in a visible way, but its funny that they blend so well together. Its a really special way to connect with my patients  they want to know what I do outside of work, what makes me tick, and horses are a big part of me.

Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The FDAs proposal to ban menthol in cigarettes and cigars could prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths over the next four decades, the agency says, by reducing the appeal of tobacco.

The product standards proposal, announced April 28, would prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes, and ban all flavors other than tobacco in cigars. The minty aroma and flavor of menthol increases the appeal of smoking and makes it harder to quit, the FDA says, because of its ability to reduce the irritation and harshness experienced with smoking.

Menthol might make cigarettes more appealing, including among teens, and the combination of its flavor, sensory effects and addictiveness makes for a potentially fatal combination. Globally and stateside, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, with some 480,000 tobacco related fatalities per year in the U.S.

The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit, Xavier Becerra, FDA health and human services secretary, said in a release. Additionally, the proposed rules represent an important step to advance health equity by significantly reducing tobacco-related health disparities.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009 banned all cigarette flavors other than menthol and tobacco, and halting use of the former has long been in consideration. With the FDA looking to decrease the death rate of cancer  including tobacco related disease  by 50% in the next 25 years, taking away menthol will be crucial. Around 30% of U.S. cancer deaths are caused by smoking, and removal of the flavor will likely lower consumption and thus increase the success rate of quitting smoking.

A study published May 3 by JAMA Network looked at over 7,000 youth smokers, including those in England and Canada  where menthol cigarettes were banned in May 2020 and Oct. 2017, respectively  and the U.S. Taking away menthol in England dropped usage from 12.1% to 3% after the ban went into effect. In Canada, where rates were already low and a ban in place, the decrease during the same time period was 3.1% to 2.3%. In the U.S., usage actually increased slightly from 33.6% to 36.9%.

Thats impressive, Gundersen immunologist Dr. Todd Mahr says of the results. It shows that if you take menthol out, they dont like to smoke. They dont like the taste.

Should menthol not be an option, Mahr adds, some youth will likely be deterred from taking up smoking in the first place.

Per the FDA, in 2019 there were 18.5 million users of menthol cigarettes, with youth and some racial groups, including Black and African American individuals, smoking products with the additive at disproportionate rates. The CDC reports nearly 85% of non-Hispanic Black persons use menthol cigarettes, compared to 30% of non-Hispanic white persons.

Some have argued removing menthol options unfairly targets the Black community, or could lead to an underground market. However, the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council calls a ban a major step forward in Saving Black Lives, and the NAACP says it has for years been pushing to ban menthol cigarettes, applaud(ing) the FDAs latest plan to do just that.

Its about time we prioritize the health and well-being of African Americans, the organization said.

Mahr notes that one high profile objector to the ban  the Rev. Al Sharpton  receives funding for his National Action Network from tobacco company R.J. Reynolds. Among the arguments of Americans For Tax Reform  which has received donations from Altria, owner of Philip Morris USA  is a potential loss of some $6.6 billion in excise taxes, according to a Tax Foundation report. However, the CDC estimates smoking related illness costs the country over $300 billion per year, including $5.6 billion due to exposure to secondhand smoke.

Behind the scenes there are things going on and hopefully the FDA will be able to clear the smoke, so to speak, and see behind that, Mahr says of conflicts of interests for some ban opponents.

The FDA estimates a 15% drop in smoking over 40 years should menthol be eliminated, saving some 324,000 to 654,000 deaths, around a third of those among Black individuals.

Of note, if the proposal is enacted the FDA would enforce the ban of menthol for manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, importers and retailers who manufacture, distribute, or sell such products within the U.S. Individual consumers in possession of or using menthol cigarettes and cigars, obtained from a different country or through another method, would not be charged or face legal consequences.

The FDA is currently accepting and reviewing public comments about the proposed menthol ban, and listening sessions are scheduled to be held June 13 and 15. For more information, visit https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-09302.pdf.

Smokers looking to quit can visit smokefree.gov or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to learn about cessation services available in their state.

Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Native Americans statewide gathered at Riverside Park this week to kick off the first of what will mark an annual Day of Awareness in La Crosse for recognizing the crisis of abused and missing tribal women.

Most dressed in red, some wearing the red hand symbolizing the missing sisters whose voices are no longer heard.

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds opened the MMIW event (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women). referring to the day as, Shining a light on a human rights crisis.

Reynolds noted that according to the Justice Department, 84% of indigenous women have suffered abuse. He also referenced CDC data showing murder as the third leading cause of death of indigenous women between the ages of 10 and 24 years old.

After Reynolds, Justine Rufus told the crowd, This issue has been ignored far too long, Its time for action. Rufus co-chairs the Wisconsin State MMIW Task Force initiated in 2020 by Attorney General Josh Kaul when legislators in Madison failed to pass it as a bill. Rufus also said that murder rates are 10 times higher for indigenous women than other ethnicities.

In an earlier interview, Rufus laid out the direction of the Task Force. Our job is to come up with statistics and create an implementation plan, she said. Early on we recognized our lack of data.

Rufus also noted that we dont have the necessary tools to protect ourselves. Those tools come in the form of solutions involving new laws, building networks, offering support services and obtaining funding for putting boots on the ground, she said.

Rebecca Schwartz, District 10 City Councilwoman, also read a proclamation listing 18 known tribal murders in recent Wisconsin history, and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barns concluded the program.

Looking over the crowd, Casey Brown, Ho-Chunk public relations officer and event coordinator, saw progress. This isnt a minor thing, he said. Its good to get leaders to come out. This starts a dialog; thats how you get change to happen.

According to Brown, while one of the biggest hurdles is public awareness; moving on to resolving issues is the next step. I see this as a PR guy, he said. Things are addressed in ceremonies but need to be followed up with policy and action.

And thats what those who attended the event were hoping for. Like Myah Decorah from Wittenberg who came to honor her sister. A mother of three, her sister left Wisconsin but was murdered in Nebraska in May of 2020.

And Debra Cloud of Odanah who knows of two Wisconsin ladies  one murdered in the Twin Cities and one still missing. Almost everyone knows someone whose gone missing, she said. Im really happy this is happening.

Erica Hawpetoss, Ho-Chunk Nation Domestic Abuse Division Director, saw the day as a family coming together to foster unity. The problem has reached epidemic proportions, she said. And events like this help tribes to use their voice and not be silent. Were fighting for the safety of our people.

And she looked for hope. One of our overall goals is to bring healing.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
As abortion rights supporters chanted, Hell no, Roe wont go, Democrats running for public office outlined their plan to keep abortion legal if the Supreme Court, as expected, overturns Roe v. Wade.

Democrats who spoke at an abortion rights rally Thursday at the La Crosse County Courthouse called for legislation at the state and federal levels to protect abortion rights. The rally was organized after a draft majority opinion overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was leaked to the public. The opinion would allow individual states and Congress to write their own abortion restrictions.

We have to codify Roe v. Wade into federal statute, said state Sen. Brad Pfaff, a candidate for the open 3rd Congressional seat.

Pfaff also said the state Legislature must act to repeal a law that reinstates abortion bans if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

We cannot have a situation where ... we will go back to an 1849 law in this state, he said. The legislature in Madison has to act.

Roe v. Wade prohibits the government from banning abortion during the first trimester of a womans pregnancy but the gives the government more latitude to regulate the procedure during the second and third trimesters.

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, whos running for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Republican Ron Johnson, drew a sharp contrast between himself and the incumbent on abortion rights.

While Ron Johnson may be on the wrong side of this issue, I can guarantee you that I will always stand up for reproductive freedom, Barnes said.

La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia said the issue is one of personal freedom.

We will not let the government tell us what to do with our bodies, Garcia said.

Viterbo University student Jessalyn Wilson was one of several dozen people who stood along Fourth Avenue with signs supporting abortion rights.

Im tired of pro-life hypocrisy, Wilson said. Does a life only matter when its a fetus in a womans uterus, or does it matter when the child is black or impoverished or an immigrant? Why dont their lives matter? Id like to see pro-life extend to a persons entire life.

Third District Congressional candidate Deb McGrath told the crowd Roe v. Wade gave her the right to choose when I wanted to have a family, and the government has no factor in this equation. In a separate interview she said her experience in the Army, CIA and State Department has shaped her views on womens rights.

McGrath said the leaked court opinion will motivate voters this fall.

I am someone who served my country for 25 years in places where women didnt have rights, and this is exactly what brings people out, she said. This is about women having their own choice and own opportunity.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A new arrival to the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center gives a brief hug to his human rescuer. Then, the young chimpanzee is gone --- off to play, in a much securer home than his last.

Conservation workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently removed the wild animal from illegal captivity. The team travelled hundreds of kilometers with the chimp to the center. It is a protected place, or sanctuary, for primates separated from their parents.

The center opened about 20 years ago in the Congolese village of Lwiro. There are more than 100 chimpanzees at the sanctuary today.

Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Congo Republic are home to the largest number of great apes in Africa.

But most great ape populations are decreasing from forest loss, hunting and trafficking, says a recent report from the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP).

Illegal hunters, or poachers, seek young primates to sell to zoos or individuals. The poachers often kill a whole chimpanzee family to capture one young member, conservationists say.

Itsaso Velez del Burgo is the Lwiro centers director.

"It's horrible because the year 2021 was the worst year in the history of our center, we had 15 arrivals, she said. She added, And you have to think that for every chimpanzee that arrives here at the sanctuary, there are ten more that died in the forest....The situation is serious. If we don't act to protect the forest, soon it will be empty."

The United Nations says that poachers can sell a live chimpanzee for $50 to $100. But, later the animals can be marketed again at far higher prices.

In eastern Congo, violence has made it hard to release the apes back into the wild, in a process known as reintegration. Reintegration is the sanctuary's goal, Claude-Sylvestre Libaku, manager of the center, said.

"There are already groups (of apes) that are ready to be reintegrated, but the presence of armed groups in the forest is blocking us," Libaku said.

There has been a resurgence of some armed groups in Eastern Congo in recent years, leading the government to declare martial law in parts of the east.

Although there is no evidence that the illegal trade in great apes is linked to armed groups, their presence in the forest still presents a threat, said Johannes Refisch of the United Nations-led GRASP.

"I would agree that (the apes) are more at risk when there are more guns around," he said. "There is a higher risk for wild meat hunting, and even in areas where great apes are not targeted, hunters might bump into a gorilla and kill the animals because they feel threatened."

Im John Russell.

Djaffar Al Katanty reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

primate  n. any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys

conservationist  n. someone who works to protect animals, plants, and natural resources

bump into  phrasal verb to meet (someone) by chance; to see someone you did not expect to see
A new hydrogen-powered passenger boat is preparing to launch in San Francisco, California.

Builders of the 75-passenger boat, or ferry, say it produces no carbon emissions. The ferry, named Sea Change, is set to begin carrying passengers across San Francisco Bay to several stops in the city in June.

The ferry is completely powered by hydrogen fuel cells. In this kind of power system, the fuel cells convert hydrogen gas into electricity.

Sea Change was built at the All American Marine shipyard in Bellingham, in Washington state. It has been undergoing tests with the U.S. Coast Guard in nearby Puget Sound.

The project was financed by Switch Maritime, which owns the Sea Change. The companys chief executive, Pace Ralli, told Reuters the ferry is the first such vessel in the world to be completely powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Ralli said he got the idea for the ferry while trying to come up with new ways to use less carbon in the maritime industry. He learned of a state-supported project in California that was developing hydrogen fuel cells as a method for decarbonizing ships. So we joined up with them and funded their project in 2019," Ralli said.

The leader of the All American Marines project is Jeff Sokolik. He said the hydrogen fuel cells power two propellers that move the ferry at a top speed of about 37 kilometers an hour.

He told Reuters he thinks the fuel cell power systems could one day become a new "standard for many kinds of ships. He said, They're clean, they're efficient and they make sense economically

Supporters of hydrogen fuel cells say the technology is cleaner than other carbon-cutting methods because the process only releases water and heat. But the high cost and large fuel cell systems have so far limited use of the technology.

"We're focused on the shipping industry because that's where we have expertise, but I don't think any industry can really wait at this point," Ralli said.

He added that he thinks the Sea Change project can lead to more hydrogen fuel cell vessels, including larger ferries, cruise ships and tankers.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report 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

emission  n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source

convert  n. to change the appearance, form or purpose of something

vessel  n. a ship or large boat

maritime  adj. of or relating to the sea

propeller  n. a piece of equipment made of two or more flat metal pieces that turn and cause a ship of aircraft to move

standard  n. a level of quality, especially one that is acceptable

efficient  adj. working well and not wasting time or energy

focus  v. to give special attention to something
Prisoners in Bolivia have been given a new way to reduce their jail time. They can gain freedom earlier by reading books.

The government program is called books behind bars. It offers detainees a chance to get out of jail days or weeks ahead of their release date. The program is modeled after a similar effort in Brazil. The aim is to improve reading ability. It is also meant to give hope to inmates who face Bolivias slow judicial process.

The program has been launched in 47 prisons that do not have money to pay for education or social assistance programs for prisoners.

So far, 865 inmates are taking part in the program. One of them is Jaqueline. She has already read eight books in a year and has passed four reading tests.

"It is really hard for people like us who have no income and who do not have family outside," Jaqueline said. "There are people here, for example, who are just learning how to read and write."

Nadia Cruz is with Bolivias Ombudsman's office. She said the aim is to encourage inmates waiting for the trial process to begin.

The group Human Rights Watch says the country's prisons and jails are overcrowded and unhealthy. Some detainees have protested over the lack of health care.

With these difficulties, learning to read can be like escaping the prison walls, at least for the mind. That is the case for Mildred, an inmate at the Obrajes women's prison in capital of La Paz.

"When I read, I am in contact with the whole universe, Mildred said. The walls and bars disappear.

Im Ashley Thompson.

The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

inmate n. a person who is kept in a prison or mental hospital

income n. money that is earned from work, investments or business

ombudsman n. a person (such as a government official or an employee) who investigates reported problems and tries to deal with problems fairly

encourage v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or sure of what they are doing
American health officials have placed strong restrictions on the use of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine. The treatment carries a risk of rare but serious blood clots.

The United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, said the J&J shot should only be given to adults who cannot or will not accept a different COVID vaccine. U.S. health officials have suggested for months that Americans get Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots instead of J&Js vaccine.

FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said the agency acted after examining the data on the risk of life-threatening blood clots. The FDA found that the risk is limited to J&Js shot in the first two weeks after vaccination.

So if you had the vaccine six months ago you can sleep soundly tonight knowing this isnt an issue, Marks said.

But, he added, compared to no vaccine-- this is still a better option.

The FDA approved J&Js shot in February last year for adults. The vaccine was considered an important tool in fighting the pandemic because it required only one shot. But the single-shot vaccine proved less effective than those from Pfizer and Moderna.

In December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested Moderna and Pfizer shots over J&Js because of its safety issues.

As of mid-March, federal scientists had identified 60 cases of the side effect, including nine that resulted in death. That amounts to 3.23 blood clot cases per 1 million J&J shots. The problem is more common in women under 50, where the death rate was around 1 in one million shots, Marks said.

The J&J COVID vaccine will carry a warning about possible long-term and debilitating health consequences of the side effect.

Under the new FDA orders, J&Js vaccine could still be given to people who had bad reactions to the other COVID vaccines. J&Js shot could also be given to people who refuse to receive the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

A J&J spokesman said in an emailed statement: Data continue to support a favorable benefit-risk profile for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in adults when compared with no vaccine.

The blood clot problems were first reported last spring, with the J&J shot in the U.S. and with an AstraZeneca vaccine used elsewhere. At that time, U.S. health officials decided the benefit of J&Js vaccine outweighed what was considered a very rare risk.

Symptoms of the rare blood clots include severe headaches, a week or two after the J&J vaccination, as well as stomach pain and nausea.

Pfizer and Moderna have provided a large majority of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. More than 200 million Americans have been fully vaccinated with the companies two-shot vaccines while less than 17 million Americans got the J&J shot.

I'm Caty Weaver.

The Associated Press reported this story. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English.

___________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

option - n. opportunity or ability to choose something

debilitating - adj. making someone very weak

profile - n. a representation of information relating to something

benefit - n. good result or effect
Linn County Sheriffs dispatcher of the year for 2020 is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from the law enforcement agency over the course of three years.

Tara Ann Trudell, 34, is accused of seven counts of first-degree theft.

Meanwhile, via motions filed with the court, her defense attorney is implying she may not be the only one, just the only one being prosecuted. He's demanding personnel records of other Sheriff's Office employees, including the sheriff herself.

Court documents allege Trudell stole at least $11,000 from the Linn County Sheriffs Office between Jan. 27, 2019, and March 13.

The actual total is nearly double that, Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan said.

Earlier this year, it was brought to my attention that an employee may have taken a large amount of paid leave time over a three-year period and purposely did not submit the proper documentation to have it removed from her time banks, Duncan said by email.

The Benton County Sheriffs Office investigated the case, which found "the amount of time alleged to have been improperly taken is approximately 670 hours of leave time, Duncan wrote.

That number of hours is equal, Duncan said, to about $20,195 of paid time off that was not deducted.

Trudell was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation which is ongoing, according to Duncan.

According to a March 12, 2021, Facebook post from the Linn County Sheriff's Office, Trudell was the agencys 2020 dispatch employee of the year.

With her hard work and dedication, Tara brings the best of her to work every day," the post says. "The Sheriff's Office is lucky to have her and she gives her best to the citizens of Linn County!

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Trudell was arraigned in Linn County Circuit Court on April 13 on seven counts of first-degree theft, but she has another arraignment scheduled for May 23, according to Oregons online court database.

Portland-based attorney Daniel Thenell is representing Trudell. Prosecutor Douglas Prince is representing the state.

There is also an open case regarding Trudell with the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. According to that agency's website, the case was opened April 27 and is under review. The reason for the case is listed as arrest/criminal disposition.

Thenell's court filings suggest that there may be similar cases within the Linn County Sheriff's Office.

In a motion filed with the court Thursday, May 5, the defense asked the court to authorize a pretrial subpoena for documents to be produced before trial from the Linn County Sheriffs Office. They include copies of time sheets for other LCSO employees, including Duncan herself, former dispatcher Ann Otto who died in 2018, Undersheriff Micah Smith and Capt. Dave Snippen.

Other requested documents include revisions to those time sheets  described as "audit trails showing changes"  relevant emails and other documentation involving alleged time sheet inaccuracies from 2013 to the present.

A second motion filed defense filed with the court on Thursday requested all documents, reports, email decisions, probable cause affidavits and case dispositions regarding an alleged Albany Police Department investigation of Snippen.

In a response to the motions, Prince filed on Friday an objection to the subpoenas without explanation.

"Myself, Micah Smith and Dave Snippen have all been employees throughout our careers that were so dedicated to this office and our community we often lost our own vacation time because there was work to be done," Duncan said in an email. "When you go over the maximum amount of accrual, you lose it. This has happened more than once to all three of us."

Duncan said she believes the motions were filed in an attempt to "smear" the agency's reputation.

"When the issue arose regarding Trudell, we conducted a check of all employees, and her records were the only ones that were suspicious," Duncan said in the email. "This is why I requested the outside agency to investigate her and her alone."

Trudells next court appearance in the matter is scheduled for May 23.

Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

Love 0 Funny 4 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 7
Becerra in Oregon, says feds will help with mental health on this condition
LEXINGTON  Drought conditions slightly eased across the local area as some areas of the National Weather Service  Hastings saw more precipitation last week than during the past six months.

According to NWS Hastings, their official observer at the Kearney Regional Airport measured 3.08 inches of precipitation last week, more than the total of the past six months, 2.21 inches.

A station six miles southeast of Lexington recorded 2.24 inches of precipitation between April 28 and May 3, compared to 1.39 inches between Oct, 27, 2021 and April 27.

An observer south of Elwood saw a similar trend, 2.45 inches last week, compared with 1.28 inches during the past six months.

Those who also thought April was overly windy are not wrong. Based on observations from the Grand Island Airport, April 2022 ranks as the windest month since April 1951, over 70 years ago.

However, despite the widespread rain across the region, the U.S. Drought Monitor was conservative in their improvements, due mainly to the longer-term deficits the past six months have created.

Locally, Extreme Drought, D3, conditions fully retreated from Gosper County and now only includes northern portions of Dawson County. The rest of the area improved to Severe Drought, D2, conditions, which still means crop or pasture loss is likely, fire risks remain high and water shortages can be common.

It should be noted that there was no drought degradation across the area, all improvement was a change for once, according to NWS Hastings.

Looking at Nebraska as a whole, 11.9 percent of the state was under D3 conditions, compare to last week when 22 percent was under the conditions. Areas under D2 conditions modestly improved from 75 percent to 61 percent.

On this weeks map, widespread improvements were made in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas in response to significant rainfall accumulations that helped to improve soil moisture levels and boosted streamflow levels, per the U.S. Drought Monitor, Rainfall totals for the week ranged from 2 to 8+ inches with the highest totals observed in central South Dakota, eastern and central Nebraska, and northern Kansas.

However, some drought-stricken areas of the region, including extreme southeastern South Dakota, northeastern Nebraska, and central Kansas, largely missed out on this weeks storms. It should be noted that recent improvements in are not uniform and many areas are still coping with the impacts (agricultural) of the longer-term drought situation, according to the Drought Monitor.

Although the next week does not look as wet as the last one, most of our coverage area is currently expected to receive somewhere between 0.25-1.00 inches, according to NWS Hastings.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a multi-agency effort involving NOAAs National Weather Service and National Centers for Environmental Information, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), state and regional center climatologists and the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Zohra Ahmed (University of Georgia School of Law) has posted Bargaining for Abolition (Fordham Law Review, Vol. 90, No. 5 (2022)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

What if instead of seeing criminal court as an institution driven by the operation of rules, we saw it as a workplace where people labor to criminalize those with the misfortune to be prosecuted? I offer three different ways to think about labor in criminal court: (1) labor as a source of sociological value, (2) labor as an input that generates certain measurable outcomes, and (3) labor as a vehicle to advance abolitionist reforms. First, through their quotidian activities, criminal courts workers enact a practical philosophy that communicates lessons about who and how we value each other. Drawing on ethnographic accounts, I argue that criminal courts actorsprosecutors and judges, among othersengage in violence work. The violence is not only physical but also social and structural. Their labor weakens social bonds and entrenches group-level hierarchies, expressed as race, class, and ability. Second, labor is an input that determines the size of the criminal punishment system. The addition of more prosecutors and their increased productivity lie at the heart of the historic growth in prison admissions at the turn of the twentieth century. In turn, as advocates devise reforms to dismantle mass criminalization, shrinking prosecutors offices may be the key to true transformation. Third, labor is also a vital site for struggle. The labor lens illuminates the promise of a specific strategy: building social movement labor unionism in public defenders offices.
The makeup and body paint produced by Graftobian is a mainstay for professional theater companies, television shows and Hollywood movies.

But supply chain issues are forcing the Madison company into improvisational work.

Located in an industrial corridor east of Stoughton Road and north of Cottage Grove Road on the citys East Side, Graftobian had hoped to be operating by now in a newly constructed 10,400-square-foot production facility next to the 13,800-square-foot building that has been used for some manufacturing but is primarily the companys corporate headquarters, warehouse, packaging and distribution center.

But a more than 90-day backlog on parts for an 800-amp panel needed to power the new building and its machinery is forcing Graftobians owners to pivot and create temporary production space in its older building.

Much of the companys makeup production had been done in a 5,000-square-foot facility in Brooklyn, New York, but in 2021, Graftobian owners Sue and Eric Coffman bought out their partners after 25 years, with plans to move production into the new Madison facility this spring. The move of equipment such as steam tables, filling machines, roller mills and blenders from Brooklyn to Madison happened in February, and the Coffmans are hoping the delay on parts for the power panel wont stretch into the fall.

The company, with 14 employees, is growing and the expansion could add another 40 people to the payroll. But that growth cant happen until the new building is up and running. For now, the temporary production space has created tight quarters in the companys original building, much like when the business was founded in 1978 in the home of Eric Coffmans parents on Clemons Avenue, a block from the Yahara River.

This isnt unusual for us, Eric Coffman joked Wednesday during a tour. We ran the business out of the basement (of the house). I mean, literally, almost every room of that house was consumed. The attic was for finished storage, the back porch was for shipping, the front porch was for picking orders, my dads den was for the whole business side of the thing. We packaged product on the dining room table.

Gene and Evelyn Coffman retired from the business in 1995 and died in 2003 but their legacy continues thanks to their children and grandchildren. The company, which began by selling face paint for children, now ships about 30% of its products around the world. And on Wednesday it was named the U.S. Small Business Administrations Wisconsin Small Business Exporter of the Year.

The event, held in the dimly lit new facility and powered from the adjacent building, included officials from the SBA, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Kilen Engineering, State Bank of Cross Plains and representatives for Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh.

Its not easy building a business exporting, said Geri Sanchez Aglipay, SBAs regional administrator. It really illustrates how small businesses can be that global business in the Great Lakes region.

Coffmans company, which moved out of the house and to its current location in 1981, has been exporting since the early 1980s but its exports have increased over the last 10 years thanks to participation in WEDC trade missions, either in person or virtually, with Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Germany and Poland. Recent orders for the company have come from Spain, India, France and South Africa.

Its 2,500 or so products, which are fragrance free and made with no animal testing, can include blushes, creams, eye shadows, foundations, color correctors, powders and glitters. There are kits to create clown, witch, werewolf and cat faces; airbrush paints and supplies for detailed work; stage blood in fluid, paste and gel for wounds and scars; and stencils to create a variety of painted shapes on skin. The companys biggest sellers include HD Glamour Cream foundations and another line called Inclusion for people of color.

We make virtually everything we sell, Coffman said. Its kind of like a big kitchen.

Madison Night Market kicks off

The Madison Night Market is back for another season.

This years first event on State Street is set from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday and will feature scores of retailers, food vendors and musicians.

The Night Market was founded in 2017 by the Central Business Improvement District and quickly became a hit drawing thousands of people to the citys Downtown. Other Night Markets are set for June 9, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8. A Night Market is not held in July due to Maxwell Street Days.

Hilldale Farmers Market underway

The farmers market season is underway at Hilldale.

The shopping center was scheduled to have its first market on Saturday and have its first Wednesday market four days later. Each market is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will operate through Oct. 29. New vendors this year include Green County Hemp, Greenbox Compost, Just Bakery, cocktail mixer kits from Pour Craft Cocktails and seedlings from Hook Island.

Family Dollar seeks alcohol sales

Several Family Dollar stores in Wisconsin could soon be selling beer and wine, including one store in Madison.

The company has applied to the city to sell the products at its store in the Northside Towne Center at the corner of North Sherman Avenue and Northport Drive.

The 10,267-square-foot store would display its beer and wine in coolers near the front of the store with remaining inventory stored in a backroom of the business, according to an application that will be reviewed in the coming weeks by the Alcohol License Review Committee.

Family Dollar of Wisconsin either has been approved to sell or has applied to sell alcohol at 27 other locations in the state. Madison area stores include those in DeForest, Belleville, Mayville, Poynette, Adams and Fennimore.

According to the New York Times, Dollar Tree, the company that purchased Family Dollar in 2015, announced in 2019 that it was planning to sell alcohol in 1,000 stores across the country as a way to improve lagging sales.

Pizza company will remain local

A homegrown pizza company has been sold but not to a massive corporation.

Lebbys Pizza, founded in 2007 and named after the Dodge County farming community of Lebanon where the idea was hatched, is now owned by LeRoy Meats & Catering of Horicon.

Nick Demetropoulos, Lebbys founder, made the announcement recently on Facebook.

We have been blessed for 15 years with the most wonderful and loyal customers, the post read. Thank you to all the tavern owners, store and meat market owners and gas station owners who have purchased, sold and supported our pizza throughout the years.

The pizza was also a popular fundraiser item for school groups and other nonprofit organizations through the years, something that will continue with LeRoy Meats. Demetropoulos will also continue to drive truck and distribute pizzas, according to the announcement.

LeRoy Meats was founded in the late 1920s in Leroy, a small Dodge County community east of the Horicon Marsh, where it butchered, cut and stored meat for farmers and made smoked sausage with recipes brought over from German immigrants. The business moved to Horicon in 1990 and in 2017 the company added an 11,000-square-foot sausage plant and retail store in Fox Lake.

Send retail-related tips and story ideas to badams@madison.com or call Barry Adams at 608-252-6148.

Send retail-related tips and story ideas to badams@madison.com or call Barry Adams at 608-252-6148.

The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Beth Chase has been in nursing for over 20 years, working at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital since 2008. She received her bachelors degree from Keene State College and her nursing degree from St. Joseph School of Nursing, both in New Hampshire. She currently works in the ICU, primarily in the charge nurse role.

Beth is an honoree of the Madison Media Partners 2022 Nurses: Heart of Health Care program. Find the full list of winners here.

Heres some of what Beths nomination included:

Beth Chase is a nurse in the ICU at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison. She has worked at the VA for 14 years and as an instrumental charge nurse for the past seven years. Beth has been a valuable leading nursing professional throughout the pandemic to this day. She is without fail available when you need her.

Beth works endlessly to make sure each one of the ICU patients is cared for and managed with the dignity, compassion, and the respect they deserve. Beth never strays away from difficult situations. She is always willing to help others discuss or assist with problem solving, whether it involves patients, family members, her peers, other disciplinary staff, or units throughout the hospital. She shows up to work on time, volunteers to work overtime frequently, and stays late after shifts to assist with any tasks.

Beth is consistent in her strong presence as a leader in the ICU. She is aware of unit dynamics, staff strengths and weaknesses, and works to build others up to increase individuals confidence in their nursing skills and ability. She works diligently with the other charge nurses to make sure the unit is adequately staffed each week for potential patient needs and staffing gaps. She often offers to take patients, no matter how complex, while in charge because she does not want to overwhelm nursing staff, all while being a constant support to the unit.

Beth is an exceptional nurse leader, and it is easy to recognize her for all the amazing abilities she brings to the health and safety of our veterans at the VA. It is hard to find a person with real ethics, passion, dedication, and the skills to handle the multitude of situations that encompass being a nurse today, but she displays them all. Thank you for all you do.
Jen White of Stoughton Health has been in nursing for 23 years. She attended Trinity College of Nursing in Illinois. While the majority of her career has been in quality, she has experience in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), pediatrics, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and labor and delivery.

Jen is an honoree of the Madison Media Partners 2022 Nurses: Heart of Health Care program. Find the full list of winners here.

Heres some of what Jens nomination included:

Throughout this past year, Jens role as our quality/risk manager has been instrumental in the fight against COVID-19. Jen has worked tirelessly helping to provide education to our team on COVID-19, assisting with symptom surveillance and data entry, all while actively recruiting a new infection prevention RN. Throughout all the COVID-19 and staffing challenges, Jen has maintained a positive can-do attitude, volunteering to work in the nursing departments to support staff and increased patient loads.

When not focused on all things COVID-19, Jen leads her quality team. She is always supportive of her team and coworkers, striving for improved quality, safety and an equitable work environment. Jen also has the accountability for ensuring our organization maintains regulatory compliance and works endlessly to stay on top of changes.

Throughout her employment, Jen has been a very loyal and dependable employee. She has a high regard for customer service and patient rights. This can be seen in both her interactions with our patients and her coworkers. She is viewed as a team player by all members at Stoughton Health. She models professionalism, leadership, clinical excellence and teamwork. She is committed to nursing in the rural setting and inspires others to do the same. Therefore, we believe that Jen embodies the spirit of Nurses: Heart of Health Care.
A "wanted fugitive" was arrested in the Wisconsin Dells Thursday afternoon after a police chase through Dane and Sauk counties that involved multiple law enforcement agencies, authorities said.

The FBI is handling the investigation, but little information was available about why the suspect was being pursued and what he was ultimately arrested for.

The chase started on Interstate 90/39 in Dane County around 1:20 p.m., the Wisconsin State Patrol said. Madison police and multiple other law enforcement agencies assisted with the chase, Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said.

The driver traveled northwest into Sauk County and law enforcement pursued. State Patrol officers used spike strips to stop the vehicle, and took the suspect into custody in Sauk County, the State Patrol said.

Fryer said a male suspect was arrested in the Wisconsin Dells. The Lake Delton Police Department, which is just south of the Wisconsin Dells, said it assisted with the arrest of a "wanted fugitive" Thursday afternoon.

Madison police, State Patrol and Lake Delton police declined to provide more information on why the fugitive was arrested. The State Patrol deferred to the FBI, which is handling the investigation.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for further information on the chase and the arrest.

Lake Delton police said there is no danger to the public.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Madison School District and local teachers union Madison Teachers Inc. began their collective bargaining process ahead of the 2022-23 school year with two different ideas for base wage increases for teachers.

The union asked for 4.7% base wage increase, but the district offered a 2% increase  not including the additional wage increase tied to experience and educational attainment, known as steps and lanes  during an in-person meeting at the districts Holtzman Building on Wednesday.

Im optimistic the district can do the 4.7% and we can make it work, union president Mike Jones said.

He noted that school districts of all sizes across Wisconsin are offering base wage increases to their teachers that are near or at 4.7% to keep in line with the hike in the cost of living adjustment. He said Waunakee, Verona and some teachers in Sun Prairie were offered a 4.7% increase.

The Milwaukee School Board unanimously approved a 4.7% base wage increase for all staff in the district at the end of April, the largest increase in more than a decade, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Kenosha School Board and Green Bay School Board also unanimously approved a 4.7% base wage increase for staff in March for the coming school year.

Jones said raising teacher wages 4.7% amid a steep increase in cost of living is a retention strategy for the district.

We want to keep people in Madison but we cant keep them in Madison by paying them less, he said.

The union and the district are able to continue to bargain after contracts have been sent out to teachers and pay is usually adjusted once enrollment and state funding is finalized, Jones said.

Jones said union members plan to hold onto their contracts as long as possible until a resolution is reached.

The district did not respond to a request for comment.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
UW-Madison leaders hoping to convince a sometimes skeptical public and their elected representatives of the value of higher education need to come prepared with a few key arguments and stay on message, one of the five finalists for the universitys chancellorship said during a public forum Thursday.

Even then, the work of persuading can be a slog, former Notre Dame University provost Marie Lynn Miranda said, and an increasingly poor public perception of higher eds value is incredibly frustrating given how that value is clear in terms of student life outcomes and the real-world impact of university research.

Miranda at the outset of the hourlong Q-and-A in an event room at the Memorial Union laid out three strategies she believes are crucial to improving higher eds image.

Reconceiving how education is delivered is No. 1, she said, meaning students need to be prepared both to lead meaningful lives but also to compete in a global marketplace.

The public and policymakers also need to see the university tackling the worlds most intractable problems, she said, from climate change to the erosion of democratic institutions.

Finally, she spoke of connecting the universitys work to the universitys stakeholders, whether they be farmers in northern Wisconsin or entrepreneurs in Milwaukee.

We used to believe that if we discovered knowledge in the academy that people would use it, she said, but thats not enough anymore, and universities need to know how to deploy that knowledge in a way that people understand and see, given that people are not always moved by facts alone.

We want people thinking, what is the University of Wisconsin doing on this topic, she said.

In response to a question about how she would elevate UW-Madisons long history of shared governance among administration, faculty, staff and students, Miranda said that as provost, she had open office hours and was struck by how lowering the barriers to interacting with university higher-ups can spark more feedback. Taking into account everyones unique perspective makes the university stronger, she said, and Its kind of in my nature to do that.

Charles Hoslet, UW-Madison vice chancellor for university relations, noted that the university has seen its top-10 ranking in research spending slip in recent decades, going from consistently being in the top five to eighth last year. While Miranda made clear there was no shame in being eighth  with about $1.4 billion in spending annually  there are steps the university can take to bring that ranking up.

Its important to take faculty to Washington, D.C., where decisions are made about how to spend federal research dollars, she said, so that were getting our ideas in front of people.

To attract more corporate research funding, she said its important for companies to have a good experience working with the university from the beginning, such as when theyre signing contracts to partner with university researchers.

Miranda, a statistician by training, also emphasized the importance of the humanities to the university, saying its not a university without them.

She said that discussion and research into the social impacts of certain technologies, such as artificial intelligence, often come after the technologies have been deployed, but that those considerations need to come earlier to ensure that tech is respectful of the human condition.

One of the afternoons questions  culled from suggestions from the campus community and asked of all finalists  was how to maintain UW-Madisons quality amid a long decline in taxpayer support and a nine-year tuition freeze.

Miranda said there could be ways to develop university-owned land and add summer campus programs to create cash flow, and that some of the universitys $4 billion endowment could be put into higher risk/higher reward investments.

With universities often home to student activism and divisive debates over hot-button cultural issues, Miranda said that if you cant have civil conversations about controversial topics at a university, then all hope is lost.

I may not agree with you, but that does not mean I have the right to yell at you or curse at you or use really divisive language, she said.

Her own approach when confronted by strongly worded criticism is to be a de-escalator, she said, and to focus on the substance of what the person is saying rather than the way the person is saying it.

The last finalist in the chancellor search, UW-Madison provost John Karl Scholz, will answer questions Friday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium.

The other finalists are: Ann Cudd, provost at the University of Pittsburgh; Jennifer Mnookin, law school dean at the University of California Los Angeles; and Daniel Reed, a University of Utah computer science professor and former provost.

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
In a striking proposal for Downtowns booming Wilson Street, a developer is proposing a 14-story housing project with first-floor restaurants and a large outdoor plaza offering broad panoramas to Lake Monona.

Quad Capital Partners, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, intends to demolish the State of Wisconsin Investment Boards two-story building at 121 E. Wilson St. for a project reaching to the Capitol height limit with about 337 apartments, 17,000 square feet of commercial space and multiple levels of underground parking.

The project would feature a 34-foot-wide, two-story-high, open-air promenade cutting through the U-shaped building that would connect East Wilson Street to the plaza overlooking the lake.

The proposal comes amid a surge of redevelopment on the Wilson Street corridor on both sides of Monona Terrace.

This location is well-suited to creating a high-quality building that aligns with the citys plans, said Dan Kennelly, vice president at QCP. We believe in investing in Downtown Madison, and this site provides a unique opportunity to create a timeless building that serves the community and helps meet Madisons housing needs.

SWIB is moving from its offices to the massive Madison Yards redevelopment under construction at the southwest corner of University Avenue and North Segoe Road on the West Side. QCP bought SWIBs property at 121 E. Wilson St. for $12.6 million in September, seven months after the agency announced it would be moving. SWIB expects to relocate in early 2023.

A new destination

Given its location, the new structure, designed by Madison-based Potter Lawson, would have a significant impact on the citys Lake Monona skyline.

We set out to design a building that is consistent with the citys plans, sensitive to the neighborhood and takes advantage of this locations unique opportunity to provide lake views, Kennelly said.

The U-shaped design allows maximum lake views, while the ends of the U make the building appear less massive from East Wilson Street, Kennelly said. The two sections are separated by a two-story-tall promenade, or open area, cut through the center of the building.

We envision one side of the commercial space being used for a large chef-driven restaurant and the other side potentially becoming a food hall featuring local food merchants, Kennelly said. The promenade and terrace will create 10,400 square feet of outdoor space for outdoor dining, informal seating areas and enjoying views overlooking the lake.

He said he hoped the building would create a new destination for Madison residents.

Its hard to believe that 25 years ago, Potter Lawson was preparing to celebrate the grand opening of Monona Terrace, a project that proudly reshaped the skyline of Madison, said Rebecca Prochaska, principal at the design firm. Its an honor today to be, once again, reimagining the iconic architectural skyline in a town weve called home for 109 years.

A living mix

The building would include a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom units, Kennelly said. The range of unit types, sizes and rents would serve different segments of the housing market, but the mix would not include designated low-cost units, he said.

The project is not displacing any existing housing, so it will be an addition to the citys housing supply and the project will create significant new tax base to support the citys housing programs, he said.

The building would also include sustainability features, such as electric vehicle charging stations, green roofs, potential on-site solar and high-efficiency systems throughout. It would offer about 300 parking stalls in a three- or four-level underground parking garage.

Downtown Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, said he is generally very supportive of the proposal and loves the public promenade concept through the project. The promenade also has the potential to link the Downtown to Law Park on the lakeshore in the future, he said.

More possibilities

QCP is open to providing the city an easement through the promenade that would allow a future pedestrian bridge connection over railroad tracks and John Nolen Drive to Law Park, Verveer said. The easement would be similar to one secured through a fire lane at McGrath Property Groups 14-story apartment building at 151 E. Wilson, which opened in 2018, he said. The city could potentially build a bridge to the park from one or both properties.

But he added, I just wish some of the units could be more affordable. Also, some in the next-door Marina condominiums have voiced concern about traffic and losing lake views, he said.

At an initial meeting, the First Settlement Neighborhood saw much to like in the early concepts, said Juli Wagner, chair of the First Settlement District of Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. Those include breaking up the mass of the building into two sections facing East Wilson Street and the promenade and plaza allowing views to the lake, she said.

But questions remain about traffic flow, parking, lighting and aesthetics, she said.

The location

The property, currently called Lake Terrace, is nestled between the 10-story state Administration Building, 101 E. Wilson St., and the metallic, 12-story Marina condominiums, 137 E. Wilson St. The citys Downtown Plan recommends a variety of uses and a maximum height up to the Capitol view height limit, which is no higher than the base of the state Capitol dome.

Lake Terrace, built into the bluff along John Nolen Drive beginning in 1942 with additions in 1957 and 1972, contains 73,363 square feet of space, including 65,000 square feet of office space, with two floors above ground and three floors built into the hillside, including two lower-level floors that face John Nolen Drive and Lake Monona and two levels of underground parking with 100 spaces on the 1.1-acre site. The property was assessed at $7.67 million for 2021 but jumped to $12.6 million for 2022 after the sale.

The QPC proposal is a tremendous opportunity to help catapult the revisioning and reimagination of Downtown Madison, said Jason Ilstrup, president of Downtown Madison Inc. This development will add needed housing to the Madison market all while creating amazing amenities for our community.

Verveer said he intends to schedule a neighborhood meeting in June.

QCP, which does not anticipate seeking city financial assistance for the project, expects to complete architecture and engineering work and to secure city land use approvals this year, to start construction in 2023 and open the building in early 2025.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Dane County supervisors overwhelmingly favored an independent review of the Vilas Zoo during a meeting Thursday night, though particulars over the scope of the probe could spark a separation of powers conflict between the board and the county executive.

Supervisors weighed how best to conduct the probe and what shape it should take, the day after county investigators released their own review of the workplace environment at the zoo.

That review, though it had ample recommendations for management at the zoo, ultimately found that certain staff bear responsibility for creating a toxic work environment at the county-run institution, though a Wisconsin State Journal report found allegations of racism, discrimination and animal neglect by zoo higher-ups.

A board review could take the form of a peer review of the internal investigation, an audit of the zoos operations or a probe led by a retired judge, said board Chair Patrick Miles, 34th District.

During Thursday nights meeting, Sup. Tim Kiefer, 25th District, introduced a resolution calling for a $50,000 investigation of the zoo overseen by a retired judge who would submit a report by October.

But county legal staff called into question the authority of the board to conduct an investigation.

Since County Executive Joe Parisi handles management of county staff and functions, the boards investigation cannot probe specific allegations made against employees, said Carlos Pabellon, a county attorney. Pabellon added that since there are still ongoing investigations into misconduct at the zoo, a board investigation could cause a nightmare scenario and muddy the best way for the county to respond.

Were going to have a conflict with the county executives authority,, Pabellon said, if the board tries to examine specific allegations.

Its an adverse scenario for a number of reasons, he noted. One of which would be that if you have differing opinions regarding such investigations, what do we do with that?

Specific allegations detailed in the State Journals report included the zoos deputy director, Joseph Darcengelo, calling an Asian restaurant ching-chong food and director Ronda Schwetz ordering a pre-disciplinary meeting for a union representative and zookeeper who asked other employees about the racist incident and reported it to Schwetz.

Supervisors defended their ability to conduct oversight at Thursdays meeting, arguing that some sort of independent probe of the zoo must happen to restore public trust in the long-beloved institution.

The only way to bring back that level of public confidence is to have someone outside the immediate situation take a look at how things have devolved so egregiously, said Sup. Anthony Gray, 14th District.

Another supervisor pushed back on the internal reviews assertion that union representatives at the zoo had fostered an Us v. Them mentality between staff and management.

Sometimes unions, or employee groups, will have representatives and those representatives by necessity raise concerns to management, said Sup. Andrew Schauer, 21st District. The simple act of doing that is necessarily indicative an us v. them mentality.

The union issued its own statement criticizing the review on Thursday.

The reports attempt to scapegoat the union is a distraction from the serious problems plaguing the zoo, said Patrick Wycoff, executive director of AFSCME Council 32.

All workers are entitled to a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, and zoo workers should continue to stand together to voice concerns about racism, retaliation, and animal welfare, Wycoff said.

However the boards investigation takes shape, it has triggered a dispute-via-memo between Parisi and Miles, who was elected board chair last month.

Parisi charged Miles with striking an adversarial tone against county managers when the chair said in a memo that supervisors need to ensure that systems designed to protect employees from arbitrary management decisions and discrimination are trusted and functioning.

Parisi also defended the two investigators with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Carrie Braxton and Kabura Mukasa, who conducted the review of the zoo released on Wednesday.

Suggestions their work could be done by others differently or better, dismisses their work, questions their professionalism and is inherently an example of an implicit bias, Parisi said.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
ABOUT THE AP INVESTIGATION

An ongoing Associated Press investigation has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Justice Departments largest law enforcement agency, the federal Bureau of Prisons. Its secrets have long been hidden within its walls and barbed-wire fences. The APs reporting has revealed layer after layer of abuse, neglect and leadership missteps. Serious problems include rampant sexual abuse by workers, severe staffing shortages, inmate escapes and the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such revelations led directly to the agencys director announcing his resignation earlier this year.

DUBLIN, Calif. (AP)  For months, inmates and staff at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, say their calls for help were ignored.

And in this aging prison of deep despair  a place where sexual abuse has been rampant and authorities acted with utter indifference  the cries for help had been many and varied.

An Associated Press investigation revealed a culture of abuse and cover-ups that persisted for years at the all-women prison, called the "rape club" by many who know it. Because of AP reporting, the head of the federal Bureau of Prisons had submitted his resignation in January.

Yet no one had been named to replace him, so he was still on the job. Now he was responding to the problems in Dublin  but only after an angry congresswoman had called him to complain.

So early March found the lame-duck administrator and a task force of senior agency officials arriving at the prison after flying in to meet inmates and staff in person. According to Dublin inmates, this was how he faced them as he toured the facility:

"You wanted my attention," Michael Carvajal said, "so here I am."

This story is based on interviews with more than a dozen people familiar with the visiting task force's work, the prison's operations and the abuse crisis. Many spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation or because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The AP visited Dublin, about 21 miles (34 kilometers) east of Oakland, during the same time as the task force, the week of March 7. Lawmakers, disturbed by reports of abuse, traveled there shortly after. Carvajal and some task force members returned in April. In one sign of progress, the agency replaced both of the prison's associate wardens.

FCI Dublin is one of just six women-only facilities in the U.S. federal prison system. As of April 28, Dublin had about 785 inmates, many serving sentences for drug crimes.

Since last June, five employees, including former warden Ray J. Garcia, have been charged with sexually abusing inmates. Two have pleaded guilty, and the investigation continues: On March 20, a food service foreman was arrested for allegedly touching an inmate's breasts, buttocks and genitals in October 2020.

Since March, nine other workers have been placed on administrative leave. New inmate sexual abuse and staff employment discrimination complaints were filed during the task force's visit. FBI agents searched the prison and an employee's home in mid-April, and at least six internal affairs investigators have been on site investigating claims.

Carvajal, a Trump administration holdover, joined the task force for the first three days of its weeklong visit. But even as the task force was arriving, things did not seem to be proceeding in a positive direction.

Officials moved inmates out of the special housing unit so it wouldn't look as full, and they lied to Carvajal about COVID-19 contamination so inmates in one unit couldn't speak to him about abuse.

Those who managed to get to Carvajal didn't hold back. In one emotional scene, a woman who said she was abused by prison officials tearfully confronted him in a recreation area as he and members of the task force were meeting with inmates.

She was eventually taken out of the room and offered immediate release to a halfway house. She objected. She wanted to wait so she could tell her story publicly to congressional leaders expected at the prison.

But people at the prison say she wasn't able to thoroughly express her concerns. Officials told the woman that because she was a potential witness, she couldn't talk about the investigation, the people said.

In another charged moment, a group of Dublin workers lashed out at Carvajal for putting Garcia in charge of a women's prison when he'd already had a reputation in prison circles as a misogynist.

"You created this monster," one worker told Carvajal.

Garcia is accused of molesting an inmate on multiple occasions from December 2019 to March 2020 and forcing her and another inmate to strip naked so he could take pictures while he made rounds.

Carvajal did seem taken aback by the lack of security cameras in critical areas  an issue the prison's union had been raising for six years  and pledged to speed the process for installing them. But seven weeks later, not one new camera has been installed.

An ongoing AP investigation has uncovered deep flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, including severe staffing shortages, inmate escapes and the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the AP's findings:

Criminal misconduct: More than 100 Bureau of Prisons workers arrested, convicted or sentenced for crimes since the start of 2019, but the agency has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct, in some cases failing to suspend them after their arrests.

Staffing crisis: Nearly one-third of federal correctional officer positions are vacant, forcing prisons to use cooks, teachers, nurses and other workers to guard inmates, hampering the response to emergencies, including as inmate suicides.

Escaping inmates: 29 prisoners escaped from federal prisons in an 18-month span, with nearly half still at large. At some institutions, doors are left unlocked, security cameras are broken and officials sometimes don't notice an inmate is missing for hours.

Superspreader executions: An unprecedented string of federal executions likely acted as COVID-19 superspreader events, just as health experts warned could happen when the Trump administration insisted on resuming executions during a pandemic.

Crumbling infrastructure: A rare look inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the federal jail in Manhattan where Jeffrey Epstein died, revealed squalid, unsafe conditions including falling concrete, freezing cold temperatures, busted cells and broken pipes.

The AP's reporting has forced lawmakers to take notice.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., introduced legislation that would require the Bureau of Prisons to fix broken cameras. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, went to the Senate floor and read AP stories into the congressional record as he demanded Attorney General Merrick Garland fire Carvajal.

A few weeks later, the AP broke the news that Carvajal and his top deputy were resigning.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  The Delaware House voted Thursday to approve a bill legalizing possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults for recreational use.

The legislation cleared the Democrat-led House on 26-14 vote and now goes to the Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats. Even if it were to pass both chambers, it faces a potential veto from Democratic Gov. John Carney, who has previously expressed doubts about legalizing recreational marijuana.

Under current law, possession of one ounce or less of marijuana by anyone 21 years of age or older carries a civil penalty of $100. That provision would be eliminated under the bill approved Thursday.

Possession of recreational marijuana by anyone under 21 would still result in a civil penalty, while possession of more than one ounce of marijuana and public consumption would remain misdemeanors.

The bill approved Thursday was introduced in late March as stand-alone legislation after a failed effort to pass broader legislation creating a state-regulated and taxed marijuana industry.

Delaware is more than capable of successfully enacting policies for safe and legal cannabis, chief bill sponsor Rep. Ed Osienski, a Newark Democrat, said in a statement after Thursdays vote. Im grateful to the House for passing this bill and look forward to continuing this effort until Delaware is poised to establish a new, legal industry in our state.

Passage of the legalization bill required only a simple majority, but legislation creating a state-licensed marijuana industry would require a three-fifths majority vote in each chamber because it would establish a new tax.

Legislation that would have both legalized recreational marijuana use by adults and establish a state-run pot industry was defeated in the House in March. Members voted 23-14 in favor the legislation, but it fell two votes short of a three-fifths majority. No Republicans voted in favor of that bill, and four lawmakers, including two Democrats, chose not to vote.

House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf of Rehoboth, a retired state trooper, was the only Democrat to vote against that bill. He also voted against the legalization bill on Thursday, along with fellow Democrat Bill Bush of Dover and 12 of the 15 GOP representatives.

Meanwhile, a separate bill sponsored by Osienski to create a state-run marijuana industry cleared the House Revenue and Finance Committee last month and is awaiting consideration by the Appropriations Committee.

Supporters of that legislation have argued that a state-controlled and licensed pot industry would curtail the black market while creating jobs and boosting Delawares tax coffers. The bill calls for the state to license and oversee a manufacturing and distribution industry and levy a 15% tax on retail sales. It would prohibit people from growing their own plants for personal consumption.

Opponents have argued that legalization would lead to increased marijuana use among teens and young adults, expose business owners to liability, and result in more traffic deaths and injuries. They also say it would do little to eliminate illegal sales.

The Associated Press reported in January that the legalization of marijuana in California had done little to discourage black market sales in that state, and that some California licensees are simultaneously participating in the black market  whose estimated value of $8 billion is roughly double the amount of legal sales  in order to make a profit.

Currently, recreational marijuana use is permitted in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
RACINE  Police are investigating the discovery of decomposing human remains inside a Taylor Avenue home.

Sgt. Kristi Wilcox said in a written statement RPD officers were dispatched Wednesday to 1637 Taylor Ave. on the report that someone found a deceased, decomposed body inside of a house.

At the residence, officers spoke with employees of Vassh Excavating, who indicated they were at the residence to board it up and secure an open rear door and window.

Inside the house they located the body in an upper unit, Wilcox continued.

The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition and an investigation is underway.

Additional details will be released as they become available.
RAYMOND  A Milwaukee man has been accused of selling heroin at the 7 Mile Fair flea market.

Anthony L. Ball, 32, was charged with four felony counts of bail jumping and felony counts of delivery of schedule I or II narcotics and manufacture/deliver heroin less than or equal to 3 grams.

According to a criminal complaint:

On Jan. 30, 2021, an investigator with the Racine County Sheriffs Office utilized a confidential informant to purchase heroin from a man known as Dreads at 7 Mile Fair flea market, 2720 W. Seven Mile Road.

The confidential informant met with the suspect vehicle and noticed that Dreads wasnt in the vehicle. Instead, he bought the suspected heroin from Ball. The suspected heroin weighed 1.2 grams and tested positive for the presence of both heroin and fentanyl.

Ball was given a $5,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is on May 12 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show.
As a former UW-Madison professor and advocate for Wisconsin public higher education, I closely follow issues regarding free speech on campus.

The Wisconsin State Journals April 28 editorial, UW shouldnt fear survey about speech, concluded with an homage to UW-Madisons storied history of protecting controversial speech: You cant sift and winnow if youre afraid to speak. While I respect a clever turn of phrase, I object to the standard that this statement sets forth. It implies that no student should ever feel uncomfortable speaking their mind in a university classroom. With all due respect, thats a dangerous standard.

When I raised this objection on Twitter, editorial page editor Scott Milfred replied that protecting students from feeling uncomfortable was not what the State Journal editorial board intended to imply. I welcome the dialogue, and I believe him. Yet it is precisely because the proposed Student Perceptions of Campus Free Speech Survey fails to distinguish between discomfort and true censorship that, in todays political climate, it is at best unhelpful and likely harmful to campus free speech and inquiry.

Indeed, one question on the survey asks students, How often do your professors create a classroom climate in which people with unpopular views would feel comfortable sharing their opinions? Discomfort is not a sign of an unhealthy class environment; quite the contrary. Effective higher education should cause us to question not only our beliefs but how we came to hold them. If that doesnt make students (and their professors) profoundly uncomfortable at times, then we professors are probably not doing our jobs well.

Enforcing a climate of student comfort would, for example, require students in the classroom who disagree with another students stated view to self-censor, lest the conflict make the student feel uncomfortable. This makes the conflation of free speech with comfortable speech a self-negating proposition. It would also prevent a professor from offering a response that might make the student feel embarrassed that their view may be based on faulty logical or empirical premises. The likely result would be to encourage professors to avoid teaching on controversial topics at all, and one wonders if that isnt the point of the whole exercise.

Wisconsin Republican politicians are already threatening to withhold $1 billion in capital funding for the University of Wisconsin System over the survey, according to a report on Fort Atkinson Online. Does the State Journal editorial board really trust the political party that is pushing legislation across the country to ban the teaching of ideas (gender diversity, whatever politicians are defining as CRT, or divisive concepts) to use the survey results in good faith?

We have a First Amendment right not to be sanctioned by the government (including public universities) for protected speech. There is no right to be comfortable when speaking or to be thought of highly by your peers. Students who express unpopular views in university classrooms may (shockingly, I know) feel unpopular. Free speech often requires the speaker to display courage. Lets treat our students as the adults they are.

Vanness is a professor of health policy and administration at Penn State University and a UW-Madison faculty member from 2003 to 2018: david.j.vanness@gmail.com.
WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., deserves credit for leading a congressional delegation to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky  a trip, she tweeted, that sent an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine.

It would have been a much more resounding message had it been bipartisan.

The speakers all-Democrat delegation included House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., but the committees ranking Republican, Rep. Michael R. Turner of Ohio, was not invited, according to congressional sources. Neither was Rep. Mike D. Rogers of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, which is responsible for the $33 billion military aid package President Biden has requested for Ukraine. Yet a Democratic member of the committee, Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado was included. Pelosis counterpart, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., also was not invited  because of bad blood between them, a Pelosi spokesman told me.

The only ranking Republican on a committee with jurisdiction over Ukraine policy to be invited was Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who had just returned from his third trip to the region and could not go.

After McCaul told Pelosi he could not go, he recommended she ask Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe. Fitzpatrick is also co-chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus and a former FBI agent whose last assignment before entering Congress was in Kyiv. He had a prior commitment, Fitzpatrick told me, but I would have canceled in a second if I had been invited. But he wasnt.

Why didnt Pelosi include him? Perhaps, he says, its because he is on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees target list of 22 Republican or open seats it hopes to win in November. McCaul also recommended that Pelosi invite Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., another member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He also did not receive an invitation.

The Pelosi spokesman told me that numerous GOP House members were invited, though he declined to offer names, and that none of the Republicans accepted the invitation. He said that given the security precautions for this trip, members could not be told the destination was Kyiv and were instead told this was a codel to Poland. But McCaul was told that the congressional delegation planned to go to Ukraine. And the idea that Pelosi could not tell the destination to senior members of Congresss national security committees  who have access to our nations most highly classified intelligence  is absurd.

If she had wanted to bring senior Republicans with her to meet with Zelensky, she could have. Including Republicans who have been critical of her would have sent a powerful message: Whatever our differences at home, we are united in support of Ukraine. But she chose not to do so.

Ultimately, what matters more than the photo op is the military aid package that Congress approves. But instead of calling the House back into session on her return to pass the $33 billion in military and humanitarian support immediately, Pelosi is linking the Ukraine aid to a controversial package of billions in additional COVID relief. Asked about tying the two priorities together, Pelosi told reporters on Friday: Im all for that, adding that we need to have the COVID money.

Pelosi knows full well that many Republicans have legitimate concerns about additional pandemic spending after Democrats wasted on non-COVID projects much of the $1.9 trillion they approved on a party-line vote last year. She also knows that Senate Republicans are rightly linking a vote on COVID relief to a vote on bipartisan legislation to keep Title 42  the public health order that allows border officials to turn away migrants in an effort to minimize virus spread  in place until 60 days after the surgeon general announces the end of the pandemic public health emergency. So, linking Ukraine aid to COVID relief necessarily entangles it in the divisive politics of the southern border.

Pelosi might think she can get Republicans to back down on Title 42 by blaming any delays in Ukraine aid on them. This is called legislating, Pelosi said. Ukrainians are fighting for their lives  they dont have time to wait for Congress to legislate on extraneous issues.

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla.  who also was not invited to Kyiv by Pelosi but tells me he gladly would have gone to meet Zelensky  tweeted: If Speaker Pelosis tough talk in Ukraine is serious, she should immediately call the House back into session to vote on additional weapons for Ukraine that is NOT paired with COVID spending. We are in a race against time with the Russians.

Hes right. Not bringing any Republicans to Kyiv was a lost opportunity. But playing political brinkmanship with aid to Ukraine that enjoys broad bipartisan support would be a scandal with deadly consequences.

Thiessen writes for The Washington Post: @marcthiessen.
A group of senators met last week to try to prevent anyone from stealing the 2024 presidential election or from once again inciting an armed mob to attack the Capitol.

The bipartisan band, led by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., aims to update the 1887 Electoral Count Act, the archaic law that governs how Congress counts electoral votes that became a focus of Donald Trumps efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The fate of the nations democracy might rest on whether these senators strike a deal, and soon: If Republicans take the House after Novembers elections, a radicalized House GOP caucus will likely refuse to do anything that could be construed as hostile to Trump.

Some of the Democrats in the bipartisan group want to add voting-related measures to the bill they are negotiating. This is understandable; Congress has done nothing as Republican state legislatures have erected innumerable new barriers to voting. But the group should not get sidetracked. Electoral Count Act reform can attract 60 Senate votes; voting rights measures cannot.

Simply updating the act would be an important victory for democracy. Following the 2020 vote, Trumps lawyers cooked up cockamamie interpretations of the act that would have, among other things, permitted Vice President Mike Pence to throw out electoral votes at will. Thankfully, Pence resisted Trumps pressure campaign to act on these fatuous arguments. But a future vice president might not be so principled.

An alarming number of GOP lawmakers also used the acts vague language  reading into the act broad congressional authority to intervene when electoral appointments are not lawfully certified or when electoral votes are not regularly given  to object to counting electoral votes from a series of swing states that Joe Biden carried. This language was not supposed to empower partisan congressional majorities to reject presidential electors at will, but that was essentially the interpretation most House Republicans embraced.

The bipartisan negotiators must clarify the process so it leaves no room for a de facto coup. It should be clear that the vice president serves nothing but a pro forma role tallying electoral votes. Members of Congress should be allowed to object to presidential electors only under extremely narrow circumstances  say, if state officials send in a slate in defiance of a court order. The threshold for triggering a debate on whether to accept a states electors should be far higher. The bipartisan group appears to agree on these basics.

It should also take more than a bare majority to sustain such an objection, so it would be extremely difficult for one party to unilaterally overturn a presidential election. ... So far, the bipartisan group has not agreed on that reform. Lawmakers should clarify the role of the courts, empowering the judicial branch to sort out election disputes before Congress counts electoral votes. And they should make it crystal clear what happens when the House and the Senate disagree on a states electoral slate, so there is no question about which candidate gets a states votes.

The country cannot limp into another presidential election with electoral rules open to partisan misinterpretation and abuse. Congress should have no higher priority than fixing the Electoral Count Act, immediately.
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced the state will receive $843,000 from the owner of TurboTax, Intuit, for deceiving consumers into paying for tax services that should have been free, according to a press release.

Intuit will pay $141 million in restitution after agreeing to a settlement with all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In Idaho, 27,237 customers will receive checks for about $30 each for tax years 2016 through 2018, the release said. Affected consumers will automatically receive notices and a check by mail. Consumers are expected to receive a direct payment of approximately $30 for each year that they were deceived into paying for filing services.

The company is also required to suspend TurboTaxs free, free, free ad campaign that lured customers with promises of free tax preparation services, only to deceive them into paying for services, the release said.

Intuit tricked thousands of Idahoans into paying for services that should have been free, Wasden said in the release. But the company got caught and this settlement now forces it to pay for its misdeeds.

As part of the agreement, Intuit admitted no wrongdoing, agreed to pay $141 million to put this matter behind it, and made certain commitments regarding its advertising practices, Intuit said in a blog post on its website Wednesday. Intuit already adheres to most of these advertising practices and expects minimal impact to its business from implementing the remaining changes going forward.

An investigation into Intuit began after ProPublica reported that the company was using deceptive digital tactics to steer low-income consumers toward its commercial products and away from federally-supported free tax services, the release said. Intuit has offered two free versions of TurboTax: One was through its participation in a public-private partnership with the Internal Revenue Service allowing taxpayers earning roughly $34,000 and members of the military to file their taxes for free.

In exchange, the IRS agreed not to compete with Intuit and other tax-prep companies by providing its own electronic tax preparation and filing services to American taxpayers.

Intuit also offers a commercial product called TurboTax Free Edition, which is only free for taxpayers with simple returns as defined by Intuit, the release said. But the companys product is only free for approximately one-third of U.S. taxpayers, while the IRS Free File product was free for 70% of taxpayers.

Intuit, owner of TurboTax, agreed to reform business practices under settlement.

According to the release, the multi-state investigation found that Intuit engaged in several deceptive and unfair trade practices that limited consumers participation in the IRS Free File Program, such as using confusingly similar names for both its IRS Free File product and its commercial product.

The investigation also found Intuit purposely blocked its IRS Free File landing page from search engine results during the 2019 tax filing season, effectively shutting out eligible taxpayers from filing their taxes for free.

The TurboTax website also included a Products and Pricing page that stated it would recommend the right tax solution, but never displayed or recommended the IRS Free File program, even when consumers were eligible for the free product.

Intuit has also agreed to reform its business practices, including the following:

Refraining from making misrepresentations in connection with promoting or offering any online tax preparation products;

Enhancing disclosures in its advertising and marketing of free products;

Designing its products to better inform users whether they will be eligible to file their taxes for free; and

Refraining from requiring consumers to start their tax filing over if they exit one of Intuits paid products to use a free product instead.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
A former Idaho lawmaker has been convicted of raping a 19-year-old legislative intern after a dramatic trial in which the young woman fled the witness stand during testimony, saying I cant do this. The verdict was returned Friday. The intern told a Statehouse supervisor that Aaron von Ehlinger raped her at his apartment after the two had dinner at a Boise restaurant in March 2021. He said the sex was consensual. At the time, von Ehlinger was a Republican state representative from Lewiston, but he later resigned. Von Ehlinger was found guilty of rape. He was found not guilty of sexual penetration with a foreign object. Afterwards, prosecutors lauded the victim for her courage in coming forward.
Idaho Public Television has once again demonstrated its value by hosting eye-opening debates among candidates for some of Idahos statewide elective offices. The debates have allowed voters to see who is serious about serving and who merely wishes to use an office to stoke the culture wars for political gain.

Phil McGrane demonstrated in the latest debate that he clearly understands the Secretary of States duties and is best qualified to serve in that office. That is why he has the full support of Ben Ysursa, who served with distinction in that office for 27 years as Chief Deputy to Pete Cenarrusa and then as Secretary of State for 12 years.

Ive known Phils family for decadeshis grandfather was highly respected as the financial officer at the Idaho Falls livestock auction and his dad is a friend. Phil comes from strong roots. He has earned the respect of election officials across the state for running clean, efficient elections in Idahos most populated county. His election expertise clearly came through during the debate.

Phils two opponents spent their debate time obsessing about election fraud, without producing an iota of evidence that it occurs in Idaho. The short answer is that it does not. County clerks told the Legislature as much during this years session. Stirring up concern about problems that dont exist does not speak well for either of Phils opponents.

Sherri Ybarra, the incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction, and challenger Debbie Critchfield both came off in the debate as serious candidates for that position. On the other hand, Branden Durst cemented his reputation as a hot-headed conspiracy theorist.

Even though substantial efforts have been made by Durst and his Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) backers to ferret out instances of critical race theory (CRT) in Idaho, they have come up empty. The claim that CRT exists in Idaho is merely an IFF ploy to discredit Idahos public schools. If elected to office, Durst would do his level best to sabotage Idahos public school system in hopes of replacing it with proprietary private schools, including online schooling. That is one of the IFFs main agenda items.

When Raul Labrador began his debate pitch asserting that the Attorney Generals job is mainly political, it caught my attention. I had just signed onto an op-ed issued by Idahos six living Attorneys General, stating just the opposite. Former Attorneys Tony Park, Wayne Kidwell, Dave Leroy, me, Larry Echo Hawk and Al Lance, who collectively served as Idahos AG for 32 years, stated unequivocally in the op-ed that the AG is a legal official, bound by oath to be the States non-political legal adviser. The AGs credibility depends on not acting like a political hack.

The wise individuals who drafted the Idaho Constitution in 1889 envisioned the office as the source of sound legal advice to state government. None of the drafters mentioned a political role for the AG. Politically skewed legal advice is not ethical in either private law practice or public practice. It is a good way to mislead a client into serious legal trouble.

The AGs office argues many more cases to Idahos appellate courts than any other litigant in the State. Most are appeals by criminals but there are also heavy-duty civil casescases that involve important policy issues or large sums of taxpayers dollars. If Idaho courts regard the AGs office as being infested with political operatives, the States interests will suffer. Lawrence Wasden has established a solid record of competencea record of standing up for the rule of law rather than the rule of politics, as the debate clearly demonstrated.

Thanks to IPTV for performing a valuable public service by hosting the debates. Folks who were not able to watch the live debates can catch them on the IPTV website. Thank goodness that the Idaho Freedom Foundation and its supporters have been unable to deprive IPTV of state funding.

Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served eight years as Idaho attorney general (1983-1991) and 12 years as justice of the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). He is currently a regular contributor to The Hill online news. He blogs at JJCommonTater.

Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
During my time in the Idaho Legislature, Ive been asked whats your Freedom Foundation score? Some years Im in the 90s and some years Im in the 70s. Im then asked, why dont you have a 100%? My answer is simple: because the Freedom Foundation isnt always right, and I favor conservative principles over libertarian ideals.

My point in writing this article is not to criticize the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF), nor to defend them. People need to understand why I do not always agree with their analysis. As a conservative, Ive come to learn that it is OK to have a difference of opinion and that no one individual or organization owns what it means to be a conservative.

During this last legislative session, I proposed HB690, a bill that wouldve provided up to 80 million dollars in property tax relief annually. The bill took surplus money from the state and used it to lower the cities and counties levy rates. The bill passed the house but did not get a hearing in the senate. This bill was rated negatively by the IFF because it encouraged cities and counties to pay down debt and did not require that they cut their budgets. The IFF testified that if they paid down debt, it would be easier for them to get into more debt. Consequently, I received a negative point because I voted to reduce property taxes by using surplus money to reduce the levy rates and provide actual property tax relief.

HB548 set up a system to ensure that people cant cheat by obtaining multiple homeowners exemptions. When individuals do that, it shifts the burden to others, resulting in higher property taxes for law-abiding individuals. Because HB548 allowed the Tax Commission to track exemptions and share data with the Secretary of State it increased the size of government and was therefore rated negatively. From a libertarian perspective, they are correct; but as one who believes in the conservative principle of fairness and rule of law, I voted to prevent people from cheating, and therefore I received a negative score.

As a conservative, I also believe in a good education system with fairly compensated teachers. Currently, teachers dont participate in the states health insurance program. HB443 allowed them to join the states program. Because Idaho is self-funded, the districts need the fund to buy-in. The IFF rated this bill negatively because it expands government and increases spending. Again, I would agree with the IFF that the bill costs money and expands government. But Idahos constitution requires that the legislature fund education. Providing health insurance to teachers and providing funding for education is a conservative value that I support.

I find value in reading the IFFs bills analysis just like I find value in the Farm Bureau, Food Producers, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, and even the Association of Idaho Cities analysis. However, the IFF does not own conservatism, nor are they the final arbiter of whether or not legislation is conservative.

Sometimes, the right thing to do is to expand government so that we can identify and regulate drugs. Sometimes the right thing to do is to create programs to prevent people from claiming multiple homeowners exemptions. Sometimes the right thing to do is to spend more money on education. Sometimes the right thing to do is to use surplus state funds to cut property taxes. And sometimes the right thing to do is to vote for what I believe is a conservative value even when the IFF says otherwise.

Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The Qatari Planning and Statistics Authority revealed Wednesday that the Gulf countrys population has shrunk by nearly 2 per cent on a monthly basis since March, Doha News reports.

The agency on its Twitter account indicated that the countrys population has almost reached 2,774,000 persons by the end of April 2022, standing at 2,773,598.

Despite the decline, the agency also revealed that the population had increased by 4.8 percent annually since April 2021.

The Gulf country, according to the 2020 census, has seen its populations growing significantly in the past decade. In December 2010, the population of Qatar was 1,637,443 people, compared to 2,684,329 people in December 2020.
A close friend of former Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, accused of plotting and living in exile for several years, has been arrested in Abidjan, his relatives said Wednesday.

Commander Abdoulaye Fofana, the former aide-de-camp of Guillaume Soro has been arrested and is being held in the premises of the Agban gendarmerie in Abidjan, said Moussa Toure, former head of communication of Guillaume Soro. Mr. Toure said, however, that Major Fofana was no longer in contact with the camp of the former prime minister since April 2021.

In 2021, the Ivorian judiciary issued an arrest warrant for disturbing public order and illegal wearing of fatigues against Commander Fofana, after numerous statements by him on social networks calling for a mutiny by soldiers in Cote dIvoire.

Guillaume Soro, who lives in exile, was sentenced in mid-July 2021 in absentia to life imprisonment for undermining state security, conspiracy, attempted attack on state authority.

A leader of the rebellion that controlled the northern half of Cote dIvoire in the 2000s, Guillaume Soro helped Alassane Ouattara militarily come to power during the violent post-election crisis of 2010-2011 against incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to accept Mr. Ouattaras victory in the late 2010 presidential election.

Guillaume Soro became Ouattaras first head of government, and in 2012 was appointed president of the National Assembly, a position he held until 2019. But the two men gradually fell out, until they broke up in early 2019, according to observers, because of Mr. Soros presidential ambitions.
The United Nations said finding a Special Representative for the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is a very high priority as African countries and Russia push for the choice of an African to replace outgoing American diplomat Stephanie Williams.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, said, when asked at a briefing how much of a priority is it for the Secretary General to find a new UN Special Representative in Libya, that the matter was a very high priority, noting that another priority is to hope for the unity of views on the Security Council to help implement the mandate and improve the lives of the Libyan people.

The mandate of US diplomat Williams has come to end while the Security Council extended for three months the duration of the mission. Williams has come under scrutiny. She fell out with Egypt which has invited other African countries to request for an African appointee.

The Italian news agency Nova this week reported, citing unnamed western diplomatic sources, that the Security Council will appoint an African as the next special envoy of the UN Secretary General in the conflict-hit oil-rich African country.

No names have emerged. Libya has been plunged in chaos since 2011 following NATO-sponsored uprising where former leader Muammar Gaddafi was assassinated.

The country currently has two rival governments, backed by foreign countries vying for influence in the oil-rich African country.
The chiefs of staff of the Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held a two-day meeting in Accra Thursday and Friday to debate defence and security matters and means of strengthening military cooperation in the region plagued by growing insecurity.

The extraordinary meeting also provided participants with the opportunity to find amicable solutions towards the activities of violent extremist organizations, terrorist armed groups and transnational organized criminal networks.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are grappling with terrorist insurgencies and neighboring states such as Ghana, Benin and Cote dIvoire are concerned about spillover to their borders.

Addressing representatives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Accra, Ghanas Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul spoke of armed and criminal groups fueling the rise in insecurity, underlining that the sub-region had been saddled with complex transnational crimes committed both in the physical and cyber domains.

Terrorist activities have taken cross border dimensions with far reaching implications for civil societies, regional security and global peace and development, he said.

Nitiwul said that in three years, the region has suffered more than 5,300 attacks attributed to terrorists, which have left about 16,000 people dead and millions displaced.

At the end of the first quarter of this year, there had been 840 attacks within the sub-region which had resulted in 2,482 casualties, he pointed out.

Ghanas Defense Minister called for more intelligence sharing to better monitor terrorist groups. As professionals, we must resolve to bury our differences imposed by nationality, culture ethnicity, language, religion and forge ahead with greater collaboration, he insisted.

He deplored that there was currently a limited collaboration among various national intelligence agencies across the sub-region that had resulted in a serious limitation in the fight against the activities of terrorist armed groups, and violent extremist organizations.

These groups rather have increased collaboration and information sharing across national borders in a bid to outwit security forces and impose their will on the population.

The maintenance of peace and security in our various jurisdictions remains a critical challenge and as Chiefs of Defense Staff in your respective countries you have a pivotal role to play in shaping the defense and security policies needed to achieve regional peace and public safety, he insisted.

Mr Nitiwul said it was necessary to bridge the gaps that existed in information and intelligence analysis, to pave way for better integration for effective political, social and military direction.

This is a good way to do things, to make sure we work together to stop the threat of terrorism in our sub-region, he added.

After military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, ECOWAS suspended these countries from its bodies and imposed economic sanctions. But it allowed representatives of the three countries to attend the meeting because of the urgency, Nitiwul said.
The vMap technology localizes the source of arrhythmia using only data from a noninvasive 12-lead ECG. Credit: University of California - San Diego

Bioengineers and cardiologists from the University of California San Diego invented a technology that can accurately and noninvasively map atrial and ventricular heart arrhythmias in a matter of minutes. The technology, developed by Vektor Medical Inc., a company co-founded by UC San Diego faculty, demonstrated 97.3% accuracy in a clinical validation study, and recently received FDA clearance.

Instead of sending a catheter into a patient's heart to localize the source of the arrhythmia, the new vMap technology requires only data from a standard noninvasive 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG)performed in most clinical and ambulatory settingsto create a three-dimensional interactive map of arrhythmia source locations in all four chambers of the heart.

The researchers used computational modeling to create over one million simulations of different heart arrhythmias. The patient's ECG recordings are compared to this simulation database to accurately locate the source of the arrhythmia.

vMap was invented by bioengineers and cardiologists from UC San Diego, and has been developed by Vektor Medical, a startup co-founded by Professor of Bioengineering, Andrew McCulloch; Professor of Medicine and electrophysiologist, Dr. David Krummen; Assistant Professor of Medicine, electrophysiologist, and bioengineering alumnus, Dr. Gordon Ho; and bioengineering alumnus Dr. Christopher Villongco, Vektor's chief technology officer. The Vektor Medical team presented their clinical trial results at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting in San Francisco.

Pinpointing an electrical fault

The current standard of care for treating heart arrhythmiasany type of irregular heartbeat that is too fast, too slow, or mistimed due to an electrical signal misfiringis to carefully burn or freeze the exact spot in the heart where the electrical misfiring is coming from. This procedure, called an ablation, resets the electrical signals and heartbeat. Hundreds of thousands of ablations are performed in the United States every year. But before an electrophysiologist can perform an ablation, they need to know precisely where in the heart the arrhythmia is coming from.

"Mapping is critical to planning and performing ablation. The current process of arrhythmia localization relies upon invasive catheter mapping," said Dr. David Krummen. "It generally works well, but the process can be time consuming, increasing fluoroscopy and anesthesia exposure for the patient. Moreover, occasionally the catheter-based process may "bump" the arrhythmia source and suppress the clinical arrhythmia, preventing further mapping."

"We wanted to find a way to pinpoint the arrhythmia source location using data from the 12-lead ECG," he added. "The 12-lead ECG is used in a variety of clinical settings outside the electrophysiology laboratory including the emergency department, the intensive care unit, and the outpatient clinic. One of the major goals of the system is to leverage arrhythmia data from these ECGs to potentially allow arrhythmia source mapping prior to arrival in electrophysiology lab."

The computational solution

That's where bioengineering Professor Andrew McCulloch and Christopher Villongco, a Ph.D. student in McCulloch's lab at the time and now Vektor's CTO, came in. McCulloch has spent the last 35 years at UC San Diego making models of the heart, from the biochemistry and physiology of its cells and the mechanics of its muscle fibers to the electrical rhythms of the whole heart. His cardiac computational modeling software, Continuity, allows researchers to accurately simulate the heart down to the cellular level. Villongco and McCulloch originally set out to develop personalized computational models to help patients and physicians predict the outcome of certain heart procedures, but soon hit a stumbling block: how to translate computational modeling from academic use to real-time, actionable clinical use?

"Developing detailed, personalized models for individual patients was appropriate for our research at the time, but the process of creating a single model requires a lot of high-quality clinical data, computational power, time, and modeling expertise," said Villongco. "We learned from collaborating with Drs. Krummen and Ho that the actual clinical demands were quite the opposite: minimal data, limited computational power, rapid analysis, and ease of use in the existing clinical workflow."

Learning from the collaboration, the team realized they needed to create a massive library of computational models of arrhythmias.

Then the challenge became how to create a model library, when it took a powerful computer cluster several days to create just one model? Combining computationally efficient modeling methods with modern-day computing architectures and resources, a library of over one million arrhythmia simulations was created in just under one year, a vast improvement from the tens of thousands of years it would have otherwise taken. The clinical product was then designed and implemented according to the needs and experiences of electrophysiologists.

The initial research was funded by grants from the NIH, a Jacobs School of Engineering entrepreneurship program, and the Galvanizing Engineering in Medicine program. Then, thanks to funding from the NIH-backed Center for Accelerated Innovationintended to help transfer technologies from the lab to the clinicthe researchers and Vektor team were able to further hone the tool, expand its capabilities, and test its accuracy. A multicenter, blinded clinical trial showed that in 255 arrhythmia episodes from 225 patients, the vMap tool had a regional accuracy of 96.9%, with a spatial accuracy of 15mm. The median time to complete the mapping process was 48 seconds.

"It's one thing to make fancy simulations, but it's altogether another to make something that can be used in the pressure of a clinic, in a matter of minutes, that's reliable," said McCulloch. "And we've shown that vMap meets all these needs." McCulloch is also the director of the UC San Diego Institute for Engineering in Medicine, and the Shu Chien Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Engineering and Medicine.

vMap is a tool for physicians to better understand seven important and often dangerous arrhythmiasventricular tachycardia; premature ventricular complex; ventricular fibrillation; focal atrial tachycardia; premature atrial complex; orthodromic atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia; and atrial fibrillation. The information vMap provides is intended to increase the success rate for patients undergoing these ablation procedures.

vMap is currently in use by physicians at UC San Diego Health with the intent to reduce ablation procedure times and increase ablation success rates for patients with these seven arrhythmias.

Explore further Remapping atrial fibrillation treatment
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Rutgers researchers made a startling discovery when the pandemic curtailed routine medical visits: Going virtual to test cutting-edge therapies reached more diverse patients.

Clinical trials test the effectiveness and safety of new medications or devices. Yet the vast majority of such studies do not enroll participants that represent America. Black patients account for, on average, just 5% of clinical trial participants nationally, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges.

Rutgers' remote experiment with COVID-19 treatments broke down logistical barriers by allowing people to self-monitor symptoms and check in through online portals. Trials typically require participants to make regular trips to medical offices for blood draws and check-ins. These visits can take hours in the middle of a workday, and be inaccessible to people who can't take time off work, or lack transportation or child care.

The pandemic has proven why change is necessaryModerna recast its vaccine trials after the initial participant pool was lacking in Black and Latino participants. Philadelphia research hubs now are cutting a path to more equitable clinical trials to address the deep racial disparities in the U.S. health-care system. Rutgers, the University of Pennsylvania, and Fox Chase Cancer Center are among the institutions tackling other entrenched challenges involved, including racism, distrust of medicine, and inadequate community connections.

"The landscape for clinical trials research and participation in clinical trials is dramatically different than it was pre-COVID," said Reynold Panettieri, director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science.

Research has found that social determinants of health, such as racism, stress, food insecurity and neighborhood safety, are the leading reasons why people of color experience more severe illness compared with white people. Genetics also can affect how people respond to certain cancer treatments.

"You can't say you have a new drug and it works on everyone," said Carmen Guerra, associate director of diversity and outreach at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center. "It leaves primary-care doctors and oncologists in a difficult position when we're trying to treat a cancer patient who is Black or Latino."

For instance, a medication used to treat leukemia can be toxic for patients who have a specific genetic mutation because it slows metabolism and allows dangerous ingredients to linger in the body. The mutation happens to be most common among Black patients, she said. The only way to learn whether patients also respond differently to new therapies is to include a broad range of patients in trials.

The stakes are personal for Anita Conner and her daughter, Kerri Conner Matchett, both certified public accountants diagnosed with breast cancer a decade apart.

When Conner learned she had advanced breast cancer, in 1998, she would have never thought to ask about a clinical trial.

Conner, now 65, of Jenkintown, said she didn't know much about breast cancer and didn't know anyone who had it. She is grateful that her doctor suggested a clinical trial.

"We don't talk about it in our community," said Conner, who is Black.

Early in the pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave ongoing trials the green light to allow remote participation when possiblea protocol change that typically requires extensive review.

Rutgers went a step further by making its new COVID-19 clinical trials entirely remote. The approach drew a more diverse patient population30% of participants were people of colorand enabled researchers to draw from a broader geographic area and fill spots more quickly, because it was so much easier to participate, Panettieri said.

"It's sort of always been done at the convenience of the investigator, rather than the patient," he said of trials.

The decentralized trials developed out of necessity during the pandemic could lead to a new standard for hybrid trials that include in-person and remote participation, Esther Krofah, executive director of the Center for Public Health at the Milken Institute, wrote last summer in Health Affairs.

"This year was a time for reflection on changes made to the clinical trials enterprise in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and for more purposefully considering how the system ought to be redesigned," Krofah wrote in an article coauthored by other former pharmaceutical executives.

Clinical trials often call for participants who do not have other health issues that could influence how well the treatment works, or whose illness has not advanced to a late stage. This can exclude people of color, who are more likely to have multiple chronic conditions.

And doctors are less likely to recommend clinical trials to Black and Latino patients, whom they assume won't be eligible, Guerra found in research to be published in June in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"These unconscious biases are really underestimating the fact that individuals would want to participate if they were offered," she said.

She offered a solution: standards for when in the treatment process doctors should talk to patients about trial participation.

There are other ways clinical trials could be made more patient-friendly, especially for people of color, said Elizabeth Plimack, deputy director of Fox Chase Cancer Center.

For instance, cancer trials tend to overuse placebo, which is when some participants receive the new treatment and others receive the current standard of care, she said. This uncertainty can turn off those already wary of feeling like they're part of a medical experiment, she said.

In many cases, placebo isn't necessary to test the effectiveness of cancer treatments. And when it is, the trial protocol could inform patients afterward which group they were in.

"There's a 50/50 chance you'll drive there and get an IV of saline," Plimack said of trials that use placebo. "I think we can make trials better for patients."

Another entrenched barrier to diverse clinical trials is a distrust of medicine rooted in a history of medical experimentation on marginalized communities and racism in health care. People repeatedly tell Guerra they don't want to be "guinea pigs" and "test subjects."

"There's a spectrum of trust and you have to earn it," she said.

That starts with validating the fear and mistrust people may have about clinical trials.

When Guerra speaks to communities about clinical trials, her presentation includes slides about Penn dermatologist Albert Kligman's experiments on inmates at Philadelphia's Holmesburg Prison between 1951 and 1974. She shows pictures of the men with patches of skin missing on their backs. Then she talks about how medical research policies have changed to ensure that unethical experimentation never happens again.

Guerra is leading an "ambassador" program that trains former patients, trial participants and family members to connect with underrepresented patient communities.

Conner and her daughter are involved in a similar ambassador program at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

They go to churches and share their personal stories through the nonprofit they started, Praise Is the Cure, to help people feel comfortable asking questions they may not want to ask doctors.

Matchett, now 47, had a double mastectomy in 2008 to treat her aggressive form of cancer. At the time, she was 33 with a 2-year-old daughter. Almost a decade later, the cancer resurfaced in her lungs, and in 2020, it spread to her spine.

Matchett's first reaction was tears, then gratitude toward her mother, whose involvement in a clinical trial helped doctors learn more about how to treat the next generation of breast cancer patients.

"There was no way I could go through all the treatment procedures my mom did," Matchett recalled. "And the doctor said, "You won't have to do any of that because of all the advancement."

Matchett now has three children, ages 16, 11, and 10, who she says have never known a mother without cancer.

Matchett and her doctors are exploring clinical trial options in addition to chemotherapy, because she wants her children to see her resilience and her determination to help herself and othersjust as her mother did.

2022 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

On a single night in 2020, roughly 172,000 in families with children and 34,000 unaccompanied youth under age 25 were homeless, according to government figures. Many more families are housing insecure amid skyrocketing rents.

A large body of research finds that both situations put children at increased risk for health problems. Parents may have trouble taking them to primary care visits or regularly filling prescriptions. Unaddressed, medical conditions can escalate to life-threatening emergencies, especially in infants and in children with complex medical needs.

To learn more about the effects of homelessness and critical illness in children, Jonathan Gabbay, MD, a resident physician in pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital, teamed up with critical care physician Katherine Peeler, MD, MA, and Kathryn E. Whyte, LICSW, a social worker with Franciscan Children's Hospital, to review the medical literature.

They found few explicit studies on the subject. However, the available evidence indicates that once homeless infants and children land in the ICU, they tend to have longer stays. Without a stable home environment, children are less able to recover after discharge and are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital.

Housing insecurity: A hidden problem

Gabbay and his colleagues propose a three-pronged effort to identify and address housing insecurity in critically ill children. Screening is the critical first step, because families may not feel comfortable disclosing this information on their own.

Gabbay himself is a case in point. Just out of college, his childhood home was unsafe to return to, so he crashed with kind-hearted relatives or slept in his car. He remembers leaving his dog in the car to go to medical appointments.

"Not many people knew," he says.

Simply looking at someone is not a good gauge of whether they are homeless, says Peeler. People who are housing insecure may seem at first glance to have the resources they need. They may be holding down a job and taking care of their spouse and kids.

"But if you screen for multiple social determinants of health and ask, 'do you need help?' People may say, 'yes, I do have a hard time paying rent,'" Peeler says. "Or they may say, 'I can feed my kids, but I'm not eating much myself.' Or, 'I don't have reliable access to a car.'"

Step one: Identifying homelessness

Ideally, clinical teams should screen children for homelessness or housing insecurity and other social determinants of health soon after admission to the hospital.

"Data show that many physicians don't do these screenings, but it's crucial to identify housing insecurity early to plan for transitions," says Gabbay. "Screening may identify barriers to a successful discharge up front, enabling care teams to address the family's needs. If there is a delay in identification, it can lengthen children's stay and increase cost, since children cannot leave the hospital without a safe housing placement."

Screening can be very informative. A recent study led by colleague Kira Bona, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, tested a set of screening questions for families of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Nearly all families willingly answered questions about material hardship: problems paying their rent or mortgage or paying for car, phone or utility expenses, medical bills, or food. More than 40 percent reported "money problems," and 59 percent cited difficulties in more than one area.

Gabbay and Peeler are now developing a screening tool for all children being admitted to the hospital, asking about social determinants of health including homelessness. For example, housing-related questions might ask whether the family is concerned about losing or affording housing, the type of current residence, frequency of family moves in the last 12 months, safety and accessibility of housing, and prior history of evictions, homelessness, or placement in emergency shelters.

Step two: Discharge planning for homeless children

Ideally, care teams should start discharge planning as soon as housing insecurity or homelessness are identified, to ensure that children have a safe place to recover that meets their medical needs. Such needs can include:

electricity

medical equipment

space

accessibility

cleanliness (for infection control)

proximity to health care providers.

"If a child is sent home with a new diagnosis of diabetes, for example, they need a place with constant electricity for insulin to be refrigerated," says Peeler. "Or if they have a new physical limitation, maybe they can't get up to the fourth-story walkup apartment that had previously been assigned as their shelter."

Step three: Care coordination

To minimize readmissions, the researchers urge hospital providers to coordinate the child's care with outpatient medical providers and engage a social worker to assist families with housing, utilities, food, and Supplementary Security Income (if the family is eligible). Outpatient providers should be easy for families to get to and should have case managers and social workers on their team.

When interventions begin early, it may be possible to finally break the vicious cycle in which homelessness leads to poor health, and poor health leads to homelessness.

"The more support families have once they transition to the outpatient setting, the more set up for success they are," says Gabbay.

Explore further Homelessness in infancy linked to poor health outcomes for children and mothers
Dr Simon Scott. Credit: University of Kent

Researchers from the Medway School of Pharmacy (a partnership between the universities of Kent and Greenwich) have helped isolate the Lloviu virus (LLOV)a close relative of Ebola virusfor the first time, highlighting the need for future research to ensure pandemic preparedness.

LLOV is part of the filovirus familywhich includes the Ebola virus. While Ebola (and other filoviruses including the similarly pathogenic Marburg virus) have only occurred naturally in Africa, Lloviu has been discovered in Europe. The filovirus LLOV, was identified via its genetic material (RNA) in 2002 in Schreiber's bats in Spain and was subsequently detected in bats in Hungary.

As a zoonotic virusone which passes between animals and humansLLOV is of interest to public health around the world due to our close relationship with animals in agriculture, as companions and in the natural environment. This is even more the case in recent years with the continued destruction and encroachment of natural habitats of many wild creatures. The World Health Organization states that "Zoonoses comprise a large percentage of all newly identified infectious diseases, as well as many existing ones."

Dr. Simon Scott and Dr. Nigel Temperton from the Viral Pseudotye Unit (VPU) at Medway School of Pharmacy were part of a team led by Dr. Gabor Kemenesi from Pecs University/National Laboratory of Virology in Hungary. The VPU, including former Ph.D. student Dr. Martin Mayora-Neto, were involved in conducting all the antibody detection experiments using bat sera as part of the study, even before the virus itself was isolated. This isolation occurred in the Hungarian lab from the very last bat which tested LLOV positive.

Significantly the team have now discovered that Lloviu has the potential to both infect human cells and also to replicate. This raises concerns about potential widespread transmission in Europe and urges immediate pathogenicity and antiviral studies. The VPU work also revealed no antibody cross-reactivity between LLOV and Ebola, suggesting that existing Ebola vaccines may not protect against Lloviu, should it be transmitted to man.

Dr. Scott says that their "research is a smoking gun. It's vital that we know both more about the distribution of this virus and that research is done in this area to assess the risks and to ensure we are prepared for potential epidemics and pandemics."

From this research, it is clear that there is a considerable knowledge gap regarding the pathogenicity, animal hosts, and transmissibility of these newly discovered viruses. Funding from the British Academy has enabled Dr. Scott to create a consortium of European bat virologists, harnessing expertise in the field, from ecology to virology. The group are aiming to carry out essential further research across Europe into the risks of the Lloviu virus to humans, in addition to other families of viruses including coronavirus and lyssavirus (rabies) which have bats as hosts.

The research paper, "Isolation of infectious Lloviu virus from Schreiber's bats in Hungary," is published by Nature Communications.

Explore further Bats in Northeast India carry filoviruses that can infect humans

More information: Gabor Kemenesi et al, Isolation of infectious Lloviu virus from Schreiber's bats in Hungary, Nature Communications (2022). Journal information: Nature Communications Gabor Kemenesi et al, Isolation of infectious Lloviu virus from Schreiber's bats in Hungary,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29298-1
Pakistani PM expresses grief over loss of lives in floods hitting Afghanistan

Xinhua) 09:50, May 06, 2022

ISLAMABAD, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed grief over the loss of lives and property in the recent floods hitting different parts of Afghanistan, the Prime Minister's Office said on Thursday.

The prime minister expressed solidarity with the Afghan caretaker government and the people, and extended condolences to the bereaved and victims' families, the office said in a statement.

The prime minister announced that Pakistan is sending emergency aid to flood-stricken Afghans, according to the statement.

"We are with the Afghan people in this difficult hour and will provide them every possible assistance," said the statement.

Sharif also called on the international community, particularly the United Nations, to help the displaced Afghans by providing food, medical aid, and shelter.

The recent floods, according to the prime minister, could worsen Afghanistan's humanitarian situation.

Afghan officials said Thursday that eight people have been confirmed dead and 13 others injured in the floods that swept parts of Afghanistan's northern Baghlan and western Badghis provinces on Wednesday.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Iraqi authorities said one person died on Friday of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever as cases of the virus spread to the country's north.

Iraq has registered eight deaths from 40 cases of the illness, also known as Congo fever, since the start of the year, health ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr said in a statement.

Health authorities in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, announced the province's first death from the illness on Friday.

The deceased was a butcher who had failed to follow health regulations, health official Ziad Khalaf said.

The disease is tick-borne and causes severe haemorrhaging, according to the World Health Organization.

People are generally infected through contact with the blood of infected animals, often after slaughtering livestock.

It can also be transmitted between humans through "close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons," according to the WHO.

The disease has a high fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent of all cases.

Kirkuk authorities have prohibited the transport of cattle to or from the province.

Nineveh province, also in northern Iraq, registered its first case on Thursday, while central Babil province recorded one death on April 29.

Twenty-three of the cases have been in Dhi Qar province, the health ministry's Badr said.

The poor, largely rural southern province is known for rearing cattle, sheep and goats, all of which are potential carriers of the disease.

Badr told AFP earlier Friday that the country was not "in a state of epidemic".

He said cases were "limited" but acknowledged that the infection rate was "higher than the previous year".

Most of those infected have been cattle farmers and abattoir workers, according to the health ministry.

The WHO says Congo fever is endemic in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans.

Explore further Iraq says 7 dead from Congo fever since start of 2021

 2022 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The world's first malaria vaccine will soon be available across sub-Saharan Africa, according to PATH, partners of the vaccine developers, as positive results from the pioneering jab pile up.

The vaccine, known as RTS,S/AS01E and commercialized under the brand name Mosquirix, targets children as over three quarters of malaria deaths occur in under-five-year olds, according to the latest report from the WHO.

Findings from a WHO pilot held in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, showed that the pioneering vaccine caused a significant reduction in severe malaria and hospitalization among vaccinated children.

It means more countries in sub-Saharan Africa will soon receive the vaccine, says John Bawa, Africa lead for vaccine implementation at Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).

These findings pave the way for an expanded distribution scheme that will see countries like Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia receive the vaccines, said Bawa during a webinar held in commemoration of World Malaria Day.

"The next is to deploy the vaccine to other endemic countries. Countries that are interested in the vaccine are expected to apply to GAVI from June to September," he said at the webinar organized by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), PATH and Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC).

"Countries like Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Nigeria have already written officially to express interest for the vaccine," Bawa said.

He said malaria vaccine coverage in Malawi was at 88% in 2020 and 93% in 2021. In Ghana, it was 71% in 2020 and 76% in 2021 and in Kenya, it was 69% in 2020 and 83% in 2021.

"These numbers indicate strong community demand and capacity of childhood vaccination platforms to effectively deliver the vaccine to children," said Bawa.

Currently, 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have received at least one dose of the first malaria vaccine.

These vaccines were distributed in a pilot scheme organized by WHO. The organization has now recommended the vaccine for use among children in areas with moderate to high transmission rate of malaria.

"This vaccine is not just a scientific breakthrough, it is life-changing for families across Africa. It demonstrates the power of science and innovation for health," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Vaccine procurement

In an arrangement to boost vaccine supply and coverage, GlaxoSmithKline, producers of the RTS,S vaccine, will transfer technology and patent to Bharat Biotech in India to manufacture the vaccines.

The WHO, in a press release, said more than US$155 million has been secured from to support the introduction, procurement and delivery of the malaria vaccine for Gavi-eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The organization said it would provide guidance for countries that are considering the use of vaccines for the reduction childhood illnesses and deaths from malaria.

"For some countries, Gavi is paying about 80% [of the] cost of the vaccine, while it is expected that the country's government would pay the [remaining] 20%," Bawa said.

Wellington Oyibo, director of the Centre for Malaria Diagnosis, Research, Capacity Building and Policy at the University of Lagos, urged African leaders to ensure that their counterpart funds are available to purchase the vaccine.

He said the Nigerian government and the Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation malaria eradication project have applied to purchase the vaccine for Nigerian children.

Oyibo said while the initial rollout of the vaccine may not go around the country, the Nigerian government selected states with the highest malaria burden to begin with.

Explore further Gavi alliance OKs funds for Africa malaria vaccine roll-out

Provided by SciDev.Net
The operating room produces 70% of hospitals' greenhouse gas emissions, but two surgeons-in-training have come up with solutions to reduce that number. Credit: Jacob Dwyer/Michigan Medicine

In April 2021, during the Leaders Summit on Climate, President Biden announced his goal to drastically reduce the United States' greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Victor Agbafe was watching the address on TV. The University of Michigan Medical School student, who is also studying law at Yale, immediately texted a few mentors, including Michigan Medicine integrated plastic surgery resident Nicholas Berlin, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.

The question that emerged from their messages was a crucial one: What role can the medical community, which accounts for about 8.5% of America's greenhouse gas emissions, play in these climate change reduction efforts?

A year later, research that Agbafe and Berlin led outlines some answers. Their paper describes how surgery, particularly cancer surgery, contributes to climate change and suggests some solutions to combat the problem, from reducing waste to rethinking how surgical care is delivered.

"In general, these ideas are good for our planet," Agbafe said. "But also, surgery unfortunately plays a disproportionate role in the carbon output and the waste we produce in medicine."

Operating rooms are a massive source of greenhouse gas production for hospitals, representing 70% of their waste and generating three to six times as much carbon as the rest of health systems.

Cancer care is an obvious target for greener efforts within surgery, Berlin notes, because it often involves intense levels of care over a short period of time.

Plus, minimally invasive surgeries that require a lot of energy, including robotic-assisted operations, have become common treatments for cancers ranging from colorectal and uterine cancer to head and neck cancer. A robotic-assisted hysterectomy, for example, produces as much carbon as driving more than 2,200 miles in a carthe equivalent of a road trip from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Los Angeles.

"If we can lower our greenhouse gas output, we have a chance to extend the lifespan of our patients and expand access to timely care," Agbafe said. "And we think it's really important that the surgical community is proactive at being at that table."

What to do differently

One of the most feasible changes to make in this space would be around waste reduction, Agbafe said.

This might be as simple as making sure that anything thrown away before or during surgery is properly categorized and labeled since it's estimated that over 90% of OR waste does not meet the necessary standards for the type of trash it ends up in. (The red waste bags in ORs are intended only for items that have been exposed to bodily fluids and are much more expensive to dispose of than clear disposal bags.)

Hospitals could also consider switching to some reusable or reprocessed devices and surgical gowns since there is no link between reused tools and hospital-acquired infections.

Some of the pair's other suggestions involve optimizing ORs' energy use. Agbafe and Berlin point to the American Society of Healthcare Engineering's recommendations to install energy-efficient lighting, schedule preventive maintenance and minimize air flow into rooms that aren't being used as easy ways to green the systems.

The surgical supply chain could be more efficient, too, they write. Estimates suggest that 87% of the surgical instruments laid out for an operation are rarely used, so coming up with standardized lists of the necessary tools for surgeries that occur regularly could cut down on cost, waste and the energy needed to sterilize and repackage those instruments.

Moving more manufacturing of surgical supplies closer to hospitalsor choosing to source from suppliers that are locally basedcould also reduce the OR's carbon footprint.

"Given some of the geopolitical events that have been going on right now in Ukraine and with China and the competition there along with the effects of pandemic is creating an increasing emphasis on resiliency within supply chains," Agbafe said. "So this idea of localizing our operating room supply chains is something that there's a lot of political energy and momentum within the public to move towards."

Reimagining care delivery

But perhaps the broadest way the oncology space could cut down on its greenhouse gas emissions is to change how surgical care is delivered, starting with permanently offering telemedicine.

"We think telemedicine is a great opportunity for us to lower the climate impact and improve the quality of care by doing so," Agbafe said. "During the pandemic, we've been using virtual care and if we could make that a routine aspect of cancer care for pre-op and post-op, that's a way we can reduce the climate impact of delivering care and make it more convenient for patients."

Reducing low-value care is another way to eliminate carbon-producing activities associated with unnecessary scans, testing and procedures.

This has been a priority for U-M, thanks to the Michigan Program on Value Enhancementa collaboration of Michigan Medicine and the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy that aims to improve the quality of care at the institutionand a partnership with the similarly oriented Michigan Value Collaborative, also referred to as MVC, a collaborative quality initiative that serves the entire state.

Last year, the two organizations collaborated on a study that highlighted how much routine testing was still done before surgeries despite its low value. Berlin was the first author.

"U-M is considered one of the leading institutions studying low-value care and efforts to limit that type of care," Berlin said. "But like a lot of other centers, we are really just at the precipice of these initiatives. I would anticipate big changes in the next 10 years."

From gas to (more sustainable) gas

Some sustainability shifts may come even sooner at Michigan Medicine.

For instance, the Department of Anesthesiology recently launched the Green Anesthesia Initiative, or GAIA for short. Its mission: become more environmentally conscious about the types and rates of anesthesia its providers use, another area Agbafe and Berlin say is ripe for improvement.

"This is a topic of fairly intense discussion right now in the field, and I've been thinking about it for a while," said George Mashour, M.D., Ph.D., the chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and the Robert B. Sweet Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan Medical School. "Unlike other industries, I don't think that we require massive disruption in order to make progress because, fortunately, we have options."

Several inhaled gases regularly used for anesthesia are A-list offenders when it comes to greenhouse gas production. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a greenhouse gas, a direct ozone depleter and does not dissipate from the atmosphere for more than a century after it's produced.

However, the inhaled anesthetic sevoflurane has much less of an environmental impact than nitrous oxide and other common inhaled agents, so Mashour says it would be a good alternative.

"The overall goal is to shift away from some of these egregious culprits and start making better choices about which drug we use and then also how we use it," Mashour said.

"The contributions in terms of greenhouse gas effect or ozone-depleting action partly relate to how much is getting pumped out into the atmosphere and that relates directly to how high we have our fresh gas flow," he added. "If we have, for example, 10 liters going, we're blowing a lot of anesthetic into the scavenging and waste and atmospheric systems that doesn't need to be there."

To that end, Mashour's colleagues in the Department of Anesthesiology are already leading a national initiative to try to reduce anesthetic gas flow rates through the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group, another quality initiative that includes health centers from across the country.

Mashour plans to roll out other elements of GAIA over a three- to- five-year period.

"We could be doing better," he said. "Right now, we're starting the conversations, getting people on board and making structural choices in the department to help make it easy for people to do the right thing."

Explore further Making anesthesia more eco-friendly

More information: Victor Agbafe et al, Prescriptions for Mitigating Climate ChangeRelated Externalities in Cancer Care: A Surgeon's Perspective, Journal of Clinical Oncology (2022). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Oncology Victor Agbafe et al, Prescriptions for Mitigating Climate ChangeRelated Externalities in Cancer Care: A Surgeon's Perspective,(2022). DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.02581
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) in women before the age of 50 can significantly reduce the risk of CRC compared to those who have no endoscopic screening or decide to initiate testing at age 50, according to a new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). These findings, published in JAMA Oncology, support recommendations from the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force over the past four years to commence screening at age 45 to address the steady increase in cases of younger-onset CRC.

"While there's been an alarming increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer in recent decades in younger individuals, screening has largely been focused on people over 50," says Andrew Chan, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist at MGH, and senior author of the study. "Our work provides first-of-its-kind data to show that initiating screening at a younger age can reduce an individual's risk of colorectal cancer and the population's overall incidence of cancer, thus demonstrating the substantial impact of earlier screening on both individual and population-wide scales."

Among all cancers, colorectal has the third highest incidence of death in both men and women in the U.S. Even as the overall number of CRC cases has declined, the incidence among people younger than 50a group for whom routine screening was not recommended until only recentlyincreased by 51% from 1974 to 2013, according to epidemiological data. To evaluate the association between CRC risk and endoscopies initiated at different ages, MGH conducted a comprehensive study that included 111,801 women from the Nurses' Health Study II, a large cohort of registered nurses residing in 14 states.

Researchers found a 5060% lower risk of CRC among women who started endoscopy screening at age 45 compared to those who had not undergone screening at all. In addition, they learned that starting screening at ages 45 to 49 resulted in a significant reduction in the population's actual cases of CRC diagnosed through age 60, compared to a strategy in which women began screening at ages 50 to 54. While the study was focused on women, Chan suggests the same benefits likely accrue to men, though he adds further studies are needed.

The traditional CRC screening tool is the colonoscopy, where a physician uses a flexible tube with a camera to examine the colon and rectum. This invasive technique allows for removal of polyps that could over time become malignant, and for detection of early-stage cancers that can be treated more effectively. Options for screening have expanded more recently through stool-based tests that are non-invasive and may be more convenient for individuals.

Chan points to the substantial public health implications of his team's research. "Any trepidation that clinicians might have had about the effectiveness of CRC screening at a younger age will hopefully be allayed by these results," he says. "Our data show that we have an effective tool to address the epidemic of colorectal cancer among younger adults, and hopefully this will encourage physicians to have a conversation about screening with their younger patients which, in turn, will motivate them to follow through and get screened."

Explore further Colorectal cancer screening past age 75 lowers cancer death risk for most

More information: Wenjie Ma et al, Age at Initiation of Lower Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Colorectal Cancer Risk Among US Women, JAMA Oncology (2022). Journal information: JAMA Oncology Wenjie Ma et al, Age at Initiation of Lower Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Colorectal Cancer Risk Among US Women,(2022). DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.0883
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Maastricht, Netherlands (4-7 May), suggests that adults (aged 18 or older) with severe obesity generate a significantly weaker immune response to COVID-19 vaccination compared to those with normal weight. The study is by Professor Volkan Demirhan Yumuk from Istanbul University in Turkey and colleagues.

The study also found that people with severe obesity (BMI of more than 40kg/m2) vaccinated with Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine generated significantly more antibodies than those vaccinated with CoronaVac (inactivated SARS-CoV-2) vaccine, suggesting that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine might be a better choice for this vulnerable population.

Obesity is a disease complicating the course of COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine antibody response in adults with obesity may be compromised. Vaccines against influenza, hepatitis B and rabies, have shown reduced responses in people with obesity.

To find out more, researchers investigated antibody responses following Pfizer/BioNTech and CoronaVac vaccination in 124 adults (average age 42-63 years) with severe obesity who visited the Obesity Center at Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty Hospitals, between August and November 2021.They also recruited a control group of 166 normal weight adults (BMI less than 25kg/m2, average age 39-47 years) who were visiting the Cerrahpasa Hospitals Vaccination Unit.

Researchers measured antibody levels in blood samples taken from patients and normal weight controls who had received two doses of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or CoronaVac vaccine and had their second dose four weeks earlier. The participants were classified by infection history as either previously having COVID-19 or not (confirmed by their antibody profile).

Overall, 130 participants received two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech and 160 participants two doses of CoronaVac, of whom 70 had previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In those without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccinated with Pfizer/BioNTech, patients with severe obesity had antibody levels more than three times lower than normal weight controls (average 5,823 vs 19,371 AU/ml).

Similarly, in participants with no prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccinated with CoronaVac, patients with severe obesity had antibody levels 27 times lower than normal weight controls (average 178 vs 4,894 AU/ml).

However, in those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, antibody levels in patients with severe obesity and vaccinated with Pfizer/BioNTech or CoronaVac were not significantly different from normal weight controls (average 39,043 vs 14,115 AU/ml and 3,221 vs 7,060 AU/ml, respectively).

Interestingly, the analyses found that in patients with severe obesity, with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, antibody levels in those vaccinated with Pfizer/BioNTech were significantly higher than those vaccinated with CoronaVac.

"These results provide new information on the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in people with severe obesity and reinforce the importance of prioritizing and increasing vaccine uptake in this vulnerable group", says Professor Yumuk. "Our study confirms that immune memory induced by prior infection alters the way in which people respond to vaccination and indicates that two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may generate significantly more antibodies than CoronaVac in people with severe obesity, regardless of infection history. However, further research is needed to determine whether these higher antibody levels provide greater protection against COVID-19."

Explore further Pfizer booster more than 50% protective against omicron

Provided by European Association for the Study of Obesity
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Asking people to stop using social media for just one week could lead to significant improvements in their well-being, depression and anxiety, and could in the future be recommended as a way to help people manage their mental health, say the authors of a new study.

The study, carried out by a team of researchers at the University of Bath (UK), studied the mental health effects of a week-long social media break. For some participants in the study, this meant freeing up around nine hours of their week that they would otherwise have been spent scrolling Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.

The resultspublished today in the US journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networkingsuggest that just one week off social media improved individuals' overall level of well-being, as well as reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

For the study, the researchers randomly allocated 154 individuals aged 18 to 72, who used social media every day, into either an intervention group where they were asked to stop using all social media for one week, or a control group, where they could continue scrolling as normal. At the beginning of the study, baseline scores for anxiety, depression and well-being were taken.

Participants reported spending an average of 8 hours per week on social media at the start of the study. One week later, the participants who were asked to take the one-week break had significant improvements in well-being, depression, and anxiety over those who continued to use social media, suggesting a short-term benefit.

Participants asked to take a one-week break reported using social media for an average of 21 minutes compared to an average of seven hours for those in the control group. Screen usage stats were provided to check that individuals had adhered to the break.

Lead researcher from Bath's Department for Health, Dr. Jeff Lambert, explains, "Scrolling social media is so ubiquitous that many of us do it almost without thinking from the moment we wake up to when we close our eyes at night.

"We know that social media usage is huge and that there are increasing concerns about its mental health effects, so with this study, we wanted to see whether simply asking people to take a week's break could yield mental health benefits.

"Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact.

"Of course, social media is a part of life and for many people, it's an indispensable part of who they are and how they interact with others. But if you are spending hours each week scrolling and you feel it is negatively impacting you, it could be worth cutting down on your usage to see if it helps."

The team now want to build on the study to see whether taking a short break can help different populations (e.g., younger people or people with physical and mental health conditions). The team also want to follow people up for longer than one week, to see if the benefits last over time. If so, in the future, they speculate that this could form part of the suite of clinical options used to help manage mental health.

Over the past 15 years, social media has revolutionized how we communicate, underscored by the huge growth the main platforms have observed. In the UK the number of adults using social media increased from 45% in 2011 to 71% in 2021. Among 16 to 44-year-olds, as many as 97% use social media and scrolling is the most frequent online activity performed.

Feeling "low" and losing pleasure are core characteristics of depression, whereas anxiety is characterized by excessive and out-of-control worry. Well-being refers to an individual's level of positive affect, life satisfaction and sense of purpose. According to the UK organization Mind, one in six individuals experience a common mental health problem like anxiety and depression in any given week.

Explore further Short attention spans linked to social media distress

More information: Taking a one-week break from social media improves wellbeing, depression and anxietya randomised control trial, Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (2022). Journal information: Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking Taking a one-week break from social media improves wellbeing, depression and anxietya randomised control trial,(2022). DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2021.0324
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

New research from Boston Medical Center assesses the impact of a statewide effort to improve breastfeeding rates in Mississippi, using an evidence-based strategy to evaluate the Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices (CHAMPS) program. Published in Maternal & Child Nutrition, this study uses the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to assess the impact of the program for improving breastfeeding rates in birthing hospitals and the community. RE-AIM has been used to assess the impact of public health programs applied across a range of settings, but no national breastfeeding programs in the U.S., like CHAMPS, have been assessed using an established implementation science framework.

Using the RE-AIM framework, researchers determined that CHAMPS reached 98 percent of eligible birthing women in Mississippi, and 99 percent of eligible Black patients. CHAMPS reached 65 percent of Mississippi's breastfeeding counselors under the Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

The proportion of Mississippi WIC families doing any breastfeeding increased from 5 percent to 15 percent when CHAMPS was operating; the number of Baby-Friendly hospitals increased from 0-22, and the average hospital breastfeeding initiation rate rose from 56 percent to 66 percent. As of November 2021, all CHAMPS hospitals in Mississippi retained the Baby-Friendly designation and 100 percent maintained enrollment in the program.

"Broad-scale breastfeeding promotion and engagement initiatives can be successfully implemented and assessed using evidence-based implementation science frameworks," says Anne Merewood, Ph.D., MPH, the study's corresponding author and director of the Center for Health Equity, Education, & Research at BMC. "These methods comprehensively assess the impact of the initiative, beyond a reliance on measuring breastfeeding rates and assess outcomes in maternal child health."

Broad, measurable, quantitative and qualitative outcomes were used to evaluate CHAMPS within hospital and community settings, including hospital data analysis, nursing staff interviews, breastfeeding rates in local WIC program, and measured engagement within community breastfeeding programs. The results highlight the impact of the work being done by the program to improve the quality of healthcare and advance public health in Mississippi.

CHAMPS is a multi-year quality improvement initiative in the state of Mississippi that has increased breastfeeding rates and reduced racial inequities in breastfeeding. The program successfully engaged with 95 percent of birthing hospitals in Mississippi to increase breastfeeding initiation and exclusivity, skin-to-skin and rooming rates and to decrease racial disparities in breastfeeding. A focus was also placed on hospitals achieving Baby-Friendly designation.

In 1991, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund launched the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative with the goal of improving breastfeeding rates globally. This initiative helps hospitals support new mothers to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies. Public health initiatives, like CHAMPS, that use broad-based strategic programing, work with a wide range of stakeholders, and use a variety of evaluation criteria can be successful.

CHAMPS took ambitious steps to tackle barriers including institutional racism and a lack of healthcare engagement with communities. CHAMPS partnered with the organization, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) in this work, to ensure that an African American perspective guided the work, which was imperative to the success. CHAMPS also partnered with the Mississippi Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, which motivated additional hospitals to enroll and engage in the program.

"In our previous research we have found that the CHAMPS program was successful at improving maternity care practices, increasing breastfeeding rates, and decreasing racial disparities in breastfeeding," says Laura Burnham, MPH, associate director of the Center for Health Equity, Education, & Research at BMC. "Now, using an implementation science framework, we have more evidence of CHAMPS' accomplishments and what its impact was, and other researchers can use these findings to implement similar programs with the same results elsewhere."

Researchers recommend that other breastfeeding promotion and support programs should assess the wider impact using similar evidence-based implementation frameworks. Widespread change in health care practices is possible when implemented in partnership with diverse institutions and community groups.

Explore further Quality improvement initiative increases breastfeeding rates in Mississippi

More information: Anne Merewood et al, Assessing the impact of a statewide effort to improve breastfeeding rates: A REAIM evaluation of CHAMPS in Mississippi, Maternal & Child Nutrition (2022). Anne Merewood et al, Assessing the impact of a statewide effort to improve breastfeeding rates: A REAIM evaluation of CHAMPS in Mississippi,(2022). DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13370
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Most food and drink content posted by German influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube is so unhealthy it fails World Health Organization (WHO) advertising standards for children, according to new research being presented by Dr. Maria Wakolbinger and Dr. Eva Winzer from the Medical University of Vienna at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Maastricht, Netherlands (4-7 May).

The Austrian researchers analyzed the meals, snacks, and drinks that made an appearance in posts and videos by six of the most popular German-speaking influencers with teenagers aged 13-17 years, with a combined total of more than 35 million followers or subscribers.

They found that 75% of the featured food and drinks were high in salt, fat, or sugar and would not be permitted for marketing to children; and the majority were not clearly signposted as adverts.

Chocolate and sweets were the most commonly featured products influencers posted about, underscoring the urgent need for policies and effective regulation of influencer marketing to children, researchers say.

"How can we expect our children to eat healthily when content on social media is skewed to promote foods high in fat, salt, and sugar", says Dr. Wakolbinger. "Influencers have huge power over what young people feel is relevant and appealing. Our findings suggest that most of the time, influencers are not flagging when their posts are advertsit's imperative governments take notice."

Childhood obesity is on the rise, with nearly one in five children or adolescents around the world currently overweight or obese. In Germany, over 15% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 are overweight or obese. The marketing of unhealthy products is recognized as an important contributor to unhealthy weight gain in childhoodaffecting children's food preferences and eating behaviors. Therefore, restricting children's exposure to such marketing is an important global priority for preventing obesity. However, little is known about the frequency and content of visual displays of food and beverage products featured by influencers in German-speaking countries.

To provide more evidence, researchers analyzed the social media posts of food and drinks on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram by six German-speaking influencers (three female, three male). The influencers were chosen based on having more than 100,000 subscribers or followers on all three platforms, their popularity with young people aged 13 to 17 years, and German content.

Researchers analyzed the last 20 videos or posts uploaded by each influencer before 1 May, 2021. Multiple items appeared in some posts. Each food or drink item was coded either as 'permitted' or 'not permitted' for marketing to children using the WHO Regional Office for Europe's nutrient profile modela system which ranks products on their healthiness based on their levels of sugar, salt, and fat, fiber. Researchers also assessed whether advertising content was being properly disclosed.

Of the 364 videos/posts (almost 13 hours of footage), a quarter featured food or drinks (409 products)including half of the videos on YouTube, nearly a fifth (17%) on TikTok, and 7% on Instagram, equivalent to an average of 18 products per hour.

Based on the WHO nutrient profile model, 75% of the featured foods and drinks were considered unhealthy and should not be marketed to children; 17% were permitted; and 8% could not be determined due to a lack of nutritional information or did not fit into either category.

Chocolate and sweets were the most commonly posted about foodmaking up almost a quarter of posts. Ready-made convenience foods accounted for 9% of posts.

Over half (53%) of the products were described and presented positively by the influencers, 42% neutrally, and 5% negatively. Almost three-quarters (73%) of the products were shown being consumed by the influencers themselves.

In 60% of the videos, the product was mentioned in the video description. Of those, 19% of the videos mentioned the brand name or company, and 41% mentioned the food itself. However, just 11% of the videos disclosed the product as an advert in the video description, and only 3% in the video itself.

According to Dr. Eva Winzer, "We must crackdown on social media and challenge the role of influencers in junk food marketing. This is where regulation can come into play. Spain has recently announced plans to ban influencers pushing unhealthy food and drink to children, but in most countries there are no restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods on websites, social media, or mobile applications. Governments must adopt a comprehensive approach, targeting multiple media channels to ensure our children are encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices."

Explore further Adolescents bombarded with junk food marketing on social media

Provided by European Association for the Study of Obesity
In this photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, David Bennett Jr., right, stands next to his father's hospital bed in Baltimore, Md., on Jan. 12, 2022, five days after doctors transplanted a pig heart into Bennett Sr., in a last-ditch effort to save his life. Researchers trying to learn what killed Bennett Sr., the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig, have discovered signs of an animal virus in the organ but cannot yet say if it played any role in the mans death. Credit: University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP

Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig have discovered the organ harbored an animal virus but cannot yet say if it played any role in the man's death.

A Maryland man, 57-year-old David Bennett Sr., died in March, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. University of Maryland doctors said Thursday they found an unwelcome surpriseviral DNA inside the pig heart. They did not find signs that this bug, called porcine cytomegalovirus, was causing an active infection.

But a major worry about animal-to-human transplants is the risk that it could introduce new kinds of infections to people.

Because some viruses are "latent," meaning they lurk without causing disease, "it could be a hitchhiker," Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who performed Bennett's transplant, told The Associated Press.

Still, development is under way of more sophisticated tests to "make sure that we don't miss these kinds of viruses," added Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, scientific director of the university's xenotransplant program.

The animal virus was first reported by MIT Technology Review, citing a scientific presentation Griffith gave to the American Society of Transplantation last month.

In this photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, members of the surgical team show the pig heart for transplant into patient David Bennett in Baltimore on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. Researchers trying to learn what killed Bennett, the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig, have discovered signs of an animal virus in the organ but cannot yet say if it played any role in the mans death. Credit: Mark Teske/University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File

For decades, doctors have tried using animal organs to save human lives without success. Bennett, who was dying and ineligible for a human heart transplant, underwent the last-ditch operation using a heart from a pig genetically modified to lower the risk that his immune system would rapidly reject such a foreign organ.

The Maryland team said the donor pig was healthy, had passed testing required by the Food and Drug Administration to check for infections, and was raised in a facility designed to prevent animals from spreading infections. Revivicor, the company that provided the animal, declined to comment.

Griffith said his patient, while very ill, had been recovering fairly well from the transplant when one morning he woke up worse, with symptoms similar to an infection. Doctors ran numerous tests to try to understand the cause, and gave Bennett a variety of antibiotics, antiviral medication and an immune-boosting treatment. But the pig heart became swollen, filled with fluid and eventually quit functioning.

"What was the virus doing, if anything, that might have caused the swelling in his heart?" Griffith asked. "Honestly we don't know."

The reaction also didn't appear to be a typical organ rejection, he said, noting the investigation still is underway.

Meanwhile doctors at other medical centers around the country have been experimenting with animal organs in donated human bodies and are anxious to attempt formal studies in living patients soon. It's not clear how the pig virus will affect those plans.

Explore further Pig heart recipient continues to recover from transplant

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Smith/McKay All Day formed out of a chance happening four years ago: Two musicians from Texas living in Missoula meet randomly when they both need a new project.

Jimmy Smiths from Austin, where he co-founded the Gourds. Pat McKays from Amarillo, and has played guitar for groups like Hogwild and Cold Beans and Bacon.

Their music pairs Smiths gregarious, singalong hooks, lyrical quirkiness and heavy basslines with McKays fretwork, which changes tones and genres as the tunes require.

Their debut album, On the Smile Side, out this Friday, is a landmark for Smith personally, he said. Its his first proper album since the demise of his cult-favorite roots band, and shows off identity we created for this. It has no Gourdness on it, other than just me, being here.

IF YOU GO Smith/Mckay All Day are holding a release show for their new album on Saturday, May 7, at Monks. You can also see Tom Catmull and the Protest Kids. Doors open at 7 p.m. 21 and up only. Cover is $10. The album will be available on vinyl and digital release. Go to smithmckayallday.com for more information.

The end game is originality, he said, and writing songs that they can have fun playing live. Were just trying to stay healthy and enjoy ourselves.

How they started out

The two Texans can trade fevered memories about where they want to eat barbecue when they go to play there later this year, or a particular Mexican restaurant in Dallas that was the hangover spot.

They ended up in Missoula at different times, though. McKay moved here in 1990, and subsequently played in numerous bands and led his own blues group.

Smith, meanwhile, moved to town six years ago and put down roots. The Gourds built up a fan base and Smith developed connections. Doug Hawes-Davis, the founder of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, directed a 2013 portrait of the group, All the Labor.

The Gourds went on a hiatus that became "indefinite," and Smith and his family made Missoula home. (The city is strangely popular with rhythm section players: Jeff Ament, bass player for Pearl Jam and John Wicks, drummer for Fitz and the Tantrums, live here, too.)

Smith has left Texas, but Montana seems to suit him fine. The family house has room for a chicken pen and a couple of pigs, right next to the barn. Its literally a barn with a couple of small rooms that can accommodate a two-piece band.

Back in 2018, McKay was painting trim on Smiths property, and someone mentioned he was a guitar player. They jammed together and found their styles sympathetic, along with their similar ages and outlook.

Pat is just a fantastic guitarist, versatile, Smith said. "Goes from, you know, John Lee Hooker to Steve Howe in a heartbeat. It just proved to be a good fit as the years went by."

McKay, meanwhile, said Smiths carved out a unique way of putting together a song. On bass, he just knows what to play to make it sound good at that particular time."

New project, debut album

They recorded in early 2021 with Matt Bainton at his studio, which Smith said is potentially the finest recording studio in town for small projects. While theres multi-tracking and some audio Easter eggs throughout, Smith was a stickler about one thing: that it sound like their live show. He thinks its underwhelming when you show up to a concert and hear a band that cant re-create their recorded material on stage.

The Smile Side songs spontaneously shift moods and styles, sometimes with an unexpected breakdown right in the middle, but always sound like the work of a songwriter whos played for a living. Mariachi horns burst out of nowhere on Back to School Savings. The tune Help skitters around from a capella blues hollering to disco references.

It might doom-and-gloom in the chorus, but the verses kinda help it out, and maybe vice-versa, Smith said. Maybe the verses are doom-and-gloom, and the chorus is like, Hey, man, snap out of that.'"

Rough Patch, for instance, cautions that nobody cares about your rough patch and a strange kind of consolation: When you order something strange off the menu, it will beguile you.

While he says he likes to write a serious tune, his sense of humor and musical levity come through. He builds Its People around references to the 1972 Charlton Heston film in which a dystopian populace learns that their sole food source, which the government provides them, is made of people.

I dont want no Soylent Green, they sing. Dont turn my body into Soylent Green.

A quirky lyric like that might materialize in his head on a bad-mood morning while sipping coffee and making lunches for his kids.

It just comes out  Thats not bad. Maybe Ill chase that down later, Smith said. He likes to write every tune as though it could be a title track. There are so many albums coming out in the post-surge environment, they briefly considered naming their record, Jawa Pile. (As though musicians are just throwing another Jawa on the pile.)

This year, theyre playing venues around Montana, will head to Texas for some shows, and then go to Oregon. Songs will only be themselves after hes played them live for a couple of years, Smith said.

Theyve played venues and breweries, and love the challenge of winning over a crowd, which is the way it always goes in this state for a couple of freaky dudes, Smith said. McKay said theyll read the room, and pick their songs accordingly. After that, its just showmanship.

Theres the clown aspect, but theres the skill, Smith said.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity can complicate the course of COVID-19. Now, a new study says it can also reduce the effectiveness of COVID vaccines.

The researchers also found that the two vaccines used in their study triggered different levels of immune responses in severely obese people. They found, too, that prior infection had an impact.

"These results provide new information on the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in people with severe obesity and reinforce the importance of prioritizing and increasing vaccine uptake in this vulnerable group," study co-author Volkan Demirhan Yumuk said in a news release from the European Congress on Obesity. Yumuk is a professor at Istanbul University in Turkey.

The study included 124 severely obese adults (average age 42 to 63) and 166 normal weight adults (average age 39 to 47) in Turkey. The obese group had a body mass index (BMI)  a measure based on height and weight  of more than 40.

The participants received two doses of either the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or the CoronaVac vaccine made by the Chinese company Sinovac.

Four weeks after their second dose, blood samples were collected from the participants to measure their levels of antibodies against the coronavirus. In addition, their infection history was checked, and 70 were found to have previously been infected with COVID-19.

Among participants who had no previous infection and received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, antibody levels among those who were severely obese were more than three times lower than those with normal weight, the study revealed.

Among those who had no previous infection and received the CoronaVac vaccine, antibody levels among the severely obese were 27 times lower than those with normal weight.

Among those who'd previously been infected and received either Pfizer/BioNTech or CoronaVac, antibody levels were similar in both severely obese and normal weight people, according to the study. The findings were to be presented at this week's European Congress on Obesity in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

The findings have implications for the United States, where more than four in 10 people are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 9% are severely obese.

"Our study confirms that immune memory induced by prior infection alters the way in which people respond to vaccination and indicates that two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may generate significantly more antibodies than CoronaVac in people with severe obesity, regardless of infection history," Yumuk said.

However, Yumuk added, "further research is needed to determine whether these higher antibody levels provide greater protection against COVID-19."

Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

For more on COVID-19 vaccines, see the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: European Congress on Obesity, news release, May 5, 2022

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- An antiviral drug used to treat high-risk COVID-19 patients may also benefit patients with long COVID, researchers say.

Paxlovid has U.S. Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19 patients who are older than 65 or have underlying health conditions such as obesity, diabetes or cancer. The pill includes the antivirals nirmatrelvir and ritonavir.

Treatment with Paxlovid must start within five days of the onset of symptoms and continue for five days, according to conditions of the authorization.

Now, a series of case reports from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) shows some success with Paxlovid in treating patients with long COVID. One-third of people infected with the coronavirus are thought to develop symptoms such as fatigue, headaches and brain fog associated with long COVID.

It's thought that long COVID may be caused by the immune system's ongoing reaction to the virus that remains in the body after the initial infection phase.

"Data from other studies shows that SARS-CoV-2 might linger for months," said study co-author Dr. Michael Peluso. He is an assistant professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

"A recent study shows persistent shedding of virus from the gastrointestinal tract for up to seven months in some people. This doesn't mean the virus is infectious, but there might be pieces of the virus, or viral activity, that could be stimulating the immune system," Peluso said in a university news release.

The case reports included three patients in their 40s who had symptoms consistent with long COVID.

Two started taking Paxlovid weeks after the start of long COVID symptoms, contrary to the emergency authorization conditions. One was prescribed the antiviral after re-exposure to the virus more than seven weeks after symptom onset, and his health improved to near-normal, according to the researchers.

The other patient took Paxlovid about three weeks after symptom onset. She felt less fatigued the day after completing therapy, but still had shortness of breath and muscle pain.

"It seems that Paxlovid may benefit patients with long COVID, but there is no way to access the drug unless a doctor is willing to break the rules, which we are not advocating," Peluso said.

The third patient started taking Paxlovid within 24 hours of the start of COVID-19 symptoms, in line with the emergency use conditions. His symptoms improved, but returned four days after he completed Paxlovid therapy, with fever, runny nose, cough and chest pain. He also had elevated temperature and heart and respiratory rates.

About two weeks later, he developed brain fog, chest soreness, fatigue and discomfort after exertion  symptoms consistent with long COVID.

"The key aspect of this case is that longer courses of Paxlovid may be needed, and giving it too early might not be optimal," Peluso said. He noted that there is no safety data yet to support extended use of the drug.

The case series was posted online May 5 on the preprint server Research Square. It has not been peer-reviewed or published in a journal so the findings should be considered preliminary. The results need to be confirmed with future stringent studies, the authors emphasized.

"Only by doing rigorous studies will we get answers," Peluso said. "There is a critical need for this, given the large number of people who have had COVID, a significant subset of whom have long COVID."

More information

There's more on long COVID at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: University of California, San Francisco, news release, May 5, 2022

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
THURSDAY, May 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Citing the accumulated data on a raised risk for a type of dangerous blood clot, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday greatly restricted the recommended use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

With safer two-dose vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna widely available, the one-dose J&J shot should be limited "to individuals 18 years of age and older for whom other authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate," the agency said in a statement.

It may also be used by "individuals 18 years of age and older who elect to receive the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine because they would otherwise not receive a COVID-19 vaccine [at all]," the FDA advised.

While the J&J vaccine has appealed to some because it only requires one-dose, data soon emerged suggesting a higher risk in users of a rare form of blood clot known as thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

According to the FDA, TTS is "a syndrome of rare and potentially life-threatening blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets."

Some people -- often young males -- typically developed symptoms about a week or two after getting the J&J shot. The data accumulated on this risk now "warrants limiting the authorized use of the vaccine," the agency said.

Getting the J&J vaccine can still help prevent serious illness with COVID-19, so the shot "still has a role in the current pandemic response in the United States and across the global community," Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the statement.

But "our action reflects our updated analysis of the risk of TTS following administration of this vaccine," he said, "and limits the use of the vaccine to certain individuals."

Marks added that "the agency will continue to monitor the safety of the Janssen [J&J] COVID-19 Vaccine and all other vaccines, and as has been the case throughout the pandemic, will thoroughly evaluate new safety information.

The vaccine first received an emergency use authorization in late February of 2021. But after six cases of TTS were reported, the FDA placed a temporary "pause" on use of the J&J shot as it gathered more data.

That pause was lifted on April 23, 2021, when a total of 15 cases of TTS were reported from the more than 8 million vaccine doses doled out across across the United States.

At the time, "the known and potential benefits of Janssen [J&J] COVID-19 Vaccine outweighed its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older," the FDA said.

However, by December, the agency advised that mRNA COVID vaccines (those made by Pfizer or Moderna) were now preferred over the J&J shot.

In the latest assessment, the FDA noted that by March 18, 2022, "the FDA and CDC have identified 60 confirmed cases, including nine fatal cases," of TTS in people who'd received the J&J vaccine.

The risk still remains extremely rare: About three cases for every 1 million doses of vaccine administered. It's remains unclear if any specific factors place an individual at heightened risk for the blood clots after receiving the vaccine.

While very rare, TTS can quickly prove dangerous, however. Patients "may rapidly deteriorate, despite prompt diagnosis and treatment," the FDA said, and the clots "can lead to long-term and debilitating health consequences," including a high risk for death.

So, the latest recommendation is that the J&J vaccine be used only by people who might have a serious allergic reaction to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or those who (for whatever reason) do not wish to receive an mRNA vaccine and who would therefore otherwise remain unvaccinated.

More information

Find out more about COVID-19 vaccines at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug administration, news release, May 5, 2022

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults are no more likely to believe fake news than younger adults, with the exception of the very oldest, a new study finds.

Falling for fake news can have significant physical, emotional and financial consequences, especially for older adults who may have their life savings or serious medical issues at stake, the researchers said.

"We wanted to see if there was an age difference in determining whether news is true versus false," said lead author Didem Pehlivanoglu, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Florida, in Gainesville.

"We specifically wanted to look at this because we know that with aging, most people show some decline in their cognitive abilities. But we also know some information-processing abilities are preserved or even improved," Pehlivanoglu said in a university news release.

The study was conducted between May and October 2020. It included a group of older adults, aged 61 to 87, and a group of college students. Participants were asked to read and evaluate 12 full-length news articles about COVID-19 and non-COVID topics. Some of the articles were real and some were fake.

Older and young adults had similar levels of ability to detect fake news, according to the study. The results were published online May 2 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

Both groups were less likely to identify fake news about COVID-19 than news not related to the pandemic. That may be due to low familiarity with COVID-related information in the early months of the pandemic, the researchers suggested.

"People have this perception that older adults are going to perform worse than young adults across the board but that is not the case," said study co-author Brian Cahill, a psychology professor at the University of Florida.

The study did find that adults older than 70 were less likely to ferret out fake news about COVID-19 or other topics. But that's likely because they didn't look as closely at information or pay attention to details, the study authors added.

It's only in very late old age  when declines in thinking abilities can no longer be offset by life experience and world knowledge  that people may become especially vulnerable to fake news and other misinformation, the investigators noted.

Study co-author Natalie Ebner, a psychology professor at the university, said, "It is a particularly high-risk population with high stakes for wrong decision making, not just for themselves but also for society at large."

More information

The Stanford Center on Longevity has more on digital literacy for older adults.

SOURCE: University of Florida, news release, May 2, 2022

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
The U.S. is experiencing a labor shortage that's partly fueled by a drop-off in immigration, which ground to a halt during the coronavirus pandemic. By some estimates, the U.S. now has an 2 million fewer immigrants than it would have if the pace had stayed the same. That's helped lead to a desperate scramble for workers in many sectors, from meatpacking to homebuilding. It's also contributing to supply shortages and price increases. Just 10 miles from the Rio Grande, Mike Helle's farm in Texas is so short of immigrants that he's replaced hundreds of acres of labor-intensive leafy greens with crops that can be harvested by machinery. He's also increased pay for his workers, who are almost exclusively immigrants.
FRIDAY, May 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Your chances of dying or having severe complications from COVID-19 are much higher if you're unvaccinated and have heart problems or heart disease risk factors, researchers warn.

In a new study, British investigators analyzed 110 previous COVID-19 studies that included a total of nearly 49,000 unvaccinated patients.

The researchers found that unvaccinated people with evidence of heart muscle damage when they were hospitalized for COVID-19 had a ninefold higher risk of death. This group was also more likely to have major complications such as severe lung failure (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and acute kidney injury. They also had higher rates of intensive care admission and mechanical ventilation.

In addition, unvaccinated people with pre-existing high blood pressure, diabetes or heart artery disease had a two- to threefold increased risk of death, and up to a 2.5-fold increased risk of COVID-19 complications, according to the report published online recently in the journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.

Those with diabetes had the highest risk of severe lung failure, the study authors noted.

"These findings present a strong case for these at-risk groups to be prioritized for vaccinations and other preventative measures. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries, where the impact of cardiovascular disease is particularly high," said study co-author Dr. Ajay Gupta, senior clinical lecturer at Queen Mary University of London.

"In more developed countries, groups with cardiovascular risk factors in addition to other vulnerable groups could be selected for booster and annual vaccination programs, similar to the influenza vaccination program," Gupta said in a university news release.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart artery disease were already common risk factors for heart attack and stroke, the study authors explained.

"These findings can help us identify unvaccinated individuals who are at a higher risk of worse outcomes, even without special tests," said study co-author Sher May Ng, of Barts Health NHS Trust. "This is particularly relevant where health care resources are limited but the proportion of unvaccinated individuals remains high."

More information

The American Heart Association has more on COVID-19 vaccines.

SOURCE: Queen Mary University of London, news release, May 4, 2022

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
A Kalispell woman accused of running a "money mule" business to collect funds from multiple wire fraud schemes in the United States and then sending the money overseas in exchange for commission was arraigned on Wednesday in federal court.

Theresa A. Chabot, 57, pleaded not guilty to a 30-count indictment, including 17 counts of money laundering-promotion, 11 counts of money laundering-spending, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided.

According to federal court documents, over roughly five years, Chabot used her business, Avalanche Creek LLC, to conspire with others on the money schemes. From May 2016 to February 2021, Chabot used Avalanche Creek, an unregistered money transmitting business, to operate as a money mule.

A money mule is someone who moves illegally obtained money on behalf of someone else, according to the FBI's website. Typically, mules get commissions for their services.

The wire-fraud schemes included advance-pay schemes, internet-enabled frauds, investment schemes, romance schemes, lottery and sweepstakes frauds and COVID-19 funding fraud, court documents allege.

Chabot opened over 50 bank accounts in the United States. After monitoring the activity, many of the banks closed those accounts. Court documents say that at least 15 banks directly informed Chabot that there was fraudulent activity in her accounts. Chabot continued to open account after account, enabling her to receive proceeds from fraud schemes with victims located in the United States.

Documents list dozens of criminal money transactions Chabot is suspected of making  transaction amounts ranged from $3,143 to $188,000, at various banks.

She received fees that were about 10% of the total fraudulent deposits. She would then forward the remaining funds offshore, including to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Chabot was released pending further proceedings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigations.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 5

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The future of mass public transportation in Missoula, as the city grows in a constrained valley and grapples with traffic congestion, just became a little more clarified.

Mountain Line, Missoula's community bus system operated by the Missoula Urban Transportation District, recently unveiled plans for a roughly $67 million new headquarters.

At the April meeting of the Missoula Redevelopment Agencys board of commissioners, Mountain Lines representatives laid out a vision for a large new facility that would eventually be all-electric and would replace the bus systems cramped current headquarters in the Westside neighborhood.

This is another super-important project for the well-being of our community, said Peter Walker-Keleher, a local planner who is working for Mountain Line. And that relates to Mountain Line acquiring a new site so they can accomplish many of the goals that are tied with transit. This is a facility that will accommodate the needs of Mountain Line through 2060.

The system's strategic plan calls for more than doubling service. Doing that would be impossible on its current aging site.

Walker-Keleher showed conceptual renderings of what the building could look like, emphasizing that it would be pleasing to the eye.

"There have been no design decisions, but it will not be just a chunk of concrete," he said. "When you bring in high-quality architecture, it's inspiring for the surrounding properties."

The services 89 buses, its employees and other smaller vehicles all operate out of a two-acre site at 1221 Shakespeare Street. If Mountain Line abandons that spot, Walker-Keleher noted that it could be redeveloped for high-density housing because it sits in a residential neighborhood.

Walker-Keleher said they need about 8-10 acres if theyre going to meet the citys needs for the next few decades. Theyre currently looking at two sites: A chunk of land north of the railroad tracks near Scott Street and another site near the airport on West Broadway.

However, Mountain Line prefers the Northside location because its closer to downtown and would save the system between $200,000 and $400,000 a year in operating costs simply by being closer to the routes already in place. The northern portion of that site is currently owned by the city and the southern portion is owned by a lumber company. Walker-Keleher said both owners are likely willing to sell.

To buy the land and build the new headquarters, Mountain Line is applying for a Federal Transit Authority grant that has a maximum award of $54 million. That grant comes with a stipulation that the system comes up with about $13.5 million in matching funds.

Mountain Line has stockpiled money over the last few years and has $10 million in the bank. However, if they win the highly competitive grant, the bus system would need another $3.5 million and would probably ask the Missoula Redevelopment Agency for public Tax Increment Financing funds for infrastructure improvements to the site. For example, road upgrades would be needed to ensure buses aren't traveling through residential neighborhoods.

Mountain Line is currently 43% electric and is planning on transitioning to an all-electric fleet by 2035. However, some of their smaller paratransit buses will still have to run on gas or diesel until the technology catches up for smaller vehicles.

The facility will be an all-electric facility, Walker-Keleher stated. There may be gas-powered buses over there but they will not be fueling there."

Colin Woodrow, the projects and planning manager for Mountain Line, said the bus system will be unable to meet the goals laid out in the citys Long Range Transportation Plan without a new facility. It would be especially difficult or impossible, he noted, to have rapid bus transit along the Brooks Street corridor without more space. Mountain Line would also be unable to continue its transition to zero tailpipe emissions without enough space to add new vehicles and new charging infrastructure.

He noted that the bus systems plans are adaptable and both potential sites could work.

The new site would have no in-ground gas or diesel tanks, which would reduce the amount of toxic pollution and smells. The electric buses are also much quieter, he noted, but theyre still planning on addressing any neighborhood concerns.

Certainly our goal is to be good neighbors, he said. Our goal is to be fully electric. Theres a lot of support for Mountain Line and were trying to build on the momentum we have.

In 2021, Mountain Line was named the best public transit agency in the U.S. and Canada for its size by the American Public Transportation Association. The bus system is free for all riders and provides well over 1.5 million rides annually.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 3 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 3

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Applause erupted in the crowded Sophie Moiese Room when the Missoula County commissioners unanimously approved a new zoning code for the county at their meeting Thursday afternoon.

This is the most significant land use decision before the commission in 50 years, said board chair Juanita Vero.

County staff spent the past two and half years reworking the zoning code, which had not been updated since 1976.

The code applies to county land outside Missoula city limits, including Bonner, East Missoula and the Wye.

The commissioners will vote on the final resolution to adopt the code June 9, and the regulations go into effect July 1.

More than 20 public commenters weighed in on the new zoning Thursday, in what Commissioner Dave Strohmaier called one of the most robust public engagement processes he has witnessed.

Many expressed support for the new code, lauding its efforts to increase housing and improve environmental protections.

Public commenter Neva Hassanein said the code is helping to bring Missoula County into the 21st century.

Its really bringing together, I think, some cutting edge tools in this document, Hassanein said. "It not only respects the rights of landowners but it also provides a variety of development options and incentives to assure that public benefits are met both for the current and future generations.

I feel that this code really provides creativity, said Bonnie Buckingham, director of the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition. "It incentivizes good growth and it also is conserving our community values."

Some landowners, however, expressed frustration with their specific zoning designations.

Ryan Weibush, for instance, asked for more individualized zoning designations for specific neighborhoods like his in the Upper Rattlesnake. My main concern is the one-size-fits-all approach of the new zoning, he said.

County staff members explained they dont want to create the administrative burden of zoning each neighborhood separately.

Public commenters also voiced concerns over the Bonner log yard, which is partially zoned for light industrial use but mostly zoned for heavy industrial use. Some wanted to see the light industrial designation extended because of the location of a residential area adjacent to the log yard. Senior Planner Andrew Hagemeier explained the countys hands are tied by the landowners property rights to keep the heavy industrial zoning.

Some members of the public also asked the commissioners to introduce more flexibility into the zoning code.

County staff said various mechanisms built into the code already address that concern, and loosening the regulations any further would create a strain on staff resources.

The changes in the new code generally aim to increase housing and protect natural resources.

The code looks to make development easier with adjustments like lowering parking requirements, speeding up certain exemptions and allowing developers to build subdivisions without minimum lot sizes.

It encourages a variety of housing types spread throughout the county and incentivizes density and environmental sustainability. Developers can accrue points by adding amenities like bike parking and electric vehicle charging stations to new developments. Those points earn developers leeway with density, parking, building footprints and other requirements.

Under the new regulations, the designations for agricultural land increase from three districts to seven sub-districts, giving more specific guidelines for individual agricultural areas.

The code also puts in place new protections for riparian areas, hillsides and floodplains. County Planner Jennie Dixon said there are a wide variety of environmental protections in the code.

Ultimately, the commissioners voted to approve the new code with three amendments. The board incorporated two memoranda with public comments, including a few minor zoning changes on individual properties.

The commissioners also added in a provision calling for a public hearing whenever a developer seeks to do away with areas set aside for conservation.

They credited city staff for their years of work in developing the new zoning code and celebrated the impacts they expect the new regulations will have on the local housing market.

This is going to really set the context for creating our own destiny here in Missoula County, achieving the vision that weve set out in our growth policy documents and also creating some really important mechanisms at a regulatory level to address the housing challenges that we face, said Strohmaier.

What were seeing here come to light is were saying yeah, we recognize this housing crisis and we really value that everyone who wants to live here should be able to live here, added Commissioner Josh Slotnick.

To view the new zoning code, go to mc-zoning-update-mcgis.hub.arcgis.com/.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 4

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The Montana Board of Public Education recently responded to 65 comments regarding proposed revisions to teacher licensing regulations before it will adopt the new rules at a meeting this week.

In the special meeting held at the Capitol on April 28, board members reviewed comments posed by educators, state officials and the public submitted between January and early April. Board members worked to find a balance between eliminating barriers to various educators licenses without sacrificing quality of instruction.

The complete list of comments the board responded to in its special meeting can be found online.

Much of the discussion, from both the board members and commenters, circulated around clearing up language that could be confusing, establishing definitions and fixing grammatical errors.

The board agreed with some of the recommendations from the Office of Public Instruction such as creating new ways for current educators to add additional endorsements to their license and returning unusual cases with licensing to the authority of the state superintendent.

Some of the OPIs other recommendations, such as creating a rule that would make it easier for military spouses and dependents with licenses in other states to teach in Montana, underwent slight modifications to clarify definitions.

This is a win for Montana's school districts, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. The vote today by the Board of Public Education honors the teaching profession with an emphasis on quality while providing flexibilities. Montana is leading the nation in the redesign of the educator workforce.

The board unanimously agreed with comments to allow a teacher with a standard-unrestricted out-of-state educator license and at least two years of successful teaching experience to teach in Montana.

This would allow a teacher with 25 years of experience in Colorado to be licensed in Montana without providing their Praxis exam score, college grade-point-average, or student-teaching portfolio, according to Tammy Lacey, chair of the Board of Public Education.

The OPI previously recommended removing required years of experience for out-of-state educators. Governor Greg Gianfortes office also supported the recommendation.

For too long, Montana has struggled to recruit and retain K-12 educators for our schools, Governor Greg Gianforte said. By eliminating unnecessary barriers, well get more high-quality educators in our classrooms, develop a stronger educator workforce and help our students reach their full outstanding potential.

The process of revising the teacher licensing rules began in November 2020 and a 24-member task force made up of educators from across the state recommended changes to Arntzen. After reviewing the recommendations, Arntzen put them before the board for their approval in January 2022.

Most of the proposed revisions by the OPI sought to reduce certain requirements and expand opportunities to obtain a teaching license in Montana in an effort to address the ongoing teacher shortage.

After the boards approval, a public comment session opened for about four months with an in-person public hearing held in the Capitol in February.

The Board of Public Education will have a final vote to adopt the licensing flexibilities during their meeting on May 12 at the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind in Great Falls. The meeting will be streamed online.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
BOZEMAN  A global car company announced its plan to open a research and development lab in Bozeman Thursday.

Hyundai Motor Group will bring its New Horizons Studio headquarters to Bozeman to focus on the development of ultimate mobility vehicles. The move could create up to 50 new jobs in the area. The studio will eventually be housed at Montana State Universitys Innovation Campus.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte announced the news at a press conference Thursday at the MSU Alumni Foundation.

Gianforte praised the work ethic of Montanans. He said that the same work ethic that gave his business, RightNow Technologies, a competitive edge would also help Hyundais new studio.

He said that the states record economic growth wasnt just luck and attributed the success to tax cuts, more competitive rates and tax code reform.

If todays announcement is any indication folks, Montana is open for business, and not just for Montana but for the world, Gianforte said.

Gianforte said that the states regulatory scheme was a wet blanket for small businesses across the state, and that the state was working to roll back and repeal some regulations.

The governor also touted Senate Bill 184, which was passed by the 2021 Montana Legislature. Also known as the Montana Entrepreneur Magnet Act, the law created incentives for businesses to come to Montana, he said.

This is really a tremendous new tool so that if you found or grow a business headquarters in Montana and create jobs here, there is now under this new entrepreneur magnet zero tax on the sale of employee-owned stock, Gianforte said.

John Suh, the founding director of Hyundais New Horizons Studios, said that the focus of the research and development studio is to work on a new type of vehicle that can travel over different terrains that are challenging for standard vehicles, known as an "ultimate mobility vehicle.

What makes it new is a combination of robotics and car design, and this results in vehicles of unprecedented mobility, Suh said.

John Robb, president of Hyundais American Technical Center in Michigan, said that the desire for clean energy and demand for new technology, like automated driving, is pushing innovation.

He said that the car company would become a smart mobility service not limiting itself to automotive products.

Miles Johnson, a spokesperson for Hyundai, said the vehicle would be about the size of a side-by-side off road vehicle. It would have arms and legs with wheels for feet that are able to extend and flex, enabling the vehicle to move over a variety of different surfaces.

The company introduced its first version of the vehicle, called the Elevate, at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, followed by an update at the 2021 show.

Jason Carter, the vice president of economic development at MSU, said the governor has been an advocate for public and private partnerships like the one between the university and Hyundai.

Carter said that the partnership makes sense, especially because MSU is Montanas land grant university. The college is committed to its original mission of advancing agriculture, the sciences and engineering, he said.

That mission was a response to the Industrial Revolution, and has continued now into a fourth industrial revolution focused on digitization, he said.

Carter added that a fifth industrial revolution is coming, which he referred to as the mind meeting machine.

For now, the New Horizons Studio will be temporarily housed at the MSU Molecular Biosciences building until the 500,000 square foot Innovation Campus is completed.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Butte police reports

Assault at Safeway

Early Thursday night, an alleged assault took place at Safeway, 310 W. Front St.

According to the police report, a woman wearing a tie-dye sweatshirt entered the grocery store, and while there managed to throw a bag of licorice at a female customer. She then approached another woman, grabbed her and choked her. In the midst of the assault, she also told the woman she wanted her dead.

Neither customer knew the woman. She had left before officers arrived. The case is under investigation.

Thursday DUI

At around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, a call came in about a possible intoxicated driver headed north on Excelsior Avenue.

An officer located the black pickup, which was partially in the northbound lane and was operating with two flat tires on the passengers side. Also, the front end of the truck was damaged.

The driver was Steven Whitcomb Foster, 32, of Butte, who allegedly smelled like alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated.

He was jailed for misdemeanor driving under the influence (refusal).

Arrest warrants

Officials from the Gallatin County police brought both Seth Scott Babcock, 29, of Butte and Teresa Nichol Salcido, 35, of Butte to the Butte Detention Center on Thursday afternoon. Babcock had several misdemeanor warrants, including the misdemeanor offenses of criminal contempt, buying or possessing stolen property, and two additional Montana Highway Patrol warrants. Salcido was jailed for felony violation of release condition warrant and a misdemeanor criminal contempt warrant.

On Thursday afternoon, Satchel Theresa Gordon, 32, of Butte was brought in from Anaconda-Deer Lodge County for felony violation of release condition.

Also on Thursday, Probation & Parole arranged for the arrests of William Robert Murphy, 33, of Butte for felony violation of release condition, and Kaitlyn Marie Neumiller, 38, of Butte on a felony out-of-jurisdiction warrant.

MHP arrest

A trooper with the Montana Highway Patrol arrested Joshua Arne Hoar, 40, of Butte Thursday afternoon for the misdemeanor offenses of MHP arrest warrant, driving with a suspended or revoked drivers license, and no liability insurance in effect.

Little fire

At around noon Thursday, someone thought there was a fire just south of the Butte Rescue Mission in the 600 block of West Platinum Street. It turned out that some homeless people had a little fire going to stay warm.

Sexual assault

A sexual assault with forcible sodomy was reported early Thursday afternoon. The case is currently under investigation.

Students arguing

At around 2 p.m. Thursday, students were reportedly arguing with each other outside the Webster Garfield Complex, 1050 S. Montana St. No one was cited.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 11

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Following several dry months, cool temperatures and precipitation in April increased snowpack percentages in all of Montanas major river basins.

Prior to April, northwest Montana had been the largest recipient of precipitation this water year, with much of the remainder of the state well below normal.

Weather patterns shifted last month, and April precipitation was slightly below normal in northwest Montana but well above normal in southcentral and southeast Montana, said USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service hydrologist Eric Larson.

The cool and wet weather last month slowed snowmelt that was initiated in March and many mid-elevation SNOTEL sites which normally melt significantly in April now have an above normal May 1 snowpack. The only exception is the Milk River basin, which doesnt have any snow remaining at the one SNOTEL site in the Bears Paw Mountains near Havre.

Larson urged some caution about optimism about the report. Snowpack percentages indicate how conditions compare to previous years for a given date, but these percentages can be misleading early and late in the water year, he said.

This weather was certainly beneficial, but there was such a lack of precipitation from mid-January through March that Aprils gains were not enough to make a full recovery.

Many SNOTEL sites east of the Continental Divide peaked at levels that were well short of their normal peaks. In general, SNOTEL sites west of the Continental Divide received more consistent snowfall this winter and reached near-normal snowpack peaks.

The delay in snowmelt due to cool April weather was reflected in the streamflows reported for April. Nearly all gages in the southwest, central and southcentral portions of the state had below-normal to well-below-normal streamflow this past month.

Current streamflow forecasts for the May through July time period reflect improved snowpack and precipitation conditions, Larson said.

In locations such as the Rocky Mountain Front and river basins west of the Continental Divide, the snowpack remains above normal and has yet to begin melting at the upper elevations. Consequently streamflows are forecasted to be near to above normal.

Forecasts for southwest Montana, the mainstem of the Missouri and the Yellowstone are looking much less grim than last month but remain below normal for May to July.

There are still areas of concern such as the Shields and Musselshell rivers, which are forecast to be in the 40% to 55% of normal range for that period.

As appealing as warm, sunny summer weather sounds, the best-case scenario over the next couple months is continued cool weather and more precipitation in locations that did not reach their typical peak snowpack levels, Larson said.

Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1
On April 18, FWP announced that a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus was detected in wild birds and at domestic poultry farms in Montana. In its cautionary release, FWP explained that "HPAI viruses are extremely infectious and fatal to poultry and some species of wild birds."

As we have all learned over the last several years, the potential spread of viruses is serious business. With this new virus emerging in and amongst our bird populations this situation begs an important question: are we willing to risk losing our world-class upland game birds in Montana?

This viral outbreak comes at the exact time that FWP is proposing to spend up to $1 million each year to pen raise and release domestic pheasants into and amongst our wild birds over the next five years. Instead of intuitively changing course given this new information, our state's wildlife management agency is about to launch a program to operate a poultry farm.

Nowhere would bird diseases spread more quickly than at a pen-raised stocking facility. Its a well-known fact that concentrations of animals in tight quarters spread disease, which is why the Montana Department of Livestock issued an order on April 8 prohibiting public sales of poultry, and why on March 3, the Montana Department of Livestock sent a memorandum advising producers that "outbreaks are often associated with mortality rates that approach 100% in domestic poultry. This is serious stuff.

Regardless of what precautions FWP promises, if an outbreak occurs, the entire flock will need to be wiped out, making this program a giant waste of license dollars, at best. And at worst? Diseased birds could be released onto state lands infecting wild populations, and Montanans themselves could become seriously ill.

In neighboring Wyoming, their Game & Fish Department just had to euthanize an entire breeding operation of pheasants out of caution when nearby wild turkeys were found dead from the disease, just like they were in our own state, near Billings in late April.

Additionally, theres a very real risk to the health of Montanans as well. Just last week, the first recorded case of HPAI transmitting to humans was recorded. And where did this take place? At a pen-raised poultry farm, in a prison.

The warning signs could not be clearer.

While the legislature appropriated money specifically for this project, that was long before avian flu arrived; the Fish & Wildlife Commission still could say no. Given this new and emerging bird virus, this seems like the perfect time for the Commission to put the chicks back in the eggs, so to speak, and prevent a biological disaster.

Graham Coppes is the volunteer conservation leader for the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. He lives in Missoula with his wife and bird dog.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Spain welcomes summer temperatures of up to 33 degrees: weather outlook May 6-8



Experts predict the good weather will last throughout May, with a possible heatwave in Spain in June

After an exceptionally unsettled week where many provinces experienced clear skies and sunny spells while others recorded record amounts of rainfall , Thursday May 5 marked the beginning of a dramatic change, with clouds dispersing and the mercury on the rise.

The good news is that meteorologists are forecasting more good weather for the weekend ahead and indeed, for the rest of the month.

"The sun will be seen in much of Spain and temperatures will begin to rise from today, especially in the west with spring temperatures of the order of 20C or more," Francisco Martin, meteorologist at Meteored, explained, while confirming that the DANA which caused so much instability earlier in the week is rapidly moving east.

Friday May 6

Friday will dawn with bright and clear skies throughout much of Spain, with the exception of the mountainous areas of Cantabria, the Pyrenees and the Levante coast, where some clouds will hang around for a while longer.

Daytime temperatures will rise throughout the country, except on the southeast coast where there will be few changes or even slight decreases.

A generally pleasant day overall though, with Murcia set to tip the scales at a maximum of 25C while Sevilla could reach a sweltering 29C. A slightly cooler start to the weekend in Alicante , with highs of 20C rising to a maximum of 27C in parts.

Saturday May 7

During the weekend, it is very possible that 30-33C will be exceeded in the Guadiana and Guadalquivir basins, also in the interior of Galicia, and that they will rise somewhat more in the big cities due to the urban island heat effect, Mr Martin has indicated.

The urban island heat effect occurs because of the sun hitting the asphalt and buildings in built-up areas, which could raise the thermometers 1-2 degrees higher than in more rural settings.

Sunday May 8

There is little change expected on Sunday which will remain stable and sunny. However, the temperatures will now begin to shoot up in inland Spain, with records of 25 or 26C predicted in cities like Madrid, Zaragoza and Valladolid.

Areas in the southwest of the country will easily exceed 30C.

The rest of May

The new burst of good weather is expected both for the remainder of May and also for the month of June, meteorologist Jose Miguel Vinas explained.

"The monthly maps of anomalies predict temperatures above average for both months in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, with more prominent warm anomalies in June, which suggests a possible heat wave. Rainfall will be markedly lower than average.

Images: Aemet
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa -- A woman charged with killing a Lake Park, Iowa, woman has chosen to have a judge rather than a jury decide her case.

Allison Decker on Wednesday waived her right to a jury trial. District Judge Shayne Mayer instead will determine if Decker is guilty or not guilty.

Decker, 27, of Sioux City, is scheduled to stand trial May 17 in Dickinson County District Court. She has pleaded not guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree theft and conspiracy to commit second-degree theft in connection with the Dec. 21, 2020, death of 25-year-old Angel Bastman, whose body was found the following day at her home at 104 Maple Ave. in Lake Park.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Decker would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

Decker and Justice Berntson were arrested in July after months of investigation. According to court documents, Bastman was killed at approximately 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Authorities have declined to comment on the cause of death.

Court documents filed Monday indicate that a woman who had conversations with Berntson after Bastman's death told authorities Berntson told her that he got into an altercation with Bastman and "didn't mean to" kill her. Berntson allegedly said he "couldn't do it all the way and this girl finished it," apparently in reference to Decker's role in Bastman's death.

Berntson has admitted that same fact to authorities under oath during a proffer and deposition, court documents said.

Berntson, 25, also was charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty in December to attempted murder. In exchange for his guilty plea, he has agreed to testify against Decker. He will be sentenced after Decker's case is resolved.

Four days after Bastman's body was found, police spotted Berntson driving her missing rental car in Sioux City. A vehicle pursuit ensued, and Berntson, who gave an Elk Point, South Dakota, address at the time, was arrested after crashing the car.

Court documents say Berntson and Decker both were found in possession of property belonging to Bastman and her family. Witnesses and electronic communications records showed that both Berntson and Decker made statements that they were involved in Bastman's death.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
South African motorists have been warned that the grace period for renewing expired drivers licence cards in South Africa lapsed yesterday, 5 May 2022.

According to the latest data from transport officials, around 1.3 million licence cards that expired between 26 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 had still not been renewed by the beginning of May.

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula previously warned that law enforcement would step up their efforts and penalise those who had failed to renew by the latest deadline.

The department has repeatedly extended the grace period to help motorists struggling to get a booking slot or managing to complete their renewal at a drivers licence testing centre (DLTC).

Mbalula has attributed the backlog to administrative issues and corrupt practices among DLTC officials and the knock-on effect of the initial closures of its branches during the first few weeks of lockdown.

However, motorists have complained that the departments new online system for booking a timeslot to submit renewal applications is the problem.

Some reported trying for months to get a slot on the new system.

Mbalula said that motorists who had already renewed their cards but had not received them should not be concerned.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) advised motorists with expired cards and who renewed during the grace period to keep their old licence and renewal receipt on hand.

In terms of the regulations of the Road Traffic Act, you are not going to be penalised, said RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi.

Msibi said that motorists should be able to show their old licence and renewal receipt to law enforcement officials should they be pulled over or asked to do so at a roadblock.

Motorists who visit a DLTC after 5 May 2022 will be allowed to renew as usual but will be compelled to take a temporary drivers licence.

Mbalula claimed that the department had done everything to remove the obstacles that were an impediment in the renewal of driving licences.

It is now up to the public to overcome their inertia and comply, the minister said.

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) said that although it agreed with the minister that drivers must take responsibility for renewing their licences, it was not convinced that everything had been done to remove obstacles in the renewal process.

Until every DLTC in South Africa operates at the same levels as the two flagship centres in Gauteng, we cannot accept that everything is being done to accommodate all motorists, the AA stated.

Until this is the case, we continue to argue for an extension of the renewal deadline.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) also previously warned the government not to start a war with motorists it cannot win.

It also called for motorists to be exempt from fines for expired licence cards until the backlog was resolved.

The publics inability to comply with the regulations is largely due to the departments incompetence, and the public shouldnt be punished for it, Outa said.
The majority of EU citizens support Ukraine's economic and humanitarian support, anti-Russian sanctions and even the idea of Ukraine's accession to the EU when it is ready.

This is stated in the April Flash Eurobarometer survey.

Thus, 66% of EU citizens are in favor of Ukraine's accession to the EU when it is ready. The greatest support for this idea is among residents of Portugal (87%), Estonia (83%), Lithuania (82) and Poland (81%). On the other hand, Hungary (48%), Bulgaria (51%) and Luxembourg (52%) are the least willing to see Ukraine in the EU.

For reference . The polls were conducted in 27 EU member states from April 13 to 20. It was conducted online. A total of 26,066 people were interviewed.

EU citizens supported Ukraine in other issues as well. For example, 93% of people approve of providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainian war victims, 88% support the reception of Ukrainian refugees, and 80% support financial support for Ukraine.

71% of EU citizens believe that Ukraine is part of the European family, and 89% - sympathize with Ukrainians. Also, 80% of people approve of economic sanctions against Russia, 67% - financing the supply of military equipment to Ukraine.

On February 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union. On March 1, the European Parliament almost unanimously voted in favor of a resolution calling on the European Union's institutions to work to grant Ukraine EU candidate status.

Ukraine is currently in the process of completing a questionnaire to help the EU decide whether Ukraine should be a candidate. According to Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishina, Ukraine hopes to gain candidate status in June 2022 at the summit of European Union leaders.

Read also: Armed forces of Ukraine destroyed two boats Russia - video

"Thank you for the words we hear, for the actions we see" - Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Borys Johnson for supporting Ukraine
The missile was launched from the military airfield "Zyabrovka"

What happened. A rocket was launched from the Gomel region of Belarus in the afternoon of May 6 towards Russia, but was shot down there.

Source. This was reported by Belarusian journalists and their sources in the telegram channel "Belarusian Gayun".

Details. A rocket was launched from the Zyabrivka military airfield (Gomel district, Belarus) at 12: 25-12: 30. It is noted that the launch was most likely from the S-400 SAM.

It is reported that at about the same time, residents of the border Zlinka (Bryansk region, Russia, 40 km from Zyabrovka) recorded an explosion over the city and a cloud of smoke that formed after it. By the nature of the cloud, journalists suggested that it could be either the self-destruct of a missile in the air or the fact that it was shot down.

The Belarusian Guyun notes that the S-400 missile was launched in the direction of Russia, and that after the launch it was recorded in the Dobrush district, just northeast of the Zyabrovka airfield in the direction of Russia.

Background. We will remind, in the middle of March, the Russian air force struck on Belarus for the purpose of provocation

Read also: M777 howitzers with rocket-assisted projectiles are being used in Ukraine to avenge the Bucha Massacre, alongside Irpin and Boyarka (Photo)

In the war with Ukraine, Russia lost 24,900 troops, 1,110 tanks, 199 aircraft and 2,686 armored combat vehic
Napa Police arrested a transient man on an investigation of vandalism and drug possession near New Tech High School Thursday afternoon.

Officers were deployed to New Tech High School after the department received a report of a man vandalizing a van, according to police. The owner of the van told police the man had walked up to the van and began to bang on the doors and windows while shouting derogatory remarks about his Hispanic heritage.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

The owner reported the man broke the passenger side mirror and dented the front passenger side door, causing an estimated $600 worth of damage, police said. Officers attempted to arrest the man, who resisted, and reportedly found methamphetamine on him.

Chad Lee Pallet was booked into Napa County jail on investigation of felony vandalism and several misdemeanors.

You can reach Edward Booth at 707-256-2213.
A man and woman were arrested during a traffic stop Wednesday night and face felony drug and ammunition allegations, according to American Canyon Police.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

At about 10 p.m., officers stopped a Toyota Camry on southbound Highway 29 near Crawford Way for expired registration, the department said in a news release. Officers saw drug paraphernalia and an open alcohol container in the car and learned the driver, 38-year-old David Manangey Hizon of Vallejo, and his passenger 41-year-old Rikie Jo Fanning of Dixon, were on probation, according to police.

A search of the Toyota turned up about a half-ounce of suspected methamphetamine, along with suspected Xanax and oxycodone pills and psilocybin mushrooms, police reported. Also discovered in the vehicle was .40-caliber ammunition, as well as items associated with narcotics use and sales, according to the police statement.

Both occupants were detained and booked into the Napa County jail on suspicion of selling a controlled substance, ammunition possession by a felon, and criminal conspiracy. Hizon and Fanning, whose first name also is spelled Rike in jail booking records, were released shortly after 2:20 a.m. Thursday.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com
When does Napa County reach the point of having too many wineries? When should it turn down requests for new vineyards in the mountains that require cutting down trees?

The Napa Valley Register posed these and other questions to the four candidates for the 1st District Napa County Board of Supervisors seat. The district includes the central part of the city of Napa and Carneros region.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

County Planning Commissioner Joelle Gallagher, Saintsbury Winery co-founder David Graves, businessperson Garrett Hale and attorney Suzanne Besu Truchard are on the June 7 ballot. They replied by email.

Why are you qualified to make decisions for a half-billion dollar annual county operation funded by taxpayers?

Hale took a little bit of exception to the question's wording.

Are you saying the only qualification is if someone has the requisite corporate resume and/or travels among the elites? he said. My business experience may speak for itself, but for all candidates, I would hope that question was just not really meant to infer such ideas.

Hale describes himself as a Chicano Napa native. He is listed by the California State Contracting Board as sole owner of Pacific Electric. His candidates statement cites such professions as electric contracting, construction, advertising, mining and solar.

Graves co-founded Saintsbury winery in the Carneros area in 1981. But he sees a better argument for his experience than, I helped run a business that had to make payroll every two weeks.

As a member of the Napa Sanitation District Board of Directors, he has public finance experience, Graves said. NapaSan has an AA+ credit rating and deals with many issues the county also deals with  resource allocation, staffing levels, pension obligations and strategic planning among them.

Truchard said shes been an attorney for 17 years, managing everything from multi-million dollar transactions to pro bono legal services for the Hispanic community. She cited her work on various boards, such as for OLE Health and the Boys and Girls Club. She has degrees from Harvard and Northwestern universities.

"In sum, I will be bringing a fresh perspective, new ideas and a different type of 'no-nonsense' and common sense approach to the Board," she said.

Gallagher is executive director of First 5 Napa County. She said she has led organizations for over 25 years and has experience with budgets, contracts, programming and personnel.

"I know how well-run organizations function," she said. "As a steward of public funding, both at Cope Family Center and with First 5 Napa County, I have the necessary experience and understanding of my accountability to taxpayers."

Napa County has more than 500 wineries. At what point does it have too many? Should it consider a moratorium on new wineries?

A debate has simmered over whether wine country is choking on its own success. Some people contend the county should pause new winery approvals  from three to a dozen approvals annually in recent years  while looking at traffic and groundwater impacts. Others see no reason for such a step.

The candidates gave their views.

The question to consider is not the number of wineries, but the impact of winery development on our environment, especially our watershed, Gallagher said.

Modest wineries that process fruit grown organically onsite generally have a smaller impact on the environment. Large-scale wineries that bring in fruit from around or outside the county have a larger impact, she said.

Among the other considerations is whether a proposed winery is in a high fire severity zone or an area with depleted groundwater and whether the winery would be net-zero in energy use. Protecting natural resources needs to be top of mind, she said.

Truchard said Napa County has made every effort to grow responsibly. Growth should reflect and create a positive impact on the quality of life of local Napa residents.

The most efficient way in which to address this issue is by diving into our general plan now as opposed to 2030, she said. If we start the dialogue now and have a community conversation about creating the next vision of Napa County, we will have a path forward.

Graves said too many is in the eye of the beholder. Too many could be on account of traffic, water use, fire risk, noise, community character, biodiversity or all of the above.

Proposed, remote wineries on narrow, dead-end roads need to be reviewed very critically in light of fire risks. Traffic impact fees can be exacted, but county transportation infrastructure shortfalls are very large. The county is working on an overdue, more sophisticated water availability analysis, he said.

He looked at the state's legal requirements for a moratorium.

My conclusion: a moratorium sounds appealing as a sound bite, but in reality is more complicated than hitting the pause button, Graves said. That said, further scrutiny on where we are in terms of winery use permits and impacts of wineries deserves close scrutiny.

Hale said it is the impact on the environment, not the number of wineries, that matters. He wants the county to look at economic diversity and not put all of its economic eggs in one basket.

He talked about watershed considerations and impacts on the environment, roads, housing and overall health. Economic benefits are necessary, but at what cost, he said.

How to match the wineries to housing and road impacts is a real hard question that needs to be thoroughly vetted and answered, Hale said. Just who really benefits is such a hard question to answer, but a necessary one to be answered.

When should Napa County allow new vineyards in the watersheds and when should it turn them down?

Proposals for new vineyards in the mountains have become a controversial issue in recent years, especially those that require cutting down trees in forests and woodlands. The most prominent example is the long-running saga of Walt Ranch east of the city of Napa.

The Board of Supervisors doesnt consider individual vineyard applications unless, as is the case with Walt Ranch, one comes to it on appeal. But it sets the policies.

So when should the county approve and turn down such applications?

As with some of the other questions, the way this question is framed may reflect a casual observers view of the situation, but it is up to the supervisors to look at the issues around land use in a more comprehensive fashion, Graves said.

He framed the question this way  how can Napa County create a planning process that works on a larger spatial and temporal scale and asks broader questions?

That process should recognize the overarching need to preserve regional connectivity from the inner coast range to the Pacific Ocean. It should take into account the impact of climate change on our ecosystems and our water supply, he said.

Gallagher said it is critical to protect watershed lands. If creating a large, traditionally farmed vineyard depends on deforesting carbon-sequestering trees in our hillsides, perhaps there is a more suitable location for the vineyard.

Farmers in Napa County are among the most knowledgeable and environmentally conscious anywhere; however, unrelenting drought and other consequences of the climate crisis mean business as usual is not possible, she said.

As the county updates its general plan, it must use the most current science available to drive land use policies, she said.

Truchard said agriculture is the highest and best use of land in Napa County. It is the countys past, present and, if we proceed thoughtfully, its future.

Decisions should be based on facts and science, and as such we need to expand our data collection and monitoring program of vineyards, she said. We must ensure there are no unintended consequences to vineyard development and that there is no detrimental effect to our resources and our environment.

Hale said the question needs to be refocused on the various aspects, characteristics, topographies and microclimates of and uses within all three of the countys readily identified watersheds.

He described each watershed and said they are tied together by geography and various impacts human activities have on them. He mentioned the Napa County Resource Conservation District data base as one good source of information.

"It is readily apparent that when trying to make informed decisions on whether or not there needs to be more vineyards, we should consider the associated impacts not only on that particular geographical area, but its unique part of the watershed," he said.

What one thing would you most want to accomplish in your first term?

Truchard said she wants to do a deep, analytical dive into what is going right and what is going wrong at the county.

Shes found a large number of residents are unaware of the role of local government and how important it is in their everyday lives. They wonder what the Board of Supervisors is supervising.

I think its important for constituents to know that as their supervisor, I am there for them to resolve their issues, and if I cant do it, I will find the person within our local government structure that can, she said.

Graves said he want to restore faith in the integrity and transparency of the Boards decision-making and make sure Board uses the best information possible.

I will make my priorities very clear from the outset and be very public about the status of each one: fire safety, water security, transportation, housing and response to the climate crisis, Graves said.

Hale said he needs to tackle and immerse himself in the big issues. But he also has the goal of learning what else the everyday person expects and needs.

I think they will dictate what I will need to accomplish, he said.

Gallagher said some environmental protections could be accomplished relatively quickly. She mentioned banning glyphosate and gas-powered leaf blowers, electrifying the countys vehicle fleet and requiring solar on all warehouses in the industrial area.

Longer-term, she said, the county needs to complete and implement a robust climate action plan and begin the environmental impact report for the next general plan.

You can reach Barry Eberling at 707-256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
NATO Secretary-General tests positive for COVID-19

Elon Musk to restore former President Donald Trump's Twitter account

Armenian opposition reacts to Azerbaijan's statements

Car rallies to be organized in different directions of Yerevan

Turkish Foreign Minister to visit Israel at the end of May

Erdogan: Stances of Turkey and Kazakhstan on resolving Ukrainian crisis coincide

Armenia PM lays wreath to cross-stone in memory of Armenian Genocide in Netherlands

Armenia PM arrives in Netherlands

Resistance Movement organizes march through central streets of Yerevan

Georgia submits second part of questionnaire for EU accession talks

Resistance Movement holds another rally on France Square in Yerevan

Shanghai subway shut down amid COVID-19 outbreak in city

Consultations on Armenia-Greece-Cyprus trilateral cooperation planning held in Yerevan

Xi Jinping warns of confrontation related to Ukraine crisis

Emir of Kuwait accepts PM and government's resignation

Macron urges Hungarian PM to agree to embargo on Russian oil imports

EU: We do not go deep into content of talks between Yerevan and Baku

Borrell hopes for conclusion of agreement on EU oil embargo against Russia

US State Department comments on protests in Armenia

Turkish Defense Minister urges Greece to solve bilateral problems through dialogue

Armenia has new head of mission to NATO

Iran considers Turkey's construction of dams unacceptable

Dollar, euro fall in Armenia

France ambassador: We support Armenia government efforts to establish peace in region

EU Delegation head urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from 'conspiratorial thoughts and plans'

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrives in Turkey

Ruben Rubinyan, several envoys discuss Armenia-Turkey normalization process

Ambassador-at-large: Armenia 6-point document transferred to Azerbaijan includes Artsakh status, security issues

35 people apprehended so far during Tuesdays civil disobedience actions in Yerevan

Japan imposes sanctions on 71 Russian companies

Turkey plans to open consulate in occupied Armenian Shushi city of Artsakh

Police apprehend opposition marchers near Lake Yerevan

26 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia past 1 week

Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM and now lawmaker Gevorgyan court session is held behind closed doors

Armenia Resistance Movement coordinator: Any incident of violence is reprehensible to us

Situation gets tense during Resistance Movement march in Zeytun district of Yerevan

Over 200 injured in mass protests in Sri Lanka

Unidentified Indians fire rocket-propelled grenades at police department

Armenia premier heads for Netherlands on official visit

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan, former-deputy PM and now MP Gevorgyan trial to reconvene

Azerbaijan establishes new border protection organization

New South Korean president urges North Korea to denuclearize

Azerbaijan FM says he had 2 telephone conversations with Armenia counterpart

Resistance Movement kicks off marches in Yerevan

Azerbaijan FM says Armenia's proposals cannot be called proposals

Azerbaijan MFA: Armenia authorities have not refused to normalize relations despite opposition protests

Azerbaijan hopes to get 7 villages in Armenia

Bayramov: Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed in Karabakh

Azerbaijan FM speaks against Armenia opposition

China's central bank cuts yuan against dollar to new low in a year and a half

Azerbaijan ignores points added by Armenia on agenda of forthcoming talks

Process of including Armenian church in UNESCO World Heritage List is discussed in Irans Isfahan

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD lying once again

American Armenians stage demonstration outside Armenia consulate

Newspaper: Notification to be sent to Armenia Patrol Guard Service head today

Quake hits Georgia-Azerbaijan border zone, also felt in Armenia

Biden signs Lend-Lease Act to defend democracy in Ukraine

Newspaper: 44-day war military casualties parents are summoned for questioning at Investigative Committee

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
A number of members of the US Congress gave the green light to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey after Ankara's mediation efforts on the situation in Ukraine, Turkish TV channel A Haber reported.

The United States previously sent an official notice to Turkey about its exclusion from the program for the supply of the latest F-35 fighters due to Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. The States canceled the joint memorandum on the F-35 with Turkey, signing it with the seven remaining partners in the F-35 project - the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Canada and Norway.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan subsequently announced a US proposal to buy other fighters, but not the fifth, but the fourth generation - the F-16. This issue will also have to be agreed upon in the US Congress - the State Department is lobbying this issue, convincing congressmen that the deal serves the interests of Washington.

Many members of Congress who have previously made efforts to remove Turkey from the F-35 program have given the green light to sell the F-16 to Turkey after its role in the military process in Ukraine. The role that Turkey has played in the recent period has reduced possible objections in Congress regarding the sale of F-16s to Ankara, the TV channel reported.

The channel cited Gregory Meeks, chairman of the US House Foreign Relations Committee, who stressed the need for the US to work with Turkey.

Turkey has taken some steps in the right direction, although some things worry us from time to time, there are areas where we need to work with Turkey, the politician said.

In turn, Jim Risch, Republican leader on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that Turkey has presented credible arguments as to why it needs F-16s.
YEREVAN.  Within the framework of his working visit to the US, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia on Thursday metin Washington, D.C.with Bob Menendez, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee US Senate. Senator James Risch, a member of the committee, also took part in the meeting.

The interlocutors touched upon the agenda of the Armenian-American relations, as well as a number of issues related to the security situation around Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the regional situation, the Ministry of Foreign of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The parties noted the achievements registered during the 30-year Armenian-American diplomatic relations. The FM stressed the importance of the US assistance to the reforms being carried out in Armenia, the strengthening of democracy, the development of the economic sphere, and reflected on the importance of the agreements reached during his visit to the US.

During the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan lauded Bob Menendez for his contribution to the adoption of the US Senate resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which is important for ensuring the supremacy of the values of justice and humanity, and for the prevention of future genocides.

Also, Mirzoyan presented the current humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia's position on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. In this context, the inadmissibility of provoking tension by Azerbaijan was stressed.

The need to return the Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages held in Azerbaijan was stressed, too.

In addition, the Armenian FM briefed the US lawmaker on the latest developments aimed at normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey.

Separately, Ararat Mirzoyan presented the Order of Friendship to Bob Menendez, who was awarded on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the United Statesfor his significant contribution to the strengthening and development of the Armenian-American friendly relations.
The opposition march led by Resistance Movement coordinator Ishkhan Saghatelyanthe National Assembly deputy speaker from the opposition "Armenia" Faction and a representative of the Supreme Body of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party of Armeniareached Yerevans Victory Bridge where, at his call, the marchers sat on Argishti Street.

After a while, the situation became tense, the police special forces came and started forcibly clearing the street.

Opposition MPs Kristine Vardanyan, Aregnaz Manukyan, and Aram Vardevanyan are also there. The police forcibly pushed Vardevanyan out of the street, too.

Law enforcement apprehended several marchers.

Saghatelyan called on the ordinary citizens to go back and the opposition lawmakers to come forward.

"We have achieved our goal. Now our march is moving in accordance with the pre-planned plan," he added in particular.

The marchers are chanting, "Shame!" "[PM] Nikol [Pashinyan], traitor!" and "Armenia without Turks!"

The opposition movement is marching in four directions in Yerevanand starting from France Square.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan had announced Thursday that their actions of civil disobedience Friday will start at noon. He had stated that they will assemble at France Square, in downtown Yerevan, and from where they will start paralyzing the traffic in the Armenian capital in four directions.

"We have reached the final phase of our plan. We are adding the rest of our compatriots, too, taking the whole situation at our full disposal, and removing this government of evil [from power]," Saghatelyan had added.

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that peaceful acts of civil disobedience began in Yerevan on Monday, and a number of streets were closed off in the Armenian capital. In addition, opposition rallies are being held at France Square since Monday.
YEREVAN.  Vahagn Aleksanyan, a member of the ruling majority "Civil Contract" Faction in the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, has called on the police to inspect the opposition "shelters" where drugs may be kept. Aleksanyan stated about this at Fridays special NA sitting, and referring to some media reports that the matter of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation had been discussed within the ruling faction, and that some of its MPs were already negotiating with the opposition.

Vahagn Aleksanyan noted that such reports are made only by some media.

"That is, [by] those [media] that are financially dependent on the opposition circles. From this high rostrum, I call on the department of combating illicit trafficking of the Police of Armenia to inspect, as soon as possible, the shelters of those behind such publications. This should be done to prevent, as soon as possible, more cases of 'overdose' which can lead to fatalities," the ruling force MP added with irony.

His words caused laughter in the NA Sessions Hall.
YEREVAN.  At some point, the situation became tense during the oppositions civil disobedience march while on Marshal Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan.

The marchers decided to close off the avenue completely. But the police blocked their way and did not allow the protesters to move forward.

Opposition MP Vahe Hakobyan and second President Robert Kocharyan's younger son, Levon Kocharyan, are also there.

Levon Kocharyan told reporters that when they learned that violence had been used against their other marchers near the Victory Bridge, they decided to block Marshal Baghramyan Avenue completely. But then they learned that their aforesaid friends' march was in progress, and therefore they reopened part of the avenue.

The Resistance Movement is carrying out its marches in Yerevan Friday in four directionsand starting from the France Square.

Resistance Movement coordinator Ishkhan Saghatelyanthe National Assembly deputy speaker from the opposition "Armenia" Faction and a representative of the Supreme Body of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party of Armeniahad announced Thursday that their actions of civil disobedience Friday will start at noon. He had stated that they will assemble at France Square, in downtown Yerevan, and from where they will start paralyzing the traffic in the Armenian capital in four directions.

"We have reached the final phase of our plan. We are adding the rest of our compatriots, too, taking the whole situation at our full disposal, and removing this government of evil [from power]," Saghatelyan had added.

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that peaceful acts of civil disobedience began in Yerevan on Monday, and a number of streets were closed off in the Armenian capital. In addition, opposition rallies are being held at France Square since Monday.
Armenian authorities should thoroughly investigate recent attacks on members of the press by police and government officials, and ensure that those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Thursday, the CPJ noted in a statement.

The statement notes that on Monday, May 2, at a protest in the capital, Yerevan, against the countrys policy concerning the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, security officers punched Davit Fidanyan, a reporter with the news website AntiFake, in the shoulder and tried to push him away as he covered police arresting and beating protesters, according to news reports, a statement by several local media groups, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview.

Fidanyan said that police officers in black masks repeatedly shoved him while he covered the protests, although he clearly displayed his press card. He said they also shoved AntiFake camera operator Ishkhan Khosrovyan and attempted to detain him, but agreed not to arrest him when other journalists intervened.

Also at that protest, Nare Gevorgyan, a reporter with the local news website MediaHub, approached Sargis Hovhannisyan, head of the countrys State Protection Service security agency, and asked about the police crackdown, according to those news reports, Gevorgyan, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, and video of the incident published by MediaHub.

Hovhannisyan knocked Gevorgyans microphone away, and a State Protection Service officer obstructed MediaHub camera operator Arman Gharajyan, demanded he turn over his camera, and then hit the device; the pair refused, and Hovhannisyan kicked Gharajyan in the leg, according to those sources.

The use of force against journalists who are doing their jobs is entirely unacceptable, all the more so when perpetrated by police officers and senior officials who have a duty to set an example in their treatment of the media, said Gulnoza Said, CPJs Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. Armenian authorities must swiftly investigate all uses of force against journalists covering the ongoing protests and ensure that media workers can do their jobs safely.

The Armenian prosecutors office has opened an investigation into Hovhannisyans alleged assault of Gharajyan, according to news reports.

CPJ emailed the police and the National Security Service of Armenia, which oversees the State Protection Service, for comment from the agency and from Hovhannisyan, but did not receive any replies.

Previously, on April 26, police officers in Yerevan shoved Tigran Petrosyan, a correspondent with the regional news website Caucasian Knot, as he attempted to film a protest over Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)], and prevented him from recording, the journalist told CPJ in a phone interview.

Also, on Wednesday, May 4, Parliamentary Deputy Hayk Sargsyan, with the ruling Civil Contract party, snatched the cell phone of Suzy Badoyan, a reporter with the news website Yerevan Today, when she attempted to interview him in parliament, local media reported.

CPJ emailed Sargsyan for comment, but did not receive any reply.
It will take Austria several years to abandon Russian gas and the accumulation of emergency reserve will most likely include supplies from Russia.

Ukraine has forced Austria to face several " uncomfortable truths," one of which is the difficulty of finding gas supplies from other markets, Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler said, Bloomberg reported. It will be a huge effort, and we have to be up front that it will take time, she said.

Austria is still bound by a long-term gas supply contract with Russia until 2040.

But a recent report by the Austrian Energy Agency said the country could stop importing Russian natural gas in five years by diversifying supplies, improving energy efficiency and using synthetic fuels.

Gewessler 's comments illustrate the difficulties faced by some European countries seeking to end their dependence on Russian energy.

While the EU is gradually approaching a full-scale embargo on russian oil, it faces opposition from some countries, such as Hungary, which has called on the EU to exclude member states that get their supplies through the pipeline.
More niceties, zero progress in third round of Turkey-Armenia peace talks, columnist Amberin Zaman writes in her article.

The talks, which began earlier this year, have not yet yielded significant results.

The Armenian side issued an identical statement saying that the envoys had reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions. Diplomatic sources briefing Al-Monitor confirmed no progress had been made, but said that the meetings will continue, the author quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying.

It is noted that the third round of talks took place against the background of thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Pashinyan has hinted at flexibility over Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh as it's known in Armenian. In a bold speech to parliament on April 13, Pashinyan noted that he was under pressure from the international community and suggested that Armenias options were limited and no matter how bitter a pill, the countrys leaders needed to prioritize peace in the interest of its future generations. Pashinyans words triggered a maelstrom among his nationalist opponents, who accuse him of selling the country out, the author writes.

Turkey has long signaled that an Armenian withdrawal from the occupied territories would be enough for the two countries to normalize relations.

The protest movement, which started in Armenia after Pashinyans April 13 speech, proves one thing, observed Armenian commentator Benyamin Poghosyan in a recent briefing. The majority of the politically active part of the Armenian society does not and will not accept any solution that will make Nagorno-Karabakh part of Azerbaijan under any circumstances or guarantees. Any efforts by international actors, be it Russia, the EU, or the US, to convince the Armenian government to agree to such a solution will inevitably trigger political destabilization in Armenia, the observer quotes Armenian commentator Benyamin Poghosyan as saying.
Ankara has deliberately "destroyed" its chances of EU accession by imprisoning philanthropist Osman Kavala, the European Parliament said in a resolution condemning the life sentence handed down to the human rights activist.

"The current Turkish Government has deliberately destroyed any hopes of reopening its EU accession process," the European Parliament said Thursday.

The European Parliament resolution strongly condemned Kavala's life sentence handed down by an Istanbul court last week on charges of attempting to overthrow Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

The verdict by Istanbul's 13th Higher Criminal Court concerns the 64-year-old man's alleged role in nationwide protests against the government in 2013 that began in Istanbul's Gezi Park. Kavala denies the charges.

The European Parliament called Kavala's detention "unjust and illegal," demanding his immediate release.

The resolution calls on Turkey to fully comply with all European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings and immediately release Kavala along with seven other defendants in the Gezi case.

In December 2019, the ECHR found that Turkey used detention for political purposes, violating Kavala's rights, including his right to liberty, and acting in bad faith. The court demanded Kavala's immediate release.

Turkey needs to make concrete and sustained progress in the respect of fundamental rights. As a long-standing member of the Council of Europe, it must implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, as legal obligations. Turkey is no exception, EU High Representative and Vice-President Josep Borrell told the EP debate on Kavala on Thursday before the vote.

Turkey began accession talks with the EU in 2005, promising to strengthen its democracy, guarantee the rule of law and bring the rules governing the economy in line with the bloc's rules. But the EU froze accession talks with Turkey after a military coup attempt in 2016, when the country drifted further away from European democratic standards.
Will robotic home health aides ever possess the compassion and technical expertise to care for the most vulnerable among us? Can artificial intelligence (AI) adequately recover the voiceless from the historical record? What can we do to make sure AI revolutionizes our world for the better?

For Ravi Bellamkonda, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, questions like these are at the heart of AI.Humanity, a major university-wide initiative launched this academic year.

Emory seeks to realize the full potential of technology to shape the human endeavor, Bellamkonda says. We want to put AI into the service of humanity by using it to guide health, law, business, arts and humanities in thoughtful, ethical and wise ways.

Led by an advisory group of Emory faculty with diverse expertise in the field, the AI.Humanity initiative aims to recruit 60 to 75 new, leading faculty over three to five years. Hired through each of Emorys nine schools, this broad range of AI scholars will be poised for interdisciplinary work in four major focus areas: business and free enterprise, human health, law and social justice, and arts and humanities.

The initiative will be sustained by a focus on community-building to encourage scholarly collaboration, as well as educational opportunities for faculty, students and the Emory community.

AI has limitless opportunities as well as many grave challenges, says President Gregory L. Fenves. Emory faculty and students have the multidisciplinary expertise needed to develop creative and thoughtful innovations so that AI can be a force for good  improving our world and the human experience.

The most urgent research challenges in AI right now are complex and multifold, and they will require true interdisciplinary collaboration in order to be addressed  not just within the sciences but with the humanities and social sciences as well, adds Lauren Klein, Winship Distinguished Research Professor of English and Quantitative Methods. Its thrilling to see the AI.Humanity initiative take shape at Emory, an institution that has long valued precisely this kind of transformative research.

Enhancing a cross-campus network

New hire Anant Madabhushi performs the kind of work Klein describes. A bioengineer by training, Madabhushi will join Emorys School of Medicine in July. Madabhushi uses artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to improve outcomes for individuals with cancer and other diseases, as well as to help tackle racial health disparities and global health.

With ethics at the core of the AI.Humanity initiative, the inaugural James W. Wagner Chair in Ethics will be another early hire primed for interdisciplinary work.

While the AI.Humanity initiative is new, these and other faculty recruits will join an established network of AI scholars  and ready collaborators  across campus.

AI has limitless opportunities as well as many grave challenges. Emory faculty and students have the multidisciplinary expertise needed to develop creative and thoughtful innovations so that AI can be a force for good  improving our world and the human experience.

The intellectual and physical geography of the Emory campus are highly conducive to collaboration, notes Lance Waller, a professor in the Rollins School of Public Health and leader of the Woodruff Health Science Center's strategic initiative in data science. Im a biostatistician, trained as an engineer, but when I want to add a new dimension to my research, I dont have to go far to find art historians, epidemiologists, environmental lawyers and others with interesting ideas.

AI.Humanity is building on that in exciting new ways by recruiting a significant cohort of new colleagues who not only bring expertise in AI, but intentional focus in fields where Emory is already strong, Waller adds. The scope and the potential of the community were creating is truly powerful.

Earlier this semester, Emory researchers met to learn about each others work in data science and artificial intelligence through the Constructive Collisions program, run through the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research. The office is also providing seed grant funding to connect Emory and Georgia Tech faculty to spur new research collaborations and expand existing partnerships to leverage the artificial intelligence to improve society and our daily lives.

Building on these beginnings, the AI.Humanity community subgroup Waller leads is actively working to create new opportunities for collaboration. These include offering pilot funding and incubators in which projects and workgroups can grow, as well as lecture series and workshops.

A second AI.Humanity subgroup is focused on expanding educational opportunities across campus.

We believe in Al for all, says leader Vaidy Sunderam, chair of the Department of Computer Science. As the digital age advances, its becoming more and more important to have an understanding of what AI means, what it can and cant do, how to interface with it and when to be wary of it.

Infusing AI into both curricular and co-curricular spaces, the group is tasked with everything from promoting basic AI/ML (machine learning) literacy that allows students to answer questions like What does it mean to be a citizen in a digital world? to creating new interdisciplinary major, minor or certificate programs for those who want to focus more deeply.

Connecting AI to everyday life

The ongoing AI.Humanity Ethics Lecture Series is already bringing both educational and community-building opportunities to Emory. Held in April and May, it features world-renowned scholars approaching AI ethics from their own respective fields  computer science, philosophy and law  and highlights how critical ethical inquiry is to shaping the future of these fast-advancing technologies.

We want technology to help us realize the full potential of human beings, expressing themselves as a community informed by values, in a manner that we actively choose and shape. This is the space where Emory excels as a university, and where we seek to contribute to the world.

Paul Root Wolpe, director of Emorys Center for Ethics and

Ethics is intrinsic to AI, saysRaymond F. Schinazi Distinguished Research Chair in Jewish Bioethics. By that I mean that the purpose of AI is to make decisions, and decisions themselves are always based on some set of values, and the consequences of those decisions have ethical implications.

You cannot create AI without AI ethics, Wolpe continues. Emorys ethics scholarship throughout its schools, its singular Center for Ethics and the promise of ethical engagement in its vision statement situates Emory as the premier university to take AI ethics into the future.

It's precisely this kind of broad perspective that will distinguish Emorys approach to artificial intelligence research and education in a highly technical age, according to Bellamkonda.

We want technology to help us realize the full potential of human beings, expressing themselves as a community informed by values, in a manner that we actively choose and shape, he says. This is the space that Emory seeks to pursue. It is the space where we excel as a university, and where we seek to contribute to the world.

Visit the AI.Humanity website to learn more about the initiative, including news and events.
As part of National Hospital Week, May 814, and National Nurses Week, May 612, were inviting Canes to show their appreciation for the University of Miami Health System employees at the Medical Campus and across South Florida at various satellite locations. From doctors and nurses to environmental service workers and lab technicians, everyone plays a part. Share your gratitude and pride for the unsung heroes who rise to the occasion every day.

Through the ThankU initiative, University members can express immediate appreciation with a note of gratitude using the Thank a Cane tool. Choose from preset card designs and write a custom message for the recipient. If the sender and recipient of the eCard choose to make it public, it is added to a university-wide repository of appreciation. Additionally, you can view a list of cards you have received and sent. Find more tools developed by the Office of Institutional Culture.
Growing up as the daughter of Haitian parents, Esther Alexandre was surrounded by a culture that expected girls to grow up and become nurses or teachers and, if not, become homemakers.

Alexandre decided to change the narrative and is now studying computer engineering at the University of Miami. She was intrigued about what determined how young women pursued a career in the STEM field.

As part of her work as a 2021-2022 Adobe Research Scholar working with the guidance of Ava Brillat, program lead for information literacy and instructional design, and Vanessa Rodriguez, head of the Creative Studio, as well as other librarians at the Otto G. Richter Library, Alexandre created a documentary in which she interviewed dozens of students.

Most of the students in the documentary, Pipeline of Women in Stem, were at the University of Miami. She also talked off camera to many young students from Ruben Dario Middle School in Miami.

: As I look back, I can see the fractures of where I could have gone through a different pathway. Fractures such as education curriculum, social and economic, and my heritage, Alexandre wrote in the introduction to her film. I realize how important it is at a young age to be exposed to not only the typical job careers but the ones that are slightly harder paths and mostly dominated by men, she added.

A junior, Alexandre was one of two 2021-2022 Adobe Library Research Scholars who presented their projects during an online event on May 3. The other Adobe scholar was Alison McWalters, also a junior, who is studying advertising and classics. Her audiovisual project focused on portrayals of mythical women in contemporary media.

Alexandre pointed out that she could have easily taken a different career path.

I grew up in an urban neighborhood where the basic curriculum was basic math, science, and language arts and I realized that it did not stimulate any creativity or any innovation, she said. I see a lot of women who are being lost in the cracks and they could be cultivated into being the next innovators, scientists, and mathematicians.

Alexandre said that society and social and popular media tend to pigeonhole women into certain careers. A dearth of female role models also can play a role into why women may shy away from STEM jobs.

In science and history classes we are taught about scientists such as Newton, Einstein, and Edison, she narrates in the documentary. Yet in our curriculum there is no mention of Ada Loveless who is the first computer programmer, or Emmy Noether, who is regarded as one of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century.

In her film, Alexandre interviewed many University students in the STEM fields with varied backgrounds. However, most of those who were exposed to science or engineering programs early on in their education, persevered and saw themselves in those fields.

When Alexandre spoke to some Ruben Dario Middle School students about their career aspirations, many said they wanted to be rappers or influencers.

When I said I was from the University of Miami, they said Wow, I could never get myself there and they were counting themselves out of getting into college, she said.

Alexandre said that she believes that one way to encourage students to aspire to any college or career is to expose them to different role models who have achieved challenging roles. It would inspire students to actually want to learn in new ways, she said.

Three Library Research Scholars also presented their projects during the session.

Nathaly Gonzalez, a senior studying psychology and French, highlighted Oiga, Mire, Vea: Salsa and the Colombian Armed Conflict in her academic paper. She explored the ways in which personal and collective accounts of trauma are transmitted and adapted via salsa, the most popular and emblematic musical style of Cali, Colombia.

Sakina Qazi, a junior who is studying biochemistry and English literature, discussed her project proposala research paper that is an investigative review on the overlap of medicine and literary works throughout history.

Bhavjeet Sanghera, a sophomore studying neuroscience, presented on an interactive visualization in ArcGISa web-based mapping softwarethat focuses on the opioid crisis in Florida.

The Adobe Library Research Scholars Program was inaugurated in 2018 and was built on the success of the preexisting research program. Through an endowment provided by Adobe Systems Inc., two undergraduate students are selected each year to serve as Adobe Scholars, along with three Library Research Scholars. Find out more about the programs and how to apply.

Each student who is accepted into one of the research programs will participate in a yearlong, four-part program that includes mentorship.
G7 leaders set for talks with Ukraine president

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to hold talks with his G7 counterparts. File photo: AP

Group of Seven (G7) leaders will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday after US President Joe Biden earlier this week said they would discuss possible additional actions in response to Russia's military operation in Ukraine.



Talks will focus on the war's latest developments, efforts to bolster Ukraine and ways to demonstrate "continued G7 unity in our collective response, including by imposing severe costs for Putins war," a spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said on Monday.



The leaders of the G7 countries, which include the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy, will hold their virtual meeting with Zelenskiy on Sunday morning, the spokesperson added.



The US and its allies have previously united on a host of sweeping sanctions targeting Russian banks, officials and other entities aimed at punishing Moscow for its actions, including alleged war crimes. Russia characterises its actions as a special operation to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine.



On Wednesday, Biden said he planned to discuss potential additional measures against Moscow, adding that the United States was always open to more sanctions.



"I'll be speaking with the members of the G7 this week about what we're going to do or not do," he told reporters this week, after the European Union proposed its toughest sanctions yet against Russia, including a phased oil embargo.



US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday declined to preview any specific actions but said the United States was in constant discussions and could act further to pressure Moscow.



German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will participate in the call, is also scheduled to give a televised address to the German people on Sunday.



The date marks the anniversary of the end of the second world war and takes on special meaning this year given that Ukraine and Russia  both victims of Nazi Germany  are now at war, a German government spokesperson said. (Reuters)
Sinn Fein wins big in N Ireland election

Sinn Fein's vice-president Michelle O'Neill celebrates with party supporters at an election count in Northern Ireland. Photo: AP

Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA, looked set to claim top spot in elections in British-controlled Northern Ireland for the first time on Friday, a historic shift that could bring the once-remote prospect of a united Ireland closer.



Sinn Fein secured 29 percent of the first-preference vote compared with 21.3 percent by the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), indicating it was likely to become the first Irish nationalist party to win the most seats in an election to the regional assembly since the state's creation in 1921.



"Sinn Fein on course to hold the first minister job is an earthquake" for Northern Ireland politics, said Bill White, chief executive of polling company LucidTalk. "This is seismic."



A Sinn Fein victory would not change the region's status, as the referendum required to leave the United Kingdom is at the discretion of the British government and likely years away.



But the psychological implications of an Irish nationalist first minister would be huge after a century of domination by pro-British parties, supported predominantly by the region's Protestant population.



Demographic trends have long indicated that they would eventually be eclipsed by predominantly Catholic Irish nationalist parties who favour uniting the north with the Republic of Ireland.



Once shunned by the political establishment on both sides of the border for its links to paramilitary violence, Sinn Fein is already the most popular party in the Republic of Ireland, where it has carved out a successful base three years out from national elections by campaigning on everyday issues such as the cost of living and healthcare.



It followed a similar path in the Northern Irish elections, where it focused on economic concerns rather than Irish unity to appeal to middle-ground voters.



Northern Ireland's complex proportional representation voting system means the party with the most first-preference votes does not necessarily win most seats but a number of analysts said Sinn Fein's lead was too big to catch. (Reuters)
New Delhi [India] May 6 (ANI/PNN): Company Bench organized EvolveHR Conference on April 30, 2022, to initiate a conversation about the current HR situation around the world, specifically in India. The event was held at the Novotel Hotel in Pune with actress Ameesha Patel joining as the Chief Guest. EvolveHR Conference witnessed a panel of twelve entrepreneurs and business leaders addressing the HR state of affairs in an open and free-flowing discussion. The event started with an astute speech by the keynote speaker Ganesh Natarajan, the Chairman of 5F World and Honeywell Automation. Natarajan set the tone for the discussions to follow, which were divided into three segments - Attract, Enable, and Retain. The closing keynote speech was made by Dr Anand Deshpande, the Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of Persistent Systems. The "Attract" segment of the event involved business leaders talking about the importance of attracting skilled and competent resources while tackling cut-throat competition across the board. They discussed how the COVID crisis made it difficult for companies to hire suitable talent as the global work culture went through a tectonic shift. Talking about the recruitment challenges faced in the IT industry, Chitiz Agarwal (founder and CEO of Company Bench and Techila Global Services) shared his thoughts about the need to revamp hiring strategies. He also shed light on the ongoing trend of IT companies hiring contractors instead of full-time employees for better productivity. The "Enable" segment of the event involved the panel discussing how companies can empower their employees and cater to their evolving needs. Manjiri Gokhale (CEO of Maya CARE) talked about how the needs of employees have evolved over time and how they need to be handled with the utmost care to optimize their potential. The speakers also discussed important ways of enhancing employee engagement and productivity within an organization. Finally, the "Retain" segment of the event involved speakers exploring different ways of retaining talent within organizations. Ashish Gaikwad (Managing Director of Honeywell) shared his approach toward employee retention and discussed how important it is for businesses to value the resources they possess. During the session, speakers discussed how employees across the board have new opportunities at their disposal in the post-pandemic world, making it important for companies to revamp their HR strategies. Moreover, the panel persuaded everyone to take the ongoing issue of The Great Resignation seriously and take measures to adapt to the changing workplace trends to survive in the age of digitization. Chitiz Agarwal, the founder and CEO of Company Bench, shared his joy about the event meeting the intended goals. He said, "We are delighted to see the response EvolveHR Conference received and are motivated to organise similar events again. Having an open discussion about common business issues and finding a way out together allows us all to grow and prosper as a community of like-minded individuals. We are glad that EvolveHR Conference was successful in initiating an active conversation about improving the HR machinery around the world." This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 6 (ANI/BusinessWire India): L&T Technology Services Limited (BSE: 540115, NSE: LTTS), a global leading pure play engineering services company, announced the successful conclusion of the 5th Edition of its widely acclaimed annual academia-industry innovation initiative, TECHgium. Conceptualized to provide engineering students with an early exposure to real-life problem statements faced by industries, TECHgium has, over the years, emerged as one of the most sought-after forums for engineering students passionate about pursuing an innovation-driven career in the global engineering and technology services domain. The current edition saw 30,421 students, from 444 reputed engineering institutes across India, vying for the top spot. The finalists presented PoCs on several breakthrough innovations, involving cutting edge technology trends such as artificial intelligence, deep learning, renewable energy, drone technology, compute vision and EV batteries among others. Some of the concepts showcased were based on Drone Supervisors, EV Battery Optimization, Hover-Drones with Dynamic Charging via Wireless Power Transfer, Easy to Attach IoT Crane Box, Self-Cleaning Solar Panels, End-to-End Fully Automatic Deep Learning Algorithm for Scientific Document Denoising, Solar Tracking System for Efficient Power Generation using Image Processing and Automated Payment Mechanism for Contractual Agreements. The team from Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur, were declared winners of the 5th Edition of TECHgium for creating a prototype of an easy to attach IoT crane box. The first runners up were students from IIT Roorkee for their solution on Self-Cleaning Solar Panels, while the student from IIT Guwahati earned the third place, for his concept on Hover-Drone with Dynamic Charging via Wireless Power Transfer. There was also a Special Jury Award that was bestowed to the students from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology for their concept on End-to-End Fully Automatic Deep Learning Algorithm for Scientific Document Denoising. Amit Chadha, CEO and Managing Director, L&T Technology Services, said, "The transition from academic life to corporate world often requires one to have adequate exposure and knowledge of real-world problems faced by businesses the world over. It is only through such opportunities and early-stage learning initiatives that we can inspire engineering students to embrace innovation-led digital engineering roles and drive the future of technology. LTTS' TECHgium is a key enabler in this direction, empowering young engineers and students to prepare for a robust, resilient, and world-class career trajectory. Interestingly, many of the Proof of Concepts by the participants directly align with LTTS' stated Big Bets namely, EACV, 5G, Digital products and AI, Digital Manufacturing, MedTech and Sustainability, which points to the possibilities inherent in each of these Big Bets for India's young engineers." Students from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur said, "Participating in TECHgium has been a significant learning experience for the entire team. Our concept on an IoT-enabled crane box has been well appreciated, and we are grateful for the insights provided by the esteemed jury panel and to LTTS for this fantastic opportunity." Students from IIT Roorkee said, "It has been an exciting journey here at TECHgium and at LTTS. The problem statements have challenged us to push our frontiers and successfully design a self-cleaning solar panel prototype; the learnings gathered have been both transformational and inspirational as we look to the future." LTTS' TECHgium began in 2016 and is a popular open-innovation forum among the students and faculty of reputed engineering institutes across the nation. The top teams this year took home INR 20 lakh in prize money, a testament of the industry's appreciation of their deep innovation capabilities. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 6 (ANI/PNN): Sarrva Productions Studio has partnered with the UK-based venture capitalist for an initial investment of USD 30 million for creating all forms of intellectual property including films, web series, and kids-centric content on the OTT platforms. Bharat Nautiyal, founder and managing director of Sarrva Productions Studion said, "Our venture will produce scripted and non-scripted content across multiple genres including digital, films and kids centre OTT platforms" Sarrva Productions Studio has appointed some of the well-known industry experts as its core team members including Arpita Das, the creative head who has worked on Abhay2, Ishq Par Zor Nahi, Shoona Square, and many other projects, BM Giriraj, film and theatre director who has directed over six films and three of his films--Jatta, Mythri and AMaravati won state, national and international recognition. Shailesh Solanki has been appointed as the production head of Sarrva Productions Studio. According to Nautiyal, BM Giriraj is the most experienced film and theatre director. He has written and directed 1222 stage plays and has acted in more than 2,000 street plays. As an author, his novel 'Kathege Savilla' has won the Sahitya Parishad award, and his play Sugandhada Seemeyaache has won the Nataka Academy award. He has also written and directed the Karnataka Government's magnum opus Bharata Bhagya Vidhata, a dance musical based on the life of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar with 75 artists performing on the stage in 30 districts. Dr. Kaushik Izardar, CEO of Sarrva Productions said, "We are delighted to have Arpita Das, BM Giriraj, and Shailesh Solanki as our core team members. They are bestowed with global management talent with a proven track record of driving significant growth and creating strategic value in companies. The addition of new members is a great way to continue furthering our objective of creating a world where individuals of all abilities are fully accepted, respected, and included." 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], May 6 (ANI/PRNewswire): Deakin University, Australia India Business Council Ltd Victoria Chapter (AIBC Vic) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) jointly hosted a CEO roundtable in Melbourne on 5th May 2022. The event was attended by CEOs and senior representatives of Australian businesses from across sectors. The prime objective of the roundtable was to gather intelligence from senior members of the industry and deliberate on the opportunities that must be considered whilst doing business in India in the light of the Australia India - Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA). The event witnessed participation from Hon Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar MP and key representatives from industry, business and thought leaders across sectors of importance including Mr D D Saxena (Chairman CII IBF Australia and agriculture sector) Mr Ashok Mysore (Vice President Infosys), Mr Rajiv Mukerji (Vice President Tata Steel), Mr Leigh Obradovic (Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Toll Group), Mr Samir Vora (Executive Director, Adani Australia) and many more. Speaking at the event, Hon Minister Michael Sukkar, emphasised "How this new free trade agreement with India will help deliver more Australian jobs and business opportunities for exporters, thereby bringing both countries closer together in a changing strategic environment. I strongly feel that AIBC VIC should maintain close working relationships with its stakeholders including the Government of India, the Government of Australia and other industry actors. AIBC VIC should continue to work towards building platforms in facilitating and nurturing growth opportunities for business and investment between India and Australia." Jim Varghese, National Chair and Director, Australia India Business Council Ltd, added, "It is encouraging to see AIBC Vic along with Deakin University and CII leading this discussion around the road ahead for Australia India ECTA. Such a discussion is critical in driving an understanding of contemporary India in Australia and fostering business opportunities that Indian businesses have in Australia and vice versa." Kean Selway, Executive Vice-President [Futures], Deakin University, said, "As a leading university in Victoria with over 28 years of presence in India, Deakin is in a position to play a leading role in catalysing initiatives such as this roundtable discussion. This roundtable is an opportunity for industries, businesses and thought leaders to come together to create channels for ease of doing business for Australian businesses in India and vice versa. With this initiative, Deakin is leading the way in setting the tone and direction for the Australia India bilateral trade relations story." The key takeaway from the discussions emphasised the critical role AIBC, CII, Austrade, and AICC play in assisting businesses from both countries and how can help navigate business partnering opportunities across the sectors of importance. Established in 1974, Deakin University successfully combines excellence in teaching, research and effective partnerships with industry and government to deliver high quality courses and undertake research that makes a difference to the domestic and international communities it serves. Deakin's South Asia operations commenced in 1994 at New Delhi, India, making it one of the first overseas education provider to set operations in this region. Here, Deakin engages with the government, industry, and the academia to share its vibrant culture of education and research. For more information on Deakin University, please visit: www.deakin.edu Established in 1986, the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) was founded to foster bi-lateral relations between the two countries. We are the only premier non-profit organisation, with a mission to promote trade dialogue between India and Australia through nurturing and maintaining close relationships in both Australia and India, with Federal and State government agencies, the diplomatic corporations and industry bodies. The AIBC is a national membership organisation with active chapters in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra and maintains close relationships with federal and state government agencies, the diplomatic corps and industry bodies, and showcases opportunities to the Australian business community through an active program of events. CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, with over 9000 members from the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 300,000 enterprises from 294 national and regional sectoral industry bodies. For more than 125 years, CII has been engaged in shaping India's development journey and works proactively on transforming Indian Industry's engagement in national development. CII charts change by working closely with Government on policy issues, interfacing with thought leaders, and enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and business opportunities for industry through a range of specialized services and strategic global linkages. It also provides a platform for consensus-building and networking on key issues. This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], May 6 (ANI/NewsVoir): Crazy Owl - Your Skin Co., a newly launched Indian personal care brand curates products to uplift mind, body and soul. It's that time of year when you need to pay special attention to your hair and body. Crazy Owl has released a range of products that you should add to your basket right away. With the goodness of nature, the brand adds a splash of freshness to your daily lives. The brand provides clean and sustainable luxury products that are of the highest quality. The products offered range from Fragrance, Bath and Body Care and Hair Care. All the products are built on the foundation of being Vegan, plant based and gender fluid made using skin friendly ingredients. From captivating your senses with its enchanting aroma to cleansing, this exquisitely fragrant range of bath and body products will transform every shower into a soothing experience reconnecting you with nature. They have a variety of options in each category. Lemon, Mint and Tea Tree, Aqua Musk and Mango Mania aromatic fragrances are available in body wash range. Dates Seed Oil and Witch Hazel Extract shampoo and conditioners are India's first food for hair ingredients with soothing fragrances and plant based protein and vitamins. The body sprays and perfumes are made from essential oils to awaken the mind, body and soul. Founded by Damanjit Kohli and Karishma Sahni in 2022, Crazy Owl offers clean, consciously crafted products that deliver unmatched standards. The brand has a vibrant, distinguishing color palette with a welcoming attitude. It functions on the philosophy of embracing one's true self and exploring their crazy side. The brand aims to create the finest products in the industry with premium quality packaging, long lasting fragrance and hopes to pave the path for lifelong connections with their customers. It is a PETA, IFRA and FDA approved brand and uses ingredients only after they pass the highest quality standards. The brand promises a positive and feel good experience whilst being conscious. It takes pride in providing a spectacular experience to all customers, regardless of age or gender. Talking about the brand, Damanjit Kohli and Karishma Sahni, Founders of Crazy Owl, share, "At Crazy Owl we are farsighted to build sustainable products of the future. We believe in delivering quality and integrity that matches international standards. It is reflected in our packaging as well the handpicked sustainable ingredients in every product. The drive is to create a brand, which is efficacy-based, clean, and provides the customer with a feel-good experience." To learn more about the products offered by the brand: crazyowl.in. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 6 (ANI/GPRC): Uttar Pradesh Governor Anadiben Patel on Tuesday called on renowned film producer Ali Akbar Sultan Ahmed to appreciate the initiative taken for the awareness of the Ganga River. River Ganga has always been a part of social and economic activity in Uttar Pradesh. Since UP is the home to the biggest part of Ganga and many religious cities fall on this shore therefore it is important to encourage and aware people. During the conversation concerns such as development reforms, growth, encouragement of young talent, and many other issues were discussed. Discussing about the Ganga River, Ali Akbar Sultan Ahmed says, "Ganga has its historical, spiritual, ecological, cultural and mythological significance and it is a duty of every citizen of India to keep it clean and alive. In India, Ganga is considered a sacred and means many things to many people." Associating with the culture and heritage Governor Anandiben Patel expressed the issue faced in Uttar Pradesh related to the spiritual Ganga River and explains that public participation is also an essential part to resolve such an issue. Anandiben Patel also appreciated the ideas shared by Ali Akbar Sultan Ahmed in regards to the development of Uttar Pradesh and his interest in the awareness and cleanliness of the Ganga River. After the meeting, Ali Akbar says," It's an honor to have an opportunity to meet the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel. She has a close insight that is favorable for the growth of our country." This story is provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GPRC)
New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI/PNN): Raised on 24 March 1835, Assam Rifles is the oldest Paramilitary Force in the country. Assam Rifles Raising Day is observed every year on 24 March and to commemorate the same, the Director Generals Conclave is held in New Delhi prior to the Raising Day. This year in view of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the DGs Conclave and Assam Rifles Annual Seminar with USI of India was held on 06 May 2022 at Shaurya CRPF Training Institute, New Delhi. The proceedings of the day began with the Annual Seminar with USI which was graced by the Honourable Union Minister of State for Home, Shri Nityanand Rai who addressed the seminar. The seminar was based on the theme "Economic Growth is Prerequisite to Address Deeply Rooted Insurgencies in the North East". The curtain raiser for the event began with address by Maj Gen BK Sharma, AVSM, SM (Retd) Director USI and a Special address was by Lt Gen PC Nair, AVSM, YSM, DG Assam Rifles. Session 1 of the seminar focused on the "North East Insurgencies and other Challenges". The session had eminent panelists which included Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM (Retd) former DG Assam Rifles as a moderator, Pradeep Phanjoubam, Dr Pahi Saikia and Mr Jaideep Saikia were the co panelists. Session 2 of the seminar analyzed the importance of "Economic Growth of North East for Harbinger of Peace and Prosperity in the Region" and was moderated by Lt Gen (Dr) K Himalaya Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd). Maj Gen Anuj Mathur, VSM, (Retd) Dr Anasua Basu Roy Chaudhary and Shri Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, IFS (Retd) formed the esteemed panel for the session. The Seminar was attended by a large no of civilian dignitaries, serving and retired Officers of the Assam Rifles, CRPF, Indian Armed Forces and members of Media. The aspects brought about by the speakers of the Seminar gave valuable inputs on the dynamics of the North East and the role economic development can play towards its growth, peace and prosperity. The invaluable suggestions from the speakers and audience of various fields generated valuable thoughts to ponder over for all decision makers thereby making this event a grand success. The evening proceedings included the DGs Conclave which was chaired by Lt Gen PC Nair, AVSM, SM**, DGAR, and attended by the Ex-DGs & other officers of Assam Rifles. During the Conclave, discussions on various issues on the general functioning of the Force, the current security situation in the Northeast and future action plans were held. The Assam Rifles popularly known as the 'Sentinels of the North East' has committed itself towards security, peace and development of the North East. The Assam Rifles has not only ensured the safety and security of the region but also ensured unity amongst diversity in the North East. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 6 (ANI/NewsVoir): Dr. Lakshmi Venu has taken over as the Managing Director of Sundaram-Clayton Limited (SCL), one of India's leading auto components manufacturer at the board meeting held today. Dr. Venu was the Joint Managing Director of Sundaram-Clayton. Dr. Lakshmi Venu has been leading Sundaram-Clayton from the forefront with aplomb for over a decade now. She has been the lead architect of establishing Sundaram-Clayton's global footprint. Her decision to set up a foundry in the US three years ago in 2019 in Dorchester, South Carolina was almost prescient, as most US-based customers were looking for on-shore foundry units to reduce supply chain risks and curtail carbon footprint. She managed the turnaround of Sundaram-Clayton Ltd. to make it a competitive foundry in the world, and has built deep customer relationships with Cummins, Hyundai, Volvo, Paccar and Daimler. R Gopalan, Chairman, Sundaram-Clayton said, "Lakshmi brings deep customer understanding and has developed strong relationships with global customers. She has successfully chartered a strategy to have a global footprint to build competitive advantage. I am confident that she will continue to transform Sundaram-Clayton into a world class auto component manufacturer." Admiral P J Jacob (Retd.), Chairman, Audit Committee, Sundaram-Clayton said, "The elevation of Lakshmi Venu as Managing Director in Sundaram-Clayton is fitting recognition of the enormous contribution she has made to the growth of the Company, particularly during very difficult times. She has earned this elevation the hard way, from the shop floor to the Apex of the Company. I wish her all the very best in taking the Company to even greater heights." Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, Sundaram-Clayton said, "Lakshmi's focus and dedicated efforts over the last ten years have seen the Company do a turnaround in quality, profitability, and building relationship with OEMs. She has spearheaded the establishment of our US operations which has commenced activities recently. We are confident that under her leadership, Sundaram-Clayton will see its rise globally." Accepting the post of MD, Dr. Lakshmi Venu, Managing Director, Sundaram-Clayton said, "It is indeed an honour to lead Sundaram-Clayton to its next phase of growth. The world is changing very rapidly and disruptions in the automotive industry are becoming de rigueur. The future promises to be exciting, challenging and presents new opportunities. We have an excellent team and together we look forward to strengthening Sundaram-Clayton both in India and globally. I hope to live up to the faith the shareholders, the board of directors, the employees and the management of the company have bestowed upon me. I am grateful for the mentorship that I have received from Chairman Emeritus Mr. Venu Srinivasan and Chairman R. Gopalan who will always remain our beacon lights." SCL is a leading manufacturer of machined aluminum die-castings, producing castings for the passenger car, commercial vehicle and two-wheeler industries in India and globally. SCL in India, currently has facilities in Padi, Oragadam and Mahindra World City near Chennai, and one plant in Hosur. SCL also operates in US to cater to the demands of its key customers. Rooted in our 100-year legacy of Trust, Value, and Passion for Customers and Exactness, we take pride in making internationally aspirational products of the highest quality through innovative and sustainable processes. For more information, please visit www.sundaramclayton.com. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
When last year American media personality Kim Kardashian hosted 'Saturday Night Live', her joke during the opening monologue about ex-husband Kanye West made it seem like the duo were on relatively good terms even amidst their divorce, however, things weren't as they were perceived. According to Variety, Kim quipped at the time about West, "I married the best rapper of all time. Not only that, he's the richest Black man in America," she said onstage. "A talented, legit genius who gave me four incredible kids. So, when I divorced him, you have to know it came down to just one thing: his personality." In the latest episode of Hulu's "The Kardashians," the star revealed that West actually walked out of her monologue and stopped talking to her after that because of the jokes. "He walked out on 'SNL' like mid-monologue, so I haven't talked to him since," Kim spoke to his sister Khloe Kardashian in a conversation recorded in October 2021 in the latest episode of the Hulu series released today. "He's upset over the fact that I said the reason I divorced him -- used the word 'divorced' -- he wished I'd said the word 'filed for divorce," Kim said in the scene. "And he's upset that I also used the word 'rapper. 'I'm so much more than a rapper. I can't believe you said rapper," he said. Kim expressed to Khloe that she was sad that West had left the show, since she stayed by his side while he had been speaking for years (which is usually controversial and negative media attention). "I've sat there through so many speeches that have not been the most comfortable for me. But that was my partner and I stood by him. I would never embarrass him and walk out and leave," Kim said on the show. "He's so used to getting exactly what he wants. I've never seen anything like it. Good for him, but hey, it's not going to happen here," Variety reported. These episodes of 'The Kardashian' were filmed in the final months of 2021. In early 2022, West began speaking out publicly on social media and in his music against Kardashian and her new boyfriend, "SNL" comedian Pete Davidson, and his rhetoric became so negative that the Grammy even banned the West from performing at the ceremony. Kardashian was declared legally single in March, after filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging "emotional distress" and seeking expedited divorce proceedings. (ANI)
American stand-up comedian and actor Kevin Hart has weighed in after Dave Chappelle was recently attacked onstage while performing a set for the 'Netflix Is a Joke' fest. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hart opened up while appearing on the Thursday episode of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', which was hosted by Mike Birbiglia as the original host Jimmy Kimmel has been down with COVID-19. When Birbiglia referred to the incident as "scary," the comedian replied that he didn't find it scary but was glad that the attacker was roughed up by security. "Somebody getting their ass whipped sends a message out to other people that was like, 'You know, I was thinking about doing that, but seeing that, I don't really want to do that,'" he said. "Dave went back after that and finished doing the show. Didn't let that thing be a big thing. Quickly moved on from it and got back to doing comedy, and that's what a professional does. Ultimately, these moments of unprofessionalism should not break professionals. They shouldn't shape or mold the world that we're now being seen or viewed in. It's time to get back to a place of respect for your live entertainer," he added while commending Chappelle for continuing his show. The 'Jumanji' actor pointed out that heckling has been a longstanding part of the live-comedy experience and recalled a time when Hart himself was hit by a buffalo wing thrown by an audience member. "Comedian has always dealt with heckler; heckler has always shouted out things because he felt that he could. A comedian's way of shutting that down was to say things back. It wasn't bullying. It wasn't picking on. It was all done in fun. We've now lost sight of the relationship of audience to comedian, and that line has gotten blurred to where it's like, 'Well, I don't need to do this and like this, and I can stand up and make a point,'" Hart said. Chappelle was performing Tuesday when a man rushed the stage, tackling him to the ground and pointing a replica firearm at the star, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, before security was able to step in and bring the individual backstage. (ANI)
After recently being attacked on stage by a man at the Hollywood Bowl, American comedian Dave Chappelle has addressed the incident at a secret comedy show in Los Angeles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the comedian was performing at the Comedy Store in the club's 70-seat Belly Room and though it was a last-minute addition, rumours about the appearance had been circulating the night before the show. Amongst the intimate crowd was a host of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, rapper Yasiin Bey and comedian Jeff Ross, who was part of the line-up for Chappelle's Tuesday night Hollywood Bowl show. Dressed in a baggy tank top and smoking cigarettes, Chappelle took the stage and immediately went into the topic of the Tuesday-night attack at the Hollywood Bowl, saying he couldn't see the man's face but that he got a grip of his hair. Chappelle described being embraced immediately after the incident by his son, who told him, "Dad, I love you." He said it was the strange sight of Jamie Foxx wearing, for some reason, "a sheriff's hat" that calmed him down. Hours after the attack, Chappelle's representative said that despite the "unfortunate" and "unsettling" nature of what happened, he wouldn't let it "overshadow the magic of" his Hollywood Bowl sets. Chappelle gave a shout out to many people who reached out after the incident. "A lot of people love me, it turns out," he said of a group that included Louis C.K, reported The Hollywood Reporter. It was at that point that Chris Rock, who himself faced a slapping incident during the 2022 Oscars, joined Chappelle onstage, drawing a huge cheer from the crowd. "At least you got smacked by someone of repute! I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair," Chappelle joked to Rock, who laughed and responded, "I got smacked by the softest n--- that ever rapped." Later, Chappelle described convincing the Los Angeles police to allow him to enter the room where his alleged assailant, 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, was being held. "I needed to talk to him," Chappelle said. He asked Lee what possibly could have prompted his attack, to which Lee, who Chappelle said appeared to him to be mentally ill, offered a story about his grandmother from Brooklyn, who had been forced out of her neighbourhood by gentrification. The attack was meant to draw attention to her plight, Chappelle recounted. As per The Hollywood Reporter, eventually, the topics moved beyond the twin attacks to other things in the news like the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard libel trial and the looming threat to Roe v. Wade. (ANI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the government would provide subsidy on electricity to only those citizens of the national capital who would want it. "The Delhi government will now ask people whether they want to avail subsidy on electricity. From October 1, only those consumers who opt for it will be provided the subsidy," he said at a briefing. He said citizens would be asked if they would want to continue with the subsidy and the exercise in this regard would begin soon. Presently, consumers get a zero power bill up to 200 units of electricity and a subsidy of Rs 800 on consuming 201 to 400 units of power per month in Delhi. He made the announcement while virtually launching the Delhi Startup Policy. Stating that the cabinet had passed the Delhi Startup Policy, he said, "We are committed towards making Delhi into a startup capital of India." As part of the policy, Delhi youth would get help to run a business in the national capital with the financial assistance from the government. --IANS avr/vd ( 192 Words) 2022-05-05-20:46:02 (IANS)
Anindya Sundar Das, whose petition led the Calcutta High Court to order a CBI probe into the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Hanskhali in West Bengal's Nadia district, has now sought an interim compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family of the victim. His latest petition, moved through advocate Phiroze Edulji before the bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava on Thursday, comes a couple of days after the CBI submitted a status report on its findings in the matter. "In the latest petition, we have stated how the family didn't receive any assistance from the law and order agencies of the state. Had there been rule of law, a 14-year-old child wouldn't have faced such torture. A young girl's life was snuffed out. We have provided a break-up of why the state legal services authority or the district legal services authority should pay the family Rs 1,00,00,000 for the trauma they have endured. The matter was mentioned in the court on Thursday with a prayer for urgent hearing," Edulji said. The high court had directed the CBI to take up the matter on April 12. Since then, the investigating agency has made several arrests. Among those arrested is a Trinamool Congress leader who is the father of the prime accused. His henchmen and the friends of his son, allegedly involved in the crime, have also been arrested. This reveals that the CBI has evidence of intimidation of the family of the victim to cover up the matter. The minor girl was allegedly gang-raped on April 4. Due to excessive bleeding, her family members tried to take her to a hospital, but the father of the prime accused, who is now in CBI custody, allegedly used strong arm tactics to prevent this. The girl was taken to a local quack but she died. The father of the prime accused allegedly threatened the family against lodging a police complaint and arranged for the girl's body to be cremated at an unauthorised crematorium without an autopsy or death certificate. The matter came to light only after the family members, with the help of some NGOs, lodged an FIR on April 10. To make matters worse, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee claimed that there was no rape. According to her, the victim and the prime accused were in a relationship and the death was caused due to attempted termination of pregnancy. However, she wasn't clear on why no autopsy was carried out or a death certificate was issued before the cremation. Rather, she questioned why the FIR was lodged so many days after the incident. The Chief Minister didn't even consider that any physical interaction with a minor by an adult is illegal and amounts to rape under the law. The minor's consent, even if she gives it, doesn't count. After the CBI took up the probe, Anindya Sundar Das moved another application before the high court, seeking protection for the family of the victim and witnesses. The high court granted permission to the family members and witnesses to approach the concerned authorities in this regard. --IANS arm/ ( 541 Words) 2022-05-05-20:46:03 (IANS)
Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday hit out at the Central government over the recommendations of the Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission report. "The PDP, from day one, has looked at the delimitation exercise as an extension of the process started on August 5, 2019 to disempower people from a particular community and a region. The final draft has proved our fears right again," it said in a statement. The PDP alleged that the Centre has used or misused independent institutions to turn the electoral majority into a minority by using geography, and access as a ruse. "It will be for the first time in the electoral history of the country that elections are being rigged long even before the first vote is cast. It's another sad chapter of history written by the rulers sitting in New Delhi," it said in the statement. --IANS zi/vd ( 162 Words) 2022-05-05-20:52:06 (IANS)
Police on Thursday arrested two persons for the murder of a 25-year-old man, who had an inter-faith marriage recently. Billapuram Nagaraju was hacked to death in Hyderabad on Wednesday night in front of his wife, who belonged to another community. Announcing a breakthrough in the case within 24 hours, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said Ashrin Sultana's brother Syed Mobin Ahmed and brother-in-law Mohammed Masood Ahmed have been arrested. Nagaraju, who was going with his wife on a motorbike, was waylaid and attacked by the duo near GHMC office under Saroornagar police station. Nagaraju, who was working as a salesman in a car showroom, died on the spot after the attackers hit him with iron rods and stabbed him. The visuals of the brutal murder were recorded on CCTV in the area. Sultana alleged that her brother and others attacked Nagaraju even as she pleaded with them to leave him. Nagaraju, belonging to the Scheduled Caste and a resident of Marpally village in Vikarabad district, and Sultana of neighbouring village Ghanapur were in love for the last seven years. They were classmates in school and college. However, Sultana's family was opposed to the alliance and they warned her against continuing the relationship. The girl eloped with Nagaraju on January 30, 2022 and the next day they married in an Arya Samaj temple in Lal Darwaza area. The girl had changed her name to Pallavi. According to police, the girl's family had filed a missing person complaint in Balanagar police station on February 1. Sensing a threat to their lives, the couple had left for Visakhapatnam. According to Nagaraju's parents, they had come back to Hyderabad five days ago and were staying in Panjala Anil Kumar colony in Saroornagar. On Thursday night, Mobin and Masood followed Nagaraju who was proceeding on his bike with Sultana. After forcing Nagaraju to stop his bike, Mobin attacked him with an iron rod. After hitting the deceased on his head with the iron rod, Mobin took out a knife and handed over the iron rod to Masood. Police said Mobin stabbed Nagaraju who was lying on the ground while Masood hit him on his head with an iron rod. After confirming that Nagaraju was dead, the accused fled from the scene. The police officer said Mobin had developed a grudge against the deceased as he had married his sister and planned the murder along with Masood. The accused were produced before a court, which sent them to judicial custody. --IANS ms/uk/bg ( 427 Words) 2022-05-05-20:52:07 (IANS)
In his first visit to West Bengal after the 2021 Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a scathing attack against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming that the latter has not rectified herself even after becoming the CM for the third consecutive term. "Mamata Banerjee has become the Chief Minister of West Bengal for the third consecutive term. But even after that she has not rectified herself. The people of West Bengal are yet to get relief from corruption, violence and attacks on women. "The Chief Minister has pushed West Bengal into a debt trap... I am telling the Chief Minister to rectify herself. Other people know how to rectify the moods of powerful persons," Shah said while addressing a public rally at the Railway Institute Ground in Siliguri in North Bengal. He also ridiculed the Trinamool Congress leadership for sending fact-finding teams to Jahangirpuri in Delhi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. "Mamata Banerjee is sending delegations everywhere in the country. But so many people were charred to death at Bogtui in Birbhum district. At Hanskhali in Nadia district, a minor was gang-raped. Why didn't she send delegations there," Shah asked. The Home Minister also attacked Banerjee for the latter's comment that she would never allow the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in West Bengal. "Some people are saying that CAA will never be implemented in West Bengal. But I want to assure you that CAA will be implemented for sure once the Covid-19 situation is totally under control. CAA still has relevance and the Chief Minister cannot do anything to stop it from getting implemented," Shah said. Reacting to Shah's comments, Banerjee asked how fresh citizenship can be given to those people who are already citizens of the country. "These are all ploys to create division among the people on the basis of religion," she said. Addressing the rally in Siliguri, Shah also accused the Chief Minister of neglecting North Bengal. "The current state government has done nothing for North Bengal, which is the gateway to Northeast India," Shah said. Reacting to that, Banerjee said that it has always been the ploy of the BJP to separate North Bengal from West Bengal. "They always speak of separation instead of unity. The Home Minister better concentrates on what is happening in the BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh," Banerjee said. --IANS src/arm ( 417 Words) 2022-05-05-21:02:02 (IANS)
However, police officials refuted claims of attempts by the ISI to revive terrorism in the state, saying such acts were part of its nefarious designs.

The arrested accused were identified as Gurpreet Singh, Amandeep Singh and Parminder Singh, residents of Vinjoke village in Zira, Ferozepur; and Bhupinder Singh of Bhatian village in Ludhiana.

They were arrested at Karnal in Haryana by the state police following inputs from the Punjab police.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab V.K. Bhawra told the media here that a Central agency earlier shared an input that some suspects, who may be carrying explosive material and weapons are moving in the border districts of Fazilka and Ferozepur.

Subsequent to this input, police teams led by Commandant Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh and SHO (Fazilka) Satinderdeep Singh Brar along with teams from the Central agency were on a manhunt on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday to nab these suspects, he said.

The teams had jointly identified suspected locations in the districts of Ferozepur, Fazilka, Faridkot and SAS Nagar.

The DGP said the suspects were found to be moving in the area of Ferozepur and later they started going in a white Innova vehicle DL1VB7869 towards Ludhiana.

"The suspects took the national highway and started moving towards Ambala, when acting promptly, Punjab Police shared the development with Haryana Police, which managed to intercept the vehicle in Karnal and arrested the accused persons with IEDs," the DGP told IANS.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused have revealed that they were working for Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harwinder Singh, alias Rinda.

Rinda, a notorious gangster active in Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and Haryana, is a history-sheeter and is wanted by the Punjab Police in heinous crimes, including murder, contract killing, robbery, extortion and snatching.

--IANS vg/bg

( 336 Words)

2022-05-05-21:14:03 (IANS)
BJP national President J.P. Nadda on Thursday claimed that people of Telangana want a change in the state by bringing BJP to power so that the state can benefit from double-engine growth. Nadda was addressing a public meeting at Mahaboobnagar as part of the ongoing 'Praja Sangram Yatra' of BJP's state unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar. He said that BJP's victory in the Dubbaka and Huzurabad Assembly by-elections reflect the people's mood, adding that the defeat of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the by-elections has disturbed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He also alleged that the Telangana government headed by KCR, as Chandrasekhar Rao is popularly known, is one of the most corrupt governments. "The Kaleshwaram project has become an ATM for KCR, a milking cow for him as he revised its cost from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 1.20 lakh crore, but not even one inch of land has been irrigated," Nadda said. The BJP chief claimed that Palamuru Rangareddy, Dindi, Nettampadu and all other irrigation projects have failed. He alleged that there is corruption in Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha and the Harithaharam scheme, saying: "KCR government is working like a land mafia." Nadda also slammed TRS for what he calls appeasement politics and dubbed TRS as 'Telangana Razakar Samiti'. He said the government was adopting a policy of divide and rule. He also alleged that the KCR government renamed various Central schemes but the benefits of these schemes are still not reaching the people. Nadda claimed that the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre is concerned for the development of Telangana. Heaping praise on Prime Minister Modi, the BJP chief said when developed countries like the US, Germany, France and Italy were shaken by Coronavirus, Modi saved the country of 130 crore population. Stating that India is changing, he said the country has become one of the biggest exporters with exports worth Rs 400 billion. Earlier, addressing the office-bearers of the party, he said that BJP has got a good chance in Telangana, as he asked the state party leaders to make use of the same. He advised the party leaders to work to strengthen the party from the booth level. He also asked them to reach out to the Dalits and interact with them to know their problems. Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay, MP Arvind Dharmapuri and other party leaders also addressed the public meeting. --IANS ms/arm ( 413 Words) 2022-05-05-23:06:01 (IANS)
Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Taneti Vanitha's comments on a recent gang rape incident at Repalle Railway Station have sparked a row. She stated that the accused had not come there with the intention to rape the woman. "They were drunk and they attacked the man to rob him. When she tried to save her husband, they pushed and tied her and in the process, something happened," she said while talking to reporters. Vanitha also remarked that certain incidents happen unwittingly due to psychological reasons or poverty. Her comments came after a woman was gang raped at Repalle Railway Station in Bapatla district on the night of April 30. Three persons, including a juvenile, attacked the man at the railway station and when her wife tried to save him, they pulled her aside and raped her. Police have arrested the accused. This was the second gang rape in less than two weeks. A mentally challenged woman was gang raped at government hospital in Vijayawada on April 19-20. The victim was confined to a room in the hospital and sexually assaulted for 30 hours by three contract employees of the hospital. The Minister's comments evoked strong criticism from the opposition parties. BJP's state General Secretary S. Vishnuvardhan Reddy wondered how the Home Minister, being a woman, could make such reckless comments. This is the second time in recent days that the Home Minister has made controversial comments in the wake of increasing number of atrocities on women. She earlier had blamed mothers for not being responsible for the upbringing of their children. "Without the mothers fulfilling their responsibility, it's not right to blame police or government for such incidents," she had said. Reacting to this, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, while addressing a meeting in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, asked: "In that case, what comments should be made against Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's mother considering his case and dubious record?" TDP women's wing Chairperson V. Anitha also reacted to the Home Minister's remarks. "If mothers are responsible for the child's conduct, is Y.S. Vijayamma not responsible for Jagan Reddy being in jail for 16 months," she asked. --IANS ms/vd ( 375 Words) 2022-05-05-23:12:02 (IANS)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday slammed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray over sharing old clips of Balasaheb Thackeray on his views about loudspeakers in mosques and questioned why the issue was never raised when Vilasrao Deshmukh, Prithviraj Chavan and Devendra Fadnavis were Chief Ministers? While addressing a public rally in the Hadapsar area of Pune on Thursday, Raut said, "There is politics over loudspeakers everywhere and some old clips of Balasaheb on his views about loudspeakers in mosques are being shared. Why this issue was never raised for 50 years when Vilasrao Deshmukh, Prithviraj Chavan and Devendra Fadnavis were CM?" "He (MNS chief Raj Thackeray) never had any issue with loudspeakers during this period, but he has this issue now because his brother (Uddhav Thackeray) is the CM of Maharashtra," he added. Balasaheb was a person who even accepted a Muslim Chief Minister for the state, many youngsters wouldn't know this but Abdul Rehman Antule was their favourite Chief Minister to Balasaheb. "People had asked Balasaheb when Shiv Sena will come to the power, what kind of CM he wants. He had said he wanted CM like Antuley who could take decision instantly and who has a good command over the administration," he stated. Earlier on Wednesday, Raj Thackeray shared an old clip of Bal Thackeray saying that 'he will remove loudspeakers from mosques when his government is formed.' Taking to his official Twitter account, the MNS chief tweeted a 36-second long video in which Balasaheb is addressing a Shiv Sena rally and saying that religion should be in a way that it doesn't come in the middle of the nation's development. Shiv Sena founder can be heard saying in the video, "People should not feel any inconvenience". MNS chief Raj Thackeray shared the old clip of Bal Thackeray a day after he appealed to people to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers in the areas where azan is heard blaring from loudspeakers on May 4. (ANI)
The social media group has threatened to attack Muslim girls for removing burqa and hijab at public places, added the police.

"We are being watchful about it," said the Police Commissioner. (ANI)
Telangana Congress Campaign Committee Chairman Madhu Goud Yaskhi on Thursday said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will meet National Students' Union of India (NSUI) members in the Chanchalguda jail who were detained for staging a protest outside the administrative building of Osmania University in Hyderabad. While talking to ANI, Yaskhi said, "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address Rythu Sangharshana Sabha in Warangal. The next day, he will offer floral tributes to former CM Damodaram Sanjeevaiah." "He will also meet the arrested NSUI president along with 18 other students in the jail. Then he will interact with extended Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee members at Gandhi Bhavan," he added. Ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to Telangana, banners were seen around Hyderabad asking if he was ready to accept the 'white challenge' by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president KT Rama Rao. This comes after Rahul Gandhi's video went viral on various social media platforms, showing the Congress leader attending a party. Rahul Gandhi reports said he was apparently in the viral video at a Lord of Rings, a nightclub in Kathmandu. However, there was no independent authentication of the contents of the viral video. The white challenge was started by Congress MP and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Revanth Reddy in September 2021, for politicians and celebrities aiming to eradicate the drug menace in the state. TRS leader Krishank said that state Congress chief Revanth Reddy has been asking political leaders to accept drug tests which KT Rama Rao accepted, but now he has also asked the Rahul Gandhi who is visiting Telangana to take up this challenge and KTR is ready to come wherever he wants to give his tests. Rahul Gandhi will visit Telangana for a two-day visit on May 6 and 7 The NSUI members protested outside the University seeking permission for Rahul Gandhi's visit to the campus on May 7, following which the police detained them and registered a case for 'obstructing the public servant in conducting their duty'. On Sunday, Ramesh Naik, Circle Inspector had said that 18 people who were protesting were taken into custody. "Eighteen people who were protesting in the administration's building have been taken into custody. When we tried to stop the agitators, they pushed our staff including lady constables. Agitators pelted stones to break the glasses on the window and went inside the building. A case has been registered under obstructing the public servant in conducting their duty," Ramesh Naik had said. (ANI)
An active terrorist of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen has been arrested along with arms and ammunition in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district, said the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday. The terrorist has been identified as Ishfaq Shergojri, added the police. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the 1971 war is the finest example of the whole-of-government approach not only for the armed forces but also for the national security. While speaking during his address at the PC Lal Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, Singh said, "The 1971 war is the finest example of the whole-of-govt approach not only for the armed forces but also for the national security." Further, he added that the ongoing process of integration of the Armed Forces is aimed at advancing not only our combined capability but also our efficiency. "It's not always necessary to have more expensive weapon systems. It is the employment of weapon systems that gives us an edge in wars," he added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari attended the PC Lal Memorial Lecture. (ANI)
Ahead of Thrikkakara bypolls on May 31, Kerala Congress on Thursday asserted that victory is guaranteed. The seat fell vacant following the death of senior Congress leader PT Thomas. The votes will be counted on June 3. Addressing reporters on Thursday, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran said, "The Congress-United Democratic Front (UDF) front was able to announce the Thrikkakara bypoll candidate, Uma Thomas in a timely manner without any differences of opinion. Democratic forces have deep roots in the constituency, which has always favoured the Congress party. Victory is guaranteed here." Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Thursday said that Congress is a democratic party. "The candidate was decided after discussing with everyone. Congress is a democratic party. It is not a party that threatens anyone. There were some inconveniences and some worries. We all worked that out beautifully. Everyone is in this together. We are making continuous efforts to make a come back here," Satheesan said. "The Thrikkakara bypoll is a dispute between developmentalists and anti-developmentalists. The SilverLine project will not be allowed to be implemented here. The UDF stands firm on that position. Let the people of Thrikkakara write the verdict. The people know that this project will destroy Kerala. The stand of the UDF is that development is necessary and destruction is not," Satheesan said. The bypoll to Thrikkakara is the first after the present CPI(M)-led LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan came to power in May 2021. (ANI)
As the doors of the Kedarnath Temple opened on Friday morning, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami along with his wife Geeta Dhami offered prayers. On the occasion of the opening of the doors of Kedarnath Dham, one of the country's 12 Jyotirlingas, thousands of devotees were present. The doors of the temple opened following years old traditional ritual of Vedic chanting. The temple has been decked with 15 quintals of flowers. The portals of the temple closed for winter for six months on November 6 last year. Located on the bank of the Mandakini river, Kedarnath Temple is the of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as 'Char Dham' which also include Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath. Built in the eighth century AD by Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya, Kedarnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The annual Chardham Yatra began on May 3 on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples in the Uttarkashi district. Portals of Badrinath Temple will open on May 8. Earlier this month, the state government capped the number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dhams. A total of 15,000 pilgrims will be allowed daily at Badrinath, 12,000 at Kedarnath, 7,000 at Gangotri and 4,000 at Yamunotri. This arrangement has been made for 45 days. This year, it is not mandatory for pilgrims to carry a negative COVID-19 test report or vaccination certificate. Char Dhams draw lakhs of tourists and devotees every year from across the country and abroad. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on Thursday lauded the inauguration of a global drug development centre by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer on the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Research Park campus, and said that this would play a role in providing an opportunity to the Indian Scientists to establish a global footprint in the field of medical research and development. In a significant move to bring critical research and development capabilities under one roof, pharmaceutical company Pfizer has set up a global drug development centre at the IIT Madras Research Park in Tamil Nadu's Chennai. Speaking to ANI, Radhakrishnan said that this is the first of its kind centre in Asia and it has the potential to reduce the cost of drugs. "I am delighted that Pfizer has set up its global drug development centre in Chennai. This is the first of its kind in Asia. Tamil Nadu has always contributed to such research. The cost of drugs can come down, new molecules can be detected. It will help in collaboration between industry and academia," he said. Pfizer has invested USD 20 million (INR 150+ crore) in the 61,000 sq ft research and technology centre at the IIT Madras Research Park. While this centre will be a part of a network of 12 global centres set up worldwide, it is the first and only one at present being set up by Pfizer in Asia. Earlier, speaking at the launch, S Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India said there is a growing need for pharma companies to provide innovative solutions that address the new challenges that healthcare providers and patients are facing. "This new centre by Pfizer in Chennai is a step in that direction. Such efforts to strengthen and expand global work through this centre will allow for knowledge sharing that we hope will improve patient outcomes in the years to come. It will also allow Pfizer to leverage and showcase the large talent pool in India as well as the best-in-class infrastructure available at the IIT Madras Research Park," Aparna said. (ANI)